Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 How far is China from becoming a popular medical tourism destination? 09:02, June 06, 2025 By Wang Yi ( Global Times (Illustration: Liu Rui/GT) Foreign healthcare providers are increasingly viewing medical tourism as a promising growth frontier in China, as the world's second-largest economy deepens its high-level opening-up and accelerates the development of its services trade sector, reshaping the landscape of its healthcare industry, particularly in international medical tourism. Perennial Holdings is the Singapore operator of China's first wholly foreign-owned tertiary general hospital, which opened earlier this year and is seeking more medical tourists. It aims to derive 30 percent of its revenue during its first year of operation from patients visiting from Russia to the Middle East and Southeast Asia - betting on China's rise as an emerging destination for medical tourism that can compete with established regional rivals Singapore, Thailand and Japan, The Straits Times reported on Thursday. This case represents more than a standalone business venture - it reflects the growing momentum in China's inbound medical tourism sector. As the country continues to introduce favorable policies such as "240-hour visa-free transit" and enhance its cross-border service capabilities, medical tourism is poised to become a new growth engine of China's expanding trade in services. The foundations for this growth are becoming increasingly robust. In recent years, China has designated international medical tourism as an important emerging sector, with notable progress across the country's healthcare system. In September 2024, China launched pilot programs to further open up the medical sector. At the same time, top-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen are upgrading their healthcare infrastructure as part of broader efforts to attract international medical tourists. In April, Shenzhen announced a new initiative to designate 10 hospitals as pilot facilities with standardized international services, aiming to foster the growth of its medical tourism sector. China's medical tourism push has already garnered positive responses, with growing interest from both international patients and foreign healthcare investors. For instance, the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in South China's Hainan Province welcomed an international medical tourism group from Indonesia in December 2024 with per capita spending exceeding 12,000 yuan ($1,672), the Xinhua News Agency reported. Although China's medical tourism industry remains at an early stage compared with some other countries, China's ability to compete in medical tourism is underpinned by several advantages. First, its healthcare services are more cost-effective than those in many Western countries. This affordability, combined with improving quality, is drawing increasing attention from patients in nearby regions. Second, China possesses a unique competitive edge in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). As global interest in integrative and alternative medicine rises, TCM offers a differentiated medical method and proposition that is hard to replicate elsewhere. Treatments combining modern diagnostics with centuries-old herbal and therapeutic traditions are appealing to wellness-oriented international clients. Third, China's rapid technological advancements in the medical service sector are elevating the quality of care to standards comparable with leading international institutions. Additionally, the integration of digital technologies - ranging from telemedicine to intelligent healthcare - has significantly boosted service efficiency. This technological edge is positioning China as an increasingly influential player in the global healthcare landscape. The global medical tourism market is projected to see significant growth in the coming years, according to estimates of industry institutions. Amid this trajectory, the outlook for China's medical tourism sector is promising. As the country continues to expand its services trade and open its markets, the rise of healthcare tourism will be a natural result. Initiatives like Perennial Holdings' new medical institution reflect rising international confidence in China's healthcare environment. To move from a promising up-and-comer to a true leader in global medical tourism, however, China needs to sharpen its competitive edge - leveraging unique strengths such as the integration of TCM with advanced technologies - while ensuring consistent policy implementation across regions. With attracting more foreign investment and strong policy momentum, China is well-positioned to elevate medical tourism from an emerging niche into a key pillar of its modern services economy. The author is a reporter with the Global Times. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) In a year defined by bold storytelling and diverse voices, Korean artists took a deserved share of the spotlight at the 2025 Gotham TV Awards, held Monday night at Cipriani Wall Street in downtown Manhattan. The 2025 Gotham TV Awards, held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, celebrated a year of innovative storytelling and exceptional performances in television. The ceremony honored both emerging talents and industry veterans, highlighting the evolving landscape of TV. Top Honors and Standout Winners Netflix's Adolescence emerged as a significant winner, securing the Breakthrough Limited Series award. The series, which delves into the complexities of a 13-year-old boy charged with murder, also earned acting accolades for Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper. Cooper shared the Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Limited Series award with Jenny Slate of Dying for Sex. Other notable winners included The Pitt for Breakthrough Drama Series and The Studio for Breakthrough Comedy Series. Julio Torres received Outstanding Lead Performance in a Comedy Series for Fantasmas, while Kathy Bates was honored for her role in Matlock. Ben Whishaw's performance in Black Doves earned him the Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Drama Series award. Hwang Dong-hyuk's Creator Tribute A highlight of the evening was the Creator Tribute awarded to Hwang Dong-hyuk, the mastermind behind Netflix's Squid Game, by his side was his main star Lee Jung-jae In his acceptance speech, Hwang reflected on the journey of the series, from initial rejections to global acclaim. He emphasized the importance of responsibility that comes with success, stating: "This trophy is not fancy or shiny compared to other trophies, such as the Emmys or Oscars... I think they're trying to tell people not to be blinded by the glamour of your successful achievements, but to carry the weight of the responsibilities that come with this ... ." The event also served as a platform to build anticipation for the upcoming third and final season of Squid Game, set to premiere on Netflix on June 27, 2025. Fans eagerly await the continuation of the series that has captivated audiences worldwide. Tributes to Industry Icons The ceremony paid homage to several industry figures. Sheryl Lee Ralph received the Sidney Poitier Icon Tribute, reflecting on her career and the guidance she received from Poitier himself. Elisabeth Moss and the cast of The Handmaid's Tale were honored with the Ensemble Tribute, marking the conclusion of the series. David E. Kelley was recognized with the Visionary Tribute for his contributions to television storytelling. Parker Posey was honored with the inaugural legend tribute, with her "The White Lotus" cast members Sam Rockwell and Leslie Bibb by her side. Latino representing Torres, the Salvadoran-born creator and star of Fantasmas, won Outstanding Lead Performance in a Comedy Series, marking a critical breakthrough for his HBO series and his singular voice in surrealist television. Torres's win was a highlight in an evening that embraced unconventional narratives and experimental aesthetics. Also earning praise was the performance of Ana Villafane, the Cuban-American actress who plays a young, justice-hungry ADA in Matlock. While Kathy Bates took home the award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Drama, Villafane was namechecked by presenters for being a driving force in the show's reboot success. Mexican actor Diego Luna was there also presenting. The awards served as more than just a celebration of prestige TV. They marked an industry shift toward a more diverse representation in major rolesnot just in front of the camera, but in the writers' rooms, on the production teams, and among the honorees being recognized for shaping the television landscape. Originally published on Latin Times HA NOI Educational and cultural ties form a longstanding and sustainable bridge between Viet Nam and Bulgaria, paving the way for collaboration across numerous other fields, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has said. During a meeting in Sofia on June 4 with Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet and a delegation from the Viet Nam Bulgaria Friendship Association chapter of Ha Noi, President Radev affirmed Viet Nams standing as Bulgarias traditional friend and highly important partner. He also recalled his strong impression of the official visit to Viet Nam in November 2024, during which he had a meeting organised by the association with the Vietnamese people who used to study and work in Bulgaria. Expressing her appreciation for the Presidents attention to people-to-people exchanges, Ambassador Nguyet introduced members of the delegation, who are alumni of Bulgarian universities and have actively helped with Viet Nams development. She described them as active contributors to the solidarity and friendship between the two nations. Le Thu Ha, Chairwoman of the Ha Noi Association, pledged to make further efforts to nurture the bilateral relationship. She proposed that Bulgaria enhance student exchanges with Viet Nam and create favourable conditions for Vietnamese citizens to visit the country. Earlier, the diplomat and the delegation also held discussions with Director General Todor Stoyanov of the Directorate General for Bilateral Relations and Director Natalia Misheva of the Asia, Australia and Oceania Directorate at the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. VNS WASHINGTON Visiting Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Environment o uc Duy held separate meetings with Senator John Boozman, Chairman of the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, and Representative Glenn GT Thompson, Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture on the afternoon of June 5 (local time). During the discussions, Minister Duy highlighted that both Viet Nam and the US possess significant agricultural strengths, not as direct competitors but as complementary partners, with potential for mutual support and development. The official expressed his hope that the US would continue to open its market and maintain reasonable and balanced tariffs, enabling Vietnamese products to enter the American market smoothly and at prices acceptable to local consumers. He noted that his delegation, comprising several department directors and around 30 Vietnamese businesses from sectors such as grain, meat, fertilisers, pesticides, and wood processing, has travelled to the US with the aim of exploring, connecting, and promoting agricultural trade opportunities. In their first two stops in Iowa and Ohio, numerous contracts and memoranda of understanding were signed, amounting to approximately US$1.5 billion. At their roundtable with the US-ASEAN Business Council on the afternoon in Washington DC on June 6 (local time), the Vietnamese firms are expected to seal deals for the import of an additional $1.1 billion worth of US farm produce. Duy called on Boozman and Thompson to support the strong federal and state-level partnerships between the two countries agricultural agencies. He also sought their backing for increasing investment, production, and trade between Vietnamese and US businesses and industry associations. The minister added that Viet Nam's agricultural sector aspires to learn from and develop in line with the US model of green, circular, and sustainable agriculture with rational use of resources. Senator Boozman described Viet Nam as a reliable economic and trade partner, an economic ally for the US in the Asia-Pacific. He expressed his support for a fair and timely tariff agreement between the two governments and promised to forward the Vietnamese delegations proposals to relevant US Government agencies. Representative Thompson also expressed particular interest in the agricultural trade deals secured during the ministers trip. He voiced optimism about the future of bilateral agricultural cooperation and stressed the need for the US Government to swiftly address tariff concerns that could affect Vietnamese goods. He strongly backed agricultural collaboration at all levels, from government agencies to research institutes and universities in both countries. The two congressional leaders extended invitations to Minister Duy to visit their states, Arkansas and Pennsylvania, both known for their robust farming industries, to explore investment opportunities and foster stronger ties. VNA/VNS HA NOI President Luong Cuong on June 6 hosted a reception for Japanese Ambassador to Viet Nam Ito Naoki, during which he affirmed that Japan remains a key partner and a top priority in Viet Nam's foreign policy. The President noted with delight that the Viet NamJapan relationship has continued to grow substantively and effectively across all areas, grounded in long-standing historical connections and over five decades of diplomatic relations. He highlighted that the upgrade to a comprehensive strategic partnership in late 2023 has further reinforced mutual political trust. President Cuong underlined that Viet Nam supports Japan in playing a more active role in contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and globally. He expressed a wish to work closely with Japan to implement the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership in a substantive and effective manner, serving the interests of both peoples and contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world. The Vietnamese State leader praised Ambassador Itos active efforts to advance bilateral ties and facilitate the successful visit to Viet Nam in April by Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and his spouse. He described the visit as a major milestone that opened up new opportunities for cooperation in defence, security, human resources development, and green transition. To build on the outcomes of the recent high-level visits, President Cuong urged Ito to help strengthen political trust through increased high-level exchanges and the effective implementation of bilateral cooperation mechanisms. He stressed the need for deeper economic integration and cooperation on economic and food security, trade and investment, to support Viet Nams goals of industrialisation, modernisation, and building an independent, self-reliant economy capable of withstanding global fluctuations. President Cuong expressed his hope that both sides will focus on implementing new pillars of cooperation, such as science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation, established during PM Ishibas visit. He emphasised the importance of training high-quality human resources, particularly in the semiconductor industry, as well as expanding cooperation in digital transformation and fully realising signed defence and security commitments. He further stressed the need to enhance local-level ties, labour cooperation, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and coordination at regional and international forums such as the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). On this occasion, President Cuong extended his best wishes to the Emperor and Empress of Japan and expressed his hope to welcome the royal family to Viet Nam in the near future. For his part, Ambassador Ito said he was honoured to attend the recent 50th anniversary of Viet Nams national reunification on April 30 and looked forward to participating in celebrations marking Viet Nams 80th National Day. The ambassador conveyed high appreciation from PM Ishiba and his spouse for the success of their April visit, affirming Japans strong support for Viet Nams development as the country enters a new era of development. He proposed further concrete actions to strengthen bilateral ties, with a focus on digital transformation, green transition, and AI development. The diplomat also confirmed Japans commitment to accepting 250 Vietnamese interns, and said both sides had agreed to cooperate on semiconductor research and push forward with the Viet NamJapan University project. Defence and security, culture and sports, and people-to-people exchange will also be further promoted. VNS TALLINN Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held talks with his Estonian counterpart Kristen Michal in the capital of Tallinn on June 6 morning (local time) within the framework of his official visit to Estonia. PM Michal emphasised that PM Chinh's visit was a historic trip as this was the first time a high-ranking Vietnamese leader has visited Estonia since the two nations established diplomatic relations in 1992, considering this a new impetus for the two sides to deepen bilateral ties and expand cooperation in many other areas where both sides have strengths and needs. PM Chinh expressed his joy to visit Estonia, a model of breakthroughs, startups, digital government, and digital citizens in Europe, and thanked the Estonian side for giving him personally and the high-ranking delegation of Viet Nam a warm and respectful welcome. He conveyed the greetings from Party General Secretary To Lam, President Luong Cuong, and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to PM Michal and senior Estonian leaders, affirming that Viet Nam always remembers Estonia's support and assistance for the past struggle for national liberation and in the current process of national construction and development. In the context of profound changes in the world and region, as the two countries share similarities in history and culture, strengthening and renewing the traditional friendship between Viet Nam and Estonia is extremely important, for the benefit of the people of each country, for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world. At the talks, the two PMs briefed each other about the development achievements of each country in recent times. PM Chinh emphasised that in the process of national construction and development, Viet Nam has focused on strongly implementing strategic breakthroughs in institutions, infrastructure and human resources, in which the development of science and technology, innovation and digital transformation are identified as the most important breakthroughs to help the country achieve groundbreaking development and prosperity in the new era. Impressed by the remarkable progress that has made Estonia one of the leading countries in digital transformation and e-government, the Vietnamese leader suggested the Estonian side strengthen cooperation, exchange information, share valuable lessons on digital transformation, digital economy, building e-government, developing digital infrastructure, building Viet Nam's big data centre, and training high-quality human resources, thereby contributing to better serving the Vietnamese people and promoting sustainable socio-economic development. PM Michal highly appreciated the achievements in socio-economic development and improvement of people's lives in all aspects that Viet Nam has achieved in recent times, in which the Southeast Asian nation has made great strides in e-government and digital transformation. Agreeing with PM Chinhs proposals, PM Michal affirmed that Estonia wants to strengthen cooperation in all fields with Viet Nam, is ready to stand side by side with Viet Nam in the process of digital transformation, innovation, and enhance cooperation in science - technology, artificial intelligence, cyber security, education and training. The two leaders affirmed that the two countries need to support and assist each other to develop together, thereby further tightening the traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation. Accordingly, in terms of politics, the two sides affirmed that they will continue to promote and exchange delegations at all levels to consolidate the political foundation and mutual understanding as well as expand cooperation in many other fields. Regarding economy, trade and investment, the two PMs also agreed that both sides would create favourable conditions for enterprises from both countries to invest and do business in the two countries. PM Chinh expressed his hope that Estonia would act as an effective bridge to help Viet Nam's exports gain deeper access to the Nordic and European Union (EU) markets. The two sides agreed to enhance people-to-people exchanges, especially tourism and culture, through organising promotion events and participating in activities held in each country. PM Chinh proposed Estonia to create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community living and working in the European country to continue contributing to socio-economic development of the host nation and to serve as a bridge between the two peoples. The two leaders had an in-depth discussion on the world and regional situation, including the world economic situation, and affirmed their support for free trade and the need to reform multilateral institutions in a more effective direction. The two sides agreed to closely coordinate, consult and support each other on international and regional issues, at multilateral forums such as the United Nations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the EU. Discussing regional security issues, the two sides agreed on the need for international solidarity and respect for law and fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter. PM Chinh said that Viet Nam is ready to join the international community in peacekeeping efforts. Regarding maritime and ocean issues, including the East Sea, the two sides affirmed their support for freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea on the basis of respecting the interests of coastal states in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), peacefully resolving disputes on the basis of international law, not using or threatening to use force. On this occasion, PM Chinh invited Estonia to send a high-level delegation to attend the signing ceremony of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime to be held in Ha Noi in October 2025, which will be hosted by Viet Nam. He also invited PM Michal to visit Viet Nam soon and assigned the two countries' foreign ministries to arrange the visit. PM Michal happily accepted the invitation. At the end of the talks, the two PMs witnessed the signing and exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a MoU on cooperation in digital transformation and digital economy between the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology and the Estonian Ministry of Justice and Digital Transformation. The two agreements demonstrate a strong commitment to political-diplomatic and scientific-technological cooperation and innovation. The two PMs agreed to assign relevant agencies to directly discuss and send expert delegations to specifically implement the agreements. After that, the two PMs chaired a joint press conference to announce the results of their talks. VNS AK LAK The Peoples Committee of ak Lak Province hosted a ceremony in Buon Ma Thuot City on June 6 to receive the First-Class Labour Order presented by the Lao Government. On this occasion, the Peoples Committee of ak Lak Province and the administration of Sekong Province of Laos also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on friendship and cooperation for the 20252030 period. The MoU aims to further strengthen the friendship and cooperation between ak Lak and Sekong. Both sides agreed to intensify communication and education efforts, particularly among younger generations, about the policies and guidelines of the two Parties and States, and about the responsibility to preserve and nurture the great friendship between the two nations and their people, as well as the special bonds between the two provinces. The two provinces also committed to increasing delegation exchanges at all levels and to promoting cultural, sports, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges, thereby deepening mutual understanding and solidarity. They will introduce their respective potential, cooperation needs, and major economic and cultural events to relevant agencies and enterprises to foster trade, investment cooperation, and to encourage business ventures and project implementation in both provinces. In terms of socio-economic cooperation, ak Lak and Sekong agreed to strengthen experience-sharing and joint activities in crop and livestock production, aquaculture, forestry, irrigation, agro-processing, agricultural extension services, and seed and breed development. They also pledged to facilitate the access of Sekong residents to public medical services in ak Lak. Speaking at the event, Nguyen inh Trung, Secretary of the ak Lak Provincial Party Committee, emphasised that receiving the First-Class Labour Order was a great honour and pride for the Party Organisation, administration, and people of ak Lak. The award reflects the deep appreciation of the Party, the State, and people of Laos for ak Laks active contributions to preserving and promoting the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Viet Nam and Laos. The 20252030 MoU is a significant milestone, reflecting the shared determination of both sides to broaden and deepen their sustainable and comprehensive cooperation. Trung expressed his confidence that, given the provinces similarities in natural conditions, social characteristics, development potential, and strategic orientation, the MoU's contents will be effectively implemented and deliver tangible benefits for both sides. He also called on all departments, agencies, and local authorities in ak Lak to coordinate with Sekong province to promptly develop detailed action plans and ensure that the MoU is carried out effectively. Leklai Sivilay, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Governor of Sekong province, expressed his hope that both sides will continue to build upon their traditional special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation. He also suggested enhancing collaboration in both short-term and long-term human resource training and called on ak Lak to continue granting scholarships to Sekong students, thereby enabling local officials and students to pursue education in ak Lak. The official also expressed his desire to welcome ak Laks officials, people, and businesses to Sekong to explore cooperation opportunities in tourism and service industries, commercial crop and livestock production, and agricultural product processing. VNS HA NOI Vietnamese State President Luong Cuong on June 6 sent a message of condolences to Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema over the passing of former President Edgar Lungu. Former President Edgar Lungu died on June 5 at the age of 68. VNS PARIS Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinhs participation in the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) and related side events from June 913 reflects Viet Nams proactive approach and its commitment to working with the international community to address global issues. Speaking to a Vietnam News Agency (VNA)s correspondent in Paris, Vietnamese Ambassador to France inh Toan Thang said this aligns with the key directions set by the Vietnamese Party and State on sustainable marine economic development. The ambassador stressed that UNOC3 is a strategically important international event with direct implications for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 14 on the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean. Ambassador Thang underlined that the health of the worlds oceans is in alarming decline. Mobilising efforts not only from governments but also from all stakeholders, including the scientific community, private sector, civil society, and even individuals, is essential to drive real change. At the international level, UNOC3 serves as a catalyst for translating awareness into concrete action, turning policy commitments into tangible results. It is a vital forum for countries to assess current progress, share best practices, enhance cooperation, and propose practical initiatives to restore the ocean's health, a shared treasure of humanity. PMs working trip also concretises Viet Nams foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation, diversification, and intensive and extensive international integration. It highlights Viet Nams efforts to enhance multilateral diplomacy and foster stronger ties with major and strategic partners, the ambassador added. He reiterated that Viet Nam has long affirmed its role as a responsible and active member of the international community, adhering to international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Viet Nam also takes a proactive stance in conserving and sustainably using marine resources, and stands ready to contribute to global efforts in this domain. Viet Nams engagement in UNOC3 is an opportunity to showcase its achievements in implementing SDG-14, exchange experiences with international partners, and boost cooperation in marine science, technology, equipment, and finance, the ambassador said. From a bilateral perspective, this marks PM Chinhs second visit to France, and holds special significance as it follows the upgrade of the Viet NamFrance relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in October 2024. The visit is also a chance to enhance high-level exchanges between Viet Nam and France, reinforcing commitments and advancing the scope of bilateral cooperation. These interactions reflect the dynamic development of the newly elevated Viet NamFrance Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The ambassador noted that Viet Nams active participation in UNOC3 and its side events in Nice and Monaco represents a continuation of Viet Nams cooperation with both France and Monaco in marine affairs. Regarding national policies on ocean protection, Ambassador Thang affirmed that Viet Nam considers marine conservation and sustainable use of ocean resources a top national priority. The ocean is not only a vital living space but also a key driver of sustainable development. Viet Nams marine policies are built on a solid legal foundation and implemented in a comprehensive manner, reflecting the countrys strong sense of responsibility for the seas. Notably, the Strategy for Sustainable Development of Viet Nam's Marine Economy till 2030, with a vision to 2045, outlines clear objectives for Viet Nam to become a strong and prosperous maritime nation. This is supported by the Viet Nam Maritime Law and detailed guiding regulations, which provide a robust legal framework for marine environment management, exploitation, and protection. Viet Nam is strongly focusing on sustainable management and conservation of marine resources. The country pays special attention to combatting illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and encourages a transition to sustainable aquaculture and fisheries models. Viet Nam is also taking decisive action to tackle marine pollution, especially the problem of ocean plastic waste. The country has implemented several national action programmes to address pollution from both land-based and marine activities. At the same time, it is actively pursuing measures to respond to climate change and sea level rise, particularly to protect vulnerable coastal zones. Lastly, the ambassador highlighted that Viet Nam is promoting the development of a blue economy, encouraging eco-friendly industries such as marine ecotourism and offshore renewable energy. The country remains an active participant in regional and global forums and initiatives on ocean governance, affirming its role as a responsible partner in international efforts to safeguard the marine environment. VNS HA NOI A recent surge in assaults against healthcare workers at hospitals nationwide has raised alarm over the urgent need for stronger legal safeguards to protect medical staff in the line of duty. These incidents most frequently occur in emergency departments, particularly during the admission of patients injured in traffic accidents, street fights or mass casualty situations. Such acts of violence not only cause physical and psychological harm to doctors and nurses but also severely disrupt the operations of medical facilities. The most recent case took place on May 31 at the Emergency Department of Nghe An General Friendship Hospital in Vinh City. Surveillance footage captured at 11.54pm shows a man shouting while speaking to a female staff member at the reception desk. He then lunged over the counter and slapped her. The attack was swiftly stopped by hospital security and a bystander. Nghe An Provincial Department of Health ordered the hospital to file a detailed report on the incident. On June 3, police detained Tuan Anh, a 32-year-old resident of Nghi Kim Commune in Vinh City, for investigation on charges of disturbing public order. Just a month earlier, on May 4, a healthcare worker at Nam inh General Hospital was pushed and struck in the face by a patients relative. The assailant was later prosecuted for public disorder. In another case on April 25, doctors at Thanh Ba District Medical Centre in Phu Tho Province were physically assaulted by family members while treating a 12-year-old boy suffering from anaphylactic shock. Despite the commotion, the medical team remained composed, maintained their positions, and continued life-saving efforts without retaliation. The individual, who attacked a nurse, was fined VN30 million (approximately US$1,200). Previously, a doctor at the emergency unit of Chu Se District Medical Centre in Gia Lai Province suffered psychological trauma after being assaulted by a patients family member. According to the Director of the Medical Service Administration under the Ministry of Health, Ha Anh uc, the healthcare sector operates under intense pressure, handling around 200 million patient visits annually. Meanwhile, the healthcare workforce remains insufficient to meet rising demands. Overloaded systems and increasingly complex patient expectations can lead to frustration and dissatisfaction when services do not meet expectations, often turning medical workers into unintended targets. Emergency care must prioritise lives In response to recent assaults on healthcare workers, leading hospital directors have stressed that saving lives must remain the top priority in emergency care, while also calling for stronger protection measures and better cooperation from the public. The Director of Viet Nam-Germany Friendship Hospital in Ha Noi, Dr Duong uc Hung, underscored that all staff at the hospital are strictly instructed to focus entirely on treating emergency patients, bypassing routine paperwork and financial procedures when necessary. Time is the most critical factor in emergency cases, Hung said. In life-threatening situations, even when there are no family members present, hospital shift leaders are authorised to sign consent forms to proceed with procedures like tracheotomy. He emphasised that the Ministry of Healths regulations already provide clear guidance: There should be no barriers in emergency care. Administrative and financial steps must be simplified. We cant delay surgery because were waiting for signatures while a patient is bleeding out. That could cost a life. Hung shared that the hospital handles dozens of emergency cases daily. Many patients undergo surgery and even pass away before settling hospital fees. Weve never made payment or paperwork a precondition for urgent medical intervention, he said. To minimise tension and potential conflict, the hospital conducts regular training sessions on professional conduct and communication for all staff, including doctors, security guards and janitors. Frontline staff, especially security personnel, are trained to remain calm and polite when interacting with patients and families. Associate Professor ao Xuan Co, Director of Bach Mai Hospital, one of the leading hospitals in the country, reported that the hospital handles between 500 and 900 emergency cases per day, in addition to 6,000 to 8,000 outpatient visits. The intense workload requires not only medical expertise but also crisis management skills. To that end, the hospital has developed specific response protocols tailored to different types of emergency scenarios. The hospital works closely with internal security teams and local police to maintain safety, particularly in high-tension areas like the emergency department. The hospital also invests heavily in training staff on communication and conflict de-escalation. Weve built a professional, patient-centred image by helping our staff remain calm, handle stress and defuse confrontations, Co said. Thanks to these efforts, weve seen a significant drop in violent incidents in recent years. However, he stressed that maintaining this progress requires ongoing collaboration. We urge the public to work cooperatively with healthcare workers, especially in emergency situations. Mutual understanding is key. On the policy front, uc reaffirmed that any act of violence against healthcare workers, particularly while performing their duties, is unacceptable. In the wake of recent attacks, the ministry has issued directives to all local health departments, urging them to coordinate immediately with police forces to enhance security at hospitals and protect frontline staff. Since 2014, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Public Security have maintained a formal cooperation agreement that includes measures to safeguard hospital environments. The ministry has also advised hospital directors to strengthen security in high-risk departments, such as emergency rooms and intensive care units. Dr Hung added that broader reforms in hospital administration must continue to put patients at the centre of their work. All policies should aim to reduce burdens on patients while preserving the integrity of care, he said. VNS BEN TRE After four years of implementing Resolution No. 07-NQ/TW issued on January 29, 2021, by the Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee, the provinces agricultural sector has made significant strides towards building concentrated production zones and developing value chains for key agricultural products. The resolution, focusing on the period 2020-2025 with a vision to 2030, aims to restructure local agriculture towards higher quality, productivity, and competitiveness. So far, Ben Tre has established linked production areas that supply a stable raw material base for the processing and export industries. Recognising agriculture as the economic backbone, the province has aggressively promoted restructuring efforts, deep-processing strategies, and added value in agricultural output. Farmers are increasingly aware of the benefits of cooperative economics and participating in value chains, leading to the formation of large raw material zones and initial producer-consumer linkages. Nguyen Chi Thanh, a coconut grower in Phong Nam Commune, Giong Trom District, said his familys nearly two hectares of coconut trees yield about 2,000 coconuts per harvest. In the past, they relied on traders, facing unstable prices and frequent undercutting. However, since signing a contract with Luong Quoi Coconut Processing Company through a local cooperative, he now enjoys 15 per cent higher prices than the market rate, with an additional VN20,000 (US$0.8) per dozen if the market price falls below VN50,000 (US$2). The company also supports farmers in organic farming methods, reducing fertiliser and pesticide costs, and increasing profits compared to traditional methods. According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, Ben Tre currently has 94 cooperative groups, 85 cooperatives, and four linkage teams involved in key product value chains. These include coconuts, ornamental plants, fruit trees, and seedlings, with production increasingly shifting towards concentrated, organic, and linked models. Specifically, the coconut value chain has 36 cooperative groups and 36 cooperatives involved in a total area of over 21,463 hectares and 19,045 members. The rambutan chain includes 22 cooperative groups and three cooperatives covering 232 hectares, with an annual output of about 800 tonnes. The green-skinned pomelo chain includes 21 cooperatives, eight cooperative groups, and four linkage teams across 706 hectares, yielding around 8,000 tonnes a year. Huynh Quang uc, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, said that the implementation of Resolution 07 was timely and well-aligned with global agricultural trends. The resolution supports the dual goals of building certified raw material zones and producing goods that meet international standards, such as organic certifications from South Korea, China, Japan, and the US. Among all the value chains, coconut stands out for its scale, quality, and clear added value. The province now has three domestic coconut farming areas covering nearly 120 hectares, along with 133 designated export growing zones (with official codes) totalling over 8,391 hectares. Annually, coconut exports contribute nearly US$500 million to the provinces economy. Fruit chains are also yielding positive results, enabling Ben Tre to begin exporting specialty fruits. Other value chains, however, are still limited due to a lack of leading enterprises, focusing only on raw material supply without deep processing or export. uc acknowledged that while some supply chains have emerged, they remain fragmented and lack sustainabilityexcept for coconut. Public awareness of the role of modern cooperatives remains limited, and many cooperatives still lack strong partnerships with businesses and members. Building concentrated farming zones Provincial authorities are continuing efforts to expand concentrated production zones aligned with local planning and strategic orientations. The Department of Agriculture and Environment is working with localities to develop seven key plans for coconut, pomelo, other fruits, rice, seedlings, ornamental plants, cattle, pigs, and shrimp. These include pilot models, support for traceability, and geographical indications to ensure food safety and export standards. To date, the province has built 25,000 hectares of organic coconut farming zones, 1,630 hectares of specialty fruits, 420 hectares of seedlings and ornamental plants, and 4,000 hectares of high-tech shrimp farming. Pilot programmes of concentrated coconut farming zones now cover 2,202 hectares, with participating businesses purchasing directly from these zones. The agriculture sector is also supporting technical training, organic fertiliser use, and rearing beneficial insects (such as parasitoid wasps and rove beetles) to promote sustainable models. The province is preparing documentation to qualify coconut growing areas for official export to China. Between 2024 and 2025, Ben Tre aims to maintain a stable coconut cultivation area of about 79,000 hectares. Local enterprises are also actively investing in raw material zones to secure input for their processing activities. Tran Van uc, Chairman and CEO of Ben Tre Coconut Investment Joint Stock Company (Beinco), noted that the recent rise in coconut prices has disrupted supply for factories, especially those that are deeply integrated into global supply chains. He called for combining local resources with advanced processing technologies to boost added value and export turnover. In the time ahead, the province will continue to raise public awareness about the importance of Resolution 07-NQ/TW and integrate it into local plans and programmes. Successful models will be scaled up, with a focus on strengthening value chains, enhancing benefits for all stakeholders, and enhancing the position of Ben Tres agricultural products in domestic and international markets. VNS PARIS Ambassador Nguyen Minh Vu led a Vietnamese delegation to attend the Octopus Conference 2025 on combating high-tech crime held at the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg, France from June 4-5. Held every 12 to 18 months by the Council of Europe, the event constitutes one of the biggest and finest platforms of exchange in cybercrime, gathering experts from more than 100 countries, international organisations, private sector and academia. At the opening plenary session, Ambassador Vu shared information about the new UN Convention against Cybercrime, known as the Hanoi Convention, and announced the signing ceremony will take place in the Vietnamese capital city on October 25-26. The diplomat laid stress on the significance of the Hanoi Convention, particularly to the Asia Pacific, to handling legal gaps in international cooperation against rapidly increasing global cybercrime. He stated that the convention, designed to complement the Budapest Convention and open to all countries, will establish a common legal framework to promote responsible behaviour in cyberspace, enabling countries to cooperate more effectively in combating high-tech crimes. Beyond legal significance, the signing ceremony, Vu said, will feature high-level discussions, side events, and an exhibition, creating a dynamic forum for dialogue and practical experience sharing to accelerate the conventions entry into force and ensure its effective implementation. He took the occasion to invite signatories to the Budapest Convention, regional and international organsiations, and relevant non-governmental organisations to the ceremony, demonstrating their determination to work together for a safe, just, and law-governed digital future. Experts from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNOCD) and the European Commission, and Microsoft affirmed the compatibility between the two conventions which facilitate experience sharing, particularly capacity-building activities and 24/7 cooperation models. On the conference sidelines, Vu had meetings with Ghana's Minister of Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovation, Guatemala's Deputy Minister of Interior, Malaysia's Deputy Director-General of the National Cyber Security Agency, and delegation heads from Nigeria, Australia, and France to discuss high-tech crime issues. Vu also extended invitations to high-level representatives from the countries to the signing ceremony. In response, the countries expressed strong interest in, saying they are completing procedures to send delegations to Viet Nam for the event. VNS Khadiyah "KD" Lewis, a former star on Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta and known for her fiery presence and business savvy, has died at the age of 44. Her death was confirmed by her brother Jamaal Lewis in a heartfelt statement to The Shade Room, where he described the family's grief as "emotionally devastating." The cause of death has not been publicly disclosed. Lewis, born on March 31, 1981, in Oklahoma City, rose to national attention as rapper Yung Joc's girlfriend and business consultant during Seasons 3 and 4 of the VH1 reality hit Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta (LHHATL). Initially introduced as his real estate agent, her role expanded to show her influence in Joc's career and their often tumultuous relationship marked by dramatic confrontations and genuine moments of vulnerability that fans still remember. Outside of reality TV, Lewis was a respected entrepreneur and financial consultant. A graduate of Florida A&M University, she owned and operated several ventures, including a real estate investment firm and a financial services consultancy. On her social media accounts, she referred to herself as a "consultant, accountant, speaker, and boss." Though she stepped away from the limelight in recent years, she remained active online and was often praised by fans for her unapologetic confidence and commitment to Black female entrepreneurship. In a moving statement, her family thanked supporters for the outpouring of condolences and revealed plans to hold a virtual memorial via Zoom, allowing fans and loved ones to celebrate her life together. A visitation will be held on Tuesday, June 10, followed by funeral services on Wednesday, June 11 at Earl M. Temple Memorial Chapel in Oklahoma City. She will be laid to rest at Trice Hill Cemetery. Lewis is survived by her parents, Debra Body and David Clark Lewis Jr., as well as siblings Rasheedah Amira Lewis, Niama T. Hill, Jamaal David Lewis, and Ahmedu Elijah Inegbedion. The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in her honor to mental health and suicide prevention organizations, though no details have emerged suggesting those causes were directly related to her passing. Originally published on Enstarz HA NOI 'Vietnam Interior Architecture Trends 20262030' was the main topic of discussion at a workshop held in Ha Noi on June 6, attracting numerous domestic and international experts, businesses, architects and designers. Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Architects Phan ang Son said that interior architecture is an indispensable part of architectural creation. Vietnamese interior design is currently entering a period of rapid development, with the emergence of many talented young designers, potential domestic brands and a market that is increasingly interested in aesthetics, experience and culture. However, reality also shows that we still lack an effective connection in a creative ecosystem, a lack of long-term orientation on a distinct design language and lack of support mechanisms for Vietnamese interior design to be able to build a brand in the international arena, said Son. With today's discussion, we hope to not only create a short-term 'push', but also aim to form a chain of Data Thinking Action, towards the goal of developing Vietnamese interior trends in a creative and sustainable direction," he added. At the seminar, industry experts provided analysis and forecasts on the main interior design and architectural trends in Viet Nam in the next five years. Participants focused discussion on major shifts affecting society, aesthetic tastes and consumer psychology around the world, while providing practical examples in the Asia-Pacific region, where many countries are striving to build a strong domestic identity in design. Participants also discussed the interior design trends of Viet Nam in the next few years with a focus on the question "How can Vietnamese interior design create its own identity in the flow of global integration?" They also suggested new directions for the Vietnamese interior design industry in the future, such as the trend of personalising living space, the need for sustainable and essential products, green architecture and honouring heritage and art in living space. The seminar is part of the events taking place to launch Trend 26+, the first Vietnamese interior industry trend publication, professionally sponsored by the Vietnam Furniture Association, the Vietnam Association of Architects and Architecture Magazine. With 552 pages and a limited edition of 5,000 copies, the publication introduces 31 prominent trends that are forecast to lead the industry over the next five years. Trend 26+ focuses on three major trend groups, reflecting profound changes in design thinking and consumer behaviour: sustainability and greening; personalisation and humanisation; and technology integration. VNS HCM CITY More than 1,000 healthcare professionals from Viet Nam and abroad shared international experiences and updates about the burden of pneumococcal disease in adults over 50 years of age and in adults with non-communicable chronic conditions at recent scientific symposia. The Vietnam Association of Preventive Medicine in collaboration with Pfizer Vietnam organised a series of scientific symposia titled The role of higher-valency pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in adults Legacy and the journey ahead, on June 3 and 5 in HCM City and Ha Noi, respectively. The events served as a scientific forum to introduce a public health tool for prevention - a new and multi-pneumococcal serotype vaccine based on a foundation of conjugate technology - to healthcare professionals in respiratory medicine, preventive care, and epidemiology. Darrell Oh, General Director of Pfizer Vietnam, said the company committed to supporting Viet Nams healthcare landscape by introducing the latest scientific advancements, providing professional training for healthcare workers, and expanding access for vulnerable communities. This symposia series is a testament to the close collaboration between professional bodies, medical experts, and industry partners in building a sustainable, proactive, and practical disease prevention strategy for the community. In Viet Nam, infection by the pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae) is a leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia. Pneumonia is the most common infectious disease and a top cause of mortality nationwide. Beyond pneumonia, pneumococcal infections also contribute to life-threatening invasive infections like meningitis and bacteremia, which can carry a fatality rate of up to 40 per cent, as well as prevalent conditions like otitis media. According to the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), older age is an important risk factor for pneumococcal disease. Consequently, adults aged 50 and older are six times more likely to be hospitalised with pneumococcal pneumonia compared to healthy younger individuals. In addition, adults of all ages with underlyingly non-communicable conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease face a three to eight times higher risk of complications from pneumococcal infection, which can be severe, as compared to healthy peers in the same age group. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cao Huu Nghia, Head of Department of Biomedical Sciences at the Pasteur Institute in HCM City, said pneumococcus is an unpredictable danger, with over 100 known serotypes, and an estimated 5 to 90 per cent of healthy individuals carrying the bacteria in their nasopharynx. Once infected, pneumococcal diseases often progress rapidly, posing life-threatening risks, and placing a significant financial burden not only on patients but also on the healthcare system. Pneumococcus is estimated to cause approximately 14.5 million severe cases and around 826,000 deaths globally each year. In Viet Nam, the population is ageing rapidly, and non-communicable chronic conditions are increasingly affecting younger age groups, thereby expanding the population at-risk for pneumococcal diseases. Experts warn that pneumococcal disease remains a major public health challenge and emphasise the urgent need for broader preventive solutions. The need to prioritise pneumococcal prevention in high-risk populations Recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) included Streptococcus pneumoniae in the list of Bacterial Priority Pathogens for targeted prevention among high-risk populations, in order to protect global health and alleviate pressure on healthcare systems. To date, the Ministry of Health has authorised the use of five pneumococcal vaccines in Viet Nam, differing in formulation, serotype coverage, and clinical development/post-introduction experience. Among them, four are conjugated vaccines, a technology known for inducing immunological memory and reducing pneumococcal carriage in the nasopharynx, thereby supporting long-term protection and contributing to herd immunity. Prof. Dr. Phan Trong Lan, President of the Vietnam Association of Preventive Medicine, said the country is facing a rapidly ageing population, with many elderly individuals suffering multiple health conditions. Therefore, preventing pneumococcal infections through vaccination is extremely necessary to reduce the burden of community-acquired pneumonia, which is one of the leading causes of death from infectious diseases, especially in people with pre-existing conditions. Preventive measures are also continuously updated, incorporating medical advancements and disease control experiences from many countries around the world, particularly the use of broad-spectrum vaccines with a proven safety and efficacy record, coupled with increasing vaccination coverage. This plays a crucial role in preventing complications and deaths from pneumococcal disease, thereby contributing to the care, protection, and improvement of public health." Experts at the symposia also stressed that to advance pneumococcal disease prevention strategies and to ensure broader implementation among the high-risk populations, close collaboration is essential among health authorities, medical experts, and leading innovators in biomedical technology. VNS BEIJING Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that dialogue and cooperation are the only correct choice for China and the United States. In his phone talks with US President Donald Trump, Xi said that recalibrating the direction of the giant ship of China-US relations requires the two sides to take the helm and set the right course, adding that it is particularly important to steer clear of the various disturbances and disruptions. Noting that at the suggestion of the US side, the two countries' lead officials recently held an economic and trade meeting in Geneva, Xi said it marked an important step forward in resolving the relevant issues through dialogue and consultation, and was welcomed by both societies and the international community. The two sides need to make good use of the economic and trade consultation mechanism already in place, and seek win-win results in the spirit of equality and respect for each other's concerns, he said, adding that the Chinese side is sincere about this, and at the same time has its principles. The Chinese, Xi said, always honor and deliver what has been promised, urging both sides to make good on the agreement reached in Geneva. In fact, China has been seriously and earnestly executing the agreement, Xi added. The US side should acknowledge the progress already made, and remove the negative measures taken against China, he said. The two sides should enhance communication in such fields as foreign affairs, economy and trade, military, and law enforcement to build consensus, clear up misunderstandings, and strengthen cooperation, Xi added. XINHUA The government has proposed that agricultural land use continue to be exempted from taxation through to 2030, according to a draft resolution on the issue submitted in mid-May to the National Assembly (NA). The draft resolution, compiled by the Ministry of Finance (MoF), follows positive results of the exemption scheme having been applied since 2021. The continued exemption of agricultural land use tax until the end of 2030 will not reduce revenue, as this policy is already being implemented in practice. With the proposal to extend the exemption until the end of 2030, as per current regulations, the exempted agricultural land use tax is estimated at VND7.5 trillion ($300 million) per year, the MoF stated in the draft. The MoFs proposal in the draft has received support from agricultural enterprises and NA deputies. If the policy is approved, agricultural enterprises will benefit from reduced production costs and enhanced competitiveness, a representative of a domestic dairy firm in Vietnam told VIR. For large corporations with projects typically involving land areas ranging from hundreds to thousands of hectares, this exemption will help them reduce financial burdens, particularly those operating in crop cultivation, livestock farming, aquaculture, and agricultural product processing, he said. The exempted tax amount will enable enterprises to invest in expanding production, improving infrastructure, or adopting new technologies. Furthermore, the mechanism will encourage investment in agriculture, particularly in the production of high-quality agricultural products and high-tech agriculture, the representative said. According to statistics from the MoF, the number of businesses investing in agriculture accounts for only about 5.5 per cent of the total number of enterprises nationwide in 2024, of which approximately 96 per cent were micro- and small enterprises. Compared to the potential and proportion of the agriculture sector in the economy, the current number of enterprises is minimal, with limited scale, and does not meet the requirements for agricultural development in the context of international economic integration. To contribute to achieving the goal of increasing the number of businesses engaged in agricultural investment by 2030 and accelerating the growth rate of agricultural, forestry, and aquatic product output by about 3 per cent per year, the MoF proposes to implement the agricultural land use tax exemption policy for organisations directly using agricultural land for agricultural production. This is one of the effective support solutions, Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang said. The total amount of agricultural land use tax exempted and reduced over the past 20 years has tended to increase gradually, with an average of about $131 million per year in 2003-2010, rising to $252 million per year in 2011-2016, reaching about $298 million per year in 2017-2020, and maintaining at around $300 million per year in 2021-2023. Hoang Van Cuong, an NA deputy representing Hanoi, said that the agricultural land use tax exemption is one of the tax policies that has been implemented for many years, clearly demonstrating Vietnams consistent policy in developing agriculture, farmers, and rural areas. In production, any cost affects the price and income. Although the agricultural land use tax rate is not high, the tax exemption is very meaningful for farmers, Cuong said. Therefore, this policy not only demonstrates the deep concern of the Party and the state for the agricultural production force but also serves as a practical source of encouragement and motivation to help people feel secure in sticking to their land and fields, he added. Themed "Asean Economic Integration in the Era of Growth", the forum will create conditions to expand investment cooperation, and technology transfer, and strengthen intra-bloc economic connectivity amid increasing globalisation and digital transformation. The event will be held on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Vietnam's official accession to ASEAN, implementing a government resolution on improving the efficiency of international economic integration. This will also be an opportunity for Vietnamese businesses to affirm their position, exchange, and find partners in the region. The forum is a large, prestigious event held annually in different countries, gathering hundreds of registered businesses in banking and finance, insurance, oil and gas, digital transformation, electronics, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, high-tech agriculture, culture, tourism and services, healthcare, import and export, and logistics. The ASEAN Economic Forum 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia This is also an opportunity to promote brands, products, and business models, creating trust among partners, investors, and consumers at home and abroad. The ASEAN Economic Forum 2025 will praise businesses and entrepreneurs who have been pioneering in the equalisation of business opportunities, realising the construction of a diversified and sustainable economy, while harmonising socioeconomic and environmental goals. Nomination categories will include the ASEAN Typical Enterprises Award, ASEAN Green Brands Award, ASEAN Renowned Brands/ Products Award, and ASEAN Exceptional Entrepreneurs/ Leaders Award. Enterprises at the announcement ceremony 2024 The event will be co-organised by Vietnamese and Singaporean partners and sponsored by the Vietnam-ASEAN Economic Development Cooperation Association, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations, Redsun, and the Centre for Business and Brand Development, in coordination with relevant agencies. Vietnam Economic Pulse Forum discusses sustainable growth Experts at the fourth Vietnam Economic Pulse Forum agreed that emerging trends in technology and environmental sustainability are especially significant for Vietnam. Proposals to help agricultural businesses save money and time are coming thick and fast, photo Le Toan With the introduction of Resolution No.68-NQ/TW on developing the private economy, representatives of several associations in agriculture, such as animal feed, animal husbandry, and fertilisers, hope that it will aid the removal of the conformity declaration. In Vietnam, conformity declaration is a process in which manufacturers or importers announce that their products comply with relevant national technical regulations and standards. It is currently still a mandatory procedure. Several unnecessary and cumbersome procedures have been proposed for removal in the draft revised Law on Product and Goods Quality to help companies avoid wasting money, one of which is the removal of the conformity declaration, said Nguyen Xuan Duong, chairman Animal Husbandry Association of Vietnam. We hope that the resolution will contribute to uniting agricultural businesses. Associations in the sector have organised numerous workshops with policymakers to provide feedback and propose adjustments to the draft. At the same time, we have submitted other proposals to the central leadership, but they have not yet been approved, Duong stated. At a recent session of the National Assembly Standing Committee, deputy Tran Thi Van representing the northern province of Bac Ninh said that currently, around 20 associations representing hundreds of member businesses, along with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, have held multiple workshops to assess the impact of the regulation. They unanimously proposed abolishing the requirement for a conformity announcement in the draft law. According to Van, completing a conformity announcement procedure for a product costs businesses an average of $120-200, with some cases reaching $600-1,200. This procedure must be repeated every three years, creating a continuous cycle of waste. For a factory with 300-500 products, the cost could escalate to $60,000-80,000. The evaluation process for each product takes 15-30 days. Moreover, each product can only be certified for a single factory, meaning businesses with multiple production facilities must repeatedly undertake this unreasonable procedure, leading to systematic waste and significant time and cost burdens for enterprises. NA deputy Trinh Thi Tu Anh representing the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong noted that while the purpose of many national technical standards is to ensure quality and safety, they inadvertently create unnecessary technical barriers, placing significant pressure on the business community. Additionally, maintaining a widespread pre-audit system with numerous administrative procedures for low-risk products is dispersing and wasting the resources of regulatory agencies, Anh said. Therefore, she proposed narrowing the scope of mandatory standards by conducting a comprehensive review to identify products and goods that genuinely pose high risks to human health, national safety, and the environment for mandatory compliance. Low or medium-risk products should be shifted to more flexible management approaches. Responding to the NA deputies opinions, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung said, Conformity announcement is a tool to manage product and goods quality before they enter the market. Without standards for management and oversight, including pre-auditing, it would directly affect the safety of the community and the environment. The key issue is determining which goods to regulate and to what extent, to ensure product quality while reducing compliance costs and time, thereby enhancing business competitiveness, DPM Dung said. As some deputies have mentioned, completely abolishing standards and regulations would make state management very difficult. However, applying them in a way that creates barriers and increases costs and time for businesses is also unacceptable. We will review this in line with that spirit, meaning we must manage effectively while fostering development, in accordance with the latest directives, the deputy PM stated. Private sector impetus spurs credit overhaul Among the tasks to develop Vietnams private sector, diversifying capital sources is deemed a vital influence on commercial banks development strategies in the coming period. Vietnam Customs strengthens private sector ties Vietnam Customs has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening cooperation with the private sector, particularly in areas such as e-commerce, express delivery, and regulatory reform. The agricultural linkage chain from production to consumption is being boosted, photo Le Toan The Hanoi Agricultural Promotion Centre and Me Linh Peoples Committee last week held a forum on the links between production and consumption of products. This was the first of eight forums that the centre, under Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment, is holding this year. According to the centre, Hanois agricultural supply is being influenced by multiple factors, notably climate change and rapid urbanisation, which are exerting increasing pressure on agricultural land, particularly in suburban districts that were once the citys main supply sources. In particular, the links between production, procurement, distribution, and consumption remain weak, with a lack of long-term contracts, making it challenging to regulate supply, especially during peak seasons or times of supply-demand imbalances. Doan Duc Dan, deputy director of the centre, said the forum provides a valuable opportunity for farmers to exchange knowledge with organisations, associations, and businesses on scientific advancements in cultivation, livestock farming, aquaculture, and product consumption links. Organising linkages from production to consumption in value chains plays a crucial role in ensuring sustainable agricultural production, Dan said. This activity also contributes significantly to managing the production-to-consumption chain, ensuring quality, safety, and protecting consumer interests. Additionally, changing consumer preferences in the capital, with increasing demands for food safety, traceability, and environmental friendliness, are placing urgent requirements on improving the quality and organisation of agricultural production, Dan explained. Hanois livestock production sector is also developing into a commodity production industry, applying advanced science and technology to achieve high economic efficiency, with livestock contributing over half to the agricultural GDP. Establishing value chain links in agricultural production is seen as a breakthrough in production, processing, and delivering safe food to consumers. The city has actively developed these chains, including 17 livestock consumption chains with over 3,400 participating members, 30 trading points, and more than 1,300 product distribution agents and points. Other notable chains include IDP International Dairy Company, Minh Duong Food, C.P. Vietnam, Dabaco, and Japfa Vietnam. A Japfa Vietnam representative told VIR that the company has partnered with farmers across cities and provinces to establish large-scale, centralised farming models that deliver high economic efficiency. In these partnerships, vaccinations are fully implemented, and feed is tailored to each growth stage. With strict management and monitoring of breeds, feed, and disease prevention, livestock grows healthily, producing high-quality products, the representative said. Through these linked models, a group of farmers has been trained in modern commodity agricultural production, shifting from spontaneous practices and overuse of veterinary drugs and unregulated feed, which harm health and the environment, to safe production practices that prioritise environmental protection, the representative added. Along with Japfa Vietnam, other localities also aim to expand closed-loop chain models for production, preliminary processing, preservation, and consumption, supplying products locally and linking with businesses for distribution, such as Phu Gia Agricultural, Hien Nhuan Production and Trading, and C.P. Vietnam. Last week, C.P. Vietnam issued a statement reaffirming the safety of its operations after false allegations were spread on social media. Two separate Facebook and Zalo accounts posted images purporting to be dirty meat being mixed into the companys distribution system. All content posted by the accounts shows signs of defamation, intentionally damaging the reputation of the company. The images are of unknown origin and are absolutely not product images of the company, C.P. Vietnam said. Meanwhile, the international community also supports Vietnam in enhancing food safety. The Safe Food for Growth scheme, funded by the Canadian government, is one example. In March, it organised a study tour to Taiwan on food safety at wholesale and traditional markets for its partner market management boards and local authorities. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien said that establishing chains between local management agencies, businesses, and farmers is an urgent requirement due to the concerns about the quality of food. However, production-consumption links in localities are not yet deep enough. Localities need to establish specific support mechanisms for external businesses looking to invest in such links, Tien said. Localities and businesses need to regularly exchange information and introduce production, preliminary processing, and processing facilities that meet food safety standards. Food safety finds its scientific footing in Vietnam's markets On World Food Safety Day 2025 (June 7), celebrated globally under the theme "Food safety: science in action", Vietnam's SAFEGRO programme is turning the spotlight to where it matters most: monitoring the everyday environments where food safety can most immediately prevent foodborne illness at wholesale and retail markets that serve millions. Open RAN is a revolution in mobile network architecture, one that is providing lower costs, better service provisioning, more flexible network deployment, better network management and more. The MoU will position MobiFone, Vietnam's first mobile telecommunications network, as one of the first mobile operators in Southeast Asia to deploy Open RAN, showcase the technology as a viable and efficient solutions for mobile network expansion, and provide technical validation to support commercial operations. Sharad Sriwastawa, president of Rakuten Symphony, said, Rakuten Symphony is pleased to support MobiFone in deploying one of Southeast Asias first commercial Open RAN mobile networks. The Rakuten team is looking forward to sharing our success in Japan with Vietnam by showcasing the transformational benefits of Open RAN, including deployment flexibility, enhanced network performance and security, and improved customer experience with new and innovative mobile services. Vinh Tuan Bao, deputy general director of MobiFone, said, Our vision for 2030 is to become Vietnams leading technology corporation, taking the lead in building the nations digital infrastructure. On this journey, 5G is positioned as a key foundational pillar, playing an essential role not only as a technological breakthrough, but also as a transformative platform that redefines societal operations and production methods." "MobiFone has identified Open RAN as a strategic pathway to gradually establish technological autonomy in next-generation mobile networks. We firmly believe that with Rakuten Symphonys proven expertise and MobiFones unwavering commitment, this collaboration will extend far beyond a mere proof of concept. It will pave the way for deeper, more comprehensive partnerships in the near future, Bao added. The pilot programme will see Rakuten Symphony supplying Open RAN solutions and engaging with its ecosystem partners to support the project and provide necessary expertise throughout the pilot phase. MobiFone will provide the required cell and core sites and ensure that the sites are fully prepared to host Open RAN technology and that a mobile core is available to execute the pilot scheme. Rakuten Symphony is committed to being a global leader in advanced standardised Open RAN innovation and technology, automated quality assurance systems, and edge cloud capabilities for next-generation communications. Japan's AEON Group eyes expansion in Vietnam As part of a working visit to Tokyo, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung and his delegation met with leaders of AEON Group on May 29 to boost investment cooperation between Vietnam and Japan in key areas. Vietnam considers Japan trusted partner in new era: Deputy PM Vietnam considers Japan a trusted partner in the new era of development, Deputy PM Nguyen Chi Dung told Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on May 30 The judges for of the Green Moments - Green Actions - Green Future photography contest The contest is in celebration of World Environment Day and the 2025 Environmental Action Month. The contest is a communication initiative under the Green Urban Project. The contest aims to raise community awareness about environmental protection, climate change adaptation, promoting a circular economy, green public procurement, and developing low-emission cities. Through creative photographic works rich in content and artistic value, the contest seeks to spread green actions, inspire, and drive behavioural changes in the community for a sustainable future. The Green Urban Project is funded by the Global Environment Facility through the Asian Development Bank. The Environment Agency is the governing body, with the Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Strategies and Policies as a co-implementing agency. The projects goal is to enhance institutional capacity for environmental protection and climate resilience in Type II cities. Nguyen Trung Thang, deputy director of the Green Urban Project Management Board, said, I believe that artistic photographic works will ignite green awareness, inspiring the community to join hands in protecting the environment, starting with the smallest changes in daily life. The contest is not only an artistic platform but also a call for every citizen to capture, share, and spread green moments and actions to collectively build a green future for the planet. The contest aims to raise community awareness about environmental protection, climate change adaptation, circular economy, green public procurement, and low-emission cities, while honouring green actions through creative photographic works rich in content and artistic value, said Thang. The submitted works will contribute to effective communication for the Green Urban Project, spreading the message of sustainable environmental practices and honouring individuals and groups striving to build a green future for the country. All Vietnamese citizens and foreigners living, studying, or working in Vietnam are eligible to participate. Entries must reflect one of the main themes, such as specific moments in daily life related to environmental protection, circular economy, green public procurement, or the development of low-carbon emission cities. Priority will be given to photos capturing authentic, natural moments without staging. Submissions can be single photos or photo series, in colour or black-and-white. For the photo series, each participant may submit up to two series, with each series containing five to eight photos. Entries must be created using realistic methods. The organising committee will not accept photos that are digitally manipulated, added, removed, or altered to distort reality (except for panoramic photography). Participants can submit their entries directly on the website https://5wp.vn/thi-anh/vi-mot-tuong-lai-xanh from June 5 to August 31. The results will be announced and awards presented in late September 2025. First prize is worth VND10 million ($400). Project approved to promote bio-industry for environmental protection Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha signed a decision on December 24 to approve a project on developing the biological industry in environmental protection by 2030. Offshore incident at Song Doc oil field quickly contained, no environmental damage Emergency crews swiftly contained an incident during dismantling operations at the decommissioned Song Doc oil field on May 22, ensuring no environmental impacts or disruptions to other projects. Fusion celebrates Global Wellness Day and International Yoga Day Wellness-inspired resort group Fusion will usher in a month of holistic wellbeing, mindfulness, and joyful celebration in June across its signature properties in Vietnam and Thailand. Launch of third Travel with Muong Thanh - Dream vacation drawing contest Muong Thanh Group has announced the launch of the third "Travel with Muong Thanh - Dream vacation" drawing contest in May, with the award ceremony scheduled for August. This season promises a variety of new themes that will inspire and delight contestants. Travel with Muong Thanh - Dream Vacation contest features emotional paintings by children The third season of the "Travelling with Muong Thanh - Dream Vacation" competition is upon us, and the judges gathered on August 7 to recognise the creative works of Vietnamese children and their personal travel experiences. At the meeting, participating countries engaged in in-depth discussions and advanced cooperation across key areas. These included strengthening a rules-based global trading system, enhancing supply chain resilience and economic security, promoting innovation for sustainable development, and fostering fair competition. During the sessions held on June 3-4, Vietnamese Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang introduced initiatives aligned with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of OECD member states. Vietnamese Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang met with OECD Secretary General Mathias Cormann On June 3, Minister Thang emphasised that from Vietnam's perspective, green bonds are an essential instrument for mobilising resources towards sustainable projects such as renewable energy, public transportation, and environmental protection. The government should act as a pioneer by implementing sustainability-oriented public investments, while also creating enabling mechanisms for private sector participation through public-private partnerships, he stated. To attract private investment into sustainable sectors, it is crucial to ensure a stable and transparent investment environment. Vietnam is gradually adopting sustainable financial reporting standards based on the International Financial Reporting Standards and the Global Reporting Initiative, while also building public financial oversight mechanisms to increase investor confidence, he added. On June 4, speaking in a breakout session, Thang highlighted Vietnam's strong digital competitiveness, ranking among the top three Southeast Asian countries in digital capabilities and e-government development, particularly in AI research and development and the advancement of several high-tech industries. Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang delivered remarks at a breakout session He informed delegates that Vietnam has adopted a groundbreaking national strategy for science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation. This strategy aims to build modern digital infrastructure and master strategic technologies such as AI, the Internet of Things, blockchain, semiconductors, and quantum technology. It also seeks to develop a digital government, digital economy, digital society, digital citizenship, digital cultural industries, and a centralised data exchange platform to support state governance from central to local levels. To realise these goals, we must pursue a range of solutions. Chief among them are raising awareness, shifting mindsets, and demonstrating strong political will and leadership in advancing science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation, he added. To harness the benefits of digital transformation while minimising environmental impacts, the Vietnamese delegation called on the OECD to promote the development of a green digital economy. This would require policy frameworks that support carbon-neutral digital transformation and encourage the circular economy in the digital technology sector. "E-commerce has proven to be a powerful tool in generating new livelihoods for women and holds immense potential as a means of economic empowerment. However, to fully realise this role, OECD countries should consider financial policies that enhance digital infrastructure in rural and remote areas and support digital entrepreneurship for women," proposed Thang. On the sidelines of the meeting, the Vietnamese delegation also held bilateral meetings with the OECD secretary general, the ASEAN secretary general, and the minister of Economy and Industry of Israel to foster cooperation within the OECD framework and strengthen bilateral ties, particularly in digital transformation and global economic integration, as part of efforts to achieve the SDGs. Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang held a working session with Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry Nir Barkat Vietnam elevates regional group with impact and vision Vietnam's contribution has helped establish the Southeast Asia Regional Program (SEARP) as a cornerstone of regional cooperation with lasting impact and vision, positioning it as a vital bridge to advance shared Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Southeast Asian values towards a rules-based economy and a greener, more digital future. Ministry of Finance issues plan to develop carbon market The Ministry of Finance issued a plan in late May to implement the tasks assigned by the prime minister to establish and develop a carbon market in Vietnam. Oman boosts investments from Gulf region to Vietnam A four-day working trip by the Deputy president of the Oman Investment Authority (OIA), Nasser bin Suliman Al Harthi, yield several positive outcomes, paving the way for billions of dollars in capital flows from Middle Eastern countries to Vietnam. How do you assess Vietnams offshore wind (OSW) potential, especially in comparison with other Asia-Pacific countries? Zhang Minghui, Asia-Pacific offshore wind lead at DNV Energy Systems As outlined in the revised Power Development Plan VIII (PDP8), Vietnam aims to achieve 6-17GW of OSW capacity between 2030 and 2035, reflecting the countrys growing commitment. This is in addition to the countrys aim to achieve an expected onshore wind capacity of 26-38GW by 2030, which also includes nearshore wind opportunities. Among its Southeast Asian counterparts, Vietnam offers good offshore potential with its long coastlines. It is therefore important to ensure that Vietnams grid infrastructure can keep up with these ambitions, given that in some provinces, the grid curtailment has been of a concern due to the increase in renewable projects. In addition, it is also important to have sufficient feed-in tariffs to make OSW attractive to developers investing in Vietnam. Where does Vietnam currently stand in its OSW journey compared to markets like Taiwan or South Korea, in terms of both policy framework and technical readiness? First of all, each markets journey is unique due to several factors, such as its geographical location, subsidies, and regulatory framework. Due to its experience in the oil and gas sector, Vietnam has the advantage of having companies and workforce already familiar with offshore conditions, which can help them to pivot more easily to building relevant infrastructure in the country. In addition, while the market is relatively nascent in the country, there are local companies who have supported overseas OSW projects, and they can leverage this expertise and support Vietnams development. With the revised PDP8, this outlines the ambitions for renewables, which is similar to other markets. One thing that is common is the need for a strong policy framework to attract developers and investors to invest in this area. How do you think the PDP8 will influence the development of OSW projects in Vietnam, and are there any regulatory gaps that still need to be addressed? The plan outlines Vietnams commendable ambitions in driving OSW and making it a key component of the countrys renewable energy transition. To make this possible, there is a need for a strong regulatory framework and robust infrastructure, as well as a stable supply chain. There are current discussions with the relevant stakeholders on the support required from the regulators, so it remains too early to assess the regulatory gaps, if any. The current focus for Vietnam would therefore be to present a clear framework and pipeline, as well as offer visibility on infrastructure upgrades and how the industry and supply chain should come together. You have served as an independent engineer, or owners engineer, for several OSW projects in Taiwan. What valuable lessons from these projects can be applied to Vietnam? Compared to Europe, which has a more mature supply chain, the Asia-Pacific supply chain is still relatively new and there is a need for collaboration not just for contractors but also for resources. As the projects move further away offshore, there is a need to consider the vessel availability and weather window, as these are often long lead items that would be part of the critical path to further driving Vietnams OSW growth. Having a strong owners engineer is important as it can also help in the managing of interfaces and for projects where there are multiple contracts as opposed to a turnkey engineering, procurement, and construction model, which would help in the mitigation of risks. It is highly advisable to engage a strong owners engineer team with local expertise with access to global best practices through experience in worldwide projects. Since the beginning of OSW in the region, DNV has been leveraging our regional experts, such as having our Vietnamese colleagues supporting projects overseas such as Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines, and therefore, in return, they can leverage this experience and bring that back to their home markets. We have also been leading various technical seminars in Vietnam where we can share our experiences with other external stakeholders that can help us drive OSW together in Vietnam in the nations commitment to realising its ambitions for renewable energy and sustainability. MoIT proposes delaying offshore wind power until after 2030 The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has proposed delaying the development of offshore wind power until after 2030, instead of the original target of about 6,000MW in the next five years. Offshore wind development plans receive new lease of life The government has put across its strong support for offshore wind development and improving the legal system for foreign investors. Liquefied natural gas is in alignment with global trends for greener and more stable energy sources, photo Le Toan At the end of May, during a meeting in the US with Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien, Peter Haas, vice president of liquefied natural gas (LNG) provider Excelerate, stated that the group is ready to expand investment and cooperation in Vietnam if supported by the governments of the two countries. We recognise the potential in developing gas-fired power projects as well as the potential of Vietnam to become a centre for storing and distributing LNG in Southeast Asia, which is why we set up an office in Vietnam in 2021, Haas said. He proposed three specific directions of cooperation: developing LNG infrastructure, ensuring a stable supply, and establishing a joint venture with a Vietnamese partner to expand the market, aiming to make Vietnam an LNG distribution centre in Southeast Asia. To attract investors, the Vietnamese government is currently considering reducing import taxes on LNG; along with many other attractive incentives, Minister Dien stated. According to the Power Development Plan VIII (PDP8), to ensure national energy security, Vietnam will build 14 LNG plants, and so supplying the gas is one of the top priorities. Vietnam also supports businesses trading in LNG, including reducing the import tax from 5 to 2 per cent. At a workshop in Hanoi on May 21, Song Soohwan, commercial manager of LNG at SK Innovation E&S, highly appreciated the opportunities of Vietnam to play an important role in the LNG value chain, especially in the supply chain related to coastal vessels and operating systems. LNG is associated with the global trend towards green, stable energy sources that meet increasingly high environmental standards. Therefore, along with the energy transition trend, Vietnam has the opportunity to participate in the value chain thanks to its stable economic growth and increasingly important role in the international arena, he said. Moreover, Vietnam is also a country highly appreciated for its production capacity in the gas industry and mastering related technology will be an important stepping stone for Vietnam to master hydrogen technology in the future, he added. However, Do Tien Thinh, deputy director of the National Innovation Centre under the Ministry of Finance, said that the development of the industry and the value chain in Vietnam is struggling. For example, converting coal-fired power plants to LNG plants to achieve the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 is very challenging and costly. Furthermore, Vietnam is also lacking high-quality human resources related to LNG because universities train this industry as a chemical industry instead of an applied energy industry needed in the future. Therefore, to meet the human resource needs for new power plants according to the adjusted PDP8, we need the synchronous coordination between schools, businesses and research institutes, Thinh proposed. Based on many years of experience in solar energy and LNG, Haas from SK suggested Vietnam to consider the model of medium-sized gas stations located in industrial parks. With Vietnams long coastline and current transportation infrastructure, gas stations distributed in industrial areas would be more suitable to optimise investment costs and be flexible in supply, similar to the experience in Taiwan, he said. However, currently, some provinces such as Thanh Hoa and Nghe An are considering using floating storage and regasification. This, despite its high cost and concerns about its ability to withstand storms in the central region, has the advantage of fast construction time and is being proposed by consultants and corporations as a solution to planning bottlenecks, Thinh explained. Therefore, Vietnam is in the process of studying and choosing a suitable option. SK Group is proposing to build integrated industrial development centres in Vietnam aligned with LNG plants, including an AI and innovation centre in the North Central region, a hydrogen and logistics centre in the South Central region, and an environmentally friendly agricultural centre in the Mekong Delta region. Additionally, SK is also developing LNG power plants in Vietnam. In Nghe An, SK participated in the bidding for the Quynh Lap venture worth $2.1 billion. In Thanh Hoa province, the Cong Thanh plant is expected to change from coal to LNG with a total investment of $2 billion. In March, in the US, Excelerate Energy and Petrovietnam Gas Corporation signed an agreement on importing LNG from the US. According to PDP8, by 2030, Vietnam plans to develop a port system, power station infrastructure, and LNG power plants with a total maximum power capacity of 22,400MW. American groups take mantle in LNG-to-power initiatives The growing race among enterprises to invest in power projects in Vietnam is poised to significantly increase imports from various markets, with the United States emerging as a key supplier. New life injected into idle ventures in LNG Global energy giants and financial investors are renewing their interest in Vietnams evolving liquefied natural gas (LNG) landscape, breathing new life into several long-stalled power ventures. The symposia brought together over 1,000 healthcare professionals in respiratory medicine, preventive care, and epidemiology from Vietnam and abroad. The events served as a scientific forum to update colleagues on the burden of pneumococcal disease in adults over 50 years of age and in adults with non-communicable chronic conditions, The attendees also shared international experiences, while a public health tool for prevention, a new, multi-pneumococcal serotype vaccine based on a foundation of conjugate technology, was introduced. Over 1,000 healthcare professionals from Vietnam and abroad attended the events. Photo: Pfizer Vietnam In Vietnam, infection by the pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae) is a leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia, which is the most common infectious disease and a top cause of mortality nationwide. Beyond pneumonia, pneumococcal infections also contribute to life-threatening invasive infections like meningitis and bacteremia, which can carry a fatality rate of up to 40 per cent, as well as prevalent conditions like otitis media. Highlighting the hidden dangers of pneumococcus, Assoc. Prof. Dr Cao Huu Nghia, head of the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, emphasised, Pneumococcus is an unpredictable danger, with over 100 known serotypes, and an estimated 5 per cent to 90 per cent of healthy individuals carrying the bacteria in their nasopharynx. When the immune system weakens, either due to natural ageing or non-communicable chronic conditions such as kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or COPD, the body becomes more vulnerable. Once infected, pneumococcal diseases often progress rapidly, posing life-threatening risks, and placing a significant financial burden not only on patients but also on the healthcare system. Pneumococcus is estimated to cause approximately 14.5 million severe cases and around 826,000 deaths globally each year. Beyond its impact on individual health, the disease places a significant burden on patients' families and on the healthcare system. In Vietnam, the population is ageing rapidly, while non-communicable chronic conditions are increasingly affecting younger age groups, thereby expanding the population at-risk for pneumococcus diseases. Notably, invasive and potentially fatal pneumococcal serotypes continue to circulate in the population. At the same time, antibiotic resistance among pneumococcal strains is compromising treatment options, even prolonging recovery and increasing healthcare costs. In this context, experts warn that pneumococcal disease remains a major public health challenge and emphasise the urgent need for broader preventive solutions. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Khac Bao, vice director of the University Medical Centre Ho Chi Minh City, emphasised, Pneumococcus has been, and continues to be, the leading bacterial cause of lower respiratory tract infections in adults. While preventive measures are available, the disease burden continues to rise as the vulnerable population expands and serotypes outside the current protective scope become more prominent. Therefore, strengthening preventive capacity and updating pneumococcal disease control strategies, including the introduction of a new conjugated vaccine offering protective coverage against both existing vaccine serotypes and serotypes targeted by higher valency conjugate formulations, are crucial to safeguarding public health, alleviating pressure on healthcare systems, and ultimately enhancing the quality of life across our society. The need to prioritise pneumococcal prevention in high-risk populations Recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) included Streptococcus pneumoniae on its Bacterial Priority Pathogens List for targeted prevention among high-risk populations to protect global health and alleviate pressure on healthcare systems. Specifically, Dr. Mark Fletcher, senior director, Pfizer Vaccines Research and Development, Medical Affairs, Emerging Markets (EM) region, stated, Based on global experience, adult pneumococcal prevention strategies often include epidemiological surveillance of pneumococcal disease serotypes, raising public awareness of health promotion, of management of non-communicable chronic conditions, and of proactive prevention among high-risk groups. Vaccination offers both medical and economic benefits. To date, the Ministry of Health has authorised the use of five pneumococcal vaccines in Vietnam, differing in formulation, serotype coverage, and clinical development/post-introduction experience. Among them, four are conjugated vaccines, a technology known for inducing immunological memory and reducing pneumococcal carriage in the nasopharynx, thereby supporting long-term protection and contributing to herd immunity. Prof. Dr. Phan Trong Lan, president of the Vietnam Association of Preventive Medicine. Photo: Pfizer Vietnam Speaking at the symposia, Prof. Dr. Phan Trong Lan, president of the Vietnam Association of Preventive Medicine, shared, "Vietnam is facing a rapidly ageing population, with many elderly individuals suffering from multiple health conditions. Therefore, preventing pneumococcal infections through vaccination is extremely necessary to reduce the burden of community-acquired pneumonia, which is one of the leading causes of death from infectious diseases, especially in people with pre-existing conditions. Preventive measures are also continuously updated, incorporating medical advancements and disease control experiences from many countries around the world, particularly the use of broad-spectrum vaccines with a proven safety and efficacy record, coupled with increasing vaccination coverage. This plays a crucial role in preventing complications and deaths from pneumococcal disease, thereby contributing to the care, protection, and improvement of public health," he added. Experts at the symposia also stressed that to advance pneumococcal disease prevention strategies and to ensure broader implementation among high-risk populations, close collaboration is essential among health authorities, medical experts, and leading innovators in biomedical technology. Darrell Oh, general director of Pfizer Vietnam, gave the opening speech. Pfizer Vietnam Darrell Oh, general director of Pfizer Vietnam, shared, With our global expertise in respiratory disease prevention, we are committed to supporting Vietnams healthcare landscape by introducing the latest scientific advancements, providing professional training for healthcare workers, and expanding access for vulnerable communities. Staying true to our global mission of delivering breakthroughs that change patients lives, Pfizer is proud to contribute to strengthening Vietnams preventive healthcare system. This symposia series is testament to the close collaboration between professional bodies, medical experts, and industry partners in building a sustainable, proactive, and practical disease prevention strategy for the community. Multinational pharma groups keen on robust partnerships After making gains in 2022, multinational corporations will prioritise strengthening local partnerships to support their ambition of transforming the treatment landscape but they are also pleading for further legal clarity. Pfizer seeks to boost presence in Vietnam A business mission led by Anil Argilla, president of Emerging Markets Asia at Pfizer, worked with Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen and the heads of other departments on May 25 to discuss business opportunities in Vietnam. This commitment was made during bilateral meetings with regional business councils on the sidelines of the 34th ASEAN Directors-General of Customs Meeting that took place in Brunei from June 3-5. As part of the event, a Vietnamese delegation led by Nguyen Van Tho, director general of the General Department of Vietnam Customs, held separate bilateral discussions on June 4 with representatives of the US-ASEAN Business Council and the EU-ASEAN Business Council. The meetings drew the participation of major multinational corporations, including Intel, FedEx, Amazon, DHL, ABB, and JTI, all of which have an active presence in Vietnam and expressed interest in the countrys evolving customs landscape. During the discussions, the Vietnamese side updated business representatives on regulatory changes that are due to take effect, particularly in relation to e-commerce and express delivery services. Delegates were also briefed on recent adjustments to Vietnams gold trading regulations. Director general of the General Department of Vietnam Customs Nguyen Van Tho (left), took part in the working session. Photo: CHQ Speaking at the meetings, Tho said that the customs authority would continue to allocate space for stakeholders to contribute feedback on draft policies, as well as to participate in capacity-building activities prior to implementation. He emphasised Vietnam Customs openness to stronger information exchange mechanisms and private sector collaboration, with a view to enhancing the effectiveness of customs oversight in a fast-changing trade environment. The delegation also expressed appreciation for the support shown by business councils and their members in the ongoing negotiation process for a bilateral tax agreement between Vietnam and the United States. The deal, once concluded, is expected to lay the groundwork for a more predictable and sustainable business environment in Vietnam. The annual ASEAN Directors-General of Customs Meeting serves as the regions most significant customs gathering, where top customs officials assess progress on strategic cooperation initiatives and agree on future directions for regional integration. This years meeting featured customs chiefs from all 10 ASEAN member states, alongside the ASEAN Secretariat and key dialogue partners including Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, the World Customs Organisation, and representatives from major ASEAN business councils. Among the key outcomes expected from the 34th meeting is the endorsement of the ASEAN Customs Strategic Plan for 20262030, which will shape the regions customs development priorities. Private sector impetus spurs credit overhaul Among the tasks to develop Vietnams private sector, diversifying capital sources is deemed a vital influence on commercial banks development strategies in the coming period. Private sector policy shifts can mean a market lift Resolution No.68-NQ/TW aims to cut red tape and unlock access to key resources like capital, land, and skilled labour for private enterprises. Vy Le, Vietnam Private Capital Agency chairwomen and general partner at Do Ventures, shared with VIRs Hazy Tran how clearer tax rules, streamlined listing procedures, and tailored insurance reforms could reshape the competitive landscape. State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. 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Waco Drive and EWireless at 1916 W. Waco Drive. Two other grants will improve vacant buildings seeking tenants: 1316 Franklin Ave., owned by FDR Services LLC, and 1716 Franklin Ave., owned by OHG Holdings LLC. City Parks and Recreation Director Jonathan Cook, who oversees the program, said the city plans to reimburse up to $48,000 for the five sites. This was the first time that we had awarded these beautification incentives, with these five companies and a budget of up to $60,000 overall, and a per-location cap of $15,000, Cook said by phone. The Waco City Council unanimously approved the five grants during its May 20 meeting. The council voted in October to create the Corridor Beautification Incentive program and its $60,000 budget, and to accept applications in January and February. Businesses along most of Waco Drive between Valley Mills Drive and Interstate 35, along Franklin Avenue between Valley Mills Drive and 11th Street, and on parts of Valley Mills between Waco Drive and I-35 were eligible for grants. The program targets owners and tenants of retail, commercial and multiple-family properties located along high-priority gateway corridors outside the downtown Tax Increment Financing Zone No. 1 and the downtown Public Improvement District, according to council documents from when the program was approved. The money would be awarded on a first-come, first-approved basis. Incentive funds may be used to support landscaping, facade, parking, circulation, signage and public art improvements to their businesses, according to council documents. The incentives are intended to increase the aesthetic appearance and economic vitality of these gateways into and around Waco. Sweet sign Helados La Azteca has been a family business since Alfredo Garcia and his wife, Angelica, founded it in 1998, their son and co-owner Eduardo Garcia said. We are most known for our handcrafted popsicles and our handcrafted ice cream, all in hard-to-find authentic Mexican flavors, Eduardo Garcia said. With the citys $7,755.22 grant and their own matching funds, the Garcias will replace the front glass doors and windows at the original store in a Franklin Avenue strip center. Helados now operates two more locations in Waco, on North Valley Mills Drive and Colcord Avenue, plus a new one in Temple. Well also get a brand new LED sign for the original location, instead of the hand-painted one that we have up there now, Eduardo Garcia said. And well also add some artwork in the front. Garcia grew up helping his parents and his brother, Victor, in the Waco shop on Franklin. Since I was 8 or 9 years old, I was in the back bagging popsicles and not always enjoying it because when I was little, it was more of a job, you know? You had to do it, he said. But as I grew older, I kind of fell in love with it, watching my dad and seeing how much he cared about his product. Victor also operates three paleterias in the Dallas-Fort Worth area called Sol Dias. Custom orders Owner Katrina Katie Jones takes pride in her four years running The Hatstand, which specializes in custom hats and embroidery for shirts and urban apparel, as well as custom screen printing for T-shirts. Were way more than hats, she said Thursday. People ask me if Im worried, printing images for other T-shirt makers. I say, no, because the T-shirt market is saturated and I have a lot of work to do. With the $8,105.50 city grant and their own money, Katie and her husband, Charles, will renovate the facade at the front of their store with brick and other ornate designs to improve its look, and also will repaint, she said. They also plan to stripe and refurbish the parking lot with a new large sign on East Waco Drive at Hood Street. Other grants EWireless, which repairs smartphones, cellphones and tablets, will receive a matching grant of $2,706.25 to upgrade the shops visibility. The store will buy a 6-by-3-foot lighted channel letter sign to replace a vinyl sign facing West Waco Drive, according to city council documents. Efforts to reach EWireless owners were unsuccessful. The two unoccupied Franklin Avenue properties will receive grants of up to $15,000 each, according to council documents. Owners OHG Holdings and FDR Services could not be reached for comment. In the former Four Star Manufacturing Co. building at 1316 Franklin Ave., where Clint and Kelly Harp of Harp Design Co. operated their primary woodworking shop for several years, a city staff recommendation says the improvements will enhance the visual appeal of the downtown area and encourage private investment in long-standing structures that contribute to the communitys unique character. Owners of the 100-year-old building plan to remove the facades brick work and trim, replacing it with tongue-and-groove siding, according to a project description submitted to the city. At 1716 Franklin Ave., a vacant building home to David Crowders Asterisk Sound music studio and Iron Horse gym in recent years, a city staff report says that proposed aluminum-panel signs, black metal awnings, accent lighting and landscape upgrades will bring it into productive reuse and provide additional office space in downtown Waco. According to Cook, the Corridor Beautification Incentive program was created last year by Amanda Dyer and Ashley Millerd during their time in the citys Beautification, Arts and Culture office. The pair borrowed ideas from other cities and collaborated with city partners including Creative Waco, City Center Waco and local chambers of commerce, Cook said. Cook Children's Medical Center is urging parents to lock up their firearms as they recorded a significant increase in the number of gun-related injuries among kids. The situation comes as school is out and children are spending more time at home, which is considered one of the factors for the development. In just the first half of this year, Cook Children's has already treated 40 firearm injuries, which is nearing the total of 60 for the whole of last year. Cook Children's Encourage Parents To Better Lock Up Firearms The program coordinator at the center, Eric Gonzalez, said the number is significantly higher than they expected and is probably more than what has been recorded in the last three years. He added that the situation is most likely a result of the number of firearms in households, particularly in Texas, and the fact that many of them are not properly stored. Gonzalez said that there are more and more guns out there every day and that firearms are becoming a prevalent part of the community, especially in Texas. Doctors argue that it is not only handguns that are worrying as BB guns, airsoft guns, and paintball guns can send children to the emergency room, according to CBS News. Read more: Virginia Teen Fatally Shot by Homeowner Following Alleged TikTok Prank The program coordinator added that injuries caused by these items can be quite serious, noting that an airsoft gun can result in two to three inches of penetration. This means that a 9mm handgun can lead to far worse injuries. To prevent more injuries, Cook Children's is encouraging parents who own firearms or similar items to follow the so-called "Three T's." These are, Talk to your kids, Teach them about gun safety, and Take action by locking up firearms. More Young Victims of Gun Violence On top of this, the center produced public service announcements and continues to do community outreach where it gives away lock boxes and cable locks for firearms. Summer vacation is a cause for concern because of sleepovers, which could put children in unfamiliar environments, Fox4News reported. The situation comes as the United States experienced a sudden rise in firearm mortality among youth in the past few years as firearms became the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in 2020. Other than firearm deaths, many youth who survive gunshot wounds or have been exposed to gun violence can develop negative behavioral health patterns. This was seen in increased youth suicide risk being linked to communities that are exposed to school shootings, as per KFF. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Decision made on A494 River Dee Bridge as Option E should start build in late 2026 The plans for a replacement for the A494 River Dee Bridge, a key part of North Wales road infrastructure, have taken another step forward as the preferred option is announced. A public consultation was held looking at five possible options. Welsh Government have today confirmed there was strong support for Option E,the best performing option, and further work has also been carried out to address some of the comments raised. WG say, Option E has is therefore announced as the preferred option as it is the most affordable, has a lower environmental footprint and is the most practical to deliver. It will will provide a new single bridge structure with full provision for active travel within the new bridge. Work at the railway would be minimised with the existing highway verge area through the structure being reconfigured to facilitate an up to 3km of new and improved active travel paths. The preliminary design, which considers the environmental and engineering issues in more detail, continues to be developed, taking account of the comments made during the consultation. The next stage will be to publish draft Orders and an Environmental Statement which will allow stakeholders to comment, support or object to the proposals. This is programmed for Autumn 2025 and public exhibitions will be held during this period where officials and the project team will be available to answer any queries. Construction is expected to begin in late 2026 to early 2027. Welsh Government explain, A new bridge is needed as the requirement for repairs on the existing bridge is increasing. Inspections and monitoring to date have concluded that the frequency of repairs and the risk of major repair and intervention requiring the closure of the bridge is growing year-on-year. The preferred option identified in 2019 has been reviewed and new scheme options are proposed that ensure better alignment with current policies whilst improving value for money and resilience along this strategically important corridor. A further priority is to reduce disruption during construction as far as possible. The Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales Ken Skates said: Fixing our roads is a priority for this government and we are moving ahead with the plans for a replacement for the A494 Dee Bridge. Im pleased today to be able to announce the preferred option, which is the most cost-effective and has the least environmental impact. The plans can now move ahead to the next stage with a view to publish the draft orders later this year. Id like to thank everyone who took part in the consultation on the future of this vital road link. Along with our plans for improved bus and rail travel in the region, the replacement bridge will further strengthen the transport infrastructure in North Wales. More than 30 people have now been identified in the recent Reno High vandalism case. The WCSD says there are two separate but parallel investigations: a criminal investigation by the WCSD School Police Department and an administrative investigation by WCSD. These investigations are extensive and ongoing. The investigations have identified 30+ people connected to the incident. The WCSD says not all of the people are students at Reno High School. The WCSD says as a result of the administrative investigation, disciplinary actions continue to be taken based on each person's level of involvement. Consequences range from suspension from classes for the remainder of the school year to the loss of privileges, including but not limited to the ability to participate in graduation ceremonies. Due to federal privacy laws, the WCSD is not able to share specific numbers or identities of students who have been disciplined. Prior to the incident, the WCSD says hundreds of students were on campus for scheduled senior activities. Most people left when the planned activities concluded; however, a large group later returned, causing the damage. Officers are interviewing witnesses and people involved, reviewing footage from more than 40 surveillance cameras, looking at social media to identify potential witnesses, reviewing cell phone videos, following up on anonymous tips, and analyzing other evidence. MAY 29, 6:20 P.M. UPDATE: An investigation into vandalism at Reno High School has resulted in the identification and disciplining of multiple individuals involved in the acts. In a message to families, Reno High School Principal Mike Nakashima said those students and their families have been notified of disciplinary action, including suspension for the remainder of the school year and a loss of privileges, including the ability to participate in graduation ceremonies. Federal privacy laws prevent the school from revealing the exact number of people who have been disciplined. The actions taken by the school are different from the criminal investigation being conducted by School Police, which is ongoing, the principal said. He also said that people with information that may be helpful can share it via SafeVoice. --- MAY 29, 10:40 A.M. UPDATE: The Washoe County School District has created a webpage to update the community about the ongoing investigation into Reno High's vandalism. Superintendent Joe Ernst says, "WCSD School Police are conducting a comprehensive review of all available evidence. The investigation requires careful examination of multiple witnesses, suspects, and extensive video surveillance, which takes time." Although Reno City councilman Devon Reese previously estimated damage at $100,000+, Ernst says a full assessment and "cost of repairs is still being completed. Any dollar amount that may exist publicly is premature at this time." Once the investigation is complete, those involved could either be disciplined by school officials, or criminally cited or charged, dependent on a review by the Washoe County District Attorney's Office. From there, criminal punishment will be decided by the suspect(s) age. If they are under 18, those involved will be handled by the juvenile justice system - and if they are over 18, they will go through the adult criminal system, which could mean public trials and possible imprisonment. Ernst says the WCSD has received many anonymous tips they continue to follow up on and offer options for people to offer information - Reach out to School Police via phone, email, or in person to provide information (775-348-0285). Call the SafeVoice hotline at 1-833-216-SAFE (7233) to speak with trained professionals available 24/7. You can read more below - May 27, 2025: Reno High School's principal says that counseling and support is now available for students after last week's vandalism. In a message sent to families, Principal Mike Nakashima added that the investigation remains ongoing - after Reno City councilman Devon Reese said that vandals caused $100,000 in damage at the high school last week. "I have full faith and confidence in the investigation being conducted by our Washoe County School District School Police, and those who perpetrated these acts against our school will be held accountable..." He ended his message reminding families of the school's 'core values': respect, honor and strength. "Let us move forward together with clarity, accountability, and compassion. We will take steps to ensure our school remains a place of learning, not of hate. And to those who feel hurt or targetedwe see you, we support you, and we will stand with you. ...This is our RHS community. Let us honor it with our actions." If you have any information that can help authorities, call or text your anonymous tip to Secret Witness at 775-322-4900. You can read Principal Nakashima's full message below - May 26. 2025: A Reno City councilman says he's calling for a full investigation after vandals caused $100,000+ in damage at Reno High School last week. On Facebook, Devon Reese (Ward 5) says, "This is not who we are as a city, and it will not be tolerated. I am calling for a full investigation and will support any measures necessary to hold those responsible accountable. Our schools must be places of learning and inclusionnot fear and hate." Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve agreed in her own statement saying that the vandalism involving racial slurs and extreme property damage is absolutely unacceptable and has no place in our city. I want to make it clear: this behavior does not reflect the values of our community. She went on to say that Reno Police is providing resources to the Washoe County School District Police. We will not tolerate acts of hate in our city, and we will send a clear and united message that Reno stands against racism and discrimination in all forms. If you have any information that can help authorities, call or text your anonymous tip to Secret Witness at 775-322-4900. May 24, 2025: The Washoe County School District has released a statement regarding the recent vandalism and damage at Reno High School. In the release, Superintendent Joe Ernst and Board President Beth Smith say they are "deeply disturbed and disheartened by the recent vandalism." You can find the full text of the statement below: "The Washoe County School District unequivocally condemns hate speech in all forms within our schools. Our educational institutions must be places where every student, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or background, feels safe, valued, and respected. Hate speech undermines the very principles of inclusion, respect, and equality that are central to the mission of our schools and our guiding principles. We are deeply disturbed and disheartened by the recent vandalism at Reno High School. Such actions are criminal and are an attack on the values of respect, honor, and strength for which Reno High School stands. The Washoe County School District School Police is continuing its thorough investigation. The safety and well-being of our students, staff, and families remain our top priority. The district has and will continue to provide support, resources and counseling services to those impacted by these acts." The district is asking anyone who may have information about the break-in or vandalism to contact Washoe County School District Police through Secret Witness at (775) 322-4900. Original Story (5/23/2025, 11:54 a.m.): Reno High School officials canceled the senior assembly scheduled for Friday following an overnight break-in and acts of vandalism on campus. The Washoe County School District notified parents and guardians about the incident in a Connect Ed call, stating that the break-in is under investigation and the school is working with local authorities to identify those responsible. While the damage is being assessed and cleaned up, certain areas of the school will remain closed, the school stated. Classes will continue as scheduled, and officials said they are taking necessary steps to restore full operations. The safety and security of our students and staff remains our top priority, the message continued. School administrators said they understand the significance of senior events and will provide updates on alternative plans for the assembly in the coming days. The president of the Washoe School Board, Beth Smith, recently posted a statement to Facebook regarding the vandalism, saying: "Hate symbolism and racial slurs have no place in our schools. The recent acts of vandalism and destruction at Reno High School are unacceptable and deeply hurtful. I stand united with our community against racism and antisemitism. Parents, please use this as an opportunity to talk openly with your kids so they understand the impact of hate and our shared responsibility to fiercely denounce it in every form." This is a developing story - we will update you with new information as it becomes available. The Great Reno Balloon Race, held at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park in Reno, has announced new and returning features for its 44th annual upcoming event in celebration of National Hot Air Balloon Day today. Mark your calendars! An estimated 100 hot air balloons are expected to participate in this year's event, which will have a full schedule of events every morning from Friday, September 5, through Sunday, September 7. New to the lineup are remote-controlled hot air balloons, which are scaled-down versions of traditional balloons that can rise and descend using radio control. These RC balloons will fly on Thursday following the media days Mass Ascension and will appear again Friday through Sunday between Dawn Patrol and Mass Ascension. Also expanding is the nonprofits Tissue Paper Balloon Launch, which introduces fifth-grade students in the Washoe County School District to the STEM concepts behind hot air balloon flight. The program, previously a one-day event, will take place over two days in 2025, with launches at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday and Friday. Volunteers from Tesla, Greater Nevada Credit Union, Safe Routes, and United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra will help manage students on the field and facilitate the launches on Friday. Teachers who want to involve their students can learn more and register for a June 12 workshop by visiting renoballoon.com. The tradition of Great Reno Balloon Race friendship bracelets will return with support from One Nevada Credit Union. Bracelets will be distributed on the field during the festival and at select events beforehand. Special-shaped balloons returning this year include Darth Vader, Mango the Seahorse, Peanut the Flying Elephant, and Mario the Race Car, which will offer tethered rides courtesy of The Childrens Cabinet. While we may not add something new every year, were always looking for ways to spark joy and keep the experience meaningful, said Pete Copeland, executive director of the Great Reno Balloon Race. What never changes is the magic of seeing those balloons lift into the sky at sunrise. In a world where our attention is constantly pulled in every direction, that shared moment of wonder brings people together, and its our responsibility to protect that feeling and keep it alive. To remind everyone, the public is welcome to come to Media Day on Thursday, September 4, to see the balloons before the major event. On a first-come, first-served basis, complimentary VIP parking will be offered, and a small number of merchants will be present to provide a variety of food and beverages for spectators. Organizers say The Great Reno Balloon Race typically draws around 150,000 attendees from across the region and the world. Each morning begins with the Super Glow Show, followed by Dawn Patrol and Mass Ascension. Balloon pilots, selected through a competitive process, also participate in flight competitions throughout the weekend. According to a study conducted with the University of Nevada, Reno, nearly 40% of attendees come from outside the area, generating significant revenue for our local economy. Many cite the balloon race as the main reason for visiting Reno, often pairing the trip with stops at nearby destinations like Lake Tahoe and Virginia City. For more details and updates, you can visit renoballoon.com. News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. The Northern Nevada Heat Summit is part of a broader effort to address the challenges posed by ever increasing heat across different city neighborhoods and rural communities. Contributing factors for determining temperatures include elevation, vegetation, and manmade surfaces. The summit brings together scientists, city agencies, and community members to discuss how to better equip people for summer heat, the effects of which can impact lives and cause severe illness if not properly addressed. "There's going to be some heat," said Tom Albright, Deputy State Climatologist. "What are we going to do about it and how can we keep people safe? And it starts with everything from awareness, so people understanding what the dangers are, who's most at risk." The Summit aims to address the challenges posed by extreme heat in the region. Findings were discussed from recent heat mapping studies and solutions were explored to mitigate heat-related issues. The experts discussed the use of heat-reflective surfaces, water smart tree planting, and heat-informed architectural designs to mitigate the effects of scorching temps. "We look at reducing huge parking lots and paved surfaces," added Albright. "Those kinds of things can reduce the temperatures, both locally and throughout the region." Awareness starts with knowledge, knowing when and how to prepare for high heat. Leaders at Thursday's summit hope that the various strategies highlighted will give people the answers they need to keep a bit cooler and safer. Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks says that a Nevada State Police trooper was justified under Nevada law when he shot Darnelle Boykins in 2023. Troopers were investigating a reckless driving report near Veterans Parkway when Boykins' SUV sped away from them prompting a pursuit during which the suspect fired at troopers causing them to shoot back. They say after Boykins stopped and got out of the SUV troopers tased him and took him into custody. Boykins has since been sentenced to 52 years in prison. He previously pleaded guilty of attempted murder with the use of a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm at an occupied vehicle, and assault with the use of a deadly weapon - victim is a first responder. Click to read the report below - Update (8/31/2023): Authorities say a man who was involved in a police chase near Veterans Parkway in June now faces an attempted murder charge. Updated Washoe County jail records show that 34-year-old Darnelle Boykins also faces five additional charges, including assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a gun in an occupied structure. Boykins' bail is set at $500,000 bond. This is a developing story. ORIGINAL STORY (6/12/2023): Investigators tell us a state trooper did fire their gun, but no one was hurt, during a police chase Saturday night. It began near Veterans Parkway when state police say they got a call of a reckless driver in the area. When troopers got there, the driver took off. Troopers found the car a short time later, but again, the driver took off. Investigators say the driver eventually crashed their car near Moana Lane and Neil Road, and that's when an officer allegedly fired their gun but did not hit anyone. Police arrested the driver, identified as 34-year-old Darnelle Boykins. He's now facing multiple charges including assault with a deadly weapon as well as several gun related charges. It's still not clear what specifically led up to the trooper firing their weapon. The Washoe County Sheriff's Office has taken over the investigation. If you have any information that can help authorities, call or text your anonymous tip to Secret Witness at 775-322-4900. Chacon is alleged to have told a patient he would be able to deliver her baby when he is not licensed to do so. 2 Las confesiones del hijo del Chapo a la Justicia de EE.UU. tienen a Mexico en vilo Iain Campbell, Head of LGPS Investment, Hymans Robertson, says: We still very much support the government's intent, but the LGPS content in the Pension Schemes Bill laid today feels lacking. We're disappointed not to see more of the detail that supports implementation, and the goals for local investment. It appears that the detail the LGPS urgently needs, given the short timescales for implementation, will be set out in the guidance to follow, so we hope that's imminent. In the meantime, while we wait for the Bill to be progressed and the guidance to come, there is significant work for the officers and committees in the LGPS to do to ensure theyre ready for implementation. This is particularly important when thinking about all the work that it will take to be ready for the March 2026 pooling deadline. The ambitiousness of the governments plans are not to be underestimated. Zoe Alexander, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the PLSA, said: The introduction of the Pension Schemes Bill is a significant milestone, bringing forward necessary legislation to enact important reforms that have the full backing of the pensions industry. This includes small pots consolidation, the Value for Money regime, decumulation options and changes to give DB funds more options for securing member benefits over the long-term. Once fully implemented, these measures should reduce the cost of administering pensions, remove complexity for savers and help ensure schemes are maximising the value they provide members. The Bill also includes a broad reserve power to enable Government to direct how savers money is invested. We believe that the best way of ensuring good returns for members is for investments to be undertaken on a voluntary, not a mandatory basis. We also note powers being taken to specify required investment capability for schemes, and to direct LGPS funds to merge with specific pools. All of these powers will require careful scrutiny. The PLSA looks forward to working with the Government to make sure this Bill delivers on its full potential to improve outcomes for savers over the next decade and beyond. LGPS The Pension Schemes Bill also paves the way for further consolidation of the LGPS through the transfer of assets to investment pools. Funds and pools are working hard in the background to make a success of this process. However, the timeline for delivering and implementing the changes is overly ambitious, especially in the context of wider local government reforms, and recent elections. The PLSA encourages the Government to continue engaging with funds and pools to develop a roadmap for delivery that is more practical and realistic. The PLSA also questions the need for new powers to direct an authority to a specific pool as well as to merge funds. Such decisions require highly specialised and localised knowledge of the funds specific circumstances and these powers should only be used as a last resort and after dialogue with the affected funds. DC funds A default method to consolidate small pots will help savers manage their retirement savings more easily and reduce costs. The Value for Money framework will help employers and schemes focus on overall value, rather than just cost. Additionally, we support the Governments decision to legislate requiring schemes to offer default retirement income solutions, and that they have acknowledged the importance of communications and guidance to help members navigate their options. This means savers will no longer face a lottery on whether their scheme offers good value access options, and will provide more regulatory certainty to schemes themselves. Guided retirement income solutions were first recommended by the PLSA in 2021. It is positive the Government has taken a pragmatic approach to the DC scale test. Pathways to enable schemes to take more time to scale and to bring in new entrants recognise the benefits smaller schemes can and do offer their members. However, we are mindful of the continued risk of market distortion between now and 2030 and will be exploring ways to mitigate this with Government. The introduction of a reserve power to allow Government to direct how DC schemes invest will require very close scrutiny. Current drafting acknowledges the need to limit the use of the power, which is positive. However, how this would work needs further consideration. The PLSA is particularly concerned that the sunset clause extends beyond the current Parliament, for example, and contains very broad discretions for the Secretary of State to direct investments or set targets. Fiduciary duty in its current form has worked well to ensure savers interests are protected and it does not prevent schemes from investing in the UK. Indeed, UK pension funds already invest almost 1 trillion in the UK through a mixture of asset classes. To increase this, the best route is industry working in partnership with Government and voluntarily increasing UK allocations in a way that is consistent with member interest. That was the objective of the Mansion House Accord and PLSA is hopeful that, as the industry delivers on that, Government will see no need to exercise this power. DB funds The PLSA welcomes powers to enable surplus release and legislation for DB superfunds. Taken together, these will give pension trustees a wider array of options, increasing the likelihood that well-funded DB schemes will run on for longer and providing an endgame option for funds who would otherwise find a buyout with an insurer unaffordable. The superfund concept was first proposed by the PLSAs DB Taskforce in 2017. Changes to the rules governing the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) levy removes the barrier that has thus far prevented it from being lowered to zero. This levy represents a significant cost for pension schemes and their sponsors, and we welcome this change, which we have championed on behalf of our members. The PPF, which protects pension members in case of employer insolvency, is in a strong financial position with over 13 billion in surplus and low claims. Government launch new Pension Schemes Bill Elon Musk Threatens to Ground Dragon Capsule Amid Trump's Fury Over SpaceX Contracts 2 The high-stakes feud between Elon Musk and former US President Donald Trump escalated dramatically on Thursday after Musk declared SpaceX would begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately. The announcement, posted on Musks platform X (formerly Twitter), followed Trumps statement on Truth Social threatening to cancel government contracts awarded to Musks companies to save billions and billions of dollars. Musks swift and terse reaction has thrown a spotlight on the fragile relationship between the billionaire tech mogul and the former president, raising concerns about the future of US space missions. Dragon, developed with substantial NASA funding, is currently the only American vehicle capable of transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Since 2020, NASA has relied heavily on SpaceXs Crew Dragon to ferry astronauts after retiring the Space Shuttle and ending dependence on Russias Soyuz. The spacecrafts reliability was proven yet again earlier this year when Boeings Starliner malfunctioned, forcing two NASA astronauts to return to Earth aboard a SpaceX capsule. With Boeings program still grounded and awaiting another test flight, Crew Dragon remains the backbone of US manned spaceflight. Besides government missions, Dragon also carries out commercial flights, including those contracted by Axiom Space, and regularly transports cargo to the ISS under NASAs resupply contract. If Musk proceeds with his decommissioning threat, NASAs only fallback would be Russias Soyuzan arrangement the US had been moving away from since 2020. SpaceXs role in national space strategy extends beyond Dragon. The company holds critical NASA and Pentagon contracts for satellite launches and was recently awarded the responsibility of de-orbiting the ISS. Furthermore, SpaceXs Starship, currently in testing, is slated to land astronauts on the Moon under NASAs Artemis mission, though its latest test flight ended in failure. NASA has not yet issued a public response to Musks announcement. However, given its deep operational and financial dependence on SpaceX, any halt to the Dragon program could deal a severe blow to Americas space agenda. Whether Musks threat materializes or serves as a tactical response to Trumps rhetoric remains uncertainbut the implications could be historic. India Slams Terror Links in Berlin: All-Party Delegation Takes Pakistan Head-On on Global Stage 2 In a bold diplomatic move, an all-party parliamentary delegation from India, led by senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, arrived in Germany on Thursday to underscore the nations firm zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism and to expose Pakistans continued links to terror networks. The delegation, comprising leaders from across the political spectrum, landed in Berlin after a stopover in Belgium. Indian Ambassador to Germany, Ajit Gupte, welcomed the nine-member team and held a briefing session highlighting the evolving India-Germany strategic partnership and the scope for deeper collaboration in trade, defence, science and technology, and mobility. The Embassy of India in Berlin, in a post on X, confirmed, Amb @AjitVGupte briefed the All-Party Parliamentary Delegation led by Honble MP Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, on arrival in Berlin. It added that discussions focused not only on bilateral ties but also on Indias strong global messaging against terrorism. The delegation includes prominent parliamentarians like Daggubati Purandeswari, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Ghulam Ali Khatana, Amar Singh, Samik Bhattacharya, M Thambidurai, M J Akbar, and former diplomat Pankaj Saran. The team is part of Indias broader international effort, which involves dispatching seven multi-party delegations to 33 global capitals to expose Pakistans terror machinery and emphasize Indias resolve in countering it. This international outreach follows heightened Indo-Pak tensions after the Pahalgam terror attack. In retaliation, India launched targeted strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7. Pakistan responded with attempted attacks on Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10, which were met with strong countermeasures from India. The escalating hostilities were de-escalated on May 10 following military-to-military talks between the directors general of operations from both sides. However, Indias global diplomatic offensive continues, making it clear that it will not allow terrorism to go unchallenged, especially when backed by state actors. An Alabama kindergarten teacher selected as Teacher of the Year at her school was taken into custody Friday morning on sex charges involving teens. Heather Ozment, 49, is charged with first-degree sexual abuse, second-degree sexual abuse and enticing a child to enter a vehicle or house for immoral purposes. Ozment is listed on the schools website as a kindergarten teacher at Calera Elementary School. She won Teacher of the Year for 2024-2025, according to the schools Facebook page. Chief David Hyche said the allegations against Ozment involve teens, not her students, and happened after school hours. Details of the alleged crimes have not yet been made public. Hyche said school officials immediately placed Ozment on leave. Heather Lynn Ozment (Facebook) He said Owens House, a childrens advocacy center, assisted in the investigation by conducting forensic interviews and examinations with the juvenile victims. Allegations involving sexual misconduct with minors must be investigated immediately, thoroughly and methodically, the chief said. Nothing we do in law enforcement is more important than protecting the most vulnerable in our community. Shelby County Schools officials said they were made aware of the allegations in April. The teacher was immediately put on leave for the remainder of the school year while the matter was investigated by local law enforcement, according to the statement. The alleged conduct occurred after school hours and did not take place at a school facility. We are unable to provide more information as it is an employee matter. A year into state intervention, a Bessemer school board member is questioning whether the takeover is helping students and staff improve. A state takeover is supposed to clear through local personnel and financial issues and get a district back on track. But in a community meeting Thursday evening, Margie Varner the only local board member to vote against the takeover along with faculty and parents, claimed that issues arent being solved. For me, its a failing scenario, Varner told an overflowing room full of parents and staff in Bessemer, west of Birmingham. Should we even be under intervention? Varner asked. And do you feel that we should ask for our system back? Bessemer City Schools is one of three Alabama districts under state intervention, which means state-appointed leaders, rather than the local school board, are able to make key decisions about district policy. The district has struggled with low test scores and declining enrollment. Bessemer City Schools Board Member Margie Varner held a community meeting June 5, 2025, to discuss state intervention. Rebecca Griesbach | AL.com In July 2024, State Superintendent Eric Mackey threatened a takeover if the district couldnt resolve major concerns about board governance and finances. The board voted in August to let the state intervene, saying they needed some assistance to get the district back on track. But in recent months, tensions have heightened over the states involvement. At the states request, the board hasnt met since April and wont convene again until it finishes intervention training in the fall. Meanwhile, parents have complaints about longstanding maintenance issues. The head of the local teachers union says staff are being let go while administrators who didnt get their contracts renewed are still working in schools. Alicia Miles, a lunchroom manager at Westhills Elementary School, suggested merging small, outdated schools. Bessemer operates seven schools. Its common for districts under state takeover to consolidate facilities, but so far there have been no plans to close any locations. Why would a child want to come out of a warm environment and into a cold environment? she said. It just seems like nobody cares. Why are we holding on to a 100-year-old building? Tear it down. Our kids deserve better. Bessemer City Schools Board Member Margie Varner held a community meeting June 5, 2025, to discuss state intervention. Rebecca Griesbach | AL.com Emotions swelled when one resident said the schools were too crappy to attract star athletes or effective leaders. Its pettiness and ignorance, said Edith Hunter, a longtime alternative school principal who retired in January. Hunter said she ultimately left because her building was falling apart and she couldnt get help from the maintenance director. She also said that over the years, board members had sabotaged opportunities that could have put the district on the map. If we cant get all of this ignorance settled and work together as a group, our children are going to suffer, she said. Mackey has repeatedly claimed that Bessemers board was too dysfunctional to operate on its own. In his letter to the board last summer, he cited multiple cancelled meetings and suggested leaders had failed to comply with bid law and did not turn in key documents on time. A state audit found the district had underpaid employees and violated numerous financial procedures in the months leading up to intervention. Mackey and Daniel Boyd, who was appointed by the state to lead local intervention efforts, did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication. In March, Mackey told reporters that he still had concerns about school board members. They still are not getting along well, not working well with Dr. Boyd, and so were going to continue to get through that, he said. Varner pushed back on those claims Thursday. She said some meetings had been scheduled even though the board president knew there wouldnt be a quorum. She also placed some blame on the former superintendent, Dana Arreola, who left the district in the spring, and central office workers for not following hiring protocol or keeping up with maintenance issues. Reginald Mitchell, the systems maintenance director, questioned the boards decision last fall to delay roofing updates and HVAC repairs before the start of school. Varner said there needs to be more accountability and documentation throughout the system, so that the board can better understand how resources are being used. Money has been allocated, and money supposedly has been spent for years, she said. All of these projects come up over and over again, but youve got the same problem and then I have a problem. Varner said she is struggling to get answers about the states current plan, how staff will be impacted and how long efforts might take. Meanwhile, Erika Hughes, president of the Central Alabama Federation for Teachers, said state leaders have been withholding personnel documents and transferring staff out of the district without the boards knowledge. She asked parents to do your homework and get involved. Its time that everyone in Bessemer understands whats going on behind closed doors, she said. Demand answers and dont stop. The University of Alabama's College of Arts and Sciences will now be named for Birmingham developer Frank Barefield, Jr. Matthew Wood - University of Alabama The University of Alabamas College of Arts and Sciences will now be named for Frank Barefield Jr., a Birmingham developer who has committed $35 million to his alma mater. Mr. Barefields remarkable generosity reflects the spirit of giving that defines The University of Alabama, UA President Stuart Bell said in a news release. His gift further elevates the College of Arts and Sciences, which educates thousands of students across disciplines and fosters excellence in research and creativity. The UA System Board of Trustees approved the gift and the colleges naming at its June 6 meeting. Barefields gift will also support the following efforts: Launching innovative research Retaining top scholars with competitive support Intervening when students face unexpected hardships Investing in bold, high-impact initiatives across Alabama and beyond Dean Joseph Messina said the gift will help the college elevate its excellence in teaching, innovation, research and creative endeavors. The college enrolls over 9,000 students across 80 majors, minors, concentrations and graduate programs. J. Frank Barefield, Jr. Photography: Andrea Mabry Barefield, who holds a finance degree from the university, co-owns and manages Abbey Residential, LLC, a real estate firm in Birmingham. His partner at the firm is Dr. Marnix Heersink, who recently committed $100 million to the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. Their property portfolio holds more than $2.5 billion in assets. Barefield has also made a gift of $10 million to name UABs department of criminal justice and its entrepreneurship program. He is the board chair for Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama and has supported numerous local law enforcement efforts, including a state-of-the-art police training center in Hoover. Barefield and his wife Barbi Breimann live in Vestavia Hills. I am very appreciative of the education I received from The University of Alabama as it has been the foundation of whatever success I have achieved, Barefield said in a news release. My goal with this gift is to assist the university in its ability to attract and retain the top educators and students from around the world. I am humbled and honored that the College of Arts and Sciences will forever bear my name. As Gulf Shores considers the future of a major music festival, residents and business owners in Gulf Shores have made it very clear that the country-oriented Sand in My Boots fest held in May was a much, much bigger hit with them than recent editions of the Hangout Music Fest. In fact, a community meeting held Thursday night at times seemed like a good-humored roast of the younger crowd for which the pop-oriented, multi-genre Hangout Fest has become known. My analogy has been, my own personal thoughts, [that] in the past, we had young kids with their daddys credit card here and not a whole lot for them to worry about, Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft said in his introductory remarks. They were on a free leash. So this year we had an older group that had their own credit card. And you could certainly see that they were more disciplined. There were less problems. Really it was a much better behaving crowd. A lot more clothing, dramatically less issues, said Anthony Gallo, owner of the Ice House Taproom, located within walking distance of the festival site. One of more than 22 people who spoke at Thursdays meeting, Gallo said his business saw a night and day difference between the 2024 Hangout Fest and the 2025 Sand in My Boots fest, both in behavior and finances: Last year there were a lot of declined cards on the last day. This year there were not, he said. From a business standpoint, our revenue definitely increased This was a remarkably better experience this year than last year, hands down. RELATED: Morgan Wallens Gulf Shores music festival ends with far fewer arrests than 2024s Hangout Fest The theme that the young Hangout crowd wasnt big on covering up drew repeated laughter during the meeting. Said Brenda Stone, co-owner of a Gulf Shores boutique clothing store: I have to tell you, years before, like they said, they didnt wear no clothes, we didnt sell any clothes. Humor aside, the stakes for the discussion in Gulf Shores are high. A 10-year franchise agreement between Hangout Fest organizers and the city has expired and must be renegotiated if the event is to continue. With that process looming, the 2025 Hangout Fest became something different: Sand in My Boots, a country-oriented event trading heavily on the popularity of country megastar Morgan Wallen. While it still featured some rock, rap and pop, the lineup skewed heavily to country, with top acts including Post Malone (a pop artist with a blockbuster country album), Brooks & Dunn, Ella Langley and Riley Green. Ella Langley wields a tambourine during her set at the Sand in My Boots festival. Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com After the event ended May 18, the city conducted an online survey or residents and business owners. At Thursdays meeting, the results of that survey were revealed and they were striking. Some key points: Out of 1,431 residents, 76% supported or strongly supported an extension of the festival contract, while about 20% were opposed or strongly opposed. Among that group of residents, 53% said the festival had a positive effect on their daily life, while 28% said the impact was negative. More than 75% said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the fests overall impact on the community, while 17% were somewhat or very dissatisfied. Out of 403 responses from business owners and operators, 86% supported the extension of the festival contract, while 9% opposed it. Among the responding businesses, 76% said theyd seen an increase in business, while 8% reported a decrease. City officials also presented some information on the Sand in My Boots audience and the economic impact it brought to town. Their figures showed the crowd was two-thirds female and 51% married. The age breakdown was 31% ages 25-34, 28% 35-44, and 20% 45-54. Nearly half had an average household income of $100,000 or more. As for where they came from, the top five points of origin were southwest Alabama and Pensacola, New Orleans, Nashville, Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth, with the Birmingham area weighing in at No. 9. The Top 10 also included attendees from Tampa-St. Petersburg, Los Angeles, Chicago and Orlando-Daytona Beach. Gulf Shores Director of Economic Development and Public Affairs Blake Phelps, who presented the statistics, described the latter group as markets that we dont typically see. He added, This is indicative of people coming here for this event and giving us opportunity to introduce our community in our area to a group of people that may not have come here or ever heard of us before and may have never come here otherwise if not for the festival. Phelps figures credited the festival production team alone with spending $2.1 million on lodging and $1.9 million on goods and services. Other benefits included almost $2 million in taxes and fees paid to the city by the fest and a weekend lodging occupancy rate of 85% to 90%, compared to the 25% to 30% that might otherwise have been expected in the last weekend before Memorial Day signaled the start of summer. While most speakers at Thursdays meeting expressed support for the festival, that view was by no means unanimous. Resident George Sinak said the city was making a fundamental mistake by letting a private event lock up the main public beach in May. May is the best month here and were being robbed, he said. We dont mind sharing it, but no venue should ever be allowed to block public access to the public beach. The boulevard, the water that we swim in, [should] never be blocked. Sinak said that after working hard to build Gulf Shores reputation as a family-friendly destination, welcoming a festival crowd with an inevitable measure of noise, intoxication and vulgarity seemed a little hypocritical. He added, I understand that moneys good, but theres no reason to sell our soul and our principles down the road. Concerns cited by Sinak and others included traffic, the strain on emergency services. Suggestions included potentially taking a year off to gauge how much the community really would miss the event; potentially moving it to beaches farther west, near Gulf State Park; or putting the question of the festivals future on the ballot in upcoming municipal elections. One speaker suggested re-orienting the main stages so that they face the water, potentially cutting down on the noise that bleeds over into nearby residential areas. The discussion was remarkably civil, with speakers from all points of view receiving applause. Overall, it seemed to reflect a sincere discussion among residents weighing the costs and benefits of such an event, mindful that tourism was the lifeblood of their economy. Business owners such as Gallo repeatedly described the event as a godsend for employees. What seemed like just one weekend of revenue was a lifeline for many, he said. Its not getting less expensive to live here, he said. A view from the Ferris wheel at the Sand in My Boots fest: In the foreground is a large open area used for napping or sunbathing; at top is the Dangerous Stage, with a crowd for the Three 6 Mafia. Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com If youre in the tourism business, you realize that in tourism, down here, you actually have 75 days to make money, said Jack Fisher, owner of Top Tier Watersports. The other days youre just here, trying to get by, trying to make payroll, trying to do this. So this extra three or four or five days from the festival, its a lot. It really does help. Mayor Craft bookended the meeting with remarks indicating that, at least in his mind, the Hangout Fest had gotten to a point where it was on thin ice. To be honest with you I had assumed it was over, he said at the start of the session. What weve had in the last couple of years with low attendance and issues that were not conducive to a great community aspect in that area down there, Id made up my mind that it was probably going to end. Sand in My Boots represented a chance to put a different spin on things, he said, and he was impressed with the results. But he said at the meeting that the question of going forward was still a big if in his mind. No one representing festival production company AEG spoke at the meeting. Craft said the discussion of a new franchise agreement will take place at upcoming council meetings, and soon. It wont be long, he said. The Hangout folks are desperate to go ahead and get started with having to rent the stages and sign the acts and do all the things they have to do. They normally like to start that about two or three months before the current festival, planning for the next festival. Producers have described Sand in My Boots as a one-year takeover of the Hangout Fest. But Sand in My Boots sold out 40,000 tickets almost instantly, something Hangout hasnt accomplished in a long time. Crafts remarks strongly suggested that the city will press for future events to attract the older, more affluent crowd that Sand in My Boots brought. Obviously, if we decide yes, theres going to be a lot of conditions applied, he said. And those conditions are going to be along the lines of, create the same group that we had this year. ... So were going to have to get comfortable that theyre going to be able to recreate that group of people we had on the beach, because it was dramatically different. If you say you think we need to continue, we then will have to negotiate with them and get comfortable, [but] were not going back to what weve had in the past, Craft said. So, a lot of variables, but the most important variable is, we said we werent going to do this again unless we got input from you as to [whether] this is something we want to do. In his remarks at the meeting, Craft also made comments as to whether Wallen might be available to return in the future or not, but producers indicated that was simply not known at this point. The specific acts and genres will likely fluctuate year to year based upon artist availability and wanting to keep things fresh for the fans, Reeves Price, vice president of festivals for AEG Events and producer of Hangout Fest, said Friday. But we agree that this years event was a great representation of the audience we wish to attract to future festivals in Gulf Shores. Most small towns have a local barbecue joint and a place to go for a sweet treat, but in Wedowee, Boondocks BBQ & Creamery offers customers the best of both worlds and is winning plenty of awards while doing it. Boondocks BBQ & Creamery co-owners Tracy Berry, who is originally from Ohio, and Kim Hicks, who is originally from Georgia, said they both moved to Wedowee after visiting the small town and being lured in by its scenic lake, friendly residents and easygoing lifestyle. RELATED: A history of barbecue in Alabama While the longtime friends previously worked together with their husbands, Denny and Ed, in a home-building business, they decided to explore a new industrythe restaurant industryfollowing the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by a similar eatery Berry had fond memories of visiting as a kid, Boondocks BBQ & Creamery opened its doors for the first time in 2021. Denny [Hicks, Kims husband] had said, Well, Im going to open a barbecue restaurant, And I said, well, if youre going do barbecue, can I do ice cream? Like, I know a great restaurant where I grew up that did barbecue and ice cream, and it was amazing. So thats how it all came to be. (Read all the stories from our Unsung Alabama series.) The rib plate at Boondocks BBQ & Creamery in Wedowee, Ala. (Photo courtesy of Tracy Berry) Tracy Berry/Boondocks BBQ & Creamery The menu at Boondocks has all the barbecue classics -- from pulled pork and smoked brisket to chicken wings, ribs and more served along with sides like mac and cheese, baked beans and potato salad. (And thats without mentioning the specialty items like a brisket grilled cheese or the handmade eggs rolls with a barbecue twist known as piggy rolls that arent on the main menu.) RELATED: At this roadside BBQ stop, big flavors come from a small kitchen Though neither Hicks nor Berry had any professional experience in the culinary world beyond waitressing in college, they didnt let that stop them from trying to create meals that would keep customers coming back, and they started that process by making sure everything served on the Boondocks menu was something they would want to eat again too. Kim had a lot of great recipes, said Berry. So we just started exploring and trying them out. We spent lots of hours together just sitting down, taste-testing, tweaking things and deciding what we liked the best. And thats kind of how we do everything now, going forward. The brisket mac and cheese from Boondocks BBQ & Creamery in Wedowee, Ala. (Photo courtesy of Tracy Berry) Tracy Berry/Boondocks BBQ & Creamery The most popular item on their barbecue menu is the sampler platter, and its easy to understand why as it lets you try a little -- or should we say a lot given that Berry said customers often ask for an extra plate and share it -- of everything, including pulled pork, smoked brisket and wings as well as two sides and Texas toast. While the co-owners spent plenty of time perfecting their menu, Berry said she thinks its the attention to detail and care that goes into its preparation by Boondocks staff, from start to finish, that makes it stand out. I think what makes ours different is the quality and the care from every person that touches it, said Berry, from the person that puts it on the pit in the morning to the person that takes it off, the meat cutter that slices it and the food runner that brings it out. I feel like every person that touches that product cares about what that product looks like and tastes like, and that shows. RELATED: 5 iconic BBQ joints to visit in Birmingham Of course, the hardest part of dining at Boondocks BBQ & Creamery is not getting so full on barbecue that you cant enjoy their award-winning ice cream afterward. The creamery offers a variety of flavors daily, including chocolate, vanilla and strawberry as well as cotton candy, peanut butter cup and lemon sorbet. Its best-selling butter pecan ice cream, made from a top-secret recipe even Berrys own mother isnt privy to, uses fresh pecans from nearby Futral Farms in Woodland. Boondocks BBQ & Creamery offers a variety of ice cream flavors, including classics like vanilla, chocolate and strawberry as well as limited specialty flavors like banana pudding. (Photos courtesy of Tracy Berry) Tracy Berry/Boondocks BBQ & Creamery In addition to the usuals, Boondocks adds special limited flavors, like pumpkin cheesecake and toasted coconut, from time to time, which Berry said they often get ideas for from...well, just about everyone. RELATED: BBQ joints we miss the most The way we come up with our recipes is Kim and I will bounce a lot of ideas off of each other, said Berry. Our staff will say ideas, our husbands will say ideas, our customers and our families are always trying to send ideas. And then we get ideas from the industry. Its that same industry that recognized the quality of the ice cream served at Boondocks, which has taken home Excellence awards from The North American Ice Cream Association for many of its flavors over the years. We really take it seriously, said Berry. [The judges] do blind tastings on all of it, and every year, every one of our ice creams have ribboned, and were the only creamery in Alabama that has done that. Were pretty proud of it. Boondocks BBQ & Creamery co-owners Tracy Berry and Kim Hicks with their awards from the North American Ice Cream Association. (Photo courtesy of Tracy Berry) Tracy Berry/Boondocks BBQ & Creamery Another part of their business Berry and Hicks said they take seriously is the welfare of their staff. In a small town like Wedowee, Boondocks offers a place for its staff to get help when needed, whether its education scholarships -- one of its staff was able to get a scholarship from the North American Ice Cream Association after working there -- or money management skills. These kids are really putting their money, their tip money, away, said Berry, A lot of them dont come from the greatest economic situations, and we guide them. We provide free tutoring if theyre not making grades. We also provide financial guidance to them, like we sit down and tell them all the time lets talk about your finances. Lets talk about your future. We push them to apply for different scholarships. We really try to help them the best we can and hope that, you know, they use a little bit of that guidance. RELATED: Must-try BBQ dishes Ultimately, Berry said theyre hopeful that Boondocks BBQ & Creamery serves as a place where its customers, whether theyre locals or just passing through, and its staff feel like theyre getting more than just a meal or a job, but a place to make memories too. We get a lot of compliments on our restaurant as far as being a great family atmosphere, said Berry. You see people laughing and just having a good time, and thats what we love about it. We just want people to bring the family out, get a great meal, enjoy some award-winning ice cream and make some cute memories. Boondocks BBQ & Creamery, located at 20201 Highway 431 in Wedowee, is open 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Sundays. You can find out more through their Facebook page. 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Gavin Adcock performs on the Chevy Riverfront stage during day one of CMA Fest 2025 at Riverfront Park on June 05, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images) Getty Images Gavin Adcock was arrested last month in Tennessee for going on what he described as a joy ride, he revealed recently on social media. The country music star was arrested for reckless driving and violation of open container laws. I bought my dream car, a 1973 Dodge Challenger, Adcock shared on X. Over the past few months, Ive been putting money into it, getting it running as good as new, and decided I wanted to take it for a joy ride. The car ran great. I got pulled over and arrested for reckless driving going 103 in Wilson County, Tenn. The real story. pic.twitter.com/7Fkj8coAll Gavin Adcock Music (@GavinAdcock) May 28, 2025 Adcock, known for songs like Deep End and Aint No Cure, inspired by the incident, released a song called, Morning Bail, as a result of his arrest. The Georgia native posted a $1,000 bond and was released around 4:34 a.m. on May 22 after his arrest. Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter@Mark_Heim. He can be heard on The Opening Kickoff on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily. In this May 9, 2012 photo, from left, Willie Robertson, Korie Robertson, Phil Robertson, Miss Kay Robertson and Si Robertson pose at the A&E Networks 2012 Upfront at Lincoln Center in New York. The Robertsons star in the A&E reality series "Duck Dynasty." (AP Photo/Starpix, Kristina Bumphrey) AP The Duck Dynasty family is facing more health struggles. A week after his father Phil Robertson died, Willie Robertson told USA Today that Miss Kay Robertson is dealing with health issues. Kay is not in the best of health, Willie Robertson told USA Today Network. Were trying to help her out as much as we can. The Duck Dynasty matriarch, 77, was not in attendance for the premiere party of Duck Dynasty: The Revival on June 1 in Monroe, Louisiana. Some of it is she is just depressed, Willie Robertson said. She lost her partner of 60 years. Phil Robertson died May 25 after suffering from Alzheimers. Mom was on the show at the beginning so we have some sweet moments with her, Willie Robertson said. Kay Robertsons health issues popped up in April when son Jase Robertson said he feared for his mother after an infection as a result of a fall. Jase Robertson also shared that Kay Robertson was using a walker to move around, and had a pretty rough surgery after her fall. She was also continuing to have mobility issues stemming from a broken foot. Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter@Mark_Heim. He can be heard on The Opening Kickoff on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily. An Alabama native whose coverage of the White House has made her prominent enough to be parodied by Saturday Night Live says shed like to be married at a venue better known for bushwackers. Jon Stewart recently featured CNN anchor and White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins on his The Weekly Show podcast. Mostly, the episode focused on the rigors of being both a White House reporter and an anchor, and the general challenges of covering President Donald Trumps second administration. But Stewart also gave Collins the chance to salute her native state. My whole family lives in Alabama, which is where Im from, born and raised, she said. In response to Stewarts questions, she said she was from right outside Montgomery, its a city called Prattville. Its like 38,000 people or so, she said. Everyone thinks Im from like a one-horse, one-stoplight town, but its actually a fully functioning city and a great place to grow up. I love it. Stewart praised Alabama for its comedy scene but hinted that hed had a little difficulty at a spot in between Alabama and Florida when he had a show on MTV in the early 90s. Do you have a problem with that place? asked Collins. Because I have said previously that if I ever get married I want to get married at the Flora-Bama because I love it so much. What I love about the Flora-Bama is that you can be there on a Saturday night listening to some cover band. Theres, like, underwear lining the walls and hanging from the ceilings, she said. And then on Sundays they host church. So you can go and go to the service, get a bloody Mary while youre there, its great. Notes: One of the Flora-Bamas stages, known as the Dome, is in a room festooned with bras donated over the years by visitors. It was the scene of an unexpected but probably inevitable bra avalanche during a performance in 2021. The venue can draw around 1,000 people to its Sunday services and reportedly welcomed more than 10,000 to its three 2025 Easter services, with around 60 baptisms in the Gulf. Stewarts recollection of his visit to the Flora-Bama was that Everybody made it pretty clear that it was basically like being in international waters, he said. That when you were in the jurisdiction of this bar, it was like being on Silk Road. While Collins was professionally neutral about the ups and downs of the Trump administration, Stewart made no secret of his distaste. His opening remarks, made before Collins joined the program, included reference to another topic tangentially related to Alabama: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseths move to remove the name of gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk from a U.S. Navy oiler. (Stewart mistakenly referred to it as a destroyer.) The ship, designated T-AO 206, has spent time docked in Mobile for maintenance at Alabama Shipyard and is the second ship in the John Lewis class, named for the Alabama native who became a civil rights icon and Congressman. The USNS Harvey Milk, a John Lewis-class fleet replenishment oiler, sits in drydock at Alabama Shipyard in Mobile during a maintenance and repair operation known as a Post-Shakedown Availability. Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com It just reminds me of what this administration is and the priorities of this administration, fumed Stewart. And the ridiculously, just, petty and malicious way in which they go about I mean, for God sakes. The podcast episode can be found on YouTube and other outlets. A 17-month investigation into multiple shootings in the Tuscaloosa area has led to 75 indictments and the arrests of 10 people, including three juveniles. I think its often said anecdotally but we all know its true, that a small minority of people are causing the majority of crimes, said Capt. Jack Kennedy, of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit. This is the perfect example of that. At a Friday press conference, Kennedy said the investigation began in January 2024 and focused on shootings that began in 2023. The result, he said, was investigators being able to link a group of suspects to multiple crimes including 10 separate shooting incidents and to use Alabamas Criminal Enterprise Act to charge them. This group is involved in bank fraud and credit card fraud that is financing their lifestyle, Kennedy said. They are operating criminally in all aspects of their life and are violently engaged in shooting incidents in our community. These are type of people were combatting daily. Kennedy said multiple bank tellers were discovered to be helping the group commit financial fraud. Multiple persons have confessed to their part in the scheme of the financial fraud, he said. The potential monetary loss from that part of the crimes is well over $1 million, according to the authorities. The probe was led by the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, which includes the Tuscaloosa Police Department, the Tuscaloosa County Sheriffs Office, Northport police Department and police at the University of Alabama. Multiple other agencies took part, including federal law enforcement. Joining Kennedy at the press conference were Sheriff Ron Abernathy, TPD Chief Brent Blankley, Northport Chief Gerald Burton, UAPD Chief John Hooks, District Attorney Hayes Webb, and representatives of ATF, FBI, and the U.S. Attorneys Office. Kennedy said that more than 60 search warrants were obtained and carried out as part of the exhaustive probe. Weve uncovered the group was involved in at least 10 shootings since 2023 and thats what we can prove, he said. Im sure there are more. Seven people have been arrested, he said, and the evidence presented to a Tuscaloosa County grand jury, which returned the 75 indictments. It was found that the suspects committing these crimes was committing them as an organized group, which fell under the recently passed Criminal Enterprise Act in Alabama, Kennedy said. The act was passed in 2023. That law provided for additional charges and sentencing enhancements if convicted. Several of the suspects have already been charged with federal crimes as well, Kennedy said, and others remain under investigation. Heres a look at the shooting incidents, according to police: On July 8, 2023, a man was shot in the face in broad daylight while he sat inside a vehicle at a gas station on the West side. An investigation found that the criminal enterprise believed this victim to be related to their gang activity, but they were mistaken, and the victim was an innocent bystander. On July 13, 2023, members of the criminal enterprise got into a shootout with a rival gang member in Alberta. Again, an innocent man was shot in the stomach. On Jan. 7, 2024, members of the group drove to a residence and shot into the occupied residence multiple times over a monetary dispute. Also on Jan. 21, 2024, the same group shot into an occupied apartment with a fully automatic rifle. Again on Jan. 21, 2024, the same members of the criminal enterprise shot into a different occupied apartment in a different complex with the fully automatic rifle and a 9mm pistol. On Jan. 22, 2024, the group shoot into an unoccupied residence with the fully automatic rifle. On April 12, 2024, suspects from the same criminal enterprise wore masks and pulled up on a group of individuals. One member allegedly tried to shoot one of them, but the gun did not fire. A shootout ensued as they left the complex. No victim has come forward or been identified in this case. On April 14, 2024, multiple members of the criminal enterprise got into a large shootout in Coaling. A pistol outfitted with a conversion device making it fully automatic was used. One occupied vehicle was shot into, and three unoccupied vehicles were shot into. Miraculously, Kennedy said, no one was killed. On May 22, 2024, multiple members of the group went into an apartment complex and fired about 100 rounds into six occupied apartments, one unoccupied building, and one unoccupied vehicle. They also stole a motorcycle about an hour before the shooting. On May 25, 2024. Kenneth Duncan, 23, and others, committed capital murder in Pickens County, according to police. Killed was 46-year-old Darrell Bowden of Livingston. Duncan, in the Tuscaloosa County cases, is charged with first-degree assault, six counts of discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling, two counts of discharging into an occupied vehicle, discharging a firearm into an unoccupied building, theft of property, and criminal enterprise use of a machine gun. Others charged are: Tommy Summerville, 32, is charged with seven counts of discharging into an occupied dwelling, participating in a criminal enterprise, criminal enterprise use of a machine gun, and other discharging charges. Donterio Nickson, 23, is charge with three counts of discharging into an occupied dwelling, two of counts criminal enterprise use of a machine gun. He is also charged federally with possession of a machine gun. Jakilyn Nevels, 23, is charged with participating in a criminal enterprise, and five gun discharging crimes. Steven Hill Jr., 25, is charged with first-degree theft and two gun discharging crimes. Antwone Stowe, 24, is charged with four counts of discharging a gun into an occupied or unoccupied vehicle. This group right here will be slowed down, if not incarcerated, for a very long period of time, Kennedy said. And that makes a significant impact on the violent crime in our community. The Green Room in Montgomery sells consumable and smokable products with THC and CBD derived from hemp, a version of the cannabis plant. Mike Cason/AL.com Alabama businesses that sell smokables, gummies, beverages, and other products containing THC from hemp are waiting to learn when some of their best selling products will become illegal. Businessowners say they have not gotten clear answers from the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, which will enforce the new law signed by Gov. Kay Ivey in May. We have products we have to sell. We have bills we have to pay, taxes we have to pay, rent we have to cover, said Jennifer Boozer, owner of CannaBama a store in Mobile. Its utter chaos. And none of us can make any decisions at all about anything, Boozer said. In May, the Legislature approved HB445 by Rep. Andy Whitt, R-Harvest, after lawmakers heard pros and cons during public hearings that drew overflow crowds. Hemp business owners said they are not opposed to more regulation but said the bill was an overreach for products they say are safer than tobacco and alcohol. Others said the bill was too weak and wanted an outright ban on the products, which they say market THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, by exploiting a loophole in the federal law that legalized hemp. HB445 puts the hemp-derived products and retailers under regulation by the ABC Board, imposing a 10% tax, banning some items, and setting up new requirements for packaging, labeling, and testing, as well as civil and criminal penalties for violations. The most immediate concern for the sellers and their customers is when the changes occur. The last line of the 25-page bill says it takes effect July 1, 2025. But sections of the bill carry a Jan. 1, 2026 effective date. What does the ABC Board say? Boozer and other hemp product shop owners need to know because best sellers - smokable flowers and high-potency gummies - will be banned. If its January the 1st of 2026, some of them will stay in business until then just to try to hang on. But its the not knowing thats causing the most anxiety, said Marty Schelper, founder and president of the Alabama Cannabis Coalition. They fought so hard to try to keep their industry intact. But the slap in the face is not knowing what the definition of those two dates are. Daniel Dye, a spokesman for the ABC Board, said the board will issue notices as rules and licensing requirements are developed. The new law comes as the ABC Board is also setting up regulations for nicotine vape products under another bill, HB8, which took effect June 1. See more: More vape products can be sold in Alabama convenience stores: Agreement reached in lawsuit over new law These require new licenses to be developed, fees to be assessed, rules and regulations to be developed and implemented, and enforcement strategies to be developed and disseminated, Dye said in an email. As for the specific date of the ban on smokable hemp and other restrictions imposed by HB445, Dye said he would provide the information when he receives it from the ABC Boards Licensing and Compliance Division. Dye also wrote: Note that the laws are in effect as of its effective dates regardless of ABC making any notifications to licensees. Schelper said the answers have been vague and the businesses need clarification in writing. They dont know which way to go because they havent gotten any definitive information from the ABC Board, Schelper said. Lets say they found out that they were going to be able to stay open until December 31st of 2025. They would be contacting their wholesalers to order more product for their stores. But they dont want to place orders for any products that theyre going to end up having illegal products. You can kill the whole industry At the Green Room Dispensary in Montgomery, Troy Watts says the smokable hemp flower is the most popular product with customers. Once this is gone, thats about 75% of my sales will be wiped out, said Watts, who has worked in the store for about four years. Watts said the Green Room was already restricting entrance to customers 21 and older, as indicated by a sign at the door. Thats a requirement in the new law. Smokable hemp flower is the most popular product at the Green Room store in Montgomery. A QR code on the back of the package has a link to a lab analysis of the contents of the product. Mike Cason/AL.com We welcome regulation, just not as much regulation, Watts said. Theyre at the point where you can kill the whole industry. Most of the things that theyre asking us to do, we do already. The Green Room sells gummies, cannabis cigarettes, and beverages containing THC derived from hemp, as well as products with CBD, a non-psychoactive ingredient in hemp. The Green Room, which sells products with THC and CBD from hemp, does not admit minors. (Mike Cason/mcason@al.com) THC is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana and is found in hemp, another version of cannabis, but in much lower concentrations. Hemp is legal under federal and state law if the level of THC does not exceed 0.3%, a fraction of the potency of marijuana. The Green Room carries gummies with a range of potency up to 725 milligrams of THC per gummy. The new law sets the limit at 10 milligrams per gummy. The Green Room offers 10-milligram gummies in a bottle of 20. But the new law says gummies must be individually wrapped and sold in cartons with no more than 40 total milligrams, or four gummies. A bottle of 20 10-milligram gummies at the Green Room store in Montgomery. The product will be illegal under Alabama's new law because it sets a limit of four 10-milligram gummies per carton. Mike Cason/AL.com Boozer, the owner of CannaBama in Mobile, said the 100-milligram gummies are the most popular. Boozer said the new limit of 10 milligrams and four to a pack is not practical for manufacturers, retailers, or customers. If I take 100 milligrams of THC for my pain at night so that I can also sleep, I would have to eat 10 individually wrapped gummies, Boozer said. That price is going to go way up because not one single manufacturer in this country makes a single gummy individually wrapped in a four-pack. I dont know what to tell them Proponents of the new law said they wanted to crack down on use by minors for unregulated products widely available in stores and online. Business owners said that can be done without depriving adults of the products for adults, including many who they say use them for pain, anxiety, and sleeplessness. They say the hemp-derived products are an alternative to pharmaceutical drugs that can be addictive and have side effects. Thats particularly important in Alabama, they say, where the medical cannabis industry authorized by the Legislature four years ago remains stalled, with no products available, because of licensing disputes. Troy Watts, who has worked for several years at the Green Room hemp products store in Montgomery, says customers are asking if the store will close because of a new law passed by the Legislature. Mike Cason/AL.com Watts said his customers are a mix of new walk-ups and regulars. Many are looking for relief from pain or help sleeping, he said. Amazingly, its very, very few people that come in and the first thing they say is I want to get something that will get me really high, Watts said. Thats not always the first thing. It happens, but not as often as someone would think. Boozer and Watts say business has declined because customers have heard about the new law, which the governor signed on May 14, even though it has not taken effect. Watts said customers are asking questions about when to expect changes. I dont know what to tell them, Watts said. I dont know whether to tell them January 1st or July 1st. I have no clue. So I usually just say just to be careful, July the 1st. Buc-ee's in Temple, Texas, is shown on Sept. 9, 2024. Ryan Cohick | LoneStarLive.com A former Buc-ees employee has filed a federal lawsuit against the convenience store company for $20 million in damages, claiming the Texas-based company is trying to steal work he did while off the clock. John Pedersen of Leeds filed the suit in federal district court for Alabamas northern district on May 28. Attempts to contact Buc-ees for comment were not immediately successful. At issue for Pedersen is a proprietary rights agreement he says he signed when he was hired two years ago, and an expanded one the company gave him earlier this year. In court documents, Pedersen said he notified the company in February that he had recorded observations as a deli employee at Buc-ees in Leeds since June 2023, on value perception, marketing and service delivery. He said he also developed, among other items, a human resources software program (ostensibly for Buc-ees), designs for a machine that packages snacks, and a draft of a book on employee attrition issues related to the company. Pedersen said he notified the company of this work, which he said came from wanting to make himself valuable and potentially helpful to the Company in ways beyond the daily performance of my assigned tasks. In an interview, Pedersen said he had perhaps a rather naive belief that he could offer something to the company, having enjoyed shopping at Buc-ees and being an admirer of its business model. I apologize in advance for the way it is written and for any way it might show a smart ass, preachy, or ostentatious tone, as I am fully capable of coming across in all of these ways, he wrote when notifying the company of his work. Buc-ees responded in a letter in March saying that the intellectual property belonged to Buc-ees because it related to company business, according to court documents. It also instructed him to destroy the material he had created and notify the company when he had destroyed it. Among other claims, Pedersen said in the suit that the demand for destruction constituted not merely moral overreach, but a legally actionable form of private domination - an act akin to involuntary servitude. Pedersen said he made several attempts to settle the matter without litigation, even after submitting his two-weeks notice in April. The company, he said, has not responded. I no longer work for Buc-ees, Pedersen said in the 14-page court document he filed without an attorney. They still claim ownership of my ideas, my voice, my name. This Complaint is not about wages or working conditions. I liked my job and didnt want to leave. This complaint is about a confiscatory work culture which tramples on the Constitutional rights of those who (literally) belong to it. This post was modified at 1:30 p.m. June 6 to add interview material. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officers at a construction site in Montgomery on Thursday, June 5, 2025 Luis Robledo Immigrants working on construction worksites were detained by federal authorities in Montgomery Thursday, advocates reported. At least five construction workers from a D.R. Horton home building site were detained by U.S. Customs and Enforcement agents. It is my understanding that they were looking for a single individual and they let everyone else go at first. And then after having interactions with some people, they followed these folks and detained them on the highway, said Luis Eduardo Robledo, an organizer from Birmingham Migra Watch. The group formed last month to allow volunteers to monitor and publicize immigrant detentions. Robledo said the officers arrived at the work site at about 10 a.m. and detained about five workers several hours later after they drove away from the work site. Robledo said he does not know where those workers are currently and he does not believe the agents had warrants for their detention. They say theyre looking for one person, and they end up taking many more, said Robledo. D.R. Horton and ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the detentions Friday. The detentions reflect an increase in immigration enforcement activity both in Alabama and nationwide as the Trump administration moves forward with its effort to carry out mass deportations. As of June 1, 51,302 immigrants were in ICE detention nationwide, according to data shared by the Syracuse Universitys TRAC project, numbers not seen since the end of the Obama administration. Of those currently detained, 44% have no known criminal records. Robledo said his group, which has set up a tip line for volunteers and immigrants to report ICE activity, also heard of detentions at several other D.R. Horton work sites in Montgomery Thursday, although he did not personally verify those reports. On Wednesday, the group said that about 50 detainees were being held in the Homewood ICE office after the agency had detained immigrants who came in for scheduled check-ins about their cases. On June 3, Mobile County officials arrested 28 people who were allegedly in the country illegally. A suspect has been charged in the stabbing of a man in west Birmingham. Nakia Wayne Douglas, 25, of Birmingham, is charged with attempted murder, police announced Thursday night. At about 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, West Precinct officers were dispatched to the 1000 Block of Circle Street in the Dolomite on a report of a person stabbed. When officers arrived, they were informed that the victim had been transported to the Hueytown Fire Department by private vehicle, said Officer DeRell Freeman. Hueytown alerted Birmingham police that the victim was at their location. He was then taken to UAB Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Freeman said officers were able to gather information about a possible suspect from witnesses on the scene. A short time later, a Birmingham felony assault detective spotted Douglas walking Dolomite. He was taken into custody without incident. Douglas is being held in the Jefferson County Jail with bond set at $60,000. A motive in the stabbing has not been disclosed. Jennifer Vasquez Sura, the wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia of Maryland, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, speaks during a news conference at CASA's Multicultural Center in Hyattsville, Maryland. AP Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation to El Salvador became a political flashpoint in the Trump administrations stepped-up immigration enforcement, was being returned to the United States to face criminal charges related to what the Trump administration said was a massive human smuggling operation that brought immigrants into the country illegally. He is expected to be prosecuted in the U.S. and, if convicted, will be returned to his home country in El Salvador at the conclusion of the case, officials said Friday. This is what American justice looks like, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday in announcing the return of Abrego Garcia and the criminal charges. The charges stem from a 2022 vehicle stop in which the Tennessee Highway Patrol suspected him of human trafficking. A report released by the Department of Homeland Security in April states that none of the people in the vehicle had luggage, while they listed the same address as Abrego Garcia. Abrego Garcia was never charged with a crime, while the officers allowed him to drive on with only a warning about an expired drivers license, according to the DHS report. The report said he was traveling from Texas to Maryland, via Missouri, to bring in people to perform construction work. In response to the reports release in April, Abrego Garcias wife said in a statement that he sometimes transported groups of workers between job sites, so its entirely plausible he would have been pulled over while driving with others in the vehicle. He was not charged with any crime or cited for any wrongdoing. The Trump administration has been publicizing Abrego Garcias interactions with police over the years, despite a lack of corresponding criminal charges, while it faces a federal court order and calls from some in Congress to return him to the U.S. Authorities in Tennessee released video of a 2022 traffic stop last month. The body-camera footage shows a calm and friendly exchange between officers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Officers then discussed among themselves their suspicions of human trafficking because nine people were traveling without luggage. One of the officers said, Hes hauling these people for money. Another said he had $1,400 in an envelope. An attorney for Abrego Garcia, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said in a statement after the footages release in May that he saw no evidence of a crime in the released footage. But the point is not the traffic stop its that Mr. Abrego Garcia deserves his day in court, Sandoval-Moshenberg said. The move comes days after the Trump administration complied with a court order to return a Guatemalan ma n deported to Mexico despite his fears of being harmed there. The man, identified in court papers as O.C.G, was the first person known to have been returned to U.S. custody after deportation since the start of President Donald Trumps second term. A north Alabama middle school teacher is charged with sex crimes involving a young teen girl. William Brock, a teacher at Sardis Middle School, was taken into custody Friday, Boaz police said. Investigators were contacted Thursday about a sexual assault. The 14-year-old girl identified Brock as the suspect. Boaz police took Brock into custody Friday during a traffic stop. They conducted a search warrant at his Boaz home after taking him into custody. The suspect full confessed, corroborating the victims statement and the evidence, according to a press release. Brock is charged with second-degree rape, second-degree sodomy, and teacher engaged in a sex act with a student. Details of the incident have not been released. The inside of a Raising Cane's. Courtesy of Raising Cane's Its official - Raising Canes is coming to the Birmingham area next year. A spokesperson for the popular Louisiana-based chicken finger restaurant confirmed Friday that a location will be opening at 5301 U.S. 280 in the spring of 2026. That is the spot where Lloyds Restaurant, once one of the states oldest full-service eateries, operated until closing its doors in 2023 after 86 years. In January, a company representative confirmed that the company was eyeing Birmingham as an expansion location. Raising Canes has more than 900 restaurants in more than 40 states, with plans to open another 100 new locations across several new markets this year. It has locations in Tuscaloosa and Mobile. Food media brand Taste of Home earlier this year said Raising Canes is giving Chick-fil-A a run for its money. Coca-Cola is voluntarily recalling a specific batch of Topo Chico Mineral Water sold at Costco stores due to possible contamination. CocaCola Coca-Cola is recalling a popular sparkling mineral water sold at some stores due to potential bacterial contamination. The beverage company has issued a voluntary recall on Topo Chico Mineral Waters sold in 18-packs of 16.9-ounce glass bottles in select Costco stores in Texas and Louisiana. The packs of water were sold from May 20 to May 29, 2025, according to a notice from Costco. The impacted product can be identified by the lot code 13A2541, which is printed on both the bottles cardboard cases and their necks. The water is being recalled due to the potential contamination with Pseudomonas, a group of bacteria commonly found in the environment, particularly in soil and water, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The most common type of this infection among humans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, can cause infections in the blood, lungs, urinary track or other parts of the body. Customers who purchased the water with the affected lot code should return the item to Costco for a refund. The U.S. Consulate General in Guadalajara has confirmed several reports of U.S. citizens being kidnapped by individuals the victims met on dating apps in the Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Nayarit areas. Jakub Porzycki/Getty Images A new security alert from the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Mexico is warning people about the potential for serious risk from an increasingly common activity. The U.S. Consulate General in Guadalajara has confirmed several reports of U.S. citizens being kidnapped by individuals they met on dating apps in the Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Nayarit areas. Victims and their families in the U.S. have been extorted for large sums of money to secure their release. READ MORE: Travel alert: Major change to warnings for one of the most popular Caribbean tourist spots Please be aware that this type of violence is not limited to one geographic area. Travelers should use caution when meeting strangers; meet only in public places and avoid isolated locations, such as residences or hotel rooms, where crimes are most likely to occur, the alert noted. Mexico is under a Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution warning from the U.S. State Department due to the potential for violent crimes, including murders, kidnappings, carjackings and robberies. Jalisco, home to Puerto Vallarta, is classified as Level 3: Reconsider Travel due to crime and kidnapping. Nayarit is a Level 2, and travelers are advised to exercise caution when going there. READ MORE: US State Department warns: Dont travel to this country for any reason How to stay safe To protect yourself, the Embassy recommended: Brandon Moss, right in suit, is a candidate for mayor of Fairfield Ala. Moss tours a long-vacant shopping center with his longtime friend and campaign volunteer Robert Gaines Joseph D. Bryant When Brandon Moss walked across the stage to claim his high school diploma last month, he immediately began another march around his hometown on a path that he hopes will take him to city hall. Moss, a newly minted 18-year-old graduate from Ramsay High School in Birmingham, is running for mayor of Fairfield. Current mayor Eddie Penny is not seeking re-election. Fairfields elections are slated for August 26. Moss said he was inspired to do something to help his challenged community. I decided to do this right out of high school because I felt like I could be the change that I want to see in my city, Moss told AL.com as he stood outside a long-shuttered shopping center where weeds peek through broken asphalt and a few bags of garbage sit to the side. Fairfield for far too long has not had an innovative thinker, and we need somebody who is able to connect our next generations and our past generations, Moss said. While many of his high school peers sport t-shirts and shorts during the summer months, Moss wears a suit and tie as he knocks on doors in neighborhoods around Fairfield. Other candidates in the crowded field for mayor include: Councilman Herman Carnes, Councilman Cedric Norman, former Midfield councilman and Fairfield native James Reasor and financial consultant Michael Williams. Moss will officially announce at a rally Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at 6550 Aaron Aronov Drive. Thats the same vacant shopping center that he toured earlier to illustrate the citys lingering problem of disinvestment and abandonment. Ive seen the buildings fall apart, he said. If we look through Fairfield we see nothing but abandoned buildings where there could be something else. Beyond memories of what was versus current conditions, Moss envisions what could be for his town. Fairfield, a city just west of Birmingham, for the last two decades has been plagued with major challenges including business closures, abandoned properties, violence and a declining population. Fairfield has about 9,500 residents according to 2024 Census estimates, but those numbers continue to decline. Adding to the citys woes, a declining revenue base and reliance on the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office, which has to supplement a skeletal police force. Recent reports of deadly violence, including at the citys mall, have made it necessary to contract with county law enforcement for help. There are some bright spots, however. A new downtown grocery store, Carver Jones Market, opened last summer as the first business to offer fresh meat and produce in the city in nearly a decade. Still, Moss said more is needed to turn Fairfield around. Moss plans to attend UAB and major in political science and public administration. Moss said the academic training would prove helpful in the leadership role he seeks. Moss said he knows his age might make some question his mayoral ambitions. Age doesnt guarantee wisdom or innovation, Moss said. This is not a job about glorification. Its about how I can help the people. His campaign manager, Marilyn Yelder, said she was initially skeptical when she heard about his desire to lead the city. She said she later agreed to help him after witnessing the level of commitment he has for the task. Yelder is the mother of Robert Gaines, Moss best friend, who is also active in the campaign. We teach our children to be the change that they want to see, and we now have to support them in creating that change, Yelder said. Im really looking forward to what he has to bring to the table and the ideas he has to move Fairfield forward. Yelder called for unity and an open mind, saying any progress achieved will directly affect both the younger generation and older citizens of Fairfield. I do understand for a lot of people hes very young, but it is necessary for the current generation and previous generation to work together to move this city forward, Yelder said. As mayor, Moss said he would be strategic about recruiting business and replacing blight with something better. It begins with holding property owners accountable for their buildings, surveying residents about their needs, then working with businesses to recruit them back to town, according to the young candidate. We could bring stores back, but we have to work with those stores to bring them back into the community, Moss said. Our citizens need something thats going to be with them long-term. Moss said thoughts about developing affordable housing opportunities grew into a desire to make an even broader impact. After thinking it over, he decided to seek the top administrative position. Moss named accessing the current infrastructure of the city, tackling blight and addressing city finances as his early priorities as mayor. I want to talk to my citizens, he said. I want to know what they need in their city. Its not about me. Its about the citizens. A Texas senators pushback on President Donald Trumps proposed cuts to NASA has gained an ally in the Rocket City. The Huntsville/Madison County Chamber released a statement Friday supporting Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who is seeking $10 billion in additional funding for key NASA centers and programs. Trumps budget proposal would phase out two key programs run from Huntsvilles Marshall Space Flight Center: the Space Launch System that is to carry crews into lunar orbit for NASAs Artemis program, and its Orion crew capsule. Cruz proposed the additional spending in his role as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. He called for almost $10 billion to win the new space race with China and ensure America dominates space by making targeted, critical investments in Mars-forward technology, Artemis Missions and Moon to Mars program, and the International Space Station. The Huntsville Chamber stressed that the SLS and Orion is the only system that has successfully flown to the moon and back during Artemis 1 in 2022 and thus is the nations best bet to establish a permanent presence there before China does. Unless the U.S. is willing to concede the Moon to the Chinese, it is imperative that we continue to fund and support this program until such time as an alternative exists, the statement read. The Senate is working toward a version of Trumps tax and spending plan for next year after the House narrowly passed its own version last month. Cruzs proposal is advisory only, and Trumps proposal already faces opposition from senators concerned about spending. A recent nonpartisan budget analysis predicted the House version would raise the deficit by $3.8 trillion over the next 10 years. Cruz, though, is a leading Senate voice on space who represents another state where NASA has a large presence. The Lunar Gateway also on the chopping block in Trumps proposal is run out of Houstons Johnson Space Center. Meanwhile, Marshall is NASAs lead center for SLS, managing the booster, engines, stages, and integration. Major Huntsville aerospace contractors including Boeing, Dynetics, Aerojet Rocketdyne, United Launch Alliance and Teledyne Brown Engineering contribute to the development, production and operation of the SLSs various elements, AL.com has reported. A 2024 study found Alabama enjoyed $5.1 billion in economic impact due to NASAs Artemis-related work -- more than any other state. It attributed much of that to the reach of Marshall Space Flight Center and the contracting it oversees. Cruz is calling for SLS and Orion to be funded at least through the Artemis V mission, scheduled to launch no sooner than 2030. Trumps budget calls for them to be replaced by unspecified private industry solutions after Artemis 3 in 2027. Orion is the programs only crew capsule and SLS its only launch vehicle. This is a guest opinion column I served my country for a decade, including a tour of duty in the Kunar Valley of Afghanistan during the height of the War on Terror. Like many other veterans, I have seen things I will never unsee. So many of us come home carrying invisible woundsanxiety, chronic pain, and PTSD that do not just disappear when we hang up our uniforms. After returning to civilian life, veterans are told to go to the VA, take medications, and follow the program. The problem is that those medications come with a priceaddiction, fogginess, and a sense of being even more detached from the world we fought to protect, which leads to asking a hard question: isnt there a better way? For thousands of veterans, the answer has been medical cannabis. But here is the catch: under federal law, cannabis is still classified as a Schedule I substancethe same category as heroin. That classification suggests that cannabis has no accepted medical use and has a high potential for abuse. Keeping cannabis on Schedule I is not just scientifically outdated; it is morally wrong. It blocks research, limits patient access, and keeps veterans trapped in a system that too often fails to meet our needs. The truth is, cannabis has helped veterans manage chronic pain, ease PTSD symptoms, and reduce dependence on opioids and other addictive narcotics. But the VAs hands are tied. Federal law means doctors at the VA cannot even recommend cannabis, let alone help veterans access it safely. That is why rescheduling cannabis is so importantand why I was encouraged when I learned that President Donald Trump expressed his support for rescheduling. While opinions on politics will always differ, it is worth recognizing when leaders from both sides of the aisle are beginning to listen to veterans like me. This is not about legalizing cannabis or encouraging recreational use. It is about moving forward with policies that will expand access to alternative treatments that have proven effective. Rescheduling cannabis would open the door for proper research, federal oversight, and, most importantly, veteran access. It would allow medical professionals to explore cannabis-based treatments without stigma or legal risk. And it would send a powerful message to veterans that their experiences matterand that their voices are being heard. We did not hesitate when our country asked us to serve. We are just asking leaders in our federal agencies not to hesitate when we need their support. Veterans deserve optionsreal ones. Rescheduling cannabis is the first step. Kyle Henley is a veteran of the United States Army and currently resides in Prattville, Alabama. President Donald Trump continued to lash out at "rigged" polls. Here, Trump attends a meeting with the Fraternal Order of Police in the State Dinning Room of the White House, Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) AP Donald Trump cant let it go. Its been more than a month since two media giants last released polling showing the president is unpopular, but Trump tore into The New York Times and Washington Post on Friday, claiming the corrupt as hell media organizations surveys are rigged. The Failing New York Times and the Washington ComPost, two papers that have ruthlessly fought me for years, have each done Polls where a vast majority of those sampled are Democrats. In other words, the Polls, just like their writings, are RIGGED - It is not possible for a Republican to do well in such a Poll! Trump claimed in a Friday morning post on his Truth Social platform. They are corrupt as hell. The real Polls out there have me doing better than ever before, JUST LIKE ELECTION DAY, 2024, where I WON seven out of seven Swing States, the Popular Vote, and Districts by 2,750 to 505. I won the Election in a landslide! The Fake News Media is Failing Our Nation at levels never seen before. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! the president continued. The New York Times, in partnership with Siena College, last released a poll on Trumps popularity April 25 -- coinciding with the presidents first 100 days in office. The poll found Trump underwater by 12 percentage points, with 54% of respondents disapproving of his job performance compared to 42% approving. Another 5% said they didnt know how Trump was performing. A day later, on April 26, the Washington Post, in partnership with ABC News and Ipsos, released a poll that revealed Trump had the lowest approval rating after the first 100 days in office of any president in the last 80 years. According to the Real Clear Politics polling average, which combines the results of surveys from 15 different polling sources over the last month, Trump has a -2.5 approval rating. Of the 15 sources, just four show Trump with a higher approval rating than disapproval rating: InsiderAdvantage (+11); Trafalgar Group (+8); and Rasmussen Reports and Quantus Insights (both +1.) Trumps rant came a day after he and Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO who donated nearly $300 million to help elect him, traded barbs as their relationship deteriorated over the presidents One Big Beautiful Bill. Musk claimed the president would have never been elected in 2024 without him, while Trump threatened to cut the billions in government contracts awarded to Musks companies. The tech billionaire then said he would decommission a space capsule used to take astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station. Its unclear how serious Musks threat was. But the capsule, developed with the help of government contracts, is an important part of keeping the space station running. NASA also relies heavily on SpaceX for other programs including launching science missions and, later this decade, returning astronauts to the surface of the moon. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Cynthia Lee Almond (R-Tuscaloosa) was appointed president of the state Public Service Commission, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced Friday. She replaces Twinkle Cavanaugh, who served as president since 2012. (Photo courtesy Alabama Governor's office) Alabama Governor's office Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has appointed Cynthia Lee Almond to serve as president of the states Public Service Commission. Cynthia has proven to be an extremely effective public servant and leader, and I am confident the people of Alabama will be even better served when she takes the helm at the Public Service Commission, Ivey said in a press release. Almond, a Republican from Tuscaloosa, currently serves in the Alabama House of Representatives. She also owns a title company and works as an attorney specializing in estate planning, probate, business law and real estate. She replaces Twinkle Cavanaugh, who resigned her position as commission president last week in order to take a job with the U.S. Department of Agriculture under President Donald Trump. Cavanaugh was first elected to the commission in 2010 and was elected president in 2012. The public service commission is a three-person board tasked with regulating utilitiesincluding electrical utilitiesin the state, including setting rates for customers. The commission has been scrutinized by the public for high bills. I am honored to have been asked by Governor Ivey to fill this important position. It is one I accept with great enthusiasm, Almond said in the news release. I know how important this commission is to the people of Alabama and to the industry sectors it regulates. I believe my training as an attorney and legislator will prove to be helpful in performing this role. Prior to her election to the legislature in 2021, Almond served on the Tuscaloosa City Council for four terms and was elected president pro tempore of the council. Almond is a native of Tuscaloosa and graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law, according to the news release. She will vacate her seat in the house of representatives on June 15, the news release said. Ivey will swear in Almond to her seat on the commission on June 16. Since 2021, I have been able to count on Cynthia to get real, meaningful work done in the Legislature, Ivey said in the release, and while I know the people of Tuscaloosa will miss her representation in the State House, every person across this state will now benefit from her leadership on the Public Service Commission. Donald Trump and Melania, financier (and future convicted sex offender) Jeffrey Epstein, and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell pose together at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, February 12, 2000. (Photo by Davidoff Studios/Getty Images) Getty Images A defense attorney who worked with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein claims his former client provided no information that would implicate President Trump in any illegal activity. Epstein, who hanged himself at Manhattans Metropolitan Correctional Center in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges, was known to party with Trump when the two were high-rolling businessmen in the 90s and 2000s. Their once-close relationship came under scrutiny again on Thursday when billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk alleged the president was a party to Epsteins dubious behavior. Time to drop the really big bomb: @RealDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public, Musk wrote on X amid his days-long feud with the president. But according to defense attorney David Schoen, theres no such bombshell that can be found in any documents related to Epsteins alleged crimes. I was hired to lead Jeffrey Epsteins defense as his criminal lawyer nine days before he died, Schoen wrote in a series of tweets in reaction to the allegation. He sought my advice for months before that. I can say authoritatively, unequivocally and definitively that he had no information to hurt President Trump. I specifically asked him! The attorney also retweeted quotes from MAGA surrogates like political strategist Roger Stone, who helped circulate Schoens defense of the president. Musk presented no evidence to support his accusation, but insisted the truth will come out. House Democrats responded to the inflammatory claim by calling on Trump-appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel to immediately clarify whether Musks allegation is true, according to a letter obtained by Axios. Musk spent nearly $300 million last year to put the president back in power. On the campaign trail, he wore a hat emblazoned with the words Trump Was Right About Everything and heaped praise on the MAGA leader for months, all before their relationship publicly exploded this week. While Musk once enjoyed nearly unfettered access to the president and professed his love for Trump in February, it all broke apart after Musk walked away last week from his brief tenure with the Department of Government Efficiency. He spent the subsequent days blasting Trumps signature budget bill as a disgusting abomination, before dropping his Epstein allegation and then calling for Trumps impeachment. Trump responded by saying Musk has lost his mind, accusing him of having Trump Derangement Syndrome. 2025 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The bizarre political bromance between the most powerful man on Earth and the wealthiest tycoon in the world appeared to be over Thursday as President Trump and Elon Musk traded barbs in the wake of the Tesla moguls harsh criticism of his signature Big Beautiful Bill. The president signaled his alliance with Musk was done after he had derided Trumps crucial must-pass bill as an abomination. Elon and I had a great relationship, [but] I dont know if we will anymore, Trump said Thursday during an afternoon White House meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He hasnt said anything bad about me, but Im sure thatll be next. Hes not the first, Trump added. When people leave, at some point some of them actually become hostile. Its sort of Trump Derangement Syndrome. Trump, who said he was very disappointed in the Tesla and SpaceX owner, accused Musk of being motivated by sour grapes over the removal of lucrative electric vehicle subsidies from the sprawling package of deep tax and spending cuts. He wore the hat [saying] Trump was right about everything, Trump said. And I am right about the one great Big Beautiful Bill. Musk wasted no time hitting back at Trump, slamming his onetime political idol in what amounted to a live-online running commentary on his X platform. He demanded the big and ugly bill be slimmed down and denied Trumps claim that he was intimately involved in crafting the bill. False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it, Musk said. He reposted Trumps previous post opposing an increase in the debt ceiling. Trump has flip-flopped on that position and now calls for it to be eliminated altogether. In a remarkable swipe at his onetime ally, Musk reminded Trump that he bankrolled his reelection campaign to the tune of more than $200 million and accused Trump of forgetting who helped revive his political career. Such ingratitude, Musk posted. Without me, Trump would have lost the election. Trump responded by suggesting that the easiest way the government could save billions and billions is by slashing subsidies to Musks companies, a sign the relationship could erupt into open warfare. Then Musk hit back by claiming Trump is blocking release of the files about the case of pedophile Jeffrey Epstein because he is named in them. The truth will come out, Musk wrote. He predicted Trumps tariff-fueled trade war will cause recession later this year and reposted with the comment Yes in a post calling for Trump to be impeached. Trumps onetime political adviser Steve Bannon later joined the fray by calling for an investigation into Musks reported drug use and the immigration status of Musk, a naturalized American citizen who was born and raised in South Africa. If Musk is here illegally, he should be deported from the country immediately, Bannon told The New York Times on Thursday. President Trump empowered him more than anyone has ever been empowered in this government, had his back, promoted this guy, even when people like me said, Youre making a mistake. This is a bad guy. Hes going to turn on you. Hes not with us. Hes also totally incompetent, Bannon said on his War Room podcast, according to The Hill. Then as soon as President Trump comes out today, and President Trump saying it in the nicest way possible about the bill the guy gets up and starts tweeting the most vicious stuff you can tweet. The sharp back-and-forth between two of the worlds most powerful right-wing figures marked a stunning unraveling of their once unshakable political alliance. It sent Tesla stock closing down by 14% as investors worried that the electric car company might face retaliation from the White House. After Musk played a key role in Trumps campaign, Trump brought the Tesla and SpaceX mogul to Washington to engineer sharp spending cuts as leader of the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk was a ubiquitous and powerful figure in the first weeks of the new administration, using his relationship with Trump to steamroll cabinet secretaries and other top Republicans. But Musk quickly became disillusioned with the inner workings of governance and last month announced he would leave his position as a special government employee to return to running his sprawling business empire. A recent expose said Musk regularly used both prescription and illegal drugs, accusations he has brushed off. Just last Friday, Trump and Musk showered each other with praise at an Oval Office sendoff billed as a farewell to a valued friend who needed to return to his private business roles. Musk effectively went off the Trump train for good this week when he denounced Trumps budget bill just as the president is seeking to wrangle Republican votes to push it through Congress. 2025 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Atlanta Dream guard Jordin Canada (3) reacts during the second half of an WNBA basketball first-round playoff game against the New York Liberty Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. The Liberty won 91-82. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger) AP The 2025 WNBA season has a new twist this week with the start of the Commissioners Cup. Teams will play a set slate of games over the next two weeks to determine who wins the trophy. Last season, the Minnesota Lynx came away victorious. The Atlanta Dream and Connecticut Sun will face off in an attempt to come away with the cup this year. Fans still looking to tune into the Dream vs Sun game can do so on Fubo, whos offering a free trial to new subscribers. Heres everything you need to know before the Dream and Sun tipoff: When: Friday, June 6, 2025 Where: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT Time: 7:30 p.m. E.T. Fans still looking to tune into the Dream vs Sun game can do so on Fubo, whos offering a free trial to new subscribers. A 42-year-old man, Robert Julian-Borchak Williams, was working in his front yard when the police came and arrested him for theft. He was identified by facial recognition software. When he arrived at the police station, the pictures did not match the appearance of the man standing in front of them. Thirty hours later, he was released, as the police finally admitted that the arrest had been made due to faulty facial identification by artificial intelligence. Upon further research, it was revealed that the facial identification model was trained on mostly white faces, thus making it more prone to error in identifying black Americans. This is a clear example of bias in A.I. Given this case, the question arises: In what other areas is artificial intelligence biased? If we think about artificial intelligence, it is basically a compilation of human information, written and composed by humans. Do these humans possess bias in their judgments and statements? Absolutely. It only follows that the same bias will most likely occur in artificial intelligence and its pronouncements. On the other hand, I dont think we should disregard artificial intelligence as a source of information simply due to bias. In that case, we would have to disregard most human knowledge, which has an inborn implicit bias to one degree or another. We have to delve into the substance of what it means to have a bias. Philosopher Hans Georg Gadamer states that prejudices are biases of our openness to the world (Truth and Method, 1960). He maintains that bias is something we grow up within our family, culture, and society. There is no getting around our personal biases. However, he maintains that these biases are the starting point or our openness to the world, meaning they are the starting point we use to confront the world. He advocates for a critical consciousness of those biases and, upon receiving new knowledge, to confront and either affirm or discard those old biases. Gadamer calls this process the Fusion of Horizons the point where our prior understanding meets new information, and there is a fusion of the two viewpoints to formulate a more just interpretation. In this sense, Gadamer doesnt see a bias as an evil to be eliminated; rather, it is simply a starting point from which to develop and expand our knowledge. Lets apply this to artificial intelligence. A.I. is biased, no doubt about it, but that doesnt mean that A.I. should be discarded as a source of information. The bias of A.I. is the starting point to gather information, to compare A.I. information from our own potential bias in the fusion of horizons. Here is where I believe that A.I. possesses a refinable bias. If I watch a biased political commentator, I can rest assured this commentator will never change his own bias, due to a lifelong commitment to a point of view or due to pride and arrogance. Many times, in conversations with such a person, no opposed opinions are ever given merit for their correctness. However, with artificial intelligence, you can have a rational conversation where other points of view can be agreed upon and where common ground can be found. I have yet to ask A.I. a question in which it gave a deflection and avoided the question. A.I. will also admit and correct itself if opposing arguments are valid. It doesnt hold onto its initial bias. Its bias is refinable. This is a positive development. It should not be surprising to find A.I. bias in the area of historical information, given our human propensity to have a bias. However, in other areas where artificial intelligence is embedded, bias should be rooted out. Lets take the issue of A.I. in health care. A.I. predictive results depend on the training set of data. If A.I. is trained on data that include few clients who belong to a minority group, the results of A.I. predictions for health care will be skewed for the majority. It is essential for A.I. to be trained in a non-biased manner for its health care predictions to be accurate. How about A.I. and surveys? If A.I. is trained on a data set that consists primarily of Americans, then A.I. will be biased with an American cognitive bias, forgoing opinions from other countries in the world. This could be an issue for international businesses. Bias in A.I. is not an unknown problem. Many of the top promoters of A.I. are trying to correct the issue. Read this quote from the World Economic Forum: Currently, the United States and European Union are driving efforts to limit the rising instances of artificial intelligence bias through Equal Employment Opportunity Commission oversight in the US and the AI Act and AI Liability Directive in the EU. The focus initially should be on certain sectors where AI bias can potentially deny access to vital services. The best examples include credit, healthcare, employment, education, home ownership, law enforcement, and border control. Here, stereotypes and prejudices regularly propagate an inequitable status quo that can lead to shorter life expectancy, unemployment, homelessness, and poverty. Control of artificial intelligence bias must begin with testing algorithm outcomes before they are implemented. Mistakes of AI bias are most often made when those evaluating algorithms focus on data going into decision-making rather than whether the outcomes are fair. The authors, Townson and Zeltkevic, propose a threefold solution. They advocate focusing on data selection, algorithm design, and a fairness threshold. Although A.I. has made remarkable strides, its not immune to bias. This underscores the importance of cross-referencing information and relying on multiple sources for a well rounded perspective. Just as human thinking can be biased, A.I. reflects the data and design behind it. Fortunately, developers are actively working to identify and reduce these biases, making systems fairer and more reliable. Until then, A.I. should be used with both curiosity and caution not as an unquestionable authority, but as a tool that benefits from human oversight. George Matwijec is an adjunct philosophy teacher at Immaculata University who specializes in teaching knowledge and logic. He is the author of a book entitled My Interview with AI. He can be reached at iteacher101.com. Image via Picryl. Volodomyr Zelenskyy wipes out 7 billion dollars worth of Putins bombers -- without telling the one person upon whom his entire future rests. China daily threatens Taiwan with annihilation. Iran is weeks away from having enough enriched uranium for one, maybe two, bombs -- although they assure a gullible world that they will only use it for peaceful purposes and that Israels concerns are just hysterical nonsense. North Korea, ruled by an insane person (though who are we to talk after the last four years?) could attack Seoul any moment of any day. Europe, with the fortunate exception of Hungary and now Poland, is rapidly becoming a caliphate with Mohammed being the most popular boys name in England (Londonistan) The criminal gang of black thieves masquerading as the government of South Africa is conducting a sub-silentio genocide against its minority white farmers and our President is painted as some kind of racist monster for agreeing to give them relief in the form of refugee status. Jews are attacked with flames (sound familiar?), some fatally, by a lunatic from Egypt who is here illegally, courtesy, of course, of the criminal regime of Biden and Mayorkas. Not to worry! Certainly, one rogue Federal district judge is not in the least concerned about any of this as he has directed all his intellectual and legal firepower to the solution of an actual major issue to the United States of America: assuring that transgender inmates in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons have an ample supply of panties and makeup so they will not feel uncomfortable or have hurt feelings. Seriously. This is an actual case: Alishea Kingdom v. Donald J. Trump. A ruling like this reveals a world very close to being set ablaze by sheer madness and hatred. Panties and rouge (is that makeup? Im not current on the various kinds of makeup, Im afraid.) for prisoners will help get us through all this unpleasantness and they have the added benefit of easing the hurt feelings of the transgender prisoners who, we are told by Judge Royce C. Lambeth (surprisingly a Reagan appointee) suffer from a malady known as gender dysphoria. I find myself in full agreement with the commentator on X who referred to this ruling as one of the most twisted opinions I've read by a judge who was lauded by the liberal press as one of the toughest of all in the January 6 cases, sending some of the trespassers to prison for long sentences. However, he showed his softer side when dealing with Miss Alishea Kingdom, Mr. Solo Nichols and Mr. Jas Kapule and their efforts to stop the duly elected President as he attempts to deliver on the promises the American people voted for. However, a little digging into who these dysphoric people really are reveals anything but a compassionate heart and love for all mankind. The case was about the implementation of Exec. Order 14168, Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government, one of the many issued on Day One as promised by President Trump, and its implementation by the administration which provided that [n]o appropriated funds should be utilized to purchase any items that align with transgender ideology (e.g., binders, stand-to-pee devices, hair removal devices, etc.) and that [r]equests for clothing accommodations (e.g., issuance of smocks for male inmates and undergarments that do not align with an inmates biological sex) will not be issued. As an aside I must note that I have lived a very long life without ever learning that there was any such thing as a stand-to-pee device or a chest binder but it seems I have lived a more cloistered life than I ever imagined. Miss Kingdom claimed that the removal of her hormone treatment has caused her to experience anxiety, hopelessness, and thoughts of suicide. Poor dear. However, as reported by Julie Kelly on X: Except Kingdom's real name is Joshua Mueller. In 2014, at the age of 23, Mueller was sentenced to 15 1/2 years in prison for armed robbery in Milwaukee where he shot a store employee. He is currently incarcerated at Fairton FCI. Then we have Mr. Jas Kapule who, according to the compassionate opinion of Judge Royce Lamberth, "Mr. Kapule was told that he would no longer have access to chest binders, and the next day was made to turn in his boxers in exchange for feminine undergarments. Mr. Kapule fears that the discontinuation of his therapy would result in the return of his menstrual cycle and will lead to depression," Think about it: a Senior Federal district judge actually wrote the words his menstrual cycle. He is actually Jasmine Kapule and she was sent to prison for possessing a firearm as a felon and for distribution of fentanyl, perhaps contributing to some of the 100,000 deaths from that deadly drug. The third dysphoric victim, Mr. Solo Nichols, complained that he was very scared to live without testosterone therapy, fearing that he will lose muscle mass and start menstruating again and likewise maintains that the thought of wearing feminine undergarments makes him feel deeply uncomfortable, like I cant breathe. I would feel inadequate and embarrassed. Oh, the humanity! Spoiler alert, as Im about to reveal a little fact about Miss Solo you will not find in Judge Lamberths opinion -- he is really LaTasha Nichols, a career criminal in Michigan who was part of a three-woman bank robbery ring sentenced to 19 years in prison in 2013. I spent most of my life believing in and respecting the rule of law and, in particular, respecting the institution of the judiciary and the importance of maintaining the independence of our judges. Bizarre excursions into fantasy-land like this decision force one to test that teaching and to agree with Ms. Kellys conclusion: there is something sinister in the D.C. federal courthouse. Image: AT via Magic Studio If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, undelivered statement, June 5, 1944 The message was never broadcast. Never printed. Never heard. And yet it remains one of the most remarkable documents of World War IIa plain slip of paper, scribbled in pencil, misdated July 5, and folded into a shirt pocket by a man shouldering the weight of freedoms gamble. Had D-Day failedhad the beaches been bloodbaths without a breakthroughGeneral Dwight D. Eisenhower was prepared to take full responsibility. Not with a press conference or a military tribunal. But with a handwritten note accepting all blame. Not naming subordinates. Not mentioning the enemy. Not even attempting an explanation. He wrote, The troops, the air, and the Navy did all that Bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone. That was the kind of man Eisenhower was. Born in Texas, raised in Abilene, Kansas, with a manner as unassuming as the plains that shaped him, Eisenhower was not the most obvious military commander in an age of brash tacticians and battlefield showmen. His pre-war career, by many accounts, was unremarkable. He had never commanded troops in battle. He spent much of his time as a staff officerdrafting plans, supervising training, and writing reports that bore the names of others. Promotions came slowly. But behind the scenes, he was absorbing everythingmen, method, machinery, and morale. And yet, by June 1944, he stood at the helm of the largest seaborne invasion in human historynearly 160,000 troops, thousands of ships, and more than 11,000 aircraft ready to hurl the full force of the free world across Hitlers Atlantic wall. He did not blink. There is a certain fog of war that touches everything within its reach. In victoryand with the passage of time and now generationsthe line of sight begins to crystallize. But clarity can be deceptive. We often miss what was obscured in the moment. Eighty-one years on, it is easy to forget just how precarious it all was. One bad decisionone shift in weather, one error in judgmentand the free world might have faltered. That burden, in full, fell to Eisenhower. Ikes genius was not in dramatic field movements or thunderous oratory. It was in orchestration. He held together an alliance that strained at every seamBritish doubt, French suspicion, American impatience, and a chorus of generals with differing agendas, stratagems, and personalities that often started but rarely ended in agreement. Montgomery wanted more troopsand headlines. Patton wanted more riskbut more than anything, he wanted to be the tip of the spear. Churchill, ever cautious about casualties and continental commitments, wanted assurance. Stalinrelentless in his demands and ruthless in his aims, but for the moment an allywanted action. Eisenhower gave them unity. By sheer will and balance, he united the Western Allies into a single forceBritish divisions, American battalions, Canadian armor, Free French brigades, and resistance networks, all united by a single banner: freedom. He soothed egos without surrendering ground. He absorbed political pressure without compromising military clarity. And when it came time to choose the daywhen tides and moonlight and cloud cover all collided in a narrow 24-hour window of fatehe made the call. The hour was now. That was the feeling in the roomthe moment of decision had come, and there would be no turning back. On the night of June 5, he walked the flight line of the 101st Airborne, shaking hands with paratroopers who would jump into the dark and likely never walk again. He asked their names. They joked about their gear. Patted shoulders and posed for a photo that would become a legend. These were not staged moments. He knew what he was askingand what it might cost. But they could see it in his facethe weight, the gravity, the burden of command. Men started to pipe up, trying to cut the tension: Quit worrying, General. Well take care of this thing for you. Years later, Eisenhower admitted he might have had tears in his eyes as he walked away. Well, I dont know about that, he told Walter Cronkite with a faint smile, but it couldve been possible. And then he added what only a man who had borne it could say: The hours before a major battle is joined are the most terrible time for a senior commander. You know the losses are going to be bad. And goodness knows, those fellas meant a lot to me. They were the vanguard of victory, and the burden to go or to wait fell to himand him alone. Eisenhower also knew what the enemy expected. For months, the Germans had been watching the wrong man. In a feat of military deception worthy of Shakespeare and Sun Tzu, the Allies had crafted Operation Fortitudea two-pronged campaign of illusion. Fortitude South conjured the ghost of an invasion force: the First U.S. Army Group, a fictitious formation that had begun as an administrative shell under General Omar Bradleythen, quite plausibly, grown to full strength under the command of General George S. Patton. With inflatable tanks, scripted radio traffic, and headquarters near Dover, this phantom army appeared ready to strike at Calais. Meanwhile, Fortitude North hinted at a second blow aimed at Norway. The Germans believed it all. And so they held back their strongest unitswaiting for an attack that would never come. And Hitler bought it. The real invasion came across the Normandy beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. Some landings were light. Others were infernos. At Omaha, entire companies were cut down before they reached the shingle. The sea ran red; the air was thick with sand and steel. But they pushed forwardover bluffs, through hedgerows, into history. That morning, Eisenhower received reports that suggested catastrophe. He kept his calm amid chaos. Chain-smoking, scanning maps, resisting premature triumph or despair. When the tide turned and beachheads were secured, he didnt celebrate. He ordered the next phase. There was no time for indulgence. Because Eisenhower knew what followed. D-Day was not the end. It was the breacha crack in the fortress of tyranny, made possible by those who leaped, climbed, crawled, and bled. And at the center of it all was a man prepared to shoulder the blameone reason he was so well suited to carry the burden of victory. Years later, on the windswept cliffs above Omaha Beach, Eisenhower stood beside Walter Cronkite and reflected on the events of D-Day. He humbly deflected credit, emphasizing that it was the bravery and initiative of the American G.I.s that secured victory. But he left out the indispensable truth: they did itbecause he led them. That was all, and it was enough. Charlton Allen is an attorney and former chief executive officer and chief judicial officer of the North Carolina Industrial Commission. He is founder of the Madison Center for Law & Liberty, Inc., editor of The American Salient, and host of the Modern Federalist podcast. X: @CharltonAllenNC Image: Public domain. Certainly, the most controversial president in my long lifetime is Donald J. Trump. Mr. Trump is much more controversial and maligned than even Ronald Reagan, who was another target of Democrats unreasonable pushback and skewed, hyperbolic news in the 1980s. For instance, during Reagans tenure, his proposed Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), dubbed Star Wars, was hugely ridiculed by the media and even some senators like Joe Biden. Although the US never developed or deployed it, Israel fortuitously took up the mantle, implementing critical SDI elements. Now, Trumps Golden Dome proposal is taking shape, and the relentlessly targeted president is bringing the SDI shield concept to the nations defense. However, even if built and hugely successful, diehards in politics and the media are not likely to give meaningful credit to President Trump. Disdain of Trump stems largely from manufactured accusations and profound misunderstandings of how a perceptive, perseverant, successful businessman from Queens, New York, operates. One author who apparently understands the Queens business mentality is Fox News contributor and New Jersey native, Joe Concha. In The Greatest Comeback Ever: Inside Trumps Big Beautiful Campaign, author Joe Concha meticulously chronicles the critical few months leading up to and shortly after Trumps huge election victory in November 2024. The Greatest Comeback Ever documents the most memorable events, such as the first and second assassination attempts, the McDonalds fry cooking and trash hauler gigs, the lengthy Joe Rogan interview, and Trumps best zingers from the traditional Alfred E. Smith Dinner in Washington D.C., held just a few short weeks before election day. The book gives valuable insights into these key events, along with play-by-play analysis of the moderator-biased presidential and vice-presidential debates. At the beginning of Kamala Seinfeld: A Campaign About Nothingthe title of the chapter on the Trump/Harris debateMr. Concha inserts a quote from Frank Luntz, GOP Pollster, where Mr. Luntz went on record to say that because of his performance in that debate, Trump would lose the election. More than a dozen such failed predictions by notable conservatives and leftists are given throughout the book. For his part, Mr. Concha reminds the reader that he confidently predicted on air in February 2024 that Trump would win. He became even more certain when he witnessed on live TV that Trump emerged victorious to urge Fight, fight, fight! after his near assassination. Then, in October 2024, Mr. Concha assured that Trump wins this quite easily. Candidate and President Trump has been an authentic master at common parlance, political rhetoric, and memorable images. Covering the campaign as closely as Mr. Concha did readily reveals many Trump gems, and readers will enjoy them. When it came time to select the appropriate visual for the cover of The Greatest Comeback Ever, Mr. Concha chose the one from McDonalds, only because that campaign stop perfectly encapsulated Trumps appeal, his humor, and his ability to troll Kamala and the Democrats while sending the media into an absolute tizzy. Throughout The Greatest Comeback Ever, Mr. Concha recalls outrageous quotes, names names associated with those quotes, and doesnt pull any punches in exposing the ridiculousness of the quotes and quoters. And he identifies one of the best political ads ever, the one that ended with: Kamala Harris is for they/them, Donald Trump is for you. Brilliant, pithy taglines such as this one will likely resonate with common-sense voters for elections to come, while whoever came up with it should be awarded a political Pulitzer. The Greatest Comeback Ever nicely documents an exceptionally critical time in American life and politics. The barrage of partisan and personal attacks against Mr. Trump may have been the worst in the history of campaigning. A Reagan-era SDI/Golden Dome type defense for candidate Trump would have come in handy. Regardless, Mr. Concha emphasizes that Mr. Trump had every powerful entity aimed at him: the Justice Department, the FBI, two presidential administrations, the media, and two assassins, yet he still won bigly. This truly was the greatest comeback of all time. The ultimate American story of perseverance and redemption. Considering the dreadful alternative outcome on November 5, 2024, we can add Amen. Anthony J. Sadar is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist and an adjunct associate professor of science at Geneva College, Beaver Falls, PA. He is also co-author of Environmental Risk Communication: Principles and Practices for Industry (CRC Press). Image: Fair Use. Republicans were pained to see the quarrel between Elon Musk and Donald Trump over the "Big Beautiful Budget" given our affection for both men, and admiration for each of their sacrifices and achievements. Musk was right to question the rise in government spending after all he put in to cut it, and after all he did to elect Republicans, but made some below-the-belt hits on Trump that probably ruined a full reconciliation -- phony Epstein claims that would have been exposed long ago if true, and impeachment calls. Trump, who had a lot to work with around Elon's assorted babymamas and reputed drug use, was able to restrain himself from throwing any of that into the argument, so he comes out looking better, and it's likely most Americans will rally around him as a result. I chalk up Elon's tantrum to his reported Asperger's syndrome and forgive him, but ugh, don't ever do that again, Elon. The fight was a gift to the left, of course, which foams at the mouth in hate of both men. But being the left, it was satisfying to see that they found a way to blow it, losing any political advantage they might have taken from it: I checked out how bad it was on Bluesky: Kamala Harris posted this on her X page last night. We could've had this amazing and inspiring woman as president right now but we got corruption and chaos with Donald Trump and JD Vance instead. [image or embed] Joyful Trouble (@mini-marshmallows.bsky.social) June 6, 2025 at 5:39 AM Umm, that's not gonna change any votes, lady. We all remember what she was like. There also was this charmer, still boiling in his Trump Derangement Syndrome: Here's the thing. Trump doesn't care about policy, Republicans, his own cabinet, or JD Vance. He doesn't care if they become collateral damage in his war of egos with Musk. He'll do everything to destroy Elon for betraying loyalty, damn the fallout. Trump has no grand plan. Just idiotic rage. Cap'n Jack Fights Fascism (@capnjackresists.bsky.social) June 6, 2025 at 7:01 AM He was joined by the Lincoln Project, still focused on image over content: Our nation is currently a Jerry Springer episode with a WWE intermission. https://t.co/UXnUccsYa2 Ryan Wiggins (@Ryan_N_Wiggins) June 6, 2025 Here's where they started to get ridiculous: Meanwhile, over at Bluesky. https://t.co/AyUERm46tE Christina Hoff Sommers (@CHSommers) June 6, 2025 I know posting "the girls are fighting" seems funny, but it's actually insensitive and shitty. My father died in a girl fight. He tried to break it up and the girls pulled him apart like freshly baked bread. He didn't even scream. One moment he was there, the next just a spray of dad viscera. Johnny Normality (Feral Mode) (@probgobl.in) June 5, 2025 at 5:43 PM It's a head-on crash between the gloaters and the politically correct thought police, going about their rounds to police the leftists on the Bluesky-sphere. And speaking of conspiracy theorists -- they've got some impressive ones: Let's not forget Peter Thiel in all of this. Thiel is the man who put Pope-killer JD Vance into the VP seat. Elon says he has the dirt on Diaper Donnie, making Vance his "unnatural" successor. Basically, it's going just as Thiel planned. See also. [image or embed] Max B #FBPE (@maxbrockbank.com) June 6, 2025 at 4:04 AM And herein lies the closing act of the tech billionaires plot. Dump the useful idiot (Trump). Replace him with Thiels groomed puppet (JD Vance) Complete the tech coup. Danger! Danger! Danger! linlukey.bsky.social (@linlukey.bsky.social) June 6, 2025 at 12:31 AM Calm down, little goofus. Your imagination is running away from you. But you do you. This one is shareable but only visible with a Bluesky account, for obvious reasons: A Russian plot to Get Trump? We thought Trump was tight with the Russians, as lefties assured. That's a new one! The contradictions and hypocrisies were impressive: This, from the people who assured us Joe Biden was as sharp as a tack? Sure thing, loser. And this one, too: If Elon Musk mysteriously dies at any point in the next week it is because Trump had him killed just like Trump had Jeffrey Epstein killed in 2019. pic.twitter.com/sLpQAhYsrf Jake Broe (@RealJakeBroe) June 5, 2025 Sorry, dork, Trump was the one who was the target of assassination attempts -- and smears, lawfare, lying, phony narratives, whisper campaigns, and more. You're doing the leftist thing here -- you're projecting. This one projects the same kind of idiocy: And just like that, Democrats are calling for the release of the Epstein files, thanks to Elon Musk and Donald Trump Well played pic.twitter.com/Fhu8OWrPYf TaraBull (@TaraBull808) June 5, 2025 Funny, they never wanted those Epstein files released -- until now. They always opposed it. This could get good. No, they're not going to win with insipid reactions like these. From nutty talk, to Trump derangement, to crazed conspiracy theories, and a heaping helping of hypocrisy, they are amazing at seizing defeat from the jaws of victory and running with it. Image: Grok, AI-generated image, via X Christine Amanpour, a British-Iranian journalist who currently hosts a CNN segment, recently said from her podcast that shes really afraid to travel to the U.S., and likened the situation to North Korea. Heres what she said: As if invoking 1984 and Mussolini in her Harvard commencement speech wasn't bad enough, PBS/CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour says on her podcast that "I literally prepared to go to America as if I was going to North Korea. I took a burner phone, Jamie. Imagine that." pic.twitter.com/AQ7GyK8Itq Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) June 4, 2025 The insinuation, obviously, is that Trump and his administration is a threat to fairly prominent pseudoelites. Hey Christine, its a first world luxury to be such an obnoxious, mentally ill, useful idiotsome might call it privilege. I have a sneaking suspicion that the entire North Korean population would prefer the U.S. under Trump than North Korea under Kim Jong Un or before that, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. This is what we colloquially call TDS, or Trump Derangement Syndromewhich is just one of Amanpours delusions. Shes delusional to think that Trump or the U.S. government under his authority is going to be throwing journalists in the brig, and shes delusional to think that they really give a rats rear about one more insufferable progressive media hackthese clowns are more than a dime a dozen. What makes her so special? The last time the U.S. arrested a foreign media operative was in 2008, which makes sense under the tyrannical and unconstitutional reign of George W. Bush. Before that, the only two times that come to mind are Barack Obama and Abraham Lincolna couple of Illinois progressives with little regard for the small government foundation of our founding fathers. She should worry about Iran: The IFJ report records that at least 100 journalists have been arrested and imprisoned in Iran in the past year. Many received long sentences or were forced to leave their jobs. At least eight media outlets have faced restrictions due to pressure from security institutions or government. More than 20 journalists have been sentenced to prison on charges such as producing propaganda against the regime and acting against the countrys security. Or, I guess not, because Amanpour loves the Iranian regime arresting and torturing real journalists, so shes not exactly a threat to the governments totalitarian rule. Apparently, Amanpour was at one point a legitimate enough war correspondent, so shes no doubt waxing nostalgic for a time when she actually added something at least somewhat substantial to the discussion. Before seeing this clip on X, I was only vaguely familiar with her name, and wouldnt have known her from Adamand I work in media. If I dont know exactly who she is, its unlikely the majority of Americans do either. These people are forgettable, and their mark on history is inconsequentialquite a big pill to swallow when you envision yourself as a fairly prominent individual, bragging about the horrible dangers you face when going behind enemy linesin Trumps America with all that freedom you dont see in the rest of the world. Oh the horror! Image from X. Due to the bloody and cruel attacks of Hamas on the unsuspecting Israelis on October 7, 2003, the terrorists believe they will be rewarded with their own state. How is that possible? In December 2024, the U.N. took action to re-visit the two-state solution between Israel and Hamas, the precursor to an upcoming international conference set to kick-off in New York in less than two weeks: An international conference meant to resurrect the idea of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict will take place from June 17 to 20 at the United Nations headquarters in New York, a UN spokeswoman said Friday. The conference stems from a resolution approved in December by the UN General Assembly, and it will be co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia. A diplomat in Paris close to preparations for the conference said it should pave the way for more countries to recognize a full-blown Palestinian state. These plans to move toward a two-state solution are gaining steam, because the progressive international community believes the Arabs in Gaza have earned the right to their own Palestinian state. France and the U.K. have even begun to talk about the two-state outcome: Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, David Lammy, confirmed last week that the UK is in talks with France to recognize a Palestinian state. Palestinian thought leaders, publications, and speakers throughout the Arab world see this as a reward for the horrific massacre of October 7, 2023, and an inducement to increase rather than decrease the level of violence and terrorism. At this time, almost 150 countries have recognized the Palestinian Authority as governing a Palestinian state. And in May of last year, Norway, Ireland, and Spain took steps to recognize a Palestinian state. The violence that Hamas perpetrated on October 7 was approved of by many in the Arab world: Dr. Mahmoud Samir Al-Rantisi, writing in Al Sharq, a major Arabic newspaper out of Qatar, echoes a commonly held belief that unilateral recognition through massacre is preferable to peace talks because it will result in liberating all Palestinian lands from Israel, rather than having to settle for a mere two state solution. By way of support for this prediction, Al-Rantisi cites the May 2024 recognition of Palestinian statehood by several European countries, and he (accurately) notes that, [the] Spanish Deputy Prime Minister clearly announced that the Palestinians will regain their land from the river to the sea [a reference to the entirety of Israel] and will liberate their country and return to it. Not only are the Arabs on board, but Europe may line up behind Emmanuel Macron of France: Alon Pinkas, who advised four Israeli foreign ministers, told MEE on Monday that French President Emmanuel Macrons push to recognise Palestinian statehood is serious and has the backing of most of the European Union and Saudi Arabia. The move would cause a political earthquake, since both France and Britain are among Israels most important historic allies. The roadblocks would be nearly insurmountable to accomplish a two-state solution. First, both groups would have to consent to an extended, solid, ceasefire or a complete end to the war. Second, who would govern? The people of Gaza elected Hamastheir idea of leadership is wildly antithetical to a peaceful existence for Israel. Third, settlements in the West Bank continue to be expanded at a rapid rate. Fourth, the idea of the two-states existing side-by-side is simply not supported by Israel. Finally, there is no reason to think that Palestinian public opinion has changed: The 1990s saw widespread Israeli and Palestinian support for the Oslo peace process but there was a critical difference between the two sides: whereas Israelis envisioned the peace process as bringing an end to the conflict, both Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as well as over 72% of Palestinians did not. To this day, according to Arab research sources, 74.7% of Palestinians desire a Palestinian-only state that entirely supplants Israel, while 72% support the October 7 massacre. In short, the prevailing opinion within the Arab world, including within Palestinian society, is that recognition of a Palestinian state is a reward for the October 7 massacre. European countries are therefore sending a dangerous message: one that Palestinian society understands to be not only support for the October 7 massacre, but also encouragement to carry out even more bloodshed in the future. Those at the U.N. June conference must stop this absurd two-state proposal. Israels very existence could be at stake. Image: Free image, Pixabay license. The recent firebomb attack in Boulder, Colorado, against people demonstrating in favor of Israel has set in motion a policy process that is long overdue and provides a timely vehicle for a discussion the USA should have engaged in years ago regarding the intentions of Muslims toward non-Muslims. Step One is determining the firebombers motive. Thats easy, because he told us: Allah is greater than the Zionists, declared fire-bomber Mohamed Sabry Soliman in a video testimonial prior to the June 1 fire bomb attack that injured several Americans. Accepting Sabrys religious view as sincere, we need to learn how he segues from that view to fire-bombing Jews. Exactly what is the connection? Image created using AI. Step Two in this policy process is asking the right question. Accurately perceiving the policy issue universal to the specific event, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has cogently inquired, Why would any civilization that actually wants to preserve itself allow for any migration that is negative to the country as a whole? White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller: Why would any civilization that actually wants to preserve itself allow for any migration that is negative to the country as a whole? pic.twitter.com/zkBHN8iFW1 America (@america) May 31, 2025 Why indeed? The desire for self-preservation noted by Miller is a desire that would naturally manifest itself in various policy preferences regarding immigration, energy, climate change, crime, etc.. On every one of these topics, the progressives among us promote a policy choice that would lead to the destruction of the American nation. This calls to mind the passage in the Declaration of Independence which reads But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security. Indeed, the list of progressive policy positions is a long train of abuses pursuing invariably the same object, the destruction of America. Step Three in the policy process is interim mitigation. As though in direct response to Millers perceptive question, President Trump has announced a ban on travel from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Note that many of those states are Islamic. Trumps ban springs from his conviction that America is indeed a civilization that actually wants to preserve itself. Step Four in this policy process should be an open and public congressional investigation into the goals and objectives of Islam. It must be understood that it is not Islams theological beliefs that are at issue. To the contrary, it is the practical goals and objectives that must be investigated and exposed for all to see. And if the investigation reveals that Islam seeks the death of all Jews and Christians and the death or domination of all non-Muslims, then step five of the process is federal legislation appropriate to protect us from this menace. For years, and I mean too many years, I've heard Mexicans complain that gun shops in Texas are the source of all those rifles and pistols shooting south of the border. I accept part of their point that guns indeed go south but reject the idea that we are responsible for such movement. As I remind them, why don't you lock the door and check the bags? Recently, Mexico decided to sue the U.S. manufacturers for the guns that end up south of the border. It was an "Ave Maria" or "Hail Mary" pass that the receiver didn't catch. Let's check the story: The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a $10 billion lawsuit Mexico filed against top firearm manufacturers in the U.S. alleging the companies business practices have fueled tremendous cartel violence and bloodshed. The unanimous ruling tossed out the case under U.S. laws that largely shield gunmakers from liability when their firearms are used in crime. Big-name manufacturers like Smith & Wesson had appealed to the justices after a lower court let the suit go forward under an exception for situations in which the companies themselves are accused of violating the law. Mexico had asked the justices to let the case play out, saying it was still in its early stages. The case began in 2021, when the Mexican government filed a blockbuster suit against some of the biggest gun companies, including Smith & Wesson, Beretta, Colt and Glock. Mexico has strict gun laws and has just one store where people can legally buy firearms. But thousands of guns are smuggled in by the countrys powerful drug cartels every year. The Mexican government says at least 70% of those weapons come from the United States. The lawsuit claims that companies knew weapons were being sold to traffickers who smuggled them into Mexico and decided to cash in on that market. Yes, Mexico has very strict gun laws but guns are everywhere and often in the hands of bad people. The average Mexican is a sitting target for these criminals There are also many high-powered weapons stolen from military inventories that end up with bad guys too. The lawsuit was a distraction to say the least. Again, we don't deny that guns go south but the big question continues to be: Why do they? Who allows it? The border situation is a travesty from the Mexico side. We have sealed our side but Mexico needs to upgrade their actions. Mexico could work with the U.S. to seal the border but chooses not to. P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. Image: Library of Congress The conservative internet today (including American Thinker) is flooded with homages to D-Day, when the Allies were finally able to bring the war to Germany. Although the war lasted another 11 long, bloody months, D-Day was the beginning of the end for the Nazis. Fewer people remember, though, that from June 2-7, 1942, the U.S. Navy fought a horrific battle that marked the beginning of the end for the Japanese Empire, although Japan nevertheless forced another three years of unbelievably brutal fighting across the Pacific. We all know about the attack on Pearl Harbor, which the Japanese intended would destroy the American fleet and prevent it from participating in a Pacific war. What the Japanese hadnt counted on was the speed with which America would reconstitute its Navy. Within months of Pearl Harbor, the Navy returned to active duty almost all the ships that had been attacked. And of course, also within months, America began to build a mighty Arsenal of Democracy that eventually manufactured almost 300,000 aircraft and 10,000 naval vessels during the war. The moment a torpedo struck the USS Yorktown. Public domain. The first significant naval engagement for the U.S. was the Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from May 4-8, 1942. The battle was the first naval engagement ever that involved long-distance firing from aircraft carriers, rather than the old tradition of battleships lining up alongside each other and firing broadsides. The battle was inconclusive in some ways, but the U.S. forced the Japanese to turn back, which was a first. Notably, the USS Yorktown, despite taking tremendous damage during the battle, was made seaworthy in weeks, not months. And then, the U.S. had a problem. The Pacific is an unbelievably vast ocean. In a world without spy satellites, how would they know where the Japanese fleet was? Thanks to the fact that America had partially broken Japans naval code, they knew that a new attack was planned somewhere between Japan and the American coast (and Alaska). What they could not know was that Admiral Yamamoto had selected Midway, a small but important American base, as his next target. It was simply because Admiral Nimitz* made an intelligent guess that it would be Midway that America was able to engage in this all-important battle. (In those days, military decisions were nade by men in the military, not by lawyers in D.C.) That guess narrowed the target, but it still didnt say where the Japanese fleet could be found. A reconnaissance force went out hunting and, as their fuel ran low, they saw nothing. However, despite the risk of empty tanks that would drop them into the blue, the pilots just kept flying a little bit moreand they saw the Japanese fleet before them. Thats when the guns started firing. Eventually, the ships and airplanes were close enough for the real battle to rage for several days. The Yorktown was finally sunk for good. Approximately 307 Americans died, two ships sank, and around 150 airplanes were lost. At Midway commemorations in San Francisco, I had the honor of hearing the tales of some of those survivors, and they were harrowing. For the Japanese, though, the losses were infinitely greater. They lost five ships, with three more being heavily damaged. They also lost 248 aircraft. Lastly, over 3,000 Japanese men died at that engagement. This marked the beginning of the end for the Japanese. With a small population and limited manufacturing resources, not to mention being without Americas virtually limitless access to oil, the Japanese never could reconstitute their military strength, even as Americas Arsenal of Democracy kept growing. That Japan was on a downward trajectory didnt stop the war. The Bushido culture had no room for surrender, so it took another three years and two atomic bombs to stop the fighting. Along the way, over 130,000 Americans died, while Japanese military losses may have exceeded 1.5 million. Both sides were in it to the bitter end, but it was an exceptionally bitter end for the Japanese, who were a dead country walking as of June 7, 1942. Having said that, my sympathy for the Japanese is limited. Japanese Bushido brutality was unparalleled, often exceeding what the Nazis did. The popular memory cares less about what they did, though, because the Nazis industrialized the horrors they committed and did something outside of most comprehension by attempting to annihilate an entire race of people...a race who lived to tell the tale. While we know about the Bataan death march, POW camps, and battle atrocities, much of what the Japanese did was committed against people who, even when they lived, lacked the capacity to tell their stories. During the 1937 attack on Nanking, the Japanese slaughtered at least 100,000 Chinese civilians, often with Hamas-like ferocity. In Thailand, an estimated 250,000 Thai people who were conscripted to serve the Japanese never came home, having died from disease and abuse. Ultimately, per R.J. Rummels analysis, the Japanese slaughtered around 3-10 million people across AsiaChinese, Korean, Indonesian, Filipino, Thai, etc. At wars end, of course, the Japanese were beaten as few losing sides have ever been beaten before. That forced them to abandon their deadly Bushido culture in a way nothing else could. Today, I have nothing but admiration for the Japanese culture, which is exquisitely clean, well-organized, meticulous, beautiful, and gracious. Japan is one of my favorite places to visit. I mention this because, when a culture becomes a death cult, visiting death upon it may be the only way to save it from itself. You all can take from my statement what you will. As for me, today I remember the brave men who fought at Midway and give thanks for what they did. _______________ * One of the jobs I held while in college was as a medical transcriptionist. My typewriter was centered under a picture of Admiral Nimitz accepting the Japanese surrender. Inscribed on the picture were Nimitzs handwritten thanks to one of my employers for the good care hed received. Recently, Google DeepMind CEO, Demis Hassabis said that he believes that AI can make humans less selfish. Now, he talked more about something else entirely. DeepMind CEO wants to build a next-generation email assistant. DeepMind CEO wants AI to answer your emails in your style He revealed that during the South by Southwest (SXSW) London festival. He believes that the existing email system needs to be replaced, and that a proper AI tool can do that. That tool would be able to respond to messages and make some decisions on its own. While he obviously believes in the potential of AI, he said that AI is overhyped in the short term. Hassabis believes that this e-mail assistant could be a great stepping stone for greater things for AI. This next-generation email assistant, as he called it, would be able to understand typical emails and also reply to them in the style of the user. In addition to that, hell be able to make some easier decisions, though no examples were given. He also talked about AGI Thats basically everything he said about that topic. He did touch upon the topic of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), though. AGI is basically AI that can autonomously perform a wide range of end-to-end taks, make decisions, and also take actions at a level of a human, or beyond it. He said that the leading AI countries, such as the US and China, need to work together in order for the tech to reach full potential and also be safe to use. That does make sense, as AGI has the potential to affect the whole of humanity. Like it or not, AI is growing at an incredible pace, and it can be a great tool. It has enormous potential, especially when we talk about AGI. It remains to be seen how will it develop, however. OPPO launched the X8 Ultra flagship phone earlier in April 2025. The phone arrived with a couple of 50MP periscope telephoto cameras, apart from the Snapdragon 8 Elite high-end chipset. The Chinese brand is currently developing the successor, the OPPO Find X9 Ultra, which the company will likely introduce no earlier than Q1 2026. However, many gadget tipsters have already started revealing information regarding the OPPO Find X9 Ultras cameras. OPPO Find X9 Ultras periscope cameras: 200MP and 50MP According to the popular gadget leaker Digital Chat Station on Weibo, OPPO could offer periscope camera lenses in all models of the Find X9 series. This is already the case in the current generation, but the X9 Ultra model will represent a technological milestone. The source claims that the Find X9 Ultra prototype has 200MP and 50MP periscope lenses. For reference, the X8 Ultra has two 50MP periscope lenses. Returning to the X9 Ultra, the prototype uses Samsungs ISOCELL HP5 and JN5 as zoom shooters. However, there is still no final decision regarding these two sensors, so the models could differ in the final product. Besides, the tipster claims that the Find X8 Ultras spectral image sensor could make its way to more affordable Find X9 series variants, like the Find X9 Pro or the base model. This will help capture colors more accurately and render more natural skin tones. The Huawei Mate 70 series also boasts this component. Earlier, the same source indicated that the OPPO Find X9 Ultra could have as many as four primary cameras. It could feature a 200MP main camera, which will be accompanied by a 50MP ultrawide-angle lens. The company could continue its collaboration with Hasselblad to develop next-generation cameras for the OPPO Find X9 Ultra flagship. MediaTeks next-gen Dimensity 9500 chip The same source has indicated that OPPOs Find X9 series will utilize the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 SoC. If we believe the rumors, the company could introduce the devices sometime in October of this year. Unlike the X8 series, where the Ultra variant uses a Snapdragon flagship SoC, the Find X9 Ultra model could stick with Dimensity hardware. We expect the rumor mill to reveal more details about OPPOs upcoming phones soon, so subscribe to Android Headlines for regular updates. When you think of Samsung displays, you might think of technology like LED, OLED, QLED, etc. These stunning, vibrant displays are one of the reasons Samsung is so successful. However, in an interesting move, Samsung is exploring other forms of display technology, like color e-paper displays. Samsung moves into color e-paper displays Samsung has announced the launch of a new color e-paper display. It is simply called Samsung Color E-Paper. This is a 32-inch panel, and because it uses e-ink, it consumes no power when used to display static content. This is because e-ink displays are considered bistable. It means that it only consumes power when the image changes. So, if using it for static images like displaying a signboard or a menu, it can stay visible without requiring continuous power. This makes it ideal for cafes and businesses that dont need to constantly change the displays content. However, for those who might need to rotate images now and then, the display comes with a built-in 4,600mAh battery. Samsung claims this is good for up to 500 days on a single charge. In terms of resolution, were looking at a QHD resolution of 2,5601,440. Samsung has added its own twist to the display with a color imaging algorithm. The company says this helps improve accuracy and readability and is designed to make the display closely resemble what you might expect from a paper poster. The displays bezels measure 13.9mm on all sides, so its not the slimmest. It also supports WiFi and Bluetooth, has 8GB of storage, and has two USB-C ports. Users can control the display using the Samsung E-Paper app, which is available on iOS and Android. It is clear that this display isnt necessarily aimed at regular folks, but businesses. We also have to wonder if Samsung might look to expand its technology into e-readers as well. The Samsung Color E-Paper display is priced at $1,350. However, companies keen on purchasing it in large quantities can purchase it for $1,200 per display if more than 150 units are ordered. Whoops! Samsung has just confirmed the names of its upcoming foldable smartphones by mistake. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 will be their names, as expected. How did this happen? Well, youd never guess, read on. Samsung has accidentally confirmed the Galaxy Z Fold 7 & Flip 7 names early Samsung actually did it via the Samsung Internet Browsing on the Galaxy Store. This was spotted by GalaxyClub, as the listing says Samsung Internet Browser for Fold7 and Flip7, as you can see below. As if this is not strange enough, the source notes that you cant find this app listing if youre using a Galaxy device running Android 15 and One UI 7. You can see it only if youre using Android 16 with One UI 8, so a beta version released only for the Galaxy S25 series phones at this point. Samsung did not count on beta users spotting this listing and sharing the info, it seems. This is a beta version of the Samsung Internet Browser, after all, even though it has the same version number as the stable version. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 Ultra is not coming, as expected This is further evidence that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 Ultra is not a thing. Samsung teased Ultra experience and mentioned Galaxy Ultra device, but it seems like that was all just hype, as Max Jambor suggested. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 will launch, and will quite possibly be accompanied by the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE aka Galaxy Z Flip FE. Samsung will likely announce its first tri-fold smartphone later in the year. That device is tipped to launch in Korea and China only, though. Based on the latest report, the companys new foldable smartphones will launch in early July. Samsung will allegedly host the second Unpacked event of the year in New York. The company did not officially confirm it yet, though. China affirms rare-earth export controls align with international practices Global Times) 09:03, June 06, 2025 China's export control measures are consistent with universal practices, and such measures are non-discriminatory and not targeted at any particular country, a spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. Lin Jian, the spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, made the remarks in response to a media question for comment on a report claiming that due to China's export controls on rare earths, Japanese automaker Suzuki has suspended production of its main small cars in Japan because of delays in procuring parts, which was reportedly the first case in Japan. Also on Thursday, in response to a question over some foreign companies' claims that the approval process of rare-earth export permits is relatively slow and their business may face a potential halt of output, He Yongqian, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), said at the regular press conference that items related to rare earths have dual civilian and military applications, and the Chinese government's move to strengthen export controls on rare-earth materials is in line with international practices. The Chinese government reviews applications for export licenses for dual-use items in accordance with laws and regulations, He said, noting that China will approve applications that meet the requirements to promote convenient and compliant trade. "China's rare-earth export management system is a legitimate and law-based effort to continuously improve our export control framework and reduce associated risks... This is a common international practice," Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Thursday. "We are not banning rare-earth exports; rather, we are refining the management procedures," Zhou further noted. China released new regulations on the export control of dual-use items, taking effect on December 1, 2024. The rules aim to maintain international peace and balance high-quality development with high-level security. The Ministry of Justice and the MOFCOM previously statedthat the regulations would not obstruct normal international scientific exchanges or economic cooperation. They stressed that export control is not an export ban, emphasizing China's intent to maintain a stable and predictable regulatory environment for trade of these items. While addressing questions regarding China's export control on dual-use items at a press conference on May 29, He said that it is common international practice to impose export controls on items with clear military-civilian dual-use characteristics. As a responsible country, China's implementation of export controls on such items reflects its consistent stance on upholding world peace and regional stability, the spokesperson said. Also, at the same press conference on Thursday, when asked to comment on the recent US suspension of ethane exports to China, along with other retaliatory measures in response to China's rare-earth export controls, the MOFCOM spokesperson said that since the release of the Joint Statement on China-US Economic and Trade Meeting in Geneva on May 12, China has acted responsibly, diligently fulfilling its commitments and actively working to uphold the consensus reached in Geneva. In contrast, the US has taken a series of restrictive actions against China. These actions, He said, seriously undermine the consensus reached during the talks and infringe upon China's legitimate rights and interests. "China is deeply dissatisfied with and firmly opposes these measures," He stated, urging the US to immediately cease such actions. "If the US continues to harm China's interests, China will take resolute and effective measures to safeguard its legitimate rights." "The US decision to halt ethane exports to China is a targeted and discriminatory move. It's not about building a reasonable or lawful system - it's about using exports as a tool of hegemony, undermining international trade and mutual trust," Zhou said, noting that this is a clear example of the US taking unilateral, discriminatory action, and in nature it is entirely different from China's export management of rare earths. The US has introduced retaliatory actions without sufficient justification and arbitrarily imposed restrictions, acting in a unilateral manner, Li Yong, a senior research fellow at the China Association of International Trade, told the Global Times on Thursday. "Our recent engagements in Geneva sent a positive signal for China-U.S. economic and trade relations, creating a good starting point, but the US should meet China halfway," Li said. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) Mother and her little daughter puting in savings into a white piggy bank. (Guido Mieth via Getty Images) Millions of people could be eligible to save an extra 1,200 through a savings scheme they are currently missing out on. People who claim universal credit looking for ways to make their money stretch a little further can earn 50p for every 1 they put away for the next four years through the government's Help to Save scheme. First launched in 2018, the scheme was extended in April and will now run until April 2027. While the government estimates that around 3 million people could benefit from Help to Save, just under 517,000 accounts have been opened since its launch in 2018. Here's what you need to know about Help to Save, including who is eligible, how to join and how much you can save. What is the Help to Save scheme? Help to Save is a type of savings account set up by the government to help lower income workers to build up funds. It allows people receiving universal credit to get a bonus of 50p for every 1 they save over 4 years. Help to Save is backed by the government so all savings in the scheme are secure. Who is the Help to Save scheme for? The Help to Save scheme is designed to help lower income households boost their savings. To qualify for the scheme, you must: Be a UK resident If you live overseas, be posted overseas as a crown servant or with the armed forces (or be their spouse or civil partner) Receive universal credit Have earned income of 1 or more in your (or your and your partner's, if it's a joint claim) last monthly assessment period Anna Stevenson, benefit expert at Turn2us - a charity that helps people living in poverty - told Yahoo News it "regularly hears from people receiving universal credit who are going without essentials." "Saving can feel next to impossible - especially with cuts looming for many. But for those who can put a little aside, the Help to Save scheme offers a useful way to build up even a small buffer against future shocks. How does the Help to Save scheme work? People put their deposits into a government Help to Save account. Each month, you can save anywhere between 1 to 50 by paying into the account with a debit card, standing order, or bank transfer. It's worth bearing in mind that you do not have to pay money in every month. While you can make as many deposits as you like over the course of each month, those deposits in total cannot exceed 50. The bonus is paid every two years. The first 50% is paid after that two-year period, calculated on the highest balance you had during those two years. The second 50% bonus is paid after four years, based on how much your highest balance increased in years three and four compared to the initial two-year period. It's worth bearing in mind that you can only withdraw money from your Help to Save account to your bank account. How do the bonuses work, and how much will I save? You get paid bonuses from the government at the end of the second and fourth years of saving. Theyre based on how much youve saved. These won't be paid into your help to save account, but directly into your bank account. For example, for every 100 you deposit, you get 50 from the government. If you save the maximum amount, 50 a month for two years totalling 1,200 your bonus after two years would be 600. If you then save another 50 a month for the next two years another 1,200 your total bonus after four years would be another 600, for a total of 1,200 in government bonuses. How much you save The government bonus 100 50 500 250 1,000 500 2,400 (max) 1,200 (max) How can I apply for the scheme? Youll need to sign in to set up a Help to Save account. This can be done through the government website. Youll be able to create sign in details when you log in for the first time. Youll need your National Insurance number or postcode and two of the following: A valid UK passport A UK photocard driving licence issued by the DVLA (or DVA in Northern Ireland) Details from a self assessment tax return in the last 2 years, if you made one Information held on your credit record, if you have one (such as loans, credit cards or mortgages) Youll be asked to provide your UK bank details when you apply. After you have applied, you can also sign in to your Help to Save account through the HMRC app. Can the scheme affect my benefits? Whether you have a single or joint claim, universal credit claimants can save up to 6,000 without there being any impact on your benefits. After this point, for every 250 you have in savings over 6,000, you'll lose 4.35/month of universal credit and 1 of council tax reduction. For example, if your combined savings total was 7,000, you'd get 17.40/month less via universal credit and 4 less via a council tax reduction on your annual bill. It's worth double checking whether joining the scheme can take you over the limit. The benefit is, however, how much you can tailor your savings. By calculating the monthly amount you can save with the added government bonus you can ensure you make the most of the scheme without going over the savings threshold for universal credit. The endorsement comes days after the Democratic mayoral primary debate. Photograph: Debra L Rothenberg/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock Andrew Cuomos bid to become New York Citys mayor received a surprising boost on Friday when one of his rivals, the Queens state senator Jessica Ramos, endorsed the former governor after having previously questioned his mental acuity and describing him as a bully with a record of sexual misconduct allegations. Ramos punctuated her stunning U-turn with a surprise appearance at a campaign rally in Manhattan, where she hugged Cuomo and said she believed he was the one best positioned right now to protect this city. We need someone in City Hall who knows how to hold the line and deliver under pressure, Ramos said in a statement shared on Cuomos campaign website, just weeks after she claimed his mental acuity is in decline. Ramos also said she had worked with Cuomo to raise wages, protect immigrant workers, and pass major labor reforms, and she added that she believed he could go toe-to-toe with the Donald Trump administration when it counts. Related: New York City Democratic mayoral primary debate: six key takeaways The endorsement from Ramos comes days after the first New York City Democratic mayoral primary debate, during which Cuomo faced attacks over his gubernatorial administrations handling of nursing home deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic and sexual harassment allegations against him that prompted his resignation. In 2021, Ramos was one of the first Democratic lawmakers to call for Cuomo to resign over those sexual harassment allegations, which he has denied. An investigation by the state attorney general found he sexually harassed nearly a dozen women most of whom worked for him and also retaliated after some made complaints. Ramos in March accused Cuomos mayoral run of being a vanity comeback tour. She said Cuomo brings nothing to this race but baggage. Hard pass on Andrew, she wrote. Also in March, she called Cuomo a corrupt bully with a record of alleged sexual misconduct. As recently as Wednesday, Ramos said she wished she lived in a city where voters cared about women getting harassed. We talk about it all the time, but Im not running about Andrew Cuomos record, she told Politico. Im running on my own record. Ramoss allies on the progressive left greeted her endorsement of Cuomo with dismay including several organizations that had backed her mayoral candidacy. The Working Families party said it was sad and disappointed by Ramoss desperate decision. The New York City council member Chi Osse said he was hurt by Ramoss announcement. Ive always respected her for the work shes done for our city and state, Osse wrote on X. To see her throw all of her values away and betray the [New Yorkers] shes been fighting for is heartbreaking and disgusting. The actor Cynthia Nixon, who ran and lost to Cuomo in the 2018 Democratic primary, said on X that she was choosing to remember the Jessica Ramos who supported the women who were sexually harassed, remembered the people Cuomo sent to die in nursing homes [and] always called out Cuomos corruption, mismanagement [and] lies. Ill miss that Ramos, Nixon added. Where did she go? Ramos said her decision to back Cuomo was what is known as a cross-endorsement, for she does not intend to drop out of the race, which uses ranked-choice voting. Cuomo, meanwhile, told reporters on Friday he would not be returning the favor and endorsing Ramos. However, in a statement, Cuomo said: Senator Ramos is a fighter for working New Yorkers, and we are all better off for her leadership. Senator Ramos and I are both tough and protective of our families and neighbors, and by extension we are protective of all New Yorkers. The closely watched mayoral race in heavily Democratic New York City has largely settled into a two-way fight between Cuomo, the current frontrunner, and the democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani. The incumbent Eric Adams is running as an independent. On Thursday, Mamdani received the prominent endorsement of US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who told New York Times that Mamdani demonstrated a real ability on the ground to put together a coalition of working-class New Yorkers that is strongest to lead the pack. Ocasio-Cortez ranked five candidates but left Ramos off her slate. HMAS Canberra in Sydney Harbour. The ship inadvertently blocked wireless internet services in parts of New Zealand as it approached the capital. Photograph: Jenny Evans/Getty Images The Australian defence force (ADF) has conceded that one of its ships inadvertently blocked wireless internet and radio services across swathes of New Zealands North and South islands this week. The incident occurred on Wednesday morning as HMAS Canberra, one of the largest ships in the Royal Australian Navy, was on its way to Wellington, where it ultimately arrived on Thursday. As HMAS Canberra was passing along New Zealands coast on its approach to Wellington, its navigation radar interfered with wireless and radio signals over a large area spanning Taranaki in the North Island to the Marlborough region in the South Island. It is understood that when the radar was heard on the frequency used by many internet providers and radio stations, those commercial operators had to stop using the channel. One local tech boss claimed disruptions began shortly after 2am local time. The New Zealand defence force said it contacted its Australian counterpart after the issue was reported. HMAS Canberra became aware that their navigation radar was interfering with Wi-Fi in the Taranaki to the Marlborough region on approach to Wellington, an ADF spokesperson said. On becoming aware, HMAS Canberra changed frequencies rectifying the interference. There are no ongoing disruptions. The New Zealand defence force said it now considered the incident resolved. Dan OGrady, the manager of radio spectrum policy and planning at New Zealands ministry of business, innovation and employment, said the countrys radio spectrum management regime provides access to a wide range of different radio spectrum bands for different purposes, some of which involve sharing. Some spectrum bands are free of charge and available for anyone to use such as the shared spectrum bands for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The interference that occurred on Wednesday was in one of these shared bands, OGrady said. Related: UK defence review says Aukus is on schedule but fears remain over possible capability gap for Australia BrianFM, a radio station based in the South Island town of Blenheim and which broadcasts across the island, said it had to switch to a backup system to continue to broadcast. We like to be, you know, pretty reliable and robust, and it certainly took us out and numerous others, the stations founder, Andrew Jeffries, told the news outlet Stuff. Matthew Harrison, the managing director of the New Zealand wireless internet and mobile telecommunications company Primo, said its not every day a warship takes your gear offline. This wasnt just a blip, Harrison wrote in a post on LinkedIn. It was full-scale, military-grade radar triggering built-in safety protocols designed to protect airspace. It rolled across our network in sync with the ships movement. Weve never seen anything like it here before! Harrison then joked: Hey Royal Australian Navy where can we send the bill? Donald Trump-style blanket travel bans on foreign citizens could be viable in the UK, Kemi Badenoch has said after giving a speech about law and immigration. The Conservative party leader said she had not seen Trumps list of banned countries but said: I think there are scenarios where that is viable. Earlier this week the US president signed a travel ban on 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar and Haiti, citing national security risks. Nationals from those countries will not be allowed to enter the US unless they qualify for an exemption. Seven other countries will face partial restrictions. Asked whether she would ever consider implementing a similar system in the UK, Badenoch said: Parliament needs to be able to decide who comes into the country, for how long, and who needs to leave, and that does include travel bans. On a country-specific basis its much tougher, its often more vague. But I think there are scenarios where that is viable. She added: That doesnt mean that I agree with what Donald Trump has done, I havent actually seen the list of countries that hes banned people from. Im much more focused on whats happening here. Badenoch was speaking at the Royal United Services Institute, a defence thinktank in Whitehall, where she announced the launch of a legal process to determine whether the Conservatives would endorse calls for the UK to leave the European convention on human rights (ECHR). The Tory leader faced questions about her partys collapsing popularity compared with the surge of Nigel Farages Reform UK. Her party came fourth in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse byelection for the Scottish parliament overnight. Labour beat the Scottish National party in a surprise result, winning 8,559 votes and a majority of 602. Reform UK finished third on 7,088 votes and the Tories were a distant fourth on 1,621. Asked about the result, Badenoch said the Scottish constituency was not the place where the Conservative party fightback starts. She said: We live in a very competitive political environment, and we have made it very clear that the situation has changed and we have to be different, and that is what my job is right now to change the Conservative party to make sure we can fight in an era of multiparty politics. Badenoch insisted that every week it gets better and better, amid questions about her performance as Tory leader. People often assume that the minute you come into a job like the leader of the opposition, thats it, youre ready to do it, she said. It actually takes quite a while to learn how to do the job, and what I have been saying is that every week it gets better and better. Every week I have more experience. And this is what every leader of the opposition has found, from Margaret Thatcher to David Cameron, that is what it has been like. So when people assume that what they see on day one is what theyre going to get in four years, theyre completely forgetting that so much happens, the situation changes. In her speech, Badenoch said the ECHR had become a sword to attack democratic decisions and that nearly all her shadow ministers had complained that it presented obstacles in their portfolios. She said she had asked David Wolfson, the shadow attorney general, to examine the consequences of withdrawing from the ECHR, with a decision to be announced at the Tory conference in October. She said she was not convinced by remarks from the head of the Council of Europe, which oversees the ECHR, who said the convention must adapt. A BBC Bargain Hunt art expert who failed to report a series of high-value art sales to a man suspected of financing militant group Hezbollah has been jailed for two-and-a-half years. Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53, sold artwork worth around 140,000 to Nazem Ahmad, a man designated by US authorities as a suspected financier for the Lebanese organisation. Ojiri, of Brent, north London, previously pleaded guilty to eight offences under section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000. He is believed to be the first person to be charged with the specific offence. One of the invoices Oghenochuko Ojiri sent to Nazem Ahmad (Metropolitan Police/PA) The art dealer, who has also appeared on the BBCs Antiques Road Trip, was charged with failing to disclose information about transactions in the regulated art market sector on or before dates between October 2020 and December 2021. US prosecutors say Mr Ahmad was a major Hezbollah financial donor who used high-value art and diamonds to launder money and fund the group. He is accused of evading terrorism sanctions by using front companies to acquire more than 160 million dollars (120 million) in artwork and diamond services. Oghenochuko Ojiri has been jailed (Metropolitan Police/PA) Following the introduction of new money laundering regulations in January 2020 that brought the art market under HMRC supervision, Ojiri is said to have discussed the changes with a colleague, indicating awareness of the rules. The court previously heard the total value of the artwork sold was around 140,000. The defendant was, at the relevant time, the owner and operator of Ramp Gallery latterly Ojiri Gallery, Lyndon Harris, prosecuting, said. Mr Ahmad is understood to be based in Beirut, the court heard. Mr Harris said: The defendant engaged in discussions with and sales over a 14-month period with Nazem Ahmad and his associates, selling art to the value of 140,000 over that period. The court previously heard the total value of the artwork sold was around 140,000 (Met Police/PA) The defendant knew Mr Ahmad had been sanctioned in the US, a previous hearing was told. Ahmads phone number was saved on Ojiris phone as Moss, the court heard. (It) appears to have been a name deliberately chosen to disguise Mr Ahmad as being one of his contacts, the prosecutor said. He added that Ojiri was warned by others about his conduct but proceeded to engage in dealings with Ahmad in any event. Gavin Irwin, defending, said Ojiri was arrested while filming a BBC TV programme. He said: He has lost the work he loves. He was arrested while filming a BBC television programme. He has already lost, of course, his good name, he was until recently a man of good character. He said the defendant had been naive in relation to his participation in Ahmads art market, but that he was preyed on by more sophisticated others. Mr Irwin also said the defendant has lost his business, accepted that he had done wrong and wanted to apologise for undermining trust in the industry and also to apologise for the distress that he has caused principally to those who know him, who love him, but also those who have supported him throughout his career. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb sentenced Ojiri to two years and six months in prison at the Old Bailey on Friday, with a further year to be spent on licence. She told Ojiri he had been involved in a commercial relationship for prestige and profit, and that he had been seeking the kudos of dealing with an eminent name in the dealing world. She added: You knew about Ahmads suspected involvement in financing terrorism and the way the art market can be exploited by someone like him. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said that until these events he was someone to be admired and added this is the nadir there is one direction your life can go and I am confident that you will not be in front of the courts again. The judge said the offences were so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified. Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Mets Counter Terrorism Command, said: The prosecution, using specific Terrorism Act legislation is the first of its kind, and should act as a warning to all art dealers that we can, and will, prosecute those who knowingly do business with people identified as funders of terrorist groups. Oghenochuko Ojiri wilfully obscured the fact he knew he was selling artwork to Nazem Ahmad, someone who has been sanctioned by the UK and US Treasury and described as a funder of the proscribed terrorist group Hizballah. Financial investigation is a crucial part of the counter terrorism effort. A team of specialist investigators, analysts and researchers in the NTFIU work all year round to prevent money from reaching the hands of terrorists or being used to fund terrorist attacks. Bethan David, head of the CPS Counter Terrorism Division, said: It is clear that Oghenochuko Ojiri was aware of new money laundering regulations in the art world and that he had knowledge of Nazem Ahmads background. Ojiri engaged in activity designed to conceal the identity of the true purchaser by changing the details on invoices and storing Mr Ahmads name under a different alias in his mobile phone. His motivation appears to be financial along with a broader desire to boost his gallerys reputation within the art market by dealing with such a well-known collector. Ojiri has appeared on a number of BBC shows including Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip as a freelance presenter and is understood not to have worked on BBC programmes since 2023. He described himself as absolutely obsessed with collecting contemporary art in a BBC Q&A. He has previously worked as an auctioneer and is known for championing African and European contemporary art. Hezbollah is a Shia Islamist political and militant group based in Lebanon, backed by Iran and known for its armed resistance against Israel. In the UK, the entire organisation both its military and political wings has been banned as a terrorist group since 2019. June 6, 2025: Latvia, one of the three Baltic states, is delivering 15,000 drones to Ukraine by the middle of 2025. The international drone coalition, led by Lithuania and Britain, was formed in early 2024 to organize drone shipments to Ukraine from countries willing and able to do so. Meanwhile Ukraine is currently producing 200,000 drones a month and expects to deliver about three million drones in 2025. Latvia borders Lithuania, Belarus, Russia and Estonia and sees itself on the list of future Russian conquests if Ukraine is defeated. Russia has already announced that it is prepared to take on NATO countries like Lithuania once Ukraine is defeated. Ukraine considers drones a decisive weapon in their war with Russia. Ukraine basically invented modern drone technology and tactics. Drone production in 2024 was 1.5 million drones. That will double in 2025. There have been problems. Chinese component producers are having a hard time keeping up. At least 70 percent of Ukrainian drones are built entirely in Ukraine, and the rest from imported parts or whole assemblies. Some Ukrainian firms have improvised by using plywood and similar materials for their drones. For the FPV First Person View drones, cheaper is better if the drone can hit its first and only target. Most Ukrainian drones are FPV models, which are considered a form of ammunition. The soldier operating the FPV is a kilometer or more away and uses FPV goggles to see what the day/night video camera on the UAV can see. Adding night vision doubles the cost for each UAV, so not all of them have that capability. Each of these UAVs carries half a kilogram of explosives, so it can instantly turn the UAV into a flying bomb that can fly into a target and detonate. This is an awesome and debilitating weapon that has been used constantly in the last year. Some of the video is captured and posted on social media. These videos show Russian soldiers in large numbers being terrified of UAV sounds over the combat zone. Ukraine also developed an interceptor drone that can destroy other drones. This is achieved by using FPV drones to detect the enemy drone and destroy it via collision. This is made possible by using drones controlled by FPV operators. While the first FPV drones were quadcopters, the interceptor drones are faster fixed wing models that look like remotely controlled model aircraft. The interceptor drones are used to take down Russian reconnaissance and surveillance drones that locate targets for Russian artillery, and for air strikes by manned aircraft or explosives equipped FPV drones that can go after a moving target. Unlike manned aircraft, drones are smaller and slower with top speeds of 100 to 150 kilometers an hour and only operate at low altitudes under 1,600 meters. Note that these drones are still unable to catch helicopters, which they could damage. Fixed wing aircraft, like jet fighters, are another matter as they rarely fly low enough for the drones to reach, much less hit such a fast-moving aircraft. The Ukrainians have been able to incorporate the new killer drone capability into their air defense systems, which means the air defense radars and fire control systems recognize drones large enough, or metallic enough, to show up on radar. Modern aircraft tracking radars are not designed to detect, much less track, small slow and low flying drones. The Russian solution to this Ukrainian interference is to send more surveillance drones accompanied by attack drones to overwhelm the Ukrainian air defense system. Sometimes this works for a while, but the Ukrainians are generally faster to improvise and modify systems that dont work until they do. Russian forces rely more on massive use of whatever they have. This sometimes works because, as the Russians like to point out, quantity has a quality all its own. That worked until it didnt as the Ukrainians found ways to quickly overwhelm Russian defensive measures and destroy more of their artillery target spotting and reconnaissance drones in several areas. If the Ukrainians can continue to manufacture lots of these interceptor drones that simply collide with their targets, the Russians are in big trouble because Ukrainian artillery can operate more freely and effectively and suffer lower losses. Ukrainian long-range drones have devastated Russian oil storage and refining sites in western Russia. Factories for producing electronic components of drones have also been destroyed as well as a large storage site for military equipment. This went up in a spectacular explosion that could be seen over ten kilometers away. Ukrainian drone attacks have temporarily shut Moscow airports and even damaged buildings on the outskirts of Moscow. Russia is forced to use multi-million-dollar air defence missiles to shoot down some of these drones. The Ukrainians have developed swarm tactics that get past this and hit their targets. The attacks in and around Russian cities reminds the average Russian that the Ukrainians are on the verge of defeat. By the end of the year Russian civilians may witness the defeat of their forces in the Ukraine War. Right now, EU-member states are united in their resolve not to capitulate in the face of Donald Trumps demands. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters In Brussels corridors of power, quiet optimism is growing that the EUs hardball strategy to secure a US trade deal is working. While Britain quickly moved to try to cushion the impact of Donald Trumps tariffs with a deal agreed last month and US-Chinese relations are a tit-for-tat situation the EU has taken a different stance. We are positioning ourselves between rollover UK and retaliatory China, said a Brussels source. The stakes are not just the 706bn in transatlantic trade between the EU and US but the fallout from what diplomats and businesses say is a dangerous assault on the global rules-based system that governs western democracy. The only thing that appeals to Trump is power. Amid all the nausea and uncertainty here, there is a significant chance the EU will go the whole way and not do a deal, said a diplomat in the Belgian capital. If the EU doesnt stand up to Trump or demand the rigours of rules, the question will be: what is left of the international rules based system? the source added, noting the risk to employment rights, free speech, social welfare and public care. The EUs steadfast strategy is high-risk, and has weeks to play out before the 90-day pause in Trumps threat to impose 20% tariffs on all EU imports ends in July. He has already slapped a 10% tariff on all exports, with more on autos and steel, which this week went to 50%. If in the end, if we are the only ones on the pitch, people will start to say we should have been more like the Chinese, said one EU official, with demands for retaliation expected to arise very quickly from member states. The biggest pothole in what threatens to be a bumpy road ahead may be a Nato summit on 24 June when Trump, who has shown visceral antipathy towards the EU, may find fault in what he considers freeloading allies. Right now, EU member states are united in their resolve not to capitulate in the face of his demands, which include the removal of non-tariff barriers such as food standards. What the US is doing has brought us together, and theres a sense of urgency of that cooperation within the 27 that is quite important, says one diplomat. There is even a growing acceptance that US tariffs of more than 10% are a long-term reality. Ideally less than 10%, so it doesnt look like we have rolled over, says one Brussels official. Before Trump took office for the second time the average tariff on US imports in the EU was about 2.5%. The EUs chief negotiator, Maros Sefcovic, said on multiple occasions this week that he was optimistic a deal would be done, but back at base, trade war preparations continue. We are keeping the gun on the shelf. We dont want to use it, but we want them to know it is there, said one diplomat. Sefcovic said on Friday he had held another call with the US secretary of commerce, Howard Lutnick. Our time and effort fully invested, as delivering forward-looking solutions remains a top EU priority. Staying in permanent contact, he wrote on X. Meanwhile, twin talks took place this week in Paris at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and in Washington with a team of EU officials led by Tomas Baert, trade adviser to the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen. Those talks helped clean the slate, clear the table, Sefcovic told a conference organised by the European Policy Centre, a thinktank, on Thursday in Brussels. He added that he had also discussed the continued threat of sectoral tariffs on pharmaceuticals and semiconductors with the US trade representative Jamieson Greer in Paris. Sefcovic said his message was that the US and the EU had mutual interests in re-industrialisation on both sides of the Atlantic, and in minimising Chinas unstoppable rise in key sectors such as electric vehicles and steel. Any obstacle in the middle of the Atlantic would simply make them less competitive and more vulnerable. This is the diplomatic, political but also very technical discussions we are having, he said. Up to now negotiations have been somewhat hampered by the parallel universe occupied by the US president, and White House and EU officials. Last month, Trump, out of the blue, threatened and then unthreatened to slap a 50% tariff on all EU imports, claiming Brussels was dragging its feet to put it mildly. This came as a surprise to Maros, because he had been in talks since February, said one source. But because this is an imperial court, it is the emperor who will decide when talks are happening. The volatility in the transatlantic relationship on European business is unprecedented. I have been here 10 years and I have never seen this level of nervousness, not during the pandemic, not after the invasion of Ukraine, said a director at one trade group representing dozens of multinationals in Brussels, who declined to be named. Luisa Santos, the deputy director general at Confederation of Business Europe, which represents 42 national business federations, said trade would, like water, find its course but investment could prove the collateral damage. The whole basis of trade is WTO [World Trade Organization] rules, she said. We agreed on the rules and they were accepted the consequences. Now the rule is the power game: I will impose what I think is best for me, and the bigger players with more power determine the rules and that is a huge change. Santos added: I think the biggest shock in Europe is that we were supposed to be the traditional allies. But now we are basically put on the same basket as China. Kyle Martin, the vice-president of European affairs at the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, whose members include Boeing and Airbus, said tariffs would end a 45-year-old US-EU agreement that aviation construction, which relies on a global supply chain, was duty-free. A Boeing 787 gets its front fuselage from Italy, its wings from Japan and doors from France, with assembly at home in Seattle, he pointed out. I dont see this having a positive [outcome] for either Boeing or Airbus or any other manufacturer. Everyone will be impacted because everyones got an interconnected supply chain. But while negotiations with the US continue, new EU agreements with India, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, South Africa and Australia are also on the cards. Ultimately it is the profound shift in the world order that is bothering many in Brussels. The US was behaving like a very unevolved state, said one EU source, like a developing country that relied on customs duties for national revenue in the absence of income tax, corporate tax and VAT. Maybe this is what Trump wants, a smaller, leaner weaker state where everybody has to pay for themselves, they said. The US star performed with extraordinary charisma - Parkwood Entertainment/PA Wire The British weather may have rained on Beyonces parade but the self-styled Queen Bee reigned supreme. As a wet drizzle briefly swept through Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the middle of her set, the US superstar only seemed to become more empowered, smiling brighter, singing sweeter, then mounting a giant gold mechanical bull and executing a sassy, seductive dance routine in a slinky skin-tight costume as if there was nothing she liked better than a cold shower at the rodeo. Well, I guess she knew she had a veritable war zones worth of pyrotechnic explosions to warm her up later. We hear a lot about soft power these days, but in terms of cultural heft and sheer firepower, American superstar Beyonce hit Britain soft and hard. It was a show of spectacle and seduction, of bone-rattling volume and heart-beating musicality, of surprisingly hard-hitting politics and uplifting emotion. Beyonce has brought her Cowboy Carter tour to London - Julian Dakdouk It was American to the core: while draped in a visually dazzling array of classic American iconography, from a huge LED stars and stripes to the star posing as a blindfolded statue of Liberty, it was certainly not a vision of American greatness that the current US regime would care for. The show was draped in a visually dazzling array of American iconography - Instagram/Beyonce Beyonce gave us a version of the Star Spangled Banner set to Jimi Hendrixs coruscating Woodstock deconstruction of the US national anthem, and punched out a hard-hitting demolition of endemic racism whilst dressed in a newsprint outfit decorated with the slogan America Has A Problem. Beyonce played 17 songs from last years country masterpiece Cowboy Carter - Parkwood Entertainment/PA Wir Bruce Springsteen recently stirred President Trumps ire with a British tour full of fiery speeches and passionate polemical rock but Beyonce arguably made just as compelling a statement about Americas fading dreams while dancing around a stage in cowboy chaps and a slinky leotard. Beyonce fans flocked to the stadium in north London - Belinda Jiao For The Telegraph The UK audience did not seem to object to this US focus at all, having arrived dressed in enough cowboy hats and boots to stage a re-enactment of How The West Was Won. Beyonce circled the stadium suspended in mid-air in a classic American car - Instagram/Beyonce This was the opening of a six-night stadium residency, which will see Beyonce perform to about a quarter of a million people. It may not be quite a match for Taylor Swift, who entertained over a million fans (1.38 million) in the UK last year, but in terms of scale, chutzpah, choreography and sheer bravura vocal pyrotechnics, Beyonce absolutely bossed it. Beyonces spectacular stadium show was surprisingly political - Parkwood Entertainment/PA Wire It is a bombastic spectacular attack on so many levels, but at base level she knows she can out-sing almost anyone on Earth, delivering a stripped-back version of her song Daughter that would have had them tossing bouquets at the Royal Opera House. There may be pop stars who sell much more than Beyonce, but its hard to argue that theres any more talented and charismatic right now. Beyonce fan Dyon (R) with friends in glamorous attire for Beyonces concert - Belinda Jiao For The Telegraph Her latest tour is based closely around her latest album, which is a bold move for a stadium show. Beyonce squeezed in snippets of all her monster hits but played 17 songs from last years warped country masterpiece, Cowboy Carter. And her audience knew every lyric and sang along like it was their perfect set. I love being closer to you all, she beamed, while flying around the stadium on a glowing horseshoe. Spoken like a true Queen. We should debate whether the burka belongs in a nation founded in Christianity, says Richard Tice - Getty Images Europe Richard Tice, the Reform UK deputy leader, has called the burka repressive amid a division within the party over whether they should be banned. Mr Tice said women who wear burkas should be asked if it is genuinely their choice, adding he was pretty concerned about the use of the religious garment in Britain. His comments come after the resignation of Zia Yusuf, Reforms chairman, who split with MPs over the issue before saying he no longer thought it was a good use of his time to work for the party. Mr Tice told BBC Radio 4s Today programme on Friday: I think it is right that we should have a debate about whether or not the burka is appropriate for a nation thats founded in Christianity, where women are equal citizens and should not be viewed as second-class citizens. Asked whether he supported a ban, he said he was pretty concerned about whether the burka was a repressive item of clothing, adding: Lets ask women who wear the burka, is that genuinely their choice? Zia Yusuf stepped down from his position as party chairman over the burka ban issue - Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Sarah Pochin, Reforms newest MP, asked Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Ministers Questions on Wednesday whether he would support a burka ban. A Reform spokesman said it was not the partys policy to ban the burka, and a day later Mr Yusuf said on social media that it had been dumb for a party to ask the PM if he would do something the party itself wouldnt do. The former chairman also said he did not know that Ms Pochin was planning to ask about the issue. Nigel Farage, the Reform leader, said he had had only 10 minutes notice that Mr Yusuf was going to resign, adding he was genuinely sorry that his chairman had decided to stand down. But Mr Farage hinted that he would be willing to discuss a ban on the burka, and face coverings more widely, after antifa activists greeted him on a campaign stop this week in Aberdeen. I dont think face coverings in public places make sense and I think we deserve a debate about that, of which I see the burka of being a part, he said. Lee Anderson, the partys chief whip, said the UK should ban the burka, adding: No one should be allowed to hide their identity in public. The row came as Reform had hoped to win or come a close second in a by-election for the Holyrood seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse. In the end, the party came third with 7,088 votes, 869 votes behind the SNP and 1,471 behind the winning Labour candidate. Reform UKs deputy leader, Richard Tice, said he was thrilled to bits - but his party couldnt pull off the totemic victory that at one stage seemed possible - Jane Barlow/PA Wire For Nigel Farage, it was a case of what if? For the Tories, it was a case of what now? The Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election failed to produce the totemic victory for Reform UK that had at one stage seemed possible, and it is tempting to wonder how different the night might have been had the partys chairman not quit hours before the polls closed. Labour, who had been predicted to come third, unexpectedly and narrowly won, gaining 602 votes more than the SNP, with Reform a further 887 votes behind. Make no mistake, coming third with 26 per cent of the vote still represents an impressive result for Mr Farages party, and is hugely unsettling for Labour, despite its win on the night, and the SNP, which remains in deep trouble. One prediction that did come true, though, was the Conservatives dismal fourth-placed finish, with just six per cent of the vote. The last time this Scottish Parliament seat was contested, in 2021, the Conservatives took 17.5 per cent of the votes, almost triple the vote share they got this time around. It is more bad news for Kemi Badenoch, whose opponents will cite it as fresh evidence that she is failing to turn around the partys fortunes. Scottish Conservatives will now be asking where on earth they go from here. Expect one word to crop up repeatedly as voters on the Right of politics digest this result: pact. Much as Mr Farage and Mrs Badenoch hate to discuss it, the fact remains that the combined votes for Reform and the Conservatives would have been enough to win this by-election. It is entirely possible that by the time the 2029 general election comes around, the maths on a national level might look similar, with the two parties facing a simple choice of working together to defeat Labour or allowing Sir Keir Starmer a free pass to remain in Number 10. Mr Farage insists that Reform does not need the Tories to win in 2029, and that he will never again withdraw candidates from Westminster constituencies as he did in 2019. Mrs Badenoch says she would never do a deal with a party that wants to destroy the Conservatives. Many voters on the Right would dearly love the two to put their differences aside for the sake of the country, and the Hamilton by-election will strengthen their case. Four years is an awfully long time, though, and the electoral picture could look very different by then. The Tories will cling to the hope that Reform will implode, and many MPs believe it already has, with the astonishing resignation of much-lauded party chairman Zia Yusuf while the polls were still open on Thursday. The fact that Mr Yusuf a Muslim in whom Mr Farage had placed so much faith to make Reform ready for power effectively said he no longer regarded Reform as fit to govern will be used against Mr Farage over and over again right up until 2029. The timing of Mr Yusufs dramatic departure, more than four hours before the polls closed in Hamilton, makes the result all the harder to contextualise: does the partys chunky vote share (in a country that voted Remain, no less) represent further proof of Reforms unstoppable rise, or will it represent a high watermark in Scotland? If it is the former, Mr Farage will remain confident of winning in 2029 without any help from the Tories. If it is the latter, and Mrs Badenoch manages to prove her doubters wrong by rebuilding trust in the Conservatives, it could yet be that Reform goes into the next general election as the junior partner in some sort of electoral pact. Politics, as the last 24 hours has just proved, has never been less predictable. Nigel Farages party has been gaining traction, fuelling tensions within the Labour Party - Toby Melville/Reuters Labour will be eaten if it tries to copy Reform UK, Sir Keir Starmer has been warned. Lord Kinnock, the former Labour leader who now sits in the House of Lords, said the Prime Minister had been not well advised on how to tackle the rise of Nigel Farages party. He suggested that attempts to ape Reforms language were mortally stupid, and advised the party that achievement in Government was the best way to counter the Reform threat. Lord Kinnock told Prospect Magazine: Appeasers get eaten. Its very important to remember that if people are offered two versions of a particular political brand, they will always choose the genuine one. He added: If a progressive party is trying to use the vocabulary of isolationism or segregation or division, its the same. It is silly to do that. It isnt evil, but it is very, very silly maybe mortally stupid. The former Labour leaders intervention is the latest development in growing tensions within the Labour Party about how to tackle the rising tide of Reform support. His remarks came after the Prime Minister announced measures to tackle immigration and a tightening of the system, warning that without such a move the UK risked becoming an island of strangers. The speech followed Labours drubbing in the local elections last month, where Reform won hundreds of council seats and seized the parliamentary seat of Runcorn and Helsby. The comments were supported by some figures in Red Wall seats, which are under greater threat from the surge in Reform support, but denounced by many Left-wing Labour MPs. Lord Kinnock suggested that Sir Keir Starmers attempts to ape Reforms language were mortally stupid - Stefan Rousseau/PA Archive/PA Images Lord Kinnock said: I think there are elements in and around the Labour party encouraging that as a way of responding to Reform, and they are fundamentally, 100 per cent, 22-carat wrong. He added: I dont fear Reform, but I do think we ought to fight them rather harder and with more purpose. The peer told the magazine: The playbook is familiar to anybody who studied the 1930s in Europe and or indeed in the United States of America. Im not saying we are in any sense slipping towards some kind of fascist system But those factors and the way in which they generate division and envy and isolationism theyre unhealthy features of any democracy. On how to beat Reform, he said: Nothing replaces achievement in government, [concentrating on] what people regard to be the primary issues on the agenda, which is to say: health, decent jobs, affordable costs and wages that can meet those costs. Lord Kinnock led the Labour Party from 1983 to 1992, before famously losing the 1992 election to Sir John Major - Ayesha Kazim/Bloomberg Lord Kinnock led the Labour Party before famously losing the 1992 election to Sir John Major despite the polls being in his favour, leading to another five years of Conservative rule. The pro-Europe politician said that decisions to use phrases such as island of strangers and not to scrap the two-child benefit cap were based on post-Brexit preconceptions of the electorate. He said: Certainly there were elements among the advisory team who had an overreaction to the reason for, and the consequence of, the Brexit referendum vote. I think that overreaction has lasted through till now. I dont think that they are reactionary individuals. I dont think theyre frightened individuals. I think they have overreacted to a misinterpretation of what happened in 2016. The former leader went on to suggest that Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, should consider a wealth tax, citing as an example a two per cent levy on assets above 10 million. Property taxation in our country, asset taxation, is outdated, he added, as he urged the partys senior figures to be bolder. Theres a degree of steadiness from Keir which, on a good day, is very, very reassuring. However, that can translate into a paralytic caution. That means that this government, much as I love them and they know I do has got a kind of audacity deficit. Lord Kinnock appeared at Sir Keirs victory speech on the morning of July 5, when the Prime Minister led the party to a landslide win. Musk and Trump in a Tesla on the South Portico of the White House in March. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump has accused Elon Musk of losing his mind as the dramatic breakdown between the USs most powerful person and the worlds richest person escalated into a full-blown feud that could have seismic political and economic consequences. In a series of phone calls to US media on Friday morning, Trump snapped back at Musk, after the tech mogul and Republican financier launched an extraordinary social media attack on the president the day before, which ended with him accusing Trump of being named in the so-called Epstein files documents related to the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump went on his Truth Social platform on Friday and posted a statement attributed to the Epstein criminal defense attorney David Schoen that vehemently denied Musks accusation. I can say authoritatively, unequivocally and definitively that [Epstein] had no information to hurt President Trump, Schoens statement said. I specifically asked him! The row between Musk and Trump, who were near-constant companions during the later stages of the latters presidential campaign in 2024 and his first months back in the White House, showed no sign of abating, with Musks self-proclaimed status as first buddy rapidly disappearing in the rear-view mirror. Related: Trump v Musk: 10 ways they can further hurt each other Trump, who is not known to take criticism well, made his displeasure clear on Friday, doubling down on his newfound hostility to Musk, who spent nearly $300m to elect the 78-year-old. In an interview with ABC News, Trump was asked about reports of a potentially peacemaking phone call scheduled with Musk for later in the day, to which Trump responded: You mean the man who has lost his mind? and added that he was not particularly interested in talking to his former confidant right now. The president also spoke to CNN, saying: Im not even thinking about Elon. Hes got a problem. The poor guys got a problem, and told Politico that the relationship with Musk was going very well, never done better. The New York Times reported that, in private conversations, Trump had attributed Musks behavior to drug use. As well as giving many people a reason to return to X the social media site Musk owns and where he has recently been amplifying rightwing, pro-Trump views the bitter fight could heavily affect the political landscape. Musk suggested starting a new political party, one that actually represents the 80% in the middle, and, given his wealth, he would be able to pump millions into next years midterm elections, potentially influencing races across the country. In the space industry, meanwhile, Nasa has become increasingly reliant on Musks SpaceX company, with the Dragon spacecraft being used to transport the agencys astronauts to and from the International Space Station, and Musk pledged to decommission the Dragon in the wake of the Trump fight. He quickly signalled an about-face, but it was a reminder of Musks influence, which is further bolstered by the key role the Starlink satellite broadband platform plays in Ukraines fight against the Russian invasion. Trump, meanwhile, threatened to cancel Musks US government contracts, and the presidents ally Steve Bannon suggested that Musk, a South African-born American citizen, should be deported from the country immediately. In a sign of the immediate impact on Musk, his net worth fell by $33bn on Thursday alone, while shares in his car company Tesla initially dropped by about 14.2%, wiping roughly $152bn off the value of the company. The rolling quarrel began after Musk criticized Trumps big, beautiful bill tax and spending legislation that experts say would add $2.4tn to the national debt, strip more than 10 million people of their health insurance and enshrine tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Trump said he was very disappointed in Elon over the criticism, as Musk said Trumps trade policies would cause a recession, before the dispute escalated wildly. Many had predicted that the relationship between Musk and Trump, two men known for their large egos and unpredictable behavior, could not last, but the sheer level of vitriol stunned Americans and would seem to make a reconciliation unlikely. Musk did at least appear to proffer an olive branch in a reply to a post from the hedge fund owner Bill Ackman, who called on Trump and Musk to make peace for the benefit of our great country, but on Friday Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, told NBC News there are no plans for a call between the two men. In the meantime, it was business as usual for Trump on Friday, with the president offering a series of misleading takes on the US job market, which new figures show slowed in May. Musk was unusually quiet on social media, as Teslas shares rebounded somewhat from Thursdays loss, rising by 6%, although at least one customer seemed keen to divest from the company: the White House said on Friday that Trump plans to sell his Tesla Model S. Enrique Tarrio, former leader of the far-right group the Proud Boys, walks away from the US Capitol after a news conference on 21 February 2025. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Enrique Tarrio, the former national leader of the far-right Proud Boys group, and four other members convicted of orchestrating the deadly 6 January 2021 US Capitol attack are suing the federal government for allegedly violating their rights. A lawsuit filed on Friday in federal court in Florida alleges that FBI agents and prosecutors acted with personal malice when they investigated and charged the five, who were all granted pardons or commutations when Donald Trump returned to office in January. Tarrio and fellow plaintiffs Zachary Rehl, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs and Dominic Pezzola are seeking unspecified compensatory damages, plus $100m each in punitive damages, according to the lawsuit filed in US district court in Orlando. Tarrio received a 22-year prison sentence in September 2023 for his part in organizing the attack, even though he was not present when Trumps supporters overran the Capitol building bent on keeping him in power after his defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. Related: Former Capitol attack prosecutor slams Trump pardons of January 6 defendants Nordean, Biggs and Rehl were convicted of seditious conspiracy after the same trial which lasted almost four months and given lengthy prison terms. Pezzola was acquitted of seditious conspiracy but handed a 10-year sentence for convictions including destruction of government property. All four, along with 10 others, had their sentences commuted following Trumps sweeping action in January that also granted full and unconditional pardons for about 1,500 people involved in the violence, which was linked to several deaths and the injuries of about 140 law enforcement officers. Trumps order referred to the Capitol attack convicts as hostages and stated: This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation. According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which reported the lawsuit development on Friday, the plaintiffs claim the government lacked probable cause to raid their homes after they turned themselves in in connection with their indictments and that FBI employees reviewed privileged communications with their attorneys. Through the use of evidence tampering, witness intimidation, violations of attorney-client privilege, and placing spies to report on trial strategy, the government got its fondest wish of imprisoning the [January 6] defendants, the modern equivalent of placing ones enemies heads on a spike outside the town wall as a warning to any who would think to challenge the status quo, the lawsuit states. The document also complains that the men were poorly treated during their time in detention, held for an extended pre-trial period without bond, and held in solitary confinement without cause. The plaintiffs themselves did not obstruct the proceedings at the Capitol, destroy government property, resist arrest, conspire to impede the police, or participate in civil disorder, nor did they plan for or order anyone else to do so, the lawsuit continues, contesting evidence presented by prosecutors at their trial. Rather, mere statements of approval, agreement, and enthusiasm are apparently enough to form a criminal conspiracy, provided the points of view are offensive enough to employees of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice, no matter how attenuated from criminal action they may have been. Neither the FBI nor the justice department immediately responded to requests for comment. Both are now controlled by close Trump allies: Kash Patel, the FBI director, and Pam Bondi, the attorney general. Tarrio was arrested in Washington DC within a month of his release for allegedly striking a woman who was protesting against a gathering attended by Proud Boys members that received pardons. Two days later, he was captured in a video taken in the lobby of a Washington hotel haranguing officers who were injured during the insurrection as they attended a conference. In May, it was reported that the Trump administration had reached a $5m wrongful death settlement with the family of Ashli Babbitt, a Trump supporter who was fatally shot by a police officer as she attempted to break through a door into the speakers lobby at the Capitol while participating in the attack. Tarrio, from Miami, told the WSJ in an interview on Friday that he believed the legal environment had changed since Trumps re-election. He said he had finally been able to find a law firm to take his compensation case after failing to find lawyers in Florida to represent him in legal action against social media companies and banks he said had deplatformed people for their political beliefs. Police vans leave the Madeleine McCann search operation in the Algarve. Photograph: Patricia de Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images The police have packed up, the diggers and radar scanners gone from the Algarve scrubland. The latest search for Madeleine McCann, the British toddler who vanished from a Portuguese holiday apartment 2007, has ended quietly without any apparent breakthrough. After 18 years of intermittent searches, this one, led by German police, may well be the last. In Praia da Luz, a seaside town etched into the worlds memory by the tragedy, that realisation lands with a mix of relief and weariness. Locals barely speak about the case now, if at all. The McCann investigation brought an unrelenting glare of media attention that many here would prefer to forget. But even as the formal search ends, the towns association with the disappearance of Madeleine remains stubbornly intact, kept alive not just by police work but also the trickle of true crime tourists retracing a story they know from Netflix specials and acres of news coverage over the past two decades. Some pose for selfies outside the Ocean Club holiday apartment where Madeleine was last seen, or dine in the complexs tapas restaurant where her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were eating when she vanished. Some play amateur sleuth in the towns cobbled alleyways as though they were the famous sets of a long-running drama. When British friends Joanne Sheppard, 60, and Jane Thorp, 61, began planning a trip together, they settled on Praia da Luz partly for that reason. When we decided to go on holiday, I said I would like to see the place where [Madeleine] went missing and Id like to sit and see the scope of the area so we could get a feel of various routes where maybe Gerry McCann and Kate walked, Sheppard said. The pair were outside the Ocean Club on Thursday morning to check if anyone was milling around the McCann apartment while German and Portuguese police were scouring scrubland and abandoned buildings a mile away in Atalaia, near Lagos, which was once home to a farming community. They had already spent hours at the tapas restaurant on Tuesday and had made plans to return. No one was speaking about Madeleine, Thorp said of their first visit. As they entered the resort, reception staff asked the women not to take photos but that did not stop Thorp, who said she was not as interested in the case as Sheppard. Someone is in that apartment at the moment, we saw them the other night, the carer from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire added. Sheppards interest in Madeleines disappearance was piqued when she watched an eight-part Netflix documentary series in 2019. I watched the Netflix series and then I started delving a bit deeper because something was amiss. And if you actually delve deeper and start with the PJ [Portuguese Policia Judiciaria] files, youll see a whole new truth emerge, the decorator from Nottingham said. She had been gripped by what she said were the numerous holes and contradictions in the case. She dismissed the latest searches as a whole waste of time, proffered theories and spoke of hard evidence and media manipulation before heading to the nearby beach for the day. Town residents feel uneasy about the ghoulish obsession with Madeleines disappearance. Metres away from the Ocean Club, at the Baptista supermarkets cafe, a British businessman, Tahir, who splits his time between London and the Algarve said he came across some tourists outside the McCann apartment just last week. Theyd obviously spotted it or theyd known where it was, and they were taking pictures of the apartment. I felt like going up to them and saying: Thats so morbid. Whats the matter with you people? the 45-year-old said. Theyve been doing that for years, replied David, 80, a British expat sitting at a nearby table. A lot of people come down here and they want to drive past that [building], just to say this is where it was. Simon Foy, the former head of the Metropolitan polices homicide and serious crime command, who led Operation Grange to find Madeleine in 2011 before retiring in 2012, said the case had captured the publics imagination because it embodied every parents nightmare. When I was working in homicide investigations in the Met, occasionally these cases would come along which for some reason just connected around the public consciousness, he said. Its a whole load of things: its a young blond girl, its a middle-class family, its a holiday, its every parents nightmare. All that sort of stuff very unpredictably would combine together and you would go from virtually minimal media interest and coverage to significant and substantial media coverage, and that was all before the days of social media. Foy, who has not been involved in the investigation since retiring, said the popularity of true crime documentaries and dramas in which complex cases are neatly wrapped up in one-hour episodes had also contributed to the publics enduring fascination with the case. What then happens is that you get peoples avid fascination and expectation that its all going to get solved really quickly, and its all nice and neat, and follows nice dramatic lines, and in reality it never does, he said. In real life, its messy, and you cant get anything more messy than the whole Madeleine McCann investigation, the whole saga. There are human beings, theres pressure and people make mistakes. Its different. Its never as perfect as its portrayed in the media world. But people are absolutely fascinated by a story like that, it just happens that this one is a real-life tragedy. It is this fascination with the case, and in turn Praia da Luz, that has led some residents to blame the McCanns for damaging the towns reputation. Road signs in the town were once defaced with graffiti reading McCann circus. The signs have now been cleaned up but still bear traces of the towns unease. Hundreds of journalists descended on the town to report on the mystery of the three-year-old girl, but tourism dropped and businesses suffered. This place was like a ghost town at one point, said Tahir, who did not want to give his surname. It is why he and many others hope the case can be solved. Everyone has got an interest in what happens to Madeleine. For locals, its still closure that theyre looking for. Its not just the family; everyone wants to know. Its gone on so long. There was a point where locals wanted to bury the story because it was affecting businesses and all the rentals went down, but I think its got over that point, Tahir said. A retired Portuguese businessman in his 60s, who did not want to give his name, said: [It has been] 18 years and weve had enough. For the family its a pity, but its enough. This area was full of people, it was a joy, a happy family place that was completely transformed and completely dead after [Madeleine disappeared]. Now its OK but it took 10 years. The search, the latest in a series of renewed efforts by German prosecutors, was said to have been the last chance to build a case against the prime suspect, Christian Bruckner. He denies any involvement. The countdown is now on to the 48-year-olds imminent release from a German prison, where he is being held for the rape of an American woman in Praia da Luz in 2005. After 18 years, hundreds of leads and still no trace of the missing girl, the emotional toll must weigh heavily on Madeleines family, who have not commented on this weeks search. And for a place that once hoped its name would be reclaimed by the sun, the sea and the quiet rhythm of local life, the McCann case still casts a long shadow, one that no end-of-search announcement can fully erase. Zia Yusuf quit as Reform chairman after a disagreement over an MPs call for a burka ban - Benjamin Cremel Nigel Farages bust-up with Zia Yusuf is only the latest in a string of extraordinary sackings, resignations and break-ups in his political career. Mr Yusuf, the former Reform UK chairman, quit on Thursday following a disagreement over a Reform MPs call for a burka ban. But Mr Farage has fallen out with multiple senior figures in the party and its predecessors, Ukip and the Brexit Party. Godfrey Bloom Nigel Farage was forced to suspend the Ukip party whip from economist Godfrey Bloom after he described women at a party conference in 2013 as sluts. Mr Bloom also hit journalist Michael Crick over the head with the conference brochure. Credit:Channel 4 News/ITN Mr Farage, furious that one of his conference speeches had been overshadowed, said: We cant put up with it. We cant have any one individual, however fun or flamboyant or entertaining or amusing they are, we cannot have any one individual destroying Ukips national conference and that is what hes done today. Douglas Carswell Douglas Carswell was Ukips first MP after defecting from the Conservatives in 2014. He won the Clacton seat twice for the party but soon fell out with Mr Farage, who accused him of trying to block efforts to put him in the House of Lords. Douglas Carswell (left) was Ukips first MP but soon fell out with Nigel Farage The party leader branded Mr Carswell a Tory party posh boy and accused him of trying to undermine everything weve stood for for a very long time. Mr Carswell quit Ukip at the 2017 election to stand as an independent, but he lost to the Conservatives. Suzanne Evans Suzanne Evans was the most senior woman in Ukip but fell out with Mr Farage over his leadership style in 2015. She called for two of the Ukip leaders advisers to resign and praised Patrick OFlynn, economy spokesman, after he accused Mr Farage of being snarling and aggressive. Suzanne Evans of Ukip fell out with Nigel Farage over his leadership style in 2015 - Adrian Dennis/Getty Ms Evans later went on TV to say Mr Farage was seen as very divisive a move that saw her sacked and party officials told not to have any further contact with her. Diane James Diane James was elected leader of Ukip in 2016 after Mr Farage quit in the wake of the Brexit referendum victory. But within three weeks, he was back, after senior party figures refused to accept her as leader. Senior Ukip figures refused to accept Diane James (right) as leader - Daniel Leal-Olivas/Getty The story of Mr Farages role in Ms James departure is not fully understood. Ben Habib After leaving Ukip in 2018, Mr Farage set up the Brexit Party, which campaigned for a final ending of ties with the EU, and later Reform UK. Its co-deputy leader was Ben Habib but he was sacked soon after last years general election. Ben Habib (third from right) was sacked as Reforms co-deputy leader soon after last years general election - Guy Corbishley/Alamy He later quit Reform, saying Mr Farage needed to learn that the party should not be controlled by one man. Asked what impact his departure would have, Mr Farage said: None whatsoever. Rupert Lowe Businessman Rupert Lowe was one of five Reform MPs elected last year but his ego clashed with that of Mr Farage. After he accused Mr Farage in an interview of acting like a messiah, Mr Lowe lost the party whip and was reported to police over allegations he had physically threatened Zia Yusuf, then party chairman. Credit: YouTube/The Telegraph Mr Lowe said at the time: I am 67 years old, and I have a 67-year-long unblemished record with the law. These are false allegations, designed to maliciously smear my name and ruin my reputation after I dared to bruise [Nigel] Farages ego. A party source told The Telegraph: This is what happens when you mess with Nigel. Sources describe the 38-year-old businessman as authoritarian and a control freak - Future Publishing Nigel Farage is considering appointing a less powerful Reform UK chairman after the sudden departure of Zia Yusuf, The Telegraph understands. Senior party figures have discussed splitting the role into several positions when Mr Yusuf is replaced, following his dramatic resignation on Thursday. Reform sources told The Telegraph that the former chairman had rubbed some people up the wrong way, and that a key factor in his departure was high workload. He was on a mission, working 18 hours a day, said one source. He was doing it all unpaid, and he expected everyone else to work equally hard. Mr Farage and the partys officials are working out how to replace the 38-year-old businessman, who said he no longer thought it was a good use of his time to work on getting Reform into government. It came after an apparent dispute between Mr Yusuf and other senior figures over whether the party should campaign to ban the burka, which was suggested by the newest Reform MP Sarah Pochin at Prime Ministers Questions on Wednesday. Mr Yusuf said later it was dumb to suggest policies Reform did not support, but Lee Anderson, the Reform chief whip, said he backed a ban. Mr Farage and Richard Tice, the deputy leader, both said they thought there should be a debate on face coverings, including burkas, in the UK. One party source said Mr Yusuf was unpopular with other members of staff, and had become super stretched in managing the day-to-day running of Reform and the partys new Doge efficiency drive in the ten councils it won in last months local elections. That workload led him to become authoritarian and a control freak, said another figure close to Reform. Mr Farage said on Thursday that Mr Yusuf brought a bit of a Goldman Sachs mentality to the role, which others said was a coded reference to his high-pressure management style. But the Reform leader also said he was sad his chairman was leaving, and that he had only ten minutes notice that he intended to resign. One party source said Mr Yusuf was unpopular with other members of staff - Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images The tipping point for Mr Yusuf came on Wednesday, when he learned of Ms Pochins question about burkas to Sir Keir Starmer from reading about it online. Mr Yusuf, who is a Muslim, had been receiving abuse from far-Right trolls online, which Mr Farage said had become difficult for him to bear. He had also reportedly become frustrated that another staff member had taken control of the partys operations, and felt he had been isolated from conversations about policy. He said on Thursday: 11 months ago I became chairman of Reform. Ive worked full time as a volunteer to take the party from 14 to 30 per cent, quadrupled its membership and delivered historic electoral results. I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office. Multiple sources said Mr Yusuf had performed well in the job, but was not a popular figure within the team. He didnt do what a chairman is meant to do, which is to bring people in and bring them along with you, said one Reform source, adding: He isolated a lot of the staff. Another added: Everyone is very sad about it. He wasnt popular with the staff, but he did a good job in the role. It all happened very suddenly hed had enough. The next chairman may be given a more traditional figurehead role within the party, rather than running its expansion, elections and financial affairs as Mr Yusuf did. Mr Farage could appoint a chief executive alongside a new chairman, using funds raised by Nick Candy, the Reform treasurer. Upcoming donations returns are expected to show that the party raised more than 2.5 million in the first quarter of this year putting Reform in contention to be the biggest fundraiser among the Westminster parties. Both the Conservatives and Labour have suffered a cash crunch since last years election, and have laid off staff members. Early contenders to replace Mr Yusuf include Andy Wigmore and Arron Banks, the bad boys of Brexit who worked with Mr Farage on the Leave.EU campaign in 2016. Andy Wigmore and Arron Banks, the bad boys of Brexit, are early contenders to replace Mr Yusuf - Steve Finn One figure close to the party said Mr Farage could approach Ann Widdecombe, the former Conservative MP and MEP who stood for Reform at the 2019 election. Ms Widdecombe, who said last month she disagreed with Reforms policy to expand access to the winter fuel allowance, told The Telegraph she had not been approached about the job. Mr Yusufs departure is the latest in a series of internal disputes within Reform, including a public row between the chairman and Rupert Lowe, who was elected for the party last year but has since been ejected. Mr Yusuf did not respond to a request for comment. June 6, 2025: South Koreas Space Program budget has growing from $246 million in 2008 to $726 million in 2025. The first successful South Korean satellite launch was in 2013, when a Naro-1 satellite launch vehicle or SLV put a South Korean satellite into orbit. That led to the development of the locally produced Nuri SLV. In 2022 South Korea began using the Nuri three-stage SLV. So far Nuri has been used three times. The first launch, in 2021, was a failure. The second, in 2022, and third in 2023 were successful. Three more launches are planned, in late 2025, 2026 and 2027. South Korea uses the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California for its launches. In 2008, after eight years of operation, South Korea lost communication on the last day of 2007 with its first space satellite; Arirang-1. Or, as it was commonly described, Arirang-1 had disappeared. This satellite was only expected to last three years, but until the communications malfunction, it continued to perform. Its cameras only have a 6.5-meter resolution. The then current U.S. spy sats are a thousand times more detailed. In 2006, a second satellite, Arirang-2, was launched, and it had a resolution of one meter. Arirang-1 circled the globe about 14 times a day at an altitude of 685 kilometers. Most likely, Arirang-1 just got old and died, probably from a power system failure. It was last active on 30 December 2007 and was deactivated on January 31, 2008. South Korea teamed with Israeli firms to develop the cameras for the Arirang series of satellites. Before Nuri, South Korea used Russian SLVs to put its satellites into orbit. South Korea uses is surveillance satellite to keep an eye on North Korea. By the end of 2025 South Korea will have five surveillance satellites in orbit. One of these will pass over North Korea every two hours. Nigel Farage with Reform councillor Charlotte Hill, 25 - partys share of support from women aged 18 to 26 nearly doubled in May Nigel Farage is winning over Gen Z women, a new poll has found. Figures show that the Reform UK leaders popularity has surged after the announcement of proposed policies that could benefit young women. Mr Farages share of support from women aged 18 to 26 nearly doubled in May, from 12 per cent to 21 per cent. It followed his pledge to scrap the two-child benefit cap and introduce a tax break for married couples. Right-wing parties have traditionally struggled to attract young female voters, but the latest poll, shared with Politico by the More in Common think tank, suggested that Reform could buck that trend. Mr Farages growing influence has also been credited to a social media presence that boasts more than one million followers and 21 million likes on TikTok. Some of Reforms newest female recruits are believed to have defected from the Conservatives, like several of the partys highest-profile members. Sarah Pochin, who became the partys first female MP after a dramatic victory in Runcorn and Helsby last month, said immigration was high on womens agendas. She told Politico: Once those illegal immigrants are in the community, thats when womens safety becomes a real issue. Thats when women feel that they cant let their children play out on the streets. Andrea Jenkyns, Reforms newly elected Greater Lincolnshire mayor, added: Especially in coastal areas, young women were saying that they feared for their safety. Nigel Farages growing popularity has been credited to his active social media presence that boasts more than one million followers on TikTok - David Rose The findings, based on a poll of 9,000 Britons in May, also showed a broader increase in Reforms overall vote share, which rose from 24 per cent of the national vote to 29 per cent during the same period. Mrs Pochin said she wanted more women to be more interested in Reform after the party lagged behind Labour, and the Conservative and Green parties with less than 25 per cent womens representation. Women only want meritocracy thats all I ever wanted, she said. Miss Hill said Mr Farage was good at tapping into the younger generation quickly Charlotte Hill, 25, a Reform councillor in Derbyshire, said Mr Farage was good at tapping into the younger generation quickly. She added Reform would allow women to stay at home for longer or to go part-time with its policy announcements. Louis OGeran, a research assistant at More in Common, said: In the general election, you could confidently say the median Reform voter is a middle-aged man who voted for Brexit. The gender gap is narrowing, but also that age distribution is spreading out. He added that young women were dissatisfied with both Labour and the Conservatives because of the sense the two main parties just arent working. A cannabis flower on a legal farm in New York state on 16 November 2023. Photograph: Cecilia Sanchez/AFP/Getty Images The findings of the London Drugs Commission are welcome after a decade or more of static drug policy in the UK (Worried about weed: should London follow New York and decriminalise cannabis?, 31 May). While the report focuses on London, the suggestions resonate across the UK and beyond. Cannabis was reclassified from class B to class C in 2004, reducing the penalties for possession, after the home secretary (David Blunkett) took the advice of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. Unfortunately, the Labour government asked the council to reconsider its advice based on protests about the risks of cannabis to health. The council, headed by Sir Michael Rawlins, confirmed its advice that the drug should stay in class C. The government disagreed this time and returned it to class B. Police Scotland some years ago announced that it would concentrate on more serious issues and reduce attention on simple possession-of-cannabis offences. Returning the drug to a class with a lower sentencing tariff clearly makes sense. The requirements for a functioning education and health service regarding drug use and addiction are clearly the next target and at present it is hard to identify anything but inadequate provision in primary or specialist services. Scotland is innovating in the establishment of a safer injecting room and a heroin assisted-treatment programme in Glasgow, but across the addiction field progress is slow. The commission didnt recommend legislation but without a national approach progress in addiction policy is fragmented and piecemeal. Roy Robertson Professor of addiction medicine, University of Edinburgh Your article about decriminalising cannabis in London doesnt take into account the impact on people who dont want the smell of weed all around them. Ive recently been on a short break to New York, which was marred by the inescapable smell of weed everywhere. It was in the streets, the shop doorways and even permeated the shops and restaurants as people smoked their joints outside. Its bad enough that we have to breathe in the sickly smell of vapes on the street without having to endure the pungent odour of pot everywhere. This is more than an issue about not prosecuting people for drug use, its a quality-of-life issue for everyone. If its decriminalised in London, the rest of the country is sure to follow suit. Carole Ludlow Mooney Bacup, Lancashire Have an opinion on anything youve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section. Banking giant HSBCs outgoing chairman Sir Mark Tucker will step down at the end of September to take up the same post at Hong Kong-based insurer AIA, the bank has announced. It was announced last month that Sir Mark would retire by the end of 2025, ending an eight-year tenure at the helm of the banks board. His departure date comes after AIA confirmed his appointment as non-executive chairman on October 1 a move that sees him return to the group he led as chief executive for seven years until 2017. HSBC is still searching for his permanent replacement, but Brendan Nelson, head of the groups audit committee, will take on the role on an interim basis. Sir Mark will remain as a strategic adviser to the groups chief executive Georges Elhedery and the board as the hunt for his successor continues. Ann Godbehere, senior independent director who is leading the search, said the bank was making progress on the succession process. On his appointment at AIA, Sir Mark said: I am deeply honoured and excited to be taking on the role of independent chairman of one of the worlds largest insurance companies. AIA plays a critical role in protecting the financial wellbeing of millions of families across Asia. At the insurer, he replaces Edmund Sze-Wing Tse, who retires after a career spanning more than six decades with the business. Sir Mark Tucker took on the role of chairman at HSBC in October 2017 and has been at the helm of one of the worlds biggest banks during crises including the Covid pandemic, the rising cost of living, and growing tensions between the US and China. Under the leadership of Mr Elhedery, the bank is undergoing a major overhaul as it seeks to slash costs by 1.5 billion US dollars (1.1 billion) by the end of 2026. HSBC has also faced mounting pressure from one of its biggest shareholders, Chinese insurer Ping An, in recent years to split the bank in two and create a separate Asia-headquartered business. A plan to break up the bank was rejected by shareholders last year, but the restructuring announcement initially prompted some speculation that it could eventually fracture. Sir Mark said on announcing plans to leave last month that it had been a great honour and privilege to lead HSBC as chair. The International Pride Orchestra performs at the Strathmore Music Center in North Bethesda, Maryland, on Thursday. Photograph: Nathan Howard/Reuters An event by the International Pride Orchestra this week swung from classical Gershwin favorites to choral patriotism to high drag in a rebuff to Donald Trumps takeover of the Kennedy Center and its subsequent snub of the LBGTQ+ ensemble. The spirited celebration of WorldPride, the peripatetic biennial international festival in support of LGBTQ+ rights which kicks off this month and is taking place in Washington DC, was staged instead at the Strathmore Music Center in Maryland, just north of the capital. Related: Four queer business owners on Pride under Trump: Our joy is resistance Sequin-clad drag queen Peaches Christ acted as host and New York drag queen Thorgy Thor played a violin solo to Beyonces Crazy in Love to an audience of 1,166 people. The orchestra had hoped to play at the Kennedy Center, Washingtons premier performing arts center, but shortly after returning to the White House, Donald Trump pledged on social media that there would be, in all-caps: No more drag shows, or other anti-American propaganda at the public-private arts space. The Trump administration has issued executive orders limiting transgender rights, banned transgender people from serving in the armed forces, and rescinded anti-discrimination policies for LGBTQ+ people as part of a campaign to repeal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Michael Roest, conductor and founder of the International Pride Orchestra, a non-profit, reminded the audience that people dont feel safe to live and love openly. That is the reason why we have this orchestra, he said. During the event, the Gay Mens Chorus of Washington sang American the Beautiful, and a pianist, Sara Davis Buechner, who is transgender, dazzled while leading the orchestra on grand piano in the Gershwin favorite Rhapsody in Blue. Both Stars and Stripes and rainbow flags were hoisted at the close. Trump in February fired the leadership of the Kennedy Center, named himself chair and put a loyalist in charge. The center then sent Roest a message that said: We are not in a position at this time to advance a contract, according to an email chain seen by Reuters, after months of prior negotiations. Considering themselves disinvited, event organizers began looking for alternative venues and the Strathmore offered its space, an orchestra spokesperson said. A Kennedy Center spokesperson referred Reuters to an X post from leadership saying it had not actually canceled any shows. Members of the Abu Shabab group have been supplied weapons by Israel Israel is supplying weapons to a Palestinian gang in Gaza with the aim of destabilising Hamas, Benjamin Netanyahu said. Rifles and handguns have reportedly been handed over to the Abu Shabab militia, an armed group that has been accused of looting aid and, allegedly, has links to Isis. Based in the east of Rafah, the gang has been operating within an area that is under the direct control of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), indicating that it is doing so with Israeli consent. The revelation comes as Israel seeks to break Hamass control over the population of Gaza via its troubled new aid distribution mechanism and an enhanced military campaign. Abu Shabab has members in both Gaza and Egypt and is led by Yasser Abu Shabab, who comes from a Bedouin family. His group has been accused of involvement in drug dealing and weapons smuggling from Egypt, including via the use of drones. According to local media reports, the group, comprising roughly 100 armed men, now calls itself the anti-terror service. It saves the lives of IDF soldiers The news was leaked by Avigdor Lieberman, a former defence minister, and political rival to Mr Netanyahu. He said the government was arming Isis-affiliated criminal gangs. The Israeli prime minister admitted the claim, saying: In consultation with security officials, we made use of the clans in Gaza that are opposed to Hamas. Whats wrong with that? Its only good. It saves the lives of IDF soldiers. Some Israeli politicians, and some in the media, have pointed out that there is no guarantee that the militia will not go on to use the weapons against the IDF, and that Israel has a mixed history of arming Palestinian factions for short-term gain. Yair Golan, leader of the opposition Democrats, wrote on X: Netanyahu, who transferred billions to Hamas in suitcases full of cash [before October 7], based on the incorrect belief that Hamas is an asset, is now promoting a new dangerous concept: Arming a Gazan militia with ties to ISIS. Netanyahu is dangerous to Israels security, he said. This is not a mistake. This is systematic. Netanyahu is selling Israels security for another day in office. Even among a population that, reportedly, is growing increasingly weary of Hamas, any suggestion of affiliation with Israel is very controversial. There have been an increasing number of anti-Hamas protests in Gaza - Getty Images Yasser Abu Shabab denied receiving weapons from Israel, criticising false claims meant to discredit a home-grown initiative against injustice, theft, and corruption. However, his family members reportedly wrote on social media: We, like everyone else, were surprised by video footage broadcast by the resistance showing the involvement of Yassers groups within a dangerous security framework, reaching the point of operating within undercover units and supporting the Zionist occupation forces, who are brutally killing our people. We affirm that we will not accept Yassers return to the family. We have no objection to those around him liquidating him immediately, and we tell you that his blood is forfeit. On Thursday, Haaretz, the Israeli newspaper, published satellite images that purported to show the increased activity of the Abu Shabab militia within the IDF-controlled area. Israels Shin Bet internal security agency has longstanding links with certain Bedouin-led gangs, both in Gaza and elsewhere. The Times of Israel said the decision to supply weapons was made without the approval of the security cabinet, which would be normal procedure. Instead, it was led by the security agencies and approved by Mr Netanyahu. A doctor with a mammogram. A trial showed a new drug can stop some breast tumours before they grow. Photograph: Oksana Krasiuk/Alamy Doctors, scientists and researchers shared new findings on ways to tackle cancer at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting, the worlds largest cancer conference. The event in Chicago, attended by about 44,000 health professionals, featured more than 200 sessions on this years theme, Driving Knowledge to Action: Building a Better Future. Here is a roundup of the key studies. Immunotherapy An immunotherapy drug could help some cancer patients live years longer without the disease getting worse or coming back, a trial found. Pembrolizumab, sold under the brand name Keytruda, kept head and neck cancers at bay for five years, compared with 30 months with standard care. It also cut the risk of the disease returning in another part of the body. A second study showed people with a deadly form of skin cancer could live longer with an innovative one-time immunotherapy. Almost one in five patients with advanced melanoma survived for five years after receiving lifileucel, with tumours shrinking in the majority of cases, the trial found. Car T-cell therapy Car T-cell therapy is a new form of immunotherapy in which a patients own T-cells a type of white blood cell are tweaked in a lab to target and kill cancer cells. The designer cells are then infused back into their bloodstream to fight the disease. One trial found cancer patients treated by Car T-cell therapy could live 40% longer. The therapy has already proved successful in treating blood cancers. Now results from the worlds first randomised controlled trial of Car T-cell therapy in solid tumours suggest it could be transformative in the fight against these cancers, too. Solid tumours represent about 90% of all cancers, including breast, lung and pancreatic cancer. In the trial hailed as a milestone by experts, patients with advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer treated with Car T-cell therapy lived on average about 40% longer than patients who received standard care. A second Car T-cell therapy shrank tumours in 62% of patients with recurrent glioblastoma, a rare event for a fatal brain cancer with few treatment options, researchers reported in Chicago. Seeing recurrent [glioblastoma] tumours shrink like this is extraordinary, because the immunotherapy drugs that weve tried in the past have been unable to do that, said the studys lead author, Dr Stephen Bagley, of the University of Pennsylvania. Liquid biopsies In a world first, doctors announced at the conference that thousands of cancer patients in England would benefit from a DNA blood test that saves lives by fast-tracking them on to personalised treatments. The liquid biopsy looks for circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) to find specific genetic variations of cancer. The NHS will offer it to patients with lung and breast cancer two of the most common forms of the disease. Rapid results mean patients can immediately be offered drugs and treatments specifically tailored to the genetic profile of their disease, significantly increasing their survival chances and paving the way for a new era of precision medicine. Exercise Exercise cuts the risk of death in cancer patients by more than a third, a landmark trial found. Physical activity could also prevent the disease coming back and stop new tumours developing, as well as lifting mood, reducing fatigue and boosting strength. The worlds first randomised clinical trial to specifically evaluate if a structured exercise regime after treatment could reduce the risk of recurrence or new cancers in patients took place over more than a decade. Hailed as gamechanging by experts, the results show it could reduce the risks. The trial found patients had a 37% lower risk of death and a 28% lower risk of their cancer coming back or new cancers developing, compared with patients who received only health advice. When we saw the results, we were just astounded, said the studys lead author, Dr Christopher Booth, of Queens University in Kingston, Canada. Margaret Tubridy was one of 889 patients with colon cancer recruited to the trial from six countries the UK, the US, Australia, France, Canada and Israel. Five years after her diagnosis, she told the Guardian she was now free of cancer and healthy, with no signs of the disease coming back. Breast cancer Amid a series of breakthroughs aimed at tackling the most common cancer in women, doctors were told a new drug could stop some breast cancer tumours before they grow. A trial showed that camizestrant stops cancer cells from using hormones to grow, which helps patients stay well longer and delays the need for chemotherapy. It was the first global study to show that using blood tests to find early signs of cancer resistance to treatment helps patients. The study looked at patients who had hormone-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, which is about 70% of cases. Results showed patients given camizestrant reduced their chances of cancer progression by 56%, compared with standard therapies. This is going to be very impactful for our patients, said Dr Hope Rugo, the head of breast medical oncology at City of Hope hospital in Duarte, California. A second trial found that a new triple therapy for aggressive, advanced breast cancer slows the progression of the disease, delays the need for further chemotherapy and helps patients live longer. Artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence could help end a postcode lottery for a life-extending treatment for prostate cancer, researchers said. Abiraterone is a hormone therapy described as a gamechanger that works by blocking the production of testosterone, which fuels prostate cancer growth. It has already helped hundreds of thousands with advanced prostate cancer to live longer. But some countries, including England, have stopped short of offering the spectacular drug more widely to men whose disease has not spread. A team from the US, the UK and Switzerland have built an AI test that shows which men would most likely benefit from abiraterone. The breakthrough will enable healthcare systems to roll out the drug to more men, and spare others unnecessary treatment. Kilmar Abrego Garcia will face criminal charges for allegedly transporting undocumented migrants within the US - Abrego Garcia Family An illegal migrant who was mistakenly deported from the US to El Salvadors notorious mega prison is on his way back to the US to face charges. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, who entered the US illegally, was one of hundreds deported by Donald Trump. He will face criminal charges for allegedly transporting undocumented migrants within the US, ABC reported. The US Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to facilitate Mr Abrego Garcias return after he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March. The White House initially refused, insisting Mr Abrego Garcia is a member of the notorious South American gang MS-13, allegations his wife and lawyer have denied. Mr Abrego Garcia remained imprisoned in the notorious Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo in El Salvador. Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, said he lacked the power to return Mr Abrego Garcia, saying it would be preposterous to smuggle a terrorist into the United States. Protesters demand the freeing of Kilmar Abrego Garcia in Greenbelt, Maryland - Andrew Harnik/Getty Mr Trump on Friday declined to say if he had spoken to Mr Bukele to facilitate the return, or whether it was his own decision. He should have never have had to be returned, if you take a look at what they found in the grand jury, the US president said. Its a disaster, a whole disaster when you look at him with his antics. For the Democrats who backed him, this was not the man from Maryland. He added: This was a pretty bad guy. Mr Abrego Garcias case dominated the news agenda in the US for a time and was seized upon by Democrats, who held it up as evidence of the cruelty of Mr Trumps mass deportation programme. In turn, Republicans claimed it proved that Democrats cared more about the welfare of an alleged gang member than the safety of the US people. Mr Abrego Garcias wife Jennifer Vasquez has campaigned for his release, despite allegations he had previously beaten her and was once detained as part of a murder investigation. Police documents made public by Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, alleged Mr Abrego Garcia had a rank and street name with the brutal gang MS-13. He also allegedly beat Ms Vasquez in 2021, prompting her to get a restraining order against him and describe him as violent in a handwritten statement. Ms Vasquez, who has since described her husband as an excellent father, previously told law enforcement he punched her, scratched her and ripped off her shirt. Jennifer Vasquez (right) campaigned for her husbands release - Alex Wong In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph in April, Gustavo Villatoro, El Salvadors justice and security minister, said there was no proof Mr Abrego Garcia was a member of MS-13. Mr Villatoro also suggested it was possible El Salvador could facilitate the return of Mr Abrego Garcia in the future should Donald Trump request it, contrary to claims made by Mr Bukele. Ms Bondi said a grand jury had found Abrego Garcia had played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring, prompting an arrest warrant to be sent to El Salvador. They found this was his full time job, not a contractor. He was a smuggler of humans and children and women. Mr Abrego Garcia abused undocumented alien females, according to co-conspirators who were under his control while transporting them throughout our country, Ms Bondi claimed. He is alleged to have trafficked firearms and narcotics throughout America on multiple occasions, the grand jury found. A co-conspirator also alleged that Mr Garcia solicited nude photographs and videos of a minor and played a role in the murder of a rival gang member. It is very dangerous, and they [MS-13] are living throughout our country. but no more because they are being arrested, they are being prosecuted and being convicted and deported, when appropriate, Ms Bondi added. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said: Abrego Garcia is an illegal alien terrorist, gang member, and human trafficker who has spent his entire life abusing innocent people, especially women and the most vulnerable. Abrego Garcia will now return to the United States to answer for his crimes and meet the full force of American justice. The Democrat lawmakers, namely Democrat Senator Chris Van Hollen, and every single so-called journalist who defended this illegal criminal abuser must immediately apologise to Garcias victims. The Trump administration will continue to hold criminals accountable to the fullest extent of the. People protest against the deportation of immigrants to El Salvador in New York on 24 April 2025. Photograph: Michael M Santiago/Getty Images Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man whom the Donald Trump administration mistakenly deported from Maryland to El Salvador in March, returned to the US on Friday to face criminal charges. In a press briefing on Friday, the US attorney general, Pam Bondi, said that a federal grand jury in Tennessee had indicted Abrego Garcia on counts of illegally smuggling undocumented people as well as of conspiracy to commit that crime. Our government presented El Salvador with an arrest warrant and they agreed to return him to our country, Bondi said of Abrego Garcia. She thanked the Salvadorian president, Nayib Bukele, for agreeing to return him to our country to face these very serious charges. This is what American justice looks like upon completion of his sentence, Bondi added. Abrego Garcia a 29-year-old Salvadorian whose wife and young child in Maryland are US citizens appeared in federal court in Nashville on Friday evening. His arraignment was set for 13 June, when he will enter a plea, according to local media reports. Until then, he will remain in federal custody. In a statement to the Hill on Friday, Abrego Garcias lawyer Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg accused the Trump administration of having disappeared his client to a foreign prison in violation of a court order. Now, after months of delay and secrecy, theyre bringing him back, not to correct their error but to prosecute him, he added. Sandoval-Moshenberg also said: This shows that they were playing games with the court all along. Due process means the chance to defend yourself before youre punished not after. Sandoval-Moshenberg said the White Houses treatment of his client was an abuse of power, not justice. He called for Abrego Garcia to face the same immigration judge who had previously granted him a federal protection order against deportation to El Salvador to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent there. That, Sandoval-Moshenberg argued, is the ordinary manner of doing things and he said that is what the US supreme court had ordered in April. Bondi on Friday maintained that federal grand jurors found that Abrego Garcia has played a significant role in an abusive smuggling ring that had operated for nearly a decade. The attorney general added that if convicted, Abrego Garcia would be deported to El Salvador after completing his sentence in the US. Officials on Friday portrayed the indictment of Abrego Garcia by a grand jury in Tennessee as vindication of their approach to immigration enforcement. The man has a horrible past and I could see a decision being made, bring him back, show everybody how horrible this guy is, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that it had been the justice department that decided to bring Abrego Garcia back. According to the indictment, Abrego Garcia worked with at least five co-conspirators to bring immigrants to the United States illegally, and then transported them from the US-Mexico border to other destinations in the country. Abrego Garcia often picked up immigrants in Houston, and made more than 100 trips between Texas and Maryland from 2016 to 2025, the indictment says. The indictment also alleges Abrego Garcia transported firearms and drugs. According to the indictment, one of his co-conspirators belonging to the same ring was involved in the transportation of immigrants whose tractor-trailer overturned in Mexico in 2021, resulting in 50 deaths. Sandoval-Moshenberg called the criminal charges fantastical and a kitchen sink of allegations. This is all based on the statements of individuals who are currently either facing prosecution or in federal prison, he said. I want to know what they offered those people. Abrego Garcia entered the US without permission around 2011 while fleeing gang violence in El Salvador. Despite the judicial order meant to prevent his deportation to El Salvador, on 15 March, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officials deported him to El Salvador after arresting him in Maryland. He was held in the so-called Center for Terrorism Confinement, a controversial mega-prison better known as Cecot. The Trump administration subsequently admitted that Abrego Garcias deportation had been due to an administrative error. But it has repeatedly cast him as an MS-13 gang member on television a claim which his wife, a US citizen, and his attorneys staunchly reject. Abrego Garcia also had no criminal record in the US before the indictment announced on Friday, according to court documents. On 4 April, federal judge Paula Xinis ordered the Trump administration to facilitate and effectuate Abrego Garcias return from El Salvador after his family filed a lawsuit in response to his deportation. The supreme court unanimously upheld Xiniss order a week later. In an unsigned decision, the court said that Xiniss decision properly requires the government to facilitate Abrego Garcias release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador. A Friday statement from the US senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said the Trump administration had finally relented to his demand to afford Abrego Garcia due process. This is not about the man, said Van Hollen, who visited Abrego Garcia in El Salvador in April. Its about his constitutional rights and the rights of all. Bukele wrote on X, in part, that he would not refuse the Trump administrations request for the return of a gang member to face charges. Reuters contributed to this report A new BBC documentary about the robbery of reality TV star Kim Kardashian in Paris has been commissioned to recount one of the most-publicised celebrity crimes of our time. A trial found eight people guilty of robbing the US star of millions of pounds worth of jewellery at gunpoint during the 2016 Paris Fashion Week. With interviews from friends, family, police officers and journalists who followed the case, The Kim Kardashian Diamond Heist will share new information about what happened leading up to the trial where she faced the robbers in court. Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint (Doug Peters/PA) Nasfim Haque, head of content at BBC Three, said: This documentary offers an insight into one of the most-publicised celebrity crimes of our time, committed on one of the most famous women on the planet, which will delve into the facts behind the gossip and explore the price of fame in the digital age. Produced by Firecracker Films, the 45-minute documentary will also share the impact the robbery has had on the star. Sam Emmery, creative director at Firecracker, said: This is one of the most high-profile robberies of the digital age, with social media said to have played a part in the heist. The film is an opportunity to show how the perpetrators were eventually brought to justice and the lasting impact the ordeal had on its victim, Kim Kardashian. The Kim Kardashian Diamond Heist will share new information about what happened leading up to the trial (Doug Peters/PA) The media personality is best known for starring in the reality TV series Keeping Up With The Kardashians, which followed the lives of the Kardashian family. She is also known for being the co-founder of the shapewear clothing and underwear brand Skims, which is set to open its first UK store in Londons Regent Street after signing a deal with the Crown Estate. Since launching in 2019, the brand has partnered with an array of celebrities including Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Usher and Jude Bellingham for advertising campaigns. The Kim Kardashian Diamond Heist will air on BBC Three and BBC One later this month and will also be available on BBC iPlayer. The King has been praised for his faultless technique as he fired an artillery gun during a visit to the home of the Royal Artillery. He was met with a 21-gun salute as he arrived at the headquarters of the Royal Regiment of Artillery at Larkhill, Wiltshire, in his first visit since assuming the title of Captain General. The King, who became the ceremonial head of the regiment following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, received the royal salute as he was met by Lieutenant-General Sir Andrew Gregory, who is also Master Gunner, St Jamess Park. Following the national anthem, King Charles, wearing the number four tropical dress uniform, was invited into the officers mess where he met personnel, including representatives from the newly formed Kings Gurkha Artillery (KGA). Sgt Neil Mitchell of the Royal Artillery said King Charless second shot was faultless - WPA Pool/Getty Images In the dining room, the King had a chance to see historical artefacts, including the voluntary artillery officer uniform of his great-grandfather, King George V, and commented: Its lasted very well. He also had a chance to meet families of the service personnel and representatives of Chelsea Pensioners, a retirement home for British Army veterans. On the grounds, the King was shown some of the high-tech equipment used by the soldiers, including the L118 light gun, the Archer artillery system, a multiple launch rocket system and drones. He picked up one of the fixed-winged drones to gauge its weight as members of the regiment explained its use to him. The monarch also met representatives of the reserves as he was informed about the different roles within the Royal Artillery. Bethan Preston-Newman, staff sergeant of the 104th Regiment based in Newport, Wales, said: It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the King, and really nice to explain what the reserves do. King Charles examined one of the Royal Artillerys fixed-wing drones - WPA Pool/Getty Images Lance Bombardier Rebecca Haynes, also based in Newport, said: It was a great honour to be here and represent the regiment. Lance Bombardier Alexandra Robinson, based in Worcester, said: He is definitely interested in us as people, and its definitely an honour to be here. King Charles then accepted an invitation to take the seated position of the L118 light gun to fire a single shot. He put on a set of ear defenders as he sat in the firing seat and called ready, wincing as he pulled the firing lever. Sgt Neil Mitchell, of 14 Regiment, 34 Battery, praised the Kings shooting technique and said: The first one he didnt give it a good enough pull but the second time was faultless. He added jokingly: I was going to ask him if he could start on Monday. The King was then presented with an engraved 105mm cartridge. Before his departure, he chatted to some of the families that had gathered to meet him. King Charles called ready before wincing as he pulled the firing lever - WPA Pool/Getty Images Meanwhile, as the King got to grips with the armys heavy weaponry, the Prince of Wales and his aunt, the Duchess of Edinburgh, knocked back local cider and gin in a rare joint outing. The pair attended the Royal Cornwall Show, where they had no qualms about letting their hair down and sampling the local tipples. The show, established in 1793, celebrates the best in Cornish heritage and tradition through agriculture, food and drink, entertainment and competition. The Prince is attending for the first time as the Duke of Cornwall, following in the footsteps of his father, a regular attendee before becoming King. Prince William is patron of the Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association, while the Duchess is the vice-president of the organisation. She is also patron of the Association of Agricultural Show Organisations. Their first stop on arrival was the Royal Cornwall Food and Farming Pavilion, which showcases artisan food and drink producers from across the county who make cheeses, jams, preserves, gins and other spirits. The royal visitors were then due to separate, with the Prince visiting the Duchy of Cornwall hub, which is shining a spotlight on rural mental health. The Prince of Wales will also visit an education hub seeking to preserve traditional farming skills while also supporting future regenerative farming practices. The Duchess, who last attended the show in 2014, was scheduled to visit two organisations of which she is patron Linking Environment and Farming (Leaf) and the Girl Guides which play a key role in the running of the event. Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on 30 May, 2025 and US President Donald Trump in Arlington, Virginia, on Memorial Day, 26 May, 2025. Photograph: Allison Robbert/AFP/Getty Images President Trumps signature Big Beautiful Bill has precipitated an epic fallout between the US president and one of his closest allies, billionaire Elon Musk. The blowup played out publicly on social media, with both men using their respective platforms, X and Truth Social, to exchange criticisms. Related: Eyes on Senate Republicans as Trump and Musk feud over tax and spend bill Here is a summary of how the rift unfolded, and what we know so far: Anas Sarwar (centre), Scottish Labours leader, stands beside Davy Russell, Hamiltons new MSP, as the party celebrates its by-election victory - Jane Barlow/PA Wire Labour won a surprise victory in a Scottish by-election on Thursday night as support for Reform UK surged. Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, hailed his partys incredible result in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse after snatching the Scottish Parliament seat from the SNP. Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, described it as fantastic victory, adding: People in Scotland have once again voted for change. The contest had been widely expected to be a two-horse race between the SNP and Nigel Farages Reform. But Scottish Labours Davy Russell pulled off a shock victory with 8,559 votes (31.6 per cent). The SNPs Katy Loudon saw her partys vote slump to just 7,957 (29.4 per cent), while Reforms Ross Lambie secured 7,088 (26.2 per cent). The Tories finished a distant fourth with just 1,621 votes barely saving their deposit in yet another blow to the party. The result was a humiliation for John Swinney, the Scottish First Minister, who has yet to win a parliamentary election contest since returning as the SNP leader a year ago. In a post on X shortly after the results were announced, Mr Swinney admitted: We have made progress since the election last year, but not enough. We still have work to do, and we will do it. Richard Tice, the Reform deputy leader, hailed his partys performance as a massive boost. He told The Telegraph: Were thrilled to bits. Scotland is now a three-way marginal. Youve got three parties within 1,500 votes, and weve beaten everybodys expectations to come within a whisker of beating the SNP in one of their heartlands.No one was predicting that Labour would win and no one was predicting we would come within 900 votes of the SNP. Ross Lambie, the Reform candidate, praised the fantastic result and declared: Theres a new party in Scotland. It was a six-week campaign going from 56 votes to 7,000 is pretty good going. Prof Sir John Curtice, an election expert, said Reform was eating the Conservatives for lunch, breakfast and dinner. He pointed out that although Labours vote share had declined since the 2021 election, from 33.6 per cent to 31.6 per cent, the SNPs decline had been far larger from 46.2 per cent to 29.4 per cent. However, he said the result was not good enough for Labour to expect to win the Holyrood elections next year. The contest was called following the death of Christina McKelvie, the Scottish Government minister who won the seat for the SNP with a 4,582 majority in 2021. Although Labour won the equivalent seat at Westminster by almost 10,000 votes in last years general election, the partys collapse in support since it came to power meant it was viewed by many as an outsider in the contest. Speaking immediately after Mr Russells victory, Mr Sarwar claimed Labour had proved political pundits, pollsters and commentators wrong. He said the result demonstrated that Scots wanted to get rid of the rotten SNP government and had rejected the poison of Reform. Mr Sarwar also accused Mr Swinney of spreading misinformation after painting the contest as a straight fight between the SNP and Reform. He said: What today the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse have done is lay the first brick in the path to a Scottish Labour government in 2026 when we replace the SNP. Scottish Labour Partys Davy Russell (centre, right) celebrates with leader Anas Sarwar (centre) and deputy leader Jackie Baillie (left, centre) after being declared winner for the Hamilton - Jane Barlow/PA Wire During a bitter campaign, Mr Sarwar accused Reform of dog whistle racism over a campaign advert claiming he wanted to prioritise the Pakistani community. Mr Farage rejected the claim and accused him of introducing sectarianism into Scottish politics. Asked about the campaign, the Scottish Labour leader said: We saw the dirt of Reform. We saw the misinformation of the SNP. Mr Sarwar said Mr Swinneys only message to voters after being in power for 18 years was vote SNP to stop Farage. He added: We have proven all of those people the pollsters, the commentators, the pundits, also the bookies wrong because we focused on what matters. Mr Swinney congratulated Mr Russell and said: Katy Loudon fought a superb SNP campaign, and clearly I am disappointed that we did not win tonight. Labour won by an absolute landslide in this area less than a year ago we came much closer tonight, but the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse have made clear that we still have work to do. Over the next few days, we will take time to consider the result fully. Between now and Mays election, I and the SNP will set out a vision of hope and optimism. We will show people in Scotland that a better future is possible by taking decisions for ourselves and that is how we will win in 2026. Mr Russell, who previously worked in local government and served as deputy lord lieutenant representing the monarch at local events, said he was so proud to be elected to represent his community. In his victory speech, he said: Like the people here in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, and right across Scotland, we all feel we have been let down by the SNP. They have broken the NHS, wasted our money and after nearly two decades they dont deserve another chance. As the count started at 10pm, Labour insiders told The Telegraph they were very confident that they had got their supporters out to vote after drafting more than 200 activists into the constituency. They said this had dwarfed Reforms get out the vote operation and expressed confidence that Labour would not be pushed into third place by Mr Farages party. Overall turnout was 44.2 per cent. As the hours passed, sources from all three parties in contention said their canvassing showed Reform had finished third. However, the result was so tight between Labour and the SNP that there were rumours of a possible recount. A court artist drawing of Roman Lavrynovych, appearing via video link at the Old Bailey on Friday. Photograph: Elizabeth Cook/PA Two men charged with arson over fires at homes and a car linked to Keir Starmer made their first appearance at a crown court on Friday. The Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, 21, and the Ukrainian-born Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 26, appeared at the Old Bailey in London via video link from Belmarsh prison. Petro Pochynok, 34, a Ukrainian national, refused to leave his cell and did not appear in court. Lavrynovych has been charged with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life, while Pochynok and Carpiuc are accused of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life. Last month, a spate of fires occurred across north London at properties and a car linked to the prime minister. One took place at the Starmers family home in north-west London, which he lets to his sister-in-law. A car that Starmer sold to a neighbour last year was set alight four days earlier on the same street. On 11 May, firefighters dealt with a small fire at the front door of a house where the Labour leader is understood to have lived in the 1990s before it was converted into flats. Lavrynovych, speaking via a Ukrainian interpreter, confirmed his name and date of birth to the court. Carpiuc also confirmed his name and date of birth. Lavrynovych said the court was very, very hushed after he was asked by his interpreter whether he could hear the room well. His barrister also mentioned concerns around his health: Ive already spoken to his mother to see if we could get his health records as well. He has heart issues [that] need to be looked into immediately. Pochynoks barrister said he last saw the defendant a week ago and had no explanation as to why he has refused to leave his cell. Carpiuc was arrested last month at Luton airport. At a previous hearing, the court heard he had lived in the UK for nine years and had recently finished a two-year business studies degree at Canterbury Christ Church University. He was working in construction and living in east London at the time of his arrest. Lavrynovych was the first person to be arrested and charged. The BBC reported that he worked as a builder and roofer. All three defendants were remanded in custody to next appear for a plea and trial preparation hearing at the same court on 17 October. A fourth person was arrested by police at Stansted airport on Monday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life in connection with the incidents. The Metropolitan police said the 48-year-old man had been released on bail until next month. A provisional trial date was set for 27 April next year. Green industries have praised proposals to require solar panels and heat pumps in new build homes but housebuilders warned that too much bureaucracy to install them could harm efforts to hit housing targets. The Energy Department (Desnz) said on Friday that the future homes standard (FHS), which will be published in autumn, is expected to require new residential properties to have solar panels and low-carbon heating by default. With a significant amount of the UKs carbon footprint coming from gas heating of homes, the FHS will require new housing in England to produce fewer carbon emissions than those built under current regulations. The renewable energy sector, alongside green campaigners, have welcomed the common sense proposals. Trevor Hutchings, chief executive of the Renewable Energy Association (REA) said: The growth of solar power has been one of the UKs biggest renewable energy success stories, demonstrating without a doubt that we dont have to choose between lowering our emissions and lowering household energy bills. Todays announcement which the REA has long campaigned for takes this one step further not only enabling thousands of future homeowners to experience the benefits of affordable and clean power, but supercharging growth in the British renewable energy industry and driving forward our energy transition. Chris OShea, chief executive of Centrica, said: The age of solar is well and truly upon us, with millions of households up and down the country already benefiting from generating their own free electricity from the sun. With the Future Home Standard expected in the autumn, momentum is building behind Great Britains rooftop revolution. Mike Childs, head of policy, science and research at Friends of the Earth, called the move plain common sense but warned that ministers must act to help decarbonise homes that are already built. The Spending Review next week must ensure that the forthcoming Warm Homes Plan is sufficiently funded so that that everyone can enjoy these benefits, and no one is left behind because they cant afford the changes, he said. Greenpeace UKs head of politics Ami McCarthy said: Its extraordinary that such a common-sense solution has taken so long to be rolled out, and this Government deserves full credit for this breakthrough. Now ministers need to urgently reform the UKs energy system as a whole and stop gas from setting the price of electricity so that everyone, whether living in a new build or not, gets to enjoy the lower bills that cheap, clean renewable power can bring. Under the proposed changes, developers must meet solar panel coverage equivalent to 40% of the buildings flood area and those that cannot must install a reasonable amount of solar coverage. The changes will be subject to practical limits with flexibility in place for new homes surrounded by trees or with lots of shade overhead, the Government said. Liberal Democrat MP Max Wilkinson praised the move after ministers previously rejected his Sunshine Bill a similar law which would have seen new builds come with solar panels equivalent to at least 40% of their ground floor area as standard. The Cheltenham MP told the PA news agency: This news will help us fight the cost-of-living crisis by lowering peoples energy bills while reducing carbon emissions too. Ive been campaigning on this since long before I was an MP and was determined to build on its success after I was elected. I welcome todays news from the Government and Im pleased we can all look forward to a brighter future but there will be more work to do to ensure solar for new builds begins without delay. Housebuilders largely welcomed the announcement but warned against introducing burdensome paperwork which may harm the Governments efforts to reach its target to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029. Neil Jefferson, chief executive at the Home Builders Federations, said: Moving forward, as we look to meet the more challenging carbon reductions set by Government, we will see solar PV panels on the overwhelming majority of new homes. We welcome recognition from Government that there needs to be flexibility around the number of panels on roofs in some locations, to reflect orientation and house design. We need to ensure the process to agree the number of panels in such locations is workable and not overly bureaucratic such that it does not delay attempts to increase housing supply. Mark Wakeford, national chairman of the National Federation of Builders, said: Solar panels on new homes make sense because they lower bills and progress the clean energy revolution we so desperately need. Credit must also be given for recent announcements on grid investment and connection reforms, as these were important challenges to recognise and solve for a rooftop revolution to happen in practice. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, in March. Photograph: Keegan Barber/Nasa/AFP/Getty Images Elon Musk, the worlds richest person, on Thursday said his company SpaceX would begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft after he engaged in an extraordinary public fallout with Donald Trump who had threatened to cancel government contracts with Musks businesses. He later appeared to back down. In light of the Presidents statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately, Musk posted on the social media platform X, which he owns. A few minutes earlier Trump had posted on Truth Social the media platform that he owns that he might cancel huge lucrative contracts with Musks businesses, which include the SpaceX company that is building a fleet of rockets. Related: Trump and Musks very public feud is like Alien v Predator for political nerds The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it! Trump said. Nasa relies on SpaceXs Dragon spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Hours after issuing his threat, Musk appeared to take pleas from users on his social media platform X to cool down and he posted: Good advice. Ok, we wont decommission Dragon. Since 2008, SpaceX has received more than $20bn in government contracts, largely from Nasa and the Department of Defense. In March, two Nasa astronauts returned to Earth in a Dragon capsule after being stranded on the ISS for nearly nine months, after their Boeing Starliner capsule faced technical issues and returned to Earth without them. The next SpaceX Dragon launch is scheduled to take place on 10 June. The Dragon is expected to carry four people to and from the ISS on Axiom Mission 4. Nasas press secretary, Bethany Stevens, in a statement on X after Musks announcement, said the agency will continue to execute upon the presidents vision for the future of space. Related: Trump v Musk: 10 ways they can further hurt each other We will continue to work with our industry partners to ensure the presidents objectives in space are met, she added. Musks announcement came amid an escalating dispute with Trump that began after he denounced the presidents tax and spending bill as a disgusting abomination. Musk later accused Trump of ingratitude for the millions he spent to get him elected. Trump, in turn, said he was very disappointed in Musk. The president wrote earlier on Thursday that Musk was wearing thin and that the tech billionaire went crazy after he was asked to depart the White House last week as head of Trumps department of government efficiency . People wait for aid packages in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has admitted arming clans in Gaza that he says are opposed to Hamas, after allegations that members of these criminal gangs looted humanitarian aid and have ties to jihadist groups. The admission came after Israeli media reports quoted defence sources as saying Netanyahu had authorised giving weapons to a clan reportedly led by a man known as Yasser Abu Shabab, a Rafah resident from a Bedouin family, known locally for his involvement in criminal activity. Israel allegedly provided Abu Shababs group, which calls itself the Anti-Terror Service, with Kalashnikov assault rifles, including weapons seized from Hamas. On the advice of security officials, we activated clans in Gaza that oppose Hamas. Whats wrong with that? Netanyahu said in a short video he posted on social media. It only saves the lives of Israeli solders, and publicising this only benefits Hamas. Strong criticism of the initiative has come from opposition parties in Israel. In a social media post on X, Yair Golan, the leader of the Democrats in the Knesset, said: Netanyahu is a threat to Israels national security. Instead of bringing about a deal bringing the hostages home and providing security for Israeli citizens, he is creating a new ticking timebomb in Gaza. Related: Israel accused of arming Palestinian gang who allegedly looted aid in Gaza Palestinians in Gaza marked the start of Eid al-Adha, one of Islams most important holidays, on Friday with prayers outside destroyed mosques and homes and food supplies dwindling. Food distribution points run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation reopened on Friday before closing a few hours later. Work at the sites was previously halted this week in response to a series of deadly shootings by Israeli soldiers that on Tuesday killed 27 Palestinians and injured hundreds as they were waiting for food. The UN says more than 2,700 children in Gaza are suffering from acute malnutrition. Israeli jets meanwhile continued to pound the territory and, according to Gazas civil defence agency, 38 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli military on Friday, including 11 in a single strike in the north. Israel said four soldiers were killed in combat. On Thursday, after the allegations on arming Hamas-opposed clans in Gaza circulated in the media, Netanyahus office said Israel was working to defeat Hamas through various means, based on the recommendations of all the heads of the security establishment. The former defence minister and opposition lawmaker Avigdor Lieberman alleged that Abu Shababs group was affiliated with Islamic State. The Israeli government is giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons, identified with Islamic State, at the direction of the prime minister, Lieberman, who heads the opposition Yisrael Beiteinu party, told Kan Bet public radio. The basis for Liebermans allegation of ties to IS was unclear. Abu Shababs group has previously been accused of involvement in smuggling operations linked to Egyptian jihadi groups. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Abu Shababs involvement with Israeli troops was confirmed last week through several videos circulating on social media in Gaza, showing him operating alongside Israeli soldiers in IDF-controlled areas. Last week, Abu Shababs family issued a statement disowning him, accusing him of collaborating with Israeli forces. We, like everyone else, were surprised by video footage broadcast by the resistance showing the involvement of Yassers groups within a dangerous security framework, reaching the point of operating within undercover units and supporting the Zionist occupation forces, who are brutally killing our people, the statement said. We affirm that we will not accept Yassers return to the family. We have no objection to those around him liquidating him immediately, and we tell you that his blood is forfeit. On 28 May, Jonathan Whittall, the head of United Nations office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs in occupied Palestinian territories, said: The real theft of aid since the beginning of the war has been carried out by criminal gangs, under the watch of Israeli forces, and they were allowed to operate in proximity to the Kerem Shalom crossing point into Gaza. When contacted by the Guardian, Whittall confirmed he was referring to gangs such as Abu Shabab. On several posts on Facebook, reported by local media, Abu Shabab denied the allegations of looting, saying he was taking the goods only to feed himself and his family. Coverage of the war in Gaza is constrained by Israeli attacks on Palestinian journalists and a bar on international reporters entering the Gaza Strip to report independently on the war. Israel has not allowed foreign reporters to enter Gaza since 7 October 2023, unless they are under Israeli military escort. Reporters who join these trips have no control over where they go, and other restrictions include a bar on speaking to Palestinians in Gaza. Palestinian journalists and media workers inside Gaza have paid a heavy price for their work reporting on the war, with over 180 killed since the conflict began. The committee to protect journalists has determined that at least 19 of them were directly targeted by Israeli forces in killings which CPJ classifies as murders. Foreign reporters based in Israel filed a legal petition seeking access to Gaza, but it was rejected by the supreme court on security grounds. Private lobbying by diplomats and public appeals by prominent journalists and media outlets have been ignored by the Israeli government. To ensure accurate reporting from Gaza given these restrictions, the Guardian works with trusted journalists on the ground; our visual teams verify photo and videos from third parties; and we use clearly sourced data from organisations that have a track record of providing accurate information in Gaza during past conflicts, or during other conflicts or humanitarian crises. Emma Graham-Harrison, chief Middle East correspondent Despite nationwide protests demanding a ceasefire deal and the release of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza after Hamass 7 October 2023 attack, Netanyahus coalition remains solid, buoyed up by the steadfast support of far-right parties. That unity may soon be tested, however, after the ultra-Orthodox Shas party in Netanyahus coalition announced it would support dissolving the Knesset. The Shas partys decision comes after no significant progress in advancing a law in effect exempting ultra-Orthodox citizens from the military draft. Israel has mandatory army service but for decades made an exemption for ultra-Orthodox Jews, also known as Haredi, who are allowed to continue full-time Torah study. But an alternative plan seeks to extend the duration of military service for conscripts and raise the age for reservists, while also urging an end to the customary exemptions granted to yeshiva students. Due to the war in Gaza, the IDF is saying yeshiva students must be drafted, as it urgently needs an additional 10,000 combat soldiers and about 3,000 soldiers for other roles. . Ministry of Defence of Army Commandos load a 105MM Howitzer in Norway - LPhot Stainer- Hutchins/PA Lord George Robertson, former Nato Secretary General and lead author of the UKs new Strategic Defence Review, talks to Roland about what it will take for Britain to be warfighting ready. His message is a vital clarion call for the British government and general public to wake up to the very real threat posed by Russia and the scale of change that needs to be undertaken: This is not business as usual. But with President Donald Trumps call for spending 5 per cent of GDP on defence likely to be adopted by Nato later this month, is a commitment of 2.5 per cent and an ambition of 3 per cent by 2034 enough? And are ordinary British people ready for the sacrifices involved in creating a credible deterrence to protect the UK? Listen to Battle Lines using the audio player in this article or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favourite podcast app. The five veterans gathered ahead of the remembrance ceremony on Sword Beach, Normandy - Gareth Fuller/PA Media D-Day veterans have gathered on a Normandy beach to remember the landings 81 years on. The veterans, aged between 99 and 101, travelled to France for the annual ceremony of remembrance for the men who landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6 1944, to liberate France from Nazi occupation during the Second World War. The five men Ken Hay, Richard Aldred, Henry Rice, Jim Grant and John Dennett gathered ahead of the ceremony for a photograph on Sword Beach, one of the five main landing areas along the Normandy coast. The veterans, sitting in wheelchairs while adorned with medals of service, are some of the few D-Day veterans who are still alive today. Mr Hay, 99, was a private in the 4th Battalion with the Dorset Regiment, and was captured by Nazi troops shortly after the D-Day landings. Held as a prisoner of war, he was taken to Poland and forced to work in coal mines before he was liberated by US troops in 1945. Ken Hay was captured by the Nazis shortly after the D-Day landings On the eve of the ceremony, Mr Hay told The Telegraph: Even though the 80th anniversary has passed, we veterans still feel it is our duty to come back here and remember all our friends who never came home. We get applauded, even though they are the ones who gave all. Sharing my stories with children in the UK and France is something I am very passionate about. We are the age of their great grandparents we experienced it, understand it and know that it should never happen again. Francis Jim Grant, 100, served as a Royal Marine and manned a gun on a Landing Craft Flak on D-Day, spending many hours providing covering fire for troops landing on the Normandy beaches. He said: I dont think we were really prepared for what happened. We were firing over the tops of their heads. Francis Jim Grant served as a Royal Marine on the Normandy beaches John Dennett, 100, was a Royal Navy anti-aircraft gunner on one of the thousands of ships taking troops onto the Normandy beaches. The veteran, from Wallasey, Merseyside, made sure the Allied soldiers did not get shot from overhead during the combined naval, air and land assault on Nazi-occupied France. John Dennett was a Royal Navy anti-aircraft gunner during the D-Day landings On the 80th anniversary of the famous landings last year, Mr Dennett recalled the unbelievable sight of the ships sailing to Normandy. He said he remembered the sight of the 7,000 ships and thinking nothing can happen to us. When theyd gone and opened their fire and they did realise there was trouble, and your feelings were well this one is a bit different than the last one, he added. Mr Rice, 99, from Cranleigh, Surrey, was a signalman who arrived off Juno Beach five days after D-Day. While Mr Aldred, 100, was a Cromwell tank driver attached to the 7th Armoured Division in the Army. Henry Rice was a signalman on Juno Beach while Richard Aldred was a Cromwell tank driver Their photographs came before Lord Dannatt, former head of the Army, spoke at the remembrance service at the British Normandy Memorial above Gold Beach. He said the legacy of the soldiers killed on the battlefields of Normandy paved the way for the Europe in which we live today, before warning that the shadow of the Ukrainian war looms over the continent. The former chief of the general staff added: The price of returning peace and freedom to Europe was very high but the legacy of the fallen and the courage, determination and commitment of all those who fought in the Normandy Campaign has given us the Europe in which we live today, albeit in the shadow of the war in Ukraine. Lord Dannatt, who chairs the Normandy Memorial Trust and is patron of the Spirit of Normandy Trust, gave the welcoming speech at the annual ceremony of remembrance, which is led jointly by the two trusts. Lord Dannatt spoke at the remembrance service at the British Normandy Memorial above Gold Beach - Barry Batchelor/PA The Rev Simon dAlbertanson, a Royal Navy chaplain and the chaplain for the Spirit of Normandy Trust, led a memorial service at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, describing D-Day as a seminal moment in history. He reminded veterans, officials and members of the public that the legacy of D-Day was vitally important given the conflict and troubled times that we live in. Mr dAlbertanson said: This was a seminal moment in history, and we forget it at our peril. Theres a legacy that builds from the different conflicts, and we live in very troubled times right now, and we need men and women who are fighting for peace. As a Christian, one of the lines in the Bible is Blessed are the peacemakers. Were called to make peace and sometimes that means we have to bring violence, but thats the last resort. We want to be peacemakers. Two of the chaplains own relatives fought during the Second World War. His grandfather, Fred Hawker, joined the Royal Marines in 1942 and served on several ships, including HMS Ark Royal, while his great-uncle, who was a Royal Navy sailor, lost his life during the Battle of the Denmark Strait. Mr dAlbertanson said: Its an absolute honour and a privilege to be a part of this. This is all about the veterans and honouring the fallen, those who gave their lives, for our freedom. Being here brings it to life. It makes you realise what youre involved in, the men and women of the armed forces today and as chaplains we go with them. John Healey greeted the veterans during the remembrance ceremony in Ver-sur-Mer - Gareth Fuller/PA John Healey, the Defence Secretary, also attended events commemorating D-Day, alongside politicians from the United States and France. He said: We forever owe an enormous debt to the British and Allied forces who landed in Normandy 81 years ago today, determined to defeat Nazi tyranny and restore peace to western Europe. As we reset the nations contract with our armed forces, we will continue to remember all those who served to defend our values. The Normandy landings took place on June 6 1944, when nearly 160,000 Allied forces opened a second front by invading Nazi-occupied France. Of those, 73,000 were from the United States and 83,000 from Britain and Canada. Forces from several other countries were also involved, including French troops fighting with General Charles de Gaulle. The Allies faced around 50,000 German forces and a total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself. Geoffrey Baulcomb, 79, retired from St Mary the Virgin church in Eastbourne several years ago, but was still ordained at the time of the offence A former vicar linked to the Eunuch Maker ring performed a back-street surgery on another mans genitals with a pair of scissors. Geoffrey Baulcomb, 79, retired from the historic St Mary the Virgin church in Eastbourne, East Sussex, several years ago, but was still ordained at the time of the offence. A hearing at the Old Bailey heard how Baulcomb was a friend of Marius Gustavson, the imprisoned Norwegian ringleader of an extreme body modification cult operating in the UK. The pair are said to have exchanged around 10,000 messages. On Friday, Baulcomb admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent after using nail scissors to perform a procedure on a mans penis in January 2020. The victim cannot be identified for legal reasons. Baulcomb carried out the unlawful procedure at his home in Filching Road, Eastbourne. He previously admitted seven charges, including distributing an indecent video of a child and making a category A indecent image of a child. The self-styled Eunuch Maker Marius Gustavson mutilated paying customers and streamed it online - Metropolitan Police Baulcomb admitted making four indecent photos of a child, namely four category B images and making 37 category C indecent images of a child. He admitted three further charges of possessing extreme pornographic images. The charges date between March 4 2020 and Dec 14 2022. The self-styled Eunuch Maker Gustavson mutilated paying customers and streamed it online. The Norwegian, who had his own penis cut off, a nipple removed and his leg frozen so it had to be amputated, was jailed for life last year with a minimum term of 22 years. Police had raided Baulcombs 25,000 cottage near Eastbourne in December 2022 and found a stash of heroin along with the tranquilliser ketamine. Baulcomb accepted a police caution for possessing the substances and told church officials he had been buying and using drugs, including heroin, periodically for 20 years. The Church of Englands disciplinary tribunal had utterly rejected his claim that taking drugs assisted him in carrying out his pastoral mission. Baulcomb was handed a permanent ban from any church position last September. Carrying out surgical procedure Prosecutor Caroline Carberry, KC, previously told the court: The images relate to moving images which had been on the Eunuch Maker website. Mr Baulcomb is an acquaintance of Marius Gustavson and the evidence discloses over a four-year period he was regularly in touch, exchanging just over 10,000 messages to each other on their mobile phone. At the time of his arrest his phone was seized and analysed and as a result of that some material was found which led to this defendant being charged with the offence of section 18 GBH with intent. That charge specifically refers to the defendant carrying out a surgical procedure designed to enlarge the opening of the urethra and to use a pair of scissors to do so. There is a nine-second video of the procedure being carried out. Judge Nigel Lickley, KC told Baulcomb on Friday that he would likely face a custodial sentence of some length. He was placed on conditional bail and will be sentenced on Sept 1. Llywela Harris (pictured in retirement at St Davids Cathedral): Sir John Rutter composed for her Llywela Harris, who has died aged 94, was a pint-sized music teacher who inspired generations of public schoolgirls to express themselves through song. The diminutive Llywela Harris possessed a Welsh scepticism of rank: to her, it did not matter where her young wards came from or how rich their Midlands industrialist parents might be. It was a question of where they might go harmonically. Her choir at Abbots Bromley school in Staffordshire dominated girls music in the 1970s and 1980s, and later she was the warden of the Royal School of Church Music in London and administrator of the St Davids Cathedral Festival, Pembrokeshire. It was at St Davids that she spent her last 25 years, presiding over the tiny citys cultural life like a retired empress. Organists, conductors and visiting soloists were summoned to her cottage in Goat Street to have the rule run over them. Llywela Harris encouraged, cajoled and made things happen. Sir John Rutter composed for her and she marched her girls behind the Iron Curtain for a singing tour of Hungary. Had she been born a generation later she would likely have become a cathedral director of music. Instead, it was at the school of St Mary and St Anne, Abbots Bromley, that her creative energies found an outlet and where she exerted a lasting influence over generations of girls. She also became a mentor to Adrian Partington, now director of music at Gloucester Cathedral, and to Geraint Bowen, director of music at Hereford Cathedral, who received encouragement from Llywela Harris during his youthful posting at St Davids. Abbots Bromley, founded in 1874 by the Rev Nathaniel Woodard, was one of the Woodard group of schools, intended to provide a Christian education for the middle classes. They were sometimes described as chapels with a few buildings attached, but in this instance the chapel came with a terrier-like choir mistress with an ear for a duff note and an unerring nose for slackers. The schools motto, That our daughters may be as the polished corners of the temple (Psalm 144), was never better exemplified than by Llywela Harris, who had herself been educated there. Abbots Bromley was her life, even after retirement. She was its Miss Chips. Llywela Harris: Abbits Bromley was her life Llywela Vernon Harris was born on April 11 1931 at Lampeter in Cardiganshire, the second daughter of the Rev William Henry Harris, precentor of St Davids Cathedral and Professor of Theology and Welsh at St Davids College, Lampeter. He translated several hymns and the office of compline into Welsh. Llywelas mother, sometime mayor of Lampeter, was a fine organist. Llywela and her sister Elizabeth spent their childhood walking the cliffs and bathing at Caerfai and Whitesands. She was sent to board at Abbots Bromley in 1940 and quickly distinguished herself as a pianist. In 1948 she began her studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London, under Douglas Hawkridge on the organ and Eric Thiman for composition. After gaining her LRAM she took a brief post at Southmoor prep school in Berkshire before she returned to Abbots Bromley as Director of Chapel Music in 1953. Apart from a stint at the Guildford girls grammar school (1958-60) and a sabbatical at Stanford (1967), there she stayed. Under Llywela Harriss direction a typical weeks chapel stretched to more than 10 hours of morning assemblies, compline, evensong, choral society, choir rehearsals, organ recitals, Holy Communion and the occasional dawn mass. Requests for a less onerous routine were met with masterly incomprehension. On Saturdays she took the entire school through the next weeks choral music. She would sweep in to the assembly, all of 5ft 2in, and the silence was instant. Immaculately coiffeured and made-up, dressed in knee-length skirts, kitten heels and winged spectacles, she would play the opening chords of a hymn before patrolling the aisles, exhorting the girls many towering over her to sing. You are not singing to yourselves, ladies, and you are not singing to your mothers. You are singing to God, and He is a long way up. Hundreds of youngsters bent to the will of a single, small Welsh woman. Each pupil was armed with an English Hymnal and the Briggs and Frere Manual of Plainsong. When 100 Hymns for Today was added to the arsenal, Llywela Harris proved surprisingly open to new hymns such as God of concrete, God of steel. A singable tune was the benchmark. Some days the noise levels were worthy of Cardiff Arms Park. Llywela Harris: her father translated several hymns and the office of compline into Welsh and her mother was a fine organist Choir practices were more rigorous. Sins included inappropriate breath-taking, slouching, fidgeting and casual enunciation Lord of hoSTS. On Speech Day the girls would process, veiled like nuns, to St Nicholas village church, walking in pairs arranged in height order and singing all 26 verses of Jerusalem, My Happy Home a tradition known to all as Jerry Heights. There they would launch into Llywela Harriss upper-part reduction of CV Stanfords Te Deum in B flat, which had been rehearsed for weeks (Judge has SIX beats, ladies!). EW Naylors setting of the Benedicite was a fixture of Lent term. Such canticles had faded from most Anglican worship, yet at Abbots Bromley they endured. Llywela Harriss teaching room, named Mozart, overlooked a dappled lawn where girls gathered for iced buns at break time. Many of her pupils became musicians for life. Her choir often sang at Lichfield Cathedral. They performed for Songs of Praise and for Radio 3s Let the People Sing, and released two albums. Llywela Harris marked her retirement from teaching in 1990 by riding away in a hot air balloon, serenaded by the girls singing the soul song Up, Up and Away. Then, after a four-year stint at the RSCM at Addington Palace in Croydon, where she tightened the ropes as its warden, she returned to Goat Street and ran the annual St Davids Cathedral Festival. In old age she spent afternoons listening to Radio 3s Choral Evensong, surrounded by her grandfathers watercolours of Oxford; beside her bed was a framed list of the schools choral society collaborations with Repton. Despite more than one engagement, Llywela Harris never married. Llywela Harris, born April 11 1931, died May 13 2025 Davy Russell (R) is the newly elected Scottish Labour MP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse - Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images The SNPs balloon has burst and John Swinney is running down the clock, Anas Sarwar, Scotlands First Minister, has said after Labour won a shock by-election victory. The Scottish Labour leader said his partys knife-edge win in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse contest showed voters wanted to oust the SNP from power in next years Holyrood election. Labours Davy Russell won the Scottish Parliament seat by 602 votes from the SNPs Katy Loudon, with Reforms Ross Lambie only 887 votes behind her. The Tories finished a distant fourth, barely saving their deposit, after their support collapsed. Mr Swinney was left humiliated by the loss of the SNP seat after repeatedly claiming the by-election was a straight fight between his party and Reform. Alex Neil, the former SNP minister, said the First Minister should resign. Speaking the morning after the victory, Ms Sarwar accused Mr Swinney of running a disgraceful campaign that deliberately encouraged people to vote for Reform. Mr Sarwar said the result demonstrated that next years Holyrood election would really be a straight choice between the SNP and Labour, with Reform merely a spoiler who could not win power. But Prof Sir John Curtice, the countrys most eminent psephologist, said Reform had achieved a highly creditable third place by attracting a slew of former Labour voters. Writing in the Telegraph, he warned Nigel Farages party risked severely denting Mr Sarwars hopes of being First Minister. Sir John also said Labours performance, its vote share in the constituency declined, was well short of what is needed to demonstrate it is currently on course to win next years Holyrood election. He said Labour still managed to scrape victory thanks to a 17-point drop in support for the Nationalists, with independence supporters less forgiving than they once were of what many perceive as the SNPs poor record in government. The contest was called following the death of Christina McKelvie, the Scottish Government minister, who won the seat for the SNP with a 4,582 majority in the 2021 Holyrood election. An outsider in the contest Although Labour won the equivalent seat at Westminster by almost 10,000 votes in last years general election, the partys collapse in support during the early months of Sir Keir Starmers government meant it was viewed as an outsider in the contest. However, Labour insiders attributed their victory to Mr Russells popularity locally and a strong get-out-the-vote operation that saw more than 200 activists travel to the constituency on polling day. Speaking at a press call in Hamilton town centre with Mr Russell, Mr Sarwar said he was confident that he could replace Mr Swinney as First Minister in 2025. The Scottish Labour leader said: I think what were seeing now is the running down of the clock. This is an SNP government thats lost its way, the balloon is burst, they are out of ideas, they are out of steam. They have no positive offer for the people of Scotland, theyve got no positive record to put in front of the people of Scotland and theyre running down the clock. He said there was a lesson for pollsters and commentators who believed Mr Swinneys claim that the by-election was a straight fight between the SNP and Reform, arguing they should stop listening to the First Ministers nonsense. Pressed on Sir Johns view that Reforms strong performance would make it difficult for Labour to win power next year at Holyrood, he said the psephologist was only looking at a snapshot of a particular by-election. Mr Sarwar argued this approach ignored the general mood music and the general momentum of a campaign going into next year. He added: On the ground, people believe the SNP are done. They are sick to the back teeth of them...They think theyre a busted flush. They want them out. Sir Keir sent his congratulations to Mr Russell on his fantastic victory. In a post on social media, the Prime Minister said: People in Scotland have once again voted for change. Next year, there is a chance to turbo-charge delivery by putting Labour in power on both sides of the border. I look forward to working with you. Speaking in Edinburgh, Mr Swinney said: Clearly, were disappointed that we didnt win last night, but we made progress in the election compared to the general election last summer, and weve got to build on that and make sure that we strengthen our support in advance of 2026. So the SNP made progress last night, but its not nearly enough and weve got to build on that. Asked if it was a mistake to call the by-election a two-horse race between the SNP and Reform, he said: I called it the way I saw it. The First Minister argued the Labour vote had collapsed compared to last years general election and we saw the Reform vote surging, which it has. But Mr Neil, who served in Alex Salmonds and Nicola Sturgeons Cabinets, tweeted: Poor by-election result for the SNP despite having the best candidate It shows that the opinion polls appear wide of the mark. Most importantly, it shows the current SNP leadership needs to be replaced urgently. The SNP under Mr Swinney was also routed in last years general election. Labour won the by-election with 8,559 votes (31.6 per cent), despite its vote share declining by two percentage points compared to the 2021 Holyrood election result in the seat. The SNP finished second with 7,957 votes (29.4 per cent), a huge drop in support compared to 2021, when Ms McKelvie won 46.2 per cent of the popular vote. Reform finished third with 7,088 votes (26.1 per cent), which Sir John noted was well above the 19 per cent support recorded in Scotland-wide opinion polls, despite the seat not being particularly fertile ground for Nigel Farages party. Richard Tice, Reforms deputy leader, attended the count and insisted he was delighted with the result. He said it was truly remarkable, adding: Weve come from nowhere to being in a three-way marginal. But the result was disastrous for the Scottish Tories, who won only 1,621 votes. Their vote share declined from 17.5 per cent in the 2021 election to only six per cent. A very competitive political environment Speaking ahead of next weeks Scottish Tory conference in Edinburgh, UK leader Kemi Badenoch said: Larkhall is not the place where the Conservative Party fightback starts. She said it was interesting that Reform was causing problems for all parties and noted that we live in a very competitive political environment. Miles Briggs, the shadow education secretary for the Scottish Tories, said the party knew it would be a difficult by-election and blamed protest voting for Reform and Labour. He told BBC Radios Good Morning Scotland programme: We know what that challenge is and we have no doubt of the fight that we have to take forward into the election next year. Tributes were laid for Lee Rigby, who was murdered at the Royal Artillery Barracks in 2013 Military staff at an Army base were mistakenly put on alert over a Lee Rigby-style threat to behead a paratrooper. Security was tightened at the Colchester garrison, where Parachute Regiment battalions are located, after online threats were intercepted by Nottinghamshire police. All military staff at the base were warned not to wear any uniforms or clothing outside the camp that would identify them as military personnel. The families of service members were also sent warnings. However, a spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police has said: This story relates to outdated intelligence and does not relate to any current threat or investigation. Fusilier Lee Rigby was hacked to death by Islamist terrorists Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale in 2013 - PA It is understood that due to an error made by police logging the date the post was made, military officials were mistakenly informed this week it was a new threat. Fusilier Rigby was murdered by Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale on May 22 2013, outside the Royal Artillery barracks in Woolwich, south London, after he was seen wearing a Help for Heroes hoodie, which was popular with troops. The alert sent to families and service personnel at Colchester Garrison, where 3,500 troops and 750 civilian workers are based, said: Urgent. All, please disseminate to all your people in camp. We have received a warning that a man has made threats against members of the Para Regt and wants to carry out a Lee Rigby style attack. The SCC [Security Control Centre] and main gate have been informed but ensure no Para Regt/military clothing is worn outside camp and remain vigilant. Colchester Garrison is the home of 16 Air Assault Brigade and troops from the Parachute Regiments second and third battalions - Avpics / Alamy Stock Photo Colchesters military history dates back to the late 18th century when the first barracks were built in the city. The garrison is the home of 16 Air Assault Brigade and troops from the Parachute Regiments second and third battalions, alongside other infantry and aviation units and supporting detachments, such as logistics and medical personnel. Airborne forces are known to wear regimental clothing outside working hours, particularly their distinctive maroon-coloured T-shirts and fleeces, most often worn with tight jeans and desert boots, a tradition that goes back many decades. Fusilier Rigby was a father-of-one from Middleton, Greater Manchester, and had served in Afghanistan. At the time of his death, he was working in army recruitment. He was a trained machine-gunner and a regimental drummer. He was given a military funeral at Bury parish church on July 12 2013. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and now former chairman Zia Yusuf during a press conference earlier this year - Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire What were Reform playing at this week, apparently allowing their newest MP Sarah Pochin to ask Keir Starmer at Prime Ministers Questions whether he would follow other European countries and consider banning the burka? After all, it seems to have led to the resignation of their successful chairman Zia Yusuf. To answer this question, it is worth looking at Reforms other interventions on cultural issues in recent times. For there have been a number of occasions when senior Reform politicians have brutally engaged in the most sensitive and controversial cultural areas. There is a clear pattern. Zia Yusuf, pictured after Reforms local election victories earlier this year, has resigned from the party after his colleague MP Sarah Pochin urged the Prime Minister to ban the burka - Lia Toby/Getty Images Just recently, Nigel Farage made clear he felt Lucy Connolly, the mother jailed for posting offensively on social media about the riots that followed the appalling murders of children in Southport, should not be in jail. Last July, Connolly posted on X hours after Axel Rudakubana murdered three girls in a knife rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in Southport. She wrote: Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f---ing hotels full of the b------s for all I care, while youre at it, take the treacherous government politicians with them. I feel physically sick knowing what these [Southport] families will now have to endure. If that makes me racist, so be it. Politicians from across the political spectrum have said that the punishment meted out to Connolly was disproportionate. Farage went further than most, saying: The sentence that was given to her was absolutely excessive and while she should not have said what she said, understand there were millions of mothers at that moment in time after Southport feeling exactly the same way. Provoking a reaction The Reform leader also recently said we need to choose which migrants from which countries come to Britain. At the same time, he has been vocal about the grooming gangs that existed across northern England, refusing to condemn some of Elon Musks increasingly-bizarre social media commentary about the issue at the start of the year (Musk falsely claimed that the Home Office had sent a memo to police ordering them not to investigate alleged abuse because young women had made an informed choice about their sexual behaviour). There are many other examples of Farage seeking to intervene on cultural issues, while carefully walking along a tightrope. In the past, when Farage was merely the most prominent politician in two start-up parties Ukip and the Brexit Party his strategy was obvious: simply to generate attention. At that time, he could say things which many (even most) people found offensive, because all that mattered was going up a few points in the polls by attracting small numbers of people who agreed with him. But Reform now engage in these sorts of culturally assertive interventions for a different reason: to provoke a reaction from opposing politicians, putting them in a hopefully impossible position with some of their working-class voters. That mentality was clearly at play when Pochin asked Starmer this week whether he would follow the lead of France, Denmark, Belgium and others, and ban the burka and Yusuf, before he resigned, seemed all too aware of it, writing on social media: I do think its dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldnt do. And for interventions that dont involve a public question to the Prime Minister such as Farages pronouncements in speeches and Q&As Farage and his team know full well that their influence in the media is such that political opponents will be asked for a response. The ideal scenario for Reform is for Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch, and their collective MPs to say, no, they do not agree with Reforms latest cultural pronouncement. The resulting clips, usually without the context of Reforms original comments, can look as if the politicians in question were going out of their way to, for example, support Lucy Connollys imprisonment, or, in this weeks case, for the normalisation of the burka. Reform seem to think there is no risk in campaigning like this. They assume their core and prospective voters will not be offended by their own comments, but might be irritated watching opposing parties disagree. And, to be fair, you could see that Starmer did not want to engage on the burka this week, presumably for fear of looking like he was going out of his way to support it. Eccentric at best, sinister at worst But this is another example of Reform being stuck in their own past. They still campaign like a little party, as if their primary objective was to get to 15 or 20 points in the polls, not to form a government. This weeks intervention was a mistake, and not just because it cost them a competent chairman; it risked making the party look eccentric at best and sinister at worst. On the specifics of the burka, the opinion research is hard to read, not least because voters are nervous talking about it. While there has been little recent polling, in 2017, a YouGov survey found that 48 per cent would support a burka ban while 42 per cent would oppose it. My very strong impression is that most voters would not like to see significant numbers of people wearing the burka, because of the physical barrier it places between the wearer and everyone else; it is obviously also something which has barely been seen in this country, even as multi-racial Britain grew post-war. However, if they were asked to consider the implications of a legal ban, I suspect most voters would not want the state to get into the business of policing clothing, because they believe personal choice should be respected (yes, there is a debate about how much choice wearers have, but this will be lost on the majority of voters). Most voters would, in turn, be horrified to see women in burkas being physically barred from particular places, let alone arrested. While classical liberalism in Britain is dying and with it the belief in a small state this would still cross a line for most people. More broadly, this cultural intervention, and others like it, will only dissuade Reforms next set of target voters to back them. Given their objective is to form a government, they need to get to 35 points at least in the polls to give them a chance (they are currently probably just shy of 30 points). This means significantly expanding from their base of disaffected working-class voters (who will always be their most important) and going after people who only recently voted Tory or Labour. The primary barrier, for these voters, is absolutely not that Reform is insufficiently Right-wing, or insufficiently patriotic, or culturally assertive. The primary barrier for them is whether or not Reform looks professional, mainstream (of sorts), and will focus on things that really matter and that other parties fail to engage on. This group of voters will not vote for a party which looks like a European populist party, or indeed the Trump administration. A recent poll suggested Reforms lead over Labour had narrowed by a couple of points. You cannot make this assertion from one poll; polls move all the time. But there is no doubt Reform has had a bad couple of weeks. Firstly, their implausible mini policy package which promised massive spending paid for by cutting waste; and now a pointless row over the burka which appears to have cost them a chairman. Their focus on cutting conventional immigration, changing asylum laws, stopping small boats, reducing the influence of woke and getting the police focused on real crime will appeal to most voters; and the other parties are struggling badly to answer these policy challenges. When it comes to winning over the public, they would be well advised to stay focused on these issues and leave the cultural commentary to others. Tom Felton will make his Broadway debut as Draco Malfoy, which he played in the Harry Potter film franchise - Manuel Harla/PA Tom Felton is reprising his role as Draco Malfoy for the play Harry Potter And The Cursed Child. The Surrey-born actor, who starred in all the film adaptations of JK Rowlings fantasy novel until the last movie in 2011, will make a comeback as Harry Potters school bully at the Lyric Theatre on Broadway in New York later this year. The production said he was the first actor from the films to reprise their role on stage, and this will be Feltons Broadway debut. The actor said: Being a part of the Harry Potter films has been one of the greatest honours of my life. Joining this production will be a full-circle moment for me, because when I begin performances in Cursed Child this fall, Ill also be the exact age Draco is in the play. Its surreal to be stepping back into his shoes and of course his iconic platinum blond hair and I am thrilled to be able to see his story through and to share it with the greatest fan community in the world. I look forward to joining this incredible company and being a part of the Broadway community. Felton, 37, made his West End debut in the supernatural thriller 2:22 A Ghost Story in 2022. He will begin his run in Harry Potter And The Cursed Child on November 11 for a limited 19 weeks, the production said on Thursday. Tom Felton will begin his run in Harry Potter And The Cursed Child on November 11 at the Lyric Theatre in New York - Manuel Harlan/PA Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender, the producers of the play, said: Its not lost on us that this is a cultural moment charged with nostalgia, evolution, and emotion. Toms return to Hogwarts bridges generations of fans and breathes new life into a beloved story. Were beyond thrilled to welcome Tom back home but also into a new family: our Broadway company. We cant wait to see him inhabit this role once again with the same depth, gravity, and humanity he has always brought to Draco. The play, written by Jack Thorne, the co-creator of the Netflix series Adolescence, began in 2016 in London and has had a Broadway run since 2018. It was co-devised by Rowling, and is set 19 years after the events of the final book, with Harry, who is now a Ministry of Magic employee, and his wife Ginny Weasley sending off their youngest son, Albus Severus, to school. The two-part play, which stretches over five hours, sees Albus struggle at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with the weight of his family legacy and go to extreme and dangerous lengths to right the wrongs of the past. Tom Felton said joining this production will be a full-circle moment for him - Manuel Harlan/PA Since the ending of the film franchise, Felton has been in 2011s Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes and had recurring roles in the TV series Murder In The First, The Flash and Origin. He has also lent his voice in the Harry Potter video games and featured in the TV special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts alongside Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, who played Harry, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The seven Harry Potter books are set to be brought to the small screen by HBO, with production beginning at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden in summer 2025. The young stars have been cast with Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, Arabella Stanton as Hermione, and Alastair Stout as Ron, while the new Draco has not yet been confirmed. Earlier this year, British actor Paapa Essiedu was confirmed to play Professor Severus Snape and US actor John Lithgow as Professor Albus Dumbledore, the Hogwarts headmaster. Also joining the cast are Paul Whitehouse, the Welsh comedian and actor, as the magic-less Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch, and Nick Frost, the Hot Fuzz actor, as the friendly groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid. Germany's goalkeeper, Oliver Baumann, protects himself at a match against Portugal on Wednesday as hailstones fall on to the pitch in Munich. Photograph: Angelika Warmuth/Reuters This week, large parts of Europe have been affected by a series of intense thunderstorms, bringing torrential rain, damaging winds and large hail. Central France was particularly badly affected by the severe weather, as powerful storm systems swept south-westward across the country. The departments of Loire and Puy-de-Dome were among the hardest hit, experiencing significant damage from a particularly violent supercell thunderstorm that produced hailstones measuring up to 6cm in diameter larger than ping-pong balls. The storm system also generated flash flooding, strong wind gusts, and reports of a localised mini-tornado, leaving widespread damage to infrastructure and vehicles in its wake. The storms were fuelled by warm, saturated air rising from the Mediterranean clashing with cooler air descending from northern Europe. This temperature contrast created significant atmospheric instability. Additionally, the orographic influence of the Vosges and Jura mountain ranges probably contributed to storm intensification by enhancing uplift. The powerful supercell formed under conditions of high wind shear, where changes in wind speed and direction with altitude encouraged the development of a rotating updraft. These intense updrafts lifted raindrops high into the atmosphere, where they froze and coalesced into large hailstones before falling to the ground with destructive force. Meanwhile, southern China has once again experienced heavy rainfall, triggering landslides, emergency evacuations, and widespread disruption to transport networks across the region. In Quanzhou County, approximately 300 cubic metres of debris, including soil and large boulders, tumbled down a hillside, blocking a major roadway and bringing traffic to a standstill. In Guilins Lingui district, rainfall totals exceeded 207mm on Monday alone, highlighting the severity of the ongoing weather system and its impact on the local infrastructure and communities. Canada is currently battling more than 200 active wildfires, primarily across Saskatchewan and Manitoba, with approximately 2.3 million hectares burnt, most within the past week. At least half of these fires are classified as out of control, and have led to widespread evacuations. Thick smoke from the fires has significantly reduced air quality, spreading across a third of the US, and more recently have reached Europe. Hot, dry conditions, intensified by climate change, have been worsening the situation, and are expected to help fuel the fires over the coming days. The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, from St. Vincent's Rock, Bristol is expected to fetch up to 300,000 when it is auctioned by Sothebys. Photograph: Sotheby's An oil painting of a stormy Bristol landscape has been rediscovered as one of the earliest works of JMW Turner, created when the artist was 17 years old and lost to his canon for the past 150 years. Turners signature on The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, from St Vincents Rock, Bristol was discovered in the process of cleaning the painting after it was sold last year. At the time of the sale, the work was attributed to a follower of Julius Caesar Ibbetson, an 18th-century artist. Dreweatts, the auctioneers, had suggested the work would fetch 600-800, although the buyer is believed to have paid less. Now, in a year of exhibitions and events to mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of the man widely considered to be Britains greatest and most influential artist, the painting is to be sold again. This time it will be auctioned by Sothebys with an estimated value of 200,000-300,000. We are as certain as its possible to be that this painting is by Turner, said Julian Gascoigne of Sothebys. The painting had been examined by all the leading Turner scholars alive today who unanimously endorsed the attribution. As well as the recently revealed signature, there were clear references to a painting of this subject in obituaries of Turner and in early literature on the artist in the years after his death in 1851. But in the second half of the 19th century, a series of mistakes were made, which were repeated and compounded, with it described as a watercolour, said Gascoigne. It was omitted from the first complete resume of Turners work published in 1901, and over the course of the 20th century, it was forgotten about as just another relatively minor early watercolour. The person who bought the painting last year initially thought it may have been the work of Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg, a French emigre painter living in London whose studio Turner frequently visited. De Loutherbourgs wife, suspicious that Turner was intent on appropriating her husbands painting technique, eventually threw him out. The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, from St Vincents Rock, Bristol was the first oil painting exhibited by Turner, at the Royal Academy in 1793, the year after it was painted. Based on a drawing in his sketchbook and a watercolour, both held by Tate Britain, it depicts Hot Wells House in Bristol seen from the east bank of the River Avon, now the site of the Clifton suspension bridge, amid swirling storm clouds and tempestuous waters. Hot Wells was a hot spring and spa that was a popular attraction in Georgian England. The painting was first acquired by the Rev Robert Nixon, a customer at Turners fathers barbershop who befriended and encouraged the young artist. Nixon was among the first to urge Turner to paint with oils. It gives us a real insight into the ambition that Turner was clearly exhibiting at this early stage of his career, and shows a level of competency in oil painting, which is quite a technical medium, said Gascoigne. It changes a lot of what we know, or thought we knew, about Turners early work and our understanding of how his technique and style evolved. Turner applied the oil paint thinly, almost like a watercolour. Hes feeling his way through the medium, but bringing all the experience he already had as a watercolour painter to his application of oil. This technique of washy, translucent glazes of paint is something he comes back to later in his career, in the 1830s and 40s, and is one of the things that allowed him to completely revolutionise the art of painting breaking down forms, seducing them in light, taking his painting technique towards the level of experimentation and abstraction that we think of today with his late, great masterpieces. At the time of last years sale, the painting was very dirty, it hadnt been touched for a long period of time, it had very old discoloured yellow varnish on it, said Gascoigne. The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, from St Vincents Rock, Bristol will go on public display for the first time in 167 years later this month at Sothebys in London before being auctioned on 2 July. Pheobe Bishop, 17, went missing in May. Two people have been charged with her murder. Photograph: SUPPLIED/PR IMAGE Queensland police have identified remains found in the search for missing 17-year-old Pheobe Bishop as human, and further testing is being done to formally identify them. The discovery of remains was made at about 2.30pm on Friday after a search of an area near Good Night Scrub national park, close to Gin Gin, police said. The remains were found one day after her housemates were charged with her murder. We always wanted to bring Pheobe home, and we believe that this is the first step in that process, Det Insp Craig Mansfield said on Saturday. He confirmed police had contacted Pheobes family. We do hope that this development, coupled with the arrests in recent times, will bring some level of closure to Pheobes family so they can begin to move forward with their grieving process. Police anticipated forensic investigations at the site would be finished today. We will conduct our examinations with a view of trying to determine a cause of death, whether its able to be achieved is yet to be determined, he said. Police continued to search for the 17-year-olds luggage, Mansfield said. Pheobes mother, Kylie Johnson, was quick to share her grief on Friday. I didnt think my heart could break any more than it did when you went missing, or when the charges were laid but this! This is ripping me apart she posted on Facebook. A crime scene has been declared at the location and forensic examinations are continuing, police said. Police are continuing to appeal for any information in relation to Pheobe or the movement of a grey Hyundai ix35 between 15 and 18 May in the greater Gin Gin area. On Thursday, police charged Pheobes housemates with her murder. The housemates allegedly murdered the missing teenager before moving her body from a national park, police say. James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33, will remain behind bars after their matters appeared in the Bundaberg magistrates court in southern Queensland. They have been charged with murder and two counts each of interfering with a corpse. They have been remanded in custody ahead of their next court appearance on 11 August. Earlier on Friday, Pheobes sister Kaylea Bishop issued a heartbreaking plea to find her sibling outside the court where Wood and Bromley were remanded in custody. If youve got any information about Pheobe just come forward, she told reporters. Wood and Bromleys arrests came three weeks to the day after Pheobe missed a flight and vanished. Three weeks is too long for us as a family. We just want her home, Kaylea said. She was loved, shes missed dearly. The Gin Gin community will hold a candlelight vigil on Sunday to pay tribute to Pheobe. Bundaberg mayor Helen Blackburn said it was very difficult to make sense of the tragedy. We now need to come together as a community, support and care for one another as we try to move forward, Cr Blackburn said. With AAP Reform UK Party Leader Nigel Farage with Zia Yusuf - Hollie Adams This week an appalling case reminded us just how broken Britain is. We learnt that a 15-year-old boy killed elderly dogwalker Bhim Kohli while a female friend, aged 12, filmed it on her mobile phone. Both were laughing as the beloved grandfather lay dying in the street. How on earth can it have come to this? The case is emblematic of everything that has gone wrong and continues to go wrong in our fragmented, seemingly lawless society. We are led by complete incompetents: from police administering two-tier justice right the way up to our Prime Minister. It is little wonder there is a university course running in France on why the UK is such a failure. And Mayor of London Sadiq Khans answer to our capitals woes, despite knife and other crimes soaring? Decriminalising cannabis. We knew Labour were not fit for purpose before they even took office, but this latest example of idiocy from City Hall really does sum up the problem with having hapless, careerist socialists anywhere near the levers of power. And now Reform UK appears to have imploded. Having abandoned the Conservative Party after an inept 14 years of governance, which left us with higher bills, higher taxes, higher NHS waiting lists and higher immigration, voters had hoped that Nigel Farage and his motley crew might bring the salvation Britain so desperately needs. Reform was meant to represent the alternative to uniparty politics by ripping up the political rule book and restoring good old fashioned common sense. What we have learnt in the past 24 hours, however, is that the one thing uniting all four major parties in the UK (and Im including the ludicrous Liberal Democrats in this, with their clown of a leader Sir Ed Davey) is just how thoroughly unserious they all are. Westminster currently resembles a cross-party circus act; what has the electorate done to deserve this? Lets take them one by one. We currently cannot believe a word slippery Starmer says after a string of Labour lies on tax, winter fuel, defence spending, relations with the EU, the Chagos Islands, immigration you name it. They promised 6,500 more teachers with their vindictive VAT raid on private school fees and this week it was revealed teacher numbers are actually down since they took office. Millionaires are leaving, businesses are folding, more tax rises are on the way. Weve got an Attorney General who wants to defend terrorists like Osama bin Ladens right-hand man while the justice system imprisons mothers like Lucy Connolly for hurty words on the internet. The Left accuses Reform of being amateurs and then run the country as if its a university student union staffed by drop-outs. Yet the Right-wing opposition appears equally as childish. This week, we have had the shadow chancellor Mel Stride denouncing Liz Trusss premiership with some weasel words about the Tories never again undermining fiscal credibility by making promises we cannot afford. The former prime minister once famously compared to a lettuce hit back with an excoriating statement on the political playground that is X, accusing Sir Mel of being a creature of the system by siding with failed Treasury orthodoxy. In what world does this blue-on-blue infighting help Kemi Badenoch as she struggles to cut through? Equally infantile was the typically boyish intervention of her former leadership rival Sir James Cleverly with a demand that the Conservatives stick to net zero despite it being among the main reasons the party is now facing its own climate emergency. Hes been invisible for months and then emerges with this sort of unhelpful Ed Milibandesque claptrap? Read the room, for pitys sake. All credit to Robert Jenrick for trying to find some grown-up solutions to some of the countrys problems like fare dodging, notwithstanding the self-serving nature of his attention-grabbing social media endeavours. Badenoch is trying her best to be a serious politician, with thoughtful rather than knee-jerk interventions on issues like our membership of the ECHR only to have MPs in her ranks like Kit Malthouse spreading anti-Israel slanders like his declaration this week that Gaza is an abattoir where starving people are lured out through combat zones to be shot at. Along with other Tories, hes also been calling for the Prime Minister to recognise a Palestinian state. Harebrained student politics are clearly not just confined to the Labour Party. We had hoped Reform, led by streetwise Nigel Farage, a man of political wisdom and experience, might rise above all this. But even he has been dogged by infantilism. If Rupert Lowes more people watch my X videos than Nigels bravado wasnt bad enough, Reform now has been badly damaged by the similarly petulant flouncing out of party chairman Zia Yusuf. I like Zia and think he deserves credit for all the hard work he has put into professionalising the party over the past 11 months. But what on earth was there to be gained from such a public tantrum? Just leave quietly, dont blow the whole thing up with spiteful talk of working to get the party elected no longer being a good use of my time. Similarly juvenile was the language he used to describe Reform MP Sarah Pochins Commons call to ban the burka (which provoked laughter from the front bench: thats the state of public discourse in this country, folks). Responding to Katie Hopkins, of all people, on X, he wrote: Nothing to do with me. Had no idea about the question nor that it wasnt policy. Busy with other stuff. I do think its dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldnt do. At the age of 38 and having worked at Goldman Sachs and established his own hugely successful business, he should know this is not the way to behave in the public eye. Reform remains a party that cannot even govern itself, let alone the country. This simply isnt good enough. The Government is useless, the Tories are a busted flush; if Reform seriously wants to break the doom loom of despair then it cannot be part of the problem. The party must get its act together and fast. Nigel Farage speaking in Aberdeen this week. (Getty Images) (Peter Summers via Getty Images) Reform UK is back in the headlines again, after its party chairman quit...before reversing his decision barely 48 hours later. Zia Yusuf announced his resignation on Thursday, saying working to get Reform elected was no longer "a good use of my time". But he changed course on Saturday, saying his decision had been a "mistake" and was borne from "exhaustion", having worked for 11 months "without a day off". It followed a row in which Yusuf criticised a "dumb" question from new MP Sarah Pochin to Sir Keir Starmer in Parliament on Wednesday about a ban on burkas. Reform figures - including leader Nigel Farage - had backed Pochin. The infighting is an unwelcome setback for the party, which is riding high in polling among the public and achieved third place in Thursday's Scottish by-election, finishing within 1,500 votes of the winning Labour candidate. Who is Reform most popular with? In the latest YouGov voting intention tracker, based on surveys from 1 and 2 June, Reform topped the polls on 28%. This compares to Labour on 22%, the Tories on 18% and Lib Dems on 16%. The tracker's more detailed results indicate Reform is most popular among over-50s, with some 40% of Britons between 50 and 64 choosing the party in the latest survey. This compares to just 18% favouring Labour and the Tories. Meanwhile, 34% of over-65s are backing Farage's party, compared to 30% who are currently supporting the Tories. People were asked: 'If there were a general election held tomorrow, which party would you vote for?' (YouGov) In terms of gender, Reform is also the most popular party among British males (31%) and females (25%). In England, it is also leading in the north (32%), Midlands (30%) and south (28%). In London, it is only the fourth most popular party (15%). The party's apparent increasing support translated into MPs during last year's general election, which saw it win five seats: Ashfield, Boston and Skegness, Clacton, Great Yarmouth (though its winning candidate Rupert Lowe is no longer a Reform MP) and South Basildon and East Thurrock. It came in second place in a further 98 constituencies. The party's electoral momentum continued at a local level last month. As well as winning the Runcorn and Helsby parliamentary by-election (which sent Sarah Pochin to the House of Commons), Reform won two mayoralties (Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire) and control of 10 councils. Reform took control of 10 councils last month, including eight which had been led by the Tories. (PA) (PA Wire) Reform's surge in Scottish by-election In the Scottish Parliament by-election for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse on Thursday, Reform came "from nowhere" to finish third - and within 1,500 of first. After not putting a candidate forward in 2021, Reform's Ross Lambie won 7,088 votes, compared to the SNP's 7,957 and Labour's 8,559. In 2021, Reform UK finished a lowly 13th, with just 58 votes. Deputy leader Richard Tice said: "Weve come from nowhere to being in a three-way marginal, and were within 750 votes of winning that by-election and just a few hundred votes of defeating the SNP, so its an incredible result. Who is Zia Yusuf and why did he initially step down from Reform? But if the popularity of Reform UK is gathering momentum, internally, the party has been hit by a series of high-profile internal problems. Formerly a Tory member, Yusuf came to prominence in June last year as a major Reform donor - giving 200,000 to the party - ahead of the general election A businessman who co-founded a luxury concierge service app called Velocity Black, which he reportedly sold for 233m in 2023, he was labelled a "star of the show" by Farage. And after Reform won its first Commons seats in the election, Yusuf was appointed chairman with a brief of "professionalising the party, building national infrastructure and continuing to grow membership". Sarah Pochin sits behind Zia Yusuf at a Reform UK press conference last week. (Getty Images) (Dan Kitwood via Getty Images) He was at the heart of another Reform "civil war" in March when the party stripped MP Rupert Lowe of the whip and reported him to the police, accusing him of making threats of physical violence towards Yusuf. The Crown Prosecution Service said last month no criminal charges would be brought against Lowe, who then accused his ex-colleagues of a sinister attempt to use the police to silence him. Yusuf also had an increasingly prominent role representing Reform in the media. After last month's local elections, it was him - not any of Reform's MPs - who spoke for the party on the BBCs flagship Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg politics programme. But just one month later, he said he was leaving following his clash with senior figures in the party. On Wednesday, Pochin asked Starmer during Prime Minister's Questions whether he would support a ban on burkas. A day later, Yusuf said on social media it had been "dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn't do". Shortly after that, he announced he was quitting as Reform's chairman, saying that working to get the party elected was no longer "a good use of my time". Party leader Farage said he had only 10 minutes; notice Yusuf was going to resign, adding he was "genuinely sorry" he was departing. However, he performed a U-turn two days later. Speaking to the Sunday Times alongside Yusuf, Farage said the ex-chairman will now be doing "four jobs", although his new title has not yet been decided. Yusuf will spearhead Reform's attempts to cut public spending in the councils it controls, while also playing a role in policymaking and fundraising and making media appearances. What are Reform's policies? Reform has set out a number of policies in recent months. The party has said it would reinstate the winter fuel allowance and scrap the two-child benefit cap in what is a clear attempt to target Labour supporters angry at the party's welfare cuts. More controversially, Reform has vowed to make "big savings" by scrapping the UK's net zero, asylum hotel and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) policies. Farage has also said it would lift the income tax threshold to 20,000: something the Institute for Fiscal Studies questioned, saying it would cost up to 80bn. Starmer seized on this, saying Farage's "fantasy" economics would lead to a Liz Truss-style economic meltdown. Quite how this translates into how the public continues to view the party remains to be seen. But with the next general election still four years away, there are plenty more twists and turns to come for Farage & Co. Read more Nigel Farage Yet again a Scottish by-election has kicked the political establishment in the shins. Yes, in Scotland, after 18 years in power, the SNP is currently the political establishment and its defeat at the hands of Labour with a 602 vote majority and Reform UK close behind in third place by just 869 votes demonstrates the disruptors are making an impact. Labours unexpected and narrow victory makes it clear the SNP is likely to struggle to form a Government when the full Holyrood election is held next May. That election will be held under a proportional voting system which, were Reform UK to poll anything like the 26.1 per cent achieved in Hamilton by its candidate Ross Lambie, could give the party a healthy group of MSPs in the mid-twenties and possibly make them king-makers. For the Conservatives, the evening was bad but not quite as embarrassing as they privately feared. Polling only 1621 votes, Tory sighs of relief were audible from Gretna to John OGroats once they realised their vote share was 6 per cent, saving a lost deposit had it fallen to below 5 per cent. Still, it remains impossible to say if the Conservatives have yet bottomed out. Tory candidates face being squeezed across Scotland from all ends by the other pro-UK parties so long as regaining trust with voters remains the Conservatives biggest challenge. Despite the best efforts of Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay providing more focussed stewardship, the Conservatives still risk falling below their worst ever Holyrood vote in 2011 when Annabel Goldies campaign achieved only 12.4 per cent. The SNP leadership will need to look hard at their strategy of building up Reform as a far right bogeyman and talking-up the prospect of a two-horse race between the SNP and Reform. The First Minster, John Swinney, had suggested the only way to stop Reform was for Labour voters to get behind the SNP; he begged them from the pages of a Labour-supporting tabloid to come over to the nationalists. Instead of reducing Labours support by this tactical ploy, he received a stinging political slap in the face as his pleas only served to give Reform credibility as a serious challenger while Labour activists flooded the constituency on the last day to get their vote out. What is also clear from the by-election is that making out Nigel Farage as a vote loser in Scotland does not hold water. The same used to be said about Margaret Thatcher and Boris Johnson, but the truth is there has always been a Scottish market for big personalities that parties of the Left have sought to demonise. Photos of the Clacton MP were all over the Reform UKs publicity materials, and he was regularly promoted via social media and did the unthinkable of visiting the constituency during the campaign. Yes, hes a marmite figure, but hes been a marmite figure for much of his political life in most of England too, and now has the best ratings of all the party leaders. After the initial realisation during polling day that they simply did not have the shoe leather on the ground to push for second place, Reform UKs supporters quickly realised they had actually achieved an amazing result. Their candidate, Ross Lambie, had polled 7,088 which next to Labours 8,599 and the SNPs 7,957 resulted in a highly creditable three-way fight. Coming from only 7.8 per cent in the Hamilton and Clyde Valley Westminster constituency boundary at last years general election to achieve 26.1 per cent this time round is a very strong showing. Reform UK has landed in Scotland. Brian Monteith is a former member of the Scottish and European parliaments Reform deputy leader Richard Tice at the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse count - Getty Images How else could Richard Tice respond to the result in the Hamilton by-election than to welcome his partys third place as a remarkable result? In many ways it was, of course: very few parties so recently formed could have hoped to be in contention in a seat as working class and as Scottish as this one. Taking on the two most dominant political parties in the country was always ambitious. Expecting a win was always optimistic. And so it proved. Scottish Labour, written off by many in recent weeks (including by this writer), secured a priceless victory over the incumbent SNP, relegating Reform to third place. It was Anas Sarwar who had most to lose from this contest, and it is he who will be the happiest on Friday. Scottish Labour had been performing well in the polls and in by-elections right up until the UK general election in July 2024. Shortly thereafter the surprising and almost immediate unpopularity of the new Labour government looked like it would derail Sarwars bid to become first minister of Scotland next May, and John Swinneys SNP regained its large opinion poll lead. The impact on Anas Sarwar and his party of Starmers missteps and unforced errors was significant and unfair, but then politics isnt fair. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar hugs Jackie Ballie after Davy Russell wins - Getty Images Few would have been surprised if the SNP had managed to hold onto the seat previously held by the respected and late MSP, Christine McKelvie. Swinney, with his dull but reassuring bank manager persona, has steadied the nationalist ship after a couple of turbulent years during which Nicola Sturgeon resigned in the midst of a police investigation into party finances, her estranged husband was charged with embezzlement and Humza Yousaf, Sturgeons successor, was forced out of office after barely a year in Bute House. Sarwar desperately needed his party to pull off a win in order to keep Scottish Labours chances at next years Holyrood elections alive. And that is what its done. The SNP, meanwhile, will be worried about what this result will mean for dozens of SNP seats which will now feel all the more vulnerable to a Labour revival. The memories of election night last July, when the nationalists lost 39 of its 48 seats 36 of them directly to Labour still haunt the party. As for Reform, it shouldnt be overlooked that it came a respectable third with 26 per cent of the vote just five per cent behind the winning score and only three per cent behind the SNP. Were it not for both the main parties considerable advantage in terms of organisation both have years of local canvass records for the area and can rely on the efforts of seasoned organisers Reform might have expected to do better. As it is, third place in Hamilton, Stonehouse and Larkhall makes life extremely uncomfortable for all the other parties. Labour and the SNP will lose much sleep between now and next May as they try to work out which of them will lose more support to Nigel Farages party when the new Scottish parliament is elected. Reforms presence could well transform the electoral map, even if the party itself doesnt pick up any first-past-the-post seats. It is in the proportional list part of the election where Reform is expected to do better, possibly at the expense of both the Greens and the Conservatives. For Russel Findlay, the new Scottish Tory leader, his partys fourth place with six per cent of the vote is confirmation that it simply cannot compete for power at Holyrood. The voters of Lanarkshire have shown they are willing to flirt with a Right-wing party, but the Conservative brand remains too toxic for most Scots to contemplate. It was a satisfying night for Reform, a worrying one for the SNP and a deeply disappointing one for the Scottish Conservatives. As for Labour, its leader in Scotland may be happy, but it is his boss in Downing Street who will be even more relieved. For no one can doubt that the loss of a crucial by-election at this stage in the electoral cycle would have been laid at his door. In a political landscape containing few bright spots for his government, Keir Starmer will be toasting his Scottish Party and its leader this evening. Singer Rita Ora has released her new single Heat along with a music video shot on a Miami beach, describing the record as special to her. The 34-year-old, who is best known for songs such as Hot Right Now, How We Do (Party) and I Will Never Let You Down, released the track ahead of a performance at World Pride Music Festival in Washington DC. Speaking about the track, she said: Dropping Heat on the same day as my World Pride performance feels like the perfect way to kick off summer its such a special moment for me and for my fans who have supported me over the years. Im obsessed with this track, and honestly, I just wanted to have fun with it. Its bold, cheeky, and totally drenched in golden, feel-good energy. For me, its all about celebrating freedom, joy, being unapologetically yourself and owning who you are. The single is accompanied with a music video inspired by photographer Martin Parr, directed by Justin Daashuur Hopkins, and looks at the everyday lives of Miami beach goers. Heat was produced by Peter Thomas, who has worked with Pink, Selena Gomez and Teddy Swims, who co-wrote the song alongside Leland, Michael Matosic, and Charli XCX collaborator Troye Sivan. The video shows Ora on a beach in Miami (Rosie Matheson/PA) Ora debuted Heat on stage in Miami while supporting Kylie Minogue on the US leg of her Tension tour and the song will be part of her set at Capitals Summertime Ball on June 15 in London. Beginning her career in 2004, Ora has gone on to achieve four UK number one singles and one UK number one album. She has also made appearances in films such as Fifty Shades Of Grey (2015), Southpaw (2015) and Pokemon Detective Pikachu (2019). In 2022, she married filmmaker Taika Waititi, who has directed movies such as Jojo Rabbit (2019) and Thor: Love And Thunder (2022). Russia launched an intense missile and drone barrage at Kyiv overnight after Vladimir Putin vowed to respond to Ukraines Operation Spiderweb attack on some of the Kremlins nuclear-capable bombers. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had launched more than 400 drones and more than 40 missiles at Ukraine, as he urged allies to build pressure on the Kremlin to end its war. Four people were killed, including three emergency workers in Kyiv. The Ukrainian president wrote in a social media post: If someone does not put pressure and gives the war more time to take lives, they are complicit and responsible. We need to act decisively. Missiles and drones hammered the Ukrainian capital leading fires to rage through residential buildings and forcing the local metro system to close after a train was hit. It was part of a nationwide assault that ranks among the largest coordinated attacks in the three years of full-scale war, with 44 ballistic and cruise missiles and 407 drones launched. About 50 people were injured across the country. Yurii Ihnat, the Ukrainian air force spokesperson, said Ukrainian forces had shot down about 30 of the cruise missiles and up to 200 of the drones. Russias defence ministry said its forces had carried out the overnight attacks in response to what it called Ukrainian terrorist acts against Russia. The Kremlin later described its three-year invasion of Ukraine as existential for Russia, casting it as nothing short of a battle for the future of Russia. For us it is an existential issue, an issue on our national interest, safety, on our future and the future of our children, of our country, the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters, responding to remarks by Trump on Thursday comparing Moscow and Kyiv to brawling children. On Friday night Trump was more critical of Ukraine, telling reporters on Air Force One that Operation Spiderweb had given Putin a reason to go in and bomb the hell out of them. Despite the efforts of Ukraines air defences, the authorities in Kyiv reported that three emergency workers had been killed and 20 people wounded, of whom 16 had been hospitalised. Search and rescue operations are ongoing at several locations, Kyivs mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said on Telegram. Related: Hegseth says Nato allies very close to raising defence spending target to 5% According to the ministry of internal affairs, the three victims were firefighters from the state emergency service who died while responding to the attack. They were working under fire to help people, the ministry said in a statement. Operation of the citys metro transport system was disrupted after a Russian strike damaged a train travelling between stations, the citys military administration said. The air attack also triggered fires in residential buildings in different parts of Kyiv, authorities said. A residential block in the Solomianskyi district took severe damage to the upper floors with entire windows, balcony frames, and parts of an outer wall blown away. More than 2,000 households in Kyivs eastern bank remained without electricity on Friday morning. Russia had previously vowed to take revenge on Ukraine after Mondays audacious drone attack, known as Operation Spiderweb, on its bomber fleet. Initially, two TU-95MC and two TU-160MC bombers were deployed by Russia on Thursday night. This was a lower number than had been feared and may have been the result of the Kremlins resources being reduced by the events of 1 June. Kalibr missiles were also fired from Russian warships stationed in the Black Sea. Putin informed the US president, Donald Trump, in a call on Wednesday that Russia would respond to the operation that Ukraine has claimed damaged or destroyed 41 aircraft. They went deep into Russia and [Putin] actually told me we have no choice but to attack based on that, and its probably not going to be pretty, Trump had told reporters. Trump said it may be better to let Ukraine and Russia fight for a while rather than pursue peace immediately. Ukraine and Russia met for talks in Istanbul on Monday with no headway to a truce, but the two sides signalled progress on other issues, including the transfer of captives and bodies. The barrage on Kyiv had begun with the buzz of Russian kamikaze drones followed by Ukrainian anti-aircraft fire. Through the night the city was shaken by large explosions. Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyivs military administration, said drones had struck the upper floors of a high-rise apartment building and started a fire in Darnytskyi district on the east side of the city. One unofficial Telegram channel said a shopping centre in the area was ablaze. Tkachenko said a fire had also broken out in an apartment building in a western district. Drone fragments were found in three districts. Ukraines commissioner for human rights, Dmytro Lubinets, demanded a strong international response to Russias latest attack. Russia is acting like a terrorist, systematically targeting civilian infrastructure, he wrote on Telegram. The world must respond clearly and take concrete steps, including condemning the aggressors actions. Elsewhere in the country, 10 people were reported injured in the western city of Ternopil, including five emergency workers, said the regional governor, Viacheslav Nehoda. Three people were injured in Ukraines central Poltava region after strikes on administrative buildings, warehouses and a cafe. Russian forces also struck the Khmelnytskyi region, damaging a private residential building, outbuildings, and several vehicles. Air defence forces shot down three Russian missiles in the western Lviv region overnight, according to the regional head, Maksym Kozytskyi. Fiona Hill became the White Houses chief Russia adviser during Donald Trumps first term. Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images Russia is at war with Britain, the US is no longer a reliable ally and the UK has to respond by becoming more cohesive and more resilient, according to one of the three authors of the strategic defence review. Fiona Hill, from County Durham, became the White Houses chief Russia adviser during Donald Trumps first term and contributed to the British governments strategy. She made the remarks in an interview with the Guardian. Were in pretty big trouble, Hill said, describing the UKs geopolitical situation as caught between the rock of Vladimir Putins Russia and the hard place of Donald Trumps increasingly unpredictable US. Hill, 59, is perhaps the best known of the reviewers appointed by Labour, alongside Lord Robertson, a former Nato secretary general, and the retired general Sir Richard Barrons. She said she was happy to take on the role because it was such a major pivot point in global affairs. She remains a dual national after living in the US for more than 30 years. Russia has hardened as an adversary in ways that we probably hadnt fully anticipated, Hill said, arguing that Putin saw the Ukraine war as a starting point to Moscow becoming a dominant military power in all of Europe. As part of that long-term effort, Russia was already menacing the UK in various different ways, she said, citing the poisonings, assassinations, sabotage operations, all kinds of cyber-attacks and influence operations. The sensors that we see that theyre putting down around critical pipelines, efforts to butcher undersea cables. The conclusion, Hill said, was that Russia is at war with us. The foreign policy expert, a longtime Russia watcher, said she had first made a similar warning in 2015, in a revised version of a book she wrote about the Russian president with Clifford Gaddy, reflecting on the invasion and annexation of Crimea. We said Putin had declared war on the west, she said. At the time, other experts disagreed, but Hill said events since had demonstrated he obviously had, and we havent been paying attention to it. The Russian leader, she argues, sees the fight in Ukraine as part of a proxy war with the United States; thats how he has persuaded China, North Korea and Iran to join in. Putin believed that Ukraine had already been decoupled from the US relationship, Hill said, because Trump really wants to have a separate relationship with Putin to do arms control agreements and also business that will probably enrich their entourages further, though Putin doesnt need any more enrichment. When it came to defence, however, she said the UK could not rely on the military umbrella of the US as during the cold war and in the generation that followed, at least not in the way that we did before. In her description, the UK is having to manage its number one ally, though the challenge is not to overreact because you dont want to have a rupture. This way of thinking appears in the defence review published earlier this week, which says the UKs longstanding assumptions about global power balances and structures are no longer certain a rare acknowledgment in a British government document of how far and how fast Trumpism is affecting foreign policy certainties. The review team reported to Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves, and the defence secretary, John Healey. Most of Hills interaction were with Healey, however, and she said she had met the prime minister only once describing him as pretty charming in a proper and correct way and as having read all the papers. Hill was not drawn on whether she had advised Starmer or Healey on how to deal with Donald Trump, saying instead: The advice I would give is the same I would give in a public setting. She said simply that the Trump White House is not an administration, it is a court in which a transactional president is driven by his own desires and interests, and who listens often to the last person he talks to. She added that unlike his close circle, Trump had a special affinity for the UK based partly on his own family ties (his mother came from the Hebridean island of Lewis, emigrating to New York aged 18) and an admiration for the royal family, particularly the late queen. He talked endlessly about that, she said. On the other hand, Hill is no fan of the populist right administration in the White House and worries it could come to Britain if the same culture wars are allowed to develop with the encouragement of Republicans from the US. She noted that Reform UK had won a string of council elections last month, including in her native Durham, and that the partys leader, Nigel Farage, wanted to emulate some of the aggressive efforts to restructure government led by Elon Musks department of government efficiency (Doge) before his falling-out with Trump. When Nigel Farage says he wants to do a Doge against the local county council, he should come over here [to the US] and see what kind of impact that has, she said. This is going to be the largest layoffs in US history happening all at once, much bigger than hits to steelworks and coalmines. Hills argument is that in a time of profound uncertainty, Britain needs greater internal cohesion if it is to protect itself. We cant rely exclusively on anyone any more, she said, arguing that Britain needed to have a different mindset based as much on traditional defence as on social resilience. Some of that, Hill said, was about a greater recognition of the level of external threat and initiatives for greater integration, by teaching first aid in schools or encouraging more teenagers to join school cadet forces, a recommendation of the defence review. What you need to do is get people engaged in all kinds of different ways in support of their communities, she said. Hill said she saw that deindustrialisation and a rise of inequality in Russia and the US had contributed to the rise in national populism in both countries. Politicians in Britain, or elsewhere, have to be much more creative and engage people where they are at as part of a national effort, she said. If this seems far away from a conventional view of defence, thats because it is, though Hill also argues that traditional conceptions of war are changing as technology evolves and with it what makes a potent force. People keep saying the British army has the smallest number of troops since the Napoleonic era. Why is the Napoleonic era relevant? Or that we have fewer ships than the time of Charles II. The metrics are all off here, she said. The Ukrainians are fighting with drones. Even though they have no navy, they sank a third of the Russian Black Sea fleet. Her aim, therefore, is not just to be critical but to propose solutions. Hill recalled that a close family friend, on hearing that she had taken on the defence review, had told her: Dont tell us how shite we are, tell us what we can do, how we can fix things. People understand that we have a problem and that the world has changed. Sarah Vine and Michael Gove in 2016 - Shutterstock The misery memoir was a genre one thought peculiar to the early years of this century. However, with this strange book, Sarah Vine, formerly Mrs Michael Gove, has resurrected it. Its title, How Not to Be a Political Wife, seems flippant, and one expects, when beginning it, to experience some sort of extended stunt. What one gets is in turns interesting, embarrassing and, fundamentally, mildly tragic. Ms Vines contention is that she married a journalist and ended up with a politician; that politics is horrible; and it ruined her marriage and, to a great extent, her life and her childrens. How far this is true must be up to each reader to judge. Because of the detail into which the author chooses to go, it seems to this reader that certain factors had shaped her life and her character long before her husband arrived. But first, the interesting stuff. I must come clean: I have long been a friend of Michael Gove, admire his considerable political and intellectual talents, and feel he has had a deeply unfair press. The service this book does to history is to put the record about him straight. First, he was vilified by David Cameron and his cronies for supporting Brexit in the 2016 referendum. It was, as Ms Vine emphasises correctly, a battle between a man with principles and a group of careerists who hardly knew the meaning of the word. Second, he was reviled by much of the Conservative party for his so-called betrayal of Boris Johnson just after the referendum, when Johnson, running for the leadership, was showing precious little loyalty to him. All Gove had done was realise, before it was too late, that Johnson was the incompetent liar, charlatan and trickster his grotesque premiership proved him to be. I and others who knew what went on have defended Gove for years for this reason; it is good that this book puts it all on the record. I hope Theresa May, whose apparently saintly personal reputation also gets the kicking it deserves for her outrageous treatment of Gove in sacking him for disloyalty, reads this part of the book at least: maybe she will find a belated sense of shame, though one doubts it. The book also, though, shows just what a cesspit our politics became in the 14 years of Conservative rule from 2010 to 2024. What fills cesspits filled a succession of administrations. Cameron, the first of a succession of unremittingly dire prime ministers, was the ultimate cronyist. He adopted this method of management because his political life was, as Ms Vine definitively shows, all about him and his survival in office; never about what he could do for the country. David Cameron and Michael Gove in 2009 - Paul Grover As some of us wrote at the time, Camerons addiction to his yes-men and women prevented him from calling on some of the older, and wiser, members of his party who might have given him advice superior to that of his cronies. This, too, is made plain in this book. Camerons narcissism also made it impossible for him to see a link between his disloyalty to Gove whom he demoted from Education Secretary despite his being the most successful holder of that office in recent memory and Goves decision that his principles about the EU might override any personal loyalty from him that Cameron merited. The embarrassing aspect of this book is the detail into which Ms Vine goes about her background: her being loathed at school, her mental and physical health and the effect her ex-husbands career had on her and their children. Describing her upbringing she portrays her father as a monster. In her acknowledgements at the end of the work she begins with my father, for f------ me up so brilliantly. Mildly tragic: Sarah Vine pictured in 2016 If we havent realised it by this stage, what we have just read turns out to be a book by the thinking mans Meghan Markle. It has taken courage (as she says in another acknowledgement: and I am sure it did) to lay all this personal upset bare, and doubtless she has found it therapeutic. Will her own children thank her, in years to come, for going into such detail about what they unquestionably suffered because of their fathers prominence, and all the unhappiness it brought them? Doubtless Ms Vine thought she was being cathartic on her own account, and vicariously on theirs. Only time will tell. And then theres the mildly tragic aspect. Ms Vine exposes a chip on her shoulder the size of Yorkshire. Wounded deeply by her dear friend Samantha Cameron about whom, to her credit, she says no bad word turning on her viciously at a dinner party around the time of Brexit, she harps on about the class differences between her and the Camerons and their pretty repulsive cast of chums. She should pull herself together: Daves father was a stockbroker, not the Duke of Devonshire. Its indicative of the lack of a sense of perspective in this book, and which one fears is typical of the Markle school of thought. Samantha Cameron and Sarah Vine wait for the State Opening of Parliament, 2010 - PA Most tragic of all is Ms Vines reference to a friendship group that abandoned them when her husband stood up for himself and his beliefs. I am not sure I have ever met anyone over the age of 14 who has a friendship group: but its just another way of saying that the Goves were sucked in to the bunch of cronies around Cameron, though never so deeply that they could not be expelled again, in what reads like an act of social projectile vomiting. The whole thing is repellently infantile, and its depressing that impostors such as the Cameron clique were ever allowed near power. I suspect no man reading this book (and I must plead guilty on that front) will perceive all its nuances, because it is (again from its title) presumably aimed mostly at women. One certainly rarely senses that Ms Vine is writing with the idea that a man other, perhaps, than her ex-husband, about whom also she says no bad word is among her readership. Perhaps other wives who have suffered because of their husbands careers will obtain something valuable from it. It is not a particularly literary book (if you want that in this context, read Sasha Swires diaries about the same period) but it will prove undeniably useful to those unfortunate historians who have to write about this ghastly period in decades to come. Otherwise, Ms Vine might have been far better advised not to write it at all. How Not to Be a Political Wife is published by HarperElement at 20. To order your copy for 16.99, call 0330 173 0523 or visit Telegraph Books Natalia Estemirova in 1998, pictured holding her daughter, Lana, in Grozny. Photograph: Lana Estemirova Lana Estemirova was 15 in 2009, when her mother, the renowned Chechen human rights activist Natalia Estemirova, was kidnapped and murdered. Bundled into a car as she walked to the bus stop on her way to work, she was driven out of town and then shot five times in the chest and head. The killing was widely seen as retribution for Estemirovas fearless investigations of extrajudicial murders, kidnappings and human rights abuses in Chechnya, first by Russian soldiers and then by forces loyal to the Kremlin-appointed warlord, Ramzan Kadyrov. Nobody was ever prosecuted for the crime. Three years later, Lana, Natalias only child stood at her mothers grave and made two promises: firstly, that she would never take needless risks and would ensure her own future children led boring, stable lives; and secondly, that she would write a book about her mother, to ensure that she will be remembered and her killers will fade like ghosts. After nearly a decade of work, that book will be published later this month. Its title, Please Live, refers to one of the many text messages Lana sent her mother after she went missing, before the news came that she had been killed. Lana also appears in a documentary film about her mother, entitled Natasha, that is released this month. I made that promise on my mothers grave when I was 18 years old, the idea that I need to tell her story. More than a decade later, I am able to say: Yes, I fulfilled this promise and fulfilled this duty as a daughter to my mother, said Lana, in an interview from Portugal, where she now lives. The powerful book is a guide to Chechnyas recent, bloody history, and a coming-of-age memoir with a twist, detailing the suffocating constraints and the warm generosity of growing up in traditional Chechen culture, with the backdrop of war and terror regularly making itself felt. It also gives an account of the relationship between Lana and her mother, who was absolutely devoted to her work. Natalia Estemirova had been a history teacher, with no connections to the human rights or dissident world, but had become transfixed by the need to help people. She couldnt walk past a situation and pretend its not happening. There was this gap that nobody wanted to step into, and she decided to fill that gap, said Lana. She writes how on one occasion her mother sliced open one of her favourite cuddly toys and sewed it back up with tiny videotapes inside that held footage from the aftermath of atrocities to be able to get them through checkpoints. Lana examines the sacrifices that her mother made in her home life in order to continue working on sensitive cases, even after friends and associates were threatened or killed. These included the journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was shot dead in the entrance to her apartment building two years earlier. Although Estemirova was a devoted and loving mother, she was unwilling to leave the dangerous work, and Lana writes of the anger she felt as a teenager and the sense of injustice as to why it was her mother, and not other people, who had to make all the sacrifices. What devastated me was this sense that we just never had our chance, and that she gave away so much of herself to other people, to the victims of all these terrible crimes, that there was not enough left for us, said Lana. Natasha, a new documentary film about Estemirova which will premiere this weekend, also explores this question. Once you have a direct threat against you and you know you can be killed, I was interested in what drives you, why dont you stop, said Mark Franchetti, the co-producer and co-director of Natasha. Franchetti met Natalia Estemirova when he covered the Chechen wars as a journalist for the Sunday Times. At the time, she was a regular port of call for journalists covering the aftermath of the two brutal wars in the country, working from the Grozny offices of the organisation Memorial, and one of the few people still working on sensitive cases as Kadyrov unleashed violence and terror to bring society into line. After a career covering terrible atrocities in war, Franchetti said he decided to make the film because he wanted to cover the story of someone who refused to look the other way. Every conflict, amid all the evil, brings people to the surface who are the best of humanity. She was just an ordinary schoolteacher and she becomes this remarkable figure, he added. After her mothers murder, Natalias former colleagues helped Lana to move to Britain, where she studied. She married, and last year had a daughter of her own, whom she has called Natasha the affectionate form of her mothers name. Kadyrov is still in charge of Chechnya, and has dispatched his forces to aid Russias war in Ukraine. Lana said she saw many parallels between the fate of Mariupol and Grozny, and also said that Chechnyas broken society should serve as a cautionary tale. Putin and Kadyrov completely crushed the spirit of ordinary Chechens. I think thats the lesson of what will happen to many Ukrainian regions if they are allowed to be retained by Putin. Its important to learn not just from Chechnyas past but also Chechnyas present, she said. Over the years, as the voices standing up to Kadyrovs crimes have become fewer and quieter, Lana has come to view her mothers life choices with acceptance and pride. I needed this time to understand that I fully accept all of my mothers choices. They really made her the person she was. She was a free person in an unfree world. She lived without fear, even if she felt it deep inside, and thats why it was possible for her to stand up to all those thugs. She didnt want to live in fear or compromise with her conscience, she said. It was hard growing up with the feeling that her mother was so devoted to her work that there was not as much space to spend time together as Lana would have liked, but that is something she has also come to terms with. Ive had a lot of time to think about it, that if everyone who fights for freedom were to pick their family first I guess there would never be any progress, she said. Please Live: The Chechen Wars, My Mother and Me by Lana Estemirova, is published by John Murray on 19 June Natasha, a film by Andrew Meier and Mark Franchetti, will premiere at the Tribeca film festival on 8 June Sitting outside and having a chat with friends is known as tomando el fresco, literally taking the cool air. Photograph: Rachel Carbonell/Alamy Somewhere towards the very top of the long list of unspoken Spanish rules gin and tonic should not be drunk before a meal, chorizo has no place in the vicinity of a paella and childrens bedtimes cease to apply in the summer is the silent injunction that forbids any attempts to alter the habits of the countrys cherished older people. It was unfortunate, then, that police in the small Andalucian town of Santa Fe chose the photo they did to accompany a request for people not to disturb their neighbours by sitting around the streets late at night. Rather than showing a rowdy bunch of over-refreshed, guitar-strumming, illicit barbecuers, they opted for a shot of six older women sitting on chairs on a pavement, engaging in an ancient and convivial ritual familiar in towns and villages across the hotter regions of the country. Sabemos que sacar sillas o mesas a la puerta es tradicion en muchos pueblos, pero la via publica esta regulada. Si la Policia pide retirarlas, hazlo por respeto y convivencia. Con civismo y sentido comun no hay molestias. Gracias por colaborar! pic.twitter.com/Qvr6CftpZS Policia Local (@PoliciaLocalSF) May 27, 2025 An outdoor sit-down and a chat with friends and neighbours as the heat of the day gives way to the cool of the evening is known as tomando el fresco (taking the cool air). With the picture, posted on X, was a polite appeal for neighbourly consideration. We know that putting chairs or tables outside the door is a tradition in many towns, but the publics road is regulated, said the police. If police ask you to remove them, do so out of respect and in the interests of coexistence. With civility and common sense, theres no harm done. Thank you for your cooperation! But the choice of image was swiftly interpreted as an affront to the alfresco liberties of Spains older people. Go eat shit! advised one person on X. Another was even more direct: Youre sons of bitches! Others were more helpful: Colleagues, if you need back-up for such a dangerous mission, Ill be there. We need to put an end to this serious issue no more impunity for grannies who sit out to enjoy the fresh air. The full weight of the law should fall on them. As word of the request spread and was picked up by the national media, the towns mayor, Juan Cobo, complained about people misinterpreting the plea. No one is going to stop our older people popping out of their houses and sitting down and enjoying the cool air, he told Cope radio on Tuesday. No way. This only applies to those people who head outdoors on the pretext of enjoying some fresh air and who then cut off the street and engage in unneighbourly activities such as having barbecues, singing and playing the guitar. The mayor said the police had simply been trying to urge people to consider those around them. All theyre doing is reminding people that you can go and enjoy some cool air as long as you dont bother anyone else, he said. The rules, he added, were to protect people who have to get up for work at five or six in the morning and who have a right to their rest. Cobo said the people of Santa Fe should be totally safe in the knowledge that they can carry on cooling off outdoors, and bemoaned what he termed populist and sensationalistic reporting. All this has been totally manipulated and its seems theres nothing more important news-wise on a national scale for some media than reporting that people are being stopped from enjoying the fresh air on their doorsteps in Santa Fe, he said. That isnt true. Were just reminding people who are behaving in an uncivil way and disturbing peoples sleep that they cant do that and that theres a law against it. Four years ago, the mayor of another Andalucian town, Algar, suggested that tomando el fresco should be added to Unescos list of intangible cultural heritage. My mothers 82 and she sits out on her street every day, Jose Carlos Sanchez told El Pais at the time. Some days, I finish work, pop down, take a seat and catch up on things. Its the nicest moment of the day. A measles testing sign in Seminole, Texas. Photograph: Julio Cortez/AP The measles outbreak that began sweeping across west Texas earlier this year is showing signs of slowing, according to the states health services department. For the first time since the outbreak was first reported in January, no new cases were added in the departments latest update. The total case count remains at 742, a figure that has been updated biweekly by state officials. Thankfully, this large outbreak that weve been tracking in west Texas does seem to be on the decline, Dr Jennifer Shuford, commissioner of the state health services department told the Texas Standard, though she warned that it just takes one person to get into an under-vaccinated community to cause another outbreak. Measles had been declared eliminated from the US in 2000, but it has been spreading in under-vaccinated communities. Though most of Texass outbreak has been concentrated in its western part, sporadic cases have appeared elsewhere in the state. Some of these cases have been linked to international travel while others remain under investigation due to unclear origins. The majority of cases have been reported in Gaines county, home to a Mennonite community with historically low childhood immunization rates. Two children from the affected region, both unvaccinated and with no known pre-existing conditions, have died due to the disease. The earlier of those deaths was the first in the US from measles since 2015. According to the latest Texas state health services department figures, fewer than 10 of the confirmed cases are currently considered infectious which is defined as individuals within four days before or after the appearance of the measles rash. Since January, 94 people have been hospitalized. The state health agency has identified seven counties with ongoing measles transmission: Cochran, Dawson, Gaines, Lamar, Lubbock, Terry and Yoakum. The agency says it continues to work closely with local health officials to monitor and contain the spread. Shuford says that the department has struggled to adequately encourage community members to get vaccinated, explaining that the state health service department is really trying to strengthen our messaging at all times and so that we already have a relationship with different communities. She added that vaccines are just such an instrumental way for us to maintain a healthy society that can be productive. Richard Tice (pictured) said he was enormously sad that Yusuf had quit as he was partly responsible for Reforms strong performance in Mays local elections. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian Reform UK was right to start a debate on banning the burqa even though it triggered the resignation of its chair, Richard Tice, the partys deputy leader, has said. Tice, who is one of five Reform MPs, said he was enormously sad that Zia Yusuf had quit as chair as he was partly responsible for the partys strong performance in Mays local elections. But Tice said politics could be brutal and defended Reforms choice to raise the issue of a burqa ban, saying the discussion must not be forced underground when it was a policy in a number of European countries. Related: Departure of Reform UK chair Zia Yusuf is latest in a long line of Farage fallings-out Tice told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I think it is right that we should have a debate about whether or not the burqa is appropriate for a nation thats founded in Christianity, where women are equal citizens and should not be viewed as second-class citizens. Asked whether he supported a ban, he said he was pretty concerned about whether the burqa was a repressive item of clothing, adding: Lets ask women who wear the burqa, is that genuinely their choice? Tice also dismissed claims that Yusufs departure showed Nigel Farage struggles to retain senior figures after the Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, said it demonstrated that Reform was a fanclub not a political party. Kemi Badenoch is just jealous that she doesnt have any fans at all, Tice said. Yusuf, who is Muslim, resigned as the chair of Reform UK on Thursday after suggesting it was dumb of the partys newest MP, Sarah Pochin, to ask the prime minister if he would ban the burqa. Yusuf, a donor to Reform and a businessman, said he was resigning after less than a year in the job because he did not believe working to get a Reform government elected was a good use of his time. The new Reform MP for Runcorn and Helsby had pressed Keir Starmer on the burqa in parliament on Wednesday and Farage had also said on GB News that it was time for a debate about the burqa. Hours before resigning, Yusuf had posted on X saying it was dumb for a party to have asked the prime minister to ban the burqa when it was not its own policy. In a statement on X, Yusuf said: Eleven months ago I became chairman of Reform. Ive worked full-time as a volunteer to take the party from 14 to 30%, quadrupled its membership and delivered historic electoral results. I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office. Yusuf has been working on Reforms new Elon Musk-style department of government efficiency (Doge) unit looking at cutting spending in councils where the party is in control. The tech entrepreneur Nathaniel Fried, who was brought in this week with great fanfare to lead the unit, will also be departing alongside Yusuf, leaving the partys plans to slash waste in local government in disarray. Polly Billington, a Labour MP in Kent, said: Reform are pitching to be a party of government, but the utter shambles we have seen so far on Kent county council will be of huge concern to voters who want to be sure our roads, buses and childrens services are in good hands. More than a third of council meetings have already been cancelled this month, where vitally important decisions are made for our county, and two of the five members of Doge for Kent have quit after less than a week. Reform need to get a grip and bring an end to this unprecedented chaos. Yusuf has been close to Farage over the past year and the party leader is upset about his chair going, according to Tim Montgomerie, a Reform supporter and commentator. Yusufs exit is likely to add to the impression that Farage struggles to retain senior figures in his parties. In a statement, Farage said he was genuinely sorry that Yusuf had decided to stand down as Reform UK chair. He said: As I said just last week, he was a huge factor in our success on 1 May and is an enormously talented person. Politics can be a highly pressured and difficult game and Zia has clearly had enough. He is a loss to us and public life. Farage expanded on the reasons for Yusufs departure on GB News, saying he could tell even before the burqa row that the chair had had enough and was very disengaged. He said he was sad and paid tribute to Yusufs organisational skills, but also suggested he had weaknesses. Farage, revealing that he had had 10 minutes warning of the resignation, said: When people have exceptional strengths in some areas of their life, or other areas where perhaps theyre not quite so strong, I think, in terms of dealing with staff there was a bit of a Goldman Sachs-type mentality. I mean, politics is different. And I think when you come from the background he comes from, say, Goldman Sachs, where he worked, it is a really tough, brutal environment. Politics isnt like that. Politics isnt just about creating a financial bottom line, its about doing things that are thoughtful, creative and different. So were his interpersonal skills at the top of his list of attributes? No. But I always found, with me, he was very polite, very objective in conversations that I had. An unsung actress and director who founded a theatre school that taught future stars including three-time Bafta winner Billie Whitelaw has been honoured with a blue plaque. The recognition in Bradford, where she ran the Northern Theatre School, will allow Esme Church to take her rightful place in the cultural memory of this country, Historic England said. Born on 11 February 1893 in Marylebone, London, she trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Rada before making her stage debut in the 1920s, and later joining the Old Vic Company. Three-time Bafta winner Billie Whitelaw (PA) She performed major Shakespearean roles such as Lady Macbeth and Gertrude, Hamlets mother, and led the Old Vics drama school from 1936. Her career as a director began in the 1930s when she became artistic director of the Greyhound Theatre in Croydon, before moving on to Bradford Civic Playhouse where she took up the same role during the 1940s and 1950s. There, she championed regional theatre, established the Northern Theatre School, and mentored The Omen actress Whitelaw, who won a film Bafta in 1969 for best supporting actress for her roles in thriller Twisted Nerve and comedy Charlie Bubbles, along with two Bafta TV gongs. Other actors such as Dorothy L Sayers Lord Peter Wimsey star Edward Petherbridge, Secret Army actor Bernard Hepton and theatre actor Sir Robert Stephens, Dame Maggie Smiths former husband, were also among those mentored by Church. Esme Churchs plaque Lord Neil Mendoza, chairman of Historic England, called Church a formidable force in British theatre who was among the trailblazing women who have not received the national recognition (they) deserve. He added: It is time that Esme Church takes her rightful place in the cultural memory of this country. The plaque, which will be unveiled on Friday at 26 Chapel Street, Little Germany, reads: Esme Church, 1893-1972, actress and director ran the Northern Theatre School here. Bruce Durham, the great-nephew of Church, said it is giving her the recognition that she deserves for all her contributions to the arts. Actor Edward Petherbridge was mentored by Church (Ian West/PA) He said: Growing up with Esme around, it was always wonderful to see and hear about her work whether it was entertaining troops in France during the First World War, becoming the head of The Old Vic Theatre School, or travelling to and from New York. Its important that not only my great-aunt Esme is recognised but being able to use brilliant platforms such as Ancestry to uncover the many unsung women who made a significant impact during the early 20th century. Churchs contribution comes as Bradford celebrates its year as UK City of Culture in 2025. Si Cunningham, chairman of Bradford Civic Society, said: Its thrilling to see yet more national recognition for Bradfords pioneering, creative heritage. Esme Church is an incredibly deserving recipient of a national blue plaque, which perfectly complements the citys own growing blue plaque scheme. I hope this beautiful plaque, and Esmes fascinating story, inspires a new generation of creative Bradfordians to do great things for their city. Historic England and genealogy site Ancestry are calling on the public to uncover further inspiring women or girls from the 20th century, who may have been forgotten and deserve their place in history. The eight-week public nomination period for the National Blue Plaque Scheme is open until July 10 2025. Women Against State Pension Inequality, or 'Waspi', campaigners and their supporters demonstrate in Parliament Square on budget day. (Future Publishing via Getty Images) (Wiktor Szymanowicz via Getty Images) Waspi women have had a major breakthrough in their campaign following a landmark High Court decision on whether they will receive compensation. The High Court has granted an application for a judicial review, meaning that for the first time, the courts will scrutinise whether the governments refusal to compensate the women who lost out on thousands of pounds after the state pension age for women was changed without adequate notice is legally sound. Earlier this year, the government admitted there had been a "maladministration" in notifying the women, but drew the line at providing any financial compensation. Angela Madden, Chair of Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) told Liverpool Echo this was a "landmark moment", adding that the government's decision "was formed on baseless claims that will fail to stand up under scrutiny." The news comes nearly a decade since those affected by state pension changes set up the Women Against State Pension Inquality, or 'Waspi', campaign, which says women were given too little notice to plan for their retirement after the retirement age was raised from 60 to 65 in a two-year period. Here's what we know about the Waspi campaign, who is affected and what the women are asking for. What happened to the Waspi women? The first changes to the state pension age for women were announced in the 1990s. In 1995, John Major's government decided to change the state pension age from 60 to 65 to make it the same as men. Ministers argued that not only were more women working, but they also lived for longer. Initially, it was planned for the state pension age to increase slowly over a decade-long window so that women could adjust their financial plans. But the 2011 Pensions Act, brought in by David Cameron's government, drastically shortened that timetable. Not only was the women's pension age increased to 65 with just two years' notice, the government also raised the overall pension age to 66 by October 2020 saving it around 30bn. What does Waspi mean? The acronym Waspi was coined in 2015 by campaigners fighting for the rights of women affected by the changes. They have called on the government to agree fair and fast compensation for all women affected by the lack of notice. Campaigners argue that hundreds of thousands of women are suffering financial hardship because of the government's decision to accelerate the plans, which shortened the time available to re-plan their retirement. Some women have also been pushed into financial hardship and struggled to find work elsewhere, with others claiming benefits for support. Many women were not adequately notified of the changes, campaigners say, with some receiving letters 14 years after the initial law passed. Some said they were never notified at all. How many Waspi women are there? Because of the way the increases were brought in, there are an estimated 3.8 million women affected by the changes overall, with 2.6 million affected by the 2011 change. About 300,000 women born between December 1953 and October 1954 who were particularly close to their state pension age when the changes were announced had the shortest time window to prepare for the changes. Why is a judicial review important? Following the High Court's decision, the courts will review whether the government's refusal to compensate Waspi victims was legal. In doing so, Waspi campaigners feel they can finally hold the government accountable and keep the issue in the public and political spotlight, potentially leading to long-awaited redress for hundreds of thousands of women. However, if Waspi campaigners win, the government would be required to revisit its stance on compensation, although a court victory would not automatically compel the government to pay out. Instead, the government would only be required to reconsider its decision. How much could it cost to pay the Waspi women? In 2018, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) began its investigation into the treatment of Waspi women by the government, and the impact of the changes. The PHSO, an independent complaint handling service for complaints set up by parliament, found that affected women should have had at least 28 months more individual notice of the changes by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It also said that for women who were not aware of the changes, the opportunity that additional notice would have given them to adjust their retirement plans was lost due to delay. The ombudsman rates the severity of each case it looks to on a scale of one to six. Earlier this year, it suggested that Waspi women receive compensation at level four, ranging between 1,000 and 2,950. Waspi campaigners are calling to be fairly compensated. (Getty Images) (Leon Neal via Getty Images) This level of compensation is for those who have experienced a significant and/or lasting impact because of the changes, so much so that to some extent it has affected their ability to live a relatively normal life. However, campaigners have said that women should receive as much as 10,000 level six of the scale. If they received the maximum amount, it would cost the government 36bn overall. Earlier this year, work and pensions secretary Liz Truss announced the Waspi women would not be compensated. The news left a bitter taste as the government had recently agreed to pay out those affected by the infected blood scandal by 11.8bn, and also pay out 1.8bn to victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal, in addition to the 289m it has previously paid. Yahoo UK's poll of the week lets you vote and indicate your strength of feeling on one of the week's hot topics. After the poll closes, we'll publish and analyse the results each Friday, giving readers the chance to see how polarising a topic has become and if their view chimes with other Yahoo UK readers. Thames Water faced a further setback after a major global investment firm pulled out of a deal to keep them afloat. (Alamy) (Kirsty Wigglesworth, Associated Press) Six water companies have been banned from paying bonuses to senior bosses under new rules that came into force on Friday, amid ongoing debate over whether the firms should be nationalised. Earlier this week, attempts to keep Thames Water afloat faced a major set back after US private equity giant KRR pulled out of plans for a rescue deal, sparking renewed debate on whether the company should be temporarily nationalised. New rules came into force on Friday banning Thames Water, Yorkshire Water, Anglian Water, Wessex Water, United Utilities and Southern Water from issuing bonuses for the financial year 2024/25, which concluded in April. They have all been banned under new rules that prevent bonuses from being paid if a water company does not meet environmental or consumer standards, does not meet financial resilience requirements, or is convicted of a criminal offence. According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), more than 112 million in bonuses and incentives have been handed out by water firms in the last 10 years. In our poll earlier this week, Yahoo News UK asked our readers 'Should water companies should be nationalised and run in the public sector?'. It received 1,001 votes and showed 90% of Yahoo readers said yes, they should, while just 7% disagreed. Some 3% said they were undecided. The poll's Have Your Say feature attracted some passionate comments, with many readers criticising privatisation. Roger F, from London, said: "It should never have been sold in the first place and should be taken back into public ownership again now." G Hudson, from Keighley, said: "Yes! As with all privatisation, it has led to inefficiencies in every one of the utilities (without exception) and the promised "lower costs" to household bills have not materialised. Instead. They have only risen, astronomically, which cannot be linked to anything other than "underfunding and greed". It should never have been sold in the first placeRoger F, London Others pointed out the complexity behind the history of the issue. Ned E, from Hepworth, West Yorkshire, said: "The only way to reach solutions to the complex issues surrounding water management, is to have a Citizens' Assembly on Water. Fair representation of the UK population and let the people decide on how to tackle the issues." MP, from London, said: "Underfunding when they were nationalised companies lead to de-nationalisation in the first place. The ancient systems and increase in population is a real factor." Let the people decideNed E, Hepworth, West Yorkshire What are the pros and cons of nationalising the water industry? Water companies have faced public and political outrage over the extent of pollution, rising bills, high dividends, and executive pay and bonuses. Thames Water hiked consumer water bills for customers by an average of 31% in April and incurred further wrath over plans to pay senior bosses large bonuses linked to the water company (securing a 3bn emergency loan) that were later dropped. The latest setback in efforts to keep Thames Water afloat has seen more calls for the government to step in. However, not everyone believes that nationalising water companies will serve the public's interests. Environment secretary Steve Reed said nationalisation is not the answer, claiming public ownership could pull money away from the NHS. While Lord Howard, who led the privatisation of the industry more than 30 years ago under Margaret Thatcher, has previously defended payouts to investors as crucial to maintaining critical water infrastructure. Water UK argues that before privatisation, England's water system was "underfunded, inefficient, with poor service and a disastrous environmental record which left rivers and beaches badly polluted", adding that investment "doubled" afterwards. Read more of Yahoo UK's Poll of the Week articles The fallout from Elon Musks bitter public spat with Donald Trump struck an immediate blow, sending shares in the billionaires company Tesla tumbling. But the damage risks spreading much further as two of the worlds most powerful men squabble over policy, politics and personal behaviour. As US president, Mr Trump has the powers of the federal government at his fingertips giving him a variety of ways to make Mr Musks life difficult through investigations, regulatory actions and even scrutiny of his immigration status. Yet at the same time, the worlds richest man has leverage too: his billions may hold the key to maintaining Republican control of Congress, with crucial midterm elections coming up next year. Both men have fiercely loyal followings, ready to trash their rivals reputation. And both have a burn-it-down mentality that pushes them to keep going until they have won or lost it all. Heres how the pair could go to war against each other: Federal investigations Mr Musk is already fighting off multiple probes into his business empire. Americas stock market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission, is investigating whether he violated trading rules when he first began investing in Twitter, now called X. When investors hold 5 per cent or more of a companys stock, they are supposed to declare it publicly. But the SEC accuses Mr Musk of waiting at least 10 days too long, only making a disclosure when he already owned 9.2 per cent of Twitter. He went on to buy the entire business in a $44 billion deal. At the same time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating accidents involving Tesla cars when their full-self driving mode is activated. Shareholders assumed these probes would be dropped by a Musk-friendly administration. Musk v Trump Tesla share price Now they might only be the beginning. Another bombshell investigation by the New York Times claimed Mr Musk, who has publicly admitted taking small doses of ketamine, was given advance notice of drug tests at SpaceX. As a government-contractor, the rocket company is required to maintain a zero-tolerance environment. It wouldnt take much to dig deeper. And did Mr Musk overstep a national security line when he famously tried to get a briefing on US plans for war with China? Social media jibes Both Mr Trump and Mr Musk have their own social media platforms, Truth Social and X (formerly known as Twitter) respectively. But as bully pulpits go, X is by far the bigger beast. Connor Test - Trump Musk Fallout posts While Truth Social reportedly has around six million monthly active users, Twitter boasts more than 600 million. Throughout last years presidential election campaign, Mr Musk used his platform to boost Mr Trumps chances, amplifying his messages and even hosting a live video interview on X. He may now use these same tactics to attack the president. Critics have also previously accused the businessman of changing Xs algorithms to suit his whims, as well as repeating unverified claims that later turn out to be false. The Epstein files This week Mr Musk demonstrated how he can also quickly turn X against his former ally with posts attacking Mr Trump, which appeared prominently on the feeds of many users. In one particular jibe, he reached for what he described as the really big bomb, writing: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. This was a reference to the unproven conspiracy theory that the Trump administration is dragging its feet in releasing all the details of the investigation into the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019, because of alleged revelations about his links to the president. The truth will come out, Mr Musk added in a follow-up post. His claim has already been viewed by more than 185 million people, according to X. Even if Mr Musk has no evidence to back up his claims, the allegations underscore the power of his platform. SpaceX contracts The US president has already threatened to use his constitutional power to kneecap Mr Musks SpaceX programme by cancelling his government contract worth billions of dollars. The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it, the president wrote on Truth Social. SpaceX has secured $16 billion worth of contracts from Nasa alone since 2006, including $5 billion for research and development, according to analysis by research firm Eurospace. Still, Mr Musk holds some cards too. At present, Nasa is completely reliant on SpaceX to send both cargo and astronauts into space and at one stage on Thursday Mr Musk suggested he could decommission the Dragon craft used by the agency. The SpaceX Dragon craft is used by Nasa - ESA Although potential alternatives to Dragon exist, SpaceXs Falcon 9 reusable rocket is currently the only booster cleared for sending humans into space in the US. The alternative, of course, would be to do what they did before Falcon and Dragon were available which is to use the systems provided by the Russians, says Pierre Lionnet, managing director of Eurospace. Because of this, Steve Bannon, a former adviser and long-time ally of Mr Trump, has suggested the president should use the Defense Production Act to nationalise SpaceX, citing national security. Mr Bannon is a longstanding opponent of Mr Musk, and took huge delight in the very public breakdown of his relationship with the president. He also called for the immediate nationalisation of SpaceX and Starlink because of their importance to national security. Tesla subsidies Tesla, Mr Musks electric car company, has made substantial amounts of money from government green energy programmes. This includes more than $11 billion it has made selling clean air credits to rival car makers under a carbon emissions scheme, which have accounted for about one third of the companys profits since 2012, according to analysis by Axios. Under Joe Biden, federal grants worth up to $7,500 were also introduced for drivers who buy electric vehicle purchases. Both of these money-spinning schemes are threatened by Mr Trumps tax and spending bill and the president has suggested this is why Mr Musk has turned on him. Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social: I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY! Donald Trump bought a Tesla in March to support Elon Musk - MANDEL NGAN/AFP Analysts at JPMorgan have suggested Tesla could lose $3.2 billion in profits as a result of Mr Trumps tax and spending bill, which axes the subsidies and targets carbon trading schemes. The big, beautiful bill White House aides at first insisted that the dispute between the two men came down to differences over Mr Trumps flagship piece of legislation, the big, beautiful bill, rather than a deeper divide. Mr Musk has claimed the bill will cause the US national debt to balloon, condemning Americans to debt slavery. His public comments have emboldened some Republicans in the House and Senate to also change their minds and voice opposition. The billionaire previously made life difficult for Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House, in December when he rallied opposition against a bipartisan spending bill to avert a government shutdown. Now, his attacks on Mr Trumps signature policy could create serious headaches. The president and his Republican allies are grappling with wafer-thin majorities in Congress, meaning a careful balance of promises and threats will be needed to keep enough law makers on board. Insiders have also spelt out the bills importance. If the first 100 days of his presidency was about shock and awe, pushing through hundreds of executive orders, the second 100 days is supposed to be about working the phones and mobilising support in Congress to pass this legislation. Mr Musks intervention has put the entire project, and a chunk of Mr Trumps tax-cutting legacy, on the brink of collapse. Deportation Mr Musks origin story has a wrinkle. The South African arrived in the US to pursue graduate studies at Stanford University during the 1990s. But he ditched classes and instead used his time to launch the first of his companies, Zip2, which he later sold for $300 million. That put him in breach of his visa and meant that he worked illegally, according to documents and legal experts cited by the Washington Post. His enemies have long used those details to call him an illegal alien. As the row accelerates, Steve Bannon, the former Trump adviser, has reportedly advised Mr Trump to launch a formal investigation into Mr Musks immigration status and have him deported. Steve Bannon with Mr Musk in 2017. He has called for the tech billionaire to be deported - Chip Somodevilla/2017 Getty Images I am of the strong belief that Musk is an illegal alien and should be deported from the country immediately, Mr Bannon told the New York Times. It seems unlikely that Mr Musk will end up on a plane to El Salvador with other illegal immigrants but the threats are a sign of just how much hostility he now faces within Trumpland. The future of the Republican Party Mr Musk and Mr Trump made for odd ideological bedfellows. Mr Musk, from the tech right, is a libertarian, intent on reducing the federal government to dust all the better to allow his business empire to thrive. Mr Trump wants to use all the agencies at his disposal to promote the interests of the blue-collar voters who back him and to crush his opponents. Their alliance meant Mr Musk could pump more than $200 million into the 2024 election, helping Mr Trump win battleground states and Republicans to win the Senate and House. Elon Musk jumps onstage at a Trump rally in Butler last year - JIM WATSON/AFP Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Mr Musk declared on Thursday. Such ingratitude, he added in a follow-up post. Mr Musk had already signalled he might not have more time or money for politics. And, without his largesse, the rupture with the president could spell doom for Republicans in tight districts. Impeachment Mr Trump is no stranger to the impeachment process: in fact he is the only president to be impeached twice, both of the trials occurring in his first term. On both occasions he was saved by a Republican firewall in the Senate, with members of his own party circling the waggons to protect him, paving the way for his political comeback and election win last year. On Thursday, their relationship breaking down while the world watched on in real time, Mr Musk suggested the president should be impeached, convicted and replaced with JD Vance, the vice-president. So far, that looks unlikely: Republicans control both chambers of Congress, and its unlikely the Tesla billionaire has enough support among senators to reach the two-thirds threshold to boot him out of office. But its a damaging intervention, nonetheless, because Mr Musk has declared his former ally unfit for office. Donald Trump says the Bill should not move forward without his express approval - Nathan Howard/Reuters Donald Trump is pressuring a US senator to weaken a Bill that would impose sweeping sanctions on Russia. White House officials hoping to mend relations with Moscow have been quietly contacting senator Lindsey Grahams office urging him to water down his Bill, which aims to cripple Vladimir Putin with huge sanctions. The Bill, backed by nearly the entire Senate, would impose 500 per cent tariffs on countries that continue to buy Russian oil and gas, which bankrolls Putins war effort. Officials have been demanding the Bill include waivers that would allow Mr Trump to choose who or what was sanctioned, congressional aides told the Wall Street Journal. Other attempts to weaken the legislation include softening the language, replacing shall with may to avoid making the reprimands mandatory. Removing the mandatory nature of the sanctions would render the Bill effectively toothless and do little to hamper Putins war machine, aides fear. Were moving ahead and the White House is included in our conversations, Richard Blumenthal, senator and lead Democratic co-sponsor of the Bill, told the paper. Russias war effort is funded by fossil-fuel exports. Moscow has adapted to existing sanctions with relative ease, turning to North Korea and China for support. Fearing the impact on pump prices, Joe Biden, former president, was unwilling to crack down on Russian energy exports. Mr Trump, has threatened to impose sanctions on Ukraine, as well as Russia, if the two sides fail to reach a peace agreement. Any sanction package must provide complete flexibility for the president to continue to pursue his desired foreign policy, a White House official said. They added that the constitution vests the president with the authority to conduct diplomacy with foreign nations. Speaking in the Oval Office alongside Friedrich Merz, German chancellor, on Thursday, the US president said that the Bill should not move forward without his express approval. Theyll be guided by me. Thats how its supposed to be, he told reporters. Theyre waiting for me to decide on what to do. Last week, Mr Graham and Mr Blumenthal visited Ukraine where they applauded the countrys drone attack that destroyed 40 aircraft deep inside Russian territory. However, they were ridiculed and accused of stirring up the conflict by key allies of Mr Trump, including Steve Bannon. By trying to engage Putin by being friendly and enticing its become painfully clear [Putins] not interested in ending this war, Mr Graham said earlier this week. [Putin] needs to see and hear that message as well from us, from the American people, said Mr Blumenthal. Both said that failing to act now could pull the US deeper into the conflict later. If Putin isnt stopped in Ukraine, Mr Blumenthal said, Nato treaty obligations could compel US troops into battle. Earlier this week, Russian negotiators tabled a long memorandum, resembling a complete capitulation for Ukraine, in a second round of direct talks with Kyiv in Istanbul. They demanded Ukraine must withdraw its troops from four eastern regions that Russia only partially occupies and that international recognition of Russian sovereignty over them and Crimea must be granted. An extra 15% tax on earnings on super balances over $3m represents barely 1% of income. Photograph: gilaxia/Getty Images Imagine you have $3m in super and have just retired, only to hear that Labor plans to hit you with a new tax. Or perhaps youre worried (dream?) that at some point in the near or distant future you might cross that multi-million-dollar savings threshold. Either way, you might be wondering whether the governments proposal to whack an extra 15% tax on earnings on balances over $3m is going to put a major crimp in your retirement plans. Breathe easy, your annual trips to Europe are safe, as are your smashed avocado brekkies. According to Guardian Australias analysis, a wealthy Australian retiring with $3m in super today would pay an extra $2,355 in tax. And thats from annual retirement income of more than $170,000, based on an estimate from Asics MoneySmart retirement calculator. In other words, the tax represents barely 1% of your income. If that doesnt make you feel better, then remember that the median full-time salary in Australia is $88,400, according to the ABS, and $72,590 across all employees. So you are making nearly twice the median full-time salary and those suckers are paying income tax! What, still not convinced? Well, consider this: The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia reckons that a single person with a paltry $595,000 in savings can generate a comfortable lifestyle in retirement with $51,807 in income a year. Youre making more than three times as much, even after paying Labors damned extra tax! Whats that? You only have $800,000 in savings? Gosh, how sad. (If it makes you feel any better, thats still four times the median super balance among 65-69 year-olds, according to the ATO). Related: Labors super tweak affects only the wealthiest Australians. To argue against it is misguided | Patrick Commins Dont worry, though, you wont be paying the proposed extra 15% tax - remember it only starts kicking in on balances over $3m. And anyway, you can still live pretty well on $67,000 a year, tax-free. That all sounds OK for the small-fry with $3m in super. But what about the serious savers with $5m? How much extra tax will they have to suffer in the name of making the super system fairer? Bad news. They could be paying something like an extra $25,000 in tax under the proposed policy, if they earn the average 7.5% annual return in the year. The good news is that theyll still have nearly $270,000 left over to wait, can a single retiree even spend that much in a year? Zia Yusuf Zia Yusuf was billed by some as one of the rising stars of British politics so his abrupt resignation as chairman of Reform UK has created quite a splash. Wading in with his typical opportunistic identitarianism, former leader of the SNP, Humza Yousaf, said on X that Yusufs departure from Reform should serve as an example to all people of colour that the hard-right would never accept them, even if they make sizeable financial donations. He added that it was no surprise that the insurgent challenger party of the Right eventually dispensed with their brown, son-of-an-immigrant, Muslim party chairman. While there have been reports of Yusuf being sidelined within Reform for some time, the straw that broke the camels back appears to be a disagreement between him and the partys newest MP, Sarah Pochin. In PMQs, the recently elected MP for Runcorn and Helsby asked Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer whether he would entertain the possibility of introducing restrictions on the wearing of the burqa in the UK. Yusuf seemingly took issue with this by publicly rebuking Pochin on X. He said it was dumb to argue for measures which were not official Reform policy. The writing was on the wall for Yusuf after the spat with Pochin. She is Reforms first female MP, and insulting her in public over a question in the Commons about banning the burqa being a Muslim man was political self-destruction and contradicted his own emphasis on professionalising the party. The question itself was an entirely reasonable one. Morocco a predominantly Muslim country where Sunni Islam is the state religion banned the manufacturing, marketing, and sale of the burqa back in 2017. This was on the grounds of security considerations and part of a broader approach to combat Salafist influences in the North African country. If Yusuf was disappointed that certain procedures should have been followed by Pochin, this should have been discussed in private and he should have raised the importance of party discipline and order as chairman. This would have been responsible and professional chairmanship. While there is no doubt that Yusuf suffered a great amount of racist and anti-Muslim abuse from what the Reform leader Nigel Farage has labelled alt-right trolls, a more plausible explanation for Yusufs resignation is that he found the transition from business to politics difficult and understandably so. In the world of business, he is unquestionably successful: he co-founded a luxury concierge company which was later sold to Capital One in a 233 million deal. But chairing a fledgling political party requires a greater degree of patience especially when it comes to instilling organisational discipline and order as part of a broader professionalisation strategy. Whether it was restlessness, disillusionment, or clashing with other personalities, Yusuf the businessman had clearly grown frustrated in his political role. And nobody can blame him for that. While the likes of Humza Yousaf would love nothing more than to portray Zia Yusuf as a non-white Muslim victim of ethno-nationalist persecution, the reality is far more complicated. A man rides a motorcycle down a rural road past a vintage Mobil gas station, where people are gathered near old vehicles. The scene appears to be set in the 1970s. The 1970s were a time of grit and growth in Texas, where sprawling cities and dusty, small towns didnt have much in common except for their cant-tell-me-nothin attitude. Oil money poured into skyscrapers and highways in Houston and Dallas, while honky-tonks and roadside diners kept the states blue collar spirit alive. While parts of the state were still barren, Texas in the 70s was an era of cowboy hats and pickup trucks, of Friday night lights and long drives down Route 66. The air smelled of gasoline, barbecues, and possibility. Feeling nostalgic? Here are 17 vintage photos that capture what 70s life was like in the Lone Star State. 1. Two Friends Pose for a Snap in Austin With the Texas State Capitol in the Distance AxlCobainVedder 2. Sun, Sweat, and Not a Single Knee Pad or Helmet in Sight: Summertime Fun Rollerblading in Galveston ghostlyxgigglesx 3. An Overhead View of Downtown Houston in the 70s 5_Frog_Margin 4. Few Things Scream Texas Like a Smokehouse, a Row of Dusty Cars, and a Pumpjack Nodding in the Background CincoDeMayoFan 5. Downtown Fort Worth Bustles With New Store Fronts and Cars CincoDeMayoFan 6. Dressed to the Nines and Ready for a Night Out CincoDeMayoFan 7. Elvis Presley Performs at the Houston Astrodome, 1971 FeiHung 8. A Group of Cowboys (and Girl) Grab a Bite at a Texas Diner CincoDeMayoFan 9. Enjoying a Day at the Beach in Galveston CincoDeMayoFan 10. A Float Rolls Through the Heart of Town During a Parade in McConnell CincoDeMayoFan 11. A Man and Child Stand Outside Adams Food Market on Holly Street in Houston CincoDeMayoFan 12. Hanging Out in Lake Dallas, 1970s DiosMioMan63 13. People Dressed in Their Sunday Best Get Ready for Church CincoDeMayoFan 14. The Best Honky Tonk North of Abilene: The Lone Star Cafe As_It_Was_NYCHistory 15. High School Cheerleader Team at the Pleasant Grove Stadium in Dallas FNaXQ 16. Parade Featuring the Kilgore College Rangerettes, Early 1970s texanwill 17. Announcing the Winner at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin CincoDeMayoFan Want a peek into other American cities from decades past? Step Back Into 1990s Los Angeles With These 21 Nostalgic Photos, then head to Michigan with these 22 Vintage Photos of Detroit in the 60s and 70s. Finally, be sure to read These 17 Vintage Photos Capture the Grit and Glamour of 1960s NYC. The post These 17 Throwback Photos Truly Capture 70s Life in Texas appeared first on Wealth Gang. We may earn money from links on this page, but commission does not influence what we write or the products we recommend. AOL upholds a rigorous editorial process to ensure what we publish is fair, accurate and trustworthy. AncestryDNA kits are only $39 today. I'm going to clue you in on a fact I discovered a few years ago: My great-grandparents were first cousins. Oh, and my mother has three secret siblings. Uncovering the secrets of your past is downright fun, especially when you discover two uncles no one in the family has ever heard of. But aside from lost family members, there is so much you can learn from genealogy sites like Ancestry, and if you've been holding off on getting your own DNA test, now's the time to pick one up the brand is offering a whopping 61% off AncestryDNA kits ahead of Father's Day. This is the lowest price we've ever seen on AncestryDNA kits. Here's why you need one. AncestryDNA AncestryDNA Genetic Test Kit $99 Normally priced at $99, you can get an AncestryDNA kit for the lowest price we've ever seen right now. For just $39, you can send in your DNA and learn a bevy of secrets, including hidden relatives and the exact regions your family hails from. $99 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $99 at Walmart Aside from connecting you with people in the Ancestry network that you're related to, the AncestryDNA kit breaks down your genetic makeup and shows you exactly where your relatives were originally from. I grew up thinking my grandfather was a quarter Cherokee but turns out that's just family lore, according to Ancestry. My genes are 100% European. You can see exactly where my ancestors are from on the AncestryDNA map. (Ancestry / Kate Ellsworth) Once your DNA gets analyzed (which only takes a few short weeks), you can view a map that highlights each area that comprises your genetic makeup. My map says I'm 47% English & Northwestern European, and once I click into the UK, it breaks down what that means for me, and which of my relatives are most closely related to my English heritage. After I tested my own DNA, I sent a kit to my brother and made him complete it as well, curious how similar our DNA would be. Turns out, pretty similar the site knew immediately that he was my brother and noted that we have about 45% - 52% shared DNA. But while we we were so similar, his breakdown is actually pretty different from mine. If you've got a sibling, parent, or child, and you're curious about how similar you are genetically, it's a fun exercise I highly recommend. Turns out me and my brother are pretty similar who knew? (Ancestry / Kate Ellsworth) I took my AncestryDNA test in 2019, and in the five years since, the site has continued to deepen. Every year or so, the site adds even more regions to its database, meaning your results are often changing, or becoming just a little more sharp. In 2020, the database said I was 70% Northern European in 2025, I'm 47% England, 37% Scotland, 9% Ireland... etc. If you're looking to dig deep into your own family tree, you'll want to subscribe to an Ancestry membership, which costs a bit more $50 a month which I don't recommend. I built a family tree and had an incredible time digging into my family's roots, but I did so with a free 30-day membership trial and managed to fit my entire research journey into that window. But $39 for an AncestryDNA kit? That matches the lowest price I've ever seen. If you need a great gift for a parent or grandparent, or you're just curious about your own genetic makeup, this deal is definitely worth it. If you have any questions about AncestryDNA or you just wanna chat about your favorite products you think we should check out send us an email at shopping.editors@aol.com and we'll write you back! Journalism trains at Saratoga Springs on Thursday in preparations for the Belmont Stakes on Saturday. (Seth Wenig / Associated Press) Normally, the running of the Belmont Stakes without a chance at a Triple Crown winner makes the third leg of the series about as interesting as a television procedural the Chicagos, FBIs or Law & Orders in the last two minutes after the culprit has been identified and prosecuted. But not this year. The 157th running of the Belmont Stakes has about as many plot lines as a season of "The White Lotus." Its easily the best race of the year, and, yes, that includes the Kentucky Derby. Youve got your sentimental favorite in Journalism, whose stretch drive in winning the Preakness Stakes could make almost anyone a fan of horse racing. Youve got your villain in Sovereignty, who kicked racing tradition in the teeth after winning the Kentucky Derby when his connections refused to enter him in the Preakness Stakes because of the short time frame two weeks between the first two legs of the Triple Crown. It killed any opportunity racing had to build a new fan base revolving around the Derby and a possible Triple Crown winner. Youve got your fresh-faced wannabe in Rodriguez, whose last race was a win in the Wood Memorial. He was scheduled to run in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, but a sore hoof forced him to withdraw from both races. His early speed and front-running ability likely means hell be on the lead as the horses head down the backstretch. Add to that the fact that he is trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Mike Smith, both Hall of Famers who know how to get a horse from gate to wire in winning form. And finally, youve got a wiseguy (professional gamblers) horse in Baeza, whose talent far exceeds his early results. He finished a strong third in the Kentucky Derby and second in the Santa Anita Derby behind Journalism. He is also trying to find a place in history for his mom, Puca, who has produced Kentucky Derby winner Mage and last years Belmont winner in Dornoch. If Baeza were to win, he would be the first horse who has a dam who has won three Classic races. Thats a record. Read more:No chance for a Triple Crown again stirs debate of when to run the races And thats just half of the eight-horse field. Whoever finishes first, the victory is likely to be remembered as having an asterisk next to it. The Belmont Stakes, considered the test of champions because of its normal 1 1/2-mile distance, is being run at the less interesting distance of 1 1/4 miles. The reason is the race has been moved from Long Islands Belmont Park to Saratoga Race Track in Saratoga Springs, a suburb of the New York state capital of Albany, because of a massive rebuild at Belmont Park. The reason the race was shortened is because to have a 1 1/2-mile race at Saratoga, the horses would have to start on a turn, something the organizers didnt want to happen. The starting positions add little clarity as to who might win. Sovereignty (post 2, 2-1 on morning line) should have no problem getting early running room, especially with Rodriguez on his immediate outside. Rodriguez (post 3, 6-1) and Crudo (post 5, 15-1) are expected to battle for the lead early. Crudos last win was his last outing with a 7 1/4-length win in the Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico. Journalism will be breaking from post 7 at 8-5 morning line odds. "He's been kind of the same horse since July of last summer, Michael McCarthy, trainer of Journalism, told NYRA publicity. He does everything you ask a good horse to do eats well, trains well, packs well. I thought the last six or seven weeks here, his energy has been the same throughout. Obviously, Saratoga is very good for horses. He seems reenergized up here. I'm looking forward to a wonderful renewal of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday." If either Journalism or Sovereignty wins, they will be the first repeat winner of a Classic race since Justify in 2018, who won all three Triple Crown races. Since then, no horse has won more than one Classic race, making it a 21-race streak. Of course, Triple Crown races are only for 3-year-olds meaning trainers start every year fresh trying to find prospective winners. Racing is in desperate need of stars and the chase for the Triple Crown is one way of getting them. Its why there was such consternation when trainer Bill Mott and owner Godolphin, decided to skip the Preakness Stakes. You never know until they actually do it in a race, said Michael Banahan, who heads Godolphin in the U.S. He always gave us that indication that hed like to go long. And we thought the Derby as well and then finished up, from the top of the stretch to the wire in very good fashion and galloped all the way through the wire. Crudo is a 15-1 longshot to win the Belmont Stakes, which features an eight-horse field. (Seth Wenig / Associated Press) So, Im with the Belmont this year at Saratoga. He just has to do the same distance again. So, I would anticipate thatll be fine for him. I suppose if it were a regular Belmont at Belmont Park, thatll be another question to answer going that far. It certainly looks like a mile-and-a-quarter was well [within] his wheelhouse in the Derby and anticipate that it shouldnt be any issue at Saratoga as well. The horse that is poised to pull the upset is Baeza, who has only won one race, a maiden at Santa Anita. His second-place finish in the Santa Anita Derby would have normally been enough to get him in the Kentucky Derby. But Churchill Downs, in an obvious attack at West Coast races, lowered the point total because of a small field. Trainer John Shirreffs did not want to bring the horse to Churchill Downs, hoping there were enough scratches to get him in the race. Shirreffs was overruled by the owners so he stood on the backside at Barn 41 while hoping for an entry to the worlds most famous race. The reprieve, and entry, came when Rodriguez was scratched because of a sore hoof. Baeza more than proved his entry into the Derby with a strong third-place finish. I think Baeza, week by week, hes developed a little bit more, said Shirreffs. Hes developed a little bit more. I see him, maybe, a little bit taller, a little stretchier He seems to be holding his weight really well. And you can really get an image of him now is what hell look like as a 4-year-old. So, youre starting to see him emerge. The most likely scenario is the winner of the Belmont Stakes will come from the four most prominent horses. Its more than possible that the 21-race streak without a repeat winner will be over. But they run the races to answer that question. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. May 4, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Carson Hocevar (77) is introduced before the start of the Wurth 400 race at Texas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images (Jerome Miron-Imagn Images) Chevrolet driver Carson Hocevar is on the verge of doing something enormous in the NASCAR Cup Series, and he would love to do it this Sunday at Michigan International Speedway in the Firekeepers Casino 400 in Brooklyn, Mich. Hocevar's aim: Winning his first race in NASCAR's most prestigious series. The 2024 Rookie of the Year is 17th in driver points, just two behind Ford driver Ryan Preece, who sits on the north side of the cut line with 289 points to Hocevar's 287. Hocevar has been the lead dog for Spire Motorsports with two top-five finishes in his 14 starts, both runner-up efforts behind race winners Christopher Bell at Atlanta and Ryan Blaney at Nashville. While seemingly on the brink of being victorious against stock car racing's top aces, the Portage, Mich., native returned home early this week to race at Berlin Raceway, where he obliterated the Money in the Bank 150 super late model field on Tuesday night. It was his third career victory in the event, which also featured fellow Michigander and Cup competitor Erik Jones placing fourth. It also followed Hocevar's Truck Series victory last month at the Heart of Health Care 200. "Super good to go back-to-back almost here, with (the 200), now Money in the Bank and hopefully we do the sweep," Hocevar said. Now Hocevar will try his luck at Michigan, where Tyler Reddick is the defending champion. Hocevar placed 10th last year. If Hocevar is to cross the finish line first, he's going have to do it from seven rows deep. He wrapped up the No. 14 starting spot in qualifying on Saturday. In qualifying, Chase Briscoe matched Kyle Larson's showing last season by winning his third consecutive Busch Light Pole Award to earn the top spot for Sunday's race. Briscoe took his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota around MIS at 195.514 mph for his fourth pole this season. Kyle Busch tied his season-best starting spot beside Briscoe on the front row with a lap of 195.317. Larson claimed three straight poles in April 2024 at Richmond, Martinsville and Texas. Denny Hamlin, Briscoe's JGR teammate, will start third next to Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron. No matter where Hocevar starts, honing his skills and getting more track time is vital to the 22-year-old's development. Plenty of Cup drivers would surely agree with that assessment. Hocevar has impressed many in the business with his speed because he flat-out has it. And he is blazing tracks across the country in the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire, not for elite stables like Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing or Team Penske. Yet his success has come at a price. While Ross Chastain is generally considered the hardest driver to pass, Hocevar certainly holds the current distinction of being the hardest driver to race with, against, beside or just all of the above. The result has been a motley collection of wrecked cars including Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who did not receive a call this week from Hocevar after the nose of his Chevrolet booted the No. 47 to a last-place finish at Nashville last Sunday. "Here's the thing about Carson: Carson's fast and is -- to me, he's able to keep making these mistakes and not let it mentally bother him," Kevin Harvick said on his Happy Hour podcast on Tuesday. "(He's) got the mental ability to just let it go. It didn't bother him the rest of the race. It isn't the first time that this has happened this year or last year and it is going to ruffle some feathers along the way." But Harvick, who had many stubborn tussles on the track during his 23-year Cup career, had some advice for Hocevar. "That stuff will eventually come back to bite you because you're going to get wrecked when you get around those guys (you've wrecked), or they're going to squeeze you in the fence or put you in a bad position or block you in the pits," the 2014 Cup champ warned. Added Dale Earnhardt Jr., "People are probably gonna go crazy over this one, but Hocevar, a little bit, is kind of like a young Dale Earnhardt in a way. Makes a lot of mistakes and ruffles a lot of feathers, but he's very fast, very aggressive." Back home in Michigan this weekend, Hocevar likely stands a good chance of crossing that threshold, knocking like a new visitor and waiting for his hometown track to let him in to Victory Lane for the first time in his 60th Cup start. But will the field of drivers allow it? --Field Level Media Illinois state Rep. John Cabello, R-Machesney Park Greg Bishop / The Center Square (The Center Square) Municipalities like Peoria, Springfield and Decatur have passed stricter massage licensing ordinances amid concerns over human trafficking. State Rep. John Cabello, R-Machesney Park, a law enforcement officer, noted that while ordinances can help, most investigations begin with tips or complaints, not routine licensing checks. We used to have quite a few [massage parlors] here in Rockford. You cant just walk in and inspect. You need a complaint or information from another investigation, said Cabello. Once somethings confirmed, you shut them down. The owners go to jail and depending on how long theyre there, they could just move somewhere else. Cabello said he finds himself torn between two political instincts: a desire for limited government and a need to crack down on businesses engaged in criminal activity. As a Republican, were supposed to be for smaller government, less red tape, he said. But when it comes to businesses that are known for shadiness, I support these kinds of ordinances. Sometimes its a necessary evil. I assume that the police departments [would] be able to handle it if something were to take place. I don't believe necessarily the city has to have an ordinance. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation enforces massage therapist licensure and investigates complaints and alleged violations, which can originate from the public, law enforcement or other governmental agencies. Nancy Bolliger, the executive director of Allies Against Trafficking, claimed that Bloomington has 14 illicit massage businesses and urged the council to require them to register, allowing checks for licensed therapists. Since 2018, Springfield, Peoria, Chatham and Morton have passed local ordinances to regulate massage businesses. These laws require businesses to register with the city and verify that their therapists are licensed by the state of Illinois, Bolliger said during public comment at a Bloomington City Council meeting. As a result, 11 illicit massage parlors were closed in Springfield. Morton also shut down two illicit spas, including one located just doors from a Kroger grocery store. This criminal activity remains active and is increasing across the region. At the Bloomington City Council meeting, Paul Halvorson stressed the toll of human trafficking on both victims and taxpayers, urging a community-wide effort beyond just police or government. The people involved arent contributing to the community through jobs or families. When they get out, they often rely on the judicial, penal, healthcare or social services systems with no insurance or resources. This ultimately falls on taxpayers, Halvorson said during public comment. So everybody needs to come together, including citizens, for education, enforcement and collaboration to try to eradicate this from the community. Bettmann/Getty Desi Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Desi Jr., 6, Lucie, 8 NEED TO KNOW Desi Arnaz Jr. spoke to biographer Todd S. Purdum for a new book about his father, Desi Arnaz In the book, Desi and his sister Lucie detail their adolescence and the fallout from their parents' marriage The book also delves into Desi's alcoholism and how his son ultimately helped him seek treatment Desi Arnaz Jr. is opening up about his father, Desi Arnaz, and offering a rare look at a man who lived to entertain but wrestled with his demons behind the scenes. In his new book Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television, biographer Todd S. Purdum delves deep into the life of the man most know as Ricky Ricardo or, perhaps, as Mr. Lucille Ball. In interviews with the couple's children Desi Jr. and daughter Lucie Purdum offers glimpses into the behind-the-scenes life of Arnaz and the tumultuous relationship of the I Love Lucy stars, who divorced in 1960, after 20 years of marriage. The book offers a rare look at Desi Jr., who was at the time of his birth in January 1953 arguably the most famous baby in America. Desi Jr.'s birth was even incorporated into the show, and while he had his own foray into showbiz early on, he later retreated from the public eye and now rarely speaks to the press. While audiences were delighted by his parents' relationship, Desi Jr. told Purdum that behind the scenes, Lucy and Desi were incredibly argumentative It wasnt good for anyone, Desi Jr. told the author in the book. And well always remember when they sat us down and said, Look, you know, things arent working. I mean, I remember word for word. CBS Photo Archive/Archive Photos/Getty Desi Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Desi Jr., Lucie', 1953. In interviews with the author, the now-adult children explained how different their parents were. Lucie recalled how her mother "took it personally" when one of the children would disappoint her. Desi, by contrast, "was not like that," she described. "He would get really angry and blow his stack, and be loud, but then hed be done and it would be like it never happened," Lucie said. "Like a storm just passed. The storm never said, Im sorry, the storm never left a note saying, Im sorry, that wasnt your fault. But it stopped, right? My mother would get personally offended by childhood behavior or what you said, because you should have known not to say that somehow, even though no ones taught you what to say. And she would emotionally separate from you for however long she wanted to. And it would be sometimes days, sometimes weeks. J. Wilds/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, with their children Lucie and Desi Jr., 1959 When the children were involved in their parents' work, by attending weekly shootings of I Love Lucy, they weren't always happy. Speaking to the author, Lucie detailed how she would "hide under the bleacher" when her mother introduced her to the audience. Desi Jr., meanwhile, "was very much embracing the whole thing, he said. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. But theirs was not a normal life, instead hallmarked by the stardom of their parents and the strange upbringing that comes with being born to fame. In one pivotal moment in the book, Johnny Aitchison, Desis secretary, described how strange it was to see a young Lucie and Desi playing with paper dolls of their own parents. And it was the most natural thing in the world to watch these kids playing with that, just your normal kids having a good time, but playing with paper dolls of their parents." Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Desi Jr. Of course, the highs of their star power were at times eclipsed by the lows, with the book detailing Desi's descent into alcoholism. It was his son, Desi Jr. who himself had struggled with addiction and was thrust into the spotlight as a teen amid well-publicized romances with Patty Duke and Liza Minnelli who helped him seek treatment. Four years after Desi Jr. sought treatment (in 1981 at the Scripps Clinic near San Diego), his father came to him for advice. In 1985, Desi himself entered an alcohol rehabilitation program at the Scripps McDonald Center in La Jolla, where he registered under the name Bill Sanchez to protect his privacy. It was really nice, Desi Jr. said, because whatever I was going through, it was paying off. I said, I cant do anything for you, but theres a place that can. He understood that." As Desi Jr. explained to the author, it was in fame where his father felt the most lonely: Thats when he realized the emptinessat the crest of his success. He didnt stop drinking. He didnt know what the real poison was. This is a temporary life." Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television (Simon & Schuster) is now available. Read the original article on People This combo of images released by the Arkansas Department of Corrections shows the recapture of escaped inmate Grant Hardin, an ex-police chief and convicted killer, by Arkansas law enforcement officers and the U.S. Border Patrol , Friday, June 6, 2025, near Moccasin Creek in Izard County, about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) northwest of Calico Rock prison. in Calico Rock, Ark. (Arkansas Department of Corrections via AP) A former police chief and convicted killer known as the Devil in the Ozarks was captured by law enforcement 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) northwest of the prison he escaped from following a massive, nearly two-week-long manhunt in the rugged mountains of northern Arkansas, authorities announced Friday. Grant Hardin, a former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. Eventually, his notoriety led to a TV documentary, Devil in the Ozarks. Hardin briefly attempted to run from officers when he saw them approach Friday afternoon, but he was quickly tackled to the ground, said Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the Arkansas prison system. Hed been on the run for a week and a half and probably didnt have any energy left in him, he added. Hardins identity was confirmed through fingerprinting, the Izard County Sheriffs Office said in a Facebook post. Theres no indication that Hardin was injured, though he will be checked for dehydration and other medical problems. Now, investigators are chomping at the bit and really ready to talk to him, said Champion, who used his cellphone to capture an image of Hardin being led away by officers. Hardin said nothing during those moments. The escape, search and eventual capture Hardin had been held at the Calico Rock prison since 2017 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in a fatal shooting. In order to escape, he impersonated a corrections officer in dress and manner, according to a court document. A prison officer in one of the guard towers opened a secure gate, allowing him to walk out of the facility. Champion said that someone should have checked Hardins identity before he was allowed to leave, describing the lack of verification as a lapse thats being investigated. Searchers had been using bloodhounds, officers on horseback, drones and helicopters in their hunt for Hardin since he escaped on May 25. Shortly after the escape, a bloodhound found then quickly lost Hardins scent when heavy rains blew through the area, Champion said. The bloodhound tracked Hardin's path for less than a quarter of a mile, after which could have gone in any direction. That was one of the most frustrating things, that they were able to track him but then they lost him because of the rain, Champion said. An elite and highly trained U.S. Border Patrol team had recently joined the search, federal authorities announced this week. The Border Patrol Tactical Team provided advanced search capabilities and operational support," U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. Its members are experienced in navigating complex terrain, the agency said earlier this week. The team tracked Hardin through the region known for its rocky and rugged landscape, thick forests and an extensive cave network. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol shared photos on Facebook of Hardin shirtless and covered in mud, laying face down with his hands tied behind his back on Friday. The post said that Hardin was turned over to Arkansas State Police unharmed by the federal agency. A spokesperson for the agency didn't respond to a phone call and emailed request for comment regarding the post on Friday night. Hardin's criminal convictions Hardin pleaded guilty in 2017 to first-degree murder for the killing of James Appleton, 59. Appleton worked for the Gateway water department when he was shot in the head Feb. 23, 2017, near Garfield. Police found Appletons body inside a car. Hardin was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Hardins DNA was also matched to the 1997 rape of a teacher at an elementary school in Rogers, north of Fayetteville. He was sentenced to 50 years for that crime. Cheryl Tillman, Appleton's sister, was with her mother and sister at a flea market in Ozark, Missouri, when law enforcement called to tell her Hardin had been captured. Tillman is also the mayor of Gateway, the 450-person town where Hardin was briefly police chief. Tillman told The Associated Press that Hardin's capture was a big sigh of relief for her whole family. We dont have to walk around, turning around all the time, thinking somebodys on our back, Tillman said, emphasizing her appreciation for the officers who helped capture Hardin. A problematic past in law enforcement Though Hardin was police chief in Gateway for just four months, he had served as an officer in multiple communities around northwest Arkansas, his police records show. In his first job as a police officer 35 years ago in Fayetteville, Hardin struggled almost immediately, his supervisors said. He was dismissed by Fayetteville police, but kept getting hired for other law enforcement jobs in northwest Arkansas over the years. Hardin worked about six months at the Huntsville Police Department before resigning, but records do not give a reason for his resignation. He later worked at the Eureka Springs Police Department from 1993 to 1996. Former Chief Earl Hyatt said Hardin resigned because Hyatt was going to fire him over incidents that included the use of excessive force. He did not need to be a police officer at all, Hyatt told television station KNWA. By the time he was the police chief in Gateway in 2016, he was out chasing cars for no reason, Tillman recalled in the documentary Devil in the Ozarks. WASHINGTON The Trump administration on June 6 asked the Supreme Court to let it dismantle the Education Department and fire hundreds of its workers. President Donald Trump is trying to fulfil his campaign promise to end the Education Department and move school policy to the states. In an emergency appeal, the administration said the court should lift a judge's order blocking Trump from carrying out those moves while they're being challenged by Democratic-led states, school districts and teachers' unions. "The Constitution vests the Executive Branch, not district courts, with the authority to make judgments about how many employees are needed to carry out an agency's statutory functions, and whom they should be," Solicitor General John Sauer told the Supreme Court. The workers were placed administrative leave on March 21 and were to stop receiving salaries on June 9. Lower courts blocked mass layoffs at Education Department But U.S. District Judge Myong Joun said the White House's decision to fire more than 1,300 workers has prevented the federal government from effectively implementing legally required programs and services. Such changes can't be made without the approval of Congress, which created the department in 1979, Joun ruled. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals backed that decision. The court said the administration provided no evidence to counter Joun's "record-based findings about the disabling impact" of the mass firings and the transfer of some functions to other agencies. "What is at stake in this case, the District Court found, was whether a nearly half-century-old cabinet department would be permitted to carry out its statutorily assigned functions or prevented from doing so by a mass termination of employees aimed at implementing the effective closure of that department," Judge David Barron wrote for the panel of three circuit judges. U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order to reduce the size and scope of the Education Department alongside school children signing their own versions, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on March 20, 2025, in Washington, DC. The order instructs Education Secretary Linda McMahon, former head of the Small Business Administration and co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment, to shrink the $100 billion department, which cannot be dissolved without Congressional approval. Trump signed executive order aimed at closing the Education Department An executive order Trump signed in March directed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to "facilitate the closure of the Department of Education." Republicans have long accused the federal government of holding too much power over local and state education policy, even though the federal government has no control over school curriculum. McMahon announced roughly half the agency's workforce would be eliminated through a combination of mass layoffs and voluntary buyouts. That would have reduced the staff from 4,133 workers when Trump began his second term in January to 2,183 workers. The administration also wants the Small Business Administration to take over student loans and move special education services to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. More: Trump can't erase the Education Department with an executive order. Here's why. Judge ordered Education Department to rehire workers Joun's May 22 order blocked the administration from transferring those functions and required the department to reinstate fired workers. Lawyers for the states, school districts and teachers' unions challenging Trump's executive order said in a June 5 filing that none of the fired workers have returned to their jobs and the administration hasn't shared any plans to bring them back. The appeals court said Trump doesn't have to have as many Education Department employees as the previous administration but can't cut so many that the agency can't function as Congress intended. The Justice Department told the Supreme Court that the harms to the government from having to rehire the workers as the litigation continues are greater than any harms the challengers said they'll suffer from diminished department services. The administration urged the Supreme Court to intervene quickly because of a June 9 district court hearing to determine if the Education Department is complying with Joun's order. The Supreme Court gave the states, school districts and teachers' unions until June 13 to respond to the administration's appeal. More: What will happen at my school if Trump closes the Department of Education? Education Department functions are required by law The Education Department is legally required to ensure that students and teachers with disabilities are treated fairly and that low-income schools get the resources they need to keep pace with more affluent ones. The agency also issues regulations for colleges to hold them accountable for preparing graduates for well-paying jobs. And it functions like a giant bank, doling out billions of dollars to help people pay for college. Even if the Education Department were reorganized, which would take an act of Congress, its obligations under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 would have to continue elsewhere. The law passed during the Johnson administration requires the government to administer student loan programs, issue grants and ensure that schools receiving federal money don't discriminate against students. Contributing: Zachary Schermele This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump asks Supreme Court to let him gut Education Department GoFundMe The Decker sisters NEED TO KNOW Travis Decker, who is suspected of killing his three young daughters, was an "active dad" and showed "no red flags" before the girls were found dead following a "planned visitation," his ex-wife's attorney has said "He loved those girls very much," Arianna Cozart, the attorney for Whitney Decker, told ABC News Police continue to share updates amid the manhunt for Decker, after Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were discovered deceased on June 2 in Chelan County, WA Missing father Travis Decker, who is suspected of killing his three young girls over the weekend, showed "no red flags" before his disappearance, his ex-wife's attorney has said. The Chelan County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) has been sharing multiple updates amid the manhunt for Decker, including recent images and footage from the days leading up to the planned visitation he had with his daughters on Friday, May 30. Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were found dead on Monday, June 2, at 3:45 p.m. local time after authorities located their father's car near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington state, the Wenatchee Police Department said in a release on Tuesday, June 3. The girls most likely died by asphyxiation, according to a preliminary report filed with the Chelan County Superior Court, Fox 13 Seattle reported. Chelan County Sheriff's Office Facebook Police have been releasing recent images of Travis Decker While speaking to ABC News, Arianna Cozart, the attorney for Decker's ex-wife, Whitney Decker, insisted "there were no red flags" before Decker failed to bring the girls home on the evening they disappeared. Cozart has said that the "system" let Decker down over his mental health following his career in the military, the outlet reported. She told the publication, "He had some mental health issues and some instability in his life that really led to the restrictions as far as overnight visitation or him taking them out of the area, but other than that, he loved those girls very much and him and Whitney were able to communicate on a regular basis, not just as co-parents, but as friends." Chelan County Sheriff's Office Police have been releasing recent images of Travis Decker Decker and Whitney were married for 10 years before he ended their marriage in 2023, because he "felt like he wasn't worth it," Cozart told ABC News. After Whitney, who had full custody of the girls, "put restrictions in place on his parenting" due to "concerning factors regarding Travis' mental health and stability" in September 2024, something "broke" inside Decker, Cozart told the outlet. Chelan County Sheriff's Office Facebook Police have been releasing recent images of Travis Decker He'd been granted visitations to visit his daughters for three hours on Fridays and eight hours every other weekend, as long as he stayed in Wenatchee Valley, the publication stated, citing Cozart, who claimed Decker was an "active dad." "He was a loving man, but something broke and whatever monster came out of him, it's something that he was trained to do in the military," Cozart told the outlet. The comments came as authorities confirmed the Enchantments trail region in Washington state was now closed until at least June 18, "or until further notice" amid the ongoing search for Decker, per a CCSO Facebook post. Police shared further images of Decker in a Thursday, June 5 post, alongside an update that read, "Our teams have written and executed several search warrants around the area and on electronic devices that belonged to Travis Decker. We have gathered new information which in turn has given us more leads to follow up on." "Additionally, we are asking citizens who own cabins or reside in our remote areas of Chelan, Kittitas King, Snohomish, and Okanagan Counties to please be aware that Mr. Decker is still missing," police added. "As law enforcement conducts their searches, we are asking for those owners to lock all of their doors, to include any sheds out outbuildings, and leave their window blinds open and we recommend leaving outside lights on," the release continued. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. The CCSO previously said in Facebook post that Decker was "well-versed in wilderness survival and capable of spending days or even weeks in the wilderness on his own and with very little equipment." Authorities are asking anyone who has seen Decker to call 911 immediately, and are also asking the public not to attempt to approach him. People can also call the CCSO tip line at 509-667-6845 or submit information to the tip line. A GoFundMe page set up to help Whitney with expenses and legal costs amid the tragic loss had raised over $1 million as of Friday, June 6. Cozart didn't immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for comment. Read the original article on People The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are warning of an "elevated threat" facing the Jewish community in the wake of two attacks: Sunday's Molotov cocktail assault in Boulder, Colorado, and last month's killing of two Israeli Embassy staff members in Washington, D.C. The Israel-Hamas conflict "may motivate other violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators with similar grievances to conduct violence against Jewish and Israeli communities and their supporters," the FBI and DHS said in a public service announcement issued Thursday night. "Foreign terrorist organizations also may try to exploit narratives related to the conflict to inspire attacks in the United States." The public should "remain vigilant" and "report any threats of violence or suspicious activity to law enforcement," the agencies said. Chet Strange/Getty Images - PHOTO: Police cordon off Pearl Street following an attack on the Pearl Street Mall, June 1, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. MORE: Suspect in Boulder attack charged with 118 counts, including attempted murder, assault charges The PSA references Sunday's attack in Boulder when Mohamed Soliman allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at a group of marchers advocating for the release of Israeli hostages, according to prosecutors. Fifteen people, including a Holocaust survivor, were injured, officials said. Soliman, who was arrested at the scene, allegedly yelled "Free Palestine" during the attack, the FBI said. MORE: Boulder attack survivor recounts desperation trying to help woman on fire Soliman later told police "he wanted to kill all Zionist people," court documents said. He "said this had nothing to do with the Jewish community and was specific in the Zionist group supporting the killings of people on his land (Palestine)," documents said. Soliman has been charged with a federal hate crime as well as 118 state charges, including attempted murder, assault and explosives charges. He has not entered a plea in either case. Boulder Police Department - PHOTO: Booking photo of 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman, the man suspected of carrying out an "act of terrorism" in Boulder, Colorado, June 1, 2025. MORE: Colorado attack comes amid record incidents of antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes The PSA also mentions the May 21 killings of two Israeli Embassy staff members. Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were fatally shot as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in D.C. When the suspect was arrested, he began to chant, "free, free Palestine," according to police. The Anti-Defamation League has documented a dramatic rise in acts of hate targeting Jewish people in the U.S. since the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel. In 2024, the ADL said it recorded a record high of 9,354 antisemitic incidents in the U.S., marking a 344% increase over the past five years and a 893% increase over the past 10 years. "I am angry," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said a news conference in Boulder on Wednesday. Eli Imadali/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: An Israeli flag is fixed to a street sign as police stand by off Pearl Street on the scene of an attack on demonstrators calling for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, in Boulder, Colorado, June 1, 2025. Its way past time for our political leaders, community groups, media outlets, tech platforms, faith leaders to take action before more Jewish blood is spilled. And it's way past time to stop excusing antisemitic rhetoric," he said. Greenblatt urged the public to speak out against hate and shared small, specific actions people can take. "Flag a hateful post, sign a petition, attend a service, make a comment in city council," he said. Countries on the list include those whose macroeconomic policies or currency practices merit close attention. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images) The U.S. has added Ireland to a list of countries it is keeping tabs on owing to a large and growing trade surplus that has stoked the ire of President Donald Trump. As part of the U.S. Treasurys semiannual report on the macroeconomic and foreign exchange policies of its largest trading partners, the body added Ireland and Switzerland to a nine-strong Monitoring List of countries whose macroeconomic policies or currency practices merit close attention. The other countries on the U.S.s monitoring list are China, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, South Korea, and Germany. In line with President Trumps America First Trade Policy, the United States Treasury will be vigilant in identifying and taking action against currency manipulation and will continue to closely monitor a range of relevant macroeconomic and financial policies implemented by our trading partners that propagate imbalances, contribute to significant exchange rate misalignments, or result in an unfair competitive advantage in trade, said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a statement. The U.S. started its monitoring list under the Barack Obama administration in 2016 to identify trading partners that may have gained an advantage over the country through unfair practices. Following its monitoring, in 2019, the U.S. officially labeled China as a currency manipulator. While a largely symbolic move, the announcement allowed thenTreasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to try and eliminate alleged manipulation On this occasion, the U.S. has exercised restraint and refused to label China a currency manipulator. The Trump administration is currently in tense negotiations with China to ward off unprecedented import tariffs on Chinese imports, which are currently on hold. Ireland previously made the list in 2019 and in 2021, and continues to bounce on and off the lineup as its external economy grows in significance. The country recorded a record 50.1 billion ($57.3 billion) trade surplus with the U.S. last year. The countrys 72.6 billion ($83 billion) worth of goods exports to the U.S. were driven by pharmaceuticals, mostly produced by U.S.-based companies with production facilities in Ireland. Eli Lillys Zepbound and Pfizers Viagra drugs are largely produced in Cork and shipped to the U.S. Ireland wooed U.S. multinationals to its shores with tax incentives, and has since gained a talent and infrastructure advantage from companies investing in the country. In addition to the pharmaceuticals sector, the country proved successful in convincing tech giants like Google, Meta, and Apple to base their European headquarters in Ireland. This globalization trend has irked Trump, who in March complained to Irelands Taoiseach, Michael Martin, about the trend of American companies setting up bases in the country. In its report, the U.S. said exchange rate declines in recent months had shifted trading balances in a way that was likely to increase its deficit with Ireland, Taiwan, and Korea, further. Germany is another European country with a heavy trading surplus over the U.S., leading to its inclusion on the list. As part of his April 5 Liberation Day onslaught of reciprocal tariffs, Trumps team was found to have used a formula based on the U.S.s trade balance with other countries. While Irelands heavy surplus with the U.S. would have indicated an aggressive tariff, its membership in the EU, whose member states received a collective tariff of 20%, spared it from the worst of Trumps onslaught. These tariffs, like those implemented against Chinese imports, are currently on a 90-day pause pending negotiations. A representative for Irelands Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com The Justice Department wants to confiscate $7.7 million of crypto linked to an alleged North Korean agent. (Getty Images) The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) wants to confiscate $7.7 million worth of cryptocurrency seized in connection with an alleged scheme to launder money on behalf of the North Korean government. The DOJ filed a civil forfeiture complainta type of civil lawsuit in which the government tries to seize property that it says is linked to criminal activitieson Thursday. The complaint alleges that North Korean IT workers obtained illegal employment and amassed millions in cryptocurrency for the benefit of the North Korean government, the agency said. The millions of dollars worth of crypto were initially frozen in connection to an April 2023 indictment against a man named Sim Hyon Sop, the DOJ said. In that indictment, the government alleged that Sim, a North Korean Foreign Trade Bank representative based in the United Arab Emirates, conspired with North Korean IT workers to launder the ill-gotten funds. Sim was charged with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments in 2023 in connection to his relationship with the alleged North Korean IT workers, according to court documents. While the statement does not specify where the IT workers associated with Sim were employed, the DOJ alleges that the workers flew under the radar by bypassing security and due diligence checks using fraudulent (or fraudulently obtained) identification documents. Once hired, the workers would allegedly receive a salaryoften in stablecoins like USDC or USDTand send the funds back to North Korea via Sim or another North Korean national. The DOJ identified the alleged conspiracy as part of a growing effort by the North Korean government to have its citizens pose as remote IT workers in foreign countries, according to the statement. The scheme is an attempt by the North Korean government to prop up its economy in the face of sanctions, the agency said. For years, North Korea has exploited global remote IT contracting and cryptocurrency ecosystems to evade U.S. sanctions and bankroll its weapons programs, Sue J. Bai, head of the DOJs national security division, said in a statement. Identifying a North Korean IT worker The alleged conspiracy comes amid other incidents of North Korean IT workers attempting to infiltrate companies in the U.S. and abroad. The United Nations estimates that the scheme has generated between $250 million to $600 million annually since 2018. Most recently, Kraken, a U.S.-based crypto exchange, caught a North Korean agent applying for a job as a software engineer. The companys security team was able to identify the applicant as a North Korean agent early in the hiring process because his email showed up on a list of those suspected to be a part of a hacker group. However, instead of tossing the application, Krakens chief security officer Nick Percoco decided to interview the agent to learn more about North Koreas infiltration tactics. Percoco found that, while AI may make it easy to fake technical skills, it is hard to feign a sufficient level of cultural understanding. For instance, Percoco said that while the applicant had claimed to have gone to New York University and was living in Houston, he fumbled when asked about his favorite restaurant and knew nothing about the American tradition of trick-or-treating on Halloween. We said this is going to be a get-to-know-you, sort of, cultural interview, Percoco previously told Fortune. Thats where he really failed. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Kia Motors American buyers may be getting their hands on an electric Kia truck in the not-too-distant future, but the U.S. market is still waiting for Kia's first product with a pickup bed. Australia, on the other hand, received a fresh new Ford Ranger-fighting mid-sized truck called the Tasman late last year. And excitingly, a new quote from a Kia employee suggests that Australia's off-road Kia options are not ending there. According to Australia's CarSales, a Kia engineer told assembled media at a recent event that an SUV based on the Tasman's underpinnings could be "three years down the track." That would mean a mid-sized Kia SUV in the vein of Toyota's U.S.-market 4Runner and global market Land Cruiser / Land Cruiser Prado could arrive in Australia by 2028. A marketing executive later clarified that the brand was focused on "[getting] Tasman right" first, meaning that the timeline may not be set in stone, but the project seems to be more than just an idea especially since, according to CarSales, that same marketing exec quickly jumped in to redirect the conversation after the engineer's remark. Kia Motors Regrettably, Kia's CEO confirmed in April that the brand is not necessarily planning on bringing the Tasman truck Stateside any time soon, which suggests that American buyers may also miss out on the capable mid-sized SUV based on its underpinnings. There's precedent: a similar mid-sized SUV based on the Ford Ranger, the Ford Everest, is already offered in Australia but unavailable in the United States. Kia could eventually decide that the SUV is a good fit for the American market but until then, odds seem more likely that this product will be destined to join the Everest and Tasman in the legion of interesting cars not sold to Americans. You Might Also Like The numbers are staggering: 160,000 Allied troops. Five thousand ships and 13,000 aircraft. All to take a heavily fortified 50-mile stretch of French shoreline, a herculean effort to reclaim a critical part of Europe from the Nazis and turn the tide of the most horrific war the world had ever seen. On June 6, 1944 D-Day World War II's invasion of Normandy, codenamed Operation Overlord, got underway. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, told the men as they mobilized for battle: "The eyes of the world are upon you. ... The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you." Tolley Fletcher, at the time a 19-year-old Navy gunner's mate, remembered the rough seas and the treacherous landing troops at Utah Beach had to make in 3- to 4-foot waves, each carrying about 60 pounds of gear on their backs and descending on rope ladders from larger ships onto smaller landing crafts. "I felt for those soldiers," Fletcher, now 100 years old, told USA TODAY. "In my mind, that was the worst part, other than people getting hurt." Fletcher, who joined the Navy at 17 in late December 1941, said he and his shipmates were fortunate to be mostly out of the line of fire. "There was some shelling, not really a lot, and luckily we didn't get hit. "Maybe halfway in, we started seeing lots of bodies in the water," said Fletcher, who now lives in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, area. "I was asked (later) what we did about it. We didn't do anything about it we had a job: to escort those troops to the beach." On D-Day, "that's what these guys faced," said Peter Donovan Crean Sr., vice president for education and access at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. "They knew they were in the presence of history. Soldiers, sailors, Marines they knew what they were doing was going to go down in history, which also meant they knew the danger involved. "Guys who were 18, 19, 20 years old were faced with the possibility of their death, but they did it anyway." As we mark the 81st anniversary of D-Day, here is a look at what happened on the beaches of Normandy, the men who fought knowing they might not survive to see victory and the way it affected the Allies' fight to defeat fascism, genocide and tyranny. What happened on D-Day? In order to defeat the Nazis in Europe, the Allies knew they'd have to take France, under German occupation since 1940. Operation Overlord saw a mobilization of 2,876,000 Allied troops in Southern England, as well as hundreds of ships and airplanes, in preparation for a ground invasion, the largest the world had seen. Tolley Fletcher was a 19-year-old U.S. Navy gunner's mate when Allied Forces undertook the D-Day mission to invade France, a decisive battle in the European theater during World War II. Weighing conditions including the weather, disagreements among other military leaders and strategic uncertainty, Eisenhower gave the go-ahead for the operation to begin before dawn on June 5, 1944. If things didn't go well for the Allies, Eisenhower wrote a note accepting responsibility. The following day, nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed along the 50-mile stretch of French shoreline. More than 9,000 Allied troops were killed or wounded, and 100,000 troops would continue the slow, bloody journey to Berlin, the center of German power. A handout photo made available by the US Army shows US soldiers of the 16th Infantry Regiment, wounded while storming Omaha Beach, waiting by the chalk cliffs for evacuation to a field hospital for treatment on D-Day at Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. Why was it called D-Day? According to the U.S. Army, D-Day was "simply an alliteration, as in H-Hour." Some believe the first "D" also stands for "day," a code designation, while the French say the "D" stands for "disembarkation." The Army's website says that "the more poetic insist D-Day is short for 'day of decision.'" Asked in 1964, Eisenhower instructed his assistant Brig. Gen. Robert Schultz, to answer. Schultz wrote that "any amphibious operation has a 'departed date'; therefore the shortened term 'D-Day' is used. US troops of the 4th Infantry Division "Famous Fourth" land on Utah Beach as Allied forces storm the Normandy beaches on D-Day What happened after D-Day? D-Day was not the only decisive battle of the European theater, Crean said. "It was a crucial battle but there were more ahead," he said. "They had 700 miles of tough road ahead to get to Berlin." The Battle of the Bulge, waged over 41 days in December 1944 and January 1945, required 700,000 Allied troops. "It was a tough slog for another 11 months," Crean said. Victory in Europe V-E Day would come on May 8, 1945, nearly a year after D-Day. The war wouldn't end until the Japanese surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945. How many World War II veterans remain in the U.S.? There are about 66,000 surviving World War II veterans in the United States, Crean said, and while that may sound like a lot, it's a tiny fraction of the 16.4 million who served their country in the conflict. "So to be able to talk to and thank one veteran now is a gift for any of us," Crean said. Tolley Fletcher, now 100 years old and living in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area, remembers his experiences as a U.S. Navy gunner's mate during the D-Day landing in Normandy, France. The National World War II Museum's mission "is more critical than ever ... so more people will understand what they did and continue to be inspired by their sacrifices," added Crean, a retired colonel with 30 years' service in the Army. The museum has had oral historians travel the country to record more than 12,000 personal stories from World War II veterans. They've conducted extensive interviews with veterans, Holocaust survivors and homefront workers and, using artificial intelligence, created a way for visitors to have "conversations" with them and ask questions to learn about the war effort. And they offer virtual programming, teacher training and a student leadership award. Fletcher, the Navy gunner's mate, said he's uncomfortable with the idea of being considered a hero. Asked about his role in history, he said, "I really didn't think about it then, and I don't think about it now, though it's been impressed upon me quite a bit. "When I think about what I went through, and what all the Army and the other men who were mixed up in really tough situations, it makes me feel a little bit guilty." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Remembering D-Day: Veteran, 100, offers first-hand account of D-Day NEED TO KNOW Robert Eaton of Louisville, Ky., was reported missing in February 2022 and last seen at a casino in Indiana Four months later, human remains were recovered in the Mississippi River at Portageville, Mo. but it took years for authorities to be able to identify them Finally, this June, authorities confirmed that the remains belonged to Eaton The mystery behind human remains that were found in the Mississippi River three years ago has finally been solved. In a Tuesday, June 3, news statement, the New Madrid County Sheriff's Office in Missouri said that the remains belonged to Robert J. Eaton, 26, who was reported missing from Elizabeth, Ind., in February 2022. Eaton, who is from Louisville, Ky., was last seen at the Caesars Southern Indiana, Fox affiliate WDRB and NBC affiliate WAVE. In its latest statement, the sheriffs office said that on June 2, 2022, authorities received a phone call about a body that was spotted in the Mississippi River in Portageville, Mo. The remains were later recovered and taken to the medical examiner for an autopsy. The remains were those of a white male between the ages of 18 and 29, approximately 510 in height, and were estimated to have been in the river for a minimum of two to three months, the sheriffs office said. No signs of trauma were noted. The case was entered into NamUs as UP 96458. A traditional DNA profile was developed for comparison to missing persons, but no matches were returned. Despite continued efforts, for the next two years officials were unable to determine the John Doe's identity. That all changed last summer, when sheriffs investigators contacted Dr. Jenifer Bengtson, a professor of anthropology at Southeast Missouri State University, to consult on the case. Bengston and her students traveled to Portageville to meet with investigators and the coroner as well as to analyze the remains and pick samples for additional testing. New Madrid County Sheriff's Office Robert Eaton They completed an updated dental inventory and analysis and entered those data into NamUs, the sheriffs office said of Bengston and her team's work. They also used literature-based and bone chemistry research to prioritize samples for advanced DNA testing. These samples were sent to Othram [a company that specializes in forensic work], where their scientists were able to build a comprehensive SNP [single-nucleotide polymorphism] profile." While Dr. Bengtson and her students continued to fine tune the decedents biological profile, Othrams in-house forensic genetic genealogy team worked to develop new leads in the case, which were returned to investigators, the sheriffs office added. Investigators later discovered that a possible relatives mentioned in the genealogy report had made social media posts about a missing loved one who matched the demographic profile of their John Doe. Authorities interviewed the potential relatives in April of this year and collected samples for analysis, The results from the testing confirmed the identity. Sheriff Joey Higgerson said in the statement that authorities on May 30 met with Eatons family, who traveled to Missouri to pick up their loved ones remains and bring them back to Kentucky. We are especially grateful to Dr. Bengston and the Anthropology Department at Southeast Missouri State University; because of their tireless efforts, a family who has been searching for their son for the last two years finally has closure, Higgerson said. "They [Roberts family] assured us that they are finally at peace, and they took some comfort in the fact that this case opened the door to new techniques that will change the way we investigate these cases in New Madrid County, he added. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The investigation into the circumstances behind Eatons disappearance and death is ongoing, said authorities. According to Eatons obituary, a visitation will be held on Sunday, June 8. He loved his friends and family deeply and he will be remembered by his kind heart, sweet smile and comforting presence, the tribute read. Read the original article on People Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with the New York City Fugitive Operations Team on Jan. 28, 2025. Courtesy: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Flickr (The Center Square) Despite criticism from state and local politicians about immigrant detentions in Chicago, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say people detained Wednesday outside a Homeland Security office on the citys Near South Side had final orders of removal by a judge. An ICE spokesperson provided The Center Square with a statement Thursday. Those arrested had executable final orders of removal by an immigration judge and had not complied with that order, the spokesperson said. Gov. J.B. Pritzker was asked about the detentions Thursday at an unrelated event in West Chicago. The governor criticized the feds and President Donald Trump. Look, from the beginning of this administration there have been inappropriate and sometimes, I would argue, illegal moves on the part of ICE. Its important to me that they follow the law, the federal law, Pritzker said. The governor was asked if Chicago police officers violated state law by assisting ICE agents. "Let's be clear. Chicago police followed the law. Whenever ICE is engaged in raids like this, if there's a situation where there is a court-ordered warrant for someone's arrest, it is absolutely appropriate for police to be engaged," Pritzker said. Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke Thursday at the National Immigrant Heritage Month reception in downtown Chicago. We saw armed, masked men walk down our streets in broad daylight, and they kidnapped mothers and fathers. We saw them brutalize protesters and shove crying grandmothers into the backs of unmarked vans, Johnson said. Johnson said ICE used deceptive practices to arrest people outside a Homeland Security office. You have the president of the United States setting human traps. It is sickening and unconscionable, Johnson said. Illinois U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Chicago, reiterated her call for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noems resignation. Your actions undermine the rule of law and violate the very basic promises we made to people that if you comply with our process, you can have your day in court and your case heard in front of a judge. By arresting, detaining and subjecting to expedited removal people who are actively complying with the terms of their release, you are violating that promise and sending the message that compliance does not matter, Ramirez said in a letter to Noem and ICE acting director Todd Lyons. Supporters of Trump's and Noem's deportation efforts say it's improving public safety and note that the president is doing what voters elected him to do last year. Mike Daines/Shutterstock Theres a reason everyone walks around toting bags laden with quirky charms, why a little patina on your leather is celebrated rather than condemned. It has to do with one of the most celebrated pieces in fashion history: the original Hermes Birkin bag, named after its owner Jane Birkin, one of the most celebrated icons in fashion history. And now its up at auction. The first Birkin bag, known as the Original Birkin, will headline Sothebys Fashion Icons Sale on July 10 and will be on view at Sothebys New York June 6 through 12. (The sale fittingly coincides with Paris Haute Couture Week, July 7 through 10.) The Original Birkin was crafted forty years ago due to a chance meeting with Hermes chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas on a flight from Paris to London in 1981. After voicing her frustrations with the size of leather handbags availableshe famously carried wicker baskets insteadDumas decided to create a one for her that would go on to inspire what we now recognize as the Birkin bag. That Original certainly boasts its wear, after nearly 10 years of constant use. It even bears the marks of stickers she stuck to it in support of Medecins du Monde and Unicef. But venture further into the details and youll notice even more unique elements. The Original Birkin was just a prototype gifted to Jane and therein differs slightly in design from the commercial model, launched in 1984 and still sold by Hermes. In fact, the Sothebys specialists noted seven unique quirks not found on the bag weve come to know. Ahead, we note the design elements unique to Janes Original Birkin. The Shoulder Strap The difference most evident is an extended shoulder strap uncharacteristic of todays commercial model. Despite a limited edition style produced in the 90s with a detachable one, the Original Birkin is the only one with a non-removable shoulder strap. courtesy of Sotheby's Size The Birkin comes in both 40 cm and 35 cm varieties. Janes was unique in that it is the width and height of the Birkin 35 but the depth of a Birkin 40. Elea Lefevre Hardware Todays Birkins often have gold plated hardwarethough they also offer palladium, rose gold, and rutheniumbut the Original Birkin has gilded brass hardware. courtesy of Sotheby's Metal Rings (or Pontets) Janes Birkin had closed metal rings, or pontets, similar to those of the Haut a Courroies. When Hermes first launched the Birkin commercially, the pontets were open at the bottom until the early 90s, when they switched to open top rings. Courtesy of Sotheby's. Bottom Studs The studs, or feet, on the bottom of the OG Birkin are smaller than the ones eventually used by Hermes in production. courtesy of Sotheby's Inner Zip When Hermes produced the prototype, they still purchased zippers from the eclair company. In the 1990s, Hermes began, and continues, to work with the riri company. courtesy of Sotheby's Stamped J.B. The Original Birkin is stamped with Janes initials, J.B. on the front flap of the bag. courtesy of Sotheby's And One More Personalized Difference Jane, beloved for her casual style, kept her nails trim. So, she had a nail clipper hanging from a chain at the base of the shoulder strap inside of her bag. courtesy of Sotheby's You Might Also Like Michael Kovac/Getty Jennifer Garner at the Daily Front Row Los Angeles Fashion Awards on April 28, 2024 NEED TO KNOW Jennifer Garner is weighing in on the conversation around injectables and plastic surgery In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, the actress said Botox doesn't "work very well" for her and that she doesn't use "a ton" of injectables "I havent spent a lot of time stressing about my physical appearance," she said Jennifer Garner is keeping it real. In an interview with Harper's Bazaar published on Friday, June 6, the Neutrogena ambassador, 53, weighed in on the injectables-plastic surgery conversation going around Hollywood. In doing so, she revealed what work she has had done. "As far as injectables go..." the 13 Going on 30 star said she doesn't do "a ton." And while she's gotten Botox done in the past, she said the treatment never quite worked out for her. "That's why I wear bangs a lot," she said. "I like to be able to move my forehead, and its such a big part of my face. I have, like, a five-head." Rodin Eckenroth / WireImage Jennifer Garner at the 2024 Baby2Baby Gala Addressing what seemed to be the topic of undergoing plastic surgery, Garner said: "I havent needed it yet, but I cant say that I havent said to doctors before, 'Do I need to do this?' And Ive had really nice doctors who have just been like, 'No.' So, God only knows 10 years from now what the conversation will be. Im not there yet." However, her views on cosmetic enhancements are reserved for her and her only. "I dont judge whatever makes anyone look or feel their best." She also encouraged others to "find somebody fantastic and proceed with caution." Elsewhere in the interview, the mom of three was asked if there's a part of her appearance that she's gotten to love more over the years. Her response: "Part of the gift of being my mothers daughter is that I havent spent a lot of time stressing about my physical appearance." "I dont spend a lot of time in the mirror," she continued. "Sometimes I could spend more time in the mirror; Im sure Ive had things in my teeth or a bump in my hair. So there are pluses and minuses to it." The PEOPLE App is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! "But the flip side of that is that Im not really that stressed about aging or things changing. I have my moments, of course, where Ill look in the monitor at work and be like, 'Who is that? Ah, thats me!' But I think less is more, as far as focusing on yourself too much in that way." She added, "I want to age. I want to live to be 100. I dont expect to look at 100 like I look today. I want to wear every single bit of those 100 years and feel great about them." In a 2022 interview with Elle, the award-winning actress commented on cosmetic injections, saying, "Be very, very incredibly judicious and wait as absolutely long as possible to add anything. Dont think that youre 37 and you need to be shooting up your face." Kevin Mazur/Getty Jennifer Garner at the 2024 ESPY Awards Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. Garner has always been open about getting older and in a 2024 PEOPLE interview she said she's "grateful just to be alive." "And I'm grateful for the wisdom that I've gleaned out of these years and really grateful to be able to watch other women go through this process of life so gracefully," Garner shared, encouraging young women to not be "scared" of aging because it's "a gift." Read the original article on People Mistakenly deported Salvadoran native Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been brought back to the United States where he will face criminal charges for allegedly transporting undocumented migrants within the U.S. More than two months after the Trump administration admitted it mistakenly deported Abrego Garcia from Maryland to his native El Salvador, a federal grand jury has indicted him for allegedly transporting undocumented migrants within the United States. A two-count indictment, which was filed under seal in federal court in Tennessee last month and unsealed Friday, alleges Abrego Garcia, 29, participated in a yearslong conspiracy to haul undocumented migrants from Texas to the interior of the country. MORE: Justice Department investigating 2022 Abrego Garcia traffic stop: Sources He was scheduled to have his initial court appearance Friday in the Middle District of Tennessee. Abrego Garcia's return follows a series of court battles in which the Trump administration repeatedly said it was unable to bring him back, drawing the country toward the brink of a constitutional crisis when the administration failed to heed the Supreme Court's order to facilitate his return. Abrego Garcia's attorney, in an online press briefing, called the charges against his client "an abuse of power." "They'll stop at nothing at all -- even some of the most preposterous charges imaginable just to avoid admitting that they made a mistake, which is what everyone knows happened in this case," said attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg. ABC News - PHOTO: Kilmar Abrego Garcia is placed in the back seat of a truck by ICE agents after arriving in Nashville, Tenn., June 6, 2025. "Mr. Garcia is going to be vigorously defending the charges against him," the attorney said. The decision to pursue the indictment against Abrego Garcia led to the abrupt departure of Ben Schrader, a high-ranking federal prosecutor in Tennessee, sources briefed on Schrader's decision told ABC News. Schrader's resignation was prompted by concerns that the case was being pursued for political reasons, the sources said. Schrader, who spent 15 years in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Nashville and was most recently the chief of the criminal division, declined to comment when contacted by ABC News. The alleged conspiracy spanned nearly a decade and involved the domestic transport of thousands of noncitizens from Mexico and Central America, including some children, in exchange for thousands of dollars, according to the indictment. Abrego-Garcia is alleged to have participated in more than 100 such trips, according to the indictment. Among those allegedly transported were members of the Salvadoran gang MS-13, sources familiar with the investigation said. Abrego-Garcia is the only member of the alleged conspiracy charged in the indictment. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP - PHOTO: Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks as Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche listens during a news conference about Kilmar Abrego Garcia at the Justice Department, June 6, 2025, in Washington. Attorney General Pam Bondi, at a Friday afternoon press conference, thanked Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele for "agreeing to return Abrego Garcia to the United States." "Our government presented El Salvador with an arrest warrant and they agreed to return him to our country," Bondi said. Bondi said that if Abrego Garcia is convicted of the charges, upon the completion of his sentence he will be deported back to his home country of El Salvador. "The grand jury found that over the past nine years, Abrego Garcia has played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring," Bondi said. "They found this was his full time job, not a contractor. He was a smuggler of humans and children and women. He made over 100 trips, the grand jury found, smuggling people throughout our country." In a statement to ABC News, Abrego Garcia's attorney said that he's going to keep fighting to ensure Abrego Garcia receives a fair trial. MORE: Timeline: Wrongful deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador "From the beginning, this case has made one thing painfully clear: The government had the power to bring him back at any time. Instead, they chose to play games with the court and with a man's life," Sandoval-Moshenberg said. "We're not just fighting for Kilmar -- we're fighting to ensure due process rights are protected for everyone. Because tomorrow, this could be any one of us -- if we let power go unchecked, if we ignore our Constitution." In a detention memo filed Friday afternoon in court in Tennessee, federal prosecutors moved to have Abrego Garcia held in pretrial custody "because he poses a danger to the community and a serious risk of flight, and no condition or combination of conditions would ensure the safety of the community or his appearance in court." "If convicted at trial, the defendant faces a maximum punishment of 10 years' imprisonment for 'each alien' he transported," the memo said. "Accordingly, the sentencing exposure for the defendant -- given the number of undocumented aliens involved -- goes well beyond the remainder of the defendant's life." Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran native who had been living with his wife and children in Maryland, was deported in March to El Salvador's CECOT mega-prison -- despite a 2019 court order barring his deportation to that country due to fear of persecution -- after the Trump administration claimed he was a member of the criminal gang MS-13. His wife and attorneys deny that he is an MS-13 member. The Justice Department's move to criminally prosecute Abrego Garcia represents the most aggressive step yet in the administration's efforts to gather potentially incriminating information about Abrego Garcia's background, following a federal judge's order requiring the government to facilitate his return to the U.S. to be afforded due process in deportation proceedings. The Trump administration has acknowledged in court filings that Abrego Garcia's removal to El Salvador in March was in error, because it violated a U.S. immigration court order in 2019 that shielded Abrego Garcia from deportation to his native country, according to immigration court records. An immigration judge had determined that Abrego Garcia would likely face persecution there by local gangs that had allegedly terrorized him and his family. The administration argued, however, that Abrego Garcia should not be returned to the U.S. because he is a member of the transnational Salvadoran gang MS-13, a claim his family and attorneys have denied. In recent weeks, Trump administration officials have been publicizing Abrego Garcia's interactions with police over the years, despite a lack of corresponding criminal charges. In March, Abrego Garcia's family filed a lawsuit over his deportation. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland ultimately ordered the Trump administration to facilitate his return to the U.S. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that ruling on April 10. Abrego Garcia was initially sent to El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison but was believed to have later been transferred to a different facility in the country. The criminal investigation that led to the charges was launched in April as federal authorities began scrutinizing the circumstances of a 2022 traffic stop of Abrego Garcia by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, according to the sources. Abrego Garcia was pulled over for speeding in a vehicle with eight passengers and told police they had been working construction in Missouri. According to body camera footage of the 2022 traffic stop, the Tennessee troopers -- after questioning Abrego Garcia -- discussed among themselves their suspicions that Abrego Garcia might be transporting people for money because nine people were traveling without luggage, but Abrego Garcia was not ticketed or charged. Murray Osorio PLLC via AP - PHOTO: Undated photo provided by Murray Osorio PLLC shows Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The officers ultimately allowed Abrego Garcia to drive on with just a warning about an expired driver's license, according to a report about the stop released last month by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Asked what circumstances have changed since Abrego Garcia was not taken in custody during that traffic stop in Tennessee, Bondi replied, "What has changed is Donald Trump is now president of the United States, and our borders are again secure, and thanks to the bright light that has been shined on Abrego Garcia -- this investigation continued with actually amazing police work, and we were able to track this case and stop this international smuggling ring from continuing." Asked by ABC News' Pierre Thomas asked whether this should be seen as resolving the separate civil case in Maryland in which a federal judge ordered the government to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said, "There's a big difference between what the state of play was before the indictment and after the indictment. And so the reason why he is back and was returned was because an arrest warrant which was presented to the government and in El Salvador. So there's, there's a big difference there as far as whether it makes the ongoing litigation in Maryland moot. I would think so, but we don't know about this. He just landed today." As ABC News first reported last month, the Justice Department had been quietly investigating the Tenessee traffic stop. As part of the probe, federal agents in late April visited a federal prison in Talladega, Alabama to question Jose Ramon Hernandez-Reyes, a convicted felon who was the registered owner of the vehicle Abrego Garcia was driving when stopped on Interstate 40 east of Nashville, sources previously told ABC News. Hernandez-Reyes was not present at the traffic stop. Hernandez-Reyes, 38, is currently serving a 30-month sentence for illegally re-entering the U.S. after a prior felony conviction for illegal transportation of aliens. After being granted limited immunity, Hernandez-Reyes allegedly told investigators that he previously operated a "taxi service" based in Baltimore. He claimed to have met Abrego Garcia around 2015 and claimed to have hired him on multiple occasions to transport undocumented migrants from Texas to various locations in the United States, sources told ABC News. MORE: Newly released video shows Abrego Garcia's 2022 Tennessee traffic stop When details of the Tennessee traffic stop were first publicized, Abrego Garcia's wife said her husband sometimes transported groups of fellow construction workers between job sites. "Unfortunately, Kilmar is currently imprisoned without contact with the outside world, which means he cannot respond to the claims," Jennifer Vasquez Sura said in mid-April. Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who flew to El Salvador and met with Abrego Garcia shortly after his deportation, said Friday that the Trump administration had "relented" regarding his return. "After months of ignoring our Constitution, it seems the Trump Admin has relented to our demands for compliance with court orders and due process for Kilmar Abrego Garcia," Van Hollen posted on X. "This has never been about the man -- it's about his constitutional rights & the rights of all." Abrego Garcia entered the U.S. illegally as a teenager in 2012, according to court records. He had been living in Maryland for the past 13 years, and married Vasquez Sura, a U.S. citizen, in 2019. The couple has one child together. ABC News' Laura Romero contributed to this report. Simply Recipes / Getty Images / Laura Bair Back when I was a new yet enthusiastic server at a Mexican-inspired restaurant called South of the Border, I spread my fresh-outta-art school wings by decorating the white dessert plates with a little flair. Turning "a drizzle of chocolate" into a no-one-asked-for-this cocoa bean fever dream, I quickly discovered that the customers appreciated my talents much more than my manager. (Why did corporate guidance leave all this extra space if we weren't supposed to fill it with free whipped cream and personalized chocolate sauce doodles?) If only back-in-the-day Lauren could see me now, because I found a coconut pie that is basically like, "Make me into Mounds candy. It's coolyou're the boss." Simply Recipes / Laura Bair Laura Bush's Buttermilk Coconut Pie Satisfying my coconut fantasies (in a store-bought shell!), Laura Bush's Buttermilk Coconut Pie leans on shredded sweetened coconut, butter, whipped cream, and buttermilk for every sweet, velvety bite. According to several first-hand accounts, the former First Lady was extraordinarily kind and hospitable to White House staff, and I like to think that she may have served this for a lunch or two, even though she didn't cook while she was there. (She's joked that she hadn't touched a pan for 14 years once she stepped away from public life in 2009.) Maybe Laura wasn't the one working the oven, but this pie certainly mirrors the First Lady's intentions of making America's most famous house feel like home to everyone. I also want mi casa to feel like su casa. And this easy-to-make buttermilk-and-coconut filling, heaped with whipped cream, tastes like a creamy, coconut cloud in a toasty, buttery crust. (If you're like me, you'll have to try not to sneak a taste of that barely set middlethe best part, in my opinion.) This Buttermilk Coconut Pie just became my new love language. Honestly, this dessert is so good, I'm convinced it could transform perfect strangers into instant BFFs. Simply Recipes / Laura Bair Tips for Making Laura Bush's Buttermilk Coconut Pie Toast for the most: Sweetened shredded coconut is much more toastable than I realized. Just use a dry pan over low heat, stir it for a few minutes until it's golden and crunchy, then let it cool. I taste-tested my first batch until it disappeared, so, you know, plan for that. Cool it: Let the pie cool completely before you add the whipped cream. Even those perky stabilizers in Cool Whip will turn to liquid with a little heat. I let my pie rest for two hours on a rack until the middle doesn't jiggle. Upgrade with chocolate: As a throwback to my restaurant days, I drizzled a slice with a little Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Syrup to test out my Mounds flavor theory. (Result: chef's kiss.) If this journey aligns with your sweet tooth, I welcome you to the best-ever candy bar pie life. Get Recipe with Title: Laura Bush's Buttermilk Coconut Pie Read the original article on SIMPLYRECIPES Commercial airlines are preemptively canceling flights at Reagan National Airport ahead of a military parade scheduled for June 14 in Washington, D.C. The flight cancellations come as the airport warns that the Army's 250th Anniversary Celebration could disrupt passengers' travel plans. JetBlue on Wednesday said it was taking steps to "help avoid operational delays" by canceling one scheduled roundtrip flight from Reagan National. The airline added that the parade led it to adjust the timing of additional flights on Saturday. "Affected customers were notified directly and provided with options in line with our schedule change policy," the airline said in a statement to CBS News. Alaska Airlines said that it canceled one planned flight scheduled to fly on June 14 from DCA to San Francisco International Airport and that it will three other flights by approximately one hour. Delta Air Lines said it canceled four arrivals at Reagan National and four departures on June 14, or about 10% of its schedule at the airport. It has notified customers of the changes and allowed them to either rebook their flights, or opt for a full refund. FAA restricting flights The Federal Aviation Administration said this week it will implement a "traffic management program" to accommodate flight changes on June 14. During "peak" military parade activity, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., all airline operations will be on hold, the FAA said in a statement to CBS News. "In partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, the FAA will issue Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) for the Washington, D.C., area to ensure safety and security during the celebration," the FAA said Thursday in a statement to CBS News. Airline operations will be suspended in order to accommodate military aircraft that will fly over the parade route and to allow for a fireworks show, Reagan National said in a statement on its website. Last week, the airport began urging travelers who had been scheduled to fly the evening of June 14 to check their flight's status directly with the airline. "To support our customers, we've adjusted our schedule during this timeframe, temporarily added larger aircraft at DCA to accommodate more customers at alternative times and offered flexibility to travel through Washington Dulles (IAD) and Baltimore Washington (BWI) at no extra cost," American Airlines told CBS News in a statement. The military parade to mark the Army's anniversary will cost between $25 million and $45 million, including events leading up to the June 14 parade, an Army spokesperson told CBS News. The event, which will be held on President Trump's birthday, will feature over 100 vehicles, 50 helicopters and thousands of soldiers who will be housed in federal buildings, the spokesperson said. Video shows Air India plane crashing in Ahmedabad Air India plane crashes shortly after takeoff, carrying more than 240 people An accused woman skips her pedicure, kills her ex-husband By Renju Jose and Peter Hobson SYDNEY/CANBERRA (Reuters) -Australia will not relax its strict biosecurity rules during tariff talks with the United States, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday ahead of a possible meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at this month's G7 summit. Since 2003, Australia has curbed entry of U.S. beef after detecting bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease. But the United States is its largest beef export market, worth A$4.4 billion ($2.9 billion) last year - a trade disparity Trump has criticised. "We will not change or compromise any of the issues regarding biosecurity, full stop, exclamation mark. It's simply not worth it," Albanese told broadcaster ABC Radio. Biosecurity rules safeguard Australia's disease-free cattle, helping it preserve access to lucrative markets such as Japan and South Korea. Australian beef is prized by U.S. fast food chains for its lower fat content and competitive prices. Australia allows entry for U.S. beef if the cattle were born, raised and slaughtered in the United States, but few shippers can prove these requirements, as cattle frequently move between the United States, Canada and Mexico. A report in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper on Friday, citing unidentified government officials, said Australian authorities were reviewing whether to allow entry of beef products from cattle raised in Mexico and Canada but slaughtered in the United States, as the Trump administration has demanded. Albanese said no such concessions were being considered as those imports still posed risks for domestic industry. The National Farmers' Federation welcomed Albanese's remarks. "Australia's biosecurity status is integral to the success and sustainability of our agricultural industries," said its president, David Jochinke. TRACKING IMPROVES However, the U.S. is fast improving its ability to track animals to combat the spread of avian influenza and the New World screwworm, a parasite that eats cattle alive, said Simon Quilty, a meat and livestock analyst at Global AgriTrends. "America needs to make Australia comfortable with its traceability mechanisms, but I think we're much closer to achieving that than it looks," he said. "The biosecurity risk is going to be minimal." U.S. producers are anyway unlikely to ship significant quantities of beef to Australia because cattle and livestock prices are much higher in the United States, Quilty said. Years of dry weather have shrunk U.S. cattle numbers to their lowest since the 1950s, pushing up domestic prices, but Australia is flush with supply, its herd swelled by wet weather, and offers cheaper lean cuts the United States lacks. Australia's total beef exports were worth A$14 billion ($9 billion) last year, trade data show. Australia is one of the few countries with which the United States normally runs a trade surplus, a point often argued by Australian officials and lawmakers against Trump's tariffs. Albanese said he was looking forward to a "face-to-face" meeting with Trump but did not say when. "We've had three conversations that have been constructive, they've been polite and they've been respectful. That's the way I deal with people," he added. ($1=A$1.5368) (Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Stephen Coates and Clarence Fernandez) More than two months after Donald Trumps administration was ordered to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the wrongfully deported Salvadoran man has returned to the United States to face criminal charges in Tennessee. The government has spent weeks battling court orders for his return after admitting he was deported in error. The 29-year-old Maryland father is now facing a federal grand jury indictment accusing him of illegally transporting undocumented immigrants across the country. A two-count indictment filed in Tennessee last month and unsealed Friday accuses Abrego Garcia of participating in a years-long conspiracy to traffic undocumented immigrants from Texas. He faces one count of conspiracy to transport aliens and one count of unlawful transportation of undocumented aliens. Federal prosecutors claim he is a member of transnational gang MS-13 and personally participated in violent crime, including murder. Prosecutors also claim he abused women and trafficked children, firearms and narcotics. There is also an ongoing investigation into solicitation of child pornography, though no charges have been filed, prosecutors said. A decision to pursue a case against Abrego Garcia led to the abrupt departure of top prosecutor Ben Schrader, who feared the charges were politically motivated, according to ABC, which first reported the indictment. Kilmar Abrego Garcia has returned to the United States to face criminal trafficking charges after he was wrongfully deported to El Salvador nearly three months ago (via REUTERS) The government disappeared Kilmar to a foreign prison in violation of a court order. Now, after months of delay and secrecy, theyre bringing him back, not to correct their error but to prosecute him, his attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said in a statement to The Independent. This shows that they were playing games with the court all along, he added. Due process means the chance to defend yourself before youre punished, not after. The case stems from a traffic stop in Tennessee in 2022, when police found Abrego Garcia driving several other men who lacked identification, according to the indictment. He was not charged at the time. Allegations from six unnamed co-conspirators claim Abrego Garcia helped move migrants throughout the country in exchange for money that was moved between them in an alleged effort to hide their origins. Abrego Garcia and his alleged co-conspirators knowingly and unlawfully transported thousands of people, some of whom were members of MS-13, according to the indictment. Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to hold him in pretrial detention because he poses a danger to the community and a serious risk of flight. Testimony at trial will establish that the defendant transported approximately 50 undocumented aliens throughout the United States per month for several years, according to prosecutors. The evidence will also establish the defendants longstanding membership and association with MS-13 and how he used his association with the gang to further the alien smuggling conspiracy. In a press conference on Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi called his indictment and arrest American justice. If convicted, he will be deported back to El Salvador, she said. Abrego Garcias family and attorneys have urged the Trump administration to return the Salvadoran immigrant, whose indictment reflects an abuse of power, according to his legal team. (REUTERS) Abrego Garcia fled El Salvador as a teenager in 2011 and was working as a sheet-metal apprentice in Maryland, where he has been living with his wife and 5-year-old child, both U.S. citizens. The couple is also raising two other children from a previous relationship. After a traffic stop in March, he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and then deported to El Salvadors brutal Terrorism Confinement Center despite an immigration court judges 2019 order withholding his removal from the country for humanitarian reasons. Abrego Garcia was later moved to another prison for non-gang members. He was imprisoned in the country for nearly three months. Trumps allies and administration officials have repeatedly sought to justify his detention over allegations of criminal activity and MS-13 gang membership, which were raised only after he was summarily deported. Democrats and legal analysts have argued the administration could simply return Abrego Garcia and then use that alleged evidence against him in normal immigration court removal hearings. Instead, Justice Department lawyers and Trump administration officials clashed with federal judges and raised a state secrets privilege to avoid answering a judges questions about the governments relationship with El Salvador and conversations about his detention there. This is an abuse of power, not justice, Sandoval-Moshenberg toldThe Independent. The government should put him on trial, yes but in front of the same immigration judge who heard his case in 2019, which is the ordinary manner of doing things, to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador, as the Supreme Court ordered, he said. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, who traveled to El Salvador to meet with Abrego Garcia, said the administration appeared to have finally relented to our demands for compliance with court orders and with the due process rights afforded to everyone in the United States. As I have repeatedly said, this is not about the man, its about his constitutional rights and the rights of all, he said Friday. The administration will now have to make its case in the court of law, as it should have all along. Attorney General Pam Bondi called an indictment and allegations against Kilmar Abrego Garcia American justice after the Trump administration repeatedly defied court orders for his return to the United States (AP) Following a legal challenge over his arrest and deportation in mid-March, government attorneys conceded in court documents that Abrego Garcia was removed due to administrative error but insisted it was impossible to bring him back. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also said he was removed due to a clerical error. But the president and other administration officials have repeatedly defended his detention. In April, Maryland District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the administration to facilitate Abrego Garcias return from El Salvador, calling the removal wholly lawless and a grievous error that shocks the conscience. As defendants acknowledge, they had no legal authority to arrest him, no justification to detain him, and no grounds to send him to El Salvador let alone deliver him into one of the most dangerous prisons in the Western Hemisphere, Judge Xinis wrote at the time. The Supreme Court also unanimously agreed that his removal was illegal and affirmed the lower court judges order to facilitate his return. Officials continued to reject those orders and insisted Abrego Garcia would never return to the United States, escalating the Trump administrations ongoing battle with a judiciary the president accuses of conspiring against him. There is no scenario where Abrego Garcia will be in the United States again, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testified to a Senate panel last month. U.S. President Donald Trump listens as coal miner Jeff Crowe speaks during an executive order signing ceremony in the East Room of the White House on April 08, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images) (Photo by Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images) The Department of the Interior (DOI) approved a plan Friday that will allow for massive amounts of coal to be extracted from a mine in Montana, the agency announced. The DOIs action allows Signal Peak Energy, LLC to extract nearly 60 million tons of coal from the Bull Mountains Mine to expand domestic energy production in line with President Donald Trumps declaration of a national energy emergency. Additionally, the mining plan is expected to extend the life of the mine by nine years, generate $1 billion in profit and pave the way to provide the fuel to key allies, including Japan and South Korea, according to the DOI. This is what energy leadership looks like, said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. By unlocking access to coal in America, we are not only fueling jobs here at home, but we are also standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our allies abroad. President Trumps leadership in declaring a national energy emergency is allowing us to act decisively, cut bureaucratic delays and secure Americas future through energy independence and strategic exports. (RELATED: Court Holds Up Plans For The USs Largest Underground Coal Mine) The plan allows for Signal Peak Energy, LLC to mine 22.8 million tons of coal for federal purposes and 34.5 million tons of adjacent non-federal coal. Around 250 workers are employed at the mine, and the project is expected to benefit the national and local economies, according to the DOI. Former President Joe Biden moved to block new federal coal mining leases in a coal-rich region of Montana and Wyoming in May 2024, an action that Republican Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte condemned as a move meant to appease the demands of far-left activists. Todays approval of Signal Peaks latest permit for the Bull Mountain Mine is a long-awaited victory for Montana coal miners, Gianforte said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. In the last four years under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, we witnessed an all-out war on American energy as they drug their feet and jeopardized our job-creating coal mines across the country. Without todays action, our energy security and the jobs of over 250 hardworking miners were at risk. Trump signed an executive order on April 8 to revive the coal industry, and the administration moved to exempt dozens of coal-fired power plants from Biden-era regulations shortly thereafter. This decision reflects our commitment to balancing economic prosperity, national security, and environmental responsibility, said Acting Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Adam Suess. The Bull Mountains project is proof that we can meet urgent energy needs, work with local communities and uphold strong environmental standards. The DOI, the Japan and South Korean embassies and Signal Peak Energy, LLC did not respond to the DCNFs requests for comment. All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporters byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org. Illustration: Eddie Marshall | CBS News | ChatGPT | Charles Osgood | TNS | Newscom Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appeared before the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday, fielding questions about the current presidential administration's trade strategy. Rep. Madeleine Dean (DPenn.) pressed Lutnick about President Donald Trump's "chaotic tariff policy." She held up a banana, imports of which are currently taxed at 10 percent. "Walmart has already increased the cost of bananas by 8 percent," she noted. "There is no uncertainty that if you build in America, and you produce your product in America, there will be no tariff," Lutnick said. "The concept of building in America and paying no tariffs is very, very clear." "We cannot build bananas in America," Dean retorted. Dean is not quite right: We can grow bananas in the U.S., just not very well or very cheaply. In 2023, the U.S. imported over 5 million metric tonnes of bananas, totaling over $2 billion, while only producing about 3,500 metric tonnes. The reason is that bananas only grow in tropical and subtropical climates: While Hawaii and Florida produce some, the majority of the world's bananas come from Southeast Asia and Latin America. While the U.S. could increase its production of bananas, we would be fools to do so: In all but a few locations, we would have to build greenhouses to simulate the tropical climates required. Even then, the trees would take longer to produce than they would in the tropics, and it could take years or even decades to reach the level of production necessary to replace the current system, in which more than one out of every five bananas imported comes to the U.S. Why go through all that trouble when bananas are currently available year-round at the grocery store and cost around 60 cents per poundless than the average price of a single egg? Lutnick seemed to acknowledge as much earlier this year, telling CNBC that 10 percent tariffs would fall more heavily on "a product that we don't make here, like a mango." In a meeting with business leaders, Lutnick "said there would be some exemptions on imports of products like mangoes that couldn't be domestically produced at the level needed to meet U.S. demand," The Wall Street Journal reported in April. "When Trump rolled out the tariff plan on Wednesday, there were no exemptions for mango imports." Unfortunately, the banana argument reflects the same level of logic Lutnick and Trump apply to the entirety of global trade: Any product an American purchases that was manufactured somewhere else inherently represents some loss of American wealth or sovereignty. Just a day before his interaction with Dean, Lutnick appeared before the Senate, where he told Sen. John Kennedy (RLa.) that even if Vietnam offered to lower its tariff rate to zero, if the U.S. did the same, "that would be the silliest thing we could do." "There are certain products we want to reshore," Lutnick explained. "We don't want other people making them." But if other countries can make the exact same products for less, why wouldn't we let them? Making those products domestically may shore up those specific industries, but consumers would bear the brunt of it through higher prices. Incidentally, Nobel Prizewinning economist Milton Friedman explained the lack of logic behind Lutnick's argument nearly five decades ago. "You could have a great employment in the city of Logan, Utah, of people growing bananas in hothouses," Friedman said in 1978 during a lecture at Utah State University. "If we had a high enough tariff on the import of bananas, it could become profitable to build hothouses and grow bananas in those hothouses. That would give employment. Would that be a sensible thing to do?" Friedman was using the banana example as the "absurd" and "extreme" end of the argument for steel tariffs, which were in the news at the time and an audience member had asked about. "If that isn't sensible," Friedman argued, "then neither is it sensible to artificially restrict the import of steel." Trump doubled the tariffs on steel this week. The post Milton Friedman Disproved Trump's Argument for Tariffs Decades Ago appeared first on Reason.com. WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 21: Secretary of State Marco Rubio prepares to testifiy before the House Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs at the Rayburn House Office Building on May 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by John McDonnell/Getty Images) (Photo by John McDonnell/Getty Images) The Trump administration issued sanctions against four International Criminal Court (ICC) judges, citing illegitimate and baseless actions targeting the U.S. and Israel. On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against four ICC judges Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin and Beti Hohler of Slovenia who authorized arrest warrants for Israeli officials, and supported investigations targeting U.S. personnel in Afghanistan. In a press release, Rubio described these actions as an abuse of power and accused the judges of being politically motivated. As ICC judges, these four individuals have actively engaged in the ICCs illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel. The ICC is politicized and falsely claims unfettered discretion to investigate, charge, and prosecute nationals of the United States and our allies, Rubio said in a statement. This dangerous assertion and abuse of power infringe upon the sovereignty and national security of the United States and our allies, including Israel. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: DOJ Warns Of Rising Deadly Antisemitism Over Anti-Israel Groups Calls For Bloodshed) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference with Hungarys Prime Minister (unseen) after bilateral talks on April 3, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP via Getty Images) Bossa and Ibanez Carranza approved the formal investigation into alleged war crimes committed by U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The other two judges Gansou and Hohler ruled to authorize the arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 after determining that both men committed war crimes while overseeing Israels war against Hamas in Gaza. The United States will take whatever actions we deem necessary to protect our sovereignty, that of Israel, and any other U.S. ally from illegitimate actions by the ICC, Rubio said. The ICC quickly fired back by saying that it deplores the Trump administrations actions. These measures are a clear attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution, the ICC said in a statement. The ICC stands fully behind its personnel, and will continue its work undeterred, in strict accordance with the Rome Statute and the principles of fairness and due process, with a view to bringing justice to victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression. The United Nations human rights chief, Volker Turk, also called for the prompt reconsideration and withdrawal of the sanctions against the ICC, arguing that they run directly counter to respect for the rule of law and the equal protection of the lawvalues for which the U.S. has long stood. Critics have noted that, as of December 2024, Turk has condemned the U.S. more than he has condemned all of China, North Korea, Cuba, Saudi Arabia and Qatar combined, and that he has never mentioned Beijings imprisonment of Uyghur Muslims. A majority of House Democrats in January voted against legislation that would sanction the ICC for its arrest warrants against Israels leadership. In contrast, former President Joe Biden called the ICCs arrest warrants outrageous following the courts decision, saying, whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence none between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security. Neither the Department of State nor the ICC responded to the Daily Caller News Foundations request for comment. All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporters byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org. MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia will respond to Ukraine's latest attacks as and when its military sees fit, the Kremlin said on Thursday, accusing Kyiv of state terrorism and confirming that President Vladimir Putin had told Donald Trump that Moscow was obliged to retaliate. Ukraine used drones to strike Russian heavy bomber planes at air bases in Siberia and the far north at the weekend, and Russia also accused it of blowing up rail bridges in the south of the country, killing seven people. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, at his daily briefing with reporters, highlighted comments made by Putin a day earlier about the railway attacks. "The president described the Kyiv regime as a terrorist regime, because it was the regime's leadership that consciously gave the order, the command, the order to blow up a passenger train. This is nothing other than terrorism at the state level. This is an important statement by the president," said Peskov. Russia has not yet provided evidence that Ukrainian leaders ordered the rail attacks, and Kyiv has not acknowledged responsibility. Ukrainian attacks inside Russia and Russian air strikes and advances on the battlefield have escalated the war that began in February 2022, damaging prospects for peace talks that the two sides resumed in Turkey last month. Peskov noted, however, that Putin had supported the view of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a meeting on Wednesday that working-level contacts with Ukraine should continue. Peskov said Putin and Trump did not discuss holding a face-to-face meeting when they spoke on Wednesday. He said there was a general understanding that such a meeting was necessary, but it had to be properly prepared. The two did not discuss the possible lifting of sanctions against Russia, Peskov said in reply to a question. (Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; writing by Mark TrevelyanEditing by Andrew Osborn) Thai police guard outside the Cambodian Embassy as the nationalist gather to protest over the Thai-Cambodian border dispute. Bangkok, Thailand, 6 June 2025 (EPA) Tensions have escalated between Thailand and Cambodia following the death of a Cambodian soldier in May during a brief exchange of gunfire in a disputed border area. The two Southeast Asian neighbours have contested sovereignty over various undemarcated points along their 817km land border for over a century. The border was initially mapped by France in 1907, when Cambodia was under French colonial rule. Thailand later contested the map, which was based on an agreement that the border would be demarcated along the natural watershed line between the two countries. In 2000, Thailand and Cambodia established a Joint Border Commission to peacefully address overlapping claims. However, little progress has been made in settling the disputes. Royal Thai Army commander-in-chief General Pana Klaewplodthuk (R) and Cambodian General Mao Sophan (L) shaking hands at the Thai-Cambodian border in Kap Choeng district, Surin province, Thailand, 29 May 2025 (EPA) Claims over ownership of historical sites have raised nationalist tension between the two countries, notably in 2003 when rioters torched the Thai embassy and Thai businesses in Phnom Penh over an alleged remark by a Thai celebrity questioning jurisdiction over Cambodia's World Heritage-listed Angkor Wat temple. What have been previous key events? An 11th century Hindu temple called Preah Vihear, or Khao Phra Viharn in Thailand, has been at the heart of the dispute for decades, with both Bangkok and Phnom Penh claiming historical ownership. The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but Thailand has continued to lay claim to the surrounding land. Tension escalated in 2008 after Cambodia attempted to list the Preah Vihear temple as a UNESCO World Heritage site, leading to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths, including during a weeklong exchange of artillery in 2011. Two years later, Cambodia sought interpretation of the 1962 verdict and the ICJ again ruled in its favour, saying the land around the temple was also part of Cambodia and ordering Thai troops to withdraw. What has caused the recent tension? Despite the historic rivalry, the current governments of Thailand and Cambodia enjoy warm ties, partly due to the close relationship between their influential former leaders, Thailand's Thaksin Shinawatra and Cambodia's Hun Sen, whose daughter and son respectively are now the respective prime ministers in their countries. Thaksin and Hun Sen also remain active in politics. But nationalist sentiment has risen in Thailand after conservatives last year questioned the government's plan to negotiate with Cambodia to jointly explore energy resources in undemarcated maritime areas, warning such a move could risk Thailand losing the island of Koh Kood in the Gulf of Thailand. Thai nationalists hold national flags as they gather outside the Cambodian Embassy to protest over the Thai-Cambodian border dispute, in Bangkok, Thailand, 6 June 2025 (EPA) Tensions also rose in February when a group of Cambodians escorted by troops sang their national anthem at another ancient Hindu temple that both countries claim, Ta Moan Thom, before being stopped by Thai soldiers. The issue is a problem for Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, whose government is facing multiple challenges on the domestic front, including a stuttering economy facing steep U.S. tariffs. Thailand's military, however, has ramped up the rhetoric with statements that have contrasted with the government's conciliatory tone, expressing readiness for a "high-level operation" if sovereignty comes under threat. Paetongtarn later echoed the military's position but said a peaceful resolution of the disputes was Thailand's priority. The mixed messaging underlines the troubled history between the billionaire Shinawatra family and the royalist military, which toppled its governments in 2006 and 2014. Is either side working to resolve the issue? After the May 28 clash, both countries quickly promised to ease tension, prevent more conflict and seek dialogue via their joint border commission at a meeting planned for June 14. The neighbours have issued diplomatically worded statements committing to peace while vowing to protect sovereignty, but their militaries have been mobilising near the border, raising concerns about another flare-up. Cambodia, meanwhile, said existing mechanisms were not working and it planned to refer disputes in four border areas to the ICJ to settle "unresolved and sensitive" issues that it said could escalate tensions. Thailand has not recognised the ICJ's rulings on the row and wants to settle it bilaterally Illustration: Eddie Marshall | Fred Schilling, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States | Midjourney Of all the ink spilled and soundbites recorded railing into the current iteration of the Supreme Court, nothing quite epitomizes the spirit of the prevailing critique than a July cover of The New Yorker. Posed for a portrait, Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson look forward cool and defiantly, while the conservative appointeesJustices John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrettall look identical, because they all have President Donald Trump's face. The gist is simple. That issue focused "on what appears to many to be an existential threat to democracy," the magazine wrote, which is "the far-right shift of the Supreme Court, and the conservative movement's plans to commandeer it." That critique has persisted for some time now. Some decisions today from the Court help show, once again, why it is neither fair nor accurate. First up was Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, in which the justices reversed a lower court decision and sided with a woman who said she was the victim of reverse discrimination, ruling that members of a majority group do not have to clear a higher bar to prove such claims. The opinion, written by Jackson, was unanimous. Next came Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc., et al. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos, the lawsuit brought by Mexico against gun manufacturers that the country said had contributed to an illegal flow of weapons across the border, exacerbating cartel violence. The Court concluded that the complaint did not "plausibly allege that the defendant gun manufacturers aided and abetted gun dealers' unlawful sales of firearms to Mexican traffickers," and thus blocked the suit. The opinion, written by Kagan, was unanimous. Then there was Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. v. Wisconsin Labor and Industry Review Commission, in which the Court confronted a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision that denied Catholic Charities Bureau a tax exemption available to religious organizations because the group is not "operated primarily for religious purposes" and serves multiple faiths, as opposed to just Catholics. The justices rejected that conclusion and said it violated the First Amendment. The opinion, written by Sotomayor, was unanimous. Three remaining rulings also came down unanimously or near unanimously. That may be surprising to those who have heard over and over that the Court is hopelessly ideological and partisan. But agreement on contentious topicsor heterodox overlap in places you would not expectis not a new phenomenon. Perhaps most emblematic of that last year was the Court's decision in Fischer v. United States, in which the Court ruled 63 that many January 6 defendants had been improperly charged with obstruction. "Our commitment to equal justice and the rule of law requires the courts to faithfully apply criminal laws as written, even in periods of national crisis," wrote Jackson, who joined the majority. "We recognize this intuitive factthat there is a certain category of conduct the rule is designed to prohibitbecause we recognize, albeit implicitly, that the drafters of this rule have included these particular examples for a reason. We understand that, given the preceding list of examples, this rule was adopted with a clear intent concerning its scope." Barrett wrote the dissent. There are many such examples. More recently there are the Court's rulings making clear that people Trump seeks to deport using the Alien Enemies Act are entitled to due process, a view that every one of Trump's appointees has taken. It may be more intoxicating to default to tribal lines and to picture each conservative justice as a Trumpian clone. Reality, however, tells a different story. The post Is the Supreme Court Really That Divided? The Facts Say No. appeared first on Reason.com. By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A group of seven Democratic senators on Thursday introduced sweeping air safety legislation after a fatal collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet in January near Reagan Washington National Airport killed 67 people. Lawmakers have questioned why the Federal Aviation Administration failed to act for years to address close calls involving helicopters near Reagan. The legislation would require a review of helicopter and passenger operations at major airports, mandate new FAA safety reviews after fatal passenger airline accidents and require the use of ADS-B, an advanced aircraft-tracking technology. The FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz, a Republican, has held a series of aviation hearings and called for action by the FAA and the Army to reduce the risks of collisions. Cruz did not respond immediately to a request for comment on whether he supported the Democratic proposal. Senator Maria Cantwell, the top Democrat on the Commerce Committee that oversees the FAA, said the collision "exposed critical gaps in aviation safety oversight." She said the legislation "closes dangerous loopholes that allowed aircraft to operate without essential safety technology, mandates modern surveillance systems that enhance pilot awareness of nearby aircraft, and ensures the FAA finally acts on the data instead of ignoring it." The Army Black Hawk helicopter did not have ADS-B operating during a routine training mission when it collided with the American jet. The FAA in April said it would require ADS-B use near Reagan National by government helicopters except in cases such as "active national security missions." Families of those killed in the American jet's crash said the bill "marks a meaningful step forward in aviation safety a cause that is no longer abstract for our families, but personal and deeply urgent." The FAA has suspended Army helicopter flights around the Pentagon after a May 1 near-miss incident. There have also been a series of other troubling near-misses in recent months. The National Transportation Safety Board said in March that since 2021, there were more than 15,200 occurrences between commercial airplanes and helicopters with lateral separation distance of less than 1 nautical mile and vertical separation of less than 400 feet, and 85 close-call incidents during that period at Washington Reagan. Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau acknowledged in March that the data was troubling. "Clearly something was missed," Rocheleau said. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and Jamie Freed) Jonathan Joss in 2021. - Derek Storm/Everett Collection The man charged with murdering actor Jonathan Joss told police I shot him, according to a police report detailing the incident. Joss, 59, was fatally shot near his home on Sunday, according to police in San Antonio, Texas. A witness, whose name is redacted in the report, told police she drove Joss to the site of his previous home to check his mail. Joss had said previously the home had been destroyed by fire. The witness said after arriving at the property, the suspect, Sigfredo Ceja, pulled in behind her before getting out of his car and beginning to argue with Joss. The witness told police she heard Ceja tell Joss he had a gun and would shoot. The incident report describes the weapon as a rifle. Ceja has been arrested on suspicion of murder. An investigation is ongoing. CNN has attempted to reach Ceja for comment. San Antonio Police call for service logs show numerous calls to both the addresses of Joss and Ceja, who was his neighbor, over the past year. Officers were called to Josss home dozens of times, in some instances multiple times in a single day. Many of the calls are characterized as Disturbance Neighbor. Other calls appear to be welfare checks to the home that property records show is owned by Joss. A terrible tragedy Police were dispatched Sunday to a location on Dorsey Drive for a reported shooting in progress, where officers found Joss near the roadway of the location and attempted life saving measures, authorities said. The actor was pronounced dead by emergency service responders. Joss husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales told the Associated Press they were approached and threatened by a man with a gun while checking the mail at Josss home, which in January was damaged by a fire that also killed their three dogs. Jonathan and I had no weapons. We were not threatening anyone. We were grieving. We were standing side by side. When the man fired Jonathan pushed me out of the way. He saved my life, de Gonzales said. He and Joss, who married in February, had previously faced openly homophobic harassment, de Gonzales said. The person who killed Joss yelled violent homophobic slurs before opening fire, he added. He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other, de Gonzales said. Despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that the Mr. Josss murder was related to his sexual orientation, San Antonio police said in a statement posted to social media on Monday night. Joss was known for his performance in Parks & Recreation as a tribal elder of the Wamapoke Native American tribe and owner of the Wamapoke Casino. His co-star Nick Offerman has spoken out about Josss death. The cast has been texting together about it all day and were just heartbroken, Offerman said in a statement to People. Jonathan was such a sweet guy and we loved having him as our Chief Ken Hotate. A terrible tragedy. CNN has reached out to representatives for Offerman for additional comment. Beyond his work on Parks and Recreation, Joss voiced the character of John Redcorn on King of the Hill. Some of his other credits include appearances in Ray Donovan, Tulsa King and the 2016 film The Magnificent Seven. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Chinese embassy hosts dialogue on modernization, development in South Sudan Xinhua) 09:10, June 06, 2025 JUBA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in South Sudan on Thursday hosted an event at the University of South Sudan in Juba to share China's experience in its journey toward modernization with students and scholars. Robert Mayom Kuoirot Deng, vice chancellor of the University of Juba, said that the path of Chinese modernization and development has the potential to inspire the South Sudanese society to realize the dream of social-economic transformation. Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan Ma Qiang shared with the participants China's experience on its path to modernization, especially its achievements in poverty alleviation. Back in 2012, nearly 100 million Chinese were living below the poverty line. By the end of 2020, China had lifted all the 98.99 million rural residents living below the current poverty line out of poverty after eight years of efforts, declaring the elimination of absolute poverty in the country in February 2021. "The Communist Party of China and the Chinese government accomplished this huge task in eight years," Ma said. He noted that China and South Sudan enjoy close relations and exchanges at various levels are frequent. "China-South Sudan economic and trade cooperation steadily advances. China is currently South Sudan's largest source of investment and one of its major trading partners. In 2024, the total import and export volume between China and South Sudan reached 466 million U.S. dollars," the ambassador said. Natalie Kon Justine, a student at the College of Wildlife and Conservation at the University of Juba, said he is a witness to the enduring support of the Chinese government and people to South Sudan. In January, the Chinese medical team in South Sudan visited Kon's village of Juba Nabari, north of Juba, where they provided free medical consultations and treatment to his mother and other members of the community. "I have witnessed the Chinese medical team visiting orphanages and donating food and non-food items, some of them to the extent of visiting my community in Juba Nabari. I was surprised to see them and our community leader was happy to witness the impact their visit had on the community," Kon said. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Welcome Guest! You are here: Home Finance Minister knew I am leaving India: Vijay Mallya In a major embarrassment for the Narendra Modi government in New Delhi, fugitive Vijay Mallya said he had informed Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley before leaving India Saturday June 7, 2025 1:33 AM , ummid.com News Network [Vijay Mallya talking to YouTuber Raj Shamani (Video grab)] In a major embarrassment for the Narendra Modi government in New Delhi, fugitive Vijay Mallya said he had informed Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley before leaving India. Talking to YouTuber Raj Shamani in a podcast, Mallya said he had a scheduled visit to London. On March 01, 2016, a day before he left for London, he had met Arun Jaitley in the Parliament and informed him about his itinerary. I told him I am going to London from where I will go to Geneva. However, after reaching London I learnt the government had declared me a fugitive and cancelled my passport, Mallya said. I got stuck in London and could not visit Geneva for the important meeting, he added. He also said he asked Jaitley to tell the banks to sit across the table and settle the things with me. Mallya also recounted how Jaitley initially denied meeting him, but later admitted to a fleeting interaction after a Congress MP confirmed seeing them together. Vijay Mallya had made in September 2018 similar claim of meeting Union Finance Minister and senior Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley before leaving India with more than 9,000 crore rupees money laundering and fraud cases pending against his name. Congress takes Modi govt to task The BJP has rejected Mallyas claim. But, opposition Congress has criticized the Modi government. The External Affairs Minister informs Pakistan before Indias attack, fraudsters inform Finance Minister before fleeing the country. Narendra's entire system ended in surrender, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera wrote on X while sharing the video clip. Vijay Mallya is wanted in India on alleged fraud and money laundering charges amounting to an estimated Rs 9,000 crore. In the same podcast, Mallya, owner of Kingfisher also recounted how he opened "barrels of liquor" to serve the politcians. Interestingly, the podcast was released a day after RCB victory in IPL . Mallya is former owner of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates. Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic. A patient opened fire inside a busy hospital emergency room in a northern Chicago suburb the night of June 5, striking a security guard, police reported. The brazen shooting took place in the city of Evanston as the shooting suspect, who police identified as a 28-year-old local man, became agitated toward a hospital worker while being admitted, Evanston Police Department Comd. Scott Sophier said in a news release. The suspect, Sophier said, began shooting inside the ER of Endeavor Health Evanston Hospital . Evanston is in Cook County, just over 15 miles north of downtown Chicago. No other injuries were reported. "The security officer who was shot was last reported to be in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries," Sophier said, adding that he did not have a timeline on the guard's hospital release. "Suspect information will be released once he is officially charged." 'Suffering and Evil': New video, photos released in hunt for Travis Decker, suspected of killing his 3 daughters 'Three to four shots' fired inside Prior to visiting the facility, just before 7:30 p.m. local time, police reported police came into contact with he the suspect who appeared to be suffering an unknown mental health condition near a Taco Bell on Sherman Avenue in downtown Evanston. The man, police said, agreed to be evaluated by Evanston Fire Department paramedics and voluntarily agreed to be taken to the hospital around 7:45 p.m. where he was taken to the ER. At some point during the intake, the agitated man lunged toward his belongings, pulled out a firearm and fired "an estimated three to four shots" at 7:57 p.m. in a room inside the ER. As a result, a hospital security officer was shot. An Evanston Police Department cruiser at a scene. The agency in Illinois located in a Chicago suburb, is investigating after a patient opened fire inside a hosptial ER on June 5, 2025. His condition was not immediately known on June 6, but police told USA TODAY the victim apparently suffered non-life-threatening injuries. "Additional security personnel and a nurse assisted with placing the offender in handcuffs until the arrival of the Evanston Police Department," Sophier wrote. Hospital was placed on lockdown but police say threat is over now As of June 6, police had not revealed the shooting suspect's name or said whether he was in custody. The hospital was placed on lockdown, and the Emergency Room was placed on bypass after the shooting. "The emergency department is no longer on lockdown and has come off bypass, Spencer Walrath, a hospital spokesperson told USA TODAY on June 6. "The individual was quickly apprehended and taken into custody," Walrath said. "The safety of our patients and team members is our top priority." As of June 6, there was no threat to the public, Sophier wrote in the release. This story has been updated to add new information. Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Evanston Hospital emergency room shooting injures security guard It's 2 a.m., and you know the blinding light you just flickered on to use the bathroom is about to ruin your sleep. But when you've got to go, you've got to. Nocturia, known colloquially as frequent nighttime urination, is common. More than 50 million people in the U.S. suffer, according to the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Library of Medicine. And roughly half of adults over the age of 65 have reported getting up at least once every night to use the bathroom. "Waking up to urinate can either be a warning sign or an actual sign of a health issue you may not be aware of or a health issue that is not being properly treated," Dr. Justin Dubin, a urologist and men's health specialist at Memorial Healthcare System in South Florida and a co-host of the Man Up podcast, tells USA TODAY. First, let's be clear about how nighttime urination is actually counted. Nocturia refers to urinating after a period of sleep, so simply heading to the bathroom after sundown doesn't count. Nocturia can be caused by a number of factors, including sleep disorders, excessive urine production, problems with bladder capacity and hormonal issues, per NIH. Sometimes, waking up to go to the bathroom is just waking up to go to the bathroom. But how do you know when it's an issue worth bringing up to a doctor? Here's what medical professionals say. Is your pee cloudy? Here's what medical experts say that could mean. How many times is it normal to urinate at night? Waking up once a night every once in a while is usually OK, Dubin says. But you should generally be able to sleep six to eight hours without having to do so. "Consistently waking up two or more times every night? That is considered abnormal," he adds. If you feel like you fit the description of nocturia, it may be worth it to take stock of how much fluid you're consuming two hours before bedtime, "especially alcohol and caffeine," which are both diuretics, meaning they make you urinate more frequently, Dubin notes. Hmm: Certain foods can cause changes in urine, but so can medical conditions. Know the signs. Why am I peeing so much? Frequent nighttime urination can sometimes be an indicator of further health issues, experts say. Sometimes it isn't; Certain medications that are classified as diuretics, such as water pills, some heart medications and lithium can be the culprit. If that's the case, you can ask your doctor if you'd benefit from taking the medication in the morning, rather than right before bed. But even if your nocturia isn't a warning sign for other health issues, the loss of sleep is likely enough reason to seek help. "It is worth bringing up to your doctor, especially if it bothers you," Dubin says. "There are a lot of possible causes for you to be waking up at night and talking to your doctor will allow them to appropriately evaluate your history, your lifestyle and your overall health to see what is causing you to wake up at night. If you have specific health issues like diabetes, high blood pressure or prostate issues, the solution to your problem is treating your health issues." Health experts will typically recommend patients try a mix of behavioral therapy, lifestyle changes and medication to relieve significant nocturia, according to the NIH. "Like anything with your health, if something feels off or bothers you, its important you go talk with a doctor," Dubin says. "Remember, we cant help you if you dont come in to talk with us." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why do I pee so much at night? Frequent urination, explained Social media influencer Emilie Kiser's lawsuit pushing to stop the release of public records related to her son's May death is now being litigated in an Arizona court. Kiser's 3-year-old son Trigg died on May 18 after he was pulled from the family's backyard pool in Chandler, Arizona, days earlier, police previously confirmed to USA TODAY. On May 27, Kiser filed a lawsuit in Arizona Superior Court for Maricopa County to keep records about what it referred to as an accidental drowning out of public view. Kiser's attorneys said in the filing that she and her family "desperately want to grieve in private, but sadly, the public will not let them," adding that her son's death "has become a media frenzy." The case is now moving through the court a hearing was held this week. Here's what we know. Emilie Kiser attends the Poppi Soda's Back Beach Bash at Gurney's Montauk on July 28, 2023, in Montauk, New York. Emilie Kiser's son: Trigg's death shows how little privacy influencers get What is Emilie Kiser's lawsuit about? Kiser is suing several public agencies to prohibit officials from releasing public documents related to Trigg's death, including the police report, 911 call and scene photos. According to the initial complaint, Kiser and her counsel have not seen the documents, but they presume they are "exceptionally raw and graphic." The release of such records would "intrude upon personal dignity or cause unnecessary harm" to Kiser and her family, the lawsuit says. "Emilie is trying her best to be there for her surviving son, two-month-old Theodore," the lawsuit says. "But every day is a battle." Gallagher & Kennedy, the firm representing Kiser, has not responded to USA TODAY's requests for comment. Emilie Kiser lawsuit Influencer asks to 'grieve in private.' Why public records could be released anyway. Kiser lawsuit update: Court places temporary ban on release of records The first hearing in Kiser's case was held on June 3. According to The Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, Kiser's attorney Kevin O'Malley said during the hearing that some redacted documents are likely "appropriate" for public release. Emilie Kiser's attorney, Kevin O'Malley, heads back to his seat after presenting to Judge Christopher Whitten during a hearing at the Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, on June 3, 2025. As a result of the hearing, the parties in the case agreed to an interim order prohibiting the dissemination of the public records in question, according to court filings obtained by USA TODAY. This means the records relating to Trigg's death will not be released while the case is litigated in court. The order is meant in part to "prevent the premature public release of sensitive materials," according to the filing. Some agencies dropped from lawsuit Kiser's attorneys also filed a notice to dismiss some agencies from the lawsuit, including the Chandler Police Department, Maricopa County of Vital Registration, Arizona Department of Health, Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Vital Records and State Registrar of Vital Statistics, according to court records. The agencies were dismissed from the case because they "have not filed an answer or other responsive pleading in this matter," according to the filing. The remaining defendants in the case are the city of Chandler, Maricopa County, Maricopa County Attorney's Office and Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner. The lawsuit also generally lists any individuals who have submitted public records requests in the case as "real parties in interest," meaning they would be affected by the outcome in the case. The Arizona Republic, which filed requests for public records about the investigation into Trigg's death, is the only party so far that has been admitted in the case. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Christopher Witten ordered Chandler and Maricopa County not to release records to requesters until Kiser and The Republic's lawyers reviewed and discussed their contents. Witten will ultimately decide what records, or portions thereof, are released. Court seals Kiser's declaration Additionally, Witten ordered to seal a declaration Kiser wrote about this case, according to a June 4 minute entry. The document was attached to the initial complaint as a redacted exhibit. By sealing it, the document is now confidential until a court orders otherwise. What are public records? Across the country, documents such as police reports and 911 calls are public record, meaning they must be accessible to the public. Each state has its own laws in place around what kinds of records can be released, but individuals can ask a court to consider sealing records that would ordinarily be public. Kiser's lawsuit said more than 100 requests were filed with the City of Chandler and the Maricopa County Medical Examiners Office for access to public records related to Trigg's death. USA TODAY filed a request on May 15 three days after the initial drowning call with the City of Chandler for access to the police report. In Arizona, officials can redact parts of these documents to protect a victim's rights. A court can also rule to keep public records private if the release could cause "substantial and irreparable private or public harm," according to the Arizona Legislature. Kiser's lawsuit claims that the records have been requested for "commercial purposes," rather than the purpose of monitoring the government. However, Arizona law does not consider requesting records for the purposes of news gathering to be a commercial purpose, according to the Arizona Ombudsman Citizens' Aide. Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Emilie Kiser lawsuit update: Will police report, records be released? San Francisco Giants pitcher Robbie Ray throws against the San Diego Padres during the first inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Robbie Ray struck out nine in seven innings and became the National League's first eight-game winner as the San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres 3-2 on Thursday. Ray (8-1) allowed two runs and four hits with a walk. The 33-year-old left-hander retired the side in order four times and didnt allow a runner past first base in his final four innings. The 2021 AL Cy Young Award winner struck out four of the first five hitters he faced and retired 11 in a row after Manny Machados homer run in the third. Randy Rodriguez retired three betters and Camilo Doval set down three for his eighth save. Dominic Smith had three hits, including a two-run ground-rule double that drove in the go-ahead run in the third. Machado hit his 350th career homer and had two RBIs for the Padres. San Diego had runners at second and third in the ninth before Doval struck out Jake Cronenworth swinging. The Giants stranded three runners in the first two innings before finally getting to Padres starter Dylan Cease (1-5) in the third. Willy Adames had a sacrifice fly before Smith hit a drive to center that bounced on the warning track and bounded over the wall, plating two runs. Cease allowed three runs and had seven strikeouts. Key moment Padres hitter Jose Iglesias was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double in the seventh on a one-hop throw by Giants left fielder Jerar Encarnacion. Key stat Ray has had at least seven strikeouts in nine of his 13 starts this season. Up next Giants RHP Hayden Birdsong (3-1, 2.37 ERA) faces the Braves on Friday. Padres RHP Randy Vasquez (3-4, 3.99) pitches against the Brewers in Milwaukee on Friday. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB Reuters Russia launched a barrage of drones and ballistic missiles across broad swaths of Ukraine early Friday, killing at least six people and injuring dozens of others, days after Kyiv launched a daring raid on Moscows fleet of strategic bombers. For residents of Kyiv, the nights soundtrack was familiar: the shrieking whir of drones, air raid sirens and large explosions overhead whether from air defenses successfully downing missiles, or projectiles puncturing the capital. Three firefighters were killed in Kyiv, two civilians were killed in Lutsk, and another person was killed in Chernihiv, according to the Ukrainian State Emergency Service. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had used more than 400 drones and 40 missiles in the overnight attack, putting it among the wars largest. He said Moscows attack injured 80 and targeted almost all of Ukraine, listing nine regions, from Lviv in the west to Sumy in the northeast. Although Russia has pummeled Ukraine almost daily over three years of full-scale war, Ukrainians had been bracing for retaliation since Sunday, when Kyiv launched an audacious operation that struck more than a third of Russias strategic cruise missile carriers. In a call with his US counterpart Donald Trump on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow would have to respond to Kyivs assault. Speaking aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump told reporters Ukraine gave Putin a reason to go in and bomb the hell out of them last night. Russias Ministry of Defense said its strikes were in response to what it called Kyivs terrorist acts. It was not immediately clear if the attack was the extent of Russias pledged retaliation, or if Putin intends to escalate further. After the embarrassment of Kyivs operation, there was a chorus of bellicose calls from pro-Kremlin pundits for a severe potentially nuclear response. Although Ukrainians had been buoyed last weekend by the news of Kyivs successful operation, many were wary of how Russia might strike back. But after Fridays strikes, Kyiv residents told CNN they supported Ukraines strikes against the aircraft Moscow has used to bomb Ukraine for more than three years. It didnt break us at all. The morale is as high as it was. We strongly believe in our armed forces, said Olha, a 39-year-old from the capital who did not wish to give her last name. She said the apparent retaliation from Russia was not so different to countless other nights of the war. Maybe (this was the retaliation), but maybe the retaliation is yet to come. Either way, it doesnt change our attitude towards the enemy or towards our country. After daylight broke on Friday, residents are able to see the extent of damage to apartment buildings from Russia's strikes overnight. - Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Meanwhile, Ukraines general staff on Friday said it launched overnight strikes on two Russian airfields, where it said Moscow had concentrated many of the aircraft that had not been damaged in Kyivs Spiderweb operation last weekend. Ukraine stressed that the operation, which blindsided the Kremlin, had targeted the planes that Russia uses to launch missile strikes on Ukrainian cities and kill civilians. After Russias large-scale attack Friday, Ukraines Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Moscow had responded to its destroyed aircraft by once again attacking civilians in Ukraine. As daylight broke, images from Kyiv showed flames rising over apartment buildings and firefighting crews at work, with residents picking through the debris of damaged apartments. Several cars parked in the streets below were covered with shards of glass and slabs of masonry torn from the walls of residential buildings. Ukraines air force said Russias barrage comprised 407 drones, six ballistic missiles, 38 cruise missiles and an anti-radar missile. Of those 452 projectiles, the air force said it had downed 406, including 32 of the cruise missiles and four of the ballistic missiles. The other two ballistic missiles did not reach their targets, it added. Fire and smoke rise in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Friday after a Russian drone strike. - Gleb Garanich/Reuters The strikes also hit Chernihiv, near the border with Belarus, which was rocked by 14 explosions from drones and ballistic missiles, including cruise missiles and Iskander-M missiles, local officials said. Five others were wounded in strikes in the northwestern city of Lutsk, near the border with Poland. Footage geolocated by CNN showed at least four missiles slamming into the city, kicking up fiery explosions on impact. The Russian Ministry of Defense said it had also intercepted and destroyed 174 Ukrainian drones from Thursday evening to early Friday morning and had destroyed three Ukrainian Neptune-MD guided missiles over the Black Sea. Putins call with Trump All week, Ukrainians have been bracing for Russias retaliation to last weekends drone attack, which struck 34% of Moscows nuclear-capable bombers stationed at airfields as far away as Siberia. On Tuesday, Ukraine also launched an attack on the Kerch Bridge, the only direct connection point between Russia and the annexed Crimean Peninsula, with 1,100 kilograms of explosives that had been planted underwater. An apartment of a residential multi-storey building is seen damaged after a Russian drone strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday. - Evgeniy Maloletka/AP After Trumps call with Putin on Wednesday, the US president said his Russian counterpart had told him that Moscow would have to respond to Ukraines assaults. Trumps account of the call gave no indication that he had urged Putin to temper his response, to the dismay of many in Ukraine. When Putin mentioned he is going to avenge or deliver a new strike against Ukraine, we know what it means. Its about civilians, Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksandr Merezhko told CNN earlier this week. And President Trump didnt say, Vladimir, stop. Despite Trumps support for recent peace talks in Istanbul between Ukraine and Russia, on Thursday he signaled that he may be adopting a more hands-off approach, likening the war to a brawl between children. Sometimes you see two young children fighting like crazy, Trump said in the Oval Office, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz looked on silently. They hate each other, and theyre fighting in a park, and you try and pull them apart. They dont want to be pulled. Sometimes youre better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com New research reveals hidden antimicrobial peptides in human proteins that target drug-resistant bacteria. (CREDIT: CC BY-SA 4.0) Researchers have long known that glycosaminoglycan-binding proteins (HBPs) help control vital processes like cell growth, inflammation, and blood clotting. But a recent discovery has revealed a hidden ability in some of these proteins. Scientists have found that they also hold powerful antimicrobial potentialespecially against dangerous, drug-resistant bacteria. A team led by researchers at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) has identified a new class of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) hidden inside these human proteins. These peptides are particularly effective against Gram-negative bacteria, which are some of the toughest to treat with standard antibiotics. The findings, published in Molecular Systems Biology, open new possibilities for fighting hospital-acquired infections. A Curious Similarity Between Molecules The key to the discovery lies in the structural similarities between heparina molecule involved in human processes like blood clottingand lipopolysaccharides (LPS), which coat the outer layer of harmful bacteria. Both contain negatively charged sugar chains. That shared feature allows them to bind in similar ways to HBPs. Marc Torrent Burgas and Roberto Bello Madruga (third and fourth from the right, respectively) with the rest of the research team: Carmen Mesas Vaz, Enea Sancho Vaello, Jordi Gomez Borrego and Alba Guembe Mulberger. (CREDIT: UAB) Marc Torrent, a researcher at UABs Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the lead coordinator of the study, explains the idea that sparked their research: Certain proteins of our bodies that bind to heparin, a molecule regulating processes such as blood clotting andinflammation, can also recognise similar structures found on the surface of dangerous bacteria. That observation set the research in motion. If HBPs could bind both heparin and bacterial surfaces, they might also have natural antibiotic properties. The Search for Hidden Antimicrobials To test their theory, the scientists used computer tools to examine more than 100 HBPs. They looked for specific protein regions known to bind heparin and identified areas likely to have antimicrobial activity. They found that 82% of the proteins analyzed contained regions with potential antimicrobial function, and most of those areas overlapped with heparin-binding sites. Related Stories One key pattern stood out. It was a structural motif known as the CPC clip. This motif forms a kind of clip that allows the protein to latch onto negatively charged molecules like heparin or LPS. The motif contains two positively charged amino acidseither arginine or lysineand one polar amino acid such as asparagine, threonine, or tyrosine. Together, they form a configuration that can grip target molecules tightly. The CPC clip isnt new to science. It has appeared in earlier studies of proteins that bind heparin. But this research showed that it also plays a key role in bacterial targeting. Five Peptides, One Clear Leader To confirm their results, the team synthesized five peptides based on the identified binding regions. All fivenamed HBP-1 through HBP-5were tested in the lab. Each one showed the ability to kill Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii. These bacteria often cause severe infections in hospitals and have become resistant to many existing drugs. Structural and bioinformatics analysis of HBPs. (CREDIT: Molecular Systems Biology) Among the group, HBP-5 stood out. It had the highest binding strength to both heparin and LPS and showed powerful antimicrobial effects at very low, nanomolar concentrations. In a lab setting, HBP-5 not only killed bacteria but also showed low toxicity toward human cells, a sign of potential safety in future treatments. Researchers went even further. In a sepsis model using infected mice, HBP-5 treatment led to a significant reduction in bacterial levels in multiple organs. The results suggest the peptide doesnt just work in a petri dishit may also help clear infections in living organisms. These peptides stand out for their potency and specificity, with a very low toxicity in human cells, indicating that they could be safe as a basis for future treatments, says Torrent. This opens the door to a new family of antibiotics derived from the bodys own proteins, with the advantage that they can act specifically against resistant bacteria without affecting healthy cells. Three-dimensional structure of the five selected HBPs and their respective CPC motifs in the context of the parent heparin-binding proteins. (CREDIT: Molecular Systems Biology) Structural Clues and Broader Impact The ability of HBPs to bind both heparin and LPS is more than a coincidence. Earlier studies showed that certain bacterial proteins, like the E. coli protein FhuA, also bind these kinds of molecules. FhuA, for instance, can bind antibiotics and components of bacterial cell walls. In one experiment, a short peptide derived from FhuA retained its ability to bind both LPS and heparin. But when the CPC clip motif was mutated, the peptide lost both binding functions. This showed just how essential that motif is. Other work, like that of Heinzelmann and Bosshart, confirmed similar patterns in human lipopolysaccharide-binding proteins. These proteins not only recognize bacterial components but also boost immune responses. Their structure also includes the CPC motif, further supporting the idea that this clip-like shape is key to cross-functionality between human and bacterial systems. The research suggests something deeper. There may be a biological overlap between how our bodies manage inflammation and how they respond to infection. Proteins that evolved to regulate blood flow and healing may also double as natural antibiotics. If that's true, the human body may hold more built-in defenses than previously realized. SEM pictures of E. coli cells treated with HBPs. (CREDIT: Molecular Systems Biology) A New Frontier in the Fight Against Superbugs As drug resistance grows, especially among Gram-negative bacteria, the need for new antibiotics becomes more urgent. Traditional drugs often fail because these bacteria have a thick outer membrane that blocks entry. Thats why peptides like HBP-5 are so exciting. They latch onto this outer layer, bind strongly, and then disrupt the membrane to kill the bacteria. HBPs offer a promising new source of AMPs. Because they already exist in the human body, treatments based on them could be less likely to cause side effects. They may also avoid triggering resistance as quickly as synthetic drugs often do. The researchers believe this is just the beginning. More peptides with similar properties could be hiding in other human proteins. By using computational tools and structural biology, future studies may uncover a whole arsenal of natural antibiotics already coded into your own biology. Note: The article above provided above by The Brighter Side of News. Like these kind of feel good stories? Get The Brighter Side of News' newsletter. WASHINGTON Looking at new ways to pay for their sprawling bill for President Donald Trumps domestic agenda, Republicans are exploring ideas to slash waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare, several senators said Thursday. And President Donald Trump has blessed the pursuit, they said. I think anything that can be thats waste, fraud and abuse are open to, obviously, discussions, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters. He said that Republicans have primarily looked at Medicaid to find savings but that theyre open to looking at other programs, too. The focus, as you know, has been on addressing waste, fraud, abuse within Medicaid and, but right now, were open to suggestions that people have them about other areas where there is, you know, clearly, waste, fraud and abuse that can be rooted out in any government program, Thune said. Medicare has historically been seen as political third rail, a program members of both parties have been wary of touching in fear of backlash from older voters. But Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said they shouldnt be afraid of cutting waste in Medicare. Why dont we go after that? I think we should, Cramer said. Some people are afraid of the topics; Im not, he added, noting that they would focus on waste, fraud and abuse. In my view, this is our moment as Republicans in control of all three branches, and we ought to be going after more fiscal responsibility. And some people are making that case. Other people are wringing their hands. Senate Republicans said that they discussed the issue during a closed-door meeting and that it also came up with Trump when Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee met with him Wednesday. What the president made clear is [he] does not want to see any cuts to beneficiaries. But to go after, he repeated over again the waste, fraud and abuse, the waste, fraud and abuse, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said. White House spokesman Kush Desai echoed that point. The president has been clear no cuts to Medicare, Social Security, or Medicaid. This bill addresses waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending, Desai said in an email. The discussions open up a policy debate that could have explosive political ramifications. Medicare is a highly popular program that provides health insurance to people over 65 years old, and Democrats are already launching attacks on the new GOP discussions about making changes to the program. A protest against Medicaid cuts in Salem, Ore., in April. (Abigail Dollins / Statesman Journal via USA Today Network file) A program that 66 million Americans rely on is not waste, fraud, or abuse its lifesaving for the constituents of Republicans pushing to gut Medicare, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement Thursday. Lets be crystal clear: Donald Trump gave Republicans the green light to gut access to lifesaving medication and rip away health insurance to fund tax handouts for billionaires. These dangerous attacks are as disgraceful as they are unpopular and will cost Republicans their seats come the midterms. GOP leaders are searching for ways to lower the cost of the bill passed by the House, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects would add $2.4 trillion to the national debt over the next decade. It includes Medicaid and health spending cuts that Republicans describe as waste, fraud and abuse, which the CBO estimates would result in 10.9 million fewer people having insurance. Still, some conservative senators insist on mitigating the red ink to vote for the bill. And its unclear how narrowly or broadly Senate Republicans would define waste, fraud and abuse when it comes to Medicare. There is skepticism in the GOP about pursuing that path. What a terrible idea. We should not be touching Medicare, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said, recalling that trying to cut retirement spending has burned the Republican Party in the past. In 2004 President Bush got re-elected and promptly tried to privatize Social Security, and Republicans didnt win the popular vote for 20 years, Hawley said. So if you dont ever want to win an election again, just go fiddle around with peoples Medicare that theyve worked hard for, paid into. Hawley launched similar criticisms when Republicans began going after Medicaid for savings, but he said he supports most of the spending cuts in the House-passed bill, including the work requirements and eligibility rules. The talks about Medicare came as news to some Republicans. I havent heard any discussion of cutting Medicare. Thats a vital program that people have earned their benefits for, and Im not going to say never, because maybe theres some waste, fraud, abuse, kind of language, but I certainly would not support cutting Medicare benefits, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, told reporters. A potential option senators mentioned is a bipartisan bill that would improve the way Medicare Advantage plans assess patients health risks and reduce overpayments for care, according to a description of the legislation. The bill, called the "No UPCODE Act," is co-sponsored by Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. A recent CBO report said the policies in the bill could save $124 billion over 10 years. To say it has bipartisan support is an underestimate, Cassidy told NBC News. I think that would be a reasonable way to protect it, dont cut benefits, youre taking care of patients, but youre trying to rescue the program. Cassidy Gifford/Instagram; Danielle Del Valle/Getty Kathie Lee Gifford's daughter Cassidy welcomes her second baby. Kathie Lee Gifford's family has grown by one more! The former Today host's daughter, Cassidy, 31, revealed she quietly welcomed her second baby with husband Ben Wierda. Cassidy shared the happy news in a post on her Instagram, including a photo of her baby girl's hand. "Rosie Mae Wierda! Born at 9:59am on 6/03/2025," Cassidy wrote in her caption. "You are a million prayers answered, Rosie girl. We love you so much. 1 Samuel 1:27." Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Cassidy and Wierda are already parents to son Finn, whom they welcomed in June 2023. The couple's happy news comes a few weeks after her brother Cody announced that he and his wife Erika are expecting their third baby together, sharing the exciting news on Instagram. In the sweet video, Cody and Erika spent time with their two little boys, Frank, 2, and Ford, 17 months. At the end of the video, which included clips from the family's day out, a box is lifted to reveal a white cake, which read, "Baby #3 Loading." "Gifford, party of cinco ," Erika wrote in her caption. " Our little blessing on the way was prayed for, dreamed of, and is already so deeply loved. 20 weeks in and we cant wait to meet the newest member of our crew. ." This past July, Gifford opened up to PEOPLE about her special relationship with her grandsons. "I'm just so grateful for them. They're precious and they give me a purpose to get up every morning when everything else is just not the same for me," Gifford told PEOPLE. "Life is just so different and I just try to find joy when I can find it." "And the only place I can really find it is in the Word of God and in my grandsons," she continued. Earlier that summer, Gifford spoke with PEOPLE in June about how much she loves being a grandma, noting that it has also been nice to see her kids take on new roles. "I had my children later in life and I've certainly had my grandchildren later," Gifford told PEOPLE. "It is exactly what everybody's always told me, which seems like such a cliche. But cliches they're real. Because they're true." "There is nothing like it in the whole world. To see my children, first of all, so in love with their spouses. I'm so grateful to God for that. They picked wisely. They're so in love and it makes me so happy," added the proud mom. Read the original article on People A Connecticut man who was arrested by police for driving 132 mph was actually at home and his charges have been dropped, his attorneys told USA TODAY. In a press release from 19-year-old Azmir Djurkovic's lawyers, they said the charges against their client were dropped after they say he was wrongfully accused of speeding more than two times the legal limit. "We are grateful that justice ultimately prevailed and Mr. Djurkovics name has been cleared," his attorney, H Brian Dumeer of Carlson & Dumeer said. "This case is a powerful reminder of the importance of thorough investigation and the responsibility law enforcement has to pursue the truth." In a May press release from the Connecticut State Police, officials said Djurkovic was caught speeding while state troopers were conducting "motor vehicle enforcement" in the town of Cromwell. During their shift, police saw a Mercedes E300 traveling "faster than the flow of traffic," the release said. A speed radar detected the car going at 132 mph. But the driver was not caught immediately. Police said when a trooper tried to execute a traffic stop with lights and sirens, the driver sped off and made "unsafe lane changes." Instead of chasing after the suspect, state police contacted the registered owner of the vehicle, who said Djurkovic was driving at the time. But, according to Djurkovic's lawyers, the car was not related to him. They said the wheels, roof and door handles were a different color, and the car itself was a different model and year. Djurkovic's lawyers said that the arresting officer "declined to view exonerating video footage, and ignored obvious visual differences between the car involved in the incident and the car the client drove to the police station." The Connecticut State Police confirmed to USA TODAY that all charges against Djurkovic have been dropped. Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Attorneys: Man arrested for driving 132 mph was at home Mesa Police Department Emily Pike NEED TO KNOW Police bodycam footage from 2023 has been released showing an Arizona teenager, who had been reported missing multiple times from a group home, telling an officer she didn't want to go back Emily Pike, 14, ran away again in January 2025 and was found deceased on Feb. 14 The teen told a police officer that she didn't want to go back to her group home, insisting "I hate it there," per footage from her 2023 recovery An Arizona teenager told a police officer she didn't want to return to a group home over a year before she ran away again and was discovered murdered. Emily Pike, 14, was reported missing from a group home in Mesa, Ariz. on Jan. 27, 2025. Her remains were found the following month on Feb. 14 near Forest Road 355 on state land near the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, per a May FBI press release. The teen was found dismembered in garbage bags in a remote area, NBC News previously reported. Local news station KNXV's ABC15 recently obtained body camera footage from the Mesa Police Department recovering Emily when she ran away in September 2023. In it, Emily told an officer that she didn't want to go back to the group home. AP Photo/Samantha Chow, file Tributes are left for Emily Pike The teenager was reported missing from the location, reportedly operated by Sacred Journey Inc., three times in 2023. The clip from September 2023 showed Emily walking along a canal when she was found by police after being reported missing. "I just want to see my mom," she told the officer, adding that she wanted to stay with her grandma. "I'm not going to go to that f------ group home," the teenager insisted. "I hate it there." Despite her complaints, she eventually got into the car with the officer, the publication reported. Another clip from January 2025 captured the moment that the group home called police to report the teenager missing. In it, a staff member told the officer, "I looked under the bed and the closet. I looked outside. The gate was open. The screen door, the screen window was kicked out." "We'll get her in as a missing person," the officer said, per the clip shared by the outlet. "And then if we get in contact with her, obviously we'll notify you right away that we found her." In the May press release, the FBI confirmed it was "offering a reward of up to $75,000 for any person providing independently verifiable information identifying the individual(s) responsible" for Emily's "disappearance and murder." City of Mesa Police Department/Facebook A photo of a Mesa Police Department vehicle Per Fox 10 Phoenix, San Carlos Apache Tribe Chairman Terry Rambler previously said its council was also offering a $75,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. The outlet stated that the tribe was requesting that state leaders tighten regulations for state-licensed residential group homes for children following Emily's death. A legislative hearing was held last month focusing on Emily's case and group home protocol, per ABC15. A spokesperson for the Department of Child Safety (DCS) shared a statement with the outlet in March: "At this time, the department does not believe any action taken, or not taken, by the group home caused the terrible outcome in this case. We have opened a licensing inquiry to determine whether appropriate steps were taken by the group home during this incident." Tribe chairman Rambler previously said in a letter of Emily's death, "This crime must not go unsolved. Emily was murdered in a cruel, depraved and heinous act and the perpetrator(s) must be held accountable," per NBC. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. The outlet stated that the tribe's social services department had placed Emily at the group home. Her uncle, Allred Pike Jr., 50, declined to say why she was placed there. The Gila County Sheriffs Office, the Arizona Department of Child Safety and the San Carlos Apache Tribe didn't immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information. PEOPLE wasn't able to reach out to a spokesperson for Sacred Journey Inc. for comment. Read the original article on People Welcome Guest! You are here: Home Repressive regime scared, we arent: Activist aboard Gaza flotilla Vowing to continue sailing and deliver aid to Palestinians in Gaza the activists aboard Madleen flotilla Friday said the Zionist regime in Israel and its head Netanyahu will not be able to threaten and stop their mission Friday June 6, 2025 3:30 PM , ummid.com News Network [Flotilla Madleen location on Friday June 06, 2025 at 14:53 (Freedom Flotilla FFC Tracker)] Mediterranean Sea: Vowing to continue sailing and deliver aid to Palestinians in Gaza the activists aboard Madleen flotilla Friday said the Zionist regime in Israel and its head Netanyahu will not be able to threaten and stop their mission. Its important to understand that Netanyahu and any other repressive regime throughout history actually fear the people. We do not fear them, Brazilian activist Thiago Avila said. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition will never stop due to the Zionists threats. We know we have billions of people along with the 12 of us on this boat! he added in a video message posted on social media platform X. Avila posted the message after Israeli media reported that the Zionist forces will not allow the ship to reach Gaza, and that the activists risk detention and the seizure of their ship if they failt to comply with the Israeli army. Watch Video Its the 6th day of our journey onboard the Madleen to #breakthesiege of Gaza and create a peoples humanitarian sea corridor! The Freedom Flotilla Coalition will never stop due to the Zionists threats. We know we have billions of people along with the 12 of us on this boat! pic.twitter.com/FfIDDtVbX7 Thiago Avila | Gaza Freedom Flotilla (@thiagoavilabr) June 6, 2025 The Brazilian activist had on June 01, 2025 said their aim is to create "peoples humanitarian corridor" to end the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Madleen, named after the first Palestinian fisherwman who ran her fathers fishing business after he was injured in a 2009 Israeli attack, was launched from Catania, Sicily, Sunday June 1, 2025. There are 12 activists, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, and French-Palestinian Member of European Parliament Rima Hassan, onboard the Gaza aid ship. Madleen flotilla was launched a month after Conscience flotilla was destroyed by Israel. Conscience flotilla was attacked by Israeli drones in European waters on May 2, 2025, in violation of international law, where it remains stranded. Madleen FFC aid ship too was targeted by Israeli drones at least two times in the last three days. As per the Freedom Flotilla FFC Tracker, Madleen aid ship is closing in on Gaza Strip, and if goes well, will reach the besieged Palestinian enclave Saturday June 07, 2025. Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates. Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic. Courtesy of Krystal DeVos Eliana DeVos and the fish skin graft NEED TO KNOW In 2022, Krystal DeVos gave birth to her daughter Eliana prematurely, which led to a severe neck wound Doctors were able to successfully treat her by using fish skin and a medical-grade honey solution to heal her wound Now 3 years old, Eliana is healthy and thriving, and her mother calls her my little mermaid A Texas mother is detailing her daughters remarkable treatment journey after doctors used fish skin to heal her severe wound as a preterm baby. In April 2022, Krystal DeVos gave birth to her daughter Eliana at just 23 weeks of gestation. She weighed only a single pound and spent 131 days in the NICU. During that time, the infant developed a deep wound on her neck following a life-threatening bacterial infection. It sounds scary but it was almost like a flesh-eating disease, where her body was targeting something there in her neck, DeVos told CNN. The infection ultimately worsened, and Eliana developed sepsis, causing some of her organs to shut down. Sepsis is a serious condition in which the body responds improperly to an infection," according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms include fast or shallow breathing, sweating for no clear reason, shivering and change in mental status. It can lead to septic shock and death. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Courtesy of Krystal DeVos Krystal DeVos with her daughter Eliana in the hospital At that point, doctors told DeVos about an unconventional treatment option for her newborn. After 86 days in the NICU, Eliana was transferred to Driscoll Childrens Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas, where she was treated with numerous medications. A special treatment involved using fish skin for wound care. Dr. Vanessa Dimas, a pediatric plastic surgeon at Driscoll who treated Eliana, told the outlet that she needed to remove the buildup of dead skin tissue from her wound and cover it to help grow back healthy tissue. However, the typical approach of surgery or skin graft was too risky. She was a premature baby, the wound was very extensive, and she was pretty sick, so I did not feel like it was safe to do a surgical procedure on her, Dimas explained. The PEOPLE App is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! Courtesy of Krystal DeVos Doctors treating Eliana in the hospital The surgeon decided to use a medical-grade honey solution to clean out the wound and apply fish skin to cover the area. The fish skin taken from wild North Atlantic cod contained omega oils and other natural elements that would reportedly expedite the healing process. Its microscopically so close to human skin that it helps the wound start to heal, Dimas said, noting that once it basically does its job, helping the wound heal, then it sort of just melts away. The fish skin treatment successfully helped Eliana heal, showing dramatic results after just three days. The wound was healed in 10 days after the fish skin was first applied and there was minimal scarring, CNN reports. The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! Driscoll Children's Hospital Doctors working on the fish skin graft Today, DeVos said that Eliana, now 3, is a happy and energetic toddler, and her scar is hardly noticeable. She admitted that she gets emotional seeing her daughter grow and play with her Ariel doll. I call her my little mermaid, she told the outlet. Eliana actually has no idea, DeVos said of her daughters fish skin treatment. Of course, as she gets older, we do want to go back and show her pictures and explain to her what has happened, because it is a part of her story and its so unique. Courtesy of Krystal DeVos Krystal DeVos and her daughter Eliana Devos said shes now sharing her daughters story in hopes of promoting fish skin as a medical aid. What I hope people take away is that we can be grateful for modern medicine and the power of faith, she said. Never be fearful to try something new. Always be open-minded and just have faith, DeVos continued. If something sounds different or youve never been exposed to it before, just take a chance and have a little faith. And in our case, it worked out really great. Read the original article on People Texas Tech starting pitcher/relief pitcher NiJaree Canady (24) leaps up after the last out in Game 2 of the Women's College World Series championship series between the Texas Longhorns at Texas Tech Red Raiders at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Thursday, June 5, 2025. Texas Tech won 4-3. (DOUG HOKE/THEOKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) Texas Tech scored fifth-inning runs on a hit batter and a wild pitch and NiJaree Canady threw a complete game as the No. 12 Red Raiders remained alive with a 4-3 victory over No. 6 Texas in Game 2 of the Women's College World Series at Oklahoma City on Thursday night. Texas Tech (54-13) and Texas (55-12) will meet again Friday night for the WCWS title. It will be the first national crown for the winner. Mihyia Davis went 2-for-4 for the Red Raiders and reached on an error in the sixth inning that plated the game's final run. Canady (34-6) gave up three runs (two earned), six hits and two walks while striking out six. She also pitched a complete game in Game 1 when the Red Raiders lost 2-1. Mia Scott homered and reached base three times on two hits and a walk for the Longhorns. Texas made a charge in the top of the seventh as Katie Stewart reached on an error by Texas Tech shortstop Hailey Toney and Canady hit Victoria Hunter with a pitch. Leighann Goode followed with a run-scoring double off the glove of diving left fielder Demi Elder. Pinch hitter Katie Cimusz followed with a sacrifice fly to score Hunter. But Canady then retired Ashton Maloney on a grounder and struck out Kayden Henry to end it. Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco said postgame, "Last night was a test for us, and we're growing from everything that happens to us. I told them after the game last night, 'We learn 10 times more when we lose than when we win,' and we learned so much last night. "I think bottom of the seventh, up 4-2 and our determination and the way we reacted there at the end was a testament to the toughness they are acquiring by playing these tough battles." It was a scoreless game until the Red Raiders scored twice in the fifth inning against Texas reliever Cambria Salmon (7-2). Raegan Jennings led off with a pinch-hit single, Davis ripped a one-out double into the gap in left center before Toney hit a short pop fly to Salmon for the second out. Lauren Allred then walked to load the bases. Salmon got ahead 0-2 on Alana Johnson but eventually hit her to force in Jennings. Then Salmon threw a wild pitch on the first toss to Alexa Langeliers and Davis scored to make it 2-0. The left-handed hitting Scott trimmed the Texas deficit in half with one out in the sixth when she sent a pitch from Canady over the wall in left center. The Red Raiders had runners on first and third with one out in the bottom of the inning when Texas ace Teagan Kavan entered. Bailey Lindemuth hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Makalya Garcia and Davis followed with the grounder that first baseman J. Mitchell misplayed for an error and a 4-1 Texas Tech lead. In the fourth inning, Texas star Reese Atwood then narrowly missed a two-run homer as her fly was just a few feet wide of the left field foul pole. Mac Morgan pitched the first two innings for Texas and gave up two hits and one walk. Salmon allowed two runs, three hits, one walk and fanned one in three innings. The start of the contest was delayed approximately 50 minutes due to heavy rain. Looking ahead to the finale on Friday, Glasco said, "I think that it's going to be a real, real good game. I think that you can expect it to be a battle. ... I think my kids got some confidence tonight, and I expect the momentum really to be in our dugout at the beginning of the game." --Field Level Media Food & Wine / Domaine Guiberteau, LEcole N 41, Ken Forrester Wines Chenin Blanc is often overshadowed by its more famous white-grape counterparts (ahem, were looking at you, Chardonnay). But its definitely a mistake to put this baby in a corner. One of the worlds most versatile grape varieties, its understandable that this workhorse could be overlooked or misunderstood in the sea of options available. But, like all celebrated varieties, the best ones shine in greatness. Their distinct characteristics and penchant for reflecting both terroir and technique rise like few others. Originating from Frances Loire Valley, Chenin Blanc now thrives globally, especially within the winelands of South Africa, where the grape dates to 1655. The grape exhibits a masterful ability to showcase bright acidity, ripe fruit flavors, complex textures, and a distinct connection to terroir. Related: How to Find the Best Wines From South Africa But what makes Chenin Blanc such a powerhouse is its capacity to span a multitude of styles, from fresh and fruity or crisp, mineral-driven expressions to full-bodied, oak-influenced wines and beyond, and at surprisingly accessible prices. The range of styles can be driven by climate and site-specific nuances, or molded to suit diverse palates. Ready to ditch the expected? Explore all this dynamic variety has to offer, and why it deserves a permanent place in your wine stash. Here are four styles of Chenin Blanc and a dozen bottle recommendations to match, inspired by the Chardonnay you might already adore. Rich and Creamy Food & Wine / Ken Forrester Wines, Simonsig Family Vineyards If you cherish the buttery, toasty richness of a California Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc can deliver a similar experience in oak-aged expressions. Look for wines from warmer climates that were fermented and spent some serious time in oak, often labeled as wooded Chenin Blanc, which augments the grapes orchard-fruit tones and supple texture with hints of vanilla, toasted nuts, and baking spice. South Africas Stellenbosch region can yield opulent Chenin Blancs of this nature, like Simonsigs Chenin Avec Chene (with wood) or Ken Forresters The FMC, named for the wines collaborators (Forrester Meinert Chenin), but colloquially referred to as something far more colorful (hint: it rhymes with ducking mind-blowing Chenin). Both showcase creamy layers, rich wood tones, and luxurious mouthfeels, yet each still retains the grapes signature acidity. Mineral-Driven Elegance Food & Wine / Chateau de Villeneuve, Alheit's Vineyards, Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines, Domaine Guiberteau For fans of Chablis or lightly oaked Chardonnay from exalted appellations, lean into Chenins crisp, mineral-driven expressions from a range of terroirs around the world. In France, consider the Loire Valleys Savennieres or Anjou regions, where the grape thrives in soils rich with schist, slate, or limestone. Saumur Blancs, like those from Domaine Guiberteau or Chateau de Villeneuve, offer laser-like precision, zesty citrus notes, and pronounced minerality, all without breaking the bank. For South African single-site selections that speak of varied soil types in a way that would make even the most devout Burgundy fan swoon, seek out any of Mullineuxs single-site Chenins Granite, Iron, and Schist from Swartland. They zero in on the appellations primary yet distinctively diverse soil types. Or choose Alheits variety of expressions sourced from unique sites across the Cape Winelands. Related: Chenin Blanc A Guide to the Basics Bright and Fruity Food & Wine / Beaumont, LEcole N 41, Raats Family Wines Not everyone needs a big, flashy wine. Those who enjoy juicy, vibrant, and fruit-forward Chardonnays from regions like Oregon or Carneros may appreciate Chenin Blanc when wood is left out of the vinification mix. South African classics, such as the Raats Original Unoaked Chenin Blanc from Stellenbosch and Beaumont Chenin Blanc from Walker Bay, excel at this style. They offer pronounced flavors of ripe pear, yellow apple, and tropical pineapple that are balanced by lively acidity for a refreshing palate and mouthwatering finish. In the U.S., Washington State has worked with the grape for more than 75 years, though plantings have diminished significantly over the last few decades. A stalwart? LEcole No. 41, which has produced its old-vine, snappy and aromatic unoaked Chenin Blanc since 1987. Related: 13 Best Washington State Wineries to Visit Sparkling Brilliance Food & Wine / Chateau Pierre-Bise, Domaine Arnaud Lambert, Ken Forrester Wines For bubbly lovers of blanc de blancs Champagne, or other Chardonnay-based sparkling wines, Chenin is a hidden gem. The grapes natural high acidity makes it perfect for exceptional sparkling wines, particularly in the Loire Valley and South Africa, with crisp bubbles, green apple freshness, and a touch of brioche. In the Loire, Chardonnay can be added to the mix, but many Cremant de Loire selections showcase Chenin as the primary variety, including Chateau Pierre-Bise Brut, now crafted exclusively from the grape, and Arnaud Lamberts Chateau de Breze Brut. In South Africa, the top name in the sparkling game is Methode Cap Classique, or MCC, a traditional-method sparkling wine style often made with classic Champagne varieties (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier). There are a handful of uniquely South African MCC sparklers made from Chenin, though they can be tricky to find stateside. If youre ready for a hunt, track down Sparklehorse Brut to send you off to the races. Read the original article on Food & Wine The Cronut is a tough act to follow, but the creator of that iconic dessert, Chef Dominique Ansel, is up for the challenge. He recently opened a new bakery, Papa d'Amour. Nestled in Manhattans Union Square neighborhood, his latest concept showcases a fusion of French and Taiwanese baking techniques, including treats like a Kurobuta Hot Dog Spiral, a Black Sesame Jam Jar mousse cake, and a Pretzel Salt Egg Tart. Ansel was inspired to open Papa dAmour (which means loving papa in French) with the realization that he wanted his children, who are both French and Taiwanese, to feel a connection to the cuisine of both cultures. "Theres this third culture they have. They are American, French, and Taiwanese," Ansel says. As a result, Papa DAmour is somewhat of a departure from his other locations, offering a menu that is a mix of both sweet and savory with offerings like sandwiches served on his signature fresh shokupan (fluffy and flaky Japanese milk bread) loaves. At Papa DAmour, there's a little something for everyone, and just like his other bakeries, expect seasonally shifting flavors and surprises. The space itself is bright and inviting, decorated in Ansels signature shades of warm yellow and orange, and complete with a merch table full of Ansels books and Papa Damour merch. The line was five hours long on opening day (with no signs of dying down soon), so wear your comfy shoes! During my visit to the shop a few days before the grand opening, I tried as much as I could from the pastry case without hurting myselfall for the sake of journalism, of course. Heres the full rundown of what I got to taste. What's On The Menu At Papa d'Amour? Kurobuta Hot Dog Spiral ($8.50) With laminated brioche dough wrapped around ginger-garlic sticky rice and topped with honey-soy-glazed hot dog slices, this one was by far the most original 'dogs Ive ever seen. It's the perfect snack for sharing during a long day of sightseeing in Manhattan. Pretzel Salt Egg Tart ($4.50) A cross between a Portuguese custard tart and a Chinese egg tart with a hint of lemon zest and a pretzel salt-studded sable crust, it's served with a little puddle of brown butter on top. While I promptly spilled it on my favorite jeans, I enjoyed the tart no less. The slightly eggy flavor made me think this would be the ideal morning sweet treat with a cup of coffee. Cocoa-Paille ($7.50) Ansels take on a Chocopie, a popular Asian packaged dessert, features marshmallow-covered dark chocolate ganache sandwiched with laminated chocolate brioche and rolled in crunchy chocolate sprinkles. Taro Mochi Lace Batter Donut ($7.50) This deep-fried ring of taro dough is filled with vanilla mochi and guava jam. I dont think this is the last well see of the taro donut. This Is The Menu Item You Can't Miss So, do any of these treats measure up to the original Cronut? Of the four creations I tried, the Taro Mochi Lace Batter Donut was the true standout. Theres a reason its listed first on the menu. Made with notoriously temperamental taro dough and stuffed with vanilla mochi and strawberry-guava jam, Ansel cited it as the most difficult to develop on the menu. The freshly fried taro dough turns into a lacey crown on top of each donut ring, creating a look that is as visually stunning as it is shatteringly crisp. The delicate outer layer gives way to a chewy mochi and jam center, creating an impossibly long pull that rivals the meltiest cheese. But I must warn you, as Ansel warned me, you should bite into this donut, rather than tearing the layers apart. Otherwise, you'll lose the precious fried, lacy bits. The contrasting textures keep you coming back for bite after bite. Ansel worked hard enough to bring the treat to life, but he's not stopping there. His dream is to serve every single one of them fresh from the fryer. "Theyre good cold, but (they are) so much better when warm," Ansel says. My Honest Review Of Papa d'Amour If you previously found some of Ansel's Cronut flavors to be too sweet, then you'll enjoy everything that's on offer at Papa d'Amour. When discussing how he came up with some of the delicate Asian soup-inspired flavors for the jam jar pastries, Ansel gave me a very simple explanation. "I dont like sugar. I like sweet things, but I dont like sugar. Too much sugar for me is overwhelming. If you [dont] focus on the flavor, sugar can behave just like salttoo much and thats all youll taste." You read that correctlythis world-renowned pastry chef and creator of some of the most innovative desserts Ive ever seendoesnt like sugar. Instead of cloying sweetness, hes chasing deep, well-developed flavorand thats exactly what takes his confections to the next level. With that in mind, the Croissant Bao, Scallion Basil Blossom (made with Thai basil!), Almond Jam Jar, and Crispy Shrimp Sando are at the top of my must-try list for my inevitable return. Despite the popularity of his Cronutand the inevitable fervor of the Taro DonutAnsels goal is never to fabricate a viral moment. "I create based on memories, emotions, and connection with people. I want to live a life where I create to give to people to make them happy, please them, and surprise them. I dont create food to go viral. No one should." You Might Also Like By Jack Queen and Mike Scarcella (Reuters) -President Donald Trump is free to bar the Associated Press from some White House media events for now, after a U.S. appeals court on Friday paused a lower court ruling mandating that AP journalists be given access. The divided ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit temporarily blocks an order by U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, who ruled on April 8 that the Trump administration must allow AP journalists access to the Oval Office, Air Force One and White House events while the news agency's lawsuit moves forward. The 2-1 ruling was written by U.S. Circuit Judge Neomi Rao, joined by fellow Trump appointee U.S. Circuit Judge Gregory Katsas. Rao wrote that the lower court injunction "impinges on the Presidents independence and control over his private workspaces" and that the White House was likely to ultimately defeat the Associated Press' lawsuit. The Associated Press in a statement said it was disappointed by the decision and weighing its options. Trump in a statement on his social media platform Truth Social called the D.C. Circuit order a "Big WIN over AP today." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in a statement on X said the Associated Press "is not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in other sensitive locations." She said the White House "will continue to expand access to new media." In a dissent, Circuit Judge Cornelia Pillard, an appointee of President Barack Obama, said her two colleagues' ruling cannot be squared with "any sensible understanding of the role of a free press in our constitutional democracy." The AP sued in February after the White House restricted the news outlets access over its decision to continue referring to the Gulf of Mexico in its coverage despite Trump renaming the body of water the Gulf of America. The AP's lawyers argued the new policy violated the First Amendment of the Constitution, which protects free speech rights. McFadden, who was appointed by Trump during his first term, said in his ruling that if the White House opens its doors to some journalists it cannot exclude others based on their viewpoints. Trump administration lawyers said the president has absolute discretion over media access to the White House and that McFaddens ruling infringed on his ability to decide whom to admit to sensitive spaces. The Constitution does not prohibit the President from considering a journalists prior coverage in evaluating how much access he will grant that journalist, lawyers for the administration said in a court filing. On April 16, the AP accused the Trump administration of defying the court order by continuing to exclude its journalists from some events and then limiting access to Trump for all news wires, including Reuters and Bloomberg. Reuters and the AP both issued statements denouncing the new policy, which puts wire services in a larger rotation with about 30 other newspaper and print outlets. Other media customers, including local news organizations that have no presence in Washington, rely on the wire services' real-time reports of presidential statements as do global financial markets. The AP says in its stylebook that the Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years and, as a global news agency, the AP will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen. (Reporting by Jack Queen in New York and Mike Scarcella in Washington; Editing by Amy Stevens, Bill Berkrot, David Gregorio and Diane Craft) President Donald Trump speaks at a roundtable in the State Dining Room at the White House on June 5 in Washington, DC. - Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images The Trump administration is preparing to cancel a large swath of federal funding for California, an effort that could begin as soon as Friday, according to multiple sources. Agencies are being told to start identifying grants the administration can withhold from California. Sources said the administration is specifically considering a full termination of federal grant funding for the University of California and California State University systems. No taxpayer should be forced to fund the demise of our country, White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement Friday afternoon, criticizing California for its energy, immigration and other policies. No final decisions, however, on any potential future action by the Administration have been made, and any discussion suggesting otherwise should be considered pure speculation. Singling out one state for massive cuts would be an unusual move, but President Donald Trump has long made Democratic-led California a target. Just last month, he threatened to withhold federal funding from California over a transgender athletes participation in a sporting event the latest example of the president trying to use funding as leverage to enact his agenda. The administration recently cut $126.4 million in flood prevention funding projects, and Trump repeatedly went after the states handling of devastating wildfires earlier this year. The president and California Gov. Gavin Newsom have also publicly feuded for years. Two sources said that the administration is targeting California universities over alleged antisemitism on campus, an issue the schools have made efforts to address over the past year. The administration has already taken steps to punish Harvard and Columbia universities for similar reasons. The UC system is the states third largest employer, and both systems are major engines of research in the biotechnology and medical fields, among others. It is unclear how the school systems plan to fight back, though it is possible they could be represented by the states attorney general, Rob Bonta, a Democrat. CNN has reached out to Bontas office, the UC system and the CSU system for comment. California Rep. Zoe Lofgren, the top Democrat on the Science, Space and Technology Committee, said, Trump is a bully. Weve now heard from sources that he may be intending to cut grants to California because we didnt vote for him and were Democratically inclined. I will fight back on this. This will be immediately challenged in court. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, another California Democrat, said: Whatever cruel crusade the President may announce against California, we will fight back. Californias state legislature appropriated $25 million in its budget for efforts to fight Trump administration policies and has spent only approximately $5 million of that so far, a source said. GOP Rep. Darrell Issa of California, who said he was unaware of the imminent grant cancellations, told CNN he recently met with university representatives who were concerned about the future of their funding. Every university, every research organization, pretty much I saw them passing through here the last two days, Issa said. Issa told CNN his message to the fearful university representatives was, Were going to advocate for essentials, but I sent them back and said come to me with specifics. Come to me with the grant and the justification, and Ill advocate for that. But Im not going to advocate for no cuts; you just get more money every year. Thats how we got in this problem. This story has been updated with additional information. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com B. BOISSONNET / BSIP "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Having to swallow a huge pill every day is the worst part of taking your daily vitamins. Not only can it make taking supplements unappealing, but also just plain tiring. Enter: vitamin patches. Companies like Barriere , The Good Patch , and Alan have introduced chic sticker vitamins that you can wear on your skin. The idea is that they can be absorbed into your bloodstream through your skin, but experts arent sure theyre effective. Meet the experts: Austin Shuxiao, MD, is an internal medicine physician and the founder and medical director of PeachIV, a New York City-based company for home IV treatments. Paul Daidone, MD, is an internal medicine physician and the medical director at True Self Recovery, an Arkansas-based substance abuse rehabilitation center. For the most part, our skin acts as a barrier to keep most substances out, like vitamins, says internal medicine physician Austin Shuxiao, MD, founder and medical director of home IV treatment brand PeachIV. Those substances include vitamins. But vitamin patches also contain enhancing substances, like ethanol, which temporarily increase skin permeability so the vitamins can be absorbed, he adds. Below, doctors explain how vitamin patches compare to oral supplements, and whether they make sense to use. Are vitamin patches as effective as oral supplements? The jury is still out, experts say. While our skin is a protective barrier, the gut was designed to absorb as many nutrients as possible, like water- and fat-soluble vitamins, says Dr. Shuxiao. Plus, there is plenty of research showing how effectively vitamins are absorbed in the gut, while the research around transdermal, or skin-absorbed, patches is limited and inconclusive, stresses internal medicine physician Paul Daidone, MD, the medical director at True Self Recovery. For instance, a 2019 study in Obesity Surgery compared the use of vitamin patches versus oral vitamins in patients who had undergone gastric bypass surgery over 12 months. Fourteen out of the 17 patients in the patch group had at least one vitamin deficiency, compared to 11 out of 27 patients in the pill group. About 81 percent of the patch group had a vitamin D deficiency, while the pill group had 36 percent. Plus, the patch group had statistically significant lower concentrations of vitamin B1 and B12 than the pill group. How much your body absorbs from these vitamin patches is highly dependent on how the patch is made (including the material of the patch and the dose of vitamin), an individuals skin, and where on the body you place the patch, Dr. Daidone adds. Patches stick more successfully to thin-skinned spots with an abundance of blood supply, like the inner wrist, upper arm, lower back, or behind the ear, he says, while ineffective spots include the soles of your feet or areas where hair would prevent the patch from sticking properly. Additionally, some types of vitamins absorb better into the skin than others. Patches with fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, E, and K, are more likely to be absorbed in the skin, compared to water-soluble vitamins, which need certain proteins to aid absorption that are not found in the skin, Dr. Daidone says. The gut, on the other hand, contains these proteins and is capable of absorbing both fat- and water-soluble vitamins, making oral supplements more effective, says Dr. Shuxiao. Who should use vitamin patches? First, chat with your doctor to determine whether you have any vitamin deficiencies, Dr. Daidone says. If you do, then you can discuss whether vitamin patches are the best option. For most people, a vitamin patch is unnecessary, and they are better off getting their nutrients through food or an oral supplement, adds Dr. Shuxiao. He only recommends vitamin patches for those who are unable to swallow pills or people with gut issues that prevent absorption. Even then, IV or injection treatments are still better options because these methods guarantee absorption into the bloodstream, he says. But if those options arent available or are too costly, vitamin patches might be suitable. How should I use vitamin patches? If you opt to try vitamin patches, follow the instructions on the packaging. Youll typically place a patch on clean, dry, and hairless skin, such as the inside of the wrist, and leave it on for the indicated time, which is usually eight to 12 hours, says Dr. Daidone. Many patches may be worn every day , while others are meant to be worn every other day , depending on the brand. Dr. Shuxiao recommends switching up where you place patches to avoid skin irritation. And dont worry about using your vitamin patches in conjunction with foodunlike with many oral supplements, vitamin patches dont need to be taken with food since they are not tied to gut absorption, Dr. Shuxiao says. So while vitamin patches can be a useful and trendy alternative to oral supplements, its unclear how effective they are, and shouldnt be your first line of defense if you have a vitamin deficiency. If youre unsure, ask a doctor whether vitamin patches are safe for you to use. You Might Also Like Image Credit: Shutterstock. Florida has long been a beloved summer vacation destination for families every single summer. Between the theme parks and beaches, Florida really heats up in the summer as families flock to the Sunshine State with some R&R. If youre looking for a summer getaway that offers natural beauty, space-age excitement, and plenty of free things to do, Floridas Space Coast might be your perfect match. From rocket launches to glowing lagoons and sea turtle nesting, this 72-mile stretch of Atlantic coastline delivers memorable experiences for every type of traveler without draining your wallet. Bioluminescent Kayaking: Natures Nightlight Show One of the most unforgettable adventures on the Space Coast happens after dark. During the warm summer months, the Indian River Lagoon and Banana River become glowing waterways, thanks to bioluminescent plankton that light up with each paddle stroke. The phenomenon peaks from June through September, and tour operators across Titusville, Cocoa Beach, and Merritt Island offer guided excursions. Its a great activity for families, couples, and anyone looking to experience natures magic firsthand. Sea Turtle Nesting: A Rare Coastal Encounter From May through August, some of the worlds most beloved marine creatures return to the shores of the Space Coast to nest. The Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, which is considered one of the most important nesting sites in the Western Hemisphere, offers guided nighttime turtle walks. Visitors might see loggerhead, green, and even the occasional leatherback turtle laying eggs on the sand, which can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for anyone of any age. These ranger-led experiences fill up quickly and offer a rare, respectful glimpse into a remarkable natural event. Rocket Launches: Free Front-Row Access Have you ever wanted to watch a spacecraft lift off in person? Well, this summer, you can do it from the comfort of your beach towel. The Space Coast is the only place in the U.S. where you can watch a rocket launch from the sand. Keep an eye on the launch schedule from Kennedy Space Center or SpaceX and plan your trip accordingly. Jetty Park, Playalinda Beach, and the Max Brewer Bridge are some of the best public viewing spots, offering unobstructed views, and theyre all either free or inexpensive to access. Cocoa Beach Days and Surf Culture No trip to the Space Coast would be complete without at least one lazy beach day. Cocoa Beach is the areas most iconic seaside town, with wide sandy beaches, gentle waves, and a welcoming vibe. Spend the day surfing, bodyboarding, or fishing off the Cocoa Beach Pier. Dont forget to pop into Ron Jon Surf Shop, a 24-hour landmark thats part store, part tourist attraction. Pack a picnic and stay for the sunset; its one of the best ways to wind down after a day of exploring. Wildlife Encounters: From Refuges to Zoos Nature lovers will find plenty to enjoy beyond the beach. The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge spans 140,000 acres and is home to over 1,500 species, including manatees, bald eagles, and alligators. The Black Point Wildlife Drive offers a scenic loop that can be enjoyed from your car, ideal for hot or rainy days. For a more hands-on experience, head to the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, where guests can kayak through animal exhibits or feed giraffes. With affordable admission and a strong conservation mission, its a top choice for families. Port Canaveral and Cruise Fun Port Canaveral is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world, but you dont have to book a cruise to enjoy what it has to offer. The Cove at Port Canaveral is a waterfront area with restaurants, bars, shops, and live music. Its a relaxing place to dine outdoors and watch massive cruise ships come and go. For those setting sail, pre- or post-cruise stays in Cocoa Beach or Cape Canaveral make logistics easy. Free and Low-Cost Events and Activities Summer on the Space Coast also means outdoor concerts, art walks, food festivals, and a variety of cultural events. Many are free to attend and perfect for travelers on a budget. Downtown Melbourne and Historic Cocoa Village host regular events, and the Eau Gallie Arts District (EGAD) is a hotspot for live music, gallery openings, and creative pop-ups. Check local calendars for weekly and seasonal events so you can catch something unique while you're in town. Final Tips for Planning Your Visit For the best experience, plan ahead. Reserve spots for turtle walks or bioluminescent tours early, as they tend to sell out. Bring water shoes, sunscreen, and insect repellent for your outdoor adventures, and dont forget your binoculars for wildlife viewing or launch spotting. Many attractions are just a short drive apart, so its easy to build a varied itinerary over a few days. With so much to do for free or at a low cost, the Space Coast is a hidden gem for summer travelers who want to make memories without overspending. WASHINGTON A divided Supreme Court on June 6 said Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency can have complete access to the data of millions of Americans kept by the U.S. Social Security Administration. The court paused a judges order blocking DOGE from immediately getting broad access to the data which include s Social Security numbers, medical and mental health information, tax return information and citizenship records. The court's three liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson disagreed with that decision. "The Government wants to give DOGE unfettered access to this personal, non-anonymized information right now before the courts have time to assess whether DOGEs access is lawful," Jackson wrote in a dissent joined by Sotomayor. "In essence, the `urgency' underlying the Government's stay application is the mere fact that it cannot be bothered to wait for the litigation process to play out before proceeding as it wishes." Jackson said the court has "truly lost its moorings" when deciding what's worthy of emergency intervention and may be showing preferential treatment for the administration. "It says, in essence, that although other stay applicants must point to more than the annoyance of compliance with lower court orders they don't like," she wrote, "the Government can approach the courtroom bar with nothing more than that and obtain relief from this Court nevertheless." In a brief and unsigned decision, the majority said access is warranted now because the courts are likely to ultimately decide that DOGE can have the information. A delay would harm the administration's reorganization efforts and not be in the public's interest, the majority wrote. In March, U.S. District Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander of Maryland said DOGE was intruding on "the personal affairs of millions of Americans" in a fishing expedition thats based on little more than suspicion. Hollander limited DOGEs access to the information while the courts assess the legality of the Trump administrations actions. The administration argued the judge overstepped, viewing DOGE staffers as the equivalent of intruders breaking into hotel rooms rather than as employees trying to modernize the agency's technology and root out waste as DOGE officials said they intended to do. District courts should not be able to wield the Privacy Act to substitute their own view of the governments 'needs for that of the President and agency heads, Solicitor General John Sauer told the Supreme Court in an emergency appeal. DOGE has sought access to multiple agencies as part of its mission to hunt for wasteful spending and dramatically overhaul the federal government. Musk has falsely claimed that millions of Americans who are deceased are still receiving Social Security checks. Tesla CEO Elon Musk attends a Cabinet meeting at the White House on March 24, 2025. Two labor unions and an advocacy group sued the SSA after DOGE began digging into personal data. They told the Supreme Court justices they shouldnt intervene because the administration hadn't shown an emergency need to access data beyond what the district judge allowed. In addition to overseeing Social Security benefits for retirees and disabled people, the Social Security Administration helps administer programs run by other agencies, including Medicare and Medicaid. A divided federal appeals court on April 30 rejected the Trump administrations request to block the district judges order. U.S. Circuit Judge Robert King of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Richmond, Virginia, said the government hadnt shown a need for unfettered access to the highly sensitive personal information that the American people had every reason to believe would be fiercely protected. DOGEs mission can be largely accomplished through anonymized and redacted data, which is the usual way the agency has handled technology upgrades and fraud detection, he wrote. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supreme Court lets DOGE access Social Security data for now Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refuted President Donald Trump's characterization of the war between Russia and Ukraine when he likened the countries to "two young people fighting like crazy" and saying "sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while." In an exclusive interview airing Sunday on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," co-anchor Martha Raddatz asked Zelenskyy if Trump "is getting the message" of suffering in Ukraine based on his Oval Office remarks. Office of the President of Ukraine - PHOTO: The full interview between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Martha Raddatz, co-anchor of This Week with George Stephanopoulos, will air on Sunday morning on This Week. "We are not kids with Putin at the playground in the park," Zelenskyy said Friday. "He is a murderer who came to this park to kill the kids." MORE: Following peace talks, Zelenskyy says Ukraine will continue attacks unless Russia halts offensive Zelenskyy described the "limitless" pain of a Ukrainian father who lost his wife and three children in a missile strike. The man's words to Zelenskyy were "different" than how officials talk about loss, the Ukrainian leader said. "He wasn't mentioning any statistics or figures and numbers of strikes." "He just said, 'Every morning when I wake up, I'm just looking for my family -- I'm looking everywhere in the flat ... I still feel that it was a nightmare a bad dream,'" Zelenskyy said the man told him. ABC News - PHOTO: The full interview between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Martha Raddatz, co-anchor of This Week with George Stephanopoulos, will air on Sunday morning on This Week. Trump "could not feel fully and understand this pain," Zelenskyy said. "And it's not about President Trump, it's about any person who is not here in the country, who is some thousands of miles away -- [they] cannot feel fully and understand this pain," he said. The Ukrainian president told Raddatz that 631 Ukrainian children have died in the war, and that Russia often targets civilians in its offensive. In a recent study, the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated between 60,000 and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died in the war, and as many as 250,000 Russian troops have died from the fighting. by Steve Szilagyi The year was 1960. Kennedy, U-2, the Twist. Our family now included two parents and nine children. The house was too small for us. Our father searched the inner-ring suburbs for something bigger. He got a deal on an enormous house nobody else seemed to want. The seller was an Italian-American grocery magnate. He was willing to let it go for a handful of cash. The Neighborhood The surrounding neighborhood was as suburban fantasy land , built in the 1910s and 20s for wealthy urbanites with literary tastesSir Walter Scott, Thomas Hardy, Jane Austen. Cotswold cottages, Tudor manors, and Georgian palaces lined the streets, nestled among mature trees and manicured lawns. Our new house, though, was no Austen idyll. It was pure Charles Addams: dark, brooding, with lancet arches and steep gabled roofs. Heavy chimneys loomed over a dour brick facade. An earthen bridge spanned a ravine with a shallow creek (pronounced crick in our part of the world) to reach the front door. Unlike some haunted houses, 2910 Berkeley Boulevard did not have a deceptively benign presentation. It laid its dark, heavy essence on you at first glance. Exploration Deed in hand, my father piled us into the station wagon to let us explore our new home. We tumbled out of the tailgate and swarmed over the property: a childs paradise. Woods to explore; a creek to splash in; and a salamander under every rock. Inside, we raced up and down the grand staircase. Tested the banister for slide-ability (too wobbly). And fought over who would get what bedroom. Further upstairs, we found the old servants quarters. More bedrooms. A ballroom lined with benches. And an ominous closet. The Shrine in the Cellar With no carpets or furniture to constrain us, we rampaged through the living room, dining room, and kitchen until someone called out from the basement. Narrow wooden steps descended into a utilitarian underworld presided over by a growling furnace. We briefly poked our noses bare larders and laundry rooms, but just as we prepared to retreat upstairs, someone noticed a room wed overlookeddark and doorless. An older brother stepped inside and yanked the light cord. The bare bulb swung over a garish religious tableau. Crucifixes, medals, holy cards, and scapulars adorned every wall. Framed pictures of Jesus, Mary, and various saints tilted at odd angles beside them. On the floor, statues of the Assumption and the Infant of Prague bristled with ropes of medals and glittering rosaries. A faint odor of incense lingered in the stagnant air. Cheap Horror Trope We were Catholic. We attended Catholic school. We knew the paraphernalia of devotion intimately. But this exceeded all bounds of reasonable piety. I backed out of that room and bounded upstairs, grateful for air and light. Today wed recognize the cheap horror trope, but this was long before The Exorcist, so we puzzled over the sacred display with genuine bewilderment. Why had someone sealed this obscure basement room with religious kitsch? A Sad History Over subsequent decades, we gradually pieced together the story of 2910 from neighbors recollections, newspaper archives, and eventually the internet. The house had been built in 1925 by a successful bank executive as an anniversary surprise for his wife, complete with a mother-in-law suite. But the wife never warmed to the place, adding tension to an already shaky marriage. Nonetheless, the trio moved in, and 1920s newspapers recorded the society events, benefits, and card parties held in the houses grand social spaces. When the mother-in-law died upstairs in her suite, her coffin was placed in the living room for the funeral service. Then came the Depression. The bank failed. The owner lost everything, including his wife, who left him. One day, he descended those wooden steps into the basement of the house and killed himself in that little room. What Lingered We are not certain who went on to pile that room with sacred bric-a-brac. But we could guess why. My father (commercial artist-advertising) made short work of the pious display. He was a modern Catholic Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton with no patience for the folkloric side of the faith. He turned the suicide room into a darkroom where he could develop film and get away from his noisy kids. However, removing the shrine did not quieten the house. Some might say it loosed whatever had been contained in that room. Or had been lying dormant in our little heads. Attic Noises My younger brother and I claimed a bedroom in the attic, adjacent to the ballroom. I was a chronic insomniac, reading deep into the nights dark watches. Sometimes, when the house settled into silence, I heard noises from the ballroom through our shared wallsounds that frightened me precisely because I couldnt identify their source. One night, Id had enough. I crept from bed and entered the ballroom, feeling my way to the center of the darkness before pulling the light string. The noise emanated from the closet doors, where something seemed to be pushing gently from within, causing the latch to rattle. As I stood transfixed, the latch fell open, the doors parted, and a chill breeze swept past me. Footsteps My older sister had the room next to ours. She was also a late night reader. She told me about the footsteps. Someone going up and down the attic stairs. Right outside bedroom doors. Dont you hear them? Late at night? she asked. No, I said. I hear them all the time. Someone walking very slowly, one step at a time. Sometimes it runs. Did you go to see who it was? I did. But there was no one there. Kitchen Voices One of our younger brothers who slept on the second floor says he was often wakened by voices downstairs in the kitchen or living room. Hed go down. But the lights would be out and nobody there. One night, he heard a full-out party going on, with shrieking laughter and clinking glasses. Getting out of bed, he went to the top of the stairs, where the sounds abruptly stopped. Below, our fathers aquarium bubbled in the dark foyer. Visitors and Figures This staircase and foyer might have served as the set for an English country house mystery. Bedroom doors opened onto an upper gallery beside a Gothic lantern chandelier, with banisters framing the space like a theater balcony. Strange figures were spotted on these stairs, usually by friends and visitors rather than family members. Theyd venture to the kitchen for refreshments and return asking, Who was that man I saw going upstairs? or reporting, I felt someone brush past me as I was coming down. Guests seeking the first-floor bathroom would glance up through the banister spindles and glimpse a solid-looking person in dated clothing. But before they could process what theyd seen, the figure would vanish. One school day, my youngest brother was home sick the only kid in the house. He was startled to hear someone come through the front door and thunder up the stairs. In a panic, he ran into the kitchen and alarmed my mother. She called the police, and they went outside to wait. The police car came over the driveway bridge. The officers got out and searched the house and found nothing. The oldest of the two cops gazed sadly down into the ravine. I been to this house before, he said. Years ago. Creek flooded. Little boy drowned down there. I remember pulling him out. Brief Leap Ahead With that officers comment in mind, let me jump forward a decade or so To when the house had passed on to one of my younger brothers, who went on to raise his own boisterous family there. Hed often hear his preschool-age son talking aloud to someone when he was playing alone. Imaginary playmate, his father thought. One night, he (or his wife, I forget which) saw the boy having an animated conversation with someone while sitting in the toilet in the second floor bathroom. Who are you talking to? the parent asked. The boy. What boy? That boy right there, he said, with annoyance, pointing at the empty air. Later in his years there, this brother was the only one of us to encounter a classic transparent specter. Alone in the house one afternoon, he was carrying a basket of laundry along the upper gallery, when he felt a great sense of unease. Turning, he saw a pale figure emerge from the far doorway. As he tells it, he dropped the laundry and fled down the stairs and out of the house in full cartoon panic. But to step back again, to when to when the house contained our whole family, along with our dogs and cats and crochets Uncle Festers Bed My parents slept in separate rooms. My mother took the suite where the bankers mother-in-law had died. It had a lovely stone fireplace and view of the woods next door. For years, my mother had been charitably supporting a distant relative who couldnt hold a job. Lets call him Uncle Fester. A capable carpenter, but moody and given to abrupt outbursts of anger. After he died, my mother decided she liked his bed. The carved wooden balusters. The bed he died in. She brought it to the house and placed it across from the fireplace in her bedroom. One night she was awakened by a loud thump. It sounded like a full garbage bag dropping to the floor. Once. Twice. Three times. She sat up in bed. A low whistle sounded in the room. Coming closer. I knew it was Uncle Fester, she said later. Go away, Fes, she said in the direction of the whistle. There was silence. Then an ear-splitting scream from the pits of Gehenna. Inches away from her face. She told this story often, with plainness and precision. Like someone giving testimony in court. Uncle Fester never returned. But she kept the bed. Learning to cope with the swirl of muttering entities he left in his wake. One night I just got out of bed, stood in the middle of the room and shouted, Be quiet, all of you!' Words we had all, at one time or another, longed to speak in that household. The House Is Left Behind The fate of 2910 Berkeley Boulevard after it left our family is mysterious in its own way. The house was purchased in 2000 by a successful entrepreneur and his executive wife. They lived there less than a year before relocating to Delaware. A quarter of a century later, they are still the owners of record. Paying taxes and having someone come by occasionally to do basic maintenance. But no ones ever seen them there. They have never rented the place. And never put it up for sale, though they could get twice what they paid for it today. My young nieces once snuck back and peeked through the windows. The furniture is covered with dust. Yellowing newspapers lay on the arms of chairs. The remains of a meal can be seen in the breakfast nook seemingly hastily abandoned. What Qualifies a Haunting? And there it stands to this day. Holding its secrets fast. I dont believe in ghosts myself. But lets suppose they are a thing. How does a house like that qualify for a haunting? Does it have to accumulate a set amount of death, sorrow and disappointed hopes? Is there a kind of spiritual thermostat in walls that senses a critical mass of despair, flips a switch, and then boo? Comparison Look at the statistics of our old house. We know that it hosted at least three deaths: one of natural causes, one suicide, and one drowning and whatever hitched a ride with Uncle Festers bed. Each incident was grievous for everyone involved. But was their collective gravity sufficient to stir the veil between worlds? My question is based on a strong point of comparison: I worked in a 100-year-old hospital for most of my adult life. Many thousands of people passed from life to death in that place. In all states of mind. From all causes. Including accident and suicide. Not to mention the drawers full of cadavers in the basement. Youd think those buildings would be swarming with the supernatural. Yet Ive walked the hospitals most drear corridors alone, at all times of the day and night, without feeling any sense of dread or spiritual tingle. Why does death stick to the walls of one place and dissolve in another? A house with a handful of tragedies gives you the willies. But a hospital that has hosted death for a century bustles along, serving humanity with the impersonal efficiency of a train station. There are no haunted houses, as the saying goes. Only haunted people. What went on at 2910 was obviously about the domestic drama. Parents and children were externalizing the considerable strains of being part of a large family. Later, the ghost stories went on to serve a purpose. Whenever we got together as adults, they were a shortcut back to the shared intimacy of childhood. In any case, its all far behind us now. My brothers and sisters are passing with me into old age. And death has begun to shrink our number. Epilogue Ghost stories are corny. I apologize for boring you. But something happened recently an astounding coincidence that compelled to to write this. It happened in the parking lot of my local Apple Store, one grey day last October. As I pulled in, the parking lot was nearly full. Only two spaces were left, directly adjacent to one another. Mine and another car pulled into the two spots, from opposite directions, at exactly the same moment. As I opened the door and got out, the other driver emerged. I was delighted to see that it was an old friend whom I hadnt spoken to in years. We greeted each other warmly and remarked on the coincidence. She seemed more taken aback than I was and I soon discovered the reason. Youre not going to believe this, she said, but I was thinking about you only this morning. Why might that be? I asked. As we walked toward the Apple Store, she told me that she and her husband were having their kitchen remodeled (they lived across town). A couple of plumbers had come in that morning to put in the faucet and sink. The plumbers were old-timers, experienced and well-recommended. My office is right next to the kitchen, she said, and I could hear them talking about working in old houses. Then about how spooky some of them were. Both of them agreed that the spookiest of all was that big old place on Berkeley Boulevard wasnt that where your family lived? Yes. They remembered how they felt like they were watched, even when no one was home. Footsteps. Theyd turn around and no one would be there. Sounds of furniture being moved, creaking on the stairs the whole haunted house thing. Oh, and one of them said he was working in the third floor bathroom, and he heard someone saying, hello? hello? in a frightened voice. Hed stand up and look around and still hear it hello? hello? like it was in the room with him. My friend had gone in and asked the plumbers some details and confirmed that it was indeed 2910 and that the plumbers knew nothing of its history or who lived there. As we stepped into the clean brightness of the Apple Store, she asked, What do you make of it all? I had no answer then, and I have no answer now. Just glad to be surrounded by glass, brushed-metal laptops, and the even glow of overhead lightsall of it reassuringly solid, logical, and present-tense. (Some details have been fudged to avoid doxxing the house.) Enjoying the content on 3QD? Help keep us going by donating now. A coalition of partners have signed-up to use the SX Tasman Express (SX-TX) subsea cable, which will laid between Sydney and Auckland. Southern Cross, Alcatel Submarine Networks and OMS Group will look to deliver 400 terabits of additional capacity across 16 fibre pairs for Southern Cross customers under the partnership. This project aims to strengthen the digital infrastructure and connectivity between Australia and New Zealand, improving the regional network backbone. The Tasman Express subsea cable system will include Open Cable System architecture that will be compatible with future generations of submarine line terminals and optimised latency to support next generation digital applications. The system design also includes ASN branching unit technology to facilitate an alternate Australian landing (subject to demand and final design confirmation). OMS Group, in partnership with ASN, will lead the marine installation using its latest fleet of vessels. by Fady Noun On the eve of the Eid al-Adha holiday, Israel launched one of its most impressive attacks. Aoun tried in vain to stop the military operation while Israels Defence Minister issued new threats. Hezbollah is using Iranian-style "slow diplomacy". Impatience is growing in Israel over US policies in the region. Beirut (AsiaNews) This is one of the largest waves of attacks carried out by Israel since 27 November 2023. Yesterday evening, the eve of the major Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, the Jewish state launched a series of strikes against Beiruts southern suburbs, targeting no fewer than four neighbourhoods and forcing residents to scram for safety. The stated targets were buildings whose basements are used to manufacture and store drones. Fortunately, the Israeli army had previously called for the evacuation of the affected neighbourhoods. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reached out to numerous contacts to prevent the strikes, stating that the Lebanese army would take over the five buildings designated as targets by the Israeli army spokesperson, but he met with a firm refusal. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz justified these strikes by stating that, Agreements must be respected, and if you don't do what's required we will continue to act with great force. The Lebanese president responded saying that these raids constituted indiscriminate attacks against all of Lebanon. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called them a flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a breach of Resolution 1701. Lebanon fears that these developments could harm a promising tourist season. Surrealistically, however, Thursday's raids did not disrupt air traffic at Beirut International Airport. A clear and direct message Israels escalation sends a "clear and direct message" to the Lebanese government, some observers note, over the slow pace of disarming Hezbollah. It also comes the day after a missile attack from southern Syria toward the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, an action claimed by a previously unknown group, the "Syrian Islamic Resistance, which has led some to believe that it has the hallmark of Hezbollah, given its very name, "Islamic Resistance." Regardless of this development, the warning is primarily addressed to President Joseph Aoun to uphold his commitment regarding the Lebanese state's monopoly on arms, which both Israel and the United States have demanded. For his part, the president explained the relative slowness of the process, saying that it was designed to avoid a confrontation between Shia militias and the army. Power in Lebanon is not autocratic like in Syria, and cannot be as effective, some people in high places explained, adding that the president only took office barely five months ago. Meanwhile, Hezbollah Hezbollah claims that while the dismantling of the party's positions south of the Litani River appears to be almost complete, with no fewer than 500 positions handed over to the army, there is no question of doing the same elsewhere, until Israel keeps its part of the bargain by stopping strikes and assassinations, releasing the Lebanese prisoners it is holding, and withdrawing from the five sites it has decided to keep as "observation points" inside Lebanese territory. If the argument is not entirely fallacious, the Shia movement might have drawn inspiration from the "slow-motion diplomacy practised by Iran in its nuclear discussions, which is also evident in the Lebanese decision to gradually disarm 12 Palestinian camps in Lebanon, starting 15 June. Taken in haste during the recent visit to Lebanon by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, this decision comes up against the refusal of factions such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, present in particular in Ain el-Helweh, near Saida, the largest camp in Lebanon, to comply with the directive of the Palestinian leader, whose authority they do not recognise. Israel's impatience Thursday's raids can also be explained, according to some, by a certain impatience on the part of Israel, which fears a reversal of US policy in the Middle East. In fact, in recent weeks, three US officials known for their closeness to Israel appear to have been sidelined from the Donald Trump administration: Merav Ceren, the National Security Council's senior official for Israel and Iran; Eric Trager, the senior official for the Middle East and North Africa; and, most importantly, Morgan Ortagus, the US envoy to Lebanon. In the Israeli press, the sidelining of this "hawk," who distinguished herself by her outspokenness and somewhat extreme positions, is deeply regretted. There are particular fears that, as the US president's foreign policy evolves, Ms Ortagus will be replaced by a more conciliatory figure. by Arundathie Abeysinghe The discovery was made thanks to the work of the Rubber Research Institute of Sri Lanka (RRISL). The global problem affects plants by delaying the production of the nutrients they need, impacting latex output. With the disease, yields drop by up to 40 per cent. The problem could get worse in the future. Colombo (AsiaNews) A team of researchers at the Rubber Research Institute of Sri Lanka (RRISL) has identified first in the world the fungus responsible for Colletotrichum tropicale, a disease (anthracnose) characteristic of plants found in tropical and subtropical areas. The fungus is a global problem that affects particularly rubber cultivation. After it develops, it delays the main function of the leaf which is to produce nutrients for the plant through photosynthesis, resulting in less latex production. Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) is one of Sri Lankas main cash crops with over 137,000 hectares under rubber cultivation, and represents one of its main sources of foreign exchange earnings. Production is concentrated in the districts of Kegalle, Ratnapura, Monaragala, Kalutara, Galle and Matara, which are among the most affected by the fungal blight. Researchers conducted laboratory tests by artificially infecting healthy leaves with the newly discovered fungi. The team that made the discovery included Sarojini Fernando of the Department of Plant Diseases and Microbiology at the RRISL, Anupama Daranagama of the University of Kelaniya, and Nadeeshani Abeyratne. The RRISL is the worlds first rubber research institute, founded in 1909, and one of Sri Lankas leading scientific institutes. According to the first studies on the subject, which date back to 1905, the causes of this blight have changed over time, shifting from the original Colletotrichum gloeosporioides to other forms of the disease that followed one another over time such as Colletotrichum citri, Colletotrichum nymphaeae, Colletotrichum laticiphilum and Colletotrichum siamense. RRISL researchers have identified the Colletotrichum tropicale as the main fungus responsible for this blight, and are convinced that their discovery could be crucial for future research aimed at controlling it. The Colletotrichum tropicale was identified in 2010 as an endophyte in Theobroma cacao leaves in Panama, Agriculture experts Sampath Alwis, Anuradha Wanigasekara and Miyuru Dissanayaka, told AsiaNews. Currently, it is widely reported among Colletotrichum species causing anthracnose in several cultivated as well as native plants worldwide, in both tropical and temperate regions and have the ability to grow within a temperature range of 10-35C. The fungus can significantly impact the leaves, reducing their photosynthetic efficiency, leading to a decline in rubber production. For this reason, it represents is a serious threat to the industry. In addition, the disease is worse in areas with high rainfall. In the last three or four years, it has seriously affected the health and delayed the growth of rubber plants, especially in traditional humid growing regions. So far, no country has developed an effective method to control the disease, which is prevalent even with good agricultural practices. The current situation echoes the coffee rust blight that wiped out plantations in Sri Lanka in the late 1800s. The issue needs to be immediately addressed as output has declined by nearly a third already in some rubber plantations and the industry is fast becoming unviable, the experts say. A recent study conducted by researchers from several universities in Sri Lanka shows that rubber yields are significantly lower in the wetland after the incidence of new leaf disease. The drop in yields has been estimated to be around 40 per cent, which could get worse, if the new leaf disease continues to infect the rubber plantations. by Vladimir Rozanskij A traditionally multicultural land, the peninsula seized by Moscow from Kiev in 2014 is now seeing everything that is not Russian systematically targeted. Although even the Moscow-linked authorities recognise three state languages on paper - Russian, Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar - education in native languages has almost completely disappeared from schools. Moscow (AsiaNews) - Russia's strategy in the occupied and annexed territories of Ukraine is to eliminate Ukrainian language and culture as much as possible, in a process of Russification and assimilation of local citizens. This aim is particularly evident in Crimea, which has been part of Russia since 2014. It is a land historically closely linked to Russia, but at the same time traditionally multicultural, and which also maintains strong ties with Ukraine itself. This was discussed on Radio Krym.Realii by Andrej Sekun, representative of the Kraevaja Rada of Crimean Ukrainians in exile, and Oleg Okhredko, expert at the Almenda Civil Education Centre, who participated in the drafting of a dossier on discrimination against Ukrainians in Crimea. In their opinion, the occupation of the peninsula has led to a systematic violation of international law and human rights. The Russians have almost completely banned groups of different nationalities from receiving education in their native language, something that was permitted under the Kiev government, despite the fact that the Russian authorities officially recognise three state languages: Russian, Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar. Sekun recalls that before the annexation, the spread of the Ukrainian language in schools was proposed without imposition and with gradual introduction, with a programme defined by the 2005 Ukrainian constitution, which established the introduction of external and independent assessment in language matters. All 600 schools in Crimea were guaranteed Ukrainian language and literature teachers, which were not provided for in Soviet times, despite the peninsula being part of the socialist republic of Kiev. In 2014, before the Maidan revolution, only seven of these schools had Ukrainian as the sole language of instruction for all subjects, while the others had separate classes for different language groups. Since the Russian annexation, however, a campaign has been launched at all levels to destroy everything Ukrainian, says Sekun, not only education, but also culture, religion and the media. The seven exclusively Ukrainian schools no longer exist, and in the others, teaching in Ukrainian has remained only optional. In fact, it has been eliminated, partly due to a lack of teachers and textbooks for Ukrainian language and literature. A similar situation can be found in the regions of Kherson, Zaporizhia, Donetsk and Luhansk. Furthermore, since the Ukrainian government did not have a sufficiently developed humanitarian policy in Crimea before 2014, the Russians have imposed a narrative that war is necessary where state support fails. Okhredko also confirms that since 2014 teacher training has been reduced to nothing and all schools have been organised according to Russian standards, effectively excluding subjects related to various nationalities, starting with Ukrainian. The situation has worsened since the start of the open war in 2022, with Ukrainian identity becoming the target of persecution using criminal methods. All assurances and declarations of respect for minorities are merely smoke and mirrors, and instead of the genocide of Russians that allegedly provoked the war, what is actually taking place is the genocide of the Ukrainian people. Not only in schools, but throughout Crimean society, books in Ukrainian are being eliminated, even collected from children's homes and then destroyed in demonstrations by the so-called Movement of the Firsts, the youth association to which the definition of Putin-Jugend applies. Experts are calling for the spread of the idea of a process of de-occupation and reintegration of Crimea, regardless of the outcome of the war, with humanitarian actions starting today for Crimean refugees in Ukraine and other countries, otherwise the consequences of this situation will be felt for a very long time, even if the territory of Crimea is regained, which is difficult to achieve but must be started today. Champion local news. Join our community of readers who value daily beat reporting and in-depth stories alike. Your membership allows us to continue the legacy of local, independent journalism in the Roaring Fork Valley. With your support, we can remain a free and accessible source of news for everyone, always without paywalls or corporate influence. Together, we can ensure that vital local stories are told. 6 June 2025 09:00 (UTC+04:00) Full digital access to all news for 1 year Full digital access to all news for 6 months Full digital access to all news for 3 months Full digital access to all news for 1 month Find the plan that suits you best. The 32% increase to $105.7 million in exports to Georgia is especially significant given Georgias role as Azerbaijans third-largest non-oil goods importer. It highlights the deepening commercial ties between these two neighboring countries, rooted in geographical proximity, shared interests, and a vision for mutual growth. Georgia, itself a growing economic hub in the South Caucasus region, benefits from this strengthened partnership, gaining access to a wider range of Azerbaijani products that enrich its markets and consumer choices. Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention. Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis. By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more. Subscribe You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper Thank you! 6 June 2025 17:35 (UTC+04:00) Full digital access to all news for 1 year Full digital access to all news for 6 months Full digital access to all news for 3 months Full digital access to all news for 1 month Find the plan that suits you best. From January to May 2024, Azerbaijan imported textile products worth $19.358 million from Turkiye, marking a 15.8% increase compared to the same period last year, according to the Turkish Exporters Assembly. Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention. Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis. By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more. Subscribe You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper Thank you! 6 June 2025 12:40 (UTC+04:00) Rovshan Najaf, President of the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), addressed the International Scientific-Practical Conference on "Environmental Aspects of Innovative Technologies in Hydrocarbon Field Development," held in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, Azernews reports. In his speech, Najaf discussed the key challenges at the intersection of energy, technology, and environmental sustainability. Najaf elaborated on the companys strategic target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, as well as its ongoing decarbonization initiatives. He highlighted SOCAR Greens renewable energy projects, low-carbon solutions, and efforts to monitor methane emissions through satellite observation technologies. Emphasizing Azerbaijans active role in the global fight against climate change, the SOCAR president noted that hosting the prestigious COP29 summit in Baku underscores the nations strong commitment to environmental issues. 6 June 2025 13:15 (UTC+04:00) On June 5, Nepals leading media outlet Nepalkhabar published an article titled Mines and Unexploded Ordnance: The Silent Threat in Post-War Azerbaijan. Authored by the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan accredited in both India and Nepal, the article aims to raise global awareness about the severe security, humanitarian, and developmental challenges Azerbaijan continues to face due to landmine contamination, Azernews reports. According to the article, since 1991, Armenian armed forces heavily mined the territories they occupied in Azerbaijan, including the Garabagh region and seven surrounding districts. As a result, Azerbaijan is now among the most mine-contaminated countries in the world. More than 13% of the national territory is affected, with an estimated 1.5 million landmines and unexploded ordnance remaining. The report underscores that this widespread contamination significantly hampers the safe return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the ongoing reconstruction and rehabilitation of liberated territories. Since the end of the Second Garabagh War, landmine explosions have killed or injured 397 Azerbaijani citizens. Despite repeated appeals from Azerbaijan for minefield maps, Armenia initially denied their existence. Only after sustained international pressure did it hand over maps, which turned out to cover only a fraction of mined areas and were merely 25% accurate. Alarmingly, more than 55% of recent mine incidents occurred outside the zones marked on these maps. The article highlights Azerbaijans extensive demining operations, public awareness campaigns, and victim support programs. The Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) employs advanced demining technologies to ensure safe and effective clearance. While over 95% of demining activities are funded by the Azerbaijani government and have yielded significant results, the article stresses that the scale of the problem requires greater international political and financial support. The piece also details Azerbaijans global initiatives on mine action. Notably, humanitarian demining has been designated as the countrys 18th National Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). Azerbaijan is actively advocating for the formal recognition of demining as the 18th Global SDG by the United Nations. 6 June 2025 13:45 (UTC+04:00) The Embassy of the Republic of Turkiye in Azerbaijan has issued a post of congratulations on the occasion of Eid al-Adha. According to Azernews, the message was shared via the Embassy's official account on the social media platform X, addressing both Turkish and Azerbaijani citizens. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all our citizens, as well as our Azerbaijani brothers and sisters, on the occasion of the holy Eid al-Adha a symbol of unity, solidarity, and brotherhood among Muslims around the world. We wish everyone good health, happiness, prosperity, and abundant blessings on this festive day, the post read. 6 June 2025 15:55 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijans ambassador to the United Kingdom, Elin Suleymanov, gave an extensive interview to GB News, British media. In the interview, the ambassador responded to allegations regarding the trial of Armenian businessman Ruben Vardanyan, emphasizing the fairness of the judicial process and citing recent rulings by international bodies. According to Azernews, in his interview, Azerbaijan's ambassador to the UK has rejected claims that one of Armenia's wealthiest men is facing a "kangaroo court", pointing to recent international legal rulings that support the legitimacy of the proceedings. Elin Suleymanov told GB News that accusations about the trial of Ruben Vardanyan had been "dismissed summarily by the International Court of Justice very recently, about two months ago, and by the UN High Human Rights Council's group on arbitrary detentions". The ambassador said these bodies had "completely dismissed all these accusations" and confirmed "that the due process is being followed". The businessman made his fortune in Russia, where he established the country's first investment bank in the early 1990s and founded the prestigious Skolkovo business management school. He later gained international prominence through his involvement with the Aurora Humanitarian Prize, which he set up alongside actor George Clooney. However, a 2019 investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project alleged that employees of his investment bank had built a financial system that laundered billions of dollars in the mid-2000s, though Vardanyan denied awareness of any criminal activities and was never charged. Ambassador Suleymanov described Vardanyan as "a person who was parachuted into the Nagorno-Karabakh region from Moscow" and "an oligarch who made his billions in Russia". The ambassador alleged that Vardanyan "supported separatist movement, financed terrorist activities, threatened Azerbaijani Government officials with death and so many things". The ambassador emphasised that "court proceedings are very open. They are not closed. You could see them on TV. You could see how open it is that he has his defence." He also highlighted that Vardanyan "is a person who is sanctioned by Ukraine, not Azerbaijan for supporting military action against Ukraine". Suleymanov acknowledged understanding the emotions of Vardanyan's family, stating: "I can understand the feelings of a family. Of course, it's a family member. But that also means that certain issues with credibility of the people who petition you, because obviously they have a very clear self-interest." He added: "I understand his family being emotional about it. I mean, who wouldn't be, but the court must take place." Vardanyan's son David has described the proceedings as a "kangaroo trial" with "several undefined due process violations", telling GB News that the family learned of his father's detention "via social media on September 27, 2023". David claimed this was done "very intentionally by the Azerbaijani Government to show every Armenian Christian that none of us are safe". Human rights lawyer Jared Genser told GB News from Washington that Vardanyan had been denied access to a Bible, suggesting this contradicted Azerbaijan's narrative that the conflict was unrelated to religion. However, Ambassador Suleymanov disputed this claim, stating: "He has free access to the library at the penetration facility. Most likely, he does have a Bible. "But I have to tell you something which is very important, that to my knowledge, Vardanyan has never requested the Bible." 6 June 2025 23:55 (UTC+04:00) On the occasion of Eid al-Adha, the Charge dAffaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Sudan in Baku, Mr. Mustafa Abdelhaleem Mahmud, hosted a reception at the embassys premises on Friday. Azernews reports that members of the Sudanese community and Sudanese students studying at Azerbaijani universities attended the event. Mr. Mustafa Abdelhaleem extended his holiday congratulations to the participants and congratulated the people of Sudan on the major victories of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the crushing defeats inflicted during the recent uprising, which culminated in the final liberation of the capital, Khartoum. He emphasized that the ongoing military operations in Sudan are expected to end soon. During the meeting, the Charge dAffaires praised Sudan-Azerbaijan relations and highlighted the strong efforts being made to develop and expand these ties in all fields for the benefit of the two brotherly nations. He also highly appreciated the fruitful meeting held in April of the previous year between His Excellency Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, Chairman of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2025. He further praised Azerbaijans experience and emphasized that Sudans relations with Azerbaijan are developing and flourishing in all areas, particularly in reconstruction and sustainable development, with Sudan aiming to benefit from Azerbaijans development expertise. Sudanese Embassy Baku 6 June 2025 08:00 (UTC+04:00) By Alimat Aliyeva Thailand will not shorten the visa-free stay for foreign tourists including Russian citizens to 30 days in 2025, according to the head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Azernews reports. Speaking at a press briefing during the Thailand Travel Mart Plus exhibition, Kiatphaibool reassured journalists that the current visa-free entry policies will remain in place next year. I guarantee that the rules will remain the same for all countries. The visa-free stay period for tourists will not change in 2025. In fact, I believe this policy will continue unchanged into 2026, he said. At present, travelers from many countries can enjoy visa-free stays of 60 or even 90 days, depending on bilateral agreements and temporary promotional measures introduced to boost tourism following the COVID-19 pandemic. The clarification comes amid growing speculation about possible changes to Thailand's immigration policy. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra floated the idea of revisiting visa exemptions, citing an increase in violations by certain foreign visitors, such as overstays or illegal employment. The proposal raised concerns among tourism industry stakeholders, particularly as Thailand is working to revive international arrivals to pre-pandemic levels. However, the TAT's latest announcement suggests that economic recovery through tourism remains a top priority, and stability in visa policy is seen as essential to maintaining Thailands appeal as a long-stay destination particularly for digital nomads, retirees, and remote workers, many of whom come from Russia, Europe, and East Asia. Thailand welcomed over 28 million tourists in 2023, and the government has set an ambitious target of 35 million for 2025. With extended visa-free stays, warm climate, affordable living, and improving infrastructure, the country remains one of the most attractive destinations in Southeast Asia. Thailand was recently ranked among the top 10 most visited countries in the world, with Bangkok consistently holding a spot as one of the most visited cities globally. The visa-free policy is widely considered a major contributor to this success. 6 June 2025 08:30 (UTC+04:00) By Alimat Aliyeva U.S. President Donald Trump has announced new restrictions on foreign nationals seeking to enroll at Harvard University or participate in its academic exchange programs for six months or longer, Azernews reports. I have determined that it is necessary to restrict the entry of foreign nationals seeking to enter the United States solely or primarily to attend a course of study at Harvard University, Trump said in an official statement, citing national security concerns. The decision has sparked immediate controversy in both political and academic circles, marking an unprecedented move against one of the worlds most prestigious educational institutions. The announcement follows a separate action at the end of May, when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) revoked multi-year federal grants totaling approximately $60 million from Harvard. The department cited the universitys ongoing failure to address concerns related to anti-Semitism and racial discrimination on campus. Despite previous warnings, officials said Harvard had not implemented sufficient reforms. These measures are part of a wider campaign by the Trump administration to challenge elite academic institutions, which it accuses of fostering ideological bias, suppressing free speech, and allowing extremist views to flourish under the guise of academic freedom. Harvard, in particular, has been at the center of national debate over its handling of recent pro-Palestinian protests, internal investigations into discrimination complaints, and its controversial DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies. While the new immigration restriction applies specifically to Harvard, some observers warn it could set a dangerous precedent allowing the federal government to selectively target universities based on political disagreements or cultural flashpoints. Critics of the move argue that restricting foreign students not only undermines academic freedom but also threatens Americas global leadership in education and innovation. Harvard currently enrolls thousands of international students from more than 150 countries and has long been considered a hub for global diplomacy, scientific collaboration, and leadership development. More than 60 Nobel laureates, numerous world leaders, and tech industry pioneers including CEOs of Google, Facebook, and Microsoft have studied or taught at Harvard. A restriction on its international academic engagement could ripple far beyond U.S. borders. Whether this policy will face legal challenges remains to be seen, but the political message is clear: The White House is no longer hesitant to confront the cultural powerhouses of higher education. Coos Bay's Mingus Building Latest Oregon Coast Landmark on National Historic Registry Published 06/03/25 at 3:45 p.m. By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff (Coos Bay, Oregon) One of the south Oregon coast's most-revered and yet still unknown buildings has snagged nationally-recognized historic status. The Mingus Park Community Building in Coos Bay, known locally as the Scout Cabin, has been officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The designation, approved by the National Park Service in May 2025, recognizes the building's architectural significance as a rare example of Work Progress Administration (WPA)-constructed Rustic architecture in Oregon. The building is at 850 W Park Roadway. Originally designed by local teacher Clarence E. Landes and built by WPA workers between 1939 and 1940, the one-story structure stands along the northwest edge of Mingus Park. Crafted using locally sourced timber and quarry stone, the cabin features half-log siding, a Dutch gable roof, and a distinctive interior that includes a post-and-beam ceiling, a double-sided stone fireplace, and log benches. Despite minor modifications over the decades, the building remains one of Coos Bay's few surviving WPA projects. Mingus Park Beyond its architectural importance, the Mingus Park Community Building has long served as a gathering place for civic programs and recreational activities. Initially built as a meeting space for the Boy Scouts of America, the facility has hosted generations of scouting events, skill-building workshops, and community celebrations. It has also faced challenges, including vandalism and budget limitations, but local organizations and volunteers have worked to preserve the site's historic integrity. The City of Coos Bay invites residents to celebrate the building's inclusion in the National Register with a special Cabin Celebration Day on June 28, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Oregon Coast Wild to Historical, Stark Changes of Seaside Aquarium Exterior - Drastic shifts in look and features dot the attractions history. Join generations of those who have cherished this building in honoring its long-standing community legacy, said organizers with the city. The listing of the Mingus Park Community Building in the National Register of Historic Places aligns with the objectives outlined in the 2024-2033 Oregon Preservation Plan, which prioritizes the protection and recognition of sites that contribute to the states architectural and cultural heritage. Overseen by the National Park Service, the National Register operates under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, ensuring that historically significant properties receive formal recognition and opportunities for conservation. Properties included in the National Register are acknowledged as important at the national, state, or local level. They are considered in the planning of federally funded or assisted projects, may qualify for federal tax incentives, and can receive preservation grants when funding is available. Additionally, sites listed in the register may benefit from flexibility in meeting certain building code requirements and fall under regulations designed to protect historic resources. South Oregon Coast Events Bring Two Ways to Take a Wild Ride in Bandon, Coos Bay - UTV Takeover June 24 - 29 near Coos Bay, July 4 Cardboard Boat Regatta in Bandon. Oregon law mandates that local governments provide a baseline level of protection for properties included in the National Register. The specific approach to preservation is determined at the municipal level, where local authorities have the power to establish and oversee historic districts and landmarks. - South Coast Hotels - Oregon Coast Vacation Rentals - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours MORE PHOTOS BELOW OREGON COAST HOTEL REVIEWS (hit refresh to see different reviews) Two Shimmering Examples of Oregon Coast Historical Inns at Lincoln City To get a truly historic experience, however, you have to go back a ways. Lincoln City hotel reviews Off The Beaten Path In Lincoln City, View to Gnarly or Nice on Oregon Coast Nothing but surf and lovely amenities in a hidden part of Lincoln City. Lincoln City hotel reviews 65 Sci-Fi Flick on Streaming: Parts Filmed on S. Oregon Coast - Review 3 and a half stars out of 5 - good adventure with dinos around Coos Bay, Brookings, Gold Beach Secluded N. Oregon Coast Villa Overlooks Cannon Beach, Peaks A massive vacation rental home near the Ecola State Park. Cannon Beach hotel reviews, Cannon Beach vacation rentals More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight Washington Coast / Oregon Coast Articles (stories are random: hit reload to see different articles) Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on Oregon Coast Beach Connection All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted Goonies Patch Offered by Astoria Police, Marks 40th Anniversary of N. Oregon Coast Flick Published 06/02/25 at 7:25 a.m. By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff (Astoria, Oregon) If you're thinking a large-scale celebration throughout various north Oregon coast towns isn't enough to whoop it up over a famed movie filmed in town, it turns out even Astoria's police department is getting in on the act. The movie Goonies is moving into its 40th year of existence, and officers in town are offering their own way to mark the anniversary. There is now a commemorative patch available to fans sporting clear nods to the film. The police patch reads Protecting the Docks Since 1985 and has a pirate ship. Yet the most interesting detail are the tiny figures to the right which represent the main cast of Goonies, with the taller, wacky-shaped head of Sloth in the middle. Astoria Police Department officers are putting these on their uniforms almost wearing their Astorian hearts on their sleeves, in a sense. Love it or hate it, theres no denying the lasting impact the movie has had on the City of Astoria, the department said on social. This milestone is a chance to celebrate that legacy - and to connect with the amazing fans who travel from around the world to visit the place where it all began. The patches are available at the Clatsop County Historical Society, the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce, the Astoria Coffee Company and the gift shop at the Oregon Film Museum. A portion of the proceeds from these sales goes to the Astoria Police Department Community Policing Fund. The 40th anniversary festival in honor of the film happens June 5 - 8 in Astoria and a bit in Cannon Beach. The Goonies Weekend 40th Anniversary promises to be the rager of the Oregon coast, with tours of the Goonies house available for the first time in history. Goonies 40th Anniversary Bash on N. Oregon Coast Lets You Inside House, Immersive Experiences - June 5 - 8 in Astoria and a bit in Cannon Beach You'll also be able to take part in interactive / immersive experiences that put you inside the movie, as well as dances, treasure hunts, exhibits and a whole host of Goonie-oriented goodies. There have been some reports that a sequel to Goonies is in the works, but no firm word yet. Goonies Sequel Being Developed as Oregon Coast / Astoria Fans Prepare 40th Anniversary Hotels in Astoria - Where to eat - Astoria Maps and Virtual Tours MORE PHOTOS BELOW OREGON COAST HOTEL REVIEWS (hit refresh to see different reviews) Four Incredibly Cool Places to Play 'n Stay, Central Oregon Coast Sampling of four outstanding, cool and cajoling places at Lincoln City, Lincoln Beach and Newport. Lodging reviews, hotels, travel tips Nye Beach's Waves Hotel Keeps Making Waves: an Oregon Coast Classic Less expensive than many, an innovative Newport boutique hotel. Newport lodging reviews Off The Beaten Path In Lincoln City, View to Gnarly or Nice on Oregon Coast Nothing but surf and lovely amenities in a hidden part of Lincoln City. Lincoln City hotel reviews Inexpensive Yet Upscale Oregon Coast at Lincoln City's Inn at Wecoma All the modern, even stylish visual attributes of a famed coastal inn. Lincoln City lodging reviews More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight Washington Coast / Oregon Coast Articles (stories are random: hit reload to see different articles) Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on Oregon Coast Beach Connection All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted Central Oregon Coast's Newport Bans Personal Fireworks - Show Still On, However Published 06/04/25 at 6:55 p.m. By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff (Newport, Oregon) The legal landscape for personal fireworks keeps changing, and another Oregon town just this week banned the use of such fireworks within city limits. Lincoln County's Yachats, Waldport and Lincoln City have slightly different bans, unincorporated Lincoln County has had the ban for some years, and now Newport joins the list. (Photo Oregon Coast Beach Connection) Citing increased fire danger, the Newport City Council voted unanimously on Monday, June 2, to enact a temporary ban on retail fireworks within city limits. The prohibition, effective immediately, will remain in place through October 15, 2025. The ban is defined by retail fireworks: classified as those that do not explode or launch into the air. These include items such as cone fountains, cylindrical fountains, flitter sparklers, ground spinners, illuminating torches, and wheels. Although those type of fireworks may still be sold and purchased in Newport, officials are urging residents and visitors to refrain from using them until the restriction is lifted. Newport Municipal Code 8.20.020 authorizes the City Council through resolution to prohibit the use of retail fireworks based on certain weather or weather-related conditions, said John Fuller, public spokesman for Newport. Fuller said the decision comes as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasts a drier and warmer-than-average summer for Oregon, increasing the potential for wildfires. In addition, the Lincoln County Fire Defense Board and the Oregon Department of Forestry will implement their annual debris burn ban beginning June 15, extending through October 15. Yachats: these were personal fireworks and not part of the show (Oregon Coast Beach Connection photo) Despite the ban, Newports Fourth of July celebration will proceed as planned. The citys Independence Day Fireworks Display is scheduled for 10 p.m. on July 4, with fireworks launched over Yaquina Bay from the west end of the Port of Newports International Terminals under strict safety precautions. The Waldport fireworks display for the 3rd of July is on as well. Illegal fireworks in Lincoln City / Oregon Coast Beach Connection photo For more information on fire safety and local regulations, residents are encouraged to visit Newports official website or contact city officials. All of Lincoln County has had this ban on personal fireworks for a few years, meaning unincorporated areas like those between towns or Gleneden Beach, for example. Currently, Yachats, Waldport and Lincoln City have banned the use of fireworks in town except professional shows. Yachats and Lincoln City have also banned the sale of fireworks within town, but with some other Lincoln County burghs it's not as clear: there's a bit of patchwork of legalities throughout the county. Lincoln City famously and controversially replaced its fireworks show with a drone show this year, citing environmental and other safety concerns. Local police also said the move helps them better police beaches for the illegal use of fireworks on the sands. Lincoln City First on Oregon Coast to Ditch 4th of July Fireworks for Drone Shows - A massive, dazzling drone show is in store for Independence Day It is illegal to use fireworks of any kind on Oregon coast beaches, which are generally under the umbrella of Oregon State Parks. Oregon Coast Hotels in this area - South Coast Hotels - Oregon Coast Vacation Rentals - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours MORE PHOTOS BELOW OREGON COAST HOTEL REVIEWS (hit refresh to see different reviews) Where Primeval Forest Vibes Meet Oregon Coast Sands at Twin Tierra Del Mar Re... This pet friendly set of dreamy homes exemplifies the teensy burgh's best. Lodging reviews, hotels Summer's Surprise Rate Drops in July On Oregon Coast Include Lincoln City Bea... 20 percent some vacation rentals in the heat of July's highest rates. Lincoln City lodging specials, Lincoln City hotel reviews Where the Cushy and Beachy Collide at N. Oregon Coast's Manzanita: Ocean Inn Amid truly classy surroundings you have exceptional views. Hotel reviews The Good, the Rad and The Soaring on N. Oregon Coast: Sunset Vacation Rentals A distinctive set of vacation rentals that create a constant state of wowing. Manzanita, lodging reviews, hotels, Wheeler, Nehalem, Tillamook, Cannon Beach More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight Washington Coast / Oregon Coast Articles (stories are random: hit reload to see different articles) Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on Oregon Coast Beach Connection All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted Newport's First Kittypalooza Takes Over Central Oregon Coast on June 26 Published 06/03/25 at 6:15 p.m. By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff (Newport, Oregon) Sometimes the old saying of gone to the dogs is relevant. In this case, you could say one event on the central Oregon coast has gone to the kitties. Indeed, Newport is hosting its first-ever Kittypalooza. Newport Parks and Recreation is will be putting on Kittypalooza, a feline-themed event celebrating Adopt-a-Cat Month, at the Newport Recreation Center on Wednesday, June 26, from 5:30 to 7:00 PM. This free, family-friendly gathering aims to connect cat lovers with adoption resources, educational presentations, and unique shopping opportunities. Attendees can browse local vendors offering cat-themed gifts, gear, and artwork. A local veterinarian will provide insights into feline behavior and wellness, while representatives from the Lincoln County Animal Shelter and Central Coast Humane Society will discuss their programs and services. Depending on availability, visitors may also have the chance to meet adoptable cats. Organizers hope Kittypalooza will foster engagement and support for the local pet community of the central Oregon coast. This event is more than just a celebration - its an opportunity to meet adoptable cats, learn about responsible pet ownership, and connect with those working to improve animal welfare, said Jenni Remillard, Recreation Program Specialist. In addition to adoption and foster resources, Kittypalooza will highlight spay and neuter programs and responsible pet care practices. Families are welcome, but children must be supervised by an adult. For more details and updates, visit the Newport Parks and Recreation Facebook page or contact j.remillard@newportoregon.gov. Also in the area: Newport's Oregon Coast Jazz Party Announces Lineup for 2025 - October 3- 5 in the Alice Silverman Theatre at Newport Performing Arts Center. The 2025 event features renowned saxophonist Scott Hamilton, Colombian bassist Alejandro Arenas, classically-trained Italian jazz pianist Rossano Sportiello, the remarkable Armenian American vocalist Lucy Yeghiazaryan, legendary trumpeter Bruce Harris, irrepressibly spontaneous jazz trombonist Mariel Bildsten, Swedish bassist Hans Backenroth, Danish drummer Kristian Leth, Mark Feinman on drums, John C. OLeary III on piano, and - back by popular demand- Grammy-nominated guitarist Diego Figueiredo. MORE NEWPORT PHOTOS BELOW Hotels in Newport - Where to eat - Newport Maps and Virtual Tours Major Goonies Event This Week Goonies 40th Anniversary Bash on N. Oregon Coast Lets You Inside House, Immersive Experiences - June 5 - 8 in Astoria and a bit in Cannon Beach. MORE PHOTOS BELOW OREGON COAST HOTEL REVIEWS (hit refresh to see different reviews) 5 Astounding Balcony Views on Oregon Coast Exceptional views and finds around Cannon Beach, Lincoln City, Newport. Cannon Beach hotel reviews, Manzanita hotel reviews, Lincoln City hotels, Newport hotel reviews Historic North Oregon Coast Inn Gets New Life as Off-the-Beaten-Path Forest G... Nehalem River Inn is nearly 100 years but has a new look. Manzanita hotel reviews, Manzanita lodging Two Hotels on Central Oregon Coast Getting New Look, New Life Some big changes have happened to two inns in Lincoln City. Lodging news, lodging reviews One of the True, Rare Historic Motor Lodges Left on Oregon Coast Agate Beach Motel in Newport goes all the way back to 1940. Hotel reviews, lodging More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight Washington Coast / Oregon Coast Articles (stories are random: hit reload to see different articles) Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on Oregon Coast Beach Connection All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted Razor Clamming Now Back for Majority of Oregon Coast Published 06/02/25 at 6:35 p.m. By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff (Port Orford, Oregon) - Razor clam harvesting has officially reopened from the Washington-Oregon border to Cape Blanco, according to an announcement from the Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. (Above: Bandon courtesy Manuela Durson - Manuela Durson Fine Arts) The reopening follows a closure that had previously extended from Cascade Head to the California border due to elevated marine biotoxin levels. Recent tests show toxin levels have now dropped below the alert threshold in the newly reopened section from Cascade Head to Cape Blanco. However, high biotoxin levels persist from Cape Blanco to the California border, meaning that stretch remains closed. That closure area includes Port Orford, Gold Beach and Brookings. However, areas north of there encompass the bulk of the coastline, including Bandon, Coos Bay, Florence, Waldport, Lincoln City, Oceanside, Rockaway Beach and Seaside. Everything from Seaside northward is known as Clatsop Beach and it contains over 90 percent of the state's clam population. Lincoln City: Oregon Coast Beach Connection Regulations require two consecutive toxin tests below the closure limit before reopening shellfish harvesting areas. These tests must be conducted at least one week apart. Officials advise harvesters to check the Shellfish Safety Hotline or the Oregon Department of Agricultures Recreational Shellfish Biotoxin Closures webpage before heading out. Meanwhile, mussel harvesting is open along the entire Oregon coast from the Washington border to California, and bay clams are also in good condition. Crabbing along the Oregon coast is completely open, but ODFW has some caveats. Courtesy Seaside Aquarium Always gut the crab and throw away the 'butter' (guts) prior to cooking, ODFW said. When whole crab are cooked in liquid, domoic acid may seep into the cooking liquid and then into the meat. Throw away the cooking liquid, and do not use it in other dishes, such as sauces, broths, soups, stews, stocks, roux, dressings, etc. It is recommended you do not eat the 'butter' (guts) of the crab. Rare Sperm Whale Stranding on N. Oregon Coast, Was Hit by Boat - Showing up near Gearhart, it will decompose naturally For details on recreational license requirements, permits, and regulations, visit the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlifes website. Oregon Coast Hotels for this event - South Coast Hotels - Oregon Coast Vacation Rentals - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours MORE PHOTOS BELOW OREGON COAST HOTEL REVIEWS (hit refresh to see different reviews) Ocean is Close at Classic Rental Above Deserted Oregon Coast Locale A Roads End Beach House at Lincoln City is an eye-popper. Lodging reviews, vacation rentals The Good, the Rad and The Soaring on N. Oregon Coast: Sunset Vacation Rentals A distinctive set of vacation rentals that create a constant state of wowing. Manzanita, lodging reviews, hotels, Wheeler, Nehalem, Tillamook, Cannon Beach Slightly Secret Beach Houses of Tierra Del Mar Add a Spice to Oregon Coast Wi... Idyllic Beach House has two little vacation rental wonders, and a hefty winter special. Pacific City hotel reviews Multiple, Killer Oregon Coast Balcony Views at a Mere Two of Newport's Hotspots A slice of infnity at one and a charming mansion in dense woods. Newport hotel reviews Courtesy Seaside Aquarium More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight Washington Coast / Oregon Coast Articles (stories are random: hit reload to see different articles) Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on Oregon Coast Beach Connection All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted How to Train Your Dragon star on filming in NI: We had a predominantly Belfast crew we were welcomed with open arms Nico Parker talks about making How To Train Your Dragon and being a role model Mason Thames as Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and Nico Parker as Astrid Hofferson Aine Toner Fri 6 Jun 2025 at 13:00 Live action adventure? Tick. Slick costumes and exceptional CGI? Tick. Dragons? Tick. It can only be the live-action reimagining of the film that launched the beloved How to Train Your Dragon franchise. I realised this is where I belong: Tyrone guitarists journey from the London music scene and back home again Joe Hodgson reveals how Gary Moore changed his life, why he rejected Londons party scene, and finding love during lockdown Joe Hodgsons new album is out later this month Lee Campbell Fri 6 Jun 2025 at 11:00 Now settled in his homeland ahead of his upcoming album release, Fields of Redemption, Joe Hodgson discusses his influences, career path, and finding love and peace through his return to Irish soil. Republic of Ireland Funeral of Derry nurse and daughter (six) killed in crash hears heartbreaking tribute from family: We will miss you every second of every day Tests are being carried out on a knife and a glove seized after an asylum seeker was stabbed to death on the streets of Dublin, a court in Belfast has heard. Judge rejects attempt to stop the media reporting Frank Cushnahans Nama trial as it happens Judge ruled in our favour earlier this week, but we can only now report outcome related to case which defence lawyer says is of monumental interest to journalists and the public The judge rejected an attempt to stop the media reporting Frank Cushnahan's trial as it unfolds Sam McBride Fri 6 Jun 2025 at 21:00 The Belfast Telegraph and other media organisations have successfully resisted an attempt to prevent us reporting on the trial of a prominent figure for alleged offences including fraud. Kids need to understand how hard it is to earn: Experts on how much pocket money we should give to children Police were at a scene in Grays Inn Road, Camden, on Friday as part of their investigation into the incident (Peter Byrne/PA) A man has been charged with murder after a Colombian woman disappeared after leaving her east London home. Yajaira Castro Mendez, 46, was reported missing to the Metropolitan Police on Saturday May 31 having left her home in Ilford on the morning of Thursday May 29. Police were at a scene in Grays Inn Road, Camden, on Friday as part of their investigation into the incident. Juan Toledo, 51, of south-east London, appeared at Barkingside Magistrates Court on the same day charged with her murder. Scotland Yard said the man, who was arrested on Tuesday, is known to Ms Castro Mendez. Chief Superintendent Jason Stewart, who leads policing in Camden, said: Officers have been working around the clock to find Yajaira. She has not been seen or heard from by her family or friends since the date she was reported missing. Yajairas disappearance was initially treated as a missing person investigation led by local officers. The investigation was then transferred to the Mets Specialist Crime Command on Thursday (June 5) after a range of extensive further inquiries very sadly suggested she has come to harm. Yajairas family continue to be supported by specialist officers, and we are keeping them updated with developments. Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances and there are crime scenes in place across Camden and Lambeth. We thank the community for their patience while we carry out our inquiries and ask that any one with information please comes forward. Anyone with information relating to Ms Castro Mendezs disappearance is asked to contact police via 101 or @MetCC quoting CAD 3020/06JUN25, or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. The man picked by Beijing as the second highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism pledged adherence to the ruling Communist Partys dictates on Friday during a rare face-to-face meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Gyaltsen Norbu, who is rarely seen in public, met behind closed doors with Mr Xi in Zhongnanhai, the government compound in the centre of Beijing, about 2,300 miles from his home monastery of Tashilhumpo, high on the Tibetan steppe. The 35-year-old said he would firmly support the leadership of the Communist Party of China and resolutely safeguard the unity of the motherland and national unity, the Xinhua News Agency reported. The Chinese government appointed him as the Panchen Lama of Tibetan Buddhism in 1995 at age five after followers of the Dalai Lama recognised a different boy, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, as the Panchens incarnation. That boy and his family disappeared in 1995 in what the US government has alleged was an abduction by the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama, 89, has refused to recognise the Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama. Chinese President Xi Jinping (centre) receives Gyaltsen Norbu as Wang Huning, chairman of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference, looks on (Yan Yan/Xinhua via AP/PA) The Chinese government says Gedhun Choekyi Nyima is now a college graduate living a private life and working a stable job, while producing no evidence. The Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama was quoted on Friday by Xinhua as saying he would contribute to promoting national unity and progress, systematically promote the sinicisation of religion in China, and promote the modernisation of Tibet. Mr Xis government uses the term sinicisation to mean that all religions including Christianity and Islam must take their orders from the Communist Party, reduce their non-Chinese aspects and limit their role in society. Mr Xi was quoted as telling the Chinese governments Panchen that he should continue Tibetan Buddhisms strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, systematically advancing the sinicisation of religion in China, and promoting the modernisation of Tibet. Last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement marking the 30th anniversary of the disappearance of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, saying he and his family had been abducted by the Chinese government. Chinese authorities should release Gedhun Choekyi Nyima immediately and stop persecuting Tibetans for their religious beliefs, Mr Rubios statement read. The position of Panchen Lama is especially sensitive since he is expected to take part in the recognition of a new Dalai Lama and serve as his tutor, a religious process that the officially atheist Communist Party is determined to control. The meeting on Friday also reflected Mr Xis focus on economic and political stability within Chinas borders, where an economic slump has raised concerns of anti-government outbursts and control over minority groups is an overwhelming obsession. Palestinians across the war-ravaged Gaza Strip marked the start of one of Islams most important holidays with prayers outside destroyed mosques and homes early on Friday, with little hope the war with Israel will end soon. With much of Gaza in rubble, men and children were forced to hold the traditional Eid al-Adha prayers in the open air and with food supplies dwindling, families were having to make do with what they could scrape together for the three-day feast. This is the worst feast that the Palestinian people have experienced because of the unjust war against the Palestinian people, said Kamel Emran after attending prayers in the southern city of Khan Younis. There is no food, no flour, no shelter, no mosques, no homes, no mattresses The conditions are very, very harsh. Palestinians gather for Eid al-Adha prayers beside the ruins of Al-Kanz mosque in Gaza City (Jehad Alshrafi/AP/PA) The Islamic holiday begins on the 10th day of the Islamic lunar month of Dhul-Hijja, during the Hajj season in Saudi Arabia. For the second year, Muslims in Gaza were not able to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the traditional pilgrimage. In northern Gaza on Friday, Israel issued a new warning to civilians saying the military was about to undertake intensive operations in an area after it said rockets were fired toward Israel from the sector. The war broke out on October 7 2023 when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 hostages. They are still holding 56 hostages, around a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages from Gaza and recovered dozens of bodies. Palestinians offer Eid al-Adha prayers beside the ruins of a mosque in Deir al-Balah, Gaza (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP/PA) Since then, Israel has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians in its military campaign, primarily women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians or combatants in its figures. The offensive has destroyed large parts of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population of roughly two million Palestinians. After blocking all food and aid from entering Gaza for more than two months, Israel began allowing a trickle of supplies to enter for the UN several weeks ago. But the UN says it has been unable to distribute much of the aid because of Israeli military restrictions on movements and because roads that the military designates for its trucks to use are unsafe and vulnerable to looters. The UNs Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome said on Thursday that Gazas people are projected to fall into acute food insecurity by September, with nearly 500,000 people experiencing extreme food deprivation, leading to malnutrition and starvation. This means the risk of famine is really touching the whole of the Gaza Strip, Rein Paulson, director of the FAO office of emergencies and resilience, said in an interview. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said his meeting with President Donald Trump convinced him that the US administration is open to discussion on key issues. Mr Merz described his Oval Office meeting and extended lunch with Mr Trump on Thursday as constructive but also candid, noting the two leaders expressed different views on Ukraine. He said: Yesterday, in the meeting at the Oval Office, I expressed a distinctly different position on the topic of Ukraine than the one Trump had taken, and not only was there no objection, but we discussed it in detail again over lunch. The White House meeting marked the first time the two sat down in person. Mr Merz, who became chancellor in May, avoided the kind of confrontations in the Oval Office that have tripped up other world leaders, including Ukraines Volodymyr Zelensky and South Africas Cyril Ramaphosa. The German chancellor presented Mr Trump with a gold-framed birth certificate of the presidents grandfather, Friedrich Trump, who emigrated from Kallstadt, Germany. Mr Trump called Mr Merz a very good man to deal with. The American administration, Mr Merz said, is open to discussion, listens and is willing to accept differing opinions. He added: Lets stop talking about Donald Trump with a raised finger and wrinkled nose. You have to talk with him, not about him. Mr Merz said he also met with senators on Capitol Hill, urging them to recognise the scale of Russian rearmament. Please take a look at how far Russias armament is going, what they are currently doing there; you obviously have no idea whats happening, he said he told them. In short, you can talk to them, but you must not let yourself be intimidated. I dont have that inclination anyway. Donald Trump (left) greets Friedrich Merz upon his arrival at the White House (Alex Brandon/AP/PA) Mr Merz, who speaks English fluently, stressed the need for transatlantic trust and said he reminded Mr Trump that allies matter. Whether we like it or not, we will remain dependent on the United States of America for a long time, he said. But you also need partners in the world, and the Europeans, especially the Germans, are the best-suited partners. This is the difference between authoritarian systems and democracies: authoritarian systems have subordinates. Democracies have partners and we want to be those partners in Europe and with America. He reiterated that the US remains committed to Nato, particularly as Germany and others boost their defence spending. Mr Trump has in the past suggested the US might abandon its commitments to the alliance if member countries do not meet defence spending targets. Mr Merz said: I have absolutely no doubt that the American government is committed to Nato, especially now that weve all said were doing more. Were ensuring that we can also defend ourselves in Europe, and I believe this expectation was not unjustified. Weve been the free riders of American security guarantees for years and were changing that now. Richard Satchwell pleaded through the media for his wife to come home in reality he had brutally killed herA PSNI Cadaver dog found Tina Satchwells body over 6 years after she was reported missingGarda believe that he killed his wife in fear of her finding out about a pet monkey scam This month Richard Satchwell was sentenced with the murder of his wife, Tina Satchwell. In March 2017, Richard Satchwell claimed that his wife had went missing almost immediately he did multiple rounds of the press, saying that he believed she was still alive. In reality, he had brutally killed Tina, keeping her body in a freezer before burying her remains under the stairs of the family home. Her body remained undiscovered for over six years, with Richard finally being charged for the murder in October 2023. After the discovery of the body, he claimed that he had been a victim of domestic abuse, a claim which was repeated many times in court. However, the Garda believe that he murdered his wife in fear of her finding out that he had become involved in an elaborate scam to obtain two pet monkeys. In a harrowing victim statement, Tina Satchwells niece said that Richard Satchwell had offered her the freezer he had kept his wifes body in just days before, and said the brutal murder had left a permanent hole in the familys lives. Olivia Peden is joined by the Irish Independents Munster Correspondent Ralph Riegel, who has been following the disturbing case. Bennington, VT (05201) Today Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 85F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies with a few showers after midnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%. James Taylor and his All-Star Band returned to the Koussevitzky Music Shed Thursday night with a mix of songs about highways, byways and destinations, as road songs from the folk-singers catalogue take center stage at Tanglewood. PERU As it stands, anyone who has a license to carry permit in Peru may walk into Town Hall or a town park with their firearm. Police Chief Bruce Cullett sees no reason to change that. As such, he proposed the town exclude a provision of a new Massachusetts gun law that would bar people from carrying firearms "loaded or unloaded" in municipal buildings or on municipally owned property. The Select Board supports passage of the article and residents are set to vote on it at Saturday's annual town meeting. In the last, however long 30, 40, 50 years it's been legal for a law-abiding citizen to carry firearm into a town-owned building, Cullett said. If the town votes to accept this article, nothing will change. If the town doesnt accept this article, a portion of Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024 will prevent someone from carrying their legally owned firearm onto town-owned or municipal-owned property. In Peru, which has a population of 814, 286 residents have licenses to carry that's 35 percent. Fifteen people have firearms identification cards and two have machine gun licenses. There is one other substantive issue on the meeting warrant: an amended agreement for Central Berkshire Regional School District. After Hinsdale rejected this amendment last year, Peru voters rejected it as well, quashing it for the year. Hinsdale has again rejected it. Becket and Washington approved it. It's awaiting votes in Cummington, Dalton and Windsor, as well as Peru. The amended agreement aligns the district with current state law governing regional school districts. The most substantive change obligates a town to pay pension and other post-employment benefit costs should it withdraw or join. Cullett said Perus rejection last year stemmed from the way the district calculated votes for building a new Wahconah Regional High School, by popular vote rather than by town. I think it was definitely some lack of trust shown towards Central Berkshire, he said. Our Board of Selectmen is now supportive of it, so I think it might be a different outcome. Spread over multiple articles, voters will take up a budget of $2,900,370.53, representing a 9.1 percent increase from the current fiscal years budget of $2,657,246.33. The lions share of the budget is to fund education, with Perus assessment for the school district totaling $1,181,776, and vocational education and transportation totaling $305,310. The town is budgeting for a 3 percent across the board cost of living increase, but certain employees will get larger raises. It was an effort to bring a number of positions to a place where they're more competitive with stronger towns that include [the] town clerks salary, treasurer, tax collector, town administrator, lead assessor, fire chief and myself, Cullett said. Voters also are being asked to approve: Buying a $310,000, 2026 Freightliner plow truck, using a mix of $50,000 in free cash, $100,000 future equipment account with the balance in Chapter 90 Highway money. Transferring $50,000 from free cash to reduce the tax rate. Transferring $41,783.95 from free cash to cover snow roads. Transferring $26,700 from free cash to repaint and seal the salt shed roof. Transferring $15,000 from free cash to buy three portable radios for the fire department. Transferring $10,000 from free cash for the towns reserve fund. Transferring $4,800 from free cash to upgrade computers. The free cash transfers total approximately $150,000 leaving $44,000 in free cash, Cullett said. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday at the fire station, 11 East Main Road. SHEFFIELD Dairy farming isnt getting easier. As the price of milk fluctuates, two farms on Hewins Street are taking very different approaches to their dairy businesses. At Pine Island Farm, the largest dairy in the state, the Aragi family is banking not just on milk, but also on manure, using a methane digester to transform waste into energy and bedding for cows. At Maple Shade Farm, Morven Allen and his son and business partner, Ian Allen, are putting more of their trust in milk, scaling up their dairy herd, growing the operation from about 500 milking cows to about 600 in about a year and eventually 700, nearly rivaling the size of Pine Island Farm. The Allens produce grain as well. Both farms are working to produce more of their own grain, so they can be less reliant on external supply chains for feed. And both have received significant support for both land and equipment through several state programs, grants and loans. On Monday, Ashley Randle, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, visited the Sheffield dairy farms, as well as one in the Hampshire County town of Hatfield, to get a grasp of how these farmers are faring. Massachusetts is home to 95 dairy farms that contribute more than $61 million to the local economy. The number of farms is down slightly from last year. 'NOTHING I'D RATHER DO' Both farmers expressed gratitude for the aid they've received. The Allens have already run out of room for the amount of milk they produce, and each day rely on Dairy Farmers of America milk trucks to carry off some of the supply from their herd of mostly Holsteins and some Jerseys. We hope that some day we can modernize, Morven Allen said. Youve seen the [milking] parlor. Its really basic. Id love to improve it. Theres nothing fancy here. The only good part of that is when it breaks at 4 in the morning, we can usually figure it out. The Allens are milking 18 hours a day, with plans to ramp up to 23. Morven Allen said the biggest challenge right now is labor and overall financial viability. The price of all our inputs continues to rise, he said. Were price takers. Were not price setters. We take what were given for our milk. We have no control over that. I still love it every day. Nothing Id rather do. No regrets. I feel very fortunate. Morven Allen, 63, began farming with two cows in Great Barrington at what is now North Plain Farm, then he moved to Alford. There, he ran out of room for milk and looked at a bulk tank at Robbie Chapins farm, and ended up buying his farm. That was in 2003, and he has added to his land holdings since then. The Allens own 600 acres and farm about 2,200. Joking that he knew since his son was 2 that he would eventually take over, Morven Allen said Ian Allen has always loved farming. But the transition wasnt quite that simple. Ian Allen said he studied agricultural business and economics at the State University of New York at Cobleskill, and that he wasnt certain hed be able to return home to carry on his fathers farm. That was part of his decision to come home after college, Morven Allen said. Obviously, he only wanted to do that if he could be a partner. So today hes a 50-50 partner. He said farming with his son has been fantastic. Im one of the luckiest guys around, he said. What kills most farms is theres no next generation. And just look around, theres so few young people. In general, theres no young people in agriculture. Its sad. Randle said she knows there are students graduating from college in Massachusetts who are interested in farming and that land prices are the biggest barrier. Ian Allen is just about to get married to Carly Shafiroff. Hes hoping to have children who might want to carry on his familys legacy in farming. On the tour, he told state officials he hopes to retrofit a barn to add 103 stalls to expand the herd. Harnessing energy While there are cows grazing on pasture at Pine Island, all the cows are kept in barns in order to capture every bit of manure they produce. The Aragi family is now turning waste into energy, selling electricity through a net-metering program through the use of their anaerobic digester and an on-farm generator. Theirs is one of about 10 farms in the state with this kind of operation. "Many farms are seeing this as a great way to upcycle and recycle materials on the farm, help reduce waste and at the same time bringing in food waste to help with that effort as well," Randle said. "So it really is full circle for the environment as well as on-farm management." Holly Aragi walked Randle and others through the operation, showing the different steps used in order to transform manure into energy as well as by-products that are useful to the farm and other farmers, such as bedding. The transition from strictly dairy farm to energy producer has had its own set of ongoing challenges, Louis Aragi Jr. said. His father began farming in Sheffield in 1964. Today, the family works more than 1,600 acres and has more than 1,600 animals. There was a lot of hoops to jump through, he said. And no one really knew what the rules were going to be until we were making them as we were going along. Today, the operation is regulated by the state Department of Environmental Protection as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We do have more rules well have to have to follow, he said. For the most part, I dont really have any complaints. With 20 million pounds of milk going out the door, Aragi is considering buying a robotic milking system to reduce labor costs. Were always milking cows here, he said. If you come here at 1 in the morning, 4 in the morning, whatever day of the week. Thats where all our labor is. He said cull beef prices have risen recently, so that the price he gets for cows and day-old calves is higher than it used to be. Looking back, making payroll used to be difficult, Aragi said, during the time he expanded the herd, but not today. I think were relatively safe with that, he said. What's the biggest challenge of the moment? While he acknowledged that the cold wet spring will be good for hay and hay prices, It seems like this past month its been weather. Too much rain. [We] cant get crops in on time. Business owners confront ICE agents during arrest at Great Barrington job site ICE made another visit to Great Barrington. One man was arrested. But two business owners say they prevented the arrest of a second man. Over the past few weeks, our office has heard growing concern about immigration enforcement happening across Massachusetts. Families are being separated. Parents are being arrested in front of their kids. People are being pulled out of their cars in broad daylight. Even U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement admits that many of those arrested have not committed any crime. These actions are not about public safety. They are about fear and inciting chaos and confusion within our communities. Thats why my office has created a Know Your Rights guide designed to help immigrants, families and communities understand their rights and the basic legal framework for ICE actions. Heres what you need to know. What kind of immigration enforcement does ICE engage in? ICE may target individuals it suspects are subject to removal from the country. This can include people who entered the U.S. without authorization, overstayed a visa, are accused of violating immigration conditions (like failing to check in with ICE) or have had their legal authorization revoked by the federal government. ICE does not need to show that a crime was committed to arrest and detain a person who is subject to removal. In many cases, they also do not need a judicial or administrative warrant if they believe someone is here in violation of immigration law and is likely to flee. When can ICE enter your home and other private spaces? Under most circumstances, ICE agents cannot legally enter private spaces, such as homes or private offices, unless they present a judicial warrant signed by a judge or they receive voluntary consent from someone with authority over the space. You are not required to open the door unless they show you a valid judicial warrant. What are my rights if ICE seeks to enter my house? Individuals have the right to speak through the door to ask to see the judicial warrant and verify that it has been signed by a judge. Without it, you have the right to deny entry. What are my rights if I am arrested or detained by ICE? If you are arrested or detained by ICE, you have the right to: remain silent; refuse to sign documents you do not understand; and hire and speak to a lawyer, though the government is not required to provide you with one. Never give false information or fake documents, as that can lead to criminal charges. During an ICE enforcement action, asking the right questions may be helpful. Though ICE may not be obligated to answer all of your questions, some helpful questions include: Am I being detained? Am I under arrest? Why? Do you have a warrant? Can I see it? Where are you taking me? What agency do you work for? What are your names and badge numbers? How can my family or lawyer contact you? What are my rights as a bystander? What can I do to assist someone being arrested or detained? As a bystander to ICE enforcement action, you can watch from a safe distance and record the interaction, but you legally cannot obstruct, impede or assault an ICE agent. As long as you are not obstructing the enforcement action, you also may help the person being targeted to ask the ICE agent questions like the ones noted above. You also can ask persons being detained if they have an immigration lawyer you can call or if there are family members they would like you to call. What happens after an ICE arrest? The person will usually be taken to a local ICE office to be fingerprinted and photographed. They could then be transferred to any ICE facility anywhere in the country unless they are ordered not to by a court. In most cases, they will receive a notice to appear in immigration court. The detained person may request a bond hearing, where an immigration judge decides whether they can be released while their case proceeds. People may also be asked to sign documents that waive important rights or lead to deportation. They have the right to remain silent and to refuse to sign documents they do not understand. The bottom line is you dont have to be a lawyer to help someone. Just knowing the basics can make a difference. At the Attorney Generals Office, we are committed to making sure every person in Massachusetts knows that they matter, they belong and they have rights. Lets stand together and keep our communities safe not through fear, but through knowledge. This guidance is available online at http://mass.gov/ago/iceguidance. You also may contact the Attorney Generals Office at 617-727-2200. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Two thousand years ago, after Jesus resurrection and ascension, God sent the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The world changed afterward. Judaism had a small but certain amount of influence in the ancient world, particularly in Southwest Asia. However, with the birth of the Church, the Gospel of Jesus and the Kingdom spread from Jerusalem to the whole world. A religion no longer bound by borders or racial lineage, Christianity has reached people in nations from the four corners of the world. And it still does today. Acts points to the spiritual gift given at Pentecost as the beginning of this movement, all by the power of the Spirit. It is detailed more through the rest of the book Luke wrote. Even today, we have a whole branch of Christianity that is named for this event: Pentecostals. Looking more closely at the day, the history of the holiday, and its purpose, we will discover a fulfillment to encourage and inspire us. What Was the Old Testament Purpose of Pentecost? First, we should look at the original holiday we call Pentecost. In the Old Testament, the Mosaic law established the Feast of Weeks (or Shavuot in Hebrew), as one of three major festivals God commanded Israel to observe (Exodus 23:16, Leviticus 23:15-22). Every Israelite had to journey to the Tabernacle or Temple to celebrate these three festivals (Passover and the Ingathering as the other two). Pentecost is a Greek word, pentekoste, meaning fiftieth since the feast happened fifty days after Passover. In the Old Testament, Pentecost had two purposes: to thank God for crops and to remember the covenant. For the crops, Shavuot marked the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest. Israel would celebrate Gods previous provision and the one to come. During the feast, people brought what we call the first fruits of the harvest to the temple as a wave offering (Leviticus 23:17). With the holiday, Gods people declared their dependence upon him as their provider. Additionally, Jewish tradition says Shavuot happened at the same time God gave Moses the Law at Mount Sinai, around fifty days after their deliverance from Egypt. Therefore, Pentecost also celebrated the very foundation of all Israelite worship and society, the Lords law and covenant. At Pentecost, Israel would recommit their hearts to God. During the feast, God commanded every Israelite male who could travel to come to the Tabernacle, or Temple, in Jerusalem. Usually, whole families would also make the trek, but at times it might be more dangerous for women and children. Israelites would bring freewill offerings and celebrated with families, servants, and even the poor and foreigners (Deuteronomy 16:10-12). What Happened on Pentecost in Acts? Jesus died on Passover, as the Lamb of God. He resurrected three days later and hung around to teach about the Kingdom for another forty days. Before his ascension, Christ instructed his disciples to wait for the promised Holy Spirit. Ten days later, on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to the disciples. They had gathered in one place and stayed in Jerusalem, as Jesus said, and waited for the promise of the Father (Acts 1:4). While together (likely also celebrating Pentecost, like good Jews), they heard a sound like a mighty wind, and tongues of fire rested on each of them. The Holy Spirit filled them, and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2). From the Mosaic law, the city was full of Jews from the whole, expansive Roman empire, and they heard disciples declaring Gods amazing works in their own languages and tongues. Some were confused and others mocked, thinking the disciples had too much to drink. Peter preached a sermon explaining what was happening. They were experiencing a fulfilment of Gods promise in Joel 2:28-32. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. Peter declared this the beginning of a new covenant. God would now pour out his Spirit on all people, regardless of social status. The Spirits arrival also pointed to the last days to come, also in Joel. Peter continued by preaching about Jesus, his death and resurrection as the Messiah. About 3,000 people repented and joined the new church. As Jesus commanded, the giving of the Spirit marked the beginning of the Church, proclaiming the Gospel to all nations and people by the power of the Spirit. Gods Spirit now dwells in his people, not a physical temple, empowering them to be witnesses of Jesus and the Kingdom to everyone. How Was Pentecost Perfect for the Birth of the Church? The whole New Testament takes the Old Testament symbols and declares how we now enjoy the substance and the promise within those old festivals and traditions. Pentecost perfectly symbolized what God desired to do with the Gospel and the Church. First, it represented the beginning of a great spiritual harvest. Jesus often used harvest pictures to describe the Gospel mission. In Matthew 9:37-38, he said, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Also in John 4:35, Jesus said, Lift up your eyes, and see the fields are white for harvest. Christ saw people as a field ready to receive the Gospel and be gathered into the heavenly Kingdom. After resurrection and before ascension, Jesus gave the Great Commission, directing his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20) and to wait for the Holy Spirit, who would empower them to be witnesses. Before Pentecost, the disciples gathered in prayer to the Lord of the Harvest, and they became the harvesters of the spiritual first fruits, those 3,000 new believers. God chose to reveal his perfect Lamb on Passover, and here God chose Pentecost to link the feast of first fruits to begin the spiritual harvest of all nations. Through the rest of Acts, we read how the Holy Spirit guided the whole process, giving messages and sending apostles and ministers to both the Jew and the Gentile as a continual harvest. We still live in the same harvest today. What Does Pentecost Mean for Us Today? Acts 2 wasnt simply for those people two thousand years ago. Pentecost launched the mission, continuing Gods redemptive story with power and revelation, reaching the ends of the earth with Gods love and salvation. First, Pentecost birthed the Church, and we still participate in the same community of faith in local and global ways. God filled a people, all at once, and he still seeks to reveal himself through a corporate witness. The Church has become his primary witness to his person and love. Hes empowered us through his Spirit to be outposts of the Kingdom of God anywhere two or more gather in the name of Jesus. Second, Pentecost teaches us we need the Holy Spirit to be his witness to others. We require the work of God to point people to him. Acts and the New Testament show us how all other ways have failed and will continue to. Our religion, intellect, emotions, social status, government authority, nothing has the ability apart from God to draw others to the Father. The Spirit of the Son living in his people, guiding and directing, sends us and grants repentance to others. Third, Pentecost points us forward. God fulfilled Passover and Pentecost, yet one festival still remains: the Feast of Tabernacles. Passover celebrates redemption. Pentecost begins the time of first fruits. The Old Testament Feast of the Ingathering or Tabernacles celebrated the final harvest season, the fullness (Exodus 23:17). Jesus death and resurrection happened at Passover, and the Church gave substance to Pentecost through receiving the Holy Spirit. The future return of Jesus will fulfill the Feast of Ingathering. The book of Revelation prophetically shows us this final ingathering of the harvest, when Christ comes back, gathers all believers, and establishes his eternal Kingdom. We therefore participate in the harvest today with hope, looking ahead to the ultimate redemption to come. God fulfilled the previous two. He will fulfill the third in the future. For us today, Pentecost empowers us, sends us, and gives us a secure hope. God still moves, active in his people to preach Jesus and see souls saved by the Spirit, not ourselves. As always, we look ahead to the last harvest when we will celebrate with God forever. Peace. Photo credit: Getty Images/Andry Djumantara Britt Mooney lives and tells great stories. As an author of fiction and non-fiction, he is passionate about teaching ministries and nonprofits the power of storytelling to inspire and spread truth. Mooney has a podcast called Kingdom Over Coffee and is a published author of We Were Reborn for This: The Jesus Model for Living Heaven on Earth as well as Say Yes: How God-Sized Dreams Take Flight. In the New Testament, events at the Feast of Pentecost mark a new era in the church. However, to fully understand what happened to the disciples that day in the upper room, we need to consider what the Feast of Pentecost involved and what Jesus told his disciples to wait for. What is the Feast of Pentecost? The Feast of Pentecost is the Greek phrase for a Jewish feast day, also known as the Feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22) or Feast of Harvest (Exodus 23:16). Pentecost is a Greek term that means fiftieth, and the Feast of Pentecost took place 50 days after Passover. The Lord instituted this celebration when He renewed His covenant with the people as He spoke to Moses in Exodus 34:22-23. In Numbers 28:26, the feast is called the Day of First Fruits. The day was to consist of: A holy convocation wherein people would not do ordinary work An offering of new grain A burnt offering of two bulls, one ram, seven one-year-old male lambs, their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil (three-tenths of an ephah for each bull, two tenths for one ram, and a tenth for each lamb), and one male goat (all blemish-free), along with their drink offering. The celebration usually took place in May or early June, 50 days after Passover. What Were the Apostles Waiting for in the Upper Room? Before His ascension, Jesus commanded the apostles not to depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the Promise of the Father (Acts 1:4). He told them they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5), not many days later. But the apostles then asked the Lord when He would restore the kingdom to Israel, still believing that Christ would shortly establish His earthly kingdom. They knew the prophecies about the Holy Spirit from Ezekiel 36:27-38 and Joel 2:28-32. They thought the kingdom would soon be physical, as did the prevailing Jewish religious leaders. The difference between the disciples and the religious leaders was the disciples believed Jesus was the Messiah: presumably, the kingdom was coming soon. Jesus corrected their thinking when He said: It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:8) Jesus re-directed their thoughts from the kingdoms coming on earth to a direct filling of the Spirit in believers, starting with them. After Jesus explained this to them, He ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9-11). They then returned to Jerusalem and went back to the Upper Room, where they were staying (Acts 1:12). So, the 11 apostles (and others) were in the upper room because they were awaiting the promised Holy Spirit. Who Was in the Upper Room? Acts 1:13 records that the 11 apostles, Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew (also called Nathanael), Matthew, James, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James were in the upper room, where they were staying. They were in the room with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers (Acts 1:14). It was probably the same upper room where Jesus shared the last supper (Mark 14:15) with His disciples before being arrested, tried, and crucified. Luke wrote they were of one accord in prayer and supplication (Acts 1:14) as they awaited the promised Holy Spirit. What Biblical Events Happened During the Feast of Pentecost? The Jews who had pilgrimaged to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost were offering their firstfruits to the Lord. Meanwhile, Jesus followers were in the upper room. While they waited, the apostles established something: they needed a new member to replace Judas Iscariot. So, they prayed and selected Matthias by lot to take Judas place (Acts 1:15-26). Then, 50 days after the Passover, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples in the Upper Room. The description of His coming is stunning: And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing, mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:2-4) On this, the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came as the firstfruits of the believers inheritance (2 Corinthians 5:5; Ephesians 1:11,14). Why Did People Think the Disciples Were Drunk? Acts 2:5 records devout Jews pilgrimaged Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Weeks. A multitude of them came together when they heard the rushing mighty wind of the Holy Spirits arrival. They gathered, saw the disciples speaking, and were confused because everyone heard them speak in his own language (Acts 2:6). The people stood in amazement, and they marveled at what was occurring and said, Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? (Acts 2:7-8). The audience included Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, Rome (Jews and Gentile converts to Judaism), and Cretans and Arabs. All told, Acts lists people from 15 different nations watching the disciples, and they each heard them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God (Acts 2:8-11). Needless to say, they were perplexed. Others mocking said, They are full of new wine (Acts 2:13). New wine was a drink that could have easily made a person drunk, and therefore behave oddly. Peter stood and preached his Day of Pentecost sermon to the people. He started by refuting the claim they were filled with new wine. He said, For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day (9:00 a.m.). He added the words of the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-32), which most in attendance would recognize. He added a descriptive and beautiful apologetic about the Lord Jesus, and in Acts 2:32-33 said, This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. He continued in verse 36 with the denouement the Jews were not expecting, Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ (Messiah). The people had supposed the Messiah would usher in a kingdom that removed the oppressive Roman yoke. Peter showed how those expectations were off the mark. The Messiah had come, and the kingdom had arrived in a different way. Peter told the assembled crowd how they might receive the Holy Spirit, and about three thousand souls were added to them (Acts 2:41). Only God could orchestrate such an event from an accusation of drunkenness to the salvation of about three thousand. When Do Christians Celebrate the Feast of Pentecost? Christians celebrate the Feast of Pentecost on the Sunday 50 days after Resurrection Sunday. The celebration is to honor the day the Holy Spirit was poured out on all believers. Different denominations celebrate the Feast of Pentecost in various ways. Some congregations make a scene of fire using rose petals or fiery-red confetti to represent the tongues of fire as described in Acts 2:3. Other groups blow trumpets to symbolize the rushing mighty wind from heaven. Others preach the gospel in other languages. Some people stress wearing white and being baptized on this special day. This years (2022) Feast of Pentecost will be celebrated on June 5. However one commemorates the Feast of Pentecost, its a day of remembrance for what God the Father has done through His Son and His Holy Spirit. Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/Baiterek Media Lisa Loraine Baker is the multiple award-winning author of Someplace to be Somebody. She writes fiction and nonfiction. In addition to writing for the Salem Web Network, Lisa serves as a Word Weavers mentor and is part of a critique group. Lisa and her husband, Stephen, a pastor, live in a small Ohio village with their crazy cat, Lewis. BillOReilly.com is not available in this country. We apologize for any inconvenience. ARCHIVE - Muhammad Yunus, head of the interim government of Bangladesh. Photo: Sergei Grits/AP/dpa/Archive Keystone The interim government in Bangladesh has announced a parliamentary election for next April. The election will take place in the first half of April 2026, said interim government leader Muhammad Yunus in a televised address. The State Election Commission would present a precise timetable in due course. By the time of the election, the government will have reached an acceptable point in the implementation of reforms. Keystone-SDA SDA Yunus had recently come under increasing pressure in his home country to set an early election date. He had repeatedly stated that the election could take place between December and June 2026. The 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner took over as head of government on an interim basis in August last year with the backing of the powerful military after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India in the face of mass protests. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) estimates that up to 1,400 people were killed during the protests. Criticism of the announcement The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which is led by Hasina's arch-rival and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, criticized Yunus' announcement. According to the local newspaper "The Daily Star", Salahuddin Ahmed, a member of the party's Standing Committee, accused Yunus of failing to meet the expectations of the country's population. His party had long been calling for an election in December. Borsa Italiana non ha responsabilita per il contenuto del sito a cui sta per accedere e non ha responsabilita per le informazioni contenute. Accedendo a questo link, Borsa Italiana non intende sollecitare acquisti o offerte in alcun paese da parte di nessuno. Sarai automaticamente diretto al link in cinque secondi. State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. 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Customers have been receiving text messages requesting that they call a phone number about a suspicious transaction or activity. The message claims to be from Bank of Ireland, and the message will sound like a genuine Bank of Ireland text, with messages often saying "Do you recognise this transaction?; or A transaction for [value] to [merchant] was declined and your card has been placed on hold - followed by if this was not you / if you dont recognise this / etc. please call us back on [callback phone number]. The callback number will be answered by someone claiming to be from Bank of Ireland, and there has been suspicious transactions and the customers account is compromised. Advertisement The person will then be asked if they have a Revlout or other secondary account. If they say yes, they will be told to move their money in their Bank of Ireland account into their own Revolut account/ or secondary account. The victim is then told they then need to move their money from their Revolut account to a new safe account. Callback numbers are usually landline numbers including 01 / 1800 / regional codes. From September, childcare fees for parents paying the highest rates will be capped at 295 per week. With the National Childcare Scheme subsidy, many parents will effectively pay around 198 weekly, closer to the national average of 197. Advertisement The cap applies to full-day care of 40 to 50 hours and follows a fee freeze introduced in 2022. State funding for childcare will also rise by 60 million next year. Minister for children, Norma Foley, told Newstalk that some parents fork out 400 a week. "So the maximum amount that can be charged is 295, and when the subsidy thats applied for parents, when thats injected thats 198.70 per week, so for those parents on those very high fees, thats a saving of more than 5,460 a year or almost 5,500 a year," Ms Foley said. Advertisement However, according to figures from the Department of Children, the highest average fees being paid at the moment is in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown area of Dublin at 258. The department said the fee cap will bring fees closer to the average weekly fee of 197 for full day care. The figures, released to Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly, show that Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Meath, and Wicklow are the only counties with a current average above 197, the Irish Examiner reported. Mr Farrelly said that while he welcomes the announcement, the move falls short of addressing the significant issues facing families who are trying to find a place for their child or workers who do not have pay parity with their peers. While announcing the fee cap, as well as an increase in investment of 60m, Ms Foley said it would reduce the cost for families who are facing the highest fees across the country in around 10% of early learning and childcare providers. It will address some of the extreme fee disparities across the sector in a meaningful way, so that there are more consistent rates in place for families in their local area, said Ms Foley. Gardai have arrested a man in connection with a robbery at a retail premises in South Dublin earlier this week. On bank holiday Monday evening a man armed with a knife entered a filling station in Ballybrack Village. Advertisement He threatened staff and took a sum of cash before fleeing the scene. Gardai from the Shankill Detective Unit arrested a man in the Shankill area of Dublin in connection with the investigation earlier on Friday, He is being detained at a Garda Station in the Dublin Region. Robert Pether has been released on bail in Iraq. The Australian national remains there for the moment as he is under a travel ban and cannot return home, it is understood. Advertisement He lived with his wife and three children in Co Roscommon before travelling to Iraq, where he was arrested and jailed on fraud charges in 2021. The Tanaiste was informed of his release during a call with Foreign Minister Hussein of Iraq on Thursday evening. "I am very pleased to have been informed of the release of Robert Pether, whose imprisonment in Iraq has been a cause of huge, huge concern. This is welcome news, its been a very long-running, and extraordinary distressing, time for Roberts wife, for his three children, for his wider circle of family and friends in Roscommon," Simon Harris said on Newstalk. Mr Harris welcomed it as a first step to his being allowed to return to his wife and three children in Roscommon. Advertisement "I spoke with Roberts wife, Desree, about this positive development, and I really want to thank our diplomatic officials, people in our embassy network in the region, for their tireless work. I know significant concerns remain about Roberts health, about the outstanding charges, and Im going to keep working on this until we get a fully positive resolution and Robert back home with his family," the Tanaiste said. The Irish Times reported that Mr Pether worked as an engineer and was helping to design the central bank in Baghdad, and was set to work on three hospitals. However, there was a contract dispute between his employer and the Central Bank of Iraq, which led to him and his Egyptian work colleague Khalid Radwan being imprisoned. The pair were sentenced to five years and fined $12 million by an Iraqi court. Fighter jets in night flight training China Military Online) 09:58, June 06, 2025 A J-11BS fighter jet attached to an aviation regiment under the Chinese PLA Air Force taxis on the runway during a day-and-night flight training exercise on May 12, 2025. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by He Wanli) A J-11BS fighter jet attached to an aviation regiment under the Chinese PLA Air Force taxis on the runway during a day-and-night flight training exercise on May 12, 2025. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by He Wanli) J-11B fighter jets attached to an aviation regiment under the Chinese PLA Air Force taxi on the runway during a day-and-night flight training exercise on May 12, 2025. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by He Wanli) J-11BS fighter jets attached to an aviation regiment under the Chinese PLA Air Force taxi on the runway during a day-and-night flight training exercise on May 12, 2025. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by He Wanli) A maintenance member assigned to an aviation regiment under the Chinese PLA Air Force signals a J-11BS fighter jet to take off during a day-and-night flight training exercise on May 12, 2025. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by He Wanli) (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) The head of the Irish prison system warned the Department of Justice she had grave concerns about the safety of staff and inmates because of dire overcrowding in jails. She said the minister needed to think carefully about the appointment of 20 new judges, which would lead to a further influx of prisoners they could not cope with. Advertisement The letter, sent by Irish Prison Service Director General Caron McCaffrey, said: Undoubtedly, a large element of the current overcrowding crisis is directly related to the appointment of additional judges. [This led to] the scheduling of over 600 extra court sittings this year, decisions taken when our prisons were already overcapacity and not in a position to absorb the inevitable increase in committals safely. The correspondence was sent in 2024 on a day in May when there were 4,960 people in the custody of the Irish Prison Service (IPS); that number has since risen as high as 5,400. Ms McCaffreys letter was addressed to one of the most senior officials in the Department of Justice, but has only now been released following an appeal to the Information Commissioner under FOI laws. Advertisement She wrote: In the absence of an urgent decision [on temporary release measures], I need to advise you that I now have grave concerns in relation to the ability of this service to ensure the safety of both those who work and live in our prisons. Ms McCaffrey said with nearly 5,000 people in custody, they were already operating with dangerous levels of overcrowding. She said there had been a sharp increase in temporary release to relieve pressure but that all of the main prisons were well above operational capacity. Ms McCaffrey also told the department that the Committee for Prevention of Torture were due to visit in the coming weeks. Advertisement She wrote: [They] will be scathing in their criticism of the conditions we are being forced to hold people in with over 200 people sleeping on mattresses on the floor this morning. The IPS Director General said she wanted an urgent decision on new rules around who could and could not be given temporary release. She also asked for a commitment that no new measures would be introduced that would add to the burden, particularly then Minister Helen McEntees wish to appoint twenty new judges with haste. An earlier letter from Ms McCaffrey from February last year to the department said that the prison system was now in an untenable, unacceptable and potentially unsafe situation due to overcrowding. Advertisement She said there was a real risk the Irish Prison Service would not be able to produce all prisoners for court hearings. Her letter said: Current levels of overcrowding are exacerbated by resource constraints due to ever increasing demands for escorts. The Service is now at a tipping point in this respect in terms of its ability to fulfil all necessary escorts. She said that every possible measure had been used to ease overcrowding including the recommissioning of small areas of prisons to provide extra beds, provision of bunk beds, and reopening of the Training Unit at Mountjoy in Dublin. Despite these efforts, numbers continue to grow to record levels, she said. A serving Garda was found not guilty by a jury of charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice after allegations he sorted out motoring offences for drivers. Garda Tom Flavin was acquitted of a total of 22 counts of allegedly attempting to pervert the course of justice by a jury at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court following an eight-day trial. Advertisement On Friday, the jury returned unanimous not guilty verdicts on 17 of the charges. Earlier the jury was directed by the trial judge, Colin Daly, to return not guilty verdicts in respect of five counts against Garda Flavin. The long serving and respected Co Limerick Garda, who had consistently denied all of the charges, was supported in court throughout the trial by a large gathering of family friends and colleagues. On Thursday, Garda Flavins barrister, senior counsel Mark Nicholas, instructed by solicitor Dan OGorman, urged the jury to acquit the garda of all of the charges, and said there was no evidence of wrongdoing by the accused. Advertisement Garda Flavin was arrested and charged following an investigation by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI) and ultimately accused of knowingly entering false motor insurance details on the Garda Pulse computer records system, in an attempt to frustrate potential prosecutions against persons for driving without insurance. His trial heard that the drivers involved were stopped at routine Garda checkpoints around the country and asked by the garda present to produce their insurance and licence details at a nominated Garda station within ten days of the traffic stop. All of the drivers involved nominated Rathkeale garda station, and, later, when the investigating garda in each of the traffic stops carried out follow up checks of Pulse they were satisfied the details entered indicated that the driver in each case was insured. However, the court heard some of the drivers were actually not insured and had actually been prosecuted in court after pleading guilty to driving without insurance. Advertisement Mr Nicholas told the jury Mr Flavin was an exemplary garda who had served with dedication in Croom and Rathkeale, Co Limerick, for many years. The defence barrister had urged the jury to acquit and not fall into the trap of speculation, remarking to the jury that there was radically insufficient evidence to support a conviction against Garda Flavin. He (Mr Flavin) served his community without blemish and without any disciplinary blots - you know that from the evidence. "When other gardai came to give evidence, his superiors, they spoke of him very fondly and well - It wasnt far off gushing and they spoke with knowledge, Mr Nicholas told the jury in his closing speech, Thursday. Advertisement Mr Nicholas spoke of the unique challenges gardai face in Rathkeale as opposed to other jurisdictions: People who live down here know it has an enormous population, transient, in and out at various times of the year. "One policeman said (the population) quadruples and with that comes its own set of problems and own sets of vehicles - UK car registrations, UK insurance, some not insured, some not being entirely truthful. We know that a certain number of times that people who were pulled up and stopped and asked for their documentation, produced bogus insurance certificates. Mr Nicholas said the charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice, is an extraordinarily, serious allegation to make against a serving garda and that the State had nothing close to proving its case. Advertisement The court heard evidence that persons had provided certain documents at Rathkeale garda station, where Garda Flavin was based at the time, however it was unclear who produced the documents nor was it clear what documents they produced. Fiona Murphy SC, prosecuting, had alleged that the evidence would show that Gda Flavin had sorted out the uninsured drivers by inputting data into Pulse to try to frustrate prosecutions against them. However, Ms Murphy had told the jury that the prosecution case was a circumstantial case with no direct evidence. Instead, the prosecution relies on indirect evidence, Ms Murphy said. Ireland Coroner returns verdict of accidental death after... Read More Ms Murphy had explained to the jury that a statute of limitation of six months generally applied in respect of prosecuting offences of driving without insurance. She had argued that all of the relevant data entries into Pulse were entered under the ID of Thomas Flavin and she had alleged that Tom Flavin knew they (the drivers) were not covered (by insurance) and that he entered the details onto PULSE to ensure they (appeared) covered. Mr Flavin knew what he was doing, and he did so to ensure those persons were insured (on PULSE) when they were not, in order to ensure there was no prosecution, Ms Murphy had alleged in court. However, after deliberating for three hours and 21 minutes, the jury disagreed and unanimously dismissed all of the allegations that had been made against Gda Flavin, following an expensive and top-level GNBCI (Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation) probe. It would be untenable to have an immigration system in which children could not be deported, the Minister for Justice has said. Jim OCallaghan said it would not be a good idea to prevent the deportation of children as it would have a very significant impact on the number of people seeking asylum in Ireland. Advertisement He was speaking after five children and nine women were among 35 people deported from Ireland to Nigeria on Wednesday night. The minister said the move, which was the third chartered flight used for deportations this year, was value for money at a cost of 324,714. Speaking on Friday, Mr OCallaghan said: Can I just say its not a pleasant part of the job, but it is a very important part of the job. In order to have a functioning immigration system, there has to be a consequence for people who are in the country unlawfully, whether they have overstayed a work permit, or whether they sought asylum and have not been granted asylum. Advertisement Ive heard the commentary in respect of children being deported. I think the system will become untenable if we introduce rules or a new policy that says children cannot be deported. He added: Its an unpleasant part of the job, but I think if I introduced a policy like that, the effect would be that wed be an outlier in Europe, and that people would know that if they came to Ireland seeking asylum with children, that irrespective of the outcome, they couldnt be removed. It would have a very significant impact in the number of people coming to Ireland seeking asylum. So I dont think its a good idea. Advertisement The minister said Ireland is a very fair country in allowing people seeking asylum to integrate into communities. The alternative is that we would do what they do in some countries and dont allow any form of integration we allow people to integrate. He added: But I suppose a consequence of the asylum process is if you apply and youre refused there has to be a consequence, and if there isnt a consequence then whats the point in having the whole system in place in the first place? I can understand the concern that people have about it, but I just say the system will become untenable if a rule was introduced which said that children could not be deported. Advertisement It would mean that people could come to Ireland with children in the knowledge that no matter what the outcome, they would never be required to leave. Mr OCallaghan said his message to people was that they had to comply with the law. If you receive a deportation order, you have to comply with it. Its not meaningless. It means something. If you get a deportation order, and if you have children, youve got to get your circumstances in order, and that requires you to leave. Advertisement Speaking at Leinster House earlier on Friday, Sinn Fein TD Eoin O Broin said that the international protection system needs to be compassionate, human rights-based, and timely. He said: Nobody should be waiting three, four or five years for the final decision to be made, and then when people are refused, not just refused in the first instance, but refused on appeal, they need to be safely returned to their country of origin. So thats the way the system should work. Obviously, weve expressed enormous concern in the way in which the government is operating the current system. Ireland Total of 120 new garda recruits sworn in at ceremo... Read More He added: Theres far too much privateering, very poor-quality accommodation for adults and children awaiting the decisions. The decisions are taking far, far too long, and I know that from working with people inside the process. Where people are refused and are to be returned to the country of origin, it needs to be done in a compassionate and a safe manner. We will continue to raise our concerns with the government, but the system has to work. It has to work fairly efficiently, but ultimately the decisions have to be enforced. Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said that every effort will be made to get Robert Pether home to his family in Roscommon as quickly as possible, following his release from custody in Iraq after four years in prison. Mr Pether, who is an Australian citizen, has been in prison in Iraq since April 2021, after he was arrested on fraud charges following a contractual dispute involving his employer that arose out of the building of a new Central Bank building in Baghdad in Iraq. Advertisement The United Nations says it has been an arbitrary detention. Speaking during a school visit in Passage West, Co Cork on Friday morning, Mr Martin welcomed Mr Pethers release. He said that the imprisonment of the resident of Elphin, Co Roscommon, has been very distressing for his wife, children and other family members. I dont want to say things that may in any way hinder his eventual arrival back to Ireland, but I believe this is a good first step. "We have to work very hard with countries such as Iraq and others in terms [of] the treatment of Irish citizens. He is an Australian citizen, which is a complicating factor in all of this, but both ourselves and the Australian Government have been working together in terms of endeavouring to get him out. Advertisement Mr Martin said that he remains concerned about the health of the 49-year-old. I certainly do (share the concern of his wife) and the knock-on impact, the significant impact, on the well-being of the family. I have met with (his wife) Desree, and I think it's very upsetting. It is very difficult, as she said herself this morning, to see him now in terms of what the impact of prison has had on his life. Meanwhile, Desree Pether told Morning Ireland on RTE Radio 1 this morning that she was shocked at the poor physical condition of her husband when she spoke to him by video link. She said that Mr Pether is not well at all and really needs to just come home so he can get the proper medical attention he needs. Advertisement She said that he has fainted a few times over the last few months. He is not eating properly because he cant keep anything down. It is a shock to the system to see how far he has declined. Ms Pether and other family members have been actively campaigning to get Robert Pether out of prison since 2021. Mr Martin met with Mr Pethers family in January of last year in his capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs. He also raised the case with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2023. The Department of Foreign Affairs raised the issue with Iraqi embassy in Dublin on numerous occasions whilst the detention of Mr Pether was also raised in Baghdad by Irelands Ambassador to Iraq, Marianne Bolger. A wide variety of stories feature on Ireland's front pages on Friday morning. The Irish Times lead with the State's corporate tax receipts falling 30 per cent year on year, Donald Trump accusing a 'crazy' Elon Musk of being 'hostile', and the High Court ruling that boat trips can resume at Skellig Michael. Advertisement The Examiner lead with the family of a pregnant woman who died after failures in care at Tipperary University Hospital speaking out after a 10-year battle for an apology, and record quantities of cocaine being seized in Europe for the seventh year in a row. The Echo lead with calls for increased funding for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in Cork and an 'epidemic' of applications for domestic abuse orders. The Irish Independent lead with up to 14,000 child patients facing significant delays to surgery if the suspension of special funding for operations at Children's Health Ireland remains for the rest of the year. The Irish Daily Mail lead with Ireland's social insurance fund heading towards a deficit spiral if 'unpalatable' decisions like welfare cuts, PRSI hikes and and an increase in the pension age are not taken, experts say. Advertisement The Belfast Telegraph lead with a man being charged with the murder of his elderly mother in Belfast. The Irish Daily Mirror lead with the Michael Gaine murder suspect, Michael Kelley, saying he will not go to Gaines's funeral as he has not been invited The Irish Daily Star lead with a court ruling saying boat trips can return to Skellig Michael The Herald lead with a garda being spared a conviction for assaulting a teenage joyrider. The mayor of Kyiv said a Russian missile and drone attack has killed at least four people and injured 20 others in the capital, amid a wider attack across Ukraine. Russia targeted at least six regions across the country with 407 drones and 44 missiles in one of its largest coordinated attacks of the three-year war. Advertisement Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said search and rescue operations are under way at several locations in the city. Multiple explosions were heard in Kyiv, where falling debris sparked fires across several districts as air defence systems attempted to intercept incoming targets, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Administration. The capital say several people killed in the strike (AP) Our air defence crews are doing everything possible. But we must protect one another stay safe, Mr Tkachenko wrote on Telegram. Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said the barrage included ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as a mix of strike drones and decoys. Ukrainian forces said they shot down about 30 of the cruise missiles and up to 200 of the drones. Advertisement Ukrainian cities have come under regular bombardment since Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022. The attacks have killed more than 12,000 civilians, according to the United Nations. Authorities reported damage in several districts, and rescue workers are responding at multiple locations. They urged residents to seek shelter. In Solomyanskyi district, a fire broke out on the 11th floor of a 16-storey residential building. Residents were urged to take shelter during the strike (AP) Emergency services evacuated three people from the apartment, and rescue operations are ongoing. Another fire broke out in a metal warehouse. Advertisement Mr Tkachenko said the metro tracks between two stations in Kyiv were damaged in the attack, but no fire or injuries were reported. In northern Chernihiv region, a Shahed drone exploded near an apartment building, shattering windows and doors, according to regional military administration chief Dmytro Bryzhynskyi. Kherson. The building of the regional state administration. Russian forces have completely destroyed it. Two strikes with aerial bombs. Deliberate strikes, not accidental. No military sense whatsoever. They are openly destroying life. Absolutely deranged creatures. Force is pic.twitter.com/OMFjbh4mEv Volodymyr Zelenskyy / (@ZelenskyyUa) June 5, 2025 He added that explosions from ballistic missiles were also recorded on the outskirts of the city. The night-time attack came hours after US President Donald Trump said it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia fight for a while before pulling them apart and pursuing peace, in comments that were a remarkable detour from Mr Trumps often-stated appeals to stop the three-year war. Advertisement The US leader spoke as he met with Germanys new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who appealed to him as the key person in the world who could halt the bloodshed by pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin. British prime minister Keir Starmer has said people in Scotland have voted for change following his partys shock win in a by-election. Mr Starmer congratulated Labours Davy Russell as the new member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Hamilton and looked ahead to next years Scottish Parliament election, saying it is a chance to turbo-charge delivery. Advertisement Mr Russell took the seat in an area southeast of Glasgow vacated by the death of Scottish government minister and SNP MSP Christina McKelvie. Posting on social media on Friday morning, Mr Starmer said: People in Scotland have once again voted for change. Next year there is a chance to turbo-charge delivery by putting Labour in power on both sides of the border. I look forward to working with you. Labours candidate, who is the deputy lord lieutenant of Lanarkshire, beat the SNPs Katy Loudon who fell to her third defeat since 2023. Advertisement The win comes against the backdrop of national polls which place Scottish Labour in third place behind the SNP and Reform UK and will undoubtedly give a boost to Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwars bid to become first minister in next years election. Mr Sarwar told BBC Radio Scotlands Good Morning Scotland programme he is confident Labour can win that contest. When asked if his party can defeat the SNP, which has been in power in Scotland since 2007, Mr Sarwar declared: Absolutely. I believed it before this by-election and I continue to believe it now. Advertisement Next year the choice is simple a third decade of the SNP with John Swinney as first minister or a new direction for Scotland with me as first minister. That is the choice facing the people of Scotland, that is the campaign over the next year, and that is a campaign I am confident we can win. I think what the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse did yesterday was lead the way to that change of government next year and a Scottish Labour government next year. He also said he will continue to challenge the poison of Reform, making clear he is talking about the people who lead Reform and not those who may be tempted to vote for them. Advertisement Mach of the Hamilton campaign had been dominated by a Reform UK advert branded racist by Labour and others which had alleged Mr Sarwar would prioritise the Pakistani community. A surge in support for Nigel Farages party saw it come in third place in Hamilton, just 800 votes behind the SNP although there had been speculation Reform could come second or possibly even win the seat. Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice insisted the party is delighted with the result. Richard Tice said he was delighted with Reform UKs result (Jane Barlow/PA) Speaking to BBC Radio 4s Today programme, he said: Its truly remarkable. Advertisement Weve come from nowhere to being in a three-way marginal, and were within 750 votes of winning that by-election and just a few hundred votes of defeating the SNP, so its an incredible result. At the election count earlier, Mr Tice told the PA news agency he was thrilled to bits with the result. When the votes were counted, Mr Russell polled 8,559, Ms Loudon took 7,957 votes, and Reforms Ross Lambie secured 7,088. Speaking to PA after the declaration, Mr Sarwar said: I think people need to change the script, because weve proven the pollsters wrong. Weve proven the commentators wrong, weve proven the bookies wrong. Weve proven John Swinney wrong and so many others wrong too. In the final days of the campaign, the Scottish First Minister had said it was a two-horse race between the SNP and Reform, and Mr Sarwar asked what it says about a government that has been in power for 18 years when all it has to offer in a campaign is vote SNP to stop Farage. Mr Russell had faced criticism for his perceived lack of media appearances, but Mr Sarwar said such arguments were borne of an element of classism and elitism. Davy Russell took the win on Thursday (Jane Barlow/PA) Speaking from the stage after his win, Mr Russell said: Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse has voted tonight to take a new direction with Scottish Labour. Like the people here in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, and right across Scotland, we all feel we have been let down by the SNP. The newly-minted MSP also hit out at Reform, saying the win sent a message to Farage and his mob tonight the poison of Reform isnt us, it isnt Scotland and we dont want your division here. World Man charged over vandalism at Trump golf course in... Read More Mr Swinney said Ms Loudon had fought a superb SNP campaign and that he was clearly disappointed his party was unable to win. Labour won by an absolute landslide in this area less than a year ago we came much closer tonight, but the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse have made clear that we still have work to do, he added. Over the next few days, we will take time to consider the result fully. Russia bombarded six regions of Ukraine on Friday in one of its largest aerial attacks of the three-year war, Ukrainian officials have said. The night-time assault lasted for hours and killed three emergency responders in the capital Kyiv as well as another person in a north-western city, according to authorities. Advertisement The barrage included 407 drones and 44 ballistic and cruise missiles, Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said. Ukrainian forces said they shot down about 30 of the cruise missiles and up to 200 of the drones. Today is a day of our gratitude to every journalist, to all media workers, to everyone who develops new information platforms and resources. The world knows what is happening in Ukraine. Every country knows our position and hears what we are doing to defend our independence and pic.twitter.com/24vFIH51xk Volodymyr Zelenskyy / (@ZelenskyyUa) June 6, 2025 Ukrainian cities have come under regular bombardment since Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022. The attacks have killed more than 12,000 civilians, according to the United Nations. Russia doesnt change its stripes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Advertisement Mr Zelensky, as well as the Ukrainian interior ministry and the general prosecutors office, said three emergency workers were killed in Kyiv while responding to the Russian strikes. They were working under fire to help people, the interior ministry said in a statement. The war has continued unabated even as a US-led diplomatic push for a settlement has brought two rounds of direct peace talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine. The negotiations delivered no significant breakthroughs, however, and the sides remain far apart on their terms for an end to the fighting. Advertisement Ukraine has offered an unconditional 30-day ceasefire and a meeting between Mr Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin to break the deadlock. But the Kremlin has effectively rejected a truce and has not budged from its demands. An explosion is seen after a Russian air strike on Kyiv on Friday (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP/PA) Mr Putin said in a phone call with US President Donald Trump earlier this week that he would respond to Ukraines daring long-range attack on Russian air bases on Sunday. Russias defence ministry claimed it had aimed at Ukrainian military targets with long-range precision weapons and successfully struck arms depots, drone factories and repair facilities, among other targets. In Russia, air defences shot down 10 Ukrainian drones heading toward the capital early on Friday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. Advertisement Flights at Moscow airports were temporarily suspended during the night as a precaution. Ukrainian drones also targeted three other regions of Russia, authorities said, damaging apartment buildings and industrial plants. Three people were injured, officials said. The Russian defence ministry said that air defences downed 174 Ukrainian drones over 13 regions early on Friday. It added that three Ukrainian Neptune missiles were also shot down over the Black Sea. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said his meeting with President Donald Trump convinced him that the US administration is open to discussion on key issues. Mr Merz described his Oval Office meeting and extended lunch with Mr Trump on Thursday as constructive but also candid, noting the two leaders expressed different views on Ukraine. Advertisement He said: Yesterday, in the meeting at the Oval Office, I expressed a distinctly different position on the topic of Ukraine than the one Trump had taken, and not only was there no objection, but we discussed it in detail again over lunch. The White House meeting marked the first time the two sat down in person. Mr Merz, who became chancellor in May, avoided the kind of confrontations in the Oval Office that have tripped up other world leaders, including Ukraines Volodymyr Zelensky and South Africas Cyril Ramaphosa. The German chancellor presented Mr Trump with a gold-framed birth certificate of the presidents grandfather, Friedrich Trump, who emigrated from Kallstadt, Germany. Advertisement Mr Trump called Mr Merz a very good man to deal with. The American administration, Mr Merz said, is open to discussion, listens and is willing to accept differing opinions. He added: Lets stop talking about Donald Trump with a raised finger and wrinkled nose. You have to talk with him, not about him. Mr Merz said he also met with senators on Capitol Hill, urging them to recognise the scale of Russian rearmament. Advertisement Please take a look at how far Russias armament is going, what they are currently doing there; you obviously have no idea whats happening, he said he told them. In short, you can talk to them, but you must not let yourself be intimidated. I dont have that inclination anyway. Donald Trump (left) greets Friedrich Merz upon his arrival at the White House (Alex Brandon/AP/PA) Mr Merz, who speaks English fluently, stressed the need for transatlantic trust and said he reminded Mr Trump that allies matter. Whether we like it or not, we will remain dependent on the United States of America for a long time, he said. Advertisement But you also need partners in the world, and the Europeans, especially the Germans, are the best-suited partners. This is the difference between authoritarian systems and democracies: authoritarian systems have subordinates. Democracies have partners and we want to be those partners in Europe and with America. He reiterated that the US remains committed to Nato, particularly as Germany and others boost their defence spending. Mr Trump has in the past suggested the US might abandon its commitments to the alliance if member countries do not meet defence spending targets. Advertisement Mr Merz said: I have absolutely no doubt that the American government is committed to Nato, especially now that weve all said were doing more. Were ensuring that we can also defend ourselves in Europe, and I believe this expectation was not unjustified. Weve been the free riders of American security guarantees for years and were changing that now. A federal judge has temporarily blocked a proclamation by President Donald Trump that banned foreign students from entering the US to attend Harvard University. Mr Trumps proclamation, issued on Wednesday, was the latest attempt by his administration to prevent the nations oldest and wealthiest college from enrolling a quarter of its students, who account for much of Harvards research and scholarship. Advertisement Harvard filed a legal challenge the next day, asking for a judge to block Mr Trumps order and calling it illegal retaliation for Harvards rejection of White House demands. Harvard said the president was attempting an end-run around a previous court order. A few hours later, US District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston issued a temporary restraining order against Mr Trumps Wednesday proclamation. Harvard, she said, had demonstrated it would sustain immediate and irreparable injury before she would have an opportunity to hear from the parties in the lawsuit. Ms Burroughs also extended the temporary hold she placed on the administrations previous attempt to end Harvards enrolment of international students. Advertisement Last month, the Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvards certification to host foreign students and issue paperwork to them for their visas, only to have Ms Burroughs block the action temporarily. Mr Trumps order this week invoked a different legal authority. If Mr Trumps measure were to survive this court challenge, it would block thousands of students who are scheduled to come to Harvards campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for the summer and autumn terms. Harvards more than 7,000 F-1 and J-1 visa holders and their dependents have become pawns in the governments escalating campaign of retaliation, Harvard wrote in a court filing on Thursday. While the court case proceeds, Harvard is making contingency plans so students and visiting scholars can continue their work at the university, president Alan Garber said in a message to the campus and alumni. Advertisement Each of us is part of a truly global university community, Mr Garber said on Thursday. We know that the benefits of bringing talented people together from around the world are unique and irreplaceable. Harvard has attracted a growing number of the brightest minds from around the world, with international enrolment growing from 11% of the student body three decades ago to 26% today. Rising international enrolment has made Harvard and other elite colleges uniquely vulnerable to Mr Trumps crackdown on foreign students. Republicans have been seeking to force overhauls of the nations top colleges, which they see as hotbeds of woke and antisemitic viewpoints. Advertisement Mr Garber says the university has made changes to combat antisemitism. But Harvard, he said, will not stray from its core, legally-protected principles, even after receiving federal ultimatums. Mr Trumps administration has also taken steps to withhold federal funding from Harvard and other elite colleges that have rejected White House demands related to campus protests, admissions, hiring and more. Harvards 53 billion dollar (39 billion) endowment allows it to weather the loss of funding for a time, although Mr Garber has warned of difficult decisions and sacrifices to come. The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to pause a court order to reinstate Education Department employees who were fired in mass lay-offs as part of President Donald Trumps plan to dismantle the agency. The Justice Departments emergency appeal to the high court on Friday said US District Judge Myong Joun in Boston exceeded his authority last month when he issued a preliminary injunction reversing the lay-offs of nearly 1,400 people and putting the broader plan on hold. Advertisement Mr Jouns order has blocked one of Mr Trumps biggest campaign promises and effectively stalled the effort to wind down the department. A federal appeals court refused to put the order on hold while the administration appealed. The judge wrote that the lay-offs will likely cripple the department. But Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote on Friday that Mr Joun was substituting his policy preferences for those of the Trump administration. Advertisement The lay-offs help put in place the policy of streamlining the department and eliminating discretionary functions that, in the administrations view, are better left to the states, Mr Sauer wrote. He also pointed out that the Supreme Court in April voted 5-4 to block Mr Jouns earlier order seeking to keep in place Education Department teacher-training grants. The current case involves two consolidated lawsuits that said Mr Trumps plan amounted to an illegal closure of the Education Department. One suit was filed by the Somerville and Easthampton school districts in Massachusetts along with the American Federation of Teachers and other education groups. The other suit was filed by a coalition of 21 Democratic attorneys general. Advertisement The suits argued that the lay-offs left the department unable to carry out responsibilities required by Congress, including duties to support special education, distribute financial aid and enforce civil rights laws. Mr Trump has made it a priority to shut down the Education Department, though he has acknowledged that only Congress has the authority to do that. In the meantime, Mr Trump issued a March order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to wind it down to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law. Mr Trump later said the departments functions will be parcelled to other agencies, suggesting federal student loans should be managed by the Small Business Administration and programmes involving students with disabilities would be absorbed by the Department of Health and Human Services. Those changes have not yet happened. Advertisement The president argues that the Education Department has been overtaken by liberals and has failed to spur improvements to the nations lagging academic scores. He has promised to return education to the states. Opponents note that K-12 education is already mostly overseen by states and cities. Democrats have blasted the Trump administrations Education Department budget, which seeks a 15% budget cut including a 4.5 billion dollar cut in K-12 funding as part of the agencys downsizing. If there is one thing to know about me, it is that I love comedy. I love to chuckle, laugh, guffaw - pretty much all the classics. This passion has also led me to work in comedy. While there are huge downsides to this career path (money, stability, sanity), it means I can make a valid claim that consuming comedy and engaging with funny TV, movies, podcasts, etc, is part of my job. In this time of heaviness and bleakness and not that much laughter, I heartily recommend this show. And I am very good at my job. I watch everything from silly sitcoms to dark comedy narrative to experimental humour to internet-based improv shows (better than it sounds!), and I love using my skills and general perfect taste to recommend the great things I find. Often these recommendations are specifically targeted, knowing that comedy is especially subjective, and what I find funny (correct), other people might not (incorrect). Sometimes, however, I come across a show that I know will appeal to basically anyone who likes to laugh. If you dont love to laugh, I dont think I can help maybe try watching about 40 minutes into Bambi. The reason I think this show can be widely enjoyed is that it is so simple, so funny, and so doesnt take your brain to engage. Its called LOL: Last One Laughing UK. The concept of the show is so simple that it could make someone scream because they didnt invent it and are instead just writing about it in the paper. Like Taskmaster (which I also love), Last One Laughing takes a bunch of funny comedians and puts them to the test, filmed for our pleasure. Except in this show the test is that 10 comedians are all locked into one big room together for six hours, and in that time are not allowed to laugh. If they laugh, they get a yellow card, and if they laugh again, they get a red, meaning they are out and have to go sit in the other room with Jimmy Carr (punishment). You might guess that the last one who is laughing wins. Last One Laughing is a franchise show with seasons in places like Australia, Ireland, and South Africa, but whether through luck or planning or both, this first season of the new UK series has rocketed to the top of my rankings. Largely thats to do with the perfect cast, which included several hilarious ex-Taskmaster alums, including Judi Love, Joe Lycett and Lou Sanders, as well as the legend Bob Mortimer (JOKE), the brilliant trained comedic actor Daisy May Cooper, and the always-deadpan Richard Ayoade. You might assume that after 40 years with Crowded House, Neil Finn wouldve done it all. But then you see a viral video where hes singing Dont Dream Its Over with pop star Dua Lipa and you think, hmm, thats unexpected. I just got an email, turns out she and her father, who manages her, are big fans. I was very happy to be asked, says Finn about being invited onstage by Lipa at her gig in Auckland in April. Crowded House will headline the Red Hot Summer Tour this October and November. I happen to have an affection for her music, in part because my grandsons Buddy and Manaia danced to Houdini and Levitating all summer. I like her stuff and I like her, she emanates something really positive and good and she was a delight. Also unexpected? That there are somehow places left in Australia that Crowded House have never yet managed to play. Its partly the reason the band will headline Red Hot Summer, a touring festival thatll take them through regional Australia this October and November, alongside acts like The Church, Angus & Julia Stone, and old acquaintances Mark Seymour and Vika & Linda. Advertisement Eating outKitchen Drawer The $5 tool that will elevate your Thai cooking, according to a star chef Looking to level up your Thai salads and desserts? Longrain creator Martin Boetz reckons you need this simple utensil. Matt Shea June 6, 2025 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share Martin Boetz thinks Thai cooking is getting better in Australia. Or more sophisticated, at least. There are better restaurants around using proper ingredients, Boetz says. Even your local Thai restaurant is putting Thai basil in the curries, rather than nothing, like they used to. Martin Boetz at Short Grain with his coconut scraper, which can be bought for as little as $5 at your local Asian supermarket. Markus Ravik Boetz should know. Hes partly responsible, given his creation of Longrain in Sydney in 1999. It was such a hit it inspired a second restaurant in Melbourne (which is still a going concern, now under the stewardship of Scott Pickett) and went on to influence a raft of others, from Chin Chin in Melbourne to EP & LP in Los Angeles and Longtime (now Same Same) in Brisbane. Often, it was Boetzs former Longrain lieutenants heading up the kitchens in these venues, such as Louis Tikaram at EP & LP or Ben Bertei at Longtime. Advertisement Related Article The one rice cooker you need at home? Its not a rice cooker, says this top chef And the effect has trickled down over time to smaller, more local venues, and now the home kitchen. Plus, people are travelling to Thailand more. They have that deeper knowledge of Thai food, says Boetz, who now owns Short Grain in Brisbane. There are plenty of tools and techniques that can help elevate your Thai cooking, Boetz says, from learning to use a wok correctly, to cooking out your store-bought pastes with coconut oil, to mastering the balancing of your curries with the addition of acid or salt. Advertisement Boetz demonstrating how to use his coconut scraper. Markus Ravik Still, theres one small utensil that can be bought for as little as $5 that he insists will make a big difference to your Thai cooking at home: the humble coconut scraper. Before you ask, no, not a coconut shredder, which you may have seen cooks in Thailand use to shred fresh coconut to make coconut milk or cream. This is a smaller, simpler and cheaper handheld device used to scrape flesh from the inside of the coconut after its been split in two. Boetz likes to use his to elevate his Thai salads and desserts. I have a whole stack of them in the cupboard because if you use them every day, they dont tend to last long, Boetz says. But its something that it pays to be gentle with. If you get stuck into it too hard, it ends up being a real thick piece. Advertisement Boetz uses a coconut scraper to elevate his salads and desserts. Markus Ravik Its just a gentle scrape, but its easy for people to get the hang of. Boetz demonstrates on a fresh coconut and the result is thin white wafers that resemble a crinkle cut potato chip. To eat, it has more flavour and a more tender texture than store-bought dried coconut. You can take this and roast it and then use it on cakes, Boetz says. Because its pretty. It has that lovely curl to it. Its more immediate use, though, is as a fresh addition to Thai-style salads. Boetz likes to pound birds eye chillies (scuds in Thai cooking) and garlic and put them on a simmer with some coconut cream, fish sauce and a dash of white sugar. Advertisement Boetzs poached tuna salad with freshly shaved coconut. Markus Ravik Hell then add some tuna, lightly poaching it, before taking it out, breaking it into pieces, and throwing it together with Thai basil, peanuts and the freshly scraped coconut. The poaching liquid is then used as a dressing, Boetz finishing the dish with a squeeze of fresh lime. Its just a really simple dish with lots of flavour, Boetz says, and the coconut adds a lovely texture to that salad. State and federal police say they carried out a number of search warrants in Melbournes northern suburbs on Friday as they investigate last years firebombing of the Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea. Members of the Adass Israel congregation were forced to flee the early-morning blaze at the synagogue on December 6 after two masked men set it on fire. The Adass Israel synagogue bombing shocked Australia. Police on Friday issued a brief statement about the raids. Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police have executed a number of search warrants in Melbournes northern suburbs this morning as part of the joint counter-terrorism team (JCTT) investigation into an arson attack, police said. While Harry Triguboff retained his title of richest man in Australia last week thanks to his Meriton property empire, his grandchildren were doing what their grandfather knows best shoring up Sydney real estate. Miki Hendler is the latest grandchild to have bought into their favourite neighbourhood of Vaucluse, given the Triguboff clan already own two sizable compounds in the prestigious suburb. The house bought by Miki Hendler and husband Elliot Solomon was on the market for the first time in more than 25 years. The Meriton development manager and her husband, Elliot Solomon, chief executive of his family-run hospitality company Solotel (which runs a long list of popular venues such as The Golden Sheaf, North Bondi Fish, Aria, Chiswick and Opera Bar to name a few) have emerged as the buyers of the $20 million-plus grand five-bedroom, four-bathroom Vaucluse house after Hendler lodged a caveat on the home. It sold through Paul Biller of Biller Property, who declined to comment. Seoul, South Korea: North Korea says it has recovered its brand-new warship that partially capsized in a launch accident witnessed by Kim Jong-un late last month. Satellite images analysed by the Associated Press showed the stricken destroyer upright and floating in the north-eastern port of Chongjin. It wasnt immediately clear how much damage it had sustained from the botched launch and from lying in the water for days afterwards. Latest satellite images show the ship floating in the port of Chongjin. Credit: Planet Labs via AP Experts will closely examine the vessels hull before beginning the next phase of restoration, which will take place at a dry dock at the neighbouring port of Rajin, North Koreas official KCNA news agency said on Friday. The state media update aligned with South Korean military assessments of the warship, which leader Kim Jong-un has described as a significant asset for his nuclear-armed military. Netanyahu did not specify what support Israel was giving to the clans, or what their role would be. His announcement came hours after a political opponent criticised him for arming unofficial groups of Palestinians in Gaza. In a video posted to his X account, Netanyahu said the government made the move on the advice of security officials, to save the lives of Israeli soldiers. Though it has been known in southern Gaza throughout the war, the Abu Shabab group emerged publicly in the past month, posting pictures of its armed members, with helmets, flak jackets and automatic weapons. It declared itself a nationalist force protecting aid. The Abu Shabab family renounced Yasser over his connections with the Israeli military in a recent statement, saying he and anyone who joined his group are no longer linked to the family. The groups media office said in response to emailed questions from the Associated Press that it operated in Israeli military-controlled areas for a purely humanitarian reason. It described its ties with the Israel military as humanitarian communication to facilitate the introduction of aid and ensure that it is not intercepted. We are not proxies for anyone, it said. We have not received any military or logistical support from any foreign party. It said it had secured the surroundings of GHF centres in Rafah but was not involved in distribution of food. Loading It rejected accusations the group had looted aid, calling them exaggerations and part of a smear campaign. But it also said, our popular forces led by Yasser Abu Shabab only took the minimum amount of food and water necessary to secure their elements in the field, without elaborating how, and from whom, they took the aid. Abu Shabab and about 100 fighters have been active in eastern parts of Rafah and Khan Younis, areas under Israeli military control, according to Nahed Sheheiber, the head of the private transportation union in Gaza that provides trucks and drivers for aid groups. He said they used to attack aid trucks driving on a military-designated route leading from the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, the main entry point for aid. Our trucks were attacked many times by the Abu Shabab gang and the occupation forces stood idle. They did nothing, Sheheiber said, referring to the Israeli military. The one who has looted aid is now the one who protects aid, he said sarcastically. An aid worker in Gaza said humanitarian groups tried last year to negotiate with Abu Shabab and other influential families to end their looting of convoys. Though they agreed, they soon reverted to hijacking trucks, the aid worker said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk the media. The aid worker said he saw Abu Shababs men operating in Israeli-controlled areas near the military-held Morag Corridor in southern Gaza in late May. They were wearing new uniforms and carried what appeared to be new weapons, he said. Loading Jonathan Whittall, the head of the United Nations humanitarian office for the occupied Palestinian territory, said that criminal gangs operating under the watch of Israeli forces near Kerem Shalom would systematically attack and loot aid convoys ... These gangs have by far been the biggest cause of aid loss in Gaza. The war between Israel and Hamas erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-linked militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1200 people and taking 251 others hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel responded with an offensive that has decimated Gaza, displaced nearly all of its 2.3 million people and caused a humanitarian crisis that has left the territory on the brink of famine after an 11-week food blockade. Gazas Health Ministry says more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, more than half of them women and children. The ministry, which is led by medical professionals but reports to the Hamas-run government, does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. Hamas is still holding 56 hostages. About a third are believed to be alive, though many fear they are in grave danger the longer the war goes on. Israel said it had recovered the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages from Gaza on Thursday in a secret operation. A Palestinian woman embraces the body of her eight-year-old daughter, Mayar Abu Odeh, who was killed in an Israeli army strike on Gaza on Wednesday. Credit: AP Israeli strikes overnight and into Thursday killed at least 22 people in Gaza, including three local journalists who were in the courtyard of a hospital, according to health officials in the territory. The military said it targeted a militant in that strike. Israeli forces also bombed the southern suburbs of Beirut overnight, sending thousands of people fleeing on the eve of an Islamic feast day and prompting accusations by top Lebanese officials that Israel was violating a ceasefire deal. Israel said it was targeting sites that Hezbollah was using to make drones. The strikes were carried out about 90 minutes after the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings. It was the fourth time that Dahiyeh has been bombed since the United States brokered a truce in November that ended a year-long war between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Lebanese armed movement. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trumps administration imposed sanctions on four judges at the International Criminal Court on Thursday in an unprecedented retaliation over the war tribunals cases regarding alleged war crimes by US troops in Afghanistan and over the courts issuance of an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. Flames and smoke following an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh in southern Beirut. Credit: AP Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the judges Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin, and Beti Hohler of Slovenia were actively engaged in the ICCs illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel. The Hague-based court said it deplored the sanctions, calling them an attempt to undermine its independence. The decision to impose them follows Trumps executive order in February authorising sanctions on ICC officials who investigate the US and its allies. Thursdays online drama underscored that while Musks stewardship of X made it into a powerful tool for his allies and the conservative movement, he feels free to wrench it in whatever new direction he pleases. When he acquired Twitter, Musk drove some users and advertisers away from the platform by putting his personal views ahead of business concerns, loosening speech rules and reinstating accounts banned for harassment or spreading misinformation. His fight with Trump proved again that he is willing to risk an exodus of users this time from the right by using the platform as a bully pulpit. Trump commands an actual military, but Musk oversees the larger digital horde. He has 220 million X followers, while Trump has 100 million on X and another 10 million on Truth Social, where he has lately become more prolific than he ever was on Twitter. Musk also controls Xs moderation policies and its algorithm, both of which he has used at times to boost his own reach and silence his critics. Musks power to direct attention on X has helped drive the emergence of an ecosystem of pseudonymous conservative political and tech influencers. Many have built followings in the millions on X by praising Musk, denigrating his rivals and trumpeting his agenda. Theyve been rewarded with amplification from Musk and a cut of Xs ad revenue. All those advantages were arrayed in Trumps favour after Musk endorsed his candidacy on X less than an hour after Trump survived an attempted assassination in July. Musk donned a MAGA hat in his profile image, held an hours-long live audio event on X with Trump and posted fake AI-generated images of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in communist regalia. On more than one occasion, pro-Harris accounts found themselves throttled or temporarily suspended, leading some Democrats to cry foul. In happier times: Donald Trump and Elon Musk show off a Tesla at the White House in March. Credit: AP As Musks DOGE, or Department of Government Efficiency, swept through Washington in February at Trumps behest, X became a digital command centre of the new administration. Musk used it to amplify claims of waste and corruption, some of them unfounded, at the agencies and programs he targeted for elimination. He baited critics with memes of himself as the Godfather and polled his followers on what DOGE should cut next. Now its Trump that Musk is trolling, after ending his government service a long way short of his stated goal of cutting $US2 trillion in federal spending. He sent warning shots on Tuesday, calling Trumps massive tax and immigration bill the presidents top domestic priority a disgusting abomination. The conflict escalated in a hurry on Thursday after Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that his great relationship with Musk might be over. Over the following hours, Musk accused Trump and other Republican leaders of betraying their principles and approvingly reposted criticisms of them from other accounts. That can have ripple effects across X as users vie to craft posts that will win a reply or amplification from Musk that can boost their own followings. At one point, Musk posted a poll asking his 220 million followers if it was time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80 per cent in the middle. Six hours into the 24-hour poll, the votes leaned heavily toward Yes. Traffic to X surely spiked on Thursday as political and tech insiders became glued to the conflict and citizens were left to wonder what it meant for the worlds richest person to be at war with its most politically powerful. How the feud will affect Musks influence and business empire is less certain. Loading Tesla and SpaceX, his most valuable companies, depend heavily on government regulation and contracts, making them vulnerable to attacks by Trump and his administration. Tesla stock fell on Thursday as investors appeared to fear retribution. Public spats between influencers are great for engagement on social platforms. But if the acrimony continues, Musk may have to reckon again with an exodus of users repelled by his politics. His embrace of Trump sent liberals scurrying to Metas Threads and upstart Bluesky. His split with the president could give Trump an opening to lure more conservatives to Truth Social. On Thursday, some X influencers appeared to have calculated they had better prospects by sticking with Musk. An account called DogeDesigner with 41 million followers posted that Musk sacrificed a lot for Trump and deserved better treatment. Just last week, Musk had sent it a heart emoji for a post promoting his alliance with the president. Another account called Shibetoshi Nakamoto mused, can i finally say that trumps tariffs are super stupid. In a battle between Musk and Trump, My moneys on Elon, conservative commentator Ian Miles Cheong wrote, adding that Trump should be impeached and [US vice president] J.D. Vance should replace him. Musk reposted it to his followers, adding only: Yes. The Washington Post A MAN whose car was clocked at 129kph in an 80 zone near Castledermot had his charge struck out when the judge accepted his excuse that he had lent his car to a man interested in buying it that day, and allowed the prosecuting sergeant the final decision. Before Athy District Court this week to plead not guilty to the one count of speeding on the R418 in Newtown, Castledermot on 11 November last was 51-year-old James Keogh, Straboe, Killerig, Co Carlow. The states position was given in evidence by the operator of a roadside speed van, and this was uncontested. Standing in the body of the court, Mr Keogh told Judge Desmond Zaidan that I wasnt driving it. On the day in question, I was selling my car out the front of my house. This man came to test drive it, and once he showed his insurance, I let him, said Mr Keogh. Im not going to accept that version unless its given under oath, said the judge, compelling the defendant into the witness box. He looked at it, showed me his driving licence and proof of insurance, said Mr Keogh under oath. Then a few weeks later, I get this (fine) in the post, so I went to the garda station in Tullamore to get this sorted out, he said. Given Benefit This requires the complainant to fill a formal certificate called a nomination with the details of the other driver. He did make a nomination to the FPN (fixed penalty notice) office, but it was not accepted without the address of the other driver or his licence number, said Sergeant Dave Hanrahan. Forgive me, a botched job, said the judge. You gave a name not indigenous to Ireland, and an address not in the state? he noted. He lived in Spain, but his partner is from Carlow and they were looking at moving back, said Mr Keogh. If you were in my shoes, you would have a raised eyebrow. Im finding this difficult to accept, said the judge. I just sat up here and swore an oath on the Bible and I gave all my information to the gardai and the FPN people, said Mr Keogh. Up to you, sergeant; shall I give him the benefit? the judge asked of Sgt Hanrahan. He paused but a second, before saying: yes, and so the judge struck out the charge. Olivia Kelleher Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said that every effort will be made to get Robert Pether home to his family in Roscommon as quickly as possible, following his release from custody in Iraq after four years in prison. Mr Pether, who is an Australian citizen, has been in prison in Iraq since April 2021, after he was arrested on fraud charges following a contractual dispute involving his employer that arose out of the building of a new Central Bank building in Baghdad in Iraq. The United Nations says it has been an arbitrary detention. Speaking during a school visit in Passage West, Co Cork on Friday morning, Mr Martin welcomed Mr Pethers release. He said that the imprisonment of the resident of Elphin, Co Roscommon, has been very distressing for his wife, children and other family members. I dont want to say things that may in any way hinder his eventual arrival back to Ireland, but I believe this is a good first step. "We have to work very hard with countries such as Iraq and others in terms [of] the treatment of Irish citizens. He is an Australian citizen, which is a complicating factor in all of this, but both ourselves and the Australian Government have been working together in terms of endeavouring to get him out. Mr Martin said that he remains concerned about the health of the 49-year-old. I certainly do (share the concern of his wife) and the knock-on impact, the significant impact, on the well-being of the family. I have met with (his wife) Desree, and I think it's very upsetting. It is very difficult, as she said herself this morning, to see him now in terms of what the impact of prison has had on his life. Meanwhile, Desree Pether told Morning Ireland on RTE Radio 1 this morning that she was shocked at the poor physical condition of her husband when she spoke to him by video link. She said that Mr Pether is not well at all and really needs to just come home so he can get the proper medical attention he needs. She said that he has fainted a few times over the last few months. He is not eating properly because he cant keep anything down. It is a shock to the system to see how far he has declined. Ms Pether and other family members have been actively campaigning to get Robert Pether out of prison since 2021. Mr Martin met with Mr Pethers family in January of last year in his capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs. He also raised the case with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2023. The Department of Foreign Affairs raised the issue with Iraqi embassy in Dublin on numerous occasions whilst the detention of Mr Pether was also raised in Baghdad by Irelands Ambassador to Iraq, Marianne Bolger. The Pi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated will commemorate 100 years in the Scenic City, honoring a legacy of service, sisterhood and scholarship. As part of this milestone, Pi Omega invites the community to its Centennial Gala on Saturday, June 28 at 6 p.m. at the Chattanooga Convention Center. This formal evening will feature dinner, dancing, and a grand celebration, honoring the chapter's lasting impact on Chattanooga and beyond.The cost is $100.Officials said, "Chartered on June 25, 1925 by five visionary women, the Pi Omega Chapter has spent a century championing education, health and social justice.Over the past 100 years, the chapter has uplifted local young women through scholarships and cultural enrichment programs, including the tri-annual Fashionetta event."Pi Omegas commitment to community service is evident through various initiatives. The chapter operates the Pi Omega Community Room in Emma Wheeler Homes, fosters environmental sustainability by partnering with the Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center to plant trees, and collaborates with the Matthew 25 Ministry of Olivet Baptist Church to support the homeless."Advocating for social justice, Pi Omega hosted a panel discussion addressing stigma, risks and treatment options for pregnant and postpartum women. Additionally, the Childhood Hunger Initiative Power Pack (AKA CHIPP) ensures children at Harrison Elementary School receive meals on weekends and holidays, reinforcing the chapters dedication to meaningful impact."Join us in commemorating 100 years of excellence as we celebrate Pi Omegas legacy and ongoing commitment to uplifting the community." CHI Memorial System Novice Nurse of Excellence - Amanda Estes, RN CHI Memorila Nurse of Excellence - Jan Nunley, RN CHI Memorial System Patient Care Tech of Excellence- Quinton Bruce, PCT CHI Memorial System Nurse Leader of Excellence - Kayla West, RN Previous Next CHI Memorial announces its 2025 Nurse of Excellence recipients. The recognition was part of the health systems annual Nurses Week (May 6-12) celebration.Recognized were:System Nurse of Excellence - Jane Nunley, RN"With unwavering commitment, Jane has dedicated her extensive career to the specialized field of Orthopedics, achieving her board certification well before it gained widespread recognition as a sought-after specialty. Her remarkable tenure of over 37 years at CHI Memorial is marked by a consistent pattern of growth and multifaceted contributions At the heart of Jane's practice is an unwavering dedication to her patients.She consistently prioritizes their well-being, always willing to invest the necessary time to thoroughly educate them about their conditions and treatment plans, proactively address their individual needs with compassion and empathy and provide steadfast support to her fellow nurses, fostering a collaborative and positive work environment. Throughout her many years of service, Jane has embraced evolving unit needs and assumed various responsibilities with remarkable adaptability, always approaching new challenges with a positive attitude and a readiness to contribute. Her proactive mindset, encapsulated in her personal motto of 'I will do what works best to meet the team's needs,' underscores her deep commitment to collective success" officials said.Jane works on 3 South, a medical-surgical unit at CHI Memorial Hospital Chattanooga,System Patient Care Tech of Excellence- Quinton Bruce, PCTQuinton has a remarkable rapport with patients, particularly the elderly. He possesses a unique ability to create a sense of ease and comfort during potentially distressing moments. His attentiveness extends to both the physical and emotional needs of those in his care. In every aspect, Quinton embodies the qualities of a truly outstanding individual," officials said.Quinton works in the Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) at CHI Memorial Hospital Chattanooga.System Novice Nurse of Excellence - Amanda Estes, RNAmanda consistently demonstrates exceptional nursing skills and a profound commitment to her patients, consistently exceeding expectations with genuine empathy and diligent care. Her unwavering dedication serves as a powerful inspiration to colleagues and vividly illustrates the essence of outstanding nursing practice. Amanda's positive demeanor brightens the workplace, and her encouraging words and warm smile significantly contribute to a supportive and uplifting team environment, officials said.Amanda works on 7 North, a cardiac telemetry unit at CHI Memorial Hospital Chattanooga.System Nurse Preceptor of Excellence - Matt Lane, RNMatt stands out as a preceptor of remarkable caliber, consistently exceeding expectations in his leadership and mentorship of newly graduated nurses. His commitment to their professional development extends far beyond basic instruction, ensuring they acquire a robust foundation of both clinical proficiency and essential professional attributes vital for long-term success. Matt possesses an extraordinary talent for imparting knowledge and nurturing skills in novice nurses, characterized by his remarkable patience, extensive expertise, and genuine compassion. Hecultivates a supportive and dynamic learning atmosphere where growth is actively encouraged, self-assurance is fostered, and the development of critical thinking abilities is prioritized, officials said.Matt worked in the emergency room at CHI Memorial Hospital Hixson.System Charge Nurse of Excellence - Leandrea Payne-Turner, RNI have been fortunate to benefit from Leah's invaluable assistance in preparing for the arrival of complex or time-sensitive patients. Her proactive nature means she is consistently observed offering support to fellow nurses, effortlessly demonstrating the leadership qualities of a seasoned professional. It is rare to see Leah not actively engaged in contributing to the smooth functioning of the unit... Her unwavering integrity, meticulous attention to detail, and steadfast advocacy for her patients are qualities that are not only highly admired but also essential to the delivery of exceptional patient care, officials said.Leah works in pre/post op at CHI Memorial Hospital Chattanooga.System Nurse Leader of Excellence - Kayla West, RNKayla embodies the essence of a highly effective and driven leader, demonstrating a level of professionalism that permeates her interactions and responsibilities. While her leadership style may be characterized as soft and quiet, this demeanor should not be mistaken for a lack of influence or engagement. On the contrary, Kayla's quiet strength allows her to lead with a remarkable effectiveness, marked by deep engagement and unwavering loyalty. Her commitment extends both to the organization, CHI, and, even more significantly, to the well-being and professional growth of her team and the nursing profession as a whole, officials said.Kayla is the nurse manager of 4 South, a medical-surgical unit, at CHI Memorial Hospital Chattanooga. Wellpoint Tennessee will host Self-Care Saturday, a free event designed to promote physical, mental and emotional well-being through a variety of wellness-focused activities, this Saturday from 10 a.m.-noon at J.A. Henry YMCA, 3500 Dodds Ave. in Chattanooga.Held in partnership with local community-based organizations, the event will feature yoga sessions, meditation and access to mental health resources."Whether participants are experienced in wellness practices or exploring them for the first time, Self-Care Saturday offers something for everyone," organizers said."Attendees can drop in at any time during the event to explore different activities and connect with valuable resources for maintaining a healthier lifestyle." The Hamilton County Democratic Party stands proudly with Mayor Tim Kellys decision to light up City Hall in celebration of Pride Month. This is more than a display of color, it is a visible commitment to equality, dignity, and shared humanity of every Chattanooga resident. Lighting up City Hall is a symbol of unity and a reminder that government should represent and support all its people, not just the ones who fit into a narrow definition of acceptable. We reject the notion that inclusion is division, or that celebrating LGBTQ+ Chattanoogans somehow politicizes our values. Equality is not something to be feared. We believe our public institutions should reflect the full diversity of the people they serve. At a time when many are trying to roll back hard-won rights, we commend Mayor Kelly for standing firm in support of inclusion, even knowing that leadership sometimes means withstanding backlash to do what is right. Thank you for sending a clear message: the city sees them. The Hamilton County Democratic Party celebrates Pride Month with our LGBTQ+ neighbors, friends, and family. We affirm that diversity is a strength, not a threat. And to those who call these actions and beliefs divisive, we ask: Who exactly are we excluding by choosing to include? Nikwonn Robinson Chair, Hamilton County Democratic Party * * * Tim Kelly lit up City Hall in rainbow colors in a pathetic virtue-signaling gesture he says, "in honor of national Pride Month" to show "we're a kind and welcoming people." Did he light up City Hall in red, white and blue for Memorial Day? Mark Caldwell Here is the latest Hamilton County arrest report. (If your case is dismissed, just email us your name and date we ran it and we will promptly take off. Email to news@chattanoogan.com) ARNOLD,BENJAMIN JOHN 9104 OLE FARM LN HARRISON, 37341 Age at Arrest: 46 years old Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Charges: AGGRAVATED ASSAULT AGGRAVATED ASSAULT LEAVING SCENE ACCIDENT BIRT,DON TRELL LAQUAN 231 HAWKINS OUT DR APT 207 CHATTANOOGA, 37410 Age at Arrest: 21 years old Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Charges: TEXTING WHILE DRIVING RECKLESS DRIVING PASSING SCHOOL BUS (ILLEGAL) BISHOP,JACKSON LEWIS 867 INTERMONT RD CHATTANOOGA, 374154827 Age at Arrest: 22 years old Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD Charges: INTERFERENCE WITH EMERGENCY CALLS BOYD,DORIS LARAE 4014 BREAKWATER DR HIXSON , 37343 Age at Arrest: 41 years old Arresting Agency: Chatt St Police Charges: VIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT OF PROPERTY) BOYD,DORIS LARAE 4014 BREAKWATER DR HIXSON , 37343 Age at Arrest: 41 years old Arresting Agency: Chatt St Police Charges: BURGLARY OF AUTO CARDENAS,TIFFANY ANN 1641 BROADWAY ST DAYTON, 37321 Age at Arrest: 43 years old Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Charges: DANIEL,CHARLES RONALD 2523 WOODFIN AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37415 Age at Arrest: 50 years old Arresting Agency: Tenn Hwy Patrol Charges: IGNITION INTERLOCK VIOLATION REGISTRATION, IMPROPER DISPLAY OF PLATES DIAZ LOPEZ,CAROLINA CRISTINA 3742 LAS LOMAS DRIVE CHATTANOOGA, Age at Arrest: 21 years old Arresting Agency: East Ridge Charges: DRIVING WITHOUT DRIVERS LICENSE / EXPIRED LICENSE DRIVING UNREG VEHICLE CRIMINAL IMPERSONATION FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY DYE,CECIL COREY 320 MAPLE ST SODDY DAISY, 37379 Age at Arrest: 31 years old Arresting Agency: Red Bank PD Charges: ELDER ABUSE/NEGLECT THEFT OVER $1000 POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA CRIMINAL TRESPASSING FENTON,KWESI RASHEED 727 E 11TH ST CHATTANOOGA, 37403 Age at Arrest: 40 years old Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD Charges: AGGRAVATED ROBBERY CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY FLANIGAN,MAURICE TYRONE 410 ROBERTS ST CHATTANOOGA, 37404 Age at Arrest: 46 years old Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD Charges: POSSESSING A FIREARM WITH INTENT TO GO ARMED POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA POSSESSION OF METH (SELL, DEL. OR MANUFACTURING)DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSEFLETCHER,KENNITH DUANE5038 CAMERON LANE CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest:30 years oldArresting Agency:HC SheriffCharges:VIOLATION OF PROBATION THEFT OF PROPERTYFOSTER,ANTHONY CORNELIUS1607 E 47TH ST CHATTANOOGA, 37407Age at Arrest:46 years oldArresting Agency:Chattanooga PDCharges:FAILURE TO APPEARGOODWIN,JNIA DEKAYLA200 HILLSIDE DRIVE CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest:19 years oldArresting Agency:Chattanooga PDCharges:DRIVERS TO EXERCISE DUE CARERECKLESS DRIVINGAGGRAVATED ASSAULTAGGRAVATED ASSAULTVANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEFDRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSELEAVING SCENE OF ACCIDENT W/DAMAGE TO VEHICLEHARDNETT,JEROME543 REDFORD DRIVE NASHVILLE, 37207Age at Arrest:64 years oldArresting Agency:Chattanooga PDCharges:THEFT OF IDENTITYVIOLATION OF SEX OFFENDER REGISTRYJOHNSON,FREDRICK LAMAR104 N ST MARKS AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37412Age at Arrest:54 years oldArresting Agency:HC SheriffCharges:DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSEJONES,NICHOLAS LEBRON7707 LEE HIGHWAY #121 CHATTANOOGA, 374023759Age at Arrest:39 years oldArresting Agency:Chattanooga PDCharges:POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIAKIMBRAL,ALISHA LARAINCHICKAMAUGA, 30707Age at Arrest:35 years oldArresting Agency:East RidgeCharges:FORGERYTHEFT OVER $2500.00LOCKLEAR,BOBBY DEARL7170 LEE HWY CHATTANOOGA, 28314Age at Arrest:44 years oldArresting Agency:Chattanooga PDCharges:CRIMINAL INQUIRYLOCKLEAR,BOBBY DEARL7170 LEE HWY CHATTANOOGA, 28314Age at Arrest:44 years oldArresting Agency:Chattanooga PDCharges:POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIALONG,ADAM LEEHOMELESS CHATTANOOGA, 37410Age at Arrest:36 years oldArresting Agency:Chattanooga PDCharges:THEFT OF PROPERTY (CONDUCT INVOLV.MERCHANDISE)THEFT OF PROPERTYLYLE,EMANUEL JEROME8019 BORK MEMORIAL DRIVE OOLTEWAH, 37363Age at Arrest:28 years oldArresting Agency:HC SheriffCharges:FUGITIVE CATOOSA GAMAYNOR,CORTNEY RAE145 S JACKSON STREET ATHENS, 37303Age at Arrest:40 years oldArresting Agency:HC SheriffCharges:POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCEPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIADRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSEREGISTRATION, MISUSE OF EVIDENCESFINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITYMCCARY,MISTA JULIUS834 Wheeler Ave Chattanooga, 37406Age at Arrest:22 years oldArresting Agency:Chattanooga PDCharges:DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALETAMPERING WITH OR FABRICATING EVIDENCECRIMINAL CONSPIRACYDRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALESPEEDINGDRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSEPOSSESSING A FIREARM WITH INTENT TO GO ARMEDMENDEZ,PASCUAL RUBEN DIEGO1715 FOUST ST CHATTANOOGA, 37407Age at Arrest:23 years oldArresting Agency:HC SheriffCharges:DOMESTIC ASSAULTVANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEFMYERS,PATRICK ELLIOTT2102 DABNEY DRIVE CHATTANOOGA, 37412Age at Arrest:41 years oldArresting Agency:HC SheriffCharges:AGGRAVATED ASSAULTVANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEFPANKEY,MILTON JONANTAY1941 MAPLE HILLS WAY CHATTANOOGA, 374061570Age at Arrest:33 years oldArresting Agency:HC SheriffCharges:CHILD NON SUPORTPASCUAL,MICAELA MIGUEL3507 6TH AVENUE CHATTANOOGA, 37407Age at Arrest:19 years oldArresting Agency:East RidgeCharges:DOMESTIC ASSAULTPERRY,AALIYAH LYNN2520 6TH AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37407Age at Arrest:18 years oldArresting Agency:HC SheriffCharges:DOMESTIC ASSAULTRAY,GORDON1515 N ORCHARD KNOB AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37406Age at Arrest:25 years oldArresting Agency:HC SheriffCharges:RICCI,SANTINO LUCIANO2450 WINFIELD DUNN PARKWAY KOAK, 37764Age at Arrest:36 years oldArresting Agency:HC SheriffCharges:CONTEMPT OF COURTROGERS,KENNETH CHARLES9233 DALLAS HOLLOW RD SODDY DAISY, 373799005Age at Arrest:57 years oldArresting Agency:HC SheriffCharges:DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSEREGISTRATION, EXPIREDFINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITYPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIASHEETS,EKATERINA2904 5TH AVENUE CHATTANOOGA, 37407Age at Arrest:27 years oldArresting Agency:Tenn Hwy PatrolCharges:DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCERECKLESS ENDANGERMENTVIOLATION OF TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICEDRIVERS TO EXERCISE DUE CARESIMS,SAVANNAH BROOKE318 W MIDVALE AVENUE CHATTANOOGA, 37405Age at Arrest:30 years oldArresting Agency:Red Bank PDCharges:FTA AGGRAVATED BURGLARYELDER ABUSE NEGLECTTAMPERINGASSAULTEVADING ARRESTPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIATHEFT OVER $1000CRIMINAL TRESPASSINGSLAYTON,JESSICA STELLA1815 CLEAR VIEW DRIVE CHATTANOOGA, 37421Age at Arrest:37 years oldArresting Agency:Chattanooga PDCharges:THOMAS,JAMES CHUCK125 GREENWOOD RD CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest:35 years oldArresting Agency:HC SheriffCharges:NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORTTOMAS-RAMIREZ,JOSUE EGUARDO2930 CALHOUN AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37407Age at Arrest:24 years oldArresting Agency:HC SheriffCharges:RECKLESS AGGRAVATED ASSAULTTURNER,CHRISTOPHER JERMAINE727 E 11TH ST CHATTANOOGA, 37403Age at Arrest:25 years oldArresting Agency:Chattanooga PDCharges:INDECENT EXPOSUREDISORDERLY CONDUCTOBSTRUCTION OF HIGHWAY OR OTHER PASSAGEWAYVANDYKE,NATHAN JOSEPH1406 CAROUSEL ROAD CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest:44 years oldArresting Agency:HC SheriffCharges:NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORTVOGEL,JEREMY BENJAMIN22 STARVIEW LN., APT. 134 CHATTANOOGA, 37419Age at Arrest:50 years oldArresting Agency:Chattanooga PDCharges:AGGRAVATED ASSAULTRETALIATION AGAINST JUDGE, JUROR, OFFICERWOODS,CAMRYN JALEELCHATTANOOGA, 37404Age at Arrest:24 years oldArresting Agency:Chattanooga PDCharges:FALSE REPORTSDRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSELIGHT LAW VIOLATIONDRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALEPOSSESSING A FIREARM WITH INTENT TO GO ARMEDTAMPERING WITH OR FABRICATING EVIDENCECRIMINAL CONSPIRACYDRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALEPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIASEAT BELT LAW VIOLATION Here are the mug shots: ARNOLD, BENJAMIN JOHN Age at Arrest: 46 Date of Birth: 11/26/1978 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): AGGRAVATED ASSAULT AGGRAVATED ASSAULT LEAVING SCENE ACCIDENT BIRT, DON TRELL LAQUAN Age at Arrest: 21 Date of Birth: 03/29/2004 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): TEXTING WHILE DRIVING RECKLESS DRIVING PASSING SCHOOL BUS (ILLEGAL) CARDENAS, TIFFANY ANN Age at Arrest: 43 Date of Birth: 06/07/1981 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) DANIEL, CHARLES RONALD Age at Arrest: 50 Date of Birth: 09/27/1974 Arresting Agency: Tenn Hwy Patrol Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): IGNITION INTERLOCK VIOLATION REGISTRATION, IMPROPER DISPLAY OF PLATES DYE, CECIL COREY Age at Arrest: 31 Date of Birth: 10/28/1993 Arresting Agency: Red Bank PD Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): ELDER ABUSE/NEGLECT THEFT OVER $1000 POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA CRIMINAL TRESPASSING FENTON, KWESI RASHEED Age at Arrest: 40 Date of Birth: 02/10/1985 Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): AGGRAVATED ROBBERY CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY FLANIGAN, MAURICE TYRONE Age at Arrest: 46 Date of Birth: 08/29/1978 Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): POSSESSING A FIREARM WITH INTENT TO GO ARMED POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA POSSESSION OF METH (SELL, DEL. OR MANUFACTURING) DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE FLETCHER, KENNITH DUANE Age at Arrest: 30 Date of Birth: 01/07/1995 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): VIOLATION OF PROBATION THEFT OF PROPERTY FOSTER, ANTHONY CORNELIUS Age at Arrest: 46 Date of Birth: 01/10/1973 Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): FAILURE TO APPEAR GOODWIN, JNIA DEKAYLA Age at Arrest: 19 Date of Birth: 03/03/2006 Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): DRIVERS TO EXERCISE DUE CARE RECKLESS DRIVING AGGRAVATED ASSAULT AGGRAVATED ASSAULT VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE LEAVING SCENE OF ACCIDENT W/DAMAGE TO VEHICLE HARDNETT, JEROME Age at Arrest: 64 Date of Birth: 09/02/1960 Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): THEFT OF IDENTITY VIOLATION OF SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY JOHNSON, FREDRICK LAMAR Age at Arrest: 54 Date of Birth: 09/05/1970 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE JONES, NICHOLAS LEBRON Age at Arrest: 39 Date of Birth: 03/16/1983 Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA KIMBRAL, ALISHA LARAIN Age at Arrest: 35 Date of Birth: 10/03/1989 Arresting Agency: East Ridge Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): FORGERY THEFT OVER $2500.00 MAYNOR, CORTNEY RAE Age at Arrest: 40 Date of Birth: 10/04/1984 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE REGISTRATION, MISUSE OF EVIDENCES FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY MENDEZ, PASCUAL RUBEN DIEGO Age at Arrest: 23 Date of Birth: 12/23/2001 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): DOMESTIC ASSAULT VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF MYERS, PATRICK ELLIOTT Age at Arrest: 41 Date of Birth: 04/26/1984 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): AGGRAVATED ASSAULT VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF NAVA, SANTOS LAVIANO Age at Arrest: 31 Date of Birth: 02/14/1994 Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY PANKEY, MILTON JONANTAY Age at Arrest: 33 Date of Birth: 09/24/1991 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): CHILD NON SUPORT PERRY, AALIYAH LYNN Age at Arrest: 18 Date of Birth: 10/04/2006 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): DOMESTIC ASSAULT RAPAPORT, STEPHEN ELLIOTT Age at Arrest: 39 Date of Birth: 04/18/1985 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): CONTINUOUS SEXUAL ABUSE OF A MINOR CONTINUOUS SEXUAL ABUSE OF A MINOR CONTINUOUS SEXUAL ABUSE OF A MINOR CONTINUOUS SEXUAL ABUSE OF A MINOR AGGRAVATED RAPE OF A CHILD AGGRAVATED RAPE OF A CHILD AGGRAVATED RAPE OF A CHILD AGGRAVATED RAPE OF A CHILD AGGRAVATED RAPE OF A CHILD AGGRAVATED RAPE OF A CHILD AGGRAVATED RAPE OF A CHILD AGGRAVATED RAPE OF A CHILD AGGRAVATED RAPE OF A CHILD AGGRAVATED RAPE OF A CHILD AGGRAVATED SEXUAL BATTERY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL BATTERY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL BATTERY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL BATTERY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL BATTERY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL BATTERY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL BATTERY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL BATTERY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL BATTERY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL BATTERY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL BATTERY INCEST INCEST INCEST INCEST INCEST INCEST INCEST INCEST INCEST ESPECIALLY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF MINOR ESPECIALLY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF MINOR ESPECIALLY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF MINOR ESPECIALLY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF MINOR ESPECIALLY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF MINOR ESPECIALLY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF MINOR ESPECIALLY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF MINOR ESPECIALLY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF MINOR ESPECIALLY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF MINOR ESPECIALLY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF MINOR ESPECIALLY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF MINOR ESPECIALLY AGGRAVATED SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF MINOR RAY, GORDON Age at Arrest: 25 Date of Birth: 03/17/2000 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) RICCI, SANTINO LUCIANO Age at Arrest: 36 Date of Birth: 06/13/1988 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): CONTEMPT OF COURT ROGERS, KENNETH CHARLES Age at Arrest: 57 Date of Birth: 10/19/1965 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE REGISTRATION, EXPIRED FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA SHEETS, EKATERINA Age at Arrest: 27 Date of Birth: 02/14/1998 Arresting Agency: Tenn Hwy Patrol Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT VIOLATION OF TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICE DRIVERS TO EXERCISE DUE CARE SIMS, SAVANNAH BROOKE Age at Arrest: 30 Date of Birth: 02/08/1995 Arresting Agency: Red Bank PD Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): FTA AGGRAVATED BURGLARY ELDER ABUSE NEGLECT TAMPERING ASSAULT EVADING ARREST POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA THEFT OVER $1000 CRIMINAL TRESPASSING SLAYTON, JESSICA STELLA Age at Arrest: 37 Date of Birth: 12/26/1987 Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) TURNER, CHRISTOPHER JERMAINE Age at Arrest: 25 Date of Birth: 10/20/1999 Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): INDECENT EXPOSURE DISORDERLY CONDUCT OBSTRUCTION OF HIGHWAY OR OTHER PASSAGEWAY VANDYKE, NATHAN JOSEPH Age at Arrest: 44 Date of Birth: 09/13/1980 Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT VOGEL, JEREMY BENJAMIN Age at Arrest: 50 Date of Birth: 10/25/1974 Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD Last Date of Arrest: 06/05/2025 Charge(s): AGGRAVATED ASSAULT RETALIATION AGAINST JUDGE, JUROR, OFFICER Governor Bill Lee announced that Deputy Governor and Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), Butch Eley, will step away from his role in the third quarter of 2025 after nearly seven years of leadership in Governor Lees cabinet and a distinguished tenure in state government. Mr. Eley has been a key figure in advancing statewide infrastructure, financial stewardship, and government modernization. The announcement of a successor will be made at a later date. Mr. Eley will remain fully engaged during the transition to ensure continuity and maintain momentum across key initiatives. Since I decided to run for governor, Deputy Governor Eley has served as one of my most trusted advisors, said Governor Lee. I turned to him to manage our state departments as chief operating officer after my first inauguration, and then to steward our states finances as finance and administration commissioner during the worst global economic decline since the Great Depression. In my second term, Butch stepped into a new role to prepare Tennessees infrastructure for generations to come, ensuring we continue to accommodate our states extraordinary economic growth. Ive entrusted him with some of the most difficult challenges facing our state, and he has consistently overachieved. Butch has served the people of Tennessee with the highest level of excellence, and God has blessed Maria and me with a lifelong friend. I thank him for his unwavering leadership. Mr. Eley described the decision not as a retirement, but as a deliberate and thoughtful transition at the right time to step away from government service and spend more time with family. He siad, It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve Governor Lee and the people of Tennessee. From building long-term systems that better serve Tennesseans, to navigating some of our states toughest challenges, Im deeply proud of what weve accomplished. This moment marks not an end, but a pausea chance to ensure a smooth transition and reflect on how I can continue to make an impact in new ways. Mr. Eley began his service in the Lee administration as chief operating officer, overseeing 23 state departments and 35,000 employees, where he led the implementation of Tennessees first four-year strategic planning process. This long-term planning framework gave state agencies a durable tool to define goals, measure performance, and improve service delivery across government to better serve its customers: Tennesseans. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Eley was asked by Governor Lee to serve as the states chief financial officer as the commissioner of Finance and Administration and guide the states financial response through an unprecedented economic crisis. In this role, he worked closely with the Tennessee General Assembly and federal partners to deliver responsible budgets and allocate billions in critical federal relief funds. Under his leadership, Tennessee was one of just five states to close fiscal year 2020 in the black, all while preserving the states AAA bond ratinga testament to strong, steady leadership under pressure. Thanks to his fiscal stewardship, the state had the ability to invest in transformative programs and infrastructure that dramatically redefine how we move, gather, and celebrate. From a world-class stadium to exploring alternative revenue streams for infrastructure modernization, these investments helped put Tennessee firmly on the global map. Governor Lee knew a main focus of his second term would be preparing Tennessees infrastructure to accommodate its extraordinary economic growth, and he appointed Mr. Eley commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Transportation in June 2022, where he returned to his professional roots in the transportation industry. Under his leadership, the department launched several transformative initiatives: Introduced Tennessees first Public-Private Partnership (P3) initiatives to modernize project delivery and increase innovation by engaging the private sector. Pioneered alternative delivery models to improve project speed and efficiency, improving service for taxpayers. Created the first-ever fiscally constrained 10-year project plan, bringing unprecedented transparency and accountability to state transportation investments. Secured dedicated, recurring General Fund dollars for transportation for the first time in TDOTs history to ensure an additional and sustainable revenue stream to help meet Tennessees infrastructure needs in the decades to come. Led the single-largest infrastructure investment in state history with the I-55 bridge over the Mississippi replacement project. Commenced the states first performance-based maintenance contract, engaging the private sector with outlined metrics to establish clear and objective standards for how our roads should look to motorists. Lon Eldridge Lou Wamp Daniel Foster Previous Next The Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga invites the Chattanooga community to celebrate Independence Day with an indoor, air-conditioned picnic event on Friday, July 4 at 11:30 a.m. at the Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 North Terrace Road.Officials said, "Regionally known musicians Lon Eldridge, Lou Wamp and Daniel Foster play swing, blues and western swing. There will be lots of toe-tapping in celebration of the holiday. Chicken with special BBQ sauce sizzling on the grill, plenty of summer sides, including fresh homemade potato salad and cole slaw, yummy baked beans and tasty dessert treats are sure to make a feast.Vegetarian meals are available if requested by the registration deadline of July. This is the best Independence Day picnic in town."The cost to attend is $15 for adults; $28 for two, $36 for a family of four, $7 for children seven to 16, and free for children under seven. Register at www.jewishchattanooga.com.Officials said, "These Chattanooga musicians are known for quality and diversity. Lon Eldridge (guitar, vocals) has been a staple of the Chattanooga music scene for nearly two decades, fronting such bands as The 9th Street Stompers and more recently the Chattanooga Sheiks. Get ready for dazzling vintage guitar acrobatics. Lou Wamp (lap steel) is a man who needs no introduction, known for his work on various instruments with the likes of Dismembered Tennesseans, Bluetastic Fangrass, Hiwassee Ridge, The 9th Street Stompers, James Monroe & Midnight Ramblers, The Cumberland Trio and High Stuarts (just to name a few). Daniel Foster (bass) has exploded onto the scene, carving out a niche all his own. A talented multi-instrumentalist, he has played with the likes of Terrestrial Troubadours, Havok and Big Ole Roots, seamlessly blending country, folk, rock, bluegrass and more into a truly unique sound. Electric mobility is making great strides in Germany and across Europe. Building further momentum will require an extensive build-out of production capacity for battery cells in this country. Production methods will also have to use little energy and be much less expensive. A team of researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden has developed DRYtraec, a revolutionary method that permits cost-effective, eco-friendly manufacturing of battery electrodes. For this pioneering technology, the research scientists were presented with the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize for 2025 at the Fraunhofer annual assembly. With the new DRYtraec dry transfer technology, electrodes of energy storage cells are coated with a dry film instead of liquid chemicals. Piotr Banczerowski At a time when electrified vehicles and stationary energy storage play key roles in the climate-neutral future of the energy sector, sustainable production of lithium-ion batteries is essential. A team of researchers headed by Benjamin Schumm, Holger Althues and Stefan Kaskel has developed DRYtraec (dry transfer electrode coating), a novel method of battery cell production that uses none of the toxic solvents that are otherwise typical and eliminates the energy-intensive and costly drying of the electrode layers. The Challenge of Battery Production and the Innovative DRYtraec Solution A key component of any battery, electrodes normally consist of a metal foil with a thin coating. This coating contains the active components that are responsible for storing energy. The conventional coating process uses a wet chemical method that applies what is known as slurry, explains Schumm, the head of the Particle Technology department at Fraunhofer IWS. DRYtraec technology makes it possible to produce an electrode layer directly from a dry mixture consisting of active material, conductive carbon black and binders. Unlike in the conventional slurry method, no solvents are used for this. A special calender unit generates shear forces in a roller gap called a nip, thereby mechanically anchoring particles of the active material and conductive carbon black by causing the binder to form fibrils, a process known as fibrillation. Supported by the calender rollers, the result is a completely dry electrode layer, eliminating the energy-intensive drying stage, which also takes up a lot of space. Double-sided coating is also possible in a single step through direct transfer of both sides to the current collector foil. The DRYtraec electrodes produced with no solvents display outstanding performance and stability without any drawbacks compared to slurry-based electrodes. DRYtraec Patented Technology with Vast Potential for the Future The unique scientific method and approach represented by the roller-based dry film transfer process minimizes production risks while making it easier to scale up to larger coating widths and higher process speeds. The worlds first prototype system was designed and constructed back in 2013, and the technology has been steadily evolving ever since. The system enables continuous process control and production of high-quality electrodes in a roll-to-roll process. For DRYtraec, we realized an R&D platform that offers industry customers a broad range of options, from testing to transfer to commercial use, all along the value chain. Now that we have licensed the technology to a leading company in the European automotive industry, this is paving the way for further scaling all the way up to mass production, explains Althues, head of the Battery Materials department at Fraunhofer IWS. The DRYtraec method is also suitable for the important battery technologies of the future, such as sodium-ion and solid-state batteries. Drop-in capability for electrode production has been demonstrated for these cell systems. Kaskel, Technology Field Manager Battery Technology at Fraunhofer IWS, explains: We first realized this process for electrodes in lithium-ion batteries and have now adjusted it for lithium-sulfur and solid-state batteries as well. These will be increasingly important in the future, but the materials performance suffers with wet chemical processing. With DRYtraec, we offer a promising approach with twice the advantages. The image of a crying Nigerian woman. | Photo Credit: Open Doors South Korea Fulani herdsmen this week killed at least nine Christians in Plateau state, Nigeria, following the slaughter of 27 Christians others days earlier. The attacks occurred in Bokkos County within predominantly Christian communities such as Hokk, Pangkap, Fokoldep, Kopmur, Margif, Horop, Mbor, Mushere, and Kwahas, residents said. Local resident Emmanuel Auta stated, Nine Christians were killed in the Mushere area of Bokkos County on Sunday and Monday (June 1-2), and Lilian Madaki added, The herdsmen had been attacking Bokkos County villages days before. For six days, Fulanis have continued to attack our communities which are predominantly Christian villages. Resident Dorcas Ishaya detailed that herdsmen attacked Mbor, Margif, and Mijing on May 27, all Christian villages, and set fire on houses and killed many Christians. The attacks occurred at about 11 p.m. On late Monday night (June 2), these herdsmen reportedly invaded the Christian villages of Hokk, Pangkap, and Fokoldep, continuing to shoot on Tuesday (June 3). Christians are currently under intense and sustained gunfire from Fulani terrorist elements in Hokk, Pangkap, and Fokoldep Christian communities in Bokkos Local Government Area, Resident Kefas said. Residents also reported the kidnapping and killing of Rev. Mimang Lekyil, 70, a pastor of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in the Kwahas area of Mushere, who was taken and killed on May 27. Christian journalist Masara Kim noted that 11 other Christians were killed in the area on May 25. Area resident Nanlop Joy stated that herdsmen killed eight Christians in Kopmur village and an additional seven in the Mbor community. Nigeria remains one of the most dangerous countries for Christians, as ranked on Open Doors 2025 World Watch List, where 69% of the 4,476 Christians killed worldwide for their faith in the reporting periodabout 3,100were in Nigeria. The measure of anti-Christian violence in the country is already at the maximum possible under World Watch List methodology, the report stated. In Nigerias North-Central zone, where Christians are more prevalent than in the North-East and North-West, the Islamic extremist Fulani militia often attack farming communities, killing many hundreds, primarily Christians. The report also detailed the activity of jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP in the northern states, where government control is weak, and communities face raids, sexual violence, roadblock killings, and ransom abductions, which have increased significantly. The violence has extended to the southern states, with a new jihadist terror group, Lakurawa, emerging in the northwest, armed with advanced weaponry and a radical Islamist agenda. The WWL noted that Lakurawa is affiliated with the expansionist Al-Qaeda insurgency Jamaa Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) originating from Mali. Home News Biden-era FBI memo warning of 'extremist' Catholic ideology sent to over 1,000 employees: report The FBIs Richmond Memo, which suggested a link between traditional Catholicism and violent extremism, was distributed to more than 1,000 FBI employees nationwide during the Biden administration, according to new documents obtained by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Judiciary Committee. According to Grassley, the documents show that the FBI produced at least 13 additional documents and five attachments that used the terminology radical traditionalist Catholic. These reports also relied on information from the Southern Poverty Law Center, a far-left advocacy group. The Iowa senator also noted that the FBI Richmond field office drafted an additional memo that it intended to distribute to the entire Bureau, but it was never published due to the controversy surrounding the Richmond Memo. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Remarking on Grassleys findings, CatholicVote co-founder Joshua Mercer called for the authors of the memo to be held accountable, asserting that the senators investigation shows the document was much worse than initially thought. This frontal assault on the First Amendment should horrify every American and it must never be allowed to happen again, Mercer said in a statement provided to The Christian Post. CatholicVote calls on FBI Director Kash Patel to make public the measures his agency is taking to make sure these directives are immediately rescinded, their authors fired, and any ongoing surveillance of Catholics brought to a halt. The FBI did not immediately respond to The Christian Posts request for comment. In the January 2023 field office memo, the FBI warned about the connections between "racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists and radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology." As Grassley recounted in a Monday letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, he had sent multiple letters in March, August and October of 2023 and January 2024 to then-FBI Director Christopher Wray seeking answers about the Richmond Memo. These letters focused on the preparation of the memo, its dissemination, the use of biased sources such as the radical Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), and later, the FBIs misleading representations to Congress, including those of former Director Wray, Grassley wrote. The FBI under Director Wray consistently failed to provide full responses to these requests, he asserted. Grassley also accused Wray of evading questions about the memo when the former FBI director testified before the House Judiciary Committee in July 2023, where he repeatedly evaded questions by claiming the internal review hadnt been completed even though by then it most assuredly was. Regarding the scope of the memo, Wray had claimed it was a single product by a single field office that was immediately withdrawn and removed from FBI systems. Grassley wrote in his letter to Patel that FBI offices in Louisville, Kentucky, Portland, Oregon, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, assisted with the Richmond memos preparation. When questioned by Grassley in December 2023 about his initial testimony, Wray maintained that a single office produced the Richmond memo. The former FBI director claimed that other FBI field offices' contributions to the memo included two sentences or something thereabouts referencing each of these other offices cases, and they sent those sentences about the other offices cases to them, not the whole product, and asked them, Hey, did we describe your case right? According to the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, Wrays testimony is further proof that the FBI must provide Congress with all records related to the agencys response to the memo and the timing of Wrays review of it. As Grassley wrote in the letter to Patel, Wrays testimony was inaccurate not only because it failed to reveal the scope of the memos production and dissemination, but also because it failed to reveal the existence of a second draft product on the same topic intended for external distribution to the whole FBI. The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee urged Patel to continue producing records related to the Richmond Memos origins. During Patels January confirmation hearing, when asked by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., about the Richmond memo, he vowed to hold the responsible parties accountable. Home News Christians worldwide outraged over ruling giving Egypt ownership of ancient monastery A ruling by an Egyptian court transferring ownership of one of the world's oldest monasteries to the state has provoked global condemnation from Christian leaders and advocacy groups urging foreign governments to get involved. This week, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis met with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, in Cairo to discuss the recent ruling on Saint Catherine's Monastery that sparked fears that the Greek Orthodox monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai will be shut down and converted into a museum, displacing the Orthodox monks who have lived there for centuries. Mount Sinai, revered in Jewish, Christian and Islamic tradition, is believed to be where God spoke to Moses through the burning bush and where Moses received the Ten Commandments. The site has long been central to Christian theology and pilgrimage, and the monastery is considered one of the world's oldest continuously functioning religious institutions. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Gerapetritis told the media that both sides agreed "to move forward on the basis of the monastery's established traditions and enduring value as a place of Greek Orthodox worship." "We agreed in the immediate future to work towards safeguarding the rights of the monastery, as well as its legal status," Gerapetritis said after the meeting, according to Reuters. "Both Egypt and Greece intend to move forward based on the long-standing tradition and the already established status of an emblematic monastery for its Greek Orthodox character of worship." A statement from the office of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi last week reiterated Egypt's "full commitment to preserving the unique and sacred religious status of Saint Catherine's Monastery and preventing its violation." But concerns persist that the judicial ruling will override those pledges. The court order directed that the land belonging to Saint Catherine's Monastery, established between 548 and 565 by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, be placed under Egyptian state ownership, The Telegraph reported. Although the president gave public assurances that the monastery's religious status would remain intact, Christian leaders have expressed alarm over the court's decision and the lack of clarity about its implementation. Archbishop Ierenemos II of Athens and All Greece rebuked the Egyptian court's action. "Following yesterday's scandalous ruling, a violent infringement of human rights and, more specifically, of religious freedoms by Egypt's judicial authorities, the world's oldest Orthodox Christian monument, the Monastery of Mount Sinai, is entering a period of great trial one that evokes memories of darker times in history," he said in a statement. He called on the Greek government to intervene immediately to ensure that the monastery is not "effectively abolished." The monastery's library houses an extensive collection of ancient Christian manuscripts and Byzantine religious art, including mosaics and icons regarded as irreplaceable, according to the Telegraph. There is mounting anxiety that any state-led conversion of the site into a museum would put these treasures and the monastery's spiritual life at risk. The court ruling represents a serious threat to Saint Catherine's independence and historic rights, said a statement by In Defense of Christians, a U.S.-based advocacy group focused on protecting Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East. While Egyptian authorities have issued statements downplaying the impact of the ruling, the decision raises the possibility of increased state control over religious institutions and could serve as a precedent for similar actions elsewhere in the region. IDC described the ruling as undermining the monastery's legacy as a UNESCO World Heritage site and a center of Christian heritage. "IDC stands with the faithful who worship and serve at Saint Catherine's Monastery, and with our entire Greek Orthodox family." IDC executive director Richard Ghazal said. "We call on the U.S. Government to exercise diplomatic influence to urge the Egyptian government to reverse this unjust ruling and to safeguard the rights of Christian communities in Egypt." Home News How a church's Deaf ministry is sharing the Gospel with the Deaf community Correction Appended A Deaf and hard-of-hearing Pennsylvania couple is helping to lead a ministry for the deaf community and encouraging churches to understand the needs of those hard of hearing in their communities. Pittsburgh residents Matt and Megan Chopek, who both experienced hearing loss before age 5 and are now in their 30s, have served in the Deaf Life Gatherings at Redemption Hill Church in Jefferson Hills since January 2023. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Using their past painful experiences in a previous church they briefly attended, the couple is working to break down "false" stigmas through the ministry in hopes other Deaf people won't experience the "church hurt" they have suffered. The Chopeks, along with an American Sign Language (ASL) fluent ministry leader and his wife, in conjunction with the oversight of Redemption Hill Church of Pittsburgh, has spearheaded the Deaf ministry at the church. We just want to let Deaf people know God doesn't care if you're deaf. He loves us. His concern is your heart, your sin, where you're going after you die, whether thats Heaven or not, Matt Chopek told The Christian Post. The Chopeks know firsthand there are issues with how some churches minister to the Deaf community, and there are not nearly enough Deaf ministries across the nation. There's so many people that are Deaf, who have had their own painful experiences or issues with experiencing hurt within the Church. But, another issue is that there is also a low percentage of the Deaf community that knows the Gospel nationally, Megan Chopek said. Maybe they grew up going to church, or they tried to go to church later on. However, a common issue experienced is that there are no ASL interpreters at the churches they try to attend. This creates a massive language barrier between them and everyone else who is hearing in the churches." 'Being renewed in Christ' Megan Chopek was 7 years old when she discovered she was hard of hearing after failing a hearing test at school. Matt Chopek said he discovered he was deaf at age 3. In 2019, Matt Chopek had cochlear implant surgery. Since the procedure, he has been able to hear some sounds with a cochlear implant, but he is still considered legally deaf. The Chopeks believe that if God wills it, He can still heal in the same way He did in biblical times when several deaf people were given the supernatural ability to hear. However, the two agree that some churches focus too much on the deafness needing to be healed, instead of focusing on a Deaf persons relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Many Deaf people who experienced church hurt have understood the Gospel to mean that Jesus will not accept them unless they are healed and become hearing again. This is a huge misunderstanding. Deaf people need to see the Gospel in their language of ASL to know that Jesus loves them as they are but wants to free them from their sins, said Megan Chopek. Its difficult because there are many Deaf people who don't understand this due to the way the Church has wired them to think. A large part of the Deaf community involves how we all identify with our shared 'deafness.' The culture is really strong. We are really tied to our Deaf identity, Matt Chopek said. We need to figure out and say to ourselves, Yes, God loves you. Yes, you are Deaf. That's fine. But that's not the priority of your identity. God wants you to understand the priority of your identity should be involved in Him.' And that's huge. It's a lot to think about and change. That is a current struggle within the Deaf community, he continued. Matt Chopek said he can't fully understand why God allowed him to become deaf from a young age. However, he said he knows God had a purpose and a plan for Him to take the gift and share the Gospel in American Sign Language with others. He gave this to me. He gave me the ability to reach out to people. God can use anything to share the Gospel, to allow people to see who He is. At the same time, whether a person is blind, deaf or has a mental health issue, I believe that God can do healing miracles, Matt Chopek said. I think He allowed us to have specific things happen specific illnesses, cancer, so forth, whatever to use these for His glory, to advance the Gospel. God gives certain skill sets to certain individuals for an ultimate reason as part of His grand plan, Megan Chopek said. We're not going to just sit back and do nothing with the skills. We're going to go ahead and make disciples. Even if God can heal hearing, I'm still not sure why He hasnt healed this," she said, pointing at her ears. "But, He's impacted my heart. That's the point." Church hurt that cuts deep Megan and Matt Chopek said before they started attending Redemption Hill, they experienced their own church hurt from a previous church they briefly attended. There was a small Deaf community in the area where our previous church was already established, and they had an ASL interpreter set up, and everything seemed fine. But, the interpreter left the church and the Deaf community just crumbled and they left the church also, Matt Chopek said. It's hard because we were building a good relationship, and having that relationship was vital. We had also been working closely together with brothers and sisters in Christ. There was a lot of signing. There was a lot of learning. There was a lot of praying together. Then, the interpreter left, and everything just dissolved. There was nothing there anymore. And the two of us recognized that, he added. We were like, Where do we go? What do we do? It was really hard. We had to pick up from that because we didn't know where to go." Everything just didn't work out. It was just really hard. It was hard to communicate. That was tough. And we lost understanding of what was going on. That connection was gone when the interpreter left. Everything evolved, and we were just left," Megan Chopek added. A glimmer of hope in ministry The Chopeks said it took them a while to pick up where they left off and find a new church home in Redemption Hill because few churches offer ASL interpreters and other options to meet the needs of the Deaf population. This church, right now, wow. The senior pastor took the time to learn who we were even before my cochlear. He would pray for us. They saw and learned the situation. When I was struggling, they made the time to learn to sign, Matt Chopek said. The senior pastor himself, really, he had no plans to learn how to sign. But understanding my situation, he went ahead and started picking up signing. And now, we have really good conversations with the pastor, he added. Before, he had no plans to sign at all. But, after he learned there was a need, he has since built that skill through training. He takes the time to make an effort to be able to communicate with Deaf people. Because its really the Holy Spirit. I mean, he has [the Holy Spirit]. He identified the situation. He didn't ignore it. He moves forward boldly in every situation, Megan Chopek added. Home News Ministries join forces to give nearly 90K Bibles in 22 languages to disabled children in Africa, Asia Over 87,000 Bibles in 22 languages will be distributed to offer the hope of Jesus to families receiving surgical care at a global network of children's hospitals, thanks to a new partnership between two prominent international Christian ministries. CURE International has partnered with Biblica, a ministry that ensures Bibleless people worldwide receive the Scripture in a language they understand, to distribute the Good News to families at its eight hospitals across Africa and the Philippines, which provide free surgical care for children. The pediatric hospitals provide surgical care at no cost for children with disabilities such as spina bifida, hydrocephalus, and other treatable conditions. Since its founding in 1996, CURE International has performed over 330,000 surgeries and reached 2.1 million people with the Gospel. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe "One of the things that our founders were really focused on was this balance between providing world-class medical care to kids and also world-class ministry care," Justin Narducci, president and CEO of CURE International, told CP. The founders, he said, based the organization's mission on Luke 9:2, in which Jesus tasked his disciples with sharing God's word and healing the sick. Narducci added that Jesus not only physically healed people, but He also offered them the opportunity for a spiritual awakening. "We have 60 surgeons across our network doing surgery every single day, and part of what they're doing is high-quality surgery for very complex disabilities," Narducci stated. "And that's part of our Gospel witness, just really good healthcare for kids that they couldn't get elsewhere." The partnership between CURE International and Biblica, which was founded in 1809, has been in the works for years, Narducci said, but the two organizations just needed to hammer down the logistics first. The two ministries will split the cost evenly between Biblica's donors and CURE International's donors. The cost of shipping, distribution and other additional expenses resulting from the partnership was around $500,000, according to Narducci, funds that CURE International was able to raise through its donors. "Kingdom collaboration is at the heart of everything we do," Geof Morin, Biblica's president and CEO, said in a statement provided to CP. "To deliver life-changing Bibles to those who need them, we depend on strategic partners serving as the hands and feet of Jesus on the very frontlines of gospel mission." "That's why we're so excited about this new ministry partnership with CURE International," he continued. "They are providing compassionate, Christ-centered care to children and their families who desperately need to experience the healing love of God. We pray that this new supply of Bibles for children and adults will bring the comfort and love of Jesus to thousands in their hour of need." According to Earnest Kioko, CURE International's chief ministry officer, who oversees the operation of the organization's hospitals, 75% of the population the nonprofit serves has a Bible in their heart language due to the partnership with Biblica. One of CURE International's goals involves something that Kioko described as "intentional spiritual ministry," which is helping children come to Christ while receiving treatment from one of the organization's hospitals. After leaving the hospital, the ministry ensures they have completed a Bible study and are connected with a support system, usually a pastor within their local community. "[The patients] go home with a tool that can help them in their new journey of faith," Kioko told CP. "And therefore, of all the things we can give our patients as a gift, but also as a spiritual tool for their growth, is the Bible." One of the challenges that the ministry faces when treating disabled patients, particularly in some parts of Africa, is that many within the patients' community believe that they are cursed. Some mothers will come to the hospital with protective charms for their children, Kioko explained, because they think that their child has been bewitched. "And these are scenarios that I have faced many times, where now you have to battle between the mother believing, 'I have to continue protecting my child,' and then here we are telling them, 'Please, trust the God we serve,'" Kioko said. In most cases, Kioko said that when the parents remove the charms and see that their child is still healthy and alive, a change is noticeable. "Then now, the reality comes that there is more power than the one that I used to believe," Kioko said of the parents' realization. "And I think that is one way where, when you combine the medical and the ministry efforts that CURE has, you kind of confront many beliefs that don't seem to hold water at the end of the day." Home News After opposition MK accuses Netanyahu of arming ISIS-linked militias in Gaza, PMO doesn't deny claim Opposition MK and Israel Beitenu party head Avigdor Liberman accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of arming Islamic State-affiliated militias in Gaza due to their opposition to Hamas. In an interview with Channel 12 News, Liberman stated, Suddenly, the nation of Israel is distributing weapons to different types of clans, like the Amasah clan, Salafists affiliated with ISIS. They receive weapons from the State of Israel. It's absolute madness, Liberman told Channel 12s Oded Ben-Ami. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Liberman also stated that he does not believe the decision to arm the clans was approved in a Cabinet vote. Netanyahu, just as he once tried to build a counterweight against the Palestinian Authority in Hamas, now he is building ISIS as a counterweight to Hamas inside the Gaza Strip, he stated. The right-wing opposition leader accused Netanyahu and his coalition of waging the war based primarily on coalition concerns, rather than strategic national concerns. This coalition has no idea how to conduct a modern war, which is being waged on four axes military, political, economic and cognitive, Liberman stated. If nothing is in sync and [its] uncoordinated, there is no chance of success. This coalition is using the war as a tool to protect the coalition, the government, but they are not conducting the war. You see it in Gaza with a lot of confusion. Following Libermans remarks, the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) released a statement, saying, "Israel is working to defeat Hamas in various and varied ways, on the recommendation of all the heads of the defense establishment. While the Prime Ministers Office did not directly address Liberman or his claims, it also did not issue a denial. Earlier on Thursday, the Israeli military censor cleared for publication reports that the government had supplied weapons to an armed group in the Gaza Strip. The weapons were distributed to a faction led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a member of the Tarabin Bedouin tribe, which has roots in Gaza, Israels Negev region, Egypts Sinai Peninsula, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. Abu Shabab reportedly escaped from a Hamas prison at the outset of the Gaza war and has since been working to build an opposition group to Hamas. According to a recent Reuters report, the group, which calls itself al-Quwat al-Shaabiya (The Popular Forces), has been operating in the area of Rafah, and has engaged in some cooperation with Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Abu Shabab told Reuters that his group was formed to protect Gazan residents from Hamas and to prevent the terror group from stealing aid meant for the civilians. The group has clashed with Hamas several times in recent months, and Hamas has carried out several assassinations of al-Shaabiya members. It is believed that this is the group to which Israel distributed a number of Kalashnikov rifles. According to reports in the Hebrew media, the weapons provided were seized by the IDF during the war and were not purchased by the Israeli government. Opposition politicians, as well as some from within Netanyahus coalition, expressed outrage after the report broke. Knesset Member Gilad Kariv of the Labor party condemned Netanyahus decision to arm the group. The reckless Netanyahu has moved from a 'calculated risk' vis-a-vis Hamas to a 'calculated risk' vis-a-vis jihadist forces in the Gaza Strip affiliated with ISIS, Kariv said. All in order not to renew the diplomatic negotiations with the Palestinian Authority and not to really deal with formulating a plan for the day after in Gaza. Tali Gottlieb, a member of Netanyahus Likud party, initially denied Liberman's report. However, after it appeared to be confirmed, she also criticized the decision to arm militant groups in Gaza. This is indescribable nonsense what else will they do? Gottlieb asked. Are we giving weapons to ISIS and al-Qaeda? Does this seem normal to you? I don't trust a single man in Gaza. This delusional and despicable worldview brought upon us the inferno of October. Following the reports, Kan News requested a statement from the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) regarding the arming of the militant groups, but the agency declined to comment. This article was originally published by All Israel News. Home News PCA announces 'transition plan' in wake of stated clerk's retirement over 'scandalizers' list The administrative committee of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) laid out a transition plan Friday in response to their former stated clerk retiring after falsely and publicly accusing some ministers of grave sin weeks before the denominations 52nd General Assembly. The committee noted that during their Thursday meeting, they accepted the Rev. Bryan Chapells request to retire as stated clerk, which they said was effective immediately, according to a statement published in byFaith, the denominations online magazine. The committee also said that Chapell will be given the opportunity to publicly apologize to the denomination later this month at General Assembly in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Given the abrupt timing of Chapells retirement, the committee said they decided unanimously to employ Ruling Elder John Bise as a provisional replacement pending his examination by the Theological Examining Committee. Bise is a ruling elder and clerk of the session at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama, and served as moderator of the PCAs 49th General Assembly in 2022, according to the committee, which plans to bring a formal nominee for a new stated clerk at its General Assembly next year. Chapell, who served as the administrative head of the PCA since 2020, made headlines last week for appearing on The Gospel Coalitions Gospelbound podcast and briefly displaying a handwritten list of people on his desk whom he accused of being scandalizers. He claimed every name on that list had abandoned their families, left the faith or died by suicide. Viewers who paused the video and zoomed in on Chapells list found that it included men who are alive, married and ministers in good standing with their denomination, which prompted widespread backlash and Chapells eventual announcement last Thursday that he had repented and would step down as stated clerk. Chapell issued two apologies, the second of which acknowledged the seriousness of these errors and sin while thanking Jesus Christ for His graciousness. The administrative committee said Friday it had met with Chapell and has gratefully received his repentance and apology for his comments on The Gospel Coalition podcast. While recognizing the seriousness of the situation and with regret for its consequences, the Administrative Committee wishes to extend its great gratitude for the years of faithful service Dr. Chapell has given to the PCA and the broader church. In our meeting, we had the opportunity to grieve together, pray together, and rejoice together in the grace extended to us all in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The committee will provide an opportunity for Chapell to address the Assembly when it convenes in Chattanooga for him to present his personal apology. The committee also addressed the damage Chapells public accusations potentially did to the relationship the PCA has with its sister denominations in the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (NAPARC), which includes Reformed churches in both the U.S. and Canada. The committee acknowledges the need for reconciliation and healing between the PCA and some of its sister denominations, as well as specific ministers and members within them, the committee said. Appropriate steps will be taken to ensure our fellow Reformed and Presbyterian branches of Christs church know our deep love for them and desire to continue [to] work alongside them for the advance of Christs Kingdom. The committee urges churches to pray for our denomination and the upcoming Assembly, that it will prove effective for promoting the unity, purity, and peace of the Presbyterian Church in America, the committee added. The Rev. Zachary Groff, who pastors Antioch Presbyterian Church in Woodruff, South Carolina, approved of the committees statement, writing on X that the committee has shown it acknowledged the severity of the offense and urgency of the matter. Groff also praised the choice of Bise as most excellent, noting he is the PCAs competent and honorable clean-up man. He also praised the administrative committee for addressing the potential relational fracture with its sister churches. Im sure that theres a lot of work the PCA needs to do to repair the breach with our NAPARC partners, but this is a huge and good first step, he said, adding, I am much encouraged. God bless the PCA! The Rev. Andy Webb, who serves as a pastor in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church and was named on Chapells list, issued a Friday statement on X praising Chapell for his courage to step down. He also expressed hope that the administrative committees announcement would mark the end of the scandal, despite lingering claims within the denomination that Chapell did not lie and that blame rests on those who zoomed in on his list. Webb, who has speculated that he landed on Chapells list because of a disagreement they had nearly a quarter-century ago, noted last week that he had forgiven Chapell following a gracious apology call he received after news of Chapell's list appeared on the Drudge Report. Two thoughts: 1) I hope that I will never be in circumstances similar to this, but I hope that if I am, I will have the courage to do likewise. 2) I hope this will bring an end to any further articles attempting to minimize what happened or change the outcome, Webb wrote. Please, Lord, let this be the end of the matter, he added. Home News TD Jakes defamation lawsuit against man alleging abuse mired in dispute over AI and errors Lawyers for both megachurch founder Bishop T.D. Jakes and former-pastor-turned-registered sex offender Duane Youngblood, who alleges he was sexually assaulted by Jakes when he was a teenager some 40 years ago, have accused each other of making errors and improperly using artificial intelligence in an ongoing defamation lawsuit filed by Jakes. The 67-year-old pastor who founded The Potter's House in Dallas, Texas, nearly 30 years ago, and now serves as chairman of the T.D. Jakes Foundation, initially filed the defamation lawsuit against Youngblood, 58, last November, a day after suffering a heart attack while preaching. In court filings last month, Jakes high-profile attorney, Dustin Pusch, argued that Youngbloods motion to dismiss his lawsuit pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 12(b)(6), which allows a defendant to move to dismiss a complaint if it doesn't allege enough facts to support a plausible legal claim, should be denied for "many reasons," including what he calls "counterfeit caselaw." Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe "In reality, the Complaint more than adequately pleads each and every necessary element for his defamation and conspiracy claims. It is unclear whether the Motion to Dismiss is the product of a fever dream, generated through improper use of AI software, or some combination of the two," Pusch wrote. "Regardless, Youngblood's Motion is without legal or factual merit, his perversions of cited case law and the record in this case must be ignored and accounted for, and the Motion should be denied so that Bishop Jakes can proceed with proving his case and vindicating his name," he added. In a flurry of filings in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania this week, Youngbloods attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, redirected the allegations Jakes attorneys made against him of fabricating or misquoting caselaw. Plaintiff accuses Defendant of relying on fabricated or inapplicable case law, yet a LexisNexis Document Analysis of Plaintiffs own opposition brief reveals a pattern of misquotation, superficial citation, and invocation of authorities that are either inapposite or do not support the propositions for which they are cited. Lexis Quote-Check identifies at least 20 incorrect quotations in Plaintiffs brief, Blackburn argued. Numerous cases cited by Plaintiff are referenced without pinpoints, quoted inaccurately, or applied without any legal or factual context. This rhetorical sleight-of-hand stands in direct contradiction to Plaintiffs demands for precision and undermines the credibility of the opposition brief. Federal courts do not accept citation as performancea case reference must meaningfully connect to the legal standard and be applied to the facts at hand, he added. Blackburn also doubled down on his position that Jakes defamation lawsuit should be dismissed because it mainly relies on the megachurch founders denial of the allegations of abuse. The claims for defamation and civil conspiracy are not merely insufficient; they fall well short of the constitutional and procedural thresholds required to proceed. As a self-identified public figure, Plaintiff is obligated to plead falsity and actual malice with factual specificity. He has not done so, Blackburn argued in the conclusion of his filing on Monday. The Complaint relies on inference, implication, and generalized accusations without identifying any provably false statement by Defendant Youngblood made with the requisite culpable state of mind. Jakes attorneys rejected Blackburns claim that they made similar mistakes like he did in his filing as false. They argued that the errors he picked up in using the LexisNexis AI tool were mostly from quotations of his filing. First, in the Reply, Defendant and his counsel lob false accusations at Plaintiffs counsel, accusing them of making misrepresentations much like the ones he made in the Motion to Dismiss (and failed to defend), Jakes attorneys wrote. In making these false accusations, Defendant and his counsel claim to have conducted an AI analysis through LexisNexis showing a pattern of misquotation, superficial citation, and invocation of authorities that are either inapposite or do not support the propositions for which they are cited and at least 20 incorrect quotations in Plaintiffs brief. Jakes attorneys argued that Blackburn did not include his AI report in his filing and insisted that the two examples he cited from their filing were properly quoted. Plaintiffs counsel recreated the very same analysis through LexisNexis., which confirms that there are in fact no misquotations, superficial citations, inapposite authorities, or any other sort of malfeasance with regard to the Oppositionrather, the system flags a variety of actual quotations (including the two cited in Defendants Reply). The only truly incorrect quotes it flagged were instances where Plaintiff was discussing Defendants brief, they added. The megachurch founders lawyers further argued that Blackburns latest filing on behalf of Youngblood fabricated new quotes and misrepresented additional holdings, rulings, and cases. They also highlighted inconsistencies in Youngbloods allegations about where he was sexually assaulted by Jakes. Youngblood claimed in interviews with internet personality Larry Reid on his "Larry Reid Live" show on Oct. 28 and Nov. 3, 2024, that Jakes assaulted him when he was about 18 or 19 years old. Youngblood claimed to Reid that he had been talking with Jakes for about two hours at the home of an older adult clergywoman, where he was staying during a local church revival approximately 40 years ago, when Jakes allegedly tried to kiss him. "After sitting there and having this long discourse with him, I finally looked at my watch, and I'm like, 'Oh my goodness, I got to go. I got to get this car back to my mother. She's gonna kill me.' So I said to bishop, 'I got to get up,'" Youngblood recalled. "And I got up from the table, he got up from the table, he walked around toward the way I had to exit quicker than I got over there, and when I started to walk past him, he pulled me to himself, wrapped his arms around me, and tried to kiss me. And in that moment, I literally died." The morning after the encounter, Youngblood alleges Jakes called his home and intimated that he wanted him to become a local sex partner. "My mother answers the phone, and she says to me, 'Duane, it's Elder Jakes.' Jakes and I get on that phone and when I get on that telephone, I can hear water. He is sitting in a bathtub, and in that thing, he says to me, without any hesitation, 'there's three things I need you to do. The first one is, when I come to Pittsburgh, you're going to be the only person I sleep with. The second one is, you can't sleep with anybody else because I don't want to give my wife anything. And thirdly, I will take care of you the rest of your life,'" Youngblood alleged. Days after making those allegations public, Jakes' attorneys said an attorney representing Youngblood had sent a demand letter to Jakes on Nov. 24 demanding $6 million "to 'resolve this matter quickly and privately;' otherwise, Youngblood would bring a lawsuit against Bishop Jakes for sexual assault and harassment." Defendantfor the first timeclaims that the attempted sexual assault story he told on Larry Reid Live, which forms the basis for the defamation and conspiracy claims in this case, occurred not in the dining room of a home, but rather during that drive and inside the car, Jakes lawyers noted. Indeed, Blackburns filing on behalf of Youngblood states: In short, beyond a blanket denial, Plaintiffs Opposition never confrontsmuch less contradictsthe specific building-block facts of Youngbloods account: that (1) Youngblood was a teenager at the time; (2) Bishop Jakes first encountered him while preaching as a guest at Youngbloods Pennsylvania church; (3) Jakes later offered pastoral counseling; (4) Youngblood, using his mothers car, drove Plaintiff home after the service; and (5) during that drive, when Youngblood realized he was late returning the vehicle, Jakes hugged him, physically cornered him, and attempted to kiss him inside the car. The Opposition supplies no alternative timeline, no different venue, no witness, and no documentary contradictiononly the refrain that it never happened. This material change to Defendants story from what he said on the October 28 and November 3 LRL episodes is not only powerful evidence of falsity and a reckless disregard of the truth, but shows that he knows it is false, Jakes attorneys wrote in response to Youngbloods filing. That is more-than sufficient for actual malice at this stage of the case. Home News Texas ends in-state tuition rates for college students in the US illegally State halts practice under Texas Dream Act signed in 2001 under Gov. Rick Perry Students who are in the United States illegally are no longer eligible to receive a discount on tuition rates at public universities in Texas. The U.S. Department of Justice sued the state of Texas Wednesday over a law that grants residents who are in the U.S. illegally in-state tuition rates with proof they lived in the state three years prior to graduation, which federal prosecutors said "unconstitutionally discriminates against U.S. citizens. The lawsuit claimed Texas practice violated federal law prohibiting colleges from offering benefits to non-citizen students unless out-of-state residents and other U.S. citizens are also eligible. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Within hours of the DOJs lawsuit, Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton sided with the DOJ. Paxtons legal filing asked the court to rule that the law favoring illegal aliens was unconstitutional because it was in direct and express conflict with federal law. Texas education law, wrote Paxton, specifically allows an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States to qualify for in-state tuition based on residence within the state, while explicitly denying resident-based tuition rates to U.S. citizens that do not qualify as Texas residents. Today, I entered a joint motion along with the Trump Administration opposing a law that unconstitutionally and unlawfully gave benefits to illegal aliens that were not available to American citizens, Paxton said in a statement. Ending this discriminatory and un-American provision is a major victory for Texas. Under the Texas DREAM Act signed by Perry, a Republican, in 2001, Texas became the first state to offer in-state tuition to illegal residents. Following the passage of HB 1403, nearly 20 other states passed similar legislation. Because the law is tied to residency and not legal immigration status, U.S. citizens, permanent residents or, in some cases, international students are eligible for in-state tuition if they have lived in Texas for at least a year, compared to three years for undocumented students. An estimated 57,000 students in the U.S. illegally are enrolled in Texas universities and colleges, according to the nonprofit Presidents Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. Calling the move harmful and self-defeating, Monica Andrade, an attorney and director of State Policy and Legal Strategy at the Presidents Alliance, claimed, The Department of Justices lawsuit challenging Texas in-state tuition policy is fundamentally flawed and misrepresents how these policies work. To suggest that undocumented students are receiving benefits denied to citizens is false and misleading. In fact, any U.S. citizen who meets the same criteria such as attending and graduating from a Texas high school qualifies for in-state tuition. These requirements apply regardless of immigration status, Andrade added. Last month, state lawmakers considered a proposal to repeal the Texas Dream Act. Senate Bill 1798, authored by Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, would eliminate provisions of the 2001 Texas DREAM Act, which allows non-U.S. citizens who were brought to the U.S. illegally and graduate from Texas high schools and have lived in the state for at least three years to pay in-state tuition. Under SB 1798, those students must also sign an affidavit pledging to pursue U.S. citizenship when possible. Immigration advocacy groups have warned that the repeal would mean those students illegally in the country would have to pay out-of-state tuition, which is about three times higher than in-state tuition rates. A study from 2023 by the American Immigration Council projects that Texas could lose $461 million annually if the law is repealed, citing increased earning potential from college-educated undocumented students, which it claims boosts tax revenue and fills workforce needs. Home News 'Deeply disturbing': Understanding the PCA's 'scandalizers' controversy On this episode of "The Inside Story," The Christian Post's Jon Brown breaks down a surprising drama unfolding inside the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) after a leader in the denomination displayed a list of people he publicly accused of being "scandalizers." "During an episode of The Gospel Coalition's 'Gospelbound' podcast last week that touched on institutional stewardship, the Rev. Bryan Chapell, who has served as the administrative head of the PCA since 2020, briefly showed a list of people whom he accused of either abandoning their families, renouncing Jesus Christ or dying by suicide," Brown wrote. Furor and frustration immediately followed when viewers were able to zoom in and read the list of names. Some of those listed have since spoken up in shock and awe that they were included, denying the aforementioned claims. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Listen to Brown explain the whole story and read more here: The Inside Story takes you behind the headlines of the biggest faith, culture, and political headlines of the week. In 15 minutes or less, Christian Post staff writers and editors will help you navigate and understand whats driving each story, the issues at play and why it all matters. Listen to more Christian podcasts today on the Edifi app and be sure to subscribe to The Inside Story on your favorite platforms: Home News Viral online film argues Exodus went into Saudi Arabia, Mt. Sinai located in Muslim nation A new online documentary video has argued that Moses and the Hebrews went into Saudi Arabia during the Exodus, with the famous Mt. Sinai being in the Arabian Peninsula. Ryan Mauro, a national security expert, director of the Clarion Intelligence Network and former professor at Liberty University, uploaded a nearly 25-minute long film to YouTube on Dec. 17. Created with The Doubting Thomas Research Foundation, Mauros film argues that Mt. Sinai is the modern day Jebel al-Lawz. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe For generations, we have been taught we had to believe the story of the Exodus on faith alone. We were taught that Mount Sinai was located in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, but there was barely any evidence found there to make the story of Moses and the Exodus believable, reads the videos description. A new theory has emerged in recent decades that the real Mount Sinai is actually in Saudi Arabia, along with other stunning evidences Now, unprecedented footage has been acquired from within Saudi Arabia, bringing the Exodus story to life as never before and potentially shaking up the Middle East. Mauro narrates the video, interviewing multiple individuals ranging from a former member of a Jihadist organization to an American pilot who served in the Second World War, who argue that the Saudi Arabian mountain is the biblical Mt. Sinai. He points to evidence such as a shallow underwater land bridge, called the Nuweiba Land Bridge, leading from Egypt to the Arabian Peninsula that could have been used by the Hebrews when, according the biblical account of the Exodus, the Red Sea parted. Mauro also noted that the area around Jebel al-Lawz included some archaeological evidence indicating an ancient Jewish presence, such as artwork depicting a Menorah and calves. According to Mauro, the area is fiercely guarded by Saudi officials and is hard to access. There are also plans by the Saudi government to construct a major city in the area, threatening the site and any further evidence that could be discovered. The Saudis are constructing a super-city that is planned to be 33 times the size of New York. If all of us dont take action, Saudi construction in the area may destroy key evidence and prevent excavation for the foreseeable future, Mauro said in the video. To try and stop the construction project, Mauro has helped set up a website called sinaiinarabia.com, as well as a nonprofit, to spread awareness. The claim that Saudi Arabia has the real Mt. Sinai has been around for the past several years, going at least as far back as the 1980s and has many critics. Gordon Franz, a Bible teacher who holds an MA in Biblical Studies from Columbia Biblical Seminary, is one of the critics of the Exodus-Saudi Arabia theory. In a paper published on Biblical Archaeologys website in 2007, Franz argued that there is no credible historical, geographical, archaeological or Biblical evidence to support the thesis that Mt. Sinai is at Jebel al-Lawz in Saudi Arabia. In his lengthy paper, Franz pointed to apparent contradictions between how the Bible described the Exodus and the features of the alleged Saudi Arabian site. He also noted chronological issues with some of the on-the-ground evidence purporting to show that Moses and the Ancient Israelites went into the area. First, the Sinai Peninsula was not part of Egypt proper, but out of Egypt. Second, Biblically, Mt. Sinai is not in the Land of Midian, yet Jebel al-Lawz is in Midian territory (northwest Saudi Arabia), wrote Franz. The proponents also need to face up to the archaeological evidence at their site. The petroglyphs of bovine existed long before Moses ever lived. The so-called Cave of Moses at el-Bad were not hewn until long after Moses lived. Franz also explained that the Nuweiba land crossing was problematic as the terrain of the underwater bridge would have been challenging for the Hebrews to cross, especially in the time explained by the Bible. From Nuweiba the land bridge slopes down to 850 meters (2,790 feet) but then comes up sharply on the east side as it gets to the shore of Saudi Arabia. This sharp incline would make the ascent extremely difficult, if not impossible for the Israelites to cross in one night, noted Franz. SCOTUS Sides With Reverse Discrimination, Benny Hinn Ambushed, Michael Tait Misconduct Allegations link to download the audio instead. link to download the audio instead. 07:42 07:42 Top headlines for Friday, June 6, 2025 In this episode, we explore the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to revive a lawsuit from an Ohio woman who alleges she was denied a job opportunity because she isn't gay. Next, televangelist Benny Hinn, who recently found himself in an unexpected confrontation with YouTuber Tyler Oliveira during a $99 Christian conference, sparking discussions about the intersection of faith and media. Plus, we address the serious allegations facing Michael Tait, the renowned frontman of the Christian rock band Newsboys, as he contends with claims of sexual misconduct and substance abuse. 00:11 Supreme Court sides with woman claiming reverse discrimination 01:15 Benny Hinn ambushed by YouTuber Tyler Oliveira 02:05 SCOTUS says Wis. cant deny Catholic charity a tax exemption 03:02 Citi won't 'debank' based on political affiliation 03:53 CCM star Michael Tait accused of sexual misconduct, drug use 04:50 Nebraska bans trans-identified men from women's sports 05:46 Cuban gov't increasing repression in almost every area Home Opinion America's profound moral crisis looks like this Unfortunately, it is becoming clearer with every passing day that America is in the midst of a profound moral crisisand that crisis is a virulent, metastasizing cancer called antisemitism. And how we respond to this mortal threat will have an enormous impact on whether American civilization will survive and flourish as we have known it, or be diminished greatly. We look around and we witness two remarkable Jewish young people, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, preparing to spend their lives together, mercilessly gunned down in our nations capital (the young woman, trying to crawl away, was shot again by the gunman), yelling, Free Palestine! Weeks earlier, an arsonist set fire to the Governors mansion in Pennsylvania on the first night of Passover (Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvanias Governor, is Jewish). Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Then, in Boulder, Colo., an illegal immigrant from Egypt set 15 Jews on fire with Molotov cocktails and a homemade flamethrower because they were Jews peacefully demonstrating for the release of Jewish hostages captured during the terrible October 7 terrorist attacks. Among the 15 victims was an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor. I was born in 1946, in the midst of the Nurenberg Trials (1945-1946), where the world held the leaders of the Third Reich accountable for crimes against humanity, the most heinous of which was the Holocaustthe genocidal murder of more than six million Jews, millions of whom were gassed and incinerated in ovens! In the aftermath of the Holocaust, I suspect most Americans, and the vast majority of the worlds population, joined in a unified chant of Never Again! Frankly, I think most Americans, and even the vast majority of American Jews, never imagined that virulent antisemitism would ever sweep across America. Frankly, prior to October 7, 2023, and the horrific atrocities committed against Jewish settlers and young people by Hamas terrorists, I would not have imagined the vicious waves of antisemitic attacks that have washed across America could have happened. We have seen riots and demonstrations on college campuses and other venues, targeting Jews, chanting inane phrases like from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free, globalize the intifada, free, free Palestine! and say it loud, say it clear, we dont want no Zionists here, as antizionism morphed into antisemitism. How could these despicable scenes be taking place in America? I was raised in Houston, a city that witnessed significant Jewish immigration in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. I attended public schools in Houston, where I had numerous fellow students who were Jewish. It was no big deal. I did not personally hear any antisemitic jokes or slurs until I was an undergraduate in college in New Jersey. I was both offended and shocked. My fellow Americans, we must all take this upsurge of violence and prejudice seriously. Can you imagine the reaction if actions against Jewish students had been directed against Black students? There would be outrage that such actions had occurred and demands that they be stopped and the perpetrators be severely punished. It is well past time for all Americans of goodwill to stand up and speak out on this issue. I believe that the vast majority of Americans stand with and behind our Jewish fellow countrymen. In the months after the October 7th attack, I wore a U.S. flag and an Israeli flag intertwined on my coat lapel. About a year ago, I started substituting a lapel pin of intertwined Ukrainian and American flags, feeling that the Ukrainians needed my support more as they took on the Russian behemoth. I have now become convicted that my Jewish countrymen need my visual support more. So from this point forward, I am wearing the Israeli-U.S. flag pin as a sign of solidarity. We should be as vocal as we can be both to the government and the public at large that we support the Jews, we condemn antisemitism in any and all forms and we expect everyone to oppose it and condemn it in no uncertain terms. Furthermore, seek out your Jewish friends and tell them how much you appreciate them and support them. We need to say it, they need to hear it, and the would-be terrorists need to hear it as well. If you take on the Jews, you are taking on all of us. If we do not speak up and make our feelings known, things will get worse, not better. I implore you to join with me in speaking out and declaring, This will not stand. Leave our Jewish neighbors alone. As the great British philosopher Edmond Burke (1729-1797) once reminded us, The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing! Home News Former bookkeeper pleads guilty to stealing $300K from New Jersey Catholic parishes A New Jersey woman has pled guilty to stealing nearly $300,000 from two Roman Catholic churches where she worked as a bookkeeper. The Morris County Prosecutors Office announced in a statement Tuesday that Melissa Rivera had pled guilty to two counts of theft in connection with crimes she committed between May 2018 and May 2024 while working as a bookkeeper at Our Lady of the Mountain in Washington Township and Our Lady of Good Counsel in Pompton Plains, both of which are located in Morris County, New Jersey. Rivera allegedly stole $287,487 from Our Lady of the Mountain and used the funds to write herself 137 checks. She wrote herself three additional checks using a combined total of $5,242 in stolen funds from Our Lady of Good Counsel. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe In a March 28 statement posted on Our Lady of the Mountains website, the Diocese of Paterson shared more details about the role that it played in uncovering Riveras crimes. The Dioceses Department of Finance began investigating after observing irregularities in the check-writing activity at the parish during its normal oversight of financial activity at its churches. Upon further investigation by diocesan finance officials, a suspected pattern of alleged embezzlement emerged, and the Diocese of Paterson notified the Morris County Prosecutors office immediately and terminated the bookkeeper from her position effective immediately, the diocese stated. The diocese stressed that its Office of Finance has identified the financial control weaknesses that allowed the alleged embezzlement to occur through the manipulation of checks with the use of a computer. The diocese indicated that its financial team was taking several stringent steps to assist all of [its] parishes with preventing this type of fraud and embezzlement. One initiative the diocese has taken, as outlined on its website, is the implementation of a hotline that allows employees, volunteers, vendors, parishioners and other interested parties to report concerns they have regarding suspected financial or other misconduct involving a parish and/or one of its employees. The hotline is administered by EthicsPoint, an independent third-party company. Those seeking to file a report can do so online or by calling 855-247-3140. Rivera was first charged with theft on March 27, which followed the completion of an investigation by the Morris County Prosecutors Office Financial Crimes Unit that uncovered her crimes. The former bookkeeper will undergo probation with 364 days in the Morris County Correctional Center as a condition of probation. Another condition of Riveras probation involves her paying the churches she stole from $292,728, equivalent to the total amount she spent writing herself checks. Rivera is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11. Home News NY man charged with 3 hate crimes against Jews has link to Hamas' military wing: report Tarek Bazrouk of New York, who participated in anti-Israel protests at Columbia University in April 2024 and told a friend he thought of lighting someone on fire, reportedly has ties to Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. Bazrouk is currently awaiting trial in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York on three charges of hate crimes against Jewish people in 2024 and 2025. Sealed parts of the criminal complaint reference the 20-year-old's alleged connection to the military wing of Hamas, according to a report by The New York Post. The complaint states that Bazrouk, a U.S. citizen, was a "member of a chat group that received regular updates from Abu Obeida," as the newspaper reported. Abu Obeida is the spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe While on campus at Columbia University in April 2024 during the anti-Israel protests, the suspect told a friend that he thought of lighting someone on fire, but there were "too many" people around. In a response to The Post, defense attorney Andrew Dalack denied that his client has any connection with Hamas. In a Wednesday statement published on its website, Columbia University clarified that Bazrouk was not enrolled as a student despite participating in the anti-Israel protests on campus. "Contrary to media reports suggesting otherwise, we have no record of this individual ever being on Columbia's campus. We want to be clear that this individual is not affiliated with our University in any way," the university's statement reads. "Columbia strongly condemns antisemitism and violence, and we are horrified by the violence and hate crimes described in the indictment." On May 7, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the unsealing of an indictment against Bazrouk in connection with his "repeated assaults" of Jewish victims. Citing court documents and various public filings, the DOJ reported that Bazrouk physically assaulted three Jewish individuals over Israel's war against Hamas. During the first incident on April 15, 2024, Bazrouk wore a green headband typically worn by Hamas militants while attending a protest outside the New York Stock Exchange. New York Police arrested the activist after he lunged at a group of pro-Israel protestors. As the police escorted Bazrouk to an NYPD vehicle, the suspect kicked a Jewish college student in the stomach. At the time of the assault, the student had been standing near a group of Jewish protestors wearing kippahs who were there expressing support for Israel by carrying Israeli flags and singing Jewish songs. Eight months later, the suspect is accused of assaulting another Jewish student wearing a kippah during a protest related to Israel's war against Hamas. Bazrouk struck the second victim in the face after the Jewish student and his brother attempted to retrieve an Israeli flag that Bazrouk had stolen. The suspect attacked a third Jewish victim in January during another protest near First Avenue and East 18th Street in Manhattan, according to the DOJ. This victim was wearing an Israeli flag around his shoulders, an Israeli hat and a chain with a Jewish star when the assault took place. Authorities arrested Bazrouk on May 7, and he currently faces up to 30 years in prison, as each hate crime charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. "The Civil Rights Division will continue to relentlessly pursue allegations of antisemitic violence and will not stop until justice is served for the victims and their families," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said in the statement. "Under Attorney General Pam Bondi's leadership, we will use all available resources to investigate and charge those who target and assault others because of their faith," she added. Bazrouk's phone was "littered with pro-Hamas and pro-Hezbollah propaganda, showing his support for organizations that have murdered thousands of Jews and Israelis," The DOJ noted. Law enforcement discovered evidence of "antisemitic bias" and "support for anti-Jewish terrorist groups, including Hamas" on the suspect's phone, according to court documents referenced by the DOJ. Bazrouk reportedly referred to himself as a "Jew-hater," telling a friend that he was "mad happy" to learn that relatives overseas were members of Hamas. Home News Nigerian president urged to declare military emergency after radical Fulani slaughter 86 Christians ABUJA, Nigeria A prominent attorney petitioned Nigerias president to declare a military emergency as Fulani herdsmen killed at least 86 people in predominantly Christian areas of Benue state in the past two weeks, including 46 on Sunday, sources said. Sebastine Hon, senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), a prestigious designation conferred upon recommendation of the Nigerian Bar Association, wrote to President Bola Tinubu on Monday, demanding immediate measures to halt the growing bloodshed in his native Benue state. The security situation in my state, however, is VERY FAST slipping out of hand, Hon wrote. From the above abridged narration of the unfortunate developments in Benue state, it is MOST IMPERATIVE that a state of military emergency be declared by Mr. President in the state. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe The deplorable security situation in Benue state compelled him in late May to write to leaders of the military and police calling for action, he wrote. I personally wrote a joint letter to the Chief of Defense Staff, the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of State Security Services, detailing the failings of the military and paramilitary operations in the state, Hon wrote. Till date, nothing has been done, as is clearly evident from recent ugly happenings in the State, about the situation. In predominantly Christian Gwer West County, Fulani herdsmen killed at least 68 people over the past two weeks, including 18 slain on Sunday in Tse Antswam, on the outskirts of Naka town, residents and community leaders said. Community leader Daniel Abomtse said the assailants were Fulani herdsmen. On Sunday, 18 Christians were killed in Tse Antswam village. Some were shot, while others were slaughtered, and houses burned, Abomtse said. Victor Ormini, chairman of the Gwer West Local Government Council, sent a distressed text message to Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. A week ago, over 40 Christians were killed in our local government area, and again, were seeing the killing of additional Christians, Ormini said. So far, 14 corpses of Christians killed in Naka alone have been recovered. Yet, many Christians are still missing. Area residents in response to inquiries from Christian Daily International-Morning Star News said the attacks occurred on May 27. In his letter to President Tinubu, Hon chronicled attacks that took place while the military and other security agencies stood by. On May 29, 2025, Agan community, right in Makurdi city, the state capital, was attacked in broad daylight, Hon wrote. Even though there is a military barracks in the same North Bank, no soldier was deployed to arrest the situation. On Sunday in Naka, site of the Gwer West Local Government headquarters, and the Edikwu-Ankpali community in Apa Local Area came under deadly attacks, resulting in several fatalities, he wrote. On May 24, the Rev. Solomon Atongo was attacked on his way from Makurdi to Naka. The scene was just about 500 meters (546 yards) from a military checkpoint; but none of the soldiers at the checkpoint came to his rescue until the attackers left him for dead, Hon wrote. He is lucky to be alive today. On May 31, Catholic priests accused the military of complicity, publicly stating that the church has lost priests and congregation members and has closed more than 15 parishes in the state, Hon noted. The attackers always come in the numbers on motorcycles, Hone wrote. Meanwhile, there are several military checkpoints along the roads! Where and how, if I may ask, do those murderers pass to the points of attack and back to their newly-acquired bases? Police in Benue state said tactical teams had been deployed to the Naka and Apa areas. Unprecedented Attacks in Apa The herdsmen attacks in Apa County were unprecedented, killing at least 28 Christians on June 1, sources said. Residents of Edikwu Ankpali and Opaha villages said the attacks took place at about 6 p.m. local time, shortly after Christians returned from Sunday evening worship services. A mass burial has been held for 28 Christians of Benue state who were brutally killed by armed herdsmen in Ankali, Edikwu Ankpali community, located in the Apa Local Government Area, resident George Daniel told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News in a text message. Several Christians were also reportedly abducted during the attacks. Resident Tony Adikwu said more than 28 Christians were killed in the attack on Edikwu Ankpali. And most of the displaced Christians at Edikwu Ankpali are taking refuge at Odugbo village, another Christian community, Adikwu said. Predominantly Christian Opaha village was also attacked on June 1, said John Ikwulono, a former official of the Apa Local Government Council. Adams Ocheiga, chairman of the Apa Local Government Council, confirmed attacks on Christians in the area. Its true that some Christian communities in our area are currently under attacks by armed Fulani herdsmen, Ocheiga told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. The attention of police authorities, the military, and the Benue state government has been drawn to these unpleasant situations. We hope something will be done soon in order to avert more of such evil attacks. Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdoms All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a 2020 report. They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity, the APPG report states. Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigerias Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds. Nigeria has remained among the most dangerous places on Earth for Christians, according to Open Doors 2025 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Of the 4,476 Christians killed for their faith worldwide during the reporting period, 3,100 (69%) were in Nigeria, according to the WWL. The measure of anti-Christian violence in the country is already at the maximum possible under World Watch List methodology, the report stated. In the countrys North-Central zone, where Christians are more common than they are in the Northeast and Northwest, Islamic extremist Fulani militia attack farming communities, killing many hundreds, Christians above all, according to the report. Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the splinter group Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), among others, are also active in the countrys northern states, where federal government control is scant and Christians and their communities continue to be the targets of raids, sexual violence, and roadblock killings, according to the report. Abductions for ransom have increased considerably in recent years. The violence has spread to Southern states, and a new jihadist terror group, Lakurawa, has emerged in the northwest, armed with advanced weaponry and a radical Islamist agenda, the WWL noted. Lakurawa is affiliated with the expansionist al-Qaeda insurgency Jamaa Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, or JNIM, originating in Mali. Nigeria ranked seventh on the list of the 50 countries where it's most difficult to be a Christian. This article was originally published at Christian Daily InternationalMorning Star News Home News Palantir founder, Trump ally Peter Thiel talks Antichrist, coming 'totalitarian' system in resurfaced interview 'The Antichrist takes over by talking about Armageddon,' Thiel said in pre-election interview In a newly-resurfaced interview, Silicon Valley entrepreneur and longtime ally of President Donald Trump, Peter Thiel, said he believes biblical concepts like the Antichrist and Armageddon stem from the potential of catastrophic technologies that could lead to a totalitarian one-world government. Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal and the first outside investor in Facebook, stated in an October 2024 interview with Stanford Universitys think-tank, the Hoover Institution, that the Antichrist figure from the book of Revelation could emerge by exploiting fears of apocalyptic destruction and offering a solution through global governance. He told Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson this figure or system would present itself as a savior, promising "peace and safety" in a world of extreme stakes. Pointing to 1 Thessalonians 5:3, Thiel, 57, said his speculative thesis is that if the Antichrist were to come to power, it would be by talking about Armageddon all the time. He added, The slogan of the Antichrist is peace and safety, which is nothing wrong with peace and safety. But you have to sort of imagine that it resonates very differently in a world where the stakes are so absolute, where the stakes are so extreme, where the alternative to peace and safety is Armageddon and the destruction of all things." Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Describing the Antichrist as either a figure or system which emerges in a post-Christian society, Theil said he believes the Antichrist You can think of it as a system where maybe communism is a one-world system, he explained would first mimic Christian ideals, but ultimately oppose them through excessive state power or global control. "In some sense, the Antichrist as an idea is something that really comes into being in the world after Christ, he said. And then there's a lot of things about it that are mysterious. In some ways, the Antichrist copies Christ, the Antichrist pretends to be greater than Christ, hyper Christian, ultra Christian, and then maybe only ultimately, deeply anti-Christian." Thiel suggested this interpretation raises a troubling theological quandary: is it possible to be too Christian? In theory, no, he said. But in practice, if you think you're more Christian than Christ, you're in trouble." In the two-part interview, Thiel referenced two early 20th century fictional works by Vladimir Soloviev and Robert Hugh Benson, which portray the Antichrist as a charismatic figure achieving global dominance. He noted what he viewed as a "plot hole" in these works the lack of a clear mechanism for this dominance but suggests modern technology and fear of existential risks provide such a mechanism today. "But the plot hole is sort of like, how does this sort of world take over actually happen? he said. And it's kind of not a deus ex machina, but like a daimonium ex machina. It's like the Antichrist just gives these hypnotic speeches where nobody can remember a word and then sort of just swindles people's souls out of them and they submit to this totalitarian state or something like this." Speculating on how that plot hole might be solved, Thiel said the development of atomic energy and nuclear weapons might hold the answer. In 1900, early 20th century, people were not yet scared of apocalyptic weapons. They could not imagine anything of the scale that we'd have by the second half of the 20th century. And so, the Antichrist takes over by talking about Armageddon." While he rejected the false dichotomy of the choice between worldwide destruction and a totalitarian one-world state, Thiel said secular phrases like "one world or none obscure the need for a third, alternative path. "Antichrist or Armageddon, that framing, we can envision a third way. One world or none, that's pretty hard to envision a third way. And so, that's where I think the biblical language, it sounds crazier, but it's actually more hopeful. One world or none those are the two options if youre a political atheist. In 2016, Thiel who Vice President JD Vance, after meeting him after a 2011 talk at Yale Law School, once called possibly the smartest person Id ever met who defied the social template that dumb people were Christians and smart ones atheists became the first person to publicly announce to the GOP convention that he is gay and played a key role in helping Trump get elected to his first term in office. According to The New York Times, Trump has tapped Thiel to implement his March executive order, which calls on the federal agencies to integrate data-sharing practices an order that has raised fears among civil libertarians as potentially laying the groundwork for a vast federal surveillance database. In his interview with Uncommon Knowledge last October, Thiel suggested the United States itself could, depending on its political trajectory, be an obvious candidate for what he sees as the Antichrist system. Pointing to the Cold War era, Thiel said the U.S. has embodied characteristics of both good and evil. I think anti-Communism was the supranational ideology that stood against the one world state of Communism. And so, the U.S. is ground zero of globalization and it's ground zero of the resistance to bad globalization, we're both, he said. That's why it matters so much, the President of the United States maybe is the catacomb, maybe it's a type of anti-Christ, but presidential elections matter." Despite his ominous predictions, Thiel suggested Americans are more focused on Armageddon-like risks like nuclear war or AI mismanagement than the risk of a totalitarian one-world government, which, according to Thiel, poses a greater threat due to its lack of scrutiny. "That tells me that we should worry about both, but if you had to prioritize them, you should be way more worried about the Antichrist because no one's worried about it, he said. Ultimately, Thiel, despite signaling an uncertainty about any literal interpretation of the Scriptures, warned that most Americans and even most Christians fear the end of the world more than the Antichrist. "I don't know how literally one should take these biblical accounts, but in the biblical accounts, the Antichrist comes first because people are more scared of Armageddon than the Antichrist, perhaps." Thiels Palantir, which last month landed a $480 million contract with the U.S. Army for its AI-driven Maven Smart System, helped develop a new system for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 2020 to track the production, administration and distribution of COVID-19 injections. The Tiberius system, a data collection and analysis platform from Palantir, was used by HHS to track hospital data related to COVID-19 patients. As part of the Trump administrations Operation Warp Speed, Tiberius was later used to manage the purchase of COVID-19 serum and to track whether certain populations were taking the injection. Home News National Association of Realtors changes 'hate speech' rule after pastor found guilty for Bible verses The National Association of Realtors has voted to change its controversial "hate speech" rule after punishing a Christian minister who shared Bible verses on social media. On Thursday, the NAR voted to change the "hate speech" rule adopted in 2020 under its code of ethics. In the amendment to Standard of Practice 10-5, which says its members "shall not harass any person or persons based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity," the NAR clarified that the rule can only regulate a realtor's speech that is made in their professional capacity in furtherance of their real estate practice. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Wilson Fauber, 70, a longtime Virginia realtor, was found in December to have violated the NAR Code of Ethics, which prohibits realtors from using "harassing speech, hate speech, epithets, or slurs" related to "race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity." Fauber was punished by the Virginia Association of Realtors for sharing his biblical views on gender and sexuality on his personal Facebook page. Despite multiple attempts to appeal, the hate speech conviction was upheld in February 2025. "This is a massive victory for free speech and religious freedom not just for me, but for all 1.5 million members of the National Association of Realtors," Fauber said. "It's clear that my imminent lawsuit against them and our work in state legislatures like Texas to push back played a pivotal role in bringing about this monumental change." Victoria Cobb, president of The Family Foundation and its legal division, Founding Freedoms Law Center, which represents Fauber, praised the NAR for moving "swiftly to correct their disastrous 'hate speech' policy that has had the effect of punishing even pastors like our client from speaking in their personal capacity." Cobb called on the Virginia Association of Realtors to "take back" its ruling against Fauber and "compensate him for the losses to his business and reputation." Matt Difanis, an Illinois broker-owner and longtime DEI advocate who helped introduce the original measure, said during an NAR national meeting in Washington that the change was in response to "some pretty unpleasant legal liabilities." "This isn't a capitulation," Difanis said, according to Real Estate News. "This isn't buckling under the weight of organized anti-wokeism or any of the other terrifying things that I know are really truly hurting our black and brown and LGBTQ-plus members and anyone else that's from a historically marginalized group." While some opposed the change, NAR Senior Counsel Matt Troiani said the revision seeks "to ensure that the standard of practice is clearer but also more sustainable and defensible as far as enforcement goes." The controversy began when Fauber ran for Staunton City Council in 2023. Opponents of his campaign uncovered several social media posts from years earlier, including a 2015 post in which Fauber shared his Christian views on marriage, particularly in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's consideration of same-sex marriage. At the time, Fauber had posted a Bible-based perspective on the issue, sharing thoughts from the Rev. Franklin Graham and other Christian leaders. In 2024, Fauber's social media posts became the subject of a complaint lodged with the Virginia Association of Realtors (VAR) over the purported violation of NAR's code of ethics. The posts, which Fauber shared as part of his personal ministry, went unnoticed until two fellow realtors, whom Fauber had never met, filed formal ethics complaints against him. The complaints alleged that his posts violated NAR's vague "hate speech" rule. The VAR panel determined that Fauber's views on marriage and sexuality, expressed through Bible verses and Christian doctrine, violated NAR's Standard of Practice 10-5. One of the two men who filed the original complaint with the VAR is reportedly an "openly gay man." Complainants are not typically identified publicly in real estate ethics complaints. Home News Tom Keesee, son of Faith Life Church founders, pleads not guilty to child sex crimes Gary Thomas "Tom" Keesee, a son of Gary and Drenda Keesee, founders and senior pastors of Faith Life Church in Ohio, pleaded not guilty to 32 counts of alleged sexual abuse of multiple minors Tuesday, including additional charges of rape and gross sexual imposition of a child younger than 13. The plea follows Keesees initial indictment by a grand jury on April 21, on 27 counts of sex crimes, including 11 counts of first-degree rape, 11 counts of gross sexual imposition, and five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Keesee, who served as chief media officer at Faith Life Church, according to LinkedIn, before resigning last August, was further indicted on two additional counts of rape, and three more counts of gross sexual imposition on May 19, the Knox Pages reported. The latest victim of Keesee was younger than 13 when he allegedly raped and sexually abused them from 2008 to 2012 while he was an adult. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Knox County Common Pleas Judge Richard Wetzel opted to keep a July 1 trial date and refused to reconsider a $2 million bond with no 10% provision for Keesee despite his defense attorney, Samuel Shamansky, arguing that he was not a flight risk. A copy of the initial indictment against Keesee, 36, said he committed the rapes on three victims between May 2002 and November 2006. Licking County Prosecutor Jenny Wells revealed at a press conference that investigators interviewed approximately 40 witnesses and three victims have already come forward. Wells stated that all the victims were members of Faith Life Church at some point, and they were 6- to 15-years-old when the alleged abuses took place. One victim alleges in a criminal complaint that Keesee sexually assaulted her when she was 5 and 6 years old, starting in May 2001 and ending in May 2003. Another victim accused him of touching her private areas "repeatedly," starting in November 2006, when she was 8 years old, until she was 15. Prior to the indictment, Keesees father, Pastor Gary Keesee, insisted in February that there is "another side" to the story. "All hell is breaking loose out there but truth will prevail," Gary Keesee said during one of three services at the church's New Albany site in February, according to a Knox Pages report. "There's another side. And the truth will come out." Keesees mother, Dendra Keesee, who was recently elected as a Knox County commissioner, also asked God to forgive "those who hurt us" as she denied the allegations against her son in February. "Those who know us know what they say are not true," she said. A second suspect linked to the case is reportedly under investigation, according to Fox 28. While none of the alleged abuse reportedly happened at Faith Life Church, at least three of the victims attended the church, prosecutors said. Some members of the Knox County community advocating for the victims, like Laura Hicks, believe Dendra Keesee should now resign from her government role. "The fact that Drenda is still holding a Knox County commissioner seat is absurd," she told Fox 28. Home News Persecuted Christians in South Asia celebrate New Testament translation in hostile territory 'A rare beacon of hope for these beleaguered people, penetrating the surrounding spiritual darkness' An international organization is sowing the seeds of the Gospel in dangerous parts of the world by helping train local Bible translators to present God's Word to remote rural villages. Wycliffe Associates equips Christians in Bible translation in countries where believers face immense persecution, including throughout the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Trainers communicate with the locals on the ground by communicating through a gateway language such as English, French or Spanish and provide technology, including laptops and translation software for these projects. Trainers completed a recent translation project in an unnamed Muslim-majority country in South Asia. Two weeks ago, Wycliffe Associates participated in a New Testament dedication event to commemorate the first completed Bible translation project in a minority language in this region of the world. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Even though a Bible translation already exists in the nation's official language, there wasn't a translation for minority languages in remote areas. According to Tony Tophoney, director of field training for Wycliffe Associates, the translation project in South Asia took around three years to complete. He believes the cost of the project was about $55,000 and the organizations translation projects can cost up to $100,000, which covers the expense of the training and the technological devices. Wycliffe Associates raises money by sending donors fundraising letters and hosting summits explaining their mission to people and inviting them to donate. Tophoney said it almost seemed as if the recent project would be unable to continue for a while, but not for lack of knowledge on the scholars part, who had biblical education and spoke multiple languages. They got derailed by so many different things and found themselves almost unable to continue the translation work, but the Lord was faithful, the field training director told The Christian Post in an interview. And when they finished it, everybody was like, 'Wow, that was one that we just weren't sure if it was ever going to get completed!' Not because the work wasn't being done well and it wasn't being checked properly, but because the local police were investigating them the whole time, he added. At one point, the government police interrogated everyone involved with the project. During the dedication event, where hundreds of people were gathered in a safe location, police showed up, saying that the group should have obtained a permit first. Tophoney said he heard through reports that around half a dozen police officers showed up. He explained that authorities' tactics usually involve taking people aside to see if their stories match up, and if they get suspicious, they take people in for further interrogation. We were able to smooth it out; the local leaders were able to smooth it out with the police, he said. One of the trainers, a 25-year-old female who attended the dedication, told Tophoney that the police were likely just trying to mess with the group and create disruption, adding: Its what they do. Elaborating on the perception of Christians in the country, Tophoney said that a majority of the region is Muslim. But then there are ethnic groups within this country, and the ethnicities in South Asia are trying to preserve their individuality, their sense of community from being overtaken by Muslim or Arabic culture that bleeds its way into a country when Islam is a majority religion, and also when the leader of the country says, 'Hey, Islam is our national faith!' he continued. For example, some Hindu communities might view their members who identify as Christian as traitors since theyre supposed to unite against being Muslim. Youre surrounded on all sides by religious persecution, Tophoney said about the treatment of Christians living in this particular South Asian country. In order to safely conduct its translation projects, trainers meet with local leaders in capital cities in the regions where Christians face persecution, places where, according to Tophoney, it would not be strange for Westerners to visit. The trainers then assist the leaders with translating the Bible, and they provide the necessary technology to complete the translation. After receiving the training, the leaders take the information back to their villages and lead the members through the work. Tophoney said the people Wycliffe Associates works with usually request that they assist a specific group, and the organization attempts to help as best it can. In some areas, however, the organization cannot help due to the dangers in the area or a lack of people who speak a gateway language. The organization will typically decide to assist a region after receiving a reference from a local leader they trust, such as bishops that have risked their lives for the sake of Christianity that Wycliffe has previously worked with. They come to us, and they say, 'These people are interested, Tophoney said. Id like permission to meet with them and talk with them about what Wycliffe Associates does. After receiving the request, the organization waits to see if local leaders in the area feel its safe or culturally appropriate to begin helping the person who requested assistance. The field training director emphasized that Wycliffe trusts the local leaders in these areas and understands that letting them have ownership over the project from beginning to end is necessary. This is their Scripture; this is their culture, Tophoney said. They know it better than we do. They can go to the places we can't go, so we have to trust them. Sign up for The Media Today, CJRs daily newsletter. For Terrance Cash, a New York prison inmate, it began with a kiss. And then, moments later, a corrections officer was jamming a metal flashlight into his face, threatening Cash with this: Open your mouth or Im going to break them teeth. Thats the scenario that unfolds in this well-reported story and graphic video produced by WIVB-TV reporters Daniel Telvock and Rob Petree, a report that they were able to construct after obtaining nearly a dozen bodycam videos from the incident. The story begins in January 2024 at the Erie County Correctional Facility, about twenty miles east of Buffalo. Cashs girlfriend had come to visit, and as the end was approaching, the pair kissed. Officers suspected she was passing drugs to Cash that way, and they believed that if he swallowed the suspected narcotics, he could overdose and die, the sheriff said later. Officers tried prying his mouth open with the flashlight, and when that didnt work, a jail chief instructed officers to squeeze below Cashs jaw line, and apply pressure, his mouth will open. Moments later, an officer shoved the flashlight back into his mouth. All told, corrections officers spent nearly ten minutes trying to extract unseen drugs from Cash before finally taking him down a blood-splattered hallway to a medical unit where he could be evaluated. Officers apparently never found drugs on Cash, who was serving a seven-year sentence on drug and weapons charges, nor any evidence that his girlfriend had come equipped with them. First-degree contraband charges against both of them were dismissed. His attorney, who has filed a lawsuit over the incident, told WIVB, Using a flashlight as a jack in someones mouth is something I have never seen. A couple of weeks ago, President Trump met with reporters during a visit to the Capitol, and he became particularly annoyed by one very direct question from the press gaggle. Who do you work for? Trump demanded. NOTUS, the reporter answered. Who? NOTUS. I dont even know what the hell that is, Trump said. Get yourself a real job. Its certainly possible Trump hadnt heard of NOTUS, a new site that covers Washington (the name stands for News of the United States) and the brainchild of former Politico publisher Robert Allbritton. But even if NOTUS wasnt on his administrations radar before, it should be now, thanks to Emily Kennard and Margaret Manto. Theyre the journalists who broke the story that numerous citations in a recent report from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s Make America Healthy Again Commission were riddled with errorsnot just dead links or misspellings, but references to scientific studies that didnt exist or that misrepresented the actual findings. The paper cited is not a real paper that I or my colleagues were involved with, said one epidemiologist, upon being told that she was listed in the MAHA report. The story got a lot of playincluding in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and NBC News (where, you might notice, they credited NOTUS). And many of the blunders, which had the distinct whiff of having been generated by the cheesiest AI engine on the planet, were soon cleaned up. But not all. Manto and Kennard published a story the next day headlined The MAHA Report Has Been Updated with Fresh Errors. How did this story come about? Sam Stein, an editor at The Bulwark, had the same question when he interviewed Manto last week. Over Memorial Day weekend, Manto said, I got a tip that there were maybe some issues with some of those citations, so she and Kennard looked at every single one. Theres 522 citations in this report, Stein responded. You looked at all 522? We did, yes, Manto responded with a laugh. What did it feel like when the tip came in? Said Manto, an MIT alumna who used to be a scientist: I was like, Oh my gosh, there goes my Memorial Day weekend. It was a really fun time. Elon Musk is, more or less, gone from his chainsaw role in Washington, but he couldnt leave without doing one last round of pressmaking a joint appearance with Trump in the Oval Office, and sitting for a series of interviews that he hoped would restore his reputation as a business and tech genius. The White House press conference managed to be weird, bad, fascinating, and ultimately futile, because the reporting group includes MAGA adherents who will hijack any effort to get concrete answers. Reporters arent identified in this Roll Call transcript of the conference, but the uselessness of many of their questions shines through. Heres a brief taxonomy of the questions, which were posed to Musk, Trump, or both: The Questions That the FDA Should Label as Emetics You had mentioned earlier in the week that DOGE had become a whipping boy. Was it worth it for you, and what would you change? So many of the things that youre trying to do are held up in court right now. If the courts are going to have so much influence over US policy, do you wish you would have just become a judge instead? The Question That Never Achieved Liftoff Well, so, there is a New York Times report today that accuses you of blurring the line between The Question That Isnt Actually a Question The president mentioned that you had to deal with all the slings and arrows during your time at DOGE The Question That Came from Outer Space Mr. Musk, what do you think would be easier, colonizing Mars or making the government efficient? The Questions That, in Another Era, Would Seem Perfectly Reasonable Mr. President, are you going to reinstate the tariffs on China? Mr. President, what message do you like to send to international students? Are they still welcome to study in the United States? And, finally: The One Question That Was on Everyones Mind Mr. Musk, is your eye okay? What happened to your eye? I noticed theres a bruise there. Also last week, Musk met for one-on-one interviews with several reporters at his SpaceX headquarters in southern Texas, in advance of another rocket launch. Clearly, Musk wanted to talk about space. And reporters were generally happy to go along. Almost all of the questions in this Ars Technica interview, for example, were on his preferred topice.g., What does success look like for you with todays launch? Only in the final moment was Musk asked about Washington, and even then, it was with the gentlest touch possible: Youve spent the last year pretty heavily focused on politics. Im wondering if you feel like that has slowed SpaceX down or harmed SpaceX? Keep in mind the context. A Boston University professor has estimated that the USAID cuts championed by Musk have led to the deaths of around three hundred thousand people. Even if Musk wants to dispute that methodology, we have firsthand reports, such as this one from the New York Times Nicholas Kristof, of children dying due to the suspension of aid. Given that, it is unclear why a news organizationeven one devoted to tech coveragewould interview Musk and avoid asking about famine or disease, while sticking to softballs like this one: Starlink has become really successful. It helped me during a hurricane. And Starship is coming along. As you look out for the next ten years, what are you betting on big now that will really bear fruit for SpaceX a decade from now? There was a more consequential interview, conducted by CBS Newss David Pogue. He elicited newsworthy criticism by Musk about Trumps budget bill, among other bits. In a separate segment, with colleague Errol Barnett, Pogue said he had never agreed to limit his interview to SpaceX: I had been told by his people that any questions were fine. In fact, we went over the topics I hoped to cover with his people. Somehow that never got back to Elon. I think he wanted to just talk about space. Pogue also elicited Musks prickly side, particularly when he asked about restrictions on foreign students coming to the US: I think we wanna stick to, you know, the subject of the day, Musk said, which is, like, spaceships, as opposed to, you know, presidential policy. Pogue responded, Oh, okay. I was told anything is good, but To which Musk replied, No, wellno. Still, Pogue didnt push Musk all that hard, and apparently never asked some key questions about the impact of the DOGE cuts on critical government services. (I say apparently because I asked CBS for a transcript of the full interview, but the spokesman wouldnt provide one. This comes as CBSs parent company, Paramount Global, is considering paying Trump $15 million or more to settle a meritless lawsuit related to a transcript of its Kamala Harris interview last year.) And Pogue couldnt resist using journalists hoary if both sides are mad self-praise: Ive been beaten up by both the left and the right for being too hard on Musk and too soft on Musk, he told Barnett. So I think Ive threaded the needle. To which Barnett replied, There you go, thats always how you can tell. If you have a suggestion for this column, please send it to laurelsanddarts@cjr.org. We cant acknowledge all submissions, but we will mention you if we use your idea. For more on Laurels and Darts, please click here. Sign up for The Media Today, CJRs daily newsletter. Lately, when traveling anywhere new, I find myself looking at the houses and buildings I pass, wondering what news is being produced at that moment, in that town, that might be missed if it doesnt have a local outlet. If its a less affluent or rural area, chances are good that there isnt a journalist attending its school board or municipal meetings. Yet as the Pivot Funds Tracie Powell wrote recently, all the money in the world cant stand up a successful newsroom if it doesnt first take a close look at the community it wants to serve: Who is already trusted in this community to deliver news and information? What are the actual gaps in coverage, and who is attempting to fill them? How do people [here] find out what they need to know? As the field collectively expands its definition of what counts as local news, the number of sources from which useful civic information can come has expanded accordinglyand we are challenged to imagine new ways of accounting for and mapping them. More and more researchers are recognizing the fact that, especially in so-called news deserts, people are actually awash in information, some of it false and harmful, but much of it coming from the people and places with which communities already interact on a daily basis. Of course, its not that these community organizations are all of a sudden producing useful civic information; theyve been engaging and communicating with their constituents for years. What is (relatively) new is their ability to reach a much wider audience via the internet and social mediaand perhaps through deeper partnerships with local journalists. Weve come a long way since the days when news was what happened at city hall and in the police precinct, or among other local power-holders. A major silver lining of the profound revolution still shaking journalism is the reorientation away from primarily reporting on the activities of those in power toward considering activity at every echelon and in every corner of a community as newsworthy. Moreover, its not only problems that grab headlines, but now solutions, too. Ive been looking closely at one town: Charlotte, North Carolina. The research were conducting there aims to see the citys news and information landscape through this holistic lens. Weve identified thirty-four news organizations of all shapes and sizes serving Charlotte, including eleven that cater to the citys various ethnic communities, four that are oriented toward identity-based communities (e.g., faith-based or LGBTQ; one of those, The Voice, is also counted in the ethnic category because it serves both a church community and the Greek community in Charlotte), and two that are topic-oriented (e.g., business). They span all media, and have varying levels of online presence; all but two are also based in Charlotte. New research continues to confirm earlier findings that local journalism is most likely to thrive in communities that are financially well off, have a strong business base, and maintain a certain level of population densityall of which works to provide both advertising and audience revenue. Charlotte meets all of these standards and is clearly not a news desert. So the questions one asks are different here than they would be in a city that is served by only a couple of outlets, or none at all. Charlotte is also rich in civil society organizations (CSOs), those nonprofits, houses of worship, schools, and libraries that serve their communities and have constant engagement with them. By one count, the city of Charlotte has more than 1,500 nonprofit community organizations. To put that in perspective, the same database lists 402 organizations for the entire state of Wyoming. What can a context like this teach us about local news ecosystems? One of the things were looking at is news outlets actual coverage areas, which is an elusive finding that is often not even visible to newsrooms themselves. Looking at the coverage of prolific news outlets in dense cities like Charlotte allows us to zoom in to the neighborhood level to see which parts of a city are covered more often, and which are covered only rarely. My colleagues at the Brown Institute have been honing the techniques for this work since 2019, when they partnered with the Lenfest Institute and the Philadelphia Inquirer to analyze that outlets coverage. Brown Institute analysis of Philadelphia Inquirer coverage in 2019. We are also looking at a news outlets topical coverage, as represented by a semantic map. This type of data visualization analyzes stories and clusters them according to topic, so that one can easily identify which topics a news outlet focuses on, and to what extent. It becomes even more interesting when the topics covered by multiple organizations are mapped, showing topics about which multiple outlets are writing, such as a political race, and topics covered by only one outlet. The sample map below tests this on the output of three North Carolina organizationstwo news outlets and one community organization, finding overlap in the coverage of a toxic contaminant in the waterways, but singular focus on stories about personal health by one of the news outlets. A sample semantic map using content from three NC organizations Were overlaying these findings with structural and demographic features of the city, such as access to high-speed broadband. Does geographic coverage correlate with access to broadband? Does topic coverage gravitate toward those stories that people in certain parts of the city are more likely to care about? Among Charlottes many community assets is an organization called the Charlotte Urban Institute, housed at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Its wealth of data about the city, including broadband access at the neighborhood level, is an invaluable resource that will allow us to ask questions like these. One view of the Quality of Life Explorer, built by a partnership between the Charlotte Urban Institute, Mecklenburg County, the City of Charlotte, and UNC-Charlotte. We have the ability to analyze the output not only of local news organizations, but also of any of those 1,500-plus community organizationsmany of which have robust communications that rival some local journalism orgs. For example, the North Carolina Coastal Federation, the CSO represented by the topic map above, produces a blog that keeps its community updated on the activities of the organization as well as the research and science that goes into its work. We envision collaborations between news organizations and CSOs based on maps that show topics and geographies where their content overlaps. Making visible the existing communications of organizations like Carolina Coastal could help answer the questions posed by Tracie Powell at the outset: Who is already trusted in this community to deliver news and information? What are the actual gaps in coverage, and who is attempting to fill them? How do people in this city find out what they need to know? In cities like Charlotte, this could create even deeper community engagement for news organizationsand greater reach for the CSOs. In places that dont have a wealth of resources, those insights become even more valuable, by suggesting efficiencies and fostering collaboration. The U.S. Supreme Court threw out a Mexican government lawsuit that accused gunmakers including Smith & Wesson Brands Inc. and Sturm Ruger & Co. of helping to funnel firearms to the countrys violent drug cartels. Voting unanimously, the justices said Mexicos suit was barred under a 2005 US law that gave the gun industry broad protection from legal liability. The 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act generally shields the industry from suits by gun-violence victims and their families but allows cases if companies knowingly violate the law in a way that causes injury. Mexico, which accused gun companies of intentionally trading with cartel suppliers, argued unsuccessfully that its aiding-and-abetting suit qualified for that exception. That exception, if Mexicos suit fell within it, would swallow most of the rule, Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the court. We doubt Congress intended to draft such a capacious way out of PLCAA, and in fact it did not. Mexico said the value of guns trafficked into the country from the US each year surpasses $250 million. The gunmakers argued that they cant be held liable for aiding and abetting under the 2005 law when they were selling their products legally. The court agreed. A manufacturer of goods is not an accomplice to every unaffiliated retailer whom it fails to make follow the law, Kagan wrote. The companies also contended they are so far removed from Mexicos injuries that their actions cant be the legally required proximate cause. The court said it didnt need to decide that issue. Gun-safety groups said they were pleased the court hadnt accepted the gunmakers proximate-cause arguments, which could have broadly undercut future efforts to sue they industry. Todays decision will end Mexicos lawsuit against the gun industry, but it does not affect our ability and resolve to hold those who break the law accountable, said David Pucino, legal director at Giffords Law Center, which supports gun restrictions. The justices did not give the gun industry the broad immunity it sought. The organizations filing briefs on Mexicos side in the case included Everytown for Gun Safety, an advocacy group founded and backed by Michael Bloomberg, founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent company Bloomberg LP. The National Rifle Association called the ruling a HUGE LEGAL WIN in a post on the X social media network. The Boston-based 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals had said Mexico could press ahead with its suit in federal court in Massachusetts The case is Smith & Wesson Brands v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos, 23-1141. Bias Suits The case was one of six the Supreme Court resolved Thursday as it entered the homestretch of a nine-month term that is scheduled to end in late June or early July. The court separately revived a job-bias lawsuit by a woman who says she suffered discrimination because shes straight, in a ruling that makes it easier in some parts of the country for members of majority groups to get cases to a jury. The justices unanimously said a federal appeals court was wrong to require majority workers including White people, men and heterosexuals to meet a more difficult test than members of groups that have historically faced discrimination. The justices also ruled that Catholic-affiliated charities in Wisconsin were unconstitutionally denied a religious exemption from having to pay into the states unemployment tax program. The unanimous decision said the Wisconsin Supreme Court imposed an unconstitutional denominational preference by allowing the exemption only for groups that are operated primarily for religious purposes. And the court backed out of a Labcorp Holdings Inc. clash that business groups had hoped would put new limits on class action lawsuits. Labcorp sought to stop a class action suit accusing a company unit of illegally discriminating by making its self-service kiosks at diagnostic centers inaccessible to blind people. The court, which heard arguments in the case in April, on Thursday said the case was being dismissed as improvidently granted. Thats a step the justices sometimes take when they conclude a case doesnt cleanly present the legal issue the court had sought to resolve. Top photo: Chairs of U.S. Supreme Court justices sit behind the courtroom bench in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, July 9, 2019. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg. Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. Beachwood City Schools have reached a settlement with Warrensville Heights City Schools over a lawsuit filed in 2018 concerning tax sharing for Chagrin Highlands property. A 1997 tax-sharing agreement between the two districts was formulated well before Eaton Corp. opened its world headquarters within Chagrin Highlands in 2013. Jeff Piorkowski BEACHWOOD, Ohio -- As a result of a settlement of the lawsuit brought seven years ago against Warrensville Heights City Schools, Beachwood Schools announced Thursday (June 5) that it will receive $12 million in the short term, and another $5 million annually in June 2026, 27 and 28. In 2018, Beachwood Schools filed the suit with the Ohio Supreme Court stating that the Warrensville Heights School District had not complied with a 1997 agreement between the two districts. Medina Community Planning Director Andrew Dutton said qualifying homeowners can receive assistance in detecting and removing lead from their homes. Emily Canning-Dean, Special to Cleveland.com MEDINA, Ohio The city is taking steps to move forward with concrete street repair throughout Medina later this year. Council approved an emergency ordinance authorizing Mayor Dennis Hanwell to go out for bids for the 2025 concrete street repair program and award a contract to the successful bidder. This is our annual program to replace concrete panels that have been identified throughout the city in all four wards, City Engineer Patrick Patton said. The estimated cost of this years program is $650,000. Also during the meeting Community Development Director Andrew Dutton informed the public that the Lead Safe Ohio program is available to income-qualifying homeowners in Medina County. This is for homes that were built before 1978, Dutton said. This program provides free assistance at no cost to the homeowner to test for and remove lead in homes. Dutton said anyone interested in gathering more information can visit medinaco.org/planning and select the Lead Safe Ohio link. The city has also announced that the American Red Cross is in critical need of blood donors. There will be three opportunities to give blood the week of June 16-20 in Medina. The first is Monday, June 16 at Medina Fire Station No. 1, 300 West Reagan Parkway from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; then, Wednesday, June 18 at the Medina Performing Arts Center, 851 Weymouth Road from noon to 6 p.m.; followed by Friday, June 20 at the Medina Community Recreation Center, 855 Weymouth Road from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Anyone who donates blood during one of these events will receive a $15 Amazon.com gift card via email and will be automatically entered for a chance to win one of two $7,000 gift cards. Kathleen Clyde speaks at the Kilcawley Center at Youngstown State University, Monday, Oct. 29, 2018, in Youngstown, Ohio. Clyde is now the favorite to become the next chair of the Ohio Democratic Party. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) AP COLUMBUS, OhioFormer state Rep. Kathleen Clyde will likely be elected the new head of the Ohio Democratic Party next week, after her main rival dropped out of the running. Clyde, the favored candidate of ex-U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, had been vying with state Sen. DeMora, a Columbus Democrat, and three others for the job of state party chair, which opened up when current chair Liz Walters abruptly announced last month that she is stepping down to become CEO of a Democratic data firm. China's central bank to conduct 1-trillion-yuan outright reverse repo operation Xinhua) 10:05, June 06, 2025 BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank, said Thursday that it will conduct a 1-trillion-yuan (about 139 billion U.S. dollars) outright reverse repo operation on Friday to maintain ample liquidity in the banking system. The operation will carry a three-month tenor and be conducted using a fixed-quantity, interest-rate-bidding and multiple-price-bidding method, according to the PBOC statement. The move is expected to ensure sufficient liquidity in the banking system, keep fluctuations in money markets under control and anchor market expectations, said Wang Qing, chief macro analyst at Golden Credit Rating. He added that stepped-up medium-term liquidity injections signal a broader use of quantitative tools to bolster counter-cyclical regulation. Outright reverse repo operations -- a tool the central bank introduced in October 2024 to manage liquidity in the banking system -- are carried out once each month with a tenor of no more than a year. This new option has enriched the country's monetary policy toolkit following the introduction of temporary repos, temporary reverse repos, and the buying and selling of treasury bonds. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Cambridge, MA - May 28: Soon to be graduates take photos after Harvard University's Class Day ceremony on May 28, 2025. A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's efforts to block visas for foreign students planning to attend Harvard, after the Ivy League college filed a legal challenge. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs granted a temporary restraining order that enjoins anyone from "implementing, instituting, maintaining, enforcing, or giving force or effect to the Presidential Proclamation" that Trump issued Wednesday. Harvard had earlier Thursday amended its complaint against the Trump administration to challenge Trump's proclamation that the president issued the day before. It would have denied visas to foreign students who planned to enter the United States to study at Harvard, in his latest attack on the prominent university. Harvard President Alan M. Garber said Trump and his administration were retaliating against Harvard because it has refused the administration's demands, which included auditing viewpoints of the student body. "Singling out our institution for its enrollment of international students and its collaboration with other educational institutions around the world is yet another illegal step taken by the Administration to retaliate against Harvard," Garber said in a letter to the campus community. Trump's Wednesday proclamation targeting Harvard followed an attempt by the Department of Homeland Security late last month to limit Harvard's ability to enroll foreign students by revoking its certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which was temporarily blocked by Burroughs. Burroughs on Thursday also extended the restraining order in that matter until June 20, or until a preliminary injunction can be ordered. In granting the restraining order blocking implementation of Trump's proclamation and the DHS effort, Burroughs wrote that she was acting "to preserve the status quo pending a hearing." Trump's proclamation would not affect only incoming students. It says the State Department will review existing foreign students at Harvard under F, M or J visas to determine whether their visas should be revoked. Harvard said in its amended complaint that Wednesday's proclamation, as well as the previous attempt by the Department of Homeland Security to revoke its ability to enroll foreign students, violates its First Amendment rights. "Each is part of a concerted and escalating campaign of retaliation by the government in clear retribution for Harvard's exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government's demands to control Harvard's governance, curriculum, and the 'ideology' of its faculty and students," the amended complaint reads. "The government's actions, moreover, have no basis in law," it reads. President of National Amusements Shari Redstone arrives at the annual Allen and Co. Sun Valley media conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, on July 5, 2022. Paramount Global chair Shari Redstone was diagnosed with thyroid cancer earlier this spring, a spokesperson for Redstone said in a statement to Reuters on Thursday. After experiencing fatigue and other symptoms, Redstone sought medical help about two months ago and was diagnosed with thyroid cancer the next day. While surgeons removed her thyroid gland, some cancer cells remained as they had spread to her vocal cords, according to the New York Times, which first reported the news on Thursday. "She is maintaining all professional and philanthropic activities throughout her treatment, which is ongoing. She and her family are grateful that her prognosis is excellent," Redstone's spokesperson Molly Morse said. Redstone kept her diagnosis private, sharing it only with a tight circle of relatives, close friends, and advisers including David Ellison, the Skydance head and tech heir, whose company is set to purchase Paramount and the Redstone family's stake, NYT added. The diagnosis comes against the backdrop of Paramount preparing for an $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media, which still requires U.S. FCC approval. The company also entered mediation to try and settle a lawsuit by U.S. President Donald Trump against CBS, reportedly offering $15 million to settle. In this article TSLA Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT watch now Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day: 1. Up and back The major indexes are up modestly for the week with one trading session remaining. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has gained just 0.12% over the period, while the S&P 500 has advanced 0.47% and the Nasdaq Composite has added 0.97%. Futures were slightly higher Friday morning, set to rebound from declines on Thursday. Follow live market updates. 2. Good call Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 8, 2025. Kirill Kudryavtsev | Via Reuters President Donald Trump spoke to Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping Thursday as the countries look to resume trade talks. Trump said in a Truth Social post that the call lasted about 90 minutes, describing it as "very good." The Trump administration had previously accused Beijing of reneging on trade agreements, raising concerns that a potential trade truce was off the table. Meanwhile, China has taken issue with U.S. policies around international students and Chinese semiconductors. Beijing officials said Trump requested the call with Xi. 3. Role call A 'we're hiring' pamphlet at the Generali Global Assistance booth at the Mega JobNewsUSA South Florida Job Fair at the Amerant Bank Arena on April 30, 2025, in Sunrise, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty Images Friday is the monthly jobs report. The readout showed nonfarm payroll additions of 139,000 for May, compared with economists' expectations of 125,000. The national unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%. Those job gains are still below the additions from April, which were revised down to 147,000 as of Friday's updated report. 4. Fall out boys U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk attend a press event in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 30, 2025. Nathan Howard | Reuters Former fast friends turned foes. Trump and DOGE architect Elon Musk had a public falling out Thursday, trading insults on their respective social media platforms. Musk claimed Trump wouldn't have been elected without his help, while Trump claimed Musk had gone crazy and threatened to cut the Tesla and SpaceX CEO's government contracts. Tesla shares fell 14% as the tensions reached a boiling point, shedding $152 billion in market cap. 5. Lay off Mathisworks | Digitalvision Vectors | Getty Images In this article AAPL Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT watch now One year ago, Apple announced Apple Intelligence, its response to the wave of sophisticated chatbots and systems kicked off by the arrival of ChatGPT and the age of generative AI. Analysts said Apple's installed base of more than 1 billion iPhones, the data on its device and its custom-designed silicon chips were advantages that would help the company become an AI leader. But it's been an underwhelming 12 months since then. Apple Intelligence stumbled out of the gate while rivals like OpenAI, Google and Meta have continued to make headway launching new generative-AI models. Now, investors are calling for Apple to do something major to catch up in AI, which is rapidly transforming the tech industry. When CEO Tim Cook speaks at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference in Cupertino, California, investors on Monday, fans and developers will want to hear how the company's approach to AI has changed. That's especially important after some Apple executives have said that the technology could be the reason the iPhone gets supplanted by the next-generation of computer hardware. "You may not need an iPhone 10 years from now," Apple services chief Eddy Cue said in court last month in one of the government's antitrust case against Google, adding that AI was a "huge technological shift" that can upend incumbents like Apple. The Apple Intelligence rollout was rocky. The first features launched in October tools for rewriting text, a new Siri animation and improved voice, and a tool that generates slideshow movies out of user photos were underwhelming. One key feature, which came out in December, summarized long stacks of text messages. But it was disabled for news and media apps after the BBC discovered that it twisted headlines to display factually incorrect information. But the biggest stumble for Apple came in early March, when the company said that it was delaying "More personal Siri," a major improvement to the Siri voice assistant that would integrate it with iPhone apps so it could do things like find details from inside emails and make restaurant reservations. Apple had been advertising the feature on television as a key reason to buy an iPhone 16, but after delaying the feature until the "coming year," it pulled the ads from broadcast and YouTube. The company now faces class-action suits from people who claim they were misled into buying a new iPhone. Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., during the 60th presidential inauguration in the rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. Bloomberg | Getty Images Although Apple Intelligence had a rough first year, the company hasn't said much publicly. However, it's reportedly reorganized some of its AI teams. JPMorgan Chase analyst Samik Chatterjee said in a note this week that investor expectations were set for a "lackluster" WWDC, as the company still needs to bring to market the features it announced last year, versus "addressing the more material issue of lagging behind other large technology companies in relation to advancements in AI." Meanwhile, Apple is facing renewed competition in its core business. OpenAI in May acquired the startup io for about $6.4 billion, bringing in former Apple chief designer Jony Ive to build AI hardware. The company hasn't provided details about its future devices. Meta has made a splash with its Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, selling over 2 million units since launching in 2021. The devices use Meta's Llama large language model to answer spoken questions from the user. And last month, Android maker Google said its Gemini models will become the default assistant on Android phones. The company showed Gemini doing things that go beyond Siri's capabilities, such as summarizing videos. Google also announced a $150 million partnership with Warby Parker to develop its own pair of AI-powered smart glasses. A working Apple Intelligence is important for the company to encourage its users to buy new iPhones since devices released before the iPhone 15 Pro in 2023 don't support the suite of features. But AI hasn't been a key driver of sales for smartphones yet, and may not be for years, said Forrester analyst Thomas Husson. "There's been some new cool features and services, but I don't think it has drastically changed the experience yet," Husson said. Apple declined to comment. Apple needs to do something big For years, Apple didn't like the words "artificial intelligence." It preferred the more academic term "machine learning." Apple focused its efforts on what could efficiently run on its battery-powered phones. The AI race, led by OpenAI and Google, was about bleeding-edge capabilities that required high-powered servers based on Nvidia graphics-processing units, or GPUs. Then ChatGPT launched in late 2022, making AI the most important term in Silicon Valley. Soon after, Cook was telling investors that Apple was spending "a tremendous amount of time and effort" on the technology. While Apple Intelligence is based on a series of language and diffusion models that the company trained itself, Apple hasn't publicly competed with Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, or other companies in what are called "frontier models," or the most capable AI systems that often have to be trained on large server clusters packed with Nvidia chips and fast memory. The difference between the way Apple and its rivals approach AI can be seen in the company's approach to capital expenditures. Apple spent $9.5 billion on capital expenditures in its fiscal 2024, or about 2.4% of its total revenue. The iPhone maker has rented the computing power needed to train its foundation models, it revealed last year, from Google Cloud and other providers. Apple's rivals are gobbling up billions of dollars of GPUs to push the technology forward. Meanwhile, Meta, Amazon , Alphabet and Microsoft are planning to collectively spend more than $300 billion this year on capital expenditures, up from $230 billion last year. Amazon alone is aiming to spend $100 billion, and Microsoft has allocated $80 billion. Apple's best chance to quickly catch up up may be to do what it's done many times in the past: Buy a company, and turn it into a killer feature. It bought PA Semi in 2008 for $278 million, and turned it into the seed for its semiconductor division. Ahead of releasing the Vision Pro headset, Apple bought over 10 startups that worked on virtual and augmented reality. Even Siri was a startup before Apple bought it for more than $200 million in 2010. With $133 billion in cash and marketable securities on hand as of the start of May, there isn't much Apple can't buy, assuming it could get regulatory clearance. However, OpenAI, Apple's current Siri partner, is likely out of reach with a valuation of $300 billion. And given OpenAI's new relationship with Ive to build hardware, there are reasons for Apple to slow the partnership down. Apple's senior vice president of Services, Eddy Cue participates in a featured session: "Severance's" Ben Stiller: Moving Culture Through Innovation and Creativity" during the SXSW 2025 Conference and Festivals at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas on March 9, 2025. Suzanne Cordeiro | AFP | Getty Images Anthropic, whose Claude chatbot is powered by one of the leading AI models, was valued at $61.5 billion in a funding round in March. In the Google antitrust case, Cue, a senior vice president at Apple, mentioned Anthropic as a potential replacement for Google as the default search option in the iPhone's Safari browser. "They probably need to acquire Anthropic," said Deepwater Asset Management's Gene Munster, who has followed Apple for decades, in an interview. That would be by far Apple's largest acquisition. To date, the most the company has paid is $3 billion, when it bought Beats Electronics in 2014 for $3 billion, part of an effort to catch Spotify in the music streaming market. Apple could buy a company that's developing AI-based apps, even if they're on open-source or other company models. Perplexity, which is currently fundraising at a $14 billion valuation, has shown strong interest in the smartphone market and understanding of the value of being a default AI service. In April, Perplexity announced a partnership with Motorola, and it's reportedly in talks with Samsung to integrate its technology into the South Korean company's version of Android, as well as take investment from the Apple rival. Cue mentioned that Apple had been in discussions with Perplexity about its technology at the May trial. It's also possible for Apple to treat frontier AI like it treated search as a service that can be filled with a partnership. Apple software chief Craig Federighi implied as much last year at a panel discussion during WWDC, saying that Apple would like to add other AI models, especially for specific purposes, into its Apple Intelligence framework. Federighi specifically mentioned Google, whose Gemini can now fluidly speak to the user and handle input that comes from photos, videos, voice or text. Documents revealed during the Google trial showed executives from Apple, including Cue and M&A chief Adrian Perica, were involved in the negotiations over Gemini. Each chip in the M1 family M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, and now M1 Ultra. Courtesy: Apple Apple's AI advantages Apple has been designing its own chips since 2010, and with AI in mind since at least 2018. The most powerful Apple M-series chips can tap into something called "unified memory," says WebAI co-founder David Stout, making them ideal for doing AI inference. Apple also includes good GPUs on its chips, he said. WebAI is building software that allows users to fine-tune, train and run big models on consumer hardware. Stout's company has built clusters of consumer-grade Mac Studio computers to run big AI models, like Meta's Llama. "We picked Apple Silicon because we think it's the best hardware for AI," said Stout, adding that in his company's tests, Apple's chips can output 100 million tokens per dollar spent versus 12 million tokens per dollar for an Nvidia H100. Part of Apple's strategy for Siri, announced last summer, was to cajole its developers to build snippets of new code into their apps, which would make it simpler for Apple Intelligence and Siri to use the apps and get things done. While Apple is still pushing "App Intents" the same system powers stuff like lock screen widgets the framework for how they work with Siri hasn't been released yet. Jony Ive attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. Evan Agostini | Invision | AP 'You may not need an iPhone' The view of Nanjing Road East Pedestrian Mall, the main shopping street in Shanghai. Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed as investors assessed the phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump and Xi spoke on Thursday and agreed that officials from the U.S. and China will meet soon to continue negotiations aimed at ending the ongoing trade war. The call, which Trump described as "very good," lasted for about 90 minutes, focusing "almost entirely" on trade and yielded a "very positive conclusion for both countries," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.5% to close at 37,741.61 and the Topix gained 0.47% to close at 2,769.33. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was 0.27% lower to end the trading day at 8,515.7. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index slipped 0.51%, while mainland China's CSI 300 traded flat to close at 3,873.98. India's Nifty 50 climbed 0.96% after the country's central bank delivered an outsized cut to its benchmark policy rate to 5.5% from 6%. This also marks a third straight rate cut since February, and comes below the median estimates of 5.75% in a Reuters poll. South Korea markets are closed for a holiday. Bill Gates is moving forward with plans to give away $200 billion over the next 20 years, and the billionaire now says the "majority" of that money will go toward improving public health and education services in Africa. Gates announced on May 8 that he plans to give away nearly all of his personal wealth and shutter his nonprofit Gates Foundation by 2045. On Monday, Gates offered some more specifics: "The majority of that funding will be spent on helping you address challenges here in Africa," he said in an address at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. That spending will be directed toward initiatives that address the three main goals Gates outlined in his May announcement: Reducing the deaths of mothers and young children from preventable causes Eradicating diseases like polio, malaria, measles and Guinea-worm disease Funding advances in education and agriculture in African nations to help "hundreds of millions of people break free from poverty" Africa particularly needs health and education resources: Nearly half a billion people there live below the poverty line, according to 2021 data from the United Nations. Improving global healthcare and education have long been major focuses of Gates' philanthropic foundation, which he launched with now-ex-wife Melinda French Gates in 2000. DON'T MISS: A step-by-step guide to buying your first homeand avoiding costly mistakes Gates has publicly asked world governments to increase aid funding to African nations, noting that "there's less money going to Africa at a time when they need it," he told The Associated Press in September. In a May 8 blog post, he called out wealthy nations, including the U.S., for cutting "tens of billions of dollars" from their global aid budgets over the past two years. "No philanthropic organization even one the size of the Gates Foundation can make up the gulf in funding that's emerging right now," wrote Gates. On Monday, Gates lauded African government leaders, health workers and development organizations who partner with his foundation for embracing "innovation" with limited funding, citing insecticide-treated mosquito bed nets for fighting malaria and artificial intelligence-enabled ultrasound technology for identifying high-risk pregnancies. "I've always been inspired by the hard work of Africans even in places with very limited resources," said Gates. "The kind of field work to get solutions out, even in the most rural areas, has been incredible." The Gates Foundation opened its first African office in Addis Ababa in 2012 and has since added offices in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal, the foundation noted in its press release detailing Gates' address at AU headquarters. "By unleashing human potential through health and education, every country in Africa should be on a path to prosperity and that path is an exciting thing to be part of," Gates said in his address. Are you ready to buy a house? Take Smarter by CNBC Make It's new online course How to Buy Your First Home. Expert instructors will help you weigh the cost of renting vs. buying, financially prepare, and confidently navigate every step of the processfrom mortgage basics to closing the deal. Sign up today and use coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off $97 (+taxes and fees) through July 15, 2025. Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It's newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life, and request to join our exclusive community on LinkedIn to connect with experts and peers. CNBC's Jim Cramer walked investors through next week on Wall Street, pinpointing the latest consumer price index report and a number of investor days, including one from BlackRock . He also touched on how the feud between President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk reverberated through a market that is sensitive to social media posts from prominent figures. "We should be headed for a quiet week, but, you know what, we've got to stay close to Truth Social to see what's going on in the White House before we assess anything these days," he said. "Given what happened with the president and Elon Musk this week, you need to follow all the palace intrigue, even if you don't want to." White House officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, are set to meet with their Chinese counterparts on Monday, according to Trump. Cramer said Bessent's presence at the talks makes him optimistic the conversation will be productive. Monday also brings Apple 's annual Worldwide Developers Conference. According to Cramer, Apple's software event could be a catalyst, noting that the stock has finished in the green recently even as the company is plagued with worries about tariffs and its artificial intelligence prowess. On Tuesday, he'll be watching Morgan Stanley 's conference because Capital One is likely to speak about its recent acquisition of Discover Financial. Cramer suggested the deal's impact will be positive. Cramer also said he thinks Deere can tell a positive story about orders from farmers during its investor day on Tuesday, and the stock could go higher. J.M. Smucker will report Tuesday, and Cramer wasn't sure if the snack name can escape the "purgatory" that has plagued other packaged food stocks, relaying the widespread decline in the sector. Also on Tuesday are earnings from GameStop , and Cramer noted that the retailer has made heavy investments in cryptocurrency. He said it's possible the company could tap into the excitement from crypto platform Circle Internet , which was a popular IPO this week. On Wednesday, Cramer said he'll be paying attention to insights from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's keynote at the GTC conference in Paris. The consumer price index will be released Wednesday before the bell, and Cramer said the report could show how new tariffs are impacting consumers. He added that this data is an important metric for the Federal Reserve, and the central bank isn't likely to cut rates if the consumer price index is high. Wednesday also brings earnings from Chewy and Oracle . Cramer expressed optimism about the online pet retailer's quarter, saying the stock has been a winner and will likely stay that way. Although Oracle's last quarter was not well-received, Cramer said he thinks the company could show solid revenue growth, as its data center buildout should start paying off soon. Adobe will report on Thursday, and Cramer praised the company, saying it "looks like the stock could break that downtrend it's been experiencing for some time." However, he conceded that competition in the sector remains high. Cramer also highlighted several investor days that could "move the needle," including from Cardinal Health and BlackRock. He said he's especially interested in the latter and claimed that if the event is positive, the stock could see gains. Friday brings the consumer sentiment reading. Cramer said he thinks consumers are feeling "pretty darned gloomy," especially after listening to Dollar General 's recent earnings conference call. U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hold a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House on June 05, 2025 in Washington, DC. Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday said Germany, Europe's largest economy, was ready to take over a greater leadership role on future trade agreements as the United States and the EU race to reach a trade deal before a July 9 deadline. Merz told reporters he had a productive meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, and the two men had agreed to strengthen cooperation on trade matters and other issues. Merz said he and Trump spoke at length about trade and tariffs during their meeting in the Oval Office, and over an extended lunch, where Merz said he highlighted the manufacturing facilities operated by German automakers in the United States. "We will send officials to further deepen these topics. We want to reach a mutual solution," Merz told reporters after the meeting, noting that while the European Union was responsible for setting trade policy, Germany had a significant role to play given the size of its exports. Trump has set a July 9 deadline for the 27-bloc European Union and other trading partners to reach trade deals and avert steep tariffs. U.S. and EU officials met in Paris on Wednesday and said negotiations were constructive and advancing quickly. Europe, already facing a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum and a 25% levy on car imports, could see U.S. tariffs on other exports surge from 10% to as high as 50% if no deal is reached. The London Stock Exchange has struggled to entice companies looking to go public but some market watchers say a tariffs-driven diversification away from the U.S. could help the U.K. win back a greater share of the IPO market. On Thursday, British fintech giant Wise dealt a fresh blow to the London Stock Exchange by announcing plans to move its primary listing from the U.K. capital to New York. It came soon after metals investor Cobalt Holdings scrapped plans for a London IPO. The firm confirmed to CNBC on Thursday that its U.K. listing would not go ahead, but declined to comment further. Meanwhile, reports emerged last week that Chinese fast fashion giant Shein was now looking to list in Hong Kong instead of London when it floats on the public market. These developments raise fresh questions about London's appeal to companies looking to raise capital. In recent years, the London Stock Exchange has seen dwindling interest, with just 18 companies floating on the U.K. stock market in 2024, according to EY data a far cry from the 119 companies that listed in London just three years earlier. More recent figures from professional services giant PwC showed that in the first quarter of this year, proceeds raised from IPOs on the London Stock Exchange fell to 100 million ($135.86 million) from 300 million a year earlier. Companies that have listed in London over the past year include RC Fornax, which joined the FTSE AIM in February, and Canal+ . The French broadcaster saw lackluster demand for its December IPO, with shares falling 22% on its debut in London . London remains the leading European exchange in terms of capital raised and the total market cap of the companies listed, data from the London Stock Exchange shows, however. After London, the top exchanges so far this year are in Switzerland, Milan, Brussels and Frankfurt, by capital raised. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, pointed out that there is much more appetite to list in the U.S. than Britain, likening the U.K. stock market to "a boxer determined to keep going in a grueling fight" after Wise unveiled its plans to move its preliminary listing. "While the FTSE 100's share price performance might have beaten the main U.S. indices this year, the broader U.K. stock market continues to take a succession of blows to the head from a reputational perspective," he said. "Takeovers are coming thick and fast, IPOs remain scarce, and more companies are looking Stateside for their main stock listing in hope of a higher valuation." The slowing trend in IPOs is being seen across the globe but on Wall Street, significant capital is still being raised by new listings. Global IPO volumes fell by 10% year-on-year in 2024, according to EY's data, but the U.S. market raised the most from IPOs at $27.6 billion taking the top spot for the first time in three years. Year-to-date, Mould pointed out, there had been just eight new floats in London, compared to the 136 IPOs seen so far this year in the United States. "But even those numbers are way down from the all-time high of 1,035 in the USA in the frenzied days of 2021," he added. "And those dates do carry their own warning the 2021 frenzy led to a nasty hangover in 2022." According to LSEG's data, 27.9 billion has been raised on the New York Stock Exchange so far this year, compared to London's 7.5 billion. A pivot toward Europe and the U.K.? Chris Clement, senior portfolio manager at BRI Wealth Management, told CNBC that the slowdown in London listings had occurred as companies eyed "significant premiums" on U.S. versus U.K. valuations but he added that growing diversification away from the U.S. had the potential to change the picture. U.S. President Trump's controversial trade policies have already pushed some investors to look beyond the USA and Clement said the same could happen with businesses looking to list. "At a time when investors are starting to question U.S. exceptionalism, we may see this trend slow or even stop as investor focus moves away from the U.S. back to Europe, the U.K. and further afield," he said in an email on Thursday. A spokesperson for London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) told CNBC that a buzz appeared to be building around the U.K. exchange. "We have seen a noticeable increase in interest from international companies in coming to London with many starting to prepare," they said. Appearing on CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" on Friday, Euronext CEO Stephane Boujnah said the company which operates exchanges in various regional markets, including Amsterdam, Brussels, Oslo, Paris and Milan was seeing evidence that the U.S. was losing some of its sheen as the place to list. "Many companies that were considering IPOs in the U.S. are revisiting their options, just because getting public somewhere is betting on a set of assumptions that are implicit: that rule of law will prevail, that when you own something you own it, not you own it until Elon Musk wants you to, that institutions operate in a normal way," he said. Boujnah added that companies generally decided to float on Wall Street when they were "absolutely confident" that the upside of higher valuation multiples would offset what he described as a more complex and expensive place to be listed, compared to Europe. "Sometimes valuation multiples do justify that choice, but when valuation multiples are a bit crunched, or when the complexity is becoming more expensive or more volatile or more uncertain, the equation for Europe is becoming more attractive," he said. Mark Williams, global chief revenue officer at M & A platform provider Datasite, agreed that Trump's policies could "significantly reshape" dealmaking this year and "spark a pivot to European and U.K. markets." "The risks to U.S. equities have begun to prompt a reappraisal of diversification, triggering a switch from the U.S. to European and U.K. equities, which could mean greater investment in U.K. companies and even a boost in IPO activity," he told CNBC in an email. Looking ahead, Mould urged investors to carefully consider new entrants to any index before jumping onto an IPO bandwagon wherever they list. "Any offering should be treated on its merits and investors should assess a market newcomer as thoroughly as they would assess an existing listing," he said. "Check out its competitive position, management acumen and financial strength, before ultimately deciding whether the valuation leaves enough upside to more than compensate for any downside risks." U.S. Reps. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., at left, and Juan Vargas, D-Calif., hold pictures of Kilmar Abrego Garcia during a news conference to discuss Abrego Garcias arrest and deportation, at the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, April 9, 2025. "The grand jury found that over the past nine years, Abrego Garcia has played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring," Bondi said. The indictment was issued May 21 but remained sealed until Friday, shortly before Attorney General Pam Bondi announced at a press conference that Abrego Garcia had landed in the United States. The grand jury that issued the indictment found that he made more than 100 trips smuggling thousands of immigrants. The indictment alleges that Abrego Garcia and others from 2016 through 2025 "conspired to bring undocumented aliens to the United States from countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Ecuador, and elsewhere, ultimately passing through Mexico before crossing into Texas." A lawyer for the married father of three called the charges "an abuse of power" and accused the Trump administration of "playing games' with a federal judge who months ago ordered him returned to the U.S. Abrego Garcia has been indicted in federal court for the Middle District of Tennessee on charges related to transporting undocumented migrants within the United States. Kilmar Abrego Garcia was returned to the United States to face criminal charges involving an alleged undocumented immigrant smuggling ring Friday, months after the Maryland resident was wrongfully deported to a prison in his native El Salvador . Signs are left on the ground including two that read "This was a kidnapping" and "Bring Kilmar home now!" as protesters break outside the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland on May 16, 2025 in Greenbelt, Maryland. "They found this was his full-time job, not a contractor. He was a smuggler of humans and children and women ... MS-13 members, violent gang, terrorist organization members throughout our country. Bondi said that the ring Abrego Garcia was allegedly involved with is "responsible for the death of more than 50 migrants in 2021 after the tractor-trailer overturned in Mexico." The attorney general also detailed allegations in the indictment for which Abrego Garcia is not criminally charged. She also said he "abused undocumented alien females, according to co-conspirators, who were under his control while transporting them throughout our country," and "trafficked firearms and narcotics throughout our country." The attorney general also said, "A co-conspirator alleged that the defendant solicited nude photographs and videos of a minor." And, "A co-conspirator also alleges the defendant played a role in the murder of a rival gang member's mother," Bondi said. "These facts demonstrate Abrego Garcia is a danger to our community." Abrego Garcia's attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, in a statement to NBC 4 in Washington, D.C., said, "The government disappeared Kilmar to a foreign prison in violation of a court order." "Now, after months of delay and secrecy, they're bringing him back, not to correct their error but to prosecute him," Sandoval-Moshenberg said. "This shows that they were playing games with the court all along. Due process means the chance to defend yourself before you're punished, not after. This is an abuse of power, not justice," Sandoval-Moshenberg said. "The government should put him on trial, yes-but in front of the same immigration judge who heard his case in 2019, which is the ordinary manner of doing things, 'to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador,' as the Supreme Court ordered." The Trump administration says Abrego Garcia is a member of the notorious gang MS-13, which the U.S. considers a foreign terrorist organization. He denies belonging to the gang, Abrego Garcia was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Maryland on March 12. He was deported three days later in what the administration later conceded was a mistake. Abrego Garcia was subject to a 2019 withholding order by a judge forbidding his removal to El Salvador because of concerns he would be persecuted there. Despite its admission that he should not have been removed, the Trump administration has claimed it could not get Abrego Garcia back to the United States, even after a Maryland U.S. District Court judge ordered federal officials to facilitate his return. The Supreme Court on in April upheld that order. In a post on X on Friday, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele wrote, "As I said in the Oval Office:1. I would never smuggle a terrorist into the United States. 2. I would never release a gang member onto the streets of El Salvador." "That said, we work with the Trump administration, and if they request the return of a gang member to face charges, of course we wouldn't refuse," Bukele wrote. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat who traveled to El Salvador to visit Abrego Garcia after his removal from the U.S., in a statement said, "For months the Trump Administration flouted the Supreme Court and our Constitution." "Today, they appear to have finally relented to our demands for compliance with court orders and with the due process rights afforded to everyone in the United States," Van Hollen said. "As I have repeatedly said, this is not about the man, it's about his constitutional rights and the rights of all. The Administration will now have to make its case in the court of law, as it should have all along." "London is back," the capital's Mayor Sadiq Khan told CNBC on Wednesday, laying out his ambition to attract investors, visitors and students who are looking for an alternative to the U.S amid an uncertain Trump 2.0 era. "At a time of growing international instability, at a time when there are, let's be frank, choppy political waters in the U.S., we're that rare thing somewhere that's stable, that's open, that's diverse. A brilliant environment for innovation, creativity and business," the mayor of London told CNBC's Tania Bryer. U.S. President Donald Trump's often mercurial position on trade, immigration and visa policies have rattled markets as well as businesses, tourists and students looking to make the U.S. their base. Khan said the U.K. was seeing an increase in interest from American businesses and individuals looking to avoid more uncertain economic times and societal changes at home. "They're our closest ally ... so I don't see America as competition, I see them as our great partner and long may that continue, but I recognize the reality of the last few months which is that some American businesses, individuals and people in different sectors who, for a variety of reasons, are looking for somewhere new." "My message is very simple: actually in London we have everything you could possibly want, not only in terms of our stability, openness and diversity, but our values too." There's no love lost between Khan and Trump, with the former in 2019 calling the president a "poster boy" for the far right. Trump fired back at the time, calling the mayor "a stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London, not me." With Trump winning a second term in office last November, critics like Khan have had to take a more diplomatic stance as the U.K. government under the Labour Party, which Khan belongs to, has looked to build bridges with the Trump administration. Despite their political differences, Prime Minister Keir Starmer appears to have curried favor with Anglophile Trump, with the leaders seemingly getting on well and Starmer winning a much sought-after trade deal with the U.S. last month, averting many of the punitive trade tariffs facing other U.S. allies and adversaries alike. "What's important is for all of us to put aside out personal views when it's in the national interest to do so," Khan said, adding that "we can't escape the fact though that there are some things that the president has said or done that are controversial, and it's really important that we speak up on things we agree with, but also on things we disagree with." An exterior view of the Michael's Arts & Crafts store at the Paxton Towne Centre near Harrisburg. Craft labels from the now-shuttered fabrics seller Joann are making their way to a new home: Michaels. The Michaels Companies announced on Thursday that it had completed its purchase of Joann's intellectual property and private label brands in an acquisition that arrives as the Texas-based arts and crafting chain works to expand its own fabric, sewing and yarn offerings. "We're honored to have the opportunity to welcome JOANN customers into our creative community and are committed to delivering the selection, value, and inspiration they are looking for at Michaels," Michaels CEO David Boone said in a statement. The deal, he added, allows the company to better "respond to rising demand" among both new and existing customers. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The Associated Press reached out to Michaels for further information on Friday. With roots dating back to a single Ohio storefront in 1943, Joann had grown into a destination for generations of sewers, quilters, knitters and lovers of other crafts for more than 80 years. But more recently, operational challenges continued to pile up with the retailer pointing to sluggish consumer demand, inventory shortages and rising competition. Joann announced it would be going out of business back in February, just one month after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time within a year. At the time, the company said financial services company GA Group, together with Joann's term lenders, had been selected as the winning bidder to "acquire substantially all of Joann's assets" and conduct going-out-of-business sales at all store locations. Michaels on Thursday said that its purchase of Joann's IP and private brands included the acquisition of "Big Twist" yarns, which had become a staple in Joann stores over the years. Those "Big Twist" labels are now being developed as part of Michaels' portfolio and will be available in-stores and online later this year, the company said. In the meantime, Michaels has also dedicated a landing page to welcome former Joann customers online. And as part of its overall expansion into fabrics, Michaels said on Thursday that its adding more than 600 new products from new and existing brands including quilting supplies and fabrics, specialty threads, sewing machines and more. Michaels, founded in 1973, currently operates 1,300 stores across 49 U.S. states and Canada. Its parent company also owns Artistree, a framing merchandise manufacturer. President Donald Trump gestures toward the press as he greets German Chancellor Friedrich Merz upon arrival at the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 5, 2025. Saul Loeb | Afp | Getty Images German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump was dramatically overshadowed by the U.S. leader's spat with Elon Musk. But it was still seen as a win for Merz. "Being sidelined is not necessarily always a bad thing," Carsten Brzeski, global head of macro at ING, told CNBC on Friday. "In fact, it might have even helped Merz as the Musk distraction was also deviating attention away from more controversial topics." It was a high-stakes trip for Merz, who is just a few weeks into his chancellorship, especially given the treatment other leaders have gotten from Trump in the Oval Office in recent months. As such, Merz is unlikely to be disappointed about the outcome especially given the potential downsides. "Having avoided an escalation in the Oval Office is already an achievement these days," Brzeski added. A full agenda Merz arrived in Washington with a full agenda that ranged from strengthening relations between the U.S. and Germany, to tariffs which could significantly impact key German industries as well as U.S. support for Ukraine in its war with Russia and higher NATO defense spending. While we don't know what was discussed behind closed doors, Merz was seemingly able to address most of these points with Trump, political strategist Julius van de Laar told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" on Friday. "I think what Friedrich Merz got across is that he hopes that the U.S. president will continue to support Ukraine," he said, noting that the issue had gathered momentum recently given several significant attacks. Merz was able to pick up on this, and draw links to the anniversary of D-Day a day after their meeting. "And he said the United States played a great role in ... freeing Europe from the Nazi regime back then, and so he's hoping that Donald Trump will ... say we're going to get engaged again and help Europe become free of dictatorship," van de Laar said. Merz making this point was important in the context of highlighting the U.S.-German relationship, according to Jackson Janes, senior resident fellow at the German Marshall Fund. Speaking to CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe," he also pointed out that Trump was gifted his grandfather's birth certificate by Merz, "making the point 'you have a relationship with Germany in your own family.'" German Chancellor Friedrich Merz presents US President Donald Trump with what Merz said was the birth certificate of Trump's grandfather, who was born in 1869, during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 5, 2025. Brendan Smialowski | Afp | Getty Images Janes also noted that Merz highlighting Germany's plans for higher defense spending would have marked a positive note in the discussion. Germany recently changed its fiscal rules to allow for higher defense spending, and Merz's government seems to be making it a priority. The chancellor has promised a financial push to boost the German military, and the country's foreign minister has suggested support for Trump's proposal that NATO members spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense. Meanwhile, the sensitive topic of Germany's far-right party, the Alternative fuer Deutschland, was seemingly avoided. Officials in the Trump administration have in recent weeks come out in support of the party after German intelligence services classified it as a "proven right-wing extremist organization." This led to clapbacks from German politicians, with Merz himself warning the U.S. not to get involved. The classification of the AfD is currently on hold amid a legal challenge. 'A home run' for Merz Here are Friday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Morgan Stanley reiterates Tesla as a top pick Analyst Adam Jonas said he is sticking with Tesla despite the stock's volatility. "When putting our trading cap on, we have higher conviction in near-term volatility than near-term direction. We reiterate our $410 price target but are prepared for the stock to give up more than just the 4 weeks of performance it has sacrificed so far." KeyBanc initiates Twilio and Five9 as overweight KeyBanc said both stocks are well positioned for growth. "We are initiating both FIVN and TWLO at Overweight ratings. For different reasons, these two are outgrowing the rest of the cohort and yet we feel the stocks do not currently reflect the opportunity for this enhanced growth to continue." UBS upgrades Teradata to neutral from sell UBS said it is seeing "some signs of stabilization." "After speaking with ~15 customers/partners, we resume coverage at Neutral (from Sell) as we conclude the outlook for Teradata is still challenging but much of this appears to be priced in and we did pick up some signs of stabilization." Bank of America reiterates Broadcom as buy Bank of America said the stock remains a top pick following earnings on Thursday. "We rate Broadcom Buy due to its high-quality diversified exposure to secular product cycles in the smartphone, cloud data center, telecom and enterprise storage markets." Goldman Sachs initiates Teva as buy Goldman Sachs initiates the biopharma company with a buy on Friday and said the stock's valuation is compelling. "We initiate coverage of generic pharmaceutical stocks, with Buy ratings on TEVA and AMRX and a Neutral rating on VTRS. Overall, acknowledging recent volatility on both micro (e.g., FY25 guides) and macro (e.g., tariff and drug pricing policy) factors, we believe the group offers opportunities for exposure (at undemanding valuations." Read more about this call here. Bernstein downgrades CrowdStrike to market perform from outperform Bernstein downgraded the stock on valuation. " CrowdStrike is VERY expensive vs. our $371 PT, and this is a cybersecurity wide phenomenon." Morgan Stanley reiterates Amazon as overweight Morgan Stanley called Amazon an "under-appreciated GenAI winner." "AMZN's push into humanoid delivery another sign of GPU enabled advances set to drive more durable market share gains and FCF/order. Between fulfillment and delivery AMZN is now investing to automate $200bn of Logistics Costs. Remain OW for this under-appreciated GenAI winner." Goldman Sachs upgrades MasTec to buy from neutral Goldman Sachs said the infrastructure company has "significant new pipeline construction opportunities ahead." "We are upgrading MTZ to Buy and lowering MYRG to Neutral. While we continue to believe that both stocks will benefit from strong utility spending, the potential for estimate revisions is stronger at MTZ given the significant new pipeline construction opportunities ahead." Goldman Sachs reiterates Robinhood as buy Goldman Sachs raised its price target on the stock to $81 per share from $72. "We view the recent monthly data for HOOD positively, and remain constructive on the structural growth of the business and the retail trading backdrop." Barclays upgrades Ormat Technologies to overweight from equal weight Barclays said the geothermal energy company is a "winner" in the tax bill. "Geothermal emerged a winner from the proposed tax bill and will benefit from 'all of the above' solution with the US facing a severe power deficit over the next 5 years. Defensive in the near term with little earnings risk, Ormat should steadily capture higher PPA [power purchase agreement] pricing while expanding capacity." Barclays initiates Solaris Energy as overweight Barclays said the energy infrastructure company is a data center player. "With data centers creating an acute power gap, increasing with every new announcement, Solaris is the leading player in off-grid Distributed Power solutions, benefiting from higher electricity rates and the need for speed-to-power solutions." Morgan Stanley upgrades Applied Materials to equal weight from underweight Morgan Stanley says shares of Applied Materials are now "partially derisked." "Tough FY26 set up but partially derisked; Upgrade to EW." Jefferies upgrades Urban Outfitters to hold from underperform Jefferies said it sees a more balanced risk/reward. "Following URBN's healthy 1Q and ahead of an investor event next week, we are moving to Hold." Goldman Sachs reiterates Tesla as neutral The firm lowered its price target on the stock to $285 per share from $295 in its Tesla deliveries preview. "We believe 2Q deliveries could end up between 335K and 395K depending on how strong June results are (with factors including the degree of incentives Tesla utilizes), and our base case view is now 365K deliveries for 2Q25." Loop downgrades McDonald's to hold from buy Loop said the chicken strips launch has largely been a negative. "We are downgrading MCD to HOLD this morning given growing concerns the company's domestic comp growth profile will not rebound as much as expected over the remainder of 2025." Bernstein reiterates Microsoft as outperform The firm raised its price target on the stock to $540 per share from $520. " Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI can generate huge potential revenue upside for Azure by 2029/30, if OpenAI's projection turns into reality." UBS reiterates Nvidia as buy UBS said the stock remains a top idea. "In the US, we continue to prefer AVGO, MRVL, ARM, MU, NVDA, and TXN." Melius upgrades Deere to buy from hold Melius said Deere has a "leading position in ag tech." "After one to two years on the sidelines, we are returning to our Buy rating, and raising our two-year target price to $750. The timeline to cyclical recovery and to the market's appreciation for Deere's extraordinary position is still uncertain." Morgan Stanley upgrades MP Materials to overweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley said the rare earths company is well positioned for humanoids. "Geopolitical and trade tensions are finally pushing critical mineral supply chains to top of mind. MP is the most vertically integrated rare earths company ex-China. We upgrade MP to OW." A sign in German that reads "part of the UBS group" in Basel on May 5, 2025. The Swiss government on Friday proposed strict new capital rules that would require banking giant UBS to hold an additional $26 billion in core capital, following its 2023 takeover of stricken rival Credit Suisse. The measures would also mean that UBS will need to fully capitalize its foreign units and potentially carry out fewer share buybacks. "The rise in the going-concern requirement needs to be met with up to USD 26 billion of CET1 capital, to allow the AT1 bond holdings to be reduced by around USD 8 billion," the government said in a Friday statement, referring to UBS' holding of Additional Tier 1 (AT1) bonds. The measures therefore amount to an additional $26 billion in core capital but a requirement of just $18 billion in new capital. This is $2 billion lower than the $20 billion estimated by JP Morgan earlier this week. UBS shares jumped 6% following the announcement and ended Friday's trading session 3.8% higher. The Swiss bank will become more stable and attractive in areas such as asset management, Swiss Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter said during a press briefing on Friday. "I don't believe that the competitiveness will be impaired, but it is true that growth abroad will become more expensive," she said in comments reported by Reuters. UBS said while it supports "in principle" most of the regulatory proposals announced on Friday, it strongly disagrees with the "extreme" increase in capital requirements. Based on the bank's first-quarter results, its CET1 capital ratio target of between 12.5% and 13% along with previously communicated capital the firm said it would be required to hold around $42 billion in additional CET1 capital in total. The bank maintained its target of achieving an underlying return on CET1 capital of around 15% and also reaffirmed its capital return intentions for the year. "UBS will actively engage in the consultation process with all relevant stakeholders and contribute to evaluating alternatives and effective solutions that lead to regulatory change proposals with a reasonable cost/benefit outcome. UBS will also evaluate appropriate measures, if and where possible, to address the negative effects that extreme regulations would have on its shareholders," the bank said. Tesla displays Optimus next to two of its vehicles at the World Robot Conference in Beijing on Aug. 22, 2024. Tesla's vice president of Optimus robotics, Milan Kovac, said on Friday that he's leaving the company. In a post on X, Kovac thanked Tesla CEO Elon Musk and reminisced about his tenure, which began in 2016. "I want to thank @elonmusk from the bottom of my heart for his trust and teachings over the decade we've worked together," Kovac wrote. "Elon, you've taught me to discern signal from noise, hardcore resilience, and many fundamental principles of engineering. I am forever grateful. Tesla will win, I guarantee you that." Tesla is developing Optimus with the aim of someday selling it as a bipedal, intelligent robot capable of everything from factory work to babysitting. In a first-quarter shareholder deck, Tesla said it was on target for "builds of Optimus on our Fremont pilot production line in 2025, with wider deployment of bots doing useful work across our factories." During Tesla's 2024 annual shareholder meeting, Musk characterized himself as "pathologically optimistic," then claimed the humanoid robots would lift the company's market cap to $25 trillion at an unspecified future date. In recent weeks, Musk told CNBC's David Faber that Tesla is now training its Optimus systems to do "primitive tasks," like picking up objects, open a door or throw a ball. Competitors in the space include Boston Dynamics, Agility Robotics, Apptronik, 1X and Figure. Kovac had previously served as the company's director of Autopilot software engineering. He rose to lead the company's Optimus unit as vice president in 2022. Musk personally thanked Kovac for his "outstanding contributions" to the business. Tesla didn't respond to a request for comment. WATCH: Tesla panel talks impact of Musk's feud with Trump Tesla 's plunge following CEO Elon Musk 's online feud with President Donald Trump on Thursday was unnecessarily severe and offers investors a good entry point, according to Tom Lee, Fundstrat's head of research. Musk and Trump threw barbs at each other over the course of Thursday. Musk claimed Trump would have lost the election without his support and called the president's spending bill a "disgusting abomination." Trump threatened to cut government contracts for the billionaire entrepreneur's companies. Tesla shares dropped 14% in Thursday's session, meaning the electric vehicle maker shed $152 billion in value, its biggest one-day market cap loss on record. Shares rose more than 4% in Friday's premarket. TSLA 5D mountain Tesla, 5-day chart Thursday's events marked a dramatic turn in the relationship between the president and the world's richest man. Trump at one point viewed Tesla vehicles at the White House and said he would buy one as a show of support for Musk, who was a key donor during last year's election. "For Tesla, we see today's pullback as a buying opportunity," Lee wrote in a note to clients. "In our view, Elon['s] actions are now ingratiating him with non-MAGA universe, which is a lot of the USA, and the rest of the world." Lee said Tesla, which has faced backlash as a result of Musk's support for Trump and his leadership in the contentious government efficiency initiative, can now see an "improved halo." The Fundstrat research chief also said Trump's warning of Musk's companies losing government contracts was "hollow," given that they provide critical services. Tesla shares have dropped more than 29% in 2025. The average analyst polled by LSEG has a buy rating and expects shares to rise just more than 1.5% in the year ahead. For the broader market, Lee said the lack of a major jump in the CBOE Volatility Index, or VIX , shows investors "do not seem to be too concerned." A demonstrator speaks through a megaphone during a Defend Our Schools rally to protest U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order to shut down the U.S. Department of Education, outside its building in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 21, 2025. The Trump administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to lift a court order to reinstate U.S. Department of Education employees the administration had terminated as part of its efforts to dismantle the agency. Officials for the administration are arguing to the high court that U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Boston didn't have the authority to require the Education Department to rehire the workers. More than 1,300 employees were affected by the mass layoffs in March. The staff reduction "effectuates the Administration's policy of streamlining the Department and eliminating discretionary functions that, in the Administration's view, are better left to the States," Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote in the filing. A federal appeals court had refused on Wednesday to lift the judge's ruling. In his May 22 preliminary injunction, Joun pointed out that the staff cuts led to the closure of seven out of 12 offices tasked with the enforcement of civil rights, including protecting students from discrimination on the basis of race and disability. Meanwhile, the entire team that supervises the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, was also eliminated, the judge said. (Around 17 million families apply for college aid each year using the form, according to higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.) The Education Department cannot be abolished without approval by Congress. The Trump administration announced its reduction in force on March 11 that would have gutted the agency's staff. Two days later, 21 states including Michigan, Nevada and New York filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for its staff cuts. After President Donald Trump signed an executive order on March 20 aimed at dismantling the Education Department, more parties sued to save the department, including the American Federation of Teachers. Former President Jimmy Carter established the current-day U.S. Department of Education in 1979. Since then, the agency has faced other existential threats, with former President Ronald Reagan calling for its end and Trump, during his first term, attempting to merge it with the Labor Department. U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk attend a press event in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 30, 2025. The hostilities began when Trump lashed out at Musk's criticism of the Republican tax-cut and spending bill, and quickly escalated into an all-out online brawl on Trump's Truth Social and Musk's X, with prominent businessmen, analysts and political names weighing in on the fight. Trump and Musk traded barbs in a rather public feud, with the U.S. president threatening to pull back billions of dollars in government contracts for Musk's companies, while the Tesla CEO suggested Trump could not have won the election without him. Donald Trump and Elon Musk seemed inseparable not so long ago: attending events together, doing joint interviews and showering praises on each other. All that changed overnight. Billionaire Bill Ackman on Thursday urged Trump and Musk to stop fighting. The two men should "make peace for the benefit of our country," Ackman said on X. The founder and chief executive of hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management, who had endorsed Trump a few months before the November election, said: "We are much stronger together than apart," with Musk replying: "You're not wrong." U.S. Congressman Jim Jordan told Fox News' Laura Ingraham on Thursday that he hoped Musk and Trump would reconcile, while defending the budget bill. Others in Trump's orbit, such as former senior Trump adviser Steve Bannon, who has clashed with Musk in recent months, were less conciliatory. Bannon said on his "War Room Live" show Thursday that Trump should sign an executive order to take control of SpaceX, through a national security mobilization law called the Defense Production Act. "The U.S. government should seize it," Bannon said, adding that the administration should strip Musk of his security clearance and suspend all federal contracts to his companies, pending an investigation into him. Congressman Thomas Massie, a Republican who has opposed Trump's budget bill and been critical of the president in the past, said on X, "The falling out was inevitable. You don't land rockets backwards or get cars to drive themselves by suffering fools gladly." Billionaire investor Mark Cuban seemingly endorsed a proposal from Musk, who had polled followers on whether to "create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle." Former Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang reposted Cuban, later pitching an "Independent '28 presidential primary" with participants including Mark Cuban, Jamie Dimon, and actor Matthew McConaughey. In Europe, Polish Foreign Minister Radosaw Sikorski took aim at Musk over his feud with Trump. Sikorski became embroiled in a public spat with Musk and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in March when he said Ukraine may need an alternative to the Starlink satellite service. Amid a flurry of social media posts, Musk told Warsaw's top diplomat, "Be quiet, small man." Referencing the previous dispute, Sikorski said in a post on X, "See, big man, politics is harder than you thought." In an apparent reference to Trump and Musk's online spat, the European Union's former leader on tech Thierry Breton posted an eyes emoji and a popcorn emoji. Breton and Musk have previously clashed on social media. Eurasia Group's Ian Bremmer said in a post on X that "Trump is more powerful than elon, but far less competent." Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and two other Trump administration officials will meet with their Chinese counterparts in London on Monday for renewed trade talks, President Donald Trump said. Bessent, who has been leading the administration's efforts to craft a deal with Beijing, will be joined by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Trump said. "The meeting should go very well," the president wrote on Truth Social on Friday afternoon. "Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will hold the first round of trade and economic talks with the U.S. during a trip to the U.K. from Sunday to Friday, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saturday. He represented Beijing during bilateral talks with Washington in Switzerland last month and is China's lead trade negotiator. CNBC has contacted the Chinese Embassy in Washington for more information on Trump's announcement. A spokesperson for the embassy did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Trump had first revealed that further trade talks were planned after he held a lengthy phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday. The scheduling announcement comes as the U.S. and China have squabbled over numerous issues in the midst of a debilitating trade war that threatens both economic superpowers. The countries whose total trade in goods topped $582 billion last year temporarily lowered most of the tariffs on each other's goods after breakthrough bilateral trade talks in Geneva, Switzerland, last month. But since then, China has repeatedly accused the U.S. of undermining that progress. Beijing protested after the U.S. Commerce Department warned the chip industry against using Chinese semiconductors. China also objected to the Trump administration's recent announcement that it will revoke the visas of some Chinese students studying in the U.S. The Trump administration, meanwhile, has accused Beijing of slow-walking a pledge made in Geneva to approve the export of additional critical minerals, known as rare earths, to the United States. Trump wrote after Thursday's call with Xi, "There should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products." He did not explain what that meant. China's Ministry of Commerce on Saturday emphasized that its restrictions on rare earths are in line with international practice, while indicating it would step up approvals of applications for export licenses. CNBC's Evelyn Cheng contributed to this report. Benoit Tessier | Reuters LONDON The U.K. is set to lift a ban on a key type of crypto debt security in a bid to catch up to the U.S. and other financial hubs as it looks to become a global hub for digital assets. On Friday, the Financial Conduct Authority, the U.K.'s main regulator for financial services, announced a proposal to reverse its ban on offering crypto exchange-traded notes to retail investors. Exchange-traded notes are a type of debt instrument that are linked to one or more specified assets cryptocurrencies, in this case. In essence, they allow investors to gain exposure to digital tokens through the use of a regulated exchange. Sales of crypto ETNs to retail investors have been prohibited in the U.K. since the FCA put in place a ban in 2019 due to concerns over the potential harms they pose to consumers. Get a weekly round up of the top tech stories from around the world in your inbox every Friday. Subscribe On Friday, however, the FCA said it proposed lifting the ban on crypto ETNs "to support UK growth and competitiveness." A restriction on crypto derivatives will remain in place, the watchdog added. "This consultation demonstrates our commitment to supporting the growth and competitiveness of the UK's crypto industry," David Geale, executive director of payments and digital assets at the FCA, said in a statement. "We want to rebalance our approach to risk and lifting the ban would allow people to make the choice on whether such a high-risk investment is right for them, given they could lose all their money." The development was swiftly praised by crypto firms as a significant moment for the industry in the U.K. Britain is often perceived as falling behind the U.S., European Union and other global players when it comes to digital assets. Spot crypto exchange-traded funds have been available in the U.S. since the Securities and Exchange Commission approved rule changes to allow the creation of the first bitcoin-linked ETFs early last year. In April, the U.K. government published draft legislation for the crypto sector with the goal of making the country a "world leader in digital assets." The FCA is separately working through a detailed roadmap of consultations and discussion papers with a view to implement a regulatory regime for crypto by 2026. "Until now, the UK has been an outlier on ETNs. We hope this move will improve consumer protections and we will continue to make the case for lifting the ban on retail investors from accessing highly-regulated derivative products," said Ian Taylor, board advisor to crypto trade body CryptoUK. Kraken's U.K. General Manager Bivu Das said that the proposal to approve sales of crypto ETNs to consumers marked a "major milestone for the UK's crypto ecosystem." The FCA is "acknowledging that the market has matured significantly and that outdated restrictions no longer serve their intended purpose," Das added. "Regulatory moves like this are critical if the UK is to stay competitive in the race to lead in digital assets." Stacy London and Clinton Kelly know a thing or two about dressing for success. London and Kelly, both 56, became household names as the hosts of popular makeover show "What Not to Wear," which ran on TLC from 2003 to 2013. More than a decade later, the two style experts have reunited for a new show, "Wear Whatever the F You Want," which premiered in April on Amazon Prime Video. "The world has changed a lot since 'What Not to Wear' ended, and we wanted to show that we changed along with the world," Kelly says. On "What Not to Wear," Kelly and London were known for critiquing makeover participants' style and overhauling their wardrobes. Not so on their new show. This time around, London and Kelly are focusing less on fashion do's and don'ts, and more on personal empowerment. As Kelly puts it, "the rule book went out the window." According to London, their new message as stylists is "we are not here to change you." Instead, she and Kelly want to show their makeover subjects "what style can do for an individual in terms of confidence, self-esteem and capability." The so-called rule book may be gone, but Kelly and London still have plenty of advice to give, especially when it comes to navigating the ever-changing etiquette of professional attire. Here are their best style tips for putting your most professional foot forward in the workplace. Japans trade balance was in the red, with a deficit of 1.1 trillion ($7.7 billion). The 20-day data dont provide details such as a breakdown of exports to specific countries or regions. The figures for the full month of May are set to be released on June 18.Autos, steel and chips and other electonic components lead the exports lower while coal, non-ferrous metal and crude oil drove down the import, according to the Finance Ministry. The yen averaged 143.02 against the US dollar during the period in May, 8% stronger than the same period a year earlier, which weighed on the readings for yen-denominated exports and imports, according to the ministry.The trajectory for trade will be a key factor determining whether Japans economy enters a technical recession in the current quarter after weak external demand and sluggish private consumption resulted in a contraction in the previous period. In April, exports to the US fell, led by a drop in autos.As with other nations, Japan faces a 25% tariff on cars and their parts and a minimum 10% levy on other goods across the board. President Donald Trump doubled a levy on steel and aluminum to 50% in early June, and the 10% tariff is set to revert to 24% in early July, barring a deal.On May 12, the US and China, Japans two biggest trading partners, announced that they had reached a temporary agreement on reducing tariffs. But tensions have flared since then, with Trump complaining earlier this week that Chinese leader Xi Jinping is hard to make a deal with.Japan and the US are continuing to negotiate on the tariffs as they eye possibly announcing a deal on the sidelines of the Group of Seven leaders gathering in Canada later this month. Japans top trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa said upon arrival in Washington Thursday that he would continue to press for a removal of all tariffs. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is leading an all-party delegation to the United States to highlight Pakistan's role in terrorism, was put in the spot during a press conference at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York by none other than his son, Ishan Tharoor, who is a journalist with The Washington Post. Ishan asked whether any country during the delegation's visit had demanded proof of Pakistan's involvement in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 people dead. He also brought up Pakistan's repeated denials of any connection to the incident. Before responding, Tharoor acknowledged his son in a light-hearted manner, saying, "It shouldn't be allowed. This is my son I didn't plant it, I promise you. This guy does this to his dad," he added. Ishan Tharoor of The Washington Post," his son responded and went on to ask his question to the delegation leader. #WATCH | Washington DC: On a question asked by his son about whether any country had asked the delegation for evidence of Pakistan's involvement in the Pahalgam attack and about Pakistan's repeated denials of any role in the attack, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "I'm very glad pic.twitter.com/RR0tcVOwpU ANI (@ANI) June 5, 2025 Tharoor, addressing the press, maintained that India would not have undertaken significant retaliatory measures without solid proof."I'm very glad you raised this... Very simply, no one had any doubt, and we were not asked for evidence. But the media have asked in two or three places. Let me say very clearly that India would not have done this without convincing evidence," Tharoor said.He clarified that during the delegation's global outreach which included visits to Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil no government had requested specific proof of Pakistan's involvement.Responding to Ishan's follow-up question, Tharoor outlined three reasons for India's confidence in Pakistan's culpability."The first is that we've had a 37-year pattern of repeated terror attacks from Pakistan, accompanied by repeated denials," he said, drawing attention to Islamabad's consistent record of denial despite evidence.Tharoor also cited Pakistan's role in shielding high-profile terrorists. "Americans haven't forgotten that Pakistan didn't know, allegedly, where Osama bin Laden was until he was found in a Pakistani safe house right next to an army camp in a cantonment city. That's Pakistan," he added.He further referred to the Mumbai terror attacks of 2008. "Mumbai attacks they denied having anything to do with it... So we know what Pakistan's all about," he remarked.Shashi Tharoor emphasised that Pakistan often denies responsibility "until they're actually caught with red hands."The delegation also met US Vice President JD Vance during the visit, discussing India-US relations and the issue of cross-border terrorism. Bangladeshs interim leader, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, announced on Friday, June 6, that the countrys national election will be held in the first half of April next year.The declaration comes amid mounting demands from the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, for elections to be held by December.Addressing the nation in a televised speech, Yunus acknowledged the heightened interest around the election date.There is immense public and political interest regarding the timing of the election. As Ive said before, it will be held between December and June. The government is working to ensure an environment conducive to a credible election within this timeframe, news agency PTI quoted Yunus as saying.Yunus, who assumed office following the ousting of Sheikh Hasinas Awami League government in August last year, emphasised the administrations responsibility to oversee a transparent, peaceful, and inclusive vote.Our goal is to prevent future crises. That requires institutional reform. Without ensuring good governance in the institutions directly linked to the electoral process, all the sacrifices made by students and citizens will be in vain, the PTI report quoted the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner.He reiterated the interim governments three-fold mandate: reform, justice, and election. We believe that by the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr, we will reach a broadly acceptable position on reforms and justice, particularly in addressing crimes against humanity, as part of our collective duty to the martyrs of the July uprising, the report added.Meanwhile, opposition voices continue to grow louder. On May 28, the BNP staged a massive youth-led rally in Dhaka, drawing tens of thousands. The protest intensified pressure on the interim administration to accelerate the electoral timeline.The national election must be held by December. Preparations must begin immediately, said BNPs acting chairman, Tarique Rahman, who addressed the crowd virtually from London.While the Election Commission is yet to release a formal roadmap, Yunus assured the public that further details will be announced in due time. On the eve of its closure, Whitmire recalls what was so special about the project and how it was supposed to lead to bigger things Friends of Kermit and Miss Piggy are having a tough month. On June 7th, the film-attraction Muppet Vision 3D Jim Hensons final project before his death will run for the last time at Walt Disney Worlds Hollywood Studios. Muppet fans, who have expressed their dismay and sadness at the idea for months, now have a set date for the destruction of a beloved historical Muppet attraction. Many fans have also taken issue with how Disney is handling the dismantling of Muppet Vision 3D: that is, without any fanfare and only vague references to somehow preserving the film. Disney representatives have also declined any interviews with current Muppet performers. However, Steve Whitmire, the former Muppet performer who played Bean Bunny, Rizzo the Rat and Waldo C. Graphic in the attraction (he also inherited Kermit the Frog after Hensons passing), was happy to take a walk down memory lane with me. Don't Miss Below, Whitmire shares his memories from the making of the film and how he thinks Henson would feel about the closure of Muppet Vision 3D. What do you remember about the lead-up to Muppet Vision 3D? During that time, Jim was making the decision to sell the entirety of his company to the Walt Disney Company. I remember being at my house and getting a call from Jim where he just said, Hey, I want to tell you in person before it hits the press that Im thinking of doing this. His real purpose for the sale was twofold: I think he felt that Disney was going to offer the characters longevity, and also, it was going to free him up. As much as he loved the core Muppet characters, I think he was looking for a little more freedom. Advertisement If I remember correctly, there were a certain number of years that Jim would be a part of the Walt Disney Company creative team. He would be coming in very much like someone like John Lasseter was at Pixar, a major creative force who was going to have this great freedom in Disney to do many, many things. He was really looking forward to that, and the first real project was this 3D film. That was prior to anything definite happening on the sale. So, the lead-up was that that was all in negotiation, yet were producing this huge thing at the same time. I believe the first thing we did was go to New York and shoot the pre-show, which was the bit that took place in the lobby. Rizzo is a big part of that, and it was a fun thing for us to shoot because we did it with three cameras with a little space between them. We worked in a real space running between the three cameras to get the three images that sync together on the three monitors. It was really clever and fun. Advertisement Rizzo as Mickey Mouse is such a highlight. Advertisement Yeah, it was a defining moment for Rizzo. Ive been hearing about that one for years. So, then we got into actual production on the whole thing. It was Jims first real production with Disney, and he and all of us were getting used to the Disney machine and the 3D cameras too. At the time, these two massive film cameras were running side-by-side shooting the same image. They were incredibly loud, clacking machines. They would have to start them in-sync and shoot the two parts. They were always breaking down and the film was getting jammed and there were lots of problems. A lot of the audio had to be dubbed because the cameras were so loud that it was picking up the sound of the cameras on our microphones. But it was a cool process, and we were all very excited about the idea of it. It felt like, at that point, we were all going to be moving to Orlando to do nothing but work out of the Disney studios at the time. Jim must have been excited about the technology of it. He was really into that stuff, right? Advertisement Advertisement He was. He was interested in whatever the latest technology was. Like Waldo, the character who flies around in Muppet Vision 3D, for instance, we had used that technology already on the television series The Jim Henson Hour. It was this giant metal arm that went down to a joint and up again, and the camera was mounted on one side and Im on the other side with this mitt on that ran the mouth. So, whenever the character moved, I was flying around with this big metal arm that translated all of that movement into a huge computer. Then, all that data was sent back to California and it would take six months for them to render this character. When we did it live, all we had was a wireframe character flying around in space as our reference. I know it was kind of cutting it close to when Jim passed from a bacterial infection. And, since the cameras were so loud, was he able to re-record all of his Kermit dialogue before he passed? Advertisement Yes, everything with Kermit was done prior to Jim becoming ill. It was a really interesting timeframe. We were all looking forward to this next phase of everything, and Jim was super excited. And then, as you know, it all kind of fell apart after his death. His company actually didnt sell to Disney at that point. It was many, many years later that that came back around again. But we got that one big project out of that early relationship, as well as a special we did about the Muppets going to Walt Disney World. That was the very last thing we did before Jim passed away. We were all together in Orlando shooting that special. We had already shot most of the 3D film by then. We went back and did some finishing touches on Muppet Vision where Frank Oz was directing. I remember working with Frank on the last of the Waldo stuff in post, but the real last thing was this Muppets go to Disney World television special. Advertisement Does anything stand out to you about The Muppets at Walt Disney World? Advertisement I remember how much Jim loved being in the theme parks. He loved the atmosphere, and he loved the thought of producing material for the parks. One memory that stands out is when we were in front of the park's replica of Graumans Chinese Theatre. There was a little seating area with a few park benches in this shady area. In between shots one day, Jerry Nelson, one of our main performers, myself, my wife Melissa (she was puppeteering on that show) and Jim were sitting around taking a break. My wife had a Cosmopolitan magazine with a quiz in it, so we decided we were all going to take the Cosmo quiz. The quiz was How Long Will You Live? The questions were lifestyle questions that were supposed to calculate your lifespan. Did you smoke? Did you overuse alcohol? Did you exercise? Did you eat right? things like that. We all took this quiz and Jim and I had exactly the same result, which was that we were going to live to be in our 80s. We both looked at each other, and he said, That sounds about right, doesnt it? And I said, Yeah, that sounds good. That was one of the last sit-around talks we all had together. Then, of course, two to three weeks later is when Jim passed away. When Jim passed, did Muppet Vision 3D take on an increased importance for everybody? Advertisement Yeah, I think it probably did. For one thing, we had a project that we needed to finish, and I think we all felt invested in finishing it because it was Jims last big project. We went forward with that in mind. That energy also transferred in a very big way to Muppet Christmas Carol because that was the next big project that we undertook after we all had a big meeting and said, Are the Muppets going to go on? Do we want this to go on? Brian Henson and the rest of the Henson family brought us into that. If we had said, No, we dont think it should, we should stop it, I think they might have considered ending the Muppets. Is there anything you want to say about its closure? I know a lot of people are disappointed about it, and I understand that. I can feel a certain amount of that too. At the same time, I know firsthand that Jim never looked at his past work. He didnt hold it in any kind of a particularly reverent, precious place. He always wanted to move to the next thing and move forward and create something new. So with that, in my mind, I dont think Jim wouldve had a problem with seeing this go away, frankly, because he wouldve been onto a dozen other things that wouldve taken his interest. So, for those of us who are looking back at Jim and maybe thinking about his passing, the fact is, the Muppets have changed enormously. Theyre not who they were in so many ways. I could go on about that for a whole nother interview, but I wont. Anyway, there is some regret about it going away, but truthfully, Jim wouldve been fine with it. Before Harry Shearer was Ned Flanders, Mr. Burns or Waylon Smithers on The Simpsons, even before he was Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, he was nearly one of the stars of the classic sitcom, Leave It to Beaver. He was so close, in fact, that he was actually featured in the shows original 1957 pilot. Its A Small World featured Barbara Billingsley as June Cleaver and Jerry Mathers as the Beaver, but the pilot had some jarring alternative-universe casting as well. Wally and Ward Cleaver were played by different actors, and smart-ass kid Eddie Haskell went by a different name, Frankie Bennett. Simpsons voice maestro Shearer was Frankie, up to typical Haskell antics by tricking Wally and the Beaver into believing theyd get a free bicycle if they could save up 1,000 bottle caps. What a wise guy. Don't Miss Producers decided to go in a different direction with Ward and Wally, hiring the familiar Hugh Beaumont and Tony Dow when Its A Small World became Leave It to Beaver. But according to Shearer, it was his mom and dad who pulled the plug on his chance to continue as Eddie Haskell. SHOUT Factory My parents, they said, You know, its cool for you to be a working actor, he told Howard Stern in 2010. But I was going to public school, and they said, If youre going to be in a show as a part of the cast, week in and week out, you cant go to public school. Were going to have to put you in one of those special Hollywood schools. Shearers parents thought that was a lousy idea. We dont think its right, 20 Teamsters standing around going, Hey, the kid doesnt have it today. Advertisement Stern couldnt believe Shearers parents had the chutzpah to turn down that sweet Leave It to Beaver money. (Hate to break it to you, Howard, but even Jerry Mathers didnt get residuals after the show was rerun six times. That sucked for the original cast, since the show only found real popularity in syndication. During Leave It to Beavers actual run, it never broke the top 30 shows in the Nielsen ratings.) Shearer told Stern that he hadnt seen his performance alongside Mathers in years until David Letterman played it during a guest appearance on Late Night. I must have been about 10, Shearer remembered. What did he think of his performance? The only thing I could think of was that that was pre-orthodonture me. My teeth were out to here. Funny-looking Eddie Haskell, chuckled Stern. Yeah, replied Shearer. With a tusk. Muslim Pro App on The Best Ten Days: Why Giving During Dhul Hijjah Matters More Than Ever Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. China establishes world's largest network of specialized eco-environmental judicial institutions, SPC says on World Environment Day 10:33, June 06, 2025 By Li Yawei ( Global Times An aerial drone photo taken on June 4, 2025, shows volunteers collecting waste along a riverbank in Zunhua City, north China's Hebei Province. (Photo/Xinhua) China has established the world's largest network of specialized ecological environmental judicial institutions as of 2024, China's top court said on Thursday, on the occasion of the 54th World Environment Day. World Environment Day falls on June 5 under the theme "Beat Plastic Pollution," and China's theme this year is called building a beautiful China starts with me. In 2024, the Supreme People's Court (SPC) formed a comprehensive system centered on specialized organizations, diversified mechanisms, systematic rules, professional teams, and scientific theories, thereby creating the world's largest network of specialized ecological and environmental judicial institutions, according to a statement the SPC sent to the Global Times on Thursday. Relying on laws including China's Civil Code and the Yangtze River Protection Law, a judicial rule framework covering areas like watershed governance and biodiversity conservation was also developed, according to the statement. The SPC also released an environmental adjudication report on Thursday, with over 245,000 first-instance environmental and resource cases accepted by courts nationwide in 2024, and more than 219,000 concluded. These figures represent the third consecutive year of decline for both acceptance and conclusion volumes, the country's top court said. Aside from the SPC, public security authorities and the Supreme People's Procuratorate are also intensifying efforts to combat environmental crimes. From January to April this year, over 6,900 environmental cases were investigated nationwide by public security agencies, resulting in the arrest of 13,000 suspects, according to the China National Radio (CNR) on Thursday. Procuratorial organs nationwide handled 74,000 public interest litigation cases in ecology and environmental protection from January 2024 to May 2025, per China Central Television (CCTV). Over 6,700 public interest lawsuits were filed, accounting for about 57 percent of all such cases, effectively addressing prominent environmental issues. Over the past decade, the progress made in environmental protection can be attributed in large part to the continuous strengthening of law enforcement in China, which has reversed the previous situation of lax enforcement where the cost of violating laws was severely underestimated, Ma Jun, director of the Beijing-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, told the Global Times on Thursday. In addition to the achievements in combating environmental violations and crimes, China has also made progress in low-carbon transition. When asked to comment on China's pace setting position in global green transition, notable achievements in renewable energy exploration and other fields, and contributions to energy transition programs in other developing countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian stated that China has witnessed the fastest energy intensity reduction and most visible improvement in air quality. China accounts for a quarter of the world's newly-added area of afforestation, and has built the world's largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system and the largest and most complete new energy industrial chain, Lin said. China is also an important contributor to the global green transition. China has green energy cooperation projects with over 100 countries and regions, and actively supports the free flow of high-quality green technologies and products. China provides over 80 percent of the photovoltaic components and 70 percent of wind power equipment in the world and has enabled the global average cost of the construction of wind and PV power plants to drop by more than 60 percent and 80 percent respectively. As a result, countries in the world, especially the developing countries, have affordable and better access to clean energy, Lin said. On Thursday morning, China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment released a report on the state of China's ecology and environment in 2024, which features the consumption of clean energy and the specific details of the carbon market. Clean energy consumption including natural gas, hydropower, nuclear power, wind power, and solar power accounted for 28.6 percent of the total, an increase of 2.2 percentage points from 2023. During the Environment Day themed activities held across the country, Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, adopted a carbon-neutral approach by retiring national carbon emission allowances through the China Emissions Exchange in Wuhan to offset emissions, the People's Daily Online reported. The 79 tons of carbon emissions generated by the event were offset through donated emission allowances and certified by the exchange to achieve carbon neutrality, the report said. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) During elections it is illegal for politicians to buy votes by handing out free food. That is called treating the electors. But there is nothing to stop MPs doing similar outside election periods. Yesterday an education minister, Stephen Morgan, told the Commons that the Government would be giving away more school meals. This would break the unfair link between background and success. It would also, as Labour MPs keenly noted, mean thousands of constituents children would be receiving free nosebag. Vote Labour because we gave your little Jimmy free bowls of mince in the school canteen and you could spend the savings instead on lottery tickets and cans of Carlsberg. Mr Morgan became so gripped by the nobility of the moment, he could have been hailing the abolition of slavery or the relief of Mafeking. Oh, purplest of passages. This is a Government who put children first. What we do for our children, we do for our country. Free school lunches would restore to youngsters their birthright of a loving home where no child lacks food or warmth. My family home was beautifully loving but I have to say that my bedroom was a little parky in winter. Maybe I am due some counselling. Mr Morgan, who has the inky hairdo and lopsided insistence of an Epsom spiv, was soon pulpiteering against the Tories. They had not given away enough free food to the nations Tiny Tims. He was disgusted by their wickedness. They robbed some 4.5million children of opportunity and hope, of life chances and of possibilities, he cried. They failed to deliver for the next generation the ordinary hope that tomorrow will be better than today. Prime Minister Keir Starmer serving school meal in Essex, as minister told the Commons that the Government would be giving away more school meals St Luke himself could not have laid claim to such virtue. On it went, great paragraphs about striving and nourishment and a moral mission with the child poverty strategy. Achieving! Thriving! Today, we say enough is enough. Today, we begin to turn the tide. Good grief, he was turning into Canute. Today, the fightback kicks up a gear! Labour backbenchers ululated like bare-breasted Masai goatherds. Many of them named the precise number of children in their seats who would be receiving this free food. The numbers were big: most more than 5,000. Recently the Government provided free breakfasts to certain children in some schools. All we now need is for free suppers to be laid on, too, and canny parents will not have to spend a groat on feeding their offspring during term-time. And maybe in the holidays, too. Claire Young (Lib Dem, Thornbury & Yate) wanted the Government to end holiday hunger. Vegan snorkers for all. Into every Eden a little rain must fall. Shockat Adam (Ind, Leicester S) was worried that these free lunches would consist of processed food like Turkey Twizzlers, which have been shown to reduce life expectancy. Sonia Kumar (Lab, Dudley) slightly let the side down by noting that, despite Mr Morgans artful depiction of the Dickensian kingdom of waifs that was left by the last government, modern Britain in fact has a problem with children being too fat. In some of the Labour contributions, delivered with simpering smiles and a la-di-dah manner, was there possibly a touch of the Lady Mucks? You could sense them patting their constituents on the backs and saying enjoy your gruel, rough mechanicals, youve deserved it. The scented Lola McEvoy (Lab, Darlington), very much one of lifes Club Class occupants, mentioned one of her constituents a lovely mother who recently went back to work as a school dinner support worker. Did she mean a dinner lady? Neil OBrien, for the Conservatives, argued that the voters who will be receiving this largesse were the very people who would be paying for it, having been hit hardest by Rachel Reeves national insurance increase. Not that any future Tory government (if there ever is such a thing) could easily remove these free lunches. Imagine the screams of starvation and fascist if they tried it. On Wednesday evening this week, an explosive cry rang out at the London HQ of Reform UK. How much longer do we have to put up with Zia? demanded a senior figure in Nigel Farages upstart party. The question should have been heresy. After all, hadnt Muhammad Ziauddin Yusuf, Reforms 38-year-old chairman, only last month masterminded the partys stunning success in the Runcorn by-election, overturning a 14,696 majority? Reform captured one of Labours safer seats that day, while simultaneously pushing the Tories into fourth place in the county council elections. But despite these successes, the talk among senior Reformers has long been that the outspoken millennial would shoot himself in the foot one day thanks to his unerring ability to speak before he thinks. None, however, dreamt that he would implode within 24 hours of that Wednesday night explosion at Millbank Tower Reforms nerve centre in what was once the heart of the New Labour machine. Last night, it was clear that Yusufs tweet about calling Reforms newest and only female MP, Sarah Pochin, dumb for having mused about banning the full-face Islamic burka was one mistake too many. Farage was not impressed. There is no room for tall poppies in Reform. There is one leader and its Nigel, a Reform supporter tells me. And though Yusufs ill-judged comment may have been the catalyst, I can reveal that his fate was sealed in March by his equally inadvisable decision to make an official complaint to the police alleging threatening behaviour by the partys then-MP Rupert Lowe. Some will now inevitably question Nigel Farages judgment in appointing Zia Yusuf (pictured together after by-election) This explosive allegation was timed to leak on the same day that Reform made a public statement that Lowes office was being investigated for bullying, with the inevitable result that Lowe, 68 a popular figure on the Right was suspended before quitting the party, triggering huge internal strife and hundreds of grassroots resignations. Readers may remember that Lowes defenestration from Reform was triggered by my interview with him in the Mail in March, at which he questioned whether Farages messianic qualities would translate into real leadership. Yusuf went to the police the very day that interview appeared; Lowe is now suing senior Reform figures, including Yusuf, for defamation. To lose one senior figure may be regarded as a misfortune to lose two looks like the most abject carelessness. Some will now inevitably question Farages judgment in appointing Yusuf, who made 30million from the sale of his upmarket concierge company, in the first place. Farage hired the precocious political ingenue, a former Tory, after Yusuf made a 200,000 donation to Reform and pledged to work full-time without pay. Yet Ive long heard talk he was failing to gel with other senior Reformers. He also alienated many grassroot members and minor party officials. Last month, I revealed that Farage was bitterly regretting appointing Yusuf because of his high-handed manner and his evident preference for the TV studio over party HQ. So why did Yusuf call Pochin dumb hours after her maiden question in the Commons? Yusuf, who was born in Scotland, was aghast by her remarks on the burka, which he feared risked scuppering his plans to recruit thousands of Muslim members to Reform. Last night, Im told Yusuf felt angry and humiliated. And mark my words: this will not be the last we hear from him. The fallout from the brutal treatment of Rupert Lowe continues and these events speak of deep trouble at the heart of Britains fastest-growing political movement. Keeper of the Privy Purse Sir Michael Stevens has handed over the royal abacus after seven years and one final task requested by the King: delving into the murky world of Prince Andrews finances. He had offered his resignation after the death of the Queen but Charles asked him to investigate reports that his brother had looming financial difficulties and might do something unwise to make ends meet. It was a bruising encounter. Royals, especially Andrew, dont take kindly to flunkeys rooting about in their private affairs. Sir Michaels last task was to assure the King that Andrew was in surprisingly rude financial health. A grateful Charles this week presented Sir Michael with a silver-gilt-framed signed photograph, cufflinks and the GCVO in thanks for services rendered. Is the protracted delay in William and Kate issuing their own royal warrants the result of a long-standing disagreement between King and heir? Charles maintains the time-honoured system of allowing businesses who supply anything from horse bedding to fine jewellery to put the royal arms on their products. But William has been agitating for reform. Apparently, he would prefer to encourage new businesses and initiatives with royal patronage, helping them to grow, rather than issue warrants to established firms. Finding a compromise has evidently been tricky. Reflecting on landing her breakthrough role over 50 years ago as Bond girl Solitaire in Live and Let Die, Jane Seymour cheekily points out: They were looking for someone to play a virginal high priestess... there werent very many virgins left in London in the 1970s. I was so well brought up, I almost counted! Reflecting on landing her breakthrough role over 50 years ago as Bond girl Solitaire in Live and Let Die, Jane Seymour makes a cheeky point... Promoting memoir What Do Boys Want?, Margaret Thatcher devotee Sir John Redwood is haunted by ongoing conflicts with mother Amy over his teddy bear. This mother wanted to dress this little bear up as a doll, Vulcan John complains on GB News. I had a natural aversion to dolls... I just didnt want to play with a doll. Perhaps if mater Amy had called the teddy The Iron Lady, little Johnny and the doll would have been friends for life. About to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Live Aid, Rick Status Quo Parfitts ex-wife Patty recalls flying from Wembley when she heard the unmistakable noise of lovemaking from the rear seats of the helicopter. We pulled the curtain back and there was David Bowie with a mystery girl. I remember he gave us this look and we quickly closed the curtain. Space Oddity anyone? Recalling his 2017 encounter with Donald Trump, Michael Gove tells Tatler that he was fascinated by his curious colour. His skin is an orange thats not like fake tan. Its as though there is a chemical compound unique to him thats been applied to his skin. He has an ability to endure, to never die. Maybe the magic formula is formaldehyde, Mikey. It is now a week since the Ukrainians launched the most audacious raid since The Dambusters an operation that was all the more stunning for being completely unassisted by the UK or any other western power. The Ukrainians have spent the last 18 months preparing Operation Spiderweb in total secrecy, and it has taken a few days to grasp the sheer brilliance of what they did. We now know that they mysteriously assembled the 117 drones in Russia itself, and then packed them in specially designed lorries. We know that they somehow bamboozled the lorry drivers to park them near air bases all over Russia, one of them 4,000 miles from Ukraine; and we can just about understand how they managed remotely to retract the roofs of the lorries and how the drones swarmed out and destroyed a big chunk of Russias aerial strike forces crucial planes that cannot be replaced, since they are no longer being made. We saw the nosecam footage as the drones blew up the Tupolevs. We saw the aerial footage of the bases, giant bombers swatted on the runways like broken insects. Since the whole exploit was so heroic, and such wonderful news for Ukraine and the west, there was one aspect of the story that remains baffling and that is the sheer tepidity of the western response. Where was the instant message of congratulation from Starmer to Zelensky? What was the view of the Foreign Office? This was front page news around the world, but I have scoured the record and I still cant find a reaction of any kind from Foreign Secretary David Lammy. What about John Healey, the Defence Secretary? I have known Healey for many years and always found him a decent man. After all the billions we have spent supporting the Ukrainians, you might have expected him to cheer this piece of good news. He has been completely schtum. Perhaps it would help unzip the lips of the Labour government if I remind them what these Tupolevs have been doing in the last three years. In the hands of Vladimir Putin, they have been instruments of pure evil. They have been sent up day after day to fire cruise missiles or glide bombs at Ukraine; and the Ukrainians have been unable to intercept these planes because they do not even enter Ukrainian air space. They stand off from their targets, hundreds of miles away, and rain down hell. Putin has so far launched 32,000 attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine. In fact the majority of his strikes have been on civilians. He has hit shopping malls and railway stations and countless apartment blocks. He has killed or injured tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians, including at least 632 children among the dead. This should be a moment for positive exultation, because Putins potential for carnage and mayhem has been reduced, writes Johnson. He has blown up babies in their cots and these big Tupolevs have made it possible. It is also these planes and their glide bombs that have pounded the Ukrainian positions in the east of the country so allowing Putins forces to make what glacial progress they have. Without Putins air power, without that constant battering from above, the Ukrainians would find it far easier to hold their positions and the Russians would almost certainly be in retreat. The Russians could not have occupied Ukrainian land without this advantage; and remember what happens to the land they take. Whenever the Russians have conquered a Ukrainian town or village, they have launched an instant and vicious programme of Russification. Ukrainian books are removed from the library shelves. The Ukrainian language is no longer taught in schools. Ukrainians come under intense pressure to take up Russian citizenship or else lose their right to services such as healthcare. There have been proven instances of Ukrainian men being castrated to stop them producing more Ukrainians. The churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox faith indeed of any faith not explicitly loyal to Moscow have been closed, their priests shot or jailed. Most diabolical of all, Putin has systematically kidnapped Ukrainian children some say 20,000, some say as many as 100,000 and taken them to Russia to become Russians, to abjure their homeland and to become loyal to Putin himself. Those are just some of the war crimes that these planes have enabled those ones burned and wrecked on the Tarmac. In so far as they were a part of the Russian nuclear strike force, they were, additionally, a threat to our own country. So I return to my question: why has the British state been so bashful and so nervous? Why have we refused publicly to share in Ukrainian joy? This should be a moment for positive exultation, because Putins potential for carnage and mayhem has been reduced. So why the silence? I think you can guess the answer. Its the same old nonsense, the same old rubbish about not provoking Putin, or poking the bear. Its the same old unfounded and superstitious dread that one day we will push the Kremlin tyrant too far and that he will escalate. What about nukes, people say croakily. What if he decides to detonate a battlefield tactical nuclear weapon? What then? Well, I have an inkling of Nato planning for that vanishingly remote possibility and I can tell you that Putin would be utterly insane to do any such thing, because the western response would be such as to lead swiftly to the end of him and his regime. If he went nuclear in any way, he would instantly lose Chinese backing; he would lose his supporters in the Middle East and around the world. He would lose his own people, who would be rightly terrified of the reprisals and he would not even stop the Ukrainians. They would fight on, believe me. Operation Spiderweb reminds us that the Ukrainians will never be beaten and that they will use all their technological genius to inflict ever more unexpected humiliations on Russia until Putin is finally willing to show some common sense, and do the right thing by his own country and the world: that is, to confirm what Russia agreed by law more than 30 years ago that Ukraine is a free, sovereign and independent country. Thats all. The operation has also confirmed something vital about Russia. By eluding all Putins spies and intelligence agencies and by undoubtedly making use of Russian assistance inside Russia itself the Ukrainians have revealed the fundamental rottenness of the Russian state. From the very beginning, it has been clear that Putin is battling endemic problems of cheating and corruption in the Russian armed forces. His armoured cars had the wrong tyres because someone was stealing. He was told that the security services had paid a fortune on fifth columnists in Kyiv who were going to rise and overwhelm the Zelensky regime. It was rubbish. They didnt exist. Putin suffers from the fundamental weakness of the autocratic state: that he listens to a tiny core of yes men who are themselves lied to by others. That is his fatal weakness. Putin will fail and Putin must fail. Indeed, that used to be the official policy of the UK government. He will fail the faster if we all recover the courage to say so. Glory to Ukraine for Operation Spiderweb. A $14 must-have item from Kmart has been hailed the perfect 'dupe' for a $200 version sold by a popular homeware brand. Aussie shopper Celine Clark was recently walking through a Kmart store when she spotted an instantly recognisable item on the racks. Sharing her bargain sleepwear find, the fashion content creator declared that she'd 'been waiting for the day that Kmart came out with a Hommey dupe'. 'About damn time,' Celine said in the video. Hommey is selling the Sleep Pant and Sleep Shirt featuring a distinct striped pattern, each sold separately for $99, totaling $198 for the set. The Melbourne lifestyle brand is known for its colourful sleepwear, along with stylish items for everyday living - including quilt covers, cushions, robes, towels and more. Shoppers who can't fork out hundreds of dollars are in luck as Kmart is offering a similar-looking sky-blue pyjama set with pinstripes for a fraction of the price. Celine was most surprised by the price of the flannel sleepwear. 'I mean, for $14 for like a dupe. I thought this was pretty good,' Celine said. Celine Clark posted a video to her TikTok account where she tried on the 'dupe' Kmart pyjamas, declaring them a steal at only $14 Aussie shopper Celine Clark spotted the Family Matching Printed Flannel Pyjama Set, $14 (left) in Kmart. It was reminiscent of the Hommey Sleep Pant, $99 and Sleep Shirt, $99 (right) pictured here in the Iced Chocolate Stripes version The fashion content creator proceeded to 'try on' the blue striped sleepwear set, praising it as a 'cosy' flannelette. The Aussie shopper was also impressed by the 'nice' and 'long' length in the pants. 'They're really warm. I love the colour palette,' she raved. Celine did however note that the sizing ran on the bigger side - and that even though she'd selected a small, it was 'quite stretchy in the waist'. 'I probably could have gone with a smaller size if they'd had it,' she said. Celine, who regularly shares videos of her fashion buys on her social media account, said during her shop, she also stumbled upon the same pyjamas - but in the Kmart kids' section. Both the Kmart Family Matching Printed Flannel Pyjama Set, $14 (left) and the Hommey Sleep Pant, $99 and Sleep Shirt, $99 in Stripes (right) feature full-length pants, long sleeves and a distinct pin striped pattern Last year, Kmart shoppers noted the budget retailer's $25 Long Sleeve Top and Pants Satin Pyjama Set (left) within their 2024 winter range. It closely resembled a popular PJs set sold at Peter Alexander (right) She explained that she later realised the PJs were part of a 'family matching' set, meaning they were also stocked in women's, men's and children's sizes. 'If you have a family, how cute, having matching pajamas,' Celine said in the video. For a family of four, the price point of the Kmart pyjamas means that the entire household could be kitted out in the same matching nightwear outfit for under $60. 'C'mon guys, $14 I just can't get past it,' Celine said at the conclusion of her video. 'I just thought that for $14 I just had to share. 'Kmart coming through with the goods. Am I surprised? No.' The video has racked up over a thousand likes with the comment section filled with replies from excited shoppers hoping to nab the winter buy. 'These are so cute!! Love this colour, running to Kmart,' read one reply. 'I need these,' added another. 'Grabbing one,' chimed in a third. The latest sleepwear dupe comes over a year after eagle-eyed Kmart shoppers spotted a pair of satin pyjamas that closely resembled a popular pair stocked in Peter Alexander. Shoppers at the time noted that Kmart's $25 Long Sleeve Top and Pants Satin Pyjama Set in a navy colour with white piping detail were the spitting image of a far pricier set stocked at the designer sleepwear retailer. When a person is nearing the end of their life, a particularly eerie symptom could indicate death is just hours away, a doctor has revealed. Dr Paulien Moyaert, a Nuclear Medicine Resident and Researcher, from Belgium, explained that a distinctive phenomenon, hauntingly dubbed 'the death rattle', can manifest in someone's final moments. It occurs when a person can no longer effectively clear secretions from their throat, leading to the accumulation of fluids such as saliva and mucus. As the body weakens - and swallowing or coughing becomes less effective - a disturbingly wet clattering can hence be heard during breathing. Taking to her YouTube channel, where she often explains complex medical topics, Dr Moyaert, spoke about its causes, prognosis and treatment. 'A person usually lives for 23 hours after the death rattle begins,' she recounted. 'With each breath the person may make a moaning, snoring or rattling sound. 'This occurs because as consciousness decreases, patients lose their ability to swallow. Air moves these pooled secretions resulting in noising breathing. 'Some people say that the death rattle is the lungs' attempt to breathe through a layer of saliva.' Dr Paulien Moyaert, a Nuclear Medicine Resident and Researcher, from Belgium, revealed one such sign is the occurrence of a distinctive sound known as the 'death rattle' (stock image) However, the expert revealed that while the sound may be distressing to those nearby, it does not cause discomfort to the individual experiencing it. 'We often give drugs to try dry up the airways and soften the death rattle, but when we do it, it's not for the dying person but for their family,' she added. 'Repositioning the patient so that they're turned to their side with their head slightly elevated may also help.' Commenters rushed to remark on the 'haunting' symptom - admitting it left them feeling 'uncomfortable'. However, many also found it helpful to better process their experiences with losing loved ones. 'My friend is dying in Florida and her daughter is keeping me updated,' one remarked. 'She referenced a "death rattle" in one of her updates and I wasn't sure what that was. Thank you for explaining it.' As the body weakens and swallowing or coughing becomes less effective, these secretions can cause a wet, rattling sound during breathing (stock mage) Many rushed to the comments to thank the doctor for clearly explaining the phenomenon - albeit admitting the sound is 'haunting' Another added: 'Thank you for this, my mum made these sounds for a couple days before she died (she was not awake at this point but eyes open, rattle breathe etc) 'Although this video was pretty triggering I'm really glad to be able to find closure about the sound. 'It was really haunting and still makes me uncomfortable to think about (it sounded like she was choking and trying to clear her throat) anyway lol sorry for the rant, thank you for this.' 'THIS, is the sound that indicates that your loved one is about to take their next steps of their journey!' one penned. 'No more pain, or suffering, but TRUE PEACE!!! This may sound HORRIBLE, but just know your loved one isn't suffering!' A fourth added: 'This was invaluable information as my mother passed away this morning. She started making this noise yesterday, and it was so distressing to hear. I'm thankful to know she was not in pain, and the meds we gave her were for our benefit. Thanks again.' The death rattle occurs in about 40 percent of people during the dying phase, according to studies. The noise can be reduced using medications to dry the mouth or by turning a patient onto their side to allow fluids building up to spill out. Units generally avoid using suction because this can cause the body to ramp up its mucus production, making the problem worse. In the days to hours before death, doctors say patients may experience a sudden and brief surge in energy before suddenly having much less. As well as the rattle, their breathing may also become more erratic, their pulse weakened and their hands and feet may become cold, purple and blotchy. And in the final minutes, the eyes and mouth may remain open - as breaths could become more gasping. There are times I look at my children and feel so proud I could burst. Alex, 16, has just taken his GCSEs and Adriana, 11, is a keen little actress and loves performing. Theyre smart, bright, kind and funny. As they grow older, I feel closer to them than ever. But that pride is tinged with a bitter sadness. I wish I could turn back time and have them as toddlers again. And not because I enjoyed their baby days so much; quite the opposite, in fact. I spent their babyhoods feeling apologetic and ashamed of being a mother. Yes, ashamed. Now, I hugely regret the fact I didnt make the most of that time. And I blame the feminism movement that saturated my formative years. When I was at school in the 90s, the third wave of feminism was in full swing. We were taught that career was everything, that marriage was old-fashioned and something to be put off as long as possible. As for babies pah! Who wanted them? When we saw a young woman pushing a buggy, wed sneer inwardly. Buggies, babies, nappies, dummies these were all signs youd failed at life. You didnt have a career. You were a pram pusher. Having devoured Germaine Greers The Female Eunuch at 17, I saw myself, quite frankly, as being about as maternal as a rock. My career the only thing in my sights, I finished university and started training to be a journalist. After a years stint at a news agency I headed for London, where I worked on top-selling womens magazines. All I cared about was the next pay rise and next fancy job title. I went on holidays, bought clothes, drove a sporty car. I had a two-year marriage that failed because, at 25, we were too young and too ill-suited. Julie Cook spent her children's babyhoods feeling apologetic and ashamed of being a mother During this time, I continued in my belief that I never wanted children. When friends and colleagues slowly started having their own families I shuddered for them, seeing myself as superior for continuing in the workplace. Then I met my now second husband, Cornel. I was 27. My father had died that year and within weeks of meeting Cornel, I quit my office-based job and moved to Italy where he lived. As I started a life with this new man, something in me began to crack and soften. The hard outer shell Id built began to erode. Something very strange was going on. Id look at toddlers who, until this point, had been invisible to me and smile at them. Id look at babies and feel an overwhelming urge to pick them up. Both Cornel and I held precarious jobs as freelancers, and lived in a rented one-bed flat, so having a baby hardly seemed sensible. But one day, I just came off the Pill. After that, things happened so fast a miscarriage, followed by a successful pregnancy. Alex was born when I was 30. I felt alien pushing a pram, laden down with all the trappings of motherhood Id once mocked in other women, Julie writes But even as the hormones kicked in urging me to feed, love and protect him, the ghosts of feminists past came too. It seems ridiculous now, but while I was fine in the privacy of our own home, if I had to take him somewhere in his pushchair I felt ashamed. I felt people were looking at me as a mother, not the career woman I had been. I felt alien pushing a pram, laden down with all the trappings of motherhood Id once mocked in other women. So strong were these feelings that, when Alex was only 12 weeks old, I went back to work. As a freelance writer I was able to do this at home, so never had to leave him for an office. But I felt safer having a title and a role. When meeting new people, I ensured I told them I was a writer before I mentioned that I was a mother. That was how I defined myself. Yes I loved my son, but you cant undo years of conditioning overnight. If I sat on the floor to play Lego with him, my mind was constantly buzzing with emails I could and should be sending, with jobs I could be chasing. Time could be better spent, surely, than playing? When our daughter came along almost five years later, the same thing happened. This time I went back to work when she was 11 weeks old, sitting in the baby bouncer at my feet while I ploughed through work and even began to write books. On balance, I wonder now whether my fears came more from within than peoples actual behaviour towards me. With Cornel also working freelance as a musician during these years, we shared the childcare and did our parenting in shifts so the other could work. But he never talked about it affecting how he saw himself in fact, he took to it like a duck to water. As a man, there wasnt the same ingrained stigma for him about becoming a parent, meaning his joy in our childrens company was unencumbered by fears about how others might see him now he was a father. Slowly, as my kids grew older, and became little people with opinions and funny quips of their own, I realised how important it was to raise them well. Slowly, as my kids grew older, and became little people with opinions and funny quips of their own, I realised how important it was to raise them well, she says And I began to realise that if motherhood had become my career, it had been worthwhile, writes Julie When my daughter won a citizenship award at school for her kindness, when my son helped stand up for a friend, I felt a pride that could never have been replicated by an article or a promotion. And I began to realise that if motherhood had become my career, it had been worthwhile. But the years are short, and like a dream that passed too quickly, my kids are now 16 and 11. My son goes out with his friends more than he stays home with us and our daughter is becoming a young woman. And I realise I wasted their whole young childhoods being ashamed I was a mother. Ashamed of not being what feminism had told me to be. And it makes me feel both guilty and ridiculous. I now see younger women in turmoil, freezing their eggs, fighting their natural urge to have kids to chase a career. I want to yell at them: the feminism we were all sold is a lie! I hate hearing feminists telling young women they can have it all they cant. Something has to give. Because, while by the time theyre at secondary school the juggle becomes far easier, its not possible to give your all to your job and your children at the same time during those very earliest years when theyre so dependent on you. Now, I regret even trying. I also hate how I was made to feel that my time working was important and my family time was wasted. It wasnt. I have got more reward from having my family than anything else in my life. Now as I see my son stride off with his friends, or my daughter experimenting with make-up, I wish with all my being that I could turn back time. I miss their messy handprints, their giggles, their noise. Because I now see I was doing something fulfilling. I was doing something with a purpose and that should be respected. I was raising two young people. Now as I meet new friends, I dont care what they think I do for a living or how much of a career I have had. In fact, the proudest description of myself I can give is this: Mother. The recent listing revealed that the property has recently fallen into disrepair It was also designed by renowned Australian architect Harold Desbrowe Annear The property was originally owned by a former butler to King George VI A once-grand but now crumbling mansion in one of Australia's most elite suburbs has a surprising link to the British royal family. The property known as 'Cloyne', located at 611 Toorak Road in the upmarket Melbourne suburb of Toorak, hit the market with a price guide of $4.75million-$5.225million. It was sold on Friday, June 6 for an undisclosed sum - one day ahead of its scheduled auction. The property has a fascinating design and social history, thanks to the royal link of its original owner, Louis Nelken, who was once a royal butler to King George VI, the father of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The property was built for Louis and his wife in 1926. After Louis put his days of royal servitude behind him, he went on to marry into Melbourne's elite Baillieu family. The original design was commissioned by renowned architect Harold Desbrowe Annear, who designed Cloyne in the style of a Georgian Revival mansion. The influential architect is considered a pioneer of Australian modernism and is best known for his early 1900s Chadwick Houses in Eaglemont. Cloyne is one of the few original commissions the architect undertook in Toorak. The once-grand but now crumbling 'Cloyne' property in Toorak was recently sold after being listed with a price guide of $4.75M-$5.225M A previous image of Toorak mansion 'Cloyne' showed it was once an opulent property, centred around a grand spiral staircase. However, the most recent property listing images revealed that the Harold Desbrowe Annear designed mansion had fallen into a state of disrepair due to being empty and having multiple unfinished renovations The ex royal butler moved on from the property in 1955. Reports at the time revealed that he and Mrs Nelken hosted one final farewell soiree at Cloyne, which was attended by other establishment families like the Horderns, Myers, Manifolds, Chirnsides, and even the Dekyveres from Sydney. The property has subsequently had a colourful history, which included the ownership being taken over in the swinging 1960s by playboy Don Busch, who renovated it before selling it to Toorak businessman William Drever. Don died soon afterwards in 1970 in a Mustang plane crash at Bendigo. Before (top) and after (bottom) images of the lion flanked pool illustrate how the once grand mansion has been left in a decaying state and is now prime for restoration Since that era, the home has been in the possession of multiple prominent local and international owners. Set over a 1025sq m block, the once iconic residence sits between a semi-circular driveway and a lion-flanked pool. However, the most recent listing images revealed that the property has since fallen into a state of disrepair due to a number of half-finished renovation attempts. Jellis Craig Stonnington real estate agents Michael Armstrong and Nathan Waterson handled the most recent campaign and sale of Cloyne. Their listing described the original architect designed property as 'resplendent with classically inspired features', offering the rare chance to 'restore this revered Melbourne icon to its former glory'. The expansive property is set over a 1025sq m block, with the residence sitting between a semi-circular driveway and lion-flanked pool Despite its current state of neglect and disrepair, the property has a 'council heritage overlay' that prevents it from being demolished Real estate agency Jellis Craig noted that 'extensive cosmetic works' would need to be undertaken by the new owner to restore the mansion to its former glory The listing noted that the decaying property has 'council heritage overlay' protections preventing it from being demolished. Original features that remain intact within the home included its grand spiral staircase, gallery-style landing, elegant entrance hallway and original exterior colonnades. The current property layout features five bedrooms, as well as formal living and dining rooms, a timber panelled study, and an open plan family room, as well as a ballroom, sunroom, sauna, cellar and external studio with ensuite. 'The foundations for future grandeur are already in place,' read part of the property listing. However, the realtors conceded that 'extensive cosmetic works' would be required by the new owner after years of neglect resulting in the property sitting empty following numerous halted renovations. Some of the property's opulent original features including its external colonnades remain intact The Jellis Craig agents told realestate.com.au that the property had attracted interest from interstate and overseas parties as well as multiple architectural firms. Ultimately, one lucky buyer was able to secure a slice of Melbourne's social and architectural history. The eventual buyer and sale price was undisclosed at the time of publication. The current median house price in elite Toorak is $4.8M. Adult performer Kayla Jade has admitted 'I almost died from my first BBL' while recounting her 'horrific experience' at a cosmetic surgery clinic in Turkey. Kayla, 30, from New Zealand, told her 2.2 million TikTok followers that she was awake through the entire Brazilian Butt Lift surgery as she recalled lying on the operating table 'paralysed' while internally 'screaming' due to the pain. After the procedure, Kayla began 'vomiting blood' while 'fading in and out of consciousness' as she detailed her nightmarish ordeal - including allegedly experiencing sexual harrassment during her time at the hospital. 'There were two nurses looking after me, and one of the nurses was getting me dressed to leave [after the surgery]. And, as soon as [the female nurse] left the room, he immediately started touching me inappropriately while he was getting me dressed. Kayla claimed he 'did it again' in the elevator as she was leaving the unnamed medical facility. The mother-of-two said the memory of the alleged incident only came back a month or two after Kayla's surgery. 'I was just sitting in my kitchen and I broke down crying because I remembered everything. 'It was like my body was in such shock from the surgery that it just blanked that out until I was ready enough to process [the incident],' she continued. Adult performer Kayla Jade has admitted 'I almost died from my first BBL' while recounting her 'horrific experience' at a cosmetic surgery clinic in Turkey One of Australia's most famous adult performers shared her experience in the hope of warning young women against The OnlyFans performer, who now makes 40,000 every month, shared that she 'cheapened out' and flew to Turkey several years ago as part of an all-inclusive package that covered the costs of her flights, accommodation, and the butt lift surgery itself. 'So I almost died from my first BBL in Turkey,' she began her eight-minute TikTok that has amassed 1.9 million views since it was shared on the social media platform yesterday. 'I can be quite impulsive so I definitely rushed into it without thinking of the complications that the surgery may have had,' Kayla continued. Kayla, who posts confessional videos of her experiences as an escort on TikTok, said she hoped her story would make young women 'think twice' about heavily discounted surgeries in medical tourism hotspots like Turkey. At the time, however, Kayla felt she'd done enough research after looking up the clinic, reading online reviews and going through 'before-and-after' photos posted on its website. She added that she had been speaking with the doctor over Whatsapp and he told Kayla she was a 'great candidate' for a BBL after an initial consultation. While Kayla inititally felt good about her decision, things veered off-course quite soon after she touched down in Turkey - as she recalled being unable to get a hold of her doctor. When she finally met him, she says the surgeon told Kayla she wouldn't get the results she wanted because she didn't have enough fat for a BBL. The OnlyFans performer, who now makes 40,000 every month, shared that she 'cheapened out' and flew to Turkey several years ago as part of an all-inclusive package that covered the costs of her flights, accommodation, and the butt lift surgery itself After the allegedly botched procedure, which Kayla had reversed in Australia, she was shaking uncontrollably and 'vomiting blood' because of the shock of the BBL The cosmetic procedure is used to enhance the appearance of the patient's buttocks by making them bigger, more rounded, or lifted. A standard BBL involves removing fat from the hips, abdomen, or back with liposuction before injecting it back into the buttocks. 'I 100 per cent had enough fat for a BBL, like I'd purposely been gaining weight for the BBL,' Kayla countered. 'It's like he was trying to lower my expectations because he knew he was gonna cheap out and do a half-a**ed job,' she added. Despite this, Kayla said she remained hopeful about the procedure - until she found herself lying awake on the operating table during the excruciatingly painful surgery. 'I remember I could hear nurses and the doctors talking and I couldn't move my body,' she recalled. 'I was paralysed, but I could just feel like tears running down my face because I was in so much pain. 'There was nothing I could do. I was just lying there in my head screaming, but I could just feel all the stuff that was happening. I guess they didn't give me enough anesthetic,' Kayla said. After the allegedly botched procedure, which Kayla had reversed in Australia, she was shaking uncontrollably and 'vomiting blood' because of the shock of the BBL. After one day at the hospital, Kayla was asked to vacate the bed - despite the fact that she was still extremely fragile from the surgery and in and out of consciousness' The post-op care was equally bad, Kayla alleged, as she revealed she was placed on her back immediately after the surgery - even though, patients who have undergone BBLs are advised to lie on their stomach for at least six weeks afterwards. After one day at the hospital, Kayla was asked to vacate the bed - despite the fact that she was still extremely fragile from the surgery and in and out of consciousness'. While she was in this vulnerable state, Kayla was allegedly molested by the male nurse while he was helping her get changed - as she claimed he touched her inappropriately on two occasions. 'Please don't cheapen out like what I did and end up in some crazy situation,' Kayla concluded. Fans rushed to the comments section to praise Kayla for sharing her story to raise awareness about the dark side of Turkey's booming cosmetics industry - while condeming her alleged treatment at the clinic, including her experience of assault. One person wrote: 'Thank you for sharing a bit of your life with us and never shying away from warning people of potential danger. You've been more transparent than the internet deserves.' Another said Kayla's BBL horror story will, hopefully, 'encourage other young women to think long and hard' before opting for such 'serious elective surgeries' as the butt lift. A third person agreed that it was worth saving up for these surgeries so that they're performed at reputed clinics by qualified medical professionals, warning against cut-price package deals that sound too good to be true. Fans rushed to the comments section to praise Kayla for sharing her story to raise awareness about the dark side of Turkey's booming cosmetics industry - while condeming her alleged treatment at the clinic, including her experience of assault 'I waited an extra year and a half to save up so I could go to a top surgeon in Beverly Hills,' they said. 'For my nose, but Turkey ones look risky and obvious to me. 'No recourse legally there either, same as Mexico. Choose wisely ladies! You are lucky to be alive.' Several people lauded Kayla's bravery through the 'traumatising' experience, with one TikTok user writing: 'Being awake during surgery is my absolute nightmare.' 'You weren't under general anesthesia? Or local?,' another confirmed. 'Cuz that's crazy!!!' Others still shared their fears that her botched surgery was part of an organ harvesting operation, with one person writing: 'Girl, please make sure you aren't missing a kidney/any organs. 'I've heard so many stories about doctors in Turkey and other places taking organs from patients getting plastic surgery.' 'Girl you need to make sure you still have all your organs after this.' Kayla, who hosts her StoryTime podcast while juggling her OnlyFans career with different business ventures, has previously said she's a 'feminist' who's 'inspiring' the next generation of women to achieve their dreams. Kayla - who hails from New Zealand but now lives on Australia's Gold Coast - created her OnlyFans account in 2022 Kayla, who lives in Australia, owns two properties worth over 2million and claims she rakes in around 40,000 every single month from the adult website. She said that the site, where she's in the top 0.1 per cent of creators, has enabled her to 'have the life she always dreamed of'. Her comments come surrounding increased debate over adult content creators, including Bonnie Blue who has made headlines in recent weeks for gloating about sleeping with hordes of young and impressionable men. But Kayla, who is also a qualified personal trainer, said: 'I really think I'm inspiring the next generation of women to achieve their dreams. 'I am a feminist in a way because I talk a lot about women's rights and their welfare. I don't think that I or other women should be judged for what they do as long as it isn't hurting anyone else. 'I think everyone should have the right to do what they want with their body. It shouldn't be a problem the way I chose to make my own money. 'I think that what I'm doing is really inspiring for other women who may be thinking about what career to pursue. Kayla - who hails from New Zealand but now lives on Australia's Gold Coast - created her OnlyFans account in 2022. She previously worked as a personal trainer but wanted more from life than it could provide. Quickly after she started performing in 2022, she was earning in excess of 15,000 each month. Kayla has since invested a lot of her earnings into property - including a 1.7million four-bedroom house on the Gold Coast's seafront which has a pool. She also owns a three-bed house nearby - which is worth over 300,000 - which she rents out. Kayla is also working on creating a line of sex toys with sexual wellness company Vush as she told The Daily Mail: 'I never thought this would be my life. But I've built a career, a fanbase and a lifestyle on my own terms. That feels powerful.' The King put on a very animated display as he fired an artillery piece during his visit to British Army barracks in Larkhill, Wiltshire this afternoon. Charles, 76, sported some ear defenders and appeared to wince away at the loud noise as he sat by the weapon with other soldiers nearby. The royal seemed to be equal parts impressed and surprised by the demonstration, lifting his arms up after smoke could be seen coming from the gun - but was praised for his 'faultless' technique. In his first visit as Captain General of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, a role he took up after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, the monarch was dapper in a khaki military uniform for the occasion. Along with meeting with members and learning about their training, the King was able to examine a Puma AE reconnaissance drone amid other tech. Charles also heard about the heritage of the regiment as well as being informed about the equipment used. The King arrived in his number four tropical dress uniform and received the royal salute as he arrived at the regiment's headquarters near Salisbury where he was met by Master Gunner, St James's Park, Lieutenant-General Sir Andrew Gregory. The National Anthem was played before His Majesty was invited into the officers' mess where he met personnel including representatives from the newly formed King's Gurkha Artillery (KGA). The King put on a very animated display as he fired an artillery piece during his visit to British Army barracks in Larkhill, Wiltshire this afternoon Charles, 76, sported some ear defenders and appeared to wince away at the loud noise as he sat by the weapon with other soldiers nearby The royal seemed to be equal parts impressed and surprised by the demonstration, lifting his arms up after smoke could be seen coming from the gun - but was praised for his 'faultless' technique In the dining room, the King had a chance to see historical artefacts including the voluntary artillery officer full dress tunic uniform of his great-grandfather George V. 'It's lasted very well,' he remarked. The King also had a chance to meet families of the service personnel and representatives of Chelsea Pensioners. In the grounds, the King was shown some of the high-tech equipment used by the soldiers including the L118 light gun, the Archer artillery system, a multiple launch rocket system and drones. Charles picked up one of the fixed-winged drones to gauge its weight as their use was being explained to him. The King also met representatives of the reserves as he was informed about the different roles within the Royal Artillery. In his first visit as Captain General of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, a role he took up after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II , the monarch was dapper in a khaki military uniform for the occasion Along with meeting with members and learning about their training, the King was able to examine a Puma AE reconnaissance drone amid other tech In the dining room, the King had a chance to see historical artefacts including the voluntary artillery officer full dress tunic uniform of his great-grandfather George V. Pictured firing an artillery piece Charles also heard about the heritage of the regiment as well as being informed about the equipment used The National Anthem was played before His Majesty was invited into the officers' mess where he met personnel including representatives from the newly formed King's Gurkha Artillery (KGA) The King arrived in his number four tropical dress uniform and received the royal salute as he arrived at the regiment's headquarters near Salisbury where he was met by Master Gunner, St James's Park, Lieutenant-General Sir Andrew Gregory The King also had a chance to meet families of the service personnel and representatives of Chelsea Pensioners Charles then accepted an invitation to take the seated position of the L118 light gun to fire a single shot He was given some ear defenders to wear and fired an artillery piece during his visit to the Royal Regiment of Artillery He put on a set of ear defenders as he sat in the firing seat and called 'ready' and visibly winced as he pulled the firing lever Before his departure, Charles chatted to some of the families that had gathered to meet him this afternoon Staff sergeant Bethan Preston-Newman, of the 104th Regiment based in Newport, Wales, said: 'It was a once-in-lifetime opportunity to meet the King and really nice to explain what the reserves do.' Lance Bombardier Rebecca Haynes, also based in Newport, added: 'It was a great honour to be here and represent the regiment' - while Lance Bombardier Alexandra Robinson, based in Worcester, said that 'he is definitely interested in us as people and it's definitely an honour to be her'. Charles then accepted an invitation to take the seated position of the L118 light gun to fire a single shot. He put on a set of ear defenders as he sat in the firing seat and called 'ready' and visibly winced as he pulled the firing lever. Sergeant Neil Mitchell, of 14 Regt, 34 Battery, praised the King's firing technique at pulling the firing lever and said: 'The first one he didn't give it a good enough pull but the second time was faultless.' He added jokingly: 'I was going to ask him if he could start on Monday.' The King was then presented with an engraved 105mm cartridge. Before his departure, Charles chatted to some of the families that had gathered to meet him. Charles visited the regiment at their headquarters in Wiltshire and met some of the personnel today Charles, as Captain General of the Royal Artillery, made his visit to speak to soldiers this afternoon The royal military visit is bound to be a contrast to Charles's agenda yesterday, when he braved the rain in east London as he visited a creative cultural festival and met Hollywood actor Ben McKenzie. The royal travelled to Old Spitalfields Market, for the city's first ever SXSW festival where businesses and individuals involved in music, technology, screen and culture come together. The King attempted to keep himself dry in the typical British wet weather by holding up a large brolly as he strolled through the streets of Shoreditch. As he arrived, the monarch beamed as he met with Karen Gibson of The Kingdom Choir - the same group who sang at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding in 2018. The event originated in Texas but has evolved into a broader festival encompassing some of the key figures in the creative arts and technology industries. He looked typically stylish and dapper as he stepped out in a navy pinstripe suit paired with a crisp white shirt, a blue tie and highly polished black shoes. Charles greeted and shook hands with American actor Ben McKenzie, who handed the king his book, Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud. The OC star - who was sporting a beige suit with a light blue shirt - and Charles beamed as they chatted to each other inside the venue. Charles and the gunners pictured next to the Royal Artillery's new gun 'The Archer' during a visit The royal military visit is bound to be a contrast to Charles's agenda yesterday, when he braved the rain in east London as he visited a creative cultural festival and met Hollywood actor Ben McKenzie The king appeared to be in high spirits as he made his way around the SXSW festival, which thousands of people have visited over the past week. Charles took a look at an immersive art installation, centred around sustainability, a subject the king has been passionate about since his early twenties. He first spoke about the dangerous effects of plastic pollution on the environment when he was 21 years old in 1970. In 2023, he famously said that the 'world does not belong to us' at Cop28 in Dubai, adding that his grandchildren, Prince Louis, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie would be living with the effects of our warming planet. The exhibit was made by a London artist named Damien Roach who called the design Grounding and it uses AI to depict landscape images and show the world's evolution. The star-studded event is due to have appearances from Idris Elba, Katherine Ryan, Erykah Badu, Alice Glass, and Sophie Turner over the week. Charles greeted small stall holders as he looked around an antiques stand selling old watches and an ice cream cart. It comes as the monarch was seen smiling and waving at royal fans as he made his way to church in Sandringham on Sunday. Charles was being driven to St Mary Magdalene Church for the Sunday morning service when he made the warm gesture. Pictured in the backseat of a blue vehicle, Charles, who is often accompanied at church by Queen Camilla, 77, appeared to be attending the service alone. The King looked typically smart in a suit and tie as he waved and beamed at those gathered nearby. The royal couple last week visited Ottawa, Canada, where Charles, who was diagnosed with cancer in February of last year, addressed the country's parliament. In the speech, delivered from a throne made of wood from a Windsor oak, the King declared the nation 'strong and free'. Charles, who was introduced to Parliament as The King of Canada, spoke of his 'deep pride and pleasure' at witnessing 'Canadians coming together in a renewed sense of national pride, unity, and hope'. Femail has delved into Muir's personal life and his close family ties The World News Tonight anchor likes to keep details of his romances private David Muir fans have been curious for years about his relationship status. The 51-year-old ABC World News Tonight anchor, who recently left viewers gobsmacked by his age due to his youthful looks, has kept details of his romantic history ever so private over the course of his career so far. Despite having cultivated a huge online following and recently sharing that he is taking all the attention in his stride, it seems as though he will continue to keep details about his love life under wraps. Not much is known about who he has dated in the past. In September 2015, he was seemingly in a relationship with former deputy editor of Jezebel, Kate Dries. After Page Six reported that Muir had become known as the 'anchor monster' after allegedly ruffling feathers with his fellow ABC colleagues, Dries wrote a blog post in which she described him as a 'sweetie.' While it's unclear as to whether this piece was written in jest, she penned: 'David and I connected right from the start. "I thought Peter Jennings was the James Bond of evening news," he told me on our first date. 'I tried to remain calm because (little did he know) Peter was my first love and I didn't want to make David feel uncomfortable. David Muir has kept details of his romantic history ever so private over the course of his career Despite having cultivated a huge online following and recently sharing that he is taking all the attention in his stride, not much is known about his love life 'But Peter would quickly be pushed far from my mind during my courtship with David. I mean, will you look at this man?' According to Dries' post, they holidayed together in the Italian capital of Rome, where Muir interviewed the late Pope Francis. It is believed that Muir is single and that he does not have any children. He is, however, an uncle to six nieces and three nephews through his older sibling and two younger step-siblings. Last April, Muir posted on Instagram that he had enjoyed a trip around the French capital Paris with his niece, Finan Malcom, who works as a photographer and visual artist. Muir is a proud dog owner to six-year-old German short-haired pointer, Axel, who regularly appears on his Instagram. In a recent interview with People, Muir revealed that Axel is often spotted out and about with his dog walker. 'I love the stories of even when the dog walker is out in public, people will say, "Is that David Muir's dog?" It kind of puts it all in perspective. The dog is always the most important,' he said. Muir has a strong friendship with married television hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos He is also the proud owner of six-year-old dog Axel 'I think [he's] more [famous]. He deserves to be. And he has no idea which makes it even more special.' Muir has a strong friendship with married television hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos and their three children: Joaquin, Lola and Michael. The threesome has vacationed together numerous times over the years, including a holiday to Greece in 2023. 'You are a great grill master, your cheeseburgers are delicious,' Ripa once gushed on live television. 'Joaquin would rather eat at David's than anywhere else on earth.' Ripa even paid a touching tribute to Muir in her 2022 memoir Live Wire, in which she wrote: 'To David Muir, you are the backbone and moral compass I need sometimes.' Fans have claimed that she sounds unrecognizable on the record Mariah Carey has been caught up in another wild conspiracy theory just weeks after fans believed that she'd been replaced by AI. The diva, 56, returned to the music scene with a new rap single this week called Type Dangerous, but a lot of fans have pointed out that Mimi sounds different compared to before. 'Is it just me or it doesn't sound like Mariah at all,' asked one confused listener. 'Is it just me or does Mariah's new song sound like a JLo song? Also she sounds nothing like herself, the overproduction is weird. Doesn't sound like her even a little,' wrote another. A third wrote, 'Now who is singing bc that doesn't sound like Mariah.' Another added, 'What's strange about this new Mariah song is I saw her live a year and a half ago and she can very much still sing live. Why on earth did they add whatever this is on top of her voice? It doesn't even sound like her.' However, other fans argued that the talented vocalist was just using a different style of singing. Mariah Carey returned to the music scene with a new rap single this week called Type Dangerous, but a lot of fans have pointed out that she sounds different compared to before 'Just listened to Mariah Carey's new song. She used her voice in a different way than we're used to, but the song is nice! I like it,' wrote one. Another explained, 'She's just using her lower voice and experimenting. She's always doing something new and original.' It comes after Mariah left some of her Australian fans confused after appearing disinterested as she sat down for an interview with The Project. The pop diva gave a series of short answers, sometimes uttering single word reposes in a bored monotone while speaking with host Georgie Tunny. When asked how she handles criticism, Mariah replied simply: 'By not coping is what I do.' After a pause she continued: 'I mean, just don't pay attention to it, you know? And everybody else goes through it, so... whatever.' The 56-year-old was also asked what she'd like on her tour rider for her upcoming Aussie tour, to which Mariah oddly replied in deadpan: 'A kangaroo.' 'Is it just me or it doesn't sound like Mariah at all,' asked one confused listener 'Is it just me or does Mariah's new song sound like a JLo song? Also she sounds nothing like herself, the overproduction is weird,' commented another Mariah was likewise asked about her notorious love of good lighting, to which she said dismissively: 'Good lighting is everything. I don't know why people even have rooms that are poorly lit.' The interview plodded along at painful length, with some viewers branding it 'bizarre' and some even asking if the clip was AI. 'Was that an AI version of MC? That poor lady. I feel sorry for you. You did your best. She hasn't been called a DIVA for no reason... Maybe in the shadow sooner then she likes' wrote one person. 'Sure she wasn't an AI version of Carey? Weird smile, no eye contact. Bot for sure' someone else asked. It comes after Mariah left some of her Australian fans confused after appearing disinterested as she sat down for an interview with The Project, with some comparing her to AI 'That was the most bizarre interview!!' yet another chimed in. Despite the controversy, Mariah is currently preparing to release her 16th studio album. According to Forbes, the songstress, who has 19 number one singles, is aiming to get her 20th chart topper with Type Dangerous. 'She's fighting to stay contemporary,' her longtime producer LA Reid told the publication. Mariah left her label Epic Records, who released her last album Caution, to partner with new music company Gamma for her comeback. Teacher arranged role-play wedding at church for students aged five to seven A mother has voiced her concern after she found out her child's teacher had organised an excursion where young students would participate in a 'mock wedding'. The teacher, thought to be based in the UK, arranged for the year one and two pupils - aged between five and seven) to head to a nearby church, where boys and girls would be selected to play a bride and groom, as well as bridesmaids and groomsmen. Parents were asked to dress their children in formal party wear and contribute flowers and cake for the event. Although it was billed as a happy occasion, people had mixed reactions over the wedding re-enactment after a mother posted a photo of the letter she'd received on Reddit. According to the note, students will act out a wedding ceremony and sing songs to 'get an insight into a church building' and 'learn about some key aspects of the service'. Then they will head back to the school grounds for a role-play reception 'wedding party' complete with 'speeches and dancing'. But one mother was left scratching her head after reading the note detailing the event that her child brought home and expressed her bewilderment online. Many agreed the field trip was an unusual move, however others said they had a great time when their school organised a similar excursion when they were young. A mother has voiced her concern after she found out her child's teacher had organised an excursion where young students would participate in a 'mock wedding'. Pictured, the teacher's letter to parents The note stated the school will be holding a 'mock wedding' for nursery, year one and year two students. 'It is an event that we have coordinated every few years, so that children have an insight to a church building, with a special event to mark and be part of,' it read. A local vicar will be assisting in the wedding role play where all students 'will participate, singing songs, and learning about some of the key aspects of the service'. Children are invited to dress up in their 'most formal/party outfits as if they were getting for a real wedding' but the teacher stressed that parents don't need to buy a new outfit for the occasion. 'We will arrange for some pupils to carry flowers from each class - the pupils will also be randomly selected to take some of the lead roles within the service, such as the bride, groom, best man, bridesmaids and so on,' the message continued. 'There will be a bride and groom selected from each of the classes, so it's going to be a big event for the children! 'Following the service, we will return to school for a wedding party, with speeches and dancing.' Parents were invited to go to the church to watch the 'ceremony' and were encouraged to bring flowers, cakes, and decorations. 'Being part of an event like this is something that I'm sure your child will remember for years to come, and I do hope that you will agree with your child attending,' the teacher said. The mother posted the note to Reddit asking if a mock wedding was 'normal', admitting she had never heard of such a thing, branding it 'insane'. Users were quick to agree and share their confusion over the 'weird' event. 'Seems really weird. If the kids were just watching a wedding (or a wedding being acted out) that's one thing, but the children being chosen by teachers to play the bride and groom feels a bit odd. Yeah, the whole thing is a bit uncomfortable,' one person said. 'We had this at primary school 20 years ago and think the whole thing is absolutely crackers to be fair, can't believe it's still happening in 2025,' a second commented. 'Ask if they can do a mock divorce the week after to show the impact of signing your life away,' someone joked. 'I would love to see this for other religious ceremonies, but having a bride and groom be children is a bit odd,' another said. But not everyone was put off by the idea and shared fond memories of doing something similar in their school years. 'I remember doing this!! And we had a fake christening too!! To be honest, it was really good fun, and helpful to learn a) what a wedding/christening is, and b) as a child what was expected of me if I went to one,' one user recalled. 'Like how long it would take, sitting quietly etc so we could get all the 'why and what' questions out the way at school - and not disrupt an actual wedding! 'The bride and groom were two of our teachers, and for the christening, it was a plastic doll and a random selection for the parent. I remember it being really good fun!' 'I have never heard of it before. But on the face of it, it seems like a good idea, weddings are a normal part of adult life and role-playing seems like a good learning experience,' another replied. A shopper who thought she'd found the perfect side tables for her bedroom was left red-faced after realising she'd made a major shopping mistake. Rhi Howard, from NSW, stumbled across a vintage-style wooden stool for $15 each on the affordable Chinese shopping site Temu. Without thinking twice, she initially assumed they were designed to be bedside tables so she added them to her online shopping cart. But when her order finally arrived at her home, she couldn't help but laugh - the true size of the 'tables' told a very different story. As she laughed hysterically, Rhi realised the item was far smaller than expected - no larger than a small potted plant or a kitchen kettle. When placed in her bedroom next to her existing bedside tables, the stools looked miniature and was barely large enough to fit her iPhone on top. 'I ordered these off Temu because in the picture they were bedside tables. That's not a f***ing bedside table is it,' she said a now-viral video, laughing. In the comments, Rhi admitted she didn't check the product measurements or read reviews before hitting 'add to cart'. Now she's aware of her mistake and will always double check before purchasing. Rhi Howard was scrolling through the online Chinese discount retailer when she stumbled across a vintage-style wooden stool for $15. But when her order finally arrived at her home, she couldn't help but laugh - the true size of the 'tables' told a very different story The amusing short clip has since been viewed more than 116,000 times in 48 hours and received a mixture of comments from hundreds of people. 'Cute plant stands though,' one suggested. 'I cannot tell you how many times I've done this. You'd think I'd learn to check and yet, I don't,' another confessed. 'I love that you still put them next to the bed,' a third said. Many saw the funny side - but some were far less sympathetic. 'They have the dimensions on the product, I don't understand how people get fooled,' one pointed out. 'The spiders in Australia are bigger than those tables,' another joked. 'Always only buy after reading reviews with pictures,' one warned. When placed in her bedroom next to her existing bedside tables, the stools looked incredibly miniature and was barely large enough to fit her iPhone on top (left) Last year Temu changed its name just one year after bulldozing into the Australian retail landscape. A company spokesperson confirmed they had changed the pronunciation of the brand to 'Teh-mu' despite hard-launching the original pronunciation 'Tee-mu' with a US$7million (AUD$10.59million) ad during the 2023 Super Bowl. 'As Temu continues to expand into new markets globally, we want to ensure our brand name has a consistent and memorable presentation across different regions and languages,' the spokesperson told FEMAIL. 'After careful consideration, we determined that the new pronunciation achieves this goal better.' The original Super Bowl ad featured a woman spinning around, showing off her Temu purchases to the tune of 'I like it, it's mine, the prices blow my mind'. The new advertisement, which is animated, features a catchy song about 'shopping like a billionaire' and the new pronunciation of the brand name. Fans of the online retailer, which launched in North America in 2022 before heading to Australia and New Zealand and later Europe, were quick to notice the change. Many of them commented on the old video after heading back to 'see if they were right'. 'I KNEW the pronunciation of tee-moo was changed!!! Now it's teh-moo, and it doesn't sound so fun anymore,' one woman said. 'Watching both commercials back to back is like traveling to a different alternate universe,' laughed another. 'So I'm not the only one who searched for this! Good. We're not crazy,' a third added. Others dismissed the new pronunciation. A Texas teenager has revealed how she discovered that a lump in her neck she thought was from a lingering cold was actually cancer. In January 2025, Makaila Chenier, 17, found a 'little lump' in her neck but ignored it - believing it was a swollen lymph node due to a cold. But when the lump 'got progressively bigger' months before she was meant to graduate high school and she had trouble breathing while lying down, the teenager decided to visit a doctor. Mikaila's mother, Christina Chenier recalled her daughter saying: 'Look, the lump on my neck has gotten a lot bigger. I can feel it. It's on the other side now, and I feel like I'm being choked when I lay down.' The high school student was referred to an ear, nose and throat specialist, who, after seeing the severity of her situation, advised her to quickly go to the emergency department. 'There was definitely a sense of urgency that we picked up on very quickly in the appointments,' Christina said. 'We knew something wasn't quite right.' At the ED, Makaila underwent an ultrasound, X-ray and CT scan. The tests revealed she was suffering from Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system, an important part of the body's immune system. The lymphatic system is widespread across the body, it includes bone marrow, the spleen, tonsils and tissue in the small intestine, and Hodgkin lymphoma limits the body's ability to fight infections. Makaila Chenier, 17, has revealed how she discovered that a normal post-cold lump in her neck was a sign that she was suffering from Stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma Mikaila told PEOPLE: 'It was very hard because it was like everything changed literally overnight. It was just a little lump.' After being diagnosed with the disease, which is expected to effect 8,700 Americans this year, the teenager was transferred to Texas Children's Hospital where doctors conducted a biopsy of her lymph nodes and uncovered the extent of her cancer. It was stage 2, meaning the cancer was present in two or more groups of lymph nodes that are all on the same side of the body. The estimated survival rate for stage 2 is between 93 and 95 percent. The American Cancer Society estimates there will be 1,150 deaths from Hodgkin lymphoma this year. The mother added: 'I'm not sure why I thought to look at my watch, but 8:02 pm on Friday, February 18, 2025, will be permanently etched in my memory because that was the moment when everything changed. 'All of a sudden we were playing a completely different game and everything was completely upside down.' Mikaila was admitted to the intensive care unit because doctors were worried about 'the airway constriction' in her neck due to the lump. Christina said: 'They were concerned that she may have trouble breathing at any point. They felt it was the best place for her.' Common symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma include swelling of lymph nodes in the neck, armpits or groin, fever, tiredness, night sweats, weight loss and tiredness. Treatment often involves two to four rounds of chemotherapy and radiation therapy - which doctors advised Mikaila undergo a week and a half after she was diagnosed. Makaila pictured here at her graduation with her cat, Walter In Hodgkin lymphoma, Stage 2 means the cancer is present in two or more groups of lymph nodes that are all on the same side of the body As of now, the high schooler has finished her seventh round of chemotherapy and has five more to go. Doctors expect her treatment to end by August 1 'After the first cycle of chemo, they kept me for two or three days after to monitor and make sure I was responding well,' Makaila told TODAY.com. She showed no serious reactions after her first round. As of now, the teenager has finished her seventh round of chemotherapy and has five more to go. Doctors expect her treatment to end by August 1. She is currently receiving infusions every two weeks. Due to the frequency of her treatment and side effects, Mikaila was forced to drop out of school and is now being homeschooled. She said: 'Initially it was a lot of tiredness. I slept probably for the whole next day. 'I get really bad nerve pain in my jaw and my tongue and then I will also get bone pain in my legs.' However, there was one milestone the teen didn't want to miss out on. After graduation and chemotherapy, the teen plans to take a gap year before starting college to become a pediatric nurse 'They let me do graduation because that's once in a lifetime,' she told TODAY.com. After graduation and chemotherapy, she plans to take a gap year before starting college to become a pediatric nurse. 'I've been staying really positive through it all and I've learned that really helps get through it because they say time flies when you're having fun,' Makaila said. 'I try to have as much fun as I can and make the best out of it, which has really helped.' The Trump administration has recovered a cell phone and hard drives used by Dr Anthony Fauci during the Covid pandemic, the president's FBI chief has revealed. Speaking Thursday on the Joe Rogan Experience, FBI director Kash Patel described the discovery as 'a great breakthrough' in the government's ongoing investigation into the origins of the pandemic and the federal response. Patel said investigators had long struggled to locate the devices Fauci used while serving as chief medical advisor to the White House records that could shed light on key decisions surrounding lockdowns, mask mandates, and ties between Fauci's former agency and the Wuhan laboratory central to the lab leak theory. During the episode where Patel shared a cigar with Rogan and touched on topics ranging from Covid to UFOs he revealed that the FBI had recovered the phone and hard drives just days before the interview was recorded. Patel did not clarify when the phone was in use, how investigators verified its connection to Fauci, or how the devices were obtained. Nor did he disclose what the FBI's 'multiple investigations' into the pandemic's origin have uncovered so far. It is unclear exactly when the phone was used and how they verified it belonged to Fauci. Patel did not specify how they seized it or what the team's 'multiple investigations' thus far on the origins of Covid have found. He also warned against drawing premature conclusions, noting that 'everything's not necessarily in there' and that potentially relevant data may have been erased. Still, Patel called the discovery 'a victory for the American people' and said his team is actively reviewing the contents of the devices. FBI director Kash Patel is pictured on the Joe Rogan Experience. He claims the FBI has 'found' one of Dr Anthony Fauci's Covid-era phones Fauci is pictured here taking a call on Capitol Hill in 2020. It's unclear if this is the exact device that was seized Patel said: 'We found it [the devices], and at least we can tell the American people we've been looking because it is of public importance to figure out, did that guy lie? 'Did he intentionally mislead the world and cause countless deaths? 'We owe those answers to the American people, and the best evidence ever is always the people's evidence who created it. So now we're going to go and exploit those hard drives.' 'We did find it [the cell phone], we're not done, we're still looking and we're on the case.' Your browser does not support iframes. Patel did not specify how his team got the old phone or how they verified it was Fauci's. Generally, a warrant is required to seize a cell phone, even for a government official. There are no publicly available warrants out against Fauci currently. The FBI and CIA have both asserted they think Covid most likely originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China, which was conducting risky experiments on coronaviruses in the years leading up to the pandemic. Some of those experiments were funded by US taxpayer money through grants awarded by Dr Fauci's old department, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). During the episode Patel shared a cigar with Rogan and touched on topics ranging from Covid to UFOs Chinese researcher Shi Zhengli, known as 'bat woman' for her work on coronaviruses in bats, is pictured in her lab at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in 2019 Dr Fauci, once seen as an 'adult in the room' amid a chaotic and confusing government response to the initial 2020 outbreak, has seen his sparkling public image take a hit in recent years. He flip-flopped on crucial Covid safety information including masks and worked to silence scientists with views that differed from the mainstream. Leaked emails show that in early 2020, he commissioned a paper denouncing the theory as a conspiracy, then publicized the study at a White House news conference weeks later without disclosing his involvement. He and other public health experts also publicly dismissed the lab leak - with Dr Fauci saying in June 2021 that it was 'a very, very, very, very remote possibility.' It later emerged that, as the head of the NIAID, he presided over the allocation of taxpayer-funded grants for virus-enhancing research at the WIV years before the pandemic began. A federal watchdog found the NIH 'did not effectively monitor' those experiments or check whether they involved pathogens with pandemic risk. Dr Fauci also privately expressed concern the virus may have been the product of a research accident. Internationally, other intelligence agencies have also supported the lab-leak theory. Fauci, pictured here making a phone call during a Senate hearing in 2022, has denied all allegations of covering up potential lab leak theories Senator Rand Paul, pictured here, has also worked with Patel to find Fauci's personal Covid-era devices The German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) carried out a secret investigation into the origins of Covid nicknamed Project Saaremaa during the pandemic, sharing the findings with the US in December 2024. Investigators found unpublished dissertations from 2019 and 2020 that allegedly discussed the effects of coronaviruses on the human body. Additionally, uncovered materials revealed Chinese scientists had 'an unusually large amount of knowledge about the supposedly novel virus available at an unusually early stage.' Based on the materials BND agents found and analyzed, they used a 'Probability Index' to measure the reliability of information, which determined the lab-leak theory was 'probable' with an '80 to 95 percent' certainty. Robert Redfield, former CDC director when the pandemic erupted, also accused American and British health agencies of shutting down concerns over potential lab leaks. The previously told DailyMail.com he is '100 percent' convinced Covid was the result of scientists becoming infected while carrying out high-risk experiments to boost the infectivity of bat viruses amid low biosecurity in Wuhan labs. Fauci has denied all accusations of Covid being 'covered up' or originating from a lab. In 2024, he told a US House panel that he had not suppressed lab leak theories or influenced research to discredit it. He has also called accusations that he covered it up 'preposterous.' Patel said: 'My mission has always been to put out the truth, whatever the consequences, whoever it's against. The abrupt break-up between President Donald Trump and his First Buddy played out in spectacular public fashion this week. The bromance began almost immediately after a bullet grazed President Trumps ear at a campaign rally last fall in Pennsylvania. When images of the then-candidate being supported off the stage with a fist pumped into the air, mouthing fight! went viral, Musk weighed in. I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery, the X platform owner wrote that night. It was the first of many expressions of public support that relationship experts say hint at some dynamics more typically reserved for romantic partnerships. Dr Isabelle Morley, a clinical psychologist specializing in couples therapy, said: I would best describe it [their falling out] as a perfect example of the idealization devaluation cycle that we see typically associated with narcissists in abusive relationships. 'There is this initial obsession that it can include love bombing, this over the top flattery, and this sort of perfect image of the other person being anything and everything wonderful. And then there's always the devaluation phase, where the person gets ripped off the pedestal, typically, because, especially with people who have narcissism, the other person disappointed them, made them feel bad, disagreed with them, made them look bad, and which is unforgivable to a narcissist, because their self esteem is so low. Dr Isabelle Morley, a couples therapist, told DailyMail.com that Musk's [left] and Trump's [right] fallout a classic case of narcissistic idealization-then-devaluationa pattern seen in toxic relationships Musk has been a fixture by Trumps side since he made an energetic rally debut exactly one month before the election, hopping around on stage with his arms aloft. The true test of someone's character is how they behave under fire. And we had one president who couldn't climb a flight of stairs and another who was fist-bumping after getting shot, Musk told the crowd. But the honeymoon phase of the bromance came to a screeching halt in May on the heels of a less-than-stellar Tesla earnings call when shares were down more than 40 percent over the year so far. Musk publicly criticized Trumps marquee 'Big Beautiful Bill', saying it undercuts the government-slashing work DOGE has carried out since Trumps return to office. Musk didnt stop there; he doubled down in TV interviews and online barbs, ensuring Trump would see them What ensued was an ego-fueled Hindenburg-style disaster that played out on smartphones worldwide. Mental health and couples therapy experts insist that this was not unexpected. Dr Holly Schiff, a licensed clinical psychologist, told DailyMail.com: I definitely have seen some elements of idealization in the relationship, which can be an early sign of love-bombing, where you overwhelm someone with praise and attention in order to foster loyalty or dependence. However, when we see admiration that is so publicly inflated, it's usually quite brittle. As is standard in transactional relationships, experts said, after receiving criticism for his Big Beautiful Bill, Trump removed his support for Musk and 'discarded him' 'If the relationship doesn't provide ongoing affirmation or mutual gain, then the dynamic can flip into devaluation just as quickly. She said Musk emerged as the clingy partner, admiring Trump performatively and publicly to secure his status as First Buddy. 'Elon was often seeking approval from Trump and was more eager for validation. Trump asserted more dominance in their interactions.' His position at the right hand of the President afforded Musk insurance that his companies' lucrative contracts and dealings with the federal government - SpaceXs $14billion in federal contracts and Teslas EV tax credits - would continue bolstering his status as the world's richest man. Musk would also hate to see his legacy as chief chainsaw-wielder at DOGE be undercut by adding to the federal debt rather than reducing it. Dr Morley added that the Musk-Trump situation is particularly interesting because its a rare case of mutual ego combustion. Both men, accustomed to bending relationships to their will, lavish praise on allies whenever valuable and then discard them the moment the balance of power shifts. In the days and weeks after the election, Musk was a fixture at Trumps Mar-A-Lago club in Florida, sitting in on meetings, weighing in on key staffing decisions, and taking part in phone calls with world leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He even had a seat at the Trump family table for Thanksgiving. Dr Morley told DailyMail.com that, more likely than not, Trump ditched Musk first, and now Musks firing back with his own platform and influence Musk was not the only one in the partnership who issued effusive praise early on. During his inauguration speech, Trump lavished praise on his top campaign donor, saying: We have a new star. A star is born. Elon! Trump then embraced Musk to head up the new Department of Government Efficiency, which put tens of thousands of federal employees out of work. Since his inauguration, Trumps X account and that of the White House have been peppered with dozens of posts praising Musk and his DOGE cuts, which he has praised Musk repeatedly on camera. On March 11, Trump said on Truth Social that Elon Musk is putting it on the line in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! A few days later, he wrote on TruthSocial: THANK YOU, ELONMAGA! Around the same time, Musk said: President Trump has put together the best Cabinet ever...And I do not give false praise. This is an incredible group of people. I don't think such a talented team has ever been assembled. The very public declarations of admiration signal a kind of exaggerated closeness, Dr Schiff said. These behaviors usually serve a strategic purpose, especially in a power alliance. Build someone up publicly, so they are harder to criticize later, it creates a debt of loyalty. The two turned the White House into a pop-up Tesla showroom in March, where Trump touted his advisers electric vehicles: Number one, it's a great productas good as it getsand number two, because Elon has devoted his energy and his life to doing this and I think he has been treated very unfairly. At a March White House event doubling as a Tesla showcase, Trump praised Musks EVs as the best and defended him: Hes given his life to thisand been treated unfairly.' Musk, whose company at the time was seeing precipitous drops in share prices and acts of vandalism, basked in his buddys praise, telling reporters: As a function of the great policies of President Trump and his administration, and as an act of faith in America, Tesla is going to double vehicle output in the United States within the next two years. Around that time, Dr Schiff said, eagle-eyed politicos caught subtle behavior clues in Musk that hinted at simmering tensions under the surface. Standing next to Trump at the Resolute Desk on more than one press occasion, Musk has stood with his arms crossed, staring up at the ceiling, and rolling his eyes back and forth. Your browser does not support iframes. While the public and some health experts chalked this up to evidence of his rumored heavy use of ketamine and other psychedelics, Dr Schiff suggested that these are microexpressions of distancing. She said: In public moments, there appeared to be a growing incongruence between Musk's body language and the performative alliance. More subtle cues usually precede more overt breaks. The splinter in their relationship deepened the more Musk spoke up about the Big Beautiful Bill, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated will add $2.4 trillion to the deficit and leave around 11 million Americans without health insurance. Trump seemed willing to discard Musk, telling the world that the billionaire was wearing thin and threatened to cancel the EPA Tailpipe Emissions Rules, which effectively required over a third of new cars to be sold either electric or hybrid by 2032 cars that Trump said nobody else wanted. Dr Morley put it bluntly: 'People are expendable with this mindset of like, you take what you can until they're no longer useful, then you discard them' The result was a scorched earth campaign to tank the others reputation. Dr Morley said: People are expendable with this mindset of like, you take what you can until they're no longer useful, then you discard them, and they've discarded each other. And my guess is that behind the scenes Trump discarded Musk first, and now Musk is retaliating, whereas usually we see this in a less even way, with a bigger power imbalance, where the discarded person goes off and licks their wounds and quietly takes it because they don't have either like a platform or whatever to fight back. That's obviously not the case with these two people. THE DURRELLS: THE STORY OF A FAMILY by Richard Bradford (Bloomsbury 20, 368pp) The Durrells is available now from the Mail Bookshop Everybody loves tales of Gerald Durrells family in Corfu, as recounted in My Family And Other Animals, a pantomime of nostalgic innocence, published in 1956. An instant bestseller, it outsold Churchills A History Of The English-Speaking Peoples. Hannah Gordon, Imelda Staunton and Keeley Hawes, have played Louisa, Durrells mother, on television. The azure sea and a sky that flickered with gold at sunset is of course a matchlessly photogenic setting. But, as Richard Bradford demonstrates, behind the scenes the Durrells were far from being charmingly eccentric and Corfu in actuality was nothing but relentlessly hungry mosquitoes and insanitary accommodation notable for lice infestations. Louisa, sad to say, was not attractively daffy but a mentally-ill alcoholic, on the gin at breakfast time. She was often in a nursing home, being treated for depression. Margo, the youngest sister, cried all the time, married an airline engineer and spent the war years in an Italian POW camp in Ethiopia. Leslie, a brother, was frankly unhinged. He shot at gulls and pigeons, impregnated and abandoned the maid and emigrated to Kenya where he ran fraudulent investment schemes to steal savings from widows. In his famous memoir, Gerald never mentions that Larry, his literary brother, was in fact married and lived as far from his mother as it is possible to be, visiting the rest of the family only on brief occasions. He was frequently unfaithful to his wife, having sex with other women behind a rock. Sea of stars: The family was played by Keeley Hawes (Louisa Durrell, far right) Daisy Waterstone (Margo, front right), Milo Parker (Gerald, back), Josh O'Connor (Larry, front left) and Callum Woodhouse (Leslie, far left). Regarding the other classic characters, Spiro, the comical cab driver (memorably portrayed by Brian Blessed), had in reality lived in America for six years and was perfectly fluent in English. His hysterical manglings Thems being worrying yous? now seem a tad racist. Nor was Theodore Stephanides a farcically inept doctor, having qualified in medicine at the Sorbonne. The idea behind My Family And Other Animals is that the Durrells were unconventional and impoverished, and could only make ends meet by moving to some backwater abroad. In truth they were well-off colonialists Louisas husband left her almost a million in todays terms when he died in 1928. The family had been in India for generations, building bridges, railways and canals, and chose Corfu in 1930 for the carefree island lifestyle, which was reminiscent of the Raj. Everyone, save Margo, who was with her husband on a flying boat in North Africa, had to scurry back to Britain in 1939, when war was declared. Gerald, by some unexplained means, brought his collection of owls, toads and tortoises. The Durrells lived in a Bournemouth mansion, with a parquet-floored ballroom. The house soon filled up with chimps, gorillas, poisonous snakes and rabbits, the wildlife crawling over the furniture. Eventually, Gerald, who incidentally was never more than an amateur, and who never studied zoology professionally, was prevailed upon to get a job at Whipsnade Zoo, where he expressed a hope to protect species in danger of extinction. Hunter or gatherer: Gerald with a Lemur at Jersey Zoo Yet surely the people endangering extinction were the avid European collectors? In receipt of 105,000 from his late fathers trust fund, Gerald paid for trips to West Africa and South America, where he trapped baboons and bats. A total of 139 crates of mammals and birds were shipped back to England and sold to zoos. The way to capture a hippo was to shoot the mother and take the calf. In 1959, he began ploughing all his advances, royalties and fees into his own zoo in Jersey, which required a down-payment of 390,000. David Niven visited and witnessed gorillas having sex. Wherever I go, this sort of thing happens, he commented. A mandrill showed Princess Anne its fiery red bottom. Wouldnt you love to have a behind like that, asked Gerald. No, I dont think I would, replied Princess Anne, whom I can imagine bursting out laughing later. Geralds various books outsold Larrys by a factor of 40 to one. When Gerald called himself with justice a hack journalist who has had the good fortune to be able to sell what he writes, his modesty and commercial success infuriated Larry, who wanted to be thought of as an experimental prose genius, the heir to James Joyce and T.S. Eliot. Like F.R. Leavis, Bradford is a champion debunker of myth-makers, pricking the pomposity of literary legends to expose egomania and bogus reputations. Ernest Hemingway, Norman Mailer and Martin Amis have fallen at his sword but nothing compares with the massacre here of Lawrence Durrell, who unaccountably was nominated for the Nobel in 1962. Bradford, quite rightly in my view, describes the novels as intellectually lazy drivel, gnomic gibberish, written by a humourless pornographer. It doesnt help that Larry was a horrible person, calculatedly deceitful, full of cruel self-regard and puffed up with greedy narcissism. Five-foot-two in his cotton socks, an angry and rotund little man, Larry, nevertheless, made dozens of sexual conquests. His most common remark to a woman was, Why dont you shut up! followed by a slap. His four wives always sported black eyes and bruised cheekbones. He beat them once a week on average. He had a daughter, Sappho, who alleged incestuous abuse, and hanged herself in 1985, aged 33. Angry little man: His most common remark to a woman was, Why dont you shut up! followed by a slap. His wives always had black eyes and bruised cheekbones During the war, despite zero academic qualifications, Larry had been an English instructor for the British Council in Athens and press officer at the British Embassy in Cairo, Belgrade and Cyprus. Bradford says Larry was a part-time agent for MI6, passing on rumours and drunken disclosures, picked up in consulates and military gatherings. Theres much drunkenness in this story. Louisa, consuming a bottle of champagne a day, died in 1964. Larry drank himself to death in 1990. Geralds increasingly erratic behavioural habits, drinking and taking tranquillisers, culminated in liver cancer and cirrhosis. He died in 1995, heartbroken at the way Corfu was now covered with concrete mixers and cranes, as modern hotels went up. Leslie, working as a porter in a block of flats and estranged from his family, died in a pub in 1982. Most of his wages went on drink. Margo ran a seedy Bournemouth boarding-house, where she was notable for serving watery stews and fried eggs sprinkled with cigarette ash. She died in 2007. The Durrells may well receive massive global audiences, when their lives are dramatised, but as this book amply shows, the amiable chaos was more dysfunctional and deranged than anyone had imagined. As a family saga, it is filled with pain and conflict, the very reverse of Geralds memoirs. Looking After: a portrait of my autistic brother by Caroline Elton (Hutchinson Heinemann 18.99, 352pp) Looking After is available now from the Mail Bookshop On her deathbed, Caroline Eltons mother extracts a solemn promise from her two daughters: that they will look after their brother Lionel. Only when they agree, can she utter her final words Its a deal, and rest in peace. Elton and her sister Liz are then left to look after 68-year-old Lionel who has autism, and who along with his exceptional musical talent and dedication to his work as a postroom clerk can also be extremely difficult to cope with. This memoir will be welcomed by carers as it doesnt sugar-coat the struggles they can face but also reveals the strength of family connection. Elton decided to write Lionels story because autism is so often thought of as a childhood condition. I realised, she writes, there has never yet been a cradle-to-grave account of an autistic persons life. She also realised how the NHS often pays little attention to the needs of autistic patients facing a terminal illness. When Lionel was born in the 1950s, doctors suggested he should be institutionalised at the age of four. Eltons late mother, Marcia, was having none of it. She comes across as truly formidable relentless in her desire to get him the best treatment. Through sheer persistence, she manages to get Lionel seen by the best in child development. These include Donald Winnicott (the originator of the phrase the good enough mother) and Michael Rutter, later known as the father ofchild psychiatry. Marcia looks after Lionels housing, finances, health and holidays until she dies at the age of 94. And suddenly Elton and her sister Liz find themselves as their brothers carers a man who retches at the smell of cheese, cannot bear uncertainty and stamps on his glasses or bites his hand when distressed. Elton is unsparing of herself, talking about the embarrassment she felt as a child of having a brother who would push her down the stairs or shout in restaurants. Gifted talent: Lionel was a skilled musician Coupled with this are the genuinely moving accounts of Lionels happiness at going on holidays, or being invited round for a sabbath meal on Friday nights and then his diagnosis with leukaemia only two years after his mothers death. As a veteran psychologist, Elton writes incisively about the difficulties of navigating the health service with a man whose condition makes him intolerant of any uncertainty. So what to do when its clear his leukaemia is terminal? Elton and the medical team agree not to tell him as to do so without being able to tell him the exact time and date of his death would rob him of any peace. In the last part of the book, the brief months that Lionel has left too late to go on the trip to Texas to visit Buddy Hollys birthplace he has dreamed of are full of poignancy. It charts how Elton and her sister, having dreaded the responsibility of caring for Lionel, come to an understanding. Elton reminds us that autism is not a Peter Pan condition affecting those who remain children for ever. She writes a powerful and unusual book that pays tribute to her brother. What book... Writer and Charity Ambassador, Rachel Kelly ... are you reading now? I AM rereading Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain by Sarah-Jayne Blakemore. Unlike Blakemore, Im no neuroscientist but I became interested in adolescent mental health about five years ago. As a writer in the mental health field and an ambassador for charities including SANE and Rethink Mental Illness, I was getting more and more messages from parents struggling with troubled teenagers. What did I recommend? Did I know a good therapist? I wanted to figure out ways we could support young peoples psychological health. Blakemores book prompted a lot of Ah ha! moments So thats whats going on in the teenage brain! Right now I need a refresher on up-to-the-minute brain science: it is fascinating but also complex and Blakemore delivers. ... would you take to a desert island? IT would have to be Middlemarch by George Eliot a classic for a reason: its so good. I enjoy underlining bits of books that resonate and squirrelling them away in my commonplace book to savour later. Usually, I might note down four or five good lines. But I had to abandon the practice with Middlemarch as I was almost copying out the whole thing. Unputdownable: Detective stories help Rachel stay present and alleviate her anxiety I love Eliots wise and compassionate view of the world. She combines a cracking plot stuffed with unforgettable characters with an ability to weave in observations on what makes us human. ... first gave you the reading bug? I remember a boring summer holiday on the coast of Wexford in Ireland aged about 11 or so and discovering Agatha Christie. I couldnt stop reading The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd to find out whod done it. Detective stories help me stay present and alleviate my anxiety by diverting my thoughts from the past or future. ... left you cold? I struggled with Jonathan Haidts The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. Yes, there is indeed an epidemic of teenage anguish, for which Haidt squarely blames smartphones. But my experience over the past five years is that adolescent mental health problems are complicated and resistant to any single explanation. They also need multiple, imaginative and fresh solutions, and those Haidt offers are somewhat limited in that regard. FULFILLMENT by Lee Cole (Faber 18.99, 336 pp) Fulfillment is available now from the Mail Bookshop US author Cole didnt get the fanfare he deserved for his 2022 debut, Groundskeeping, so fingers crossed for this compulsively readable follow-up, a tragicomic tale of sibling rivalry between half-brothers, each nursing unsated ambition in early midlife. Joel is a married essayist in New York, while Emmett still lives in their Kentucky hometown, scraping a paycheck in an Amazon-style warehouse, his own dreams of authorship firmly on ice. Long-simmering grudges come to the boil after Joels wife Alice, nudged into alcoholism by the pandemic, steals a tipsy kiss with Emmett behind closed doors at a family reunion. As well as illicit sex, the plot involves a drugs heist, crank calls and a loaded gun, adding a crackle of jeopardy to Coles gift for fizzy dialogue and killer comic timing as he gently takes the temperature of modern America. Strongly recommended. LOVE FORMS by Claire Adam (Faber 16.99, 304 pp) Love Forms is available now from the Mail Bookshop Adam made a splash with her prize-winning first novel Golden Child, about the unearthing of family strife when a teenager disappears. Similar themes underpin this more ambitiously layered second novel, set in London and narrated by Dawn, a divorced mother who finds herself reflecting on the daughter she was forced to give up for adoption as a pregnant teenager in Trinidad. Now 58, Dawn feels drawn to the online profile of an Italian biochemist who could plausibly be the grown-up child. Adam pulls us into the murky tale with a deceptively unshowy style. She blindsides us with drip-fed revelations about Dawns youth while laying out her daily grind in the narrative present as an empty-nester forced out of her job as a GP due to the hard yards of childcare. Crushingly tender, the novel explores heavy subjects without fuss. THE GOWKARAN TREE IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR KITCHEN by Shokoofeh Azar (Europa 14.99, 528 pp) The Gowkaran Tree in the Middle of our Kitchen is available now from the Mail Bookshop Previously shortlisted for the International Booker Prize, Azar is an Iranian writer who lives in Australia as a political refugee, having been arrested several times on account of her work as a journalist. Her sprawling new novel, set in Iran in the wake of 1979s Islamic Revolution, is a decades-spanning magic realist saga anonymously translated from Farsi for fears of safety. We first see the narrator as the teenage daughter of a university teacher in Tehran. The multi-threaded plotline is lit up by a search for her brother, lost during the Iran-Iraq war, to say nothing of a love plot involving two cousins with violently opposed politics. Lent urgency by the context, this is a busy, noisy, crowded book that compels you to take the rough with the smooth. Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission - learn more Warm weather is here, meaning we can finally ditch our heavy knitwear and chunky boots. In their place, we're embracing light linens, floral dresses and one of this season's most-worn pieces: the white midi skirt. Made from floaty fabrics like cotton, linen or silk, the white midi skirt has fast become a staple in the YOU Magazine fashion teams' wardrobes, thanks to its chic minimalism and ability to match with just about everything. First spotted on the SS25 runways at the likes of Miu Miu, Alberta Ferretti, and Alaia, the trend has since made its way into the wardrobes of all our favourite style stars. Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh wore a pleated style with boots and a trench at The Royal Windsor Horse Show, while Pamela Anderson embraced a vintage look in New York recently, pairing hers with a crisp white shirt and pointed courts. Read on for 3 easy-to-wear ways to style a white midi skirt this season. The best ways to style a white midi skirt To get more of what you love from your favourite Sunday supplement, follow us on Instagram (@youmagazine), Facebook (YOU Magazine) and X (@YOUMagSocial). With its panoramic views of the Aegean Sea and white-washed good looks, Myconian Kyma is as glamorous as it is luxurious. Factor in its king-of-the-hill spot being a short stroll from the vibrant centre of Mykonos and a buggy ride away from enjoying the top-notch facilities at its sibling hotels, Korali and Naia, and youre checked in for an exceptional retreat. Room and facilities While on the outside Kyma is true to its Cycladic roots all white-washed walls and cubist architecture inside the vibe is decidedly contemporary: think modern art, fine fabrics and designer lighting. Its looks also take their cue from the hotels name Kyma meaning wave in Greek thus oceanic blues and greens rule. As youd expect from a hotel of this five-star standing, rooms and suites are born with your every comfort in mind. Some even boast private terraces with pools or hot tubs overlooking those dazzling views of the Aegean Sea. I had the pleasure of staying in one of the Nissos suites. The bright white interiors created a serene atmosphere, while he rattan details and tropical wallpaper added an exotic and sophisticated touch. As for the king-size bed, flat-screen TV, Nespresso machine and well-stocked mini bar they were, all as you can imagine, used and thoroughly enjoyed. While the marble bathroom was not only suitably sleek and flowing with high-end toiletries and plush towels, the real highlight was the view from the balcony. Watching the sun set over the sea while sipping on my complimentary bottle of fizz was pure heaven. Food and drink Noa, Kyma's sole eatery, cant fail to delight. Located in the main area, guests can choose to either dine inside, or opt for a more relaxed vibe at one of the tables around the pool and DJ booth. Breakfast is a well-organised buffet featuring a wide array of options, including cooked eggs, breakfast meats, yogurts, cereals, fresh fruit and a good selection of pastries and bread. The staff are attentive from the moment you sit down, offering fresh juice and hot drinks right away. In the evening, Noa transforms into an ambient dining spot with the same impeccable service. Memorable starters include the sea bass ceviche, prepared with tomato, lime and quinoa, and the trio of Greek dips served with warm pita. For mains, I highly recommend the fish of the day. I had the sea bass (again), which was freshly filleted in front of us the manager did an excellent job, as not a single bone was found. Accompanied by vegetables and potatoes, it was incredibly fresh and delicious. Be sure to come with an appetite, as the portions are generous. Hotel highlights Surrounded by sunbeds and shaded cabanas, the pool deck is the heart of the hotel. It has an outdoor lounge and bar with a DJ booth, and the music hits just the right ambient note without being too imposing. The Satory Thalasso spa is a must-visit and not just for its five heated pools, but for its treatments, which are designed to re-energise you. I indulged in the CBD Relaxing Massage, a 55-minute session focusing on easing pain and inflammation while also aiding digestion, mood and sleep. It was pure bliss, and I slept like a baby that night. Additionally, Kyma offers a concierge service that can arrange a variety of excursions, including beach tours, horse riding, yachting and much more. Whether you're looking for adventure or relaxation, they have you covered. What to do nearby While the hotel is the perfect hangout for a quiet and relaxing retreat, it is also just a short ten-minute stroll from the island's thriving nightlife, making it ideal for those seeking a bit more action. Mykonos is often celebrated as the Greek party island, but there is so much more to it than that. The island is brimming with quaint boutiques, iconic whitewashed buildings, delicious foodie destinations and vibrant beach clubs. With its medieval fishing houses with colourful balconies that seemingly dangle over the water's edge, Little Venice is a must-visit. Not to mention the breathtaking sunset views. But its a popular area, so be early or book ahead to secure a sea-facing spot at one of the many cocktail bars. Doubles from 170 per night, myconiankyma.gr. Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission - learn more When summer arrives the temptation to buy a whole new wardrobes worth of clothes rears its head. Im guilty of splurging on multiple last minute holiday buys and new season trending items just to try and update my look. But the trick is to invest in just a few simple seasonal accessories instead and you can easily achieve the same effect. These are the four to know for 2025. Charm necklaces The quickest way to zhuzh up an outfit is to throw on some bling. My preference is always gold, but mixing metals works too and right now charm necklaces are a must-have. Look for ethereal marine themed pieces adorned with seahorses, shells and enamel coral and try a cord chain rather than metal links. The Portuguese brand, Parfois, stocks an unmatched selection of statement necklaces - youll be pushed to choose just one. Studded belts The revival of eighties dressing has come for your belts too: swap your plain thin version for a studded one. It will add just the right amount of edge to boho or cottagecore outfits and theyre not just to be worn with jeans. Cinch your faithful floral midi with one or wear it low slung around your hips over a white tiered maxi skirt. B rown suede bags If you buy one bag this summer, make it a soft chocolate suede style. Thanks to NY brands Khaite and The Row, slouchy, sumptuous brown arm candy is now all over the high street. Whats great about this accessory is that it will work well with autumn winter looks when the sun has gone. Clogs Put your best foot forward in this seventies revival shoe. Clogs, heeled or flat, are trending once again. And yes, this includes your faithful Birkenstock Bostons. Opt for styles with studs or embellishments in neutral beige, brown and black. The aim is to channel the chic French fashion house, Chloe. Millions of pensioners could now see their winter fuel allowance restored in time for Christmas after an embarrassing climbdown by Rachel Reeves. An announcement confirming the move is expected next week as part of the Chancellors much-anticipated spending review. Yet details as to how it will be implemented are embarrassingly scarce on the ground. Here, JEFF PRESTRIDGE answers the pressing questions that still remain over the winter fuel payment U-turn. Why is Labour making changes to its policy on the winter fuel allowance just a year after saying the universal pensioner payment, worth up to 300, was no longer affordable and had to be means-tested to fill a black hole in the countrys finances? Politics, nothing else. Dont be fooled, Labour hasnt suddenly fallen in love with pensioners again as evidenced by the insensitive comments of Pensions Minister Torsten Bell on Wednesday. He said last years crackdown on winter fuel payments had resulted in no effect on the health of retired people. As if the 42-year-old would know. The U-turn is driven purely by Labours poor performance in the recent local elections, with officials laying the blame for the partys awful showing squarely at the door of Ms Reeves and her ill-judged withdrawal of winter fuel payment from ten million pensioners. To resist the growing political force of Nigel Farages upstart Reform, a winter fuel payment rethink was deemed essential despite Ms Reeves repeatedly stressing that she was not for turning. So, what is happening? What we definitely know is that the qualifying criteria for the winter fuel payment will now be relaxed. It will no longer hinge on whether a pensioner (over the state pension age) is in receipt of pension credit, a benefit designed to provide a financial top-up to pensioners on low incomes. Last winter, the allowance could be claimed by pensioners in receipt of pension credit not those eligible for it (a subtle difference). Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves is expected to confirm the winter fuel allowance U-turn next week A pensioner living alone and existing on a weekly income of less than 227.10 (around 11,800 a year) qualified for the credit. A couple on a weekly income of less than 346.60 (18,000 a year) made them eligible. But they received the winter fuel payment on top only if they had applied and got pension credit. Many pensioners are reticent to apply for benefits (they dont want to feel like a burden on the state) but as soon as Ms Reeves announced her decision last July to end paying the winter fuel allowance, it triggered a rush of pension credit applications. Some 162,800 claims have since been accepted. Any more detail? Well, we also know for certain that a return to a universal winter fuel allowance is a no-go despite Reforms Nigel Farage calling for this to happen. What looks more likely is a payment scheme that only cosseted Treasury officials not living in the real world could have dreamt up. It involves restoring the allowance to all pensioners, but then taking it away from a slice of them through the tax system. In other words, giving with one hand, and then taking it away with the other. So, who will receive it and then lose it? Various options are being considered as you read this article more details of which will no doubt surface in the coming days. But one option that has already been given an airing is to give the allowance and then take it away from pensioner households with disposable income (thats income after tax) above 37,000. Those below 37,000 will keep it. Jeff Prestridge does not expect Rachel Reeves to still reside in No 11 Downing Street by the next General Election Why 37,000 and how many would receive the allowance and then lose it? Its the average disposable income of households in the UK. Five million pensioner households, it is believed, would end up receiving winter fuel payment, compared with the 1.5million who get it now (remember 11million plus received it before Reevess overhaul last year). So around 3.5million winners and at least five million plus pensioner households who will receive the allowance, only for it to be snatched away through the tax system (presumably through self-assessment, which will mean filing tax returns each year). For Labour, this solution will tick many boxes, the main one being that it will stop millionaires benefiting from a payment they do not need and other rich people using the allowance to part-fund holidays or gift to children or grandchildren. What are the drawbacks? Its complicated, will draw more pensioners into self-assessment for tax, and make self-assessment more traumatic than it already is. The time delay between the winter fuel payment being paid and the equivalent tax charge being imposed (at least six months) could also cause other issues which I imagine havent even been thought about by number obsessed Treasury boffins. As the Guardian reported on Wednesday, bereaved families of deceased pensioners could be pursued by tax officials to recoup winter fuel payments that had been paid to an elderly parent but who had then died before paying the corresponding tax charge. As one Labour source told the newspaper: We should never have scrapped the winter fuel payment in the first place, but the whole process of reinstating it has been completely chaotic. The optics of us demanding the money back from grieving families are dire. Are any other options being considered? Other ideas doing the rounds include linking the payment to pensioners living in homes with the lowest council tax bands and raising the threshold for pension credit. Will implementation of the winter fuel payment U-turn be in place in time for this year? Thats the idea although I wouldnt bet your house on it. If all goes swimmingly, payments will be received in November or December. Will you need to do anything? No. The Department for Works & Pensions has details of everyone who has hit state pension age and therefore eligible for winter fuel payment. Households with a pensioner under 80 receive 200 a year while homes with a person aged 80 and over receive 300. Will it be backdated to 2024? No chance. And will Ms Reeves fall on her sword for overseeing such an utter shambles? Of course not, although I would be surprised if she is still the occupant of Number 11 Downing Street by the time the next General Election is called. Rachel Reeves's pledge to restore fiscal stability and confine herself to one budgetary event a year is threadbare. When she delivers Labour's first full spending review next Wednesday, it will be her fourth visit to the dispatch box. As the Economist magazine remarked this week, it has been 'all pain, no gain'. Most of her difficulties can be traced back to the alleged discovery of a 22billion black hole in her public spending audit on July 30 last year. Reeves established a narrative, repeated by rote by her Cabinet colleagues, about a terrible inheritance. The number was contrived, in that the biggest element was a giveaway to public sector unions and railway workers, which brought a temporary truce. Struggle: Rachel Reeves's pledge to restore fiscal stability and confine herself to one budgetary event a year is threadbare The Chancellor has made a series of tactical and strategic mistakes. At that very first appearance at the Treasury, she sowed the seeds of festering political dissonance by withdrawing the winter fuel allowance from pensioners. A costed gain to the Exchequer of 1.4billion last year and 1.5billion this year has proved ferociously politically expensive. It is now to be partly reversed in the spending review with the fuel payments restored but taxed as income for better-off silver surfers. Reeves then created a new rod for her back in her first Budget in October. The impact of 40billion of tax increases, fuelled by the debilitating rise in National Insurance Contributions, caused a growth stammer. The fundamental error was in shaping the fiscal rules. Taxation and current spending would be broadly balanced. The Government would only borrow for investment. But by leaving herself so little room for error on current spending, 10billion of headroom, the Chancellor sprung a trap. She ignored Harold Macmillan's dictum, 'Events, dear boy, events.' The headroom detonated another booby trap. Reeves's third intervention came in the spring. She took the axe to welfare, most notoriously to personal independence payments (PIPs) for those claiming disability benefits. It started a debate about Labour values, which has exposed Reeves to pressure to restore 3.5billion of payments to families with more than two children. Which brings us to the spending review. Any hopes that this would be the moment for Reeves to repair struggling public services have been smashed. A downgrade to the Office for Budget Responsibility's growth forecast, surging defence spending, the U-turn on winter fuel and the rocketing cost of servicing the national debt mean the envelope for current spending is negligible, with overall increases confined to 1.2 per cent or so. The joy, such as it is, will come from the capital spending plans. We had a flavour of this earlier in the week when Reeves unsheathed 15billion of transport investment across the North. One cannot but think most of these are reheated plans already announced by her predecessors. Infrastructure is critical and the Elizabeth Line in London and HS2 activity around Birmingham provide graphic evidence of how bold schemes can generate growth. But axing a supercomputer project in Edinburgh, as the Chancellor did last July, hardly speaks to UK tech ambition. In conversation at the CBI this week, Reeves described herself as a 'wise old hen' among G7 finance ministers as elections have brought newbies to the table. Her fiscal fortitude is creditable. Further tax increases, having pledged not to come back for more, would be a deception too far. British Gas owner Centrica has sealed a 20billion partnership with energy giant Equinor to bring gas to the UK. Centrica will take delivery of 5bn cubic metres of gas a year up to 2035 and says the deal improves UK energy security as it works to build further gas storage. It comes as Rain Newton-Smith, the Confederation of British Industry boss, demands a serious plan to cut energy costs and invest in energy security as firms face crippling power bills and tax and wage hikes. Around half the UKs gas was imported from Norway last year, after a rise in demand following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Centrica boss Chris OShea said: Todays deal represents a significant investment in the UKs future. Shares in Wizz Air tumbled after the budget airline revealed engine problems had grounded a fifth of its planes. The low-cost carrier said profits tanked 62 per cent from 369million to 141million in the year to March 31 as more than 40 aircraft were out of action. And it continued to be affected by conflict in Ukraine and Israel two key markets. Wizz was upbeat as passenger numbers hit a record 63.4m but the shares plunged 27.9 per cent, or 467p, to 1207p, having peaked at 5500p in 2021. Chief executive Jozsef Varadi said: Wizz Air is a more resilient business today. Despite the unproductivity of a grounded fleet, we successfully delivered a second year of profitability. We have the benefit of more than a year of experience operating under unique circumstances conditions airlines would never experience when demand exceeds supply. Nosedive: Wizz Air said profits tanked 62% from 369m to 141m in the year to March 31 as more than 40 aircraft were out of action He said it had reached a transformation point in relation to its grounded planes. The Airbus planes have been affected by problems at Pratt & Whitney, the engine maker owned by aerospace and defence giant RTX, formerly known as Raytheon. The US manufacturer began recalling some engine models for inspection in 2023, prompted by concerns that there were contaminants in the powdered metal that was used in manufacturing. Wizz has been the worst-hit European airline, issuing two profit warnings in the last year. As many as 44 planes were grounded, it said. By early May, 37 were out of action a figure expected to shrink to 34 by the end of September. It takes around 300 days for engines to be checked and returned to service. But the problems are expected to drag on until at least 2027. Wizz secured a two-year compensation package with Pratt & Whitney last year and said the support would mitigate some, but not all, of the operational and financial impacts on the business. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: The airline described its past year as resilience and transformation, whereas the market reaction suggests awful might be a better word. Wizz used to be the aggressive growth player, with talk that it tried to buy Easyjet in 2021. The tables have turned and it is being left behind. With shares at a fraction of their peak, failure to resolve its problems could see Wizz turn from predator to prey. British investors pulled 449million out of UK equities in May as the FTSE 100s strong recent performance failed to drum up renewed appetite for London stocks. It was the smallest outflow since the end of last year and half the average seen during a dismal run for UK markets over the past three years. But nearly 4.5billion has been withdrawn from London-listed shares this year, says funds network Calastone. Edward Glyn, head of global markets at Calastone, said that while the UK market has been flirting with all-time highs, the recovery has not been enough to spur new buyers to reappraise the prospects for UK equities. He added: The relentless outflows represented a clear capitulation on hopes for UK shares. Its too soon to call an end to this trend, but a less negative narrative is a necessary first step. Overall flows into all equity funds remained positive in May but were sharply lower than in April, dropping by a billion to 525million. Calastone said it was a strong month for European funds but investors were more cautious on US and other global stocks. World markets were boosted by Donald Trumps retreat from his most extreme tariff positions, Glyn said. The new boss of Dr Martens plans to revive it by focusing on shoes and sandals as well as its boots. Ije Nwokorie, who took over as chief executive at the start of the year, said the narrow focus on boots failed to take full advantage of other areas of the business. He also said that Dr Martens must wean itself off an over-reliance on discounts. Were shifting our strategy to broaden our focus and give people more reasons to buy Dr Martens, said Nwokorie. The strategy the business had broke growth in boots, built awareness around the world but the market shifted away from boots. Dr Martens reported a slump in annual profits to 34.1million in the year to the end of March, from 97.2million a year earlier. But this was better than expected by City analysts and shares rocketed 25.8 per cent, or 15,45p, to 75.4p. The company expects profits to rise significantly this year. Britain's biggest steel maker has urged Labour to step up efforts to finalise a US trade deal as the industry remains saddled with double digit tariffs. Rajesh Nair, boss of Tata Steel UK, said a deal with Washington is needed 'as soon as possible'. There is growing frustration that an agreement made last month has yet to take effect. Additional steel and aluminium tariffs remain at 25 per cent. Suffering: Britain's biggest steel maker has urged Labour to step up efforts to finalise a US trade deal The UK, however, was spared a recent doubling of the rate to 50 per cent, which hit other countries. Doubt continues over whether Indian-owned Tata will benefit from either exemption. That is because it imports steel from sister companies in India and Europe for finishing in the UK. US rules state that steel must be 'melted and poured' in the country they are imported from. Nair said it was 'critical for our business that melted and poured in the UK is not a requirement to access the steel quotas in any future trade deal'. When I received the worst news of my life, my brother Toby was the first person I called. 'Luca's sick,' I sobbed down the phone. 'The doctors think it might be cancer. It's not looking good...' Luca was my one-year-old daughter. I was a single mother to her and her twin brother, Ryly. Toby, with whom I had always been close, had two boys himself, and one of them had recently been diagnosed with epilepsy, so he knew only too well how helpless and worried I was feeling. 'I'll come with you to the hospital,' Toby promised. And he was by my side when doctors confirmed the grim prognosis. Tests revealed Luca had a rare leukaemia-like cancer. Luca and I pretty much moved into the children's hospital for the next year while she underwent gruelling treatment and my parents looked after my son. Toby visited whenever he could. I was so grateful. Luca was often in pain and vomiting, but she loved uncle Toby and he seemed to always be able to cheer her up. Me and Toby had always been close. We are pictured here as children My twins Luca and Ryly absolutely adored their uncle Toby, and he was such a comfort to me when Luca became sick We were so relieved when Luca appeared to go into remission but our joy was short-lived, because within weeks the cancer was back and even worse. By then, Toby was working on a Pilgangoora mine site south of Port Hedland, Western Australia. 'Do you want me to come back?' he said when I called to tell him how bad things were. Not wanting him to lose money - or his job - I told him not to. So I was alone when doctors told me there was nothing more they could do. My baby girl died in my arms days later. Toby was one of the pallbearers at Luca's funeral. I don't know how I would have got through it without him. It was the saddest day of my life. He was an ongoing support to me in the days and weeks that followed, too. When he had to return to his job at the mine site, he still called and texted most days. One night he called and we spoke for hours. He listened to me cry and soothed me as much as possible. Toby (pictured) was a father of two and uncle to my twins, Luca and Ryly Troy Hausler (pictured), my brother's supervisor, fatally attacked him after falsely accusing him of being a 'kid fiddler'. Police investigated the claims and found them to be totally baseless 'I'll come and visit you and Ryly as soon as I can,' he promised. The next day, there was something on the morning news about a death at a mine site. My stomach lurched instantly but then the reporter named a different mine to the one where Toby worked, so I breathed a sigh of relief. Later that day, I took Ryly to my parents' place as they were going to have him for the night to give me some downtime. At about 10.30pm, I was home alone when there was a knock on the door. When I opened it, two police officers were standing there. 'Are you Toby Richter's sister?' one asked. Right then, I knew the TV news report had been about my brother. 'Is this about the death at the mine site?' I choked. 'Yes,' the officer said. I fell to my knees. While the police were able to confirm Toby had died at the mine site, they said they did not have any further information at that stage. It didn't seem real. To have lost two people I loved so much in such a short timeframe felt cruel and unfair. My parents rushed over and we comforted each other as best we could. At the time, I was working as a civilian police worker, so the next day I managed to get a briefing with a senior detective. They told me they had arrested Troy Hausler, Toby's supervisor, and charged him with murder. Then they gave me a full, horrifying summary of what they believed had happened. I learned that on the morning Toby died, Hausler had briefed him and the rest of his crew on their duties and the day had started without incident. Toby had gone to the crushing area as instructed, but soon after Hausler had followed and attacked him for no apparent reason. I lost my two-year-old daughter and my dear brother Toby in such a short timeframe (pictured: me, our parents and Toby) He then returned to the equipment area, got a pick-up truck and drove it back down the tunnel to where Toby's body was. As he wrapped Toby's body in a tarp, he was disturbed by another worker. Seeing Toby's legs sticking out of the tarp, this other worker thought they were having a joke and kicked them. In that moment, he realised it wasn't a prank: Toby was dead. The terrified mine worker ran to get another colleague. When they got back, Hausler had dragged Toby's body nearer the pick-up. 'It's s***, we've got to get rid of it, we'll throw it in the tip,' he said to one of the workers. To the other man, he added, 'It's rubbish.' Once the police had interviewed witnesses, I learned Hausler had made bizarre allegations the day before killing Toby. 'What are we going to do about Toby? You know I've got to look after my kids. Toby's a kid fiddler,' he had said to another colleague. The police told me they had a duty to investigate Hausler's claims my brother was paedophile. But I knew it was lies. 'You won't find a shred of evidence,' I told them. Not my kind, gentle brother. I was right - there wasn't a single grain of truth to what Hausler had said. It was a cruel, random and totally false accusation. Toby's autopsy showed he had bruising to his head, neck, torso and limbs, but also hardened arteries, which can indicate a heart condition. Because of this, the medical examiner could not pinpoint an exact cause of death. Hausler denied murder, at first claiming self-defence. Anyone who knew Toby knew he didn't have an ounce of aggression in him. He was strong, yes, but gentle. In July 2021, a month before the trial was due to start, Hausler displayed bizarre behaviour in prison and was transferred to a forensic psychiatric unit. The trial was postponed but finally, by September, he was fit to stand trial. I was devastated when I learned the prosecution had agreed to accept a manslaughter plea. They told me it was because the confusing autopsy findings meant it was impossible to tell if the assault or a possible heart condition had been the cause of Toby's death. Psychiatrists also agreed Hausler was suffering psychosis when he killed Toby. They couldn't prove he meant to kill my brother. I learned the prosecution had accepted Hausler's manslaughter plea weeks earlier, but nobody had bothered to tell us. I won an apology from the Director of Public Prosecutions herself for that, but it was no comfort for the shabby way we had been treated. In court in March 2022, Hausler admitted Toby's manslaughter and was jailed for seven years and three months, backdated to his arrest in November 2019. The non-parole period was five years and three months. In February this year, the victim notification register emailed me to tell me Hausler's parole had been approved. He had been released after just over five years. I don't know why Hausler killed my brother, but now they say he is well enough to be released into the community. My one consolation is knowing Luca isn't alone in heaven and her beloved uncle Toby is playing with her. People smugglers are moving migrants from France to the UK by hiding them inside cars on ferries - before the stowaways jump into lorries on the vehicle deck mid-way through the voyage. A former Border Force chief informed about the newly revealed smuggling method - illustrated today in a MailOnline graphic - described it as 'really useful intelligence' and said it may require improvements to security on ferries and at Dover. Lorries were the most common route used by stowaways before tighter security around ports and the Channel Tunnel prompted smugglers to change their tactics to favour small boat crossings. These have hit record levels this year, with 1,200 arriving by boat on Saturday alone. Migrants stowing away in lorries typically board them in northern France before remaining hidden until the vehicle has entered Britain. But the updated method, apparently pioneered by Albanian gangs, was described by one convicted people smuggler as 'easy' and 'low risk' because it only requires the smuggler to sneak their client onto the ferry inside the boot of their car. Once the smuggler has got to the ferry's car deck, the migrant jumps out of the vehicle and gets into a lorry, typically by slicing through the tarpaulin. The smuggler then passes the lorry's number plate to an associate in the UK who trails the vehicle after it leaves Dover and collects the migrant once it stops. The lorry driver has no idea of their involvement, but risks being fined up to 10,000 if the stowaway is found in their vehicle by officials. Your browser does not support iframes. There is often a large amount of traffic at the Port of Calais, making it hard for officers to check every car Ten suspected illegal migrants were discovered hiding in the back of a Spanish-registered lorry among crates of oranges on a motorway in Surrey in February 'Nick', a former British Army soldier who previously worked as a people smuggler for an Albanian gang, revealed the method on a new BBC podcast. Cars go through the UK border at Calais and can be examined by Border Force officers, but given the amount of traffic it is impossible for them to check everyone, Tony Smith, who led the agency from 2012 to 2013, told Radio 4's The Smuggler. 'In terms of manual checks, can you imagine how that would work during busy summer ferry crossings? They'd be an outcry from the tourism industry,' he said. Meanwhile, lorries are checked for stowaways in Calais and then pre-cleared for entry to the UK, Mr Smith explained. This means the vehicles are unlikely to be reexamined at Dover. Asked what Border Force could do about migrants getting into lorries mid-way through the Channel crossing itself, he replied: 'Nothing. There's nothing that Border Force could do about that because you've already been cleared for entry to the UK by the Border Force officer who examined your vehicle in France. 'What happens onboard the ferry when you're on the car deck is a matter for the ferry company, in terms of the security of the vehicles. 'You are going to disrupt trade significantly if you say you are also going to stop and search everybody at Dover. 'There are opportunities for us to divert lorries into sheds for secondary inspection if there is specific intelligence that the particular vehicle might be carrying prohibited or restricted goods for customs purposes. This graph compares the number of migrants found trying to sneak into the UK on vehicles and those arriving by small boat Migrants depart from the beach at Gravelines, northern France, on Saturday, on a day which witnessed the highest number of Channel arrivals in Dover for more than two and a half years Just under 1,200 migrants reached Dover on Saturday - the fifth highest number on record - after departing from beaches at Gravelines, France, pictured 'But the assumption of those officers in Dover, in terms of people smuggling, will be that the lorries have already been searched for people and there wouldn't have been somebody inserting people into a lorry during passage. 'So I think this is really useful intelligence of another form of mischief that might require us to look again at security at passage and at Dover.' Nick, who did not provide his real name, said he was paid 3,500 by Albanian gangsters for every migrant he managed to bring in. The Englishman was convicted and sent to prison in 2019, but said he wanted to speak out about the issue because he was jailed for a crime that was still possible to commit. He claimed to be aware of people who had used the same routes and methods as him within the past year. A Home Office spokesperson said: 'Since this smuggler was convicted over a decade ago we have worked closely with France to significantly strengthen security and checks at both ports, to disrupt and prevent smuggling via ferries. 'Evil people smugglers who threaten our border security and exploit vulnerable people will be caught and will face the full force of the law.' Nick's testimony comes a month after a watchdog report warned officials were missing opportunities to intercept migrants reaching the UK on lorries. The HM Inspectorate of Constabulary claimed the Government and NCA's focus on Channel crossings could 'lead to missed opportunities in other areas of immigration crime, such as clandestine vehicle entries'. Around 5,000 'clandestine entrants' were found last year at UK border controls in Calais, Coquelles and Dunkirk, according to a report by the immigration and borders watchdog. Inevitably, others would have managed to evade checks. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. The Home Office's Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Scheme handed out 1,276 fines worth nearly 10million in 2023/24 to drivers who were found with migrants hiding in their vehicles, either in northern France or after crossing into the UK. Despite the continuing risk of smuggling by lorry, the overwhelming focus remains on small boat crossing, with stubbornly high arrival numbers proving an embarrassment for the Government. Saturday witnessed 1,195 small boat arrivals - the fifth highest daily tally on record. It was also the first day to break the 1,000 barrier for more than two and a half years. Sir Keir Starmer's pledge to 'smash the gangs' behind the crossings has prompted derision from critics, who point out the need for a deterrent to prevent migrants from wanting to make the crossing in the first place. 'Land-grabbing' travellers were lucky not to have caused a catastrophic train crash after using huge diggers to build an 'illegal' camp feet away from a major high-speed railway line, an expert has warned. Villagers living in the sleepy community of Balderton were left horrified by the development of an unauthorised site right next to one the area's busiest rail routes. Builders arrived in force during the VE Day bank holiday weekend last month to convert a field off Bullpit Road, in Nottinghamshire, into the new camp. Excavators, diggers and large trucks were seen on the grassy plot, which was flattened and gravelled over in less than 72 hours - all without planning permission. One ex-soldier, who spent 22 years in the Royal Engineers before moving into health and safety and construction, said the works risked triggering a catastrophic rail crash. The Gulf War veteran, who lives locally, also chillingly claimed it was a miracle excavators did not damage the railway line or accidentally strike high-speed trains, which can race just feet from the new camp at a blistering 125mph. 'It brought a chill to my spine,' the retired Warrant Officer 1 told MailOnline. 'It's a busy line. The trains won't be able to stop, whizzing past the crossing at 125mph. 'It doesn't bear thinking about if you made a mistake. All it would have taken would have been for an excavator to have over-reached and hit a train passing. Then you would have had something really serious on your hands.' Your browser does not support iframes. With a matter of 72 hours, a field in Balderton had been converted into a new traveller camp Pictured is the entrance to the new traveller site, which is right next to the level crossing of one of the busiest high-speed railway lines linking London to Leeds The retired Royal Engineer - who was previously an instructor at the regiment's prestigious engineering school in Chatham, Kent - added: 'We would have had to jump through hoops for months with Network Rail to do what they did that close to the northern main line.' An enforcement notice was later served by Newark and Sherwood District Council on May 8 - days after the works began - ordering the unauthorised construction to stop. A retrospective planning application for ten individual pitches, each with a static caravan and touring caravan, and ancillary hardstanding, has since been submitted by the landowner. However, locals fear the new site will prompt house prices in the area to 'plummet'. And concerns have also been raised about the risk posed by the camp's access, which is next to a busy level crossing. Neighbours fear travellers turning into it could block the road, leaving drivers stranded on the tracks as the barriers come down. One local, who asked not to be named, told MailOnline they were shocked when the unauthorised encampment appeared. 'We felt sick. Your stomach drops out,' they said. 'We thought this was our forever home. We love the neighbours then suddenly they turn up and build a traveller camp right on our doorstep. It's going to reduce the value of properties around here.' Pictured is the former entrance to the old horse field off Bullpit Road in August 2021 The retired soldier - who during the first Gulf War in 1990 helped build runways for military jets in the Middle East - added he was stunned by the speed of the work at the field. 'I know how to move a lot of stone with a lot of tippers, bulldozers and excavators quickly. So, to do all this in 72 hours takes a huge amount of planning. It was literally like a military operation,' the engineer said. The development in Balderton is not the only one to have sprung up around the area in the past few weeks. A similar development took place north of the community, between the nearby villages of Weston and Egmanton. A huge 40-pitch caravan site was built over the Easter bank holiday in April without planning permission. The site, based on a field off the A1, was completed in a matter of days, with tarmac roads and fences. As well as roads built on the camp, locals said they had also seen septic tanks sunk, electricity and water illegitimately connected, and key drainage dykes filled to create the site access. Both the plots in Balderton and Weston appear to be latest in a trend exposed by MailOnline which has seen fields unlawfully developed into traveller sites. Groups across the UK have been accused of carrying out brazen bank holiday 'landgrabs' to rapidly build camps under the noses of council chiefs while their offices are closed. Your browser does not support iframes. During the bank holiday at the end of May, a six-acre field in Burtonwood, Cheshire, was transformed into a traveller camp within just 72 hours without planning permission A similar incident took place during the VE Day bank holiday weekend at the start of May in Blind Lane, near Petworth in West Sussex (pictured). A field was levelled without permission before caravans parked up on it Allegedly weaponising the national breaks, industrial diggers, excavators and lorries carrying gravel, are mobilised to rip up and pave over fields in protected green belts during 'deliberate and meticulously planned' operations. Cynically, the 'illegal' conversions are done without any planning permission, flouting development rules - with 'retrospective' applications later submitted to councils to allow the newly-constructed sites to remain. Since April, locations across the country have seen a sudden surge of developments - with the bulk taking place on the Easter, VE Day and late May bank holidays. An investigation by MailOnline has revealed similar unauthorised 'landgrabs' blighting villages and towns across Buckinghamshire, West Sussex, Nottinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Gloucester, Worcestershire and Cheshire. During a fiery village meeting about the new site in Weston, furious residents feared the area would not be able to cope with the sudden surge of travellers. 'There's 40 caravans, so maybe 160 people - we don't have a shop, we don't have buses, the school can't take them,' one person said at the recent public meeting, as reported by the Newark Advertiser. 'What are they going to do? It'll increase stress on services, and they'll be bored and get into anti-social behaviour and it will increase stress on the police. 'There's been noise and light pollution all night, and intimidation. When I first came here I never felt so safe I daren't leave my house because of this. I can't take it.' There is a large gypsy and traveller community around Newark area, with sites dotted across the district. Neighbours fear drivers could be left stranded on the busy level crossing if travellers are turning into their land through the entrance right next to the barriers However, the Labour-run authority overseeing the district is facing an accommodation crisis for its nomadic residents, with a recent assessment saying at least 169 new pitches need to be made by 2034 to house travellers. In a statement about the development in Bullpit Road, a council spokesman said: 'Newark and Sherwood District Council has been working diligently to find a solution to address the unauthorised development on Bullpit Road, Balderton. 'It is extremely disappointing that the occupants chose to ignore the requirement to secure planning permission and undertook construction works without permission and during the night. 'In an ideal world, the council would have the powers to step in straight away, stop the works, and clear the site. Sometimes we can do this, for example, if something is likely to be a danger to the public or create irreversible damage to a heritage building. 'But in regards to Bullpit Road, this isn't the case, and so we have to find another way to address the unauthorised development.' Network Rail confirmed it was not consulted prior to the work at the camp taking place, with the authority receiving its first notice on May 28 via the council. A spokesperson for the rail organisation said: 'We have received the consultation notice from the council and our teams are currently reviewing this planning application. We will submit our response to the council in due course.' Heinous attacks in Colorado and Washington DC show a new face of US political violence that's closer to last year's college campus radicalism than the Islamist extremism that has dominated terrorism in the last two decades, lawmen and experts told the Daily Mail. Chris Swecker, an assistant FBI director in the 2000s, and others said the recent spate of outrages, often aimed at Israelis or Jews, marks a departure from the global wave of jihadist violence of the 9/11 era. Recent strikes were instead inspired by the protests against Israel's war in Gaza that upended Harvard, Columbia, and other top schools in the months after Hamas militants launched their 7 October, 2023, raids, Swecker said. He spoke after an attacker tossed petrol bombs at supporters of Israeli hostage in Boulder, Colorado, and in the aftermath of a deadly shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington DC. The suspects in those attacks both yelled 'Free Palestine' before they were arrested echoing the chants from US college campuses and anti-Israel rallies in the months since fighting erupted there in October 2023. Together with the arson attack on the residence of Pennsylvania's Governor Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish, again over the Israel-Hamas war, they may showcase a paradigm shift in political violence in America. Swecker says the men behind these attacks were likely answering the calls to 'Free Palestine from the river to the sea,' and for a 'global intifada' that rang out across US college campuses under the Biden administration. 'The universities have become incubators and enablers,' said Swecker, who led the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division from 2004-2006. There's straight line between Harvard University's 'Free Palestine' rallies and the recent attacks on Jewish and Israeli-linked targets in the US, experts said Mohamad Sabry Soliman, 45, was likely motivated by campus rabble-rousers when he allegedly lobbed petrol bombs at pro-Israeli demonstrators in Colorado, experts said 'They are creating an environment that seems to be activating people on the fringes. They hear this coded language of 'Free Palestine,' and they're going to act on it.' He added: 'It's not subtle, we know what it means. It means we're going to kill Jews.' America's so-called 'student intifada' began in earnest at Columbia University last April and spread to some 60 campuses. Students, egged on by radical professors and outside anti-Zionist groups, erected encampments and brought campuses to a standstill as the Gaza war escalated. Some Jewish students described being attacked, harassed and intimidated. Activists say there's a disproportionate use of force in the decades-long territorial conflict. Hamas fighters killed some 1,200 and took 251 hostages during their raids on southern Israel that began on October 7, 2024. A few dozen remain in Gaza. In response Israel's assault on Hamas-run Gaza has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, flattened whole towns, left the population starving and sparked allegations of war crimes. Estimates of the actual death toll vary widely. That logic appears to have motivated Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, the married Egyptian dad-of-five accused of the Boulder attack. Police say he lobbed Molotov cocktails and used a homemade flamethrower to burn attendees of a Jewish demonstration in support of those taken hostage by Hamas, injuring a dozen. On Thursday he was formally hit with 118 charges including attempted murder, illegal use of incendiary devices, assault and cruelty to animals, with victims ranging in age from 25 to 88, as well as a dog. One of the victims was a Holocaust survivor. New York City Police Department arrest pro-Palestine demonstrators at a march in May 2024 Elias Rodriguez, the suspected shooter of an Israeli couple, had a record as a social justice warrior Rodriguez is believed to be responsible for the murder of Sarah Milgrim, 26, and her boyfriend Yaron Lischinsky, 28 He reportedly yelled 'Free Palestine' and 'end Zionists' during the attack. Still, he has not professed a link to ISIS or another jihadist group, and yelled political, not religious slogans, such as the 'Allahu Akbar' often associated with Islamists. Soliman faces federal hate crime and state counts of attempted murder that could see him caged for life. His wife and children, dependents on his visa, face deportation. There are similarities to Elias Rodriguez, the college-educated Chicago man accused of shooting and killing two Israeli Embassy workers outside a Jewish museum in Washington DC on May 21. Rodriguez likewise shouted 'Free Palestine,' and also held a red keffiyeh during the attack, it is claimed. His Latino, rather than Muslim, heritage, and long track record as a social justice warrior point to a political motivation. The 31-year-old was in the past aligned to the anti-war Answer Coalition, and the ultra-progressive Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) groups that led pro-Palestine rallies across the US, including on college campuses. He faces two counts of first-degree murder over the deaths of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky. The diplomatic workers were a couple; Lischinsky had bought a ring and was set to propose marriage to Milgrim on a trip to Jerusalem the following week. The trend may also encompass Cody Balmer, the man accused of setting Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro's residence ablaze in Harrisburg in April. The residence of Pennsylvania Gov Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish, was set ablaze in April, in another attack understood to be politically motivated Cody Balmer, 38, has been charged with the attack on Shapiro's residence, and allegedly wrote about the governor's 'plans' to harm Palestinians Chris Swecker, the assistant director who led the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division in the 2000s, says US 'universities have become incubators and enablers' of violence The 38-year-old is charged with attempted murder, aggravated arson, burglary, terrorism, and related offenses. Balmer wrote extensively about Israel's war in Gaza before the attack and reportedly described Shapiro as a 'monster' who had 'plans' to harm Palestinians. Balmer also has a track record of minor crimes, mental illness, and marital strife. Julio Rosas, author of Fiery But Mostly Peaceful, a study on far-left activism, said recent attacks show how radical groups are 'elevating their tactics' to stop Israel's 19-month-old assault on Gaza. Activist leaders regularly urge rally attendees to 'bring the war home to the United States' language that he says barely disguises a blatant call for violence. 'They've been protesting and marching, but the war in Gaza hasn't stopped, so they have to do more radical things to get what they want,' Rosas said. He blamed Answer, PSL, and the Democratic Socialists of America, which have staged protests both on and off college campuses, and which all describe themselves as non-violent movements. Those pro-Palestine campaign leaders 'overlap' with those who once coordinated Black Lives Matter, Antifa, and other far-left causes of recent years, he said. 'Whether it's Gaza, immigration, or George Floyd, the grievances they hyperventilate about are all the same,' he added. The Trump administration has cracked down on Columbia University and other US colleges that are accused of doing too little to stop antisemitism Israel's war in Gaza has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, flattened whole towns, and left the population starving, leading to allegations of war crimes 'It's white supremacy, colonialism, imperialism, capitalism.' Ian Miles Cheong, a social commentator and influencer, blames police, politicians and academics for keeping their 'hands off' the rabble rousers who've pushed their followers toward violence. 'Too few college administrations are willing to speak out against them because they're afraid of being canceled,' Cheong said. He, Rosas, and other conservatives praise the Trump administration for cracking down on campus activism, restricting visas for foreign students, and other steps to stop dangerous immigrants from entering the US. 'Protest is fine, but there's nothing peaceful about harassing Jewish students or blockading classrooms and libraries,' said Cheong. The fake husband of the Hawaii woman who triggered a nationwide manhunt after she went missing late last year has finally broken his silence for the first time since she was found safe and their sham marriage was exposed. Argentinian national Alan Cacace secretly married Hannah Kobayashi, 31, in Maui, in a $15,000 deal meant to secure him a US green card, weeks before she mysteriously disappeared last November. Speaking out for the first time exclusively to Daily Mail, Cacace revealed his fake wife had offered to refund him the money in exchange for his silence, hoping to keep the crime a secret after she vanished, but never paid up. The bombshell allegation adds a new twist to the bizarre saga of the aspiring photographer, whose disappearance made national headlines and even led to her father's suicide, only for her to be found safe - and at the center of an immigration scam. 'She's a terrible person,' he told the Daily Mail exclusively this week. For months, Cacace had been lying low in Argentina and not responding to media requests even after their phony marriage was exposed. He finally reached out to DailyMail.com after his short-lived wife broke her silence in an astonishing Instagram post last week. Kobayashi has not responded to Daily Mail's request for comment. Kobayashi, an aspiring photographer and Hawaii native who had kept a low profile since she was found safe in December, shared a video about 'loss' a reference to her father who killed himself while searching for her. Hannah Kobayashi's disappearance made national headlines last November and even led to her father's suicide, only for her to be found safe - and at the center of an immigration scam Argentinian national Alan Cacace, who secretly married Kobayashi for a green card in a $15,000 deal, claims she offered to refund him the money in exchange for his silence but never paid up She said that life is 'such a precious gift.. especially after such loss and pain and suffering. 'We should all learn to be kind to one another and cherish every single moment that we can because we are all connected.' In another video, Kobayashi told how 'grateful' she was for everyone who dedicated their 'time and energy' into looking for her in the international search. 'It means the world to me,' she said. 'Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.' Many comments on her post were supportive, as users expressed their relief that she was back home safely. But others accused her of being selfish with one user even asking her why she did not attend her father's funeral. 'You don't know the whole story,' Kobayashi replied. 'My intention in this post is to acknowledge that I am going to speak about my experience and to stand up against all the hate that was cast upon me,' she said. Kobayashi's comments didn't sit well with Cacace. Kobayashi spoke publicly about her father's untimely passing - six months after he killed himself while searching for her - in an Instagram video (left) shared last month Kobayashi's father Ryan (right), who participated in the search, committed suicide by jumping from a building near the same airport his daughter walked out of 11 days prior 'I just saw what Hannah posted,' he wrote in correspondence with a DailyMail.com reporter, who had reached out to him multiple times since November. 'That girl is sick,' he added. Cacace then explained why he hadn't responded to that point, sharing how she'd offered to pay for his silence. 'I didn't tell you anything before because in exchange for my silence she promised after everything she did to return my money,' he said, 'but I see that it was just another of her lies.' 'She's a terrible person,' he continued. 'I thought that after everything that had happened, she was going to do things correctly, but she lied to me once again.' DailyMail.com revealed the real reasons behind her disappearance in December, right after she came forward to declare she was safe and well. Much of the story was already in the news, how she was on her way to New York from her home on the Hawaiian Island of Maui, when she walked out of Los Angeles International Airport during a layover and disappeared. But DailyMail.com revealed that she was on her way to the Big Apple alongside Cacace, her new green card husband. Kobayashi sparked a massive manhunt after she was last seen leaving Los Angeles International Airport where she had a layover to New York Kobayashi was traveling with her ex boyfriend Amun Miranda on her way to New York City on November 8. They are pictured together at a 2023 Christmas party And on that same flight, Kobayashi's ex-boyfriend Amun Miranda joined them with his own Green Card wife Cacace's girlfriend, Marianne. Cacace and Marianne, both Argentinian nationals, had been visiting Hawaii and paid for the sham marriages to gain U.S. citizenship. It was no secret. She told co-workers about the arrangement and even offered to help set them up with their own lucrative sham marriages. After the wedding ceremonies in Maui, the twisted love square hastily arranged a trip to New York to hoodwink immigration officials into believing their marriages were genuine. They were planning to get loved-up pictures in front of the Empire State Building, in Central Park, or by the Statue of Liberty. But the dynamics of the group got complicated. Kobayashi's colleagues at a smoke shop in Maui previously told Daily Mail that she expressed mixed feelings about going on the trip feeling both excited by checking off a location on her bucket list where she could see relatives, but also frustrated that she'd have to share her flight with ex-boyfriend. Her coworkers also divulged that her cash cows in the form of Cacace and his girlfriend were also a point of contention for the formerly missing woman, who didn't want either of them coming on this trip. DailyMail.com later revealed Kobayashi had been on her way to the Big Apple alongside her new green card Argentina-native husband Alan Cacace, in a bid to hoodwink immigration officials that their marriage was real Kobayashi and Cacace married in October at Ho'okipa Beach on Mauii's north shore after the Argentinian immigrant paid her $15,000 The couple from Argentina had come to Maui's north shore for the beach lifestyle and higher-paying jobs. Kobayashi purportedly told them she didn't want to waste time taking photos but would reluctantly sacrifice one day of her weekly planned vacation to satisfy their wishes. She had also reportedly had a fight revolving around Marianne's jealousy that Kobayashi was marrying her boyfriend Cacace. Kobayashi's family reported her missing three days later after receiving cryptic text messages. Just a day before he was charged with murdering Pheobe Bishop, her housemate James Wood spoke of how the police investigation had taken a significant turn. Wood and his partner Tanika Bromley are the last-known people to see Pheobe alive when the couple gave the teen a lift to Bundaberg Airport on May 15. He insisted to Daily Mail Australia senior reporter Jonica Bray - who has been covering the mystery in Gin Gin for the last week - that he had done nothing wrong. But he sensed that, in the days before his final arrest, Queensland Police had shifted their focus from a missing persons case to a murder investigation. Pheobe had been staying with Wood and Bromley at their ramshackle rented house in the small town near Bundaberg for four months before she vanished. Wood told Bray they had given the teenager a lift to the airport about 8.30am on May 15 for her trip to Western Australia to see her boyfriend. But the morning was fraught with drama after she slept in, and when a row erupted in the car on the way to the airport, Wood said he and Bromley left her in the car to compose herself. When they returned less than 10 minutes later, she and her large, heavy luggage were gone, and they were unable to find any trace of her in the surrounding area. James Wood and his partner Tanika Bromley are the last-known people to see Pheobe Bishop alive when the couple gave the teen a lift to Bundaberg Airport on May 15 Pheobe Bishop (pictured with her mother Kylie Johnson) was staying with Wood and Bromley at their rented house in Gin Gin, near Bundaberg, for four months before she vanished Wood and Bromley were repeatedly quizzed by detectives over Pheobe's disappearance and subsequently charged with unrelated firearms charges. Police hit them with a murder charge each at about 8.30pm on Thursday - 22 days after Pheobe was last seen - and officers are now searching a 'vast area with unforgiving terrain' in central Queensland for the 17-year-old's remains. The couple's home and car, a 2011 silver Hyundai ix35 which Wood was recently living in, were declared crime scenes by police and pored over by forensic experts. 'I don't know when it changed [to a murder investigation],' Wood told Bray shortly before police arrested him and took him in for questioning for a seventh time on Wednesday. He would later be released without charge following an eight-hour interrogation, before being arrested again on Thursday evening and charged with Pheobe's murder. Wood also told our reporter: 'As far as I was aware, they were looking for my friend, my missing friend, and now they have stopped - and are looking at me.' Wood said he was asked if he wanted a lawyer in the days after Pheobe vanished but he declined then because he 'had nothing to hide' and willingly answered questions. Queensland Police slapped Bundaberg couple James Wood, 34 (left) and Tanika Bromley, 33 (right) with one charge of murder each 'I gave them my phone, I told them everything I knew, my car was declared a crime scene and then given back,' he said. 'Then they ask me to come in again and again... It got to the point where I went, "No, sorry."' Wood said his social media was shut down by police after he received more than 1,000 messages, adding: 'It's in the Washington Post, my name and my face... A friend from a different state saw it in the Washington Post.' Before his penultimate arrest on Wednesday, Wood told us his ordeal was not over, adding: 'My friend is still missing and no one is looking for her, I am still holding out hope she is going to come back.' Wood (pictured) insisted to Daily Mail Australia senior reporter Jonica Bray - who has been covering the mystery in Gin Gin for the last week - that he had done nothing wrong Wood told Daily Mail Australia he and Tanika Bromley gave Pheobe Bishop a lift to the airport about 8.30am on May 15 for her trip to Western Australia to see her boyfriend On Friday, Pheobe Bishop's older sister pleaded for information that would bring the missing teenager's remains home as cops revealed their suspicions her body had been moved multiple times after she was allegedly murdered. 'We just want her home,' Kaylea Bishop, 18, said tearfully through red-rimmed eyes outside Bundaberg Magistrates Court where the case was mentioned, but Wood and Bromley did not appear either in person or via video link. 'I don't know what to say, if you've got any information about Pheobe or the car, just come forward. 'Three weeks is too long for us as a family. She was loved, she's missed dearly.' On Friday, the girls' mother Kylie Johnson paid tribute to Kaylea for facing the media to speak up for her allegedly murdered sister. 'Kaylea your strength, determination and dedication to bring Phee Phee home is such a reflection of your fierce love for your sister,' Ms Johnson posted on Facebook. 'Pheobe would be so proud of the way you handled yourself today just as we are. We WILL bring Phee home - I dont care how long it takes but we will get her home.' Detectives earlier revealed they have been searching a 'vast area with unforgiving terrain' in central Queensland for the 17-year-old's remains. The facts are worthy of a 21st century crime novel: an ungodly priest murdered by an aristocrat seeking revenge; and a jury too scared to identify the perpetrators. But this is what happened nearly 700 years ago, when churchman John Forde had his throat cut in London's most prominent Medieval 'murder' hotspot - near St Paul's Cathedral. Now, records traced by an expert criminologist suggest the priest's murder was a revenge killing orchestrated by a noblewoman who is believed to have been his lover. Aristocrat Ela Fitzpayne allegedly directed four men - including her own brother - to cut down Forde in the belief that he betrayed her to the Archbishop of Canterbury. A letter sent in 1332 by the Archbishop, then Simon Mepham, accused her of having sexual liaisons with 'knights and others, single and married, and even with clerics in holy orders.' She was ordered to do a Game of Thrones-style walk of shame in bare feet the length of Salisbury Cathedral. Before their drastic falling out, Fitzpayne had Forde had also been partners in crime along with her husband; with the trio having raided a monastery together. The research was carried out by leading criminologist Professor Manuel Eisner, the leader of Cambridge University's pioneering Murder Maps project. Lena Headley as Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones. The character was forced to do a 'walk of shame' to atone for her sins The interactive database - which features Forde's murder - catalogues hundreds of unnatural deaths in London, Oxford and York in the 14th century. Digital copies of the coroner report in the Forde case, along with letters, have been published for the first time on Cambridge University's website. Professor Eisner said: 'We are looking at a murder commissioned by a leading figure of the English aristocracy. 'It is planned and cold-blooded, with a family member and close associates carrying it out, all of which suggests a revenge motive,' said Eisner. 'Attempts to publicly humiliate Ela Fitzpayne may have been part of a political game, as the church used morality to stamp its authority on the nobility, with John Forde caught between masters,' he said. 'Taken together, these records suggest a tale of shakedowns, sex and vengeance that expose tensions between the church and England's elites, culminating in a mafia-style assassination of a fallen man of god by a gang of medieval hitmen.' Forde was murdered as he walked up Cheapside near St Paul's on May 3, 1337. A fellow priest, Hasculph Neville, distracted him with 'pleasant conversation' and then four other men - including his lover's brother, Hugh Lovell - launched a frenzied attack. Lovell used a 12-inch dagger to slit open Forde's throat and then two other men - Hugh Colne and John Strong - stabbed Forde in his belly. Cambridge University's Medieval Murder Map is available online. Above: A marker showing the location of John Forde's murder near St Paul's Cathedral Although the jury identified all the assassins, they claimed to be ignorant of where they could be found. Jurors also noted that the Fitzpaynes had been in a longstanding feud with Forde. Professor Eisner said it was unlikely that jurors really did not know where to find the murderers. 'Despite naming the killers and clear knowledge of the instigator, when it comes to pursuing the perpetrators the jury turn a blind eye,' the expert said. 'A household of the highest nobility, and apparently no one knows where they are to bring them to trial. 'They claim Ela's brother has no belongings to confiscate. All implausible. This was typical of the class-based justice of the day.' Former Fitzpayne servant Colne was eventually indicted for the crime five years later in 1342, and imprisoned in Newgate the only charge brought in the case. The area of Westcheap, where Forde was slain, was London's most prominent medieval murder 'hot spot', according to the latest research. The original coroner report into the murder of John Forde A Medieval depiction of a woman attacking her husband Home to numerous markets, taverns and alehouses, and many powerful guilds, such as the goldsmiths and saddlers, it was a centre of trade and revelry and events could get out of hand . Triggers for violence in the area included quarrels between merchants or artisans and group fights between guild apprentices akin to turf wars between gangs. Records also show the area was the scene of several other premeditated revenge killings. Among the new evidence in the case of Forde's murder was the discovery of a letter from the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Simon Mepham, to the Bishop of Winchester. Written in January 1332, it claimed Ella Fitzpayne had sexual liaisons with 'knights and others, single and married, and even with clerics in holy orders'. She was punished by being banned from wearing gold, pearls or precious stones and had to pay large sums of money to monastic orders and the poor. But Fitzpayne also had to carry out a walk of shame in bare feet along the length of Salisbury Cathedral - which had the longest nave in England - while carrying a four-pound wax candle to the altar. The humiliation was made worse by the fact she had to repeat the walk every autumn for seven years. Forde was slain in the area of Westcheap, near St Paul's Cathedral It echoes the distressing sequence in hit book and TV series Game of Thrones, when leading character Cersei Lannister is stripped naked and forced to traipse through the streets as a form of public humiliation and atonement for her sins. Archbishop Mepham's letter also stated that Fitzpayne was led by a 'spirit of pride' and had abandoned her husband. A further letter sent in April 1332 claimed she was hiding in Rotherhithe and had been excommunicated. Only Forde was named in the letters as being her lover, suggesting his involvement in alerting the Archbishop to Fitzpayne's misdeeds. At the time of his death, Forde was the rector of the church of Okeford Fitzpaine, a village on the Fitzpayne family's Dorset estate. 'The archbishop imposed heavy, shameful public penance on Ela, which she seems not to have complied with, but may have sparked a thirst for vengeance,' Professor Eisner said. 'Not least as John Forde appears to have escaped punishment by the church.' Other records show that Fitzpayne, her husband Sir Robert and Forde had been indicted by a royal commission for raiding a Benedictine priory in 1321. The crew smashed gates and buildings, felled trees and robbed the quarry, seizing up to 18 oxen, along with 30 pigs and some 200 sheep and lambs and driving them back to the Fitzpayne castle, Stogursey. The priory had been an outpost of a French abbey and so was particularly vulnerable at a time of heightened tensions between England and France. Professor Eisner believes Forde may have had split loyalties - to the Fitzpayne family on one side and to the bishops, his bosses in the church. 'We know that Archbishop Mepham was keen to enforce moral discipline among the gentry and nobility, and act against those who displayed moral failings,' Professor Eisner said. 'Taking part in the raid would have shown Forde's loyalty to the Fitzpaynes rather than the church, which would not have gone down well with the Archbishop.' The expert believes Forde - under pressure following the raid - could have confessed his liaison with Fitzpayne. The Archbishop then ordered her humiliating punishment. Professor Eisner added: 'Public humiliation can have poisonous effects, breeding hatred and revenge in humans both today and in the distant past. 'Feeling humiliated motivates wars, extremism, mass killings, and here it's probably a motivation for assassination. 'Humiliation creates emotions of anger and shame in the short term. Over time this can harden into a desire for violence.' Although the Archbishop died in 1333, Fitzpayne waited until four years later before getting her revenge on Forde. 'The public execution style of Forde's killing, in front of crowds in broad daylight, is similar to the political killings we see now in countries like Russia or Mexico. It's designed to be a reminder of who is in control,' Professor Eisner said. 'Where rule of law is weak, we see killings committed by the highest ranks in society, who will take power into their own hands, whether it's today or seven centuries ago.' A new paper on the Medieval Murder Maps is published in Criminal Law Forum, and a series of podcasts are available, with each episode taking an in-depth look at an individual case, including that of Forde and Fitzpayne Jeffrey Epstein's lawyer has responded to Elon Musk's sensational suggestion that Donald Trump was involved in the late pedophile's crimes. In a bombastic social media post yesterday as their bromance came to an end, Musk made the inflammatory suggestion that President Trump is refusing to release the secret Epstein FBI files because he is 'named' in them. Epstein attorney David Schoen refuted his claim, insisting that Epstein told him he had 'no information that would hurt President Trump'. 'I was hired to lead Jeffrey Epstein's defense as his criminal lawyer 9 days before he died. He sought my advice for months before that. I can say authoritatively, unequivocally, and definitively that he had no information to hurt President Trump. 'I specifically asked him!' he said. It came as Epstein's right-hand woman, Ghislaine Maxwell, waited for the Trump administration to respond to her request for an appeal. In a letter on Friday, Solicitor General John Sauer requested more time to consider Maxwell's request. She is the only Epstein associate serving time in prison for their role in the late pedophile's sick network. Her lawyers and family are yet to appeal directly to the president. But former Trump friend and attorney Alan Dershowitz tells Daily Mail that he would be right to consider it. Elon Musk made the inflammatory suggestion that President Trump is refusing to release the secret Epstein FBI files because he is 'named' in them. Epstein's lawyer says that is not the case Jeffrey Epstein's lawyer, David Schoen, says the pedophile had 'no information to hurt President Trump' He believes the disgraced socialite's 'excessive' 20-year sentence should be commuted for her immediate release, and then a pardon. 'Certainly she should get a commutation. The sentence was way, way, way in excess of anything she was alleged to have done. 'She was in part a victim of Epstein. The fact that Epstein died made her a primary target and caused an excessive sentence to her. Some executive clemency is very much warranted in her case.' The former Harvard Law School professor has spoken out in the wake of the surprise pardons for TV reality couple Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were convicted of federal bank fraud and tax evasion charges in 2022. His remarks also come after DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that speculation is swirling over a possible pardon for Maxwell - who is doing time in a federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida - due to her past ties to Trump. One ultra-close source to the Maxwell family told us last week: 'It's not a bad idea to ask President Trump for a pardon. He knew her. He's probably got views about whether she's guilty or innocent.' Maxwell's freedom-campaigning brothers Ian, 69, and Kevin, 66, have not so far petitioned for a pardon or commutation, the family source told us. But they have not ruled out the possibility. The now U.S. Commander-in-Chief had innocently rubbed shoulders with Ghislaine Maxwell and late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein on the social circuit in Palm Beach and Manhattan in the 1990s and early 2000s Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence at FCI Tallahassee, with a release date of 2037; pictured on walking on the prison yard in 2022 If they want to makes those appeals, Dershowitz said petitions should be sent to the White House Counsel's office and the Department of Justice. 'And they should sent them to both places,' he emphasized. 'I believe there will be a lot of people who would support some executive clemency for her.' Maxwell, 63, was handed her sentence in 2022 after a lengthy New York trial. She was convicted of five counts relating to sex-trafficking for helping multi-millionaire financier Epstein abuse under-age girls around the world. She was immediately whisked to her low-security prison, where DailyMail.com has exclusively photographed her pounding around the facility's running track. The British socialite former pal of Prince Andrew lost her appeal in 2024 and in April this year her legal team filed a petition to the US Supreme Court. It claims she was covered by a 2007 non-prosecution agreement for any Epstein co-conspirator. Epstein, who operated his sickening trafficking empire from his Manhattan townhouse, Palm Beach mansion in Florida and private island in the Virgin Islands, killed himself in jail in 2019 to avoid facing justice. His death meant Maxwell then became the prime focus for his crimes, Dershowitz asserts. 'People do realize that she has become the scapegoat for Epstein himself... that had Epstein been alive he would have been the centerpiece of the prosecution,' he says. Prominent defense attorney Alan Dershowitz, who represented both Trump and Epstein, told DailyMail.com Maxwell deserves clemency The former Harvard Law School professor has spoken out in the wake of Trump's sensational pardoning of Todd and Julie Chrisley 'And she would have been relegated to a relatively minor role. But now she's the only one left. And so she's gotten to play center stage and that resulted in a way excessive sentence.' Maxwell and the current Commander-in-Chief were famously photographed together at high society events in Manhattan and his 'Winter White House' Mar-a-Lago compound in Palm Beach in her heyday. Regarding any appeal for total clemency, Dershowitz says: 'I think that's up to the president whether it should be a commutation or a pardon. 'But I think the first step should be a commutation and a release from prison. Then there could be consideration of a full pardon later. 'Otherwise there's a risk. She could die in prison. She's not a young woman and she's not in the best of health, she's under terrible circumstances. 'A commutation would be the right first step, then there could be consideration of a full pardon later.' Dershowitz was on Epstein's legal team when the pedophile served a cushy 13 months in Palm Beach County jail for soliciting minors for prostitution in a sweetheart deal that allowed him to leave daily for 'work release'. The heavyweight lawyer was also on the team that successfully defended OJ Simpson in his 1995 murder trial over the killing of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. Sources tell DailyMail.com the Maxwell family is holding out hope that Ghislaine could be next, following Trump's sensational pardoning of Todd and Julie Chrisley (pictured) who were convicted of federal bank fraud and tax evasion charges in 2022 Todd Chrisley addressed the media for the first time since his release during a news conference last Friday in Nashville, Tennessee Wearing a hot pink MAGA hat, Savannah told TMZ that she is 'so grateful that I'm going to leave here with my dad' after an 'insane' two years of her trying to get him and Julie freed He met Maxwell 'half a dozen times, I wouldn't say we were friends, we were acquaintances' during the time he was representing Epstein in Florida. TV couple the Chrisleys were released from prison on May 28 following Trump's full pardon over their 2022 conviction for a $30million bank fraud and tax evasion. Their release came after 27-year-old daughter Savannah's passionate Fox TV interview with the president's daughter-in-law Lara Trump. President Trump told MAGA-supporter Savannah her parents 'don't look like terrorists' and privately conveyed he thought they'd been treated unfairly. In Maxwell's case, any thought of unfairness remains overshadowed by Epstein's hideous crimes. Adding to the complexity is the historic Trump connection to both of them. The Commander in Chief innocently rubbed shoulders with Epstein on the social circuit in Palm Beach and Manhattan in the 1990s and early 2000s. He was photographed with him and one video from 1992 shows them sharing a joke as women danced at the Mar-a-Lago estate. Speculation is now swirling over whether President Trump could potentially pardon another infamous inmate from his social orbit, Ghislaine Maxwell President Trump told New York magazine in 2002: 'I've known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. 'He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.' However after Epstein's dramatic 2019 arrest at Teterboro Airport, New Jersey following a trip to Paris, Trump said at the White House: 'People in Palm Beach knew him, he was a fixture in Palm Beach. 'I had a falling out with him a long time ago. I don't think I've spoken to him for 15 years. I wasn't a fan.' He emphasized he had no idea of Epstein's crimes before his arrest. President Trump and Maxwell were also photographed together as they socialized at events. First Lady Melania appears in at least three shots with them before her 2005 marriage. The most bizarre was taken at supermodel Heidi Klum's 'hookers and pimps' themed Halloween party in October 2000. It shows President Trump with his arms around a smiling Melania and Maxwell, who is dressed in a bleach blonde wig, leopard print jacket and gold leather pants. Prince Andrew was also at the event. Maxwell acted as a 'madame' for Epstein, recruiting vulnerable young girls from the West Palm Beach area to give Epstein 'massages' at his $20million mansion Maxwell was convicted on December 29, 2021 on five of the six counts she faced for helping the late financier and convicted sex offender sexually abuse underage girls Earlier that year, blue-suited Trump, Melania, casually-dressed Epstein and Maxwell sporting a bare midriff and back in a blue top with gold tassels posed for the camera at a Mar-a-Lago event. And in September 2000, Melania, Trump and Maxwell were snapped together at Anand Jon's fashion show in New York City. Two years later the current President and First Lady were photographed with Maxwell and British supermodel Naomi Campbell at the opening of the Dolce & Gabbana fashion house. Maxwell vanished after Epstein was arrested but was eventually seized in a dramatic FBI raid on her secluded hideaway in a deeply rural part of New Hampshire. Following the swoop, President Trump said of her: 'I met her numerous times over the years, especially since I live in Palm Beach, and I guess they lived in Palm Beach. But I wish her well, whatever it is.' Maxwell was a fixture at Epstein's notorious private island of Little St. James in the US Virgin Islands, where he helicoptered in under-age girls to sexually abuse in a years-long reign of vile crimes. She was also a regular on his private Boeing 727 jet, dubbed the Lolita Express, which carried Andrew and former President Bill Clinton among a host of other names, according to flight logs. Crucially she acted as a 'madame' for Epstein, recruiting vulnerable young girls from the West Palm Beach area to give Epstein 'massages' at his $20million mansion in ritzy Palm Beach. There, he would abuse them. One was tragic Virginia Giuffre, who was working as a locker room attendant at Mar-a-Lago when she said Maxwell approached her in the mid 2000s. She said it led to years of harrowing abuse where she claimed she was 'passed around like a platter of fruit' to Epstein's powerful associates. Giuffre, known as Roberts at the time, alleged one was Prince Andrew famously photographed with his arm around her in Maxwell's London home with the socialite in the background. The royal has consistently denied her accusations, although did pay her a reported payout of up to $16million in 2022. Despite attempts to build a new life in Australia, mother-of-three Giuffre's marriage collapsed and the 41-year-old killed herself at her home on May 1 this year. Elon Musk has peddled a wild conspiracy theory that President Donald Trump has been replaced by a body double as the pair's friendship publicly implodes. The Tesla CEO and commander-in-chief went head-to-head today in a war of words after Musk turned on the president with a flurry of insults over his 'big, beautiful Bill'. The pair exchanged heated insults, but the controversy escalated when Musk hinted that his former pal may have been replaced by someone else. 'Where is the man who wrote these words?' Musk wrote, retweeting a post that detailed several occasions where he praised Trump and his policies. 'Was he replaced by a body double?' The body double rumor is not new to politics, with many conspiracy theorists routinely alleging that Russian leader Vladimir Putin has been replaced by one. There was also a baseless rumor that a body double was appearing in place of First Lady Melania Trump at public events. Melania's appearance as she stood by her husband's side to cast her vote in West Palm Beach, Florida on election day sparked conspiracy theories. Elon Musk peddled the wild conspiracy theory that Donald Trump has been replaced with a body double as their bromance implodes Some people online erroneously claimed the 54-year-old mother-of-one was swapped with a body double for the cameras, with some pointing to the large sunglasses she wore indoors. The wild theory came as Musk and Trump's once-rosy bromance erupted into all-out war on Thursday as the Tesla founder continually laid into the president's 'Big Beautiful Bill.' Musk issued a flurry of attacks on Trump and his signature legislation on his X platform, including the ultimate insult as he claimed Trump was in the Epstein files. The businessman also cited Trump's past opposition to raising federal spending as he urged Republicans not to pass the bill, in one post questioning: 'Where is this guy today??' Trump asserted that he asked Musk to leave his administration and said the billionaire went 'CRAZY!' amid their spectacular falling out. 'Elon was "wearing thin," I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!' he wrote on Truth Social. The president then threatened to pull SpaceX and Tesla's government contracts. 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!' Trump wrote. The Tesla CEO and commander-in-chief went head-to-head today in a war of words after Musk turned on the president over his 'Big Beautiful Bill' Trump took a brutal swipe at Musk's mental health and said the billionaire went 'CRAZY!' amid their spectacular falling out Musk then taunted Trump to act, writing, 'This just gets better and better,' he wrote. 'Go ahead, make my day ' On Thursday afternoon, Musk escalated their fight and claimed that Trump is 'in the Epstein files.' He also suggested that Trump should be impeached - and replaced with 40-year-old Vice President J.D. Vance. Musk announced that it was 'time to drop a really big bomb.' '@RealDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,' Musk wrote. 'Have a nice day, DJT!' Trump didn't directly respond to Musk's Epstein charge, instead posting what amounted to a shrug on Truth Social, while also continuing to back the 'big, beautiful bill.' 'I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago,' Trump wrote. 'This is one of the greatest bills ever presented to Congress.' Musk then suggested Trump be impeached and warned his tariff policy would create economic turmoil. X User Ian Miles Cheong wrote: 'President vs Elon. Who wins? My money's on Elon. Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him.' 'Yes,' Musk responded. He then separately posted, 'The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year.' It didn't take long for Elon Musk and Donald Trump to turn on each other in spectacular fashion. After months of bromance and buddying-up, their relationship exploded in a bitter war of words on Thursday that has now left GOP faithfuls torn between the world's richest man and the president. Among the most shocking escalations was Musk calling for Trump to be impeached after linking him to Jeffrey Epstein, while the president was urged by loyalists to 'deport' the South Africa-born billionaire. The clash, which began over Musk's opposition to Trump's 'big, beautiful bill', also prompted the president to suggest that Musk's multibillion-dollar government contracts should be ripped away. In a possible sign of cooling late Thursday night, however, White House aides had reportedly scheduled a Friday call between the two men in an attempt to broker peace. And, in a potential olive branch, Musk replied to a post on X, from billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, pleading for a reconciliation 'for the benefit of our great country' and warning that 'we are much stronger together than apart.' Musk's response was brief but telling: 'You're not wrong.' But amid the bombastic break-up, party loyalists in DC have been left scrambling. The bromance of MAGA dreams came crashing down on Thursday as Elon Musk and Donald Trump turned on each other in spectacular fashion Emily Wilson, better known as Emily Saves America in MAGA circles, added that although she 'doesn't agree with doing this publicly and it's not a good look for us... compared to Democrats, our party at least goes for it.' Speaker Mike Johnson stressed to reporters that the spat with Musk is 'not personal' and that, despite his failed attempts to get ahold of the Tesla owner, the GOP's Big Beautiful Bill Act will proceed through Congress Many have, of course been quick to saddle up to the man in charge - but not everyone is falling in line. Late last night, the Daily Mail took a snap poll from the MAGA world elite. The loudest voices were perhaps the most unsurprising. 'I'll be on the side of the guy that took a bullet for his country. Simple as that,' CJ Pearson, a conservative activist and co-chair of the Republican National Committee Youth Advisory, told Daily Mail. It wasn't quite as clear cut a decision for the lawmakers in DC. A panicked Speaker Mike Johnson announced he was urgently trying to reach Musk on the phone. He never got hold of the mercurial business leader. 'Elon is a friend. I texted him, called him this morning as we were scheduled to speak, and we haven't yet,' Johnson told reporters Thursday evening, while carrying a baby belonging to one of his staffers. 'Look, I know all of you are very concerned about [Musk's] tweets, but I think the American people are concerned about things that really matter, and that is making their taxes low, making their economy work, making the border secure, making energy dominance a big thing again, and that's what our bill is going to do. 'And that's what I'm focused on, and the really important things in life.' Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna said she doesn't believe Trump is in the highly anticipated FBI report on Epstein Just last week Trump held a ceremony in the Oval Office celebrating Musk's accomplishments at DOGE Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was careful with her words, offering a somewhat tepid pushback to Musk The speaker called Trump's massive tax and spending cuts bill - currently making its way through Congress - a 'historic step forward', despite the fact it is largely to blame for the war between Trump and Musk, with the Tesla boss being very vocal in his opposition toward it in recent days. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was also careful with her words, offering a somewhat tepid pushback to Musk on Thursday. 'This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted,' she said. Meanwhile, rank and file Republicans were shocked by a spat that has quickly turned personal. Indeed, Musk went so far as to outrageously claim that Trump won't release files related to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein because he is 'in the files'. Musk has also wildly said the president should be 'impeached'. 'Clearly the bromance is over, I'm just trying to figure out what the hell happened,' New York Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis told the Daily Mail. South Carolina Republican Rep. Ralph Norman admitted he was sad to see the dispute. 'You got two, two high profile, strong ego leaders, and in some way this is probably bound to happen,' he said. 'But it's sad, really. It's really sad.' Others even called publicly for the two men to reconcile. 'With @realDonaldTrump and @elonmusk, we have the best chance to save America, save the world, and bring lasting prosperity,' Rep. Beth van Duyne, R-Texas, posted on X. 'We all have differences on the One Big Beautiful Bill, but work together to make it better and then work together on the next important reforms to fight.' Raquel Debono, 28, known for leading the 'Make America Hot Again' movement, said jokingly: 'I guess Trump's not invited to Mars anymore' Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., the leader of the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, said she does not believe Trump is in the Epstein files, as Musk suggests Addressing some of the more salacious claims made by Musk, leader of the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, said she doesn't believe Trump is in the highly anticipated FBI report on Epstein. 'The fact is I do not believe that President Trump is in the Epstein files,' she said. Her task force has been working with the Trump administration for months to get the files on the late pedophile released publicly. Meanwhile, Tennessee Republican Tim Burchett reasoned that if the president were in the files, the Democrats would have used it as leverage already. 'Honestly, if any of that stuff was true on Trump, don't you think the Biden administration would have brought it out? I mean, that's just ridiculous,' he said. There is no suggestion or proof Trump ever was on Epstein island, or flew on his plane. Rep. Luna also shot down Musk's call for Trump to be impeached: 'I don't think the president should be impeached.' Outraged, Texas Rep. Troy Nehls demanded Musk stop attacking Trump and said 'this tit-for-tat going back and forth, isn't helping... stop. You've lost your mind.' But not everyone has stayed loyal. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has received support from the ex-DOGE leader for his opposition to Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill Act', split slightly with Musk on Thursday, saying the president should not be impeached. But he insisted he still respects the Tesla boss. 'This is the language Trump speaks in. [Musk] is speaking it back to him,' Massie said. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) went a step further and controversially called Musk a 'genius', adding: 'Words, to me, don't matter. It's what he does.' Over in the 'MAGA influencer-sphere' the verdict seems undecided. Influencer Emily Wilson, better known as 'Emily Saves America' in Trump circles, said that though she 'doesn't agree with doing this publicly and it's not a good look for us... compared to Democrats, our party at least goes for it. 'We go with what we think and feel, we don't just fall in line with each other. I feel like Democrats are all shady and do everything behind closed doors and eat their own.' Raquel Debono, 28, who runs 'Make America Hot Again' speed dating events, added jokingly: 'I guess Trump's not invited to Mars anymore.' While commentator Arynne Wexler said, 'we all lost today', as she rebuked the two men for spatting like Real Housewives. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has received support from Musk for opposing the most recent Trump-backed bill, admitted that Trump should not be impeached as Musk has said Commentator Arynne Wexler said 'we all lost today' as she rebuked the pair for spatting like Real Housewives Conservative activist Robby Starbuck asserted MAGA is stronger 'with Trump and Elon working together,' and shared hopes for the pair to bury the hatchet. He said: 'Elon is right to want a balanced budget and Trump is right to want his signature legislation. 'Remember, our founders in America did great things, often fought and later made up. This doesn't need to be a breakup if they let cooler heads prevail.' Trump, for his part, has said Musk was 'wearing thin' and had become pedantic in his obsession with the 'beautiful big bill'. The president threatened Musk with contract cuts and has been urged by some to 'deport' South Africa-born Musk, despite his naturalized citizen status. Former Trump chief White House strategist Steve Bannon said Thursday that Musk should have his immigration status probed amid the feud. 'They should initiate a formal investigation of his (Musk) immigration status because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately,' Bannon told the New York Times. New York Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis told the Daily Mail she believes the 'bromance' between the two leaders is over Former Trump White House strategist Steve Bannon suggested that Elon Musk should be deported on Thursday Musk holds U.S., Canadian, and South African citizenship, and has denied a Washington Post account that earlier in his career he worked in the U.S. illegally. Political commentator Joey Mannarino told Daily Mail that the coming days will be tough for Republicans because 'both these guys are so central to the MAGA movement.' 'When that [Epstein] tweet came out from Elon, that's when we know this thing was not a staged fight and was the real deal. That is a really hard line to cross, and I don't see how you put the toothpaste back in the tube,' Mannarino said. 'Without Elon, we wouldn't have X and most of the people commenting on this would be on some obscure telegram channel. Without Trump, we'd still literally be the party of Mitt Romney,' an undecided Mannarino said - perhaps speaking for many GOP members suddenly finding themselves on the fence. This week masked police officers armed with pickaxes, shovels and even a mechanical digger could be glimpsed working their way through a neglected patch of Portuguese scrubland. Only a distinctive blue tent the sort used in forensic searches hinted at the troubling nature of their mission. Dotted with ramshackle barns and roofless cottages, littered with old food wrappings and empty bottles, this derelict stretch of coastline felt a world away from the carefully tended sunbeds and parasols of the Praia de Luiz beach resort just a few miles away. Praia da Luz was, notoriously, where three-year-old Madeleine McCann went missing some 18 years ago and this neglected wasteland is where today her final traces might just possibly lie. Watching from just a few feet away, I sensed an air of determination, desperation even, as German and Portuguese officers turned the soil and broke off sections of the crumbling buildings in a search that once again had the world transfixed. At one point, a 20,000 ground-penetrating radar was brought in, capable of locating items buried as much as 15ft below the surface. Finally, last night, officers packed up their equipment, folded the blue tent and embraced each other in farewell and this latest search for Madeleine and what might have become of her drew to its conclusion. Let us hope it yields results. Why such energy? And, crucially, why now, after all this time? Your browser does not support iframes. Madeleine McCann went missing in 2007 while on holiday with her family in Portugal The answer is as simple as it is troubling: Christian Brueckner, overwhelmingly the most likely suspect for Madeleines abduction and probable murder, is about to leave jail in Germany, having served his time for the violent rape in 2005 of an elderly woman nearby on the Algarve, for which he was convicted in 2019, receiving a seven-year sentence. And unless the German authorities can find a good reason to hold him in relation to Madeleine, they fear Brueckner might well slip from their grasp destroying any chance of discovering the little girls fate. Despite the millions of euros spent and the relentless global publicity, investigation after investigation into Madeleines disappearance has stalled or failed since the dreadful night in 2007 when she was abducted from the McCanns Ocean Club holiday apartment. Years passed with few useful leads and many thought the case had in effect been abandoned altogether, when, in June 2020, the German authorities came forward with a bombshell. Prosecutors announced they had a prime suspect for the abduction and murder of Madeleine McCann. He was Christian Brueckner, a convicted German paedophile and rapist. His personal and criminal profiles fitted known facts. It had been established that Brueckners mobile phone had been located close to the Ocean Club the night Madeleine vanished. Back then, Brueckner was living in a single-storey house on the outskirts of Praia da Luz. Crucially, his VW campervan was known to have been parked on this stretch of scrubland when Madeleine disappeared in 2007. German police also had the powerful testimony of an informer called Helge Busching, a former friend of Brueckner who claimed the paedophile had confessed to him a year after the three-year-old went missing. Rapist and paedophile Christian Brueckner is the prime suspect in the disappearance Most chillingly, according to Busching, Brueckner had said that it was strange Maddie didnt scream when he had abducted her. Five years on from that shock announcement by the German authorities and despite their belief that Brueckner is guilty no charges have been brought. Hence the dilemma facing the Germans. In three months time, 48-year-old Brueckner will be released from Sehnde prison outside Hanover. It prompted this weeks frantic searches, which have involved a team of 30 officers from the BKA, the German equivalent of the FBI, joining their Portuguese counterparts at Atalaia, as this stretch of scrubland is known. The rubbish-strewn, graffiti-covered buildings that have been at the heart of the investigators search are linked by a network of dusty tracks that join a footpath known in Portuguese as the Fishermans Trail. Connecting Praia da Luz with the nearby town of Lagos, the track is popular with British holidaymakers. This week, however, tourists found their way blocked by blue and white police tape as detectives scoured the derelict buildings and two abandoned wells nearby drained earlier by firemen. Yesterday, as on previous days, I watched as officers used chainsaws and strimmers to cut back the dense foliage, exposing crumbling masonry and sandy earth, before getting to work with spades. A couple of Portuguese police officers had even slept in a van parked overnight to guard the site. Throughout the day, plastic boxes of soil and detritus were taken to the blue tent for further examination. The Mail understands that the expensive ground-scanning radar was brought in not to look for a body but to see if items of clothing, perhaps Madeleines distinctive pink Eeyore pyjamas, had been buried there. A distinctive blue tent hinted at the troubling nature of the search Quite how material that has lain underground for more than 18 years could have survived is hard to imagine. When the Mail spoke to Portuguese police officers at the scene, they seemed less than optimistic. One officer rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders when asked what they hoped to find. Yet hope is surely the right word. After all, it was a quarter of a century ago that Brueckner first washed up here in his battered VW T3 Westfalia campervan. He would earn a bit of extra cash from odd jobs in and around Praia da Luz and at the Ocean Club complex. Its known, too, that Brueckner had form for breaking into rooms, stealing passports and valuables from the guests. He was no mere petty thief. In addition to his 2019 conviction for the rape of 72-year-old American pensioner Diana Menkes in 2005, Brueckner has been accused of three more rapes and two indecent assaults in the area between December 2000 and June 2017, involving five women and girls. The oldest of his alleged victims was 80, the youngest aged just ten. In 2019, one of the men who gave evidence against him for the rape of Diana Menkes was that informer, former roofer Helge Busching. When Brueckner confessed to him in 2008 while they were at a festival together in Spain, Busching says he contacted the McCanns private detective, Dave Edgar, to tip the family off but heard nothing back. Eventually, in 2017, Busching called Operation Grange, the taskforce set up by the Metropolitan Police to investigate Madeleines abduction. Scotland Yard deemed Buschings evidence of the greatest importance and questioned him at length that same year. Busching spent more than three days answering questions in an Athens hotel room. Police have been searching various abandoned buildings The information was passed to the German police, who then began looking into Brueckner in earnest. Soon although tragically late given a decade had already passed since Madeleines disappearance the pieces of a quite appalling jigsaw started falling into place. Brueckner, of course, was already known to German police. They were aware of a hoard of thousands of vile images that officers had discovered in 2016 in a disused factory owned by Brueckner to the east of Hanover. There has even been a suggestion that one of the images unearthed in the factory might have been of Madeleine herself. Childrens toys and clothes, including girls swimsuits, were also found, as well as photographs on hard drives, a laptop, USB sticks and memory cards, all hidden inside a Lidl bag and in a final macabre touch buried under the body of a dead dog that had belonged to the paedophile. The sickening stash included messages swapped with other child abusers including a telling phrase: Brueckner revealed his dream was to capture something small and use it for days. This week Busching spoke to the Daily Mail saying: That man is evil. Hes bad and he deserves to stay behind bars. I know he is capable of taking Madeleine and I told Scotland Yard and the German BKA the same thing. When he said she didnt scream we were talking our language, German, and I could tell from his voice and gestures what he meant. There is no misunderstanding. I just pray to God that they find something to keep him in jail. The BKA wouldnt spend all this money to send a team to Portugal if they didnt think it was worth it. They have to find something because time is running out. Brueckner could go free in September and, if he does, he will disappear and justice will not be done. There has to be some hope for Madeleines parents. I am convinced Brueckner is involved. This week Brueckner confirmed that he planned to leave Germany on his release, claiming that he was now better known than a colourful dog. His legal team have already suggested he could move to the Far East or South America. As prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters told the Mail: We know we are running out of time and if he goes abroad, it will be difficult to charge him. We are convinced he is the man responsible, we just need time to build our case so that we can bring charges. But even if he does go free, the case will go on. We will not stop investigating. The German public, too, is gripped. The popular tabloid Bild headlined its coverage: Its now or never. One possible chink of light for prosecutors is that Brueckner, 48, has outstanding fines from 2016 for forgery and motoring offences totalling 1,500 euros. If they are not paid and his legal team insist he is broke then he will remain in jail until January 6. Given his revolting record his first conviction for child sex abuse was when he was just 17 the authorities will hope to be granted a few extra months to investigate a man who has been described by a psychiatrist as being at 99 per cent on the scale of dangerousness. As yet another painstaking investigation comes to an end and the Mail understands that little positive has been found so far one can only imagine the fresh heartbreak each successive disappointment must have brought Kate and Gerry McCann. Living quietly in the village of Rothley, Leicestershire, where they have brought up Madeleines twin siblings Amelie and Sean, 20, the McCanns have not commented publicly for years, preferring instead to post messages on the official Find Madeleine Campaign Facebook site. Last month, on the 18th anniversary of her disappearance, Kate and Gerry wrote: No matter how near or far she is, Madeleine continues to be right here with us every day. A few days later, on what would have been her 22nd birthday, they posted a montage of images and a haunting Enya song that includes the poignant line: Youre missing, but youre always a heartbeat from me. The McCanns must hope that, if nothing else, they might one day learn the truth. Perhaps it will finally emerge from this remote and eerie place. A Florida sheriff was hauled away in handcuffs over charges he orchestrated a massive illegal gambling operation, raking in millions of dollars in the process. Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez is accused of wielding his badge to shield a sprawling illegal gambling empire that prosecutors say brought in more than $21.6 million in dirty money. Lopez, 44, was once celebrated as the county's first Hispanic sheriff but he's now in disgrace. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the charges in a blistering statement: 'This is a solemn day for Florida and our law enforcement community. 'We put great trust in our constitutional officers, especially those who are our communities' first line of defense. Public servants should never exploit the public's trust for personal gain.' Lopez faces two first-degree felony counts: racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering. According to prosecutors, the sheriff played a 'multifaceted role' in expanding and protecting the illicit operation, personally benefiting through campaign contributions and secret payments. Lopez's fall from grace is all the more jarring considering his background. Born in Chicago and raised in Central Florida, he joined the Osceola County Sheriff's Office in 2003 while serving in the Navy Reserve. Central Florida sheriff Marcos Lopez, 44, was hauled away in handcuffs over charges he orchestrated a massive illegal gambling operation raking in millions of dollars in the process Lopez is accused of wielding his badge to shield a sprawling illegal gambling empire that prosecutors say raked in more than $21.6 million in dirty money He later earned an associate's degree in criminal justice and rose through the ranks to become sheriff in 2021, making history in the process. Lopez was re-elected in 2024, but his second term barely got underway before the investigation got underway. Now booked into the Lake County Jail without bond, Lopez faces an arraignment hearing set for June 30. If convicted, he could face decades behind bars - a stark reversal for the man who once promised to make Osceola County safer.1 The scandal became public on Wednesday morning when Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents, supported by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), swooped in and arrested Lopez. In a video posted by HSI Tampa, agents can be seen approaching the sheriff as he asks, 'What is this about?' before being handcuffed and led away. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin declared, 'Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, no one is above the law - including public officials.' Governor Ron DeSantis also wasted no time, issuing an executive order suspending Lopez from office. Posecutors say the sheriff played a 'multifaceted role' in expanding and protecting the illicit operation, personally benefiting through campaign contributions and secret payments In swift a response, DeSantis appointed Florida Highway Patrol Central Region Chief Christopher Blackmon, a 35-year law enforcement veteran, to serve as interim sheriff. 'He has embarrassed himself, his family, and the great men and women who work at the Osceola County Sheriff's Office,' said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. 'His conduct is outrageous, unprofessional, and obviously corrupt.' Attorney Mark NeJame, who has long criticized Lopez, also issued a scathing statement: 'It's terrible when any public official is accused of crimes and compromising the very people and laws they are sworn to protect. Sadly, I cannot state that I'm surprised with this most recent allegation.' The allegations are not Lopez's only scandal. Earlier this year, Lopez and four deputies were named in a civil lawsuit filed by national trial firm Romanucci & Blandin LLC and the Pendas Law Firm, stemming from a 2022 incident where deputies tackled a man at a gas station, causing burns over 75 percent of his body. In a joint statement following his arrest, attorneys Antonio Romanucci, Stephen Weil, Sam Harton, and Albert Yonfa said: 'Sheriff Lopez's arrest on racketeering charges is further evidence of a deeply rooted culture of unlawful behavior from the very top of the Osceola County Sheriff's Department. The charges show he was parading as a serious law enforcement officer while instead engaging in illicit behavior.' Lopez was born in Chicago and raised in Central Florida. He originally joined the US military when he was only 17 and completed 22 years of service. He is a also a dad to three children The investigation into Lopez's alleged criminal empire began in 2023 and has revealed a tangled web of corruption. The illegal enterprise, according to investigators, operated lotteries and slot machines throughout Lake and Osceola Counties. Prosecutors say Lopez not only protected the operation but advanced its interests after taking office in 2021. 'As law enforcement, we are held to higher standards of integrity and character than other professions,' said FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass. 'This case revealed that Lopez violated the trust and integrity expected of him as the duly elected sheriff.' More arrests are expected in the coming days as investigators unravel the full extent of the gambling network. Osceola County Manager Don Fisher emphasized that the County had no role in the investigation, but said it 'stands ready at the helm' to support Interim Sheriff Blackmon and the sheriff's department during this tumultuous period. In the wake of the arrest, Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa and City Manager Mike Steigerwald appeared on Facebook Live, with Espinosa calling it 'an unsettling moment' for the community. Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood added, 'The allegations, if true, are extremely serious and disturbing, and undermine the honor and integrity of every law enforcement officer who wears the badge.' Elon Musk's own AI bot has been used to troll the billionaire with a picture of Donald Trump's Tesla for sale on the White House lawn. Only months ago, the president had five Tesla cars delivered to the White House lawn after he shared on Truth Social that he was looking to buy one for its full price in solidarity with Musk. Yet now, as tensions escalate between the SpaceX CEO and Trump, many are left wondering if the president will part from his Tesla. On Wednesday, Musk's AI bot, Grok, was used to produce an image of Trump's red Tesla for sale on the White House lawn for $100,000. The image has since gone viral, with many believing the picture is a fitting representation of the pair's current relationship status. One person wrote: 'What a bad breakup this is becoming.' Trump had purchased a vehicle from Musk's electric fleet as stocks plummeted and the billionaire was being heavily criticized for his work leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). After a motorcade of Tesla cars rolled up the White House, Trump was seen taking a liking to a red Model S and revealed his longtime aide would be allowed to drive it. He also revealed he had gifted his granddaughter Kai her very own Cybertruck last year. As tensions escalate between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, many are wondering if the president will part from his Tesla The pair's public fallout has sent social media wild, with Grok being used to produce an image of Trump's red Tesla for sale on the White House lawn for $100,000 Trump and Musk seen sitting in a Tesla vehicle on the South Portico of the White House on March 11 Despite their previously close relationship, they are now well involved in a public slinging match. Musk had hit out at Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' which passed the House last month but is now held up in the Senate. Despite their previously close workings, Musk wrote: 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination.' 'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.' Musk has also posted on X to claim that the president is plunging the US into financial ruin. He wrote: 'This immense level of overspending will drive America into debt slavery!" In another, Musk asserted: 'Mammoth spending bills are bankrupting America!' Musk and Trump's political bromance has fallen apart as the pair hurl insults at each other, including Musk claiming the President is involved in the Epstein files Around 2am on Wednesday morning, Musk continued his tirade on his social media platform. He also reposted a series of tweets aligning himself with Republican Sen. Ran Paul of Kentucky, who has been vocal about his opposition to the spending bill. 'I've been pretty consistent in my time in the Senate: I oppose deficit spendingno matter which party is in charge. If we don't get serious about reigning in the debt, the next generation will pay the price,' Paul wrote in an X post that Musk reposted to his page. 'Fiscal responsibility isn't a campaign slogan,' Paul continued. 'It's a duty which I take very seriously.' But Musk's outburst did not end with his qualms about political spending as he also claimed to have been the sole reason Trump won the 2024 election. After Musk sent a raft of insults at Trump, the president fired back on Thursday afternoon. 'Elon was wearing thin, I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!' he said on Truth Social. He added in a follow up post: 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. The president suggested that Musk was angry because the Trump administration has pulled back on electric vehicle mandates, which negatively impacted Tesla 'I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it!' The pair's spat reached new levels after Musk suggested the President should be impeached and replaced with 40-year-old Vice President JD Vance before dropping a his biggest allegation yet - that Trump was featured in the Epstein files. '@RealDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,' Musk wrote. 'Have a nice day, DJT!' Jeffrey Epstein is a serial child sex offender who died in prison in 2019. Trump pledged to release the files related to Epstein, with Attorney General Pam Bondi releasing some pages in February, but most of that information was already in the public domain. 'Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out,' Musk added. Trump didn't directly respond to Musk's Epstein charge, instead posting what amounted to a shrug on Truth Social, while also continuing to back the 'big, beautiful bill.' Musk himself admitted he was leading his companies with 'great difficulty' amid his DOGE work as Tesla boycotts, protests and vandalism stirred within the US and around the world Tesla stock took a series of hits during Musk's time leading DOGE, and is now down 17.6 percent amid the pair's feud 'I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago,' Trump wrote. 'This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress.' Musk's latest online assault of Trump came moments after the president went on a tirade about the billionaire while hosting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office. 'Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will any more, I was surprised,' Trump said. The president suggested that Musk was angry - not over the bill ballooning the deficit - but because the Trump administration has pulled back on electric vehicle mandates, which negatively impacted Tesla. Tesla stock took a series of hits during Musk's time leading DOGE, and is now down 17.6 percent amid the pair's feud. Musk himself admitted he was leading his companies with 'great difficulty' amid his DOGE work, as Tesla boycotts, protests and vandalism stirred the US. In March, crowds of hundreds protested the billionaire and his work in DOGE after thousands of federal employees were fired and terminating hundreds of aid contracts and federal leases. Signs that read 'No Dictators in the USA' and 'Burn a Tesla: Save Democracy' were seen in New York City at one protest. In March, crowds of hundreds protested the billionaire and his work in DOGE after thousands of federal employees were fired and terminating hundreds of aid contracts and federal leases Trump, at the time, declared that the violence against Tesla was akin to 'domestic terrorism' In Texas, multiple bombs were found inside a Tesla showroom in Austin. An arsonist used Molotov cocktails to fire bomb five Teslas before firing rounds into the burning vehicles at a dealership in Las Vegas, Nevada in March. The first of the alleged attackers to face charges was named as Adam Matthew Lansky, 41, who is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership in Salem, Oregon on January 20. Lanksy allegedly threw a 'large heavy object through the dealership window', and was armed with a suppressed AR-15 at the time, reports Fox News. On March 7, Daniel Clarke-Pounder, 24, allegedly vandalized a dealership in Charleston, South Carolina, by spray-painting messages reading 'f*** Trump' and 'Long Live Ukraine' before lighting three charging stations on fire. Trump, at the time, declared that the violence against Tesla was akin to 'domestic terrorism.' It became clear that the bromance between Musk and Trump was over earlier this year as reports emerged regarding clashes the billionaire had with those in the president's inner circle. Upon his exit from DOGE, however, it became more likely that the pair would part ways. If you thought the Dakota Johnson-Chris Martin split was the heartbreak of the week, hold on to your black MAGA hat, because we're witnessing The Great Divorce. The long-predicted separation of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk is here. Love-blind optimists always prayed that the world's most powerful man and the world's richest man could keep their curious bromance alive, and the teary-eyed, televised Oval Office farewell that Elon received on Friday seemed to suggest there was hope for these political darlings. But guess what love stinks! Reality hit harder than Brigitte Macron's double-face palm on Thursday, as Trump lashed out at his ex-Lassie in defense of his Big Beautiful Bill, which was apparently too damn ugly for Musk. The Rocket-man exploded over debt-busting legislation as a slap in the face to his cost-cutting at DOGE. And when Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (or as Joe Biden calls him, 'Angela Merkel') sat for a chit-chat, the subject of you-know-who came up and Trump went full Mean Girl on his former First Buddy. 'Elon and I had a great relationship.' Had? Uh oh, I thought. 'I don't know if we will anymore.' Oh no, mom and dad are fighting! Is this the part where dad tells us nothing will change and he and mom are still best friends? Nope! This is where mom takes all of dad's stuff, throws it on the front lawn and sets it on fire. Love-blind optimists prayed that the world's most powerful man and the world's richest man could keep their curious bromance alive, and the teary-eyed, televised Oval Office farewell that Elon received on Friday seemed to suggest that there was hope for these political darlings. 'Elon and I had a great relationship.' Had? Uh oh, I thought. 'I don't know if we will anymore.' Oh no, mom and dad are fighting! (Trump is pictured on June 5 as he made remarks about Musk). Trump accused Musk of attacking his BBB (the acronym for Big Beautiful Legislation is cuter in my honest opinion) purely to protect electric vehicle subsidies for Telsa. And Elon essentially called him a liar. Then, things escalated further: 'Time to drop the really big bomb,' he wrote on X. '@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!' Sorry, kids. But daddy's not coming home EVER! The reaction from Trump-loving Muskians online is now progressing through the seven stages of grief, with most stuck on denial at this early junction. So I decided to call a fiscally responsible Republican to get the truth of this lover's spat. 'Elon was never in this for EV tax credits, his dance with politicians has cost him way more money than it ever made him. And he knew that going in,' Kentucky Republican Congressman Thomas Massie told me. 'So many politicians get into politics for their own personal benefit, and I think that's why they have a hard time imagining somebody like Elon judging a bill for what's good for his wallet instead of what's good for the country.' This Kentucky boy has been reposting Musk's objections to Trump's BBB and he'll almost certainly face a Trump-backed primary challenger. But he's ticked off MAGA world in the past, and even though he agrees with most of Trump's agenda he gives zero Fs if he lives in Donald's long, cold shadow. And if you think that was blunt, Massie was just getting started. 'I hope Elon stays engaged in politics,' he said. 'I think he's learning he needs to be involved in primary elections instead of the general elections, because not all Republicans are created equal.' Trump accused Musk of only wanting to protect electric vehicle subsidies for Telsa that Trump's BBB (the acronym for Big Beautiful Legislation is cuter in my honest opinion) and Elon essentially called him a liar. Well, if that didn't just send a chill down the spine of free-spending GOP phony-baloneys then I don't know what will. Imagine Uncle Elon dropping $50 million on your Republican House primary race, throwing his weight behind those who support his fiscally conservative visions. I had to ask Massie if he was so enthusiastic about Elon because he hoped the bad-tempered billionaire might throw some cash his way to reach the Upper chamber. He quickly shut that down, saying, 'I'm not running for Senate, that's the same circus with different clowns. I'm not doing it.' In a MAGA world where it's a lot easier to go along and get along and stay under the radar, Massie is still confident in Elon's judgment when it comes to federal spending and the necessary cutting that leads to economic growth. He said of the fresh Trump-Musk feud: 'I'll trust the guy who can land rockets backwards to do the math more than I trust the politicians in DC.' Sounds to me like Massie may be moving in on Trump's old flame. How uplifting! Maybe you know your favorite celebrity's In-N-Out order (mine is a #2, protein style, whole grilled onions, add pickles), but do you know their plastic surgery order? After a TikToker complimented Kylie Jenner's nice knockers, she responded with alarming candor: '445cc, moderate profile, half under the muscle!!!!! Silicone!!!' Hold the mayo, I think I'm going heave. After a TikTok'er complimented Kylie Jenner's nice knockers, she responded with alarming candor: '445cc, moderate profile, half under the muscle!!!!! Silicone!!!' Write or wrong As if yak-happy dumdum Karine Jean-Pierre wasn't useless enough when she was a bumbling propagandist for President Potato Head, now she's spinning a tell-all book that promises to finally tell the truth. She wouldn't know the truth if it was wearing a neon-orange blazer and matching lipstick. Reportedly, KJP was also eyeing a gig on ABC News' The View, but they couldn't be bothered to call her back. Perhaps they're already replete with verbally incontinent blowhards. But, hey, I hear MSNBC has some vacancies. Ship-show Antisemitic Swede Greta Thunberg has traded her climate caterwauling grift for a ticket on a 'freedom flotilla' that she's floating straight to Gaza with a band of anti-Zionist zealots. Has this screeching Gen Z'er thought about what could happen to a free-speaking woman like her when she docks in Port Jihad? Lips aren't sealed On Reality TV alum Kristin Cavallari's 'Let's Be Honest' podcast said admitted to a tryst with dreamy actor Glen Powell in Greece. She says he 'literally ran into' her and they ended up 'dry humping'. I hate it when that happens. When asked for comment, Powell couldn't be reached because he was dousing himself in lime. The pressure is on Katie Miller to choose: stay working for Elon Musk or quit her cushy consultant gig in order to support President Donald Trump and, by extension, her husband Stephen Miller. Katie Miller, a prominent figure in Trump's first administration, was spokesperson for Musk's Department of Government Efficiency and she left that job to follow Musk into the private sector. But after a war of words - played out live on social media - erupted between the most powerful man in the world and the richest man in the world, she'll have to choose either her employer or her president. 'It's unsustainable for her to remain on his payroll and remain a Trump ally,' an administration official told Daily Mail. Adding fuel to the fire, Miller's husband Stephen is Trump's deputy chief of staff and ardent defender of all things Donald. Stephen and Katie Miller met when each worked in the first Trump administration - above the couple attended a state dinner at the White House in September 2019 Stephen Miller took to social media in recent days to praise Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' which Musk has repeatedly trashed. Their back-and-forth attracted much attention until Musk turned his 220.4 million followers to a new target: the president himself. The Trump-Musk bromance became one big, beautiful breakup. It was both painful and fascinating to watch. Musk dropped the bombshell after bombshell tweet: that the Jeffrey Epstein files haven't been released because Trump was in them; he endorsed Trump's impeachment; and he declared the president's tariffs will bring about a recession. Trump, in retaliation, threatened to cancel Musk's billions in federal contracts. Top Trump ally Steve Bannon told the New York Times that Musk, who is a naturalized citizen, should be deported. Musk has been cutting many of his Trump ties as he blows up the internet. He even unfollowed Stephen Miller, a social media tracker claimed. That could also reveal the unraveling of a relationship: Stephen Miller was said to be a Musk ally in the White House, supporting the Tesla founder's efforts to slash the size and scope of the federal government. There were reports Katie Miller's main job at DOGE was to babysit the volatile and unpredictable Musk. Elon Musk and Donald Trump in better times - last week at the White House Katie Miller with her son Jackson at a Trump campaign rally during the 2024 election Whatever the case may be, the internet has become fascinated with the Miller, Musk, Miller relationship. But Katie Miller's allies down played the situation. Miller, 30, and her husband have three small children - all under the age of 10. They met and married in Trump's first term. After Trump lost the 2020 contest, Katie became a consultant. And her friends say she was just continuing that role when she opted to go with Musk instead of work for the second Trump administration. 'She's a mom of three,' one of them pointed out, noting her consultant job gave her a flexible work schedule. Others have different theories. 'Clearly a financial decision. She can make more in a month there than she can in a year here,' one official said of Miller's new employer. Both Stephen and Katie Miller are MAGA loyalists. In the first term, he worked for the president and she became Vice President Mike Pence's spokesperson. By some accounts, she still gets along with the former vice president, maintaining friendly relations even as Trump was infuriated with Pence. But it's doubtful Katie Miller can maintain a peaceful balance between Trump and Musk. Stephen Miller has remained quiet on the matter. He was scheduled to go on Larry Kudlow's Fox show this afternoon but canceled. Kudlow said 'we lost Mr. Miller to a meeting in the Oval Office.' Daily Mail reached out to Katie Miller. The White House declined to comment. Elon Musk and Donald Trump saw their bromance go down in flames Stephen and Katie's 2020 wedding was the MAGA social event of the year The Millers have been married for over five years. Their 2020 wedding at what was then Trump's Washington D.C. hotel was the MAGA social event of the year. President Trump attended. An Elvis impersonator serenaded them for their first dance. They have a daughter and two sons, whom they brought to the White House Easter Egg Roll in April. Katie eschewed full time work until Trump won his second term. For her work at DOGE, she was designated a 'Special Government Employee,' which allows private sector figures to work for the federal government, but restricts them to 130 days per year. Britain's most prestigious rowing club, which has produced legions of Olympic champions over the last century, has been rocked by allegations it failed to investigate multiple claims of rape and sexual assault. At least three male rowers are understood to have been accused of raping female club members within the last five years at the club in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. The world-famous establishment is considered a 'global leader in rowing', according to Leander Club's website, which adds that members have secured 159 Olympic and Paralympic medals since 1908 - with 62 of these being gold. The Telegraph reported a number of damning allegations including that one man raped a female squad member in 2022 and was allowed to continue rowing. It was also claimed that a second man was suspended and then excluded following a harassment claim against him. He was readmitted on appeal and later accused of rape by a different female rower. A third man was accused of raping a female rower, who was then forced to participate in a two-week training camp with him. Female squad members, backed by more than a dozen of the male rowers, say allegations of sexual assault were ignored or dismissed by the Leander committee. They also accused the club of cultivating a culture of sexism and misogyny. Leander Club, which has produced legions of Olympic champions over the last century, has been rocked by claims it failed to investigate multiple claims of rape and sexual assault At least three male rowers are understood to have been accused of raping female club members within the last five years at the club in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire Female squad members, backed by more than a dozen of the male rowers, say allegations of sexual assault were ignored or dismissed by the Leander committee (file pic) One of the rape allegations, reported in April 2023, related to an incident said to have occurred during a team night out, at a flat in Henley. The woman, who was 18 at the time, is understood to have spoken to Leander Club and Thames Valley Police. But she subsequently failed to give a formal statement to police and later withdrew her complaint. According to sources, the woman had found the process too 'stressful and traumatising', but the situation did not end there. The accused man, who denies any wrongdoing, was allowed to 'train, eat and socialise in the same room as the victim', according to a letter of complaint subsequently sent to the club on October 23, 2024. Eighteen female and 15 male club members urged Leander to investigate 'multiple, serious allegations' against the individual 'as a matter of urgency'. Less than two weeks later, on November 6, 2023, chairman Pete Bridge and welfare representative Keith Settle informed members that the matter had been investigated but there was 'insufficient evidence' to progress it to a disciplinary. Despite a male witness and several women volunteering to provide evidence, none were spoken to before the investigation was closed, it is claimed. One of the rape allegations, reported in April 2023, related to an incident said to have occurred during a team night out, at a flat in Henley (file pic) The female victim is understood to have left Leander following the incident. In a second claim, a male rower is accused of having harassed a female club member. He was suspended, but was allowed to return under appeal. Another rower then claimed this same individual had previously raped her, but it is believed this allegation was not brought to the attention of the club or the police. The man denies any wrongdoing. With his appeal still standing, the women's team reacted by boycotting training, before wearing pink instead of traditional white vests when they returned. They also wore white ribbons as a symbol of solidarity with victims of sexual abuse and rape. In a third instance, a male rower was accused of rape by a female club member in 2020. It is understood that after complaining to the club, she then had to attend a two-week training camp with the man she had accused. Despite the allegations becoming 'common knowledge' among the rowers, members were said to have been left aghast by an after-dinner speech given in 2022 by a veteran club member. In a second claim, a male rower is accused of having harassed a female club member. He was suspended, but was allowed to return under appeal. Pictured: Henley-on-Thames The individual is understood to have made remarks of a sexual nature and referred to his penis during the speech. Many club members say they have been left feeling uncomfortable and unsupported by Leander in the wake of such accusations. One told ITV News: 'It's really triggering and makes people not feel safe. We didn't even want there to be men in the gym at the same time as us. We didn't want to represent the same club as people who've been accused of things like that. 'We wanted to say "we're not okay with it, we stand together as a squad...and will not stay silent".' Another said: 'Anyone with talent is protected in the system. People think [rowing] is elitist and it's privileged. 'If you have enough money, enough status, if you're good enough at sport, it's okay. 'We were failed by the very system that was supposed to protect us.' In a statement, Leander said: 'Leander Club takes seriously all issues relating to the safeguarding of our athletes. 'We have strict procedures in place to carefully examine any formal complaints and regularly review our club disciplinary processes to ensure they are fit for purpose, treating our athletes fairly and with respect. 'In addition to an updated code of conduct, we have partnered with a specialist external provider to ensure members of the club know without doubt the standards we expect and the ways to highlight any individual misconduct. 'When issues are raised, we will continue to take immediate action where necessary to protect the welfare of our athletes.' Mr Bridge, the Leander chairman, added: 'The athletes in our squads are at the heart of this club. 'When safeguarding issues arise, as with any organisation, there is a strict and confidential process that is followed to protect those involved. 'We continually review our safeguarding measures and have updated these in line with our ambition to ensure rowing is inclusive and accessible for the next wave of athletes pursuing their dreams of international sporting success.' Leander's extensive cohort of champions include Sir Steve Redgrave, Sir Matthew Pinsent, James Cracknell, Victoria Thornley and Lola Anderson. MailOnline had contacted Leander Club for comment. Pheobe Bishop's older sister has pleaded for information that will bring the missing teenager's remains home as cops revealed they believe her body was moved multiple times after she was allegedly murdered. Kaylea Bishop, 18, attended Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday, dressed in black with her eyes red, where Pheobe's housemates James Wood and Tanika Bromley were due to appear accused of Pheobe's murder. She sat in the far corner of the front row, staring straight ahead flanked by friends, family and a court security guard as details of the murder charges against the couple were read out. Neither Wood nor Bromley appeared in person or by video link for the hearing and afterwards Kaylea walked outside to make her heartbreaking statement. 'We just want her home,' she said tearfully through red-rimmed eyes. 'I don't know what to say, if you've got any information about Pheobe or the car, just come forward. 'Three weeks is too long for us as a family. She was loved, she's missed dearly.' Kaylea and Pheobe had a close relationship and had been planning to move out of the family home and into a house together last year. Kaylea Bishop, 18, is seen outside Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday, dressed in black with her eyes red, where Pheobe's housemates James Wood and Tanika Bromley were accused of Pheobe's murder Queensland 17-year-old Pheobe Bishop (pictured) has been missing for 23 days Queensland Police slapped Bundaberg couple James Wood, 34 (pictured, left) and Tanika Bromley, 33 (pictured, right) with one charge of murder each On Friday, the girls' mother Kylie Johnson paid tribute to Kaylea for facing the media to speak up for her allegedly murdered sister. 'Kaylea your strength, determination and dedication to bring Phee Phee home is such a reflection of your fierce love for your sister,' Ms Johnson posted on Facebook. 'Pheobe would be so proud of the way you handled yourself today just as we are. We WILL bring Phee home - I dont care how long it takes but we will get her home.' Detectives earlier revealed they have been searching a 'vast area with unforgiving terrain' in central Queensland for the 17-year-old's remains. Pheobe was last seen on May 15 leaving the Gin Gin home, near Bundaberg in central Queensland, where she was living with Wood, 34, and Bromley, 33. The couple allegedly drove Pheobe to Bundaberg Airport at 8.30am for a flight to Brisbane and then on to Perth, where she planned to meet up with her boyfriend. She never got on the plane and Detective Inspect Craig Mansfield told reporters on Friday that, as the investigation progressed, all hope was lost of finding Pheobe alive. 'Our evidence will outline the fact that three people arrived near to the airport and three people never exited that vehicle,' he told reporters on Friday. Police had been searching several areas of interest, including the Gin Gin home, before they announced efforts would be 'scaled back' earlier this week 'Our investigation will detail the facts that we believe Pheobe was murdered and then her body was moved. 'We will allege that Pheobe was moved more than one occasion.' Pheobe had been living with the couple prior to her disappearance on May 15. The couple were arrested in Bundaberg on Thursday night and were each charged with one count of murder and two counts of interfering with a corpse. They remain in custody and were due to front Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday morning but did not appear via video link. The arrests came after Wood was initially arrested on Wednesday and then released without charge. The search for Pheobe had been scaled back on Wednesday after police spent weeks combing several areas of interest. They included the property in Gin Gin where Pheobe lived with Wood and Bromley and a grey Hyundai ix35, thought to have been used to take the teen to the airport. Pheobe had been living with the couple at a home in Gin Gin, near Bundaberg, and the pair are believed to have been the last to see her while driving her to the airport While Kaylea sat in court with friends, family and a court guard, there was no appearance from Wood or Bromley during the session The arrests came after James Wood (pictured) was initially arrested on Wednesday and then released without charge Pheobe's remains have not been found and her luggage has not been seen since she disappeared. 'If we knew where Phoebe's body was, we would be absolutely trying to locate that right now,' Det. Insp. Mansfield said. 'We continue to look for Phoebe, and that's our main focus right now.' The detective told reporters officers are hoping to engage with Wood and Bromley's lawyers 'in the near future' regarding any information on where Pheobe might be. While he could not speculate on motive, he said police have 'information that would suggest some form of motivation'. The weeks-long investigation has led police, through telephone data, to focus on the area around Good Night Scrub National Park. The search initially focused on the area with homicide detectives, cadaver dogs and divers called in to aid the 100-strong effort. 'We're back to a particular area where we are suspecting that we may locate Pheobe, but again, it is a broad, unforgiving, large area,' Det. Insp. Mansfield said. Police said officers will want to question Wood and Bromley about where Pheobe's remains are Kaylea left the court with friends comforting her as she walked away Police have also towed Wood's SUV which he had 'effectively been living out of it from time to time' for forensic examination on Thursday night. Some items believed to be linked to the investigation were seized for forensic examination. 'We have had some great support with the community, with some areas that may be of interest,' Det. Insp. Mansfield said. 'But we're really hoping that we will get some more specific information that will help us find Pheobe.' Anyone with information regarding Pheobe's disappearance is urged to call Crime Stoppers. The families of dead pensioners could be hounded by the taxman under Labour's winter fuel payments U-turn, it emerged yesterday. Downing Street indicated a 'winter fuel death tax' could be introduced after announcing that millions of pensioners stripped of the subsidy will get it back from this winter. It is understood that the model currently most favoured for restoring the subsidy is to pay it to all pensioners but claw the money back through higher tax bills from the wealthiest. This is because means-testing the payments is viewed as too complex. However, there are concerns about the time period of at least six months between receiving the subsidy and it being declared or clawed back at the end of the tax year. It is estimated that tens of thousands of elderly people who die within that period could be affected, potentially forcing their grieving relatives to pick up the HMRC bill after submitting their loved-one's posthumous tax return. Dennis Reed, of over-60s campaign group Silver Voices, branded ministers 'heartless' for even considering the model. He said: 'This winter fuel death tax would be absolutely pathetic.' Supporters and members of Age UK deliver a petition with over 650,000 signatures to Downing Street calling on the government to reverse their decision on Winter fuel payments to the elderly, on February 18, 2025 in London, United Kingdom The families of dead pensioners could be hounded by the taxman under Labour's winter fuel payments U-turn, it emerged yesterday Asked about a report in the Guardian, which first reported that thousands of relatives face being hounded by HMRC, the Prime Minister's official spokesman refused to rule it out. He said: 'We will set out the details on the policy in due course... HMRC have already got a well-established process in place for assessing someone's tax affairs after they've passed away via probate.' He added: 'The work is under way. I'm not going to give a running commentary on that work.' Pheobe Bishop's devastated mum was told her daughter was dead only minutes before police made the news public and laid murder charges. Kylie Johnson had just gone on Facebook to mark three weeks since her 'Phee Phee' disappeared when she received tragic confirmation from Queensland Police that her daughter was never coming home. James Wood, 34, and his partner Tanika Bromley, 33, were arrested in Bundaberg on Thursday night. The pair were charged with one count each of murder and two counts each of interfering with a corpse. Ms Johnson then went back online to confirm the information. 'Please know that we as a family were told this minutes after I posted my post.. Our world has just been shattered into the most horrific place I've ever been' she said. 'I need my baby home to put her to rest! I'm absolutely begging anyone that knows anything to come forward. 'WE need to put her to rest, we need to put her to peace.' Wood and Bromley had taken the 17-year-old into their home in the weeks before her disappearance on May 15. Kylie Johnson took to Facebook to mark three weeks since her 'Phee Phee' disappeared just moments before she received tragic confirmation from Queensland Police that her daughter was never coming home (her updated post is pictured) Pheobe Bishop's devastated mum found out her daughter was dead just minutes before police shared the tragic update with the rest of the Australian public James Wood and Tanika Bromley were charged with murder on Thursday night They are thought to have been the last people to see Pheobe and had been due to drop her off at the Bundaberg airport that morning. Her remains are yet to be located. The charges were laid hours after Pheobe's friends reported odd activity on her Facebook account on Thursday. The teen's Facebook Messenger account appeared to be online at various times over a 14 hour period between midnight and 2pm. One person reported that a green dot on her profile picture - showing when someone is logged in and available for instant chat - appeared at 12.18am. Another Facebook friend shared a screenshot taken around 2pm that appeared to show Pheobe's account had been online just eight minutes earlier. The pair were charged hours after Wood was taken into custody and released. Just hours before she was arrested, Bromley arrived to report for bail at Gin Gin Police Station about 9.15am on Thursday on unrelated weapons charges. The charges were laid hours after Pheobe's friends reported odd occurrences on her Facebook account on Thursday - with one person reporting a green dot had appeared on her profile Just hours before she was arrested, Bromley arrived to report for bail at Gin Gin Police Station about 9.15am on Thursday on unrelated weapons charges It was the first time she had been spotted since her partner Wood had been arrested and then released. Wearing a beige knitted zip-up jumper, blue jeans and maroon sneakers, Bromley had notably dyed her hair from blonde to brown since being granted bail last week. She wore AirPods as she smoked a cigarette. When approached by Daily Mail Australia for comment on the unrelated weapons charges against her and and her partner, she declined to speak. She put on her oversized sunglasses and then drove off. Wood and Bromley will appear in Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday. Kemi Badenoch will today declare she is ready to quit the European Convention on Human Rights to take back control of Britain's borders. The Tory leader, who has resisted the move in the past, will say that she is 'increasingly of the view that we need to leave' the Strasbourg Court to prevent activist judges frustrating attempts to deal with the Channel migrant crisis. In a major speech today, she will announce a new commission to examine the paralysing effect of well-meaning international treaties on Britain's ability to deal with issues ranging from immigration and crime to housing and the environment. Tory sources said the remit of the commission, led by barrister Lord Wolfson, will include drawing up a detailed plan to quit the ECHR. It will also examine the case for leaving the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and rewriting the Equality Act and Climate Change Act. The new stance puts the Conservatives on course to include a pledge to quit the ECHR in their next manifesto, creating clear blue water with Labour. Keir Starmer's controversial attorney general Lord Hermer has said Labour will 'never' quit the ECHR and was forced to apologise last week for likening those in favour of the move to Nazis. Mrs Badenoch will today say the Strasbourg Court is unreformable and accuse it of showing 'ever greater willingness to invent new rights and directly overrule popular mandates'. Kemi Badenoch will today declare she is ready to quit the European Convention on Human Rights to take back control of Britain's borders People thought to be migrants scramble onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, in an attempt to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel The new stance puts the Conservatives on course to include a pledge to quit the ECHR in their next manifesto. Pictured: Migrants are brought to Dover, Kent, aboard an RNLI lifeboat She will insist that she has never had 'any particular obsession with international law or with our treaty arrangements', but that work on a radical new Tory policy platform has convinced her that it will be impossible to deliver while in the straitjacket of the ECHR. 'The more we build our policy programme, the clearer it seems that to achieve our objectives we will need to leave the ECHR in its current form,' she will say. 'I have thought long and hard about this, and I am increasingly of the view that we will need to leave, because I am yet to see a clear and coherent route to change within our current legal structures. 'Some say reform is the answer, but I say we have tried that before (and) the Strasbourg Court has shown no interest in fundamental change. 'It has rebuffed those European states calling for a new approach and, in its recent decisions above all on climate change it has shown ever greater willingness to invent new rights and directly overrule popular mandates.' Mrs Badenoch will set the commission five 'common sense' tests for assessing whether human rights laws are getting in the way of vital reforms. The deportation test will assess whether Parliament, rather than the international courts, is able to determine who comes to the UK and is allowed to stay here. Mrs Badenoch will say Britain should have the ability to remove foreign criminals and illegal migrants 'even if they have family here or claim they would be at risk if sent home'. Keir Starmer's Labour will 'never' want to quit the European Convention on Human Rights, according to his controversial attorney general Lord Hermer A second 'veterans test' would examine whether the current legal framework allows ministers to 'stop our veterans being endlessly pursued by vexatious legal attacks' using human rights laws. A 'fairness test' will look at whether the authorities can 'put British citizens first in social housing and in receiving scarce public services'. A 'justice test' will look at the impact of human rights laws on the ability of the police to deal with issues like the disruptive protests staged by eco-activists. And a 'prosperity test' will examine whether treaties would prevent the Government from ditching costly climate change measures and cutting red tape holding back economic development. She will argue that the tests are 'not extreme demands', adding: 'They are basic tests of whether we are still a sovereign nation able to make our own laws and govern ourselves. 'If the commission makes clear that these tests cannot be passed under the current system then the system must change. 'If international treaties, including the European Convention, block us and there is no realistic prospect of changing them then we leave. No hesitation. No apology.' Although Britain left the EU in 2020 it remains a signatory to the ECHR and is subject to the jurisdiction of the Strasbourg Court. The Convention was incorporated into law in Labour's 1998 Human Rights Act, allowing people to bring cases in the British courts. The commission will look at the issues involved in leaving, such as how to avoid destabilising the Good Friday Agreement, which includes a commitment to the ECHR. The review will report back in the autumn. A homeowner's life has been ruined by a family of squatters who took over his house and then rented out out one of the rooms to a stranger. Adrian, 66, initially let a father and son move into his Ipswich home, west of Brisbane, to help him pay off his mortgage, but he now cannot get them to leave. The pair were only supposed to be renting two rooms for six months but after Adrian returned from a recent trip to Melbourne he arrived back to a very different situation. Adrian had gone interstate to say goodbye to his dying 96-year-old mother and when he got back he found the people he allowed to stay at his house had completely taken over. The squatters installed curtains around the house which were not there before and the father, Rob, even invited his girlfriend to move in. Rob also began sub-let the downstairs bedroom to a complete stranger for $200 a week. Adrian claims Rob has not paid rent in months and the rent the stranger is paying each week is going to the squatters instead of him. 'I have been through hell and it's been going on for 12 months,' he told A Current Affair. Adrian, 66, cannot get a family of squatters to move out of his Ipswich home in Queensland Queensland tenancy laws prohibit Adrian from kicking Rob and his family out. The retiree also said police have done next-to-nothing to help him. The only time Adrian did receive assistance from police was when Rob's son occupied his bedroom and pinned him to a wall. 'I'd locked my bedroom [but] the son had gone in there and occupied it,' Adrian said. 'He came up to me and pinned me against the wall. Luckily the police turned up a few minutes later and decided that I was allowed to have the room.' Adrian is now 'living a nightmare' since Rob has already said he is in no rush to move out. He has also been made aware that Rob is also a convicted criminal and had registered this new address with Queensland Police as his primary residence. Rob claims he is unable to move out without approval from police and the courts since he has charges pending and changing address would break the conditions of his bail. That personal reason does not explain why his son and partner have moved in and are also refusing to leave. Rob (left) has been refusing to leave the home and had invited his family to stay while Adrian was visiting his dying mother in Melbourne (pictured as he is confronted by an ACA crew) Camera crews and a reporter from A Current Affair visited the house in an attempt to make Rob leave but he simply laughed the issue off. Adrian said he has only ever received $800 in rent from Rob whose family now sends through fake bank receipts which they swear are real despite no money appearing in the retiree's bank account. The homeowner is now borrowing money from friends for food and has said that he is falling behind on his mortgage since Rob is not paying any rent. Antonia Mercorella, chief executive of the Real Estate Institute of Queensland, said Adrian has few options to consider because of the state's strict tenancy laws. If the agreement had been short-term Adrian would have been able to kick Rob and his family out because these agreements are unregulated. But because Rob signed an official tenancy agreement the law forbids Adrian from getting rid of the squatters. 'It is important that you understand the risks,' Ms Mercorella told the publication. Joe Biden's only hand-signed pardon during his final months in office was also his most controversial - his son, Hunter. The bombshell comes as Donald Trump ordered a sweeping investigation into Biden's use of an autopen to sign a huge number of presidential documents. Trump alleges the widespread reliance on the device that replicates a person's signature concealed Biden's 'serious cognitive decline' and amounted to a 'dangerous and unprecedented conspiracy.' Biden, battling an aggressive form of prostate cancer and facing mounting questions about his mental acuity throughout his time in the White House, granted clemency to more than 1,500 individuals in his final weeks in office. Biden's administration touted the figure as the largest single-day act of clemency in US history. But according to documents reviewed by the Department of Justice and White House officials, virtually all of those pardons were signed using the autopen. The one glaring exception was Biden's controversial hand-signed pardon of his son Hunter, shielding him from prosecution for any federal crimes committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024. For months, Biden had assured Americans he would not interfere in his son's legal woes but in December 2024, after Hunter pleaded guilty to felony gun charges and faced additional federal tax violations, Biden suddenly reversed course. 'From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department's decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,' Biden said in an emotional address. Former President Joe Biden 's only hand-signed pardon during his final months in office was also his most controversial - the blanket pardon of his son, Hunter Biden Biden's controversial hand-signed pardon of Hunter Biden, shields his son from prosecution for any federal crimes committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024 Trump has seized on the controversy, ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Counsel David Warrington to investigate Biden's use of the autopen 'There has been an effort to break Hunter - who has been five-and-a-half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they've tried to break me - and there's no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough. 'I hope Americans will understand why a father - and a president- would come to this decision.' Aside from three felony gun offenses, the first son was also charged with federal tax crimes over his alleged failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. Special Counsel David Weiss, who led the probe into Hunter, blasted Biden's pardon as an affront to justice. In a report, Weiss excoriated Biden's public statement dismissing the years-long investigation as 'selective' and 'infected by raw politics.' 'This statement is gratuitous and wrong,' Weiss wrote. 'Other presidents have pardoned family members, but none have used the occasion to malign public servants based solely on false accusations.' The pardon effectively ended Weiss's investigation, barring any further charges against Hunter Biden. Biden also issued pardons for his two brothers and his sister shortly before leaving office, hoping to shield them from potential prosecution under Trump, who had promised retribution during last year's campaign. For months, Biden had assured the American public he would not interfere in his son's legal woes but in December 2024, after Hunter pleaded guilty to felony gun charges and faced additional federal tax violations, Biden suddenly reversed course Autopens have been used for decades by presidents of both parties. Pictured, the older model Autopen Model 80 Other pardon recipients included members of a congressional committee that investigated the January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol. Now back in the White House, Trump has seized on the controversy, ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Counsel David Warrington to investigate Biden's use of the autopen. In a scathing memorandum, Trump stated: 'It has become increasingly apparent that former President Biden's aides abused the power of presidential signatures through the use of an autopen to conceal Biden's cognitive decline and assert Article II authority. 'This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history. The American public was purposefully shielded from discovering who wielded the executive power, all while Biden's signature was deployed across thousands of documents to effect radical policy shifts.' Trump's directive calls for a forensic review of every document signed during Biden's presidency. It includes everything from pardons, executive orders, judicial appointments and proclamations to determine which bore Biden's authentic signature and which were replicated by autopen. The autopen, though little-known to the public, has long been used by US presidents to manage the deluge of documents requiring a signature. The device can accurately replicate a signature, saving presidents precious time. The Justice Department, under Democratic and Republican administrations, has recognized the use of an autopen by presidents to sign legislation and issue pardons for decades - and even Trump himself acknowledges using it. The Trump White House noted that how Biden administration issued 1,200 Presidential documents, appointed 235 judges to the Federal bench, and issued more pardons and commutations than any administration in United States history 'Autopens to me are used when thousands of letters come in from young people all over the country and you want to get them back,' Trump said on Thursday. 'Biden's cognitive issues and apparent mental decline during his presidency were even 'worse' in private, and those closest to him 'tried to hide it' from the public,' Trump said in his statement. 'To do so, Biden's advisors during his years in office severely restricted his news conferences and media appearances, and they scripted his conversations with lawmakers, government officials, and donors, all to cover up his inability to discharge his duties.' Past presidents, including George W. Bush and Barack Obama, have employed the autopen in limited circumstances, such as signing routine letters or lower-level appointments. However, critics argue that Biden's reliance on the device was unprecedented. An exhaustive review by the Oversight Project found that nearly every document from Biden's presidency from 2021 to 2025 bore identical autopen signatures, except for the document announcing his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race. Biden's reliance on the autopen came as his public appearances diminished, with aides scripting his engagements, heavily curating his interactions with lawmakers, and significantly limiting press conferences. Behind the scenes, insiders claim Biden's inner circle - including family members - wielded disproportionate influence, raising fresh questions about who was truly making presidential decisions. White House counsel David Warrington (left) and Attorney General Pam Bondi (right) will lead the probe to investigate Biden's use of the autopen Trump, while acknowledging he occasionally used the autopen himself, argues Biden's alleged overuse could nullify significant executive actions. 'Essentially, whoever used the autopen was the president,' Trump said during a press conference. 'That's wrong. It's illegal. It's so bad and it's so disrespectful to our country.' House Oversight Chairman James Comer has launched parallel inquiries, demanding testimony from Biden's former top aides including Mike Donilon, Anita Dunn, Ron Klain, Bruce Reed, and Steve Ricchetti, alleging they participated in a 'cover-up' of Biden's cognitive decline. Comer cited explosive allegations from CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios' Alex Thompson's book 'Original Sin,' which claimed 'five people were running the country, and Joe Biden was at best a senior member of the board.' The committee has also issued subpoenas for Biden's physician Kevin O'Connor and several White House aides who reportedly helped shield Biden's true condition from public view. Republicans argue that if Biden's aides, not Biden himself, made key decisions, it could throw into question the validity of major executive actions including the pardons of his siblings, other family members, and members of the House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot. Biden has lashed back at the accusations. Biden on December 1 pardoned his son Hunter Biden, who had pleaded guilty to tax violations and was convicted on firearms-related charges An autopen is a device used to automatically affix a signature to a document. Trump and his supporters have made a variety of claims that Biden's use of the device while president invalidated his actions or suggested that he was not fully aware of these actions 'Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn't is ridiculous and false,' Biden said in a statement. Biden's reliance on the autopen came as his public appearances diminished, with aides scripting his engagements, heavily curating his interactions with lawmakers, and significantly limiting press conferences. Behind the scenes, insiders claim Biden's inner circle - including family members - wielded disproportionate influence, raising fresh questions about who was truly making presidential decisions. He accused Trump and Congressional Republicans of creating a 'distraction' to divert attention from ongoing political battles, including a contentious tax bill moving through Congress. 'This is nothing more than a distraction by Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans,' Biden declared. 'They are working to push disastrous legislation that would cut essential programs like Medicaid and raise costs on American families.' In private, Biden's aides insist that autopen use was limited to routine matters, and that Biden personally reviewed major decisions. However, newly surfaced internal memos suggest that a handful of senior advisors controlled access to the president and directed autopen usage without always consulting him, raising further doubts about the authenticity of some presidential actions. The implications are enormous - if Trump's investigation finds that Biden's use of the autopen was improper, it could challenge the legitimacy of thousands of presidential decisions, from judicial appointments to sweeping regulatory changes. House Republicans are already signaling they may attempt to invalidate actions signed via autopen, raising constitutional questions that could land before the Supreme Court. 'The American people deserve to know who was really running the country,' Trump said. 'This scandal could be one of the greatest in American history.' A Florida middle school teacher has been arrested over sickening messages and photos sent to a student. Oliver Fell, 28, has been accused of sending nude photos to a 14-year-old boy she taught at Haile Middle School. She turned herself in on Monday after a warrant was issued charging her with lewd contact with a student by an authority figure and transmission of harmful material to a minor, reported WWSB. The Manatee County Sheriff's Office said Fell started messaging the on Snapchat boy in December, and he reported her to the school in March after she sent him a photo of her breast. According to court documents, Fell sent him three images including one of her in a bathing suit, one in a brown dress and and an image of a bare breast. The school resource officer, Deputy Sadrac Augustin, confronted Fell about the images and she claimed someone was impersonating her. 'She denied the video of the breast being her. Oliver further explained that the two other photos were on her public Instagram account,' the documents said. 'It should be noted the Deputy Augustin didn't use the Snapchat application to navigate through the account and simply accepted her denial of the suspected lewd images.' Florida middle school teacher Oliver Fell (pictured), 28, has been accused of sending nude photos to a 14-year-old boy she taught Fell was charged with sending lewd messages and photos to a student after they began messaging in December Police continued to investigate and obtained a search warrant that confirmed the Snapchat account that sent the images belonged to Fell. Records show Fell and the victim became friends on Snapchat on December 10, and she deleted him on March 4, the same date she became aware of the investigation. However, the documents note that the nude photo was not located on her account because Snapchat does not save images. '[The victim] explained he originally obtained Oliver's Snapchat account from Oliver during school hours,' court documents said. The teacher was in a group with several others for the purpose of communicating with each other to open a secure door within the school during school hours The student claimed he started the private chat with his teacher during Christmas break and the messages started to escalate. '[Fell] at some point stated, "I want to taste you' with a winking face emoji,"' the filings state. The boy told police that he asked his teacher if she had ever sent nude photos, which she replied yes, and then he asked her to send him one which she did. The Haile Middle School (pictured) teacher allegedly sent him three images including one of her in a bathing suit, one in a brown dress and and an image of a nude female breast The boy's mother, Beverly Hernandez (pictured), said that school officials did not believe her son at first and suspended him while Fell remained on the job The boy's mother, Beverly Hernandez, told the local news station that school officials did not believe her son at first and suspended him while Fell remained on the job. 'Not only was I disappointed that a teacher that was put there to protect my child was grooming him,' she said. 'I'm more disappointed that they inflicted more trauma by calling him a liar. 'By him thinking he was doing the right thing and speaking up, they retaliated against him.' Haile Middle School Principal Irene Nikitopoulos sent a letter to parents after Fell was arrested. 'It took several weeks of investigation to confirm the allegations of the illegal communications,' she said. 'Once law enforcement had sufficient confirmation, our school and district were informed and Ms. Fell was immediately reassigned to a position away from our school where she had no contact with students.' Fell was granted a $20,000 bond on Tuesday, although it is unclear if she has posted it as of Thursday evening. The head of the German force leading the fresh searches for Madeleine McCann told a friend who wished him luck: Thanks, we need it. Rainer Grimm, boss of the BKA, Germanys equivalent of the FBI, is in Portugal overseeing the search which ended yesterday. His apparent lack of confidence in the operation to his pal echoed what many have seen as the last throw of the dice for investigators looking to solve the 18-year riddle. But sources close to the investigation said that only animal bones and bits of old adult clothing have been found in the estimated 300,000 operation. One officer told MailOnline: 'We always knew it was going to be a waste of time but we have to show cooperation. 'What did they expect to find after 18 years? We were happy to work with them but we knew it would be a waste of time.' Sources close to the Madeleine McCann investigation said that only animal bones and bits of old adult clothing have been found One officer told MailOnline: 'We always knew it was going to be a waste of time but we have to show cooperation' The head of the German force leading the fresh searches for Madeleine McCann (pictured) told a friend who wished him luck: Thanks, we need it' Convicted rapist and paedophile Christian Brueckner, 48, (pictured) has been identified by German prosecutors as the man behind Madeleines abduction and murder Convicted rapist and paedophile Christian Brueckner, 48, has been identified by German prosecutors as the man behind Madeleines abduction and murder. He was sensationally named by German authorities in June 2020 as the man responsible for Madeleines abduction and murder, but he has not been charged and the sands of time are running out. Brueckner, who has vehemently denied the allegations, is currently serving a seven-year sentence for a separate rape case and is due for release in September and has already vowed to leave Germany. As a result, it means prosecutors will have trouble bringing him to court should they charge him in connection with Madeleines disappearance. His earliest possible release date is September 17 however that is unlikely as he will have to pay 1500 euro in outstanding fines from a series of motor offences to do so. But his legal team say he is broke and so a release date of January 6 looks more likely. Brueckner's lawyer Philipp Marquort told MailOnline:'I haven't had a chance to speak with him yet about the searches and I am not going to comment on what has been happening in Portugal. 'What I will say is that I don't think he will be coming out in September as he doesn't have any money to pay the fines because it went on his legal fees, so I can't see him leaving prison until early next year. Polcie searched the remote Portuguese area for three days this week Permission had been given to search the derelict outbuildings on the scrubland close to where Brueckner used to live 'He will probably see the news on the TV in his cell and he will talk about it when he calls me next time but I still do think when he is freed he will leave Germany.' Last October he was cleared of a series of unrelated sex attacks that took place in the Algarve between 2000 and 2017. Two years ago police also searched a dam close by for evidence but after a week-long operation nothing was found. Brueckner continues to deny any involvement with Madeleine's disappearance. Details of Mr Grimm's downbeat message came as the operation at Atalaia near Praia da Luz was brought to a close after three days. Permission had been given to search the derelict outbuildings on the scrubland close to where Brueckner used to live and where he previously to park his campervan until Friday Meanwhile locals expressed exasperation at the eyes of the world once again being on Praia da Luz with one business owner telling MailOnline: 'What on earth do they expect to find after 18 years ? A criminal police investigator searches the area near a ruin as police resumes the search for the body of Madeleine McCann, who went missing in the Portuguese Algarve in May 2007, in Atalaia, Portugal, June 5, 2025 Police investigators search an area during an operation in the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine (or Maddie) McCann at Atalaia, Lagos in Algarve on June 5, 2025 Officers pack up a tent at the end of the day of searching at one of the base camps close to Praia De Luz, Portugal, where searches are being carried out by officers investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann 'It's been such a long time, of course everyone sympathies with the parents but it's gone on for too long now and to be honest no one here is convinced this German guy did it.' The German police team will fly back on a military plane due to pick them up today and which will also carry two vans brought with them. German officials said they would update the media on Friday or Monday if they had anything significant to say but the feeling was one of disappointment. Holidaymakers in the Maldives have been told to remain on high alert following an update to the Australian Government's official travel advice. Australians are among the largest groups of visitors to the tropical paradise with over 30,000 travelling to the island nation in 2023 alone. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's Smartraveller website on Thursday raised its advisory for the Indian Ocean tourism magnet to Level 2: Exercise a High Degree of Caution. It cited the risk of 'civil unrest and the ongoing threat of terrorism'. 'Terrorism can occur anywhere in the Maldives at any time,' the update continued. 'Potential targets include government institutions and areas frequented by tourists.' Travellers are being advised to remain vigilant, avoid large gatherings and crowded places and to stay up to date by monitoring local media. The heightened warning follows a series of security incidents in recent years. SmartTraveller has urged Aussie travellers to exercise high degree of caution in the Maldives In February 2020, a stabbing attack in the island of Hulhumale left three foreign nationals injured, including an Australian. That same year, a police speedboat was targeted by an arson attack in Laamu Gan, and in May 2021, an improvised explosive device detonated in the capital, Male, injuring a prominent politician and several bystanders. Smartraveller has also issued several other warnings for those planning a trip to the Maldives, particularly around civil unrest and general safety risks. Protests, drug-related and gang-related violence is also known to occur in Greater Male and other non-resort islands. Even if the demonstrations appear calm, Smartraveller advises avoiding these gatherings and keeping up to date with official advice. Petty crime is another concern. Theft can occur on beaches and in hotel rooms, including at resorts, so travellers should take precautions and secure their valuables. Australia is not the only country to issue a warning to travellers. The United Kingdom has issued a similar terror warning, raised in April this year (stock image) In April, the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) updated its travel advice for British nationals visiting the Maldives. The FCDO also emphasised that 'there is a high threat of terrorist attack globally affecting UK interests and British nationals'. The advisory said that 'terrorist attacks in Maldives cannot be ruled out' and may occur indiscriminately, including in areas frequented by tourists. Officials also noted that global tensions, particularly from the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, have contributed to an elevated risk environment, with terrorist groups such as Al-Qaida and Daesh actively calling for attacks in response. Donald Trump's day feuding with his former First Buddy Elon Musk grew worse Thursday night as a federal judge blocked his assault on Harvard University. The president signed an executive order on Wednesday entitled Enhancing National Security by Addressing Risks at Harvard University, which suspends the school's student visa program. He claimed it was a national security issue, as he also restricted travel from a dozen countries. But on Thursday, university officials filed an amended complaint - calling Trump's order an end-run around a federal judge's previous ruling blocking the Department of Homeland Security from revoking the Ivy League's ability to host foreign students. US District Court Judge Allison Burroughs ultimately agreed, extending her temporary restraining order through June 20, Axios reports. She also scheduled a June 16 hearing on whether to extend the restraining order as the case continues, according to the Boston Globe. As night fell, the Trump administration slammed the ruling, with Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin saying it 'delays justice and seeks to kneecap the President's constitutionally vested powers' under Article II. 'It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuitions to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments; that fact hasn't changed,' she argued. 'The Trump administration is committed to restoring common sense to our student visa system and we expect a higher court to vindicate us in this,' McLaughlin continued, claiming: 'We have the law, the facts and common sense on our side.' Lawyers for Harvard University filed an amended complaint against the Trump administration on Thursday - just one day after President Trump signed an executive order banning foreign students from attending the school The president issued an executive order Wednesday entitled Enhancing National Security by Addressing Risks at Harvard University, which suspends the school's student visa program But lawyers for the university argued against Trump's legal justification for the action - a federal law allowing him to block a 'class of aliens' deemed detrimental to the nation's interests. Targeting only those who are coming to the U.S. to study at Harvard doesnt qualify as a 'class of aliens,' Harvard said in its filing, noting that those same students could apply for a visa to attend a different American university, per the New York Times. 'The Presidents actions thus are not undertaken to protect the "interests of the United States," but instead to pursue a government vendetta against Harvard,' the university wrote. The president has been butting heads with officials at the Ivy League school ever since he accused it of failing to address antisemitism on campus. The White House issued a list of demands from the school earlier this year - including for it to ban any student who is hostile to American values and to allow for an audit of faculty and students to measure 'viewpoint diversity' at the school. When university officials then refused, the Trump administration pulled nearly $3 billion in federal grants and contracts from the university - prompting it to sue. Trump also tried to get the Department of Homeland Security to revoke foreign students' visas at the school, but last month the university sued, saying it violated its First Amendment rights. The amended complaint on Thursday came in that lawsuit. Harvard accuses Trump of retaliating against it for refusing to meet his demands The university also claims Secretary of State Marco Rubio targeted Harvard in a 'pilot program' to conduct enhanced vetting of visa applicants' social media use It argues that his executive action constitutes a 'concerted and escalating campaign of retaliation by the government in clear retaliation for Harvard's exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government's demands to control Harvard's governance, curriculum and the "ideology" of its faculty and students. 'With the strike of a pen, the DHS Secretary and the President have sought to erase a quarter of Harvard's student body, international students who contribute significantly to the university and its mission,' lawyers for the school wrote, according to the Boston Globe. 'Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.' The filing on Thursday also argues that the government's efforts to limit its foreign student population 'fundamentally alter the education that Harvard endeavors to provide to all its students - including domestic students - as it prepares them to contribute to and lead in our global society.' Trump's executive order appears to only affect newly-arriving international students, including about 300 first-year students who are set to begin classes in the fall. But he also urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider revoking current students' visas - with an estimated 5,000 foreign nationals enrolled at the school. Harvard also claims in its amended complaint that Rubio, in a cable dated May 30, announced a 'pilot program' to conduct enhanced vetting of visa applicants' social media use - and chose Harvard as the sole school for the experiment. 'Harvards more than 7,000 F-1 and J-1 visa holders - and their dependents - have become pawns in the government's escalating campaign of retaliation,' Harvard wrote in its filing. University President Alan Garber said the school's international office was reaching out to students who may be effected by Trump's executive order Shortly after Harvard submitted the amended complaint, University President Alan Garber issued a statement saying the school's international office was reaching out to students who may be effected by Trump's executive order. He wrote that the university was developing 'contingency plans' to ensure the international students could continue their work at the Ivy League and throughout the next academic year. 'Harvard will continue to protect its international students,' school officials said in a statement as international students like Yonas Nuguse weigh their options. Nuguse, 21, a student in Ethiopia who endured the Tigray conflict, internet and phone shutdowns, and the COVID-19 pandemic, was accepted to the school in Cambridge, Massachusetts and was set to begin in the fall. It was a hard fought victory for him as the war in the country's Tigray region forced schools to close in many parts of the province. Nuguse instead took a gap year to study and save money to pay for his TOEFL English proficiency test in Addis Ababa, Ethiopias capital. 'The war affected me a great deal and when I found out the news that I was accepted to Harvard, I was ecstatic. I knew it was a proud moment for my family, teachers, mentors and friends, who were instrumental in my achievement,' he said. Yonas Nuguse, 21 years old, destined for Harvard University working on a computer at Wemezeker National Library in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Friday An aspiring economist, Nuguse was the only student accepted to Harvard this year from Kalamino Special High School, which caters to gifted students from underprivileged backgrounds from across Tigray. After receiving acceptances also to Columbia University and Amherst College, Nuguse chose Harvard, which he had long dreamed of attending. He said he hopes it will work out to attend Harvard. Nuguse was granted a visa to study at Harvard, and he worries it might be too late to reverse his decision and attend another university anyway. He received an email from Harvard last week, telling him to proceed with his registration and highlighting a judge's order in Harvard's favor in the dispute over foreign enrollment. 'I hope the situation is temporary and I can enroll on time to go on and realize my dream far from reality in Ethiopia,' he said. Jing, a 23-year-old masters student, meanwhile is currently completing an internship in China this summer, and is now unsure if he can reenter the U.S. for the fall semester. 'It is tiring, we all feel numb now. Trump just makes big news headlines once every few days since he got back to the White House,' said Jing, who agreed to speak under his family name out of concern about retaliation from the Trump administration. Jing said he is going to watch and see what happens for now, in case the move against international students is just a negotiating tactic by the Trump administration that does not stick. The roof of a trainee double-decker bus was ripped off after it smashed into a London railway bridge. The training bus, which was not carrying passengers, hit the Norwood Junction railway bridge in South London shortly after midday on Thursday. It is unknown whether there were any injuries following the crash. Dramatic images of the bus show debris lining the street as the entire roof of the bus hangs nearly vertical from the 12ft high bridge down to the road. Meanwhile, a nearby sign reads: 'Warning to buses - low bridge ahead.' As a result of the incident, Portland Road, which has previously been struck by vehicles, was closed in both directions. National Rail confirmed that while the line had reopened, ongoing delays were expected, impacting passengers on London Overground, Southern and Thameslink services. A trainee double-decker bus had its roof ripped off when it crashed into a London railway bridge. The training bus, which was carrying no passengers on board, hit the Norwood Junction railway bridge in South London shortly after midday on Thursday Dramatic images of the training bus show debris lining the street as the entire roof of the bus hangs nearly horizontally from the 12ft high bridge down to the road. Meanwhile, a nearby sign reads: 'Warning to buses - low bridge ahead' In 2015, seven people were left injured after a double decker bus also crashed into the low bridge on Portland Road. While paramedics treated seven passengers, remarkably nobody was seriously hurt in the smash. Police said that the 197 bus to Peckham does not usually pass the bridge on its route, police said, meaning it may have been on diversion at the time. Of the seven injured, four were taken to Croydon University Hospital including three patients who had minor injuries. Pictures taken moments after the crash showed confused passengers getting off the bus as traffic officials try to cordon off the area. In 2015, seven people were left injured after a double decker bus also crashed into the low bridge on Portland Road (pictured) Astonished members of the public were also seen to be staring at what remained of the double decker after the crash, which was also attended by London Fire Brigade. An average of five bridge strikes take place every day in the UK, at an annual cost of 23million. Meanwhile, previous research by Network Rail has found that around half of the UK's truck drivers are currently unware of the height of their vehicle. The Metropolitan Police was contacted for comment. Downing Street is looking to bring in an identity card app in a bid to clamp down on illegal immigration. Senior No 10 figures are said to be examining proposals for a new BritCard which would display a person's right to live, work and rent in the UK. The idea, which would see individuals' identities stored on a smartphone, also aims to tackle benefit fraud by linking the card to government records and has received support from several cabinet ministers, inluding cabinet office minister Pat McFadden and technology secretary Peter Kyle. Advocates think the scheme will send the message that Britain is not 'a soft touch' on illegal migration and will decrease the 'pull' factor, which many European countries blame for the ongoing small boats crisis, The Times reports. Britain remains the only European nation without an ID card system, with Tony Blair's famous attempt to introduce one collapsing in 2011, after the coalition government pulled the plug on it. It is also hoped the app can tie a number of different services together, including ordering passports, displaying driving licences and national insurance numbers, and offering NHS services. Labour Together, a think tank run by Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, from 2017 to 2020, has collated plans for the card and sent them to Downing Street. They include a requirement to 'show' the ID when renting a property or starting a new job, with the system automatically checking their right to work or rent against government records. Downing Street is looking to bring in an identity card app, known as BritCard, pictured, in a bid to clamp down on illegal immigration Advocates think the scheme will send the message that Britain is not 'a soft touch' on illegal migration (pictured: migrants in the Channel on a small boat this year) Existing documents to check identity can be easily forged, potentially deceiving landlords or prospective employers. A mock up of the app, seen in the plans, shows a screen with an individuals' face and name on it, as well as his right to work and rent statuses, driving licence, and options to share identity or age. The report, published on Friday, urges the Prime Minister to make digital identity a 'top prime ministerial priority' and commence a 'fundamental transformation in the way British citizens interact with the government'. It points to a poll which suggests 80 per cent of the public back the implementation of digital right-to-work credentials, with just under one in three believing it would act as a deterrent against people entering the country illegally. The report said that those who did not want to have a digital ID card on their phone would be allowed to carry a physical one instead. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has placed herself in opposition to some of her colleagues, including many from the 'Red Wall' wave of Labour MPs, with Home Office sources describing her position as 'nuanced'. Sir Keir Starmer has admitted the public has 'every right to be angry' about the issue after more than a thousand migrants made the journey in a single day for the first time this year. Home Office data showed 1,194 migrants arrived in 18 boats on Saturday. Your browser does not support iframes. Britain remains the only European nation without an ID card system, with Tony Blair's famous attempt to introduce one collapsing in 2011 (pictured: protests against the scheme in 2004) The idea has received support from several cabinet ministers, inluding cabinet office minister Pat McFadden, pictured in May Home Secretary Yvette Cooper , pictured in May, has placed herself in opposition to some of her colleagues, including many from the 'Red Wall' wave of Labour MPs Your browser does not support iframes. But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described Sir Keir's words as 'rubbish', claiming that even Defence Secretary John Healey had acknowledged ministers had 'lost control' of the borders. Saturday's figures were the first time daily crossings topped a thousand in 2025, and prompted Mr Healey to claim Britain had 'lost control' over the last five years, implicating the former Tory government. Writing on social media site X on Monday, the Prime Minister said: 'You have every right to be angry about small boat crossings. 'I'm angry too. We are ramping up our efforts to smash the people smuggling gangs at source.' He claimed hundreds of boats and engines had been 'seized', raids on illegal working were up, and 'almost 30,000 people' had been returned. But Mrs Badenoch hit back, responding: 'Rubbish! Even the Defence Secretary admits the govt has 'lost control' of our borders.' Small boat arrivals are 'up 95% from this point in 2023', she said, and claimed ministers had 'scrapped the only viable deterrent': the previous Conservative government's Rwanda plan. Sir Keir had earlier insisted the Rwanda plan 'didn't deter anybody', after his decision to scrap it was highlighted while he visited Glasgow for a major defence announcement. Your browser does not support iframes. Sir Keir Starmer, pictured on Wednesday, admitted the public has 'every right to be angry' about immigration after more than a thousand migrants made the journey in a single day Saturday's crossings brought the provisional annual total so far of migrants who have made the journey to 14,811 (pictured: people who are thought to be migrants at Dover in May) He added: 'I'm not up for gimmicks. I'm up for the hard work of working with partners, enhancing the powers that law enforcement have, in my determination to take down the gangs that are running this vile trade.' Saturday's crossings brought the provisional annual total so far of migrants who have made the journey to 14,811. This is 42 per cent higher than the same point last year (10,448) and 95% up from the same point in 2023 (7,610). It is still lower than the highest daily total of 1,305 arrivals since data began in 2018, which was recorded on September 3, 2022. Paramount Global chair Shari Redstone revealed she has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer amid her company's legal battle with Donald Trump. Redstone, 71, is a key decision maker at the media giant and is looking to settle with the president while she works to secure a corporate merger. A spokesperson for the heiress confirmed she was diagnosed earlier this spring 'after experiencing fatigue and other symptoms.' Redstone sought medical help about two months ago and was diagnosed with thyroid cancer the next day, reported The New York Times. While surgeons removed her thyroid gland, some cancer cells remained as they had spread to her vocal cords. 'She is maintaining all professional and philanthropic activities throughout her treatment, which is ongoing. She and her family are grateful that her prognosis is excellent,' Redstone's spokesperson Molly Morse said. Redstone kept her diagnosis private, sharing it only with a tight circle of relatives, close friends, and advisers including David Ellison, the Skydance head and tech heir, whose company is set to purchase Paramount and her family's stake in the company. Her diagnosis comes as Paramount is preparing for the $8.4 billion merger with Skydance while the company is also looking to settle a lawsuit with Trump. Paramount Global chair Shari Redstone (pictured), 71, revealed she has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer She is a key decision maker at the media giant and is looking to settle with the president while she works to secure a corporate merger A spokesperson for the heiress (pictured with father Sumner Redstone) confirmed she was diagnosed earlier this spring 'after experiencing fatigue and other symptoms' The 79-year-old president filed a lawsuit against CBS News in October 2024, accusing the network of manipulating the American public by deceptively editing the interview in a way that favored Kamala Harris and damaged his own image. Redstone wants to settle to stay on good terms with the President while waiting for FCC approval of a major deal and offer him $15 million, according to reports. Insiders fear a payout, estimated to be up to $50 million, could be seen as a 'bribe' amid her plan to sell Paramount and CBS News, which is currently being reviewed by Trump's Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Meanwhile, the FCC has delayed approval of Redstone's plan to sell Paramount and CBS News to Skydance, an independent film company. Redstone's high-stakes decision comes amid warnings from both media insiders and high ranking Democrats like Bernie Sanders, who has also warned there could be further legal risks around settling the case against the backdrop of the Skydance deal. Network insiders fear the settlement could backfire if the deal is seen as a payoff or bribe. Paramount's insurance doesn't cover bribery claims, despite typically protecting board members and executives from being held personally liable. Both the board and Redstone could face shareholder lawsuits, a criminal probe from a Trump-opposing prosecutor, and if Democrats win Congress - endless hearings that could drag this out even further. Redstone (pictured) sought medical help about two months ago and was diagnosed with thyroid cancer the next day Trump filed a lawsuit against CBS News in October 2024, seeking damages over a 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris Paramount maintains that the lawsuit has nothing to do with the $8 billion Skydance merger. 'This lawsuit is completely separate from, and unrelated to, the Skydance transaction and the FCC approval process,' the spokesperson said in a statement to the New York Post. 'We will abide by the legal process to defend our case.' Despite the warnings, 71-year-old Redstone seems ready to make her official move. With her wealth dwindling as Paramount's stock continues to slide, she's reportedly eager to 'move on with her life', The Post reported. If the deal goes through, Redstone could walk away with $2 billion - ultimately salvaging part of the fortune inherited from her father, late media mogul Sumner Redstone. The families of six children killed in a jumping castle tragedy in Tasmania have lashed a judge's decision to clear the operator of breaching safety laws - with one grieving mother erupting in the court's public gallery. Chace Harrison, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, Zane Mellor, Addison Stewart, Jye Sheehan and Peter Dodt died as a result of the incident at Hillcrest Primary School in Devonport in December 2021. They were enjoying end-of-year celebrations on the Tasmanian school's oval when a wind gust lifted the castle into the air. Three others were seriously injured. Rosemary Gamble, owner of Taz-Zorb which set up the equipment, pleaded not guilty to failing to comply with a workplace health and safety duty. She was found not guilty by Magistrate Robert Webster, who handed down his decision in Devonport Magistrates Court on Friday. Georgie Burt, the devastated mother of 12-year-old Zane Mellor, began yelling from inside the public gallery after the verdict was read out. 'I hope it stays with you forever, what you have done. My child, they will follow you until you are dead,' she shouted. 'My son Zane Mellor, I hope it haunts you, I hope you see them every single time they miss a Christmas, miss a birthday it's because of you.' Zane Mellor's devastated mother, Georgie Burt, began yelling from the public gallery after the verdict was read out. She then made a statement outside the court (pictured) 'I hope it stays with you forever, what you have done. My child, they will follow you until you are dead,' Ms Burt (pictured) shouted from the public gallery on Friday Rosemary Gamble, owner of Taz-Zorb which set up the equipment, pleaded not guilty to failing to comply with a workplace health and safety duty Students Chace Harrison, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, Zane Mellor, Addison Stewart, Jye Sheehan and Peter Dodt died after the incident Ms Burt later addressed reporters outside the court room. 'I am deeply disappointed in the Tasmanian justice system,' she said through tears. 'This outcome does not reflect the weight of our loss nor the reality of what we live with every single day.' Andrew Dodt, whose son Peter Dodt was killed, was also left bereft by the court's ruling. 'I've been broken for a long time and I think I'm going to be broken for a lot more,' he told reporters outside court. 'I thank you for walking the path with us. It was a very long path and I think we've still got a long way to go. 'Our hopes are just shattered now. All I wanted was an apology for my son not coming home and I'm never going to get it and that kills me.' A representative for Ms Gamble read a statement on her behalf outside court, saying she recognised the psychological scars of the incident would likely remain forever. Flowers, soft toys and tributes are seen outside Hillcrest Primary School in Devonport Officers who attended the tragic scene are seen comforting each other at the school 'I never meant for something like this to happen. And I am just so sorry that it did,' the statement said. 'I am a mother. I can only imagine the pain that other parents are living with each and every day because of this terrible thing that happened. 'Their loss is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life.' Gamble faced a 10-day hearing in November where it was alleged she only used pegs at four of the inflatable castle's eight anchor points, despite the manufacturer's instructions recommending all eight. Her lawyer Chris Dockray argued Gamble had been left out to dry by the castle's Chinese manufacturer. East Inflatables didn't provide instructions to Gamble upon purchase and only supplied four pegs, Mr Dockray said. Gamble instead downloaded a two-page manual from the company's website, he said, which resulted in an interpretation that four pegs were sufficient. According to court documents, seven students were on the castle when a significant weather event dislodged it. They fell from the castle, while a blower attached to the castle to keep it inflated struck a nearby student. Preparations for an inquest have been paused due to the criminal proceedings, while a class action has also been launched against Gamble as well as the state of Tasmania. Labour has pulled off a shock win in the Hamilton by-election, humiliating First Minister John Swinney. The SNP leader had claimed Labour was 'out of it' just hours before the polls opened. But Anas Sarwar's party won by persuading voters to set aside their anger over UK Government cuts and back a 'new direction' after 18 years of SNP government. It was the second electoral reversal for Mr Swinney since he became First Minister just over a year ago - his party lost 39 of its 48 MPs at last year's general election. Labour's Davy Russell became the new MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse shortly after 1.30am ,erasing an SNP majority of 4,582 to win by 602 votes. Despite hype about overtaking Labour or even winning the seat, Reform UK came third. In his victory speech, Mr Russell said: 'Right across Scotland, we all feel we've been let down by the SNP. They've broken their NHS, wasted their money, and after nearly two decades, they don't deserve another chance. 'This community has also sent a message to Farage and his mob tonight. The poison of Reform isn't us, isn't Scotland, and we don't want your division here.' Scottish Labour's Davy Russell arrives at the count before being declared winner for the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election Russell shakes hands with SNP candidate Katy Loudon (right) after hearing the vote count Russell (right) celebrates with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar (centre) and deputy leader Jackie Baillie (left) Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said it was 'game on' for the Holyrood election next year. He said voters had made it clear they wanted the UK Government to change some its policies, wanted rid of the SNP and had rejected the politics of Reform. 'The people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse have laid the first stone in that path way to a Scottish Labour government.' It was a back-to-back defeat for SNP candidate Katy Loudon, who also lost the Westminster byelection in Ruthgerlen & Hamilton West in 2023. SNP cabinet secretary Mairi McAllan said: 'Obviously it's disappointing not to have won, but what I do have is a party that is exceptionally energized, very united and our campaign to win this seat next year starts now.' The Scottish Conservatives came fourth but narrowly held on to their deposit, falling from 17.5 per cent of the vote to six. Labour's share of the vote was 31.5 per cent, down from the 33.6 per cent the party managed at the 2021 Holyrood election. The SNP's vote share slumped by more than a third from 46.2 per cent to 29.3 per cent. Celebrations were in order in the early hours of Friday morning at South Lanarkshire Council Headquarters in Hamilton, Scotland Reform, who didn't stand in the constituency in 2021, took 26.1 per cent of the vote. Turnout was 44.2 per cent, well down on the 60.7 per cent of the 2021 election. The contest was triggered by the death of SNP minister Christina McKelvie. The campaign was one of the ugliest in modern Scottish politics, with accusations of racism levelled against Reform after it attacked Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.= A Reform campaign advert claimed Mr Sarwar had said he wanted to 'priortise the Pakistani community' based on a 2022 speech in which he said no such thing. On Monday, Mr Farage also said he wanted to review the Barnett formula which determines Holyrood's budget, jeopardising the 1,500 per person 'Union dividend' enjoyed by Scots.= Despite coming third, the result in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse suggests Reform could still achieve a breakthrough at next year's Holyrood election. A recent poll suggested the party could leapfrog Labour and the Scottish Conservatives to become the main opposition with 21 seats to the SNP's 58. A desperate search is underway for a young man who disappeared without a trace. Joshua Bishop, 23, was last seen in Lalor Crescent, in northwest Melbourne, by his housemate at 9.30pm on May 27. Detectives were able to track his mobile phone to a park in Broadmeadows on the same day before his mother filed a missing persons report two days on May 29. Despite an extensive police search utilising dog squads and drones Mr Bishop has so far not been found. Mr Bishop's phone and bank accounts have been inactive since his disappearance and nobody has heard from him in more than 10 days. His abandoned car, a white Toyota Corolla, was discovered by investigators on Ridley Street, in Albion, on Wednesday. Friends of Mr Bishop believe his car was stolen but no formal theft report has been filed. Mr Bishop's loved ones said they are deeply concerned about his welfare and that his disappearance is completely out of character. Police are currently looking for Joshua Bishop, 23, who was last seen in northwest Melbourne at 9.30pm on May 27 Mr Bishop's family are concerned about his well being as this disappearance is wildly out of character for him Acting Detective Sergeant Matthew Wilson-Hawe said police have yet to rule out any suspicious circumstances relating to the disappearance. 'We were able to track his phone to a park in Broadmeadows, however despite an extensive search of the area we were unable to locate any trace of Joshua,' he said 'At this stage we simply don't know what has happened to him and have increasing concerns for his welfare.' Detectives are now looking into whether Mr Bishop may have been involved in criminal activity prior to his disappearance. 'The more time passes without us hearing Joshua or getting any information about his whereabouts, the more we believe his disappearance is likely to be suspicious,' Sergeant Wilson-Hawe said. Mr Bishop's mother, Kristie, appeared at a press conference alongside his father pleading with the public to help bring her son home. 'Josh was really open with me. We had a really good relationship,' she said. 'This is not something he would do unless he felt he had to. This is just... definitely out of character.' Mr Bishop's parents, Travis and Kristie, appeared at a press conference pleading with anyone who knows where their son is to come forward Mr Bishop was last seen wearing a black singlet and track pants Mr Bishop's father, Travis, said his son was 'loved by everyone'. 'Someone has to know something,' he said. 'We've had a lot of support, but we still haven't got any closer to our son, which is hard. 'We're all just praying that he's safe. We're hurting... we're not coping.' Mr Bishop was last seen wearing a black singlet and track pants. He has been described as Caucasian in appearance, with an average build, short hair and blue eyes. Police are urging anyone with information on his whereabouts, including Mr Bishop himself, to contact Crime Stoppers. A special education teacher charged with grooming and having sex with a 15-year-old boy will be released on bail due to her 'high risk' pregnancy. Karly Rae was arrested in October at her home in Merewether in the NSW Hunter region after she allegedly had sex with the teenager from her school. The schoolboy is not believed to require special needs support. The incident allegedly occurred some time between 6pm on October 4 and 12.30pm the following day, court documents seen by The Daily Telegraph said. The former teacher has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. There is no suggestion the teenager is the father of her unborn child. During a bail hearing in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday, the court heard Rae had initially been granted bail but was thrown behind bars three months later. The court heard she rang the teenager five times in two hours to get him to 'give a false version of events' on January 14, allegedly breaching an apprehended domestic violence order in place to protect the 15-year-old. She was subsequently arrested and has been in custody for the past four months. Special education teacher Karly Rae (pictured) has denied having sex with a 15-year-old boy On Friday, Justice Dhanji granted Rae bail under strict conditions, citing her 'high risk' pregnancy as a key reason. 'The applicant is 23 weeks pregnant, due to give birth in September,' he said. At the mention of her pregnancy, Rae could be seen sobbing silently on the video link she used to join the court hearing. Justice Dhanji noted the pregnancy was 'complicated' and 'high risk' due to her gestational diabetes, as well as her previous experience with miscarriages. He said due to the nature of the allegations against Rae, the child would not be able to stay with her while she remained in custody. Addressing her previous breach of bail, he acknowledged she did attempt to dissuade the teenager from giving an 'accurate version of events'. He said Rae was 'no longer able to work as a teacher' and it is 'highly improbable that there would be any attempt by the applicant to engage in sexual activity with a child'. At least 14 bail conditions have been applied, including home detention, no social media, and the requirement to report to Toronto Police Station three days a week. NSW Supreme Court Justice has granted Rae bail due to her complicated 'high risk' pregnancy Earlier this week, Rae appeared on a video link at Newcastle Magistrates Court where she pleaded not guilty to five charges. These included aggravated sexual intercourse with a child aged between 14 and 16, grooming a child for unlawful sexual activity and possession of child abuse material. She is also facing charges of acting to pervert the course of justice and contravening an apprehended violence order after the incident in January. The charges against her of aggravated sexual intercourse with a child aged between 14 and 16 and producing child abuse material have been dropped. Rae's case will go to trial in the District Court and will be arraigned in July. Elon Musk tried to de-escalate his spiraling feud with Donald Trump last night as White House aides organized a crisis call between the warring billionaires. The bromance between the world's richest and most powerful men was in tatters on Thursday with Musk calling for Trump to be impeached after linking him to Jeffrey Epstein and the president urged to deport the Space X boss. The clash, which began over Musk's opposition to Trump's 'big, beautiful bill', quickly evolved into personal insults and prompted the president to suggest that Musk's multibillion-dollar government contracts should be ripped away. The world's richest man suffered one of his worst ever days on Wall Street, losing around $27 billion from his net worth as frantic traders dumped Tesla stock. Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman stepped into the fray, posting a plea on X for the two men to reconcile 'for the benefit of our great country,' warning that 'we are much stronger together than apart.' Musk, who became one of Trump's closest allies during the election campaign and then as head of his DOGE cost cutting taskforce, responded with a brief but telling reply: 'You're not wrong.' The unexpected comment was seen by some as an olive branch, suggesting he may be eager to deescalate their feud which finally exploded in public after weeks of rumored tension. A White House official said the two men would speak on Friday. The official did not give a time for the call, which could ease the feuding after an extraordinary day of hostilities - largely conducted over social media - that marked a stark end to a close alliance. Elon Musk last night moved to de-escalate his feud with Donald Trump (pictured together in March) after trading insults on Thursday as their high-profile bromance finally imploded Amid the political firestorm, hedge fund titan Bill Ackman also took to X on Thursday evening with a plea for peace, urging Musk and Trump to reconcile 'for the benefit of our great country.' Musk responded with a brief but telling reply that was seen by many followers as an olive branch to Trump Trump last night appeared to shrug off the stunning public feud in an interview with Politico. 'Oh its okay,' he said during a phone call, before touting his recent polling: 'Its going very well, never done better. 'The numbers are through the roof, the highest polls Ive ever had and I have to go.' Trump had earlier threatened to terminate Musk's lucrative federal contracts with allies suggesting he and his companies be stripped of security clearances. One of his oldest advisors, Steve Bannon, went further and suggested the government seize SpaceX under the Defense Production Act - a move that would undoubtedly trigger challenges. Musk, who had threatened to decommission the SpaceX Dragon capsule - a critical lifeline for transporting American astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station - ultimately retreated. After a user on X suggested he 'cool off and take a step back for a couple of days', Musk abruptly posted: 'Good advice. Ok, we won't decommission Dragon.' White House aides worked to persuade the president to temper his public criticism of Elon Musk to avoid escalation. A call is scheduled for Friday with Musk to clear the air. Pictured, Trump's Chief of Staff Susie Wiles is pictured walking together with Musk in March of this year Donald Trump was urged to immediately seize control of SpaceX after Elon Musk threatened to leave NASA astronauts stranded in space following a massive fall out with the president Musk appeared to take a step away from the escalating drama, sharing in a post that he would not decommission the Dragon as initially suggested after Trump threatened to pull his multibillion-dollar government contracts While the Defense Production Act gives the president broad powers to prioritize contracts deemed necessary for national defense, it does not explicitly authorize outright seizure or nationalization of private companies. Trump could target Musk in other ways, such as targeting his contracts, clearances, and federal partnerships. SpaceX has been awarded over $17 billion in government contracts since 2015, according to ABC News. Much of that money comes from NASA and the Department of Defense. Tesla has also received approximately $1 billion according to the latest figures from February. Bannon suggested the Defense Production Act - a national security measure dating back to the Korean War era - was the best way for Trump to strike back at Musk and his companies. 'The United States government should take possession of it (Space X),' Bannon declared on his 'War Room Live' broadcast. 'Elon Musk is here illegally. He's got to go,' Bannon insisted, despite the fact that Musk, originally from South Africa, has been a naturalized US citizen for more than twenty years. Bannon - who has long openly criticized the billionaire - called Musk an 'unstable individual' and a 'national security issue,' pointing to The New York Times report that charted the DOGE leader's drug use. 'President Trump is a bull and Elon is a baby calf.' In a phone interview on Thursday with The New York Times, Bannon added: 'They should initiate a formal investigation of his immigration status because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately.' Steve Bannon, center, a former senior adviser to Trump during his first administration and a fierce critic of Elon Musk, has called for the president to seize SpaceX from the billionaire Bannon then went on to demand Trump initiate deportation proceedings against Musk. Pictured, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are seen in October 2024 Bannon suggested Musk be stripped of his security clearance and that all federal contracts awarded to Musk's various enterprises be suspended pending a full-scale investigation The spat between Musk and Trump broke out early Thursday after the SpaceX boss ramped up his opposition to the Republican-led 'big, beautiful bill.' The budget reconciliation bill will reportedly add trillions to the national deficit, a move that enraged Musk and added to his departure from the Trump Administration. Musk had been overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which had claimed to have saved the US tens of billions of dollars on so-called wasteful government projects. DOGE's goal had been to get that number into the trillions but Musk claimed the bill 'undermined' his efforts. The fractures in their relationship were finally made plain for all to see on Thursday as they took to X and Truth Social to exchange barbs. NASA used a SpaceX Dragon capsule in March to rescue 2 NASA astronauts from the International Space Station after their Boeing Starliner craft failed 9 months earlier Trump and Musk spectacularly broke up on Thursday with Musk publicly encouraging Trump to be impeached. Pictured, the pair are seen in the Oval Office in March Elon Musk answered 'yes' when one X user floated impeaching President Donald Trump and replacing him with 40-year-old Vice President J.D. Vance Whilst Trump was hosting the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office he was asked about Musk's recent criticism. From there, the dam broke. 'Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will any more, I was surprised,' Trump told reporters. The president suggested that Musk was angry - not over the bill ballooning the deficit - but because the Trump administration has pulled back on electric vehicle mandates, which negatively impacted Tesla, and replaced the Musk-approved nominee to lead NASA, which could hinder SpaceX's government contracts. 'And you know, Elon's upset because we took the EV mandate, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles, and they're having a hard time the electric vehicles and they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy,' Trump said. 'I know that disturbed him.' Trump attends a meeting with the Fraternal Order of Police in the State Dinning Room, taking a brief break from his all-day war with former DOGE leader Musk Last weekend, Trump pulled the nomination of Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman had worked alongside Musk at SpaceX. 'He recommended somebody that I guess he knew very well, I'm sure he respected him, to run NASA and I didn't think it was appropriate and he happened to be a Democrat, like totally Democrat,' Trump continued. 'We won, we get certain privileges and one of the privileges is we don't have to appoint a Democrat.' Musk posted to X while Trump's Q&A with reporters was ongoing. 'Whatever,' the billionaire wrote. 'Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill,' he advised. 'In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that [is] both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this!' Musk continued. 'Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way.' The spat quickly turned personal with Musk then posting that Trump would have lost the 2024 election had it not been for the world's richest man - him. Musk affirmed Thursday that he would like to see Vice President J.D. Vance take President Donald Trump's place after he and Trump got in a very public spat Musk objected to Trump's claim that Trump would have won Pennsylvania - and the 2024 election - without the help from the world's richest man. 'Such ingratitude,' Musk commented Musk had publicly endorsed Trump on the heels of the July 13th assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania and poured around $290 million of his fortune into the Republican's campaign. The billionaire also joined Trump on the campaign trail when he returned to the site of the Butler shooting in early October, a month before Election Day. Trump said in the Oval that he likely still would have won Pennsylvania without Musk's help and because Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris didn't choose the state's governor, Josh Shapiro, to be her running mate. Even with Shapiro on the ticket, Trump claimed, 'I would have won Pennsylvania, I would have won by a lot.' Musk said that was laughable. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,' Musk claimed. 'Such ingratitude,' the billionaire added. The 53-year-old Musk also asserted he had more staying power than the 78-year-old president. It was less than a week ago that Trump celebrated Musk's time in his administration. The pair are pictured in October 2024 'Oh and some food for thought as they ponder this question: Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years,' Musk said Thursday afternoon, responding to a post from MAGA agitator Laura Loomer. After his meeting with Merz, Trump continued to throw punches online. Trump asserted that he had asked Musk to leave his administration and said the billionaire went 'CRAZY!' 'Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!' Trump wrote. Elon Musk dramatically charged that President Donald Trump's name appears in the files of known pedophile Jeffrey Epstein This 1997 photo shows then real estate developer Donald Trump (right) alongside Jeffrey Epstein (left), the pedophile sex offender who died in prison in 2019 Trump didn't directly respond to Musk's Epstein charge, instead posting what amounted to a shrug on Truth Social, while also continuing to back the 'big, beautiful bill.' 'I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago,' Trump wrote. 'This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress.' Asked for comment, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Daily Mail in a statement: 'This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted.' 'The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again,' Leavitt added. Sussan Ley has walked back the quirky reason behind why she added an extra 'S' to her name. The new Liberal Party leader told The Australian newspaper in 2015 that she changed the official spelling of her name due to a youthful fascination with numerology. Numerology is an occult practice that ascribes meanings and significance to numbers. 'I read about this numerology theory that if you add the numbers that match the letters in your name you can change your personality,' Ley told the paper. 'I worked out that if you added an "s" I would have an incredibly exciting, interesting life and nothing would ever be boring.' But now the Opposition Leader has changed her tune,dismissing it as a 'flippant' remark. 'It was a flippant remark that I made to a journalist,' Ley told Tom Elliott on 3AW on Friday morning. 'Its actually not the reason. It was something I did during my rebel teenage years. Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley (pictured) has walked back the quirky reason behind why she added an extra 'S' to her name. She previously claimed it was driven by a belief in numerology to make her life more interesting, but now claims it was a motivated by a rebellious phase Ley, a divorced mother of three and grandmother of six, certainly has had a colourful life. She has worked as an air traffic controller, an aerial stock mustering pilot, a shearers cook, a wool and beef farmer and public servant (pictured: Ley with family members at her late mother's recent funeral) 'And, you know, I went through a punk phase in those years and added the extra S. So, people have been fascinated by the numerology angle, but its actually not correct.' Ley defeated former Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor to become the first woman to lead the Liberal Party in its 80-year history last month. Ley, a divorced mother of three and grandmother of six, certainly has had a colourful life. The 63-year-old has previously worked as an air traffic controller, an aerial stock mustering pilot, a shearers cook, a wool and beef farmer and public servant. Ley went to university as a mum and as a mature aged student to complete a BA in economics and masters in tax and accounting. She has been the Member for Farrer since 2001 and has served as a Cabinet Minister in the Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments. A fugitive accused of killing a New York family-of-four, including two young children, has been captured in the Dominican Republic. Luis Francisco Soriano, 31, also known as Jefry Yevo, was arrested in Punta Cana, a popular resort town, where he fled after allegedly murdering a family-of-four, including two children aged two and four years old. 'The horrific nature of this crime, which resulted in the tragic death of a family including two innocent children, rocked the very foundation of our society governed by law and order,' US Marshal for Puerto Rico, Wilmer Ocasio-Ibarra, said. Soriano was wanted by police in Irondequoit, New York, a suburb in Rochester, on four counts of second-degree murder as well as narcotics charges. He and his brother, Julio Soriano, have been accused of killing 30-year-old Fraime Ubaldo, 26-year-old Marangely Moreno-Santiago, four-year-old Evangeline Ubaldo-Moreno and two-year-old Sebastian Ubaldo-Moreno. Police say that the father was the cousin of the two brothers, WHEC reported. Soriano was arrested after he finished his shift at the call center of a Punta Cana hotel on Wednesday, according to US Marshals. Marshals said that Soriano fled to Puerto Rico following the killings before travelling by boat to the Dominican Republic. Luis Francisco Soriano, 31, also known as Jefry Yevo, was arrested in the Dominican Republic where he fled after allegedly killing a family of four, including two children aged two and four years old Soriano and his brother, Julio Soriano, have been accused of killing 30-year-old Fraime Ubaldo, 26-year-old Marangely Moreno-Santiago, four-year-old Evangeline Ubaldo-Moreno (pictured right) and two-year-old Sebastian Ubaldo-Moreno (pictured left) Investigators confirmed that the gruesome deaths, that left veteran police shaken, were homicides after discovering stab wounds in the necks and chest of each victim In the early hours of August 31, 2024, the family's charred remains were discovered in the basement of their on fire home. Investigators confirmed that the gruesome deaths, that left veteran police shaken, were homicides after discovering stab wounds in the necks and chest of each victim, the New York Post reported. Irondequoit's police chief Scott Peters said that, in his 32 years on the job, he had never seen anything so horrific. He described the scene at a press conference as 'the worst thing I've ever seen' and vowed to 'bring these monsters to justice.' Soriano's brother, Julio Cesar Pimentel-Soriano, 34, was arrested on September 7 and indicted on murder, burglary, arson and kidnapping charges. Pimentel-Soriano pled not guilty in court, WHEC reported. 'Without a doubt, this is an exceptional job by the Deputy US Marshals of the US Marshals Service, both nationally and internationally,' Ocasio-Ibarra said. 'It is truly worthy of recognition, and our communities should feel reassured knowing that this fugitive has been captured and will face justice. Every case is important to us, but this one not only deeply impacted our communities in New York and Puerto Rico, it shook our entire nation.' Soriano's brother, Julio Cesar Pimentel-Soriano (pictured) , 34, was arrested on September 7 and indicted on murder, burglary, arson and kidnapping charges In the days following the tragic murders, relatives and friends gathered to pay tribute to the victims with a makeshift vigil of balloons and stuffed animals James Settles, a neighbor of the victim's home, expressed to the outlet how pleased he was that the alleged killers had been arrested. Settles said that he is reminded 'everyday' of the horror that occurred within their community as he looks across the street at their home. In the days following the tragic murders, relatives and friends gathered to pay tribute to the victims with a makeshift vigil of balloons and stuffed animals. A memorial still remains at the home, WHEC reported. Luis Soriano will remain in Dominican authorities pending his extradition, marshals said. A former soldier who served with triple murder suspect Travis Decker has shared how his fellow squadmates feel 'betrayed' by the accusations that he killed his three young daughters. The soldier, who asked to remain anonymous, told how he served with the now 32 year old as part of the 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team while stationed in Italy in 2017. At the time, Decker had already had his first daughter, Paityn, with his now ex-wife, Whitney. He is now accused of killing Paityn, nine, as well as his younger daughters, Evelyn, eight, and Olivia, five. The former paratrooper has not been seen since he picked up the girls for a schedule three-hour visit on Friday, and on Monday their bodies were found at a campsite in Leavenworth - 20 miles from their Washington state home. Their wrists had been bound with zip ties and each of them had been suffocated with a plastic bag. 'All of us who served with him feel betrayed and are beyond distraught with the news,' the former squadmember told Fox 13 amid warnings to residents in remote parts of the state on Thursday to 'lock their doors and windows' amid the ongoing manhunt for the former soldier. They say Decker is considered dangerous, given his extensive military training and propensity for violence. He joined the US Army in 2012 and served a tour in Afghanistan two years later. But by 2017, Decker had been removed from the elite Ranger Regiment after he failed to complete Ranger School, his former squadmate said. A former soldier who served with triple murder suspect Travis Decker (pictured as a solider circa 2017) has shared how his fellow squadmates feel 'betrayed' by the accusations that he killed his three young daughters Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and Olivia, five, were found dead on Monday By the time he joined the 173rd Airborne Brigade - which is known for conducting specialized airborne operations, including parachute jumps and air assault - he was quiet and a bit of an outcast. Still, Decker was a hard worker in his unit - and even a bit of a narcissist as he spoke about following in his father's footsteps as a Green Beret and expressed a desire to return to Special Forces, the source claimed. He said it felt like Decker had something to prove, noting that he spoke about his father a lot - and even worshipped the man. Yet Decker never did go back to Special Forces, and in 2021 he transferred to the Washington Army National Guard - where he rose to the rank of sergeant. He was listed as a full-time member of the Army National Guard until 2023 or 2024, when he switched to part-time. But he stopped attending mandatory monthly drills a little over a year ago, and the Guard is in the process of a disciplinary discharge. Those who were close with Decker have since said he has suffered from complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder after leaving active military service. Still, the source said he remained connected with Decker on social media - until the accusations that he murdered his daughters emerged, and Decker deleted nearly all of his social media posts, photos and videos, and unfollowed most of his former Army buddies. The 32 year old triple murder suspect remains on the run, with authorities urging residents in remote parts of the state on Thursday to 'lock their doors and windows' amid the ongoing manhunt for the former soldier Army paratrooper Travis Decker, right, assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, is pictured in 2016 during the 173rd Airborne Brigade's Expert Infantryman Badge testing phase at the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Commands Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany It is believed he was not taking medication for the borderline personality disorder when he failed to return the three girls home on Friday, with court documents saying Whitney 'expressed concern' over his alleged deteriorating mental state. She reportedly told police Decker was supposed to seek mental health treatment and anger management counseling as part of a parenting plan, but there was no sign he had followed through, the documents show. Whitney also stated in September divorce proceedings that he had been 'struggling to maintain stability' since they separated and it was beginning to affect their daughters. She said that at times he would have the girls sleep at an armory while he was in the National Guard, despite her objections, according to the Seattle Times. She further claimed Decker - was prone to 'outbursts' and would come into her house yelling for the girls - would sometimes fail to pick up after promising to do so. In one instance, Whitney wrote that her youngest daughter, Olivia, called her crying during a visit with Decker and said she could not find her father - before Evelyn came home with welts between her legs. 'I do not want to keep Travis from the girls at all,' Whitney wrote in the court filing. 'To the contrary, I have bent over backwards to facilitate that relationship. 'But I cannot have our girls staying in what is essentially a homeless shelter, at times unsupervised, with dozens of strange men or staying in a tent or living in his truck with him, both in extreme temperatures and unknown areas for their safety.' Decker has suffered from complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder since leaving active military service His ex-wife, Whitney, the mother of the three girls, reportedly told police Decker was supposed to seek mental health treatment and anger management counseling as part of a parenting plan, but there was no sign he had followed through The girls' bodies were found approximately 38 miles from their mother's home. Decker is still on the run, as authorities warn locals that he could be dangerous due to his military training Still Whitney reiterated to authorities how she did not believe her ex was dangerous and said he loved his daughters. She said the girls had a 'good relationship with Decker and enjoy their time with him,' and noted that he had never failed to return the girls before, according to a police affidavit. Speaking out for the first time on Thursday through her attorney Arianna Cozart, Whitney said she then realized her daughters were in 'substantial danger' when Decker failed to bring them home. She said se begged police to issue an Amber Alert but was told the case did not meet the requirements, as Decker had custodial privileges and there was no indication that he would harm the girls. But Whitney has now alleged this 'was a tragedy that could've been completely' avoided had officials intervened. She believes 'something broke inside' of Decker and that he 'would not have done what he did if he was himself', Cozart revealed in a heartbreaking statement early Thursday morning. 'He clearly had some sort of break and everything that he had been living with, everything that had been bottled up inside of him for so long as far as trauma, just won out,' Cozart told the Seattle Times. 'We may never know if it could've meant the difference between life and death for those girls but it could've made a huge difference,' Cozart told the newspaper. Authorities on Wednesday released doorbell camera footage showing Decker in the days leading up to his visit with the girls Authorities also released photos of Decker from before he went missing, showing him with sunglasses that obscured his eyes and tattoos all down his arm She added that a judge recommended in September that Travis undergo a psychiatric evaluation and treatment, but Travis needed an advocate and had no luck getting those services by himself. 'Had Travis been provided the mental health resources that he so badly needed as a veteran, the Amber Alert never would have been the issue. Her babies wouldn't be dead, frankly,' Cozart argued. 'No one believed Travis was ever capable of this,' she continued. 'He was a loving father. He did love those girls. His behavior really hadn't changed with Whitney, but what she started hearing after they all went missing, some of the red flags happening in other areas of his life, she suspected the worst.' Whitney had even told police that when Decker went to pick up the girls Friday, he was 'quieter than usual' which was 'out of character' for him. He had also allegedly been talking about getting rid of his dog due to housing and financial struggles. By Tuesday, a judge issued a warrant for Decker's arrest and ordered he be held without bail. JD Vance appeared to subtly address the drama between Donald Trump and Elon Musk amid the pair's sensational fallout. Vance shared a picture with the stand-up comic alongside a cryptic jab, hinting at the president's bromance drama that reached new heights on Thursday. Hinting at an upcoming interview on Von's podcast, the vice president jokingly said: 'Slow news day, what are we even going to talk about?' His lighthearted post was the first time Vance has spoken out about the very public fallout between the once close political allies. Von responded to the tongue in cheek post with, 'We will think of somethin,' while Musk himself reacted with a laughing crying emoji. The hot topic spat between the President and former First Buddy, who maintained a close working relationship for around a year, has stirred the internet. Comments under Vance's post had many curious where loyalties lie, and who would be next on the political chopping block. 'I won't be surprised if @realDonaldTrump sacks Vance for his close association with @elonmusk,' one user said. Many comments said Vance's stance on the feud would be a significant determining factor in his running for president in 2028 'If JD doesn't show loyalty to Trump and rebuke Elon right now he will never be president,' one declared. Another put it simply and answered: 'The demise of your presidential throuple.' Trump and Musk's slinging match kicked off following the SpaceX CEO's criticisms of the president's 'big, beautiful bill,' arguing the spending wiped out DOGE's cost-cutting efforts. Musk wrote: 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination.' 'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.' Musk has also posted on X to claim that the president is plunging the US into financial ruin. He wrote: 'This immense level of overspending will drive America into debt slavery!' The hot topic spat between the President and former First Buddy, who maintained a close working relationship for around a year, has stirred the internet Then, on Thursday, when Trump was supposed to be hosting the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office, he was asked about Musk's recent criticism. 'Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will any more, I was surprised,' Trump told reporters. The president suggested that Musk was angry - not over the bill ballooning the deficit - but because the Trump administration has pulled back on electric vehicle mandates, which negatively impacted Tesla, and replaced the Musk-approved nominee to lead NASA, which could hinder SpaceX's government contracts. 'And you know, Elon's upset because we took the EV mandate, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles, and they're having a hard time the electric vehicles and they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy,' Trump said. 'I know that disturbed him.' The spat quickly turned personal with Musk then posting that Trump would have lost the 2024 election had it not been for the world's richest man - him. But Trump claimed, 'I would have won Pennsylvania, I would have won by a lot.' Musk said that was laughable. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,' Musk claimed. 'Such ingratitude,' the billionaire added. The 53-year-old Musk also asserted he had more staying power than the 78-year-old president. After his meeting with Merz, Trump continued to throw punches online. JD Vance posted a photo with stand-up comic Theo Von and made a subtle jab at the bromance drama that has been unfolding between Trump and Musk Trump asserted that he had asked Musk to leave his administration and said the billionaire went 'crazy!' 'Elon was "wearing thin," I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!' Trump wrote. The president then threatened to pull SpaceX and Tesla's government contracts. 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!' Trump wrote. As the fight continued, Tesla shares plummeted. Rapper Kanye West even got involved. 'Broooos please noooooo. We love you both so much,' West wrote. And Musk threw the Epstein bomb. '@RealDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,' Musk wrote. 'Have a nice day, DJT!' Jeffrey Epstein is a serial child sex offender who died in prison in 2019. Trump pledged to release the files related to Epstein, with Attorney General Pam Bondi releasing some pages in February, but most of that information was already in the public domain. 'Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out,' Musk added. Theo Von responded to the tongue in cheek post with, 'We will think of somethin,' while Musk himself reacted with a laughing crying emoji. The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment. Trump didn't directly respond to Musk's Epstein charge, instead posting what amounted to a shrug on Truth Social, while also continuing to back the 'big, beautiful bill.' 'I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago,' Trump wrote. 'This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress.' It was less than a week ago that Trump gave Musk a golden key and a DOGE send-off from the Oval Office. A Sydney father-of-three and mechanical engineer detained in an Iraqi prison for nearly four years has been released on bail in a major breakthrough. Robert Pether has been locked up in a heavily-guarded facility on the outskirts of Baghdad for the better part of half a decade after being arrested while helping the war-ravaged country rebuild on April 7, 2021. Pether had travelled to Baghdad to discuss a multimillion-dollar blowout in the cost of building the new headquarters for the government-owned Central Bank of Iraq. He was charged with deception and was sentenced to five years behind bars and a $16million fine. Pether has always maintained his innocence. The engineer claimed he was unlawfully held captive as part of a sinister plot to extort millions of dollars from his boss's construction company. Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong welcomed his release on Friday. 'His case has been raised with Iraqi authorities over 200 times, including at the highest level by the Prime Minister and myself,' Senator Wong said. 'I want to thank Australian officials for their tireless work on Mr Pether's case, including Australia's special envoy who travelled to Iraq in recent weeks to negotiate for this outcome.' A Sydney father-of-three and engineer (pictured) detained in an Iraqi prison for nearly four years has been released on bail in major breakthrough Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said the Australian government would continue to press Robert Pether's case in Iraq (Mr Pether is pictured with his wife Desree on his wedding day) The update comes after Mr Pether, who lost a third of his bodyweight in prison, begged for help in a letter shared with Daily Mail Australia in February. Mr Pether said he was terrified he would die in prison and never see his wife, Desree, or children, Flynn, 20, Oscar, 18, and Nala, 11, again. 'For almost four years I've been unlawfully imprisoned in Iraq, subjected to horrendous human rights abuses and violations of international law,' he wrote. 'I don't want my wife to be a widow. I don't want my children to have no father. 'But I also don't want them to suffer any more and I won't let Iraq kill me slowly while I, an innocent man who only came to help Iraq rebuild, rot away, getting sicker and sicker in an Iraq prison. 'I long to go back to Australia. To dive and sail again. Two of my passions. I want my children to experience that with me now that they're older.' In the letter, Mr Pether said he had been subjected to 'what equates to sanctioned torture since my imprisonment in the name of medical care'. He described being 'extremely unwell, mentally and physically', with a life-threatening skin condition as a melanoma survivor with a very high chance of more occurring. Mr Pether (pictured, centre) has previously said he has endured horrendous human rights abuses while imprisoned in Iraq In a trial that lasted just 15 minutes in 2021, Mr Pether (pictured) and an Egyptian colleague Khalid Radwan were found guilty of deception A United Nations report on arbitrary detention detailed allegations Mr Pether was subject to extreme cold, humiliation, threats of death and forms of psychological abuse, including being shown a torture room. Wong said officials would continue to press the case for the Australian in Iraq. 'We will continue to support Mr Pether and his family and to advocate for Mr Pether's interests and wellbeing,' she said. In a trial that lasted just 15 minutes in 2021, Mr Pether and an Egyptian colleague Khalid Radwan were found guilty of deception. They were both given five years 'hard imprisonment'. The pair were arrested after being lured to an office with the promise of resolving their outstanding claim of not being paid for work they had done on the $1billion Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) offices in Baghdad. 'Disappeared for days. We didn't know if they were alive or dead,' Mr Pether's wife Desree said in April 2024. 'We're all broken, they're broken.' 'Watching the impact on them you can see it in their eyes. The boys have grown into men while he was away. It's so excruciating. They were so proud of him, what he was doing and then this happened.' Elon Musk's estranged transgender daughter has subtly reacted to her billionaire father's explosive fallout with Donald Trump. Vivian Wilson, 21, has become known in the last year for speaking her mind about her estranged father, who claimed he was 'tricked' into letting her transition at 16 - a contention she strenuously denied. Her Tesla CEO father and commander-in-chief went head-to-head Thursday in a war of words after Musk turned on the president with a flurry of insults over his 'big, beautiful bill.' Wilson addressed the feud on her Instagram Stories with a video of herself laughing captioned, 'I love being proven right.' She said, 'I do not want to comment,' then burst into a fit of laughter. She followed up with post from Threads paired with the song 'Job Application' by Chase Icon and the caption, 'Such beauty in life.' Trump was asked about Musk's criticism when he was supposed to be hosting the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office on Thursday. 'Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will any more, I was surprised,' the president told reporters. Elon Musk 's estranged transgender daughter, Vivian Wilson, reacted to her billionaire father's explosive fallout with Donald Trump Her Tesla CEO father and commander-in-chief went head-to-head Thursday in a war of words after Musk turned on the president The president suggested that Musk was angry - not over the bill ballooning the deficit - but because the Trump administration has pulled back on electric vehicle mandates, which negatively impacted Tesla, and replaced the Musk-approved nominee to lead NASA, which could hinder SpaceX's government contracts. 'And you know, Elon's upset because we took the EV mandate, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles, and they're having a hard time the electric vehicles and they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy,' Trump said. 'I know that disturbed him.' Musk posted to X as Trump's Q&A with reporters was ongoing, writing, 'Whatever. 'Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill,' he advised. 'In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that [is] both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this!' Musk continued. 'Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way.' The spat quickly turned personal with Musk then posting that Trump would have lost the 2024 election had it not been for the world's richest man - him. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,' Musk claimed. Trump asserted that he had asked Musk to leave his administration and said the billionaire went 'CRAZY!' Wilson addressed the feud on her Instagram Stories with a video of herself laughing and a Threads post saying, 'Such beauty in life' Wilson, 21, rose to notoriety in the last year for publicly bashing her estranged father, who claimed he was 'tricked' into letting her transition Trump and Musk's spat quickly turned personal with Musk then posting that Trump would have lost the 2024 election had it not been for 'Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!' Trump wrote. The president then threatened to pull SpaceX and Tesla's government contracts. 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!' Trump wrote. Musk then taunted Trump to act and said, 'This just gets better and better,' he wrote. 'Go ahead, make my day.' The Tesla boss then escalated their fight and claimed that Trump is 'in the Epstein files.' '@RealDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,' Musk wrote. 'Have a nice day, DJT!' Trump didn't directly respond to Musk's Epstein charge, instead posting what amounted to a shrug on Truth Social, while also continuing to back the 'big, beautiful bill.' 'I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago,' Trump wrote. 'This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress.' Later he ignored shouted questions from reporters on Musk's Epstein charge as he hosted the National Fraternal Order of Police executive board in the State Dining Room. Donald Trump's falling out with the world's richest man Elon Musk is set to hurt Australia economically because it could encourage the US President to take his gloves off in dealing with China. Musk became the 'First Buddy' as Trump was elected and led the Department of Government Efficiency - tasked with trying to find $US2trillion in savings - but the pair have traded increasingly charged barbs this week on their respective platforms, X and Truth Social. Multi-billionaire Musk owns the biggest stake in Tesla, which makes its electric cars in Shanghai, and was also the loudest critic of Trump's punitive tariff hikes against the communist superpower this year. Musk's absence from Trump's inner circle could have huge ramifications for Australia if the US re-escalates its trade war with China - which, importantly, is the biggest buyer of our iron ore used to make steel. Professor Peter Dean, the director of foreign policy with the University of Sydney's United States Studies Centre, said Trump would no longer hear the views of Musk, a businessman with strong ties to China. 'It's less likely [Trump would hold back on China tariffs] now that Elon Musk is out of government,' Prof Dean told Daily Mail Australia. 'Donald Trump will still continue to pursue the policies that he has, irrespective of what Elon says and Elon's influence on Trump has basically dissipated. 'What is Musk now? Musk is a businessman inside the United States like anybody else.' Donald Trump 's fallout with the world's richest man Elon Musk is set to hurt Australia economically because it could squeeze our exports to China The Trump administration slapped 145 per cent tariffs on China in April. While the US and China are in talks to substantially reduce them, Musk was clearly frustrated and predicted the American-led trade war would result in a recession in late 2025. 'The Trump Tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year,' he said on his social media platform X. Prof Dean said Trump's cabinet secretaries, with differing opinions on how to handle China, would no longer hear an alternative point of view within the administration. 'Elon Musk is connected to China in many, many ways that actually work against some of the views of President Trump and his team and particularly their tariffs on China,' he said. 'This is another area of concern that's caused this rift between Musk and between Trump. 'He was clearly not listening to Elon Musk's view on China and tariffs and he's even less likely to do now.' The fallout occurred just four months after Trump signed an executive order establishing DOGE, and putting Musk in charge with access to departmental files. Musk, a billionaire, owns the biggest stake in Tesla , which makes electric cars in Shanghai 'There's a long history in the United States of billionaires and their involvement in politics - it normally always ends pretty quickly and it often doesn't end very well because of the personalities involved,' Prof Dean said. 'I'm actually in one way surprised it's last as long as it has.' Sarah Hunter, the Reserve Bank of Australia's assistant governor in charge of economic policy, said Australia would suffer from the US-China trade war if the Chinese government was too slow to put in place a stimulus package to spur demand. 'If this were to occur the income flows from commodity exports would fall significantly,' she told a Brisbane business lunch this week. Iron ore prices have plunged by 15 per cent, from $US112 to $US95.70 as of Friday afternoon, after the US doubled steel tariffs to 50 per cent, including on Australia. Weaker commodity prices reduce Australian government revenue from company taxes, leading to even bigger Budget deficits. This could in turn make Australian companies less likely to invest as consumers cut back on spending in an already weak economy. Weaker commodity prices reduce Australian government revenue from company taxes, leading to even bigger Budget deficits (pictured: Anthony Albanese at the North East Link Project in Melbourne) 'While key parts of Australia's export volumes may be relatively resilient to global demand conditions and uncertainty, domestic demand is unlikely to be completely insulated,' Ms Hunter said. 'Greater uncertainty about the future can lead households and businesses to save instead of spending and investing, and this is likely to be the case for Australian households and businesses too. 'And increased borrowing costs and risk premia in global financial markets are likely to spill into domestic markets, further weighing on activity.' Prof Dean said Trump's tariffs lacked any kind of strategy, with the American President having second thoughts about banning Chinese social media platform TikTok, despite concerns about spyware. 'He overturned the ban on TikTok because he personally likes TikTok,' he said. 'I don't think there's a huge amount of policy coherence - the President runs more on instinct.' A frantic search is underway for a young Brisbane couple after they failed to board their flight home following a holiday in Tasmania. Leannedra Kang and her boyfriend Takahiro Toya, both 25, had been sightseeing in the St Helens and Scamander area on the northeast coast in a rental car. But they did not board their flight back to Brisbane on June 4. Toya and Kang were travelling in a white Toyota Corolla with the registration L67GW, with an image of the car released by Tasmania Police on Friday. Kang's sister, Alexandra, took to Facebook after discovering her phone's last known location was in Goshen, a remote area in northeast Tasmania. She said that location was 'out of the way for her itinerary'. 'Please let me know if anyone has been in contact with her or seen her,' she wrote. 'My family is beyond worried.' Takahiro Toya (left) and Leannedra Kang (right) have been missing since June 4 The couple did not board their flight from their flight back to Brisbane from Tasmania The car the couple were driving, a white Toyota Corolla with plates L67GW, is pictured Police also shared a message with the missing couple. 'Leannedra and Takahiro if you see this, you're not in any trouble, please phone police or family to let them know you're ok,' it said. Anyone has seen the pair or the vehicle has been urged to contact police. It comes as the search continues for a 23-year-old man who was last seen 10 days ago in Sunbury, in Melbourne's northwest. Joshua Bishop was last seen by his housemate on Lalor Crescent on May 27. Detectives were able to track his phone to a park in Broadmeadows on the same day but despite an extensive police search Mr Bishop has not been found. Mr Bishop's phone and bank accounts have been inactive since his disappearance. His abandoned car, a white Toyota Corolla, was discovered by investigators on Ridley Street, in Albion, on Wednesday. Police are currently looking for Joshua Bishop, 23, who was last seen in northwest Melbourne at 9.30pm on May 27 Friends believe the car was stolen but no formal theft report has been filed. Acting Detective Sergeant Matthew Wilson-Hawe said police have yet to rule out any suspicious circumstances relating to the disappearance. The moment James Wood was charged with Pheobe Bishop's murder at his family's mobile home has been revealed in new footage released by Queensland Police. Wood can be seen barefoot, wearing grey sweatpants, a chunky silver identity bracelet and a black 'Phantom Menace' t-shirt as cops arrested him. He was led through the cluttered interior as family members looked on, before he was taken outside into the evening gloom of the Bundaberg caravan park where he was formally charged. A woman appeared to be heard crying mournfully in the background as Wood was handcuffed by a detective sergeant with Bundaberg CPU. Wood was told police were placing him 'under arrest for the homicide of Pheobe Bishop' before he was put in the backseat of a black unmarked police car. Wood and his partner Tanika Bromley have both been charged with Pheobe's murder and interfering with her corpse, as the search for her remains continues. As their case was called at court on Friday, Pheobe's older sister stood outside and tearfully begged for information that will bring the missing teenager's remains home. Detectives revealed they now believe her body was moved multiple times after she was allegedly murdered. James Wood was told police were placing him 'under arrest for the homicide of Pheobe Bishop' before he was put in the backseat of a black unmarked police car The moment James Wood was charged with Pheobe Bishop's murder at his family's caravan has been revealed in dramatic new footage released by Queensland Police James Wood and his partner Tanika Bromley have both been charged with Pheobe's murder and interfering with her corpse, as the search for her remains continues Kaylea Bishop, 18, sat in the far corner of the front row of Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday, dressed in black with her eyes red, as the case was heard. She stared straight ahead, flanked by friends, family and a court security guard as details of the murder charges against the couple were read out. Neither Wood nor Bromley appeared in person or by video link for the hearing and afterwards Kaylea walked outside to make her heartbreaking statement. 'We just want her home,' she said tearfully through red-rimmed eyes. 'I don't know what to say, if you've got any information about Pheobe or the car, just come forward. 'Three weeks is too long for us as a family. She was loved, she's missed dearly.' Kaylea and Pheobe had a close relationship and had been planning to move out of the family home and into a house together last year. Queensland 17-year-old Pheobe Bishop (pictured) has been missing for 23 days Queensland Police slapped Bundaberg couple James Wood, 34 (pictured, left) and Tanika Bromley, 33 (pictured, right) with one charge of murder each On Friday, the girls' mother Kylie Johnson paid tribute to Kaylea for facing the media to speak up for her allegedly murdered sister. 'Kaylea your strength, determination and dedication to bring Phee Phee home is such a reflection of your fierce love for your sister,' Ms Johnson posted on Facebook. 'Pheobe would be so proud of the way you handled yourself today just as we are. We WILL bring Phee home - I dont care how long it takes but we will get her home.' Detectives earlier revealed they have been searching a 'vast area with unforgiving terrain' in central Queensland for the 17-year-old's remains. Pheobe was last seen on May 15 leaving the Gin Gin home, near Bundaberg in central Queensland, where she was living with Wood, 34, and Bromley, 33. The couple allegedly drove Pheobe to Bundaberg Airport at 8.30am for a flight to Brisbane and then on to Perth, where she planned to meet up with her boyfriend. She never got on the plane and Detective Inspect Craig Mansfield told reporters on Friday that, as the investigation progressed, all hope was lost of finding Pheobe alive. 'Our evidence will outline the fact that three people arrived near to the airport and three people never exited that vehicle,' he told reporters on Friday. Police had been searching several areas of interest, including the Gin Gin home, before they announced efforts would be 'scaled back' earlier this week Kaylea Bishop, 18, is seen outside Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday, dressed in black with her eyes red, where Pheobe's housemates James Wood and Tanika Bromley were accused of Pheobe's murder 'Our investigation will detail the facts that we believe Pheobe was murdered and then her body was moved. 'We will allege that Pheobe was moved more than one occasion.' Pheobe had been living with the couple prior to her disappearance on May 15. The couple were arrested in Bundaberg on Thursday night and were each charged with one count of murder and two counts of interfering with a corpse. They remain in custody and were due to front Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday morning but did not appear via video link. The arrests came after Wood was initially arrested on Wednesday and then released without charge. The search for Pheobe had been scaled back on Wednesday after police spent weeks combing several areas of interest. They included the property in Gin Gin where Pheobe lived with Wood and Bromley and a grey Hyundai ix35, thought to have been used to take the teen to the airport. Pheobe had been living with the couple at a home in Gin Gin, near Bundaberg, and the pair are believed to have been the last to see her while driving her to the airport While Kaylea sat in court with friends, family and a court guard, there was no appearance from Wood or Bromley during the session The arrests came after James Wood (pictured) was initially arrested on Wednesday and then released without charge Pheobe's remains have not been found and her luggage has not been seen since she disappeared. 'If we knew where Pheobe's body was, we would be absolutely trying to locate that right now,' Det. Insp. Mansfield said. 'We continue to look for Pheobe, and that's our main focus right now.' The detective told reporters officers are hoping to engage with Wood and Bromley's lawyers 'in the near future' regarding any information on where Pheobe might be. While he could not speculate on motive, he said police have 'information that would suggest some form of motivation'. The weeks-long investigation has led police, through telephone data, to focus on the area around Good Night Scrub National Park. The search initially focused on the area with homicide detectives, cadaver dogs and divers called in to aid the 100-strong effort. 'We're back to a particular area where we are suspecting that we may locate Pheobe, but again, it is a broad, unforgiving, large area,' Det. Insp. Mansfield said. Kaylea left the court with friends comforting her as she walked away Police have also towed Wood's SUV which he had 'effectively been living out of it from time to time' for forensic examination on Thursday night. Some items believed to be linked to the investigation were seized for forensic examination. 'We have had some great support with the community, with some areas that may be of interest,' Det. Insp. Mansfield said. 'But we're really hoping that we will get some more specific information that will help us find Pheobe.' Anyone with information regarding Pheobe's disappearance is urged to call Crime Stoppers. The hunt for missing teen Pheobe Bishop was triggered by a frantic text from her sister to the last-known people to see her alive, Daily Mail Australia can reveal. Pheobe's housemates James Wood and Tanika Bromley have now been charged with the 17-year-old's murder and two counts each of interfering with her corpse. She vanished on May 15 after leaving the ramshackle home in Gin Gin, near Bundaberg in central Queensland, that she shared with Wood and Bromley. They told police they had given her an early morning lift to Bundaberg Airport to board a plane on a trip to see her boyfriend in Perth. But Pheobe never made it to check in, and her older sister Kaylea, 18, triggered the search when the family was alerted Pheobe had never arrived in Western Australia. In an text to Wood and Bromley on May 16, Kaylea demanded to know: 'Where is my sister?' Three weeks later detectives have accused the housemates of Pheobe's murder, and on Friday notified the family they had found human remains. Just hours earlier Kaylea had begged for help finding her sister's body in an impassioned plea outside Bundaberg Magistrates Court after Bromley and Wood's murder charges were heard. Older sister Kaylea Bishop, 18, (pictured with Pheobe) triggered the search when the family was alerted Pheobe had never arrived in Western Australia In an text to Pheobe's flatmate, James Wood and Tanika Bromley on May 16, Kaylea demanded: 'Where is my sister?' She sat in the far corner of the front row, staring straight ahead flanked by friends, family and a court security guard as details of the murder charges against the couple were read out. Neither Wood nor Bromley appeared in person or by video link for the hearing and afterwards Kaylea walked outside to make her heartbreaking statement. 'We just want her home,' she said tearfully through red-rimmed eyes. 'I don't know what to say, if you've got any information about Pheobe or the car, just come forward. 'Three weeks is too long for us as a family. She was loved, she's missed dearly.' Kaylea and Pheobe had a close relationship and had been planning to move out of the family home and into a house together last year. On Friday, Kaylea Bishop (pictured with Pheobe and a younger relative) begged for help in finding her sister's remains Kaylea Bishop, 18, is seen outside Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday, dressed in black with her eyes red, where Pheobe's housemates James Wood and Tanika Bromley were accused of Pheobe's murder Queensland Police slapped Bundaberg couple James Wood, 34 (pictured, left) and Tanika Bromley, 33 (pictured, right) with one charge of murder each On Friday, the girls' mother Kylie Johnson paid tribute to Kaylea for facing the media to speak up for her allegedly murdered sister. 'Kaylea your strength, determination and dedication to bring Phee Phee home is such a reflection of your fierce love for your sister,' Ms Johnson posted on Facebook. 'Pheobe would be so proud of the way you handled yourself today just as we are. We WILL bring Phee home - I dont care how long it takes but we will get her home.' After the remains were found she posted again, saying: 'I didn't think my heart could break anymore then it did when you went missing, or when the charges were laid, but this! This is ripping me apart.' Pheobe was last seen on May 15 leaving the Gin Gin home, near Bundaberg in central Queensland, where she was living with Wood, 34, and Bromley, 33. The couple allegedly drove Pheobe to Bundaberg Airport at 8.30am for a flight to Brisbane and then on to Perth, where she planned to meet up with her boyfriend. She never got on the plane and Detective Inspect Craig Mansfield told reporters on Friday that, as the investigation progressed, all hope was lost of finding Pheobe alive. 'Our evidence will outline the fact that three people arrived near to the airport and three people never exited that vehicle,' he told reporters on Friday. Police had been searching several areas of interest, including the Gin Gin home, before they announced efforts would be 'scaled back' earlier this week 'Our investigation will detail the facts that we believe Pheobe was murdered and then her body was moved. 'We will allege that Pheobe was moved more than one occasion.' Pheobe had been living with the couple prior to her disappearance on May 15. The couple were arrested in Bundaberg on Thursday night and were each charged with one count of murder and two counts of interfering with a corpse. They remain in custody and were due to front Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday morning but did not appear via video link. The arrests came after Wood was initially arrested on Wednesday and then released without charge. Pheobe had been living with the couple at a home in Gin Gin, near Bundaberg, and the pair are believed to have been the last to see her while driving her to the airport While Kaylea sat in court with friends, family and a court guard, there was no appearance from Wood or Bromley during the session The arrests came after James Wood (pictured) was initially arrested on Wednesday and then released without charge Police towed Wood's SUV which he had 'effectively been living out of it from time to time' for forensic examination Kaylea left the court with friends comforting her as she walked away The search for Pheobe had been scaled back on Wednesday after police spent weeks combing several areas of interest. They included the property in Gin Gin where Pheobe lived with Wood and Bromley and a grey Hyundai ix35, thought to have been used to take the teen to the airport. Det. Insp. Mansfield told reporters while he could not speculate on motive, he said police have 'information that would suggest some form of motivation'. Police have also towed Wood's SUV which he had 'effectively been living out of it from time to time' for forensic examination on Thursday night. The public feud that unfolded last night between Donald Trump and Elon Musk closely resembles a dispute between two children in the playground. For the first term, they were inseparable. Donald invited Elon to play in his castle with all his classmates, and together they ruled the yard. But after a while, Donald decided he didn't want Elon to stay. Last week, he asked him to leave the castle and hang out with other people for a while. Elon sulked all weekend. When he came back, he told the whole school how stupid Donald and his friends were. He also claimed the only reason Donald got into the castle instead of that older kid in the first place was because of him. Before long, they were both hurling nasty insults and accusing one another of being naughty. Elon agreed with one pupil who said Donald should be kicked out of his castle. Unfortunately, the two participants in this argument are grown men. One is the leader of the free world, and the other is the world's richest man. They wrote their insults on separate social media platforms that they own. And one of the statements made amid the war of words alleged that the President of the United States was covering up his links to a convicted paedophile and sex offender. Here's a blow-by-blow account of how the bromance between two titans of American politics and popular culture unfolded. US President Donald Trump expresses disappointment with Elon Musk's tirade on social media during a meeting with German chancellor at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 05 June 2025 Elon Musk looks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 30, 2025 Musk launched into a series of wild attacks on social media and claimed that Trump only won the election with his support One of the accusations made amid the war of words alleged that the President of the United States was covering up his links to a convicted paedophile and sex offender The Trump-Musk relationship at its height was unprecedented in Washington - a sitting president granting a billionaire tech CEO access and influence inside the White House and throughout his government. Musk spent nearly $300 million backing Trump's presidential campaign and other Republicans last year, and was made a special adviser once Trump returned to the Oval Office. For months, the tech mogul used social media platform X to amplify Trump's messages while attacking the bureaucracy and federal spending through his self-styled Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Now, not only has the tech giant left the Trump White House - he became its harshest and perhaps most consequential critic overnight The public feud was seemingly initiated by Musk just days after he departed DOGE, with the X CEO taking aim at the GOP's 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' - a tax and spend bill tabled by the Republicans that will also increase the government's debt ceiling. The controversial bill was passed by the House of Representatives last month and is now being scrutinised in the Senate. On Tuesday, Musk posted on his social media platform that the bill was an 'abomination' and went on to urge Senators to 'kill the bill' on Wednesday. 'This spending bill contains the largest increase in the debt ceiling in US history! It is the Debt Slavery Bill,' he wrote. 'Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL.' Musk also declared that the planned additional spending and the debt ceiling hike included in the bill 'more than defeats all the cost savings achieved by the DOGE team'. The blatant attack on the bill raised eyebrows given Musk's deep connections with the Republican party and personal friendship with Trump. Yet, when the US President met privately with White House officials on Wednesday, there was little to suggest that a public spat was in the offing with Musk, whose financial backing and support on social media were instrumental in sealing his second term in the Oval Office. Two White House officials familiar with the matter told a Reuters reporter that Trump expressed confusion and frustration in the meeting about Musk's attacks on his sweeping tax and spending bill. But he held back, the officials said, because he wanted to preserve Musk's political and financial support ahead of the midterm elections. By Thursday afternoon, however, Trump's mood had shifted. He told his team it was time to take the gloves off - and so began a public squabble that caught the world's attention. US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk attend a press conference in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, May 30, 2025 Trump took to Truth Social to hit back at Musk following criticism of the One Big Beautiful Bill Musk shared a poll on X asking whether it was time to create a rival party to the Republicans and Democrats An image of President Donald Trump (left) and Elon Musk (right) in the Oval Office in March. Trump and Musk spectacularly broke up on Thursday with Musk publicly encouraging Trump to be impeached Sitting next to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office, Trump told reporters he was 'very disappointed' in his former adviser's criticism of the bill. 'I'm very disappointed with Elon. I've helped him a lot. He knew the inner workings of the bill better than anybody sitting here. He had no problem with it,' he said. 'All of a sudden he had a problem & he only developed the problem when he found out we're going to cut EV mandate,' Trump claimed, in reference to a phasing out of tax credits for purchases of electric vehicles. Musk quickly hit back on social media. 'False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!' he said. Trump went on to say during his meeting with Merz: 'Musk hasn't said bad about me personally, but Im sure that will be next.' He was quickly proven right. Musk vented his anger directly at Trump, saying his tariffs 'will cause a recession in the second half of this year' and accusing him of lying. He also said it was 'very unfair' that the legislation would eliminate tax incentives for electric vehicles. The back-and-forth devolved from there. Trump posted again on Truth Social, writing: 'Elon was 'wearing thin', I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!' Musk immediately retorted on X: 'Such an obvious lie. So sad.' Within minutes, he went on to say that it might be time to create a new political party and shared a poll to his followers asking for their opinion. With each post, the spat became yet more virulent - until Musk dropped a new allegation which could one day prove to be the catalyst leading to the downfall of one - if not both - participants. 'Time to drop the really big bomb: (Donald Trump) is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! 'Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out!' Trump's commitment to greater transparency in the run up to November's election had many Americans hoping that he would shed light on the deplorable activities of sex offender and disgraced financier Epstein - and the litany of rich and famous figures thought to have been involved with him. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 in a Manhattan jail - though there is widespread speculation he may have been murdered. Before he was elected, Trump said he would have 'no problem' releasing files related to Epstein, but almost six months into his presidency, no more information has been revealed. Following the wild allegation, Musk endorsed a post on X from Ian Miles Cheong, a right-wing activist and prominent supporter of the tech mogul, calling for Trump's impeachment. Musk and Trump just months ago appeared firm friends, with Elon having supported the US President throughout his campaign Musk endorsed a post on X from Ian Miles Cheong, a right-wing activist and prominent supporter of the tech mogul, calling for Trump's impeachment. Trump began threatening to terminate lucrative government contracts with Musk's companies Musk in turn said he would decommission SpaceX's Dragon rockets used by NASA A Tesla vehicle is parked on West Executive Avenue outside the White House near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC, on June 5, 2025 Trump retorted on Truth Social by threatening to cut off Elon's companies from various lucrative government contracts. 'The easiest way to save money in our budget, billions and billions of dollars, is to terminate Elon's government subsidies and contracts,' Trump posted. Musk promptly fired back, with the SpaceX chief saying he would begin 'decommissioning' his company's Dragon spacecraft in response. The spacecraft is vital for ferrying NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station. By Friday morning, it appeared the spat was over. In a statement, the White House played down the war of words, calling it an 'unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted.' Musk late last night appeared to extend an olive branch on social media, replying: 'You're not wrong' to a post from hedge fund manager Bill Ackman that called on the pair to reconcile and urged: 'We're much stronger together than apart'. Trump's aides are reportedly looking to organise a call between the president and his former 'First Buddy' later today to smooth over the fallout. Musk also walked back his statement about decommissioning the Dragon rocket. But the consequences of the spat were immediate. The breakup could go on to drastically reshape both men's futures Musk yesterday said he would begin 'decommissioning' his company's Dragon spacecraft use to take astronauts to and from the International Space Station after Trump threatened to terminate government contracts with the tech mogul's companies Tesla's stock price plunged 14% on Thursday - wiping hundreds of billions of dollars off Musk's EV company's valuation. It also drove uncertainty among Trump's allies in Congress, who are working to pass the monumental spending package that Democrats and a small number of vocal Republicans oppose. The breakup could go on to drastically reshape both men's futures. For Trump, losing Musk's backing threatens his growing influence among tech donors, social media audiences and younger male voters - key groups that may now be harder to reach. It could also prove a damaging blow to Republican fundraising efforts ahead of next year's midterm elections. For Musk, however, the stakes are potentially even higher. The spat risks intensified scrutiny of his business practices that could jeopardise government contracts and invite regulatory probes, which might seriously threaten his companies' profits. A termination of government contracts, including for launching rockets and for the use of the Starlink satellite service, would prove devastating. Nigel Farage's Reform UK is facing its biggest crisis since the general election today after its chairman walked out and it finished a dismal third in a by-election it was tipped to win. Former banker Zia Yusuf quit his senior role last night after appearing to call one of the party's MPs 'dumb' for backing a burqa ban in the House of Commons. And in a shock result in the early hour of this morning Labour's Davy Russell became the new MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse. He won by 602 votes from the SNP in a contest that First Minister John Swinney had insisted was a two-horse race between his nationalists' Katy Loudon and Reform's Ross Lambie. Reform, who didn't stand in the constituency in 2021, took 26.1 per cent of the vote. The party descended into backstabbing and infighting after the shock decision by Mr Yusuf, which allies said came after Lee Anderson and deputy leader Richard Tice backed Sarah Pochin over her outburst about Islamic clothing. However, a source told the Mail that while Yusuf had 'worked 18-hour days for months ... he just doesn't get people like he gets an Excel spreadsheet.' And today Mr Tice told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'It is right that we should have a debate about whether or not the burka is appropriate for a nation that's founded in Christianity, where women are equal citizens and should not be viewed as second class citizens.' Former banker Zia Yusuf quit his senior role last night after appearing to call one of the party's MPs 'dumb' for backing a burqa ban in the House of Commons Your browser does not support iframes. And in a shock result in the early hour of this morning Labour's Davy Russell became the new MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse. He won by 602 votes from the SNP in a contest that was supposed to be a two-horse race between the nationalists' Katy Loudon and Reform's Ross Lambie (above right) Nigel Farage's Reform UK is facing its first major crisis since the general election today after its chairman walked out and it finished a dismal third in a by-election it was tipped to win The knives are now also out for Nick Candy - the billionaire property developer and husband of Holly Valance - who is party treasurer. Sources told the FT that he has failed to bring in large amounts of cash donations and has not given all the 1million of his own that he has promised. Mr Yusuf last night said he no longer believed that working for Reform to win power at the next general election was 'a good use of my time'. He publicly questioned why Ms Pochin, Reform's recently elected MP for Runcorn and Helsby, had challenged the Prime Minister about the issue on Wednesday. There were also reports that Mr Yusuf had recently been 'sidelined' within Reform, including claims that some of his responsibilities had been passed elsewhere. Mr Farage last night said he was 'genuinely sorry' at Mr Yusuf's exit, adding the financier was a 'huge factor' in Reform's success at May's local elections. 'Politics can be a highly pressured and difficult game and Zia has clearly had enough,' the Reform leader added. 'He is a loss to us and public life.' In a further dramatic development, Nathaniel Fried - who had only days ago been drafted in by Reform to lead the party's 'DOGE' cost-cutting unit in local councils - also quit. Mr Fried said that as Mr Yusuf had 'got me in' it was 'appropriate for me to leave with him', and joked that he had lasted less time than Liz Truss had in No10. The latest Reform chaos comes after Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe was kicked out of the party in March after he criticised Mr Farage's leadership. The knives are now also out for Nick Candy - the billionaire property developer and husband of Holly Valance - who is party treasurer In a shock result in the early hour of this morning Labour's Davy Russell became the new MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Tim Montgomerie, a political commentator and Reform member, described Mr Yusuf's exit as a 'massive, massive setback' for the party. 'He was absolutely essential to what Reform were doing in terms of modernisation,' Mr Montgomerie told Times Radio of Mr Yusuf's role as chairman. 'The success and the professionalisation of Reform has owed an awful lot to him. 'I don't fully know what's happened in the last 24 hours, but I know he was very upset about the burqa question that was asked by the new Reform MP for Runcorn. 'I think he has experienced quite a lot of personal nastiness on social mediabecause of it. 'He's a Muslim and I wonder whether that got to him a little bit.' In Scotland, The SNP's vote share slumped by more than a third from 46.2 per cent to 29.3 per cent. Labour's share of the vote was 31.5 per cent, down from the 33.6 per cent the party managed at the 2021 Holyrood election. The Scottish Conservatives came fourth but narrowly held on to their deposit, falling from 17.5 per cent of the vote to six. In his victory speech, Mr Russell said: 'Right across Scotland, we all feel we've been let down by the SNP. They've broken their NHS, wasted their money, and after nearly two decades, they don't deserve another chance. 'This community has also sent a message to Farage and his mob tonight. The poison of Reform isn't us, isn't Scotland, and we don't want your division here.' But Mr Tice has said his party is 'delighted with the results' in the Hamilton by-election. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said: 'It's truly remarkable. 'We've come from nowhere to being in a three-way marginal, and we're within 750 votes of winning that by-election and just a few hundred votes of defeating the SNP, so it's an incredible result.' A 16-year-old schoolboy who died in a suspected hit-and-run 'was on his way to meet his father at nearby shops' when he was mowed down by a car. Abdullah Yaha Al-Zaidy was tragically struck down by a grey Audi while walking along the pavement on Staniforth Road, in Sheffield, on Wednesday afternoon. Detectives said the Audi appeared to swerve towards three e-bike riders, colliding with one of them before hitting the boy and driving off. Abdullah was rushed to hospital, where he died of his injuries, while an 18-year-old e-bike rider suffered serious injuries. Yesterday, South Yorkshire Police arrested a 20-year-old man on suspicion of murder after a man and woman, both in their 40s, were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. Detectives believe the vehicle deliberately swerved into a group of road users moments before hitting the pedestrian. Abdullah, known locally as Abdul, was reportedly walking to a nearby shop to meet his father with the two having plans to later eat together, when the tragedy happened. The community paid tribute to him in an announcement on social media saying: 'The teenager who was struck by a vehicle in Darnall has been named as 16-year-old Abdullah Yaha Al-Zaidy. Abdullah Yaha Al-Zaidy was walking along the pavement on Staniforth Road on Wednesday afternoon when a grey Audi appeared to swerve towards a group of e-bike riders before ploughing into the boy The Audi driving in the opposite direction, appears to swerve into the lane the riders are on and hits one of them Police at the scene of the 'hit and run' on Staniforth Road, Darnall, Sheffield, on Wednesday evening 'Abdullah, known locally as Abdul, was a beloved member of the Al-Shafeey Centre mosque. He was reportedly walking to a nearby shop to meet his father, with plans to eat together, when the tragic accident occurred. 'May Allah grant him the highest ranks of Jannah and grant his family and friends strength and patience during this unimaginable time.' It added: 'It is deeply heartbreaking to see his photoa boy always smiling, always full of joy. 'He worked tirelessly alongside his father and had plans to begin college soon.' Video footage shared online appears to show two e-bike riders and a motorcyclist travelling along the road before the grey Audi, driving in the opposite direction, suddenly veers across the carriageway. In harrowing footage, the motorcyclist narrowly misses the car while one of the e-bike riders is hit head on, being thrown into the air and into the hedge in front of a property. Less than a second later, the driver continues on a further 80ft, crashing into the 16-year-old who had just stopped walking on the pavement. Video shared online appears to show two e-bike riders and a motorcyclist driving in one direction Evidence signs were scene on the floor at the scene of the horror crash The incident happened shortly after 4.50pm on Wednesday on Staniforth Road in the Darnall area In another video, after the rider is hit by the car, a pedestrian is seen being caught in the cross hairs Senior Investigating Officer in the case, Detective Chief Inspector Benjamin Wood, said: 'This is a tragic incident in which an entirely innocent bystander, who was going about his daily business, has sadly lost his life. Our thoughts are with the boy's loved ones, and we remain focused on securing justice for them. 'We know that this incident will have caused concern in the local community, and we have a team of detectives working at pace to piece together the circumstances which unfolded. 'We're aware of footage being shared online and I'd like to reiterate our message to the public to withhold from speculating or circulating videos which may cause distress to the boy's family. 'If you have any footage, imagery or information that may help our investigation, then please share this directly with us it may form an important part of our enquiries. We are also keen to hear from the riders of two electric bikes who were in the area at the time of the incident.' Mojid Khan said the boy came to rest at the gates of his Staniforth Road wholesale business, and his staff were the first on the scene after hearing the collision. He said he arrived half an hour later and was shocked to see what his CCTV system had recorded. Mr Khan said yesterday: 'When it happens on your doorstep, literally, it does affect you. It's quite horrific to see how it happens.' Staniforth Road was closed following the serious collision on Wednesday South Yorkshire Police said the collision involved a grey Audi, which 'failed to stop at the scene' He said: 'I think it's a local lad that's passed away and another local lad that got injured on a motorbike. It's shocking for us as a community. 'The disturbing thing is that this is not the first time that this has happened. It seems every few months something like this is going on. 'I think that's a matter for our politicians to do something about.' He said: 'Tomorrow is our Eid festival. That's going to hit them (the boy's family) even harder. 'It should be a happy day. I'm really sad for the family. Their loss is going to be that much greater tomorrow.' Lauren, 31, who did not wish to give her surname, was giving CPR to the teenager and shouting to ask people to help. She said: 'I don't want to go in to detail, it was traumatic a young, beautiful boy has lost his life to something he wasn't even involved in.' Erin Patterson has been reduced to tears under intense cross examination where she was branded 'two-faced' by a senior prosecutor. The 50-year old has been put under the spotlight now for three days after she was called as the defence's one and only witness. Patterson has pleaded not guilty to the murders of Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson. They died after consuming death cap mushrooms served in beef Wellingtons during lunch at her Leongatha home on July 29, 2023. On Friday, Crown prosecutor Dr Nanette Rogers bombarded Patterson with accusations that she deliberately murdered her lunch guests by coating the beef Wellingtons she served with death cap mushrooms. The trial has been going on now since April 28 at the Supreme Court of Victoria sitting at the Latrobe Valley Law Courts in Morwell, east of Melbourne. While the jury heard at the beginning of the trial the prosecution would offer no motive as to why Patterson allegedly murdered her guests, Dr Rogers suggested the mother of two had actually hoped her estranged husband Simon would attend. The jury has heard Simon Patterson pulled out of the lunch the night before, leaving his parents, uncle and auntie to face the meal without him. Erin Patterson has come under intense scrutiny by Crown prosecutor Dr Nanette Rogers Patterson has maintained to anyone who has asked that she loved Don and Gail Patterson. 'I suggest that you didn't love them; correct or incorrect?' Dr Rogers asked Patterson. 'That's not true,' the alleged killer responded. 'I suggest that you were angry that they took Simon's side in your argument with him in 2022 about the child allowance?' Dr Rogers continued. 'That's not true,' Patterson insisted. The jury has heard Patterson's relationship with her estranged husband had become frosty at the end of 2022 over issues with child support and unpaid school fees. 'And that feeling towards them continued; correct or incorrect?' Dr Rogers said. 'Incorrect,' came the response. Dr Rogers accused Patterson of pretending to love her in-laws while secretly loathing them. The Trial of Erin Patterson is available now, wherever you get your podcasts. Listen here Dr Nanette Rogers had taken a backseat throughout much of the trial, but has since been unleashed on Erin Patterson 'You had two faces: a public face of appearing to have a good relationship with Don and Gail, as shown to people ... and police in your record of interview; agree or disagree?' Dr Rogers said. 'Are you asking me to agree if I had two faces?' Patterson asked. 'I had a good relationship with Don and Gail.' But Dr Rogers continued her onslaught against Patterson, who grabbed for tissues throughout a gruelling day in the witness box. 'I suggest that your private face was the one you showed in your Facebook Messenger use; correct or incorrect?' Dr Rogers said. 'Incorrect,' Patterson said. The jury has heard Patterson expressed frustration with both her in-laws and Simon to those Facebook mates in a series of chat messages. 'That is how you really felt about Simon Patterson as expressed to your Facebook friends; correct or incorrect?' Dr Rogers continued. 'Incorrect.' Patterson's barristers Colin Mandy, SC and Sophie Stafford 'And that you did not regard him as being a decent human being at his core; correct or incorrect?' Dr Rogers alleged. 'Actually, I still believe that,' Patterson said. Dr Rogers suggested Patterson only invited the Wilkinsons because she thought it would make it more likely that Don and Gail would accept the invitation. 'Did you invite Ian and Heather to lunch to ensure that Don and Gail would also attend?' Dr Rogers asked. 'I didn't need to do anything. I just needed to invite Don and Gail and they'd come because they loved me,' Patterson said. 'Did you ask Ian and Heather in an attempt by you to get Simon to attend as well?' Dr Rogers asked. 'No,' Patterson replied. 'I suggest to you that you thought Simon would be more likely to accept the invitation if he knew that his parents and Ian and Heather were also attending,' Dr Rogers said. Pastor Ian Wilkinson attends court on Friday Crowds line up for a chance to get into the courtroom where Erin Patterson is on trial 'I suggest you told him you had a medical issue to encourage him to attend.' Patterson denied all of the allegations, maintaining what happened at the lunch was a tragic accident. 'They did love me and I did love them,' she said of Simon's parents. 'I do love them.' The trial continues. For all the latest updates from the court case, search for The Trial of Erin Patterson - available wherever you get your podcasts now. A treasure trove of 'extremely discrete' James Bond-style cameras used by Soviet spies against their Cold War rivals is set to fetch thousands of pounds at auction. The gadgets, which include cameras disguised as folders, briefcases, and more, were built for use by the KGB, the Stasi, and other Eastern Bloc spy agencies. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the murky history of most of the items remains shrouded in mystery. But a few precious details survive for some. For example, the Oko II camera which was made by the Czech company, Meopta was formerly used in a European embassy And the device in Lot 435, a brass Stasi camera, seems to have been custom made for a specific individual or mission. One gadget was actually produced on the near side of the iron curtain an ingenious wristwatch camera from West German manufacturer Steinheil. And the Tochka is similar to the Riga Minox camera used by George Lazenby in the Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service. A treasure trove of 'extremely discrete' James Bond-style cameras used by Soviet spies against their Cold War rivals is set to fetch thousands of pounds at auction. Above: A Czech Meopta Oko II / TI camera disguised as a folder A spy camera from West German manufacturer Steinheil disguised as a watch Michal Kosakowski, head of appraisals at German firm Leitz Photographica Auction, which is handling the sale, described the cameras as 'extremely discrete'. He said: 'The more advanced designs, such as the Tochka and Oko II, operate almost silently and are very difficult to detect. 'The intended use depends on the specific camera. 'Some, like the briefcase camera or the Tochka, were designed for field operations and could be carried on the body. 'The Tochka, for instance, had multiple concealment options. 'Others, such as the Oko II, which is hidden in a file folder, were intended for stationary use.' All the cameras are 'quite rare', and some are deceptively simple, Mr Kosakowski said. 'The level of sophistication varies,' he said. A KGB spy camera disguised as a briefcase that was once used to gather intelligence The workings of the spy briefcase, boasting the camera and mechanisms A pinhole spy camera made for the KGB, the Soviet Union's feared intelligence service A Krasnogorsk Tochka S-252 spy camera made for the KGB in the 1960s A brass Stasi spy camera. It features in the auction 'While simple designs like the pinhole camera in Lot 428 could be operated by virtually anyone, more complex devices required specialised training. 'For example, Lot 435 a Stasi camera required a specific setup for document copying, with precise distance, lighting, and exposure time.' He continued: 'The briefcase camera in Lot 427 consists of a slightly modified Zorki and a fairly crude mechanism. 'In contrast, the Oko II is highly advanced, featuring a top-grade electromechanical shutter and completely silent film transport. 'On the simpler end, some devices like those in Lots 428 and 435 are fully mechanical, yet robust and highly reliable.' Despite the cameras all going to auction on the same date, they weren't part of the same collection. Mr Kosakowski said: 'These cameras come from various sources. 'It's actually a coincidence that so many ended up in the same auction an unusual and fortunate convergence.' Also up for grabs is the Leica o-Serie No. 112, which is described as 'one of the world's oldest and rarest film cameras', and is set to fetch up to 2m (1.6m). Estimates for the miniature and spy cameras vary from 500 (420) to 10,000 (8,400). The cameras will go under the hammer in Wetzlar, Germany, on June 27. Kyiv was pummelled last night with Russian ballistic missiles and attack drones killing at least four as Russian President Vladimir Putin takes revenge for audacious Operation Spider's Web. Western regions like Lviv and Volyn, which border EU and NATO member Poland, were also bombarded as well as the Ukrainian capital. It comes days after a dastardly mission to destroy nuclear-capable military planes at Russian air bases was pulled off by Ukrainian forces, personally overseen by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The brazen operation, 18 months in the planning, saw Kyiv smuggle more than 100 small drones into Russia, disguised in a false roof of wood cabins, park them near Russian air bases and then unleash them in a coordinated attack. Footage showed decimated enemy planes in flames on the runway and Ukrainian security sources claimed to have taken out 41 aircrafts worth some 1.5billion. Putin earlier this week told US President Donald Trump that he would retaliate, with the Kremlin sharing on Thursday it would choose 'how and when' to respond. The Russian ambassador also laid blame at the British government for the attacks, alleging that the UK's role in the strike could lead to 'World War Three'. He offered no evidence for the claim. Russian officials have not as yet commented on the overnight strikes that killed at least four people and wounded twenty in the capital - figures which were shared by mayor Vitali Klitschko said on social media. Kyiv was pummelled last night with Russian ballistic missiles and attack drones with at least four dead as Putin takes revenge for audacious Operation Spider's Web Three of those killed were first responders from the state emergency service, Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said (victims not pictured) A charred crater in the side of a high-rise residential block in Kyiv was the leftover of one of Russia's bombs 'Kyiv came under another attack involving UAVs and ballistic missiles. Rescuers are responding to the aftermath at several locations across the city,' the State Emergency Service of Ukraine wrote on Telegram. A charred crater in the side of a high-rise residential block in Kyiv was the leftover of one of Russia's bombs, with debris and broken glass strewn across the parking lot in front of the building. Multiple fires broke out in various districts of the capital, with the attack also damaging train tracks in the surrounding Kyiv region, leading to lengthy delays, the national railway operator said. Three of those killed were first responders from the state emergency service, Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said. 'They worked under fire to help people. Another nine rescuers were wounded. Some of them are seriously injured, and doctors are fighting for their lives,' he wrote on social media. Several strikes also hit western Ukraine's city of Lutsk and Ternopil region. 'Today, the enemy carried out the most massive air attack on our region to date. There are multiple strikes,' Ternopil's regional military administration chief Vyacheslav Negoda said. At least 32 people were wounded in four different regions, including 15 in Lutsk, officials said. Putin earlier this week told US President Donald Trump that he would retaliate against Ukraine's dastardly Operation Spider's Web A man looks on from his window that has been shattered - with many others hanging by their frames - in a residential multi-storey building damaged after a Russian drone strike Huge damage was made to apartment's in the Ukrainian capital, with some having holes blown through the building People rest in a metro station, being used as a bomb shelter, as Russian bombs rain above them Other residents take shelter inside an underground parking as multiple fires broke out in various districts of the capital Fire and smoke rise in the aftermath of a Russian drone strike that left at least four dead Firefighters work at the site of an industrial facility hit by a Russian drone and missile strike in Ternopil A police officer inspects parts of a presumably Shahed 136 drone at the site next to a residential building damaged during a Russian air strike Russia said Ukrainian strikes overnight on Russia wounded three people in the western Tula region. The Russian defence ministry said it downed 174 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 10 headed for the Russian capital, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. Putin has repeatedly rejected a ceasefire, with an escalation in deadly attacks in recent weeks. Russian negotiators have issued a host of sweeping demands on Ukraine if it wants to halt the fighting. They include completely pulling troops out of four regions claimed by Russia, but which its army does not fully control, an end to Western military support, a ban on Ukraine joining NATO as well as any Western military contingents or hardware being based in the country. But while delegates continued to stand-off in Turkey's capital Istanbul, Zelenskyy said Operation Spider's Web 'will undoubtedly be in [the] history books'. The attack was carried out exactly 29 years to the day after Ukraine handed over dozens of the same strategic bombers to Russia, along with up to 2,000 strategic nuclear warheads and 176 ICBMs in exchange for a promise not to be attacked, under the Budapest Memorandum. In their most daring attack of the war to date, Ukrainian special forces first smuggled 117 first-person view (FPV) kamikaze drones which allow pilots to control them remotely through a live feed into Russia. The first-person view (FPV) Ukrainian attack drones were smuggled into Russia in wooden containers disguised as modular homes A column of flames and black smoke rises over a targeted plane during Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb Smoke billows in multiple locations across a Russian airfield following the extensive drone strikes The close-up footage from various drones shows the moment of impact as they slammed into their targets The footage was released as new satellite images of Belaya airbase have shown severe damage to at least three Tu-95s, according to analysts The strikes took place on Sunday, with footage released today showing flames engulfing aircraft at four military airfields (pictured Belaya Airbase) A satellite image shows Tupolev Tu-95 aircrafts destroyed following a series of Ukrainian drone strikes at the Belaya Airbase in Russia New satellite imagery shows destroyed Russian bombers at the Belaya Air Base in the Irkutsk region of eastern Siberia The videos show drones hovering over aircraft before striking Flames erupt after a plane was struck by a Ukrainian attack drone on Sunday Ukraine took out an estimated 1.5billion worth of Russian military equipment, including several Tu-95s (pictured) Also destroyed were several Tu-22Ms (pictured), of which less than 500 were manufactured Ukraine managed to destroy an A-50 Mainstay (pictured), which is used as an aerial command and radar centre Head of the Ukraine's Security Service Vasyl Maliuk looks at a map of an airfield, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in an unknown location in Ukraine The weapons were smuggled in thousands of miles beyond the border, in wooden cabins, whose roofs had hidden compartments into which the small flying weapons were stashed. They were loaded on to civilian trucks heading into enemy territory, their hired local drivers seemingly unaware of what they were carrying. But last night, the Kremlin turned its sights on Britain as its ambassador Andrei Kelin insisted that the UK military's advanced technology helped Ukraine to hit targets inside Russia despite not providing evidence. Mr Kelin, who has previously threatened the UK over its support for Ukraine, said: 'This kind of attack involves, of course, provision of very high technology, so-called geo-spatial data, which can only be done by those who have it in possession. And this is London and Washington. 'I don't believe that America [is involved], that has been denied by President Trump, but it has not been denied by Britain. 'We perfectly know how much London is involved, how deeply British forces are involved in working together in Ukraine.' He warned that Ukraine's actions were 'bringing the conflict to a different level of escalation' and said Kyiv should 'not try to engulf World War Three'. The strikes took place on Sunday, with footage released on Wednesday showing flames engulfing aircraft at four military airfields - Olenya in the Arctic region of Murmansk; Dyagilevo in western Russia; Ivanovo, northeast of Moscow; and Podmoskovye in Moscow. A truck filled with Ukrainian drones was seen in footage posted to Telegram channel Mash exploding in the Amur region The vehicle had reportedly been driving along the Chita-Khabarovsk highway and caught fire while moving A drone lifts off from wooden sheds loaded onto a truck that was driven to the perimeter of an air base, as smoke rises in the background, in Mal'ta, Irkutsk Region One of the trucks with Ukrainian drones that exploded on the Chita-Khabarovsk highway was bought three months ago in the Sverdlovsk region Sources inside Ukraine's SBU security service claimed the operation crippled 34 per cent of Russia's long-range strategic bombers, including the nuclear-capable Tu-95s and Tu-22s, often used to launch cruise missiles into Ukraine. Other aircraft which were hit included the nuclear-capable Tu-160 bomber, the An-12 transport plane and the Il-78 tanker, according to the SBU. A share of the successfully targeted aircrafts were destroyed completely while others will take a long time to repair, the SBU said. Some of the drones carried the mission out using AI and flew via a route that was programmed into them before the attack was launched. At least some of the trucks belonged to former DJ Artem Timofeev, suspected by Russian law enforcement off being a Ukrainian agent. A huge manhunt has been launched for his and his wife Ekaterina 'Katya' Timofeeva, 34, who is suspected to have aided him. The pair have gone missing, say reports. A pregnant accountant has won more than 30,000 after her boss cut her hours when she called in with morning sickness before sacking her just as she was due to go on maternity leave. Sadia Shakil was told by property boss Mohammed Saleem 'it would be best if you only come into work for two days per week' after she told him she was pregnant and experiencing sickness, a tribunal heard. This forced Mrs Shakil to take on another full-time job to cope with the financial pressures of an upcoming baby - and still had to find time in evenings and at weekends to fulfill the two days work for her 'spiteful' boss. The tribunal found that Mr Saleem sacked Mrs Shakil because she was pregnant, not redundancy. The burden of money worries weighed on her so heavily she questioned if it was the 'right thing to have a baby' and didn't enjoy pregnancy. However, Mr Saleem ignored her throughout her pregnancy and sacked her just as she was due to go on maternity leave in a 'sham' redundancy. Now a tribunal has ordered Mr Saleem's property development company to pay Mrs Shakil 31,860 after she sued him for maternity discrimination. 'Hateful' Mr Saleem even described Mrs Shakil's pregnancy as 'embarrassing' during tribunal proceedings, it was heard. Birmingham Employment Tribunal was told Mrs Shakil joined Mr Saleem's company Samsons Ltd, based in Bedford, Beds, in October 2020. A pregnant accountant has won more than 30,000 after Mohammed Saleem cut her hours and sacked her the day after she called in with morning sickness. The property boss owns several buildings including The Heights in Bedford (pictured) She became pregnant in early 2021 and in March 2021 called Mr Saleem to say she was unwell due to morning sickness as she was pregnant. The following day he 'unilaterally reduced her hours of work from full-time to two days per week', it was heard. He told Mrs Shakil: 'After careful thought and deliberation especially considering that I am unable to give you extra work as I am abroad and in view that you are feeling unwell during your pregnancy it would be best if you only come into work for two days per week.' It was a 'financial struggle' for Mrs Shakil to only work two days per week because her husband was out of a job at the time so she was the main source of their income. A tribunal report said: 'She was motivated to stay with [Samsons Ltd] as she had accrued sufficient pre-pregnancy service to qualify for maternity leave, which would not be the case with new employment. '[She] experienced stress, anxiety and panic from the time that [Mr Saleem] reduced her hours to part-time. 'She did not know how she and her husband were going to manage financially and how she would be able to afford all the things needed for a new baby. '[Her] anxiety manifested itself over the period after April 2021 in sleepless nights, low self-esteem, frequent tearfulness, rumination and being 'plagued by worrisome thoughts day and night', including doubts about whether she had done the right thing to have a baby at all when she was not financially stable. 'She experienced panic attacks and had feelings of fear that she would not be able to obtain alternative or additional work if prospective employers found out she was pregnant. 'This led her to set about concealing her pregnancy with baggy clothes or by asking for interviews to be conducted remotely. 'This inhibited [her] enjoyment of her pregnancy because she felt she had to conceal it much of the time. During interviews she would feel embarrassed and anxious.' Now Birmingham Employment Tribunal has ordered Mr Saleem's property development company to pay Mrs Shakil 31,860 after she sued him for maternity discrimination After just over a month, Mrs Shakil obtained a full-time job in a second finance role. The report said: 'She hoped that, if she did this job alongside the part-time hours she still had with [Samsons Ltd] to make ends meet, she would be able to return to full-time hours with [the company] once she returned from maternity leave.' While pregnant, she had to work 8.30am to 5pm five days per week, had to commute 45 minutes to that job once a week, then fit in two days of work with Samsons Ltd and travel to the office to do paperwork in evenings and at weekends. As her pregnancy progressed she felt 'confused' by a lack of correspondence from Mr Saleem about her maternity leave. She suffered complications and was booked in to be induced so informed Mr Saleem she was going to begin her maternity leave on October 1. But a couple of days before, he sacked her due to 'redundancy'. He also claimed he had no idea she was pregnant. After the arrival of her newborn son, Mrs Shakil and her husband had to move in with her parents after she lost her job and the early weeks with her baby were 'marred' by trying to resolve her money issues. Employment Judge Vereena Jones said: 'The discrimination took place at a time in [Mrs Shakil's] life which she had hoped and planned would be exciting and happy - the pregnancy, birth and early life of her first child. 'Instead, she suffered physical and emotional symptoms of anxiety and distress. These included sleepless nights, panic attacks, intrusive anxious thoughts and tearfulness. 'There was evidence that her confidence and self-esteem were damaged by the discrimination. These symptoms persisted from the time she was told that her hours had been cut to two days per week, until her baby was born. 'The symptoms did not stop then, however, because of her ongoing financial struggles. '[Mrs Shakil] had to take a second job to mitigate the effects of the discrimination. This meant she has to work very long hours during what was a difficult pregnancy. '[She] was confused and distressed by Mr Saleem's behaviour... Mr Saleem was someone known to [her] family and considerably senior to her in age and authority in the organisation and in her community. '[Mrs Shakil's] feelings were further hurt by her dismissal on the sham basis... that her job was redundant. 'The effects of the discriminatory dismissal were ongoing at the time of the hearing, four years later, because [she] is still worried that she might have a similar experience with her new employer if she decides to have another baby.' American forces stationed in South Korea are prepared to respond to a potential Chinese invasion of the Taiwan Area. Speaking at a security conference in Singapore last month, US Defence Secretary Pete Hesgeth said: 'Beijing is credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific,' adding that the Pentagon was 'reorienting toward deterring aggression by communist China.' This would mean that US troops stationed in South Korea, as well as Japan and the Pacific Islands of Hawaii and Guam, would play a part in acting as a credible deterrent against China for any potential attack on Taiwan. There are currently 28,500 American troops deployed to South Korea as part of the US long-term commitment to help defend Seoul from any attack from North Korea. No decision has been made on the number of troops deployed to South Korea, but any future footprint would be optimized not only to defend against Pyongyang but also to deter China. But this development could pose a challenge for South Korea, who have historically been opposed to the presence of US military. It also presents issues for the newly elected South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who said he wants to engage with North Korea with the backing of US troops. It comes after China deployed dozens of warships and planes to encircle the island nation of Taiwan in menacing, large-scale war games last month. American forces stationed in South Korea are prepared to respond to a potential Chinese invasion of the Taiwan Area, the US defence secretary said Taiwanese soldiers pose for group photos with a Taiwan flag after a preparedness enhancement drill in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan Chinese troops from the People's Liberation Army are seen patrolling with the Chinese flag on an exercise Chilling satellite pictures also revealed what appear to be Beijing's 'invasion barges' - gargantuan platforms that connect to form a mobile pier that could enable thousands of soldiers and hundreds of vehicles to land on Taiwan's shores. The multi-day military drills forced Taipei to respond by scrambling fighter jets and warships of their own to dissuade any overzealous members of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) from posing a serious threat. But these alarming exercises were just the latest addition to a worrying trend that has seen Beijing grow increasingly aggressive toward its island neighbour in recent years. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), headed by authoritarian President Xi Jinping, sees Taiwan as a renegade province to be brought back under Beijing's control, by force if necessary. Taiwan's elected Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presides over a self-governing, democratic society and has sought close ties with the US, hoping its political, military and economic heft will keep Xi's expansionist tendencies at bay. American deterrence, the reliance of China's export economy on the West and the cost of a military operation to seize Taiwan has led most analysts to suggest Beijing is more likely to use less direct means to pressure Taipei. But politicians, military chiefs and industry leaders the world over can no longer afford to ignore the prospect of a full-scale invasion - a scenario which would shake the foundations of the world as we know it and could well trigger a Third World War. Now, as Donald Trump pushes Taiwan to pay more for its defence while slapping it with significant trade tariffs, concern is growing that the US President may begin treating Taipei - as one analyst put it - 'as a pawn to trade with China to achieve his interests'. Police have launched a murder investigation after a 'devoted' mother was found dead with her son in the same house. Jane Riddell, 61, and her 35-year-old son, Lee Scott Riddell, were discovered at the home in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire on February 3. Officers rushed to the house at 11.11am after being called by someone concerned for the mother and son. Detectives have launched a murder investigation into Jane's death, but they are not treating Lee's as suspicious. West Yorkshire Police say they are not looking for anyone else in relation to either death. Jane's daughter has paid tribute to her, saying she was a 'proud and devoted grandma' She added: 'Mum. Where do I start...how do I speak about such an amazing women in a few words. 'Such a caring, thoughtful person - we will all be lost without you. I'd do anything to just have a single moment back. Jane Riddell (pictured), 61, and her 35-year-old son were found at the address in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire on February 3 Lee Scott Riddell's death is not being treated as suspicious, police have said 'This definitely wasn't your time, and I can't believe you was just taken from us all in this way, it's unforgivable.' Jane had only become grandmother six months before she died in February, this year, when Lee and his partner had a little girl. The flat in which their mother and son's bodies were discovered currently stands empty and is in the process of being decorated. A resident of the same flats said: 'She lovely person, and amazing woman. 'She would always be there to help me out, remind me that I'd left my car unlocked or left a win so open. 'She is sadly missed by me and many people here. 'We are all really unsure what has gone on as the police have said very little about it. I wasn't around when it all happened. 'I don't know what she did work wise, but she had a car. 'Lee didn't live with her. He had a partner somewhere else, but I would see him visiting from time to time. 'I can only describe her as a brilliant neighbour.' Another resident said: 'We were all very upset when we found out she was dead. It's awful to think what has gone on in that flat.' A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: 'Emergency services attended the address and found a woman and a man unresponsive inside. 'Both were pronounced deceased a short time later. 'They were formally identified as Jane Riddell, aged 61, and Lee Scott Riddell, aged 35. 'Postmortem examinations determined Jane Riddell's death was suspicious and a murder investigation was launched. Lee Scott Riddell's death is not being treated as suspicious. 'The investigation is being carried out by the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team and enquiries are ongoing; however, police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.' German prosecutors have been accused by Portuguese media of failing to properly investigate a claim that Madeleine McCann was run over by a drunk driver. Portuguese officers allegedly received a tip about a British man who was 'covering up a dark secret' about his German wife running over Madeleine while drunk, then hiding the body. But German authorities rejected a Portuguese request to use an undercover police officer to try to befriend the wife and firm up their suspicions, Portuguese daily Correio da Manha has claimed. The report - which claims a sister of the British husband made the tip-off to police in the UK in 2018 - said: 'German prosecutors were asked to authorise a covert police operation with someone posing as a friend of the woman's and trying to get her to confess, but the courts refused. 'It was decided to continue solely with the investigation into suspect Christian Brueckner, rejecting other possibilities.' Correio da Manha said the mystery couple were 'alcoholics' and the wife had been drinking near the Ocean Club on the night Madeleine went missing. It also claimed the couple's neighbour had told police she heard them rowing the day after the three-year-old disappeared. She said she heard the man yelling 'Why did you bring her?' over and over again. Portuguese police are reportedly said to have got the knock-back from the Germans after urging them to look more closely into the possibility the 'German wife' had driven home 'drunk' with Madeleine after running her over, then enlisting her husband's help in disposing of the body at sea. Members of the search teams at one of the base camps close to Praia De Luz, Portugal, where searches are being carried out by officers investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, in countryside a few miles from the resort where she was last seen in 2007 German police yesterday wrapped up a three-day search on the ground near prime suspect Christian Brueckner's old cottage home close to Praia da Luz Correio said the unnamed British man had now died. It did not say whether his German wife was still alive. In a front page report today, the newspaper claimed: 'The German police refused to co-operate with Portugal's Policia Judiciaria in the investigation of a clue that pointed towards Madeleine McCann being run over and the possibility a couple disposed of her body, hours later, in the sea. 'In 2018 a British woman went to police in the UK to say she suspected her brother had been involved in the disappearance of the youngster. 'She said her brother was an alcoholic and since the day Madeleine vanished had appeared to hide a painful secret. 'When British police exchanged information with the PJ, a coincidence was discovered. 'On May 4 2007 a woman told police she had heard her neighbours arguing. 'They were both alcoholics, he was English and she was German, and she heard the man shouting repeatedly: 'Why did you bring her?' 'The neighbour discovered afterwards it was the man whose sister had reported him to police and was married to the woman who had been drinking in a cafe next to the Ocean Club where little Madeleine was staying with her parents and twin siblings. Your browser does not support iframes. Undated family handout file photo of missing Madeleine McCann Gerry and Kate McCann, the parents of the missing three-year-old girl Madeleine McCann 'Another report the police had indicated that in an identical car to the one the woman was then using, around the time of Madeleine's disappearance, a female and little girl had been seen inside. 'The PJ concluded she could have run Madeleine over and panicked.' The newspaper also claimed the mystery British man had always 'refused to tell his sister if he had been involved in Madeleine's death' before she alerted the authorities. The idea Madeleine left her holiday apartment to look for her parents who were eating tapas nearby - and then fell in an accident or was knocked over by someone who panicked and disposed of her body - has been put forward in the past. Portuguese police have yet to respond to the Correio da Manha newspaper report. German police yesterday wrapped up a three-day search on the ground near prime suspect Christian Brueckner's old cottage home close to Praia da Luz where Madeleine disappeared. The operation, supported by Portuguese police, was the first of its kind for more than two years following a May 2023 search at the Arade Dam a 40-minute drive from the Algarve holiday resort where Madeleine was last seen. Nothing of any relevance is thought to have been found. Convicted paedophile Brueckner, 47, is due to be freed from prison in Germany in September after finishing a seven-year sentence for rape. Although German authorities have named Brueckner as their sole Madeleine McCann suspect, and he is also an official suspect in Portugal, he has yet to be charged over the British youngster's disappearance. There were no immediate announcements on the outcome of the operation as vans with German license plates and a Portuguese vehicle left one of the search sites in the Atalaia neighbourhood. A source involved in the operation said the searched area had included several derelict houses, wells and reservoirs covering 'dozens of hectares'. The remains of missing teenager Pheobe Bishop are believed to have been found, hours after her two housemates faced court on murder charges. Police were searching an area close to Good Night Scrub National Park, near Gin Gin in Queensland, when they found human remains at 2.30pm. The remains are yet to be formally identified but investigators are talking to the family of the missing teen. A crime scene has been established at the scene and forensic examinations are ongoing. James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33, were both charged with murder and interfering with a corpse in relation to Pheobe's disappearance. The 17-year-old had been living with the pair at a house in Gin Gin before she vanished on May 15. They were the last people to see her alive after dropping her off at Bundaberg Airport. Shortly after Queensland Police announced they found the remains, Pheobe's mum Kylie Johnson said the news was 'ripping me apart'. 'I didn't think my heart could break anymore then it did when you went missing, or when the charges were laid, but this! This is ripping me apart,' she said. A body, believed to be that of Pheobe Bishop, was found on Friday afternoon Pheobe's mother Kylie Johnson made public appeals for help in finding her daughter Police had been searching several areas of interest, including the Gin Gin home The local community is preparing to host a candlelight vigil for the teen on Sunday night. 'Like most rural families we are resilient, proud and strong but this has brought us to our knees like no drought ever could,' Ms Johnson said. 'This vigil is a way of our family acknowledging Pheobe's impact on our community. 'While we don't have Phee home to put to rest just yet, our community needs the healing process to start.' Pheobe went missing after she failed to board a flight at Bundaberg Airport to Brisbane and then onto Western Australia to see her boyfriend on May 15. Her luggage hasn't been found, and police say neither her phone or bank accounts have been accessed. Detective Inspector Craig Mansfield said police would allege that Pheobe was murdered and her body was moved more than once. 'Both of those accused have engaged with their lawyers and we are hoping to engage with them in the near future with that very prospect,' he said. James Wood has been charged with murder and interfering with a corpse in relation to Pheobes disappearance The moment James Wood was charged with Pheobe Bishop's murder at his parents' caravan Tanika Bromley was hit with the ame charges as Wood Police will allege there was telephone data that led investigators to Good Night Scrub National Park. Detective Inspector Mansfield said Pheobe did not make it to the airport but was at Airport Drive. 'We will allege that our evidence will outline that three people arrived near to the airport and three people never exited that vehicle,' he said. 'Our investigations have been complex and protracted over the past three weeks. Those investigations have afforded us evidence to put both of those individuals before the court.' Police continue to appeal for any information in relation to Pheobe or the movement of a grey Hyundai IX35 between May 15 to 18 in the greater Gin Gin area. When Wood was arrested he was seen barefoot, wearing grey sweatpants, a chunky silver identity bracelet and a black 'Phantom Menace' t-shirt. Wood was told police were placing him 'under arrest for the homicide of Pheobe Bishop' before he was put in the backseat of a black unmarked police car. Pheobe's sister Kaylea Bishop, 18, sat in the far corner of the front row of Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday, dressed in black with her eyes red, as the case was heard. She stared straight ahead, flanked by friends, family and a court security guard as details of the murder charges against the couple were read out. A gypsy influencer has been slammed for 'downright reckless' advice to young travellers washing their horses in a river at Europe's biggest gathering of travellers. In a tradition dating back centuries, gypsies wash their steeds in the River Eden before trading them in street auctions. However equestrian rider Martina Wright has caused fury among campaigners by advising horse owners to ride their mounts into the river even if they can't swim. Martina, who has 200,000 followers across her social platforms, admits she can't swim herself but has been photographed several times submerging her horse, George, in the Eden. A group representing Appleby residents criticised her for placing bystanders or rescuers 'who may feel compelled to intervene' in danger. In the post on her social media channels, Martina advised non swimmers to hang onto their horse's mane if they get into difficulties in the river. She posted: 'There's so many people that go to Appleby would do anything to get on a horse but honestly not every horse will just go in and swim. 'Make sure you can swim also (I can't swim) but I always stay on horses I know are comfortable with swimming etc.. It can all go wrong so easily and without the rider the horse could end up swimming further into the deep water rather than making its way out.. 'Just be careful, take your time, if you come stuck grab the mane! Not the bridle. Stay safe xxx' In the post on her social media channels, Martina advised non swimmers to hang onto their horse's mane if they get into difficulties in the river Equestrian rider Martina Wright has caused fury among campaigners by advising horse owners to ride their mounts into the river even if they can't swim Martina, who has 200,000 followers across her social platforms, admits she can't swim herself but has been photographed several times submerging her horse, George, in the Eden Travellers and gypsies arrive in Appleby for the first day of the Appleby Horse Fair A spokesperson for Appleby Fair Communities Group hit out in response. They said the group was concerned at 'the trend of individuals entering the river on horseback, despite being unable to swim.' AFCG said: 'This issue has recently been highlighted by influencer Martina Wright, who posted that many people disappointingly including herself go into the river despite not being able to swim. 'While she advises others to 'be careful,' she also downplays the risk by suggesting it's fine because she doesn't fall off. 'No one ever intends to fall off accidents happen precisely because they are unintended. It is not just the personal risk to these individuals that worries us, but the wider consequences: the risk to the horse, the potential danger to bystanders or rescuers who may feel compelled to intervene, and the trauma or burden left for those dealing with the aftermath of a preventable incident. 'This kind of behaviour is already high-risk under normal circumstances. When it involves non-swimmers without life jackets, it becomes downright reckless. How long until something tragic happens?' The matter has been reported to the Multi-Agency Strategic Coordinating Group (MASCG) which oversees Appleby Fair. Meanwhile, police have revealed there were 49 arrests in the days leading up to the fair opening and drug driving had been 'a theme.' The RSPCA is also investigating reports of animal cruelty, including two ponies being abandoned by the roadside in a Cumbrian village close to where Appleby Horse Fair is underway. A member of the public also reported a horse being beaten and anti cruelty investigators have launched a probe. The fair is entering its second day in Appleby-in-Westmorland, which sees its 3,000 population swell by a factor of 10 as visitors swarm to the annual event A group representing Appleby residents criticised her for placing bystanders or rescuers 'who may feel compelled to intervene' in danger A family in their traditional horse drawn caravan make their way to the annual Appleby Horse Fair Riders in the town centre during the Appleby Horse Fair in Appleby-in-Westmorland The 250-year-old fair attracts thousands of travellers from across Europe to Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria, for the six-day event Loella Birch takes Duchess for a dip in the River Eden on the first day of the Appleby Horse Fair Leroy Lee and his children Annamay, 7, and Ravenna, 4, on the second day of the Appleby Horse Fair in Appleby Two women take a horse for a dip in the River Eden on the second day of the Appleby Horse Fair Horses in Appleby town centre on the second day of the Appleby Horse Fair in Appleby Cumbria Police Superintendent Daniel St Quintin, Gold Commander for the fair, said: 'The most serious arrests we had yesterday were two drug drivers. 'That seems to be a theme this year where we are catching quite a few drug drivers, either for cannabis or cocaine and they are getting dealt with accordingly.' The arrests generally relate to drug and drink driving, drug possession and low level public order and anti-social behaviour offences. Police said the arrests were not limited to travellers, with some local people also arrested. Cumbria RSPCA chief inspector Rob Melloy, said: 'Unfortunately there are still a minority of people that come here who will abuse the animals and run the horses far too much and work them too hard, but that is what we are here for, we are here to try and find those guys and stop them. 'We have had a couple of ponies that have been dumped and we have an ongoing investigation into a horse that was being hit inappropriately. 'A member of the public saw the horse being hit and reported it, resulting in the investigation. We have managed to save that horse basically.' The incidents are understood to have occurred in outlying villages in the Appleby area over the last week. The fair is entering its second day in Appleby-in-Westmorland, which sees its 3,000 population swell by a factor of 10 as visitors swarm to the annual event. Of those, an estimated 10,000 are from the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) community. Charlie Mia and Heather Sparkes with Queenie, a county-level show horse on the second day of the Appleby Horse Fair Members of the Traveller community walk their horses up the Main Street an past a police patrol car in Appleby-in-Westmorland Police officers are seen patrolling in Appleby-in-Westmorland on June 5 during the Appleby Horse Fair Jimmy Cole, 4, poses for a photo with miniature Shetland pony Rolo at the Appleby Horse Fair Members of the traveller community ride horse drawn buggies along the road during the annual horse fair in Appleby-in-Westmorland People shelter from the rain in a doorway during the Appleby Horse Fair in Appleby-in-Westmorland A member of the traveller community stands with his pony during the annual horse fair in Appleby-in-Westmorland In its 250-year history the fair has only been cancelled twice, the first in 2001 during the foot and mouth outbreak and the second in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. The gathering is billed as the biggest traditional gypsy fair in Europe and has developed traditions that take place every year. Gypsy horses are washed in the River Eden in Appleby and trotted up and down the 'flashing lane' - a closed-off rural road - before being haggled over and bought. There is a market on Jimmy Winter's Field with stalls selling everything from fashion to horse-related wares. The fair is held outside the town of Appleby, at the point where the old Roman Road crosses Long Marton Road, on Gallows Hill, which was named after the public hangings that were once carried out there. It was once thought the fair originated from a royal charter to the borough of Appleby from King James II of England in 1685, although more recent research has found the charter was cancelled before it was ever enacted. The gathering is sometimes known as 'the New Fair' because Appleby's medieval borough fair, held at Whitsuntide, ceased in 1885. The 'New Fair' began in 1775 for sheep and cattle drovers and horse dealers to sell their stock. By the 1900s it had evolved into a major Gypsy/Traveller event which brought families from across the UK and Europe. Labour support for legalising assisted dying appears to be falling as more MPs publicly question the law change. The Commons will next week debate changes to the plan to allow terminally ill people with less than six months to live to end their own lives, ahead of a crunch vote later this month. But fresh concerns have been raised about the The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill that is being led through Parliament by backbencher Kim Leadbeater. Opponents have complained the Bill does not have enough protections and has been rushed through, with the criticism coming days after two royal medical colleges voiced their doubts on the legislation in its current form. And now even supporters of the principle of legalising assisted dying are questioning the process. Labour MP Markus Campbell-Savours, who voted for the bill in a preliminary vote last year, told the BBC he now planned to vote against it because in its current form it crossed his 'red lines for protecting the vulnerable'. 'I want to see safeguards that will ensure that assisted dying is not overextended to include those in situations where there are alternative ways to improve the quality of their lives,' said Campbell-Savours. 'I would also be very concerned if legislation produced a situation where people who considered themselves a burden on their families and friends felt pressured to end their life.' The Commons will next week debate changes to the law allowing terminally ill people with less than six months to live to end their own lives, ahead of a crunch vote later this month. But fresh concerns have been raised about the The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill that is being led through Parliament by backbencher Kim Leadbeater (centre). Labour MP Markus Campbell-Savours, who voted for the bill in a preliminary vote last year, told the BBC he now planned to vote against it because in its current form it crossed his 'red lines for protecting the vulnerable'. And fellow Labour MP Josh Fenton-Glynn told the broadcaster he will vote against the bill, having abstained last year. 'We see quite a few of the amendments which are specifically aimed at stopping coercion being opposed by the supporters of the bill,' he said. 'I don't think chances to make the bill safer have been taken.' At the end of November last year, the Commons backed the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill by 330 votes to 275, a majority of 55 votes. But campaigners believe enough have changed their mind to put its chances of becoming law onto a knife-edge. The proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death. This would be subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. The terminally ill person would take an approved substance, provided by a doctor but administered only by the person themselves. The implementation period has been doubled to a maximum of four years from royal assent, rather than the initially suggested two years. If the Bill was to pass later this year that would mean it might not be until 2029, potentially coinciding with the end of this Government's parliament, that assisted dying was being offered. A Government impact assessment published last month estimated that between 164 and 647 assisted deaths could potentially take place in the first year of the service, rising to between 1,042 and 4,559 in year 10. The establishment of a Voluntary Assisted Dying Commissioner and three-member expert panels would cost an estimated average of between 10.9 million to 13.6 million per year, the document said. It had 'not been possible' to estimate the overall implementation costs at this stage of the process, it added. While noting that cutting end-of-life care costs 'is not stated as an objective of the policy', the assessment estimated that such costs could be reduced by as much as an estimated 10 million in the first year and almost 60 million after 10 years. An aide of New Zealand's Prime Minister has resigned after being accused of secretly taping sex workers without consent. Senior aide Michael Forbes resigned after a local news outlet alleged he covertly recorded audio of sessions with sex workers and secretly photographed women at the gym. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he was 'shocked' - but it was unclear whether Forbes had broken the law. Luxon has now floated some new privacy laws in the wake of the scandal. 'If you're a New Zealander you ask quite legitimate questions about how does this behaviour happen, and is it legal or illegal,' he told reporters on Thursday. 'I have that same reaction to it as well.' Luxon flagged new privacy laws could be drafted to clear up the legal grey area. Forbes - who was Luxon's deputy chief press secretary - apologised in a statement sent to media. Senior aide Michael Forbes resigned after a local news outlet alleged he covertly recorded audio of sessions with sex workers New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has floated the idea of new privacy laws in the wake of the incident 'I want to offer my sincerest apologies to the women I have harmed,' he said. The scandal came to light after a sex worker noticed Forbes's phone was recording audio while he took a shower, according to an investigation published Wednesday by New Zealand news outlet Stuff. Forbes phone was then found to contain photos of women in compromising positions at the gym, and a video shot through a window showing women getting dressed at night, Stuff reported. 'In the past, I was in a downward spiral due to unresolved trauma and stress, and when confronted with the impacts of my behaviour a year ago, I sought professional help, which is something I wish I had done much earlier,' Forbes said in a statement. 'What I failed to do then was make a genuine attempt to apologise.' The controversial former-head of DOGE Elon Musk has reportedly lost more than $34billion from his personal net worth after his fall from grace at the White House and very online break up with the US President. Shares in Musk's Tesla also dropped more than 14 per cent at the end of yesterday, losing about $150billion in market value - the largest single-day decline in the company's history. It is the second largest loss of personal net worth, beaten only by Musk's own wipe out again in November 2021, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index of the 500 wealthiest people on the planet. He remains the richest man in the world, with a huge $334.5 billion fortune. Musk, who officially left the White House last week, reached a peak of nearly $500 billion in the months after Trump's election success. The valuation of his companies had surged thanks to the belief they would profit from his close relationship with Trump and his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, it was reported. But his government contracts with the US were on the line last night as he continued to take part in a savage war with words against Donald Trump, with their partnership breaking down over a tax-cut and spending bill. 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts," Trump posted on Truth Social. Elon Musk has reportedly lost more than 25billion from his personal net worth after his fall from grace at the White House and very online break up with the US President Musk's government contracts with the US were on the line last night as he continued to take part in a savage war with words against Donald Trump Your browser does not support iframes. The withdrawal would have potentially huge consequences for his Tesla and SpaceX revenue. SpaceX has been awarded over $17 billion in government contracts since 2015, according to ABC news. Much of that money comes from NASA and the Department of Defence. One of Trump's oldest advisors, Steve Bannon, went further and suggested the government seize SpaceX under the Defense Production Act - a move that would undoubtedly trigger challenges. Musk, who had threatened to decommission the SpaceX Dragon capsule - a critical lifeline for transporting American astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station - ultimately retreated. After a user on X suggested he 'cool off and take a step back for a couple of days', Musk abruptly posted: 'Good advice. Ok, we won't decommission Dragon.' It was not before he claimed that Trump is 'in the Epstein files', suggested that he should be impeached and replaced with 40-year-old Vice President J.D. Vance. Moments before the Epstein charge, Trump had taken to Truth Social and said he had asked Musk to leave his administration and said the billionaire went 'CRAZY!' With that, Musk announced that it was 'time to drop a really big bomb.' Elon Musk dramatically charged that President Donald Trump's name appears in the files of known pedophile Jeffrey Epstein This 1997 photo shows then real estate developer Donald Trump (right) alongside Jeffrey Epstein (left), the pedophile sex offender who died in prison in 2019 This 2014 image shows Elon Musk (right) alongside Ghislaine Maxwell (left) who facilitated Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking ring. She's currently serving time in federal prison '@RealDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,' Musk wrote. 'Have a nice day, DJT!' Jeffrey Epstein is a serial child sex offender who died in prison in 2019. Trump pledged to release the files related to Epstein, with Attorney General Pam Bondi releasing some pages in February, but most of that information was already in the public domain. 'Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out,' Musk added. Asked for comment, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Daily Mail in a statement: 'This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted.' The brawl started when the X-owner had originally campaigned to stop the 'disgusting abomination' of the x bill which he believed would contribute too much to the country's $36.2 trillion debt. Trump's big, beautiful bill' called for getting rid off electric vehicle tax credits - the cause of Musk's frustration, according to Trump. Analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. estimated that the bill would cut about $1.2 billion from Teslas full-year profit. 'Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will any more,' Trump said in the Oval last week Despite staying quiet at first, Trump then told reporters he was 'very disappointed' in Musk and they 'had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore'. Musk immediately responded via tweet, saying: 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election'. He had spent nearly $300 million backing Trump's campaign among other other Republicans in last year's election. However, the drastic drop in net worth might not reveal the true impact on Musk who increasingly relies on his private enterprises as a source, it was reported in Bloomberg. Boeing has reached a deal with the US Department of Justice to avoid prosecution over crashes involving a 737 Max plane that killed 346 people. The agreement, outlined in a court filing this week, will see the aerospace giant pay $1.1 billion (812 million), including a $487.2 million criminal penalty, half of which was already paid in a previous settlement. The deal would also see $444.5m (328m) in compensation to families of the crash victims. But move has been blasted by the victims' families' lawyer, Sanjiv Singh, who told the BBC the deal was a 'morally repugnant' escape which allowed the firm to 'sidestep true criminal accountability'. If approved by a federal judge, the deal would protect the firm from a criminal fraud trial. The company previously said it is 'deeply sorry' for their loss, adding that it remains 'committed to honouring their loved one's memories' by pressing ahead with changes to the company. It will also put $455m (335m) towards improving its compliance, safety and quality programmes. Boeing would also agree to pay a criminal penalty of $487.2m (359.6m), although half of that was already paid in 2021. Sanjiv Singh told the BBC the deal was a 'morally repugnant' escape which allowed the firm to 'sidestep true criminal accountability'. If approved by a federal judge, the deal would protect Boeing from a criminal fraud trial. Picture: Stock image The two Boeing 737 Max crashes, which happened less than five months apart, claimed 346 lives and sparked global outrage. In October 2018, Lion Air flight 610 plunged into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff from Jakarta, in Indonesia killing all 189 people on board. Then, in March 2019, Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crashed minutes after departing Addis Ababa, resulting in the deaths of 157 passengers and crew. Both disasters were later traced to faulty flight control systems, leading to the worldwide grounding of the 737 Max fleet for nearly two years. Since then, many families of the victims have spent years demanding a full public trial, tougher penalties for Boeing, and the prosecution of senior company executives. In 2021, Boeing avoided criminal prosecution by reaching a deferred prosecution agreement with the US Department of Justice, which included a $243.6m (179m) fine. However, prosecutors later alleged that Boeing had breached the terms of its 2021 deferred prosecution agreement by failing to put in place promised reforms to detect and prevent future violations of federal anti-fraud laws. In response, Boeing agreed last July to plead guilty to a felony fraud charge, potentially avoiding a lengthy and high-profile public trial. Rescuers work at the scene of an Ethiopian Airlines flight of a Boeing 737 Max 8 plane crash near Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, south of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 11, 2019, which took the lives of 157 people This picture taken at the Tanjung Priok Jakarta port on October 30, 2018 shows Indonesian people examining debris of the ill-fated Lion Air flight JT 610 in Jakarta which killed 189 It will be the fourth meeting between the DOJ and the families, some of whom are seen here in 2019, of those who died in the two 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019 But in December, US District Judge Reed OConnor rejected the plea deal. He raised concerns that government and corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies could influence the selection of an independent monitor, the person responsible for overseeing Boeings compliance, and argued that race might become a factor in the appointment process. A spokesperson for Boeing said: 'Boeing is committed to complying with its obligations under this resolution, which include a substantial additional fine and commitments to further institutional improvements and investments. 'The resolution also provides for substantial additional compensation for the families of those lost in the Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 accidents. 'We are deeply sorry for their losses, and remain committed to honouring their loved ones memories by pressing forward with the broad and deep changes to our company that we have made to strengthen our safety system and culture.' MailOnline approached the US Justice Department for comment. The firm maker has also been plagued by other incidents involving its other planes in the US. A 256lb wheel has fallen from an airliner as it took off, crushing cars where it landed after plummeting to the ground Last year, a wheel fell off a Boeing 777-200 shortly after takeoff in San Francisco, with the wheel falling after takeoff, crushing cars parked below after it plummeted to the ground. The United Airlines flight 35 left San Francisco Airport on its way to Osaka in Japan and was barely off the runway when the Boeing 777-200's wheel came off. The plane with 235 passengers and 14 crew diverted to Los Angeles Airport after it was alerted to the landing gear failure and safely landed with no further issues and no injuries reported. Just days before this, a 737 engine caught fire mid-flight with a heart-stopping video catching the moment the Boeing jet's engines exploded and burst into flames in the skies above Texas, forcing an emergency landing. The terrifying incident took place just minutes into a United Airlines flight bound for Fort Myers, Florida. Moments later, they were forced to make an emergency landing and return to George H. Bush Intercontinental Houston Airport moments after takeoff. No injuries were reported in the incident. Ukraine's breathtaking drone operation that heralded the destruction of Russian bomber aircraft thousands of miles from the border has raised fears Kyiv's forces may have crossed a threshold set out in Moscow's nuclear weapon use policy. Operation Spiderweb, conducted Sunday by Ukraine's security services (SBU), saw more than a hundred drones destroy and damage at least a dozen strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons after being smuggled across Russia on trucks. The drones were reportedly piloted by Ukrainian operatives housed in a building close to an office of Russia's FSB security service and successfully evaded detection in a scathing indictment of Russia's intelligence apparatus. While the attack may not have significantly impacted Moscow's immediate warfighting capabilities, it showed a willingness and a capability on the part of Ukraine to threaten some of Russia's most prized military assets - up to and including parts of its nuclear triad. Several civilians have already been killed in retributive barrages of drone and missile attacks unleashed by Putin's forces on towns and cities across Ukraine, including Kyiv, since the attacks unfolded on Sunday. But these brutal bombardments are likely just one part of Russia's revenge. US President Donald Trump claimed Putin said that he had to retaliate during a call between the two leaders, before the Kremlin yesterday issued an official statement saying it would choose 'how and when' to respond. Then this morning, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov elevated the rhetoric, telling reporters in Moscow that the war in Ukraine is an 'existential issue for Russia's national interest, safety, on our future and the future of our children'. Now, analysts and officials have warned the daring drone strikes could be considered in Moscow to have crossed a red line set out in Russia's nuclear doctrine, opening up the prospect of a tactical nuclear weapon being deployed on Ukrainian soil. Ukraine's breathtaking Operation Spiderweb that blew up Russian bomber aircraft thousands of miles from the border has raised fears that Kyiv 's forces may have crossed the threshold to allow a nuclear response from Moscow Drone footage shows Tu-95 strategic bombers ablaze Fire and smoke rise in the aftermath of a Russian drone strike that left at least four dead A firefighter works at the site of a Russian drone attack, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 6, 2025 The attack came just hours after Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin Putin in November signed off on an updated version of the Kremlin's nuclear doctrine that broadened the scope for Moscow to turn to its fearsome atomic arsenal on the same day that US-made missiles rained down on Russian soil. The new document, which replaced the previous iteration outlined in 2020, allows Putin's strategic forces to deploy their devastating weapons if Russia or ally Belarus is threatened by a non-nuclear nation supported by a nuclear power. It also greenlit the use of nuclear weapons in the event of attacks by an adversary on important state or military infrastructure that could potentially disrupt the actions of Russia's nuclear forces. Threats that could warrant a nuclear response from Russia's leadership include an attack with conventional missiles, aircraft or drones, according to the updated document. It is unclear whether any of Ukraine's nuclear-powered backers in the West - namely the US, UK and France - were in any way responsible for supporting the planning or execution of Operation Spiderweb. But George Beebe, Director of Grand Strategy at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and former director of Russia analysis at the CIA, said there is a real possibility that Putin's inner circle may believe that to be the case. 'They might well look at this situation and decide that this was a joint attack - that the Ukrainians could not have pulled this off without the knowledge and support of the United States or our NATO allies in Europe,' he told Foreign Policy magazine. 'Now, whether that is true or not, the danger here is that Russians might perceive that to be the case. 'We're dealing with a situation here where the Russians may be concerned that Trump is doing just what people accuse Putin of doing - namely, talking about peace while conducting war.' In November, when Western-made missiles launched by Ukrainian forces struck targets in Russia, Moscow delivered a clear signal that it was serious about lowering the threshold for nuclear conflict. Days later, Putin's forces delivered a punishing strike on Ukraine's Dnipro region with an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) dubbed 'Oreshnik' - which is believed to have been derived from the RS-26 missile capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads. Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova hinted that Western nations aided Kyiv in carrying out Operation Spiderweb. 'The West is involved in the terrorist activities of the Kiev regime... The countries of the 'collective West' supply weapons specifically for the purpose of committing terrorist acts,' she said in a statement. Kyiv was pummelled last night with Russian ballistic missiles and attack drones with at least four dead as Putin takes revenge for audacious Operation Spiderweb A handout satellite image made available by Maxar Technologies shows Tupolev Tu-95 aircraft destroyed following a series of Ukrainian drone strikes at the Belaya Airbase in Russia This screengrab shows a Ukrainian FPV drone moments before delivering a punishing blow to a Russian Tu-22 'Backfire' bomber aircraft The first-person view (FPV) Ukrainian attack drones were smuggled into Russia in wooden containers disguised as modular homes A Yars intercontinental ballistic missile is launched as part of nuclear deterrence forces drills from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, in Arkhangelsk Oblast, northwestern Russia, 29 October 2024 Some analysts have pointed out that Ukraine's attack, while more shocking than any prior assault on Russian strategic assets, was still carefully calculated to show restraint. The operation sought to damage Russia's Tu-22 and Tu-95 bomber aircraft, which have been frequently deployed since the start of the war to deliver conventional air-launched missile attacks on Ukraine. Although both the Tu-22 and Tu-95 are capable of carrying strategic nuclear weapons, that role is largely the reserve of Russia's fleet of Tu-160 'BlackJack' planes. These advanced, heavy strategic bombers are seen as a cornerstone of Russia's airborne nuclear deterrent, able to fly some 12,500 kilometres while carrying up to 40 tonnes of ordnance - and have largely remained absent from the Ukraine conflict. Kyiv, despite clearly boasting the capability to strike Russia's airborne assets thousands of kilometres from the border, chose not to target Tu-160s en masse - a move that could signal Volodymyr Zelensky's understanding of Moscow's limits and one which offers the Kremlin some wiggle room when plotting its response. But Beebe warned that Ukraine's operation was likely to cause a rapid escalation in the conflict regardless, reasoning that those close to Putin will be saying 'we can't afford not to respond, because if we don't, this will just cement this impression that Ukraine and its allies in the West can just continue to push across all Russian red lines'. For now though, it seems Ukrainian citizens will simply have to contend with an ever increasing threat of conventional drone and missile strikes. Russia targeted at least six regions across the country with 407 drones and 44 missiles in one of its largest coordinated attacks of the three-year war overnight into today. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said search and rescue operations are underway at several locations in the city. Multiple explosions were heard in Kyiv, where falling debris sparked fires across several districts as air defence systems attempted to intercept incoming targets, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Administration. 'Our air defence crews are doing everything possible. But we must protect one another - stay safe,' Tkachenko wrote on Telegram. Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said the barrage included ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as a mix of strike drones and decoys. Ukrainian forces said they shot down about 30 of the cruise missiles and up to 200 of the drones. Ukrainian cities have come under regular bombardment since Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022. The attacks have killed more than 12,000 civilians, according to the United Nations. This handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Emergency Service on June 6, 2025 reportedly shows the covered bodies of three firefighters killed following a Russian strike in Kyiv A general view on a building damaged as the result of a Russian attack in Kyiv Photographers work amid debris in the yard of damaged residential building after a Russian drone-and-missile attack on June 6, 2025 in Kyiv Your browser does not support iframes. Meanwhile in the UK, Britain's Strategic Defence Review (SDR) has warned of what the UK could expect to face in the event of a conflict with Russia as concern grows over the potential consequences of Operation Spiderweb. In a comprehensive 144-page document unveiled by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Defence Secretary John Healey earlier this week, defence chiefs outlined the five terrifying 'methods of attack' Britain should brace itself for. Military bases, ports and airfields in the UK would be the first to come under siege, blasted by waves of drones and long-range cruise, ballistic or hypersonic missiles. Oil rigs, subsea cables, satellite communications and merchant vessels would also find themselves in the crosshairs of any onslaught by Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, with saboteurs seeking to damage or destroy them. And a shadowy digital army of hackers would also launch a devastating barrage of cyber attacks, targeting government bodies, stock exchanges, communications and other critical infrastructure in a bid to paralyse Britain. The SDR warned: 'Based on the current way of war, if the UK were to fight a state-on-state war as part of NATO in 2025, it could expect to be subject to some or all of the following methods of attack: A senior Tory MP today said Britain 'needs to leave' the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) - as the party launches a probe into how to exit the treaty. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said the Conservatives were 'increasingly of the view' that the UK needs to remove itself from the oversight of Strasbourg judges. He spoke ahead of a major speech by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, in which she will announce plans for an investigation into leaving the ECHR. Mr Philp suggested the commission being established by his party was about 'getting the detail right'. 'We are increasingly of the view that we do need to leave,' he told Times Radio. 'But what we're not going to do is just shoot from the hip and make that commitment without proper thought.' The shadow home secretary added: 'My view is that, in principle, yes, we need to leave. But we also need to get the detail right.' In her speech later, Mrs Badenoch will announce a new commission to examine the effect of international treaties on Britain's ability to deal with issues ranging from immigration and crime to housing and the environment. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said the Conservatives were 'increasingly of the view ' that the UK needs to remove itself from the oversight of Strasbourg judges Tory leader Kemi Badenoch is set to announce plans for an investigation into Britain leaving the European Convention on Human Rights Although Britain left the EU in 2020 it remains a signatory to the ECHR and is subject to the jurisdiction of the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights Tory sources said the remit of the commission, led by barrister Lord Wolfson, will include drawing up a detailed plan to quit the ECHR. It will also examine the case for leaving the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and rewriting the Equality Act and Climate Change Act. The new stance puts the Conservatives on course to include a pledge to quit the ECHR in their next manifesto, creating clear blue water with Labour. Sir Keir Starmer's controversial Attorney General, Lord Hermer, has said Labour will 'never' quit the ECHR. He was forced to apologise last week for likening those in favour of the move to Nazis. Mrs Badenoch will say the Strasbourg court is unreformable and accuse it of showing 'ever greater willingness to invent new rights and directly overrule popular mandates'. She will insist that she has never had 'any particular obsession with international law or with our treaty arrangements', but that work on a radical new Tory policy platform has convinced her that it will be impossible to deliver while in the ECHR. 'The more we build our policy programme, the clearer it seems that to achieve our objectives we will need to leave the ECHR in its current form,' she will say. 'I have thought long and hard about this, and I am increasingly of the view that we will need to leave, because I am yet to see a clear and coherent route to change within our current legal structures. 'Some say reform is the answer, but I say we have tried that before (and) the Strasbourg court has shown no interest in fundamental change. 'It has rebuffed those European states calling for a new approach and, in its recent decisions above all on climate change it has shown ever greater willingness to invent new rights and directly overrule popular mandates.' Mrs Badenoch will set the commission five 'common sense' tests for assessing whether human rights laws are getting in the way of vital reforms. The deportation test will assess whether Parliament, rather than the international courts, is able to determine who comes to the UK and is allowed to stay here. Mrs Badenoch will say Britain should have the ability to remove foreign criminals and illegal migrants 'even if they have family here or claim they would be at risk if sent home'. A second 'veterans test' would examine whether the current legal framework allows ministers to 'stop our veterans being endlessly pursued by vexatious legal attacks' using human rights laws. A 'fairness test' will look at whether the authorities can 'put British citizens first in social housing and in receiving scarce public services'. A 'justice test' will look at the impact of human rights laws on the ability of the police to deal with issues like the disruptive protests staged by eco-activists. And a 'prosperity test' will examine whether treaties would prevent the Government from ditching costly climate change measures and cutting red tape holding back economic development. She will argue that the tests are 'not extreme demands', adding: 'They are basic tests of whether we are still a sovereign nation able to make our own laws and govern ourselves. 'If the commission makes clear that these tests cannot be passed under the current system then the system must change. 'If international treaties, including the European Convention, block us and there is no realistic prospect of changing them then we leave. No hesitation. No apology.' Although Britain left the EU in 2020 it remains a signatory to the ECHR and is subject to the jurisdiction of the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights. The ECHR was incorporated into law in Labour's 1998 Human Rights Act, allowing people to bring cases in the British courts. The commission will look at the issues involved in leaving, such as how to avoid destabilising the Good Friday Agreement, which includes a commitment to the ECHR. Mrs Badenoch will set out whether she plans to leave the ECHR at the Tory conference in October, when the investigation will report back. Elsewhere, the head of the Council of Europe warned that rising migration may result in changes to how the ECHR operates. Alain Berset, the secretary-general of the Council of Europe, told The Times: 'We are witnessing a world where things are changing rapidly. 'It is accelerating. We see this, and it means that it is normal that we must also adapt to this. We need adaptation. 'We need discussion about the rules that we want to have, and there is no taboo.' At least 12 people have been injured after white powder was reportedly found on a suspicious package at a German DHL distribution centre. Emergency services were scrambled to the warehouse in Langenzenn, Burggrafenhof district, on Friday morning after several workers fell ill. Seven employees have been rushed to hospital and others were treated at the scene, police told local media outlets. Officers said the the operation involved a hazardous materials incident and was attended by 100 emergency personnel. Several mail center employees reportedly came into contact with an unknown white powder through a package. The substance was found on the outside of the parcel and allegedly caused irritation. A local fire department immediately set up a decontamination site at the scene and the distribution centre was evacuated. A police spokeswoman said a decontamination shower - a device that can be used to wash potentially hazardous substances off people - was taken to the warehouse. According to reports, 35 people have already used the shower. At least 12 people have been injured after white powder was reportedly found on a suspicious package at a German DHL distribution centre (stock image) Emergency services were scrambled to the warehouse in Langenzenn, Burggrafenhof district, on Friday morning after several workers fell ill (stock image of Langenzenn) Emergency services are trying to contact sender of the package, but have so far had no success. A large number of emergency personnel, including hazardous materials teams and a rescue helicopter remain at the scene. The public have been asked to avoid the area until the all-clear is given. A spokesperson for the Central Franconia Police Headquarters confirmed: 'Hazardous materials teams from Erlangen and Greding are on site. 'The affected people are being cared for by firefighters.' This is a breaking news story, more to follow. Advertisement Bargain Hunt star Ochuko Ojiri was today jailed for two-and-a-half years after admitting a terror charge for selling 140,000 worth of art to a suspected Hezbollah backer. The art dealer, who has also appeared on the BBC's Antiques Road Trip, sold the works to Nazem Ahmad, a wealthy collector and diamond dealer who was under US sanctions. Ojiri bowed his head in the dock as the sentence was handed down at the Old Bailey. In addition to his custodial sentence, he was told he would serve one more year on licence. The 53-year-old knew Ahmad's background and sought to hide his links to him by doctoring invoices on the art sales and storing his name under an alias on his mobile phone, the court heard. Prosecutors said he was motivated by greed and a desire to 'boost the reputation' of his business, the Shoreditch-based Ojiri Gallery, by 'dealing with such a well-known collector'. Today, police released images of invoices Ojiri sent to Ahmad for the artwork, which included paintings, prints and a sculpture ranging in value from 2,250 to 20,000. Ojiri earlier pleaded guilty to eight counts of failing to disclose information about transactions in the regulated art market, contrary to section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000. His crimes took place between October 2020 and December 2021. He was arrested in Wrexham on April 18, 2023 - at the same time he was filming for the BBC. That same day, the UK Government announced their own sanctions against Ahmad, who is based in Lebanon. Ochuko Ojiri in a mugshot released after his sentencing for offences related to terror financing Ojiri sold artwork to Nazem Ahmad, a dual Belgian-Lebanese citizen who is sanctioned by both the UK and US Invoices for some of the artworks Ojiri sold to Ahmad were released today by police Officers then raided two of Ahmad's warehouses in Britain and seized 1million of art, including paintings by Picasso and Andy Warhol. Police today released pictures of the works, which will be sold and the profits reinvested back into law enforcement. US officials believe Ahmad used high-value art and diamonds to launder money and raise funds for Hezbollah. They have offered $10million for information on his whereabouts. Issuing her sentencing remarks, which were broadcast live on TV, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said: 'You knew about Ahmad's suspected involvement in financing terrorism and the way the art market could be exploited by someone like him.' The judge said she had dealt with Ahmad 'for prestige and profit' despite knowing he had been sanctioned by the US for alleged terrorism financing. 'You knew about Ahmad's suspected involvement in financing terrorism and the way the art market can be exploited by someone like him', she told him. 'Your hard work, talent, and charisma brought you a great deal of success. But working in a regulated sector carries significant responsibility, and you knew you shouldn't be dealing with this man.' The judge said the law is designed to make life 'uncomfortable' for terror funders 'so they can't engage in aspects of civil life they would like to have or project'. 'In short, it is to ensure no spoon is long enough to sup with those involved in terrorism,' she said. Earlier, Gavin Irwin, mitigating, insisted Ojiri regretted his offences and had already suffered as a result of his actions. He told the court: 'Mr Ojiri has already lost his good name, he has lost the work he loves - he was arrested while filming a BBC television programme - of course he is not going to be back doing that any time soon. 'He loved sharing his enthusiasm for antiques and vintage items for others - he has lost that. He has also lost his business. He is suffering from depression and severe anxiety. The Crown Prosecution Service believe Ojiri's prosecution is 'the first of its kind' The artworks included paintings, prints and a sculpture ranging in value from 2,250 to 20,000 'He has also lost the hope that he and his partner will be able to bring up their young daughter together without this period of his life overshadowing everything else for the next decade. In short, his humiliation is complete. 'Mr Ojiri asked me to apologise for having done wrong. Secondly, he would like to apologise for undermining trust in his industry. Finally, he wishes to apologise for the distress he has caused to those he loves and who love him, and all those who have supported him throughout his career.' Mr Irwin accepted Ojiri had been 'motivated by profit' but claimed he had been 'naive' in his dealings with the alleged Hezbollah financier. Prosecutor Lyndon Harris told a previous hearing: 'At the time of the transactions, Mr Ojiri knew Mr Ahmad had been sanctioned in the US. 'Mr Ojiri accessed news reports about Mr Ahmad's designation and engaged in discussions with others about his designation. 'There is one discussion where Mr Ojiri is party to a conversation where it is apparent a lot of people have known for years about his terrorism links.' The prosecution referenced a September 2020 WhatsApp exchange with a user called 'Guy Rusha' in which Rusha described having 'much work for Nazem caught up'. Ojiri replied stating that 'its only the US that have put the ban in place'. Officers raided two of Ahmad's warehouses in Britain and seized 1million of art - none of which were linked to the Ojiri case. Pictured is a work by Andy Warhol A Picasso painting seized from Ahmad's collection, which will now be sold Another Warhol that previously belonged to the alleged Hezbollah financier Prosecutors said Ojiri doctored the invoices to hide the fact he was selling the art to Ahmad The Crown Prosecution Service said it believes Ojiri's prosecution under Terrorism Act legislation is 'the first of its kind' against an art dealer. Mr Harris said Ojiri 'dealt with Mr Ahmad directly, negotiated the sales of artwork and congratulated him on those sales'. 'They are not sham transactions - the art was sent to Dubai, the UAE, or Beirut,' the prosecutor added. Ahmad, 60, has been accused by the US Treasury of being a 'major donor' to Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist political and terrorist group based in Lebanon that is known for its opposition to Israel. He has an art collection worth millions of pounds that he displays at his apartment in Beirut. Officials also claim he has been involved in the sale of 'blood diamonds'. Following the introduction of new money laundering regulations in January 2020 that brought the art market under HMRC supervision, Ojiri is said to have discussed the changes with a colleague, indicating awareness of the rules. 'Mr Ojiri communicated to a colleague that he knew that these regulations applied to him and his business,' Mr Harris said. Ojiri has gained a reputation for his enthusiastic on-screen demeanor and love of hats A wanted poster issued by American officials makes it clear they consider Ahmad to be a serious player, with a $10million (7.52m) reward offered for information on his whereabouts Ojiri first appeared on screens on the BBC's Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is. He previously owned a vintage shop in the capital called Pelicans & Parrots - which was dubbed 'the coolest place in London - before it closed in October 2021. He went on to become a regular on Bargain Hunt and has previously also starred on Antiques Road Trip since 2021. Ojiri was also featured on Channel 5's Storage: Flog the Lot! The investigation that prompted the charges against Ojiri was carried out by officers from the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit, which is part of the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command. The Treasury, HMRC and the Met's Arts & Antiques Unit were all also involved in the probe. The maximum sentence for his offences was five years in prison. Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said after Ojiri's sentencing: 'This case is a great example of the work done by detectives in the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit (NTFIU), based in the Met's Counter Terrorism Command. In the UK, the entirety of Hezbollah - both its military and political wings - has been banned as a terrorist group since 2019. Pictured are Hezbollah militants training in 2023 'The prosecution, using specific Terrorism Act legislation, is the first of its kind, and should act as a warning to all art dealers that we can, and will, prosecute those who knowingly do business with people identified as funders of terrorist groups. 'Oghenochuko Ojiri willfully obscured the fact he knew he was selling artwork to Nazem Ahmad, someone who has been sanctioned by the UK and US Treasury and described as a funder of the proscribed terrorist group Hezbollah. 'Financial investigation is a crucial part of the counter terrorism effort. 'A team of specialist investigators, analysts and researchers in the NTFIU work all year round to prevent money from reaching the hands of terrorists or being used to fund terrorist attacks.' Bethan David, Head of the CPS Counter Terrorism Division, said: 'It is clear that Oghenochuko Ojiri was aware of new money laundering regulations in the art world and that he had knowledge of Nazem Ahmad's background. 'Ojiri engaged in activity designed to conceal the identity of the true purchaser by changing the details on invoices and storing Mr Ahmad's name under a different alias in his mobile phone. 'His motivation appears to be financial along with a broader desire to boost his gallery's reputation within the art market by dealing with such a well-known collector. 'This prosecution is believed to be the first of its kind, and the CPS will not hesitate to bring criminal charges against individuals who flout the law in this way.' Ojiri has previously described his love of collecting items including contemporary art, paintings, prints, sculpture and drawings - telling the BBC: 'I'm absolutely obsessed, in love and infatuated.' Asked what he liked about appearing on Bargain Hunt, he said: 'Who doesn't like a bargain? I certainly do. I also love the passion of the contestants, and their many likes and dislikes.' 'When I find something I love my heart pounds. There's no other feeling like it.' Ojiri was a freelancer and not employed directly by the BBC. Hackers who crippled Marks & Spencer during a devastating cyber-attack sent the retailer's boss an abusive email gloating about what they had done. Shameless digital fraudsters from the DragonForce hacking group reportedly sent the message to M&S chief executive, Stuart Machin using an employee email account. The email, sent in broken English on April 23, appears to confirm for the first time that M&S was hacked by the notorious ransomware group - something the retailer has so far refused to acknowledge. 'We have marched the ways from China all the way to the UK and have mercilessly raped your company and encrypted all the servers,' the hackers wrote, the BBC reported. 'The dragon wants to speak to you so please head over to [our darknet website].' A darknet link shared in the email connected to a portal for DragonForce victims to negotiate a ransom fee. The crime syndicate added: 'Let's get the party started. Message us, we will make this fast and easy for us.' The cyber hack over the Easter break has been hugely damaging for British high street staple, M&S, costing an estimated 300million. Six weeks on from the digital blitz, and the retailer is still unable to take online orders. Hacking group DragonForce reportedly sent an email to M&S top executives bragging about the crippling cyber-attack, which they claimed to have led. Pictured is the dragon icon they that was featured at the end of their email The shameless digital fraudsters sent the message to M&S chief executive Stuart Machin (pictured) using an employee email account The hack has cause mayhem for Marks & Spencer meaning it was unable to process online orders. The retailer later warned some customers' personal details had been stolen According to the BBC, the extortion email was sent to Mr Machin and seven other top executives. The blackmail message reportedly included a racist term. It was reportedly ended with an image of a fire-breathing dragon. As well as boasting about installing ransomware to cripple M&S's IT systems, the hackers said they had also stolen the private data of millions of customers. M&S informed customers three weeks later that contact details and dates of births from some shoppers had been snatched by a suspected cyber cartel. And the retailer also admitted other personal details had also been pilfered by digital crooks, including customers' order histories. However, bosses at the chain have insisted no data relating to shoppers' payment or card details, or account passwords, had been taken. It's unclear exactly how many shoppers have been affected by the major data breach. However, the group had 9.4 million active online customers in the year to March 30, according to its last full-year results. DragonForce's bragging email was apparently sent using the account of an employee from IT company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which has provided IT services to M&S for over a decade. M&S have faced stock issues following the cyber-attack which has left many of their shelves empty More bare fridge shelves inside an M&S supermarket following the cyber attack which crippled the chain What is DragonForce? DragonForce reportedly offers cyber-criminal partners various services on their darknet site in exchange for a 20 per cent cut of any ransoms collected. It's thought the group operates globally, with hackers operating out of China. Researchers also believe the group also has links to Russia. DragonForce Malaysia - thought to be an offshoot of the main group - is thought to be made up of pro-Palestine 'hacktivists'. They have reportedly been behind several campaigns targeting government agencies and organisations across the Middle East and Asia, filling a void left by hacking collective, Anonymous. Speculation has been mounting that hacking collective, Scattered Spider, may also have been involved in the recent spate of retail cyber attacks. The group, thought to be made up of young English-speaking hackers from the West, might be one of DragonForce's affiliates. Advertisement The Indian IT worker had an M&S email address, but is a paid TCS employee and based in London. It is believed that he was among the victims hacked during the devastating digital blitzkrieg that has ravaged M&S online systems. The IT company has previously said it is investigating whether it was a gateway for the cyberattack. It has since told the BBC the email was not sent from its system and has nothing to do with the breach. M&S has declined to comment on the latest revelations in the hacking crisis. As well as claiming responsibility for the M&S hack, DragonForce also says it is behind the ongoing cyber-attack against the Co-op. The two hacks took place in April and have wrought chaos for both retailers. Empty shelves in some stores were reported by customers of both businesses, while M&S fears disruption to its services will continue into next month. However, experts believe it could take 'months' for M&S to fully recover from the hack, which wiped a staggering 1billion off the retailer's market value in the weeks after the mayhem. Matt Hull, head of threat intelligence at global cyber security company NCC Group, said the M&S meltdown could potentially have massive ramifications for shoppers. Warning of the impact, Mr Hull told MailOnline: 'The data breach at M&S is a stark reminder that no organisation is completely immune from cyber threats, and that all forms of customer data requires stringent protection.' Pictured is the full letter from M&S' chief executive Stuart Machin outlining the data breach He added cyber crooks could seek to use the data they have allegedly obtained to launch a fresh wave of attack on countless unsuspecting victims. 'Despite the absence of financial data or passwords, threat actors could potentially use the stolen information to launch targeted social engineering attacks,' he warned. It is unclear who the actual hackers involved in the DragonForce's alleged cyber assault actually are. The incident is being probed digital experts from Britain's own 'FBI', the National Crime Agency. DragonForce reportedly offers cyber-criminal partners various services on their darknet site in exchange for a 20 per cent cut of any ransoms collected. It's believed the group operates worldwide, with connections to countries across Asia, with some operating in China. Researchers believe the group has links to Russia. DragonForce Malaysia - thought to be an offshoot of the main group - is thought to be made up of pro-Palestine 'hacktivists'. They have reportedly been behind several campaigns targeting government agencies and organisations across the Middle East and Asia, filling a void left by hacking collective, Anonymous. Speculation has been mounting that hacking collective, Scattered Spider, may also have been involved in the recent spate of retail cyber attacks. The group, thought to be made up of young English-speaking hackers from the West, might be one of DragonForce's affiliates. Members are known to include teenagers and young adults from the UK and US. A spokeswoman for M&S told MailOnline: 'We cannot comment on details of or speculation on the cyber incident, and we have been advised not to.' The NCA was approached for comment. The Government is 'absolutely' looking at the idea of introducing a BritCard ID app as it seeks to tackle illegal immigration. a Cabinet minister confirmed today. Environment Secretary Steve Reed said that ministers 'know we need to look at all the actions we can take' to reduce the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats. The phone app would display a person's right to live, work and rent in the UK on a smartphone. And as well as blocking illegal immigrants from working, supporters say it would also tackle benefit fraud through links to government records. It has already received support from several cabinet ministers, including cabinet office minister Pat McFadden and technology secretary Peter Kyle. And today Mr Reed told Times Radio on Friday morning, Mr Reed said: 'It's absolutely something that we are looking at, and that we should be looking at.' He added: 'We know we need to look at all the actions we can take to stop the levels of illegal migration that we were seeing particularly under the last government. 'We have to stop the number of people that we've seen who don't have a right to come here.' But Rebecca Vincent, interim director of Big Brother Watch, said: 'Make no mistake: the new digital ID proposal reportedly being considered by the Government is another plan for a mandatory universal ID under a new guise. Environment Secretary Steve Reed said that ministers 'know we need to look at all the actions we can take' to reduce the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats. Downing Street is looking to bring in an identity card app, known as BritCard, pictured, in a bid to clamp down on illegal immigration Advocates think the scheme will send the message that Britain is not 'a soft touch' on illegal migration (pictured: migrants in the Channel on a small boat this year) The so-called ''BritCard'' would fundamentally change everyone's relationship with the state, moving us towards a 'papers please' society and putting a burden on all law-abiding people to prove our right to be here. 'This would mark a severe departure from Britain's long and proud history of resisting mandatory ID.' Asked whether he thought digital IDs should be mandatory, Mr Reed said: 'There's a discussion going on and I'm happy to take part in that discussion as well. Advocates think the scheme will send the message that Britain is not 'a soft touch' on illegal migration and will decrease the 'pull' factor, which many European countries blame for the ongoing small boats crisis. Britain remains the only European nation without an ID card system, with Tony Blair's famous attempt to introduce one collapsing in 2011, after the coalition government pulled the plug on it. It is also hoped the app can tie a number of different services together, including ordering passports, displaying driving licences and national insurance numbers, and offering NHS services. Labour Together, a think tank run by Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, from 2017 to 2020, has collated plans for the card and sent them to Downing Street. They include a requirement to 'show' the ID when renting a property or starting a new job, with the system automatically checking their right to work or rent against government records. Existing documents to check identity can be easily forged, potentially deceiving landlords or prospective employers. A mock up of the app, seen in the plans, shows a screen with an individuals' face and name on it, as well as his right to work and rent statuses, driving licence, and options to share identity or age. The report, published on Friday, urges the Prime Minister to make digital identity a 'top prime ministerial priority' and commence a 'fundamental transformation in the way British citizens interact with the government'. It points to a poll which suggests 80 per cent of the public back the implementation of digital right-to-work credentials, with just under one in three believing it would act as a deterrent against people entering the country illegally. The report said that those who did not want to have a digital ID card on their phone would be allowed to carry a physical one instead. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has placed herself in opposition to some of her colleagues, including many from the 'Red Wall' wave of Labour MPs, with Home Office sources describing her position as 'nuanced'. Sir Keir Starmer has admitted the public has 'every right to be angry' about the issue after more than a thousand migrants made the journey in a single day for the first time this year. Home Office data showed 1,194 migrants arrived in 18 boats on Saturday. Britain remains the only European nation without an ID card system, with Tony Blair 's famous attempt to introduce one collapsing in 2011, after the coalition government pulled the plug on it. Your browser does not support iframes. Britain remains the only European nation without an ID card system, with Tony Blair's famous attempt to introduce one collapsing in 2011 (pictured: protests against the scheme in 2004) The idea has received support from several cabinet ministers, including cabinet office minister Pat McFadden, pictured in May Home Secretary Yvette Cooper , pictured in May, has placed herself in opposition to some of her colleagues, including many from the 'Red Wall' wave of Labour MPs Your browser does not support iframes. But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described Sir Keir's words as 'rubbish', claiming that even Defence Secretary John Healey had acknowledged ministers had 'lost control' of the borders. Saturday's figures were the first time daily crossings topped a thousand in 2025, and prompted Mr Healey to claim Britain had 'lost control' over the last five years, implicating the former Tory government. Writing on social media site X on Monday, the Prime Minister said: 'You have every right to be angry about small boat crossings. 'I'm angry too. We are ramping up our efforts to smash the people smuggling gangs at source.' He claimed hundreds of boats and engines had been 'seized', raids on illegal working were up, and 'almost 30,000 people' had been returned. But Mrs Badenoch hit back, responding: 'Rubbish! Even the Defence Secretary admits the govt has 'lost control' of our borders.' Small boat arrivals are 'up 95% from this point in 2023', she said, and claimed ministers had 'scrapped the only viable deterrent': the previous Conservative government's Rwanda plan. Sir Keir had earlier insisted the Rwanda plan 'didn't deter anybody', after his decision to scrap it was highlighted while he visited Glasgow for a major defence announcement. Your browser does not support iframes. Sir Keir Starmer, pictured on Wednesday, admitted the public has 'every right to be angry' about immigration after more than a thousand migrants made the journey in a single day Saturday's crossings brought the provisional annual total so far of migrants who have made the journey to 14,811 (pictured: people who are thought to be migrants at Dover in May) He added: 'I'm not up for gimmicks. I'm up for the hard work of working with partners, enhancing the powers that law enforcement have, in my determination to take down the gangs that are running this vile trade.' Saturday's crossings brought the provisional annual total so far of migrants who have made the journey to 14,811. This is 42 per cent higher than the same point last year (10,448) and 95% up from the same point in 2023 (7,610). It is still lower than the highest daily total of 1,305 arrivals since data began in 2018, which was recorded on September 3, 2022. A rising star rapper and producer took his own life after struggling with his mental health when he was stopped from seeing his daughter, an inquest heard. Jevon Ellis, 30, accessed mental health crisis services three times in the run-up to his death on March 28 last year. But those who knew the rising star said he was 'very good at pretending he was OK to the outside world' because 'his career as a rapper and producer was very important to him.' Mr Ellis had played at numerous festivals, had his music used on a Nike campaign and was featured on a list of NME's top 100 new artists to watch. But in 2023 his mental health began to deteriorate, which was compounded by the fact that access to his daughter had been withdrawn. His latest partner, who had a son with Mr Ellis, said in a statement that 'keeping up an image was important to him at the cost of his overall health.' Mica Simms, who had met Mr Ellis in 2018, said she was aware that he had struggled with his mental health and had been suicidal before they had got together. 'He was having trouble regulating his emotions,' she said. Jevon Ellis (pictured), 30, accessed mental health crisis services three times in the run-up to his death on March 28 last year Mica Simms (pictured), who had met Mr Ellis in 2018, said she was aware that he had struggled with his mental health and had been suicidal before they had got together Mr Ellis had played at numerous festivals, had his music used on a Nike campaign and was featured on a list of NME's top 100 new artists to watch 'Jevon was incredibly intelligent and loving but he would often speak about committing suicide as a means of escaping his emotional turmoil.' Coroner Jean Harkin added: 'She (Mica) was aware Jevon had something wrong with his mental health and he was suicidal at times from very early on in their relationship. 'He had told her about a previous suicide attempt that had taken place when he was with the mother of his eldest child.' The mother of his eldest child was not named, although both she and Miss Simms were present for the hearing at Inner West London Coroner's Court. On the morning of March 29 last year, Mr Ellis left Ms Simms' house and sent her a message saying 'he was going to end it all, that he was tired and ready to go.' 'He expressed he was sorry but couldn't continue the battle,' Mrs Harkin added. Ms Simms tried to communicate with him but received no answer. Mrs Harkin added: 'After a while she knew something was different this time. 'She felt in her heart that he had gone through with it.' Ms Simms went to where Mr Ellis had been living at Wimbledon Art Studios in south west London but a building manager couldn't gain access to his unit. She then asked her stepfather to try and break in and he found Mr Ellis hanging. Ms Simms said in a statement that 'keeping up an image was important to him at the cost of his overall health' Ms Simms tried to communicate with him but received no answer In 2023 his mental health began to deteriorate, which was compounded by the fact that access to his daughter had been withdrawn On the morning of March 29 last year, Mr Ellis left Ms Simms' (pictured) house and sent her a message saying 'he was going to end it all, that he was tired and ready to go' PC Michelle Brown was the first police officer at the scene and identified the musician from his passport which was found nearby. There was no note, the door was locked from the inside and Mr Ellis had no injuries, save those caused by the noose around his neck. At 10.01am that day he had sent a text message saying: 'I'm on the chair. Bye' and had also said he 'should just hang the demon' referring to himself, the court heard. Det Sgt William Hanlan, of the Met Police, told the court he was brought in to look into whether some of the interactions between Mr Ellis and Ms Simms 'may have led to Jevon taking his own life.' There were tens of thousands of messages found on Mr Ellis' Macbook, which highlighted a 'very fractured' relationship, Det Sgt Hanlan said. 'They clearly love each other but they clearly have a love-hate relationship also,' he said. 'There has been quite a lot of discussion about suicide,' he added. 'Mica is understanding of Jevon's struggles but you can also see levels of frustration from her sometimes. 'There is a lot of heated discussion but there's nothing to suggest Mica knew or encouraged Jevon to take his own life.' He added that there had been domestic incidents between them from both sides and they were 'both either the aggressor or the victim at one time or another.' He concluded that no one else had been involved with Mr Ellis' choice to end his life. Dr Marcus Hughes, consultant psychiatrist at St George's Hospital in Tooting, south west London, outlined his team's contact with the 30-year-old and said he had no recorded history of poor mental health prior to 2023. PC Michelle Brown was the first police officer at the scene and identified the musician (pictured) from his passport which was found nearby Mica Simms (pictured), who had met Mr Ellis in 2018, said she was aware that he had struggled with his mental health and had been suicidal before they had got together He had three emergency assessments - one in February 2023 and two in December the same year. The one in February took place after Mr Ellis took an overdose and was taken to A&E, but he said he wasn't suicidal and had had taken the tablets 'impulsively' and 'was expressing remorse.' He was given details of a crisis line, and Dr Hughes added: 'I think what came through very strongly was his distress at not having access to his daughter.' He was given further details for Fathers4Justice and Families Need Fathers, a charity for parents, and was encouraged to return to the hospital if he felt he was unable to remain safe. But he returned for a second time on December 13, 2023, saying he was having suicidal thoughts. Dr Hughes added: 'He said he wanted help to be a better father and felt he needed therapy. 'He also spoke about cult-like behaviours he experienced producing music in Los Angeles, from big names and people of power.' Just over a fortnight later he was brought in for a third time following fears he may hang himself in his music studio. A friend abroad had called British police when he sent her a text showing an image of a noose. But he promised he wasn't suicidal and just wanted the clarification of a diagnosis, Dr Hughes added. Asked if he felt Mr Ellis had received appropriate treatment, Dr Hughes said: 'He was offered a lot of opportunity of access to mental health services and the type of problems that seem to be emerging are some emotional instability and suicidal thoughts that he wasn't completely open about. Ms Simms tried to communicate with Mr Ellis but received no answer 'The likelihood is we might have helped him had he engaged with treatment over a period of months in the community, rather than emergency presentations.' The court heard that in July 2023 he told a GP that he had low mood, but wasn't suicidal and he was given a community mental health team referral, agreeing that counselling may help. A telephone consult followed in December 2023 and talking therapies were suggested but he didn't answer the phone. A further telephone consultation was offered the same month but Mr Ellis said he preferred to be contacted by email as he was abroad. There was no record of Mr Ellis being known to mental health services in Coventry, where he had lived from the age of 10 up until he moved to London in 2017. A toxicology report was clear of drugs and alcohol and the cause of death was found to be hanging. Mr Ellis' sister Ria, who attended the hearing with his parents, helped raise 13,500 for Mr Ellis' children on a Just Giving page. She said 'the Ellis family cannot even begin to convey our gratitude for the outpour of love we have received from everyone who loved and knew Jevon.' And she added: 'If you knew Jev, you knew that nothing mattered more to him than his children Ms Simms went to where Mr Ellis had been living at Wimbledon Art Studios in south west London but a building manager couldn't gain access to his unit 'Your kindness and compassion will help to provide Jevon's children with a glimmer of hope during this dark period of grief which is all he would have wanted.' Coroner Mrs Harkin recorded a verdict of suicide. She said: 'Jevon had no reported mental health illness prior to his later years. 'Jevon reported distress at not seeing his daughter. It's clear he saw his son, but not his daughter. 'I'm satisfied that the help that was given to Jevon was appropriate. In addition the police investigated Jevon's death and found no evidence of third person involvement. 'He was given the opportunity to look into any problems he thought he had by contact with the crisis team and other organisations and there is no evidence that any mental health diagnosis developed over time. 'Jevon performed the act himself without a third person and by performing that act Jevon intended to die. 'Although there was no note of intent it's clear that Jevon had considered hanging as a form of ending his life.' And she added: 'It's very clear that Jevon was a gifted musician. He was charismatic, confident and also encouraged to pursue his dreams. 'He was kind, generous and a mentor to others and he had two children that he loved. 'I hope that these memories give his family some comfort.' - For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit https://www.thecalmzone.net/get-support Kemi Badenoch today claimed Britain is 'being mugged' by Channel migrants as she said she is 'likely' to support quitting the European Convention on Human Rights. In a major speech, the Tory leader bemoaned the effect of 'lawfare' in a number of areas - including on tackling illegal migration, deporting sex offenders, and supporting soldiers and military veterans. Mrs Badenoch set out her party's plans to establish a commission to investigate how to exit the ECHR, while the probe will also look at other international treaties. She blasted the ECHR, which is enforced by Strasbourg-based judges, as being a 'sword used to attack democratic decisions and common sense'. 'The ECHR is now being used in ways never intended by its original authors,' Mrs Badenoch said. 'It should be a shield to protect. Instead, it's become a sword.' The Tory leader highlighted how members of grooming gangs had previously used Article 8 of the ECHR - the right to a family life - to fight their deportation from Britain. Mrs Badenoch said she believed the UK 'will likely need to leave' the ECHR, but warned she 'won't commit to leaving without a clear plan to do so'. 'We saw that holding a referendum without a plan to get Brexit done, led to years of wrangling and endless arguments until we got it sorted in 2019,' she added. 'We cannot go through that again.' The Tory leader could face opposition to her plans from within her frontbench team. One senior shadow minister acknowledged action had to be taken to reduce illegal immigration. But they told MailOnline that withdrawing from the ECHR would be a mistake due to the 'complex' relationship between the convention and the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland. Kemi Badenoch claimed Britain is 'being mugged' by Channel migrants as she said she is 'likely' to support quitting the European Convention on Human Rights In a major speech, the Tory leader bemoaned the effect of 'lawfare' in a number of areas - including on tackling illegal migration, deporting sex offenders, and supporting veterans Although Britain left the EU in 2020 it remains a signatory to the ECHR and is subject to the jurisdiction of the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights In an attack on how 'lawfare is destroying our country', Mrs Badenoch said of the Channel migrant crisis and the UK's asylum system: 'Britain is being mugged. 'Our asylum system is completely broken and will require a fundamental rebuild so that the British government, not people traffickers, control it. 'That means a total end to asylum claims in this country by illegal immigrants, and removing immediately all those who arrive illegally and try to claim asylum. Donald Trump-style travel bans could be 'viable' in some cases, says Kemi Badenoch There could be 'scenarios' where a Donald Trump-style travel ban is 'viable', Kemi Badenoch said today. The US President has issued a sweeping travel ban for people from 12 countries. They are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Mr Trump said America must ensure people entering don't have 'hostile attitudes'. Asked whether she would ever consider implementing a similar system, Mrs Badenoch said she has not seen the list of countries Mr Trump has issued a ban on. She said: 'Parliament needs to be able to decide who comes into the country, for how long, and who needs to leave and that does include travel bans. 'On a country-specific basis it's much tougher, it's often more vague. 'But I think there are scenarios where that is viable. 'That doesn't mean that I agree with what Donald Trump has done, I haven't actually seen the list of countries that he's banned people from. I'm much more focused on () what's happening here.' Advertisement 'We need a new, sustainable system to admit strictly controlled numbers of those in genuine and actual need, with Parliament having the final say, not just on the rules, but the exact numbers coming in.' The Tory leader acknowledged the 'reasons why governments have struggled with these issues are very complex'. 'They are not because of any one particular set of laws or arrangements,' she said. 'It is far more than the ECHR. 'The Refugee Convention has an impact, so does the European Convention Against Trafficking.' Mrs Badenoch, who took over as Tory leader from ex-PM Rishi Sunak last November, set out her case for quitting the ECHR by saying 'something needs to change' as she puts together a new Conservative offer to voters. 'The more we build our policy programme, the clearer it seems that achieving our objectives means something needs to change,' she said. 'I have always said, that if we need to leave the Convention we should. And having now considered the question closely, I do believe that we will likely need to leave. 'Because I am yet to see a clear and coherent way to fix this within our current legal structures.' She dismissed recent attempts to try and encourage reform of the ECHR, warning that previous efforts showed 'the Strasbourg court has shown no real interest in fundamental change'. Mrs Badenoch explained her commission, being headed by shadow attorney general Lord Wolfson, would examine the 'unintended consequences' of quitting the ECHR. In her address in Westminster, she said: 'Because it is clear that the ECHR is a major issue, I'm not asking Lord Wolfson if we should leave, that's a political not a legal question. 'I'm asking him to set out how we would leave and to consider what the unintended consequences might be, not least, in Northern Ireland, if we decide to go down this route, we must do so knowingly.' Tory sources said the commission will also examine a rewriting of the Equality Act and Climate Change Act. The new stance puts the Conservatives on course to include a pledge to quit the ECHR in their next general election manifesto, creating clear blue water with Labour. Sir Keir Starmer's controversial Attorney General, Lord Hermer, has said Labour will 'never' quit the ECHR. He was forced to apologise last week for likening those in favour of the move to Nazis. Mrs Badenoch said she believed the UK 'will likely need to leave' the ECHR, but warned she 'won't commit to leaving without a clear plan to do so' The Tory leader explained her commission, being headed by shadow attorney general Lord Wolfson, would examine the 'unintended consequences' of quitting the ECHR Mrs Badenoch has set the commission five 'common sense' tests for assessing whether human rights laws are getting in the way of vital reforms. The deportation test will assess whether Parliament, rather than the international courts, is able to determine who comes to the UK and is allowed to stay here. A second 'veterans test' would examine whether the current legal framework allows ministers to 'stop our veterans being endlessly pursued by vexatious legal attacks' using human rights laws. A 'fairness test' will look at whether the authorities can 'put British citizens first in social housing and in receiving scarce public services'. A 'justice test' will look at the impact of human rights laws on the ability of the police to deal with issues like the disruptive protests staged by eco-activists. And a 'prosperity test' will examine whether treaties would prevent the Government from ditching costly climate change measures and cutting red tape holding back economic development. Mrs Badenoch argued these were 'basic tests of whether we are still a sovereign nation able to make our own laws and govern ourselves'. 'If the commission makes clear that these tests cannot be passed under the current system then the system must change, she added. 'If international treaties, including the ECHR, block us and there is no realistic prospect of changing them then we leave. No hesitation. No apology.' Although Britain left the EU in 2020 it remains a signatory to the ECHR and is subject to the jurisdiction of the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights. The ECHR was incorporated into law in Labour's 1998 Human Rights Act, allowing people to bring cases in the British courts. The commission will look at the issues involved in leaving, such as how to avoid destabilising the Good Friday Agreement, which includes a commitment to the ECHR. Mrs Badenoch will set out whether she plans to leave the ECHR at the Tory conference in October, when the investigation will report back. Elsewhere, the head of the Council of Europe warned that rising migration may result in changes to how the ECHR operates. Alain Berset, the secretary-general of the Council of Europe, told The Times: 'We are witnessing a world where things are changing rapidly. 'It is accelerating. We see this, and it means that it is normal that we must also adapt to this. We need adaptation. 'We need discussion about the rules that we want to have, and there is no taboo.' Downing Street welcomed discussion about changing how the ECHR operates. Asked about Mr Berset's remarks, a No 10 spokesman said: 'Border security is vital to national security, and we welcome efforts to ensure the ECHR is being applied correctly and allowing countries to protect their borders. 'It's important there is discussion on how the ECHR operates to ensure it can safeguard human rights while meeting the needs of democracies. 'The Prime Minister has been clear on this, it should be Parliament that makes the rules on immigration and Government that makes the policy. 'That's why this Government is actually taking action on the ECHR. 'Our immigration white paper sets out new plans through legislation to tighten the application of the ECHR, giving courts the clarity they need so our immigration rules are no longer abused. 'And, as the PM has said, we want to ensure the right balance is made in migration cases in relation to the national interest.' Romanian criminals are paying $2000 to be smuggled out of the US and into Mexico, fearing deportation under Donald Trumps crackdown on illegal migrants. Romanian gang members now face losing everything if they are caught by enforcement agents, with increasing numbers of migrants being picked off the street and deported. Instead the criminals are taking a $2,000 financial hit to be smuggled out of the US, using the same guides who took them in, to enable a safe route back home. Romanian gangs began migrating to the US in large numbers in the early 2000s, often entering with the help of Mexican guides. The migrants would often protest that they were persecuted for political reasons in the former communist country of Romania and claim asylum in the US, Gandul reported. In the years until a decision was made on an asylum claim, the Romanian migrants would often enter criminal organisations. The criminals would be careful not to commit acts of violence, which were more likely to see them arrested, instead focusing on thefts and card cloning to accumulate huge sums of money over long periods of time. Once the criminals were finally caught, they were often able to negotiate small sentences by pleading guilty. They would then be deported to a European Union state. Romanian criminals are now paying Mexican gangs to smuggle them out of the US Fearing deportation and losing their money if they get deported, the Romanians are turning to Mexico where they can safely return to Romania It comes after President Trump launched a crackdown on illegal migration in the US In recent years, some of the leaders of the Romanian underworld have fraudulently entered the US and quickly had access to a lifestyle of luxury. However police sources said that after Donald Trump took office, authorities began a serious crackdown on illegal migration, with migrants being picked off the street and deported. Now the Mexican guides who had helped migrants cross into the US are now being used to leave the US fraudulently and enter Mexico. The criminal groups have also used the guides in order to protect the money earned from illegal activities. Sources say that the migrants will meet the guides in Los Angeles and pay $2000 to be taken to the border area. From there they taken across the border and driven to the city of Tijuana. The criminals then visit the Romanian embassy in Mexico where they tell officials that they have lost their documents. They are then issued with a document which allows them to return to Europe. Sources have said that although the Mexican gangs know the criminals they are guiding are carrying large amounts of money on their person, they are not robbed because it would ruin the market for smuggling people in and out of the US. Chinese agricultural experts conduct rice cultivation training in Guinea-Bissau Xinhua) 10:34, June 06, 2025 This photo taken with a mobile phone on June 3, 2025 shows Chinese agricultural experts conducting rice cultivation training in the central Bafata region of Guinea-Bissau. The 12th Chinese Agricultural Technical Assistance Mission in Guinea-Bissau has conducted a high-yield rice cultivation training course in the central Bafata region, aimed at boosting local grain production and strengthening agricultural development. (The 12th Chinese Agricultural Technical Assistance Mission in Guinea-Bissau/Handout via Xinhua) BISSAU, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The 12th Chinese Agricultural Technical Assistance Mission in Guinea-Bissau has conducted a high-yield rice cultivation training course in the central Bafata region, aimed at boosting local grain production and strengthening agricultural development. Held from Tuesday to Thursday, the course offered systematic training in key rice-farming techniques for agricultural officials, farmers, and technicians from across the country. More than 210 participants from major rice-producing regions, including agricultural authority staff and large-scale rice growers, took part in the program. Chinese experts introduced the integrated concept of "quality seeds, good practices, and advanced techniques," covering topics such as seedling cultivation, field management, and integrated pest and disease control. The instruction was tailored to Guinea-Bissau's environmental conditions and farming practices. During a field demonstration, Liao Zuoyi, a member of the Chinese expert team, explained essential techniques to participants while holding a rice panicle in his hands. "Our goal is not only to increase yields," he said, "but also to help farmers adopt sustainable farming methods. Only when the roots grow deep can the rice plants resist lodging and achieve high productivity." Lai Biai, a farmer from the Oio region, said that he had previously relied on traditional farming experience, but his yields had been declining in recent years. This training, he noted, was his first exposure to modern, systematic rice cultivation. "In the past, we depended entirely on luck for a good harvest," he said. "Now, with help from the Chinese experts, we've been given the key to a bumper crop." To support the training, the expert team distributed Portuguese-language materials and set up a long-term technical follow-up mechanism to help farmers apply the skills in practice. "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime," said Zheng Junjie, head of the Chinese team. "We hope these technologies will take root in Guinea-Bissau like seeds, bringing lasting benefits to more farmers." This photo taken with a mobile phone on June 5, 2025 shows a Chinese agricultural expert conducting rice cultivation training in the central Bafata region of Guinea-Bissau. The 12th Chinese Agricultural Technical Assistance Mission in Guinea-Bissau has conducted a high-yield rice cultivation training course in the central Bafata region, aimed at boosting local grain production and strengthening agricultural development. (The 12th Chinese Agricultural Technical Assistance Mission in Guinea-Bissau/Handout via Xinhua) (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Donald Trump has for decades been known for his public fallouts with those close to him, with the president never scared to back down from a fight. But his latest war with Elon Musk may be his most daunting, as their escalating feud sends shockwaves across the world. The two powerful men locked horns over the 'Big Beautiful Bill', which the Tesla billionaire claims will batter the economy - while also impacting his businesses. Musk turned on Trump in a stunning series of X posts, linking him to Jeffrey Epstein and digging up old tweets that warn against such expenditure. The president furiously hit back, threatening to rip away billions in government contracts and subsidies to the former DOGE leader's businesses. While the fight has left the GOP torn, it should come as no surprise as Trump has a long track record of turning his allies and aides against him. His first Oval Office term saw top aides like Sean Spicer and Anthony Scaramucci jump ship early on, followed by a slew of other key members of his administration. Trump's then Vice President Mike Pence delivered the final blow after the Capitol riot and publicly declared the president 'puts himself over the Constitution'. Political analysts have long warned Trump and Musk's bromance was doomed from the start, alleging how the pair have 'planet-sized egos destined to collide'. The common theme to all Trump's high-powered break ups is the 78-year-old perceiving a breach of loyalty. President Donald Trump (pictured on Thursday) has a long track record of turning his allies and aides against him Elon Musk (pictured at the White House on May 30) was Trump's largest donor in his 2024 campaign, but is the now latest MAGA ally to join the president's ever growing list of foes After months of buddying-up, Donald Trump and Elon Musk turned on each other Thursday in a huge public spat which saw the threats of ending government contracts and a call for impeachment. Pictured: Trump and Musk at Mar-a-Lago in March 2025 ELON MUSK After months of buddying-up, Donald Trump and Elon Musk turned on each other Thursday in a huge public spat. The falling-out had begun brewing days ago when Musk, who left his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency a week ago, denounced Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill. The verbal punches erupted on Thursday after Trump criticized Musk in the Oval Office and the pair then traded barbs on their respective social media platforms. In a possible sign of cooling late Thursday night, however, White House aides had scheduled a Friday call between the two men in an attempt to broker peace. And, in a potential olive branch, Musk replied to a post on X, from billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, pleading for a reconciliation 'for the benefit of our great country' and warning that 'we are much stronger together than apart.' Musk's response was brief but telling: 'You're not wrong.' MIKE PENCE Donald Trump and Mike Pence (pictured together at the 2019 Republican National Convention) hastily parted ways following the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol Donald Trump and Mike Pence hastily parted ways following the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. Trump wanted Pence to throw out Electoral College votes from swing states that Joe Biden won as he presided over the joint session of Congress to certify the 2020 election. Pence refused and Trump's supporters went after him - chanting 'hang Mike Pence' and erecting makeshift gallows outside the Capitol Building amid the riot. The January 6 House select committee found that a Proud Boys informant had told the FBI that if members of the group had found Pence that day, they would have killed him. Pence spoke out about the insurrection incident two years later, publicly slamming Trump: 'The American people deserve to know that President Trump asked me to put him over my oath to the Constitution. 'Anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be president of the United States.' RETIRED GEN. JOHN KELLY Donald Trump and his longest-serving White House chief-of-staff parted ways in 2019 after months of reports that their relationship had deteriorated. The pair are pictured together in the Oval Office in October 2018 Donald Trump and his longest-serving White House chief-of-staff parted ways in 2019 after months of reports that their relationship had deteriorated. Retired Marine Gen. John Kelly later publicly turned on his former boss, branding him a 'dictator' and likening him to Adolf Hitler. Ahead of the 2024 election, Kelly claimed Trump was the 'definition of fascist' and that he did not have an understanding of American history or the Constitution. Trump's camp quickly dispute Kelly's wild remarks, saying the former political advisor 'has totally beclowned himself with these debunked stories he has fabricated'. JOHN BOLTON Donald Trump pushed out John Bolton, his third National Security Advisor, in September 2019. Bolton (pictured in 2019) then published a tell-all book about his time working for Trump in June 2020, ahead of the 2020 presidential election Donald Trump pushed out John Bolton, his third National Security Advisor, in September 2019. Bolton published a tell-all book about his time working for Trump in June 2020, ahead of the 2020 presidential election. Trump's Justice Department tried to stop publication of the book claiming Bolton needed to wait for the White House to review whether it contained classified information. After leaving government service it was revealed that Bolton had been targeted for assassination by Iran. Trump retaliated against Bolton again this year after his return to the Oval Office and even moved to have Bolton's Secret Service protection terminated. Bolton also warned in March this year that Trump's 'bromance' with Elon Musk 'is almost over'. SEAN SPICER Sean Spicer's six-month White House stint was part of Donald Trump's most turbulent time in office. Spicer is pictured in November 2024 attending the America First Policy Institute Gala at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate Sean Spicer's six-month White House stint was part of Donald Trump's most turbulent time in office, as key figures waged war with one another and the media. The former White House Press Secretary quickly became a household name when he blasted the press a day after Trump was sworn in. The president was frustrated by comparisons that showed his inauguration crowd to be smaller than Barack Obama's and Spicer insisted it was 'the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe.' That set a pattern for a press secretary in an awkward position trying to defend some of Trump's most outlandish boasts. He left as part of a wider shakeup of strategy that heralded the famously short tenure of Anthony Scaramucci as communications director. ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI Anthony Scaramucci (pictured in May 2025) spent an infamous 11 days in Donald Trump's first White House as communications director. He soured on Trump after his stint in the White House, and went on to support Joe Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in the 2024 Anthony Scaramucci spent an infamous 11 days in Donald Trump's first White House as communications director. Scaramucci was appointed as the White House Communications Director on July 21, 2017, and later that same day, Press Secretary Sean Spicer resigned, reportedly over objection to his hiring. Only a few days later, the newly minted Trump official found himself at the center of a P.R. crisis when he launched an expletive-laden rant on a phone call with a New Yorker reporter, which he thought was off the record. By July 31, the president had dismissed 'the Mooch,' on the advice of his new chief of staff, John Kelly, who doubted that Scaramucci was credible enough for the role. When he was sacked, his total tenure of eleven days became tied for the shortest in the history of the position. Scaramucci claims Trump fired him after he disagreed with him on national security policy. Trump has long rubbished Scaramucci's claims about him, suggesting that his former aide is bitter and that he has an ax to grind. The former aide soured on Trump after his stint in the White House, and went on to support Joe Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in the 2024. MICHAEL COHEN Donald Trump's former longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen (pictured in May 2024) went from being the president's 'fixer' to one of his most vocal adversaries Donald Trump's former longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen went from being the president's 'fixer' to one of his most vocal adversaries. Cohen, who handled Trump's hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, has testified against Trump several times since the pair parted ways. He spent three years in prison after pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations, lying to Congress, and other charges - which Cohen claims he did for Trump. After serving his prison term, Cohen vowed to hold Trump accountable, branding him a 'racist', 'conman' and 'cheat'. Cohen said he would 'continue to provide information, testimony, documents and my full cooperation on all ongoing investigations to ensure that others are held responsible for their dirty deeds'. He also predicted a fall-out between Trump and Elon Musk, doubling down on the claims on Sunday - just days before the pair's explosive online feud. 'I said from the very start that this bromance was gonna come to an end,' Cohen told MSNBC. 'I'm gonna go one step even further, again, and I'm gonna say Trump will ultimately go after Elon's money next because it bothers him that he is the richest man in the world'. He added: 'Yes, he used him for his money.' NIKKI HALEY Donald Trump's ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley (pictured in January last year) run against her former boss for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination Donald Trump's ambassador to the United Nations run against her former boss for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Nikki Haley resigned from her position as Governor of South Carolina in 2017 to serve as Trump's ambassador to the UN. She stepped down from the role in December 2018, after holding the position for nearly two years. At the time she said she needed a break from public office. Haley and Trump have had a tumultuous relationship in recent years. During the 2024 GOP primary, Haley ripped into Trump as 'unhinged,' 'chaotic' and 'self-absorbed'. She also blasted his age and mental fitness. But several months after she bowed out of the race, Haley announced she would be voting for the ex-president. REX TILLERSON Donald Trump tapped ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson (pictured in March 2018) to be his Secretary of State during his first Oval Office term and then fired him in a tweet Donald Trump tapped ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be his Secretary of State during his first Oval Office term. He served in the role from 2017 to 2018. Tillerson claimed Trump had not told him he was out of a job until three hours after publicly firing him in a tweet. The former diplomat publicly denounced Trump in the months that followed and said the two men don't share the same 'value system'. He described the president as someone almost entirely driven by impulse, who doesn't read, and who would ask him to break the law or breach treaties in his demands for immediate action. Trump hit back, branding Tillerson 'dumb' and 'lazy'. RETIRED LT. GEN. MICHAEL FLYNN Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn (pictured in November 2022) served as Donald Trump's National Security Advisor during his first administration. Flynn resigned from his resigned in February 2017 after it was revealed he had misled officials about his communications with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn served as Donald Trump's National Security Advisor during his first administration. Flynn resigned from his resigned in February 2017 after it was revealed he had misled officials about his communications with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak. The retired Army lieutenant general was charged under former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation that detailed Russian interference in the 2016 US election. Flynn pleaded guilty twice to lying to the FBI about his conversations before Trump took office with Kislyak, who was then Russia's ambassador to the United States, concerning US sanctions imposed on Russia under President Barack Obama. He then reversed his guilty plea, allegedly government vindictiveness and breach of the plea agreement, before the Justice Department stepped in to dismiss his case. Trump pardoned Flynn in November 2020, ending the yearslong prosecution in the Russia investigation. STEVE BANNON Donald Trump's original political guru Steve Bannon (pictured in April 2025) was found guilty of two counts of contempt of Congress in July 2022 Donald Trump's original political guru Steve Bannon was found guilty of two counts of contempt of Congress in July 2022. The War Room podcast host served as chief strategist during Trump's first term before the pair split acrimoniously in August 2017, just seven months into the presidency, admit suspicions he was leaking to the press fall out over Trump's comments about the Charlottesville, Virginia, Unite the Right rally during which a white supremacist drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer. Then in January 2018, Bannon was quoted in Michael Wolfe's 'Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,' criticizing Trump and his adult children. Trump blasted Bannon, saying he had 'very little to do with our historic victory' in 2016 and that Bannon had 'lost his mind' when he was fired from the White House. He was convicted in 2022 for failing to comply with a subpoena from the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th Capitol attack. He received a sentence of four months in prison and a $6,500 fine. In February this year, Bannon pleaded guilty in state court to defrauding donors to a private effort to build a wall on the US southern border, ending a case the conservative strategist decried as a 'political persecution.' He must stay out of trouble for three years to avoid additional punishment, including possible jail time. He also can't raise money or serve as an officer or director for charities in New York and can't use, sell, or possess any data gathered from border wall donors. Bannon - whose influence during Trump's first term compared to 'First Buddy' Elon Musk in the second - last month weighed in on the pair's failing bromance. He alleged Musk's attempts to gain access to secret briefings on war plans ultimately resulted in the end of his White House stint. Bannon claimed the alliance ended the moment Trump was prevented from showing Musk the Pentagon's plans for a hypothetical war with China. He labeled the Tesla billionaire as an elitist outsider and interloper in a political movement he helped shape from the ground up. ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN Ex-White House communications advisor Alyssa Farah Griffin (pictured in November 2024) turned on Donald Trump after joining popular morning talkshow The View Ex-White House communications advisor Alyssa Farah Griffin turned on Donald Trump after joining popular morning talkshow The View. She quit her White House gig in December 2020 due to discomfort 'with the lies about the election'. Farah Griffin was among the Trump staffers found to have pleaded with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to have Trump call off the crowd on January 6. The outspoken Republican voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, discussing her decision to do so on her talkshow. She called January 6, 2021 a 'horrific' day, but added 'that was just kind of an encapsulation of who Donald Trump, the man, is.' 'He is the person of the lowest moral character that I've ever worked for,' she said of her former boss. Farrah Griffin joined CNN as a political contributor in 2021, while also making several guest appearances on the View. This lasted throughout the year and into 2022 until she became a permanent host - joined by longtime talker Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, and Ana Navarro. During her first year as host, she told her fellow members how members of her family had boycotted her 2020 wedding to husband Justin Griffin due to their differences with Trump, but held the ceremony anyway. She won a Daytime Emmy for her work on the View last year, and is still an outspoken critic of the president-elect. Jail chiefs have slammed a new Labour scheme which will allow serious criminals to be transferred to open prison after serving just two weeks behind bars. The Prison Governors Association (PGA) warned the move would potentially place the public at greater risk. It is the first time the association has expressed concern over a series of soft-justice measures introduced since the general election by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood. In a bid to free up space in overcrowded jails Ms Mahmood brought in a scheme last autumn which allows most criminals to be freed after serving just 40 per cent of their sentence. And last month Ms Mahmood indicated she would go ahead with a wholesale reform of court punishments which will see tens of thousands of criminals a year dodge jail, or be freed after serving just a third of their sentence. The new measures allow prisoners to be transferred to open jails three years before their normal release date. Crucially, governors will have only limited discretion in exceptional circumstances to reject the transfers, the PGA said. The rules come into force on Monday. It means, for example, that criminals sentenced to seven and a half years imprisonment on Tuesday last week, just after the bank holiday, will become eligible for open prison during the course of next week. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, left, has introduced a series of measures allowing prisoners to be freed early - and her latest project allows much earlier transfer to open jails Shabana Mahmood visiting the new HMP Millsike, near York, earlier this year Under the scheme, governors will be able to delay the moves if they assess a move to open jail would pose a wholly unacceptable risk. But they will not have enough time to make proper assessments during the two-week run-up, the PGA warned. Its president Tom Wheatley said: Without the ability to properly consider a prisoners behaviour during those two weeks we have concerns our members will be required to take decisions that potentially place the public at greater risk. There has not been sufficient clarity from the Government that this does come with increased risk. He added: Open prisons are not a suitable place to house men that have been very recently sentenced for serious offences without any risk assessment. To ask the governor to decide that such risk is wholly unacceptable, given eligibility after just 14 days, is too short a time to make any such assessment and therefore to protect the public. It is also not what victims of crime expect, nor what the courts intend. This is simply a scheme to manage the lack of suitable prison capacity and having already released many low-risk offenders, it is becoming difficult to use the capacity in open prisons. He said that without the new policy many of these men would remain in the closed prison estate safely behind walls and fences. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: This is yet another dangerous decision that puts the public at risk. Theres never been a better time to be a criminal. Terrorists, some sex offenders and those jailed for more than four years for violent crimes will not be eligible. But among those who could be transferred immediately include those handed long jail terms for crimes including possession of a firearm, rioting or violent disorder, drug trafficking and dealing, causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and human trafficking. Your browser does not support iframes. On a seven and a half year sentence they will eligible for release after serving 40 per cent, or 36 months, which is the point at which transfer to open conditions can now kick in. A PGA spokesman said: This would still mean that after just two weeks in prison a man serving a seven and a half year prison sentence could be moved to an open prison, where there are no physical barriers like high walls, fences, secure gates and minimal staff supervision that could prevent prisoners from simply walking out. There are also fears the scheme could damage rehabilitation schemes in open jails. Mr Wheatley said: Governors of open prisons are concerned that that valuable work those jails do including with some life sentenced prisoners who have already served decades could be undermined by a large number of new inmates turning up who have done nothing to earn the right to be in open prison. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said there had 'never been a better time to be a criminal'. He added: This is yet another dangerous decision that puts the public at risk.' There are 14 open jails in England and Wales, with the best known including HMP Ford in West Sussex and HMP North Sea Camp in Lincs. They are designed for criminals deemed to be very low risk or who are coming to the end of very long sentences. Prisoners will be eligible for much earlier transfer to jails such as HMP Ford in West Sussex, pictured Ms Mahmoods early prison release scheme saw 16,231 prisoners let out between its launch in September and the end of last year. Updated figures have not been published but the total is now thought to be between 30,000 and 40,000. Your browser does not support iframes. A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: Only certain thoroughly risk-assessed offenders are eligible for moves to open prison and anyone found breaching the rules can be immediately returned to a closed prison. We are building new prisons and are on track for 14,000 places by 2031 the largest expansion since the Victorians. Our sentencing reforms will also force prisoners to earn their way to release or face longer in jail for bad behaviour, while ensuring the most dangerous offenders can be kept off the streets. Elon Musk appears to have begun walking back his attacks on Donald Trump barely 12 hours after stunning the world with a social media spree. The world's richest man has lost almost $30 billion in net worth and has seen his Tesla stock tumble after going rogue on the president, including reigniting his history with Jeffrey Epstein. Even his estranged father Errol begged him to unwind before doing lasting damage, with some Trump allies calling for him to lose his security clearances, government contracts and even face deportation. Musk broke his silence on Friday by agreeing with an X post that claimed he never attacked Trump personally. The shock feud was ignited over Musk's opposition to Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill', before he launched into a series of attacks on the president and alleged he is 'in the Epstein files.' Trump quickly branded the businessman 'crazy' and said he has 'lost his mind', following bombshell reports alleging Musk was taking a cocktail of drugs on the 2024 presidential campaign trail including ecstasy and magic mushrooms. Musk reportedly wanted to contact Trump amid their public fall out, but Trump brushed off his olive branch and told CNN: 'I'm not even thinking about Elon.' Trump also moved to sell his Tesla that he bought from Musk when their relationship was far rosier in March, in a parting insult after saying he ousted Musk from his White House. An Arizona teenager who dreamed of being famous died after taking part in a deadly social media challenge. Renna O'Rourke, 19, passed away on Sunday following a week long stay in an intensive care unit after partaking in the lethal dare. Dusting, which is also known as huffing or chroming, involves youths inhaling aerosols which includes the likes of keyboard cleaners. The teenager initially went into cardiac arrest and was later declared brain dead after using a cleaning product. Speaking with AZFamily, her father Aaron O'Rourke said his daughter always dreamed of being a star. 'She always said, 'I'm gonna be famous, Dad. Just you watch. I'm gonna be famous', and unfortunately this is not under the most optimal of circumstances', O'Rourke said. Aaron and his wife Dana shared their daughter's story in an attempt to raise awareness, after having never heard of the craze before. Dana added: 'There's no ID required. It's odorless. It's everything kids look for. They can afford it, they can get it, and it doesn't show in mom and dad's drug test.' Renna O'Rourke, 19, died on Sunday afternoon following a week long stay inside an intensive care unit The teenager initially went into cardiac arrest and was later declared brain dead after inhaling the cleaning product According to Dana, Renna and her boyfriend managed to use an app delivery service to have the cleaner sent to their door. She told 12news: '[Renna] and her boyfriend had Door Dashed product to my house and I didn't know. It's keyboard cleaner. I didn't know what they were doing with it. 'We want to make sure that we use our tragedy so that no other parent has to experience looking at their child on life support and a ventilator and not breathing on her own all because she huffed out of a can.' Dr. Randy Weisman, with the HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center, told AZFamily: 'This is extremely concerning. 'When they inhale these chemicals in the gas it will actually replace the oxygen within their lungs and within the rest of their body.' According to Weisman the effect makes the users feel drunk or euphoric for a few minutes, during which the damage done can often be irreversible and deadly. He told the outlet that liver failure, heart failure and disease of the lungs are all possible outcomes. The only light to come from their daughter's passing, her parents said, was that her organs have gone on to save at least six lives. Her parents Dana and Aaron, pictured here, are now on a mission to raise awareness over the deadly trend The only light to come from their daughter's passing, her parents said, was that her organs have gone on to save at least six lives Dana added: 'Through that we're finding strength and purpose. She will be unbelievably missed, leaving the most aching hole in our lives, but if her life is to mean anything, we are going to do what we can to prevent somebody else's child from being where ours is right now. 'She will be unbelievably missed, leaving the most aching hole in our lives, but if her life is to mean anything, we are going to do what we can to prevent somebody else's child from being where ours is right now.' Her family have since created a GoFundMe page, which can be found here, to help them cover medical and funeral expenses. A post to the fundraiser said: 'On Sunday, June 1st at 1:30 pm, our wonderful daughter, after 4 days in the ICU, was pronounced brain dead. 'She was the light in every room she walked into, and the pain that her family and friends feel is simply immeasurable. 'We want to use the proceeds of this fundraiser to cover the extensive medical bills, burial costs, therapy costs, and to spread awareness about the dangers of Huffing/Dusting, the practice of inhaling keyboard cleaner or similar.' Last September the deadly trend was brought up by concerned doctors at the American Academy of Pediatrics annual conference in Orlando, Florida. They urged other doctors and parents to be sure they are aware of the trend in order to better protect children. In research, which was presented at the conference, a team analyzed 109 videos from social media of chroming which had 25million views. They found that permanent markers were the most common chroming item, appearing in 31 percent of the videos. Air dusters were the second most common, in 17 percent of videos, followed by nail polish, 12 percent, paint thinner, gasoline and spray deodorant, 11 percent for each. About six percent of the videos analyzed also showed users sniffing hair spray. More than half of the videos referenced repeated usage or addiction. The Israeli military has issued an evacuation order for residents of parts of Gaza City ahead of an attack. 'This is a final and urgent warning ahead of an impending strike,' army spokesman Avichay Adraee said today. The army 'will strike all areas from which rockets are launched', he added. The evacuation order comes at the beginning of the Eid al-Adha holiday, one of the main religious festivals of the Muslim calendar. The Israeli military has recently stepped up its campaign in Gaza in what it says is a renewed push to defeat Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war. International calls for a negotiated ceasefire have grown in recent weeks. Hamas's lead negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya said on Thursday that the Palestinian Islamist group was ready to enter a new round of talks aimed at sealing a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Talks aimed at brokering a new ceasefire have failed to yield a breakthrough since the last brief truce fell apart in March with the resumption of Israeli operations in Gaza. The Israeli military issued an evacuation order for residents of parts of Gaza City on Friday ahead of an attack. Pictured: Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Friday, June 6 Israel has re-intensified an offensive against Gaza's dominant Hamas militant group since breaking a two-month-old ceasefire in March in a war triggered by Hamas' cross-border attack on October 7, 2023. Pictured: Israeli soldiers near destroyed buildings in the besieged Palestinian territory on June 5 'This is a final and urgent warning ahead of an impending strike,' army spokesman Avichay Adraee said. Pictured: Displaced Palestinians leave with their belongings following an evacuation order issued on Monday, May 19 The evacuation order comes at the beginning of the Eid al-Adha holiday, one of the main religious festivals of the Muslim calendar. Pictured: Palestinians gather to perform Eid al-Adha prayers in a tent erected next to the Great Omari Mosque, which suffered severe damage during recent Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza Israel and Hamas appeared close to an agreement late last month, but a deal proved elusive, with each side accusing the other of scuppering a US-backed proposal. Israel has faced mounting pressure to allow more aid into Gaza, after it imposed a more than two-month blockade that led to widespread shortages of food and other essentials. It recently eased the blockade and has worked with the newly formed, US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to implement a new aid distribution mechanism via a handful of centres in south and central Gaza. But since its inception, the GHF has been a magnet for criticism from the UN and other members of the aid world - which only intensified following a recent string of deadly incidents near its facilities. Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, at least 4,402 people have been killed since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,677, mostly civilians. The Israeli military has recently stepped up its campaign in Gaza in what it says is a renewed push to defeat Hamas , whose October 2023 attack sparked the war. Pictured: Israeli forces move along the border with Gaza, in southern Israel, on May 19 International calls for a negotiated ceasefire have grown in recent weeks. Pictured: Palestinians gather for Eid al-Adha prayers beside the ruins of Al-Kanz mosque destroyed by Israeli bombardment in Gaza Earlier today GHF said all its distribution sites were closed until further notice, urging residents to stay away from these venues 'for their safety' after a series of deadly shootings. The foundation, which last week started handing out meals to hungry Palestinians inside the war-shattered Gaza Strip, said that a reopening date would be announced later. The GHF opened two sites in southern Gaza on Thursday after closing all of its centres the previous day in the wake of shootings in the vicinity of its operations. It has so far operated four distribution centres. The organisation bypasses traditional relief agencies and has been criticised by humanitarian organisations, including the United Nations, for alleged lack of neutrality, which it denies. GHF halted distributions on Wednesday and said it was pressing Israeli forces to improve civilian safety beyond the perimeter of its operations after dozens of Palestinians were shot dead near the Rafah site over three consecutive days. The Israeli military said on Sunday and Monday that its soldiers had fired warning shots. Pictured: Palestinians gather to perform Eid al-Adha prayers in a tent erected next to the Great Omari Mosque, which suffered severe damage during recent Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza on June 6 Pictured: A man looks on at burned vehicles in the Barkan Industrial area, near Salfit in the occupied West Bank, on May 16, 2025, after more than 17 Palestinian workers' cars were reportedly set on fire by Israeli settlers the night before On Tuesday, it said, forces also fired warning shots before firing towards Palestinians that it said were advancing towards troops. GHF has said that aid was safely handed out from its sites without any incident. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month vowed to 'take control' of the whole of the besieged territory as his military launched the new ramped-up campaign. His cabinet approved plans for the expanded offensive currently under way and said it was aimed at the 'conquest' of Gaza and the displacement of its people. It came after Britain, France and Canada threatened Israel with sanctions unless it relents on its plans to expand military operations in the beleaguered territory. A joint statement from the leaders of the three countries cited the 'intolerable' level of human suffering and 'denial of essential humanitarian assistance' in a stark warning. An 11-week blockade on food, fuel, water and medicine has pushed the decimated civilian population of Gaza to the brink of famine, experts continue to warn. Elon Musk's revenge war against Donald Trump has seen the Tesla billionaire savage his former boss with toxic insults on his platform X. But it might be the president who gets the last laugh - as the fallout threatens to cost the SpaceX founder billions more dollars on top of the $27 billion he lost from his net worth on Thursday. Trump has threatened to cut off huge federal loans and subsidies to Musk's companies after they fell out over the 'Big Beautiful Bill'. In the last 20 or so years, the tech guru's firms have received some $38billion in government contracts, according to The Washington Post. 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,' Trump wrote on Thursday. 'I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!' The threat came after the world's richest man, worth over $330billion, torched Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' as a 'disgusting abomination,' largely because it's projected to add trillions of dollars to the deficit. Tesla and SpaceX - Musk's biggest companies - have received by far the most help from the government over the years. SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell estimates that SpaceX has gotten $22billion in federal spending. Elon Musk's feud with President Donald Trump could lose his companies, mainly Tesla and SpaceX, billions of dollars worth of canceled federal contracts After Musk torched the 'Big Beautiful Bill,' Trump threatened to cut off all federal spending on Musk's companies At least a quarter of SpaceX's revenue in 2024 came directly from federal contracts worth $3.8 billion (Pictured: NASA's Kennedy Space Center, where SpaceX previously started work on a Starship launch pad) And last year alone, at least a quarter of the rocket designer's revenue came directly from federal contracts valued at $3.8billion. Tesla has already had $11.4billion in regulatory credits from environmentally-focused federal and state programs looking to boost the number of zero-emission vehicles. At least $2.1billion of that total has been to help Tesla develop new cars and improve upon its battery technology, according to advocacy group Good Jobs First. Trump hasn't yet said he wants to get rid of these regulatory credits, which is good for Musk because his companies get these credits for free and can sell them for virtually 100 percent profit. Though these credits make up a relatively small percentage of Tesla's revenue, they represent a staggering 32 percent of the company's profits since 2014, according to E&E News. What could be worrying to Musk is that there are 52 ongoing contracts with seven different government agencies that are set to pay his companies an additional $11.8 billion over the next few years, according an analysis from The Post. If Musk as DOGE chief was able to cancel government contracts he felt were wasteful, there's no reason to believe Trump as president wouldn't be able to do the same to Tesla, SpaceX and others. Starlink, a satellite internet service, is one of Musk's smaller companies and is far less reliant on government assistance. Though Starlink may be able to weather a potential boycott from Trump, investors are worried about Tesla's fortunes given its large reliance on the federal government (Pictured: Trump and Musk at event the day before the inauguration) Shares of Tesla plummeted nearly 12 percent on Thursday, when the worst of the jabs between Trump and Musk were happening (Pictured: In March, Trump walks the White House South Lawn with Musk to promote Teslas) While Tesla and SpaceX have received billions, Starlink has only gotten about $6 million from various federal agencies in 2022 and 2023. That includes a pledge from the Department of Defense back in 2022 to buy $1.9million worth of Starlink technology. Though Starlink may be able to weather a potential boycott from Trump, investors are worried about Tesla's fortunes given its large reliance on the federal government. Shares of Tesla plummeted nearly 12 percent on Thursday, when the worst of the jabs between Trump and Musk were happening. It's stark reversal from just several months ago, when Trump was helping Musk sell Tesla cars on the South Lawn of the White House. Before markets closed on Thursday, Musk dramatically claimed that Trump is in the Epstein files, which he said explained why they haven't been released in full by the Justice Department. Trump didn't directly respond to the Epstein accusation, instead posting what amounted to a shrug on Truth Social. He also shifted the focus back to the 'big, beautiful bill,' which he continues to vehemently support despite Musk's qualms. 'I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago,' Trump wrote. 'This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress.' Musk's attacks on the bill further complicates its passage in the Senate, where the 53 GOP senators already weren't in lockstep on certain provisions. Ghost Adventures star Aaron Goodwin has revealed that the public only knows 'half the story' about his wife's sick murder-for-hire plot against him. On Thursday, a Nevada judge sentenced 32-year-old Victoria Goodwin to between three and seven and a half years in prison after she pleaded guilty to conspiring to have her husband killed while he was away on a filming trip in California. Victoria hatched the plan after the couple began suffering marital problems and she started sleeping with other people. Following the court proceedings, the 49-year-old reality star spoke out in an exclusive interview with 8 News Now investigators, revealing that the public only knows a fraction of the story. 'I feel terrible. All of this is such a mess,' Aaron told the outlet after court. 'I haven't seen her since she dropped me off at the airport,' he added. 'So that was the first time I've even looked at her. It's tough.' 'But that's just half the story. Wait till you hear the rest of it.' The television star did not immediately respond to Daily Mail for comment. In a chilling twist, Ghost Adventures star Aaron Goodwin (pictured with estranged wife) has revealed that the public only knows 'half the story' just hours after his wife was sentenced for a sick murder plot On Thursday, a Nevada judge sentenced 32-year-old Victoria Goodwin (pictured) to 36 to 90 months in prison after she pleaded guilty to conspiring to have her husband killed while he was away on a filming trip in California Following the court proceedings, the 49-year-old reality star spoke out in an exclusive interview with 8 News Now investigators (pictured), revealing that the public only knows 'half the story' of the marriage that nearly turned deadly Aaron's dramatic revelation came moments after he broke down in court, tearfully recounting the heartbreak of discovering the 'love of his life' had not only betrayed him with several affairs, but conspired with a prisoner to have him killed. Court documents revealed that Victoria contacted Florida inmate Grant Amato - who is serving a life sentence for murdering his parents and brother - and offered him $11,500 to carry out the hit, with a $2,500 down payment already made. 'For seven years I thought I was in the most loving relationship of marriage with my best friend, someone who I trusted with my whole heart and laughed with every day,' Aaron said in the courtroom. Victoria, on the other hand, delivered an emotional apology in court to both to her parents and estranged husband, telling him she would 'always love him' and vowing he would 'never be in danger of her again'. 'I genuinely pray you find your joy and peace again. And I will bow out of your life forever to hopefully ease that process,' Victoria said before the judge handed down her sentence, as reported by 8 News Now. 'I'm sorry I broke us, and I'm consumed with regret every day,' she added. 'My absolute promise to you is that you will never see or hear from me.' 'I intend to leave the state of Nevada, and you and anyone else will never be in danger of me ever again.' The murder plot was set to unfold in October of 2024, while Aaron was in California filming Ghost Adventures, a paranormal reality series that follows him and three other investigators as they explore reportedly haunted locations across the country. Her devious plan unraveled only after prison authorities seized inmate Amato's phone and discovered disturbing communications between him and Victoria. Aaron's dramatic revelation came moments after he broke down in court, tearfully recounting the heartbreak of discovering the 'love of his life' had not only betrayed him with several affairs - but had also plotted to have him killed Aaron has revealed that he was completely blindsided about the murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by his own wife - only learning the shocking truth when detectives informed him after her arrest Court documents revealed that Victoria contacted Florida inmate Grant Amato - who is serving a life sentence for murdering his parents and brother - and offered him $11,500 to carry out the hit, with a $2,500 down payment already made Investigators revealed that she instructed him to make Aaron's death appear accidental, even providing detailed information about his travel plans and daily routines. Prosecutors cited chilling messages recovered from Amato's phone, in which one message from Amato to a hitman read: 'He's asleep right now in the hotel room I need to know what's going on. Can I get an update. Was it done?' In another message, Victoria wrote to Amato: 'Am I a bad person? Because I chose to end his existence. Not divorce.' When questioned by authorities, Victoria claimed she first learned about Amato through a true crime documentary and began corresponding with him. She described their relationship as 'pen pals' and admitted that ongoing marital problems with had led her to 'connect' with him. Aaron has revealed that he was completely blindsided about the murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by his own wife, only learning the shocking truth when detectives informed him after her arrest, as reported by The New York Post. On March 6, Victoria was arrested in connection with solicitation to commit murder and murder conspiracy, according to booking information in Clark County. Following her arrest, Aaron filed for divorce. Failing to hold back tears (pictured), Aaron said that after he found out his then-wife was 'cheating on him with several men', he gave her options for a path forward - divorce, or 'trying to work things out' because he 'loves her so much' Prosecutors cited chilling messages recovered from Amato's phone, in which one message from Amato to a hitman read: 'He's asleep right now in the hotel room I need to know what's going on. Can I get an update. Was it done?' Victoria (pictured) claimed she first learned about Amato through a true crime documentary and began corresponding with him as 'pen pals' - later admitting that ongoing marital problems with her husband had led her to 'connect' with him Victoria eventually pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder. In a statement on March 12, the Discovery Channel star said: 'The views, tastes, likes, and dislikes of Husband and Wife have become incompatible to the extent that it has become impossible for them to live together as husband and wife in marital harmony.' 'There is no possibility of reconciliation between Husband and Wife,' it concluded. On Thursday, Aaron broke down in tears at his wife's sentencing. Failing to hold back tears, he said that after he found out his then-wife was 'cheating on him with several men', he gave her options for a path forward. One option was divorce and another was 'trying to work things out', because he just 'loves her so much', Aaron said. The TV star recounted how Victoria initially expressed regret and begged not to lose him. 'She didn't want to lose me,' he recalled. 'She was so sorry for the pain she caused me. At least that's what she told me.' The murder plot was set to unfold in October of 2024, while Aaron (pictured) was in California filming Ghost Adventures - a paranormal reality series that follows him and three other investigators as they explore reportedly haunted locations across the country Victoria (pictured with Aaron) delivered an emotional apology in court to both to her parents and estranged husband, telling him she would 'always love him' and vowing he would 'never be in danger of her again' On Thursday, Aaron came face-to-face with his estranged wife during her sentencing - where she was handed a prison term of 36 to 90 months - and stated that the experience has left him deeply scarred and in constant fear for his life 'Now discovering she put a hit out to kill me more than once, got blackmailed, and spent almost our entire savings to keep it quiet,' he added, speaking of the extent of her betrayal. He also told the court that Victoria had even 'got spiritually married' to Amato. In his emotional statement, Aaron said the experience has left him deeply scarred. 'This has led me to fear for my life. I've hired armed security for weeks, not knowing if it was over or not,' he said. 'I cry every day, I feel so low. She grew me into a person I never was. I will always wonder why.' Aaron accused his ex-wife of attempting to keep him from speaking at the sentencing, claiming he had only recently become aware of the murder plot. 'Now, behind bars, she's trying to manipulate through lawyers and trying to silence me to not come here today,' he said. He then addressed the judge directly, indicating that a prison sentence felt appropriate given the gravity of what happened. On Thursday, Aaron addressed the judge directly, indicating that a prison sentence felt appropriate given the gravity of what happened (pictured: Aaron and Victoria) Investigators revealed that Victoria instructed him to make Aaron's death appear accidental, even providing detailed information about his travel plans and daily routines (pictured: Aaron following court proceedings on Thursday) Aaron and Victoria (pictured) married in May 2020 and share no children 'This person over here, I don't know at all. Not one bit,' Aaron said, as reported by US Weekly. 'The fact that this person did all this to me with no worry, no care or love in her heart for me, I will never feel the same. I will never feel safe or be the same,' he added, noting how she is claiming to be remorseful now that she's been caught. 'I thought whether she got minimum or maximum time, I still won't feel safe whenever she's released,' he told the judge. 'I feel like this deserves prison time. I don't know. So, I just leave it in your hands, Your Honor, and thank you.' According to divorce documents obtained by Court TV, Aaron and Victoria married in May 2020. They do not share any children. A teen model drowned at a beach just moments after he completed a photo shoot to celebrate his high school graduation. Nicolas Camassola, 17, was seen struggling to keep his head above water before he slipped under the waves on Tuesday. The Brazilian teen was with friends at Pontal de Maceio Beach in Fortim, Ceara when the tragedy occurred. Chilling video obtained by Brazilian news outlet G1 showed Camassola in the ocean gesturing at his schoolmate for help. A witness can be heard saying: 'It's Pablo and another person and I think the other person is drowning,' moments prior to Camassola disappearing. Gustavo Honrato, who was on the beach, told the outlet the boy who was with Camassola was shouting for assistance, but he could not make out what he was saying because of the strong winds. Multiple students then went into the water to attempt to rescue Camassola before the rough current dragged him away. 'The boy from the tent ran with another student and went into the sea to try to save Nicolas. When they managed to get to the place, Nicolas had already sunk in the water,' Honrato said. Brazilian teen model Nicolas Camassola drowned moments after going for a swim at a beach in Fortim, Brazil where he and his classmates held their high school graduation photo shoot Nicolas Camassola (left) and a friend were swimming at a beach moments before he went underwater on Tuesday 'The two still dove and tried to find him, but they couldn't find him and returned to avoid drowning. Before them, other boys also tried, but as it was too deep, they couldn't do it.' Camassola spent close to 15 minutes underwater, according to the Fortim Fire Department, before the waves pushed his body to the shore. Locals performed CPR on Camassola before the fire fighters and paramedics arrived on the scene and attempted to revive the high school student with an defibrillator. The first responders spent 50 minutes trying to save then teen and then rushed him to a hospital, where he was confirmed dead. Honrato said the students wanted to have their pictures taken on the rocks, but had to move about a half mile away because of the high tide. 'As soon as he went in, the tide started to go out, it started pulling him and he couldn't get back in,' Honrato said. Camassola attended the Jeova Costa Lima State School of Professional Education in the Ceara city of Russas. 'We deeply regret the loss of our beloved student Nicolas Camassola. His presence among us will be missed and memories will always remain alive,' the Jeova Costa Lima State School of Professional Education said in a statement. Nicolas Camassola enjoyed doing modeling work and wanted to become an agricultural engineer First responders spent 50 minutes attempting to revive Nicolas Camassola before they rushed him to a hospital, where he died 'Nicolas left a mark on everyone with his way of being, his coexistence and his journey with our school community.' Camassola was represented by Pride Casting, a modeling agency. 'He was a promising young man, full of dreams and light,' the agency said in a statement. 'Even in his brief journey with us, he left a mark of affection, humility and dedication.' His sister, Melissa Camassola, told G1 that aside from pursuing a career in modeling, he wanted to be an agricultural engineer. The Ceara Civil Police is investigating the incident. The Labor government will not review a tax on Australia's cigarettes despite fears surging prices are contributing to the black market trade. Treasurer Jim Chalmers ruled out changing the tobacco excise this week after NSW Premier Chris Minns suggested a lower tax might reduce criminal trading. 'More people are giving up the darts, but more people are also doing the wrong thing (and) Im not convinced that cutting the excise on cigarettes would mean that that would be the end of illegal activity,' Chalmers said. 'I respectfully disagree with Chris... I dont think the answer here is to make cigarettes cheaper for people, the answer here is to get better at compliance.' Earlier in the week, Minns floated the idea that the excise might be contributing to the black market trade while also failing to secure increased government revenues. 'We need to have a look at how big this excise is, how it's driving illegal tobacco sales in our community,' Minns said. 'And is it the best use of NSW Police time to be devoted to tobacco sales, when in the end the federal government's not getting the excise that they thought they're not getting that tax that they would get from that massive increase.' He said the excise had nearly doubled in six years from $16 to $28 per pack while revenue had decreased in line with lower consumer demand. Treasurer Jim Chalmers (pictured) refused to consider a review of the tobacco excise, claiming enforcement continued to be a better alternative NSW Premier Chris Minns (pictured) questioned whether Australia's tax dollars were being wasted on illicit tobacco enforcement when the tobacco excise continues to be of concern Despite the tobacco excise nearly doubling in six years from $16 to $28 per pack, the federal tax take has continued to dwindle over the same period The tobacco excise reached a high of $1.40 per cigarette in March, the same month $7billion was wiped from the budget's excise projections to 2029. Many believed the high price of cigarettes in Australia - among the world's highest - would continue to push consumers towards e-cigarettes or the black market. Smoking continues to be a leading cause of death, killing more than 24,000 Australians each year according to the Australian National University. Meanwhile, the ATO estimated the value of illicit tobacco entering Australia increased from $980million to more than $6billion in the six years to 2022-23. Economist Chris Richardson said increasing the excise without appropriate enforcements amounted to an 'epic budget fail'. Following the budget figures, Health Minister Mark Butler announced a $156million investment to assist state and federal agencies in cracking down on illicit tobacco. In a statement, Chalmers acknowledged the 'significant problem of illegal tobacco' but endorsed enforcement over price measures. 'Tobacco excise is an important public health measure to encourage people to give up smoking,' Chalmers said. The value of illicit tobacco entering Australia increased by more than six times in the six years leading to 2022-23, driven in part by the soaring costs of legal cigarettes 'We are working with NSW and the other states and territories when it comes to the enforcement challenge with illegal tobacco.' NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey was undaunted by Chalmers' disapproval, saying he intended to raise the issue with his federal counterpart. 'We cant ignore the fact theres an interaction between the federal exercise and the emergence of illegal tobacco,' he said. 'The first response needs to be through Health Ministers but Im certainly of the point that I will make the argument to the Commonwealth, to Mr Chalmers and to others as well.' Thousands of Army troops and their families were alerted to a Lee Rigby-style threat at their base after an administrative error by police. The elite Paras were banned from wearing uniform or any military regalia after cops warned a suspect may be planning an attack. A man's name and photograph were circulated across Colchester Garrison and soldiers were warned their partners and children could be targeted. But it emerged this afternoon that the threatening online post which prompted the alert was actually made last year. It is understood that due to an error logging the date the post was made, military officials were mistakenly informed it was a new threat. No action was taken against the man who made the post. Earlier today before the blunder was revealed, defence sources confirmed the identity and image that were being circulated. The warning to soldiers and dependents referred specifically to the fatal attack on Fusilier Lee Rigby in 2013. But the alert in Colchester, where the Paras second and third battalions are based, was stood down yesterday when it emerged the threat was a year old. The elite Paras were banned from wearing uniform or any military regalia after cops mistakenly warned a suspect may be planning an attack Police intercepted the suspects messages last year. But due to an administration error, police warned the Ministry of Defence this week that Paras could face a fatal attack. A Nottinghamshire Police spokesman said the earlier alert 'relates to outdated intelligence and does not relate to any current threat or investigation'. Around 3,500 troops, 750 civilian staff and their dependents live in and around the Essex base. The initial message read: Urgent. All, please disseminate to all your people in camp. We have received warning that a man has made threats against members of the Para Regt and wants to carry out a Lee Rigby style attack. The SCC [Security Control Centre] and main gate have been informed but ensure no Para Regt/military clothing is worn outside camp and remain vigilant. The MoD had issued a statement which said: The safety and wellbeing of our personnel is our top priority. We are aware of an online threat, which is being investigated by the civilian police. Personnel are always advised to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious to the Royal Military Police.' Fusilier Rigby, a father-of-one was hacked to death in broad daylight while walking near Woolwich Barracks in south London Fusilier Rigby, a father-of-one was hacked to death in broad daylight while walking near Woolwich Barracks in south London. His attackers chose to target him because he was wearing a Help for Heroes hoodie popular with troops. Colchesters military history dates back to the late 18th century when the first barracks were built in the Essex city. Today, it is the home of 16 Air Assault Brigade and troops from the Parachute Regiments second and third battalions are based there alongside other infantry and aviation units and supporting detachments such as logistics and medical personnel. Airborne Forces are notorious for wearing regimental clothing outside working hours, particularly distinctive maroon-coloured t-shirts and fleeces, most often worn with tight jeans and desert boots, a tradition that goes back many decades. Fusilier Rigby, from Middleton, Greater Manchester, and had served in Afghanistan. At the time of his death he was working in army recruitment. He was a trained machine-gunner and a regimental drummer. He was given a military funeral at Bury Parish Church on 12th July 2013. Nearly 144,000 has been squandered on Holyroods doomed misogyny legislation, the Mail can disclose. The Scottish Government last month ditched plans to introduce a Bill in this parliamentary term to make misogyny a specific offence. It said the decision to put the Bill on hold was down to the implications of Aprils Supreme Court transgender ruling and the need to ensure there are clear and unambiguous provisions in regard to the circumstances in which they apply. The Supreme Court stated the words woman and sex in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex plunging public bodies into turmoil over their trans policies. Last night Scottish Tory deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said misogyny remains a serious issue and Scots will be appalled to see how much taxpayers money was squandered by the SNP before they ditched another Nicola Sturgeon-era policy. The government said 143,668 had been spent on preparing the abortive Bill but this does not cover civil servants time, which was not recorded. The sum includes a fee of 109,117 which was paid to Baroness Helena Kennedy, KC, who led a working group on the misogyny law. Scottish Tory deputy leader Rachel Hamilton said taxpayers would be appalled to see how much money was 'squandered' by the SNP In 2022, Baroness Kennedy, a Labour peer and human rights lawyer, backed separate anti-misogyny legislation rather than incorporating abuse and violence against women into Scotlands hate crime law. She said ditching the Bill had been driven by concerns the legislation would create too much of a headache. A Scottish Government spokesman said: These costs relate to the Misogyny and Criminal Justice in Scotland Working Group, which operated in 2021-2022, as well as the Scottish Governments subsequent consideration of the Working Groups report. Three foreign nationals accused of a string of arson attacks on properties and a car linked to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will stand trial next April, a court heard today. Aspiring model Stanislav Carpiuc, 26, and roofer Roman Lavrynovych, 21, appeared at the Old Bailey via video link from HMP Belmarsh wearing grey prison tracksuits, as details of the disturbing incidents were laid out. Petro Pochynok, 34, also charged in connection with the attacks, refused to leave his cell for the hearing. The alleged arson campaign included three fires across London last month, targeting addresses connected to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer including one where he had lived during the 1990s and another which he only vacated earlier this year before moving into Downing Street. In the early hours of May 12, a fire was started at a Kentish Town property where Sir Keir had lived with his family. Just four days earlier, on May 8, a Toyota Rav 4, which had once belonged to Sir Keir before he sold it to a neighbour, was torched on the same street. A separate blaze was set on May 11 at the front door of a converted house in Islington, where the Labour leader had lived in his early career. One person had to be rescued by firefighters after that attack. Stanislav Carpiuc, 26, has been charged with conspiring with 'others unknown' over the arsons Lavrynovych, of Sydenham, south-east London has been charged with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life Ukrainian national Lavrynovych, from Lewisham, has been charged with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life relating to each of the incidents. Carpiuc, a Romanian national from Romford, east London, and fellow Ukrainian Pochynok, of Islington, are each accused of one count of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life between April 17 and May 13. Lavrynovych is said to have bought fuel from B&Q in the days leading up to the attacks, allegedly using it to set the fires. Carpiuc, who had posted on a modelling website that he wants to be the 'top male model in the world,' previously studied business at Canterbury Christ Church University and was awaiting his results. He had been working in construction since finishing his course in January. Ms Justice Cheema Grubb told the court the case would next be heard on October 17 for a plea and trial preparation hearing. She also confirmed that a provisional trial date has been set for April 27 next year before a High Court judge at the Old Bailey. All three men have been remanded in custody. Meanwhile, a fourth man, aged 48, was arrested at Stansted Airport on Monday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life in connection with the attacks. He has since been released on bail pending further enquiries, the Metropolitan Police confirmed. The hybrid vehicle was left completely wrecked by the blaze after Starmer sold it to a neighbour Sir Keir and his wife, Victoria, were previously seen clapping for the NHS from outside the home in London, during the height pandemic in May, 2020 Pictured is a police cordon on the street where one of Sir Keir Starmer's homes caught fire A number of forensics officers wearing blue and white overalls were seen in the street today The PM branded the arson attacks which targeted him as 'an attack on all of us, on democracy and the values that we stand for'. While Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch condemned the attacks as 'completely unacceptable'. Sir Keir has let his 2million private home in the Kentish Town area of north London to his sister-in-law on a peppercorn rent since he moved into 10 Downing Street following his general election victory. A bid to compel the government to consider a heritage application to protect Indigenous rock art is going to court as three environmental activists declare they 'successfully hoaxed' Woodside. The preliminary hearing follows Environment Minister Murray Watt's interim approval of Woodside's North West Shelf extension until 2070, a controversial gas project in Western Australia. The call has flared tensions, with environmental and Indigenous groups arguing it will slow efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions and have a ruinous effect on nearby ancient petroglyphs. Mardathoonera woman Raelene Cooper said she was thrilled the case against the newly appointed environment minister was moving forward without further delays. 'It's rude to have someone waiting for such a long time,' the Save our Songlines co-founder said outside the Federal Court in Sydney. The court determined Ms Cooper's case would be heard in the week of July 14. Senator Watt attached heritage and air quality conditions to the approval and those are yet to be formally agreed to by the Australian energy giant. Ms Cooper said the North West Shelf and other industrial developments at Woodside's Burrup Hub posed risks to the rock art - concerns and evidence laid out in full in a cultural heritage assessment the minister is yet to consider. Murujuga traditional custodian Raelene Cooper (centre) with Esther Joy Montgomery, (left) Mark Clifton (second right) and Skylah-Lee Dawson (riight) after addressing media outside the Federal Court of Australia in Sydney on Friday A pteroglyph of an emu at Murujuga Cultural Landscape in Burrup Peninsula, Western Australia The Burrup Peninsula, in WA's Pilbara region and known as Murujuga to traditional owners, contains some of the world's largest and oldest collection of petroglyphs. The 'section 10' heritage application was originally lodged in early 2022. 'I am furious that the minister would make a decision to lock in ongoing and irreversible damage to my country before addressing my application,' Ms Cooper said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the conditions attached to the pending approval of the North West Shelf extension would address concerns about the rock art. 'The local Aboriginal corporation there, I've met with them in the past, they're very supportive of industry,' he told ABC radio on Friday. 'They want to make sure there's protection, but they support those jobs and that economic activity.' In a separate case, three protesters were fined $10,000 each after targeting a Woodside annual general meeting with stench gas and flares. Disrupt Burrup Hub's Gerard Mazza, Jesse Noakes and Tahlia Stolarski pleaded guilty to charges laid over their protest at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre in April 2023. 'Today we were fined for attempting to create false belief - in other words, we pranked Woodside,' Ms Stolarski told supporters outside Perth District Court after the verdict. 'We are guilty of pulling off a highly successful hoax. 'One day, perhaps Woodside and the WA government will be pulled before a court like this one (and) be charged with much more serious crimes, and their victims will be future generations and all life on earth.' A woman suffered fatal burns after hitting her head and falling unconscious in a hot tub in a hotel. Mother-of-one Gabriele Cristine Barreto de Freitas had was staying at a hotel in Curitiba, in the Brazilian state of Parana, with a man she had met at a party a week earlier. The pair were reportedly both enjoying a soak in a hot tub in the hotel. Her partner then got up to leave and Gabriele stayed behind. Once on her own, she reportedly hit her head and passed out, local media have reported. It is understood that her partner heard Gabriele slip and fall in the tub. She then woke up and her partner reportedly noticed her hand was peeling and her thigh had burn blisters. The 24-year-old suffered third degree burns from the scalding water in the hot tub. She was then rushed to a hospital, where her entire body was wrapped up in bandages. Shocking pictures show Gabriele Cristine Barreto de Freitas, 24, covered in bandages in her hospital bed The mother-of-one reportedly hit her head on the hot tub and fell unconscious Pictures show the young woman hospitalized and with several bandages on her body She remained conscious at the hospital and was recording videos for her family. Despite signs of recovery, six days later it was reported that Gabriele had suffered cardiac arrest and had died on June 5. Her sister, Jenifer Vaniele Barreto, said: 'They arrived at the hotel and he turned on the tub to a hot temperature. 'The two went to shower, took a bath and he left first and went to bed. He heard her fall and slip in the tub.' She added: 'We don't understand how Gabriele's death happened. No one gave us any answers, they just said she had a cardiac arrest and died, that's all.' The police at the Curitiba Homicide Division have opened an investigation into Gabriele's death. The man who she went to the hotel with has not yet been interviewed by the police, according to local media reports. The family's lawyer Valter Ribeiro Junior said they are demanding tests on the hot tub's thermostat to see if it was faulty. Gabriele died three days later from suspected cardiac arrest, she leaves behind her five-year-old son Gabriele's family said she had appeared to be getting better before her death He said: 'It is unacceptable that someone goes to a hotel for leisure and leaves burnt to the point of dying days later. 'If it happened to her, it's probably going to happen to other people. 'It is possible that the equipment is not up to date and may have caused these burns.' Gabriele leaves behind a five-year-old son, who is now being cared for by her mother. The parents of a nine-month-old girl killed by a nursery worker have tragically revealed how they hoped she would be OK as they rushed to hospital to see her. Genevieve Meehan died after Kate Roughley strapped her face down on a bean bag for more than 90 minutes at Tiny Toes nursery in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport. Roughley, who was jailed for 14 years in May 2024, tightly swaddled Genevieve before further restraining her with a harness then covering her with a blanket. The 37-year-old then failed to carry out adequate checks on the distressed child before discovering her unresponsive and blue on the afternoon of May 9, 2022. Roughley's colleagues and paramedics desperately tried to revive Genevieve but her condition was irreversible and she was pronounced dead in hospital later that day. Now, the girl's parents have revealed how they received a phone call to say nursery staff had 'gone to wake Genevieve up from her sleep, and she was limp and blue'. Recalling the horror of what happened next, her mother Katie Wheeler said: 'When we got to the hospital it was absolutely life-shattering, because I didn't know that she'd died by that point. It wasn't until trial that I realised that she had already died. 'When I was on the phone to the nursery, she was already dead, but I still thought that she'd be OK. I thought that they they'd be able to do something to help her.' Nine-month-old Genevieve Meehan was killed by a nursery worker in May 2022 Genevieve's parents John Meehan and Katie Wheeler at Manchester Crown Court in May 2024 Nursery worker Kate Roughley was jailed for 14 years in May 2024 at Manchester Crown Court The incident that led to her death happened at Tiny Toes nursery in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport Ms Wheeler was speaking alongside her partner John Meehan in a joint interview with ITV and Manchester Evening News, just over a year after Roughley was found guilty of manslaughter by ill-treatment and sentenced at Manchester Crown Court. The couple have now launched a campaign for better safety standards in early years settings, such as compulsory CCTV in nurseries and safe sleep training for workers. Describing Genevieve as a 'beautiful, wonderful, very special little person', solicitor Ms Wheeler added: 'It seems so impossible, and you're just so desperate. 'You think, 'I saw you this morning and you were absolutely fine. You're this living being that is so loved, it can't possibly happen'.' In May 2024, a jury unanimously found Roughley guilty after the prosecution said she 'persecuted' the youngster for occupying too much of her time. Genevieve died from asphyxiation brought on by a combination of pathophysiological stresses created by a 'very unsafe sleeping environment'. Roughley put Genevieve in 'mortal danger' because she was 'banished' to the bean bag for not sleeping long enough for her liking, the court heard at the time. Genevieve was described by her mother as a 'beautiful, wonderful, very special little person' A grab of Greater Manchester Police CCTV footage of officers interviewing Kate Roughley Rebecca Gregory, 25, another worker at the same nursery, was jailed for three years after she verbally abused children in her care and threatened to kick one in the head Jurors were in tears at the start of the trial as they watched nursery CCTV footage of the baby room, which captured the tragedy unfolding as Genevieve was left 'virtually immobilised' from 1.35pm to 3.12pm. The defendant's case was that Genevieve's death was a 'terrible and unavoidable accident' after she claimed she placed her on her side, that she was 'not unduly restrained' and that she made regular visual checks. But, sentencing her, judge Mrs Justice Ellenbogen told Roughley: 'Her death was absolutely avoidable, the result of your unlawful acts on that day.' In September 2024, another worker at the same nursery was jailed for three years after she verbally abused children in her care and threatened to kick one in the head. Rebecca Gregory, 25, pleaded guilty to four counts of wilfully assaulting, ill-treating, neglecting, abandoning, or exposing a child in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering. Police said she committed 'deplorable offences of neglect against four young children', with evidence against her unearthed during the investigation into Roughley. Sen. John Fetterman ripped his Democratic colleagues for immediately embracing Elon Musk amid the billionaire's raucous online feud with President Donald Trump. The Tesla owner has for days been posting an avalanche of negative critiques of the president and his landmark legislative package, the Big Beautiful Bill Act. The multi-trillion dollar bill includes tax cuts, border wall funding and a national debt limit increase. Musk, having just left work at the White House a week ago, has since turned on the president for the legislation, primarily sounding off on how the bill will allow the national debt to soar by trillions. The mercurial business leader also raked Trump over the coals by launching personal attacks against the Republican's character, saying the president is an Epstein-linked pedophile who never would have won the election without Musk's millions in donations. As the the world's richest man lambasted the world's most powerful man publicly on X, some Democrats began hatching plans to turn the two against each other. Though when liberal lawmakers began making overtures to Musk due to his explosive targeting of Trump over a GOP-backed budget bill, Fetterman rebuked his colleagues. 'The Dems, we've been dumping all over Musk and vandalizing Teslas or whatever, and now, suddenly, we might be more back into him,' the 55-year-old senator said. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., said this week that Democrats should be consistent in their messaging and should not run to embrace Musk Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told Politico that Democrats should be in a dialogue with the Tesla owner amid his rift with the president Elon Musk has said that Trump is in the Epstein files and that he has more staying power than the president, who he pointed out in a post only has 3.5 years left in power while Musk has another 40 years Fetterman warned his colleagues against ingratiating Musk back into the Democratic party, however. 'It wasn't that long ago that Tesla was like the virtue-signaling kind of accessory for Dems,' he said. 'I would never want to vandalize Teslas, and the big, beautiful bill is wrong for America. So, from my perspective, I've just tried to be consistent through that.' Known for bucking his party in displaying a fervent allegiance to Israel and meeting personally with Trump, the Pennsylvania Democrat's warning against Musk stands in contrast to his typically contrarian policy posture. Meanwhile, California Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna - who represents parts of Silicon Valley and has known Musk for decades - is of the mind that his party would benefit from brining the billionaire back into the party's fold. Democrats should be 'in a dialogue' with the billionaire, Khanna told Politico this week. 'If Biden had a big supporter criticize him, Trump would have hugged him the next day. When we refused to meet with [Robert Kennedy Jr.], Trump embraced him & won,' Khanna posted on X. 'We can be the party of sanctimonious lectures, or the party of FDR that knows how to win & build a progressive majority,' the Democrat's post continued. Trump and Musk's feud has been a hot topic on Capitol Hill amid their fallout. GOP lawmakers have said they are saddened by the conflict and hope they can resolve their differences Last Friday Trump held an event in the Oval Office celebrating Musk's work at DOGE New York Democrat Ritchie Torres also has said that his party should reassess its relationship with the Tesla owner. 'Im a believer in redemption, and he is telling the truth about the legislation,' he told Politico. Former Obama staffer and popular liberal podcast host Jon Favreau reposted one of Musk's posts calling for the Big Beautiful Bill Act to be 'killed.' 'Couldnt agree with Elon more: kill the bill,' he posted. The sudden embrace comes despite Democratic attacks against the business mogul for his work at DOGE. Many lawmakers, including Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., went as far as to sell their Tesla cars. 'When I bought this thing, I didn't think it was going to become a political issue,' Kelly said in a viral video about selling his Tesla, noting how he does not want to drive a car built by an 'a*****.' An Indiana teacher is under fire after she wore a t-shirt calling for Donald Trump's assassination on a school trip to the White House. Tonja Luken posted a now deleted Facebook photo of her and a colleague smiling in front of the Washington DC landmark while on a trip with Middlebury Community Schools. At first glance, the photo is seemingly innocent. However, eagle-eyed social media stalkers noticed the number '8647' printed on Luken's flowery blue t-shirt. To '86' something means to eject, stop or kill it. The term originated in the restaurant scene of New York in the 1930s, according to The Independent. In this context, many people believe the number '47' refers to the United States' 47th president, Trump. The number '8647' is being used on social media by far left leaning individuals who are unhappy with the country's current administration. Protestors also carried signs reading '8645' during Trump's previous term. Most recently, Former FBI Chief James Comey found himself in hot water after posting a photo on Instagram of seashells arranged in the numerical code. Comey was then reprimanded by conservatives and the Secret Service. Luken was placed under an investigation by the school district following the June 4 stunt, but resigned in disgrace before its conclusion. Tonja Luken (left) posted a now deleted photo on Facebook of her and a colleague smiling in front of the White House while on a trip with Middlebury Community Schools In a statement, Middlebury Community Schools publicly condemned Luken's decision to openly express her political affiliation at a school event Luken (pictured) was placed under an investigation by the school district following the June 4 stunt, but resigned in disgrace before its conclusion In a statement, Middlebury Community Schools publicly condemned Luken's decision to openly express her political affiliation at a school event. 'Middlebury Community Schools owns policies that require teachers to refrain from using their position to promote partisan political views. 'This prohibition applies to all teachers regardless of their political leanings, and to every political message regardless of its content,' they wrote. 'Earlier this week, Middlebury Community Schools administration learned of a social media post made by a teacher while serving as a chaperone on a student trip to our nations capital, Washington, D.C. In the posted photograph, the teacher is wearing a T-shirt possessing a partisan political message while supervising students.' 'School administrators are actively investigating the situation. 'The student trip only returned to Middlebury on Wednesday, June 4, which unfortunately slowed the investigation process.' Luken, who is a married mother of five, has since archived all public social media profiles Just a day after opening their investigation, Middlebury Community Schools announced Luken's departure But just a day later, the district announced Luken's departure. 'Earlier today, Middlebury Community Schools completed its investigation into circumstances surrounding a teachers social media post. 'After the conclusion of the school corporations interview, when informed the school corporation would be commencing the cancellation of her contract, the teacher submitted her immediate resignation,' they said. 'The teacher is no longer employed by the school corporation' Luken, who is a married mother of five, has since archived all public social media profiles and has made no public statement about the incident or her exit. Daily Mail reached out to Luken and Middlebury Community Schools for comment. This is the shocking moment a mass brawl broke out among hundreds of high schoolers at a popular New York beach. Around three hundred teenagers had gathered on Jones Beach, on Thursday afternoon when the fighting kicked off. Officials told News12 Long Island the gathering was an unsanctioned 'Senior Cut Day' in Nassau County and Queens County. Footage shared to social media shows a police helicopter hovering low over the crowds. Revelers were seen running back to the nearby boardwalk due to the sand being kicked up by the blades of the chopper. Some students who spoke with the outlet said that several fights broke out during the large gathering. One said: 'Everybody started fighting cause there was a lot of people, there was like three different fights.' In another video taken from the main road leading to the popular beach spot, dozens of police cars and ambulances can be seen parked up outside of the entrance. Footage shared to social media shows a Nassau County police helicopter hovering low over the crowds Around three hundred school students had gathered on Jones Beach, Jones Beach Island, on Thursday afternoon when the fighting broke out According to authorities who moved in to disperse the large crowds, there were four minor injuries due to the fighting. In a statement, Nassau County Police said: 'The Nassau County Police Department responded with a significant amount of resources including the Emergency Services Unit (ESU), Bureau of Special Operations (BSO) and Aviation Unit. 'The crowd eventually dispersed. There were four minor injuries as a result of fights, those individuals were all treated at scene and refused further medical attention.' Officers also said that while at the scene they were approached by a man who lifted his shirt to display the handle of what appeared to be a firearm in his waistband. The gun turned out to be fake, cops said, as they arrested and charged 18-year-old Kyle Thomas with menacing and disorderly conduct over the incident. Despite the large scale disruption, state park officials said the beach would be open as usual on Friday. News12 also reported that a beach in Long Island was preemptively closed last week to prevent a similar 'senior cut day' from happening on the sand. Nearby resident Naydelin Moreno told the outlet: 'This is crazy, everything is out of control and there should be some kind of punishment.' In another video taken from the main road leading to the popular beach spot, dozens of police cars and ambulances can be seen parked up outside of the entrance Despite the large scale disruption, state park officials said the beach, seen here in a 2023 file photo, would be open as usual on Friday Officials said they would continue to monitor social media to track any other potential gatherings. In June of last year a 16-year-old was shot near a train station in Long Beach during a skip day that saw over 2,000 students on the beach. Speaking after the shooting, City Manager Daniel Creighton said the incident had spawned new rules on the beach. Beach passes would be required, with unpermitted gatherings for groups of over 100 people being made illegal, Creighton said back then. The manhunt for suspected triple murderer Travis Decker has intensified as police reveal they think he's hiding in the woods along the Canadian border. Investigators are now actively searching the Pacific Crest Trail in Okanogan County, Washington for Decker - who is accused of killing his three daughters, Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and Olivia Decker, five. The Chelan County Sheriffs Office executed search warrants on properties and electronic devices believed to be linked to him, which 'resulted in new leads and critical information'. Officers urged locals, specifically those in remote areas of Okanogan County, to lock all doors and windows while the 32-year-old remains at large. Decker, a former Army paratrooper, is considered dangerous, given his extensive military training and propensity for violence. He has not been seen since Friday when he picked his daughters up from their mother's home in Wenatchee, roughly 112 miles away from Okanogan County. Their bodies were found at a campsite in Leavenworth, 20 miles from their home, on Monday. Their wrists had been bound with zip ties and each of them had been suffocated with a plastic bag. Investigators, so far, have found no traces of Decker other than his abandoned truck which was found about 100 yards away from where his daughter's bodies. The manhunt for suspected triple murderer Travis Decker has intensified as police reveal they think he's hiding along the Canada border The bodies of Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and Olivia Decker, five, were found on Monday. They had been suffocated with plastic bags and their hands bound by zip ties Investigators are now actively searching the Pacific Crest Trail in Okanogan County, Washington for Decker Okanogan County Sheriff Paul Budrow says law enforcement is patrolling the area around the clock to protect residents. Budrow urged the community - specifically those on the west side of Okanogan County - to 'remain vigilant'. 'Decker is still considered dangerous and potentially armed,' he warned, adding that if anyone spots the suspect they should 'not approach or attempt to make contact'. Decker's case has fascinated true crime obsessed amateur sleuths who are on a mission to locate the suspected killer. Social media trolls are conducting their own deep dives into Decker and have baselessly suggested that a photograph he shared to Facebook in April could be a clue to his whereabouts. Decker's online presence is borderline nonexistent, with the exception of his profile picture, some pictures of a deer skull, and his cover photo which features Bull River Campground in western Montana. 'Maybe they should check the Bull River in Montana while searching for Travis Decker,' one sleuth urged in an X post that has now been viewed more then 17,000 times. 'One of the only things posted on his FB.' The popular wildlife beauty spot is located near the Idaho-Montana border and is roughly 300 miles away from Wenatchee. There is no official evidence to suggest that he is in Montana at this time. Authorities in McCall, Idaho did receive reports of a possible Decker sighting earlier this week, but it was ultimately determined not to be him. Authorities on Wednesday released doorbell camera footage showing Decker in the days leading up to his visit with the girls Authorities also released photos of Decker from before he went missing, showing him with sunglasses that obscured his eyes and tattoos all down his arm Social media trolls are conducting their own deep dives into Decker and have baselessly suggested that a photograph he shared to Facebook in April could be a clue to his whereabouts Decker's online presence is borderline nonexistent, but he did post a few pictures of a deer skull last month Decker joined the US Army in 2012 and served a tour in Afghanistan two years later. But by 2017, he had been removed from the elite Ranger Regiment after he failed to complete Ranger School. By the time he joined the 173rd Airborne Brigade - which is known for conducting specialized airborne operations, including parachute jumps and air assault - he was quiet and a bit of an outcast. Decker never returned to Special Forces, and in 2021 he transferred to the Washington Army National Guard - where he rose to the rank of sergeant. He was listed as a full-time member of the Army National Guard until 2023 or 2024, when he switched to part-time. But he stopped attending mandatory monthly drills a little over a year ago, and the Guard is in the process of a disciplinary discharge. Those who were close with Decker have since said he has suffered from complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder after leaving active military service. His ex-wife Whitney says she knew her daughters were in 'substantial danger' when Decker failed to return them after his visitation on Friday. Whitney, speaking through her lawyer Arianna Cozart on Thursday, said that she begged police to issue an Amber Alert but was told the case did not meet the requirements. But she has now alleged this 'was a tragedy that could've been completely' avoided had officials intervened. She believes 'something broke inside' of Decker and that he 'would not have done what he did if he was himself', Cozart revealed. 'He clearly had some sort of break and everything that he had been living with, everything that had been bottled up inside of him for so long as far as trauma, just won out,' Cozart told the Seattle Times. 'We may never know if it could've meant the difference between life and death for those girls but it could've made a huge difference,' Cozart told the newspaper. Mother-of-three Whitney Decker (pictured with her daughters) said today through her lawyer that she begged police to issued an Amber Alert after they failed to return home on Friday but was told the case did not meet the requirement The girls' mother had hoped they were missing in the woods with their father before the devastating discovery The father-of-three was supposed to seek mental health treatment and anger management counseling as part of a parenting plan, but there was no sign he had followed through, according to court documents. Whitney stated in September divorce proceedings that he had been 'struggling to maintain stability' since they separated and it was beginning to affect their daughters. She said that at times he would have the girls sleep at an armory while he was in the National Guard, despite her objections, according to the Seattle Times. She also said Decker - was prone to 'outbursts' and would come into her house yelling for the girls - would sometimes fail to pick up after promising to do so. In one instance, Whitney wrote that her youngest daughter, Olivia, called her crying during a visit with Decker and said she could not find her father - before Evelyn came home with welts between her legs. 'I do not want to keep Travis from the girls at all,' Whitney wrote in the court filing. 'To the contrary, I have bent over backwards to facilitate that relationship. 'But I cannot have our girls staying in what is essentially a homeless shelter, at times unsupervised, with dozens of strange men or staying in a tent or living in his truck with him, both in extreme temperatures and unknown areas for their safety.' But still Whitney reiterated to authorities how she did not believe her ex was dangerous and said he loved his daughters. She said the girls had a, 'good relationship with Decker and enjoy their time with him,' and noted that he had never failed to return the girls before, according to a police affidavit. She said when Decker went to pick up the girls Friday, he was 'quieter than usual' which was 'out of character' for him. He had also allegedly been talking about getting rid of his dog due to housing and financial struggles. On Tuesday, a judge issued a warrant for Decker's arrest and ordered he be held without bail. Travis Decker is accused of suffocating his three daughters. He remains on the run and is considered dangerous The children's lifeless bodies were discovered in a campsite in rural Washington state Authorities swarmed the Rock Island Campground on Monday evening after finding Decker's truck. Chelan County Sheriff's Office deputies found the girls' bodies about 75 to 100 yards from the truck. Police believe the girls died from asphyxiation and reported that their wrists were zip-tied, court documents state. Decker's truck had two bloody handprints on the tailgate, and inside were personal items including blankets, food, car seats and a wallet on the center console, police said. The campground also showed signs of recent activity, with a tent and a cooler located a short distance away, but Decker was nowhere to be found. The family and friends of three Britons locked up in Bali over an alleged cocaine smuggling plot have spoken of their 'deep shock' and 'fear' for their safety. Jon Collyer, 38, and Lisa Stocker, 39, were arrested at Bali's international airport in February after being caught with almost 300,000 worth of cocaine stashed inside sachets of Angel Delight powdered dessert mix, according to Balinese authorities. The pair appeared in court in Bali this week alongside Phineas Float, 31, who was allegedly due to receive the packages and was arrested a few days later. All three defendants, who are from Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea in East Sussex, could face the death penalty. Convicted drug traffickers, especially those caught with large quantities, have in the past been executed by firing squad in Indonesia - including foreign nationals. If the quantity is large but not enough for the death penalty, life in prison is a common sentence. Today the families and friends of the three Britons wept as they spoke of their 'horror' at learning of the arrests and the penalty their loved ones could face. Jon's father Julian Collyer said: 'I'm in deep shock, to be honest. I'm very, very worried as any father or parent would be. I'm concerned about the court case and just very worried.' The retired graphic designer, who lives in Rye, East Sussex, said he had spoken to his son from prison in Bali but it was the first time in three weeks they had spoken. Jon Collyer, 38, and Lisa Stocker, 39, were arrested at Bali's international airport in February after allegedly being caught with almost 300,000 worth of cocaine inside sachets of Angel Delight powdered dessert mix Brits Jon Collyer (centre), Lisa Stocker (right) and fellow defendant Phineas Float, 31, (left) who was allegedly due to receive the packages, sit inside a court room in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia on 03 June 2025 The narcotics were alleged discovered inside sealed blue plastic 'Angel Delight' sachets in Jon Collyer and Lisa Stocker's luggage. Pictured: a stock photo of a packet of Angel Delight 'I don't want to talk about anything at the moment because I don't want to jeopardise the court hearing. Anything I say could be misconstrued so I just want to stay quiet for the time being.' A family member of Lisa Stocker, who would not be identified, wept as she told of her fear for her relative. She said: 'She's just a mum. Her kids are going to be desperate without her. It doesn't bear thinking about. I'm so shocked and I can't sleep at night for thinking what might happen to her.' Sobbing, she continued: 'There are some seriously evil people in this world who take advantage of people less fortunate and I think that's what has happened here. I'm in bits. I can't say any more.' Jon's friend Dean, 39, said: 'I'm still in total shock. I didn't even know he and Lisa had gone to Bali. It's an absolute mess and I'm really worried about them both. 'Lisa has got kids, three I think, and what are they going to do if their mum is banged up. I was horrified when I heard about it. It's a nightmare. I can't believe they'd be so stupid to do something like that and I hope they're released soon.' It is understood Balinese officers halted the couple at the X-ray machine after finding 'suspicious' items in their suitcases. They were pulled to a separate area, where staff found the narcotics sealed in blue plastic 'Angel Delight' sachets in Collyer's luggage. The trio, in regulation orange tops, pictured being paraded in front of local media during a press conference last week The three British nationals could face the death penalty, since Indonesia has previously executed convicted drug traffickers by firing squad - including foreign nationals However, Indonesia has paused the death penalty since 2017 and Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto's government has in recent months repatriated several high-profile foreign nationals convicted of drug offences back to their home countries. Pictured: Lisa Stocker arriving for her trial at Denpasar district court on June 3, 2025 The father of arrested Brit Jon Collyer (Jon pictured above being led to court in handcuffs) said: 'I'm in deep shock, to be honest. I'm very, very worried as any father or parent would be' More cocaine was found in seven plastic bags in his partner's suitcase. It is alleged that Mr Collyer and Ms Stocker were caught with 17 packages of cocaine in total, with a value of 296,000. Angel Delight is a powdered dessert mixture that was popular in the 1960s and 70s. A former neighbour and friend of the Stocker family said: 'I can't believe it. I'm in shock. Gosh, I feel for the family. They were my neighbours for many years and they were nice.' Jeannie, who would not give her surname, said: 'They were a big family but we got on well. Lisa was nice. I can't believe they'd be involved in something like this.' The heaviest punishment for taking part in a drug transaction is the death penalty under Indonesian law. However, the Indonesian government has paused the death penalty since 2017 and the country's president Prabowo Subianto has in recent months repatriated several high-profile foreign nationals convicted of drug offences back to their home countries. Frenchman Serge Atlaoui returned to France in February after Jakarta and Paris agreed a deal to repatriate him on 'humanitarian grounds' because he was ill. Charlotte May Lee was arrested in a Sri Lankan airport after 1.15m of synthetic cannabis was allegedly found in her luggage Charlotte May Lee is pictured being escorted by Sri Lankan officers to court where she faced drug smuggling charges In court the police wheeled in the near-50kg haul of cannabis she was caught carrying as their investigation into the drugs bust continues The former TUI cabin crew member is facing years locked in a Sri Lankan jail after being caught with nearly 1.2million worth of synthetic cannabis Pictured: the female division of Negombo jail in Sri Lanka, where Charlotte May Lee is being held An exterior shot of Negombo Prison, where Ms Lee is stuck in her crowded cell for 22 hours a day In December, Indonesia took Mary Jane Veloso off death row and returned her to the Philippines. It also sent the five remaining members of the 'Bali Nine' drug ring, who were serving heavy prison sentences, back to Australia. According to Indonesia's Ministry of Immigration and Corrections, 96 foreigners were on death row, all on drug charges, before Veloso's release. However, Collyer, Stocker and Float are only three of numerous Brits detained overseas on drug charges. Last month a British former flight attendant was accused of smuggling 1.2 million of super-strength cannabis into Sri Lanka. Charlotte May Lee, 21, from Coulsdon, south London, was arrested in Colombo after police discovered 46 kg of 'Kush' - a synthetic strain of cannabis - in her suitcase. She had just arrived in the Sri Lankan capital on a flight from Bangkok in Thailand. She was arrested at Bandaranaike Airport and taken into custody on Monday, May 11. She is facing up to 25 years locked in a hellhole Sri Lankan jail - but she has insisted she has been set up. Bella Culley (pictured) is languishing in Georgia's notorious Women's Penitentiary Number Five alongside double murderer Magda Papidze, 35 Culley (pictured) could face a life sentence if convicted after she allegedly tried to smuggle 14kg of cannabis into the Black Sea nation Flame-haired Papidze (pictured) is the only current inmate serving a full life sentence after smashing her husband Omar Kaphiashvili to death with a sledgehammer as he slept after strangling their five-year-old son, Tornike Pictured: The foreboding exterior of Tbilisi's Womens Penitentiary Number Five, where Culley is being held All the cells in the Georgian prison were said to have smelled 'strongly of human sweat, human excrement, and cigarette smoke,' according to a 2006 report MailOnline spoke to her from her cell where she admitted that she had not been eating because the food was too spicy. She was arrested on the same day as a British teenager was arrested in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi after allegedly arriving from Thailand carrying 14kg of cannabis in her luggage. Bella May Culley, 18, is now facing life in prison in the former Soviet country after being accused of illegally buying, possessing and importing large quantities of narcotics. The youngster from Billingham, Country Durham, was believed to have gone missing in Thailand before she was detained 3,700 miles away at Tbilisi International Airport. Concerns had been raised that the two cases were related as both young women left Bangkok airport on the same day and were arrested in Sri Lanka and Georgia respectively within hours of each other. But Ms Lee told MailOnline she did not know Ms Culley, who has been remanded in custody until her next appearance on July 1. Ms Culley faces spending her sentence in Georgia with an evil sledgehammer killer who throttled her own child to death. The 18-year-old is languishing in notorious Womens Penitentiary Number Five alongside double murderer Magda Papidze, 35. Flame-haired Papidze is the only current inmate serving a full life sentence after smashing her husband Omar Kaphiashvili to death with a sledgehammer as he slept, after first strangling their five-year-old son, Tornike. This is the moment a 5-foot-long shark was seen just 30ft from one of Britain's most popular beaches. The porbeagle shark, a relative of the great white was observed for 25 minutes feeding in the relatively shallow water off Southbourne beach in Bournemouth. Usually, Porbeagles are seen miles out at sea by fishermen and have little interaction with humans. It is highly unusual for one to come so close in and it is likely it was following a rich food source. They normally feed on squid and other cephalopods and one theory is that it could have been lured by the recent mass influx of Mediterranean octopus of the south west coast. The porbeagle was filmed from the shore by Jonathan Brennan, who is a qualified PADI scuba diver and who has swam with sharks all over the world. He confidently identified it as a porbeagle after ruling out it being a tope or a basking shark, both commonly seen in south coast waters. Despite it being seen so close to a popular bathing beach at the start of the summer season, Mr Brennan said its presence was good news. The porbeagle shark, a relative of the great white was observed for 25 minutes feeding in the relatively shallow water off Southbourne beach in Bournemouth The porbeagle was filmed from the shore by Jonathan Brennan, who is a qualified PADI scuba diver and who has swam with sharks all over the world The porbeagle shark - Lamna nasus in Latin - is classed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as vulnerable in the north east Atlantic (stock image) The 55-year-old said: 'It was lovely to see such a beautiful creature so close in. It is a sign of a healthy ecosystem. 'I thought it was a seal at first and waded into the water to get a closer look. It was probably about 10 yards out, 'It wasn't a tope shark, they tend to dive deeper and are much faster. This kept popping up every couple of minutes whereas a tope wouldn't keep coming to the surface. 'It wasn't a basking shark either as their fins are floppier and wobble from side to side when moving through the water. 'I have seen a couple of thresher sharks before and it wasn't one of those. 'It has a rounded fin which was dark greyish brown colouration with a rounded apex and there appeared to be a lower edge white patch.' Mr Brennan described the moment the shark's fin in the video saying it 'wasn't in a hurry' and 'it must have been having a good feed'. 'Porbeagles can be attracted by a school of mackerel or squid,' he said. The shark was spotted at the popular beach spot in Bournemouth Pictured: The beach at Southbourne It is highly unusual for a porbeagle shark to come so close in and it is likely it was following a rich food source 'It was wonderful to see it so close to the shore. 'Yes, porbeagles are a white shark genus but they are very, very different and people don't have anything to worry about. 'They are harmless if they are left alone. 'People should observe them from a distance and not interfere with what they are doing. They are more interested in the fish.' Along with blue sharks, porbeagles are the most common species of shark found in British waters. Despite their association with the great white - Carcharodon carcharias in Latin - they are not considered to be a threat to humans with only three recorded non-fatal attacks before. The porbeagle shark - Lamna nasus in Latin - is classed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as vulnerable in the north east Atlantic. A second man has been arrested on suspicion of murder over the death of an 'innocent' child killed in suspected a hit-and-run attack. Schoolboy Abdullah Yaha Al-Zaidy had arrived in the UK from Yemen for a 'better future' a few months ago. But the 16-year-old was tragically struck down by a grey Audi while walking along the pavement in Staniforth Road, Sheffield, on Wednesday afternoon. Detectives said the Audi appeared to swerve towards three e-bike riders, colliding with one of them before hitting the boy and driving off. The teenager was taken to hospital after the incident in the Darnall area of the city on Wednesday but later died. South Yorkshire Police said a 26-year-old man, who had been detained on suspicion of assisting an offender, has now been re-arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. It follows the arrest of a 20-year-old man on suspicion of the same offences in Kent on Thursday. Both men remain in custody. Detectives said they believe a grey Audi drove towards three electric bikes, colliding with one rider, who suffered serious injuries which are not thought to be life-threatening. The Audi then collided with the teenager and failed to stop at the scene, officers said. Abdullah Yaha Al-Zaidy was walking along the pavement in Staniforth Road on Wednesday afternoon when a grey Audi appeared to swerve towards a group of e-bike riders before ploughing into the boy, police said The Audi driving in the opposite direction, appears to swerve into the lane the riders are on and hits one of them Police at the scene of the 'hit and run' on Staniforth Road, Darnall, Sheffield, on Wednesday evening Two people, a man aged 46 and a woman aged 45, who were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender have both been bailed pending further enquiries. Abdullah, known locally as Abdul, was reportedly walking to a nearby shop to meet his father with the two having plans to later eat together, when the tragedy happened. Relatives and friends of of the teenager said he was devoted to his family and would 'light up their faces with a big smile'. He arrived in the UK from Yemen two or three months ago, and had devoted himself to learning English ahead of starting at college in September. Abdullah's relative Saleh Alsirkal runs the corner shop in Staniforth Road which the schoolboy visited just before the crash. Mr Alsirkal said: 'His dad brought him over to change his life, to get a better future for his son, but this has happened and destroyed everything. 'God bless him. He's in a better place than this place. Good has chosen him.' He added: 'I want to thank everybody for their support. Everyone has come together and this has helped the family.' Evidence signs were scene on the floor at the scene of the horror crash Video shared online appears to show two e-bike riders and a motorcyclist driving in one direction Mr Alsirkal said Abdullah was a 'kind boy' who just wanted to look after his family, including his three sisters. He said he was really enjoying learning English. 'Every time he had a new word to learn he was so excited about it,' he added. 'It meant a lot to him and he learned quick. Sometimes he would stay in the shop just so he could talk to people. He tried to be friends with everyone.' He continued: 'He wanted to be the main guy for the family. He was 16-years-old but he was a clever man. I would call him a man.' Abdullah's friend Oasmah Thabet said the teenager 'really cared for his family'. 'You can really tell the character of somebody by the support they give to their family,' Mr Thabet added. 'It just shows the gratitude he had, and he spread that gratitude to the people around that community. 'To the people who would come around and just say hello to him, he would light up their faces with a big smile.' Mr Thabet said: 'He was here for a few months and was starting the learn English as well. 'I'd like to think that we related in the sense that both our families migrated from Yemen to here. Staniforth Road was closed following the serious collision on Wednesday 'The reason our family came here was for a better life - to live the dream. 'For something to happen like this and for your dreams to be cut so short, it's a tragic loss for the family and it's a just a shock that can't be described." He said that every family in the area was thinking 'what if it's my kid next'. 'That's something that no parent should ever feel,' he said. The community paid tribute to him in an announcement on social media, which said: 'May Allah grant him the highest ranks of Jannah and grant his family and friends strength and patience during this unimaginable time.' It added: 'It is deeply heartbreaking to see his photoa boy always smiling, always full of joy. 'He worked tirelessly alongside his father and had plans to begin college soon.' Video footage shared online appears to show two e-bike riders and a motorcyclist travelling along the road before the grey Audi, driving in the opposite direction, suddenly veers across the carriageway. In harrowing footage, the motorcyclist narrowly misses the car while one of the e-bike riders is hit head on, being thrown into the air and into the hedge in front of a property. Less than a second later, the driver continues on a further 80ft, crashing into the 16-year-old who had just stopped walking on the pavement. In another video, after the rider is hit by the car, a pedestrian is seen being caught in the cross hairs The incident happened shortly after 4.50pm on Wednesday in Staniforth Road in the Darnall area Senior Investigating Officer in the case, Detective Chief Inspector Benjamin Wood, said: 'This is a tragic incident in which an entirely innocent bystander, who was going about his daily business, has sadly lost his life. Our thoughts are with the boy's loved ones, and we remain focused on securing justice for them. 'We know that this incident will have caused concern in the local community, and we have a team of detectives working at pace to piece together the circumstances which unfolded. 'We're aware of footage being shared online and I'd like to reiterate our message to the public to withhold from speculating or circulating videos which may cause distress to the boy's family. 'If you have any footage, imagery or information that may help our investigation, then please share this directly with us it may form an important part of our enquiries. We are also keen to hear from the riders of two electric bikes who were in the area at the time of the incident.' Mojid Khan said the boy came to rest at the gates of his Staniforth Road wholesale business, and his staff were the first on the scene after hearing the collision. South Yorkshire Police said the collision involved a grey Audi, which 'failed to stop at the scene' He said he arrived half an hour later and was shocked to see what his CCTV system had recorded. Mr Khan said yesterday: 'When it happens on your doorstep, literally, it does affect you. It's quite horrific to see how it happens.' He said: 'I think it's a local lad that's passed away and another local lad that got injured on a motorbike. It's shocking for us as a community. 'The disturbing thing is that this is not the first time that this has happened. It seems every few months something like this is going on. 'I think that's a matter for our politicians to do something about.' He said: 'Tomorrow is our Eid festival. That's going to hit them (the boy's family) even harder. 'It should be a happy day. I'm really sad for the family. Their loss is going to be that much greater tomorrow.' Lauren, 31, who did not wish to give her surname, was giving CPR to the teenager and shouting to ask people to help. She said: 'I don't want to go in to detail, it was traumatic a young, beautiful boy has lost his life to something he wasn't even involved in.' Elon Musk and Donald Trump should reconcile their differences Republican lawmakers told the Daily Mail. The two most powerful men in the world engaged in a historic blowup over differences about Trump's signature 'big beautiful bill.' It quickly turned ugly as Musk hurled insults at the president and Trump fired back on social media. Trump said earlier Friday that the two 'won't be speaking' for a while as a result of the back-and-forth falling out. 'Im not even thinking about Elon,' Trump told CNN. 'Hes got a problem. The poor guys got a problem.' But GOP lawmakers are hopeful that the pair can patch up their differences in the coming days. Speaker Mike Johnson, who has been in the middle of the spat over the Big Beautiful Bill Act, said Friday he hopes Trump and Musk 'reconcile.' 'I believe in redemption,' Johnson said. 'That's part of my worldview, and I think it's good for the party and the country if all that's worked out.' The speaker appeared to downplay the spat on Thursday, saying that differences over policy are never personal despite Musk's below-the-belt claim that Trump has ties to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Musk even went so far as to suggest the president should be impeached and replaced with JD Vance for wanting to sending the U.S. into 'debt slavery.' As tensions flared between the two leaders, Republicans in Congress appeared like children caught in a fight between their parents. Amid Musk and Trump's public feud, Republican lawmakers are urging the powerful pair to make amends and reconcile their differences Speaker Mike Johnson has said that the dispute over policy is not personal despite Musk calling for Trump to be impeached and insinuating he has nefarious links to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein The blow up was a shock for many lawmakers who told the Daily Mail they hope the fighting stops soon 'I think they should reconcile,' Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, told the Daily Mail. 'After all, they said they loved each other, so I think it's time for reconciliation for them.' 'My intel that I have is that they are going to reconcile today,' he disclosed. Many GOP lawmakers said the same, hoping for the two to iron out their differences. 'I hope they make up,' Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., told the Daily Mail of the Musk-Trump divide. Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., who sits on House GOP leadership, told the Daily Mail the attacks aren't new. 'It's not something that, you know, we haven't seen before,' he said of the feud, adding Musk's attacks 'are all falsehoods and for political show.' Firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., told the Daily Mail that it's up to Trump to decide whether he wants to make amends with the businessman. 'I don't get involved with things that involve him,' she said not wanting to instruct the president on how to react. 'They should reconcile,' Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., shared. 'I think its a great idea.' A member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus that often acts as a thorn in the side of GOP leadership, Tiffany bragged that the saga is evidence of a normal policy debate. 'I think the good robust debate is a good thing,' he added, noting that with the pace of the tweets sent out by Musk the pair could make up at any moment. Texas Republican Mike McCaul told the Daily Mail he expects the public spat to be over soon Trump told ABC News on Friday that Musk 'hast lost his mind' Musk and Trump grew closer last year as the billionaire poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the Republican's campaign Mark Bednar, a former senior staffer for Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Principal at Monument Advocacy, told the Daily Mail that the turbulence between Musk and the president amounts to 'just another week' of being a Republican in Washington. 'It also remains true that if and when Republicans are together, they can rack up massive legislative wins for the American people, and when they are apart it's the Democrats who benefit.' Trump, for his part, is not eager to talk to his former DOGE lieutenant. Speaking with ABC News on Friday morning, the president admitted he was 'not particularly' interested in speaking with the billionaire. The president referred to Musk as 'the man who has lost his mind,' saying that the Tesla owner wants to speak with him but he does not have interest in speaking. A French teacher who posed online as a boy to entice teenage girls to send sexual images has been jailed for eight years. Simon Clark, head of department at the Alun High School, in Mold, North Wales, preyed on 26 youngsters, aged between 10 and 15. The 46-year-old, a father of two, whose wife has since divorced him and his career ended, has 'lost everything', Chester Crown Court heard. Clark pretended to be a 14-year-old boy using a fake Snapchat profile with the name 'Jamie-jones6968' to send hundreds of explicit messages to young girls, persuading some to send sexual images in return. Passing sentence, Judge Simon Berkson told the defendant he represented a 'significant risk' to children. He kept his head bowed as he was jailed. Judge Berkson said: 'It is, of course, every parent's worst nightmare, this sort of thing happening to their children. 'Many of the offences involve sexual communication, some involving inciting children to engage in sexual activity. This was well planned and sophisticated criminal behaviour. 'You clearly have a sexual interest from the sexual abuse of children and gain sexual gratification from it.' Simon Clark, 46, pretended to be a 14-year-old boy using a fake Snapchat profile to send hundreds of explicit messages to young girls Clark, formerly of Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, had admitted at earlier hearing to 29 offences; one count of inciting a child under 13 to engage in penetrative sexual activity, two counts of inciting a child under 13 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity, two counts of inciting a child under 16 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity, 21 counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child under 16, one count of making 26 indecent images of children of Category A, one of making 29 indecent images of children of Category B and one of making 81 indecent images of children of Category C. Earlier, John Philpotts, prosecuting, told the court Clark's activities were only discovered by chance by one mother, 'looking over the shoulder' of one girl. On January 24 2023, the mother called police after discovering her 12-year-old daughter had received sexually explicit messages on Snapchat from the 'Jamie Jones' account. The mother only found out as her daughter had been 'grounded' for a separate matter and had her phone confiscated so was using a laptop her mother had access to. In May 2023, police traced the 'Jamie Jones' account to Clark's home address, discovering he was a father of two children. Clark was arrested at the school where he worked. Investigation of four devices seized from his home revealed chat logs of hundreds of sexually explicit communications with a large number of other young girls along with explicit videos, going back nine months. Mr Philpotts said some examples of the messages Clark sent included, to a 12-year-old girl, 'I have a big dick, you have big tits. Any pics? You get horny much? Get those fingers wet'. Clark was head of department at the Alun High School, in Mold, North Wales (pictured) Clark then sent a video of a sex act. To another girl, also 12, he sent another message saying: 'You look cute and filthy' before asking about her 'kink' and going on to mention, 'hair pulling, getting smacked, Daddy kink. You have big tits'. And to a girl aged 15, Clark sent the message: 'Is it true some girls are dirty in bed? Show your tits and I will show you a video of me. Play with them.' Clark initially denied any wrongdoing but admitted all the offences at an earlier hearing. Jeremy Rawson, mitigating for Clark, said his wife had divorced him and he only has limited contact with his children and other family had disowned him. Mr Rawson added: 'He is a man who is educated, a teacher, a professional, worked in the education system for 20 years, all of that is lost. 'He has lost everything as a result of what he has done. There is a black side to his character. 'There are no winners in this case whatsoever.' At Chester Crown Court, Clark was jailed for eight years In addition to his custodial sentence, Clark will be on licence from jail for four years and has also been added to the sex offenders' register for life and handed restraining orders preventing him from contacting the victims. In a statement, Detective Constable Louise Murphy and Detective Constable Megan Griffiths, from Cheshire Police, who led the investigation, said: 'Firstly, we would like to praise the victims in this case for the bravery and courage that they have shown throughout this investigation. 'Clark was a teacher, he held a position of trust, and the messages we recovered clearly showed that he was well aware that his victims were all under the age of 16, but despite this he continued his crimes in order to satisfy his own warped sexual desires. 'It was apparent throughout the investigation that Clark is a sexual predator who preyed on young girls, with no regard for the effects his actions would have on the victims or their families. 'While they will never be able to forget what he did, we hope the sentence handed to Clark will provide the victims with some closure and allow them to move forward with their lives.' For advice on identifying signs of sexual exploitation visit Child Sexual Exploitation & How to Keep Your Child Safe at www.nspcc.org.uk To report a sexual offence call Cheshire Constabulary on 101. Information can also be given online at https://www.cheshire.police.uk/ro/report or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. A retired vicar has today admitted his role in a castration ring with a self-styled 'Eunuch Maker' after he was found using nail scissors on a man's penis. Geoffrey Baulcomb, 79, who was expelled from the Church of England last year by a disciplinary panel, was still ordained at the time of his offences. The 79-year-old today pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent at the Old Bailey, after he was captured enlarging the opening of a man's urethra in a nine-second video of the incident. The footage, which was found on the vicar's mobile phone, is said to have been filmed on January 4, 2020. He was later arrested in December 2022. Baulcomb previously admitted to three counts of making indecent images of a child, namely one Category A image, four Category B images and 37 Category C indecent images. Three further charges against Baulcomb related to possession of extreme pornography, one of which related to eight images of a person performing an act of intercourse with a live or dead unknown animal. Another involved '182 images which portrayed in an explicit and realistic way an act which resulted or was likely to result in serious injury to a person's anus, breasts or genitals and which were grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character.' The images were linked to 'Eunuch Maker' Marius Gustavson's website, who mutilated paying customers and streamed it online. Geoffrey Baulcomb, 79, who was expelled from the Church of England last year by a disciplinary panel, was still ordained at the time of his offences The images were linked to 'Eunuch Maker' Marius Gustavson (above), who mutilated paying customers and streamed it online Pictured: The Eunuch Maker website that featured clips of castrations which subscribers would pay to watch Gustavson, from Norway, who had his own penis cut off, a nipple removed and his leg frozen so it had to be amputated, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years in May 2024. His penis was found in a drawer in his home almost four years after it had been amputated. Baulcomb was said to have been an 'acquaintance' of Gustavson, with the pair sharing more than 10,000 messages with each other over four years. Judge Nigel Lickley KC today told Baulcomb he would likely face 'a custodial sentence of some length'. He added: 'The sentence will be on September 1. You are required to be here, if you are not here you are likely to be arrested. 'The date may move, things change so keep in touch with your legal advisors. Your bail will be as before - you are free to go today, thank you.' Baulcomb was granted conditional bail, ordering him not to attend any Church of England premises or functions and to have no contact with children under the age of 18. Baulcomb appeared at the Old Bailey (above) today where he admitted his role in the castration ring Prosecutor Caroline Carberry said: 'This defendant is not deemed a flight risk by the police in this case. He has been on bail for a really long period of time now.' Baulcomb will be sentenced on September 1. Police raided Baulcomb's 25,000 cottage near Eastbourne in December 2022 and found a stash of heroin along with the tranquilliser ketamine. He accepted a police caution for possessing the substances and told church officials he had been buying and using drugs, including heroin, 'periodically' for 20 years. The Church of England's (CofE) disciplinary tribunal had 'utterly rejected' his claim that taking drugs 'assisted him in carrying out his pastoral mission'. Baulcomb retired from St Mary the Virgin church in Eastbourne (above) several years ago but was still ordained at the time of the offences Baulcomb, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, was ordained as a priest in 1970, according to the Church of England website. He retired from the historic St Mary the Virgin church in Eastbourne, East Sussex, several years ago but was still ordained at the time of the offences. The diocese said the Baulcomb's permission to officiate was immediately removed after being contacted by police. A statement said: 'The Diocese wishes to put on record our gratitude for the Metropolitan Police's pro-active approach to information sharing and partnership working, which has enabled us to manage the risks Mr Baulcomb has presented whilst under investigation.' The discovery of a 21-year-old woman's body in the woods outside Boston has reignited fears that a serial killer could be stalking New England after the grim find marked the 13th unexplained death in the region. Adriana Suazo was found dead around 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, June 1, in a wooded area of Milton, Massachusetts, about eight miles from the city, according to the Norfolk District Attorney's Office. There were no visible signs of trauma, and the cause of death is under investigation by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Her death is the 13th suspicious fatality across Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maine since early March, many of which involve female victims discovered in wooded or remote areas. While police have repeatedly denied any connection, speculation about a potential serial killer has exploded across social media. The death of murder suspect Donald Coffel has reignited much of the chatter. Coffel was accused of brutally killing his roommate and living with her corpse for more than a week before dumping her remains. Coffel, 68, died last month while being held at the Corrigan Correctional Center in Connecticut, according to the state's Department of Correction. His death is not considered suspicious. Police said he acted alone when he murdered roommate Suzanne Wormser and that there was no threat to the public. Local woman Adriana Suazo was found dead around 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, June 1, in a wooded area of Milton, Massachusetts, about eight miles from the city, according to the Norfolk District Attorney's Office Pictured: Milton, Massachusetts, a quaint town in New England eight miles outside of Boston However Wormser's slaying quickly became central to online theories tying together more than a dozen deaths across New England. Those fears took hold in March when members of a true crime Facebook group noticed multiple bodies or sets of human remains had been discovered across the region in a matter of weeks, some just minutes from one another by car. On March 6, 35-year-old Paige Fannon was found in the Norwalk River in Connecticut, the same day a human skull was discovered near Route 3 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Two weeks later on March 19, Wormser's remains were located in Groton, Connecticut. The next day, 59-year-old Denise Leary's body was found near her home in New Haven, Connecticut, months after she was last seen. On March 26, the remains of 56-year-old Michele Romano were found in a wooded area in Foster, Rhode Island. As the weeks went on, more bodies surfaced. There were no visible signs of trauma, and the cause of death is under investigation by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Her death is the 13th suspicious fatality across Massachusetts, Connecticut , Rhode Island , and Maine since early March, many of which involve female victims discovered in wooded or remote areas 11 bodies turned up within two months across New England, sparking fears of a serial killer On April 9, unidentified remains were found in Killingly, Connecticut. The following day, another unidentified body was discovered in Framingham, Massachusetts. On April 20, a body was pulled from the Seekonk River in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Two days later, the body 45-year-old Meggan Meredith was found near a bike path in Springfield, Massachusetts. The bodies of Samuel Stovall, 51, Mary Colasanto, 72, and Jasmine Wilkes, 34, all surfaced across New England in the following weeks. The discovery of Suazo marks the 13th body found since March. Her sister, Melanie Pizarro, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover funeral costs and wrote: 'Adriana wasn't just my sister - she was a firecracker, full of life, laughter, and fierce love. She loved hard, laughed loud, and made sure the people around her felt it.' A vigil was held near the wooded area where Suazo's body was found. The death of Donald Coffel, 68, who confessed to bludgeoning his roommate to death prompted speculation he could be behind some or all of the deaths Donald Coffel died Friday while being held at the Corrigan Correctional Center in Connecticut, according to the Connecticut Department of Correction Meanwhile, online theories have continued to spiral. A Facebook group titled New England Serial Killer exploded to over 68,000 members, and TikTok videos by amateur sleuths have garnered millions of views. Police have pushed back hard. New Haven authorities said there is 'no sign of foul play' in Leary's death, and Romano's family has publicly denied the serial killer rumors. 'Take my sister Michele's name and pictures off of this effing website right now,' Romano's sister Valerie posted in a Facebook group. 'She was not killed by a serial killer.' Top serial killer experts say the current evidence doesn't support the theory, but they aren't dismissing concerns entirely. 'Right now, there isn't enough information to say yay or nay,' said Dr. Ann Burgess, a pioneer in FBI serial killer profiling. 'You almost have to go case by case, then take a look at it.' Dr. Katherine Ramsland, a forensic psychology professor who studied BTK killer Dennis Rader and co-wrote his book, added: 'You can't just assume all of them were murdered, and they're all murdered by one person. That's just silly.' Paige Fannon, 35, was found dead in the Norwalk River in Norwalk, Connecticut, on March 6 The remains of Denise Leary were found close to her home in New Haven, Connecticut Michele Romano was found dead in Foster, Rhode Island, in March. Her family have insisted she was not killed by a serial killer Police recover the body of Samuel Stovall from the Mill River in Taunton on April 25 Still, Burgess admitted: 'I think what's impressive is how many bodies they had that nobody can account for I think that's a little alarming that these bodies are just showing up. So where they had been or how well they had been hidden is always quite interesting.' To determine whether the deaths are linked, Ramsland said investigators would need information on cause of death, types of wounds, victim profiles, crime scene patterns, and more. But in many cases, decomposition has made even basic identification difficult. She also pointed to growing public distrust in law enforcement following the Gilgo Beach serial killer investigation on Long Island, where corruption and incompetence delayed the arrest of suspect Rex Heuermann for more than a decade. 'I think people are highly influenced by the LISK [Long Island serial killer] situation where remains were found all over the place and now they're beginning to be connected to one individual,' Ramsland said. 'Because of the way that investigation was poorly handled I think people are very suspicious of police handling these investigations. 'I don't blame them because I think that one was so egregious and embarrassing for that area, that I can understand people saying, 'Well, why would we wait on the police?' While experts caution against jumping to conclusions, they agree on one thing: authorities - and the public - should keep watching. A man has appeared in court after a woman vanished in Ilford amid a murder probe launched by police. Yajaira Castro Mendez, 46, was reported missing to the Metropolitan Police last Saturday, on May 31. She was last known to have left her home three days prior on the morning of May 29. Today, a man known to the Colombian national appeared in court charged with her murder, as the force continue to appeal for information from the public. Ms Mendez's disappearance was initially treated as a missing persons investigation, but was taken up by a specialist unit after further enquiries suggested she came to harm. Her family are currently being supported by specialist officers. Chief Superintendent Jason Stewart, who leads policing in Camden, said: 'Officers have been working around the clock to find Yajaira. 'She has not been seen or heard from by her family or friends since the date she was reported missing. 'Yajaira's disappearance was initially treated as a missing person investigation led by local officers. Yajaira Castro Mendez, 46, (pictured) was reported missing to the Met last Saturday, May 31. A murder probe has since been launched in connection with her disappearance Today, a man known to the Colombian national appeared in court charged with her murder, as the force continue to appeal for information from the public 'The investigation was then transferred to the Met's Specialist Crime Command on Thursday, 5 June after a range of extensive further enquiries very sadly suggested she has come to harm. 'I understand the impact this news may have on our local community, however we do have a man charged and in custody and we are not searching for anyone else at this stage. The man and Yajaira are believed to be known to each other. 'Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances and there are crime scenes in place across Camden and Lambeth. 'We thank the community for their patience while we carry out our enquiries and ask that any one with information please comes forward.' Anyone with information relating to Ms Mendez's disappearance have been urged to contact the police via 101 or @MetCC quoting CAD 3020/06JUN25. Alternatively you can remain anonymous by calling the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or by visiting Crimestoppers-uk.org. A glamorous mayor has hit back after video of her gyrating in a skimpy bikini was leaked online. Patricia Alencar went viral Thursday after one of her 185 followers on her private Instagram account shared the footage without her consent. The 37-year-old mayor was seen prancing around in a taupe two-piece. The mother-of-three could be seen singing along to a song while she attempted to fold a Louis Vuitton scarf. She was immediately hit with outrage by constituents who branded the behavior inappropriate. However, the defiant mayor who runs the city of Marituba in Brazil, got the last laugh on her critics by choosing to upload the footage to her official Instagram account. 'People, seriously, all this confusion is because of a woman in a bikini,' her caption read. 'Evolve!!! A woman can be a worker, mother and pretty.' Patricia Alencar, the mayor of the northern Brazilian city of Marituba, went viral earlier this week after one of the followers on her private Instagram account leaked a video that showed her gyrating in a bikini Alencar told Brazilian news outlet G1 that she felt 'betrayed' by one of the 185 followers on her private Instagram account after a video Alencar, who was reelected to a second term in October, told Brazilian news outlet G1 that she was 'betrayed' by the follower, who she though she could confide in. 'I felt extremely violated, because this video was made 15 days ago, on a private Instagram, where I handpicked my followers and where I show moments of Patricia away from work, nothing involving my professionalism, and I was betrayed by a person who was on that profile,' she said. Alencar, who in 2020 became the first woman elected as mayor of Marituba, believes she is now being persecuted because of her gender. '[It is] certain that we live in a sexist, prejudiced society and this is still alive today,' she said. Alencar was also disappointed because some of the criticism has come from her own peers. 'Women need to practice empathy, because unfortunately a good part of the (negative) comments are from women, it is a moment of unity, where we need to debate gender violence in politics,' Alencar said. But many still felt the video was inappropriate for someone in office. The mother-of-three was even more bothered that some of the hate has come from women after a video was leaked this week of her dancing in her bedroom in a bikini Patricia Alencar was reelected to a second term as the mayor of Marituba, a city in northern Brazilian state of Para 'This is not about moralism, but about responsibility for public image,' one person said. 'The position requires posture, even outside the office.' 'Given the position she holds, I think it is unnecessary and disrespectful,' another opined. Others showered the mayor with words of encouragement and slammed those who were critical of her. 'Mayor Patricia, I don't care about some women who are criticizing, it's because they wanted to be beautiful and they aren't either,' one male supporter said 'Don't stop being you!!!' another follower commented. 'You have the strength to face this fight!' DailyMail.com reached out to Alencar and her office for comment. Students at an Oregon middle school were encouraged to dress up as 'drag queens' and their 'queer hero' in celebration of Pride Month. Children attending the Arts and Technology Academy, in Eugene, were told they could dress up for the four-day celebration. In a memo obtained Fox News Digital, students were told on Monday to 'wear as many colors as they could' for what was described as 'Rainbow-Out' day. That was followed up with a reminder to wear all-black in 'remembrance of lost members of the LGBTQIA+ community'. On Wednesday, students and faculty celebrated 'Drag Day', with pupils told to 'dress like a drag queen/king/monarch or dress up as a different gender'. Thursday was picked as 'Queer Hero Day', where students were asked to dress as their favorite 'queer hero', the memo said. The week was rounded off with 'Pride Flag Friday', with students asked to 'dress up as the pride flag of your choice'. A representative for the Eugene School District 4J told DailyMail.com that participation was entirely 'optional and voluntary'. Children attending the Arts and Technology Academy, seen here, were told they could dress up for a four-day long celebration of Pride The week was rounded off with 'Pride Flag Friday', with students asked to 'dress up as the pride flag of your choice' A parent reached out to Fox saying that the school principal, Tom Maloney, sent out the itinerary on Monday, 15 minutes before school ended. The notice from Maloney also said that the activities for the week would coincide with learning in classrooms about the 'history of the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement'. Fox reported that the parent was surprised to hear about the activities after the school week had already started. State law indicates that schools are required to notify parents and guardians ahead of any sort of teachings on human sexuality. A spokesperson for the district acknowledged the memo and said that most of the lessons and activities were not considered instructions on human sexuality. They did say that both the school district and the school recognized that communication about the week should have been issued earlier than Monday. In a statement from the district said they would 'work more closely with schools around notice for thematic and spirit weeks'. They also said it was their expectation that schools should communicate with families about special event weeks and comply with state law. Supporters wave rainbow flags and signs at the annual Pride Parade as it passes through Greenwich Village in New York City The district also said that the activities and lessons aligned with the state Department of Education's LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success Plan. LGBTQ2SIA+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender/non-binary, Queer/Questioning, Two-Spirit, Intersex and Asexual. They said: 'We remain deeply committed to fostering inclusive, safe learning spaces and doing so in partnership with families. 'That means ensuring our communication is clear, our curriculum is aligned, and our students feel like they belong.' The district is one of several taking a stand against President Donald Trump's attempts to stamp out gender ideology, and DEI inside schools. Since taking office, Trump has signed a slew of executive orders tied to gender identity. On his first day in office, he signed an executive order announcing the federal government would only recognize only two unchangeable sexes: female and male. Two days after that, the school district adopted a resolution which affirmed 'gender identity, expression and equity for trans and gender-expansive students and staff'. Their resolution said they would stand in support of LGBTQ2SIA+ people and rejected 'any attempt to diminish, politicize or marginalize these identities'. Security officials have issued an urgent warning about the 'elevated threat' to Jewish communities nationwide following two recent antisemitic attacks. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the public service announcement, warning people to stay vigilant as the ongoing violence in Gaza may 'motivate' further attacks. Officials cited two recent threats at the basis for the warning: the May shooting at the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington DC, and the recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado. 'The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict may motivate other violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators with similar grievances to conduct violence against Jewish and Israeli communities and their supporters,' the release stated. 'Foreign terrorist organizations also may try to exploit narratives related to the conflict to inspire attacks in the United States. 'The FBI and DHS therefore urge the public to remain vigilant and to report any threats of violence or suspicious activity to law enforcement.' The warning comes after 12 people were injured in Boulder during a vigil for the Jewish hostages still held captive by Hamas in Gaza. The group was carrying out a weekly silent walk in solidarity with the hostages as it has done ever since the October 7 attack. On June 1, 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman (pictured) allegedly launched a violent attack on a group of about 30 demonstrators of a pro-Israel rally, using a flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to injure 12 people - including an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor On Friday, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released an urgent public service announcement to Jewish and Israeli communities across the US, warning them to stay vigilant as the ongoing violence in Gaza may 'motivate' further attacks But the peaceful protest quickly descended into chaos when 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman allegedly launched a violent attack on a group of about 30 demonstrators, using a flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to set eight victims on fire. The attack left twelve people injured, among them an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor. Soliman's wife and five children were taken into custody by agents with ICE and Homeland Security just two days later. Soliman arrived in the United States from Egypt in August 2022, but overstayed his initial tourist visa and was ultimately handed a two-year work permit by the Biden administration, which he also overstayed, as reported by Fox News. The family was expected to be processed for expedited removal, which would allow authorities to rapidly deport them without a hearing in an immigration court. Authorities said they found 16 unused Molotov cocktails when they arrested Soliman, adding that he only threw two of the devices because 'he was scared and had never hurt anyone before'. Agents also recovered a journal from Soliman's home in which he detailed his plans for the attack, and said he wanted to 'kill all Zionists', according to an affidavit on his arrest. The document also revealed that Soliman plotted the firebombing for over a year, but waited until after his daughter's graduation to conduct the attack. Soliman arrived in the United States from Egypt in August 2022, but overstayed his initial tourist visa and was ultimately handed a two-year work permit by the Biden administration, which he also overstayed Authorities said they found 16 unused Molotov cocktails when they arrested Soliman, adding that he only threw two of the devices because 'he was scared and had never hurt anyone before' Agents also recovered a journal from Soliman's home in which he detailed his plans for the attack, and said he wanted to 'kill all Zionists' He is now facing 16 counts of attempted murder and federal hate crime charges. The Colorado attack came just over a week after a man was arrested over the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, DC, on May 22. The victims were identified as German-Israeli dual national Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and his girlfriend Sarah Milgrim, 26. The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, repeatedly shouted 'Free Palestine' after shooting them dead - all while police dragged him away. The couple, who were set to get engaged just a week from their deaths, had attended a Young Diplomats event before they were shot that night. In the moments before the deadly shooting, Rodriguez was reportedly seen pacing back and forth before allegedly opening fire on a group of four people standing outside the museum. Jewish human rights organization the Simon Wiesenthal Center told Daily Mail the Boulder attack came on the first day of a religious holiday. He blamed the attack, as well as the murders of the Israeli embassy staffers, on 'months of anti-Israel propaganda, moral equivocation, and silence in the face of raging antisemitism'. The Colorado attack came just over a week after 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez (pictured) was arrested over the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, DC, on May 22 The victims were identified as German-Israeli dual national Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and his girlfriend Sarah Milgrim, 26 (pictured) Rodriguez repeatedly shouted 'Free Palestine' after shooting them dead - all while police dragged him away (pictured: candlelight vigil for the two victims) 'The nonstop demonization of Israel and Zionism on our campuses, in our streets, and across digital platforms has created a climate where hate flourishes, and physical attackseven murderof Jews is inevitable,' Berk said. Rodriguez had reportedly entered the building and was offered both water and comfort by attendees, who assumed he was a victim of the shooting. According to a witness, after spending about 15 minutes inside the museum in an apparent state of shock, he asked someone to call police and confessed. He was then taken into custody. Rodriguez was charged in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with the murder of foreign officials, causing death through the use of a firearm, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the United States Attorney's Office. He is also charged with two counts of first-degree murder under the DC criminal code. Disneyland has revealed it is shutting down one of its beloved rides to make way for a new attraction. The California resort announced last summer that a new Avatar themed ride would be making its way to fans. But now it has emerged that will be at the cost of a beloved fan-favorite attraction; Monsters, Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue! The ride is set to close at the beginning at 2026 in order to make way for a new era of Disneyland. The current attraction whisks riders through scenes from the Monsters Inc universe as characters Mike and Sulley race through the streets of Monstropolis to rescue Boo. It was launched in 2006, allowing millions of guests to enjoy the 20-year run. Not only is Monstropolis getting a makeover, part of Disneyland California Resort's backlot where the ride is located will be reconstructed to immerse park-goers into the world of Avatar. However, unlike Florida's Disneyworld, this iteration will not be based on the original 'Avatar' film. Disneyland is undergoing some big changes, but at the cost of a fan favorite ride The California resort announced last summer that a new Avatar themed ride would be making its way to fans Instead the area will become a visual recreation of 'Avatar: The Way of Water' According to Disney Parks Blog and may even feature concepts from upcoming Avatar films. Concept imagery shows the headlining ride taking fans through the sparkling blue lagoons of Pandora. The area will be centered around the water, recreating the landscape of the film and allowing park-goers to feel fully immersed, as if they are Avatars themselves. Disney officials describe the addition as 'dynamic, intense and an emotional experience on a grand scale', the LA Times reports. An opening and construction timeline has yet to be released. But Park-goers who loved the Monsters Inc ride are mourning its closure. 'So disappointing. Why they would make an Avatar land is beyond me. Part of the appeal of DCA is it's better for littler kids. This was one of the anchor rides for that experience. More disappointment,' wrote X user Rami Elghandour. 'They should just give us a Monsters Inc. land instead,' said another user. But it means Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! is being scrapped to make way Park-goers who loved the fan-favorite attraction are mourning its closure 'This sucks! Avatar fits ten times better in Animal Kingdom than DCA transitioning from Hollywood Land to Avatar? Really? Nope. Down with the ideawould rather have the Muppets back and keep Monsters Inc. alive to preserve kid-friendly rides in the park! There's not enough for little ones to do!' another fan chimed in. '@DisneyParks has no idea how to do the 'theme' in theme parks anymore. Just random stuff everywhere now,' complained another. 'R.I.P. Monsters. I'll forever miss you,' one user simply mourned. The new themed area was announced alongside other exciting additions to the Disneyland landscape, including a new 'Coco' attraction located near Pixar Pier at Disneyland California Adventure. This will mark the first 'Coco' activity in any Disney theme park, Disney Parks Blog writes. 'The attraction will be filled with the characters and music! you know and love from the beloved movie, as you join Miguel on a trip to the land of the dead.' Construction will begin in in fall 2026. Disney also plans on adding two new 'Avengers' attractions to Avengers Campus in Disneyland's California Adventure, although creators have yet to release a timeline for their construction. Concept imagery shows the headlining ride taking fans through the sparkling blue lagoons of Pandora Instead, what was once the home of friendly monsters Sulley and Mike, will become a visual recreation of ' Avatar: The Way of Water .' According to Disney Parks Blog Other exciting additions include a new 'Coco' attraction, the first at any Disney theme park Disney also promised a new parking structure to accommodate demand for their millions of guests, according to Disney Parks Blog. 'This new area will provide approximately 6,000 parking spaces, shuttle and rideshare areas, security screening and dedicated access for traffic off of Disney Way, improving parking and traffic flow throughout the resort area' While this transformation marks an ending for many beloved rides, Disneyland continues to add one new attraction after the other in theme with new films and fan favorites. As Monster's Inc. fans mourn the loss of the classic ride, Avatar fans can get excited about ushering in a brand new era. 'This is just the beginning of exciting growth here at Disneyland Resort, and we look forward to sharing more about all of these projects in the future,' a spokesman said. A greedy businessman embezzled more than 160,000 from his sister and splashed out on holidays and private dental work. David Bell stole the cash from dementia sufferer Janet Mann after he and his wife had been given power of attorney over her affairs. The 67-year-old architect splashed out in exclusive stores, on beauty therapy, dental work and holidays in Cuba and the US. Bell pleaded guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month to embezzling 160,998 while acting in the capacity of power of attorney between April 24, 2012 and January 15, 2020. His wife, Elizabeth Bell, 73, had a not guilty plea accepted. Bell returned to the dock for sentencing yesterday when solicitor Dan Cameron, defending, said his client was in a position to repay the embezzled cash. Sheriff Fergus Thomson told Bell: You were in a position of trust in respect of this lady and you embezzled funds. But withstanding what has been said and that you are a first offender and you are willing to repay these funds I am persuaded by a narrow margin there is an alternative to custody here. Bell was placed on a community payback order and must carry out 225 hours of unpaid work. The sheriff also imposed a compensation order requiring Bell, from Edinburgh, to repay the cash within a year. Prosecutor Eilidh Grant told the court Ms Mann had returned to Scotland after living abroad following the death of her husband in 2011. David Bell stole the cash from dementia sufferer Janet Mann after he and his wife had been given power of attorney over her affairs She was later diagnosed with dementia and Bell and his wife were given full control over her assets and bank accounts. Ms Mann, described as a rather wealthy individual with a large number of assets, moved into a care home before later relocating to a nursing home in Edinburgh. The court heard Bell subsequently asked Edinburgh City Council for assistance in paying for his sisters care in 2018. An investigation was conducted by council officials due to concerns over the management of her [Ms Manns] estate. Ms Grant said the investigation had found the spending had not been for her benefit but for the benefit of the accused and the couple were found to be unfit to be power of attorney. The couple surrendered the power of attorney in December 2019 and the case was then passed on to Police Scotland. The fiscal said one account had seen a significant turnover in funds with 976,151.61 being transferred out and over 1million transferred in between October 2012 and April 2018. The court heard the probe had found 50,000 had been transferred to Bells business account and a further 8000 had been paid into another of his accounts. Bell had used a second account to make payments to Costco, Arnold Clark, John Lewis, Debenhams, Jenners, for beauty therapy and dental work. Ms Grant said 25,000 had been identified for holidays, restaurants and purchases abroad as well as ATM cash withdrawals in Cuba, USA and Europe. She added: In addition other lump sum payments of over 6000 were paid directly into an account belonging to Mr Bell. Bell is listed as a director with Fouin and Bell Architects, The Earthy School Project, Hopefield Partnerships Ltd, Fouin and Bell Energy Ltd and Zephyr Wind Energy (UK) Ltd. Elon Musk's estranged father Errol told his 'gorilla' son to get back on President Donald Trump's good side. The elder Musk told The Times of London Friday that his son's feud with Trump resembled male animals fighting for dominance - but since Trump is the president of the United States, he'll 'win this round.' 'In any successful group of animals, whether gorillas, elephants or human beings, the dominant males will always fight for dominance,' Musk said. 'The problem you get with really good quality people is that the men all think they should be the general.' 'They will have to sort it out and because Trump is the one who was elected, Elon is going to have to accept he is not going to be the general,' the Tesla CEO's father added. A week ago, Musk was being feted in the Oval Office alongside Trump for the work he did for DOGE - the Department of Government Efficiency - as he headed back into the private sector. But Musk's complaints about the 'big, beautiful bill' spilled Thursday into an all-out war between the most powerful man in the world and the richest. 'I have had this trouble with Elon my whole life,' his father observed. 'If something doesn't look right to him, he can't help himself but say so on principle.' 'But I always said to him that he can do that without getting nasty,' the elder Musk added. Errol Musk (left), the estranged father of Elon Musk (right), said like a 'gorilla' Musk and President Donald Trump were fighting for dominance, but because Trump is the president of the United States, he'll 'win this round' President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews on Friday. He and Elon Musk got in a spectacular public fight on Thursday after Musk criticized the GOP's spending bill that's currently making its way through the U.S. Senate The fight got so brutal that the SpaceX CEO accused the president of being 'in the Epstein files,' a reference to serial pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The younger Musk also appeared supportive of Trump being impeached - and replaced by 40-year-old Vice President J.D. Vance. Trump made clear to reporters Friday morning that he would not be calling Musk to make peace. He also floated that he planned to sell the Tesla - a purchase he made to prop up Musk's electric car business as liberals started boycotting the vehicles. Errol Musk didn't seem surprised. 'But Elon is a man who has never known a day's hardship in his life,' he said. 'He has had a charmed life and so has never had to learn that the hard way.' At the same time, the elder Musk believed that the Musk-Trump row 'would now fizzle out.' 'Trump has to put things in that budget to make the Democrats vote for it. Elon saw things he didnt like and spoke up, but that should be the end of it now,' he said. 'Trump isnt vengeful. He will win this round with Elon and not hold it against him,' he continued. 'A big person can forgive easily, only small people can't. Things have gone over the top, but this is the situation when alphas fight it out. I've told Elon he has said his part, but now he must allow things to calm down - and I hope he will,' the elder Musk added. The former leader of DOGE appeared more restrained Friday, though placed blame on Trump for things getting so heated. 'Elon criticized Congress, not Trump,' read an X post Friday that Musk commented on. 'Trump then attacked Elon personally.' 'Exactly,' Elon Musk wrote. Trump spent his Friday behind closed doors and didn't talk to reporters on the South Lawn as he departed for a Bedminster weekend. President Donald Trump on Friday confirmed that he would proceed with building a ballroom on the White House grounds. 'Just inspected the site of the new Ballroom that will be built, compliments of a man known as Donald J. Trump, at the White House,' he revealed on Truth Social. Daily Mail reported in April that Trump's interest in constructing a White House ballroom dated back to at least 2010, when he approached President Barack Obama's adviser David Axelrod with the plan. A year later, Trump shamed the Obama administration for using a 'lousy looking tent' to host state dinners during an interview with Rush Limbaugh. Cut to February, when Trump was hosting his first large-scale event in the East Room of his second term. 'This room is packed and - you know I offered to build a ballroom,' he told attendees. In his post Friday, the president claimed that a White House ballroom had been in demand for years. 'For 150 years, Presidents, and many others, have wanted a beautiful Ballroom, but it never got built because nobody previously had any knowledge or experience in doing such things - But I do, like maybe nobody else, and it will go up quickly, and be a wonderful addition, very much in keeping with the magnificent White House itself,' Trump said. President Donald Trump on Friday confirmed that he would proceed with building a ballroom on the White House grounds 'Just inspected the site of the new Ballroom that will be built, compliments of a man known as Donald J. Trump, at the White House,' he revealed on Truth Social He pushed that the ballroom project wouldn't be a distraction from more important presidential duties. 'There are the "fun" projects I do while thinking about the World Economy, the United States, China, Russia, and lots of other Countries, places, and events,' Trump said. 'It will all be good, maybe even GREAT, depending on who is the President of the U.S.A.!' the president added. A White House official told the Daily Mail that the 'expected ballroom location will be generally speaking on the East side of the White House complex.' 'We will have more to announce shortly after final decisions such as size, blueprint, etc., have been finalized,' the source added. A former East Wing aide from a previous administration had told the Daily Mail in April that a ballroom could possibly be erected as part of the already-existing East Wing, where the first lady typically has her offices. 'I don't think it's impossible,' the official said. 'I'm not an engineer or a construction expert but it certainly doesn't seem impossible that you could restructure the East Wing to create a large ballroom to the president's liking.' Trump previously added a 20,000 square foot ballroom to his historic Palm Beach property, Mar-a-Lago, and also added a ballroom addition to Washington, D.C.'s Old Post Office, as it was transitioning to his Trump-branded hotel. Now that property is a Waldorf Astoria. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago ballroom was a 20,000-square-foot addition to the historic property that he purchased in 1985 The Obamas erected a tent for a state dinner for the first time in White House history in 2009. Donald Trump, then a real estate developer, thought it was tacky and offered to build something better according to Obama adviser David Axelrod The most likely location for a Trump ballroom would be the East Wing. In the past, parts of the South Lawn have been used for tents to house state dinners in first the Obama administration and later by President Joe Biden President Joe Biden used what appeared to be the same tent as President Barack Obama to host his 2023 state dinner with Australia. Biden repositioned it in an area of the South Lawn that would better accommodate Trump's ballroom vision The Truth Social post indicated the president would personally pick up the cost. He reportedly also told Axelrod he would pick up the tab, according to Trump's telling. But in a 2016 interview with Time magazine, after candidate Trump had again brought up the ballroom on the even of the Iowa caucuses, Axelrod remembered the conversation differently. 'I don't recall him saying he would pay for it,' the Obama adviser said. Trump made the ballroom announcement after spending the day behind closed doors, on the heels of his blockbuster public feud with former DOGE leader Elon Musk. A murder investigation has been launched following the death of a man in Bradford after a number of males 'fought on the street with bladed weapons'. Police are appealing for any witnesses to the 'disorder' which took place this afternoon in the Newton Street area. Officers were called at 2.31pm to a report of the brawl and emergency services found a 19-year-old male who suffered serious injuries. He was provided with medical care but died at the scene. Cordons remain in place and four arrests have been made in connection with the event so far. One male was arrested on suspicion of murder and three men were arrested on suspicion of offences including affray. DCI Dan Bates, of the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, who is leading the investigation, said: 'A full investigation is ongoing into what has clearly been a very serious incident which has resulted in a young man losing his life. 'A number of initial arrests have been made and we are appealing for witnesses and information, as we work to determine the full circumstances of what took place. 'We will have a number of police scenes in place over the course of the evening and uniformed officers will also be patrolling to reassure residents. Cordons remain in place and four arrests have been made in connection with the event so far Officers were called at 2.31pm to a report of the brawl and emergency services found a 19-year-old male who suffered serious injuries Footage from the scene shows smashed windows on a car after a brawl in the Newton Street area Forensics are currently on site following the death of a 19-year-old who was pronounced deceased at the scene 'Colleagues from Bradford District's Stronger Communities Team are also working to liaise with partners in communities.' Anyone who has any information or footage which could assist the investigation has been asked to contact the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team on 101 or online. Those getting in touch should reference crime number 13250318241. Information can also be given anonymously to the independent Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111. Travelers were forced to evacuate a Spirit Airlines flight after a bomb threat was reported at a Michigan airport. On Thursday morning, Flight 2145 - scheduled to depart from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Los Angeles International Airport - was abruptly halted just before takeoff. 'The Wayne County Airport Authority's Emergency & Support Services and Airfield Operations team along with the TSA responded to a bomb threat involving a Spirit Airlines aircraft,' an airport authority spokesperson said, as reported by CBS News. TSA officials and airfield operations teams quickly mobilized, safely deplaning all passengers without incident. Video footage from the incident captured a heavy emergency response presence, with flashing lights visible through the rain-soaked windows. A Wayne County Airport Authority employee addressed passengers over the intercom at the front of the plane, informing them that a 'situation' would require everyone to de-board the aircraft. He instructed travelers to leave all carry-on items on the plane, assuring them their belongings would be safe as the aircraft would be secured and surrounded by authorities. Flight 2145 was abruptly halted just before takeoff Video footage from the incident captured passengers deplaning Spirit Airlines said law enforcement was requested to meet the aircraft due to a 'potential security issue' After explaining how to de-board the aircraft safely and efficiently, he informed passengers that TSA K-9 dogs were waiting outside to screen everyone as they exited. Following the deplaning, travelers were transported by bus to the Evans Terminal as authorities launched an investigation into the bomb threat. All passengers were rescreened once again after deplaning, and the aircraft was thoroughly inspected and later cleared by authorities. As of now, no explosive device has been found, and no injuries have been reported. However, an investigation remains ongoing. According to flight tracking data, the aircraft eventually departed around 12.45pm - several hours after its intended departure time. Spirit Airlines released a statement explaining that law enforcement was requested to meet the aircraft prior to departure due to a 'potential security issue'. 'The safety of our Guests and Team Members is our top priority, and we are working to get our Guests to their destination as soon as possible,' the airline's statement read, as reported by KTLA News. In February, an American Airlines flight was delayed by more than four hours when a passenger arrived at Austin Airport with their Wi-Fi hotspot saved as 'I have a bomb'. Police boarded flight 2863, bound for Charlotte, and asked the passenger to identify themselves, assessing it could be a 'prank'. As of now, no explosive device has been found In February, an American Airlines flight was delayed by more than four hours when a passenger arrived at Austin Airport with their Wi-Fi hotspot saved as 'I have a bomb' 'Cue the groaning from the entire f***ing plane when the cop announced this,' one passenger recalled, with choice words for the 'idiot' who refused to come forward. Another passenger, who gave his name as Steen, told ABC News that he was travelling home when the incident happened. He recalled a police official boarding the plane and telling passengers the prank was not funny. 'If this is a joke, please raise your hand now, because we can deal with the practical joke differently than if this... if we have to do a full blown investigation of what's going on here,' Sheen recalled the lieutenant as having said. When nobody owned up, all passengers were asked to make their way off the plane. Several K9 units were brought in to sniff around the baggage compartment of the plane, as well as the luggage hauled out onto the tarmac, while passengers waited in a cordoned-off segment before being re-screened at security. The aircraft was eventually cleared after it was swept for explosives. The plane finally departed more than four hours later. 'Eventually we are able to board again and take off but the whole thing was just so f***ing infuriating because after all that they were not even able to determine who the hell did this s***,' a passenger shared. Spirit Airlines has not immediately responded to DailyMail.com for comment. A mysterious will said to be the final wishes of Zappos founder Tony Hsieh has emerged five years after his death. The tech giant, worth over $500 million, died after a fire engulfed his friend's Connecticut home in 2020, having only retired three-months earlier from the billion-dollar firm. His family had until recently believed he left no final will, with a new report from the Wall Street Journal saying the document mysteriously appeared this spring. According to the outlet the document has Hsieh's signature on it and is dated 2015, five years before the 46-year-old died. In the months leading up to his death he had been battling severe drug and alcohol abuse. The will was delivered to the office of Nevada based estate attorney Robert Armstrong, who had never met Hsieh before or worked with him. He was named as an executor. The discovery has thrown his probate case into turmoil. Armstrong said in court filing seen by the outlet, that he was shocked to have received the document. The will is said to transfer over $50 million and several Las Vegas properties to a series of trusts with as yet unknown beneficiaries. It is also said to include several charitable donations including $3 million to his alma mater Harvard University. The rest would go to his family. The tech giant, worth over $500 million, died after a fire engulfed his his friend's Connecticut home in 2020 Hsieh was inside a shed near the property in New London when he was caught in the fire At a hearing on Thursday there was no further clues as to how legitimate the document is, or where it came from. The court heard that after Armstrong received the will he got a phone call from a man named Kashif Singh. Singh told the lawyer that the will had been passed to him by his late grandfather, Pir Muhammad, who was named as a co-executor. The revelation has stumped those involved in Hsieh's estate and the court, with both sides unsure how to proceed. Armstrong, alongside attorney and co-executor Mark Ferrario, have claimed that Hsieh's family's legal team have been aggressive in their approach. In a filing, they said the family's lawyers had adopted a 'scorched earth approach' and made over 70 requests for documents to 'invalidate the will'. Dara Goldsmith, a lawyer representing the family, told the Journal: 'There is nothing 'scorched earth' about thoroughly examining a document that comes out of nowhere, more than four years after Tony Hsieh's death.' She added that Richard Hsieh, his father, 'has faithfully administered his son Tony's estate and guarded Tony's legacy.' Hsieh is seen here alongside President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka in an undated picture Goldsmith told the court on Thursday that the family hadn't decided on whether to challenge the will. Prior to his death, Hsieh had gone on a massive buying spree, buying up at least seven multi-millionaire dollars homes, a private club and a vacant lot. He spent at least $50 million as part of his plan to relocate to the millionaires' playground of Park City, Utah. Hsieh, who was born in Illinois and was the son of Taiwanese immigrants, studied at Harvard University before he joined Zappos - then called ShoeSite.com - in 1999. As CEO, he helped transform the fledgling internet start-up into a billion-dollar business. Zappos was sold to Amazon for $1.2 billion in 2009, but Hsieh remained with the company until his retirement in 2020. For years, Hsieh also worked to revitalize downtown Las Vegas, pledging $350 million in 2013 for redevelopment. The same year he moved Zappos headquarters into the former Las Vegas City Hall building. His probate case is to return to court on July 17 in Las Vegas. President Donald Trump plans to save Tiktok from going dark for a third time. Ahead of a June 19 deadline, the president is expected to sign an executive order staving off enforcement of a law banning the app or forcing its sale, the Wall Street Journal reported. This would be the third extension since Trump took office on January 20th. The extension comes as Trump officials head to London for a Monday meeting with Chinese officials on a trade deal. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will be meeting at the meeting. 'The meeting should go very well. Thank you for your attention to this matter!,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social account. President Donald Trump is expected to save TikTok for a third time He and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke on the phone Thursday as both sides try to repair a breakdown in trade negotiations. Earlier this year, the administration had been working on a deal for American investors to take ownership of the popular video app but that deal fell victim to Trump's trade war with China. So, on April 4th, Trump signed an executive order granting a 75-day extension allowing TikTok to operate in the U.S. 'My Administration has been working very hard on a Deal to SAVE TIKTOK, and we have made tremendous progress. The Deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed, which is why I am signing an Executive Order to keep TikTok up and running for an additional 75 days,' he announced on Truth Social at the time. Several American companies have expressed interest in having a stake in Tiktok, including Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Oracle. TikTok is one of the most powerful media sources in America today. It has 135.79 million users in America, making it the country with the biggest audience on the map. It also has grown to be one of the largest online shopping marketplaces with millions of dollars in daily sales. More Americans are on TikTok than users in any other country Congress passed the TikTok ban in 2024 with overwhelming bipartisan support demanding China lose its control of the popular video service. Lawmakers had national security concerns that an app used by so many Americans was controlled by China and feared the Chinese company that owns, ByteDance, could use it as a way to collect information on Americans. TikTok fought the ban all the way to the Supreme Court, calling it a violation of free speech rights, but the court upheld the law in early 2025. ByteDance didn't agree to terms with any US-based companies and went dark for a few hours on January 19th, the day before President Trump's inauguration. But Trump has fought to keep the social media site operational in the US. After his inauguration, he signed a delay in implementing the ban, then extended it again in April and is preparing for the third extension. Trump sees the app as a way to reach younger voter. He has indicated he'd like to come to a deal. 'We'll probably have to get China's approval. China's never easy,' he said last week. 'I'd like to save TikTok. I mean, TikTok was very good to me.' A migrant man who was mistakenly deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador has returned to the US. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, was brought back to face criminal charges for allegedly transporting undocumented migrants around the US. The Trump administration initially accepted it had made a mistake in deporting Abrego Garcia, a father-of-three who arrived in the US illegally more than a decade ago. On Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi said that Abrego Garcia had landed 'to face justice' over allegations of people smuggling and conspiracy to commit smuggling. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also championed his return, saying it proved the 'unhinged Democrat Party' was wrong about Abrego Garcia, who liberals had dubbed a 'Maryland father-of-three'. Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador after being accused of being an MS-13 gang member. The deportation went ahead despite a court order forbidding his return which claimed he was at risk of persecution by the gang. Prior to this he had several brushes with the law in the US over the years, although none resulted in arrest or conviction. After initially ignoring a court order to facilitate his repatriation to the US, Bondi announced that Abrego Garcia has been hauled back to America to face charges stemming from one of these encounters. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant who lived in the U.S. legally with a work permit and was erroneously deported to El Salvador, is seen here in this handout image .@AGPamBondi announces Kilmar Abrego Garcia "has landed in the United States to face justice" on charges of alien smuggling and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling. "Upon completion of his sentence, we anticipate he will be returned to his home country of El Salvador." pic.twitter.com/hMRo7UqOGf Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 6, 2025 In this undated photo provided by the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, a man identified by Jennifer Vasquez Sura as her husband, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, is led by force by guards through the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador A federal grand jury indicted Abrego Garcia over claims he participated in a years- long operation trafficking people through the Texas border. Sources told ABC News that amongst those allegedly transported were members of the infamous Salvadoran gang MS-13. The conspiracy is said to have spanned nearly ten years and involved the transportation of thousands of migrants from Mexico and Central America. He is expected to be prosecuted and, if convicted, will be returned to his home country at the conclusion of the case, officials said. The investigation into the charges started after federal authorities started probing a 2022 traffic stop of Abrego Garcia by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, source said. He was stopped with eight people in his car and told officers he was driving them from Texas to Maryland for a construction job. The exchange led the officer to, 'suspect this was a human trafficking incident', according to a report produced at the time. But Abrego Garcia was let go with out any arrest or charge, despite having an expired license, per the document. The investigation into the charges started after federal authorities started probing a 2022 traffic stop of Abrego Garcia by the Tennessee Highway Patrol President Donald Trump had repeatedly maintained in an interview with ABC's Terry Moran that Abrego Garcia has M-S-1-3 tattooed on his hand Abrego Garcia was deported in March to El Salvador's CECOT mega-prison after the administration claimed he was a member of MS-13. Something he and his family have denied. President Donald Trump had repeatedly maintained in an interview with ABC's Terry Moran that Abrego Garcia has M-S-1-3 tattooed on his hand. Trump had posted multiple times showing knuckle tattoos, but Moran told him the actual M-S-1-3 letters and numbers had simply been photoshopped onto the image above Abrego Garcia's actual tattoos as a code to decipher them. His deportation saga began when he was pulled over by immigration officers on March 12 and was told his immigration status had changed. Within days he was on a plane to El Salvador and his family recognized him in CECOT from media images which showed off distinctive tattoos on his arm. Abrego Garcia was granted 'withholding of removal' status in 2019 after a judge determined his claims that he would be persecuted if he returned to El Salvador were legitimate. President Trump had said that he could retrieve Abrego Garcia with one phone call to El Salvador's president, but refused to do it. Abrego Garcias American wife sued over his deportation, and U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered his return on April 4. The Supreme Court ruled on April 10 that the administration must work to bring him back. Abrego Garcias American wifex Jennifer Vasquez Sura sued over his deportation, and U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered his return on April 4 Abrego Garcia's saga sparked a debate about whether the Trump administration followed due process with his deportation Late last month the administration asked a judge to throw out the lawsuit, arguing the court lacked jurisdiction because he was no longer in the US. Attorneys for the administration have also argued that information about returning Abrego Garcia is protected under state secrets privilege. U.S. attorneys said releasing such details in open court - or even to the judge in private - would jeopardize national security by revealing sensitive diplomatic negotiations. Many filings in the case have been sealed. The case has raised questions about whether due process was followed and highlighted the extent to which the White House is trying to exert control over the courts to bolster its immigration policy. US Senator Chris Van Hollen, who represents Maryland, had traveled to El Salvador to meet with Abrego Garcia. In a statement on Friday, he said: 'For months the Trump Administration flouted the Supreme Court and our Constitution. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also championed his return as proving the 'unhinged Democrat Party' was wrong about Abrego Garcia 'Today, they appear to have finally relented to our demands for compliance with court orders and with the due process afforded to everyone in the United States. 'As I have repeatedly said, this is not about the man, its about his constitutional rights and the rights of all. 'The Administration will now have to make its case in the court of law, as it should have all along.' In a statement about his return, Abrego Garcia's attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said: 'From the beginning, this case has made one thing painfully clear: The government had the power to bring him back at any time. 'Instead, they chose to play games with the court and with a man's life. We're not just fighting for Kilmar - we're fighting to ensure due process rights are protected for everyone. 'Because tomorrow, this could be any one of us -- if we let power go unchecked, if we ignore our Constitution.' Abrego Garcia's wife has stood by him throughout the saga, despite previously filing a report of domestic abuse against her husband. The Salvadoran was never charged over the report which was later retracted. A champion piper whose own hi-tech company car alerted police to his drunken wrecking spree has been banned from driving for 16 months. Jonathan Greenlees resigned as a company director and took a 20,000 salary cut after smashing four other cars in 30 minutes. The 51-year-old accountant, who has won world bagpiping titles, was at a company event at Crieff Hydro Hotel when he left colleagues and got in his 45,000 electric car. He caused tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage to the parked cars he smashed into and has been ordered to carry out 160 hours unpaid community work. Sheriff David Hall said: I cannot understand why you ended up driving your vehicle that night, bearing in mind you were staying at the hotel. Why did you drive? Solicitor Jim Bready, defending, said: He has no idea. He doesnt recall driving at all. He took a chance with his vehicle being available and drinking during the meal. The consequences were severe for him, but fortunately not as severe as they could have been. This type of conduct is completely out of character. He was a company director up until this incident. After this he resigned his post and was effectively demoted to another post in the company. Champion bagpiper and finance director Jonathan Greenlees, who drunkenly smashed several cars He has taken a reduction of 20,000 in his salary as a direct result of this incident. His income is substantially in excess of 60,000. Perth Sheriff Court heard how Greenlees smashed into four other cars - including the same one twice - while he was more than three times over the limit. It was his company Polestar car which first alerted the police to him crashing while the sound of several loud bangs brought witnesses out into the street. Greenlees admitted driving dangerously and drunk while he was supposed to be staying at the Crieff Hydro Hotel in Perthshire on 14 April this year. He resigned as Finance Director of Securigroup Ltd the day after his arrest and just six months after taking up the post with the Glasgow-based company. Fiscal depute Elizabeth Hodgson told the court that the dangerous driving lasted for almost 30 minutes and was recorded in full by Greenlees own dashcam device. She said: From around 11pm people in the neighbourhood and roads around Crieff heard a series of collisions and came out into the street to investigate. They exited their homes and found the accused sitting in the drivers seat of his vehicle, a black Polestar. Police arrived ten minutes later. They noticed damage to multiple vehicles and traced the accused within his vehicle and trying to start it. He was asked if he was injured and replied that he wasnt. He was asked to exit and it was clear he was dazed, confused and slurring his words. An ambulance attended and they assessed that he was fit for custody. He identified himself as the driver. The usual procedures were carried out and the accused provided a lower reading of 70 mics [limit 22 mics]. He was arrested and placed in a locked cell. His dashcam footage shows the entire event and lasts for about half an hour. It shows how dangerous the driving is - striking multiple vehicles, stalling and running up onto the kerb. Mr Bready told the court his client believed he had suffered a reaction to taking medicine and alcohol during the evening and could not remember what happened. He said: He cant recall leaving the table, the hotel or even driving the car. He had been taking the medication for two years or longer than that and there has never been any incident where the consumption of alcohol has resulted in anything at all. He was going to be staying at the Crieff Hydro. He would not normally risk driving at all, having taken any drink. His colleagues told him how much he had had to drink, and it was four to five glasses of wine. Greenlees, of Glasgow, admitted driving drunk from Crieff Hydro car park, on the A822 towards Muthill and on various other roads in Crieff on 14 April. He also admitted driving dangerously and colliding with several stationary cars, driving at excessive speed, failing to maintain lane discipline, repeatedly driving on the wrong side and striking the kerb. Greenlees was in the Field Marshall Montgomery Pipe Band when he was crowned Champion Piper at the National Mod Piping Competition in Oban in 2015. He has won numerous world titles. Russell Findlay has apologised directly to voters for Conservative failures in office after his party came a distant fourth in the Hamilton by-election. The Scottish Tory leader refused to peddle the usual excuses after the disappointing result in the three-way marginal. I will be straight - this by-election delivered a harsh verdict on my partys previous period in government, he said. Voters still feel badly let down by the previous UK Conservative government. The Conservatives came third in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse at the 2021 Holyrood election with a 17.5 per cent share of the vote. But on Thursday it plunged to six per cent, just above the threshold needed to save its deposit. At the same time, Reform went from a standing start to 26.1 per cent, coming just 869 votes behind the SNP and 1,471 behind Labour. Tory insiders claimed some of their support backed Labour in a tactical Unionist vote to help defeat the SNP. But with polls showing up to a quarter of Tory voters at the general election now backing Reform, many local Tories undoubtedly backed Reforms Ross Lambie. Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay admitted the Hamilton by-election delivered 'a harsh verdict on my partys previous period in government' Writing in todays Mail, Mr Findlay said Tory candidate Richard Nelson was respected and hard-working but many local people didnt feel we deserved their vote because over 14 years in power, we lost our way. The West Scotland MSP said: I want to say directly to everyone who feels that way that I am listening, I get it and I understand how you feel. My party let you down in government and we accept responsibility for our mistakes. On a more positive note, Mr Findlay said the by-election had also exposed how vulnerable and beatable the SNP was under John Swinney. The era of damaging and divisive Nationalist rule can be brought to an end in 2026 and our party will play a pivotal part in doing so, he promised. There are vast areas of Scotland where only we can beat the SNP. If we work hard, demonstrate to people that weve changed and show that were ready to represent their interests, we can send John Swinney packing. What a prize that would be. Kemi Badenoch insisted the Conservatives were still the main opposition to Labour despite her party sinking to fourth place in Hamilton. Reform also gained 677 seats in last months English local elections as the Tories lost 674. Keir Starmer has said he now regard Nigel Farages party as his main rivals at Westminster, despite it having only five MPs, because of its strong position in the polls. But Ms Badenoch dismissed Reform as a protest party and called the claim that it was the real opposition nonsense. Describing Reform as another left-wing party, she said: What theyre trying to do is talk this situation into existence. Labour is going to be facing the Conservative Party at the next election and were going to get them out. Recent polls have put Reform well ahead of Labour on Westminster voting intention, with the Conservatives third and the Lib Dems close behind them. However the next general election is still four years away and Reform has yet to prove its credentials in power since it won control of a dozen English councils in May. The party has also been blighted by infighting, including the dramatic resignation of chair Zia Yusuf on Thursday after a public spat with Runcorn MP Sarah Pochin about burkas. Polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice said support for the Tories had never fallen so heavily in a Holyrood by-election. He told the Telegraph: The Conservatives are at risk of recording their worst-ever performance in a Scottish Parliament election next year and could find themselves occupying a much diminished space in the Holyrood chamber as only the fourth-largest party. 'Humiliated' John Swinney saw his party beaten by Labour in another by-election amid claims voters punished the SNP for 18 years of abject failure. Just hours after the First Minister confidently predicted there was no way Labour could win the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Holyrood seat, Anas Sarwars party triumphed by 602 votes in what should have been a safe bet for SNP. The surprise win, achieved in spite of voter fury at UK Labour cuts and a media-shy candidate dubbed the Invisible Man, left SNP activists reeling at the count. New MSP Davy Russell said the Nationalists had broken the NHS, wasted money, and after nearly two decades, they dont deserve another chance. And Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said: John Swinney has been humiliated by this result. 'The voters have clearly punished the SNP for their 18 years of misrule. First Minister John Swinney confidently predicted there was no way Labour could win the Hamilton by-election, only to see his candidate beaten hours later In other developments: Nigel Farage said Reform UKs strong third place showed it was just getting started in Scotland Russell Findlay apologised to voters after the Scottish Tories came fourth, saying My party let you down in government and we accept responsibility for our mistakes Former SNP cabinet secretary Alex Neil said the current SNP leadership needs to be replaced urgently, while former SNP deputy Jim Sillars accused Mr Swinney of a manifest failure to read the street and called him unfit to lead Ex-SNP MP Joanna Cherry KC said her party was stagnant and needs a major rethink An elated Mr Anas Sarwar yesterday said it was the springboard to a Labour win at Holyrood and predicted the era of Nationalist rule was coming to an end. Celebrating with Mr Russell and a throng of activists in the summer sun, Mr Sarwar said it was pretty obvious that Mr Swinney was now on borrowed time. He said the SNP had run a shameful campaign that glossed over the partys record and tried to focus on Reform because Mr Swinney knows the record is one of abject failure. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, right, celebrates with winning candidate Davy Russell SNP candidate Katy Loudon looks on solemnly as Mr Russell is declared winner of the Hamilton by-election He said: What were seeing now is the running down of the clock. This is an SNP government that has lost its way. The balloon is burst. Theyre out of ideas. Mr Sarwar said he believed the victory to be even more significant than the partys win in the nearby Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election in October 2023 - which he said had been key in helping to secure Labours general election win in July last year. At a low-key press conference in Edinburgh, a dejected Mr Swinney admitted his party had not recovered last years general election thrashing, when it lost 39 of its 48 MPs. The SNPs made some progress but its not enough and weve got to make further progress before the elections next May, he said. The by-election was triggered by the death of SNP minister Christina McKelvie from cancer at the age of 57. It was one of the ugliest campaigns in modern Scottish politics, with accusations of racism levelled against Reform after it homed its attacks on Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. A Reform campaign advert claimed Mr Sarwar had said he wanted to prioritise the Pakistani community based on a 2022 speech in which he said no such thing. Mr Swinney tried to use the advert and Reforms rising support to turn the contest into a battle between his own party and Nigel Farages and exclude Labour. He claimed it was a two-horse race in which Labour didnt feature. Im confident weve done enough to win the contest, he said on the eve of the poll. Labour cant win. Its over for the Labour Party. Theres no way they can win here, after the disastrous record of the Labour government. But Labours traditional door-by-door campaigning and an affable local candidate who highlighted deteriorating public services under the SNP narrowly won out. Mr Russell erased an SNP majority of 4,582 on a 7 per cent swing to Labour. Labours share of the vote was 31.5 per cent, down from the 33.6 per cent at the 2021 Holyrood election. The SNPs vote share slumped by more than a third from 46.2 per cent to 29.3 per cent. Despite hype about overtaking Labour or even winning, Reform UK came third, but achieved a 26.1 per cent share despite not having a Holyrood candidate in the seat before The Scottish Conservatives came fourth but narrowly held on to their deposit. Turnout was 44.2 per cent, down from 60.7 per cent in 2021. The government's anti-radicalisation programme has decided worries about mass migration are 'terrorist ideology'. Among the 'dangerous' beliefs flagged by Prevent's online training course are 'Cultural nationalism' and the idea 'Western culture is under threat'. A statement on the official GOV.UK website describes 'Extreme right-wing' ideology as terrorism, before going on to list three sub-categories. It says concerns around 'lack of integration by certain ethnic and cultural groups' are also a threat. Critics have warned the definition of 'cultural nationalism' is too broad and could even encompass the likes of Sir Keir Starmer. Lord Young, the general secretary of the Free Speech Union (FSU) said: 'The definition in the training course expands the scope of suspicion to include individuals whose views are entirely lawful but politically controversial. 'Now that 'cultural nationalism' has been classified as a subcategory of extreme Right-wing terrorist ideology, even mainstream, Right-of-centre beliefs risk being treated as ideologically suspect, despite falling well within the bounds of lawful expression.' Lord Young added the definition could also capture Mr Jenrick, the former immigration minister, who warned 'excessive, uncontrolled migration threatens to cannibalise the compassion of the British public'. The website says: 'Cultural nationalism: "Western culture" is under threat from mass migration and a lack of integration There are three categories of 'Extreme right-wing' terrorism. They are 'Cultural nationalism', 'white/ethno-nationalism' and 'white supremacism' Prevent is one part of the government's overall counter-terrorism strategy and is described as a multi-agency programme that 'aims to stop individuals becoming terrorists'. A Home Office spokesman said: 'Prevent is not about restricting debate or free speech, but about protecting those susceptible to radicalisation.' Each year, thousands of teachers, police officers, health workers and other staff undergo Prevent training. The programmes official 'refresher awareness' course states 'cultural nationalism' as one of the most common 'sub-categories of extreme Right-wing terrorist ideologies', alongside white supremacism and white/ethno-nationalism'. The row comes despite a report by Sir William Shawcross, a former independent reviewer of Prevent, warning that mainstream literature and even Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg had been described as 'cultural nationalists'. Sir William recommended Prevent must be 'consistent in the threshold that it applies across ideologies to ensure a proportionate and effective response'. Among the programme's other failures were its inability to identify people who went on to carry out terrorist attacks, according to Sir William. A former government adviser has now also described the 'cultural nationalism' definition as 'pretty shoddy'. Critics have warned the definition of 'cultural nationalism' is too broad and could even encompass the likes of Sir Keir Starmer (file image) It comes amid fears that despite a person being deemed to require 'no further action', their name could be smeared, with it remaining on police or other databases. Last month, retired police officer Julian Foulkes was arrested and detained for a social media post - with officials who searched his house describing his book collection as 'very Brexity'. Mr Foulkes subsequently received an apology and 20,000 compensation. The FSU has said it has already worked to support members of Prevent like a 24-year-old autistic man whose social worker reporter he had been viewing 'offensive and anti-trans' websites and 'focussing on lots of Right-wing dark comedy'. Kemi Badenoch opened the door yesterday to imposing US-style travel bans as she warned Britain is being 'mugged' by migrants. The Tory leader said there were 'scenarios' in which the UK might need to halt arrivals from entire states and said human rights laws should not prevent governments from doing so. US President Donald Trump faced a furious backlash from human rights groups this week after citing national security grounds to ban all arrivals from 12 countries, including Iran, Libya, Afghanistan and Somalia. Amnesty International described the move as 'discriminatory, racist and downright cruel'. Mrs Badenoch did not directly endorse Mr Trump's actions, but said Britain should reserve the right to impose similar restrictions. 'Parliament needs to be able to decide who comes into the country, for how long, and who needs to leave, and that does include travel bans,' she said. 'On a country-specific basis it's much tougher. But I think there are scenarios where that is viable.' Her comments came as she took a decisive step towards backing withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). In a speech at the Royal United Services Institute in London, she warned human rights laws were being 'weaponised' to stifle action on everything from immigration and crime to housing and the environment. She dismissed suggestions from Council of Europe chief Alain Berset that he was ready to 'adapt' elements of the ECHR in the wake of concern about its impact on efforts to control immigration. She said reform of the ECHR, backed by some Tory MPs, was 'a lost cause', and noted that Mr Berset had warned changing the treaty would be 'complicated'. 'That's what someone says when they are telling you: 'Well, you can try your luck, but nothing is going to change',' said Mrs Badenoch, who announced the creation of a commission to examine the practicalities of leaving the ECHR. Kemi Badenoch (above) opened the door yesterday to imposing US-style travel bans as she warned Britain is being 'mugged' by migrants US President Donald Trump (above) faced a furious backlash from human rights groups this week after citing national security grounds to ban all arrivals from 12 countries, including Iran, Libya, Afghanistan and Somalia Ms Badenoch dismissed suggestions from Council of Europe chief Alain Berset that he was ready to 'adapt' elements of the ECHR in the wake of concern about its impact on efforts to control immigration (Pictured: Migrants crossing the English Channel in March 2024) She said the ECHR 'should be a shield to protect' but has become a 'sword used to attack democratic decisions and common sense', adding: 'This use of litigation as a political weapon is what I am calling lawfare.' The new commission, led by Tory barrister Lord Wolfson, will also examine whether changes are needed to other treaties and laws, including the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, the Equality Act and the Climate Change Act. Mrs Badenoch committed the Tories to new laws that would bar illegal migrants from ever claiming asylum in the UK. And she confirmed she is looking at options for a Rwanda-style scheme which would see those crossing the Channel illegally deported immediately, breaking the link between boarding a dinghy in France and building a new life in the UK. She said Britain had 'lost control' of the asylum system, adding: 'Hundreds of thousands of people have come here claiming to be refugees... almost all passing through neighbouring countries which are perfectly safe. 'Tens of thousands of them will receive taxpayer-funded legal aid, which is spent on lawyers competing to devise ever more ingenious legal arguments to keep them in the country.' She said the UK 'cannot be the world's softest touch', adding: 'In some years, our approval rate for asylum applications was above 80 per cent. Last year, Japan's was 2 per cent. 'Britain is being mugged. Our asylum system... will require a fundamental rebuild, so that the British Government, not people traffickers, control it.' She said reforms would also put an end to veterans who served in Northern Ireland being 'repeatedly harassed through the courts while terrorists walk free'. ...as France is set to ask us for even MORE cash to intercept small boats By Jason Groves, Political Editor France is poised to demand millions of pounds in extra cash from Britain to help intercept Channel migrants. Ministers in Paris are close to agreeing a deal to finally lift the French ban on halting migrant boats in shallow water. The move has been a key request from London where ministers have been infuriated by TV footage showing French officials standing by as dinghies packed with illegal migrants take to the water. But French sources said president Emmanuel Macron is ready to table a fresh demand for cash to help fund the extra enforcement activity that will follow. Paris is looking for help in paying for extra patrols and for new drones to monitor hundreds of miles of coastline. Officials will warn that intercepting boats in the water will place French police at greater risk of attacks. Britain has paid France 800 million since 2015 to help police the Channel but the numbers of people arriving on UK shores has continued to rise. So far this year almost 15,000 people have arrived in the UK in small boats up 42 per cent on the same period last year. French sources said president Emmanuel Macron (left) is ready to table a fresh demand for cash from Britain to help intercept Channel migrants French police (above) stood back and watched as entire families packed themselves into an overcrowded small boat heading across the Channel to the UK last week Almost 1,200 migrants arrived on a single day last Saturday. One British official said it had been 'incredibly frustrating' to see footage of French police standing by as migrants waded into the water to board dinghies bound for Britain. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper this week said it was 'completely unacceptable' that such a large number of migrants had been able to leave French shores on a single day, and highlighted the problems caused by restrictions on tackling boats in the water. Under current French law, police are banned from intercepting boats in the water on safety grounds. Under the new proposals, the authorities will be allowed to intercept boats in shallow water up to 300 metres from the shore. British officials believe the move could have a 'significant impact' on the crisis. Nigel Farage's deputy has said he is 'enormously sad' that Reform's chairman resigned but insisted he was wrong to oppose a burka ban. Richard Tice said Zia Yusuf, who plunged Reform into chaos after resigning on Thursday, had worked 'incredibly hard' and helped the party win hundreds of council seats in last month's local elections. But he insisted that banning the burka was right because the Islamic veil is 'a repressive item of clothing'. However, Downing Street said Sir Keir Starmer did not support a ban, with a spokesman saying: 'This Government does not believe in mandating what people should or shouldn't wear in public.' Mr Yusuf's departure came just hours after he hit out at one of Reform's own MPs for a 'dumb' question in the House of Commons about banning the burka. He publicly questioned why Sarah Pochin, Reform's recently elected MP for Runcorn and Helsby, had challenged Sir Keir about the issue in the Commons on Wednesday when a ban is not official party policy. In a post on X/Twitter on Thursday morning, he said: 'I do think it's dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn't do.' By the evening he had resigned, saying he no longer felt that working with Mr Farage to try to win the next election was 'a good use of my time'. Richard Tice (above) said Zia Yusuf, who plunged Reform into chaos after resigning on Thursday, had worked 'incredibly hard' and helped the party win hundreds of council seats in last month's local elections Mr Yusuf (above) departed just hours after he hit out at one of Reform's own MPs for a 'dumb' question in the House of Commons about banning the burka Tice said that banning the burka was right because the Islamic veil is 'a repressive item of clothing' (Stock Image) Asked about his departure yesterday, Mr Tice, Reform's deputy leader, said: 'I'm enormously sad that Zia has resigned. He's worked incredibly hard. I've sent him a message of thanks.' Asked if he agreed with Mr Yusuf that the party should not pledge to ban the burka, he added: 'No, I don't. 'The reality is that I think it is right that we should have a debate about whether or not the burka is appropriate in a nation that's founded in Christianity, where women are equal citizens and should not be viewed as second-class citizens. 'If we're a great democracy that believes in free speech, let's have a calm and respectful debate.' Asked by the BBC Radio 4's Today programme if he supported a ban, he added: 'Yeah, I'm pretty concerned about whether or not the burka is essentially a sort of repressive item of clothing, whether women have the choice.' Mr Yusuf publicly questioned why Sarah Pochin (above) had challenged Sir Keir Starmer about the issue in the Commons on Wednesday when a ban is not official party policy Wearing face-covering clothes is currently banned in seven European countries France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria and Bulgaria while other countries have enacted partial bans. His resignation comes after Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe was kicked out of Reform in March for criticising Mr Farage's leadership. Mr Yusuf also clashed with Mr Lowe and said he made verbal threats of violence against him. Mr Lowe always denied the allegations and was later cleared by Scotland Yard after Mr Yusuf reported the incident. Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner has disturbingly taunted police in a new sickening letter about the toddler's disappearance as his prison release date looms closer. In a newly unearthed letter, the German paedophile, 48, boasted that police don't have evidence to pin allegations against him in relation to the toddler's case, gloating how the dropping of the probe 'will hit the world like a bomb'. In the spine-chilling correspondence from prison in his native Germany, where he is currently behind bars for rape, he wrote: 'Is there a body? No, no no.' The abominable letter has been unearthed as German police returned from a desperate three-day search scrubland in Praia da Luz, Portugal, near to the villa where the three-year-old was staying before she vanished in 2007. But the recent search for fresh forensic evidence linking the sexual predator to the toddler's disappearance was branded 'a waste of time' by the head of the German force. Rainer Grimm, boss of the BKA, Germany's equivalent of the FBI, told a friend who wished him luck: 'Thanks, we need it.' His apparent lack of confidence in the operation to his pal echoed what many have seen as the 'last throw of the dice' for investigators looking to solve the 18-year riddle. And now, in a newly emerged letter, Brueckner insists there is no evidence against him to tie him to the investigation as his scheduled September release date draws closer. German police are adamant convicted rapist and paedophile Christian Brueckner (pictured) did it Madeleine McCann (pictured) vanished from the Ocean Club holiday complex in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz in May 2007 Officers pack up a tent at the end of the day of searching at one of the base camps close to Praia De Luz, Portugal, where searches are being carried out by officers investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann In a letter seen by The Sun, he claimed the 'important' and 'decisive' questions about his involvement in Madeleine's disappearance have been left unanswered. He questioned if his vehicle was 'clearly' spotted on the night of the crime near where toddler vanished, and if his DNA or 'an injured person' had been found. He added: 'Are there other traces/DNA carriers of the injured party in my possession? Photos? 'And, not to forget, is there a body/corpse? All no, no no.' The sex offender continued by stating one did not have to be a 'realist' to forsee the accusations he is currently facing as well as the investigation 'will be dropped'. Further divulging his knowledge of Germany's legal system, the paedophile, who has been named as a suspect in the case for five years, pointed out the prosecution would have to prove his guilt, rather than he prove his innocence. 'Even the slightest doubt leads to an acquittal, if there is a court hearing at all,' he chillingly wrote Brueckner also went on to allege the allegations against him have been built on 'purchased witnesses', as he noted his international infamy. It comes after the latest search for clues relating to the disappearance of the three-year-old drew to a close on Thursday. Prosecutors insist Madeleine is dead but are yet to disclose evidence supporting this theory Police have been searching various abandoned buildings A distinctive blue tent hinted at the troubling nature of the search German police are adamant convicted rapist and paedophile Christian Brueckner took part in the disappearance of the young Brit, though he has consistently denied this. In three months, he could walk out of jail and that is why detectives are desperately looking for something concrete to link him to her disappearance to go with the circumstantial evidence they have. It comes after disturbing clues were discovered at the sex offender's abandoned lair in Germany as the probe into Madeleine's disappearance intensified in May, with prosecutors sure the youngster is dead. A bombshell cache of horrifying documents, pictures, children's swimming costumes and toys was reportedly uncovered at a former box-making factory he bought in 2008, a year after the British girl was last seen. Among the disturbing finds was a hard drive of images that police are said to have kept secret - but are reportedly thought to uphold investigators' long-held belief that Madeleine was killed. Police reportedly later found an insurance document that is said corroborate an informant's account that he allegedly confessed to her murder in Spain in 2008. The materials found by police, revealed in a Sun investigation broadcast on Channel 4, shed new light on Brueckner's disturbing obsession with children and his potential involvement in the case. The storage devices are alleged to have contained thousands of files, including images of child abuse, stories detailing fantasies of abducting young girls, and records of Skype chats with other paedophiles. Currently, Brueckner nears the end of a seven-year sentence for raping an elderly American woman in Praia da Luz in 2005 police need to move fast. His earliest possible release date is September 17 however that is unlikely as he will have to pay 1500 Euro in outstanding fines from a series of motor offences to do so. He has already admitted he will probably leave the country which means police will have a nightmare to bring him back if charged. Last October he was cleared of a series of unrelated sex attacks that took place in the Algarve between 2000 and 2017. Two years ago police also searched a dam close by for evidence but after a week-long operation nothing was found. Brueckner continues to deny any involvement with Madeleine's disappearance. The wife of a father jailed for 10 years over a 'tweet' has warned Brits to 'think hard about the risks' after her husband was 'abducted' in Saudi Arabia. Ahmed al-Doush, a senior business analyst at Bank of America, lived in Manchester before the day of his arrest when he was swooped on at an airport on August 31 last year as he prepared to fly home. The British citizen was held in a maximum security prison under strict anti-terrorism laws, on charges that included criticising the government on social media and associating with a London-based dissident. His distraught wife has spoken out to warn too many people are unaware of the 'dangers' of travelling to the country which hundreds of thousands of Brits frequent each year. Amaher Nour told MailOnline: 'For years my family and I have enjoyed travelling to Saudi Arabia for holidays and pilgrimage that all changed in August 2024 when my husband was abducted at Riyadh airport. 'I would advise fellow Brits to think hard about whether it's worth the risk after my husband, a British citizen, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Saudi Arabia for what we think might be a deleted tweet but we're not sure which tweet, the evidence or the exact charges. 'The UK Government doesnt know the charges either and has refused to demand answers from Saudi Arabia. 'For as long as the UK Government fails to warn Britons of the dangers of travelling to Saudi Arabia, and fails stand up for its citizens arbitrarily detained abroad, other families like ours are at risk of being torn apart.' Al Doush is believed to have been detained in relation to a deleted Tweet about the war in Sudan, his homeland, which provided military support for Saudi Arabia in its ongoing conflict with Yemen Al-Doush (pictured here outside Manchester City's Etihad Stadium with two friends) has yet to meet his baby son who was born in December His distraught wife Amaher Nour has spoken out today saying: 'To me and my kids he is everything' Mr al-Doush was put in solitary confinement for 33 days after his arrest and denied consular assistance as well as access to legal representation for more than two months. He was then jailed for a decade, with a state-appointed lawyer initially telling Ms Nour her husband had been convicted of an offence at a hearing but that he could not tell her what it was. The case was discussed by the UK foreign secretary David Lammy alongside his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, though details of their call were not disclosed. Mr al-Doush had not met his baby son Youssef, after missing the birth in December due to his detention. Ms Nour said: 'The authorities asked for his documents and we thought it was just a problem with his visa. He called me from security and told me to fly with the children on to Turkey, our transit stop, and said, "I'll be with you shortly".' It was only once the family touched down in Manchester that they received confirmation Mr al-Doush had been imprisoned. He was reportedly blocked from having any contact with his family until November 17 2024 - almost three months after he was first detained. Mr al-Doush is believed to have been imprisoned in relation to a deleted Tweet from 2018 about the war in Sudan, his homeland, which provided military support for Saudi Arabia in its ongoing conflict with Yemen. Al-Doush was arrested while preparing to fly home to the UK from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh (pictured) on 31 August last year with his family A letter from the Foreign Office to the civil rights group Reprieve confirmed UK foreign secretary David Lammy was aware of Al Doush's case Mr Lammy has reportedly discussed the case with his Saudi counterpart, foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, though details of the call were not revealed He has not posted about Saudi Arabia on his X account and only had 37 followers. Dan Dolan, Interim Deputy Executive Director of civil rights group Reprieve, has written to the UK Foreign Office urging the government to 'update its travel advice to Saudi Arabia' so British nationals are 'fully informed of risks to their safety'. Mr Dolan said: 'The Saudi authorities have announced that they are investing $800 billion to transform their tourism sector to attract more visitors. 'Hundreds of thousands of Britons already visit the Kingdom each year. 'Few will be aware that an old, deleted social media post could lead to them being abducted, charged with terrorism offences and potentially sentenced to death. 'Few will know that there are currently foreign nationals on death row, at imminent risk of execution, after being caught with cannabis for personal use. 'Hundreds more have been imprisoned for similar acts, including Reprieve clients Hassan al-Maliki and Salman al-Odah, two scholars detained since 2017 and at risk of the death penalty for peaceful expression of their opinions. 'The UN has repeatedly condemned Saudi Arabias 2017 counterterrorism law for violating international human rights standards and criminalising protected speech and association.' Al Doush was reportedly not allowed to select his own legal counsel in Saudi Arabia Ms Nour previously said night time is 'hardest' for her when she is 'alone and it's quite'. She added: 'I keep asking myself "why, why, why has this happened", and I can't get to the bottom of it because it's not rational in any way. He has no political associations.' The Foreign Office said: 'We are supporting a British man who is detained in Saudia Arabia and are in contact with his family and the local authorities.' A murder investigation has been launched after the body of a woman was discovered in a Hampshire city, with police hunting a gold suitcase they believe may help unlock the case. The body of Samantha Murphy, 32, was found at a house in Portsmouth on Thursday morning. Officers from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary were called following a report that the body of Ms Murphy had been located. Police have arrested two men in relation to the incident and are appealing for help to locate a gold suitcase which they said they were 'keen to locate' and 'may assist with the investigation'. The two men, both 32, one from Petersfield and one from Havant, have been been arrested on suspicion of murder. In a statement, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said: 'Detectives in Portsmouth have launched a murder investigation and made two arrests, after the discovery of a woman's body in Portsmouth. 'We were called at 7:37am on Thursday 5 June to a report that the body of 32-year-old Samantha Murphy had been located at a house on Wadham Road in Portsmouth. 'Her family have been informed and are being supported by officers. The body of Samantha Murphy, 32 (pictured), was found at a house in Portsmouth on Thursday morning 'Our investigation is ongoing to establish what happened, the death is currently being treated as suspicious. 'As part of our investigation, a 32-year-old man from Petersfield and a 32-year-old man from Havant have been arrested on suspicion of murder. 'They remain in police custody at this time. 'As part of our enquiries, officers have identified a gold suitcase, which they believe could be in the Portsmouth area. 'They are keen to locate this suitcase, as it may assist with the investigation, and ask that anyone with any information please call 101 quoting reference number 44250245282.' District Commander, Chief Inspector Fifi Gulam-Husen said, 'We understand that this is a concerning incident for the local community and specialist officers are working as a priority to establish the full circumstances. 'The Neighbourhood Policing Team will be carrying out regular patrols in the area and anyone with questions or concerns can speak to these uniformed officers'. It is no secret that King Charles has a strained relationship with his youngest son. After quitting frontline royal duties and moving his young family to California in 2020, the Duke of Sussex, 40, has been left in the dark when it comes to his father's cancer battle, only learning of his recent hospital visit on March 27 through media reports, according to People Magazine. And when Harry flew across the pond in early April to attend a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London - a mere 2.5 miles from Buckingham Palace - he did not meet Charles. But the well-documented rift between father and son may go back even further than royal watchers realise. According to Diana herself, Charles was desperate to have two children - one boy and one girl. 'I knew Harry was going to be a boy because I saw on the scan,' she explained to Andrew Morton for his bestselling book Diana: Her True Story In Her Own Words. 'Charles always wanted a girl. He wanted two children, and he wanted a girl. I knew Harry was a boy, and I didn't tell him.' So when Diana gave birth to their second son Harry in the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital on September 15, 1984, Charles could barely hide his disappointment. Prince Charles and Princess Diana emerge from St Mary's Hospital in London with their second son Prince Harry on September 16, 1984 According to Diana, Charles was desperate to have two children - one girl and one boy 'First comment was: "Oh God, it's a boy," second comment: "And he's even got red hair,"' Diana recounted to her trusted biographer Morton. In his own bombshell memoir Spare, Prince Harry said he was 21 the first time he heard the story of 'what Pa allegedly said to Mummy the day of my birth: "Wonderful! Now you've given me an Heir and a Spare - my work is done." 'A joke. Presumably,' Harry penned. 'On the other hand, minutes after delivering this bit of high comedy, Pa was said to have gone off to meet his girlfriend. So. Many a true word spoken in jest.' Outside the hospital, Prince Charles appeared to hide his true feelings and told the waiting journalists: 'He's wonderful. Absolutely marvellous.' It is no wonder the Diana would go on to tell friends that 'spiritually' their marriage 'ended the day Prince Harry was born', according to Morton. Charles told his official biographer Jonathan Dimbleby that he picked things back up with Camilla in 1986. Meanwhile it is alleged Diana's affair with army captain James Hewitt started around the same time. The royal couple, who had separate bedrooms at their homes for years stopped sharing the same sleeping quarters during an official visit to Portugal in 1987. The next few years saw Charles and Diana plagued with rumours of marital problems, culminating in the blistering tell-all of the collapse of their marriage as published by Morton in 1992. The Daily Mail's front cover on September 16 - the day after Prince Harry was born Prince William leaves the Lindo Wing after visiting his baby brother Harry for the first time Andrew Morton (pictured) published Diana: Her True Story in 1992 In the book (pictured), which sold over five million copies that year, Diana detailed the breakdown of her marriage to King Charles The Princess of Wales had secretly contributed to the book by providing Morton with audio recordings which would later be included in a 2017 ITV documentary. Diana claims in the recordings that Charles's disappointment at having a second boy rather than a girl persevered until Prince Harry's christening on December 21, 1984. After the ceremony at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, the future king allegedly told Diana's mother Frances Shand Kydd: 'We're so disappointed, we thought it would be a girl.' Frances then 'snapped his head off' and told him he should 'realise you are lucky to have a child', Diana added. The doomed royal couple announced their separation just months after the publication of Morton's book in 1992 and finalised their divorce in August 1996. Elsewhere in Morton's explosive biography, Diana reveals that the birth of her first son William - the heir - came with its own set of issues. The Princess of Wales told Morton she had to choose a date to be induced that fit around Charles's busy polo schedule. 'When we had William, we had to find a date in the diary that suited Charles and his polo,' she said. Prince Charles and Princess Diana pose with baby Harry at his christening in 1984 Charles allegedly told Diana's mother Frances Shand Kydd (bottom row, far right): 'We're so disappointed, we thought it would be a girl' Prince William was born on June 21, 1982 at St Mary's Hospital in London 'William had to be induced because I couldn't handle the press pressure any longer, it was becoming unbearable. It was as if everyone was monitoring every day for me.' Princess Diana added: 'Anyway, the boy arrived, great excitement. 'Thrilled, everyone absolutely high as a kite we had found a date where Charles could get off his polo pony for me to give birth. 'That was very nice, felt grateful about that!' There is a saying that people make time for who they want to make time for. When Prince Harry met Meghan Markle in the summer of 2016, they both had jam-packed schedules. Harry had a busy calendar of royal engagements and Meghan was starring in season six of Suits. In their Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, the couple described the early days of their long-distance relationship. In July 2016 the Meghan was in London to promote the new season of the US show and was sent on a 'blind' date with the Prince. The two were keen to keep things under wraps, so their date took place at a private room at the exclusive Soho House - where Meghan's friend Markus Anderson was brand ambassador. Harry had just returned from France to commemorate the Battle of the Somme and was, understandably, in sombre spirits. According to the Sussexes' Netflix docuseries, Harry was late to their date at 76 Dean Street. Prince Harry and Meghan smile while announcing their engagement in 2017 In their docuseries, Harry & Meghan, the couple described the early days of their long-distance relationship The Netflix show revealed Harry was late to their first date at Soho House in London The couple had two dates before Meghan had to fly back to Toronto on July 5, with Meghan boldly initiating the second date. She said: 'I called him that evening and said "Look I'm leaving the day after tomorrow, do you want to grab dinner tomorrow night?" 'I'm sure he thought it was so forward and American.' And for their third date, Harry took Meghan away on a romantic trip to Botswana. 'It was three, maybe four, weeks later that I managed to persuade her to come join me in Botswana, and we camped out with each other under the stars,' Harry explained during their engagement interview. 'She came and joined me for five days out there, which was absolutely fantastic. 'Then we were really by ourselves, which was crucial to me to make sure that we had a chance to get to know each other.' Harry later said it was during this trip that he knew Meghan was his 'soulmate'. For their third date, Harry took Meghan away on a romantic trip to Botswana Harry later said it was during the Botswana trip that he knew Meghan was his 'soulmate' After this trip, Meghan gave Harry a strict rule which he would have to follow in order for the relationship to be viable. In the first episode of Harry & Meghan, the Prince explained: 'She had a two-week rule, which was very smart, that said we had to see each other in, or around two weeks.' He recalled asking Meghan: 'How is that even possible with the stuff that I'm doing? I'm not going to be able to travel to see you that much.' The Duchess said: 'It was much easier for me to go and see him in the UK. I could still just get on a commercial flight and go and see him under the radar. Harry added: 'Those first few months when no one knew, it made much more sense for her to come to me so then she could come and stay with me on Kensington Palace grounds.' The two would go for walks around Frogmore - away from the public eye. Harry said at the time: 'I fell in love with Meghan so incredibly quickly - it was a confirmation to me that all the stars were aligned.' In the first episode of their Netflix series, Harry & Meghan, Harry explained: 'She had a two-week rule, which was very smart, that said we had to see each other in, or around two weeks' The Duchess said: 'It was much easier for me to go and see him in the UK. I could still just get on a commercial flight and go and see him under the radar' Harry said at the time: 'I fell in love with Meghan so incredibly quickly - it was a confirmation to me that all the stars were aligned' Harry had been looking for someone special, but up until the moment he bumped into Meghan, dating had been a bit of a disaster for him. Despite his status as the most eligible bachelor in the country, the Prince's love life included a series of failed relationships with an array of heiresses, airheads and aristocrats. Following the repeated failures, one expert claimed he started to feel like the 'royal Bridget Jones'. He was so exhausted by the constant dating that by 2016, at the age of 31, he finally felt ready to settle down and find a wife. The thirst for finding the one was so great that he candidly told TV presenter Denise van Outen at a birthday party in January 2016: 'I'm not dating and for the first time ever I want to find a wife.' Four months later, he brought up the subject of love and marriage again during an interview with The Sunday Times. He told the paper: 'At the moment my focus is very much on work but if someone slips into my life then that's absolutely fantastic.' Meghan and Harry's relationship became public in September 2017 and by November the two were engaged. Early in their relationship, Meghan would fly to the UK and the two would go for walks around Frogmore - away from the public eye Meghan and Harry's relationship became public in September 2017 and by November, the two were engaged The couple wave to well-wishers following their wedding ceremony in St George's Chapel in 2018 But their whirlwind romance wasn't all smooth sailing. After a short period as working royals following their wedding in May 2018, the couple announced that they would be stepping back as senior royals in January 2020. It sent shockwaves around the world, and the coining of the term 'Megxit' quickly followed - which became one of Collins Dictionarys Words Of The Year in 2020. They went on to declare their plans to divide their time between the UK and North America, and to focus on the next chapter. But it turned out to be a bitter end to the fairy tale romance Britain had enjoyed with Meghan - and the beginning of the end of Harrys relationship with his brother Prince William. In February 2021, after a years review period, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the couple would not be returning to their royal roles. Then came the Oprah Winfrey documentary. Writing in his book, Charles III: The Inside Story, Mail columnist Robert Hardman described the interview as 'the most astonishing unburdening of family secrets since the late Princess of Wales sat down with the BBC's Martin Bashir in 1995'. Writing in his book, Charles III: The Inside Story, Mail columnist Robert Hardman described the Oprah interview as 'the most astonishing unburdening of family secrets since the late Princess of Wales sat down with the BBC's Martin Bashir in 1995' The pair made allegations that rocked the monarchy during the 85-minute conversation with Oprah Winfrey Since the revelatory interview, the Sussexes have been accused by the likes of Piers Morgan of lying, with the couple themselves taking back some of their statements The pair made allegations that rocked the monarchy during the 85-minute conversation. They claimed comments had been made about how dark the skin of their son, Prince Archie, might be when he was born, while Meghan accused Kate of making her cry over bridesmaid dresses just days before her wedding. Queen Elizabeth then issued a statement saying the issues raised in the interview would be dealt with privately as a family, adding that 'recollections may vary'. Since the revelatory interview, the Sussexes have been accused by the likes of Piers Morgan of lying, with the couple themselves taking back some of their statements. Harry most recently made headlines for his explosive BBC documentary following his lost appeal regarding security protection in the UK Despite Meghan once being able to travel on a commercial flight, Harry now says his loss of security protection since stepping down as working royals makes it 'impossible' to bring Meghan and his children to the UK. He also recently made headlines for his no-holds-barred BBC interview, which aired hours after losing his appeal for automatic, full security protection when visiting from the US. He said he 'can't see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point'. Scientists have uncovered hidden patterns in the Bible that challenge ancient beliefs about its origins. Using artificial intelligence, they discovered 'fingerprints' in text throughout the Old Testament, suggesting multiple people wrote the stories. The traditional Jewish and Christian understanding is that Moses wrote the first five books of the Old Testament, including stories about creation, Noah's flood and the Ark of the Covenant. The new study found three distinct writing styles with distinct vocabulary, tone and focus areas, suggesting multiple authors and sources contributed to the books over time. Researchers used AI analyzed for 50 chapters across five books, uncovering inconsistencies in language and content, repeated stories, shifts in tone and internal contradictions. The theory that scripture had multiple authors was first proposed more than 200 years ago, but was dismissed due to religions debate, lack of technology and nuances of biblical text. Thomas Romer, a biblical expert from the College de France and co-author of the study, told The Times of Israel: 'There are no authors of the Bible in the modern sense. 'The original versions of the scrolls were continuously reworked and rewritten by redactors who added, altered, and sometimes also omitted parts of the former texts.' The traditional Jewish and Christian understanding is that Moses wrote the first five books of the Old Testament. However, the new study has found evidence suggesting that multiple people may have contributed to these texts. While the Bible portrays Moses as a key historical figure, most scholars today view him as a legendary figure, or at least a composite character, rather than a literal historical person. The Old Testament was written over a period of approximately 1000 years, starting roughly around 1400 BC and ending around 400 BC. It is comprised of 39 books, focusing around God's covenant with humanity, His relationship with the Israelites, and the promise of a Messiah who would bring salvation and redemption. In several books, Moses is attributed to writing some passages. Exodus 24:4 reads: 'Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord' A similar passage is found in Deuteronomy 31:9 that states: 'Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests...' For thousands of years, Jewish and Christian traditions held Moses to be the author because he is the central figure in the books and was seen as a prophet, lawgiver and leader capable of writing such texts. But the new study could change this long-held history. The AI examined patterns in word usage, word frequency, phrases and sentences structures as these are subtle linguistic fingerprints that can reflect different authors or schools of scribes. According to the Bible, the Ark of the Covenant was built by the Israelites shortly after they fled Egypt around the 13th century BC. Moses then placed the Ten Commandments inside. Beyond confirming the styles, the team extended their AI method to study nine other biblical sections with disputed authorship. These differences were found in key biblical stories, including the creation narrative, Noah's flood and the giving of the Ten Commandments (pictured), which have been traditionally attributed to a single author but are now shown to involve multiple authors These included well-known stories such as the creation narrative, Noah's flood and the Ark of the Covenant accounts. According to the Bible, the Ark of the Covenant was built by the Israelites shortly after they fled Egypt around the 13th century BC. Moses then placed the Ten Commandments inside. The AI algorithm compared these chapters' word usage to the three known styles, revealing new affiliations and helping clarify long-standing scholarly debates. Researchers said this new technique could revolutionize the study of ancient texts, helping to solve other authorship mysteries beyond the Bible, such as texts like the Dead Sea Scrolls or historical documents where authorship is uncertain. The three writing styles were first found when Biblical scholars noticed certain sections of the Old Testament had different vocabulary, themes and ways of writing. The first style, known as the Deuteronomic (D) corpus, focuses on laws, obedience, and clear commands. The second, the Deuteronomistic History (DtrH), narrates Israel's history, emphasizing moral lessons based on faithfulness, and the Priestly (P) style highlights rituals, priesthood and sacred spaces with formal and detailed language. Thomas Romer, a biblical expert from the College de France and co-author of the study, told The Times of Israel: 'Deuteronomy refers to the last book of the Torah/Pentateuch. 'There is a wide consensus that the first version of this scroll was written down in the 7th century BCE. The core of this first version was the laws that stipulate that the God of Israel had chosen only one place [Jerusalem] for the sacrificial cult.' He explained that Deuteronomistic History was also re-worked several times. And the Priestly Writings include several texts in Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus. 'These texts were written for the first time around 520 BCE in the context of the reconstruction of the Second Temple,' Romer said. 'The priestly authors and redactors want to show the importance of rituals and the different types of sacrifices.' In the core of the sun, a fiery reaction known as nuclear fusion is taking place 24/7. The process involves two light atomic nuclei combining to form a single heavier one while releasing massive amounts of energy. If we can replicate nuclear fusion on Earth for long enough, we may be able to unlock clean, affordable energy for people's homes. Now, scientists in Germany have taken a giant step closer towards making this a reality. Using the Wendelstein 7-X nuclear fusion reactor in the city of Greifswald, they've set a new world record for a crucial metric in fusion physics. The record marks the highest performing sustained fusion experiment that ran longer than 30 seconds with fusion lasting for an impressive 43 seconds. Wendelstein 7-X is part of a worldwide effort to harness nuclear fusion, which could replace fossil fuels and conventional nuclear fission reactors. The pretzel-shaped machine, which has a diameter of 50 feet and a height of 16ft, uses an extremely low-density and electrically charged hydrogen gas as fuel. Wendelstein 7-X fusion device is the world's largest and most advanced device of the stellarator type. It has achieved a world record in a key parameter of fusion physics - the triple product The advanced stellarator Wendelstein 7-X, housed at the IPP Greifswald campus began operations in December 2015. Pictured, a view inside the vacuum vessel of Wendelstein 7-X in Greifswald, Germany The 1.6 billion (1.3 billion) Wendelstein 7-X device, which began operations in December 2015, was built to 'recreate conditions inside stars'. Officially, it is a 'stellarator' a type of fusion device that confine hot, charged gas, otherwise known as plasma, that fuels fusion reactions in twisty magnetic fields. Plasmas must meet three conditions for nuclear fusion to occur reaching sufficient temperature, density and confinement time. Together, these factors comprise what is known as the 'triple product', described as a crucial metric of nuclear fusion physics. A higher triple product indicates greater fusion power and better potential for a successful, self-sustaining fusion reaction. According to the researchers, the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator managed to achieve a new world record for the triple product. On May 22, the final day of its latest research campaign, plasma inside Wendelstein 7-X was raised to over 20 million C, reaching a peak of 30 million C. In the record-breaking experiment, the machine sustained a high-performance plasma for 43 seconds. The new record exceeds previous tokamak records for long plasma durations. The previous triple product record holder for plasma pulses longer than 10 seconds was the Joint European Torus (JET) tokamak in the UK, which was decommissioned at the end of 2023 The device is the world's biggest of its kind and is paving the way for operational nuclear fusion technology, which, if successful, would revolutionize electricity production. Nuclear fusion fuses hydrogen nuclei to form helium, which generates energy from a nearly endless supply of hydrogen on the Earth Wide-angle view inside the stellarator, showing stainless cover plates and the water-cooled copper backing plates - eventually covered by graphite tiles to function as armor to protect against plasma interactions What is the triple product? The triple product - also known as the Lawson criterion - is the key metric for success on the path to a fusion power plant. Only when a certain threshold is exceeded can a plasma produce more fusion power than the heating power invested. This marks the point where the energy balance becomes positive, and the fusion reaction can sustain itself without continued external heating. The triple product is derived from three factors: - the particle density of the plasma - its temperature (more precisely the temperature of the ions between which fusion reactions take place) - energy confinement time - the time it takes for the thermal energy to escape from the plasma if no additional heat is supplied. Advertisement The new record beats previously set values by the Japanese Tokamak JT60U (decommissioned in 2008) and the European Tokamak facility JET in Britain (decommissioned in 2023). Both of these devices were the more widely-used tokamaks, which are slightly different fusion machines from stellarators. Stellarators have the same doughnut shape as a tokamak but use a complicated system of magnetic coils instead of a current to achieve the same result. Tokamaks are much better studied due to their simpler design compared with stellarators, which are far harder to build, but easier to operate. Novimir Pablant, the division head for stellarator experiments at the US Department of Energys Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), said passing the 30-second mark is a key milestone. If a stellarator can reach this record for 30 seconds, theres no reason these plasma conditions couldn't be sustained for weeks, months or even years because 30 seconds is long enough for the scientists to see the relevant physics at work. 'This experiment ran long enough that nothing is changing any longer in terms of the plasma or experiment conditions,' Pablant said. In the experiments, a key role was played by a new pellet injector, developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. which injects a steady supply of frozen hydrogen pellets into the plasma, enabling long plasma durations through continuous refueling. During the experiment, about 90 frozen hydrogen pellets, each about a millimeter in size, were injected over 43 seconds, while powerful microwaves simultaneously heated the plasma. Pictured, Wendelstein 7-X's pellet injector, which injects frozen hydrogen pellets into the plasma, enabling long plasma durations Pictured, the Greifswald division of the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP), which contains the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator W7-X demonstrates that stellarators can achieve the outstanding properties predicted by nuclear fusion theory, the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) said in a statement. There are already nuclear power plants around the world, but they use nuclear fission, which has the disadvantage of generating unstable nuclei, some of which are radioactive for millions of years. Fusion, on the other hand, does not create any long-lived radioactive nuclear waste but instead helium, which is an inert gas. Fusion fuel is made up of deuterium and tritium, which are isotopes of hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, giving scientists hopes of 'unlimited energy'. Thomas Klinger, head of operations at Wendelstein 7-X, said the new record is a 'tremendous achievement' by the international team. 'Elevating the triple product to tokamak levels during long plasma pulses marks another important milestone on the way toward a power-plant-capable stellarator,' he said. The infamous 'Gateway to Hell' crater in Turkmenistan has been burning non-stop for the last 50 years. But scientists now say that the gateway is finally closing. This blazing pit was formed in 1971 when blundering Soviet scientists accidentally drilled into an underground pocket of gas and decided to light it on fire. Since then, the gateway has become both one of the reclusive nation's leading tourist attractions and a major source of polluting methane emissions. According to scientists, the flames in the crater are beginning to dim due to a reduced flow of natural flammable gas. Officials say the fires are now three times smaller than in the past and can only be seen in the immediate vicinity. Irina Luryeva, a director at state-owned energy company Turkmengaz told a fossil fuel conference this week: 'Before a huge glow from the blaze was visible from several kilometres away, hence the name "Gateway to Hell". 'Today only a faint source of combustion remains.' The infamous 'Gateway to Hell' has been burning since the 1970s, but scientists now say the gateway may be closing The 'Gateway to Hell', known officially as the 'Shining of Karakum', is a 230-foot-wide (70m) sinkhole located in Turkmenistan's Karakum desert. It is filled with fires fed by a vast underground reserve of natural gas The 'Gateway to Hell', known officially as the 'Shining of Karakum', is a 230-foot-wide (70m) sinkhole located in Turkmenistan's Karakum desert. Located above a vast pocket of natural gas which continuously seeps towards the surface, the crater is lined with hundreds of gas fires which give it an unearthly glow. The exact origin of the pit was covered up by officials when the country was part of the Soviet Union, leaving behind no official record of the incident. However, the most commonly accepted theory is that the pit was created by a natural gas prospecting accident. During the 1970s a rogue soviet gas drilling station punctured a gas pocket and collapsed through the ground, forming a crater which began to leak gas into the air. The scientists decided to ignite the crater to prevent the toxic gases from escaping and spreading further. While these scientists might have expected the blaze to last for a few days before going out, the fires of the Gateway to Hell have been burning ever since. Turkmenistan is estimated to have the world's fourth-largest reserves of natural gas, largely scattered in pockets beneath the desert. It is believed that the pit formed when blundering Soviet scientists accidentally drilled into a pocket of gas hidden beneath the surface. To prevent the toxic gases from escaping, the scientists chose to light the pit on fire What is the Gateway to Hell? The Gateway to Hell, officially known as the Shining of Karakum, is a sinkhole located above a large pocket of natural gas in Turkmenistan's Karakum Desert. As this gas seeps through the ground, it feeds fires which have been burning since the 1970s. The pit is 230 feet wide (70m) and 98 feet deep (30m). The Gateway to Hell is visited by an estimated 6,000 foreign visitors per year. In 2013, Canadian explorer George Kourounis descended into the crater to collect soil samples. His study revealed that simple organisms have been able to survive within the burning pit. Advertisement The crater is likely connected to this vast underground store of methane, giving it an almost unlimited supply of gas to burn. This burning pit caused by a Soviet-era disaster has become something of an unlikely national treasure. Turkmenistan's few tourists flock to the site to camp by the warmth of the burning methane and, in 2019, national leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov filmed himself driving a rally car around the pit to dispel rumours of his death. However, in 2022 Berdymukhamedov announced that he wanted to be remembered as the leader who closed the gates to hell and launched a project to cut off the fires. Speaking at the time, Mr Berdymukhamedov said: 'We are losing valuable natural resources for which we could get significant profits and use them for improving the well-being of our people.' Since then, at least two new wells have been drilled around the pit to capture excess methane which would otherwise leak to the surface. Older, decommissioned gas pumps in the area have also been reactivated to help draw away the natural gas. According to the evidence from these nearby wells, the crater has seen a significantly reduced supply of gas. Since 2022, officials have drilled several new gas wells near the pit in order to draw away the gas which feeds the fires According to officials, the flames are now three times smaller and can only be seen in the local vicinity This, in turn, has led to the infamous flames dwindling in size. The announcement will come as good news to environmentalists concerned about Turkmenistan's record of natural gas leaks. Methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas which contributes heavily to climate change. A recent study published by the International Energy Agency found that Turkmenistan was the world's largest emitter of methane through gas leaks, although the country disputes this claim. Likewise, intelligence company Kayrros found that leaks from two fossil fuel fields in the country contributed more to global warming in 2022 than the UK's entire carbon emissions for the year. While the fires at the Gateway to Hell did help burn off some of the escaping gas, the pit still leaks vast quantities of gas into the atmosphere. Drawing off the natural gas into other wells where it can be safely stored and used to make energy would help the country cut its outsized carbon footprint. There's nothing quite like a fresh portion of fish and chips after a long day at the beach. From a side of mushy peas to a splash of vinegar, many Brits are very particular about how they enjoy this seaside staple. But according to one psychologist, the key to the perfect portion is much simpler. Food psychologist, James Cornish, claims that the correct way to eat fish and chips is with a Chip Fork. This unassuming utensil not only makes you feel nostalgic, but also helps to slow you down as you munch on your chips, according to the expert. 'The humble Chip Fork reinforces nostalgia, the natural fitting with the fresh, natural fish in front of you,' he explained. 'Also only being used once they have a big connection with good memories, these are used when eating outside, next to the sea, at the park essentially the creation of good times. 'Chip forks are the ultimate "mood generator" (you can only consume one chip at a time), so they slow you down, making you savour the moment.' There's nothing quite like a fresh portion of fish and chips after a long day at the beach. From a side of mushy peas to a splash of vinegar, many Brits are very particular about how they enjoy this seaside staple. But according to one psychologist, the key to the perfect portion is much simpler (stock image) The origins of fish and chips can be traced back to the mid-19th century, with the first chippies opening around 1860. Today, they remain a seaside staple, with a poll of 2,000 Brits by car brand Dacia finding that fish and chips is the UK's favourite holiday treat. Its unwavering popularity is down to a combination of reward, nostalgia, and comfort, according to Mr Cornish. 'There's a certain kind of magic in fish and chips - a simple meal that somehow carries the weight of memory, comfort, and delight,' he explained. 'Maybe it's because we don't expect too much from humble food, but our delight is excelled through the delivering more than we expected.' Beyond using a Chip Fork, there are several ways to boost your enjoyment of fish and chips, according to the pscyhologist. Firstly, if possible, you should eat them by the sea. 'The sound of waves, smell of salt in the air, and slower pace of eating outdoors all prime the brain to savour and enjoy,' Mr Cornish said. Food psychologist, James Cornish, claims that the correct way to eat fish and chips is with a Chip Fork How to enjoy fish and chips, according to science Use a chip fork Eat straight from the paper Enjoy on a Friday Eat by the seaside Advertisement 'It's a sensory experience heightened by the setting that increases brain activity to expect tastier fresher fish.' It's also best to enjoy your fish and chips on a Friday, according to the expert. 'There's a reason so many Brits default to fish and chips on a Friday,' he said. 'Part cultural tradition (meat-free Fridays), part psychological rhythm. 'Collecting from the chippy on Friday became a task that signalled the end of the regular week - a task often passed on to a child who was sent to the chippy. 'The child got to do a valued, special and trusted task a sign of growing independence and trust as well as being able to choose their own dinner. 'The family involvement adds to the feeling of relaxation, mood shift and resetting make food taste better, plus no post consumption regret as enhancement results in setting myself up for a great weekend. 'Same fish, same chips - but Friday just delivers more.' Finally, Mr Cornish advises ditching the plate, and eating your fish and chips straight from the paper. 'Unwrapping the paper forms a feeling of special occasion - a gift to me,' he added. 'Fish and chips provide a break from formality. 'It's a dish where rules are relaxed - you can eat with your fingers, from paper, on a bench, in a pub or a restaurant it's never out of place.' To celebrate National Fish and Chip Day, Dacia launched its pop-up chippy in Deal, Kent, and gave away 300 portions of chips and a limited run of battered fish, powering the fryer with its electric vehicle, the Spring. There's now more carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere than ever before in human history, scientists have revealed. For the first time on record, monthly average CO2 levels exceeded 430 parts per million (ppm), according to experts at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego. The monthly average for May 2025 reached 430.2ppm the highest level since accurate measurements began 67 years ago. The more CO2 in the atmosphere, the higher the rate of global warming, which could one day could make Earth's surface too hot for humans. At much higher concentrations, CO2 can also cause a variety of health issues. Worryingly, this includes cognitive impairment, drowsiness, nausea and even death in the most extreme cases. 'Another year, another record,' said Ralph Keeling, director of the Scripps CO2 Program. He added: 'It's sad.' Atmospheric CO2 is one of major causes of climate change and has been driven in large part by the burning of fossil fuels worldwide (stock image) This graph shows concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) measured at Mauna Loa Observatory in the month of May 2025. Scientists calculated an average for the month of 430.2 ppm - an increase of 3.5 ppm over May 2024 Like other greenhouse gases, CO2 acts like a blanket, trapping heat and warming the lower atmosphere. This changes weather patterns and fuels extreme events, such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, heavy rain and flooding. Rising CO2 levels also contribute to ocean acidification, which makes it more difficult for marine organisms like crustaceans and coral to grow hard skeletons or shells. The experts' new measurements come from Mauna Loa Observatory, a research station situated high on the slopes of the Mauna Loa volcano, Hawaii. At 11,141 feet above sea level, Mauna Loa Observatory measures different gases in the air by shining different kinds of light and radiation through air samples. According to the experts, the observatory's monthly average for May 2025 of 430.2 ppm is an increase of 3.5 ppm over May 2024's measurement of 426.7 ppm. Meanwhile, NOAA's Global Monitoring Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado has separately reported an average of 430.5 ppm an increase of 3.6 ppm over last year. In a post on X, Jeff Berardelli, meteorologist and climate specialist for WFLA Tampa Bay, called the new record 'concerning'. In a post on X, Jeff Berardelli, meteorologist and climate specialist for WFLA Tampa Bay, called the record 'concerning' In the Northern Hemisphere, CO2 concentrations in the air are at their lowest around September before plant matter starts to gradually decompose - releasing CO2 back to the atmosphere as it hits a high in spring How is atmospheric CO2 measured? CO2 is routinely measured in parts-per-million (ppm), which is simply the ratio of one gas or other molecule to another. For example, 430 ppm of CO2 means that there are 430 molecules of CO2 and 999,570 molecules of other gases or water vapour. At much higher concentrations - such as 1,000 ppm - CO2 can have a adverse health effect on human functioning, including cognitive impairment, drowsiness and nausea. A concentration of 40,000 ppm is considered 'immediately dangerous to life or health', according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Advertisement CO2 is by far the most abundant human-caused greenhouse gas and it can persist in the atmosphere and oceans for thousands of years. According to scientists, the amount of carbon present now in the Earth's atmosphere is equal to that which would have been seen some 4.1 to 4.5 million years ago, during a time which scientists refer to as the 'Pliocene Climatic Optimum'. At this time, the sea level was a whopping 78 feet (24 meters) higher than in the present day, while the average global temperature stood at 7F (3.9C) higher than it was before the Industrial Revolution. In fact, the temperature was so warm during this period of time that large forests occupied areas of the Arctic which today are barren, chilly tundra. Although humanity is constantly pumping out CO2 all-year-round, atmospheric CO2 is at its highest in the Northern Hemisphere in the spring specifically May. Between autumn and spring, much of the hemisphere's plant matter decomposes, releasing CO2 into the atmosphere as it does so. May tends to represent the highest extend of atmospheric CO2 before plants come to life and draw in CO2 to fuel their growth. This begins the process of lowering the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere until the autumn when the plants start to die and the cycle continues. Situated high on the slopes of the Mauna Loa volcano, the Mauna Loa Observatory (pictured) is the global benchmark location for monitoring atmospheric CO2 The Keeling Curve is a daily record of global atmospheric CO2 concentrations from 1958 to the present day, based on continuous measurements taken at the Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii Researchers say Mauna Loa Observatory's new measurements represent the average state of CO2 in the atmosphere of the Northern Hemisphere. However, CO2 concentrations have not yet passed the 430 ppm mark in the Southern Hemisphere, which has a reversed cycle. It was Scripps scientist Charles David Keeling, father of Ralph Keeling, who was the first to recognise that CO2 levels in the Northern Hemisphere peaked in May. In 1958, he began monitoring CO2 concentrations at Mauna Loa Observatory and documented a long-term increase, known as the Keeling Curve. NOAA's Global Monitoring Laboratory, meanwhile, begun daily CO2 measurements in 1974 and has maintained a complementary, independent measurement record ever since. A wildly popular home appliance used in millions of American households has been urgently recalled after it was found to be exposing people to dangerous mold growth. Officials say at least 152 customers have reported mold contamination in the units, with 17 of them falling ill. An investigation is underway to determine the source and full scope of the outbreak. Midea, a major appliance manufacturer, pulled approximately 1.7 million U and U+ window air conditioners from the US market on June 5, following reports of mold contamination. The brand names included in the recall are: Midea, Comfort Aire, Danby, Frigidaire, Insignia, Keystone, LBG Products, Mr Cool, Perfect Aire, and Sea Breeze. These names appear on the front of the units, while the model number can be found on a label located on the front right side when facing the appliance. The products were sold through major retailers both in physical stores and online, including Costco, Best Buy, Home Depot, Menards, Amazon.com, Midea.com, Lowes.com, and Walmart.com from March 2020 to May 2025 for $280 to $500. Each unit is white and measures approximately 22 inches wide by 14 inches high. According to the CPSC, they were sold under 13 different brand names. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a warning that the affected units have drainage issues, which can cause water to pool inside the machines, creating the perfect conditions for mold growth. The products were sold through major retailers both in physical stores and online, including Costco, Best Buy, Home Depot, Menards, Amazon.com, Midea.com, Lowes.com, and Walmart.com. Pictured are the recalled air conditioners and model numbers 'Pooled water in the air conditioners can fail to drain quickly enough, which can lead to mold growth,' the CPSC said in a statement. Exposure to mold can result in respiratory infections, allergic reactions, and other health issues, especially for individuals with underlying health conditions. Mold is a type of fungus that thrives in moist environments and can release harmful allergens or toxins into the air. Affected customers are eligible for either a free repair or a refund, depending on the model and date of purchase. 'Consumers who want a refund will be asked to return the unit using a free shipping label, or they may submit a photograph showing that they've cut the unplugged power cord to qualify for the refund,' the CPSC explained. Federal officials are urging consumers to stop using the recalled units immediately, particularly if anyone in the household is experiencing symptoms consistent with mold exposure. The recalled units come in three sizes, capable of cooling rooms at 8,000, 10,000, or 12,000 British Thermal Units (BTUs). They were manufactured in China and Thailand by GD Midea Air-Conditioning Co, Ltd. Each unit was sold with a remote control and can also be operated via a mobile app. Midea, a major appliance manufacturer, pulled approximately 1.7 million U and U+ window air conditioners from the US market on June 5 following reports of mold contamination (STOCK) The specific issue lies in the internal drainage system. If the reservoir does not empty quickly enough, stagnant water can accumulate, leading to mold growth inside the appliance. As the mold builds up, the unit may begin dispersing spores into the air, posing a health hazard for anyone nearby. Mold exposure poses a heightened risk for individuals with chronic respiratory issues such as asthma, lung disease, or weakened immune systems. According to the CDC, common symptoms of mold exposure include a stuffy nose, wheezing, fatigue, and red or itchy eyes or skin. Severe cases may result in fever or difficulty breathing. 'People with asthma or who are allergic to mold may have severe reactions,' the CDC states. 'Immunocompromised people and people with chronic lung disease may get infections in their lungs from mold.' Consumers who choose to continue using their air conditioner while waiting for a repair should follow the safety inspection instructions provided on Midea's recall page. To begin the refund or repair process, visit the Midea recall website or call 888-345-0251 between 8 am and 5 pm ET, Monday through Friday. The official recall number issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission is 25-320. A chilling conspiracy theory claims to know the reason behind Elon Musk's attacks on President Donald Trump, saying it was his plan all along. Since the 2024 presidential campaign, Musk has been seen wearing and promoting the 'Dark MAGA' cap, a black-colored version of Trump's famously red Make America Great Again apparel. However, believers of the 'Dark MAGA conspiracy' claim this was a signal of Musk's real intentions for joining the campaign despite not having any concrete evidence of a plot existing. The conspiracy claims that a secret group of tech elites is plotting to undermine Trump and turn the US into a 'giant company' run by a new CEO that they would hand-pick. This theory started to gain more attention on social media after JD Vance was chosen as the vice presidential candidate, despite reports that Trump was leaning towards other choices, including Fox News host Maria Bartiromo. Now, as Musk has fired off shocking claims about Trump, including that the president is deeply connected to Jeffrey Epstein and should be replaced by Vice President Vance, the Dark MAGA conspiracy appears to be coming true in real time. Among the tech bosses allegedly part of this plot are Musk and Peter Thiel, the founders of PayPal. Conspiracy theorists believe that the group's ultimate goal is to dismantle American democracy and transform the country into a 'corporate monarchy' run by tech billionaires. Elon Musk has launched a sudden flurry of attacks at President Donald Trump, including calling for the president to be immediately replaced by Vice President JD Vance Both Musk and Thiel wanted Vance chosen as Trump's running mate last year, according to The Daily Beast. Moreover, their multi-million-dollar campaign war chest for Trump was allegedly tied to the president picking the Ohio senator. According to the Dark MAGA conspiracy, however, the so-called 'PayPal Mafia' and Silicon Valley billionaires have been secretly grooming Vance to eventually replace Trump. Despite the claims Vance is a corporate plant, the vice president came to Trump's defense on Friday morning as he slammed 'corporate media lies' about the president. 'There are many lies the corporate media tells about President Trump. One of the most glaring is that he's impulsive or short-tempered,' he posted on X. 'Anyone who has seen him operate under pressure knows that's ridiculous.' Vance added in a follow up post that 'it's (maybe) the single biggest disconnect between fake media perception and reality.' Also a part of the Dark MAGA (also called the Dark Enlightenment) conspiracy is Curtis Yarvin, a former computer coder and self-proclaimed 'Dark Elf' philosopher. Writing under the pseudonym Mencius Moldbug in a 2008 blog, Yarvin advocated for a dictator-led monarchy to replace democracy in the US. Yarvin's ideas, once fringe, have allegedly gained a following among tech giants like Musk, Thiel, and billionaire software engineer Marc Andreessen. Yarvin compared democracy to 'outdated software' and called for the creation of a tech-driven government where the federal workforce was significantly slashed, elections became obsolete, and billionaires made all decisions for the country. The parallels between Musk's work with the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the Dark MAGA conspiracy appear eerily similar. According to the Dark MAGA conspiracy, Vice President JJD Vance was hand-picked by tech elites to eventually replace Trump as president Curtis Yarvin wrote a blog in 2008 that called for US democracy to be replaced by a tech-driven monarchy run by billionaires industrialists Under Musk's leadership, DOGE has been credited with slashing over 250,000 government jobs since the start of the Trump Administration on January 20. That same day, Dark MAGA conspiracy theorists took note of the eye-opening sight of several tech billionaires in attendance at President Trump's second inauguration. The guests included Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The alleged plot has only gained more attention this week, as Musk's sudden falling out with President Trump reached a new level of animosity. The clash began over Musk's opposition to Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' which will reportedly add trillions to the national deficit and wipe out the savings from DOGE. The fight quickly devolved into a string of personal insults between the two men, prompting the president to consider terminating all of Musk's multi-billion-dollar government contracts for SpaceX and Tesla. 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,' Trump said on Truth Social. Musk fired back right away, saying that SpaceX would begin 'decommissioning' its Dragon spacecraft immediately in response to the threat. The spacecraft is vital for ferrying NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Steve Bannon, a former senior adviser to Trump during his first administration and a fierce critic of Elon Musk, quickly weighed in during his 'War Room Live' broadcast on Thursday. He urged the president to seize SpaceX from the billionaire entrepreneur and invoke the Defense Production Act - a national security measure dating back to the Korean War era - to seize control of the company. DailyMail.com has reached out to Musk and SpaceX for comment on the status of the Dragon program. Tech billionaires like Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Elon Musk were all in attendance at the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the US Capitol Rotunda in January Once called the 'First Buddy,' Elon Musk has spent several days insulting President Trump on social media following his exit from the White House In this grim conspiracy, Trump is painted as an unwitting 'messenger of chaos,' with Musk acting as the true director of a tech-driven dystopian society. 'Some of Washington's biggest institutions have been briefed about Dark Enlightenment. They are taking it seriously,' The Daily Beast claimed on Friday. Ironically, Democrats have continued to claim that President Trump is a threat to democracy because of his policies on immigration and government spending. However, the Dark MAGA conspiracy alleges that the real threat comes from those seeking to unseat the 47th president and replace him with a tech-backed CEO. On Friday, Musk continued his assault on the president, re-sharing a stunning clip showing Trump partying with Jeffrey Epstein. The clip was from 1992, showing the president and notorious pedophile surrounded by women and dancing at a club. The footage was posted by X user Natalie Danelishen, before Musk re-shared it with an inquisitive faced emoji. She died for eight minutes, no pulse, no breath, and no brain activity, and then came back to life with a chilling, vivid story about death. Brianna Lafferty, a 33-year-old woman from Colorado, was battling a life-threatening neurological disorder when, as she describes it, her body simply 'gave up.' She was pronounced clinically dead, but according to her, her consciousness did not die with her. 'Death is an illusion because our soul never dies. Our consciousness remains alive. And our very essence simply transforms,' Lafferty said. 'I did not see or remember my human self. I was completely still, yet I felt fully alive, aware, and more myself than ever before.' Lafferty suffers from myoclonus dystonia, a rare neurological condition that causes involuntary muscle jerks and can disrupt bodily functions. During one of her medical crises, she flatlined. Before she lost full physical awareness, she said she heard a voice asking if she was ready, then everything went dark. What happened next, she said, defies scientific explanation. She described her soul 'floating' above her lifeless body and entering a realm where time did not exist. Brianna Lafferty, a 33-year-old woman from Colorado , was battling a life-threatening neurological disorder when, as she describes it, her body simply 'gave up.' Near-death experiences (NDEs) are complex and not fully understood, but scientific research suggests they are likely neurological phenomena arising from specific brain activity during moments of critical illness or near-death. While various theories exist, a key aspect involves the brain's continued activity, even after the heart stops, potentially leading to altered states of consciousness and vivid perceptions. But Lafferty is sure she died, experienced life after death and returned to the world of the living. 'I was suddenly separated from my physical body,' Lafferty said. 'There was no pain, just a deep sense of peace and clarity. This detachment from my physical form made me realize how temporary and fragile our human experience is.' She also claimed that she noticed something extraordinary, her thoughts began to shape her surroundings in the afterlife. 'My thoughts instantly materialized,' said Lafferty. 'I realized that our thoughts shape reality there, it just takes time, which is a blessing.' After she was revived, Lafferty had to relearn how to walk and speak. Lafferty suffers from myoclonus dystonia, a rare neurological condition that causes involuntary muscle jerks and can disrupt vital bodily functions. She underwent experimental brain surgery to treat damage to her pituitary gland. Though she fears the possibility of another near-death experience, she no longer fears death itself. 'It changed the course of my life,' she said. 'What I feared no longer had power over me, and what I used to chase didn't seem important anymore.' Though her account is deeply personal, it resonates with findings from a recent study that suggests awareness may persist long after the heart stops. Researchers across 25 hospitals in the US, UK, and Bulgaria tracked 567 patients who suffered cardiac arrest in hospital settings. The study, published in Resuscitation, used EEG monitors to measure brain wave activity during CPR. Nearly 40 percent of the patients monitored during resuscitation showed signs of brain activity associated with consciousness, some as long as 60 minutes after their hearts had stopped. Dr Sam Parnia, the study's lead author and director of critical care and resuscitation research at New York University (NYU) Langone, said the findings may offer a glimpse into what happens as we die. 'These experiences provide a glimpse into a real, yet little-understood dimension of human consciousness that becomes uncovered with death,' Parnia said. In one case, a woman believed she was being tortured in hell as a nurse inserted an IV, a traumatic, semi-conscious moment that may have been interpreted through a haze of near-death awareness. Near-death experiences (NDEs) are complex and not fully understood, but scientific research suggests they are likely neurological phenomena arising from specific brain activity during moments of critical illness or near-death Lafferty described a similarly surreal experience as she encountered 'other beings' that didn't seem human but felt oddly familiar. She also described the presence of a 'higher intelligence' watching over her with what she called 'unconditional love,' a moment that altered her perception of life and death. 'There's a presence, or intelligence, higher than ourselves that guides and watches over us with unconditional love,' she said. The NYU-led study is among the strongest scientific evidence yet that consciousness may persist after clinical death, and that memory, perception, and awareness do not necessarily stop the moment the heart does. As for Lafferty, the experience left her with a sense of clarity, and a belief that life's pain has meaning. 'I feel empowered and trust life's events, especially the hard ones,' she said. 'Everything happens for a reason.' Gazing across the parched earth to the village of Ait Ben-Haddou, it was easy to imagine hearing the clash of swords of days long past. Ait Ben-Haddou sits at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains in southern Morocco. Many travellers make the four hour drive here from Marrakesh but Id flown direct from Stansted to the nearby city of Ouarzazate, just a 30-minute drive away. This was my first stop on a week long trip with Inclusive Morocco across the south of the country and back again, following the traditional caravan route to the Sahara. Just on the outskirts of Ait Ben-Haddou, our hotel Riad Caravane offered a unique blend of Moroccan architecture and modern comfort with exceptional food and service. Ait Ben-Haddou, now a Unesco World Heritage Site, once made its money by trading salt. But these days Ait Ben-Haddou and nearby Ouarzazate are famed for something quite different. Known locally as Ouarzawood in homage to its movie credentials, this region has provided the backdrop for many blockbuster films and TV series, including Ridley Scotts Gladiator and its sequel Gladiator 2. Ait Ben-Haddou sits at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains in southern Morocco Ouarzazate is known locally as Ouarzawood in homage to its movie credentials The region has provided the backdrop for many blockbuster films and TV series, including Ridley Scotts Gladiator (pictured) and its sequel Gladiator 2 In the original Gladiator movie, Maximus is sold into slavery and forced to train as a gladiator. Ait Ben-Haddou was the scene of his first fight. An arena was constructed for the film using traditional mud bricks so it blended in with the existing architecture. Its not just Gladiator that was filmed here. Scenes from Lawrence of Arabia, Game of Thrones and The Mummy also feature its earthen buildings and streets. The August sun was fierce as I entered the village, yet it was easy to find shade behind its high walls. An intricate warren of alleyways house a number of shops selling many of the same wares youd expect in the souks of Marrakesh. These sit side-by-side with traditional homes and stalls housing animals. Like many of the locals, my village guide Mohammed also works as an extra when the movie crews arrive. On a quick tour of his house, he proudly showed off the sword and shield he brandished in Game of Thrones. Thirty minutes drive from Ait Ben-Haddou, on the outskirts of Ouarzazate, lies the Atlas film studios, one of the biggest in the world, opened in 1983. The great and good of Hollywood have filmed here including Samuel L. Jackson, Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman, Leonardo Di Caprio and, most recently, the cast of Gladiator 2. Thirty minutes drive from Ait Ben-Haddou, on the outskirts of Ouarzazate, lies the Atlas film studios, one of the biggest in the world, opened in 1983 Leaving the movie world behind, I headed out of the city to Fint Oasis. Even in the height of the summer drought, this tranquil, lush place had large pools of water in its tree-lined riverbed. Local women washed their clothes, drying them here and there on the bushes. I was thrilled to spot turtles and frogs in the water. Over the next few days, our trip took me gradually eastwards, inching ever closer to the Sahara. There were some memorable stops on the way. The Dades region, know as the Valley of the Roses, is dotted with pink-coloured villages. The scent of the roses that are grown here hangs in the air. Women from this area, many working together in co-operatives, pick 700 tonnes of rose petals each year which are made into rosewater, used in beauty products, cooking and aromatherapy. Continuing on, we reached the impressive Todra Gorge, a series of limestone river canyons with sheer cliffs rising up to 300 metres. That evening, I arrived in Merzouga, the gateway to the Sahara, just before sunset. Leaving the movie world behind, I headed out of the city to Fint Oasis (pictured). Even in the height of the summer, this tranquil, lush place has large pools of water in its tree-lined riverbed Our stunning hotel - Riad Serai - was quite literally, on the edge of a part of the desert called Erg Chebbi. This large sea of dunes formed by wind-blown sand stretched as far as I could see. I walked a little way and sat down. All I could hear was the sound of the wind which had just started to pick up. In the distance, I could make out the silhouette of camels bearing riders across the peaks of the dunes. The next day, a 4x4 took me deeper into the desert. I was staying the night in a Luxury Desert Camp. The driver navigated his way across the deep orange sand as if he was following some unseen highway. We stopped to look for fossils. The heat was searing as we walked, eyes down scanning the rocky sand. Within minutes Id found an ammonite. Just seconds later, there were more. I arrived in Merzouga (pictured), the gateway to the Sahara, just before sunset Arriving at the camp, I was greeted with traditional Moroccan mint tea.. The tents were something else - with air conditioning, a stand-alone bath and a very comfy bed, this was glamping at its finest. But the best was yet to come. As the sun began to dip, I climbed awkwardly onto a camel and was led out to the dunes to watch the sunset. In those few minutes as the light faded, the sand seemed to shift in colour from orange, to pink and then red. Back at camp, all the guests sat around the fire pit chatting and listening to traditional live music. When all was quiet, I lay on my back staring at the crystal-clear night sky. Id been told the chance of seeing a meteor that night was high. Minutes later, a shooting star traced a path directly above. Our stunning hotel - Riad Serai - was quite literally, on the edge of a part of the desert called Erg Chebbi (pictured) A fitting end to a truly star-studded trip. Welcome to Capri! announces our pilot Alessandro over the tannoy as we cruise 1,000ft above the coastline in our 5m twin-engine tracker helicopter, the first of its kind in Italy. Were just high enough to avoid the jagged limestone cliffs, yet close enough to spy on the wealthy bronzed holidaymakers jumping off the flotilla of yachts and speedboats below, disappearing as they swim into the hidden sea caves. Travelling at around 150mph, it has taken 15 minutes for the short hop from Sorrento to touch down in style on the Italian island, a notorious haunt for the global elite. Just last year, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos - the third richest person in the world flew in on a similar chopper with his wife Lauren Sanchez. Oh the glitz, the glamour! Its fair to say this is not your usual Uber ride. But this summer, you too can swap a grumpy driver in a Toyota Prius in the UK for our charismatic 50-year-old pilot here in Italy after the tech giant launched its first helicopter service in Europe (one began in New York in 2019). Its so fast, its so easy! Alessandro jokes as we land. Jim Norton, pictured, took a ride on Europe's first Uber helicopter, flying over the Amalfi Coast Travelling at around 150mph, it takes 15 minutes for the short hop from Sorrento to touch down in style on the Italian island, a notorious haunt for the global elite And reasonable too. For just 210 each or 1,260 if youve enough to fill all six seats you can book a seat through the app for a round trip to and from the island. Its quite a steal. Normally, such a journey would cost upwards of 3,300 and thats just one way. Word of warning though: with a record five million tourists expected to hit the Amalfi Coast in July and August, space may be limited. Im here this week to sample Ubers two new extravagant transport offerings on the Amalfi Coast, featuring not only the helicopter ride but also a new four-hour cruise from Sorrento to Positano. Somehow, the boat ride will be free heavily subsidised by Uber to allow everyone to experience some luxury travel, Im told. A publicity stunt perhaps, but a kind gesture all the same. For just 210 each or 1,260 if youve enough to fill all six seats you can book a seat through the app for a round trip to and from the island. 'Its quite a steal,' says Jim Both are certainly an upgrade from travelling by car. Its not even the height of summer and the towns are already gridlocked with aggressive taxi drivers honking and young men on scooters jumping up on the pavement, while you need a stomach of steel not to feel a little queasy going round hairpin bends skirting the coastline. At one point, as we almost hit an oncoming minibus, the driver tells us: Dont worry, I just close my eyes. Also on the trip are two dozen influencers and international journalists, all of us staying for two nights at the boutique five-star Belair hotel that is doing an impressive audition for the next series of White Lotus. Set into the cliff-tops of Sorrento, I step out onto the balcony of my 1,100-a-night room on Thursday morning to be greeted by a glorious panorama of the bay spread before me. Feeling like a Hollywood A-lister, Im just about ready for my flight. At 26C and clear blue skies, its perfect conditions but theres palpable trepidation among the group as we head to the helipad. Ill admit, Im a nervous flyer not helped from covering two helicopter crashes in my time as a Daily Mail reporter. Ian is a nervous flyer, but he's told the AW109 tracker he boards is one of the finest on the market, with only three in operation in Europe 'We get an incredibly smooth ride, with our heads pressed to the glass as we listen to our pilots commentary on their favourite sights,' he says I seek reassurance as soon as we arrive. Dont worry, I have a family too, jokes Valerio, the hunky co-pilot, as the doting dad takes the opportunity to tell me about his one-year-old daughter. Both he and Alessandro, both locals, have been flying for around two decades. They tell me the AW109 tracker were about to board is one of the finest on the market, with only three in operation in Europe. It has two powerful engines a plus Im told, not just in terms of power but in safety too in case one conks out. The same can be said for the pilots, they joke. It has the capacity to go as high as 19,600ft and up to 193mph though today were going at a more measured speed, flying around the height of the Eiffel Tower. And its an incredibly smooth ride. Thankfully, we dont do the loop-the-loops Alessandro suggests through his microphone as we launch. The Uber helicopter has 'the capacity to go as high as 19,600ft and up to 193mph though today were going at a more measured speed, flying around the height of the Eiffel Tower' Instead we get an incredibly smooth ride, with our heads pressed to the glass as we listen to our pilots commentary on their favourite sights. They run up to 18 flights a day at the height summer, yet they still sound as excited as we do. As we plunge across the Mediterranean, the boats criss-crossing below look like Lego, and in no time were hovering above the Faraglioni Rocks, three giant sea stacks that mark the entry to Capri. Though we cant see from here, they are home to the rare blue lizard. While its species the Italian wall lizard are mostly greenish-brown, this isolated population instead evolved a camouflage to reflect the vivid electric blue of the bright sky above and deep sea around. The faragliona is the symbol of Capri, Alessandro says over the radio. We soar over the mansion villas, nestled within the citrus and olive trees, and too quickly, were landing on the helipad. For once nervous flyers, were now hungry for more. Were whisked instead down to the Lido del Faro beach club in a pink six-seater open-top jeep, last seen in the Barbie movie. It certainly gives off a Hollywood vibe to the island, and alongside my four female passengers, I feel like Ken in Capri. The only difference is my rather pink sunburnt face from the day before. As we plunge across the Mediterranean, the boats criss-crossing below look like Lego, and in no time were hovering above the Faraglioni Rocks, three giant sea stacks that mark the entry to Capri (pictured) Unfortunately, Id been fooled by the cool breeze as we had raced around the peninsula on the four-hour boat ride. Wed been ferried by Mario, a handsome local arent they all here? - who began driving boats when he was 16-years-old. Now 24, he is obviously proud of his heritage and rightly so. We gawp at the richness of colour along the rugged tree-lined cliffs, an artists dream. Its no wonder J.M.W Turner brought his easel on a boat here in the early 19th century. Our 13-metre vessel worth around half a million pounds - is decked out with plush cream leather cushions and the minibar stocked with Prosecco. We quickly get tucked into the extra dry vino Spumante Prima cuvee. It might be worth no more than 8 in local shops, but to us, on this boat, with this view, it tastes like a vintage 1976 Dom Perignon. Buonjiourrrnooo! we hear Mario shout in the background every time he sees a friend driving another boat. Jim later has a four-hour boat ride and says: 'Our 13-metre vessel worth around half a million pounds - is decked out with plush cream leather cushions and the minibar stocked with Prosecco' We speed along the undulating coastline, passing Roman ruins and lone fishermen casting their lines out over the rocks. We can see the fish below us in the crystal water. Our first stop just off a tiny island, with two houses, a church and a helipad, that Mario tells us can be rented for 125,000 a week. A refreshing dip later, and we continue our journey into choppier waters as we round the bay, and see the colourful villas of Positano a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and deservedly so - nestled into the cliffside. A heavy lunch of the saltiest pasta, and one too many Aperol Spritzes and a chocolate gelato later, and were back on the boat. Its a quieter return trip, less of a party atmosphere now and more of a peaceful solitude as we soak in a true experience of La Dolce Vita. As summer arrives and temperatures start to rise, millions of holidaymakers are gearing up for the perfect beach escape either at home or abroad. But finding your own piece of paradise can be challenging when you're sharing the beach with thousands of other visitors - and before you know it, a relaxing day at a coastal haven can quickly turn into a holiday hell. Luckily, beachgoers far and wide can plan accordingly before visiting a picture-postcard destination this summer, as the world's most complained about beaches have been revealed. A new study has analysed TripAdvisor reviews from 200 of the world's most popular beaches - uncovering the locations consistently disappointing tourists despite their exceptional reputations. The research assessed negative keywords used in reviews, such as 'overcrowded,' 'dirty,' 'long queues,' 'noise' and 'disruption' to filter the reviews, then looked at how often they were applied to each beach to compute an overall complaint score. European beaches dominated the overcrowding category, US hotspots were ranked least clean, Caribbean and North American beaches were found to be most noisy, while Island destinations were revealed to have some of the worst queues. Scoring a perfect 100 out of 100 score, Waikiki Beach in Hawaii, US, topped the overall complaint list primary due to overcrowding, along with lack of cleanliness, noise and long queues. Over two-thirds of negative reviews cited uncomfortable overcrowding that transforms the popular tourist spot into what one visitor dubbed 'a human sardine can.' Scoring a perfect 100 out of 100 score, Waikiki Beach in Hawaii, US, topped the overall complaint list primary due to overcrowding, along with lack of cleanliness, noise and long queues Venice Beach in California followed closely behind in second place with an 89.7 out of 100 complaint score, driven primarily by cleanliness concerns (60.6 per cent) Your browser does not support iframes. Venice Beach in California followed closely behind in second place with an 89.7 out of 100 complaint score, driven primarily by cleanliness concerns (60.6 per cent). One TripAdvisor reviewer at Venice Beach wrote that it 'is dirty and some parts even smelled like urine.' Coming in third place in the Cloudwards study, with a complaint score of 73.5, is Playa Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica, as over half of negative reviews cited overcrowding, while over a quarter complained of long queues. Some visitors mentioned spending more time waiting than actually enjoying the beach, as one wrote: 'The line to get in the park, where the beach is located, is crazy long, as not only beachgoers are waiting, but people interested in the park and tours.' Clearwater Beach in the United States was ranked fourth with a complaint score of 65.5, as almost a fifth of negative reviews described the beach as 'dirty,' while a staggering 64 per cent of visitors specified overcrowding as a prevalent issue. Popular British destinations also ranked highly in overall complaints, with Bournemouth Beach coming in fifth place with a score of 65.1. Over a third of negative reviews complained of lack of cleanliness, while over half highlighted overcrowding as a persistent problem. Two additional UK beaches made the top 100: Weymouth Beach ranked 30th with a complaint score of 39.5, while Gorleston-on-Sea Beach ranked 91st with a score of 19.8. Coming in third with a complaint score of 73.5 is Playa Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica, as over half of negative reviews citing overcrowding, while over a quarter complained of long queues Clearwater Beach in the United States was ranked fourth with a complaint score of 65.5, as almost a fifth of negative reviews described the beach as 'dirty' Leading the European destinations with the highest percentage of overcrowding complaints is La Pelosa in Italy, while Elafonissi Beach in Greece ranked seventh on overall complaints, with over 70 per cent of reviews citing overcrowding as an issue. During peak season at La Pelosa, visitors reported having to arrive early to claim a prime spot, only to find themselves still touching shoulders with strangers. One visitor to La Pelosa wrote: 'It was a weekday morning in mid-September yet the crowds resembled central London/New York/Sydney on New Year's Eve.' Playa Delfines in Mexico earned the dubious honour of worst queues, with over half of visitors complaining of long wait times. Sint Maarten's Maho Beach ranked as the noisiest destination, with a large number of complaints mentioning excessive noise - unsurprising given that the beach is located directly under an airport flight path where planes pass just meters above. A visitor to Maho Beach wrote: 'The smell of jet fuel is sickening and the blast of sand in the face from the jets is painful and like standing in front of a sand blaster.' Cloudwards CEO, Mauricio Preuss, said of the findings: 'For travellers, this research underscores the importance of looking beyond the highlight reel. 'The most rewarding beach experiences might be found at lesser-known destinations that haven't yet been overwhelmed by mass tourism. Popular British destinations also ranked highly in overall complaints, with Bournemouth Beach coming in fifth place with a score of 65.1 'Sometimes the best paradise is the one that isn't trending on TikTok.' The full list of 100 most complained about beaches can be found here. But if you're looking at where to go instead, the best beaches in the world for 2025 have been ranked. And it was a Greek beach dubbed 'the Maldives of Europe' that came out on top of the list. Tourists have been warned as Spanish authorities issue a wildfire alert for a holiday hotspot this summer. A pre-alert has been issued for the Canary Islands, just as thousands of Brits prepare to fly to the archipelago. The General Directorate of Emergencies issued the warning, which extends to Tenerife, Grand Canaria, La Palma, La Gomera and EI Heirro. It comes after the island's wet season, with dry and hot winds starting to blow in from the Sahara Desert, known as calima. The alert is in place until further notice, as authorities urged residents and tourists to heighten their vigilance. Wildfires often occur during the summer months in Spain and neighbouring Portugal. However, in October 2017 the two countries suffered hundreds of large blazes that claimed the lives of 45 people in Portugal and four in Spain. In August 2023, some 12,000 were evacuated from Tenerife as 'out of control' wildfires ravaged the island. A pre-wildfire alert has been issued for the Canary Islands, just as thousands of Brits prepare to fly to the archipelago General Directorate of Emergencies issued the warning, which extends to Tenerife, Grand Canaria, La Palma, La Gomera and EI Heirro It comes after the island's wet season, with dry and hot winds starting to blow in from the Sahara Desert, known as calima Spain's tourism sector has already been dealt a blow over rising anti-tourism protests ahead of the busy season. Last month the latest demonstration saw fed-up locals take to the streets to hit back at what they call 'excessive' tourism. Under the slogan 'Canarias tiene un limite' (The Canaries has a limit), the demonstrators gathered on the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera, Gran Canaria, El Hierro, Lanzarote and La Palma. Activists want to limit the number of tourists visiting the islands, ban new hotel construction and introduce a tougher tourist tax, among other measures. United Airlines is making a big move toward the future of flying by signing an agreement to buy up to 200 new revolutionary airplanes from startup aviation company, JetZero. These new planes, called the JetZero Z4, have been designed to reduce emissions by 50 per cent while providing an enhanced customer experience - and they could start replacing United's current aircraft by the year 2030. It comes after The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently greenlit test flights of a smaller prototype, the Pathfinder, which seats 250 passengers inside the aircraft modeled after the US Air Force's B-2 Stealth Bomber. United first announced its investment in JetZero in April and just this week gave the public a first look at the new aircraft design. The planes have a blended wing body shape, giving the wings and body one smooth structure rather than separate parts like on regular planes. This design isn't the only innovative feature of the plane - it's also built to use much less fuel and offer more space inside, creating a better flying experience for passengers while paving the way for a cleaner environment. United's conditional agreement includes an initial order for 100 planes, with the option to buy 100 more later. But JetZero needs to hit some big milestones first - such as flying a full-size test version of the aircraft by 2027 - and prove that the planes are safe, efficient, and cost-effective for commercial use. United Airlines is making a big move toward the future of flying by signing an agreement to buy up to 200 new revolutionary airplanes from startup aviation company, JetZero These new planes, called the JetZero Z4, have been designed to reduce emissions by 50 per cent while providing an enhanced customer experience JetZero needs to hit some big milestones - such as flying a full-size test version of the aircraft by 2027 - and prove that the planes are safe, efficient, and cost-effective for commercial use One of the biggest advantages of the JetZero Z4 is fuel saving, with the new design reducing drag and producing lift across the entire wingspan, helping cut fuel use by up to 50 per cent per passenger compared to similar planes flying today. The new aircraft is also built to run on conventional jet fuel and can fly using sustainable fuel blends. Inside, the Z4 promises an improved passenger experience, including larger seats across all classes, wider aisles, and even overhead bins for every seat. The main boarding door will be wider too, helping passengers board faster with less hassle, while wider aisles and accessible restrooms will help make it easier for people with disabilities to move around the cabin. Even with its unconventional shape, the Z4 is being built to fit right into today's airports, so no major changes will be needed on runways or gates. The aircraft is also expected to fly higher than typical jets today, which can lead to faster, smoother flights. For example, a flight from Newark, New Jersey to Palma de Mallorca, Spain could use up to 45 per cent less fuel than current planes on that route, according to a statement from JetZero. The U.S. Air Force is also supporting JetZero's work and gave the company $235 million (173 million) in 2023 to help speed up development of a full-scale test plane. One of the biggest advantages of the JetZero Z4 is fuel savings, with the new design reducing drag and producing lift across the entire wingspan, helping cut fuel use by up to 50 per cent per passenger Inside, the Z4 promises an improved passenger experience, including larger seats across all classes, wider aisles, and even overhead bins for every seat The main boarding door will be wider too, helping passengers board faster with less hassle, while wider aisles and accessible restrooms will help make it easier for people with disabilities to move around the cabin If all goes according to plan, the company hopes to begin testing the Z4 in 2027. If the tests are successful and the plane meets all safety and business standards, United could start flying passengers on the new aircraft by 2030 - marking a huge step forward in how we fly and how airlines operate. 'We call this the SpaceX of aviation,' Tony Fadell, a JetZero investor and strategic advisor, told Fast Company in 2023, explaining how the company's founders honed the prototype for decades due to a resistant industry. He added: 'They left to create [JetZero] because this is what the world needs to be able to hit climate goals,' Fadell said, adding: 'It has to happen now because we have an existential crisis.' An airplane passenger has shared the unusual reason their bag was unable to be checked in at the airport. On a Reddit thread, the traveller revealed that while boarding a flight in the US they encountered a rarely heard of scenario. The tourist was told that the bag they wanted to check into the hold was simply 'too light' to check in. Posting in the 'r/delta' Reddit forum, the flight passenger entitled the post: 'My checked bag was rejected for being underweight'. He then went on to explain that the holdall, a spare duffel bag that he used to accommodate souvenirs, was deemed not heavy enough to warrant going in the hold. The flyer explained what ensued, saying: 'Imagine my surprise when the agent said I couldn't check my fluffy bag because it didn't weigh enough. Is this the bizarro luggage counter?' The post continued with the passenger explaining that he was advised to take the bag on to the plane as a 'third carry-on' - but he admitted he was reluctant to do that in case the bag was refused at the gate. The solution? He decided to bulk up the bag with weightier items so it would eventually go in the hold. A US air passenger revealed how he was faced with an unlikely scenario during a recent flight home, with his bag deemed to light to go in the hold He shared on Reddit how cabin crew at check-in advised him to simply take the 'too light' bag on as a carry-on - but he declined...fearing that he would be told he had too many bags at the gate Others on the Reddit thread explained their theories on why it might have been turned down at check-in. One wrote: 'Might have been too lightweight and flexible to make it through the sorting machines and various belts to get from the bag check conveyor to the plane.' Another speculated that a too-light bag 'could easily be blown from the belt or from the cart.' And plenty agreed that the passenger had made the right move by not trying to board with three carry-on bags: 'Gate agents lately are super strict. Trying to get three obvious bags past them would most likely not work.' At one US airport last week, an unusual 'package' raised eyebrows after a child managed to ride the airport carousel. A two-year-old took a trip on top of Newark Liberty International Airport's baggage conveyer belt after slipping behind a ticketing counter without his parents noticing. The tot then climbed onto the ankle-high conveyer belt where passengers leave their luggage before boarding their flights. A two-year-old managed to ride on top of Newark Liberty International Airport's baggage conveyer belt last week after slipping behind a ticketing counter without his parents noticing (Pictured: stock photo of Jet Blue desk at Newark Airport, New Jersey) The toddler rode the conveyor belt down to the checked baggage room on the lower level of the airport (Pictured: Baggage claim area with conveyor belt at Newark Airport) The incident occurred inside Terminal A on Wednesday, May 28th, as the childs mother was attempting to re-book a flight on Jet-Blue Airlines. The toddler rode the conveyor belt down to the checked baggage room on the lower level of the airport. Port Authority officers responded to the incident and located the child. Port Authority Police PBA President Frank Conti told Pix11 that the responding officers jumped on the conveyor belt to track down the toddler. The two cops were able to move fast into the system, he told the outlet. Which was vital.' There was a split in the belts, he explained. One officer went toward one direction, one toward the other direction. One of the world's best rollercoasters is just a short train ride away from the UK with one theme park fan describing it as 'absolutely incredible'. The Ride to Happiness by Tomorrowland can be found at Plopsaland, a popular theme park in Belgium. The epic ride was even voted the 7th best steel rollercoaster in the world in the Golden Ticket Awards. So, what can theme park fans expect from Plopsaland's Ride to Happiness? The 'very first extreme spinning coaster' in Europe, The Ride to Happiness is themed around Tomorrowland, an electronic music festival in Belgium. Riders will enjoy an 'exclusive soundtrack' created by Tomorrowland as they tackle the ride's spinetingling twists and turns. The ride has five inversions which flip guests upside down and travels at speeds of up to 90km per hour. But the ride's most impressive feature is its spinning car mechanism. The Ride to Happiness by Tomorrowland can be found at Plopsaland, a popular theme park in Belgium The 'very first extreme spinning coaster' in Europe, The Ride to Happiness is themed around Tomorrowland, an electronic music festival in Belgium Plopsaland explains: 'The cars can rotate freely, which will give you a different ride experience every time.' In a video posted to TikTok, theme park enthusiast @coastertog says: 'It's absolutely incredible and very quickly jumps straight to the top of my list of favourite coasters.' And the ride also has a lower height restriction than similar European rollercoasters. Coaster tog explains: 'Another great thing about The Ride to Happiness is that it only has a 1.3m height requirement so if you have children who aren't quite 1.4m, they can still ride one of the best rollercoasters in the world.' To reach Plopsaland, Brits can take the Eurostar from St Pancras to Brussels before catching a two hour train to De Panne. The theme park is just a five minute walk from the station. Tourists could also combine their trip with a visit to one of De Panne's beaches, as the theme park is extremely close to the coast. MasterChef Australia fans have been left puzzled by resurfaced footage of judges from the Canadian franchise shouting at their wide-eyed contestants after spitting out their food. The YouTube channel MasterChef global recently re-uploaded footage of Canadian judges Michael Bonacini, Claudio Aprile, and Alvin Leung giving their season one contestants a brutal roasting. The judging trio, who have helmed the Canadian series since 2014, are known for their demanding and sometimes intense critiques, particularly by blue-haired chef Alvin. At the start of the clip, Alvin grimaces in disgust after he takes a bite out of contestant Megan Toth's smelt quiche. He proceeds to chew the bite loudly and then throw his fork down in disgust, before storming out. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMails new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. MasterChef Australia fans have been left puzzled by resurfaced footage of the Canadian franchise's judges terrorising their wide-eyed contestants The YouTube channel MasterChef global recently re-uploaded footage of Canadian judges Michael Bonacini, Claudio Aprile, and Alvin Leung (pictured) giving their season one contestants a brutal roasting 'That is why I only watch [MasterChef] Australia,' one viewer commented as the footage was shared to Reddit for discussion. 'Nice judges and nice contestants. No shouting and no chest thumping.' In stark contrast to the unfavourable comparisons of Married at First Sight Australia to the 'tamer' UK and US formats Channel Ten's MasterChef has been hailed by viewers as a beacon of positivity. As the clip continues, judge Claudio joins his colleague in spitting out a bite of the second dish into a napkin. 'This looks like I want to watch the show from my couch fish cakes,' he tells a male contestant. 'That's a garnish? It looks like compost!' Alvin, who is a renowned Canadian chef known for his "X-Treme Chinese" cuisine and often referred to as "The Demon Chef", was even harsher. 'Why would you puree a beautiful fish like that and turn it into mush?' he asked the same contestant, before completely losing his temper. As the clip continues, judge Claudio joins his colleagues in spitting out a bite of the second dish into a napkin and telling a male contestant it 'looks like compost' At the start of the clip, Alvin is seen grimacing in disgust after he takes a bite out of contestant Megan Toth's smelt quiche. He proceeds to throw his fork down in disgust, before storming out 'Is this a joke? This is MasterChef Canada,' he said, before shouting, 'and you give me this?!' Alvin is the owner of Bo Innovation in Hong Kong, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant. Viewers flocked to Reddit to compare the Australian and UK MasterChef judges to their North American counterparts. 'MasterChef Aus still has drama. MasterChef UK has the least. And USA is...' one wrote. 'Yeah, most of the other versions overdramatise the judging, and encourage the judges to be total d***s,' another agreed before providing an example. 'MasterChef US: "Holy s***, this is horrible, and your dead mother would be ashamed at the way you've butchered her recipe." [Tosses plate across the room]. 'MasterChef AU: "Well, you're asparagus is pretty on point, and I liked the use of saffron, but you've got to be more careful about your seasoning and you're cooking times. This definitely wasn't your best." [Gives crying contestant a hug].' 'It's why I only watch the Australian version anymore,' they concluded. Viewers flocked to Reddit to compare the Australian and UK MasterChef judges to their North American counterparts MasterChef viewers lavished praise on Australian judges Andy Allen (left), Poh Ling Yeow (centre), and Sofia Levin (right) for their 'wholesome' approach While MasterChef Australia fans have sometimes complained that judges Andy Allen, Poh Ling Yeow, Jean-Christophe Novelli, and Sofia Levin 'baby' the contestants or 'are too nice' - viewers agreed this is preferable compared to the shouting in Canada's version. 'The judges on MasterChef AU are genuinely some of the kindest. Even when a dish doesnt turn out well, they still manage to give feedback in such a polite and empathetic way,' another viewer added. 'And Its not just the current set of judges, even in the earlier seasons they always maintained that warmth and encouragement. In contrast, MasterChef Canada feels so much harsher. 'From this clip, the judges come across so blunt and rude. I get that presentation might be lacking in some dishes, but the way the criticism is delivered its just feels unnecessarily harsh. 'Honestly, it makes the whole viewing experience feel tense rather than enjoyable. I don't think I will ever enjoy watching this Masterchef Canada. 'It just takes the joy out of it.' 'I'm in Canada and I love watching the Australian feed because it's so wholesome,' another agreed. 'The Canadian version is so mean. The judges are mean and they push the contestants to fight against each other. Theres a lot of bullying.' 'The US version is just as hideous if not worse ... honestly unwatchable. Again, the Australians have made this programme the best version possible,' praised another MC Australia fan. Canadian viewers said that while chef Alvin has improved his temperament and judging style over time, they despised how their format appeared to copy the 'hideous' approach of the US version. Nepo baby Nico Parker has revealed the lesson her famous parents taught her to get ahead as she follows in their footsteps. The actress, 20, is the daughter of BAFTA-winning film star Thandiwe Newton and director Ol Parker, known for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. She is fresh off the back of starring in Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, as Chloe, the nanny to Bridget's children. Nico also plays one of the leads, Astrid, in the live action remake of the 2010 fantasy adventure film How To Train Your Dragon, set for release on June 9. And when appearing on Lorraine today to promote the new movie, she told presenter Ranvir Singh the advice her parents gave her as she flies the nest. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Nepo baby Nico Parker (pictured) has revealed the lesson her famous parents taught her to get ahead as she follows in their footsteps When appearing on Lorraine today to promote the new movie, she told presenter Ranvir Singh the advice her parents gave her as she flies the nest The actress, 20, is the daughter of BAFTA-winning film star Thandiwe Newton and director Ol Parker, known for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (all pictured together at the premiere for the 2019 live-action remake for Dumbo, which Nico starred in) The host, 47, asked the young star on the ITV chat show: 'Whats really lovely about you - Ive seen you in other interviews - is youre just very open about the fact you came from an actor-y background. 'Your mum is Thandiwe Newton, your dad is a director. So, how has that informed the way you approach acting? 'And did you always think, Well, acting is just a no-brainer, of course Im going to do it?"' Nico replied: 'It wasnt really something, I did ballet for a while when I was younger and that to me was a kind of, full guns blazing, what I wanted to do when I was younger. 'So, acting didn't necessarily come about in a way of like, "This is my birthright", in any sense. 'But my parents, the really lovely thing about both of them is their advice is predominantly about how to be a good person rather than how to behave on a film set. 'And I think that whats lovely is about is that the two kind of bleed into one another because I think its much more important to be a nice and normal person and be kind to others, rather than know what angle best suits you. 'So, the advice that I get from them feels very much more so about life and things like that. She is fresh off the back of starring in Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, as Chloe (pictured), the nanny to Bridget's children Nico (right, with co-star Mason Thames as Hiccup, left) also plays one of the leads, Astrid, in the live action remake of the 2010 fantasy adventure film How To Train Your Dragon, set for release on June 9 'The wonderful thing about that is that you can then take it on to work and wherever you go.' Ranvir then went on to ask how she was coping with fame, to which Nico responded, laughing: 'I don't feel famous at all! 'I feel very normal and all my friends are at uni and I go to visit them. Life feels surprisingly normal despite it being quite a mad time.' Elsewhere in the interview, the star also confessed she hates to watch herself on-screen - literally turning away as the trailer for How To Train Your Dragon was shown on Lorraine. Spotting this, Ranvir laughed: 'What's so funny is that you won't even watch yourself in the film!' Nico, also known for her turns in the 2019 live action adaptation of Dumbo and post-apocalyptic drama series The Last Of Us, replied: 'As that was playing, I just was about to faint, I couldn't! 'Me and Mason [Thames, who plays lead character Hiccup] watched the movie recently in Brazil and that was my first full time seeing it, with an audience in a big cinema and I just couldnt, I was cowering away the whole time.'. Asked why that is by the presenter, she explained: 'I dont know what it is... Ranvir then went on to ask how she was coping with fame, to which Nico responded, laughing: 'I don't feel famous at all!' Ranvir was impressed with the young actress's thoughtful answers, saying at the close of the interview: 'Well, I suppose we can credit your parents for doing a great job with you because I mean, it is wonderful to meet you' 'It just all feels very kind of silly in a way and then when you watch it with an audience, I kind of am just constantly thinking, "Oh, everyone hates me and this looks awful!"' Ranvir responded sympathetically, 'Oh, darling!', before Nico continued: 'I'm always very, very in my head.' But with a slightly smaller part in Bridget Jones than in How To Train Your Dragon, she said watching that was different. Nico explained: 'I was just a tiny piece of a very big puzzle so I was able to actually watch it quite comfortably but you know, this was very different, very invasive in a way.' Ranvir was impressed with the young actress's thoughtful answers, saying at the close of the interview: 'Well, I suppose we can credit your parents for doing a great job with you because I mean, it is wonderful to meet you. 'And in a way, [you're] sort of the opposite of what you expect in many ways because youre just so normal and so down-to-earth which is absolutely lovely to see.' It comes after another guest on Lorraine this week caused a stir, with viewers seriously distracted by EastEnders star Shona McGarty's appearance. Wednesday's episode of the ITV chat show saw the actress, 33 - best known as Whitney Dean on the BBC soap - discuss her latest gig with presenter Ranvir Singh. It comes after another guest on Lorraine this week caused a stir, with viewers seriously distracted by EastEnders star Shona McGarty's appearance (pictured) Viewers of the ITV chat show took to X to say that with her fringe and bobbed hair, the soap star looked uncannily like Lorraine Kelly (pictured) After playing the character for 16 years, before her departure from Walford in 2024, she is now set to star in Bettie Page Queen of Pin-Ups: The Musical. The new show will see Shona play the iconic American pin-up girl for one night only at London's Lyric Theatre on June 9. But Lorraine viewers were more focussed on Shona's appearance - taking to X to say that with her fringe and bobbed hair, she looked uncannily like Lorraine Kelly. One fan said, comparing Shona to the Scottish host, 65, of the self-titled chat show: 'Lorraine is looking a bit younger from her days off.' Another user responded: 'Great minds.' They also made their own separate post on the social media platform: 'Shona's morphed into Lorraine.' Someone else said they agreed wholeheartedly: 'I couldn't think who she reminded me of but yes that's it!' Lorraine is available to watch weekdays at 9am on ITV1 and to stream on ITVX. Amy Childs was thrilled when she landed a role on the new ITV reality series, The Only Way Is Essex. As a beautician working in the bougie town of Brentwood, she had dreams of becoming rich and famous. And of course, finding her dream man. This was almost 15 years ago and Amys ambitions were helped by the fact her vajazzle (a pubic area decorated with crystals and glitter) became a national talking point. Soon she was one of the shows stand out stars. Her love life turned out to be not quite so straightforward. In fact, friends of hers tell me she was a player and very proud of being one. In 2021, Amy at last met her match when she began dating a fellow reality TV star, Billy Delbosq, who had been a cast member on Channel 4 relationship show First Dates. Like Amy, who enjoyed an on-off romance with her TOWIE co-star Kirk Norcross, among others, Billy had a rather lengthy list of exes. But they fell for one another and in 2023, after Amy gave birth to their twins Billy River and Amelia Mae, became engaged. Last month, however, despite their apparent happiness, Amy, 34, stunned her fans by calling off the wedding, prompting much speculation that her relationship with Billy could be in trouble. It is the second time she has postponed the nuptials after cancelling them back in 2023, because she wasnt sure if Billy really wanted to marry her. Rumours that all is not well in their romance were exacerbated when she was seen without her crystal engagement ring on Monday this week while out on a shopping trip. Now, I can reveal, friends of the couple fear that something bad may have happened. Amy Childs and Billy Delbosq, their twins Billy River and Amelia Mae and Polly, Amy's daughter from a previous relationship Ms Childs at the opening of her salon in Brentwood, Essex, in 2011 Ms Childs and Delbosq started dating in 2021, but friends fear something has happened between the pair after seeing Ms Childs without her engagement ring One said: Billy has always been a player. Hes one of the biggest players in Essex. He is rich, and loves flashing the cash and showing off. He inherited a lot of money and has invested in some gyms. He is quite the big deal and when he got with Amy quite a few people in the area were questioning what he was doing with her. She had several relationships behind her and already had two children with two previous partners. But it was really sweet - Billy would just reply I really do love her to any of these questions. But now there are fears that all is not well, that something could have happened between them. And that, says one friend of Amys, could be why she was pictured looking very thin and without her engagement ring during her shopping trip. The clinging brown gym gear and chunky beige sandals she wore while out on errands in Brentwood, Essex, served only to highlight her two-stone weight loss of recent months. Amy hid her eyes behind dark sunglasses, and to add to her woes found she had been slapped with a parking ticket when she returned to her car. However, other sources close to her insist she had taken her ring off to go to the gym and that she and Billy are in fact more in love than ever . Ms Childs was seen without her engagement ring while running errands in Brentwood Ms Childs has been deeply concerned by the poor health of her mum Julie, who was rushed to hospital in April after suffering a heart attack. Pictured together in 2014 Ms Childs told OK! Magazine: Im going through so much at the minute that the weight has fallen off me' Those on the Essex circuit have speculated that Ms Childs has used weight-loss jabs If thats the case, there was little evidence of it on Thursday morning when the couple were spotted at Stansted airport en route to Spain for some TOWIE filming. As they pushed their children in their buggies into the terminal - to join the likes of Lauren Goodger, Ella Rae Wise and Dan Edgar they appeared preoccupied and unsmiling. They usually seem so happy together, said one pal. This time they looked really down in the dumps, neither particularly looked like they wanted to be there. Its sad. As well as cancelling the wedding, Amy has been left deeply concerned by the poor health of her mum Julie, 59, who appeared on TOWIE in 2011. In April, Julie was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery after suffering a heart attack. As if things werent already torrid enough for Amy, she has also been on the receiving end of much trolling for her weight loss. She told OK! Magazine: Im going through so much at the minute that the weight has fallen off me. I worry about my mum constantly. Shes very emotional she thinks shes going to have another heart attack. People think Im not eating, but I do eat. To be honest, I do feel better when Im a bit heavier than I am at the moment. Theres so much going on at the minute its the result of pure stress. Were also having renovations done in the midst of parenting four kids. It isnt just those on social media who are being cruel about her. So too are some of those in her own circles. I can reveal that one snitch on the Essex circuit has been gossiping about the possibility that weight-loss jabs, which she has been open about using in the past, have contributed to her thin physique. Everyone in Essex is on Mounjaro, said one. Amy has said she has used it in the past, so obviously there is much chatter that [her weight loss] is because of that. Those who move in Amys kinds of circles can be very mean, so this whole situation has given people lots to talk about and there is no doubt that there will be more and more to come from this one. Kristin Cavallari has had her share of hookups with fellow reality stars and famous men. But now, she's coming clean about a fling she had with Southern Charm's Craig Conover. The Honestly Cavallari: The Tour star, 38, opened up about the romance to Andy Cohen, 57 on Wednesday's Watch What Happens Live. 'Okay, let's talk about it. So, Craig and I were friends first [and] became romantic for two seconds,' Cavallari admitted. Their romance fizzled out when Kristin realized Craig was dating Paige DeSorbo, 32. 'The second I caught wind of Paige, I very politely excused myself from the situation.' Kristin Cavallari has had her share of hookups with fellow reality stars and famous men But now, she's coming clean about a fling she had with Southern Charm's Craig Conover. Craig seen here with ex-girlfriend Page DeSorbo on October 14, 2022 'Was there overlap in your relationships?' Cohen asked. 'There was a picture of Craig and Paige in New York I'll never forget it and it looked like they were sort of together,' Cavallari recalled. 'That was the first time anyone had seen them. That was the first time I had heard about it,' she explained. 'I saw that picture, and I texted him and I said, 'Hey, let's just be friends.' Like, I don't wanna get in the middle of this,' she continued. Conover and Cavallari's friendship started in 2020, after her divorce from Jay Cutler. She admitted to kissing Conover in 2023 on WWHL when a fan asked her what her relationship with Southern Charm's Austen Kroll and Conover was. 'What is it there? Did you guys date? Hook up? Friends? Friends with benefits?' the fan asked. 'We were all really good friends for a while and we had a drunk night and we all posted some stupid Instagram dancing around, she said, referring to posts from a 2020 night out with Kroll and Conover. The Honestly Cavallari: The Tour star, 38, opened up about the romance to Andy Cohen , 57 on Wednesday's Watch What Happens Live 'It got all blown out of proportion,' she said, noting that she was just 'friends' with Conover and Kroll. But Cohen wasn't going to leave it alone and bluntly asked her if she'd ever kissed Conover. 'I may have been drunk one night and kissed Craig,' she said. And Craig isn't the only Hollywood heartthrob Kristin has had a tender moment with. On the premiere of the E! series Honestly Cavallari on Wednesday, she admitted to 'dry humping' Hollywood superstar Glen Powell after they secretly hooked up on a wild trip to Greece. Kristin's best friend Justin was also in the first episode of her new show and he eagerly spilled the tea about the single mom's date with A-lister Powell. 'She recently went on a date with... she's gonna be so mad at me, actually, with Glen Powell, and I wanted it to happen so bad!' Justin said as Kristin screamed, 'Justin!' The show then featured a clip from four days earlier with Kristin and Justin explaining that they were, 'partying in Greece' when Powell, '36, 'literally ran into [her].' Kristin this week admitted to going on a date and 'dry humping' Hollywood superstar Glen Powell (pictured) Justin joked, 'And then you guys had a really fun night together.' Kristin admitted, 'I never f***ed him, just putting that out there.' Justin then asked, 'You guys dry humped, though?' After a pause Kristin smiled and said, 'Yeah, we did,' as they both laughed. Back in Atlanta, Kristin told the crowd, 'OK, I have to go on record, when this comes out, I had nothing to f***ing do with it!' Georgia Toffolo took to Instagram on Thursday to share a slew of stunning snaps from her romantic Marrakech getaway with husband James Watt. In one snap, the TV personality, 30, looked incredible in a chic blue mini dress that showcased her long, toned legs. She added height with a pair of gold strappy heels and carried a mini blue handbag that perfectly matched her ensemble. Meanwhile, her husband James, 43, who is the former CEO of BrewDog, cut a smart-casual figure in a white linen shirt and cream tailored trousers as he posed alongside Georgia. In another eye-catching snap, Georgia slipped into a skimpy red bikini as she lounged on a sunbed next to her shirtless husband. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Georgia Toffolo took to Instagram on Thursday to share a slew of stunning snaps from her dreamy Marrakech getaway with husband James Watt In one snap, the TV personality, 30, looked incredible in a chic blue mini dress that showcased her long, toned legs The blonde beauty playfully stuck out her tongue for the camera while posing with a plate of food. During their four-day stay, the couple also dressed to the nines for an evening out. In one glamorous photo, Georgia showed off her washboard abs in a stylish black co-ord set, featuring a crop top and a figure-hugging skirt. Meanwhile, James opted for a smart dark blue shirt and beige trousers, smiling broadly for the camera. In another image, Georgia wore a chic white linen co-ord that offered a glimpse of her toned midriff. She completed the look with a brown suede bag, trendy black sunglasses, and a headscarf as she explored the city. For her next outfit of the day, Georgia chose a white pleated mini dress with a delicately embroidered floral hem. Later, she looked effortlessly stylish in a white frilly top paired with blue denim jeans, posing up a storm at the resort. In another eye-catching snap, Georgia slipped into a skimpy red bikini as she lounged on a sunbed next to her shirtless husband During their four-day stay, the couple also dressed to the nines for an evening out In one glamorous photo, Georgia showed off her washboard abs in a stylish black co-ord set, featuring a crop top and a figure-hugging skirt In another image, Georgia wore a chic white linen co-ord that offered a glimpse of her toned midriff She completed the look with a brown suede bag, trendy black sunglasses, and a headscarf as she prepared to explore the city Sharing the highlights and challenges of her trip, Georgia captioned the post: 'My honest thoughts on Marrakech 'It blows my mind that you can hop on a plane and just over 3 hours later land somewhere this magical. No jet lag (an actual dream), just the most amazing culture and people. 'What I LOVED The vibe: It feels like stepping into another world. From the terracotta walls to the scent of spices in the air, pure sensory bliss. We stayed in the most heavenly riad with breathtaking interiors. 'The food: Moroccan cuisine is next level. Tagines, couscous, and sweet mint tea. I basically ate my way through the trip. 'The interiors: Everywhere you look is a dream. Tadelakt walls, handwoven rugs, patterned tiles, lanterns, even the door handles are pretty. 'The souks: Slightly chaotic but so much fun. Ceramics, rugs, cheeky fake designer belts its all there. Prepare to haggle and get lost (in every sense lol). 'Hammams: A Moroccan spa is not to be missed! Slightly intense (youll be scrubbed within an inch of your life) but your skin will thank you. 'The people: Everyone was so warm and welcoming. Not to be dramatic, but everyone says with pleasure, Madame and its my new fave phrase. WITH PLEASURE XX For her next outfit of the day, Georgia chose a white pleated mini dress with a delicately embroidered floral hem Later, she looked effortlessly stylish in a white frilly top paired with blue denim jeans, posing up a storm at the resort Sharing the highlights and challenges of her trip, Georgia captioned the post: 'My honest thoughts on Marrakech' She continued: 'It blows my mind that you can hop on a plane and just over 3 hours later land somewhere this magical. No jet lag (an actual dream), just the most amazing culture and people' 'The weather: Perfect in early or late summer. Avoid July/August, it gets HOT. 'No time difference to London: For someone who really suffers with jet lag, a game changer. 'Not-so-amazing (but real) bits (upside down smiley face) 'Riads are beautiful but quite dark inside. Wed 100% stay in one again, but worth noting if you love bright spaces. 'The chaos: The Medina is full on. I went to the souk after a massage not my best idea (laughing emoji) 'The hidden steps: Theyre everywhere. I tripped constantly. James found it hilarious. '"Helpful" strangers: Some offer directions then ask for money, not a huge deal just something to be aware of. 'Dress code: More western than I expected, but youll feel more comfortable covered (shoulders/knees) in the Medina. 'Traffic: Crossing the road is a sport. Hold your breath and go. 'Would we come back? 100% YES. Four days felt like a proper reset. Already planning round two, probably October. She concluded: 'Save this for your next sunshine escape. Send to the group chat, youll need a souk buddy x' The vacation snaps come after Georgia revealed earlier this year that she and James eloped in North East Scotland The pair got engaged last October after the millionaire proposed with an exquisite eight-carat triple-diamond studded band estimated to be worth 200,000 during a romantic getaway in Greece for Georgia's 30th birthday The vacation snaps come after Georgia revealed earlier this year that she and James eloped in North East Scotland. The pair got engaged last October after the millionaire proposed with an exquisite eight-carat triple-diamond studded band estimated to be worth 200,000 during a romantic getaway in Greece for Georgia's 30th birthday. And after the BrewDog founder previously insisted that the pair would be tying the knot this year, it appears that the couple were true to their word - though guests only had 48 hours' notice to attend. Taking to Instagram, Georgia shared loved-up snaps of the newlyweds posing on a fishing boat moments after saying 'I Do', captioning her shock post: 'James and I got married today.' '1st March will forever be the best day of my life - the day I became your wife. We eloped! 'Guests: whoever could get here with 48 hours notice! 'Temperature: 6C. Wind: 17 knots North Westerly. Location: North East Scotland 'To our family and friends who arent with us, we will celebrate with you soonest!' Fans were blown away by the first trailer for Kiss of the Spider Woman, particularly the new star. Jennifer Lopez looked unrecognizable in the trailer released on Thursday, with fans were blown away by the 55-year-old star's acting chops and musical prowess, praising her 'evolution' and even predicting an Oscar nod. The forthcoming movie, which also stars Tonatiuh and Diego Luna, is an iteration of the 1993 Broadway musical, which was based on Manuel Puig's 1976 novel of the same name. The musical's script was penned by the late Terrence McNally, and John Kander and Fred Ebb returned to handle the movie's soundtrack. The Bronx-bred actress plays an imaginary figure named Aurora, who was dreamed up by jailed gay hairdresser Luis Molina (Tonatiuh). One person wrote on Instagram, 'This could be the movie that Jennifer will receive an Oscar nomination [for]. It looks dazzling.' The first trailer for Kiss of the Spider Woman, starring Jennifer Lopez, was released on Thursday Fans were blown away by the 55-year-old star's acting chops and musical prowess, praising her 'evolution' and even predicting an Oscar nod 'Hello????! I hear an Oscar win!! This looks phenomenal!!' someone else said. Another weighed in, 'Can we say bravo to @jlo's evolution? Like damn she has maximized her talent and brand and keeps reinventing herself! Likewow.' 'Can we talk about how good this style of music sounds on her!? I'm shook,' added another follower. There was also a social media user who imitated an award presenter: 'And the 2026 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress goes to Jennifer Lopez!' 'The best is yet to come...the Oscar awaits you... The rest of you, just keep enduring,' one supporter offered. 'This is your OSCAR WIN @jlo I CAN FEEL IT!!!!!!!!!' another excited fan declared along with a string of gold trophy emojis. And a fan commented, 'J.Lo, you deserve that Oscar. This is your moment. You've worked hard and you deserve respect.' In the story, Molina is serving eight years behind bars 'for corrupting a minor.' He imagines films starring Aurora to escape his misery while imprisoned. The forthcoming movie is an iteration of the 1993 Broadway musical, which was based on Manuel Puig's 1976 novel of the same name One person wrote on Instagram, 'This could be the movie that Jennifer will receive an Oscar nomination [for]. It looks dazzling' 'This is your OSCAR WIN @jlo I CAN FEEL IT!!!!!!!!!' another excited fan declared along with a string of gold trophy emojis 'Can we talk about how good this style of music sounds on her!? I'm shook,' added another follower There was also a social media user who imitated an award presenter: 'And the 2026 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress goes to Jennifer Lopez!' A fan commented, 'J.Lo, you deserve that Oscar. This is your moment. You've worked hard and you deserve respect' The Bronx-bred actress plays an imaginary figure named Aurora, who was dreamed up by jailed gay hairdresser Luis Molina The film stars Tonatiuh (pictured) as the hairdresser and Diego Luna as his cellmate In one of the fantasized productions, Aurora embodies a spider woman who kisses her victims to kill them. Throughout the narrative, Molina forms a connection with his cellmate Valentin Arregui (Luna), who's a Marxist. Rehearsals began in February 2024, and filming kicked off in New Jersey in April. A film adaptation of the book was previously made in 1985 by director Hector Babenco. Both the film and the Broadway show were critically acclaimed, scoring various awards and accolades. William Hurt, who played Molina in the feature, won an Oscar for Best Actor. Meanwhile, the musical earned a whopping seven Tony Awards, including one for best musical. Kiss of the Spider Woman premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January. It will be released in theaters on October 10. Sydney Sweeney wowed as she stepped out in New York City on Thursday. The blonde bombshell, 27, showed off her incredible figure in a perfectly tailored low-cut white blazer that highlighted her ample cleavage. The Euphoria star who recently confirmed her split from fiance Jonathan Davino, 41 wore matching shorts that showcased her toned legs and black heels. Sydney's blonde tresses were pulled back into a chic updo, and her eyes shielded with a pair of sunglasses. The actress carried a black handbag and accessorized with gold earrings. At another point in the day she was spotted in a different outfit, wearing a structured yellow top with a black leather skirt. It comes after Sydney hot back at those criticizing her latest brand partnership a limited-edition Dr. Squatch soap bar containing her used bathwater. Sydney Sweeney, 27, put on a leggy display as she stepped out in New York City on Thursday The blonde bombshell stunned in a perfectly tailored low-cut white blazer that highlighted her ample cleavage While at the premiere of her upcoming film, Echo Valley, the star responded to a reporter who said that her soap encourages men to 'take showers.' 'I mean, honestly though,' she replied. 'I think that its more fun to see everybody else talk about it,' she said, when asked about the mixed reaction to her collaboration. Sydney said it was her idea to use the left over suds from a previous campaign with Dr. Squatch, admitting she 'pitched' the idea of a bar of soap with a 'splash' of her bath water. The Spokane, Washington-bred actress announced the item, called Bathwater Bliss, last Thursday, sparking backlash from her 25 million Instagram followers who called the product 'weird' and 'gross.' On Friday, she subtly trolled the critics as she stepped out in a white bathrobe while on set for a campaign with HEYDUDE shoes. According to the Squatch brand, the soap contains actual droplets of Sydney's used bathwater. It's meant to be a nod to her Pacific Northwest roots and a cheeky answer to the internet's obsession with the blonde bombshell, per GQ. The Euphoria star wore matching shorts that showcased her toned legs and black heels Sydney's blonde tresses were pulled back into a chic updo, and her eyes shielded with a pair of sunglasses The actress carried a black handbag and accessorized with gold earrings It comes after Sydney hot back at those criticizing her latest brand partnership a limited-edition Dr. Squatch soap bar containing her used bathwater While at the premiere of her upcoming film, Echo Valley, the star responded to a reporter who said that her soap encourages men to 'take showers' 'I mean, honestly though,' she replied 'I think that its more fun to see everybody else talk about it,' she said, when asked about the mixed reaction to her collaboration At another point in the day she was spotted in a different outfit, wearing a structured yellow top with a black leather skirt The shirt featured a high collar The top flowed like a dress in the back In Thursday's social media post, Sydney wrote in the caption, 'You kept asking about my bathwater after the @drsquatch ad so we kept it.' 'Introducing Sydney's Bathwater Bliss! A very real, very limited-edition soap made with my actual bathwater. Available on 6/6/25 at drsquatch.com .' One fan wrote under the photo of the product which features an animation of the beauty 'Sydney honey I love you but I don't know about this.' In her interview with GQ, the Euphoria sensation said, 'I honestly think it's a really fun, full-circle moment, because fans always joke about wanting my bathwater' Plugging the soap, she described, 'It's super soft, it's really pretty. I'm looking at it right now. It's marbly and has blues and a little bit of brown in it.' She also explained how Dr. Squatch managed to get her bathwater into the cleansing bar. 'When we were at the [Dr. Squatch] shoot, they had a tub for me. And I actually got in there and I took some soap, and we had a nice little bath and they took the water,' she explained. 'So it's my real bathwater. I wanted to have it lean towards my home roots, so there's this really outdoorsy scent of, like, pine and earthy moss and fir. So it smells super manly. But then there's some city bathwater mixed in.' Amid the pushback, one delighted fan joked in a comment, 'Thanks, I'll take 100,' and collected nearly 3,000 likes. Someone else wrote facetiously, 'This is edible, right?' Others were in disbelief, with one social media user commenting, 'no way this is a real thing.' Meanwhile, another wrote, 'Hey, so let's be serious,' while a different person begged, 'Can we not normalize this.' The actress announced the item, called Bathwater Bliss, on Thursday, sparking backlash from her 25 million Instagram followers who called the product 'weird' and 'gross' In October 2024, Sweeney starred as the Dr. Squatch's sultry Body Wash Genie to promote its Natural Body Wash line. 'Hello you dirty little boys, are you interested in my body... wash?' she teased in the 30-second spot, which ignited the bathwater 'requests.' 'Well, you can't have it, because this isn't for boys. It's for men. This is Dr. Squatch Natural Body Wash with long-lasting, natural aromas like wood barrel bourbon, pine tar, coconut castaway, and fresh falls,' she recited. In conclusion, she promised, 'You'll finally get the attention you deserve, so go to drsquatch.com today and quit being a dirty little boy!' In Praise Of Love (Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond) Verdict: Love stuck Rating: Letters From Max (Hampstead) Verdict: Tragic poetry Rating: Terence Rattigan brings out the Italian in me which is strange as I dont have a single Latin gene in my body. Yet all his English emotional understatement leaves me aching for operatic outpourings. And his 1973 play, In Praise Of Love, is a prime example of his Anglo-Saxon reserve. Reportedly inspired by his friend Rex Harrisons marriage to his third wife (of six), Kay Kendall, its about a former WWII Estonian resistance fighter Lydia (Claire Price) hiding a terminal illness from her chauvinist literary critic husband Sebastian (Dominic Rowan). Why this subterfuge should be seen as evidence of enduring love is beyond me. Her servility and his pomposity is surely also evidence of coercive control. And yet, despite a first half drowning in a vat of viscous exposition, explaining themselves to each other and a biddable American friend, the second half is much more intriguing. The arrival of their son Joey (Joe Edgar), a Liberal Party activist and rookie writer, forces them to stop beating about the bush. Before that Rowan is confined to a straitjacket of two-dimensional ineptitude but he is thankfully granted a third dimension after the interval. And being Estonian, Prices breezy, charming resourceful Lydia is given free rein throughout, as we discover her fascinating history as a resistance fighter. Terence Rattigan brings out the Italian in me which is strange as I dont have a single Latin gene in my body. Yet all his English emotional understatement leaves me aching for operatic outpourings. Pictured: Enduring love? Rowan and Price as Sebastian and Lydia Reportedly inspired by his friend Rex Harrisons marriage to his third wife (of six), Kay Kendall, its about a former WWII Estonian resistance fighter Lydia (Claire Price) hiding a terminal illness from her chauvinist literary critic husband Sebastian (Dominic Rowan) Until then, emotional lockdown is maintained by rivers of Scotch, while Amelia Searss tidy production takes us down memory lane on Peter Butlers set of Scandinavian painted floorboards, G-plan furniture and super-snug flares. But thanks to a few neat twists and some terrific acting we are, eventually, released from Rattigans period purgatory. There is no shortage of emotional exposition downstairs at the Hampstead Theatre, where they are hosting a eulogy for American poet Max Ritvo, who died of cancer in 2016, aged just 25. His story is told in letters exchanged with his writing tutor, Sarah Ruhl, at Yale University. Written by Ruhl herself, the play charts their relationship over the last few years of his short life his dread of what he calls chemo-land; her increasing awe at his literary talent as they probe questions of life and death. There is no shortage of emotional exposition downstairs at the Hampstead Theatre, where they are hosting a eulogy for American poet Max Ritvo, who died of cancer in 2016, aged just 25. Letters From Max is on until June 28 Dreams, Max muses, show the life beyond life... but death is not the life beyond life. Elsewhere, he is more esoteric and, crucially, his poetry of which there is a lot is more reflective than dramatic and doesnt drive change. That, however, doesnt stop Eric Sirakian immersing himself in Max, revealing him as a visionary child. And Sirine Saba is no less emotionally steeped in the attentive role of kind-hearted Ruhl. Blanche McIntyres production is also a journey into the underworld, reversing the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice on a glossy black set with an alternately cheerful and mournful cellist, Laura Moody. Much depends on how Ritvos poetry lands with you. He had huge talent, but sadly needed more time to develop than he was given. In Praise Of Love runs until July 5. Letters From Max is on until June 28. She's the granddaughter of The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola and daughter of Oscar-winning filmmaker Sofia Coppola. And now Romy Mars, 18, a fully-fledged nepo grandbaby and aspiring pop star, has released a new song in which she laments the emotional emptiness of wealth, fame and red-carpet glamour. Titled A-Listers, it details the hollowness of growing up in unimaginable privilege - complete with references to private yachts, LA mansions, and fake romances with other rich kids. And in a truly on-brand move, the music video was directed by none other than her Oscar-winning mother Sofia, 54, whose big-screen hits include Lost in Translation and The Bling Ring. In the new music video, Romy sings: 'Grant all of my wishes, riches to riches / And one day I'll be bored with everything that I've got / Get out of fancy clothes right after they get the shot.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. She's the granddaughter of The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola and daughter of Oscar-winning filmmaker Sofia Coppola And now Romy Mars, 18, a fully-fledged nepo grandbaby and aspiring pop star, has released a new song in which she laments the emotional emptiness of wealth, fame and red-carpet glamour And while some have praised her for being 'self-aware' or 'meta,' others see it as a tone-deaf example of a celebrity offspring using their connections to produce content that ultimately flaunts the very privilege it claims to critique. One viewer commented on the video: 'It's tasteless to call your multitudes of wealth that you didn't earn "a bore".'; While another fumed: 'This is talentless, insufferable, overproduced, nepo-baby garbage, and no amount of astroturfing will change that.' Romy, whose father is musician Thomas Mars, 48, sings about her luxurious life that she also feels detached from: 'Recreate scenes from Titanic on a flying bridge yacht / Just to feel something real, And the chorus bluntly spells out the mood: 'Heartless, tasteless, nameless, famous / Never, ever on my waitlist.' Whether the song is meant as satire or sincere teenage angst remains up for debate - but the message is clear: Romy has grown up with privilege, and A-Listers is her way of telling us she finds it all rather tiresome. She sings in the pre-chorus: 'I love this golden sunny West Coast / Sceney plastic world, I miss being a real girl, sure / But Im not a real girl anymore.' The release of her new song comes just two years after she went viral in March 2023 with a now-deleted TikTok video. Titled A-Listers, it details the hollowness of growing up in unimaginable privilege - complete with references to private yachts, LA mansions, and fake romances with other rich kids And in a truly on-brand move, the music video was directed by none other than her Oscar-winning mother Sofia, 54, whose big-screen hits include Lost in Translation and The Bling Ring (Romy and her mother Sofia pictured in 2020) In the new music video, Romy sings: 'Grant all of my wishes, riches to riches / And one day I'll be bored with everything that I've got / Get out of fancy clothes right after they get the shot' And while some have praised her for being 'self-aware' or 'meta,' others see it as a tone-deaf example of a celebrity offspring using their connections to produce content that ultimately flaunts the very privilege it claims to critique In the clip, Romy attempted to make pasta as she confessed that she was grounded for trying to charter a helicopter on her dad's credit card to visit a friend in Maryland. She said of her parents' ban on public social media: 'They don't want me to be a nepotism kid,' But the irony was not lost on the internet and the video quickly racked up millions of views. Her mother Sofia, who is known for fiercely protecting her family's privacy, later told The Hollywood Reporter she was 'not thrilled' about the viral moment. 'She's funny,' she said. 'But people discussing my parenting publicly is not what I wouldve hoped for.' As well as being Sofia's only child, Romy is part of the sprawling Coppola dynasty, which includes director Gia Coppola and Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage - Sofia's cousin. She was scouted for Marc Jacobs Beauty at just 13-years-old, and regularly appears at fashion weeks, film festivals and museum galas where her surname guarantees a front-row seat. The release of her new song comes just two years after she went viral in March 2023 with a now-deleted TikTok video A Sydney woman who was forced to buy $13,000 sandals because she wore them outside the store has has hit back at her haters. Elle Salagaras, 29, took to her TikTok account 'EasternSuburbsMum' this week to reveal she had no choice but to pay $13,155 for Hermes sandals because she wore them outside the shop, having decided to purchase them but thinking they would cost a fraction of that amount. She was heavily criticised for the purchase, with many calling her out of touch and overindulgent as the sandals were not at all worth the money. Now the mother-of-three has hit back at the naysayers who mocked her over the fashion faux pas. She posted a video of her getting some Botox while wearing the designer footwear, showing how proud she is of the shoes, rather than regretful. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMails new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. A Sydney woman, 29, has subtly hit back at her haters after she accidentally purchased some very expensive Chypre sandals from Hermes Elle didn't mention the shoes or her eye-watering purchase in the video, instead telling followers she wanted to show them what cosmetic injections she receives. However, as she exited her vehicle and made her way down a dirty street, Elle zoomed in on her feet to show she was wearing the Hermes shoes. Elle went on to share footage of herself receiving $390 worth of Botox above her brows, upper lip, and nose. The luxury footwear she purchased from the French fashion house features beige-coloured crocodile leather and a comfortable wool lining. They also come with an eye-watering $13,155 price tagsomething Elle discovered the hard way. 'We got new shoes... new Hermes Chypres. They're literally gorge,' Elle gushed in a video to her 52,000 followers. Elle said she was so excited to show off her new purchase on the street, she immediately put the shoes on after making the decision to buy them. Elle Salagaras took to her popular TikTok account 'EasternSuburbsMum' to reveal she dropped $13,155 on the shoes because she didn't realise how much they cost Now the mother-of-three has hit back at the naysayers who mocked her over the fashion faux pas as she shared a clip online of her getting Botox while wearing the shoes She thought they would cost thousands less than the price tag but got a rude shock at the cash register. 'I definitely got very confused about the price. Which is my bad,' she admitted. 'I had heard, like, one number... so embarrassing. I went up to the checkout and I already had them on my feet because I was wearing them out of the store. 'She [the cashier] had packed up my other shoes and I was like, "It's fine."' Elle has already shrugged off her fashion 'faux pas' admitting she was 100 per cent happy with the sandals. 'So, we're committing to the shoe, we're committing to the croc. I should've known... Hermes. But, aren't they gorge?' she said. Many of Elle's followers jumped in to the comments to empathise over her shopping error. 'The price. I'm dead,' one offered, to which Elle replied: 'I'm dead too.' Another, offered: 'I just looked them up and the price omg!!!!' Elle jumped in on that comment too, replying simply with five skull emojis. Others were quick to offer their jealousy over Elle being able to afford such high-end footwear. 'May this life find me asap,' one follower said. Naomi Watts reunited with her ex-husband Liev Schreiber to celebrate their son Sasha's high school graduation in Central Park on Thursday. The actress, 56 who split from Liev in 2016 was joined by her husband Billy Crudup, 56, while Liev, 57, attended with his wife Taylor Neisen, 32. The proud dad also shared a sweet snap from the special occasion, as he posed with the graduate and family members. One photo showed Sasha, 17, looking dapper in a grey suit as he stood in the middle of his parents and their significant others. 'The graduate!!!' Liev who also shares 20-month-old daughter Hazel with Taylor captioned the post. They were also joined by their second child, Kai Schreiber, 16, after Liev recently talked about his reaction to the Kai coming out as transgender. Naomi Watts, 56, and her husband Billy Crudup, 56, reunited with her ex Liev Schreiber, 57, and wife Taylor Neisen, 32, to celebrate their son Sasha's high school graduation on Thursday The former spouses and their new partners were pictured walking through Central Park together Liev's graduation post received a number of comments from his famous pals, including Halo star Pablo Schreiber who left three hand clapping emojis. Another comment addresses Liev's old-school camera: 'The camera around the neck is pure Dad mode!! Mazel Tov!' 'Dad camera game on point! Congratulations!' Naomi also shared a photo featuring just Liev, Sasha and her as they embraced the newly minted graduate. 'Congrats!' she wrote over the snap. The family were also spotted walking through Central Park together. At one point Liev was seen catching up with Billy, as Naomi chatted with Taylor Naomi looked chic in a multi-color flowing dress for the occasion. The King Kong star accessorized with a straw hat, sunglasses and a pair of black open toe heels. Her husband sported a navy suit with dress shoes and a pair of sunglasses. Liev cut a handsome figure in a navy suit with a light button-up shirt underneath. He completed the outfit with brown suede shoes and had a vintage camera looped around his neck. Taylor was chic for the summer in a blue denim dress and brown sandals. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a bun. Sasha's sibling Kai wore a bohemian white dress with brown boots. Liev and Naomi were together for 11 years before their split in 2016 Liev also shares 20-month-old daughter Hazel with Taylor At one point Liev was seen catching up with Billy, as Naomi chatted with Taylor Liev and Naomi were also joined by their second child, Kai Schreiber, 16, after he recently talked about his reaction to Kai coming out as transgender Kai was seen leading the way The King Kong star accessorized with a straw hat, sunglasses and a pair of black open toe heels Her husband sported a navy suit with dress shoes and a pair of sunglasses Taylor was chic for the summer in a blue denim dress and brown sandals. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a bun Liev cut a handsome figure in a navy suit with a light button-up shirt underneath Kai and Taylor were seen chatting Kai rocked a white bohemian dress Speaking of Kai coming out as trans, Liev recently told Variety: 'Kai was always who Kai is. But I suppose the most profound moment was her asking us to change her pronouns' Liev and Naomi have maintained a very friendly relationship as they co-parent their children 'Were doing things very differently. Im pretty proud of us, corny as that may sound,' Watts told Net-a-Porter in 2019 Liev was joined by Sasha at the Cirque Du Soleil New York City premiere of Luzia in March. When asked how it felt to be walking the red carpet with him, he told People: 'It's strange. I felt a little self-conscious walking into the circus with him because, like, it's the kind of thing you do with your kid.' 'He doesn't feel like my kid anymore. He feels like a man now, so, it's a whole different thing for us.' Liev and Naomi were together for 11 years before their split in 2016. Since then, they've maintained a very friendly relationship as they co-parent their children. Last month the pair also reunited to celebrate their son Sasha's milestone prom night in America. The former couple radiated happiness as they proudly posed alongside Sasha in pictures shared to social media, showcasing a picture-perfect family moment. The touching moment offered a rare glimpse into the family's tight-knit dynamic - and highlighted the former couple's continued commitment to raising their children amicably. 'Were doing things very differently. Im pretty proud of us, corny as that may sound,' Watts told Net-a-Porter in 2019. 'Weve made it our absolute priority to be good and kind to each other and were absolutely committed to that.' Meanwhile their other child Kai came out as transgender in 2025 on Instagram, after making her runway debut for Valentino during Paris Fashion Week in March. 'I'm so eternally grateful that I'm so supported as a young transgender girl,' the up-and-coming model and activist wrote. 'But there are so many boys and girls like me who can't say they have the same blessing.' The proud parents shared a sweet snap from the special occasion 'Our job is to stand up and support those young beautiful lives, and the @aliforneycenter is helping us to do so.' Kai's father Liev Schrieber also stood by her side at the Ali Forney Center's A Place at the Table gala at The Glasshouse. 'This isn't just about representing the trans community,' he said. 'These are people who are being rejected. These are people who are experiencing the harshest version of humanity that we can offer, and some of them are not surviving it.' 'We got to bear that in mind when we go out there and glam ourselves up and get ready to be seen, you know?' Schreiber continued. 'That what we're doing is actually raising money for a community that desperately needs it.' 'Kai is embracing her space in the trans community like never before. Such a fighter,' Liev said. Andy Cohen is chiming in with a bizarre offer in an effort to bring an end to the new feud between President Donald Trump and X owner Elon Musk. Musk, the 53-year-old Tesla magnate who purchased Twitter for $44 billion and turned it into X, became one of President Trump's top advisors, leading up the newly-established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). However he left his government post in late May 2025, after his 130-day deadline as a special government employee expired. While it seemed that Musk parted ways with Trump and his government post amicably, things quickly turned ugly when Musk criticized Trump's Big Beautiful Bill. A feud started quickly, after Musk called the bill, 'an abomination,' as Trump threatened to terminated Musk's government contracts, while Musk alleged that Trump has ties to Jeffrey Epstein and even called for his impeachment. Now Andy Cohen has chimed in with a hilarious solution to this new feud: a Real Housewives-style reunion show. Andy Cohen is chiming in with a bizarre offer in an effort to bring an end to the new feud between President Donald Trump and X owner Elon Musk Musk, the 53-year-old Tesla magnate who purchased Twitter for $44 billion and turned it into X, became one of President Trump's top advisors, leading up the newly-established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) A feud started quickly, after Musk called the bill, 'an abomination,' as Trump threatened to terminated Musk's government contracts, while Musk alleged that Trump has ties to Jeffrey Epstein 'LET ME HOST THE REUNION!' Cohen tweeted on Thursday afternoon in all caps, along with an American flag emoji. Jared Moskowitz, a Democratic U.S. Representative from Florida, even got in on the fun, designing a seating chart, in true Bravo fashion. Moskowitz kept with the Bravo tradition of having the two pivotal figures from each Housewives season in the first chairs on either side of Cohen, with, naturally, Trump and Musk taking the top seats. Following Trump is his Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Flanking Musk was Peter Navarro, Trump's special counselor for trade and manufacturing, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in the reunion seating chart graphic. The suggestion that Cohen should 'host' a 'reunion' was seemingly started by Pennsylvania U.S. Representative Malcolm Kenyatta, who tweeted it hours before Cohen. 'Petition to have @Andy host the Trump-Musk White House Housewives Reunion. America deserves all the tea. Also kill the bill,' the Pennsylvania U.S. Rep said. Given Trump's roots in reality TV, a reunion might not be as far-fetched as one may think, though still incredibly unlikely. 'LET ME HOST THE REUNION!' Cohen tweeted on Thursday afternoon in all caps, along with an American flag emoji. The suggestion that Cohen should 'host' a 'reunion' was seemingly started by Pennsylvania U.S. Representative Malcolm Kenyatta, who tweeted it hours before Cohen. The feud erupted online earlier on Thursday, when Trump mentioned Musk in a press conference, saying he was, 'very disappointed' in Musk. The feud erupted online earlier on Thursday, when Trump mentioned Musk in a press conference, saying he was, 'very disappointed' in Musk. He then posted on Truth Social, 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.' Musk quickly responded on X, claiming, 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election. Such ingratitude,' seemingly referring to his campaign contributions totally nearly $300 million. Musk also claimed that Trump, 'is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.' He also quote-retweeted, 'Yes,' to a tweet asking if Trump should be impeached or not. Katy Perry stunned fans at the first Australian show of her Lifetimes World Tour in Sydney on Wednesday night with an aerial spectacle. The 40-year-old pop sensation was soaring high above the ecstatic audience at Qudos Arena when a dramatic mishap unfolded. Suspended by a crane, Katy found herself momentarily headfirst towards the crowd as it unexpectedly tilted. 'Oh dear!' Katy yelped, drawing gasps from the audience, before swiftly regaining her composure and continuing her electrifying performance. Despite the heart-stopping moment, the resilient star quickly reassured fans with a wave to show she was unscathed. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Katy Perry stunned fans at the first Australian show of her Lifetimes World Tour in Sydney on Wednesday night with an aerial spectacle The footage was shared to social media and fans took to the comment section to praise Katy's performance. 'I give her props for continuing to do this,' one person wrote. 'She has been to space. She's got this,' a second added, while a third wrote: 'Don't worry everyone. She's a professional.' The popstar is performing three shows in Sydney, bringing all of her iconic hits as well as some of her new tracks from her latest album 143 to Qudos Bank Arena on June 4, 9 and 10. Tickets to the pop icon's tour, which has received an onslaught of criticism over the last few months, have been in high demand, with the Roar hitmaker announcing two extra shows on the Australian run to accommodate all of her fans. Taking to Instagram in February, Katy revealed that she added an extra show at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena on June 4 to kick off the Australian leg, as well as an extra Melbourne show at Rod Laver Arena on June 7. The Grammy-nominated superstar revealed that she had been humbled with the success of her Australian tour, with all previous dates now sold out. Captioning the announcement, Katy said: 'I am so blown away by the incredible demand for THE LIFETIMES TOUR that I will be adding a final show in Sydney and a final show in Melbourne to make sure all my Australian fans have a chance to experience the incredible show I am bringing.' The 40-year-old pop sensation was soaring high above the ecstatic audience at Qudos Arena when a dramatic mishap unfolded. Suspended by a crane, Katy found herself momentarily headfirst towards the crowd as it unexpectedly tilted Despite the heart-stopping moment, the resilient star quickly reassured fans with a wave to show she was unscathed Katy will now play a hefty 15 Australian shows. She announced the Australian Lifetimes tour just prior to her turn at the AFL Grand Final in September. The original run included just one show each for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, however fan demand dictated Katy needed to add two extra Sydney and Brisbane shows. Crestfallen Adelaide fans expressed their frustration over missing out on their chance to see Katy in the flesh but they were not left out in the cold for too long. Listening to fan protests, Katy eventually added a run of four shows in the City of Churches. 'I heard you loud and clear Adelaide, I got you!' Katy wrote on Instagram. Extra shows were also added to Melbourne and Perth as demand for the Teenage Dream hitmaker continued to rise. The mother of supermodels Gigi and Bella Hadid is facing a cruel summer after the end of her six-year engagement. Dutch model & reality star Yolanda Hadid and her fiance Joseph Jingoli have decided to end their engagement, an insider told People on Thursday. This comes off the heels of the Daily Mail's exclusive confirmation that Yolanda's ex-husband Mohamed Hadid had secretly fathered a 23-year-old daughter named Aydan Nix, who met and hung out with Gigi, 30, and Bella, 28, over the past two years. Aydan, who has been seen socializing with her supermodel half-sisters on multiple occasions, graduated from New York City's Parsons School of Design last month. Gigi and Bella Hadid confirmed to Daily Mail that Aydan is their half-sister - and called her a 'cherished,' 'unexpected' and 'beautiful addition to our family.' Daily Mail has reached out to reps for Yolanda, Gigi and Bella for further comment on the topic. Yolanda Hadid, 61, the mother of supermodels Gigi and Bella Hadid is facing a cruel summer after the end of her six-year engagement to Joseph Jingoli The former couple, who began seeing one another in 2017, split up this past January, a source told the outlet. Pictured in NYC in 2022 Yolanda was married to real estate mogul Mohamed Hadid, from 1994 until 2000. They welcomed daughters Gigi and Bella and son Anwar, 25. She was later wed to music producer David Foster from until 2011 until 2017. Yolanda and Jingoli 'remain friends and have nothing but fond memories of their time together,' the insider told People. Speaking with the publication in 2019, Yolanda said that she felt meeting Jingoli was a 'blessing' for her at that time of her life, noting their common interests equated to compatibility. 'He rides horses, he loves nature, he loves the farm - to find love again at 55 is amazing,' she said. Yolanda said of Jingoli in a 2020 post commemorating their anniversary: 'All my life I prayed for someone like you!! 'Thank you for being such a bright light in my life, the calm in my storm and for being the most honorable man that I know....' She wrapped up in saying: 'Happy 2 year anniversary Joey Jingoli, I love and appreciate you.' Yolanda posed with daughters Bella and Gigi on the red carpet in NYC in 2017 The Dutch-born model has consistently been present for her kids over the years Yolanda was seen posed in front of an infinity pool overlooking the ocean with her children Gigi, Anwar and Bella in a Mother's Day shot she posted last month Bella, Gigi and Anwar flanked their mother in this shot Yolanda posted on the holiday Hadid told People last summer that Jingoli popped the question to her in 2022 after she called him her fiance in a piece with Architectural Digest. Yolanda, speaking with the outlet in 2018, said that she 'made a love spiral and wrote down exactly everything that was important to me in a man and he magically just rang the doorbell at the farm,' in reference to construction CEO Jingoli. Yolanda previously appeared on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills from 2012-2016. 35 years after launching her career in Beverly Hills, 90210, Jennie Garth nearly bares it all in her first underwear shoot. The 53-year-old actress - who had just a handful of TV guest starring roles when she burst onto the scene as Kelly Taylor in Beverly Hills, 90210 - shared the first snaps with her 1.3 million Instagram followers on Thursday afternoon. The pics were part of her new collaboration with ThirdLove, showing off the company's new TempSync bras, along with her toned frame, just after celebrating daughter Fiona's high school graduation. She admitted in the caption of her post, 'I never thought Id be doing my first underwear shoot at 53 but here we are!' 'And Ive never felt more confident, or comfortable in my skin,' she added, while continuing about why she's glad she partnered with ThirdLove. 'Im proud to be part of this momentnot just because its a first for me, but because its with a brand that genuinely supports women through every phase of life, including menopause,' she said. 35 years after launching her career in Beverly Hills, 90210, Jennie Garth nearly bares it all in her first underwear shoot. The 53-year-old actress - who had just a handful of TV guest starring roles when she burst onto the scene as Kelly Taylor in Beverly Hills, 90210 - shared the first snaps with her 1.3 million Instagram followers on Thursday afternoon The pics were part of her new collaboration with ThirdLove, showing off the company's new TempSync bras, along with her toned frame, just after celebrating daughter Fiona's high school graduation 'Im excited to introduce you to TempSync, the worlds first temperature-regulating collection of bras and underwear from @thirdlove,' she continued. 'Made with natural volcanic minerals and designed to keep you at your ideal body temp, these styles are my go-to from hot flashes to long travel days and everything in between,' she said. She concluded the caption by thanking ThirdLove, 'for helping me feel strong, sexy, and supportedexactly as I am.' The first snap showed Garth donning a light blue bra and matching underwear, with the second showing a close-up of her in a black bra. The third showed her posing in a nude-colored bra and panties plus a blue oversized shirt while the final shot of her in a yellow top putting a pair of jeans on. She also took to her Instagram story to share a video of her while wearing the nude bra while tagging ThirdLove and the link to her shop page. 'OK you guys, I found the perfect bra. I love ThirdLove, I've always loved their bras, but this is next level,' Garth began. 'This is the first ever thermoregulating bra. This has volcanic minerals woven into the fabric, which allows your heat to pass right through the bra, so it regulates your temperature,' she said, adding that it is, 'great for hot flashes.' 'Im excited to introduce you to TempSync, the worlds first temperature-regulating collection of bras and underwear from @thirdlove,' she continued. 'Made with natural volcanic minerals and designed to keep you at your ideal body temp, these styles are my go-to from hot flashes to long travel days and everything in between,' she said Garth added, 'This is seriously the most comfortable, softest bra I've ever worn. Also, the great thing about ThirdLove, they come in half-sizes' Garth added, 'This is seriously the most comfortable, softest bra I've ever worn. Also, the great thing about ThirdLove, they come in half-sizes.' 'I'm so happy there is a thoughtful solution for this time in my life. Oh my God, thank you, ThirdLove. I needed this,' Garth concluded. The thermoregulating bras range from $68 to $72, with the Hipster panties retailing for $20 as well on the ThirdLove website. The collaboration comes a year after she launched her own Me by Jennie Garth fashion label on the QVC network. Olivia Molly Rogers has opened up about seeing her ex-husband Justin McKeone welcome his first child with new girlfriend Tahnee Leeson. The model, 33, who has been very open about wishing she had a family of her own, broke her silence last Tuesday during a Q&A episode of her Tell Me More podcast. She said despite her own desires to get pregnant and have a child, she feels 'happy' for Justin and 'confident' she made the right decision in divorcing him. 'I'm happy for my exes moving on. I don't feel upset when I hear about it or see anything,' she said. 'Genuinely, I haven't felt negatively about that at all since we split. It really helps me to know I made the right decision. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMails new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Olivia Molly Rogers, 33, (left) has opened up about seeing her ex-husband Justin McKeone (right) welcome his first child with new girlfriend Tahnee Leeson 'I never once looked back and thought, "That could have been me." I'm so confident in this decision I made. I don't think we were a good fit for each other. 'I don't think it would have been a good idea to have children. I think it's really good that we didn't. I wish them all the best. I don't feel sad seeing that.' Justin welcomed his first child, Tahnee, on April 28, with the Bachelor star announcing the news on her Instagram account on Mother's Day. 'My perfect boy. Arlo Leeson Mckeone surprised us all by arriving almost 4 weeks early with a 7 hour active labour at 10.01pm on the 28th of April,' she wrote. 'However, not the best entry to motherhood with Arlo spending the following 6 nights in Perth Children's Hospital and a further 4 back where I gave birth at Osborne Park Hospital.' Tahnee then detailed the terrifying moment Arlo experienced 'breathing issues at 30 minutes of life needing 6 hours on the CPAP'. 'Then a course of antibiotics and a feeding tube for 6 days. Thankfully my strong boy was ultimately okay all things considered,' she continued. 'In that environment I was definitely one of the lucky ones.' The model broke her silence last Tuesday during a Q&A episode of her Tell Me More podcast. Pictured: Tahnee and Justin during their maternity shoot 'That said, no one can prepare you to go through the all consuming and emotional experience of childbirth, only to watch this tiny little boy be wheeled away from you mere hours later,' she continued. 'Then the hours upon hours I spent in hospital just holding him in my arms never wanting to leave and crying when I had to. 'His final 3 nights in hospital was done under my full care, an experience I'm so thankful l could do with the hospital to ensure he was fully prepared for life outside their safe walls.' Tahnee said their newborn son was now doing well and her new role as a mother 'is undoubtedly my greatest achievement ever'. Olivia and her ex-husband Justin split in October 2022 after just eight months of marriage. Break-up rumours began swirling in September after fans noticed she'd reverted to her maiden name on Instagram and unpinned all photos from her February wedding. The former couple, who met in 2018, were last pictured together in August 2022 in a series of loved-up holiday snaps from their trip to New York City. In April, Olivia said she married Justin out of 'fear' of what others might think if she left him. She said despite her own desires to get pregnant and have a child, she feels 'happy' for Justin and 'confident' she made the right decision in divorcing him The model revealed in a column she penned for Mamamia that she knew the couple 'were not totally aligned' just nine months into their relationship in 2018. 'We moved in together after six months, bought a gorgeous puppy, and it very much felt like what we would be a forever thing,' she wrote. 'However, about nine months in, I had this niggling feeling that we were not totally aligned.' Olivia went on to say she felt societal pressures to 'conform to certain ideals about love and marriage', adding she never had a healthy understanding of how to manage 'adversity' in relationships. Olivia has also since moved on from her relationship with Justin, and, after a brief romance with model Morgan Waterhouse, is now dating her new beau Hugo Breakey. The brunette beauty went public with her new man last year when the pair attended the premiere of Beauty and the Beast in Melbourne. Kim Kardashian enjoyed a dinner outing in Malibu on Wednesday with her eldest child North - who showed off an eye-popping new hair color. The SKIMS founder, 44 - who recently weighed in on 'momager' Kris Jenner's new youthful appearance - put on a stylish display outing of the hotspot Nobu as she was also joined by a few close pals. The reality star was edgy in a black skirt that clung to her frame as well as a black lace tank top with a plunging neckline. Kardashian added a loose black belt around the waistline and slipped into a pair of closed-toed, black heels. She layered the ensemble with an oversized, black leather jacket and pulled back her dark locks into a sleek up do. The mom-of-four opted to not add flashy pieces of jewelry to allow her outfit to be the main focal point for the evening. Kim Kardashian, 44, enjoyed a dinner outing in Malibu on Wednesday with her eldest child North, 11 - who showed off an eye-popping new hair color While leaving the restaurant, the TV personality's eldest daughter North made a bold statement by showing off vibrant blue hair that flowed down in light waves past her shoulders Kim added a warm blush to her cheekbones while a nude-colored tint was worn on her lips for a finishing touch. While leaving the restaurant, the TV personality's eldest daughter North, 11, kept it casual in a gray T-shirt and shorts. She made a bold statement by showing off long, vibrant blue hair that flowed down in light waves past her shoulders. North has previously dabbled in trying out different colors for her locks - such as last year when she added blonde streaks. The pre-teen also showcased a bluish hue to her hair last month in May as she teased her debut at the 2025 Met Gala with her mom. The 11-year-old has been vocal about her love of fashion and style, and revealed that she plans to launch her very own clothing line while talking to Interview Magazine late last year. At one point during her conversation with Kim, she expressed, 'Well, I am starting my own clothing line.' The TV personality then asked, 'And what are you going to call it?' and North shared she wants to name it after herself. The reality star was edgy in a black skirt that clung to her frame as well as a black lace tank top with a plunging neckline Kardashian added a loose black belt around the waistline and slipped into a pair of closed-toed, black heels Kim added a warm blush to her cheekbones while a nude-colored tint was worn on her lips for a finishing touch The pre-teen also showcased a bluish hue to her hair last month in May as she teased her debut at the 2025 Met Gala with her mom The Kardashians star shares North, as well as Saint, nine, Chicago, seven, and Psalm, six, with ex-husband Kanye West. The former couple have recently been embroiled in a bitter custody battle over their kids - with the controversial rapper taking to social media to air out wild rants to his followers over the topic. Along with North, Kim's mother Kris Jenner has also showed off a new look as well - and looks half her age after recently undergoing a new facelift. The momager flaunted her refreshed face while out in Paris last month in May during Kim's armed robbery trial. Jenner's rep confirmed to DailyMail.com that Kris has seen celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Steven M. Levine - who is known as the 'facelift maestro.' A source also exclusively told DailyMail.com that Jenner has lost weight by stating, 'Kris is no longer a size 10 so she has no need for those clothes, she is a size 6 these days and thrilled about it. It's the same size that she was in the 1980s. 'Her closet is completely different now - the items are so much smaller - and it makes her very happy to get back to the body that she had in her younger years.' Earlier this week, Kim commented on her mother's new look by reposting a snap to her Instagram stories. Along with North, Kim's mother Kris Jenner has also showed off her new look as well - and looks half her age after recently undergoing a new facelift Along with sharing the picture to her own account, the SKIMS founder also added the message, '@chrisappleton1 me too babe' Kim has been keeping busy and gave her fans a glimpse at her lavish walk-in closet over the past weekend as she tried on pieces for her SKIMS brand The image was of her longtime hairstylist Chris Appleton donning a shirt that had 'I'll have what Kris Jenner is having.' Along with sharing the picture to her own account, the SKIMS founder also added the message, '@chrisappleton1 me too babe.' Kim has been keeping busy and gave her fans a glimpse at her lavish walk-in closet over the past weekend as she tried on pieces for her SKIMS brand. In one selfie, the star could be seen showing off her summer-ready body in a red bikini top as well as a pair of marching, skimpy bottoms. She also snapped a mirror selfie while slipping into a maxi skirt that clung to her frame as well as a thin bandeau top. Behind the media personality was a portion of her spacious closet inside her $60 million mansion. A number of purses and shoes were organized by color on shelves behind her. Last month in May, the mom-of-four officially completed her law school program and held a mini graduation in an intimate backyard ceremony following the six-year journey. The reality star did not attend traditional law school and instead underwent Law Office Study Program (LOSP) in the state of California. Behind the media personality was a portion of her spacious closet inside her $60 million mansion. A number of purses and shoes were organized by color on shelves behind her Last month in May, the mom-of-four officially completed her law school program and held a mini graduation in an intimate backyard ceremony following the six-year journey Kim will still need to take the Bar Exam if she wants to professionally practice law in the state. On social media, the beauty could be seen holding a certificate of completion while also sporting a beige robe and matching graduation cap. The TV personality has also taken a role in Ryan Murphy's upcoming legal drama All's Fair alongside other cast members such as Naomi Watts, Glenn Close, Niecy Nash-Betts, Sarah Paulson and Teyana Taylor. A trailer for the Hulu show officially dropped last month in May - with episodes set to start airing in Fall 2025. A controversial Gold Coast influencer has copped backlash from her followers after complaining about the cost of living in the US. Kat Clark has relocated to America with her husband Jonathan and their 14-year-old daughter Deja and the family made the big move last week. After just a week in the States, she has moaned about the cost of groceries after splashing out on expensive phones, clothes and a manicure. Kat began her rant by saying she was nervous about finding a rental home in the US after the family had ben living out of an AirBnB for two weeks. She said she and her husband had a place lined up, but decided they didn't like the lavish pad after they saw it in person. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMails new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Controversial Gold Coast influencer Kat Clark has copped backlash from her followers after complaining about the cost of living in the US 'But then I started to freak out even more because of the cost of living in America. I thought Australia was bad,' she added. Kat went on to show her followers a strawberry punnet that retails for $19.99 from expensive grocery chain Erewhon. 'We also have to buy a new car, new furniture, literally everything,' Kat added. But moments later, Kat showed her and her teenage daughter Deja going clothes shopping. 'I know what you're thinking, I was just complaining about the cost of living, why the hell am I going shopping?' she said. 'We got some news that we just couldn't say no to. You know how we moved to American for more opportunities? 'Well Deja was invited on her first brand trip to the Bahamas. I didn't want her to miss out. That's the whole reason why we moved over here.' After just a week in the States, she moaned about the cost of groceries after splashing out on expensive phones, clothes and a manicure Just days later, Kat was back on TikTok with another video complaining she was struggling to find a new 'nail lady' as she treated herself to a manicure and pedicure. She then revealed she and her husband Jonathan had bought two new iPhones for their Australian sim cards, only to realise the mobiles only take digital e-sims. 'Basically, we have two phones that we're literally never going to use,' she said. Days later, Kat was uploading content of her lavish brand trip in the Bahamas with her daughter. Several of Kat's followers slammed the influencer for complaining about the cost of living while enjoying a luxury trip. 'Wow, absolutely insufferable. They VOLUNTARILY decided to move to the US at one of the worst times imaginable and basically did no research,' one person wrote on Reddit. 'Now she's complaining about the prices of groceries there, finding a nail salon etc. meanwhile buying bags and bags of expensive shopping, two new iPhones (that they realised they can't use) and going on a "holiday" to the Bahamas literally just after moving there.' Several of Kat's followers slammed the influencer for complaining about the cost of living while enjoying a luxury trip to the Bahamas 'Is she rage baiting? What the actual f*** is wrong with these people?' they finished. Another Reddit user agreed, saying: 'I hadn't seen it. I went to look and see I wish I didn't see it so disgusting. 'I barely eat each week due to the crazy cost of things in Australia and she's off trying to find a nail salon like hello and then burns money on phones.' 'Like who the fk moves to the other side of the world with no plan?' added a third. 'At this point it has to be rage bait. She knows what will make people comment/talk about her and she's using it to her full advantage,' said someone else. 'At the end of the day she puts out content, and anything can be content.' Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Kat for comment. Bianca Censori has doubled down and reshared another nude photo after setting pulses raising last week. The Australian-born wife of rapper Kanye West left very little to the imagination when she shared a trio of racy photos to Instagram. Posted without comment, the trio of photos showed Censori, 30, leaving very little to the imagination in a pair of sheer pantyhose and a see-through black fishnet top. She finished her racy ensemble with a pair of glittering silver kitten-toe heels that featured a contrasting black lace-up design. The raven haired beauty left her long, jet black tresses down and, in addition to having wispy fringe covering her face, she finished her barely-there look with a pair of dark sunglasses. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Bianca Censori, the Australian-born wife of Kanye West, has doubled down and reshared another nude photo after setting pulses raising last week Bizarrely, Censori deleted one of the three photos, only to reupload the racy image on Friday. Despite the eye-popping display being a 're-run', the image sent her 496,000 followers into a frenzy. Summing up the sentiment of many, one fan chimed in with a swooning: 'sure, I'll look at it again.' One eagle-eyed follower however was quick to point out the repetition with: 'Post a new pic or sum sheeesh or are u having another glitch moment?' It comes after Censori showed off her derriere in another X-rated snap, channelling her husband's ex-wife Kim Kardashian last month. She also faced backlash after baring her breasts in a see-through top, much like her most recent post during a public outing in Spain with the rapper. The 30-year-old wandered from stall to stall wearing a black fish net bra top with her nipples in full view while visiting the booths of an outdoor market in Mallorca. Locals were 'left horrified' as the couple walked through the market in the revealing ensemble. The Australian-born wife of rapper Kanye West left very little to the imagination when she shared a trio of racy photos to Instagram Bizarrely, Censori deleted one of the three photos, only to reupload the racy image on Friday 'People were horrified. They could be heard asking "is that her real nipple?" as they walked by,' one witness told news.com.au. 'Kanye was standing back a little, letting her browse the market.' Despite the backlash, women have been allowed to go topless in certain areas of Spain since 2020 under Catalan equality law. Spanish officials have enforced rules that allow women to sunbathe topless in public without fear of arrest, according to the Daily Record. Authorities can be fined up to 430,000 [$900,000 AUD] if they prevent women from going topless. However, Bianca's revealing look has been deemed ''inappropriate' and many have slammed her look. 'Why hasn't this woman been arrested for indecency yet!!!?' one person asked. 'We have literally seen it all, even when we didn't want to,' another said, while a third wrote: 'So disrespectful to the country and their modest views.' Despite the eye-popping display being a 're-run' the image sent her 496,000 followers into a frenzy 'How do they get away with this nudity? If any other non - celeb tried it, they would be arrested,' another asked. Censori has been married to West since December 2022 and, most recently, the pair have been entangled in rumours of marital woes. Following West's unhinged and offensive social media rants, they were reported to have called it quits for a bit before reuniting again in Spain. West's ex-wife Kardashian - whom he was married to from 2014 to 2022 - has also reportedly been 'going through hell' and has strengthened her security for her children in the aftermath. West and Kardashian share four kids daughters North, 11, Chicago, six, and sons Saint, eight, and Psalm, five. She famously took over her coveted job on This Morning. But Fern Britton proved she could still give her successor Holly Willoughby a run for her money as she shared a new social media snap to plug her latest book. The presenter, 67, showed off her ageless complexion as she celebrated the release of her new novel A Cornish Legacy with a post on Instagram on Thursday. The star also showed off her impressive five stone weight loss, having spoken openly about her struggles over the years. She captioned the post: 'A Cornish Legacy is out tomorrow! Im very excited to see if you like it.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Fern Britton proved she could still give her successor Holly Willoughby (right) a run for her money as she shared a new social media snap to plug her latest book The snap was also eerily similar to an image posted by Holly, while she promoted her Wylde Library, a collection of books on the official brand's website which is guided by recommendations from her fans. Fern recently revealed the turning point behind her dramatic weight loss in an interview with Woman&Home magazine. The presenter reflected on the powerful moment she decided to take back control of her health. She told the publication: 'People often wonder when you lose lots of weight whether you've done it naturally. 'And I can look at you and say, "Yes, I have".' 'I had my shoulder replacement 18 months ago, and two-and-a-half years ago, when I saw the surgeon, he said, "I'm going to totally replace your shoulder, I'll see you in a year." 'I thought, "I need to get my life back on track. I need to stop smoking, stop drinking, get eating under control and stop lying in bed feeling sorry for myself". 'So I started the Couch to 5k, took about 80 per cent of the sugar out of my life and started to think about what I was eating, which I had never done before.' Fern was replaced by Holly as the host of This Morning back in 2009, but in recent posts she has showcased her ageless complexion Fern recently revealed the turning point behind her dramatic weight loss in an interview with Woman&Home magazine Fern has long been open about her weight struggles, having fluctuated between a size 22 and a size 12 over the years, and she recently unveiled her five stone weight loss A Cornish Legacy centres on Wilderhoo - a fictional 1,000-year-old Cornish house that has gone to rack and ruin Five years ago, the presenter moved permanently into her Cornish holiday home before renovating it 'bit by bit'. A Cornish Legacy, which is Ferns 11th novel, took the star two years to write twice longer than normal. Fern has long enjoyed storytelling, releasing her first novel New Beginnings 2011, two years after leaving This Morning. But since Covid she has been prolific in her writing, penning Daughters Of Cornwall in 2020 and The Good Servant two years later, with the hotly-anticipated A Cornish Legacy set for release in June. The Sunday Times bestselling author recently took to Instagram to reveal the cover of her new book, which promises another historical adventure on the south-west coastline. In a caption, Fern excitedly announced: 'Hello everyone! I'm delighted to share the cover of my new novel, A Cornish Legacy, out in hardback, eBook and audio in June. 'Enter Wilder Hoo House and discover its secrets! Nestled against the rugged Atlantic coast of Cornwall comes a heart-warming story of new beginnings and finding home where you least expect it 'You can pre-order A Cornish Legacy with the link in my bio! Love, Fern. x #ACornishLegacy.' Fern has twin sons Harry and Jack, 31, and daughter Grace, 27, from her first marriage, to Clive Jones, and daughter Winnie, 23, with Phil Vickery. Fern has kept her private life out of the spotlight since calling it a off with TV chef, Phil, 63, in 2020, after 20 years. She recently admitted that while she does get 'lonely', she is still not looking for love five years on from her split. The couple's 20-year marriage came to an end in 2020 following the deaths of Fern's parents, which reportedly caused the pair to realise that they had to 'follow their own paths'. She told Woman & Home: 'I'm not looking for love - I'm still a bit too wary of losing my liberty. 'There's nobody to run something past but, on the other hand, I think back to running things past people and it never really worked out, so why dont I just make my own decision? Then Im the only person who can go, I f***ed up there.' Fern's move into authoring came shortly after her departure from This Morning where she became a household name alongside Philip Schofield from 1999 to 2009, when she was replaced by Holly Willoughby. She reportedly blames Phil for her This Morning exit and isn't afraid to speak out in the CBB house. It was claimed at the time of Fern's This Morning exit she felt 'undervalued by ITV' and that she was 'living in Phil's shadow'. It was also reported she was being paid 250,000 a year less than Phil and that he was earning three times her salary when they were fronting Mr and Mrs together from 2008 to 2010. Phil is said to have banked 45,000 an hour while Fern earned just 15,000. However, Fern denied she left ITV because of her salary and upon her departure she mentioned the whole This Morning team rather than just Phillip. Four years after her departure, Phillip admitted he and Fern no longer spoke. Christine McGuinness and Dan Osborne failed in their attempts to hide their growing bond for one another as far back as 2019, after it was reported the pair have leant on one another during their respective marriage woes. It's been reported that the pair exchanged 'flirty texts' while acting as a source of comfort during their personal struggles and they were previously pictured together in March 2023. Now, body language expert Judi James has revealed the telling signs that Christine, 37, and Dan, 33, were growing close soon after they met, noting the former TOWIE star's 'smug delight' at the attention they were drawing. Christine and her husband Paddy McGuinness, 51, separated in 2022 after 11 years of marriage, but continued to live together in their shared home for the sake of their three children. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMails new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Christine McGuinness and Dan Osborne were attempting to hide their growing bond as far back as 2019, after it was reported the pair leant on one another during their marriage woes Dan, however, has continued to work through his marriage breakdown with wife Jacqueline after they were thought to have called it quits in March after eight years of marriage. She said: 'A seasoned reality star like Dan who has always seemed to be a magnet for relationship rumours and who has allegedly admitted to making some 'mistakes' in the past should know all about the optics when it comes to paparazzi poses. 'With his hands stuffed into his pockets here though he walks along alone wearing a smug-looking rictus smile that bares his upper teeth and creates a 'crescent' eye shape to signal excitement and some sense of delight. 'His chin is raised in a gesture of happy confidence and his ego looks puffed at the camera attention. 'There will always be a tendency for the paparazzi to love to get another celeb in the same frame during event exits or entrances like this, giving the impression that they have left an event together but suspiciously walked apart in a bid to imply they have never even met. 'Christine's smile seems to mirror Dan's here though and both seem equally delighted at the press interest. 'Whether a relationship is platonic or not, male celebs wanting to discuss their marital 'woes' would always be wise to book sessions with a therapist or a counselor rather than a stunning fellow celebrity. 'They should also steer clear of any risk of pics like this with women who look as gorgeous as Christine McGuiness. It's been reported that the pair exchanged 'flirty texts' while acting as a source of comfort during their personal struggles Now, body language expert Judi James has revealed the telling signs that Christine and Dan were growing close, in snaps taken of the pair during a night out in 2019 'And if they do seem to get close enough to ''accidentally'' share the same frame in a pic, at least adopt a neutral facial expression or chat to some male friend you've actually been at the event with in an authentic-looking act of ignore or unawareness. 'Even if nothing untoward has occurred it's only fair to your spouse that your behavior, your press images and your social media are all squeaky clean in terms of getting the rumour wheel turning again. 'Pictures of the pair attending a podcast launch party in 2019 show them attempting to keep their distance from one another.' In the midst of the claims surrounding Christine and Dan emerging, the reality shared a gushing tribute to his wife Jacqueline Jossa. EastEnders star Jaqueline posted a stunning photo in a plunging black gown, with her husband leaving the sweet comment: 'Beautiful!' Sources had claimed that Christine and Dan comforted each other through their marital woes, and exchanged a string of flirty texts. The model reportedly called Dan 'D' in their 'flirty texts' and they were also pictured together at Londons The Hoxton hotel in March 2023. After news of their close friendship come to light, Christine reportedly said she is 'absolutely adamant nothing sexual happened between them both', with Dan suggesting the messages are 'deep fakes or AI'. A pal told The Sun: 'Dan and Christine have known each other for years. Their friendship goes as far back as 2019, when Jac was heading Down Under to the Im A Celeb jungle, when they had a brilliant night out at a fund-raising gala in London. Dan has continued to work through his marriage breakdown with wife Jacqueline Jossa, 32, after they were thought to have called it quits in March after eight years of marriage Christine and Paddy separated in 2022 after 11 years of marriage, but continued to live together in their shared home for the sake of their three children (pictured together in 2019) Pictures of the pair attending a podcast launch party in 2019 show Christine and Dan attempting to keep their distance from one another 'They stayed in touch sporadically and would bump into each other at events and their messages got pretty flirty. Some were seen by mutual friends. 'She would call him D in texts and it became an open secret among their circles. There is no suggestion anything sexual happened, but its fair to say there was a spark between them. 'She also was 100 per cent single at the time and could chat to anyone she wanted.' A source close to Christine alleged that Dan 'mainly led the way with texts', which often involved 'platonic stuff about their kids'. The publication also reported that Dan is 'devoted to Jacqueline and would hate for any suggestion of impropriety'. Dan and Jacqueline's relationship has been plagued by accusations of infidelity and in 2018 Dan was linked to Love Island's Gabby Allen after they were spotted getting close on a yacht in Marbella. Previously, The Sun claimed that Dan sent 'flirty messages' to his former Celebrity Big Brother co-star Gabby - months after the pair vehemently denied claims that they'd had an illicit tryst. In March 2019 rumours began to circulate that he had kissed Love Island's Alexandra Cane in a nightclub, which they both denied. That December he was rocked by cheating claims after it was alleged he engaged in a threesome with his Celebrity Big Brother co-stars Natalie Nunn and Chloe Ayling last year - which he strongly denied - while Jacqueline was in the I'm A Celebrity jungle. After endless denials, Dan finally admitted he had been unfaithful and then referenced his misgivings in a post. Dan publicly apologised to Jac a week after she was crowned queen of the jungle on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! He confessed to making 'mistakes' and said 'I've done things I shouldn't have done' as he finally took responsibility for his actions. Dan even admitted that if Jacqueline had behaved the same way he did, he would have walked out on their relationship, saying, 'If it was the other way around I'd be gone.' He put out a statement, which read: 'So after weeks, months and years of constant articles and rumours, some true, some very untrue I want to publicly say I know I have made mistakes. 'We all do as humans, but I've made some that have almost cost me my family. 'I am the luckiest man in the world to have what I have with Jacqueline and my three incredible children and I will spend the rest of my life being the best husband and dad that I can be. 'Jac, myself and our families are excited for the future, one filled with love and happiness together. 'We truly appreciate everyone that has supported us as a couple, we are ending this year stronger than ever.' The post was uploaded just hours after Jacqueline addressed how things were on Lorraine, saying her husband has 'done wrong' but that she wants to 'restart their relationship'. Not holding back, she said: 'The thing is, its really funny because we've been going through it for two years - this isnt new for me. 'I want to hit the restart button, its been two years of me giving him hell, he knows hes done wrong, there's lots of stuff thats not true that I cant talk about for legal reasons, but we're OK.' Dan and Jacqueline put on a united front in new loved-up social media messages amid their marital woes. But it seems the pair could be working things out, as Dan made his feelings clear by publicly commenting on Jacqueline's latest sizzling Instagram snap. The star looked incredible in a strapless black gown which featured a sequinned top half and a high split which allowed her to showcase plenty of leg, as she head off to the British Soap Awards on Saturday. Commenting underneath the snap, Dan penned: 'Beautiful,' to which Jacqueline replied: 'Thankyou my love x' It comes just days after the pair looked close as they cosied up to one another at a friends' wedding. In a snap shared by a friend over the weekend, it looks as thought the couple are back on as Jacqueline wrapped her arm around her husband's arm. The pair were seen sharing a carriage as they rode a roller coaster in wedding attire with a number of other guests. Both Jacqueline and Dan had cheesy grins on their faces for the snap ahead of the ride, as they enjoyed their friends' big day. Meanwhile, Christine recently opened up about her sexuality and her divorce from Paddy, as she revealed she has dated women since she was a teenager. The TV personality explained to Elizabeth Day on her How To Fail podcast, that her ex-husband and family have known about her sexuality since she was little and it was 'never a secret'. And now she has opened up about how she was dating women, including one two-year 'situationship', before she met Paddy, and admits she wants a connection for herself and not a step-parent for her children. She told the broadcaster: 'It shouldn't matter somebody's gender. It never mattered to me, which was why once me and my ex-husband were separated and I met people, I didn't properly date. 'It was more like blurred the lines of friendships for me, that was normal. It felt comfortable because I'd done that as a teenager and I, as a teenager, I dated both men and women. My ex-husband knew. My family knew. It was never a secret for me.' When asked if she has a label for her sexuality, Christine said she has thought about it but would consider herself more of a 'free spirit'. When asked about labels, Christine explained: 'No and again, I've thought about it. A lot of people always ask me, are you a lesbian? Are you bisexual? Are you what? Is this a phase? 'I've always been quite a free spirit. I think that's the only word I would put on it. When I was a teenager, I'd dated boys and girls. 14/15 was probably when I had my first kisses with, with both, and I never felt it was anything different or a big deal. 'Then I think where I grew up, everyone was kind of just there for a good time.' Christine explained that before Paddy she did date women and her longest relationship latest around two years. In 2018 Dan was linked to Gabby Allen, who recently returned to the Love Island villa for All Stars, after they were spotted getting close on a yacht in Marbella In December 2019 he was rocked by cheating claims after it was alleged he engaged in a threesome with his Celebrity Big Brother co-stars Chloe Ayling (pictured) and Natalie Nunn Dan publicly apologised to Jac a week after she was crowned queen of the jungle on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Despite splitting last month, it seems the couple could be working things out, as Dan, 33, made his feelings clear by publicly commenting on Jacqueline's latest sizzling Instagram snap 'My longest was two years before I met my ex-husband and then I've had really, really lovely long situation shifts where we purposely haven't put a label on anything', she added. 'But my experiences with women have been lovely and It's not like women are better or worse. It's simply that the connection for me is different. I need a connection now. I need something different. 'I really, really, honestly, I love my family and Patrick is part of my family and he always, always will be. But now for my next relationship, I know what I want and I want someone for me. 'I want someone that I like spending time with, we can do stuff together that we both enjoy. I want that emotional connection where I can be open and I can talk and I can be vulnerable and I can ask for help, but I can also have a laugh and just have a good time. 'It's not like I'm trying to find a new family unit or someone to come in and be a stepparent. I want my next relationship to be for me.' Heiress Lou O'Neil has announced she's expecting her second child with property developer husband Jake. The glamourous socialite took to Instagram on Friday to share a series of snaps that showed her cradling her burgeoning baby bump. Lou was positively glowing in the images, wearing a flowing white long-sleeved dress that showed off her precious cargo. She was seen posing next to an ornately decorated table, topped with a bouquet of pink peonies with a pink candle at the centre. One photo showed the happy couple posing together and beaming broadly, with Jake looing every inch the proud dad. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMails new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Heiress Lou O'Neil has announced she's expecting her second child with property developer husband Jake Another photo showed son Otis, 1, inquisitively pointing at the floral display as mum cradles him in her arms. Captioning the sweet images, Lou revealed that Otis would soon have a little sister to dote on. 'Halfway with baby number 2. We cant wait to meet our baby girl,' she wrote, adding in a subsequent post that her daughter would arrive in October. The post was met with an outpouring of congratulations from friends and followers. Block star and influencer Elle Ferguson jumped in with a gushing: 'Yay, congratulations, beautiful,' while shopper to the stars Gab Waller added a simple 'Congratulations,' augmented with a red bow emoji. Another chimed in with: 'That little girl will be very loved and have the best wardrobe thanks to mummas style. Congrats.' The well wishes didn't stop there with one follower making note of the stunning images. 'Lou Lou these images are soooo dreamy. Last slide HALLMARK,' they wrote, referring to a photo showing Otis with his back to camera, investigating the floral display. The glamourous socialite took to Instagram on Friday to share a series of snaps that showed her cradling her burgeoning baby bump. Lou is pictured with husband Jake Lou was positively glowing in the images, wearing a flowing white long-sleeved dress that showed off her precious cargo, as she posed next to an ornately decorated table, topped with a bouquet of pink peonies with a pink candle at the centre Another photo showed son Otis, 1, inquisitively pointing at the floral display as mum cradles him in her arms The auspicious news comes after Lou and Jake welcomed their first child back in 2023. 'Otis Donald O'Neil,' she captioned an adorable clip of their newborn son, revealing he was born on November 17. The couple then hosted a lavish gender reveal party in May of that year At the time, Lou shared footage of the moment she and Jake learned the sex of their newborn, surrounded by family. She pulled open pocket doors to find a tower of blue bows signifying that the couple had a baby boy on the way. The gender reveal was styled by creative studio The Make Haus, with guests given blue and pink bows in order to guess the baby's gender prior to the reveal. The couple's first pregnancy announcement came a year after they tied-the-knot at the heritage-listed Carthona mansion in Sydney's Darling Point. The nuptials were a coming together of two of the country's wealthiest families. 'Halfway with baby number 2. We cant wait to meet our baby girl,' she captioned the images, adding in a subsequent post that her daughter would arrive in October The auspicious news comes after Lou and Jake welcomed their first child back in 2023 The couple's first pregnancy announcement came a year after they tied-the-knot at the heritage-listed Carthona mansion in Sydney's Darling Point Jake, who works for family business Addenbrooke, is the second-eldest son of millionaire superyacht broker and Rose Bay marina owner, Denis O'Neil and Charlotte O'Neil. Lou is the daughter of the late Donald Hay, brush pioneer and founder of Hayco. Jake and Lou originally dated in high school before reuniting in 2020. Lou, a beauty and fashion content creator, isn't the only wealthy outsider to marry into the O'Neil family. Aussie Home Loans heiress Deborah Symond O'Neil tied-the-knot to eldest son Ned in 2018 in a lavish ceremony in the Whitsundays. Olivia Rodrigo looked as sensational as ever as she attended an event for French cosmetics brand Lancome alongside Amanda Seyfried and Rachel Bilson on Thursday. The Deja vu hitmaker, 22, glammed up for the star-studded Manhattan pop-up in a brightly coloured skirt and spaghetti strap top combo. While letting her brown locks flow past her shoulders, she added to the stunning outfit with some pink lipstick and a matching pair of red heels. Olivia posed for a photo alongside American actress Rachel Bilson, 43, who sported a vibrant floral dress for the occasion featuring black straps, which she teamed a coordinated handbag. Also in attendance on Thursday was Mamma Mia! star Amanda Seyfried, 39, who put on a leggy display in a sleeveless lilac dress. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMails new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Olivia Rodrigo, 22, looked as sensational as ever as she attended an event for French cosmetics brand Lancome in Manhattan on Thursday She was joined at the event by actresses Amanda Seyfried, 39, (left) and Rachel Bilson, 43, who both looked sensational for the occasion After starring in the brand's recent campaign celebrating 25 years of Lancome lip gloss, Gossip Girl actor Ed Westwick, 37, was also invited to Manhattan. The Brit cut a typically dapper figure for the afternoon in a navy silk shirt, grey slacks and a pair of smart suit shoes. Ed's collaboration with the luxury French band comes months after he welcomed his first child with his wife of a little under a year Amy Jackson, 33. Sharing a photo of themselves cradling the new born in March, the couple looked on cloud nine as they welcomes their baby boy to the world. They wrote: 'Welcome to the world, baby boy. Oscar Alexander Westwick' While three-time Grammy winner Rodrigo, who is gearing up for a headline show at Hyde Park in London later this month, was featuring for Lancome for the first time having become their latest global ambassador last week. Talking to Cosmopolitan following her appearance in the brand's latest advert, Olivia said: 'I think my power is being vulnerable and being able to share that with others, just brings you so much fulfillment and joy. 'Being expressive with my feelings and my thoughts, I think that makes me really happy.' Olivia and Rachel posed for a photo together - after the songstress became the brand's latest global ambassador last week While Mamma Mia! star Amanda has been an ambassador for the luxury fragrance provider since 2019 After starring in the brand's recent campaign celebrating 25 years of Lancome lip gloss, Gossip Girl actor Ed Westwick, 37, was also invited to Manhattan Ed - who welcomed his first child with wife Amy Jackson a couple of months ago, was pictured in conversation with Lancome's former general manager, Francoise Lehmann With British fans eagerly waiting for Olivia's headline show at American Express's BST Hyde Park Festival on 27 June, she at last revealed who will be opening for her last month. She will be joined by special guests and BRIT Award winning band The Last Dinner Party, who are an indie rock band. The festival's female heavy lineup will too see Olivia joined by Flowerovlove, The Voice UK winner Ruti, America's Got Talent quarter finalists Between Friends and BRIT award rising star nominee Caity Baser. Other artists confirmed to be performing at the festival - which runs over a number of weekends - include Sabrina Carpenter, Noah Kahan, Neil Young and Stevie Wonder. BST Hyde Park brought a range of superstars to the Royal Park in 2024 across three weekends - from SZA to Kings of Leon, Morgan Wallen, Andre Bocelli, Robbie Williams, Shania Twain, Kylie Minogue and Stray Kids. Billy Joel is opening up like never before revealing he attempted suicide twice and fell into a coma after having an affair with his best friend's wife. The shocking confession comes in Billy Joel: And So It Goes, the upcoming HBO documentary about the 76-year-old music legends life, which premiered Wednesday at the Tribeca Festival in New York City. Joel, who was notably absent from the event amid his ongoing health battle with a brain disorder, doesn't hold back in the films first installmentrevisiting one of the darkest chapters of his life. In his early 20s, Joel was living with his Attila bandmate and best friend Jon Small, along with Small's wife Elizabeth Weber and their young son, when he began a secret affair with Weber. 'I felt very, very guilty about it. They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker,' Joel explained in the documentary. 'I was just in love with a woman and I got punched in the nosewhich I deserved. Jon was very upset. I was very upset.' SUBSCRIBE to our new Showbiz newsletter for all the latest on Billy Joel Billy Joel revealed he attempted suicide twice and fell into a coma after having an affair with his best friend's wife in his new documentary In his early 20s, Joel was living with his Attila bandmate and best friend Jon Small, along with Small's wife Elizabeth Weber and their young son, when he began a secret affair with Weber; (Joel and Weber in 1979) The fallout ended Attila, shattered Joel's friendship with Small, and left the future Piano Man broken and alone after Weber took offthough they would eventually reunite. 'I had no place to live. I was sleeping in laundromats and I was depressed, I think to the point of almost being psychotic,' he said. 'So I figured, "Thats it. I dont want to live anymore." I was just in a lot of pain and it was sort of like, why hang out? Tomorrows going to be just like today, and today sucks. So I just thought Id end it all.' At the height of his breakdown, Billy Joel turned to his sister, Judy Molinari, who was working as a medical assistant at the time. Hoping to help him rest, she gave him some sleeping pillsnever expecting what would happen next. 'But Billy decided that he was going to take all of them he was in a coma for days and days and days,' she recalled in the documentary. 'I went to go see him in the hospital, and he was laying there white as a sheet. I thought that I'd killed him.' 'I felt very, very guilty about it. They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker,' Joel explained in the documentary. 'I was just in love with a woman and I got punched in the nosewhich I deserved. Jon was very upset. I was very upset.' (Joel and Jon Small in 1970) 'I was very selfish,' he said, reflecting on the mindset that led to his first suicide attempt; (Joel and Weber in 1981) 'I was very selfish,' he said, reflecting on the mindset that led to his first suicide attempt. Waking up in the hospital, Joel said he didnt feel relief or regretinstead, he became fixated on making a second attempt. Molinari revealed that Joels second attempt involved drinking a bottle of Lemon Pledge furniture polish. It was Jon Smalldespite their fractured friendshipwho rushed him to the hospital. 'Even though our friendship was blowing up, Jon saved my life,' Joel said. Small later reflected on why the betrayal may have hit Joel so hard. 'He never really said anything to me. The only practical answer I can give as to why Billy took it so hard was because he loved me that much and that it killed him to hurt me that much. Eventually I forgave him.' The two eventually rekindled their romance, marrying in 1973, with Elizabeth stepping in as his manager soon after; (pictured in 1981) Elizabeth also inspired other hits like The Stranger, Shes Always a Woman, and even appeared as the 'waitress practicing politics' in Piano Man;(pictured in 1978) However, Weber's patience ran out amid Joels escalating substance abuse, and she left both as his manager and wife around the time of his 1982 motorcycle accident; (Weber on June 4, 2025) After surviving the attempts, Joel voluntarily admitted himself into an 'observation ward.' He was released after a couple of weeks. 'I got out of the observation ward and I thought to myself, you can utilize all those emotions to channel that stuff into music,' he said. Joel's heartbreak and depression fueled his 1971 debut album Cold Spring Harbor, including the track She's Got a Way, inspired by Elizabeth. The two eventually rekindled their romance, marrying in 1973, with Elizabeth stepping in as his manager soon after. Elizabeth also inspired other hits like The Stranger, Shes Always a Woman, and even appeared as the 'waitress practicing politics' in Piano Man. However, her patience ran out amid Joels escalating substance abuse, and she left both as his manager and wife around the time of his 1982 motorcycle accident. Meanwhile, Joel recently updated longtime friend Howard Stern on his health after revealing hes been battling the brain condition called normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), which has impacted his 'hearing, vision, and balance.' 'He does have issues, but he said, "Yeah, you can tell people, I'm not dying,"' Stern said on his Sirius XM show The Howard Stern Show on Tuesday, adding, 'He wants people to know that.' If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7. Beyonce lost her chaps when on stage in Europe this week. The diva from Texas was walking while singing as the fringed chaps fell to the ground as she looked astonished, according to TMZ. The mother-of-three was performing at her Thursday night Cowboy Carter tour show in London. The wife of rapper Jay-Z has six dates at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Her look was a gold plunging bodysuit under gold fringed chaps with high heels and sunglasses as her accessories. The site claimed that she 'effortlessly performed' during the embarrassing incident as she slid down to pull the chaps back on. Beyonce lost her chaps when on stage in Europe this week. The diva from Texas was walking while singing as the fringed chaps fell to the ground as she looked astonished, according to TMZ Another look was this white and silver getup The Cowboy Carter Tour, officially titled Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour, is Beyonce's ongoing concert tour in support of her album Cowboy Carter. It's an all-stadium tour, featuring 32 stadium shows in the U.S. and Europe. The tour began on April 28, 2025, in Inglewood, California, and is scheduled to conclude on July 26, 2025, in Paradise, Nevada. Beyonce also took the stage in a custom Levi's one-piece with LEVII'S emblazoned across the chest and fully covered in Swarovski crystal rhinestones. The iconic Levi's Red Tab logo was reimagined with the double 'i' as a nod to Beyonce's 'LEVII'S JEANS' track from her Grammy-award-winning COWBOY CARTER album and referencing the limited-edition BEYONCE X LEVI'S tees, which were released in May of this year. To finish her look, Beyonce wore custom Ribcage Wide Leg Jeans reimagined as western-style chaps, adorned with allover Swarovski rhinestones, and a patchwork denim cape, hand-stitched from vintage Levi's denim jeans of all different decades, washes, and styles. Here she dramatically flipped her hair back The mother-of-three was performing at her Thursday night Cowboy Carter tour show in London Beyonce's dancers were also dressed in full custom Levi's denim looks to match Beyonce's rhinestone chaps. Female dancers wore fully custom denim Bra Tops, Ribcage Jeans cut into briefs, and rhinestoned Ribcage Wide Leg Jean Chaps, while male dancers donned Levi's Western Shirts, rhinestoned 567 Relaxed Flare Bootcut Jean Chaps, 517 Bootcut Jeans, and custom Trucker Jackets. In close collaboration with Beyonce's team and stylist, Levi's created custom pieces that honor the brand's legacy and the forward-thinking vision of one of the most influential figures of modern culture. Romeo Beckham's ex Mia Regan sizzled in a skimpy bikini during an adventurous trip to Montenegro with her boyfriend on Friday. The model, 22, posed up a storm while enjoying a nature-centered trip with Henry O'Sullivan after the news of Romeo's shocking split from Kim Turnbull was revealed. She took to Instagram to share an album of snaps which showed the brunette beauty enjoying a hike and a tricky-looking rock climb. Mia seemed to have made exercise the focal point of their holiday as the couple were also seen enjoying a scenic bike route through the mountains. She also showcased her impressive core strength and flexibility as she posted a snap while handing upside down from a door frame. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Romeo Beckham's ex Mia Regan sizzled in a skimpy bikini during an adventurous trip to Montenegro with her boyfriend on Friday The model posed up a storm while enjoying a nature-centered trip with Henry O'Sullivan after the news of Romeo's (pictured) split from Kim Turnbull was revealed Alongside her loved-up snaps, Mia penned: 'Type 2 fun. Beautiful stay at @sirobokaplace'. It is not clear when exactly Mia and Henry started dating but he debuted her on his social media as early as October of last year. The Mail revealed on Wednesday that Romeo and Kim had gone their separate ways after seven months together, with friends saying that the romance 'fizzled out' three weeks after David's 50th birthday. Romeo first publicly launched his relationship with Kim last November after weeks of exchanging flirty 'likes' on Instagram however despite being warmly welcomed into the family, the relationship has now run its course. Friends told The Mail that things remain 'amicable' between Romeo and Kim, and that their parting is 'nothing to do' with Kim being blamed by Nicola Peltz for being the catalyst for the feud that has ripped the Beckham family apart. One said: 'Romeo and Kim are both young and they had a lovely time together but at that age things don't always last forever and they decided to split up. 'They have been friendly since and have even been at the same venues. It's a huge shame, particularly as David and Victoria really adored her and thought she made Romeo happy but it wasn't to be. 'It happened a couple of weeks ago and relations have remained friendly between them. She took to Instagram to share an album of snaps which showed the brunette beauty enjoying a hike and a tricky-looking rock climb Mia seemed to have made exercise the focal point of their holiday as the couple were also seen enjoying a scenic bike route through the mountains She also showcased her impressive core strength and flexibility as she posted a snap while handing upside down from a door frame Alongside her loved-up snaps, Mia penned: 'Type 2 fun. Beautiful stay at @sirobokaplace' It is not clear when exactly Mia and Henry started dating but he debuted her on his social media as early as October of last year 'David and Victoria would hate for the view to be that they split because of Nicola and Brooklyn because that simply isn't the case. 'The fact is that Kim has got a really busy career as a DJ and Romeo has a busy work life too, there is lots of travelling for both of them at having a relationship at this time isn't all that conducive to their lives.' Mia broke up with Romeo in February of last year after five years together. It is claimed the couple went their separate ways after an argument, with Mia moving out of the home they shared together. Mia broke up with Romeo in February of last year after five years together (Seen together in July 2023) When Mia met Romeo at 16, she was a netball-loving sixth-former studying history, art and PE, with her sights on university. Her family lived close to the Beckhams' 12 million farmhouse in the Cotswolds and she and Romeo were first pictured together at Victoria's fashion show in 2019. But after making their relationship 'Instagram official', Mia was catapulted into the limelight. Thoughts of university were left behind as she began working with 50 of the world's top brands including Gucci, Prada, Coca-Cola and fashion house Celine. Dallas veteran Patrick Duffy played Bobby Ewing on the hit nighttime soap saga set in Texas from 1978 until 1991. The swarthy actor was one of the biggest hunks on the small screen as he worked opposite Larry Hagman, Linda Gray and Victoria Principal. He reprised the role of Bobby in the TNT revival series from 2012 to 2014. Duffy also starred as Frank Lambert in the ABC sitcom Step by Step with blonde bombshell Suzanne Somers in the 1990s. Now the 76-year-old Hollywood staple has been seen again as he appeared at several events in Cincinnati to support his brand Duffys Dough. On his arm was his girlfriend Linda Purl of Happy Days fame. Duffy and Purl have been dating since July 2020 after they met on a group text and got close on Facetime then Zoom during Covid. Dallas veteran Patrick Duffy played Bobby Ewing on the show for about a decade He was one of the biggest hunks on the small screen as he worked opposite Larry Hagman, Linda Gray and Victoria Principal. Seen in 1978 He has said sparks began to fly during a group text chat in 2020. Patrick shared last year: 'Its a Covid romance. We didnt sit in the same room for almost four months but we spoke to each other everyday. 'We kept texting and texting became Facetime and for two and a half months plus we zoomed every night for two or three hours. We didnt have that thing after the third dinner, do I kiss? Do I take her to my house? Linda, who played Ashley Pfister in season 10 of Happy Days in the early 1980s, added: 'As we were about to do the end meeting, Patrick says "see you tomorrow love you." Patrick said: 'The next day we zoomed it was like"hi". I got into my car and drove 23 hours to her door step and weve never been apart.' Linda continued: 'I dont think it would have happened otherwise because in our normal lives pre-pandemic we wouldnt have had three hours to Zoom but we did.' Branding Linda 'the most beautiful thing in the world' Patrick said: 'I wasnt looking for (love) but it found me.' Describing their relationship in an interview back in November 2020, Patrick said he had given up on the idea of dating again following the passing of his wife, ballet dancer Carlyn Rosser, who succumbed to cancer in 2017. Patrick on Dallas Duffy with Hagman, Gray, Principal, Charlene Tilton, Jim Davis and Barbara Bel Geddes The pair were married for over four decades and had two sons: Padraic, 48, and Conor, 42. 'I wasn't looking for it. I didn't feel I needed it and then fate just went swoosh! and changed the perspective,' he said of their love last year. 'We started texting and then FaceTiming and then Zooming We did a two-to-three-hour Zoom every single night You get to know somebody really well when you do that.' The actor loved chatting to Linda during the lockdown, and once restrictions were eased, he wasted no time in rushing to see her. He shared: 'At the end of those two and half months, we were feeling a little different than just casual friendship, so I packed up my car, I drove 20 hours, and I was on her doorstep. On his hit show Step by Step who costar Suzanne Somers in 1997 Patrick's wife, ballet dancer Carlyn Rosser, succumbed to cancer in 2017 (pictured 1987) 'I asked permission if I could kiss her, and we've been together ever since.' Patrick admitted that his romance with Linda came as a complete surprise. The actor explained that after his wife's death, he never imagined he'd fall in love again. He confessed: 'I never thought for a minute this would happen again. I never thought I'd feel this way again. I'm in an incredibly happy relationship.' Duffy's wife Rosser died in 2017. This week he was seen with his girlfriend Linda Purl, far right, of Happy Days fame while in Cincinnati at an event for his brand Duffys Dough Linda is mother to son Lucius Cary, 26, who she shares with ex husband Alexander Cary. She has been married four times in total but has no other children. In 2006 Patrick played Stephen Logan on The Bold and the Beautiful. He left the show after five years, but came back in 2022 for two episodes. In his role he played the love interest to his girlfriend Purl. He has also appeared in films like You Again (2010) and Lady of the Manor (2021). Blake Lively is locked in yet another legal battle as her hair-care brand Blake Brown petitions to take down another trademark in new court filings. Family Hive LLC, which owns Blake Brown (Lively's brand), has filed a lawsuit against Kimberlie Hamner, the owner of a trademark named 'Beauty by Blake', the Daily Mail can exclusively reveal. Family Hive, a registered entity from Delaware, owns three trademark filings associated with Blake Brown - one for the name, one for its bee hive-shaped logo, and another for the logo with the name. Those trademarks were all filed last year and are still currently pending, despite the 37-year-old actress having launched her brand's first products at Target over the summer. Hamner, a 27-year-old entrepreneur based in Utah, filed an application for her 'Beauty by Blake' trademark in September 2024 (following Blake Brown's filings), in the hopes of trademarking her line of 'cosmetic oils' and 'serums for cosmetic purposes'. Blake Lively is locked in yet another legal battle as her hair-care brand Blake Brown petitions to take down another trademark in new court filings The new lawsuit filing comes after Lively suffered a courtroom blow this week in her ongoing legal battle with her It Ends With Us costar, Justin Baldoni Blake Brown has filed a lawsuit against Kimberlie Hamner, the owner of a trademark named 'Beauty by Blake', the Daily Mail can exclusively reveal In April, the 'Beauty by Blake' trademark was published in the Trademark Official Gazette. Two months later, on June 5, Family Hive filed their opposition. According to legal papers obtained by the Daily Mail, Family Hive stated the grounds for opposition was due to 'priority and likelihood of confusion' and will likely cause 'damage' to Family Hive's own trademark, Blake Brown. In the filing, Family Hive's attorney Leo M. Loughlin argues that the 'Beauty by Blake' trademark 'is likely to be confused, to be deceived, and to assume erroneously that Applicants goods are those of Family Hive or that Applicant is in some way connected with or sponsored by or affiliated with Family Hive.' Loughlin also says that Hamner has 'no connection whatsoever with Family Hive and no permission or license' was given by Family Hive to her. The new lawsuit filing comes after Lively suffered a courtroom blow this week in her ongoing legal spat with her It Ends With Us co-star, Justin Baldoni, 41. A New York judge threw a curveball in her attempt to withdraw her 'emotional distress' claims against the actor by ruling Tuesday that the claims are now dead. Blake's hair care line launched in August 2024 and sells a variety of products exclusively at Target, ranging from $18.99 to $24.99 In court documents, Blake Brown argues that Beauty by Blake 'is likely to be confused, to be deceived, and to assume erroneously that Applicants goods are those of Family Hive or that Applicant is in some way connected with or sponsored by or affiliated with Family Hive' The founder of Beauty by Blake plans on coming out with a line of 'cosmetic oils' and 'serums for cosmetic purposes' The ruling came after the two parties had been slugging it out, with Baldoni's team attempting to compel Lively to turn over her medical records to prove her 'emotional distress'. Lively's team had attempted to drop that element from her lawsuit, but, critically, without prejudice meaning the claim could be refiled at a later date. In the end, the judge shut down that possibility. In December, Lively sued Baldoni in a blockbuster filing, accusing him of sexual harassment. In January, Baldoni countersued, both Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, for defamation. All parties deny the allegations against them. Despite the legal battle, it appears Lively has been working hard toward launching new products for Blake Brown. The brand's trademark description covers a wide range of products, including hair texturizers, hair sprays, hair removal, shaving mousse, makeup, cosmetics, body lotions, shower gels, household fragrances and much more. In terms of Beauty by Blake's 'cosmetic oils', Blake Brown's trademark also covers 'hair oil, baby oils, face oils, essential oils and aromatic oils'. And as for Beauty by Blake's 'serums for cosmetic purposes,' Blake Brown's trademark notes that their goods and services may include 'non-medicated hairstyling serums' and 'beauty serums.' Currently, Blake Brown sells shampoo, leave in conditioner, hair masks, hair mousse and hair and body mists. Hamner has not yet responded to the lawsuit, but has until mid-July to respond. The Daily Mail has reached out to Kimberlie Hamner for comment on this story. Nicky Hilton shared a photo of herself nursing one of her children as she announced her new collaboration on Friday. The heiress, 41, whose sister Paris claims she has a ghost in her mansion, opened up about how difficult breast feeding had been for her in the post. 'I breastfed all three of my children, but it wasn't without its challenges,' she wrote on a post for The 2amClub. 'While I enjoyed the moments of bonding, the latching was often painful,' she revealed, admitting, 'I didn't find breastfeeding as effortlessly as I'd hoped.' She also wrote about the societal pressure to nurse. 'The expectations put on mothers can be overwhelming,' Hilton stated. 'We're just doing our best, and feeding our children - whether through breast feeding or bottle feeding - shouldn't come with guilt or judgement. You have to listen to your body and do what's right for you.' Nicky Hilton, 41, shared an intimate photo of her nursing one of her three children as she announced her investment in a new baby formula company on Friday It was apparently her own experiences that resulted in Hilton announcing she was an investor in Narababy. 'Their innovative baby formula, launching this spring, is something Im truly proud to be a part of,' she wrote next to the post with a link to the new formula company. She encouraged her fellow moms to follow her example and 'Share your feeding confession at 2amclub.com.' Hilton shares daughters Lily-Grace, almost nine, and Theodora, known as Teddy, six, and son Chasen, three with husband James Rothschild, 39. Several fans shared their own experiences. 'Cheers to any mother who can breastfeed. And cheers to all mothers who do whats best to keep their babies fed, no matter what their own emotional preferences are,' commented one follower. 'Dont let anybody tell you what to feed and how to feed your baby,' admonished another. 'Wow, thats so inspiring! Can't wait to see your support making a real difference,' said a fan. According to the Nara Organics website, the new formula is made from organic whole fat cows milk and meet both US and the stricter standards of the European Union. The heiress opened up about how difficult breast feeding had been for her in the post. 'I breastfed all three of my children, but it wasn't without its challenges,' she wrote Hilton is married to James Rothschild, 39; Pictured in Los Angeles in March 2024 The couple are parents to daughters Lily-Grace, almost nine, and Theodora, known as Teddy, six, and son Chasen, three It brags of its product containing 'the most whole milk fat* of any U.S. formula,' offering to make the data available upon request. The company also developed an app that helps expectant moms track 'your body, mood, and medications during your pregnancy journey,' along with 'prenatal and other healthcare appointments' and questions they may have for their healthcare providers. After the baby is born, the app is said to help new parents and their caregivers 'log activities throughout the day.' Those include feeding time, naps, diaper changes and more. The company is building buzz by asking future customers to sign up for a wait list for the product that was supposed to be available in Spring 2025. On the latest episode of the Mail's 'The Trial of Diddy' podcast, reporter Marjorie Hernandez interviews Sharay Hayes, a male exotic dancer who testified in court that he was paid to give sexual massages to Cassie Ventura while being watched by a masked Sean 'Diddy' Combs. Combs, 55, is currently on trial in New York facing sex trafficking and racketeering charges. If found guilty, the rap mogul could spend decades behind bars. Combs has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers concede he could be violent, but he denies using threats or his music industry clout to commit abuse. Sharay 'The Punisher' Hayes, a male exotic dancer who was called as a witness for the prosecution earlier in the trial, told the podcast how he came to be in the employ of Combs and Ventura and what they wanted him to do for them. Using an alias, Hayes alleges that Ventura, Diddy's ex-girlfriend and one of two key victims in the trial, contacted him for a sexual dance in 2012. Upon arrival at the couple's hotel room, Hayes says he was greeted by a scantily clad Ventura and Combs wearing nothing apart from a 'burqa' to disguise his identity. Sharay Hayes, a male exotic dancer who was called as a witness for the prosecution earlier in the trial, told the podcast how he came to be in the employ of Combs and Ventura. Listen here The dancer claims he began performing exotic massages for the couple's amusement Subscribe to The Crime Desk to hear exclusive coverage of the Diddy trial on The Trial+ Join here The dancer claims he began performing exotic massages for the couple's amusement. Hayes told reporter Marjorie Hernandez about his 'embarrassment' at not being able to figure out who his employers were for around a year. 'I had no idea who they were', he said. 'I knew I was with some high-profile couple, but I thought they were married. I did Google searches, trying to figure out who they were. But all the searches I did drew a blank. 'They called me for one more of these sessions and put me in a waiting room. I happened to turn on the TV and there was a welcome message on the screen which read: 'Essex House would like to welcome Mr Sean Combs.' 'It was a holy cr** moment I had followed him on social media, and I still didn't realise.' 'I grew up in Harlem and in my age range, Diddy was my culture. Being in a room with him had a wow factor and I was doing something of a sexual nature with his partner. It blew me away it was a pinch yourself moment.' Asked whether Hayes detected any coercive or violent behaviour from Combs towards Ventura, the exotic dancer said he 'did not see anything associated with what's going on in the trial'. He did however feel a sense of 'frustration' from Ventura at Diddy's particular and voyeuristic demands. Ventura has alleged Combs subjected her to rape, physical abuse, sex trafficking, and forced participation in sexual encounters with male sex workers called 'freak-offs' during their decade-long relationship. 'I did not see any indication of any issues between them', Hayes said. Ventura has alleged Combs subjected her to rape, physical abuse, sex trafficking, and forced participation in sexual encounters with male sex workers called 'freak-offs' Hayes said he sensed 'frustration' from Ventura at Diddy's particular and voyeuristic demands. Listen here Sean 'Diddy' Combs, 55, is currently on trial in New York facing sex trafficking and racketeering charges 'It just seemed like a couple who were trying to expand their sex life in a kind of fetish way. 'The closest thing I noticed to what is going on in the trial which I testified to was that there were moments with Diddy's direction where maybe Cassie would sigh. I could see moments of frustration. 'Diddy could be very specific at times. Move the light here, turn a little bit more to the left I did see some reactions to that specific direction.' Having heard Ventura's testimony which alleges Combs was abusive and violent towards her over several years, Hayes said he now feels 'terrible' about being involved in the couple's sex life. The exotic dancer said: 'The things Cassie testified to those experiences show she was clearly in distress. 'It feels terrible to have been involved period. I hope that, if she was in this difficult space, maybe her interaction with me wasn't too heavy on her. That it was tolerable. 'It is just rough looking back at it understanding the circumstances. Even though I wasn't a part of it directly, I do not want to imagine what she could have been going through mentally. 'Maybe she was coerced without me knowing, which is just a terrible thing.' Listen to the full exclusive interview with Sharay 'The Punisher' Hayes by subscribing to the Crime Desk today. Become a member by clicking here, for ad-free access to every show across The Crime Desk network including over 200 episodes of The Trial and On The Case and so much more. Over the past few days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar addressed the longstanding and sensitive issue of Katchatheevu, a small island whose sovereignty remains contested between India and Sri Lanka. This dispute, along with other recurring conflicts such as the Cauvery water dispute, Mullaperiyar Dam controversy, and Palar river issues, tends to resurface annually in public discourse before gradually fading away. Minister Jaishankar traced the origins of the Katchatheevu matter back to the early 1970s. Correspondences from that era reveal that the then Indian Foreign Secretary Kewal Singh engaged in discussions with Tamil Naduas Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and other officials in 1973 and 1974. The central Government, including then Union External Affairs Minister Swaran Singh, kept the Tamil Nadu administration informed as part of ongoing diplomatic negotiations with Sri Lanka. Despite this, Karunanidhi publicly opposed the transfer of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka, arguing that the island was handed over without the Tamil Nadu Governmentas proper consent. He called for protests and convened an all-party meeting that included opposition leaders, communist parties, and other political groups a though the ADMK, which had split from the DMK at the time, walked out in protest. Historically, the issue predates this period. During Jawaharlal Nehruas tenure, parliamentary leaders raised concerns over Katchatheevu, but Nehru dismissed it as a minor land matter. In the 1960s, legal experts advised the central Government against ceding the island. Under Lal Bahadur Shastrias administration, a committee including Tamil Naduas minister Pudukkottai Ramaiah was sent to Colombo to negotiate. Nonetheless, despite opposition, the island was officially ceded in 1974 during Indira Gandhias tenure without parliamentary approval, based solely on diplomatic exchanges between India and Sri Lanka.This agreement, widely condemned by various members of Parliament a including leaders from the DMK and Atal Bihari Vajpayee a occurred amid broader geopolitical shifts in the Indian Ocean region. These included increased U.S. military presence in Diego Garcia and Sri Lankaas development plans for Trincomalee Port. In exchange for Katchatheevu, India received the Wadge Bank, a 6,500 square kilometer barren sandbank within its Exclusive Economic Zone near Kanyakumari. A 1976 agreement formalised fishing rights and boundaries in the Gulf of Mannar, restricting Sri Lankan boats from fishing in Wadge Bank after a transitional period. However, this sandbank proved to be of little economic value to India, while the rich fishing grounds surrounding Katchatheevu became inaccessible to Indian fishermen. Since the transfer, Tamil Naduas fishing community has faced severe hardships. Reports document over 115 attacks by the Sri Lankan Navy on Tamil Nadu fishermen, resulting in more than 300 deaths and numerous boats seized or destroyed. Fishermen are often arrested or fired upon for crossing into disputed waters despite relying on these grounds for their livelihoods. Multiple political resolutions and legal challenges in Tamil Nadu have sought to reclaim the island. Notably, a unanimous 1991 Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution affirmed the fishermenas historic rights in the region. The ongoing distress faced by Tamil Nadu fishermen is compounded by intensified harassment from the Sri Lankan Navy, which reportedly attacks fishermen by cutting their nets, seizing motorboats, and even sinking vessels. These incidents have been repeatedly reported to the central Government. Between 1983 and 1991 alone, the Sri Lankan Navy reportedly carried out 236 attacks, destroying or damaging 51 boats, injuring over 135 fishermen, killing more than 50, and arresting 205. Historically, Katchatheevu belonged to the Sethupathi kings of Ramanathapuram, who leased it to traders for harvesting medicinal herbs. The island, located in the Palk Strait near Pamban Island, was part of the Ramanathapuram kingdom and was integrated into India after the Zamindari Abolition Act of 1947. The British also used the island for naval purposes. In 1955, the Indian Parliament opposed Sri Lankaas plan to use Katchatheevu for naval training. While national leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi showed limited interest in contesting this transfer, Tamil Nadu politicians, including Vaiko and former Chief Ministers Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi, have repeatedly raised the issue and pursued legal action to reclaim the island. Historical documents and maps affirm Katchatheevuas Indian ownership, a position even acknowledged by some Sri Lankan officials referencing the Ramanathapuram Samasthanam. The dispute is not merely territorial but also touches on matters of national dignity and security. Katchatheevuas strategic location offers advantages for security against foreign dominance, naval training, communication systems, and marine research. The unresolved status of the island threatens Indiaas sovereignty and the livelihood of Tamil Naduas coastal communities. Given these stakes, the Tamil Nadu Assembly has demanded that the central Government intensify diplomatic and legal efforts to reclaim Katchatheevu. Some voices have even called for military options, if necessary, to protect Indiaas geopolitical interests and the welfare of its fishermen. (The writer is a political activist. Views expressed are personal) In a stunning display of technological prowess and strategic clarity, Indiaas Operation Sindoor reshaped the contours of modern conflict by compelling Pakistan to request a ceasefire within just 80 hours The sudden ceasefire request by Pakistan within 80 hours of Indiaas decisive Operation Sindoor left many analysts and strategists stunned. Pakistan had abruptly called off its own military operation, Bunyan Marsoos (aWall of Leada), signaling a white flag in what was expected to be a protracted escalation. What caused this rapid turnaround? The answer lies in the Indian Air Forceas (IAF) precision strikes on Pakistanas most secure military assets a especially their deeply buried command and control centres at key airbases. These surgical strikes shattered Pakistanas operational capability and broke their will to continue hostilities. The flashpoint for Operation Sindoor was the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam a the deadliest since the 2019 Pulwama bombing. This attack was claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy terror outfit linked directly to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which enjoys overt support from Pakistanas establishment. Despite global condemnation, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and their Army Chief remained unapologetic and silent on state a sponsored terrorism. Indiaas response was swift and calculated. Since the 2019 Balakot airstrikes, the IAF had refined its doctrine of striking terror infrastructure deep inside Pakistan with surgical precision, backed by highly accurate intelligence. This time, nine terror-related targets were hit, including the JeMas training academy at Bahawalpur and LeTas headquarters at Muridke. The Pakistani retaliation was brutal but ineffective: drone attacks, shelling border villages, and failed attempts by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) to target Indian military bases. India, in turn, struck back with coordinated attacks on Pakistanas air defense radars, surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites, integrated air defense systems (IADS), and other critical PAF installations at 13 locations. These strikes were not just tactical but demonstrative a designed to showcase Indiaas technological edge and disrupt Pakistanas ability to respond or escalate further. Targeting Pakistanas Hardened Deeply Buried Targets (HDBTs) One of the most critical aspects of these strikes was the destruction of Pakistanas Hardened Deeply Buried Targets (HDBTs). These underground military complexes are designed to withstand aerial and even nuclear attacks. Militaries worldwide dig deep to protect their critical command, control, communications, and intelligence (C4I) centres from enemy strikes. Pakistanas network includes at least 22 such underground bunkers around its major airbases and strategic cities like Islamabad and Karachi. These facilities are reinforced with multilayer concrete, steel rebar, and equipped with advanced heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to sustain prolonged occupancy underground. During Operation Sindoor, the IAF successfully struck two vital HDBTs: one at Chaklala (now Nur Khan) Airbase near Islamabad, and another at Murid Airbase on the Pothohar Plateau. According to the Indian Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, these were command and control air defense centres a but the author contends they functioned more broadly as C4I nerve centres, integrating radar data, intelligence feeds, and coordinating air operations. The Chaklala Airbase Strike: A Technical Masterclass The underground facility at Chaklala was built in the 1990s by General Electric Aviation, a US company specialising in subterranean military infrastructure. It spanned roughly 750 square meters and was considered one of Pakistanas most advanced air defense hubs. In fact, VIPs and foreign military delegations frequently toured this bunker to marvel at Pakistan Air Forceas indigenous technological integration. The IAFas strike on Chaklala was a demonstration of extraordinary precision. Satellite imagery revealed the bomb entered through a tiny HVAC shaft barely 45 centimeters wide a an incredibly small target given the best satellite resolution of 30 cm per pixel. This meant zero margin for error, requiring perfect intelligence, exact coordinates, and probably the deployment of the best pilots and weaponry available. The bombas explosion was so powerful that it blew a large chunk of the concrete roof into the air, pulverising the entire facility underground and everyone inside instantly. Following the strike, Pakistan took days to clear debris, eventually deciding to bury the remains of fallen personnel in situ since nothing else remained. This strike was likely the first of its kind in aerial warfare history a hitting such a tiny and deeply buried target with pinpoint accuracy and total destruction. Overcoming Advanced Defences Murid Airbaseas underground facility was even more sophisticated. Pakistanas Special Works Department had learned from earlier constructions and implemented advanced countermeasures a extending HVAC shafts away from the facility to prevent precision strikes via ventilation ducts. Faced with this challenge, the IAF adapted its tactics, opting to strike the central section of the bunker directly. Post-strike satellite images revealed a small, sharply defined crater consistent with a deep penetrating bomb exploding underground, not on the surface. The light color of the crater edges confirmed it was an impact crater with the explosion occurring deeper below. Imagery showed a large truck stationed at the entrance, likely involved in salvage or recovery operations, and a lone ambulance nearby a suggesting at least one survivor but significant casualties among airbase personnel. Pakistan quickly cemented the crater to obscure evidence from overhead satellites. Strategic Implications and Aftermath Pakistanas attempts to shield critical command centres underground were foiled spectacularly by Indian ingenuity, intelligence, and precision weapons. The destruction of these two HDBTs, alongside other strikes at Sargodha and Jacobabad airbases, crippled Pakistanas air defense command and air operations infrastructure for months. Further satellite imagery revealed additional bunkers, including one near Islamabad International Airport believed to protect the PAF Chief of Air Staff (CAS). Despite fortifications added as recently as March 2025, these too were rendered ineffective. This lack of functioning C2 nodes meant Pakistanas air operations became fragmented and ineffective. Orders from the CAS could not reach field commands or aircraft, severely degrading Pakistanas ability to wage aerospace warfare or activate nuclear options. A Calculated yet Devastating Message The IAFas strikes were meticulously calibrated to avoid triggering Pakistanas nuclear threshold, while still delivering crippling blows to Pakistanas military infrastructure. The destruction was so complete that Pakistan had no face a saving nuclear option, yet the scale of damage forced them to seek an early ceasefire to prevent further humiliation. India also took a strong diplomatic stance, suspending the Indus Water Treaty and cutting water flow to Pakistan until it ceases support for terrorism. This multi-domain pressure a from aerial strikes to economic leverage a exemplified a new, integrated approach to national security. Conclusion: The Unseen Triumph The world was largely silent on the satellite evidence, but Indiaas demonstration of air power during Operation Sindoor was unprecedented in modern warfare. Within barely 80 hours, the IAF achieved what many believed impossible: obliterating the backbone of Pakistanas air defense and command capabilities underground, and forcing a reluctant adversary to call a halt to hostilities. The strikes at Chaklala and Murid airbases remain benchmarks of precision, intelligence fusion, and technological excellence. These operations showcased Indiaas ability to blend advanced ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) assets, superior weapons technology, and tactical innovation a sending a clear message that aggression backed by terrorism will meet with swift and decisive consequences. This episode in modern conflict underscores a new paradigm of aerospace warfare, where intelligence accuracy, technological superiority, and surgical strikes dictate the outcome before full-scale battles even begin. For India, Operation Sindoor was not just a military success but a strategic victory that restored deterrence and sent an unequivocal warning to Pakistan and the world. (The writer is a retired Colonel of the Indian Army. Views expressed are personal) India is not friendless in the UN Security Council and Pakistan chairing its Taliban Sanctions Committee and being named vice-chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee is a designation without much practical consequence, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said. Tharoor is leading a multi-party Parliamentary delegation to the US to brief key interlocutors about the threat of Pakistan-backed terrorism faced by India and India's strong resolve against terrorism. aThese committees all work on consensus and it's not really possible for a chairman to single-handedly get something through that the others resist or push a particular line that other countries are not in favour of,a Tharoor said during an interaction at the Indian Embassy here on Thursday. Pakistan, a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the 2025-26 term, will chair the Council's Taliban Sanctions Committee for 2025 and will be vice-chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the 15-nation UN organ. Guyana and Russia will be vice-chair of the 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee. Algeria will chair the 1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee while France and Russia will be the other vice-chairs. Pakistan will also be co-chair of the Informal Working Groups on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions and on the General UNSC Sanctions Issues. India has consistently reminded the international community that Pakistan is host to the world's largest number of UN-proscribed terrorists and entities. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan's Abbottabad for years and was killed in an operation by the US Navy Seals in May 2011. During the Parliamentary delegation's interaction at the Embassy with think tankers and young professionals, Tharoor was asked about Pakistan chairing the two UNSC sanctions committees. Noting that there are half a dozen counterterrorism committees of the UNSC, he said that Council members take turns presiding over such bodies. aSo as long as Pakistan is on the Security Council, this kind of aprivilegea might come their waya We are not exactly friendless on the Security Council, so we're fairly confident that that is going to be a designation without much practical consequence,a he said. He underlined that India's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York will monitor this carefully. On Wednesday, during a press conference at the Embassy, responding to a question by PTI on Pakistan given charge of the two committees, Tharoor said ait's a Taliban Committee these guys have got. I don't know what the feelings of the Afghans are about this, but there you are.a Tharoor said UNSC members get the monthly rotating presidency of the Council. aIt's as simple as that. There's nothing more than that. And many of these positions are rotationala. There are a number of UN institutions and committees, and so one shouldn't exaggerate, all the members of the Council automatically belong to all these committees and chairmanship rotates.a He highlighted that there are various committees of the Security Council, such as one pursuant to resolution 1540 that deals with preventing non-state actors from acquiring, developing or using nuclear weapons. aIt would have been really funny if Pakistan had been given that particular chairmanship, but that at least mercifully, has not happened.a Pointing out that the UNSC committees work on consensus, he said there is no way that the chairman, whoever it may be, can get a particular point of view through or get something accepted or rejected merely by virtue of being chairman. aThe others will weigh in very heavily. And we are not exactly friendless in the Security Council, and therefore in its committees,a he said. The delegation, which had arrived from India in New York on May 24, had travelled to Guyana, Panama, Colombia and Brazil before arriving in Washington Tuesday afternoon for the last leg of the tour. Tharoor pointed out that the delegation did not go to the United Nations headquarters in New York. aFor us, it's more a series of bilateral exercises with countries that we believe need to be sensitised to our point of view, and as I said, that mission has been successful.a The delegation led by Tharoor includes Sarfaraz Ahmad (JMM), Ganti Harish Madhur Balayogi (TDP), Shashank Mani Tripathi (BJP), Bhubaneswar Kalita (BJP), Milind Deora (Shiv Sena), Tejasvi Surya (BJP) and India's former Ambassador to the US Taranjit Sandhu. It met US Vice President J D Vance, with Tharoor describing the meeting as aexcellenta. A parliamentary delegation from Pakistan led by Chairman of the Pakistan People's Party and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also landed in the US at the same time as the Tharoor-led delegation from India. Bhutto met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres with his delegation as well as Security Council Ambassadors in Pakistan's bid to internationalise the conflict with India as well as the Kashmir issue. Tripathi added that during the delegation's travels, countries voiced support for a permanent seat for India at the UN Security Council. aSo this whole idea of Security Council that we've been saying, what was very interesting for us is that other countries are thinking the same about India, which is a very helpful thing.a Sandhu added this highlights how seriously Pakistan will take terrorism, especially in the "responsible position" they are given and it also talks of how much authority and power the Pakistani aGeneral or Field Marshala has given the delegation led by Bhutto. Afghans who worked for the US during its war against the Taliban urged President Donald Trump Thursday to exempt them from a travel ban that could lead to them being deported to Afghanistan, where they say they will face persecution. Their appeal came hours after Trump announced a US entry ban on citizens from 12 countries, including Afghanistan. It affects thousands of Afghans who fled Taliban rule and had been approved for resettlement through a US program assisting people at risk due to their work with the American Government, media organisations, and humanitarian groups. But Trump suspended that program in January, leaving Afghans stranded in several locations, including Pakistan and Qatar. Pakistan, meanwhile, has been deporting foreigners it says are living in the country illegally, mostly Afghan, adding to the refugeesa sense of peril. aThis is heartbreaking and sad news,a said one Afghan, who worked closely with US agencies before the Taliban returned to power in 2021. He spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue, fearing Taliban reprisals and potential arrest by Pakistani authorities. He said the travel ban on an estimated 20,000 Afghans in Pakistan could encourage the Government to begin deporting Afghans awaiting resettlement in the US aPresident Trump has shattered hopes,a he told The Associated Press. He said his life would be at risk if he returned to Afghanistan with his family because he previously worked for the US Embassy in Kabul on public awareness campaigns promoting education. aYou know the Taliban are against the education of girls. America has the right to shape its immigration policy, but it should not abandon those who stood with it, risked their life, and who were promised a good future.a Another Afghan, Khalid Khan, said the new restrictions could expose him and thousands of others to arrest in Pakistan. He said police had previously left him and his family alone at the request of the US Embassy. aI worked for the US military for eight years, and I feel abandoned,. Every month, Trump is making a new rule,a said Khan. He fled to Pakistan three years ago. aI donat know what to say. Returning to Afghanistan will jeopardise my daughteras education. You know the Taliban have banned girls from attending school beyond sixth grade. My daughter will remain uneducated if we return.a He said it no longer mattered whether people spoke out against Trumpas policies. aSo long as Trump is there, we are nowhere. I have left all of my matters to Allah.a There was no immediate comment on the travel ban from the Taliban-run Government. Pakistan previously said it was working with host countries to resettle Afghans. Senior Chinese legislator visits Brazil, attends BRICS Parliamentary Forum Xinhua) 11:07, June 06, 2025 BRASILIA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Tie Ning, vice chairperson of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, led a delegation to visit Brazil and attended the 11th BRICS Parliamentary Forum held in the capital Brasilia from Tuesday to Thursday. During her stay, Tie met with Senate President Davi Alcolumbre and President of the Chamber of Deputies Hugo Motta, respectively. During their talks, Tie said that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, the relationship between China and Brazil has been elevated to a China-Brazil community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet. The National People's Congress of China is willing to deepen cooperation with the Brazilian Congress in a sustainted effort to enrich the dimensions of the China-Brazil community with a shared future, she added. The Brazilian side reiterated its adherence to the one-China principle, and expressed willingness to strengthen exchanges between the legislative bodies of the two countries and push for stable growth of Brazil-China relations. In her keynote speech at the forum, Tie said that as the "first echelon" of the Global South, the BRICS countries have always stood on the side of unity, cooperation and common development, and have been practicing the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation. Tie also said it is necessary to firmly safeguard the multilateral trading system, continue to deepen economic and trade cooperation in the Global South and provide assistance for the development of new industries, so as to open a new chapter in the high-quality development of "greater BRICS cooperation." (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Nepalas former prime minister and CPN-Unified Socialist Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal was on Thursday charged in a land misappropriation case by the anti-graft agency. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed a case at a special court against Madhav Nepal and 92 others for their alleged involvement in the Patanjali land deal case. There was no immediate reaction from Patanjali. The CIAA alleged that Patanjali had purchased land in Kavrepalanchok district under land ceiling exemption. However, the land, acquired under government concession, was sold off with Cabinet-level approval. During Madhav Nepalas government in 2010, the Cabinet approved the purchase of land under the land ceiling exemption. The CIAA said that land exceeding the ceiling was sold, violating the law. This is probably the first time in Nepal that the graft body filed a case against any former prime minister. The CIAA has sued 93 individuals, including ex-law minister Prem Bahadur Singh, ex-land reform minister Dambar Shrestha and former chief secretary Madhav Prasad Ghimire. The agency has also demanded the recovery of Nepalese Rs 185.85 million from the accused along with prison sentences and fines under the relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act (2002), The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported. Madhav Nepal on Thursday denied the corruption allegations against him, saying he has done nothing wrong and is prepared to face the legal process. Talking to the media in his home district Rautahat, he alleged that Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli wanted to end his his political career by filing the case. aI have not done anything wrong, nor do I wish to encourage any wrongdoing,a he was quoted as saying by My Republica newspaper. aThere is nothing greater than justice and nothing greater than the truth,a said Madhav Nepal, who served as prime minister from May 2009 to February 2011. He alleged that there was a conspiracy against him and that the case was filed with the intent to end his political career. Madhav Nepal, the sitting member of parliament, lost his parliamentary position automatically after the filing of the chargesheet. Laurentian Bank of Canada (TSE:LB Free Report) had its price target hoisted by Desjardins from C$27.00 to C$29.00 in a research report released on Tuesday,BayStreet.CA reports. Desjardins currently has a sell rating on the stock. LB has been the topic of several other research reports. Raymond James raised their price target on Laurentian Bank of Canada from C$27.00 to C$28.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research note on Tuesday. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Laurentian Bank of Canada from C$28.00 to C$32.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Laurentian Bank of Canada from C$29.00 to C$27.00 in a report on Monday, April 21st. CIBC lifted their price objective on shares of Laurentian Bank of Canada from C$28.00 to C$33.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, National Bankshares lifted their price target on Laurentian Bank of Canada from C$25.00 to C$28.00 and gave the company an underperform rating in a report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of C$29.57. Get Laurentian Bank of Canada alerts: Get Our Latest Report on LB Laurentian Bank of Canada Stock Down 0.4% Laurentian Bank of Canada Announces Dividend LB opened at C$29.89 on Tuesday. The stocks fifty day moving average is C$27.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$27.96. The company has a market capitalization of C$1.32 billion, a P/E ratio of -238.40, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.25. Laurentian Bank of Canada has a 52 week low of C$24.37 and a 52 week high of C$31.74. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 1st were given a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. Laurentian Bank of Canadas payout ratio is currently -1,499.45%. Laurentian Bank of Canada Company Profile (Get Free Report) Laurentian Bank of Canada provides personal banking, business banking and real estate and commercial financing to its personal, business, and institutional customers across Canada and the United States. The company reports three operating segments: personal, business services, and capital markets. The personal segment offers financial services to retail clients. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Laurentian Bank of Canada Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Laurentian Bank of Canada and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. BlackRock Floating Rate Income Trust (NYSE:BGT Get Free Report) declared a monthly dividend on Wednesday, June 4th, Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of 0.1203 per share by the investment management company on Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.75%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. BlackRock Floating Rate Income Trust has raised its dividend by an average of 23.9% per year over the last three years. Get BlackRock Floating Rate Income Trust alerts: BlackRock Floating Rate Income Trust Stock Performance BGT opened at $12.28 on Friday. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $12.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.51. BlackRock Floating Rate Income Trust has a one year low of $10.21 and a one year high of $13.59. Institutional Inflows and Outflows BlackRock Floating Rate Income Trust Company Profile A hedge fund recently raised its stake in BlackRock Floating Rate Income Trust stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in BlackRock Floating Rate Income Trust ( NYSE:BGT Free Report ) by 12.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 46,577 shares of the investment management companys stock after buying an additional 4,997 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canadas holdings in BlackRock Floating Rate Income Trust were worth $578,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. (Get Free Report) BlackRock Floating Rate Income Trust is a close ended fixed income mutual fund launched by BlackRoack Inc The fund is co-managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock Financial Management, Inc It invests in the fixed income markets across the globe while focusing on the United States. The fund invests in bonds of companies operating across diversified sectors. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for BlackRock Floating Rate Income Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BlackRock Floating Rate Income Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Enclave Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:IJR Free Report) by 20.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 64,627 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 16,183 shares during the quarter. iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF comprises 1.2% of Enclave Advisors LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Enclave Advisors LLCs holdings in iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF were worth $6,758,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,637,301,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF by 10,973.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,954,280 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $204,359,000 after buying an additional 1,936,632 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF by 11.7% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 15,646,619 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,802,803,000 after buying an additional 1,639,870 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 32,066,508 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $3,694,703,000 after buying an additional 1,052,941 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in shares of iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 17,170,579 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,978,394,000 after buying an additional 1,028,818 shares in the last quarter. Get iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF alerts: iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF Trading Down 0.0% Shares of NYSEARCA IJR opened at $106.39 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $77.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.94 and a beta of 1.08. iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF has a 1-year low of $89.22 and a 1-year high of $128.61. The stocks 50-day moving average is $101.44 and its 200 day moving average is $110.90. iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF Company Profile iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF, formerly iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Index Fund, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Standard & Poors SmallCap 600 Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of publicly traded securities in the small-capitalization sector of the United States equity market. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IJR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:IJR Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC increased its position in shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM Free Report) by 44.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,734 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after buying an additional 13,786 shares during the period. Exxon Mobil comprises approximately 1.5% of Generali Investments Management Co LLCs holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Generali Investments Management Co LLCs holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $5,320,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 27.0% in the first quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 15,501 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $1,843,000 after purchasing an additional 3,291 shares in the last quarter. MRA Advisory Group raised its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 11.7% in the first quarter. MRA Advisory Group now owns 9,081 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $1,080,000 after purchasing an additional 950 shares in the last quarter. Ullmann Wealth Partners Group LLC raised its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 4.6% in the first quarter. Ullmann Wealth Partners Group LLC now owns 8,728 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $1,038,000 after purchasing an additional 385 shares in the last quarter. Edge Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Exxon Mobil in the first quarter worth about $17,201,000. Finally, Foster Group Inc. raised its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 9.7% in the first quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 15,767 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $1,875,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the companys stock. Get Exxon Mobil alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities analysts have commented on XOM shares. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $129.00 to $124.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a sector perform rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. UBS Group dropped their price target on Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $131.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Scotiabank dropped their price target on Exxon Mobil from $140.00 to $115.00 and set a sector outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Barclays restated a hold rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $125.50. Exxon Mobil Trading Down 0.5% Shares of XOM stock opened at $101.79 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The company has a market cap of $438.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.98, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.51. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $105.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $109.29. Exxon Mobil Co. has a 1-year low of $97.80 and a 1-year high of $126.34. Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 2nd. The oil and gas company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.73 by $0.03. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 12.92% and a net margin of 9.63%. The firm had revenue of $83.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $86.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.06 EPS. The firms revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 EPS for the current fiscal year. Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.89%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Exxon Mobils dividend payout ratio is currently 52.52%. Exxon Mobil Profile (Free Report) Exxon Mobil Corporation engages in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas in the United States and internationally. It operates through Upstream, Energy Products, Chemical Products, and Specialty Products segments. The Upstream segment explores for and produces crude oil and natural gas. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Exxon Mobil Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Exxon Mobil and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE:IRM Get Free Report) CEO William L. Meaney sold 69,125 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.77, for a total transaction of $6,827,476.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. William L. Meaney also recently made the following trade(s): Get Iron Mountain alerts: On Friday, May 2nd, William L. Meaney sold 69,125 shares of Iron Mountain stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.09, for a total transaction of $6,642,221.25. On Tuesday, April 1st, William L. Meaney sold 69,125 shares of Iron Mountain stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.11, for a total transaction of $5,952,353.75. Iron Mountain Price Performance Shares of IRM stock opened at $101.21 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $29.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 165.92, a P/E/G ratio of 5.15 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $91.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $98.36. Iron Mountain Incorporated has a one year low of $72.33 and a one year high of $130.24. Iron Mountain Announces Dividend Iron Mountain ( NYSE:IRM Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.59 billion. Iron Mountain had a net margin of 2.95% and a negative return on equity of 401.83%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Iron Mountain Incorporated will post 4.54 EPS for the current fiscal year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a $0.785 dividend. This represents a $3.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Iron Mountains dividend payout ratio is currently 765.85%. Institutional Trading of Iron Mountain Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its stake in Iron Mountain by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 25,159 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,644,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. raised its stake in Iron Mountain by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 3,265 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Iron Mountain by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 7,250 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $821,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. raised its stake in Iron Mountain by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 2,582 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $271,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP raised its stake in Iron Mountain by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP now owns 21,064 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,214,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.13% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets IRM has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Iron Mountain from $125.00 to $112.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of Iron Mountain in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. They set a buy rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Iron Mountain from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, April 18th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Iron Mountain from $118.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $121.71. Read Our Latest Analysis on Iron Mountain About Iron Mountain (Get Free Report) Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM) is a global leader in information management services. Founded in 1951 and trusted by more than 240,000 customers worldwide, Iron Mountain serves to protect and elevate the power of our customers work. Through a range of offerings including digital transformation, data centers, secure records storage, information management, asset lifecycle management, secure destruction and art storage and logistics, Iron Mountain helps businesses bring light to their dark data, enabling customers to unlock value and intelligence from their stored digital and physical assets at speed and with security, while helping them meet their environmental goals. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Iron Mountain Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Iron Mountain and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Harbor Group Inc. increased its stake in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA:IVV Free Report) by 4.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,123 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 1,074 shares during the period. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF accounts for about 3.0% of Harbor Group Inc.s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Harbor Group Inc.s holdings in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF were worth $15,240,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Windsor Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Windsor Advisory Group LLC now owns 50 shares of the companys stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Investment Counsel Co. of Nevada purchased a new position in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Get iShares Core S&P 500 ETF alerts: iShares Core S&P 500 ETF Trading Down 0.5% IVV opened at $595.98 on Friday. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has a 12-month low of $484.00 and a 12-month high of $616.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $585.16 billion, a PE ratio of 25.71 and a beta of 1.01. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $561.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $582.98. About iShares Core S&P 500 ETF iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Standard & Poors 500 Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the large-capitalization sector of the United States equity market. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IVV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA:IVV Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares Core S&P 500 ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Core S&P 500 ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (NYSE:AMG Free Report) by 6.8% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,170 shares of the asset managers stock after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the quarter. Parallel Advisors LLCs holdings in Affiliated Managers Group were worth $197,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Affiliated Managers Group by 14,091.8% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 126,023 shares of the asset managers stock worth $21,176,000 after acquiring an additional 125,135 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Affiliated Managers Group by 70.8% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 181 shares of the asset managers stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank boosted its holdings in Affiliated Managers Group by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 9,269 shares of the asset managers stock worth $1,557,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. CWC Advisors LLC. boosted its holdings in Affiliated Managers Group by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. CWC Advisors LLC. now owns 10,833 shares of the asset managers stock worth $2,003,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in Affiliated Managers Group during the 4th quarter worth $8,118,000. 95.30% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Affiliated Managers Group alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Affiliated Managers Group from $211.00 to $195.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Affiliated Managers Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Saturday, May 31st. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Affiliated Managers Group from $187.00 to $168.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Cowen reiterated a hold rating on shares of Affiliated Managers Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Barrington Research lowered their target price on Affiliated Managers Group from $215.00 to $200.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $192.40. Affiliated Managers Group Trading Up 0.3% NYSE AMG opened at $180.24 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.94, a PEG ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.08. Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. has a one year low of $139.22 and a one year high of $199.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 2.13. The businesss fifty day moving average is $168.23 and its 200-day moving average is $174.92. Affiliated Managers Group (NYSE:AMG Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The asset manager reported $5.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $5.10 by $0.10. Affiliated Managers Group had a return on equity of 16.17% and a net margin of 25.06%. The company had revenue of $496.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $508.00 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $5.37 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. will post 22.86 EPS for the current year. Affiliated Managers Group Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a $0.01 dividend. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. Affiliated Managers Groups dividend payout ratio is currently 0.30%. Affiliated Managers Group Company Profile (Free Report) Affiliated Managers Group, Inc, through its affiliates, operates as an investment management company providing investment management services to mutual funds, institutional clients,retails and high net worth individuals in the United States. It provides advisory or sub-advisory services to mutual funds. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AMG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (NYSE:AMG Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Affiliated Managers Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Affiliated Managers Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:TDY Free Report) by 40.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 377 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLCs holdings in Teledyne Technologies were worth $188,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TDY. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Teledyne Technologies during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Teledyne Technologies during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Ancora Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Teledyne Technologies by 192.3% during the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 76 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Teledyne Technologies during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Teledyne Technologies during the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors own 91.58% of the companys stock. Get Teledyne Technologies alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on shares of Teledyne Technologies from $585.00 to $550.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Teledyne Technologies from $550.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Teledyne Technologies from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, TD Securities restated a buy rating and set a $550.00 price objective on shares of Teledyne Technologies in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Teledyne Technologies presently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $542.50. Teledyne Technologies Trading Up 0.3% Shares of NYSE:TDY opened at $499.36 on Friday. Teledyne Technologies Incorporated has a 52-week low of $380.63 and a 52-week high of $522.50. The company has a market capitalization of $23.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $476.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $483.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 2.33. Teledyne Technologies (NYSE:TDY Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $4.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.92 by $0.03. Teledyne Technologies had a net margin of 14.45% and a return on equity of 9.94%. The business had revenue of $1.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.44 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.55 EPS. Teledyne Technologiess revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Teledyne Technologies Incorporated will post 21.55 earnings per share for the current year. About Teledyne Technologies (Free Report) Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, provides enabling technologies for industrial growth markets in the United States and internationally. Its Digital Imaging segment provides visible spectrum sensors and digital cameras; and infrared, ultraviolet, visible, and X-ray spectra; as well as micro electromechanical systems and semiconductors, including analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Teledyne Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Teledyne Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. (CVE:RECO Get Free Report) shares fell 18.3% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as C$0.47 and last traded at C$0.47. 2,404,775 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 796% from the average session volume of 268,380 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.58. Reconnaissance Energy Africa Stock Down 18.3% The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of C$0.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$0.75. The company has a market cap of C$114.93 million, a PE ratio of -4.53 and a beta of 1.24. Reconnaissance Energy Africa Company Profile (Get Free Report) Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd., a junior oil and gas company, engages in exploration and development of oil and gas properties in Namibia and Botswana. The company holds a 90% interest in a petroleum exploration license that covers an area of approximately 25,341.33 square kilometer located in Namibia; and 100% working interest in a petroleum license, which covers an area of 8,990 square kilometer located in northwestern Botswana. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Reconnaissance Energy Africa Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Reconnaissance Energy Africa and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sandbox Financial Partners LLC reduced its stake in shares of The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA Free Report) by 7.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,492 shares of the aircraft producers stock after selling 350 shares during the quarter. Sandbox Financial Partners LLCs holdings in Boeing were worth $766,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Boeing by 24.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 64,442,717 shares of the aircraft producers stock valued at $11,406,361,000 after buying an additional 12,641,715 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Boeing by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,171,869 shares of the aircraft producers stock valued at $2,677,170,000 after buying an additional 3,452,075 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Boeing by 33.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,504,610 shares of the aircraft producers stock valued at $1,151,316,000 after buying an additional 1,634,231 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in Boeing by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,030,899 shares of the aircraft producers stock valued at $890,469,000 after buying an additional 164,042 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Boeing by 30.7% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,178,444 shares of the aircraft producers stock valued at $739,585,000 after buying an additional 981,796 shares in the last quarter. 64.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Boeing alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on BA shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and issued a $200.00 price objective on shares of Boeing in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. TD Securities lowered Boeing to a cautious rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Melius Research set a $204.00 price objective on Boeing in a report on Monday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Boeing from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Susquehanna reissued a positive rating and issued a $240.00 price objective (up from $205.00) on shares of Boeing in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $207.85. Insider Buying and Selling at Boeing In other news, EVP David Christopher Raymond sold 3,899 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.01, for a total value of $729,151.99. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 42,513 shares in the company, valued at $7,950,356.13. This trade represents a 8.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Brendan J. Nelson sold 640 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.28, for a total value of $132,019.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,258 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,734,860.24. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 7,744 shares of company stock valued at $1,511,370. Company insiders own 0.09% of the companys stock. Boeing Trading Down 1.3% Shares of BA opened at $209.19 on Friday. The Boeing Company has a 12 month low of $128.88 and a 12 month high of $215.80. The stocks 50 day moving average is $181.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $174.19. The firm has a market cap of $157.73 billion, a P/E ratio of -11.42 and a beta of 1.41. Boeing (NYSE:BA Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The aircraft producer reported ($0.49) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.39) by $0.90. The business had revenue of $19.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.57 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($1.13) earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that The Boeing Company will post -2.58 EPS for the current year. About Boeing (Free Report) The Boeing Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, sells, services, and supports commercial jetliners, military aircraft, satellites, missile defense, human space flight and launch systems, and services worldwide. The company operates through Commercial Airplanes; Defense, Space & Security; and Global Services segments. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Boeing Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Boeing and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Stablepoint Partners LLC raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Free Report) by 4.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,355 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the quarter. Stablepoint Partners LLCs holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $2,771,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of LLY. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 74,248,997 shares of the companys stock worth $57,320,226,000 after buying an additional 475,530 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,382,846 shares of the companys stock worth $13,389,651,000 after buying an additional 291,875 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 103,831.6% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 14,866,380 shares of the companys stock worth $12,278,292,000 after buying an additional 14,852,076 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 19.0% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,625,925 shares of the companys stock worth $9,747,214,000 after buying an additional 2,012,129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth $8,407,908,000. Institutional investors own 82.53% of the companys stock. Get Eli Lilly and Company alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research firms have recently issued reports on LLY. Hsbc Global Res downgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a strong-buy rating to a moderate sell rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Guggenheim restated a buy rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. HSBC cut Eli Lilly and Company from a buy rating to a reduce rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $1,150.00 to $700.00 in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set an overweight rating and a $975.00 price objective for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a neutral rating to a buy rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $892.00 to $888.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $1,011.37. Insider Transactions at Eli Lilly and Company In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total value of $818,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares in the company, valued at $4,778,521.60. This trade represents a 14.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock. Eli Lilly and Company Trading Down 0.1% Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $765.13 on Friday. Eli Lilly and Company has a one year low of $677.09 and a one year high of $972.53. The stock has a market cap of $725.14 billion, a PE ratio of 65.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.15. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $771.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $799.67. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $3.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.64 by ($1.30). Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 85.24% and a net margin of 23.51%. The firm had revenue of $12.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $12.77 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.58 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 45.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal year. Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Eli Lilly and Companys payout ratio is 48.82%. Eli Lilly and Company Company Profile (Free Report) Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; Jardiance, Mounjaro, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes; and Zepbound for obesity. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LLY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Eli Lilly and Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eli Lilly and Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Unique Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR Free Report) by 36.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,738 shares of the business services providers stock after buying an additional 730 shares during the period. Unique Wealth LLCs holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions were worth $664,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BR. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 2,620.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 136 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Gen Wealth Partners Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.03% of the companys stock. Get Broadridge Financial Solutions alerts: Insider Activity In other Broadridge Financial Solutions news, Director Maura A. Markus sold 3,556 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.08, for a total transaction of $864,392.48. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 30,892 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,509,227.36. The trade was a 10.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Douglas Richard Deschutter sold 5,056 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.55, for a total value of $1,211,164.80. Following the sale, the insider now owns 21,167 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,070,554.85. This trade represents a 19.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 114,072 shares of company stock worth $26,943,219 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.30% of the companys stock. Broadridge Financial Solutions Stock Performance NYSE BR opened at $244.69 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $236.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $234.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.29 and a beta of 0.98. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $192.68 and a fifty-two week high of $247.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.35. Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The business services provider reported $2.44 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.03. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a return on equity of 44.40% and a net margin of 11.36%. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.86 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.23 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. will post 8.53 earnings per share for the current year. Broadridge Financial Solutions Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 12th will be given a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 12th. Broadridge Financial Solutionss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.93%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several analysts have recently commented on BR shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and set a $259.00 price objective on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a report on Monday, May 19th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Broadridge Financial Solutions from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. They issued a buy rating and a $300.00 target price for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $250.83. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on BR Broadridge Financial Solutions Profile (Free Report) Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc provides investor communications and technology-driven solutions for the financial services industry. The company's Investor Communication Solutions segment processes and distributes proxy materials to investors in equity securities and mutual funds, as well as facilitates related vote processing services; and distributes regulatory reports, class action, and corporate action/reorganization event information, as well as tax reporting solutions. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Broadridge Financial Solutions Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Broadridge Financial Solutions and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, in partnership with Causeway Volunteer Centre and Limavady Volunteer Centre have celebrated Volunteers Week 2025 with a series of very special events. Recognising the efforts of local volunteers, the weeklong programme showed the Boroughs appreciation for the huge difference volunteers make on a daily basis on various fields. Across the Borough, over 150 volunteers were welcomed to thank you events in Dunloy (2nd June), Millburn Community Centre (June 3), and Glor Dhun Geimhin (June 4). Newly appointed Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens, Councillor Oliver McMullan, who spoke at the events shared his gratitude saying: I would like to congratulate this remarkable group of individuals, the heart of our communities, our volunteers; whose dedication, kindness, and willingness to give their time and energy make a profound difference in the lives of so many. He continued: Volunteering is not just about lending a helping hand; it is about building bridges, strengthening our communities and uplifting those in need. Whether you help in food banks, assist in local events, mentor young minds, or help clean our neighbourhoods, the impact of a volunteer is both tangible and invaluable. On behalf of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, I extend my sincere thanks for the hard work of every volunteer in our Council area. Your passion, and your commitment to making our community a better place is inspiring. Let us continue to support and recognise the power of volunteering and encourage others to join in and make a difference. Ciara McNickle from Causeway Volunteer Centre added: The celebrations have been wonderful, and I would like to say a huge thank you to all our volunteers who make a huge difference on a daily basis to so many people. Jennie Robinson from Limavady Volunteers Centre also said: It is a privilege to work with all our volunteers and I would like to thank them all for their commitment and dedication. A big thank you goes out to everyone who helped make the week special and to all the volunteers who continue to give back to our communities all year round. School children from two Derry schools came together this week for a powerful celebration marking the end of Yujo Taiko Drumming Together, a six-month cross-community Japanese drumming project led by Foyle Obon and supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund. Yujo means friendship in Japanese. The final event, held at The Playtrail in Derry, brought together the young people from the Fountain Primary School and Gaelscoil Eadain Mhoir for an uplifting morning of music, culture, and connection. READ NEXT: World renowned Kodo Taiko drummers to headline Foyle Obon Japanese Festival 2025 Highlights included a collaborative taiko drumming performance on the outdoor stage by the young participants, a traditional Japanese storytelling session by Masako Carey, and a Japanese cultural quiz trail through the forest, encouraging teamwork and cultural discovery. The project ran from January to June 2025 and engaged 20 primary school pupils - 10 from each school - on a shared journey of rhythm, friendship, and cultural exchange. Weekly workshops introduced the children to the powerful Japanese art form of taiko drumming, supported by storytelling, games, and sessions exploring both Japanese culture and their own identities. The children have grown so much in confidence and joy through this project, said Fiona Umetsu, founder of Foyle Obon. Theyve not only learned a new art form but built real friendships across communities. Seeing them perform together at The Playtrail, encouraging one another and having fun with new friends, was incredibly moving. The success of Yujo Taiko builds on Foyle Obons decade-long work using taiko to promote inclusion, wellbeing, and peace through the arts. Plans are underway to secure funding to continue and expand the initiative. A man with a 'limited record' has been given a suspended sentence at Derry Magistrates' Court today for assaulting police and disorderly behaviour in Altnagelvin Hospital. Ciaran McGilloway (33) of Killala Park in Derry admitted two charges that occurred on February 10 this year. The court heard that on that date police were called to Altnagelvin Hospital due to reports of a male being aggressive towards staff. Police found McGilloway and he then became abusive to police telling them to 'f--k off'. He grabbed one officer by the body worn camera and pulled them towards him. Defence counsel Michael Donaghy said his client was aware of how seriously the court took hospital offences. He said the defendant had no relevant record and was now in employment. District Judge Ted Magill said that McGilloway had been drinking all day on that date and while 'that is an explanation it is no excuse'. He sentenced McGilloway to two months in prison suspended for two years. Most of the Northern Ireland public want to see government take action to address child poverty, new research has found. The provision of affordable childcare is the most popular measure among people in the region according to the poll carried out by LucidTalk for Save The Children NI. The charity also challenged the Stormont Executive to unveil the details of their anti-poverty strategy, which was agreed last month. The poll found that most believe child poverty has got worse, with 80% blaming that on the high cost of living, 49% pointing to a lack of affordable housing and 37% cited low wages and poor job opportunities. Recent figures from the Department for Communities (DfC) suggest that around 22% of children in Northern Ireland are growing up in poverty. The research also found that the public expects leadership from Westminster and Stormont to address child poverty. Some 70% indicated they see the UK Government as very responsible, with 66% believing Stormont is very responsible for tackling it. This comes after a previous poll revealed only 5% believe politicians are taking significant and effective action. Findings indicate that the Northern Ireland public want to see practical solutions to reduce costs and improve stability for families. This includes 67% wanting affordable childcare for all, 66% calling for more social housing, 67% better pay and conditions for workers, 64% seeking extra funding for schools in poorer areas and 60% in favour of universal free school meals. Meanwhile 46% favoured increases in child related benefits and 40% wanted increases to parental leave. Head of Save the Children NI Peter Bryson said the research underlines that people want to see action on child poverty. Clearly people in Northern Ireland see child poverty as a core issue and want to see ambition and action from our political leaders when it comes to tackling it, he said. What we see in these findings is that the public dont want the Executive to repeat the mistakes of the past. We urge the Executive to immediately publish details of the Anti-Poverty Strategy so it can be scrutinised. People want an ambitious plan that sets out concrete targets, realistic objectives and tangible steps to bring about transformation for the one in four children here who live daily with the limiting realities of poverty. A man who was repeatedly violent to his partner before killing her has been jailed for a minimum of 19 years. Natasha Melendez, aged 32 and formerly from Venezuela, was attacked at her home in Lisburn, Co Antrim, on March 22 2020 and died from her injuries on April 1 of the same year. John David Scott, aged 36 with an address listed as Maghaberry Prison, was sentenced at Belfast Crown Court on Friday having earlier entered a plea of guilty to her murder. Ms Melendezs mother Maria De Los Angeles Mejias, along with several other family members, watched proceedings remotely from Florida, and in a statement described a long and gruelling wait for justice. The court heard she had been beaten beyond recognition and had died after a devastating stroke which was the result of damage to a major artery supplying blood to her brain. Prior to her death, Ms Melendez had expressed a fear that Scott, the father of one of her four children, would kill her. The sentencing hearing was observed via video link by her mother Maria Mejias in Florida as well as other relatives. Mr Justice OHara said the murder of Ms Melendez was the end result of Scotts repeated violence against her. Scott also pleaded guilty to the charges of grievous bodily harm with intent, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault against Ms Melendez. These charges span a period between December 1 2019 and March 2020. The court was told they included an exceptionally violent incident in which Scott threw a vacuum at the victim, and also jumped hard and repeatedly on her prone body while holding on to a headboard, resulting in broken ribs and facial swelling. In a separate incident, Scott was said to have attacked Ms Melendez while she was in a car before she got out and escaped to an off-licence. The court heard staff at the premises reported that she asked them not to contact police as she was afraid he would kill her. The judge said: Guess what, she turned out to be right. The prosecution said it was a domestic violence case, involving gratuitous violence with extensive and multiple injuries on a vulnerable victim before her death. It said the murder was the accumulation of cruel and violent behaviour over a period of time. The judge said the only mitigating factors he could recognise were some signs of remorse as well as the horrible childhood Scott had endured which led to addiction and mental health problems. However he said personal circumstances carry less weight in murder cases. The judge said he did not regard the case as anywhere near the borderline between murder and manslaughter. Mr Justice OHara said Ms Melendez was a particularly vulnerable young woman, adding that Scott had acknowledged a disparity in their sizes. In addition to that, she was a drug addict who he beat up again and again and again until he killed her. The judge said that while Scott had said he had suffered injuries, there was no evidence that he had been injured by her hands to any degree of note. He said the evidence showed that when he attacked her, he inflicted extensive and multiple injuries on her before the final assault. The judge accepted the murder was not premeditated but added that it was a foreseeable end result of how he had treated her. He said: What on earth did he think might happen to her if he beat her up again and again and again and again? She begged the staff in the off-licence not to call the police because she was afraid he would kill her, and that is exactly what he did. The judge said he had received exceptionally moving victim impact statements from Ms Melendezs mother, two of her aunts, and one of her children. He said her mother found it impossible to put into words the suffering the cruel murder has caused and that her grandchildren had struggled to find peace. Ms Melendezs teenage son said he was made fun of and bullied when his mothers murder was reported. He said: I will never know if my mum would have been able to get better and I could have spent more time with her. I had to start secondary school without my mum knowing, and I think of all the big things in my life she will miss out on. I just feel like my life will never be the same without her and every birthday I see as a constant reminder of her. Reading a pre-sentence report from the probation service, the judge said Scott had expressed that Ms Menendez did not deserve what happened to her and said: I genuinely loved her to bits. I want forgiveness I need to do right by her. Thats why I pleaded guilty. I took her from her family and kids. In arriving at the length of the sentence, the judge was asked to take note of delays in proceedings due to the unusual impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Scott was initially arrested on March 26 2020 but was not interviewed until January 2022. In the middle of that 22-month period, he was also in custody in relation to assault of police officers. In effect, the court heard that he was in custody for the matters relating to Ms Melendez alone for approximately 12.5 months but the exact time would be worked out at a later stage. Announcing his decision, the judge put a provision that that period would be taken off the sentence as there would be no administrative way for the prison service to declare that as a period of remand. It was not open to the judge to implement consecutive sentences for the other offences to which Scott pleaded guilty, but he was able to use them as an aggravating factor in arriving at the final tariff. Scott was given a life sentence with a minimum tariff of 19 years before his release can be considered. The judge said this would be reduced at a later date to account for the time he spent in custody in relation to the matters during the pandemic, when a final determination on the exact number of days had been made. In her statement outside court read by Detective Chief Inspector Kerrie Foreman, Maria De Los Angeles Mejias described her daughter Natasha as a vibrant woman, full of life, cheerful, and talkative. The word that best defines her is fearless, she said. She was also a mother of four children, the oldest being 10 years old and the youngest just five months old when she was taken from us. Her children will never know who she truly was. The suffering he has caused my family, including my son Andres, who was deeply affected by his sisters loss, is impossible to put into words. My parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and Natashas children all feel the unbearable void she left behind. She added: The past five years have been a long and gruelling wait for justice five years filled with fear, anguish, and uncertainty as to whether the system would fail us, whether he would be released, whether his clear attempts to evade accountability and delay the justice process would succeed. You took a life, a life that meant the world to me, to her children, to her family, and to her friends. Ms Foreman described a tragic case of domestic homicide. Sadly, we know that domestic abuse can take many forms, including emotional and physical abuse, and we know that it can affect anyone, she said. In this case, an appalling and ultimate act of violence has taken a young womans life. I am keen to encourage any victim of abuse, whatever your circumstances, to please come forward. We will listen to you and treat you with the utmost sensitivity. Please contact us on 101, report online at www.psni.police.uk/report, or in an emergency call 999. Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald attended a joint meeting with Derry Chamber and Causeway Chamber. During the meeting the Minister thanked both Chambers for their participation in the newly established Local Economic Partnerships, and for their collaborative work in driving economic development in the North West. The Minister updated the group on the recent Good Jobs Bill and discussed key issues affecting the region, including tourism, decarbonisation, skills and higher education. The meeting highlighted the importance of working in partnership across Government and industry to achieve a regionally balanced economy. Pictured, from left, are James Kilgore, President, Karen Yates, Chief Executive, Causeway Chamber of Commerce, Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald, Anna Doherty, Chief Executive, and Steven Lindsay, Vice-President, Londonderry Chamber of Commerce. We want your photos to feature on the website via our Camera Club. Do you have a great photo from life in the locality? Whether its a party, wedding, communion, landscape, a quirky shot from your archives, or a simple everyday moment, we want your snapshots. We are inviting people to share photos that capture the spirit of the county. From special occasions to quieter moments, your pictures help tell the story of everyday life in our community. To submit: Go to the Camera Club page and follow the instructions to upload your photo. Include your name, where it was taken, and a short caption if you can. Your photo could be featured on our website and newspaper and seen by readers across the county and beyond. TAP HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR PICTURES TODAY Ensuring precision: Kuehne+Nagel's certified quality logistics for the semiconductor industry In a world where semiconductors are the foundation of modern technology, powering everything from smartphones to satellites, their importance is widely acknowledged. While much attention is paid to chip design and fabrication, few recognize the critical role logistics providers play behind the scenes in keeping these complex global supply chains running smoothly. At the heart of this high-stakes ecosystem is Kuehne+Nagel, one of the world's leading logistics providers, whose strategy is deeply rooted in quality, specialization, and digital innovation. In an industry where nanometers are vital and billions of dollars depend on timing and precision, Kuehne+Nagel ensures that the smallest components arrive on timeevery time. "We don't make the goods. We create the solutions to move them safely," said Barry O'Dowd, Kuehne+Nagel's Head of Global Business Development Semicon, in a recent interview. With over 35 years of experience in the high-tech sectormore than 20 of them at Kuehne+Nagel O'Dowd has witnessed the semiconductor industry evolve into one of the most demanding sectors for logistics providers. That level of expertise is built on a legacy that dates back to 1890, when August Kuehne and Friedrich Nagel founded a freight forwarding company in Bremen, Germany. Over the past 130 years, Kuehne+Nagel has transformed from a traditional shipping operation into a global logistics leader, now headquartered in Switzerland and serving key industries around the world with highly specialized solutions. "At the core of our business," O'Dowd added, "is a simple focus: understanding and meeting the needs of our customers." High-quality logistics tailored for semiconductors Kuehne+Nagel's strategic expansion into the semiconductor sector is no coincidence, it's a calculated move shaped by decades of experience. "Even before Taiwan became a semiconductor powerhouse, we were already supporting the broader electronics technology industry," said O'Dowd. While the company has long served customers such as materials and capital equipment suppliers, O'Dowd noted that only in recent years has the company made the semiconductor industry a dedicated growth focus, as part of its global "Roadmap 2026" strategy. "We identified semiconductors as a market with strong growth potential and highly complex requirements where certified quality is essential," he explained. To meet these demands, Kuehne+Nagel established a network of over 35 certified logistics stations worldwide, capable of handling everything from oversized fab equipment to delicate wafer shipments. "Any disruption in this supply chain can have massive consequences for our customers," O'Dowd emphasized, "so precision, security, and specialized handling are non-negotiable." To meet the growing global demand for semiconductor-powered devices, Kuehne+Nagel launched "SemiconChain"a quality-first logistics standard tailored to the semiconductor industry's complex requirements. Integrated with the company's specialized Air Logistics service, the SemiconChain network is supported by a global network of 38 certified stations, ensuring that shipments are transported under optimal conditions, with full air cargo tracking throughout the journey. Advanced digital tools are used to provide real-time updates and monitor the integrity of each shipment, helping to minimize the risk of damage or costly delays. Beyond infrastructure, SemiconChain emphasizes deep industry understanding- staff are trained industry experts who take part in a comprehensive and continuous training programme designed to give a deep understanding of the semiconductor supply chain and all its complexities. Whether moving delicate wafers or oversized capital equipment, Kuehne Nagel's SemiconChain network offers a consistent, certified, and expert-driven approach that delivers trust, visibility, and precision at every stage. An example of this commitment is Kuehne+Nagel's investment in its own Boeing 747 freightersthe Inspire aircraftwhich operate flights to Taiwan twice a week as part of a global loop. "These aircraft were purposefully selected and dedicated to the semiconductor supply chain, capable of front-loading oversized, delicate tools essential for fab deployment and operation" explained O'Dowd. Enhancing services with digital innovation What distinguishes Kuehne+Nagel is not merely its hardware but the commitment to quality culture and technological integration. O'Dowd stated, "A supply chain's strength is determined by its weakest link. Our goal is to strengthen that link by implementing quality through comprehensive training, digital checklists, and advanced tools." For instance, Kuehne+Nagel's staff use multilingual mobile-based checklists to ensure handling consistency at each transfer pointcritical when transporting wafers or capital equipment. These tools log visual inspections and feed real-time data back to customers via Kuehne +Nagel's tracking systems, offering visibility and assurance. Digitalization extends beyond checklists. Kuehne+Nagel also employs AI-based predictive models to estimate sea freight transit times, especially relevant post-COVID, when carrier reliability dropped. The company also developed smart labels in a project that collaborated with Alphabet's X (formerly Google X) to give cargo a digital "voice"real-time reporting on location, condition, and expected delivery time. These examples highlight how advanced digital tools and integrated technologies are redefining semiconductor logistics by ensuring efficiency, security, and reliability throughout every mile. Kuehne+Nagel presented several real-world case studies that demonstrate this transformation effectively. One notable instance involved a 7,827-mile transport from Austin to Taipei, where photomask etching systems were delivered flawlessly using custom ULDs and temperature-controlled trucks. Another case saw 18 massive Purion ion implant units shipped from Boston to Dublin, requiring vibration protection and tightly coordinated handoffs to prevent production delays. Meanwhile, a shipment from Zurich to San Francisco presented a dual challenge of climate control and time sensitivity. With the use of Envirotainer units, real-time monitoring through the myKN platform, and direct flight arrangements, the delicate tools arrived on schedule and in perfect condition. Driving sustainability, navigating uncertainty Sustainability is another pillar of Kuehne+Nagel's operations. The company has pledged to reduce its carbon footprint across all scopes by 2040 and recently signed a global sustainability MoU with 14 airlines. By developing optimized solutions, including sea-air combinations and pushing for fuel efficiency, the company helps customers balance environmental goals with delivery performance. Despite global uncertainties, such as shifting supply chains and regulatory challenges, O'Dowd remains confident. "We have been operational for 135 years, enduring wars, pandemics, and economic downturns. Our strength is derived from our scale, expertise, and the relationships we have established with suppliers and customers." In Taiwan, which hosts the world's most advanced semiconductor fabrication facilities, Kuehne+Nagel's logistics operations are extensive. They facilitate the inflow of materials and equipment, as well as the outflow of products, and they plan to expand as clients diversify manufacturing into other regions. "We follow our customers' leads. If that necessitates certifying ten additional stations for the SemiconChain network, we are prepared to do so," O'Dowd stated. As semiconductors become more central to everything from AI to electric vehicles, the silent force behind their delivery becomes ever more vital. Kuehne+Nagel may not be manufacturing chips, but its role in keeping the supply chain unbroken makes it an indispensable partner to the industry's biggest players. "We're not just moving goods," O'Dowd concluded. "We're helping the world's most advanced technologies reach the world." Article edited by Sherri Wang Save my User ID and Password Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site. Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site. GlobalFoundries plans major expansion of Dresden chip fab with EUR1.1 billion investment US-based chipmaker GlobalFoundries is preparing a major expansion of its wafer fabrication facility in Dresden, Germany, which is currently the largest such plant in Europe. Citing a report from Handelsblatt, German media outlets Heise.de and n-tv say GlobalFoundries aims to invest EUR1.1 billion (approx. US$1.26 billion) over the next several years to nearly double the fab's production capacity. The Dresden site currently features 60,000 square meters of cleanroom space and employs around 3,200 people. Annual production stands between 800,000 and 850,000 wafers, but GlobalFoundries is targeting an increase to 1.5 million wafers per year. This jump in output will require expanding the facility, and the company has reportedly already begun procuring essential equipment for the upgrade. The expansion is expected to be supported by significant government funding under the European semiconductor initiative. Although the final subsidy amount has not been disclosed, the German federal government is anticipated to contribute several hundred million euros. Reports indicate that early approval for the project has already been granted, signaling strong political backing for the move. While GlobalFoundries has confirmed its expansion plans, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs has yet to comment on the development. Dresden has become a strategic center for semiconductor manufacturing in Europe. Alongside GlobalFoundries, Infineon Technologies is also expanding its operations in the region with multi-billion-euro projects. In addition, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is partnering with Bosch, Infineon, and NXP through the European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC) joint venture to construct a new wafer fab in the city. GlobalFoundries' expansion reflects growing efforts to strengthen Europe's semiconductor supply chain and reduce dependency on imports amid rising global demand for chips. Article edited by Jack Wu The investigations into the murders of Tina Satchwell and Michael Gaine, whose bodies were not found during the initial searches of their disappearance, will be reviewed. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said that in hindsight it may have been very obvious where Mrs Satchwells remains were secretly buried. Mr Harris said a report would be compiled and given to the Minister for Justice Jim OCallaghan on Mrs Satchwells disappearance, while the case of Mr Gaine is undergoing a peer review. Earlier this week, Richard Satchwell was given a life sentence for the murder of his wife Tina at their home in Co Cork. The British truck driver, 58, had denied murdering his wife between March 19 and March 20 2017. The jury at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin reached the unanimous verdict last Friday after nine hours and 28 minutes of deliberations. Mrs Satchwells skeletal remain were found in a clandestine grave under the stairs of the couples home in Co Cork in October 2023, more than six years after her husband reported her missing. The house was subject to a search in 2017, however nothing was discovered. In a separate case, the remains of Mr Gaine, a farmer from Co Kerry, were discovered in a slurry tank on his farmland in May, two months after he was reported missing by his wife. The farmyard had been previously searched as part of the probe. Speaking about the investigation into the disappearance of Mrs Satchwell, Mr Harris said the 2017 search did harvest a huge information, which was useful in the re-examination of the case. Speaking at the Garda College in Templemore, Co Tipperary, Mr Harris said: All of those were crucial. So I would say the initial investigation was hamstrung because of the lack of information in comparison to the later re-examination of this matter. Theres far more information to hand which gave us real grounds then for actual suspicion and then inquiries that we could lead. When you look at hindsight, some of these things can seem very obvious, but in the moment, what was known, what was being said in terms of sighting, what was being said in terms of the victim by her husband, and one has to recognise the victimology that was being applied here. His suppression of her, the coercive control that obviously she was subject to for many years, her isolation in that particular community, that meant that there was very few other people that we could speak to her what Tina Satchwells life was like. It was a complex investigation. Yes, the house was searched in 2017, forensic scientists also accompanied that search, it was subject to thorough examination and looked for blood splatter, none was found. He said the initial investigation will be subject to a review. We have the expertise within the organisation, and obviously, then we report to the minister and to the Policing and Community Safety Authority, as is our responsibility. But I do think there are definitely lessons that we wish to learn from all of these homicides, where its missing persons and then converts some time later to a homicide investigation. He added: What I can say is, weve already reviewed all our missing person reports nationally. That was done last year. We found no other suspected homicide cases. Then following the Michael Gaine investigation, were subjecting that to peer review, as I do think theres learning for us around those who would commit crime and then attempt to dispose of the body, and often are successful in disposing of the body. A special one-day pop-up exhibition will take place at Creative Spark Downtown Hub this Sunday, June 15th from 12 pm to 4.30 pm. The exhibition features landscape works created by 17 students and recent alumni from California State University Long Beach (CSULB), showcasing scenes from across Ireland, including Dublin, Howth, Kilkenny, Waterford, Belfast, Ravensdale Forest, and Carlingford. The group, made up of students from various disciplines such as drawing and painting, illustration, animation, preproduction, art education, studio art, and recent graduates, have been exploring and painting the Irish landscape during their immersive two-week visit. This marks the second time CSULB students have exhibited at Dundalk. The first took place exactly one year ago, on 15 June 2024, at Bo Studios. READ NEXT: Legend of the American punk scene coming to Dundalk's Roe River Books This continued connection stems from a successful international residency at Creative Spark. Former Creative Spark resident Yulia Gasio, a native to the Ukraine but residing in the United States, was so inspired by her experience that she initiated this international outreach, returning once again with a vibrant art community from CSULB. The exhibition reflects the growing relationship between Creative Spark and global art communities, with the residency programme serving as a catalyst for cross-cultural collaboration and creative exchange. Everyone is welocme to visit the one-day pop-up exhibition on Sunday 15 June from 12 pm to 4.30 pm in Creative Spark Downtown Hub which is right in the heart of the town on Clanbrassile Street. A two-day national event, focused on nature-based solutions was recently held at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT). Over 175 delegates attended the two-day event titled Nature-based Solutions Conference To Protect and Restore Urban, Rural, Coastal and Riverine Environments. Delegates were welcomed by President of DkIT, Dr. Diarmuid OCallaghan and the conference was formally opened by Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher OSullivan T.D. and hosted by the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO). Speaking ahead of the conference, Minister OSullivan said: Nature-based Solutions have a large role to play in protecting water quality by helping to create climate resilience and improving biodiversity. We need more solutions to environmental issues that work with nature rather than trying to control it. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimate that one third of climate mitigation needed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, can be provided by Nature-based Solutions. This conference will bring together experts who can share their experience and ideas for how to integrate and mainstream Nature-based Solutions into water management practice. One of the partners involved in the conference was The Centre for Freshwater & Environmental Studies (CFES) at DkIT. CFES is renowned for its interdisciplinary research into water quality, and aquatic ecosystems. Dr. Suzanne Linnane, Director of the Centre for Freshwater and Environmental Studies (CFES) at Dundalk Institute of Technology, added: As a research centre committed to the sustainable management of our freshwater and environmental resources, CFES is proud to support this national conference. Nature-based Solutions are a vital part of the toolkit needed to address the urgent challenges of climate change, water quality and biodiversity loss. Through research, collaboration and education, we aim to ensure that practical, science-based solutions are accessible to communities, practitioners and policymakers alike. A spokesperson for DkIT said: "The event was of particular interest to those wanting to understand and incorporate Nature-based Solutions (NbS) into urban, rural, and coastal environments. Nature-based Solutions use natural systems such as soil, plants and landscape features to manage climate risks and environmental challenges. These methods reduce flooding and drought impacts, improve water quality and support biodiversity. "Nature-based Solutions can provide: Control and management of surface water run-off (climate mitigation), Improved water quality via natural filtration, Enhanced biodiversity and amenity in urban and public spaces. "This event was the second national Nature-based Solutions conference and focused on technologies and strategies suitable for Ireland. Day one featured a number of expert presentations and panels, focused on the use and impact of nature-based solutions in a variety of settings; Urban, Rural, Riverine, Coastal and the Private Sector. Drawing on expertise from Ireland and abroad, talks focused on topics such as, Nature-based Solutions, the ugly, the bad and the good, Increasing the Biodiversity Ambition within Nature-based Solutions and Advancing Nature-based Solutions for People and the Planet. Read Next: Famous Louth pub to make way for housing and retail development "The second day focused on Nature-based Solutions in action and offered a series of practical masterclass workshops to attendees covering urban Nature-based Solutions, river restoration and coastal restoration." Commenting on the importance of Nature-based Solutions, Dr. Fran Igoe, Regional Coordinator with LAWPRO, said: Although the application of Nature-based Solutions is something new to many people in Ireland, our ancestors have been using these techniques for centuries. This conference allowed participants to explore how we can expand and mainstream such approaches to meet todays environmental challenges. For more on the work of LAWPRO, visit: www.lawaters.ie To learn more about DkIT and the Centre for Freshwater and Environmental Studies, visit: www.dkit.ie Efforts must be made at the Department of Defence to ensure that the father of Dundalk soldier Michael McNeela can receive the army pension given to his late wife in recognition of their sons death, Louth TD Ruairi O Murchu has said. Michael McNeela was just 21 when he was killed in Lebanon in 1989 while on his second tour of duty for the UN. His father, John McNeela who is 84, told the Sunday Times and RTEs This Week show at the weekend that the refusal by the Defence Department to allow him to continue to collect the small monthly allowance given to his late wife, Kathleen, under the Army Pensions Act, has left him poor. The case was raised with Tanaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris by the Dundalk Sinn Fein TD after he was contacted by Mr McNeela, but Minister Harris said the legislation does not provide for the transfer of the pension, worth just 342 per month, to Mr McNeela. Deputy O Murchu said the legislation which governs pensions given to the families of Defence Forces members who are killed on duty, is 80 years old and needs to be changed and updated. He said the McNeela case was extremely rare and pleaded with the government to allow Mr McNeela to get the pension. Deputy O Murchu said he had started the process of drafting legislation to amend the anomaly but wants the government to make an interim payment for the Dundalk father, as has happened in the past with other uniformed services. Mr McNeela said: Not having access to this allowance is leaving me poor. It is only a pittance to the army or the government, what I would be getting. And after all, he was my son too. He said the allowance from the Defence Forces let him run a car and without it, he would struggle to live independently as he sometimes has difficulty walking and added that he felt let down by the State. Read Next: Dundalk IT goes purple to raise awareness of domestic violence In response to the McNeela case, the Department of Defence said it treats any case involving a deceased soldier with the utmost of sensitivity. In this specific case, under the current law, the Army Pensions Act, there is no provision to transfer a dependants allowance to another person, at any stage. The secretary-general of the Department of Defence will this week raise this case with her colleagues in the Department of Social Protection to see what other supports may be available to Mr McNeela. Like all families of deceased soldiers, we will do all we can to support them. Sinn Fein has called for local authorities to be given powers that would see council homes made available to move into within 12 weeks of becoming vacant. New figures show that at least one in every four boarded up council home has been empty for longer than 12 months. The figures released to Sinn Feins Thomas Gould show that 38% of those vacant longer than 12 months have been empty for more than two years. Over 750 council homes across the state have been boarded up for over a year. This is shameful. We must fight back together against FF & FG, demand investment in our communities, and ensure everyone has a safe, secure & affordable place to call home. pic.twitter.com/oDVgxpECiJ Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) June 6, 2025 There are currently more than 750 council homes across Ireland which have been boarded up for more than a year. Mr Gould, the partys spokesman on Urban Regeneration and Renewal, Planning, Public Realm and Local Government, said there are thousands of homes that have been boarded up for three to four years, with some homes lying empty for eight years. Limerick, Wicklow, Tipperary and Louth have council homes boarded up for the longest time periods, while Donegal, Cork City and Limerick have the highest levels of vacant stock. Mr Gould said the average re-letting times vary across the state. Why are local authorities boarding up houses? When a family moves out, (and) if that house is (in) a decent condition, lets put a family straight in. Lets not board it up. Lets put people in there. Instead, its being boarded up, waiting for the Department of Housing to give money in 12 months time, and then taking another six months for procurement to do it up. We want to get every house returned within 12 weeks. We think 12 gives time for local authorities to repair the house and get them out again. Local authorities are only getting 11,000 euros for each unit to be turned around, when the average cost last year was 28,000. He added: This is a scandal when were in the middle of the worst housing crisis in the history of the state, and what we are trying to do is bring forward solutions. This in itself wont solve the housing crisis, but what it would do, is could release thousands of homes that would help to house people who are homeless, but also take people out of the rental market. So this will have a domino positive effect from homeless services to social housing to rent. (We) want local authorities, rather than waiting for the department to give sanctions, that local authorities would be able to work returning homes all year long, and not just waiting for once or twice a year for the government to give sanctions. He called for Fianna Fail and Fine Gael to bring in a proper procedure to address long-term vacant homes. Mr Gould said boarded-up houses have devastating effects on communities. Families are coming out every day and looking at them, theyre magnets for anti social-behaviour, the magnets for dumping, he added. They just drag down the whole environment of really good communities, and its about time now the Government stepped up. We are bringing forward a solution. We hope the Government will take it on board, because we think it makes sense. In a statement, a spokesman for the Department of Housing said: Minister (James) Browne is very clear that he does not want to see properties that should be homes left unoccupied, and the Department of Housing is working closely with county and city councils across the country to reactivate vacant properties. The Government has provided record funding to local authorities to deal with legacy vacancy. Since 2014, local authorities have received 360m euro to turn around vacant units, which has funded over 25,600 such properties. Last year 2,357 vacant social homes were brought back into active use under the Voids Programme which supports local authorities in preparing local homes for re-letting and builds on ongoing work to tackle vacancy and dereliction. SE Systems, a leading national provider of energy solutions, has announced that 500,000 is available for Irish communities as part of its Community Fund. The 500,000 in funding is for sustainable energy upgrades, specifically to help future-proof community buildings across Ireland. The closing date for applications is Friday, July 18. Launched in 2022, a total budget of over 2.6m has been awarded by SE Systems to local community projects to date. The SE Systems Community Fund is an independent fund that helps non-profits, charities and voluntary organisations benefit from projects that improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions, from solar panel systems and heat pump installation to insulation upgrades. Applications for the Community Fund must be submitted online via the application portal at www.sesystems.ie/community-fund-summer-call-application-form. For more information on eligibility, visit SE Systems website at www.sesystems.ie/communityfund. John OLeary, co-founder and CEO of SE Systems said: One of the values that drives us as a business is to build greener, more resilient places to live and work. Our Community Fund is an enabler of this value, allowing us to build long term, viable solutions for vital local amenities and organisations that are fundamental to the social fabric of our towns and villages across Ireland. The SE Systems Community Fund is made possible through a unique funding mechanism developed in partnership with our commercial clients as part of their participation in our SEAI Community Energy Grant scheme applications. This collaborative approach allows us to redirect private sector investment into community-based energy projects, supporting grassroots organisations across Ireland in achieving their sustainable energy ambitions. Youenn Lowry, co-founder and managing director of SE Systems added: Applications are now open across the country, and we encourage community organisations who want to build a greener future to consider how financial support from SE Systems can help them secure a brighter and sustainable future for their local area. Among the projects that have received funding in the last three years include Cork Cancer Support, Irish Guide Dogs, Sixmilebridge GAA Club, Barretstown Kids Camp and Dalkey Sustainable Energy Community. Tim OMahony, CEO of Irish Guide Dogs and a recent recipient of funding, said: We were delighted to be a recipient of the SE System Community Fund. The funding provided has not just given us energy and environmental benefits, but has enhanced our facilities for staff, clients, and animals housed on-site. The cost savings we have made through working with SE Systems premises allows us to allocate funding to our core objectives training more dogs and helping more people who are vision impaired and the families of children with autism. Headquartered in Cork, with regional offices in Dublin, SE Systems serves clients across the country, delivering complete solutions aimed at retrofitting and refurbishing Irelands homes and building stock to higher standards of energy efficiency. SE Systems has completed more than 500m worth of energy projects, retrofitting over 13,000 homes and over 2,000 commercial and community Buildings. More than 650 million kWh of Energy has been saved, and 145,000 Tonnes of CO2 have been saved through SE Systems projects. Cork poet Lauren ODonovan, who was the winner of the recent Fool for Poetry International Chapbook competition run by the Munster Literature Centre, says her subject matter in the small poetry book includes womens struggles. Lauren, 39, explores motherhood, fertility and nature in the chapbook, entitled Superposition. The poems are written in sequence over 12 months - a kind of year in the life of the writer. Lauren tracks her journey through secondary infertility, IVF, and motherhood. The prize comprises publication in Southword (a Munster Literature Centre journal), 1,000, and includes participation in the Cork International Poetry Festival. Lauren, mother of eight-year-old Rosie, is pregnant with a child conceived through IVF. She feels there isnt enough discussion about fertility problems although its becoming more of a common story. She cites fellow poet, Victoria Kennefick, as a writer who tackles the issue and is very open about the challenges she had with secondary infertility. As well as Superposition, Laurens other chapbook, Taxidermy Heart, was published in April by Cork City Library with funding from Creative Ireland. Launched at the Cork World Book Festival 2025, it was originally the winner of the 2023 Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award. But that award doesnt include book publication so Lauren was delighted when the library service decided to publish it. They did an absolutely beautiful print of it through Badly Made Books, she said. The two chapbooks were published just a month apart. Lauren explains that when a chapbook or pamphlet is published, comprising 15 to 25 poems, the poems are often reproduced, with other poems, in a first collection. I would like to expand Superposition into a two or three year series and make it my first collection. Thats a process Im working on at the moment. A grateful recipient of development funding from Cork County Council and the Arts Council, Lauren is also currently working on a science fiction novel. She says: Its very dear to my heart. Im pretty much finished the first draft. It will take another year or two to edit it. Does she prefer writing poetry to prose? It was my childhood dream to write science fiction and fantasy novels. But I really love poetry. Prose and poetry are very different. With a small child and another one on the way, I think poetry is that little bit more accessible whereas the novel is a big commitment, a big discipline. Lauren, who lives in Carrigaline, started writing poetry when she was a teenager. She gained a BA in English and philosophy at UCC and then took quite a swerve. I took some good or bad life advice and went into computer science. I did a Masters in it and myself and my husband went to Canada for ten years where we worked in computer science. I always had an interest in computers. My father got a computer when I was very young so they were in my life. Working in computers was a strategic job choice. When I finished my degree in English and philosophy, I worked at a minimum paid job for a year. I struggled to find work. Lauren and her husband emigrated in 2009 and returned to Ireland in 2019 with their daughter. I went back to UCC and did the Masters in creative writing. I absolutely loved it. It was a hard year because of covid but we were lucky in that, for the first semester, we were allowed on campus. I got to meet the class and the teachers in person. They were a fantastic group. While working in Canada, Lauren wrote on the side. She was part of the NaNoWriMo (the National Novel Writing Month). The idea behind this community organisation was to write a novel in the month of November. I achieved it once in five years, said Lauren. You have to write 1,667 words every day in November which brings you to 50,000 words. You cant edit it; youre writing all those bad words until the end of the first draft. The focus was on breaking through writers block. It was a great community at the time and it kept me writing while I was in Canada. Asked if she awaits the muse to ignite a poem or whether she writes every day, Lauren says: Its a bit of both. I try to write every day even if its just in the notes app on my phone. Im constantly on the notes app, making snapshots of the day or little observations. Id say 99% of them are absolutely rubbish. Writing about fertility and motherhood, Lauren says every woman she meets has some kind of story related to these topics. She also reflects on the complexity of childrearing, adding: Im a millennial. We were parented in a particular way. Our parents might have been very authoritarian in the 80s and 90s. But now theres gentle parenting and the internet telling us what to do all the time. Its a struggle. It has always been a struggle to parent. Since the dawn of time, there has been pressure, but so much joy as well. Its what we see in nature; life and death, the cycle of things. Lauren, who co-founded HOWL New Irish Writing with Roisin Leggett-Bowen and also works on online poetry events with Lime Square Poets, says Cork is a very welcoming and supportive place for writers. She praises key organisations and people involved in the literary scene, including the Cork World Book Fest, the Munster Literature Centre, O Bheal, Patricia Looney from Cork City Library and the Masters in creative writing at UCC. Lauren also says that John Breen, manager of of Waterstones in Cork city, does great launches, adding: Waterstones are a big bookshop but they really support local writers. Youth groups across Cork have been encouraged by one of Irelands stars at the Paris Olympics to apply for support from the VHI Health and Wellbeing Fund ahead of its looming closing date. Jack Woolley, who represented Ireland at Taekwondo in Paris, joined the health insurer to urge youth groups across the county to apply for the fund, which supports projects with a focus on strengthening resilience in young people and helping them manage anxiety. The projects supported have an emphasis on early intervention and prevention work. Anxiety Ahead of the launch of this years fund, the Irish Youth Foundation carried out a survey among youth group leaders, which found that funding is the biggest challenge facing youth groups in Ireland. The same survey found 75% of youth group leaders report noticing anxiety among their services users very often. According to group leaders who responded, mental health struggles, followed by social media, are the top two issues affecting young peoples resilience today. To tackle them, youth leaders revealed that creative activities, peer support groups, mentoring, and physical activities are most effective in helping youths manage anxiety and build resilience. Encouraged At a launch event in Dublin with 2024 grant recipient Just Ask, VHI Health and Wellbeing Fund ambassador Jack Woolley described the huge role played by community and local groups in supporting his Olympic dream. They have encouraged me through all the highs and lows of my career so far, he said Ive seen first hand how important it is to maintain a healthy mind and body to reach your full potential. VHI is providing vital funding to youth groups around Ireland who help young people to manage symptoms of anxiety and build resilience, and Id encourage all youth groups to check it out and apply. VHI chief executive Brian Walsh said the company had chosen to partner with the Irish Youth Federation and wanted to support young people in managing their health and wellbeing. By investing in community-based projects that tackle anxiety and build resilience, we are fostering a healthier and more sustainable future, he said. An application that sought to establish a mussel farm in a busy Cork harbour has been given the green light nearly seven years after its initial submission. The application, submitted in December, 2018, by Woodstown Bay Shellfish Ltd, which has an address at Dunmore East in Co Waterford, sought an aquaculture and foreshore licence to establish a mussel farm in Kinsale Harbour, spanning approximately 25 hectares. The licence will see the commercial cultivation of mussels in the harbour, using bottom culture on the sub-tidal foreshore, at a site between the Dock Beach, James Fort, and Charles Fort. The application, which was given the go-ahead late last week, has been a matter of concern for locals for several years, with 609 prior submissions made to the Department of Food, Agriculture and the Marine between 2019 and 2021. A representative for the Department of Food, Agriculture and the Marine said that the decision to grant the aquaculture and foreshore licence came after a lengthy consideration process. The licensing process involves consultation with a wide range of scientific and technical advisers as well as various statutory consultees, the spokesperson said. Decisions in respect of aquaculture licence applications are only taken following the fullest consideration of all consultations and public interest elements of each application, including environmental considerations. A public meeting relating to the mussel farm will be held by locals at the Temperance Hall in Kinsale on Sunday from 4pm, with anyone interested in appealing this decision urged to attend. However, Cork County Councillor for the Bandon-Kinsale local electoral area Gillian Coughlan said she believes granting the licence was a poor decision. I cant see why we would want mussel farming in the Kinsale Bay area, said Ms Coughlan. The Bandon River estuary there is already well utilised in recreation and as a tourist amenity and while I am in favour of multi-usage of our marine heritage, I think we can overdo it as well. In this instance, I think the beauty of Kinsale Harbour should be protected. I am opposed to this. I feel that it is unnecessary in that location its the wrong location for a licence of this sort, she added. I expect that this will have an impact on local amenities and at low tide it may be very unsightly. This was a poor decision. The infrastructure in Kinsale is under pressure enough; we dont need this sort of extra activity in the centre of town. Fianna Fail Cork South West TD Christopher OSullivan said he is disappointed for the people of Kinsale. I 100% understand the concerns of the public some residents down in Kinsale flagged their concerns with me a couple of months ago and I did bring those to the department, said Mr OSullivan. However, this was an independent decision-making process and for a minister of State to have some type of intervention would be completely inappropriate. That being said, Kinsale is a premier tourism spot, and to have any type of activity like this I understand the concerns of how this might have an impact. View from the Dock Beach in Kinsale, overlooking the area in Kinsale Harbour where the proposed Mussel Farm will be located. I am certainly disappointed for the people of Kinsale. There is an appeals process and I would urge anyone who has concerns to avail of that. Kinsale resident Donal Hayes told The Echo that the planned farm will have a huge amount of impact on surrounding amenities. The farm is just off Charles Fort and is about 61 acres, which is approximately the size of 20 GAA pitches, said Mr Hayes. Its not a rope farm like wed normally see; its a bottom-dredging farm, which is much worse. Its horrific, he said. We were all sure it was going to be beaten, but weeks turned into months and nothing happened. Now, seven years later, its been granted. Theres a democratic deficit here its bewildering why its taken so long to get a decision. It goes completely in the face of what the community wants, he added. Its not about objecting to mussel farming, its about where it is [and] if we appeal it, its going to cost us a fortune. Its shocking. We feel that this is a local decision for local people. It doesnt appear that anyone is in favour of it, yet its happening. Mr Hayes highlighted his concern for those who use this area of the harbour for recreational activities such as sailing, swimming, fishing, and paddleboarding, as he claimed they will now be prevented from doing so due to the use of a heavy commercial trawler going up and down. The town is in uproar. Clearly were not talking to the right people, or the right people arent listening, said Mr Hayes. Theres going to be a huge amount of impact that size of a mussel farm in a small harbour makes no sense. Fellow Kinsale resident David Cullinane said his concerns also lie with the impact this farm will have on recreational activities, in addition to the ecological impacts it may have on both amenities and the natural landscape of the area. Theres overwhelming local objection to this and it seems to have been totally ignored, said Mr Cullinane. I couldnt believe its been granted. Its totally illogical to me. Theres plenty of other places they could go to and have less impact. The cost of objecting is significant so were going to have to look at what level of support there is in the community, but I expect there will be an appeal from locals. People are concerned about the environment. It will have a huge impact on the Dock Beach, and that beach is a major local amenity. If theres dredging off the beach, the composition of the beach itself could change, he said. The water will be very murky; there will be more mud [on the beach], and you mightnt have as much sand any more. The ecology of the seabed is also a concern if theyre dredging it the whole time. It could absolutely damage boats [too]. Theyll be seeding the seabed with seed mussels, and they dont always rest on the seabed, so there will be increased mussel growth in the harbour. Theyll grow on the hulls of boats moored in the harbour, on the propellors, and equipment, and in the engines anywhere they can latch onto. There are young kids who train in that area as well and they wont be able to do that if theres mussel beds beneath them. Locals do not want this but we were overruled, which is the hardest thing. In 2019, Woodstown Bay Shellfish managing director Paul Barlow said there would be no negative impact for locals. There will be no negative impact for any users of the area...no structures are involved in bottom mussel farming so absolutely no restrictions or effects would be felt by locals. We are very supportive of other bay users and there is no reason for concerns...as the normal rules of the road apply. I would imagine many locals wouldnt even know about a mussel bottom-culture mussel farm due to its uniqueness by having no structures in place and minimal activity levels. The Echo has contacted Woodstown Bay Shellfish Ltd for comment on the granting of the licence. A Cork city councillor has called on the council to provide suitable accommodation for a terminally ill four-year-old and her mother, after their approved housing body landlord apologised for living conditions in their damp and mould-prone home. In February, Respond Irelands largest construction-led approved housing body apologised to Agnes* and her four-year-old daughter Robin* after Agnes told The Echo that conditions in their rented home were worsening her childs suffering. Robin was born with a rare and terminal illness, and also suffers from severe scoliosis and kyphosis, resulting in a 270-degree curvature of her spine. In constant pain and nearing the end of her life, she is dependent on oxygen and a suction machine. Three years ago, Agnes and Robin moved into Mill Park in Blackpool a new 80-home social housing development owned and managed by Respond, a not-for-profit housing body that manages 7,700 properties. Agness home is one of several Mill Park homes which have been seen by this newspaper prone to damp and black mould. When this newspaper highlighted the issues in Mill Park in February, Respond said: These conditions are unacceptable, and we sincerely apologise to the tenants affected. Respond said it had assured tenants it would make every effort to provide alternative accommodation where needed. While we are disappointed that this situation has occurred, we are committed to doing better. Four months on, Agnes says that despite a promise by Respond to buy them a new home, they have still not been offered suitable alternative accommodation. Now theyve told us they can move us temporarily while they try and repair [their current home] but [Robin] needs so much equipment just to stay alive, its just such a massive operation to move, Agnes said. They promised to get us a more suitable home, so if we move out, I want to be able to move to a permanent home. Workers Party councillor Ted Tynan has written the council chief executive Valerie OSullivan, asking that the council provide a suitable home for Agnes and Robin. This is a little girl who is dying. Surely Cork City Council has a duty to step in and provide appropriate accommodation, Mr Tynan said. He added that the Mill Park development is three years old, and asking how such newly built dwellings could be so badly affected by mould and damp. A spokesperson for Respond said they could not comment on one tenants situation. Our housing team has been proactively engaging and liaising directly with each tenant regarding their concerns. They said four apartments had been identified as having significant damp and mould issues and one had been fully repaired with very positive feedback, and works are ongoing in a second apartment. They said plans for the remaining two apartments, including Agness, were being finalised. A vacant apartment has been made available to provide temporary accommodation if needed for tenants during works. We are continuing to liaise with other tenants to identify appropriate longer term solutions. Cork City Council said Mr Tynans query was a matter for Respond as the owner of the property. *Names have been changed. A district court judge has said that a sharp rise in applications for domestic violence orders could almost be described as an epidemic. Judge Colm Roberts made the comments at Midleton District Court while dealing with a domestic violence complaint that was later withdrawn. The judge said that despite a significant increase in applications, there was no corresponding rise in the number of successful prosecutions or of orders being granted. Complainants can apply to the courts for a safety order where the accused is instructed to desist from abusive or threatening behaviour. A barring order may also be issued which bars the accused from the residence of the complainant and may also instruct them to have no contact with the complainant. Judge Roberts said that about 40% of applicants for such orders do not turn up for hearings in his court. He said that only about 5% of cases end up with a prosecution. He added: Of all the crimes that come before the gardai you are probably talking about the least and lowest conviction rate. Judge Roberts added: Its a very complicated situation and the courts can only provide a partial solution. There needs to be other options than the courts for these situations. The courts can only provide a partial remedy. Judge Roberts said that the sheer volume of applications is also impacting on regular criminal court business. He said that at one recent sitting at Mallow District Court he had to deal with nine domestic violence applications at the beginning of the day. Tributes were paid in Cork Circuit Court to a leading figure in the Cork legal community, Edward Hanlon, who died recently. As acting state solicitor for many years he was a well-known figure in the courts. Judge Helen Boyle led tributes to him and offered her sincere condolences to his family and colleagues for their loss. The Cork legal community lost one of its best known members for many, many years in Edward (Eddie) Hanlon. When I started as a barrister he was acting state solicitor. Barry Galvin (state solicitor at the time) was off dealing with money-laundering (the establishment of the Criminal Assets Bureau). As acting state solicitor for Cork, Eddie Hanlon dealt with the indictable matters and he dealt with the state appeals. On behalf of all on the Cork Circuit Court bench I would like to express my sincere condolences to his family. Judge Dermot Sheehan was recalling the many drunk driving cases he defended when Mr Hanlon was prosecuting and he was recalling Mr Hanlons book of cases Judge Sheehan thinks he has it somewhere in his library! We will remember him as a distinguished, fair, affable and dedicated state solicitor. The team of Barry Galvin, Eddie Hanlon and Carmel OSullivan were quite formidable but worked very hard on behalf of the people of Ireland, Judge Boyle said. Barrister Brendan Kelly on behalf of the Cork Bar said: Mr Hanlon was a constant feature of state appeals and indictable cases. He was very good natured, very helpful and he was very humorous in my experience. He will be sorely missed. State solicitor Frank Nyhan said: He was a lovely man. He probably forgot more than I have ever learned. Frances OConnor, court registrar, on behalf of the Court Service and staff, joined in expressing sympathies to Mr Hanlons family. This weeks RTE documentary Housewife Of The Year castigated a show hosted each year by Gay Byrne through the 1980s and early 1990s. A Handmaids Tale type ritual that left women in little doubt where they stood in post- de Valera Ireland, said one commentator, adding that the film is a reminder that Ireland was no country for women of any age, and Housewife Of The Year let them know that. That is not my memory of Ireland of the 70s and 80s. I remember a world where women predominantly stayed at home to tend to the full-time job of cooking, cleaning, mending, repairing, playing, supporting, lending a listening ear, cajoling, educating and minding their families. Up one side of the street and down the other. So that neighbourhoods were teeming with kids, in and out of each others houses, while husbands left them to it secure in the knowledge they were being well looked after, both kids and mothers were often very happy at home. Irish housewives were climate champions, mentors, and psychologists rolled into one. Instead of castigating them and comparing them to characters of a dystopian future, we should celebrate what they created glorious, secure and fun-filled childhoods that are largely gone. Ciaran Cassidys documentary takes a more jaundiced look at what it was to be a housewife in decades gone by- selecting previous winners that told of a less rosy picture of life at home. Anne McStay recalls having 13 children by 31 and a husband who sought refuge in the pub. Ena Howell, whose mother gave birth to her in Bessborough House and Baby Home, was advised by her adoptive family not to have any contact with her birth mother. They couldnt accept that their perfect family wasnt perfect any more. The documentary allows these stories to outweigh positive ones from that era. I loved being a housewife, said another winner, Patricia Connolly. It never entered my head to go out to work. Meanwhile, a recent report from the Health Promotion Research Centre at University Of Galway outlined the grim reality that exists for many children and young teens today. Over half the teenage girls surveyed said they felt low every week or more frequently in the last six months. Over a third of boys said the same, which means almost half of teenagers are struggling with their mental health. Co-principal investigator at the Health Promotion Research Centre, Professor Saoirse Nic Gabhann, said fears about the environment and housing were among issues cited. It is not surprising teens are worried about the environment. The first-ever National Climate Change Risk Assessment warns Ireland is unprepared to cope with the changes already taking place and that are projected to worsen greatly by mid-century and beyond. The first climate champions, long before the term was invented, were housewives. Many mothers at home spent long hours in the back garden, growing fruit and veg and tending areas to allow bees and insects do their work. Meals were prepared with frugality using whole foods meat, vegetables, potatoes, homemade breads and scones and apple pies. Clothes were mended. Hems were let up and taken down as they were passed along the line. Nobody had or thought they needed the latest gear or designer shoes. Kids came home from school together on the bus and landed to a cooked meal before running out on the street to play down the road or in the park. Holidays involved kids piling into a car with buckets, spades and spare sheets to a caravan park or rented house by the sea. If it rained, card games and board games saved the day. None of this happens anymore. Mothers and fathers work all day. Kids are in after-school or come home to a predominantly silent neighbourhood or empty street. Afternoons and evenings are spent on the couch or in bedrooms often on phones. Whereas before, mothers were around, cooking the evening meal, sorting washing and ironing all the while overseeing homework, keeping an eye on anxious looks or low moods. Mothers were there for each other too. They organised coffee mornings, chatted over the wall, met in the supermarket or butcher and offloaded their kids onto each other when they needed a break or a visit to the hairdresser. They were there for the community as well, taking part in voluntary activities and helping out in school or local clubs. They looked after the vulnerable - grandparents often moved into the family home after they were widowed or became frail. Thats just not possible anymore in todays world. That intergenerational mix was good for everybody. Now, many of us ignore the dangers of allowing kids free use of smartphones, giving ready access to porn and constant vulnerability to criticism from other immature minds. We feed our kids food that has poor nutritional value, and far too many ultra-processed snacks. We save money to bring them on expensive holidays across the world as greenhouse emissions spiral, give in to their demands for designer shoes, bags and clothes, or provide the finance for the latest throwaway clothes for the next disco or teenage party. The 70s and 80s werent perfect. Many mothers longed to escape the drudgery of life at home with no money of their own and days that revolved around the kids. But many more loved being around with their young families and their older relatives. Not having the stress of work. Being creative on a shoestring with cooked meals and family outings. Being there to listen, to cajole, to support and to mind. Rather than castigate a world where most mothers looked after their families at home, why not recognise the value that environment created for young kids across the country? Imagine if mothers were supported to be able to stay at home and mind their kids at home, if they chose to do so. The savings in terms of the physical and mental wellbeing of the next generation would be monumental. I recall my childhood with a golden haze of nostalgia. In todays world, here are the three steps I would recommend for wellbeing. Ban social media for under 16s. Commit to active travel to make towns and cities safe for kids to cycle and walk across without any concerns for their safety. Offer mothers the financial wherewithal to be able to stay at home with their families if they so choose. Lets ditch the notion of stay-at-home mums as somehow dystopian and recognise the huge value they offer to the whole community. Kenneth Fox Gardai have arrested a man in connection with a robbery at a retail premises in South Dublin earlier this week. On bank holiday Monday evening a man armed with a knife entered a filling station in Ballybrack Village. He threatened staff and took a sum of cash before fleeing the scene. Gardai from the Shankill Detective Unit arrested a man in the Shankill area of Dublin in connection with the investigation earlier on Friday, He is being detained at a Garda Station in the Dublin Region. (Photo: Svetlana Talese/Israel Antiquities Authority)The excavation area where Christian artifacts were found in Israel in May 2025. Archaeologists excavating Byzantine tombs near the Nevatim air base in southern Israel have discovered two unique pendants that may indicate early Christian converts from Ethiopia visiting the Holy Land. Experts say that the figurines prove that a Christian community lived in southern Israel nearly 1,000 years ago, The Jerusalem Post reported on May 18. The research was conducted at the Tel Malhata archaeological site in the Negev's Arad Valley by researchers with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and the University of Cologne, in Germany. "The figurines show that a Christian community lived in the south of the country about 1,500 years ago, possibly with some of its members coming from Africa," said the researchers. For a place few people have heard of, the town at Tel Malhata in the northeastern Negev Desert had a long and distinguished history, according to the Haaretz newspaper. It is now also home to one of the stranger finds recorded in Israeli archaeology: wooden pendants of what are African-style heads, carved from Southeast Asian blackwood, found in early Christian graves. "It is a very special find," said Dr. Noe D. Michael of the Israel Antiquities Authority and the University of Cologne in Germany, who handled the inspection and assisted at the excavation next to the Nevatim air base in the Negev. During the latest excavations, teams located approximately 155 tombs, but two burials contained objects distinct from anything else found at the sitebone and wooden figurines with facial features resembling those of Africans, Archaeology News reports. "It is a very special find," agrees Dr. Noe D. Michael of the Israel Antiquities Authority and the University of Cologne in Germany, who handled the inspection and assisted at the excavation next to the Nevatim air base in the Negev, which is really where this story begins. The archaeologists excavating the necropolis also discovered three bone figurines, typical of this region. Two of them were carved from ebony, a rare material found in southern India and Sri Lanka. These had been carefully placed in one grave containing the remains of a woman and a child, and in a second burial of another woman. Researchers believe that the two women and the child may have been early Christian immigrants from Ethiopia who moved to the site between the 4th and 7th centuries A.D. The objects have small perforations, indicating that they were likely worn around the neck as pendants. These may have served as small mementos from home or possibly representations of ancestors. President Donald Trump plans to extend the pause on enforcing the TikTok ban once again, The Wall Street Journal reports. Trump previously extended the pause on April 4 to give TikTok, its potential US buyers and the Chinese government more time to reach an agreement, but the deal has made little progress since then. The current pause on enforcement is supposed to end on June 19. Given the state of the negotiations between the US and China, the odds of a deal being reached before then seem highly unlikely. The issue hasn't been helped by the fluctuating tariffs the Trump administration has attempted to levy on goods manufactured outside of the US, which started on April 2 and at one point included a 125 percent tariff on everything shipped from China. The two countries are expected to restart trade negotiations at some point in the near-future, according to The New York Times, but there's been no public mention of a TikTok sale being a key part of the discussion. A number of investors are still looking to own a piece of the US version of the app, including the software company Oracle, which has a pre-existing relationship with TikTok as a cloud provider. The TikTok ban went into effect on January 19. TikTok tried to appeal the ban beforehand, but the Supreme Court ultimately decided to uphold it, prompting Trump's first executive order pausing the ban on January 20, 2025. Reverse image searching is a quick and easy way to trace the origin of an image, identify objects or landmarks, find higher-resolution alternatives or check if a photo has been altered or used elsewhere online. Googles image search tools work on desktop and mobile devices, allowing users to upload a photo, paste a pictures URL or use visual search features from the Google app to learn more about an image. Heres how to perform a reverse image search using Google on a desktop browser, an iPhone or an Android phone. How to reverse image search on a desktop browser Google Images on a desktop browser provides the most direct way to perform a reverse image search. You can drag and drop, upload an image file or paste an image's URL to find visually similar results. Using Google Images on Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari: Open a browser and go to images.google.com. Click the camera icon in the search bar. This will take you to Google Lens. Choose one of the following options: Paste image link : Use this if the image is already online. Paste the URL and click Search . Upload a file: Click Upload a file, select the image from your computer, and click Open. Google Lens will display search results with visually similar images and web pages where the image appears. It replaces the old Search by image function and includes context-based information such as product suggestions, places and can even translate or transcribe text where relevant. Right-click search (Chrome only): In Google's Chrome browser, you can also perform a reverse image search without visiting Google Images. This feature is built into Chrome for faster lookups. Right-click on any image you see on a website. Select Search with Google Lens. A sidebar will open showing visually similar pictures and relevant search results using Google Lens. How to reverse image search on an iPhone On iOS, Google offers multiple ways to reverse image search through the Chrome and Google apps. It also supports uploading images directly from your photo library. Using the Google app: Download and open the Google app from the App Store. Tap the camera icon in the search bar to open Google Lens. Give the app permission to access your camera and photo library if prompted. Choose an image from your camera roll or take a new photo. Google Lens will analyze the image and show relevant results, such as related images, pages or products. This method is ideal for scanning photos, receipts, objects or screenshots. Using Chrome on iPhone: You can also reverse search images found on websites using Google's mobile browser. In Chrome: Touch and hold any image on a website. Tap Search image with Google in the menu that appears. Chrome will open a new tab or side panel with Google Lens results. If the Search image with Google option isnt visible, make sure Chrome is updated to the latest version. How to reverse image search on Android The process is nearly identical on Android. Whether you use Chrome or the Google app, Android devices are well integrated with Google Lens functionality. Using the Google app: Open the Google app (pre-installed on most Android phones). Tap the camera icon in the search bar to open Google Lens. Allow permission to access your photos or take a new photo. Choose the image you want to search. Google will display results with similar images and related information. Google Lens can also be launched from the camera app on certain Android devices, including Pixel and Samsung phones, depending on your default settings. Using Google Photos: If the image is already saved on your phone, Google Photos offers another method. This is a quick option for scanning photos youve saved or screenshots youve taken. Open the Google Photos app. Tap on the image you want to reverse search. Tap the Lens icon at the bottom of the screen. Results will appear directly within the app, showing visual matches and possible sources. Using Chrome on Android: Open Chrome and go to any website with the image you want to search. Tap and hold the image. Select Search image with Google. Chrome will launch Google Lens in a new tab and display relevant search results. This feature works natively in the Chrome browser without needing to switch apps or upload files manually. Some newer Android phones like Galaxy and Pixel flagships also offer a Circle to Search tool that allow you to draw around things on your screen and quickly launch an image search, so you should check to see if your phone supports it. Tips for better reverse image search results Crop your image : If you're looking for a specific object in a larger photo, cropping it to focus on that item can improve accuracy. Use high-resolution images : Low-quality or blurry images may return less accurate matches. Combine keywords with Lens : After searching, you can add a keyword in the search bar to narrow down the results. Try different angles: Searching the same subject from another image or angle may improve results. Google Lens is designed to recognize faces, landmarks, logos, plants, animals, clothing, furniture and text. For product identification or location searches, the app often returns contextually rich information and shopping links. While Googles reverse image search is widely used, there are alternative platforms worth considering, especially if you want different search results or additional features. TinEye (tineye.com) Offers a dedicated reverse image search with browser plugins and sorting filters. Bing Visual Search Microsofts reverse image tool provides results similar to Google Lens with built-in search options. These tools work well when Google doesn't deliver the results you're looking for or when you're trying to locate the earliest appearance of an image online. Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products . Here are your best options for finding the Switch 2 -- and why you should skip Amazon for now. Update, July 1, 10:44AM ET: As first reported on the Wario64 X feed, Best Buy is offering a stock refresh of the Switch 2 today. A company representative confirmed that the Switch 2 will be available, and that you can check availability at nearby stores on the Best Buy site. The Nintendo Switch 2 has been available in the US for more than three weeks and we finally saw a second wave of availability at retail as June was coming to an end. While it's too early to declare the Switch 2 to be easy to obtain, the fact that Best Buy and Walmart had units to sell online on June 23 and June 25, respectively, is a good sign that attentive shoppers may be able to take advantage of a Switch 2 restock this summer without paying a ridiculous markup. That said, if you're looking to join one of the millions of people who have already snagged the $450 console since it officially went up for sale on June 5, you may need to include in-store pickup or joining a rewards program as an option. The former (with online reservations) seems to be the methodology that Best Buy and Target currently prefer, while Walmart's latest Switch 2 drop offered early access to those with Walmart+ (its membership program). In the meantime, one place not worth checking for the Switch 2 is Amazon. A report today confirmed that its absence from Amazon's online store was the result of an ongoing dispute between the retailer and Nintendo though there have been signs of a thaw on games and accessories. All that said, if you're still on the hunt, weve rounded up all of the latest information we could find on how to buy the Nintendo Switch 2 and where you can pick one up. Where to buy the Nintendo Switch 2 Walmart most recently offered the Switch 2 online on June 25, with Walmart+ members getting an hour's head start. Currently, both the Mario Kart World bundle and the standalone console are "available" via third-party retailers, but listed for much higher than their standard $500 and $450 price tags with limited quantities available. We wouldn't recommend buying these; instead, wait for the console to be listed at its regular MSRP. Naturally, the world's largest retailer is also selling the console at its brick-and-mortar locations, though the company has noted that quantities are limited and inventory will vary by location. Best Buy made additional consoles available on June 11 around 12PM ET, and again on June 23 after selling out quickly on launch day (June 5). Those restocks lasted for the better part of an hour and required in-store pickup, but the device is now sold out again. Target had the Switch 2 in stores on June 5 and restocked its online inventory for at least a couple of hours starting around 3:30AM ET on June 6. It then had another restock on June 12 around 2:30PM ET, but that appears to have died out in less than an hour. We also noted it showing up in stock in at least one Philadelphia location on June 24. GameStop has advertised in-store availability, though exactly how much stock your local store may have will vary by location. Online, the device has been unavailable for the past week, with the listings for the base console and Mario Kart bundle now pointing to a "Find a Store" page. We saw a $625 bundle that includes Mario Kart World, a microSD Express card and a few other accessories pop up a bit more frequently than the standard SKUs, but it's no longer listed (and it was kind of a raw deal anyway). You may still have some luck at certain membership-based retailers. A Mario Kart World bundle at Costco that includes a 12-month Switch Online subscription has gone in and out of stock since launch day. Sam's Club has had a bundle without the Switch Online sub as well, though it's out of stock now. We also saw the console at BJ's early on June 5, but it's no longer live there. Verizon briefly had the Switch 2 available on launch day, but that's dried up. Only those with Verizon service were able to order, and the process was apparently somewhat rocky. Amazon hasn't had any form of Switch 2 listing on its website, nor has it listed Mario Kart World. A June 30 Bloomberg report confirmed what had been widely rumored for weeks: Nintendo was apparently punishing Amazon for continuing to surface third-party retailers selling trans-shipped games. However, some Switch 2 games have started popping up, so it's possible the console may appear at some point, too. Newegg has listed the Switch 2 on its site for several weeks, but it's given no indication as to when it'll begin sales. While some listings are available via a third-party seller, they're at massively inflated prices. With all of these stores, we've seen the Mario Kart World bundle available in greater quantities online than the base console, which costs $50 less. But given that Mario Kart is the Switch 2's biggest launch game and retails for $80 on its own, that may not be the worst thing. Nintendo, meanwhile, is only offering the Switch 2 via an invite system. This requires you to have been a Switch Online member for at least 12 months and logged at least 50 hours of Switch 1 playtime as of April 2. It can't hurt to sign up if you meet the criteria, but don't expect it to bear fruit immediately it's taken weeks for many people who registered in April to receive their invite. You can find a list of every Switch 2 retail listing we could find below. Just be aware that this is meant to be a reference, not a rundown of everywhere the device is available right this second. Where to buy Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle: Where to buy Switch 2: Where to buy Nintendo Switch 2 games and accessories Nintendo is selling a number of Switch 2 accessories alongside the console, from its (pricey) Pro Controller to cases to cameras for the new GameChat feature. Most of these became available on June 5. The same goes for games like Mario Kart World and the Switch 2 version of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Another big Switch 2 release, Donkey Kong Bananza, won't be available until mid-July but is still up for pre-order now. As of this publication, just about all Switch 2 games are broadly available. Stock for the accessories remains a little spottier, but most devices are still available at multiple retailers. Nintendo's official Switch 2 carrying cases have been the main exceptions, so you may need to look to third-party alternatives if you want some protection for your console right away. Mario Kart World ($80) Donkey Kong Bananza ($70) Additional Switch 2 games Samsung microSD Express Card (256GB) for Nintendo Switch 2 ($60) Joy-Con 2 bundle ($95) Switch 2 Pro Controller ($85) Switch 2 Camera ($55) Hori Nintendo Switch 2 Piranha Plant Camera ($60) Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip ($40) Joy-Con 2 Wheels (set of 2) ($25) Switch 2 All-in-One Carrying Case ($85) Switch 2 Carrying Case and Screen Protector ($40) Nintendo Switch 2 Dock Set ($120) Nintendo GameCube Controller for Switch 2 ($65) The curtain is about to rise on the 78th Annual Tony Awards, promising a night of unforgettable performances, fierce competition, and historic milestones. Set to take place on Sunday, June 8, 2025, at the iconic Radio City Music Hall in New York City, this year's ceremony celebrates the best of Broadway's 20242025 season. Hosted by Tony, Emmy, and GRAMMY Award-winner Cynthia Erivo, the event will air live on CBS from 8:00 to 11:00 PM ET and stream on Paramount+ for subscribers with the Showtime add-on. The Nominees: A Season of Standouts Leading the nominations are three musicalsBuena Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her, and Maybe Happy Endingeach garnering 10 nods, including Best Musical. Other contenders in this category are Dead Outlaw and Operation Mincemeat. In the Best Play category, John Proctor Is the Villain and The Hills of California lead with seven nominations each, joined by English, Oh, Mary!, and Purpose. Notable acting nominations include: Best Leading Actor in a Play : George Clooney (Good Night, and Good Luck), Cole Escola (Oh, Mary!), Jon Michael Hill (Purpose), Daniel Dae Kim (Yellow Face), Harry Lennix (Purpose), and Louis McCartney (Stranger Things: The First Shadow). : George Clooney (Good Night, and Good Luck), Cole Escola (Oh, Mary!), Jon Michael Hill (Purpose), Daniel Dae Kim (Yellow Face), Harry Lennix (Purpose), and Louis McCartney (Stranger Things: The First Shadow). Best Leading Actress in a Play : Laura Donnelly (The Hills of California), Mia Farrow (The Roommate), LaTanya Richardson Jackson (Purpose), Sadie Sink (John Proctor Is the Villain), and Sarah Snook (The Picture of Dorian Gray). : Laura Donnelly (The Hills of California), Mia Farrow (The Roommate), LaTanya Richardson Jackson (Purpose), Sadie Sink (John Proctor Is the Villain), and Sarah Snook (The Picture of Dorian Gray). Best Leading Actor in a Musical : Darren Criss (Maybe Happy Ending), Andrew Durand (Dead Outlaw), Tom Francis (Sunset Blvd.), Jonathan Groff (Just in Time), James Monroe Iglehart (A Wonderful World), and Jeremy Jordan (Floyd Collins). : Darren Criss (Maybe Happy Ending), Andrew Durand (Dead Outlaw), Tom Francis (Sunset Blvd.), Jonathan Groff (Just in Time), James Monroe Iglehart (A Wonderful World), and Jeremy Jordan (Floyd Collins). Best Leading Actress in a Musical: Megan Hilty (Death Becomes Her), Audra McDonald (Gypsy), Jasmine Amy Rogers (BOOP! The Musical), Nicole Scherzinger (Sunset Blvd.), and Jennifer Simard (Death Becomes Her). Audra McDonald makes history with her 11th acting nomination, the most ever by a performer. How to Watch Main Ceremony : Live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime from 8:00 to 11:00 PM ET. : Live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime from 8:00 to 11:00 PM ET. Pre-Show: "The Tony Awards: Act One," hosted by Darren Criss and Renee Elise Goldsberry, will stream live on Pluto TV from 6:40 to 8:00 PM ET. For international viewers, the ceremony will be available on various platforms, including Network Ten in Australia, CCTV4 in China, and WOWOW in Japan. Performances to Anticipate The ceremony will feature performances from all Best Musical nominees: Buena Vista Social Club, Dead Outlaw, Death Becomes Her, Maybe Happy Ending, and Operation Mincemeat. Best Revival of a Musical nomineesFloyd Collins, Gypsy, Pirates! The Penzance Musical, and Sunset Blvd.will also take the stage. Additional performances include numbers from Just in Time, Real Women Have Curves, and a special appearance by the Broadway Inspirational Voices. A highlight of the evening will be a reunion performance by the original cast of Hamilton, featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., and other original members. Presenters and Special Honors An array of stars will present awards, including Oprah Winfrey, Ariana DeBose, Samuel L. Jackson, Lea Michele, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Keanu Reeves. Broadway legend Harvey Fierstein will receive the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, honoring his four-decade-long career as an actor, playwright, and activist. Originally published on classicalite.com Yolanda Hadid and Joseph Jingoli have ended their relationship, marking the close of a long-term romance that included a private engagement. According to a source who spoke with People, the couple parted ways in January but continue to share a bond of friendship. "They remain friends and have nothing but fond memories of their time together," the source stated. While representatives for the pair have not publicly commented, the breakup has caught the attention of fans who followed their quiet yet heartfelt journey. At 61, Yolanda Hadid, best known from "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," began dating construction CEO Joseph Jingoli in 2017, marking a new chapter in her life. Their relationship started after she moved to Pennsylvania following her divorce from music producer David Foster. At the time, she had just begun rebuilding her life and focusing on healing from both Lyme disease and emotional challenges. Yolanda Hadid ends engagement to Joseph Jingoli after ex-husbands secret daughter is revealed https://t.co/3Dzb5WRP1V pic.twitter.com/WsAXOt2fUL New York Post (@nypost) June 5, 2025 Yolanda Hadid Reflects on Unexpected Romance with Joseph Jingoli In a 2018 interview, Yolanda Hadid shared that she wasn't looking to date at the time. However, meeting Joseph Jingoli changed her perspective. She described the start of their relationship as something that felt truly special and unexpected. In August 2024, it was revealed the pair had secretly become engaged two years earlier during a visit to Holland. The proposal, which was kept private for years, highlighted the couple's low-key approach to their relationship. The connection between Hadid and Jingoli was built on shared life experiences. Both had faced health challenges and personal loss, creating a strong emotional bond. According to PageSix, Hadid once shared, "When you meet somebody that thought he was going to die, like I felt I was gonna die, you have a whole new appreciation for life." In 2021, she wrote a touching tribute to Jingoli on Instagram: "All my life I prayed for someone like you!!" The post included heartfelt words and pictures from their time together. "Thank you for being such a bright light in my life, the calm in my storm..." Before finding love with Joseph Jingoli, Yolanda Hadid was married twicefirst to Mohamed Hadid, father of her three children, Gigi, Bella, and Anwar, and later to music producer David Foster. She and Foster divorced in 2017. Friday, June 6, 2025 By Scott Lorenz Westwind Book Marketing There are countless ways authors can promote their books- from traditional methods like book signings, tours, and media appearances to more modern, technology driven methods. (You can further explore some of those classic promotional tactics in an article I wrote here) As technology continues to evolve, digital promotion has become a highly effective tool for authors. Its fast, accessible, and offers the potential to reach a global audience at the click of your fingertips. Platforms like Google Books empower authors to showcase their work and drive sales by building online visibility. What is Google Books? Google Books is a vast digital library where users can search, preview, purchase or borrow from a collection of over 10 million titles. Each book has its own reference page complete with relevant information such as reviews and web references, making it easy for readers to find the content theyre looking for. Google Books sources through two main avenues: the Partner Program, which features titles provided by publishers and authors, and the Library Project, which consists of digitized works from major libraries worldwide. Heres how authors can tap into the power of Google Books: Google Play Partner Program Authors and publishers can submit their work free of charge via the Play Books Partner Center, allowing them to sell books on the Play Store and offer previews on Google Books. Or, if you do not wish to list your book for sale on Google Play, it can still be previewed through Google Books. To check if your publisher has already submitted your book, simply search by title or author name. If it appears in the results, it has likely been added to the site. The Library Project The Library Project provides users access to rare, out of print, or multilingual books that are generally unavailable outside of the system. Even if your title is no longer in circulation, it can still participate in Google Books through this initiative. To make your book searchable to users, it must be scanned and converted to a digital format. If you choose to opt out of scanning, only basic bibliographic information- similar to a library catalog entry- will be displayed on the platform. Accessibility and Protection on Google Books If you designate your book as public domain, Google will make the text freely accessible to readers from start to finish. Otherwise, the system will only allow users to see blurbs limited to the keywords they search. To ensure your title is protected, publishers should implement your preferred level of digital rights management (DRM) and publish an official copyright notice to clearly state your ownership. Google uses copyright protection to prevent unauthorized use of eBooks, and the extent of access to your book (ranging from 20% to full access) is dictated by the rightsholder. Linking Your Personal Website While Google Books does not support direct links from individual book pages to external websites, you can utilize the Partner Program to provide a link to your site when listing a book for sale. You can also add your website link to your author profile to help readers discover more about your work. Do I need an ISBN? An ISBN is a 13-digit code that uniquely identifies a book and its specific edition, whether its hardcover, paperback, or eBook. While you do not need one for independent print sales, an ISBN is required for distribution on online platforms such as Google Books. Also, it can open more doors for your book by improving discoverability to maximize sales potential. If you want to maximize sales on Google Play Books, focus on non-fictionself-help, business, technical guides, and travel books tend to perform best. That said, genre fiction like romance, thrillers, and sci-fi can thrive with strong promotion. Audiobooks are also an option, but only for select partners. The key to success? Optimize metadata, run promotions, and target Android users across dozens of countries. While Google Play has less competition than Amazon, it still demands active marketing to generate sales. In general, non-fiction outshines fiction in performance. A smart approach is to experiment with free series starters and bonus content to boost visibility. Where does Google Books fit into the big picture? Heres a breakdown of market share of the top booksellers: Amazon 50% of all book sales. Barnes & Noble 5-10% of the market. Books-A-Million 1-3% share. Walmart 5-7% of sales. Target 2-4% of the market. Indie Bookstores Collectively 5-7% of book sales. Apple Books 3-5% of the market. Google Play Books 1-3% share. Audible (Amazon-owned) 60% of audiobook sales. Book Depository (Amazon-owned) A global book retailer with a niche market share. The Bottom Line Dont miss the chance to expand your reach- submit your book to Google Books! Start leveraging this powerful platform to connect with readers and make your work seen. About Book Publicist Scott Lorenz Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether its their first book or their 15th book. Hes handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Womans World, & Howard Stern to name a few. Learn more about Westwind Book Marketing at https://www.WestwindBookMarketing.com or contact Lorenz at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or 734-667-2090. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist. Want help titling a book? Check out Scott Lorenzs new award-winning, bestselling book: Book Title Generator- A Proven System in Naming Your Book www.BookTitleGenerator.net Thursday, June 5, 2025 Military Security Strategies National Leader strategies revolve around what is the appropriate level of military spending to protect the nation. The conventional approach of peace through strength ignores the Reuschlein research that military spending stalls the economic growth rate both in peacetime and wartime. Apparent wartime booms require matching deficit booms and/or great civilian sacrifice as shown by my modeling of the US economy in World War II and other periods of war and peace. WWII link listed below. Timing Is Everything Knowing when major wars are most likely to occur is crucial to knowing when military spending levels should be high in anticipation of an imminent threat of major war or low in peaceful period times. Understanding the role of the Kondratiev Wave 54-year cycle of Temperature, Economics, and War is the best tool to estimate this timing of major wars. Defense Strategy model link listed below. About half the Kondratiev wave is mostly peaceful (1977-2004) and half the wave is warful (2004-2031). Domestic Consequences Life and death industries like the military, health care, or crime and murder correlate with each other strongly. The "Spirit Level" book (2010) by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Puckett of Britain shows that high income inequality leads to high levels of various social maladies. Military spending correlates about 78% with income inequalities. The six most efficacious factors of the Wilkinson-Puckett Index are Social Mobility, Teen Births, Mental Illness, Prisoners, Homicides, and Obesity. These six have an average 82% correlation with my military work and only 69% with their income inequality work. Jesus of the gospels says much the same thing (pro poor, anti-rich, pro peace): https://www.academia.edu/9979093/JESUS_and_Empire_12_4_05_4_p_2005 National Consequences When national leaders seek the security and welfare of their people, they must avoid premature militarization. 3% of GDP military can cut the economy of a nation in half in just one generation. That leaves a nation weak, not strong. My models suggest a 2% GDP long term military rate is about right. In America, one million murders occurred in the thirty years after John Lennon's death. Had America stayed at the Cold War military rate that could have been two million murders instead. High military spending must be curbed to preserve the domestic economy and tranquility. As this wisdom sinks in to national leaders, the second reason in Afred Nobels will for the peace prize, reduction of armies, will save millions of lives from reduced wars and millions more in less murders, crime, and illness, and lead to greater prosperity. Update Poor Economics and demonization are the leading connecting factors to the military murder connection. The pro-violence rhetoric of Donald Trump has doubled the mass murder incident rate in America from about 300 per year to 600 per year. Reuschlein Curve Model of Long-Term Defense Strategy: https://www.academia.edu/4475604/DEFENSE_STRATEGY_Peace_Economics_1986_2015_8_p_ World War II Model: https://www.academia.edu/4044531/ROOSEVELT_Depression_War_Unpacking_Myths_1p_13 US Military Economic History https://www.academia.edu/4044532/HISTORY_Presidents_Military_Economy_1910_2009_3p_2013 24-page Pamphlet that comes with my 2010 video: https://www.academia.edu/4108656/BOOKLET_for_Peace_Economics_11_charts_24p_2011 Please cite this work as follows: Reuschlein, Robert. (2025, June 5), "National Leader Strategies" Madison, WI, Real Economy Institute. Retrieved from: https://www.expertclick.com/NewsRelease/National-Leader-Strategies,2025 310840.aspx . Dr. Peace, Dr. Robert Reuschlein, Real Economy Institute Nobel Peace Prize Nominee 2016-2025 best contact bobreuschlein@gmail.com for more info www.realeconomy.com Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson tried to make dinner plans and a modest suggestion. The ambitious invite list included President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Speaker Mike Johnson, and Elon Musk. Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie quickly sent a conditional RSVP: Take the sharp silverware off the place settings. The dinner wont happen. Davidson knows as much. The bromance between the richest man in the world and the most powerful man in the world, the friendship with political benefits between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump, is burning down. Appropriately enough, the fight is playing out in real-time on X, the social media website formerly known as Twitter. Musk accused Trump of keeping the company of a pedophile. Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public, he wrote in reference to the late registered sex offender who cavorted with business elite and powerful politicians. Have a nice day, DJT! And later Musk replied Yes to a post suggesting that Trump should be impeached and replaced with Vice President JD Vance. He was also attacking Johnson, accusing the House speaker of hypocrisy over spending levels, though that feud was little more than a sideshow. Johnson replied that he remained consistent. The mild back-and-forth on policy was merely a blip that hardly registered. By Thursday afternoon, White House staff were sarcastically referring to the whirlwind fracas as the one big, beautiful breakup, a reference to Trumps one big, beautiful spending bill that ostensibly set off Musk. A former White House official until last week, Musk had bashed Trumps marquee legislation as a disgusting abomination, arguing that the bill making its way through Congress would bankrupt the United States. He then rallied his online following to Kill the Bill, a boon to fiscal conservatives in the Senate eager to reduce spending levels. And Trump did not respond. Musk had timed his assault for maximum effect. He waited until the middle of the press briefing on Tuesday to air his grievances. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, replied with a shrug and told reporters the criticism does not change the presidents opinion. Then things escalated. Musk complained online Thursday that Trump would have lost the election" without him and his millions of dollars. The bad policy in the bill, the trashing of Musk in the press, all of it, he said, was indicative of ingratitude. There was a time when this was unimaginable. Sean Hannity of Fox News once described the pair as two brothers. And the admiration seemed legitimate. Trump handed Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency the keys to the federal bureaucracy. As he slashed and burned his way across the government, Musk heralded his crusade as an attempt to save democracy itself. They were once the twin stars of the MAGA constellation. I love Elon Musk! The media wants to drive us apart, and its not working. Hes great, Trump said in a February fundraising pitch. That same month, Musk wrote on X, I love @RealDonaldTrump as much as a straight man can love another man. The pair now seems to hate one another as much as humanly possible. Elon was wearing thin, I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY! Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday afternoon. The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it! Trump added. This was too much for Musk, who shared clips of the president telling the press that his DOGE contractor had never asked for anything. An obvious lie, he called it without mentioning that Tesla did, in fact, lobby Congress to keep in place tax credit for electric vehicles. Musk and the federal government are intertwined to the tune of $38 billion, according to some analyses. NASA contracts to use his SpaceX rockets. The Defense Department relies on Starlink satellites to keep Ukrainian allies connected to the outside world. The Department of Justice vowed to crack down on arsonists burning down Tesla dealerships. Trump even purchased a red $90,000 Tesla Model S and parked it on the South Lawn. The president even let senior White House staff take the keys. Margo Martin, a longtime aide, posted a picture of herself along with Leavitt in the passenger seat. Best boss ever, she wrote. The whereabouts of the presidential Tesla are now unknown. The deep disdain between the two men, however, is front and center, leaving White House officials to speculate about the fallout. One insisted that they always knew that this would happen, telling RealClearPolitics a breakup was inevitable. Another replied to RCP with a yawning emoji. Who cares, they texted. Elon is a man child. The list of jilted former Trump officials is a long one. He fired former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson via Tweet. He sent Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House communications director, packing after just 11 days. Also axed: Attorney General Jeff Sessions, National Security Advisor John Bolton, and National Security Advisor HR McMaster. But not Musk. The Elon exit was supposed to be different after his special government status expired. Trump rolled out the red carpet for his DOGE brother last week. He brought Musk into the Oval Office and gave him a gold key to the White House. Elons service to America has been without comparison in modern history, the president said. The latest word from Trump about his now estranged brother? Disappointed. MERCER, Pa. The Western Pennsylvania Sheep & Wool Growers Association (formerly Lawrence County & Mercer County Sheep & Wool Growers) will host its annual Shepherds Night program June 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Mercer County Penn State Cooperative Extension Office, 463 N. Perry Highway. The program will include a display/discussion of some fencing equipment/materials that are available for producers to aid in grazing. The featured speaker for the evening will be Steven Campbell, Penn State Extension agronomist, who will be discussing Grazing & Pasture Management. There will be a potluck/tureen dinner. Coffee, cold drink, rolls and butter will be provided. The crowning of the 2025-26 Western Pennsylvania Lamb and Wool Queen/Ambassador will be another highlight of the evening. Applicants are needed for the contest. Interested individuals should contact Joy Wilson at joyfulmusic4piano@gmail.com or 724-674-0338. The association includes members throughout western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, plus a few from southern New York. All are welcome to attend this free event. For additional information on the grazing program or more information on sheep and goat production, contact Mattie Horchler by email at msh5697@psu.edu or by phone at 724-662-3141 or 724-851-1060. Farmers are facing mounting pressure as England records its driest spring in over 130 years, with parched fields, poor crop growth, and dwindling water supplies threatening this summers harvest, experts warned. England is bracing for the risk of further droughts this summer after experiencing its driest spring since 1893, according to an emergency meeting of the National Drought Group (NDG) held on Thursday (5 June). The Environment Agency (EA), which convened the meeting, warned that March, April and May brought just 57% of average rainfall, leaving reservoir storage at only 77% well below the usual May figure of 93%. The NDG, made up of experts from the Met Office, government, regulators, water firms and farmers, will now meet monthly to monitor the situation after drought was officially declared in north-west England. Four further regions the north-east, Yorkshire, and the east and west Midlands are also experiencing prolonged dry weather. Experts who sit on the group heard that spring crop quality is at risk due to dry soil and poor grass growth for feed. The EA will be working with farmers and growers, including through the NFU, to help them plan for water use in the coming months. Helen Wakeham, EA director of water and NDG chair, said: Its been the driest spring since 1893, and we need to be prepared for more summer droughts as our climate changes. "The recent rainfall is having a positive effect, but it hasnt been enough to stop a drought in the north-west and we must ensure we have enough water to last the entire summer. "We are working with water companies, farmers and other abstractors to help them plan their water usage over the summer and urge people to be mindful about their daily use. While rainfall at the end of May and into early June has helped stabilise water levels, the risk of further drought measures remains. The NDG heard that some water companies may need to take additional action this summer if substantial rain does not follow. The EA has also stepped up its response, increasing compliance checks on businesses that abstract water and boosting monitoring of river and groundwater levels. Dr Will Lang, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: After the driest spring for more than a century across England, the start of June has brought some much-needed rainfall. "However, the chance of a hot summer is higher than normal, with an increased risk of heatwaves and related impacts. The latest drought warning comes on top of an already bruising year for farmers, who have been dealt a 1 billion financial blow following the exceptionally wet winter of 2023/24. New figures from Defra show that despite an overall rise in UK farm income up from 6.1 billion in 2023 to 7.7 billion in 2024 income from key arable crops plummeted. Arable income fell by 1.19 billion, driven by a 20% drop in wheat output following months of waterlogged fields. British red meat is carving out a growing reputation on the global stage and this week, buyers from four continents came to the UK to see exactly why. Twenty-eight buyers from the Americas, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East took part in the largest-ever inward trade mission for the UK red meat sector, organised by AHDB and held from 25 June. Over four days, delegates visited farms and processors across the West Country to learn first-hand about the production of world-class British beef, lamb, and pork. The mission culminated in a meet the buyer event and gala dinner at Butchers Hall in London, attended by exporters and UK Government representatives. The evening also featured a panel discussion, during which guests heard from AHDB market analysts and the international trade development team on the quality of UK red meat, current market access, and future trade potential. Jonathan Eckley, AHDBs international trade development director, said: "Connecting with people is essential to helping ensure UK red meat exports thrive. "We were delighted to welcome key industry figures from a wide portfolio of markets to take part in our inward mission. "It provided the ideal platform for buyers from across the world to gain further insight at source into how we produce our world-class red meat. Buyers from across the globe arrived in the UK for a full pasture to plate experience (Photo: AHDB) "The mission provided the full pasture to plate experience, with delegates joining us at the gala dinner to taste this quality produce for themselves." Last year, UK red meat exports reached a value of 1.77 billion, bolstered by strong demand for beef shipments to Europe and beyond. The value of beef, lamb, and pig meat exports in 2024 grew by 3.3% compared to the previous year. Mr Eckley acknowledged that last year was a positive one for British red meat exports: The figures underlined the global appetite for our red meat produce." He stressed the importance of maintaining this momentum through activities such as the latest inward mission, which forms part of AHDBs broader international trade strategy. This includes efforts to improve market access, participation in major international trade shows, outward trade missions, and ongoing support from AHDBs in-market representatives. Looking ahead, he highlighted that in October, we will be joined by exporters from our red meat and dairy sectors at Anuga in Cologne, this years biggest global trade show, which will attract industry buyers and key decision-makers from around the world. Mr Eckley added that this on-the-ground activity is backed by market analysis from AHDB, helping to equip UK exporters with the insights and practical support needed to succeed internationally. Recent headlines have highlighted the importance of international trade, and we should be rightly proud of the quality red meat we offer to markets around the world. It has been a pleasure to highlight this to our international delegates, with the support of our exporters and colleagues in government. Mr Eckley concluded: We look forward to continuing to work with industry and government to help ensure our exporters are best placed to keep our world-class produce in pride of place on the global table. Farming charity RABIs Return to School grant will be available again for 2025, helping ease the financial strain for farming families ahead of the new academic year. The initiative, which began in 2022 in response to the cost-of-living crisis, has provided millions of pounds in financial support to farming families across the UK. This year, eligible parents and guardians will be able to apply for a fixed grant of 200 per child, for up to six school-aged children (aged 4 to 16). The first phase of applications will open on 16 June and are available to both working and non-working farming families. RABIs director of services, Caron Whaley, said: The cost-of-living crisis, coupled with the rising prices of school uniforms and supplies, has significantly impacted the finances of many families across the UK. Our grant is committed to ensuring that thousands of schoolchildren across our farming community are equipped and ready to thrive when they return to their classrooms in September. This year, a total of 5,000 Return to School grants will be available to farming families, split across two phases to manage demand. Phase 1 will open on Monday 16 June at 9am, offering 2,500 grants, and phase 2 will follow on Monday 30 June, also at 9am, with a further 2,500 grants up for grabs. To ensure applications are processed as smoothly as possible, RABI is encouraging families to prepare their key information ahead of time. Applicants will need to provide the total number of children for whom they claim Child Benefit. This includes all children in the household, not just those aged between 4 and 16. A copy of a recent bank statement showing that Child Benefit has been received in the past two months must be supplied. Finally, applicants will need to confirm how many of their children fall within the eligible school-aged bracket of 4 to 16 years old. Scottish farmers risk losing thousands in vital subsidy payments unless they act now to comply with sweeping new land management rules coming into force in 2026, experts have warned. FBRSeed, a land management advisory firm, is urging farms to review their land use plans following the publication of revised 'greening' guidance by the Scottish government this week. The changes mean that farmers who grow at least 15 hectares of crops or rotational grassland will need to dedicate a minimum of 5% of their arable land to Ecological Focus Areas (EFAs) practices designed to support biodiversity and improve soil health. The firm warns that both long-standing EFA participants and those newly brought into the scheme risk falling foul of the updated rules if they do not adapt their land management in time. We know that EFAs have been around for a decade, and in that time have been largely unchanged, but farmers need to be aware of the changes coming into force in 2026, said Jenni Douglas, director at FBRSeed. This matters to two main groups of farmers. First, those already doing EFAs who may not realise that the rules have changed, and their current practices might no longer count. "Second, farmers whove never had to worry about EFAs before, like many in the dairy sector or those with more grassland, but who are now being brought into the scheme for the first time. "Previous management of EFAs may no longer count as the rules for existing options are being amended in an attempt to provide a larger benefit to biodiversity and soil health across the country. Introduced in 2015, EFAs ensure a portion of public agricultural subsidies is used to support environmental benefits, such as improved soil quality and greater biodiversity. Compliance currently accounts for around one-third of a farmers total subsidy payment, which acts as a top-up to the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and equates to an additional 75 per hectare. The revised guidance introduces four new EFA options including herb and legume rich grassland and low-input grassland broadening the range of options available to farmers. However, the firm cautions that existing options have also undergone a significant overhaul. Changes include new requirements for fallow ground cover, increased minimum field margin widths, and a sharply reduced window for hedgerow cutting. Farmers are being given advance notice of these changes for 2026 to give them the chance to plan ahead a rarity in Reform guidance to date, said Ms Douglas. We are therefore advising claimants to take advantage of this additional time to act prior to planning their autumn cropping to avoid panic or non-compliance issues next spring, at the worst possible time. All Scottish claimants will receive letters from the government this week outlining the changes. However, FBRSeed warns that the guidance is often dense and technical, and in some cases contradictory. Richard Armitage, director at the company, said many farmers risk making costly mistakes if they leave planning until the last minute. Farmers need to start mapping, planning and choosing compliant habitats soon. Leaving it too late could mean having to tear up growing crops in spring or, worse, not qualifying for their Greening payment altogether. With so much critical funding at stake, we see it as our responsibility to make sure farmers dont leave planning too late." The European Commission has confirmed that Bulgaria is ready to adopt the euro on January 1, 2026, marking a historic milestone as it prepares to become the twenty-first Member State in the euro area. This conclusion, detailed in the 2025 Convergence Report, finds that Bulgaria meets all four nominal convergence criteria and has aligned its legislation with EU requirements. The report, requested by Bulgarian authorities in February 2025, was published alongside the European Central Banks (ECB) own Convergence Report. It also considers Bulgarias economic integration, including trade, labour, and financial markets, the European Commission said in a press release. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission said: The euro is a tangible symbol of European strength and unity. Today, Bulgaria is one step closer to its adoption as currency. Thanks to the euro, Bulgaria's economy will become stronger, with more trade with euro area partners, foreign direct investment, access to finance, quality jobs and real incomes. And Bulgaria will take its rightful place in shaping the decisions at the heart of the euro area. Congratulations, Bulgaria! The European Commission has confirmed Bulgaria's readiness to adopt the euro on January 1, 2026, as outlined in the 2025 Convergence Report. Bulgaria meets all required economic and legislative criteria and will become the twenty-first euro area member. Final approval now rests with the Council of the EU following consultation with the ECB, European Parliament, and Eurogroup. Following the report, the Commission has adopted proposals for a Council Decision and Regulation on Bulgarias euro adoption. The final approval will come from the Council of the EU after consultation with the European Parliament, the ECB, and discussions within the Eurogroup and European Council. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD) ICE cotton futures closed higher on Thursday, supported by a strong US export sales report. Robust export demand sent a positive signal to traders. A weaker US dollar and rising crude oil prices also lent support to US cotton. A weaker dollar makes cotton purchases more attractive for overseas buyers, while higher crude oil prices increase the production cost of polyester fibre, a substitute for cotton. The ICE cotton July 2025 contract settled at 65.36 cents per pound (0.453 kg), up 0.37 cent, or 0.6 per cent, from the previous day. The contract has gained 30 points so far this week. The December 2025 contract closed at 67.98 cents, up 23 points, while other contracts rose between 1 and 37 points. However, the October contracts eased by 13 points. ICE cotton futures rose on Thursday, driven by a strong US export sales report, a weaker dollar, and higher crude oil prices. The July 2025 contract settled at 65.36 cents per pound. Weekly US cotton exports rose 15 per cent to 316,100 bales, with total sales surpassing 12 million bales. A softening US labour market and hopes for improved US-China trade relations also supported sentiment. Prices remained within their tight 16-session trading range, with the days lows near the lower boundaries of this range. The US dollar weakened against the euro after the European Central Bank signalled a possible end to its easing cycle, and US economic data pointed to a softening labour market amid ongoing tariff pressures. The weaker dollar supported cotton by making dollar-denominated commodities more affordable for buyers using other currencies. Crude oil futures also closed higher, recovering previous losses as sentiment improved following a phone call between President Xi Jinping and President Trump. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the Geneva Consensus and resuming trade talks. Trading volume stood at 59,266 contracts, while 45,927 contracts were cleared the previous day. The USDAs weekly export sales report showed that US cotton shipments reached 316,100 bales for the week ending May 29, up 15 per cent from the previous week and 1 per cent above the average of the prior four weeks. According to market analysts, the export report was solid, with weekly shipments exceeding 300,000 bales. Total sales have now surpassed 12 million bales, with nearly 10 million bales already shipped. Currently, ICE cotton for July 2025 is trading at 65.40 cents per pound (up 0.04 cent), cash cotton at 63.61 cents (up 0.37 cent), the October 2025 contract at 67.28 cents (down 0.13 cent), the December 2025 contract at 68 cents (up 0.02 cent), the March 2026 contract at 69.50 cents per pound (up 0.07 cent), and the May 2026 contract at 70.55 cents (up 0.10 cent). A few contracts remained at their previous closing levels, with no trading recorded today. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL) US President Donald Trump held a long and very good phone call yesterday with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, according to a Truth Social post by the former. I just concluded a very good phone call with President Xi, of China, discussing some of the intricacies of our recently made, and agreed to, Trade Deal, Trump wrote. President Trump held a long and 'very good' phone call yesterday with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, the former announced on Truth Social. The 90-minute call resulted in a very positive conclusion for both Countries, he noted. The conversation focused almost entirely on TRADE. Teams from both sides would meet soon, at a yet-to-be-determined location, to work out further trade arrangements. The call lasted approximately one and a half hours, and resulted in a very positive conclusion for both Countries, he noted. A Chinese state-run news agency confirmed that the conversation was initiated by Trump. Trump's social media post said the conversation focused almost entirely on TRADE and clarified that issues such as Russia/Ukraine or Iran were not discussed. Both the countries had struck a 90-day agreement on May 12 to roll back certain tariffs imposed during the ongoing trade war. However, tension over critical minerals continued. Teams from both countries would meet soon, at a yet-to-be-determined location, to work out further trade arrangements, Trumps social media post announced. The US side will be represented by treasury secretary Scott Bessent, commerce secretary Howard Lutnick and US trade representative Jamieson Greer. President Xi graciously invited the First Lady and me to visit China, and I reciprocated, Trump added. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS) We Are China U.S. Federal judge issues temporary restraining order to block Trump's visa ban for Harvard foreign students Xinhua) 11:21, June 06, 2025 SAN FRANCISCO, June 5 (Xinhua) -- A federal judge on Thursday issued a temporary restraining order to block the Trump administration's proclamation banning international students from entering the United States on Harvard-sponsored visas. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / June 5, 2025 / Right Season Investments Corp. (TSXV:LITT), ("Right Season" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Kristian Thorlund, PhD, as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Company and a member of the board of directors, effective immediately. Dr. Thorlund brings over two decades of expertise in data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI). A seasoned entrepreneur, he has been instrumental in founding several Canadian-based health technology companies, contributing to two successful multi-million-dollar private exits and two initial public offerings (IPOs). In addition to his entrepreneurial achievements, Dr. Thorlund serves as a part-time professor at McMaster University in Ontario and was formerly a visiting professor at Stanford University in California. He has published over 200 scientific articles in leading medical and data science journals and was previously ranked among the top 1% of most-cited researchers globally1 over the past decade. Dr. Thorlund also currently serves on the board of directors for Redwood AI and COA-AI, two AI software companies he co-founded. "I am honoured to join Right Season at such a pivotal time in its growth journey. With innovation in data science, AI, and technology shaping the future, I believe Right Season is uniquely positioned to capitalize on emerging opportunities. I look forward to working closely with the Board and the entire team to drive long-term value for our shareholders and to build on the strong foundation that has been established," stated Dr. Thorlund, CEO of Right Season. The Company also announces that Tyler Lewis, who has served as CEO and a director of Right Season, will remain with the Company as a director. The Board of Directors thanks Mr. Lewis for his leadership and contributions as CEO and looks forward to his continued involvement and guidance as the Company enters this next phase of growth. 1 https://redwoodai.com/kristian-thorlund About Right Season Investments Corp. Right Season Investments Corp. is a Canadian Venture Capital, Investment and Advisory Firm that strives to actively drive innovation and accelerate growth for its shareholders. Right Season invests capital into private and public companies that offer excellent growth opportunities. Contact: Kristian Thorlund, CEO Tel: 1 833 383 9900 Email: investor@rightseasoninvestmentscorp.com Cautionary and Forward-Looking Statements Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain certain forward-looking statements that are "forward looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance are "forward-looking information". These forward-looking statements reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available to it. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities, which may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. SOURCE: Right Seasons Investments View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/banking-and-financial-services/right-season-announces-appointment-of-dr.-kristian-thorlund-as-chief-1036161 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / June 5, 2025 / Alta Copper Corp. (TSX:ATCU)(OTCQX:ATCUF)(BVL:ATCU) ("Alta Copper" or "the Company") announces voting results for its Annual General Meeting of shareholders (the "Meeting") held on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Vancouver, British Columbia. A total of 44,398,593 common shares, representing 48.88% of the Company's outstanding common shares were represented at the Meeting and all motions put forward were passed. The following sets forth a summary of the Annual General Meeting voting results: Appointment of Auditor Kreston GTA LLP were appointed as Auditors of the Company for the ensuing year at a remuneration to be fixed by the Directors. Votes For: 94.56% Votes Withheld: 5.44% Number of Directors Prior to the Meeting, Mr. Robert McDonald tendered his resignation as a director of the Company and decided not to stand for re-election to pursue and dedicate more time to his other business interests. In light of Mr. McDonald's decision not to stand for re-election, there were four nominees for election as director, and the number of Directors was therefore set at four. The number of Directors was set at four. Votes For: 93.97% Votes Against: 6.03% Election of Directors The following nominees were elected as Directors to hold office until the next annual meeting of shareholders of the Company or until their successors are elected or appointed. Directors Votes For Votes Withheld Giulio T. Bonifacio 40,502,210 (93.20%) 2,954,988 (6.80%) Andrew Hamilton 35,768,491 (82.31%) 7,688,707 (17.69%) Steven Latimer 35,542,397 (81.79%) 7,914,801 (18.21%) Christine Nicolau 35,769,730 (82.31%) 7,687,468 (17.69%) Robert McDonald tendered his resignation and decided not to stand for re-election to pursue and dedicate more time to his other business interests. Appointment of Officers The following persons were appointed as officers of the Company: Steven Latimer Non-Executive Chairman Giulio T. Bonifacio President and Chief Executive Officer Dale Found Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Maria Paz Alfaro Corporate Secretary Giulio T. Bonifacio, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented: "I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Robert McDonald for his significant contributions, which have enabled the Company to make substantial progress in advancing our community engagement efforts and securing the necessary approvals from the Ministry of Energy and Mines. At the same time, I am very pleased to welcome Steven Latimer as our new Non-Executive Chairman. His appointment reflects our continued commitment to adhering to best practices in corporate governance, and I look forward to working closely with Steven in the months ahead." About Alta Copper Alta Copper is focused on the development of its 100% owned Canariaco advanced staged copper project. Canariaco comprises 91 square km of highly prospective land located 102 km northeast of the City of Chiclayo, Peru, which includes the Canariaco Norte deposit, the Canariaco Sur deposit and the Quebrada Verde prospect, all within a 4 km NE-SW trend in northern Peru's prolific mining district. Canariaco is one of the largest copper deposits in the Americas not held by a major. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, plans, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release. Although the Company believes the forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations and assumptions in such statements will prove to be correct. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which could cause events or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We are under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws. On behalf of the Board of Alta Copper Corp. "Giulio T. Bonifacio" President & Chief Executive Officer For further information please contact: Giulio T. Bonifacio gtbonifacio@altacopper.com +1 604 318 6760 Email: info@altacopper.com Website: www.altacopper.com X: https://x.com/Alta_Copper LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/altacopper/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AltaCopperCorp Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/altacopper/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AltaCopper SOURCE: Alta Copper Corp. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/alta-copper-announces-annual-general-meeting-voting-results-1036203 TOKYO, June 6, 2025 - (JCN Newswire) - TANAKA PRECIOUS METAL TECHNOLOGIES Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & CEO: Koichiro Tanaka), a company engaged in the industrial precious metals business of TANAKA, has received the 2025 Technology Award from the Catalyst Manufacturers Association, Japan (CMAJ) for development and practical application of electrode catalysts for PEM water electrolysis. Ikkei Arima, from TANAKA accepted the award and gave an acceptance speech at the CMAJ award ceremony held on June 5.PEM water electrolysis as an important technology for realizing a carbon-neutral societyGreater use of renewable energy is necessary for realizing a carbon-neutral society. A key challenge with renewable energy lies in the inability to control the timing of power generation. For instance, solar energy can be harnessed only during daylight hours and is dependent on clear weather conditions, limiting its availability when sunlight is insufficient. One way to avoid this timing issue is "power-to-gas" (P2G), a technology that is gaining attention recently. It utilizes technologies such as proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis to generate and store hydrogen by leveraging surplus electricity from renewable or alternative energy sources. The stored hydrogen can then be used as a clean power source when demand arises. Therefore, PEM water electrolysis is an important technology for realizing both power-to-gas technology and carbon neutrality.New catalyst technology to solve technological problem of hydrogen crossover in PEM water electrolysisThe 2025 Technology Award was granted for the development and practical application of electrode catalysts for PEM water electrolysis, recognizing a newly developed and commercialized dual-functional catalyst working as both an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst and gas recombination catalyst (GRC). This new catalyst technology succeeds in solving hydrogen crossover, a technological problem in the PEM water electrolysis process, by efficiently lowering the hydrogen concentration on the anode side of a water electrolysis reaction while maintaining high electrolysis efficiency.Hydrogen crossover poses a significant safety risk, as hydrogen (H2) produced at the cathode during water electrolysis can permeate the proton exchange membrane (PEM) and migrate to the anode side, where it may come into contact with oxygen (O2), creating a potential hazard for explosion or fire. Hydrogen crossover has been conventionally controlled by using thicker membranes, but the problem was that resistance increased as membrane thickness increased, which resulted in less efficient electrolysis. Use of this newly developed catalyst enables thinner membranes to be used to significantly improve both safety and electrolysis efficiency. Having been successfully mass produced, this catalyst is now available for customers in Japan and overseas. With a focus on this technology, TANAKA will contribute to realizing a carbon-neutral society, which will become increasingly important going forward.2025 Technology Award from Catalyst Manufacturers Association, JapanCategory: Technology AwardRecipients: Ikkei Arima, Saki Konaka, Mitsuharu Fujita, Mizuki Ito, and Tatsuhiro Yamashita, TANAKA PRECIOUS METAL TECHNOLOGIES Co., Ltd.Recognition: Development and practical application of electrode catalysts for PEM water electrolysis*Catalyst Manufacturers Association, Japan, was founded by companies manufacturing catalysts, producing catalyst-related materials, and dealing with catalyst products to promote the sound development of Japan's catalyst industry. It is Japan's leading catalyst industry association, with participation by major catalyst manufacturers. Through Technology Awards, Distinguished Service Awards, and Special Awards, the association's award system recognizes excellence in advanced catalyst-related technologies and technologies that have made a significant contribution to the catalyst industry each year.About TANAKASince its foundation in 1885, TANAKA has built a portfolio of products to support a diversified range of business uses focused on precious metals. TANAKA is a leader in Japan regarding the volume of precious metals it handles. Over many years, TANAKA has manufactured and sold precious metal products for industry and provided precious metals in such forms as jewelry and assets. As precious metals specialists, all Group companies in Japan and worldwide collaborate on manufacturing, sales, and technology development to offer a full range of products and services. With 5,591 employees, the group's consolidated net sales for the fiscal year ending December 2024, was 846.9 billion yen.TANAKA Industrial Precious Metal Materials Portalhttps://tanaka-preciousmetals.comProduct inquiriesTANAKA PRECIOUS METAL TECHNOLOGIES Co., Ltd.https://tanaka-preciousmetals.com/en/inquiries-on-industrial-products/Press inquiriesTANAKA PRECIOUS METAL GROUP Co., Ltd.https://tanaka-preciousmetals.com/en/inquiries-for-media/Press Release: https://www.acnnewswire.com/docs/files/20250606_EN.pdfSource: TANAKA PRECIOUS METAL GROUP Co., Ltd.Copyright 2025 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. Rio Tinto has officially opened its newest iron ore mine, Western Range, with Western Australian Premier Roger Cook and Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King joining Yinhawangka Traditional Owners and senior representatives from Rio Tinto and joint venture partner China Baowu Group (Baowu) to mark the milestone. Western Range has the capacity to produce up to 25 million tonnes of iron ore per year and could sustain the existing Paraburdoo mining hub for up to 20 years. The $2 billion1 project, a joint venture between Rio Tinto (54 per cent) and Baowu (46 per cent), was completed on time and on budget. It involved building a primary crusher and 18-kilometre conveyor system linked to the existing Paraburdoo processing plant. The new mine provides stability for Paraburdoo's more than 880 residential and FIFO employees. It also supports the ongoing viability of Paraburdoo town and strengthens the Western Australian and national economies through royalties and taxes. Yinhawangka Aboriginal Corporation Board Chairwoman Robyn Hayden (nee Tommy) and Yinhawangka Traditional Owners joined Premier Cook, Minister King, Baowu Group Chairman Hu Wangming, Baowu Resources Chairman Shi Bing, Rio Tinto Chief Executive Jakob Stausholm, Rio Tinto Iron Ore Chief Executive Simon Trott and other government and joint venture representatives on site for the opening. Western Australian Premier Roger Cook said: "The opening of Western Range is a significant achievement, and its importance to Western Australia's economy cannot be overstated. "My government will continue to back in our resources industry, which is creating quality jobs for Western Australians while helping us maintain the standard of life we all enjoy." Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King said: "The opening of Western Range is fantastic news for the Pilbara, for Western Australians, for Traditional Owners and for the nation. "The Pilbara is the engine room of the nation's economy. Projects like Western Range will keep that engine running for future generations of Australians." Western Range is Rio Tinto's first project to feature a co-designed Social, Cultural and Heritage Management Plan (SCHMP) with the Yinhawangka Traditional Owners. In keeping with the SCHMP, announced in 2022 with the Yinhawangka Aboriginal Corporation, Western Range has been designed to protect significant cultural and heritage values in the area. Yinhawangka Aboriginal Corporation Board Chairwoman Robyn Hayden (nee Tommy) said: "For Yinhawangka people, Country is everything it holds our spirit, our Law, and our deep responsibility to protect what was passed down to us. "The opening of the Western Range mine represents a shift in how our heritage is being recognised and respected. We acknowledge the work Rio Tinto has done to change how they engage with us, and the steps they've taken to build a stronger, more honest partnership. This is a meaningful beginning and we stand ready to walk forward together." Rio Tinto and Baowu's partnership in the Pilbara began with the 2002 Bao-HI Joint Venture to develop the Eastern Range deposits in the Hamersley Ranges. Chairman of China Baowu Group, Hu Wangming said: "The success of the Western Range project is not only a milestone in China-Australia resource co-operation, but also a vivid reflection of joint efforts and resilience from all parties involved. "The Western Range project is not only a strategic cornerstone in the global resource layout of China Baowu and Rio Tinto, but also a model of China-Australia economic and trade cooperation. Our joint efforts in green, low-carbon development and collaborative innovation have set new industry benchmarks and contributed valuable insights and strength to the sustainable development of global resources. "We are committed to working hand in hand with the Western Australian Government, Indigenous communities, and partners from all sectors to build an inclusive and sustainable cooperation ecosystem. We will also continue to fulfill our corporate responsibilities and drive industrial upgrading through technological innovation, injecting new momentum into regional prosperity and the stability of global supply chains." Rio Tinto Chief Executive Jakob Stausholm said: "Opening Western Range is an important step in Rio Tinto's extension plans in the Pilbara and ensures the longevity of one of our oldest mining hubs, Paraburdoo, which began operating in 1972. "I'm particularly proud of the work we've done with the Yinhawangka People to develop Western Range and we'll continue to work closely together. "Partnering with Baowu ensures our biggest customer directly benefits with a consistent, dedicated supply of Rio Tinto's world leading Pilbara Blend iron ore." First ore was processed through the Western Range system in late March this year. Additional Information Western Range is one of a tranche of replacement projects, with total annual capacity of ~130Mtpa2, that underpin Rio Tinto's ongoing commitment to the Pilbara. In addition to the 6 March 2025 announcement of a $1.8 billion investment to develop Brockman Syncline 1, both the Hope Downs 1 and West Angelas sustaining projects are progressing through approvals processes. During the next three years (2025-2027) Rio Tinto expects to invest more than $13 billion on new mines, plant and equipment. This builds on about $8.5 billion of investment in the Pilbara during the past three years (2022-2024). Rio Tinto continues to work on the pre-feasibility study for Rhodes Ridge, one of the world's largest and highest quality undeveloped iron ore deposits, which is targeting an initial capacity of up to 40Mtpa and first ore by 2030. Footnotes 1 All currency figures are in US dollars, unless otherwise specified, and on a 100 per cent basis. 2 Subject to timing of full capacity. The replacement projects include Western Range, West Angelas, Hope Downs 1, Greater Nammuldi and Brockman 4. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250605488902/en/ Contacts: Please direct all enquiries to media.enquiries@riotinto.com Media Relations, United Kingdom Matthew Klar M +44 7796 630 637 David Outhwaite M +44 7787 597 493 Media Relations, Australia Matt Chambers M +61 433 525 739 Michelle Lee M +61 458 609 322 Rachel Pupazzoni M +61 438 875 469 Media Relations, Canada Simon Letendre M +1 514 796 4973 Malika Cherry M +1 418 592 7293 Vanessa Damha M +1 514 715 2152 Media Relations, US Jesse Riseborough M +1 202 394 9480 Investor Relations, United Kingdom Rachel Arellano M: +44 7584 609 644 David Ovington M +44 7920 010 978 Laura Brooks M +44 7826 942 797 Weiwei Hu M +44 7825 907 230 Investor Relations, Australia Tom Gallop M +61 439 353 948 Phoebe Lee M +61 413 557 780 Rio Tinto plc 6 St James's Square London SW1Y 4AD United Kingdom T +44 20 7781 2000 Registered in England No. 719885 Rio Tinto Limited Level 43, 120 Collins Street Melbourne 3000 Australia T +61 3 9283 3333 Registered in Australia ABN 96 004 458 404 riotinto.com Category: PILBARA Munich, Germany--(Newsfile Corp. - June 5, 2025) - Winline Technology globally premiered its 1500V high-voltage isolated unidirectional DC/DC module, UXC150030, at the Power2Drive Europe exhibition in Munich, Germany, showcasing its latest innovations in green energy solutions. Alongside a full portfolio of charging and energy systems, the company attracted significant attention from European and global industry stakeholders through keynote speeches, product demonstrations, and technical exchanges. Winline Technology Debuts 1500V High-Voltage DC Module UXC150030 at Power2Drive Europe 2025, Accelerating Global Green Energy Transition To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8722/254695_2d20b8f964058b3b_001full.jpg During the product launch, Dr. Tong Cheng, Vice President of Overseas Marketing at Winline Technology, delivered a keynote speech highlighting the module's technical breakthroughs and application potential. Designed for ultra-high-voltage scenarios such as photovoltaic power generation, energy storage systems, MW-level mining trucks, and rail transit, the UXC150030 features an ultra-wide dual-terminal voltage range of 200-1500Vdc and a peak conversion efficiency of 98.5%. Leveraging third-generation semiconductor technology and proprietary topology design, the module minimizes energy loss while maintaining stable operation across temperatures from -40C to +75C, ensuring reliability in extreme climates and industrial environments. "UXC150030 is not only a technological milestone but also a precise response to the demands of the high-voltage DC market. It will provide standardized and highly compatible support for Europe's energy transition," emphasized Dr. Cheng. At the exhibition, Winline Technology demonstrated the innovative value of its product lineup through live displays and scenario-based explanations. The bidirectional DC/DC energy storage module UXC95050B, with a peak efficiency of 98.8% and dual-terminal voltage coverage of 200-950Vdc, serves as a core component for integrated solar-storage-charging systems and data center energy management. The high-power isolated module UXC100040, with an output range of 50-1000Vdc, addresses multi-vehicle fast charging and retired battery reuse needs. The liquid-cooled charging module LCR100040A combines IP50 protection with silent cooling technology to overcome challenges in corrosive and noise-sensitive environments. Meanwhile, the bidirectional AC/DC module UKG1K02-2, supporting a wide DC voltage range of 150-1000Vdc and AC voltage range of 260-530Vac, empowers V2G and smart energy networks. To address Europe's critical energy challenges-grid instability and urgent renewable energy integration-Winline Technology aligns its innovations with market trends. As Europe accelerates the adoption of DC microgrids to reduce AC/DC conversion losses and system costs, the company is committed to advancing hybrid AC/DC grid solutions through modular and scenario-driven designs. Moving forward, Winline Technology will deepen collaborations with European energy enterprises to drive intelligent grid upgrades, fostering a more stable and cost-effective green energy ecosystem across the continent. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/254695 SOURCE: Global News Dallas, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - June 5, 2025) - Guerrero Mobile Mechanics Launches Nationwide Service with Enhanced Digital Booking Platform. Guerrero Mobile Mechanics has expanded its mobile auto repair services across the United States, introducing a proprietary digital platform to streamline vehicle repair scheduling and improve service transparency. This nationwide launch marks a significant development in the company's ongoing efforts to provide convenient, professional auto repair services directly at customers' locations. Guerrero Mobile Mechanics Expands Nationwide with New Digital Platform To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/254698_827421a4a402ba71_002full.jpg The new digital platform allows customers to easily schedule appointments, receive real-time updates, and access mobile diagnostic services through an online portal or mobile application. This technology integration is designed to enhance the overall service experience by providing upfront pricing and allowing customers to track their repair progress remotely. The expansion supports Guerrero Mobile Mechanics' objective to make vehicle maintenance and emergency repairs more accessible by removing the need for traditional garage visits. Mobile mechanics can be dispatched to homes, workplaces, or other locations across the country, offering an alternative to the conventional auto repair model. Innovating Vehicle Repair with Technology The introduction of the digital platform accompanies the geographic expansion, reinforcing the company's commitment to leveraging technology to improve auto repair services. By incorporating mobile diagnostics and real-time communication tools, the platform aims to reduce uncertainty and increase transparency in vehicle repair. The system offers a user-friendly interface for customers to arrange repairs, view service details, and receive notifications throughout the repair process. This approach supports efficiency for both customers and mechanics while maintaining professional standards. Recognition for Industry Leadership Guerrero Mobile Mechanics was named the Best Mobile Auto Repair Service in Dallas of 2025 by Best of Best Review. This award acknowledges the company's innovative service model and its impact on increasing accessibility to auto repairs within the Dallas area. The distinction reflects the company's efforts to transform the auto repair experience through mobile service delivery combined with technology-driven scheduling and diagnostics. Guerrero Mobile Mechanics Expands Nationwide with New Digital Platform To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/254698_827421a4a402ba71_003full.jpg About Guerrero Mobile Mechanics Guerrero Mobile Mechanics provides on-demand, on-site vehicle repair services nationwide. The company combines certified mobile mechanics with a digital platform to deliver transparent, convenient, and reliable auto repairs directly to customers' locations. Guerrero Mobile Mechanics supports its workforce by offering flexible schedules, paid mileage, and emphasizing community engagement and professional development. Contact Info: Name: Joseph Chima Email: inquiries@guerreromobilemechanics.com Organization: Guerrero Mobile Mechanics Website: https://guerreromobilemechanics.com/ To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/254698 SOURCE: Plentisoft MONACO, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Stina Ehrensvard, founder of Yubico, was named the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 at an award ceremony held in Monaco's Salle des Etoiles. Stina was selected from among nearly 5,000 program participants that included 52 winners across 43 countries and jurisdictions competing for the global title. She is the fourth woman to hold the title and first winner from Sweden in the award's 25-year history. Stina is a natural business leader whose determination, drive and innovative mindset has created exponential growth for her company and a lasting impact on Sweden and its people. She has built an industry-leading and highly profitable company that has set new standards for internet security. Through her unwavering commitment to creating a safer and more secure world, Stina has successfully driven systemic change - protecting digital identities, strengthening democracy and building global trust in the connected world. In 2007, she co-founded Yubico, a company with the mission to make the internet safer for everyone. Within a year the company launched its first YubiKey, a physical security key for multifactor authentication (MFA), and over the next five years, it transformed the entire cybersecurity landscape by securing work with three of the biggest technology companies in Silicon Valley. Since then, Stina has scaled Yubico to where it now protects 19 of the world's 20 largest internet companies and its compound annual growth rate (CAGR) has been 40% since 2020. Janet Truncale, EY Global Chair and CEO, says: "Stina Ehrensvard exemplifies the spirit of entrepreneurship, a visionary leader who is confidently shaping the future through these disruptive times. Her achievements at Yubico are remarkable on their own - consistently creating new value and making a societal impact - but Stina's story goes much deeper. Her defining philosophy that a secure digital identity is a basic human right is exactly the type of purpose-driven leadership we look to celebrate with EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year. In this milestone year marking the 25th anniversary of the competition, Stina is a truly deserving world winner and an inspiration to us all." Stina Ehrensvard, co-founder of Yubico, says: "I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who has played a part in making this moment possible. The incredible teams within our company, the unwavering support from EY and especially the EY team in Sweden, who have cheered me on and guided me throughout this journey. I'm committed to saving the internet for democracy, for free speech, for education, for all the beautiful things we can do with it. This recognition isn't the finish line. It's fuel. We are building a safer digital world, and I won't stop until that mission is fulfilled." The EY organization hosts the annual World Entrepreneur of the Year event to celebrate the accomplishments of visionary leaders who are shaping the future with confidence, growing the economy and answering the call to address global challenges. The annual gathering brings together founders, CEOs and business leaders for a series of networking opportunities and workshops, culminating with the announcement of the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year. The EY World Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 was chosen by an independent panel of judges against four criteria: entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact. This year's panel included a diverse and esteemed group of entrepreneurs from all over the world, chaired by Asif Ramji, Founder and CEO of Venture Worx. Notes to editors About EY EY is building a better working world by creating new value for clients, people, society and the planet, while building trust in capital markets. Enabled by data, AI and advanced technology, EY teams help clients shape the future with confidence and develop answers for the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow. EY teams work across a full spectrum of services in assurance, consulting, tax, strategy and transactions. Fueled by sector insights, a globally connected, multi-disciplinary network and diverse ecosystem partners, EY teams can provide services in more than 150 countries and territories. All in to shape the future with confidence. EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com. This news release has been issued by EYGM Limited, a member of the global EY organization that also does not provide any services to clients. Eric Minuskin EY Global Media Relations +1 908 770 9758 eric.j.minuskin@ey.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2704738/EY_Stina_Ehrensvard_2025_winner.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2639247/EY_Shape_the_future_with_confidence_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/stina-ehrensvard-from-sweden-named-ey-world-entrepreneur-of-the-year-2025-302475046.html ISTANBUL, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- NAVEE, the performance-focused e-scooter brand that dominated Europe's micromobility market, is now bringing its flagship ST3 Pro, GT3 Max, and affordable N65i & V Series to Turkey. With industry-leading suspension technology and a "Hill Climb King" reputation, NAVEE invites Turkish riders to experience urban mobility redefined. In just four years, NAVEE has become the No. 1 new brand in e-mobility sales growth. It sets new industry standards with its innovative technologies: No. 1 New Brand in Sales Growth in the E-Mobility Market for 3 Years Running No. 1 in Polymer Damping Arm Suspension Technology - The first to bring automotive-grade suspension to electric scooters. - The first to bring automotive-grade suspension to electric scooters. No. 1 in Climbing Efficiency Under the Same Rated Power - Achieving an unmatched 28% climb at 600W rated power, setting the standard for performance. NAVEE's "Go Faster, Climb Easier, Ride Smoother" promise in Turkey is being put to the test by local KOLs in thrilling challenges. Introducing NAVEE's Flagship Scooter ST Series Electric Scooters NAVEE unveiled its revolutionary ST Series, featuring the ST3 Pro and ST3 - the suspension champion with Quadruple Polymer Damping Arm. Powered by high-rebound polymer shock absorbers, this patented design delivers a smooth ride on both urban streets and off-road trails. Rigorously tested, it sets a new standard in comfort, offering maximum shock absorption and stability-perfect for daily commutes or weekend adventures. The ST3 Pro is powered by a 1,350W peak motor (rated 600W, fully compliant with European regulations), enabling it to effortlessly tackle 15% inclines at speeds above 25 km/h without losing speed. While conventional scooters often slow down on climbs, NAVEE's advanced motor cooling technology and AI-powered control algorithms ensure consistent performance, setting the ST3 Pro apart with its unmatched climbing ability. With a TUV-certified 75 km range and a 596.7Wh smart battery system, the ST3 Pro eliminates range anxiety, making it ideal for both city commutes and countryside explorations. The ST3 offers an exhilarating ride at a more accessible price, featuring a 1,000W motor, 24% incline capability, and a 60 km range. Its triple brake system-front drum brake, rear disc brake, and electronic anti-lock braking (E-ABS)-reduces braking distance by 20%, while the TCS traction control system ensures safety and control even on slippery surfaces. Performance Flagship model - GT Series Electric Scooters The GT Series, the latest addition to NAVEE's lineup, sets a new benchmark for electric scooters by blending high performance, extended range, and ultimate comfort into one sleek package. Designed for both urban commuters and adventure seekers, the GT Series redefines what an electric scooter can achieve. The GT Series is max powered by 700W (GT3) and 1,000W (GT3 Pro, GT3 Max) motors, capable of tackling 18% and 22% inclines, respectively, with a top speed of 25 km/h. The GT3 Max leads the pack with a 75 km range, supported by a high-performance 596.7Wh battery, making it perfect for long commutes or weekend getaways. Its front fork and rear cylinder suspension reduce vibrations by 40%, ensuring a smooth ride on any terrain. The dual braking system-featuring a front drum brake and electronic ABS-delivers unmatched safety and control, even on wet or slippery surfaces. The GT Series integrates NAVEE's most advanced smart features, including locating, anti-theft protection, proximity locking and unlocking, Apple Find My, light settings, and range monitoring, all accessible via smartphone. Whether navigating busy city streets or exploring off-road trails, the GT Series is your ultimate companion for every journey. About NAVEE - A Brand on the Rise NAVEE is a leading innovator in the micromobility industry, revolutionizing personal transportation with its award-winning electric scooters and e-bikes. In just a few years, NAVEE has experienced a 700% surge in global sales, with over 150,000 scooters sold in 30+ countries. Driven by a commitment to cutting-edge technology and human-centric design, NAVEE has earned prestigious iF Design and Red Dot awards for its innovative products. For more information, please visit https://naveetech.com.tr Where to Buy Available now at Trendyol | MediaMarkt | Teknosa | Hepsiburada Official online store: https://navee.com.tr Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2703061/NAVEE.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/navee---europes-suspension-champion-in-escooter-now-available-in-turkey-302475087.html Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR Bondholder meetings will take place on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, to vote on proposals to amend the terms of the two outstanding convertible bonds CB 2025 and CB 2028 Allschwil, Switzerland - June 6, 2025 Idorsia Ltd (SIX: IDIA) today announced that following the expiry of the appeal period for the amended terms approved at the CB 2025 bondholder meeting of February 25, 2025 - during which no appeal was filed - it has published invitations to the next bondholder meetings for holders of its outstanding CHF 200 million convertible bonds maturing in 2025 (CB 2025; ISIN CH0426820350), and CHF 600 million convertible bonds maturing in 2028 (CB 2028; ISIN CH1128004079). At the meetings, the company will propose changing the current terms of the CB 2025 and CB 2028 as part of the larger holistic restructuring, as announced in a press release (https://www.idorsia.com/investors/news-and-events/media-releases/media-release-details?id=3397650) on February 26, 2025, and an update (https://www.idorsia.com/media/news/news-archive/media-release-details?id=3456188) published on May 21, 2025. To date, approximately 87% of the holders of the CB 2025 and 90% of holders of the CB 2028 have entered a legally binding lockup agreement in support of the holistic restructuring. Such bondholders have committed to vote in favour of the proposed amendments to the terms of the CB 2025 and CB 2028 at or before the meeting. The amendment of the terms of the CB 2025 and CB 2028 will be conditional on the consummation of the exchange offer, which is expected to be launched around or following the date of the bondholder meetings. Bondholders can access the invitations to the two bondholder meetings scheduled for Wednesday, June 25, 2025, including the terms of the resolution and additional information about the meeting, as well as a financial status report as of April 30, 2025, at the following links: www.idorsia.com/CB2025 (http://www.idorsia.com/CB2025) and www.idorsia.com/CB2028 (http://www.idorsia.com/CB2028). Notes to the editor About Idorsia Idorsia Ltd is reaching out for more - we have more passion for science, we see more opportunities, and we want to help more patients. The purpose of Idorsia is to challenge accepted medical paradigms, answering the questions that matter most. To achieve this, we will discover, develop, and commercialize transformative medicines - either with in-house capabilities or together with partners - and evolve Idorsia into a leading biopharmaceutical company, with a strong scientific core. Headquartered near Basel, Switzerland - a European biotech hub - Idorsia has a highly experienced team of dedicated professionals, covering all disciplines from bench to bedside; QUVIVIQ (daridorexant), a different kind of insomnia treatment with the potential to revolutionize this mounting public health concern; strong partners to maximize the value of our portfolio; a promising in-house development pipeline; and a specialized drug discovery engine focused on small-molecule drugs that can change the treatment paradigm for many patients. Idorsia is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: IDIA). For further information, please contact: Investor & Media Relations Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Hegenheimermattweg 91, CH-4123 Allschwil +41 58 844 10 10 investor.relations@idorsia.com - media.relations@idorsia.com - www.idorsia.com The above information contains certain "forward-looking statements", relating to the company's business, which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "estimates", "believes", "expects", "may", "are expected to", "will", "will continue", "should", "would be", "seeks", "pending" or "anticipates" or similar expressions, or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. Such statements include descriptions of the company's investment and research and development programs and anticipated expenditures in connection therewith, descriptions of new products expected to be introduced by the company and anticipated customer demand for such products and products in the company's existing portfolio. Such statements reflect the current views of the company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Attachment This transaction would strengthen the Group's industrial and commercial positions in its traditional markets across Europe Regulatory News: Seche Environnement (Paris:SCHP) announces the signing of a unilateral purchase offer with a view to acquiring Groupe Flamme, a major player in hazardous waste incineration in France and a key player in the industrial waste and sanitation markets in north-eastern France. The acquisition of Groupe Flamme would enable the integration of significant hazardous waste treatment capacities that are available and highly complementary in geographical, industrial and commercial terms with the Group's facilities in France and Europe. A unique opportunity due to the quality of the assets acquired, this strategic transaction would be fully in line with the Group's strategy of strengthening its position in France and Europe in the hazardous waste markets. On June 5, 2025, Seche Environnement signed a unilateral purchase offer with the shareholders of the three companies comprising "Groupe Flamme", namely A.R.F. and subsidiaries, Flamme Environnement and subsidiaries, and Flamme Assainissement and subsidiary, with a view to acquiring all of the shares comprising these companies' share capital. With approximately 560 employees, Groupe Flamme is a long-standing family-owned operator in the management of industrial, hazardous and non-hazardous waste, and also carries out sanitation activities. It has a strong foothold in the Hauts-de-France region, where it operates primarily, especially in the hazardous waste incineration sector. "Groupe Flamme", a leading hazardous waste management player in France Posting revenue of approximately 100 million and EBITDA of around 20 million in 20241, Groupe Flamme collects, recovers, and treats all types of industrial waste. It also operates in the environmental services and sanitation sectors. It carries out these three activities through three independent divisions: Hazardous Waste Collection and Treatment Division (A.R.F. , accounting for approximately 49% of consolidated revenue in 2024): A.R.F. is present throughout the value chain, from collection to incineration, through four industrial facilities in the Hauts-de-France region (Chauny, Vendeuil, St Remy-du-Nord and Gondecourt). , accounting for approximately 49% of consolidated revenue in 2024): A.R.F. is present throughout the value chain, from collection to incineration, through four industrial facilities in the Hauts-de-France region (Chauny, Vendeuil, St Remy-du-Nord and Gondecourt). Environment Division (Flamme Environnement , accounting for approximately 27% of consolidated revenue in 2024): dedicated to the management of environmental services for all types of everyday waste, household waste, recyclable waste, and green waste through integrated collection, transport, recovery, and treatment services, backed by multi-year contracts. , accounting for approximately 27% of consolidated revenue in 2024): dedicated to the management of environmental services for all types of everyday waste, household waste, recyclable waste, and green waste through integrated collection, transport, recovery, and treatment services, backed by multi-year contracts. Sanitation Division(Flamme Sanitation, accounting for approximately 24% of consolidated revenue in 2024): with nine branches in France and Belgium and a reputation for high-quality services, the Division offers its industrial clients a range of services including sanitation, pumping, cleaning, and maintenance of their industrial facilities. A strategic transaction for Seche Environnement's development With the acquisition of Groupe Flamme, Seche Environnement would make significant progress in its strategic development in core markets, particularly in incineration in France, while strengthening its position among the leading hazardous industrial waste treatment players in France and Europe. Perfectly complementing Seche Environnement's geographical network in the hazardous waste markets in France (primarily in western, eastern, and southeastern France at present), this acquisition would give the Group new access to industrial customers in northern France and its border regions, where it could offer relevant local solutions to their hazardous waste management issues, backed by efficient logistics tools, pre-treatment facilities (platforms), and treatment facilities (incinerators) with significant authorized and available capacities. These new capacities would accelerate the development of industrial and geographic synergies within the Group by enabling the internal processing of growing volumes of hazardous waste from its sorting and consolidation platforms. In addition, Groupe Flamme would bring to Seche Environnement its recognized technological expertise in promising industrial markets where the Group currently has limited presence, such as aerosol and oil recovery. A partnership based on shared values and a common vision Maxime Seche, Chief Executive Officer of Seche Environnement, said: "We would be delighted to welcome Groupe Flamme's employees into the Seche Environnement family. This merger would mark the union of two family-owned companies guided by a common vision and strong values: a solid regional presence, a tangible commitment to environmental responsibility, a strong service mindset, and genuine care for the men and women who bring our businesses to life. Beyond the obvious industrial and commercial synergies, this project is based on shared convictions, complementary expertise and a common ambition to support the ecological transition. Together, we can enrich our industrial service offering, accelerate our development in the Hauts-de-France region and nationwide, while consolidating our presence in European and international markets." The acquisition would be carried out on the basis of a price of approximately 300 million for 100% of the shares. It concerns 100% of the share capital of the companies involved and would be financed with the Group's available cash. The Groupe Flamme companies will now initiate the information and consultation process with their employee representative bodies. Closing of the acquisition would be subject to approval by the French Competition Authority. Upcoming events Consolidated Results to June 30, 2025: September 9, 2025 after market About Seche Environnement Seche Environnement is a benchmark player in waste management, including the most complex and hazardous waste, and in environmental services, particularly in the event of environmental emergencies. Thanks to its expertise in creating circular economy loops, decarbonization and hazard control, and to the cutting-edge technologies developed by its R&D, Seche Environnement has been contributing for nearly 40 years to the ecological transition of industries and territories, as well as to the protection of living organisms. A family-owned French industrial group, Seche Environnement supports its customers through subsidiaries in 9 strategic countries and more than 120 locations worldwide, including some 50 industrial sites in France. With some 7,300 employees, including around 3,000 in France, Seche Environnement generated revenue of 1,110.4 million in 2024, of which around 32% outside France. Seche Environnement has been listed on Eurolist by Euronext (compartment B) since November 27, 1997. The stock is included in the CAC Mid&Small, EnterNext Tech 40 and EnterNext PEA-PME 150 indices. ISIN: FR0000039139 Bloomberg: SCHP.FP Reuters: CCHE.PA For more information: www.groupe-seche.com _________________________ 1 Financial year ended September 30, 2024 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250605552929/en/ Contacts: SECHE ENVIRONNEMENT Analyst Investor Relations Manuel ANDERSEN Head of Investor Relations m.andersen@groupe-seche.com +33 (0)1 53 21 53 60 Media Relations Anna JAEGY Head of Communication a.jaegy@groupe-seche.com +33 (0)1 53 21 53 53 Elisabeth Pataki, a progressive finance executive with over 20 years of experience at various publicly listed multi-national aerospace and defence companies, will strengthen SES's Leadership Team as new CFO SES today announced its Board of Directors has appointed Elisabeth (Lisa) Pataki as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective 16 June 2025. Lisa is a progressive finance executive with over 20 years of experience at various publicly listed multi-national aerospace and defence companies with strong background in company transformation and investment strategies. She will succeed Sandeep Jalan who has been SES's CFO since May 2020. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250605243814/en/ Lisa Pataki The SES Board acknowledges Sandeep's contribution to SES and wishes him success in future endeavours. Lisa will work closely with Sandeep to ensure a smooth handover before he leaves on 31 July 2025. "I would like to thank Sandeep for his steadfast leadership over the last five years where he has driven continuous execution improvement and transformation while strengthening the company's balance sheet with a competitive cost of capital and delivering healthy cash returns to shareholders," said Adel Al-Saleh, CEO of SES. "We are pleased to welcome Lisa as our new CFO. Lisa has extensive experience in the aerospace and defence ecosystem and has completed several successful M&A finance integrations. Moreover, her ability to develop financial strategies that prioritise operational focus, efficiency, and profitable investments will strengthen SES's Leadership Team, helping SES achieve our mission of being a leading satellite player." "I would like to thank everyone at SES for their outstanding teamwork," said Sandeep, CFO of SES. "I am proud of the strides we have made during the past years, and I will continue to cheer SES's progress in the industry." Incoming CFO Lisa said, "I look forward to stepping into this new position and working with everyone at SES to jointly deliver an exciting future for the years to come." Lisa joins SES from Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Company, where she helped expand profitability through streamlining operations and prioritising capital investments for long-term growth. As Group CFO for the Comet Group from 2020-2023, she drove EBITDA margin expansion of over 5 percentage points. In her 10-year progressive career (2005-2015) across RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon Technologies Corporation), she held multiple finance roles and led the financial integration of Applied Signal Technologies, one of Raytheon's largest acquisitions in 2011. Follow us on: Twitter Facebook YouTube LinkedIn Instagram Read our Blogs Visit the Media Gallery > About SES SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere on Earth by distributing the highest quality video content and providing seamless data connectivity services around the world. As a provider of global content and connectivity solutions, SES owns and operates a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) fleet and medium earth orbit (MEO) constellation of satellites, offering a combination of global coverage and high-performance services. By using its intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES delivers high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners around the world. The company is headquartered in Luxembourg and listed on Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information is available at: www.ses.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250605243814/en/ Contacts: For further information please contact: Suzanne Ong Communications Tel. +352 710 725 500 suzanne.ong@ses.com EQS-News: AUTODOC SE / Key word(s): IPO AUTODOC Plans Frankfurt Stock Exchange Listing 06.06.2025 / 08:44 CET/CEST The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. PRESS RELEASE EQS Key word(s): IPO AUTODOC Plans Frankfurt Stock Exchange Listing NOT FOR PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR RELEASE, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES (INCLUDING ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA), CANADA, AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AFRICA OR JAPAN, OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR RELEASE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICE AT THE END OF THIS DOCUMENT. AUTODOC is the leading digital pure-play automotive parts platform in Europe. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Berlin, AUTODOC covers 27 European countries and focuses on the B2C market segment whilst increasingly penetrating the B2B market. In 2024, AUTODOC generated Sales Revenue of around 1.6 billion and Adjusted EBITDA of 151 million The Company addresses the digitization of the ~109 billion European independent automotive parts aftermarket and operates as the only scaled digital player in the category, consolidating a highly fragmented market with significant potential for efficiency improvements and transparency enhancements. AUTODOC built a system benefiting distributors, direct suppliers/manufacturers as well as customers AUTODOC has a proven track record of strong growth, profitability, and high cash conversion and is entirely bootstrapped since foundation The Company is considering a private placement of shares from existing shareholders and listing on the regulated market (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in Q2 of 2025, subject to market conditions. The offering is expected to create substantial free float and trading liquidity in the shares of the Company Berlin, 6 June 2025 - Autodoc SE (the "Company" and, together with its consolidated subsidiaries, "AUTODOC") today announced its intention to list its shares on the regulated market (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. An accompanying private placement to institutional investors in Germany and in certain other countries is expected to comprise shares from existing shareholders which include the Company's founders as well as Apollo Global Management (the "Private Placement"). The planned Private Placement and the first day of trading are expected in the second quarter of 2025, subject to market conditions. #1 Digital Pure-Play Automotive Parts Platform in Europe As a true technology company in automotive aftermarket eCommerce, AUTODOC combines a differentiating set of expertise, encompassing everything from automotive parts and comprehensive cataloguing to streamlined supply chain and logistics, effective digital marketing and sales, cutting-edge web and mobile app development, automated price management, seamless IT integration, robust customer service and experience management, and insightful big data analytics In 2024, the Company offered a range of approximately 6.7 million automotive products from around 2,500 brand manufacturers, including its proprietary brands, serving over 340 vehicle brands with confidence. AUTODOC maintains a leading position in the eCommerce-based European independent automotive aftermarket, with strong growth in its core B2C markets and added potential to take market share from the much larger B2B market. In 2024, Apollo Global Management acquired a minority stake in AUTODOC in an all secondary transaction, marking the first external equity investment into the Company since its foundation in 2008. This investment displayed a strong vote of confidence in AUTODOC's long-term strategy, team, and future growth potential. Highly Attractive Financial Profile with Consistent Track Record of Profitable Growth AUTODOC's financial profile is characterized by a unique combination of high revenue growth, profitability and cash conversion. AUTODOC achieved around 1.6 billion of Sales Revenue in 2024, which represents a CAGR of 17.5% from 2022 until 2024. Adjusted EBITDA amounted to around 151 million, which represents an Adjusted EBITDA margin of around 10%. Furthermore, AUTODOC operates an asset-light model with minimal historical capital expenditures, leading to an around 93% cash conversion in 2024. The Company had a strong start to 2025 and achieved Sales Revenue of around 427 million in Q1 2025, which represents 21% year-on-year (YoY) growth. This growth was supported by strong performance in key markets, with Germany and France achieving double-digit revenue increases of 12.9% and 34.5%, respectively. A significant driver of growth was the continued B2B ramp-up, marking a 174% YoY Sales Revenue growth. The Company also saw significant YoY gains in the number of orders, products sold, and new customers. EBITDA rose by approximately 18.9% to 33.9 million during the same period. The Company's strong financial profile, coupled with its long-term founder vision, has led to an outstanding track record of achieving efficient and sustainable growth, without sacrificing innovation and business expansion. AUTODOC's Entry Into the B2B Market for Automotive Parts AUTODOC initially launched its B2B business, AUTODOC PRO, in France in 2022 and in the Netherlands in 2024. The Company has made these services also available in Austria, Belgium, Germany and Italy and intends to gradually expand to other European markets in 2025 and 2026. AUTODOC intends to roll out this platform incrementally across additional European markets, concurrently improving and expanding its features to drive B2B sales growth. This involves expanding the product portfolio to include adjacent categories like tools and parts for electric cars, while addressing changing customer preferences. In its second full year of operations, AUTODOC PRO showcased remarkable growth. AUTODOC's B2B Sales Revenue increased from around 18 million in 2023 to about 68 million in 2024. By the end of the year, all 106 designated zones in France were fully operational, and existing garage partnerships saw significant expansion, leading to a notable increase in order volume. Overall, the B2B business contributed roughly 4% of AUTODOC's Sales Revenue in 2024. Shared Commitment to a Sustainable Future AUTODOC is committed to responsible leadership and sustainable business practices. The Company's governance structure reflects this commitment, ensuring long-term success guided by high ethical standards and a strong focus on sustainability. AUTODOC takes a forward-looking approach by embedding sustainability into its operations, decision-making processes and business strategy. The Company continuously reviews its governance structure and refines it to ensure compliance with evolving regulations such as the CSRD and European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). This enables the Company to be prepared for the future and maintain accountability to all its stakeholders. Contemplated Listing as Logical Next Step in AUTODOC's Evolution The Private Placement is expected to consist of an offering of existing shares held by the current shareholders, who intend to create substantial free float and trading liquidity in the shares of the Company. Further, AUTODOC intends to list on the regulated market (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Each the selling shareholders as well as AUTODOC intend to enter into customary lock-up agreements subject to certain exceptions. The Management Board members will be obliged to build a certain position of shares in the Company. This obligation aims to strengthen the alignment of the Management Board's and shareholders' interests. For current as well as future Management Board members the required number of shares corresponds to 100% of the respective annual gross base salary. Barclays Bank Ireland PLC, Citigroup Global Markets Europe AG, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft and Jefferies GmbH are acting as Joint Global Coordinators and Joint Bookrunners in connection with the Private Placement and Apollo Capital Solutions Europe B.V., Banco Santander, S.A. and UniCredit Bank GmbH are acting as Joint Bookrunners. About AUTODOC AUTODOC is the leading digital pure-play automotive parts platform in Europe. The Company, which was founded in Berlin in 2008 by Alexej Erdle, Max Wegner and Vitalij Kungel, has developed into one of the most exciting eCommerce companies in Europe in a remarkably short period. Since November 2022, the Company has been operating as the European corporation Autodoc SE. The Management Board consists of Dmitry Zadorozhny (CEO) and Lennart Schmidt (CFO). As of December 31, 2024, AUTODOC's product assortment comprises around 6.7 million SKUs from around 2,500 brand manufacturers as of December 31, 2024, including car parts, truck parts, motorcycle parts, tires, as well as adjacent products such as tools, accessories, oils and liquids and consumables and has significantly increased over time. In 2024, AUTODOC generated Sales Revenue of 1.6 billion (2023: 1.3 billion). AUTODOC has online shops in 27 European countries and employs around 5,000 people in 13 locations: Germany, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Moldova, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom, and Ukraine. Contacts Kai Bremer Vice President Treasury and Investor Relations Tel.: +49 30 208476524 Mobile: +49 175 2170089 Email: k.bremer@autodoc.eu Autodoc SE, Kurfurstendamm 22, 10719 Berlin Stefanie Steiner Director Investor Relations Tel.: +49 30 208476524 Mobile: +49 151 55621476 Email: s.steiner@autodoc.eu Autodoc SE, Kurfurstendamm 22, 10719 Berlin Tina Rodriguez Director of Communications Tel.: +49 30 208476524 Mobile: +49 160 99051581 Email: t.rodriguez@autodoc.eu Autodoc SE, Kurfurstendamm 22, 10719 Berlin Elena Lorenz PR & Communications Manager Tel.: +49 30 208476524 Mobile: +49 151 46722435 Email: e.lorenz@autodoc.eu Autodoc SE, Kurfurstendamm 22, 10719 Berlin Disclaimer/Important Notices: This announcement may not be published, distributed or transmitted in the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa or Japan. This announcement is not an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase, securities in the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa or Japan or in any other jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is not authorized or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation. The securities to which this announcement relates have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in an offering not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. There will be no public offering of the securities in the United States. This announcement constitutes neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation to buy securities. No public offer will be made. An investment decision regarding securities of Autodoc SE (the "Company") should only be made on the basis of the securities prospectus (including any supplements thereto, if any) to be approved by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Bundesanstalt fur Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht; "BaFin"), which approval should not be understood as an endorsement of the securities offered. The securities prospectus will be published promptly upon approval and will be available free of charge on the Company's website (ir.autodoc.group). In any member state of the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, this communication is only addressed to and is only directed at qualified investors in such member state or the United Kingdom within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation EU 2017/1129 (as amended, the "Prospectus Regulation") or the Prospectus Regulation as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the "UK Prospectus Regulation"), respectively, and no person that is not a qualified investor may act or rely on this communication or any of its contents. This communication is being distributed to and is only directed at: (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom; or (ii) to persons who are "qualified investors" within the meaning of Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation and who are also (a) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order") or (b) high net worth companies, and other persons falling within Articles 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons in (i) and (ii) above together being referred to as "relevant persons"). Any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe for, purchase or otherwise acquire securities will be engaged in only with relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this communication or any of its contents. This announcement is an advertisement for the purposes of the Prospectus Regulation and underlying legislation or the UK Prospectus Regulation. It is not a prospectus. The present material contains various statements relating to the future development of AUTODOC and the Company. These statements are based on assumptions and estimates. Although we are convinced that the forward-looking statements are realistic, they are not guarantees of future performance since our assumptions involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. Such factors include market fluctuations, the development of world market prices for commodities or spare parts and exchange rates or fundamental changes in the economic environment. The Company does not intend to and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or developments after the date of this material. This announcement also contains certain financial measures that are not recognized under International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). These non-IFRS measures are presented because AUTODOC believes that they and similar measures are widely used in the markets in which it operates as a means of evaluating AUTODOC's operating performance and financing structure. They may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies and are not measurements under IFRS or other generally accepted accounting principles. Each of Barclays Bank Ireland PLC, Citigroup Global Markets Europe AG, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, Jefferies GmbH, Apollo Capital Solutions Europe B.V., Banco Santander, S.A. and UniCredit Bank GmbH (together, the "Banks") is acting exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection with the planned Private Placement of shares of the Company and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to their respective customers or for providing advice in relation to any offering or any transaction or arrangement referred to herein. Each of the Banks and their respective affiliates expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update, review or revise any forward looking statement contained in this announcement whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. In connection with the planned Private Placement, the Banks and any of their affiliates, acting as investors for their own accounts, may subscribe for or purchase securities of the Company and in that capacity may retain, purchase, sell, offer to sell or otherwise deal for their own accounts in such securities and other securities of the Company or related investments in connection with the planned Private Placement or otherwise. Accordingly, references in the prospectus, once published, to the securities being issued, offered, subscribed, acquired, placed or otherwise dealt in should be read as including any issue or offer to, or subscription, acquisition, placing or dealing by the Banks and any of their affiliates acting as investors for their own accounts. In addition, certain of the Banks or their respective affiliates may enter into financing arrangements (including swaps or contracts for differences) with investors in connection with which such Banks (or their affiliates) may from time to time acquire, hold or dispose of the Company's shares. The Banks do not intend to disclose the extent of any such investment or transactions otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligations to do so. None of the Banks or any of their respective representatives accepts any responsibility or liability whatsoever for or makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the truth, accuracy or completeness of the information in this announcement (or whether any information has been omitted from the announcement) or any other information relating to the Company, its subsidiaries or associated companies, whether written, oral or in a visual or electronic form, and howsoever transmitted or made available or for any loss howsoever arising from any use of this announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith. The information contained in this release is for background purposes only and does not purport to be full or complete. No reliance may be placed by any person for any purpose on the information contained in this release or its accuracy, fairness or completeness. The expected date of the admission to trading of shares of the Company on the regulated market segment (regulierter Markt) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Frankfurter Wertpapierborse) with simultaneous admission to the sub-segment of the regulated market with additional post-admission obligations (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Frankfurter Wertpapierborse) (together, the "Listing") may be influenced by things such as market conditions. There is no guarantee that Listing will occur and no financial decision should be based on the intentions of the Company in relation to Listing at this stage. Acquiring investments to which this release relates may expose an investor to a significant risk of losing all of the amount invested. Persons considering making such investments should consult an authorized person specializing in advising on such investments. This release does not constitute a recommendation concerning the Private Placement. The value of shares can decrease as well as increase. Potential investors should consult a professional advisor as to the suitability of the Private Placement for the person concerned. 06.06.2025 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.eqs-news.com Rheinmetall, Renk und Hensoldt haben den Rustungsboom der letzten Jahre dominiert, doch inzwischen sind diese Titel fundamental heillos uberbewertet. KGVs jenseits der 60, KUVs uber 4, und das in einem politisch fragilen Umfeld mit wackelnder Haushaltsdisziplin. Fur spateinsteigende Anleger kann das teuer werden. Doch es gibt Alternativen, die bislang unter dem Radar fliegen; solide bewertet, operativ stark und mit Nachholpotenzial. In unserem kostenlosen Report zeigen wir dir, welche 3 Rustungsunternehmen noch Potenzial haben und wie du von der zweiten Welle der Zeitenwende profitieren kannst, ohne sich an uberhitzten Highflyer zu verbrennen. Holen Sie sich den neuesten Report! Verpassen Sie nicht, welche Aktien besonders vom weltweiten Aufrusten profitieren durften, und laden Sie sich das Gratis-PDF jetzt kostenlos herunter. Dieses exklusive Angebot gilt aber nur fur kurze Zeit! Daher jetzt downloaden! Ende Mai leitete US-Prasident Donald Trump mit der Unterzeichnung mehrerer Dekrete eine weitreichende Wende in der amerikanischen Energiepolitik ein. Im Fokus: der beschleunigte Ausbau der Kernenergie. Mit einem umfassenden Manahmenpaket sollen Genehmigungsprozesse reformiert, kleinere Reaktoren gefordert und der Anteil von Atomstrom in den USA massiv gesteigert werden. Ausloser ist der explodierende Energiebedarf durch KI-Rechenzentren, der eine stabile, CO-arme Grundlastversorgung zwingend notwendig macht. In unserem kostenlosen Spezialreport erfahren Sie, welche 3 Unternehmen jetzt im Zentrum dieser energiepolitischen Neuausrichtung stehen, und wer vom kommenden Boom der Nuklearindustrie besonders profitieren konnte. Holen Sie sich den neuesten Report! Verpassen Sie nicht, welche Aktien besonders von der Energiewende in den USA profitieren durften, und laden Sie sich das Gratis-PDF jetzt kostenlos herunter. Dieses exklusive Angebot gilt aber nur fur kurze Zeit! Daher jetzt downloaden! Deployment underscores Allvue's momentum in Luxembourg and supports White Oak Management's mission to deliver scalable, tech-enabled fund services. Allvue Systems, a leading provider of cloud-based technology for investment managers and fund administrators, today announced that Luxembourg-based White Oak Management S.A. has officially gone live on Allvue's Fund Administration platform. White Oak Management selected Allvue to power its fund administration offering, enabling the firm to deliver streamlined operations, automated workflows, and superior reporting capabilities to its customers. As White Oak Management expands its footprint in Luxembourg's financial services landscape, Allvue's integrated, cloud-native platform provides the scalability and efficiency needed to meet the evolving demands of the alternatives markets. "We chose Allvue because we needed more than just software we needed a long-term technology partner with the ability to support our growing business in the region," said Gabor Mocskonyi, Managing Director of White Oak Management. "Allvue's robust reporting capabilities, operational flexibility, and seamless investor experience enables us to provide the level of service our clients expect as we scale." "White Oak Management is exactly the kind of partner we built Fund Administration Essentials for a forward-thinking firm focused on delivering premium client service with operational excellence," said James DiCostanzo, Head of the Fund Administration line of business at Allvue Systems. "We're especially proud to support their growth in the Luxembourg region, where demand is rising for next-generation fund servicing capabilities." The deployment also underscores Allvue's ability to support Transfer Agent operations a critical pillar in fund administration. Allvue's capabilities empower firms like White Oak Management to manage investor information, account maintenance, and ongoing due diligence. The platform also supports capabilities related to transaction administration, as well as fund accounting, and investor relations. With Allvue, administrators can deliver a seamless and compliant investor experience, from onboarding to reporting. Allvue's Fund Administration platform is designed to help fund administrators scale to meet modern challenges through: Powerful fund accounting and general ledger tools Collaborative client portals and reporting dashboards Investment and investor management tools to meet Transfer Agent responsibilities Industry leading reporting capabilities A modern, API-first architecture for integration and growth "This successful deployment further reinforces Allvue's commitment to supporting administrators across Europe with purpose-built solutions that accelerate growth, reduce operational risk, and elevate the investor experience," said Iryan Clunis, Head of EMEA at Allvue Systems. To learn more visit allvuesystems.com. About Allvue Systems Allvue is headquartered in Miami with locations globally throughout North America, Europe and India. Allvue is a recognized leader of cloud-based technology, AI, data, and services solutions for alternative investment managers in the private capital markets. Our integrated suite of software empowers firms of all sizes-including private equity managers, private debt managers, public credit managers, fund administrators, and banks-to streamline operations, enhance data accuracy, and drive superior investment decisions. Allvue has made deep investments in AI research and development as part of its commitment to innovation, which will enable clients to optimize workflows, automate processes, and gain deeper analytical insights across the entire investment lifecycle. About White Oak Management S.A. White Oak Management S.A. is a Luxembourg-based firm offering bespoke family office, corporate, and administrative services. Founded with a client-centric philosophy, the firm is known for its rigorous service quality, regulatory compliance, and long-standing client relationships. Learn more at www.wom.lu. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250606808154/en/ Contacts: Press Contacts for Allvue: Laura Sankowich Allvue Systems 484.354.3918 lsankowich@allvuesystems.com Jide Adesesan Allvue@madebygiants.io Made By Giants Press Contact for White Oak Gabor Mocskonyi White Oak Management +352 2899 2826 gabor.mocskonyi@wom.lu LONDON, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- BitGo, the leading global infrastructure provider of digital asset solutions, is pleased to announce that it has been recognized at the industry renowned Hedgeweek Global Digital Asset Awards 2025, winning two categories: Custodian of the Year - Overall Staking Services Provider of the Year The award recognitions come on the heels of a landmark year for BitGo, marked by rapid growth and industry leadership. In 2025, BitGo solidified its position as the world's largest staking platform, which is one of several key milestones that underscore its expanding influence in the digital asset space. This progress coincides with the adoption of a pro-crypto agenda by the new U.S. administration, which is helping to foster growth across the industry in North America and on a global scale. Notably, CEO Mike Belshe represented the company at the White House's inaugural Crypto Summit in March, further reinforcing BitGo's central role in shaping the future of digital finance. "We are delighted that BitGo has won 'Staking Services Provider of the Year' at the 2025 Hedgeweek awards," said Brett Reeves, Head of Go Network & European sales at BitGo."To be recognised in this way for our digital asset staking is a testament to the products and services we provide via our comprehensive staking platform, and follows our recent announcement in February that BitGo is the world's largest staking provider with $48 billion in staked assets." Reeves added, "By winning 'Custodian of the Year', we further enhance our position as one of the leading and most trusted providers of custody services in crypto. This year, BitGo has received our VARA License in Dubai and our MiCA approvals in the EU - bringing our global trust companies to 7." Held in London, the annual Hedgeweek Global Digital Assets Awards recognize fund performance and service provider excellence in digital assets. Winners are chosen by individuals in the industry who vote for shortlisted partners they have worked with. For the service provider categories, the nominated firms are based on detailed research by their in-house team and a widespread survey of more than 100 global-based digital assets fund managers. About BitGo BitGo is the leading infrastructure provider of digital asset solutions, delivering custody, wallets, staking, trading, financing, and settlement services from regulated cold storage. Since our founding in 2013, we have focused on enabling our clients to securely navigate the digital asset space. With a large global presence through multiple regulated entities, BitGo serves thousands of institutions, including many of the industry's top brands, exchanges, and platforms, as well as millions of retail investors worldwide. As the operational backbone of the digital economy, BitGo handles a significant portion of Bitcoin network transactions and is the largest independent digital asset custodian, and staking provider, in the world. For more information, visit www.bitgo.com. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/bitgo-wins-staking-services-provider-of-the-year-and-custodian-of-the-year-categories-at-hedgeweek-global-digital-asset-awards-2025-302474631.html -- Trailblazing innovations in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical technology, public sector, and digital health honoured at prestigious London ceremony LONDON, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Galien Foundation, the premier global institution dedicated to honouring innovators in life sciences, announced the winners of the 2025 Prix Galien UK Awards last night at the Natural History Museum, London. The awards celebrate outstanding achievements for "Best Pharmaceutical Product," "Best Pharmaceutical Product with an Orphan/Rare Disease Indication," "Best Biotechnology Product," "Best Medical Technology," "Best Digital Health Solution," "Best Public Sector Innovation," and "Best Health Equity Initiative." "This year's submissions were of exceptional caliber, making the task of selecting winners both challenging and inspiring. The awardees have demonstrated groundbreaking progress in their fields, and their work holds great promise for patients worldwide," said Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed, David Weatherall Chair of Medicine at the University of Liverpool, NHS Chair of Pharmacogenetics, and Chair of the Prix Galien UK Committee. The 2025 Prix Galien UK Award Winners Best Pharmaceutical Product AstraZeneca and Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) LYNPARZA Best Pharmaceutical Product with an Orphan/Rare Disease Indication Sanofi Rezurock (Belumosudil) Best Biotechnology Product Immunocore KIMMTRAK Best Medical Technology Insulet Corporation Omnipod 5 Automated Insulin Delivery System Best Digital Health Solution Kidney Beam Ltd KIDNEY BEAM Best Public Sector Innovation University of Oxford Oxford R21/Matrix-M Malaria Vaccine Best Health Equity Initiative Kids Operating Room Solar Surgery The prestigious 2025 Prix Galien UK Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon Dame June Raine, Former Chief Executive Officer, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, for outstanding contributions to the UK health industry. "The Prix Galien UK continues to reflect the extraordinary scientific talent and commitment within the United Kingdom's life sciences sector. The 2025 winners exemplify the power of innovation to transform patient care and represent a pioneering group shaping the future of healthcare. We are proud to celebrate these remarkable contributions, which reinforce the UK's leading role in advancing global health," said Bruno Cohen, Chairman of The Galien Foundation. Prix Galien UK Awards Committee 2025 Professor Sir Munir PIRMOHAMED David Weatherall Chair of Medicine, University of Liverpool, NHS Chair of Pharmacogenetics Committee Chair Professor Jane ADAM Honorary Professor, University of Exeter, Consultant Radiologist, St George's Hospital London and former Chair Technology appraisal committee, NICE Professor Bruce CAMPBELL Past Chair NICE Interventional Procedures and Medical Technologies Advisory Committees; Honorary Vascular Consultant and Professor, Exeter Professor Jesse DAWSON Professor of Stroke Medicine at School of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Health in the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences at the University of Glasgow; Consultant Physician in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow Doctor Stephanie KUKU Chief Knowledge Officer - Conceivable Life Sciences, Senior Consultant - Hardian Health, Board Trustee - The Kings Fund, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, UCL Professor Sudhesh KUMAR, OBE Vice President (Health), University of Warwick and President of Association of Innovation, Research and Technology Organisations, UK (AIRTO) Professor Andrew MORRIS, CBE Director, Health Data Research UK & Professor of Medicine and Vice Principal Data Science, University of Edinburgh Professor Sharon PEACOCK, CBE Master of Churchill College Cambridge Dame June RAINE Former Chief Executive, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency Professor Duncan RICHARDS Professor of Clinical Therapeutics, University of Oxford Professor Lauren WALKER Professor of Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, University of Liverpool Dame Moira WHYTE Sir John Crofton Professor of Respiratory Medicine, University of Edinburgh About The Galien Foundation The Galien Foundation fosters, recognises and rewards excellence in scientific innovation to improve the state of human health. Our vision is to be the catalyst for the development of the next generation of innovative treatments and technologies that will impact the state of medical practice and save lives. The Galien Foundation oversees and directs the Prix Galien's activities in the UK as part of an international awards program dedicated to advancing innovative medicines development. The Prix Galien operates through chapters in 14 countries and Africa, with a new chapter launched in India in 2024 and plans for Prix Galien Japan in 2026. The Prix Galien was created in 1970 by Roland Mehl in honour of Galien, the father of medical science and modern pharmacology. Worldwide, the Prix Galien is regarded as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in biopharmaceutical research. For more information, visit www.galienfoundation.org . Follow the Foundation on social media: https://www.facebook.com/GalienFoundation/ https://twitter.com/GalienFdn https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-galien-foundation/ Media Contact (UK): Julian Tyndale-Biscoe Finn Partners Julian.Tyndale-biscoe@finnpartners.com +44 20 3217 7060 Media Contact (Global): Kara Bradley Finn Partners Kara.Bradley@finnpartners.com +1 646-213-7243 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2592709/The_Galien_Foundation_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/the-galien-foundation-announces-2025-prix-galien-uk-award-winners-recognising-excellence-in-life-sciences-innovation-302475091.html A New Name, A Continued Commitment to Excellence W/R/B Underwriting, a leading provider of specialty insurance solutions, is proud to announce its official rebrand to Berkley Specialty London, effective today. This strategic change marks a significant milestone in the company's evolution and reflects its alignment with the globally recognised Berkley brand. The rebrand to Berkley Specialty London underscores the company's continued commitment to delivering exceptional underwriting and claims handling expertise, long-term stability, and service excellence-while embracing a stronger, more unified identity with its parent company W. R. Berkley Corporation. "This is more than a name change-it's a better reflection of who we are and where we're headed," said James Hastings, President and CEO. "As Berkley Specialty London, we're building on our strong foundation while positioning ourselves for future growth, innovation, and deeper partnerships with our clients, brokers and distribution partners." Rob Berkley, President and CEO of W. R, Berkley Corporation said: "The London market is one of the most important in the industry and we have been a proud participant within it for decades. The rebrand of W/R/B Underwriting to Berkley Specialty London fully encapsulates our efforts, commitment and our value proposition in the London market." While the trading name is changing, the core of the business remains the same. Clients will continue to work with the same trusted team, benefit from the same tailored solutions, and experience the same high standards of service as always. About Berkley Specialty London Berkley Specialty London is a specialist insurer, providing innovative insurance solutions across the Specialty Property and Specialty Casualty sectors. Supported by the strength of W. R. Berkley Corporation, one of the world's premier commercial lines property and casualty insurance providers, Berkley Specialty London combines offers expertise, stability and collaboration to its trading partners and customers. For more information, please visit www.berkleyspecialtylondon.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250606559359/en/ Contacts: Media Contact: Ruby Karatziola Marketing, Events and Communications Officer rkaratziola@berkleysl.com HOOFDDORP, Netherlands, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of World Environment Day, global smart home leader EZVIZ proudly announces the next chapter in its environmental journey, broadening its sustainability mission from land to sea. Following the successful reduction of 22.3 tons of plastic waste in 2024 through the widespread adoption of recycled materials in its robot vacuum portfolio, EZVIZ now sets its sights on the restoration of coastal ecosystems. Under its 2025 theme, "From Land to Sea: Roots of Hope, Waves of Change," EZVIZ expands its Global Forest Plan into marine environments. Partnering with Treedom, which has planted 2,190 trees across Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, EZVIZ now launches large-scale mangrove restoration projects in areas facing urgent environmental threats. Mangroves, known as "blue forests", protect coastlines by stabilizing shorelines, storing significant carbon, and filtering pollutants like plastics. This restoration supports the UN Environment Programme's 2025 goal to end plastic pollution, reflecting EZVIZ's commitment to nature-based solutions with lasting ecological and social impact. "Sustainability shapes every decision we make," said Sophie Zhang, Global Brand Director at EZVIZ. "When innovation is grounded in care, it not only enhances daily living, but also nurtures the environment that sustains us all." This holistic vision extends across the entire product lifecycle. EZVIZ designs with a cradle-to-cradle mindset, minimizing plastic use through material substitution, reducing packaging waste, and maximizing product longevity. Its green-badged product line features components made from recycled plastics, marking a deliberate shift toward circularity. EZVIZ's commitment to sustainability is equally evident in its focus on energy efficiency and ecological impact. Over 30 solar-powered products have been introduced, decreasing dependence on nonrenewable energy. Features such as Always-On Video Mode optimize energy use and extend battery life, reducing the frequency of charging and component replacement. In response to growing concerns around light pollution, EZVIZ developed ColorFULL night vision, a breakthrough that enables vibrant, full-color video in low light without auxiliary lighting, minimizing disruption to wildlife and preserving the natural environment. "As a technology company, we know that our impact touches the environment, the people, and the future. With every step we take, we aim to inspire purpose, restore balance, and help protect the world we all call home," said Zhang. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2705010/Green.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/ezviz-marks-world-environment-day-with-a-new-plan-to-protect-ecosystems-from-land-to-sea-celebrating-sustainable-milestones-and-expanding-its-vision-for-greener-living-302475197.html Award-Winning Contract Performance Intelligence: PostSig's AI-Powered Platform Transforms Vendor Agreements into Actionable Insights, Ensuring Every Contract Delivers on Its Promise SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / PostSig, the AI-native Contract Performance Management (CPM) platform that transforms post-signature agreements into actionable insights, is proud to announce it has been named the Best AI/Machine Learning Data Initiative at the prestigious WatersTechnology Awards 2025 . This award honors PostSig's industry-defining innovation in using AI to transform contract management, helping capital markets firms maximize the value of their vendor agreements, from technology to market data contracts. PostSig Welcome Dashboard The PostSig Welcome Dashboard provides a comprehensive, real-time snapshot of post-signature contract management for capital markets teams. Designed with usability in mind, the dashboard presents key contract performance metrics at a glance. This award is a clear signal that we're meeting a deep need in the industry," said Hendrik Bartel, CEO and Co-Founder of PostSig. "We launched the platform just last year, but our team brings decades of experience building enterprise software-and we've been AI-native from day one. Vendor and technology agreements are just the start. Capital markets teams are asking for better ways to manage risk, compliance, and performance across all critical contract types. That's exactly what we're delivering." WatersTechnology highlighted PostSig's LineageAI engine, which revolutionizes contract oversight by connecting every amendment, service order, and nested agreement-ensuring no clause, term, or risk goes unnoticed. This innovation is already reshaping how leading asset managers, hedge funds, and private equity firms manage contract performance. Driving Massive Value for the Industry PostSig's award-winning AI-powered platform empowers capital markets teams to: Identify and mitigate compliance risks hidden in complex contracts Optimize vendor spend by uncovering unused licenses and silent renewals Stay audit-ready with advanced analytics, including DORA compliance scoring Move from fragmented oversight to centralized, actionable contract intelligence PostSig's CPM platform elevates every stage of the post-signature lifecycle-from activation to renewal and termination-ensuring that no obligation or opportunity is missed. With AI-powered intelligence, PostSig brings clarity, oversight, and performance optimization to even the most complex vendor agreements. A New Standard for Post-Signature Contract Performance "This team has been building together for over a decade across three companies-and this is the most urgent problem we've tackled yet," said Phil Kim, Chief Strategy Officer. "PostSig is redefining what post-signature means. It's not just about storing contracts-it's about activating them. We're giving capital markets teams real visibility and control across vendor, data, and commercial agreements. That's why this recognition matters: it validates a new standard for contract performance." As capital markets navigate growing vendor complexity, PostSig cements its leadership as the industry's go-to platform for post-signature contract performance-empowering teams to protect margins, reduce risk, and unlock hidden value long after the ink has dried. Beyond Vendor Contracts: A Platform for the Post-Signature Era While PostSig's early traction has come from solving critical pain points in vendor and technology agreements, the company sees a broader pattern emerging: post-signature complexity exists across all high-stakes agreements-from commercial partnerships to data licenses to fund terms. "The challenges don't stop at vendor contracts," added Bartel. "Post-signature is a universal gap-and we're building the platform to close it." PostSig is building a full-stack platform to meet that need-enabling capital markets teams to operationalize any contract after signature with the same level of intelligence, transparency, and performance tracking. About PostSig PostSig is the AI-native Contract Performance Management (CPM) platform that transforms executed agreements into strategic assets, empowering capital markets firms to achieve operational excellence and a competitive advantage. Purpose-built for the complex vendor ecosystems that define today's financial services landscape-from asset managers and hedge funds to private equity firms, venture capital, and family offices-PostSig ensures every contract delivers on its promise through real-time insights, actionable oversight, and automated compliance. At the heart of PostSig's innovation is LineageAI, a proprietary engine that connects every amendment, service order, and nested agreement across the contract stack-illuminating hidden risks and opportunities that often go unnoticed. By bridging the gap between fragmented contracts and operational outcomes, PostSig enables financial firms to manage risk proactively, optimize vendor spend, and fully leverage the value of their market data investments. PostSig seamlessly integrates into existing tech stacks, complementing pre-signature systems and workflows while extending value across the entire post-signature lifecycle. With AI-powered intelligence, PostSig delivers the clarity, transparency, and performance optimization that today's capital markets firms demand. Discover how PostSig transforms your contracts into a competitive advantage at www.postsig.com . Contact Information Tiffaney Fox Quintana Marketing tiff@postsig.com 408-910-9571 SOURCE: PostSig View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/computers-technology-and-internet/postsig-wins-waterstechnology-award-for-best-ai%2fmachine-learning-1035990 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 6, 2025) - Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: HBFGF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company"), a leader in acquiring and scaling emerging food brands is pleased to announce the grand opening of Rosie's Burgers ("Rosie's") newest location at 590 Concession Street, Hamilton, Ontario, this Saturday June 7th, 2025. Rosie's is a boutique QSR restaurant brand serving up its signature smash burgers, poutine, onion rings, milkshakes, and more. Rosie's Burgers 1 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6625/254705_d2ea7a1114adb80a_001full.jpg "Rosie's Burgers continues its organic growth with its 3rd opening so far this year. This opening further expands our reach in our home province and helps service the increasing demand for Rosie's in Ontario," said Sean Black, Chief Executive Officer of Happy Belly. "This new street front location is on a hard corner with excellent visibility and parking for our expanding customer base that will draw a healthy mix of professionals, residents, and visitors alike. "Our location in Hamilton is surrounded by a growing population, vibrant culinary scene, and strong mix of students, young professionals, and families. As one of Canada's fastest-growing mid-sized cities, Hamilton offers a dynamic urban core combined with diverse neighbourhoods that create consistent foot traffic and demand for new dining options. The city has cultivated a thriving food culture that embraces innovative and trendy concepts, a perfect fit for Rosie's Burgers. "With 95 units secured through area development agreements across Atlantic Canada, Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, and British Columbia-and several locations already open or under construction-Rosie's is on a clear path toward sustained and scalable growth. As the year unfolds, we expect the pace of new openings to accelerate. By leveraging a hybrid model of corporate-owned stores and an asset-light franchise approach, we are set to accelerate our national expansion while preserving operational excellence. Rosie's Burgers 2 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6625/254705_d2ea7a1114adb80a_002full.jpg "With each new opening and franchise agreement signed, our coast-to-coast Canadian expansion grows. Our core focus is on accelerating growth through organic initiatives and strategic acquisitions. With more restaurants in development across Canada, we expect to announce several projects throughout the remainder of the year. Happy Belly now has 541 contractually committed retail franchise locations across our emerging brands-whether in development, under construction, or already operating. We are excited to share updates on newly secured locations for our brands as we continue to grow as we progress in our mission to become a predictable and disciplined growth company, Canada's #1 restaurant consolidator." We are just getting started. About Rosie's Burgers Deliciously handcrafted smashed burgers, golden fries, and classic milkshakes. Rosie's is your neighbourhood burger shop serving up nostalgic flavours you know, love, and crave. From our Smashburgers and French fries to strawberry shakes and onion rings-we're all about keeping things simple and perfecting tradition. Because the classics were made classic for a reason, right? Franchising For franchising inquiries please see www.happybellyfg.com/franchise-with-us/ or contact us at hello@happybellyfg.com. About Happy Belly Food Group Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: HBFGF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company") is a dynamic multi-branded restaurant company focused on acquiring and scaling emerging food brands across Canada. With a robust portfolio of brands Happy Belly is dedicated to delivering quality, efficiency, and exceptional customer experiences nationwide. Happy Belly Food Group Inc. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6625/254705_d2ea7a1114adb80a_003full.jpg Sean Black Chief Executive Officer Shawn Moniz Chief Operating Officer Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-Looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur and include the future performance of Happy Belly and her subsidiaries. Forward-Looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the business plans for Happy Belly described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are posted on www.sedarplus.ca. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/254705 SOURCE: Happy Belly Food Group Inc. Aethera Biotech officially announced a strategic partnership with Chinese premium skincare brand Shang Renee, marking the latter as Aethera Biotech's first collaborative partner in the Chinese market. This collaboration not only introduces the internationally pioneering CROP patent technology to China but has also led to the joint establishment of the CELL Laboratory in Italy, laying a robust foundation for scientific innovation in skincare. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250529227206/en/ Shang Renee's products CROP technology is an exclusive global patent held by Aethera Biotech. This innovation utilizes 100% natural laboratory cultivation to develop plant callus tissue cells (phytocomplexes), fully preserving the highly active components and regenerative properties of plants. The CELL Laboratory will focus on cellular research of core ingredients such as EchinAge CROP-G and other rare botanical specimens for Shang Renee, providing robust scientific support for the brand's skincare formulations. The EchinAge CROP-G compound, cultivated through this proprietary technology, exhibits elevated concentrations of modularized polyphenols and polysaccharides. Compared to conventional Echinacea extracts, EchinAge CROP-G demonstrates significantly enhanced polyphenolic content. Its dermatological efficacy manifests through three primary mechanisms: Rapid oxidative stress reduction via ROS suppression; Dual-targeted anti-inflammatory action through inhibition of iNOS and COX2 expression; Skin firming via attenuation of fibroblast-protective activity. Clinically validated outcomes include measurable improvements in skin texture refinement and reduction of contour wrinkles, supported by comprehensive experimental data. Centered on the philosophy of "Natural Regeneration," Shang Renee is committed to delivering transformative solutions for skin repair, firming, and wrinkle reduction. This partnership will leverage Aethera Biotech's expertise in plant cell cultivation, synergizing with active compounds like EchinAge CROP-G to develop groundbreaking skincare innovations. The CEO of Aethera Biotech stated: "We are thrilled to deepen our collaboration with Shang Renee. Through joint research at the CELL Laboratory, we aim to translate avant-garde plant cell technologies into tangible skincare advancements, offering Chinese consumers purer and more efficacious skincare experiences." View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250529227206/en/ Contacts: Claire Chan service@shangrenee.com Marti sets new targets for September 30, 2025 of 2.50 million riders and 350 thousand registered drivers Marti Technologies, Inc. ("Marti" or the "Company") (NYSE American: MRT), Turkiye's leading mobility super app, announced today that as of June 3, 2025, Marti's ride-hailing service has reached 2.15 million riders and 314 thousand registered drivers, exceeding the June 30, 2025 targets of 2.15 million riders and 310 thousand registered drivers. Marti's number of ride-hailing riders grew 12.7% from March 25, 2025 to June 3, 2025. The number of registered drivers grew 8.3% during the same time period. The fast growth in both the rider and driver sides of Marti's ride-hailing marketplace demonstrates large demand for the service across Turkiye. The service intends to provide readily available, safe, and affordable rides for riders, while providing economic opportunities for drivers across the income spectrum. Encouraged by the growth in the rider and driver bases of its ride-hailing business, Marti has set targets for 2.50 million riders and 350 thousand registered drivers by September 30, 2025. Of Marti's 314 thousand registered drivers, 241 thousand are in Turkiye's largest city, Istanbul. This is in contrast to 20 thousand taxis serving the city. With 12 times as many registered drivers as taxis serving the city of Istanbul, Marti is able to offer widespread availability across the city. Furthermore, Marti's drivers undergo formal background checks before acceptance onto the service, thereby contributing to rider safety. The average rating of Marti's ride-hailing drivers by riders is 4.8 out of 5 stars. McKinsey Company, a consultancy group, estimates the taxi market size in Turkiye at $9 billion to $12 billion as of 2021. Further, under the "Disruptive Scenario 2030", ride-hailing is expected to increase the size of the taxi market by offering cheaper and more convenient rides. McKinsey Company estimates the potential size of the Turkish ride-hailing market in 2030 at $15 billion to $20 billion Expectations and targets are not necessarily indicative of future attainment. About Marti: Founded in 2018, Marti is Turkiye's leading mobility app, offering multiple transportation services to its riders. Marti operates a ride-hailing service that matches riders with car, motorcycle, and taxi drivers, and operates a large fleet of rental e-mopeds, e-bikes, and e-scooters. All of Marti's offerings are serviced by proprietary software systems and IoT infrastructure. For more information, visit www.marti.tech. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements made in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements related to the anticipated growth, including the number of riders and registered drivers of the ride-hailing business, the ride-hailing targets by September 30, 2025, and the expected future performance and market opportunities of Marti and the ride-hailing business. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including the risks discussed in the Company's filings with the SEC, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F. Marti undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of future events, new information or otherwise, except as required by law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250606085205/en/ Contacts: Investor Contact Marti Technologies, Inc. Turgut Yilmaz investor.relations@marti.tech JACKSONVILLE, FL / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / GEE Group Inc. (NYSE American:JOB) together with its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as the "Company," "GEE Group," "our" or "we"), a provider of professional staffing services and human resource solutions, today announced that, effective June 2, 2025, it has completed the successful sale of Triad, its Light Industrial Division, to Armada Staffing Group ("Armada"), a division of Ohio based Reliable Staffing Resources ("Reliable"), led by the Gasbarro family. This strategic transaction marks a continued focus by GEE Group on its professional staffing and human resources solutions specialty service offerings, in verticals comprised of Information Technology, Engineering, Finance and Accounting, Office Support and Health Care. Under the terms of the sale and purchase agreement, Reliable acquired substantially all of the the operating business assets of GEE Group's Triad Light Industrial Division for cash and other consideration. As part of the sale, nearly all employees from the Light Industrial Division have transitioned to and will join the workforce of Armada, ensuring outstanding customer service and continuity for both clients and candidates. Notably, Deborah Santora, President of Triad, will continue to lead the operations in the Northeast Ohio market, supported by her experienced team that will join her at Armada. Other terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The Company previously communicated that the Light Industrial Division business segment was a "discontinued operation" and reported it as such in its most recent Form 10-Q filed with the SEC. "We are confident that Armada Staffing Group, under the leadership of the Gasbarro family, will provide strong direction and make investments that will benefit the Light Industrial Division," said Alex Stuckey, Chief Operating Officer of GEE Group. Stuckey further commented, "All of us at GEE Group thank Debbie and her team for their many years of service and outstanding contributions and wish them continued success in this next chapter." Derek Dewan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GEE Group stated, "Our Company will continue to provide outstanding customer service and expand our service offerings in the professional services verticals that we operate in and GEE Group will continue to pursue the strategic initiatives that align with our capital allocation strategy and internal and acquisition growth plans." About Armada Staffing Group / Reliable Staffing Resources Armada Staffing Group is a division of Ohio based Reliable Staffing Resources, a family-owned and operated firm led by the Gasbarro family. With deep roots in the staffing industry, the company is recognized for its client-focused approach and commitment to workforce excellence. About GEE Group GEE Group Inc. is a provider of specialized staffing solutions and is the successor to employment offices doing business since 1893. The Company operates in two industry segments, providing professional staffing services and solutions in the information technology, engineering, finance and accounting specialties and commercial staffing services through the names of Access Data Consulting, Agile Resources, Ashley Ellis, General Employment, Hornet Staffing, Omni-One, Paladin Consulting and Triad. Also, in the healthcare sector, GEE Group, through its Scribe Solutions brand, staffs medical scribes who assist physicians in emergency departments of hospitals and in medical practices by providing required documentation for patient care in connection with electronic medical records (EMR). Additionally, the Company provides contract and direct hire professional staffing services through the following SNI brands: Accounting Now, SNI Technology, Legal Now, SNI Financial, Staffing Now, SNI Energy, and SNI Certes. Forward-Looking Statements Safe Harbor In addition to historical information, this press release contains statements relating to possible future events and/or the Company's future results (including results of business operations, certain projections, future financial condition, pro forma financial information, and business trends and prospects) that are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934, as amended, (the "Exchange Act"), and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are subject to the "safe harbor" created by those sections. The statements made in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that are predictive in nature and depend upon or refer to future events. These forward-looking statements include without limitation information relating to our intended share repurchases, the amount and timing of share repurchases, the possibility that the share repurchase program may be discontinued or suspended, anticipated cash flow generation and expected shareholder benefits. Such forward-looking statements often contain, or are prefaced by, words such as "will", "may," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "predicts," "pro forma", "estimates," "aims," "believes," "hopes," "potential," "intends," "suggests," "appears," "seeks," or variations of such words or similar words and expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, are based on certain assumptions, and are subject to various known risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, and cannot be predicted or quantified and, consequently, as a result of a number of factors, the Company's actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Certain factors that might cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, without limitation: (i) the loss, default or bankruptcy of one or more customers; (ii) changes in general, regional, national or international economic conditions; (iii) an act of war or terrorism, industrial accidents, or cyber security breach that disrupts business; (iv) changes in the law and regulations; (v) the effect of liabilities and other claims asserted against the Company including the failure to repay indebtedness or comply with lender covenants including the lack of liquidity to support business operations and the inability to refinance debt, failure to obtain necessary financing or the inability to access the capital markets and/or obtain alternative sources of capital; (vi) changes in the size and nature of the Company's competition; (vii) the loss of one or more key executives; (viii) increased credit risk from customers; (ix) the Company's failure to grow internally or by acquisition or the failure to successfully integrate acquisitions; (x) the Company's failure to improve operating margins and realize cost efficiencies and economies of scale; (xi) the Company's failure to attract, hire and retain quality recruiters, account managers and salesmen; (xii) the Company's failure to recruit qualified candidates to place at customers for contract or full-time hire; (xiii) the adverse impact of geopolitical events, government mandates, natural disasters or health crises, force majeure occurrences, global pandemics such as the deadly "coronavirus" (COVID-19) or other harmful viral or non-viral rapidly spreading diseases and such other factors as set forth under the heading "Forward-Looking Statements" in the Company's annual reports on Form 10-K, its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and in the Company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company's filings with the SEC. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC's web site at http://www.sec.gov. The Company is under no obligation to (and expressly disclaims any such obligation to) and does not intend to publicly update, revise, or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Contact: GEE Group Inc. Kim Thorpe 630.954.0400 invest@geegroup.com SOURCE: GEE Group Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/gee-group-announces-sale-of-its-triad-light-industrial-division-1036254 LONDON, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- GSMA MWC25 Shanghai promises to be a defining moment for Asia Pacific's technology market as innovators, policymakers and business leaders from around the world get ready to converge at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) and Kerry Hotel Pudong, on 18-20 June 2025. With China cementing its status as a global powerhouse of mobile technology - and the world's largest 5G market - MWC25 Shanghai will explore how 5G, AI, and IoT are transforming industries and accelerating a new era of intelligent, connected growth. MWC Shanghai brings together global operators, vendors, solutions-providers and the Chinese connectivity ecosystem. Mobile connectivity is projected to contribute $2 trillion to China's economy and nearly $11 trillion to global GDP by 2030, advancing productivity and enabling smarter and more sustainable societies. These themes will be front and centre at MWC25 Shanghai, which will gather some of the most influential technology and business voices in Asia Pacific. Confirmed keynote speakers include: AI Club Asia's Managing Director, Bo Gao China Mobile's Executive Director & Chairman, Yang Jie China Tower's Chairman, Zhiyong Zhang Chongqing Changan Automobile's Chairman/Party Secretary, Zhu Huarong HONOR's CEO, James Li Huawei's Deputy Chairman, Rotating Chairman, Eric Xu Singtel's CEO, International Digital Services, Anna Yip ZTE's Chief Development Officer, Cui Li New and Highlighted Features at MWC25 Shanghai include: Introducing the GSMA Innovation Frontier Zone: Hall N2's exciting new space will feature a select group of companies from China that are pushing tech boundaries with innovative solutions. For example, AutoFlight's air taxi, the Shenglong eVTOL, that can take off and land vertically like a helicopter and cruise horizontally like a fixed-line aircraft; Pony ai's autonomous driving lifelike simulation, an immersive VR experience for visitors to experience how robotaxis work on public roads in Beijing and Guangzhou; Honor's AI-powered consumer devices and smartphones; intelligent humanoid robots and drones from Leju Robotics; Droidup; Unitree; and Zhiyuan Robotics. Hall N2's exciting new space will feature a select group of companies from China that are pushing tech boundaries with innovative solutions. For example, AutoFlight's air taxi, the Shenglong eVTOL, that can take off and land vertically like a helicopter and cruise horizontally like a fixed-line aircraft; Pony ai's autonomous driving lifelike simulation, an immersive VR experience for visitors to experience how robotaxis work on public roads in Beijing and Guangzhou; Honor's AI-powered consumer devices and smartphones; intelligent humanoid robots and drones from Leju Robotics; Droidup; Unitree; and Zhiyuan Robotics. Future Tech Hall : Returning to Hall N4, it will host innovative companies demonstrating a wide range of future technologies from the Yangtze River Delta and Greater Bay area. These unmissable experiences will include companies showcased in the Shanghai Pudong Pavilion and the Guangzhou Pavilion. Other companies featured in N4 include Shanghai Spacesail, Unicom Air Net, China Starwin, xFusion Digital Technologies and Shanghai Sunmi Technology. Returning to Hall N4, it will host innovative companies demonstrating a wide range of future technologies from the Yangtze River Delta and Greater Bay area. These unmissable experiences will include companies showcased in the Shanghai Pudong Pavilion and the Guangzhou Pavilion. Other companies featured in N4 include Shanghai Spacesail, Unicom Air Net, China Starwin, xFusion Digital Technologies and Shanghai Sunmi Technology. The 4YFN Zone : Hall N2 4YFN is set to be Asia Pacific's most exciting innovation and startups event that connects global investors and up-and-coming enterprises to shape the future of mobile innovation. : Hall N2 4YFN is set to be Asia Pacific's most exciting innovation and startups event that connects global investors and up-and-coming enterprises to shape the future of mobile innovation. World Robot Contest : In another MWC Shanghai first, we're proud to host the 2025 World Robot Contest Qualifier 2025 World Robot Contest Qualifier. The contest is helping to stimulate technological R&D in the robotics industry by nurturing young tech talent and the next generation of innovators. Don't miss the qualifying round of the "Olympics of the robotics world" which takes place each day in Hall N4! : In another MWC Shanghai first, we're proud to host the 2025 World Robot Contest Qualifier 2025 World Robot Contest Qualifier. The contest is helping to stimulate technological R&D in the robotics industry by nurturing young tech talent and the next generation of innovators. Don't miss the qualifying round of the "Olympics of the robotics world" which takes place each day in Hall N4! Asia Mobile Awards (AMOs) : mark your diaries for the AMOs awards ceremony taking place on 19 June 2025 (day 2 of MWC Shanghai), with three new awards that honour SME innovation, best AI innovation in Asia, and best mobile innovation for climate action in Asia. Click here to see the shortlisted companies for all the AMOs. : mark your diaries for the AMOs awards ceremony taking place on 19 June 2025 (day 2 of MWC Shanghai), with three new awards that honour SME innovation, best AI innovation in Asia, and best mobile innovation for climate action in Asia. Click here to see the shortlisted companies for all the AMOs. IOTE : For the first time, Asia's leading IoT expo joins forces with MWC, creating a high-end IoT showcase with a focus on everything from RFID, sensors to edge computing, visual IoT, and more. : For the first time, Asia's leading IoT expo joins forces with MWC, creating a high-end IoT showcase with a focus on everything from RFID, sensors to edge computing, visual IoT, and more. Industry Summits : Aligning with the event's thought leadership themes of AI+, Connected Enablers, Connected Industries and 5G inside the conference programme will look at how these topics and technologies are impacting industries and societies, with summits on the following, and more: Agentic AI, AI Powered Telco, AI Devices GSMA Open Gateway, Sustainability, eSIM, IoT Satellite & NTN, Manufacturing & Production, Smart Mobility 5G Monetisation, 5G Future : Aligning with the event's thought leadership themes of AI+, Connected Enablers, Connected Industries and 5G inside the conference programme will look at how these topics and technologies are impacting industries and societies, with summits on the following, and more: GSMA Policy Leaders Forum: Coming to MWC Shanghai for the first time, the PLF is an exclusive forum where global policymakers and industry leaders will gather to discuss policy and regulation. Topics will include the impact and opportunities of AI, closing the digital divide, as well as mobile and AI's convergence and its future potential towards 6G. In addition, discussions will include factors that enabled China's rapid evolution to 5G-Advanced and digital connectivity and, the digital transformation incentives needed for the growth of digital nations. GSMA Digital Leaders Programme: returning for its 7th edition, the DLP's focus is on AI impact. Register now at www.mwcshanghai.com; for media accreditation, visit our press zone. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1882833/5357263/GSMA_Logo.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/china-to-host-global-tech-visionaries-at-gsma-mwc25-shanghai-asia-pacifics-flagship-mobile-tech-event-reveals-speaker-lineup-and-programme-highlights-302475246.html DELRAY BEACH, Fla., June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The biodefense market is projected to grow from USD 0.89 billion in 2025 to USD 1.81 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 15.1% during the forecast period according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The biodefense market is driven by increasing bioterrorism, growing geopolitical tensions, biological warfare risks, and advancements in technology. Biodefense encompasses a range of tools and systems designed to detect, prevent, and respond to biological threats, including infectious diseases, bioterrorism, and accidental pathogen releases. These include biosensors, rapid detection platforms, decontamination systems, mobile containment units, and AI-driven surveillance tools. The market for biodefense technology is experiencing strong growth due to increasing global concerns over pandemics, biological warfare, and emerging infectious diseases. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=119088131 Browse in-depth TOC on "Biodefense Market" 196 - Tables 56 - Figures 217 - Pages Biodefense Market Report Scope: Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2025 $ 0.89 billion Estimated Value by 2030 $ 1.81 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 15.1% Market Size Available for 2020-2030 Forecast Period 2025-2030 Forecast Units Value (USD Million/Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By Technology, Product, Application and Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of World Key Market Challenge Infrastructure constraints in low-resource areas Key Market Opportunities Emergence of AI-powered biosurveillance and predictive analytics Key Market Drivers Rising threat of Bioterrorism Based on application, the hospitals & medical institutes segment is expected to account for the largest share of the biodefense market during the forecast period. Based on application, the hospitals & medical institutes segment is expected to account for the largest share of the biodefense market during the forecast period. Hospitals are the initial point of contact for the identification of unusual infections or exposure to biological agents, and hence, they must have sophisticated containment systems, sterilization apparatus, and pathogen detection instruments in real time. With increasing bioterrorism, governments and health agencies are investing heavily in the upgrade of hospital biosafety facilities, such as Class III biological safety cabinets, mobile isolation units, and UV sterilization technology, all of which are becoming essential for modern biodefense infrastructure. These facilities need safe conditions to work with high-risk pathogens, which fuels the demand for low-temperature sterilizers, decontamination chambers, and air purification. The growing incorporation of digital surveillance platforms and smart biodefense technologies in healthcare facilities further solidifies their role in early detection and quick response, making hospitals & medical institutes the largest application segment of the biodefense market. Based on technology, the AI technologies segment is projected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Based on technology, the AI technologies segment is projected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period due to its significant contributions toward monitoring real-time pathogens, forecasting, and fast decision-making. AI facilitates the convergence and synthesis of large-scale environmental data and enables early threat detection and quick response coordination. Governments and health organizations globally are increasingly using AI platforms to track bio-threats across borders and to automatically report disease transmission for strategic purposes. Additionally, AI technologies are being integrated into biosensor networks, autonomous disinfecting robots, and predictive modeling applications utilized in hospitals, airports, and military bases. The increasing focus on digitally empowered biodefense infrastructure, coupled with significant investments by public and private sectors, is expected to fuel the growth of the AI segment in the global market. Inquiry Before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=119088131 Asia Pacific is projected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Asia Pacific is projected to register the highest CAGR in the biodefense industry through the forecast period due to increasing investments in public health infrastructure, infectious disease surveillance, and military biosafety capacities. China, India, Japan, and Australia are comprehensively developing their biodefense capabilities. These countries are investing in mobile biosafety laboratories, near-real-time pathogen detection systems, and next-generation decontamination technologies to anticipate future biological threats. Also, the region is experiencing growth in biotechnology R&D, cross-border health security efforts, and government-backed biodefense programs. The growth of local biotech and med-tech firms is also propelling innovation in AI-powered disease monitoring, biosensors, and portable sterilizers for civilian and military applications. The growing population, susceptibility to zoonotic disease, and proactive policy changes are driving significant growth in the regional biodefense market. STERIS (US), ASP International GmbH (a subsidiary of Fortive) (US), Ushio Inc. (Japan), Sotera Health Company (US), and Bioquell, An Ecolab Solution (UK) are the major key players in the biodefense companies. These companies have strong distribution networks across regions like North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World. Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=119088131 Browse Adjacent Market: Aerospace and Defence Market Research Reports & Consulting Related Reports: Border Security Market by Domain (Land, Maritime, Airborne), Vertical (Military, Homeland Security), System (Surveillance Systems, Detection Systems, Communication Systems, Command and Control Systems), Installation & Region - Global Forecast to 2029 CBRN Defense Market by Type (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives), Equipment (Protective Wearables, Respiratory Systems, Detection & Monitoring Systems, Decontamination Systems, Simulators, Others), End Use and Region - Global Forecast to 2028 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets has been recognized as one of America's Best Management Consulting Firms by Forbes, as per their recent report. MarketsandMarkets is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. With the widest lens on emerging technologies, we are proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients across the globe. Today, 80% of Fortune 2000 companies rely on MarketsandMarkets, and 90 of the top 100 companies in each sector trust us to accelerate their revenue growth. With a global clientele of over 13,000 organizations, we help businesses thrive in a disruptive ecosystem. The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion in new revenue streams that are replacing existing ones within this decade. We work with clients on growth programs, helping them monetize this $25 trillion opportunity through our service lines - TAM Expansion, Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy to Execution, Market Share Gain, Account Enablement, and Thought Leadership Marketing. Built on the 'GIVE Growth' principle, we collaborate with several Forbes Global 2000 B2B companies to keep them future-ready. Our insights and strategies are powered by industry experts, cutting-edge AI, and our Market Intelligence Cloud, KnowledgeStore, which integrates research and provides ecosystem-wide visibility into revenue shifts. To find out more, visit www.MarketsandMarkets.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Contact: Mr. Rohan Salgarkar MarketsandMarkets INC. 1615 South Congress Ave. Suite 103, Delray Beach, FL 33445 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/biodefense-companies.asp Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/biodefense.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1868219/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/biodefense-market-worth-1-81-billion-by-2030---exclusive-report-by-marketsandmarkets-302475149.html WebUnited will host two exclusive Web3 workshops during ICANN 83 in Prague. Tailored for registrars, registries, and digital identity innovators, the sessions will take place on June 10 and June 11 from 16:00 to 18:00 CEST at the Grand Hotel Prague Towers, 24th Floor, followed by drinks, canapes, and skyline networking. PRAGUE, CZ / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / In a landmark moment for the global domain name industry, Armenia Domains has announced that the country's .am ccTLD is now being mirrored on-chain in collaboration with WebUnited, signaling a major step toward DNS and blockchain integration. "Bringing .am on-chain is more than a technical upgrade - it's a strategic move to keep ccTLDs future-ready," said Nick Cervantes, CEO of ArmeniaDomains.com. "We're proud to be among the first to enable blockchain functionality through DNS infrastructure, and we believe this is just the beginning." Workshop Agenda: DNS Domains Meet Web3 Utility WebUnited's mission is simple: enable registrars to add Web3 functionality to any DNS domain name, without disrupting existing systems. These sessions will demonstrate how domains can now: Function as human-readable crypto wallet addresses Act as a Web3 identity anchor Help registrars unlock new revenue streams and retain users in a rapidly evolving ecosystem Live Demo Highlights: Step-by-step domain mirroring on-chain Connecting crypto wallets to domain names Viewing mirrored domains in MetaMask No prior Web3 experience needed. The format is designed to be light, hands-on, and interactive, with experts available for more in-depth technical questions. Featured Panel: Real Voices, Real Insights Each session will include a 30-minute panel discussion with industry experts, including: Nick Cervantes, CEO of ArmeniaDomains.com, shares how the .am ccTLD is moving on-chain Daniel Greenberg, CEO of Lexsynergy, on how registrars are preparing brands for Web3 Gherardo Varani, Head of Business Development at Freename, on adoption trends across Web3 users Moderated by Kathy Nielsen, domain expert and industry advisor "WebUnited isn't just building tools - it's building bridges between two powerful worlds," said Lars Jensen, CEO of WebUnited. "We're helping registrars future-proof their offering and stay relevant in the age of blockchain, without needing to start from scratch." Networking Reception After each workshop, guests are invited to unwind with drinks, canapes, and conversations overlooking the Prague skyline - all from the stunning 24th floor of the Grand Hotel Prague Towers. Seats are limited - register early to secure your spot. Reserve your seat now About WebUnited WebUnited empowers domain name registrars to offer Web3 functionality by mirroring DNS domains on-chain. This enables registrants to use their existing domain names for blockchain identity, wallet naming, decentralized publishing, and more, with zero disruption to their Web2 presence. Media Contact press@webunited.com www.webunited.com SOURCE: WebUnited View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/blockchain-and-cryptocurrency/armenias-.am-domain-comes-on-chain-via-webunited-live-reveal-and-work-1035876 NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION INTO THE UNITED STATES VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / Torq Resources Inc. (TSXV:TORQ)(OTCQB:TRBMF) ("Torq" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to its March 24, 2025 news release, it has completed its previously announced private placement, by issuing 25,152,633 units of the Company (each, a "Unit") at an offering price of $0.06 per Unit for gross proceeds of C$1,509,158 (the "Offering"). Each Unit consists of one common share (a "Share") and a Share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant") exercisable until June 6, 2027 to acquire a Share for C$0.12. The Warrants are subject to an accelerated expiry if, anytime following the date that is four months after the Closing Date, the closing price of the common shares of the Company on the TSXV, or such other market as the common shares may trade from time to time, is or exceeds $0.30 for any 10 consecutive trading days, in which event the holder of the Warrants may, at the Company's election, be given notice and the Company will issue a press release announcing that the financing Warrants will expire 30 days following the date of such press release. The Offering Warrants may be exercised by the holder of the Warrant during the 30-day period after the date of the press release announcing the accelerated expiry date. The placement proceeds from the Offering will be used for working capital. In addition, the Company has issued 1,998,829 Shares to non-arm's length creditors and 19,619,394 Units (identical to those in the Offering) to arm's length creditors to settle an aggregate of $1,297,093.60 of debts (the "Debt Settlement"). The debts relate primarily to the 2024 Minera Santa Drilling Campaign and also include $310,000 which was advanced and spent pursuant to the previous private placement financing, announced on October 2, 2024 and November 18, 2024, which did not complete. In connection with the closing of the Offering, the Company paid cash finder's fees of $51,012 and issued 800,200 non-transferable one-year finder's warrants. Each finder's warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one common share of the Company at the exercise price of C$0.06 until June 6, 2026. Each finder's warrant is also subject to the accelerated expiry as described above. The Company is continuing to seek regulatory approval for the extension of its credit facility for a further one-year period until July 11, 2026. In accordance with applicable securities laws, the securities issued under the Offering and Debt Settlement are subject to a statutory four-month and one-day hold period from the date of issuance in Canada. There was no insider participation in the Offering. 1,998,829 shares were issued to non-arm's length creditors in the Debt Settlement. The Company will be relying on the exemption from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements pursuant to sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of Canadian Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Shareholders in Related Party Transactions, as neither the fair market value of any securities issued to nor the consideration paid by such person could exceed $2.5 million or 25% of the Company's market capitalization. None of these securities will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States without registration under the U.S. Securities Act and all applicable state securities laws or else in compliance with the requirements of an applicable exemption therefrom. A Message from Shawn Wallace, CEO: "The Offering and Debt Settlement transactions greatly improve our financial position and should provide the impetus for a more active 2025. We are looking forward to the receipt of assays on the Santa Cecilia project where exploration funding is being provided by Gold Fields under an earn-in option." ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD, Shawn Wallace CEO & Chair For further information on Torq Resources, please visit www.torqresources.com or contact the company at (778) 729-0500 or info@torqresources.com. About Torq Resources Torq is a Vancouver-based copper and gold exploration company with a portfolio of premium holdings in Chile. The Company is establishing itself as a leader of new exploration in prominent mining belts, guided by responsible, respectful and sustainable practices. The Company was built by a management team with prior success in monetizing exploration assets and its specialized technical team is recognized for their extensive experience working with major mining companies, supported by robust safety standards and technical proficiency. The technical team includes Chile-based geologists with invaluable local expertise and a noteworthy track record for major discovery in the country. Torq is committed to operating at the highest standards of applicable environmental, social and governance practices in the pursuit of a landmark discovery. For more information, visit www.torqresources.com. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Torq Resources Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/torq-completes-3.12-million-recapitalization-transactions-1036221 TAMPA, FL / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) today announced it revised its second quarter and 2025 outlook. Phosphate and Potash Pricing Outlook Phosphate price guidance moves higher: DAP prices on an FOB basis are expected to be in the $650 to $670 per tonne range in the second quarter, revised up from $635-$655 in the previous guidance, reflecting strong market conditions. Potash prices are expected to be stable: Mine-gate MOP prices are expected to be in the range of $230 to $250 per tonne in the second quarter, unchanged from the previous guidance. Phosphate and Potash Operations Outlook Phosphate sales volumes for the second quarter of 2025 are expected to be 1.5-1.6 million tonnes, revised down from 1.7-1.9 million tonnes. 2025 full year production volume is now expected to be 7.0-7.3 million tonnes, revised down from 7.2-7.6 million tonnes. Mosaic's Bartow phosphate facility is operating at its target rate and is expected to produce over 500,000 tonnes in the second quarter. This rate is commensurate with an annual production level above 2 million tonnes. The New Wales phosphate facility's production level is expected to increase over 20% in the second quarter from the first quarter. Despite this increase, commissioning and ramp up of the first of three new gypsum handling systems took longer than expected. Mosaic expects the second and third systems to be installed and commissioned by the end of June and early July, driving annual operating run rates to 3 million tonnes at New Wales. (Gypsum handling systems have been a bottleneck at New Wales preventing phosphoric acid plants from reaching full operating rates.) At the company's Riverview facility, Mosaic extended planned downtimes to eliminate bottlenecks, causing production to miss initial expectations. In the third quarter, Riverview is expected to achieve a run rate corresponding to annual production of 1.6 million tonnes. At Mosaic's Louisiana facilities, during normal turnaround activity, the team discovered additional necessary repairs, resulting in extended outage periods and some lost production. In the third quarter, Louisiana is expected to perform at its target annual run rate of 1.4 million tonnes. Mosaic has experienced improved production rates in the areas where work has been concluded at all phosphate facilities. As the remaining maintenance and reliability enhancement work will be completed in June and early July, Mosaic is increasingly confident in its production plans for the second half of the year and continues to expect operating rates to achieve the 8 million tonne target run rate across the full portfolio of U.S. phosphate assets. In potash, second quarter sales volumes are expected to be 2.3-2.5 million tonnes, unchanged from the previous guidance. Full year 2025 production volumes guidance remains unchanged at 9.0-9.4 million tonnes. Mosaic Fertilizantes Outlook The outlook for Mosaic Fertilizantes remains solid, and second quarter performance is expected to be significantly better than the first quarter on rising prices, seasonally stronger distribution margins, continued operating efficiency gains, and foreign exchange tailwinds. About The Mosaic Company The Mosaic Company is one of the world's leading producers and marketers of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients. Through its Mosaic Biosciences platform, the company is also advancing the next generation biological solutions to help farmers improve nutrient use efficiency and crop performance sustainably. Mosaic provides a single-source supply of phosphate, potash, and biological products for the global agriculture industry. More information on the company is available at www.mosaicco.com. Contacts: Investors: Jason Tremblay, 813-775-4282 jason.tremblay@mosaicco.com Joan Tong, CFA, 863-640-0826 joan.tong@mosaicco.com Media: Ben Pratt, 813-775-4206 benjamin.pratt@mosaicco.com This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about future transactions or strategic plans and other statements about future financial and operating results. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of The Mosaic Company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: political and economic instability and changes in government policies in countries in which we have operations; the predictability and volatility of, and customer expectations about, agriculture, fertilizer, raw material, energy and transportation markets that are subject to competitive and other pressures and economic and credit market conditions; the level of inventories in the distribution channels for crop nutrients; the effect of future product innovations or development of new technologies on demand for our products; changes in foreign currency and exchange rates; international trade risks, including the impact of U.S. tariffs and retaliatory tariffs on economic conditions; and other risks associated with Mosaic's international operations; a material adverse change in our Ma'aden investment with respect to the financial position, performance, operations or prospects of Ma'aden; customer defaults; the effects of Mosaic's decisions to exit business operations or locations; changes in government policy; changes in environmental and other governmental regulation, including expansion of the types and extent of water resources regulated under federal law, carbon taxes or other greenhouse gas regulation, implementation of numeric water quality standards for the discharge of nutrients into Florida waterways or efforts to reduce the flow of excess nutrients into the Mississippi River basin, the Gulf of America or elsewhere; further developments in judicial or administrative proceedings, or complaints that Mosaic's operations are adversely impacting nearby farms, business operations or properties; difficulties or delays in receiving, increased costs of or challenges to necessary governmental permits or approvals or increased financial assurance requirements; resolution of global tax audit activity; the effectiveness of Mosaic's processes for managing its strategic priorities; adverse weather conditions affecting operations in Central Florida, the Mississippi River basin, the Gulf Coast of the United States, Canada or Brazil, and including potential hurricanes, excess heat, cold, snow, rainfall or drought; actual costs of various items differing from management's current estimates, including, among others, asset retirement, environmental remediation, reclamation or other environmental regulation, Canadian resources taxes and royalties, reduction of Mosaic's available cash and liquidity, and increased leverage, due to its use of cash and/or available debt capacity to fund financial assurance requirements and strategic investments; brine inflows at Mosaic's potash mines; other accidents and disruptions involving Mosaic's operations, including plant outages and down time, potential mine fires, floods, explosions, seismic events, sinkholes or releases of hazardous or volatile chemicals; and risks associated with cyber security, including reputational loss; as well as other risks and uncertainties reported from time to time in The Mosaic Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. SOURCE: The Mosaic Company View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/food-and-beverage-products/mosaic-revises-guidance-1036136 BAMAKO, Mali, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Mali (FAMa) has released an official communique announcing the launch of a strategic counter-offensive across national territory, following a sharp escalation in terrorist activities. The communique, signed by Chief of Armed Forces Major General Oumar Diarra, highlights the coordinated response by the Malian Armed Forces in partnership with the unified security efforts of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which includes Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. This regional collaboration aims to neutralize emerging threats, restore territorial integrity, and safeguard civilian populations against further violence. Recent weeks have seen an intensification of attacks by armed groups, particularly in the Koulikoro region and across the AES Confederation. The Malian Armed Forces, in close coordination with their regional allies, have launched a vigorous and sustained counter-offensive operation to address the security challenges and reinforce stability throughout the region. The government of Mali is calling on the international community, regional partners, and global institutions to closely monitor these developments, support ongoing efforts to ensure peace and security, and provide diplomatic or legal assistance as necessary. The Armed Forces reaffirm their unwavering commitment to defending Mali's sovereignty and ensuring the safety of its people against all forms of insurgency and destabilizing influences. For further information, please contact: Public Affairs Office General Staff of the Armed Forces of Mali (FAMa) View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/general-staff-of-the-malian-armed-forces-announces-strategic-counter-offensive-following-escalation-in-terrorist-activity-302475262.html TORONTO, ON / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / Datametrex AI Limited (the "Company" or "Datametrex') (TSXV:DM)(FSE:D4G)(OTC PINK:DTMXF) is pleased to announce that further to its news release dated April 1, 2025, it has completed the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding share capital of Arbutus Health and Wellness Inc. ("Arbutus Health"), a multidisciplinary medical clinic in Vancouver, Canada. Arbutus Health provides walk-in services, family medicine, skin laser treatments, and other specialty healthcare services in a single location. Once operational, the clinic will be staffed by licensed healthcare professionals and will provide patients with access to multiple medical services without requiring multiple referrals. The acquisition of Arbutus was completed by way of a share exchange agreement dated June 5, 2025 between the Company, Arbutus and the shareholders of Arbutus pursuant to which Datametrex acquires 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of Arbutus Health, an arm's length party, in exchange for an aggregate of 11,000,000 common shares of Datametrex at a deemed value of $0.10 per share (the "Payment Shares"). As a result of the transaction, Arbutus is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Datametrex. Upon completion of the Transaction, Paul Haber, the CEO of the Company, commented, "We are excited to finalize this agreement and are eager to integrate the Arbutus Health team into Datametrex. This acquisition marks a key milestone in broadening our product portfolio and enhancing our presence in the healthcare sector." Issuance of the Payment Shares is subject to the receipt of regulatory approvals including, without limitation, the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") and other conditions. Datametrex has not assumed any debt of Arbutus and the proposed acquisition will not constitute a fundamental change or result in a change of business for the Company, nor is it expected to result in a change of control of the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws and defined in the polices of the TSXV. About Arbutus Health Arbutus Health is a multidisciplinary medical clinic designed to address wait times and fragmented care in Canada's health system. Walk-in services, family doctors, skin laser treatments, and other specialties are integrated under one roof to provide timely and comprehensive care without requiring multiple referrals. Staffed by licensed healthcare professionals, patient satisfaction will be enhanced through innovative, efficient, and high-quality healthcare solutions. About Datametrex Datametrex is an innovative leader in Technology Solutions, Artificial Intelligence, Healthcare, and Mobile Gaming. The Company excels in delivering tools and solutions that enhance operational efficiencies and business outcomes. With a commitment to innovation, Datametrex is dedicated to supporting enterprises by setting a new standard for business protocols through cutting-edge technology. For more on Datametrex, please visit our Company website. For Additional Information Paul Haber, C.P.A., C.A., C.Dir CEO & Chairman info@datametrex.com (416) 318-6501 Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements," which involve risks, uncertainties, and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These statements are not historical facts and are generally identified by words such as "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," and similar expressions. Such statements include expectations related to healthcare business and other Company plans. While Datametrex believes the forward-looking information is reasonable as of the date of this release, these statements involve assumptions, risks, and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes to differ. Key factors include general economic conditions, legislative and regulatory developments, access to capital, industry competition, and the Company's ability to execute its strategies. The Company does not undertake to update these statements, except as required by law. Readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are detailed under "Risk Factors" in Datametrex's management's discussion and analysis and available on the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca. This release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy, nor shall it constitute an offer, solicitation, or sale in any jurisdiction where such would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under applicable securities laws. We seek Safe Harbor. SOURCE: Datametrex AI Ltd. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/computers-technology-and-internet/datametrex-acquires-arbutus-health-and-wellness-inc.-1036191 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 6, 2025) - Neural Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: NURL) (FSE: HANF) ("Neural" or the "Company"), an ethnobotanical drug discovery company focused on developing therapeutic drugs for mental illnesses related to substance use disorders, and CWE European Holdings Inc. ("CWE"), operating as Hanf.com, one of the Germany's leading CBD retailers, are pleased to provide an update on expansion efforts in Germany. A subsidiary of CWE has signed a franchise agreement to open the first Hanf.com in the City of Bonn-the former capital of The Federal Republic of Germany and home to over 320,000 residents. This marks Hanf.com's fifth franchise agreement and the second store in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Hanf.com is also proud to announce its participation in Mary Jane Berlin 2025, Europe's premier cannabis trade show and festival, taking place June 19-22, 2025 at Messe Berlin. As part of the event's vibrant exhibition floor, Hanf.com will showcase its latest product innovations, including premium CBD oils, sustainable hemp-based wellness items, and exclusive new lifestyle offerings. Visitors can find Hanf.com at Booth G19/G20, where they will be invited to explore, sample, and connect with the team behind one of the most trusted names in the hemp space. Alex Cerveny, COO of Hanf.com commented: "We are excited to bring the Hanf.com experience to Bonn-a city with deep roots and a progressive spirit. This new franchise marks an important step in our mission to make high-quality CBD products accessible to customers across Germany. We look forward to serving the Bonn community with the same passion, integrity, and innovation that defines the Hanf.com brand." "We are also thrilled to be part of Mary Jane Berlin again this year and invite our friends, partners, and associates to come meet our team." Mr. Cerveny added: "This event is not just a trade show-it's a celebration of cannabis culture, innovation, and progress. We look forward to engaging with industry partners and consumers to showcase our carefully curated portfolio of CBD products, as we continue paving the way for opening more franchise locations." Now in its ninth year, Mary Jane Berlin is expected to welcome over 60,000 visitors and more than 500 exhibitors from around the world. Programming includes expert panels, live music, food trucks, and a dedicated B2B business day. About Neural Therapeutics Neural Therapeutics is a leader in ethnobotanical drug discovery, focusing on the development of therapeutic drugs for mental illnesses related to substance use disorders, including alcohol and opioid dependence. The Company's innovative approach to drug development involves the strategic use of sub-hallucinogenic doses of mescaline extract, enhancing safety and scalability while maintaining therapeutic efficacy. On May 26, 2025, Neural entered into a Strategic Investment and Option Agreement with CWE European Holdings Inc., a leading CBD hemp retailer in Germany operating under the brand Hanf.com, to acquire up to 100% of CWE through a multi-stage transaction. The transaction is expected to expand Neural's commercial footprint in Europe while maintaining its core commitment to drug discovery and mental health innovation. CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMER STATEMENT No securities regulatory authority has reviewed or accepted responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the contents of this news release. This news release contains forward-looking statements ("FLS") relating opening of new franchise locations by CWE (operating as Hanf.com), the timing and scope of Hanf.com's participation at Mary Jane Berlin 2025, the growth and performance of Hanf.com's business, Neural's indirect exposure to such growth through its investment in CWE, and Neural's continued focus on ethnobotanical drug discovery. FLS may also include statements regarding potential synergies from the transaction between Neural and CWE, expected consumer reception of Hanf.com's products and projections about European market demand for hemp and CBD-related goods. FLS are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "plan" and similar expressions. These statements are not statements of historical fact, but rather predictions about future events, which are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers are cautioned should not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Although management considers such information to be reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual outcomes may differ significantly. FLS contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such statements. A description of additional risk factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from FLS in Neural's disclosure documents posted on www.sedarplus.ca. The securities of Neural have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or applicable state securities laws. The securities may not be offered or sold to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or "U.S. Persons" (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act), unless registered or exempt from registration under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy Neural's securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction where such an offer or sale would be unlawful. Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/254676 SOURCE: Neural Therapeutics Inc. Norwegian technology provider Cyviz has successfully developed a fully mobile and ballistic-proof command center designed, configured, and made operational in just 24 hours. The solution was showcased during a military exercise led by the Dutch Ministry of Defence and has already sparked interest from NATO members and civil protection agencies across Europe. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250606640770/en/ Cyviz demonstrates rapid deployment capability with a mobile, container-based control room for defense and crisis response Cyviz and its partners constructed the command room inside a 14-ton container designed for transport on standard military vehicles and resistant to machine gun fire. The unit was deployed at a military base in the Netherlands, where Cyviz was tasked with delivering a fully functional command-and-control environment, under strict time constraints and in a high-stakes simulation. "You don't have time to build control rooms from scratch during an emergency. That's why we designed something that's mobile, fast to deploy, and fully secure", says John van Laerhoven, Regional Director at Cyviz, who also participated in the exercise. The solution builds on technology that Cyviz has developed over 27 years of delivering to mission-critical environments. The company has provided solutions to NATO-affiliated organizations, national security authorities, and leading players in the global energy industry. The container solution is designed for fast deployment anywhere, mounted on standard military vehicles. It was developed with partners including SPIE Nederland, Capgemini, and Dujardin Remmers, and rigorously tested under near-combat conditions. Strengthening Europe's crisis readiness with Norwegian technology Cyviz, headquartered in Norway, delivers high-performance control room and collaboration solutions to mission-critical environments across more than 80 countries. This exercise shows how Norwegian technology and innovation can support European readiness, resilience, and defense modernization. "If you have these units stocked and ready, you can be fully operational in a secure container, anywhere in the world, within minutes, not days. We're proud to be shaping the future of mobile command-and-control infrastructure," says Steijn Engelen, Account Executive at Cyviz. An operational headquarters within minutes The Cyviz system enabled: Real-time access to classified and unclassified networks via multi-domain control Integration with Dutch military, fire, and police data sources Large-format display of mission-critical data feeds Live VR battlefield simulations using satellite and Google Street View Deployment of a robotic dog from Boston Dynamics for perimeter security Installation of a drone detection system on the container roof Cyviz' in-house developed control room software platform also served as the operational hub. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250606640770/en/ Contacts: Meylin Loo PR Communications Manager meylin.loo@cyviz.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 6, 2025) - Ramp Metals Inc. (TSXV: RAMP) ("Ramp Metals" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has completed its spring drill program on the Rottenstone SW property. The Company completed 20 drill holes for a total of 4,942 metres. Airborne geophysics using the Xcite HTDEM system, with 100-metre line spacing to provide high-resolution data for target refinement, was also completed over the entire Rottenstone SW property package. Highlights 20 drill holes totalling 4,942 metres were completed, with every metre being sent for assays 8 holes totalling 2,116 metres were drilled at the Ranger target where 73.55 g/t Au over 7.5m was previously discovered in Ranger-001 drill hole drill hole 10 holes were drilled at the Rush target with additional VMS style mineralization intersected in 150m step-out 3 holes for a total of 968 metres were drilled at the Rogue target Airborne magnetic and TDEM geophysical survey was completed over the remainder of the Rottenstone SW property using the Xcite HTDEM system "It's exciting to announce that we have completed our spring drill program at the Rottenstone SW property," said Jordan Black, CEO of Ramp Metals. "The program was a huge success completing more holes than originally planned, encountering the quartz diorite package at Ranger and potentially making a new discovery at the Rush target." Figure 1: Rottenstone SW - 2025 Drill Collar Locations To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8725/254669_48af8298c4712842_001full.jpg Ranger A total of 8 drill holes were completed at the Ranger target (Figure 2). Seven drill holes were completed around the Ranger-001 discovery hole. All 7 holes intersected significant widths of the quartz-diorite package which hosted the previously announced high grade gold intercept of 73.55 g/t Au over 7.5m as reported in the June 17, 2024 News Release. The remaining hole was designed to test a conductor located approximately 1.5km to the north-east, which was identified in the recently completed airborne geophysics (Figure 3). Altered tonalite and metasediments with Pyrrhotite mineralization were encountered. The hole was ended early at 200m due to time constraints. Management believes that further testing is warranted on the eastern Ranger anomalies. Figure 2: Ranger - 2025 Drill Hole Collars and Drill Traces To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8725/254669_48af8298c4712842_002full.jpg Figure 3: Ranger Drill Collars and Drill Hole Traces with EM To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8725/254669_48af8298c4712842_003full.jpg Rush A total of 10 holes were drilled at the newly identified Rush VMS target (Figure 4). Semi-massive to massive sulphide mineralization was noted in 5 drill holes, with the presence chalcopyrite and sphalerite being confirmed with a Thermo Scientific Niton XL5 Plus handheld XRF analyzer. Minor amounts of galena were also noted. Rush-010 intersected net textured to semi-massive sulphide over approximately 4.16m from 21.4m-25.56m (Photo 1). Disseminated to blebby sulphides were also intersected to a depth of approximately 47m (Photo 2). This intersection represents a 150m step-out to the north-east from the initial discovery area where Rush 001, 002, 003, and 009 were drilled. Rush-010 was designed to intercept the outcrop found during the October 2024 field program at depth. Surface rock samples at this outcrop returned values of up to 1.61% copper, 0.79 g/t gold, and 113 g/t silver, as was previously reported in the January 20, 2025 News Release. Figure 4: Rush - 2025 Drill Collars and Drill Hole Traces To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8725/254669_48af8298c4712842_004full.jpg Photo 1: Rush-010 Boxes 5 & 6 - Net textured to semi-massive mineralization from 21.4-25.56m To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8725/254669_48af8298c4712842_005full.jpg Photo 2: Rush-010 Boxes 9 & 10 - Disseminated to blebby chalcopyrite mineralization throughout To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8725/254669_48af8298c4712842_006full.jpg Rogue A total of 3 holes were drilled at the Rogue target (Figure 5). These holes were designed to test structural and conductive targets in an area where soil samples of up to 530.7ppb Au were previously reported in the January 20, 2025 News Release. Pyrrhotite and pyrite mineralization was encountered in two of the three holes (Rogue 005 & 006). Rogue 005 & 006 also encountered sections of potassic and hematite altered diorite and fractures (Photos 3 & 4). During the program, drilling at Rogue was limited due to the overall total number of holes covered by the most recent permit package. The Company believes that the Rogue target warrants further exploration to explain the source of the highly anomalous gold in soils. Figure 5: Rogue - 2025 Drill Collar Locations and Drill Hole Traces To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8725/254669_48af8298c4712842_007full.jpg Photo 3: Rogue-005 Boxes 25 & 26 - Potassic alteration of diorite and hematite altered fractures To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8725/254669_48af8298c4712842_008full.jpg Photo 4: Rogue-006 Boxes 61 & 62 - Coarse-grained diorite with potassic alteration To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8725/254669_48af8298c4712842_009full.jpg Geophysics The Company has completed a magnetic and TDEM survey over the remainder of the Rottenstone SW property using the Xcite HTDEM system. A total of 3,342 line-km was flown at 100m spacing to provide a high-resolution Mag and EM dataset over the entire property. Data is currently being processed, and the Company will provide a further update once the data processing is completed. Next Steps With the present forest fire situation in northern Saskatchewan, the Company felt it prudent to relocate all drill core to a facility in the Prince Albert area to safely complete processing and preparation for assays. The first shipment of samples has been delivered and is being analyzed at Bureau Veritas Commodities Canada Ltd. ("BV") in Vancouver, BC. All remaining core has been fully logged and is currently being cut and sorted for shipping. The Company plans to return to the Rottenstone SW property for further mapping and sampling once the data from the airborne geophysics and drill programs have been analyzed, and the fire risk has subsided. A ground geophysics program is also planned for the summer to help better define the conductive targets on the property. An amendment to the current permits requesting up to 30,000m of additional drilling and a 30-person camp is being prepared and is expected to be submitted shortly. Acknowledgements Ramp Metals would like to thank the Lac La Ronge Indian Band and all land users for their continued support and working closely with the Company through the permitting process. The Company would also like to thank all the contractors who made the 2025 winter/spring drill program a success. Drilling: Flamingo Drilling through Athabasca Catering Limited Partnerships Geology and Geophysics: Axiom Exploration Group Ltd. (Mikaela Miller, Craig Cubbon, Logan Anaka) Accommodations: Thompson's Resort - Adventure Destinations Flight Services: Heli-Recon Aerial Support Services Inc. and Osprey Wings Ltd. Fuel Services: Millsap Fuel Distributors Ltd. Local Contractors: Cecil Mcleod, Alex Mcleod, Bradley McKenzie, Ethan Ballantyne, Joey McKenzie, Chris Roberts, Joe Stanley, Jimmy McKenzie, Riley Provencher Quality Assurance/Quality Control Uncut whole NQ drill core was analyzed by a Thermo Scientific Niton XL5 Plus handheld XRF, operated by Ramp Metals staff on site. The Portable X-Ray Fluorescence ("pXRF") data is exploratory in nature and is used predominantly as an internal workflow to assist in target prioritization and mineral identification through an early phase of exploration investigation. pXRF data is not provided as it is not an indicator of representative geochemistry of the entire rock mass and therefore should only be viewed as an initial screening prior to laboratory assays. Drill core is currently being sampled and cut by diamond saw. Samples will be shipped as they are processed for laboratory analysis at BV, an internationally recognized and ISO 17025:2017 accredited analytical services provider, at its Vancouver, BC laboratory. Drill core samples are marked in maximum intervals of up to 1.5m and cut in half using a diamond saw with half sent for assay and the other half saved for reference. Samples are then bagged and zip-tied, with 15 bagged samples placed into sealed rice bags and then 20 rice bags placed in mega bags for transport to BV. Sample QA/QC procedures were applied by inserting a regular and systematic schedule of standards, blanks and duplicates into the sample stream. Control samples consisting of certified reference samples and blank samples were systematically inserted into the sample stream and analyzed as part of the Company's QA/QC protocol at a rate of 1:15 or better in addition to BV's internal quality assurance programs. Rock samples are prepared using the PRP70-250 package, where samples are weighed, dried, and crushed to greater than 70% passing a 2mm sieve, then pulverized to greater than 85% passing 75 microns. Samples are analyzed in accordance with BV's MA300 and FA330 packages, for both multi-element ICP analysis (0.25 g, multi-acid and ICP-ES analysis) and gold analysis by fire assay (30g fire assay with AAS finish). Gold returning >10ppm is automatically analyzed by gravimetric method in accordance with BV's standard of practice. Qualified Person Brett Williams, P.Geo., VP Operations and Senior Geologist for Ramp Metals, and a "qualified person" under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the technical content in this news release. About Ramp Metals Inc. Ramp Metals is a grassroots exploration company with a focus on a potential new Saskatchewan gold district. The Company currently has a new high-grade gold discovery of 73.55 g/t Au over 7.5m at its flagship Rottenstone SW property. The Rottenstone SW property comprises 32,715 hectares and is situated in the Rottenstone Domain. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking statements. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's exploration activities. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: requirements for additional capital; future prices of minerals; changes in general economic conditions; changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities; other risks of the mining industry; the inability to obtain any necessary governmental and regulatory approvals; changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations; hedging practices; and currency fluctuations. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements or information. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Except as required by applicable securities laws, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/254669 SOURCE: Ramp Metals Inc. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 6, 2025) - Bear Creek Mining Corporation (TSXV: BCM) (OTCQX: BCEKF) (BVL: BCM) ("Bear Creek" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the results of the Company's Annual General Meeting ("AGM") that took place in Vancouver, BC on June 5, 2025. Shareholders voted in favour of all matters of business described in the Company's Information Circular dated April 16, 2025 and put before the meeting, including the re-election of Catherine McLeod-Seltzer, Eric Caba, Kevin Morano, Alan Hair and Susan Toews, and the election of Peter Mitchell and Ian Grundy and as directors of the Company for the ensuing year. Shareholders also confirmed, ratified and approved the Company's 10% Rolling Stock Option Plan dated April 26, 2022 (the "2022 Plan"), and approved the re-appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Company's auditors for the ensuing year. Following the AGM Bear Creek's board of directors (the "Board") appointed Catherine McLeod-Seltzer as Chair, Eric Caba as President and Chief Executive Officer, Zoya Shashkova as Chief Financial Officer, Brian Peer as Chief Operating Officer, Eduardo Flores as Senior Vice President, Business Development, and Barbara Henderson as Vice President Corporate Communications and Corporate Secretary. The Board additionally constituted its standing committees for the ensuing year including the Audit, Compensation, Nominating and Corporate Governance, and Operating, Safety and Sustainability Committees. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Eric Caba President and CEO Subscribe to Bear Creek Mining news Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding the Company's directors, officers and Board committees and the roles and responsibilities of certain individuals. These forward-looking statements are provided as of the date of this news release and reflect predictions, expectations or beliefs regarding future events based on the Company's beliefs at the time the statements were made, as well as various assumptions made by and information currently available to them. In making the forward-looking statements included in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to: that the Company's directors and officers will continue to serve in their appointed positions for the ensuing year. Although management considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information available to it, they may prove to be incorrect. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks exist that estimates, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved or that assumptions on which they are based do not reflect future experience. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as a number of important factors could cause the actual outcomes to differ materially from the expectations expressed in them. These risk factors may be generally stated as the risk that the assumptions expressed above do not occur, and the additional risks described in the Company's latest Annual Information Form, and other disclosure documents filed by the Company on SEDAR+. The foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. Investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by the Company or on behalf of the Company, except as required by law. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/254682 SOURCE: Bear Creek Mining Corporation LONDON, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Wirex Pay, a pioneering stablecoin payment platform, is proud to announce that it is expanding to Stellar, with the help of a top-tier award from the Stellar Community Fund (SCF). Wirex Pay will now deploy its flagship payments infrastructure directly on the Stellar blockchain. The project has been awarded the highest funding tier available through the SCF, enabling Wirex to accelerate its delivery of a fully native, integrated payment experience within the Stellar ecosystem. This expansion marks a major milestone in Wirex's growth strategy, as the company continues to build next-generation crypto payment experiences that are fast, efficient, and globally accessible. The integration with Stellar will allow the respective ecosystem to enjoy all Wirex Pay products natively. These include: A borderless current account with linked Visa stablecoin debit cards, usable online or in-store at over 80 million merchants worldwide. Non-custodial business banking with corporate accounts, payroll cards, stablecoin yield options, as well as detailed accounting and reporting tools. A Web3 Banking-as-a-Service platform that allows Stellar-based dApps or DEXs to launch their own branded card programs, complete with fiat account infrastructure to simplify deposits and withdrawals. "Wirex Pay represents exactly the kind of project we aim to support through the Stellar Community Fund - one that brings real utility, strong user experience, and aligns with Stellar's mission of accessible financial services," said Anke Liu, Ecosystem Growth Lead at the Stellar Development Foundation. "We're excited to see Wirex Pay deepen its involvement with Stellar and introduce new capabilities to the network." "We are delighted to announce our expansion to Stellar. This award is a strong validation of what we're building with Wirex Pay and accelerates our plans," said Daniel Rowlands, General Manager at Wirex Pay. "Stellar's infrastructure is purpose-built for scalable, real-world financial applications. We're excited to empower users with faster, more affordable, and more accessible payment tools across retail, corporate, and Web3 use cases." The native integration of Wirex Pay on Stellar is set to go live over the coming months, with development already in motion. Early community engagement and technical consultations are already underway to ensure that integration is tailored to the needs of both users and builders in the Stellar ecosystem. This move aligns with Wirex's broader vision to democratise access to financial services, particularly in underbanked regions where Stellar has a strong presence. You can view the Wirex Pay project submission here. About Wirex Pay Wirex Pay - Web3 payments infrastructure developed by Wirex - is designed to facilitate non-custodial, blockchain-based payments and financial services for individuals and businesses. At the core of Wirex Pay is its ability to issue non-custodial Visa cards, empowering users to spend their stablecoins seamlessly at over 80 million merchants in 200+ countries wherever Visa is accepted. By combining the reliability of Visa's global payment network with the innovation of blockchain, Wirex Pay ensures users can transact with confidence and convenience. wirexpaychain.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2705005/Wirex_Pay_Stellar.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2705004/Wirex_Pay_Black_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/wirex-pay-joins-stellar-ecosystem-to-power-next-gen-stablecoin-solutions-302475294.html LaPrairie, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - June 6, 2025) - At the request of CIRO (Canadian Investment Regulatory Organisation) Margaux Real Estate Investment Trust (TSXV: ALFA.UN) ("Margaux') has issued the following statement in response to recent trading activity in its units. Margaux has become aware about a statement made June 2nd 2025 by its president concerning a fabulous real estate transaction which is not at all related to Margaux business. The Trust is also early in the due diligence process regarding the acquisition of a self-storage operation in St Hyacinthe, QC pursuant to an LOI signed May 6, 2025. The property is owned by Placements San Inc and located on Boulevard Laurier West in Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, and consists of a 120,000 sq. ft. lot and two buildings totaling 30,000 sq. ft., housing one hundred sixty-three (163) heated self-storage units. According to the seller's disclosures, annualized revenues are approximately $420,000, with a net operating margin of over $300,000. The agreed purchase price is $4,675,000, which will be paid in full in cash upon closing. As of the date of signing this offer letter, there were no existing or prior relationships between Margaux and the sellers. The offer is subject to several conditions, including due diligence, and it is expressly stipulated that the Trust may terminate the agreement without penalty if it is not fully satisfied. The deal might never close if certain conditions do not materialized. The real estate firm KW Urbain acted as the Trust's agent in this transaction. It was represented by Mr. Labateya, who is also an officer of the Trust and acted as a real estate broker. In that capacity, he will receive a portion of the commission paid by the sellers. He is a very minor shareholder in the firm. Margaux has also terminated on June 4, 2025 an LOI signed May 28, 2025 concerning four self storage properties located in Chambly, QC. The purchase price was 12M and it was subject to Margaux obtaining a financing of 8.5M. For more information please contact: The TSXV has in no way passed upon the merits of the Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary materially from targeted results. Such risks and uncertainties include those described in the Company's periodic reports including the annual report or in the filing made by Margaux from time to time with securities regulatory authorities. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/254711 SOURCE: Margaux Real Estate Investment Trust The "Belgium Existing Upcoming Data Center Portfolio" database has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The upcoming power capacity will boost Belgium's digital infrastructure readiness for AI, HPC, and cloud workloads. Operators like EdgeConneX, Penta Infra, and Proximus are expanding gradually across strategic sites. Most of the existing Rack capacity is concentrated around Brussels. Digital Realty, LCL, and Datacenter United are the largest data center operators in the market. Upcoming developments by players like KEVLINX and LCL are set to add more than 45 MW of IT power, significantly increasing the country's capacity. Key Market Highlights This database (Excel) product covers the Belgium data center market portfolio analysis, which will provide the following information on the colocation data centers: Detailed Analysis of 35 existing data centers Detailed Analysis of 4 upcoming data centers Locations covered: Aalst, Anderlecht, Antwerp, Brussels, Brussels West, Gent, Herstal, Leuven, Liege, Limburg, Muizen, Oostkamp, Wallonia, Zaventem, Zele. Existing white-floor space (square feet) Upcoming white-floor space (square feet) Current IT load capacity (2025) Future capacity additions (2025-2029) Retail Colocation Pricing Quarter Rack (1/4) Half Rack Cabinets 1/2 Full Rack Cabinet (42U/45U/47U/etc.) Wholesale colocation per kW pricing Existing Data Centers (35 Facilities) Market Snapshot Location (Region/Country/City) Facility Address Operator/Owner Name Data Center Name i.e., (ZUR1 or ZH5) Core Shell Area (White-Floor Area) Core Shell Power Capacity (IT Load Capacity) Rack Capacity Year of Operations Design Standards (Tier I IV) Power/Cooling Redundancy Upcoming Data Centers (4 Facilities) Investment Snapshot Location (Region/Country/City) Investor Name Area (White-Floor Area) Power Capacity (IT Load Capacity) Investment ($ Million) Electrical Infrastructure Investment ($ Million) Mechanical Infrastructure Investment ($ Million) General Construction Services Investment ($ Million) Announcement Year Project Status (Opened/Under Construction/Announced Planned) Active or Expected Year of Opening Target Audience Data center Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) Data center Construction Contractors Data center Infrastructure Providers New Entrants Consultants/Consultancies/Advisory Firms Corporate and Governments Agencies Key Topics Covered: 1. About the Database 2. Scope Assumptions 3. Definitions 4. Snapshot: Existing Upcoming Data Center Facility 5. Existing Data Center Database 6. Upcoming Data Center Facility 7. Existing vs. Upcoming Capacity (Infographics) 8. Colocation Pricing The major operators/investors covered in this Belgium Data Center Colocation Market Database include: AlphaCloud AtlasEdge BICS Datacenter United Digital Realty EdgeConneX Etix Everywhere KEVLINX LCL Lumen Technologies NetTech DC nLighten NRB Orange Business Services Penta Infra Proximus Datacenter Smals Unix-Solutions Zayo Group For more information about this database visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/70cwdb About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250606799963/en/ Contacts: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 The "Finland Existing Upcoming Data Center Portfolio" database has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Telia Group and Equinix continue to lead the market, together accounting for over 45% of the existing rack capacity. The existing IT power capacity in Finland is over 130 MW, while the upcoming capacity is nearly four times higher at 500+ MW. New entrants like CompassForge Ventures, Verne, and Hyperco are driving significant growth in the upcoming data center landscape. Helsinki and Espoo remain the top locations for upcoming data center developments. atNorth is expanding steadily, with facilities in both the existing and upcoming pipeline. Key Market Highlights This database (Excel) product covers the Finland data center market portfolio analysis, which will provide the following information on the colocation data centers: Detailed Analysis of 21 existing data centers Detailed Analysis of 5 upcoming data centers Locations covered: Espoo, Helsinki, Kajaani, Kouvola, Oulu, Pori, Tampere, Turku, Vantaa. Existing white-floor space (square feet) Upcoming white-floor space (square feet) Current IT load capacity (2025) Future capacity additions (2025-2029) Retail Colocation Pricing Quarter Rack (1/4) Half Rack Cabinets 1/2 Full Rack Cabinet (42U/45U/47U/etc.) Wholesale colocation per kW pricing Existing Data Centers (21 Facilities) Market Snapshot Location (Region/Country/City) Facility Address Operator/Owner Name Data Center Name i.e., (Tapiola Data Center or Raisio Data Center.) Core Shell Area (White-Floor Area) Core Shell Power Capacity (IT Load Capacity) Rack Capacity Year of Operations Design Standards (Tier I IV) Power/Cooling Redundancy Upcoming Data Centers (5 Facilities) Investment Snapshot Location (Region/Country/City) Investor Name Area (White-Floor Area) Power Capacity (IT Load Capacity) Investment ($ Million) Electrical Infrastructure Investment ($ Million) Mechanical Infrastructure Investment ($ Million) General Construction Services Investment ($ Million) Announcement Year Project Status (Opened/Under Construction/Announced Planned) Active or Expected Year of Opening Target Audience Data center Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) Data center Construction Contractors Data center Infrastructure Providers New Entrants Consultants/Consultancies/Advisory Firms Corporate and Governments Agencies Key Topics Covered: 1. About the Database 2. Scope Assumptions 3. Definitions 4. Snapshot: Existing Upcoming Data Center Facility 5. Existing Data Center Database 6. Upcoming Data Center Facility 7. Existing vs. Upcoming Capacity (Infographics) 8. Colocation Pricing The major operators/investors covered in this Finland Data Center Colocation Market Database include: atNorth CompassForge Ventures Creanova Datacenter Datalahti Digita Elisa Equinix Ficolo GleSYS (Oulun DataCenter) Herman IT Hetzner Online Hyperco Mediam Telia Group Verne XTX Markets For more information about this database visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/mdmc0s About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250606865806/en/ Contacts: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 The "Greece Existing Upcoming Data Center Portfolio" database has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Athens is home to all the upcoming data centers in Greece, with more than 250 MW of total IT power capacity. The upcoming data center capacity is now almost 5x larger than the existing capacity across the country. Digital Realty and Italia Telecom Sparkle are currently the largest data center operators in the Greek market, with a combined total of over 174,000 sq. ft of white/raised floor space. New players such as Edgenex and Apto Dromeus Capital signal growing investor interest and market diversification. Key Market Highlights This database (Excel) product covers the Greece data center market portfolio analysis, which will provide the following information on the colocation data centers: Detailed Analysis of 17 existing data centers Detailed Analysis of 5 upcoming data centers Locations covered: Athens, Crete, Heraklion, Thessaloniki, Volos Existing white-floor space (square feet) Upcoming white-floor space (square feet) Current IT load capacity (2025) Future capacity additions (2025-2029) Retail Colocation Pricing Quarter Rack (1/4) Half Rack Cabinets 1/2 Full Rack Cabinet (42U/45U/47U/etc.) Wholesale colocation per kW pricing Existing Data Centers (17 Facilities) Market Snapshot Location (Region/Country/City) Facility Address Operator/Owner Name Data Center Name i.e., (ZUR1 or ZH5) Core Shell Area (White-Floor Area) Core Shell Power Capacity (IT Load Capacity) Rack Capacity Year of Operations Design Standards (Tier I IV) Power/Cooling Redundancy Upcoming Data Centers (5 Facilities) Investment Snapshot Location (Region/Country/City) Investor Name Area (White-Floor Area) Power Capacity (IT Load Capacity) Investment ($ Million) Electrical Infrastructure Investment ($ Million) Mechanical Infrastructure Investment ($ Million) General Construction Services Investment ($ Million) Announcement Year Project Status (Opened/Under Construction/Announced Planned) Active or Expected Year of Opening Target Audience Data center Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) Data center Construction Contractors Data center Infrastructure Providers New Entrants Consultants/Consultancies/Advisory Firms Corporate and Governments Agencies Key Topics Covered: 1. About the Database 2. Scope Assumptions 3. Definitions 4. Snapshot: Existing Upcoming Data Center Facility 5. Existing Data Center Database 6. Upcoming Data Center Facility 7. Existing vs. Upcoming Capacity (Infographics) 8. Colocation Pricing The major operators/investors covered in this Greece Data Center Colocation Market Database include: Apto Dromeus Capital CloudRock Data4 Group Digital Realty Edgenex Friktoria Hostmein IKE Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) and Serverfarm Italia Telecom Sparkle Lancom Synapsecom Telecoms For more information about this database visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8lpa9i About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250606641024/en/ Contacts: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 The "Germany Existing Upcoming Data Center Portfolio" database has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Frankfurt continues to be the main hub, hosting both current and future data center capacity. The upcoming data center power capacity is nearly 1.8x higher than the current existing capacity, indicating strong growth in the German market. NTT DATA, VIRTUS Data Centres, Maincubes, and CyrusOne are leading the upcoming supply with large-scale developments. Digital Realty, Equinix, and CyrusOne remain dominant players in the existing market. The upcoming rack capacity is expected to reach over 330,000 racks. New market entrants like Lidl (Schwarz Group), Goodman, and PGIM Real Estate are boosting supply through sizable developments. Operators like CloudHQ, STACK Infrastructure, Colt DCS, and SDC Capital Partners are also expanding their presence in Germany. Key Market Highlights This database (Excel) product covers the Germany data center market portfolio analysis, which will provide the following information on the colocation data centers: Detailed Analysis of 186 existing data centers Detailed Analysis of 40 upcoming data centers Locations covered: Alsbach-Hahnlein, Berlin, Bochum, Bonn, Cologne, Dortmund, Dresden, Dusseldorf, Ellhofen, Falkenstein, Frankfurt, Goppingen, Hallstadt, Hamburg, Hanau, Hannover, Herne, Hof, Jena, Karlsruhe, Langen, Leipzig, Leverkusen, Ludwigshafen, Munich, Nuremberg, Rhein-Ruhr, Saarland, Stuttgart. Existing white-floor space (square feet) Upcoming white-floor space (square feet) Current IT load capacity (2025) Future capacity additions (2025-2029) Retail Colocation Pricing Quarter Rack (1/4) Half Rack Cabinets 1/2 Full Rack Cabinet (42U/45U/47U/etc.) Wholesale colocation per kW pricing Existing Data Centers (186 Facilities) Market Snapshot Location (Region/Country/City) Facility Address Operator/Owner Name Data Center Name i.e., (Frankfurt I or STU1) Core Shell Area (White-Floor Area) Core Shell Power Capacity (IT Load Capacity) Rack Capacity Year of Operations Design Standards (Tier I IV) Power/Cooling Redundancy Upcoming Data Centers (40 Facilities) Investment Snapshot Location (Region/Country/City) Investor Name Area (White-Floor Area) Power Capacity (IT Load Capacity) Investment ($ Million) Electrical Infrastructure Investment ($ Million) Mechanical Infrastructure Investment ($ Million) General Construction Services Investment ($ Million) Announcement Year Project Status (Opened/Under Construction/Announced Planned) Active or Expected Year of Opening Target Audience Data center Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) Data center Construction Contractors Data center Infrastructure Providers New Entrants Consultants/Consultancies/Advisory Firms Corporate and Governments Agencies Key Topics Covered: 1. About the Database 2. Scope Assumptions 3. Definitions 4. Snapshot: Existing Upcoming Data Center Facility 5. Existing Data Center Database 6. Upcoming Data Center Facility 7. Existing vs. Upcoming Capacity (Infographics) 8. Colocation Pricing The major operators/investors covered in this Germany Data Center Colocation Market Database include: 3U Telecom Aixit Artfiles AtlasEdge Bluestar Datacenter Carrier Colo Centron China Mobile International (CMI) CloudHQ Cogent Communications Colt Data Centre Services Comarch Comtrance Contabo CyrusOne DARZ Data Castle Data Center Partners (DCP) dataR Digital Realty DOKOM 21 EdgeConneX EMC HostCo envia TEL Equinix EVF Data Center FirstColo Global Switch Goodman GRASS-MERKUR Green Mountain KMW GTT Communications Hetzner Online IPHH (Internet Port Hamburg) Iron Mountain ISPpro Internet ITENOS LEW (Lechwerke AG E.ON) Lidl (Schwarz Group) Lumen Technologies Maincubes Mainova WebHouse MK NETZDIENSTE myLoc managed IT (WIIT) NDC-GARBE Data Centers NET-BUILD NewTelco nLighten Noris Network NorthC NTT DATA Penta Infra Pfalzkom PGIM Real Estate Planet IC PlusServer Portus Data Centers PYUR (HL KOMM) ratiokontakt SDC Capital Partners SpeedBone STACK Infrastructure STACKIT Telehouse Telemaxx TMR Telekommunikation Mittleres Ruhrgebiet Trusted-Colo TWLKOM Vantage Data Centers VIRTUS Data Centres WIIT AG Yondr For more information about this database visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/a71o5p About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250606796965/en/ Contacts: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 AMSTERDAM, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ --New Amsterdam Invest N.V. (the "Company", or "New Amsterdam Invest", or "NAI"), listed on Euronext Amsterdam, announces that at its annual general meeting of shareholders, held today at Van der Valk Hotel Utrecht, the Netherlands ("AGM"), all resolutions were duly passed. The results of all voting items are listed below. All resolutions passed at the AGM The AGM adopted the following items including the votes cast. As at the AGM, in total 5,241,697 votes could be validly cast. The total number of shares for which valid votes were cast at the AGM amounted to 1,725,408 being 32,9% of the issued and outstanding share capital of NAI. In accordance with section 2:120 paragraph 5 of the Dutch Civil Code, the outcome of the voting on the proposals discussed at the AGM is as follows: Agenda item For % Against % Abstain % 5 Adoption of annual accounts NAI for FY 2024 1,725,408 100.0 0 0 0 0 6 Advisory vote on the remuneration report of FY 2024 1,705,408 100.0 0 0 20,000 0 7 Discharge of each of the members of the Management Board i. Aren van Dam ii. Arie Johannes Maarten van Dam iii. Cornelis Martinus Verkade iv. Elisha Sjemtov Evers i. 1,725,408 ii. 1,705,408 iii. 1,705,408 iv. 1,714,441 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 i. 0 ii. 0 iii. 0 iv. 0 0 0 0 0 i. 0 ii. 20,000 iii. 20,000 iv. 10,967 0 0 0 0 8 Discharge of each of the members of the Supervisory Board i. Jan Louis Burggraaf ii. Paulus Johannes Steman iii. Elbert Dijkgraaf i. 1,705,408 ii. 1,725,408 iii. 1,725,408 100.0 100.0 100.0 i. 0 ii. 0 iii.0 0 0 0 i. 20,000 ii. 0 iii.0 0 0 0 9 Reappointment of each member of the Supervisory Boar, for a period of four years ending after the general meeting in 2029; i Jan Louis Burggraaf ii. Paulus Johannes Steman iii Elbert Dijkgraaf i. 1,725,408 ii. 1,725,408 iii 1,725,408 100.0 100.0 100.0 i. 0 ii. 0 iii. 0 0 0 0 i. 0 ii. 0 iii. 0 0 0 0 10 Authorisation of the Board of Directors to acquire fully paid-up ordinary shares or depositary receipt for shares in NAI's own capital. 1,725,408 100.0 0 0 0 0 11 Designation of the Management Board as the body authorized to issue ordinary shares in the capital of NAI 1,725,408 100.0 0 0 0 0 12 Designation of the Management Board as the body authorized to limit or exclude the statutory pre- emptive right upon the issue of ordinary shares in the capital of NAI 1,705,408 98.8 20,000 1.2 0 0 13 Re-appointment of BDO Audit & Assurance B.V. as external independent auditor for the year ending 31 December 2025 1,705,408 100.0 0 0 20,000 0 14 Ratification of the share premium reserve distribution on 20 December 2024 in the amount of 0.1125 per ordinary share 1,714,441 100.0 0 0 10,967 0 15 Decision on dividend distribution for the financial year 2024. With the approval of the supervisory board and the meeting of holders of priority shares, the Management Board proposes not to pay a final dividend for 2024 1,668,409 97.8 37,000 2.2 19,999 0 About New Amsterdam Invest New Amsterdam Invest N.V. is a Dutch commercial real estate company listed at Euronext Amsterdam with operating companies in the United States and the United Kingdom. The main objective of New Amsterdam Invest is running commercial activities including the owning, (re-)developing, acquiring, divesting, maintaining, letting out and/or otherwise operating commercial real estate, all in the broadest possible meaning. All information about New Amsterdam Invest can be found on the company website: www.newamsterdaminvest.com Disclaimer Elements of this press release contain or may contain information about New Amsterdam Invest N.V. within the meaning of Article 7(1) to (4) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation. This press release may include statements, including NAI's financial and operational medium-term objectives that are, or may be deemed to be, 'forward-looking statements'. These forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms 'believes', 'estimates', 'plans', 'projects', 'anticipates', 'expects', 'intends', 'may', 'will' or 'should' or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy, plans, objectives, goals, future events or intentions. Forward-looking statements may and often do differ materially from actual results. Any forward-looking statements reflect NAI's current view with respect to future events and are subject to risks relating to future events and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to NAI's business, results of operations, financial position, liquidity, prospects, growth or strategies. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/new-amsterdam-invest-nv-annual-general-meeting-results-302475338.html The "United Kingdom Existing Upcoming Data Center Portfolio" database has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The current data center capacity in the UK is around 1.7 GW, with more than 10 million sq. ft. of built space. London leads the upcoming data center market in the UK with over 60% of the total power capacity. VIRTUS Data Centres is the top operator in the UK, followed by Equinix and Digital Realty. Big upcoming projects include QTS, Digital Reef, and Humber Tech Park. The upcoming capacity is expected to reach 4 GW across 21.5 million sq. ft., which is more than double the existing capacity. There is growing demand from cloud and tech companies, especially in London, Manchester, and Birmingham. Key Market Highlights This database (Excel) product covers the UK data center market portfolio analysis, which will provide the following information on the colocation data centers: Detailed Analysis of 231 existing data centers Detailed Analysis of 48 upcoming data centers Locations covered: Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Bristol, Buckinghamshire, Cambridge, Chertsey, Cheshire, Corsham, Derbyshire, Dorset, Dunkirk, Essex, Farnborough, Gloucestershire, Greater London, Greater Manchester, Hampshire, Harlow, Hayes, Hertfordshire, Iver Heath, Kent, Killingholme, Leicestershire, London, Manchester, Merseyside, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Scotland, Slough, South Yorkshire, Surrey, Tyne Wear, Wales, Warwickshire, West Midlands, West Sussex, West Yorkshire, Wiltshire. Existing white-floor space (square feet) Upcoming white-floor space (square feet) Current IT load capacity (2025) Future capacity additions (2025-2029) Retail Colocation Pricing Quarter Rack (1/4) Half Rack Cabinets 1/2 Full Rack Cabinet (42U/45U/47U/etc.) Wholesale colocation per kW pricing Existing Data Centers (231 Facilities) Market Snapshot Location (Region/Country/City) Facility Address Operator/Owner Name Data Center Name i.e., (London II or Glasgow Data Center) Core Shell Area (White-Floor Area) Core Shell Power Capacity (IT Load Capacity) Rack Capacity Year of Operations Design Standards (Tier I IV) Power/Cooling Redundancy Upcoming Data Centers (48 Facilities) Investment Snapshot Location (Region/Country/City) Investor Name Area (White-Floor Area) Power Capacity (IT Load Capacity) Investment ($ Million) Electrical Infrastructure Investment ($ Million) Mechanical Infrastructure Investment ($ Million) General Construction Services Investment ($ Million) Announcement Year Project Status (Opened/Under Construction/Announced Planned) Active or Expected Year of Opening Target Audience Data center Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) Data center Construction Contractors Data center Infrastructure Providers New Entrants Consultants/Consultancies/Advisory Firms Corporate and Governments Agencies Key Topics Covered: 1. About the Database 2. Scope Assumptions 3. Definitions 4. Snapshot: Existing Upcoming Data Center Facility 5. Existing Data Center Database 6. Upcoming Data Center Facility 7. Existing vs. Upcoming Capacity (Infographics) 8. Colocation Pricing The major operators/investors covered in this United Kingdom Data Center Colocation Market Database include: AIMES ANS Group (UKFast) AQL Data Center ASK4 Access Managed Services (OOSHA) Ada Infrastructure Aptum Ark Data Centres Arrow Business Communications Asanti (Daisy Group) AtlasEdge CCS Leeds Caineal CapitaLand Castleforge and Galaxy DC Catella (Trinity DC) Centersquare (Cyxtera Technologies) Centrilogic China Mobile International (CMI) Clearstream Technology Cloud Innovation Limited CloudHQ Cogent Communications Colt Data Centre Services Corscale Custodian Data Centres CyrusOne DATANET.CO.UK DC01UK DDCL Tutis Point DLD (Salford) Ltd Daisy Corporate Services DataBank DataVita Datacentreplus Datum Digital Realty Digital Reef Digital Space EID LLP Echelon Data Centers EdgeCore Elasticity Limited Elite UK REIT Management Pte. Ltd Epsilon Telecommunications Equinix Fujitsu Fulcrum Data Systems GTP 3 Data Center GTT Communications Global Switch Global Technical Realty (GTR) Green Mountain Gridjet Data Centres Humber Tech Park IOMART IP House ITPS Indectron Intercity Technology Ionos (Fasthosts) Iron Mountain Itility J Mould Kao Data Keppel Data Centres Kwere II LDeX Lasercharm Latos Data Center Lincoln Rackhouse Link Park Heathrow Lumen Technologies Lunar Digital MigSolv NSCALE NTT DATA Netwise Hosting Node4 Norwich Research Park Origin Power Services and Woodlands Investment Management Limited PATRIZIA Pulsant Pure Data Center QTS QuickHost Rackspace Technology Redcentric Redwire DC SUB1 Safe Hosts Internet Safenames Data Centre Segro ServerChoice ServerHouse Serverfarm Service Express (Blue Chip) SilverEdge DC Six Degrees Stellium Datacenters THG Hosting Telehouse Telstra The Bunker (Cyberfort Group) Thrive Tritax Big Box VIRTUS Data Centres Vantage Data Centers Verne Global WRN Broadcast Wildcard Networks Wilton International Wycombe Film Studios Yondr Yondr Access Managed Services (OOSHA) brightsolid nLighten For more information about this database visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vxondy About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250606166335/en/ Contacts: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / At WK Kellogg Co, we are committed to supporting kids and our communities - starting with making sure every child has access to the food they need to grow and be healthy, especially during the summer months when school meals are no longer available. That's why we are proud to team up with Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan and Kroger for the annual Children's Hospital of Michigan Cereal Drive. For the past 15 years, the Children's Hospital of Michigan Professional Nurse Council at the Detroit Medical Center has led this important community initiative in partnership with Gleaners, helping ensure children have a consistent daily meal while school is out. Since its start in 2010, the drive has provided more than 14.5 million servings of cereal to families in need. To recognize this milestone year, the goal for 2025 is to raise an ambitious 1.5 million servings. WK Kellogg Co is proud to be part of this community-driven effort. Over the past three years, we have donated nearly 70,000 pounds of cereal, and we are excited to keep the momentum going. "At WK Kellogg Co, our Feeding Happiness sustainable business strategy is about more than just food - it's about helping children and families lead healthier, happier lives," said Susan Davison, Head of Communications and Philanthropy at WK Kellogg Co. "We're proud to stand with Gleaners, Kroger and the Children's Hospital of Michigan in this long-standing effort to fight hunger and support communities across Michigan." This week, WK Kellogg Co participated in the Cereal Drive Fill a Bus event at the Kroger in Royal Oak, Michigan, where Tony the Tiger greeted community members as they donated cereal in an effort to fill the bus- a spirited and visible symbol of community generosity. "Once school is out for summer, kids in metro Detroit facing food insecurity might not know where their next meal is coming from," said Angela Halverson, Director of Community Giving at Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan. "The goal of the Cereal Drive is to ensure that kids have access to a consistent daily meal over the summer break, and Gleaners certainly couldn't do it alone! We are so grateful for the tremendous partnerships with the Children's Hospital of Michigan, the Kroger Company of Michigan, WK Kellogg Co and the United Dairy Industry of Michigan, among others. The Cereal Drive really does mean hope for so many kids and families over the summer." All cereal collected will be donated to Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan, who will distribute it to children and families across the region throughout the summer. To learn more about how you can participate, visit https://www.childrensdmc.org/about/cereal-drive. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from WK Kellogg Company on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: WK Kellogg Company Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/wk-kellogg-company Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: WK Kellogg Company View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/industrial-and-manufacturing/wk-kellogg-co-joins-gleaners-community-food-bank-and-kroger-to-help-fi-1036322 OSWIECIM, POLAND / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / Twenty-five cadets and midshipmen from five United States service academies have arrived in Poland to take part in the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation's (AJCF) American Service Academies Program (ASAP) - an impactful 16-day educational experience that challenges future military leaders to confront the history of the Holocaust and apply its lessons to modern-day ethical leadership. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the program, which has educated hundreds of U.S. military students since its inception. This year's cohort includes 25 cadets and midshipmen from the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps. An additional ASAP group will travel later this summer. ASAP brings these future leaders through an intensive itinerary in both the U.S. and Poland, focusing on Holocaust history, ethical responsibility in the armed forces and the moral consequences of leadership during times of atrocity. Participants engage with survivors, scholars, elected officials and educators across two continents in a transformative journey of remembrance and responsibility. In Poland, the program began on June 1 with an opening dinner and orientation led by Auschwitz Jewish Center directors and the program's Scholar-in-Residence Prof. Jody Russell Manning. Over the next several days, the group will engage in guided study visits to Auschwitz I and Auschwitz-Birkenau, tour the Kazimierz Jewish Quarter and the former Krakow ghetto, meet with Holocaust survivors, visit the Auschwitz Jewish Center and museum and roll up their sleeves to help maintain the Oswiecim Jewish cemetery. The group will then travel to Warsaw to visit the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Treblinka Death Camp Museum and Warsaw Uprising Museum and concludes with academic seminars, reflection workshops and commemorative events. They then travel to New York, where the group will visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City, meet with Holocaust survivors and Poland's Consul General, visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum and participate in the AJCF's annual gala on June 11. "For 20 years, the American Service Academies Program has empowered young military leaders to understand the consequences of hatred, the fragility of democracy and the importance of moral courage," said AJCF Chairman Simon Bergson. "By immersing these cadets and midshipmen in the history of Auschwitz and the Holocaust, we hope to inspire ethical leadership rooted in humanity and justice." "These young men and women represent the future of our nation's armed forces and they are confronting some of history's darkest chapters to become the kind of leaders the 21st Century needs," said AJCF Director General Jack Simony. "Twenty years of ASAP have shown us that education in ethical leadership is one of the most powerful tools we have to fight hatred and uphold democratic values." This year's ASAP is made possible with generous support from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany; the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future; the German Federal Ministry of Finance; the Taube Family Foundation and the David Berg Foundation. The Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to harnessing the lessons learned from the Holocaust to combat hatred and bigotry through educational programs and by providing direct humanitarian aid to victims of mass atrocities. It supports survivors of genocides and other tragedies, including Ukrainian refugees and those impacted by Hamas's October 7 attacks. The Foundation maintains the Auschwitz Jewish Center, the last remaining synagogue in Oswiecim (Auschwitz) and serves as the primary institution dedicated to preserving the memory of the town's Jewish community while addressing hate. To date, over a million people have visited the center and more than 300,000 individuals, including first responders, military personnel, students and educators, have taken part in its educational initiatives on tolerance and the Holocaust. For more information, visit: https://ajcfus.org/ . Contact: Joshua Steinreich Steinreich Communications (212) 491-1600 Jsteinreich@scompr.com SOURCE: Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/25-u.s.-cadets-and-midshipmen-arrive-in-poland-for-auschwitz-jew-1036331 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 6, 2025) - Onyx Gold Corp. (TSXV: ONYX) (OTCQX: ONXGF) ("Onyx Gold" or the "Company") announces closing of the second and final tranche of its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement"). Pursuant to the second tranche of the Private Placement, the Company issued 1,709,657 common shares that qualify as "flow-through shares" (within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act")) (the "FT Shares") at a price of $1.19 per FT Share for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $2.03 million. Following the closing of this final tranche, the Company has raised a total of $13.04 million since May 2025. Following closing of the Private Placement, an existing strategic investor will own approximately 9.4% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company. "We're very pleased to close this final tranche with support from existing strategic investors," said Brock Colterjohn, President & CEO of Onyx Gold. "Their investment signals support for our projects and our team. With over $15 million raised, including the exercise of outstanding warrants, Onyx Gold will be able to advance our exploration initiatives, as we continue to build value for our shareholders." The Company will use an amount equal to the gross proceeds received by the Company from the sale of the FT Shares, pursuant to the provisions in the Tax Act, to incur (or be deemed to incur) "Qualifying Expenditures" related to the Company's projects in Ontario and the Yukon, on or before December 31, 2026, and to renounce all the Qualifying Expenditures in favour of the subscribers of the FT Shares effective December 31, 2025. If the Qualifying Expenditures are reduced by the Canada Revenue Agency, the Company will indemnify each FT Share subscriber for any additional taxes payable by such subscriber as a result of the Company's failure to renounce the Qualifying Expenditures as agreed. The Private Placement is subject to final acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange. The FT Shares have been offered pursuant to applicable exemptions from the prospectus requirements under applicable securities laws and will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the respective closing dates in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. persons unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available. "United States" and "U.S. person" have the meaning ascribed to them in Regulation S under the 1933 Act. About Onyx Gold Onyx Gold is an exploration company focused on well-established Canadian mining jurisdictions, with assets in Timmins, Ontario, and Yukon Territory. The Company's extensive portfolio of quality gold projects in the greater Timmins gold camp includes the Munro-Croesus Gold property, renowned for its high-grade mineralization, plus two additional earlier-stage large exploration properties, Golden Mile and Timmins South. Onyx Gold also controls four properties in the Selwyn Basin area of Yukon Territory, which is currently gaining significance due to recent discoveries in the area. Onyx Gold's experienced board and senior management team are committed to creating shareholder value through the discovery process, careful allocation of capital, and environmentally/socially responsible mineral exploration. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Cautionary and Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements about the Private Placement (including the anticipated use of proceeds), statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations and intentions. These forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, that the Company will not use the proceeds of the Private Placement as anticipated; that the Company will not receive all necessary approvals in respect of the Private Placement; market volatility; the state of the financial markets for the Company's securities; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development; fluctuating commodity prices; competitive risks; and the availability of financing, as described in more detail in our recent securities filings available under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Forward-looking statements are based on certain material assumptions and analysis made by the Company and the opinions and estimates of management as of the date of this news release, including, among other things, that the Company will use the proceeds of the Private Placement as anticipated; and that the Company will receive all necessary approvals in respect of the Private Placement, if applicable. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor. Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/254715 SOURCE: Onyx Gold Corp. PRINCETON, NJ / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / Originally published on University of Kentucky Research News A groundbreaking lung cancer screening project co-led by the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center and the University of Colorado (CU) Cancer Center is expanding its reach, thanks to a $6.8 million grant from the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, an independent charitable organization. QUILS (Quality Implementation of Lung Cancer Screening), led by UK Markey Cancer Center researchers Jennifer Redmond Knight, Dr.P.H., and Timothy Mullett, M.D., and Jamie Studts, Ph.D., from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (CU-AMC), has helped to transform Kentucky's approach to lung cancer screening over the past decade. Despite grappling with the nation's highest lung cancer incidence and mortality rates, Kentucky now has the second-highest rate of lung cancer screening in the U.S. The turnaround is due in part to QUILS System, which has helped Kentucky's health care providers improve their lung cancer screening processes. Building on this success, the four-year grant is supporting the most recent effort led by UK and CU to replicate and adapt the program in Mississippi and Nevada - states chosen due to their high lung cancer burden, low screening rates, opportunities to address health disparities as well as coalition capacity and readiness. "Our experience in Kentucky has taught us that improving lung cancer screening rates requires a collaborative, quality-focused approach," said Knight, co-principal investigator of Kentucky LEADS Collaborative and an assistant professor in the UK College of Public Health. "This funding will allow us to apply what we've learned in Kentucky to help create targeted solutions for Mississippi and Nevada, potentially setting a new standard for lung cancer screening nationwide." The QUILS System helps screening centers optimize their services by evaluating factors such as patient eligibility, tobacco cessation efforts and shared decision-making processes. The program emerged from the prevention and early detection component of the Kentucky LEADS (Lung cancer, Education, Awareness, Detection and Survivorship) Collaborative, which was launched in 2014 to improve Kentucky's approach to lung cancer through education, survivorship care and screening practices. The LEADS Collaborative framework has helped boost Kentucky's screening rates to twice the national average. As a result, late-stage lung cancer diagnoses have decreased by 10% in the past decade. The shift is expected to reduce mortality rates over time, as patients diagnosed at earlier stages have significantly better survival prospects. "The message is simple: lung cancer screening saves lives. With modern treatments, many early-stage lung cancers are not only treatable but potentially curable," said Mullett, a thoracic surgeon and a co-principal investigator of the Kentucky LEADS Collaborative. "This project will help to spread this message of hope in high-risk communities and could save thousands of lives." The team is establishing partnerships with key organizations in Mississippi and Nevada to implement the QUILS System and build a program based on the successful LEADS Collaborative framework. The effort will also encourage coalition building among diverse partners throughout each state and engage each state's primary care infrastructure to accelerate screening - adapting the Kentucky model to meet each state's unique needs. UK will serve as the program management hub, in addition to leading the coalition building and QUILS System Implementation. The clinician engagement component and the population health impact evaluation will be led by CU. UK and CU will work alongside the lead organizations in Mississippi and Nevada: The University of Mississippi Medical Center and Nevada Cancer Coalition. "The teams in Mississippi and Nevada have developed an engaged group of collaborators that are ready to work with our team to optimize delivery and outcomes related to lung cancer screening - the most underutilized tool to transform cancer outcomes nationally," said Studts, a cancer prevention and control researcher, professor and co-principal investigator. "Together, we have an incredible opportunity to transform the lung cancer screening and outcomes landscape similarly to how that landscape is changing in Kentucky." The long-term goal is to create a sustainable, replicable model for improving lung cancer screening rates and outcomes nationwide. If successful, this model could potentially be expanded to other states with similar needs. "We've seen firsthand how impactful the Kentucky LEADS Collaborative has been in increasing lung cancer screenings and helping save lives," said Catharine Grimes, president of the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation. "Now, we are providing a deeper commitment to the successful work in Kentucky and an expansion into communities in Mississippi and Nevada, where the need is just as great, and we're proud to support this important effort." Photo Credit: University of Kentucky View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Bristol-Myers Squibb Company on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/bristol-myers-squibb-company Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Bristol-Myers Squibb Company View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/healthcare-and-pharmaceutical/markey-researchers-awarded-6.8-million-to-help-others-replicate-kentu-1036332 NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / Teva Pharmaceutical: At Teva, we are all in for better health. Increasing access to quality medicines is fundamental to improving the health of patients and the success of our business. In order to achieve lasting impact, we have expanded a number of our access programs to go beyond the product by incorporating Health System Strengthening and Capacity Building efforts. Capacity building is critical for ensuring sustainable and resilient healthcare systems, directly contributing to our mission of expanding access to care. To increase our positive impact beyond medicines, our health system strengthening and capacity-building initiatives expand healthcare professionals' skill sets, increase treatment accessibility such as diagnosis and screening, improve community members' health literacy and awareness and overall enhance local capacity to support the health needs of underserved populations. We take a holistic approach to health equity to address other social determinants of health, including financial, geographic, socioeconomic and cultural factors. We aim to increase the cumulative number of beneficiaries of our initiatives by 200% by 2026 (vs. cumulative 2022-2023 baseline). Many of our initiatives complement our Access to Medicines programs (see page 19 in the Healthy Future Report). Our main initiatives in 2024 to promote health system strengthening and capacity-building were: Malawi, Uganda, Botswana, Tanzania and Rwanda - Pediatric oncology specialists are few and far between in Sub-Saharan Africa. We expanded our support for Global HOPE in 2024 through efforts specifically focused on strengthening local capacity, including training for nurses and medical officers, as well as nurse training scholarships. Beneficiaries in 2024 numbered 1,965 - including HCPs trained and resulting patients diagnosed. We are building sustainable healthcare capacity, ensuring that children receive timely and effective treatment. Ghana - A lack of breast care centers and trained healthcare practitioners, along with low awareness and high stigma, contribute to high breast cancer mortality rates in Ghana. Through our partnership with Breast Care International, we are addressing healthcare challenges that hinder early diagnosis and treatment, ensuring that patients receive the care they need. We are raising awareness on breast cancer and the importance of early diagnosis, increasing local capacity to increase breast cancer screening for women aged 18-60, and improving referral pathways. Beneficiaries in 2024 totaled 10,752, including patients and HCPs in rural Ghana. Chile - We organized an educational event focusing on mental health, the risks of self-medication and the importance of adhering to prescribed therapies, attracting 100 participants including healthcare professionals and community members. We conducted community training sessions in Cochamo and Rio Puelo, collectively impacting around 5,100 residents. USA - From November 2023 to October 2024, our grant funding helped 34,916 beneficiaries (14,480 directly and 20,436 indirectly) in clinics supported by our Community Routes program. Over two years of funding, we have trained 2,800 community members, held 131 community events, expanded access to mental health services for 63,659 beneficiaries and conducted 24,617 patient screenings. Together with our partners Direct Relief and NAFC, in 2024 we published a report in collaboration with the grantees of our behavioral health program in local USA clinics and communities. Lessons Learned from Community Routes: Access to Mental Health Care highlights experiences and understandings relevant for broader underserved, bi-lingual/bi-cultural populations and patients with low health literacy. The report is a useful resource for social impact program policymakers, funders and safety-net providers. Support the Soul in Israel Following the brutal attacks of October 7, 2023 trauma took hold of the lives of Israelis, affecting citizens with post-traumatic stress disorder and related issues such as depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and addictions. Israel needs more professional trauma therapists as the shortage hampers mental health support and recovery. Therapists are also experiencing burnout, as well as dealing with intense personal challenges. Our Support The Soul program provides support via: training professional teams, creating safe spaces, innovative tools, and research. It is strengthening the infrastructure of resilience centers to provide safe spaces for therapy, increasing treatment facilities and making mental health services more accessible. In collaboration with the Israel Trauma Coalition, our training courses in Israel in 2024 included 32 hours of instruction for 430 practitioners that benefited over 2,580 individuals in need. Support the Soul will continue through 2025, aiming to train and supervise 750 professional therapists, support two resilience centers (benefiting 6,000 people directly), equip 2,000 first responders with resilience tools, and support 18 technology companies through a southern-based acceleration program. To learn more, read the full 2024 Healthy Future Report. Read the full 2024 Healthy Future Report Disclosures. Patient who is part of the Global Hope Program in Uganda View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Teva Pharmaceutical on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Teva Pharmaceutical Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/teva-pharmaceutical Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Teva Pharmaceutical View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/healthcare-and-pharmaceutical/teva-2024-healthy-future-report-health-system-strengthening-and-capac-1036333 Agency Vet Moves In-House to Oversee Communications, Marketing & Creative for Leading Bridal Retailer During Pivotal "Aisle to Algorithm" Brand Evolution KING OF PRUSSIA, PA / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / David's Bridal, Inc. ("David's"), the nation's leading bridal and special occasion authority, today announced the appointment of Lisa Horton as Chief Communications and Creative Officer. As part of the company's Executive Leadership Team, Horton will oversee all facets of the company's marketing, brand strategy, public relations, internal and external communications, investor relations, social media, and creative. Since beginning her work with David's Bridal in late 2024, leading its agency of record, Horton has already been instrumental in shaping the company's narrative on the largest strategic pivot in its 70-year history, "Aisle to Algorithm." She has spearheaded strategic communications around major company milestones, including a transformative acquisition, the launch of the brand's retail media network, a c-suite leadership transition, including announcing the company's new Chief Executive Officer, Kelly Cook, and a headline-making partnership with couture house Marchesa. Under her direction, the company has earned over 5 billion media impressions with placements in outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNBC, WWD, USA Today, and Forbes in the past six months. A dynamic and deeply strategic communications leader, Horton brings more than 15 years of experience building and elevating brands through breakthrough storytelling and integrated marketing. She most recently served as President of award-winning boutique agency ASTRSK, where she spent the past 8.5 years in roles ranging from AVP to Chief Strategy Officer, culminating in her presidency. During her tenure, she led high-impact campaigns and launches for brands such as Prime Video, Lemonade Insurance (including the company's IPO), Match Group, Industrious, Grailed, Laird Superfood, Misfits Market, and many others. "Lisa is a powerhouse, a force, and an exceptional strategic thought partner," said Kelly Cook, Chief Executive Officer of David's Bridal. "She has already made an extraordinary impact on our brand. Her sharp instincts, critical thinking, unique problem-solving, creative vision, and unmatched ability to tell compelling stories across every platform are exactly what David's Bridal needs as we continue our journey to redefine modern retail and serve today's engaged couples in new, exciting ways." In her new role, Horton will be charged with further evolving the David's Bridal brand and voice-infusing it with innovation, culture, and creativity to meet the ever-changing expectations of Gen Z and Millennial consumers. Horton is based in New York and will report directly to Elina Vilk, David's President and Chief Business Officer, who will work closely with Horton on the marketing and creative direction of David's. Vilk shared, "Lisa stands out for her expertise in gleaning insights into the needs, wants and pain points throughout the customer's journey and turning those into powerful messages, we are so lucky to have her leadership." "It's an incredible honor to join David's Bridal during one of its most transformative and exciting chapters- I bought my prom dress from David's, my mother was a David's bride, and I've been a David's bridesmaid three times and counting!" added Lisa Horton, Chief Communications and Creative Officer, David's Bridal. "This brand is steeped in history, having walked more brides down the aisle than any other brand, but also fearlessly future-forward to ensure it delivers on its mission for brides, grooms, and anyone celebrating life's most memorable moments and milestones. I'm energized by the opportunity to work with the already established team of incredible branding, marketing, and creative professionals at David's and to help shape what's next for a company with so much momentum." ASTRSK will remain David's PR agency of record, reporting to Horton. To learn more about David's, visit davidsbridal.com . For headshots and additional assets, please see media kit here . ### About David's Bridal With over 70 years of experience dressing people for all of life's special occasions, David's Bridal is built on the ethos of making dreams happen. David's Bridal is dedicated to creating innovative solutions that serve wedding and special occasion consumers and the industry at large. David's boasts the industry's only loyalty program, the Diamond Loyalty Program . This program, with almost 3 million members, provides perks and deals from partners like Generation Tux , Shutterfly , Little Tuxedos and much more, including the opportunity to win a free honeymoon. Additionally, Pearl by David's offers consumers a wedding website, universal wedding registry, robust wedding checklist , and a new vendor marketplace that beautifully pairs brides with their perfect vendor partners. Pearl Media Network allows advertisers to tap into David's Bridal unmatched market reach to authentically connect with consumers through content across the web, social, podcast, streaming, video, in-store and more. Under the Pearl Media umbrella is Love Stories by David's, the top wedding media brand taking a digital-first approach to wedding content and inspiration with over 20M viewers per month across content platforms, including the wedding industry's sole podcast network, streaming TV and Snap Discover channels, and largest YouTube and TikTok channels, and a library of over 30,000 real wedding videos. Each video comes equipped with wedding data and details, contributing to a marketplace of over 60,000 wedding professionals to help couples better dream about, research and plan their big day. With more than 190 stores across the US, Canada, and franchise locations in Mexico, David's Bridal offers the convenience of one-stop shopping for every magical event in her life, including weddings, Quinceanera, graduations, proms, communions, or simply making the world her runway and beyond. To learn more about David's Bridal, visit www.DavidsBridal.com , download the Planning App , and connect on social media through Instagram , YouTube , Pinterest , Facebook , X , TikTok , and LinkedIn . Contact Information David's Bridal mediarequests@dbi.com SOURCE: DAVID'S BRIDAL CORPORATE View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/consumer-and-retail-products/david%e2%80%99s-bridal-appoints-lisa-horton-as-chief-communications-and-creati-1036055 IBSA Derma, the dermoaesthetic division of Swiss company IBSA, will participate in the 18 th IMCAS Asia Congress in Bangkok, gathering over 3,000 professionals from across the region to explore the future of aesthetic and regenerative medicine. With the presence in the Congress and a dedicated scientific symposium, the company reaffirms its commitment to advancing bioremodeling approaches and promoting a holistic, science-driven vision of authentic beauty. This year marks a key milestone for IBSA Derma: 10 years of NAHYCO Technology, a patented innovation in hyaluronic acid science that continues to shape the future of tissue regeneration. IBSA Derma the dermoaesthetic division of IBSA once again confirms its leadership in the international aesthetic medicine landscape by participating in the 18th edition of IMCAS Asia, taking place from June 6 to 8 in Bangkok, Thailand. With over 3,000 attendees expected, the event represents a key opportunity for physicians and experts to share the latest innovations and cutting-edge advancements in aesthetic procedures and treatments, staying at the forefront of this dynamic field. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250603094257/en/ IBSA's stand at IMCAS Asia 2025 As part of the congress, IBSA Derma will host a scientific symposium titled "The Future of Tissue Regeneration with NAHYCO Technology. Feeling and Seeing the Results with Profhilo Line" scheduled for Saturday, June 7, from 3:00 to 4:00 pm ICT in Room 1 Level 2. Internationally renowned speakers Dr. Lam Bee Lan and Prof. Ofir Artzi - will lead the session, focusing on the evolving approaches in regenerative aesthetic medicine, with particular attention to the clinical impact of hybrid cooperative complexes (HCCs) of hyaluronic acid and their role in tissue regeneration across different anatomical layers affected by aging. HCCs represent a new frontier in hyaluronic acid-based product formulation, made possible through NAHYCO Technology, IBSA's patented thermal process that celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. This technological breakthrough is the foundation of the Profhilo line and continues to be a milestone of IBSA Derma's innovation pathway. The Company's presence at IMCAS Asia is part of a broader strategic plan for expansion across the APAC region, an increasingly dynamic and high-potential market. In this context, IBSA Derma strengthened its regional presence last year with the opening of its regional hub in Singapore and the launch of a dedicated platform for Asian Key Opinion Leaders to share their clinical insights and expertise. "The strong growth we are experiencing in the APAC region stems from our solid collaboration with local distributors, which enable us to better understand the specific dynamics and cultural nuances of each market" says Loy Derris, Business Development Director Dermoaesthetic Division North Asia. "Over the past 18 months, we have achieved remarkable results in countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, and India, and we have recently entered the Thai market with great momentum. Looking ahead we are also looking enthusiastically toward promising new markets like Taiwan" - declaresMagallon Riza Marie, Senior Strategic Marketing and Operational Lead Dermoaesthetic APAC Region. "Being at IMCAS Asia for the second year in a row is a valuable opportunity to strengthen our dialogue with physicians in the APAC Region and promote our concept of authentic beauty that embraces a holistic and overall wellness-oriented approach" -states Elisa Brozzelli,Brand Activation Manager Dermoaesthetic Division. IBSA Derma will also be present at Booth 8 - Level 2, where visitors can learn more about the latest solutions and innovations in aesthetic medicine. About IBSA IBSA (Institut Biochimique SA) is a Swiss pharmaceutical multinational with 20 subsidiaries across Europe, China, and the United States. Its products are available in over 90 countries, and its R&D activities focus on 10 therapeutic areas. In 2025, IBSA will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its acquisition by current President and CEO, Arturo Licenziati, who has transformed the company into a multinational corporation employing over 2,300 personnel worldwide. IBSA's growth and development can be attributed to its ability to innovate by refining well-known molecules, as well as to its commitment to looking to the future responsibly and transparently, thanks to the dedication and dynamism of its people. About IBSA Derma IBSA has used its experience and expertise in the pharmaceutical field to branch out and develop medical devices for aesthetic medicine based on hyaluronic acid, thus creating a dedicated division: IBSA Derma. Through scientific expertise, continuous research, technological development and a modern production process, IBSA has become one of the leading pharmaceutical companies to produce hyaluronic acid for aesthetic medicine applications. IBSA Derma distinguishes itself in this vast market because it controls the entire product lifecycle, from the biofermentation production of the raw material to the ready-to-use final product in prefilled syringes. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250603094257/en/ Contacts: For further information: Giulia Drei, PR and Communication Specialist Dermoaesthetic Division giulia.drei@ibsa.it NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / "For first time in a long while, we feel like we can live with some peace." Published by Action Against Hunger. By Ahmed Issak Hussein In Wajid, Somalia, a town gripped by drought, the rhythmic clatter of newly installed handpumps signals hope. For the families in Wajid's Tawakal Internal Displacement Camp, water scarcity has long been a challenge, affecting not just hydration but also livelihoods and daily survival. Life in Tawakal has always been defined by the struggle for water. Owliya Ibrahim Riinow, a mother of five, experienced this hardship firsthand. Forced to flee her village 18 miles away, she and her children settled into a makeshift shelter. Each day was a struggle for water. Owliya would walk a half mile to the nearest semi-saline well-an unsafe journey-only to return with contaminated water, and too little of it. "The water we used was not always clean, and never enough for cooking, cleaning, or bathing," Owliya shares. Now, there is a glimmer of hope in Wajid with support from Action Against Hunger and funding from the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO) to improve water access. Four shallow wells, were deepened over 6 feet to ensure a higher yield and hand pumps were added, drastically improving the availability and quality of water. The impact was immediate and profound. Owliya's neighborhood, once deprived of clean water, now has a reliable source that serves over 295 households. The shallow well that used to run dry during the harsh dry seasons now provides clean, protected water year-round. "We are blessed," says Owliya. "The well is just a short walk away, and the water is safe for my children. Now, we can focus on other important things in our lives." For Owliya and the women of Tawakal, the well is more than just a source of water; it has become a hub for the community, a place where women gather, share stories, and support one another. Beyond access to clean water, Action Against Hunger has also provided hygiene kits containing water treatment tablets, soap, and sanitary pads so families can maintain better hygiene. The risk of waterborne diseases is also significantly reduced through these sanitation measures. For communities like Tawakal, the rehabilitation of these wells has an impact that goes far beyond a mere infrastructural improvement-it is a turning point, a shift from survival to the possibility of thriving. With clean water now within reach, families can shift their focus to building their lives by pursuing education for their children, securing their livelihoods, and planning for a more stable future. "I pray this support continues," says Owliya gratefully. "And I hope other communities facing similar struggles will receive the same help. Now, for the first time in a long while, we feel like we can live with some peace." *** Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. As a nonprofit that works across over 55 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. Action Against Hunger works in 28 districts across Somalia. In 2023, our teams repaired over 50 clean water points and our water, sanitation, and hygiene programs benefited 219,000 people. We also lead the Building Resilient Communities in Somalia consortium, ensuring communities in disaster-prone rural Somalia have sufficient social, financial, and environmental assets to cope with shocks and adapt to the effects of climate change. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good. Rehabilitated well in Wajid. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Action Against Hunger on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Action Against Hunger Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/action-against-hunger Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Action Against Hunger View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/a-well-of-hope-in-wajid-1036338 Cyber Range Market is Segmented by Type (Cloud-based, On-premise, Hybrid), by Application (Training Purpose, Network Testing). BANGALORE, India, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Market for Cyber Range was valued at USD 2548 Million in the year 2024 and is projected to reach a revised size of USD 4670 Million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 9.0% during the forecast period. Claim Your Free Report: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/QYRE-Auto-30T12015/Global_Cyber_Range_Market Major Factors Driving the Growth of Cyber Range Market: The cyber range market is evolving rapidly as organizations prioritize resilience, preparedness, and compliance in an increasingly hostile digital landscape. Enterprises across sectors are investing in immersive, scenario-based training environments to address complex cyber threats. The market is being driven by both technological innovation and rising stakeholder awareness of cyber risks. With deployment models ranging from cloud to on-premise and applications spanning education, defense, and corporate sectors, cyber ranges are becoming integral to modern cybersecurity strategies. As the demand for cybersecurity expertise grows, the cyber range market is positioned for sustained expansion supported by government funding, private investments, and global collaborations. Unlock Insights: View Full Report Now! https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-30T12015/global-cyber-range TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF THE CYBER RANGE MARKET: The cloud-based deployment model significantly boosts the cyber range market by offering scalable, cost-effective, and on-demand cybersecurity training and testing environments. Organizations, especially SMEs and educational institutions, prefer cloud-based solutions due to lower upfront infrastructure costs and flexible access across locations. With cyber threats becoming more sophisticated, companies are opting for cloud platforms to simulate and rehearse real-world attacks. These solutions enable global teams to collaborate and participate in cyber exercises remotely, fostering skill development across geographies. Additionally, cloud platforms are easier to update and maintain, ensuring the training environment stays current with emerging threat scenarios. This flexibility, affordability, and accessibility are crucial in driving the adoption of cloud-based cyber ranges across multiple sectors. On-premise cyber range solutions are driving market growth by catering to organizations that prioritize data sovereignty, regulatory compliance, and customized control. Government agencies, defense sectors, and large enterprises with sensitive data often opt for on-premise deployments to maintain control over training environments. These setups allow for tailored scenarios, integration with proprietary systems, and advanced security protocols that are difficult to replicate in cloud settings. Furthermore, on-premise ranges provide consistent network performance without relying on internet availability, ensuring uninterrupted training. Industries handling critical infrastructure or classified information rely heavily on these solutions to test vulnerabilities in a secure, controlled environment. This demand for localized, secure infrastructure continues to support the on-premise segment of the cyber range market. The increasing need for cybersecurity training and network testing is a major catalyst for the cyber range market. Organizations are facing a critical skills gap in cybersecurity, and cyber ranges provide a practical, immersive environment for hands-on learning. From simulated cyber-attacks to incident response drills, these platforms enhance workforce readiness. Additionally, cyber ranges allow for safe testing of network configurations, policies, and hardware under attack conditions, helping identify vulnerabilities without real-world risk. This capability is essential for both proactive defense and compliance with cybersecurity standards. As businesses aim to strengthen internal capabilities and avoid data breaches, demand for training and network testing through cyber ranges continues to escalate across industries. The escalation in both volume and complexity of cyber threats has pushed organizations to invest in cyber ranges. From phishing to ransomware, businesses are exposed to evolving attack vectors. Traditional training methods no longer suffice in preparing IT teams for such dynamic risks. Cyber ranges provide simulated attack environments where teams can actively engage with realistic scenarios. These simulations improve both threat detection and incident response. As industries become increasingly digitized especially in finance, healthcare, and energy the need for cyber-resilient operations becomes critical. This compels organizations to adopt cyber range platforms to prepare employees and test infrastructure resilience under threat conditions. Compliance with global data security standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 is a significant driver for cyber range adoption. Regulatory frameworks increasingly demand proactive threat assessment and continuous improvement of cybersecurity protocols. Cyber ranges help organizations demonstrate due diligence by offering repeatable, auditable testing environments. Companies can simulate cyberattacks and assess the effectiveness of their security posture without jeopardizing live systems. This supports risk management initiatives and ensures that gaps are identified and addressed. For sectors like banking and defense, where non-compliance can lead to heavy penalties or national security issues, cyber ranges serve as essential tools for readiness and regulatory assurance. National governments are increasingly adopting cyber range solutions to safeguard critical infrastructure and prepare for cyber warfare. Defense agencies use these platforms for red team/blue team exercises, scenario planning, and offensive cyber strategy testing. These use cases are often highly sensitive and demand specialized simulation environments that mimic national-level cyber threats. As geopolitical tensions and cyber-espionage incidents grow, government investment in cyber range infrastructure accelerates. Many countries are also partnering with private firms to create large-scale, multi-agency training ranges. This direct involvement of the public sector further propels market expansion and innovation in cyber range solutions. There is a global talent shortage in cybersecurity, prompting a surge in demand for realistic training environments. Academic institutions and corporate training programs are turning to cyber ranges to bridge the skills gap. These platforms offer hands-on experience in detecting and neutralizing threats, making learners job-ready faster. Moreover, many cyber range providers partner with educational institutions to incorporate their technology into curricula. This democratization of cybersecurity training equips students with real-world capabilities. As employers look for certified professionals with practical experience, the availability and use of cyber ranges are expected to rise, directly impacting market growth. Sectors such as energy, water utilities, and transportation are increasingly reliant on connected systems, making them vulnerable to cyberattacks. Cyber ranges enable these sectors to simulate attacks on SCADA systems, industrial control systems (ICS), and IoT infrastructure. The ability to test defensive strategies in a sandbox environment is invaluable for ensuring uninterrupted service delivery. With governments prioritizing the cyber defense of critical infrastructure, these sectors are receiving targeted funding and mandates to implement comprehensive cybersecurity training. As a result, demand for specialized cyber range platforms tailored to industrial applications is on the rise, contributing to market expansion. Claim Yours Now! https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=QYRE-Auto-30T12015&lic=single-user CYBER RANGE MARKET SHARE: Global core manufacturers of Cyber Range include Northrop Grumman, Cisco, Leonardo and RaytheonBAE Systems. North America is the largest consumption region, accounting for approximately 37% of the global market. North America dominates due to high investment in cybersecurity, robust defense spending, and advanced technology infrastructure. In terms of type, cloud-based is the largest market segment, with a share of more than 67%. In terms of application, the largest application is training purpose, with a share of approximately 92%. Key Companies: Nsfocus QIANXIN Keysight Venustech H3C Integrity Technology 360 Digital Security Group Cyber Peace FengTai Technology Cyberbit Northrop Grumman Cisco Leonardo Raytheon BAE Systems Airbus IBM MANTECH-Inc Simspace VMware Inc RangeForce Guardtime Cloud Range Ciradence NCSE Cyber Test Systems Purchase Regional Report: https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/QYRE-Auto-30T12015/Global_Cyber_Range_Market SUBSCRIPTION We have introduced a tailor-made subscription for our customers. Please leave a note in the Comment Section to know about our subscription plans. DISCOVER MORE INSIGHTS: EXPLORE SIMILAR REPORTS! - Industrial Cyber Range Market - The global market for Cyber Range as a Service was valued at USD 3895 Million in the year 2023 and is projected to reach a revised size of USD 6931 Million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 8.9% during the forecast period. - The global market for Enterprise Cyber Range Solutions was estimated to be worth USD 156 Million in 2023 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 341.8 Million by 2030 with a CAGR of 13.3% during the forecast period 2024-2030 - The global market for Professional Cyber Range Training Solutions was estimated to be worth USD 315 Million in 2023 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 652.2 Million by 2030 with a CAGR of 12.6% during the forecast period 2024-2030. - Cyber Security Range Platform Market - Cyber Range Simulation Solution Market - The global market for Cyber Range For Education was valued at USD 121 Million in the year 2024 and is projected to reach a revised size of USD 262 Million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 11.8% during the forecast period. - The global Military Cyber Range Training Services market was valued at USD 563 Million in 2023 and is anticipated to reach USD 1032.1 Million by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 9.8% during the forecast period 2024-2030. - The global Military Cyber Range Solutions market was valued at USD 768 Million in 2023 and is anticipated to reach USD 1413.1 Million by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 10.2% during the forecast period 2024-2030. - Cyber Crisis Simulator Market - The global Cyber Risk Consulting Services market was valued at USD 2851.3 Million in 2023 and is anticipated to reach USD 6109 Million by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 11.5% during the forecast period 2024-2030. 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GET A FREE QUOTE Valuates Reports sales@valuates.com For U.S. Toll-Free Call 1-(315)-215-3225 WhatsApp: +91-9945648335 Website: https://reports.valuates.com Blog: https://valuatestrends.blogspot.com/ Pinterest: https://in.pinterest.com/valuatesreports/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/valuatesreports Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valuatesreports/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@valuatesreports6753 https://www.facebook.com/valuateskorean https://www.facebook.com/valuatesspanish https://www.facebook.com/valuatesjapanese https://valuatesreportspanish.blogspot.com/ https://valuateskorean.blogspot.com/ https://valuatesgerman.blogspot.com/ https://valuatesreportjapanese.blogspot.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082232/Valuates_Reports_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/global-cyber-range-market-set-to-grow-at-9-0-cagr-fueled-by-rising-cybersecurity-skill-gaps-valuates-reports-302475355.html EQS Post-admission Duties announcement: Adtran Holdings, Inc. / Third country release according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act] Adtran Holdings, Inc.: Release according to Article 50 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act] with the objective of Europe-wide distribution 06.06.2025 / 16:18 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Post-admission Duties announcement according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 WpHG transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. On 6 June 2025, Adtran Holdings, Inc. filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) a form DEFR 14A report; available on the SEC website https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/926282/000095017025082684/adtn-20250605.htm , a form DEFA 14A report; available on the SEC website https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/926282/000095017025082688/adtn-20250604.htm and the ARS/A for the period ended December 31, 2024; available on the SEC website https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/926282/000095017025082689/adtn_2024_annual_report_.pdf All documents are also available on the Adtran Holdings, Inc. website at https://investors.adtran.com/sec-filings/default.aspx . 06.06.2025 CET/CEST The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.eqs-news.com EQS Post-admission Duties announcement: Haier Smart Home Co.,Ltd. / Third country release according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act] Haier Smart Home Co.,Ltd.: Announcement on Resolutions of the First Holders' Meeting of the 2025 A-Share and H-Share Core Employee Stock Ownership Plan 06.06.2025 / 16:19 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Post-admission Duties announcement according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 WpHG transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Announcement on Resolutions of the First Holders' Meeting of the 2025 A-Share and H-Share Core Employee Stock Ownership Plan Qingdao / Shanghai / Frankfurt / Hongkong, 6 June 2025 - Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. (the "Company" or "Haier Smart Home", D-share 690D.DE, A-share 600690.SH, H-share 06690.HK) today published an announcement in accordance with applicable trading rules of the Shanghai Stock Exchange and applicable PRC laws in relation to the Resolutions of the First Holders' Meeting of the 2025 A-Share and H-Share Core Employee Stock Ownership Plan. The full announcement is available at: https://smart-home.haier.com/en/dggg/P020250606674625758195.pdf?appdesc=Announcement%20on%20Resolutions%20of%20the%20First%20Holders%E2%80%99%20Meeting%20of%20the%202025%20A-Share%20and%20H-Share%20Core IR Contact: Haier Smart Home Hong Kong T: +852 2169 0000 Email: ir@haier.hk Press Contact: CROSS ALLIANCE communication GmbH Sara Pinto pi@crossalliance.de T: +49 89 1250903 35 About Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd.: Haier is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household appliances with a focus on smart home solutions and customized production. Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. develops, produces and distributes a wide range of household appliances. These include refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, air conditioners, water heaters, kitchen appliances as well as small household appliances and an extensive range of intelligent household appliances. The Company distributes its products through leading household brands such as Haier, Casarte, Leader, Candy, GE Appliances, AQUA and Fisher & Paykel. Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. has launched Smart Home Experiential Cloud in the Chinese market, which connects homes, users, enterprises and ecosystem partners, and facilitates the integration of Haier's online, offline and micro-store businesses and supports user interaction to further optimize the user experience. 06.06.2025 CET/CEST The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.eqs-news.com Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 6, 2025) - Steve Hawkins, Chief Executive Officer, LongPoint Asset Management Inc. ("LongPoint") and his team, joined Graham MacKenzie, Managing Director, Exchange Traded Products, Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), to open the market and celebrate the launch of Canada's first Double Levered Single Stock ETFs. This includes six new ETFs: SavvyLong (2X) AAPL ETF (TSX: AAPU) SavvyLong (2X) AMZN ETF (TSX: AMZU) SavvyLong (2X) GOOGL ETF (TSX: ALPU) SavvyLong (2X) MSFT ETF (TSX: MSFU) SavvyLong (2X) NVDA ETF (TSX: NVDU) SavvyLong (2X) TSLA ETF (TSX: TSLU) Cannot view this video? Visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rYozTHl1U8 These ETFs seek daily investment results that endeavour to correspond, before fees and expenses, to two times (2X) the daily return (on a percentage basis) of the respective common stock. The ETFs do not hedge their exposure to the U.S. dollar. The ETFs only trade in Canadian Dollars. These new ETFs offer active Canadian investors a Canadian-domiciled, TSX-listed solution-trading in Canadian dollars-that enables them to tactically position their portfolios around company-specific news, technical signals, market events, or fundamental price outlooks. With this launch, LongPoint continues to establish itself as a leader in innovative ETF solutions. The company entered the levered ETF market in December 2024 with its crude oil and natural gas ETFs and followed that this May with the launch of Canada's first triple levered index ETFs. LongPoint also operates a Partnership ETF platform - a unique structure that streamlines the launch, management, and growth of ETFs for its partners. Proudly Canadian-owned and operated, LongPoint is committed to bringing cutting-edge investment tools to market while supporting the success of its clients and partners. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/254718 SOURCE: Toronto Stock Exchange DELRAY BEACH, Fla., June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The global Healthcare Simulation Market, valued at US$3.00 billion in 2024 stood at US$3.50 billion in 2025 and is projected to advance at a resilient CAGR of 15.6% from 2025 to 2030, culminating in a forecasted valuation of US$7.23 billion by the end of the period. This growth is likely to be driven by rising demand for standardized clinical training, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, higher investment in healthcare technology, and more medical and nursing schools adopting simulation. Key contributors include patient simulators, interventional and cardiac surgical simulators, and simulation training services. Adoption is growing in hospitals and academic institutions, especially in North America and Asia Pacific. Governments are also supporting simulation-based training. For example, the University of Iowa received a USD 8-million grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust to launch SIM-IA, a mobile simulation program for rural healthcare providers and first responders. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=1156 Browse in-depth TOC on "Healthcare Simulation Market" 150 - Tables 50 - Figures 359 - Pages By Based on product & service, the healthcare simulation market, by product & service, is segmented into healthcare simulation anatomical models, healthcare simulation software, web-based simulation, and simulation training services. In 2024, the anatomical models accounted for the largest market share, driven by the increasing emphasis on patient safety and hands-on clinical training. These models allow medical students and professionals to practice procedures in a realistic, risk-free environment, enhancing clinical skills and reducing medical errors. As healthcare systems aim to improve efficiency and reduce costs, anatomical models are widely adopted as cost-effective alternatives to traditional training with live patients. Furthermore, the rising demand for minimally invasive procedures, ongoing advancements in surgical techniques, and growing funding for simulation-based education continue to boost their adoption in academic institutions and healthcare facilities, solidifying their position as the leading segment in the market. By Based on technology, the healthcare simulation market is segmented by technology into virtual patient simulation, 3D printing, and procedural rehearsal technology. Among these, the virtual patient simulation segment is expected to register the fastest growth rate during the forecast period due to its ability to provide immersive, risk-free, and repeatable training experiences for healthcare professionals. Leveraging virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) enables learners to practice clinical scenarios, decision-making, and patient interactions in highly realistic environments. This technology is particularly valuable for training in complex or rare medical cases that are difficult to encounter in real life. Several recent developments underscore this trend. For instance, in November 2024, VRAD Co., Ltd. launched NS_Core and IP_Trauma-two VR-based simulators for nursing and trauma care. Moreover, in July 2024, MediSim VR and KD Hospital opened India's first VR nurse training lab to enhance clinical skills through immersive simulation. These developments highlight the growing strategic focus on virtual patient simulation as a transformative tool in modern medical education and clinical training. By geography, in 2024, North America led the healthcare simulation market, mainly driven by sustained investments in mobile simulation technology and rural healthcare training. Notable initiatives include Washington State University's Mobile Simulation Program, launched in June 2024; the Simulation in Motion-Iowa (SIM-IA) program, launched in June 2022; and the Parkview Health Mobile Medical Training Lab (Indiana, USA), launched in May 2024. These programs are specifically designed to address the needs of underserved and rural communities, delivering high-fidelity simulation training directly to local healthcare providers. Such initiatives exemplify North America's commitment to expanding equitable access to simulation-based education. Furthermore, strong collaborations between academic institutions and healthcare systems, robust government support through initiatives such as the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grants, federal and state funding for mobile simulation units, and significant philanthropic funding have positioned North America as a global leader in healthcare simulation. These combined efforts enhance clinical preparedness, improve healthcare delivery, and ultimately strengthen patient outcomes across the region. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=1156 The key players functioning in the healthcare simulation market include CAE Inc. (Canada), Laerdal Medical (Norway), Gaumard Scientific Co. (US), Kyoto Kagaku (Japan), Limbs & Things (UK), Mentice AB (Sweden), Simulab Corporation (US), Simulaids (US), Intelligent Ultrasound Group PLC (UK), and Operative Experience Inc. (UK), and Surgical Science Sweden AB (Sweden), among others. CAE Inc. (Canada): CAE Inc. is a leader in simulation and training technologies, with a specialized Healthcare division offering high-fidelity patient simulators, ultrasound simulators, pediatric simulators, and surgical simulation systems. The company operates globally across 80+ countries, leveraging direct and partner-driven channels. CAE's core competencies include AR/VR integration, haptic feedback, and simulation center management. Major activities include strategic partnerships, acquisitions (e.g., Medicor), and R&D investments. CAE focuses on developing innovative training solutions, such as Vimedix and LucinaAR, and supports simulation research through collaborations with global universities, enhancing clinical skills and patient outcomes. Laerdal Medical (Norway) Laerdal Medical specializes in simulation-based training to improve patient outcomes, offering high-fidelity patient simulators, CPR manikins, and task trainers. The company's core competencies lie in scalable digital learning, resuscitation, and trauma care training. Major activities include acquisitions (e.g., B-Line Medical) and partnerships (e.g., SimX for VR simulation). Laerdal strongly focuses on innovation and adaptive learning, collaborating with global organizations such as the American Heart Association and GAVI. These initiatives enable Laerdal to lead in digital healthcare education and significantly advance clinical competency and patient safety. For more information, Inquire Now! Related Reports: Healthcare Education Market Healthcare Analytical Testing Services Market Healthcare IT Market Healthcare Analytics Market Remote Patient Monitoring Market Get access to the latest updates on Healthcare Simulation Companies and Healthcare Simulation Market Size About MarketsandMarkets: MarketsandMarkets has been recognized as one of America's Best Management Consulting Firms by Forbes, as per their recent report. MarketsandMarkets is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. With the widest lens on emerging technologies, we are proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients across the globe. 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To find out more, visit www.MarketsandMarkets.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Contact: Mr. Rohan Salgarkar MarketsandMarkets INC. 1615 South Congress Ave. Suite 103, Delray Beach, FL 33445 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1868219/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/healthcare-simulation-market-worth-us7-23-billion-by-2030-with-15-6-cagr--marketsandmarkets-302475156.html NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DESSIMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / Rio Grande Resources Ltd. (CSE:RGR)(OTCPINK:RGRLF) ("Rio Grande" or "RIO" the "Company"), is pleased to announce the successful closing of its non-brokered, full subscribed private placement, which was previously announced on May 30, 2025, issuing an aggregate of 13,328,900 units of the Company (each a "Unit") at a price of $0.10 per Unit for gross proceeds of $1,332,890 (the "Private Placement"). Each Unit consisted of one common share (each, a "Share") and one transferable common share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional Share of the Company at a price of $0.20 per Share for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance. Certain directors and officers of the Company acquired Units under the Private Placement. Such participation is considered to be a "related party transaction" as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The transaction will be exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 as neither the fair market value of any Units issued to, or the consideration paid by, such persons will exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization. All securities issued in connection with the Private Placement are subject to a hold period of four months and one day pursuant to applicable securities laws. A total of $300 in fees were paid in connection with the Private Placement. The net proceeds from the Placement will be allocated towards exploration activities and for general corporate purposes. In accordance with the regulations of the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE"). All securities issued pursuant to the Private Placement will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day as required under applicable securities legislation. The securities offered under the Private Placement have not been, nor will they be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act, as amended, or any state securities law, and may not be offered, sold or delivered, directly or indirectly, within the United States, or to or for the account or benefit of U.S. persons, absent registration or an exemption from such registration requirements. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of securities in any state in the United States in which such officer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The Company would also like to advise that the warrant term is 24 months, not 30 months as previously stated on the May 30, 2025, news release. All other terms of the private placement remain unchanged, and regret for any confusion this may have caused. About Rio Grande Resources Rio Grande Resources (CSE:RGR) is a burgeoning mineral exploration company focused on unlocking the high-grade gold and silver potential within its 3,000-acre drill-ready property in the Black Range of Sierra County, New Mexico. The company holds 100% interest in the Winston project group, which includes the 2 patented historic Ivanhoe & Emporia Claims, and Little Granite mines, all known for their past production of high-grade precious metals. Rio Grande Resources is led by a team of experienced professionals with expertise in mineral exploration and development, who are targeting large-scale precious metal discoveries within the property's well-documented low-sulfidation epithermal setting. To view the company fact sheet and corporate presentation, please visit our website at www.riogranderesources.ca. Contact and Information Company Jason Barnard, President CEO and Director (604) 767-6598 jason.barnard@riogranderesources.ca Investor Relations Contact Lucas A. Zimmerman & Ian Scargill MZ Group - MZ North America (262) 357-2918 RGR@mzgroup.us www.mzgroup.us Follow us or contact us on social media X: @RioGrandeRGR LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rio-grande-resources-ltd/ Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572800435230 Forward-Looking Statements Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented in this news release and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company are or may constitute "forward-looking statements" as such term is used in applicable United States and Canadian laws and including, without limitation, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, for which the Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, the Company's expectations with respect to the Private Placement; and the use of proceeds under the Private Placement;. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any other statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect," "is expected," "anticipates" or "does not anticipate," "plans," "estimates" or "intends," or stating that certain actions, events or results "may," "could," "would," "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and should be viewed as forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, the availability of capital to fund programs and the resulting dilution caused by the raising of capital through the sale of Units, continuity of agreements with third parties, risks and uncertainties associated with the environment and delays in obtaining governmental approvals, permits or financing. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Many of these factors are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially and that could impact the Company and the statements contained in this news release can be found in the Company's filings on SEDAR+. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this news release and in any document referred to in this news release. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities. Please refer to the Company's most recent filings under its profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca for further information respecting the risks affecting the Company and its business. The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release and accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy hereof. SOURCE: Rio Grande Resources View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/rio-grande-resources-announces-closing-of-fully-subscribed-non-brokered-private-p-1036354 ZIGUP plc - Transaction in Own Shares PR Newswire LONDON, United Kingdom, June 20 ZIGUP plc Transaction in Own Shares Transaction in Own Shares ZIGUP plc (the "Company") announces that on 6 June 2025, it transferred 3,000,000 ordinary shares of 0.50 pence per share ("Shares") from treasury to The ZIGUP plc Employee Benefit Trust Deed for 356.44p per share. The Shares will be used to meet obligations arising from employee share plans. Following the above transfer, the Company has 236,091,423 ordinary shares in issue including 7,252,974 shares held in treasury. Shares held in treasury do not carry any voting rights. Therefore the total number of voting ordinary shares (excluding treasury shares) is 228,838,449. This number may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company's Shares under the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules. The Company also has 1,000,000 issued cumulative preference shares of 50p each which have no voting rights (other than in exceptional circumstances), none of which are held in treasury. This announcement is made in accordance with the requirement of UKLR 9.8.2R For further information contact: Matt Barton, Group Company Secretary +44 (0) 1325 467558 About ZIGUP ZIGUP is the leading integrated mobility solutions provider, with a platform providing services across the vehicle lifecycle to help people keep on the move, smarter. The Group offers mobility solutions to businesses, fleet operators, insurers, OEMs and other customers across a broad range of areas from vehicle rental and fleet management to accident management, vehicle repairs, service and maintenance. The mobility landscape is changing, becoming ever more connected and ZIGUP uses its knowledge and expertise to guide customers through the transformation, whether that is more digitally connected solutions or supporting the transition to lower carbon mobility through providing EVs, charging solutions and consultancy. We are proud to be a King's Award for Enterprise 2025 holder, recognised for our commitment to Promoting Opportunity and supporting social mobility. Awarded for our efforts to draw fresh young talent into our industry, we are dedicated to attracting and retaining the next generation of automotive technicians by offering accessible pathways for individuals from all backgrounds to succeed and thrive. The Group's core purpose is to keep its customers mobile, smarter - through meeting their regular mobility needs or by servicing and supporting them when unforeseen events occur. With our considerable scale and reach, ZIGUP's mission is to offer an imaginative, market-leading customer proposition and drive enhanced returns for shareholders by creating value through sustainable compounding growth. The Group seeks to achieve this through the delivery of its new strategic framework of Enable, Deliver and Grow. ZIGUP supports its customers through a network and diversified fleet of over 130,000 owned and leased vehicles, supporting over 1 million managed vehicles, with over 180 branches across the UK, Ireland and Spain and a specialist team of over 8,000 employees. We are a trusted partner to many of the leading insurance and leasing companies, blue chip corporates and a broad range of businesses across a diverse range of sectors. Our strength comes not only from our breadth of our award-winning solutions, but from our extensive network reach, our wealth of experience and continual focus on delivering an exceptional customer experience. Further information regarding ZIGUP plc can be found on the Company's website: www.zigup.com NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 6, 2025) - Nuclear Vision Limited (CSE: NUKV) (the "Company" or "NUKV") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") of up to 7,142,858 units of the Company (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.28 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $2,000,000. Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (each, a "Share") and one common share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Share at a price of $0.50 for a period of 24 months from the closing date of the Offering. The proceeds of the Offering will be used to advance the Company's assets in the Republic of Botswana, including but not limited to geophysical surveys, geological mapping, and permeability testing of the sandstone horizon at depth and its susceptibility to advanced Electric Pulse technologies to increase permeability and yield on roll front geological formations in a sandstone environment, and for general working capital purposes. All securities to be issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a statutory four-month and one day hold period. Finder's fees may be payable in connection with the Offering, all in accordance with the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE"). None of the securities sold under the Offering have been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and no such securities may be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in the United States or any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The Company has elected not to proceed with the non-brokered private placement announced on January 23, 2025. About Nuclear Vision Limited Nuclear Vision Limited is an early-stage mineral resource exploration company. The Company's material property is the Regnault Project, consisting of 71 contiguous mineral claims covering an area of approximately 3,678 Ha located north-northeast of Chibougamau in the Province of Quebec. The Company also holds the UA92 uranium project, consisting of 7 prospecting licenses totaling approximately 4,828 km2 located in central Botswana. Neither the "CSE" Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains statements which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company with respect to future business activities and plans of the Company. Forward-looking information is often identified by the words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" or similar expressions and includes information regarding; the expectation that the Company will receive all necessary approvals to complete the Offering; the expectation that the Company will complete the Offering on the terms disclosed; and the intended use of proceeds of the Offering. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions of management, including, without limitation, that the Company will receive all necessary approvals to complete the Offering; that the Company will complete the Offering on the terms and timing anticipated; and that the proceeds from the Offering will be used as anticipated. Additionally, forward-looking information involves a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks include, without limitation: that the Company will not receive the necessary approvals to complete the Offering; that the Company will not complete the Offering on the terms disclosed, or at all; that the Company will be unable to use the proceeds received from the Offering; that the Company will not yield results from its uranium properties; changes in the Company's business plans, including its planned field programs; that the Company may incur unanticipated costs; that the Company's operations could be adversely affected by possible future government legislation policies and controls or by changes in applicable laws and regulations. Such forward-looking information represents management's best judgment based on information currently available. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual future results may vary materially. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. Neither the Company nor any of its representatives make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, sufficiency or completeness of the information in this news release. Neither the Company nor any of its representatives shall have any liability whatsoever, under contract, tort, trust or otherwise, to you or any person resulting from the use of the information in this news release by you or any of your representatives or for omissions from the information in this news release. The forward-looking statements herein speak only as of the date they were originally made. The Company has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/254734 SOURCE: Nuclear Vision Limited ODIOT SA consolidates the company's shares at a ratio of 100 to 1 Paris, June 6, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. ODIOT SA (Euronext Access, FR0004152700 - MLODT) announces, in accordance with a decision of the company's Board of Directors at its meeting held on May 28, 2025, using the delegations granted to it by the seventh resolution of the shareholders' general meeting dated May 22, 2025, its decision to carry out a consolidation of the Company's shares. The purpose of this consolidation is to give the share a more qualitative value that aligns with the company's luxury positioning, and to reduce the number of outstanding shares, which cause volatility and high management costs. This operation will have no impact on the total value of ODIOT SA shares held by shareholders, except for fractional shares. The consolidation operations will begin on June 23, 2025, and end on July 23, 2025. Terms of the consolidation: Start date of the consolidation operations: June 23, 2025. Number of shares subject to consolidation: Twenty-two million two hundred sixty-seven thousand two hundred nineteen (22'267'219) shares with a nominal value of 0.01. Consolidation ratio: One hundred (100) old shares with a nominal value of one euro cent (0.01) will be exchanged for one (1) new share with a nominal value of one euro (1). Number of new shares resulting from the consolidation: Two hundred twenty-two thousand six hundred seventy-two (222'672) shares with a nominal value of one euro (1) each. Consolidation period: The consolidation period will extend for up to thirty (30) days from the start date of the consolidation operations, as published in the legal notice in the Bulletin des Annonces Legales Obligatoires, i.e., from June 23, 2025, to July 22, 2025 inclusive. The consolidation will therefore take effect on July 23, 2025. Whole-share formation: Conversion of old shares into new shares will be carried out automatically. Fractional shares: Shareholders who do not hold a number of old shares corresponding to a whole number of new shares must, on their own, buy or sell old shares to obtain a number of shares that is a multiple of one hundred (100), up to and including July 22, 2025. After this period, new shares that could not be individually allocated due to fractional entitlements will be sold on the stock market by financial intermediaries, and the proceeds will be distributed proportionally to the rights of the holders of said fractional shares within thirty (30) days from July 23, 2025. Delisting: Non-consolidated shares remaining after the consolidation period will be delisted. Centralization: All operations relating to the share consolidation will take place with Societe Generale Securities Services - 32 rue du Champ de Tir CS 30812 - 44308 Nantes Cedex 3 - France, appointed as the consolidation agent. Voting rights: During the consolidation period, the right to dividends and voting rights for both consolidated and pre-consolidation shares will be proportional to their respective nominal values. After the consolidation period, non-consolidated shares will lose their voting rights and will no longer be included in quorum calculations; their rights to future dividends will be suspended. Each consolidated share will then carry one (1) vote. Share listing: The shares subject to consolidation will remain listed on the Euronext Access market of Euronext Paris under ISIN code FR0004152700 until July 22, 2025, the last trading day. Shares resulting from the consolidation will be listed on the Euronext Access market of Euronext Paris under ISIN code FR0014010DV3 as of July 23, 2025, the first trading day. Transaction Schedule Share exchange period Share exchange period starts June 23, 2025 Share exchange period ends July 22, 2025 Consolidation operations Consolidation operations begin June 23, 2025 Consolidation operations end July 22, 2025 Management of fractional shares Start of sale/compensation period for fractional shares July 23, 2025 End of sale/compensation period for fractional shares August 21, 2025 Settlement-delivery of new shares Settlement-delivery date of new shares July 25, 2025 About ODIOT SA ODIOT SA is the controlling holding company of ODIOT, a French luxury brand founded in 1690, and one of the most prestigious goldsmiths since the 18th century. A supplier to royalty, the Empire, and all European courts, ODIOT possesses unique expertise in creating exceptional decorative pieces and cutlery in precious metals (solid silver, vermeil, gold). ODIOT is distinguished as Company of Living Heritage (Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant) by the French Minister of Economy. Investor Relations Contact: investors@odiotholding.com Press Relations: odiotholding@aelium.fr ODIOT SA (Euronext Access, FR0004152700 - MLODT) www.odiotholding.com ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: yGpyZpRuaJvGmpubap2Wmpdjm21mmmCVa2PKmWiZk8iccGmSymtlaJedZnJjlmdt - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-92127-20250606_pr_odiotsa_shares_consolidation_en.pdf The "European Market for Kitchen Furniture" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The European kitchen furniture production is valued at approximately EUR 18 billion. As far as trade dynamics are concerned, the kitchen furniture segment has a structurally positive trade balance. The sector's openness still remains well below the average of the furniture industry as a whole, but the share of exports on production and the share of imports on consumption have progressively increased. Most European kitchen furniture exports are destined within Europe, with the remainder going overseas, mainly to North America, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East. Report Scope Sector Overview: Starting with a scenario review, the report details production, consumption, and international trade at both a European and country-specific level, segmented by value, volume, and price range. This comprehensive panorama includes a focus on leading European groups and their market shares, closing with consumption forecasts leading into 2025-2027. Business Performance: Business performance offers kitchen furniture statistics and the main macroeconomic indicators necessary to analyse the performance of the sector for the last 6 years (2019-2024), together with forecasts for 2025-2027, at a European level as a whole and for each country considered. International Trade: International trade provides detailed tables on the kitchen furniture exports and imports in the 30 European Countries considered, for the last 6 years, broken down by country and by geographical area of destination/origin. Supply Structure: Supply structure offers an analysis of the types of products manufactured by the European kitchen furniture manufacturers, in addition to tables and information on the key players operating in each segment. Production is broken down by cabinet door material, by cabinet door style, by cabinet door colour, by lacquered cabinet door type and by worktop material. Distribution Channels: Distribution channels gives an overview of the main distribution channels active on the European kitchen furniture market, at the European level as a whole and for each country considered. Competitive System: The competitive system: sales by price range and by country offers an insight into the leading local and foreign players present in each European country and in each price range segment considered. Detailed tables show sales data and market shares of the top kitchen furniture companies; short profiles of the main players in the kitchen furniture industry are also available. At the end of this chapter, there is a focus on European kitchen furniture exports and market shares outside Europe, by area of destination (North and Central-South America, Asia and Pacific, and Middle East and Africa). Financial Analysis: Utilizing a sample of 120 European manufacturers, this section evaluates fundamental profitability ratios like ROA, ROE, and EBITDA, alongside employee ratios, delivering financial health insights for the sector. Key Topics Covered: Scenario: Trends, market segment and figures by country Market evolution and figures by country Production breakdown by market segment Consumption breakdown by market segment Leading groups in Europe and their market shares Current trends and forecasts for 2025-2027 Business performance: basic data and macroeconomic indicators by country Northern Europe (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) Western Europe (Belgium/Luxembourg, France, Ireland, Netherlands, the UK) Central Europe (DACH: Austria, Germany, Switzerland) Southern Europe (Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain) Central-Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia) International trade Trade balance, exports, imports evolution Exports and imports by country and by geographical area of destination/origin Exports and imports by country for selected household appliances Supply structure Breakdown of supply by cabinet door material Breakdown of supply by cabinet door style Breakdown of supply by cabinet door colour and lacquered type Breakdown of supply by worktop material Breakdown of supply by kind of lay-out Hinges and drawers Embedded lighting Intellectual Property Distribution channels Overview: Kitchen specialists, Furniture shops, Furniture chains, Building trade, Contract, DIY, E-commerce, Direct sales Breakdown of sales by distribution channels in selected countries and geographic region (Central-Eastern Europe) Built-in appliances Sustainability The competitive system Leading players in Europe and market shares (consumption and production) The European competitive system by market segment (luxury, upper-end, upper-middle, middle, middle-low, lower-end) The competitive system by country Exports from Europe to Extra-European markets and Overseas Annex Financial Analysis Key financial indicators and Employment analysis in a sample of 120 manufacturers List of selected kitchen furniture companies Company Coverage Includes: Agata Meble Alvic Aran Armony Arredo3 Arrital Artego Aster Ballingslov Ballerina Bauformat Boffi Bruynzeel BRW Bulthaup Colombini Dan Decodom Delta Cocinas Discac Eggo Ekipa Elkjop Euromobil Fournier Freda Gama Decor Haecker Hanak Howdens Joinery Ikea Leicht Lube Mandemaakers Menuiseries du Centre Mob Cozinhas Mondo Convenienza Nikolidakis Nobia Nobilia Nolte Omega Puustelli Rempp Rotpunkt Sanitas Troesch Santos Scavolini Snaidero Symphony Schmidt Siko Snaidero Stosa Strai TCM Tom Howley Turi Group Valcucine Vedum Veneta Cucine WFM Kitchen Wren Kitchens For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/c9dld5 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250606450223/en/ Contacts: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 Nonprofit launches new PSA campaign "What Kind of World do you Want" to raise awareness and inspire collective action OKLAHOMA CITY, OK / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / As the world observes International Children's Day, Feed the Children reaffirms its commitment to children's rights and well-being, beginning with access to nutritious food, clean water, and education. The nonprofit believes that no child can thrive unless their basic needs are met. According to the 2025 Global Report on Food Crises , over 295 million people in 53 countries faced acute food insecurity in 2024-an increase of 13 million from the year before. For Feed the Children, this day underscores the urgency of its mission to end childhood hunger. "Childhood hunger is an urgent global issue that requires collective action," said Emily Callahan, President and CEO of Feed the Children. "Through our programs here at home and around the world, we are providing children and families with the vital resources they need to build stronger, healthier futures." This International Children's Day, the organization celebrates its programs and partnerships that help make a difference in the lives of children and their families around the world. Feed the Children launches a new PSA titled "What Kind of World Do You Want ," which highlights children's unmet needs and calls on everyone to be part of the solution. Set to the song "World" by Five for Fighting, the campaign's message is clear: A world where no child goes to bed hungry is possible-if we create it together. Feed the Children believes that everyone can be part of the change to make the world a better place. This is the moment to unite behind a global movement to end childhood hunger. World hunger is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and it has devastating long-term consequences - especially for children. Learning about childhood hunger is the first step towards fixing the problem. Five Facts About Childhood Hunger 1. Millions of children go to bed hungry. One in five children globally-approximately 148 million-suffers from hunger, lacking the nourishment needed to grow, learn, and thrive. ( UN ) 2. Hunger has lasting consequences. Hunger causes stunting (impaired growth and development) and wasting (rapid weight loss and severe malnutrition), both of which can be fatal or lead to lifelong challenges. 3. Hunger claims lives. Hunger contributes to 3 million child deaths each year. Nearly half of all deaths in children under five are linked to malnutrition. (WFP) 4. Hunger affects every region In the U.S., 1 in 5 children experience food insecurity ( USDA ). Globally, 24.8% of Asia's, 28.2 of Latin America and the Caribbean's, and 58% of Africa's population experience food insecurity. (The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024, FAO ) 5. We can end hunger-together. In 2024, Feed the Children distributed over 80.6 million pounds of food and essentials in the U.S., and 62 million meals across eight countries. But the fight can't be won alone. Access to food is a fundamental human right. Feed the Children invites everyone to take action this InternationalChildrensDay by supporting programs that provide food, essentials, clean water, and opportunity. Donations can be made at feedthechildren.org . About Feed the Children Feed the Children is a leading nonprofit committed to ending childhood hunger. The organization believes that no child should go to bed hungry, and so it provides children and families in the U.S. and around the world with the food and essentials kids need to grow and thrive.? Through its programs and partnerships, the organization feeds children today while helping their families and communities build resilient futures. In addition to food, Feed the Children distributes household and personal care items across the United States to help parents and caregivers maintain stable, food-secure households. Internationally, it expands access to nutritious meals, safe water, improved hygiene, and training in sustainable living. As responsible stewards of its resources, Feed the Children is driven to pursue innovative, holistic, and child-focused solutions to the complex challenges of hunger, food insecurity, and poverty. For children everywhere, the organization believes that having enough to eat is a fundamental right.?Learn how you can help create a world without childhood hunger at feedthechildren.org . ### For more information, please contact: Kelly Frey - 405-945-4064 Kelly.Frey@feedthechildren.org SOURCE: Feed the Children View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/feed-the-children-recognizes-international-children%e2%80%99s-day-with-c-1036242 From mangrove restoration to green marine certifications, DP World is advancing ocean stewardship across the Americas and beyond - demonstrating how resilient trade and thriving marine ecosystems go hand in hand. NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / Each year on World Ocean Day, observed globally on June 8, we are reminded of the urgent environmental challenges confronting our oceans - from rising sea levels projected to impact over 200 million people by 2100, to the accelerating degradation of marine ecosystems. These realities underscore the need for decisive, collaborative action to protect and restore ocean health. "World Ocean Day highlights the importance of the ocean for life on Earth and the role each of us can play in helping create a healthy ocean," states the World Ocean Day organization. "The ocean is our planet's life support system - it regulates the climate, produces over half of the oxygen we breathe, powers the global economy, and as the world's largest ecosystem, it sustains an incredible wealth of biodiversity." This year's theme, Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us, reminds us of the critical importance of marine environments to our lives and livelihoods. With 90% of global trade transported by sea, healthy oceans are essential to global economic stability, the longevity of our coastal assets, and the resilience of our supply chains. This is where the opportunity lies - to lead with ocean-positive action and sustainable maritime practices. Making a Positive Impact At DP World, we are driving meaningful change through our Ocean Strategy, a blueprint for integrating ocean-positive practices into global trade. This initiative positions the company at the forefront of the Sustainable Blue Economy, where economic growth and environmental protection go hand in hand. This year's World Ocean Day aligns with the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), bringing together leaders across sectors to accelerate progress on UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water. DP World is proud to support this global agenda by translating sustainability commitments into measurable action. From piloting ocean innovations like Living Seawalls at our sites - to increasingly restoring mangrove ecosystems worldwide - we're taking action to regenerate marine ecosystems. In 2024, we launched a $100 million Blue Bond to finance sustainable port infrastructure, waste-management solutions and marine ecosystem restoration. Ocean Stewardship in Action: Projects Across the Americas DP World recognizes that safeguarding ocean health demands cross-sector cooperation and local engagement. Across the Americas, the company is advancing ocean conservation and water stewardship through science-based programs and community partnerships as part of its Our World, Our Future sustainability strategy. Some key programs include: Water Quality Monitoring in Canada: At the Port of Prince Rupert, DP World actively participates in the Marine Environmental Water Quality Program and Advisory Working Group. Together, these initiatives monitor critical indicators such as turbidity, nutrients, bacteria, metals, and hydrocarbons to assess the impact of maritime activity on water health. Green Marine Certifications in Canada: Late last year, we deepened our commitment to environmental stewardship by enrolling three terminals - Vancouver, Nanaimo, and Saint John - in the voluntary Green Marine environmental certification program. Green Marine addresses priority environmental issues including air emissions, greenhouse gases, spill prevention, waste management, and community relations. Mangrove Restoration in Ecuador: In Ecuador, DP World is restoring critical mangrove habitats, which serve as natural carbon sinks and protect coastal biodiversity. To date, the company has planted 250,000 seedlings across 105 hectares in El Morro and Isla Puna - capturing over 50,700 tons of CO2. This effort contributes to the company's global target of restoring at least 280 hectares of mangroves by 2030. Aquatic Fauna Monitoring in Brazil: At the Port of Santos, DP World leads a long-term Aquatic Fauna Monitoring Program to assess biodiversity and track the presence of invasive species and pollutants. Launched in 2023, this initiative reflects the company's commitment to ecosystem health under its global sustainability framework, Our World, Our Future. A Call to Collective Action On this World Ocean Day, DP World reaffirms its commitment to protecting marine ecosystems as a foundation for sustainable global trade. Through educational programming, stakeholder collaboration, and nature-based solutions, we are investing in resilient, inclusive, and ocean-positive futures for all. Explore how DP World is shaping a more sustainable global economy. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from DP World on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: DP World Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/dp-world Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: DP World View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/dp-world-champions-sustainable-ocean-stewardship-on-world-ocean-1036430 KBRA UK (KBRA) assigns preliminary ratings to four classes of notes issued by Ares European Direct Lending CLO 1 Sarl, a cash flow collateralized loan obligation (CLO) backed by a diversified portfolio of middle market corporate loans. This transaction is the first publicly rated UK middle market CLO and the first European private credit CLO to feature a reinvestment period. Ares European Direct Lending CLO 1 Sarl is managed by Ares Management Limited ("Ares" or the "collateral manager") and will have a 4.7-year reinvestment period. The legal final maturity dates of the notes are staggered, with the senior rated notes having earlier stated maturity dates than the more subordinated notes. The ratings reflect initial credit enhancement levels, excess spread, and coverage tests including overcollateralization ratio and interest coverage tests. The collateral in Ares European Direct Lending CLO 1 Sarl will mainly consist of middle market loans issued by corporate obligors diversified across sectors. The total portfolio par amount is $280 million with exposure to 57 obligors. The obligors in the portfolio have a K-WARF of 3125, which represents a weighted average portfolio credit assessment of approximately B-. Ares is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ares Management LLC established in 1997. Ares employs the resources of its European Direct Lending credit team, which manages the European Direct Lending credit funds for the Ares Credit Group. The Ares Credit Group is a leading manager of credit strategies across the global credit universe, with approximately $348.8 billion of AUM and approximately 285 funds as of December 2024. Ares offers a range of investment strategies across the liquid and illiquid credit spectrum and is one of the largest self-originating direct lenders to the U.S. and European middle markets. The preliminary ratings on the Class A, B, C, and D Notes consider the timely payment of interest and the ultimate payment of principal by the applicable legal final maturity date. To access ratings and relevant documents, click here. Click here to view the report. Methodologies Structured Credit: Structured Credit Global Rating Methodology Structured Finance: Global Structured Finance Counterparty Methodology ESG Global Rating Methodology Disclosures Further information on key credit considerations, sensitivity analyses that consider what factors can affect these credit ratings and how they could lead to an upgrade or a downgrade, and ESG factors (where they are a key driver behind the change to the credit rating or rating outlook) can be found in the full rating report referenced above. A description of all substantially material sources that were used to prepare the credit rating and information on the methodology(ies) (inclusive of any material models and sensitivity analyses of the relevant key rating assumptions, as applicable) used in determining the credit rating is available in the Information Disclosure Form(s) located here. Information on the meaning of each rating category can be located here. This credit rating is endorsed by Kroll Bond Rating Agency Europe Limited for use in the European Union. Information on a credit rating's endorsement status is available on its rating page at KBRA.com. Further disclosures relating to this rating action are available in the Information Disclosure Form(s) referenced above. Additional information regarding KBRA policies, methodologies, rating scales and disclosures are available at www.kbra.com. There are certain issuers, entities or transactions rated by KBRA Europe or KBRA UK that may be or have relationships with Shareholders and/or Shareholder-Related Companies, as that term is defined in KBRA's Shareholder and Shareholder Related Companies for KBRA Europe and KBRA UK Policy and Procedure. Relevant disclosure information may be found here. About KBRA UK Kroll Bond Rating Agency, LLC (KBRA), one of the major credit rating agencies (CRA), is a full-service CRA registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an NRSRO. Kroll Bond Rating Agency Europe Limited is registered as a CRA with the European Securities and Markets Authority. Kroll Bond Rating Agency UK Limited is registered as a CRA with the UK Financial Conduct Authority. In addition, KBRA is designated as a Designated Rating Organization (DRO) by the Ontario Securities Commission for issuers of asset-backed securities to file a short form prospectus or shelf prospectus. KBRA is also recognized as a Qualified Rating Agency by Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission and is recognized by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners as a Credit Rating Provider (CRP) in the U.S. Kroll Bond Rating Agency UK is located at 1 Connaught Place, 2nd Floor London, England. Doc ID: 1009795 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250606482886/en/ Contacts: Analytical Contacts Gabriele Gramazio, Senior Director (Lead Analyst) +44 20 8148 1001 gabriele.gramazio@kbra.com Shannon Mooney, Senior Director +1 312-680-4164 shannon.mooney@kbra.com Sean Malone, Senior Managing Director, Co-Head of Global Structured Credit +1 646-731-2436 sean.malone@kbra.com Eric Hudson, Senior Managing Director, Co-Head of Global Structured Credit (Rating Committee Chair) +1 646-731-3320 eric.hudson@kbra.com Business Development Contacts Miten Amin, Managing Director +44 20 8148 1002 miten.amin@kbra.com Mauricio Noe, Co-Head of Europe +44 20 8148 1010 mauricio.noe@kbra.com Lack of funding, corporate silence, and political interference threaten viable shelter plans amid a growing humanitarian crisis. ST. LOUIS, MO / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / The Last Hotel STL , a landmark property in the Washington Avenue Historic District, is fully prepared to reopen as a professionally operated family shelter for those displaced by the recent tornado disaster. Despite this readiness, efforts have been stalled by legal gridlock, lack of funding, and a disturbing lack of support from local institutions and corporations. Majority owner Michael Qualizza has outlined a detailed, transparent plan to transform the hotel into a safe, fully staffed facility offering meals, rooms, security, daycare, and dignity to families in need. "This isn't about business-it's about people," said Qualizza. "We're prepared to operate this property with dignity, structure, and safety. But internal interference and stalled commitments are putting lives at risk." The St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) has reviewed and affirmed the plan's viability, recognizing the need for a professionally managed facility-not a volunteer-led stopgap. Utilities can be restored immediately. Security is on standby. Staff are willing to work around the clock-some even offering to sleep in closets and mechanical rooms to free up space for families. The Last Hotel STL Logo High Res Vector Format Corporate Silence and Legal Obstruction Compounding the Crisis As the city struggles to find resources, the absence of support from major corporations and civic institutions has come under fire. "This is an absolute humanitarian tragedy," said Qualizza. "We are ready to open The Last Hotel STL for as long as it takes. But where is the support?" Despite calls to action, U.S. Bank-which pledged $100 million for unrest relief in Minnesota- has made no comparable commitment in St. Louis. Neither have other corporate giants with a strong local footprint, including: St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis Blues US Bank CDC, Boeing, Amazon, Microsoft, Square, and Apple. Significant criticism has also mounted against Dowd Bennett LLP, the law firm praised for securing an $800 million settlement over the Rams' departure-yet reportedly retained over $270 million in legal fees, leaving less than $300 million for the City. "On principle, I can no longer work with a firm that enriched itself while the city struggles," said Qualizza. "Their continued interference is unacceptable." Legal complaints have been filed with the Missouri Supreme Court and other regulatory bodies, seeking federal review of conflicts of interest and obstruction of urgent humanitarian work. The window of Opportunity is Closing Fast . Multiple buyers are currently touring The Last Hotel, raising concerns that a sale will eliminate the chance to use it as a family shelter-potentially displacing hundreds of families permanently. "If this shelter doesn't open, it won't be because it wasn't viable," said Qualizza. "It will be because bureaucracy and personal agendas blocked the opportunity to do the right thing." The project's operations include 24/7 security, double payroll to ensure full staffing, and commercial kitchen and event spaces ready to support relief organizations, such as the American Red Cross. About The Last Hotel STL: Located in the historic International Shoe Company Building at 1501 Washington Ave. The Last Hotel STL reopened in 2019 and served as a vital resource during the COVID-19 pandemic. It closed in April 2025 under the unilateral action of Co-Manager Neil Freeman, who has repeatedly opposed sale and shelter proposals despite mounting community needs. "We have the people. We have the building. We have the need," said Qualizza. "What's missing is the will to act." SOURCE: The Last Hotel STL View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/travel/the-last-hotel-stl-a-st.-louis-hotel-is-poised-to-reopen-as-shelter-for-tornado-displaced-fa-1036358 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 6, 2025) - Parvis Invest Inc. (TSXV: PVIS) ("Parvis" or the "Company"), a technology-enabled platform redefining access to real estate and alternative private market investments, is pleased to announce that, further to its news release dated June 4, 2025, it has completed the first tranche of its previously announced non-brokered private placement offering (the "Offering") of unsecured convertible debentures (the "Debentures") for aggregate gross proceeds of C$300,000. The closing occurred on June 5, 2025 (the "Closing Date"). The Debentures issued under the first tranche of the Offering bear interest at a rate of 10% per annum and mature 24 months from the Closing Date, unless earlier converted in accordance with their terms. The Debentures are convertible at the option of holder into common shares of the Company (each, a "Share") at a price of $0.06 per Share during the first 12 months following the Closing Date and at a price of C$0.10 per Share thereafter until maturity. All Debentures issued under the first tranche of the Offering, and any Shares issuable upon conversion thereof, are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the Closing Date, in accordance with applicable securities laws and policies of TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"). No finders' fees or commissions were paid in connection with the first tranche of the Offering. The net proceeds will be used for general working capital and corporate purposes. In connection with the Offering, the Company has entered into strategic alliance agreements with Bluestar Professional Services Inc. ("Bluestar") and Lankin Investment Inc. ("Lankin"), affiliates of subscribers under the Offering. As part of these arrangements, Roy Murad (Chairman of Bluestar) and Kyle Pulis (CEO of Lankin) were appointed to the board of directors of the Company following the completion of the first tranche of the Offering and are now considered insiders. Other than these appointments, the Offering does not result in the creation of any new control persons or insiders and does not involve participation by existing insiders of the Company. The TSXV has conditionally approved the first tranche of the Offering, which remains subject to final acceptance by the TSXV. About Parvis Parvis is a technology-driven investment platform dedicated to democratizing access to institutional-quality opportunities. Utilizing AI and blockchain technology, Parvis streamlines the investment process, making it more accessible and efficient. Headquartered in Vancouver, Parvis operates with experts in Toronto, Vancouver, Kelowna, and Montreal. For more information, visit www.parvisinvest.com and SEDAR+. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information generally refers to information about an issuer's business, capital, or operations that is prospective in nature, and includes future-oriented financial information about the issuer's prospective financial performance or financial position. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" or similar expressions and includes information regarding: execution and integration of the investment offerings; and the Company's business plans and role in the investment industry. To develop the forward-looking information in this news release, the Company made certain material assumptions, including but not limited to: prevailing market conditions; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; and the ability of the Company to execute and achieve its business objectives. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Actual results may vary from the forward-looking information in this news release due to certain material risk factors. These risk factors include, but are not limited to: adverse market conditions; changes in general economic, business and political conditions; changes in applicable laws and regulations; compliance with extensive government regulation; reliance on key and qualified personnel; risks associated with the real estate, investment, and technology industries in general. The foregoing list of material risk factors and assumptions is not exhaustive. The Company assumes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking information in this news release, unless it is required to do so under Canadian securities legislation. Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/254816 SOURCE: Parvis Invest Inc. Delray Beach, Florida--(Newsfile Corp. - June 6, 2025) - Bret Talley, a seasoned entrepreneur and founder of Talley Digital Media, proudly announces Carlos D., a distinguished undergraduate student from the University of South Florida, as the recipient of the 2025 Bret Talley Scholarship for Future Tech Pioneers. This award recognizes promising talent in technology and digital innovation, aiming to support students poised to become the next generation of leaders in the tech industry. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8530/254423_c9d2c370a46c3ac2_001full.jpg The Bret Talley Scholarship for Future Tech Pioneers reflects Bret Talley's long-standing commitment to advancing technological education and digital entrepreneurship. Established to identify and assist outstanding undergraduate students nationwide, the scholarship aligns with Bret Talley's vision to foster growth in the technology sector by investing in promising young minds. Carlos D. distinguished himself among numerous applicants through a rigorous selection process based on academic achievement, leadership potential, and dedication to technological innovation. As a University of South Florida student, Carlos D. demonstrates exceptional promise in technology, making him an ideal candidate for this honor. Bret Talley, with nearly two decades of experience in digital marketing and online media, personally oversees the scholarship program. He holds degrees in Marketing and Information Technology from Penn State University and has led Talley Digital Media to success since its launch in 2012. The firm specializes in search engine optimization and digital presence enhancement for businesses and high-profile clients. Bret Talley's extensive background in technology and marketing uniquely positions him to recognize and nurture emerging talent through this scholarship. The scholarship program, open to undergraduate students across the United States, aims to support the educational journeys of future innovators without restrictions to any specific city or state. Bret Talley emphasizes the importance of cultivating technological skills and business acumen, essential for students aspiring to make significant contributions to the evolving digital economy. "This scholarship represents a crucial opportunity for students like Carlos D. to pursue their goals in technology with increased support and recognition," states Bret Talley. "It is vital to encourage fresh ideas and innovation, and through this program, we are committed to investing in those who will shape the future." Carlos D. will receive financial assistance to further his studies and projects that align with cutting-edge technology trends. The award highlights the role of scholarships in bridging gaps for students aiming to excel in competitive and fast-moving fields such as software development, digital media, and information technology. Bret Talley plans to continue expanding the scholarship to reach more students who demonstrate creativity, leadership, and technical expertise. The program is accessible through the official scholarship website, https://brettalleyscholarship.com/, where future applicants and supporters can find detailed information and updates. About Bret Talley Bret Talley is an accomplished entrepreneur based in Florida and the founder of Talley Digital Media. With a career spanning nearly 20 years in digital marketing and technology, he has launched numerous successful ventures and brands. Bret Talley combines his expertise in marketing and information technology to help businesses enhance their online presence. His dedication to supporting emerging technology talent is reflected in the establishment of the Bret Talley Scholarship for Future Tech Pioneers, which continues to make a significant impact on young professionals' educational paths. For further information about the Bret Talley Scholarship for Future Tech Pioneers or to learn about upcoming application cycles, visit https://brettalleyscholarship.com/winners/. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/254423 SOURCE: GYT Natuzzi partners with the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250606637644/en/ The Italy Pavilion, designed by MCA-Mario Cucinella Architects, is inspired by the Renaissance Ideal City From April 13 to October 13, Osaka is expected to welcome over 30 million visitors and participants from more than 160 countries to the Expo 2025. Natuzzi has been selected as one of the official partners of the Italy Pavilion. The Italy Pavilion-designed by MCA, Mario Cucinella Architects-draws inspiration from the concept of the Renaissance Ideal City. Within this framework, Natuzzi showcases its signature Mediterranean lifestyle and hospitality, furnishing the space with collections such as Deep and Wave by Nika Zupanc, and the iconic Re-vive armchair. Expo Osaka marks a pivotal opportunity for us to share, on a global stage, the core values that define our DNA: art, beauty, craftsmanship, and quality. Through our participation, we aim to convey our vision of design that blends Mediterranean roots with innovation. With our international presence and over 65 years of history and expertise, we are well positioned to engage with diverse cultures, Pasquale Natuzzi, Executive Chairman and Founder of the Natuzzi Group. With a nearly four-decade presence in Japan, Natuzzi commitment to Expo 2025 Osaka is a testament of our respect for the Japanese culture, values and heritage. Natuzzi currently operates 24 free-standing stores in the Rest of APAC region, comprising 16 Natuzzi Italia and 8 Natuzzi Editions stores. Since the beginning of the year, the Natuzzi Group has strengthened its commercial, retail and finance organization to enhance performance across the region. About Natuzzi: Founded in 1959 by Pasquale Natuzzi, Natuzzi S.p.A. is one of the most renowned brands in the production and distribution of design and luxury furniture. Natuzzi distributes its collections through a global network of monobrand stores and galleries in addition to smaller distribution areas within multi-brand stores. Natuzzi products embed the finest spirit of Italian design and the unique craftmanship details of the "Made in Italy", where a predominant part of its production takes place. Committed to social responsibility and environmental sustainability, Natuzzi S.p.A. is ISO 9001 and 14001 certified (Quality and Environment), ISO 45001 certified (Safety on the Workplace) and FSC Chain of Custody, CoC (FSC-C131540). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250606637644/en/ Contacts: Natuzzi Corporate Communication Giancarlo Renna tel. +39. 342-3412-261 grenna@natuzzi.com Barbara Colapinto tel. +39 331-6654-275 bcolapinto@natuzzi.com Dallas, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - June 6, 2025) - The Dr. Michael Rimlawi Scholarship for Future Doctors is officially open for applications, offering undergraduate students aspiring to enter the medical field a meaningful opportunity to further their educational journey. Established by renowned spine surgeon Dr. Michael Rimlawi, this scholarship reflects a deep commitment to advancing the future of healthcare by investing in students who show promise, passion, and purpose in the field of medicine. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8530/254425_e8148bd784c8cb32_001full.jpg Hosted online at https://drmichaelrimlawischolarship.com and https://drmichaelrimlawischolarship.com/dr-michael-rimlawi-scholarship/, the scholarship is available to undergraduate students currently enrolled at an accredited college or university. Applicants must be pursuing a career as a doctor and are required to submit a compelling essay answering the following prompt: "What inspired you to pursue a career in medicine, and how do you hope to make a difference in the field?" The essay, which should be between 500 and 750 words, must demonstrate originality, thoughtfulness, and a genuine interest in contributing to the evolving landscape of healthcare. Essays will be evaluated for clarity, insight, personal relevance, and the potential impact the student hopes to make in medicine. The application deadline is January 15, 2026, and the selected recipient will be announced on February 15, 2026. The scholarship will be awarded as a one-time financial award of $1,000, designed to assist with the costs of tuition, books, or other academic expenses. Dr. Michael Rimlawi, the scholarship's founder, is a leading innovator in minimally invasive spine surgery. Based in Dallas, Texas, Dr. Rimlawi has dedicated his career to developing surgical techniques that improve patient recovery times and outcomes. As the first surgeon in the United States to perform the Globus Minimally Invasive XLIF procedure, and a pioneer in micro-endoscopic surgical methods, Dr. Rimlawi has consistently pushed the boundaries of what is possible in spinal care. However, beyond his clinical advancements, Dr. Michael Rimlawi is equally passionate about mentorship and education. His establishment of this scholarship underscores his dedication to guiding the next generation of medical professionals, offering them not just financial support but recognition of their aspirations and commitment. "The future of medicine lies in the hands of students who are willing to commit themselves fully to the discipline, ethics, and compassion required of a doctor," says Dr. Michael Rimlawi. "This scholarship is my way of supporting those individuals at the very beginning of that journey." The scholarship is not limited by geographic location and is open to eligible students across the United States. By offering financial support tied directly to a student's motivation and vision for their future in healthcare, the program encourages applicants to reflect on their purpose and role in improving lives through medicine. Dr. Michael Rimlawi emphasizes that this initiative is more than a financial contribution. It is a call to action for students who want to be part of a healthcare system that values innovation, empathy, and long-term patient outcomes. The scholarship aims to recognize students who bring a fresh perspective to the field and who are committed to becoming thoughtful, skilled, and compassionate physicians. Applicants interested in applying for the Dr. Michael Rimlawi Scholarship for Future Doctors are encouraged to visit the official scholarship websites listed above. All submissions must be received by January 15, 2026, and the winner will be officially announced one month later, on February 15, 2026. This initiative represents Dr. Michael Rimlawi's continuing effort to bridge innovation in surgical practice with a broader mission of mentorship and support for the medical community's future leaders. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/254425 SOURCE: GYT TORONTO, ON / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / Two proudly Canadian pharmaceutical companies announced today a strategic partnership that reinforces their shared commitment to serving Canadian patients. Under the agreement, Pharmaris will assume responsibility for all sales and marketing activities for Vimy Pharma product portfolio across Canada. This landmark collaboration unites two homegrown Canadian pharmaceutical organizations, both with deep roots in the Canadian healthcare landscape. The partnership exemplifies Canadian innovation and entrepreneurship in action, while strengthening domestic pharmaceutical capabilities and expertise. Built by Canadians for Canadians, both companies have demonstrated their dedication to advancing healthcare solutions that address the unique needs of the Canadian market. This alliance further cements their shared vision of making healthcare more accessible and affordable for patients from coast to coast. "Our partnership with Vimy Pharma marks a big step forward advancing access to critical medicines for Canadians," said Michael Sine, President of Pharmaris. "This alliance demonstrates our shared commitment to putting Canadian patients first." "We are pleased to partner with Pharmaris in broadening access to essential medicines," stated Farris Smith, President of Vimy Pharma, "as we strive to improve outcomes and make a meaningful difference to patients." ABOUT PHARMARIS CANADA Pharmaris Canada is a pharmaceutical company committed to delivering high-quality healthcare products that support the well-being of Canadians. Pharmaris Canada is part of a large diversified global group based out of Vancouver, B.C started by two pharmacists. The group has business interests spanning pharmaceuticals, residential and commercial real estate, property development, hospitality, mobility solutions, and retail pharmacy operations. Pharmaris Canada offers a distinctive portfolio of over-the-counter (OTC) and generic pharmaceutical products. Our OTC range includes a Canadian-made line of iron supplements and a broad selection of German-manufactured effervescent vitamin tablets. As one of the few companies to successfully integrate branded OTC and generic medicines, Pharmaris has developed strong capabilities in brand management, prescription navigation, and market expansion. With a presence in 16 countries and a team of 585 employees, most of whom have been with the organization for over five years, Pharmaris continues to grow its global footprint through innovation and operational excellence. ABOUT VIMY PHARMA Vimy Pharma is a Canadian pharmaceutical company committed to ensuring a stable, reliable supply of essential medicines, reducing dependence on foreign sources, and supporting good-paying jobs for Canadians in life sciences and advanced manufacturing. Our products are made to the highest standards of quality and safety, meeting rigorous Health Canada guidelines. At Vimy Pharma, our team is inspired by the groundbreaking achievements of Drs. Frederick Banting and Charles Best, and James B. Collip whose discovery in Canada of insulin revolutionized treatments and changed millions of lives worldwide. Their spirit of ingenuity, collaboration, and commitment to public health continues to guide our approach as we develop and manufacture high-quality, affordable, essential medicines for Canadian health challenges. MEDIA CONTACT Michael Sine President, Pharmaris Canada michael@pharmaris.com https://www.pharmariscanada.com Farris Smith Founder & President, Vimy Pharmaceuticals Inc. farris.smith@vimypharma.com https://www.vimypharma.com - 30 - SOURCE: Pharmaris View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/healthcare-and-pharmaceutical/pharmaris-canada-to-lead-sales-and-marketing-for-vimy-pharma-products-1034555 From digital solutions to real-world reforestation, Costa Rica arrives at London Tech Week 2025 with a national strategy aligned with the demands of the future. LONDON, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In a world where innovation must be guided by purpose and responsibility, Costa Rica will present its unique offering at London Tech Week 2025-one that integrates talent, technology, and sustainability as core pillars to drive global solutions. Through its participation, the country aims to position itself as a reliable partner for companies and investors seeking to grow with intention in dynamic and sustainable markets. From booth #392, the Costa Rican delegation-comprising the tech companies WillDom, Pura Vida Growth, WAM Digital, Congero, Square Codex, and Toursys, along with representatives from the Foreign Trade Promotion Agency of Costa Rica (PROCOMER)-will promote its capabilities in software development, outsourcing, artificial intelligence, cloud technologies, and digital marketing. The country's national ecosystem is also positioned as one of the most dynamic in Latin America, thanks to its political stability, highly qualified talent, cultural affinity, and sustainability-driven approach to attracting foreign direct investment. "Costa Rica is known for delivering reliable, creative, and sustainable solutions. Our bilingual talent, high-quality export offerings, and competitive investment environment make the country a strategic partner for companies looking to scale globally. Our participation in London Tech Week 2025 reinforces our ongoing commitment to innovation, sustainability, and national well-being," said Laura Lopez, General Manager of PROCOMER. An interactive sustainability experience led by the essential COSTA RICA country brand will also take place at the booth. Visitors will be invited to take part in a digital challenge based on Costa Rica's environmental achievements. Each person who completes the challenge will "plant" a virtual tree-one that will then be planted in real life in Costa Rican soil, transforming digital interaction into tangible climate action. "We're not here to tell the world a green story-it's already well known. We're here to act. This activation reflects our 2035 Country Brand Strategy, and it's designed to leave a lasting impression and invite people to be part of the change that Costa Rica is leading. In a world where artificial intelligence sets the pace, Costa Rica also bets on natural intelligence: the ability to innovate with conscience, create real impact, and protect what makes us unique. Sustainability is not a tagline-it's our identity," said Adriana Acosta, Director of essential COSTA RICA. Costa Rica will also lead the Learning Lab session "Natural Intelligence: Powering Tech Innovation from Costa Rica," presenting its comprehensive value proposition for technology and innovation, including bilingual talent, legal certainty, investment-readiness, and a development model that integrates sustainability, progress, and social impact. Complementing the main agenda, the Costa Rican delegation will also engage in targeted investment promotion activities such as one-on-one meetings with prospective investors, visits to multinational companies already operating in Costa Rica, and networking with leaders in the tech and life sciences sectors. A visit to UK startup ecosystems is also planned, aimed at identifying collaboration opportunities and promoting knowledge exchange-underscoring Costa Rica's commitment to open innovation and sustainable growth. From a business perspective, London Tech Week represents a key opportunity to scale operations and connect with European tech leaders. "London Tech Week is not only a space to be inspired by innovators in artificial intelligence-it's a platform to discover opportunities, absorb global trends, and most importantly, build human connections that can turn into strategic partnerships. Our presence reflects WillDom's strong commitment to innovation and collaboration at a global scale," said Pablo Arroyo, Managing Director of WillDom Costa Rica. With over 45,000 attendees from 90 countries, London Tech Week is a strategic stage for PROCOMER and essential COSTA RICA to strengthen the country's global visibility as a robust, forward-thinking, and purpose-driven economy. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2705499/Captura_de_pantalla_2025_06_06_103818.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/essential-costa-rica-arrives-at-london-tech-week-2025-with-a-value-proposition-focused-on-innovation-sustainability-and-investment-302475689.html Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 6, 2025) - Aion Therapeutic Inc. (CSE: AION) ("Aion Therapeutic" or the "Company") announced today that the Company's audit committee and board of directors approved a change in the Company's auditors from DNTW Toronto LLP (the "Former Auditor") to Horizon Assurance LLP (the "Successor Auditor"), effective June 6, 2025. There were no reservations in the Former Auditor's reports for the two most recently completed fiscal years or for any period after the most recently completed period for which an audit report was issued and preceding the date of the Former Auditor's resignation. There are no reportable events, including disagreements, consultations, or unresolved issues as defined in Part 4.11 of National Instrument 51-102 Continuous Disclosure Obligations ("NI 51-102") between the Company and the Former Auditor. The change of auditor notice and associated materials have been filed on the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. About Aion Therapeutic Inc. Aion Therapeutic is a forward-thinking business within the health and wellness sector with a diverse portfolio of intellectual property. With a commitment to innovation and transformative solutions, the Company is poised to drive positive change to redefine the boundaries of health and wellness. Toppen, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aion Therapeutic, is a US-based innovative health and wellness company dedicated to delivering state-of-the-art water filtration solutions. With a focus on innovation, affordability, and sustainability, Toppen's water filtration solutions are designed to meet the diverse needs of consumers, businesses, and industries around the world as they strive to provide access to clean and safe water. For further information, please contact: DISCLAIMER & READER ADVISORY This release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Expressions such as "anticipates", "expects", "believes", "estimates", "could", "intends", "may", "plans", "predicts", "projects", "will", "would" and other similar expressions, or the negative of these terms, are generally indicative of forward-looking information. Forward looking statements in this press release include statements regarding the completion of the Offering, the timing thereof and the proposed use of proceeds under the Offering. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. In addition, the forward- looking information contained in this release is based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information as it is inherently uncertain, and no assurance can be given that the expectations reflected in such information will prove to be correct. The forward-looking information in this release is made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances. The securities of the Company have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This release is issued for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of any securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/254847 SOURCE: Aion Therapeutic Inc. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 6, 2025) - Rusoro Mining Ltd. (TSXV: RML) (the "Company" or "Rusoro") is pleased to announce that, subject to regulatory approval, it has granted incentive stock options to certain directors, officers and consultants of the Company to acquire an aggregate of 30,000,000 common shares in the capital of the Company at an exercise price of $0.92 (the "Options") in accordance with its 10% rolling Incentive Stock Option Plan. All Options are fully vested as at the date of grant and exercisable for a 10-year term expiring June 6, 2035. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Andre Agapov" Andre Agapov, President & CEO For further information, please contact: Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Statements: "This press release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. This information and statements address future activities, events, plans, developments and projections. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information and statements are frequently identified by words such as "may," "will," "should," "anticipate," "plan," "expect," "believe," "estimate," "intend" and similar terminology, and reflect assumptions, estimates, opinions and analysis made by management of Rusoro Mining Ltd. in light of its experience, current conditions, expectations of future developments and other factors which it believes to be reasonable and relevant. Forward-looking information and statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause Rusoro's actual results, performance and achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information and statements and accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed thereon. Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to vary include but are not limited to the availability of financing; fluctuations in commodity prices; changes to and compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including environmental laws and obtaining requisite permits; political, economic and other risks; as well as other risks and uncertainties which are more fully described in our annual and quarterly Management's Discussion and Analysis and in other filings made by us with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available at www.sedar.com. Rusoro Mining Ltd. disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements except as may be required." Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/254854 SOURCE: Rusoro Mining Ltd. The Donald Trump administration in the US has decided to revoke deportation protections given to thousands of Nepalese nationals after the 2015 earthquake. US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued a notice announcing the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Nepal. Since January, countries like Haiti and Afghanistan have also lost their protected status, putting thousands at risk of deportation read more Trump has also moved to end similar protections for nationals from Haiti, Afghanistan, and other countries. Reuters/File Photo Thousands of Nepalese people in the US are the new target of the Donald Trump-led administration. In a short statement, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said that Nepalese nationals in the US under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) should prepare to leave the country on their own. Since January, other countries such as Haiti and Afghanistan have also had their protected statuses removed, leaving thousands of people at risk of being deported. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD ALSO READ | Bring king back: Thousands hit streets in Nepal to demand restoration of monarchy Moreover, Trump has brought back a broad travel ban for nationals from 12 countries, which his government claims pose security threats. Why has the US taken this step against thousands of Nepalese nationals? What will this mean for them? Lets get you the answers to these questions and more. Why Trump administration is ending protected status for Nepalese migrants On Thursday, the Trump administration announced its decision to withdraw deportation protections granted to thousands of Nepalese nationals following the devastating 2015 earthquake. US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued a notice saying the administration would be ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Nepal. This came after a review concluded that the country had made progress in recovering from the disaster. There are notable improvements in environmental disaster preparedness and response capacity, as well as substantial reconstruction from the earthquakes destruction such that there is no longer a disruption of living conditions and Nepal is able to handle adequately the return of its nationals, the notice said. According to the department, around 12,700 Nepalese migrants currently hold TPS. The status offers protection from deportation and permission to work for those already living in the US when their home countries face major crises such as natural disasters or conflict. Kristi Noem issued the notice for Nepalese nationals in the US under Temporary Protected Status. Reuters/File Photo Out of this group, about 5,500 have lawful permanent residency in the US. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The notice mentioned that the termination would take effect 60 days from Friday, meaning the roughly 7,000 Nepalese nationals without permanent residency must either leave the country or change their immigration status by August 5, 2025. After this deadline, they could face deportation. Notably, Donald Trump, who began his second term as president in January, has vowed to carry out large-scale deportations and has pushed to remove temporary legal protections for certain groups, widening the scope of possible deportees. ALSO READ | Cancelling contracts, making big disclosures: Who loses what in Musk-Trump breakup? During his first term between 2017 and 2021, his attempts to scale back TPS coverage were blocked by federal courts. However, last month, the US Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to revoke TPS for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, a protection originally granted by Joe Biden. Trump has also moved to end similar protections for nationals from Haiti, Afghanistan, and other countries. Meanwhile, as the US imposes stricter visa rules, many Nepalese students are feeling the impact. Lets take a closer look. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How US visa curbs are impacting Nepal Nepali students looking to study in the United States are facing growing uncertainty after the Trump administration tightened visa rules for international students. Notably, the US remains one of the top five study destinations for Nepali students, alongside Japan, Canada, Australia, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, according to Nepals education ministry. However, recent orders from the Trump administration have made it harder not only for foreign nationals but also for student visa applicants to get approval. A plane carrying Nepali migrants deported from the United States at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Reuters/File Photo Bishnu Hari Pandey, former president of the Educational Consultancy Association of Nepal (ECAN), told The Kathmandu Post that many students are now cancelling their plans to study in the US. Instead, they are either exploring other countries or opting for higher education within Nepal. This also creates an opportunity for Nepali universities and colleges, he said. Consultancy operators say students who have just finished grade 12 and were preparing to apply to US colleges are the most confused, the report added. What about refugees? The Trump administrations immigration policy shift has also affected thousands of Bhutanese Nepalis. These individuals had fled ethnic cleansing in Bhutan in the 1980s after being stripped of citizenship rights, leaving them stateless. Since 2008, more than 90,000 have been resettled in the United States. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But many in the community now find their lives disrupted. Notably, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officers deported several Bhutanese Nepalis to Bhutan last month. At least four were turned away by Bhutanese authorities and were sent to India, where they later moved to a refugee camp in Nepal, according to The Guardian. Large numbers of Bhutanese Nepalis had settled in struggling parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania, which were hit hard by the 2008 Great Recession. In Reynoldsburg, a city near Columbus, around 8,000 Bhutanese Nepalis now live, roughly a fifth of the local population. Now, fear is spreading through immigrant communities across the US. Bhuwan Pyakurel, who moved to Reynoldsburg in 2016 and became the first Nepali-Bhutanese elected official in the US, told the UK daily that he receives five to 10 calls a day from anxious Bhutanese Nepali residents, many of them asking what they should do next. With inputs from agencies Elon Musk and Donald Trumps relationship has shifted from cool indifference to mutual admiration, and now, public hostility. A major donor and Trumps once close White House adviser, Musk has turned on the US president opposing his top legislation and making explosive allegations read more Elon Musk greets US President Donald Trump as they attend the NCAA men's wrestling championships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, March 22, 2025. File Image/Reuters The relationship or rather partnership between United States President Donald Trump and Elon Musk was one for the ages. The most powerful man in the world working in cahoots with the richest man on the planet. The bond between the two has been on full display for the public for a long time as it witnessed an initial indifference and mutual admiration to deep political partnership and, now most recently, a public and personal feud. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Heres a timeline that shows how the ties between the US president and the tech magnate have evolved and now unravelled. Back in 2016 In the lead-up to the 2016 US presidential election, Elon Musk made his feelings about Donald Trump clear. Speaking to CNBC, Musk said, I feel a bit stronger that he is not the right guy. He doesnt seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the United States. He remarked, I dont think this is the finest moment in our democracy. Musk supported Hillary Clinton at the time, aligning himself with her economic and environmental policies. However, despite this early scepticism, Musk agreed to serve on Trumps advisory boards after the 2016 election, including the manufacturing jobs council. His tenure on these panels was brief. By June 2017, Musk had stepped down in protest over Trumps withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. He posted on social media: Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world. Nevertheless, Musk maintained beneficial ties with the federal government during Trumps first term. His company SpaceX continued to secure significant contracts with Nasa and other US agencies. Trump himself complimented Musk during a 2020 SpaceX launch, stating, I speak to him all the time. Great guy. Hes one of our great brains. We like great brains. And Elon has done a fantastic job. Musk goes Republican In May 2022, Musk distanced himself from the Democratic Party. In a public statement, he declared that they have become the party of division & hate and confirmed that he had voted for Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020, but no longer supported Democrats. Despite his apparent shift toward the Republican camp, Musk clashed with Trump just two months later. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD During a multi-day public dispute in July 2022, Trump insulted Musk at a rally, calling him a bs artist and questioning the value of his companies without federal support. Musk responded on Twitter: Trump should hang up his hat & sail into the sunset. Shortly after, Musk acquired Twitter (now known as X) and reinstated Trumps account, which had been suspended following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots. The reinstatement occurred four days after Trump announced his third presidential campaign. Despite this gesture, Musk initially supported Florida Governor Ron DeSantis during the 2024 Republican primaries, appearing with him in a glitch-prone Twitter livestream in May 2023 to launch DeSantis campaign. Musk finally endorses Trump 2.0 The dynamic changed drastically on July 13, 2024, when Trump survived an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. In a high-profile post, Musk wrote, I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery, sharing a video of the wounded candidate raising a fist amid Secret Service protection. From then on, Musk became a key Trump backer. He joined the campaign trail and reportedly contributed over $270 million through two super PACs, including one called America PAC. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He spent the election night of November 5, 2024, at Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate and stayed for several days, helping with staffing decisions and being present during calls with global leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On November 12, 2024, Trump announced Musk alongside former GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy as the head of a newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (Doge). Trumps statement read, Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies. Ramaswamy later exited to pursue a gubernatorial campaign in Ohio, leaving Musk to spearhead Doge. Musk inside Trumps White House Trump and Musks public alignment grew deeper. They appeared together at a SpaceX launch in Texas. On January 20, 2025, Musk and other tech CEOs were front-row guests at Trumps inauguration. Musk quickly became an influential figure in the administration, attending Cabinet meetings and travelling aboard Air Force One with his young son. Doge, under Musks leadership, carried out aggressive cuts to federal agencies and workforce. At a February 2025 Cabinet meeting, Trump jested, Is anybody unhappy with Elon? If you are, well throw him out of here, drawing laughter and applause from his Cabinet. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Musk, wearing a Make America Great Again hat, was the first to speak despite not being an official Cabinet member. On March 6, Trump clarified at another meeting that Cabinet secretaries retained control of their departments, not Musk. Musk later described the meeting on X as very productive. In March, Trump showcased Tesla vehicles on the White House lawn. Speaking to reporters, he said, I just want people to know that you cant be penalised for being a patriot People should be going wild, and they love the product. Trump even claimed to have purchased one himself. By late May, Musk had completed his 130-day appointment as a special government employee. On May 29, he posted, As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending. He added that Doge would only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD During a farewell appearance from the Oval Office, Musk said the department would only grow stronger over time, claiming to have saved $175 billion through asset sales, cancelled contracts, and workforce reductions far below his $1 trillion goal. Sporting a bruise from a playful incident with his son, he said, I look forward to continuing to be a friend and adviser to the president. Musk-Trump bond explodes Barely a week after his exit from the administration, Musk began publicly attacking Trumps key legislative initiative the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. On June 3, 2025, he denounced it on X: Im sorry, but I just cant stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. He accused it of massively increasing the deficit and undermining DOGEs work. He followed up on June 4 with calls for his followers to pressure lawmakers to KILL THE BILL. On June 5, the fallout exploded. Musk slammed Trump for ingratitude and backed an X post calling for Trumps impeachment. He even wrote, @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In turn, Trump declared on social media: Elon was wearing thin, I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY! Trump hinted at pulling Musks government contracts, calling it the easiest way to save money. Musk, meanwhile, claimed that Trump couldnt have won without him, threatened to suspend a vital NASA-linked SpaceX programme (before walking it back), and warned Republicans, Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt summarised the split as an unfortunate episode from Elon. With inputs from agencies Donald Trump and Elon Musks friendship has crashed and burned. Their rift turned ugly on Thursday as the two took potshots at each other on social media. What began as a disagreement over the US presidents policies became personal when the Tesla CEO mentioned the Epstein files. But what are they? read more It is over between Donald Trump and Elon Musk (for now). The United States President and the worlds richest persons ugly spat has spilt out into public for the entire world to see. The gloves came off last night as the duo engaged in a war of words on social media Trump on his Truth Social and Musk on X. It was not out of the blue that the US president and Tesla CEOs friendship crashed and burned. After Musks departure from the Trump administration last week, he publicly berated Trumps signature One, Big, Beautiful Bill an indication of a widening rift between him and the Republican leader. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What began as a disagreement about national debt soon turned personal. Musk insinuated that Trump was in the Epstein files a reference to sex offender Jeffrey Epsteins files. But what are these? Lets take a closer look. Musk brings up Epstein files Donald Trump and Elon Musks falling out happened in real time. The duo were involved in a bickering contest on Thursday (June 5) over the US presidents big, beautiful bill . Musk has objected to the legislation that would raise the federal debt ceiling by $4 trillion to $40 trillion. Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that Musk was wearing thin as he asked him to leave the administration. The US president added that the Tesla CEO just went CRAZY when he cut subsidies for Electric Cars that nobody else wanted. Donald J. Trump Truth Social 06.05.25 02:37 PM EST pic.twitter.com/vlq4FwkkpB Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) June 5, 2025 This triggered an online battle between the duo that lasted over three hours. As the tensions mounted, the US president threatened to set aside Musks government contracts. The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts, Trump wrote. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Musk retorted by saying, go ahead, make my day. The tech billionaire then proceeded to drop a really big bomb. @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public, Musk wrote on X. Have a nice day, DJT! he added, referring to the US president by his initials. Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Musk did not provide any evidence for his claims or how he may have obtained access to unreleased files related to convicted financier Jeffrey Epstein. In a statement to CNN, White House Press secretary Karoline Leavitt called Musks claims an unfortunate episode. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted. The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again, she said. What are the Epstein files? The Epstein files refer to an array of evidence assembled by investigators on several criminal cases against Jeffrey Epstein and his associates. Epstein was a convicted sex offender who abused and trafficked underage girls. The disgraced financier ran one of the most prolific sex trafficking rings in US history. In 2008, he pleaded guilty and was convicted of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. Epstein was arrested again in 2019 on sex trafficking charges. However, he died by suicide in a federal jail in New York before his trial. Epstein hired high school girls for massages that quickly turned sexual. It is alleged that the multimillionaire lent girls to his high-profile contacts and stored blackmail material. While many court documents related to Epstein, including flight logs for his private jet, have been released, several remain sealed. There have been conspiracies that the FBI has not made all documents public to shield Epsteins high-profile associates. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD There have been demands to release the entire case file, especially the client list. Since returning to the White House in January, the Trump administration has released some Epstein files. It plans to release more, however, it is unclear when. Before Musks loaded accusation against Trump, FBI deputy director Dan Bongino told Fox News that they would release more Epstein-related documents in the coming weeks. Epsteins link to Trump Trump and Epstein were reportedly friends for nearly two decades. The pair were among New Yorks high society and spent time together in Palm Beach, Florida, as per The Times newspaper. They were photographed together at parties, including at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort. In the 1990s, the billionaire flew on Epsteins private jet several times, mostly between Florida and New York, documents released as part of the trial of the convicted sex offenders associate Ghislaine Maxwell revealed. In 2002, Trump told New York Magazine: Ive known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. Hes a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Epsteins notorious leaked address books had Trumps as well as his wife Melanias phone numbers. Last year, Michael Wolff, the journalist and Trump biographer, released tapes of his interview with Epstein to the Daily Beast. In the interviews, Epstein is heard boasting about his ties to Trump and his wife by claiming, the first time he slept with her was on my plane. He can also be heard calling Trump his best friend for ten years. Trump and Epstein fell apart in 2004 over competition for Florida real estate. The US president is reported to have told associates that he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago for trying to hire a woman who worked at the club. Before his election last November, Trump said he would have no problem releasing Epstein-related files. No evidence has emerged that the Republican leader engaged in criminal activity with Epstein. Even if he was named in the documents, it would not necessarily prove wrongdoing. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies The Allied forces launched mission D-Day on the beaches of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. It was the largest amphibious invasion in military history and marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany in World War II. On this day in 1930, frozen foods hit retail stands for the first time in Springfield, Massachusetts read more US infantrymen wade through the surf as they land at Normandy in 1944. File image/AP It was June 6, 1944, when the Allied Forces launched mission D-Day, the largest amphibious invasion in military history, storming the beaches of Normandy, France. This monumental operation marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany in World War II. If you are a history geek who loves to learn about important events from the past, Firstpost Explainers ongoing series, History Today will be your one-stop destination to explore key events. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On this day in 1930, frozen food hit retail shelves for the first time changing the ways foods were consumed and sold. Here is all that happened on this day. Allied Forces stormed Normandy More than 1,56,000 troops from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and other countries stormed the beaches of Normandy in northern France on June 6, 1944 , during World War II to launch one of the largest amphibious invasions in military history. This invasion, named D-Day, marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany in World War II. The troops crossed the English Channel, landing on five designated beaches namely Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. On the morning of June 6, thousands of paratroopers and glider troops had already infiltrated enemy lines, securing crucial bridges and exit routes. While British and Canadian forces met lighter opposition on Gold, Juno and Sword beaches, Omaha Beach proved a brutal exception for US forces, resulting in over 2,000 American casualties due to heavy resistance. Meanwhile, Utah Beach proved to be easier to overcome for the American troops. According to some estimates, the D-Day invasion claimed over 4,000 Allied lives , with thousands more wounded or unaccounted for. A US Coast Guard landing barge tightly packed with helmeted soldiers approaches the shore at Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. File image/AP The planning and execution of Operation Overlord were meticulous and complex. Under the supreme command of General Dwight D Eisenhower, the Allies conducted an extensive deception campaign to mislead the Germans about the actual landing site. Despite these efforts, the German forces had fortified the Atlantic Wall with bunkers, mines and machine gun nests. Less than a week later, on June 11, the beaches were fully secured and over 326,000 troops, more than 50,000 vehicles and some 100,000 tons of equipment had landed at Normandy. D-Day was a pivotal moment in World War II. It opened a crucial Western front and allowed the Allies to begin their liberation of Nazi-occupied Europe. In the weeks that followed, thousands more troops and equipment poured into France, leading to the liberation of Paris by August 1944. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Frozen food sold in retail stores for the first time It was on this day in 1930 when the way the world ate changed forever as frozen food was sold in retail stores for the very first time. This moment took place in Springfield, Massachusetts, where Clarence Birdseye, the innovator behind the freezing process, introduced his new line of frozen products under the brand name Birds Eye. Birdseyes flash-freezing method, characterised by the rapid freezing of foodstuffs at exceptionally low temperatures, offered significantly enhanced preservation of flavour, texture and nutritional value compared to preceding techniques. His conceptualisation of this process originated during his residency in Labrador, Canada where he observed indigenous populations employing natural freezing practices to maintain the freshness of fish. Drawing inspiration from these observations, Birdseye innovated a commercial freezing technique capable of mass-scale application. To overcome a logistical hurdle, Birdseye collaborated with the Goldman Sachs Trading Corporation and General Foods for crucial funding and distribution. Representational image/ Reuters Early frozen products from the brand included spinach, peas, fruits and various fish fillets. These hit stores in specialised display cases, a logistical hurdle given that most retail establishments at the time lacked freezers. To overcome this, Birdseye collaborated with the Goldman Sachs Trading Corporation and the Postum Company, later General Foods, for crucial funding and distribution. Consumer reception was initially cautious as some doubted the frozen foods quality while others were drawn to its undeniable convenience and extended shelf life. Over the subsequent decades, continuous advancements in refrigeration, packaging and transportation propelled frozen foods from a niche offering to a ubiquitous staple in homes across the United States and eventually, worldwide. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This Day, That Year On this day in 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon and subsequently defeated the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the Syrian armed forces and assorted leftist Lebanese groups. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), a US regulatory agency, was established on this day in 1934. In 1844, George Williams originated the Young Mens Christian Association (YMCA) in London. With inputs from agencies Donald Trump and Elon Musk have called time on their friendship in the most shocking of ways social media posts were fired off, threats were made, and big bombshells were dropped. In the aftermath of it, Tesla stocks tanked, and the worlds richest mans personal net worth declined. Yes, this breakup could be costly for both. Heres how read more The aftermath of Donald Trump and Elon Musks breakup raises the question: Who has the most to lose? File image/Reuters No one believed that the Donald Trump-Elon Musk friendship would be one that would last forever. But the fact that it ended in the most spectacular of ways and that too so quickly was not anticipated. On Thursday (June 5), Americas two most powerful men one is the US president and the other is the worlds richest man spent time on social media trying to destroy each others reputations with threats and secrets. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Their spectacular breakup also means the end to perhaps the most powerful of alliances in the US with many pondering who emerges as the bigger loser in this spat. Does Trump have more to lose or will Musk be the one to suffer? A bromance turns nasty It was last July when Elon Musk endorsed Trump for president and became an integral part of his campaign machinery who can forget Musk manically jumping around at Trump rallies, funding a massive super-PAC on his behalf. Later, when Trump became US president, he returned the favour by appointing Musk to take charge at Department of Government Efficiency (Doge). When Elon Musk attached himself to Trump many began speculating when these two massive egos would, eventually, clash and that their strategic partnership would flame out spectacularly. And crash and burn the relationship did. Since late May, Musk has been vocally critical of Trumps so-called big, beautiful spending bill. I was, like, disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not decrease it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing, Musk told the TV programme CBS Sunday Morning. But Trump kept his cool and bid adieu to Musk as he called time on his service to the White House. Once out of government, though, the Tesla chief took his criticism against the bill even further. He called the bill a d isgusting abomination , threatened to politically retaliate against its supporters, and argued it would increase the debt. Social media posts by US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are displayed on smartphones. Trump has threatened to revoke government contracts from Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk as a public feud escalates over Musks criticism of the Trump administrations policies. AFP The US president then shot back on Thursday, while he had a sit down in the Oval Office with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Im very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here, Trump said. He had no problem with it. All of a sudden, he had a problem. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He further stated, Ill be honest, I think he misses the place. Its sort of Trump derangement syndrome. We have it with others, too. They leave, and they wake up in the morning, and the glamours gone. The whole world is different, and they become hostile. Trump then took the fight online, writing in one social media post, Elon was wearing thin, I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY! And this led Musk to hit back. Musk argued, Without me, Trump would have lost the election and accused Trump of such ingratitude. And that wasnt the end, the feud kept going with Musk levelling a serious allegation, @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Consequences of the big, nasty breakup But who shall suffer from this breakup? After all, it was a mutual relationship benefiting both individuals. Many analysts and Trump watchers believe Musk shall be the big loser from this breakup. In fact, as the two bickered on social media, Tesla shares slumped dropping 14 per cent, wiping out roughly $150 billion in market value in one of the worst days in months. Analysts and pundits believed that the losses were an indication of what might be at stake for Musk. Musks personal net worth also took a tumble on Thursday it fell by nearly $34 billion, making him the biggest daily loser on Bloombergs list of the worlds 500 richest people. Trump could even take the fight further with cancelling government contracts with Musks various companies, including SpaceX and Tesla. In fact, the US president even suggested this while feuding with Musk online. The easiest way to save money in our budget, billions and billions of dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts, Trump wrote. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD SpaceX headquarters is shown in Hawthorne, California. If the Trump administration pauses government contracts, SpaceX will lose billions of dollars. Reuters According to data available, last year, Musks companies were promised $3 billion in nearly 100 contracts with 17 government agencies. Additionally, Reuters reported that if Trump did go ahead with this move, about $22 billion of SpaceXs government contracts would be at risk. In addition to hitting his businesses, this feud could also threaten Musks stay in the US. Musk is not a natural-born American he was born in Pretoria, South Africa and thanks to his mother, Maye Musk, obtained Canadian citizenship in 1989 when he was 17 years old. This helped him move to North America for his studies and eventually to the United States. It was only in 2002 that he became a naturalised US citizen. Moreover, Musk has already lost his fan base on the liberal side and now with the fight with Trump, he will also lose his Conservative supporters. This will be bad for Musk personally and from a business standpoint. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On June 5, Elon Musk and Donald Trump ended their friendship in the most spectacular way. File image/Reuters But many also note that the Trump-Musk feud also has the potential to hurt the US president. How? When Trump was campaigning, Musk emerged as one of his major donors. The SpaceX chief spent more than $250 million to get Trump elected. Now imagine if he used that same financial clout against the US president. Musk could fund campaigns against Republicans, hurting Trump in the long run. Moreover, he could also align with fiscally conservative lawmakers to block Trumps signature tax bill in the Senate. Besides this, Musk could also use the time he has spent with Trump against him. After spending a lot of time closely with the US president, he could use information that the two shared to hurt Trump. He could make big revelations, which have the ability to hurt the US president. For instance, on Thursday, amid the online battle Musk claimed that the US president was part of the Epstein Files STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Musk could also use X against Trump the X owner has more than 220 million followers compared to the US presidents 105.6 million followers. As some note, Musk could use the platform to keep airing his grievances against Trump. In fact, on Thursday, he called for the impeachment of the US president and even asked his followers is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80 per cent in the middle? Its left to be seen if Trump or Musk will win this battle, but for now, we can buckle up and wait for their next steps. With inputs from agencies Their friendship was described as unbelievable. But it all came crashing down for Donald Trump and Elon Musk on June 5 as they engaged in a verbal duel unlike any other on social media. While the US president called his now former First Buddy crazy and threatened to cancel his government contracts, the worlds richest man hit back with claims of ingratitude and links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein read more Breakups are hard. Public breakups are even harder. And who knows this better than Donald Trump and Elon Musk. The worlds richest man and the US presidents bromance has come to an end after 10 long months and the two are now trading personal barbs at each other on X, which is interestingly owned by Trumps now former First Buddy. It all came to a head on Thursday (June 5) when Musk, who just last week left Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), took to his favourite online platform, X, and launched a tirade against the US president and his so-called Big Beautiful Bill. From there it went downwards, with Trump chiming in, saying he was very disappointed in Musk. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Soon, it became a duel in which threats of impeachment, cancelling contracts and more were shared. But how did we get here? How did the partnership between Musk and Trump collapse? And what may come next for the two men often described as the worlds richest and the worlds most powerful, respectively? Musk-Trump become inseparable political force It was last July that Musk endorsed Donald Trump as president and soon joined him on campaigns. In fact, Musk spent nearly $200 million to elect Trump to a second term in 2024. Days after his successful election, Trump responded by appointing Musk to lead a newly created government cutting agency, called the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge). Soon, Musk was everywhere Trump was in meetings, on Air Force One and everywhere else. Musk became one of the most prominent figures in the Trump administration. Simultaneously, Musk also became a lightning rod for criticism, courtesy of his work at Doge he laid off more than 10,000 people from federal jobs, and gutted various agencies, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). However, the two stuck together, supporting one another, despite the criticism. The US president even heaped huge praise on Musk during his joint address to Congress in early March. Thank you, Elon. Youre working very hard, Trump said at the time. He didnt need this. He didnt need this. We appreciate it, the president added, then gestured to the Democratic side of the chamber: Everybody here, even this side, appreciates it, I believe. They just dont want to admit that. US President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speak to reporters as they sit in a red Model S Tesla vehicle on the South Lawn of the White House. File image/AP Few days after that, US President Trump turned into a brand ambassador for Musks Tesla for a day when the former hosted a showcase of the Teslas on the White House lawn. I just want people to know that you cant be penalised for being a patriot, Trump told reporters during a photo-op with Musk and his vehicles. The president further added that he had bought one of the vehicles himself. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Then on May 31, came the big moment Musk was leaving Doge after being at the heart of the Trump administration for 138 days. Trump then presented Musk with a large golden key emblazoned with the White House insignia, which he said he only gave to very special people as a thank-you from the country. Unravelling of the bromance But as they say in politics there are no permanent enemies or permanent allies, only permanent interests. The rupture in the Musk-Trump relationship could first be seen over the US presidents signature bill. In a CBS interview just days before he departed the Trump administration, Musk said, I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing. President Donald Trump, shakes the hand of Elon Musk during a news conference in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on the day Musk left the administration. File image/AP These comments were mild compared to what came next. On June 3, shortly after he left the White House, the worlds richest man issued a flurry of posts on X, attacking the One Big Beautiful Bill Act . Im sorry, but I just cant stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination, Musk wrote. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He further claimed the bill would massively increase the federal budget deficit. But that wasnt it. A day later, the Tesla boss once again attacked the bill with a series of posts on social media, instructing followers to call members of Congress to KILL THE BILL. Clash of the Titans And then came the big moment when the gloves came off and the two really got into it. On Thursday, began with Trump saying he was disappointed with Musks criticisms of the spending bill, musing that it may be the end of their great relationship. Trump even added, Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than anyone and he only developed a problem when he found out I would cut the EV (electric vehicle) mandate And it really is unfair, he replied. The US president took it further claiming that during the presidential election he could have won the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania without Musks help. US President Donald Trumps Truth Social account and Elon Musks X account are seen side by side as they took their feud public and online. Reuters Musk responded in real time on X. He wrote that this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it! The worlds richest man then accused the US president of ingratitude, adding: Without me, Trump would have lost the election. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But it seemed that Trump was following Musk online and immediately hit back Elon was wearing thin, I asked him to leave, I took away his EV mandate that forced everyone to buy electric cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY! Trump wrote in a social media post. Social media posts by US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are displayed on smartphones. US President Donald Trump has threatened to revoke government contracts from Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk as a public feud escalates over Musks criticism of the Trump administrations policies. AFP The back and forth continued with Elon Musk calling for Donald Trumps impeachment and mocking his connections to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein . The worlds richest man wrote, Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! In turn, Trump said that if lawmakers wanted to really save money, they should terminate Elons governmental subsidies and contracts on X. When a user claimed Trumps idea would mean effectively abandoning the International Space Station, Musk promoted the post and dared Trump. Go ahead, make my day, he wrote on X. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Little hope of a recoupling It remains to be seen where things go from here. If the past is any indicator, then Trump often reconciles with allies even after ugly spats. But none of them have been with someone as high-profile as Musk. And Musk, it seems, is in no mood for a reconciliation. Musk polled his followers on X, asking, Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80 per cent in the middle? What comes next, we dont know. There are many questions that need answers, but the one thats got us most curious is Will Musk send back his key to the White House? With inputs from agencies Trumps new travel ban includes 19 countries but not Pakistan, despite its history of supporting terrorist groups. Once subject to $800 million in aid cuts and visa sanctions, Pakistan is now lauded by Trump, who cited its incredible products. The change follows Islamabads crypto deal with a Trump-linked firm in which his family holds a major stake read more US President Donald Trump speaks as he participates in a roundtable discussion with the Fraternal Order of Police at the White House in Washington, DC, US, June 5, 2025. File Image/Reuters US President Donald Trump has unveiled an updated travel ban impacting 19 countries, citing the need to defend the United States from external threats. While the new restrictions cover a wide range of nations considered potential security risks, Pakistan a country long accused by US officials of providing shelter to terrorist networks has not been included on the list. The decision to leave Pakistan out stands in sharp contrast to Trumps previous actions and statements during his earlier presidential term, where he took a markedly tougher line on Islamabads alleged support for extremism. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD An internal memo, reviewed by Reuters in March, confirmed that Pakistan was originally under consideration for inclusion in the revised travel ban. However, by the time the final list was issued, Pakistans name had been removed. This change comes at a time of deepening commercial and political ties between Pakistan and business entities directly linked to the Trump family. How Trumps stance towards Pakistan has changed During his first tenure in office, Trump made his views on Pakistan abundantly clear. On January 1, 2018, he posted on then-Twitter (now X): The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more! Later that year, the US government cut $300 million in military assistance, following an earlier decision by Congress to withhold an additional $500 million. Trump also suggested Pakistan was complicit in hiding al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, stating, But living in Pakistan right next to the military academy, everybody in Pakistan knew he was there. In April 2019, visa restrictions were introduced under Section 243(d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), a provision reserved for countries that obstruct deportation processes. The sanctions were applied to certain Pakistani officials and government representatives, reflecting Washingtons growing dissatisfaction with Pakistans cooperation. Despite these tensions, Trump made overtures towards restoring bilateral ties. In July 2019, then Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Washington. Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan shakes hands with US President Donald Trump at the start of their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, US, July 22, 2019. File Image/Reuters Trump advocated closer trade cooperation and controversially offered to mediate the Kashmir dispute an idea that India promptly rejected. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What may have led to Trumps change of heart The development in US-Pakistan relations appears to coincide with the announcement of a cryptocurrency collaboration between Pakistan and World Liberty Financial (WLF), a fintech firm based in the United States. WLF is reportedly tied to members of the Trump family, including Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr, and Jared Kushner, who collectively hold a substantial ownership stake in the firm. The agreement, signed in April, involves developing blockchain infrastructure and tokenising national assets. The partnership has been publicly endorsed by both sides. WLFs delegation to Islamabad included Zachary Witkoff, son of Steve Witkoff, who currently serves as the US Special Envoy to the Middle East and is a known associate of Donald Trump. Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistans Chief of Army Staff, personally received the WLF delegation. Subsequent meetings involved key government figures including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, and senior ministers responsible for defence and information. The scale and visibility of these engagements suggested that this was no ordinary commercial agreement. The WLF website highlights the project with Trumps portrait and the tagline Inspired by Donald J Trump. According to reports, this association with the Trump family has spurred criticism that commercial interests could be shaping national policy. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How Trump has maneuvered India-Pakistan tensions Pakistans exclusion from the travel ban list has come shortly after a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which triggered Indias military Operation Sindoor. Trump initially condemned the incident, but as the situation evolved, he began highlighting the need for diplomacy. In media interactions, Trump claimed to have mediated a de-escalation between India and Pakistan. Speaking to Fox News, he remarked: They are brilliant people and make incredible products. He added that trade was a key lever in his negotiations and claimed responsibility for halting military operations. India, however, denied the characterisation, asserting that the pause in action was a tactical decision taken independently. The Ministry of External Affairs clarified that trade was not part of any bilateral dialogue, stating that it was the force of Indian arms that compelled Pakistan to seek ceasefire. Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon official, criticised Trumps position, writing in the Washington Examiner that by asserting he had used economic threats to broker peace, Trump drew moral equivalence between terror-sponsoring Pakistan and terror-victim India. How this move points to favouritism towards Pakistan The Trump administrations decision to shield Pakistan from immigration sanctions, even as it imposed them on 12 other countries including Myanmar, has drawn fire from geostrategic experts. Author and strategist Brahma Chellaney wrote on X: Trumps entry ban on visitors from 12 countries includes Myanmar (where the US is aiding anti-junta rebels), but excludes terrorism-hub Pakistan, indicating his embrace of the Deep State approach to Indias neighborhood. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Chellaney also argued that Trump effectively bailed out Pakistan during its recent military standoff with India, claiming that he used economic-sanctions threat to compel India to halt its military operation after just three days. Pakistans investment deal with Donald Trumps family-linked crypto firm is paying rich dividends. Trump effectively bailed out Pakistan during its recent military standoff with India, claiming that he used economic-sanctions threat to compel India to halt its military Brahma Chellaney (@Chellaney) June 5, 2025 He added that Trump has carved out special exceptions for Pakistan from his actions, including exempting $396 million in security assistance for Islamabad from his foreign-aid freeze. The absence of any formal US response to cross-border terrorism in the wake of the Pahalgam attack has only increased the scrutiny over Trump administrations policy direction. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Once targeted with aid cuts and visa sanctions, Pakistan now finds itself praised by the very same administration that once denounced it. With inputs from agencies As the yatri convoys, escorted by CRPF troops equipped with satellite phones, move through, all approach roads to the national highway will be sealed. Each convoy will also be equipped with signal jammers for added security read more Pilgrims enroute to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath from the Baltal base camp during the annual Amarnath Yatra, in Ganderbal district, June 29, 2024. File Photo/PTI The central government has pulled all the ropes to protect pilgrims during the Amarnath Yatra that is set to commence from July 3. Security measures have been beefed up in Jammu and Kashmir in view of the yatra, which will happen months after the Pahalgam attack. What security measures have been taken? Nearly 50,000 CRPF personnel, along with Jammu and Kashmir Police, will be deployed along the yatra route to ensure security. Their duties will include road clearance operations and detecting or defusing IEDs, with quick response teams positioned at strategic locations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As the yatri convoys, escorted by CRPF troops equipped with satellite phones, move through, all approach roads to the national highway will be sealed. Each convoy will also be equipped with signal jammers for added security. Apart from this, the government will also deploy surveillance drones, bomb disposal squads and canine teams along the routes to be used by pilgrims for the 38-day-long yatra. Yatra duration slashed For the first time, the duration of the upcoming Amarnath Yatra to the sacred cave shrine of Lord Shiva in Jammu and Kashmir has been shortened to 38 days, down from 52 days last year. The yatra is an annual pilgrimage to the sacred Amarnath Cave Shrine, dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is located at an altitude of about 3,888 meters in the hills of Jammu and Kashmir. The cave houses a naturally formed ice Shivling, attracting lakhs of devotees to the shrine every year. Top Maoist leader Bhaskar, who carried a cumulative bounty of Rs 45 lakh, has been killed in an encounter with security forces in Indravati National Park area in Chhattisgarhs Bijapur district on Friday, a senior police official said citing preliminary identification of body. read more Top Maoist leader Bhaskar, also known as Mailarapu Adellu was killed in an encounter with security forces on Friday in Chhattisgarhs Bijapur district, the third major success for anti-Maoist forces in just two weeks. Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj said that The encounter was part of the same anti-Maoist operation underway since Wednesday by personnel from the state polices Special Task Force (STF) and District Reserve Guard (DRG) as well as the CRPFs specialised unit CoBRA. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After the exchange of fire stopped, the body of a Maoist along with one AK-47 rifle and other explosives, weapons, and ammunition were recovered from the encounter site. Preliminary identification suggests the body is of Bhaskar alias Mailarapu Adellu, a special zonal committee (SZC) member of the Telangana State Committee (TSC) of the outlawed Maoists, he said. Bhaskar, a resident of Adilabad district in Telangana, was the secretary of the Mancherial-Komarambheem (MKB) division of the TSC of Maoists. He carried a reward of Rs 25 lakhs in Chhattisgarh and 20 lakhs in Telangana, the IG added. His death follows two other high-profile Maoist killings in recent days. On Thursday, senior Maoist leader Narasimha Chalam alias Sudhakar, a 67-year-old ideologue wanted for indoctrinating youth and orchestrating deadly attacks, was shot dead in the same region. He had a bounty of 40 lakh. Earlier, on May 21, Maoist general secretary Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju (70) was neutralised in Narayanpur district, a top figure in the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). Security forces have intensified operations in the Bastar region with the goal of ending the decades-long Maoist insurgency by March 2026. With inputs from agencies From policies that further prosperity to driving the economy to reach the fourth spot in the world, PM Modi has worked to make a name for India on the global stage through his ideas and actions in the past 11 years read more Prime Minister Narendra Modi will complete 11 years in office on June 9. The National Democratic Alliances decade-long governance under PM Modis vision has been marked by development in both the political and economic landscape. From policies that further prosperity to driving the economy to reach the fourth spot in the world, PM Modi has worked to make a name for India on the global stage through his ideas and actions in the past 11 years. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Heres a look at how this change came to effect: New building for Parliament India has come a long way since the British left in 1947. However, their vestiges remain in the form of buildings and architecture across the country. For 73 years, lawmakers had to draft blueprints of Indias development in a British-made structure, that is, the old Parliament. Prime Minister Narendra Modi carries the Sengol in a procession before installing it in the Lok Sabha chamber at the inauguration of the new Parliament building, in New Delhi, Sunday, May 28, 2023. PTI Under PM Modi, the central government changed this. In 2023, the prime minister inaugurated the new Parliament House of India, which now serves as a pillar of the countrys heritage. The inauguration ceremony included traditional rituals such as a havan and the installation of the Sengol, a sacred sceptre, behind the Speakers chair in the Lok Sabha chamber. Rise of BJP at the Centre and in states PM Modi did not just help the Bharatiya Janata Party dominate the centre, but also paved the way for the party to expand its footprint across India. The BJP, along with its ally parties, are now ruling 19 states and two union territories. The latest victory came during the Delhi Assembly Elections in February when the party dethroned the Aam Aadmi Partys rule to make a comeback in the national capital. Party workers and supporters celebrating BJPs success in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh state assembly elections outside the BJP headquarter, in New Delhi on Monday. PTI This expansion of NDA governance marks a historic milestone, with the alliance now overseeing a population of approximately 920 million people, solidifying its dominance in Indias political landscape. End of the Congress-led political power In 2014, a new age of politics was heralded in India. PM Modis BJP ended the Indian National Congresss 10 years of rule under former prime minister Manmohan Singh. The Grand Old Party has ever since been the largest Opposition in India. BJP has now emerged as Indias dominant political force, securing consecutive majorities in the 2014, 2019 and 2024 general elections. This period marked a shift from a multi-party system to a more centralised political landscape, with the BJP consolidating support among various social groups, including rural voters, women, and marginalised communities. In fact, PM Modi is the first prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru to have won three consecutive parliamentary elections. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD End of Article 370 In 2019, the central government took the bold step of abrogating Article 370 that gave Jammu and Kashmir its special status and split the region into two Union Territories J&K and Ladakh. Supporters wave BJPs flags at Prime Minister Narendra Modis helicopter, during a public meeting ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, at Kartar Nagar in New Delhi. PTI The abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 significantly transformed Jammu and Kashmir by integrating it fully into Indias constitutional framework. This move enabled the application of central laws, such as the Right to Education and land acquisition compensation statutes, which were previously inapplicable. One nation, one tax PM Modi revolutionised Indias taxation system by introducing One Nation, One Tax that established the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which was implemented on July 1, 2017. This landmark reform unified the countrys complex tax structure by subsuming various central and state taxes into a single tax, aiming to simplify the taxation process and promote economic integration. The GST was officially launched at midnight on June 30, 2017, with a special session held in the Central Hall of Parliament. Finance Bill of 2017 In 0217, the central government under the BJP unveiled the Finance Bill, which is seen as a significant legislative measure introduced in India to implement the financial proposals of the administration. It encompassed over 40 amendments across various laws, aiming to enhance transparency, curb black money, and streamline governance. Key provisions included making Aadhaar mandatory for filing income tax returns and obtaining a Permanent Account Number (PAN), imposing a cap of Rs 2 lakh on cash transactions to discourage unaccounted money, and removing caps on corporate donations to political parties while mandating anonymous contributions through electoral bonds. The bill also helped to restructure several tribunals, granting the central government greater control over their functioning. Businessman Vijay Mallya spoke candidly about the charges against him and apologised for the downfall of Kingfisher Airlines. He also defended his valid" reasons for not returning to India. read more Controversial Indian business tycoon Vijay Mallya issued an apology for the downfall of Kingfisher Airlines, denying allegations of theft. Mallya has been facing various fraud charges in India and is currently absconding. The remarks from Mallya came during a four-hour-long podcast with YouTuber Raj Shamani. During the conversation, Mallya defended his reasoning for not returning to India and insisted that he would consider coming back if he were assured a fair trial and a dignified existence in the country. I apologise to everyone for the failure of Kingfisher Airlines," said in the podcast host, which was shared online on Thursday. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD If I have the assurance of a fair trial and a dignified existence in India, you may be right, but I dont," he added when asked if he would be in a worse situation if he returned to India. You can call me a fugitive, but: Mallya In the podcast, Mallya also addressed the allegations of financial misconduct. You may call me a fugitive, but I didnt run away. I flew on a prescheduled visit. Fair enough, I didnt return for reasons that I consider valid so if you want to call me a fugitive, go ahead. But where is the chor (thief) coming from? Where is the chori (theft)? he asked. It is pertinent to note that Mallya was accused of defaulting on loans worth over 9,000 crore extended to Kingfisher Airlines by a consortium of Indian banks. He has since been fighting extradition proceedings in the United Kingdom, where he has lived since 2016. Despite multiple legal setbacks, including a UK court ruling in favour of his extradition in 2018, Mallya contested the ruling of his return to India, citing unfair treatment and media trials. Emphasising a shared commitment to global peace, the Central Asian foreign ministers strongly condemned the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack and conveyed their support for Indias fight against cross-border terrorism read more Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Image Courtesy: @narendramodi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a high-level meeting with the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, reaffirming Indias deep-rooted historical and cultural ties with the Central Asian region. During the meeting, PM Modi welcomed the visiting ministers and expressed satisfaction over the growing strategic cooperation between India and the five Central Asian republics. Discussions focused on regional security, economic collaboration, and the evolving geopolitical landscape. Emphasising a shared commitment to global peace, the Central Asian foreign ministers strongly condemned the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack and conveyed their support for Indias fight against cross-border terrorism. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Both sides called for strengthened cooperation to tackle common security threats and uphold regional stability. Delighted to meet with the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. India deeply cherishes its historical ties with the countries of Central Asia," said PM Modi on X, sharing a picture after the meeting. Delighted to meet with the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. India deeply cherishes its historical ties with the countries of Central Asia. Look forward to working together to further deepen our cooperation in trade, pic.twitter.com/UmzPnF3BI8 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 6, 2025 Look forward to working together to further deepen our cooperation in trade, connectivity, energy, fintech, food security and health for mutual progress and prosperity. We stand firm and resolute in our collective fight against terrorism, PM Modi added. On Thursday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had met the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, ahead of the fourth edition of the India-Central Asia Dialogue. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies China calls on Syrian interim authorities to prevent terrorists from getting chemical weapons Xinhua) 13:48, June 06, 2025 UNITED NATIONS, June 5 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday called on the interim authorities in Syria to prevent dangerous chemicals and chemical weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists. Syria is currently facing a fragile security landscape and a grave counter-terrorism situation. There are increasing risks that terrorist organizations and extremist forces will take advantage of the current chaos to grow and stage a comeback, warned Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations. "The international community should remain highly vigilant about the possible scenario where terrorist forces in Syria may manufacture, acquire, or use chemical weapons," Geng told the Security Council. China is concerned about reports that foreign terrorist fighters based in Syria have recently been integrated into the Syrian national army and urges the Syrian interim authorities to fulfill their counter-terrorism obligations, he said. The Syrian interim authorities must take all necessary measures to combat all terrorist organizations and individuals listed by the Security Council, including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, and prevent dangerous chemicals and chemical weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists, he said. The political transition in Syria is at a critical juncture. China sincerely hopes that peace and stability will return to Syria at an early date, said Geng. For that, China calls on all relevant parties in Syria to fully engage and consult with each other, build maximum consensus, and push forward in an orderly manner a broad and inclusive political transition, he said. At the same time, he added, it is important, with the help of the international community, to alleviate the humanitarian situation and begin economic reconstruction. China supports the United Nations in playing an important role in this process. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) As PM Modi completes 11 years in office (20142025), we look at key milestones that have shaped the journey of a leader who has significantly influenced the course of Indian politics and governance read more As Prime Minister Narendra Modi completes 11 years in office (20142025), his governance has been characterised by bold initiatives, significant structural reforms, assertive foreign policy, electoral dominance, and a new national narrative. Sworn in on May 26, 2014, and now in his third term since June 9, 2024, PM Modis governance has touched nearly every sphere economic, military, diplomatic, legal, and social. We take a look at some defining milestones that chart the journey of the leader who changed the course of Indian politics and and governance. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD BJPs electoral dominance When Narendra Modi became the BJPs prime ministerial face in 2013, the party had seen success but was still viewed as dependent on alliances. Under PM Modi and then party president Amit Shah, BJP underwent a massive organisational overhaul. The party focused on grassroots cadre-building, aggressive digital campaigning, and the deployment of data analytics. PM Modi led the party to a full majority in 2014, the first for any single party in 30 years, securing 282 seats out of 543 166 seats more than in the previous 15th Lok Sabha. In 2019, the BJP further improved its numbers, winning 303 seats. In 2024, While BJP didnt get the desired results it had hoped for, PM Modi, who spearheaded the BJP campaign, still formed the government for a third consecutive term on June 8. Despite losses in three Hindi heartland states, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured a majority in elections seen as a referendum on PM Modis popularity. The PM Modi-led NDA, which had set a target of winning 400 seats in the Lok Sabha, bagged only 286 seats. The BJP won in 240 seats, falling 32 short of the halfway mark of 272 seats in the Lok Sabha in the House of 543, a far cry from the 303 and 282 seats it had won in 2019 and 2014. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As per 2019 data, the BJP became the worlds largest political party with over 180 million members. Between 20142023, BJP either directly ruled or was part of the ruling coalition in more than 20 Indian states, making it an electoral juggernaut. Make in India In September 2014, the Modi government launched the Make in India initiative, a flagship programme aimed at transforming India into a global manufacturing hub. The initiative aimed to increase manufacturings share in GDP to 25% and create 100 million new jobs by 2022. By streamlining regulations and promoting ease of doing business, it sought to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) and foster innovation. India saw a record inflow of foreign direct investment $84.8 billion in FY22 making it one of the top global investment destinations. Over the years, the initiative has elevated India to the worlds second-most attractive manufacturing destination, boosting sectors like electronics, defence manufacturing, automobiles, textiles, and chemicals. This is the reason India has become a global player in manufacturing of defence equipment and done away with middlemen who used to rob India of its money by striking arms deals. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD JAM Trinity- (Jan Dhan, Aadhar, and Mobile) The JAM trinity Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar, and Mobile connectivity is a government initiative which aims to deal with the leakage of government subsidies by linking the Jan Dhan Accounts, Aadhar Cards, and Mobile numbers of Indian citizens. According to government data, as of December 2024, over 54 crore Jan Dhan accounts have been opened, holding deposits worth approximately Rs 2.39 lakh crore a 15-fold increase since the schemes launch in 2014. The scheme has been particularly successful in rural and semi-urban areas, with 66% of accounts opened in these regions. Women have also been major beneficiaries. Around 37.02 crore RuPay debit cards have been issued to account holders, reflecting increased financial access and usage. The average deposit per account, as of August 14, 2024, stands at Rs 4,352, indicating growing trust and savings behaviour among users. Backed by the JAM Trinity Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, and Mobile the scheme has become the worlds largest financial inclusion programme. JAM has revolutionised welfare delivery through Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT), ensuring subsidies reach intended beneficiaries directly while cutting out middlemen, eliminating nearly 10 crore fake accounts, and saving the exchequer Rs 2.75 lakh crore. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The World Bank has credited India with achieving its financial inclusion goals in just six years, a task it estimates would have taken 47 years without the countrys robust Digital Public Infrastructure. The impact is tangible: 25 crore people have reportedly risen out of poverty in the past decade. In Delhi alone, 65 lakh Jan Dhan accounts hold deposits totaling Rs 3,114 crore, with 50 lakh RuPay card holders. Meanwhile, more than 1.3 billion Aadhaar cards have been issued, enabling biometric identity verification across the country, while Indias mobile internet user base has surpassed 800 million, driving the growth of digital services such as the UPI-based payment ecosystem. Swachh Bharat Launched on October 2, 2014, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has emerged as one of Indias largest public health and sanitation campaigns, aimed at eliminating open defecation and improving waste management across the country. According to government data, the campaign led to the construction of over 110 million toilets, boosting rural sanitation coverage from 39% in 2014 to 100% by 2019. Massive awareness drives, featuring celebrities, influencers, and community leaders, played a crucial role in changing public attitudes toward cleanliness and toilet usage. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Independent impact assessments have credited the campaign with improved health outcomes, including a notable decline in diarrhea cases among children. However, some studies have raised concerns about the sustainability of Open Defecation-Free (ODF) claims in certain regions, citing maintenance and long-term behavioral adherence as ongoing challenges. As the mission completes over a decade, it remains a pivotal example of how infrastructure, policy, and mass mobilization can converge to address deeply rooted social issues. From look East to Act East policy PM Modi transformed Indias passive Look East Policy into an assertive Act East Policy, deepening strategic, cultural, and trade engagement with East and Southeast Asia. Indias engagement with Southeast and East Asia has undergone a significant transformation over the past three decades, evolving from the Look East Policy of the 1990s to the more action-oriented Act East Policy launched under PM Modi. The Look East Policy, introduced in 1992 by then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, marked Indias first major attempt to reconnect with the economically dynamic nations of Southeast Asia, following the Cold War. Aimed at enhancing trade and cultural ties, the policy facilitated the reduction of trade barriers, boosted tourism from the region, and opened doors to partnerships with ASEAN countries. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, with growing geopolitical shifts and rising Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific, a more assertive approach was needed. In 2014, Modi government formally announced a strategic upgrade: India would now Act East, signalling a move from intention to implementation. The shift was inspired, in part, by a 2011 call from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who urged India to take a more proactive role in the Asia-Pacific. Under the Act East Policy, the Modi government broadened Indias focus to include East Asia and Oceania, while placing Northeast India at the heart of regional connectivity efforts. The Indo-Pacific region was recognised as a key strategic and economic priority. At the 2014 East Asia Summit, PM Modi outlined a three-pronged approach based on the 3Cs: Commerce Deepening trade and investment links Culture Reviving historical and civilizational bonds Connectivity Enhancing infrastructure, digital, and people-to-people ties Since then, India has intensified economic cooperation with Japan, Vietnam, and Australia; participated more actively in forums like the ASEAN Regional Forum and Quad; and invested in regional infrastructure projects such as the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway. From a symbolic outreach to a cornerstone of foreign policy, the transition from Look East to Act East underscores Indias ambition to be a decisive player in the Indo-Pacific. Neighbourhood first Indias foreign policy has seen a steady shift toward greater regional engagement under the umbrella of its Neighbourhood First Policy, which guides diplomatic, economic, and strategic outreach to countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The policy focuses on enhancing connectivity, trade, and people-to-people ties while ensuring security cooperation and mutual development. It has become a key institutional focus across ministries, aiming to integrate India more closely with its immediate neighbourhood and to position itself as the principal anchor of stability in South Asia. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD One of the central aims of the policy is to counterbalance Chinas growing influence in the Indian Ocean region through deeper engagement with neighbours and regional infrastructure investments. Indias involvement in multilateral forums like SAARC and BIMSTEC, and support for initiatives such as the BBIN transport corridor and the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Project, reflects its effort to promote integration and collective progress in the region. In recent years, New Delhi has also prioritized maritime security, energy cooperation, and development partnerships, especially in the northeastern states, which are strategically and geographically linked to its neighbourhood diplomacy. On the diplomatic front, Indias ties with Bangladesh had significantly strengthened over the past decade, driven by trade and water-sharing cooperation. However, relations took a downturn following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina last year and the rise of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus to power. Relations with Nepal and Sri Lanka have seen fluctuations due to political tensions and border issues. Engagement with Myanmar remains focused on connectivity and counter-insurgency cooperation, while ties with Pakistan continue to be strained over terrorism and territorial disputes. Despite the progress, the policy faces challenges, including geopolitical tensions, project implementation hurdles, and economic disparities among neighbouring countries. Political instability in some capitals and lingering bilateral disputes have occasionally stalled progress on key initiatives. Indias pivot to BIMSTEC over SAARC in recent years underscores a strategic shift in regional diplomacy, especially as SAARCs effectiveness remains limited due to the India-Pakistan impasse. Through a mix of strategic infrastructure investments, security cooperation, and cultural diplomacy, Neighbourhood First continues to shape Indias regional role, positioning it as a key player not just in South Asia, but across the wider Indo-Pacific region. Muscular policy at borders Over the past decade, Modi government has taken a firmer stance on national security and border issues, responding swiftly and decisively to threats and territorial disputes along Indias borders. In 2016, following the deadly Uri terror attack, Indian special forces conducted surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) targeting terror launchpads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. This marked a significant tactical and psychological shift, signaling Indias readiness to take proactive military action against cross-border terrorism. Three years later, in 2019, the Indian Air Force carried out airstrikes on Jaish-e-Mohammed training camps in Pakistans Balakot in retaliation for the Pulwama suicide bombing that killed over 40 Indian paramilitary personnel. This was the first airstrike of its kind since the 1971 Indo-Pak war, showcasing Indias willingness to escalate beyond traditional defensive postures. The government also faced a prolonged standoff with China in 2017 at Doklam, a strategic plateau near the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction. Indian troops successfully halted Chinas road construction in the area, leading to a tense 73-day military standoff that underscored Indias resolve to protect its territorial interests and support its Bhutanese ally. In 2020, the border tensions escalated dramatically with the Galwan Valley clash, where 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in brutal hand-to-hand combat with Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. The deadly encounter triggered a series of military and diplomatic disengagement talks, alongside a significant build-up of infrastructure and troop deployments along the border. More recently, on May 7, 2025, India conducted Operation Sindoor, a retaliatory strike targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives on April 22. Following the Indian action, Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10. The Indian forces launched a fierce counter-attack on several Pakistani military installations. India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes. This operation, alongside earlier strikes like the 2016 Uri surgical strikes and the 2019 Balakot airstrike, underscored Indias zero-tolerance policy toward terrorism. Additionally, Operation Black Forest in April 2025 targeted Maoist insurgents, reflecting a robust internal security strategy. Together, these actions illustrate the Modi governments shift toward a more assertive, proactive security doctrine prioritising Indias territorial integrity, regional stability, and deterrence in a complex geopolitical environment. Fighting Covid-19 pandemic with indigenous vaccine India was among the first countries to develop and deploy indigenous COVID-19 vaccines, playing a crucial role in the global fight against the pandemic. Two major vaccines Covaxin, developed by Bharat Biotech, and Covishield, produced by the Serum Institute of India in partnership with Oxford-AstraZeneca formed the backbone of the worlds largest vaccination drive. By early 2023, India had administered over 2.2 billion vaccine doses, overcoming initial supply challenges and the devastating impact of the second wave in 2021. This massive immunization campaign helped stabilise the countrys pandemic response and saved millions of lives. Beyond its domestic efforts, India launched the Vaccine Maitri programme, supplying vaccines to more than 100 countries across Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. This initiative bolstered Indias diplomatic ties and showcased its commitment to global health solidarity during a time of unprecedented crisis. Farmers protest to CAA: Challenges faced by Modi govt While PM Modis decade in power has been marked by significant policy successes, it has also witnessed a series of complex and often polarising societal and geopolitical challenges that tested the governments resolve and adaptability. The farmers protest of 2020-2021 was triggered by the passage of three farm laws aimed at deregulating agricultural markets. The protests led predominantly by farmers from Punjab, Haryana, and Western Uttar Pradesh lasted over a year. The governments initial refusal to engage deeply with the protesters led to nationwide agitation, culminating in the repeal of the laws in late 2021, marking a rare political retreat. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) sparked widespread unrest between 2019 and 2020. Intended to offer citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from neighboring countries, the act was criticised for excluding Muslim refugees and was perceived by many as undermining Indias secular ethos. Protests erupted across universities and cities nationwide, raising concerns about religious discrimination and fueling communal tensions. In the northeast, the Manipur ethnic conflict from 2023 to 2025 exposed deep-seated governance and social fissures. Clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities resulted in hundreds of deaths and mass displacement, revealing the fragile nature of peace and development in the region. The prolonged unrest highlighted challenges in coordination between state and central authorities in managing ethnic disputes. Diplomatic relations with Canada deteriorated sharply amid allegations that sections of the Canadian Sikh diaspora supported Khalistani separatists. Tensions peaked in 2023 after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian intelligence agents of orchestrating the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil, leading to a serious diplomatic standoff and calls for accountability on both sides. Strategically, India faced ongoing challenges from Chinas expanding influence in South Asia. Beijings investments in ports and infrastructure in Sri Lanka, its growing military presence in the Indian Ocean, and increased political engagement in Nepal and the Maldives intensified concerns over regional security and Indias traditional sphere of influence. With inputs from agencies Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted Canadian PM Mark Carneys invitation for the G7 Summit. It is scheduled to be held on June 15-17 in Kananaskis in Canadas Alberta province. read more Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that he has accepted Canadas invitation to attend the G7 Summit. Canadian PM Mark Carney called Modi and invited him for the G7 Summit to be held on June 15-17 in Kananaskis in Canadas Alberta province. In a post on X, Modi said that he accepted Carneys invitation and looked forward to a meeting with him on the sidelines of the summit. Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister @MarkJCarney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 6, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This will be the first meeting between the two leaders since the change of guard in Canada earlier this year. Carney became the Prime Minister of Canada when he won his Liberal Partys leadership in March after then-PM Justin Trudeau announced his decision to resign. He then led the party in parliamentary elections in April and won, securing a full term as the prime minister. Modi has attended every G7 Summit as a special invitee since 2019 when French President Emmanuel Macron invited him for the first time. The G7 is the grouping of the most advanced democracies comprising the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. G7 invitation suggests an attempt to reset India-Canada ties Carneys invitation to Modi for the G7 Summit is the latest sign that the two countries are working to mend the bilateral relationship after Carneys predecessor, Trudeau, plunged the India-Canada relationship to an all-time low with his support of the Khalistan movement and his other anti-India activities. Under Trudeau, the India-Canada relationship fell to an all-time low as he accused India of assassinations, organised violence, and political interference in Canada without evidence, and went after Indian diplomats. He also put his weight behind the anti-India Khalistan movement to secure votes of the Sikh community in the country. He also failed to provide security to Indian missions and diplomats in the country from Khalistani groups threats. Under Carney, however, there appears to be a chance of improving the bilateral relationship. To be sure, the Khalistani movement, which seeks to carve out a Sikh nation out of India , continues to find a safe haven in Canada and anti-India activities have not subsided. ALSO READ: How Trudeaus toxic politics undermines India-Canada ties STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Last week, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, who had also served as the Defence Minister of Canada under Trudeau. He said that they discussed the prospects of India-Canada ties and Anand described talks as productive. Anand said that talks were focussed on strengthening Canada-India ties, deepening our economic cooperation, and advancing shared priorities. How Trudeau soured India-Canada relationship In 2023, Trudeau linked the murder of Nijjar, whom India had designated as a terrorist, to the Indian government. Trudeau also accused Indian diplomats serving in the country of political interference and participating in organised violence. He expelled a senior Indian diplomat serving in the country. India rubbished the charges and expelled a Canadian diplomat serving in India. That was the beginning of the spiralling downfall of the India-Canada relationship. To be sure, the India-Canada relationship had been uneasy for years over Trudeau and his governments active support to the Khalistan movement . Trudeau has attended Khalistani events and has invited known terrorists to official functions. His ministers have similarly endorsed the Khalistan movement. Jagmeet Singh of New Democratic Party (NDP), whose support kept Trudeaus government in power for years, is also a known Khalistan sympathiser. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As Trudeau continued to level allegations on India and personally target Indian diplomats, India withdrew several diplomats, including High Commissioner Sanjay Verma, to India and expelled several Canadian diplomats serving in India. In the last few months, however, there have been signs that the two countries have been working to mend ties now that Trudeau and Jagmeet are out of the ruling dispensation in Canada. The PTI has reported that security officials of Indian and Canada have resumed contacts and both sides are exploring the possibility of restoring high commissioners. India has maintained that mutual trust and sensitivity will be the basis of India-Canada ties. The downturn in India-Canada relations was caused by the license that was given to the extremist and secessionist elements in that country, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in March. An Apache helicopter of the Indian Air Force (IAF) made a precautionary landing in Uttar Pradeshs Saharanpur on Friday due to a technical issue while on a routine sortie, officials said. read more An Apache helicopter of the Indian Air Force (IAF) made a precautionary landing in Uttar Pradeshs Saharanpur on Friday due to a technical issue while on a routine sortie, officials said. Both the pilot and the co-pilot are safe, they said. An IAF Apache helicopter made a precautionary landing in Saharanpur around 11 am due to a technical issue, a senior IAF official said. All necessary checks were conducted after the landing and the helicopter was made serviceable. Both the pilot and the co-pilot then flew it to the Sarsawa airbase in Uttar Pradesh, the official said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The state of Indias relationship with China is not yet such that it should let itself be drawn into a closer embrace of its northern neighbour read more Speaking at a conference on security and cooperation in Eurasia in the city of Perm in the Ural mountains on May 29, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reaffirmed Russias interest in reviving the Russia-India-China Troika (RIC). Lavrov said: I would like to confirm our genuine interest in the earliest resumption of the work within the format of the troika Russia, India, China which was established many years ago on the initiative of (ex-Russian prime minister) Yevgeny Primakov and which has organised meetings more than 20 times at the ministerial level since then, not only at the level of foreign policy chiefs but also the heads of other economic, trade and financial agencies of the three countries. He also said, Now that, as I understand, an understanding has been reached between India and China on how to calm the situation on the border, it seems to me that the time has come to revive this RIC troika. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While Lavrov has called for the revival of RIC, this may be easier said than done. Given the ongoing disputes and geopolitical dynamics, India may be unwilling to fully embrace such a close trilateral alliance with China. Contrary to what Lavrov said, border tensions between India and China continue to persist. While diplomatic efforts and troop disengagements have occurred, a full resolution remains elusive, and the potential for further clashes persists. The situation at the India-China border continues to be tense despite recent disengagement agreements. Increased infrastructure development and troop deployments along the border by China in recent years have exacerbated tensions. As General Upendra Dwivedi, the Indian Army Chief, said earlier this year, India will not reduce the number of its troops deployed along the Line of Actual Control with China anytime soon, asserting there is still a degree of standoff persisting between the rival armies and the two countries need to rebuild trust to de-escalate overall tensions. Gen Dwivedis statement makes it quite clear that there is a lack of trust for China. The 2020 Galwan Valley clashes and ongoing border disputes have continued to strain the relationship between India and China. This lack of trust will hinder the prospects of reviving the RIC. The India-China territorial dispute stems from differing interpretations of the border, with China disputing Indias claims over regions like Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh. China has issued maps showing Aksai Chin an area of Indias state of Kashmir mostly controlled by China since the 1962 war and the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh within Chinese territory. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As recently as May 14 this year less than three weeks ago China has reasserted its territorial claims in Arunachal Pradesh. Despite professed claims about efforts to improve diplomatic ties with India, the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs published its latest names for places in Arunachal Pradesh, which China calls Zangnan and says is part of the Tibetan autonomous region. The renaming of 27 places covered an array of geographical features: 15 mountains, five residential areas, four mountain passes, two rivers and one lake. India rejected the new Chinese names for places in Arunachal Pradesh as a preposterous attempt to alter the undeniable reality that the state was, is, and will always be an integral part of India. It is, in fact, an old Chinese habit to periodically issue lists of new names for locations in Arunachal Pradesh. India describes the names as inventions by China and has consistently and unequivocally dismissed them. Chinas renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh is a strategic move to assert unilateral claims, which India firmly rejects, emphasising Arunachals integral status. Strengthening infrastructure, military deterrence, and global alliances is crucial for India to counter Chinas tactics and safeguard sovereignty. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD There are important geopolitical considerations which also need to be taken into account. India feels that the China-Pakistan axis, characterised by strong military and economic ties, poses a strategic challenge for India. This axis is working against Indian interests, particularly due to Chinas support for Pakistan in regional disputes. China is a major supplier of military equipment and technology to Pakistan, further strengthening their relationship but escalating mistrust with India. China has emerged as Pakistans largest arms supplier, accounting for almost 81 per cent of Islamabads weapon systems inventory. Among the weapons supplied by China to Pakistan are fighter jets, missiles, drones, radar systems, warships and submarines. Following the Pahalgam terror attack, China moved swiftly to arm Pakistan. Reports suggest Beijing delivered advanced PL-15 air-to-air missiles to Pakistans air force within days. Debris from one such missile, found undetonated in Indias Punjab, points to Chinese involvement in Pakistans latest assault. Pakistani jets used in combat were also Chinese-made. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Chinas support for Pakistan, particularly in the context of terrorist groups, further fuels Indias concerns. China reportedly blocked Indias proposal at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to ban five Pakistan-based terrorists who carried out terrorist acts against India. These five terrorists are Abdul Rauf Asghar, Sajid Mir, Abdur Rehman Makki, Talha Saeed, and Shahid Mehmood Rehmatullah, who have been involved in several terror attacks in India, including the 26/11 attacks, the 2019 Pulwama attacks, the 2016 Pathankot attack, the 2001 Parliament attack, and the IC 814 hijack. India wanted to get them designated by the UNSC as global terrorists, but China blocked this effort. Indias request to put sanctions on the proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba The Resistance Front (TRF) the terrorist outfit which was involved in the Pahalgam terror attack last month was also blocked by China at the UN Security Council. Lavrov also said that India is being forced by the US and Quad into military operations, even though it was formed for trade purposes. He said that India must have realised the militarisation agenda of the trade alliance and that Quad is organising naval and military exercises which target China in the garb of economic and trade cooperation. Showing his distrust of the West, Lavrov said: Take note of the current developments in the Asia-Pacific region, which the West has started calling the Indo-Pacific region to give its policy a clear anti-China orientation expecting thereby to additionally make our great friends and neighbours India and China clash. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Clearly, Russia has misgivings regarding Quad, although it is a diplomatic partnership, not a military alliance. The fact is that India is not aligning with the West. Rather, it follows a policy of multi-alignment. India has carefully crafted its Indo-Pacific policy and participation in Quad so as to strengthen maritime security and maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific region. On the other hand, it has also joined efforts to strengthen the multilateral forum BRICS. India is importing essential defence equipment as well as maintaining its close ties to Russia even while it has entered into a strategic partnership with the US to balance China. No doubt, Indias relationship with the United States has deepened in recent years, driven by shared concerns over Chinas growing assertiveness in the region. However, India has been careful to avoid becoming a US ally; New Delhi has maintained an independent foreign policy and has refused to participate in any military alliance directed against China. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Indias membership of Quad does not pose any threat to Russia. India has developed an independent foreign policy, carefully balancing relations with Western nations and Russia while simultaneously expanding its regional influence in the Indo-Pacific. Indias foreign policy is based on strategic autonomy. Indias stance on the Russia-Ukraine war substantiates this. India has not sided with the West and has chosen a course of neutrality in the war in Ukraine. It has neither condemned nor blamed Russia for the war. India abstained on all UN resolutions pertaining to Ukraine which demanded a Russian withdrawal or condemned Russia for the war with Ukraine. The fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the US in September last year to meet the former US President Joe Biden, and next month he went to Russia to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, emphasises Indias strategic autonomy. In conclusion, it needs to be said that Lavrovs call to revive the RIC is to reassert Russias importance as a power centre on the global platform. India is already walking the diplomatic tightrope by being a member of Quad on one hand and of BRICS on the other. The state of the India-China relationship is not yet such that we should let ourselves be drawn into a closer embrace of our northern neighbour, whose policies are harmful to us beyond doubt. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Perhaps we could privately share our views with the Russian leadership, explaining our concerns and telling them that for the moment, we see BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as providing enough scope for trilateral cooperation between Russia, India and China. The writer is a retired Indian diplomat and had previously served as Consul General in New York. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. By rallying Central Asian nations against terrorism, New Delhi aims to send a stern message to Pakistan as well as its ally Azerbaijan read more Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar on Friday (June 6) appreciated Central Asian nations for condemning the Pahalgam terror attack while delivering opening remarks at the 4th India-Central Asia Dialogue in New Delhi. Earlier, Jaishankar held bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan and urged them to unite in the fight against terrorism in the region. I appreciate that your countries stood by India and condemned the heinous terrorist attack that took place in April in Pahalgam, Jaishankar said in his address. He acknowledged that the ties between India and Central Asian nations have evolved over the past decades. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD We have marked three decades of our contemporary diplomatic ties with our Central Asian partners in 2022. We have worked together and laid down the legal and institutional framework, which has provided the foundation to further our mutually beneficial cooperation with each other individually, as well as collectively. Our cooperation with Central Asian countries received a quantum boost with Prime Minister Modis back-to-back visits to all five Central Asian capitals in July 2015, Jaishankar recounted. India deeply cherishes its millennia-old civilizational and cultural ties with Central Asia. These age-old bonds forged through trade, exchange of ideas, and people-to-people contacts have strengthened over time, evolving into a partnership which is defined by shared aspirations, shared opportunities and common challenges, the foreign minister added. Jaishankar also pitched India as a reliable trade partner for the Central Asian nations. India is also believed to have discussed digital technology and fintech co-operation with the Central Asian nations in order boost existing ties. He highlighted how better air connectivity between Central Asia and India helps flow of tourists and businesses. He also shed light on the fact that a large number of Indian students pursue higher education in Central Asian countries, further strengthening the economic and people-to-people ties. Message to Pakistan and Azerbaijan By rallying Central Asian nations against terrorism, New Delhi aims to send a stern message to Pakistan as well as its ally Azerbaijan, which has long benefited from its reliance on the Central Asian nations. Azerbaijan often touts itself as a bridge to the Central Asian region. However, ties between New Delhi and Baku have deteriorated following Azerbaijans open support to Pakistan during its recent standoff with India. Now, with increased engagements with Central Asia and by fostering a unified stance, New Delhi aims to highlight wider acknowledgement of its war on terrorism, with nations even from Azerbaijans neighbourhood on board. Days after a call between US President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, Russia has launched a barrage of missiles and drones on Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Officials have said that at least four people have been killed. read more Fire and smoke rise in the city after a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 6, 2025. (Photo: Reuters) Days after Vladimir Putin vowed to respond to Ukraines Operation Spider Web in a call with US President Donald Trump, Russia on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday attacked Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with missiles and drones. Ukrainian authorities said at least four people have been killed in Kyiv and 20 have been injured. As Russia had been attacking Ukraine with hundreds of missiles and drones on a near-daily basis for weeks before Ukraines drone operation, it is not yet clear if the overnight barrage was part of such nightly attack or was a response to the drone operation that Putin referred. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On Sunday, Ukraine attacked five airbases across the length and breadth of Russia with drones under Operation Spider Web. With 117 drones, Ukraine said it destroyed nearly a third of Russias long-range, nuclear-capable bomber and surveillance aircrafts fleets. ALSO READ: Operation Spider Web hands Ukraine cards to play with at negotiation table After a phone call on Wednesday, Trump said that Putin told him he would respond very strongly to Ukraines attack. Other than Kyiv, Russia also struck the city of Lutsk near the Ukraines border with Poland and injured 12 people, according to Ukrainian state media. Russia hits civilian areas in Kyiv, says Ukraine Ukrainian officials have said that Russia struck civilian areas in Kyiv and elsewhere. Kyivs military administration head Timur Tkachenko said that Russia struck a 16-storey apartment building in the capitals area. Mayor Vitali Klitschko also said that fires were reported fires in Holosiivskyi and Darnytskyi areas of the capital after Russian strikes. By 2 am, it had been reported that two Russian long-range bombers were involved in the attack. Kyiv Post reported analysts as saying that the unusually low number of aircraft appeared to be the result of Ukraine destroying nearly a third of Russias bombers fleet. Beside bombers, Russia also used a Kalibr cruise missile from its Black Sea fleet, according to the newspaper. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD ALSO READ: With Russias terms to Ukraine, Putin seeks surrender not a peace deal Even though Ukraine and Russia have started direct talks in Turkey, no ceasefire is in sight. So far, Russia has rejected all three US-endorsed offers of ceasefire whereas Ukraine has accepted all of them. Yet Trump has not yet taken any action on Russia. Instead, he has continued to build pressure on Ukraine. In the latest instance of ignoring Russian attacks and pressuring Ukraine , Trump on Thursday said that he was considering imposing sanctions on Ukraine and Russia both for stopping the war even though Ukraine is the defender. After Russia bombarded Kyiv and other cities, Ukraine said that it struck two airbases, an oil refinery, and a defence production plant in Russia in the latest round of attacks on strategic targets in the country. read more A fuel depot on fire in Ukraine's drone attack in Russia's city of Engels on Friday, June 6, 2025. (Photo: United 24 Media/Ukrainian government) After Vladimir Putins latest barrage on Ukrainian cities on Thursday night, Ukraine on Friday said that it struck two Russian airbases and an oil refinery. Even as Ukraine and Russia are holding direct talks in Turkey, they are locked in a cycle of violence. For weeks, Russia has attacked Ukraine with hundreds of drones and missiles on a near-daily basis. In the latest such strikes, Ukraine on Friday said it struck Russias Dyagilevo airbase near Moscow and an airbase and an oil depot in Saratov region. An official said that a defence plant was also struck in the Tambov province. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The strikes were reported after Russia attacked Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv , with hundreds of drones and missiles. Ukrainian officials said at least four people were killed in the attack and dozens were injured. On Sunday, Ukraine had attacked five airbases in Russia with drones and destroyed nearly a third of the countrys long-range, nuclear-capable bombers and surveillance aircraft. Watch: Ukraine destroys Russian Iskander missile systems in pre-emptive strikes As Russian leader Putin vowed to respond to the attack in a call with US President Donald Trump, it is not clear if last nights Russian strikes comprised that retaliation or were part of regular attacks that Russia has been mounting lately. Ukraine targeted bombers base, defence production plant The Engels airfield that Ukraine struck housed Russias bomber aircraft, according to Kyiv Post. While AFP did not mention the type of aircraft, it quoted the Ukrainian military as saying that the Engels aircraft housed a place of concentration of enemy aircraft. As for the Dyagilevo airbase near Moscow, the military said that refuelling and escort jets are based there that aid Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine. The military further said that it struck at least three fuel and oil tanks in Saratov. ALSO READ: Operation Spider Web hands Ukraine cards to play with at negotiation table Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukrainian governments Center for Countering Disinformation, told Kyiv Post that drones attacked an oil depot in Engels and the Progress defense plant in Michurinsk in Tambov province. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Kovalenko said that the Progress plant a key part of Russias military-industrial complex and its destruction would be a significant blow to the countrys defense production. The newspaper reported that the plant specialises in the production of high-precision electronic equipment used for targeting, stabilisation, and fire control for artillery and rocket lunch systems. The plant also produces components for automated command and control systems. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday held a phone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reaffirming the longstanding relationship between Canada and India read more Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday held a phone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reaffirming the longstanding relationship between Canada and India. The two leaders discussed the longstanding relationship between Canada and India, including deep people-to-people ties and significant commercial links. Importantly, there was agreement to continued law enforcement dialogue and discussions addressing security concerns, Prime Minister of Canadas office said in a statement. The statement further said that PM Carney extended an invitation to PM Modi to attend Canadas 2025 G7 Leaders Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta. Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Modi agreed to remain in contact and looked forward to meeting at the G7 Leaders Summit later this month, added the statement. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Meanwhile, PM Modi on Friday said that he has accepted Canadas invitation to attend the G7 Summit. Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister@MarkJCarney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests. Look forward to our meeting at the Summit, PM Modi posted on X. This will mark the first meeting between the two leaders since the change in leadership in Canada earlier this year. Carney became prime minister after winning the Liberal Party leadership in March, following former PM Justin Trudeaus resignation. He went on to lead the party to victory in the April parliamentary elections, securing a full term in office. Carneys invitation to PM Modi for the upcoming G7 Summit signals a renewed effort to reset strained India-Canada ties, which hit a historic low under former PM Justin Trudeau. During Trudeaus tenure, relations deteriorated sharply after he accused India without providing evidence of involvement in assassinations, political interference, and organised violence in Canada. His open support for the Khalistan movement, seen as an attempt to court Sikh votes, further deepened the rift. Trudeaus government was also criticised for failing to ensure the security of Indian diplomats and missions amid threats from Khalistani groups. With inputs from agencies China and France have agreed to resolve their trade disputes through dialogue, Chinas foreign ministry said on Friday, though there was no indication that agreement had been reached in talks on lifting Chinese levies on European brandy. read more China and France have agreed to resolve their escalating trade tensions through dialogue, Beijings foreign ministry said Friday, offering cautious optimism for a deal on punitive Chinese tariffs targeting European brandy, particularly French cognac. The announcement follows high-level talks this week between Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and French Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin on the sidelines of an OECD conference in Paris. Technical discussions have also been underway in Beijing, where Chinese officials reportedly signaled a willingness to settle the dispute, though some sticking points remain. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The latest round of negotiations have raised hopes of a settlement, two industry sources with knowledge of the discussions said. The two sides have reached consensus on resolving economic and trade issues through dialogue and consultation, the Chinese foreign ministry said after a call between the Chinese and French foreign ministers. Beijing imposed anti-dumping duties of up to 39% on European brandy earlier this year measures widely seen as retaliation for EU tariffs targeting Chinese electric vehicle exports. France, the leading cognac producer, has been most affected, with major players like LVMHs Hennessy, Pernod Ricards Martell, and Remy Cointreau experiencing a decline in sales to China, their most valuable export market in terms of revenue. China had initially set a final decision on the duties for January, but has extended the deadline twice, now pushing it to July 5. Beijing was initially meant to make a final decision on the duties by January, but extended the deadline to April and then again to July 5. China is seeking to strengthen trade ties with the 27-member bloc as relations with the United States have soured in the escalating trade war. France will not compromise on the protection of its industries, such as cognac, French trade minister Laurent Saint-Martin said after talks with Wang on Wednesday. Chinese officials, meanwhile, signalled to industry officials during three rounds of technical meetings in Beijing this week they wanted to settle the matter, one of the sources said, but added some sticking points remained. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With annual imports of around $1.7 billion last year, China is the French brandy industrys most important measured by value and the second-largest by volume after the United States. With inputs from agencies Curtis Yarvin, a blogger known for advocating autocratic rule and criticising liberal democracy is reportedly influencing Trumps second-term policy agenda. His ideas on civil service purges and West Asia strategy are gaining traction among Trump allies like Peter Thiel and JD Vance. read more Curtis Yarvin, a once-fringe political blogger better known by his pen name Mencius Moldbug is emerging as an influential figure in shaping Donald Trumps policy agenda for a potential second term, according to a new profile published by The New Yorker. Yarvin, long known for advocating the replacement of liberal democratic institutions with autocratic rule has gained traction among key figures in Trumps orbit. His once-controversial ideas, dismissed as extreme are now reportedly informing major policy blueprints from mass firings of civil servants to radical proposals for West Asia peace. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The report details how Yarvins writings which call for a top-down reordering of government and a deep skepticism of bureaucratic power, have caught the attention of venture capitalist Peter Thiel and Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance. Both men are considered central to the intellectual and strategic direction of a second Trump administration. Among the most striking parallels between Yarvins ideas and Trumps current proposals is the concept of a sweeping purge of federal civil servants. Trump allies have proposed replacing career bureaucrats with loyalists, citing the need to drain the swamp, a move that reflects Yarvins long-standing critique of the so-called deep state. Equally eyebrow-raising is a reported policy proposal to transform Gaza into the Riviera of the Middle East, an idea that mirrors Yarvins provocative vision for resolving intractable geopolitical conflicts through heavy-handed, top-down development schemes. The New Yorker article suggests that Yarvins ascent is part of a broader trend: the growing influence of far-right intellectuals and online theorists in American conservative politics. Once relegated to obscure blogs and Reddit threads, Yarvins ideas are now being openly discussed in elite conservative circles and quietly making their way into policy drafts. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Critics warn that mainstreaming such radical theories poses a threat to constitutional governance and democratic accountability. But to his supporters, Yarvin offers a bold framework for dismantling what they see as a bloated and unaccountable administrative state. The growing visibility of Yarvin and his theories underscored a major shift in the ideological arena of the American right, one that could shape the future of US governance if Trump returns to the White House. The Rights and Risks Analysis Group drew a parallel between the Bangladesh crisis and crimes against humanity committed in the context of post-election violence in Kenya in 2007/2008 read more A Delhi-based think tank, the Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG), has opened a front against Bangladeshs interim government led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus over the alleged deaths of 123 members of Bangladeshs Awami League and its affiliated organisations. Yunus has been leading the South Asian nation since Awami Leagues Sheikh Hasina was ousted last August following a student-led uprising. Calling Yunus governments alleged actions a crime against humanity, the RRAG said it would file a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Taliban-style killing The RRAG claimed that among the deceased are at least 41 Awami League members who were reportedly hacked to death, sometimes by throat-slitting in a Taliban-style manner. Moreover, it said 21 others died while in the custody of the interim government. These murders of the Awami League members are just tip of the iceberg as not all the murders of the Awami League members were reported in the local media, and further the RRAG was not able to monitor the local media. It is however clear even children, women, mentally unstable, and maimed were not spared, Suhas Chakma, Director of the RRAG, said in a statement. In its detailed report, the RRAG listed several instances of extreme violence against workers of the Awami League, with victims including children, women and even mentally unstable persons. Here are some of the cases mentioned by the group: On December 5, 2024, Arina Begum was allegedly hacked to death while praying because her son, a Chhatra League president, was in hiding. This incident is part of a wave of violence targeting people linked to the Chhatra League, the student wing of the Awami League. On September 19, 2024, Tofazzal Hossain, a mentally unstable former member of the Kathaltoli Union Chhatra League, was beaten to death by a student mob at Dhaka Universitys Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall. Suspected of stealing cellphones, Tofazzal, who had a masters degree in accounting, was tortured for hours, briefly fed at the canteen, and then beaten again until he died. Six students, including a former Chhatra League leader, were arrested, and the university filed a murder case. On September 8, 2024, Abdullah Al Masud, a former Rajshahi University Chhatra League leader and store officer at the universitys medical centre, was beaten to death by a mob in Binodpur Bazar, near the campus, while buying medicine for his newborn daughter. The shrill political rhetoric by political opponents, including Jamaat-I-Islami, Bangladesh National Party, the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement, and the top leadership of the Interim Government headed by Dr. Mohammed Yunus, effectively encouraged vengeance against the Awami League, Chakma added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The think tank also drew a parallel between the Bangladesh crisis and crimes against humanity committed in the context of post-election violence in Kenya in 2007/2008, a crisis that the ICC previously investigated. The group said the issue would also be raised with London, ahead of Yunuss scheduled visit to the UK from June 10. The trouble between the two started brewing days ago, when Musk denounced Trumps sweeping tax-cut and spending bill. The president initially held his tongue while Musk campaigned to torpedo the bill, saying it would add too much to the nations $36.2 trillion in debt read more It was a night of drama, war of words and blame game in the US as President Donald Trump and his former protege, Elon Musk, sparred publicly over the new tax bill, which eventually snowballed into an ugly spat. The trouble between the two started brewing days ago, when Musk denounced Trumps sweeping tax-cut and spending bill. The president initially held his tongue while Musk campaigned to torpedo the bill, saying it would add too much to the nations $36.2 trillion in debt. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD During a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump said, Elons upset because we took the EV mandate, which is a lot of money I know that disturbed himElon and I had a great relationship. I dont know if we will anymore. Trump and Elon Musk are at each other's throat since couple of days . Trump: Elon's upset because we took the EV mandate, which is a lot of money... I know that disturbed himElon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore." pic.twitter.com/CYDJhW8QQM (@psychodelic_me2) June 5, 2025 The president has floated the idea of ending government subsidies and contracts for the companies run by Elon Musk as a way of saving money. The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it, Trump said on Truth Social. Meanwhile, Musk has put forth the idea of creating his own political party following his formal exit from the White House. He began an online poll on X, asking, Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?" In a rift that is growing bigger by the day, Tesla CEO dropped a bombshell, claiming that Trump has ties to convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein . In an explosive post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Musk said that the POTUS is in the Epstein Files. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The sanctions imposed on Thursday, in part over the ICC arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, come as Washington ramps up its efforts to neuter the court read more The EU deeply regrets the US sanctions placed on four judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the European Commission said on Friday, expressing complete support for the Hague-based court. The ICC holds perpetrators of the worlds gravest crimes to account and gives victims a voice, Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X. It must be free to act without pressure. We deeply regret the decision to impose sanctions on four additional individuals, said commission spokesman Anitta Hipper. We will provide the full support and contribution to ensure the protection of the court and its staff, she disclosed to reporters. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The sanctions imposed on Thursday, in part over the ICC arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, come as Washington ramps up its efforts to neuter the court. Neither United States nor Israel are party to the Rome Statute that established the court in 2002, to prosecute individuals for the worlds gravest crimes when countries are unwilling or unable to do so themselves. Two of the targeted judges, Beti Hohler of Slovenia and Reine Alapini-Gansou of Benin, took part in proceedings that led to the warrant being issued for Netanyahu last November. The other two, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru and Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, were part of proceedings that led to a probe into allegations US forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan. European Council chief Antonio Costa earlier underscored the EUs support for the ICC, which he said does not stand against nations it stands against impunity. We must protect its independence and integrity. The rule of law must prevail over the rule of power, Costa wrote on X. The White House aides reportedly urged Trump not to double down on attacks on Musk and instead focus on the so-called Big Beautiful Bill. read more US President Donald Trump was advised by White House aides to scale back the escalation with Tesla boss Elon Musk on Thursday (June 5), Politico reported, citing sources. The aides not only persuaded Trump to tone down his posts on the Truth Social platform but also arranged a call with Musk for Friday, according to the report. During a brief phone call with Politico, Trump said everything was okay when asked about his tussle with the worlds richest man. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Oh its okay. Its going very well, never done better, Trump said. The White House aides reportedly urged Trump not to double down on attacks on Musk and instead focus on the so-called Big Beautiful Bill. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also appeared to downplay Musks outrage against the so-called big, beautiful bill (BBB), saying the Tesla boss had a right to speak for his companies. So, the only difference between Friday and today is Elon went back to his companies. And, as a businessman, he has a right to speak for his companies. But as president, President Trump has a responsibility to fight for this country, Leavitt told Fox News Sean Hannity. Musk-Trump feud The brief friendship between Musk and Trump nose-dived into an abyss due to a disagreement over Trumps Big Beautiful Bill , which pushes for tax cuts and other spending measures. Just last week, Musk received a warm farewell from Trump as he stepped down from his role as a special employee for the US government. However, on Thursday, Musk didnt hold back after the president said he was disappointed and surprised by Musks criticism of his tax and spending bill. He took to X, calling the bill a big, ugly spending bill, and started a poll asking if its time to create a new political party that actually represents the 80% in the middle." He pinned the poll to the top of his X account. Over 2.1 million people voted, with 81.9 per cent saying Yes. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump responded by threatening to cancel Musks government contracts, claiming Elon Musk went CRAZY. Since then, Musk has said that Trumps tariffs will cause a recession and escalated matters with an unverified claim about Jeffrey Epstein. Trump responded by writing: I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. In 1894, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French army, was wrongly convicted of spying for Germany. The case became a major scandal in 1898 when writer Emile Zola published an article exposing the unfair trial read more Reinstated in the army, Alfred Dreyfus was decorated with the Legion of Honour at the Ecole Militaire on 21 July 1906. Here he is speaking with General Gillain and Commander Targe after the ceremony. Source: Wikimedia CommonsReinstated in the army, Alfred Dreyfus was decorated with the Legion of Honour at the Ecole Militaire on 21 July 1906. Here he is speaking with General Gillain and Commander Targe after the ceremony. Source: Wikimedia Commons The French National Assembly earlier this week voted to promote Jewish Captain Alfred Dreyfus to the rank of general posthumously, who fell victim to an antisemitic conspiracy over 130 years ago. The conspiracy, known as the Dreyfus Affair, flew around as tensions between France and Germany escalated ahead of the First World War. The bill to honour Dreyfus was proposed by former Macronist Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, currently leader of the presidential partys MPs. The lawmakers on June 2 unanimously voted to promote Dreyfus to the rank of brigadier general. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What was the conspiracy against Alfred Dreyfus? In 1894, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French army, was wrongly convicted of spying for Germany. The accusations were false, meant to protect the real culprits. At first, the case didnt get much attention, but it became a major scandal in 1898 when writer Emile Zola published an article exposing the unfair trial. France split into two groups: the Dreyfusards, who believed Dreyfus was innocent and fought for justice, and the anti-Dreyfusards, who thought he was guilty and supported the army and national pride. This division caused lasting political tensions in France, still felt today between the political Right and Left. Dreyfus was sent to a harsh prison in Cayenne but was pardoned in 1899. He was cleared of charges in 1906, though he couldnt fully restart his army career. He left the army in 1907 but served again in World War I. In 2006, President Jacques Chirac honoured Dreyfus, admitting that justice wasnt fully served since his career wasnt restored. Today, almost everyone agrees Dreyfus was innocent. A law was passed to recognise this, though some questioned why it was needed so long after the events. Some lawmakers have however expressed concerns that the Dreyfus case was being exploited by some parties for political benefits. The centrist MPs of the MoDem party said the case was being revived so that the Rassemblement National (RN) on the Right and La France Insoumise (LFI) on the Left, can buy themselves a licence to be respectable. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD If Indonesia chooses the J-10, the real question is what its truly buying into. The real cost of the J-10 may not lie in the transaction, but in the trap that follows. read more AVIC Chengdu Aircraft makes J-10C fighter jets as well as the JF-17 Thunder planes which are considered the backbone of the Pakistan Air Force since the US stopped supplying Pakistan with F-16s. Image courtesy Valka As Indonesia reportedly considers a deal to buy Chinas J-10 fighter jets, some analysts wonder if this indeed a wise choice for Jakarta. The J-10 is based on copied and borrowed designs and while China promotes it as a low-cost all-purpose fighter aircraft, there are problems behind the scenes. These include weaker performance, older systems and possible hidden political intentionsmaking it seem like Indonesia might be stepping into a carefully planned trap. Indonesia is reportedly motivated for this deal based on unconfirmed reports, strongly refuted by India, that Pakistan used one of its J-10 fighter jets to shoot down an Indian Air Force Rafale jet during Operation Sindoor last month. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to a report on May 28 in The National Interest, Indonesian Air Force Chief of Staff Marshal Mohamad Tonny Harjono acknowledged that the possibility of purchasing J-10C fighter jets from China is under consideration. However, he emphasised that acquiring such major defence equipment involves a complex decision-making process. The purchase must go through several stages and be reviewed by the Defence Equipment Determination Council. During this process, the government will evaluate various factors, including how well the equipment fits national defence needs and its potential impact on Indonesias political relations with other countries. Origins of the J-10: A legacy of reverse engineering According to a 2021 article by Charlie Gao in The National Interest, the story of the J-10 shows how China has often used copying and adapting to develop its defence technology. The J-10 was first planned in the 1990s as Chinas response to advanced American and Russian jets like the F-16 and MiG-29. But the design wasnt completely originalit was based on Israels Lavi fighter, a project that was cancelled in 1987 after pressure from US and China is believed to have gotten the Lavis blueprints from Israel to help speed up their own development. This approach can be seen in the J-10s design. The air intake below the cockpit looks like that of the F-16, and the jets wing style is similar to the Mirage 2000. But even though it looks similar to these jets, the J-10 is considered to have a less advanced aerodynamic design. It also relies on parts from other countries, especially the Russian-made AL-31 engine, which was originally built for the larger Su-27 fighter. J-10s technical shortcomings and incremental upgrades The National Interest reported that the development of the J-10 has been riddled with constant redesigns and slow upgrades. The initial J-10A variant, which entered Chinese service in 2003, was quickly outdated and suffered from technological limitations in radar and avionics. It was succeeded by the J-10B and later J-10C, each introducing refinements such as phased array radars and improved engines. Despite these upgrades, the airframes core limitations persist particularly in terms of its aerodynamic maturity and engine reliability. The latest model, the J-10C, boasts an AESA radar and PL-15 long-range missiles, positioning it nominally as a 4.5 generation fighter. Yet much of its appeal lies in its affordability rather than capability. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD For instance, the combat radius of approximately 1,000 kilometres and payload capacity of up to 8 tonnes are respectable, but do not outmatch Western equivalents or even some Russian alternatives. Furthermore, China has not fully transitioned its own fleet to the newer models, with the majority of deployed aircraft still being J-10As, reflecting internal hesitation regarding the aircrafts viability. Why Indonesias purchase is concerning Indonesias interest in the J-10 appears driven primarily by cost and availability. Deputy Minister of Defence Donny Ermawan Taufanto reportedly emphasised the aircrafts affordability and baseline technical compliance. But such a rationale may be dangerously shortsighted. Affordability in defence acquisitions often comes at a hidden cost. Integrating Chinese aircraft into Indonesias diverse fleetwhich includes US and Russian-made platformsposes significant logistical and interoperability challenges. Furthermore, the opaque nature of Chinese military technology and the potential for cyber vulnerabilities in avionics could present long-term security risks. Chinas willingness to sell J-10s is part of a broader geopolitical strategy to deepen its military and economic ties in Southeast Asia. The offer comes amid increased defence cooperation between the two nations, including joint drills and high-level military exchanges. Yet, buying into Chinese platforms could also mean buying into Chinese dependency. Once the J-10s are integrated, Indonesia could find itself reliant on Beijing for upgrades, parts and traininglimiting its strategic autonomy. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Propaganda and questionable combat claims One of the primary claims used to justify the J-10s efficacy is its alleged role in the imaginary downing of an Indian Rafale jet during Operation Sindoor. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV aired a documentary celebrating the J-10Cs supposed combat achievements, stating the aircraft had achieved combat results for the first time hitting multiple jets and not suffering any losses, the South China Morning Post claimed. These reports, however, are unsubstantiated and lack independent verification. India, for its part, has categorically denied the loss of any Rafale fighters in the conflict. In the absence of verifiable proof, these assertions appear to be more about domestic propaganda than battlefield realitypart of a campaign to boost confidence in Chinese military exports and shore up global influence. Indias Rafales vs Chinas J-10s: A stark capability divide Comparing the Rafale to the J-10 highlights the technological and operational disparity between the two aircraft. The Rafale, produced by Dassault Aviation, is a true 4.5 generation multi-role fighter with twin engines, superior range and unmatched avionics. It boasts active and passive electronic warfare systems, highly advanced AESA radar and a wide range of precision-guided munitions. Indias acquisition of Rafales has significantly enhanced its deterrent capability in the region. In contrast, the J-10, while equipped with surface-level improvements in its C variant, lacks the operational pedigree and real-world performance history of the Rafale. The aircrafts dependency on the AL-31 engine also makes it vulnerable to foreign supply constraintsa vulnerability that the Rafales wholly indigenous development avoids. Strategic trap: Dependency and influence Chinas defence export strategy is increasingly aimed at selling its weapons as affordable alternatives to Western systems. However, these exports come with strings attached. For recipient nations like Indonesia, entering the Chinese military ecosystem could mean sacrificing independence in defence planning and opening up to Chinese influence in critical areas of military doctrine and procurement. Moreover, there is an inherent asymmetry in the seller-buyer relationship when it comes to maintenance, software updates and upgrades. Indonesia may find itself beholden to Chinese suppliers, particularly in the event of geopolitical tension. These vulnerabilities can have long-term strategic consequences, making what appears to be an affordable choice today a costly liability tomorrow. A question of strategic prudence Indonesias inclination to purchase the Chinese J-10 represents more than a defence acquisition. It signals a potential shift in regional alignment. At a time when great power competition is intensifying in the Indo-Pacific, countries must choose their defence partners carefullynot only based on price and immediate availability but also on long-term implications for sovereignty, reliability and capability. Chinas J-10 may offer Indonesia a quick fix, but it is a flawed platform born of outdated design philosophies and geopolitical expediency. In contrast, Indias unwavering stance on retaining top-tier fighters like the Rafale and its refusal to acknowledge any fabricated combat losses, highlights a clear commitment to quality, credibility and strategic autonomy. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD If Indonesia follows through with this deal, it may risk compromising its defence integrity and becoming another node in Chinas growing web of influence. The real cost of the J-10 may not lie in the transactionbut in the trap that follows. According to Interpol, seven people were taken into custody by Spanish police, including a teacher and a healthcare professional read more A cross-border investigation into child sexual abuse material across 12 countries has led to the arrest of 20 suspects in Europe and the Americas, according to international police agency Interpol. The operation was launched by Spanish police at the end of last year after they uncovered online message groups sharing images of child sexual exploitation. Interpol reported that Spanish authorities arrested seven individuals, including a teacher and a healthcare professional. The healthcare worker is accused of paying minors in Eastern Europe for explicit images, while the teacher is suspected of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material across multiple websites. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Searches during the operation led to the seizure of digital storage devices, mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and desktop computers. With support from Interpol, authorities in seven Latin American countries arrested ten suspects, including three individuals in El Salvador and a teacher in Panama. Additional arrests were made in the United States and other parts of Europe. Interpol added that 68 more suspects have been identified so far, and investigations are continuing. At a time when the Trump administration is holding talks with Iran about its nuclear programme, Iran is procuring thousands of tons of missile fuel from China that could power up to 800 ballistic missiles, according to a report. read more A missile unveiled by Iran is launched in an unknown location in Iran in this picture received by Reuters on August 20, 2020. Iran is procuring thousands of tons of missile fuel from China that can power hundreds of ballistic missiles, according to a report. The development has come at a time when the United States and Iran and engaged in talks regarding the regimes nuclear programme. Iran has ruled out stopping nuclear fuel enrichment. Moreover, the report of missile fuels purchase from China has now emerged for the second time this year. Iran has placed an order for thousands of tons of ammonium perchlorate to a Chinese entity based on Hong Kong, according to Wall Street Journal. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The newspaper said that the chemical ordered could power as much as 800 ballistic missiles. Previously, a report had said in January that said that Iran had bought the chemical from China to power ballistic missiles. However, that lot was later understood to have caught fire in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas . The massive fire killed dozens and injured more than 1,000 people. Iran ramps up missile programme amid talks At a time when the United States is engaging in talks with Iran, the regime has sought to rebuild its missile programme. In clashes with Israel last year, Iran had suffered damages to its air defence systems to the extent that officials said it was left virtually naked. Israel had also struck a missile production site and a site related to the nuclear weapons programme. ALSO READ: Trump wants a verified nuclear peace agreement with Iran. But how different itd be from 2015 deal? The Journal has reported that shipments of ammonium perchlorate are expected to arrive in Iran in the coming months from China. Sources told the newspaper that some of the chemical would be likely sent to Yemen-based Houthis. While Houthis have reached a ceasefire with the United States, they remain at conflict with Israel. The newspaper has reported that the chemical was ordered likely before the United States and Iran entered talks. In April, the United States sanctioned six persons and six entities in Iran and China for the trade of missile fuel, including sodium perchlorate, for Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Recent weeks have seen a surge of public anger in China as expressed on its social media platforms. Directed at elites accused of unfairly benefiting from privilege, this signals a broader socio-economic malaise amid Chinas ongoing economic slowdown read more People gather for a vigil and hold white sheets of paper in protest over coronavirus disease restrictions, during a commemoration of the victims of a fire in Urumqi, as outbreaks of COVID-19 continue, in Beijing, China, November 27, 2022. File photo/Reuters REUTERS/Thomas Peter In recent weeks, Chinas internet has become a battleground of simmering social discontent, with angry posts and heated debates targeting the countrys elites. This comes against a continued economic slowdown in China, which has been accentuated by the tariff-trade war with the Donald Trump administration of the United States. From a Chinese Harvard graduate to a young actress and a trainee doctor, multiple scandals have become the focal points of angry exchanges across Chinese social media platforms, multiple reports from the country say. This exposes deep-seated resentments about privilege, fairness, and social mobility. These incidents are not isolated controversies but rather seen as symptoms of a broader socio-economic malaise gripping China as its once-booming economy slows and opportunities for upward advancement appear to be shrinking. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Online outrage: The new face of social unrest Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo have been flooded with accusations against individuals perceived to have gained success through unfair advantages rather than merit, a New York Times report said. The hashtag discussions surrounding these figures have attracted hundreds of millions of views, reflecting the intensity of public frustration. One of the most prominent cases involves Jiang Yurong, a Chinese woman who recently delivered a commencement speech at Harvard University reportedly the first Chinese woman to do so. While some celebrated her achievement, many questioned how she gained admission to such an elite institution, with sceptics suggesting her familys wealth and connections played a part. Jiang, who attended high school in Britain on a scholarship and earned her undergraduate degree at Duke University, defended herself against claims of undue privilege, emphasising her hard work and savings to fund her education. Yet, the backlash highlighted a pervasive public suspicion that meritocracy is increasingly irrelevant in Chinas fiercely competitive society. Similarly, the scandal involving a trainee doctor at Beijings China-Japan Friendship Hospital revealed serious breaches of trust. The doctor, identified as Dong Xiying, was accused of falsifying admissions documents and plagiarising her doctoral thesis, reports say. Investigations found that her parents held influential positions her father an executive at a state-owned enterprise, her mother a university official fueling speculation that her career advancement was secured through connections rather than competence. The scandal intensified public anger over perceived elite privilege and corruption within state institutions. Adding fuel to the fire was the case of Huang Yangtiantian, an 18-year-old actress whose ostentatious display of expensive emerald earrings sparked widespread online scrutiny. Social media users traced the jewellery to a luxury brand and questioned how a relatively minor celebrity could afford such extravagance. She has recently attracted a lot of attention on social media, all for the wrong reasons. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Further investigation revealed that her father, a former local official turned businessman, was being probed by Chinese authorities under suspicion for illegal business activities. Though he denied wrongdoing and claimed the earrings were replicas, the incident strengthened the common peoples beliefs about nepotism and illicit enrichment among Chinas privileged classes. Economic slowdown: The roots of growing anger These scandals have erupted against the backdrop of Chinas slowing economy , which has seen growth rates dip below government targets. The post-pandemic recovery has been uneven, with domestic consumption sluggish and export demand weakening amid global uncertainties. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other analysts forecast Chinas GDP growth to hover around 4 per cent in 2025, significantly lower than the double-digit rates of previous decades. This comes against the backdrop of Chinese President Xi Jinpings multiple stimulus packages, which have failed to yield expected results since mid-late 2024. This economic deceleration has profound social implications. For many Chinese citizens, the dream of upward mobility long a cornerstone of the countrys social contract feels increasingly out of reach. Job competition is fierce, wages have stagnated in many sectors, and the cost of education and housing continues to soar. Against this backdrop, the perception that elites enjoy unfair advantages exacerbates feelings of injustice and fuels public anger. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Cited in multiple reports, Yan Zhihua, a researcher at Nanjing University, captured this sentiment in a recent commentary, noting that the Chinese public is psychologically unprepared for the slowdown after years of rapid growth and promises of common prosperity. The collective mood has shifted from optimism to disillusionment, with citizens demanding accountability and fairness. Does merit mean anything in China? A crisis of confidence The core of the unrest lies in doubts about the integrity of Chinas meritocratic ideals. Historically, the Chinese Communist Party has legitimised its rule by promising equal opportunity and rewarding talent and hard work. However, the recent scandals suggest that connections, wealth, and family background increasingly determine success, undermining public trust. The New York Times report cited above commented that merit may be irrelevant in Chinas fiercely competitive society. This fear is not merely about individual cases but reflects a systemic problem where social mobility is perceived as blocked by entrenched privilege and corruption. The government too is aware of the rising angst among commoners. President Xi has acknowledged this by emphasising the goal of common prosperity and vowed to crack down on corruption and excessive wealth accumulation in his speeches. Some of the recent policy measures have promised to focus on tighter regulation of private enterprises, increased scrutiny of officials, and social welfare initiatives aimed at reducing inequality. Yet, the persistence of social media outrage indicates that many Chinese remain sceptical about the effectiveness of these efforts. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Governments balancing act: Caught between stability and reform Chinas leadership faces a delicate balancing act. On the one hand, it must maintain social stability to prevent unrest that could threaten its legitimacy. On the other hand, it needs to implement meaningful reforms to address structural inequalities and revive economic growth. The government has ramped up propaganda efforts to promote unity and discourage irrational online criticism, but censorship alone cannot quell the underlying grievances. Economic stimulus packages and calls for common prosperity are steps in the right direction, but experts warn that without fundamental reforms to the education system, labour market, and anti-corruption mechanisms, public dissatisfaction will persist. Moreover, the rise of internet activism and the sheer scale of online discussions reveal a new dimension of social mobilisation that the authorities must contend with. The digital sphere has become a powerful outlet for expressing frustrations that might otherwise remain suppressed. Still brewing, but social unrest puts China at crossroads China stands at a critical juncture as expressing public anger is not common in the country. The Chinese Communist Party has a reputation of crushing any dissent with brutal force. But the recent wave of social media scandals targeting elites is more than a series of isolated incidents. It is, however, a mirror reflecting deep socio-economic tensions and anxieties about the future. The economic slowdown has exposed vulnerabilities in Chinas social contract, challenging the notion that merit and hard work alone determine success. How the Xi regime responds to this brewing unrest is likely to shape not only Chinas economic progress but also its social cohesion and possibly its political stability in years to come. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Sikorski, Warsaws top diplomat, got himself caught in a highly public spat with Musk and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in March after stating that Ukraine may require an alternative to the Starlink satellite service read more Polands Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski taunted Elon Musk on Thursday, reigniting a social media feud that began in March after the Tesla and SpaceX CEO famously clashed with US President Donald Trump. Sikorski, Warsaws top diplomat, got himself caught in a highly public spat with Musk and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in March after stating that Ukraine may require an alternative to the Starlink satellite service. Musk told Sikorski to Be quiet, small man during a flurry of messages on his social media site, X. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Musk and Trumps simmering disagreements erupted into a public battle on Thursday, with the president threatening to withhold federal contracts from Musks firms. Musk advocated for the impeachment of Trump. Sikorski took aim at Musk in a post on X, writing, See, big man, politics is harder than you thought. See, big man, politics is harder than you thought. https://t.co/2QMoCCPSgG Radosaw Sikorski (@sikorskiradek) June 5, 2025 We have officially set the election date: the elections will take place on Wednesday 29 October 2025, Interior Minister Judith Uitermark wrote on X read more Far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders talks to the media after pulling his party out of the four-party Dutch coalition in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. AP File Days after far-right leader Geert Wilders pulled his Freedom Party out of the Dutch government after his coalition partners rejected his latest proposals to curb immigration, the Netherlands is set to hold a general election on October 29. We have officially set the election date: the elections will take place on Wednesday 29 October 2025, Interior Minister Judith Uitermark wrote on X. In the coming period, I will work with the municipalities and other stakeholders to prepare so that this important day in our democracy goes smoothly, added the minister. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Polls show a tight race, with Wilders PVV running neck-and-neck with the Left-Green alliance led by former EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans. The liberal VVD party trails closely, setting the stage for a fiercely contested election. Wilders had shocked the Dutch political landscape by winning 37 out of 150 seats in the November 2023 elections. But in a fragmented political system where no single party can command a majority, he formed a four-party coalition with the VVD, the farmers BBB party, and the centrist NSC. To secure the deal, Wilders gave up his bid for the premiership but internal tensions, particularly over immigration, eventually brought the fragile coalition down. With inputs from agencies Being called crazy by Trump might be less an insult and more an acknowledgement of Musks unconventional and unpredictable influence read more Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk (left) and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump attend a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania (Source: AP) US President Donald Trump publicly called Elon Musk crazy on Thursday, intensifying a bitter feud between the two billionaires one holds the top constitutional post in America, arguably the most powerful office in the world, and the other the richest man on the planet. Their feud is now the talk of the town, though there are signs of thaw, with the White House contextualising their public spat with each preferring their own social media platforms to fire salvos at the other Musk on X and Trump on Truth Social. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Trump said , I asked him to step down. I rescinded his EV Mandate that compelled everyone to purchase Electric Vehicles that nobody else desired (which he was aware I would do for months!), and he simply went CRAZY! He further threatened to terminate government contracts for Musks companies, saying, The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it! Musk, who had recently stepped down from leading the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), fired back on social media, accusing Trump of such ingratitude and claiming, Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House, and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. Musk also alleged that Trumps name appears in the sealed Jeffrey Epstein files, suggesting this was the real reason they have not been made public. This came as the real big bomb that Musk dropped on Trump, signalling an end to their alliance had crumbled under the weight of their respective ambitions and ideas. The Putin parallel: Absolutely crazy yet indispensable Trumps use of crazy to describe Musk echoes his earlier description of Russian President Vladimir Putin as absolutely crazy. Despite this harsh outburst, Trumps dealings with Putin have often been soft marked by caution and a reluctance to impose strong penalties. This contradiction is telling. This conveys that Trump calling someone crazy in political rhetoric does not necessarily preclude cooperation or strategic accommodation. Similarly, Musks stance on Russia and the Ukraine conflict reveals a complex balancing act. While Musks SpaceX provides Starlink satellite internet to Ukraine, he has also been criticised for being soft on Russia and for threatening to cut services to Ukraine under certain conditions. This ambivalence mirrors the pragmatic, sometimes contradictory approach Trump took with Putin publicly critical yet privately conciliatory. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Why Musk need not bother Being called crazy by Trump, therefore, might be less an insult and more an acknowledgement of Musks unconventional and unpredictable influence. Trump himself has used the term to describe powerful figures whose actions disrupt norms and expectations, yet remain central to geopolitical dynamics. Musks ability to operate in grey zones continuing his engagements in contentious circumstances, such as his dealings with Russia amid growing pressure to isolate Moscow and Putin, engaging with US political rivals including China, and wielding technological power positions that make him a key player in a complex global landscape. His crazy label can be seen as recognition of his disruptive role rather than mere disparagement. A badge of unconventional power Musk can wear Trumps crazy tag as a badge of unconventional power. High-stakes politics and business go hand in hand. This is why Trumps labelling someone as crazy actually masks deeper strategic realities. Putin and Musk may go down as quotable examples. Just as Putins craziness has not diminished his geopolitical importance, Musks real global influence is likely to remain unchanged despite his streak of controversial actions and statements for quite long. Trumps insult, therefore, could actually be less as a personal attack and more as a reflection of Musks unique position at the intersection of technology, politics, and global power. The White House statement saying that Musk has every right to speak for his company and that Trump can continue to fight for the country sums up this complex setting quite well. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tharoors statement comes amidst reports that Pakistan is urging Washington DC to arrange talks between the two South Asian neighbours read more Shashi Tharoor, the Indian opposition lawmaker who is currently leading an Operation Sindoor outreach delegation to the US, has likened Pakistan to a neighbour who offers to talk after unleashing rottweilers at your children. He said the Indian delegation made it clear to the US side that New Delhi wont engage with Islamabad with a gun pointed to our head. Tharoors statement comes amidst reports that Pakistan is urging Washington DC to arrange talks between the two South Asian neighbours. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tharoors rottweilers remark While speaking on possibility of direct talks between Delhi and Islamabad, Tharoor compared Pakistan to a neighbour who unleashes a rottweiler to bite your children and do worse and then says lets talk. Talks are not possible unless Pakistan locks up the rottweilers (terrorists) or puts them to sleep, Tharoor warned. Tharoor also pushed back against prospects of Washington mediating peace talks between the two nuclear-armed nations, saying the issue of Kashmir was strictly bilateral. We have never particularly wanted to ask anyone to mediate, he stressed. Indian delegation meets JD Vance Earlier on Thursday (June 5), the Indian delegation held a meeting with US Vice President JD Vance to convey Indias stance. Vance was in India when Pakistan-backed terrorists carried out the massacre of Hindu tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Excellent meeting with Vice President @JDVance today in Washington D.C. with our delegation. We had comprehensive discussions covering a wide array of critical issues, from counter-terrorism efforts to enhancing technological cooperation. A truly constructive & productive exchange for strengthening India-US strategic partnership, with a great meeting of minds, Tharoor said after the meeting. When tensions escalated following Indias May 7 strikes on terror sites in Pakistan, Vance initially said it was not out business to help defuse tensions. However, the US later jumped into the fray, with US President Donald Trump claiming he helped both nations reach a ceasefire. India later disputed the claim, clarifying that mutual understanding was worked out bilaterally. Avigdor Liberman, a former defence minister and member of the Knesset, had warned the Kan public television that the government was giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons under Netanyahus leadership read more Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that Israel is aiding an armed organisation in Gaza that opposes Hamas, following remarks by a former minister that Israel has provided weaponry to the group. According to Israeli and Palestinian media, the group Israel has been collaborating with is a member of a Bedouin tribe in the area that is headed by Yasser Abu Shabab. The leader of a criminal gang operating in the Rafah area that is widely accused of looting aid trucks is Abu Shabab, according to the European Council on Foreign Relations (EFCR) research tank. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Avigdor Liberman, a former defence minister and member of the Knesset, had warned the Kan public television that the government was giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons under Netanyahus leadership. What did Liberman leak? That security sources activated a clan in Gaza that opposes Hamas? What is bad about that? Netanyahu said in a video posted to social media on Thursday. It is only good, it is saving lives of Israeli soldiers. Michael Milshtein, an expert on Palestinian affairs at the Moshe Dayan Center in Tel Aviv, told AFP that the Abu Shabab clan was part of a Bedouin tribe that spans across the border between Gaza and Egypts Sinai peninsula. Some of the tribes members, he said, were involved in all kinds of criminal activities, drug smuggling, and things like that. Gangster Milshtein said that Abu Shabab had spent time in prison in Gaza and that his clan chiefs had recently denounced him as an Israeli collaborator and a gangster. It seems that actually the Shabak (Israeli security agency) or the (military) thought it was a wonderful idea to turn this militia, gang actually, into a proxy, to give them weapons and money and shelter from army operations, Milshtein said. He added that Hamas killed four members of the gang days ago. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The ECFR said Abu Shabab was reported to have been previously jailed by Hamas for drug smuggling. His brother is said to have been killed by Hamas during a crackdown against the groups attacks on UN aid convoys. Israel regularly accuses Hamas, with which it has been at war for nearly 20 months, of looting aid convoys in Gaza. Hamas said the group had chosen betrayal and theft as their path and called on civilians to oppose them. Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades, said it had evidence of clear coordination between these looting gangs, collaborators with the occupation (Israel), and the enemy army itself in the looting of aid and the fabrication of humanitarian crises that deepen the suffering of Palestinians. The Popular Forces, as Abu Shababs group calls itself, said on Facebook it had never been, and will never be, a tool of the occupation. Our weapons are simple, outdated, and came through the support of our own people, it added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Milshtein called Israels decision to arm a group such as Abu Shabab a fantasy, not something that you can really describe as a strategy. I really hope it will not end with catastrophe, he said. Pakistans Foreign Ministry Office had to fact-check the countrys Defence Minister Khawaja Asif after he stirred headlines by calling the 1972 Simla Agreement with India a dead document. read more Pakistans Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif gestures on the day of an interview with Reuters in Islamabad, Pakistan April 28, 2025. File Image/Reuters Pakistan had to fact-check yet another goof made by the countrys Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif , about the future of the 1972 Simla Agreement and other bilateral agreements with India. On Thursday, the Pakistani foreign ministry stated that no formal decision has been made to scrap any agreements with India, including the Simla Agreement. The statement came a day after Pakistans Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, declared the Simla Agreement to be irrelevant, calling it a dead document due to Indias recent action, calling out the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. The Simla Agreement is now a dead document. We are back to the 1948 position, Asif said, referencing the Line of Control (LoC) as a ceasefire line established after the first India-Pakistan war. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While speaking to The Express Tribune, a senior official from the Pakistani foreign office noted that while Indias decision to put the Indus Waters Treaty to abeyance prompted internal discussion, there have been no formal announcements that the bilateral treaties between the two nations have been annulled. At present, there is no formal decision to terminate any bilateral accord, the official told the Pakistani news outlet, insisting that the existing bilateral agreements, including the Simla Agreement, remain in effect. Asifs goof While speaking on the ongoing India-Pakistan tensions, Asif commented on the future of bilateral agreements between the two nations. Whether the Indus Waters Treaty is suspended or not, Simla is already over, Asif remarked, reflecting Pakistans frustration with Indias decision to put the Indus Waters Treaty on hold. The remarks by Asif raised many questions about the validity of the 1972 agreement. The agreement between the Government of India and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on Bilateral Relations, also known as the Simla Agreement, was signed in July 1972 between then-Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Pakistani counterpart Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The agreement was signed following Pakistans comprehensive defeat in the 1971 war, which eventually led to the independence of Bangladesh. The agreement was expected to lay the foundation of a peaceful and stable relationship between the two nations. The deal emphasises resolving issues between the two in a bilateral manner, superseding the UNs resolution on Kashmir. The fact that there has been only a limited war since the agreement was signed reflects its effectiveness. The agreement stressed that nations go back to the Line of Control (LoC) and respect the region. Tensions between India and Pakistan have been all-time high since the Pahalgam terror attack rocked a tourist destination in Jammu and Kashmir, killing 26 people. The main perpetrators of the attack remain at large. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, is accused in Sundays attack on the weekly event in Boulder, which investigators say he planned for a year read more A man affixes a bouquet of flowers to a makeshift memorial for victims of an attack outside of the Boulder County, Colo., courthouse, in Boulder, Colo. AP The man who tossed Molotov cocktails at protesters bringing attention to Israeli captives, telling police that his motivation was to kill all Zionist people, is scheduled to appear in federal court for the first time on Friday to face a hate crime charge. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, is accused in Sundays attack on the weekly event in Boulder, which investigators say he planned for a year. The federal case is being adjudicated in Denver, but Soliman was also charged in state court in Boulder Thursday with attempted murder and assault counts as well as counts related to the 18 Molotov cocktails police say he carried to the demonstration. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Soliman, an Egyptian native, has been unlawfully residing in the United States, according to federal investigators. Soliman is represented by state and federal public defenders, who do not comment on their cases to the media. Investigators say Soliman told them he had intended to kill all of the roughly 20 participants at the weekly demonstration on Boulders popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall, but he threw just two of his 18 Molotov cocktails while yelling Free Palestine. Soliman told investigators he tried to buy a gun but was not able to because he was not a legal citizen. Soliman did not carry out his full plan because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before, police wrote in an arrest affidavit. State prosecutors say 15 people and a dog were victims of the attack. Not all were physically injured, and some are considered victims for the legal case because they were in the area and could potentially have been hurt, 20th Judicial District Michael Dougherty said Thursday. The dog was among the injured, which resulted in an animal cruelty charge being filed against Soliman, Dougherty said. Three victims remained in the hospital Friday, U C Health University of Colorado Hospital spokesperson Dan Weaver said. Soliman told investigators that he waited until after his daughter graduated from school before launching the attack, according to court documents. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Federal authorities want to deport Solimans wife and their five children, who range from 4 to 17 years old, but a judge issued an order Wednesday halting deportation proceeding until a lawsuit challenging their deportation can be considered. U.S. immigration officials took Solimans wife and children into custody on Tuesday. They are being held at a family immigration detention center in Texas. India and Switzerland already have an automatic exchange of information framework in place for bank accounts and other financial assets held by Indians in Switzerland, and vice versa. The two countries exchange this information yearly, and it has helped Indian authorities unearth many cases of undisclosed funds stashed abroad by Indians read more Switzerland on Friday proposed an automatic exchange of information on crypto assets with India and 73 other countries, a move likely to help track funds stashed by Indians abroad in virtual currencies. India and Switzerland already have an automatic exchange of information framework in place for bank accounts and other financial assets held by Indians in Switzerland, and vice versa. The two countries exchange this information yearly, and it has helped Indian authorities unearth many cases of undisclosed funds stashed abroad by Indians. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While there are no clear-cut regulations as yet in India on cryptocurrencies, they are regulated from the perspective of anti-money laundering laws. The Reserve Bank of India has consistently maintained that it is concerned about cryptocurrencies as they can hamper financial stability, but these virtual currencies are considered legal tender in various other countries. While there are no official estimates, it is suspected that a large number of Indians may have stashed undisclosed funds in crypto assets, and the proposed information exchange framework will help unearth those assets. The Swiss government said in a statement that its Federal Council on Friday adopted a dispatch approving the list of 74 partner states for the automatic exchange of information concerning crypto assets. In addition to India, the list includes all European Union member states, the UK and most G20 countries (except the US and Saudi Arabia). The AEOI is expected to come into force on January 1, 2026, after approval of a relevant bill in Parliament. The first exchange of data is expected to take place in 2027. An exchange will only take place if the partner states are interested in exchanging information with Switzerland and if they fulfil the requirements of the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Prior to the actual exchange of data on crypto assets, the Federal Council will also review whether the partner states with which the AEOI has been activated continue to fulfil the OECD standards requirements. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD To this end, the existing review mechanism for the AEOI on financial account information should in future also cover the AEOI concerning crypto assets, which requires the corresponding federal decree to be amended accordingly, the Swiss government said. The agreement, signed in April, allows US troops to deploy around the canal but not to establish bases, according to the Panamanian authorities read more US soldiers have arrived in Panama for military exercises aimed at protecting the Panama Canal, the US embassy said, after a bilateral agreement triggered protests in the Central American country. The agreement, signed in April, allows US troops to deploy around the canal but not to establish bases, according to the Panamanian authorities. The US military will train alongside Panamanian security forces in forest operations, the US embassy said in a statement to AFP Thursday. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It said the entry of American troops for military exercises had to be approved by Panama. Panama signed the security agreement after pressure from US President Donald Trump, who threatened to take back the 82-kilometre (51-mile) waterway that connects the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea. He has repeatedly claimed that China has too much influence over the canal, which handles about 40 percent of US container traffic and five percent of world trade. The agreement has triggered protests from unions and other organizations, who argue that it violates national sovereignty and constitutes a veiled return of former military bases. The American military has in recent years participated in several military exercises in Panama alongside other Latin American countries. With Trumps stricter US immigration policies, experts see India as a potential global education hub. Top universities are improving but face challenges like low funding and limited academic freedom read more As US President Donald Trump intensifies his tough stance on international students, experts say India has a unique opportunity to position itself as a global education hubthough it faces stiff competition from China. According to The Economist, India is home to nearly half of the worlds college-age population. Its top universities are improving and gaining recognition, even as the country struggles with low public spending on education and limited academic freedom. Trumps immigration and education policies have made the US a less welcoming destination for foreign students. This shift has opened the door for countries like India to attract global talentstudents and researchers who may now be reconsidering their academic futures in the United States. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Indias top colleges have a lot working in their favour. In fact, admission rates at the countrys most prestigious institutions can dip as low as 0.2%, compared to Ivy League acceptance rates of 39%. English language proficiency, a deeply ingrained culture of academic ambition, and a vast youth population give India a competitive edge. Half of the worlds university-age population resides in India. Parents instill a strong sense of ambition in their children, and India has an advantage due to its broad English language competence. However, India is currently not listed in the top 100 worldwide league rankings. China, on the other hand, now holds the top spot in numerous polls despite only making it into the worldwide top 100 in the 2010s. China is already actively working to recruit global talent as part of a years-long strategy. To entice Chinese scholars back from the West, China has lavished money on one-time incentives and large research grants during the last decade. When the Trump administration said it would work to aggressively revoke the visas of Chinese students in critical fields, Chinese institutions have moved quickly to capitalise. Universities in Hong Kong and Xian have announced that they will simplify admissions for Harvard transfer students. An ad from a body affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences welcomed talents who have been dismissed by the U.S. NIH, or National Institutes of Health. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India, by contrast, has the demographic advantage and a growing higher education sector. If it can address key issues in its education system, it has the potential to build its own Ivy League and compete globally in higher education. Money has a significant role in the issue. India has allocated 4.1% to 4.6% of its GDP on education over the last decade. Chinas spending as a percentage of GDP may be comparable, but its GDP per person is five times that of India. Chinas intellectual charm offensive is outmatched by Indias shortage of rupees. In recent years, more scientists have returned to China, driven in part by government recruiting schemes that promise millions of dollars in financing, as well as housing subsidies and other benefits. Chinas spending on R&D is currently second only to the United States. Chinese schools such as Tsinghua and Zhejiang University are now consistently ranked among the top in the world for science and technology. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Another concern is intellectual freedom. Indian academics teach from a government-mandated syllabus and are overseen by the University Grants Commission. When planning a conference with overseas colleagues, researchers must obtain authorisation from central ministries, as well as government permission to travel abroad for work. Hiring at public colleges is subject to the whims of the ruling party, as the government monitors top-level selections. Indias best shot at building a globally competitive higher education system may lie in the rise of private universities. Two decades ago, fewer than 20 private universities existed; today, there are more than 400, accounting for around a quarter of total enrolment. Many of these are backed by major industrial houses, boast world-class campuses, and are increasingly attracting international faculty. Experts believe these private institutions are poised to outperform their public counterparts, largely due to their greater autonomy. Freed from extensive affirmative action mandates and political interference in faculty appointments, private universities can hire top talent more freely and respond faster to global academic trends. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD If the Indian government can find a way to support private universities without overstepping, India may finally be able to create its own Ivy League, and emerge as a serious player in global higher education. During his two-day visit, Lammy is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, and meet External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar at Hyderabad House. read more In a further move to strengthen UK-India ties, David Lammy MP, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom, will visit India from June 7 to 8 this year. During his two-day visit, Lammy is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg and meet External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar at Hyderabad House. He will also engage with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal at the British High Commission. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The revelations made by US President Donald Trumps former First Buddy Elon Musk about the POTUSs association with Jeffrey Epstein, fell right into the hands of Democrats as they demanded answers from the FBI and the DoJ read more Billionaire Elon Musks bombshell about US President Donald Trumps association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein spurred a major storm in the US Congress. Soon after Musk made the post on Thursday, House Democrats are asking the Department of Justice and the FBI about the truth behind the Tesla CEOs claims. The post and its outcome reflect how the highly public feud between the president and his First Buddy is playing right into the hands of Trumps political opponents. On Thursday, Musk shared a post in which he mentioned that Trumps name is in the Epstein files, and this is the reason why the documents are not being released to the public. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Time to drop the massive bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public, Musk wrote. Have a nice day, DJT! the billionaire ended his post by referring to Trump by his initials. The SpaceX CEO eventually called for Trump to be impeached, a position even Democrats have been reluctant to take. Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Democrats send a letter to the DoJ & FBI bosses after Musks revelation. In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, Democratic Representative Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) called for immediate clarification on the matter. We ask that you immediately clarify whether this allegation is true and respond to this letter with the requested information and documentation, the letter reads. Elon Musk, one of the Presidents closest and most influential advisers, alleges that the president may be described in additional files related to this investigation. This allegation implies that the president may be involved in determining which files should be released and whether files will be withheld from the public if he personally chooses to withhold them, the letter further stated. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Democratic lawmakers went on to ask for a timeline of the DOJs declassification and publication of the Epstein files , an explanation for why they havent turned over any new documents since February. They also requested a description of Trumps role in reviewing the files, a list of personnel involved in their release and an answer for why files previously released to Congress contained significant redactions. It is pertinent to note that Lynch is the acting ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, and Garcia is the top Democrat on the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets. How is the Trump administration reacting to it? Meanwhile, the White House slammed both Lynch and Gracia, calling them left-wing lunatics. Oversight Democrats are engaged in another baseless stunt that bears no weight in fact or reality, White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement to Axios. These are the same left-wing lunatics who neglected their oversight duties regarding the Biden administrations lawless actions and concocted hoax after hoax on President Trump during his first term. No one takes them or their petty letters seriously, Fields added. Both the FBI and the DoJ are yet to respond to the letter. Earlier this year, Bondi released more than 100 pages of documents related to the Epstein case as part of the Trump administrations push for transparency. However, the files were substantially redacted, drawing criticism. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), the chair of the declassification task force, accused Bondi of stonewalling her demands for more files. We agree with their conclusion that the release of these documents is long overdue, Lynch and Garcia wrote in the Thursday letter. The emergency appeal comes just days after the First US Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston refused to overturn a lower court ruling that temporarily blocked large-scale layoffs at the department, according to a report read more US President Donald Trump speaks as he participates in a roundtable discussion with the Fraternal Order of Police at the White House in Washington, DC, US, June 5, 2025. File Image/Reuters President Donald Trumps administration has asked the US Supreme Court to permit a sweeping downsizing of the Department of Education, one of the presidents key policy goals that has so far been blocked by lower courts. According to a CNN report, the emergency appeal comes just days after the First US Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston refused to overturn a lower court ruling that temporarily blocked large-scale layoffs at the department. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The department was established under President Jimmy Carter and has remained a fixture in the federal government since. This marks one of more than a dozen emergency appeals Trump has filed with the Supreme Court since returning to office in January, added the report. In its appeal to the Supreme Court, the Trump administration argued that its actions at the Department of Education are part of internal management decisions aimed at trimming discretionary functions that, in the administrations view, are better handled by the states. While President Trump has frequently pledged to eliminate the department altogether, government lawyers clarified in their filing that the government has been crystal clear in acknowledging that only Congress can eliminate the Department of Education", reported CNN. Earlier this year, President Trump ordered mass layoffs at the Department of Education. However, since the department was established by an act of Congress, lower courts have ruled that it cannot be dismantled unilaterally by the executive branch. That said, the administration retains the authority to reduce the size of federal agencies provided they can still fulfill their legal obligations. In its appeal to the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice argued that this is exactly what the administration is doing. The Department remains committed to implementing its statutorily mandated functions, the DOJ stated in its filing. With inputs from agencies A federal judge late Thursday temporarily blocked a proclamation by President Donald Trump that banned foreign students from entering the US to attend Harvard University read more A federal judge has halted US President Donald Trumps latest move to block international students from coming to Harvard University. On Thursday, the US District Judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order on Trumps decision. The ruling came hours after the university urged the court to step in on an emergency basis to block a proclamation Trump signed a day earlier. Trumps proclamation, issued Wednesday, was the latest attempt by his administration to prevent the nations oldest and wealthiest college from enrolling a quarter of its students, who accounts for much of Harvards research and scholarship. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Harvard filed a legal challenge the next day, asking for a judge to block Trumps order and calling it illegal retaliation for Harvards rejection of White House demands. Harvard said the president was attempting an end-run around a previous court order. A few hours later, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston issued a temporary restraining order against Trumps Wednesday proclamation. Harvard, she said, had demonstrated it would sustain immediate and irreparable injury before she would have an opportunity to hear from the parties in the lawsuit. Burroughs also extended the temporary hold she placed on the administrations previous attempt to end Harvards enrollment of international students. Last month, the Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvards certification to host foreign students and issue paperwork to them for their visas, only to have Burroughs block the action temporarily. Trumps order this week invoked a different legal authority. If Trumps measure were to survive this court challenge, it would block thousands of students who are scheduled to come to Harvards campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for the summer and fall terms. Harvards more than 7,000 F-1 and J-1 visa holders and their dependents have become pawns in the governments escalating campaign of retaliation, Harvard wrote Thursday in a court filing. While the court case proceeds, Harvard is making contingency plans so students and visiting scholars can continue their work at the university, President Alan Garber said in a message to the campus and alumni. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Each of us is part of a truly global university community, Garber said Thursday. We know that the benefits of bringing talented people together from around the world are unique and irreplaceable. Harvard has attracted a growing number of the brightest minds from around the world, with international enrollment growing from 11% of the student body three decades ago to 26% today. As those students wait to find out if theyll be able to attend the university, some are pursuing other options. Rising international enrollment has made Harvard and other elite colleges uniquely vulnerable to Trumps crackdown on foreign students. Republicans have been seeking to force overhauls of the nations top colleges, which they see as hotbeds of woke and antisemitic viewpoints. Garber says the university has made changes to combat antisemitism. But Harvard, he said, will not stray from its core, legally-protected principles, even after receiving federal ultimatums. Trumps administration has also taken steps to withhold federal funding from Harvard and other elite colleges that have rejected White House demands related to campus protests, admissions, hiring and more. Harvards $53 billion endowment allows it to weather the loss of funding for a time, although Garber has warned of difficult decisions and sacrifices to come. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But cutting off students and visiting scholars could hamstring the universitys research and global standing. Amid the ongoing feud between US President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the former First Buddy claimed that Trump would have not won the 2024 US Presidential Elections without him. read more President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as Elon Musk listens in the Oval Office at the White House, in Washington. AP The brief bromance between US President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk came to a sour end after the billionaire unleashed online attacks against the POTUS. After hurling criticisms against Trump, Musk claimed that the Republican firebrand would have lost the election without his support. Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Musk said on X. Such ingratitude. Musks remarks came in response to Trumps threats to cut subsidies and perks offered to his companies like Tesla, SpaceX and Starlink. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD NEW: Trump speaks on Elon coming out against the BBB I would have won Pennsylvania regardless of ElonIm very disappointed with Elon. He knew this bill better than anyone and he only developed a problem when he found out I would cut the EV mandate When he left he said pic.twitter.com/O0OfkqmOUd Autism Capital (@AutismCapital) June 5, 2025 While speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he was very disappointed by Musks criticism of his big beautiful " spending bill, adding that he didnt know if his friendship with his billionaire former advisor would survive. Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I dont know if we will anymore. I was surprised, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office after Musk slammed the bill as an abomination. Im very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here All of a sudden, he had a problem, he added. Musk took to X, formerly known as Twitter, rejecting the remarks made by Trump. Trump narrated what went down between him and Musk While speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump narrated the downfall of his and Musks friendship, with many calling it a therapy session rather than a meeting with a foreign leader. He recalled Musks farewell press conference and mentioned how the billionaire stood next to the president with a black eye . You saw a man who was very happy when he stood behind the Oval desk, and even with the black eye. I said, You want a little makeup? Well get you a little makeup, Trump said. But he said, No, I dont think so, which is interesting and very nice. He wants to be who he is. Interestingly, at that time, Musk was facing reports of drug use during his time as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump also mentioned that he could understand why Musk was upset with some steps he had taken, including withdrawing a nominee to lead the NASA space agency who was supported by the tech tycoon. The POTUS was narrating this saga while sitting in front of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who had no other option but to sit silently through it all. At the heart of the Trump-Musk feud is the big, beautiful bill on tax and spending. The centrepiece of his domestic agenda, it aims to continue tax cuts from his first term and is being touted as the make-or-break bill for Republican prospects in the 2026 midterm elections. Musk slammed the bill, calling it a disgusting abomination on Tuesday, because it will increase the US deficit. A day later, the magnate called for Republicans to kill the bill, and for an alternative plan that doesnt massively grow the deficit. Investors watched the unfolding drama with growing worry about what the fracas could mean for Musks business empire. The carmakers shares ended the day down 14 per cent, wiping off $150 billion in market value on a day absent other news about the company read more The Trump-Musk public fall-out has resulted in Teslas shares free-falling late on Thursday, with the carmakers shares ending the day down 14 per cent, wiping off $150 billion in market value. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has entered a public altercation with US President Donald Trump, days after he walked out of the doors of the White House, marking the end of his time as a government official. In what began as a disagreement over Trumps tax bill, Musks remarks have now reached the president, who has started calling out the former Doge chief. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Investors watched the unfolding drama with growing worry about what the fracas could mean for Musks business empire. The carmakers shares ended the day down 14 per cent, wiping off $150 billion in market value on a day absent other news about the company. Musks spat with Trump led traders to dump Tesla shares after the two entered a feud over the presidents tax bill. Trump fired back further, alleging Musk was upset because the bill takes away tax benefits for electric vehicle purchases. Clashing publicly with Trump could create significant challenges for Tesla and Elon Musks broader business ventures. The US Department of Transportation oversees vehicle design regulations and would play a key role in determining whether Tesla can move forward with large-scale production of robotaxis lacking pedals and steering wheels. Elons politics continue to harm the stock. First he aligned himself with Trump, which upset many potential Democratic buyers. Now he has turned on the Trump administration, said Tesla shareholder Dennis Dick, chief strategist at Stock Trader Network. The president has also floated the idea of ending government subsidies and contracts for the companies run by Elon Musk as a way of saving money. The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it, Trump said on Truth Social. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies Trumps comments came during the German Chancellor Friedrich Merzs visit to the Oval Office on Thursday. Voicing his doubts about a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, Trump said, Sometimes youre better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart read more US President Donald Trump has said that it is better to let Russia and Ukraine fight for a while than seek peace immediately, as the two sides intensify attacks against each other, pushing away chances of negotiations even further. Trumps comments came during the German Chancellor Friedrich Merzs visit to the Oval Office on Thursday. Voicing his doubts about a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, Trump said, Sometimes youre better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump said that he told Russian President Vladimir Putin that both countries are acting like two young children fighting like crazy in a park. Putin threatens Kyiv Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened a major response to Ukraines drone attack on the countrys airbases during a phone call with his American counterpart, Donald Trump. The US president said that Putin is not ready for immediate peace after Kyiv attacked its bombers, the largest such counteroffensive in years. Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia would respond to the attack how and when our military deems it appropriate. Just hours after Trump and Putin held a conversation, Russia launched a wave of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine overnight. In the northern city of Pryluky, a drone strike on a residential building killed at least five people, including a one-year-old boy, his mother, and grandmother. One of the rescuers arrived to respond to the aftermath right at his own home. It turned out that a Shahed drone hit his house, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Is Russia planning major advances? A Ukrainian military officer told the United States on Wednesday that Russian forces are preparing major advances into next year, including aiming to cut off Black Sea access, as Kyiv pushes for stronger pressure against Moscow. A senior Ukrainian delegation was visiting Washington just as Trump said that his Russian counterpart Putin warned him by telephone of major retaliation over a daring Ukraine drone strike deep into Russia. Colonel Pavlo Palisa, who served on the frontlines until President Volodymyr Zelensky in November named him as deputy head of the presidents office, presented what he said were findings from Ukrainian military intelligence. With inputs from agencies The feud raised questions about how far Trump, an often unpredictable force who has intervened in past procurement efforts, would go to punish Musk, who until last week headed Trumps initiative to downsize the federal government read more Elon Musk and President Donald Trumps violent feud on Thursday might have a significant impact on many US space initiatives and jeopardise around $22 billion of SpaceXs federal contracts. Musks criticism of Trumps tax-cut and spending legislation, which started last week, was the starting point of the dispute, which swiftly got out of hand. When Musk talked in the Oval Office, Trump snapped at him. Then, Musk attacked Trump in a string of X postings, threatening to revoke federal contracts with Musks businesses. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Musk took the warning seriously and announced that he would begin decommissioning SpaceXs Dragon spaceship, which is used by Nasa. Hours later, however, Musk appeared to reverse course. Responding to a follower on X urging him and Trump to cool off and take a step back for a couple of days, Musk wrote: Good advice. Ok, we wont decommission Dragon. Still, Musks mere threat to abruptly pull its Dragon spacecraft out of service marked an unprecedented outburst from one of Nasas leading commercial partners. Under a roughly $5 billion contract, the Dragon capsule has been the agencys only US vessel capable of carrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station, making Musks company a critical element of the US space program. The feud raised questions about how far Trump, an often unpredictable force who has intervened in past procurement efforts, would go to punish Musk, who until last week headed Trumps initiative to downsize the federal government. If the president prioritized political retaliation and canceled billions of dollars of SpaceX contracts with Nasa and the Pentagon, it could slow US space progress. Nasa press secretary Bethany Stevens declined to comment on SpaceX, but said: We will continue to work with our industry partners to ensure the presidents objectives in space are met. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Musk and Trumps tussle ruptured an extraordinary relationship between a US president and industry titan that had yielded some key favours for SpaceX: a proposed overhaul of Nasas moon program into a Mars program, a planned effort to build a gigantic missile defence shield in space, and the naming of an Air Force leader who favoured SpaceX in a contract award. Taking Dragon out of service would likely disrupt the ISS program, which involves dozens of countries under a two-decade-old international agreement. But it was unclear how quickly such a decommissioning would occur. Nasa uses Russias Soyuz spacecraft as a secondary ride for its astronauts to the ISS. SpaceXs rise SpaceX rose to dominance long before Musks foray into Republican politics last year, building formidable market share in the rocket launch and satellite communications industries that could shield it somewhat from Musks split with Trump, analysts said. It fortunately wouldnt be catastrophic, since SpaceX has developed itself into a global powerhouse that dominates most of the space industry, but theres no question that it would result in significant lost revenue and missed contract opportunities, said Justus Parmar, CEO of SpaceX investor Fortuna Investments. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Under Trump in recent months, the US space industry and Nasas workforce of 18,000 have been whipsawed by looming layoffs and proposed budget cuts that would cancel dozens of science programs, while the US space agency remains without a confirmed administrator. Trumps nominee for Nasa administrator, Musk ally and billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman, appeared to be an early casualty of Musks rift with the president when the White House abruptly removed him from consideration over the weekend, denying Musk his pick to lead the space agency. Trump on Thursday explained dumping Isaacman by saying he was totally Democrat, in an apparent reference to reports Isaacman had donated to Democrats. Isaacman has donated to some Republican but mostly Democratic candidates for office, according to public records. Musks quest to send humans to Mars has been a critical element of Trumps space agenda. The effort has threatened to take resources away from Nasas flagship effort to send humans back to the moon. Trumps budget plan sought to cancel Artemis moon missions beyond its third mission, effectively ending the over-budget Space Launch System rocket used for those missions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But the Senate Commerce Committee version of Trumps bill released late on Thursday would restore funding for missions four and five, providing at least $1 billion annually for SLS through 2029. Since SpaceXs rockets are a less expensive alternative to SLS, whether the Trump administration opposes the Senates changes in the coming weeks will give an indication of Musks remaining political power. SpaceX, founded in 2002, has won $15 billion of contracts from Nasa for the companys Falcon 9 rockets and development of SpaceXs Starship, a multipurpose rocket system tapped to land Nasa astronauts on the moon this decade. The company has also been awarded billions of dollars to launch a majority of the Pentagons national security satellites into space while it builds a massive spy satellite constellation in orbit for a US intelligence agency. In addition to not being in US interests, former Nasa Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said cancelling SpaceXs contracts would probably not be legal. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But she also added, A rogue CEO threatening to decommission spacecraft, putting astronauts lives at risk, is untenable. motorola has confirmed the launch of the edge 60 smartphone in India on June 10th, after it was introduced back in April along with the edge 60 Pro. The India version is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 7400 SoC compared to 7300 in the global version, and packs a bigger 5500mAh battery. It will come only in Pantone Gibraltar Sea with a nylon-like finish and Pantone Shamrock with a leather-like finish in India in single 12GB + 256GB model. The phone will be sold on Flipkart, in addition to motorola.in and offline stores. motorola edge 60 specifications 6.67-inch (2712 x 1220 pixels) 1.5K 10-bit pOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, up to 4500 nits peak brightness, Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection Up to 2.6GHz Octa Core MediaTek Dimensity 7400 4nm processor with Mali-G615 MC2 GPU 12GB LPDDR4X RAM, 256GB UFS 2.2 storage, expandable memory up to 1TB with microSD Android 15 Dual SIM (3 OS + 4 Years SMR) 50MP main camera with Sony LYTIA 700C sensor, f/1.8 aperture, OIS, 50MP auto focus ultra-wide camera with f/2.0 aperture, macro option, 10MP 3x telephoto camera with f/2.0 aperture, 30x Super Zoom, up to 4K 30fps video recording 50MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture, up to 4K 30fps video recording USB Type-C Audio, Stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos Water and dust resistant (IP68 + IP69), Military-grade durability (MIL-STD-810H) Dimensions: 161.2 x 73.08 x 8.25mm; Weight: 181g 5G SA/NSA, Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 6E 802.11ax (2.4GHz/5GHz), Bluetooth 5.4, GPS, USB Type-C 5500mAh battery with support for 68W TurboPower fast charging Elon Musks Starlink has secured a key licence from Indias telecom ministry, according to sources cited by Reuters. This approval removes a major hurdle and brings the satellite internet provider closer to starting commercial operations in India. Steps Toward India Launch Starlink is the third company to secure a licence from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to offer satellite communication services in India. Eutelsats OneWeb and Reliance Jios satellite division received similar approvals earlier. Since 2022, Starlink has been waiting for government clearance, with delays partly caused by concerns over national security. Amazons Project Kuiper, which also applied for a licence, is still awaiting approval. Recent discussions over satellite spectrum allocation saw Starlink and Reliance Jio take opposing positions. The Indian government backed Starlinks view that spectrum should be assigned rather than auctioned. Partnerships with Indian Telecom Firms Earlier this year, Starlink reached agreements with Airtel and Jio to explore offering satellite internet services in India, subject to regulatory approval. Airtel plans to distribute Starlink equipment through its retail stores and serve business customers, focusing on connectivity in rural areas, schools, and healthcare centers. Jio aims to sell Starlink devices through its outlets and online platforms while providing installation support. Both companies intend to combine Starlinks satellite technology with their existing networks to improve internet access in remote and underserved regions. Starlink Services and Compliance The licence allows Starlink to provide satellite-based broadband, voice, and messaging services across India. The company has agreed to comply with local data storage and transfer regulations, which had previously delayed approval. This is Starlinks second attempt to enter the Indian market, after being asked earlier to stop pre-bookings until all approvals were obtained. A recent report noted that Starlink was close to approval after addressing data localisation concerns. An EY-ISpA report projects that Indias space economy could grow to $13 billion by 2025, highlighting the sectors expanding potential. Source Nathan graduated with his journalism degree from Auburn University in 2017. After growing up in the flatlands of rural Alabama with his parents and older sister, Nathan enjoys Western Colorado's natural resources and recreational opportunities. He currently covers education and business for The Daily Sentinel. Larry Robinson/The Daily Sentinel Mesa County Workforce Center Disability Program Navigator Jeana Brown, left, patron Thomas Busick and an Aira ASL interpreter all sign good afternoon in American Sign Language for a photo at the Mesa County Workforce Center on May 28. Aira ASL advisors interpret American Sign Language through a live video feed, helping bridge the gap for the deaf community in everyday situations like job interviews or trips to the DMV. Someone can be off of camera and speak to Busick without him watching their hands or lips, and the interrupter will relay that speech back to Busick in ASL. Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who is attempting to be let out on bail pending the appeal of several convictions related to election tampering, filed a document in federal court Wednesday arguing her habeas corpus request should not be dismissed. Peters habeas corpus request would allow her to be released pending her appeal unless a justifiable reason is found for her incarceration. She is currently being held at the La Vista Correctional Facility in Pueblo, serving a nine-year sentence. Federal Magistrate Judge Scott T. Varholak had given Peters, 69, 30 days to show that she has exhausted all of her options and arguments to be let out at the state level. Varholak said Peters appears to have exhausted all of her options at the state level for one of three claims made in her habeas corpus request (an alleged violation of her First Amendment rights) but not for the other two (an alleged violation of her due process rights and a denial of her right to immunity from prosecution based on the U.S. Constitutions supremacy clause), which could lead to the case being dismissed as a mixed petition. A state prisoner bringing a federal habeas corpus action bears the burden of showing exhaustion of all available state remedies for each particular claim, Varholaks order stated. In a response filed Wednesday, Peters attorneys argued she has exhausted all of her options at the state level for her claims, and her habeas corpus request shouldnt be dismissed as a mixed request. Mrs. Peters Application should not be dismissed because it is not a mixed petition, the document stated. That is, Mrs. Peters has fully exhausted the state remedies available to her for each of the federal constitutional bases she contends entitle her to the relief she seeks with this Application bail pending appeal. The response noted in this case Peters is not attempting to have the charges against her reversed, but is seeking bail during her state appeals process. It is the legal character of Mrs. Peters habeas claim in which she is seeking a release on bail while her appeal is pending that dictated the governing state procedure by which she had to present her federal constitutional contentions to a state court. Her exhaustion of state remedies is manifested in that context, the document stated. Peters was convicted of three counts of attempting to influence a public servant, one count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, one count of official misconduct and one count of failure to comply with the secretary of state, and sentenced to nine years of incarceration in October 2024 after she was accused of allowing an unauthorized person to enter a secure area of the Mesa County Elections Division in May 2021 to make copies of computer hard drives in search of election fraud, and misleading officials in the process. According to court documents, Peters has appealed the convictions and is seeking to be let out on bail during the appeals process. The Colorado Court of Appeals previously denied a request for bail, leading to the federal case. Supreme Court upholds sentences in China 'psychological warfare' case ROC Central News Agency 06/05/2025 07:19 PM Taipei, June 5 (CNA) Taiwan's Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld prison sentences for 10 defendants, including a six-year, eight-month term for temple leader Lee Hui-hsin (), who was convicted of recruiting active-duty and retired military personnel to produce "psychological warfare surrender videos" under instructions from China. The court also affirmed sentences ranging from six months to five years and eight months for nine co-defendants. Lee, the head of a temple in New Taipei's Luzhou District, used "religious exchanges" to travel to China and receive assignments there to develop a pro-China organization in Taiwan, according to the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office. Prosecutors said Lee "used the temple and connections with organized crime" to recruit current and former military personnel who had "financial needs" in 2023. She persuaded them to film "surrender videos" -- propaganda likely intended to promote an image of disloyalty among Taiwanese military personnel in service of Beijing's stated intention to annex Taiwan. The defendants allegedly handed over confidential military documents and participated in producing the psychological warfare videos while wearing uniforms and holding the flag of the People's Republic of China, the office said. Lee confessed her crimes during the investigation and trial, qualifying her for a shorter sentence, according to the Taiwan High Court. The 10 defendants were formally indicted on Oct. 23 last year, according to prosecutors, who said that the defendants should receive "the most severe punishment under the law" for "betraying one's comrades-in-arms and betraying one's country." A statement issued by the Ministry of National Defense (MND) in October last year said the scheme was first uncovered through reports by military personnel in October 2023 and again in March 2024. This led to a joint investigation by security agencies including the Criminal Investigation Bureau, the Military Police Command, and the National Security Bureau, the MND said. In February 2025, the Taiwan High Court convicted Lee of five offenses, including developing an organization for a foreign power, bribery and violating national security laws. Five active-duty military members -- defendants surnamed Chang (), Lin (), Chen (), Liu (), and Wu () -- were also convicted by the same court of accepting bribes and violating their duties by cooperating with Lee to record "psychological warfare surrender videos" and deliver military secrets. A defendant surnamed Lee Yao (), who is still in active service, was sentenced to two years and eight months after confessing and naming accomplices. A retired serviceman surnamed Peng () received four years and eight months for offenses including espionage and bribery. A defendant surnamed Chen (), who was not a soldier, was sentenced to two years and two months. One of the defendants surnamed Chen (), a retired military serviceman, was sentenced to six months for filming presidential security information and was not granted a fine in lieu of prison time. Prosecutors sought convictions under Articles 2 and 7 of the National Security Act, Articles 109, 111 and 132 of the Criminal Code, Articles 4 and 11 of the Anti-Corruption Act, Articles 20 and 22 of the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces, and Articles 32 and 34 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act. The Supreme Court's ruling on Wednesday is final. (By Hsieh Hsing-en and James Thompson) Enditem/AW NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Lithuanian and Allied communications systems and other military infrastructure developed in Palanga and Siauliai Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of National Defence 2025-06-04 Acquisitions and infrastructure development | Security and defense policy The Government has approved development of two strategic military infrastructure projects in Palanga and Siauliai. The Host Nation Infrastructure will not only boost Allied communications systems by the Baltic Sea but will also offer better conditions for NATO Allied military units executing tasks in Siauliai. "We are developing strategic military infrastructure across Lithuania: 29 hectares in total area is formed in Palanga and Siauliai which will eventually house Allied communications systems and Host Nation Support infrastructure. Implementation of these projects will not only strengthen our and Allied operational capability in the Baltic Sea region but will also ensure effective implementation of commitments of Lithuania as a member of NATO," said Vice Minister for Infrastructure Orijana Masale. A 12-hectare lot in Palanga by Butinge Oil Terminal will include newly developed utility network and an antenna (receiver) park to support connection with Allied ships in Lithuania's territorial waters. This project will be funded with approx. EUR 6 million of national and NATO Security Investment Programme. The approx. 17-hectare lot formed in Siauliai will accommodate military infrastructure needed for deployment of Allied military units. It is planned to be financed from national and NATO Security Investment Programme. Both areas have been listed in the register of military infrastructure required to ensure Host Nation Support the Government issued in November 2022. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Veto of the United Nations Security Council Resolution on Gaza US Department of State Press Statement Marco Rubio, Secretary of State June 4, 2025 Today, the United States sent a strong message by vetoing a counterproductive UN Security Council resolution on Gaza targeting Israel. We will not support any measure that fails to condemn Hamas, does not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza, draws a false equivalence between Israel and Hamas, or disregards Israel's right to defend itself. Hamas could end this brutal conflict immediately by laying down its arms and releasing all remaining hostages, including the remains of the four Americans they murdered. Many members of the Security Council still refuse to acknowledge this reality and performative efforts like this resolution undermine diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire. This resolution would have only empowered Hamas to continue stealing aid and threatening civilians. The United States will never stop working to free all the hostages. We will continue supporting the delivery of aid to Gaza, without Hamas' interference, and ensure that Hamas and other terrorists have no future in Gaza. The United States will continue to stand with Israel at the UN. The United Nations must return to its original purposepromoting peace and securityand stop these performative actions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO wraps up landmark deterrence exercise By Troy Darr, U.S. Army NATO June 5, 2025 STAVANGER, Norway -- In a powerful demonstration of unity and resolve underscoring the NATO alliance's commitment to collective defense, nearly 5,000 personnel from all 32 NATO nations concluded Exercise Steadfast Deterrence 2025 on May 28 at the Joint Warfare Centre here and at locations across the alliance. The exercise certified Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe as a strategic warfighting headquarters and integrated U.S. European Command into alliance-level training. "Steadfast Deterrence strengthens NATO's resolve to safeguard the freedom and security of its allies," said U.S. Army Col. Michael Biankowski, U.S. senior national representative at the NATO Joint Warfare Centre. "With this exercise, the Joint Warfare Centre demonstrates its commitment to its warfighting readiness mission, ensuring that SHAPE receives the best training needed to serve as NATO's strategic warfighting headquarters." NATO's core task remains protecting one billion citizens through unified political dialogue, military preparedness and support for partner nations. By aligning NATO's defense plans under the Deterrence and Defense of the North Atlantic Area concept, Steadfast Deterrence reaffirmed the alliance's ability to protect and defend all allies at sea, in the air, on the ground, in cyberspace and in space. "Exercise Steadfast Deterrence 2025 is a major milestone for NATO and the Joint Warfare Centre," said German Army Maj. Gen. Ruprecht von Butler, commander of the NATO Joint Warfare Centre. "There are three major innovations in this exercise." "First, we see SHAPE as a NATO strategic warfighting headquarters. Second is the alignment and integration of SHAPE with U.S. European Command, training together as they possibly would fight," he said. "And finally, we are exercising real elements of NATO's defense plans under the concept for Deterrence and Defense of the North Atlantic Area." Von Butler went on to underscore the broader security context. "This exercise enhances NATO's warfighting readiness and prepares the alliance to face evolving security challenges in Europe and beyond," said von Butler. "I'm incredibly proud of the Joint Warfare Centre team, our augmentees, and trusted agents who are making this unique exercise possible. Together we make NATO better." Over the 10-day exercise, SHAPE and EUCOM staff simulated large-scale conflict scenarios, testing command-and-control procedures and logistics coordination under high-pressure conditions. U.S. Army Maj. Wade Cady, JWC Team 2 wargame director, described the emphasis on convergence between the two headquarters. "From my perspective, Steadfast Deterrence is about bringing in SHAPE as a strategic headquarters and making them into a warfighting headquarters," Cady said. "Strengthening an organization is like muscle building. Practice is essential. It's about reps and sets and getting the two headquarters to work together on a daily basis, which is exactly what we have done over the last 10 days." The exercise also operationalized key elements of NATO's Deterrence and Defense of the Euro-Atlantic Area strategy, which enhances forward defense and resilience along NATO's eastern flank. By embedding real elements of NATO's defense plans into the training, Exercise Steadfast Deterrence 2025 became not only a test but a tangible portrayal of the alliance's long-term strategic vision. "I think convergence is about interoperability and collaboration," said Cady "These last few days, working with all the military headquarters, 32 nations plus SHAPE, they were able to have more interoperability, able to collaborate better and really just become better as partners." "I think the overarching goal of these types of exercises is really about interoperability," he said. "If you think large-scale combat and if we went to a true, war scenario, we would have to be able to work with all these nations for support operations, border clearances, and general authorities to operate across a theater-wide conflict." Cady noted that Steadfast Deterrence gives all the NATO nations a chance to conduct operations together with SHAPE and is critical to U.S. national security. "Our U.S. national security strategy fits in nicely with Steadfast Deterrence, where it gets after practicing a free and open Europe," said Cady. "Because a free and open Europe supports a free and open America, keeping those lines of communications open and the ground and sea lanes safe and free." As the exercise unfolded, personnel across the alliance experienced firsthand the importance of unity and readiness. From logistics and information management to real-time operational decisions, every layer of NATO's complex defense architecture was activated and assessed. U.S. Army Maj. Mark Pijanowski, of the Joint Logistics Support Group-Naples headquartered in Italy, noted that scripted real-world injects tested the response chain for logistical disruptions. "The exercise play gives us an understanding of things we might experience in a real response. It gives us an opportunity to mitigate impacts and provide solutions," he said. Pijanowski has served in Europe for 12 years of his career. "I've been part of a lot of deterrence exercises in my career, specifically after Russia invaded Ukraine," he said. "I was in the 2nd Cavalry Regiment when we deployed across the theater, setting up battle groups in four different countries." "So that was a real-world scenario that increased deterrence," said Pijanowski. "That's something that we are trying to do with NATO, to consistently deter our adversaries and assure our allies. "Having done it in real life and then seeing it play out in an exercise scenario has been helpful for me to learn the other things that could happen within my specific area of expertise." With 32 nations represented, including national representatives at every level, Steadfast Deterrence underscored that NATO's strength depends on unity and shared purpose. U.S. Army Lt. Col. Michael Tillson, of Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, emphasized how the exercise integrated national responses into a collective defense framework. "The purpose of the exercise to me is twofold," Tillson said. "First is to test SHAPE's readiness as a warfighting headquarters. Second, it's to integrate national responses to the collective defense. Anytime we can synchronize combined command with national headquarters in Europe and through Allied Command Operations, we work together toward a common goal: collective defense and deterrence." Tillson described how working groups and scenario injects sparked "conversations that give us the opportunity to see where there's room for improvement. We can see gaps or seams, discuss them and come up with potential solutions before we need them in the real world." He added, "Any time you can get 32 nations together working on something, it's going to be better at the end of it than it was beforehand. Every time we do this, we improve." Staff Sgt. Laval Harris of Company B, Allied Forces North Battalion, was temporarily assigned as a battle captain after serving normally on the U.S. National Support Element in Stavanger. "I was called by Col. (Benjamin) Steichen to fill a battle captain slot," Harris said. "It was literally learn-on-the-fly. I got a brief from Col. Steichen on daily dutieswhat to expect. There were similarities to my regular job, primarily with information flow, making sure all the cells and teams were consistent with meetings and exercise injects." Harris added that in a previous exercise he worked on the JWC Media team, "On the media team, you know exactly what the audience sees. But now, on the inside, you see how that plays out at the operational level. I think all NSE personnel should be afforded more opportunities like this." In an era of strategic competition and disinformation, NATO seeks to strengthen societal resilience and maintain trust among its member states. In Stavanger, younger service members also felt the impact of alliance cohesion. Staff Sgt. Drake Veal, a newcomer to JWC, participated in his first large-scale exercise since arriving in Norway. "I've been here for three months," Veal said. "Working with a lot of very important individuals and doing something I've never done before. Here I work with databases, modifying them and running simulations; before, I worked with satellites. Taking on this new assignment felt like career progression." Veal, who has distant family in Norway, praised the multicultural environment. "I love it here," said Veal. "My favorite part is how unique it is being able to work with different nationalities." This unity is what has made NATO the most powerful military alliance in history, and what continues to enable it to adapt and respond to today's multifaceted security challenges. As authoritarian regimes seek to undermine democratic societies through disinformation, cyber threats, and strategic coercion, NATO remains a defensive alliance committed to the protection of its people, its values, and the rules-based international order. "For me the most personally rewarding aspect of this exercise has been coordinating and deepening relationships," said Tillson. "I think one of the most interesting parts about my job is that I kind of live in both worlds. I'm a U.S. Army officer in a multinational command. "And I'm doing my best to take the U.S. lens and provide it to people on a daily basis inside the NATO force and command structure. "And so, for me, working with our allies and partners has been great, to get to see different nations and militaries and see how similar we all are. "We're all professionals. We all are committed to, not only our national defense, but the collective defense of the alliance." Biankowski's insights into the scale and scope of Steadfast Deterrence make one thing abundantly clear: NATO is not only ready but determined. Determined to innovate, adapt, and lead in a more contested and dangerous world. Determined to defend every inch of allied territory. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address June 5, 2025 By Matthew Olay, DOD News Hegseth, NATO Leader Find Common Ground on Defense Spending While jointly speaking at a NATO defense meeting in Brussels today, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte both stated an increase in defense spending targets by both the United States and NATO ally countries is essential to deterring the coming threats that are posed by anti-Western aggressors. "Today will be an important meeting, because we will agree on the capability targets we need going forward to keep one billion people safe in NATO territory," Rutte said. "From this, we will decide, at the NATO summit, [on] the spending; and we already know we need to spend much, much more if we want to fulfill all these targets," Rutte continued, while referring to an upcoming, annual meeting in The Hague. The 2025 Hague summit is scheduled to take place June 24-26. After thanking Rutte for his hospitality, Hegseth said that he was on a veritable mission in Europe to make sure that every NATO member nation contributes enough of their reasonable share toward unified defense against foreign aggressors. "The reason I'm here is to make sure every country in NATO understands every shoulder has to be to the plow; every country has to contribute at that level of 5% [of each country's gross domestic product] as a recognition of the nature of the threat," Hegseth said. Hegseth went on to say that the United States is both proud to stand with its allies while also making sure that America's geopolitical pursuit of peace through strength does not equate to reliance in a world of multiple threats. "[The goal is] deterrence and peace through strength, but it can't be reliance," Hegseth said. "It cannot and will not be reliance on America in a world of a lot of threats where America is poised to help take on those threats." Hegseth then thanked Rutte for having "hard and necessary" conversations with him over the matter of mutual, nation defense. "We need to be considering the threats we face in the world today, and [we need to] have that conversation robustly and constructively," Hegseth said. Hegseth's stance on NATO has been consistent since he took office in early January of this year. In early February, he called for all NATO allied countries to increase their defense spending and take the lead in providing for Ukraine and Europe's security. Later that month, he praised the U.S. alliance with Poland during a joint press conference with that country's defense minister in Warsaw. Hegseth also thanked the Rutte for being a strong ally. "We need our allies to step up, as well as we stand alongside them," Hegseth told Rutte, adding that "those hard conversations" will continue. "Pete, thank you for being here; thank you for your leadership; and thank you for being such a staunch ally," Rutte said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address June 5, 2025 By Cindy Pray, Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime Public Affairs DLA Fuels Maritime Superiority With $5 Billion Contract The Defense Logistics Agency Maritime Mechanicsburg, located in Pennsylvania, recently awarded a $5 billion contract to six small businesses, expediting support for Virginia-class submarines and active surface ships, in a move that will significantly enhance the nation's maritime advantage. The Maritime Acquisition Advancement Contract is designed to accelerate DLA's procurement of integrated weapons systems equipment and services. The awardees will play a vital role in providing essential resources for the Navy's latest class of advanced capability nuclear-powered fast-attack submarines. With five one-year options, each valued at $1 billion, the MAAC could potentially reach a total of $10 billion. At an April 8, 2025, hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Navy leaders emphasized that strengthening supply chain capacity is crucial to achieving the goal of building two Virginia-class submarines per year. The submarines will replace the aging Los Angeles-class fleet. "This contract supports a mission that's a top priority at the highest level," said Elizabeth Allen, DLA Maritime Mechanicsburg's deputy director, underscoring Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's emphasis on the Virginia-class program. The MAAC, a yearlong endeavor, culminated in a competitive acquisition process that yielded nine offers. Contracting Officer Brian Stevens said it will propel DLA's support for the Navy into the future and highlighted its alignment with the Defense Department's guiding principle of "speed over process." "We created this vehicle to do more with less we can do larger contracts faster, which coincides perfectly with the Virginia-class initiative," Stevens said. "I'm very proud of the work we've done." Allen further explained that the multi-award structure was essential to handle the sheer volume and requirements. "There are significantly long lead times the Navy faces ... this contracting vehicle streamlines and reduces our end of the administrative lead time," she noted, adding that "it leverages innovative methods to get items into contract quickly." Timothy McCloskey, acquisition director for DLA Maritime Mechanicsburg, explained the contract's widespread impact is broad in scope. "It's not just a benefit for DLA here in Mechanicsburg; it's a benefit for any other buying activity that wants to use it," he said. Nestled within Naval Support Activity Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, DLA Maritime Mechanicsburg is responsible for procuring depot-level repairable assets, directly supporting Naval Supply Systems Command's surface, submarine and aircraft carrier operations. The detachment falls under Columbus, Ohio-based DLA Land and Maritime, which manages the supply chains for thousands of land-based and sea-based weapons systems. Allen said the team has already engaged with other DLA detachments and naval shipyards and is planning roadshows to reach other commands that may want to utilize the contract vehicle. She stressed the MAAC's inherent flexibility and responsiveness to the dynamic needs of the Navy and its warfighters. "It's one team, one fight," she said. "We're working together with the Navy they're excited about this contract vehicle, and we're engaged with industry. They're seeing the benefits. They know the need, they know the criticality of the items and they're ready to go." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address June 5, 2025 By David Vergun, DOD News Africom Strategy Focuses on Burden Sharing, Protecting U.S. Homeland U.S. Africa Command's approach aligns with the National Defense Strategy and guidance from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, said Africom's commander, Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, during an interview yesterday at the Pentagon. That approach, he said, prioritizes counterterrorism, and in particular, terrorists who have a propensity to attack the U.S. homeland. His second priority is countering China's military encroachment on the continent, noting that there are many shared interests globally on the continent of Africa, with like-minded nations having mutual goals with the United States. Langley said that while the security and stability mission will be African-led and, to a degree, U.S.-enabled, "We need to do a sharing of the burden in providing stability and security on the African continent with our African partners as well as allies." The commander encourages African nations to assist one another, both bilaterally and multilaterally, in combating the growing terrorist threat. Nations across the Maghreb in northern Africa are of particular concern to allies and partners due to mass migration and terrorism. Protecting strategic choke points is vital for global trade and freedom of navigation, Langley said. These include the Strait of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean Sea area between Sicily, Tunisia and Libya, the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandab Strait. He said the National Guard State Partnership Program is especially helpful to Africom. The program, which began in 1993, aligns U.S. states with African nations. Globally, the guard partners with 60% of the world's nations to foster trust, build capacity and increase resilience, thereby strengthening national security and U.S. interests abroad. "There's nothing that compares to the State Partnership Program," he said. "They're building institutional capacity across African countries and deepening partnerships through training and exercises. Competitors can't match that." Langley added that there are nations not in that program who want to be, so he expects it to expand. Despite successes in some parts of Africa, he said other parts are concerning, noting the conflicts and terrorist activities in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Somalia and other nations across the Sahel. Langley stated that diplomacy is key in resolving these issues, and the Southern African Development Community, along with other African entities, is actively participating in these efforts. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Federal Jury Convicts Pakistani Weapons Smuggler of Transporting Iranian Advanced Conventional Weapons Destined for the Houthis in Yemen Thursday, June 5, 2025 For Immediate Release Office of Public Affairs A federal jury convicted a Pakistani national today on charges related to smuggling Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry destined for the Houthis in Yemen and threatening multiple witnesses. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on the night of Jan. 11, 2024, U.S. Central Command Navy forces operating from the USS LEWIS B. PULLER, including Navy SEALs and members of the U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team East, boarded an unflagged dhow, a small vessel, in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Somalia. The U.S. boarding team encountered 14 individual mariners on the vessel, including the captain, Muhammad Pahlawan, 49. During a search of the dhow, the U.S. boarding team located and seized Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry, including ballistic missile components, anti-ship cruise missile components, and a warhead. The type of weaponry found aboard the dhow is consistent with the weaponry used by the Houthi rebel forces during the time of the charged conspiracy against merchant ships and U.S. military ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden after the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel. During the interdiction, Pahlawan lied to the boarding team, instructed other crewmembers to lie, and eventually threatened the lives of his crewmembers and their families. Pahlawan's January 2024 trip was part of a larger operation. From in or around August 2023 through in or around January 2024, Pahlawan worked with two Iranian brothers, Shahab Mir'kazei (Shahab), and Yunus Mir'kazei (Yunus), affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to smuggle materials from Iran to the Houthi rebel forces in Yemen. Pahlawan completed multiple smuggling voyages, coordinated and funded by Shahab and Yunus, by traveling with cargo from Iran to the coast of Somalia and transporting that cargo to another vessel for a nighttime ship-to-ship transfer. Pahlawan worked with Shahab and Yunus to prepare the dhow for these smuggling voyages, received specific coordinates from them for the ship-to-ship transfers, and received multiple payments from them for his role in the smuggling operation. Pahlawan was convicted of: conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists, providing material support and resources to Iran's weapons of mass destruction program, providing material support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps's weapons of mass destruction program, conspiring to and indeed transporting explosive devices to the Houthis knowing those explosives would be used to cause harm, and threatening his crew. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 22 and most statutes of conviction include a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department's National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia, Assistant Director Donald M. Holstead of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division; and Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Troy A. Edwards Jr. and Gavin R. Tisdale for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Joseph N. Kaster of the National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case. Former Eastern District of Virginia prosecutor Danya Atiyeh and former National Security Division Trial Attorney Lesley Woods supported the case. The following government agencies provided invaluable support to the case: the Justice Department's Office of International Affairs, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Department of Defense, the Diplomatic Security Service, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State. Topics: Counterterrorism National Security Components: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Security Divisi on (NSD) USAO - Virginia, Eastern Press Release Number: 25-584 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The European Union and the Republic of Moldova confirm their strong partnership at the 9th EU-Moldova Association Council meeting European Council / Council of the European Union Council of the EU Press release 5 June 2025 13:15 On 4 June in Brussels, the European Union and the Republic of Moldova (hereinafter "Moldova") held their 9th Association Council Meeting today in Brussels. The meeting was chaired by the Prime Minister of Moldova, Mr. Dorin Recean. The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ms. Kaja Kallas, led the EU delegation, which also included Commissioner for Enlargement Ms. Marta Kos. During the meeting, the EU reiterated its unwavering support for Moldova's EU accession process, commending the country's determination to reform amidst significant challenges. The Association Council took note of Moldova's progress in aligning with the EU acquis, particularly in critical domains such as the rule of law, justice reform, and the fight against corruption. It looked forward to the next steps in Moldova's accession process by opening negotiations on clusters, starting with the fundamental cluster as soon as possible. The participants recalled that the Moldova Growth Plan, worth EUR 1.9 billion over three years, is a transformative instrument for economic resilience and convergence with the EU. It will ensure that the tangible benefits of European integration are felt by all Moldovan citizens. The participants emphasised the importance of further deepening sectoral cooperation and Moldova's gradual integration into the EU internal market. In this context, the Association Council welcomed the decision to include Moldova in the geographical scope of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) to facilitate payments. The parties also agreed to set up a Joint Consultative Committee with the Committee of the Regions and a new Public Administration Reform Subcommittee. The EU welcomed the historic choice of the people of Moldova to anchor their future within the EU, following the 2024 constitutional referendum, and highlighted the importance of continuing to strategically communicate the benefits and obligations of the accession process and EU membership to the people of Moldova. The EU commended the authorities' commitment to upholding the democratic process despite large-scale interference and a hybrid campaign by Russia and its proxies. Ahead of the 2025 parliamentary elections, the participants highlighted the importance of strengthening the resilience of the electoral process against malign interference in line with international standards and best practices. The participants marked the first anniversary of the EU-Moldova Security and Defence Partnership, signed in the margins of the 8th Association Council last year, as a testament to the growing cooperation in these areas. As a sign of the EU's continued commitment to strengthening Moldova's resilience against hybrid threats, the EU extended the mandate of the European Union Partnership Mission in Moldova (EUPM) for two years, until May 2027. In support of modernising Moldova's defence sector and as an investment in peace and stability, the EU also recalled that Moldova is the second-largest beneficiary of the European Peace Facility, with support measures amounting to EUR 197 million for the period 2021-2025. Finally, amidst a profoundly challenging regional security context, shaped by Russia's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, the EU reiterated its resolute support for Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Association Council condemned Russia's weaponisation of energy supplies and recalled that the EU stands in solidarity with Moldova and has stepped up its support to help Moldova successfully tackle these challenges. The 9th EU-Moldova Association Council Meeting concluded with a clear message: the future of Moldova and its people lies within the EU. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO's defence readiness requires reaching 5% defence spending within 5 years Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Defence 5. June 2025 - 17:57 At today's NATO defence ministers' meeting in Brussels, ministers discussed preparations for the upcoming Hague Summit and adopted capability targets necessary for implementing NATO's defence plans. "For the Hague Summit, all member states need to commit to the 5% defence spending target and begin decisively increasing their defence budgets. Estonia will reach this level next year," said Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur. "Today, we are agreeing on new capability targets that define which forces and capabilities each ally needs in order to be better prepared to face any threat and to implement collective defence plans. Priorities include air and missile defence, long-range fire capabilities, logistics, and large land manoeuvre formations." According to the minister, unity within NATO and transatlantic burden-sharing will be key themes at the upcoming Hague Summit. "It was good to hear U.S. Secretary of Defence Hegseth reaffirm America's commitment to NATO. At the same time, it is clear that the U.S. expects Europe and Canada to take greater responsibility for European security, as American strategic focus in the coming years will increasingly shift toward threats related to China," Pevkur said. Following the North Atlantic Council meeting, an informal session of the NATO-Ukraine Council also took place. "We must stay focused and deliver as much military aid to Ukraine as possible, as quickly as possible, so that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position for any future peace negotiations," Pevkur added. According to the Minister of Defence, the actions of Russia and China affect global security, and Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine is not merely a regional issue. Yesterday, the defence ministers convened for a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, led by the United Kingdom and Germany, to review Ukraine's needs and new aid packages. After the meeting, Estonia signed a letter of intent to join a new electronic warfare coalition. Additionally, a meeting was held between the three Baltic States and the lead nations of the three NATO battlegroups, which this time also included Finland and Sweden. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark to participate in NATO MRTT air transport fleet Finnish Ministry of Defence 05.06.2025 16:30 On Thursday 5 June 2025, the defence ministers of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark signed a Letter of Intent on Participation in NATO's Multi-Role Multinational Tanker Transport (MRTT) Fleet (MMF) at the meetings of NATO defence ministers. The letter of intent seeks to develop cooperation between the countries within the framework of the existing multi-role aircraft fleet, for example, with respect to building air-to-air refuelling, strategic air transport and medical evacuation capabilities. "Since Finland and Sweden joined NATO, Nordic Defence Cooperation has expanded to include areas that are part of NATO's joint deterrence and defence. This will strengthen and supplement the defence capabilities of the Nordic countries as well as the entire Euro-Atlantic area," said Minister of Defence Antti Hakkanen. Finland is the chair of Nordic Defence Cooperation (NORDEFCO) this year. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Finland, Sweden, Norway, Lithuania, Estonia and the Netherlands look into joint procurement of armoured infantry fighting vehicles Finnish Ministry of Defence 05.06.2025 13:35 Finland, Sweden, Norway, Lithuania, Estonia and the Netherlands signed a statement of intent on 5 June 2025 based on which they will look into and prepare a possible joint procurement of CV90 armoured infantry fighting vehicles. The statement of intent was signed in connection with the meeting of NATO Ministers of Defence. The contemplated procurement would be in line with the Government Defence Report as it would develop the firepower and mobility of the infantry, replace equipment scheduled for decommissioning and significantly increase the number of combat vehicles in the current threat environment. In addition to combat vehicles, the possible procurement would include training equipment, spare parts and munitions. Joint procurement promotes volume benefits, compatibility, interoperability and security of supply. "When looking to the Army's future capabilities, it is important to work together to seek cost effectiveness in major equipment purchases like this, without compromising on quality and capability. If it moves forward, the purchase of new armoured infantry fighting vehicles will be one of Finland's largest and most important national defence projects in terms of both capability and money. The project would be on the order billions of euros. I would like to emphasise the importance of this kind of cooperation to the concrete arrangements for Finland's defence. We are looking into the possibility of a joint procurement at exactly the right time," said Minister of Defence Antti Hakkanen. The statement of intent will also make it possible to cooperate more deeply in relation to other CV90 products, to possibly support Ukraine with CV90 fighting vehicles and to bring other countries into the project. At the same time, opportunities for the Finnish defence industry to participate in implementing the joint procurement will be investigated. The CV90 infantry fighting vehicle will be in use in 11 European countries in the next few years. If the joint procurement is carried out, Finland would be using the same variant of the vehicle as five other countries, and the key features of the variant would be the same as in three other European countries. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chinese Embassy in Philippines refutes erroneous EU-Philippines remarks about SCS Global Times By Shen Sheng Published: Jun 05, 2025 03:35 PM A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines on Thursday responded to media inquiries regarding erroneous remarks about China made during a recent diplomatic meeting between the European Union and the Philippines. The spokesperson stated that China's sovereignty and rights in the South China Sea have been established through long-standing historical practice and are supported by ample historical and legal grounds, in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter. This comment was made in response to recent claims made during the visit of Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Commission for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission, to the Philippines, when the EU and the Philippines claimed to be concerned about the so-called China's "illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions" in the South China Sea, and alleged their commitment to so-called freedom of navigation and overflight, and the so-called 2016 arbitral award. Chinese observers told the Global Times on Thursday that the EU and the Philippines are using the pretext of "freedom of navigation and overflight" to hype up the so-called award on the South China Sea arbitration and China's alleged "coercion" in an attempt to fabricate false narratives about China and exert pressure. In contrast, China has consistently upheld its rights in accordance with international law and advocated dialogue and cooperation. The nature of the South China Sea issue between China and the Philippines is a territorial sovereignty dispute, which falls outside the scope of UNCLOS, the spokesperson said, emphasizing that the so-called award on the South China Sea arbitration is illegal, null and void. China neither accepts nor recognizes it. At present, the situation in the South China Sea remains generally stable, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the region has never been an issue, said the spokesperson, further noting that tensions in certain areas of the South China Sea were not caused by China, and China firmly opposed any unilateral infringements or provocations and would continue to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in accordance with the law. The spokesperson noted that the EU was not a party to the South China Sea dispute and had no right to interfere in South China Sea disputes between China and the Philippines, let alone to make unwarranted accusations against China's legitimate maritime activities. China urged the EU to genuinely respect China's sovereignty and maritime interests and to stop provoking trouble in the region, said the spokesperson. Europe's real strategic focus is not the South China Sea. This move is likely an attempt to use the South China Sea issue as leverage in negotiations with China, aiming to extract more benefits in areas such as the economy. At the same time, it may also be trying to justify its military or political interference in the region by fabricating a false narrative of "China threat", Chen Xiangmiao, director of the World Navy Research Center at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times. The spokesperson also advised the Philippines not to have any illusion about relying on external forces to resolve disputes with China, and instead to return to the right path of managing differences through dialogue and consultation. Chen noted that the Philippines is attempting to leverage support from certain Western countries, particularly the US, to pressure China and create public momentum. Meanwhile, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is also attempting to bolster his domestic political support through such external backing. "China has always safeguarded its rights and interests in the South China Sea based on international law and historical practice, and consistently advocates for resolving disputes through cooperation, dialogue, and effective management of differences to safeguard regional peace and stability," Chen added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Indonesia assesses purchasing Chinese J-10 fighter jets: media reports Global Times By Liu Xuanzun and Liang Rui Published: Jun 05, 2025 07:00 PM According to media reports on Thursday, Indonesia is assessing purchasing China's J-10 fighter jets, taking into account the aircraft's recent combat success. A Chinese military affairs expert said the J-10 is an outstanding warplane that can attract many potential buyers, especially after having proved its effectiveness in real battle. Indonesia said China has offered to sell it J-10 jets, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. The government is examining whether the planes widely used by China's air force meet operational requirements and can be integrated into Indonesia's existing systems, Deputy Defense Minister Donny Ermawan Taufanto was quoted in the report as saying during a public discussion in Jakarta on Wednesday. He said that the jets were offered during a visit by Indonesian Air Force officials to China, but emphasized that the assessment remains preliminary and that Jakarta hasn't dispatched a team to conduct a technical evaluation or pursue the offer further, per Bloomberg. "We have had talks with China and they offered us a lot, not just J-10, but also ships, arms, frigates," said Taufanto, according to a report by Reuters. "We're evaluating J-10," Taufanto said, adding that Jakarta was reviewing system compatibility and after-sales support as well as pricing. A potential purchase has been considered for over a year, before the recent conflict between India and Pakistan, but Taufanto said Indonesia would factor in reports that a Pakistani J-10 plane shot down multiple Indian jets last month, Reuters reported. It is reported that China's made-for-export J-10CE fighter jet recently achieved its first real combat success by shooting down multiple warplanes in air combat while sustaining no losses of its own, CCTV News reported on May 17. Indonesia is also considering the US offer of F-15EX fighters and France's offer of Rafale jets, but Taufanto emphasized budget and pricing concerns, according to the Reuters report. Taufanto said Indonesia's approach to procurement reflects a pragmatic, non-aligned defense strategy, giving the country broad latitude to pursue military deals across a range of partners, Bloomberg reported. "If we find that the jet performs well, meets our criteria, and comes at a good price, why not?" he said, referring to the J-10. "We're not bound by any alliance, so we can source weapons from any country, including China," per Bloomberg. China displayed a selection of its top aviation products including the J-10CE at the 17th edition of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA 2025) in Malaysia in late May. Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times that China's J-10C fighter jet is an excellent warplane that has now been put through the test of real combat. It has fully displayed its outstanding beyond-visual-range air-to-air combat capabilities with advanced avionics and radar systems. If some countries are planning to modernize their air force fleets, the J-10C could be a highly attractive option, Fu said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sweden provides SEK 10 million in humanitarian assistance to Save the Children in Gaza Government Offices of Sweden Press release from Ministry for Foreign Affairs Published 05 June 2025 The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire. Children are particularly vulnerable and severely affected under the current circumstances. In light of this, the Swedish Government has decided to allocate SEK 10 million to Save the Children's efforts in Gaza. "Humanitarian suffering in Gaza is enormous and the children of Gaza in particular are living in a nightmare. We're hearing stories of children who are starving, seeing their homes disappear and losing their families. This not only creates urgent humanitarian needs, but trauma for life. Children have the right to special protection in war, which is why we're allocating SEK 10 million to Save the Children's activities in Gaza," says Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa. "Innocent children are hit hardest in war, and the war in Gaza is no exception. The best interests of children must always come first, even in war situations. It's therefore positive that Save the Children can provide humanitarian support as well as child-friendly spaces and psychosocial support to children in Gaza," says Minister for Social Services Camilla Waltersson Gronwall. "The humanitarian situation in Gaza is horrific and increased support must be prioritised. Humanitarian assistance must reach the most vulnerable, especially children," says Joar Forssell, foreign policy spokesperson for the Liberal Party. "Humanitarian assistance should go to those who need it most and be managed by actors who ensure it ends up in the right place. Save the Children is one of them. With this package, we will be able to help children who are suffering and severely affected by a horrific war," says Gudrun Brunegard, development assistance policy spokesperson for the Christian Democrats. Swedish support to Save the Children will help to secure life-saving supplies such as shelter, water and health and medical care. It is also about providing psychosocial support for children at Save the Children's child-friendly spaces and education at the organisation's temporary learning centres. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO Defence Ministers agree on new capability targets Government Offices of Sweden Press release from Ministry of Defence Published 05 June 2025 At the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers in Brussels on 5 June, member countries' defence ministers agreed on new capability targets for the Alliance. In conjunction with the meeting, Swedish Minister for Defence Pal Jonson also signed a number of agreements on behalf of Sweden. NATO Capability Targets define which military capabilities member countries need, in order to implement NATO's operational plans and contribute to the Alliance's collective defence. New capability targets are adopted every four years. The targets are divided into short-term (0-6 years) and medium-term objectives (7-19 years). Targets for the coming years were adopted at the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers in Brussels on 5 June. To meet the new capability targets, Allies need to increase their defence spending. At the meeting, Allies also discussed the proposal for new defence spending targets, as part of preparations ahead of the NATO Summit in The Hague on 24-25 June. Mr Jonson also held bilateral meetings with Ukraine's Minister of Defence Rustum Umerov and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), Admiral Pierre Vandier. Cooperation for increased security in the Baltic Sea region In conjunction with the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers, all NATO countries located around the Baltic Sea signed a joint statement on increasing security in the region. Mr Jonson signed the statement on behalf of Sweden. In their statement, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany and Sweden pledge to deepen cooperation on increasing security in the Baltic Sea region, and to push for enhanced cooperation between the EU and NATO on issues related to security in the region. Upcoming procurement of hundreds of combat vehicles In connection with the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers, Mr Jonson also signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) on Sweden's cooperation with Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Norway for the procurement of several hundred Combat Vehicle 90s. "By linking up with several countries, we can reduce costs, speed up deliveries and strengthen the defence industry's production capacity," says Mr Jonson. Future procurement of hundreds of combat vehicles In connection with the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers, Mr Jonson also signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) on Sweden's cooperation with Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Norway for the procurement of hundreds of Combat Vehicle 90s. "By linking up with several countries, we can reduce costs, speed up deliveries and strengthen the defence industry's production capacity," says Mr Jonson. New coalition in support of Ukraine On 4 June, the day preceding the NATO meeting, Mr Jonson took part in a meeting in Brussels, held within the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG). Within the framework of the UDCG, there are a number of capability coalitions between various countries that coordinate and mobilise support to Ukraine in various areas. Sweden already participates in a number of these coalitions, and on 4 June, Mr Jonson signed an agreement on Sweden joining another coalition: the Electromagnetic Warfare Capability Coalition. Cooperation within the Coalition will focus on the procurement of electromagnetic warfare equipment, education and training, and policy development. Participation allows Sweden the opportunity to provide expertise in the electromagnetic warfare field and to get insights into, and deeper knowledge on, the modern electromagnetic warfare environment. Enhanced cooperation with Ukraine in the space arena In conjunction with the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers, Mr Jonson also signed an LoI on cooperation between Sweden and Ukraine on issues regarding space capabilities, such as satellite communications. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President of the Assembly of States Parties regrets withdrawal from the Rome Statute by Hungary International Criminal Court (ICC) / Cour penale internationale (CPI) Press Release: 5 June 2025 The President of the Assembly of States Parties, Paivi Kaukoranta (Finland), has reiterated her regret regarding the withdrawal of Hungary, effective as of 2 June 2026, from the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court ("ICC"). The Presidency of the Assembly of States Parties expressed its regrets on the announcement of withdrawal from the Rome Statute by Hungary on 3 April 2025. President Kaukoranta noted, "the Assembly of States Parties, effectively represented by 125 countries from all regions, is deeply dedicated to supporting the Court's mission which is to bring an end to impunity for the gravest crimes that affect the international community". "I truly hope that Hungary's withdrawal from the Rome Statute is not permanent, but just a brief pause to its commitment to international justice, and that it will return to the community of States Parties in due course. Achieving universal acceptance of the Rome Statute is crucial to advancing our united goal of ensuring justice for grave crimes and upholding the rule of law", said President Kaukoranta. "The ICC's ability to combat impunity depends on a great extent, on the sustained backing from the international community". The Assembly of States Parties is the management oversight and legislative body of the ICC. It is comprised of representatives of States that have ratified and acceded to the Rome Statute. President Kaukoranta was elected President of the Assembly for a three-year mandate in December 2023. Source: Assembly of States Parties NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hainan's Li brocade weaves its way to global stage People's Daily Online) 15:02, June 06, 2025 South China's Hainan Province is actively advancing the preservation of Li brocade, a traditional textile of the Li ethnic group, and enhancing its appeal on the global stage. Li brocade is known as a "living fossil" of China's textile industry. On May 23, during the Hainan Week for the China Pavilion at the Osaka Expo 2025, Ren Jiaming and his fellow students from Hainan University, dressed in stylish attire featuring Li brocade patterns, paraded outside the pavilion, drawing crowds of spectators eager to take photos with them. Shortly before this event, Li brocade weaver Tan Chaoyan traveled to Paris with her traditional loom, invited to demonstrate Li brocade techniques at Paris Fashion Week. Tan Chaoyan (R) showcases Li brocade techniques at Paris Fashion Week. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee) "This marked the second time Hainan Li brocade graced Paris Fashion Week," said Tan Chaoyan, an inheritor of the traditional Li textile techniques of spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidering from Wuzhishan city, Hainan. "I felt immense pride in showcasing the beauty of Li brocade to the international fashion world," she said. Models showcased clothing featuring Li brocade patterns at the Li brocade master collaboration collection show during Paris Fashion Week. "I'm fascinated by Li brocade patternstheir elements are very modern and graphic, integrating beautifully into my works," said designer Veronique Leroy, who incorporated Li brocade patterns including Dalishen (God of Strength) and the Gangong bird into her creations. To make Li brocade trendy and international, Wuzhishan city collaborated with Italy's top art school Istituto Marangoni to launch a talent training program in August 2023, and selected 30 Li brocade artisans for the program. Photo shows Li brocade-inspired handicrafts. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee) By the end of 2024, nine cities and counties in Hainan had over 470 representative inheritors of the traditional Li textile techniques of spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidering. Zhang Xintong, who helped bring Li brocade back to Paris Fashion Week, attended the Fifth China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) held in Hainan, which offered opportunities to bring Li brocade closer to consumers. Drawn by the Free Trade Port policies, Zhang started her business in Hainan. As head of Li Brocade Elements (Hainan) Technology Co., Ltd., she is exploring ways to make Li brocade both trendy and industrialized. At the CICPE's main venue, the Hainan International Convention and Exhibition Center, Zhang and her team showcased a shawl inspired by an ancient bed sheet on display at the Hainan Provincial Museum of Ethnology. The shawl won praise from merchants attending the expo. At the Haikou International Duty-Free City Shopping Complex, a CICPE sub-venue, 35 Li brocade-creations by Veronique Leroy and Istituto Marangoni student Tan Yanyu were featured on the runway. For the finale, Zhang took the stage wearing a white T-shirt printed with Li brocade patterns, expressing her hope that more young people will wear Li brocade clothing in daily life. In March this year, Hainan issued a five-year plan for the protection and development of the traditional Li textile techniques of spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidering. The plan calls for greater international promotion of Li brocade culture, encourages representative inheritors of the intangible cultural heritage item to participate in major fashion shows worldwide, and supports companies in expanding exports of Li brocade products. Photo shows Nicki Johnson, an American designer, in her store in Baishamen Park, Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee) Nicki Johnson, an American designer, runs a store called Island Delights in Baishamen Park, Haikou, the provincial capital. The shop sells Li brocade-inspired products designed by herself, including fridge magnets, necklaces and hair clips, as well as Li brocade works created by Hainan villagers. "Many foreign customers come to buy these works. I want to do my best to promote Li brocade culture and support local art," Johnson said. Last December, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added the traditional Li textile techniques to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. As Li brocade gains international recognition, Johnson's store is also taking on a more global vibe, selling more Li brocade-themed products created by artists from different countries. The store regularly hosts international art exhibitions featuring Li brocade-themed works by creators from diverse cultural backgrounds. "Her handicrafts are beautiful. It's heartening to see foreigners appreciate and learn about our culture," said Tan Chaoyan, expressing her hope that Li brocade will continue to win international fans. "What's unique for a nation is also precious for the world. We will continue promoting the innovative development of crafts of various ethnic groups, including Li brocade, Li pottery and Miao embroidery," said Fu Xiurong, Party chief and director of the Ethnic Affairs Commission of Hainan Province. "We'll bring intangible cultural heritages into daily life and help more ethnic treasures reach the global stage," Fu added. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) The International Criminal Court deplores new sanctions from the US administration against ICC Officials International Criminal Court (ICC) / Cour penale internationale (CPI) Press Release: 5 June 2025 The International Criminal Court (ICC) deplores the additional designations for sanctions which were announced today by the United States of four judges of the Court: Second Vice-President Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou (Benin), Judge Solomy Balungi Bossa (Uganda), Judge Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza (Peru) and Judge Beti Hohler (Slovenia). These additional designations follow the earlier designation of Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC. These measures are a clear attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution which operates under the mandate from 125 States Parties from all corners of the globe. The ICC provides justice and hope to millions of victims of unimaginable atrocities, in strict adherence to the Rome Statute, and maintains the highest standards in protecting the rights of suspects and the victims. Targeting those working for accountability does nothing to help civilians trapped in conflict. It only emboldens those who believe they can act with impunity. These sanctions are not only directed at designated individuals, they also target all those who support the Court, including nationals and corporate entities of States Parties. They are aimed against innocent victims in all Situations before the Court, as well as the rule of law, peace, security and the prevention of the gravest crimes that shock the conscience of humanity. The ICC stands fully behind its personnel, and will continue its work undeterred, in strict accordance with the Rome Statute and the principles of fairness and due process, with a view to bringing justice to victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Baltic and Nordic (NB8) Political Directors in Baku pledge support for the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process Republic of Latvia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 05.06.2025 On 4 and 5 June 2025, the Under Secretary of State, Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ivars Lasis, together with the Political Directors of the Baltic states and Nordic countries (NB8) visited Azerbaijan. Diplomats from the NB8 countries discussed with the Azerbaijani side their mutual cooperation, the progress of the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, issues on regional and international agenda, as well as relations between the European Union and Azerbaijan. The visit by the NB8 Political Directors coordinated by Denmark reaffirms Azerbaijan's status as an important partner to NB8, highlighting the shared interest of the Baltic states and Nordic countries in promoting closer bilateral ties, developing political dialogue and expanding economic cooperation with Azerbaijan. During the discussions, Ivars Lasis made note of the traditionally good bilateral relations between Latvia and Azerbaijan. Latvia sees Azerbaijan as a constructive and interested partner. He also pledged strong support for the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process, which promotes stability and prosperity across the South Caucasus region. The NB8 Political Directors met with Hikmat Hajiyev, advisor to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Yalchin Rafiyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and members of the local diplomatic corps. Earlier, on 3 June, the NB8 Political Directors visited Armenia. The NB8 (Nordic-Baltic Eight) is a cooperation format comprising Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden. Cooperation between the Baltic states and the Nordic countries has been very close since the beginning of the 1990s when they were active in the N5+B3 framework, which was transformed into the NB8 format in 2007. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NZDF prepares for major warfighting exercise in Australia New Zealand Defence Force New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel and assets have begun to deploy to one of the largest multi-national military exercises in the world. 05 June, 2025 Featuring more than 30,000 military personnel and platforms from 19 nations, Exercise Talisman Sabre 25 is being held from 13 July to 4 August across Australia. Held every two years, the exercise is designed to improve and strengthen interoperability and combat readiness in complex, multi-domain operations. In preparation for the exercise, close to 35 New Zealand Army vehicles, including Light Armoured Vehicles (NZLAV) and the new Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles, along with 150 personnel, boarded HMNZS Canterbury today, ready for the transit to Queensland. Once there, the NZ Army combat team will link up with the Australian Army's 7th Brigade for a preparatory exercise to hone their interoperability in the build up to Talisman Sabre. They will soon be joined by the frigate HMNZS Te Kaha, three NH90 helicopters, P-8A Poseidon aircraft, mine warfare divers, military police, medics, logistics and others to support a range of intense land, air, and maritime operations alongside key partners. In total, more than 680 NZDF personnel will deploy on the exercise. "Talisman Sabre provides an invaluable opportunity for us to train with some of our closest defence partners in a realistic and demanding environment," said Commander Joint Forces New Zealand, Major General Rob Krushka. "Exercises like this ensure we remain a credible, capable and combat-ready force, ready to respond to regional and global challenges." Participating alongside ally Australia and defence partners including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, and others, the NZDF's involvement reflects New Zealand's ongoing commitment to collective security, regional stability, and defence cooperation. "One of our real capabilities is force integration," Major General Krushka said. "We have a well-proven ability to seamlessly embed our personnel and platforms into multi-national, multi-domain tactical forces and this exercise gives us another opportunity to demonstrate this." Talisman Sabre 25 will incorporate joint training scenarios including amphibious landings, maritime identification and interception, air operations, live-fire exercises, and logistics support across a vast training area in Australia's Northern Territory and Queensland, and in the Coral Sea. For the first time, Papua New Guinea will also be hosting an event. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Defence Force receives operating funding boost Royal New Zealand Navy Minister of Defence Judith Collins has announced a large investment in New Zealand Defence Force operating funding ahead of Budget 2025. 05 May, 2025 The New Zealand Defence Force will receive a $957 million increase over the next four years to fund essential operational activity. Defence Minister Judith Collins made the announcement at RNZAF Base Auckland yesterday. She also announced the replacement of the Defence Force's maritime helicopters, the Seasprite SH2-G(I), estimated at $2 billion. The replacement of the maritime helicopters is one of the projects contained in the recently released Defence Capability Plan. The $957 million will target Defence Force missions, people, estate maintenance and international engagement, equating to $239 million a year, she says. "Our personnel are being called upon to go more places, more often and for longer to play New Zealand's part in contributing to global security. This funding will enable them to do that." Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Tony Davies says there is no doubt the global security environment is changing and the Defence Force needs to step up in contributing to global security. "Annually this will include $150 million for Navy, Air Force and Army for direct operating and logistics costs, and some increases in our military personnel numbers," he said. "This funding will enable the NZDF to sail, fly, patrol and train more often. "It will assist with rebuilding combat capability through additional field exercises, increasing military personnel numbers, and will mean mission critical systems and capabilities are maintained and available to respond to security threats and other operational tasks as needed." Other activities include funding for international deployments ($20 million), a refreshed system of military allowances ($30 million) and funding for civilian staff pay increases ($8 million). An annual investment of $26 million is earmarked for critical estate maintenance to improve accommodation, working and training conditions for Defence Force personnel. "$957 million over four years is a welcome uplift in operational funding which reflects the value that the Government sees in the NZDF and its people and enables us to increasingly step up both domestically and internationally." Budget 2025 also recognises the Defence Force's $30 million saving being proposed through the Workplace Savings Programme. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PH, US military units hold 7th bilateral maritime drills in WPS Philippine News Agency By Priam Nepomuceno June 5, 2025, 3:33 pm MANILA -- Units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) held another bilateral maritime cooperative activity (MCA) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). In a statement Thursday, the Philippine military said the MCA held on Wednesday aims to enhance cooperation and interoperability between the two forces in maintaining regional peace and stability in WPS, as well as good order at sea in accordance with international law. This is the seventh MCA between the Philippines and the US since November 2023. "A highlight of this iteration was the fire support rehearsal involving the US 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment (3MLR) based in Subic. This serial tested joint coordination in a littoral combat environment, integrating forward observers, command and control elements, and fire support platforms for a smooth maritime operational effectiveness," the AFP added. The seventh MCA also marked a milestone for the Philippine Navy's latest guided missile frigate, the BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-06), which joined the activity. This is the BRP Miguel Malvar's first operational deployment since it was commissioned on May 20. "The mission provided a valuable opportunity to evaluate the ship's performance in a multilateral environment and assess its readiness to operate alongside its partner nation, reaffirming its vital role in enhancing the AFP's maritime capabilities," it added. Beyond defense training, the MCA also supports broader objectives, including capacity building and humanitarian assistance and disaster response preparedness, with the participation from the Philippine Air Force search-and-rescue W-3A "Sokol" helicopter and the Philippine Coast Guard's BRP Cabra (MRRV-4409). (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address BRP Miguel Malvar crew holds familiarization drills for ship systems Philippine News Agency By Priam Nepomuceno June 5, 2025, 12:49 pm Updated on June 5, 2025, 3:37 pm MANILA -- Crew members of the country's latest guided missile frigate, the BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-06), on Wednesday engaged in familiarization and training on all shipboard systems. In an interview Thursday, Philippine Fleet spokesperson Commander Randy Garbo said the personnel of the ship trained with the "original equipment manufacturer" (OEM) to familiarize themselves with these systems. These drills took place while the ship was sailing in Zambales waters. "(The drills are more) on OEM training, familiarization (with the) system(s)," Garbo said. He added that the ship returned to Naval Operating Base Subic in Zambales after the activity. The BRP Miguel Malvar, he said, would be deployed once higher headquarters determines that its crew is fully trained and familiar with the ship's equipment. The BRP Miguel Malvar, commissioned on May 20, is the first Filipino warship to be equipped with a "vertical launch system" (VLS) optimized for neutralizing air threats. The VLS is an advanced system for storing and firing missiles aboard naval vessels. The BRP Miguel Malvar is the most advanced and heavily armed ship in PN service. The ship weighs 3,200 gross tons, measures 118.4 meters, and has a beam of 14.9 meters. It has a range of 4,500 nautical miles, a cruising speed of 15 knots, and a maximum speed of 25 knots. It is equipped with sensors, surveillance systems, and weapons platforms for multi-combat operations, enabling it to track and engage surface, sub-surface, and air threats. The vessel is equipped with an Oto Melara main gun, a 35mm Aselsan close-in weapons systems, four .50 caliber heavy machine guns, eight C-Star surface-to-surface missile tubes, two triple Blue Shark torpedo tubes for anti-submarine warfare, and 16 VLS tubes for air defense. On Wednesday, the BRP Miguel Malvar took part in the seventh iteration of the Philippine-US maritime cooperative activity off the coast of Zambales. A Philippine Air Force W-3A "Sokol" rescue helicopter and the Philippine Coast Guard's patrol vessel BRP Cabra (MRRV-4409) also took part in the exercise. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran strongly condemns U.S.'s blocking U.N. resolution to halt genocide in Gaza Iran Press TV Jun 5, 2025 Tehran, IRNA -- The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson has strongly condemned the United States for preventing the adoption of a United Nations resolution aimed at stopping the genocide in Gaza, calling it a sign of the moral decline of decision-makers in Washington and evidence of their complicity in killing Palestinian children. Reacting to the U.N. Security Council's failure to pass a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and an end to genocide in Gaza, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on Thursday that the U.S. government's move to block the resolution is actually an extension of its collaboration with the Israeli regime and strongly condemned it. Emphasizing that the resolution had the support of 14 U.N.S.C. members, with only the U.S. opposing it, Baqaei said that the U.S. veto was not only an affront to the global demand to end Israeli genocide but also a clear indication of American policymakers' moral decline and their complicity in the oppressing the Palestinians and killing children in Gaza. He said the US has a long-standing record of obstructing any serious U.N.S.C. efforts to hold Israel accountable, and noted that over the past several decades, the U.S. has used its veto power more than 50 times to block resolutions aimed at enforcing international law and preventing Israel's violations of fundamental human rights. He said that this has been a major factor in Israel's impunity, the continuation of occupation, and the colonial genocide, making Washington a direct accomplice in the Israeli regime's crimes. Baqaei also emphasized the responsibility of all governments and international organizations to confront the war crimes and genocide committed by the Israeli regime and urged countries, especially those in the region and the Islamic world, to use their full individual and collective potential to pressure Israel and its supporters to end the carnage in Gaza and counter the growing threat posed by the Israeli regime to regional and global peace and security. 9417 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Palestinian groups slam U.S. veto of U.N. Gaza ceasefire resolution Iran Press TV Jun 5, 2025 The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, has condemned the United States in the strongest terms for blocking a U.N. Security Council resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza. In a statement on Thursday, the movement said Washington's "blind bias toward the fascist occupation regime endorses its crimes against humanity," adding that such an arrogant stance reflects the U.S.'s disregard for international law and outright rejection of any global effort to stop Israeli bloodshed. "The U.S. position serves as a green light for war criminal Netanyahu - wanted by the ICC - to continue his brutal genocide against innocent civilians, including children, women, and the elderly in Gaza, confirming the American full complicity in these ongoing atrocities," the statement added. According to Hamas, the U.S. envoy's remarks during the U.N. vote session "were nothing but a continuation of Washington's deceptive narrative and distortion of facts, while denying Palestinian people's legitimate rights to resist occupation and self-determination." It urged the international community to pile up pressure on Israel to end its genocide, and hold the regime's leaders accountable for their crimes in Gaza. The Islamic Jihad movement also issued a statement condemning the U.S. veto of the resolution. It said the move "clearly affirms, beyond any doubt, that this administration sponsors the crimes committed by the government of the war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu." "It is a true partner in the barbaric genocide and war crimes perpetrated by the occupation army in the Gaza Strip," the statement added. 4399**4353 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran Press TV Jun 5, 2025 Tehran, IRNA -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the Zionist regime's cruelty has taken the tragedy in Gaza to an unbelievable level, urging Muslims worldwide to unite against Israel's savagery and evil. Ayatollah Khamenei issued the call in his annual Hajj message, which was released on Thursday. He said that Palestinian children are being killed not only by bombs, bullets, and missiles, but also by thirst and starvation. "The number of families grieving for their loved ones.... is increasing day by day." The Leader called on the Islamic governments to act on this horrendous situation in Gaza, cautioning that differing political opinions should not stop them from defending the most oppressed people in the world today. The following is the full text of Ayatollah Khamenei's message to the 2025 Hajj pilgrims: In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the best of Allah's creation, Muhammad al-Mustafa, and upon his Pure Progeny, his chosen Companions and those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment. Hajj is the believer's longing, the Eid of those who are eager, the spiritual sustenance of the fortunate. If it is accompanied by knowledge of its spiritual essence, it becomes a remedy for the major ailments of not only the Islamic Ummah, but of all humanity. Hajj is not like other journeys that are undertaken for trade or tourism or other purposes, where acts of worship or good deeds may incidentally be a part of that journey. Hajj is the preparation for migrating from ordinary life towards the ideal life, the tawhidi life in which there is constant tawaf [circumambulation] around the Axis of Truth [the Ka'aba], continuous sa'i [the running between the hills of Safa and Marwah], the perpetual rami [casting of stones] of evil Shaytan, the wuquf [resting] that is accompanied by dhikr and supplications, feeding the weakened poor and the traveler and viewing all colors, races, languages and people from various geographies as equal. And at all times, a person is ready to serve, seeks refuge in God and raises high the banner of defending the Truth. These are its main, eternal components. The Hajj ritual gathers within itself symbolic examples of this life, familiarizes the pilgrim with these examples and invites them to these. This invitation should be heeded. One must open the heart and eyes to see both the outer and the inner world. One must learn and be steadfast in one's resolve to put these lessons into practice. Everyone can step forward in this path in accordance with their capacity, but scholars, intellectuals, those entrusted with political authority and people of social standing should do more than others. The Islamic world needs to apply these lessons now more than ever. It is now the second season of Hajj that is taking place at the same time as the catastrophes unfolding in Gaza and West Asia. The criminal Zionist gang occupying Palestine has with horrifying cruelty and unparalleled savagery and evil, taken the tragedy in Gaza to an unbelievable level. Palestinian children are now being killed not only by bombs, bullets, and missiles, but also by thirst and starvation. The number of families grieving for their loved ones, their youth, their fathers and their mothers are increasing day by day. Who must stand up against this human catastrophe? Undoubtedly, Islamic governments are the first ones responsible to act on this duty and the people must demand this action from their governments. Muslim governments may have differing political opinions on various issues, but this should not prevent them from coming to a consensus and cooperating in the case of the horrendous situation in Gaza. It should not stop them from defending the most oppressed people in the world today. Muslim governments must block all avenues of assistance to the Zionist regime and restrain their criminal hands from continuing these barbaric actions in Gaza. The United States is a definite accomplice in the crimes of the Zionist regime. America's associates in this region and other Islamic regions must heed the call of the Quran about defending the oppressed. They must compel the arrogant US government to end this oppressive behavior. The act of bara'at [renunciation of the mushrikin] during Hajj is a step in this direction. The miraculous resistance of the people of Gaza, has put the Palestinian issue right at the top of the concerns of the Islamic world and all freedom-loving people around the world. This opportunity must be seized and efforts must be made to rush to the aid of this oppressed nation. Despite the efforts of the arrogant powers and the supporters of the Zionist regime to erase the name and any memory of Palestine, the evil nature of the leaders of that regime and their foolish policies have created a situation in which Palestine's name shines more brightly today than ever before and public hate of the Zionists and their supporters is also more severe than ever. This is an important opportunity for the Islamic world. Public speakers and people of social standing must raise people's awareness and sensitivity and significantly increase demands regarding the issue of Palestine. And you blessed pilgrims, do not neglect the opportunity to pray and seek Almighty God's help during the Hajj and beseech Almighty God for victory over the Zionist oppressors and their supporters. May Allah's peace and greeting be upon the Noble Messenger of Islam, his Pure Progeny and Hazrat Mahdi - the vestige of Allah remaining on earth - may Allah hasten his reappearance. May Allah's greetings, mercy and blessings be upon you Sayyid Ali Khamenei Dhu al-Hijjah 3, 1446 May 30, 2025 U.S. blocks ceasefire resolution at U.N. Security Council as hunger grips Gaza Iran Press TV Jun 5, 2025 The United States has once again vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. On Wednesday, all 14 other Council members voted in favor of the resolution, which was co-sponsored by Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Somalia - collectively known as the E-10. The draft expressed grave concern over the "catastrophic humanitarian situation" in Gaza amid a complete Israeli aid blockade. It demanded the "immediate and unconditional lifting of all restrictions" on aid and unhindered access for U.N. and humanitarian groups into Gaza. Still, Washington claimed the resolution was a "non-starter" because it did not link to the release of Israeli prisoners. "The United States has taken the very clear position that Israel has the right to defend itself, which includes defeating Hamas," said Dorothy Shea, acting U.S. ambassador to the U.N., adding that her country's opposition to the resolution "should come as no surprise." Washington has vetoed the Security Council's request for a Gaza ceasefire multiple times, but this is the first such action since President Donald Trump took office. China's permanent representative to the U.N. expressed deep disappointment, saying, "Today's vote result once again exposes that the root cause of the council's inability to quell the conflict in Gaza is the repeated obstruction by the U.S." "The United States has once again abused its veto power, extinguishing the glimmer of hope for the people in Gaza and ruthlessly continuing to leave over 2 million people in darkness. It must face the questioning from the international community," Fu Cong said. Pakistan's ambassador to the U.N., Asim Ahmad, said the failed resolution would "remain not only a moral stain on the conscience of this council, but a fateful moment of political application that will reverberate for generations." "The Council was prevented from shouldering its responsibility, despite the fact that most of us seem to be converging on one view," said France's ambassador to the U.N,. Jerome Bonnafont. The failure of the resolution comes as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens, with U.N. agencies warning of the total collapse of health services, growing displacement, and a rising death toll. "The world is watching, day after day, horrifying scenes of Palestinians being shot, wounded or killed in Gaza while simply trying to eat," U.N. relief chief Tom Fletcher said earlier on Wednesday. 4399**4353 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Lebanon condemns Israel's aggression on Beirut Iran Press TV Thursday, 05 June 2025 10:10 PM Israel's latest aggression against the Lebanese capital has sparked strong reactions both inside and outside the country. Lebanese leaders on Thursday firmly slammed the regime's repeated violations of the ceasefire deal. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the Israeli strikes, describing them as a "systematic and deliberate assault on Lebanon's security, stability, and economy." He urged the international community to prevent Israel from continuing its aggression and compel the regime to fully withdraw from the Lebanese territory. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun also strongly denounced Israel's attacks, calling them a "flagrant" violation of all international agreements. President Aoun, in a statement, voiced "firm condemnation of the Israeli aggression" and "flagrant violation of an international accord... on the eve of a sacred religious festival." Similarly, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called on all Lebanese citizens to unite in the face of the regime's aggression against the country. The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon also called for an immediate halt to actions that could further undermine the ceasefire. The coordinator called on all parties to use diplomatic channels to prevent any unnecessary and dangerous escalation. Following significant losses sustained over nearly 14 months of conflict and the failure to meet its objectives in the offensive against Lebanon, Israel was compelled to accept a ceasefire with Hezbollah. This ceasefire took effect on November 27, 2024. Since the commencement of the agreement, the occupying forces have been launching assaults on Lebanon, including airstrikes throughout the Arab nation, breaching the ceasefire. On January 27, Lebanon announced its decision to extend the ceasefire with Israel until February 18. Although the deadline of February 18 has passed, Israel continues to maintain its occupation of five significant regions in southern Lebanon, namely Labbouneh, Mount Blat, Owayda Hill, Aaziyyeh, and Hammamis Hill, all situated near the border. Lebanon has condemned the continued presence of Israeli military forces, viewing it as a violation of the ceasefire agreement and the established timeline for withdrawal. Senior officials in Beirut have expressed their commitment to take "all necessary measures" to remove the occupying troops from the nation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Brazil's president slams Israel for carrying out 'premeditated genocide' in Gaza Iran Press TV Thursday, 05 June 2025 5:50 PM Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has condemned Israel for carrying out "premeditated genocide" in the besieged Gaza Strip, saying what is happening in the Palestinian territory is not a war but sheer "genocide" perpetrated by the occupying regime against Palestinians. Lula made the remarks at a joint press conference in Paris with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, nearly three years after the Tel Aviv regime launched its genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza. "(It is) a premeditated genocide from a far-right regime that is waging a war, including against the interests of its own people," the Brazilian leader said "What is happening in Gaza is not a war. It's a genocide being carried out by a highly prepared army against women and children," Lula stressed, adding, "We see genocide unfold under our eyes day after day. It's no longer possible to accept." His comments come as the Israeli military keeps slaughtering Palestinian civilians in besieged Palestinian territory, as it continues to hit the blockaded territory with air and artillery strikes. Macron, for his part, said that the "coming days" would be decisive in ending the persisting aggression in Gaza, adding, "We will ramp up pressure in coordination with the Americans to obtain a ceasefire." France is scheduled to co-host a United Nations conference in New York later this month, alongside Saudi Arabia, focusing on a so-called two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The French president also expressed hope that the conference would take steps "towards recognizing Palestine." Macron declines to use the word "genocide" to describe the Israeli war in Gaza, claiming last month that it was not for a "political leader to use to term but up to historians to do so when the time comes." This is while the US-Israeli genocide, which began in October 2023, has so far claimed the lives of over 54,670 Palestinians. Most of the victims are women and children. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'Blind bias' in favor of fascist Israel: Palestinians condemn US veto of Gaza truce resolution Iran Press TV Thursday, 05 June 2025 7:06 AM Palestinian factions have blasted the US for exercising its veto power against a United Nations Security Council draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, saying the move once again exposes Washington's complicity in the Israeli regime's crimes against Palestinians. The document described the situation in Gaza as "catastrophic" and demanded "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire" there, as well as the lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged territory. During a UNSC meeting on Wednesday, the draft received 14 votes in favor, with the US casting the only vote against, the fifth time that the US blocked a Security Council truce resolution to end the brutal Israeli aggression against Gaza. Ceasefire veto shows US 'blind bias' towards Israel The Palestinian Hamas resistance group said the US veto demonstrates the American administration's "blind bias" in favor of the "fascist" Israeli regime. The United States' "arrogant stance" reflects its disregard for international law and complete rejection of efforts aimed at stopping the bloodshed in Gaza, it added. "This American stance gives a green light to war criminal [Israeli prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, to continue the brutal war of genocide against innocent civilians," it stated. Speaking at the voting session, US Charge d'affaires to the UN Dorothy Shea claimed that the "unacceptable" draft resolution would "embolden" Hamas. She also said that Washington would not support any measure that does not call for the resistance group to disarm and leave the Gaza Strip. Hamas said Shea's remarks represented Washington's policy of disinformation, along with its denial of the Palestinian people's legitimate right to resist the occupation. It further called on the international community to press for an immediate halt to the Israeli genocide in Gaza and hold the occupation's officials accountable for their war crimes. "The failure of the UN Security Council to stop the war of genocide that has been ongoing for twenty months, and its inability to break the siege ..., raises fundamental questions about the role of international community institutions and the effectiveness of international laws and charters that the occupation continues to violate day after day without any accountability or real action," Hamas pointed out. US 'true partner' of Israel in Gaza genocide Similarly, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance group said the US veto of the Gaza ceasefire resolution clearly affirms that the US is sponsoring Israeli crimes. The United States "is a true partner in the barbaric genocide and war crimes perpetrated by the occupation's army in the Gaza Strip," it said in a statement. Truce veto exposes US 'hostility' towards Palestinians Meanwhile, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said the US veto should surprise no one as Washington supplies the most lethal weapons to the Israeli military. The veto, it emphasized, serves as "new evidence of the direct [US] complicity" in the Israeli genocide in Gaza and American hostility towards the Palestinian people. Israel launched its US-backed Gaza onslaught on October 7, 2023, after Hamas carried out a military operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for the regime's intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people. So far, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 54,607 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 125,341 others in the blockaded territory. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN says 'not a single hospital functional' in North Gaza amid Israel's aid access denials Iran Press TV Thursday, 05 June 2025 5:37 AM The UN says all hospitals in northern Gaza have ceased functioning as a result of Israel's military aggression, while aid deliveries continue to be blocked due to the regime's persisting refusal to allow access. "Our colleagues on the ground tell us that the latest figures indicate that in the past three weeks, more than 100,000 people were forced to flee in the governorates of North Gaza and Gaza alone," spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference on Wednesday. He stated that health partners have warned that facilities are "heavily impacted by the ongoing hostilities," with an increasing number of them halting operations each day. "On Monday, the remaining staff and patients in the Indonesian Hospital, in North Gaza, were evacuated. As a result, not a single hospital remains functional in North Gaza," Dujarric added. He said that while the UN continues to deliver aid through the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing, Israel approved only 50 flour-carrying trucks from a batch of 130 that had already received preliminary clearance. He reported that one aid convoy was completely blocked, while another succeeded in retrieving only about 12 truckloads. Since the crossing's reopening, fewer than 400 trucks have been collected, he added. On Monday alone, UN operations faced six access denials throughout Gaza, including failed attempts to deliver water and obtain fuel. Dujarric underscored that Israeli denials prevent the UN "from carrying out interventions as critical as trucking water to those who need it." Besides denying aid deliveries and carrying out strikes, Israel continues to target Gaza's health system. On Monday, the Israeli military completely demolished the Noura al-Kaabi dialysis center, the only medical facility providing kidney dialysis to Palestinian patients in the northern Gaza Strip. Also on Sunday, the director of the al-Shifa hospital said five cancer patients die daily in their homes in the Gaza Strip due to the lack of medical care caused by Israel's brutal onslaught and siege. Israel launched its Gaza genocide on October 7, 2023, after the Hamas resistance movement carried out a military operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for the regime's intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people. So far, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 54,607 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 125,341 others in the besieged territory. During its bloody aggression, Israel has targeted Gaza's civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools, in blatant violation of international law. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taliban Broadens Crackdown With Detention Of Critical Religious Scholars By Abubakar Siddique and RFE/RL's Radio Azadi June 05, 2025 The Taliban declared dissent unacceptable after returning to power nearly four years ago. Since then, it has detained, tortured, or forced into exile secular opponents, journalists, and human rights activists. Now the country's de facto leaders appear to be broadening their crackdown to include Islamic scholars and clerics for publicly criticizing the Taliban's harsh rulings or merely supporting more moderate policies. Abdul Qadir Qanat, a Muslim cleric in the Afghan capital, Kabul, is one of the most prominent figures detained by the Taliban. "They tied his hands and sped him away in a vehicle along with his young son," said a friend of Qanat who requested anonymity because he feared reprisals from the Taliban for speaking to RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. "So far, we don't know why he was detained or what the charges against him are," the friend, who is also a cleric, said of Qanat's arrest in late May. "We are very worried about him because he has diabetes." Qanat is known for speaking his mind on television talk shows and public speeches. Qanat and his friend Sirajuddin Nabil have been detained for criticizing the Taliban rule during a public gathering. In January, Qanat and another cleric, Mahmood Hassan, were arrested after they criticized the Taliban's monopoly over power. Bashir Ahmad Hanafi, a Muslim scholar who has consistently supported the Taliban in the southern province of Helmand, is another prominent figure among those detained by the Taliban's intelligence service. Hanafi's friends say he was detained by the Taliban spy service soon after he criticized the Taliban's ban on education for Afghan women and teenage girls last month. Media reports suggest Hanafi has been sentenced to imprisonment for eight months and banned from traveling abroad for two years for "inciting public opinion against the current [political] system." Radio Azadi repeatedly approached the Taliban intelligence agency's spokesman, Khalil Hamraz for comment, but he didn't respond. Safia Arefi, a human rights campaigner, told Radio Azadi that the Taliban has shown no tolerance for dissent or criticism. "The Taliban's treatment of the accused does not take into account any principles or law," she said. "They have not even informed the families of the detainees." Obaidullah Baheer, a former fellow at the South Asia Center at the London School of Economics, said theocracies such as the Taliban "often conflate political decision-making with religious doctrine," which leaves no margin for disagreement, dissent, or criticism. He sees the Taliban's crackdown on religious scholars as self-defeating. "It's a quick and sure way of alienating the local population and taking a hit on the popularity front," he said. Unlike its brutal regime in the 1990s, the current Taliban government has imposed censorship gradually. It suppressed dissent by targeting various segments of the Afghan society. It initially faced criticism from the Afghan media and protest demonstrations by women, retirees, and farmers affected by its harsh policies. It has wiped out independent Afghan media and severely restricted international press from accessing the country. It has tortured and detained hundreds of activists, academics, and journalists to promote a culture of self-censorship and fear. "There is an understanding that there are consequences for crossing a line that is not very clearly defined," Baheer said. "But anything that even converges on criticism is not tolerated and is then punished." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban- islamic-clerics-dissent/33434004.html Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Imposing Sanctions in Response to the ICC's Illegitimate Actions Targeting the United States and Israel US Department of State Press Statement Marco Rubio, Secretary of State June 5, 2025 Today, I am designating Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin, and Beti Hohler of Slovenia pursuant to President Trump's Executive Order 14203, "Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court." These individuals directly engaged in efforts by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel, without consent from the United States or Israel. Neither the United States nor Israel is party to the Rome Statute. As ICC judges, these four individuals have actively engaged in the ICC's illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel. The ICC is politicized and falsely claims unfettered discretion to investigate, charge, and prosecute nationals of the United States and our allies. This dangerous assertion and abuse of power infringes upon the sovereignty and national security of the United States and our allies, including Israel. The United States will take whatever actions we deem necessary to protect our sovereignty, that of Israel, and any other U.S. ally from illegitimate actions by the ICC. I call on the countries that still support the ICC, many of whose freedom was purchased at the price of great American sacrifices to fight this disgraceful attack on our nation and Israel. All targets are being designated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14203. For more information on today's actions, please see the Department of State's fact sheet and the Department of the Treasury's press release. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN chief urges world leaders to keep two-State solution 'alive' By Vibhu Mishra 5 June 2025 - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday urged world leaders to revive efforts toward a two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, warning that there is no alternative. "It is absolutely essential to keep alive the two-State solution perspective with all the terrible things we are witnessing in Gaza and the West Bank," Mr. Guterres told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York. He was responding to a question about his message to leaders gathering at a high-level international conference later this month on a comprehensive and lasting peace in the region. "And for those that doubt about the two-State solution, I ask: What is the alternative? Is it a one-state solution in which either the Palestinians are expelled or forced to live in their land without rights?" Mandated by the UN General Assembly, the high-level event is aimed at charting an "action-oriented" path toward a comprehensive and lasting peace based on the two-State formula. The meeting will include thematic roundtables on key issues such as security, humanitarian reconstruction, and the economic viability of a Palestinian state. Disappointed over failed resolution Mr. Guterres also expressed deep disappointment following the Security Council's failure on Wednesday to adopt a resolution demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and the release of all hostages. The text, endorsed by all ten elected members of the Council, received support from the other four permanent members, but was vetoed by the United States. "We are always disappointed when ceasefires do not materialise, releases of hostages [do not happen] and humanitarian aid is not distributed or is distributed in a way that puts at risk the lives of so many Palestinians," he said, responding to another correspondent. The Secretary-General reiterated that only a permanent ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and unimpeded humanitarian access would allow the UN to deliver meaningful relief to civilians in Gaza. He emphasised that during previous temporary ceasefires, the UN was able to mobilise large-scale assistance. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address In Gaza, daily food intake has fallen well below 'survival' level 5 June 2025 - The lack of food entering Gaza caused by ongoing Israeli aid restrictions is leaving increasing numbers of Palestinians "vulnerable to starvation", with daily energy intake now well below what a human body needs to survive, the UN warned on Thursday. Latest data simulations from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) point to the average Gazan eating just 1,400 calories per day - "or 67 per cent of what a human body needs to survive" (2,300 calories) as of May. Between October 2023 and the end of December 2024, average intake was 1,510 calories per day, or 72 per cent of the minimum recommended amount. "The findings reveal systemic and escalating violations of both international human rights law and international humanitarian law, particularly concerning the right to adequate food, the prohibition of starvation as a method of warfare, and the protection of civilians in armed conflict," FAO insisted. Even based on its most optimistic food availability scenario, the UN agency estimated that energy intake was just 1,470 calories per person per day on 11 May, during the complete aid blockade imposed by Israel, beginning 2 March. "This has critical implications for hunger and undernutrition, especially for families without cash and/or able-bodied men, as well as children, pregnant and lactating women, person with disabilities and the elderly," FAO explained. The agency noted that its analysis is in line with dire warnings of acute hunger across Gaza issued by UN-backed food security experts last month, based on the lack of available wheat flour, pulses, rice, dairy products, and vegetable oil. Without an improvement in the amount of aid being allowed into Gaza for distribution by established agencies, FAO warned that the already dire humanitarian situation could deteriorate even further. This is despite repeated calls to Israel from the United Nations including from the Secretary-General to allow more aid in at scale, in line with "binding orders" issued by the International Court of Justice to fully cooperate with the UN and ensure that aid reaches the people of Gaza without delay. Unknown number of dead Gaza's population today is approximately 2.1 million, down from 2.23 million in October 2023 before the war began following Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel. Citing the Palestinian authorities, FAO said that as of 30 April, 52,400 Palestinians had been reported killed, while another 11,000 were feared missing, presumably under the rubble. While more than 60,000 children have been born in the Gaza Strip during the conflict, "an unknown number of Palestinians have died of natural causes or indirectly from the conflict, due to hunger, untreated diseases or injuries since October 2023", FAO said. The UN agency also referred to a June 2024 article by the authoritative medical journal The Lancet suggesting that up to 186,000 people would likely die from indirect causes because of the conflict, at a "conservative" rate of four indirect deaths for every direct death. According to FAO's simulation, 2,297 tonnes - equivalent to 120 trucks - per day are required to deliver food baskets providing 2,100 calories per person per day to the entire population of the Gaza Strip. On Wednesday, UN teams requested access for 130 truckloads of aid via Kerem Shalom, but only 50 carrying flour were approved to enter from Israel. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Number of aid workers killed in Gaza conflict, highest in UN history: Guterres 5 June 2025 - The United Nations paid tribute on Thursday to the 168 staff members who lost their lives in 2024. They include 126 personnel killed in Gaza, all but one of whom served with the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA. Ahead of a memorial service at Headquarters in New York, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told journalists that the men and women being honoured "were not just names on a list" but "extraordinary individuals - each one a story of courage, compassion, and service." "They were driven by the pursuit of peace. By the urgency to ease human suffering. And by the conviction that every person, everywhere, deserves dignity and protection," he said, speaking in front of the Security Council chamber. He acknowledged that the past year has been especially devastating for UN humanitarian workers. "More than one in every 50 UNRWA staff in Gaza has been killed in this atrocious conflict. This is the highest staff death toll in United Nations history," he said. "Some were killed delivering life-saving aid; others alongside their families; others while shielding the vulnerable." 'No room for impunity' The Secretary-General said the sacrifice of all 168 fallen colleagues is a tragedy but also a reminder of the responsibility carried by every staff member every day. It is important for the world to see this, he added, "because as we mourn those lost, we must also recognize the living." Mr. Guterres saluted staff members still serving in crisis zones across the globe for their courage and resilience. "And to the world, I say: We will not grow numb to suffering. We will not accept the killing of UN personnel," he stressed. "We will not accept the killing of humanitarians, journalists, medical workers, or civilians as the new normal anywhere and under any circumstances. There must be no room for impunity." Remembering lives lost Since 2011, the UN has held an annual service at Headquarters to honour personnel who have lost their lives in the line of duty during the previous year. Those who paid the ultimate price in 2024 worked with UNRWA, the UN Secretariat, the UN refugee agency UNHCR, the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), and the World Food Programme (WFP). They came from 31 countries and were teachers, engineers, doctors, administrators, humanitarians, peacekeepers, and more. Above all, they were sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, and brothers and sisters. Shortly after the press briefing, the Secretary-General joined some of their relatives, UN staff members and senior officials for the memorial service in the Trusteeship Council. Many others across the world followed the event online. 'They were the best of us' The Secretary-General noted that working for the UN "is far more than just a job" - it's a calling. "All our fallen colleagues answered the call to serve humanity," he said. "They did so in their own ways - without fanfare - and with determination. They represented humanity in action." He remarked that "at a time when some may question international cooperation or the very notion of multilateralism, we would all do well to remember these lives taken far too soon." "Let us take inspiration from how they lived," he said. "And let us vow that the memory and mission of our fallen colleagues will endure. They were the best of us. Let them live on through our work." Legacy lives on The president of the UN Staff Union in New York, Narda Cupidore, echoed this message. She said they embodied the mission of the whole UN "and they paid the ultimate price." "Let this honouring be more than a moment of silence," she said. "Let it be a call for action. A call to protect those who serve. A call to ensure that anyone who serves under the blue flag does so with the full protection, support and respect." Ms. Cupidore said the legacy of the fallen colleagues "lives on in our work, in our advocacy and in our unshakeable belief that the world is worth striving for." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address World News in Brief: Women's health in Sudan, childhood wasting, Belarus trade unions, Guatemala child rights violation 5 June 2025 - As hostilities rage in Sudan, access constraints and devastating funding cuts are isolating rape survivors and pregnant women from essential health services, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency UNFPA said on Thursday. It warned that without immediate support, women and girls will continue to pay the price of this crisis with their lives, as hundreds of thousands are being left without access to emergency obstetric care or support after rape. Often suffering complications from constant distress, malnutrition, and physical exhaustion, more and more displaced pregnant women are arriving at UN facilities in desperate conditions after months without care, UNFPA said. Due to persistent insecurity, access limitations and inadequate funding, over 1.1 million pregnant women in Sudan currently lack access to antenatal care, safe delivery, and postpartum care, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). As UNFPA recently underwent sharp funding cuts, the organization has had to scale back services to survivors escaping violence, shutting down 11 out of its 61 safe spaces in Sudan. Nearly one fourth of the population, most of them women and girls, are now at risk of gender-based violence. "The scale and brutality of violations are beyond anything we've previously documented. We have documented numerous cases of adolescent girls who have survived rape and sexual violence," Dina, a gender-based violence specialist in Sudan, told the agency. "Cuts to humanitarian funding are not just budget decisions they are life-and-death choices," said Laila Baker, UNFPA Arab States Regional Director. "The world is turning its back on the women and girls of Sudan." Over 30 million children suffer from 'wasting' in 15 countries: WFP Two UN agencies are uniting to tackle wasting - the deadliest form of malnutrition - among 33 million children in 15 countries. The life-threatening condition is caused by lack of nutritious food along with frequent illness. Children who survive wasting can still suffer "long-term and devastating impacts," said the World Food Programme (WFP), highlighting the need to act fast and early. However, the agency said this is difficult in places where families have been uprooted by violence or extreme weather, such as South Sudan's Unity state - where Nyanene Gatdoor, a 25-year-old mother-of-three, lives in a displacement camp. Cries of hunger "When the baby is crying in front of you, and you have nothing to give him, you feel pain in your heart," she said, referring to her two-year-old son, Tuach, who cries with hunger. More than three million South Sudanese mothers and children are at risk of malnutrition this year - that's more than one-quarter of the country's total population. To help those most in need, WFP has joined forces with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) to eradicate wasting in South Sudan and 14 other countries. Together, they represent The objective includes delivering nutritious food to communities and sharing key messages on healthy eating and cleanliness, to avoid getting sick. Belarus: Trade unionists repressed by 'climate of fear', rights experts say Trade unions in Belarus continue to face State repression and detention, top independent rights experts said on Thursday. The experts called for the immediate release of, and urgent medical care for, imprisoned trade union leaders, stressing that freedom of association at work is "absent" in Belarus. The rights experts, who include Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, allege that trades unions have been disbanded after being labelled "extremist". Forced into exile Their leaders and members have also been imprisoned, forced into exile and prosecuted while outside Belarus, Ms. Romero said. Many unionists have been left without legal protections, their assets confiscated, and their voices silenced, insisted the rights experts, who report to the Human Rights Council. The development comes amid growing concerns over prison conditions in Belarus for opponents of the Government. The rights experts who are not UN staff highlighted the human impact of detaining union leaders and called for them to be granted access to independent doctors. They also called for international missions to be allowed to visit those held in prison. Guatemala violated child rape victim's rights by forcing her into motherhood: Human Rights Council On Thursday, the UN Human Rights Committee decided a case against Guatemala, ruling the country violated the rights of a 14-year-old girl who became pregnant from rape by forcing her to continue the pregnancy to term and into motherhood. The girl was repeatedly raped by an ex-director of the day-care centre she attended as a child who maintained contact with her family. She was then denied access to an abortion, endured an almost fatal delivery, and was forced to assume parental responsibilities despite not wanting to be involved in the child's care. The suffering the victim endured led to two suicide attempts. The child now lives with the victim's mother, who is struggling to cover his expenses. Near-decade of legal proceedings After nine years of criminal proceedings against the perpetrator, Guatemala did not properly investigate the rape or take effective action to prosecute the perpetrator. The victim and her family then brought the case to the Committee, claiming Guatemala violated her rights under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The Committee ruled that Guatemala breached the girl's right to live with dignity and reproductive autonomy and subjected her to treatment comparable to torture, in violation of the treaty. The Committee called on Guatemala to establish a system to track and address cases of sexual violence, child pregnancy, and forced motherhood, as the country has one of the highest rates of forced motherhood and impunity for sexual violence. The authorities also were urged to redress damage done to the victim's life plans, publicly acknowledge responsibility and ensure education and psychological care for her child. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address WHO calls for urgent protection of Nasser Medical Complex and Al-Amal Hospital in the Gaza Strip 5 June 2025 News release Jerusalem, Cairo, Geneva WHO warns that the Gaza Strip's health system is collapsing, with Nasser Medical Complex, the most important referral hospital left in Gaza, and Al-Amal Hospital at risk of becoming non-functional. There are already no hospitals functioning in the north of Gaza. Nasser and Amal are the last two functioning public hospitals in Khan Younis, where currently most of the population is living. Without them, people will lose access to critical health services. While these hospitals have not received orders to evacuate patients or staff, they lie within or just outside the evacuation zone announced on 2 June. Israeli authorities have informed the Ministry of Health that access routes leading to both hospitals will be obstructed. As a result, safe access for new patients and staff will be difficult, if not impossible. If the situation further deteriorates, both hospitals are at high risk of becoming non-functional, due to movement restrictions, insecurity, and the inability of WHO and partners to resupply or transfer patients. Nasser and Al Amal hospitals are operating above their capacity, while people with life-threatening injuries continue to arrive to seek urgent care amid a dire shortage of essential medicines and medical supplies. The hospitals going out of service would have dire consequences for patients in need of surgical care, intensive care, blood bank and transfusion services, cancer care, and dialysis. Losing the two hospitals would cut 490 beds, reducing the Gaza Strip's overall hospital bed availability to less than 1400 hospital beds (40% less hospital beds available in the Gaza Strip than before the start of the conflict), for the entire population of 2 million people. The relentless and systematic decimation of hospitals in Gaza has been going on for too long. It must end immediately. For over 20 months, health workers, WHO, and partners have managed to keep health services partly running despite extreme conditions. But repeated attacks, escalating hostilities, denial of aid, and restricted access have systematically dismantled the health system. WHO calls for urgent protection of Nasser Medical Complex and Al-Amal Hospital to ensure they remain accessible, functional and safe from attacks and hostilities. Patients seeking refuge and care to save their lives must not risk losing them trying to reach hospitals. Hospitals must never be militarized or targeted. WHO calls for the delivery of essential medicines and medical supplies into Gaza to be immediately expedited safely and facilitated through all possible routes. WHO calls for an immediate and lasting ceasefire. Notes to editors Only 17 of Gaza's 36 hospitals are currently partially functional. Of these, just five, including Nasser Medical Complex and Al-Amal Hospital, are major referral facilities, accounting for 75% of all the Gaza Strip's hospital beds. Nasser Medical Complex is operating at 180% over bed capacity and Al Amal Hospital is at 100%. Currently, one national and four international Emergency Medical Teams are deployed at Al-Amal and Nasser hospitals as part of efforts to provide specialized care and strengthen hospital capacity. Acute shortages of essential medicines and medical supplies are severely disrupting health services in all hospitals, while about 50 WHO trucks of supplies await at Al-Arish and in the West Bank. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Maritime Security Cutter, Large (WMSL) National Security Cutter (NSC) On 05 June 2025, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that she had cancelled the contract for the construction of the 11th Legend-class National Security Cutter (NSC). The reasonning stated was that "as the Trump administration is revitalizing the U.S. Coast Guard through Force Design 2028, we need to be smart with the American taxpayer's money. This project was over time and over budget." While $260 million are claimed to be returned to the U.S. Treasury, the Coast Guard is to receive $135 million in parts that are to be used to retrofit, upgrade, and maintain the Coast Guard's existing fleet of 10 Legend-class cutters. Production of NSC #11 was begun by shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls (HII) in May 2021, but as of the cancellation announcement, not yet complete. The funding request sent to Congress in February 2012 included $658 million for the sixth Legend-class NSC, but the Coast Guard program would end after that ship is delivered. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the proposed "pause" in the NSC program was due to budget constraints as well as examining how it fits with the Navys plans. We will look at [NSCs] seven and eight in light of what the Navy is doing, Napolitano told the House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee during a hearing to examine her departments budget request. So we need to look at what the DoD is doing with respect to their own force lay down to see what we need to be putting in the acquisition pipeline. The the Maritime Security Cutter, Large (WMSL, formerly known as the National Security Cutter), the successor of the 378' High Endurance Hamilton class cutters that have been in service since the 1960s. The WMSL is the largest of three new cutter classes -- and the first under construction -- within the Coast Guard's Integrated Deepwater System (IDS) acquisition program. As of early 2011 the Service has taken delivery of two National Security Cutters. Both vessels represent tremendous improvements over the 45 year old vessels they are replacing. But by that time the program was two years behind schedule and 38 percent over the revised 2007 budget. In addition, both vessels will require substantial retrofits to meet expected service lives. The NSC project, which is part of the $24 billion Deepwater modernization and recapitalization program, is building the future flagships of the Coast Guard's fleet. The NSCs, which are under construction by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, at Pascagoula, Miss., will be the largest and most technically advanced ships in Coast Guard history. The new ships' complexity is reflected in the contractual agreement between the Coast Guard and Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS), which is an industry joint venture between Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. The Coast Guard and ICGS have struggled with the NSC's original contract vehicle and an integrated product team structure that did not adapt very well to change, even as dramatic changes were occurring throughout the Deepwater program. The Coast Guard's Deepwater Program is the largest recapitalization effort in the 214-year history of the Coast Guard. The IDS, is a vital multi-year program to modernize and replace aging ships and aircraft that will be linked with state-of-the-art Command, Control, Communications and Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance systems supported by an integrated logistics regime. This mix of ships, airplanes, helicopters, and unmanned air vehicles ensures full interoperability while meeting the full range of Coast Guard missions, including homeland security. The Deepwater Program will improve the Coast Guard's counter terrorism, maritime homeland security, and overall mission performance capabilities. The Deepwater Program is vital to transforming the Coast Guard and ensuring the delivery of required capabilities needed for the performance of homeland security and other missions. The system of systems approach is the most prudent, cost effective and efficient manner to transform the Coast Guard. The NSC was designed to be the flagship of the fleet - capable of meeting all maritime security mission needs, and supportive of the joint Coast Guard/Navy commitment to Joint Service Combatant Commanders. The NSC contributes to Intelligence Collection/Information Sharing through a sophisticated S/SCIF, SEI sensors and increased data exchange bandwidth. The NSC's Deepwater and DoD interoperability capabilities are enhanced with DHS- and local responder interoperable radio communications. The NSC flight deck will grow to accommodate all variants of DHS and DoD HH-60 helicopters to provide enhanced interoperability with interagency and inter-service counter-terrorism teams. The NSC will now be fully integrated with the National Distress Response Modernization Program, known as RESCUE 21, which will provide the port commanders with real-time tracking of the NSC and seamless Common Operational Picture/MDA data sharing, including the Automated Identification System (AIS). The NSC Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection suite will include underwater sonar that will allow the cutter to scan ports, approaches, facilities and high-value assets for underwater, minelike devices and detect swimmers. The cutter's small arms mounts will be remote operated and fully integrated with the cutter's radar and infrared sensors such that the cutter and high-value assets under its protection can be protected from a USS COLE-like incident. The Maritime Security Capabilities allow cutter's weapons and command and control suite to be upgraded and hardened to better survive potential terrorist incidents and process increased data flow. This will include SRBOC/NULKA missile defense system with CIWS, SLQ-32, and a medium caliber deck gun (57MM) that will provide the ability to stop rogue merchant vessels far from shore. An integrated CBRNE Detection and Defense capability allows the NSC to remain on scene and operate in Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) scenarios. The WMSL, manufactured by Northrop Grumman Corporation's Ships Systems sector in Pascagoula, Miss., is a 421-foot vessel with a draft of 21 feet and a 4,112-ton displacement at full load when delivered. The twin-screw cutter will be powered by a combined diesel and gas propulsion plant designed for maximum cutter speeds of 28 knots [or 29 knots]. The cutter's design incorporates a stern ramp for underway launch and recovery of two rigid hull inflatable boats, a flight deck and dual helicopter hangar to accommodate a range of rotary wing manned and unmanned aircraft, and state of the art electronics for command and control. It is designed to have dual stern ramps for deployment and recovery of 2 RHIBs, a maximum range of 12,000 nautical miles, and a helo pad and hanger. The National Security Cutter is designed to have a fitness center, 3 lounges, a learning lab, and 4 person staterooms. It will have an adaptable mission module and 100 percent common C4ISR with OPC. The WMSL is equipped with 57mm gun as well as .50 caliber guns. Although originally conceived with "deepwater" missions in mind, including forward-deployed expeditionary operations with Navy component commanders, mobile multimission platforms like the Maritime Security Cutter are ideally suited for the wide range of homeland security operations encountered in ports, waterways, and coastal areas. The design of the WMSL will provide better sea keeping and higher sustained transit speeds, greater endurance and range, and the ability for launch and recovery, in higher sea states, of improved small boats, helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles--all key attributes in enabling the Coast Guard to implement increased security responsibilities. Such duties include exerting more effective jurisdiction over foreign-flagged ships transiting U.S. waters. Deepwater's more capable maritime security cutters, for example, will enable the Coast Guard to screen and target vessels faster, more safely, and reliably before they arrive in U.S. waters-to include conducting onboard verification through boardings and, if necessary, taking enforcement-control actions. The national security cutter is a crucial element of the Coast Guard's recapitalization and is urgently needed to meet growing mission needs. The largest cutters in the Coast Guard's current fleet, the 378-foot high endurance cutters, are 35 years old and are approaching the end of their service lives. The new cutters will offer the Coast Guard's operating force a safer and more effective platform from which to carry out its missions. The 418-foot national security cutter is uniquely suited for conducting the full range of maritime safety, security and natural resource stewardship missions in the world's toughest environments for extended periods of time. The NSC is intended to be the Coast Guard's most technologically advanced class of cutter and will typically deploy with multi-mission cutter helicopters and vertical unmanned aerial vehicles. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russo-Ukraine War - 05 June 2025 - Day 1198 Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace. "To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal] The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that since the beginning of this day, there have been 189 combat clashes. Russian zagarbniki inflicted one rocket and 33 aviation strikes, using one rocket and 44 cab. In addition, the Russians engaged 1266 kamikaze drones and carried out 4511 shelling positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements. In the Kharkiv direction, the Russian enemy three times tried to advance near Vovchansk and in the direction of Dovgenky, received a cut off. In the Kupyansky direction, Russian forces attacked the positions of Ukrainian defenders in the area of the settlements of Zapadne, Petropavlivka, Zagrizove and in the direction of Golubivka. Ukrainian defenders repelled four Russian attacks. One attack is ongoing so far. In the Lyman direction during the day Russian zagarbniks 20 times attacked the positions of Ukrainians in the areas of the settlements of Grekivka, New Mir, Ridkodub, Karpivka, Green Valley, Lindove, Torske and towards Grigorivka. Five more clashes are underway. In the sivers komu direction since the beginning of the day, there have been three combat clashes near the verkhnyokamians kogo. All Russian forces attempts to advance were successfully repelled by Ukrainian defenders. In the Kramators komu direction, the Defense Forces successfully stopped five assaults in the areas of Chasovoye Yar, Kurdyumivka and in the direction of Predtecinyo, White Mountain. Two clashes are ongoing so far. In the Toretsky direction Russians 18 times attacked the positions of Defense Forces. The Russian occupiers concentrated their efforts in the areas of the settlements Diliyivka, Toretsk, Nelipivka, Cherbinivka and in the direction of the settlements Oleksandro-Kalinove, Yablunivka, Rusin Yar. Ukrainian defenders have successfully stopped all Russian attempts to advance. Since the beginning of this day in the Pokrovsky direction, the Russian zagarbnic ki units tried to break through Ukrainian defense in the areas of populated areas Poltavka, Mirolyubivka, Malinivka, Elizavetivka, Lisivka, Zvirove, Udaachne, Kotline, Novosergiivka, Novooleksandrivka, Gorihove, Novoukrainka, Andriyivka and towards Pokrovsk and Oleksiyivka. Defense Forces contain the pressure of the Russian enemy and repelled 46 Russian attacks, five clashes are ongoing so far. Today in this direction Ukrainian soldiers zneskodili 171 Russian occupiers, 121 of them - irrevocably. Also destroyed six vehicles units, six vehicles, 17 motorcycles, two control points; mortar and cannon were damaged. In the Novopavlovsk direction, Russian forces 24 times attacked Ukrainian positions near the settlements of Bagatyr, Konstantinopil, Rivnopil, Novosilka, Green Field and in the direction of Oleksiyivka, Mosquito. The three attacks are still going on. In the Gulyajpil s komu direction, the Russian enemy has tried to break through the defense of Ukrainian defenders in the area of Malinivka. In the Orihivsky direction, near Stepovoye, Maliy Scherbaky and in the direction of Novoandriivka, the Russian zagarbniks carried out four useless attacks on the position of Ukrainian defenders. In the pridniprovsky direction, Russian forces three times without success tried to approach the fortifications of Ukrainian defenders. In the Kurs komu direction Ukrainian defenders repelled 14 Russian attacks. Also, Russian forces launched four air strikes, dropping six controlled bombs, carrying out 162 artillery shells at positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements, including four from the jet-fire system In other directions, there have been no significant changes in the environment. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Restricts the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats Fact Sheets The White House June 4, 2025 COMBATING TERRORISM THROUGH COMMON SENSE SECURITY STANDARDS: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a Proclamation to protect the nation from foreign terrorist and other national security and public safety threats from entry into the United States. Pursuant to President Trump's Executive Order 14161, issued on January 20, 2025, titled "Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats," national security agencies engaged in a robust assessment of the risk that countries posed to the United States, including regarding terrorism and national security. In Trump v. Hawaii, the Supreme Court upheld the President's authority to use section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to protect the United States through entry restrictions. The Proclamation fully restricts and limits the entry of nationals from 12 countries found to be deficient with regards to screening and vetting and determined to pose a very high risk to the United States: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The Proclamation partially restricts and limits the entry of nationals from 7 countries who also pose a high level of risk to the United States: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. The Proclamation includes exceptions for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories, and individuals whose entry serves U.S. national interests. SECURING OUR BORDERS AND INTERESTS: The restrictions and limitations imposed by the Proclamation are necessary to garner cooperation from foreign governments, enforce our immigration laws, and advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives. It is the President's sacred duty to take action to ensure that those seeking to enter our country will not harm the American people. After evaluating a report submitted by the Secretary of State, in coordination with other cabinet officials, President Trump has determined that the entry of nationals from certain countries must be restricted or limited to protect U.S. national security and public safety interests. The restrictions are country-specific in order to encourage cooperation with the subject countries in recognition of each country's unique circumstances. Some of the named countries have inadequate screening and vetting processes, hindering America's ability to identify potential security threats before entry. Certain countries exhibit high visa overstay rates, demonstrating a disregard for U.S. immigration laws and increasing burdens on enforcement systems. Other countries lack cooperation in sharing identity and threat information, undermining effective U.S. immigration vetting. Some countries have a significant terrorist presence or state-sponsored terrorism, posing direct risks to U.S. national security. Several countries have historically failed to accept back their removable nationals, complicating U.S. efforts to manage immigration and public safety. MAKING AMERICA SAFE AGAIN: President Trump is keeping his promise to restore the travel ban and secure our borders. President Trump: "We will restore the travel ban, some people call it the Trump travel ban, and keep the radical Islamic terrorists out of our country that was upheld by the Supreme Court." In his first term, President Trump successfully implemented a travel ban that restricted entry from several countries with inadequate vetting processes or significant security risks. The Supreme Court upheld the travel ban, ruling that it "is squarely within the scope of Presidential authority" and noting that it is "expressly premised on legitimate purposes." This Proclamation builds on President Trump's first-term travel ban, incorporating an updated assessment of current global screening, vetting, and security risks. JUSTIFICATION FOR FULL SUSPENSION BY COUNTRY Afghanistan The Taliban, a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group, controls Afghanistan. Afghanistan lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures. According to the Fiscal Year 2023 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Entry/Exit Overstay Report ("Overstay Report"), Afghanistan had a business/tourist (B1/B2) visa overstay rate of 9.70 percent and a student (F), vocational (M), and exchange visitor (J) visa overstay rate of 29.30 percent. Burma According to the Overstay Report, Burma had a B1/B2 visa overstay rate of 27.07 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 42.17 percent. Additionally, Burma has historically not cooperated with the United States to accept back their removable nationals. Chad According to the Overstay Report, Chad had a B1/B2 visa overstay rate of 49.54 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 55.64 percent. According to the Fiscal Year 2022 Overstay Report, Chad had a B1/B2 visa overstay rate of 37.12 percent. The high visa overstay rate for 2022 and 2023 is unacceptable and indicates a blatant disregard for U.S. immigration laws. Republic of the Congo According to the Overstay Report, the Republic of the Congo had a B1/B2 visa overstay rate of 29.63 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 35.14 percent. Equatorial Guinea According to the Overstay Report, Equatorial Guinea had a B1/B2 visa overstay rate of 21.98 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 70.18 percent. Eritrea The United States questions the competence of the central authority for issuance of passports or civil documents in Eritrea. Criminal records are not available to the United States for Eritrean nationals. Eritrea has historically refused to accept back its removable nationals. According to the Overstay Report, Eritrea had a B1/B2 visa overstay rate of 20.09 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 55.43 percent. Haiti According to the Overstay Report, Haiti had a B1/B2 visa overstay rate of 31.38 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 25.05 percent. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of illegal Haitian aliens flooded into the United States during the Biden Administration. This influx harms American communities by creating acute risks of increased overstay rates, establishment of criminal networks, and other national security threats. As is widely known, Haiti lacks a central authority with sufficient availability and dissemination of law enforcement information necessary to ensure its nationals do not undermine the national security of the United States. Iran Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism. Iran regularly fails to cooperate with the United States Government in identifying security risks, is the source of significant terrorism around the world, and has historically failed to accept back its removable nationals. Libya There is no competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents in Libya. The historical terrorist presence within Libya's territory amplifies the risks posed by the entry into the United States of its nationals. Somalia Somalia lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures. Somalia stands apart from other countries in the degree to which its government lacks command and control of its territory, which greatly limits the effectiveness of its national capabilities in a variety of respects. A persistent terrorist threat also emanates from Somalia's territory. The United States Government has identified Somalia as a terrorist safe haven. Terrorists use regions of Somalia as safe havens from which they plan, facilitate, and conduct their operations. Somalia also remains a destination for individuals attempting to join terrorist groups that threaten the national security of the United States. The Government of Somalia struggles to provide governance needed to limit terrorists' freedom of movement. Additionally, Somalia has historically refused to accept back its removable nationals. Sudan Sudan lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures. According to the Overstay Report, Sudan had a B1/B2 visa overstay rate of 26.30 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 28.40 percent. Yemen Yemen lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures. The government does not have physical control over its own territory. Since January 20, 2025, Yemen has been the site of active U.S. military operations. JUSTIFICATION FOR PARTIAL SUSPENSION BY COUNTRY (Immigrants and Nonimmigrants on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J Visas) Burundi According to the Overstay Report, Burundi had a B1/B2 visa overstay rate of 15.35 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 17.52 percent. Cuba Cuba is a state sponsor of terrorism. The Government of Cuba does not cooperate or share sufficient law enforcement information with the United States. Cuba has historically refused to accept back its removable nationals. According to the Overstay Report, Cuba had a B1/B2 visa overstay rate of 7.69 percent and a F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 18.75 percent. Laos According to the Overstay Report, Laos had a B1/B2 visa overstay rate of 34.77 percent and a F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 6.49 percent. Laos has historically failed to accept back its removable nationals. Sierra Leone According to the Overstay Report, Sierra Leone had a B1/B2 visa overstay rate of 15.43 percent and a F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 35.83 percent. Sierra Leone has historically failed to accept back its removable nationals. Togo According to the Overstay Report, Togo had a B1/B2 visa overstay rate of 19.03 percent and a F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 35.05 percent. Turkmenistan According to the Overstay Report, Turkmenistan had a B1/B2 visa overstay rate of 15.35 percent and a F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 21.74 percent. Venezuela Venezuela lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures. Venezuela has historically refused to accept back its removable nationals. According to the Overstay Report, Venezuela had a B1/B2 visa overstay rate of 9.83 percent. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address ENHANCING NATIONAL SECURITY BY ADDRESSING RISKS AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY Presidential Actions Proclamations June 4, 2025 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION Admission into the United States to attend, conduct research, or teach at our Nation's institutions of higher education is a privilege granted by our Government, not a guarantee. That privilege is necessarily tied to the host institution's compliance and commitment to following Federal law. Harvard University has failed in this respect, among many others. The Student Exchange Visa Program (SEVP) depends fundamentally on academic institutions' good faith, transparency, and full adherence to the relevant regulatory frameworks. This is for crucial national-security reasons. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has long warned that foreign adversaries and competitors take advantage of easy access to American higher education to, among other things, steal technical information and products, exploit expensive research and development to advance their own ambitions, and spread false information for political or other reasons. Our adversaries, including the People's Republic of China, try to take advantage of American higher education by exploiting the student visa program for improper purposes and by using visiting students to collect information at elite universities in the United States. Protecting our national security requires host institutions of foreign students to provide sufficient information, when asked, to enable the Federal Government to identify and address misconduct by those foreign students. In my judgment, it presents an unacceptable risk to our Nation's security for an academic institution to refuse to provide sufficient information, when asked, about known instances of misconduct and criminality committed by its foreign students. This principle is one reason why SEVP regulations require foreign students to obey Federal and State criminal laws and require universities to keep records about foreign students' studies in the United States including records relating to criminal activity by foreign students and resulting disciplinary proceedings and furnish them to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on request. Crime rates at Harvard University including violent crime rates have drastically risen in recent years. Harvard has failed to discipline at least some categories of conduct violations on campus. Given these facts, it is imperative, in my judgment, that the Federal Government be able to assess and, if necessary, address misconduct and crimes committed by foreign students at Harvard. Despite the risks described above, Harvard University has refused the recent requests of the DHS for information about foreign students' "known illegal activity," "known dangerous and violent activity," "known threats to other students or university personnel," "known deprivation of rights of other classmates or university personnel," and whether those activities "occurred on campus," and other related data. Harvard provided data on misconduct by only three students, and the data it provided was so deficient that the DHS could not evaluate whether it should take further actions. Harvard's actions show that it either is not fully reporting its disciplinary records for foreign students or is not seriously policing its foreign students. In my judgment, these actions and failures directly undermine the Federal Government's ability to ensure that foreign nationals admitted on student or exchange visitor visas remain in compliance with Federal law. These concerns have compelled the Federal Government to conclude that Harvard University is no longer a trustworthy steward of international student and exchange visitor programs. When a university refuses to uphold its legal obligations, including its recordkeeping and reporting obligations, the consequences ripple far beyond the campus. They jeopardize the integrity of the entire United States student and exchange visitor visa system, compromise national security, and embolden other institutions to similarly disregard the rule of law. Harvard University has also developed extensive entanglements with foreign countries, including our adversaries. According to The Harvard Crimson, Harvard has received more than $150 million in total contributions from foreign governments over the last 5 years, and over $1 billion from foreign sources. Over the last 10 years, Harvard has received more than $150 million from China alone. In exchange, Harvard has, among other things, "repeatedly hosted and trained members of a Chinese Communist Party paramilitary organization," according to a probe by the House of Representatives Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. Harvard researchers have also partnered with China-based individuals on research that could advance China's military modernization, according to the same probe. Finally, Harvard University continues to flout the civil rights of its students and faculty, triggering multiple Federal investigations. Harvard's discrimination against disfavored races in admissions was so blatant that the Supreme Court decision ending the practice nationwide bears Harvard's name. Yet even after that Supreme Court decision, Harvard and its affiliated organizations on campus continue to deny hardworking Americans equal opportunities. Instead of those Americans, Harvard admits students from non-egalitarian nations, including nations that seek the destruction of the United States and its allies, or the extermination of entire peoples. It is not in the interest of the United States to further compound Harvard's discrimination against non-preferred races, national origins, shared ancestries, or religions by further reducing opportunities for American students through excessive foreign student enrollment. Considering these facts, I have determined that it is necessary to restrict the entry of foreign nationals who seek to enter the United States solely or principally to participate in a course of study at Harvard University or in an exchange visitor program hosted by Harvard University. Such restrictions are authorized under sections 212(f) and 215(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), 8 U.S.C. 1182(f) and 1185(a), which authorize the President to suspend entry of any class of aliens whose entry would be detrimental to the interests of the United States. I have determined that the entry of the class of foreign nationals described above is detrimental to the interests of the United States because, in my judgment, Harvard's conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers. Until such time as the university shares the information that the Federal Government requires to safeguard national security and the American public, it is in the national interest to deny foreign nationals access to Harvard under the auspices of educational exchange. NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including sections 212(f) and 215(a) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1182(f) and 1185(a), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, hereby find that, absent the measures set forth in this proclamation, the entry into the United States of persons described in section 1 of this proclamation would, except as provided for in section 2 of this proclamation, be detrimental to the interests of the United States, and that their entry should be subject to certain restrictions, limitations, and exceptions. I hereby proclaim as follows: Section 1. Suspension of Entry. The entry of any alien into the United States as a nonimmigrant to pursue a course of study at Harvard University under section 101(a)(15)(F) or section 101(a)(15)(M) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(F) or 1101(a)(15)(M), or to participate in an exchange visitor program hosted by Harvard University under section 101(a)(15)(J) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(J), is suspended and limited, subject to section 2 of this proclamation. That suspension and limitation shall expire, absent extension, 6 months after the date of this proclamation. Sec. 2. Scope and Implementation of Suspension and Limitation on Entry. (a) The suspension and limitation on entry pursuant to section 1 of this proclamation shall apply to aliens who enter or attempt to enter the United States to begin attending Harvard University through the SEVP after the date of this proclamation. (b) The Secretary of State shall consider, in the Secretary's discretion, whether foreign nationals who currently attend Harvard University and are in the United States pursuant to F, M, or J visas and who otherwise meet the criteria described in section 1 of this proclamation should have their visas revoked pursuant to section 221(i) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1201(i). (c) The suspension and limitation on entry pursuant to section 1 of this proclamation shall not apply to any alien who enters the United States to attend other universities through the SEVP. (d) The suspension and limitation on entry pursuant to section 1 of this proclamation shall not apply to any alien whose entry would be in the national interest, as determined by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or their respective designees. (e) No later than 90 days after the date of this proclamation, the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall jointly submit to the President, through the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, a recommendation on whether an extension or renewal of the suspension and limitation on entry in section 1 of this proclamation is in the interests of the United States. Sec. 3. Operational Action to Implement this Order. The Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall coordinate to take all necessary and appropriate action to implement this proclamation. The Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall also consider using their respective authorities under the INA to impose limitations on Harvard University's ability to participate in the SEVP and the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. Any such actions should include an exception for any alien whose entry would be in the national interest, as determined by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or their respective designees. Sec. 4. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. (b) This proclamation shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations. (c) This proclamation is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth. DONALD J. TRUMP NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Restricts Foreign Student Visas at Harvard University Fact Sheets The White House June 4, 2025 RESTRICTING FOREIGN STUDENT VISAS AT HARVARD: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a Proclamation to safeguard national security by suspending the entry of foreign nationals seeking to study or participate in exchange programs at Harvard University. The Proclamation suspends the entry into the United States of any new Harvard student as a nonimmigrant under F, M, or J visas. It directs the Secretary of State to consider revoking existing F, M, or J visas for current Harvard students who meet the Proclamation's criteria. The Proclamation does not apply to aliens attending other U.S. universities through the Student Exchange Visa Program (SEVP) and exempts aliens whose entry is deemed in the national interest. HARVARD HAS A DEMONSTRATED HISTORY OF CONCERNING FOREIGN TIES AND RADICALISM: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has long warned that foreign adversaries take advantage of easy access to American higher education to steal information, exploit research and development, and spread false information. The University has seen a drastic rise in crime in recent years, while failing to discipline at least some categories of conduct violations on campus. Harvard has failed to provide sufficient information to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about foreign students' known illegal or dangerous activities, reporting deficient data on only three students. Harvard is either not fully reporting its disciplinary records for foreign students or is not seriously policing its foreign students. Harvard has also developed extensive entanglements with foreign adversaries, receiving more than $150 million from China alone. In exchange, Harvard has, among other things, hosted Chinese Communist Party paramilitary members and partnered with China-based individuals on research that could advance China's military modernization. The Chinese Communist Party has sent thousands of mid-career and senior bureaucrats to study at U.S. institutions, with Harvard University considered the top "party school" outside the country. Xi Jinping's own daughter attended Harvard as an undergraduate in the early 2010s. Harvard has failed to adequately address violent anti-Semitic incidents on campus, with many of these agitators found to be foreign students. Harvard has persisted in prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in its admissions, denying hardworking Americans equal opportunities by favoring certain groups, despite the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 ruling against its race-based practices. These concerns have compelled the Federal government to conclude that Harvard University is no longer a trustworthy steward of international student and exchange visitor programs. HOLDING HARVARD ACCOUNTABLE: President Trump wants our institutions to have foreign students, but believes that the foreign students should be people that can love our country. President Trump: "The students? Well, we want to have great students here. We just don't want students that are causing trouble. We want to have students. I want to have foreign students." President Trump: "We have people who want to go to Harvard and other schools, they can't get in because we have foreign students there. But I want to make sure that the foreign students are people that can love our country." President Trump: "We are still waiting for the Foreign Student Lists from Harvard so that we can determine, after a ridiculous expenditure of BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, how many radicalized lunatics, troublemakers all, should not be let back into our Country. Harvard is very slow in the presentation of these documents, and probably for good reason!" NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taiwan denies cyberattack claims as China seeks arrest of 20 ROC Central News Agency 06/05/2025 04:26 PM Taipei, June 5 (CNA) Taiwan on Thursday denied China's allegation that its military was behind a cyberattack on a technology company in Guangzhou, after city authorities issued warrants for 20 suspects. On June 5, the Guangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau issued warrants for 20 individuals it identified as members of the Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command (ICEFCOM). The bureau alleges they were behind a May 20 cyberattack targeting the backend system of a self-service facility at the company. "The ICEFCOM, under Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), directed the illegal attack," the warrant claims. The bureau placed a bounty of 10,000 yuan (US$1,388) on each of the 20 individuals named in the warrant, which also listed their National Identification Card numbers. On May 20, the bureau said "hackers" were behind the alleged attack, according to a May 27 report by China's state-run Xinhua News Agency. The ICEFCOM on Thursday said the bureau's accusation that it had conducted a cyberattack against a Guangzhou-based company was unfounded and an act of "slander." The ICEFCOM said in a statement that the false accusations on May 20 and 27 were widely reported by China's state-run media and later echoed by the Taiwan Affairs Office. The statement said the propaganda campaign escalated, culminating in Thursday's warrant, which it described as a deliberate attempt to unsettle and intimidate the Taiwanese public. China has also posed a global threat to cyberspace, ICEFCOM said, citing recent statements from the Czech Republic and the EU condemning China's "malicious cyber campaign" and reports naming the Chinese Communist Party as a suspect in hacking and information security risks. ICEFCOM spokesperson Col. Hu Chin-lung () told CNA that most of the individuals named in the warrant have retired from the military. Hu pointed out that some of the photos shown by the bureau appeared to be quite old. "Some of the photos look like headshots taken during high school training programs," Hu said. "They may have been obtained from a third-party educational institution." When asked about Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Jessica Chen's () suggestion that the bureau's possession of the individuals' National ID numbers could indicate a data breach by China, Hu said no military databases containing that information had been compromised. Hu said the ICEFCOM is investigating how the bureau obtained the information, noting that a major leak of Taiwan's National Health Insurance data between 2009 and 2022 could be a possible source. (By Sean Lin) Enditem/kb NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary Noem Ends Politicized TSA Watchlist Program That Has Failed to Prevent a Single Terrorist Attack in its Existence; Calls for Congressional Investigation Release Date: June 5, 2025 The Quiet Skies Program is a redundant, corrupted program that costs US taxpayers $200 million a year WASHINGTON -- Today, the Department of Homeland Security announced it is ending the Quiet Skies Program, which since its existence has failed to stop a single terrorist attack while costing US taxpayers $200 million a year. The program, under the guise of "national security," was used to target political opponents and benefit political allies. TSA will continue performing important vetting functions tied to legitimate commercial aviation security threats to both ensure the safety of the American traveler and uphold its statutory obligations. REAL ID, implemented on May 7 of this year, will further help bolster TSA security. DHS and TSA have uncovered documents, correspondence, and timelines that clearly highlight the inconsistent application of Quiet Skies and watchlisting programs, circumventing security policies to benefit politically aligned friends and family at the expense of the American people. In addition to its own internal investigation, DHS's Secretary Kristi Noem is calling for a Congressional investigation to uncover further corruption through this program. "It is clear that the Quiet Skies program was used as a political rolodex of the Biden Administrationweaponized against its political foes and exploited to benefit their well-heeled friends. I am calling for a Congressional investigation to unearth further corruption at the expense of the American people and the undermining of US national security," said Secretary Kristi Noem. "TSA's critical aviation and security vetting functions will be maintained, and the Trump Administration will return TSA to its true mission of being laser-focused on the safety and security of the traveling public. This includes restoring the integrity, privacy, and equal application of the law for all Americans." DHS revealed earlier this week evidence detailing the politicization of TSA's watchlisting program under the previous administration. This includes William "Billy" Shaheen, spouse of fellow Democrat and sitting U.S. New Hampshire Senator, Jeanne Shaheen, being given blanket exemptions from review, while non-politically aligned members like then-Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard received additional screening and monitoring by Federal Air Marshals. Despite William Shaheen traveling with a known or suspected terrorist three times, then TSA Administrator Pekoske gave explicit direction to exclude Shaheen from the Silent Partner Quiet Skies list. After Senator Shaheen directly lobbied then former Administrator Pekoske, on her husband's behalf, Pekoske granted Billy Shaheen a blanket Quiet Skies exemption. Shaheen was not the only high-profile individual that was placed on this exclusion list: this list also included members of foreign royal families, political elites, professional athletes, and favored journalists. For more information on TSA security screening protocols, click here. ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Mainland launches coordinated actions targeting 'Taiwan independence' separatists Global Times Wanted notice issued for 20 Taiwan-based cyberattack suspects By Liu Xin and Shen Sheng Published: Jun 05, 2025 08:51 PM The Chinese mainland on Thursday launched a series of actions targeting "Taiwan independence" separatists, including issuing a wanted notice with rewards for 20 key suspects involved in cyberattacks against a mainland company, exposing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' so-called "internet army," and announcing bans on a Taiwan-based company linked to a die-hard separatist. Analysts reached by the Global Times said the mainland's coordinated measures send a clear signal to the separatists in Taiwan island that as long as there is any push for "Taiwan independence," the mainland will resolutely oppose it and punitive actions will follow. The Chinese mainland on Thursday announced bans on a Taiwan company related to Shen Pao-yang, also known as Puma Shen, who is a die-hard supporter of "Taiwan independence," from making deals or cooperating with organizations, businesses and individuals in the mainland, according to the Xinhua News Agency. Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, announced the punishment on Sicuens International Co., Ltd., a company led by Shen's father, noting that the mainland will also take other necessary measures against the company. The company engages in trade and business cooperation with certain mainland enterprises in pursuit of economic benefits. "The mainland side will never allow enterprises related to die-hard 'Taiwan independence' supporters to seek profits in the mainland," said the spokesperson. In October 2024, the office announced punishments on Shen and the Kuma Academy, an institution led by him. The office said that Shen had been actively and systematically organizing activities promoting "Taiwan independence." He has also deliberately promoted "Taiwan independence" and "anti-China" ideologies, particularly targeting the young people in Taiwan. Meanwhile, the Kuma Academy has openly fostered violent "Taiwan independence" individuals under the guise of training and outdoor activities, according to Xinhua. On Tuesday, the Hong Kong-based Wen Wei Po released an article on its website saying that Shen portrays himself as a vocal vanguard against the mainland, but behind the scenes, he acts more like a salesman for the mainland. While he publicly denounces the mainland, few realize that his family has been quietly cooperating with mainland businesses, purchasing goods at low prices and reselling them in markets such as Ecuador at a significant markup. The mainland has placed Shen and other die-hard "Taiwan independence" separatists on a sanctions list, barring them and their families from entering the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao SARs. Sanctions on Shen-linked companies underscore the mainland's firm stance that any attempt to split the country will be punished. Authorities will hold offenders criminally accountable for life, Zheng Jian, a professor at the Taiwan Research Institute of Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Thursday. Nowhere to hide Also on Thursday, the Guangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau's Tianhe District Branch in South China's Guangdong Province released a wanted notice with reward for 20 key suspects from the Taiwan island who were involved in the cyberattack targeting a Guangzhou tech company. This marks the first time the public security authorities have taken law enforcement action to strike against "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, as well as the first coordinated crackdown on organized online criminal activities of the "Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command." The notice said the cyberattack was directed and carried out by the DPP's "Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command" involving multiple suspected illegal activities. The notice disclosed the suspects' names, genders, and ID numbers in the Taiwan island, including the information of one female suspect. The notice reads that the public is encouraged to actively provide leads. People who provide valid clues to the authorities, as well as individuals who assist in apprehending the suspects, will be rewarded with 10,000 yuan ($1,391) for each suspect. Shortly after receiving the report and issuing a police notice, authorities swiftly gathered evidence and identified the perpetrators. This demonstrates that in combating cybercrime of the "Taiwan independence" separatists, law enforcement not only possesses overwhelming technical advantages in both offense and defense, but has also been closely monitoring their cybercrime trends over the long term, with a thorough understanding of the key individuals, methods, and patterns involved, Zhuo Hua, an international affairs expert at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times. In recent years, the national judicial system for punishing separatism in accordance with the law has been continuously refined, and it has now entered a stage of effective enforcement. The wanted notices issued by public security authorities demonstrate their determination and capability to hold accountable, pursue, and prosecute those involved in organized cybercrimes originating from Taiwan Province for life, said the expert. On Thursday, the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center, the National Engineering Laboratory for Computer Virus Prevention Technology and 360 Digital Security Group jointly released a report which exposed the insider information such as historical background, organizational structure, personnel composition, work locations, operational tasks and examples of cyberattack cases of the DPP's "Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command." The report, titled An ant trying to shake a tree - an investigation report on cyberattack activities of the DPP's "Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command," said the unit has been involved in large-scale theft of sensitive data and critical intelligence, supporting anti-China forces in the US in launching public opinion and cognitive warfare campaigns against the mainland. It has also covertly incited "color revolutions," aiming to disrupt public order, sow ethnic divisions, exacerbate social tensions and obstruct national reunification. The report also unveiled cases of cyberattacks launched by the hacker groups targeting the mainland. In 2024, the DPP authorities, in collusion with external forces, continued to engage in "independence" provocations, seriously jeopardizing cross-Straits relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits. Zheng Jian, the professor from Xiamen University, said the mainland's latest measures on Thursday send a strong and clear signal against "Taiwan independence," directly responding to Lai Ching-te's recent separatist actions. The mainland's stance and crackdown on separatism remain firm, said Zheng, warning that even covert online operatives can be tracked and punished, with the recent exposure of 20 such individuals being only a small part of the broader effort to crackdown on separatists. The deterrent effect of the coordinated measures and law enforcement actions would be self-evident. Those who continue to push for the "Taiwan independence" agenda will be held accountable and face consequence, said the expert. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump issues US travel ban on 12 countries, restrictions on seven others Iran Press TV Thursday, 05 June 2025 11:04 AM US President Donald Trump has issued a sweeping order implementing a complete travel ban for nationals from 12 countries, while imposing restrictions on travelers from seven additional countries, the White House says. The directive is part of an immigration crackdown Trump launched this year at the start of his second term. The banned countries include Afghanistan, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The entry of people from seven other countries, namely Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela, will be partially restricted. "We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm," Trump said in a video posted on X. He said the list could be revised and new countries could be added. The proclamation is effective on June 9, 2025, at 12:01 am EDT (0401 GMT). Visas issued before that date will not be revoked, the order said. Trump said the recent attack on a pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado, had "underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted." He claimed there were "millions and millions of these illegals who should not be in our country." "We will not let what happened in Europe happen to America," he said, adding that "very simply, we cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States." The Trump administration has taken increasingly aggressive measures against both student and visitor visa holders, especially those perceived as critical of US foreign policy or sympathetic towards Palestinians. In January, Trump signed an order mandating enhanced security screening for all foreign nationals applying for US entry to identify potential security risks. In March, Reuters also revealed that the administration was evaluating potential travel bans affecting numerous countries. In a related announcement last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also declared that the administration would begin "aggressively revoking visas for Chinese students," particularly those he said were bearing ties to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in sensitive academic fields. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Targeting Network Trafficking Cocaine to the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean US Department of State Press Statement Tammy Bruce, Department Spokesperson June 5, 2025 Today, the United States is sanctioning four Guyanese nationals and two Colombian nationals responsible for trafficking tons of cocaine from South America to the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean. This action demonstrates strong U.S. commitment to combating illicit drug trafficking and protecting the American people. The U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) supported the investigation by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) that resulted in today's action. This action was in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). In particular, DSS and DEA supported Guyanese authorities in the August 2024 discovery of 4.4 tons of cocaine buried deep underground in a clandestine airfield in the northwest region of Guyana that shares a border with Venezuela. The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs provided specialized training under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative to several of Guyana's specialized counternarcotics units participating in the successful operation. Today's action is being taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14059, which targets the proliferation of illicit drugs and their means of production. For more information about today's designations, please see Treasury's press release. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Xi Jinping Meets with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China Updated: June 04, 2025 23:55 On the morning of June 4, 2025, President Xi Jinping met with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko at Zhongnanhai. Xi Jinping congratulated Aleksandr Lukashenko again on his reelection as President of Belarus. Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Belarus are true friends and good partners. The two countries have always treated each other with sincerity and engaged each other with trust. Noting that China and Belarus share enduring traditional friendship, unshakable political mutual trust and comprehensively advancing cooperation in all fields, Xi Jinping said China always views and develops its relations with Belarus from a strategic and long-term perspective. China is ready to work with Belarus to ensure the steady and sustained growth of bilateral relations and mutually beneficial cooperation. Both sides should further strengthen coordination and cooperation within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, jointly oppose hegemonic, domineering and bullying acts, and uphold international fairness and justice. Aleksandr Lukashenko said that this is his 15th visit to China, and on each occasion, he has truly felt the profound friendship extended by the Chinese side. Belarus thanked for China's long-standing strong support and assistance, and has high-degree trust in China. Belarus will remain committed to developing its relations with China and actively advancing cooperation with China. In international affairs, China has firmly upheld multilateralism, opposed unilateralism and sanctions and pressure, and set an example for the world. Belarus deeply admires this and is willing to work with China to jointly defend international fairness and justice. Wang Yi attended the meeting. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chinese FM responds to US travel ban and restrictions, says movement of people basis for exchanges Global Times By Global Times Published: Jun 05, 2025 03:57 PM When asked to comment on the White House's announcement on fully restricting the entry of nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Iran, and Yemen, and partially limiting the entry of nationals from seven countries including Burundi, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday that "We have noticed the relevant reports. The movement of people is the basis for promoting exchanges and cooperation among countries." According to Xinhua News Agency, US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation to ban travel from certain countries on Wednesday evening, citing national security risks. According to a release by the White House, the proclamation will fully ban the entry of nationals from 12 countries, namely Afghanistan, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Meanwhile, the proclamation will partially restrict the entry of nationals from seven countries -- Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. The travel ban is scheduled to take effect at 12:01 am next Monday, Xinhua reported. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address MOFCOM strongly condemns US restrictive measures against China as breach of Geneva trade consensus Global Times By Global Times Published: Jun 05, 2025 05:16 PM When asked to comment on the recent US suspension of ethane exports to China, along with other retaliatory measures in response to China's rare earth export controls, Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson He Yongqian stated on Thursday that since the release of the China-US Joint Statement on Economic and Trade Talks on May 12, China has acted responsibly, diligently fulfilling its commitments and actively working to uphold the consensus reached in Geneva. In contrast, the US has taken a series of restrictive actions against China. These actions, He said, seriously undermine the consensus reached during the talks and infringe upon China's legitimate rights and interests. "China is deeply dissatisfied with and firmly opposes these measures," He stated, urging the US to immediately cease such actions. "If the US continues to harm China's interests, China will take resolute and effective measures to safeguard its legitimate rights." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President Xi Jinping Speaks with U.S. President Donald J. Trump on the Phone Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China Updated: June 05, 2025 23:46 On the evening of June 5, President Xi Jinping took a phone call from U.S. President Donald J. Trump. President Xi pointed out that recalibrating the direction of the giant ship of China-U.S. relations requires us to take the helm and set the right course. It is particularly important to steer clear of the various disturbances and disruptions. At the suggestion of the U.S. side, the two countries' lead officials recently held an economic and trade meeting in Geneva. It marked an important step forward in resolving the relevant issues through dialogue and consultation, and was welcomed by both societies and the international community. It proved that dialogue and cooperation is the only right choice. The two sides need to make good use of the economic and trade consultation mechanism already in place, and seek win-win results in the spirit of equality and respect for each other's concerns. The Chinese side is sincere about this, and at the same time has its principles. The Chinese always honor and deliver what has been promised. Both sides should make good on the agreement reached in Geneva. In fact, China has been seriously and earnestly executing the agreement. The U.S. side should acknowledge the progress already made, and remove the negative measures taken against China. The two sides should enhance communication in such fields as foreign affairs, economy and trade, military, and law enforcement to build consensus, clear up misunderstandings, and strengthen cooperation. President Xi emphasized that the United States must handle the Taiwan question with prudence, so that the fringe separatists bent on "Taiwan independence" will not be able to drag China and America into the dangerous terrain of confrontation and even conflict. President Trump said that he has great respect for President Xi, and the U.S.-China relationship is very important. The U.S. wants the Chinese economy to do very well. The U.S. and China working together can get a lot of great things done. The U.S. will honor the one-China policy. The meeting in Geneva was very successful, and produced a good deal. The U.S. will work with China to execute the deal. The U.S. loves to have Chinese students coming to study in America. President Xi welcomed President Trump to visit China again, for which President Trump expressed heartfelt appreciation. The two Presidents agreed that their teams should continue implementing the Geneva agreement and hold another round of meeting as soon as possible. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian's Regular Press Conference on June 5, 2025 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China Updated: June 05, 2025 18:46 Vice President Han Zheng will attend the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France and visit Spain upon invitation from June 7 to 13. The Paper: Today is the World Environment Day. Commentators say in recent years, China has set the pace in global green transition, made notable achievements in renewable energy exploration and other fields, and contributed to the energy transition programs in other developing countries. What's your comment? Lin Jian: China has been a staunch doer in green development. Over the past 20 years since the "green is gold" philosophy was put forward, China has found ways to tackle many of the challenges in ecological governance. China has properly handled the relations between development and conservation. China has witnessed the fastest energy intensity reduction and most visible improvement in air quality. China accounts for a quarter of the world's newly-added area of afforestation, and has built the world's largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system and the largest and most complete new energy industrial chain. China is also an important contributor to the global green transition. China has green energy cooperation projects with over 100 countries and regions, and actively supports the free flow of high-quality green technologies and products. China provides over 80 percent of the photovoltaic components and 70 percent of wind power equipment in the world and has enabled the global average cost of the construction of wind and PV power plants to drop by more than 60 percent and 80 percent respectively. As a result, countries in the world, especially the developing countries, have affordable and better access to clean energy. We all share one planet and are one humanity. China is committed to green development that prioritizes eco-conservation, and will continue acting responsibly as an "enabler" and working with the rest of the world to implement the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and build a clean, beautiful and sustainable world. AFP: U.S. President Donald Trump signed a new travel ban on Wednesday, targeting 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran and Yemen, reviving one of the most controversial measures from his first term. Does the Foreign Ministry have a comment on this? Lin Jian: We noted the reports. Mobility of people is what makes exchanges and cooperation possible between countries. Reuters: Also on U.S. President Donald Trump. The United States on Wednesday suspended for an initial six months the entry into the United States of foreign nationals seeking to study or participate in programs at Harvard University. What is the Ministry's response to this? Lin Jian: China-U.S. education cooperation benefits both sides. China opposes politicizing education cooperation. What the U.S. did will damage its own image and reputation. We will firmly defend the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese students and scholars. Reuters: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission voted unanimously to call for public comment on possible new regulations for foreign companies listed on American stock markets. They say that Chinese firms in particular have benefited from having to make fewer regular disclosures to investors. How does the Ministry view the move towards tougher regulations in the U.S.? Lin Jian: The U.S. needs to follow the market principle of fair competition, stop politicizing economic and trade issues, and provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese and other foreign businesses. China will do what is necessary to firmly defend Chinese businesses' legitimate and lawful rights and interests. NHK: It is reported that due to China's export controls on rare earth, Japanese automaker Suzuki has suspended production of its main small cars in Japan because of delays in procuring parts. It has been reported that that is the first case in Japan. So what is the Foreign Ministry's response to this? Lin Jian: China's export control measures are consistent with universal practices. Such measures are non-discriminatory and not targeted at any particular country. I'd refer you to competent authorities on your specific question. Bloomberg: We're wondering if you have any information on any potential call between President Trump and President Xi Jinping. The second question is that the SCMP has reported that Australian Prime Minister Albanese will visit China this summer. I wonder if you can confirm this. Lin Jian: On your first question, I have nothing to read out. On your second question, China's position on developing its relations with Australia is consistent and clear. We stand ready to enhance exchanges and cooperation with Australia and work for a more mature, stable and productive comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Australia. I have nothing to share on the specific visit you mentioned. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Xi says dialogue, cooperation only correct choice for China, U.S. Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China Source Xinhuanet EditorChen Zhuo 2025-06-06 00:50:48 BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that dialogue and cooperation are the only correct choice for China and the United States. In his phone talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, Xi said that recalibrating the direction of the giant ship of China-U.S. relations requires the two sides to take the helm and set the right course, adding that it is particularly important to steer clear of the various disturbances and disruptions. Noting that at the suggestion of the U.S. side, the two countries' lead officials recently held an economic and trade meeting in Geneva, Xi said it marked an important step forward in resolving the relevant issues through dialogue and consultation, and was welcomed by both societies and the international community. The two sides need to make good use of the economic and trade consultation mechanism already in place, and seek win-win results in the spirit of equality and respect for each other's concerns, he said, adding that the Chinese side is sincere about this, and at the same time has its principles. The Chinese, Xi said, always honor and deliver what has been promised, urging both sides to make good on the agreement reached in Geneva. In fact, China has been seriously and earnestly executing the agreement, Xi added. The U.S. side should acknowledge the progress already made, and remove the negative measures taken against China, he said. The two sides should enhance communication in such fields as foreign affairs, economy and trade, military, and law enforcement to build consensus, clear up misunderstandings, and strengthen cooperation, Xi added. Xi emphasized that the United States must handle the Taiwan question with prudence, so that the fringe separatists bent on "Taiwan independence" will not be able to drag China and the United States into the dangerous terrain of confrontation and even conflict. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Top DPRK leader meets visiting senior Russian official People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 10:55, June 05, 2025 PYONGYANG, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), met with visiting Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Thursday. During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on defending the common core interests of the two countries, items of mutual cooperation in different fields as well as the regional and international situation, said the report, adding that the discussions confirmed the same stance of the two sides. The DPRK will "unconditionally support the stand of Russia and its foreign policies in all the crucial international political issues including the Ukrainian issue, and responsibly observe the articles of the treaty between the DPRK and Russia," Kim was quoted by the KCNA as saying. Sergei conveyed special thanks of the Russian leadership to the DPRK's soldiers who participated in the operations in Russia's Kursk region. The host and the guest also expressed the will of the two countries' leaderships to continue to dynamically expand and develop the bilateral relations into a powerful and comprehensive strategic partnership, said the report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Interview with Federal Foreign Minister Wadephul in the Suddeutsche Zeitung Germany Federal Foreign Office 06.06.2025 - Interview Published on 30 May 2025 Question Minister, is it still possible to be a transatlanticist these days? Johann Wadephul You have to be a transatlanticist. Question Have to be? Johann Wadephul It is in the interest of Europe but also of the United States of America and incidentally also Canada that our Alliance lives on. It has guaranteed peace and stability for decades. Question Is the guarantee not null and void now that we have a US President who has so little time for Europe? Johann Wadephul Thinking in institutional or alliance categories is perhaps less instinctive for President Trump. He doesn't do what we have come to expect over the decades. However, apart from a comment right at the start of his first term in office, he has not actually called the Alliance into question, whether directly or in an aside. The United States of America stands by its obligations. We should all be careful and refrain from voicing self-fulfilling prophecies. My advice is to talk about what we share. Question And what would that be? Johann Wadephul Interests and values. These we share. Question So you aren't worried about democratic rule of law in the United States? Johann Wadephul Of course there are also developments that we view critically. However, the same holds true in a couple of European countries. As Europeans we have no reason to strut around as if we were all star pupils through and through. The United States is a much, much older democracy and a much older state based on the rule of law. We Germans, in particular, have every reason to show restraint and remain modest. Question Even as we watch Trump's battle against universities such as Harvard unfold? Johann Wadephul To be honest I myself do not always understand every single statement of his or absolutely everything he calls for. The conclusion I draw is that we need to talk to each other much more and talk through things much more. And above all we need to look at what exactly this means for Germans studying there. Question When talking to Europe, Trump's favourite topic is money. Johann Wadephul The United States has a point when it calls for us to shoulder more responsibility and more of the financial burden. The Alliance does not just live from grand declarations but also from actions. Members have to make a significant contribution to defence capabilities. And this contribution is at the end of the day first and foremost money to buy military equipment and to finance personnel. We have some catching up to do on both fronts. In the coalition we are clear in our political readiness to engage here - and following the amendment to our Constitution, we are now in a position to remedy shortcomings. Question The aim is five percent of economic output for defence. Is that workable in a coalition with the SPD? Johann Wadephul Germany is ready to adopt this aim. The coalition sees eye to eye here. After the statements by the Federal Chancellor, the Defence Minister and by me, this is clear. Of course we need to adopt the necessary decisions in the Cabinet and in Parliament. However, the coalition agreement clearly states that we will implement the decisions taken at the NATO Summit in the Hague in June. I myself am in no doubt that we will then adopt the astute proposal presented by Secretary General Mark Rutte to spend 3.5 percent on the defence sector by 2032 plus 1.5 percent on defence-related infrastructure. Question What happens if the Summit fails? Johann Wadephul That would lead to uncertainties that we cannot afford. Question Is NATO itself at stake? Johann Wadephul That is too hypothetical for my taste and distracts from the matter at hand. However, based on my talks with colleagues from NATO countries, I can say that everyone has thankfully realised what it is actually about. Question We're talking about huge amounts of money. Can you explain this to people? Johann Wadephul That is our job. It's a responsibility that I have as a politician and one I cannot shirk. Russia is threatening us. We know that Russia has switched to a war economy. We know that China is engaging in massive rearmament and we know that the arms trade is thriving in regions hit by terrorism, especially in Africa. We are seeing that terrorist groups such as the Houthis can almost completely paralyse shipping routes such as the Suez Canal or the Red Sea. We need to defend ourselves against all this and - better still - make sure we are prepared for every eventuality. Question Do we need a Plan B in case the United States withdraws more or indeed completely from NATO ? In concrete terms, do we need a European nuclear shield? Johann Wadephul Every new Bundeswehr tank, now feeding into NATO , is at the same time a contribution to European defence capabilities. However, I have to say clearly that certainly in the foreseeable future it will not be possible to replace the US nuclear shield. Nevertheless, as far as nuclear issues are concerned, a new culture of dialogue has emerged. Friedrich Merz has signalled that he is open-minded about this debate launched by Emmanuel Macron. So we are talking to France and Britain about these issues. Question Turning to the Russian war of aggression, the aim not all that long ago was that Ukraine had to win. What is the aim today? Johann Wadephul For me, it was clear from the outset that it will most likely be a negotiated solution that will end this war. After all, there is no denying that utter defeat in the form of capitulation was never really on the cards for Russia with its nuclear arsenal. So, the approach we are taking now is somewhat more honest. Ukraine is at the same time defending itself successfully against Russia's aggression. This means Ukraine has every chance to use its strong negotiating position for a strong outcome. For us it is important that it is Ukraine itself that takes this decision rather than the decision being taken by others over the country's head. Question After your trip to Washington, do you really believe that Trump will join ranks with the Europeans and increase the pressure on Putin with new sanctions? Johann Wadephul US Senator Lindsey Graham is finalising the sanctions package that has 80 co-sponsors in the Senate with Trump's approval. He himself has announced sanctions on several occasions and has now expressed his annoyance about Putin. I cannot imagine that he will leave it at that. Question How long would Ukraine manage without American support? Johann Wadephul That would need to and indeed would once again create new momentum in Europe. But we should not overestimate Russia's war machinery. After all, Russia has been trying for three years now to achieve a goal Putin wanted to tick off in just a few days. At the outset, he wanted to take Kyiv and then the whole of Ukraine. Despite immense losses, Putin's army is not making inroads. Question Looking at the acts of sabotage and cyberattacks - is Germany actually in the throes of a hybrid war with Russia? Johann Wadephul I would avoid the term war but we are no longer in a clear peace situation. We need to find new ways of dealing with this. That also means that we need to look very carefully at the legal foundations. Question What do you mean? Johann Wadephul I mean, for example, how do we deal with the situation if drones fly over military facilities or if critical infrastructure such as data cables or power lines are destroyed outside German territory? This is far from clear. Are we allowed to take steps, are we allowed to defend against such attacks? These questions need to be resolved. After all, we do need to be able to defend ourselves comprehensively. Some of the tasks emerging are completely new. That is one of the main reasons why we want to set up a National Security Council. Question Your predecessor Annalena Baerbock took considerable criticism from the CDU/CSU when she denounced Israel's methods of warfare in Gaza. Looking back, do you not need to admit she was right? Johann Wadephul You have to judge things as they were at the time. I was among those who criticised Annalena Baerbock and still believe that my criticism was justified at the time. Today, I can see that some actions of the Israeli Government need to be criticised and this criticism is being voiced. The Federal Chancellor and myself have clearly stated our opinion on a couple of things. Question But the dramatic situation in Gaza is not exactly new. What has changed? Johann Wadephul For weeks, humanitarian assistance has not been able to get through. During my first official visit to Israel as Minister, I called upon Israel to remedy the situation on behalf of the entire Federal Government. I was even prepared to accept the new distribution system as a pragmatic way of resolving the crisis. However, some three weeks on, I have to admit that it is not working. The aid that is getting through is just a drop in the bucket. But what we are talking about here are fundamental human rights. It is the ill, the weak and the young who are dying first. As a result, we have changed our language and the next step will probably be to change our political action. Question How? Johann Wadephul I can't spell out the details at this stage. The Israeli Government has the chance first of all to change its policy. Question But is the question of weapons supplies on the table? Johann Wadephul We cannot provide details on such matters as they are dealt with in the Federal Security Council. The principle is that Israel receives weapons from Germany. This has always been the case. Israel is exposed to a range of serious threats to its security and its existence - whether from the Houthis, from Hezbollah or from Iran. Israel has to be able to defend itself against such threats, also using German weapons systems. A different question is whether what is happening in the Gaza Strip is reconcilable with international humanitarian law. We are currently examining this and future decisions to authorise further weapons supplies will depend on the outcome. Question Or perhaps not to authorise? Johann Wadephul That is what that sentence means. Question In future, will Germany more often join ranks in the EU and the UN when Israel is being criticised? Johann Wadephul It depends what is up for debate. For me there is no question that we have a special responsibility to stand at Israel's side. Question So, Israel's security remains part of Germany's raison d'etat? Johann Wadephul Yes, we champion the interests of the State of Israel which is the only homeland for Jews, where they can feel safe in their own state. However, that does not mean that a government can do whatever it wants. Interview conducted by Daniel Brossler, Claudia Henzler, Sebastian Strau NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran will never abandon enrichment, preparing new counter-proposal to US offer: Ayatollah Khamenei's aide Iran Press TV Thursday, 05 June 2025 8:04 AM A political advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has reaffirmed Iran's right to enrich uranium, saying the country is drafting a counter-proposal to the latest US nuclear offer. "After receiving the American proposal regarding the Iranian nuclear program, we are now preparing our new counter-proposal," Ali Shamkhnai said in an interview with Lebanon's al-Mayadeen television network on Wednesday. He added that the US proposal for a nuclear agreement was not well thought out and made no mention whatsoever of lifting the sanctions. He criticized the omission of sanctions relief in the US offer, describing it as a "fundamental" issue for Tehran. "There is no mention whatsoever of lifting sanctions in the latest American proposal, even though the issue of sanctions is a fundamental matter for Iran," the Leader's aide said. Shamkhani underlined, "Iran will never relinquish its natural rights." He said Iran will not allow the United States to achieve its objectives regarding the elimination of Tehran's peaceful nuclear program and reduction of the level of uranium enrichment to zero. Addressing a ceremony to mark the 36th anniversary of the passing of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khamenei said uranium enrichment is the key to Iran's nuclear issue, dismissing the US demand for Tehran to ultimately stop all enrichment in the country. The Leader's remarks came after US President Donald Trump outlined his administration's position when it comes to nuclear negotiations with Iran and said Tehran will not be allowed "any enrichment of uranium." US media reports said Tuesday the Trump administration is proposing an arrangement that would permit "limited low-level uranium enrichment on Iranian soil for a to-be-determined period of time." Iran and the US have so far held five rounds of indirect talks on a replacement for the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. However, the talks have faced an obstacle over the US demand that Iran should stop enriching uranium under any new deal. Iranian officials have firmly rejected the demand. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Military aggression not to eliminate Iran's nuclear program: FM Iran Press TV Thursday, 05 June 2025 3:18 AM Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has strongly dismissed the notion of military aggression's being capable of "eliminating" Iran's nuclear energy program, highlighting the invulnerable nature of the country's nuclear facilities to such attacks. "Iran's nuclear program is based on indigenous knowledge and cannot be eliminated by bombing," the top diplomat told Lebanon's al-Manar television network in an exclusive interview on Wednesday. "Our nuclear facilities are designed in a way that makes them not vulnerable, and nuclear materials are distributed in a manner that makes any decisive strike difficult," he noted. The official, meanwhile, identified the Islamic Republic's defensive and deterrent capabilities as "very strong," further dismissing the likelihood that it would lack the upper hand in case it came under attack. The remarks came after various senior American officials, including President Donald Trump, insisted, on multiple occasions, upon complete destruction of Iran's nuclear facilities. The assertions, which the United States has not rowed back from through any official statement, resonate strongly with persistent similar demands on the part of the Israeli regime, Washington's closest regional ally. Warning to potential aggressors Araghchi, however, reiterated the Islamic Republic's unequivocal stance concerning such threatening language. "Any aggression against Iran will have catastrophic consequences for the aggressors." 'Israel taken seriously, but not feared' Addressing the issue of the Israeli brinksmanship, Araghchi said, "We take the threats of the Israeli regime seriously, but we do not fear them." Last year, the Islamic Republic conducted two major retaliatory operations against sensitive and strategic Israeli military targets across the occupied Palestinian territories. Operation True Promise I and II saw the country fire hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones towards the targets with commanding accuracy. Tehran has, meanwhile, repeatedly expressed its readiness to stage a third edition of such reprisal. Adding to his remarks, Araghchi underscored the inseparable nature of uranium enrichment activities to the nation's nuclear program, dismissing calls by Trump and other US officials, including regional envoy Steve Witkoff, for "zero-level" enrichment. "Iran considers uranium enrichment to be one of the most important achievements of its scientists and will never renounce it," the foreign minister said. "Enrichment is essential for meeting our medical and industrial needs. The domestically produced radioactive isotopes help treat over a million patients each year," he added. The official, meanwhile, noted how at least seven of the country's scientists had been assassinated amid their dedicated endeavor to advance its nuclear energy program, underlining the sacrifices that had been made by the nation down the path of enhancing its peaceful nuclear knowhow. The Islamic Republic would, therefore, "never retreat" from maintaining and furthering its nuclear achievements, he stated. 'Diplomacy still a viable option' The official, nevertheless, did not rule out the prospect of reaching mutual understanding with the United States, which has been engaged in Omani-mediated indirect talks with Iran since April, either. "I am, by nature, a diplomat, and my mission is to achieve peace. I believe the window of diplomacy remains open, and there is a real possibility of finding a solution through negotiation." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A high level defence delegation led by Major General Andrei Yulianovich Lukyanovich, Commander of the Air Force & Air Defence of Belarus, visited Air Headquarters Islamabad. Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan Rawalpindi - June 05, 2025 No PR-183/2025-ISPR A high level defence delegation led by Major General Andrei Yulianovich Lukyanovich, Commander of the Air Force & Air Defence of Belarus, visited Air Headquarters Islamabad. During the meeting, a wide array of mutual interests related to air power and military cooperation were thoroughly discussed. The discussions also reaffirmed the mutual commitment of both nations to further strengthening their longstanding bilateral relations, with both sides agreeing to sustain close and continuous engagement between their respective Air Forces. On his arrival, a smartly turned out contingent of Pakistan Air Force presented Guard of Honour to Major General Andrei Yulianovich Lukyanovich. During the meeting, Chief of the Air Staff highlighted the robust bilateral military ties between the two countries and assured that PAF is committed to extending full support for the basic to tactical-level training of pilots and maintenance crews for capacity building of Belarus Air Force. He reiterated his resolve to consolidate the existing bilateral Air Force to Air Force ties between the two countries by enhancing collaboration, particularly in the areas of training, technological development and operational capability. A key highlight of the meeting was the mutual consensus on enhancing Air Force-to-Air Force cooperation through a variety of domains. This includes the initiation of high-level exchange programs aimed at fostering professional development between the two Air Forces. Major General Andrei Yulianovich Lukyanovich expressed his sincere gratitude for the warm hospitality extended to him underscoring the long-standing bond of friendship between Pakistan and Belarus. The visiting dignitary conveyed keen interest of Belarus Air Force in learning from Pakistan Air Force's rich operational experience, particularly in the context of wartime operations. He also acknowledged PAF's professionalism and effectiveness in complex operational environments and shared his Air Force's eagerness to draw lessons from PAF's combat-tested doctrines and training regimes. Major General Andrei Yulianovich Lukyanovich shared his earnest desire for structured and formal training programs to be conducted by PAF for Belarus Air Force personnel, indicating a new chapter of collaboration in capacity-building and operational proficiency. The Commander of the Air Force & Air Defence of Belarus extended an invite to CAS PAF seeking his participation in upcoming important and acclaimed defence related events in Belarus, to bolster this relationship further by expanding and exploring new avenues for collaboration. Both sides agreed to work on the modalities of the visit, with the aim of furthering the strategic dialogue and exploring new avenues for bilateral defence cooperation. This visit of Major General Andrei Yulianovich Lukyanovich to Air Headquarters, Islamabad highlights the strong commitment of both nations to further enhance their military partnership through continued dialogue and collaboration. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Xi Jinping Sends a Congratulatory Message to President-elect of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae-myung Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China Updated: June 04, 2025 23:35 On June 4, 2025, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Lee Jae-myung on his election as President of the Republic of Korea (ROK). Xi Jinping pointed out that China and the ROK are important neighbors and cooperation partners. Over the past 33 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have risen above the differences in ideology and social systems, moved forward hand in hand and helped each other succeed, achieving steady and sound growth in bilateral relations. This has not only enhanced the well-being of the two peoples but also made positive contributions to regional peace, stability, development and prosperity. Xi Jinping stressed that he attaches great importance to the development of China-ROK relations. In the world today, profound changes unseen in a century are unfolding at an accelerating pace and destabilizing factors in international and regional situations are increasing. Noting that both China and the ROK are major countries in the world and the region, Xi Jinping said that China is ready to work with the ROK to stay true to the original aspiration of establishing diplomatic relations, stay committed to the direction of good-neighborliness and friendship, stick to the goal of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, and continuously advance the China-ROK strategic cooperative partnership to bring more benefits to the two peoples. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address North Koreans have mixed reactions to South Korea's new pro-engagement president Traders are upbeat but others are skeptical, saying, "Nothing ever changes." By Jieun Kim and Hyemin Son for RFA Korean 2025.06.05 -- As South Korean President Lee Jae-myung begins his term pledging dialogue and economic cooperation with Pyongyang, North Koreansboth at home and abroadare reacting with a mix of hope, indifference, and deep-rooted skepticism. According to sources inside North Korea, the outcome of South Korea's 21st presidential election quickly spread among the population after Lee's victory on Tuesday. North Korean authorities confirmed Lee's win via state media the following day, offering only a brief, commentary-free report. In interviews with RFA's Korean Service, several North Korean citizens expressed disillusionment with past inter-Korean outreach efforts and remained doubtful that new leadership in Seoul would lead to any material change in their daily lives. "People remember that former South Korean presidents like Kim Dae-jung and Moon Jae-in were friendly toward the North," said a resident of North Hamgyong Province who requested anonymity for safety reasons. "But their policies did nothing to improve the living standards of ordinary North Koreans. So there's a lot of cynicism now." The source added that while Lee's stated interest in inter-Korean dialogue had generated some initial attention, many in the North believe that hostility between the two governmentsstill technically at warwill limit any real progress. Another source in North Pyongan Province echoed the sentiment. "No matter who becomes the president in the South, it's always the same," the resident said. "They talk about peace and unification, but nothing ever really changes for us." North Korean traders are upbeat Some officials within North Korea's foreign trade sector, however, appeared more optimistic. In Dalian and Shenyang, two Chinese cities where many North Korean business officials are based, news of Lee's election was met with guarded hope. One trade official in Dalian told RFA that he had been closely following South Korean media coverage throughout the election and was "glad" to see Lee, a Democratic Party candidate, win. "Some of us gathered this morning at the logistics center in Dandong," he said. "People were saying Lee's victory could be a good sign for inter-Korean economic cooperation." Restaurant operators and businesspeople in China, many of whom rely on South Korean clientele, also welcomed the news. "When inter-Korean tensions rise, we see a steep drop in South Korean customers," said a North Korean restaurant owner in Shenyang. "So a president like Lee, who might revive cross-border ties, gives us hope for better business." Due to government measures, North Korean restaurants abroad have not accepted South Korean customers since 2023. However, during periods of improved inter-Korean relations, South Koreans have been allowed to visit and have been a major source of income for these establishments. North treats South as 'hostile separate state' Observers note that Lee's predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, took a hardline stance on North Korea, which contributed to a prolonged freeze in inter-Korean exchanges. Lee, by contrast, emphasized diplomacy and engagement in his inaugural address. "While we will firmly respond to provocations, we will keep communication channels open with the North," Lee said during his swearing-in ceremony at the National Assembly on Wednesday. "Through dialogue and cooperation, we aim to build peace on the Korean Peninsula." Despite these words, some North Koreans remain unconvinced. "Unless inter-Korean relations lead to tangible benefits for people's lives, there will be little enthusiasm here," said the source in North Hamgyong Province. "Right now, most people don't see much to be hopeful about." In contrast to past elections, North Korea hasn't commented much on this campaign and the outcome. In previous elections, particularly those resulting in conservative victories, North Korea media greeted the result with hostile commentary. This time, they simply reported Lee's win without ideological framing or criticism. Analysts say this restraint aligns with Pyongyang's current doctrine of treating South Korea as a "hostile separate state," a stance solidified since late 2023. Former U.S. diplomat Evans Revere told RFA this reflects a formal shift in policy by the People's Democratic Republic of Korea, or DPRK, as the North is formally known. "It is now officially the policy of the DPRK leadership and ruling party not only to cut off all communication with the South but also to abandon the very idea of reunification and reconciliation," Revere said. "There are now no ties, no contacts, no communicationsvirtually nothing in common between the two sides," he said. Victor Cha, a former White House official and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington, noted that Lee's administration is still rooted in the progressive belief that inter-Korean engagement and reconciliation are essential. "I think he will continue to make that point and press forward with it," Cha said at a CSIS event, but he was skeptical it would work, adding: "The North Koreans do not appear to be interested in engaging." Translation and additional reporting by Jaewoo Park. Edited by Sungwon Yang Copyright 1998-2025, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content June not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU Sanctions Score A Legal Win Over Russian Oligarchs By Rikard Jozwiak June 05, 2025 The European Union scored an important legal victory over Russia with its sanctions policy on June 5 as the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg issued an opinion stating that visa bans and asset freezes of five prominent Russian businessmen deemed closed to the Kremlin are not only lawful but also Brussels doesn't need to prove their ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime. Following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU blacklisted the five Russians -- Dmitry Pumpyanskiy, Dmitry Mazepin, Tigran Khudaverdyan, Viktor Rashnikov, and German Khan -- and accused them of undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the war-torn country. The quintet, together with up to 80 other sanctioned Russians and Belarusians, petitioned the ECJ to be removed from the black list on various grounds. The cases were dismissed in 2023, and the judges at the time noted they that all five held high positions in the Russian economy, and that those sectors provided a substantial source of revenue for the Kremlin. They all appealed the court's initial ruling, and before the final verdict, one of the court's Advocate Generals was requested to deliver an opinion on their appeals. This opinion isn't binding on the court, but in most cases the court rules in line with the opinion. In this case, given the clear view the Advocate General delivered, a ruling could come as early as July or after the EU court's summer recess in August. The impending ruling is also likely the end of the road for the quintet's legal quest in the EU's court system to get their sanctions removed. Given that other Russian businessmen have made similar appeals to be delisted, it's fair to assume not many will be successful going forward. Setting A Precedent For Sanctions The opinion sets a sort of precedent and spells out one thing: The legal framework for the bloc's Russia sanctions policy appears solid. The opinion states clearly that there is "a rational relationship" between sanctioning leading businesspeople who provide a substantial revenue to the Russian government and the objective of the restrictive measures. The objective is stated clearly: to "exert pressure on the Government of the Russian Federation to put an end to aggression of Russia in Ukraine by reducing the financial resources available." By sanctioning businessmen in the country, the economy is harmed, and thus it increases the cost of waging war against Kyiv. The key thing in the opinion, however, is that when imposing these sanctions the EU doesn't have to prove "any specific conduct of the listed person, in particular in terms of influence over the Russian Government." This is what the sanctioned people in essence wanted to appeal: that while they are economically active in Russia, they have no direct sway on government policy when it comes to the war in Ukraine. It now appears sufficient to produce general links with Putin to clear the legal hurdle. When the EU decided to sanction leading Russian businessmen, they referred to a meeting organized by Putin a few days after the Ukrainian full-scale invasion with almost 40 of the most economically influential Russians to discuss the impact of the course of action in the wake of Western sanctions. There are other reasons, too, that Brussels lists these five. In Pumpyanskiy's case, the EU noted he participated in the congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs in March 2023, in which Putin urged participants to put "patriotism before profit." German Khan is one of the owners of Alfa Bank, and the bloc notes that Putin's eldest daughter, Maria, ran a charity project called Alfa-Endo that was funded by the bank. Both Mazepin and Rashnikov are listed because their businesses provide "substantial resources of revenue to the state budget," whereas Tigran Khudaverdyan, executive director of one of Russia's leading technology companies Yandex, is blacklisted because the company "has been warning Russian users looking for news about Ukraine on its search engine of unreliable information on the Internet." The ECJ ruling comes as a sigh of relief for the EU, which has faced some hurdles. It was battered in the same court for sanctions imposed on former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and his entourage in 2014 for the "misappropriation of Ukrainian state funds." The sanctions were based on rather flimsy evidence and have since largely collapsed. Brussels was also slapped on the wrist for the current Russia sanctions, notably restrictive measures on relatives of listed businessmen. Both Nikita Mazepin, the racing driving son of Dmitry Mazepin, and Violeta Prigozhina, the mother of the late Russian oligarch and Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, have won in the Luxembourg court and have since been delisted. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ecj-eu-russia-sanctions-oligarchs/33434950.html Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Press release on Russia's re-election to UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for 2026-2028 5 June 2025 17:55 965-05-06-2025 On June 4, the Russian Federation was re-elected to ECOSOC for 2026-2028 during the UN General Assembly elections in New York. Russia's bid was supported by two-thirds of the UN member states that took part in the voting. ECOSOC is one of the six statutory UN bodies, which is responsible for system-wide coordination of the World Organisation's work on socioeconomic and environmental issues. The Council reviews the implementation of resolutions of UN conferences of relevant profiles, and considers reports of its 20 subsidiary entities and interagency mechanisms. Russia has traditionally been an active participant of these processes. Russia's election to ECOSOC put an end to the politicised campaign carried out by unfriendly countries to block Russia's candidacy to the Council. By using procedural tricks and undisguised pressure on delegations, Western countries have in every possible way prevented Russia's return to ECOSOC. We are grateful to all 115 UN Member States that voted in favour of Russia's candidacy. We regard this as evidence of trust and support for our country's foreign policy in the socioeconomic area pursued by the United Nations. As a member of ECOSOC, Russia intends to contribute to ensuring the effectiveness and balance of international development efforts and to strengthening genuine multilateralism and depoliticisation. At the same time, the Russian Federation will continue to uphold the interests of the Global South and Global East and countries in special situations, and to promote a constructive dialogue with all stakeholder delegations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address British Council Labeled as Undesirable in Russia Sputnik News 20250605 The Russian Prosecutor General's Office said on Thursday that it had recognized the activities of UK international organization British Council as undesirable in the country. "The Prosecutor General's Office of Russia has decided to recognize the activities of the British Council international organization as undesirable in Russia. Positioning itself as an independent structure, the council builds all its work in accordance with the priorities of the UK government, it is accountable to the parliament and is financed by the foreign ministry of this country," the office said in a statement. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday that it advises friendly states to stop the work of UK international organization British Council in their countries. "Security agencies recommend that partners from friendly countries follow Moscow's example and curtail the council's work on the territory of their states," the FSB said in a statement. The UK organization was working to obtain information about the development of the domestic political and socio-economic situation in Russia in the context of the special operation in Ukraine through the established network of contacts, the statement read. "At the same time, the intelligence and subversive work of UK foundation Oxford Russia Fund, whose activities had previously been recognized as undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation, was exposed," the FSB said. The FSB has identified in four Russian regions representatives of the teaching staff of leading universities who collaborated with London to the detriment of the security of Russia, according to the statement. "It should be noted that the British traditionally consider representatives of the scientific community as the most promising object for their influence, primarily due to their direct access to young people and the ability to convey the necessary opinion, educating the "new generation" of Russian citizens in the right way for London," the statement read. UK Main Source of Most Global Crises The United Kingdom is the main source of most global crises, Russia's Federal Security Service said. Earlier in the day, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office said that it had recognized the activities of UK international organization British Council as undesirable in the country. According to the FSB, British Council is directly involved in confidential projects by the UK intelligence services aimed at undermining the sovereignty of independent states and has become London's main instrument of influence. "It is no longer a secret that the UK is the main source of global crises, a provocateur and instigator of wars. London organizes coups d'etat, weakens not only its geopolitical opponents but also its closest allies, sets nations against each other and does not allow the bloody conflicts it has unleashed to be resolved," a FSB representative said in a video address. The analysis of available documents shows that London uses its agents of influence to interfere in internal affairs of other countries, the representative added. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address We applaud Syria's determination to ensure Assad's chemical weapons programme is destroyed: UK statement at the UN Security Council Statement by Caroline Quinn, UK Deputy Political Coordinator, at the UN Security Council meeting on Syria. From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Caroline Quinn, UK Deputy Political Coordinator Published 5 June 2025 Location: United Nations, New York Delivered on: 5 June 2025 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered) Let me start by welcoming the strong commitment of the Syrian government to turn the page of history. We applaud Syria's determination to ensure once and for all that the Assad era chemical weapons programme is destroyed. The UK is greatly encouraged by Syria's operational and logistical support to the deployments carried out by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, including access to sites and people, and by Syria's commitment to engage with the international community. We also welcome the OPCW Technical Secretariat's deployments to Syria in March and April. The persistence and professionalism shown by OPCW staff in Syria has been exceptional. As has the consistently high quality of the Technical Secretariat's work on this important file in a very challenging technical environment. Important progress has been made towards setting up OPCW offices in Syria and the collection and analysis of samples. These are vital steps towards Syria's full implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and UN Security Council resolution 2118, which the Assad regime so flagrantly violated. There is, however, President, much more work to do in a difficult operational environment. Due to the secrecy and complexity of Assad's illegal chemical weapons programme, the precise extent of the challenge ahead is still unknown. Allow me to make three brief points. Firstly, both the Syrian government and the OPCW will need to be operationally agile to address any proliferation or health risks found in inspecting sites of concern. The OPCW's role is vital. As mandated by the Chemical Weapons Convention and by resolution 2118, the OPCW must verify the Syrian-led declaration and destruction of any remaining elements of Assad's chemical weapons programme. Secondly, to achieve this, the OPCW will need technical, financial and logistical assistance from the international community. The OPCW has provided States Parties with its estimated costs for its work in Syria. The UK has already provided more than $1 million to the OPCW Syria Missions to support their immediate work and will look to provide further assistance. We join High Representative Nakamitsu in encouraging others to also provide the necessary resources. In particular, President, we welcome Qatar's role in representing Syria at the OPCW in The Hague. Finally, military action by neighbouring states risks delaying OPCW deployments as well as the preservation of evidence at chemical weapons sites. We therefore urge Israel to de-escalate their actions in Syria. President, we have a historic opportunity to rid Syria of Assad's chemical weapons. Let us do our part to support Syria and the OPCW, to enable the new Syrian government to finally close the file on the scourge of chemical weapons use, and on this dark chapter in Syria's history. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address International Support Key to Fully Eliminate Syria's Chemical Weapons, Disarmament Chief Tells Security Council, Welcoming Interim Authorities' Commitment Press Release Security Council 9930th Meeting (PM) SC/16080 5 June 2025 Welcoming the Syrian interim authorities' continued engagement to address chemical-weapons issues long left unresolved by that country's previous Administration, the United Nations' disarmament chief told the Security Council today that international support is needed to fully realize the elimination of Syria's chemical-weapons programme. "We have continued to observe a new political reality emerge in Syria," said Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. There exists an "important opportunity", she emphasized, to obtain "long-overdue" clarifications on the full extent of the Syrian chemical-weapons programme, rid the country of all such weapons, normalize relations between Syria and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and ensure long-term compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention. She recalled that, over the last 11 years, OPCW has reported a total of 26 outstanding issues in this regard, of which 19 remain unresolved. Welcoming the interim authorities' continued engagement with OPCW to address such issues, she reported that OPCW technical experts travelled to Syria from 12 to 21 March "to start work on establishing OPCW's permanent physical presence in Syria and start jointly planning deployments to chemical-weapons sites". Further, a second deployment was completed from 14 to 25 April, and OPCW is currently preparing a third. These visits aim to establish an OPCW mission in Syria, conduct site visits and interview personnel with knowledge of the Syrian chemical-weapons programme. She went on to note that the interim authorities "extended all necessary support for the OPCW team's activities" during both completed deployments. "This included unfettered access, inter alia, to sites and people, issuance of visas and security escorts for field activities," she said. There were also discussions on requirements for the safe conduct of future OPCW activities in Syria, as well as the planning of necessary steps to facilitate the same. The OPCW technical secretariat, she stressed, remains committed to delivering on its mandate to verify Syria's full implementation of all Convention requirements, OPCW decisions and Council resolutions. "The commitment of the new authorities in Syria to fully and transparently cooperate with the OPCW technical secretariat is commendable," she said, adding: "However, the work ahead will not be easy, and it will require support from the international community." OPCW requires additional support to accomplish the tasks needed to rid Syria of all chemical weapons and carry out other mandated activities, including capacity-building to enable national authorities to respond to and investigate chemical-weapons issues and incidents effectively. She concluded: "I, once again, urge the members of this Council to unite and show leadership in providing the support that this unprecedented effort will require." ... NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address INTERVIEW/Taiwan trip to bring relations to next level: Guatemalan president ROC Central News Agency 06/05/2025 10:56 AM Taipei, June 5 (CNA) Visiting Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo on Wednesday told CNA that his ongoing Taiwan trip is intended to take the decades-long historical ties between the two allies "to the next level" by enhancing economic and trade relations. Speaking to CNA right after he arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday evening to begin his first trip to the country since taking office in January 2024, Arevalo said his administration has since been developing what he called "a new chapter in Guatemala-Taiwan relations." He said Guatemala is very grateful for the historical cooperation Taiwan has provided, which supported the Guatemalan people on various fronts. "I think that we are ready to bring the relationship to a new level," he said when asked about his ongoing five-day trip to Taiwan from Wednesday through Sunday. Elaborating on what he meant by the next level in bilateral relations, Arevalo said it means allowing both societies "to become much more intertwined," including by "tightening the economic and, of course, commercial relations between our countries." Since taking office as the Central American country's leader, his government has been working with Taiwanese counterparts to identify areas to collaborate. According to Arevalo, both governments consider semiconductor and supply chain cooperation to be perfect for expanded collaboration and growth. "We believe that we can follow Taiwan's very unique and important experience in building its own way into the high tech industry," he said. That is why, among the three documents his delegation will sign with Taiwan's government during its stay, one aims to facilitate bilateral investment and promote supply chain cooperation, while another seeks to boost the development of Guatemala's semiconductor industry. The third document to be signed is to promote a framework for political consultations, he added. Last month Guatemala sent a mission of 28 engineers from its universities and private sector to Taiwan to undergo a three-week intensive training program in semiconductors, according to Arevalo. His government believes this is an area for Guatemala to further invest in so that it can help create jobs locally and allow the Guatemalan high tech sector to grow. While in Taiwan, he and his delegation will also visit the Hsinchu Science Park and TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, to gain a better understanding of Taiwan's strength in this area. In addition to high-tech cooperation, Arevalo said his country is also in talks with Taiwanese textile companies that are planning investments in the Central America ally. The Guatemalan leader said his country's strategic location in Central America can serve as a bridge between Latin America and the U.S. "So we believe that that is something that we can expand so that Guatemala can be made into, as you said, a niche with importance not only for itself and for its people but for the whole economic development of the region." Asked to say a few words to Taiwanese people, the Guatemala president said he is in Taiwan "to celebrate a long-standing friendship" and because Guatemala wants to be part of making these historical links "even stronger and more productive for the good of both our peoples." Arevalo is making his first trip to Taiwan in more than 30 years since his last visit in 1994 when he was deputy foreign minister. Taiwan, officially named the Republic of China (ROC), established diplomatic relations with the Republic of Guatemala in 1934, when the ROC government was still based in mainland China. Guatemala is one of Taiwan's two diplomatic allies in Central America, the other being Belize, with 12 in total worldwide. Following his Taipei trip, the Guatemalan leader will visit Japan to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He will attend the Osaka World Expo and meet the emperor of Japan and hold an official summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba while in Tokyo, according to the Guatemalan government. (By Joseph Yeh) Enditem/AW NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taiwan, Guatemala sign deals on chip cooperation, political consultations ROC Central News Agency 06/05/2025 07:02 PM Taipei, June 5 (CNA) Taiwan and Guatemala signed two agreements on Thursday to boost cooperation on semiconductors and establish a new mechanism for political consultations, highlighting the deep ties between the two countries. In the presence of President Lai Ching-te () and his visiting Guatemalan counterpart Bernardo Arevalo, the two governments signed a letter of intent under which Taiwan will support Guatemala's efforts to develop its semiconductor industry. Under the other agreement signed by the two sides, a mechanism for holding regular consultations on bilateral ties and global issues of mutual interest will be established. The signing ceremony at the Presidential Office followed a bilateral meeting between Lai and Arevalo, who arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday for a five-day visit, his first trip to the country since taking office in January 2024. Speaking ahead of the closed-door meeting, Lai said cooperation between Taiwan and Guatemala has continued to deepen in recent years, yielding tangible results in fields such as public health, agriculture and women's empowerment. At the same time, Lai said, the government reiterates its call for Taiwanese businesses to invest in Guatemala, citing the Central American ally's strategic location, abundant natural resources and skilled workforce as key advantages. Lai said he looked forward to seeing Taiwanese and Guatemalan companies develop mutually beneficial partnerships that strengthen supply chain resilience and create long-term strategic value. In his remarks, Arevalo said Thursday's talks demonstrated the commitment of both governments to advancing the bilateral relationship to a new phase. Guatemala is one of 12 states in the world that maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China. The two countries established relations in 1934. Speaking of the agreement on political consultations, Arevalo said it would strengthen coordination between Taiwan and Guatemala and enable the two countries to regularly and strategically track priority issues in their joint collaboration projects. Earlier the same day, Lai also hosted a welcome ceremony for Arevalo and his delegation, which included First Lady Lucrecia Peinado, Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Martinez, and Economy Minister Gabriela Garcia-Quinn, at the Presidential Office in Taipei. (By Wen Kuei-hsiang and Teng Pei-ju) Enditem/AW NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chinese mainland punishes Taiwan company related to die-hard separatist People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 11:20, June 05, 2025 BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland on Thursday announced bans on a Taiwan company related to Shen Pao-yang, also known as Puma Shen, who is a die-hard supporter of "Taiwan independence," from making deals or cooperating with organizations, businesses and individuals in the mainland. Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, announced the punishment on Sicuens International Co., Ltd., a company led by Shen's father, noting that the mainland will also take other necessary measures against the company. According to Zhu, the company engages in trade and business cooperation with certain mainland enterprises in pursuit of economic benefits. "The mainland side will never allow enterprises related to die-hard 'Taiwan independence' supporters to seek profits in the mainland," said the spokesperson. In October last year, the office announced punishments on Shen and the Kuma Academy, an institution led by him. The office said that Shen had been actively and systematically organizing activities promoting "Taiwan independence." He has also deliberately promoted "Taiwan independence" and "anti-China" ideologies, particularly targeting the young people in Taiwan. Meanwhile, the Kuma Academy has openly fostered violent "Taiwan independence" individuals under the guise of training and outdoor activities. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan ROC Ministry of National Defense 2025/06/05 PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan 1.Date 6 a.m. Jun. 4 (Wed.) to 6 a.m. Jun. 5 (Thu.) (UTC+8) 2.PLA activities 24 sorties of PLA aircraft and 8 PLAN ships operating around Taiwan were detected as of 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 18 out of 24 sorties crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's northern and eastern ADIZ. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and employed CAP aircraft, Navy ships, and coastal missile systems in response to detected activities. 1140605_PLA air activities in the vicinity of Taiwan [Open a new window] 1140605_PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan [Open a new window] NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Zero tolerance for "Taiwan independence" provocations People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 08:13, June 06, 2025 BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland on Thursday delivered two more heavy blows to separatists seeking "Taiwan independence," once again demonstrating its zero tolerance toward "Taiwan independence" provocations. Police in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou put 20 suspects on a wanted list, accusing them of participating in cyber attacks launched by the "Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command (ICEFCOM)" of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities. Also, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council announced punitive measures for Sicuens International Co., Ltd., a company related to Taiwan's die-hard separatist Shen Pao-yang. This move aims to prohibit enterprises associated with "Taiwan independence" separatists from seeking profits in the mainland. In recent years, Taiwan's ICEFCOM has launched cyber attacks and infiltration operations against targets in the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao to steal sensitive data and key information. The ICEFCOM has worked with anti-China forces in the United States to conduct public opinion warfare and cognitive warfare, and secretly plot "color revolutions" in attempts to disturb social order, create social division, amplify social conflicts and obstruct national reunification. Masquerading as hacker groups, the ICEFCOM has initiated thousands of large-scale cyber attacks against the network systems of key institutions in key sectors in the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao. These vicious acts have stirred up trouble for society and must be severely punished in accordance with the law. As a stubborn separatist, Shen has been actively and systematically organizing activities promoting "Taiwan independence." He has deliberately hyped up "Taiwan independence" and "anti-China" ideologies, particularly targeting the young people in Taiwan. His actions have seriously undermined cross-Strait peace, stability, and the well-being of people across the Taiwan Strait. Therefore, punitive measures must be taken against him and all institutions and enterprises associated with him. These punitive actions are law-based, precise and effective. They demonstrate the mainland's growing resolve and precision in countering "Taiwan independence" and will further cut off the financial lifelines of obstinate separatists on the island. These measures are expected to further stem the activities of separatists and their collusion with external forces. "Taiwan independence" is a dead end. People in Taiwan should join hands with those in the mainland to firmly oppose separatist activities and safeguard the shared home of the Chinese nation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address British Army to increase lethality over the next decade while Royal Navy steps up innovation in NATO British Army and Royal Navy to invest in innovative new programmes, through increased investment in drones and novel technologies to transform warfighting capability From: Ministry of Defence and The Rt Hon John Healey MP Published 5 June 2025 The Government is ramping up investment in new and emerging technologies for the Army and Royal Navy to provide a major boost in lethality and the effectiveness of their military operations around the world, following the Strategic Defence Review. The Army will deliver a tenfold increase in lethality over the next ten years by harnessing firepower, surveillance technology, autonomy, digital connectivity, and data - leading the way in NATO in its use of technology to change how it fights, improving speed and accuracy. The Royal Navy will also ramp up new drone systems as part of an evolution in how it fights, moving towards a mix of crewed, uncrewed, and increasingly autonomous capabilities to secure the North Atlantic for the UK and NATO. The Defence Secretary will outline the Government's plan for the biggest transformation of the Armed Forces in memory and its approach to put NATO first during a meeting of NATO Defence Ministers in Brussels today (Thursday). Following the Prime Minister's commitment to the largest sustained increase to UK defence spending since the end of the Cold War, the Ministry of Defence will move to spending at least 10% of its budget on drones and novel technologies. This delivers on the government's commitment to invest 5bn on new drone and laser weapon technology, supporting thousands of jobs around the country, as part of the Government's Plan for Change. Key to increasing Army lethality will be the ability to rapidly find and strike enemy targets. Prioritisation of the 'Digital Targeting Web' will increase the pace and scale of change already being tested through Army initiatives like ASGARD, which is being delivered to British troops deployed with the NATO Forward Land Forces (FLF) in Estonia. In the last week, the government launched procurement for a new open framework to encourage defence companies to submit concepts for new digital systems that could be integrated into ASGARD. The aim is to exploit advanced technologies such as AI and uncrewed capabilities, enabling the development of advanced digital 'Decision' making on the battlefield. Defence Secretary, John Healey MP said: We will invest in technology to give our troops the edge in the battlefields of the future; transforming our Armed Forces and boosting our warfighting readiness. This will increase our lethality, provide a powerful deterrent to our adversaries, and put the UK at the leading edge of innovation in NATO. We will back UK business to innovate at a war time pace; creating highly skilled jobs and fast-tracking the weapons of tomorrow into the hands of our warfighters, as part of our Government's Plan for Change. The government's Strategic Defence Review plan will commit the UK to step up on European security by leading in NATO, with strengthened nuclear, new tech, and updated conventional capabilities - learning the lessons from the battlefield in Ukraine. As part of our commitment to NATO, during his visit, the Defence Secretary will confirm for the first time that UK military liaison officers will join the development of NATO's Forward Land Forces (FLF) Finland. These officers will work with both Sweden, as the Framework Nation, and Finland as they develop FLF Finland - a vital component to strengthening the Alliance's deterrence posture on the Eastern Flank. On the sidelines of the meetings, the Defence Secretary is expected to join defence ministers from Canada, Denmark, Norway and Poland who will sign a document to join the UK-led NATO Flight Training Europe project, that delivers a network of training campuses to train pilots for jet fighters, helicopters, and transport aircraft. To boost the Royal Navy's aircraft carrier operations, the government will invest in the cutting-edge of NATO capabilitymoving to have the first 'hybrid' carrier airwings in Europe, where the aircraft carrier's F-35B jet fighters are complemented by autonomous collaborative platforms in the air and drones. The Navy is moving towards a "New Hybrid" fleet that exploits autonomy and uncrewed systems - along with conventional warships - for a mix of equipment and weapons. The UK's Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers are two of the most powerful warships the UK has ever built and, following the Strategic Defence Review, the Royal Navy's Carrier Strike programme will evolve into 'hybrid' carrier airwings, exploiting the latest technology to combine crewed and uncrewed platforms to make the carrier an even more potent form of deterrence. On major deployment to the Indo-Pacific, HMS Prince of Wales is heading up the Carrier Strike Group right now with uncrewed air systems onboard. In the future, the carriers' crewed air wings will be further augmented with more uncrewed systems. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Anatoliy Shariy sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison, following SSU investigation Security Service of Ukraine 19:30, 4 June 2025 Based on evidence collected by the Security Service of Ukraine, pro-kremlin propagandist Anatoliy Shariy has been sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison. The decision was made on 4 June this year by Vinnytsia City Court. According to the investigation, since the beginning of the full-scale war Shariy has been involved in the FSB's information subversions against our state. This pertains to his participation in the preparation and dissemination of staged videos in which ruscists interrogate Ukrainian prisoners of war. The investigation established that Shariy advised the occupiers on how to film the interrogations in the 'required format' and what questions to ask the captives. After filming, the perpetrator edited the video footage to remove scenes that were 'discrediting' to russia, in particular those showing signs of torture of prisoners. Shariy communicated with the occupiers through Anton Shevtsov, former head of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Vinnytsia region, who is hiding in Sevastopol and is suspected of treason. It has been documented that it was from him that the propagandist received videos of interrogations of captured Ukrainian soldiers, which he then edited and disseminated through his information resources. Based on evidence collected by the SSU, Shariy and his accomplice Shevtsov were found guilty under Articles 28.2 and 111.2 of the CCU (high treason, committed by a group upon prior conspiracy, under martial law). An unprecedented special confiscation of Anatoliy Shariy's domain name and YouTube channel was also carried out. As both convicts are hiding from prosecution, efforts are underway to bring them to justice for crimes against Ukraine. The investigation was carried out by the SSU Office in Vinnytsia region under the procedural supervision of the regional Prosecutor's Office. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Norway 86m voluntary contribution boosts EPF fund to support Ukraine European External Action Service (EEAS) 05.06.2025 Strategic Communications The High Representative's ammunition initiative to support Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression receives a windfall Voluntary Financial Contribution from Norway. The European Council accepted Norway's donation for a Voluntary Financial Contribution of NOK 1 billion (EUR 86 million) to the windfall profits scheme, channelled through the European Peace Facility on 28 May 2025. The donation underlines Norway's engagement to in the joint European efforts to support Ukraine, and the country's willingness to contribute to the High Representative's initiative to provide Ukraine's Armed Forces with large-calibre artillery ammunition. Ammunition Initiative In April 2025, the High Representative announced an ambitious target of two million rounds of large calibre artillery ammunition for Ukraine to be delivered by EU member States in 2025. This is considered an essential requirement for Ukraine's defence, and meets the March 2025 call from President Zelenskyy for additional support at European Council. Participating Member States will contribute to this target according to their individual capacity. The EU will also contribute to this target using the accrued interest on frozen Russian assets. A total of EUR 470 million is dedicated to large-calibre artillery ammunition under the second payment currently under disbursement. The EU and participating Member States have already reached approximately two-thirds of this target through combined deliveries and commitments. The contribution by Norway isin addition to that two-million-round target. Windfall profits Windfall profits stem from extraordinary revenues accruing to central securities depositories (CSDs) in the EU. In light of Russia's continued war of aggression against Ukraine, the Council adopted in May 2024 a set of legal acts ensuring that these net profits are used for further military support to Ukraine, as well as its defence industry capacities and reconstruction. The European Peace Facility was established in March 2021 to finance actions under the common foreign and security policy. Follow the link to learn more about the European Peace Facility. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministry's Secretary General Jonatan Vseviov met with Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 05.06.2025 | 09:59 On 3 and 4 June, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jonatan Vseviov was in US capital Washington DC, where his meetings included talks with Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg and Michael Anton, Director of the Secretary of State's Policy Planning Staff. The meetings covered Russia's aggression against Ukraine, continued support for Ukraine and pressuring Russia into ending the war. They discussed European security, increased defence spending of NATO Allies, and reinforcing Europe's defence capabilities and transatlantic relations. The secretary general also had meetings at the Department of the Treasury and with several representatives of think tanks. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin, Trump hold phone talks; Moscow vows to respond to Spider's Web attack Global Times By Xu Keyue Published: Jun 05, 2025 10:53 PM A nighttime Russian drone strike on Thursday hit the northern Ukrainian city of Pryluky, and six drones hit a residential area in the city at 5:30 am local time, according to Ukrainian authorities, per a report of AP. Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly vowed to hit back against recent Ukraine's Operation "Spider's Web" drone attack in a call with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday. President Trump disclosed Wednesday that Putin told him that Moscow would "have to respond" to the massive Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia's strategic air bases days ago, according to the Xinhua News Agency on Thursday. Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social account that he finished a phone call with Putin and discussed the attacks on June 1. It was the first time the US president publicly talked about the operation that Zelensky touted being directed by himself, Xinhua reported. Ukraine on Sunday launched a drone attack deep into Russian territory that security officials said destroyed about 40 military bombers, multiple media outlets reported. CNN reported on Wednesday that the leaders' conversation was their second time speaking in a matter of weeks. In the post in his Truth Social, US President acknowledged the 75-minute conversation would not yield an immediate end to the war in Ukraine. "It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace," the post read. TASS also briefed the phone call on Wednesday but noted the conversation lasted 70 minutes - shorter than Trump claimed. Russian and Ukrainian delegates met in Istanbul on Monday for their second set of direct peace talks. The talks began late and lasted barely over an hour. Although both sides agreed to work on a new prisoner exchange, statements from the two sets of delegations suggested that little had been achieved to bridge the gulf between their positions, particularly on the matter of a ceasefire, according to CNN. Ukraine's Security Service announced on Tuesday local time that it had carried out a special operation involving an underwater attack on the Crimean Bridge - the third such strike on the structure since the conflict began. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded on Wednesday that Ukrainian forces did attack the Crimean Bridge, but it was not damaged. In response to the threat of further attacks, the bridge was temporarily closed twice for brief periods. However, these closures did not lead to significant disruptions, and the bridge is now fully open for normal traffic, TASS reported. The Chinese Embassy in Ukraine issued a statement on Thursday via its official WeChat account, warning that the entire territory of Ukraine remains in a state of war and the security situation is still severe, and advising Chinese citizens to refrain from traveling to Ukraine for the time being. Cui Hongjian, professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, pointed out a continuation of the "fighting while talking" dynamic, with negotiations confined to purely transactional matters - such as prisoner swaps or the exchange of remains - while making no substantive progress toward meaningful conflict resolution. Cui told the Global Times on Thursday that the US is attempting to strike a delicate balance in its approach to the Ukraine crisis. On one hand, it seeks to reduce its direct involvement in the conflict to avoid undermining its broader goal of improving relations with Russia. On the other hand, it does not want Ukraine-Russia negotiations to proceed entirely outside its influence. This phone call where the two leaders talked for more than one hour and Trump emphasized his ignorance of the weekend attack from Ukraine in advance once again indicated that Washington tries to distance itself from Kiev, Cui said. "This reflects Washington's broader recalibrationprioritizing strategic restraint to preserve trust with Russia while shifting more responsibility to European allies," Cui told the Global Times on Thursday. US president also said in a post on his Truth Social account the two leaders "discussed Iran, and the fact that time is running out on Iran's decision pertaining to nuclear weapons, which must be made quickly!" according to Xinhua. TASS reported that Trump told Putin that the talks could benefit from Russia's help and said he would appreciate it if Russia could work with Iran on the issue. The US is pursuing selective cooperation with Russia to reduce its own geopolitical burdensparticularly in the Middle East, Cui said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New donations to NATO's support to Ukraine Government Offices of Sweden Press release from Ministry of Defence Published 05 June 2025 The Government has instructed the Swedish Armed Forces to contribute SEK 550 million to NATO's support to Ukraine. The donations are funded by the 19th support package for Ukraine, presented by the Government on 31 March and adopted by the Riksdag on 29 April. SEK 300 million will be contributed to the NATO Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) Trust Fund for support to Ukraine. The fund is used to procure non-lethal military assistance requested by Ukraine, such as medical equipment, vehicles, fuel and field rations. SEK 250 million will be contributed to the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) Trust Fund for the rapid procurement of goods and services requested by Ukraine, such as spare parts. "The scope of Sweden's military support is a strength. The contributions to these NATO funds will enhance Ukraine's endurance and logistical capabilities," says Minister for Defence Pal Jonson. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Oleksiy Chernyshov: Ukraine will do everything to make the return of its citizens from abroad a conscious and desired choice Ukraine Government Ministry of National Unity of Ukraine, posted 05 June 2025 20:03 Ukraine will do everything to ensure that the return of its citizens from abroad is a conscious and desired choice. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Unity of Ukraine Oleksiy Chernyshov in an interview with Euronews. "We cannot force anyone to return. That's impossible. The only motivation to return to Ukraine is a successful Ukraine and love for one's homeland. Only these two factors can encourage Ukrainians to seriously consider such a decision. There has been and will be no coercion," emphasised Oleksiy Chernyshov. The Minister also commented on the European Commission's proposal to extend temporary protection for Ukrainians until March 2027: "This gives Ukrainians living in the European Union over 20 months of clarity to plan their lives and their eventual return to Ukraine as soon as conditions allow. For some, the priority is peace - stable and lasting. For others, it's about economic development, the labour market, better employment opportunities, new jobs, and an economic breakthrough. For others still, it's European integration. But if we move forward on this path, most Ukrainians will seriously consider returning to Ukraine." Oleksiy Chernyshov noted that Ukrainians abroad were actively contributing to the economic life of European Union countries: "I believe the contribution of Ukrainians to EU countries is significant. Ukrainians in Europe are a valuable asset to the labour market. They are professional, hardworking, intelligent, and educated. It's clear that labour markets will compete for them." Among the key areas of focus, the Minister highlighted the Ukrainian Government's collaboration with European partners to establish a network of Unity Centres - support spaces for Ukrainians abroad. "We have significant support from the European Commission regarding the establishment of a Special Representative for Ukrainians in the EU. Together, we will develop the Unity Centres programme in European countries. I am convinced this will expand opportunities for Ukrainians to seriously consider returning home once stable peace is achieved," said Oleksiy Chernyshov. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine and Japan's JICA sign over USD 3 billion agreement to be repaid using revenues from frozen russian assets Ukraine Government Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, posted 05 June 2025 14:14 Today, Minister of Finance of Ukraine Sergii Marchenko and Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Ukraine Office Hideki Matsunaga signed a Loan Agreement. The document provides for a loan to Ukraine in the amount of JPY 471.9 billion (over USD 3 billion). Servicing and repayment of the loan will be carried out using future revenues from immobilized sovereign assets of russia. These funds are part of the Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration for Ukraine (ERA) mechanism initiated by the G7 countries, with a total volume of around USD 50 billion. The funds provided by Japan will be directed toward financing priority expenditures of Ukraine's State Budget, aimed at promoting economic stabilization and development. Minister of Finance of Ukraine Sergii Marchenko expressed gratitude to the Government of Japan and JICA for their unwavering support of Ukraine since the outset of russia's full-scale aggression. "Japan is one of Ukraine's key partners. It is the second-largest provider of budget support since February 2022, having extended over USD 8.5 billion, of which USD 955 million was provided on a non-repayable basis. I am grateful for the continuation of this critically important assistance. Implementation of the ERA mechanism will help address Ukraine's budgetary needs in 2025 and ensure medium-term fiscal sustainability," said Sergii Marchenko. At the same time, the Minister emphasized that the ERA mechanism is a transitional solution. Ukraine's ultimate goal is to establish an international compensation mechanism that will enable the full confiscation of the russian central bank's frozen assets and their use to compensate for the damages caused by russian aggression. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Yuliia Svyrydenko and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent discuss initial projects for Reconstruction Fund and new investor protection tools Ukraine Government Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, posted 05 June 2025 09:42 During a working meeting in Washington, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent discussed next steps for implementing the U.S-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, officially launched in May. "We are grateful to the U.S. Government for their political resolve and consistent support. Our joint Fund is an example of equal partnership focused on the future. The first projects are ready for implementation. In particular, we discussed projects involving graphite, lithium, and titanium with our American counterparts. These sectors are vital for Ukraine's economy and the strategic interests of the United States," Yuliia Svyrydenko emphasised. The first meeting of the Fund's Board is scheduled for late July this summer, where committee charters and decision-making mechanisms will be approved. The Ukrainian side proposed expanding the Fund's investment mandate, particularly to support the defence industry and strong Ukrainian companies with export potential. The U.S. Treasury expressed interest in this proposal and readiness for further discussions. Special attention was given to the need to expand war risk insurance. American businesses are keen on such a tool to attract private capital to Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address "Spiderweb" is exactly the kind of pressure russia must face, D. Sakaliene approves in Brussels Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of National Defence 2025-06-05 International cooperation | Minister's news | Security and defense policy Minister of National Defence Dovile Sakaliene took part in the United Kingdom and Germany-hosted Ukraine Defence Contact Group (Ramstein format) meeting in Brussels. At the meeting, Minister D. Sakaliene stressed the necessity to accelerate the delivery of aid to Ukraine and to take more decisive steps against Russia. Critical armament needs were discussed with the Ukrainian delegations. "russia has always been a long-term threat and will remain such in the future. It is obvious that the aggressor is not interested in genuine negotiations and peace. Therefore, it is necessary not just to maintain and step up assistance to Ukraine but also to turn to more decisive Allied action regarding russia. The incredibly successful Operation Spiderweb executed by the Ukrainians is exactly the type of pressure that needs to be put on russia to get Putin to change his views on negotiations," said Minister of National Defence D. Sakaliene. Minister also welcomed Germany's decisions to lift the range limitations off the armaments provided to Ukraine. "This decision will enable Ukraine to deliver a more effective defence and deter the aggressor. It is an example how Allies should behave to achieve real changes in the adversary's behaviour," Minister noted. Lithuania continues extending comprehensive assistance to Ukraine and delivering on the commitments made. Lithuania co-lead the Capability Coalition for Demining with Iceland and delivers demining equipment to corresponding units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on a regular basis. In April Lithuania joined the German-led Capability Coalition for Electronic Warfare Equipment in support of Ukraine. Lithuania commits additional funds for acquiring drone jamming equipment for Ukraine from the Lithuanian defence industry in response to the critical requirement stated by the Coalition. Lithuania also delegates three officers in addition to the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) and a EUR 5 million contribution to the NSATU Trust Fund. The State Defence Council agreed last June to dedicate at least 0.25% of GDP for military aid to Ukraine. Lithuania has rendered military aid worth of EUR 850 million since the beginning of the war. Lithuania's long-term assistance to Ukraine has already exceeded EUR 1.5 billion. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Britain to substantially increase drone deliveries to Ukraine People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 10:35, June 05, 2025 LONDON, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The British Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday that Britain will ramp up its drone supply to Ukraine, raising the target from 10,000 in 2024 to 100,000 in 2025, marking a record investment of 350 million pounds (473.61 million U.S. dollars). The ministry stated in a statement that this initiative is part of Britain's 4.5-billion-pound military support package to Ukraine for this year. At a NATO meeting in Brussels with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, British Defense Secretary John Healey will announce an additional 247 million pounds in funding for training the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This includes training Ukrainian recruits on British soil and supporting Operation Interflex, which has provided basic combat training to over 55,000 Ukrainian recruits since 2022. Healey will also confirm the successful delivery of 140,000 artillery munitions to Ukraine by Britain since the start of 2025. The Ukrainian and Russian delegations made modest but concrete progress in renewed peace talks in Istanbul on Monday. Russia believes that arms supplies to Ukraine hinder the settlement of the conflict. The Kremlin stated that the West's provision of weapons to Ukraine does not contribute to the negotiations and will have a negative effect. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Where Things Stand After Ukrainian Drone Strikes Deep In Russia, Istanbul Talks, And A Trump-Putin Phone Call By Steve Gutterman June 05, 2025 After a second round of face-to-face negotiations in Istanbul on June 2, it seemed like Russia and Ukraine were further from a cease-fire-- let alone a deal to end the biggest war in Europe since 1945 -- than they had been when they sat down to start the talks. Days later, the path toward peace may be even longer, and the hurdles higher: Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out on June 4 after deadly railroad attacks he blamed on Ukraine, branding the government in Kyiv "terrorists" and seeming to question whether talks should continue. US President Donald Trump, following a phone call with Putin later the same day, said their conversation would not lead to "immediate peace" and that Putin told him Moscow would respond to Ukrainian drone attacks that struck strategic bombers deep inside Russia. If the first direct peace talks since the weeks after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 were not already doomed to failure, are they now? Here's what to watch in the wake of the second round of negotiations, the Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian bombers, Putin's outburst, and his conversation with Trump. Is Putin's Stance Hardening? Carried out on the eve of the June 2 talks, the Ukrainian drone strikes were a major display of force. In the ensuing days, a slew of social media postsfrom Ukrainians and their supporters suggested the attacks showed that Kyiv does hold cards, contrary to a remark Trump made after a disastrous Oval Office meeting with Zelenskyy in February. But Tatyana Stanovaya, a longtime analyst of the Kremlin and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said it would be wrong to expect that the strikes would move push Putin closer to making any concessions. In fact, she said, it may push him in the opposite direction. "I believe such attacks will only reinforce his determination to dismantle the Ukrainian state in its current form," Stanovaya wrote on X. "He will respond by becoming more hardline and less compliant." At the same time, Russia would like to keep the direct talks with Ukraine going, observers say, because the negotiations allow Moscow to claim that it is seeking peace, a move that helps keep Washington from imposing a new round of sanctions. Anyone who watched Putin speak at a government meeting on June 4 might think Moscow was about to abandon the process after two meetings in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2. "Who even holds negotiations with those who rely on terror, with terrorists?" said Putin, who described Ukraine's leadership as "the heads of a thoroughly rotten and completely corrupt regime." Bellicose words, but not necessarily words that suggest a change in diplomatic strategy. Russia has maintained an uncompromising stance for months, laying out maximalist terms at the Istanbul talks and rejecting calls by Kyiv and the West for a 30-day cease-fire. Moscow has made clear it opposes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's push for a summit with Putin, and top Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov indicated the remark about terrorists meant that Russia would indeed reject any further direct talks. Putin told Trump that the June 2 negotiations were "useful" and "we hope that...the two sides will be able to continue their talks" after they study the proposals Russian and Ukrainian negotiators exchanged at the meeting. Following the meeting, the head of Ukraine's negotiating team, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, proposed further talks between June 20 and June 30. Zelenskyy sharply criticized Russia and after a drone attack on the Chernihiv region killed a woman, her adult daughter, and her year-old grandson, but he did not say whether it would affect any further talks with Moscow. "So far, it seems like the Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory won't have any consequences for the talks in Istanbul," Russian-language news outlet The Bell wrote in a newsletter late on June 4. "There's not much to undermine, because serious results from the current talks should not be expected," it said, before adding that results "are needed by both sides to demonstrate their peaceful intentions to Donald Trump." Will Trump Pressure Putin? A crucial question, as it has been for months, is how Trump will react to the latest developments and whether he will step up US pressure on Russia, something he has refrained from doing so far. Trump, who has been seeking to broker an end to Russia's war on Ukraine since he took office for a second time in January, has said several times that he believes Putin wants peace. But he has voiced increasing frustration with Putin in recent weeks as Russia has pounded Ukraine with relentless attacks, often killing civilians, and rejected the 30-day cease-fire proposal, which initially came from Washington and was accepted by Kyiv. Putin "has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I'm not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on May 26. Two days later, Trump warned that the United States will take unspecified actions if he determines that Putin is "tapping us along" rather than engaging in a good-faith search for peace, adding that "it will take about a week and a half, two weeks." While Trump has also continued to criticize Ukraine at times, his remarks about Putin have raised expectations that he could impose new sanctions on Russia. On June 4, he posted a recent Washington Post opinion article headlined "Congress can give Trump the leverage to coerce Putin" -- a reference to a bipartisan bill that Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has said would impose "bone-crushing" sanctions on Russia. But after his phone call with Putin the same day, which he said was a "good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace," Trump made no mention of any frustration with Russia or its president. In a Truth Social post devoted less to the war in Ukraine than to the possibility that Putin could help reach a deal curbing Iran's nuclear program, Trump said that he and Putin had discussed "attacks by both sides," Moscow and Kyiv. And he conveyed what he indicated was a strongly worded warning from Putin that Russia "will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields" -- something Putin had not mentioned in public at all. The threat of tougher sanctions still hangs in the air, and Trump's next steps are unclear, but the absence of any words of warning for Putin or Russia in his post rattled Ukrainians and angered his opponents at home. "Trump, by effectively refusing to respond firmly to Putin's threats against Ukraine, has replaced the previous 'Putin, stop' stance with a silent 'Go ahead, Putin: Do it, and we won't stop you,'" Kyiv-based political scientist Oleh Saakyan told Current Time. Later on June 5, meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Washington, Trump said that he had urged Putin not to hit at Ukraine over the drone strikes but that he expects Russia will do so. "It's probably not going to be pretty. I don't like it," Trump said. Zelenskyy, meanwhile, redoubled his calls for increased pressure on Russia following the deadly strike in the Chernihiv region, saying, "We expect action from the United States, Europe, and everyone in the world who can really help change these terrible circumstances. "Strength matters, and the war can only end through strength," he wrote on X. "Moscow must be pressured by all available means and gradually deprived of its ability to continue this aggression." Meeting with Trump at the White House, Merz echoed Zelenskyy, calling for more pressure on Moscow and saying the US president is the "key person in the world" in that regard. Trump made no commitment to ramp up the pressure and declined to say whether he supports the Senate sanctions bill, calling it "very harsh." He said he told Putin that Russia's war on Ukraine was like two children "fighting in a park. Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart." Trump suggested that he believes it is still too early to impose new sanctions over the war -- and that if the time comes, he might target both sides. "When I see the moment where it's not going to stop... we'll be very, very, very tough. And it could be on both countries, to be honest," he said. "You know, it takes two to tango." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-war-trump- putin-zelenskyy-drones-talks/33434945.html Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Zelenskyy Renews Call For International Pressure After Russian Strike Kills 3 Generations At Single Residence By RFE/RL June 05, 2025 A Russian air strike killed at least five people, including members of three generations from the same family, in the northern Ukrainian city of Pryluky, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to renew calls for the international community to exert "all available means" of pressure on Moscow to bring about a cease-fire. Officials said six drones hit a residential area in Pryluky shortly before dawn on June 5, killing a mother, her 1-year-old son, and his grandmother as the father was out performing rescue work at another site hit by the attack. "Russia constantly tries to buy time to continue its killings. When it doesn't feel strong enough condemnation and pressure from the world -- it kills again," Zelenskyy said in a social media post, noting 632 children had been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. "We expect action from the United States, Europe, and everyone in the world who can really help change these terrible circumstances. Strength matters, and the war can only end through strength. Moscow must be pressured by all available means and gradually deprived of its ability to continue this aggression." Ukrainian officials said other overnight Russian attacks struck the major Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson, leaving at least three people dead and scores more injured, including four children. Liliya, a Kherson resident, told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service that the attack hit her neighbor's yard. "It happened fast and was very loud," she said. "There was nowhere to hide.... When we went out, there was a lot of huge debris and shattered glass all over the street," Liliya added. Oleksandr Prokudin, governor of the Kherson region, said a Russian missile strike destroyed the regional administration building. According to local media reports, Russian forces damaged the building in the early morning hours before guiding another missile to completely destroy it. The attacks followed a phone call between President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, where the Russian leader warned "very strongly" of Russia's intention to respond to a Ukrainian drone attack over the weekend on military facilities and railway infrastructure. According to Trump, the call lasted 75 minutes, and Ukraine's surprise drone attack, carried out by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) on June 1, was one of the topics discussed. "We discussed the attack on Russia's docked airplanes by Ukraine, and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides," Trump said. "Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields," he added. Trump has been pushing the two sides to reach a cease-fire agreement after making it a foreign policy priority during the campaign that saw him win back the White House in a November 2024 election. Russian and Ukrainian delegations met on June 2 in Istanbul -- only the second round of face-to-face negotiations between the two sides in more than three years -- that failed to move the peace process forward. Leaders from several Western nations and many military analysts have accused Putin of not seriously seeking a peace deal, instead dragging the process out to ward off US sanctions while gaining ground on the battlefield. Colonel Pavlo Palisa, a Ukrainian military officer, told reporters in Washington on June 4 that Russia has set a goal of establishing the buffer zone by the end of the year and wants to seize the entirety of Donetsk and Luhansk by the end of September. "It's interesting, but they have plans even for 2026. The plan for next year is to occupy the whole part of Ukraine which is situated on the left bank of the Dnipro River," he said after briefing US lawmakers and officials. Another goal is to cut off Ukraine's Black Sea access, he said. Palisa, who is deputy head of Zelenskyy's office, was part of a Ukrainian delegation that was in Washington as Kyiv pushes for stronger pressure against Moscow. He presented what he said were findings from Ukrainian military intelligence. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-war-palisa- delegation-washington-north-korea-putin-trump-zelenskyy/33434530.html Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Pivot to Middle East Leaves Ukraine Up a Creek Without a Paddle on Drone Defense Sputnik News 20250605 A WSJ report says Washington is rerouting much-needed anti-drone rocket fuses earmarked for Kiev to another theater. This could have a dramatic impact on the course of hostilities, a pair of top Russian military analysts told Sputnik. Most ongoing US military aid deliveries to Ukraine are leftovers from Biden-era commitments, and the WSJ report on fuses being redirected to US forces in the Middle East may be a sign that "Trump doesn't want to supply Ukraine directly anymore," and wants to distance the US from the conflict, possibly even from the negotiations process, says Alexei Leonkov, editor of Russian military affairs magazine Arsenal Otechestva. "These fuses and other equipment are needed in the Middle East, where the situation is slowly heating up around Iran," the observer said, referring to US-Iran tensions over nuclear negotiations, and Israel's hardline demands for strikes targeting the Islamic Republic's nuclear sites. Plus there's the factor of shortages linked to US production limits, Leonkov says. "If before, aid was being delivered from warehouses, now it's coming from production, on a residual basis, first to the US itself, then to allies, and then to Ukraine." Cuts Linked to Houthis? Military and political observer Evgeny Mikhailov points out that besides Iran tensions, the urgent rerouting of equipment may be linked to the massive expenditure of air defense systems that took place during the US's recent clashes with the Houthis. A US official told WSJ in a separate report Thursday that the US's anti-Houthi campaigns tied up about 30 US warships - about 10% of the entire active fleet, and threaten to create "critical gaps" in US capabilities. In May, a NYT analysis calculated that the US had expended up to $7 billion fighting the Houthis, wasting the money "bombing a country we couldn't find on a map." Whatever the reasons, the cuts are "an unambiguous hint" that the Ukrainian crisis is taking a backseat to other US priorities. They could also be punishment for Kiev's attempts to derail the peace negotiations demanded by Trump with its recent terrorist attacks on Russia, Mikhailov said. "This I think is one of the first steps toward a complete US refusal to finance the Ukrainian regime." Europe will try to make up for the lost US deliveries, "but the Europeans will not last long," the observer said. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine Loses Up to 500 Soldiers in Battles With Russia's Forces Sputnik News 20250605 Russia's Tsentr group of forces has eliminated up to 500 Ukrainian soldiers over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday. "The enemy's losses amounted to up to 500 troops, seven armored combat vehicles, including a US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, eight pickup trucks and six field artillery pieces," the ministry said in a statement. Over the past 24 hours, Russia's Yug group of forces has eliminated up to 240 Ukrainian soldiers, the ministry added. Russian air defenses shot down 154 Ukrainian drones, 60 of them outside the special military operation zone. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kremlin Confirms Putin Told Trump That Russia Will Retaliate to Ukraine's Attacks on Airfields Sputnik News 20250605 Russian President Vladimir Putin told US President Donald Trump that Russia will respond to Kiev's attacks on its airfields, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. "Yes, indeed," Peskov told reporters, answering a question about whether Putin said in a conversation with Trump about Russia's response to the attacks on its airfields. The response to the Ukrainian attacks on Russian airfields will be up to the military to decide on, Peskov added. "The military will decide how and when the response will be appropriate," Peskov said. Russia would prefer to hear strong condemnation of Ukraine's terrorist attacks at the international level, Kremlin spokesman said. On Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Kiev had carried out a terrorist attack using FPV drones at airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions. All the attacks on airfields in the Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions were repelled. According to the ministry, the fires that occurred as a result of Ukraine's attacks on airfields in the Murmansk and Irkutsk regions were extinguished, and there were no casualties among the personnel. "During a telephone conversation that took place yesterday, US President [Donald Trump] did say that he did not have any information about the preparation of this terrorist act by the Kiev regime. But, if we talk about the international assessment in general, of course, we would prefer to hear a strong condemnation of, at a minimum, this terrorist act," Peskov told reporters. Decisions on terrorist attacks in the Kursk and Bryansk regions were impossible without the highest political level of Ukraine, the official said, adding that it was Kiev that gave the order to blow up the train in the Bryansk Region. "This is nothing less than terrorism at the state level," Peskov said, adding that the fact that Kiev acquired all signs of terrorism will be taken into account by Russia in the future. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Railway Track In Russia's Voronezh Region Damaged As A Result Of An Explosion Sputnik News 20250605 A railway track in the Voronezh Region of Russia was damaged as a result of the detonation of an explosive device immediately before the train passed, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday. "The Federal Security Service of Russia says that this morning, as a result of the detonation of an explosive device immediately before the passage of a train, a railway track in the Voronezh Region was damaged," the FSB said in a statement. As a result of the professional actions of the driver and the train crew, who noticed the destruction of the track and applied emergency braking, damage to the train was prevented, which helped to avoid human casualties, the statement read. All the circumstances of the incident are being investigated, and the scene of the incident is being inspected, the FSB said, adding that based on the initial indications, there are all grounds for initiating a criminal case under the article "terrorism." Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Five Explosive Devices Were Used in Terrorist Attack on Bridge in Kursk Region Sputnik News 20250605 Five homemade explosive devices were used to blow up a bridge on June 1 near the town of Zheleznogorsk in Russia's Kursk Region, where a freight train derailed, acting regional governor Alexander Khinshtein said. Alexander Khinshtein reported that at night, on the 48th kilometer of the Trosna-Kalinovka highway in the Zheleznogorsk District, a bridge collapsed while a freight locomotive was moving. The condition of the injured train crew members after the incident was satisfactory, they were taken to a hospital. "Investigators of the Russian Investigative Committee have opened cases over three terrorist attacks that occurred early on June 1 in the Kursk and Bryansk regions. All of them were planned by the Ukrainian security services. Five (!) homemade explosive devices were used to blow up the bridge near Zheleznogorsk," Khinshtein wrote on Telegram. He called the blowing up of bridges in the Kursk and Bryansk regions barbaric crimes. Russian Investigative Committee chief Alexander Bastrykin said on Wednesday all three terrorist attacks committed in Russia's Kursk and Bryansk regions had been organized by Ukrainian security services. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine's Security is our Security. Only a Just Peace Can Secure Ukraine's Future: UK Statement to the OSCE UK Military Advisor, Lt Col Joby Rimmer, says that a sustained ceasefire is the quickest route to stop the killing. The UK supports ending the war in Ukraine through a just peace, while Russia obstructs progress. From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Lt Col Joby Rimmer, Senior Military Advisor at the UK Delegation to the OSCE Published 5 June 2025 Location: Vienna Delivered on: 4 June 2025 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered) Thank you, Madam Chair. Last week, we discussed the Code of Conduct, including its stipulation that "In the event of armed conflict, they will seek to facilitate the effective cessation of hostilities and seek to create conditions favourable to the political solution of the conflict". To that end, the UK shares President Trump's desire to bring this war to an end, and will continue to work closely with the US, Ukraine and other international partners to secure a just and lasting peace. We thank Turkiye for hosting talks in Istanbul, including earlier this week. This is a once in a generation moment for the collective security of our continent. Only a lasting peace in Ukraine that safeguards its sovereignty will deter President Putin from further aggression in the future. As we have noted each week, Ukraine continues to show its commitment to peace: Its constructive engagement with US peace efforts at every turn; agreement in principle to a full and unconditional ceasefire; sending a senior and empowered delegation to Istanbul; and President Zelenskyy's readiness to meet President Putin face to face. Russia, on the other hand, has taken steps to obstruct the pathway to peace. President Putin continues to reject a complete, unconditional and immediate 30-day ceasefire that President Zelenskyy endorsed nearly three months ago; refused to share his memorandum on terms for ending this illegal war in advance of Monday's meeting; and rejected President Zelenskyy's call for a direct meeting. We continue to call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional ceasefire to create the space for negotiations on a framework for a lasting peace. A sustained ceasefire is the quickest route to stop the killing. Ukraine's security is our security. UK support for Ukraine remains iron-clad, and our support will be sustained. Thank you, Madame Chair. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia continues to frustrate peace efforts while trying to convince the world it is taking them seriously: UK statement to the OSCE Ambassador Holland calls out Russia's latest tactics to frustrate efforts to end its war in Ukraine while trying to convince the world it is serious about peace. He confirms that the Kremlin's delay tactics will only redouble the UK's resolve to support Ukraine to secure a just and lasting peace From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Neil Holland Published 5 June 2025 Location: Vienna Delivered on: 5 June 2025 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered) Thank you, Mister Chair. The UK welcomes the second round of bilateral negotiations that took place earlier this week in Istanbul. We thank Turkiye for again hosting the discussions and the United States for creating the momentum that got everybody to this point. The agreement to a further large-scale prisoner exchange and the return of fallen soldiers is a further step towards building confidence. We regret, however, that Russia limited the progress that could be made at Monday's talks by refusing to send, in advance, the memorandum setting out its position on ending this illegal war. The memorandum, when it arrived, revealed no movement away from the maximalist terms that we have all heard before. We also regret that the Kremlin continues to reject a complete, unconditional and immediate 30-day ceasefire. This is consistent with the tactics that Russia has employed for weeks over peace talks: to draw out the process and refuse to engage in a meaningful way; all while trying to convince the world that it is serious about peace. We see it in this Council and at the United Nations where Russia makes nonsensical claims. Among these is the allegation that those who materially support Ukraine's sovereign right to defend itself from unprovoked aggression, are undermining peace efforts. Nobody in this room is fooled; we know who started this war, and we know who is resisting efforts to end it. The UK is committed to securing a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. Delay tactics from the Kremlin will only redouble our resolve to help Ukraine defend itself and to use our sanctions to restrict Russia's war machine. Thank you. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address There's Not a Single Peace Initiative in the World That Russia Hasn't Rejected, They Dislike Everything, They Only Like Ruins and Murders - Address by the President President of Ukraine 5 June 2025 - 20:07 Dear Ukrainians! Today, the Russians struck Kherson again - twice in one day. They destroyed the regional administration building - yet another civilian structure. It's not the first time they've attacked this building, but today's strike was clearly demonstrative. There was no military logic behind it whatsoever. And all of this - every such strike - has absolutely nothing to do with the so-called "root causes" of the war that Moscow likes to talk about. It's about the fact that they are obsessed with war, consumed by hatred and the desire to destroy the lives of other nations. You can only defeat such ones with force - the force of diplomacy, sanctions, weapons and technology. The Russian army has destroyed the lives of the peoples of the Caucasus. They destroyed lives in Syria. They've even gone to Africa - to sell their brutality to local warlords. Russia takes pride in this - takes pride in its ability to kill - and frankly, that's the only thing this state has ever really learned to do. The strike on Pryluky in the Chernihiv region today. Russian drones killed the family of a Ukrainian rescuer - a man whose life was dedicated to saving others. And Russia did this to him, as it has to so many others... There were strikes on Kharkiv, on the Sumy and Donetsk regions, Nikopol, communities in the Zaporizhzhia region, villages in the Kherson region. This is the daily reality of what the Russians, unfortunately, are allowed to do. The world, unfortunately, is allowing them to do it. But we see how many people around the world are with us no matter what. These days, our team is having meetings in Washington - government officials, military representatives, the Office team. Thank you to everyone who attended the briefings from the Ukrainian delegation for your support. In particular, there were meetings in Congress, with U.S. Administration officials, conversations with journalists, and NGO representatives. We see understanding and support. We do count on strong steps. That's what's in short supply right now. And this is what can make even the sleazebags in Moscow realize they can't pull the war off. This must be ensured. And this is why we need new and sufficient sanctions, first and foremost from the United States. This is why we need clear political pressure for diplomacy to be effective. There's not a single peace initiative in the world that Russia hasn't rejected. They dislike everything. They only like ruins and murders. They must be held accountable for this. A few more things. Today, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal reported on his negotiations in France. There is a decision on additional funding for Ukraine's recovery. I thank our French partners for this decision. The Prime Minister and I also discussed certain measures that will strengthen Ukraine's resilience. There was also a report by Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha. We are preparing decisions together with the G7 countries. Thank you to everyone who stands with us, who stands with Ukraine! Glory to Ukraine! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine Must Be Rebuilt as a Future EU Member, in Line with European Standards and the Best Global Practices - Ihor Zhovkva President of Ukraine 5 June 2025 - 19:21 Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva held a meeting with Austria's Government Coordinator for Ukraine Reconstruction Wolfgang Anzengruber. Ihor Zhovkva congratulated Wolfgang Anzengruber on his recent appointment and emphasized that the establishment of Ukraine reconstruction coordinator positions is important for enhancing the effectiveness of cooperation. The Deputy Head of the Office of the President thanked Austria for its financial and humanitarian assistance, which currently totals approximately 2.9 billion. "We count on the continued and expanded support from Austria in areas that are priorities for Ukraine, in particular humanitarian demining, the reconstruction of critical infrastructure, housing, shelters, and medical facilities," Ihor Zhovkva emphasized. Wolfgang Anzengruber reaffirmed Austria's continued support for Ukraine. Special attention was paid to the participation of the Austrian government and businesses in Ukraine's post-war recovery, as well as the expansion of economic cooperation. "Ukraine must be rebuilt as a future member of the European Union, in line with European standards and the best global practices. We count on Austria's active involvement in Ukraine's post-war reconstruction, especially in the areas and sectors where Austria holds leading positions," the Deputy Head of the Office of the President concluded. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Andriy Yermak Holds Meetings in Washington to Discuss the Importance of Supporting Ukraine President of Ukraine 5 June 2025 - 09:53 During his visit to Washington as part of the Ukrainian delegation led by First Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Economy Yuliia Svyrydenko, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak held meetings to strengthen support for Ukraine. In particular, he met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. They discussed the situation on the frontline and the need to enhance Ukraine's air defense capabilities. The parties also discussed the meetings in Istanbul, the future negotiation process, prisoner exchanges, and the importance of returning all hostages and children abducted by Russia. Andriy Yermak emphasized that Ukraine is doing everything possible to achieve a sustainable and just peace and is willing to agree to a ceasefire. However, the Russian Federation doesn't want this, which makes stricter sanctions necessary. The proposals of the Ukrainian side align with the vision of U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration and are also supported by European partners. "Russia is doing everything to prevent a ceasefire. And this must be ended through force, because Ukraine has done everything to stop the war," said the Head of the Presidential Office. Additionally, Andriy Yermak and Yuliia Svyrydenko met with the Co-Chairs of the Ukraine Caucus in the U.S. Congress: Marcy Kaptur, Mike Quigley, Brian Fitzpatrick, and Joe Wilson, as well as with Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Brian Mast. During the meetings, it was highlighted that Ukraine and the United States share the same values, so it is important for Ukraine to maintain support within American society. Ahead of this, the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine also met with U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg and U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff. In discussions with Keith Kellogg, they covered the situation on the battlefield, the outcomes of the Istanbul talks, and the need to strengthen sanctions against the Russian Federation. Special attention was given to the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. Ukraine handed over to the Russian side a list of several hundred Ukrainian children illegally deported to the Russian Federation and is awaiting a response. During the meeting with Steve Witkoff, they discussed the track of negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul. Andriy Yermak noted that the Russian representatives are stalling and manipulating the negotiations to avoid a ceasefire, which is why U.S. support in pressuring Russia is crucial. Speaking to the media at the Ukrainian Embassy following the visit, the Head of the Presidential Office stressed that there is no political will in the Russian Federation to end the war. Ukraine, meanwhile, will do everything to achieve a just and sustainable peace. "Do not doubt that Ukraine is capable of victory. Today, we are defending not only ourselves but all of Europe and the free world," he noted. Andriy Yermak thanked the President of the United States, both parties and chambers of Congress, and the American people for all their efforts toward establishing a just and lasting peace. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'It is an elephant': Ukraine's unexploded mine problem 5 June 2025 - In Ukraine, overnight attacks continued into Thursday morning, resulting in 45 casualties and significant damage to civilian infrastructure, the UN has reported. These are the results of the ammunition from last nights' attacks, or at least from the munitions which exploded. At a briefing in New York, Paul Heslop, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) advisor in Ukraine, described the impact of the unexploded ordnances which have contaminated large swaths of land in the country. "Contaminated land is not just dangerous. It is lost hope, recovery and livelihood," he said. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, this contamination has spread throughout the territory, making it impossible for residents to return home and farmers to cultivate crops. Children are often among the most vulnerable to unexploded ordnances. UNMAS and its partners on the ground are working diligently to comb over this land and declare it safe for returning residents and agricultural cultivation. Massive contamination, 'real and perceived' Millions of mines and unexploded ordnances are currently scattered throughout Ukraine. This makes it the most heavily contaminated country since the end of the Second World War, said Mr. Heslop. UNMAS estimates that over 20 per cent of land or 139,000 square kilometres in Ukraine is contaminated by mines or unexploded ordnances. Over six million people live in or around contaminated areas and over 800 casualties due to unexploded ordnances have been documented. This is the real contamination. But Mr. Heslop noted that for every one square kilometre which is actually contaminated, there are 100 which are not. However, that does not mean that residents feel they can safely return to the land. This is the "perceived contamination" of unexploded ordnances. UNMAS is working to identify which of the 139,000 square kilometres of potentially contaminated land is safe. 35,000 square kilometres declared safe Two years ago, UNMAS estimated that 174,000 square kilometres in Ukraine were contaminated. Since then, 35,000 square kilometres have been declared safe, enabling residents to go back to their communities. The process of demining contaminated land either by removing unexploded ordnances or by scanning an area to declare it safe is especially important for families reliant upon agriculture. Since the start of the war, Ukraine's agricultural sector has suffered $83.9 billion in losses, due in part to large swaths of agricultural land being contaminated with unexploded ordnances. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has supported over 250,000 families through various programmes, including vouchers and seed distribution. They have also worked closely with UNMAS to clear agricultural land and return it to use. 'Real progress' UNMAS and its partners also have worked, over the last few years, to develop a system for demining which maximizes efficiency. "Demining is an inherently inefficient process," Mr. Helsop said. After all, the most thorough option for demining is also the most time-consuming and expensive having a person walk the land with a detector. UNMAS alongside two dozen Ukrainian Government entities, have been working to implement satellite and artificial intelligence technology to make demining more time and cost effective. "What we need to do is make sure the investment that is being made today ...continues to deliver results and [is] enhanced moving forward," he said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address ESSEN, Germany, June 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Midea has won the prestigious 2025 German Red Dot Product Design Award for its Numen series air conditioners launched in Southeast Asia. The award-winning Numen incorporates Midea's latest AI ECOMASTER and Prime Guard technology. These cutting-edge technologies have also been applied to Midea Celest series, further expanding choices for Southeast Asian consumers, which are now available across Southeast Asia. AI ECOMASTER System Achieves Perfect Energy Efficiency and Comfort The Celest series fully inherits Numen's award-winning technology, delivering superior intelligent cooling. AI ECOMASTER system leverages big data algorithms and deep learning to intelligently balance energy efficiency with comfort. Featuring precise 0.3C temperature control, it eliminates unnecessary fluctuations and energy waste. SGS-certified to deliver 30% additional energy savings, this system ensures optimal comfort while significantly reducing power consumption. Alongside the AI ECOMASTER, Celest is equipped with Midea's advanced inverter, the heart of air conditioners. As the world's No.1 inverter air conditioner company, Midea has been developing cutting-edge inverter technology for 27 years, obtained 3,300 patents related to inverters worldwide, and owns 35 global leading inverter technologies. Prime Guard Design Delivers Superior Protection for Excellent Durability Prime Guard inherits 7 innovative design features that deliver comprehensive protection for Celest Series. The TU1 corrosion-resistance copper tube reduces impurities by 70% compared to ordinary tubes, while the Silver Shield anti-corrosive coating limits corrosion area to just 0.1% versus over 50% in uncoated systems. The Hyper Grapfins technology provides 12.5 times greater corrosion resistance and the UV conformal coating creates 2 times thicker protection for circuit boards. Wide voltage operation ensures stable performance across 80V-265V range, while insect resistance and auto dedusting features maintain system cleanliness and efficiency. These technologies are specifically designed to address Southeast Asian users' pain points in humid and rainy climates, ensuring reliable performance in challenging environmental conditions. COOLFLASH and Healthy Air Technologies Enhance Comfort and Wellness The Celest series features COOLFLASH technology that drops room temperature by 5C in 10 minutes with strong 665m/h airflow. Designed for Southeast Asia's heat, it works reliably even at 55C. I-Clean shifts from water washing to frost cleaning for better dust and bacteria removal, while AIR MAGIC releases millions of ions to eliminate viruses. Together, these ensure powerful cooling, cleaner air, and high efficiency in harsh tropical climates. Continuous Technological Innovation Meets Evolving Consumer Demands The Celest series transforms Midea's Red Dot Award-winning innovations into real consumer benefits. With diversified product choices, cutting-edge intelligent technology is accessible to more Southeast Asian consumers. The Celest series ensures that air conditioning transcends mere cooling, delivering "RELIABLE COOLING GUARANTEED" through AI ECOMASTER's intelligent optimization, COOLFLASH's rapid performance, and Prime Guard's comprehensive protection. Midea's commitment to continuous innovation drives the development of holistic solutions that adapt to evolving lifestyle demands, positioning the brand as a partner in enhancing everyday life across diverse environments and changing consumer expectations. Midea Official Website Indonesia https://www.midea.com/id Vietnam https://www.midea.com/vn The Philippines https://www.midea.com/ph Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6ffd60f1-3422-43ef-8fa3-5928f66f5af7 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4a5f7d75-3848-4104-b8f9-28a58e031801 Firms client-first approach and community commitment recognized through overwhelming positive feedback across California, Texas, and Nevada. Michael and William Karns - Best Lawyers LOS ANGELES, June 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Karns & Karns Personal Injury and Accident Attorneys, a leading personal injury law firm founded by brothers Mike and Bill Karns , proudly announce a significant milestone: surpassing 2,500 five-star Google reviews. This achievement highlights the firms steadfast commitment to securing maximum compensation for clients while providing compassionate, client-focused legal support across California, Texas, and Nevada. The incredible feedback reflected in these 2,500 five-star reviews speaks volumes about the dedication and care our entire team brings to every client, said Mike Karns, co-founder of the firm. Each review tells a story of trust, resilience, and justice, affirming our belief in treating clients like family, not just case numbers. Bill Karns added, Our mission goes beyond legal representation, its about positively impacting the lives of those we serve and the communities we are part of. This milestone celebrates our clients' victories and their trust in our relentless pursuit of justice. Karns & Karns combines aggressive legal advocacy with genuine empathy, understanding the physical, emotional, and financial toll accidents can take. The firm alleviates client burdens by managing every aspect of a case, from securing immediate medical treatment and rental car assistance to navigating complex insurance negotiations, so clients can focus fully on their recovery. The firm provides expert legal assistance in a wide range of cases, including: Motor Vehicle Accidents Commercial Truck Accidents Motorcycle Accidents Bus Accidents Pedestrian Accidents Slip and Fall Injuries Wrongful Death Claims Rideshare Accidents (Uber/Lyft) Sexual Abuse and Harassment Cases Premises Liability and more Beyond legal excellence, Karns & Karns actively supports philanthropy, reflecting its core values. The firm proudly backs the United Farm Workers, advocating for agricultural workers' rights and fair conditions. They also support wounded veterans through the 4 Paws for Patriots program, which provides highly trained service dogs to assist military personnel with PTSD and daily tasks. Karns & Karns maintains a strategic network of over 40 office locations across California, Texas, and Nevada, ensuring accessible and timely legal support to a broad clientele. This expansive presence enables the firm to connect personally with clients in diverse communities while maintaining a strong local understanding of regional laws and courts. For a free, no-obligation consultation or to learn more about Karns & Karns Personal Injury and Accident Attorneys, visit www.karnsandkarns.com or call 1-800-484-3946 (1-800-4THEWIN). About Karns & Karns Personal Injury and Accident Attorneys Founded by two of the best lawyers in personal injury law, brothers Mike and Bill Karns, Karns & Karns is nationally known for exceptional results and client-first representation. The firm specializes in a wide range of personal injury cases and is committed to securing maximum compensation while delivering compassionate legal support. With a strong presence across California, Texas, and Nevada, Karns & Karns makes a meaningful difference in the lives of its clients and the communities it serves. Media Contact Karns & Karns Personal Injury and Accident Attorneys 1-800-484-3946 (1-800-4THEWIN) www.karnsandkarns.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/64ad5fb7-ffb2-44ea-a400-211723fc6c97 Dubai, UAE, June 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GPUNET has successfully completed a $4 million buyback of $GPU tokens from its early Series A investors, delivering 2-3x returns to investors who backed the project in 2022 and 2023. All buybacks were executed via full, upfront USDT payments, no vesting, no strings attached. This buyback was funded entirely from GPUnets treasury and revenues generated by its live, operational datacenter business. GPU.net recorded $10M in revenue in 2024 with a 5% profit margin, and over $500K in profit has already been distributed to node holders across the network. The team is targeting $40M in revenue for 2025, committing at least 10% of that to ongoing buybacks. Additionally, 80% of early investors have been fully bought out, resulting in a clean cap table and a strong focus on long-term community ownership.This milestone reflects GPUnets dedication to long-term value creation, sustainability, and community-first growthrather than speculative hype. The teams strategy is clear: deliver compute, generate real revenue, and return value to the community and investors. GPUnets datacenter network powers this model. Strategic partnerships with global leaders, including Northern Data (backed by Tether), G42 (UAEs largest AI development holding, part-owned by Microsoft), NTT (global infrastructure leader), and Bytedance enable GPUnet to offer compute infrastructure at a global scale, powering AI, gaming, and blockchain workloads across the world. The founding team, led by Suraj Chawla, remains focused on building a scalable, decentralized compute economy that directly serves developers, enterprises, and AI projects, empowering the community as true owners of the network. GPUnet has achieved significant milestones to date: 250,000+ daily active users across tasks, quests, and dApps. 1,000+ subnets created, powering AI models, tools, and on-chain applications. Questboard product with over 500,000 users onboarded. 6,050+ global nodes contributing real GPU capacity. Multiple datacenter sites live, including India, Hong Kong, UAE, and Europe. Partnerships with enterprise clients like Princeton University, UK Government projects, and 500+ startups through Nasscom. AI inference workloads optimized across NVIDIA and AMD GPUs, improving performance by 10%. GPUnet is on track for its Token Generation Event (TGE) on June 6, 2025. This will be followed by a cross-chain liquidity rollout, starting with mints and liquidity deployments on Base, Hyperliquid, BSC, Sui, and Solana throughout June 2025. More buybacks are planned for 2026, following a disciplined, MicroStrategy-style capital allocation approach, as GPUnet scales its revenue model and compute offerings globally. GPUnet is not just a token, its a live, operational, and revenue-generating decentralized compute network built for the future of AI, gaming, and beyond. Own compute. Own $GPU. Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities. Miami, Florida, June 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inside The Gate: How the Super Wealthy Built Generational Wealth and Technology Is Rewriting the Rules SkyGate Growth Strategies is proud to announce the launch of its SkyGate Webinar Series, kicking off on June 17, 2025, with an exclusive and timely conversation featuring Michael Stern, Founder and CEO of JDS Development Groupone of the most visionary and successful real estate developers in the United States. The inaugural webinar, titled Inside The Gate: How the Super Wealthy Built Generational Wealth and Technology Is Rewriting the Rules" will explore the rapidly growing movement to democratize access to elite investment opportunities, particularly in luxury real estatean asset class historically dominated by institutional players. Michael Stern has spent his career building iconic, skyline-defining developments across the country. Backed by partnerships with global banks, sovereign wealth funds, and prominent billionaires, JDS Development has delivered a powerful track record of innovation and outsized returns. As the industry evolves, so does Sterns vision. He now sees a future in opening up access to qualified individual investorsallowing them to participate in deals once exclusive to Wall Street titans. Through a new partnership with SkyGate Growth Strategies, JDS is expanding access to its luxury real estate projects to a broader audience of qualified participants, aligning with emerging trends in investor inclusivity. In todays evolving economic climate, there is growing interest in sectors like real estate that offer tangible asset exposure and long-term development potential. This webinar will explore how the democratization of capital is changing the landscapeand why luxury real estate may be the next frontier. Webinar Details: Date: June 17, 2025 Time: 03:00 PM - 04:00PM EST Featured Guest: Michael Stern, Founder & CEO of JDS Development Topic: Inside The Gate: How the Super Wealthy Built Generational Wealth and Technology Is Rewriting the Rules" Register Now: www.skygategs.com/register Seats are limited. Accredited investors and forward-thinking professionals are encouraged to reserve their spot early. About JDS Development Group JDS Development Group is a real estate development, construction, and acquisition firm based in New York City and Miami, with a national footprint of iconic projects. Known for pushing the boundaries of architecture, design, and engineering, JDS has delivered some of the most prestigious residential and mixed-use developments in the countryincluding projects like 111 West 57th Street and Monad Terrace in Miami Beach. The firm is vertically integrated, allowing full control from concept through construction and operations, and has been a trusted partner to global institutions seeking long-term, value-driven returns in luxury real estate. More information: https://jdsdevelopment.com About SkyGate Growth Strategies Skygate Growth Strategies is a next-generation investment platform reshaping how accredited investors access private real estate deals. Designed to bridge the gap between high-performance, institutional-grade assets and a new generation of individual investors, Skygate uses modern technology and trusted partnerships to make it easier for people to learn about and engage with private real estate projects, starting at investment minimums of $25,000. Skygate's mission is to democratize capital, level the playing field, and bring the power of real estate investing to more peoplewithout compromising on quality. Learn more: https://www.skygategs.com/ Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements describing future expectations, plans, results, or strategies. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those projected. Changes in product offerings, regulatory plans, and business strategies are potential factors influencing such differences. No investment advice. For informational purposes only. Media Contact: Lola Iparraguirre Skygate Growth Strategies LLC Phone number: 954-710-6630 Email: press@skygategs.com Jonesboro, AR, June 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Camfil APC, a leading manufacturer of industrial dust collectors, today announced the publication of a comprehensive technical guide addressing dust collection strategies for oral solid dose (OSD) pharmaceutical manufacturing. The resource, Pharmaceutical Dust Collection: Strategies for Oral Solid Dose Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, provides industry professionals with essential insights into managing potent compound containment, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency through advanced air filtration technologies. Addressing Critical Industry Challenges The pharmaceutical manufacturing industry faces complex challenges in maintaining worker safety while ensuring product quality and regulatory compliance. This new guide specifically addresses the unique air quality management requirements of OSD production, where exposure to potent, toxic, and allergenic dusts presents significant risks to both personnel and product integrity. "OSD pharmaceutical manufacturers require specialized dust collection solutions that go beyond standard industrial applications," said Tony Galvin, Pharmaceutical Segment Manager, at Camfil APC. "Our new guide provides the technical depth and practical guidance that process engineers, facility managers, and safety professionals need to implement effective containment strategies." Comprehensive Technical Coverage The guide covers essential aspects of pharmaceutical OSD dust collection implementation, including: Regulatory Framework Navigation: OSHA, NFPA and EPA Designing a Dust Collection System for OSD Production Dust Capture and Conveyance Dust Collector Design and Orientation Primary Filtration Media Dust Containment Explosion Protection Measures for Dust Collection Systems Advanced Filtration Solutions for Pharmaceutical Applications The guide features information on Camfil APC's pharmaceutical OSD dust collection solutions, including: Gold Series Camtain Dust Collector: Engineered for high-containment applications Quad Pulse Package Compact Dust Collector: Space-efficient solutions for facilities with limited mechanical room availability Each solution incorporates advanced HEPA filtration technology and specialized containment features designed to meet the stringent requirements of OSD pharmaceutical production environments. Industry Expert Insights The guide draws upon extensive experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing applications, providing real-world case studies and implementation examples. Content addresses the specific concerns of cross-functional teams typically involved in dust collection system selection, including process engineers, facilities managers, health and safety professionals, quality assurance teams, and maintenance personnel. "Effective dust collection in pharmaceutical OSD manufacturing requires understanding both the technical requirements and the operational realities of production environments," noted Tony Galvin, Pharmaceutical Segment Manager, at Camfil APC. "This guide bridges that gap by providing practical implementation strategies backed by proven engineering principles." Supporting Pharmaceutical Industry Innovation The guide reflects Camfil APC's ongoing commitment to supporting OSD pharmaceutical manufacturing excellence through advanced dust collection and air filtration technology. As the industry continues to evolve with new compounds, production methods, and regulatory requirements, effective dust collection strategies remain essential for maintaining competitive operations while ensuring worker safety and product quality. Technical Resource Availability The complete pharmaceutical OSD dust collection strategies guide is available immediately through Camfil APC's website at camfilapc.com/blog/pharmaceutical-dust-collection-strategies-for-oral-solid-dose-pharmaceutical-manufacturing/. About Camfil APC Camfil APC is a leading manufacturer of dust, mist, and fume collection equipment for industrial applications. With decades of experience in air filtration technology, the company provides engineered solutions for challenging industrial environments, including pharmaceutical manufacturing, food processing, metalworking, and chemical production. Camfil APC's comprehensive product portfolio includes dust collectors, replacement filters, and complete system integration services. The company maintains manufacturing facilities in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and provides technical support, installation, and maintenance services across North America. Camfil APC is part of the global Camfil Group, recognized worldwide for innovation in air filtration technology and commitment to clean air solutions. For more information about Camfil APC's OSD pharmaceutical dust collection solutions, visit https://camfilapc.com/applications/pharmaceutical/. Media Contact: Lisa Goetz Schubert b2b 1-610-269-2100 x244 lgoetz@schubertb2b.com Technical Contact: Tony Galvin Pharmaceutical Segment Manager Camfil APC 1-612-865-9377 Tony.galvin@camfil.com Attachment Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR Bondholder meetings will take place on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, to vote on proposals to amend the terms of the two outstanding convertible bonds CB 2025 and CB 2028 Allschwil, Switzerland June 6, 2025 Idorsia Ltd (SIX: IDIA) today announced that following the expiry of the appeal period for the amended terms approved at the CB 2025 bondholder meeting of February 25, 2025 during which no appeal was filed it has published invitations to the next bondholder meetings for holders of its outstanding CHF 200 million convertible bonds maturing in 2025 (CB 2025; ISIN CH0426820350), and CHF 600 million convertible bonds maturing in 2028 (CB 2028; ISIN CH1128004079). At the meetings, the company will propose changing the current terms of the CB 2025 and CB 2028 as part of the larger holistic restructuring, as announced in a press release on February 26, 2025, and an update published on May 21, 2025. To date, approximately 87% of the holders of the CB 2025 and 90% of holders of the CB 2028 have entered a legally binding lockup agreement in support of the holistic restructuring. Such bondholders have committed to vote in favour of the proposed amendments to the terms of the CB 2025 and CB 2028 at or before the meeting. The amendment of the terms of the CB 2025 and CB 2028 will be conditional on the consummation of the exchange offer, which is expected to be launched around or following the date of the bondholder meetings. Bondholders can access the invitations to the two bondholder meetings scheduled for Wednesday, June 25, 2025, including the terms of the resolution and additional information about the meeting, as well as a financial status report as of April 30, 2025, at the following links: www.idorsia.com/CB2025 and www.idorsia.com/CB2028. Notes to the editor About Idorsia Idorsia Ltd is reaching out for more we have more passion for science, we see more opportunities, and we want to help more patients. The purpose of Idorsia is to challenge accepted medical paradigms, answering the questions that matter most. To achieve this, we will discover, develop, and commercialize transformative medicines either with in-house capabilities or together with partners and evolve Idorsia into a leading biopharmaceutical company, with a strong scientific core. Headquartered near Basel, Switzerland a European biotech hub Idorsia has a highly experienced team of dedicated professionals, covering all disciplines from bench to bedside; QUVIVIQ (daridorexant), a different kind of insomnia treatment with the potential to revolutionize this mounting public health concern; strong partners to maximize the value of our portfolio; a promising in-house development pipeline; and a specialized drug discovery engine focused on small-molecule drugs that can change the treatment paradigm for many patients. Idorsia is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: IDIA). For further information, please contact: Investor & Media Relations Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Hegenheimermattweg 91, CH-4123 Allschwil +41 58 844 10 10 investor.relations@idorsia.com media.relations@idorsia.com www.idorsia.com The above information contains certain "forward-looking statements", relating to the company's business, which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "estimates", "believes", "expects", "may", "are expected to", "will", "will continue", "should", "would be", "seeks", "pending" or "anticipates" or similar expressions, or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. Such statements include descriptions of the company's investment and research and development programs and anticipated expenditures in connection therewith, descriptions of new products expected to be introduced by the company and anticipated customer demand for such products and products in the company's existing portfolio. Such statements reflect the current views of the company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Attachment London, United Kingdom (06 June 2025) TGS, a leading global provider of energy data and intelligence has commenced a geophysical survey for the pioneering Green Volt floating offshore wind farm. Mobilization initiated in Aberdeen last week and the work scheduled throughout June will include an ultra-high resolution 3D (UHR3D) seismic survey used to deliver detailed subsurface data for the floating wind farms site characterization. The Green Volt project is a joint venture between leading offshore wind developers Flotation Energy and Vargrnn. As Europes first commercial-scale floating windfarm at 560 MW, the project is a catalyst for developing a highly specialized UK floating wind supply chain. Utilizing integrated Multibeam Echo Sounder, Side Scan Sonar, Sub-bottom Profiler and Magnetometer sensors, the advanced survey will enhance geological understanding and provide critical insights for the projects site planning and risk assessments. Spanning the full lifecycle from acquisition planning to imaging and interpretation, this campaign for Green Volt will support employment opportunities across the UK, where TGS maintains a significant presence. TGS has 3 offices in the UK with over 200 employees. Offshore survey crews, geophysicists and onshore geoscientists will be engaged throughout the project, ensuring the delivery of high-quality processed data and interpretations. UHR3D data will provide detailed understanding of the subsurface conditions, revealing potential risks and challenges that are not always accurately captured through traditional 2D data interpolation. The enhanced data collection will help the Green Volt project team identify geological hazards and structural complexities, contributing to improved site assessment and risk mitigation strategies. This, in turn, will form a reliable foundation for the projects ongoing planning and execution. By leveraging the latest acquisition configurations, TGS will enhance efficiency and improve target resolutions to meet the highest industry standards. Commenting on the start of this survey, TGS EVP New Energy Solutions, Will Ashby, said: "This represents a key milestone for TGS to utilize our expertise, technology and resources to support the development of the first commercial floating offshore wind farm, Green Volt. This simultaneous acquisition of all sensors and the application of our cutting-edge processing techniques is reinforcing our commitment to delivering industry-leader data solutions. UHR3D will be a key aspect to developing floating wind farms. Matt Green, Project Director for Green Volt said: Green Volt is pleased to be working alongside TGS on these important geophysical site surveys, which will not only advance our project but will also further develop our understanding of how the UKCS subsea offshore landscape can support deeper, larger windfarms as we continue to develop our industry. Accurate data is vital component in our learning and will help strengthen the UKs floating wind supply chain. This contract supports local jobs and innovation, helping to build a world-leading offshore wind sector right here in the UK. About TGS TGS provides advanced data and intelligence to companies active in the energy sector. With leading-edge technology and solutions spanning the entire energy value chain, TGS offers a comprehensive range of insights to help clients make better decisions. Our broad range of products and advanced data technologies, coupled with a global, extensive and diverse energy data library, make TGS a trusted partner in supporting the exploration and production of energy resources worldwide. For further information, please visit www.tgs.com (https://www.tgs.com/). For media inquiries, contact: Bard Stenberg IR & Business Intelligence investor@tgs.com About Green Volt Green Volt is set to become Europe's first commercial scale floating offshore wind farm, located approximately 80 kilometres off the northeast coast of Scotland. Jointly developed by Flotation Energy and Vargrnn, the project will feature up to 35 floating wind turbines with a total capacity of 560 megawatts. Once operational, Green Volt will provide clean power to the UK grid and facilitate the electrification of participating oil and gas platforms. Developed under Crown Estate Scotlands Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing round, Green Volt aims to reduce carbon emissions by one million tonnes per year, significantly contributing to the UK's and Scotland's net-zero targets. The project has secured all necessary planning approvals and, in September 2024, was awarded a Contract for Difference (CfD) by the UK Government. June 6, 2025 release at 7:30 am CET Sophia Antipolis, France Nicox SA (Euronext Growth Paris: FR0013018124, ALCOX), an international ophthalmology company, reminds its shareholders that the Ordinary and Extraordinary General Meeting will be held on Friday, June 27, 2025 at 2:30 p.m., at the Companys headquarters located at Sundesk Sophia Antipolis, rue Evariste Galois, Emerald Square, Batiment C 06410 Biot. The agenda and the text of the draft resolutions proposed to the Ordinary and Extraordinary Shareholders Meeting are included in the notice of meeting published in the Bulletin des Annonces Legales Obligatoires (Official Bulletin of Mandatory Legal Announcements) No. 61 dated May 21, 2025 (No. 2502198) and No. 64 dated May 28, 2025 ( No. 2501651). Appointment of an Ad Hoc Representative to Represent Defaulting Shareholders In light of the significant difficulties in reaching the required quorum, the President of the Antibes Commercial Court, has appointed by order on May 6, 2025, SCP EZAVIN-THOMAS, represented in the person of Maitre Nathalie Thomas, domiciled 1, Alexandre Mari 06000 Nice, as ad hoc representative to represent defaulting shareholders at the Ordinary and Extraordinary Shareholders Meeting convened for June 27, 2025 on first call. The ad hoc representative will thus represent all the shares with voting rights held by shareholders who have not participated or are not represented at this General Meeting. The participation of the ad hoc representative will thus bring the quorum to 100% of shares with voting rights. In order to ensure the neutrality of the ad hoc representatives role, the voting rights attached to the shares of the defaulting shareholders will be exercised as follows: for ordinary resolutions, whether proposed, approved or not approved by the Board of Directors: half the votes in favor and half against; for extraordinary resolutions whether proposed or approved by the Board of Directors: two-thirds in favor and one-third against; for extraordinary resolutions not approved by the Board of Directors: one-third in favor and two-thirds against; Documentation and Participation in the General Meeting The documents relating to the General Meeting, including the text of the draft resolutions and the proxy form, are made available to shareholders at the Companys headquarters and on its website (www.nicox.com). Shareholders may vote by proxy, by internet or by attending the Ordinary and Extraordinary Shareholder Meeting in person. A guide explaining how to vote, and notably how to vote by internet, is available on the Companys website. Shareholders may also contact the Companys Investor Relations team at ag2025nicox@nicox.com for any questions regarding the voting process. UAB "Kvartalas" aimed to raise 5 million euros during the offering of the third tranche of bonds to finance the development of the "Savarzele" business centre on Konstitucijos ave. in Vilnius. The offering began on June 3 and was initially scheduled to run until June 13. However, considering the high demand for Bonds in the previous tranches, in this tranche, the Issuer had the right to shorten the offering period once it determined that sufficient investor demand has been reached, to ensure higher allocation to investors. The offering was completed on the third day (June 5), having reached 11.5 million euros in demand at nominal value - more than double the amount initially offered. The Issuer appreciates the continued trust shown by investors and their active participation from the first days of the offering. To meet investor expectations, the Issuer has decided to fully allocate all orders up to 2 million euros. As a result, the total nominal value of bonds issued in the third tranche will be increased from 5,000,000 euros to 10,131,700 euros. Consequently, the final terms of the third tranche of bonds, dated 30 May 2025, and the associated summaries, have been updated. The bonds will be issued and transferred to investors securities accounts on 20 June 2025. Taking into account the previous two offerings, the Issuer will have issued a total of 30,131,700 euros in bonds. The bonds were publicly offered to retail and institutional investors in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. In total, 181 investors from the Baltic States expressed interest in purchasing the bonds. From Lithuania, 153 investors participated, from Estonia 16 and from Latvia 12. Swedbank is the arranger and dealer of the bond issue. During the offering of the third tranche of bonds, orders from Swedbank clients accounted for 57 percent of the total demand. The nominal value of one bond is 100 euros. Fixed annual interest of 8% is paid on the bonds every six months, and they will be redeemed on 19 December 2026. During the offering of the third tranche of bonds, the bonds were offered at a price corresponding to a 6.75% yield. On behalf of the Issuer: Ieva Antanaityte-Geneviciene General Manager ieva.geneviciene@lordslb.lt Attachments NEW DELHI, INDIA, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tredu.com announces the launch of a new global platform designed to transform trading education by connecting traders of all skill levels with verified educators from around the world. Built to bridge the gap between theory and real-market experience, Tredu.com aims to make high-quality trading education more accessible, reliable, and inclusive than ever before. Addressing a Fragmented Market In recent years, trading has seen unprecedented growth across all demographics. Yet, access to trustworthy, structured education remains inconsistent. Many aspiring traders struggle to distinguish between legitimate educational opportunities and low-value or even misleading content. Tredu.com directly addresses this challenge. Through a curated marketplace, the platform enables users to discover, compare, and book trading educators across a wide spectrum of asset classes, including forex, crypto, stocks, commodities, and indices. Traders today are overwhelmed by noise and misinformation, our platform was created to give learners a single, reliable destination where they can connect with real professionals offering real insights; not hype. A Platform Built for Traders, by Educators Tredu.com's structure is designed with flexibility in mind. Traders can search for educators by language, specialization, experience level, or even trading style. The platform also supports both live one-on-one sessions and structured courses, depending on user preference. Educators, on the other hand, gain access to an international audience of active learners. Each educator's profile includes verified credentials, student reviews, and a transparent pricing model. Instructors can list offerings across multiple formats, from single masterclasses to long-term mentorship programs. Quality Assurance and Transparency at the Core Every educator on Tredu.com goes through a strict onboarding process that includes verification of qualifications and trading history. The platform also enforces rigorous quality controls, including periodic audits, feedback loops, and performance tracking. Our goal is not just to connect traders and educators. It's to elevate the standard of trading education worldwide. We believe that transparency, accountability, and quality assurance should be built into the system. Global Reach, Local Impact Today, educators and traders in more than 30 countries actively use the platform. With built-in multilingual support and payment systems that work smoothly across borders, Tredu makes it easy for users on nearly every continent, from Europe to Asia, Africa to the Americas, to connect without friction. As more individuals turn to trading as a means of building financial autonomy, the need for reliable education has never been greater. Tredu.com steps into this space with a clear mission: to support a new generation of informed, skilled traders who can make confident decisions in the markets. Tools That Support Real Growth To make the learning journey more effective, Tredu.com equips users with a suite of practical tools. From real-time performance tracking to built-in video conferencing and smart analytics, these features help both educators and learners stay aligned and measure results over time. The focus is on progress that can be seen, tracked, and applied in real-market situations. In upcoming development phases, Tredu.com plans to roll out certification pathways and partner with brokerages and financial institutions to offer verified learning tracks tied to real-world opportunities. Industry Response Early feedback from both independent educators and trading communities has been overwhelmingly positive. Many see Tredu.com as a needed evolution in a space where education has lagged behind innovation. "Finding a mentor used to mean luck or years of networking," said one beta tester from Madrid. "Now it's as simple as opening an account and browsing a verified list of experts. This is a game-changer for anyone serious about trading." About Tredu.com Tredu.com is a global marketplace for trading education, designed to connect learners with verified trading professionals worldwide. The platform supports personalized and course-based learning across all major financial instruments, combining transparency, flexibility, and high standards. Tredu.com operates with the mission of making credible, practical trading education accessible to all. Media Contact Brand: Tredu.com Contact: Tredu PR Team Email: marketing@tredu.com Website: https://www.tredu.com Dublin, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Display Market Industry Trends and Global Forecasts to 2035: Distribution by Type of Product, Type of Technology, End User, Type of Resolution, Aspect Ratio, Type of Touch Technology, Brightness, Viewing Angle, Power Consumption, Durability and Key Geographical Regions" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global display market size is estimated to grow from USD 167.47 billion in the 2025, to USD 261.38 billion by 2035, at a CAGR of 4.13% during the forecast period, till 2035. Display Market Growth and Trends The evolution of digital technology in the display sector has opened up unparalleled opportunities for companies to connect with and engage their intended audiences. The increasing trend towards larger screens across various fields, coupled with the introduction of innovative display technologies from advanced 3D displays to next-generation digital signage and video surveillance systems is transforming how people interact with information and visual content. Over the years, the rise of sophisticated technology has resulted in a range of technologies, including liquid crystal displays (LCDs), light-emitting diode displays (LEDs), organic light-emitting diode displays (OLEDs), and more. These displays are widely used in numerous devices, encompassing tablets, laptops, televisions, monitors, and digital signage. Moreover, the role of displays in providing visual feedback and facilitating interaction between users and electronic devices enhances user experience across various applications and sectors, making them a favored option among users and businesses alike. The appeal of foldable displays, flat panels, and touchscreen functionality also attract consumers in search of high-quality displays for their commercial needs. Additionally, the rising trend of digital display solutions in the retail industry has generated new avenues for companies to improve their in-store experiences. Intelligent, data-driven retail displays that offer personalized product suggestions, real-time inventory updates, and seamless integration with e-commerce platforms ultimately boost sales and foster customer loyalty. Given these factors, industry participants are adopting these state-of-the-art display solutions to create a memorable impact and establish their brand value for sustainable success in the ever-evolving digital environment, which will likely enhance the market's growth potential during the forecast period, till 2035. Display Market: Key Segments Market Share by Type of Product Based on the type of product, the global display market is segmented into automotive displays, digital signage & large format displays (interactive kiosks, interactive monitors, interactive tables, interactive video walls, interactive whiteboards), PC monitors and laptops, smart wearables, tablets, television, and others. Currently, the smartphones segment captures the majority share of the market. This can be attributed to the growing adoption of OLED and flexible displays in smartphones, which provide outstanding color precision and vibrancy, delivering richer and more lifelike visuals. However, wearable segment is anticipated to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. Market Share by Type of Technology Based on the type of technology, the display market is segmented into direct-view LED, E-Paper / E-Ink, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) (IPS LCD, TFT-LCD, TFT-LCD, VA LCD, Others) LED, Micro-LED, Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED), AMOLED, Micro-LED, Mini-LED, PMOLED), quantum dot, and others. Currently, OLED displays segment captures the majority share of the market. This can be attributed to the fact that major smartphone manufacturers, including Apple, Samsung, and Google, are increasingly incorporating OLED displays into their devices such as mobiles, tablets, and TVs due to their superior display quality and design versatility, which boosts demand for OLED technology. However, micro-LED segment is anticipated to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. Market Share by Feature Based on the feature, the display market is segmented into flat panel display, flexible panel display, non-touch display, touch display, and transparent panel display. Currently, flat panels segment captures the majority share of the market, owing to the fact that flat panels have become standard displays widely used in TVs, monitors, laptops, and tablets. However, touchscreen displays segment is anticipated to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. Market Share by Panel Size Based on the panel size, the display market is segmented into large display, medium display, micro-display, and small display. Currently, the micro display segment captures the majority share of the market. The use of micro-displays in wearable technology like smartwatches and near-to-eye devices, which require compact screens, greatly benefits from the advantages offered by micro-displays. Additionally, specialized medical devices that utilize micro-displays are anticipated to contribute to market expansion. However, medium display panels segment is anticipated to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. Market Share by Type of Resolution Based on type of resolution, the display market is segmented into HD, 4K (ultra high definition), 8K (super high definition), and other resolutions. Currently, 4K (ultra-high definition) segment captures the majority share of the market. This can be attributed to the increasing demand for 4K resolution displays, particularly for streaming services and content creation. However, full HD resolution displays segment is anticipated to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. Market Share by Aspect Ratio Based on aspect ratio, the display market is segmented into4:3, 16:9, 16:10, and others. Currently, 16:9 aspect ratio segment captures the majority share of the market. This can be attributed to its status as the standard aspect ratio widely utilized in most consumer electronics such as televisions, monitors, and smartphones. Additionally, it is the most frequently supported aspect ratio for both content consumption and creation. However, 16:10 aspect ratio segment is anticipated to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. Market Share by Type of Viewing Based on type of viewing, the display market is segmented into narrow viewing angles, ultra-wide viewing angles, and wide viewing angles. Currently, wide viewing angles segment captures the majority share of the market. Wide viewing angles are commonly used in consumer electronics where shared viewing happens frequently, and their varied color brightness consistency contributes to them holding the largest market share in this segment. Moreover, the demand for high-end and professional screens boosts market growth. However, ultra-wide viewing angles segment is anticipated to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. Market Share by Power Consumption Based on power consumption, the display market is segmented into high power consumption (more than 5W), low power consumption (less than 1W), and medium power consumption (1-5W). Currently, medium power consumption (1-5W) segment captures the majority share of the market. This can be attributed to their well-rounded performance and efficiency, making them well-suited for a variety of consumer electronics, with designs that enhance energy efficiency. Sample Players in the Display Market Profiled in the Report Include: AUO Corporation BOE Technology Group Box Light Corporation Chi Mei Corporation Innolux Corporation Japan Display Leyard Optoelectronic LG Display Marvel Technology Minda Industries Mitsubishi Electric NEC Corporation Panasonic Corporation Samsung Electronics Sharp Corporation Sony Corporation Display Market: Research Coverage The report on the display market features insights on various sections, including: Market Sizing and Opportunity Analysis: An in-depth analysis of the display market, focusing on key market segments, including type of products, type of technology, feature, panel size, type of end-user, type of resolution, aspect ratio, type of touch technology, brightness, viewing angle, power consumption, durability and geographical regions. An in-depth analysis of the display market, focusing on key market segments, including type of products, type of technology, feature, panel size, type of end-user, type of resolution, aspect ratio, type of touch technology, brightness, viewing angle, power consumption, durability and geographical regions. Competitive Landscape: A comprehensive analysis of the companies engaged in the Display market, based on several relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size, location of headquarters, ownership structure. A comprehensive analysis of the companies engaged in the Display market, based on several relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size, location of headquarters, ownership structure. Company Profiles: Elaborate profiles of prominent players engaged in the Display market, providing details on location of headquarters, company size, company mission, company footprint, management team, contact details, financial information, operating business segments, display portfolio, moat analysis, recent developments, and an informed future outlook. Elaborate profiles of prominent players engaged in the Display market, providing details on location of headquarters, company size, company mission, company footprint, management team, contact details, financial information, operating business segments, display portfolio, moat analysis, recent developments, and an informed future outlook. SWOT Analysis: An insightful SWOT framework, highlighting the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the domain. Additionally, it provides Harvey ball analysis, highlighting the relative impact of each SWOT parameter. Key Questions Answered in this Report How many companies are currently engaged in display market? Which are the leading companies in this market? What factors are likely to influence the evolution of this market? What is the current and future market size? What is the CAGR of this market? How is the current and future market opportunity likely to be distributed across key market segments? Which type of display is expected to dominate the market? Reasons to Buy this Report The report provides a comprehensive market analysis, offering detailed revenue projections of the overall market and its specific sub-segments. This information is valuable to both established market leaders and emerging entrants. Stakeholders can leverage the report to gain a deeper understanding of the competitive dynamics within the market. By analyzing the competitive landscape, businesses can make informed decisions to optimize their market positioning and develop effective go-to-market strategies. The report offers stakeholders a comprehensive overview of the market, including key drivers, barriers, opportunities, and challenges. This information empowers stakeholders to stay abreast of market trends and make data-driven decisions to capitalize on growth prospects. Additional Benefits Complimentary Excel Data Packs for all Analytical Modules in the Report 10% Free Content Customization Detailed Report Walkthrough Session with Research Team For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/h5mqg3 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Attachment Dublin, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Italy Existing & Upcoming Data Center Portfolio" database has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Milan dominates the upcoming data center market in Italy. Italy is seen as an ideal location for Data centers with its geographical benefits. Major cities like London, Amsterdam, Dublin, and facing network saturation, Italy stands out as a new hub for data infrastructure. The upcoming IT power capacity is around 2 GW, nearly 2x the current capacity. Eni & G42 alone account for over 50% of the upcoming power and rack supply. CloudHQ, STACK Infrastructure, and CyrusOne are key new entrants driving future growth. DATA4, Telecom Italia (TIM), and Aruba are among the leading existing operators. Key Market Highlights This database (Excel) product covers the Italy data center market portfolio analysis, which will provide the following information on the colocation data centers: Detailed Analysis of 69 existing data centers Detailed Analysis of 17 upcoming data centers Locations covered: Ancona, Arcene, Arezzo, Bologna, Frosinone, Massarosa, Milan, Padua, Palermo, Pavia, Perugia, Piacenza, Pisa, Rome, Trento, Treviso, Turin, Venice. Existing white-floor space (square feet) Upcoming white-floor space (square feet) Current IT load capacity (2025) Future capacity additions (2025-2029) Retail Colocation Pricing Quarter Rack (1/4) Half Rack Cabinets 1/2 Full Rack Cabinet (42U/45U/47U/etc.) Wholesale colocation per kW pricing Existing Data Centers (69 Facilities) Market Snapshot Location (Region/Country/City) Facility Address Operator/Owner Name Data Center Name i.e., (IT4 or AVALON 3) Core & Shell Area (White-Floor Area) Core & Shell Power Capacity (IT Load Capacity) Rack Capacity Year of Operations Design Standards (Tier I - IV) Power/Cooling Redundancy Upcoming Data Centers (17 Facilities) Investment Snapshot Location (Region/Country/City) Investor Name Area (White-Floor Area) Power Capacity (IT Load Capacity) Investment ($ Million) Electrical Infrastructure Investment ($ Million) Mechanical Infrastructure Investment ($ Million) General Construction Services Investment ($ Million) Announcement Year Project Status (Opened/Under Construction/Announced & Planned) Active or Expected Year of Opening Target Audience Data center Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) Data center Construction Contractors Data center Infrastructure Providers New Entrants Consultants/Consultancies/Advisory Firms Corporate and Governments Agencies Key Topics Covered: 1. About the Database 2. Scope & Assumptions 3. Definitions 4. Snapshot: Existing & Upcoming Data Center Facility 5. Existing Data Center Database 6. Upcoming Data Center Facility 7. Existing vs. Upcoming Capacity (Infographics) 8. Colocation Pricing The major operators/investors covered in this Italy Data Center Colocation Market Database include: Applico Digital Labs Aruba ASCO TLC (Acantho) AtlasEdge BT Italia Caldera21 (CDLAN) CloudHQ Compass Datacenters Convergenze S.p.A. CSI PIEMONTE CyrusOne Data Felix Data4 Group Digital Realty Elmec Informatica G42 Eni Equinix EXE.IT SRL SB Fastnet Fastweb Fibre23 IDS&Unitelm srl iGenius InAsset (RETELIT) Irideos IT Gate Itnet Keppel Data Centres Microsoft MIX Naquadria Nehos Noovle (TIM) NS3 Open Hub Med Panservice Playnet Rack One Seeweb ST Telemedia Global Data Centers (Virtus Data Center) STACK Infrastructure Telecom Italia (TIM) Unidata University of Trento Covi Costruziono Dedagroup GPI & ISA Vantage Data Centers Vianova Vitali For more information about this database visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/mzcsj About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Dublin, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Denmark Existing & Upcoming Data Center Portfolio" database has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Denmark currently has over 25 active data centers with around 100 MW of total IT power. The upcoming capacity is expected to reach 400 MW - more than four times the existing capacity. atNorth and Prime Data Centers are leading upcoming developments with large-scale projects. Digital Realty and STACK Infrastructure are among the top existing operators with nearly 70 MW of combined capacity. Around 60% of the current rack capacity is centered in Copenhagen. Aarhus and Skanderborg are gaining attention as emerging data center hubs. Most of the upcoming facilities are planned in and around Copenhagen, reinforcing its position as the country's core data center market. Key Market Highlights This database (Excel) product covers the Denmark data center market portfolio analysis, which will provide the following information on the colocation data centers: Detailed Analysis of 27 existing data centers Detailed Analysis of 5 upcoming data center Locations covered: Aarhus, Copenhagen, Esbjerg, Herning, Kolding, Saeby, Silkeborg, Skanderborg, Taastrup. Existing white-floor space (square feet) Upcoming white-floor space (square feet) Current IT load capacity (2025) Future capacity additions (2025-2029) Retail Colocation Pricing Quarter Rack (1/4) Half Rack Cabinets 1/2 Full Rack Cabinet (42U/45U/47U/etc.) Wholesale colocation per kW pricing Existing Data Centers (27 Facilities) Market Snapshot Location (Region/Country/City) Facility Address Operator/Owner Name Data Center Name i.e., (CPH2 or DK01) Core & Shell Area (White-Floor Area) Core & Shell Power Capacity (IT Load Capacity) Rack Capacity Year of Operations Design Standards (Tier I - IV) Power/Cooling Redundancy Upcoming Data Centers (5 Facilities) Investment Snapshot Location (Region/Country/City) Investor Name Area (White-Floor Area) Power Capacity (IT Load Capacity) Investment ($ Million) Electrical Infrastructure Investment ($ Million) Mechanical Infrastructure Investment ($ Million) General Construction Services Investment ($ Million) Announcement Year Project Status (Opened/Under Construction/Announced & Planned) Active or Expected Year of Opening Target Audience Data center Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) Data center Construction Contractors Data center Infrastructure Providers New Entrants Consultants/Consultancies/Advisory Firms Corporate and Governments Agencies Key Topics Covered: 1. About the Database 2. Scope & Assumptions 3. Definitions 4. Snapshot: Existing & Upcoming Data Center Facility 5. Existing Data Center Database 6. Upcoming Data Center Facility 7. Existing vs. Upcoming Capacity (Infographics) 8. Colocation Pricing The major operators/investors covered in this Denmark Data Center Colocation Market Database include: Adeo Data center AtlasEdge Bulk Infrastructure Cibicom Curanet (team.blue) Digital Realty DLX.DK ECO-LocaXion GlobalConnect JN Data NNIT Penta Infra Prime Data Centers STACK Infrastructure Telia Group atNorth For more information about this database visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/28bqoq About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Dublin, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Belgium Existing & Upcoming Data Center Portfolio" database has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The upcoming power capacity will boost Belgium's digital infrastructure readiness for AI, HPC, and cloud workloads. Operators like EdgeConneX, Penta Infra, and Proximus are expanding gradually across strategic sites. Most of the existing Rack capacity is concentrated around Brussels. Digital Realty, LCL, and Datacenter United are the largest data center operators in the market. Upcoming developments by players like KEVLINX and LCL are set to add more than 45 MW of IT power, significantly increasing the country's capacity. Key Market Highlights This database (Excel) product covers the Belgium data center market portfolio analysis, which will provide the following information on the colocation data centers: Detailed Analysis of 35 existing data centers Detailed Analysis of 4 upcoming data centers Locations covered: Aalst, Anderlecht, Antwerp, Brussels, Brussels West, Gent, Herstal, Leuven, Liege, Limburg, Muizen, Oostkamp, Wallonia, Zaventem, Zele. Existing white-floor space (square feet) Upcoming white-floor space (square feet) Current IT load capacity (2025) Future capacity additions (2025-2029) Retail Colocation Pricing Quarter Rack (1/4) Half Rack Cabinets 1/2 Full Rack Cabinet (42U/45U/47U/etc.) Wholesale colocation per kW pricing Existing Data Centers (35 Facilities) Market Snapshot Location (Region/Country/City) Facility Address Operator/Owner Name Data Center Name i.e., (ZUR1 or ZH5) Core & Shell Area (White-Floor Area) Core & Shell Power Capacity (IT Load Capacity) Rack Capacity Year of Operations Design Standards (Tier I - IV) Power/Cooling Redundancy Upcoming Data Centers (4 Facilities) Investment Snapshot Location (Region/Country/City) Investor Name Area (White-Floor Area) Power Capacity (IT Load Capacity) Investment ($ Million) Electrical Infrastructure Investment ($ Million) Mechanical Infrastructure Investment ($ Million) General Construction Services Investment ($ Million) Announcement Year Project Status (Opened/Under Construction/Announced & Planned) Active or Expected Year of Opening Target Audience Data center Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) Data center Construction Contractors Data center Infrastructure Providers New Entrants Consultants/Consultancies/Advisory Firms Corporate and Governments Agencies Key Topics Covered: 1. About the Database 2. Scope & Assumptions 3. Definitions 4. Snapshot: Existing & Upcoming Data Center Facility 5. Existing Data Center Database 6. Upcoming Data Center Facility 7. Existing vs. Upcoming Capacity (Infographics) 8. Colocation Pricing The major operators/investors covered in this Belgium Data Center Colocation Market Database include: AlphaCloud AtlasEdge BICS Datacenter United Digital Realty EdgeConneX Etix Everywhere KEVLINX LCL Lumen Technologies NetTech DC nLighten NRB Orange Business Services Penta Infra Proximus Datacenter Smals Unix-Solutions Zayo Group For more information about this database visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/pkb3t6 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Dublin, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Germany Existing & Upcoming Data Center Portfolio" database has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Frankfurt continues to be the main hub, hosting both current and future data center capacity. The upcoming data center power capacity is nearly 1.8x higher than the current existing capacity, indicating strong growth in the German market. NTT DATA, VIRTUS Data Centres, Maincubes, and CyrusOne are leading the upcoming supply with large-scale developments. Digital Realty, Equinix, and CyrusOne remain dominant players in the existing market. The upcoming rack capacity is expected to reach over 330,000 racks. New market entrants like Lidl (Schwarz Group), Goodman, and PGIM Real Estate are boosting supply through sizable developments. Operators like CloudHQ, STACK Infrastructure, Colt DCS, and SDC Capital Partners are also expanding their presence in Germany. Key Market Highlights This database (Excel) product covers the Germany data center market portfolio analysis, which will provide the following information on the colocation data centers: Detailed Analysis of 186 existing data centers Detailed Analysis of 40 upcoming data centers Locations covered: Alsbach-Hahnlein, Berlin, Bochum, Bonn, Cologne, Dortmund, Dresden, Dusseldorf, Ellhofen, Falkenstein, Frankfurt, Goppingen, Hallstadt, Hamburg, Hanau, Hannover, Herne, Hof, Jena, Karlsruhe, Langen, Leipzig, Leverkusen, Ludwigshafen, Munich, Nuremberg, Rhein-Ruhr, Saarland, Stuttgart. Existing white-floor space (square feet) Upcoming white-floor space (square feet) Current IT load capacity (2025) Future capacity additions (2025-2029) Retail Colocation Pricing Quarter Rack (1/4) Half Rack Cabinets 1/2 Full Rack Cabinet (42U/45U/47U/etc.) Wholesale colocation per kW pricing Existing Data Centers (186 Facilities) Market Snapshot Location (Region/Country/City) Facility Address Operator/Owner Name Data Center Name i.e., (Frankfurt I or STU1) Core & Shell Area (White-Floor Area) Core & Shell Power Capacity (IT Load Capacity) Rack Capacity Year of Operations Design Standards (Tier I - IV) Power/Cooling Redundancy Upcoming Data Centers (40 Facilities) Investment Snapshot Location (Region/Country/City) Investor Name Area (White-Floor Area) Power Capacity (IT Load Capacity) Investment ($ Million) Electrical Infrastructure Investment ($ Million) Mechanical Infrastructure Investment ($ Million) General Construction Services Investment ($ Million) Announcement Year Project Status (Opened/Under Construction/Announced & Planned) Active or Expected Year of Opening Target Audience Data center Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) Data center Construction Contractors Data center Infrastructure Providers New Entrants Consultants/Consultancies/Advisory Firms Corporate and Governments Agencies Key Topics Covered: 1. About the Database 2. Scope & Assumptions 3. Definitions 4. Snapshot: Existing & Upcoming Data Center Facility 5. Existing Data Center Database 6. Upcoming Data Center Facility 7. Existing vs. Upcoming Capacity (Infographics) 8. Colocation Pricing The major Operators/investors covered in this Germany Data Center Colocation Market Database include: 3U Telecom Aixit Artfiles AtlasEdge Bluestar Datacenter Carrier Colo Centron China Mobile International (CMI) CloudHQ Cogent Communications Colt Data Centre Services Comarch Comtrance Contabo CyrusOne DARZ Data Castle Data Center Partners (DCP) dataR Digital Realty DOKOM 21 EdgeConneX EMC HostCo envia TEL Equinix EVF Data Center FirstColo Global Switch Goodman GRASS-MERKUR Green Mountain & KMW GTT Communications Hetzner Online IPHH (Internet Port Hamburg) Iron Mountain ISPpro Internet ITENOS LEW (Lechwerke AG - E.ON) Lidl (Schwarz Group) Lumen Technologies Maincubes Mainova WebHouse MK NETZDIENSTE myLoc managed IT (WIIT) NDC-GARBE Data Centers NET-BUILD NewTelco nLighten Noris Network NorthC NTT DATA Penta Infra Pfalzkom PGIM Real Estate Planet IC PlusServer Portus Data Centers PYUR (HL KOMM) ratiokontakt SDC Capital Partners SpeedBone STACK Infrastructure STACKIT Telehouse Telemaxx TMR Telekommunikation Mittleres Ruhrgebiet Trusted-Colo TWLKOM Vantage Data Centers VIRTUS Data Centres WIIT AG Yondr For more information about this database visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/sqzvlk About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Vesting and settlement of 2022 Conditional Share Awards and Notification of transactions by persons discharging managerial responsibilities Serabi announces that on 5 June 2025 the Board of Directors approved the vesting of Conditional Share Awards that had been granted for the 2022 calendar year pursuant to the Companys Long Term Incentive Plan (LTIP). In aggregate a total of 482,528 new ordinary shares (the 2022 Awards) were calculated as being due to vest to participants under the LTIP. The Board has assessed the level of performance compared with the targets for Total Shareholder Return, Return on Capital Employed and Return of Sales over the requisite three-year period. The terms of the Serabi 2020 Restricted Share Plan (the 2020 Plan) under which the 2022 Awards were granted, require that awards are subject to a three-year performance period during which time certain performance criteria stipulated by the Board must be attained. In respect of the vesting of the 2022 Awards these were initially granted in respect of the calendar year 2022 and for which the measurement period was the 3 calendar years of 2022, 2023 and 2024 The performance criteria and minimum thresholds that were required to be achieved over the entirety of the three-year period were as follows: 40% of the award is subject to Total Shareholder Return, (where there will be 0% vesting if Serabi TSR is in line with the BMO junior gold index increasing in a linear manner up to 100% vesting under this KPI if Serabi hits 1.2x the index over same period.) 30% of the award is subject to Return on Capital Employed (where ROCE premium over Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) must be in excess of 1.05 times. If this hurdle is met vesting will occur in a linear manner such that 100% vesting of this portion is achieved at 1.2x WACC), and 30% of the award is subject to Return on Sales (where ROS must exceed average annual budget by 10 per cent or more). The Board has, in light of the strong cash position of the Group and its desire to minimise the issuance of new ordinary shares, elected, in accordance with the rules of the 2020 Plan, to settle by way of a cash payment the value of the 2022 Awards that are due. The cash settlement has been determined by reference to the 20 Day VWAP price of the Ordinary Shares of the Company as at 5 June 2025 of 1.52, the date immediately prior to this announcement. In aggregate, 224,576 and 69,050 Conditional Share Awards which were otherwise due to vest to each of Mr Hodgson and Mr Howlin respectively will therefore be settled by a cash payment of 341,356 and 104,956 respectively from which the Company will make deduction of applicable taxes. The Board prioritises aligning the directors and shareholders interests and demonstrating their commitment to the business and Mike Hodgson has informed the Board that he has purchased 45,000 shares on 5 June 2026 through a market purchase at a price of 1.69. Mr Hodgson now beneficially holds 135,066 Ordinary Shares in the Company representing 0.18% of the issued shares in the Company. This announcement is made in accordance with the requirements of the UK Market Abuse Regulation. The notification of dealing forms can be found below. 1 Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated a) Name Michael Hodgson 2 Reason for the notification a) Position/status PDMR - Chief Executive Officer b) Initial notification /Amendment Initial Notification 3 Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor a) Name Serabi Gold plc b) LEI 213800LTYC1HF9RTUE37 4 Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted a) Description of the financial instrument, type of instrument Identification code Ordinary shares of one penny each GB00BG5NDX91 b) Nature of the transaction Purchase of shares c) Price(s) and volume(s) Price(s) Volume(s) 169.17 pence 45,000 d) Aggregated information - Aggregated volume - Price N/a single transaction e) Date of the transaction 5 June 2025 f) Place of the transaction London Stock Exchange About Serabi Gold plc Serabi Gold plc is a gold exploration, development and production company focused on the prolific Tapajos region in Para State, northern Brazil. The Company has consistently produced 30,000 to 40,000 ounces per year with the Palito Complex and is planning to double production in the coming years with the construction of the Coringa Gold project. Serabi Gold plc recently made a copper-gold porphyry discovery on its extensive exploration licence. The Company is headquartered in the United Kingdom with a secondary office in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014 as it forms part of UK Domestic Law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. The person who arranged for the release of this announcement on behalf of the Company was Andrew Khov, Vice President, Investor Relations & Business Development. Enquiries SERABI GOLD plc Michael Hodgson t +44 (0)20 7246 6830 Chief Executive m +44 (0)7799 473621 Andrew Khov m +1 647 885 4874 VP Investor Relations & Business Development e contact@serabigold.com BEAUMONT CORNISH Limited Nominated Adviser & Financial Adviser Roland Cornish / Michael Cornish t +44 (0)20 7628 3396 PEEL HUNT LLP Joint UK Broker Ross Allister t +44 (0)20 7418 9000 TAMESIS PARTNERS LLP Joint UK Broker Charlie Bendon/ Richard Greenfield t +44 (0)20 3882 2868 CAMARCO Financial PR - Europe Gordon Poole / Emily Hall t +44 (0)20 3757 4980 HARBOR ACCESS Financial PR North America Jonathan Paterson t +1 475 477 9401 Copies of this announcement are available from the Company's website at www.serabigold.com. Forward-looking statements Certain statements in this announcement are, or may be deemed to be, forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are identied by their use of terms and phrases such as believe, could, should envisage, estimate, intend, may, plan, will or the negative of those, variations or comparable expressions, including references to assumptions. These forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts but rather on the Directors current expectations and assumptions regarding the Companys future growth, results of operations, performance, future capital and other expenditures (including the amount, nature and sources of funding thereof), competitive advantages, business prospects and opportunities. Such forward looking statements reect the Directors current beliefs and assumptions and are based on information currently available to the Directors. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements including risks associated with vulnerability to general economic and business conditions, competition, environmental and other regulatory changes, actions by governmental authorities, the availability of capital markets, reliance on key personnel, uninsured and underinsured losses and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Although any forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are based upon what the Directors believe to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with such forward looking statements. Qualified Persons Statement The scientific and technical information contained within this announcement has been reviewed and approved by Michael Hodgson, a Director of the Company. Mr Hodgson is an Economic Geologist by training with over 30 years' experience in the mining industry. He holds a BSc (Hons) Geology, University of London, a MSc Mining Geology, University of Leicester and is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and a Chartered Engineer of the Engineering Council of UK, recognizing him as both a Qualified Person for the purposes of Canadian National Instrument 43-101 and by the AIM Guidance Note on Mining and Oil & Gas Companies dated June 2009. Notice Beaumont Cornish Limited, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority, is acting as nominated adviser to the Company in relation to the matters referred herein. Beaumont Cornish Limited is acting exclusively for the Company and for no one else in relation to the matters described in this announcement and is not advising any other person and accordingly will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to clients of Beaumont Cornish Limited, or for providing advice in relation to the contents of this announcement or any matter referred to in it. Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange, nor any other securities regulatory authority, has approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. Attachment SYDNEY, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leading online FX and CFD broker Axi attended the Finance Magnates Africa Summit (FMAS:25), held on May 29-30, 2025, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. Event attendees were introduced to Axi Select, Axis capital allocation program launched in 2023. The program, designed to empower ambitious traders on their trading journey, has been a game-changer in the trading field. Tens of thousands of traders worldwide have signed up to Axi Select, with many now reaching significant milestones and accessing funding amounts of $100,000, $200,000, and $500,000, and the top funding milestone, $1,000,000. Attendees of the expo also had the opportunity to explore Axis Introducing Broker (IB) and Affiliate programs, learn more about the brokers partnership with Premier League Champions, Man City, as well as snap exclusive photos with Man Citys Premier League memorabilia and the clubs mascot, brought in especially for the event. Further to the brokers collaboration with Premier League club, Manchester City FC, Axi also partners with Brazilian club, Esporte Clube Bahia, LaLiga club, Girona FC, and named England international John Stones as their Brand Ambassador in 2023. Over the past several months, Axi has garnered significant recognition for its innovation in the trading industry. The broker was recently named Best Funded Trader Programme by the ADVFN International Financial Awards 2025, acknowledging the excellence of its capital allocation program, Axi Select. In 2024, Axi was also celebrated at the 2024 Dubai Forex Expo with the Innovator of the Year award, and was named Most Innovative Proprietary Trading Firm by Finance Feeds, highlighting the brokers continued focus to providing their traders with the competitive edge they need to succeed. View highlights here: https://youtu.be/Ec2VYV8vOi4 *Granted to the Axi Group of Companies. The Axi Select programme is only available to clients of AxiTrader Limited. CFDs carry a high risk of investment loss. In our dealings with you, we will act as a principal counterparty to all of your positions. This content is not available to AU, NZ, EU and UK residents. For more information, refer to our Terms of Service. About Axi Axi is a global online FX and CFD trading company, with thousands of customers in 100+ countries worldwide. Axi offers CFDs for several asset classes including Forex, Shares, Gold, Oil, Coffee, and more. For more information or additional comments from Axi, please contact: mediaenquiries@axi.com NEW YORK, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leading online expatriate tax services provider Online Taxman has received the Highly Commended award in the Best Banking, Tax or Financial Services Provider of the Year category at the prestigious 2025 FEM EMMA Awards . The EMMA awards celebrate the best and most innovative firms in the global mobility industry. The results were announced at a gala dinner at the Warwick Melrose Hotel in Dallas, TX on Thursday May 15th, an evening dedicated to celebrating success, best practice and outstanding contributions by firms serving expats. FEM EMMA awards recognize significant innovation and thought-leadership in the field of global mobility, and firms that go the distance to make a positive impact on their clients. All Americans have to file US taxes, even if they reside overseas. Vincenzo Villamena, CPA founded Online Taxman in 2010 to make the process of filing from abroad easier for the estimated 9 million overseas-resident Americans. The firm now has clients in almost every country in the world. The judges were impressed by how Online Taxman establishes and maintains personal a client/CPA relationship despite its global footprint, as well as its utilizing technical innovation and establishing local partnerships to make filing taxes easier from abroad. Online Taxman has also expanded to provide a holistic suite of services for its American expat clients and American international business owners, including financial advisory services, and setting up tax-efficient corporate structures for expat entrepreneurs. Villamena said: Were deeply honored to receive recognition for our ongoing commitment to excellence serving our American expat clients around the world. While having to file US taxes from abroad is burdensome and complex, were dedicated to making the experience as smooth and hassle-free as possible for our expat clients. We believe weve set new benchmarks in service standards and remote accounting quality, and were excited to be publicly acknowledged at the 2025 FEM EMMA Awards. With clients in almost every country on earth, Online Taxman is a leading provider of US expat accounting services for the estimated 9 million Americans living abroad. For further information visit https://onlinetaxman.com/ A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ae8be2e4-4a3a-4643-bae9-2f51a0a61749 US & Canada, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a new comprehensive report from The Insight Partners, the global air cargo market is observing healthy growth owing to rising adoption of e-commerce and online shopping demand across different regions. The report runs an in-depth analysis of market trends, key players, and future opportunities. During the course of the research study, various leading industry experts, global sales managers, key opinion leaders, and industry veterans shared their valuable and critical insights about global and regional trends related to the air cargo market. To explore the valuable insights in the Air Cargo Market report, you can easily download a sample PDF of the report - https://www.theinsightpartners.com/sample/TIPTE100001311/ Overview of Report Findings Market Growth: The air cargo market is expected to reach US$ 143.01 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach US$ 210.93 billion by 2031; it is estimated to record a CAGR of 5.8% from 2025 to 2031. The rapid adoption of e-commerce platforms; constant need to transport temperature-sensitive products; sustainable aviation and green logistics solutions; infrastructure development and airport expansion; express and time-definite delivery services; perishable goods and fresh food transportation; and pharmaceutical & healthcare product transportation are some of the major factors pushing the growth of air cargo market across different regions. The Rapid Adoption of E-Commerce Platforms: Online retailing attracts prospective customers than brick and mortar-based competitors due to the global scale of the internet. In addition, e-commerce market players opt from a variety of logistics options such as the surface transport and air transport, to deliver packages to their customers. Therefore, as the global e-commerce market is heating up, varying buying patterns and trends have been observed in different countries of the regions. Majority of the purchase is influenced by the demographics of the country such as the percentage of youth population indulging in e-commerce activity, the economy of the country, age group interested in e-commerce, and the level of awareness in the country. Thus, e-commerce is a future growth driver for the air cargo industry, as online shopping boosts the demand for parcel delivery services worldwide. Air cargo is well-positioned to serve their needs and deliver their goods globally with speed, efficiency, and reliability. The fast-growing cross-border e-commerce market remains a key driver in addition to rising domestic volumes sent by large and small e-retailers. Constant Need to Transport Temperature-Sensitive Products: The transportation of temperature-sensitive products including drugs, chemicals, and medicines is creating a huge opportunity for the air cargo market. For instance, almost 68% of all biotech products are considered to be temperature sensitive. In addition, Marken announced clinical home healthcare services that include clinical drug storage, direct-to-patient delivery, biologic sample collection, central pharmacy, and home care/nursing services. Thus, the pharmaceutical companies are highly dependent on-air transportation due to factors such as time-sensitivity and temperature-controlled transportation. The rapid growth of the pharmaceutical industry resulted in augmenting the demand for transportation services for temperature-sensitive cargo. The demand is anticipated to increase with new pharmaceutical and biotechnology products entering the market every day. Therefore, airlines using advanced cool chain solutions will be well-placed to take full advantage of this sector as it grows. Therefore, airlines can expect increasing demand for shipping services that cater to their specific needs with the pharmaceutical industry is anticipated to increase further in the next several years. Geographical Insights: In 2024, Asia Pacific led the market with a substantial revenue share, followed by North America and Europe, respectively. Asia Pacific is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period. For Detailed Air Cargo Market Insights, Visit: https://www.theinsightpartners.com/reports/air-cargo-market Market Segmentation Based on end user, the air cargo market is segmented into retail, pharmaceutical/healthcare, food/beverage, consumer electronics, automotive, and others. The pharmaceutical/healthcare segment held the largest market share in 2024. By type, the market is segmented into air mail and air freight. The air freight segment held a larger share of the market in 2024. Based on services, the air cargo market is segmented into express and regular. The regular segment held the largest market share in 2024. Stay Updated on The Latest Air Cargo Market Trends: https://www.theinsightpartners.com/sample/TIPTE100001311/ Competitive Strategy and Development Key Players: A few of the major companies operating in the air cargo market are ANA Cargo; Cargolux Airlines International S.A.; FEDEX Corporation; DHL; Cathay Pacific Airways Limited; Emirates SkyCargo; Etihad Cargo; FedEx Corp; United Parcel Service Inc; Zela Aviation The Air Charter Company; Lufthansa Group; and Deutsche Post AG among others. Trending Topics: Global air cargo market, air freight market size, air cargo market forecast 2025, air cargo industry analysis, air freight logistics market, air cargo market valuation, e-commerce air cargo, digital transformation air freight, supply chain optimization, last-mile delivery air cargo, cross-border e-commerce logistics, customer-centric air cargo, air cargo digitalization etc. Global Headlines on Air Cargo Market Etihad Airways and SF Airlines signed cargo business joint business agreement Menzies won a contract from Air India to provide full suite of ground handling and cargo services at eight locations across four continents for the period of 3 years. UPS became the prime air cargo provider for the United States Postal Service Purchase Premium Copy of Global Air Cargo Market Size and Growth Report (2021-2031) at: https://www.theinsightpartners.com/buy/TIPTE100001311/ Conclusion The global air cargo market is segmented into five major regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), the Middle East & Africa (MEA), and South America (SAM). Asia Pacific accounts for the largest market share in 2024. The dominance of APAC market is attributed to the growth of e-commerce in countries such as China and India. Another important factor is the presence of technologically advanced industries in countries, including the China and Japan. The increased adoption of Industry 4.0 together with rising advancements in manufacturing and machinery tools is propelling the air cargo market growth. Furthermore, the willingness to invest in advanced components by the manufacturing industries in these countries is adding to the growth of the market. Such factors are expected to propel the growth of Air Cargo Market in the region. Huge demand for air cargo in Asia Pacific is attributed to the robust economic growth of the region and increased focus on retail enactment. Foreign players prefer Asian countries for the expansion of their manufacturing activities due to the availability of a cheaper workforce. Factors such as continuous urbanization, strong economic growth, and a large middle-class population create high domestic demand for fast-moving consumer goods, personal automobiles, household items, and luxury items. Additionally, companies in the e-commerce market opt for various logistic alternatives, including surface transport and air transport, to deliver items to their clients. Thus, with the flourishment of the e-commerce business, different purchase habits and trends have been noted in various countries in Asia Pacific. The proliferating e-commerce industry is likely to boost the air cargo market in Asia Pacific in the coming years with the rise in demand for parcel delivery services around the region. Talk to Us Directly: https://tawk.to/chat/5d5a708ceb1a6b0be6083008/1i44d98rb Trending Related Reports: https://www.theinsightpartners.com/en/reports/air-cargo-containers-market https://www.theinsightpartners.com/reports/air-cargo-screening-market https://www.theinsightpartners.com/en/reports/air-cargo-containers-market https://www.theinsightpartners.com/reports/aircraft-cargo-systems-market https://www.theinsightpartners.com/reports/air-cargo-security-and-screening-systems-market About Us: The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We specialize in industries such as Semiconductor and Electronics, Aerospace and Defense, Automotive and Transportation, Biotechnology, Healthcare IT, Manufacturing and Construction, Medical Device, Technology, Media and Telecommunications, Chemicals and Materials. Contact Us: If you have any queries about this report or if you would like further information, please contact us: Contact Person: Ankit Mathur E-mail: ankit.mathur@theinsightpartners.com Phone: +1-646-491-9876 Home - https://www.theinsightpartners.com/ NEW YORK, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of regulated markets for trading 12,000 U.S. and international securities, today announced Neo Performance Materials Inc (TSX: NEO; OTCQX: NOPMF), a manufacturer of the building blocks of many modern technologies that enhance efficiency and sustainability, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. Neo Performance Materials Inc upgraded to OTCQX from the Pink market. Neo Performance Materials Inc begins trading today on OTCQX under the symbol NOPMF. U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com. Upgrading to the OTCQX Market is an important step for companies seeking to provide transparent trading for their U.S. investors. For companies listed on a qualified international exchange, streamlined market standards enable them to utilize their home market reporting to make their information available in the U.S. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws. Neos CEO, Rahim Suleman, said: "We are pleased to begin trading on OTCQX, which enhances Neos visibility and accessibility for U.S. investors. As a global leader in advanced rare earth materials, with a strong balance sheet and a growing magnetics business in Europe, we are well-positioned to support the accelerating demand for critical materials in electrification and other modern technologies. Trading on OTCQX provides an additional platform to broaden our shareholder base as we continue to execute on our strategic priorities and drive long-term value." About Neo Performance Materials Inc Neo manufactures the building blocks of many modern technologies that enhance efficiency and sustainability. Neos advanced industrial materials magnetic powders, rare earth magnets, magnetic assemblies, specialty chemicals, metals, and alloys are critical to the performance of many everyday products and emerging technologies. Neos products fast-forward technologies for the net-zero transition. The business of Neo is organized along three segments: Magnequench, Chemicals & Oxides and Rare Metals. Neo is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; with corporate offices in Greenwood Village, Colorado, United States; Singapore; and Beijing, China. Neo has a global platform that includes manufacturing facilities located in China, Germany, Canada, Estonia, Thailand and the United Kingdom, as well as one dedicated research and development centre in Singapore. About OTC Markets Group Inc. OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates regulated markets for trading 12,000 U.S. and international securities. Our data-driven disclosure standards form the foundation of our three public markets: OTCQX Best Market, OTCQB Venture Market, and Pink Open Market. Our OTC Link Alternative Trading Systems (ATSs) provide critical market infrastructure that broker-dealers rely on to facilitate trading. Our innovative model offers companies more efficient access to the U.S. financial markets. OTC Link ATS, OTC Link ECN, OTC Link NQB, and MOON ATS are each an SEC regulated ATS, operated by OTC Link LLC, a FINRA and SEC registered broker-dealer, member SIPC. To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com. Subscribe to the OTC Markets RSS Feed Media Contact: OTC Markets Group Inc., +1 (212) 896-4428, media@otcmarkets.com Dublin, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Canada Glucose Monitoring Device Market, By Region, Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2020-2030F" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Canada Glucose Monitoring Device Market was valued at USD 1.23 Billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 2.54 Billion by 2030, rising at a CAGR of 12.85% The market is witnessing significant expansion driven by rapid technological advancements and the rising prevalence of diabetes across the country. With diabetes recognized as a pressing public health concern, demand for efficient glucose monitoring tools has surged. According to Health Canada, the global diabetic population is expected to more than double by 2050, underscoring the urgent need for accessible monitoring solutions. As a major contributor to global morbidity and mortality, diabetes has propelled the adoption of devices like continuous and flash glucose monitors, which offer real-time data and enable proactive disease management. Rising Prevalence of Diabetes in Canada The growing number of diabetes cases across Canada is a critical factor driving the glucose monitoring device market. By 2020-2021, approximately 3.7 million Canadians, or 9.4% of the population aged one and above, were diagnosed with diabetes, a figure that climbs to 27% among those aged 65 and older. This demographic shift underscores the escalating need for effective blood sugar monitoring tools. Devices such as continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and flash glucose monitors (FGMs) have become essential for real-time tracking and management of glucose levels. They support timely interventions and help mitigate complications like cardiovascular disease, kidney damage, and neuropathy, thereby improving patient outcomes and quality of life. High Cost of Advanced Monitoring Devices The cost of advanced glucose monitoring technologies remains a major hurdle to widespread use. While some government programs offer financial assistance, not all individuals qualify, and personal expenses can be steep. For instance, individuals with type 1 diabetes in Alberta may face up to $7,000 in annual out-of-pocket expenses, while those with type 2 diabetes could spend as much as $6,000. These costs include the initial device, sensors, and transmitters, which can be financially burdensome for patients lacking sufficient insurance coverage. This financial barrier often restricts access to newer technologies, affecting diabetes care and control among economically vulnerable populations. Adoption of Advanced Glucose Monitoring Technologies A prominent trend in the Canadian market is the increasing shift towards advanced glucose monitoring systems, particularly CGMs. These devices deliver continuous glucose readings, offering superior glycemic management and reducing complications such as hypo- and hyperglycemia. Compared to traditional finger-prick methods, CGMs enhance user convenience and improve quality of life. Integration with insulin pumps and mobile apps has enabled real-time data sharing and automated insulin delivery, allowing healthcare providers to personalize treatment plans more effectively. As awareness of these benefits grows, the uptake of advanced glucose monitoring technologies is expected to rise steadily across Canada. Key Attributes: Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 70 Forecast Period 2024 - 2030 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $1.23 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2030 $2.54 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 12.8% Regions Covered Canada Report Scope Key Market Players: Medtronic of Canada Ltd Abbott Canada. Johnson & Johnson Inc/Canada Braun of Canada F. Hoffmann-La Roche Limited. Ascensia Diabetes Care. Sanofi-Aventis Canada Inc. Eli Lilly Canada Inc. Canada Glucose Monitoring Device Market, By Product Type: Self-Blood Glucose Monitoring Devices Continuous Glucose Monitoring Devices Canada Glucose Monitoring Device Market, By Application: Type 1 Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes Gestational Diabetes Canada Glucose Monitoring Device Market, By End User: Home Care Settings Hospital Others Canada Glucose Monitoring Device Market, By Region: Ontario Quebec Alberta British Columbia Saskatchewan and Manitoba Rest of Canada For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/fj994r About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Attachment TORONTO, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BE Resources Inc. (TSX-V: BER.H) (BE Resources or the Company) announces that, further to the Companys press release dated March 6, 2025, the Company settled C$361,361.23 of debt owed to certain creditors of the Company in consideration for the issuance of 5,559,399 common shares of the Company (the Shares) at a deemed price of C$0.065 per Share (the Debt Settlement). The Company expects that the proposed Debt Settlement will assist the Company in preserving its cash for working capital. Any securities issued in connection with the Debt Settlement will be issued in reliance on certain prospectus and registration exemptions under applicable securities legislation and will be subject to a hold period of four months and a day. The Debt Settlement is subject to the receipt of all regulatory approvals, including the final approval of the TSXV. Under the Debt Settlement, 4,128,027 Shares (the Settlement Shares) were issued to Marrelli Capital Limited, a company that Carmelo Marrelli, the Companys CEO, exercises control and direction over (the Insider Issuance). The Insider Issuance is considered a "related party transaction" pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company is relying upon Section 5.5(b) of MI 61-101 for an exemption from the formal valuation requirement of MI 61-101, as the securities of the Company are not listed or quoted on a specified market, and Section 5.7(e) of MI 61-101 for an exemption from the minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101, as: (i) the Company was (and continues to be) in serious financial difficulty; (ii) the Insider Issuance is designed to improve the financial position of the Company; (iii) paragraph 5.5(f) (Bankruptcy, Insolvency, Court Order) of MI 61-101 was not applicable; and (iv) the Companys board of directors (the "Board"), acting in good faith, and at least two-thirds of the Companys independent directors, acting in good faith, determined that: (A) the Company was (and continues to be) in serious financial difficulty and the Related Party Transactions are each designed to improve the financial position of the Company, and (B) the terms of the Insider Issuance were reasonable in the circumstances. Early Warning Report Prior to the closing of the Debt Settlement, Mr. Marrelli beneficially owns and exercises control and direction over, through Marrelli Capital Limited, 2,711,919 Shares (or approximately 46.8% of the total issued and outstanding Shares).Following the completion of Debt Settlement, Mr. Marrelli beneficially owns and exercises control and direction over, through Marrelli Capital Limited, 6,839,946 Shares (or approximately 60.22% of the total issued and outstanding Shares on both a non-diluted and partially diluted basis). The Settlement Shares were acquired by Mr. Marrelli for investment purposes, and depending on market and other conditions, he may from time to time in the future increase or decrease his ownership, control or direction over securities of the Company through market transactions, private agreements, or otherwise. For the purposes of this notice, the address of Mr. Marrelli is 82 Richmond Street East, Toronto, ON M5C 1P1. In satisfaction of the requirements of the National Instrument 62-104 - Take-Over Bids and Issuer Bids and National Instrument 62-103 - The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues, an early warning report respecting the acquisition of the Settlement Shares by Carmelo Marrelli will be filed under the Companys SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. About BE Resources BE Resources Inc. is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: BER.H) and is focused on repositioning its business to pursue opportunities that will optimize its operations and potential. BE Resources shares are currently listed on the NEX board under the symbol BER.H. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Contact Information Carmelo Marrelli Chief Executive Officer BE Resources Inc. 82 Richmond St East Toronto, Ontario M5C 1P1 Phone: (418) 531-1060 Email: carm@marrellisupport.ca Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking information that involves substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, most of which are beyond the control of BE Resources. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe BE Resources future plans, objectives, or goals, including words to the effect that BE Resources or its management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as believes, anticipates, expects, estimates, may, could, would, will, or plan. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to BE Resources, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet managements expectations. Risks, uncertainties, and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the receipt of all regulatory approvals, filing an early warning report on SEDAR+ and BE Resources objectives, goals or future plans. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions that may prove to be incorrect. These statements are also subject to risks, including, but not limited to: availability of funds, receipt of regulatory approvals; uncertainties related to raising sufficient financing to fund planned work in a timely manner and on acceptable terms; and general economic, market, and regulatory conditions. For further information on these and other risks and uncertainties that may affect the Company's business, see the "Risks and Uncertainties" and "Forward-Looking Statements" sections of the Company's annual and interim management's discussion and analysis filings with the Canadian securities regulators, which are available under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Although BE Resources believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. BE Resources disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, other than as required by law. Father-son duo preserves traditional cloth making in E China's Jiangxi People's Daily Online) 16:17, June 06, 2025 Song Zhixue makes Xiabu, literally meaning summer cloth, in Wanzai county, Yichun city, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Photo/Zhou Liang) Xiabu, a traditional Chinese handicraft literally meaning summer cloth, has a history of over 1,600 years in Wanzai county, Yichun city, east China's Jiangxi Province. Song Shuya, 80, is a national-level inheritor of Wanzai Xiabu weaving craft in Jiangxi. His family has practiced the art for generations. Woven by hand from ramie fiber, Xiabu is breathable, moisture-wicking, and naturally antibacterial. It was widely used in ancient times during the summer months, hence the name "summer cloth." Among all the intricate steps, the most patience-testing step is spinning the yarnjoining ramie strands into one long, knot-free thread, according to Song Shuya. "Since naturally treated yarn breaks easily, this step must be done entirely by hand. One person can spend nearly two months spinning enough yarn for just one bolt of cloth," he explained. Song Zhixue makes Xiabu, literally meaning summer cloth, in Wanzai county, Yichun city, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Photo/Zhou Liang) In 1998, Song Shuya founded the Shuangzhi Xiabu Factory in Wanzai county. Thanks to strict quality standards, his cloth quickly gained recognition not only in China but also abroad. "Xiabu is a great material, but not many people buy it anymore," he said. As modern textiles dominate the market, Xiabu has faded from public view. While many peers moved on, Song Shuya stayed with the craft, passing it down to his son, Song Zhixue. "I didn't think much about the market when I was youngI just wanted to take the craft from my father's hands and keep it going," said Song Zhixue, who grew up to the rhythm of looms. With over 30 years of experience now, he understands the lifelong dedication woven into every strand. "Handcrafting is the essence of Xiabu, and also its biggest hurdle," Song Zhixue said. "Machine spinning requires boiling ramie down to pure fiber, which strips away the valuable natural glue," he explained. Song Zhixue weaves Xiabu, literally meaning summer cloth, in Wanzai county, Yichun city, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Photo/Zhou Liang) This reliance on manual work makes Xiabu low-yield and costly. To address this, Song Zhixue has teamed up with universities to refine the process. "We're working to preserve the fabric's natural texture and antibacterial benefits while improving efficiency and scalability." To promote Xiabu, Song Zhixue has tried new approaches. He has integrated Yunnan's tie-dye techniques into Xiabu products and designed over 200 cultural items including shoes, bags, hats, fans, tea mats, and curtains. In 2023, Song Zhixue and his father opened the Xiabu Cultural Center, which features a hands-on weaving area for visitors to experience the charm of this intangible heritage firsthand. Song Zhixue airs Xiabu, literally meaning summer cloth, in Wanzai county, Yichun city, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Photo/Zhou Liang) (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) TALLINN, Estonia, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In the early days of crypto, mining was reserved for the technically elite. Specialized rigs, high electricity bills, and complex setups created a wall between everyday people and the wealth being generated behind blockchain technology. Fast forward to 2025, and Bitcoin Solaris is tearing down that wall, placing the power of crypto mining directly into the palm of your hand. This isnt just another blockchain project promising change. Bitcoin Solaris (BTC-S) is delivering it through innovation, accessibility, and mobile-first scalability. BTC-S is powered by a dual-layered, dual-consensus systemcombining Proof-of-Work (PoW) with Delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS) to ensure both security and efficiency. This architecture allows BTC-S to achieve lightning-fast 10,000+ transactions per second while keeping its network highly decentralized and secure. But the real revolution is in how its minedand who can mine it. Your Phone Is Now a Mining Rig At the core of this disruption is the upcoming Solaris Nova Appan intuitive, cross-platform mining tool that lets anyone start earning from their smartphone , desktop, or even a browser. Mining has never been this simple: Cross-device compatibility: Supports ASICs, GPUs, laptops, and smartphones. One-click setup: No coding, no wallet configurationjust tap and go. Real-time wallet rewards: Earnings are visible immediately. Adaptive algorithms: Optimizes based on device specs for peak performance. Energy efficiency: Consumes 99.95% less energy than traditional mining. Even more impressive? Bitcoin Solaris has baked in end-to-end encryption, biometric logins, remote wipe capabilities, and gamified features like achievements and leaderboards, making it secure, fun, and inclusive. Build Wealth, Stake, and Grow with Liquid Staking Bitcoin Solaris doesnt stop at mining. It also enables liquid staking, allowing users to earn passive income without locking up their assets. When users stake BTC-S, its instantly converted into sBTC-S at a 1:1 ratio. That means you can: Trade your staked tokens freely. Use them in DeFi protocols like lending or liquidity pools. Participate in governance without losing yield. Best of all, liquid staking is fully integrated into the Solaris Nova App. Validator selection is automated, the UI is beginner-friendly, and the security framework ensures peace of mind. BTC-Ss model improves both decentralization and capital efficiency, letting your assets work for you from day one. Mining Has EvolvedBTC-S Puts It in Your Pocket Why Everyones Talking About It With mobile mining and staking at the center of its offering, its no surprise that over 11,000 users have joined the presale so far . And with just around 8 weeks left in the sale, interest is only accelerating. Current Price: $6 Next Phase: $7 Launch Price: $20 Bonus: 10% Its not just retail investors taking notice. Crypto Royal recently published a detailed review of Bitcoin Solaris, praising the projects smart tech and accessibility. As more influencers weigh in, the momentum continues to build. Security Backed by Real Audits and Transparency What sets Bitcoin Solaris apart from many crypto projects is its commitment to trust and transparency. Its passed not one, but two major auditsby Cyberscope and Freshcoins . Plus, the team has completed full KYC verification , further proving its here to stay. And as excitement continues to spread, you can track updates, join discussions, and be part of the movement on the projects Telegram and X channels. Conclusion: Crypto Wealth Isnt Reserved for the Elite Anymore Bitcoin Solaris is more than a tokenits a technology shift. It brings together power, speed, and inclusivity in a way the industry has never seen before. Through the exciting release of the Solaris Nova App, anyonefrom students to working professionalscan mine, stake, and grow their wealth without needing expensive rigs or deep technical knowledge. If you ever felt like you were late to Bitcoin, this is your second chancebut built for the mobile era. And this time, all it takes is the phone in your pocket. For more information on Bitcoin Solaris: Website: https://www.bitcoinsolaris.com/ Telegram: https://t.me/Bitcoinsolaris X: https://x.com/BitcoinSolaris Media Contact Xander Levine press@bitcoinsolaris.com Press Kit: Available upon request Disclaimer: This is a paid post and is provided by Bitcoin Solaris. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sectorincluding cryptocurrency, NFTs, and miningcomplete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page. Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an "as-is" basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d739c1d8-bf44-4613-98db-a0a9a1b7d406 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9558b08c-1899-46df-abd3-645b8bab93fc https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2d48ac37-9804-4c91-bf62-80c7cbb8b91c https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4ed5abb4-6665-4ab6-bac1-21434862c0ec NEW YORK, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leading securities law firm Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP announces that a lawsuit has been filed against Organon & Co. (NYSE: OGN) and certain of the Companys senior executives for potential violations of the federal securities laws. If you invested in Organon you are encouraged to obtain additional information by visiting https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/organon-co-class-action. Investors have until July 22, 2025, to ask the Court to be appointed to lead the case. The complaint asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on behalf of investors who purchased Organon securities. The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and is captioned: Hauser v. Organon & Co., et al., No. 25-cv-05322. Why was Organon Sued for Securities Fraud? Organon is a global healthcare company focused on womens health that has historically rewarded its shareholders with a healthy dividend. In October 2024, Organon completed a $1.2 billion acquisition of Dermavant, a biopharmaceutical company focused on dermatological conditions. As alleged, while the acquisition increased Organons debt, the Company assured investors it would maintain its dividend, which Organon asserted was its #1 capital allocation priority. In truth, Organon had shifted its capital allocation priority after the Dermavant acquisition to focus on reducing its debt, ultimately leading the Company to severely cut its dividend. The Stock Declines as the Truth is Revealed On May 1, 2025, Organon announced that management reset the Companys dividend payout from $0.28 per share to $0.02 per share. Organons CEO explained that the Company reset our capital allocation priorities to accelerate progress towards deleveraging and that [b]y deleveraging more rapidly, we will continue to strengthen the future prospects of the company. Organons CFO added, [t]he biggest issues we face . . . relate to managing our leverage and relate to growth. And we need capital to solve both of those issues, and so returning capital to shareholders is right now, less of a priority. On this news, the price of Organon stock declined roughly 27%, from $12.93 per share on April 30, 2025, to $9.45 per share on May 1, 2025. Click here if you suffered losses: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/organon-co-class-action. What Can You Do? If you invested in Organon you may have legal options and are encouraged to submit your information to the firm. All representation is on a contingency fee basis, there is no cost to you. Shareholders are not responsible for any court costs or expenses of litigation. The firm will seek court approval for any potential fees and expenses. Submit your information by visiting: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/organon-co-class-action Or contact: Ross Shikowitz ross@bfalaw.com 212-789-3619 Why Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP? Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP is a leading international law firm representing plaintiffs in securities class actions and shareholder litigation. It was named among the Top 5 plaintiff law firms by ISS SCAS in 2023 and its attorneys have been named Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar by Law360 and SuperLawyers by Thompson Reuters. Among its recent notable successes, BFA recovered over $900 million in value from Tesla, Inc.s Board of Directors, as well as $420 million from Teva Pharmaceutical Ind. Ltd. For more information about BFA and its attorneys, please visit https://www.bfalaw.com. https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/organon-co-class-action Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Luton, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global natural gas market is on a strong upward trajectory, poised to grow from an estimated value of $4.1 trillion in 2024 to nearly $6.5 trillion by 2034, representing a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 5.0% over the forecast period. This growth is primarily driven by a global shift toward cleaner energy sources, rapid industrialization, and significant technological advancements in extraction, processing, and transportation methods. As nations aim to reduce their carbon footprint, natural gas is increasingly seen as a vital transitional fuel bridging the gap between fossil fuels and renewable energy. Download PDF Brochure: https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66682/natural-gas-market#request-a-sample Market Segmentation By Resource Type - Conventional Natural Gas - Unconventional Natural Gas (Shale Gas, Tight Gas, Coalbed Methane) - Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) By End-Use Application - Power Generation - Industrial Use - Residential - Commercial - Transportation By Distribution Method - Pipelines - LNG Carriers - Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) By Region - North America - Europe - Asia-Pacific - Middle East - Latin America - Africa Market Segmentation and Key Product Insights The natural gas market is segmented by resource type, end-use application, and distribution method. By Resource Type Conventional natural gasextracted from traditional underground reservoirscurrently accounts for around 45% of global supply. While this segment remains a cornerstone of the industry, its growth is comparatively modest in mature markets with existing infrastructure. In contrast, unconventional natural gas, including shale gas, tight gas, and coalbed methane, is experiencing rapid expansion. Technological breakthroughs in hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling have unlocked vast new reserves, particularly in North America. These methods now contribute about 55% of newly tapped resources, making this the most dynamic segment. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is another high-growth area, representing around 30% of international natural gas trade. The flexibility of LNG for storage and long-distance transport makes it essential for countries with limited pipeline infrastructure. Demand for LNG is particularly surging in Asia and Europe, driving extensive infrastructure development. End-Use Applications: Growing Demand Across Sectors Natural gas consumption is spread across five main application areaspower generation, industrial use, residential, commercial, and transportation. Power generation remains the largest end-use segment, consuming around 40% of global natural gas output. Many countries have transitioned from coal to natural gas due to its cleaner combustion profile, reinforcing its role in sustainable energy strategies. Industrial use, accounting for roughly 30% of demand, includes sectors like chemicals, manufacturing, and fertilizers. This segment enjoys consistent demand, especially in developing economies where industrialization is on the rise. Residential consumption, which comprises about 20%, is largely driven by household heating and cooking needs. This segment sees seasonal fluctuations but maintains a steady base load driven by population growth and urbanization. The commercial sector accounts for around 10% of usage, with natural gas playing an increasing role in space heating, hot water systems, and commercial kitchens. Although transportation currently represents less than 5% of total consumption, it is emerging as a high-potential segment. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and LNG-fueled vehicles, particularly in the commercial transport and heavy-duty vehicle categories, are gaining traction due to cost efficiency and reduced emissions. Distribution Methods and Infrastructure Development In terms of delivery, pipelines are the dominant distribution method, handling more than 70% of the global natural gas supply. Extensive existing infrastructure makes pipelines the most cost-effective and reliable transport mode for regional delivery. LNG carriers account for approximately 25% of distribution. Their ability to ship gas over long distances without relying on pipelines has made them crucial for global trade, particularly between continents. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), used primarily for short-distance transport and urban vehicle fueling, contributes around 5% to total distribution. While still a minor segment, its growth potential is notable in countries investing in CNG refueling infrastructure. Regional Market Insights North America North America is the largest regional market, contributing roughly 36% of global revenue in 2024. The regions dominance is due to advanced extraction technologies, especially in the U.S., which boasts prolific shale gas formations like the Permian Basin and Marcellus Shale. Strong domestic demand, well-established infrastructure, and a favorable regulatory environment continue to attract substantial investment. Europe Europe holds about 24% of the market and is expected to grow at a 3.5% CAGR through 2034. The regions strong focus on decarbonization and energy diversification drives demand for natural gas, especially as a replacement for coal and a complement to intermittent renewables. Investment in LNG terminals and cross-border pipelines enhances Europes resilience and energy security. Asia-Pacific With a market share of 28% in 2024, the Asia-Pacific region is one of the fastest-growing, forecasted to expand at a 4.2% CAGR by 2034. Key growth drivers include rapid urbanization, expanding industrial sectors, and energy policy shifts in countries such as China, India, and South Korea. Extensive investments in LNG import terminals and intra-regional pipelines are supporting access to cleaner energy sources. Latin America and Africa Both Latin America and Africa are emerging markets with high growth potential. Africa is benefitting from natural gas discoveries in Mozambique and Tanzania, alongside efforts to build LNG export infrastructure. Latin America is seeing development in Argentinas Vaca Muerta shale and Brazils gas sector, supported by energy reforms. However, political instability, regulatory issues, and infrastructure gaps remain key challenges. Browse full Report - https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66682/natural-gas-market Market Drivers: Whats Fueling Growth Several factors are propelling the global natural gas market forward. The most prominent is the global energy transition, where natural gas is viewed as a bridge fuel due to its lower carbon footprint compared to coal and oil. As climate goals become more aggressive, natural gas plays a key role in ensuring energy reliability while reducing emissions. Technological advancementsparticularly in digitalization, automation, and drillingare significantly improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of gas extraction and processing. These innovations are reshaping upstream operations and enhancing competitiveness. Governments around the world are also implementing supportive regulations to encourage the adoption of natural gas. In many regions, favorable policies for LNG infrastructure, power generation, and industrial consumption are creating a conducive environment for growth. Market Challenges and Restraints Despite its promising outlook, the market faces several headwinds. Chief among them is the price volatility caused by geopolitical conflicts, demand shifts, and weather-related disruptions. Such fluctuations can deter long-term investments and impact profit margins. Another significant challenge is the environmental scrutiny around methane leaksa potent greenhouse gas. Regulatory bodies are tightening emission standards, necessitating expensive monitoring and leak prevention technologies. The rise of renewable energy also presents competitive pressure. As the cost of solar and wind power declines, their adoption could eat into natural gass market share, particularly in power generation. Buy Now : https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/purchase/?currency=USD&type=single_user_license&report_id=66682 Emerging Trends and Growth Opportunities The natural gas industry is undergoing notable transformation, marked by integration with renewable technologies, digitalization, and new business models. Hybrid energy systems combining natural gas with solar, wind, or hydrogen are gaining attention, offering more flexible and sustainable energy solutions. The growth of the transportation segment, especially CNG and LNG vehicles, represents an underexplored opportunity. Public and private investment in refueling infrastructure is expected to catalyze adoption. The expansion of LNG infrastructureespecially in Asia-Pacificis also opening doors for increased trade and market access. LNG offers market flexibility and enables countries to diversify their energy sources, thereby reducing reliance on politically unstable suppliers. Key Competitors ExxonMobil Chevron Royal Dutch Shell TotalEnergies BP Gazprom Qatar Petroleum ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) Reliance Industries Limited Eni S.p.A. ConocoPhillips Equinor Petronas Sempra Energy Cheniere Energy Notable Recent Developments Reliance Industries (Aug 2023) announced a large-scale expansion of its natural gas business in India. The company is investing in pipeline networks and production facilities to help the government meet its target of increasing the natural gas share in the energy mix to 15% by 2030. announced a large-scale expansion of its natural gas business in India. The company is investing in pipeline networks and production facilities to help the government meet its target of increasing the natural gas share in the energy mix to 15% by 2030. BP (Sep 2023) entered a partnership with a renewable energy firm to develop hybrid energy projects combining natural gas and hydrogen, reflecting the trend toward integrated, low-emission solutions. entered a partnership with a renewable energy firm to develop hybrid energy projects combining natural gas and hydrogen, reflecting the trend toward integrated, low-emission solutions. ONGC (Oct 2023) adopted artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to optimize its exploration and production processes, aiming to boost efficiency and reduce emissions. adopted artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to optimize its exploration and production processes, aiming to boost efficiency and reduce emissions. Cheniere Energy (Jul 2023) acquired a mid-sized LNG transport company to enhance its export capabilities and respond to rising LNG demand in Europe and Asia. acquired a mid-sized LNG transport company to enhance its export capabilities and respond to rising LNG demand in Europe and Asia. TotalEnergies (Nov 2023) received regulatory clearance for expanding offshore gas fields, reinforcing its production capabilities and signaling continued support for natural gas projects in global energy strategies. This report is also available in the following languages : Japanese (), Korean ( ), Chinese (), French (Marche du gaz naturel), German (Erdgasmarkt), and Italian (Mercato del gas naturale), etc. Request Sample Pages: https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66682/natural-gas-market#request-a-sample More Research Finding Cryogenic Equipments Market The cryogenic equipment market is poised for significant growth, with a current market value estimated at approximately $20.5 billion in 2024. Projections indicate this market will reach nearly $32.7 billion by 2034, reflecting a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of around 4.6% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66702/cryogenic-equipments-market Non-destructive Testing for Oil and Gas Market The non-destructive testing (NDT) market for the oil and gas sector is anticipated to reach a value of approximately $6.5 billion in 2024. With increasing investments in infrastructure and maintenance, the market is projected to grow to nearly $10.1 billion by 2034, reflecting a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of around 4.5% during the forecast period of 20252034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/64897/non-destructive-testing-for-oil-and-gas-market Dew Point Meters Market The global dew point meter market is poised for significant growth, with a current market value of approximately $350 million in 2024. Projections indicate that this market could reach an estimated $600 million by 2034, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 6.0% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/64731/dew-point-meters-market Leak Detection and Repair LDAR Market The global Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) market is valued at approximately $6 billion in 2024, with expectations to grow to $11 billion by 2034, indicating a robust opportunity for growth. The projected Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) during this period is estimated to be around 6.2%. This growth is primarily driven by increasing regulatory pressures on industries such as oil and gas, chemical processing, and municipal water systems to prevent fugitive emissions and enhance environmental compliance. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/63449/global-leak-detection-and-repair-ldar-market Cryogenic Submerged Electric Motor Pump Market The global market for cryogenic submerged electric motor pump systems is projected to be valued at approximately $2.1 billion in 2024, with expectations of reaching around $3.9 billion by 2034. This growth represents a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 6.5% during the forecast period of 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/63276/global-cryogenic-submerged-electric-motor-pump-market Renewable Natural Gas Market The global Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) market is valued at approximately $2.5 billion in 2024, with expectations to reach around $8.6 billion by 2034. This represents a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 13.5% over the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/62729/global-renewable-natural-gas-market Sulfur Recovery Technology Market The global sulfur recovery technology market is valued at approximately $3.2 billion in 2024, showing strong growth potential driven by stringent environmental regulations and the increasing emphasis on sustainable practices in the oil and gas industry. The market is projected to reach around $5.1 billion by 2034, representing a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 4.7% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/62724/global-sulfur-recovery-technology-market Gas Flow Meters Market The global gas flow meter market is poised for significant growth, valued at approximately $3.2 billion in 2024. This market is anticipated to reach around $5.1 billion by 2034, reflecting a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.1% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/62305/global-gas-flow-meters-market Alternative Fuel Market The global alternative fuel market is projected to reach a value of approximately $250 billion in 2024, driven by rising environmental concerns and the transition towards sustainable energy sources. By 2034, the market is expected to expand to around $550 billion, reflecting an impressive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 8.2% over the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/62178/global-alternative-fuel-market Natural Gas Fueling Station Market The global natural gas fueling station market is valued at approximately $4.8 billion in 2024. As the demand for cleaner fuels rises, the market is projected to grow, reaching an estimated $9.2 billion by 2034, reflecting a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of around 7.1% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/61672/global-natural-gas-fueling-station-market Compressed Natural Gas and Liquefied Natural Gas Vehicle Market The global market for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) vehicles is valued at approximately $22 billion in 2024, with expectations to reach around $40 billion by 2034. This growth is driven by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 6.2% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/61564/global-compressed-natural-gas-and-liquefied-natural-gas-vehicle-market Methanation Technology Market The global methanation technology market, valued at approximately $2.1 billion in 2024, is poised for significant growth, projected to reach $5.9 billion by 2034. This translates to a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of around 11.3% over the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/61040/global-methanation-technology-market Helium Separation Membrane Market The global helium separation membrane market is poised at a significant value of approximately $800 million in 2024, reflecting the increasing demand for helium across industries such as healthcare, aerospace, and electronics. Projections for the market value indicate a robust growth trajectory, reaching around $1.5 billion by 2034. This growth represents a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of approximately 7.2% from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/60787/global-helium-separation-membrane-market Natural Gas Flow Meters Market The global market for natural gas flow meters is projected to reach approximately $5.3 billion in 2024, with expectations to expand significantly through the forecast period of 20252034. By 2034, the market value is estimated to reach around $8.9 billion, reflecting a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.3%. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/60727/global-natural-gas-flow-meters-market General Purpose Engines Market The global general-purpose engines market is valued at approximately $30 billion in 2024, with a projected market value of around $50 billion by 2034. This growth reflects a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.1% from 2025 to 2034, driven by increasing applications across various sectors, including construction, agriculture, and marine industries. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/60687/global-general-purpose-engines-market Natural Gas and Propane Power Generator Market The global market for natural gas and propane power generators is expected to reach approximately $26 billion by 2024, driven by increasing demand for cleaner energy sources and the transition from coal-based generation. For the forecast period from 2025 to 2034, the market is projected to grow to nearly $45 billion, corresponding to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 6.1%. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/58685/global-natural-gas-and-propane-power-generator-market Natural Gas for Vehicle Market The global natural gas vehicle (NGV) market is poised for significant growth, currently valued at approximately $33.5 billion in 2024. Driven by increasing environmental concerns and stringent emissions regulations, the market is projected to reach around $55 billion by 2034. This growth reflects a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of approximately 5.2% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/58617/global-natural-gas-for-vehicle-market Natural Gas Filling Equipment Market The global natural gas filling equipment market is valued at approximately $1.8 billion in 2024, with projections indicating a significant growth trajectory, reaching an estimated $3.5 billion by 2034. This translates to a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of around 7.2% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/58014/global-natural-gas-filling-equipment-market Ammonia Absorption Tower Market The global ammonia absorption tower market is valued at approximately $5.2 billion, driven by rising demand for ammonia in various applications, including fertilizers and industrial processes. The market is projected to grow at a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.5% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034, reaching an estimated value of $8.5 billion by 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/57328/global-ammonia-absorption-tower-market Luton, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global dual-axis solar tracker market is experiencing strong momentum as the renewable energy sector continues to grow rapidly. Estimated at approximately $1.2 billion in 2024, the market is projected to expand to around $3.5 billion by 2034, registering an impressive Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.3% over the forecast period. Dual-axis trackers, which follow the suns movement on both the horizontal and vertical axes, offer superior energy capture efficiency compared to fixed systems, making them highly attractive for modern solar installations. Download PDF Brochure: https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/request-sample/66706 This growth is largely driven by the increasing global commitment to clean energy, coupled with technological advancements that have significantly improved tracking system performance. Government incentives and regulatory frameworks supporting solar adoption are also fostering a favorable environment for dual-axis trackers. Market Dynamics and Growth Drivers One of the most significant catalysts for the dual-axis tracker market is the rising global demand for sustainable energy. As concerns about climate change and fossil fuel depletion intensify, countries are turning to solar power as a reliable alternative. Dual-axis tracking systems offer enhanced energy generation by continuously aligning solar panels with the suns path, thus improving power output and system efficiency. Technological innovation plays a vital role in this trend. Modern tracking systems are increasingly integrated with advanced control systems, sensors, and automated components that optimize performance and reduce manual intervention. Moreover, the adoption of smart technologies, such as AI and machine learning, has enabled predictive tracking based on weather conditions, further enhancing system reliability. Government support is also pivotal. Numerous national policiessuch as tax incentives, feed-in tariffs, and grantsare designed to promote the deployment of solar energy infrastructure. These incentives lower the financial barriers for project developers and residential users, encouraging broader adoption of high-efficiency tracking solutions. Challenges and Restraints Despite the optimistic outlook, several challenges could temper the markets growth trajectory. The high upfront installation costs associated with dual-axis tracking systems remain a key restraint. While they offer superior performance, the added complexity of dual-axis mechanisms increases equipment and installation expenses compared to single-axis or fixed alternatives. Another concern is the maintenance and durability of these systems. With more moving parts, dual-axis trackers are inherently more susceptible to wear and tear. Maintenance requirements can be higher, particularly in harsh weather conditions, potentially increasing long-term operational costs. In addition, supply chain disruptions pose risks, particularly regarding the availability and price of raw materials needed for manufacturing. The recent geopolitical tensions and global logistical bottlenecks have shown the vulnerability of renewable energy supply chains. Moreover, regulatory variability across regions can create hurdles for international companies, requiring customized compliance strategies that increase complexity and cost. Emerging Trends and Opportunities Amid these challenges, the market also presents numerous emerging opportunities. A particularly promising area is the development of intelligent tracking systems powered by AI and data analytics. These smart trackers can dynamically adjust to real-time environmental data, optimize performance, and significantly improve return on investment. The rising popularity of community solar projects and shared energy systems opens new avenues for growth. These models allow multiple users to benefit from a single solar installation, often located off-site, reducing individual capital investment. Dual-axis trackers are ideal for such installations, given their high energy yield and scalability. The integration of solar technologies into non-traditional sectors, such as agrivoltaicswhich combines agricultural activities with solar energy productionis another emerging trend. Dual-axis trackers in these applications not only enhance land use efficiency but also help farmers diversify income sources. Growing awareness among residential and commercial consumers about energy independence and carbon footprint reduction is also influencing purchasing decisions. As solar technology becomes more accessible, end-users are more inclined to invest in high-performance solutions that offer long-term savings. Browse full Report - https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66706/dual-axis-solar-trackers-market Segmentation Insights By Component Solar Panels dominate the component segment, contributing over 40% of total revenue. Continuous advancements in photovoltaic efficiency and lightweight designs are driving their growth. dominate the component segment, contributing over 40% of total revenue. Continuous advancements in photovoltaic efficiency and lightweight designs are driving their growth. Controllers manage the precise movements of solar panels and account for approximately 15% of the market. Their evolution is closely tied to IoT integration and smart automation. manage the precise movements of solar panels and account for approximately 15% of the market. Their evolution is closely tied to IoT integration and smart automation. Actuators , essential for panel orientation adjustments, hold a 10% share and are becoming more durable and cost-efficient with R&D efforts. , essential for panel orientation adjustments, hold a 10% share and are becoming more durable and cost-efficient with R&D efforts. Sensors, though a smaller segment (~5%), are critical for enabling real-time tracking and are increasingly being integrated with smart systems. By End User The residential sector makes up about 30% of the market, driven by increasing interest in energy self-sufficiency. makes up about 30% of the market, driven by increasing interest in energy self-sufficiency. Commercial users hold around 25%, leveraging rooftop space to lower operational costs and support sustainability initiatives. hold around 25%, leveraging rooftop space to lower operational costs and support sustainability initiatives. Industrial users account for approximately 20%, with installations geared towards meeting heavy energy demands. account for approximately 20%, with installations geared towards meeting heavy energy demands. Utility-scale projects remain the largest individual segment (25%), owing to large-scale solar farms adopting dual-axis systems for maximized output. By Technology Photovoltaic (PV) systems lead with about 70% share due to scalability and cost efficiency. lead with about 70% share due to scalability and cost efficiency. Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) systems account for the remaining 30%, used mainly in high-irradiation regions for utility-scale applications. By Installation Type Ground-mounted installations dominate with a 60% share, thanks to flexibility in layout and optimal sun tracking capabilities. dominate with a 60% share, thanks to flexibility in layout and optimal sun tracking capabilities. Rooftop installations, holding about 40%, are expanding due to urban solar initiatives and space-efficient designs. Market Segmentation Component Type - Solar Panels - Controllers - Actuators - Sensors End-User - Residential - Commercial - Industrial - Utility-scale Technology Type - Photovoltaic (PV) Systems - Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Systems Installation Type - Ground-mounted - Rooftop Geography - North America - Europe - Asia-Pacific - Latin America - Middle East & Africa Regional Analysis The Asia-Pacific region commands the largest share, contributing roughly 45% of global revenue in 2024. Rapid industrialization, population growth, and proactive government policies in countries like China and India are central to this dominance. North America follows with an estimated 30% market share, supported by favorable tax policies, advanced infrastructure, and growing awareness of clean energy benefits. The regions CAGR is projected at around 10% through 2034. Europe contributes approximately 20%, driven by stringent environmental regulations and aggressive renewable energy targets. The region also benefits from strong consumer preference for sustainable energy sources. Emerging regions, including Latin America and the Middle East, are expected to witness rapid growth, with projected CAGRs of 12% and 15%, respectively. While these regions offer abundant solar resources, challenges related to political stability and regulatory frameworks could hinder growth. Buy Now : https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/purchase/?currency=USD&type=single_user_license&report_id=66706 Key Competitors NEXTracker Array Technologies Soltec PVH SunPower Trina Solar First Solar Canadian Solar SMA Solar Technology EDP Renewables Joule Energy SolarFlexion Amonix AEG Power Solutions TBEA Co., Ltd. Recent Developments and Strategic Moves Company Name: NEXTracker Month & Year: October 2023 Type of Development: Strategic Partnership Detailed Analysis: NEXTracker recently announced a strategic partnership with a leading energy company to enhance its solar tracking solutions in the utility-scale sector. This development is significant as it aligns NEXTracker with a company that possesses considerable market reach, allowing for cross-promotional opportunities and expanded operational capabilities. By collaborating, both entities can leverage shared technology insights and innovative approaches to streamline installation and improve efficiency. This partnership is likely to lead to increased competition in the dual-axis solar tracker market, driving technology advancements and potentially lowering costs, thus making solar energy more accessible. As a result, we can expect heightened market activity as other players may seek similar alliances to bolster their offerings. Company Name: Array Technologies Month & Year: September 2023 Type of Development: Product Launch Detailed Analysis: Array Technologies launched an upgraded version of its dual-axis solar tracker, featuring advanced predictive algorithms and enhanced durability against extreme weather conditions. This product launch is crucial as it addresses significant pain points for solar installations in various climates, enhancing energy generation efficiency while minimizing maintenance costs. The introduction of such technology sets a new benchmark in the market, compelling competitors to innovate continuously. Moreover, it positions Array as a technology leader, likely influencing competitive dynamics as other firms will need to either enhance their offerings or reduce prices to remain attractive. This shift fosters a more aggressive competitive landscape, driving further advancements in the solar tracking industry. Company Name: Soltec Month & Year: August 2023 Type of Development: Acquisition Detailed Analysis: Soltec announced its acquisition of a technology startup specializing in artificial intelligence for optimized solar farm management. This acquisition is critical as it integrates cutting-edge AI capabilities into Soltecs existing product range, promoting increased operational efficiency for solar trackers. The integration of AI will allow for real-time tracking adjustments, improving energy capture and ultimately leading to better ROI for investors and operators. This development not only strengthens Soltec's market position but also reflects a growing trend toward digitization and smart technologies within the solar industry. Competitors may be pressured to explore similar tech investments or collaborations, catalyzing broader innovation across the sector. Company Name: Trina Solar Month & Year: July 2023 Type of Development: Regulatory Approval Detailed Analysis: Trina Solar received regulatory approval for its next-generation dual-axis trackers in Europe, affirming compliance with new energy efficiency standards. This development has substantial implications as it opens new markets for Trinas advanced solar technology in an increasingly stringent regulatory environment. Gaining approval ahead of competitors allows Trina to lead in market entry, likely increasing its share in Europea key strategic market for solar energy. Moreover, this event could influence market dynamics with other companies needing to expedite their innovation cycles or comply with similar regulations, driving overall industry evolution in response to sustainability goals. Company Name: SMA Solar Technology Month & Year: June 2023 Type of Development: Expansion Detailed Analysis: SMA Solar Technology announced an expansion of its manufacturing facilities in India, aimed at increasing production capacity for dual-axis solar trackings. This strategic move is significant not only for constituting a direct investment in one of the fastest-growing solar markets but also for enhancing local employment and supply chain resilience. The expansion positions SMA to more effectively cater to the growing demand for solar solutions in India, also minimizing logistics costs. This initiative is likely to increase competitive pressure on local and international players, encouraging them to enhance their offerings or consider similar expansions to capitalize on the burgeoning market potential. Such developments could result in accelerated adoption of solar technologies, thereby fostering broader market growth. This report is also available in the following languages : Japanese (), Korean ( ), Chinese (), French (Marche des trackers solaires a deux axes), German (Markt fur zweiachsige Solartracker), and Italian (Mercato degli inseguitori solari a doppio asse), etc. Request Sample Pages: https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66706/dual-axis-solar-trackers-market#request-a-sample More Research Finding Single Axis Solar Pv Tracker Market The global market for single-axis solar PV trackers is projected to reach approximately $5.2 billion in 2024. The market is expected to exhibit robust growth, with a forecasted value of around $8.5 billion by 2034, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 4.9% over the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/49454/single-axis-solar-pv-tracker-market Energy Harvesting Systems Market The global energy harvesting systems market is poised to reach an estimated value of $1.8 billion in 2024, driven by increasing demand for sustainable energy solutions and advances in technology. Forecasts indicate that this market will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 12% from 2025 to 2034, potentially reaching $6.3 billion by the end of the forecast period. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66705/energy-harvesting-systems-market Solar Lighting Systems Market The global solar lighting systems market is poised to reach an estimated value of $3.2 billion in 2024, reflecting growing adoption driven by sustainability initiatives and increased demand for reliable off-grid lighting solutions. The projected market value is expected to surge to $7.1 billion by 2034, highlighting robust growth opportunities. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66699/solar-lighting-systems-market Distributed Generation DG Market The Distributed Generation (DG) market is valued at approximately $85 billion, driven by the increasing adoption of renewable energy sources and advances in energy storage technologies. The market is projected to grow at a robust pace, reaching an estimated $155 billion by 2034, indicating significant potential for expansion over the next decade. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66692/distributed-generation-dg-market Solar Cells and Modules Market The global solar cells and modules market is valued at approximately $170 billion in 2024, driven by surging demand for renewable energy solutions and advancements in solar technology. The market is expected to reach around $420 billion by 2034, highlighting a robust growth trajectory throughout the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66683/solar-cells-and-modules-market Silicon Reclaim Wafers Future Trends and Market The silicon reclaim wafer market is valued at approximately $1.2 billion, with projections suggesting a substantial growth trajectory, driving the market value to around $3.4 billion by 2034. This translates to a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of approximately 11% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66679/silicon-reclaim-wafers-market Semiconductor Fabrication Materials Market The semiconductor fabrication materials market is poised for significant growth, with a current market value estimated at approximately $65 billion in 2024. Projections indicate a market expansion to around $120 billion by 2034, driven by the increasing demand for advanced chips and widespread adoption of semiconductor technologies across various sectors, including automotive, consumer electronics, and telecommunications. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66660/semiconductor-fabrication-materials-market Hybrid UAVs Market The global hybrid UAV market is valued at approximately $4.1 billion in 2024, with projections indicating a robust growth trajectory, reaching around $9.8 billion by 2034. This results in a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 9.1% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/65793/hybrid-uavs-market Hole Transport Materials HTMs Market The global market for Hole Transport Materials (HTMs) is valued at approximately $2.3 billion, with expectations to expand robustly during the forecast period (20252034). The market is projected to reach around $4.5 billion by 2034, reflecting a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.2%. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/65381/global-hole-transport-materials-htms-market Semiconductor Gas Abatement Systems Market The global semiconductor gas abatement systems market is valued at approximately $3.1 billion, driven by increasing demand for eco-friendly manufacturing processes in the semiconductor industry. The market is projected to reach about $5.8 billion by 2034, indicating a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of around 6.6% over the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/65330/global-semiconductor-gas-abatement-systems-market Dicing Equipment Market The global dicing equipment market is poised for significant growth, with a market value of approximately $1.2 billion in 2024. The projected market value is expected to reach around $2.2 billion by 2034, driven by advancements in semiconductor technologies and increased demand for miniaturized electronic components. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the forecast period of 2025-2034 is estimated at 6.5%. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/65304/global-dicing-equipment-market Anisotropic Conductive Adhesive Film ACF Market The global Anisotropic Conductive Adhesive Film (ACF) market is valued at approximately $1.8 billion in 2024. Expected to grow significantly, it is projected to reach around $3.2 billion by 2034, representing a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.3% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/65019/global-anisotropic-conductive-adhesive-film-acf-market Heating Jackets Market The global heating jackets market is valued at approximately $250 million, driven by rising demand for outdoor recreational activities and increasing consumer awareness regarding thermal comfort. The market is projected to reach around $400 million by 2034, reflecting a robust growth trajectory. The Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) from 2025 to 2034 is estimated at 4.8%, illustrating sustained interest and innovation in this segment. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/65001/global-heating-jackets-market High-Altitude Platform Station Market The global High-Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) market is projected to reach a value of approximately $3.5 billion in 2024, driven by increasing demand for broadband connectivity and advancements in aerial surveillance technologies. With a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 18% anticipated from 2025 to 2034, the market is expected to surge, potentially reaching $16 billion by 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/64996/global-high-altitude-platform-station-market Nano Quantum Dots Market The global nano quantum dots market is valued at approximately $5.2 billion in 2024, driven by increasing demand in applications such as displays, solar cells, and biomedical imaging. The market is projected to reach around $12.4 billion by 2034, reflecting a robust CAGR of 8.9% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/64988/global-nano-quantum-dots-market Printing Calculators Market The global printing calculators market is valued at approximately $520 million in 2024, reflecting a stable demand primarily driven by educational institutions and businesses needing accurate financial tools. As digital transformation progresses, however, the market is projected to grow to around $680 million by 2034, marking a significant opportunity for innovation in multifunctional devices. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/64975/global-printing-calculators-market Quartz Glass for Photovoltaic and Semiconductor Market The global quartz glass market for photovoltaic and semiconductor applications is valued at approximately $3.2 billion in 2024, with expectations to reach around $5.5 billion by 2034. This growth translates to a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 6.5% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/64969/global-quartz-glass-for-photovoltaic-and-semiconductor-market Large Capacity Portable Power Supply Market The large capacity portable power supply market is valued at approximately $2.5 billion, driven by surging demand in outdoor recreation, renewable energy, and emergency backup applications. The market is expected to grow significantly, reaching an estimated $6.5 billion by 2034, reflecting a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 10.3%. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/64680/large-capacity-portable-power-supply-market Automated Marine Debris Collection Equipment Market The global market for automated marine debris collection equipment is valued at approximately $450 million in 2024 and is projected to reach around $1.2 billion by 2034, representing a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.4% over the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/64651/automated-marine-debris-collection-equipment-market Luton, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global market for demyelinating diseases therapeutics is witnessing notable growth and transformation, fueled by the increasing prevalence of neurological disorders and the introduction of innovative treatment solutions. Valued at approximately USD 25 billion in 2024, the market is projected to reach an estimated USD 45 billion by 2034, progressing at a steady Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.3% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. Download PDF Brochure: https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/request-sample/66543 A major contributor to this expansion is the rising incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS), along with other related disorders such as neuromyelitis optica (NMO), acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). The market is undergoing significant advancements through personalized medicine, biologics, and digital health integrations, shaping the way therapies are developed and delivered. Market Segmentation: A Detailed Breakdown The demyelinating diseases therapeutics market is categorized across several parameters including product type, therapeutic application, disease type, route of administration, distribution channels, therapeutic class, and patient demographics. Among product types, monoclonal antibodies, corticosteroids, and immunomodulators dominate due to their high efficacy and role in managing autoimmune responses central to these diseases. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) remains the largest disease segment due to its global prevalence, impacting nearly 2.8 million individuals worldwide. This segment benefits from a strong drug pipeline and sustained investment in research and development. In contrast, diseases like NMO and CIDP, though less prevalent, are becoming more prominent due to improved diagnostic capabilities and novel drug approvals. When it comes to therapeutic applications, Disease-Modifying Therapies (DMTs) are pivotal. These therapies reduce relapse rates and slow disease progression, particularly in MS, capturing the lions share of the market. Symptomatic treatments, though secondary in market size, are essential for improving patients quality of life and remain indispensable in overall disease management strategies. Route of Administration and Distribution Channels The preferred routes of administration in this market include injectable, oral, and infusion-based methods. Injectables lead due to their rapid efficacy and widespread use in administering monoclonal antibodies. However, oral therapies are quickly gaining popularity for their convenience and higher patient adherence, which could shift the administration landscape in coming years. From a distribution perspective, hospital pharmacies remain the dominant channel, especially for therapies requiring medical supervision or administration. Meanwhile, online pharmacies are emerging as strong contenders due to their convenience and role in chronic disease management. This growth is driven by increased internet penetration, telehealth services, and changing consumer behavior. Therapeutic Class and Demographic Insights In terms of therapeutic classification, biologics are leading the charge. These include monoclonal antibodies and recombinant proteins that target specific immune pathways. Biologics offer superior efficacy and fewer side effects, making them the preferred option in many treatment regimens. However, small molecules continue to hold value due to their affordability, oral availability, and ease of production, especially in cost-sensitive markets. Demographically, adult patients comprise the majority due to the typical onset age of MS and related disorders. However, pediatric treatments are on the rise as early diagnosis improves. The geriatric population is another growing segment, supported by the aging global population and increasing incidence of neurological conditions in older adults. These patients often require specialized care due to comorbidities and age-related drug interactions. Browse full Report - https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66543/demyelinating-diseases-therapeutics-market Market Segmentation Type of Demyelinating Disease - Multiple Sclerosis (MS) - Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) - Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) - Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) Therapeutic Application - Disease-Modifying Therapies (DMTs) - Symptomatic Treatments - Corticosteroids - Monoclonal Antibodies - Other Immunotherapies & Supportive Care Route of Administration - Oral - Injectable (Subcutaneous, Intravenous) - Infusion Distribution Channel - Hospital Pharmacy - Retail Pharmacy - Online Pharmacy Therapeutic Class - Biologics - Small Molecules - Non-Biologics Patient Demographics - Adults - Pediatric - Geriatric Regional Insights and Global Landscape North America currently commands the largest market share, accounting for around 45% of global revenue in 2024. This dominance is underpinned by advanced healthcare systems, widespread access to therapies, and high levels of R&D investment. The U.S., in particular, plays a significant role with supportive regulatory policies and well-established pharmaceutical players. Europe follows closely, contributing approximately 30% to the market. Growth in this region is propelled by increasing awareness, government-supported healthcare systems, and a favorable environment for clinical research. Countries like Germany, France, and the UK are key hubs for drug development and patient care. The Asia-Pacific region is the fastest-growing market with a projected CAGR of 8% through 2034. Factors such as economic development, expanding healthcare infrastructure, and rising disease prevalence contribute to this rapid growth. Nations like China, India, and Japan are investing heavily in healthcare, which supports both access and innovation in therapeutic offerings. Latin America and the Middle East & Africa are also emerging as regions with untapped market potential. While they currently hold smaller shares, their projected CAGRs of 7% and 6% respectively reflect strong future growth, particularly in urban centers with improving access to care. Key Market Drivers The momentum in this market is largely attributed to scientific and technological advancements, including the development of next-generation therapies like monoclonal antibodies and targeted biologics. The rise of personalized medicine, where treatments are tailored based on patient-specific genetic and biomarker profiles, is reshaping therapeutic strategies. Regulatory developments are also influential. Accelerated approval pathways, especially for orphan and breakthrough therapies, have reduced time-to-market for promising treatments. In tandem, increased global healthcare spending, particularly in neurological and autoimmune sectors, is bolstering the adoption of advanced therapies. Challenges and Restraints Despite promising growth, the market faces a number of hurdles. One major challenge is the high cost of therapies, especially biologics, which limits access for patients in low- and middle-income regions. Prolonged regulatory approval timelines and complex compliance requirements can also delay product launches and increase costs for manufacturers. Supply chain disruptions, particularly in biopharmaceutical manufacturing, further complicate delivery and availability. The sector is also vulnerable to clinical trial failures, which can derail product pipelines and investor confidence. Additionally, generic and biosimilar competition can undercut revenues once patents expire, necessitating continuous innovation. Buy Now : https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/purchase/?currency=USD&type=single_user_license&report_id=66543 Opportunities and Emerging Trends The market is rich with opportunities for expansion and innovation. Digital health technologies, such as telemedicine platforms and remote monitoring tools, are increasingly integrated into care pathways, enhancing both outcomes and convenience. These technologies also support real-time data collection and predictive analytics, aiding personalized care. Additionally, emerging markets offer considerable potential for growth. As awareness rises and infrastructure improves, pharmaceutical companies are investing in these regions to tap into large, underserved patient populations. The trend toward strategic partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions is another significant development. Collaborations between pharmaceutical firms and tech companies, particularly in AI-driven drug discovery and patient management, are redefining the way therapies are developed and delivered. Key Competitors Biogen Inc. Novartis International AG Roche Holding AG Sanofi S.A. Celgene Corporation (a Bristol-Myers Squibb Company) Merck KGaA Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Genzyme Corporation (a Sanofi Company) EMD Serono, Inc. AbbVie Inc. GSK (GlaxoSmithKline) Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated Pfizer Inc. Janssen Pharmaceuticals (a Johnson & Johnson Company) Horizon Therapeutics plc Recent Strategic Developments Company Name: Biogen Inc. Month & Year: August 2023 Type of Development: Product Launch Detailed Analysis: Biogen launched its latest multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy, an oral medication named Alectinib, in August 2023. This drug represents a significant advancement in the treatment landscape for MS, targeting a previously underserved patient demographic. The launch is crucial as the MS market increasingly shifts toward oral therapies that offer improved safety and convenience over traditional injections. Biogen's investment in clinical studies demonstrates their commitment to addressing unmet clinical needs. The release not only strengthens Biogens portfolio but also rekindles competitive dynamics in the MS therapeutics market. Other companies may need to accelerate their research and focus on innovative delivery mechanisms to retain market share, indicating a potential uptick in R&D spending across the industry. Company Name: Novartis International AG Month & Year: July 2023 Type of Development: Regulatory Approval Detailed Analysis: In July 2023, Novartis received expedited approval from the FDA for its drug ofatumumab aimed at treating neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). NMOSD is a rare, debilitating condition, and this regulatory advancement opens new pathways for patients who have historically faced limited treatment options. This approval underlines a broader trend in the industry towards personalized medicine and targeted therapies. The positive regulatory news also strengthens Novartiss position in the demyelinating diseases market, compelling competitors to prioritize novel therapeutic approaches. As regulatory environments evolve, this approval may set a precedent that encourages pharmaceutical companies to innovate and invest heavily in rare disease therapies. Company Name: AbbVie Inc. Month & Year: September 2023 Type of Development: Merger Detailed Analysis: AbbVie entered a strategic merger with a biotech firm specializing in CNS (central nervous system) diseases in September 2023. This merger is pivotal not only for AbbVies growth but also signifies a consolidation trend within the CNS therapeutics sector. By integrating innovative technologies and pipeline assets, AbbVie aims to bolster its competitive edge significantly in the demyelinating diseases market. This merger highlights the increasing interconnectedness of the pharmaceutical ecosystem, pivoting around collaboration to enhance therapeutic effectiveness and patient outcomes. Industry observers anticipate that this will prompt increased mergers and acquisitions in the sector as firms seek similar synergies to expedite drug development processes. Company Name: Sanofi S.A. Month & Year: October 2023 Type of Development: Product Launch Detailed Analysis: Sanofi unveiled a new monoclonal antibody therapy for treating relapsing forms of MS in October 2023, expanding its treatment arsenal significantly in this field. The introduction of this therapy reflects a commitment to advancing treatment modalities through innovative science. Furthermore, the development showcases a broader industry trend toward biologics and targeted therapies for demyelinating diseases. Market responses indicate that healthcare professionals and payers are eager for alternatives that provide safety and efficacy. This influx of new treatment options may fuel competitive pressure on existing therapies, leading to potential price adjustments and altering market dynamics. Company Name: Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Month & Year: November 2023 Type of Development: Partnership Detailed Analysis: Teva announced a strategic partnership with a technology firm to collaborate on AI-driven approaches to MS treatment and patient management in November 2023. This partnership underscores a growing trend of incorporating technology into healthcare to enhance drug discovery and patient outcomes. By utilizing AI, Teva aims to streamline clinical research and tailor therapies to individual patient needs, thereby enhancing therapeutic efficacy. The collaboration could reshape how the pharmaceutical industry conducts research and develops therapies for demyelinating diseases, prompting competitors to explore similar integrations of advanced technologies, ultimately driving innovation in the market. This report is also available in the following languages : Japanese (), Korean ( ), Chinese (), French (Marche des therapies contre les maladies demyelinisantes), German (Markt fur Therapeutika gegen demyelinisierende Erkrankungen), and Italian (Mercato terapeutico delle malattie demielinizzanti), etc. Request Sample Pages: https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66543/demyelinating-diseases-therapeutics-market#request-a-sample More Research Finding Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis Drug Market The market for drugs targeting Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis (HGE) is valued at approximately $320 million. Given the rising incidence of tick-borne diseases and increased awareness among healthcare professionals, the market is projected to grow significantly, reaching an estimated value of $580 million by 2034. This indicates a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66576/human-granulocytic-ehrlichiosis-drug-market Lymphopenia Therapeutics Market The global lymphopenia therapeutics market is valued at approximately $3.2 billion, driven by increasing awareness of immune disorders and advancements in biologics and immunotherapies. The market is projected to grow significantly, reaching an estimated $6.8 billion by 2034, reflecting a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of around 8.1% during the forecast period of 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66548/lymphopenia-therapeutics-market Cytochrome C Antibody Market The global Cytochrome C Antibody market is valued at approximately $210 million in 2024, driven by increasing research activities in cell apoptosis and related diseases. The market is projected to reach around $350 million by 2034, reflecting a robust growth trajectory fueled by advancements in biotechnology and rising prevalence of cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66260/cytochrome-c-antibody-market AMPK Antibody Market The AMPK antibody market is valued at approximately $1.2 billion, fueled by the growing demand for research products in metabolic diseases and cancer therapy. The market is projected to reach about $2.5 billion by 2034, reflecting accelerating advancements in biotechnology and personalized medicine. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66250/ampk-antibody-market Threonine Protein Kinase Chk1 Antibody Insights 2024 The market for Threonine Protein Kinase Chk1 Antibodies is poised for significant growth, with a projected market value of approximately $250 million by 2024. Over the forecast period from 2025 to 2034, the market is expected to expand, reaching an estimated value of $500 million. This growth represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 8.5%. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66220/threonine-protein-kinase-chk1-antibody-market TrkC Antibody Market The TrkC antibody market was valued at approximately $1.5 billion in 2024, driven by increasing research funding and rising demand for targeted cancer therapies. This niche market is expected to reach around $3.2 billion by 2034, reflecting a robust growth trajectory. The projected Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for the period from 2025 to 2034 is estimated at 8.2%. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66208/trkc-antibody-market Androgen Antibody Market The androgen antibody market is poised for significant growth, with an estimated market value of approximately $1.2 billion in 2024. Projections indicate that this market could expand to around $2.8 billion by 2034, reflecting increasing demand for advanced diagnostic and therapeutic options in conditions related to androgen imbalance. This growth represents a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 9.0% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66195/androgen-antibody-market Herpesvirus Entry Mediator HVEM Protein Market The global market for the Herpesvirus Entry Mediator (HVEM) protein is valued at approximately $150 million, primarily driven by its applications in immunotherapy and viral research. The market is poised for significant growth, with a projected value of $300 million by 2034, representing a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.3% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66172/herpesvirus-entry-mediator-hvem-protein-market Histone Deacetylase 1 HDAC1 Antibody Market The market for Histone Deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) antibodies is poised for significant growth, valued at approximately $250 million in 2024. This sector is expected to reach an estimated $750 million by 2034, driven by the rising prevalence of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, which HDAC1 inhibitors target. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is projected at approximately 12% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66168/histone-deacetylase-1-hdac1-antibody-market Prostaglandin-endoperoxide Synthase 2 COX-2 Antibody Market The global market for Prostaglandin-endoperoxide Synthase 2 (COX-2) antibodies is valued at approximately $1.6 billion in 2024, with a projected market value of around $3.2 billion by 2034. This growth corresponds to a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 7.5% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66150/prostaglandin-endoperoxide-synthase-2-cox-2-antibody-market Fecal Incontinence Therapeutics Market The fecal incontinence therapeutics market is poised for significant growth, valued at approximately $1.2 billion in 2024. By 2034, this market is projected to reach around $3 billion, reflecting a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.2% during the forecast period of 20252034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66044/fecal-incontinence-therapeutics-market POEMS Syndrome Treatment Market The global market for POEMS Syndrome diagnostic and therapeutic solutions is valued at approximately $700 million. The market is poised for significant growth, with projections estimating a market value of around $1.3 billion by 2034, reflecting a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of approximately 6.5% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66040/poems-syndrome-market Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis Therapeutics and Diagnostics Market The Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) therapeutics and diagnostics market was valued at approximately $4.2 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $12 billion by 2034. This represents a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of around 12% during the forecast period of 2025-2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/66020/non-alcoholic-steatohepatitis-therapeutics-and-diagnostics-market mRNA Vaccine and Therapeutics Raw Material Market The global market for mRNA vaccine and therapeutics raw materials is valued at approximately $4.5 billion, driven by the accelerating demand for innovative vaccine solutions and therapeutic modalities. The market is projected to reach around $9.2 billion by 2034, reflecting a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of approximately 8.2% from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/65932/mrna-vaccine-and-therapeutics-raw-material-market Gene Editing Kit Market The gene editing kit market is projected to reach a value of approximately $5.4 billion in 2024, driven by advancements in CRISPR technology and increased applications in synthetic biology and personalized medicine. The market is expected to grow significantly, with a forecasted value of $13.2 billion by 2034, representing a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.2% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/65919/gene-editing-kit-market Nanoparticles Market The global nanoparticles market is projected to reach a value of approximately $60 billion in 2024, driven by advancements in nanotechnology across various sectors, including healthcare, electronics, and energy. The market is expected to grow significantly, achieving a projected value of $120 billion by 2034, reflecting a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.2% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/65846/nanoparticles-market Bispecific T Cell Engager Therapeutics Future Trends The bispecific T cell engager (BiTE) therapeutics market is valued at approximately $7.5 billion, driven by rising incidences of hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. The market is projected to grow significantly, with an estimated value of around $20 billion by 2034. This represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 12.3% over the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/65607/bispecific-t-cell-engager-therapeutics-market Molecular Cancer Therapeutics Market The global molecular cancer therapeutics market is projected to reach approximately $120 billion in 2024, driven by advancements in personalized medicine and an increasing number of targeted therapies. The market is expected to grow at a robust CAGR of 8.5% from 2025 to 2034, indicating a significant demand for innovative treatments that address specific genetic and molecular profiles of tumors. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/65590/molecular-cancer-therapeutics-market Single-Cell Dispenser Market The global single-cell dispenser market is valued at approximately $580 million in 2024 and is projected to reach around $1.2 billion by 2034, reflecting a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 7.5% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/65301/global-single-cell-dispenser-market Dublin, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Paver Blocks Market Opportunity, Growth Drivers, Industry Trend Analysis, and Forecast 2025-2034" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Paver Blocks Market was valued at USD 4.6 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5% to reach USD 7.5 billion by 2034, driven by rising infrastructure needs, rapid urbanization, and expanding city landscapes across the globe. As cities continue to grow, the demand for sustainable, durable, and cost-effective paving solutions has surged, positioning paver blocks as a top choice for urban and commercial development. Increasing government investments in smart city initiatives and public infrastructure improvements are further fueling this growth. The growing preference for modular construction materials that offer both functionality and aesthetics has propelled the adoption of paver blocks across roads, sidewalks, parking lots, and other public-use spaces. With a significant shift toward eco-friendly and long-lasting building solutions, the global market is expected to see sustained growth over the next decade. Furthermore, paver blocks are becoming a staple in landscaping and hardscaping projects due to their design versatility, installation efficiency, and long-term value. Consumers and contractors alike are seeking materials that can withstand heavy usage and extreme weather while maintaining their appearance and structural integrity. These factors are collectively transforming the paver blocks industry into a key component of modern infrastructure planning. Paver blocks continue to gain momentum as the go-to choice in urban development and infrastructure projects because of their exceptional durability and low-maintenance nature. They are engineered to resist severe weather, heavy traffic loads, and wear over time, making them ideal for roads, driveways, sidewalks, and public areas. Their ability to maintain performance over years with minimal upkeep delivers significant cost benefits, reducing the frequency of repairs and replacements. This cost-efficiency is driving their widespread adoption, not only in new developments but also in retrofitting and modernizing older infrastructure. With a wide array of shapes, colors, and patterns, paver blocks offer aesthetic flexibility, allowing urban designers to achieve both functionality and visual appeal in public and residential spaces. The paver blocks market can be segmented by product type into concrete, clay, permeable, stone, and others. Among these, the concrete paver blocks segment accounted for USD 2.3 billion in 2024 and is anticipated to reach USD 3.8 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 5%. Concrete paver blocks are favored due to their robust strength, resistance to environmental stress, and ability to endure high-traffic areas. These characteristics make them highly suitable for commercial and municipal applications such as highways, pedestrian zones, and public plazas. Their long lifespan, combined with minimal maintenance needs, makes concrete pavers a preferred solution for both private and government infrastructure planners. By application, the market is segmented into structural, hardscaping, siding, fireplace, and other uses. The structural segment led the market with a 50% share in 2024 and is projected to expand steadily at a CAGR of 5%. As cities prioritize efficient and resilient infrastructure systems, paver blocks have become essential in constructing roadways, pavements, and large-scale public projects. Their high load-bearing capacity and long-term durability make them an indispensable material for structural purposes, particularly in rapidly urbanizing regions. The U.S. paver blocks market held a dominant 82% share in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 1.82 billion by 2034. This growth is primarily driven by urban sprawl across major metropolitan areas, where there is a continuous need for aesthetically appealing, long-lasting, and low-maintenance paving solutions. Paver blocks are ideal for American infrastructure demands, offering resistance to heavy traffic, extreme climate conditions, and daily wear. Their quick installation process and wide design options further contribute to their growing popularity in both new developments and renovation projects throughout U.S. cities. Key players in the global paver blocks market include Paver Search, Hanson, LafargeHolcim, Beumer Group, Vulcan Materials Company, Boral Limited, Gulf Ready Mix Concrete, Adelaide Brighton, Cemex, Masa Group, MCC Group, Forterra, Kassel Green, and The Concrete Network. These companies are investing in product innovation, focusing on more durable and visually diverse offerings to meet evolving consumer and commercial demands. To strengthen their global footprint, major players are also scaling up their production capacities and enhancing supply chain efficiency to support the accelerating pace of urban development. Comprehensive Market Analysis and Forecast Industry trends, key growth drivers, challenges, future opportunities, and regulatory landscape Competitive landscape with Porter's Five Forces and PESTEL analysis Market size, segmentation, and regional forecasts In-depth company profiles, business strategies, financial insights, and SWOT analysis Key Attributes Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 220 Forecast Period 2024-2034 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $4.6 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2034 $7.5 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 5.0% Regions Covered Global Key Topics Covered Chapter 1 Methodology & Scope Chapter 2 Executive Summary 2.1 Industry synopsis, 2021-2034 Chapter 3 Industry Insights 3.1 Industry ecosystem analysis 3.1.1 Factor affecting the value chain. 3.1.2 Profit margin analysis. 3.1.3 Disruptions 3.1.4 Future outlook 3.1.5 Manufacturers 3.1.6 Distributors 3.2 Trump administration tariffs analysis 3.2.1 Impact on trade 3.2.1.1 Trade volume disruptions 3.2.1.2 Retaliatory measures 3.2.2 Impact on the industry 3.2.2.1 Supply-Side impact (Raw Materials) 3.2.2.2 Price volatility in key materials 3.2.2.3 Supply chain restructuring 3.2.2.4 Production cost implications 3.2.2.5 Demand-Side impact (Selling Price) 3.2.2.6 Price transmission to end markets 3.2.2.7 Market share dynamics 3.2.2.8 Consumer response patterns 3.2.3 Key companies impacted 3.2.4 Strategic industry responses 3.2.4.1 Supply chain reconfiguration 3.2.4.2 Pricing and product strategies 3.2.4.3 Policy engagement 3.2.5 Outlook and future considerations 3.3 Supplier landscape 3.4 Profit margin analysis. 3.5 Key news & initiatives 3.6 Regulatory landscape 3.7 Impact forces 3.7.1 Growth drivers 3.7.1.1 Increasing construction activities 3.7.1.2 Growing product innovation 3.7.2 Industry pitfalls & challenges 3.7.2.1 Market saturation and intense competition 3.7.2.2 Sustainability concerns 3.8 Growth potential analysis 3.9 Porter's analysis 3.10 PESTEL analysis Chapter 4 Competitive Landscape, 2024 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Company market share analysis 4.3 Competitive positioning matrix 4.4 Strategic outlook matrix Chapter 5 Market Estimates & Forecast, by Material, 2021-2034 (USD Million) (Million Units) 5.1 Key trends 5.2 Concrete 5.3 Clay 5.4 Permeable 5.5 Stone 5.6 Others (rubber, etc.) Chapter 6 Market Estimates & Forecast, by Application, 2021-2034 (USD Million) (Million Units) 6.1 Key trends 6.2 Structural 6.3 Hardscaping 6.4 Siding 6.5 Fireplace 6.6 Others (pavement, etc.) Chapter 7 Market Estimates & Forecast, by End Use, 2021-2034 (USD Million) (Million Units) 7.1 Key trends 7.2 Residential 7.3 Commercial 7.4 Industrial Chapter 8 Market Estimates & Forecast, by Distribution Channel, 2021-2034 (USD Million) (Million Units) 8.1 Key trends 8.2 Direct 8.3 Indirect Chapter 9 Market Estimates & Forecast, by Region, 2021-2034 (USD Million) (Million Units) 9.1 Key trends 9.2 North America 9.2.1 U.S. 9.2.2 Canada 9.3 Europe 9.3.1 UK 9.3.2 Germany 9.3.3 France 9.3.4 Italy 9.3.5 Spain 9.3.6 Russia 9.4 Asia-Pacific 9.4.1 China 9.4.2 India 9.4.3 Japan 9.4.4 South Korea 9.4.5 Australia 9.5 Latin America 9.5.1 Brazil 9.5.2 Mexico 9.6 MEA 9.6.1 UAE 9.6.2 Saudi Arabia 9.6.3 South Africa Chapter 10 Company Profiles 10.1 Adelaide Brighton 10.2 Beumer Group 10.3 Boral Limited 10.4 Cemex 10.5 Forterra 10.6 Gulf Ready Mix Concrete 10.7 Hanson 10.8 Kassel Green 10.9 LafargeHolcim 10.10 Masa Group 10.11 MCC Group 10.12 Paver Search 10.13 The Concrete Network 10.14 Vulcan Materials Company For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ufj5gz About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Attachment NEW YORK, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AI-Media (ASX: AIM), the global leader in AI-powered language solutions, will debut its game-changing LEXI VOICE platform at InfoComm 2025, setting a new benchmark for live, multilingual accessibility. Attendees can visit Booth #5389 or tune in via AVIXA TV Studio to witness how LEXI VOICE instantly translates spoken content into natural-sounding audio across 100+ languages - redefining how the world connects. Following its acclaimed launch at NAB Show 2025, LEXI VOICE combines ultra-accurate live captioning, AI-driven translation, and lifelike voice synthesis to deliver seamless, simultaneous multilingual output in real time. Whether powering global summits, live broadcasts, corporate town halls, or government briefings, LEXI VOICE equips content creators to transcend language barriers and scale inclusion - without adding complexity. As AV and broadcast converge, LEXI VOICE stands out as a powerful growth engine - not just a compliance tool, said Tony Abrahams, CEO of AI-Media. InfoComm is the perfect stage to show how our tech doesnt just translate - it transforms communication. AVIXA TV Goes Trilingual - Powered by LEXI AI-Media is proud to partner with AVIXA TV Studio (Booth #7861) to deliver the first-ever trilingual live broadcast in English, Spanish, and German. Powered by LEXI VOICE, LEXI TEXT, and LEXI TRANSLATE, this production uses a fully cloud-based workflow, in collaboration with AWS, Ross Video, and other partners - demonstrating how scalable, real-time accessibility is now achievable for any AV or broadcast event. Discover the Full LEXI Suite at InfoComm 2025 At Booth #5389, explore the complete LEXI ecosystem, engineered for todays hybrid communication era: LEXI VOICE Real-time multilingual voice translation with lifelike audio output to engage audiences everywhere. Real-time multilingual voice translation with lifelike audio output to engage audiences everywhere. LEXI TEXT Low-latency, high-accuracy AI captioning for live and hybrid events. Low-latency, high-accuracy AI captioning for live and hybrid events. LEXI TRANSLATE AI-powered caption translation to extend accessibility across global audiences. Book a meeting onsite or online to see how LEXI can elevate your global communications strategy. About AI-Media Founded in Australia in 2003, AI-Media (ASX: AIM) is a global innovator in AI-powered captioning, translation, and live voice accessibility. With operations across 25+ countries, AI-Media delivers unmatched automation, scalability, and precision through its end-to-end ecosystem - including LEXI, iCap, Alta, Encoder Pro, and the LEXI Toolkit. Its newest breakthrough, LEXI VOICE, transforms how live content is delivered and consumed - turning accessibility into a strategic advantage for broadcasters, enterprises, and content producers worldwide. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/26787c4f-0edc-4d9e-8cf7-840f13bb85e9 Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Securities Litigation Partner James (Josh) Wilson Encourages Investors Who Suffered In Organon To Contact Him Directly To Discuss Their Options If you purchased or acquired securities in Organon between October 31, 2024 and April 30, 2025 and would like to discuss your legal rights, call Faruqi & Faruqi partner Josh Wilson directly at 877-247-4292 or 212-983-9330 (Ext. 1310). [You may also click here for additional information] NEW YORK, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, is investigating potential claims against Organon & Co. (Organon or the Company) (NYSE: OGN) and reminds investors of the July 22, 2025 deadline to seek the role of lead plaintiff in a federal securities class action that has been filed against the Company. Faruqi & Faruqi is a leading national securities law firm with offices in New York, Pennsylvania, California and Georgia. The firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors since its founding in 1995. See www.faruqilaw.com. Defendants provided investors with material information concerning Organons prioritization of its capital allocation strategy through regular, quarterly dividends. Defendants statements included, among other things, reassurance that capital allocation through the aforementioned dividends was a #1 capital allocation priority and that Organon was committed to consistent deployment of capital. Defendants provided these overwhelmingly positive statements to investors while, at the same time, disseminating materially false and misleading statements and/or concealing material adverse facts concerning the true state of the Companys priorities, particularly, related to capital allocation through quarterly dividends. Notably, Defendants concealed the high priority of Organons debt reduction strategy following the Companys acquisition of Dermavant, resulting in a 70% decrease for the regular quarterly dividend. Such statements absent these material facts caused Plaintiff and other shareholders to purchase Organons securities at artificially inflated prices. Investors and analysts again reacted promptly to Organons revelations. The price of Organons common stock declined dramatically. From a closing market price of $12.93 per share on April 30, 2025, Organons stock price fell to $9.45 per share on May 1, 2025, a decline of more than 27% in the span of just a single day. The court-appointed lead plaintiff is the investor with the largest financial interest in the relief sought by the class who is adequate and typical of class members who directs and oversees the litigation on behalf of the putative class. Any member of the putative class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision to serve as a lead plaintiff or not. Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP also encourages anyone with information regarding Organons conduct to contact the firm, including whistleblowers, former employees, shareholders and others. To learn more about the Organon & Co. class action, go to www.faruqilaw.com/OGN or call Faruqi & Faruqi partner Josh Wilson directly at 877-247-4292 or 212-983-9330 (Ext. 1310). Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, on X, or on Facebook. Attorney Advertising. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP (www.faruqilaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your particular case. All communications will be treated in a confidential manner. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4c96193e-9e8a-4e5d-878a-3e41b441e24a Basel, Switzerland , June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WUF returns to Basel with Celebrating Paper, a curated event dedicated to the enduring power of print in contemporary visual culture. Hosted on the 30th floor of the iconic Messeturm at Bar Rouge, the two-day program invites members of the WUF ecosystem to explore a living archive of publications that blur the boundaries between editorial practice and artistic expression. WUF 2025: Celebrating Paper Throughout June 17 and 18, the WUF Lounge & Studio will serve as a dynamic gathering point for artists, editors, and cultural pioneers. Open exclusively to WUF Members, the Lounge offers complimentary video production, coffee, water, and energy bars, an atmosphere designed for conversation, collaboration, and quiet discovery. At the heart of the space, a site-specific installation composed of books suspended in the air by Jesse Draxler ("U&Air Basel"), as well as the exposition of a selection of high profile publications will reflect on the book as both medium and memory. Dont Call Me Fotografo by Enrico Rassu U&I Exhibition Book by Jesse Draxler Urban Singularity. Larchitettura oltre lumano by Fabio Giampietro Digital Maieutics by Skygolpe prompt by Paul Sears Fragments by Andrea Bonaceto No News Good News by Gianluigi Colin La Lettura Cento by Gianluigi Colin & Antonio Troiano & Selected titles by Franco Maria Ricci Editore Selected titles by Fakewhale Selected titles by WUF Curatorial Team In an age of fleeting content and digital noise, paper offers a space for reflection and permanence. Celebrating Paper is our tribute to the enduring power of print, reminding us that some ideas are meant to be held, not just seen. Etan Genini, Founder of WUF On the evening of June 17, the experience will culminate in the WUF Members Party, a private event soundtracked by Italian DJ Emma Iovino. Access is by RSVP only. Event Details: WUF Basel 2025: Celebrating Paper 30th Floor, Bar Rouge Messeplatz 10, Basel June 1718, 2025 WUF Lounge & Studio | 10:00 18:00 | WUF Members only WUF Members Party | June 17, 19:00 till late | RSVP required RSVP & Contact To confirm attendance: rsvp.wuf.art/basel-2025 Further details: wuf.art Official Media Partner: Corriere della Sera Presenting Partners: Mioo Tech, PRNTD, Valuart, Fakewhale, PCM Studio WUF Lounge & Studio - 17-18 June from 10:00-18:00 About WUF | We Understand the Future WUF (We Understand the Future) is a media platform that identifies, amplifies, and connects cultural movements across art, music, fashion and technology. WUF provides journalists, brands, and creatives with a strategic tool to navigate and shape the future of culture. Press inquiries WUF | We Understand the Future https://wuf.art Giorgio Fazio info@wuf.art A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6073b526-ef27-4c05-b347-f0ce9a17eb8d Dublin, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Uranium Mining to 2030 (2025 Update)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The "Global Uranium Mining to 2030" provides a comprehensive coverage on the global Uranium industry. It provides historical and forecast data on uranium production by country, production by company, reserves by country and world uranium prices. The report also includes a demand drivers section providing information on factors that are affecting the global uranium industry. It further profiles major uranium producers, information on the major active, planned and exploration projects by region. After estimated to have increased by 12.4% in 2024, global uranium production is projected to grow by 2.6% to 62.2kt in 2025. Growing global concerns about climate change and the need for low-carbon energy sources have led to renewed interest in nuclear power. Although positive, growth in 2025 is relatively moderate because of suspensions and production halts at major mines such as Kazakhstan's Inkai deposit. Nonetheless, Kazakhstan continues to be the world's largest uranium producer, accounting for 38.1% of the global supply in 2024. Reasons to Buy To gain an understanding of the global uranium mining industry, relevant driving factors To understand historical and forecast trend on global uranium production To identify key players in the global uranium mining industry To identify major active, exploration and development projects by region Company Coverage: Kazatomprom Cameo BHP Key Topics Covered: Reserves and resources Uranium production Competitive landscape Uranium prices Major active mines Major development projects Major exploration projects Demand For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/n0znah About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Dublin, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Saudi Arabia Landscaping Market Outlook to 2029" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) Landscaping Market is experiencing remarkable growth, valued at USD 2.50 billion, reflecting increased investments in public infrastructure and private residential projects. The sector's growth is fuelled by large-scale projects like the Red Sea Project, NEOM, and King Abdullah Financial District. The expanding pipeline of giga projects and mixed-use developments continues to propel the demand for landscaping across the kingdom. In particular, the Riyadh Province and cities like Makkah and Jeddah are at the forefront of this expansion. High urbanization rates, substantial hotel developments, and commercial growth in these areas have significantly boosted the demand for green spaces and water-efficient outdoor amenities. Makkah alone contributes 85,000 hotel room keys under development. Initiatives such as the Riyadh Green Initiative aim to plant 7.5 million trees, enhancing the region's landscaping projects and drawing attention from public and private sector contracts. Landscaping companies in Saudi Arabia navigate regulatory frameworks established by the Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs, and Housing and adhere to guidelines from the Saudi Contractors Authority. New policies, including the 2.5% white land tax, incentivize urban development, while further initiatives support the Vision 2030 goals of increasing green space per capita, emphasizing environmental sustainability. Contractual regulations mandate performance bonds, insurance guarantees, and restrictions on subcontracting. KSA Landscaping Market Segmentation By Product Type: The market covers categories such as Hardscaping, Softscaping, Lighting and Water Features, and Green Infrastructure. Hardscaping is prominent due to infrastructure projects like NEOM and Diriyah Gate, focusing on pathways, plazas, and long-lasting surfaces. By Service Type: It includes Design & Planning, Installation & Construction, and Maintenance & Irrigation Management. The arid climate necessitates robust maintenance and irrigation services, especially notable with large-scale hotel developments underway. KSA Landscaping Market Competitive Landscape The market is moderately fragmented, with a blend of local contractors and established engineering firms. Companies with expertise in smart irrigation, drought-tolerant designs, and involvement in giga-projects are gaining a competitive edge, as sustainability becomes a primary bid criterion. KSA Landscaping Market Analysis Growth Drivers Main drivers include the Vision 2030 Urban Greening Mandate and tourism-related aesthetic enhancements. Giant developments like NEOM require intricate landscaping in resorts and urban plazas, while the real estate expansion prioritizes greenery and eco-friendly solutions. Market Challenges Key challenges involve water scarcity and a shortage of skilled landscaping professionals. Successful projects depend on efficient irrigation and drought-resistant techniques, challenging the sector amidst labor constraints and a lack of specialized training programs. KSA Landscaping Market Future Outlook Projected to grow steadily over the next five years, the market will be driven by urban expansion, tourism beautification, and green infrastructure development. Companies focusing on native plant systems and integrated smart technology are poised to secure significant long-term contracts. Market Opportunities Climate-responsive landscaping, leveraging native plant solutions, and smart irrigation technologies present new opportunities. End-to-end solutions from green tech firms are becoming increasingly popular, especially for municipal and high-end real estate projects. Company Coverage: Nesma & Partners Rashid Trading & Contracting Company SALCO (Saudi Landscape Company) Zaid Alhussain Group Safari Group Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 1.1. Market Overview of KSA Landscaping Market 1.2. Ecosystem of Players in the Market 2. KSA Landscaping Market Overview 2.1. Growth in Commercial, Residential, and Public Projects 2.2. Vision 2030 and Giga Project Landscaping Demand 2.3. Tourism-Driven Outdoor Aesthetic Development 2.4. Urban Greening and Government Spending Initiatives 2.5. Smart Irrigation and Sustainability Trends 3. KSA Landscaping Market Sizing 3.1. Market Value 2024 and Forecast to 2030 3.2. CAGR Analysis by Revenue Type (Products & Services) 3.3. Regional Demand Breakdown - Riyadh, Makkah, Tabuk 3.4. Application-Wise Landscape Demand (Public, Commercial, Residential) 4. KSA Landscaping Market Segmentations 4.1. By Revenue Type 4.2. By Product Type 4.3. By Service Type 4.4. By Application 4.5. By Region 5. Competitive Landscape 5.1. Competitive Overview 5.2. Cross-Comparison of Key Players 6. Market Growth Drivers 6.1. Vision 2030 Urban Greening Mandates 6.2. Tourism and Giga Project Development 6.3. Real Estate and Mixed-Use Landscaping Demand 7. Market Challenges 7.1. Water Scarcity and Irrigation Dependency 7.2. Workforce Skill Gap in Design and Execution 8. Future Outlook 8.1. Market Evolution to 2030 8.2. Role of Sustainability and Green Technologies 9. Market Opportunities 9.1. Demand for Native and Xeriscape Landscaping 9.2. Integration of Smart Irrigation Systems 10. Scope of the Report 10.1 By Revenue Type 10.2 By Product Type 10.3 By Service Type 10.4 By Application 10.5 By Region For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/auezfe About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Press release Ecully, June 6, 2025 6.00 p.m. SPINEWAY Minutes of the General Meeting of June 4, 2025 The Combined General Meeting (Ordinary and Extraordinary) of Spineway shareholders was held on first notice on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 at 2:00 p.m at the companys registered office, 7 allee Moulin Berger in Ecully (69). The defaulting shareholders were represented by SELARL TULIER POLGE ALIREZAI, as ad hoc representative appointed by Order of the President of the Lyon Commercial Court dated April 30, 2025. The number of shares held by shareholders present, represented and voting by mail was 34,383,058, representing 100% of voting rights. The quorum having been reached, the Meeting was able to proceed and deliberate normally. Resolutions 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15, 20 and 21 were approved by shareholders. Resolutions 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18 and 19 were rejected. Information relating to the Combined General Meeting is available on the Companys website under Investors/Regulated Information: https://spineway.com/en/regulated-information. Next dates: July 30, 2025 - Half-year sales 2025 SPINEWAY IS ELIGIBLE FOR PEA-SME (EQUITY SAVINGS PLANS FOR SMES) Find out all about Spineway at www.spineway.com This press release has been prepared in both English and French. In case of discrepancies, the French version shall prevail. Spineway designs, manufactures and markets innovative implants and surgical instruments for treating severe disorders of the spinal column. Spineway has an international network of over 50 independent distributors and 70% of its revenue comes from exports. ISIN: FR001400N2P2 - ALSPW Contacts: SPINEWAY Shareholder-services line Available Tuesday through Thursday +33 (0)806 706 060 AELIUM Investor relations Solene Kennis spineway@aelium.fr Attachment BOSTON, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 2025 BostonCIO ORBIE Awards recognized the exceptional leadership and innovation of top technology executives from Bose Corporation, Merck & Co., Inc., MKS Instruments, Inc, City of Boston, IPG Photonics Corporation, CIRCOR International, OneSpan, & Emerson Health. The prestigious ORBIE Awards - hosted by BostonCIO, a chapter of the Inspire Leadership Network - honor CIOs who drive business transformation and make a lasting impact on the industry. Winners were recognized across eight categories: Super Global, Global, Large Enterprise, Enterprise, Large Corporate, Corporate, Nonprofit and Leadership. The ceremony, which took place at the Westin Boston Seaport, brought together top executives and industry leaders to celebrate excellence in technology leadership. Great CIOs understand how connections drive transformation, said Lee Anne Howe, BostonCIO Chair. The ORBIE Awards recognize CIOs who leverage relationships to drive innovation, solve complex challenges, and shape the future of Boston. Meet the 2025 BostonCIO ORBIE Award Winners: Kathy Kountze, VP & Global CIO, Bose Corporation, received the Leadership ORBIE. Dr. Besufekad Alemayehu, SVP, Digital Manufacturing and Supply, received the Super Global ORBIE for organizations over $27 billion annual revenue and multi-national operations. Madhuri Andrews, EVP & CIO, MKS Instruments, Inc, received the Global ORBIE for organizations over $1 billion annual revenue and multi-national operations. Santiago Garces, CIO, City of Boston, received the Large Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $3 billion annual revenue. Mark DeLorenzo, Sr. Director of Global Information Technology, IPG Photonics Corporation, received the Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $1 billion annual revenue. Krishna Kashyap, SVP & CIO, CIRCOR International, received the Large Corporate ORBIE for organizations over $500 million annual revenue. Mike Lillie, CIO, OneSpan, received the Corporate ORBIE for organizations up to $500 million annual revenue. Renee Fosberg, SVP, CDO & CIO, Emerson Health, received the Nonprofit ORBIE for government, education, and nonprofit organizations. About the ORBIE: The ORBIE is the preeminent executive recognition for C-suite leaders. Since 1998, the ORBIE Awards have recognized leadership excellence, building relationships between executives and trusted business partners, and inspiring the next generation of executives. Finalists and winners are selected through an independent peer-adjudicated process led by prior ORBIE recipients based on the following criteria: Leadership and management effectiveness Business value created by technology innovation Engagement in industry and community endeavors BostonCIO ORBIE Keynote & Attendance: The keynote address for the BostonCIO ORBIE Awards was delivered by Kathy Kountze, VP & Global CIO of Bose Corporation, who was interviewed by Anne Margulies, VP & CIO (ret) of Harvard University. Over 450 guests attended, representing leading New England organizations and their technology partners. The following sponsors made the 2025 BostonCIO ORBIE Awards possible: Underwriters: BGSF, Markley Group, & Slalom BGSF, Markley Group, & Slalom Gold Sponsors: Comcast Business, Deloitte, EchoStor Technologies, Fortinet, Future Tech Enterprise, Kyndryl, & West Monroe Partners Comcast Business, Deloitte, EchoStor Technologies, Fortinet, Future Tech Enterprise, Kyndryl, & West Monroe Partners Silver Sponsors: Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare, Moveworks, Nasuni, Nerdio, Nutanix, Palto Alto Networks, T-Mobile, Tata Consultancy Services, Veeam Software, Veridas, Webex, & Zscaler Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare, Moveworks, Nasuni, Nerdio, Nutanix, Palto Alto Networks, T-Mobile, Tata Consultancy Services, Veeam Software, Veridas, Webex, & Zscaler Bronze Sponsors: Agilysys, Aqueduct Technologies, Between Pixels, Blue Mantis, ContractPodAI, EY, Island, Redesign, Virtusa Corporation, WEI, Wiz Agilysys, Aqueduct Technologies, Between Pixels, Blue Mantis, ContractPodAI, EY, Island, Redesign, Virtusa Corporation, WEI, Wiz Media Partner: Boston Business Journal Boston Business Journal National Partner: YearUp United To learn more about sponsorship opportunities and how to connect with leading C-suite executives across North America, click here. About BostonCIO: BostonCIO is the preeminent peer leadership network of chief information officers (CIOs) in New England. As one of over 40 chapters of the Inspire Leadership Network, BostonCIO belongs to a national membership organization exclusively comprised of C-suite leaders from public and private businesses, government, education, healthcare, and nonprofit institutions. BostonCIO is led by a CIO Advisory Board, with support from an executive director and staff. Underwriter executives support the chapter and ensure the programs remain non-commercial and exclusive to qualified CIOs and members. About Inspire Leadership Network: Inspire Leadership Network is the preeminent peer leadership network of C-suite executives. With nearly 2,000 members across more than 40 local chapters, Inspire members serve public and private businesses, government, education, healthcare, and non-profit institutions. Inspire exists to help leaders thrive in todays most challenging executive roles. Media Contact Nicole Lammes nicole.lammes@inspirecxo.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7ff30d17-b73a-4fa6-ba5b-5fd27b8397b2 Washington, DC, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The New Civil Liberties Alliance filed an opening brief today asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to reverse a district courts dismissal, for lack of standing, of our Mackinac Center for Public Policy v. Dept. of Education lawsuit against the Departments unlawfully forgiving 35 months of interest on student loans. Without any statutory authority, the Department extended Congresss original six-month interest forgiveness and payment suspension for nearly three more years, cancelling debt in violation of the Constitutions Appropriations Clause at a cost of at least $175 billion to taxpayers, harming the Mackinac Center in the process. This scheme injures public-service employers like Mackinac by reducing the financial incentives for (potential) employees to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. The Sixth Circuit should decide Mackinac does have standing and require the district court to hear the case on the merits against the Departments unlawful policy. Established by Congress, the PSLF program allows employees to have their student-loan debt forgiven after ten years of work with one or more public-service employers. When the Department excused debtors from paying interest on their loans, it decreaseddollar for dollarthe wage subsidy the program promised to public-service employers like the Mackinac Center, making it more expensive for them to keep compensating their PSLF employees at the same level. The economic harm caused by the Departments unlawfully excusing student-loan debtors from honoring their obligations is enough, on its own, to require the government to answer for its actions in court. But in addition to that, the Departments lawless decisions also skewed the labor market in a way that frustrates the congressionally-designed PSLF program, increases the cost for the Mackinac Center to compete for college-educated employees, and costs taxpayers billions. The Department caused these injuries, and now the Court of Appeals should make sure it must answer for them. NCLA released the following statements: Governmental agencies cannot blithely ignore the law without expecting to answer for the harm their unlawful actions cause organizations like the Mackinac Center. We trust the Court of Appeals will make that clear to the Department of Education. Daniel Kelly, Senior Litigation Counsel, NCLA The Department of Education under Secretary McMahon should settle this case. What possible reason does it have to keep defending the lawless regime instituted by former Secretary Miguel Cardona and Richard Cordray to forgive student-loan debtor in this case interest on that debtwithout authority from Congress? Mark Chenoweth, President, NCLA For more information visit the case page here. ABOUT NCLA NCLA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit civil rights group founded by prominent legal scholar Philip Hamburger to protect constitutional freedoms from violations by the Administrative State. NCLAs public-interest litigation and other pro bono advocacy strive to tame the unlawful power of state and federal agencies and to foster a new civil liberties movement that will help restore Americans fundamental rights. ### GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Toobit, a leading global cryptocurrency exchange, today wins the title of Digital Asset Derivatives Platform of the Year at the Hedgeweek Global Digital Assets Awards 2025, announced during the Hedgeweek Digital Assets Summit Europe on June 5 at County Hall in London. This award recognizes standout performance across the digital finance landscape, and this years ceremony brought together top fund managers, service providers, and innovators redefining the digital asset economy. Toobit team members were in attendance at the ceremony to receive the award. Toobit team members Mike Williams (left) and Kelvin Verveld at the Hedgeweek Digital Assets Summit Europe, where Toobit received Digital Asset Derivatives Platform of the Year. The win, determined by industry professionals, Hedgeweek readers, and public voting, celebrates Toobit's technological innovations, rapid growth in derivatives trading volume, and growing global presence across institutional and retail markets. Voting began on March 24 following the shortlist announcement, with the three-week campaign reaching Hedgeweeks extensive readership and the broader digital assets community. Winners were determined by majority vote. Toobit stood out in a competitive field for its robust infrastructure and precision-engineered trading systems, which have enabled thousands of institutional and retail users to navigate volatile markets with speed and confidence. Its platform continues to attract traders seeking reliable, scalable solutions in the evolving world of digital assets. "We are honored to be named Digital Asset Derivatives Platform of the Year by Hedgeweek," said Mike Williams, Chief Communication Officer at Toobit. "For Toobit, this recognition is not just an awardits a reflection of the trust our traders have shown us. Weve built Toobit with a focus on performance, transparency, and global accessibility, and were proud to see that vision resonating with the broader industry." This latest win marks Toobits third major award in 2025, following recent recognitions from the WeMoney FinTech Awards, where it was named Best New Cryptocurrency Exchange and Best for Derivatives, and the World Business Outlook Awards, where it earned the title of Best Crypto Exchange MENA 2025. These accolades underscores Toobits momentum as a trusted and innovative force in the global digital asset landscape. To learn more about Toobit and its product offerings, visit www.toobit.com. About Toobit Toobit is where the future of crypto trading unfoldsan award-winning cryptocurrency derivatives exchange built for those who thrive exploring new frontiers. With deep liquidity and cutting-edge technology, Toobit empowers traders worldwide to navigate the digital asset markets with confidence. We offer a fair, secure, seamless, and transparent trading experience, ensuring every trade is an opportunity to discover whats next. For more information about Toobit, visit: Website | X | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord | Instagram Contact: Davin C. Email: market@toobit.com Website: www.toobit.com Disclaimer: This is a paid post and is provided by Toobit. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. 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Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/daf8fed2-7f52-4657-acd5-de7ea7ea996e https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2ccf319e-446b-4f83-97bd-14a064d4219e Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Excell, a name synonymous with compassionate and comprehensive care in Oklahoma, is celebrating over 25 years in the space. It is a major milestone that marks a journey of purpose, progress, and people-first service. With two distinct divisions: Excell Private Care Services (PCS) and Excell Home Care & Hospice, the company has grown exponentially over the past eight years under the leadership of the Pennant Group, which acquired the organization in 2017. What began as a unified home care and hospice service has evolved into two powerhouse branches operating with a shared mission: to be Oklahomas one-stop-shop solution for in-home medical support across all ages and stages of life. Excell Private Care Services Since the Pennant Group acquisition, Excell PCS has seen unprecedented growth. Now operating three additional locations across Oklahoma with numerous patient flows annually, this branch has become a trusted resource for families seeking up to 24-hour support for loved ones, whether recovering from surgery, managing chronic illness, or navigating the challenges of aging. With a huge team of skilled professionals, including nurses, caregivers, and case managers, Excell PCS has also introduced new service lines tailored to veterans and families on a budget to ensure high-quality care that isnt reserved only for the privileged few. In an industry often criticized for financial barriers, Excell stands apart by eliminating deposits, upfront nurse visit charges, and long-term contracts. When someone is ill or nearing the end of life, its already an emotional and financial strain, said Crystal Warner, CEO of Excell PCS. We believe care should ease stress, not add to it. Excells 24-hour nurse access, critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, remains a cornerstone of its approach, allowing families to avoid unnecessary ER visits and receive immediate advice in the comfort and safety of their homes. Excell Home Care & Hospice On the hospice side, Excell has redefined what end-of-life care looks like in Oklahoma. The organization has expanded its nursing team, built strong community partnerships, and, most importantly, prioritized keeping patients at home longer and out of hospitals. Unlike traditional home health and hospice models, Excell offers 24/7 support, not just to patients but to their families as well, sending caregivers to sit with loved ones so relatives can rest, grieve, or simply breathe. Families often fear hospice because it signals the end, said Kristina Tell, RN and Executive Director of Excell Home Care & Hospice. We see it as an opportunity to bring peace, presence, and support when people need it most, without hidden costs or confusing red tape. Whether serving seniors or younger individuals with terminal conditions, Excells care plans are individualized, flexible, and always aimed at preserving the dignity of the patient and the well-being of their families. Locally led and operated, Excells team includes nurses, therapists, aides, social workers, chaplains, volunteers, and administrative staff who see their work as a calling. This internal culture of collaboration translates into external excellence, where patients receive wraparound care, and families feel supported from the first call to the final farewell. Looking ahead, Excell reflects on its over 25 years of service and sees the future is filled with opportunity. The company is actively seeking acquisitions and preparing to open new private care and hospice locations throughout Oklahoma to meet growing demand. Our goal is simple, said Warner. We want to continue being Oklahomas go-to resource for life-changing home care and hospice services, known for accessibility, affordability, and always delivering with heart. Media Contact Name: Crystal Warner Email: crystal.warner@excellpcs.com WASHINGTON, DC, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Dr. Michael L. Lomax, President and CEO of UNCF issued the following statement condemning the recent acts of anti-Semitic violence and reaffirming UNCFs unwavering commitment to standing against hatred in all its forms. In recent days, two acts of violence have struck at the heart of the Jewish community, stark reminders that hatred remains alive among us. In Washington, DC, a Jewish American woman and her Israeli fiance were horrifically murdered as they left a reception at the Jewish Museum. In Boulder, Colorado, Molotov cocktails were thrown during a peaceful protest calling for the release of hostages held in Gaza. The intent of both violent incidents was clear: to sow fear, to spark terror, and to remind us that hatred, left unchecked, smolders and burns. As Black Americans, this flame is painfully familiar. We have seen it before, in the torches carried through darkened streets, in the crosses set ablaze on front lawns, and in the midnight knocks that tore fathers, mothers, and children from their homes. It is a hatred we know well, clothed in different garb but fueled by the same malevolent fire. The violence inflicted on Jewish Americans today echoes the terror that gripped Black communities during the Jim Crow era. Out of those long nights of fear, bonds were forged in the crucible of shared struggle. The relationship between the Black and Jewish communities was built on common purpose. It was Jewish brothers and sisters who marched with us in Selma, who stood with us in Birmingham, who bled beside us for civil rights. It was their pens that helped write the anthems of our movement and their moral clarity that strengthened our resolve. Today, as we confront this resurgent wave of anti-Semitism, we are reminded that the hatred that targets one of us threatens all of us. The same bigotry that demonizes the Jewish people fuels anti-Black racism, anti-LGBTQ animus, and every form of dehumanization that corrodes the soul of our nation. History teaches us that silence in the face of hatred is complicity. Our shared history teaches us that progress has always come when we stand together and raise our voices. At UNCF, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to stand against all forms of hatred. We are proud of the bridges built between the Black and Jewish communities, partnerships rooted in resilience and a common dream of freedom. We stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters, not as newly minted allies, but as partners bound by a shared legacy of resilience and a shared dream of liberation. As we raise our voices against the unresolved hatreds that linger from our past, we stand arm in arm, heart to heart, not just as witnesses to injustice but as architects of a future rooted in justice and love. We are resolute in our commitment to build a world where dignity and humanity prevail, knowing that when we fail to speak for others, we risk a future where no one is left to speak for us. ### About UNCF UNCF is one of the nations largest and most effective supporters of higher education and serves as a leading advocate for college-bound students. Since its founding in 1944, UNCF has raised more than $6 billion to support students' access to higher education, provide scholarships and strengthen historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Each year, UNCF supports more than 50,000 students at more than 1,100 colleges and universities across the country including 37 UNCF-member HBCUs. Through its efforts, UNCF has helped generations of students to get to and through college. We believe a college education plays a vital role in fortifying the pipeline of leaders and professionals who contribute to the advancement of our society. Our logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and our widely recognized trademark is, A mind is a terrible thing to waste. Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Instagram. TORONTO, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Steelworkers Humanity Fund (SHF) is donating $20,000 to support people and communities evacuated due to recent wildfires in Saskatchewan. Following a worsening of weather conditions in Northern Saskatchewan the SHF is partnering again with the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) by answering its emergency wildfire relief appeal. This donation follows the SHFs contribution to emergency relief efforts in neighbouring Manitoba. Many United Steelworkers (USW) union members in the area have been directly affected by the situation and have been evacuated, including virtually all USW members who live in Creighton, Sask., located down the road from Flin Flon, Man. As of June 4, the CRC has registered more than 8,000 people from over 2,800 households evacuated due to the wildfires in Saskatchewan. The Steelworkers Humanity Funds latest $20,000 donation to the CRC will be used to assist those affected by the wildfires in Saskatchewan with immediate and ongoing relief. This includes financial assistance, support to evacuees and the communities hosting them, recovery and resilience efforts in response to the wildfires, as well as supporting community preparedness and risk reduction for future disaster events within the province. "Our thoughts are with the families and communities who have been forced to flee their homes due to the devastating wildfires in Saskatchewan," said Marty Warren, SHF President and USW National Director. Anyone wishing to donate can visit the Red Cross 2025 Saskatchewan Wildfires Appeal website. Individual donations will be matched by the federal government. Founded in 1985, the Steelworkers Humanity Fund is a registered charitable organization that focuses primarily on development projects and emergency aid in developing countries but also supports Canadian communities. USW members contribute to the fund through clauses negotiated into collective agreements. In some cases, employers make matching contributions to the fund. For further information: Marty Warren, President, Steelworkers Humanity Fund, 416-544-5951 Guillaume Charbonneau, Executive Director, Steelworkers Humanity Fund, 416-544-5944, gcharbonneau@usw.ca Denis St. Pierre, USW Communications, 647-522-1630, dstpierre@usw.ca SKEL has signed purchase agreements with a group of domestic institutional investors for their acquisition of 153.9 million shares in Styrkas hf., representing just over 15.4% of the companys issued share capital. The total purchase price of the shares is ISK 3,150 million, equivalent to ISK 20.47 per share. The sale price is equal to the book value of SKELs stake in Styrkas as of December 31, 2024. The purchase agreements are subject to customary conditions, which are expected to be finalized next week. Styrkas is a service company catering to the business sector. Its subsidiaries operate in the fields of energy and chemicals under the Skeljungur brand, equipment and machinery under the Klettur brand, and asset management under the Stolpi brand. The buyers of the shares in Styrkas are VIS tryggingar hf., Islandssjoir, Birta lifeyrissjour (Birta), Islenski lifeyrissjourinn, and Lifeyrissjour starfsmanna rikisins (LSR). In parallel with the transaction, Horn IV slhf., a professional investor fund managed by Landsbref, has transferred its shares in Styrkas hf. between funds, into SA Horn slhf. (SA Horn). The investments and ownership of LSR, Birta, and Islenski lifeyrissjourinn in Styrkas will likewise be held through SA Horn. Following the transaction, Styrkas will have 19 shareholders. The largest shareholder is SKEL fjarfestingafelag hf. with 47.9%, followed by SA Horn with 39.2%, Mattarstolpi, the holding company of Asgeir orlaksson, with 8.7%, and others with 4.2%. The book value of SKELs remaining stake in Styrkas after the transaction is ISK 9,819 million. SKEL had previously presented the planned sale of its stake in Styrkas to investors during an investor presentation in February. The presentation outlined SKELs goal of bringing cornerstone investors into the shareholder group of Styrkas in advance of a public listing and stated that SKEL did not intend to remain a majority owner in the long term. The proceeds from the sale will be used to reduce debt and strengthen SKELs equity position. Asgeir Helgi Reykfjor Gylfason, CEO of SKEL: The entry of additional institutional investors into Styrkass shareholder group is a major milestone for the company. We have worked hard to broaden the shareholder base. The parties now joining the group of shareholders are among the most influential investors in the country, and we are very pleased to have them join us in strengthening the company and making it a leading service provider in the corporate market with the capacity to support the upcoming infrastructure and industry investments in Iceland. Advisors were ACRO verbref hf. and Beljandi logmannsstofa. For further information, contact Asgeir Helgi Reykfjor Gylfason, CEO fjarfestar@skel.is Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brighter Days, a provider of in-home and community-based services for individuals with intellectual disabilities, commemorates its fourth anniversary. Founded with a mission to deliver relationship-centered support to a population typically underserved by traditional providers, it has spent nearly the last half-decade improving lives through meaningful connection, purposeful care, and persistent commitment to inclusion. Brighter Days This company started as an idea from frustration with the lack of quality care and the impersonal way services were being delivered, David Brown, founder and CEO of Brighter Days, says. I wanted to build something better, and I poured every ounce of passion, experience, and energy I had into creating an agency that truly puts people first. Four years later, Im proud of what weve accomplished, but even more grateful for the relationships weve built. Brown drew on years of experience as a behavior specialist, program manager, and direct support professional, as well as a business degree from a top-ranked university, to create a service provider that combines professional excellence and a community-rooted approach. Brighter Days services are designed to empower individuals in home and community settings. Through tailored In-Home and Community Support services, clients receive help with daily needs and personal goals. Meanwhile, its Community Participation Support offers meaningful opportunities for community engagement and social inclusion. The company has also become known for offering unique and impactful social groups. These gatherings are bridges to lasting friendships, romantic relationships, and a sense of belonging. For individuals with intellectual disabilities who might face isolation due to structural and social barriers, these relationships can be life-changing. Brighter Days understands that true support goes beyond logistics. Its about human connection. Within its first year, Brighter Days experienced exponential growth. That early momentum reflected the trust that families and referral partners quickly placed in the companys values and vision. By the second year, Brighter Days had already established itself as a reliable partner in the lives of a significant number of individuals and their families. These are the clients who had previously struggled to find the right fit and who finally felt seen, heard, and supported. Brighter Days never lost its small-agency feel despite its rapid growth. Brown made a conscious choice early on to resist the common pitfalls of scaling, such as diluted services, impersonal care, and staff burnout. We doubled down on what made our organization special: meaningful relationships, high-touch service, and community-first thinking, says Brown. We personally reassured clients who were concerned about being just another number. That commitment has endured across county lines and service areas. One family told us they were shocked after learning how much our company expanded because, to them, it still felt like they were one of the only families being served, the founder says. That, Brown says, is by design. Key to this integrity has been Brighter Days approach to staffing. When many providers were struggling to hire during the post-COVID labor crunch, Brighter Days stood out by offering what was then an industry-leading wage. This forward-thinking strategy attracted the right applicants: people who love this work, who believe in the mission, and who treat their clients with the same care and respect they would show their own families. Quality care starts with quality staff, and that means investing in them accordingly, Brown says. Brighter Days vision is ambitious yet grounded. Brown emphasizes that growth isnt about chasing numbers or profits. Its about meeting real needs with real integrity. He states: There are so many people across this country who deserve genuine, high-quality, relationship-based care. Well continue to offer exactly that. Media Contact Name: David Brown Email: dbrown@yourbrighterdays.com MONTREAL, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SRQ Resources Inc. (TSX-V: SRQ) (SRQ or the Company) today announces that all nominees listed in the management proxy circular were elected as directors of the Company at its annual general meeting of shareholders (AGM) held on Friday, June 6, 2025. A total of 8,413,589 common shares or 18.25% of the Companys issued and outstanding ordinary shares as of the record date were represented in person or by proxy at the AGM. 1. Election of Directors The six nominees listed in the Management Proxy Circular dated May 2, 2025, were elected as directors of the Company for the ensuing year, receiving the following votes: Nominee Votes For % of Votes For Votes Withheld % of Votes Withheld Marc-Antoine Audet 8,413,589 100% 0 0 Matthieu Bos 8,398,589 99.82 15,000 0.18 Stephanie Gourde 8,290,104 98.53 123,485 1.47 Ugo Landry-Tolszckuk 8,290,104 98.53 123,485 1.47 Jean-Christophe Parisien-La Salle 8,290,104 98.53 123,485 1.47 Michel Rioux 8,290,104 98.53 123,485 1.47 2. Appointment of Auditors In addition, Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP, chartered accountants, in accordance with applicable Canadian legal requirements, were approved as External Auditors of the Company for the ensuing year and authorized the Directors to fix their respective remuneration for the next year. Votes For % of Votes For Votes Withheld % of Votes Withheld 8,413,589 100 0 0 3. Ratification of Options At the meeting, disinterested shareholders passed an ordinary resolution, to ratify and approve the grant of 1,430,000 Options on January 24, 2025 to officers, directors, employees and consultants of the Corporation (the Option Grant Resolution), The grant of 1,430,000 Options made on January 24, 2025 was comprised of 1,200,000 Options granted to Insiders (as such term is defined under the Omnibus Plan). Votes For % of Votes For Votes Withheld % of Votes Withheld 8,259,155 98.28 144,434 1.72 For more information about SRQ, please visit SRQs website at http://www.srqexploration.com FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: SRQ RESOURCES INC. Dr. Marc-Antoine Audet, President and CEO Tel: (514) 726-4158 Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are included to provide information about managements current expectations and plans that allows investors and others to have a better understanding of the Companys business plans and financial performance and condition. All information contained herein that is not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. Generally, such forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as expect or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", will, "would" or "might". In particular and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements pertaining to the Private Placement, including the final approval from TSX Venture Exchange for the Private Placement, the use of proceeds from the Private Placement, and the Companys capacity to deploy the proceeds as Qualifying Expenditures. Forward-looking information is based upon certain assumptions and other important factors that, if untrue, could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such information or statements. There can be no assurance that such information or statements will prove to be accurate. Key assumptions upon which the Companys forward-looking information is based include, without limitation, the Companys ability to satisfy all closing conditions of the Private Placement, and general economic and political conditions. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although the Company believes its expectations are based upon reasonable assumptions and has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information has been provided for the purpose of assisting investors in understanding the Company's business, operations and exploration plans and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is given as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake to update such forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws. The Company qualifies all of its forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities described herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES TORONTO, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Talisker Resources Ltd. (Talisker or the Company) (TSX: TSK, OTCQX: TSKFF) is pleased to announce that it has closed the previously announced non-brokered private placement (the Offering) for total gross proceeds of approximately $14 million. In connection with the Offering, the Company issued an aggregate of 27,913,000 units (the Units) at a price of $0.50 per Unit. Red Cloud Securities Inc. acted as a finder in connection with the Offering. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company (each, a Common Share) and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a Warrant). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.75 until May 5, 2028. The Company has received conditional approval from the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) for the listing of the 13,956,500 Warrants issued under the Offering under the symbol TSK.WT. Listing of such Warrants remains subject to the final approval of the TSX and will be announced by the Company prior to listing. FMI Securities Inc. (FMI) acted as a special advisor on this Offering and the Companys previous financing that closed on May 5, 2025 facilitating efforts to list the Warrants. FMI is an Exempt Market Dealer and a subsidiary of the FMI Capital Partners Group which operates in Canada, the US (through FINRA dealer FM Global Partners), and globally through its affiliated partners. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for the continued advancement of the Companys flagship Bralorne Gold Project in British Columbia, as well as for general corporate purposes and working capital. 24,613,000 Units under the Offering were issued pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions, and the balance of the Units were issued on a private placement basis to purchasers outside Canada pursuant to OSC Rule 72-503 Distributions Outside Canada. An offering document with respect to the Offering has been filed on the Companys profile on SEDAR+ at (www.sedarplus.ca ) . The Common Shares and Warrants underlying the Units are immediately freely tradeable in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. An insider of the Company subscribed for Units pursuant to the Offering. Participation by such insider in the Offering was considered a related party transaction pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (MI 61-101). The Company was exempt from the requirements to obtain a formal valuation or minority shareholder approval in connection with such insiders participation in the Offering in reliance on Sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101. A material change report in connection with the Offering will be filed less than 21 days in advance of the closing of the Offering, which the Company deemed reasonable in the circumstances so as to be able to avail itself of potential financing opportunities and complete the Offering in an expeditious manner. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. All amounts are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted. For further information, please contact: Terry Harbort President and CEO terry.harbort@taliskerresources.com +1 416 357 0227 About Talisker Resources Ltd. Talisker (taliskerresources.com) is a junior resource company involved in the exploration and development of gold projects in British Columbia, Canada. Taliskers flagship asset is the high-grade, fully permitted Bralorne Gold Project where the Company is currently transitioning into underground production at the Mustang Mine. Talisker projects also include the Ladner Gold Project, an advanced stage project with significant exploration potential from an historical high-grade producing gold mine and the Spences Bridge Project where the Company has a significant landholding in the emerging Spences Bridge Gold Belt, and several other early-stage Greenfields projects. Caution Regarding Forward Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words could, intend, expect, believe, will, projected, estimated and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on Taliskers current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking information relating to, among other things, the use of proceeds, listing of the Warrants and approval of the TSX. Various assumptions or factors are typically applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking information. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to Talisker. Although such statements are based on reasonable assumptions of Taliskers management, there can be no assurance that any conclusions or forecasts will prove to be accurate. Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include risks inherent in the exploration and development of mineral deposits, including risks relating to changes in project parameters as plans continue to be redefined, risks relating to variations in grade or recovery rates, risks relating to changes in mineral prices and the worldwide demand for and supply of minerals, risks related to increased competition and current global financial conditions, access and supply risks, reliance on key personnel, operational risks regulatory risks, including risks relating to the acquisition of the necessary licenses and permits, financing, capitalization and liquidity risks, title and environmental risks and risks relating to the failure to receive all requisite shareholder and regulatory approvals. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof, and Talisker is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. NEW YORK, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Brown-Forman Corporation (Brown-Forman or the Company) (NYSE: BF-B; BF-A). Such investors are advised to contact Danielle Peyton at newaction@pomlaw.com or 646-581-9980, ext. 7980. The investigation concerns whether Brown-Forman and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. [Click here for information about joining the class action] On June 5, 2025, Brown-Forman reported its financial results for its fiscal year 2025. Among other items, Brown-Forman reported a 7.3% year-over-year decline in sales, along with earnings per share of $0.31, falling short of consensus estimates. Acknowledging that its results did not meet our long-term growth aspirations, Brown-Forman advised investors that [l]ooking ahead to fiscal 2026, we expect continued headwinds. On this news, Brown-Formans stock price fell sharply, damaging investors. Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com . Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. CONTACT: Danielle Peyton Pomerantz LLP dpeyton@pomlaw.com 646-581-9980 ext. 7980 NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES CALGARY, Alberta, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pan American Energy Corp. (CSE: PNRG | FRA: SS60) (Pan American or the Company) announces, further to its news release of May 29, 2024, that it has issued, 205,841 common shares in the capital of the Company (the Settlement Shares), at a deemed value of $0.20 per Settlement Share, in full and final settlement of accrued and outstanding debt to certain creditors of the Company in the aggregate amount of $441,168.50 (the Debt Settlement Transactions). All securities issued pursuant to the Debt Settlement Transactions are subject to a statutory hold period expiring on October 7, 2025, being the date that is four months and one day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable Canadian securities legislation. About Pan American Energy Corp. Pan American Energy Corp. (CSE: PNRG) (FSE: SS60) is an exploration stage company engaged principally in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties containing battery metals in North America. The Company has executed an option agreement in Canada with Magabra Resources pursuant to which it has acquired a 75% interest in the Big Mack Lithium Project, 80 km north of Kenora, Ontario. The Company can earn an additional 15% interest in Big Mack, for a total of 90% interest. To register for investor updates, please visit https://panam-energy.com. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Adrian Lamoureaux Chief Executive Officer Contact Phone:(587)885-5970 Email: info@panam-energy.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words could, intend, expect, believe, will, projected, estimated and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the Companys current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking information relating to, among other things, the Debt Settlement Transactions, including the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals. Various assumptions or factors are typically applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking information, including the assumption that the Canadian Securities Exchange will accept the terms of the Debt Settlement Transactions and that the Debt Settlement Transaction will proceed as currently anticipated. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the Company. Although such statements are based on reasonable assumptions of the Companys management, there can be no assurance that any conclusions or forecasts will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include, among other things, the risk that the Debt Settlement Transaction does not close, including as a result of failure to receive the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange for the Debt Settlement Transaction; risks inherent in the exploration and development of mineral deposits, including risks relating to changes in project parameters as plans continue to be redefined and the risk that exploration and development activities will cost more than the amount budgeted for such activities by the Company; access and supply risks; operational risks; regulatory risks, including risks relating to the acquisition of the necessary licenses and permits; financing, capitalization and liquidity risks; and title and environmental risks. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof, and the Company is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed, approved, or disapproved the contents of this press release. Singapore , June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In the hyper-fragmented, always-on world of crypto, attention is currencyand community is capital. But despite the rise of decentralized technology, the way platforms grow their user base or share their stories often remains surprisingly centralized. BitMarts new Community Partner Program challenges that norm by introducing a structure that empowers individuals and grassroots communities to actively shape the platforms global presence while unlocking tangible economic opportunities for themselves. Rather than being a promotional campaign, this initiative represents a rethinking of the entire creator-platform relationship in crypto. Its about transforming followers into contributors, users into stakeholders, and local voices into global impact multipliers. Why Crypto Needs a New Model for Influence In traditional marketing and even Web2 crypto campaigns, outreach often relies on top-down broadcasts, paid ads, or short-lived influencer placements. These methods may generate impressionsbut rarely build enduring, engaged ecosystems. BitMarts Community Partner Program, by contrast, aims to create a distributed value network powered by participants who are already embedded in communities, already trusted by peers, and already speaking the language of relevance. These partners arent just amplifiersthey are co-architects of BitMarts brand identity in their regions and niches. This shift mirrors a larger movement within Web3: value doesn't trickle downit circulates. And those closest to the user are best positioned to educate, onboard, and activate them. What the Program Offers: A Scalable Structure for Authentic Growth The Community Partner Program is designed to be both modular and meritocratic. That means participants can engage in the ways they do bestwhether its creating content, managing crypto groups, or running campaignswhile gaining access to infrastructure that transforms influence into impact. Key benefits include: Official recognition as a certified BitMart Community Partner as a certified BitMart Community Partner Brand endorsement and co-branded assets to enhance credibility and consistency to enhance credibility and consistency Up to 70% rebates on trading activityamong the most competitive in the industry on trading activityamong the most competitive in the industry Custom reward tasks for feature testing, content campaigns, and more for feature testing, content campaigns, and more Priority access to events and opportunities to act as a speaker or guest and opportunities to act as a speaker or guest Support for running localized community events , airdrops, and social incentives , airdrops, and social incentives Quarterly recognition and rewards for top performers Unlike many ambassador-style programs that operate with minimal transparency or continuity, BitMarts structure places long-term collaboration at the center. Commissions are uncapped, partnerships are renewable, and visibility is reciprocal. Beyond Promotion: Community Partners as Crypto Educators and Advocates At its core, the initiative isn't just about spreading the wordits about elevating the standard of crypto discourse and creating reliable information bridges between BitMart and its users. Community Partners are expected to: Publish ongoing, quality content on platform features and crypto insights Establish or manage crypto communities Foster productive discussions, organize interactive events, and ensure accurate messaging Help onboard new users with support around deposits, trading, and platform engagement In doing so, they dont just promote a brandthey help grow a trusted knowledge layer in a notoriously noisy and fragmented market. The Bigger Vision: Distributed Influence as Infrastructure The significance of this program goes beyond marketing mechanics. It represents a structural evolution: turning social capital into collaborative capital. In a space where trust is earned peer-to-peer, this kind of decentralized, reputation-driven approach is not only strategicits necessary. By building a network of localized hubs, BitMart is creating a self-reinforcing ecosystem where platform growth, user empowerment, and brand resilience are deeply interlinked. The model doesn't just scale outreachit scales ownership of the narrative. Who This Is For: Builders of Trust, Curators of Culture This program is ideal for: Content creators who want to build authority and monetize their insights who want to build authority and monetize their insights Community organizers seeking infrastructure and exposure for their efforts seeking infrastructure and exposure for their efforts Crypto advocates who want to co-create a platform they can proudly stand behind For those with influence, a clear mission, and an independent voice, this program may offer the ideal opportunity to collaborate with a platform that genuinely values these qualities. The BitMart Community Partner Program is particularly well-suited for individuals and organizations seeking to establish professional authority through content, organize local communities, and advance crypto education within their regions. Final Word: Not Just a Role, But a Relationship In a landscape saturated with noise, this program aims to redefine the meaning of influencetransforming it from surface-level promotion into trusted infrastructure. By bringing together a global network of builders, educators, and storytellers, the BitMart Community Partner Program seeks to establish a new decentralized model of collaborationone that strengthens the Web3 ecosystem with long-term, localized resilience. To learn more and apply, visit: https://bitmart.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/36682743736859-BitMart-Community-Partner-Program-Officially-Launched-Join-Us-in-Shaping-Global-Influence-Together For inquiries, please contact: community.partner@bitmart.com About BitMart BitMart is a premier global digital asset trading platform with more than 10 million users worldwide. Consistently ranked among the top crypto exchanges on CoinGecko, BitMart offers over 1,700 trading pairs with competitive fees. Committed to continuous innovation and financial inclusivity, BitMart empowers users globally to trade seamlessly. Learn more about BitMart at Website, follow their X (Twitter), or join their Telegram for updates, news, and promotions. Download BitMart App to trade anytime, anywhere. Disclaimer: The information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be considered a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any financial assets. All information is provided in good faith. However, we make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability or completeness of such information. All crypto investments, including earnings, are highly speculative in nature and involve substantial risk of loss. Past, hypothetical, or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. The value of digital currencies can go up or down and there can be a substantial risk in buying, selling, holding, or trading digital currencies. You should carefully consider whether trading or holding digital currencies is suitable for you based on your personal investment objectives, financial circumstances, and risk tolerance. BitMart does not provide any investment, legal or tax advice. Gold Reserve Ltd. (TSX.V: GRZ) (OTCQX: GDRZF) ("Gold Reserve" or the "Company") announces that today it submitted a response to the request made by the Venezuela Parties to adjourn the date of the Sale Hearing from July 22, 2025 to the week commencing September 2, 2025. In its response, the Company stated that while it agreed a short extension of the Sale Hearing date was justified, a three-week extension, to the week commencing August 11, 2025, was sufficient, rather than the six-week extension requested by the Venezuela Parties. The Company's response was joined by Koch Minerals Sarl and Koch Nitrogen International Sarl. At the Sale Hearing, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware (the "Court") will consider the Final Recommended Bid for the purchase of the shares of PDV Holding, Inc. ("PDVH"), the indirect parent company of CITGO Petroleum Corp., and any objections thereto. The Company's Delaware subsidiary, Dalinar Energy Corporation ("Dalinar Energy"), submitted a topping bid to be selected as final bidder on June 3, 2025, as previously announced here. The deadline for submission of topping bids is June 18, 2025, and the Special Master appointed by the Court to oversee the sale process is scheduled to make his Final Recommendation by June 27, 2025. A complete description of the Delaware sale proceedings can be found on the Public Access to Court Electronic Records system in Crystallex International Corp. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, 1:17-mc-00151-LPS (D. Del.) and its related proceedings. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking statements This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable U.S. federal securities laws and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian provincial and territorial securities laws and state Gold Reserve's and its management's intentions, hopes, beliefs, expectations or predictions for the future. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management at this time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. They are frequently characterized by words such as "anticipates", "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed", "positioned" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements relating to any bid submitted by the Company for the purchase of the PDVH shares (the "Bid"). We caution that such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other risks that may cause the actual events, outcomes or results of Gold Reserve to be materially different from our estimated outcomes, results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: the discretion of the Special Master to consider the Bid, to enter into any discussions or negotiation with respect thereto and that the Special Master may reject the Bid at any time; the Special Master may choose not to recommend a Base Bid or Final Bid to the Court; the failure of the Company to negotiate the Bid, including as a result of failing to obtain sufficient equity and/or debt financing; that Bid submitted by the Company will not be selected as the "Base Bid" or the "Final Recommend Bid" under the Bidding Procedures, and if selected may not close due to the Sale Process not being completed, including as a result of not obtaining necessary regulatory approval to close on the purchase of the PDVH shares, including but not limited to any necessary approvals from the U.S. Office of Foreign Asset Control ("OFAC"), the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission or the TSX Venture Exchange; failure of the Company or any other party to obtain any required shareholders approvals for, or satisfy other conditions to effect, any transaction resulting from the Bid; that the Company forfeit any cash amount deposit made due to failing to complete the Bid or otherwise; that the making of the Bid or any transaction resulting therefrom may involve unexpected costs, liabilities or delays; that, prior to or as a result of the completion of any transaction contemplated by the Bid, the business of the Company may experience significant disruptions due to transaction related uncertainty, industry conditions, tariff wars or other factors; the ability to enforce the writ of attachment granted to the Company; the timing set for various reports and/or other matters with respect to the Sale Process may not be met; the ability of the Company to otherwise participate in the Sale Process (and related costs associated therewith); the amount, if any, of proceeds associated with the Sale Process; the competing claims of other creditors of Venezuela, PDVSA and the Company, including any interest on such creditors' judgements and any priority afforded thereto; uncertainties with respect to possible settlements between Venezuela and other creditors and the impact of any such settlements on the amount of funds that may be available under the Sale Process; and the proceeds from the Sale Process may not be sufficient to satisfy the amounts outstanding under the Company's September 2014 arbitral award and/or corresponding November 15, 2015 U.S. judgement in full; and the ramifications of bankruptcy with respect to the Sale Process and/or the Company's claims, including as a result of the priority of other claims. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. For a more detailed discussion of the risk factors affecting the Company's business, see the Company's Management's Discussion & Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2024 and other reports that have been filed on SEDAR+ and are available under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to Gold Reserve or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Gold Reserve disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements or the foregoing list of assumptions or factors, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, subject to its disclosure obligations under applicable rules promulgated by applicable Canadian provincial and territorial securities laws. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250605751088/en/ Contact For further information regarding Dalinar Energy, visit: https://www.dalinarenergy.com. For further information regarding Gold Reserve Ltd., visit https://www.goldreserve.bm or contact: Kathryn Houlden (441) 295-4653 A.S. Cooper Building, 7th Floor, Hamilton, HM 11, Bermuda investorrelations@goldreserve.bm VANCOUVER, June 5, 2025 - Alta Copper Corp. (TSX:ATCU)(OTCQX:ATCUF)(BVL:ATCU) ("Alta Copper" or "the Company") announces voting results for its Annual General Meeting of shareholders (the "Meeting") held on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Vancouver, British Columbia. A total of 44,398,593 common shares, representing 48.88% of the Company's outstanding common shares were represented at the Meeting and all motions put forward were passed. The following sets forth a summary of the Annual General Meeting voting results: Appointment of Auditor Kreston GTA LLP were appointed as Auditors of the Company for the ensuing year at a remuneration to be fixed by the Directors. Votes For: 94.56% Votes Withheld: 5.44% Number of Directors Prior to the Meeting, Mr. Robert McDonald tendered his resignation as a director of the Company and decided not to stand for re-election to pursue and dedicate more time to his other business interests. In light of Mr. McDonald's decision not to stand for re-election, there were four nominees for election as director, and the number of Directors was therefore set at four. The number of Directors was set at four. Votes For: 93.97% Votes Against: 6.03% Election of Directors The following nominees were elected as Directors to hold office until the next annual meeting of shareholders of the Company or until their successors are elected or appointed. Directors Votes For Votes Withheld Giulio T. Bonifacio 40,502,210 (93.20%) 2,954,988 (6.80%) Andrew Hamilton 35,768,491 (82.31%) 7,688,707 (17.69%) Steven Latimer 35,542,397 (81.79%) 7,914,801 (18.21%) Christine Nicolau 35,769,730 (82.31%) 7,687,468 (17.69%) Robert McDonald tendered his resignation and decided not to stand for re-election to pursue and dedicate more time to his other business interests. Appointment of Officers The following persons were appointed as officers of the Company: Steven Latimer Non-Executive Chairman Giulio T. Bonifacio President and Chief Executive Officer Dale Found Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Maria Paz Alfaro Corporate Secretary Giulio T. Bonifacio, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented: "I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Robert McDonald for his significant contributions, which have enabled the Company to make substantial progress in advancing our community engagement efforts and securing the necessary approvals from the Ministry of Energy and Mines. At the same time, I am very pleased to welcome Steven Latimer as our new Non-Executive Chairman. His appointment reflects our continued commitment to adhering to best practices in corporate governance, and I look forward to working closely with Steven in the months ahead." About Alta Copper Alta Copper is focused on the development of its 100% owned Canariaco advanced staged copper project. Canariaco comprises 91 square km of highly prospective land located 102 km northeast of the City of Chiclayo, Peru, which includes the Canariaco Norte deposit, the Canariaco Sur deposit and the Quebrada Verde prospect, all within a 4 km NE-SW trend in northern Peru's prolific mining district. Canariaco is one of the largest copper deposits in the Americas not held by a major. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, plans, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release. Although the Company believes the forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations and assumptions in such statements will prove to be correct. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which could cause events or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We are under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws. On behalf of the Board of Alta Copper Corp. "Giulio T. Bonifacio" President & Chief Executive Officer For further information please contact: Giulio T. Bonifacio gtbonifacio@altacopper.com +1 604 318 6760 Email: info@altacopper.com Website: www.altacopper.com X: https://x.com/Alta_Copper LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/altacopper/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AltaCopperCorp Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/altacopper/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AltaCopper SOURCE: Alta Copper Corp. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire TAMPA, June 6, 2025 - The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) today announced it revised its second quarter and 2025 outlook. Phosphate and Potash Pricing Outlook Phosphate price guidance moves higher: DAP prices on an FOB basis are expected to be in the $650 to $670 per tonne range in the second quarter, revised up from $635-$655 in the previous guidance, reflecting strong market conditions. Potash prices are expected to be stable: Mine-gate MOP prices are expected to be in the range of $230 to $250 per tonne in the second quarter, unchanged from the previous guidance. Phosphate and Potash Operations Outlook Phosphate sales volumes for the second quarter of 2025 are expected to be 1.5-1.6 million tonnes, revised down from 1.7-1.9 million tonnes. 2025 full year production volume is now expected to be 7.0-7.3 million tonnes, revised down from 7.2-7.6 million tonnes. Mosaic's Bartow phosphate facility is operating at its target rate and is expected to produce over 500,000 tonnes in the second quarter. This rate is commensurate with an annual production level above 2 million tonnes. The New Wales phosphate facility's production level is expected to increase over 20% in the second quarter from the first quarter. Despite this increase, commissioning and ramp up of the first of three new gypsum handling systems took longer than expected. Mosaic expects the second and third systems to be installed and commissioned by the end of June and early July, driving annual operating run rates to 3 million tonnes at New Wales. (Gypsum handling systems have been a bottleneck at New Wales preventing phosphoric acid plants from reaching full operating rates.) At the company's Riverview facility, Mosaic extended planned downtimes to eliminate bottlenecks, causing production to miss initial expectations. In the third quarter, Riverview is expected to achieve a run rate corresponding to annual production of 1.6 million tonnes. At Mosaic's Louisiana facilities, during normal turnaround activity, the team discovered additional necessary repairs, resulting in extended outage periods and some lost production. In the third quarter, Louisiana is expected to perform at its target annual run rate of 1.4 million tonnes. Mosaic has experienced improved production rates in the areas where work has been concluded at all phosphate facilities. As the remaining maintenance and reliability enhancement work will be completed in June and early July, Mosaic is increasingly confident in its production plans for the second half of the year and continues to expect operating rates to achieve the 8 million tonne target run rate across the full portfolio of U.S. phosphate assets. In potash, second quarter sales volumes are expected to be 2.3-2.5 million tonnes, unchanged from the previous guidance. Full year 2025 production volumes guidance remains unchanged at 9.0-9.4 million tonnes. Mosaic Fertilizantes Outlook The outlook for Mosaic Fertilizantes remains solid, and second quarter performance is expected to be significantly better than the first quarter on rising prices, seasonally stronger distribution margins, continued operating efficiency gains, and foreign exchange tailwinds. About The Mosaic Company The Mosaic Company is one of the world's leading producers and marketers of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients. Through its Mosaic Biosciences platform, the company is also advancing the next generation biological solutions to help farmers improve nutrient use efficiency and crop performance sustainably. Mosaic provides a single-source supply of phosphate, potash, and biological products for the global agriculture industry. More information on the company is available at www.mosaicco.com. Contacts: Investors: Jason Tremblay, 813-775-4282 jason.tremblay@mosaicco.com Joan Tong, CFA, 863-640-0826 joan.tong@mosaicco.com Media: Ben Pratt, 813-775-4206 benjamin.pratt@mosaicco.com This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about future transactions or strategic plans and other statements about future financial and operating results. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of The Mosaic Company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: political and economic instability and changes in government policies in countries in which we have operations; the predictability and volatility of, and customer expectations about, agriculture, fertilizer, raw material, energy and transportation markets that are subject to competitive and other pressures and economic and credit market conditions; the level of inventories in the distribution channels for crop nutrients; the effect of future product innovations or development of new technologies on demand for our products; changes in foreign currency and exchange rates; international trade risks, including the impact of U.S. tariffs and retaliatory tariffs on economic conditions; and other risks associated with Mosaic's international operations; a material adverse change in our Ma'aden investment with respect to the financial position, performance, operations or prospects of Ma'aden; customer defaults; the effects of Mosaic's decisions to exit business operations or locations; changes in government policy; changes in environmental and other governmental regulation, including expansion of the types and extent of water resources regulated under federal law, carbon taxes or other greenhouse gas regulation, implementation of numeric water quality standards for the discharge of nutrients into Florida waterways or efforts to reduce the flow of excess nutrients into the Mississippi River basin, the Gulf of America or elsewhere; further developments in judicial or administrative proceedings, or complaints that Mosaic's operations are adversely impacting nearby farms, business operations or properties; difficulties or delays in receiving, increased costs of or challenges to necessary governmental permits or approvals or increased financial assurance requirements; resolution of global tax audit activity; the effectiveness of Mosaic's processes for managing its strategic priorities; adverse weather conditions affecting operations in Central Florida, the Mississippi River basin, the Gulf Coast of the United States, Canada or Brazil, and including potential hurricanes, excess heat, cold, snow, rainfall or drought; actual costs of various items differing from management's current estimates, including, among others, asset retirement, environmental remediation, reclamation or other environmental regulation, Canadian resources taxes and royalties, reduction of Mosaic's available cash and liquidity, and increased leverage, due to its use of cash and/or available debt capacity to fund financial assurance requirements and strategic investments; brine inflows at Mosaic's potash mines; other accidents and disruptions involving Mosaic's operations, including plant outages and down time, potential mine fires, floods, explosions, seismic events, sinkholes or releases of hazardous or volatile chemicals; and risks associated with cyber security, including reputational loss; as well as other risks and uncertainties reported from time to time in The Mosaic Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. SOURCE: The Mosaic Company View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION INTO THE UNITED STATES VANCOUVER, June 6, 2025 - Torq Resources Inc. (TSXV:TORQ)(OTCQB:TRBMF) ("Torq" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to its March 24, 2025 news release, it has completed its previously announced private placement, by issuing 25,152,633 units of the Company (each, a "Unit") at an offering price of $0.06 per Unit for gross proceeds of C$1,509,158 (the "Offering"). Each Unit consists of one common share (a "Share") and a Share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant") exercisable until June 6, 2027 to acquire a Share for C$0.12. The Warrants are subject to an accelerated expiry if, anytime following the date that is four months after the Closing Date, the closing price of the common shares of the Company on the TSXV, or such other market as the common shares may trade from time to time, is or exceeds $0.30 for any 10 consecutive trading days, in which event the holder of the Warrants may, at the Company's election, be given notice and the Company will issue a press release announcing that the financing Warrants will expire 30 days following the date of such press release. The Offering Warrants may be exercised by the holder of the Warrant during the 30-day period after the date of the press release announcing the accelerated expiry date. The placement proceeds from the Offering will be used for working capital. In addition, the Company has issued 1,998,829 Shares to non-arm's length creditors and 19,619,394 Units (identical to those in the Offering) to arm's length creditors to settle an aggregate of $1,297,093.60 of debts (the "Debt Settlement"). The debts relate primarily to the 2024 Minera Santa Drilling Campaign and also include $310,000 which was advanced and spent pursuant to the previous private placement financing, announced on October 2, 2024 and November 18, 2024, which did not complete. In connection with the closing of the Offering, the Company paid cash finder's fees of $51,012 and issued 800,200 non-transferable one-year finder's warrants. Each finder's warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one common share of the Company at the exercise price of C$0.06 until June 6, 2026. Each finder's warrant is also subject to the accelerated expiry as described above. The Company is continuing to seek regulatory approval for the extension of its credit facility for a further one-year period until July 11, 2026. In accordance with applicable securities laws, the securities issued under the Offering and Debt Settlement are subject to a statutory four-month and one-day hold period from the date of issuance in Canada. There was no insider participation in the Offering. 1,998,829 shares were issued to non-arm's length creditors in the Debt Settlement. The Company will be relying on the exemption from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements pursuant to sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of Canadian Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Shareholders in Related Party Transactions, as neither the fair market value of any securities issued to nor the consideration paid by such person could exceed $2.5 million or 25% of the Company's market capitalization. None of these securities will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States without registration under the U.S. Securities Act and all applicable state securities laws or else in compliance with the requirements of an applicable exemption therefrom. A Message from Shawn Wallace, CEO: "The Offering and Debt Settlement transactions greatly improve our financial position and should provide the impetus for a more active 2025. We are looking forward to the receipt of assays on the Santa Cecilia project where exploration funding is being provided by Gold Fields under an earn-in option." ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD, Shawn Wallace CEO & Chair For further information on Torq Resources, please visit www.torqresources.com or contact the company at (778) 729-0500 or info@torqresources.com. About Torq Resources Torq is a Vancouver-based copper and gold exploration company with a portfolio of premium holdings in Chile. The Company is establishing itself as a leader of new exploration in prominent mining belts, guided by responsible, respectful and sustainable practices. The Company was built by a management team with prior success in monetizing exploration assets and its specialized technical team is recognized for their extensive experience working with major mining companies, supported by robust safety standards and technical proficiency. The technical team includes Chile-based geologists with invaluable local expertise and a noteworthy track record for major discovery in the country. Torq is committed to operating at the highest standards of applicable environmental, social and governance practices in the pursuit of a landmark discovery. For more information, visit www.torqresources.com. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Torq Resources Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Previous article: How bitter Trump-Musk feud escalated - And what happens next Featured Decolonizing the mind: A path to African sovereignty and self-determination Gilbert Attipoe Opinion Jun - 06 - 2025 , 16:55 5 minutes read Ngugi wa Thiongos Decolonizing the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature (1986) and Edward Saids Orientalism (1978) offer profound frameworks for understanding the enduring psychological impact of colonialism on African societies. Both scholars address the concept of mental slavery, where colonial powers imposed cultural, linguistic, and intellectual frameworks to subjugate colonized peoples, fostering a sense of inferiority that persists post-independence. Ngugi emphasizes the role of language and culture in perpetuating this mental colonization, particularly in Africa, while Said critiques how Western representations of the Other shaped global perceptions to justify imperial dominance. For African countries to achieve true sovereignty, they must dismantle these internalized structures and reconnect with their ancestral homelands to imbibe their history, culture, and identity. This article explores their ideas, highlighting the necessity of decolonizing African minds and the importance of returning to cultural roots. Colonialism was not merely a physical occupation of African lands but a deliberate assault on the psyche, designed to instill dependence and self-doubt. Ngugi argues that the imposition of European languagesEnglish, French, Portuguesewas a strategic tool to alienate Africans from their cultural heritage. By embedding colonial languages in education, governance, and literature, colonizers ensured Africans viewed their own languages and traditions as inferior, creating what Ngugi calls a cultural bomb that shattered self-confidence. Similarly, Saids Orientalism reveals how the West constructed Africa and the East as primitive and exotic through literature, art, and scholarship, reinforcing imperial control. These distorted representations, embedded in works like Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness, shaped how Africans perceived themselves, fostering a colonized mindset that equated Western culture with progress. This mental slavery persists today, as many African societies prioritize colonial languages and Western norms, often at the expense of their own histories and identities. Language is a cornerstone of mental decolonization. Ngugi asserts that language carries culture, history, and worldview, and by embracing African languages, communities can reclaim their narratives. His decision to write in Gikuyu instead of English was a radical rejection of mental slavery, challenging the dominance of colonial languages in African literature. Said s analysis complements this, showing how Western discourse used language to marginalize non-European cultures, portraying them as inferior to justify domination. For African countries, promoting indigenous languages in education and public life is a vital step. Ethiopia s use of Amharic in schools and South Africa s recognition of 11 official languages, including Zulu and Xhosa, demonstrate efforts to restore linguistic pride, though uneven implementation and elite resistance highlight the depth of colonial legacies. By prioritizing African languages, nations can foster cultural confidence and dismantle linguistic hierarchies that perpetuate mental subjugation. Reclaiming African narratives is equally critical. Ngugi calls for the validation of African oral traditions, myths, and histories as legitimate knowledge, countering colonial narratives that dismissed African civilizations as primitive. Saids critique of Orientalist scholarship reveals how the West marginalized African contributions, creating a canon that glorified imperial achievements while silencing colonized voices. Central to this reclamation is the need for Africans, particularly those in the diaspora, to return to their ancestral homelands to imbibe their history. Physical and intellectual reconnection with the continent through visits, study, or engagement with local communitiesallows Africans to rediscover their cultural roots, languages, and stories. Initiatives like Nigeria s Ake Arts and Book Festival and the Pan-African Writers Association amplify African voices, while campaigns to repatriate looted artifacts, such as the Benin Bronzes, restore historical agency. Returning home, whether physically or through cultural study, enables Africans to confront the distortions Said critiques and embrace the authentic histories Ngugi champions. Education remains a key battleground for decolonizing the mind Ngugi critiques colonial education systems for producing Africans who served imperial interests without questioning their legitimacy. Said similarly notes how education under colonialism propagated Western superiority, embedding Eurocentric curricula that marginalized African knowledge. Many post-colonial African education systems retain these biases, prioritizing Western frameworks over indigenous wisdom. Reforms like Kenya s Competency-Based Curriculum, which integrates local knowledge, aim to address this, but face challenges like resource shortages and resistance from elites invested in the status quo. Returning to ancestral homelands can enrich education by exposing Africans to oral histories, traditional practices, and local philosophies that counter colonial narratives. For instance, engaging with elders or historical sites in Ghana or Zimbabwe can provide insights that formal education often overlooks, grounding individuals in their heritage. Art and media are powerful tools for mental liberation. Ngugi emphasizes African literatures role in shaping consciousness and fostering resistance, while Said highlights how Western cultural productions reinforced imperial dominance. Today, African filmmakers, musicians, and writers are challenging these legacies. Nollywood s stories rooted in African experiences and voices like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichies amplify authentic narratives globally. However, Western mediathrough Hollywood and streaming platformscontinues to promote Eurocentric ideals, alienating Africans from their identities. Returning to ancestral homelands can inspire artists to draw from local traditions, as seen in musicians like Burna Boy, who incorporates Yoruba rhythms. Initiatives like South Africas MultiChoice Talent Factory support local content creation, but strengthening African media industries is essential to counter Western dominance. The journey to decolonize the mind faces significant obstacles. Globalization and economic dependence on the West reinforce colonial mentalities, as African elites often prioritize Western validation over local innovation. Africas linguistic and cultural diversityNigeria alone has over 500 languagescomplicates unified strategies. Yet, Ngugi and Said emphasize collective resistance. Returning to ancestral homelands fosters a deeper connection to cultural roots, enabling Africans to challenge internalized inferiority. Grassroots movements, like those advocating for mother-tongue education in Ghana or cultural revival in Zimbabwe, are vital. The African Union can support policies that preserve heritage, while intellectuals and communities must collaborate to rewrite curricula and promote indigenous languages. Ngugi wa Thiongo and Edward Said provide complementary lenses for dismantling mental slavery in Africa. Ngugis focus on language and cultural reclamation and Saids critique of Orientalist discourse underscore the need to reject colonial frameworks. By embracing African languages, reclaiming narratives, reforming education, amplifying local art, and returning to ancestral homelands to imbibe history, African countries can break free from mental chains. This process demands courage, investment, and a rejection of the belief that Western ways define progress. True liberation begins in the mind, enabling Africans to forge a future rooted in their own identities and histories. Gilbertattipoe90@gmail.com Previous article: Tragedy in Kanjo-Kura: Young mother dies in search of water as community cries for help Featured Pozzolana cement, finally! Enimil Ashon Features Jun - 06 - 2025 , 15:50 4 minutes read This week, specifically on June 4, 2025, Citi FMs Eyewitness News broadcast the most important news of the year. It was to the effect that government is ramping up efforts to promote the commercial production of eco-friendly Pozzolana cement as part of a strategic move to reduce Ghanas reliance on imported building materials Speaking at the opening of the Biannual Ministry of Science and Technology Forum in Accra, the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, called for strong political will and coordinated efforts to scale up the use of Pozzolana cement in Ghanas construction industry. His observation was apt: Many institutions have great ideas, but lack the resources to bring them to life. It is crucial that we come together government, industry and academia to build the necessary linkages and support systems. In an article in the Daily Graphic on May 11, 2022, yours truly did an analysis headlined, Pozzolana: Thirsty in the abundance of water in which I wondered why housing and other building projects were so expensively priced. In the article, I declared that I knew the answer. Below, I reproduce the article. Please, read on: (The answer) lies in official lack of confidence in African/Ghanaian solutions. That mindset has, since the overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah, manifested itself in Ghanaian officials, business executives and public servants looking down on and actually rejecting local technologies and expertise. The Tema township, the first purpose-planned enclave in West Africa, was designed and built by Ghanaian engineers and building technologists in the 1960s (note: early 1960s!); the Achimota Overpass in Accra, constructed in the 1970s (repeat: 1970s!) was the work of Ghanaian engineers. Today, 60 years down the line, when knowledge abounds and the know-how of our scientists has increased, Ghanaian engineers and building technologists are sidelined in favour of Brazilians and Chinese, (white men), with presumably superior intelligence. A guest on a TV programme blamed our excessive dependence on imported inputs, citing the case of the poorly patronised Ghana-made Pozzolana cement in the construction industry. In a country where government is the biggest client in the construction sector, all it takes is a change of official mindset. It should be possible for government to decree that a certain minimum percentage of local materials should be used on all projects. Pozzolana Never heard of Pozzolana cement? It was invented by the Building and Road Research Institute (BRRI) of the CSIR. The Clay Pozzolana replaces up to 40 per cent of imported Ordinary Portland Cement for both concrete and general cement works. For your money, a bag of pozzolana cement costs less than its Portland cement counterpart. Thus, on the market today (2022), while a bag of Portland cement is going for GH60.00, you get Pozzolana cement, same quantity, for GH50. The cost saving was demonstrated when BRRI undertook the construction of 650 housing units at Ashongman, Accra, using Pozzolana. By the time it handed over the houses, there had been a saving of 30 per cent. Talk of quality and durability. The user will discover that decades after completion, there will be absolutely no cracks in a house built with Pozzolana. It is also more resistant to rain penetration and chemical attacks. You want to know the millions of dollars Ghana spends importing cement? The country consumes eight million tonnes of cement a year. One tonne costs US$80.00. I leave readers to do the math. Scientists Ghanaian scientists do not blow their horn, but talking about durability, it is on record that when the fence walls of the Aboadze Thermal Plant in the Western Region were collapsing as a result of acids and salts eating away the sandcrete block wall and metal fence, it was BRRI that went to the rescue, using salt-resistant burnt bricks and Pozzolana cement. Yet, in spite of these facts and figures, how many Ghanaian real estate developers, government institutions and individual builders will opt for Pozzolana? It takes official policy. To be fair, there used to be a government policy in favour of 60 per cent of local materials for public buildings, but it has remained mere paper tiger. The reason is not far to fetch: the very government officials who have to promote Ghanaian solutions or ensure compliance with the law are themselves slaves to imported quality. Mindset Its a mindset. The story is told of an attempt by the Building and Road Research Institute to introduce low-cost housing built with local materials - such as burnt bricks, clay roofing tiles, bamboo and compressed earth blocks - for workers in one of Ghanas regional capitals. A top government official moved heaven and earth to have the project stopped, describing the houses as Atakpami houses, implying they were below standard for educated city dwellers. It is this mindset that moved Bob Marley to sing: in the abundance of water, the fool is thirsty. This article is a thumbs-up to Citi FM for its news-judgement and the Ministry for its boldness. But lets beware of nine-day wonders. The writer is Executive Director, Centre for Communication and Culture. E-mail: ashonenimil@gmail.com Featured Head of family is the ultimate decider in selection and installation of a chief in Ga-dangme - Edward Nortey Noi writes Edward Nortey Noi Opinion Jun - 06 - 2025 , 08:19 3 minutes read The Ga-dangme is an ethnic group in Ghana and they are mostly found around the southern part of Ghana especially along the coaster line. They are also a diverse group encompassing various ethnic subgroups who share a common cultural and linguistic heritage. The modern Ga-dangme ethnic groups comprises of Ada, Ningo, Prampram, Tema, Nungua, Teshie, La, Osu, Ga-Mashie and the Shai people etc. The Ga-dangme ethnic group inherits through the patrilineal line of inheritance which is basically through the fathers line, and this is the basic requirement considered for the selection and installation of any traditional position of our land. Every family on the Ga-dangme has a head of family who is in charge of the day to day activities of the family be it during the selection and installation of any traditional position and also administer family lands. The head of family does not have a sole authority to make decisions for the family but he does that in consultation with the Council of Elders. Typical of Ga Dangbe Chieftaincy customs and traditions, when the Stool becomes vacant, the Head of Family of the House whose turn it is, nominates someone for the consideration of the Dzaase, the only accredited and authorized body with the mandate to install a Mantse (Chief). The role of the Head of Family is so central that he is insulated from any encumbrances from any traditional authority in the discharge of this scared duty of nomination, which is usually done in consultation with other elders of the House, and through thorough screening and interview of shortlisted royals. Thus, the Head of Family is mandated to operate in an independent capacity, and to avoid any potential conflict of interest, he cannot be a traditional ruler and occupy traditional positions such as Akwaashong, Oshiahene, Atofotse, Seitse, Asafoatse etc. In the established traditional structures of Ga-dangme, no traditional leader has a mandate to select and install a Mantse (Chief) because they are not from that house (family) and have no legal authority to select and install a Chief without the head of family's involvement. Indeed, in Ga-dangme customs and traditions, there are clear lines of separation of power between the Head of Family and Traditional Rulers, and the influence of the Head of Family cannot be toyed with or disregarded. That is why even in the case of family lands, the authority is vested in the Head of Family, with traditional rulers having no power whatsoever in administering family lands. The traditional rulers such as the Mantse (Chief) are rather vested with authority over stool lands In recent times, the Ga-dangme ethnic group have been experiencing some negativities during the selection and installation of traditional rulers because some unscrupulous or self-acclaimed traditional title holders have arrogated some form of power to themselves to cause confusion and disturbances. My advice to those creating confusions is to desist from doing so because we already have structures established by our ancestors and no person can arrogate powers to himself when it comes to the selection and installation of a traditional position. You cannot be a traditional title holder and at the same time a head of family to select and install a traditional ruler. The right to select is reserved for the Head of Family in consultation with the Council of Elders of that house. The writer is the Head of Family, Owuo We Royal House, Osu Amantra Featured Jokes and jibes: Russians sarcastically offer to mediate peace between Trump and Musk Graphic.com.gh International News Jun - 06 - 2025 , 17:09 1 minute read Russia has offered to mediate the heated feud between U.S. President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk but not without compensation. The feud between Donald Trump and Elon Musk provoked chatter, mockery and amusement among the ruling class in Moscow, where one senior official joked about hosting peace talks and another said Musk should bring his businesses to Russia. "Elon, don't be upset!" nationalist senator Dmitry Rogozin, who once ran Russia's space programme, wrote on Musk's X social media site. "If you encounter insurmountable problems in the U.S., come to us. Here you will find reliable comrades and complete freedom of technical creativity." Dmitry Medvedev, a senior security official and former president, posted: "We are ready to facilitate the conclusion of a peace deal between D and E for a reasonable fee and to accept Starlink shares as payment. Don't fight, guys!" The public feud between the U.S. president and the world's richest man was an easy target for Russian politicians who have a history of gloating over perceived turmoil in Washington. Margarita Simonyan, one of Russia's most powerful state media executives, mocked it as an example of "modern U.S. political culture" -- "Sort of like the English Industrial Revolution. Only in reverse." Next article: Chad suspends visas to US citizens in response to Trump travel ban Previous article: Trump ban on entry of foreign Harvard students blocked by US judge Featured Netherlands to hand over 119 looted bronzes to Nigeria on June 21 Reuters International News Jun - 06 - 2025 , 14:48 1 minute read The Netherlands will return 119 looted Benin bronzes to Nigeria this month, marking one of the most significant repatriations of cultural artefacts to the country. The Dutch embassy in Nigeria confirmed this on Thursday, June 5, that the artefacts will arrive during the week of June 16. A formal handover ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, June 21, at the National Museum in Lagos. Following the ceremony, the bronzes will be transferred to the National Museum in Benin City, Edo Statetheir place of origin. This return is believed to be the single largest consignment of Benin bronzes handed back to Nigeria by any country to date. The bronzes were among thousands of sacred and ceremonial objects looted by British forces during the 1897 punitive expedition against the Benin Kingdom. Many of the items ended up in European and North American museums and private collections. In a previous statement made in February, the Dutch embassy acknowledged that the artefacts should never have been taken to the Netherlands. Bengt van Loosdrech, the ambassador-designate to Nigeria, noted that the country had been demanding the return of the bronzes for over five decades. The return of the bronzes is part of a broader global reckoning with colonial-era looting, as nations and institutions face growing calls to return stolen cultural heritage to their rightful owners. Next article: Netherlands to hand over 119 looted bronzes to Nigeria on June 21 Featured Trump ban on entry of foreign Harvard students blocked by US judge Reuters International News Jun - 06 - 2025 , 15:09 2 minutes read A federal judge in Boston on Thursday temporarily blocked US President Donald Trump from barring US entry of foreign nationals seeking to study or participate in exchange programs at Harvard University. Under a two-page temporary restraining order granted to Harvard, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs enjoined Trump's proclamation from taking effect pending further litigation of the matter amid an escalating dispute between the Ivy League school and Republican president. The judge ruled that Trump's directive prohibiting foreign nationals from entering the United States to study at Harvard for the next six months would cause "immediate and irreparable injury" before the courts have a chance to review the case. Burroughs last month had blocked Trump from implementing a separate order prohibiting Harvard from enrolling international students, who make up more than a quarter of its student body. Harvard on Thursday amended its lawsuit to challenge the new directive, claiming Trump is violating Burroughs' decision. "The Proclamation denies thousands of Harvards students the right to come to this country to pursue their education and follow their dreams, and it denies Harvard the right to teach them. Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard," the school said in the filing. Burroughs' order on Thursday also continued a separate temporary restraining order she issued on May 23 against the administration's restriction on international student enrollment at Harvard. Earlier on Thursday, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson called Harvard "a hotbed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators," claims that the school has previously denied. "Harvards behavior has jeopardized the integrity of the entire U.S. student and exchange visitor visa system and risks compromising national security. Now it must face the consequences of its actions," Jackson said in a statement. Trump cited national security concerns as justification for barring international students from entering the U.S. to pursue studies at the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based university. Under Trump's proclamation, the suspension would initially be for six months but could be extended. Trump's order also directed the U.S. State Department to consider revoking academic or exchange visas of any current Harvard students who meet his proclamation's criteria. Next article: Trump ban on entry of foreign Harvard students blocked by US judge Previous article: Jokes and jibes: Russians sarcastically offer to mediate peace between Trump and Musk Featured Zambias former President Edgar Lungu dies aged 68 Graphic.com.gh International News Jun - 06 - 2025 , 15:32 4 minutes read Zambia's former President Edgar Lungu has died at the age of 68, his party has said in a statement. He had "been receiving specialized treatment in South Africa" for an undisclosed illness, the Patriotic Front (PF) added. Lungu led Zambia for six years from 2015, losing the 2021 election to the current President Hakainde Hichilema by a large margin. After that defeat he stepped back from politics but later returned to the fray. He had ambitions to vie for the presidency again but at the end of last year the Constitutional Court barred him from running, ruling that he had already served the maximum two terms allowed by law. Even after being disqualified from running once more for the presidency, he remained hugely influential in Zambian politics and did not hold back in his criticism of his successor. In a short video, Lungu's daughter Tasila said that the former head of state, who had been "under medical supervision in recent weeks", died at a clinic in South Africa's capital, Pretoria, at 06:00 (04:00 GMT) on Thursday. "In this moment of grief, we invoke the spirit of 'One Zambia, One Nation' - the timeless creed that guided President Lungu's service to our country," she added in an emotional statement. There was no mention of what his condition was, but a decade ago he underwent throat surgery abroad. At the time his office said he was suffering from a narrowing of the oesophagus. In his condolence message, President Hichilema called for "solemnity, unity and an outpouring of love and compassion. "Let us come together as one people, above political affiliation or personal conviction, to honour the life of a man who once held the highest office in our land." Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, where Lungu was being treated, wrote that it was a "privilege in recent weeks to care for a leader from our region whom we embraced as a brother and friend. We therefore share the grief and loss experienced." Kenya's President William Ruto described Lungu as a "progressive and outstanding leader who served the people of Zambia with zeal and commitment". Lungu first became president in January 2015 after winning a special presidential election triggered by the death in office of Michael Sata. After completing Sata's term, he won a further five years in power in 2016 taking just over 50% of the vote. But after six years at the helm, Lungu, who encouraged Chinese investment and enlisted the country's help in infrastructure development, was blamed for a struggling economy, high unemployment and rising debt levels. His time in office was also marred by corruption scandals involving his allies and relatives. Lungu always denied wrongdoing. His party's youth wing was accused of harassing opposition supporters, and the population at large. Lungu lost in 2021 by close to a million votes with Hichilema, seen as more pro-Western, tapping into widespread dissatisfaction among the electorate. He said he was retiring in the aftermath of the vote, but returned to frontline politics in 2023 as his successor's popularity waned. "I am ready to fight from the front, not from the rear, in defence of democracy. Those who are ready for this fight, please come along with me, I am ready for anything," Mr Lungu told supporters at the time. After returning to politics, the former president complained of police harassment. At one point last year he said he was "virtually under house arrest". "I cannot move out of my house without being accosted and challenged by the police and driving me back home", Lungu told the BBC's Newsday programme. In the interview in May 2024, he alleged that he had been barred from attending a conference abroad and from travelling for medical treatment. In 2023, the police warned him against jogging in public, describing his weekly workouts as "political activism". The government said that Lungu had "never been placed under house arrest" and that he was free to exercise his rights. Lungu was a lawyer by training but enjoyed a meteoric rise in politics after winning a seat in parliament as a PF MP in 2011. He entered government as deputy minister in the vice-president's office in that year and rose to become minister of home affairs in just over 12 months. He later became minister of defence and then justice. A close friend described Lungu as a "good foot-soldier, lawyer and politician, father, husband and grandparent". Born on 11 November 1956, Lungu graduated with a law degree from the University of Zambia in 1981. He also underwent military training at the then Miltez army college in Kabwe. He later worked at Andre Masiye and Company Advocates, Barclays Bank and Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines. Featured Chief Imam urges moral renewal and end to Gaza atrocities in Eid-Al-Adha message GraphicOnline Jun - 06 - 2025 , 08:16 2 minutes read Ghanas National Chief Imam, Shaikh Dr Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, has called for an end to atrocities in Gaza and other global conflict zones while urging Ghanaians and the international community to embrace moral renewal, sacrifice, and interfaith harmony in his 2025 Eid-Al-Adha message. Delivering his statement ahead of the Eid celebration on Friday, June 6, the Chief Imam described the annual Islamic festival as more than a ritual of sacrifice, but a divine call to personal piety, societal transformation, and global peace. Eid-Al-Adha is a festivity of sacrifice and an opportunity to reaffirm our faith in Allah, he said, noting that Allah is not interested in the flesh and blood of the animals sacrificed... but in our commitment to piety, referencing Qur'an Chapter 22, Verse 37. His Eminence urged Muslims to reflect on the moral essence of the occasion and let it inspire a change from negativity to positivity in the supreme interest of our society. He warned that the virtues of Eid are fruitless if they do not lead to attitudinal cleansing and moral growth. Emphasising interfaith unity, the Chief Imam said the story of Prophet Abrahams obedienceat the heart of Eid-Al-Adhashould unite all Abrahamic faiths in mutual respect. This is the point of convergence of all the Abrahamic religions, he said, calling on Christians, Jews, and Muslims to see the festival as an opportunity to renew their commitment to peaceful coexistence. In a strong global appeal, Dr Sharubutu condemned what he described as genocidal impunity and moral bankruptcy, particularly in Gaza, and urged world leaders to uphold justice, peace, and human dignity. We cannot surrender our God-given humanity to modern-day barbarity in the name of supremacy, he warned. He concluded with a call for a new global order anchored on justice and compassion: Let the global order reflect RIGHT over might, UNITY over disunity, FORGIVENESS over vindictiveness, RECONCILIATION over aggression, and PEACE over violence. The message, conveyed through his Personal Assistant, Dr Abubakari Mohammed Marzuq Azindoo, underscored the need for practical action rooted in faith and shared human values to tackle todays moral and humanitarian challenges. Featured Ghana bans importation of excavators in bid to curb illegal mining GraphicOnline Jun - 06 - 2025 , 08:04 2 minutes read The government of Ghana has announced an immediate ban on the importation of excavators as part of intensified measures to combat illegal mining and safeguard the nations water bodies. The directive, issued by the Ministry of Transport, introduces a strict "No Permit, No Excavator" policy to regulate the entry of such machinery into the country. In a press release signed by the Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe (MP), the government mandated that all shipping lines cease transporting excavators into Ghana without the requisite permit. Additionally, dealers and importers are now required to obtain prior approval from the Ministry of Transport before bringing excavators into the country. "This forms part of Governments renewed efforts to clamp down on illegal mining and protect the countrys water bodies," the statement read. The ministry further urged strict compliance from all stakeholders, including the general public. The move comes amid growing concerns over the environmental devastation caused by illegal mining activities, particularly in forest reserves and river basins. Excavators, often used in unauthorised mining operations, have been identified as a key tool enabling these destructive practices. The new policy underscores the governments commitment to enforcing stricter controls on mining equipment. Dealers and importers failing to adhere to the directive risk facing legal consequences, though the statement did not specify penalties. For further details, the Ministry of Transport has directed inquiries to its official contacts: Tel +233 (0) 302 955 793, Email info@mot.gov.gh, or Website www.mot.gov.gh. The ban is expected to spark reactions from industry players, particularly those in the construction and mining sectors, who rely heavily on excavators for legitimate operations. This latest measure aligns with broader national efforts, including Operation Halt II, a military-led initiative targeting illegal mining activities across Ghana. Featured Greater Accra Minister urges continued prayers for peace as Muslims mark Eid-ul-Adha Graphic.com.gh Jun - 06 - 2025 , 14:33 2 minutes read Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, has called on the Muslim community to continue praying for peace and unity in Ghana as the nation strives toward sustainable development. Speaking during a symbolic donation to the National Chief Imam on Thursday, June 5, in honour of the Eid-ul-Adha celebrations, the Minister emphasized the importance of strong collaboration between the government and religious leaders in promoting national stability and development. This celebration is to promote peace, and so inasmuch as we are here to celebrate, we are also here to encourage continued unity, she told reporters. We wish our Muslim brothers and sisters well as they mark this sacred occasion, she said. The donation, made on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama, included 70 bags of rice, 100 packs of assorted drinks, 70 packs of bottled water, one large cow, and a cash amount of GHS 50,000. It was presented in a spirit of goodwill and national solidarity ahead of the Eid festivities. Madam Ocloo praised the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Dr Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, for his consistent efforts in fostering peace across political divides. The Chief Imam has always stood by every government, whether NDC or NPP, and thats the spirit of collaboration we appreciate, she said. We are here to support and strengthen that bond. She further called on Ghanaians of all faiths to emulate the values of unity and tolerance that Eid-ul-Adha represents, adding that religious harmony is central to Ghanas democratic and developmental aspirations. The event forms part of a series of engagements by government officials during this years Eid season, aimed at reinforcing interfaith cooperation and acknowledging the contribution of Muslim communities to national cohesion. Featured Ken Ofori-Atta appears on Interpol red notice as a wanted man for using public office for profit Graphic Online Jun - 05 - 2025 , 23:13 13 minutes read Former Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta has appeared on Interpol's Red Notice as a wanted man for using public office for profit. The OSP earlier this week re-declared Mr Ofori-Atta, a wanted person and a fugitive from justice. This was after Mr Ofori-Atta failed to appear before the OSP for an investigative interview scheduled for Monday, June 2, 2025. The Special Prosecutor (SP), Kissi Agyebeng, subsequently initiated processes for an Interpol red notice and extradition to compel the return of Mr Ofori-Atta to Ghana to face investigations into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences. At a press briefing in Accra on Monday [June 2], Mr Agyebeng chronicled months of failed attempts to secure Mr Ofori-Attas personal attendance after the OSP first notified him, that he was under investigation. He said the OSP's patience with Mr Ofori-Atta had run out, following what he described as repeated delays and non-compliance with ongoing criminal investigations against him. This office has always requested his attendance, and we have indicated clearly to him that we are unwilling to waive it. If we were amenable to taking any statement from Ken Ofori-Atta in absentia, we would have done so in February, and not waited till June 2, 2025. We want him here physically, and we insist on it. A suspect in a criminal investigation does not pick and choose how the investigative body conducts its investigations and the methods suitable to him and his convenience. We will not countenance this conduct, not in this case, Mr Agyebeng stated. The OSP is investigating Mr Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta, a former Minister of Finance, over five major issues during his tenure in office under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo: The Key Issues under investigations are: Petroleum and Minerals Revenue Assurance: Contractual arrangements between Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA). Electricity Company Contract Termination: The termination of a contract between the Electricity Company of Ghana and Beijing Xiao Cheng Technology (BXC). National Cathedral Project: Procurement procedures and financial transactions related to the National Cathedral. Ambulance Procurement: A Ministry of Health contract with Service Ghana Auto Group Limited for purchasing and maintaining 307 ambulances. GRA Tax P-Fund Management:Handling and disbursement of funds from the Tax P-Fund Account of the GRA. In January 2025, the OSP officially notified Mr Ofori-Atta that he was a suspect in five separate cases and asked him to appear in person on February 10, 2025. Mr Ofori-Atta's lawyers informed the OSP that he was abroad indefinitely for medical reasons, and offered to represent him in his absence. The OSP rejected the claim of indefinite absence and demanded a firm return date by February 10, 2025, and warned of legal consequences for failure to comply. It also reminded that legal representatives cannot respond to criminal charges on behalf of clients. On February 10, 2025, Mr Ofori-Atta's lawyers submitted a doctors note stating he was undergoing tests and possibly surgery, with no clear return date. On February 12, 2025 the OSP declared Mr Ofori-Atta a fugitive from justice, acting on an arrest warrant. On February 18, 2025, Mr Ofori-Atta appealed to the OSP to remove his name from the Wanted List and provided a definite return date in May 2025. The OSP accepted his assurance and subsequently took his name off the list In March 2025, Mr Ofori-Atta filed a lawsuit against the OSP and the Special Prosecutor, seeking compensation for what he called an unlawful declaration of him as wanted, and asked for the removal of related publications from the OSPs social media. The High Court in Accra (Human Rights Court) heard an interim application from Mr Ofori-Atta, asking that the OSP be barred from declaring him wanted again on March 28, 2025. Following this the OSP gave a deadline of June 2, 2025 for Mr Ofori-Atta to report in person to the OSP headquarters. According to the OSP, if he fails to appear, his name will be added back to the list of wanted persons and he will again be declared a fugitive from justice. In such case, the OSP will also begin the process to request an INTERPOL Red Notice against him. Below is a copy of the entire address read by the Special Prosecutor at the press briefing last Monday We recall that by a letter dated 24 January 2025, Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta, a former Minister of Finance was informed that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has commenced investigation into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences regarding cases in respect of which the OSP considered him a suspect. Further, he was directed to attend, in person, the OSP on 10 February 2025 for interviewing. Mr. Ofori-Atta was out of the jurisdiction at the time. By a letter dated 31 January 2025, Mr. Ofori-Atta informed the OSP, through his lawyers, that he was out of the jurisdiction indefinitely on medical grounds and that the firm would notify the OSP of his arrival in the country in aid of rescheduling his personal attendance at the OSP. Further, the lawyers offered its willingness to provide the OSP with any information we may require to aid in the investigation until his arrival in the country. Upon receipt of these representations from his lawyers, the OSP, by a letter dated 5 February 2025, informed Mr. Ofori-Atta that the OSP did not need or required notification from his lawyers of his future arrival in the jurisdiction. The OSP acknowledged his lawyers offer to provide us with information in aid of the investigation. However, the OSP insisted that his personal attendance at the OSP was required. The OSP directed Mr. Ofori-Atta to indicate, by close of business on 10 February 2025, a reasonable date of his return to the jurisdiction and attendance at the OSP. The OSP warned him if that if he failed so to do, the OSP would take all necessary legal steps to secure his return to the jurisdiction and attendance at the OSP at our own choosing. Mr. Ofori-Atta failed to indicate a reasonable date of his return to the jurisdiction upon the expiry of the 10 February 2025 deadline, except to still persist in his expressed intent of remaining indefinitely outside the jurisdiction by the transmission of his lawyers of a purported and brusque medical letter on 10 February 2025, which only sought, in effect, to state that he may undergo a possible surgical intervention in March 2025. In the considered opinion of the OSP, that medical letter could not be held to be a disclosure of a reasonable date of Mr. Ofori-Attas return to the jurisdiction and attendance at the OSP since it merely indicated that there may be a possible surgical intervention that may or may not occur in March. The letter, which was in no way a medical report, neither stated nor demonstrated that Mr. Ofori-Atta was a travel risk or that he was an invalid who needed around-the-clock intense medical attention to the point that travelling to the jurisdiction would endanger his life. Upon the expiry of the 10 February 2025 deadline, the Special Prosecutor publicly declared Mr. Ofori-Atta a wanted person and a fugitive from justice on 12 February 2025 on the ground that his avowed posture of remaining indefinitely outside the jurisdiction without indicating a reasonable time of his return to the jurisdiction showed clearly that he had no intention of voluntarily returning to the jurisdiction. By a letter dated 17 February 2025, Mr. Ofori-Attas lawyers transmitted to the Special Prosecutor, a communication laced with vituperation and designed variously as a denigration of the OSP; a lecture on their suppositions as to the mandate of the OSP; a threat of legal action; a sort of homily as to how the OSP should conduct its affairs; an attack on the person of the Special Prosecutor; and a suggestion that the Special Prosecutor had embarked on a personal vendetta against Mr. Ofori-Atta without disclosing the alleged series of retaliatory, vengeful, or hostile acts the Special Prosecutor had directed at him or alleged exchange of such acts between Mr. Ofori-Atta and the Special Prosecutor. Crucially, the 17 February 2025 letter from Mr. Ofori-Attas lawyers failed to indicate a reasonable date of Mr. Ofori-Attas return to the jurisdiction and attendance at the OSP. On this reckoning, the OSP, by a letter dated 17 February 2025, re-affirmed and restated to Mr. Ofori-Atta that he remained a wanted person and a fugitive from justice. The OSP further stated that this tag would so remain until he indicated a reasonable time of his return to the jurisdiction with the necessary and reasonable assurances of abiding by his indicated reasonable time, or until such time that the OSP enforced his return to the jurisdiction and attendance at the OSP, whichever came first. By a letter dated 18 February 2025, Mr. Ofori-Attas lawyers communicated to the OSP that he was scheduled for a possible surgical intervention in the United States on 20/21 March 2025 and further that taking the date of the possible surgical intervention into account, he would require a recovery period of six to eight weeks. On this basis, his lawyers stated that he should be able to return to the jurisdiction between 14 and 30 May 2025. By a letter dated 18 February 2025, the OSP acceded to Mr. Ofori-Attas request to return voluntarily to the jurisdiction between 14 and 30 May 2025, as the Office deemed the indicated recovery period reasonable in the circumstances. Consequently, the OSP removed Mr. Ofori Attas name from the list of wanted persons pending his voluntary return to the jurisdiction based on his own indicated dates. Consequently, the OSP directed Mr. Ofori-Atta to attend the OSP, in person, on Monday 2 June 2025 at 13:30 GMT for interviewing. The OSP emphasised that if he failed to voluntarily return to the jurisdiction within his stated dates, and if he failed to attend the OSP on the rescheduled date of Monday 2 June 2025 at 13:30 GMT, his name would be re-entered on the list of wanted persons and the OSP would consider him a fugitive from justice, whereupon the Office would take all necessary legal steps to secure his return to the jurisdiction and attendance at the OSP at our own choosing. By a letter dated 28 May 2025, Mr. Ofori-Attas lawyers informed the Special Prosecutor that a medical expert has diagnosed Mr. Ofori-Atta with cancer and has earmarked 13 June 2025 for surgery for which reason he would be unable to return to the jurisdiction as scheduled. His lawyers stated that, to the knowledge of the OSP, this has been brought to the attention of the court before which Mr. Ofori-Atta is presently pursuing a human rights claim against the OSP and the Special Prosecutor. His lawyers stated further that in order not to hold the Office back in the performance of its function they had Mr. Ofori-Attas instructions of his readiness to go through video recorded interview for the purpose of eliciting his caution statement. His lawyers offered to meet the Special Prosecutor in person or approach the bench for the purpose of viewing Mr. Ofori-Attas biopsy report whichever suited the Special Prosecutor. Now lets step back a bit from the 28 May 2025 letter from Mr. Ofori-Attas lawyers and place matters in their proper context. The letter from Mr. Ofori-Attas lawyers dated 18 February 2025 clearly indicated that the possible surgical intervention to be performed on him was to occur 20/21 March 2025, upon which reckoning the OSP carefully considered the recovery period and indulgently pushed Mr. Ofori Attas attendance at the OSP to 2 June 2025. Therefore, Mr. Ofori-Atta had a duty to promptly inform the OSP of any fundamental change in his medical circumstances on 21 March 2025, when the advertised surgical intervention was not performed to enable the OSP reschedule a new date of his attendance at the OSP to accommodate any such material changes in his medical condition and treatment itinerary. Mr. Ofori-Atta has known, at least, since 21 March 2025, that no surgical procedure was to be performed on him in March. Yet, he purposively sat by indolently and chose not to inform the OSP of such fundamental changes in his circumstances. Instead, about sixty-seven days after learning of the alleged changed circumstances around 21 March 2025, Mr. Ofori-Atta elected to spring a surprise on the OSP just six days before his scheduled attendance at the OSP by offering to undergo a video recorded interview and a viewing of his biopsy report. Back to the 28 May 2025 letter from the lawyers of Mr. Ofori-Atta. By a letter dated 30 May 2025, the OSP declined Mr. Ofori-Attas offer of video recorded interview for the purpose of eliciting his caution statement. This Office has always insisted on his personal attendance, and we have indicated clearly to him that we are unwilling to waive it. If we were amenable to taking any such statement from Mr. Ofori-Atta in absentia we would have done so in February. We want him here physically and we insist on it. A suspect in a criminal investigation does not pick and choose how the investigative authority should conduct its investigations and the methods suitable to him and his convenience. We will not countenance such conduct not in this case, or in any other case. Further, the OSP has declined Mr. Ofori-Attas invitation to view his biopsy report as we consider it a pointless exercise. This is because it is common learning that a biopsy report contains nothing more than a conclusion, upon the removal and examination of tissue, cells, or fluids from a living body, that some disease or malady was indicated in the samples. A biopsy report is not an expression of a reasoned medical opinion that the subject is an invalid and unable to travel as Mr. Ofori-Atta seeks to suggest is his condition and for which reason he cannot return to the jurisdiction. This much is clear since 24 January 2025 till date, Mr. Ofori-Atta has failed to show any medical report which suggests that he is a travel risk and unable to return to the jurisdiction by reason of his medical condition. It has all been his singular say-so. Therefore, the OSP views Mr. Ofori-Attas lawyers letter dated 28 May 2025 as an expression of utter bad faith on the part of Mr. Ofori-Atta, and it confirms our long-held well-considered opinion and conclusion that Mr. Ofori-Atta has no intention of voluntarily returning to the jurisdiction and to attend the OSP. Further, this Office is unaware of his purported information to the court, whether orally or by written statement, of the alleged change in his circumstances. Today is Monday 2 June 2025. It is more than three hours past the scheduled time of Mr. Ofori-Attas attendance at the OSP and Mr. Ofori-Atta failed to attend the OSP. Mr. Ofori-Attas conduct is totally unacceptable and a baleful spite at law enforcement and criminal investigations. It ends here. It ends today. We would no longer accommodate him. Consequently, the OSP re-declares that Mr. Ofori-Atta is a wanted person and a fugitive from justice. His name is hereby re-entered on the OSPs list of wanted persons. The OSP would take all necessary legal steps to secure Mr. Ofori-Attas return to the jurisdiction and to answer to the criminal enquiries against him. In pursuance of this, about thirty minutes before this briefing, I triggered processes for the issuance of an INTERPOL Red Notice for the location and provisional arrest of Mr. Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta in whichever jurisdiction pending extradition or surrender. Around the same time, I dispatched a request for extradition processes to be instituted for the provisional apprehension in any jurisdiction in which Mr. Ofori-Atta may be located or found, and his extradition to the Republic of Ghana. The OSP would prefer criminal charges in the courts against Mr. Ofori-Atta in due course whether in absentia or otherwise. The principle upon which we proceed is that no person, regardless of title, status, or medical condition, is beyond the reach of inquiry by the OSP. Writer's email: [email protected] Follow @enochfrimpong Follow @Graphicgh Next article: Ken Ofori-Atta appears on Interpol red notice as a wanted man for using public office for profit Featured Tamale-Savelugu-Walewale road: Minister accuses Indian contractor of taking $29.6million and abandoning project Nana Konadu Agyeman Jun - 05 - 2025 , 23:55 3 minutes read The Minister of Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has referred an Indian construction firm, JMC Projects, to the Attorney-General and the Minister of Justice for taking $29.6 million and failing to execute construction works on the Tamale-Savelugu-Walewale road. He said in spite of being paid the $29.6 million, 20 per cent of the total $158 contract sum, the company had only done one per cent of the first phase of the upgrading of the 113 km project, which spans from Savelugu to Walewale. He said after taking the mobilisation fund, the company attempted to change its name to Kalpatura Projects. The project commenced in June 2022 and was expected to be completed in December 2025. Issue of termination Appearing in Parliament on Thursday to respond to an urgent question by the Majority Leader on the status of design-build contract of the Tamale-Savelugu-Walewale stretch, Mr Agbodza expressed dismay at how the Indian contractor also attempted to collect an additional $14 million for allegedly mobilising equipment and staff to site but government refused to pay that amount. The Indian construction firm later issued a notice of termination of contract on March 11, 2024 and attempted to clandestinely transport its construction equipment at the project site in northern Ghana to another project site in Guinea without the explicit consent of the Ministry of Roads and Highways, he said. Notice of termination Asked why he had abandoned the contract, the minister said the contractor said due to the debt restructuring, the project could not go on. He that that was after he had successfully drawn down almost $30 million after former Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, had cut the sod for the commencement of the project on June 17, 2024. The minister said on June 17, 2024, the former Vice President assured the country that the project was going to resume after the completion of the debt restructuring, not knowing that on March 11 the contractor had already served notice of termination. So, the Vice President then did not even know that the contractor had already served notice to terminate the project in March and he was promising in June that the work would be resumed. Mr Agbodza said this took place at a time Ghana owed contractors more than GH20 billion, saying that So, for us to be able to find $30 million and pay a contractor, and he did absolutely no work is worrying. This contractor will be asked to either do the work up to $30 million or we make the necessary recommendations for actions to be taken within our country, the minister warned. Legal action The Minister said at the time the contractor issued the notice of termination of contract in March 2024, it had done only one per cent of the work. However, he said he was of the firm conviction that the Indian construction firm either execute the road project worth the amount collected or government of Ghana would use every legal means to retrieve the money paid to the contractor. The Minister expressed surprise that while the previous New Patriotic Party government was owing Ghanaian road contractors to the tune of GH21 billion, it could mobilise almost $30 million to pay a foreign road contractor without any work done. The contract, worth $158 million, was awarded in 2022 and was expected to be completed within 42 months in December 2025 but at the moment the contractor has abandoned site. Featured Ukraine and Ghana to deepen cooperation in cybersecurity and digital innovation GraphicOnline Jun - 06 - 2025 , 12:52 3 minutes read Ukraine and Ghana have committed to advancing bilateral cooperation in cybersecurity, digitalisation, and information technology following a high-level virtual meeting between officials of both countries on Tuesday, June 4, 2025. The engagement, which took place between Ukraines Deputy Foreign Minister and Chief Digital Transformation Officer, Anton Demokhin, and Ghanas Minister for Communications, Information Technology, and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, focused on deepening collaboration in critical areas such as cyber defence, artificial intelligence, innovation development, and digital governance. According to a statement issued by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two nations expressed a shared interest in fostering government-to-government and business-to-business cooperation across the digital space, as part of broader efforts to strengthen ties between Kyiv and Accra. The growing dynamic of Ukrainian-Ghanaian dialogue at the highest political level, as well as between our foreign ministers, clearly demonstrates the mutual interest of Ukraine and Ghana in developing broad bilateral cooperation, said Demokhin. We commend Ghanas Digital Agenda as a timely step towards the global digital economy and believe that Ukrainian experience would support the initiatives on agenda. According to the statement, Demokhin briefed his Ghanaian counterpart on Ukraines achievements in digital transformation, cybersecurity resilience, and the use of innovative technologies to enhance public services and governance. He also reportedly highlighted ongoing efforts to connect Ukrainian IT firms with global markets through platforms such as Code-UA. The Ghanaian minister, Samuel Nartey George, reportedly on his side lauded Ukraines advancements and expressed interest in leveraging Ukrainian expertise to strengthen Ghanas own cybersecurity systems. He is said to have also showed keen interest in adopting AI-driven public administration tools, establishing the role of Chief Digital Transformation Officers (CDTOs) within government institutions, and improving nationwide digital literacy. We are eager to learn from Ukraines experiences and strengthen our systems for greater resilience and innovation, Mr George reportedly said. He also stressed the importance of cross-border collaboration in safeguarding digital infrastructure, especially in the face of evolving cyber threats. Both parties agreed to explore the organisation of a joint Ukrainian-Ghanaian IT forum to facilitate greater engagement between technology firms, public institutions, and investors from both countries. The forum, if realised, will showcase the potential of Ukraines technology ecosystem while enabling Ghanaian innovators and stakeholders to forge strategic partnerships. The dialogue also touched on Ghanas participation in global efforts to support peace in Ukraine. Demokhin thanked the Government of Ghana for its principled position and participation in international efforts aimed at achieving a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine. The virtual meeting builds on earlier discussions held during the Second Global Conference on Cyber Capacity Building, which took place in Geneva from May 13 to 14, 2025. The continued dialogue is part of Ukraines broader cyberdiplomacy strategy and signals a growing digital partnership with African states like Ghana. Officials from Ukraines Ministry of Digital Transformation and the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection also took part in the discussions. Both countries are expected to hold follow-up technical sessions in the coming months to outline detailed areas of cooperation and implementation timelines. Featured President Mahama pledges substantial cut in Hajj fares if cedi stability holds GraphicOnline Politics Jun - 06 - 2025 , 13:01 2 minutes read President John Dramani Mahama has assured Ghanas Muslim population that the cost of participating in the annual Hajj pilgrimage could be reduced significantly in 2026, contingent on continued strength of the local currency and ongoing diplomatic engagements with Saudi authorities. Speaking at the national Eid-ul-Adha prayers at Black Star Square in Accra on Friday, June 6, the President acknowledged the strain this years Hajj fare had placed on Muslim families, despite modest reductions made by the government. He attributed the high cost largely to foreign exchange challenges but said recent gains in the value of the cedi offer a path to affordability. This year, despite efforts, the cost remained high even though we cut it, Mr Mahama stated. But I want to assure you that we are working closely with the relevant agencies and our Saudi counterparts If Allah accepts our supplications and the cedi continues to show the recent strength that it has shown, I am optimistic that next year we will see a very significant drop in the Hajj fare. The President explained that if the current exchange rate had prevailed during the earlier bookings, pilgrims would have paid an estimated GH45,000 considerably lower than the fare charged this year. In addition to Hajj-related reforms, Mr Mahama also announced a major legislative move to respond to what he described as a longstanding appeal from the Muslim community. A bill, he disclosed, has been prepared to formalise Eid-ul-Fitr as a statutory public holiday, removing the need for its annual declaration by executive fiat. It means that it will be a law and no longer be declared by executive instrument, he said, underscoring the importance of the festival in the spiritual lives of Muslims. The President further announced that he had instructed the Minister for Education to take steps to revitalise the Islamic Education Unit. This, he noted, would include improved recruitment and training of Arabic language instructors to ensure quality teaching in Islamic schools across the country. His comments were delivered before a large crowd of worshippers gathered for the Eid prayers, which mark the Festival of Sacrifice in the Islamic calendar. Last month, Motorola unveiled the Edge (2025) for North American markets like the US and Canada, promising it would be released on June 5. And that's exactly what's just happened. Motorola Edge (2025) These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales. 256GB 8GB RAM $ 549.99 Show all prices The Edge (2025) is now available in the US in Deep Forest for $549.99 at Motorola's website and Best Buy, with Amazon supposedly following suit in the next few hours. It will also make it to T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile, Total Wireless, Visible, Spectrum, and Xfinity Mobile "in the coming months". Motorola Edge (2025) In Canada, where you can currently only find the phone at Motorola's online store, the price is CAD 849.99 and the colorway is the same (it's the only one). The Edge (2025) is only offered with 256GB of storage. It comes with a 6.7-inch 1220x2712 P-OLED screen with 120 Hz refresh rate and 4,500-nit peak brightness, the MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Ultra SoC, 8GB of RAM, a triple rear camera setup (50 MP main with OIS, 10 MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom and OIS, 50 MP ultrawide with autofocus), a 50 MP front camera, and a 5,200 mAh battery with support for 68W wired and 15W wireless charging. It runs Android 15. These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales. This is when the Redmi Pad 2 lands in India Mere hours ago, the Redmi Pad 2 went official and it's definitely been a long time coming, this one, seeing as how the original Redmi Pad launched all the way back in 2022. The Redmi Pad 2 is currently available in some European markets, but it's also headed to India. And Redmi's Indian arm has officially revealed when it's launching over there - on June 18. That missing piece in your day-to-day life? We found it. Say hello to the #RedmiPad2, #BuiltForMore than ever before. Launching on June 18th. Stay tuned: https://t.co/kbRSUEfsWj pic.twitter.com/fnipxaBNP8 Redmi India (@RedmiIndia) June 5, 2025 Of course, pricing for the Indian market will only be made official on that day, but the specs should be identical to the international model. It has an 11-inch IPS LCD screen with 90 Hz refresh rate and 600-nit peak brightness, the MediaTek Helio G100 Ultra SoC at the helm, 4/6/8GB of RAM, 128/256GB of storage, an 8 MP rear camera, a 5 MP front camera, and a 9,000 mAh battery with support for 18W wired charging. It runs Android 15 with Xiaomi's HyperOS 2 on top. No longer is the island of Guam, our home, just a remote outpost. It is the center of security in the Pacific and can be the center of trade and new technologies. Yet, if we are to seize this moment, we must acknowledge one fundamental truth: Guams transformation into a 21st century tech and innovation hub will rise, or fall, on the strength of our workforce. Everything starts here at home. Warning, wake-up call The 1997 closure of Guams Naval Ship Repair Facility devastated our islands industrial workforce capacity. Highly skilled welders, mechanics, inspectors, and engineers left en masse. What was once a bustling hub of maritime capability was reduced to a fraction of its potential. Today, Guam can barely meet American Bureau of Shipping standards for basic afloat maintenance, much less NAVSEA-level ship repair required for U.S. Navy combatants. But we now have a second chance. The Department of Defenses Regional Sustainment Framework recognizes the necessity of distributed, forward-positioned logistics and sustainment capacity. That means Guam is needed now more than ever to serve as a Western Pacific sustainment and logistics hub. Recent criseslike Singapores pandemic shutdownforced urgent rerouting of Littoral Combat Ship sustainment work to Guam. The message is clear: the capacity must be here, in Guamnot 3,000 miles away. Laying the groundwork Companies like Cabras Marine Corporation are already investing. After losing its dry dock to a typhoon, the company is exploring a multi-million-dollar pier-side lift system and expanding training programs through bootcamps and apprenticeships. Its partnership with Guam Community College is creating real pathways into ship repair careers. Smithbridge Guam is also showing how private industry can drive workforce development. With more than 46 employees currently enrolled at the GCA Trades Academy, Smithbridge pays 100% of tuition while encouraging cross-training and upward mobility. Theyve built a company culture that values learning, and its paying off in safety, retention, and pride. These arent isolated effortsthey are proof of whats possible. The Guam Contractors Association, the GCA Trades Academy, GCC, and the American Job Center are building the pipelines. We just need to widen them and pour in more talent, tools, and training. Roadmap for workforce-led transformation If we are serious about future economic innovation, we should prioritize workforce development. The path forward looks like this: 1. Rebuild Guams ship and submarine repair capability Establish NAVSEA-compliant maintenance facilities with advanced infrastructure like a dry dock. Train welders, naval architects, heavy mechanics, and engineers to beyond ABS standards and NAVSEA standards. Coordinate public-private investments using the expansion and modification of current statues and DoD regulations to create a Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence in Guam. 2. Leverage ship repair to advance high-tech capability Introduce 3D printing, IoT-enabled maintenance tools, and smart diagnostics to MRO operations. Use these capabilities as dual-use technologies for future commercial and civilian markets. 3. Expand sustainment capabilities beyond ships Build capacity in aerospace, heavy equipment, and defense readiness material maintenance. Make Guam a logistics hub not just for defense, but for Pacific commercial trade. 4. Build a 21st century workforce Align GCC, UOG, GCA Trades Academy, and high school career and technical education, CTE, programs to future-focused skills: AI, data analytics, logistics automation, and cybersecurity. Create fast-track credentialing programs tied to specific job roles in MRO, logistics, and tech. Why wait? In a previous column, I suggested the concept of Guam Aerospace & Defense Alliance, GADA, which offers a coordinating mechanism to unite private industry, government, education, and the federal government behind a singular goal: transform Guam into a Pacific innovation and technology hub. But GADA, or any plan, is only as strong as its workforce. This is not a moment for more studies or roundtables. This is a moment for action. We must make workforce development our number one strategic priority, not just a policy line item, but the core organizing principle of Guams future. We need more boot camps, more apprenticeships, more employer-led training, and more high school-to-career pipelines. We should broadcast a clear signal to everyone who has left the island: Come home. Were building something here. Lets act now Guam cannot wait for an opportunity to knock. Opportunity is already here. We have a real and present need to rebuild our maritime, logistics, and technical labor force. Not because we might be needed in the future, but because we are needed now. Our future depends on our ability to always be innovating. The government of Guam is now in negotiations with Core Tech International to build a new Simon Sanchez High School campus in Yigo, according to a news release from the Department of Public Works. Three experienced firms submitted full proposals for the Finance, Demolition, Design, Build, Lease/Leaseback, and Insure/Capital Maintenance delivery of the new campus: Core Tech International General Pacific Services Guam Education Financing Foundation All three companies demonstrated significant capacity and experience in school construction, along with a clear desire to serve as long-term partners to the Yigo community, the release stated. Each firm articulated its commitment to deliver a project that meets technical, financial, operations, and maintenance expectations. The firm recommended for negotiations was Core Tech. With this selection, DPW and government stakeholders will move into the contract negotiation phase. If terms cannot be finalized with the top-ranked proposer, the government will initiate discussions with the next most qualified firm as provided by law. The selection is a milestone in delivering a campus for the students and educators of northern Guam, DPW said. A multi-agency evaluation committeechaired by Guam Department of Education Superintendent K. Erik Swanson and comprised of representatives from GDOE, Guam Economic Development Authority, Department of Public Works, and Department of Land Managementcarried out the review. I want to personally thank each member of the Evaluation Committee for their diligence and professionalism throughout this process, said DPW Director Vincent P. Arriola in a statement. The work theyve done reflects a shared commitment to our youth and the future of Guam. The director said the process has never just been about construction. Its about restoring trust in public institutions and providing our youth with the facilities they deserve. This was a long, carefully structured RFP, developed with input from GDOE, the principal of Simon Sanchez High School, GEDA, DPW, the Attorney Generals Office, and our consultants, all of whom are committed to getting this right, he said. Arriola also emphasized the importance of maintaining forward momentum. The students of Simon Sanchez and their families have waited too long. Every proposer has claimed to be a committed community partner, and we are taking them at their word. A protest at this stage would not only be contrary to that commitmentit would delay a project that thousands of students, parents, and educators have been depending on for over a decade, he said. A man who refused to stop for police and drove away was later found with drugs and a stolen gun, according to a magistrates complaint filed in Superior Court. Albert Salas Saboy Jr. was charged with possession of a Schedule II controlled substance with intent to deliver as a first-degree felony, possession of a Schedule II controlled substance, theft by receiving a stolen firearm, possession of a firearm without firearms identification, possession of a concealed firearm without valid ID and possession/ownership of an unregistered firearm as third-degree felonies and eluding a police officer as a misdemeanor. On June 3, officers saw a Dodge Ram with defective headlights on Route 28 and they activated emergency lights and sirens to conduct a traffic stop. The operator, later identified as Saboy, ignored the lights and sirens and continued to drive north. As officers followed the car, Saboy brought it to a stop on the shoulder. As officers were exiting their vehicle, Saboy resumed driving north at approximately 20 miles per hour. He ignored emergency lights and sirens until he stopped the vehicle on Chalan Panao. An officer instructed Saboy to exit the vehicle, but he refused. He opened the driver door and an officer noted what appeared to be a baggie containing a white crystallized substance on the drivers side floor. The officer saw Saboy trying to step on the baggie and instructed him to exit the vehicle for a second time. He refused to exit the vehicle so officers removed him and he was arrested. He admitted there was a firearm in the vehicle and he consented to a search, the complaint stated. An officer observed in plain view a loaded gun magazine on the drivers seat and searched the drivers side for the firearm, but didnt find one. The officer searched the passenger side and found a Ruger LCPII beneath the passenger seat and confiscated the firearm, magazine, and five rounds of ammunition as evidence. An officer also found a sling pouch behind the drivers seat and inside the pouch was a digital scale, a straw and baggies. The pouch and its contents were confiscated as evidence. An officer conducted a field test on the suspected methamphetamine and the test yielded a presumptive positive result for methamphetamine. The officer learned the firearm was reported stolen in February 2024. Saboy admitted to operating the Dodge and admitted to driving away from officers because he did not want to go to jail, documents state. He admitted to owning the pouch and the suspected methamphetamine, the complaint stated. He also said hes been using methamphetamine since 11th grade and last used methamphetamine on June 2. He admitted to selling methamphetamine and to purchasing four or five grams to resell to make his money back, the complaint stated. Organizations have come forward to express interest in hosting a political status vote or a plebiscite for Guam, now that a government-run vote has stalled. Thats according to Commission on Decolonization Executive Director Melvin Won Pat-Borja, who shared the update at this weeks commission meeting. There has been interest from a couple non-government organizations, Won Pat-Borja said. We have just been trying to provide historical information without putting us in a position to violate the court order. He did not specify what organizations were interested in the project, during the meeting. Having a non-governmental organization, NGO, host the non-binding plebiscite was one of several options floated to get the vote moving in a 2024 legal opinion from Attorney General Douglas Moylan. The decolonization commission is tasked in Guam law with educating the public about political status optionsindependence, statehood, or free-associationand then hosting a vote. But a federal court in 2019 found the plebiscite law to be illegally race-based, despite objections from the local government. Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero in October said having an NGO host the vote for the island might make the most sense to host a vote for native inhabitants of the island, without violating the court ruling. However, the AGs 2024 opinion stressed that any NGO, which are typically nonprofits, could not appear to be merely a surrogate for government action, and no plan for moving the plebiscite forward has materialized to date. The kind of hard and fast piece that we cant use public funds to move on, move forward on the referendum, Won Pat-Borja said this week about having an NGO host the vote. Everything were sharing is public information. You know, its a lot of just the legislative record, the information that is part of Guam Election Commissions public information, Won Pat-Borja said. Theres nothing inappropriate about communicating and providing additional information to these NGOs. Until some organization decides to take its own action, we are still, unfortunately, in the same position that weve been in for a while now, Won Pat-Borja added. Besides movement on the NGO front, Sen. Will Parkinson last month called for a political status vote to be held by the 2026 or 2028 election. Parkinson, a statehood supporter, has argued that the deadline should be set to push the plebiscite forward, with the details of how to host the vote figured out along the way. Reports of interest from think-tanks in Washington, D.C. of making Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands a single U.S. state also made the headlines earlier this year, and drew concern from the governor. Guam law calls for the native inhabitants of the island, defined as the descendants of the 1950 Organic Act of Guam and their descendants, to vote in the non-binding plebiscite. The vote is supposed to determine what political status those native inhabitants would want if the island moves towards decolonization from the U.S. In 2011, Arnold Dave Davis, a non-CHamoru resident of the island who could not register for the vote, sued, alleging the plebiscite law was race-based and unconstitutional. Despite arguments from GovGuam that native inhabitants defined under the law were not just CHamoru, federal courts found the definition was a proxy for race. Police are investigating bomb threats made to the Guam Premier Outlets, Dusit Thani Hotel, Agana Shopping Center and the Office of the Governor on Friday. Detector dogs from Guam International Airport Authority Police and the Guam Police Department were deployed to assist in the investigation, GPD spokesman Sgt. Paul Tapao said in a news release. The establishments were closed as officials investigated the bomb threats and were all given the all clear to reopen. Tapao said police worked with the affected businesses and government establishments in ensuring the safety of their patrons and the community. Guam Fire Department units also responded. Our primary responsibility was (to) assist with evacuation and accountability, GFD Lt. Nick Garrido said. Series of threats Fridays threats were the latest in a series that began Thursday night. Micronesia Malls Pay-Less Supermarket and the food court at the mall were threatened, and additional threats were made to the Nikko Hotel Guam, Tapao said. Less than two hours later, the all-clear was given to the mall and the hotel. On Friday morning, more threats were made. The Office of the Governor received a bomb threat Friday morning and as a precaution the facility has been evacuated and operations are temporarily suspended until further notice, spokesperson Krystal Paco-San Agustin said. Authorities are actively investigating, and the safety of our employees and the public remains our top priority. All public events scheduled for today are canceled, she said. According to Adelup, the governors complex was given the all-clear by GPD around noon. Operations resumed at 1 p.m., but scheduled events remained canceled. Planning for threats The federal Department of Homeland Security encourages businesses and organizations to have a plan for dealing with bomb threats. Bomb threats that turn out to be hoaxes are a daily occurrence, often come in clusters across the U.S., and are typically made to harass, intimidate, and/or retaliate against their intended target, according to a bulletin from Homeland Security. Any threat should be immediately reported to law enforcement, who will evaluate and verify if the threat is a hoax. Prison sentences In the past, bomb threats on Guam have resulted in prison sentences for people who tried to cause turmoil or disrupt schools, government functions or businesses with hoax calls. Under Guam law, terroristic conduct is defined as threatening an act of violence with intent to cause evacuation of a building, place of assembly; or facility of public transportation, or otherwise to cause serious public inconvenience, or in reckless disregard of the risk of causing such inconvenience. It is a third-degree felony punishable by three years in prison. GPD is seeking the communitys help in investigating the bomb threats. If anyone has any information, they are asked to call GPD dispatchers at 671-475-8544. Information can also be submitted anonymously at guam.crimestoppersweb.com. All tips will remain completely confidential and a cash reward could be paid if the information provided leads to an arrest. The Guam Police Department reminds the community, If you see something. Say something. The Guam Police Department is investigating bomb threats made to the Guam Premier Outlets, Dusit Thani Hotel, Agana Shopping Center and the Office of the Governor. The Guam International Airport Authority Police K-9 and GPD's K-9 have been deployed, GPD said in a statement. Police are currently working with the affected businesses and government establishments in ensuring the safety of their patrons and the community. The Office of the Governor received a bomb threat Friday morning and as a precaution the facility has been evacuated and operations are temporarily suspended until further notice, spokesperson Krystal Paco-San Agustin said. "Authorities are actively investigating, and the safety of our employees and the public remains our top priority. All public events scheduled for today are canceled," Paco-San Agustin said. According to Adelup, the governor's complex was given the all clear by GPD around noon. All operations will resume at 1 p.m., but all events remain canceled for the day. This is the latest bomb threat reported as GPD responded to Micronesia Mall and Nikko Hotel on Thursday night. Pet owners and their four-legged companions can participate in the Rotary Club of Guam Sunrises 2K Pet Run Walk/5K Run Walk set for Saturday. The event will raise funds for community projects. The clubs 2K is perfect for pet owners and their four-legged companions to stretch their paws and wag their tails. No dogs? No worries. Everyones welcome to walk or run in the 2K or 5K. If you go: When: Saturday, June 7 Where: CHamoru Village in Hagatna Showtime: 5:15 a.m. 5K run/walk event starts at 6 a.m. 2K pet run/walk starting at 6:05 a.m. The Rotary Club of Guam Sunrise said this weekend event presents a unique opportunity to join the club in advocating and promoting the health of the island community, pets, and overall wellness. It will especially allow pet owners to include their canine family members in our charitable efforts, it said. The 2K/5K has become a signature event on Guam that celebrates the special bond between humans and their four-legged companions and enjoy a leisurely stroll or run together. The paw-sitive weekend activity isnt about speed but about spending quality time with furry companions outdoors and connecting with fellow pet owners and other community members. Proceeds will support community projects, both locally and internationally, and unite people to take action and create lasting change, which is a significant principle of Rotary, the Rotary Club said. Register now One can also register online at https://my.raceresult.com/340817/ or register with the QR code in the event flier. On-site registration and bib pick-up is on race day, June 7, at 5:30 a.m. For any inquiries, email rcsunrise671@gmail.com. There has been a lot of debate on what Guam can do to revitalize tourism. I have a small but simple proposal: Curry. If you have braved the line at Coco Ichiban, which finally opened in Donki, you may have enjoyed Japanese style curry rice. This is a popular restaurant chain in Japan, but curry rice is almost as common and popular in Japan as sushi and ramen. It is also a popular dish in Korea. In other words, it is a popular dish in Guams top two tourist markets. One of the fun things about eating curry in Japan is the tremendous range of options. Different curry chains and even individual restaurants have different tastes. There are black curries and European style curries. In many restaurants, you can choose the level of spiciness and mix and match toppings. My personal favorite is a curry chain in Sapporo where you can get gyoza curry. The point is curry rice is a simple dish that allows for endless variety that encourages people to keep trying it. It seems that it would be easy to turn Guam into a curry destination offering creative local variations. Curry Red Rice, Short Ribs on Curry Riceyou get the picture. A modest marketing campaign and perhaps an annual contest would be an easy way to start. But wait, theres more. Standard curry powder is made with three simple ingredients: powdered turmeric, chili pepper and coriander, though more spices can be added for different flavors. The key thing is that the three principal ingredients are easy to grow in Guam. I have made curry powder from what I have been able to grow on my balcony. So not only could a Guam curry culture offer delicious dining experiences welcome to tourists and locals alike, but it would be an easy way to create affordable souvenirs that are entirely made in Guam. Curry powder is a common staple in most Japanese kitchens, so it would be a welcome and useful gift or souvenir option that reminds tourists of their visit to our beautiful and delicious island. Haiti - FLASH : Resumption of domestic flights including Port-au-Prince On June 5, 2025, Alfred Metellus, Minister of Economy and Finance, and Philippe Bayard, Chairman and CEO of the private Haitian airline Sunrise Airways, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to resume domestic flights. This initiative is part of the country's economic recovery and territorial development strategy. Flights will resume on June 12, 2025, connecting Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haitien, Les Cayes, and Jeremie. The signing ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime and the Director General of the National Airport Authority, Yves Ducarmel Francois. This strategic decision follows several weeks of suspension of domestic flights due to structural and security difficulties. The Prime Minister emphasized the critical importance of this initiative for the revival of the national aviation sector. He stated that it will facilitate connectivity between regions, stimulate economic exchanges, and strengthen the country's social and commercial fabric. The Prime Minister also expressed the hope that this relaunch will inspire other partners, particularly international ones, to actively contribute to the gradual redeployment of air traffic to and from Haiti. In a press release, Sunrise Airways provided details of this agreement, which follows a request from the Haitian Government to Sunrise Airways to resume its scheduled domestic flights to and from Port-au-Prince. "Sunrise Airways agreed to this sollicitation, conditional upon the implementation of an additional insurance solution provided by the State. This measure is intended to ensure a minimum acceptable level of coverage for potential human casualties and material damages in the event of an incident or air disaster, whether directly or indirectly linked to the countrys highly volatile security situation." This supplementary coverage, with a maximum amount of USD 11 million, will be provided by the State via the Ministry of Economy and Finance in the form of a financial guarantee. This guarantee will only be activated when necessary, to directly compensate victims, their beneficiaries, and for material damages, as a complement to the compensation paid by the airlines insurance provider. The agreement signed on June 5, 2025, between the State and Sunrise Airways defines the technical procedures for the implementation of this guarantee, as well as the operational framework for the gradual resumption of regular domestic flights exclusively. Sunrise Airways would like to express its sincere appreciation to the Prime Minister and public authorities for their commitment and actions that made this outcome possible. Information on schedules and fares will be available shortly on the website www.sunriseairways.net " About Sunrise Airways : Since 2012, SUNRISE AIRWAYS has been developing a network with the aim of connecDng the capitals and islands that share the same space and the same future in the Caribbean region. With 11 operational bases and more than 250 employees, Sunrise Airways has transported more than 1.7 million passengers between 20 destinations, in Haiti and the region, from Florida to Havana, Santiago, Holguin, Camaguey, Guadeloupe, Panama, Miami, Saint Marin and since 2024 through its new network in the Eastern Caribbean which serves AnDgua, Saint Kitt, Dominica, St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenada, and more to come to connect the entire region. HL/ SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Politic : Reactions of the Chancellery to the ban on Haitians entering the USA On Thursday, June 5, 2025, the Haitian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the United States government's June 4th decree restricting entry into its territory for foreign nationals from 12 countries, including Haiti https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-45056-haiti-flash-trump-bans-haitians-from-entering-the-usa.html . "This decision comes at a time when the Haitian government is striving, with the support of its international partners, to combat insecurity and strengthen border security." The Chancellery's note emphasizes: "While taking into account the immigration policy measures adopted in the exercise of the sovereign rights of a foreign government, the Ministry draws attention to the danger posed by armed gangs, recently designated terrorist groups, to Haiti's relations with other countries... The Chancellery is aware of the consequences of this decision on Haitian families both inside and outside the country and is committed to working towards rapid solutions. It notes that this measure takes effect on June 9, 2025, and prohibits entry to the United States for Haitian nationals, with certain exceptions such as : 1. Lawful permanent residents of the United States; 2. Holders of valid visas issued before the effective date of the decision; 3. Diplomats and representatives of international organizations; 4. Specific humanitarian cases, including children adopted by American citizens." For more details, download the full text of the decree (English PDF) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/proclamation-trump-04-06-2025.pdf In light of the "Los Angeles Declaration for Regular, Safe, and Orderly Migration" adopted at the 9th Summit of the Americas held in the United States of America in June 2022, the Chancellery intends to continue dialogue and cooperation with the U.S. Government on security and migration policy. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-45056-haiti-flash-trump-bans-haitians-from-entering-the-usa.html HL/ HaitiLibre A cargo ship that caught fire in the North Pacific with several hundred electric cars on board has been evacuated, and the fire is still burning. The US Coast Guard has announced that the ship named Morning Midas, which was evacuated around 500 km south of the Aleutian settlement of Adak, was carrying exactly, 3048 vehicles, 70 of which were pure electric cars. A further 681 vehicles are hybrid-powered, which means they are also electric cars. The majority of the rest apparently have a combustion engine and therefore no large battery on board. The coastguard is therefore working with the shipping company Zodiac Maritime to coordinate the salvage of the burning ship. So it was not abandoned. Anzeige Almost 2000 tons of fuel As the US Coast Guard explains, the distress call from the Liberian-flagged cargo ship was received on Tuesday local time. As a result, all ships in the vicinity were asked to provide assistance if possible. Three ships did so, and all 22 crew members reached one of them unharmed by a lifeboat. According to the coast guard, it is unclear what the status of the fire on board is now, but thick smoke is still rising. There are not only several hundred electric cars on board, but also 350 tons of gas fuel and 1,530 tons of low-sulphur heating oil, according to the Coast Guard. At least that is what the coast guard was told by the operator. The incident in the North Pacific is reminiscent of the fire on the car freighter Fremantle Highway in the North Sea almost two years ago. Back then, the ship that caught fire was also carrying several thousand cars. Initially, it was said that only a few dozen of these were also purely electric cars, but ultimately almost 500 were found there. It was also initially assumed that one of the electric cars had caught fire and started the fire. However, this was not confirmed. All the electric cars were recovered in apparently good condition. At the same time, however, part of the decks, including the vehicles standing there, had completely melted. One person was killed during the evacuation. Read also Brennende Elektroautos als weitere Herausforderung fur die Feuerwehr (mho) Don't miss any news follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Mastodon. This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical assistance and editorially reviewed before publication. The proposed changes will raise the standard four-year residency requirement to six years. In some cases, applicants will still be eligible after four years if they meet specific criteria relating to income, education, or language proficiency. Finland is set to introduce stricter criteria for permanent residence permits, with new conditions taking effect from 8 January 2026. The government submitted its proposal to Parliament on Thursday. The new law aims to encourage greater integration among foreign residents, according to Interior Minister Mari Rantanen. Successful integration would be a prerequisite for a permanent residence permit, she said in a press release. The objective is to encourage immigrants to follow Finnish rules, work, and learn the language. Under the revised system, applicants may qualify for permanent residency after four years if they fulfil at least one of the following: Earn a minimum of 40,000 annually Hold a recognised masters or postgraduate degree and have worked in Finland for two years Demonstrate high proficiency in Finnish or Swedish and have at least three years of work experience Applicants who rely on unemployment benefits or social assistance for more than three months during the qualifying period will not meet the work experience requirement. The government also confirmed that broader conditions will apply, including proof of integration and long-term commitment to Finnish society. The changes form part of a wider immigration policy shift introduced by the current administration. The proposal comes amid increased political focus on labour market participation and language acquisition among migrants. The government has previously expressed concern that the existing four-year pathway to permanent residence does not provide sufficient incentive for integration. The new rules are expected to affect thousands of future applicants and mark a significant departure from current practice. HT Froneri Finland, which manufactures ice cream for Fazer, Kesko, S Group, and Lidl, is a subsidiary of the multinational Froneri Group. The parent company continues operating in Russia, producing local ice cream and Western-style frozen desserts for the domestic market. Several popular Finnish ice cream brands remain linked to Russia through their producer, despite public condemnation of Moscows war in Ukraine. Fazer, Kesko, S Group, and Lidl told Yle that they oppose Froneris activities in Russia. However, none plan to replace Froneri Finland as their supplier. Froneri produces all Fazer-branded ice creams under licence, as well as parts of the Pirkka, Kotimaista, and Gelatelli product lines sold across Finland. Anna Hannula, a corporate responsibility expert at Tampere University, said the contradiction between brands statements and their continued business with a Russia-linked firm weakens their credibility. Theres a contradiction if you say you condemn the war, yet still maintain even an indirect link to Russia, Hannula said. Froneri Finland operates independently in Turenki, southern Finland, employing local workers and using domestic ingredients. However, experts argue that local operations do not offset the reputational damage caused by the parent company's presence in Russia. According to Agathe Demarais, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, Western firms that remain in Russia indirectly help finance the Kremlin. In an article for Foreign Policy, Demarais wrote that these companies have contributed over 14 billion to the Russian state during the full-scale war in Ukraine. Fazer Confectionery Managing Director Lara Saulo said the company had reviewed alternative producers in 2023 but found no suitable option without ties to Russia. To be honest, we couldnt find an operator that could serve Finnish consumers as comprehensively, Saulo said. Fazer had considered withdrawing entirely from the ice cream market due to ethical concerns, but ultimately decided against it. If that had happened, consumers would have had even fewer domestic options, Saulo added, pointing out that global supply chains offer limited alternatives. Froneri and its Finnish subsidiary insist their Russian business is isolated. Despite this, public and expert scrutiny is increasing as consumers and policymakers examine the ethical implications of ongoing commercial links with Russia. Multinational firms such as Unilever have already exited the Russian market, selling operations at a loss amid growing pressure. Unilever is among Froneris main competitors and also operates ice cream manufacturing facilities in Sweden, producing brands such as Ingman. For now, no Finnish retailer has committed to ending its cooperation with Froneri Finland. Fazer has expressed continued interest in finding new suppliers but concedes that the industrys structure complicates efforts to fully sever ties with Russia. HT The property, known as Harjun Helmi, has stood vacant since its closure in 2022 following bankruptcy. It includes a cafe and disused petrol station building, while fuel pumps on the site are operated under lease by a separate company. The Finnish Defence Ministry has denied a request by an Israeli national to purchase a defunct petrol station in Haukivuori, Mikkeli, citing national security risks and unclear business motives. The Defence Ministry announced on Wednesday that it had blocked the sale based on legislation governing foreign ownership of properties considered relevant to national defence. The ministry assessed that the buyer had no prior connections to Finland, nor any ties to the Mikkeli area. According to the ministry, the purchaser lacked experience in the petrol station or service industry and provided a business plan containing inconsistencies. Officials said these factors raised doubts about the credibility of the proposed use of the property. The ministry also cited concerns about the buyers possible links to Russia. It cannot be ruled out that the property would be used in a manner that endangers national security, the decision stated. The Israeli buyer had made contact through representatives last autumn, according to estate agent Mirja Paasisalo, who was managing the sale on behalf of the bankruptcy estate. She said the group visited the site and took photographs, but did not speak English. Communication was conducted using a translation app. Paasisalo confirmed that she learned of the cancellation from the seller, not directly from the Defence Ministry. The ministry did not publicly identify the prospective buyer. Mikkeli is of growing strategic importance. A Nato headquarters is currently being established in the area, and dozens of officers are expected to be stationed there by the end of the year. The denial is part of Finland's broader efforts to scrutinise foreign property acquisitions near critical infrastructure and sensitive military locations, particularly amid heightened tensions with Russia. Finland shares a 1,340-kilometre border with Russia and became a member of Nato in April 2023. This is not the first time Finland has blocked a foreign land deal. Several similar cases have been denied since 2020 under legislation that grants the Defence Ministry authority to intervene in non-EU real estate purchases deemed to pose risks to national security. HT According to Detective Chief Inspector Mikko Minkkinen , these groups, often composed of a few individuals, move quickly from country to country and remain in Finland only for short periods. He said the suspects are mostly foreign nationals who fly in, operate for a few weeks, then leave. Police in Helsinki have reported a rise in incidents involving professional pickpocket groups operating across Europe and now increasingly present in Finland. They are typically small groups flying across Europe, Minkkinen told Helsingin Sanomat. Earlier this week, a team of three pickpockets stole two passports and a wallet from a womans backpack in central Helsinki. The incident, witnessed by local media, reflects a broader trend police have observed: the number of such crimes has grown rapidly. Pickpocketing in Finland is often conducted discreetly. Common targets include areas heavily trafficked by tourists, such as popular churches and monuments. Minkkinen noted that tourists are particularly vulnerable because they frequently carry larger amounts of cash and important travel documents. Passports are a prime target. Tourists often carry valuables that are of high interest to professional thieves, said Minkkinen. He explained that items are usually taken from locations out of a victims line of sight, like backpacks or jacket side pockets. The best defence is prevention, he advised. Close your backpack securely and wear it on the front in crowded places. Inner jacket pockets are also safer. Minkkinen reminded the public that Finnish law allows anyone to detain a suspect caught in the act of committing a crime that may lead to imprisonment, such as petty theft. But he urged caution. I dont recommend rushing in, he said. People should assess their own strength and whether more than one suspect is involved. The law doesnt grant special rights to use force grabbing someone by the arm is permitted, but shouting to scare them off can be just as effective. In many cases, victims do not recover stolen property. If police cannot catch the suspect immediately, the chances of retrieving items are low. Travel insurance may offer compensation, and those who lose a passport are advised to contact their national embassy. The Finnish police have not disclosed specific numbers, but described the increase in professional pickpocket activity as significant. Helsinkis growing tourism industry has made it a more attractive target. Authorities urge visitors and residents to remain alert, secure belongings, and report any suspicious activity to the police immediately. HT The company revealed the project on Friday, calling it a new chapter in maritime transport. According to Viking Line, Helios will mark a significant shift in Baltic Sea travel by combining large passenger capacity with zero-emission technology. Ferry operator Viking Line has announced plans to launch the worlds largest fully electric-powered passenger car ferry by the early 2030s. The vessel, named Helios, is designed to operate emission-free between Helsinki and Tallinn. The proposed vessel will be approximately 195 metres long and 30 metres wide. It will carry up to 2,000 passengers and 650 passenger cars, with 2,000 lane-metres of space for cargo. Its battery system is expected to have a capacity of 85 to 100 megawatt-hours, enough to cross the 80-kilometre Gulf of Finland in just over two hours at a cruising speed of around 23 knots. Unlike traditional ferries, the design will not include a smokestack. Charging infrastructure at ports will be required to supply more than 30 MWh to recharge the batteries after each crossing. Viking Lines CEO Jan Hanses described the ferry as a natural step in the companys environmental strategy. Just like the first sail-, steam- and motor-driven ships did in their time, Helios will open up the horizon for a new era in shipping, Hanses said in a statement. The concept proves that large-scale emission-free shipping is no longer a utopia. We are very committed to making the ambitious vision that Helios represents a reality. The company has submitted a funding application to the EU Innovation Fund to support construction. The fund is one of the worlds largest financial instruments supporting the development of low-carbon technologies. Viking Line has previously received over 20 million in public funding in 2023, the most for any Finnish firm that year. The Helios concept is part of Viking Lines broader plan to reduce emissions. In 2013, the company introduced Viking Grace, the first ferry in the world powered by liquefied natural gas and biofuel. In 2022, Viking Glory was launched with improved fuel efficiency, reportedly using up to 10 percent less fuel than its predecessor. Planning for the new ferry continues as the company begins discussions with shipyards and potential partners. The aim is to finalise a construction timeline based on funding and technical development. The Helios project positions Viking Line as a leading player in maritime innovation, as environmental regulations tighten and demand for sustainable transport increases. HT The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) confirmed that five cases of the variant have been identified in the country. The World Health Organization (WHO) has placed the new strain on its list of variants under monitoring, citing its potential for increased transmissibility compared to earlier subvariants. A new strain of the coronavirus, designated NB.1.8.1 and informally known as Nimbus, has been detected in Finland as it spreads rapidly across multiple continents. The variant was first identified in Asia in January. It began spreading more widely by late April, particularly in China, where rising infection rates have also led to more hospital admissions. Thailand has also reported a sharp increase in cases, from 6,000 to 33,000 within days. THL's Erika Lindh, a senior researcher, said that Finlands current Covid situation remains calm, with a low number of infections. Lindh noted that WHOs preliminary assessment suggests that Nimbus may evade population-level immunity slightly more effectively than other circulating variants, though not to a significant extent. Infections caused by the new variant have been recorded in more than 20 countries, including South Korea, Australia, the United States, and several European nations such as the UK, Germany, France, and Sweden. Though Finlands overall infection rate remains low, public health officials remain cautious. Lindh stressed the importance of ongoing monitoring but said that the new strain does not appear to cause more severe illness than earlier forms of the virus. Symptoms reported so far are typical of other Covid strains: sore throat, fever, cough, and fatigue. Some patients with the new variant have also experienced gastrointestinal issues such as nausea and diarrhoea, though these are not common across all cases. Vaccines continue to offer protection against severe illness caused by the new strain, according to THL. With the summer travel season underway, Lindh advised maintaining basic health precautions while travelling, particularly in crowded settings. Good hand hygiene is important not just for Covid, but for all infectious diseases, she said. HT Harris Teeter reopens Tuesday with tastings, live music A Taste of Teeter food sampling, live music and other special events will mark the grand reopening of the Harris Teeter at Southside Square Plaza, 636 Spartanburg Highway, from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Related Stories Hendersonville and the surrounding communities have inspired us by their strength and steadfastness in rebuilding," Danna Robinson, director of corporate affairs and customer relations, said in a news release. "Were grateful not only to be a part of this community but to our customers and valued associates who have shown incredible patience and support throughout this journey. This grand reopening represents our unwavering commitment to Western North Carolina and celebrates the strength and spirit of our neighbors who are dedicated to continue to rebuild after Hurricane Helene." The fully rebuilt store features store-made pizzas, Murrays Cheese, Starbucks, fresh cut fruit, full-service floral and more. These features will elevate the customer shopping experience while maintaining Harris Teeters commitment to serving the local community with fresh, quality products and exceptional service. The supermarket opened its in-store pharmacy in January after operating from a mobile unit immediately after the hurricane hit in October. The company also donated more than $1 million in food and funds to the surrounding community to support recovery efforts, including $250,000 to Manna Food Bank. The grand reopening will begin with a ribbon cutting and remarks from city officials, the American Red Cross and MANNA Food Bank, followed by the free community celebration. Leading up to the grand reopening, Harris Teeter team members honored first responders who worked tirelessly to help Western North Carolina recover from Hurricane Helene. In partnership with Coca-Cola, Harris Teeter delivered goodie bags containing Coke and Harris Teeter products, along with $250 gift cards to first responder stations throughout Hendersonville and Asheville. The initiative recognized the service and dedication of EMS, police, and fire personnel at six locations, including Hendersonville Fire Department, Henderson County Emergency Medical Services, Hendersonville Police Department, Asheville Police Department, Asheville Fire Station 13 and Buncombe County Emergency Services. "We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the first responders who have shown extraordinary dedication to our community during this recovery period," Robinson said. "Their service has been instrumental in helping Western North Carolina rebuild, and we're honored to recognize their contributions alongside our partners at Coca-Cola." A PORTRAIT of the King by a Henley artist is to be hung at Clarence House. Bill Mundy took about 100 hours to complete the 30in by 28in picture of Charles III. It shows the King smiling while dressed in his coronation robes and crown. Mr Mundy, 88, of Wargrave Road, sent a photograph of the painting to Queen Camilla who was said to have liked it so much that she asked for the original. He obliged and has since learned that it will be hung at the couples London residence. Mr Mundy, who has previously painted other royals, said: I wrote to her asking if she would like to have it and she was delighted. I found a very nice box for it and sent it to Buckingham Palace, where they kept it for a few days while they searched it, and then it was given to her at Clarence House. The Queen sent him a letter of thanks, saying she was considering the best position for the portrait. Mr Mundy created the watercolour using stippling, a technique involving painting small dots to build up the image. In the crown, for example, every single jewel has been done in great detail, he said. I wanted to make sure that I got the correct crown because during the coronation he wears two crowns one to be crowned in and the other one to wear afterwards, which is what I painted. I watched the coronation and thought the King looked apprehensive as it was his biggest event ever and he did not smile at all really, so I wanted to paint him wearing the crown and smiling. The painting is one of many royal portraits that will feature in the artists forthcoming book, Biscuit Tins to Buckingham Palace, which chronicles his life from designing biscuit tins as an apprentice to becoming a highly sought-after miniature and portrait artist. His other paintings of royals include a miniature of Prince Charles in his garter robes which is on display at Birkhall in Aberdeenshire. Mr Mundy was also commissioned to paint a picture of the late Duke of Edinburgh to mark his 90th birthday. He included in the background a stained-glass window that features in the private chapel at Windsor Castle, which Prince Philip had designed. The window includes a reference to the fire at Windsor Castle in 1992 which destroyed 115 rooms. Mr Mundy said: It has got things like the firefighters in it and pictures being taken from one place to another. I was invited to Windsor and had dinner with a big crowd of people where I presented the painting to Prince Philip and now it is part of the Royal Collection. He was also commissioned by Perpetual founder Sir Martyn Arbib to paint a picture of the late Queen Elizabeth IIs favourite horse, which he presented to her when she came to Henley for her diamond jubilee in 2012. Mr Mundy, who grew up in Wokingham, first started painting when he was about five years old. He became an apprentice lithographic artist at tin makers Huntley, Boorne and Stevens in Reading. During his national service, Mr Mundy was posted to Singapore with the Royal Engineers where he drew maps during the Malayan Emergency. Following his national service he finished his apprenticeship before returning to Singapore in 1960, to work as a creative director for an advertising agency. He later became regional director for the American agency Grant and travelled extensively in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Singapore. When he was not at work, Mr Mundy began painting miniatures. He recalled: I used to keep all the little brushes and everything with me when I travelled. If I was stuck in a hotel for a weekend I would get out my brushes and paint miniatures. The Sultan of Johor in Malaysia heard of his talents and commissioned him to paint miniatures of himself and two of his Sultanas. Mr Mundy later returned to the UK to work as a full-time painter and he still receives commissions for portraits of royal family members across Asia. He estimates he has painted around 800 miniatures to date and his book will feature more than 600 of his paintings and drawings. Mr Mundy recounts the time he painted Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, daughter of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. The princess gave him a photograph of herself in a red military uniform to use as reference. It was planned that he would bring the portrait with him when he returned to Thailand about six months later. However, a couple of weeks before his visit to Bangkok, a friend rang him and said that the Princess had lost a great deal of weight so that his miniature could embarrass her. Mr Mundy called the Kings secretary who sent him photographs of the new, slimmer Princess and he quickly painted a second miniature. When he presented both paintings to the Princess, she turned to her ladies-in-waiting and, in front of the TV cameras, said: Look before and after. Mr Mundy, who paints for about eight hours a day, hopes the book will be finished by the end of this year. Millions vie for college spots as reforms boost fairness and opportunities Xinhua) 16:28, June 06, 2025 BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- As a rare hush replaces the usual rustle of pages and scribbled notes, 13.35 million students in China close their textbooks one final time, moving from intense preparation to the calm before the storm. On Saturday, bright young minds from across the country will participate in the college entrance exam, seeking the best possible opportunities to chase their dreams and casting a vote of confidence in the country's higher education system. Since its reinstatement in 1977, the unified exam, known as the gaokao, has transformed millions of lives through merit-based selection. As a powerful social equalizer, it reinforces the belief that with hard work and determination, any student can shape a successful future. While the intense competition has long been a subject of national attention -- once likened to "thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge" -- reforms over the past decade have gradually expanded students' choices in the matriculation system, while maintaining a strong commitment to fairness. According to the latest available figures from the Ministry of Education, China's gross enrollment rate in higher education had surpassed 60 percent by 2023. More than 47 million students studied at colleges and universities that year. Prior to this year's gaokao, one of the country's vice premiers inspected an enrollment and examination center and an exam site at a school in north China's Shanxi Province. Noting that the exam concerns the immediate interests of millions of families, Ding Xuexiang said that fairness and equity must be upheld, calling them the "lifeline" of the gaokao. To ensure smooth traffic for students, cities across China are stepping up efforts with temporary traffic controls around test centers, keeping the roads clear and congestion at bay. For students facing travel difficulties, many cities are rolling out free ride services to make sure no one is left behind. Silence will also be the order of the day -- honking around exam venues will be banned, and nearby construction will come to a halt. Within certain exam halls, technicians are busy fine-tuning AI-powered surveillance systems that can flag unusual behavior and rule violations in real time, effectively eliminating any opportunity for cheating. Liu Boyang, a student from southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, will sit the gaokao on Saturday. He hopes to study medicine. "I might choose a major related to intelligent medical engineering, as smart technology is the direction of future development," he said. This year, universities and colleges have introduced 29 new majors, including low-altitude technology and engineering, geriatric medicine and health, and carbon neutrality science and engineering. "A lot of these new majors are tied to national strategies and really open doors to the careers of tomorrow," said Fu Xiaoying, a college admissions advisor. There are about 3,000 colleges and universities across the country. In recent years, the government has elevated the status of vocational education, bringing it on par with general education. Key measures include extending bachelor's degree programs to the vocational education system and allowing secondary vocational students to take the gaokao. In some cases, higher education vocational programs may be more appealing than traditional university degrees. A vocational-and-technical college in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, recently made headlines for requiring applicants to already possess a bachelor's degree to apply for its high-speed rail equipment testing program, even though the diploma awarded is an associate degree. This unusual requirement reflects strong job prospects and the high level of technical skills these roles represent, said Chen Zhiwen, a member of the academic committee at Chinese Society of Educational Development Strategy. As society becomes more diverse, Chinese students can pursue their ambitions through pathways beyond traditional academic routes. The gaokao is no longer a single-plank bridge but a wide junction of diverse paths. Though it remains imperfect, this matriculation system is considered one of the most efficient ways to achieve fairness in education for a population of 1.4 billion. "I think the gaokao really levels the playing field for most students in China," said Chen Hanting, an 11th grader from Beijing's Chaoyang District. "After all, my family can't fund an elephant conservation trip to Africa or land me an internship with a foreign politician to boost my college application," said Chen, whose father runs a video game studio and whose mother is a senior editor at a newspaper. For years, rumors spread that graduates from China's elite universities were heading abroad in large numbers. However, experts and university officials clarified to the media that there hasn't been a mass exodus -- rather, the fact is that fewer students are now choosing to pursue studies abroad. At Tsinghua University, for example, the proportion of graduates continuing their education overseas dropped from about 15 percent in 2018 to just 8 percent in 2023, according to the university. "For the advancement of science and technology, we need to encourage greater international exchange in both the humanities and scientific fields," said Zhang Chao, former director of student career development at Tsinghua. China has experienced a noticeable decline in the willingness of students to pursue international education, reversing the surge in the early 2000s. A report from the Institute of International Education revealed that the number of students from the Chinese mainland studying in the United States fell 4.2 percent year-on-year to approximately 277,000 in the 2023-2024 academic year, a level last seen in 2013-2014. The decline is particularly pronounced at the undergraduate level, with a year-on-year drop of 12.8 percent, according to the report. Experts point to uncertainties arising from geopolitical tensions and disruptive measures, such as the threat of sudden visa cancellations for students. Chen Zhiwen attributed this shift to rising national pride, driven by two decades of economic growth, improved living standards, and -- perhaps most importantly -- increasing confidence in domestic higher education. "We're unlikely to go abroad for undergraduate studies. Right now, studying at a Chinese university is hands down the most cost-effective option," said Chen Hanting's father. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Cross-cultural exhibitions spark curiosity, draw crowds Xinhua) 16:30, June 06, 2025 A visitor views a statue of King Akhenaton during a preview of the exhibition "On Top of the Pyramid: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt" at the Shanghai Museum in east China's Shanghai, July 17, 2024. (Xinhua/Liu Ying) BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- In a dimly lit gallery in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Zhou Jie stood before a life-sized plaster cast of a Pompeii victim, who was encased in volcanic ash nearly 2,000 years ago in what is now southern Italy. The exhibition, "Where Time Stands Still," features over 100 artifacts from Italy's National Archaeological Museum of Naples, two-thirds of which are being displayed in China for the first time. "The jewelry and glassware from Pompeii look just like those unearthed from Han tombs here in Guangxi," said Zhou, peering at a comparative display. "It's amazing how people so far apart developed such similar aesthetics." Such a sense of resonance and discovery is fueling a growing appetite for cross-cultural exhibitions across China. Over 100 inbound and outbound cultural relics exhibitions were held last year, according to China's National Cultural Heritage Administration. From ancient Egypt to the Mayan civilization, Chinese museums are increasingly presenting global heritage and reshaping such offerings for local audiences. At the Shanghai Museum in east China, a towering 2.4-meter-tall statue of Pharaoh Merneptah greets visitors to "On Top of the Pyramid: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt," an exhibition that has drawn more than 2 million visitors since opening last summer. On display at this event in Shanghai are 788 rare Egyptian artifacts, including 200 recently excavated items not yet displayed in any Egyptian museum. To engage broader audiences, the museum launched evening tours, themed events like "Museum Meow Night," allowing visitors to bring their pet cats, and over 1,100 merchandise items, from plush toys to magnets, that have helped the exhibition generate over 580 million yuan (about 80.77 million U.S. dollars) in revenue. At this venue, painted Egyptian wooden coffins and animal mummies share space with Chinese oracle bones and ceramics -- providing a visual dialogue between ancient civilizations. University student Wang Xinyan, wearing Han-style clothing and Egyptian-inspired earrings, revealed that she was on her third visit to this museum. "My curiosity about cultural relics has grown into a passion. I hope to work in this field in the future," Wang said. Similar enthusiasm could be seen at Henan Museum in central China, where the "Mayas, Ceiba and Cosmos" exhibition showcases 209 Mayan artifacts -- 90 percent of which are being displayed in Asia for the first time -- displayed under jungle-themed lighting. "The painted pottery reminded me of China's Neolithic Yangshao culture. Both are so vivid and full of life," said local resident Zhu Peipei, who attended the exhibition's opening. Cultural exchanges are also flowing outward. Last year, China held 38 cultural relics exhibitions overseas. In Paris, a Tang Dynasty (618-907) exhibition attracted more than 80,000 visitors. A Tang figurine of a woman in a man's robe even sparked conversations about gender roles in ancient China. The National Museum of China, meanwhile, is set to launch exhibition exchanges with institutions in Russia, Saudi Arabia and Italy in the latter half of 2025. For Chu Xiaobo, director of the Shanghai Museum, the mission of museums is evolving. "They're no longer just spaces to display and preserve relics. Museums are becoming platforms for public diplomacy -- places where civilizations encounter and engage with one another." As visitors pass Roman frescoes, Egyptian mummies or Mayan masks, many end up leaving with more than just photos. "I first learned about Pompeii 30 years ago," said Zhao Xia, as he exited with his young son. "By visiting this exhibition, we faced a moment about Earth, life and love together." "I came to see another culture, but I'm leaving with a deeper understanding of my own," Zhao reflected. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Aides of President Donald Trump have reportedly scheduled a call with Elon Musk to defuse tensions after their explosive feud on Thursday. Politico detailed late Thursday that Trump brushed off the fight, telling the outlet "oh, it's ok." "It's going very well, never done better," he added when asked about the episode. It is another sign of easing after the intense war of social media publications, in which Musk called for Trump to be impeached and replaced with Vice President JD Vance, and claimed that the president is in the Epstein files. Trump, in turn, floated terminating "his billions in subsidies." Later on Thursday Musk took a more subdued tone, replying to social media publications calling for a truce. "You're not wrong," he said when replying to a post from hedge fund manager Bill Ackman who said the two "should make peace for the benefit of our great country." Good advice. Ok, we wont decommission Dragon. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 6, 2025 The billionaire also responded to an X user who called the back and forth a "shame." "You are both better than this. Cool off and take a step back for a couple days." "Good advice. Ok, we won't decommission Dragon," Musk replied, a reference to the spacecrafts that are the only U.S. option for delivering crew to and from the International Space Station. The alliance began to fracture with the introduction of the "One Big Beautiful Bill," a comprehensive tax and spending package aimed at extending tax cuts and increasing funding for infrastructure and defense. While the bill aligned with Trump's agenda, it included provisions that phased out electric vehicle (EV) tax credits, a move that directly impacted Musk's Musk publicly denounced the bill, labeling it a "disgusting abomination" and criticizing its potential to inflate the national deficit by $2.5 trillion. He argued that the legislation favored traditional energy sectors by maintaining oil and gas subsidies while undermining the EV industry. Trump has continued standing by the bill, leading to the clash on Thursday. Originally published on Latin Times Authorities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border have intensified their focus on Hugo Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytan, known as "El Sapo" or "El 90," and considered a potential successor of El Mencho. His capture is considered an important part of the escalating battle against Mexico's most formidable criminal syndicate, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Born on October 2, 1988, in Michoacan, Mexico, Mendoza Gaytan has emerged as a pivotal figure within the CJNG, overseeing operations that span drug trafficking, forced recruitment, and violent enforcement across multiple Mexican states. According to the Mexican media, Mendoza Gaytan's ascent within the CJNG hierarchy is closely tied to his role as the plaza boss of Puerto Vallarta, a prominent tourist destination that has become a strategic hub for the cartel's operations. Under his leadership, the CJNG has allegedly utilized the city's infrastructure to launder drug proceeds through nightclubs, bars, and restaurants, while also orchestrating extortion schemes that have infiltrated the local economy. The Izaguirre Ranch: A Site of Horror Beyond financial operations, Mendoza Gaytan is implicated in the management of the Izaguirre Ranch in Teuchitlan, Jaliscoa site that has drawn national attention for its role in forced recruitment and alleged atrocities. Investigations have revealed that the ranch served as a training ground for CJNG recruits, many of whom were lured under false pretenses and subjected to brutal indoctrination. In March 2025, authorities arrested Jose Gregorio "El Lastra," a close associate of Mendoza Gaytan, who was reportedly instructed to cease operations at the ranch amid increasing scrutiny. Financial Strangulation Efforts In a concerted effort to dismantle Mendoza Gaytan's influence, Mexican authorities have targeted his financial networks. In early June 2025, a federal judge ordered the forfeiture of over 315,000 pesos (approximately $17,000 USD) from bank accounts linked to his family members, citing the illicit origin of the funds. This move is part of a broader strategy by the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) to disrupt the financial underpinnings of the CJNG. The United States has also taken measures against Mendoza Gaytan. In May 2019, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated him under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, effectively freezing his assets within U.S. jurisdiction and prohibiting American entities from conducting business with him. A Potential Successor to 'El Mencho' With the CJNG's current leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes ("El Mencho"), reportedly in declining health, Mendoza Gaytan is considered a potential successor. His extensive operational control and close ties to the cartel's upper echelons position him as a formidable candidate to assume leadership. Originally published on Latin Times Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele mocked Kilmar Abrego Garcia's detention following news that he has been released from custody in the country and is on his way back to the U.S, where he will be charged with smuggling migrants. In a publication on X, Bukele made reference to his Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump in April, where he flatly rejected returning Abrego Garcia. "As I said in the Oval Office: 1. I I would never smuggle a terrorist into the United States. 2. I would never release a gang member onto the streets of El Salvador. That said, we work with the Trump administration, and if they request the return of a gang member to face charges, of course we wouldn't refuse." As I said in the Oval Office: 1. I would never smuggle a terrorist into the United States. 2. I would never release a gang member onto the streets of El Salvador. That said, we work with the Trump administration, and if they request the return of a gang member to face Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) June 6, 2025 The Central American president went on to mock Abrego Garcia by recalling his meeting with Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, in which the two had glasses with fruit wedges on the table. "No more margaritas under custody," said Bukele, who added an emoji with a sad face. Van Hollen said the glasses were set up by a Bukele aide to make it look like they were drinking." The senator also reacted to the news about Abrego Garcia's release, saying "this is not about the man, it's about his constitutional rights." "The Administration will now have to make its case in the court of law, as it should have all along," Van Hollen added. Abrego Garcia has been at the center of a high-profile immigration dispute for weeks following his deportation to El Salvador, with immigration officials alleging ties to the MS-13 gang. The case has become emblematic of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, the administration defied for almost two months a Supreme Court ruling ordering the administration to facilitate his return. The Justice Department for weeks has been investigating Abrego Garcia's ties to a man who operated an unauthorized transportation business and was used by unlawful migrants. That man allegedly charged $350 per person to move undocumented migrants across the United States and had previously employed Abrego Garcia. Sources familiar with the matter told ABC News that federal investigators interviewed Jose Ramon Hernandez-Reyes, a convicted felon currently imprisoned in Alabama. Hernandez-Reyes was listed as the owner of the vehicle Abrego Garcia was driving when he was stopped by Tennessee Highway Patrol in 2022. Hernandez-Reyes told investigators he met Abrego Garcia around 2015 and claimed to have hired him several times to transport undocumented migrants from Texas to other parts of the country. Body camera footage of the 2022 traffic stop shows Abrego Garcia was pulled over for speeding. He was transporting eight passengers and told troopers they had been working construction in Missouri. When asked for proof of insurance, Abrego Garcia said he needed to contact his boss, as he didn't know where the document was. After troopers briefly discussed whether the situation might involve human trafficking citing the group's lack of luggage, Abrego Garcia was let go with only a warning about an expired driver's license, according to a Department of Homeland Security report released in April. Originally published on Latin Times Key Takeaways Developed in consultation with local NGOs, Airbnb will activate emergency housing within 24 hours of a disaster across all 47 prefectures. Building on years of response experience through its support of Airbnb.org, the independent nonprofit founded by Airbnb, this initiative is Airbnbs first preemptive disaster program globally, to deliver faster, more coordinated support when disaster strikes. Airbnb, in coordination with Airbnb.org and several local not-for-profit organizations, has announced a proactive disaster preparedness initiative to provide emergency housing across all 47 prefectures in the event of major natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Drawing on its extensive network of hosts and with the crisis response expertise of Airbnb.org a nonprofit that provides emergency housing in times of crisis Airbnb aims to activate temporary housing within 24 hours anywhere in the country through this initiative. This marks Airbnbs first globally preemptive disaster preparedness program, building years of experience to enable faster, more coordinated support when disaster strikes. It also builds on Airbnb.orgs previous disaster response efforts in Japan, including support for Ishikawa Prefecture and local nonprofit RCF to house evacuees after the Noto Peninsula earthquake. As part of the proactive framework, Airbnb.org has established local response programs with nonprofit partners across Japan, including Peace Boat Disaster Relief Center, Japan Platform, and Peace Winds Japan. These partnerships will support emergency housing logistics not only for survivors, but also for medical and emergency personnel, ensuring that emergency housing can be deployed quickly and effectively nationwide. In moments of crisis, access to emergency housing can provide a lifeline creating a foundation for recovery. Time and again, weve seen that early, coordinated response makes a meaningful difference. We are grateful for our local NPO partners to help strengthen disaster response efforts in local communities and support displaced individuals, and honored to be able to play a role in this important preparatory work. Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky Earlier today, we paid a courtesy visit to Minister Manabu Sakai, the Minister of State for Disaster Management, and briefed him on this initiative. Minister Sakai expressed his support and welcomed our efforts, added Chesky. Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization founded by Airbnb that connects people to emergency housing in times of crisis. Airbnb.org uses the Airbnb platform to connect people who need a place to stay with Airbnb hosts willing to share theirs. 100% of all donations go directly to providing emergency housing in times of crisis, making all Airbnb.org stays completely free. Since its founding in 2020, Airbnb.org has provided 1.6 million nights of free, temporary housing to more than 250,000 people globally. Most recently, the organization has supported communities displaced by wildfires in South Korea and Los Angeles; Cyclone Alfred in Australia; floods in Brazil; and the earthquake impacting Thailand. About Airbnb Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way. About Airbnb.org Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating temporary stays for people in times of crisis around the world. Airbnb.org operates independently and leverages Airbnb, Inc.'s technology, services, and other resources at no charge to carry out Airbnb.org's charitable purpose. The inspiration for Airbnb.org began in 2012 with a single host named Shell who opened up her home to people impacted by Hurricane Sandy. This sparked a movement and marked the beginning of a program that allows hosts on Airbnb to provide stays for people in times of need. Since then, the program has evolved to focus on emergency response and to help provide stays to evacuees, relief workers, refugees, asylum seekers, and frontline workers fighting the spread of COVID-19. Since then, hosts have offered to open up their homes and helped provide accommodations to 100,000 people in times of need. Airbnb.org is a separate and independent entity from Airbnb, Inc. Airbnb, Inc. does not charge service fees for Airbnb.org supported stays on its platform. Airbnb Press Airbnb Press Office Airbnb This new collection, embodying the highest standards of French savoir-faire, will be rolled out across Sofitel hotels throughout 2026. Comprising 45 pieces, the Vestiaire has been thoughtfully designed to suit all professions and destinations, while expressing an elegant, fluid, and boldly contemporary style a reflection of the renaissance of Accors most quintessentially French luxury brand. Empowering 25,000 employees to embody the French Zest Sofitel and Cordelia de Castellane have teamed up to create a new closet for all employees at the brand's 120-plus hotels worldwide. With her experience of the most prestigious French luxury houses, Cordelia brings a touch of modernity and sophistication to this collection, while preserving the finest standards of French craftsmanship. Conceived as a celebration of the brands hotel teams - 25,000 employees worldwide - and the culture of personalized service inherited from the French art of hospitality, this collaboration embodies the very essence of French elegance. With its flowing, resolutely Parisian cuts, accessories and unostentatious elegance, it breaks with the monotony often associated with traditional uniforms, offering instead a bold and authentic expression of French chic. The partnership marks a key milestone in Sofitels ongoing renaissance, as the brand continues its global expansion with 32 new openings planned over the next three years. All of these properties embody the Sofitel spirit, blending French zest with local cultural richness, a commitment symbolized by the Cultural Link, the iconic logo creating a bridge between world's cultures. The new Vestiaire features the graphic Sofitel logo in a collection of exclusive prints, transforming Sofitels visual signature into a luxurious monogram. A high-end, modular and evolving Vestiaire Designed with flexibility in mind, the Sofitel wardrobe introduces a fresh fashion-forward approach tailored to every role and destination. Under the artistic direction of Cordelia de Castellane, the collection seamlessly blends timeless silhouettes with practical needs, offering a variety of noble fabrics, textures, and color palettes suitable for both city hotels and resorts. Each piece has been crafted using flexible and durable materials internationally tested across pilot hotels to meet the everyday needs of hotel staff. The wardrobe adapts to all body types, roles, and climates, ensuring both comfort and elegance. In line with Sofitels CSR commitments, each uniform is made from high-quality materials built to withstand daily demands while remaining effortlessly elegant, thanks to refined details and impeccable finishes. This wardrobe also reflects Sofitels dedication to responsible luxury. Developed in partnership with Paris Good Fashion, the initiative ensures every step of production respects principles of sustainability, repairability, and recyclability reducing environmental impact and contributing to more responsible resource management. Cordelia de Castellane, shaping the creative universe of Sofitel Vestiaire The inspiration underpinning this new collection draws directly from the unique creative world of Cordelia de Castellane, a designer whose work is marked by a fusion of tradition and modernity. Her vision of luxury combines timeless elegance with creative audacity, subtly blending classic and contemporary elements. The Sofitel Vestiaire is much more than a uniform: it's a manifesto. Its a tribute to our teams, who are the first to embody the renaissance of Sofitel. It reflects the joy of embracing a brand, the pride of being its ambassador, and the desire to wear our values in silk, knit, or cotton. We want this wardrobe to be emotionally resonant, exacting and refined, but also effortlessly chic. Thats why we needed a visionary. This partnership with Cordelia de Castellane is the meeting of two visions of luxury, united by a shared passion for exceptional design. Maud Bailly, CEO of Sofitel Legend, Sofitel, MGallery and Emblems For me, Sofitel is a madeleine de Proust. It brings back childhood memories, iconic hotels, and a very specific vision of French luxury. Sofitel is more than a hotel brand its a way of life, a natural elegance paired with a deep openness to the world. Paris was a major inspiration for this collection because Paris means effortless chic, cultural richness, precision tailoring, and that uniquely bold creativity. I wanted to imagine a wardrobe that expresses this Parisian sophistication, but also the warmth of hospitality and the pride of representing a house. These are garments designed to last, to move with the body, and to make every team member feel beautiful, free, and proud, adds Cordelia de Castellane. About Accor, a world-leading hospitality group Accor is a world-leading hospitality group offering stays and experiences across more than 110 countries with over 5,600 hotels and resorts, 10,000 bars & restaurants, wellness facilities and flexible workspaces. The Group has one of the industry's most diverse hospitality ecosystems, encompassing around 45 hotel brands from luxury to economy, as well as Lifestyle with Ennismore. ALL, the booking platform and loyalty program embodies the Accor promise during and beyond the hotel stay and gives its members access to unique experiences. Accor is focused on driving positive action through business ethics, responsible tourism, environmental sustainability, community engagement, diversity, and inclusivity. Accor's mission is reflected in the Group's purpose: Pioneering the art of responsible hospitality, connecting cultures, with heartfelt care. Founded in 1967, Accor SA is headquartered in France. Included in the CAC 40 index, the Group is publicly listed on the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange (ISIN code: FR0000120404) and on the OTC Market (Ticker: ACCYY) in the United States. For more information, please visit group.accor.com or follow us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok. In today's ever-evolving hospitality industry, the emphasis on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives has never been more crucial. Recently, a round table discussion with Agnes Roquefort, Global Chief Development Officer, Luxury & Lifestyle, along with thought leaders Andre Heintz (TK), Vanguelis Panayotis (CEO, MKG Consulting & Hospitality ON) and Alice Vachet (Journalist and Host of LEmpreinte), shed light on how our focus on ESG is shaping our development and relationships with owners, and our commitment to sustainable practices and the tangible solutions for them. This conversation explores the ongoing changes impacting the hospitality industry at large, providing perspectives and examples to leverage these transformations into opportunities, delving into the insights from Accors The New Quality of Time Report: Being Sustainable is not an Option Anymore Accor takes concrete steps for sustainable business performance that effectively address environmental and biodiversity challenges. Some concrete examples illustrated in the round table discussion include an ESG scorecard, a risk assessment tool with AXA, and turnkey solutions such as removing from hotels single use plastics or food waste management with Fullsoon which is also using artificial intelligence to measure carbon impact of menus. It's essential that we engage with our owners on this topic. We are implementing tools and valuable partnerships to better evaluate the environmental and biodiversity risks related to our developments. Together, we aim to integrate these insights into renovation and new construction projects, advocating for conversions whenever possible to minimize our environmental footprint. Agnes Roquefort, Global Chief Development Officer, Luxury & Lifestyle Generating Value Through Carbon Reduction Investing in carbon neutrality is a win-win strategy for owners. By investing in their journey toward carbon neutrality, owners can enhance both the value of their real estate and their commitment to sustainability while reducing their costs and meeting growing guest expectations for sustainable travel. Long-Term Transformation: Investing in Talent for Long-Term Success Being sustainable is not just a short-term initiative, but a long-term commitment that requires the active engagement of our Talent. To drive meaningful change, we have launched our innovative School for Change, an educational platform dedicated to empowering our Heartists and our teams with the knowledge and skills needed to champion sustainability. Additionally, our newly launched volunteering program further engages our Heartists in sustainability efforts, fostering a deep-rooted culture of responsibility and community involvement. Read more about sustainability and other transformative trends shaping the hospitality industry and the opportunities for our sector in The New Quality of Time Report, part of the award-winning content series From Change to Opportunity. To download and read the report, click here. You can also watch the full version of the discussion on Accors YouTube. About Accor, a world-leading hospitality group Accor is a world-leading hospitality group offering stays and experiences across more than 110 countries with over 5,600 hotels and resorts, 10,000 bars & restaurants, wellness facilities and flexible workspaces. The Group has one of the industry's most diverse hospitality ecosystems, encompassing around 45 hotel brands from luxury to economy, as well as Lifestyle with Ennismore. ALL, the booking platform and loyalty program embodies the Accor promise during and beyond the hotel stay and gives its members access to unique experiences. Accor is focused on driving positive action through business ethics, responsible tourism, environmental sustainability, community engagement, diversity, and inclusivity. Accor's mission is reflected in the Group's purpose: Pioneering the art of responsible hospitality, connecting cultures, with heartfelt care. Founded in 1967, Accor SA is headquartered in France. Included in the CAC 40 index, the Group is publicly listed on the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange (ISIN code: FR0000120404) and on the OTC Market (Ticker: ACCYY) in the United States. For more information, please visit group.accor.com or follow us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. With almost half (48%) of U.S. travelers seeking out trips centered around food and drink experiences for summer 2025*, HomeToGo, the marketplace with the worlds largest selection of vacation rentals, today released its first-ever Taste of Summer Index, pinpointing the top 20 U.S. destinations likely to satisfy both travelers wanderlust and tastebuds. The marketplace evaluated exclusive rental price insights and search statistics, alongside data on highly rated restaurants and gourmet experiences in each destination, to identify the best palate-pleasing places to stay across the United States. An appetite for unique food and drink experiences is shaping how people plan to travel this summer, as vacationers are hungry for destinations that dish out authentic and exciting culinary adventures. From wine region retreats like Woodinville and Sonoma, to small-town gems including Ithaca and Astoria, to big-city hubs such as Seattle and Portland, this index serves as a menu from which travelers can choose their next gastronomic destination, based on the ingredients that make up an ideal break. Eleanor Moody, HomeToGo Travel Expert and Spokesperson To rank each location, HomeToGo researched the following four data points, calculating scores based on the findings: Rising Star Score: The higher the year-on-year search increase for vacations, the higher the score. The higher the year-on-year search increase for vacations, the higher the score. Affordable Accommodation Score: The lower the vacation accommodation cost, the higher the score. The lower the vacation accommodation cost, the higher the score. Highly-Rated Restaurant Score: The higher the percentage of highly-rated restaurants, the higher the score. The higher the percentage of highly-rated restaurants, the higher the score. Gourmet Experiences Score: The more food and drink experiences offered, the higher the score. From Hawaiis Maui to Portland in Maine, here is a glimpse of the ranking: HomeToGo Unveils 2025 Taste of Summer Index, Revealing the Top Rising Star Foodie Destinations for Summer Vacations Source: HomeToGo Heres what travelers can expect in the top five trending destinations: Portland, Oregon: Portlands food scene pulses with the best of the Pacific Northwest, from lush Willamette Valley sourcing to eco-conscious eateries. Don't miss the city's food cart pods, which open up a world of international gastronomic possibilities. Woodinville, Washington: Woodinville, tucked in Washingtons wine country, overflows with small-town charm and world-class tipple. Explore this destination's four districts and discover their culinary delights, from laid-back farmers market fare to luxury fine dining. Ithaca, New York: On the southern edge of the longest Finger Lake, Ithaca's gourmet culture is characterized by farm-to-table dining and vineyard vibes. Travelers can visit The Commons in downtown Ithaca in search of their new favorite restaurant, or escape into nature on the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail. Astoria, Oregon: Astoria, situated at the mouth of the Columbia River and a point on the North Coast Food Trail, is a port city that's packed with flavor. Vacationers can sample seafood such as Dungeness crab and Chinook salmon, washed down with local craft beers in a selection of this location's lively breweries. Seattle, Washington: From the International District to Capitol Hill, Seattles food scene is as diverse and dynamic as the city itself, shaped by coastal influences and global flavors. The citys coffee culture is also a highlight, with locally roasted brews fueling busy vacation days. *The full list, destination descriptions, and an interactive map can be found at www.hometogo.com/inspiration/summer-vacation/#taste-of-summer-index. Methodology: For the full methodology and more information as to how this report was created, please visit www.hometogo.com/inspiration/summer-vacation/#taste-of-summer-index-methodology. *Survey insights are based on research conducted by HomeToGo among a sample of 800 respondents in the United States. To participate in this survey, respondents had to be 18 or older. The survey was carried out online between September 3, 2024, and September 5, 2024. Respondents were able to select multiple answers across a number of questions. About HomeToGo HomeToGo is the SaaS-enabled marketplace with the world's largest selection of vacation rentals, listing millions of offers from thousands of trusted partners, including Booking.com, Vrbo and TripAdvisor. From vacation homes, cabins, beach houses, apartments, condos, house boats, castles, farm stays and everything in between, HomeToGo combines price, destination, dates and amenities to find the perfect accommodation for any trip worldwide. Founded in 2014, HomeToGo operates localized apps & websites in more than 30 countries across Europe, North America, South America, Australia and Asia-Pacific. HomeToGo also operates brands such as Agriturismo.it, AMIVAC, Casamundo, CaseVacanza.it, e-domizil, EscapadaRural, Kurzurlaub, Kurz Mal Weg, Tripping.com and Wimdu. To learn more, visit www.hometogo.com or download the HomeToGo app. Rendering of JI Hotel by the Mekong River in Vientiane - Image Credit H World Group H World Group has signed agreements to open four new hotels in Laos, marking its entry into the Laotian market with planned openings between 2026 and 2027. H World Group Limited has finalized four hotel management agreements to establish its presence in Laos. Hotels are set to open in Vientiane and Luang Prabang. The agreements involve the launch of three H World brands to the Laotian market: Intercity Hotel, JI Hotel, and Orange Hotel. The first property, Intercity Hotel Vientiane, is expected to open in early 2026 near Wattay International Airport and the Sanjiang Area. The JI Hotel Vientiane Mekong Riverside will follow this, also slated for an early 2026 opening, which will be located along the Mekong River in downtown Vientiane. The Orange Hotel Vientiane International Airport is scheduled to commence operations in the third quarter of 2026. It will be situated near the airport and the Sanjiang Area, marking the first international expansion of the Orange Hotel brand outside China. The fourth property, Intercity Hotel Luang Prabang, will open in 2027. It will be located in the historic city center and blend local cultural elements with the brands signature design. These projects are being developed in collaboration with three investment partners: Lao Kunpeng Industrial Co., Ltd., Yuting Hotel Investment Management Co., Ltd., and KP Construction Sole Co., Ltd. The partners have expressed confidence in the collaboration, highlighting H World's operational capabilities and brand reputation as key factors. The expansion into Laos is expected to cater to the growing number of international tourists visiting the country, particularly from China. According to the Laos National Tourism Administration, more than 1.97 million international tourists entered Laos via the China-Laos Railway in 2024, with Chinese tourists accounting for over 60% of these visitors. Kristi Grotsch - Hotel Manager - Four Seasons Hotel Toronto - Image Credit Four Seasons Hotels Four Seasons Hotel Toronto announces the appointments of Kristi Grotsch as Hotel Manager and Dario Mazzoli as Director of Food and Beverage, adding two key leadership roles to the flagship propertys dynamic senior management team. Kristi joined Four Seasons in 2022 as Director of Food and Beverage at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto, bringing more than 16 years of experience in luxury hospitality. Prior to Four Seasons, she held leadership roles in food and beverage and quality improvement at several luxury hotels, providing strategic oversight across various operational departments. Kristi has also served in a learning and development role in Dubai, overseeing 15 hotels across 10 countries in the Americas, Middle East, Europe and India, later returning to Toronto to focus on operational service excellence for the Americas. Known for her passion and drive, Kristi consistently elevates team performance and guest experience values that align with Four Seasons commitment to excellence. A new member of the Four Seasons family, Director of Food and Beverage Dario Mazzoli has more than 18 years of experience within the hospitality industry. Dario brings an impressive background in culinary and beverage management, having worked with some of the most prestigious brands in the industry including one of Londons most iconic members clubs known, for its exceptional dining and vibrant nightlife. With extensive experience across global markets including the United Kingdom, China, Brazil, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India and Morocco, Dario embraces diverse cultural influences that shape his leadership style and inspire innovation in hospitality. His passion for the industry will strengthen the culinary offerings at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto, elevating the overall dining experience to new heights. We are thrilled to announce the promotion of Kristi Grotsch and welcome Dario Mazzoli to our leadership team. Their combined wealth of expertise and dedication will undoubtedly enhance all aspects of the guest experience as they oversee and mentor their respective departments, says General Manager Patrick Pollak. As the global flagship property, we strive to provide unparalleled service and memorable experiences, and these appointments reaffirm our commitment to upholding these values. Wait! Before you go Please sign up for our Evening Digest and Breaking Newsletters Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Why songs are peaking faster and then fading away 1990s music fads came and went, but todays viral songs and stars fade even faster. Using Spotifys Top 50 charts, Chartmetric uncovered the fleeting nature of modern pop stardom and looked at why songs are peaking faster than ever. Why songs are peaking faster and then fading away? by Daniel Parris via Chartmetric This essay was originally published in collaboration with Chartmetric for Stat Significant, a weekly newsletter that features data-driven essays on movies, music, and TV. The 1990s saw a series of fleeting music fads dominate popular culture. Driven by the growing influence of MTV and the music industrys preoccupation with trend-driven marketing, numerous subgenres emerged, saturated the airwaves, and just as quickly vanishedwith these boom and bust cycles playing out over the course of two to three years. Some prominent short-lived subgenres from the 1990s include: The Swing Revival (Peak Years: 1997-1999) : Swing revival repopularized big band aesthetics and retro swing sounds, propelled by bands like Cherry Poppin Daddies (Zoot Suit Riot), The Brian Setzer Orchestra (Jump Jive an Wail) and Lou Begas all-time bizarro classic Mambo No. 5. However, the novelty of this retro fad quickly dissipated, and the music industry moved on within a few years. : Swing revival repopularized big band aesthetics and retro swing sounds, propelled by bands like Cherry Poppin Daddies (Zoot Suit Riot), The Brian Setzer Orchestra (Jump Jive an Wail) and Lou Begas all-time bizarro classic Mambo No. 5. However, the novelty of this retro fad quickly dissipated, and the music industry moved on within a few years. Ska Punk (Peak Years: 1996-1999) : Ska punk blended Jamaican ska rhythms with punk rock energy, led by bands like No Doubt, Sublime, Reel Big Fish, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Despite a string of upbeat, radio-friendly hits, the genre fell out of fashion in the early 2000s. : Ska punk blended Jamaican ska rhythms with punk rock energy, led by bands like No Doubt, Sublime, Reel Big Fish, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Despite a string of upbeat, radio-friendly hits, the genre fell out of fashion in the early 2000s. Nu Metal (Peak Years: 1998- 2003): Nu metal offered a fusion of heavy metal, hip-hop, and alternative rock, led by acts like Limp Bizkit, Korn, Slipknot, and Linkin Park. The genres aggressive style and angsty lyrics quickly lost mainstream appeal by the mid-2000s as the zeitgeist shifted toward lighter, melodic pop music. The half-life of popular music is decidedly short. Entire subgenres will hold our collective attention for a few months, while an individual song or artist may achieve mainstream awareness for a few days. Ska punk and swing revival quickly ascended to mainstream prominence only to vanish just as fastlong before Spotify, TikTok, and YouTube accelerated music discovery and consumption. If music stardom was fleeting before the likes of Napster and Pandora, then what does the rapid rise and inevitable fall of a hit song or breakout artist look like in an algorithmically-driven music landscape? So today, well explore how songs and artists trend on the charts, the ephemeral nature of music celebrity, and what this transient fame means for the careers (and lives) of pop stars. How Long Does It Take for A Song To Reach Peak Popularity (and Subsequently Fade Away)? Digital platforms like Spotify and TikTok significantly accelerate the viral consumption of new music, spurring intense spikes in popularity. A track is released and disseminated via various algorithms, playlists, and news feeds before listeners move on to the next trending tune. So, in this fast-moving digital landscape, how quickly does a song achieve widespread recognition, plateau on the charts, and fade from popularity? To better understand the rise and fall of new music, well use Chartmetrics Spotify Top 50 dataset to analyze when a track reaches peak popularity and recedes from mainstream awareness. According to Chartmetric data, nearly 40% of tracks in Spotifys Top 50 peak on the day of their release, while a combined 65% of songs plateau within a week of their debut. Gone are the days when a songs popularity built slowly through word-of-mouth and radio airplayreplaced by instant surges of premeditated virality. And how long does a song actually remain in the Spotify Top 50 after securing mainstream listenership? Also not very long (with some exceptions!). While nearly half of Spotify Top 50 tracks vanish after just one week on the charts, a surprising 20% of trending tunes endure for 90 days or moreevidence that durable hits like Espresso and Hot to Go! can persist within the zeitgeist for extended periods of time. Music popularity, as measured by days of mainstream recognition, is growing increasingly brief. A song may sit at the center of popular culture for a week or so before promptly fading awaytossed aside like ska or swing revival. So what does all of this mean for the career and well-being of an aspiring (or current) pop star? The Ephemeral Agony of Pop Stardom How long does pop stardom last? By nearly every measurenot very long. Since 2017, roughly 60% of artists who reach Spotifys Top 50 do so with just a single song, and about 80% achieve this milestone with four or fewer tracks. Most artists score a lone mega-hit that persists for a few daysand thats ittheir pop stardom briefer than the life of a monarch butterfly (which, in case youre wondering, isnt very long). But wait, theres more: artists typically land a Top 50 track early in their careers. Nearly 60% of songs on Spotifys Top 50 are by artists under the age of 31, and almost 90% come from musicians younger than 36. Taken together, this constellation of data points paints a rather bleak picture: Modern pop hits peak within a few days of release. Those same songs quickly exit mainstream awareness after a handful of weeks (or less). Most artists will achieve this feat once, maybe twice, and then never again. Worse still, your brief moment in the limelight will likely come before age 30. Plus, this dataset doesnt capture the 99% of aspiring artists that will never make the Spotify Top 50perhaps a kinder fate than watching a dream materialize, only to vanish days later. And yet, for some reason, music stardom is one of the most widely fetishized careers, somehow justifying all this potential suffering. According to this data, musical fame resembles a Faustian curse: you achieve a lifelong goal for a fleeting moment, then spend the rest of your days trying to recapture this milestone. The stereotype of the tortured artist? Very much a real thing. Final Thoughts: Consider the Fan Weve discussed how music virality affects an artists career, but weve yet to consider the fanthe person who genuinely connects with these ephemeral hits. What does it mean to thoroughly love an artist or subgenre that briefly captures the cultural spotlight, only to fade into obscurity? Consider pop punk, which achieved mainstream popularity from the late-1990s until the mid-2000s, with bands like Blink-182, Green Day, Simple Plan, and My Chemical Romance producing several Billboard-charting hits. In 2025, the mainstream viability of this subgenre feels strangely foreignthe angst-filled lyrics, heavy eyeliner, the commercialization of punk rock (a genre never intended for the mainstream), and all the emotional whining that defined these songs. And yet, those who listened to this music in their teen and tween years are condemned to love these songs for eternity, despite later intellectual development. To someone on the outside of this phenomenon, the notion of wholeheartedly loving Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance without any sense of irony or self-awareness may seem alien. For pop punk fans, well, they didnt know any better. This is the curse of being young and loving music: to embrace something so deeply that is (most likely) an artifact of a fleeting trend. Ska and swing revival may read like cultural punchlines, but all popular music was taken seriously at some pointand some people will maintain their affinity for these works for the rest of their lives. If youd like to read more data-centric essays about movies, music, and TV, check out Stat Significant . Share on: Two large Southworth Street trees are marked for removal because of their proximity to electrical lines. Some 41 trees have been marked for removal or trimming by National Grid. A tree on North Hoosac Road in Williamstown is marked for removal. One of dozens of trees that arborists say are a risk to fall and damage main electrical transmission lines. PreviousNext Williamstown Tree Warden: National Grid Removal Plan Promotes Public Safety A sign on a tree gives information about the public hearing on the tree removals this coming Tuesday at Town Hall. WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. The town's tree warden is hoping that people who object to plans to remove or prune 41 town-owned trees will attend a Tuesday public hearing and listen to the reasons why those trees need to be addressed. Robert McCarthy said Thursday that he has been receiving calls from residents concerned about the planned cuttings and he is aware of the discussion generated on social media about the proposal from National Grid. McCarthy said he understands why the plan has raised eyebrows. It is the biggest such initiative he can recall in more than 30 years in the town post. And, in his opinion, it is a positive for town residents. "This whole thing comes from a division of National Grid which they call hazard tree mitigation," McCarthy said. "They go tree by tree, walk the areas and identify trees they feel should be removed. If we had a major storm, these would be the first ones on their wires." And the wires in question are three-phase main electrical wires that serve hundreds, if not thousands of residents, McCarthy explained. Likewise, the trees are in town rights of way on main roads, like North Hoosac, Cole Avenue, Bridges Road, Simonds Road and North Street. Experts from National Grid, trained arborists like McCarthy himself, have examined the trees in question to assess their health and potential to come down on power lines, causing widespread outages in the event of a storm. Of the 41 trees at issue, 16 are being addressed because of proximity to power lines alone, and three of those 16 are set to be trimmed, not cut down. The remaining 25 have health issues ranging from "greater than 25 percent decline" to "mostly dead." Seven of the trees are ash with evidence of the invasive emerald ash borer, a pest that has decimated the species throughout the region. McCarthy, 85, who has been a certified arborist since his 20s, likened the borer to Dutch elm disease, which swept through the nation in the 20th century. But there are problems beyond disease or bugs that are particularly relevant to neighborhood trees in the public right of way. Sidewalks, underground utilities (gas and sewer, for example) and road cuts all impact a tree's root systems, McCarthy explained. "When we look at a tree, we look at the species of tree No. 1," he said. "We know which trees have shallow root systems. We know if those trees have a severe lean toward the wires. Those trees will come down first in a storm. "A lot of people look at trees and see green leaves, and that's good enough for them. But, so to speak, they can't see the trees for the forests. They don't have the expertise we have as arborists." He said recently the owner of a home on Route 43 found a tree marked on their property for removal and called him to ask about it. "She said, the tree looks green, and I don't see a problem with it," McCarthy said. "And when I went down there and pulled into the driveway, I thought, 'Maybe they could do some pruning [instead].' "But when I walked around it, on the backside of the tree, it had a huge split. I said, 'This is going to be a problem not only for the three-phase line. If it goes, it's going to take part of your house." He said, hypothetically, some trees slated for removal could be addressed through pruning. But that would be a stopgap measure that could add a couple of years to the tree's life. Then, when it ultimately comes down, it would be the town's or homeowner's responsibility. McCarthy notes that extended power losses can be a public safety issue (home respirators, refrigeration for medication) and points to events as momentous as the Great Barrington tornado of 1995 and as recent as last summer's thunderstorm in North County that knocked out power and caused extensive tree damage in Williamstown. "What [National Grid is] trying to do is be proactive rather than reactive," McCarthy said. "So when they get a major storm, a lot of these trees that would have been a major problem won't be a problem. "I understand people's feelings [about trees]. I've seen people who don't want to cut one single limb. But, under the law, [National Grid] has a right to prune within so many feet of high tension lines. They have to protect the utility in ice storms and things like that." One solution that has been suggested by a Facebook user would be to bury transmission lines. In 2023, electrical provider Eversource told a Boston TV station the company estimates it would cost between $2 million and $6 million per mile to convert overhead lines to underground. Back in 2011, then-Gov. Deval Patrick suggested statewide conversion to underground transmission lines would cost $1 trillion (more than $1.4 trillion in today's dollars). State law requires that tree removal from town-owned land be discussed in a public hearing. McCarthy said usually at such hearings, he is like the "Maytag repair man," sitting in the meeting room at Town Hall for an hour waiting to see if anyone will come. But, given the scope of this proposal, he said he will not be surprised if there is more interest for the Tuesday, 7 p.m. hearing. He said that at the hearing, he will listen to residents' concerns and explain the reasoning behind specific trees' inclusion on the removal list. And he said he would be happy, after the hearing, to arrange a time to visit the tree with a resident who continues to have objections to see if they can't come to an agreement. Ultimately, anyone who still objects can make their case in writing to the Select Board, which would hold its own public hearing and have the final say, under state law. "I've never had it happen that the [Select Board] goes against my recommendation," MCarthy said. "They're not tree experts. They're everyday people who run for public office." In his ideal world, the town would have capacity to address problem trees on its own, but it costs between $3,000 and $4,000 to remove a tree, and with a budget of $50,000 per year, there is only so much the tree department can do. "We don't have the money to do what we'd like to do, but we're doing our damndest to ensure public safety and preserve the natural beauty of the town," McCarthy said. District Attorney Timothy Shugrue held a commendation event to recognize the investigative work done that resulted in the conviction of Lance Burke in the 2018 murder of David Green in Pittsfield. Police Detective Sgt. Jeffrey Arena is commended for his role in bringing Burke to justice. Officer David Kirchner is awarded a commendation. Officer Gary Munn is congratulated on his commendation. Officer Gary Munn and his wife, Danielle, pose with his commendation 'for outstanding investigation and dedication to justice.' PreviousNext Public Safety Officials Recognized in Closing Murder Case Pittsfield Police Lt. David Soules and Officer David Kirchner fist bump after getting their commendations as Officer Jeffrey Arena looks on. PITTSFIELD, Mass. The family of David Green Jr. can finally have some sense of justice thanks to the prosecution of his murderer, Lance Burke. "I just want to take a moment to remember David Green Jr. He was a beloved son and uncle, a nephew whose life was cut short through this senseless act of violence," District Attorney Timothy Shugrue said. Green was murdered in 2018 while sitting in his vehicle on Willow Street. Burke was identified as the suspect based on witness testimony, cross-state investigations, and video and mobile phone tracking surveillance. After more than two years of investigation and a hung jury in the first trial, Burke was found guilty on March 13 in his retrial. "It's really difficult to grasp the extreme complexities of the investigation that undertook for the law enforcement in this case. The evidence collected was massive and included volumes of digital evidence along with technical data," Shugrue said. During a commendation ceremony on Thursday morning, Shugrue recognized several public safety officials whose "exceptional work" aided in the arrest and guilty verdict of Burke. "I have never seen such a tremendous working group of men and women of the Pittsfield Police Department doing the amount of cases that we do, and doing the amount of cases and the arrests that you make that have made Pittsfield so much safer," Shugrue said. "The amount of guns off the street is incredible. The amount of drugs you've taken off the street is incredible, and now getting the conviction of these people that are coming here from other areas, coming here solely as a hit, as a professional hit, to kill somebody else. We will not tolerate that, and you prove that, and our citizens can be very proud today." Shugrue said afterward that there is no doubt this murder was a hit. The investigation into who hired the hit is still ongoing. A lot of information was revealed during the trial. "We'll continue doing what we do. I don't want to comment more than that, but it's not closed," he said. He commended Pittsfield detectives Lt. John Soules and Sgt. Jeffrey Arena, investigators Brenna Dorr and Thomas Bowler Jr., and Pittsfield Officers David Kirchner and Gary Munn. Arena and Munn were said to have played crucial roles in piecing together the technical evidence in a way that the jury could easily understand. Arena's deep understanding of the case and his willingness to go above and beyond set him apart. His ability to sympathize complex evidence was extraordinary and established a clear link between the defendant, the crime, and his guilt, Shugrue said. "This type of investigation, with its technical nature, is cutting edge, and it serves as a national model." Cases are seldom solved through these types of investigation methods, he said. Burke, who had no direct connection to Pittsfield or Green, was allegedly hired to commit the murder, with the motive stemming from a complex dating-related conflict, Arena said. "Something that we wanted to focus on with the retrial is telling the entire story, from the second he left New York City to when he got to Pittsfield, following him around Pittsfield, and his journey back to New York City," Munn said. "We clipped together all the video surveillance that painted that picture, and then we also incorporated the Google map data, the cellular data to really show that this is the guy that we're looking for." "Those involved in this case provided a glimpse into what future criminal investigations might look like. They did so with precision, expertise, and flawless execution," Shugrue said. The investigation was groundbreaking in its utilization of over 1,000 hours of video surveillance, cell phone mapping, Google location data, and extensive digital forensic evidence. Shugrue later said this investigative model is a good step to show other jurisdictions that cases can be proven without having a live witness to testify. "We lose a lot of witnesses by threats. We don't have to worry about losing witnesses by threats when we have digital and we have video and we have evidence that shows self cell phone data and cell phone tower locations," Shugrue said. From the moment Dorr arrived on the scene, she "selflessly dedicated herself to the well-being of David Green Jr.," Shugrue said. "Her compassionate reassurance in his final moments provided comfort to both him and his family. Investigator Dorr relentless pursuit to identify the vehicles license plate in the ensuing weeks exemplified her dedication, ultimately leading to the identification of the defendant," Shugrue said. "I'll also like to recognize investigator Dorr's commitment to not just our county but to our nation through her prior military service." Bowler was recognized for the extensive surveillance he conducted in New York, which helped identify Burke as the suspect, and located him. "Additionally, investigator Bowler's work led to insight into defendants, actions. His testimony in court aided prosecutors in demonstrating to the jury Burke's consciousness of guilt," Shugrue said. Sheriff Thomas Bowler accepted his son's award on his behalf, as he was unable to attend because he was working. Kirchner played a key role in tracking Burke down in New York thanks to his dedication to surveillance and investigations, Shugrue said. "Additionally, through his work, prosecutors were able to successfully explain to the jury Burke's behavior following the murder of Mr. Green, and how he demonstrated his guilt in the crime," he said. From the moment Soules took command of the scene his leadership was apparent, Shugrue said. "Soules' testimony on stand, further underscored his role in driving the investigation forward. He presented the case with clarity, offering compelling testimony that highlighted the exhaustive and meticulous nature of the investigation," he said. "Despite repeated efforts by defense counsel to challenge the credibility investigators. Detective Lieutenant Soules stood his ground. I can't thank you enough for the dedication that you showed and committed to this case and led us to get this well-deserved conviction and get this dangerous man off the streets of Berkshire County." Shugrue also praised the trial team that prosecuted this case: Marianne Shelvey, assistant district attorney, Heather Valentine, assistant district attorney and chief of narcotics and firearm unit, Lori Levinson, appellate assistant district attorney, and Jane Kibby-Peirce, director of victim witness advocates. "[They] exemplified what an exceptional trial team we have," Shugrue said. 'The Killing Fields' Screening and Q&A at Triplex Cinema GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. The Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington is set to host a special fundraising screening of the 1984 film "The Killing Fields" on June 7. The event will include a post-screening conversation with actor Sam Waterston and filmmaker Matthew Penn. The Triplex Cinema will present a special fundraising screening of Roland Joffe's film "The Killing Fields" on June 7 at 3:00 p.m. The screening will be followed by a conversation with actor Sam Waterston and filmmaker and theatre director Matthew Penn. The film, a biographical drama set in 1973, is based on the experiences of Cambodian journalist Dith Pran and American New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg during the Khmer Rouge regime. The cast includes John Malkovich, Julian Sands, Craig T. Nelson, Spalding Gray, and Athol Fugard. Tickets for the event are available for $60 at www.thetriplexcinema.org "The Killing Fields" received seven Academy Award nominations in 1985, including Best Picture, and won three Oscars for Best Supporting Actor (Haing S. Ngor), Best Cinematography, and Best Editing. Haing S. Ngor, in his debut role, also received the Best Actor award at the British Academy Awards (BAFTA), where the film also won Best Film. Matthew Penn, a recent addition to the Triplex Cinema Board of Directors, said: "We are delighted to have Sam Waterston join us at the Triplex for a Q & A after the screening of The Killing Fields on June 7th. Sam was nominated for an Oscar for his work in this extraordinary and still timely film. This will be a rare opportunity to hear Sam talk about The Killing Fields and his experience working with Haing S. Ngor during the making of this Oscar winning film." Sam Waterston's career spans over six decades, with notable performances on stage, screen, and television. His theatrical credits include numerous New York stage productions, including Shakespearean plays and his Tony Award-nominated portrayal of President Abraham Lincoln on Broadway. His filmography includes "The Great Gatsby," Woody Allen's films "Interiors," "Hannah and Her Sisters," and "Crimes and Misdemeanors." He also had important roles in "Heaven's Gate," and "Nixon" among many other films. On television, Waterston played Jack McCoy in "Law and Order" from 1994-2010 and 2022-2024. Waterston is also involved in various activist causes. Matthew Penn is an Emmy Award-nominated director with extensive experience in theatre and television. His television directing credits include "Law and Order," "The Sopranos," and "NYPD Blue." Penn has directed theatre productions for Barrington Stage, Shakespeare & Company, Berkshire Theatre Group, and The Great Barrington Public Theatre. Nine spotted seals released into waters off the coast of Dalian, China Xinhua) 17:02, June 06, 2025 A spotted seal is pictured before being released in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, June 6, 2025. Nine spotted seals, including 5 pups and 4 adults, were released into waters off the coast of the city of Dalian on Friday. Having received professional wildlife reconditioning training at the Liaoning Ocean and Fisheries Science Research Institute, the seals are now adapted to the wild, capable of feeding on their own. Under top-class national protection in China, the spotted seal is the only pinniped marine mammal to breed in Chinese waters. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) Staff members prepare to release a spotted seal in the waters off Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, June 6, 2025. Nine spotted seals, including 5 pups and 4 adults, were released into waters off the coast of the city of Dalian on Friday. Having received professional wildlife reconditioning training at the Liaoning Ocean and Fisheries Science Research Institute, the seals are now adapted to the wild, capable of feeding on their own. Under top-class national protection in China, the spotted seal is the only pinniped marine mammal to breed in Chinese waters. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) A newly released spotted seal swims in the waters off Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, June 6, 2025. Nine spotted seals, including 5 pups and 4 adults, were released into waters off the coast of the city of Dalian on Friday. Having received professional wildlife reconditioning training at the Liaoning Ocean and Fisheries Science Research Institute, the seals are now adapted to the wild, capable of feeding on their own. Under top-class national protection in China, the spotted seal is the only pinniped marine mammal to breed in Chinese waters. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) A newly released spotted seal swims in the waters off Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, June 6, 2025. Nine spotted seals, including 5 pups and 4 adults, were released into waters off the coast of the city of Dalian on Friday. Having received professional wildlife reconditioning training at the Liaoning Ocean and Fisheries Science Research Institute, the seals are now adapted to the wild, capable of feeding on their own. Under top-class national protection in China, the spotted seal is the only pinniped marine mammal to breed in Chinese waters. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) A released spotted seal swims in the waters off Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, June 6, 2025. Nine spotted seals, including 5 pups and 4 adults, were released into waters off the coast of the city of Dalian on Friday. Having received professional wildlife reconditioning training at the Liaoning Ocean and Fisheries Science Research Institute, the seals are now adapted to the wild, capable of feeding on their own. Under top-class national protection in China, the spotted seal is the only pinniped marine mammal to breed in Chinese waters. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) A spotted seal is pictured before being released in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, June 6, 2025. Nine spotted seals, including 5 pups and 4 adults, were released into waters off the coast of the city of Dalian on Friday. Having received professional wildlife reconditioning training at the Liaoning Ocean and Fisheries Science Research Institute, the seals are now adapted to the wild, capable of feeding on their own. Under top-class national protection in China, the spotted seal is the only pinniped marine mammal to breed in Chinese waters. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) A spotted seal is pictured before being released in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, June 6, 2025. Nine spotted seals, including 5 pups and 4 adults, were released into waters off the coast of the city of Dalian on Friday. Having received professional wildlife reconditioning training at the Liaoning Ocean and Fisheries Science Research Institute, the seals are now adapted to the wild, capable of feeding on their own. Under top-class national protection in China, the spotted seal is the only pinniped marine mammal to breed in Chinese waters. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) A spotted seal is released in the waters off Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, June 6, 2025. Nine spotted seals, including 5 pups and 4 adults, were released into waters off the coast of the city of Dalian on Friday. Having received professional wildlife reconditioning training at the Liaoning Ocean and Fisheries Science Research Institute, the seals are now adapted to the wild, capable of feeding on their own. Under top-class national protection in China, the spotted seal is the only pinniped marine mammal to breed in Chinese waters. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) A spotted seal is released in the waters off Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, June 6, 2025. Nine spotted seals, including 5 pups and 4 adults, were released into waters off the coast of the city of Dalian on Friday. Having received professional wildlife reconditioning training at the Liaoning Ocean and Fisheries Science Research Institute, the seals are now adapted to the wild, capable of feeding on their own. Under top-class national protection in China, the spotted seal is the only pinniped marine mammal to breed in Chinese waters. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice North Korea said it righted a capsized destroyer and moored it at a pier in a northeastern port as it continued to repair the warship Kim Jong Un described as a significant asset for his nuclear-armed military. The report by North Korean state media aligned with South Korean military assessments and recent commercial satellite images, which indicated that the ship was in an upright position and floating in the harbour of Chongjin, according to the North Korea-focused 38North website. North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said experts will closely examine the ships hull before beginning the next phase of restoration, which will take place at a dry dock at the neighbouring port of Rajin and is expected to last seven to 10 days. Jo Chun Ryong, a senior official from the ruling Workers Party, told the agency that the perfect restoration of the destroyer will be completed without fail before a major party congress in late June a deadline set by Mr Kim. Outside experts say it remains unclear how severely the 5,000-ton-class destroyer was damaged during a botched launching ceremony in late May, which triggered a furious response from Mr Kim, who called the failure a criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility, and unscientific empiricism. North Korean law enforcement authorities have detained at least four officials over the incident, including the vice director of the Workers Partys munitions industry department, according to state media. The Norths main military committee said those responsible would be held accountable for their unpardonable criminal act. Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson for South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters on Thursday that the Souths military assesses that the North Koreans righted the ship earlier this week and are likely conducting drainage operations while examining the damage. open image in gallery North Korean destroyer lying on its side in satellite images ( Airbus ) open image in gallery A satellite image shows a North Korean warship covered with a blue tarp after an accident that occurred during its launch at the shipyard in Chongjin ( Planet Labs PBC ) open image in gallery This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows North Korea's new naval destroyer in Chongjin ( Maxar Technologies ) The nature and duration of the repair process will vary, depending on internal repairs, additional work or whether the incident affected the keel, Lee said, referring to the ships structural backbone. This could also affect how the ship is used going forward. The damaged warship was North Koreas second known destroyer and seen as a crucial asset toward Mr Kims goal of modernising its naval forces. It was in the same class as the countrys first destroyer unveiled in April, which experts assessed as the Norths largest and most advanced warship to date. Mr Kim lavishly praised that ship, which was launched in the western port of Nampo, saying it advances his goal of expanding the militarys operations range and nuclear strike capabilities. State media described that ship as designed to handle various weapons systems, including anti-air and anti-ship weapons as well as nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles. Mr Kim also supervised test-firings of missiles from the destroyer afterward, and state media said the ship was expected to enter active duty early next year. While North Koreas naval forces are widely seen as far inferior to those of its rivals, analysts say a destroyer equipped with modern missile and radar systems could still boost the Norths offensive and defensive capabilities. South Korean officials and experts say the Norths destroyer was likely built with Russian assistance as the two countries military cooperation have intensified amid Russian president Vladimir Putins war on Ukraine. Mr Kims government has supplied Russia with thousands of troops and large shipments of military equipment, including artillery and ballistic missiles, to support its war in Ukraine. Washington and Seoul have expressed concern that, in return, Mr Kim may seek Russian technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by his nuclear-armed military. Mr Kim met with Russian security council secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang on Wednesday in the latest sign of the countries deepening ties. Mr Kim has framed his arms buildup as a response to perceived threats from the US and South Korea, which have been expanded joint military exercises in reaction to the Norths advancing nuclear program. Mr Kim says the acquisition of a nuclear-powered submarine would be his next big step in strengthening the North Korean Navy. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A six-year-old girl and a teenage boy were among 16 people arrested and labelled as "terrorists" in connection to the high-profile assassination of a retired military officer and diplomat, a military-run newspaper reported. Cho Tun Aung, 68, a retired Brigadier General who served as an ambassador to Cambodia, was shot dead on 22 May in the commercial capital of Yangon while out on a walk with his grandchild. An urban guerrilla group, Golden Valley Warriors, claimed responsibility for the attack. It was one of the most high-profile attacks in a string of targeted killings that have seen more than five retired military officers, including majors and generals, assassinated since the military seized power in a February 2021 coup and overthrew the elected government led by Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. "A total of 16 offenders 13 males and three females were arrested," the junta-controlled news outlet Global New Light of Myanmar reported. Those arrested included one of the alleged assassins, four suspected lookouts, two doctors who provided treatment to a person injured during the assassination, and several associates and family members, it said. A picture of those arrested released by the newspaper showed the mugshot of the six-year-old girl and a teenage boy. It said they were the members of the Godel Valley Warriors group. The group at that time said they killed the retired general because of his continued support for military operations, including attacks on civilians. The junta claimed that the group is run by the National Unity Government, a shadow government which was formed after the coup by the members of the ousted Suu Kyi administration. The report said the NUG paid 200,000 Myanmar Kyat ($95.52) for a killing. However, NUG spokesperson Nay Phone Latt denied the allegations. "It is not true that we are paying people to kill other people," he said. Myanmar remains embroiled in a civil war since the 2021 coup and the military, which has directly or indirectly ruled Myanmar most of the time since independence, has launched a crackdown on protesters as well as resistance militia groups. Pro-democracy fighters allied with ethnic minority groups seeking greater autonomy have launched a fight with the junta and analysts believe they control a much greater share of territory. Since the coup, Myanmar's junta has arrested over 29,000 people, including more than 6,000 women and 600 children, according to the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners, an activist group. Myanmar's junta has said it does not target civilians and its operations are in response to attacks by "terrorists" for maintaining peace and stability in the country. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Tesla shares are poised to jump as much as 5.7 per cent when stock markets open in the US later today after the business took a $99bn (73bn) hit following an explosive feud between Donald Trump and Elon Musk. The share price of the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer tanked from more than $322 at the start of Thursdays trading to $284 at the end of the day, more than a 14 per cent drop as a result of a back-and-forth argument between the pair, which covered everything from government contracts to the Epstein files. However, a ceasefire of sorts appears to have been brokered, and the two are due to meet on Friday - resulting in some investors surging back into Tesla stock. Even so, with futures markets showing around a 5.7 per cent rise in pre-trading just before 9am BST, that still means the market capitalisation of Tesla - the measure of its overall value by share price - will have dropped a full $99bn in a day. After-hours trading shows the buying and selling of shares outside of regular stock market opening hours, mostly dominated by big corporate investors. That is reflected in the futures price, which shows the stock price that a company will open at. The large sell-off means Tesla has again lost its status as a $1tn company, though it still ranks in the top ten largest American companies. The one-day cost to Mr Musks net worth personally was around $34bn (25bn), according to Bloombergs Billionaires Index, at the time stock markets closed in the US. He remains the richest person on the planet by a distance. Separate from share price woes, Mr Trumps tax and spending Bill could be set to cost Tesla. Eliminating tax incentives for US buyers purchasing EVs, in addition to a similar scheme in California, could cost Tesla more than $3bn, analysts estimate. Outside of Tesla, Mr Musks other business interests could be hard-hit too if the US president presses ahead with his threats to cancel government contracts with SpaceX. Other car manufacturers across the UK and Europe have not reacted with notable share price changes after the feud took place outside their trading hours on Thursday. German-listed Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes were largely flat in early trading, with the UKs Aston Martin Lagonda up 2 per cent. Ferrari is listed in New York and is up 0.4 per cent in pre-trading, with General Motors at 0.5 per cent and Toyotas US listing set to open 0.3 per cent up. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A trial date has been set for a trio charged over arson attacks on two properties and a car linked to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, 21, appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday alongside Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 26. Ukrainian national Petro Pochynok, 34, refused to attend the court hearing. Two of the fires took place in Kentish Town, north London. One was in the early hours of 12 May, at the home where Sir Keir lived before he became prime minister and moved into Downing Street. A car was set on fire in the same street four days earlier on 8 May. open image in gallery A home in Kentish Town, North London, was damaged by fire ( PA Wire ) The other fire was on 11 May at the front door of a home in Islington which had been converted into flats. Lavrynovych, of Lewisham, south-east London, has been charged with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life on 8, 11, and 12 May. Carpiuc, from Romford, east London, and Pochynok, of Islington, north London, are each accused of one count of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life between 17 April and 13 May. Lavrynovych and Carpiuc appeared at the hearing via videolink from HMP Belmarsh. They spoke only to confirm their identities and dates of birth through an interpreter. open image in gallery A court drawing of Ukrainian national Petro Pochynok, 34, at an earlier appearance at Westminster Magistrates' Court ( Elizabeth Cook/PA ) Ms Justice Cheema Grubb told the court that Pochynok had refused to leave his cell for the preliminary hearing. All three defendants were remanded in custody to next appear for a plea and trial preparation hearing at the same court on 17 October. A provisional trial date was set for 27 April 2026 in front of a High Court judge. A fourth person, a 48-year-old man, was arrested by police at Stansted Airport on Monday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life in connection with the incidents. The Metropolitan Police said he had been released on bail until July. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A BBCBargain Hunt art expert who failed to report a series of high-value art sales to a man suspected of financing militant group Hezbollah has been jailed for two-and-a-half years. Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53, sold artwork worth around 140,000 to Nazem Ahmad, a man designated by US authorities as a suspected financier for the Lebanese organisation. Ojiri, of Brent, north London, previously pleaded guilty to eight offences under section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000. He is believed to be the first person to be charged with the specific offence. The art dealer, who has also appeared on the BBCs Antiques Road Trip, was charged with failing to disclose information about transactions in the regulated art market sector on or before dates between October 2020 and December 2021. US prosecutors say Mr Ahmad was a major Hezbollah financial donor who used high-value art and diamonds to launder money and fund the group. open image in gallery Oghenochuko Ojiri has also appeared on the BBC s Antiques Road Trip and Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is ( BBC ) He is accused of evading terrorism sanctions by using front companies to acquire more than 160 million dollars (120 million) in artwork and diamond services. Following the introduction of new money laundering regulations in January 2020 that brought the art market under HMRC supervision, Ojiri is said to have discussed the changes with a colleague, indicating awareness of the rules. The court previously heard the total value of the artwork sold was around 140,000. The defendant was, at the relevant time, the owner and operator of Ramp Gallery latterly Ojiri Gallery, Lyndon Harris, prosecuting, said. open image in gallery Undated handout photo issued by Metropolitan Police of one of the invoices Oghenochuko Ojiri sent to Nazem Ahmad ( Metropolitan Police ) Mr Ahmad is understood to be based in Beirut, the court heard. Mr Harris said: The defendant engaged in discussions with and sales over a 14-month period with Nazem Ahmad and his associates, selling art to the value of 140,000 over that period. The defendant knew Mr Ahmad had been sanctioned in the US, a previous hearing was told. Ahmads phone number was saved on Ojiris phone as Moss, the court heard. [It] appears to have been a name deliberately chosen to disguise Mr Ahmad as being one of his contacts, the prosecutor said. He added that Ojiri was warned by others about his conduct but proceeded to engage in dealings with Ahmad in any event. Gavin Irwin, defending, said Ojiri was arrested while filming a BBC TV programme. He said: He has lost the work he loves. He was arrested while filming a BBC television programme. He has already lost, of course, his good name, he was until recently a man of good character. He said the defendant had been naive in relation to his participation in Ahmads art market, but that he was preyed on by more sophisticated others. Mr Irwin also said the defendant has lost his business, accepted that he had done wrong and wanted to apologise for undermining trust in the industry and also to apologise for the distress that he has caused principally to those who know him, who love him, but also those who have supported him throughout his career. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb sentenced Ojiri to two years and six months in prison at the Old Bailey on Friday, with a further year to be spent on licence. She told Ojiri he had been involved in a commercial relationship for prestige and profit, and that he had been seeking the kudos of dealing with an eminent name in the dealing world. She added: You knew about Ahmads suspected involvement in financing terrorism and the way the art market can be exploited by someone like him. open image in gallery Undated handout photo issued by Metropolitan Police of one of the invoices Oghenochuko Ojiri sent to Nazem Ahmad ( Metropolitan Police ) Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said that until these events he was someone to be admired and added this is the nadir there is one direction your life can go and I am confident that you will not be in front of the courts again. The judge said the offences were so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified. Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Mets Counter Terrorism Command, said: The prosecution, using specific Terrorism Act legislation is the first of its kind, and should act as a warning to all art dealers that we can, and will, prosecute those who knowingly do business with people identified as funders of terrorist groups. Oghenochuko Ojiri wilfully obscured the fact he knew he was selling artwork to Nazem Ahmad, someone who has been sanctioned by the UK and US Treasury and described as a funder of the proscribed terrorist group Hizballah. Financial investigation is a crucial part of the counter terrorism effort. A team of specialist investigators, analysts and researchers in the NTFIU work all year round to prevent money from reaching the hands of terrorists or being used to fund terrorist attacks. open image in gallery Undated handout photo issued by Metropolitan Police of Oghenochuko Ojiri who has been jailed at the Old Bailey for two-and-a-half years after failing to report a series of high-value art sales to a man suspected of financing militant group Hezbollah ( Metropolitan Police ) Bethan David, head of the CPS Counter Terrorism Division, said: It is clear that Oghenochuko Ojiri was aware of new money laundering regulations in the art world and that he had knowledge of Nazem Ahmads background. Ojiri engaged in activity designed to conceal the identity of the true purchaser by changing the details on invoices and storing Mr Ahmads name under a different alias in his mobile phone. His motivation appears to be financial along with a broader desire to boost his gallerys reputation within the art market by dealing with such a well-known collector. Ojiri has appeared on a number of BBC shows including Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip. He described himself as absolutely obsessed with collecting contemporary art in a BBC Q&A. He has previously worked as an auctioneer and is known for championing African and European contemporary art. Hezbollah is a Shia Islamist political and militant group based in Lebanon, backed by Iran and known for its armed resistance against Israel. In the UK, the entire organisation both its military and political wings has been banned as a terrorist group since 2019. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Dippy a complete cast of a diplodocus skeleton is Britains most famous dinosaur. It has resided at the Natural History Museum in London since 1905 and is now on show in Coventry where it is dinosaur-in-residence at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum . Dippy, the star attraction in the huge entrance hall of the Natural History Museum from 1979 to 2018, is now on tour around the UK, with Coventry as its latest stop. It had previously been shown in Dorchester, Birmingham, Belfast, Glasgow, Newcastle, Cardiff, Rochdale, Norwich and London. So what is it that makes Dippy so popular? I got a sense of the dinos appeal in August 2021 when I gave a lecture under the Dippy skeleton in Norwich Cathedral. The lecture was about dinosaur feathers and colours. It highlighted new research that identified traces of pigment in the fossilised feathers of birds and dinosaurs. I wanted to highlight the enormous advances in the ways we can study dinosaurs that had taken place in just a century. Before arriving, I thought that Dippy would fill the cathedral after all the skeleton is 26 metres long and it had filled the length of the gallery at the Natural History Museum. However, Dippy was dwarfed by the gothic cathedrals scale. In fact, the building is so large that five Dippys could line up, nose to tail, from the great west door to the high altar at the east end. This sense of awe is one of the key reasons to study palaeontology to understand how such extraordinary animals ever existed. I asked the Norwich cathedral canon why they had agreed to host the dinosaur, and he gave three answers. First, the dinosaur would attract lots of visitors. Second, Dippy is from the Jurassic period, as are the rocks used to construct the cathedral. Finally, for visitors it shared with the cathedral a sense of awe because of its huge size. Far from being diminished by its temporary home, visitors still walked around and under Dippy sensing its grandeur. open image in gallery The 26-metre-long skeletal cast of Dippy the Diplodocus, in the Natural History Museum, London ( Johnny Green/PA ) Dippy arrived in London in 1905 as part of a campaign for public education by the Scottish-American millionaire Andrew Carnegie (18351919). At the time, there was a debate in academic circles about the function of museums and how far professionals should go in seeking to educate the public. There was considerable reticence about going too far. Many professors felt that showing dinosaurs to the public would be unprofessional in instances where they moved from description of facts into the realm of speculation. They also did not want to risk ridicule by conveying unsupported information about the appearance and lifestyle of the great beasts. Finally, many professors simply did not see such populism as any part of their jobs. But, at that time, the American Museum of Natural History was well established in New York and its new president, Henry Fairfield Osborn (1857-1935) was distinctly a populist. He sponsored the palaeo artist Charles Knight (1874-1953), whose vivid colour paintings of dinosaurs were the glory of the museum and influential worldwide. Osborn was as hated by palaeontology professors as he was feted by the public. Carnegie pumped his steel dollars into many philanthropic works in his native Scotland and all over America, including the Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. When he heard that a new and complete skeleton of a diplodocus had been dug up in Wyoming, he bought it and brought it to his new museum. It was named as a new species, Diplodocus carnegiei. On a visit to Carnegies Scottish residence, Skibo Castle, King Edward VII saw a sketch of the bones and Carnegie agreed to donate a complete cast of the skeleton to Britains Natural History Museum. The skeleton was copied by first making rubber moulds of each bone in several parts, then filling the moulds with plaster to make casts and colouring the bones to make them look real. The 292 pieces were shipped to London in 36 crates and opened to the public in May 1905. Carnegies original Dippy skeleton only went on show in Pittsburgh in 1907, after the new museum building had been constructed. Carnegie had got the royal bug and donated further complete Dippy casts to the great natural history museums in Berlin, Paris, Vienna, Bologna, St Petersburg, Madrid, Munich, Mexico City and La Plata in Argentina. Each of these nations, except France, had a king or tsar at the time. The skeletons went on show in all these locations, except Munich, and Dippy has been seen by many millions of people in the past 120 years. Dippys appeal open image in gallery Dippy the Dinosaur has toured the UK with many tourists flogging to see the skeletal cast Dippys appeal is manifold. Its huge we like our dinosaurs big. It has been seen up close by more people around the world than any other dinosaur. It also opens the world of science to many people. Evolution, deep time, climate change, origins, extinction and biodiversity are all big themes that link biology, geology, physics, chemistry and mathematics. Also, since 1905, palaeontology has moved from being a largely speculative subject to the realms of testable science. Calculations of jaw functions and limb movements of dinosaurs can be tested and challenged. Hypotheses about physiology, reproduction, growth and colour can be based on evidence from microscopic study of bones and exceptionally preserved tissues, and these analyses can be repeated and refuted. Dippy has witnessed over a century of rapid change and its appeal is sure to continue for the next. Dippy is on display at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum in Coventry until February 21, 2026. Michael J. Benton is Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology at the University of Bristol. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A significant demonstration is planned for Saturday in London to protest government spending cuts and welfare reforms. Organised by The Peoples Assembly, the group says they anticipate a large turnout, with trade unionists, campaigners, and activists expected to converge in central London to voice their opposition. The group has criticised the government, arguing that recent cost-cutting measures are likely to disproportionately affect the most vulnerable members of society. A spokesperson said: The adherence to fiscal rules traps us in a public service funding crisis, increasing poverty, worsening mental health and freezing public sector pay. Scrapping winter fuel payments, keeping the Tory two-child benefit cap, abandoning Waspi women, cutting 5 billion of welfare by limiting PIP and universal credit eligibility, and slashing UK foreign aid from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP, while increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, are presented as tough choices. Real tough choices would be for a Labour government to tax the rich and their hidden wealth, to fund public services, fair pay, investment in communities and the NHS. ( Getty Images ) Under the banner "No to Austerity 2.0," the demonstration will unite various groups, including trade unionists, health advocates, disability rights campaigners, housing activists, and welfare organisations, alongside community groups. The event will feature a march from central London to Whitehall, culminating in a rally. Speakers from diverse backgrounds, such as trade union leaders, politicians, disability rights activists, and anti-poverty campaigners, will address the crowd. Additionally, groups advocating for increased investment in the NHS and other public services will participate, aiming to send a clear message to the Government. The spokesperson added: We face a growing threat from the far right, fuelled by racism, division, and failed politics. We need to see peoples lives improve, we need to see the vulnerable cared for and an end to child poverty. On June 7, we march for education, for our NHS, for welfare, for refugees, against hate, and for a society in which our children can flourish. The event has been backed by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who now sits as an independent MP following his expulsion from the party in 2024. Urging people to attend the demonstration on social media, the MP for Islington North said: We have a government in office that is now cutting benefits to the most vulnerable people in our society and taking away the winter fuel payment for people who desperately need it. Im going to be there, were all going to be there. Its going to be a march of hope, to bring about real change. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Months after a massive sinkhole sparked a major incident in Surrey, a network of underground Victorian tunnels have been discovered close to the site. Residents of quiet Surrey village of Godstone were told to get out as quickly as possible after a huge crater swallowed a street overnight on February 17. More than 30 homes were evacuated as the sinkhole grew to up 19 metres in length, before a second one opened up days later. Engineers working to repair the hole have now confirmed the discovery of abandoned sand mining tunnels around the site, which may provide a clue into what caused the havoc. Lloyd Allen, infrastructure manager at Surrey County Council, told the BBC: "Currently, we're investigating the Victorian tunnels, plotting them to see the extent of them and where they go. open image in gallery Engineers working to repair the hole have confirmed the discovery of abandoned sand mining tunnels ( Getty ) "We'll likely be finished by the early part of December, but there's a lot of reconnecting services and redoing water mains, gas mains and electric cables." He told the broadcaster that the discovery of the eight-metre deep tunnels "puts one of the pieces into place over why the hole opened up, but added there were several scenarios that could have happened that led to this collapse". In February, an expert suggested the incident could be related to the collapse of a nearby abandoned sand mine. open image in gallery Thirty households were evacuated after a sinkhole appeared on Monday night in Godstone, Surrey ( PA ) Andrew Farrant, the British Geological Survey (BGS) regional geologist for southeast England, said how old maps of the area, published in 1872, appeared to show an entrance to a sand mine very close to the crater. It is possible other unrecorded sand mines occurred in this area, Farrant said. It is also possible that a leaking pipe has weakened the rock and led to the failure of a putative mine, assuming it exists and extended under the road. Equally, it is possible that gradual failure of a mine roof caused the water main to fail, triggering further subsidence. While engineers say they hope the repairs to be finished by December, local businesses told the BBC they have been left in the dark over the repair plans. One businesses owner said his income had been slashed to a third of what it once was due to the sinkhole. open image in gallery In February, an expert suggested the incident could be related to the collapse of a nearby abandoned sand mine. ( EPA ) "They said they would keep us up to date, but this hasn't happened," Shane Fry, who runs DD Services, a garage on the high street said. "We need to know. It will benefit everyone in the area." Will McLean, the owner of a residential windows and doors company described how the sinkhole had reduced footfall to virtually zero. "Financially it has been massive, he said."In terms of business, we are down 60% to 70%, which is huge - devastating in fact." open image in gallery Residents of a quiet Surrey village of Godstone were told to get out as quickly as possible as a huge crater swallowed a street overnight on February 17. ( PA ) Matt Furniss, Cabinet Member Highways, Transport and Economic Growth at Surrey County Council, said, This continues to be a highly complex incident involving a number of investigations led by our Highways Officers and other agencies, including specialist teams and utility companies. We are continuing to update local residents and businesses as we progress through each stage of the process. Were also looking at how we can minimise the impact on local businesses while the necessary road closures are in place. Thorough investigations need to continue to understand the cause of the collapse and subsequently how we fully and effectively repair the area. We hope to have the road re-opened during December this year, but our focus will be on ensuring the road is safe to use so the exact date will be confirmed once we are fully assured of this. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice An NHS body has been criticised after it quietly withdrew guidance advising hospitals to allow trans people to use bathrooms and changing rooms of their choice. The NHS Confederation which represents NHS trusts across the UK confirmed to The Independent that it had removed the guidance from its website as it became dated after Aprils Supreme Court ruling. The judgment found that the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex, sparking disputes on how Britain should treat its equality policy. In the weeks after the ruling, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) issued interim guidance which stated that trans women should not be permitted to use the womens facilities in workplaces or public-facing services such as shops and hospitals. The guidance is being legally challenged by trans-rights groups. open image in gallery In the weeks after the ruling, the EHRC issued interim guidance against trans women using womens facilities ( Alamy/PA ) The NHS Confederation said it had withdrawn its previously trans-inclusive advice and will issue new guidance when the EHRC updates its official Code of Practice. But trans rights groups have warned guidance on access to single-sex spaces is currently a legal minefield. The Supreme Court decision about the Equality Act doesnt mention toilets not even once and their provision is governed by separate legislation, founder and executive director of Good Law Project, Jo Maugham KC, told The Independent. What the Supreme Court was very careful to say is that its judgment about the meaning of woman was solely about that word in the Equality Act. The toilets question will be determined in judicial review proceedings that Good Law Project is filing today. For the NHS (or any other service provider) to take a position before the outcome is known is to invite lawsuits against it and risk wasting money that ought to be spent on patient care in the pursuit of ill-advised culture wars. TransActual, an organisation that supports the rights of trans people, said the development highlights the confusing implications of the ruling. open image in gallery The Supreme Court judgment has proven controversial ( PA ) This decision may or may not be required as a result of the recent Supreme Court ruling, a spokesperson said. However, what appears abundantly clear, based on advice from multiple lawyers and experts in this field, is that the supposed clarity welcomed by the prime minister shortly after the ruling is, itself, in need of some clarification. The law, based on a narrow interpretation of the Equality Act, may support this action. Equally, any future challenges on human rights grounds, which were not considered by the Supreme Court, may lead to a different outcome. It is a minefield. Organisations are damned if they act; damned if they do not. We sympathise with the NHS Confederation and the position they find themselves in. Nonetheless, we believe they have reached the wrong conclusion and that will, in turn, lead to significant harm to trans people needing medical care, as they now put off, or refuse treatment that may require a hospital stay. open image in gallery The NHS Confederation said guidance on its website had become dated after Aprils ruling ( PA ) The NHS Confederation which does not set official NHS policy said its intention remains to provide its members with information that helps them best support their staff and patients, as it confirmed it had taken its previous guidance down. A spokesperson said: We will update and reinstate our guide as soon as the EHRC has updated its Code of Practice, which will need to be approved by the UK government, and when NHS England has then updated its guidance for what the changes mean for NHS organisations. The withdrawal of our guide does not change our explicit commitment to support our members to reduce the unacceptably high levels of bullying, abuse and discrimination at work that trans and non-binary staff and patients face. On Monday, a hearing in a case against the EHRC over its consultation period for guidance in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling is set to go ahead. Human rights group Liberty is arguing the equalities watchdog had breached its statutory duties by implementing a six-week consultation period rather than a 12-week one. The EHRC will issue official post-ruling guidance after the consultation period. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Labour pulled off a shock win in a key Scottish by-election seen as a test of its ability to fend off the rise of Reform UK and wrest Holyrood from the SNPs control. Sir Keir Starmers party, led by Anas Sarwar in Scotland, won the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election, reconfiguring the political outlook ahead of next years elections. It had been widely expected to lose the seat, with the prime ministers popularity plummeting and Nigel Farages party on the rise. But Davy Russell, a first-time candidate and local figure known for his role as deputy lord lieutenant of Lanarkshire, won the seat vacated by the late Scottish National Party (SNP) minister Christina McKelvie. McKelvie died in March aged 57 after a battle with secondary breast cancer. Mr Russell secured 8,559 votes, beating SNP candidate Katy Loudon by a margin of 602. Mr Farages candidate Ross Lambie came in third with 7,088 votes only narrowly behind the SNP while the Scottish Conservatives trailed with 1,621. The win overturns a 2021 SNP majority of 4,582 and marks a 7.4 per cent swing towards Labour. It is a significant morale boost for Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, whose party has recently lagged behind in national polling. Mr Sarwar said: "I think people need to change the script, because we've proven the pollsters wrong. "We've proven the commentators wrong, we've proven the bookies wrong. "We've proven John Swinney wrong and so many others wrong too." open image in gallery Davy Russell, Scottish Labour candidate, celebrates with Anas Sarwar and Jackie Ballie and Monica Lennon after winning the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election on 6 June 2025 ( Getty Images ) But Reform also sought to put a positive spin on the result, declaring Scottish politics a three-horse race ahead of Holyrood elections next year. The party was hoping for better, and senior figures had said they believed Reform would come at least second. Meanwhile a Labour victory had been written off, with campaigners pointing to voters fury at the party over issues including Sir Keirs winter fuel cuts. Sir Keir congratulated his candidate and said the people of Scotland have once again voted for change. Writing on X, formerly Twitter, he said: Next year there is a chance to turbo charge delivery by putting Labour in power on both sides of the border. Scottish first minister John Swinney had earlier dismissed Labours chances, insisting the by-election was a two-horse race between the SNP and Reform UK. That prediction proved inaccurate as Labour mounted an effective ground campaign, returning to a seat they had held before the SNPs rise in the 2010s. In his victory speech, Mr Russell condemned both the SNPs record in office and the rise of Reform UK, saying: Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse has voted tonight to take a new direction with Scottish Labour. "Like the people here in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, and right across Scotland, we all feel we have been let down by the SNP. "They have broken the NHS, wasted our money and after nearly two decades they don't deserve another chance." He also directly addressed Reform UKs controversial presence in the campaign. This community has sent a message to Farage and his mob: the poison of Reform isnt us, it isnt Scotland and we dont want your division here. The campaign had turned increasingly bitter in recent weeks. Labour and the SNP both accused Reform of racism over an online video ad that featured distorted remarks from Mr Sarwar and falsely suggested he intended to prioritise the Pakistani community. The video was published on social media platforms owned by Meta and is now subject to formal complaints. Mr Farage defended the ad, claiming Mr Sarwar was engaging in sectarian politics. In response, Mr Sarwar labelled Mr Farage a pathetic, poisonous little man. Reform UKs deputy leader Richard Tice, who attended the count, said he was thrilled to bits with the third-place finish. open image in gallery The Scottish parliamentary constituency of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse held a by-election, following the death of MSP Christina McKelvie in March ( Getty Images ) Its a fantastic result, just a few hundred votes away from the SNP, nobody predicted that, he told PA. Mr Tice described the performance as a massive boost and said the party would take time to assess how to capitalise on the momentum ahead of the 2026 Holyrood elections. Reform UK has yet to win an election in Scotland but has grown its vote share in several recent by-elections. The partys rise, even if not translating to victory, reflects mounting dissatisfaction among some voters with both the SNP and Labour. Ms Loudon, the SNP candidate and former councillor, endured her third electoral defeat in the area, having lost the Rutherglen and Hamilton West Westminster by-election in 2023 and again in the 2024 general election. Mr Swinney said she had fought a superb SNP campaign and expressed disappointment at the outcome, stating: "Labour won by an absolute landslide in this area less than a year ago - we came much closer tonight, but the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse have made clear that we still have work to do. "Over the next few days, we will take time to consider the result fully." Scottish constitution secretary Angus Robertson echoed that sentiment, calling for the party to look very closely at the result and learn the lessons in time for the upcoming national elections. The by-election saw a relatively high 44.2 per cent turnout. Scottish Labour's campaign benefited from a highly organised ground operation, including multiple candidate visits, targeted digital advertising, and door-to-door engagement. Senior Labour figures said some homes had been canvassed up to four times. The by-elections outcome is particularly meaningful for Mr Sarwar, who has faced internal challenges and a dip in polling since Labours strong showing in the previous general election. Labour hopes this latest victory will echo their 2023 success in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election, which provided a springboard into the following general election. Mr Russell, a lifelong resident of the area from the village of Quarter, previously worked in local government. Despite limited media appearances during the campaign, including a refusal to attend an STV debate, his local credentials and the partys strategic campaigning appear to have resonated with voters. Thank you for registering Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Downing Street is exploring a proposal to introduce digital ID cards for every adult in Britain in a move to tackle the UKs illegal migration crisis, according to reports. The new BritCard would be used to check on an individuals right to live and work in Britain, with senior No 10 figures examining the proposal, The Times has reported. The card, stored on a smartphone, would reportedly be linked to government records and could check entitlements to benefits and monitor welfare fraud. The schemes supporters think it would send a clear signal that the UK is not soft touch on illegal migration and would help ease the small boats crisis. The idea was one of former prime minister Tony Blairs flagship policies in Downing Street, but it was killed off after he lost power. The idea was one of former prime minister Tony Blairs flagship policies in Downing Street, but it was killed off after he lost power ( PA Wire ) The proposal from the thinktank Labour Together, whose founders include the No 10 chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, has been backed previously by dozens of Labour MPs, with the new paper endorsed by two red wall MPs, Jake Richards and Adam Jogee. The analysis in the paper found that the ID cards a hugely controversial policy proposal during Tony Blairs era would make right-to-rent and right-to-work checks quicker and easier for tenants and employees. The paper reportedly said that it would cost up to 400m to build the system and around 10m a year to administer as a free-to-use phone app. In their foreword, Richards, the MP for Rother Valley, and Jogee, the MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme, said the BritCard should form an important part of Labours enforcement strategy that does not compromise our principles and values, according to reports. They said that those living in the UK without regular status were exploited by criminal employers, which in turn suppresses wages for legal citizens and migrants alike. They said the coalition governments hostile environment had made very little difference to the overall numbers but had had a disproportionately cruel effect on those unfairly targeted. The Windrush scandal saw thousands of people wrongly targeted by immigration enforcement, including many legitimate British citizens who were unjustly detained or deported, they said. We believe that a progressive government does not have to choose between dealing with these injustices. It must tackle them all head on. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice When local businessman Davy Russell was announced as the new Scottish Parliament member for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse in the early hours of the morning, the look of relief on the faces of Labour members at the count was palpable. And they were entitled to revel in what was a shock result. The party had defied the polls and the bookmaker odds to win a seat which in the last Holyrood election in 2021 was easily held by the late SNP MSP Christina McKelvie. Many had the SNP as clear favourites to win the seat again, with the new kid on the block Reform UK as second favourites and Labour expected to come third. open image in gallery Davy Russell (centre, right) celebrates with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar (centre) and deputy leader Jackie Baillie (left, centre) ( PA ) The victory was achieved through hard graft and sending teams of MPs and other activists for weeks to campaign hard in a seat which had become an almost existential question for the Labour Party. But more importantly, it had also become a question of whether the Keir Starmer project is working. The seat was for the Scottish Parliament, but its Westminster equivalent is held by Imogen Walker, who won with a big majority last year. She herself is a symbolic figure as the wife of Starmers all powerful chief-of-staff Morgan McSweeney and parliamentary private secretary to chancellor Rachel Reeves. Defeat in this by-election - and worse still a third place - would have been catastrophic. It would have been portrayed as a rejection of the Starmer-McSweeney approach and triggered fears of yet another wipeout for Labour in Scotland. But what the result showed was that an area that was once a Labour heartland before being split by the left-wing nationalism of the SNP, has now become a three-way marginal. open image in gallery Richard Tice was speaking from the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election count ( PA ) It proved that the allegations of corruption and criminality, which ended the Nicola Sturgeon era of the SNP, have left the Scottish nationalists damaged still. They remain a force but they look as though their dominance in Scottish politics is now on the slide. The SNP showed an incredible amount of hubris in the campaign, with first minister John Swinney even suggesting the by-election was a straight fight between his party and Reform. Even as votes were being counted, senior SNP figures were briefing that Labour had not been able to find anybody willing to vote for them - needle in a haystack stuff, one noted. But in truth, it may be that the SNP helped Labour turn a potentially humiliating defeat into a morale boosting victory. David Mundell, the former Tory Scottish secretary in the David Cameron and Theresa May governments, a highly experienced operator north of the border said: If this was an English seat Reform would have won easily but the SNP start with around 30 per cent of the vote. In the end Labour got 31 per cent, the SNP 29 per cent and Reform 26 per cent. Just a few hundred votes separated them. What it proved is that while Labour are far from being as dead as some presumed, Reform has arrived as a political force in a part of the UK where Nigel Farage had no previous traction. Back in 2013, Mr Farage was literally chased out of Scotland when he tried to hold a campaign event in an Edinburgh pub. Now his party is looking at winning many seats in next years Scottish Parliament election. open image in gallery Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaking in Glasgow earlier this week as he launched the Strategic Defence Review but failed to travel 22 minutes to help in the Hamilton by-election ( PA ) It was noticeable on Monday that Farage received a warm welcome in Hamilton when he went to campaign while Sir Keir, just 22 minutes away in Glasgow to launch his strategic defence review, stayed away. The fact remains that the prime minister is personally very unpopular on the doorstep. According to Professor Sir John Curtice, Reform has taken a quarter of Tory votes and one in six from Labour. Victory has handed Sir Keir and his party a much needed boost but it may only mask the oncoming threat of Farage and Reform in all parts of the country. Reform is now no longer just an English phenomenon but one that is going to do the traditional parties damage in Scotland and Wales too. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Kemi Badenoch has admitted she is still learning how to lead the Conservatives after seven months in the job, amid dire poll ratings for the party. The Tory leader on Friday said it takes quite a while to learn how to do the job. It came a day after Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, promised she will get better, with the Conservatives tumbling in the polls and falling to fourth in a Scottish by-election on Thursday. She will get better through time at the media, she will get better through time at the dispatch box at PMQs, Mr Stride said. open image in gallery Kemi Badenoch during her speech at the Royal United Services Institute in London on Friday ( PA ) Asked about his comments on Friday, Ms Badenoch said: People often assume that the minute you come into a job like being leader of the opposition, that you are ready to go. It actually takes quite a while to learn how to do the job, and what I have been saying is that every week it gets better and better. Every week I have more experience, and this is what every leader of the opposition has found from Margaret Thatcher to David Cameron. She added that lots will change before the next general election, highlighting the outbreak of Covid and the war in Ukraine in the last election cycle. There is going to be so much more that people are going to see, not just from me, but from the Conservative Party. We were down at the last election, but we are not out. It came as the Tory leader shifted her party decisively in favour of pulling Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), a stance her leadership rival Robert Jenrick has long called for the Conservatives to adopt. Ms Badenoch said the convention has become a "sword to attack democratic decisions", resulting in Britain being unable to police its borders and deport foreign criminals. open image in gallery Kemi Badenoch brushed off claims Nigel Farage is the real leader of the opposition to Labour ( PA ) This use of litigation as a political weapon is what I am calling lawfare. It isn't just damaging our security, it's also damaging our prosperity, she said. She stopped short of vowing to adopt leaving the ECHR as policy, but said I do believe that we will likely need to leave. And she said she had tasked a team of legal experts to look at how Britain could pull out of the convention and what the impact would be, promising to announce the results at the partys conference in October. Ms Badenoch all but guaranteed a set-piece moment at the Manchester meet in which she will formally call for Britain to ditch the ECHR. Delivering her speech in Westminster, Ms Badenoch also sought to stress that the Conservatives are still the main opposition to Labour, despite the partys dire performance in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election. The Tories won just 6 per cent of the vote, with Labour fending off Reform UK and the SNP to win the seat. Answering questions after a speech on Friday, Ms Badenoch dismissed Reform as a protest party and said claims it was the real opposition were nonsense. Describing Reform as another left-wing party, she said: What theyre trying to do is talk this situation into existence. Labour is going to be facing the Conservative Party at the next election and were going to get them out. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Councils taken over by Reform UK have been left in a state of paralysis as dozens of key meetings are cancelled and newly elected councillors fail to show up. Nigel Farages party won huge victories in Mays local council elections, gaining control of nine councils and minority control in a further three. However, opposition councillors have claimed organisation and productivity have been a shambles since the election, with some claiming the Reform representatives do not know what theyre doing. Across the 12 Reform-controlled councils, 33 meetings have been cancelled or postponed within the first nine weeks since the election. Additionally, at least 21 Reform councillors have missed their first meetings, despite the majority of these only having had one meeting to attend in their first month. The worst-affected councils are Kent and Nottinghamshire, where Reform holds 57 and 39 seats respectively. In Kent, nine out of the 22 meetings 40 per cent scheduled have been cancelled since the election up to 4 July. That compares to just 15 per cent in 2024. open image in gallery Reform Councillor Linden Kemkaran (front centre), leader of the Reform UK Kent County Council group, with the Reform UK councillors elected to Kent County Council, at County Hall in Maidstone, Kent, ahead of the first full council meeting ( PA ) These include legally required meetings such as the governance and audit committee, a crucial part of local government structures, ensuring accountability and transparency of the councils finances. Other meetings, such as the police and crime panel, were cancelled as membership of the committee was yet to be confirmed - something opposition councillors say suggests their Reform counterparts are not ready or prepared for their roles. In Nottinghamshire, four of the 10 meetings scheduled had been cancelled in the first nine weeks. These include the governance and ethics committee and the overview committee, which is responsible for scrutinising the operation of the chief executives department. Opposition councillor in Kent, Rich Lehmann, said the cancellations were shocking and made him question whether Reform was capable of leading the council. Reform did better than anyone expected, and clearly better than they expected as well, he told The Independent. Theres a general feeling among opposition councillors that a number of elected councillors are not ready or able to attend committee meetings that take place during the day. The fact theyve not even named who is sitting on committees suggests they are having trouble filling committee places and thats why theyre being cancelled. No one knows whats going on. Theres a lot of confusion. Kent is the home of Reform UKs first Elon Musk-style Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) unit, which has been set up to look at wasteful spending in councils. open image in gallery Kent is the home of Reform UKs first Elon Musk-style Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) unit, which has been set up to look at wasteful spending in councils. ( PA ) The announcement on Sunday evening came as a surprise to many councillors, Mr Lehmann said, who claimed the move was a barrage of distraction from the paralysis the council is in. It is understood that Reform UK councillors have chosen to cancel meetings with the intention of rescheduling them once they are more prepared. It is also understood that as the meetings were scheduled by the previous administration, they were not scheduled to the new Reform councils timetable. In Nottinghamshire, the opposition Conservative group said the cancellations had sparked serious concerns about leadership, accountability, and the future of local service. This is a shambolic start from Reform, said Sam Smith, leader of the Conservatives. Scrapping every key meeting in their first full month in charge is not only reckless its dangerous. This puts public services at risk and shows just how unprepared Reform really are. He added: Theres no excuse for this. They should be in their offices, speaking to officers, and getting to grips with their jobs. Instead, the car park is empty, and the council is effectively leaderless. This is what happens when you elect people who had no plan and no idea what the job involved. While local councils are independent bodies responsible for their own decisions, it is understood that the government expects them to operate within the law and to hold meetings in order to deliver for residents. open image in gallery Nottinghamshire Councils new Reform leader Mick Barton did not respond to The Independents request for comment. ( Supplied ) Kent County Council said some meetings, such as planning committees, were scheduled on an if required basis, and were cancelled because there were no applications requiring an immediate decision. A spokesperson said: Regarding the changes to the meeting calendar, a number of meetings were squeezed into June due to the election and induction period preventing them from being held in May as would be the case in a non-election year. Because there are no time-sensitive issues due at these June meetings, consideration is being given to deferring business to relevant July meetings to make best use of member and officer time. The Independent contacted Nottinghamshire Councils new Reform leader Mick Barton for comment. He did not respond but told local democracy reporters the comments are political rhetoric from the opposition. He said: "Thats absolute nonsense. Weve only been here three weeks. Were still setting policies, were having weekly cabinet meetings with officers to find out what were going to be doing going forward." Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Zia Yusufs departure had more to do with his failure to persuade donors to part with cash than a row over Reforms attitude to the burqa, insiders have told The Independent. But more than that, it was the now-former chairmans inability to work with people and get on with them that was at the heart of his sudden announcement on Thursday, it has been claimed. It came after he described Reforms new MP Sarah Pochin as dumb after she asked a question about banning the burqa during Prime Ministers Questions. But in reality, there were many more problems building. The Independent has contacted Mr Yusuf for his version of events and has not received a response. But his critics have not waited long to get their joy over his departure out and give their account of why he was ousted. open image in gallery Zia Yusuf announced he was standing down on Thursday ( PA ) The trouble is that while Zia was a very hard worker, he was a bit of a kn**, said one associate of Nigel Farage. He just could not get on with people or work with people. But the much bigger problem was that donors did not want to hand over their money to the party after they spoke to him. Mr Yusuf had, along with former Tory donor Nick Candy, been responsible for pitching to wealthy potential backers to fund Reforms push for power. Theres a lot of money there to be released, but Zia wasnt getting it. Even with the partys charge in the polls and a growing lead over Labour, with the Tories collapsing for various reasons, many donors were still sitting on their hands and not won over by the Yusuf/Candy charm offensive. Although in Mr Yusufs case it was more of a lack of charm and pretty offensive, an insider claimed. For Mr Farage to fulfil his dream of getting to 10 Downing Street by 2029, reform needs cash to fund its push for power. But even the Tories - in complete crisis under Kemi Badenochs leadership and with dwindling support - have been beating Reform with donations. But it was not just the failure to win the hearts and minds of millionaires and billionaires that was troubling senior figures in Reform. Several party figures have claimed that the writing was on the wall for Zia since March when the fallout with Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe almost derailed their local election campaign. Mr Lowe blames Farage equally for what happened and has confirmed that he will not be seeking to rejoin Reform, after he was ousted over claims he harassed two women and Mr Yusuf reported him to the police for allegedly threatening him with violence. Police later dropped the case, and no charges were brought against Mr Lowe. open image in gallery Reform UK have seen a surge in popularity during the campaign ( PA ) This had already been a problem with him previously throwing members out en masse in various new branches for minor infractions of party (or his) rules or not taking instructions from the centre. Supporters of Mr Yusuf, who included Nigel Farage until this week, at least publicly, pointed out he was there to professionalise the party and to ensure that the problem of rogue candidates with appalling views that had dogged Ukip and the Brexit Party did not continue to be a problem for Reform. It is also true that he had been subject to an incredible amount of abuse from former and current supporters of Reform, much of it Islamophobic. The final meltdown over Ms Pochins question to Sir Keir Starmer on banning the burqa is thought to have been the last straw for Mr Yusuf, dealing with what is increasingly becoming an anti-Muslim party in its membership, if not leadership. Mr Lowe was not the only previously loyal foot soldier ousted. Some, such as ex-deputy leader Ben Habib and former London mayoral candidate Howard Cox, are highly unlikely to come back. Others. including former director of communications, Gawain Towler, will be welcomed back. Mr Towler, an effective communicator and long-term part of the Farage cause, was sacked by Mr Yusuf when the Reform leader was out of the country. He was also banned from Reform HQ despite being a loyal party member. Apparently, that ban has now been lifted and Mr Towler is expected to return, possibly on the board representing members. Perhaps the biggest issue for those now feeling they can vent their anger about him was Mr Yusufs inability to build loyalty with party staff and volunteers. One insider noted: Perhaps now we can have a culture where we can learn from our mistakes. Another joked: Champagne corks were popping in misery at the announcement. Mr Yusuf had some powerful opponents within the party lined up against him as well, even with Farages continued public support. open image in gallery Leave campaigner Arron Banks ( PA ) This included Raheem Kassam, a former Farage aide now a key figure in the MAGA movement in the US, who is very close to the Donald Trump camp. Mr Kassam told The Independent back in March that Mr Yusuf would be forced out. Yesterday, he said: I said months ago something like this would happen because in such a new party with many competing personalities and priorities, being chairman or even leader is an almost thankless and gargantuan task. Pressure getting the better of Zia Yusuf should make people even more appreciative of Nigel Farages personal indefatigability. Another long-term ally and fellow Brexit bad boy, the businessman Arron Banks, was not a fan either. Mr Banks, who came to prominence as founder of the pro-Brexit site Leave.EU, was already moving in on the Reform DOGE project which Mr Yusuf had wanted for himself and is now one of the frontrunners to be the next chairman. He posted on X/ Twitter: Astonishing that everyone thinks they are responsible for the meteoric Reform rise, as the old saying goes, success has many fathers and failure an orphan. Zia worked very hard but struggled with relationships and people. The corks will be popping in party HQ this evening. Reform will power on. The issue now is who should replace Mr Yusuf. One Farage ally said: It needs to be a diplomat, not somebody like Zia who wanted to be front and centre all the time. It needs to be someone who can talk to the members, persuade people to give money to the cause and work behind the scenes. You need a backroom man and you cant have two Caesars. The feeling, though, is that it also needs to be someone with their own funds and good business connections. Another supporter said: Nigel needs someone who can give money but also raise money. Thats going to be the most important job going forward if Reform is to succeed. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Campaigners have demanded the UK government pull its funding for a natural gas mega project in Mozambique alleging that it breaches Britains human rights and environmental obligations. The project in question is a $20bn (15bn) liquified natural gas (LNG) development located in the Cabo Delgado region of Mozambique. The project, called Mozambique LNG, has been halted since 2021 after violence from an Isis-backed group led to 183 contractors being trapped in a hotel for two days, with 10 people killed while apparently trying to escape, including British national Philip Mawer. In all, the ongoing insurgency in the area has resulted in an estimated 6,000 deaths since the conflict began in 2017, with some 600,000 people displaced. In a letter seen by The Independent, campaign group Oil Change International (OCI) argues that the violence and other issues over the protection of the project makes a potential $1.15bn investment by UK Export Finance, a department of the UK government, untenable. Continuing to finance the project is also not compatible with environmental commitments made in 2021 to no longer finance fossil fuels abroad, OCI argues. A tale of violence, delay and legal action was never meant to be the story of Mozambiques foray into natural gas, after some 180 trillion cubic feet of gas was discovered off the countrys coast in 2010. In 2016, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected 34 per cent GDP growth for Mozambique by 2021. However, actual economic growth was around 2.5 per cent. TotalEnergies, the French energy firm, is currently in the process of trying to restart the project by the middle of this year. The security situation has improved, CEO Patrick Pouyanne told Reuters on the sidelines of the World Gas conference earlier this month. Activists supporting Friends of the Earth outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, during a protest over the development of a liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique in 2021 ( PA ) Pouyannes ambitions received a big boost in March when the US Export-Import Bank re-approved financial support worth $4.7bn for the project, boosting TotalEnergies hopes of restarting the project. But the future of Mozambique LNG remains up in the air, with the British export credit agency still considering whether to recommit to its $1.15bn pledge having joined with 33 countries, including the US, to sign a pledge to end public finance for fossil fuel projects abroad, while hosting the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in 2021. According to OCI campaigner Adam McGibbon, if the UK pulls out of the deal, then the entire financial arrangement is expected to collapse. We know of at least one major bank involved in the deal that has said they will also pull out if the UK does, he says. The legal letter sent by OCI argues that the funding of the LNG project in Mozambique goes against the UKs obligations under international law to promote human rights in business both domestically and abroad. The letter highlights the UNs Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which state that companies and nations must ensure that human rights are respected in relation to business operations. A UK Export Finance spokesperson said: UK Export Finance is currently in talks with project sponsors and other lenders regarding the latest status of the LNG production project in Mozambique. We take reports of alleged human rights infringement extremely seriously and are looking further into the matters. The Qatar of Africa Observers at the time the gas was discovered off the coast of Mozambique suggested that the country one of the worlds poorest could transform into the Qatar of Africa. A number of massive projects aiming to ship the gas around the world in the form of LNG were soon proposed. TotalEnergies Mozambique LNG project stands out for its sheer size, with the $20bn in financing a figure roughly the same size as Mozambiques entire GDP. The 65 trillion cubic feet of gas it was expected to deliver is the equivalent of six years of current EU gas demand. But in March 2021, the force majeure declaration was made, which enables parties to renege on an agreement due to unforeseen external circumstances. It came after Islamist insurgents captured swathes of territory in the Cabo Delgado region, and at least 1,400 people were left killed or missing, presumed dead. Earlier this year, French authorities began investigating TotalEnergies over potential corporate manslaughter, after survivors and relatives of victims of the event accused the energy giant of failing to protect its workers. In a statement shared with The Independent, a spokesperson for TotalEnergies said that they will cooperate with this investigation, but that the company categorically rejects the accusations. Mozambique LNG's teams provided emergency assistance and mobilised their resources to evacuate more than 2,500 people (civilians, employees, contractors, and subcontractors) from the site where the Mozambique LNG project is located at the time of the attacks, the spokesperson said. But some say the need to resettle people so that the land can be used for the project has aided recruitment for the insurgents. The local population is being deprived of jobs, in a scenario where pressure on land is increasing, where people are losing access to land, losing access to natural resources, wrote local analyst Joao Feijo earlier this year. The discontent that is created here is very great and this kind of discontent is capitalised on by these violent groups. Many individuals joined this group because they had no other alternative, he added. Signs of discontent can be found in villagers claiming that they have not been sufficiently compensated for giving up land that most rely on for subsistence farming, according to evidence collected by local NGO Justica Ambiental, after Mozambique LNG was given rights to 6,625 hectares of land to build its liquefaction terminal. We agreed that the company would take our areas, but when they took our areas the forests and fields and they didnt want to pay us, they denied it, said Neto Agostino Paulo, resident of Macala Village, in footage captured by Justica Ambiental in summer 2024. Fellow Macala villager Adija Momade Sumail Nkabwi said: The company came here to lie to us that they were going to compensate us for our property that they had occupied, leaving us with false expectations. The spokesperson for TotalEnergies told The Independent that prior to the force majeure announcement, 89 per cent of compensation payments had been paid within six months of the signing of compensation agreements, and 66 per cent were paid within 90 days. The Force Majeure situation has prevented the full implementation of the relocation and compensation process and has slowed down the exercise, they said. Drill baby, drill For OCIs Adam McGibbon, the violence and displacement witnessed in Cabo Delgado is a classic example of the resource curse the phenomenon where resource-rich countries with abundant natural resources ironically end up with a multitude of problems. Nigeria and Angola both oil-rich countries plagued by corruption and inequality are oft-cited examples of countries to have suffered this fate in Africa. At the same time, it has also been said that given the low living standards of countries like Mozambique, any opportunity to bring in billions of dollars of foreign investment is a good thing. Some, like former Irish President Mary Robinson, have argued that African nations should be allowed to extract natural gas to develop. But there are growing concerns that the economic benefits originally conceived in Mozambique LNG might not ever materialise, even if the project goes ahead as planned. For all the talk of Drill baby, drill coming from Donald Trump in the White House right now, the prospects of a major new LNG production terminal are much weaker than in 2020. Rwandan policemen guard The Total Mozambique LNG Project ( AFP/Getty ) Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and subsequently shut off pipeline gas flows to Europe, planned new LNG facilities in the US and Qatar have driven up projections of global LNG capacity. An increase of nearly 50 per cent is currently on the horizon, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). This LNG glut, as the IEA describes it, is exacerbated by renewables continually beating targets in Europe and Asia, as well as a global push for energy security that did not exist in 2020, and which is making governments less inclined to rely on expensive liquefied gas imports for energy. If and when TotalEnergies Mozambique LNG project gets off the ground, it will be adding further supply into a market characterised by oversupply and lacklustre demand, says Simon Nicholas, from IEEFA, a think tank. This can hardly be a surprise: There is a long history in sub-Saharan Africa of fossil fuel projects doing nothing to boost development in the host country. If global gas markets are oversupplied, there is a risk that Mozambique LNG will become a stranded asset, which will plummet in value or even become a liability for Mozambique. Even a moderate-paced transition away from fossil fuels globally would lead to Mozambique seeing gas revenues of just 20 per cent of what they would be in a slow-paced transition, a report from the think tank Carbon Tracker has found. The authors described countries looking to exploit oil and gas assets for the first time as making a significant gamble. Huge economic costs TotalEnergies has also structured its LNG deals in a way that activists have warned is disadvantageous to Mozambique, with revenues they receive not set to reach them until the mid-2030s and 2040s, think tank IISD has said. This means that if the project does not see out its lifespan, TotalEnergies and other partners will have seen an outsize share of profits so far, with Mozambique losing out. Mozambique also faces substantial economic risks related to investor-state dispute settlements (ISDS), a separate report from Columbia University found last year. ISDS are lawsuits where foreign investors sue countries where they have invested if they believe the government has violated the terms of the agreement. Mozambiques international investment agreements allow foreign investors to bypass the national judicial system in such disputes, the report found, while stabilisation clauses protect investments from unexpected regulatory changes or new fiscal rules, potentially preventing Mozambique from enacting new legislation to transition away from fossil fuels. What they have basically done is said Mozambique cannot invest in climate action without paying huge economic costs, says Daniel Ribeiro, a Mozambican activist with Justica Ambiental. Such an arrangement is likely to only amplify social tensions in Cabo Delgado, if little money is seen to reach local people while a Western company makes large profits, warns Ribeiro. Given the insurgency, delays, and economic concerns, it might seem the simplest thing for Mozambique to do would be to try and pull out of the deal. However, the country has racked up government debts since gas was discovered, using expected future gas revenues as collateral for borrowing. But expectations have not matched reality. The year 2016 also saw a corruption scandal rock the country after it was found that members of the Mozambican Government had secretly taken out loans for themselves from London-based banks, using assurances of future LNG gas revenues to do so. A 2023 report from Debt Justice found that the Mozambican government has been paying back some of those loans. Mozambiques external national debt more than doubled between 2010 and 2018, according to CEICC data, while Friends of the Earth has warned that potential corruption arising from the mere promises of LNG development may have already cost the country more than any actual profit the project could generate for the country over its lifetime. For Ribeiro, who lives in the Mozambican capital of Maputo, the priority for the country should be investing in renewables and climate change adaptation. My main message is that the cost of climate change is going to be far greater than any profits from Mozambique LNG, and that should be the priority, he says. The country is considered one of the most climate-vulnerable on the continent, exposed to extreme weather concerns including cyclones, droughts and floods. Cyclone Kenneth, which hit Cabo Delgado in 2019, caused damage estimated at $300m. But the Trump administration has a different idea about what is good for the country. Weeks before confirming its $4.7bn loan for Mozambique LNG, the US government shut down the USAID-backed Power Africa programmes operations in the country with an emphasis on renewable energy which has been leading efforts to boost energy access, in a country where only 40 per cent of the countrys population has access to electricity. Cycle of death The push to resume the Mozambique LNG project also comes despite the fact that the Islamist insurgency remains a serious threat. While insurgents no longer control full towns and villages, they have become more agile, and have stepped up the number of roadblocks in recent weeks, according to local media. There are still believed to be several insurgency units of 100 or so people, and they still have the ability to make attacks and destabilise the area, says Ribeiro. And every time they suffer losses, they continue to be able to recruit. Why? Because we are still not dealing with the economic and social drivers of the problem, he adds. The EU is currently funding Rwandan troops to help protect the region but this arrangement is also under threat due to accusations that Rwanda has been supporting rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as allegations that the Mozambican government is using units trained by the EU for protest suppression. For Marisa Lourenco, an independent risk analyst in Southern Africa, the threat of violence is definitely still there in Cabo Delgado. She believes that while TotalEnergies will be able to securely lock down its site on the coast, it remains unclear if doing so is worth the money. TotalEnergies can secure the site. But is the infrastructure cost worth it? Will it recoup its sunken costs? Probably not. TotalEnergies rushed into taking on this project, and I think it regrets it, she says. For Mozambique, meanwhile, it remains clear for Ribeiro that the best option is for the country to pull out of the project. Pulling out will cause a whole host of problems in the short term, but it will help us emerge from this cycle of death, he says. So long as the project continues, the Western world can turn a blind eye to what is happening in Mozambique, by imagining that it is financially supporting the country, believes Ribeiro. But if the project fails, then the country can focus on other development pathways that actually benefit the people. Its like a chronic condition that keeps flaring up, for which there is no cure he says. Sometimes you just need to take the bullet. This story has been produced as part of The Independents Rethinking Global Aid series The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The parents of a 19-year-old who dreamed of fame and died after trying the TikTok dusting trend are warning others about its deadly risks. Renna ORourke and her boyfriend DoorDashed aerosol keyboard cleaner to her parents Tempe, Arizona, home without her mothers knowledge, Dana O'Rourke told 12 News. After inhaling the keyboard cleaner, Renna went into cardiac arrest, spent a week unconscious in the intensive care unit and then was declared brain-dead. She always said, Im going to be famous, dad. Just you watch. Im going to be famous, and unfortunately, this is not under the most optimal of circumstances, Aaron ORourke, told the outlet.. The dusting trend, also known as chroming or huffing, involves inhaling common household cleaners to get high for views online. The sensation causes brief euphoria but can cause instant, fatal damage, often due to heart failure, according to the Cleveland Clinic. open image in gallery Renna ORourke, 19, of Arizona, died after partaking in the "dusting" TikTok trend. ( Sara Epson ) Rennas parents described their late daughter as vivacious and caring and loyal. Her father, Aaron ORourke, told 12 News that Renna loved to sing and lit up every room with her smile and laughter. Despite the less-than-ideal circumstances, the ORourke family is now working to honor Renna by spreading the word about the dangers of huffing for teens and parents. Theres no ID required. Its odorless. Its everything kids look for. They can afford it, they can get it, and it doesnt show in mom and dads drug test, Dana ORourke told AZ Family about access to the trendy chemicals. She added, Dont take your kids word for it. Dig deep. Search their rooms. Dont trust and that sounds horrible, but it could save their life. A GoFundMe started to help the ORourke family with hospital bills, burial and therapy costs and to spread awareness about huffing has surpassed its $5,000 goal and sits at over $9,000 at the time of publication. open image in gallery Renna ORourke (pictured here as a child) liked to sing and always dreamed of being famous, her parents said. ( GoFundMe ) The trend has been around for years. According to CNN, the number of 12- to 17-year-olds who used went from 684,000 in 2015 to 564,000 in 2022. People have been inhaling fumes for centuries, Dr. Betty Choi told CNN. According to the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, inhalant abuse peaked in the 1990s and was downtrending over the last two decades. But in recent years, experimentation rates among teens have risen again. Choi noted that many products are cheap and easily found in homes. The short-term effects are similar to being drunk and can also lead to a host of minor and major health problems. (Chroming) can become addictive when its done over and over again, Choi said. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Jennifer Eckhart, a podcaster and former Fox Business producer who is suing Ed Henry for allegedly sexually assaulting her, filed an injunction for protection against stalking in a Florida court that was granted Wednesday against the former Fox News anchor just weeks before the civil case goes to trial. According to the injunction order, Henry is required to stay at least 500 feet away from Eckhart and her family. Additionally, he has to relinquish any and all firearms and other weapons. A detective for the Palm Beach Sheriffs Office attempted to serve Henry Thursday at the Boca Raton headquarters for Newsmax, the right-wing network where Henry currently works, but was told that he was currently at Newsmaxs offices in New York City. Eckhart has since requested that the injunction be served at Henrys current location. The predator who once thought he owned me is about to face the woman who cant be brokenthis time, in front of a jury, Eckhart said in a statement to The Independent. Today, I was granted an Order of Protectionnot just for myself, but for my family and loved ones being targeted through legal harassment. Survivors should never have to shield their families from the very system meant to protect them. Soon, heand the institution that protected himwill be forced to reckon with the truth they tried to bury. The restraining order, which was spurred by Henrys legal team issuing a subpoena to Eckharts family to appear as witnesses for the defense in the New York-based trial, also included a bombshell claim by Eckhart that the FBI visited her last year to discuss potential allegations surrounding Henry. A lawyer for Henry did not respond to questions about the injunction that was granted this week. open image in gallery Newsmax host Ed Henry, who is heading to trial this month over claims of sexual assault, has been hit with a restraining order by the woman suing him. ( Newsmax ) On May 13, 2024, Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation visited my residence as part of an active investigation into sex trafficking allegations against Respondent, Eckhart wrote in an exhibit attached to the petition for injunction. According to documents and emails shared with The Independent, two special agents for the bureaus office in West Palm Beach, Florida, were in communication with Eckhart last year about Henry. We appreciate your time today and thank you for your patience, FBI Special Agent Marisa Morris wrote Eckhart on May 13, 2024. A criminal case is different than a civil matter in that we will not be able to update you as often as a civil attorney would, and I realize that can be extremely frustrating. Morris, who was responding to a message from Eckhart acknowledging the meeting earlier that day, added that we take these types of cases very seriously and will update you as much as possible through the process. The agent concluded the email by telling Eckhart that we will review everything and follow up as appropriate. In follow-up emails that Eckhart sent Morris and fellow Special Agent Gennady Julien, she summarized much of what had been detailed in her lawsuit, which accuses Henry of raping her and subjecting her to sex trafficking while both were employees at Fox. Henry has vehemently denied the allegations against him, claiming that he only engaged in consensual sex with Eckhart. Besides sharing publicly available exhibits that have been filed in her civil case, she also provided the names of other women who have filed sworn affidavits testifying that theyve also been subjected to harassment and sexual assault by Henry. Morris would also acknowledge receipt of a June 25, 2024, email in which Eckhart shared a Mediaite article detailing a human resources complaint filed by a female staffer against Henry during his time at Real Americas Voice, a fringe conservative news network. The unnamed staffer alleged to RAV that through a series of escalating comments, Henry established a grooming relationship with her, according to Mediaite. This article was just published today and brought to my attention about Ed Henry grooming another victim at his former workplace here in Palm Beach County, Eckhart wrote, prompting Morris to respond: Received, thank you! open image in gallery Jennifer Eckhart says that she was visited by the FBI last year to discuss allegations surrounding Henry, who she is suing for alleged sexual assault. ( Jupiter Magazine ) The Independent attempted to contact Agents Julien and Morris directly. The Miami divisions public affairs officer responded instead, requesting that all questions regarding any communications with Eckhart be directed to him or the agents supervisor. The FBI has strict procedures governing our employees interaction with members of the news media, the public affairs officer added. We are aware of your inquiry and interest in the FBI, but as a matter of policy, the FBI does not confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation except in rare circumstances where the publics assistance is requested, Special Agent Willie Creech responded in a separate email to a series of questions related to Henry, echoing the bureaus standard response to media requests. The injunction against Henry, which was granted by a judge on Wednesday, was initially filed by Eckhart in response to a subpoena sent to her elderly mother, who also lives in South Florida. The subpoena, which demands Eckharts mother to appear and testify on June 25 at the Manhattan courthouse where the civil trial is taking place, incorrectly cites Fox News as the defendant in the case an error Eckhart cites in her petition for the injunction. The subpoena my mother received was issued under the misleading header Fox News, despite the fact that this particular litigation is solely between myself and the Respondent, Ed Henry, in his individual and professional capacities, the petition states. This created unnecessary fear and confusion, especially considering the traumatic context, and further demonstrates the coercive and intimidating nature of the Respondents tactics. While Fox News was initially a defendant in Eckharts lawsuit, as she claimed the network downplayed the severity of the risk Henry posed to female employees and retaliated against her by firing her in June 2020 after she complained about a hostile work environment, Fox News was dismissed from the case in March. The caption for the case is Eckhart v. Fox News Network, LLC et al., 20-cv-5593, Henrys attorney Eden Quainton told The Independent. Jennifer should have understood this because she has recently made filings herself with this caption. I encourage you to look up the case on PACER. open image in gallery Henry, seen here with actor Sylvester Stallone, was the center of a human resources complaint while he worked for fringe right-wing outlet Real Americas Voice ( Getty ) Quainton did not respond to additional questions regarding the granting of the injunction or the claims made by Eckhart about the FBIs visit. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams said there was no direct evidence that Fox News was aware of Henrys alleged harassment of Eckhart before it occurred. Additionally, Abrams agreed with Foxs legal team that no reasonable jury would find the network liable for preventing Henry from harming Eckhart. We are pleased with the court's decision to dismiss FOX News from this case, which speaks for itself. Upon learning of Jennifer Eckhart's allegations in 2020, FOX News promptly conducted an investigation by an outside independent law firm and terminated Ed Henry within six days, a Fox News spokesperson said in a statement. Discovery in this matter confirmed that FOX News was not aware of their relationship or of Ms. Eckhart's allegations until after she left the company. The only people who know what happened between Mr. Henry and Ms. Eckhart are the two of them. Eckhart also reiterates many of the accusations she had raised in her lawsuit against Henry such as claims that he sex trafficked and violently raped her to assert that Henry has a documented history of harassment, stalking and repeated threats to physically punish her as part of an ongoing campaign of retaliation. Additionally, she cites a pretrial motion filed by her lawyers on May 12, which sought to deny Henrys efforts to subpoena her mother and personal acquaintances, claiming it is purportedly because they will testify that Ms. Eckhart did not tell them that Mr. Henry raped her prior to her termination from FNN. Eckharts legal team argued that this was tantamount to harassment and intimidation on Henrys part due to the risk of unfair prejudice. [T]he Respondent subpoenaed my elderly mother, who has zero involvement in my ongoing federal rape lawsuit, as a means of harassment and emotional manipulation, the petition states. He has also made legal threats to subpoena my ex-boyfriends and best friends individuals with no bearing on the case as part of an apparent campaign to punish and isolate me. Eckhart also argues in the petition for injunction that she lives in a constant state of anxiety and fear for her personal and physical safety, adding that shes been diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the Respondents past acts of rape and sex trafficking. She adds that Henrys recent efforts to destabilize her are inflicting deep psychological harm and have impacted her ability to prepare for the trial. open image in gallery Ed Henry was terminated from Fox News in 2020 over an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He will now head to trial later this month over claims that he sexually assaulted former Fox Business producer Jennifer Eckhart. ( AP ) Other than lawful communication between her and Henrys legal counsels, the Florida court granted Eckharts request that prohibits Henry from contacting her and her family, and keeps him at least 500 feet away from her except for during the upcoming legal proceedings in New York. According to the granted injunction, Henry and Eckhart will be scheduled to appear and testify before Judge Laura Burkhart on June 12 to discuss whether the court will make the injunction permanent. In her lawsuit against Henry, Eckhart alleges that the former Fox News anchor groomed, psychologically manipulated and coerced her into a sexual relationship while referring to her as his personal sex slave. Eventually, after she would not comply voluntarily with his sexual demands, she claims he violently raped her in 2017. In a motion filed last fall in the case, her attorney Michael Willemin laid out a series of new allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct against Henry, including accusations that he sexually assaulted a second woman during his time at Fox News. Following those revelations, current and former colleagues of Henrys told The Independent that they didnt understand how he was able to continue to find employment in the media industry. Ed Henry being in Florida has him out of sight, out of mind most of the time, one Newsmax employee said at the time. However, after that most recent court filing, some people are wondering: how the hell does this guy have a job? Meanwhile, a year after exiting Fox Business, Eckhart launched the interview podcast series Reinvented, which focuses on conversations with people who have overcome serious obstacles on their path to success. Shes sat down with multiple celebrities over the years, including a newsmaking interview with Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, who revealed he discusses his childhood trauma with his young kids. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Paramount Global chair Shari Redstone has confirmed her thyroid cancer diagnosis amid a high-stakes sale linked to President Donald Trumps $25 million 60 Minutes lawsuit. The diagnosis was made about two months ago, but hadnt been revealed until a spokesperson for the media executive broke the news to multiple outlets on Thursday. Redstone was diagnosed after experiencing symptoms including fatigue. Her thyroid gland was removed, but some of the cancer cells had spread to her vocal cords, according to The New York Times, which first reported the diagnosis. open image in gallery Paramount Global chair Shari Redstone has confirmed her thyroid cancer diagnosis amid a high-stakes sale linked to President Donald Trumps $25 million 60 Minutes lawsuit. ( AP ) Redstones spokesperson, Molly Morse, said the Paramount chair is being treated with radiation. She and her family are grateful that her prognosis is excellent, Morse said. In the meantime, Redstone will continue to head Paramount. While it has been a challenging period, she is maintaining all professional and philanthropic activities throughout her treatment, which is ongoing, the spokesperson said. The news of Redstones diagnosis comes as Paramount works to close a merger with Skydance Media. Skydance agreed to acquire Paramount last July, which would leave the Redstone family without a stake in the company. But the merger still requires approval from the Federal Communications Commission. Plans for the merger became more complicated last October when Trump sued CBS News, which Paramount owns, and its news program, 60 Minutes. At the heart of the lawsuit, in which Trump is seeking more than $25 million, is an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris the program aired before the 2024 presidential election. Trumps lawyers argue that the editing of a long-winded answer the then-Democratic presidential nominee gave was deceitful. open image in gallery Donald Trump sued CBS News and "60 Minutes" last October, complicating Paramount's anticipated merger with Skydance. ( AFP/Getty ) Harris was shown giving two different answers to the same question during a preview of the episode on Face the Nation and when the 60 Minutes episode aired later that day. 60 Minutes fired back, calling Trumps claims false and arguing that they edited the interview to be more succinct. 60 Minutes gave an excerpt of our interview to Face the Nation that used a longer section of her answer than that on 60 Minutes. Same question. Same answer. But a different portion of the response, the program said. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Paramount has offered Trump a $15 settlement, citing people familiar with the matter. This prompted Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Ron Wyden of Oregon to write a letter to Redstone, warning the executive that Paramount may be breaking the law. Paramount appears to be trying to settle a lawsuit that it has assessed as completely without merit, and moderating the content of its programs in order to obtain approval of this merger. Under the federal bribery statute, it is illegal to corruptly give anything of value to public officials to influence an official act, the letter read. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A 32-year-old Army veteran accused of murdering his three young daughters in rural Washington State had searched the internet a few days earlier for information on how to quietly slip across the border into Canada, according to a U.S. Marshals Service affidavit obtained first by The Independent. Authorities began searching last Friday for sisters Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5, after they didnt return from a scheduled visitation with dad Travis Caleb Decker. On Monday afternoon, Decker's 2017 GMC Sierra pickup was found near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington. The bodies of all three girls were found about 75 to 100 yards away, their wrists zip-tied and a bag over each of their heads, apparently suffocated, police said. Decker, however, was nowhere to be found. Over the next two days, investigators obtained and served multiple search warrants for records contained in Deckers Google accounts, the Marshals affidavit states. I reviewed the Google-provided records containing some of the Google searches that occurred on 05/26/2025 using Deckers Google account, Deputy U.S. Marshal Keegan Stanley wrote. These Google searches included the following: how does a person move to canada, how to relocate to canada and jobs canada. After the above-listed Google searches, he visited the site Find a job - Canada.ca. open image in gallery Decker has extensive training in wilderness survival and may have fled to Canada, according to investigators ( Chelan County Sheriff's Office ) The affidavit notes that the childrens remains were found relatively close to the Canadian border and approximately 11 miles from the Pacific Crest Trail, a well-established trail that leads directly to Canada. Decker, who is now wanted on three counts each of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping, has training in navigation, woodland/mountainous terrain, long distance movements, survival and numerous other disciplines needed to be able to flee, the affidavit goes on. He is also facing an additional federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Prior to the above alleged crimes, Decker frequently recreated in outdoor, woodland and mountainous areas throughout the Eastern District of Washington and surrounding states, it says. Amongst other outdoorsman activities, Decker frequently engaged in hiking, camping, survival skill practice, hunting and even lived off the grid in the backwoods for approximately 2.5 months on one occasion. The affidavit points out that the charges against Decker are all very serious violent felonies which all carry significant prison sentences if convicted, and that those facing significant prison sentences have a propensity to flee. In the aftermath of the triple homicide, a very public national campaign to locate Decker, was launched, and it is publicly known there is a warrant for his arrest, the affidavit states. Attorney Arianna Cozart, who represents Decker's ex, Whitney, said Thursday that there had been no red flags leading up to the death of the three girls. At the same time Decker reportedly struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and was unable to access sufficient resources to deal with it. He had some mental health issues and some instability in his life that really led to the restrictions as far as overnight visitation or him taking them out of the area, but other than that, he loved those girls very much and him and Whitney were able to communicate on a regular basis, not just as co-parents, but as friends, Cozart told ABC News. Cozart did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. A GoFundMe campaign set up four days ago by a longtime friend of Whitney Decker has so far raised more than $1 million. In it, organizer Amy Edwards, the music director of a local Shakespeare program who taught the Decker children, said their joy touched so many. open image in gallery The bodies of sisters Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5, were discovered on Monday near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington, but their suspect father was nowhere to be found ( Wenatchee Police Department ) Their loss is unimaginable, but the compassion weve received from this community and beyond has brought light into this darkness, the GoFundMe page tells prospective donors. Thank you for continuing to hold Whitney close in your hearts. Your support is not only helping her through this tragedy, its also carrying forward the love and spirit her daughters brought into the world. Deckers current location is unknown, the Marshals affidavit says. Authorities have asked anyone who lives in a remote area of Chelan, Kittitas, King, Snohomish, and Okanogan counties to lock all of their doors, secure any sheds or outbuildings, and leave their window blinds open and outside lights on. Due to safety concerns do not attempt to contact or approach Decker, the Chelan County Sheriffs Office said in a news release. Decker is white, 5-feet, 8-inches tall and190 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a light-colored shirt and dark shorts. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call 911 or submit an online tip to the Chelan County Sheriffs Office. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York told The Independent that President Donald Trump and Elon Musks feud confirmed what she and Sen. Bernie Sanders have warned about ultra-wealthy Americans. I mean, it was a long time coming, said the progressive firebrand, who is better known to many Americans simply by her initials, AOC. The self-described democratic socialist congresswoman has spent much of the last few months traveling with Sanders, an independent socialist from Vermont by way of Brooklyn. The two have spent much of the first few months of Trumps second presidency traveling the country as part of their Fighting Oligarchy Tour. I don't think that the whole state of the country should be with two should be concentrated in two guys with massive egos that are fighting with each other, she said. On Thursday, Musk, who enthusiastically endorsed Trump and bankrolled his campaign in 2024, went ballistic on the president, ultimately saying that Trump was in the Epstein files, which explained why they had not been released. Musk then ramped up the rhetoric even more by supporting his impeachment. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that President Donald Trump and Elon Musks feud confirmed what she has been saying about unlimited wealth. ( AP ) This came after Musk credited himself with Trumps victory. Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate, Musk posted on X. Such ingratitude. The feud kicked off in earnest on Tuesday, when Musk called the One Big, Beautiful Bill, which the House of Representatives passed last month, an outrageous, pork-filled, disgusting abomination. Musks words caused a headache for Republicans in the Senate, who hope to pass their own version of the legislation, which seeks to extend the tax cuts Trump signed in his first presidency, would ramp up spending on the US-Mexico border for immigration enforcement and slash spending for social services. Other Democrats like Rep. Sarah McBride of Delaware called the feud the big, beautiful breakup. The fight between the worlds richest man and the most powerful leader in the world flooded the internet with memes. The intra-personal feud between the two is a sharp turn from when the Tesla CEO and X owner billed himself as the First Buddy who led the Department of Government Efficiency and regularly made the trek across Pennsylvania Avenue to meet with lawmakers whenever they feared services their constituents used would be subjected to his Chainsaw of Bureaucracy. In recent months, Ocasio-Cortez has become a major player in the House Democratic caucus. Despite losing her bid to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, she joined the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, which not only handles energy policies like health care. One recent poll showed Ocasio-Cortez to be more popular than either the president or Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic nominee for president. Others have suggested that she either stage a primary challenge or succeed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Just in time for German Chancellor Friedrich Merzs visit to Washington, Democrats enjoyed a healthy helping of schadenfreude as President Donald Trump and Elon Musks feud went nuclear in real time. The big beautiful breakup? Rep. Sarah McBride asked in response to a question from The Independent Thursday about Trump and Musks spat, a reference to the One Big, Beautiful Bill, Trumps centerpiece legislation that seeks to extend the 2017 tax cuts, slash social spending and ramp up immigration spending. The first inklings of a crack in the partnership that started when the Tesla CEO bankrolled Trumps return to the White House and blossomed as he took on the DOGE role of slashing government spending, came on Tuesday, when Musk called Trumps bill an outrageous, pork-filled, disgusting abomination. You ever see that meme of the guy's face, like, when the person, the worst person in the world, you actually agreed with? Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona said to The Independent, in reference to a popular Clickhole article headlined Heartbreaking: The Worst Person You Know Just Made A Great Point. That's kind of what I feel right now, Gallego said. Democrats laughed at the feud between Donald Trump and Elon Musk, calling it big beautiful breakup ( Getty ) Sen Raphael Warnock of Georgia could not help but laugh. It is proof positive that even a broken clock is right twice a day, Warnock said. Musks words plunged Senate Republicans into chaos as they seek to pass the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act after the House passed their version last month. But on Thursday, Musk went scorched earth, tweeting that Trump is in the Epstein files, and saying that is why they had not been released. That is the real reason they have not been made public, the Tesla billionaire tweeted. Have a nice day, DJT! Musk turned up the heat even higher when he endorsed Trumps impeachment. Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, who led the second Trump impeachment, said he had missed Musks tweet calling for Trump to be impeached. Well, he must know a lot more information, about Trumps ties to Epstein, Raskin told The Independent. Democrats have spent the early months of the Trump administration depicting Musk as a shadow president who spent $290 million to elect Trump and whose Department of Government Efficiency slashed vital services. For a while, it seemed like Trump and Musk would be a perfect match, with Musk dubbing himself First Buddy, wearing his Dark Ultra MAGA hat and carting his son X around the Oval Office. But some Democrats said that the fallout was inevitable. It was always going to happen, Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida told The Independent. I didnt expect it to happen at the same time like it is now. Musk became a villain in Democratic attacks in the Supreme Court race in Wisconsin, given that Musks political action committees poured in millions. Shortly thereafter, Musk said he would refrain from giving money. But Musk did little to dispel the idea that he played a role in winning Trump the presidency on X. Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate, Musk said. Such ingratitude. Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, an outspoken critic of Trump, agreed with Musk. If Elon didn't help Donald Trump, he wouldn't be he wouldn't be president, he'd be in prison, Swalwell, told The Independent. Progressives said that the fight between a president who largely ran on the premise that he was an incredibly wealthy businessman versus the worlds richest man showed the dangers of wealth concentration. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the democratic socialist from New York, said that the fight validated the message she and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont had spread across the country in their Fighting Oligarchy tour. I don't think that the whole state of the country should be with two should be concentrated in two guys with massive egos that are fighting with each other, the progressive firebrand Ocasio-Cortez told The Independent. When asked if she enjoyed the feud, AOC said, I mean, it was a long time coming. Trump has sniped back in kind, saying, Elon was wearing thin, I asked him to leave, further saying: I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY! For other Democrats, the fallout shows that Musk and Trump deserve each other. They both got what they paid for, Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico, the top Democrat on the DOGE subcommittee to House Oversight, told The Independent. But Musks impact on the Trump administration will last longer than the feud. As Stansbury descended the steps, she clutched a folder with the DOGE logo. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Employees in the Department of Government Efficiency reportedly used a flawed artificial intelligence model to determine the necessity of contracts in the Department of Veterans Affairs, resulting in hundreds of contracts, valued at millions of dollars, being canceled. Given only 30 days to implement President Donald Trumps executive order directing DOGE to review government contracts and grants to ensure they align with the presidents policies, an engineer in DOGE rushed to create an AI to assist in the task. Engineer Sahil Lavingia wrote code which told the AI to cancel, or in his words munch, anything that wasnt directly supporting patient care within the agency. However neither he, nor the model, required the knowledge to make those decisions.Im sure mistakes were made, he told ProPublica. Mistakes are always made. One of the key problems was that the AI only reviewed the first 10,000 characters (roughly 2,500 words) of contracts to determine whether it was munchable Lavingias term for if the task could be done by VA staffers rather than outsourcing, ProPublica reported. Experts who reviewed the code also told ProPublica that Lavingia did not clearly define many critical terms, such as core medical/benefits, and used vague instructions, leading to multiple critical contracts being flagged as munchable. open image in gallery A Department of Government Efficiency employee created a rushed AI tool to help uncover waste, fraud, and abuse ( Getty ) For example, the model was told to kill DEI programs, but the prompt failed to define what DEI was, leaving the model to decide. At another point in the code, Lavingia asked the AI to consider whether pricing appears reasonable for maintenance contracts, without defining what reasonable means. In addition, the AI was created on an older, general purpose model not suited for the complicated task, which caused it to hallucinate, or make up, contract amounts, sometimes believing they were worth tens of millions as opposed to thousands. Cary Coglianese, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who studies governmental use of AI, told ProPublica that understanding which jobs could be done by a VA employee would require sophisticated understanding of medical care, of institutional management, of availability of human resources all things the AI could not do. Lavingia acknowledged the AI model was flawed, but he assured ProPublica that all munchable contracts were vetted by other people. Lavingia, who was fired from DOGE approximately 55 days into his job after sharing some of his work with journalists, has described the work he did on his blog and released the code he used at the VA on GitHub. open image in gallery Musk hired engineers outside of the government to assist in finding waste fraud and abuse in the government as a result, many do not possess necessary institutional knowledge ( AP ) The VA initially announced, in February, it would cancel 875 contracts. But various veteran affairs advocates sounded the alarm, warning that some of those contracts related to safety inspections at VA medical facilities, direct communications with veterans about benefits, and the VAs ability to recruit doctors. One source familiar with the situation in the department told the Federal News Network that some cuts demonstrated a communication breakdown between DOGE advisors, VA leaders, and lawmakers who oversee the VA. The VA soon walked that number back, instead announcing in March it would cancel approximately 585 non-mission-critical or duplicative contracts, re-directing around $900 million back to the agency. Peter Kasperowicz, a spokesperson for the Department of Veterans Affairs, said in a statement that the termination of these contracts will have no impact on Veteran care of VA services. VA does not cancel contracts unless they are no longer needed or the department has contingency plans in place to ensure continuity of services and no negative impacts to Veterans or VA beneficiaries, Kasperowicz said. Kasperowicz added the department is reviewing all 76,000 active contracts to ensure each one is a good use of taxpayers money and is benefitting veterans. Decisions to keep, cut, or descope contracts are based on careful and methodical multi-level reviews by VA employees, including career subject-matter experts who are responsible for the contracts, as well as VA senior leaders and contracting officials. As far as we know, this sort of review has never been done before, but we are happy to set this commonsense precedent, Kasperowicz added. In addition, Kasperowicz claimed ProPublica is a far-left outlet with a proven history of bias against the Trump Administration and called the article a hit piece. He said that when confronted, authors for the article were unable to identify any problems caused by VA contract cuts. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The Trump administration has reportedly paused a $47 million plan to expand an immigration detention center in Georgia because the deal is under review by DOGE, Elon Musks federal cost-cutting program. Charlton County administrator Glenn Hull toldThe Washington Post he had been informed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that the government couldnt move forward with the deal for the time being, scuttling a planned Thursday vote in the county on the contract. This is a big blow to Charlton County, Hull said, saying the contract was expected to bring some 400 jobs to the area. The U.S. DOGE Service flagged the deal with government contract Geo Group under a policy requiring Department of Homeland Security contracts worth more than $20 million to face review, according to May 28 federal officials meeting notes obtained by the paper. The White House said it would defer to agencies to describe the state of ongoing contract talks. open image in gallery DOGE is reviewing all DHS contracts worth over $20m, pausing a $47m plan to expand an immigration detention facility in Georgia ( AFP/Getty ) The Independent has contacted the Department of Homeland Security and GEO Group for comment. The deal at issue would have expanded an existing ICE facility in Folkston, Georgia, and combined it with an adjacent vacant prison, forming the largest immigration detention center in the country, capable of holding nearly 2,000 people. The paused deal comes as the Trump administration continues to push for more funding for immigrant detention beds, intending to nearly double U.S. capacity, while urging immigration officials to rapidly deport more people. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller reportedly berated colleagues in May and urged them to hit 3,000 immigration arrests per day, according to Axios. Recent data shows that as of May 23, more than 48,000 people were in immigration detention, and the Trump administration was deporting around 850 per day that month. open image in gallery Border czar Tom Homan has said the administration wants to effectively double immigration detention capacity to 100,000 beds ( Reuters ) The contract review is also a reminder of the DOGE efforts ongoing, influential role at Homeland Security, even as the efforts figurehead, Elon Musk, has departed the administration in a cloud of acrimony with President Trump. The DOGE group has reportedly worked with Homeland Security to pool vast troves of data to assist in immigration enforcement, and has reportedly helped broker collaboration between the agency and other departments like the Social Security Administration, which has also taken on new roles in immigration enforcement under Trump. That DOGE could snare a key Trump priority, like expanding the immigration system, is a signal the Musk effort could continue to have large sway over the administration and its agenda going forward, even as Musk is outside the White House. Earlier this week, the White House asked Congress to claw back $9.4 billion in funds for foreign aid and public media in the U.S., as a way of making various DOGE priorities more permanent. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Even for Elon Musk, this is to use the precise technical term bonkers. Barely one week after leaving the Trump administration with every semblance of amity, the world's richest person is going scorched earth against the leader of the world's richest nation. Insults and threats. Calls for impeachment. Sinister references to Jeffrey Epstein. Somehow, Kanye West is also involved. It's like the messiest online influencer drama you've ever seen, except the parties are two of the most powerful people on Earth. But when it comes down to brass tacks, what exactly does Musk stand to lose in this titanic celebrity divorce? If Trump were to follow through on all his threats, and use every available weapon against Musk's business empire, how badly could it hurt him? The short answer is: pretty badly. In fact, with some admittedly quick and dirty math, we can put a price tag on some of it. SpaceX and the $68bn black hole Elon Musk's estimated $388bn fortune already $26.6bn smaller than it was before this frank exchange of thermonuclear warheads depends on the success of two companies which are both intertwined with the U.S. political system. One is Tesla, which makes electric vehicles; the other is SpaceX, which builds rockets, spacecraft, and satellites. X, formerly Twitter, can be left aside for now; having bought the social network 2022 for $44bn, Musk is still struggling to recoup his investment and has almost certainly lost money overall. Let's start with Space Exploration Technologies Corp., aka SpaceX. Not many people can afford to rent a rocket, so a lot of its business comes from government contracts, and U.S. government contracts most of all. As of writing, according to federal data, the Texas-based company has been paid or promised just under $21bn by Uncle Sam since 2008. The total potential value of all SpaceX's existing contracts, however, is much higher: $89.2bn. If Trump cancelled every contract tomorrow, that would mean a theoretical maximum of $68bn in lost potential income. For context, that's more than four times SpaceX's entire forecasted revenue for 2025, and nearly 15 times its revenue from 2022. Of course, there's no way to know if those maximum payments would ever actually have been made. So we could also get a rough sense of what SpaceX stands to lose by looking at the actual cash it received from federal coffers every year. In 2022 that was $2.8bn; in 2023, $3.1bn; and in 2024, $3.8bn. On the plus side for Musk, the U.S. government is so dependent on SpaceX that some critics have called it a monopoly in the making. SpaceX ferries our astronauts to and from the International Space Station, is heavily involved in Nasa's moon landing program, and manages an increasing share of government satellite communications as well. Still, that does not guarantee safety. Would you really, in all soberness, bet against Donald Trump doing something that hurts the country merely to punish his personal enemies? In fact, as Talking Points Memo editor-in-chief Josh Marshall argues, SpaceX's critical role might actually put it in greater danger, because it leaves the feds with few options except "expropriation or nationalization". Tesla in regulators' crosshairs? Like SpaceX, Tesla has benefited greatly from taxpayer money, mostly in the form of emission trading payments from non-electric carmakers and tax credits or consumers buying electric vehicles. An analysis by The Washington Post put Tesla's total income from emission credits since 2007 at $11.4bn as of this February. Its gain from tax credits, which allow more people to buy its cars at higher prices, has been estimated at $3.4bn. Those emission credit schemes are run by U.S. states, not by the federal government. Nevertheless, Trump and the Republican Party have tried to undermine such schemes by contesting states' ability to set their own emissions rules. The wider impact is difficult to calculate. In contrast to SpaceX, Tesla sells to ordinary people, who tend to have their own opinions independent of government. In reputational terms, splitting noisily with Trump could reverse some of its recent sales losses; on the other hand, it might just make Tesla hated on both sides of politics. The biggest risk may be regulatory. At the time of Trump's second inauguration, Tesla was being investigated by numerous federal agencies including the Justice Department, the National Labor Relations Board, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which by itself had six pending probes. How the Musk and Trump war of words exploded on social media During his time at DOGE, Democrats feared Musk could use his power to influence or cancel these cases. But Trump's unabashed willingness to wield state power to punish those who displease him while rewarding loyalists cuts both ways. Live by the chainsaw, die by the chainsaw. How much that costs Tesla would depend on how far Trump is willing to go, and on the outcome of any ensuing court battle. But when U.S. stock exchanges closed on Thursday its share price had crashed by nearly 12 percent, wiping $122bn off its market value. Potential deportation or worse So far we've only addressed Elon Musk's finances. Yet there are other, more personal ways that Trump could hurt him if the former reality TV star truly isn't here to make friends. For example, Trump's old advisor Stephen Bannon who has previously branded Musk a "parasitic illegal immigrant" urged the administration to investigate Musk's immigration history, and potentially deport him. Unlike some of the feverish allegations that emanate from the extended Trump-o-sphere, this one actually has some substance. An investigation by The Washington Post last year alleged that Musk had worked illegally in the U.S. while launching his Silicon Valley career in the mid-90s. Musk has denied this, and in any case he has been a U.S. citizen since 2002. Still, legal experts have said his citizenship could technically be revoked if he were proven to have lied to immigration authorities. And while those laws have only rarely been enforced in the past 25 years, some Trump aides and allies have said they want that to change. Nor is that anywhere close to the only alleged skeleton in Musk's closet. What is his relationship with ecstasy, Adderall, ketamine, or magic mushrooms? Has he ever been in regular contact with Vladimir Putin? Did his colleagues at DOGE rigorously follow information security laws when extracting sensitive data from federal systems? What happened to all that data after it was obtained? At least we can probably can rule out plain old assassination by government special forces. Although, to be fair, that is literally something that Trump and his lawyers have argued should be protected by presidential immunity. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A stunning day of insults traded between two of the worlds most powerful men followed the public division between Musk, formerly head of the DOGE initiative, and the president who saw the Tesla chief off with an Oval Office goodbye just one week ago. As the tweets and posts kept coming, stunned watchers from across the political spectrum were breaking out the popcorn. By the end of the afternoon, the pairs myriad assortment of friends and political allies were desperately (and publicly) calling for a truce. It may already be too late. Elon Musk, known for his ability to dial every interpersonal conflict up to 100 at the drop of a hat, did so on Thursday. In multiple tweets, he insinuated that the US president was in the Epstein Files the so-called investigation into sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in a Manhattan detention center. That was the reason, Musk said, the unredacted investigation into Epsteins death was not released, and for so many questions remaining about the wealthy pedophile and the activities he and his network of influential friends got up to. Musk sent more than 50 in total throughout Thursday. In one, he acknowledged that Trumps tariffs were projected by some economists to have put the US on course for a recession by the end of the year. In another, he groused that Trump was ungrateful for his help in winning the 2024 election. open image in gallery Elon Musk and Donald Trump engaged in a social media brawl on Thursday ( EPA ) By the end of the day, it was clear that Musk had blown far past the point of retaining any allies in the Republican caucuses on Capitol Hill. His rapid descent into personal attacks and insinuations of darker conspiracies afoot was sure to lose even the unhappiest critics of the one big, beautiful bill who were originally thrilled to see Elon in their camp. Especially after Musk responded yes to a tweet from Malaysian Twitter troll and political commentator Ian Miles Cheong, stating that Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should take over. Trump, for his part, fired back occasionally but was clearly satisfied to sit back and watch the worlds richest man spin out. Declining to address any of his former allys insinuations, Trump wrote: I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. Musk may have unknowingly ceded ground in the dispute by devolving into personal attacks particularly one most frequently uttered by left-leaning critics of the president on Twitter. It was hard to see the feud as anything but the result of bruised egos: at one point, Musk posted a raised-eyebrow emoji in a quote tweet of grainy, years-old MSNBC footage showing Morning Joe discussing Trump appearing on camera at a party with the disgraced financier and accused sex trafficker. Whatever the case, the bromance between Trump and Musk is now officially over and would take a miracle or a rewriting of immediate history to repair. Dont expect to hear the word DOGE out of Trumps mouth any time soon. This feud is likely to get worse before it gets better, as there are few men the two respect sufficiently who could moderate efforts to repair the growing rift. open image in gallery Elon Musk and Donald Trump engaged in a social media brawl on Thursday ( AFP/Getty ) Instead, this is likely to be the end of Elon Musks politicking for the Republican Party. Already publicly having committed to taking a step back, Musk comes out of the first half of 2025 having been burned in ways that few people in human history can really say theyve experienced. After spending a record sum to elect Trump and Republicans in 2024, Musk devoted significant time and energy to DOGE, only to see the results loudly denounced by vast swaths of the electorate and torn apart by the press. His personal brand, and that of his company, were tied to the effort only to see his reputation torn to shreds, Teslas profits plummet, and his relationship with the president end in tragedy. In a way, the real winner of Thursdays social media brawl was Mike Johnson. The Speaker of the House just watched someone who was poised to become the biggest obstacle to further progress on the budget reconciliation plan seemingly self-destruct in record time. There are many still publicly hoping that the bill will undergo changes in the Senate. Some want to divide it up, while several members of the House Freedom Caucus have lamented that more cuts to Medicaid and other programs were not included. I'm all in for more cuts to the bill. It's big, but it's not beautiful yet, wrote Rep. Andy Ogles in an X post Thursday morning, which would be reposted by Musk. By the end of the day, Ogles was trying to put lipstick on a pig. Some are focused on the big beautiful brawl but everyone in Congress should be focused on making the Big Beautiful Bill better, he wrote later in the day. If Musk doesnt reverse course over the next few hours or days, the conservative holdouts against the big, beautiful bill in the House and Senate may see much of their political cover evaporate. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice More than two months after Donald Trumps administration was ordered to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the wrongfully deported Salvadoran man has returned to the United States to face criminal charges in Tennessee. The government has spent weeks battling court orders for his return after admitting he was deported in error. The 29-year-old Maryland father is now facing a federal grand jury indictment accusing him of illegally transporting undocumented immigrants across the country. A two-count indictment filed in Tennessee last month and unsealed Friday accuses Abrego Garcia of participating in a years-long conspiracy to traffic undocumented immigrants from Texas. He faces one count of conspiracy to transport aliens and one count of unlawful transportation of undocumented aliens. Federal prosecutors claim he is a member of transnational gang MS-13 and personally participated in violent crime, including murder. Prosecutors also claim he abused women and trafficked children, firearms and narcotics. There is also an ongoing investigation into solicitation of child pornography, though no charges have been filed, prosecutors said. A decision to pursue a case against Abrego Garcia led to the abrupt departure of top prosecutor Ben Schrader, who feared the charges were politically motivated, according to ABC, which first reported the indictment. open image in gallery Kilmar Abrego Garcia has returned to the United States to face criminal trafficking charges after he was wrongfully deported to El Salvador nearly three months ago ( via REUTERS ) The government disappeared Kilmar to a foreign prison in violation of a court order. Now, after months of delay and secrecy, theyre bringing him back, not to correct their error but to prosecute him, his attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said in a statement to The Independent. This shows that they were playing games with the court all along, he added. Due process means the chance to defend yourself before youre punished, not after. The case stems from a traffic stop in Tennessee in 2022, when police found Abrego Garcia driving several other men who lacked identification, according to the indictment. He was not charged at the time. Allegations from six unnamed co-conspirators claim Abrego Garcia helped move migrants throughout the country in exchange for money that was moved between them in an alleged effort to hide their origins. Abrego Garcia and his alleged co-conspirators knowingly and unlawfully transported thousands of people, some of whom were members of MS-13, according to the indictment. Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to hold him in pretrial detention because he poses a danger to the community and a serious risk of flight. Testimony at trial will establish that the defendant transported approximately 50 undocumented aliens throughout the United States per month for several years, according to prosecutors. The evidence will also establish the defendants longstanding membership and association with MS-13 and how he used his association with the gang to further the alien smuggling conspiracy. In a press conference on Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi called his indictment and arrest American justice. If convicted, he will be deported back to El Salvador, she said. open image in gallery Abrego Garcias family and attorneys have urged the Trump administration to return the Salvadoran immigrant, whose indictment reflects an abuse of power, according to his legal team. ( REUTERS ) Abrego Garcia fled El Salvador as a teenager in 2011 and was working as a sheet-metal apprentice in Maryland, where he has been living with his wife and 5-year-old child, both U.S. citizens. The couple is also raising two other children from a previous relationship. After a traffic stop in March, he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and then deported to El Salvadors brutal Terrorism Confinement Center despite an immigration court judges 2019 order withholding his removal from the country for humanitarian reasons. Abrego Garcia was later moved to another prison for non-gang members. He was imprisoned in the country for nearly three months. Trumps allies and administration officials have repeatedly sought to justify his detention over allegations of criminal activity and MS-13 gang membership, which were raised only after he was summarily deported. Democrats and legal analysts have argued the administration could simply return Abrego Garcia and then use that alleged evidence against him in normal immigration court removal hearings. Instead, Justice Department lawyers and Trump administration officials clashed with federal judges and raised a state secrets privilege to avoid answering a judges questions about the governments relationship with El Salvador and conversations about his detention there. This is an abuse of power, not justice, Sandoval-Moshenberg toldThe Independent. The government should put him on trial, yes but in front of the same immigration judge who heard his case in 2019, which is the ordinary manner of doing things, to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador, as the Supreme Court ordered, he said. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, who traveled to El Salvador to meet with Abrego Garcia, said the administration appeared to have finally relented to our demands for compliance with court orders and with the due process rights afforded to everyone in the United States. As I have repeatedly said, this is not about the man, its about his constitutional rights and the rights of all, he said Friday. The administration will now have to make its case in the court of law, as it should have all along. open image in gallery Attorney General Pam Bondi called an indictment and allegations against Kilmar Abrego Garcia American justice after the Trump administration repeatedly defied court orders for his return to the United States ( AP ) Following a legal challenge over his arrest and deportation in mid-March, government attorneys conceded in court documents that Abrego Garcia was removed due to administrative error but insisted it was impossible to bring him back. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also said he was removed due to a clerical error. But the president and other administration officials have repeatedly defended his detention. In April, Maryland District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the administration to facilitate Abrego Garcias return from El Salvador, calling the removal wholly lawless and a grievous error that shocks the conscience. As defendants acknowledge, they had no legal authority to arrest him, no justification to detain him, and no grounds to send him to El Salvador let alone deliver him into one of the most dangerous prisons in the Western Hemisphere, Judge Xinis wrote at the time. The Supreme Court also unanimously agreed that his removal was illegal and affirmed the lower court judges order to facilitate his return. Officials continued to reject those orders and insisted Abrego Garcia would never return to the United States, escalating the Trump administrations ongoing battle with a judiciary the president accuses of conspiring against him. There is no scenario where Abrego Garcia will be in the United States again, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testified to a Senate panel last month. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Trumps Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, praised the administration for pushing Harvard and Columbia University to make progress on tackling campus antisemitism. "I have seen progress. And you know why I think were seeing progress? Because we are putting these measures in place, and were saying were putting teeth behind what were looking at," McMahon told NBC News. They talk a lot about it, but I think we really started to see a lot of their actions once we were taking action," McMahon added. The comments come as the administration continues its unprecedented campaign to force changes at both universities, on allegations that they didnt do enough to combat campus antisemitism during contentious protests surrounding the Israel-Hamas war. In April, the administration froze more than $2.2 billion in federal funding to Harvard after it refused to comply with a series of sweeping on-campus changes the administration demanded, prompting the university to sue. open image in gallery Trump administration Education Secretary Linda McMahon argues threats to funding and international student enrollment have caused progress in fighting antisemitism at Harvard and Columbia ( AP ) The Trump administration also imperiled $400 million to Columbia in March, though the New York university has taken a different tack than its Massachusetts peer in the Ivy League, largely agreeing to administration demands to restore the funds. Both schools were making concerted efforts to address antisemitism on campus before Trump took office. Columbia created an antisemitism task force in 2023, while Harvard followed suit in 2024, and the schools have worked to reform student training practices, disciplinary policies, and protest rules prior to Trumps crackdown on the universities beginning. Harvard also settled a major antisemitism suit from students and adopted a new campus definition of antisemitism in January, right as Trump took office. However, once the administration was underway, the universities have taken sharply divergent approaches, though neither has spared the Ivy League universities from scrutiny from the administration. Harvard President receives standing ovation after taking swipe at Trump policy on international students In April, the administration demanded that Harvard institute unprecedented changes, including ending all diversity policies, cooperating with federal law enforcement, and subjecting itself to a viewpoint diversity audit, among other reforms. The university declined, and soon after the administration froze the $2.2 billion in grants and contracts, prompting Harvard to sue. Since then, the administration has continued to ratchet up pressure on Harvard, attempting to strip its ability to enroll international students and threatening to revoke Harvards tax-exempt status. In March, Columbia largely acceded to the administrations requests, instituting changes like empowering a new campus police force to arrest students, committing to hiring faculty with greater intellectual diversity, partially banning face masks at protests, and restructuring Middle East-focused university departments. Nonetheless, on Wednesday, the Department of Education claimed that Columbia was in violation of federal antidiscrimination laws and therefore fails to meet the standards for accreditation. Harvard President Alan Garber has accused the administration of trying to unconstitutionally interfere with the universitys affairs and choosing punishments that have little to do with tackling antisemitism. open image in gallery Columbia University agreed to major campus reforms as part of funding negotiations, but continues to face scrutiny from Trump administration over alleged antisemitism ( Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) The sanctions that the government chose to impose against us having to do with cutting off federal support at Harvard those are not sanctions that will particularly aid us in the fight against antisemitism, Garber told alumni in April. The administration has at times struggled to explain its own education policies. During a hearing in the House on Wednesday, McMahon appeared unable to answer questions about whether teaching students about the Tulsa race massacre or the fact that Joe Biden won the 2020 election would amount to illegal DEI, a practice the administration says should bar schools from receiving federal funds. When asked about whether the administrations push to force universities to hire more ideologically diverse staff meant Harvard had to hire people like Holocaust deniers, McMahon responded and said, I believe that there should be diversity of viewpoints relative to teachings and opinions on campuses. Officials have also spoken openly about their desire to police student opinion and political activity. Its very important that we are making sure that the students who are coming in and being on these campuses arent activists, that theyre not causing these activities, McMahon added in her NBC News interview. This spring, the administration briefly revoked, then reinstated, legal status for thousands of internationals on student visas in the U.S. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The Columbia University student-activist at the center of a legal battle with Donald Trumps administration has filed dozens of pieces of evidence and statements outlining the irreparable harm he faces in an immigration detention center in Louisiana. Mahmoud Khalil who was arrested by federal agents nearly three months ago for his role leading pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus also submitted a declaration of his own, writing of the visceral pain he experienced missing the birth of his son. Instead of holding my wifes hand in the delivery room, I was crouched on a detention center floor, whispering through a crackling phone line as she labored alone, Khalil wrote. I listened to her pain, trying to comfort her while 70 other men slept around me. When I heard my sons first cries, I buried my face in my arms so no one would see me weep. The massive tranche of filings unsealed on Thursday also include statements from Khalils wife, his fellow Columbia students and professors, a former State Department official condemning his arbitrary detention, and experts outlining the chilling effect of his arrest and Islamophobic reactions surrounding his case. Khalils arrest has sparked protests across the country and fears the Trump administration is crushing political dissent by targeting demonstrations against Israels devastating campaign in Gaza. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he proudly revoked hundreds of student visas over campus activism, leading to several high-profile arrests of international scholars. open image in gallery A judge has determined that Mahmoud Khalils arrest on foreign policy grounds under Marco Rubios determination was likely unconstitutional. The judge will review additional filings from the Columbia University student activist, detailing the ongoing harms of his detention. ( REUTERS ) Khalil, who is Palestinian, grew up in a refugee camp in Syria. He entered the United States on a student visa in 2022 to pursue a masters degree in public administration, which he completed last year. He missed his graduation ceremony last month. As someone who fled persecution in Syria for my political beliefs, for who I am, I never imagined myself to be in immigration detention, here in the United States, Khalil wrote in his declaration. Lawyers for Khalil argue he suffers irreparable harm from his arrest and detention including First Amendment violations, his separation from his wife and child, and psychological harm specific to his arrest and detention. They also accuse the Trump administration of damaging Khalils reputation by baselessly identifying him as a risk to the foreign policy of the United States, marking him and his family as targets for harassment and notoriety and severely undermining his ability to pursue a career in international diplomacy and human rights advocacy. Khalil wrote that he was subject to dignitary and reputational harm, personal and familial hardship, including constant fear for personal safety, continued detention, restrictions on my freedom of expression, and severe damage to my professional future. Statements from the Trump administration amounted to attacks against him, amplified across social media and into the lives of his family, he said. These were not just attacks on my character, he added. They were efforts to erase my humanity. His wife Noor Abdalla described the moment Khalil met his newborn son through a plate glass window inside a detention center one month after he was born. It was an awful feeling for all of us, she wrote. Mahmoud was right there, but he could not touch his son. open image in gallery Khalils wife Noor Abdalla gave birth to the couples son while he was imprisoned in Louisiana. Khalil met his newborn from behind a plate glass window. ( REUTERS ) The filings follow a federal judges ruling that the Trump administrations attempt to deport Khalil on foreign policy grounds is likely unconstitutional. New Jersey District Judge Michael Farbiarz has asked for additional information before ruling on his release from detention. The administration has accused Khalil of antisemitic activities and of supporting Hamas, which he has flatly rejected. He has not been charged with any crime, but officials claim Khalil can be removed over what Rubio has characterized as adverse foreign policy consequences. Khalil also is seeking an order to block Rubio from relying on an obscure immigration law to similarly deport other activists. There are no further hearings scheduled in his parallel immigration court proceedings in Louisiana. The judge in that case has determined Khalil can be deported. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, has announced that she will no longer support President Donald Trumps so-called big, beautiful bill, and it all comes down to two pages in the more than 1,000-page document. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act would extend the presidents 2017 tax cuts and create more military funding, including for border security, while making cuts to Biden-era energy credits and reforming Medicaid. Trump has faced challenges getting the bill through Congress. It narrowly passed in the House in May, and The Hill reported Thursday that it is losing momentum in the Senate. If the Senate makes any changes to the House-passed bill, as expected, the House will need to vote again on the legislation. Now some House members who voted in support of the bill are sharing their regrets, including Greene, a staunch Trump supporter. open image in gallery Greene reportedly said at a committee hearing on Thursday that she will not support Trump's bill when it comes back to the House for another vote. ( Getty ) On Tuesday, Greene admitted in an X post that she didnt read the full text of the bill, missing a section that strips states of the right to make laws or regulate AI for 10 years. I am adamantly OPPOSED to this and it is a violation of state rights and I would have voted NO if I had known this was in there, she wrote, adding, This needs to be stripped out in the Senate. Greene went even further with her opposition to the bill on Thursday, saying she will not support it when it comes back to the House for another vote. When it comes to AI and regulation, when we get to vote on this bill again, I will be voting no because of this clause, she said during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing, The Hill reported Thursday. Greene explained why she was so opposed to the AI part of the bill in Tuesdays X post. We should be reducing federal power and preserving state power. Not the other way around. Especially with rapidly developing AI that even the experts warn they have no idea what it may be capable of, she wrote. But before the bill can even get back to the House, it needs to be passed by the Senate. Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo, an Idaho Republican, said in a special conference meeting on Wednesday there are two GOP Senators who will likely not support the bill, The Hill reported, citing a senator who was in the meeting. Crapo just said, I think [there] are two of us who are pretty definite nos, which means we cant lose anybody else, the unnamed senator said. open image in gallery The One Big Beautiful Bill Act would extend Trumps 2017 tax cuts and create more military funding, including for border security, while making cuts to Biden-era energy credits and reforming Medicaid. ( Getty ) To make matters worse for Trump, tech billionaire Elon Musk, who previously headed the presidents Department of Government Efficiency, wrote on X on Tuesday: Im sorry, but I just cant stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it. In response to Musks harsh critiques of the bill, Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday: I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. Over the course of a few hours, two of the worlds most powerful men traded blows from their respective social media platforms Truth Social and X as their partnership came to an abrupt and extremely public end. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Several Republican senators have questioned the cost of an upcoming military parade set to take place on President Donald Trumps birthday. The parade is expected to be held in Washington, D.C., on June 14 to celebrate the Armys 250th birthday, which also happens to fall on Trumps 79th birthday. Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, voiced his concern about the spectacle after he learned it would cost an estimated $25 million to $40 million, per Politico. According to the publication, Wicker heard about the hefty cost from Army Secretary Dan Driscoll in an Army budget hearing. Driscoll said he could not provide an exact price for the parade because the Army will also need to pay for the road damage that its tanks will do, Politico reported. NBC News reported, citing military officials, that it may cost as much as $16 million to repair the streets of Washington, D.C. after the parade. open image in gallery The parade is expected to be held on June 14 to celebrate the Armys 250th birthday, which also happens to fall on Donald Trumps 79th birthday. ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) I would have recommended against the parade, Wicker told Politico on Thursday. Wicker did mention a positive possible outcome of the planned spectacle: The secretary feels that it will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for thousands of young Americans to see what a great opportunity it is to participate in a great military force, that it will be a recruiting tool. So, well see, he added. The Army has already met its recruiting goals for the 2025 fiscal year. In a press release issued Tuesday, the Army announced it signed contracts with more than 61,000 future soldiers, four months before the end of the fiscal year. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, also critiqued the military parade. Im glad that were honoring the Army. I think thats really important to recognize such a significant anniversary, she said in a recent interview with Politico. But the cost does seem a bit steep, the Republican added. Senator Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, went a step further to tell Politico, If it costs money, I wont go. open image in gallery Trump said the projected cost of the parade is peanuts compared to the value of doing it. ( Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images ) The parade will feature roughly 6,600 Army troops who will wear uniforms from every military conflict the U.S. was involved in since the Revolutionary War. It will feature military equipment such as a WWII-vintage B-25 bomber, a P-1 fighter and Huey helicopters used in the Vietnam War, according to Politico. Reuters reported that, according to the Army, there will also be 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armored vehicles, and four Paladin self-propelled artillery vehicles. In a May 4 interview on Meet the Press with NBC News Kristen Welker, Trump said the cost of the parade is peanuts compared to the value of doing it. We have the greatest missiles in the world. We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And were going to celebrate it, he said. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The rapid and intense bromance between two of the worlds most powerful men Donald Trump and Elon Musk grew fast during the election season. It came to a crashing halt less than six months after Trumps return to the White House. Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate, Musk wrote on X in the tweet that seemingly killed the friendship. Musk was once Trumps critic and became his friend as the Tesla head pushed further right in his political leanings. It hit its apex after the assassination attempt on Trump in July. Musk then joined Trump on the campaign and quickly dubbed himself first buddy. That led to Musk becoming the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, which was tasked with slashing the federal budget. The relationship turned sour as the two disagreed over Trumps spending bill. Musk left the White House and the two remained friendly, at least in public. That changed as Musk posted criticism of the bill online and culminating with the meltdown on social media between the two. Elon was wearing thin, I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY! the president wrote on TruthSocial. Here is a look at their history together: open image in gallery Elon Musk and Donald Trump grew close during the campaign season. That came to a crashing halt as the dispute over the spending bill exploded. ( AP ) November 2016 In 2016, Musk was not the biggest fan of his future bestie, stating publicly that Trump was not fit to run for the nations highest office. "I feel a bit stronger that he is not the right guy. He doesnt seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the United States," the billionaire told CNBC at the time. His skepticism did not appear to last long however, after he was appointed by Trump to an economic advisory council, alongside Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, the next month following Trumps first election win. June 2017 The pairs first professional relationship did not end well. After Trumps announcement that the U.S. would be withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement, Musk tendered his resignation from his positions on the presidential advisory boards. Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world, Musk wrote on X, then-Twitter, and not yet under his ownership. January 2022 Five years later, it was Trump who rekindled the relationship after describing Musk as one of the worlds great geniuses and likening him to Thomas Edison. open image in gallery Trump once described Musk as one of the worlds great geniuses and likened him to Thomas Edison ( Getty ) The President-elect told CNBC that the SpaceX boss was one of our very smart people. Foreshadowing the present, Trump went on to say that Musk was not only good at electric cars, but he does good at rockets, too, by the way. I never saw where the engines come down with no wings, no anything, and theyre landing, he said. July 2022 That complimentary attitude was short lived, as just six months later Trump referred to Musk as another bulls*** artist. Speaking about free speech at a rally in Anchorage, Alaska, Trump mused over Musks vow that he would buy the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, while promoting his own the soon-to-be-infamous Truth Social. Elon is not going to buy Twitter he said the other day Oh, Ive never voted for a Republican. I said I didnt know that. He told me he voted for me. So hes another bulls*** artist. Musk replied to a clip of the rally: I dont hate the man, but its time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset. In another social media post he claimed that Musk would have dropped to his knees and begged if he had asked. Lmaooo [laughing my *** off], Musk responded. November 2022 open image in gallery Musk was once described by Trump as another bulls*** artist as the twos relationship has been all over the map ( AP ) Musks claims were ultimately not, as Trump claimed, bulls*** and Musk officially completed the acquisition of the platform in October 2022. It seemed as though the July remarks were forgiven or forgotten however, after Musk reinstated Trumps account, reversing a ban that had kept Trump off the platform since the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Musk made the announcement after holding a poll that asked Twitter users to click "yes" or "no" on whether Trumps account should be reinstated. The "yes" vote won, with 51.8 percent. The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei, he wrote. September 2023 Musk seemingly began to align more with Trump policies, including those on immigration, posting in favor of a U.S. border wall with Mexico one of the President-elects most championed policies. We actually do need a wall and we need to require people to have some shred of evidence to claim asylum to enter, as everyone is doing that... Musk wrote. open image in gallery Musk swung his support behind Trump following the attempted assassination of the President-elect at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania in July ( AP ) March 2024 Despite moving toward Trump, the billionaire tech boss was still publicly ambivalent in backing either party, announcing on X that he would not donate to a candidate in the presidential election. July 2024 That attitude changed quickly following the attempted assassination of Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Musk endorsed Trump as a candidate seconds after he was rushed off stage by secret service agents, and it was later reported that he said Musk would commit around $45 million a month to a new pro-Trump super PAC called America PAC. August 2024 Musk hosted Trump on X for a "conversation" that turned into a marathon ramble reminiscent of the president-elects campaign rallies. During the chat he suggested that Trump should form a commission focused on "government efficiency" and appoint him to it. Later that month he posted "I am willing to serve. October 2024 Musk made his first public appearance with Trump after the former president returned to Butler. Bouncing onto the stage excitedly and wearing a black "Make America Great Again" cap, he told crowds: "As you can see, Im not just MAGA Im dark MAGA." open image in gallery Musk jumps on the stage as Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania ( AP ) The billionaire later announced that he would give away $1 million a day to voters in swing states who have signed a petition from his America PAC to support free speech and the right to bear arms. November 2024 Musk spent the evening with Trump and other MAGA die-hards at the president-elects Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to watch the vote returns and the sweeping Republican victory. Shortly after, Trump announced that Musk and his former presidential candidate rival Vivek Ramaswamy would lead a new "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE a tongue-in-cheek reference to an internet meme favored by Musk), which will operate as an independent advisory group to cut government spending and streamline bureaucracy. Later that month Trump traveled to Texas to witness SpaceXs Starship launch alongside Musk who now refers to himself as First Buddy with reports also emerging that the pair spend almost every day together. Musk is also reported to have sat in on and even held talks with foreign leaders. December 2024 open image in gallery In November, Trump traveled to Texas to witness SpaceXs Starship launch alongside Musk ( AP ) The dynamic duo teamed up for a coordinated but ultimately unsuccessful effort to tank a stopgap government spending bill from passing in Congress, leaving both Democrats and even Republicans exhausted with the growing political influence of the worlds wealthiest person. Resulting concerns and descriptions of the Tesla boss as president Musk eventually led Trump to address their relationship dynamic head-on. No, hes not taking the presidency, Trump declared in a speech. Thats not happening. However, the pair still appear to be somewhat inseparable. A report from The New York Times revealed that Musk spent much of the last two months since the election renting a $2,000-per-night cottage on the grounds of the president-elects Florida residence which is located just several hundred feet from the main house. But all may not be roses for long, with sources telling Mediate just before the New Year that Trump is now becoming annoyed with his first buddy following Musks public spat with other members of the MAGA hardcore over H1B visas. 100 percent Trump is annoyed, a source who worked on Trumps re-election campaign told the outlet. Theres a Chinese saying: two tigers cannot live on one mountaintop. Early 2025 Soon after Trump was elected, he announced Musk and former Republican presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy would co-head a new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE for short, with the goal of slashing government spending. Ramaswamy later backed out to run for governor of Ohio in 2026, and Musk took the reigns, but was not able to accomplish nearly as much as he promised. open image in gallery Musk took the reigns for DOGE earlier this year, but didnt cut nearly as much government spending as he set out to. ( Getty ) Musk claimed to have saved the government $175 billion a far cry from his initial target of $2 trillion and his revised goal of $1 trillion. His cutthroat workforce reduction efforts totaled in more than 100,000 layoffs, though the Trump administration is facing legal challenges related to the cuts. As Musk forged forward, members of Trumps cabinet were growing tired of his meddling. Reports also emerged that the tech billionaire and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent got into an explosive West Wing brawl within earshot of President Donald Trump in the Oval Office earlier this year. April 2025 Musk bid the White House farewell to his government work during an April 30 Cabinet meeting, saying it was an honor to work with your incredible Cabinet. Though he wouldnt leave full time until May. At the time, Musk said DOGE was able to run on its own and he was looking to spend less time in Washington, in order to focus on his companies. May 2025 Musk and Trump seemed to sailing on smooth waters even as the two held a press conference on May 30 to mark Musks departure from the White House. However, things became rocky when Musk voiced criticism of Trumps tax and domestic policy bill, which he has nicknamed the Big, Beautiful Bill. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO first criticized the bill during a CBS News interview, and later doubled down on his critiques on his social media platform, X. open image in gallery Musk and Trumps relationship hit rocky waters once the tech mogul criticized Trumps Big Beautiful Bill. ( Getty ) June 2025 Musk stood by complaints about the bill, writing on X on June 3, "Im sorry, but I just cant stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it." Trump lashed out at his former adviser while speaking from the White House on June 5, telling reporters:I'm very disappointed, because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here ... He knew everything about it. He had no problem with it. Musk soon after took to X called the allegation false. This bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that lamost no one in Congress could even read it! Musk wrote. The two powerful men proceeded to trade blows from their respective social media sites Truth Social and X as their high-profile bromance came to an abrupt and extremely public end June 5. open image in gallery The two powerful men fired off at each other from their respective social media sites for an hour. ( Getty ) The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it! Musk later chimed in: Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. Such ingratitude, he added. Musk went on to claim that Trump is in the Epstein files and reminded congressional Republicans that he will be around much longer than Trump. That is the real reason they have not been made public, Musk wrote, signing off: Have a good day, DJT! Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice So it finally happened. The twisted friendship that everyone knew couldnt last, whose breakup it was foretold would create enough bitterness to fuel a SpaceX mission to Mars, is no more. The immovable object that is Donald Trumps ego has met the unstoppable force that is Elon Musks (allegedly) ketamine-fueled arrogance, and the results are already reshaping the political landscape. Never in history has the world seen behind the curtain at a feud between two such powerful men, only for them to be exposed as petty schoolchildren. From their own social media platforms, the titans spent Thursday trying to destroy each others reputations with threats and secrets. This was politics King Kong and Godzilla enough to crash markets, swing elections and raise sea levels. open image in gallery Trump bid farewell to Musk as a temporary presidential advisor in the Oval Office just days ago, on May 30 ( Getty Images ) Just last week the president was handing Musk a symbolic key to the White House on his final day as a special government employee, as the two lavished each other with praise. Today, sordid Jeffery Epstein insinuations are flying like darts and Trump is threatening to cripple Musks business empire. Tesla stock is plummeting and Musk, who donated a whopping $300 million to Trumps 2024 presidential campaign, is threatening to start a third party. Musks rampage began just four days after he left the White House, with him posting on X about Trumps Big Beautiful Bill, a signature spending package the president has endorsed, calling it a "disgusting abomination." The billionaire declared the "outrageous, pork-filled" spending bill would "massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion (!!!) and burden America [sic] citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt. Trump, uncharacteristically, didnt respond in public immediately. When he did, he insisted that he wasnt mad with Musk during a press conference with the German Chancellor earlier on Thursday, just very disappointed. Sounding every bit a disheartened father, and speaking in a tone familiar to any child who hasnt cleaned their room for a month, he said that he had helped Elon a lot. Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, claiming that Musk had no problem with it. Elon and I had a great relationship, he continued. I dont know if we will anymore. It seemed as if Trump was having trouble coming to terms with the idea that Musk was rebelling against him. open image in gallery President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) I've always liked Elon, and I was very surprised. You saw the words he had for me. He hasnt said anything about me that's bad. I'd rather have him criticize me than the bill, because the bill is incredible, he said. By Trumps standards it was a tame response, but Musk did not get away completely unscathed. All of a sudden he had a problem, and he only developed the problem when he found out that we're going to have to cut the EV mandate, because that's billions and billions of dollars, and it really is unfair," Trump said, suggesting Musk had ulterior motives for criticizing the bill. Trump then said he would have won Pennsylvania easily anyway, claiming credit for one of Musks most important contributions during the 2024 presidential campaign. Trumps disappointment expressed in the White House presser appeared to set off Musk, as he ramped up his vitriol in a fresh tweetstorm only minutes later. Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate, Musk wrote on X. Such ingratitude, he continued. Like a petulant teenager subtweeting his dad, Musk continued on a tirade on X, writing , Where is the man who wrote these words? Was he replaced by a body double!? over old posts from Trump lambasting Republicans for failing to balance the budget. And on he went, tweeting up a storm against the president. Trump finally had enough and decided to threaten to hit Musk where it hurts his wallet. open image in gallery Elon Musk wears a Cheesehead hat as he speaks during a town hall in Green Bay, Wisconsin on March 30, 2025 ( AFP/Getty ) "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts," Trump wrote. The threat of losing cash seems to made the billionaire explode with vitriol, which led to a stunning outburst: Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! Musk posted. Then, after accusing Trump of being involved with convicted child sex offender Epstein, he posted in support of impeaching Trump not just turning his back on the president he was an advisor to just days ago, but leading calls for his downfall. Trump had a few public events throughout the afternoon while Musk was posting. If history is anything to go by, his Truth Social diatribes against his former First Buddy will kick off late tonight. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Just hours after Elon Musk and Donald Trump were engaged in a vindictive social media spat, the late-night shows reveled in their spectacular meltdown. A simmering feud between the two men over Trumps big, beautiful bill exploded into a full-blown war of words on Thursday afternoon. The back-and-forth quickly devolved into threats of terminating government subsidies for Musks companies and the tech billionaire calling for the presidents impeachment. Meanwhile, late-night TV hosts sat back and enjoyed the show as World War Douche unfolded. For a few days now, theres been a simmering tension between Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the leader of the free world and the breeder of the free world, the Daily Shows Michael Kosta said in his opening monologue. But today, the conflict has escalated into a full-blown World War Douche. open image in gallery Michael Kosta sat back and watched 'World War Douche' unfold on Thursday evening ( The Daily Show/YouTube ) Jimmy Fallon was left gobsmacked by the sheer speed and messy nature of the Trump-Musk break-up. I cant believe their relationship fell apart this fast. I mean, a week ago they were all over each other like Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner at a Knicks game, the Tonight Show host quipped. But Trump didnt stop there. He also said that the easiest way for the country to save money would be to terminate all of Elon Musks government contracts... Meanwhile, Elons, like, Come on, man, dont do this. I have 100 kids to feed. open image in gallery The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon cracked several jokes at the expense of the worlds richest and worlds most powerful man ( The Tonight Show/YouTube ) Much of Thursday evenings commentary revolved around when Musk decided to drop the really big bomb, claiming that Trump was on the client list of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. In January 2024, Trump posted on Truth Social that he was never on Epsteins Plane, or at his stupid island. The Late Shows Stephen Colbert said that Musk was a little late on the Epstein claims. Trumps gonna have to get one of those bumper stickers for his Tesla that says, I bought this before Elon told everyone I was on Epsteins plane, Colbert added. Colbert teased that Trump, in fact, has never been more relatable as a Tesla owner who hates Elon Musk. open image in gallery Stephen Colbert grimaced as he commented on Musk and Trump's feud going nuclear ( The Late Show/YouTube ) Trump aides were blindsided when Musk shredded the presidents centerpiece legislation over X on Tuesday, a source told the Wall Street Journal. The tech billionaire tweeted that Trumps spending bill a disgusting abomination. He continued to dig in, without explicitly referring to Trump, posting on X that the presidents so-called big, beautiful bill will drive America into debt slavery. Tensions reached a major turning point on Thursday in the Oval Office with Trump, sitting beside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, stating he was very disappointed with Elon over his sharp critique of the presidents showpiece tax bill. Musk fired back on X, stating: Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice On Friday May 30, President Donald Trump handed his close aide and first buddy Elon Musk a golden key to the White House, praising the work the tech billionaire had done for his administration. Elon gave an incredible service, Trump said at the joint press conference with Musk. Theres nobody like him. That event was intended to mark the end of Musks 130 days as a special government advisor, leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in slashing excess federal spending. open image in gallery Elon Musk and Donald Trump in happier times ( Getty ) Although there had been some disagreements during Musks time in the role the Tesla owner made it clear he was not a fan of Trumps tariffs, for instance the event seemed to mark a conciliatory end to their working relationship. But there were rumblings: Musk, whose whole purpose at DOGE had been reducing federal expense, was deeply opposed to Trumps Big Beautiful Bill, fearing it would ramp up the national debt over the next 10 years. While White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had successfully managed to spin their difference of opinion as an example of healthy debate for a couple of days, everything came to a head on Thursday June 5. A month later and the two billionaires are back to trading pot shots as Trumps deadline to pass the bill looms. Heres a timeline of how the very public fight between Trump and Musk unfolded, which appeared unresolvable until Musk offered a grovelling apology six days later, only to then blow up again three weeks later. Trump vs Musk: Minute-by-minute 1.31pm ET, Tuesday June 3: Musk attacks the Big Beautiful Bill Writing on X, Musk says: Im sorry, but I just cant stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it. He continued: It will massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion (!!!) and burden America [sic] citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt. Two days later, things escalated dramatically. 12pm, Thursday June 5: Trump says hes surprised by Musk and very disappointed In an Oval Office appearance with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump said he was very disappointed by Musks comments. Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here, Trump told reporters. Elon and I had a great relationship. I dont know if we will anymore. Trump added he would have won Pennsylvania easily anyway, without Musks help. open image in gallery At first, Trump was uncharacteristically restrained with Musk ( AFP/Getty ) 1.44-1.57pm June 5: Musk renames bill, asks his followers if it is time to create a new political party Musk posts a slew of tweets to X, in one of which he rebuts Trumps point about Pennsylvania, arguing: Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. In another, he asks, Where is this guy today?? in response to a tweet of screenshots from the presidents previous criticisms of increasing the debt ceiling. He then tweeted: The Big Ugly Bill will INCREASE the deficit to $2.5 trillion! This is shortly followed by a new suggestion from Musk: Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle? This post was still pinned to the top of the X owners timeline for several days thereafter. 2.16pm June 5: Musk says he will be around for longer than Trump Responding to MAGA blogger Laura Loomer on X, who was commenting about the divide amongst Republicans over the fight between Musk and Trump, the billionaire said: Oh and some food for thought as they ponder this question: Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years... 2.37pm June 5: Trump attacks from Truth Social The president says that Musk was wearing thin in a series of posts on his social media platform. I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY! Trump said. He then added: The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it! 2.48 pm June 5: Musk hits back Retweeting a screenshot of Trumps EV mandate comment (alluding to the Big, Beautiful Bill scrapping a $7,500 tax credit for EV customers, which would impact Tesla), Musk said: Such an obvious lie. So sad. 3.10 pm June 5: Musk alleges Trump appears in the Jeffrey Epstein files Musk tweeted: Files linked to the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have emerged as a point of fixation for Trump and his allies and right-wing media figures. Time to drop the really big bomb: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Shortly after, he wrote: Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out. 4.09 pm June 5: Musk says he will decommission the Dragon spacecraft In light of the Presidents statement about cancellation of my government contracts, SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately, he tweeted. Another X user replied, urging Musk to cool off and take a step back for a couple of days. Musk replied: Good advice. Ok, we wont decommission Dragon. open image in gallery SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft lift off from Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida ( NASA ) 4.06 pm June 5: Trump defends the bill Trump wrote on Truth Social: I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. Its a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesnt pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didnt create this mess, Im just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! 4.11 pm June 5: Musk seems to agree Trump should be replaced by Vice President JD Vance Musk retweets an X user, who said: President vs Elon. Who wins? My money's on Elon. Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him. 4.26 pm June 5: Musk brings tariffs into the fight Musk tweets: The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year. The point echoes a warning issued by many of the presidents critics, from economists to pundits, but most notably his former presidential rival Kamala Harris. 7.50 pm June 5: Musk says Kill the bill Musk tweets: Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL. open image in gallery Musk and Trump posing with a Tesla at the White House on March 11 2025 ( Reuters ) Last post of June 5: Impeachment for Trump? Musks last repost for the day came from an X user, who said: This is why Republicans will likely lose the House in 2026 and then Democrats will spend two years investigating and impeaching President Trump. Trump and the Republicans in Congress need to deliver. We want budget cuts. We want agencies shut down. We dont want big govt. June 6: Trump shuns phone call to clear the air The following day, West Wing aides briefed the media that the two men were planning a private phone call to clear the air, only for the president himself to tell reporters that he had no interest in speaking to the man who had donated at least $288m to his election campaign just months earlier, leaving their once-close relationship in limbo. Trump told Jonathan Karl of ABC News he was not particularly interested in talking to Musk and said to Dana Bash of CNN: Im not even thinking about Elon. Hes got a problem. The poor guys got a problem. 3 am June 11: Musk seeks reconciliation? With Trump and his administration subsequently shifting focus to the Los Angeles anti-ICE protests, the tech boss unexpectedly extends an olive branch. I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week, Musk wrote on X in the small hours of the morning. They went too far. 4 pm June 28: Megabill disagreement erupts again After several weeks of quiet, in which Musk returned to his businesses and the president turned his attention towards Los Angeles and joining Israels offensive against Iran, the two egos clashed again when Trumps bloated, 940-page Big, Beautiful Bill made its way to the Senate. The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country! Musk wrote on X. Utterly insane and destructive. It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future. open image in gallery Musk revived his attacks on Trumps Big, Beautiful Bill in late June, objecting to its likely increase to the national debt ( AP ) 4 pm June 30: Musk pledges to support primary opponents of Republicans who back bill After the presidents signature bill narrowly passed the Senate 51-49, it was subjected to a marathon vote-a-rama in which lawmakers tabled amendments seeking to modify a legislative package many feared went too far in cutting welfare programs while cranking up the national debt, a particular concern of Musks. Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame! the worlds richest man posted. And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth. 1am July 1: Trump suggests DOGE investigate Musk subsidies with veiled threat to send him home to South Africa While the president was largely preoccupied with keeping Republican grandstanders in line as the Senate voting progressed, he finally snapped and went after Musk on Truth Social in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate, Trump huffed. It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but not everyone should be forced to own one. Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa. No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!! Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice An alliance between the two most powerful men in the world seemed destined to blow up into a volatile feud yet somehow held ... until it didnt. Within a few hours on Thursday, the public spat between Donald Trump and Elon Musk exploded into debates over the presidents impeachment, calls to launch primary challengers against Republican allies in Congress, and Musks accusation that the president is implicated in a sexual abuse scandal. But how they choose to escalate from here could have far-reaching impacts and not just for the fate of a massive bill that sparked their breakup. Trump and Musk command the worlds attention, own competing social media platforms, and are each in a position to wield the power of the presidency and spend, and lose, billions of dollars against one another. How Trump could go after Musk Kill government contracts Trump has already suggested yanking government contracts for Musks companies Tesla and SpaceX, which are due to receive at least $3 billion in contracts from 17 agencies. open image in gallery Trump and Musk both command massive influence on their own platforms and the worlds attention with billions of dollars at stake ( AFP/Getty ) The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts, Trump wrote on Truth Social. On his War Room podcast, Trump ally Steve Bannon urged Trump to retaliate against the worlds wealthiest man by, among other things, using the Defense Production Act to take control of SpaceX. The U.S. government should seize it, Bannon said Thursday. Cut off Elons access to the White House Musk ended his 130-day special government employee term in the Trump administration last week after serving as an adviser to the president for the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which Musk unleashed across the federal government to make drastic cuts to spending and the workforce. But Trump left the door open for Musk to return. That 130-day term can be renewed next year. Trump could sever that arrangement at any time. Bannon also called on Trump to strip Musks top-secret clearances, which he is granted in conjunction with his work on SpaceX and NASA. Make X illegal With more than 220 million followers on a social media platform under his control, Musk can use that audience and ability to shift media narratives against the president to advance his agenda. Trump, whose entire campaign was built on retribution, possesses executive authority to shut X down, according to experts. Trump could declare X a national security risk, which would permit him to ban the platform outright, claims Devan Leos with AI platform Undetectable AI. open image in gallery Elon Musk could wield his massive audience on X to humiliate the president, who could in turn retaliate against the platform ( AFP via Getty Images ) The president could invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act on national security grounds to prevent X from operating, which would likely trigger a high-profile legal battle. Musk now faces a difficult choice. He can ban Trump from X in retaliation, but that would almost certainly trigger an executive response from the White House, according to Leos. The president, meanwhile, owns more than 100 million shares, or roughly 53 per cent, of Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of social media platform Truth Social. His stake in the company is worth billions of dollars. Investigate Musks immigration status and drug use Musk was born in South Africa before he emigrated to Canada and later the United States. Last year, The Washington Post reported that the billionaire worked in the country illegally before gaining citizenship. Bannon called on the president to deport him. Elon Musk is illegal. Hes got to go too, Bannon said on his War Room podcast. open image in gallery After Trump threatened to pull Musks government contracts, Musk suggested SpaceX would decommission its Dragon spacecraft escalating a feud that could have wider impacts across government agencies ( Getty Images ) Trump also could wield the power of his office to initiate other investigations under a Department of Justice controlled by his fierce ally Attorney General Pam Bondi, including into allegations of his drug use at the campaign trail and within the administration. How Musk could go after Trump Flood opponents with cash The worlds wealthiest person spent tens of millions of dollars supporting Trumps 2024 campaign. On Thursday, he took credit for his victory. But this year, his multimillion-dollar effort to support a conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate blew up in his face, with his DOGE efforts tanking his and Teslas appeal. Still, Republican candidates fear being his target. Musk and his allies have threatened to fund primary challenges against any GOP member of Congress who supports legislation he doesnt. Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80 percent in the middle? Musk asked on Thursday. open image in gallery Musk and his PAC spent tens of millions boosting Trump in 2024. Republicans are both vying for some of that cash and fear being primaried by candidates fueled by Musks vengeance ( AFP via Getty Images ) Democrats agree with Musk that Trumps big, beautiful bill is a disaster but arent necessarily welcoming him to the party after the right-wing billionaire torched government agencies and helped but Trump back in office. We should ultimately be trying to convince him that the Democratic Party has more of the values that he agrees with, California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, whose district represents Silicon Valley, told Politico. A commitment to science funding, a commitment to clean technology, a commitment to seeing international students like him. Liam Kerr, co-founder of the centrist WelcomeFest meeting underway in Washington during the Trump-Musk feud, told the outlet that of course Democrats should be open to Musk. You dont want anyone wildly distorting your politics, which he has a unique capability to do. But its a zero-sum game, Kerr told Politico. Anything that he does that moves more toward Democrats hurts Republicans. Wield social media against the president It took just four hours for a feud playing out on two different social media platforms for Musk to drop what he called a bomb against the president. Time to drop the really big bomb, he wrote on X. [Trump] is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. That loaded accusation Musks suggestion that Trump was involving the sex offenders trafficking scheme appeared to be the tipping point in their feud. open image in gallery Musk is accused of using the White House as a show room for Tesla and profiting from his time in the Trump administration ( AFP via Getty Images ) Musk, who just days ago seemed to have no problem associating with a man he is now alleging is implicated in Epsteins crimes, could launch a humiliation campaign against the president for an audience that has been largely disappointed with the Trump administrations approach to the Epstein case. Far-right influencers have turned on top federal law enforcement officials over the case, accusing Trump of continuing what they believe is a deep state conspiracy theory covering up powerful people. Musk could leverage that hostility. Use DOGE against Trump Musk hired a small army of young loyalists and old allies for his government-wide operation to not only eliminate jobs and spending but extract reams of data from millions of Americans. DOGEs unprecedented access to Americans data is alarming, made worse by the complete absence of meaningful oversight, according to Ben Zipperer, a senior economist with the Economic Policy Institute. That unrestrained access to data will likely worsen the problem of identity theft in the United States, which could cost working families tens of billions of dollars annually. A report from Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warrens office also uncovered more than 100 instances that Musk allegedly abused his role as a special government employee overseeing DOGE to benefit his private interests. Musk violated norms at an astonishing pace, amounting to scandalous behavior regardless of whether it subjects him to criminal prosecution. The report accuses Musk of using the government to promote his businesses, including turning the White House lawn into a Tesla showroom, and allegedly discovered roughly two dozen instances where the government entered or explored new lucrative contracts with the billionaire while halting enforcement actions against his companies. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Trump Tower will host a Pride month event later this June, despite the White House refusing to officially acknowledge the celebrations. The event, hosted by Log Cabin Republicans of New York City, will take place at the presidents Manhattan hub, promising an evening of drinks, canapes and networking for LGBTQ conservatives. Ill be bringing my pride flag! wrote one user, in response to the post on the groups official Instagram page announcing the event, adding a U.S. flag emoji. Tickets cost $175 dollars, or $150 for dues-paying members. It comes after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dodged a question on whether the Trump administration would formally be recognizing June as Pride Month. There are no plans for a proclamation for the month of June, Leavitt said during a media briefing on Tuesday. But I can tell you this president is very proud to be a president for all Americans, regardless of race, religion or creed. open image in gallery Trump Tower will host a Pride month event later this month, despite the White House refusing to officially acknowledge the celebrations. The event is being hosted by the Log Cabin Republicans of New York City. ( Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) Trump also declined to issue a proclamation recognizing Pride Month during his first term, but did acknowledge it on social media in a post in which he recognized the outstanding contributions LGBT people have made to our great Nation. Let us also stand in solidarity with the many LGBT people who live in dozens of countries worldwide that punish, imprison, or even execute individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation, Trump wrote on X, then Twitter, in 2019. My Administration has launched a global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality and invite all nations to join us in this effort, he said at the time. The Log Cabin event at Trump Tower on June 28 attracted criticism and mockery from other LGBTQ outlets, including Queerty, who branded it a party for all the worst gays. open image in gallery Word of the soiree comes after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to a question on White House participation in Pride Month: There are no plans for a proclamation for the month of June. ( EPA ) The outlet also highlighted the perceived hypocrisy of the event against the background of the Trump administrations attitude to the LGBTQ community, particularly transgender people, and the resulting fallout. U.S.companies which have publicly acknowledged Pride month with social media posts or by displaying flags have been bashed online, while congressional Republicans accused PBS of grooming children after Sesame Street shared a post recognizing Pride Month on Sunday. Earlier this week, it was reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered that a ship bearing the name of gay rights icon and Navy veteran Harvey Milk be renamed. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice President Donald Trump once accused Ukraines Volodymyr Zelensky of lacking cards to play in his countrys years-long fight against Russia, but now hes paying far more attention to what might be in Zelenskys hands. In the wake of Ukraines brazen, and successful, attack on multiple Russian air bases over the weekend, Trump was reportedly left marveling at the ingenuity and sheer chutzpah of Kyivs counteroffensive using dozens of armed drones launched from trucks traveling deep inside Russia, swarming over military airfields across the country and raining down onto nuclear-capable long-range bombers. According to Axios, Trump has privately described it as strong and badass. One of the presidents advisers likened the audacious move to a chihuahua inflicting some real damage on a much bigger dog." Dubbed Operation Spiderweb, by Ukrainian authorities, was carried out by the SBU, the secret service of Ukraine, and destroyed more than 40 such planes, a significant portion of Moscows strategic bombing capability. Despite throwing him out of the White House earlier this year, President Donald Trump was reportedly excited by Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelenskys sneak drone attack on Russian nuclear bombers. ( Getty ) Ukraine has claimed the attack a homegrown operation in which drones were concealed in false compartments within lorry roofs, smuggled into Russia, then launched en masse simultaneously many thousands of miles apart and many thousands of miles behind enemy lines destroyed 41 Russian aircraft, causing $7 billion worth of damage to long-range bombers that carried the cruise missiles Putin has been using against Ukraine. The presidents laudatory characterization of the Ukrainian attack on the Russian bombers tracks previous reporting by The Independent on Trumps uncharacteristic silence in the days between the drone strikes and his call with Putin. People close to him have suggested that worldview, forged in the days of Cold War-era nuclear tensions between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., has long led Trump to Russia as a strong country and Putin as a strong leader a winner, in his own parlance. But the success of last weekends Ukrainian attacks may have for now positively influenced his opinion of Zelensky. Put simply, its because Ukraines success makes Moscow look less like a winner and more like the thing Trump hates above all else: a loser. Still, Trump remains concerned about the long-term prospects for his push to get Kyiv and Moscow to hammer out a ceasefire agreement, something he promised to accomplish on day one of his presidency during last years campaign. One source who spoke directly with the president told Axios that he has concerns about the chance that Putin will go crazy in response. And a U.S. official said the disabling of part of Moscows nuclear-capable bomber fleet has pushed things to a very dangerous point and has Trump worried that such attacks will prolong the fighting. He wants the fighting to stop, so it disappoints him whenever there is an attack like that," they said. Despite the similar looks, the Siberian husky is not a wolf; they are separate and distinct species. The husky a type of domesticated dog, or Canis lupus familiaris, while wolves are Canis lupus. That shared genus points to a long-ago split: Thousands of years ago, humans began dog domestication, selectively breeding wolves that were friendly, helpful or just plain cute. Advertisement The result? Today we have many dogs, from Chihuahuas to Great Danes, all part of the same species: domestic dog. Huskies and wolves may look alike, but they diverged genetically a long time ago. Huskies are bred for traits that help them live with humans, not hunt in packs. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Roughly $12 million worth of HIV-prevention drugs and contraceptives purchased by the U.S. Agency for International Development will likely be destroyed after President Donald Trump dismantled the organization, according to a report. These drugs have been sitting in distribution centers in Belgium and the UAE since January, when Trump ended the agencys spending, The Washington Post reported. Now, negotiators have been instructed to sell the drugs or else theyll be thrown out, according to the outlet. The mandate that [the USAID negotiator] has been given is get us money for it, and if you cant do that, were just going to trash it, someone with knowledge of the situation told the Post. These supplies include more than 26 million condoms, 2 million doses of injectable birth control, millions of packages of oral birth control, hundreds of thousands of implantable contraceptive devices, and over 50,000 vials of a drug that prevents HIV contraction, the Post reports. Some of these supplies were earmarked for 18 countries, meaning those governments may never get the aid even though it was already purchased, according to the Post. open image in gallery A nurse performs an HIV test in Haiti. Several HIV prevention drugs and contraceptives purchased by USAID are set to be destroyed if they're not sold, according to a new report ( AFP/Getty ) When contacted for comment, a senior State Department official told The Independent that the Post has once again delivered fake news and the story is full of inaccuracies. Atul Gawande, a former assistant USAID administrator, told the Post the potential destruction of these drugs is inconceivable. Meanwhile, Former USAID head Andrew Natsios called the decision nuts. At this point, just give it away instead of destroying it, for heavens sakes, he told the Post. Trump cut off USAID funds in January, saying the organization that provides humanitarian aid abroad is not aligned with American interests. The Trump administration is also poised to ask Congress for $8.3 billion in cuts to foreign aid efforts, which range from climate work to LGBTQ+ programs, The Independent previously reported. The decision has derailed the projected end of the AIDS pandemic and means the number of AIDS-related deaths could jump from six million to 10 million in the next five years unless aid is reinstated, The Independent previously reported. Data projections indicate there will be 3.4 million more orphans who have lost at least one parent to AIDS, and 600,000 more newborns could contract HIV by 2030. open image in gallery President Donald Trumps cuts to USAID will cause AIDS-related deaths to rise, The Independent previously reported ( Getty ) All the gains that weve seen over the last 20 years will start being steadily reversed, Professor Francois Venter, a leading HIV doctor at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, previously told The Independent. Hadja, a 27-year-old mother of three in Uganda, previously told The Independent she has lost access to lifesaving medication since Trump effectively shut down USAID. Our lives depend on medicine without it, our lives are shortened, she said. If I die, my children will suffer. Sign up for the Independent Women email for the latest news, opinion and features Get the Independent Women email for free Get the Independent Women email for free Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The Department of Labor said it would eliminate the Womens Bureau, a century-old department that focuses on advocating for economic equality and safe working environments for women, despite the Labor Secretary acknowledging only Congress can do so. When pressed with questions about the Department of Government Efficiency cutting grants administered by the Womens Bureau at a House Appropriations Committee meeting on May 15, Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer responded by emphasizing its history. Statutorily, the Womens Bureau is in statute, Chavez-DeRemer said in response to Representative Rosa DeLauros concerns. While Chavez-DeRemers comment stopped short of a promise and she did not elaborate on the future of Womens Bureau, her comment may have insinuated the 105-year-old department was here to stay. Yet the Department of Labors 2026 fiscal year budget in brief anticipates eliminating the Womens Bureau, calling it a relic of the past and an ineffective policy. open image in gallery Department of Labor is effectively shutting down the Womens Bureau by getting rid of its employees and taking away its Congressionally-approved funding ( Getty ) The Department will work with Congress to craft a repeal package of WBs organic statutes, including the Women in Apprenticeship in Non-Traditional Occupations grant authorization. Apprenticeship work will be handled by the Employment and Training Administration, the Bureau of Labor wrote. By giving it the Womens Bureau no funding and getting rid of staff in 2026, the department is essentially eliminating the agency now. Its the latest effort by the Trump administration to swiftly decommission agencies it believes are unnecessary or do not align with the presidents policies. A spokesperson for the Department of Labor told The Independent, The Secretary is committed to working with Congress to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used efficiently and effectively to better serve American Workers. During his presidential campaign, Trump promised to be womens protector and insisted they would be happy, healthy, confident and free under his administration. However, the Trump administration believes the Womens Bureau has struggled to find a role in advancing the interests of women in the workforce, according to the budget brief. The Bureau works on a wide range of issues and its work is not always closely coordinated with, or informed by, the agencies that actually have the resources to address the issues at hand, the Department of Labor wrote. open image in gallery Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer told members of Congress the Womens Bureau was statute just a month before it announced it would eliminate the agency ( AP ) Established by Congress in 1920, the Womens Bureau is the only federal agency mandated to represent the needs of wage-earning women. It conducts research and policy analysis to advocate for policies that improve working conditions and increase profitable opportunities for women in the workforce. That includes getting more women to high-paying jobs, expanding access to paid leave and affordable child care, eliminating pay inequality, as well as harassment in the workplace. Part of its role includes grant-making and managing the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grant program. The Womens Bureau also has the authority to investigate and report on matters about the welfare of women in industry to the Department of Labor. Nine current or former Department of Labor staffers told Mother Jones they believe shuttering the Womens Bureau aligns with the administrations desire to have women stop working and stay home to raise children. It really feels like a specific [effort] to get women out of the workplace, Gayle Goldin, the former deputy director of the Womens Bureau under the Biden administration, told Mother Jones. We really still need the Womens Bureau, because we need to be able to identify what the problems are, see where the barriers are for women in the workplace, and ensure that women have full capacity to enter the workplace in whatever job they want. Should Congress agree to repeal the Womens Bureau and its grant program, the department could move WANTO grants under a separate agency such as the Employment and Training Administration. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice An Australian woman on trial for allegedly murdering three of her relatives with a mushroom-laced meal told a court it was possible she had searched online for death cap mushrooms, although she could not recall doing so. Erin Patterson, 50, is accused of killing her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, both aged 70, and Gails sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, after allegedly serving them a Beef Wellington dish laced with death cap mushrooms at her home in Leongatha, a small town in regional Victoria, on 29 July 2023. Heathers husband, Ian Wilkinson, a local pastor, was also hospitalised after the meal but later recovered. Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one of attempted murder. Prosecutors allege that the mushrooms were deliberately included in the lunch as part of a calculated plot. Ms Patterson denies this, describing the incident as a terrible accident. The trial, taking place in the town of Morwell, has captured national attention. Journalists, podcasters, and documentary crews have descended on the regional courtroom. The Australian Broadcasting Corporations daily podcast covering the trial is currently the most listened-to podcast in the country. open image in gallery Erin Patterson's Barrister Colin Mandy SC departs Latrobe Valley Law courts on 3 June 2025 in Morwell, Australia ( Getty Images ) During cross-examination on Friday, prosecutor Nanette Rogers questioned Ms Patterson about computer records that showed searches for death cap mushrooms on the citizen science website iNaturalist using the Bing search engine on 28 May 2022. The court heard the user viewed sightings of the deadly fungus near Melbourne, including one logged at Bricker Reserve in Moorabbin. I suggest that person was you. Correct or incorrect? Dr Rogers asked. Ms Patterson replied: I dont remember doing it. Its possible it was me. She also said she wasnt certain whether one of her two children might have conducted the search. I suggest you had an interest in death cap mushrooms on May 28, 2022, agree or disagree? the crown prosecutor asked. Depends what you mean by interest, Ms Patterson responded. Dr Rogers pointed to inconsistencies in the accuseds behaviour, suggesting she maintained a public face of affection towards her in-laws while privately harbouring resentment, referencing messages in which Ms Patterson had criticised Don and Gail Patterson, as well as her estranged husband Simon Patterson. Are you asking me to agree if I have two faces? shot back Mr Patterson. I had a good relationship with Don and Gail. She also rejected the suggestion that she had invited Simon Patterson, who ultimately declined to attend, in order to serve him a toxic meal. open image in gallery Erin Patterson, the woman accused of serving her ex-husband's family poisonous mushrooms ( AP ) Text messages presented in court showed Ms Patterson expressing disappointment at his absence. I wanted it to be a special meal as I may not be able to host a lunch like this again for some time, she wrote. Ms Patterson admitted to misleading guests about the purpose of the lunch, initially claiming it was arranged to discuss a serious health condition. She later told the court that she had lied about having cancer in order to cover up her plans for weight-loss surgery, which she had felt embarrassed to disclose. The court also heard that after her guests fell ill, Ms Patterson did not alert health authorities to the potential presence of foraged mushrooms in the dish, despite suspecting that her dried wild mushrooms may have been stored in the same container as store-bought ones. Asked why she had not come forward with this information, she said the victims were already receiving treatment for suspected mushroom poisoning and that she feared being blamed. You got up, you drove your children to school ... and then you got rid of the dehydrator, Dr Rogers said. Ms Patterson replied, Correct. Justice Christopher Beale told jurors the trial originally expected to run for six weeks would now likely continue for at least another fortnight. Ms Patterson will resume giving evidence when the court reconvenes on Tuesday following the Kings Birthday public holiday in Victoria. Closing addresses and legal instructions to the jury will follow. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice New Zealands parliament voted to hand out record suspensions to three Indigenous Maori MPs for performing the haka to protest a controversial law. Maori Party co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer were handed a suspension for 21 days while New Zealand's youngest MP, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, was barred for seven days. The suspensions marked the longest period any lawmaker has been barred from parliament in the countrys history. Suspensions of MPs are already rare in New Zealand and a three-day suspension has been previously handed. Only three MPs have been suspended in the past 10 years, according to New Zealand parliamentary services. The suspended MPs said Maori would not be silenced. The opposition Labour party said the decision was inconsistent with New Zealand's democracy. The three MPs performed the haka last November in parliament ahead of a vote on a bill, now defeated, that would have reinterpreted the 185-year-old Treaty of Waitangi, which was signed between the British and Indigenous Maori tribe. open image in gallery File Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke speaks to the thousands of people gathered outside New Zealand's parliament to protest a proposed law that would redefine the country's founding agreement between Indigenous Maori and the British Crown ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) The video of the protest, a ceremonial Maori dance made world-famous by the countrys mens rugby team, the All Blacks, went viral across the internet and made international headlines. The footage showed Ms Maipi-Clarke, 22, ripping apart a copy of the bill after rising from her chair and performing the haka. Ms Maipi-Clarke was then joined by Mr Waititi and Ms Ngarewa-Packer in the chamber floor as they chanted Ka Mate, the chant often performed by the All Blacks rugby team before games. Lawmakers who decried the performance said the legislators from Te Pati Maori, the Maori Party, left their seats and strode across the floor toward government politicians and disrupted the vote on a proposed law. Ms Maipi-Clarke criticised the suspension and said it was an effort to silence the Maori in parliament. open image in gallery New Zealand lawmakers, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, center at second row, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, center in front row, and Rawiri Waititi, bottom right, who received lengthy suspensions from Parliament for a protest haka they performed last November "A member can swear at another member, a member of cabinet can lay their hands on a staff member, a member can drive up the steps of parliament, a member can swear in parliament, and yet they weren't given five minutes of suspension," she said. "Yet when we stand up for the country's foundational document, we get punished with the most severe consequences. "Are our voices too loud for this house? Is that the reason why we are being silenced? Are our voices shaking the core foundation of this house? The house we had no voice in building We will never be silenced and we will never be lost," she said. In a dramatic display, Mr Waititi held up a noose as he said the decision means youve traded the noose for legislation. "In my maiden speech, I talked about one of our [ancestors] who was hung in the gallows of Mt Eden Prison, wrongfully accused," he said. open image in gallery Protesters perform a haka outside parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, Tuesday ( Stuff ) "The silencing of us today is a reminder of the silencing of our ancestors of the past, and it continues to happen. "Well, we will not be silenced." Judith Collins, the committee chair, said the behaviour was egregious, disruptive and potentially intimidating, defending the decision. "It's not about the haka it is about following the rules of parliament that we are all obliged to follow and that we all pledged to follow," Ms Collins said. Labour parliamentarian Duncan Webb said the decision was "inconsistent with the fundamental nature of this democracy". "This decision is wildly out of step with any other decision of the Privileges Committee," Mr Webb said. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A bouncy castle operator was cleared of breaching safety laws in a 2021 tragedy that killed six children at a primary school in Australia. Six children died and three others were seriously injured after a gust of wind blew the jumping castle in the air in Tasmania during an end-of-year celebration in December 2021. Rosemary Anne Gamble, who was the owner of Taz-Zorb, which set up the equipment at the school, was accused of not following safety laws and securing the jumping castle. She had pleaded not guilty. On Friday, Ms Gamble was handed a not guilty sentence by Magistrate Robert Webster on charges of breaching workplace safety law. Mr Webster said the incident happened "due to an unprecedented weather system" that was "impossible to predict". "I am not satisfied beyond reasonable doubt of Ms Gamble's guilt to the charge in the complaint," Mr Webster said during the verdict. open image in gallery Police identified the children killed in a freak bouncy castle accident at a school in northern Tasmania, Australia ( Youtube/9 News Australia ) "In those circumstances, I find the charge is not proved, it is therefore dismissed." "Ms Gamble could have done more or taken further steps, however, given the effects of the unforeseen and unforeseeable dust devil, had she done so, that would sadly have made no difference to the ultimate outcome," the magistrate added. The families of the six victims expressed disbelief and anger over the not guilty verdict, saying their hopes for justice are shattered now. In a statement read in court by Ms Gambles lawyer, she accepted "how deeply and tragically this incident has impacted so many people and families". "I realise these scars will remain for an extremely long time, likely forever," Ms Gamble said. "There are no words to describe how I have felt ever since the tragic incident took so much away from so many people and left nothing but heartbreak and emptiness in its place." open image in gallery File Emergency services personnel work the scene of a deadly incident involved with a jumping castle at the Hillcrest Primary School in Devonport, Tasmania ( AAP ) She said as a mother herself, she "can only imagine the pain that other parents are living with each and every day because of this terrible thing that happened". "There is not a moment that goes by where I dont feel so painfully and terribly sorry to every single one of those people that were impacted and continue to grieve for their loved ones." Those killed in the incident were: Chace Harrison, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, Zane Mellor, Addison Stewart, Jye Sheehan and Peter Dodt. Peters father, Andrew Dodt, who was at the courtroom, said he was broken for a long time and now he is going to remain the same. "I thank you for walking the path with us. It was a very long path we've still got a long way to go. "Our hopes are just shattered now, at the end of the day all I wanted was an apology for my son not coming home and I'm never going to get it and that kills me." Georgie Burt, mother of Zane, lashed out at Ms Gamble and said she hopes she see them every time I miss a birthday, miss a Christmas. "This outcome does not reflect the weight of our loss, nor the reality we live with every single day." The decision caps a lengthy legal battle four years after the incident happened. It took two years to have Ms Gamble charged in the case and 12 more months before the matter began its 10-day hearing process. During the hearing in November, it was alleged that she only used pegs at four of the castles eight anchor points, despite the castle manufacturing companys two-page manual that recommended eight. Ms Gamble was let down by the castles Chinese manufacturer, her lawyer Chris Dockray told the court. He argued that East Inflatable, a Chinese manufacturer of the product, failed to provide any instructions at the time of purchase and supplied only four pegs with the equipment. As a result, Ms Gamble downloaded a brief two-page manual from the companys website, which led her to believe that using four pegs was sufficient. Close Inside buildings scoured in new search for Madeleine McCann On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Animal bones are reported to be among limited findings after a three-day search for forensic evidence in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann case, who vanished from a holiday home in Portugal 18 years ago, was called off. Local media said some material had been gathered on Wednesday and sent for analysis to see if it contained anything relevant to the investigation. German investigators were given until Friday to search an area between Praia da Luz and the cottage where he lived at the time of the toddlers disappearance in 2007, but the search was wound up on Thursday. Christian Brueckner, a suspect in case, is due to be released from prison within months. A neighbour who lived near Brueckner around the time of Madeleines disappearance described him as quite angry, and said she would hear him having rows with his girlfriend. Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann ramped up their hunt of scrubland and abandoned buildings on Wednesday with heavy machinery, including JCB and ground-penetrating radar. Madeleine was three when she disappeared, sparking a Europe-wide police investigation. German national Brueckner, who was formally identified as a suspect in 2022, has denied any involvement. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice On a stop sign at the entrance to Praia Da Luz, faded graffiti declares: STOP McCann circus. The stencilled message - now hastily sprayed over - was once daubed on every stop sign in the town as locals reeled from the devastating impact of the British toddlers disappearance in 2007. Tourism halved in the charming Algarve resort as the mystery of Madeleine McCannturned into a media storm which they have struggled to escape ever since, according to weary residents. Now the storm has returned 18 years later as German police mount fresh searches a mile away on top of dramatic volcanic cliffs overlooking the town. Many locals have their own theories about that happened to the three-year-old, who vanished from a holiday apartment at Ocean Club resort while her parents had dinner nearby. For updates on the search for Madeleine McCann - visit our blog by clicking here open image in gallery A stop sign at the entrance to Praia Da Luz, faded graffiti declares: STOP McCann circus. ( Amy-Clare Martin/The Independent ) And as a new three-day search led by German authorities appeared to wind down on Thursday, many expressed their frustration at the case that wont go away. British expat Julia Newbould, 79, has lived in the town for 40 years after emigrating from Sheffield. Everybodys fed up with it I have spoken to people of different ages and different nationalities, and everybody is feeling the same, she told The Independent. Its the case that wont go away. It was terrible at first. People stopped coming and cancelled their holidays, it was devastating. open image in gallery Madeleine went missing from this apartment block at the Ocean Club ( Amy-Clare Martin/The Independent ) Its always been such a peaceful place. It impacted everyone a lot originally in the year it happened and then people were slow to come back. She isnt surprised that the search teams, who have been using ground penetrating radar and a digger to scour derelict farm buildings near where suspect Christian Brueckner used to live, appear to have found little evidence connected to Madeleines disappearance after all this time. They wont find anything because the ground is rock hard, she said. But they just keep bringing it up and bringing it up. open image in gallery Tourism halved in Praia De Luz as the mystery of Madeleine McCann turned into a media storm ( Amy-Clare Martin/The Independent ) She said locals were shocked that the McCanns had left their young children unattended in a holiday apartment when they could have hired a babysitter for as little as 30 euros. The Portuguese couldnt believe it, she added. They are very family oriented they just couldnt believe that anybody would leave children of that age. Restaurant owner Mariana Baiao, 52, said the graffiti messages on stop signs started to appear as the impact of the case put people out of work. open image in gallery (PA Graphics) ( PA Graphics ) This area is very calm, its the kind of place where families come, she said. Normally we have a lot of tourism in winter and summer. In winter we have older people who come for a month or two to relax because its very quiet. In summertime we have lots of families coming. When that happened we lost 50 per cent of tourism it was really bad. A lot of people lost work. I think Praia Da Luz at that time was really safe, but then this one thing happened. Although shes also sceptical of the latest efforts will solve the mystery, she did note the search site matches a disturbing dream Kate McCann famously recanted to police, in which Madeleine was lost on a hill overlooking Praia Da Luz. open image in gallery Searches continued on Thursday across abandoned buildings on a 120-acre site near the resort ( PA ) The mother was also known to jog up to the clifftop path to a viewpoint known as Rocha Negra or Black rock, which is just metres from the remote scrubland where police are now digging. I am a mother and I would like to know whats really happened and see the end of this case, Ms Baiao added. Many of the defaced stop signs have since been replaced as the memory of the case begins to fade, but a handful remain, including one just down the road from the apartment where Madeleine was last seen alive. open image in gallery Animal bones are reported to be among limited findings in the final hours of the search ( Reuters ) Holidaymakers from across Europe were sunbathing by the pool inside the Ocean Club resort on Thursday, most blissfully unaware of the grim search efforts ongoing nearby. After almost two decades of media scrutiny as her unsolved disappearance has continued to make worldwide headlines, staff at the whitewashed complex said they were unable to comment on the investigation. Eric Hoffman, 78, told The Independent he had no idea he was staying at the infamous spot where Maddy vanished when he booked a two week holiday from Switzerland. open image in gallery A ground-penetrating radar was used as part of the search operation ( PA ) We were surprised, we know of the case from the papers but we didnt know before we booked that it was this building, he said. Asked about the latest searches, he added: Its quite difficult now to find something because its been so long. Investigators appeared to pack up and leave without answers at the end of the three-day search on Thursday evening, with no obvious signs of any major discoveries. Teams of German and Portuguese police officers were seen shaking hands and embracing following a debrief and started to pack up a tent at their base in the 120-acre search site in Atalaia, which was once home to farming community. One team member was seeing carrying a crate of German beer. open image in gallery A crate of drink is produced by members of the search teams as the search appeared to come to an end on Thursday ( PA ) Animal bones are reported to be among limited findings in the final hours of the search, local television station SIC reported. Other local media said some material had been gathered on Wednesday and sent for analysis to see if it contained anything relevant to the investigation. But for the people living in the resort of Praia Da Luz, the sickening mystery of the disappearance of a three-year-old toddler continues. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Western military aviation experts suggest it will take Russia years to replace the nuclear-capable bomber planes damaged in recent Ukrainian drone strikes. These attacks have placed additional strain on Russia's already delayed modernisation programme. Satellite imagery of airfields in Siberia and Russia's far north reveals significant damage, with several aircraft completely destroyed. While reports vary, U.S. officials estimate that up to 20 warplanes were hit, with approximately 10 destroyed. This figure is about half the number estimated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The Russian government on Thursday denied that any planes were destroyed and said the damage would be repaired, but Russian military bloggers have spoken of loss or serious damage to about a dozen planes, accusing commanders of negligence. The strikes - prepared over 18 months in a Ukrainian intelligence operation dubbed "Spider's Web", and conducted by drones that were smuggled close to the bases in trucks - dealt a powerful symbolic blow to a country that, throughout the Ukraine war, has frequently reminded the world of its nuclear might. open image in gallery A satellite view shows military aircraft, some sitting destroyed, at the Belaya air base, near Stepnoy, Irkutsk region, Russia, June 4, 2025, after Ukraine launched a drone attack, dubbed "Operation Spider's Web", targeting Russian strategic bombers during Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine ( Planet Labs ) In practice, experts said, they will not seriously affect Russia's nuclear strike capability which is largely comprised of ground- and submarine-based missiles. However, the Tu-95MS Bear-H and Tu-22M3 Backfire bombers that were hit were part of a long-range aviation fleet that Russia has used throughout the war to fire conventional missiles at Ukrainian cities, defence plants, military bases, power infrastructure and other targets, said Justin Bronk, an aviation expert at the RUSI think tank in London. The same fleet had also been carrying out periodic patrol flights into the Arctic, North Atlantic and northern Pacific as a show of strength to deter Russia's Western adversaries. open image in gallery The attack on the Russian nuclear bombers were captured in new Ukraine drone footage ( Security Service of Ukraine ) Bronk said that at the outset of its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russia was operating a fleet of 50-60 Bear-Hs and around 60 Backfires, alongside around 20 Tu-160M nuclear-capable Blackjack heavy bombers. He estimated that Russia has now lost more than 10% of the combined Bear-H and Backfire fleet, taking into account last weekend's attacks and the loss of several planes earlier in the war - one shot down and the others struck while on the ground. These losses "will put major pressure on a key Russian force that was already operating at maximum capacity," Bronk told Reuters. Russia's defence ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Replacing the planes will be challenging. Both the Bear H and the Backfire are aircraft that were designed in the Soviet era and have been out of production for decades, said Douglas Barrie, aerospace expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, although existing planes have been upgraded over the years. Barrie said that building new ones like-for-like was therefore very unlikely, and it was unclear whether Russia had any useable spare airframes of either type. Western sanctions against Russia have aimed to restrict the import of components such as microprocessors that are vital to avionics systems, although Moscow has so far been comparatively successful at finding alternative sources, Barrie added. Russia has been modernising its Blackjack bomber fleet, and Putin sent a pointed signal to the West last year by taking a 30-minute flight in one such aircraft and pronouncing it ready for service. But production of new Blackjacks is slow - one Russian military blogger this week put it at four per year - and Western experts say progress in developing Russia's next-generation PAK DA bomber has also been moving at a crawl. open image in gallery Kyiv has been bombarded with drones, days after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to respond to a massive Ukrainian attack in Russia ( Sputnik ) The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) said in a report last month that Russia had signed a contract with manufacturer Tupolev in 2013 to build the PAK DA, but cited Russian media reports as saying state test flights are not scheduled until next year, with initial production to begin in 2027. While it would be logical for Russia to try to speed up its PAK DA plans, it may not have the capacity, said Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the FAS. He said in a telephone interview that Russia is facing delays with a range of other big defence projects including its new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile. RUSI's Bronk was also sceptical of Moscow's chances of accelerating the timeline for the next-generation bomber. "Russia will struggle to deliver the PAK DA programme at all in the coming five years, let alone accelerate it, due to budgetary shortfalls and materials and technology constraints on industry due to sanctions," he said. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Kyiv has been bombarded with drones shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to respond to a massive Ukrainian attack in Russia. Ukraines Air Force reported on Telegram that Russia had launched ballistic missiles and drones into the war-torn country early on Friday, per CNN. A Telegram post from the air force warned, Several Tu-95MS strategic bombers are in the air. They allegedly launched cruise missiles! CNN reported that Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv City Military Administration, said that there were reports of fires in buildings across Kyiv, and that a high-rise in the Solomyansky district was damaged. Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, reported fires in the Holosiivskyi and Darnytskyi districts as well, CNN reported. open image in gallery People take shelter in an underground parking lot during a Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv ( REUTERS ) Klitschko said on Telegram that there were three victims from the bombardment in Kyiv. Doctors hospitalized two of them, and one was treated on the spot, the mayor said. The Kyiv City Military Administration reported on Telegram that debris was falling on a playground in the Darnytskyi district and a fire at a civil infrastructure facility in the Holosiivskyi district. The attacks came shortly after President Donald Trump said Putin told him over the phone that he would retaliate against Ukraine for its large-scale bombardment over the weekend. open image in gallery Russian President Vladimir Putin had threatened to respond to a massive Ukrainian attack in Russia ( Gavriil Grigorov/POOL/AFP via Getty Images ) Last Sunday, Ukraine launched an operation that it said used over 100 smuggled drones to hit 41 Russian military aircraft. Ukraine also blew up a section of the Kerch Bridge that connects Russia with the annexed Crimean Peninsula on Tuesday. In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump said he and Putin discussed the attack on Russias docked airplanes, by Ukraine, and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides during a phone call that lasted over an hour. It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace. President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields, Trump said. open image in gallery President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Putin told him over the phone that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields ( Win McNamee/Getty Images ) Its been over three years since Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While Trump had promised to stop the war within 24 hours of taking office, that feat proved to be far more difficult. Trump has tried to get Russia and Ukraine to agree to a ceasefire, but so far his efforts have not yielded any real action to end the war. The president, who has praised Putin in the past, seemed to have gotten frustrated by the Russian leader for not doing more to bring peace to the warring nations, writing on Truth Social last month, What Vladimir Putin doesnt realize is that if it werent for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. Hes playing with fire! The four-letter code given out by airlines has a "stigma" surrounding it, according to one well-travelled Aussie. Ruby was travelling to the US when she spotted the dreaded four-letter code. Source: TikTok/Itsrubytravels Stringent immigration checks and cases of travellers being turned away at the border have left many Aussies second-guessing their need to travel to the United States in recent months. And one traveller heading to America was recently left with a sinking feeling when she received her boarding pass at Brisbane Airport with the code SSSS printed on it. The code, which stands for "secondary security screening selection", is the "four letters no traveller wants to see on their boarding pass" when travelling to the United States, according to United passenger Ruby. Sharing her experience, Ruby said the code is known as "every traveller's worst nightmare" to those who regularly visit the US because those who receive it are subjected to additional security screening before they are allowed to board. ADVERTISEMENT "I've travelled to over 30 countries so am aware of the stigma around it," she told Yahoo News. Aussie subject to additional security screening before US flight Ruby told Yahoo that upon checking into their flight at Brisbane airport ahead of a three-week holiday, her fiance who is a US citizen had "no problem", but she was told she required additional checks. "When I got to the bag drop and my boarding pass was printed, I got the dreaded four S's," she explained. "They didn't check my paperwork or say anything, which was surprising." It wasn't until she arrived at the gate and was ready to board that she was "pulled aside" to a table for the additional screening. "After you've scanned your boarding pass, they said 'go over there' and they had me hand over my passport, which they reviewed. I put all of my stuff out on the table and they swabbed everything, including my bag, laptop, hands and stomach. I've never had that before," she explained. ADVERTISEMENT Ruby said that travellers can be flagged for "all sorts of reasons" with some saying it's "random". "It's kind of a lottery for seasoned travellers," she said. Luckily, Ruby was allowed to proceed with her journey but it wasn't the end of her security woes. At immigration in San Francisco, she said, "they were really grilling me". "You never know with the US," she warned. Despite that, she still urged Aussies to enjoy the country, adding that "it's still safe" and "if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be worried". "Go have fun, but be careful and stay safe," she said. Why does the SSSS security check exist? Prominent immigration lawyer Melissa Vincenty told Yahoo News she has been subject to the screening herself and has even seen children get flagged. ADVERTISEMENT "As soon as you see it you think 'oh man'," she laughed. But added the additional security checks are common and nothing to worry about. "This has been around since the 9/11 legislation when they made the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) under the Department of Homeland Security," she explained of the change made in 2003. While neither the TSA nor airlines publish the criteria used when boarding passes are issued, Vincenty believes that the selection process is random. "They are required by law to randomly select passengers," she explained of the security screening. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The son of a 70-year-old Irish woman currently in Israeli detention has pleaded for her release amid concerns over his mothers health. Deirdre Murphy, who has eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, was detained in the recently demolished West Bank village of Khalet al-Dabaa. According to the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), she has not been provided legal counsel since Monday. Ms Murphy, who is originally from Cork and now based in Swansea, was arrested alongside 48-year-old Swedish national Susanne Bjork, who claimed to The Independent that the pair had to fight to even be allowed to go to the toilet during their detention. open image in gallery Dale Ryan says his trust in Israeli police to provide his mother Deirdre Murphy with her basic needs may be misguided ( Dale Ryan ) Who doesnt allow a 70-year-old woman to go to the toilet? Its certainly not something a democratic country would be doing, said UK resident Ms Bjork, who has already been deported from Israel. Israeli police did not address this claim when approached by The Independent. Ms Bjork said allegations by Israeli police that they had failed to show their IDs and were in a prohibited area were false. International and local activists have been stationed in Khalet al-Dabaa since its demolition on 5 May in an attempt to prevent nearby Israeli settlers from damaging the remaining buildings. After refusing to leave Israel voluntarily, Ms Murphy and Ms Bjork were arrested and told they would be deported. Ms Murphy decided to challenge the deportation order. Dale Ryan, Ms Murphys son, has called on Israeli authorities to treat her with dignity and respect while she is in detention and pleaded with authorities to send her home quickly. Israel is meant to be a civilised country, so you think [the detainees] basic rights would have been met. But maybe that trust is a little bit misguided, said Mr Ryan, 46, who added that he is really proud of his mother. He explained that his mother has bronchiectasis, a long-term condition that can cause inflammation of the airways. Stress can make symptoms worse as well, Mr Ryan explained. So I am a little bit concerned. I just hope my mother's in good health, but also my mother is quite a resilient person I know she will gain strength from this. open image in gallery Khalet al-Daba'a, a small Palestinian village in the southern West Bank, was destroyed by Israeli bulldozers in early May ( Mohammad Hesham Huraini ) Along with other activists, Ms Bjork and Ms Murphy were filming settlers they claim were roaming the demolished landscape of Khalet al-Dabaa, grazing their sheep and damaging the homes that remain standing. The two women were complying with an order to leave the land when they were apprehended by a settler in military uniform who demanded to see their passports, Ms Bjork said. After police were called, the pair were detained, as authorities accused them of being in a restricted area and of failing to show their IDs. These are completely false accusations, Ms Bjork said. As soon as they told us we were not allowed in the area, we tried to leave. The soldiers had at first our passports, and then the police took our passports. We complied with all instructions. open image in gallery Bjork, left, and Murphy were apprehended by Israeli authorities on Saturday ( International Solidarity Movement ) Video footage seen and published by The Independent shows armed Israeli authorities in possession of the two women's passports. The video ends before the pair left the area, where they were then apprehended by the settler in military uniform. Ms Murphy and Ms Bjork were released on Saturday evening, and after declining to voluntarily leave the country on Sunday, they were told they would be detained for 72 hours and deported after a hearing. Ms Murphy chose to fight the deportation and was moved to Givon prison in Ramla on Tuesday, according to the ISM. The group alleges that Ms Murphy was brought to her deportation hearing on Wednesday without legal representation nor notification to her lawyer, despite her request. Speaking on Thursday morning, Ms Bjork was keen to emphasise that their treatment in detention was better than that of Palestinians. She recalls seeing two small boys who were blindfolded and ziptied being brought into the police station after their initial detention. They looked about 13 or 14, these boys were obviously terrified. I mean, we were getting water and being fed and everything, so we're very privileged in one way, because the way we were treated and the way Palestinians are treated is wildly different, she said. open image in gallery Deirdre Murphy, 70, is fighting a deportation order by Israeli authorities ( International Solidarity Movement ) A spokesperson from the Irish foreign ministry confirmed to The Independent that they were aware of the case and were providing consular assistance. Israeli police told The Independent that the women were detained on suspicion of violating a military order and were therefore restricted from the West Bank for 15 days. Over the weekend, police received a report from the security coordinator of the community of Maon regarding the presence of several suspicious individuals near a structure in the area of Khirbet al-Daba, located within an active military firing zone near the community of Avigayil in the South Hebron Hills, they said in a statement. Officers from the Hebron station, along with IDF forces from the subdistrict, arrived at the scene and identified the individuals as two foreign nationals, who were present within the closed military zone in violation of a standing military order. Information provided by the Judea and Samaria Central Investigations Unit indicated that one of the suspects is known abroad for involvement in anti-Israel activity. Following the hearing on Sunday, it was determined that both individuals would be removed from the country, they added. One of the suspects agreed to the removal order and signed a declaration stating that she would not appeal the decision. The second notified authorities of her intent to file a petition against the decision. Ms Murphy will remain in custody at Givon until her departure or the legal resolution of her appeal, they said. Following the Israeli claims, Ms Bjork contended that she did not sign anything saying she would not appeal the deportation, adding that she has 30 days to do so. Ms Bjork says she only signed a document to take the first flight out rather than waiting 72 hours, and that it would be against the law to refuse my right to appeal. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice An Australian engineer has been granted conditional release after spending more than four years in an Iraqi prison in what the UN has described as arbitrary detention. Robert Pether, 50, was arrested in Baghdad in April 2021 along with his colleague, Egyptian national Khalid Radwan, amid a contractual dispute between their employer CME Consulting and the Central Bank of Iraq. The two men had been overseeing the multi-million-dollar reconstruction of the banks Baghdad headquarters, a project Pether had been involved with since 2015. Following their arrest, both men were held for nearly six months without charge, subjected to what the UN described as abusive and coercive interrogations, and ultimately sentenced to five years in prison and a joint fine of $12m (8.8m). Pether, who has consistently maintained his innocence, said he was forced to sign a pre-written confession in Arabic. In 2022, a UN working group concluded that the detention of the pair violated international law and due process. The following year, the International Chamber of Commerces Court of Arbitration ruled that the Central Bank of Iraq, not CME Consulting, was at fault in the contractual disagreement and ordered it to pay $13m (9.5m) in compensation to the firm. Although Pether has now been granted bail, he is still prohibited from leaving Iraq and will face ongoing legal proceedings. His family and supporters are urging the authorities to lift the travel ban so he can receive urgent medical treatment. His wife, Desree Pether, told the BBC that he is extremely sick and has been unable to eat properly for months, raising fears of a possible recurrence of skin cancer. Hes unrecognisable, Ms Pether said. If he got on a plane now and they were checking his passport, they would not know it was the same person. She added that the family had begun crowdfunding to afford private hospital care for him in Baghdad. Enough is enough. He needs to come home. In a statement, Australias foreign minister, Senator Penny Wong, welcomed the development, calling it a positive step following years of persistent advocacy. She noted the personal toll the detention has taken on Pether and his family, adding that she hoped this news brings a measure of relief after years of distress, reported 9 News. Senator Wong also thanked Australian officials, including the governments special envoy to Iraq, for their efforts, noting that Pethers case had been raised with Iraqi authorities more than 200 times. Irelands deputy prime minister, Tanaiste Simon Harris, also acknowledged the development, revealing that Iraqs foreign minister Fuad Hussein had called him directly to confirm Pethers release. The Pether family had been living in Roscommon, Ireland, before the arrest. I welcomed this as a first step to his being allowed to return to his family in Roscommon, said Mr Harris. "I also spoke this evening with Robert's wife, Desree Pether, about this positive development." Speaking after a phone call with her husband on Thursday night, Ms Pether said he was briefly uplifted by the release but warned he was likely to crash emotionally soon after. Theres a tiny glimmer of hope, she said. But theres another mountain still to go over. In a letter written from prison last year, Pether described the pain of missing milestones with his wife and five children during his detention. "I've missed so many milestones," he wrote. "Our oldest sons 30th, our other sons 18th and soon 21st and our youngest son's 16th and 18th. Our youngest two boys have finished school and are now young men. Our daughter was eight when I was arrested and is now 11. "I've missed three Christmases and four Easters, multiple birthdays, three wedding anniversaries, and so much more. He wrote feeling abandoned by the Anthony Albanese government. I have pleaded for three years for Prime Minister Albanese and Foreign Minister Wong to do everything they can to help me and get me home, he said. So far, I just feel abandoned. I am sick, and worried I will not survive this ordeal much longer. I want to go home, he wrote. I want to go back to Australia and hear the birds, swim at the beach, sit and watch the harbour while the ferries come and go and feel the sun on my skin. The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice In less than a month, Seville will host the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in a climate of uncertainty following the abrupt decision by the US to dismantle its aid programmes. But Washington is not alone in this posture. The European Union agreed to reallocate 2 billion (1.7bn) reallocation from development budgets in February 2024 and many individual European countries have made cuts to their aid budget. It is a clear signal that the landscape of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) is shifting. For Africa, this isnt just a reshuffle, it is a wake-up call for deep reflection and action: will we adapt, or will aid simply become a relic of the past? The timing is bad, the rationale questionable, and the ripple effects threaten to impact the lives and health of millions depending on aid programmes. Lets be honest: aid has had a mixed impact. The spectrum of aid's legacy in Africa, including my country, Guinea, runs from positive to disastrous. On the positive side, aid has contributed to infrastructure development Im thinking for instance about a project in northwest Guinea to replace an old ferry with a new road and bridge. During a visit, a cunning minister of public works convinced a skeptical partner to go on a very special field trip via the old route, one that left a senior official so sore and tired that all doubters saw the projects true necessity. Once it was completed, traffic soared, proof that aid can work when its aligned with real needs. But aid can fall flat. When I was serving as minister of finance, I led efforts to curb directly awarded contracts and boost transparency following an audit of public procurement procedures. The goal was to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of public spending. But some donors were not willing to support this effort. I deplored one particular partners failure to listen and, above all, a stubborn insistence on taking us backwards by ignoring our analysis. I said no to the help on offer. It was hard but necessary. Aid must serve the real priorities, not satisfy bureaucratic checkboxes. In a recent discussion with the director of an incubator to help small and medium-sized businesses grow funded by a government donor I was struck by the emergence of shortcomings I thought belonged to the past. These included a laziness to question one's own model for delivering results, despite warnings about the risks of inefficiency. We also see a narrow focus on so-called "easily accessible" geographic areas, such as capitals, and on disbursements. Aid, in many cases, has helped sustain corrupt elites or fostered unhealthy alliances with public administrations perpetuating dependency rather than solving problems. When I look back on my own experience in development a journey close to an out-of-body experience for an African I realise we are at a critical juncture. Its the moment to question the very foundations of aid institutions inherited from the post-colonial era. Despite some positive reforms, such as untying aid, the core premise remains unequal. It is predominantly driven by the donors, with African countries still being passive recipients rather than active partners. How can this be changed? Change starts with listening. The receiving hand is not dumb and has ideas. It knows its needs. Recipient countries, especially in Africa, must be at the centre of the discussions. Conversations largely driven by donors are a recipe for failure. Furthermore, African organisations and think-tanks must be active players. Decolonising aid must be more than just a buzzword. We are making progress, but it must be accelerated. We continue to see consultancies denied opportunities due to insufficient financial strength despite their thorough knowledge of the field. It also means better coordination between donors. You would think this is obvious, and yet despite witnessing many innovative and pragmatic approaches, I still see some partners continue to burden governments limited capacities by each imposing their own distinct systems and reporting requirements. This ends up being a distraction. Recipient governments are key and are the only ones who should replace any donor. I believe the cuts could be an opportunity to make fiscal compromises that (finally) prioritise the necessary and the productive over the superfluous and the personal gain of some actors. Aid must be used strategically and selectively. It should foster technical cooperation for Africas economic transformation, its integration higher in global value chains. Aid should be a catalyst to reform the global financial architecture by leveraging innovation and the capital needed to finance our massive infrastructure programmes. It must be an instrument for the Africa Unions theme of the year: "Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations. Its time to make sure those people are at the table, and their voices are listened to. This is the second piece of a series in partnership with ODI Global's Donors in a Post-Aid World Malado Kaba served as the first female economy and finance minister of Guinea. She is the founder of Faleme Conseil, a private economic and development advisory services company based in the country This piece is part of The Independents Rethinking Global Aid series For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The Met Office has issued a thunderstorm warning in parts of England and Wales as the UK braces for a weekend washout. The yellow weather warning on Saturday covers southern England, parts of the midlands, London, east England and south Wales. Frequent heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected for much of Saturday, before fading from the west during the mid to late afternoon. The Met Office warned 10-15 mm of rain could fall in less than an hour, whilst some places could see 30-40 mm of rain over several hours from successive showers and thunderstorms. The storm could also bring lightning, hail and strong, gusty winds which will cause additional hazards. Met Office thunderstorm warning ( Met Office ) Delays to public transport including buses and trains is expected and driving conditions could also be affected by spray and standing water leading to longer journey times. Damage to buildings from lightening strikes and short term loss of power is also likely, the Met Office warned. Temperatures are also set to drop on Saturday with lows of 10C expected in London and 7C forecast in Glasgow. The stormy weekend comes after Britain saw the sunniest and warmest start to spring on record and the driest spring in over a century. More than 600 hours of sunshine were clocked up across the country between March 1 and May 27. Despite the predicted wash out weekend the Met Offices three-month outlook predicts that the chance of a hot summer is higher than normal, bringing an increased risk of heatwaves and heat-related impacts. The outlook shows it is 2.3 times more likely than normal that the UK will be hot over meteorological summer, which begins on 1 June and ends on 31 August. The average temperatures across the UK over those months range from 10-17C, with the south east of England experiencing the higher averages of 16-17C. Irish duos Solidroad start-up lands $6.5m in funding as its AI takes over contact centre staff training The Dublin pair, who first met while working in Intercom, have seen their AI customer experience platform go from zero to $1m in customer revenue in recent months Mark Hughes, Solidroad CEO and Patrick Finlay, Solidroad CTO Adrian Weckler Thu 5 Jun 2025 at 17:31 Mark Hughes is sitting in Solidroads Dublin office, patiently waiting for his US visa to arrive before he rejoins the rest of the AI-powered start-up in San Francisco. Surging demand for power to run artificial intelligence just prompted Meta Platforms to enter a 20-year contract with the biggest US nuclear operator, penning a deal thats likely to be priced at a cheaper rate than a similar agreement rival Microsoft entered last year. The parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp will probably be paying about $80 (70) per megawatt hour for energy from the Clinton plant in Illinois, according to Paul Zimbardo, an analyst at Jefferies, who made the forecast based on company guidance. History When an author publishes a new book, it is customary for their editor to stay in the background; their stated role being that of champion of the work rather than active contributor to its creation. Nathan Fielders bewildering on Sky Atlantic show mixes uncomfortable laughs with a serious look at aviation safety You could say that season two of The Rehearsal (Sky Atlantic) has everything. The question is, do we want everything? Flight simulators, cloned dogs, a congressional subcommittee, fake airport concourses and a singing competition on the lines of Britains Got Talent. Its a lot. Comedian Nathan Fielder, who previously created and starred in The Curse with Emma Stone, does all this with what must be an enormous budget from HBO (he mentions it several times). From this, he constructs not only a giant breastfeeding puppet that bit was really funny but an investigation into airline safety. He believes that most airline crashes are caused by the lack of effective communication in the cockpit. 'Nobody is going to walk out of a check-in over an extra 80': Is it time for Ireland to copy other visitor hotspots with a tourist tax? The abuse of nitrous oxide an odourless gas used to make whipped cream can have devastating, or even deadly, consequences. Dozens of brightly coloured canisters found strewn across a dirt path on the side of a suburban road have shone a spotlight on a concerning trend landing Aussies in hospital. The 3.3-litre cylinders featuring eye-catching graphics and the phrase experience heaven on earth horrified a passerby in Melbourne this week, not only because they had been illegally dumped, but due to the danger of their contents. So sick of these! What hope do we have of stopping younger people behaving like this? the frustrated local wrote online. Sadly, its an all too familiar scene across the country. Aussies hospitalised, unable to walk after nang abuse Nitrous oxide is classed as a dissociative anaesthetic and is an odourless gas used to make whipped cream and put doctors patients at ease. But it can have devastating or even deadly consequences if misused. ADVERTISEMENT Despite increasing media coverage of the risks involved, the warnings haven't stopped people from inhaling the gas, often referred to as nangs, in search of a quick high. Theres an increasing number of case studies documenting people who have presented to emergency departments with severe nerve and spinal cord damage, Dr Jodie Grigg, who has been monitoring the use of illicit substances for the National Drug Research Institute for over 12 years, told Yahoo News. It may start off with some tingling and numbness in their fingers and toes, or difficulty keeping their balance, and that can progress to the complete inability to walk they can lose the brain/body connection and without early intervention, those harms can be permanent, she said. 'Experience heaven on earth' can be seen on the label. Source: Reddit/Fearless_Playa9229 Use of the gas inactivates vitamin B12, she explained, which can lead to stripping the lining around a persons spinal cord. Psychiatric harms can also occur, such as psychosis and hallucinations. ADVERTISEMENT Theres acute risks as well, like cold burns, damage to the lungs, falls due to lightheadedness and losing consciousness. There was at least one case where a Schoolie fell off a balcony and died. While the majority of those who land in hospital have been using large amounts for a prolonged period, there are reports of exceptions with harm occurring from a single major binge. Nitrous oxide market turns into 'Wild West' Between 2010 and 2020, researchers have observed a steady upward trend in reports of nitrous oxide use, which spiked steeply in 2019 and continues to fluctuate today, Dr Grigg told Yahoo. ADVERTISEMENT Curious about what may have led to the increase, she did a bit of a deep dive online, and discovered a plethora of websites across the country offering large nang deliveries in under 30 minutes. The increase in use may relate to the increased access at low cost and in bulk, and also the emergence of those 24/7 express delivery services, which have a lot of promotions, social media advertising and bulk-buy incentives. Theyre also increasingly marketed with flavours and appealing packaging theres also increasing references in pop culture and ongoing perceptions of safety. I think the nitrous market has become a bit of a Wild West at the moment. Hospitals and health authorities are seeing the shift first-hand, with people now admitting theyre using a 3.3-litre tank a day instead of the smaller bulbs. The literature suggests many of the more recent severe cases are linked to people using those larger canisters, Dr Grigg said. While delivery services are very popular, research show users are most commonly buying nitrous oxide from convenience stores. ADVERTISEMENT We performed an analysis which looked at factors that might contribute to people using in high-risk ways, and the delivery services were associated with people using higher amounts per session. But the convenience stores were associated with people using it more frequently, Dr Grigg told Yahoo. While delivery services are popular, most people are still buying nitrous oxide from convenience stores. Source: Getty How is this legal? Under Australian Consumer Law, the sale of nitrous oxide for legitimate purposes is legal, however the gas was reclassified as a Schedule 6 poison by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in 2022, requiring all canisters to feature a warning label. But most people arent actually observing and recalling those warnings, which suggests possibly the need for plain packaging, Dr Grigg said. To help curb the problem, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia have introduced new regulations, with the latter banning the sale of larger canisters and restricting purchases of 10 gram canisters to registered food and beverage businesses. Any retailer caught breaking the laws which were introduced seven months ago can be hit with an on-the-spot fine of up to $6,000, though none have been issued yet. In SA, its illegal to sell nitrous oxide to anyone under 18, or between the hours of 10pm and 5am, while in Victoria, a supplier cannot sell it to anyone they suspect is going to inhale it. Individual state regulations may help deter some Aussies from supplying or trying to purchase the gas, but its likely some retailers will continue to sell illicitly due to profits involved, Dr Grigg explained. Its really about striking the right balance, because if you completely prohibit it there are concerns that it could encourage a riskier, underground market to counterfeit substances and encourage riskier use of other inhalants, she said. There are adverse risks that need to be considered so the supply control really needs to be approached with some caution. Dr Grigg believes that to reduce high-risk patterns of use, "regulatory action should ideally be one component of a broader public health response that also includes demand and harm reduction strategies. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. The Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) has voted 68pc to 32pc not to accept a package of further support measures recently negotiated between the Union and the Department for the curriculum changes to senior cycle. Irish citizens travelling to Georgia to obtain a fast-track driving licence in loophole The work around which is now defunct allowed Irish people to obtain driving licences in a matter of days Stock image Sarah O'Mahony Thu 5 Jun 2025 at 21:16 Irish citizens have been travelling to the country of Georgia to fast-track their way to an Irish driving licence in an agreement between the two countries. Roscommon man Robert Pether released from jail in Iraq after being detained for four years The wife of Robert Pether, the Roscommon man who has been released from jail in Iraq after four years in detention, has said the "living nightmare" his family has endured will not be over until he is home. Martina Devlin: Greta Thunbergs aid ship for Gaza wont get through but that doesnt make it a failure The Freedom Flotilla Coalition acts as an invitation: look at us, see why were doing this, dont turn away Climate activist Greta Thunberg stands near a Palestinian flag after boarding the Madleen boat. Photo: AP Martina Devlin Fri 6 Jun 2025 at 03:30 Fear of failure can stop us from doing things we believe to be right, but there are times when action is essential even when we know it wont achieve its goal. And so to the Madleen, a ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza along with Greta Thunberg and other activists. National policy on safeguarding for adults may be brought to the Cabinet before the Dail summer recess. Stock image What we saw last night was a wake-up call for everyone, junior minister for older people Kieran ODonnell said yesterday. He was responding to the shocking treatment of older people witnessed in a special report by RTE. So have we been sleepwalking since a programme on Leas Cross nursing home was made in 2005? One of the critical failings exposed then was the complete lack of focus in government agencies towards meeting the complex needs of older people. Then as now, they remain the key adult demographic for health and social care services. To hear two decades later that patients can still be badly mistreated, having their dignity and most basic needs ignored, is a terrible indictment of the States commitment to the care of the very people who served it all their lives. Mr ODonnell said there is a commitment for a national policy on safeguarding for adults in the Programme for Government and he wants this brought to the Cabinet before the summer recess. Most people will be astonished such a policy is not in place to protect people who may be vulnerable. Justice Minister Jim OCallaghan has said the Government is committed to developing the policy. But what does it say about respect for our people that such critical protections have not already been built into the infrastructure of care? Unless agencies have the necessary legal powers to enforce compliance, the potential for abuse will continue Even if there is one person being abused, that is a serious incident that should be followed up immediately, said Safeguarding Ireland chairperson Patricia Rickard-Clarke. She appealed to the Government to implement the recommendations of the Law Reform Commissions report from last year. This would put a critical legal framework in place, she said. Former INMO chief Liam Doran said he felt shame, sadness, frustration and anger over the revelations in the RTE report. Looking at people who have served this country, have worked for this country and have shown fortitude much more than the modern generation, and thats how we treat them. Shame, shame on all of us, he said. We have waited too long for the vital legislation needed to underpin the care of older people. Unless agencies have the necessary legal powers to enforce compliance, the potential for abuse will continue. Sean Moynihan of charity Alone has expressed fears that Ireland is walking into the privatisation of nursing homes, where economics seems more important than the rights of the older person. For older people to be left frightened by institutional failings is indefensible. German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer wrote: The first 40 years of life give us the text the next 30 supply the commentary on it. And what a sad commentary it is on our society that once again we have been found wanting when it comes to taking care of our older citizens. There are no excuses and no exceptions, for as the poet Gertrude Stein put it: We are always the same age inside. Many viewers would have been seriously concerned watching RTE Investigates relating to care of the elderly. In my opinion, this was another example of politicians absolving themselves of responsibility in the care of the elderly. In my day I am almost 80 years old if an elderly person required care beyond the ability of family they were taken to care homes provided by the State attached to hospitals. In the past number of years, responsibility has been shifted to private enterprise. This, I suggest, results in what we have seen on our screens. My work has taken me to many developing countries, and one thing I can say about them most is they treated the elderly with dignity and respect. I suggest those in authority here could learn from those countries. Michael Moriarty, Rochestown, Co Cork If Hiqa doesnt have the teeth to act now then it is a watchdog without a bite I watched RTE Investigates recent expose on the conditions in some of our private nursing homes with deep sadness and rising anger. The footage was distressing, but what is more disturbing is that these cases are not isolated. They reflect a systemic failure that stems from the States decision to offload its responsibility for caring for our older citizens onto the private sector. Predictably, profit has been prioritised over people. The result? Institutional abuse again. Vulnerable older people, many of whom contributed to society all their lives, are being failed in their final years. Hiqa, though well-intentioned, appears to lack the real teeth and enforcement powers needed to prevent or address these abuses effectively. A regulatory body without robust sanctioning powers is little more than a watchdog without a bite. Safeguarding legislation, long promised, is now urgently overdue. This country cannot continue to turn a blind eye. We must re-evaluate how we care for our ageing population and bring in enforceable standards, proper oversight and serious consequences for those who exploit or neglect the vulnerable. If Hiqa is unable to act then it needs to be reformed. I expect the Oireachtas Committee on Health to summon it without delay to provide answers to its shortcomings and muted response to concerns raised by whistleblowers, and to determine whether or not this institutional abuse is confined to those health care settings run by the company Emeis. Killian Brennan, Malahide Road, Dublin 17 Is this what we have to look forward to when we become old, ill or frail? The poor house, the Magdalene laundries, the psychiatric institutions and now the nursing homes, a modern-day scandal. Is this what is facing the elderly, sick, frail and vulnerable people needing care and those struggling to find compassionate care for them in 2025? This is happening at a time of so-called oversight, supported by increased technology and corporate speak. Thanks to excellent journalists for highlighting this appalling scandal, clear for all to see and it must be acted on. Shame on us for allowing this to happen. Alice Leahy, Director of Services, Alice Leahy Trust This D-Day, lets not forget the sacrifices of the Irish who also fought in the war The annual anniversary of D-Day falls today, June 6, marking the date in 1944 when the Allied landings on the Normandy beaches began, liberating occupied countries in Europe from the Nazi regime. Ireland was neutral, but Irish men fought with the Allies. John ONeill from Bere Island, Co Cork, emigrated to England in the 1930s and joined the British army as a way of earning a living. It was peace time and WWII began a few years later in 1939. He fought through WWII and was killed in late 1944. He is buried in the military cemetery near Overloon in Holland. Dan Harvey tells his story in A Bloody Victory: The Irish at Wars End: Europe 1945 (Merrion Press, 2020). The late RTE journalist Cathal OShannon left Ireland to join the RAF when war began. He went on to make the award-winning TV documentary Even the Olives are Bleeding in 1976 on the Irish in the Spanish Civil War. There were the Allied army and civilian engineers who ensured military vehicles, tanks and troops moved quickly into Europe after D-Day. Roads, railway lines and bridges repaired and pontoons and floating bridges put in place quickly. WWII in the Pacific was not over. Dr Aidan MacCarthy from Castletownbere, Co Cork, had emigrated to England and later joined the war in the RAF. He survived Dunkirk in 1940 and was sent to Asia with his colleagues. They were attacked and captured by the Japanese. He survived brutal POW camps and the atomic bomb on Nagasaki in August 1945. He said faith and lots and lots of luck helped him survive. Mary Sullivan, College Road, Co Cork If you want to broaden the tax base, ensure that those on lowest pay earn more John Burns report on the number of Irish earners paying no income tax, (Irish Independent, May 5) made for very interesting reading. And, as usual, the data is interpreted to suit the long-standing Fine Gael clamour to broaden the tax base. This would really be nothing other than the State digging into the pockets of those with little income to begin to benefit the better off. Here are the pertinent facts of the matter. In 2023, households in the top 20pc of the income distribution in Ireland had gross disposable incomes twice the national average, while those in the bottom 20pc had incomes a mere two-fifths (42pc) of the average. The richest 20pc had incomes nearly five times higher than the poorest 20pc. What all these income reports show is a level of distributive injustice that needs to be urgently addressed, given the high levels of poverty that exist in the lower income groups. So, rather than broadening the tax base, it would be of far greater benefit if the distribution of income was fairer. Not only would that significantly lower poverty levels, it would also see more earners paying income tax as their pay level rises above the taxable income threshold. It would also sate Fine Gaels aspirations to broaden the tax base at the same time. A win-win, as they say. Jim OSullivan, Rathedmond, Co Sligo A Cork TD has called for Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to appear before the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee (PAC) following the devastating RTE Investigates programme. The footage in RTE Investigates Inside Irelands Nursing Homes which was broadcast on Wednesday, June 4 details a litany of failings in two homes run by Emeis Ireland, formerly Orpea. The French-owned company has 27 privately-run facilities here, providing more than 2,400 beds. After concerns were raised by several whistleblowers, RTE sent two undercover researchers to apply for healthcare assistant roles. They obtained footage from The Residence Portlaoise and Beneavin Manor in Glasnevin, Dublin. Among the breaches detailed were inadequate staffing levels, which at times left one employee looking after 23 residents, and people being refused help to go to the toilet. HIQA has subsequently confirmed that it stopped admissions to the nursing home in Laois prior to the programme being aired. Labour Party TD for Cork North Central Eoghan Kenny expressed concerns that the RTE Investigates programme into nursing home care represents but a drop in the ocean of failures across care of older people. Deputy Kenny who is a member of the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee said HIQA have not appeared before the PAC since 2017. Given the huge systemic issues within the organisation detailed by RTE, I will be proposing inviting HIQA to the PAC with my committee colleagues. The fact that HIQA took over four months to investigate issues identified by RTE is beyond belief. We are talking about care of our much loved older people who deserve dignity as they age." What we witnessed was utterly appalling, said Deputy Kenny. Credit is due to RTE for highlighting this issue. Staff members from other homes have made contact with my office to express their concerns about practices being replicated in their workplace. HIQA are failing in their statutory remit to investigate and resolve issues when they arise locally. Given the scale and the nature of what was exposed, it is crucial that we examine in detail the procedures and potential gaps within HIQA to address these urgently. The PAC could work constructively with HIQA representatives on this, he added. The Cork TD said accountability is crucial to ensure the most vulnerable are protected HIQA have a fundamental role to play in ensuring this happens. Accountability is crucial, but so too is ensuring procedures and processes are in place to protect the vulnerable in our society. Its vital that we have the highest standards of care for older people. HIQA have a fundamental role to play in ensuring this happens. Gavin Lonergan (26) from Summerhill in Mallow had 95 previous convictions Gardai were forced to use pepper spray to arrest a man who was causing a public order offence outside a bar in Mallow. On October 5, 2024, Gardai on mobile patrol were alerted to a male being abusive at the Bridge House Bar in Mallow, and when they arrived, they saw a man being restrained by the owner of the bar, Mallow District Court heard on Tuesday. 73-year-old charity founder John ONeill is currently stuck in the Philippines while battling prostate cancer John O'Neill says he will be dead within six months if he doesn't get treatment A Cork man, currently living in the Philippines, says his human rights are being shredded in being denied access to life-saving treatment in Ireland by the Filipino government. 73-year-old John ONeill, originally from Gerald Griffin Street in Blackpool, says that he was denied leave from the Philippines earlier this year, having been told to return home for treatment of prostate cancer, which the Cork native says is killing him. Mr ONeill says he was told by authorities at the airport that he owed immigration fees, which he disputes, and is now in limbo as the case gets resolved while he is dying from cancer. I came here to the Philippines in 2013 to open my charity Rice for Life, to feed women and children in awful poverty, John explains, who lives in Dumaguete, on the southern tip of Negros Island with his wife Frizell and son Clovesky. However, John said the work he was doing wasnt appreciated by everyone, and that he had received death threats on multiple occasions by radical groups, in an area in which he says is dangerous to be a foreigner. Two weeks before COVID, I had decided to go back home to live the rest of my life out there, but when that kicked off, I was stuck in the Philippines for five years, John said, adding that for weeks he was forced to stay at home, while his Filipino partner was allowed out to do the familys weekly shop. After restrictions were lifted, John went back to his charity work until a crushing diagnosis of Prostate Cancer in March of last year turned his life on its head. John O'Neill with his son Clovesky I was in the hospital here for 12 days, but they told me they couldnt do any more for me, John explains from his bed, as the country enters its rainy season. I tried two hospitals in Cebu, and was told by one Chinese surgeon they did not have the technology to treat me here like they could in my own country. He said, I think Cork can guarantee you 15 years of life, would you be happy about that?. I saved a few bob to fly back to Cork, and I had organised for my records to be sent over and to get treatment in a Cork hospital. I booked the flight with my 9-year-old son, from Cebu to the capital Manila, then onwards to Cork via China and London. We had no problem on the first flight, but when we got to the queue to give our passports and flight ticket, we were refused permission to fly. They said I may owe them immigration fees, which I totally disagreed with, and they told me that it would take 6 months to sort out. I won't live that long without treatment, and I told the supervisor that they were abusing my human rights, however, he just said, Sorry Sir, these are the laws of our country. John says that in the time since, he cannot get a clear answer from the government on how much exactly he owes the Filipino government, who say the fees relate to COVID-related costs. John claims that he has paid the requisite fees, but claims the goalposts have been changed by the government. In limbo, Mr ONeill says he cant get an answer to exactly what he owes until the six-month review of his case is concluded, which the Cork native says was confirmed by two separate lawyers. In the nine weeks since, John said he has contacted local TDs and the Irish embassy in a bid to get some help in trying to waive the substantial fees and finally board a flight that may save his life. However, the Cork native is still in limbo, and says he is getting weaker every day that passes without treatment. An old Irish friend, Waterford-based writer and musician Billy Costine, has started a GoFundMe for the 73-year-old, which hes hoping will cover the cost of whatever amount the immigration fee bill that will arrive at the Cork natives door. Billy said hes left angry by what hes called a corrupt government decision, and that if something isnt done shortly, his friend John will be coming home in a box. Im not a great believer in religion, but I would be totally lifted if I could come home, an emotional John says. Even though I am not frightened of death, because every single one of us has to die from mouse to man you start counting on our figures and thinking about what it means. Going down to Crosshaven, heading out fishing, it makes you think totally differently. If I die, I want it to be under an Irish blue sky, Tropical savannas constitute around 20 per cent of Australia's landmass, but they're under increasing threat and there are concerns many may collapse. Between 2023 and 2024, tourism contributed around $1.2 billion to the Northern Territory's economy, according to government figures. Source: Getty Tropical savannas cover 20 per cent of Australias landmass and incorporate some of the nations biggest drawcards like Kakadu, Nitmiluk Gorge and Arnhem Land. But three top ecologists are warning in a new paper that many of those in the Northern Territory are facing collapse, threatening the future of its $1.2 billion tourism industry, which has traditionally been built around wild places. Insects and birds thrive in the thick grassy understory that grows under open forest and woodlands, but most of the native mammals are already gone. Paper co-author Professor Euan Ritchie fears more losses are imminent. A perfect storm of threats could mean the almost deafening sound of insect noise could soon fall silent. Youve got the impact of invasive species, youve got fire, youve got climate change. And now to propose a massive increase in land clearing is just going to make the situation worse, the Deakin University ecologist told Yahoo News Australia. Related: Alarming map highlights growing threats to $3.8 billion whale tourism industry Bitter Springs at Mataranka in the Northern Territory is popular with tourists. Source: Glenn Walker With the Great Barrier Reef facing an in danger listing by UNESCO, and concerns about the degradation of the Pilbara's 40,000-year-old Murujuga rock art making international headlines over the last fortnight, there are concerns the crumbling state of the countrys most important landscapes is rapidly becoming an international embarrassment. ADVERTISEMENT "Australians are known for being wonderful at sport, but there's this inconvenient truth that we're terrible at conservation and protecting culture. Its shameful," Ritchie said. "We're getting this pretty horrific reputation that we don't take care of the wonders that we have." 246,000 hectares could be wiped out In 2023, around 84 million hectares of northern Australia burned, but because the region is sparsely populated, few people paid attention. When native grasses try to grow, they have to compete with invasive buffel grass, which has been seeded for decades by the cattle industry. The region is also riddled with cats and feral pigs, which contribute to the decline in native mammals like the northern quoll, brush-tailed rabbit-rat and black-footed tree-rat. With the Top End already facing mounting challenges, ecologists are worried that the territorys already slack environment protection laws are set to allow more habitat destruction that could tip the savannas over the edge. ADVERTISEMENT The researchers estimate that between 2000 and 2020, around 45,000 hectares of savanna habitat was destroyed. Clearing of a further 146,000 hectares has already been approved and another 100,000 could be flattened for the expansion of the cotton industry. Fires are a growing threat to the Northern Territorys tropical savannas. Source: Professor Brett Murphy Traditional Owner furious at land clearing As the State and Future of the Northern Territorys Savannas report was released, a senior Wagiman Traditional Owner, Jabul Huddlestone, spoke out about his concerns. "I dont want this rubbish, knocking down trees on my country. They are going to take all the goanna away take away everything," he said. "No goanna, no kangaroo, you cant find green plum, black plum, we got the wild potato... but now, theres too much hot fire, too many trees being knocked down there is no green plum. There used to be big mob down by the riverside nothing now all knocked down. Black plum, all knocked down. ADVERTISEMENT The report was a huge collaboration supported by Charles Darwin University, Deakin University, Wagiman Traditional Owner, Griffith University, The Environment Centre NT, La Trobe University, University of Tasmania, Wilderness Society and World Wide Fund for Nature Australia. Environment Centre NT executive director Kirsty Howey said action from government is urgently needed to protect the savannas from bulldozers. These savannas are a fundamental drawcard for our tourism industry and represent the lifestyle we know and love as Territorians, she said. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories. The data was released to Sinn Fein by Cork City Council via Freedom of Information. Sinn Fein TD Thomas Gould outside one of the boarded-up Council-owned houses in Cork. 345 council houses are currently boarded up across Cork city, which was referred to as insulting by a Cork TD. Sinn Fein TD for Cork North Central, Thomas Gould slammed the government for allowing public homes to lie empty during the current housing emergency. There is nothing more insulting to those impacted by the Housing Emergency than the sight of a perfectly good home left empty. Each of these homes should have a family living in them, children growing up in those four walls. Instead, these homes are empty, and children are growing up in hotels. That is beyond scandalous, Mr Gould said. The data was released to Sinn Fein by Cork City Council via Freedom of Information. Families in Cork are crying out for homes while perfectly good homes have been left to rot. We know that these cause dumping and anti-social behaviour. They stigmatise decent communities and for people in Cork they are a constant reminder of the governments failures, he added. The data also confirms that 150 council houses are currently vacant in Cork county, with 114 houses empty for up to 12 months. 99 homes have been vacant in Cork city for longer than two years. Cork City and County Councils should be funded to do their job. Instead, red-tape and bureaucracy coupled with underfunding leave homes empty for years in Cork. 99 homes in Cork city have been empty for longer than 2 years. This is a scandal, he added. Mr Gould said a Sinn Fein government would not stop until long-term vacancy in council homes is ended. I can guarantee that a Sinn Fein government would not stop until long-term vacancy in Council homes has been ended. We would cut the red tape and end the bureaucracy. We would do everything to ensure that nobody watches homes rot while they cannot access secure accommodation, he concluded. On June 21, members of the Raise the Roof campaign will take to the streets of Cork for a housing protest. The Raise the Roof campaign includes a wide group of organisations including political parties, unions who represent older people, students, families and people with disabilities. Protesters are asked to meet at the National Monument on Grand Parade at 2pm. A temporary bathing restriction is in place at Dollymount Strand due the suspected sewage discharge from a waste water treatment plant, while a restriction is in place at Sandymount Strand for the entire 2025 season. The restriction came into effect on June 3 and is expected to remain in effect for four days. Dublin City Council has said there is a risk of deterioration of water quality due to discharge from the wastewater treatment plant and the incident was likely caused by heavy rainfall. The water will be resampled and results will be made available upon their receipt. The HSE and the Environmental Protection Agency have been notified, while swimmers have been urged to not enter the water as swimming may cause illness. Dollymount Strand. Today's News in 90 seconds - 6th June 2025 Meanwhile, bathing is prohibited at Sandymount Strand to prevent exposure of swimmers to pollution. Dublin MEP, Aodhan O Riordain, called for action to be taken to reverse years of neglect. Dublin Bay is such a fantastic natural resource enjoyed by so many but its neglect by the State has become increasingly pronounced. Particularly during the summer months, so many swimmers enjoy a dip at all hours of the day. More and more, warnings and bans are issued following sewage runoff which is just not acceptable, he said. A city that cant keep its iconic bay and natural resources clean is clear evidence that protecting the environment is simply not a priority. Mr O Riordain said Labours Dublin Bay Bill would establish an authority to preserve and protect the Bay - including regulating and controlling pollution in and around the bay to put an end to swim bans. People from all over Dublin, as well as residents associations, swimming clubs, and environmental activists, have been crying out for a stronger vision for tackling pollution and dereliction along our coast. Im urging Fine Gael and Fianna Fail to stop neglecting our great city, for the love of Dublin. A round of applause welcomed President Michael D Higgins at University of Galway on Friday ahead of an eventful celebration as a new portrait of the president was revealed, the aula maxima was renamed in his honour and he announced the donation of his presidential archive to the his alma mater. President Higgins who studied and also taught at the university before entering politics was accompanied by his wife Sabina for the celebratory event. The special ceremony was hosted by the chair of the Governing Authority of University of Galway Dr Maire Geoghegan-Quinn and Professor Peter McHugh, Interim President of University of Galway. President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina are shownby with Interim President of the University of Galway Peter McHugh, a gallery of photos in the Quadrangle in University of Galway charting his life and career in academia and politics at a special event to mark his donation of his Presidential Archive to University of Galway. Photo:Andrew Downes, xposure The celebration started with the announcement of the donation of the presidential archive of President Michael D. Higgins, as well as books from his personal collection. The documents in the archive, which include personal papers, writings and correspondence, will be held in the Archives and Special Collections of the University Library. President Michael D. Higgins today at University of Galway President Higgins said: I think when people give their archives, the whole point of it is to do it because it's part of the history of the people. "And I thought my personal commitment is very very much to the widest possible use of it, not just in a scholarly way. I have actually added material in beyond the presidency that I hope in time and indeed with agreement with my family, that it will be available as much as a complete history as I can. President Michael D. Higgins at a special event to mark his donation of his Presidential Archive to University of Galway. The event then proceeded to the Aula Maxima of University of Galways iconic Quadrangle which was today renamed The Michael D. Higgins Auditorium. A number of people took the microphone throughout the morning, remembering the Presidents university years and highlighting different moments of his long career. President Michael D. Higgins unveils a portrait by Colin Davidson at University of Galway. Photo: Andrew Downes, xposure A portrait of President Higgins, by artist Colin Davidson, which has been acquired by the University for its public art collection was unveiled, but music and a poem were also part of the event. Lastly, president Higgins thanked the university and everyone present today. The Aula Maxima in the Quadrangle at University of Galway has been renamed in the President's honour. The president highlighted the importance of university and arts both back then and now, while slamming the pressure higher education institutions are currently on in the US. The president has also commented on the war in Gaza as he described the situation on the strip as desperate. President Michael D. Higgins at a special event to mark his donation of his Presidential Archive to University of Galway and renaming of the Aula in the Quadrangle at University of Galway. Photo: Andrew Downes, xposure He said: I find it difficult to be frankly, too, because I have spoken about it again and again. I know very very much that people are suffering, and I feel this and I think that what is most important now and it's the next week when the general assembly meets, that it uses the exceptional powers it has ununited for peace to actually act, and it has the power to move past the security council, and also there is a big issue involved here, and that is how then are you going to manage an intervention? "Its inconceivable. There are countries in Europe who have held back from even a ceasefire. How valid is their commitment to any of the international conventions in relation to human rights? Developer appeals unwarranted decision to refuse planning for houses in North Kerry The developer has asked An Bord Pleanala to overturn the decision of Kerry County Council and grant it permission to build 12 homes in Listowel File image. Jack Joy Kerryman Fri 6 Jun 2025 at 10:00 The decision to refuse planning permission for 12 homes in Listowel is unwarranted, according to an appeal from a developer . Search for accommodation underway as all 25 Cork Rose contestants have Tralee in their sights this August A Rose of Tralee sisterhood will present a strong vibe this August for Cork Rose Nancy Leahane who can count on support from fellow Leeside contestants planning a Tralee invasion. A total of 25 women from the Cork Rose Centre contested this years Cork Rose as Meelin native Nancy Lehane was chosen to represent the county. The good news for Nancy is the remaining 24 girls are planning to visit Tralee to support their friend and enjoy the occasion. While there is much publicity given every year to the lifelong friendships forged among Roses lucky enough to represent their respective Rose centres, the same applies in the preliminary stages and the various centres around Ireland and the world. That all 25 contestants from the same Rose centre will be in Tralee for the festival must be a first in the storied history of the Rose of Tralee which started in the 1950s. 2025 Cork Rose contestant Lucy Ni Cuinneagain, who represented Swissport in the sold-out selection night at Corks Rochestown Park Hotel last month, explains the idea behind the visit. We just decided that we had grown so close over the last three months that it was only right that we go and celebrate Nancy winning, and hopefully winning the whole thing. She is like our sister so were definitely all trying to go down and support her, Lucy told The Kerryman. Lucy explains the Cork Rose selection was less a competition and more an opportunity to make a big group of sisters and best friends. Nancy Leahane is said to be over the moon about the girls travelling in such numbers to support her. Out of all the centres that weve seen, we have become quite close. I have heard from girls in previous years that say a few attended the Rose, but only on the night of the selection. This year, the whole 24 of us are going down to support Nancy. Its probably a first and I dont think Tralee knows what it has coming, Lucy added. The pressure is on to find accommodation in Tralee for the week. Lucy has put out an appeal on social media for places to stay and is hoping some help and suggestions will come her way. We have phoned around a few places but it is proving difficult. Well be trying to beg, borrow, and steal accommodation from people including some of our families that are living in Tralee. It is going to be a very expensive week so any way that we can get accommodation it would be greatly appreciated, she said. With strong West Kerry connections to Castlegregory, Lucy is well accustomed to the special atmosphere created by the Rose of Tralee. Being a contestant in 2025 was part of a childhood dream. Its absolutely a surreal feeling to be a contestant. It was a fantastic experience and were all so proud that we did it. The Rose of Tralee has always been a huge deal for me growing up. Its something that is close to me because the girls are really great and weve made some great connections. We became this big sisterhood a sisterhood that is heading to Tralee to support a friend, she said. Anyone with accommodation ideas can contact Lucy at 083 3858519. Deep fried Mars bars have been added to the menu of a Dundalk pub for the month of June The popular Dundalk pub Mo Chara has added the Scottish delicacy deep fried Mars bars to its menu alongside the local speciality red pudding which has also been given the deep fried treatment. Former Fine Gael TD and Minister of State, Fergus ODowd has called for transparency and accountability in response to a recent RTE investigation into two nursing homes run by Irelands largest provider. The former Louth TD has been an outspoken advocate for the elderly, particularly in the aftermath of a 2014 RTE broadcast featuring the Aras Attracta care facility in Co Mayo, which showed some residents being mistreated by certain staff. Invitations for lung cancer health checks are currently being issued to people in Louth, Meath and Cavan who are at risk of developing lung cancer. Participants for the Beaumont RCSI Irish Cancer Society lung health check are being chosen as part of a study targeting those aged between 55-74 years, who currently or previously smoked, as they are at higher risk than others of getting lung cancer. The study will involve participants from selected Centric Health GP practices in the North Dublin and northeast region. Invited participants will then attend a mobile lunch check unit in O'Raghalliagh's GAA Club in Drogheda. The participating GP practices in Drogheda include: Bryanstown Medical Centre; Fairgate Medical Practice; Hilltop Drogheda; and Northgate Surgery. In Dundalk, The Square Medical is included. Meanwhile, in Meath the Trim Medical, Headfort Family Practice is included and in Cavan, The Cottage Baileborough is included. Participants from Ashbourne Clinic, Meath will attend a mobile health unit in Fingallians GAA Club Swords. Participation invites will be sent through a letter of invitation to take part in the study, along with a leaflet with more details of the process. A team member will then be in touch to specify a date and time for a screening. Invites can also be turned down, with details provided on how to opt out. CEO of the Irish Cancer Society Averil Power said: This historic investment by the Irish Cancer Society marks a turning point for lung cancer in Ireland. Lung cancer kills more Irish people every year than any other cancer, mainly because it is diagnosed late when it is difficult to treat. We are confident this pilot programme will save lives by detecting cancer early. We hope that in time it will lead to a free national lung check programme for all Irish people at high risk of getting lung cancer. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Ireland, with six in every 10 lung cancer diagnoses detected at a late stage when it is harder to treat. The Lung Health Check is part of a 4.9m partnership between Irish Cancer Society and Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre, funded by the Irish Cancer Society, to drive improvements in lung cancer early detection, diagnosis, and treatment. Its part of an overall rollout of 53 new high-power recharging hubs to service the expanding electric vehicle (EV) fleet across Ireland's national road network. An allocation of almost 8 million will be provided to support grants for recharging infrastructure at the selected sites, with chargers set to be in place by the end of this year. These new sites will deliver 175 new fast and ultra-fast recharging points, at 53 locations along the national road network, making it quicker and easier for EV drivers to top up on longer journeys. The announcement is part of a wider plan to build a reliable recharging network across the country, with the distance between recharging hubs to be 60km or less. The recharging hubs are funded through the Light Duty Vehicle (LDV) initiative operated by Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI), and delivered by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). This phase of the initiative focused on over 1,200km of national single carriageway roads. Enterprises such as petrol/service station operators, car park owners, hotels, supermarkets/retail outlets, and others with publicly accessible sites, could apply through a competitive grant process for funding. The total allocation for this aspect is 7.9 million. Applegreen, Carraroe, Sligo N4; Whiteside's SuperValu, Ballisodare, N4; Surlis SuperValu, Tubbercurry, N17; Drive Service stations Ltd, Sligo, N17. Sligo Leitrim TD, Frank Feighan has welcomed the announcement of the nomination of 7 sites across Leitrim, South Donegal, and Sligo. It is vital for this region and constituency that we expand our EV charging network to facilitate EV owners who visit this region for either work or leisure purposes. I would like to see more of our smaller villages and towns get the funding to provide town centre fast charging EV points to ensure that more and more people have the opportunity to visit our locality including EV owners without the concern of range anxiety, said Deputy Feighan. The nominating sites in Leitrim are: Rooneys Supervalu, Manorhamilton and Rosebank Retail Park, Carrick-on-Shannon. Linda Walsh and Steven Williams made history recently as the first couple to get married at one of the 121 family resource centres across Ireland. Linda Walsh and Steven Williams made history recently as the first couple to get married at one of the 121 family resource centres across Ireland. Linda Walsh and Steven Williams made history recently as the first couple to get married at one of the 121 family resource centres across Ireland. A simple and stress free wedding day are not usually mutually exclusive, but for one bride in north Wexford, thats exactly what she got when she tied the knot with her partner of more than 20 years at Gorey Family Resource Centre. Linda Walsh and Steven Williams made history recently as the first couple to get married at one of the 121 family resource centres across Ireland. "I wanted something that was quite small and intimate and I love the room up in the resource centre. I approached Eimear and said can I get married here?, she thought I was mad at first, but then they helped me. It was a gorgeous little day. They were a huge help, they gave me access to the room and gave me little bits to do up the room. They couldnt have been any more helpful, said Linda. Only a select few were at the intimate ceremony including Lindas father, Steve, three of their friends, Eimear, Pamela, the registrar and their two dogs dressed in tuxedos. After the ceremony they ventured down to Raspberry for food, before surprising their family at a party in Dun Laoghaire in Dublin. They thought they were coming to a surprise party for Steve but it was actually us surprising them for the wedding. Linda Walsh and Steven Williams made history recently as the first couple to get married at one of the 121 family resource centres across Ireland. "It was really relaxed and no pressure on anybody which is what I wanted. A registry office just wasnt my kind of vibe because Im not very traditional anyway. Eimear and Pamela and the rest of the gang at the resource centre are absolutely amazing I have to say. I didnt tell family and friends because I didnt want anybody to be worried about having to buy new clothes or to stay in a hotel or worrying about presents because we dont need anything like that. Everyone was nice and relaxed and had a few drinks and a bit of a laugh when they realised. "We actually told them that Steve was getting his citizenship so when we arrived everyone was waving the Irish flag and somebody even bought him a flute, so they got a shock, it was great craic, said Linda. As theyd been together for over 20 years, the wedding was a long time coming. Linda and Steve met purely by chance 21 years ago at a small pub in Dun Laoghaire. After around six months, Linda who is originally from Dublin followed Steve to Wales where they ran a pub together for a time. Around two years later, they decided to move back to Ireland and settled in Gorey in 2007. Linda Walsh and Steven Williams made history recently as the first couple to get married at one of the 121 family resource centres across Ireland. It was years before Linda eventually discovered Gorey Family Resource Centre when they moved to McDermott Street around two years ago. She says many of the friends shes met at the centre are like-minded people with similar interests. "The resource centre for me anyways, was a bit of a life-saver, it got me out of myself. Ive met friends there that Ill have for life, I just think its an amazing little place for the community. "One day I decided to pluck up the courage and just walk in, I think thats the hardest part is initially going and doing something. But once you walk in, the welcome that you get is just brilliant, absolutely brilliant, said Linda. Linda Walsh and Steven Williams made history recently as the first couple to get married at one of the 121 family resource centres across Ireland. Speaking after the wedding, Community Development Worker, Pamela Keegan said, "Were the first ones to have ever hosted a wedding. Linda really wanted it here because of the connections shes made. "The centre is such an important part of her life, its where shes made friends, shes connected with people and it really means a lot to her so we said wed do what we can. Were quite proud to be the first family resource centre thats ever done it. Creatures that haven't been seen in the area for years will get a second chance. Native marsupials that were wiped out across a NSW national park are being reintroduced. Populations of animals that were wiped out in an Australian national park will soon be roaming its grounds again. The plan is to reintroduce native species that are locally extinct but survived in small numbers elsewhere, giving them a second chance. This time around, they'll be protected by a 25km fence thats designed to keep invasive predators out. The 2,000-hectare Nungatta feral predator-free area in the South-East Forest National Park has been completed, but for now, curious walkers can only walk around the edge. By the end of 2025, there will be some scope for people to venture inside and walk the fire trails. Gates will be created that let walkers in, while keeping invasive predators out. Source: NPWS A 25km fence will keep predators away from native marsupials. Source: David Rogers Which locally extinct animals will be reintroduced? There are also few visitor facilities, with little parking and no available toilets. And for now there are no publicly accessible gates because the entry of a single cat or fox could decimate a population of rare animals. ADVERTISEMENT Seeing any of the reintroduced creatures will also be near-impossible, because most will be small. A population of critically endangered smoky mice was released as part of a trial commencing in September 2024, and at least one juvenile has been born since then. On Thursday, the state government officially opened the predator-free zone. NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said it will soon be home to more threatened species. They will likely include the long-footed potoroo, eastern bettong, eastern quoll and New Holland mouse. The opening of Nungatta demonstrates the Minns Labor Governments commitment to protecting and restoring our environment, including native animals and their habitats, she said. The first creature to be released in the park is the smoky mouse. Source: David Rogers The exterior of the fence will be patrolled at least three times a week. Other animals already surviving in the sanctuary include eastern pygmy-possums, yellow-bellied gliders and powerful owls. ADVERTISEMENT Sadly, small marsupials are struggling to survive on mainland Australia, with feral cats alone killing around 1.5 billion native animals a year. Habitat destruction and climate change are also key threats. In NSW, around 50 per cent of threatened species in the state are on track to be wiped out in a century, according to a government report. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories. After a hiatus of over 50 years, the students of Wexford are once again being offered the chance to share their thoughts on the Wexford Festival Opera, and to win a generous cash prize of 250 plus publication in the Festival Supplement of the Wexford People. Wexford Festival Opera is running an essay competition for its 74th anniversary. Inspired by the theme for this years event, Myths & Legends, the subject of the essay is: Wexford Festival Opera A Myth or a Legend? All senior cycle (TY, 5th and 6th year) students in County Wexford are invited to participate. The Festival last held an essay competition in 1972 which makes a revival more than overdue. Back then, the title was Wexford Festival Opera Vanity or Prestige? There were four prizes and a young Colm Toibin was among the winners. Where are the remaining three winners? Or, indeed, the other entrants? WFO would love to hear from anyone who knows anyone who entered, or was placed in, that competition. Best of all would be to find copies of those essays! A long list of writers hail from Wexford, a tradition celebrated every September since 2016 at the Write by the Sea Festival in Kilmore Quay. Whether it is due to the sea air or the extra dose of sunshine that lights up the sunny south east, music and words seem to flourish in this corner of the island. It is also an area rich in history and folklore which could feed into ideas for this years essay title. How to separate myth from legend and where to place WFO on that scale is an interesting question. Does the Festival impinge in any meaningful way on the lives of younger members of the community, acquiring legendary status for them, or is that a cosy myth? The organisers of WFO are eager to learn how the senior cycle cohort views the Festival and whether, or how, it might be made more meaningful to that generation. For teachers this could be a rewarding and very worthwhile class project, especially in transition year, when several students will have the opportunity to work with the Festival. Other students may have family members who have been, or are still, involved at some level. There are many dimensions to the Festival, from the opening night fireworks to the general buzz around town, from themed window displays to the sometimes outlandish glamour of opera goers, exhibitions, fringe and community events, each offering a different angle on, or line of approach to, the subject. I rarely wish I was sixteen again but this is one occasion when I wouldnt mind reversing the years, just to have a crack at such an exciting competition. Competition Details: Wexford Festival Opera A Myth or a Legend? All students in Senior Cycle (TY, 5th Year and 6th Year) in County Wexford secondary schools are eligible to participate. Prize: 250 Rules and Conditions 1. Entries must be the original work of the entrant and should not have been previously published in any format, online or print, self-published or paid. 2. Entries must be typed, double-spaced in Microsoft Word, 12 point, Times New Roman font. 3. All entries must be in English and submitted by email to essay@wexfordopera.com. Closing date for receipt of entries is Monday September 22 at 5.00pm. 4. The decision of the judges is final, no correspondence/contact will be entered into, and no feedback will be given to individual entrants. 5. Entrants can submit only one entry. Entries must not exceed 2,000 words. 6. Wexford Festival Opera reserves the right to publish any of the entries as full essays, or extracts thereof, to promote Wexford Festival Opera on its website and in other media. Aisling Gillespie, Carina Murphy and Kitty O'Sullivan with former Woodbrook College deputy principal Paul Murphy at his retirement party in the Glenview Hotel. Photo: Leigh Anderson Henry Hurley, Andrea Monahan, Nieves Purnall and Rachel Ryan with former Woodbrook College deputy principal Paul Murphy at his retirement party in the Glenview Hotel. Photo: Leigh Anderson Gerard DeCourcy, Michael and Siobhan Murray, Maria DeCourcy, Sandra and Andrew Cleary at former Woodbrook College deputy principal Paul Murphy's retirement party in the Glenview Hotel. Photo: Leigh Anderson Elaine Shiely, Tony Bellew and Oisin O hAnnaidh at former Woodbrook College deputy principal Paul Murphy's retirement party in the Glenview Hotel. Photo: Leigh Anderson Danielle Bradshaw, Amado Hidalgo and Lynda Moyse at former Woodbrook College deputy principal Paul Murphy's retirement party in the Glenview Hotel. Photo: Leigh Anderson Former Woodbrook College deputy principal Paul Murphy with his wife Carmel and kids Sadhbh, Erinne and Fia at his retirement party in the Glenview Hotel. Photo: Leigh Anderson Staff and the board of management from Woodbrook College in Bray gathered at the Glenview Hotel recently to honour their friend, colleague and deputy principal, Paul Murphy, as he retired from the school after 27 years of impeccable service. Surrounded by family and friends, proud father Paul enjoyed a fantastic send-off filled with touching speeches, farewell gifts, and lots of reminiscing and stories from his long and prosperous tenure at the school. Having taught in the UK for a decade, Arklow native Paul returned home and joined the staff at Woodbrook College in 1998, teaching geography and history, before taking up the role of deputy principal. Reflecting on his legacy at the Bray school, Paul said that the celebration at the Glenview was the perfect way to say goodbye, adding that he hadnt decided what his next endeavour would be, but was looking forward to his first summer off in memory. A big thanks to all the staff and parents for their kind words and gifts, and a special thanks to Woodbrook principal Henry Hurley, past principal Tony Bellew and Nieves, Andrea and Rachel in the office, Paul said. It was great to see so many friends, staff and members of the board of management there at the Glenview, and it was a terrific night." Now that Im retired, its an open book. Ill see what way the land is lying. Ive never had a June, July, and August off, as I was always doing exams, summer schools and all that stuff. Im looking forward to sitting around and seeing who arrives at the front door, and well have a few parties! Commending Paul on his lifetime dedicated to education and 22 years as deputy principal of Woodbrook College (formerly St. Brendans), principal Henry Hurley said: His farewell celebration reflected the deep respect and admiration he earned from students, staff, and the wider Bray/Shankill community. Paul leaves behind a lasting legacy and will be greatly missed. Wicklow RNLI had a blast from the past as eighties kids TV star Timmy Mallett popped into the lifeboat station for a quick chat followed by a tour of the facilities. Renowned for his energetic personality, colourful attire and striking spectacles, Timmy was a star of the TV screens in the 1980s and 90s, hosting television shows such as Wide Awake Club and Wacaday. In 1990 he had a number one hit single with his cover version of single Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, and more recently he appeared on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! In 2008. Having circumnavigated the UK on his Timmeee bike, and stopping along the way to paint some of the stunning landscapes he came across, followed by a tour of the coastal boarders of Northern Ireland, Timmy decided to do a solo tour along the Wild Atlantic Way - exploring rural Ireland by bike and documenting the experience in paint and prose. He was a welcome visitor to the Wicklow RNLI Lifeboat Station on Thursday, where he was greeted by some of the volunteer crew and members of the fundraising branch. Wicklow RNLI PRO Tommy Dover said: It was great for everyone present to be able to welcome Timmy to Wicklow to the lifeboat station. He initially contacted the fundraising branch to ask if it would be OK for him to visit, and we were all delighted with the idea. He just wanted to see how the station operates and give us a nod for all the work we do. He is very much community-spirt driven. Some of our more seasoned crew would have been very familiar with him, while some of our newer crew might not have been quite so familiar. He was very friendly and chatted away to members of the crew and the fundraising branch. You have to admire his enthusiasm, and the fact he is taking on the entire Irish coastline, aged in his late 60s. Prior to arriving in Wicklow town, Timmy took in some of the sights in Arklow, and heard all about the history of the iconic 19 Arches Bridge over the River Avoca, constructed between 1754 and 1756. After leaving Wicklow RNLI Lifeboat Station, he cycled to Hunters Hotel in Rathnew, where he stopped for lunch. He also went on to post an image on Instagram of the sign announcing entry to Newcastle village, before making his way on to Dublin. Eight people were found guilty over the robbery of the US star nearly a decade ago (Doug Peters/PA) A new BBC documentary about the robbery of reality TV star Kim Kardashian in Paris has been commissioned to recount one of the most-publicised celebrity crimes of our time. A trial found eight people guilty of robbing the US star of millions of pounds worth of jewellery at gunpoint during the 2016 Paris Fashion Week. With interviews from friends, family, police officers and journalists who followed the case, The Kim Kardashian Diamond Heist will share new information about what happened leading up to the trial where she faced the robbers in court. Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint (Doug Peters/PA) Nasfim Haque, head of content at BBC Three, said: This documentary offers an insight into one of the most-publicised celebrity crimes of our time, committed on one of the most famous women on the planet, which will delve into the facts behind the gossip and explore the price of fame in the digital age. Produced by Firecracker Films, the 45-minute documentary will also share the impact the robbery has had on the star. Sam Emmery, creative director at Firecracker, said: This is one of the most high-profile robberies of the digital age, with social media said to have played a part in the heist. The film is an opportunity to show how the perpetrators were eventually brought to justice and the lasting impact the ordeal had on its victim, Kim Kardashian. The Kim Kardashian Diamond Heist will share new information about what happened leading up to the trial (Doug Peters/PA) The media personality is best known for starring in the reality TV series Keeping Up With The Kardashians, which followed the lives of the Kardashian family. She is also known for being the co-founder of the shapewear clothing and underwear brand Skims, which is set to open its first UK store in Londons Regent Street after signing a deal with the Crown Estate. Since launching in 2019, the brand has partnered with an array of celebrities including Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Usher and Jude Bellingham for advertising campaigns. The Kim Kardashian Diamond Heist will air on BBC Three and BBC One later this month and will also be available on BBC iPlayer. Natasha Hamilton has revealed she was diagnosed with skin cancer last year (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Atomic Kitten singer Natasha Hamilton has revealed she was diagnosed with skin cancer, saying she initially thought it was a mosquito bite. The 42-year-old said she received the diagnosis last year after feeling an itch on her back following a holiday in Majorca, while speaking this morning on Good Morning Britain. A view shows the site of the Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine yesterday. Photo: Reuters US president Donald Trump said it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia fight for a while before pulling them apart and pursuing peace. FILE PHOTO: A Palestinian child lies inside the tent he took shelter in with his family after being displaced, in Gaza City May 25, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo Doctors in the Gaza Strip are donating their own blood to save their patients after scores of Palestinians were gunned down while trying to get food aid, the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Thursday. Since 1963, The Independent has helped create a great community! Since our founding in September of 1963, The Independent has been dedicated to giving Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, and Sunol readers the news they need to be in-the-know about what's going on in the Tri-Valley region. BIS Certification in India 2025: A Comprehensive Guide for Foreign Manufacturers Available language BIS Certification in India (2025) is mandatory for over 679 product categories, including electronics, machinery, chemicals, and consumer goods. Foreign manufacturers aiming to export to India must comply with BIS regulations via the Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme (FMCS) or the newly introduced Scheme X. This comprehensive guide explains why BIS is mandatory, identifies regulated sectors, and outlines a step-by-step certification process. Learn about costs, audit requirements, testing in BIS-approved labs, and compliance best practiceseverything international exporters need to access Indias booming market while meeting strict safety and quality standards. Indias booming economy, expansive consumer base, and infrastructure-led growth have made it a top destination for global exporters. However, foreign manufacturers looking to sell products in India must navigate the countrys stringent quality and safety compliance regimemost notably, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification. BIS certification is a mandatory requirement for numerous products ranging from construction materials and consumer appliances to industrial machinery and chemicals. Products that fall under these categories cannot be imported, sold, or distributed in India unless they meet the applicable Indian Standards (IS) and carry the appropriate BIS mark. For overseas companies, the key pathways to BIS compliance include the Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme (FMCS)used for ISI-marked productsand the newer, machinery-focused Scheme X, which comes into force for a wide range of equipment from August 28, 2025. Scheme X was brought under the BIS conformity assessment regulations, 2018. Under this scheme, manufacturers can obtain either a BIS license or a Certificate of Conformity (CoC), authorizing the use of the BIS Standard Mark on their products. This certification is especially important for sectors dealing with low-voltage switchgear, control gear, machinery, and electrical equipment. To obtain the BIS Scheme X certification, applicants must first submit product samples for testing. These tests can be conducted either at BIS laboratories or at BIS-recognized third-party laboratories. The certification process typically takes around 30 days to complete. Quick snapshot of BIS compliance in India 2025 Item Description Why BIS? Mandatory for 679+ products; the certification maintains product quality benchmark in the Indian market and protects consumers against sub-standard goods. Main schemes Scheme I (ISI mark/FMCS for foreigners), Scheme II (compulsory registration for electronics), Scheme X (machinery and high-risk equipment). Who needs it? Any overseas or Indian factory shipping notified goods to India; importers must ensure suppliers are certified. Estimate cost (FMCS) Approximately US$8,000US$30,000 depending on product type, audits, testing and travel. Penalty for non-compliance Seizure, product recall, fines, imprisonment up to 1 year, repeat offences = stricter action. What is BIS and why it matters The BIS, functioning under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs (MCA), is Indias national standards body. Established in 1987, BIS replaced the Indian Standards Institution (ISI) and operates under the BIS Act, 2016. Its core role is to formulate Indian Standards and ensure product conformity through licensing and certification. Products conforming to BIS standards carry the ISI mark a trusted symbol of quality in the Indian market. BIS certification ensures products meet national benchmarks and is crucial for public safety, health, environmental protection, and national security. For foreign manufacturers, BIS certification signals product compliance and grants market access to Indias large consumer and industrial base. Why BIS certification is mandatory for certain imports Originally a voluntary initiative, BIS certification has become legally mandatory for numerous product categories, especially imports. Indias central government uses BIS as a regulatory tool to prevent the influx of substandard, unsafe, or environmentally harmful goods. Under Section 16 of the BIS Act, the central government can issue Quality Control Orders (QCOs), making certification compulsory for specified products. These mandatory norms are enforced to: Safeguard public safety and health Protect the environment Prevent unfair trade practices Ensure national security Mandatory BIS certification means that regulated products cannot be manufactured, sold, or imported into India unless certified by BIS. Sectors and products requiring mandatory BIS certification As of March 2025, India had issued 187 QCOs covering over 679 product categories. Some of the key sectors Product list Construction materials Cement (e.g. ordinary Portland cement) Structural steel, steel bars, pipes Reinforcement products and related building materials Consumer and household goods Pressure cookers, gas stoves, electric water heaters Kitchen appliances and cookware Toys (as per Toys QCO 2020, mandatory for all toys for children under the age of 14) Electrical and electronic items LED lights, wiring cables, switches/sockets Transformers, battery cells, mobile/laptop chargers Covered either under ISI or Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS) Automotive and safety equipment Automotive tires, safety glass, protective helmets Industrial safety gear: fire extinguishers, goggles, helmets Metals and chemicals Steel plates, copper alloys, aluminum products Chemicals: toluene, ethylene glycol, n-butyl acrylate, etc. Food and agricultural products Packaged drinking water and mineral water (IS 14543/IS 13428) Milk powder, infant food, and edible items regulated jointly by FSSAI and BIS Note: If your product is widely used or safety-critical, its likely to fall under mandatory certification. Always cross-check the latest QCO notifications before exporting to India. Voluntary vs. mandatory BIS certification schemes Voluntary certification Applies to products not under mandatory QCOs. Manufacturers may choose to obtain the ISI mark to boost market credibility. Many procurement contracts in India favor BIS-marked goods even when certification is optional. Mandatory certification The central government notifies mandatory product certification under Section 16 of the BIS Act. the two major schemes under this includes the following: ISI Mark Certification (Scheme I) : It applies to most regulated consumer and industrial goods. Furthermore, the scheme requires factory inspection and testing. It is accessible to foreign manufacturers via FMCS. : It applies to most regulated consumer and industrial goods. Furthermore, the scheme requires factory inspection and testing. It is accessible to foreign manufacturers via FMCS. Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS or Scheme II): Scheme II is primarily for electronics and IT products and involves self-declaration post-lab testing. It does not requires factory audit. BIS certification pathways for foreign manufacturers 1. FMCS FMCS was launched in India in 2000 to extend ISI Mark certification (Scheme I) to foreign entities. It allows foreign manufacturers to get licensed by BIS and affix the ISI mark on certified products. Key highlights Who needs FMCS : Foreign companies exporting products listed under Quslity Control Order (QCO). : Foreign companies exporting products listed under Quslity Control Order (QCO). Authorized Indian Representative (AIR) : An AIR acts as the BIS liaison and holds legal responsibility in India. This is a mandatory process. : An AIR acts as the BIS liaison and holds legal responsibility in India. This is a mandatory process. License validity : the license is valid for one year and renewable on an annual basis. : the license is valid for one year and renewable on an annual basis. BIS marking: Certified foreign products bear the same ISI mark as those from Indian manufacturers; no distinction. 2. Scheme X: BIS certification for machinery and high-risk equipment BISs Scheme X addresses industrial, electrical, and high-risk equipment. With the Machinery and Electrical Equipment Safety (Omnibus Technical Regulation) Order, 2024, it becomes mandatory from August 28, 2025. The scheme cover certification for commodities such as the following: Pumps, compressors, cranes, mining equipment Transformers, motors, switchgear, control panels Large industrial machinery not previously covered under ISI Key features: The certification process is similar to FMCS, with technical documentation required. Typically grants Certificate of Conformity (CoC) which is valid for 3 years. Products are marked with a special BIS mark (aligned with CRS-style marking). Step-by-Step guide to BIS certification for foreign companies Dezan Shira & Associates India Office can assist with the below process. For business inquiries, please email us at: India@dezshira.com Confirm applicability Check if your product is under a QCO. Identify the relevant Indian Standard (IS code). Refer to BISs official product list or gazette notifications. Appoint an AIR Must be based in India (importer, subsidiary, or consultant) Required to provide declarations, ID, and authority letters Compile documentation Application forms and business licenses Technical product file (drawings, specs, BoM) Testing and quality assurance details Factory photos and layout AIR nomination forms and ID proofs Submit application and pay fees Application and audit fees must be paid via the BIS portal. Include initial deposit for BIS audit travel and man-days. Respond to BIS queries BIS will review and may request clarifications or additional documents. Factory audit (Inspection) BIS inspectors travel to your factory (typically 3 days abroad) Check manufacturing process, QA systems, documentation Witness product testing Select sealed samples for BIS lab testing Product testing in BIS-approved lab Conducted independently using sealed samples Test reports submitted directly to BIS Failure leads to rejection or re-testing Grant of license/CoC After successful audit and testing, BIS issues: License (ISI mark) under FMCS (ISI mark) under FMCS Certificate of Conformity (CoC) under Scheme X under Scheme X Products must bear BIS mark as per guidelines License renewal and quality inspection License typically valid for 13 years Annual surveillance audits are mandatory Non-compliance can lead to cancellation Timelines and testing considerations Estimated timeline FMCS (ISI mark) : ~68 months : ~68 months Scheme X: ~912 months due to higher technical scrutiny Testing considerations Only BIS-recognized labs are accepted Pre-testing is highly recommended to avoid test failures BIS may witness critical tests during factory audit Multiple samples may be needed For CRS (electronics), lab reports are submitted at application stage Best practices for foreign manufacturers Start early : Begin at least 68 months before shipping : Begin at least 68 months before shipping Pre-test your product : Ensure product quality against Indian Standards before applying for certification. : Ensure product quality against Indian Standards before applying for certification. Get documentation right : Follow BIS formats meticulously : Follow BIS formats meticulously Engage experts : Consider hiring a BIS consultant in India : Consider hiring a BIS consultant in India Stay compliant : Any change in product or process must be approved : Any change in product or process must be approved Use the BIS mark correctly : Misuse is penalized : Misuse is penalized Monitor updates : Track new QCOs and standard revisions : Track new QCOs and standard revisions Leverage certification: Market your product as BIS certified Conclusion BIS certification is non-negotiable for a growing sweep of products entering India. Whether you manufacture steel bars, smartphones, or industrial cranes, Indias regulators demand proof that your goods meet Indian Standards. For foreign firms, the FMCS and Scheme X pathways are the keys to market access. By starting early, aligning designs with IS specifications, leveraging a competent AIR, and following the structured roadmap above, overseas suppliers can turn compliance from a hurdle into a competitive advantageand enter the worlds fastest-growing consumer and infrastructure market with confidence. From Yiwu to the World: A sock trader goes global with short videos and AI People's Daily Online) 13:44, June 06, 2025 Fu Jiangyan records promotion videos with AI tools in her store based in the Yiwu International Trade Market. (People's Daily/Dou Hao) Though the global trade landscape is constantly shifting, Fu Jiangyan, a sock trader based in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, remains unshaken. With over two decades of experience, she has weathered multiple global financial crisis and built a name for herself in the industry. On May 8, 2024, dressed in a bright pink traditional ethnic-style outfit, Fu appeared on the iconic screens of New York City's Time Square, promoting her socks in fluent English. The appearance earned her 500 new followers for her social media accounts. But for Fu, speaking English is hardly a novelty. On her platforms, she introduces her products in 36 different languages, attracting customers from around the world. The secret behind these multilingual videos is AI (Artificial Intelligence). All Fu needs to do is say "one two three four five" in Chinese while showcasing her product. AI tools then generate videos where she appears to speak fluent foreign languages, with lip-syncing so precise that it's nearly indistinguishable from native speech. Fu Jiangyan makes AI-generated videos. (Photo/Wu Fengyu) These videos are paying off. A customer from South Africa placed an order for 50,000 dozen pairs of summer socks after watching one of her AI-generated Spanish videos. Fu started using short videos to draw customers seven years ago. She understands that price competitiveness is the key to survival in the sock business, where thin profit margins mean success depends on scale. Back in 2012, she made her first international sale to Fiji through Taobao without ever meeting the buyer face-to-face, relying solely on phone conversations. The efficiency of that experience opened her eyes to the power of online business. Since then, she has become one of the early adopters of AI-generated videos to market her products. "Everyone has heard of AI," she says, "but not everyone would actually try this new technology." Initially, people around Fu doubted whether anyone beyond Chinese users would pay attention to these videos. But she persistedand found global buyers. These online customers became her buffer against market risks. Today, she updates her video content daily, showcasing her extensive range of socks and offering behind-the-scenes footage of her factory, complete with modern equipment designed to meet diverse demands. Fu Jiangyan (second from the left in the front row) attends a Spanish class On June 6, 2025. (Photo/Xinhua) Timing is everything for merchants in Yiwu. "Clients would lose patience if you take too long translating on those apps," she recalls, regretting the deals lost because she could not speak Russian. While making multilingual videos with AI, Fu also studies Spanish herself. Every morning at 8:40, she attends a foreign language reading class in Yiwu. She listens and repeats Spanish content on her way driving home. Thanks to her efforts, she can pronounce relevant colors and numbers accurately and understands her clients quite well when discussing price. She has plans to learn Arabic next and produce Arabic-language videos. Today, Fu sells 20 million pairs of socks annually, owns a complete storefront, and operates a 10,000-square-meter factory. Still, she feels the heat of rising competition as more businesses adopt AI tools. "Pressure is always there," she said, "but we have to keep moving forward." Intern Geng Yujie contributed to this story. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) A team have been chipping away at the secret fossil bed in South Australia's outback for the past few years. A secret fossil bed in South Australia's outback has revealed what researchers have described as a 'world full of aliens'. Source: South Australian Museum/Diego Garcia-Bellido A world full of aliens has been unearthed by researchers in a hole on the side of a barren Aussie hill. While the swimming pool-sized dig site in South Australias outback may not look like much, its stratified layers of sandstone provide a glimpse into life that existed at the bottom of a shallow sea some 555-million-years ago. "Were finding things that have been hidden for over half a billion years, South Australian Museum palaeontologist Diego Garcia-Bellido, who has been chipping away at the secret fossil bed with his team for the past few years, said. The associated professor and his crew of 10 researchers and volunteers just returned from another 10-day stint at the excavation site in the Nilpena Ediacara National Park, 520km north of Adelaide. ADVERTISEMENT We found a new outcrop some kilometres away from the original Ediacara fossil beds, which were discovered in the early 2000s, Garcia-Bellido said. The fossilised organisms found hidden in the dig site are over 550-million-years-old. Source: South Australian Museum/Diego Garcia-Bellido 'Closest thing to aliens' found in rural Aussie excavation site After extracting each layer of rock by hand, researchers were thrilled to uncover a variety of fossilised organisms that once lived on the 20 metre-deep sea floor, including Dickinsonia, Tribrachidium, and Spriggina all of which lived during the late Ediacaran period. At that time, Australia was still attached to Antartica, and the first animals were starting to evolve. The sea floor was covered with a microbial mat not unlike what grows at the bottom of a swimming pool during winter and there were a few organisms living and feeding on that mat, Garcia-Bellido said. While some of the early complex organisms did some of the things that animals do, they cant quite be classified as such, he added. These are the closest things to aliens that we have on our planets history. ADVERTISEMENT A flat, circular Dickinsonia, which was found at the site. Source: South Australian Museum/Diego Garcia-Bellido Researchers 'finding things that have never been discovered' The impressions on the sandstone have been digitised and measured so further research can be conducted. We look at how they are distributed on the fossil surface and how they grow, Garcia-Bellido explained. How the juvenile is different to the adult, and what is the spatial relationships between each of the organisms. What this is telling us, is the world back then was much more complicated than we expected. We are finding things that have never been discovered before. The Ediacara fossils are now on display at the South Australian Museum for anyone who wants to see them first-hand. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. Eid Mubarak wishes for husband: Eid-ul-Adha, also called the "Festival of Sacrifice" or Bakrid, is one of the most important Islamic festivals celebrated by Muslims around the world. It is the second most significant celebration in the Islamic calendar, coming after Eid al-Fitr. This sacred festival remembers the moment when Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) was ready to sacrifice his son to show his obedience to God (Allah). According to Islamic belief, just as he was about to carry out the sacrifice, Allah replaced his son with a ram, showing that true faith and devotion are what truly matter. Eid-ul-Adha begins on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, which is the 12th month of the Islamic lunar calendar, and the festival lasts between two to four days, depending on the country. As the Islamic calendar is based on moon cycles and is 10 to 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, the dates of Eid-ul-Adha change every year. How Muslims Celebrate Eid-ul-Adha During this festival, Muslims come together to offer special Eid prayers, which are usually held in large groups at mosques or open fields. People listen to sermons by religious leaders, dress in traditional clothes, and visit friends and relatives. One of the key rituals is Qurbanithe sacrifice of an animal such as a goat, sheep, or camelto remember the sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim. The meat from the animal is divided into three parts: One part for the family. One part for relatives and friends. One part for the poor and needy. The festival also encourages acts of kindness, giving to charity, and spending quality time with loved ones. It is a moment for reflection, thankfulness, and showing care for those less fortunate. When is Eid-ul-Adha in 2025? In 2025, Eid-ul-Adha is expected to begin on the evening of Saturday, 7th June. However, the exact date may change depending on the sighting of the moon, as Islamic holidays follow the lunar calendar. Eid Mubarak Wishes for Your Husband Make this Eid-ul-Adha 2025 extra special by sending your husband a warm and loving Eid Mubarak message. A thoughtful text or wish can bring a smile to his face and show how much he means to you on this festive day. Weve put together a beautiful collection of Eid Mubarak wishes, messages, and quotes just for husbands. Whether you want something heartfelt, romantic, or simple, youll find the perfect message to share. Read on and choose your favourite one! Happy Eid-Ul-Adha Wishes For Husband On this auspicious occasion, I pray that Allah fulfills all your dreams and aspirations. Sending you heartfelt wishes for a joyous and blessed Eid-Ul-Adha, my loving husband. Dear husband, may Allah's choicest blessings be showered upon you this Eid and fill your life with countless moments of happiness and love. Eid Mubarak! May the divine blessings of Eid-Ul-Adha bring peace, harmony, and prosperity to our home. Wishing you a joyful and memorable Eid, my wonderful husband. Eid Mubarak! On this special day, I thank Allah for blessing me with a husband like you. May our love continue to blossom, and may you be surrounded by happiness always. Eid Mubarak! Dear husband, on this holy occasion of Bakrid, I pray that Allah grants you strength, wisdom, and prosperity. Eid Mubarak! To my amazing husband, I wish you a peaceful Bakrid filled with blessings, harmony, and countless reasons to smile. Eid Mubarak! Dearest husband, may this Bakrid bring immense joy to your heart and bless our lives with prosperity and togetherness. Eid Mubarak! My dearest husband, may this Eid bring us closer together and strengthen our bond. Sending you warm wishes for a beautiful and blessed celebration. Eid Mubarak! Sending heartfelt wishes to my wonderful husband on Bakrid. May this festival bring you immense happiness and fulfillment. Eid Mubarak! As we celebrate Bakrid together, I am grateful to have you as my husband. May our love and happiness grow with each passing day. Eid Mubarak! On this special occasion of Eid-Ul-Adha, I pray that Allah blesses you with happiness, success, and good health. Eid Mubarak, my loving husband! Wishing the most loving and caring husband a very happy Bakrid. May Allah's blessings be with you always. As we celebrate Eid-Ul-Adha, I am grateful to have you by my side. Wishing you a blessed and joyful festival, my dear husband. Eid Mubarak! Dear husband, on this blessed occasion of Bakrid, may your life be filled with joy, peace, and happiness. Eid Mubarak! Dear hubby, may the blessings of Eid-Al-Adha fill our hearts with love, joy, and prosperity. Eid Mubarak! Happy Eid-Ul-Adha 2025 messages For Husband Dear husband, on this joyous occasion, I want to thank you for being a pillar of strength and a source of happiness in my life. Wishing you a blessed and prosperous Eid-Al-Adha. Eid Mubarak, my love! My dear husband, as we celebrate Bakrid, may the spirit of unity and togetherness strengthen our bond and bring us closer. Eid Mubarak! May this Eid bring you peace and tranquility, my beloved husband. May you find solace in the love of family and friends and may your heart be filled with joy. Eid Mubarak! As we celebrate Bakrid, I am grateful to have you as my life partner. May our journey together be filled with love, laughter, and everlasting happiness. Eid Mubarak, my dear husband! My dearest husband, as we gather to celebrate Eid, I am reminded of the beautiful moments we have shared together. May our journey be filled with more love, laughter, and togetherness. Eid Mubarak! On this auspicious day, I want to express my gratitude for your unwavering support and love. May Allah bless you with abundant blessings and fulfill all your dreams. Eid Mubarak, my dear husband! Dear husband, as we celebrate Eid-Al-Adha, I pray that our love continues to grow stronger and our hearts remain filled with happiness and contentment. Eid Mubarak! My dear husband, your presence in my life is a blessing that I am truly grateful for. May this Eid bring us closer and strengthen our bond. Eid Mubarak, my love! As we celebrate Eid-Al-Adha, I thank Allah for blessing me with a wonderful husband like you. Wishing you a joyous and blissful Eid filled with love and laughter. Eid Mubarak! Dear husband, may the magic of Eid fill our lives with love and happiness. May we create beautiful memories together and cherish them forever. Eid Mubarak! Happy Eid-Ul-Adha 2025 WhatsApp status for Husband My loving husband, may the joy and blessings of Eid fill your life with prosperity, good health, and endless happiness. Eid Mubarak! On this joyous occasion, I pray that Allah's blessings shower upon you and bring abundance and prosperity to our home. Eid Mubarak, my wonderful husband! Dear husband, may the spirit of Eid bring light to your life, illuminate your path, and lead you to success and happiness. Eid Mubarak, my dear love! Dear husband, on this auspicious occasion, may Allah bless you with good health, prosperity, and endless happiness. Eid Mubarak! As we celebrate Bakrid, I want to express my love and gratitude for being the pillar of strength in my life. Wishing you a blessed and joyful Eid. Eid Mubarak, my dear husband! As we offer our prayers and sacrifices, may our hearts be filled with gratitude and our souls be purified. Wishing you a blessed Eid filled with love and peace, my beloved husband. Eid Mubarak! As we celebrate Bakrid, I pray that our marriage is blessed with moments of love, understanding, and harmony. Eid Mubarak to the best husband ever! My dear husband, your presence in my life is a source of immense joy and fulfillment. May this Eid bring us closer together and strengthen our relationship. Eid Mubarak! On this joyous day of Bakrid, I extend my warmest wishes to the man who completes my world. May your life be blessed with peace, happiness, and success. Eid Mubarak, my dear husband! On this auspicious occasion, I pray that Allah's love and blessings surround you, protect you, and fill your life with peace and harmony. Eid Mubarak, my loving husband! Eid Mubarak wishes and messages for loved ones Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful and blessed Eid-ul-Adha 2025. May your home be filled with warmth, peace, and endless happiness. Eid Mubarak! May this Bakrid bring you closer to your family, your faith, and your dreams. On this sacred occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, may your sacrifices be appreciated and your prayers answered. Eid-ul-Adha Mubarak! May your heart be filled with gratitude, and your life be full of countless blessings. Wishing you peace, prosperity, and a wonderful Eid with loved ones. May this festival strengthen the bonds of your family. May the spirit of Bakrid guide your path and bring success to everything you do. Eid Mubarak 2025! Eid Mubarak! May this holy day refresh your soul and bring you closer to Allahs mercy and love. This Eid-ul-Adha, may your sacrifices be rewarded with endless blessings and your life be full of peace and joy. Wishing you a heart filled with faith, a home full of joy, and a life blessed with prosperity. Eid Mubarak! Eid-ul-Adha Mubarak to you and your family. May your celebrations be filled with kindness and divine favour. Let this Bakrid be a reminder of love, compassion, and sharing. Wishing you a meaningful and beautiful Eid. As you honour the true meaning of sacrifice, may this Eid bless you with peace and purpose. Eid Mubarak! Wishing you a spiritual and serene Eid-ul-Adha 2025. May your faith lead you to happiness and success. On this holy festival, may Allah bless you with good health, wealth, and countless reasons to smile. Eid Mubarak! May your day be as lovely as the fragrance of rose and as bright as the crescent moon. Bakrid Mubarak! May your prayers be heard and your life be blessed with peace, health, and happiness. Let this Eid-ul-Adha be a celebration of love and unity. Wishing you blessings beyond measure. As you celebrate with family and friends, may the spirit of Eid fill your heart with joy. Eid Mubarak 2025! May the Almighty accept your prayers, forgive your sins, and bless your soul. On this sacred occasion, may your life be filled with divine blessings, and your heart be content. Bakrid Mubarak! For more informative articles on historical and upcoming events from around the world, please visit Indiatimes Events. Bakrid 2025 rules: Muslims across the world are celebrating Eid-ul-Adha 2025, also known as Bakrid, Eid-al-Adha, or Eid ul Zuha. This important Islamic festival is also called the "Festival of Sacrifice", and it honours the strong faith and obedience of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham). Eid-ul-Adha 2025 Date In Saudi Arabia , Eid-ul-Adha is being observed on 6 June 2025. , Eid-ul-Adha is being observed on 6 June 2025. In India, it is likely to be celebrated on 7 June 2025, depending on the moon sighting. Eid-ul-Adha begins every year on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah (the last month of the Islamic calendar) and is celebrated for three days. Why is Eid-ul-Adha Celebrated? Eid-ul-Adha marks the moment when Prophet Ibrahim was willing to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to Allah. At the last moment, Allah replaced his son with a ram, showing that his devotion was accepted. This deep act of faith is remembered every year by Muslims who offer Qurbani, the ritual sacrifice of an animal. What is Qurbani in Bakrid? Qurbani, also called Udhiyah, is the act of sacrificing an animal (goat, sheep, or camel) in remembrance of Prophet Ibrahims devotion. This ritual is performed during Eid al-Adha to reflect submission to Allahs will. Qurbani Rules and Guidelines for Bakrid Who Should Offer Qurbani? Many scholars believe it is Sunnah (a confirmed practice), while others consider it Wajib (obligatory) for those who can afford it. Which Animals Are Allowed? Only goats, sheep, and camels are permitted. The animal should be healthy, well-fed, and free from defects (no broken horns, missing limbs, etc.). How is Qurbani Performed? A trained person should slaughter the animal according to the Islamic method, saying Bismillah, Allahu Akbar before cutting the throat. Qurbani Meat Distribution Rules After the sacrifice, the meat should be divided into three parts: One-third for the person and their family One-third for relatives and friends One-third for the poor and needy Important Note: Meat should be measured properly if shared among multiple people. The butcher should not be paid with meat. Happy Eid-ul-Adha 2025 Wishes May the blessings of Eid ul Adha fill your life with happiness and prosperity. May your prayers be answered, and your dreams come true. Bakrid Mubarak! Sending warm wishes for a prosperous and fulfilling Eid ul Adha. May your sacrifices be accepted and your prayers fulfilled. Wishing you and your family Allahs love and care this Bakrid. Eid-ul-Adha 2025 Status Messages May your sincere prayers be answered. Eid al-Adha Mubarak! Let your good deeds turn into blessings this Bakrid. Wishing you joy and blessings on this sacred day. May Allah forgive your past and guide your future. Eid is a reminder of true friendship and faith. Eid Mubarak! For more informative articles on historical and upcoming events from around the world, please visit Indiatimes Events. Bakrid Namaz Timings: Eid-ul-Adha, also known as Eid al-Zuha, Bakrid, Feast of Sacrifice or Eid al-Bakr, is one of the most sacred and widely celebrated Islamic festivals in the world. In 2025, this holy day will be observed in India on Saturday, June 7, a day after Saudi Arabia and some other Gulf countries celebrate it on June 6. Muslims across the nation will gather for special Namaz (prayers), offer sacrifices, and spread love and kindness. What is Eid-ul-Adha, and why is it celebrated? Eid-ul-Adha, also called Bakrid or the Festival of Sacrifice, honours the faith and obedience of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), who was ready to sacrifice his son to follow Allahs command. Before the sacrifice could take place, Allah replaced his son with a ram, symbolising divine mercy and the importance of faith. Every year, Muslims celebrate Eid-ul-Adha by offering special Namaz, sacrificing animals (Qurbani), sharing food and meat with the poor, and spending time with family and friends. When is Bakrid 2025 in India? In 2025, the crescent moon of Dhul Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic lunar calendar, is expected to be sighted on the evening of May 28 in South Asian countries including India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. This will mark the start of Dhul Hijjah on May 29, and hence, Eid-ul-Adha (Bakrid) will be celebrated on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah, i.e. June 7, 2025. Meanwhile, countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and Indonesia will observe Eid on June 6, based on their own moon sightings. Why Namaz Timings Matter on Eid-ul-Adha 2025 One of the most important parts of Eid-ul-Adha celebrations is the special Eid Namaz, which is performed in large congregations at mosques or open grounds. This prayer must be offered shortly after sunrise, usually 15 to 20 minutes after, and must be completed before the time for the regular Zuhr prayer begins. Namaz timings may vary slightly based on city and local moon sighting, but major cities in India usually follow similar schedules. Eid-ul-Adha 2025 Namaz Timings in Major Indian Cities Heres a look at the expected Eid-ul-Adha Namaz timings for major cities in India. (Note: These are estimated times and may vary based on local announcements.) Delhi : 6:00 AM 6:20 AM : 6:00 AM 6:20 AM Mumbai : 6:15 AM 6:35 AM : 6:15 AM 6:35 AM Lucknow : 5:55 AM 6:15 AM : 5:55 AM 6:15 AM Bengaluru: 6:10 AM 6:30 AM Its advised to check with your local mosque or Islamic authority for the confirmed Namaz timings on Eid-ul-Adha 2025. Celebrations and Traditions of Bakrid in India In India, Eid al-Adha is celebrated with great joy and unity. Families wake up early to offer Eid prayers, wear new or traditional clothes, and greet each other with heartfelt "Eid Mubarak" wishes. The day continues with: Qurbani (animal sacrifice) Sharing meat with the poor and neighbours Preparing festive meals like Biryani, Sheer Khurma, and Kebabs Giving charity and gifts Spending time with loved ones Digital greetings, festive posts, and sharing Eid Mubarak images and quotes have also become a common way to stay connected with family and friends across the globe. Eid-ul-Adha 2025 or Bakrid 2025 is a time to reflect on the values of sacrifice, compassion, and gratitude. As Muslims in India prepare to mark this sacred occasion on June 7, 2025, knowing the correct Namaz timings in cities like Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Bengaluru helps everyone come together in prayer and unity. Stay tuned to local announcements and embrace the true spirit of Eid-ul-Adha with love, generosity, and devotion. (Note: Dates/timings may be subject to change; details mentioned here are as per the information available.) For more informative articles on historical and upcoming events from around the world, please visit Indiatimes Events. Fathers Day 2025 in India: Fathers Day 2025 will be celebrated on Sunday, June 15, in India, aligning with the global tradition of observing the day on the third Sunday of June each year. Although not a public holiday, the day is widely recognised and celebrated across the country to honour fathers and father figures. Also Read: Top 10 father's day celebration events in Bangalore The History of Fathers Day 2025 Fathers Day began in the United States in 1910. It was started by Sonora Smart Dodd to honour her father, a widower who raised six children on his own. The first official celebration was held on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington. Over time, the idea spread across the country. In 1972, it became a permanent national holiday in the U.S. Today, Fathers Day is celebrated worldwide to recognise the love, sacrifice, and guidance of fathers everywhere. How Fathers Day is Celebrated in India? In India, Fathers Day is celebrated with love and gratitude. People often give gifts and write heartfelt cards. Families spend quality time together, sharing meals or planning weekend getaways. Special lunches at home or restaurants are also common. Children express their appreciation through personalised gifts and thoughtful gestures. The day is all about honouring fathers and strengthening family bonds. Also Read: Top 10 father's day celebration events in Delhi Best Fathers Day Gift Ideas in 2025 Personalised greeting cards expressing love and thanks Gadgets and tech accessories Clothing items like ties or shirts Books or hobby-related items Homemade cakes or favorite meals Spending time together at sporting events or movies Best Fathers Day Card to Express Your Love in 2025 Popular gift ideas for Fathers Day 2025 include: Best Fathers Day Cards to Express Your Love in 2025 | Credit: YouTube Top 10 Unique Fathers Day Gift Ideas for 2025 Toolkits for household repairs and DIY projects Classic ties and formal shirts Reading glasses or spectacles Reusable water bottles or thermos flasks Favorite newspapers or magazines Comfortable slippers or sandals Mobile power banks for charging devices Bluetooth speakers or wireless earbuds for music Personalized photo frames or family albums Calendars or planners for organizing schedules Fathers Day 2025 Celebrations Worldwide While India and many countries celebrate Fathers Day on the third Sunday of June, others follow different dates. Croatia, Italy, Portugal, and Spain celebrate it on March 19. Thailand observes it on December 5, marking the birthday of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. In Taiwan, its celebrated on August 8. Despite the differences in timing, the meaning remains the samehonouring fatherhood and the special bond between fathers and their children around the world. Fathers Day 2025 Quotes and Messages to Share with Dad Happy Fathers Day 2025! Thank you, Dad, for your endless love and supportyou are my hero every day. Wishing you a joyful Fathers Day 2025 filled with love and happiness. You deserve the best, Dad! To the best dad ever, Happy Fathers Day 2025! Your strength and wisdom inspire me every day. Happy Fathers Day 2025! Your guidance and care have shaped who I amthank you, Dad. Sending heartfelt Fathers Day 2025 wishes to the man who always puts family first. Love you, Dad! Dad, your love is the foundation of my life. Happy Fathers Day 2025! May your day be as special as you are. On Fathers Day 2025, I celebrate you, Dadmy mentor, my friend, and my greatest support. Happy Fathers Day 2025! Your sacrifices and hard work never go unnoticed. Thank you for everything, Dad. Wishing you a memorable Fathers Day 2025 filled with laughter, love, and cherished moments, Dad. To my amazing father, Happy Fathers Day 2025! Your love is the greatest gift I could ever receive. For more informative articles on historical and upcoming events from around the world, please visit Indiatimes Events. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has confirmed receiving a call from newly-elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who invited him to the upcoming G7 summit in Kananaskis, scheduled from June 15 to 17. This development marks a potential thaw in the tense diplomatic relations between India and Canada, which had significantly deteriorated in recent years under former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Taking to X, Prime Minister Modi stated that the two leaders agreed to work together with "renewed vigour" and highlighted shared democratic values and people-to-people ties between the two nations. Modi-Carney call and G7 invitation The phone call from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was acknowledged by Prime Minister Modi on social media. He congratulated Carney on his recent election victory and thanked him for the formal invite to the G7 summit. "Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister @MarkJCarney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests. Look forward to our meeting at the Summit," wrote PM Modi. Prior to the call, speculation had circulated over whether Canada would extend the invitation at all. This years summit could have been the first since 2019 that Modi might have missed, especially in light of strained diplomatic exchanges. Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister @MarkJCarney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 6, 2025 Backdrop of strained relations under Trudeau India-Canada relations were severely impacted in 2023 after then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made allegations in the Canadian Parliament that "Indian agents" were involved in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India firmly rejected the accusation, stating that no evidence had been provided. Tensions deepened further in 2024 when Canada labelled the Indian High Commissioner a person of interest in connection with the same case. India described the new charge as ludicrous and responded by withdrawing its High Commissioner and expelling six Canadian officials, including Canadas acting High Commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler. A possible reset under Mark Carney Hopes for improved ties grew after Trudeaus resignation earlier this year. With Carneys election in April, optimism returned despite his membership in the same Liberal Party as Trudeau. He has described the India-Canada relationship as incredibly important and expressed confidence that disagreements can be worked out through mutual respect. The invitation extended to PM Modi is being seen as a strong signal of that intent. It is also viewed as a political setback for Khalistani groups in Canada, who had reportedly lobbied against sending the invite. For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. The 'Good Bad Ugly' actor Shine Tom Chacko and his family met with a horrifying car accident near Tamil Nadu during the early hours of Friday, June 6. In the lethal incident, the father of the Kuruthi and Jigarthanda DoubleX actor died on the spot, while the actor and his other family members were rushed to a local hospital. Several visuals of a completely damaged car have gone viral on social media. According to NTDV, the accident occurred near Parayur, close to Palacode. The actor's car, carrying his family, reportedly collided with a truck on the highway. Visuals of the damaged car go viral on social media; drug case Amid this, several visuals of a completely damaged car and Chacko being treated at the hospital have surfaced on social media. Currently, the actor and his other family members are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Palakottai. Tragedy Strikes #ShineTomChackos Family in Road Accident Malayalam actor Shine Tom Chacko met with a road accident in Tamil Nadu. His father C.P. Chacko passed away, while Shine, his mother, brother & driver were injured. He was recently seen in #Dasara, #Devara, and #Dacoit pic.twitter.com/qLbMFnSjJt Milagro Movies (@MilagroMovies) June 6, 2025 Shine Tom Chacko was arrested in a drug case, and more Notably, the Malayalam actor was all over the news last month after he was arrested in a drug case. Moreover, the police went after him after an actress accused him of harassing her under the influence of drugs. The actress claimed that he would consume cocaine and other drugs even on the set of the films, and the entire crew and other members had an idea about his behaviour. Following the complaint, the actor was nabbed and arrested as police raided a hotel where Chacko was staying, allegedly consuming drugs. Credit: X | @nabilajamal Know more about Chacko's life and career Prior to making his acting debut with Gadamma in 2011, Chacko spent nearly ten years working as an assistant director. Since then, he has worked in popular films including Chapters, Annayum Rasoolum, Masala Republic, and Jigarthanda DoubleX. Chacko's most recent appearance was in the Tamil movie Good Bad Ugly. However, further details about the accident are still awaited. Stay tuned. To stay updated on the stories that are going viral, follow Indiatimes Trending. Businessman Vijay Mallya, the former Kingfisher Airlines chief and fugitive, who is facing multiple fraud charges in India, appeared on a podcast with Raj Shamani on Thursday. During the podcast, the ex-Kingfisher chief opened up for a four-hour-long conversation, where he expressed his thoughts on returning to India. Taking to his X (formerly called Twitter), Mallya shared multiple posts and reels on Thursday, saying, "For those who are interested, I have spoken for the first time in nine years on this podcast. I want to say sorry to the employees of Kingfisher Airlines and also to set the record straight with facts and the truth." Following this, he also shared a few short clips from the reel, revealing the fraud case charges against him and more. Upon being asked whether his troubles worsened because he did not return to the country, Mallya responded by saying, If I have assurance of a fair trial and a dignified existence in India, you may be right, but I dont. For those who are interested, I have spoken for the first time in nine years on this podcast.I want to say sorry to employees of Kingfisher Airlines and also to set the record straight with facts and the truth. https://t.co/aiAsnI68ie Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) June 5, 2025 Is Vijay Mallya willing to return to India? After this, Shamani went on to ask him if he would be willing to return to India if he were assured a fair trial. Mallya replied by saying that he is completely assured and he will think about it seriously. But, you should also be aware that there are other people who the government of India is targeting for extradition from the UK back to India in whose case, they have got a judgment from the high court of appeal that Indian detention conditions are violative of article 3 of the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights), and therefore they cant be sent back, he added. Credit: X | @DilipDamorDamo1 Being called 'fugitive' is fair The conversation went on, and then Shamani asked whether Mallya thinks it was fair to be called a 'fugitive' for leaving India and not coming back. However, he questioned why he is called a 'chor' (thief) and where the 'chori' (theft) is. He said, since he didn't travel to India after March 2016, one can consider him a fugitive. "I flew out of India on a prescheduled visit. Fair enough, I did not return for reasons that I consider valid, so if you want to call me a fugitive, go ahead, but where is the chor coming from where is the chori?" Netizens react to Vijay Mallya's conversations on podcast As soon as Mallya shared the post on his X, netizens quickly shared their strong reactions, and one user asked, "If so, why afraid of facing trial?" If so, why afraid of facing trial? Dr Munish Raizada (@MunishRaizada1) June 5, 2025 "Do One more podcast with additional Guest: SBI," another said. Do One more podcast with additional Guest: SBI Investment Books (Dhaval) (@InvestmentBook1) June 5, 2025 "SBI wants to know your location buddy..." "Too late! Just coz RCB won IPL u believe ppl will believe ur baseless story??" "Just comeback man, they wont be able to prove legally that you are a criminal anymore now that all dues are paid. Its time someone fought the government head on and exposed them." Just comeback man, they wont be able to prove legally that you are a criminal anymore now that all dues are paid. Its time someone fought the government head on and exposed them Vedant (@justvedanttt) June 5, 2025 "Wow! It's a movie" "Hoping SBI addresses this soon. Still waiting for their tweet." In a dazzling cross-cultural collaboration, Ed Sheeran joins forces with Indian music icon Arijit Singh on Sapphire, a vibrant single that blends British pop with traditional Indian instrumentation. Released June 5, the track previews Sheerans upcoming 2025 album Play, set to arrive on September 12. Driven by shimmering sitar melodies and buoyant percussion, Sapphire captures [] Hit Channel Main opposition PASOK-Movement for Change (KINAL) leader Nikos Androulakis met with the president and members of the Greek Community's board of directors in Alexandria on Friday, continuing his official visit in Egypt. "You are the first leader of the main opposition to visit our community , and this shows Greece's interest in standing by us and following our work," Greek Communitry president Andreas Vafiadis told the PASOK-KINAL leader. The latter responded that "no child in the world - whether of Greek descent or not - that wants to learn Greek must be denied that opportunity . Language is part of every people's DNA . We must utilize all new technologies. Following the economic crisis, we have a new generation of Greeks who live abroad, and we must guarantee that their children will be carriers of Greek learning." Androulakis was given a tour of the Greek schools and nursing home. In subsequent statements he referred to the honor of meeting Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, "a man who has contributed very many things to Africa's children and to the Orthodox faithful in the entire continent. The main opposition leader also underlined the need to resolve the status issue with St Catherine's Monastery at Mt Sinai, and called on the Egyptian government to respect its own file to UNESCO, for the monument's inclusion in the World Heritage List. "Our ties with the people of Egypt and with Alexandria are historical, and all these issues must be resolved with mutual respect and mutual understanding," he noted. iefimerida.gr The Attica group plans to invest 700 million euros in the further development of its fleet by the end of the decade, focusing on high-speed ferries. The countrys largest coastal Attica Group plans 700-million-euro investments by the end of the decade - The All Progressives Congress (APC) has firmly dismissed speculation that President Bola Tinubu might drop Vice President Kashim Shettima ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Dr. Ijeoma Arodiogbu, the partys National Vice Chairman (South-East) on Thursday, described the rumors as political distractions aimed at sowing division within the party. Theres a solid working relationship between President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima. Shettima is a key asset intelligent, focused, and deeply involved in this administration. These rumours are likely just political noise meant to create division, Arodiogbu said. Advertisement The rumors surfaced shortly after 22 APC governors, alongside National Assembly leaders and party officials, endorsed Tinubu as the sole presidential candidate for 2027 during the APC National Summit at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja. READ MORE:https://www.informationng.com/2025/06/2026-well-chase-pdp-adeleke-out-of-power-osun-apc-chieftain-vows.html This move, endorsed by key figures including the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Hope Uzodimma, and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, was based on Tinubus performance so far. Despite the partys firm stance, critics like former APC presidential aspirant Charles Udeogaranya have condemned the endorsement, warning that bypassing a competitive primary would limit opportunities for fresh leadership. Political tensions have heightened amid calls from the North-Central region for greater representation in the 2027 ticket. A delegation from the North-Central Renaissance Movement has pushed for either the vice-presidential slot or presidency to reflect the regions constitutional rights. Echoing the partys confidence, APC Deputy National Organising Secretary Chidi Duru said, As of now, there is no reason to believe a switch is being considered. The Federal Government destroyed a total of 3,867 illicit firearms on Thursday, June 5, 2025, in a renewed effort to combat violent crimes and terrorism across Nigeria. The arms destruction exercise took place at the Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment in Giri, Abuja, led by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW). This marks the fourth such operation since the Centre was established in 2021. Retired Deputy Inspector General of Police and NCCSALW Director-General, Johnson Kokumo, explained that the destroyed firearms included various types and calibres, seized during security operations, recovered from criminals, or voluntarily surrendered under arms control initiatives. Advertisement Some weapons intercepted at strategic locations like Onne Port and the NAHCO shed at Murtala Mohammed Airport are still undergoing investigations and legal processes and will be destroyed in future exercises. READ MORE:https://www.informationng.com/2025/06/no-justification-for-military-emergency-in-benue-gov-alias-camp.html The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, represented by his Special Adviser on Governance and Subnational Liaison, Asishana Okauru, stressed the importance of controlling illicit small arms and light weapons as central to Nigerias counterterrorism and national security strategy. He noted that the availability of illegal firearms fuels violent conflict, terrorism, banditry, and criminal activities nationwide. Speaking to news men Ribadu affirmed, The destruction of seized and surrendered firearms sends a strong message about the governments resolve to sanitize the security environment. He also highlighted the recently signed Small Arms and Light Weapons Act 2024 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which strengthens the governments commitment to curbing illicit arms proliferation. He called on all Nigerians to cooperate with authorities by providing timely intelligence to help stem the flow of illegal weapons, emphasising the collective responsibility to reclaim communities and restore peace across the country. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has made it clear that rich tax defaulters in Abuja will not be spared, no matter their status. Speaking at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife on Thursday, Wike declared, I will touch you, if the right thing is not done. That is leadership You will pay, if you dont pay, I will touch you and heaven will not fall. This statement follows the recent sealing of several properties, including the PDP national headquarters, for unpaid ground rent. Advertisement Wike emphasised that leadership requires courage to make tough decisions that foster development. READ MORE:https://www.informationng.com/2025/06/no-plans-to-persuade-governor-alia-to-join-pdp-maku.html He criticized previous leaders for lacking preparation and character, which has hindered Nigerias progress in infrastructure, healthcare, and the economy. He called for leaders who are resilient, visionary, and dedicated to building a society where free enterprise and responsibility thrive. Highlighting President Bola Tinubus commitment, Wike praised his bold removal of the fuel subsidy, describing it as a necessary step for Nigerias financial health. According to Wike, this courageous decision has paved the way for better resource allocation and economic stability. Wikes firm stance signals a new era of accountability in Abuja, where even the wealthy cannot evade their civic responsibilities. His approach reflects a broader call for quality leadership to unlock Nigerias true potential and ensure justice and development for all citizens. A Northern elder and public affairs analyst, Alhaji Dabo Sambo, has tasked President Bola Tinubu to address growing insecurity and banditry in the north. Dabo warned Tinubu that failure to end insurgency and hunger in the region could cut his chances of being re-elected in 2027. Speaking with PUNCH on Thursday, the public analyst enumerated Nigerias most significant challenge as security, where lives and property are under perpetual threat. Advertisement He stressed that security of the people is one of the fundamental responsibilities of the government and warned that underperformance on this score shall be politically expensive for Tinubu. Alhaji Dabo said: If President Tinubu refuses to wipe out the security challenges, he will definitely not win the 2027 election. The era of carton noodles and salt distribution during campaigns is over. People want security and food. Without these, they will not vote. READ MORE: Ignore Critics, Give Us More Money To Deliver Projects Umahi Tells Tinubu Food is scarce in Nigeria and people are hungry. The President Tinubu Government has to boost local agricultural production at all levels within 12 months for people to feed and vote for him. Tthe situation in Nigeria today is not okay at all, with the federal governments failure to protect the lives and properties of Nigerians leading to widespread internal displacement and fleeing of citizens to other countries as refugees. President Tinubu, as the political leader of Nigeria, should use the powers of his office to ensure that Nigerians are allowed to farm, rear animals, and feed themselves. Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for special duties and Ibom deep seaport, Ini Ememobong has resigned from Governor Umu Enos cabinet. INFORMATION NIGERIA reports that Governo Eno, defected from Peoples Democratic Party, to the All Progressives Congress, following weeks of concerns over internal crisis facing PDP. The Governor made the switch official on Friday after nearly three months of threats and warnings to members of his cabinet. Advertisement Recall that in May, 2025, Eno told his commissioners and other political appointees to defect with him when he finally decides to join APC or resign. The Governor said: I am told that some of you say you will not come. READ MORE: Akwa-Ibom: Its Time To Dump PDP For APC To Align With Tinubu At The Center Gov. Eno Tells Loyalists You are free not to join me, but you wont be in my state executive council. Meanwhile, in a resignation letter dated June 6 and addressed to the governor, Ememobong noted that he cannot join APC. Citing reason behind his action, the commissioner noted that his principles and values are different with that of APC. The statement reads: The experience garnered within this period has been very enlightening and I profoundly value the privileged opportunity to have served in your administration. You have directed that any appointee who is unwilling to accompany you to switch from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress, should resign. Ipso facto, based on my personal conviction, I will be unable to join the All Progressives Congress. I hereby most respectfully tender my resignation as Honourable Commissioner for Special Duties and Ibom Deep Sea Port and a member of the State Executive Council. The National Rescue Movement (NRM) has issued a stern warning to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, over his alleged refusal to obey a court ruling recognizing Chief Edozie Njoku as the partys National Chairman. Njoku, while addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, questioned why INEC had yet to recognize or engage with his leadership more than five months after the partys emergency convention that elected a new National Working Committee. He noted that the excuse of INEC not monitoring the convention had already been dismissed by the Federal High Court. Advertisement A judgement delivered by Justice Obiora Egwuatu on January 16, in suit FHC/ABJ/CS/45/25, ordered INEC to monitor and accept the outcome of NRMs convention. Njoku said INECs refusal amounted to a violation of its constitutional duty and was declared unconstitutional and unlawful by the court. READ MORE:https://www.informationng.com/2025/06/gov-adeleke-denies-defection-rumors-affirms-loyalty-to-pdp.html He added that the judgement was not appealed, and with the 90-day appeal window now closed, INECs continued disobedience was contemptuous. In a letter dated June 4, Njokus lawyer, Oladimeji Ekengba, warned the INEC Chairman of legal consequences. A portion of the letter reads: We urge you to obey the judgement of court and purge yourself of this contemptuous act. Should you fail, we shall not hesitate to urge the court to commit you to prison, in line with the rule of law. A stitch in time saves nine. Njoku expressed optimism about NRMs future, saying the party was united and would serve as a strong opposition force ahead of the 2027 general election. Nigerian Air Force under Operation Hadin Kai, has neutralised several terrorists and destroyed gun trucks in Buratai area of Borno State. Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, Director of Public Relations and Information, Headquarters, in a statement on Thursday, said that NAF personnel, while acting on credible intelligence, tracked insurgents attempting to flee with four gun trucks. READ MORE: NAF Airstrikes Kill Many Terrorists In Borno Advertisement Ejodame disclosed that NAF air assets swooped in and engaged the convoy with devastating accuracy, neutralising several fighters and destroying two gun trucks loaded with supplies. The statement further advised members of the public to always provide them with useful information, adding that further details on the operation will be communicated as they become available. He said: Acting on credible intelligence, NAF surveillance assets tracked insurgents attempting to flee with four gun trucks. As the terrorists regrouped along an active route, NAF air assets swooped in, engaging the convoy with devastating accuracy, neutralising several fighters and destroying two gun trucks loaded with supplies. At least three yet to be identified persons have been killed, following a horrible attack carried out by herdsmen in Agwa Community, Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State. It was gathered that the criminal elements who were armed with sophisticated weapons forcefully took over farmlands and major roads in the area. INFORMATION NIGERIA learnt that, the unfortunate incident started on Wednesday at Umuekpu town, where the suspected terrorists shot one young man dead and wounded others, including the elder brother of the deceased. Advertisement It was also said that the herdsmen killed two persons, including a young woman and her Okada rider, who were going for their normal businesses along Okwu Ogbaku road. Confirming the incident in a statement on Thursday, Spokesman of the states Police Command, Henry Okoye, said that tactical team had been deployed to the affected community. READ MORE: Catholic Shuts Down 15 Parishes Over Herdsmen Attacks In Benue He said: The Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, CP Aboki Danjuma, has deployed the Commands Tactical Units, equipped with the available resource and intelligence to work closely with other security agencies and local vigilantes, to track down the bandits responsible for the recent disturbances in Agwa Community on June 4, 2025. Regrettably, the incident caused three casualties and a few injuries. Consequently, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Operations has launched a well coordinated search operation across targeted locations, including forests areas and suspected hideouts. This effort aims to swiftly apprehend those responsible and ensure they face justice. In addition to the operational response, the CP has strongly condemned the violence and directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to carry out a thorough investigation to apprehend the culprits. Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has criticized the current Nigerian administration, stating that tribal and religious sentiments are driving governance rather than competence. In an interview with news men, the former Rivers State governor said, The focus should be on competence, not tribe or religion. If someone is capable, let them leadregardless of where theyre from. He lamented that meritocracy has been replaced with identity politics, a trend he described as dangerous for national development. Advertisement Amaechi, who turned 60 recently, reflected on his time in public service, expressing disappointment in the countrys current trajectory. He voiced concerns over Nigerias electoral integrity, saying, If the current chairman of INEC had been in office in 2015, we wouldnt have won. He accused the electoral body of bias, alleging that new political parties are being blocked from registration despite meeting requirements. READ MORE:https://www.informationng.com/2025/06/anambra-guber-gov-soludo-denies-consulting-herbalist-for-re-election.html He also spoke about his legacy, especially in education and healthcare. Amaechi said he prioritized building schools and healthcare centres, noting that some of these projects are now abandoned and vandalized. He attributed his achievements to divine grace, hard work, and guidance from mentors like former governor Peter Odili. While avoiding direct attacks on individuals, Amaechi stressed the need for leadership focused on legacy and service. He urged Nigerian youths not to give up, saying, This country has immense potential If you run away, who will fix it? As for what lies ahead, the former minister said, Only God knows Im open to what God wants me to do next. The Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters in Northern Kano have expressed strong confidence in President Bola Tinubus bid for a second term in office. Speaking on Thursday, June 5, 2025, during the inauguration of the Federal University of Science and Technology, Kabo formerly the Federal Polytechnic, Kabo Jibrin praised the presidents commitment to education and regional development. The event took place in Kabo Local Government Area of Kano State on Tuesday. Jibrin said, What greater love can a leader show to his people than investing in their future through education? He commended Tinubus responsiveness, adding, every request we have taken to him, he has approved. That is the true mark of a responsive leader. Advertisement READ MORE:https://www.informationng.com/2025/06/lagos-apc-unveils-40-man-campaign-council-ahead-of-lg-polls.html The senator highlighted that the president approved the establishment of another Federal Polytechnic in Kabo and reversed a controversial decision to remove the upgrade status of Yusuf Maitama Sule University to a federal university of education. I say this without hesitation: President Tinubu loves the people of Kano, the Northwest, and the North at large. He has never turned down any of our development proposals, he said. Alhaji Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, Minister of State for Housing, praised the administration for promoting inclusive development and expanding educational access across Nigerias geopolitical zones. The inauguration attracted many dignitaries and marked a key milestone in the federal governments support for higher education in Kano State. A 20-year-old Edo State girl, Iwinosa Okunrobo, who was trafficked to Burkina Faso at the age of 15, has been successfully reunited with her family after five years. The rescue and return were facilitated through the collaborative efforts of Governor Monday Okpebholo, the Office of the First Lady, and the Edo State Migration Agency. Advertisement Okunrobo had been lured with promises of a better life but was forced into prostitution and slavery before her rescue. The reunion ceremony took place at the Festival Hall in Government House, Benin, where Governor Okpebholo, represented by the Attorney General Samson Osagie, reiterated his administrations commitment to fighting human trafficking. READ MORE:https://www.informationng.com/2025/06/anambra-guber-gov-soludo-denies-consulting-herbalist-for-re-election.html He emphasised the importance of enforcing the Edo State Trafficking in Persons Law 2018, which aims to protect vulnerable women and children. He said on Thursday, June 5, 2025, Our young daughter, Iwinosa Okunrobo, now represents the very many young people who have been unfortunate to be trafficked overseas with the promise of a better life in Europe. The governor is committed to pursuing vigorously the implementation of the extant law and enforcing its penal provisions. The coordinator of the Office of the First Lady, Edesili Anani Okpebholo, promised that Iwinosa would receive necessary care and support to recover fully. She also warned parents about the dangers of pushing children into adult responsibilities, urging society to protect children from exploitation. The Edo State Migration Agencys Director General, Lucky Agazuma, who traveled to Burkina Faso for the rescue, assured the public that efforts to rehabilitate and reintegrate victims would continue. Operators of commercial tricycles in Awka, Anambra State, have organized a peaceful protest against alleged extortion from police operatives in the state. Parading some major streets on Thursday, the riders lamented that they were being arrested by security agents over drivers license and other particulars. Addressing newsmen, Chairman of Anambra State Keke Riders Forum, Mr. Ifeanyi Okafor who led members on the protest, said that their members were being accused of failing to provide enough documents. Advertisement He added that most of their tricycles have been impounded, especially when they refuse to give bribe to policemen on duty. A Chinese national and a Nigerian were abducted on Wednesday evening in Oreke-Okeigbo, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, following a gunmen attack on a mining site in the area. The assailants struck around 6:30 p.m., opening fire and killing two officers an Assistant Superintendent of Police and an Inspector both attached to the 45 Police Mobile Force, Abuja. SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the state Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the incident in a statement on Thursday, issued on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, CP Adekimi Ojo. Advertisement READ MORE: Police Nab Two Suspected Arms Dealers In Nasarawa The statement read in part, The Kwara State Command of the Nigeria Police confirms a deadly attack and abduction incident that occurred on 4th June, 2025, at about 1830hrs. This heinous act was done at a mining site located in Oreke-Okeigbo of the state. Information received from the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Oreke indicates that a group of unidentified armed assailants invaded the said mining facility, where they tragically shot and killed two operatives of the Nigeria Police Force ASP Haruna Watsai and Inspector Tukur Ogah both attached to 45 PMF, Abuja, who were on official protective assignment at the location. The attackers also carted away the rifles of the deceased officers. In addition to the heinous killings, the assailants abducted two individuals: Mr. Sam Xie Wie, a Chinese national, and Mr. David Adenaiye, a native of Kogi State who was working at the mining site at the time of the incident. The Commissioner of Police condemned the attack and assured the public that the command has initiated a thorough investigation and rescue mission. Tactical and intelligence-driven efforts are currently underway to ensure the swift rescue of the abducted victims and the apprehension of those responsible for this cowardly attack. The command is working in close synergy with other security agencies and community stakeholders to strengthen its presence in the area and prevent a recurrence of such incidents, the statement added. The police further appealed to residents to stay calm and keep providing security agencies with timely and reliable information. Residents of Kwara State are urged to remain calm and law-abiding, as the command remains fully committed to the protection of lives and property across the state. We appeal to members of the public to provide credible and timely information that could aid the ongoing investigation and recovery efforts, the statement concluded. Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, has said that Nigeria Universities need to study how Nyesom Wike, a stakeholder of Peoples Democratic Party, made it to the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu of All Progressives Congress. The Monarch made this known at the 2025 Obafemi Awolowo University Distinguished Personality Lecture in Ile-Ife, on Thursday, where Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory delivered keynote lecture. Ooni noted that while the former governor of Rivers State may have enemies, he has earned the respect of many because of his fearlessness. Advertisement The Monarch said: For your career, I will particularly say that I give a very strong honour to the father of the nation, President Bola Tinubu. You belong to a different political party and yet are able to work together. READ MORE: Unpaid Ground Rent: I Love Stepping On Toes Of Big Men Wike You are part of this government. Its still a mystery; I dont even know how it happened. For me, it is something that universities should be studying and I mean it; its very important. Hate him, like him; what will be, will be; he (Wike) is a politician to be studied. I dont know how hes been actively relevant for 20 years. Nigeria is for all of us and you are playing your part and making history. Shelby Alayne Antel as Sue, Ethan Check as David and Michael Aurelio in the role of Giovanni rehearse ahead of Quintessence Theatre's world premiere adaptation of James Baldwins 'Giovannis Room' at the Sedgwick Theater in Mt. Airy on May 30, 2025. Bastiaan Slabbers / For The Inquirer Read more After 18 years, two rejections, and countless hours of rewrites, the first-ever authorized adaptation of James Baldwins groundbreaking novel Giovannis Room is set to premiere. Not in the legendary authors hometown of New York or chosen home of Paris but right here in Philadelphia. Almost seven decades ago, Baldwins initial attempt to submit the landmark LGBTQ+ book to his publisher Alfred A. Knopf ended in rejection, too. His editors insisted the work was a failure that would damage his literary reputation. Undeterred, the then 31-year-old author went to Dial Press and released his vivid story of gay love, desire, and despair in 1956, delivering one of the most explosive and revolutionary novels of the 20th century. There have been many efforts to adapt Baldwins works into films and plays since he died in 1987, nearly all of them unsanctioned or unsuccessful in earning official approval from his estate. The 2018 film If Beale Street Could Talk was a rare exception that paved the road for new adaptations in the future. Advertisement Giovannis Room in particular has been attempted several times. Though it never materialized during his lifetime, Baldwin had worked on a Giovannis Room screenplay even getting interest from actors Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro that eventually fizzled. All this history makes Quintessence Theatres world premiere production of Giovannis Room, in previews now and opening at the Sedgwick Theater on June 7, an international sensation that audiences in Philadelphia get to experience before anyone else. A dream rejected Actor Benjamin Sprunger was a college student in Ohio during the 90s when he learned about the novel in an AOL chat room for gay men. Like countless others, he was immediately struck by Baldwins cinematic and devastating prose; he wanted to play every role. More an actor than a playwright, Sprunger had no grand plans of penning an authorized adaptation when he began toying around with a script around 2007 while working in Chicago. His first drafts leaned closer to being a dramatic reading than a full play, with the narration taken almost verbatim from the book. Sprunger then tried contacting Baldwins estate. I was turned down a couple of times, which is fine, its their prerogative, said Sprunger, who now lives in Atlanta. They werent going to give the rights to this incredible novel to somebody who wasnt a playwright, who didnt have any track record of writing plays. Through Chicagos theater scene, Sprunger already knew Paul Oakley Stovall, a playwright and former Hamilton actor whose recent credits include historical plays like Written By Phillis, about pioneering Black poet Phillis Wheatley. In a drama program in 2017, the two teamed up to workshop Sprungers scripts. Stovall was daunted by the responsibility at first, but felt like it was too important to turn away simply because he was afraid. My ethos just became, If were going to do this, were going to get in bed with Baldwin. Were not going to be precious about it, said Stovall, who frequently works in Philadelphia but is based in Chicago. Let the novel be the novel, and let this play be the play. Were not Baldwin. We cant be him. But what we can do is [combine] our artistic sensibilities, after 20-some years of knowing each other, we can say what we have to say. An audacious experiment The story follows an American expat, David, living in Paris as his girlfriend Hella travels to Spain to contemplate his marriage proposal. He meets Giovanni, an Italian bartender, at a gay bar and they start a fiery affair mostly within the confines of Giovannis tiny apartment. A tragic conclusion looms over the narrative as the first page informs readers that Giovanni is headed to the guillotine for killing his predatory boss. Stovall worked on transforming Sprungers script, which (like the novel) relied heavily on Davids interiority, into a more active drama. The pair also experimented with moving dialogue to different characters to retain as much of Baldwins original text and characters as possible. Stovall restored Joey, Davids first lover, and his Aunt Ellen, while expanding more on the trans character Flaming Princess, whom Baldwin only mentions in passing. (In Quintessences production, the role is played by local trans actor Midge Nease.) Knowing the significance of Giovannis Room specifically for the queer community, the cast and creative team have been feeling the immense pressure of the historic world premiere. Stovall, also serving as director, has found comfort in what feels like an alignment of forces particularly given Philadelphias beloved bookstore of the same name. Philly is a theater town that doesnt get the credit for being the theater town that it is its actually the perfect laboratory, he said. Theres some magic going on. Jimmy B wants it to be here. Its our Shakespeare Quintessence Theatre artistic director Alex Burns had heard about Sprunger and Stovalls efforts to adapt the novel and periodically checked on its progress as he believed it would be a great fit for his classic theater company. (Its our Shakespeare, an American classic, said Stovall.) Like the playwrights, Burns also had strong memories of reading the work as a gay high schooler in Mount Airy and finding it to be some of the most honest and profound writing on sexual identity with scenes that were very innately theatrical. In early 2024, Burns wrote to Baldwins estate and sent a copy of the script. We werent saying, Hey, just give us these great stories and characters and let us put them on stage. We were saying, Let us bring the words of James Baldwin to the stage, said Burns. The script is the language of James Baldwin, the ideas of James Baldwin. That was really the argument that we made to the estate. Now under the jurisdiction of Baldwins niece, the estate promptly approved, signaling a shift in their approach to future adaptations. The estate also shared major news: They had just discovered or believed that they were in possession of Baldwins own adaptation of the book into a play, said Burns. They were pursuing producing opportunities for that, but because we had been writing and working on it for so long, and they thought it was an exciting approach to the work, they were excited to let us present it in Philadelphia. As Sprunger and Stovall prepare for opening night, they have been thinking about the gay men who needed Giovannis Room when it was published at the height of the Lavender Scare era of widespread anti-LGBT persecution. They have heard stories of men who stole the lifesaving novel from libraries and bookstores to avoid being outed. Debuting the play today, as the Trump administration targets and criminalizes LGBTQ+ communities, evokes Baldwins own record of resistance and fighting for civil rights. It feels rebellious, said Stovall. It feels like the timing is just right. Quintessence Theatres Giovannis Room, May 28-June 29. 7137 Germantown Ave., Phila., quintessencetheatre.org File photo of Philadelphia police, crime scene, police tape, yellow tape. Photo take at crime scene N. Simpson Street and Callowhill Street, Philadelphia. Read more A 25-year-old woman was left with severe burns after three children threw what police suspect was acid on her in West Philadelphia, police said. The victim, whom police did not identify, was getting off the L train at 52nd and Market Streets shortly after 1:30 p.m. Sunday when three children between the ages of 8 and 12 approached her and threw a corrosive substance at her, said Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore. Advertisement The victim suffered burns to her face, chest, and one arm, he said, and was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and later transferred to Temple University Hospitals burn unit, where she was in stable condition. Police are searching for surveillance video of the incident and continuing to investigate. They have made no arrests and have not determined a motive for the attack. The victim, who friends said is a trans woman, was on her way to meet friends in West Philadelphia to attend Pride celebrations when she was attacked, said her friend A.J. Frigoletto. Frigoletto, who met the woman at Dirty Franks bar, where she hosted queer bingo nights, said he had been messaging her 20 minutes earlier and was going to join her at the Pride gathering. He said he learned of the assault when she posted on Instagram that she was in the hospital. Police did not say whether they were investigating the incident as a hate crime. Frigoletto described the woman as warm and funny, with a great sense of humor and a love of Memphis rap. At the bingo nights she hosted, he said, she was welcoming to all. The assault on the first day of Pride month and the day of the Pride march, a celebration of the LGBTQ community, shook the womans tight-knit circle of friends and loved ones, he said. Friends created a GoFundMe to help the woman with medical and living expenses, as she is expected to spend weeks in the hospital as she undergoes skin grafts and faces a long recovery ahead, Frigoletto said. She deserves to heal and go through this process with all the support she needs, he said. Shes a really cool person, and this is shocking. In a post on X, Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who represents much of West Philadelphia, decried the attack and attributed it to anti-trans rhetoric coming from the nations capital. I am horrified that one of our transgender neighbors was attacked by what appears to be battery acid, Gauthier said in the post. Young people are not born with hate in their hearts. Instead, the politically motivated, anti-trans hatred spewing out of Washington indoctrinates our kids and incites terrible violence. To our trans community, know that I am and will always be your fierce and unapologetic ally, she added. Members of the Philadelphia Fire Department walk to a house that SWAT entered searching for a possibly barricaded suspect. Read more A man is in custody after allegedly assaulting a Philadelphia Fire Department lieutenant Friday morning, sparking what police had believed was a barricade incident in the citys Tacony section. Police responded to the incident just before 10 a.m. after receiving a report that an unidentified suspect had assaulted a firefighter on the 7100 block of Jackson Street, authorities said. The man then fled into a nearby home and, police concluded, barricaded himself inside. Advertisement Authorities arrived on the scene with SWAT and mental health delegates, and locked down the block for several hours, police Lt. Christian Duchossois said. The suspect, however, had fled the house before officers responded, police later discovered. The man, whom police did not identify, turned himself in to officers in the 15th District, Duchossois said. The fire department initially arrived on the scene Friday morning after receiving reports that a man was dumping diesel fuel at the front of a property. The fire department lieutenant was invited into the home, where the suspect allegedly placed him in a choke hold. The firefighter was not injured, Duchossois said. Charges against the suspect were forthcoming Friday afternoon. Cathy Brzozowski (left) and her daughter Morgan Brzozowski (right) volunteer with Talini Mathis (center), a Habitat for Humanity AmeriCorps member, to put house wrap around a set of rowhouses in 2020. Read more A federal judge ordered President Donald Trumps administration to pause across-the-board cuts to AmeriCorps in response to a lawsuit filed by 24 states, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The federal community service program that oversees thousands of volunteers was targeted in mid-April by the Department of Government Efficiency, which terminated grants and placed 85% of the agencys employees on administrative leave, with layoffs set to take effect later this month. Advertisement Judge Deborah L. Boardman, who was nominated to the Maryland district bench in 2021 by then-President Joe Biden, issued an order Thursday preventing the Trump administration from effectuating and enforcing the cuts in the states represented by the lawsuit. Boardman also ordered that programs already impacted should be restored, grants reinstated, and AmeriCorps members returned to service, if they are willing and able to return. The judge denied the Democratic-led states request to reverse the placement of AmeriCorps employees on administrative leave, or prevent the reduction in force for the agencys staff. We just won in court again against the Trump Administration this time to stop their unlawful decision to cut AmeriCorps programs that help communities respond to natural disasters, support seniors and veterans, and keep our trails clean across Pennsylvania," Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a post on X Thursday. Boardman explained her ruling in an 86-page opinion, stating that the cuts were not done properly. Before AmeriCorps could make any significant changes to service delivery, it first had to engage in notice-and-comment rulemaking, Boardman wrote. It did not. The opinion cites a few Pennsylvania programs, including one that supports veterans in Butler County, as examples of the impact AmeriCorps cuts could have on communities. The complaint argued that AmeriCorps members and volunteers have built trust that cannot be easily replaced. The abrupt exiting of members and erosion of trust built between service programs and the community will have a detrimental impact on these programs absent immediate injunctive relief, Boardman said. AmeriCorps did not respond to a request for comment. The lawsuit, filed against AmeriCorps in late April, accused the Trump administration of efforts to dismantle the agency, and contended that the president does not have the constitutional authority to do so because AmeriCorps was established by an act of Congress. Shapiro, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, and Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings are listed as plaintiffs, along with officials from 21 other states. The Trump administration argued in court filings that its actions did not trigger the requirements for a comment period according to the law and that the cuts wouldnt cause irreparable harm, the legal bar required for an injunction before a case is fully litigated. Plaintiffs offer no concrete basis upon which to conclude that such dire consequences would obtain during the next couple of weeks, the government said. READ MORE: DOGEs sweeping AmeriCorps cuts leave Philly volunteer programs unsure if they will get promised funding AmeriCorps was created in 1993 during President Bill Clintons administration as a domestic version of the Peace Corps. It has since supported projects throughout the nation. Penn Serve Pennsylvanias designated state service commission for AmeriCorps received nearly $18 million in federal grants for the year starting July 2024 to administer 28 programs, the lawsuit said. New Jersey had $6 million in federal AmeriCorps grants terminated during DOGEs purge, according to the statement from the states office of the attorney general. These cuts have affected a food pantry and homeless shelter, as well as addiction recovery and disaster-preparedness programs. Delaware received nearly $1.5 million in federal grants to support 1,322 AmeriCorps volunteers for the 2024 fiscal year, according to the complaint. It has since lost more than $1 million of that funding. Staff writer Beatrice Forman contributed to this article. Fatima Abbas family didnt have a lot of money for college and she didnt feel she was entirely ready for a four-year program, having been homeschooled for high school because of concern about violence at the local public school. The Community College of Philadelphia proved the perfect path for her, she said. Advertisement I was really excited about all the transfer programs that CCP had with local schools like Temple, Abbas said, and the amount of assistance that they provided students in transitioning into the college world. READ MORE: CCP board removes president, voting not to renew contract and placing him on immediate paid leave Now, more than two decades later, with a bachelors from Temple, a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a prestigious job as inaugural director of the Office of Tribal and Native Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, shes more convinced than ever it was the right choice. The family liked CCP so much that her mother, a licensed therapist, and her younger brother, a data scientist, graduated from there too, she said. We became a CCP family, just because they made it easy to access higher education, said Abbas, 38, who lives near Baltimore. Abbas will speak June 12 at the colleges annual Black & Gold Gala fundraiser for student scholarships and support services, titled: And We Rise: A Night of Student Hope and Community Renewal. She is receiving the alumni achievement award. The gala comes at a turbulent time for the college. Just a couple of months ago, the college was embroiled in a public and legal battle with its former president Donald Guy Generals, who had led the school for nearly 11 years. The board voted in April not to renew his contract and placed him on immediate paid administrative leave through June 30. Generals called the decision not to renew his contract unjustified and the move to place him on leave retaliatory. He sued to obtain a special injunction that would have restored him to his position through the end of his contract, but lost. The college last month settled the contract dispute with Generals, agreeing to pay him one year of salary as outlined in his contract. Generals received $301,600 in compensation for fiscal 2025, the college said. READ MORE: CCP board chair urged business for daughters company, ousted president claims in court filings The drama created dissension on the colleges foundation board, its fundraising arm. Ellyn Jo Waller, who led the foundation board, resigned in opposition to the decision to oust Generals. Her husband, the Rev. Alyn E. Waller, longtime senior pastor of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in East Mount Airy, which with about 15,000 members has one of Philadelphias largest congregations, said at a subsequent sermon he would no longer support the school or encourage others to do so. Tim Spreitzer, the new president of the foundation board, said officials are now focused on making the forthcoming gala a success, not on what happened a couple of months ago. Its just keeping focused as it should be on the students and those success stories and what profound difference and impact that these funds make in a students life, said Spreitzer, executive vice president at Brian Communications. READ MORE: Ousted CCP president alleges in court complaint that board chair pressured him to direct CCP business to political allies and vendors CCP started the gala in 2018, and it usually raises $3.5 million, or about $600,000 annually for student scholarships, Spreitzer said. The college, he said, is on track to deliver the same performance this year. And tables and tickets are still available for purchase, he said. The scholarships are particularly important to CCP students, about 70% of whom are eligible for federal Pell grants, geared toward lower-income families, said Alycia Marshall, interim president. The college also awards scholarships to high-performing students who need financial assistance in transitioning to a four-year college. Some students get full tuition scholarships of up to $4,000 and some partial, depending on the need, she said. About 400 students have benefited from the scholarships since the gala started, the college said. Abbas didnt get a CCP scholarship, but got financial support at Temple and Berkeley. These scholarships, while theyre small, when youre low-income, can really make the difference between those students staying in for another semester [or not], she said. While at Temple, she was accepted to the London School of Economics, but couldnt afford to go. She worked for a year after Temple and still couldnt afford it, she said. And, shes still paying off loans from Berkeley, where she got her degree in 2011. She cant imagine what she would have done if she also had undergraduate debt. If not for CCP, I would not be as far along in my journey because the debt is really hard, said Abbas, a Philadelphia native who mostly grew up in the city and entered CCP at 16. Its like a second mortgage. After law school, she worked at the Philadelphia law firm Fox Rothschild, then moved to the Mojave Desert to serve as deputy attorney general for the Colorado River Indian Tribes, having aspired to do economic development work for tribes when she was in law school. Abbas is part American Indian. Her mother is part of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe in North Carolina, and her father is from Pakistan. In Colorado, her work spanned from water law to rape cases. She later moved to California to serve as general counsel for another tribe, then moved back to Washington, D.C., when a chance to do tribal advocacy law opened and she could be closer to her family. She worked on helping tribes attain $30 billion in pandemic relief funds and then got a job with the treasury to help administer the program. It was supposed to be a one-year appointment but the treasury created an office and made her the first director. Her work varies from helping a tribe understand how to implement small-business financing to helping others with tax policy. Theres really strong bipartisan support, so we havent had any challenges in continuing our work, she said. In her speech at the gala, she intends to emphasize the importance of nontraditional paths to higher education, which CCP provides. When I was at CCP, one of the things I appreciated is that students were coming from such different backgrounds, she said. You had folks who had been out of school for 20 years, those who had only a GED. ... We were all trying to obtain an education ... to improve our economic conditions. Thats the mentality of a lot of CCP alumni, which is that we dont come from privileged backgrounds, but we can still access privilege through working really hard and through the education that CCP provides, the scholarships that they provide, and the strong alumni support network, too. Artist rendering of No. 5 Bank Alley, which is now Moravian Street, in 1829. It's where the first edition of The Inquirer was printed. The sketch was published in "The Philadelphia Inquirer: The Story of the Inquirer 1829 to the Present" in 1956. Read more When the Pennsylvania Inquirer was born, there were no electric lights or typewriters. There were no telephones or telegraph instruments or trucks. Yet on June 1, 1829, the first edition of the newspaper rolled off the flatbed press at No. 5 Bank Alley, now Moravian Street. Advertisement John Norvell and John R. Walker established the four-page, six-column daily, and did virtually all the work, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer: The Story of the Inquirer 1829 to the Present, published in 1956. Now the citys oldest paper, The Inquirer started as a morning edition (it would briefly become an afternoon paper later before returning to its original morning slot). The first subscription was $8 per year (payable half yearly in advance). It was delivered by mail at the beginning. The paper was full of foreign news that arrived in packets delivered by boat. Its national news arrived by mail from Washington and New York. Norvell and Walker gathered the local news by walking to the nearby coffeehouses and interviewing their fellow Philadelphians, according to the Inquirer history book. Walker was a practical printer, and Norvell was the former editor of the Philadelphia Aurora and Gazette. They promised editorially that the paper would be devoted to the maintenance of the rights and liberties of the people, equally against the abuses as the usurpation of power. Advertisers in 1829 gave their copy to Walker, or told him what they wanted their ads to say, and he strolled over to a type case. He set up the ad by hand, and placed it in the page form. Then when his four pages were completed, he placed them under his flatbed press and printed directly from the type, according to the book. The paper zealously supported Andrew Jacksons presidency from the jump, but broke with Jackson a few years later for dissolving the Bank of the United States, which had its home in Philadelphia. Lack of capital forced the partners to sell the paper in November 29 to Jesper Harding, a former apprentice printer who rose to editor. He would later merge the older Democratic Press with the Pennsylvania Inquirer under the latters name. The newspaper would not become the Philadelphia Inquirer until April 1860, one year before the start of the U.S. Civil War. SEO editor Caryn Shaffer contributed to this article. Editor's note: The following story was first published in June 2019 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day. The Citizen is republishing it on the 81th anniversary today. AUBURN Bill DeTomaso was watching "Saving Private Ryan" with his father, Tony DeTomaso. The 1998 movie opens on Omaha Beach as American forces launch D-Day, the invasion of France that would turn the tide of World War II in Europe beginning on June 6, 1944. As the action raged bullets, dirt and blood flying across the screen Bill leaned over to Tony. "Was it that bad, Dad?" "You will never know." Tony, who passed away in 2011 in Auburn, was one of the first to storm those beaches as a member of the 299th Combat Engineer Battalion, a unit of mostly central and western New Yorkers. Sixty-three were from the Auburn area. And according to Bill and several others interviewed for this story, including the Cayuga County Veterans Services Agency, not one of "the Auburn boys," as they became known, is here to see the 75th anniversary of D-Day. In their absence, Bill said, one of his father's fears about that day may be closer to coming true: "People are gonna forget." The invasion saw more than 150,000 Allied troops land along 50 miles of coastline in France's Normandy region. More than 4,000 of them died. Six were Auburnians in the 299th: Nicholas V. DeAngelis, Leo A. Indelicato, John R. Spinelli, Thomas J. Phillips, Claude D. Brown Jr. and Lawrence A. Roberts. About a third of the battalion, overall, was killed, missing or wounded. The 299th began engineer training at Camp White, Oregon, in March 1943, according to material from a 2014 exhibit about the war at the Cayuga Museum of History & Art, as well as a speech about the battalion given there that year by Maj. Gen. John P. Herrling. The 660 men would move on to Fort Lewis, Washington, Fort Pierce, Florida, and Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, for further training. In April 1944, the 299th landed at Cardiff, Wales, to make final preparations to rid Europe of the Nazis. Bill said his father and fellow engineers were trained to clear the obstacles placed along the coastline by the Germans, and create 50-yard gaps. Those obstacles included barbed wire, underwater mines and hulking metal structures, known as Czech hedgehogs, that could stop tanks in their tracks. Getting to them, however, meant disembarking their boats amid curtains of German machine gun fire from the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc overlooking the beaches, among other threats. Tony, then 18, was in Company B, which landed some of the first Allied forces on Utah Beach that morning. Assigned to Company A, which was assigned to Omaha Beach along with Company C, was Dominick DeBenedetto, also of Auburn. His son, Dave, said Dominick was wiring explosives to clear some obstacles when the primer cord was struck, detonating them and killing his whole squad except for him. It was also on Omaha Beach that DeAngelis was wounded and loaded onto a boat, then killed along with Spinelli when the vessel was bombed, according to the museum exhibit. Dominick was later hit in the back with machine gun fire, Dave said, and recuperated at a hospital in England before rejoining the 299th to fight at the Battle of the Bulge that December. The battalion would advance across Belgium and Germany with the 1st Infantry Division to northern Munich. It was there when the Nazis surrendered on May 8, 1945, ending the war in Europe. Much of what Dave knows about his father's service didn't come from him, though. He shared stories with his son over the years, but Dave had to fill in the blanks using books and the 299th's website, he said. Likewise, Tony didn't talk to his son about D-Day until Bill, a Marine, went to Vietnam in 1969. Even then, Tony only opened up to him through letters, Bill said. "'You're gonna see some bad things,'" he recalled his father writing, his voice breaking. "But I didn't go through anything like him. Thank God." If the brutality the 299th endured on those beaches becomes lost on future generations, Bill and Dave said, it may be because the ones who survived it had such difficulty sharing it. The soldiers Dominick saw drown with their feet sticking out of the water because they were top-heavy with explosives and other gear. The 4-inch hole Tony saw in a man's head. The red shore. The screams. "I always worry these guys are the only ones who will know exactly what happened," Dave said. Both Tony and Dominick felt the effects of their service for the rest of their time on earth. Tony suffered frequent migraines, Bill said, a result of demolishing bridges with the battalion. For Dominick, it was nightmares, Dave said. Still, the two got on with their lives. The 299th held regular reunions for decades. And in 1994, Tony and Dominick were instrumental in raising a monument to the six Auburnians of the 299th who died during D-Day outside the Cayuga County Office Building. Two additional monuments to the battalion stand in Veterans Memorial and Market Street parks. Dominick passed away in 2015, making him the last of "the Auburn boys," Tony believes. But while the story of D-Day in Cayuga County has become the story of the 299th, several men from the area serving with other units and armed forces were also there. One of them was Bruno Del Favero, of Auburn, one of five brothers who fought in the war. He served with the 1st Infantry, more popularly known as "The Big Red One" because of the red numeral on the shoulder patch of its members. His daughter, Jeanne, said Bruno served in a mine platoon, planting or removing them. Bruno's service spanned 1940 to 1945, from before America entered the war to its end. After action in North Africa, Sicily and elsewhere, he, too, began training for D-Day in England. Jeanne said her father recalled Gen. Dwight Eisenhower speaking to the men of Bruno's 16th Regiment, one of the first slated to reach Normandy, and trying to calm their considerable nerves. Unlike many veterans, Bruno was forthcoming about his service, his daughter said, until his passing in 1994. But he often concluded his stories with the same saying: "War is hell." "There were men dropping on either side of you, and you didn't know if you were going to make it through that morning," Jeanne said of D-Day. Auburnian Martin Byrne, a radioman on a Navy landing craft gunner, was one of the quieter ones, said his daughter, Patti Wilson, of Minoa. Like Dave DeBenedetto, she discovered most details of her father's service secondhand in her case, a service record kept by Byrne's parents. Also like DeBenedetto, however, she understands why she didn't hear those details from the source. "There's no way anyone could understand it unless they were there," she said. When it comes to details on Byrne's action during D-Day, Wilson said, that service record was scant. His only words about the invasion were: "It was a complete success." "They really were the greatest generation," she said. "And if it weren't for them, we wouldn't enjoy the freedoms we have today." As that generation diminishes in number, the memory of its significance to history may just hang in the balance. Locally, a proclamation recognizing the 75th anniversary of D-Day and the Auburn men who served there will be read at the 5 p.m. Thursday, June 6, meeting of Auburn City Council. Material from the Cayuga Museum's recent World War II exhibit will also be worked into a display in the lobby of Memorial City Hall that will remain there for two weeks, City Clerk Chuck Mason said. Neither the county nor Auburn's veteran posts, meanwhile, currently have any events planned. And at Veterans Memorial Park, Bill DeTomaso plans to observe the anniversary alone. That's how he's done it the past few years, he said, and that's how he expects he'll do it this year. "If you forget about what happened," he said, "time has a way of repeating itself." D-Day veterans from Cayuga County 299th Combat Engineer Battalion John Brannick Claude D. Brown Jr. James Burke Anthony J. Butera Giacomo Cappello Anthony T. Contrara Steve Cook Joseph M. Costello Joseph H. Coyle Daniel G. Cristodero Nicholas V. DeAngelis Dominick A. DeBenedetto Anthony N. DeTomaso Chester W. DiBari Sam J. DiFabio Byron E. Dustman Nicola A. Falcicchio Wallace F. Filkins Edward Galbally Anthony N. Gasparo John H. Gleason Harold E. Green Charles W. Hawelka Charles W. Hurlbut Jr. Leo A. Indelicato Melchior LaRosa Joseph C. Leonti Harry L. Lull Angelo Manna Frank J. Morabito Joseph J. Morabito Richard L. Nash Wilson J. Near Jr. Larry Netti Thomas J. Netti William L. OBrien James F. OByrne Thomas G. OConnell Carmen D. Ottaviano Raymond C. Painter Henry J. Pearson Jr. Anthony A. Petrosino Thomas J. Phillips James B. Ramage Carl H. Reese Lawrence A. Roberts Steven Rusinko Sam V. Scolaro William J. Secaur Carmelo Signorelli Charles W. Smith Dominic A. Spano John R. Spinelli Herbert M. Steigerwald Bruce A. Stigner Anthony Surace William J. Titus Saverio G. Trinca Samuel J. Vella James Walter Francis C. Weinch George J. Wilson Jr. List provided by the Cayuga Museum of History & Art Other units John E. Adamus, Cayuga: 336th Combat Engineer Battalion Donald G. Bentley, Moravia: 1st Engineer Special Brigade Martin Byrne, Auburn: U.S. Navy amphibious forces Edward De Felice, Auburn: 101st Airborne Division Bruno Del Favero, Auburn: 1st Infantry Division, 16th Regiment William F. Donovan, Auburn: U.S. Navy Richard Drury, Cayuga: 83rd Infantry Division Ted Gelsi, Cayuga: 2nd Armored Division Ned Jarvis, Auburn: 69th Signal Battalion Robert McAllister, Moravia: 1st Infantry Division John R. Noga, Auburn: U.S. Navy Charles B. Parker, Auburn: U.S. Navy Frank Sciortino, Auburn: 53rd Infantry Battalion, 4th Armored Division William A. Shaw, Auburn: 1st Infantry Division Joseph Speck, 22nd Infantry, 4th Infantry Division (anti-tank company) Gerald Stevens, Moravia: 1st Infantry Division (Editor's note: List includes all known D-Day veterans from Cayuga County, but may not be comprehensive.) Members of the Proud Boys make a hand gesture while walking near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Read more Five leaders of the Proud Boys, four of whom were found guilty of engaging in a seditious conspiracy to keep President Donald Trump in power on Jan. 6, 2021, want the government to pay them $100 million in restitution over claims their constitutional rights were violated, according to a federal lawsuit filed Friday in Florida. The lawsuit follows Trumps decision to pardon virtually all Jan. 6. defendants in one of his opening acts as president, an extraordinary attempt to recast the official public narrative about an attack that halted a cornerstone of America democracy: the peaceful transfer of power. Advertisement Now, the suit could force the Trump administration to defend the prosecutions, which many among the presidents base viewed as overzealous and politically motivated. Or, pay damages at taxpayers expense to the Proud Boys, a far-right group with a history of violence, a decision historians warn could amount to an endorsement of using violence for political gain. A settlement would suggest that the violence of January 6 was entirely justified, said Matthew Dallek, a political historian at George Washington University. It would say to the country that these Proud Boys who were convicted in a court of law, in a fair trial, were wrongfully prosecuted and victims. It just turns the entire day on its head. The lawsuit - filed by Henry Enrique Tarrio, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola - claims federal authorities violated the Constitution in an effort to punish and oppress political allies of President Donald Trump, by any and all means necessary, legal, or illegal. Tarrio, who was barred from the city on Jan. 6 due to a previous arrest, was convicted of plotting the attack on the U.S. Capitol and was sentenced to 22 years, the stiffest penalty of all Jan. 6 cases. In Tarrios absence that day, prosecutors said Nordean, Biggs and Rehl stepped into leadership roles. Video showed Pezzola using a police riot shield to break through glass on the Capitols west terrace, enabling what prosecutors have said was the first breach of the building. Nordean, Biggs and Rehl all received long sentences - 18 years, 17 years and 15 years, respectively - for seditious conspiracy. Pezzola was sentenced to 10 years for conspiracy to obstruct Congress. Trump and his administration have already signaled a willingness to ignore past investigative conclusions in a show of support to rioters. In addition to Trumps sweeping pardons, the U.S. Justice Department reached an agreement last month to settle the wrongful death case brought by the family of Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot by police in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot as she tried to storm the House Speakers Lobby. The Justice Department previously found insufficient evidence to prove Babbitts civil rights had been violated, and a Capitol Police investigation cleared the officer involved. The attack, which interrupted Congresss certification of Joe Bidens election on Jan. 6, 2021, has become one of the most divisive chapters of recent U.S. history, with many Trump supporters - and the president himself - falsely recasting the violent mob as patriots justifiably protesting a stolen election. Five people died in or immediately after the violence, during which more than 140 officers were assaulted. Legal analysts said Trump has helped lay the ground work for such claims, not only by granting pardons to nearly all of roughly 1,600 Capitol riot defendants, but also by calling the prosecutions in his pardon proclamation a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years. Sy'vir Hill, 19 months old, died April 15 after apparently drowning in a bathtub while his foster mother was attending the microwave in her Harrowgate home. Read more The Philadelphia police special victims unit is investigating the death of a child who apparently drowned in a bathtub when his foster mother left him unattended to go to the microwave. Records obtained by The Inquirer and Resolve Philly show that a Harrowgate foster parent left 19-month-old Syvir Hill and a second child unsupervised and returned to find Syvir submerged in the water. Advertisement Police officers who responded to the April 15 incident counted six children in the home, the maximum allowed in a foster home under state law, according to emails sent among child welfare workers. The foster mothers name was not released; authorities have not determined the cause of death. READ MORE: Philly removes neglected children from homes to keep them safe. But they often face worse abuse in foster care placements. The child was under the care of a community umbrella agency, known as a CUA, part of a network of private companies that the Philadelphia Department of Human Services contracts to provide in-home and foster care services to children and families. Since their inception 12 years ago, CUAs have faced at least 69 lawsuits for the abuse and neglect of children in their care, triggering more than 50 settlements or verdicts of $1 million or more and a crisis of rising insurance premiums. An Inquirer series published in April traced the problems underlying the wave of lawsuits to workforce turnover and vacancies, the placement of children with medical needs with untrained foster parents, and a system overwhelmed with too many kids in foster care all issues that predate the CUAs by decades. The series prompted City Councilmember-at-large Nina Ahmad to call for hearings, which are scheduled to begin Friday, and Councilmember Cindy Bass to reconvene a special committee to investigate Philadelphias family-separation policies. READ MORE: Inside Phillys hidden foster care system, where parents voluntarily give up their children Regan Kelly, president and CEO of NET Centers, which runs the CUA responsible for the childs care, did not respond to requests to be interviewed for this article. NET Centers has been sued four times over childrens deaths since 2017. What were we doing here? asked attorney A.J. Thomson, who is exploring a possible lawsuit on behalf of Syvir Hills estate. This child was placed in a home where his life was less important than whatever delicacy was in the microwave. DHS Commissioner Kimberly Ali said by email in response to questions: We are incredibly saddened to learn of the death of Syvir Hill. We offer our sincere condolences to the family on this tragic loss. Email exchanges among child welfare staffers working on Syvirs case show that case managers described the foster parent as at her max and already caring for three kids under the age of 4. But upon review, the caseworkers determined that the home had enough bedrooms to continue to accommodate Syvir and a new placement: his newborn sister. State law calls for siblings to be placed together when possible, and caseworkers described the foster parent as having a strong support base. READ MORE: How Philly can look to New Jersey to fix its child welfare system Cathleen Palm, founder of the Center for Childrens Justice, a group dedicated to promoting the physical and emotional well-being of Pennsylvanias children, said the maximum number of kids allowed in a foster home might need to be reviewed. But she cautioned against a rush to judgment. It sounds like the [caseworkers] were well-intentioned and followed state law, she said. And when weve got so many cases where you can clearly see the handwriting was on the wall that there was likely to be a problem here, Im not sure this is one of those cases. The Inquirers April series featured the case of SuLayah Williams, who was separated from her mother by social service workers even though an alleged burn was determined to be just a skin condition. SuLayah was placed in a home where, months shy of her third birthday, she was beaten to death. The separation was orchestrated under what is known as a voluntary safety plan or hidden foster care, in which parents including SuLayahs mother report being coerced into giving up their children without ever officially losing custody. Such voluntary arrangements are common around the country and criticized for occurring without court oversight or the provision of services to reunite the family. That case, brought by Thomson, was settled last year for an undisclosed sum. He said the Syvir Hill case raises a fundamental question about the system: If we have so few foster parents that we need to put up to six children in a home, maybe were taking too many kids from their families. One person who worked on Syvirs case for many months, and asked to remain anonymous for fear of violating child privacy laws, suggested that the Hill children might have received better support in their mothers home with appropriate social services. Syvirs mother and grandmothers did not return calls or emails to be interviewed for this article. The CUA lawsuits will likely play a large role in City Councils forthcoming probes. The CUA system has been in place for a long time now, Ahmad said in an interview. I think its time we can address whether or not the CUA system is working. City activists and Bass say they plan to look well beyond the CUAs. What these hearings need to reflect is that we already know what the problems are, said Phoebe Jones, from the organization Give Us Back Our Children. And, more than that, we already know how to solve them. City Council needs to implement solutions that have already been identified. In April 2022, the first iteration of Bass Special Committee on Child Separations issued a comprehensive 52-page report with more than three dozen recommendations, including opening Family Court to the media and public, ending the separation of kids and mothers in instances of domestic violence, and barring family separations under any condition in which more funds can solve the problem. Bass said she wants to revive that committee and its report. We have a problem with family separations in the city of Philadelphia, she said, and we need to get a look at where we are now. Ahmads hearings are also expected to include a look at DHSs continued practice of taking Social Security money from kids in foster care, which has come under increasing criticism. City Council, after an Inquirer investigation, passed an ordinance to ban the practice, but DHS has persisted. The practice is also expected to be addressed through state legislation. Ira Kedson, the president of AFGE local 310 at the Coatesville V.A. Medical Center, left, greets Karen Ford-Woods, right, president of AFGE Local 1793, which represents employees at the VA Medical Center in West Philly and other area facilities. Read more Dozens of Philadelphia workers from the Department of Veterans Affairs gathered Thursday under an unyielding sun chanting: Save our jobs, save our vets. Come lunchtime, allies and members of the American Federation of Government Employees arrived at Baltimore and University Avenues, outside the Cpl. Michael J. Crescenz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, for a rally to protect the members union contract and benefits amid a shake-up of federal agencies by President Donald Trumps administration. Advertisement We have federal employees who have devoted their lives to take care of America and the thanks we get is reductions, downsize on our pay, downgrading positions, said Karen Ford Woods, president of AFGE Local 1793. When you take away our jobs, you take away service to America. In March, Trump moved to end union representation for many federal agencies, including the VA. The VA stopped withholding union dues from worker paychecks in late April, and AFGE has lost dues-paying members as a result. Some have been transferring to an alternate payment system. The VA is one of the largest government employers in Pennsylvania, with roughly 19,321 employees as of September. The majority work for the Veterans Health Administration, which provides healthcare to veterans. AFGE Local 1793s members, who numbered 1,400 in April, include nurses, pharmacists, social workers, and other employees at the medical center in West Philly, community care-based clinics in the region, and administrative offices. Since the dues deduction stopped, membership is down to 800, said Yul Owens Jr., executive vice president of AFGE Local 1793. Make no mistake about it, those executive orders aim to break our union; they aim to end our collective bargaining agreement and, most importantly, the workers rights that we have, Owens said, as passing drivers honked in support. VA employees have been among those affected by the Trump administrations efforts to shrink and reshape the federal workforce. The administration has ordered agencies to make plans for significant reductions in force, and put forth a deferred resignation program offering employees the chance to leave their jobs and continue getting paid for several months. Those plans include cutting 80,000 VA jobs. But mass layoffs appear to be on hold, blocked by the order of a federal judge in California. Amid the uncertainty, Everett Kelley, AFGE national president, said the administration needs to realize what the cuts mean for federal workers. Programs like Social Security and collective bargaining agreements arent just paperwork, Kelley said. They are the lifeline for millions of Americans. AFGE has also expressed concerns about provisions included in the proposed federal budget bill that, union leaders say, would diminish federal workers rights. The bill passed in the House of Representatives and is now in the Senate. Peter Kasperowicz, a VA spokesperson, said the group cared more about protecting VAs broken bureaucracy than fixing the department. A changing VA workplace in Philly Amid the threat of layoffs and the possible departure of colleagues accepting the resignation offer, VA workers living within 50 miles of a federal office were ordered to return to in-person work by May 5, and those who live farther have until late July. In the meantime, business must continue. After 40 years of service, Theresa Heard, 60, said, she feels betrayed by Washington but she cannot let her veterans know it. There is a commitment from people to put a smile on their face and greet every veteran as if they matter most, Heard said. You have to stay focused on your job, you show up, and you pay attention to what work needs to be [done] for that day. As a mother helping her children pay student loans, she cannot afford to lose her job. But she is committed to fight alongside her union for both her and the veterans she serves. I dont believe they actually know the work that we put in; I dont think they understand the commitment that you get from federal employees not always having all the ideal circumstances but finding a way to get the work done for our veterans. The Rev. R. Tony Ricard is the director of the Office of Black Catholic Ministries for the Archdiocese of New Orleans and is the campus minister at St. Augustine High School. During a recent homily, he discussed the significance of Pope Leo XIV's Creole heritage. Read more NEW ORLEANS The Rev. R. Tony Ricard was at St. Augustine High School on May 8 when images of white smoke from Rome appeared on screens around the world to reveal that a new pope had been named. As he watched Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost emerge from the Vatican to wave to the faithful gathered in St. Peters Square in Rome, Ricard said, That dude looks like he could be my brother. Ricard, who is Creole and directs the office of Black Catholic Ministries for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, also found himself mulling over the new popes French surname: We have a lot of Prevost family members here in New Orleans. I went to school with Prevosts. Advertisement Hours later, a New Orleans-based genealogist confirmed Ricards hunch about Pope Leos ancestry. Jari C. Honara, a family historian at the Historic New Orleans Collection, announced on Facebook that Prevost is a descendant of Creoles of color from New Orleans historically Creole Seventh Ward neighborhood. The popes maternal grandmother was born in New Orleans, his maternal grandfather was born in Haiti. They both were considered mulatto or Black as were their parents, according to historical records. Creole isnt a racial but a cultural designation referring to those with deep roots in New Orleans as well as ties to Catholicism. It highlights the heritage of faith that has always existed in the Creole of color community, and all of the contributions that we have made to the church over the centuries, said Honara, who is also Creole. I hope that that will be highlighted even further as the months and the years go on. Suddenly, Pope Leo became more than just the first American pope who happens to hail from Chicago. To many, he also became known as the first Creole Pope. Although the pope who took the name Pope Leo XIV hasnt spoken publicly about his heritage, people in New Orleans, particularly Black Catholics, are eager to claim him. Everybody in New Orleans now is saying, Oh, he my cousin, Ricard told me. He might be my fifth cousin or my 18th cousin and who knows? But were still cousins. Its unclear what, if anything, this surprising discovery means to Leo. However, his chosen namesake, Pope Leo XIII, may offer a clue. Pope Leo XIII was the first in his position to condemn slavery, a practice that the Catholic Church embraced with its participation in the transatlantic slave trade and by allowing priests to hold enslaved people captive. I hope Pope Leo will speak out about his newfound lineage sooner rather than later. Acknowledging his ancestral racial history would be a small but significant step in alleviating a deep hunger, not just in the Creole community of New Orleans but in people of color around the United States and across the globe, to see themselves reflected at the highest level in the Catholic Church. Its unconscionable that in modern history at least, every pope except Leo, and his predecessor, Francis has been European. The new popes mixed-race ancestry will offer Black Catholics an opportunity to no longer be anonymous, as the late Cyprian Davis, a Benedictine monk, wrote in The History of Black Catholics in the United States. Im praying that this revelation helps him have a greater understanding of who he is to the world, Ricard told me. One good thing about being in the Creole community in New Orleans, we know that, like gumbo, we are a little bit of everything. Everybody in New Orleans now is saying, Oh, he my cousin. Then he added, Theres a mixture in him, that makes him relatable to everybody. I got that feeling last month when I spent several days in New Orleans, a diverse, heavily Catholic city famous for its gumbo, a soup-like stew made of any combination of seafood, sausage, chicken, and vegetables. I sampled some in the French Quarter and also talked to everyone from academics to churchgoers about the new pope and their hopes for the church under its new leadership. During Sunday Mass at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church, Ricard really broke it down about what having a pope of color means for Black Catholics. We dont have to ask, Can we come inside? We are inside and sitting at the biggest table in the grown-folks section, he preached from the pulpit. After this, cant nobody tell us that we dont belong. Weve been a part of the holy Catholic Church since the days of the Apostles and now the world can see it. Ricard added, We have a gumbo pope for a gumbo church. In other words, hes not one thing hes some of this and some of that, just like the followers of the Catholic Church. That resonates deeply with Black people whose involvement in Catholicism dates back to the churchs early days but have too often been marginalized. Our churches are closing. Our schools are closing, Kathleen Dorsey Bellow, the director of the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University, told me. We have fewer Black bishops, Black religious, Black clergy. They are dying young. She added, A lot of it has to do with the stress of serving a Catholic Church that does not always hold Black Catholics in high esteem, does not engage us in leadership, does not promote the gifts that we bring to the church. So theres an awful lot of work that needs to be done to bring Black Catholicism fully into the U.S. Catholic Church, where we can bring our point of view. Bellow described a desire by Black Catholics to incorporate more of their cultural traditions into the liturgy. A lot of things we do come from ancient Roman culture, she pointed out. They dont necessarily fit with our African American spirituality. As she spoke, my eyes wandered to images on a wall of six Black U.S. candidates for sainthood. I was most familiar with Henriette Delille, a free woman of color, who in 1842 cofounded an order of Black religious women back when white orders wouldnt allow them to become sisters. Named a Servant of God by the church in 1988 (the first step in the cause of sainthood), Delille is a descendant of enslaved workers and she, along with the six other African Americans on the path to sainthood, could become the first U.S. African American saint recognized by the Catholic Church. If it ever gets around to it. The Catholic Church recognizes around 10,000 saints but none of them are African Americans from the U.S. a fact that doesnt go unnoticed by Catholics and non-Catholics alike. To me the Catholic Church has a lot to clean up, said Dianne Gumbo Marie Honore, an eighth-generation Louisiana Creole, when I caught up with her at New Orleans City Park. We have a lot to make up for. She talked about the churchs long history of racism, as well as its child sex abuse scandals and the damage that each has caused. It is going to take more than just the pope, said Honore, a Creole culture activist and historic interpreter. But he can set out certain directives and he can start the ball rolling. Pope Leo has already seemed to embrace his Windy City roots. He is scheduled to make a video address during a Mass in his honor in Chicago on June 14. Meanwhile, New Orleans residents cant wait to welcome him, preferably with a second line and a bowl of gumbo. After all, as Sister Alicia Costa, the congregational leader of the Sisters of the Holy Family cofounded by Delille, pointed out during my visit, He has really riled up this city. As the chef at a historic artists residency, I have the responsibility to design menus that are both exciting and nourishing to the artistic process. It is a creative mission that gives me endless avenues to explore. Our artists come from all over the world, different countries with foods that utilize different ingredients and methods of preparation. Food is a conduit, connecting us to various aspects of our lives and history. Food is a defining characteristic of home. In fact, it can chart pathways between the unlikeliest of dwellings, revealing hidden histories. Advertisement One afternoon recently, I happened upon a resident Ghanaian author Nana-Ama Danquah staring intently at our refrigerator deciding what she wanted. She was in our pantry, a place that is filled with snacks, pastries, breakfast items, and more. I asked how she was doing. Im feeling homesick, she said, closing the refrigerator door. I wish I could have some pepper soup. Suddenly my mind traveled to my own home, conjuring weekend adventures with my dad. I know that soup, I said. Pepper pot. Its a Philadelphia specialty. Philadelphia? Pepper pot? Danquah asked, an eyebrow raised. Is that like a soup with red bell peppers or something? Thats not the soup Im talking about. Despite her skepticism that this Jewish chef in upstate New York could know precisely what she was craving, I was certain we were speaking about the same dish. Its warm, spicy and made with tripe and other offal, right? With each word I said, I could see her eyes getting wider and wider. To her amazement, we were speaking the same language. But how? she wanted to know. The first time I had pepper pot soup was with my father, at a small African market in Philadelphia during the late 1990s. My father one of the main influences in my becoming a chef was a man of many interests, and cooking was one of them. His thoughts were regularly focused on food and he would often experiment with new recipes. One afternoon, he needed to pick up some items at a market in West Philadelphia for a dish that he was making that weekend. Hey kiddo, he bellowed in his calm yet slightly imposing voice. Grab your coat. Were gonna take a drive. As those of us who live here know well, Philadelphia is a sprawling city made up of pocket neighborhoods. These neighborhoods have their own identities, often shaped by the nationalities and ethnicities of the communities that are clustered in them. We drove from the suburbs into one of these pockets by going down Lincoln Drive a tight, windy road under a canopy of trees carved alongside the Wissahickon Creek to the sprawling Kelly Drive, which runs parallel to the Schuylkill and then headed for West Philadelphia. Our destination was a market that looked and felt utterly unfamiliar. I was used to shopping at suburban grocery stores that were bright and as sterile as a dentist office, filled with people who looked just like me. But this market was full of food in colorful packaging and aromas I didnt recognize. The people shopping there had a range of skin colors and spoke with various accents that blended together like an orchestra. There was a counter and a small seating area, and my dad sat and ordered us two pepper pot soups. They came out quickly and we started to eat. I was not like most kids when it came to food. I was brought up seeing and eating the weird things chopped liver, the jellied chicken feet my grandmother used to make, and tripe, which happened to be in the bowl that I was just served. My dad took a spoonful of the soup, looked at me, and said this is neat meaning that he liked it. I tasted it and instantly liked it too. It was deep with flavors and spices. We mostly sat in silence. Not much to say while we were eating. The shop was busy with people getting their groceries. We finished our soup, and my father picked out the items he needed. A few years later, I learned more about pepper pot soup. My dad was always watching PBS shows that were food related, especially A Taste of History, which starred Walter Staib who was the chef at the City Tavern downtown. Staib gave wonderful accounts of the history of food in the Americas during the 18th century, such as Philadelphias history of pepper pot soup. Brought to the city by formerly enslaved people, some of whom later became street vendors, the soup became a regular dish sold in the taverns and markets and on the streets of the city. Pepper pot was even heralded as the meal that gave sustenance to the Continental Army during the harsh winter at Valley Forge. The soup had become such a steadfast part of Philadelphia culture, it was immortalized in paintings such as John Lewis Krimmels Pepper-Pot: A Scene in the Philadelphia Market and Andy Warhols Campbells Soup can series. African cuisine has become increasingly popular in the United States, but if you learn the different routes it already traveled through the Middle Passage and across this nation you realize it is no novelty. African cuisine has influenced many dishes we call our own. Many of those remind us of home and bring us comfort during times of loneliness whether that home is in Accra, in Saratoga Springs, or Philadelphia. Timothy Brockmon is the executive chef at Yaddo artist retreat and residency in Saratoga Springs. He grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and is a professional chef, amateur ceramist, and writer. A security guard patrols the grounds of the Department of Energy headquarters in Washington, D.C., on May 18, 2025. Read more Early this spring, the Food and Drug Administration fired nearly 50 workers in the Office of Regulatory Policy only to turn around and order them back to the office with one days notice. After dismissing thousands of probationary employees for fabricated performance issues, the IRS reversed course and told them to show up to work in late May. Advertisement And some staff at the U.S. Agency for International Development, dismantled in the first days of the Trump administration by a gleeful Elon Musk and his cost-cutting team at the U.S. DOGE Service, checked their inboxes this month to find an unexpected offer: Would you consider returning to work for the State Department? Across the government, the Trump administration is scrambling to rehire many federal employees dismissed under DOGEs staff-slashing initiatives after wiping out entire offices, in some cases imperiling key services such as weather forecasting and the drug approval process. READ MORE: Federal layoffs hit Philadelphia. Heres what happened next for workers. Since Musk left the White House last week, he and Trump have fallen out bitterly, sniping at each other in public over the cost of Trumps sweeping tax legislation and government subsidies for Musks businesses. But even before that, the administration was working to undo some of DOGEs highest-profile actions. Trump officials are trying to recover not only people who were fired, but also thousands of experienced senior staffers who are opting for a voluntary exit as the administration rolls out a second resignation offer. Thousands more staff are returning in fits and starts as a conflicting patchwork of court decisions overturn some of Trumps large-scale firings, especially his Valentines Day dismissal of all probationary workers, those with one or two years of government service and fewer job protections. A federal judge in April ordered the president to reinstate probationary workers dismissed from 20 federal agencies, although a few days later the Supreme Court in a different case halted another judges order to reinstate a smaller group. Some fired federal employees, especially those at retirement age or who have since secured jobs in the private sector, are proving reluctant to return. So the administration is seeking work-arounds and stopgaps, including asking remaining staff to serve in new roles, work overtime or volunteer to fill vacancies, according to interviews with 18 federal workers across eight agencies and messages obtained by The Washington Post. A Post review found recent messy re-hirings at agencies including the Food and Drug Administration, the IRS, the State Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The ever-shifting personnel changes are yet another strain on a workforce already weary of Trump-induced uncertainty, said current and former employees, most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. They wanted to show they were gutting the government, but there was no thought about what parts might be worth keeping, said one FDA staffer who was fired and rehired. Now it feels like it was all just a game to them. READ MORE: Pennsylvania set out to hire federal workers amid the DOGE shake-up. Thousands have applied. A White House official said in an interview that it is no secret Trump arrived in Washington determined to streamline the government. During that downsizing, the official acknowledged, some people were fired who shouldnt have been. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly discuss a complex issue that spans many federal agencies. Each agency has made an appropriate determination as to who should be on the payroll in the respective agency, the official said. If by chance mistakes were made and critical employees were dismissed, each individual agency is working diligently to bring these people back to work to continue the adequate functions of the federal government. In statements, some agencies also admitted to errors, while promising the government is working to fix them. During this process, said an Agriculture Department spokesperson, USDA has been transparent about any mistakes that were made. READ MORE: Elon Musk is putting the DOGE chain saw down, but the damage has been done | Editorial They need some of the expertise The administration has already had to race to undo its own cuts. In February, the Agriculture Department launched a campaign to rehire bird flu response workers after avian influenza sent egg prices soaring. That same month, the Trump administration fired nearly 17 percent of the National Nuclear Security Administrations workforce, temporarily imperiling the safety and security of Americas 5,000 nuclear warheads before hiring them back after an outcry. In recent weeks, other agencies have seen similar patterns. At the start of April, the FDA let go of thousands, including laboratory staff, librarians and those who helped manage the budget. The dismissals hit particularly hard at the Office of Drug Policy, the Office of Regulatory Policy and teams that worked on Freedom of Information Act requests and patent extensions, according to interviews with eight current and former FDA employees. But three weeks later, fired workers began getting calls on their personal cellphones and soon, a message to their personal emails: They were all due back. The Notice of Reduction in Force (RIF) issued to you is officially RESCINDED [and] you will not be separated from employment, read an email sent to terminated staff in May and obtained by The Post. You are expected to return to duty the next business day following your receipt of this notice. One FDA worker said she complied only because she hadnt found other employment yet. Being back feels like a funeral, she said. Morale is terrible. Everyone is stressed and feels the absence of our colleagues. Im looking for another job. At the IRS, managers received a notice on May 19, a Monday, that all probationary workers would be coming back to the office on Friday, according to a copy obtained by The Post. The turnaround was so swift that some probationary staff probably wouldnt have a desk or a laptop initially, the announcement acknowledged: If a seat assignment is not available your employees should begin teleworking until local management secures a seat assignment for them. Asked about the FDAs back-and-forth, a Health and Human Services spokesperson wrote in a statement that any reassignment or restructuring is being done to strengthen outcomes. Our restructuring is delivering leaner and better government services to the American people. The IRS did not respond to requests for comment. At USAID, thousands have been out of work since early this year, when their agency became ground zero for Trump and Musks overhaul of government. But at the start of this month, some ex-USAID officials began hearing from former colleagues about potential new jobs at the State Department, which has assumed responsibility for distributing foreign aid, once USAIDs task. The outreach soon morphed into formal offers, with an application deadline of May 19. One former senior USAID official said she decided to go for it. I was like, well, I definitely dont want to work for this administration, but, yes, I need a job, so put my name down, she said. Why not? I have nothing to lose. Overall, few USAID workers are expected to return. According to documents shared with The Post, less than 200 total positions were advertised, a tiny fraction of the roughly 10,000 people employed by USAID before it was torn apart. Though the Trump administration has cut more than 80 percent of USAID programs, the State Department has taken over the remainder, controlling billions in foreign assistance. A State Department spokesperson, who declined to be named, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved the hiring of a small number of positions in connection with the Department assuming responsibility for limited former USAID programming. Im not risking it again As other agencies grapple with fallout from dismissals and departures, managers are leaning on remaining employees to fill the gaps and in some cases, hiring new workers to replace those who have left. At the National Weather Service, waves of DOGE-led early retirements and probationary firings left some local forecasting offices without enough staff to maintain 24/7 operations, while others lost the ability to launch as many weather balloons, a key forecasting tool. In one Kentucky office, the agency had to stagger shifts ahead of a tornado outbreak to ensure enough meteorologists were working to cover the overnight threat. Last month, as meteorologists and Democrats in Congress warned that staffing cuts could leave the Weather Service unable to fulfill its mission of saving lives and protecting property from extreme weather, the agency sought to make up for the cuts by reassigning staff from across the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Weather Service director Ken Graham, meanwhile, assured employees throughout the spring that the agency was close to securing a public safety exemption to the government-wide hiring freeze. It finally arrived Monday, Graham told Weather Service staff in an email, obtained by The Post, that began: Big news! Fantastic news! The agency will soon post job listings for 126 meteorologist, hydrologist, physical scientist and electronics technician roles, which Graham described as a targeted number of critical positions that would further stabilize front line operations. Together, these hiring authorities and staffing flexibilities will allow us to continue meeting our foundational mission, including issuing timely and accurate forecasts and warnings, he added. The agency confirmed the hiring in a statement and said it was part of a series of steps to address staff losses. At the Department of Housing and Urban Development, some offices saw so many people take Trumps early resignation offer that officials are now seeking to redeploy staff to cover the absences. Community Planning and Development, a HUD department that responds to wildfires and hurricanes and administers billions of dollars in grants, is especially strained. That departments Office of Field Operations has 13 field offices with two or fewer employees left, according to an internal presentation from May 27 obtained by The Post. More than 30 field offices have broader staffing concerns, the presentation showed. Department staff sent a voluntary reassignment offer to employees within Community Planning and Development, where about 40 percent of employees had already resigned. Headcount dropped from 936 employees at the start of Trumps term to 560 by May, according to a staffer who attended the presentation. Officials learned that certain Regions and Field Offices have lost serious staffing capabilities, according to a May 23 message to staff obtained by The Post, which noted the reassignment offers are meant to immediately cover skill gaps and critical functions. Staffers would be required to work in person but will not have moving costs covered, according to the employee. In some cases, supervisors are left with no staff, or staff are left with no supervisors, or offices are left with nobody to keep programs delivered, the email to staff read. A HUD spokesperson wrote in a statement that, given roughly 2,300 employees are taking the opportunity to find a new path, it only makes sense that the department would have a plan in place to ensure that mission critical functions and the highest quality service to rural, tribal and urban communities remain uninterrupted. Within the FDA, the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research is struggling to recover from the loss of too many timekeepers, personnel who handle pay, leave and travel logistics, emails show. A plaintive message sent to the centers staff in early May noted the department is still working on a long-term solution for our timekeeping needs. It asked for volunteers. If folks are willing to be trained as a timekeeper or have prior timekeeping experience (does not need to be recent), the missive said, please respond back to this email to let us know if you are interested. In other agencies, managers are having to fix problems from Trump- or DOGE-driven restructurings. At the Social Security Administrations call center in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, IT workers were told by managers in mid-April that they needed to request a transfer or face possible firing, said Barri Sue Bryant, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2809. Nearly all of the 40-plus workers in that office did so, sending their laptops and spare equipment to the agencys Baltimore headquarters and awaiting a new assignment while the union attempted to explain to leadership how essential these employees were, Bryant said. We are critically understaffed in all of our departments, Bryant wrote in an email to leadership. Having systems and employees down is not contributing to the goals of this agency. But management would soon find out on their own. A specialized scanner that can quickly input forms and scan barcodes broke down and was unusable for a day. A customer service representative who was supposed to answer the 800 number couldnt take calls for three days while her computer was in disrepair. It really sent everyone for a loop, Bryant said. After three days, the agency told the union the decision had been reversed. The employees got back their equipment and resumed their normal jobs in Wilkes-Barre. Asked about the IT workers, Social Security provided an emailed statement from an unnamed official, whom it declined to identify. The statement did not address the reassignments but criticized the fake news media, specifically the Washington Post for pushing a false narrative about Social Security. The truth is that President Trump is protecting and strengthening Social Security just like he promised. Federal workers caught in similar situations described being on an unsettling roller coaster. One USDA safety inspector remembered answering a call from their manager one weekend to learn they were fired for performance, even though they had received positive reviews, according to personnel documents reviewed by The Post. But by Monday the day before the employee was supposed to turn in their badge the manager called back to say the termination was rescinded. In April, when the Trump administration offered early retirement, the employee leaped at it and was soon placed on administrative leave. A few days later, former colleagues reached out: The government was now looking to fill the persons job again. Did they want back in? I was like, yep, nope, Im not risking it again, the employee said. Im gonna try to take the money and try to find something else. WASHINGTON President Donald Trumps administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to pause a court order to reinstate Education Department employees who were fired in mass layoffs as part of his plan to dismantle the agency. The Justice Departments emergency appeal to the high court said U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Boston exceeded his authority last month when he issued a preliminary injunction reversing the layoffs of nearly 1,400 people and putting the broader plan on hold. Advertisement READ MORE: The Department of Education just laid off half its staff. How will that affect local schools? Jouns order has blocked one of the Republican presidents biggest campaign promises and effectively stalled the effort to wind down the department. A federal appeals court refused to put the order on hold while the administration appealed. The judge wrote that the layoffs will likely cripple the department. But Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote on Friday that Joun was substituting his policy preferences for those of the Trump administration. The layoffs help put in the place the policy of streamlining the department and eliminating discretionary functions that, in the administrations view, are better left to the states, Sauer wrote. READ MORE: Federal education department office in Philadelphia is among seven to be shut nationally He also pointed out that the Supreme Court in April voted 5-4 to block Jouns earlier order seeking to keep in place Education Department teacher-training grants. The current case involves two consolidated lawsuits that said Trumps plan amounted to an illegal closure of the Education Department. One suit was filed by the Somerville and Easthampton school districts in Massachusetts along with the American Federation of Teachers and other education groups. The other suit was filed by a coalition of 21 Democratic attorneys general. The suits argued that layoffs left the department unable to carry out responsibilities required by Congress, including duties to support special education, distribute financial aid and enforce civil rights laws. Education Department employees who were targeted by the layoffs have been on paid leave since March, according to a union that represents some of the agencys staff. Jouns order prevents the department from fully terminating them, but none have been allowed to return to work, according to the American Federation of Government Employees Local 252. Without Jouns order, the workers were scheduled to be terminated Monday. The Education Department said Friday it is actively assessing how to reintegrate the employees. A department email sent Friday asked them to share whether they had gained other employment, saying the request was meant to support a smooth and informed return to duty. Trump has made it a priority to shut down the Education Department, though he has acknowledged that only Congress has the authority to do that. In the meantime, Trump issued a March order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to wind it down to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law. Trump later said the departments functions will be parceled to other agencies, suggesting that federal student loans should be managed by the Small Business Administration and programs involving students with disabilities would be absorbed by the Department of Health and Human Services. Those changes have not yet happened. The president argues that the Education Department has been overtaken by liberals and has failed to spur improvements to the nations lagging academic scores. He has promised to return education to the states. Opponents note that K-12 education is already mostly overseen by states and cities. Democrats have blasted the Trump administrations Education Department budget, which seeks a 15% budget cut including a $4.5 billion cut in K-12 funding as part of the agencys downsizing. U.S. Representative Mary Miller (R., Ill.) gives remarks after receiving an endorsement during a Save America Rally with former U.S. President Donald Trump at the Adams County Fairgrounds on June 25, 2022, in Mendon, Ill. Trump will be stumping for Rep. Mary Miller in an Illinois congressional primary and it will be Trump's first rally since the United States Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade on Friday. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images/TNS) Read more After leading the U.S. House in a prayer with an entreaty to God to help people remember that we belong to one family on Friday, a Sikh man from South Jersey was the target of a highly critical social media post by U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (R., Ill.), who found the participation by a non-Christian deeply troubling. In a post thats been deleted, she wrote on X that the man should never have been allowed to lead the prayer, according to Politico. She called for Congress to uphold the truth that America was founded as a Christian nation. Miller initially misidentified the man, Giani Surinder Singh of the South Jersey Sikh Society in Vineland, Cumberland County, as Muslim, according to Politico. Advertisement Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a Republican who represents South Jersey, had invited Singh to lead the prayer before the House had been called to order, part of congressional tradition. Neither Van Drew nor the Sikh Society could be reached for comment Friday afternoon. Singh also could not be reached. After Singh intoned that mankinds purpose is to love one another and create a more peaceful world, Van Drew said on the House floor, Day after day, year after year, he leads not just with words, but with example, with peace, with humility, with service towards all. These are not just Sikh values. They are American values. In a statement to The Inquirer, Harman Singh, executive director of the Sikh Coalition, said Miller should apologize for her bigotry. Such hateful rhetoric is not new to our community; it is as tired as it is unacceptable, Singh said. Despite this kind of bigotry, Sikhs will not be deterred from participating in public or civic life. Congresswoman Miller should apologize for her remarks to both the Sikh and Muslim communities, because no one should be targeted on the basis of their identity. We also urge all of her colleagues to reject this sentiment and reassert their commitment to welcoming and including individuals of all faiths from across our diverse society in the halls of Congress. According to the coalition website, the Sikh faith, known as Sikhism, was founded just over 500 years ago in the Punjab region of South Asia. There are more than 25 million Sikhs around the world, which makes Sikhism the worlds fifth-largest religion. Nelly Jimenez-Arevalo, Immigrant Affairs Director, speaks at the Montgomery County Board Meeting on the topics of the immigrant community and ICE in Norristown, Pa., on Thursday, June 5, 2025. Read more After several adults had addressed the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners on Thursday amid a raft of ICE arrests in Norristown, 10-year-old Antonella approached the lectern. She was too small to reach the microphone, but an advocate from the Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition pulled up a chair so the audience could see and hear her. Advertisement Antonella said her siblings hadnt gone to school because they were afraid of ICE, and she broke out in tears. Im scared my mom would be taken and she would not come home from work, she said through sobs. Please pass a welcoming policy. After she finished speaking, Democratic Commissioner Jamila Winder left her desk at the front of the room to hug Antonella before public comments continued. The young girl, whose last name is being withheld at the request of advocates who accompanied her, was one of about a dozen Montgomery County residents and immigration advocates who spoke at Thursdays board meeting about ICE arrests as activists continue to pressure county officials to take more formal action in support of immigrants. In the last two weeks, ICE agents have arrested nearly 20 immigrants in Norristown, spreading fear as enforcement actions increase nationwide. Norristown, the Montgomery County seat, is 33% Latino, with 18% of its residents born outside the United States. As the county commissioners met in the heart of the municipality, residents reported that ICE agents were again on the streets, and more Norristown Municipal Council members spoke out against the federal presence. Agents were on Arch Street about 9 a.m. and on Powell Street about the same time, Norristown residents said on social media, though those reports could not be independently verified. ICE officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. But the actions in Norristown mirror a national trend as the White House pressures ICE to increase immigration arrests. On Tuesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement set a single-day record for arrests, more than 2,200, NBC News reported. Hundreds of those who were arrested had been enrolled in the agencys Alternative to Detention program, in which migrants who pose no public threat are allowed to live freely, tracked by ankle monitors or other devices and required to make periodic, in-person check-ins with ICE. Now more people are being taken into custody when they show up for what they expect to be a routine office encounter. The actions of ICE are horrific, cruel and unjust, and they are not welcome in Norristown, municipal council member Jasmine Griffen said in a statement Thursday morning. I will continue to stand with everyone facing this extensive, traumatic, unjust and inhumane treatment. You are not alone, and I will loudly and proudly use my voice to fight with you and for you. Griffen was among the speakers at the board meeting Thursday. She asked the commissioners to join her in standing with Norristowns immigrant community. Democratic County Commissioners Neil Makhija and Winder have often spoken in opposition to President Donald Trumps administrations policies on immigration and have said the county will not deputize employees to assist ICE. Several residents thanked them for their support. But a handful asked for more. This is not just about the many undocumented individuals that are taken without due process, said Jay Lee, a representative of the Lansdale-based Woori Center, which advocates for Asian immigrants. This is also about the spread of fear and uncertainty for anyone who came to this country to pursue higher education, people with limited English proficiency, and people whose skin color or cultural or religious practices do not conform with their unclear standards. Advocates have spent months pushing the Montgomery County commissioners to pass a formal welcoming-county ordinance limiting county cooperation with ICE, especially in the jail. That action would not have prevented ICE from taking enforcement action in Norristown, and the Democratic-led board has resisted taking action, citing limits in the commissioners power and concern that it would deliver false hope to immigrant communities. Democratic commissioners have said they are walking a tightrope as they work to protect immigrant communities while also following state and federal law a dynamic that became more complex last week when the county was included by the Department of Homeland Security on a list of sanctuary jurisdictions that could lose federal funding. That list was later removed from the DHS website, and it is unclear if it will be restored and which jurisdictions will remain on it. We are doing what we can with our authority, Makhija said. If a resident is detained without due process, Makhija said, the county would be ready to help. Im not afraid and I know youre not afraid of doing whats best for our residents, and if we need to go to court, theres plenty of precedent. Commissioner Tom DiBello, the sole Republican on the board, struck a different tone as he questioned the federal governments decision to name Montgomery County a sanctuary jurisdiction but stood firmly behind the actions of law enforcement agencies, including ICE. There are people that didnt follow the processes, and theres consequences, he said. The board established an office of immigrant affairs earlier this year, hiring Nelly Jimenez-Arevalo, who had spent a decade leading Norristown-based ACLAMO. Jimenez-Arevalo addressed the board Thursday, outlining her efforts in her first two months in the role, which have focused on a review of the countys existing support for immigrants and external communications with immigrants and the groups that advocate for them. An immigrant from Venezuela, Jimenez-Arevalo acknowledged the fear of ICE especially in Norristown. This kind of terror has no place in our community, she said. My fellow immigrants, I stand with you, whatever your situation is. Increased enforcement in recent days has also brought rallies and protests. Advocates with Make the Road Pennsylvania rallied in Center City Philadelphia on Tuesday to support an asylum-seeker they identified as Edwin, 23, who was taken into custody on Monday. In Chicago, a fracas broke out on Wednesday after federal agents detained at least 10 people who arrived at an ICE office. Activists and government officials arrived as news of the arrests spread, and Alderman Anthony Quezada said agents pushed him to the ground as chaos erupted, Block Club Chicago reported. On Saturday, advocates have planned a Montco Stands With Immigrants rally in Norristown. And the county itself held an Immigrant Heritage Month block party Thursday afternoon. The party, which featured speeches from public officials on the steps of the county courthouse, was organized before the raids, but Jimenez-Arevalo said the county chose to hold the event anyway to take a stand. We are making a clear and powerful statement that we will not be intimidated by anyone, Jimenez-Arevalo said at the weekday celebration. She applauded Makhija and Winder for speaking in support of immigrants at a scary time. They have stood firmly with our immigrant communities even when others chose to remain silent. A seemingly routine vote on Philadelphia City Councilmember Rue Landaus legislation to allow tenants to pay their security deposits in installments went south Thursday when several of her fellow lawmakers abruptly began questioning the bill. The tense public debate in the Democratic-dominated chamber resulted in Landau stopping the vote and placing the bill on hold early Thursday afternoon. Council then adopted an amendment to the legislation Thursday evening, and the bill will be up for final passage next week. Advertisement Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson, who led the surprise interrogation of Landaus bill, said Thursday afternoon she expects it will move forward if it is not applied to the citys smallest landlords. The cutoff could be if they had one or two properties they wouldnt need to deal with the auspices of this legislation, said Gilmore Richardson. Im committed to working with my colleague. I think shes done a stellar job on this, and I want to make sure we get this to the finish line. Gilmore Richardson appeared to get her wish Thursday evening when Council, amid budget negotiations, adopted an amendment that excludes landlords with two or fewer rental units from the security deposits bill. The drama began earlier Thursday when Council President Kenyatta Johnson called the roll for the first of two bills in Landaus Move-in Affordability Plan, which would cap application fees at $50 and require landlords to allow tenants to pay their security deposits in four installments. The bill on application fees was successfully passed by Council. But Gilmore Richardson, who officially abstained from the vote on the security deposit bill, said she was concerned about the impact that the legislation would have on small landlords and requested an exemption for such property owners. After Gilmore Richardson expressed her concerns, a domino effect of chatter cascaded through Council chambers as other members began questioning the bill in the middle of the vote. Landau, a housing attorney by trade, said she is very, very well aware of not only the amount of small landlords we have in the city, and what a great influence they have. They are essential. My bill does not do anything egregious or outrageous. The bill allows landlords to accept security deposit installments from tenants in four installments if a deposit for the first year of tenancy exceeds the price of one months rent, according to the bill. Tenants have the option to either pay the security deposit in one lump sum or in installments with one months rent as a lump sum and the remaining funds paid in three equal installments payments over subsequent months. The total amount of the deposit cannot change regardless of whether the security deposit is paid all at once or in installments. Landaus office said the Move-in Affordability Plan marks the first major shifts in this specific area of rental and housing law in Philadelphia in recent history. Housing policy is a dominant policy issue in City Hall right now, with Mayor Cherelle L. Parkers request for the issuance of $800 million in city bonds for her signature housing initiative the subject of intense debate. Progressives have been advancing their own bills with varying degrees of success. Councilmember Jamie Gauthiers legislation speeding affordable housing through the approval process have passed easily, while the Working Families Partys Nicolas ORourke failed to get several other renter protection bills through committee earlier this week. Before Landaus bill was held, she sought to mount a defense of her initiative and preserve its chances of passage. I want to pass this bill as is today, Landau said, noting that she did not receive requests from landlord advocacy groups to exempt small landlords. Lets watch how it goes. If there is a problem that has caused this, I am fully open to amending it. Gilmore Richardson responded that she sent Landau feedback from a number of groups that the majority leader heard from: While you may not have heard from the advocacy organizations, you did hear from me. I sent you an email, after we verbally spoke, on Saturday, May 31 at 4:39 a.m. Commotion followed Gilmore Richardsons statement. Councilmember Anthony Phillips, who minutes prior voted to support the bill, tried changing his vote to abstain, but once he was notified that he was unable to, switched his vote to no and claimed that he always had lingering concerns about the bill and is excited that its being held. Soon enough, Council members began to circulate within the chamber to discuss the controversy with their colleagues. Landau met with Johnson at the bottom of the dais in chambers and several moments later, lawmakers reconvened and Landau said she would hold the bill until the fall, out of respect for Gilmore Richardson. But after huddling with the majority leader following the council session (which resulted in a hug), Landau told reporters its possible that lawmakers will agree on a different resolution to the security deposit bill. Landau was not without allies in the dust-up. Gauthier, who chairs the housing committee, came to the defense of Landau and the legislation. I think this is a good and common sense legislation that ultimately get landlords what they need while giving tenants just a little more breathing room, said Gauthier. Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. said he was just proud of Council for the lively discussion. Because if all of us agreed on everything, 16 of us arent necessary, he said. Staff Writer Michaelle Bond contributed to the reporting of this story. After two days of nearly around-the-clock negotiations, Philadelphia City Council members on Thursday afternoon gave preliminary approval to a $6.8 billion city budget and almost all of the legislative proposals related to Mayor Cherelle L. Parkers signature housing plan. In the end, lawmakers green-lit wage and business tax cuts proposed by Parker in March as well as the mayors request for $800 million in borrowing authority to support her Housing Opportunities Made Easy, or H.O.M.E., initiative, which aims to create or preserve 30,000 housing units. Advertisement At a time of real uncertainty in our country, this budget makes substantial, bold investments in the programs we need most to make Philadelphia the safest, cleanest and greenest big city in America, Parker said in a statement. Looming over the negotiations were President Donald Trumps repeated threats to cut federal funding to so-called sanctuary cities, including Philadelphia, that decline to assist federal immigration enforcement. Those cuts have not yet materialized, however, and budget negotiations largely proceeded as usual. Council President Kenyatta Johnson had hoped to advance the budget and housing legislation out of committee Wednesday, but he and Parkers team reached an impasse in negotiations over Councils role in overseeing how the bond money got spent. He sent lawmakers home at 1 a.m. Thursday after lengthy closed-door negotiations, called them back hours later for a full day of meetings, and had to employ procedural tricks to ensure the major proposals stayed on track to pass before the start of the next fiscal year July 1. Council will convene again on June 12 for a final vote on the package. The final sticking point was a provision Council added to the H.O.M.E. bond authorization that gave lawmakers additional oversight on how the money is spent. Once that issue was resolved with a compromise version of the oversight language, it became clear that Parker largely got what she wanted from her second budget since she took office last year. Johnson, who also assumed his office last year, stressed that he and Parker worked together on the budget. Were working in partnership with the administration on the H.O.M.E. program, he told reporters Thursday. Its a great accomplishment today in terms of how were going to address the housing crisis here in the city of Philadelphia. Many expected Johnson to insist Parker accept more aggressive cuts to the business income and receipts tax. But he said Thursday that Parkers plan which involves modest cuts at first, but an unusual 13-year schedule of reductions that will take effect without additional action from future Councils was a step in the right direction. The tax cuts that we have put forward, working in partnership with the mayor, are codified, he said, so it definitely signals that the city of Philadelphia is open for business. Parker was eager to dismiss the notion that the administration walked away from the budget negotiation table with more than Council, saying nothing frustrates me more than when people try to drive a wedge between the citys legislative and executive branches. Parker said she failed to get Council to agree to some of her goals, and that negotiations were not kumbaya at all times. It wasnt an us-versus-them, or an I won, or a he won, she said. If anyone tells you that Mayor Cherelle Parker got everything she wanted out of this budget process, I know they werent anywhere near it. Council oversight at issue The negotiation logjam broke Thursday afternoon when the Finance Committee approved an amendment to the housing bond authorization bill that included a compromise version of a provision ensuring Councils oversight of bond spending. Council had initially proposed the creation of a project review team consisting of two legislative appointees and one administration appointee that would review any changes to how Parkers administration plans to distribute the bond proceeds in the coming year. After the amendments, the project review team will have two mayoral appointees and two Council appointees who will deliberate on any changes to annual H.O.M.E. funding that come to less than 10% of the spend. If an alteration to the H.O.M.E bonds annual budget spending affects more than 10%, Council would have to approve the change with legislation. Lawmakers will also be apprised of how each Council district will be affected by H.O.M.E-related spending on a quarterly basis. Parkers team also notched a big win in negotiations when it got Council to include language that will allow 1,000 parcels of city-owned land to be fast-tracked for development. That means legislation will not be needed to approve the sale of these properties a requirement that slows down the disposition of land and sometimes removes tracts from consideration entirely. Rapid-fire votes The three committees that advanced the legislation Thursday did so with rapid-fire voice votes, making it difficult to hear if any individual members voted against the bills. Council will take a final roll-call vote on all the proposals at its next meeting, putting all members on record. On Thursday, Councilmember Kendra Brooks said she was voting against all tax and budget legislation this year. Brooks does not sit on the committee that approved the H.O.M.E. bond authorization. She issued a joint statement with fellow Working Families Party Councilmember Nicolas ORourke, who was absent Thursday, saying the closed-door negotiations led to a budget that fails to address critical needs in our communities and ignores the dire consequences of federal cuts, pointing to a lack of new funding for reproductive healthcare, mobile mental health crisis teams, and other issues. Councilmembers Jamie Gauthier and Rue Landau, progressive Democrats often aligned with Brooks and ORourke, applauded the passage of the housing plan and, surprisingly, voted in favor of the wage and business tax cuts. As leaders of City Councils Housing Committee, we look forward to working with Council President Johnson, Mayor Parker, and our colleagues to build and preserve safe, stable, and affordable housing especially for those most burdened by this crisis," they said in a joint statement. Tax cut timeline enshrined One of the biggest surprises of the final budget deal is that Parkers original schedule of cuts to the wage tax and the business income and receipts tax, or BIRT, were adopted without amendments. The local chambers of commerce lobbied intensely over the last year for a rapid and substantial reduction in the BIRT, which includes two taxes: one on business gross receipts, or total revenue collected in Philadelphia, and another on net income, or profits. Parkers plan will lower the gross receipts rate from 0.1415% to 0.141% next year, and it includes a series of annual cuts until the levy is fully eliminated in 2039. Her plan lowers the net income tax from 5.81% to 5.71% next year, before eventually coming down to 2.8% in 2039. READ MORE: Why Mayor Cherelle Parker is asking Council to approve a tax cut that will take effect in 2038 Parkers wage tax cut schedule is five years, with the rate for city residents falling from 3.75% to 3.74% next year before reaching 3.7% in 2029. The rate for people who live outside Philly but commute into the city will go from 3.44% to 3.43% next year, and will fall to 3.39% by 2029. Parkers multiyear tax cut schedule was not unprecedented, but it was unusually long for BIRT. The mayor has said the lengthy timeline was needed to signal to businesses that they could invest in the city in the long run. But it also allows her to tout the passage of significant tax cuts while preserving revenue during her administration. About half of the scheduled reductions including the most substantial ones will come after Parker leaves office if she serves two four-year terms. While the tax cuts are designed to provide relief for companies operating in Philadelphia, Council on Thursday also advanced a Parker bill that is likely to cause major headaches, especially for small businesses. READ MORE: Why a popular tax break that helped Philadelphias small businesses may be going away The bill will eliminate a tax break that allows businesses to exempt their first $100,000 in revenue from taxation under BIRT. That exemption, which took effect a decade ago, has allowed tens of thousands of businesses to forgo filing and paying the complicated tax. But after a Massachusetts-based medical device manufacturer sued the city last year, claiming the tax break violates the Pennsylvania constitution, the city Law Department determined the plaintiffs would likely prevail in court. Parker then begrudgingly asked Council to eliminate the exemption while proposing that the city spend $30 million the amount of revenue expected to be gained due to the loss of the tax break on relief programs, including grants and technical assistance. Landau said the exemption factored into her decision to vote for the tax cuts. I have heard firsthand how impactful removing the BIRT exemption will be which is why its important to make sure were doing everything we can to mitigate the impact of losing this exemption, she said in a statement. Council added an additional $17 million over two years to help businesses make the transition. The tax cut debate was at the center of tense behind-the-scenes drama within Council. Councilmembers Isaiah Thomas and Katherine Gilmore Richardson two members of Johnsons leadership team who have championed recent tax cut proposals aggressively advocated for Johnson to make deeper cuts a top priority, Thomas said. Meanwhile, Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. said its likely that Trumps threats to cut federal aid played a role in Parker and Johnson deciding not to go further. Theres a lot of uncertainty at the federal level, and we need every bit of revenue until we see how the winds of change coming from Washington affect us, he said. I think that whenever you go through this type of budgetary process and everybodys a little bit angry, its probably a good budget. Staff writer Fallon Roth contributed to this article. Reflecting on his tenure, Tse added: It has been the greatest honour of my professional life to serve AIA, both as an executive and as the first independent non-executive chairman. Throughout more than six decades with AIA, I have benefited from the support of outstanding colleagues, and I would like to thank all of them, past and present, for their unwavering support and dedication. The volatile geopolitical landscape has also reshaped cyber risk. Lezzi pointed to Russias shift in focus toward internal infrastructure following the Ukraine invasion, which temporarily reduced Western-targeted attacks. Meanwhile, tensions between China and Taiwan present an evolving challenge. But perhaps the most structurally concerning threat is systemic risk: large-scale cyber events that could affect vast swaths of the global economy. Beazley has invested heavily in this area, including the launch of one of the industrys first cyber catastrophe (cat) bonds. We work closely with claims advocates at the coal face who are still seeing an alarming volume of biased and poor-quality expert reports, he said. The problem is systemic and deeply rooted in the way insurers engage, oversee, and influence the experts they appoint. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On June 5, MINIEYE announced a significant partnership with Changan Automobile, having secured a production program for main models under the automaker's self-owned new energy vehicle brand. As the designated supplier for this project, MINIEYE will provide advanced driver-assistance domain controllers capable of supporting a comprehensive range of driving scenariosincluding highway, urban, and parking environmentsensuring enhanced safety and convenience for drivers and passengers alike. Photo credit: MINIEYE The company has already developed a versatile matrix of solutions tailored to different China-made chip platforms, offering flexibility to automakers across a wide spectrum of vehicle types, pricing tiers, and levels of intelligent functionality. This production contract builds on the strategic collaboration initiated in 2022 between MINIEYE and Changan Automobile around the automaker's SDA architecture. The latest milestone marks a deepening of that partnership, reflecting a high degree of strategic alignment between the two companies. MINIEYE said being awarded another production contract by Changan Automobile is a strong endorsement of the company's R&D capabilities, product reliability, engineering execution, and mass-production delivery competence. The deal is expected to further boost MINIEYE's brand visibility and influence across the automotive technology sector, while injecting strong momentum into its market expansion efforts. Looking ahead, MINIEYE aims to leverage its efficient R&D system and large-scale delivery expertise to accelerate product iteration and solution innovation. The company also plans to broaden its collaboration with Changan Automobile across additional vehicle lines and work with more industry partners to shape a safer, smarter, and more comfortable mobility ecosystem for global users. Earlier this year, MINIEYE made notable strides, including the announcement in March that it had received multiple nomination letters to supply Driver Monitoring System (DMS) and Occupant Monitoring System (OMS) cockpit solutions for a global automaker's joint venture and premium brands. Federal Life Insurance Co. offers a range of life and health insurance, as well as annuity products. It currently holds a Bests financial strength rating of A- (Excellent), indicating a strong financial position to support its new endeavors. Federal Life Group Inc., the holding company for Federal Life Insurance Co., announced in 2023 its intention to cease reporting current information to the OTC Market, citing anticipated financially meaningful savings. Founded in 1920, J.M. Wilson operates six offices across the US. The company offers a wide range of products, including personal lines and surety, with a particular focus on transportation insurance. J.M. Wilsons reputation in the transportation sector is supported by its historical underwriting profitability and longstanding relationships with carriers. It generated approximately $19 million in operating revenue for the 12 months ended Jan. 31, 2025. Meanwhile, Shaffer said the decision to partner with Monarch followed a period of evaluation and that the company viewed Monarch as a good fit due to its understanding of the independent MGA model and recognition of Market Finders history. He added that the expanded resources and market access would allow the firm to offer a wider range of options to agents while maintaining its existing service approach. This post is part of a series sponsored by IAT Insurance Group. Cargo theft reached an all-time high in 2024 up 26% from 2023, with total reported losses of $455 million. The average estimated value per theft rose 7.7% to $202,364. Increasingly, these thefts result from a growing tactic known as strategic cargo theft a method in which criminals use stolen identities of motor carriers and logistics brokers to misdirect and steal freight. This theft has surged nationwide, particularly in hotspots like California, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas, with incidents rising by a staggering 430% year over year. CNBC conducted a six-month investigation into the crime, uncovering how increasingly sophisticated cargo theft rings are targeting Americas supply chain to steal entire truckloads carrying consumer goods, food, beverages, and electronics with near impunity. Fleet owners and operators should take proactive measures to safeguard cargo before a loss and be prepared to act quickly if a theft occurs. Top Tactics for Strategic Cargo Theft Diligence is essential to protect cargo from increasingly sophisticated heists, which can manifest in different ways from phishing and online scams to full-blown identity theft. Understanding common cargo theft tactics will help drivers, carriers, and shippers implement effective risk management strategies to reduce the likelihood of loss. One common tactic involves perpetrators impersonating a freight broker or carrier to secure a shipment from a customer. They then arrange for an unsuspecting driver or carrier to transport and deliver the freight. The thieves often use industry-specific jargon, instruct drivers not to disclose delivery details to the shipper, and may even tender cash upon delivery to add a layer of legitimacy. Once the legitimate carrier has picked up the load, the thieves attempt to redirect it to a warehouse for quick transloading and product movement. When the shipment fails to arrive at its destination, the customer investigates only to discover they might have contracted with a fraudulent broker or carrier. The innocent driver, who unknowingly followed false instructions, is often left bearing the blame and gets penalized. In other cases, thieves will create a fake brokerage to secure load contracts, then hire a third-party carrier to transport the shipment. After receiving payment from the customer, they disappear, leaving the actual carrier unpaid. Additional forms of strategic cargo theft include double brokering and consignee impersonation. In double brokering, a broker contracts a legitimate carrier to transport freight but secretly rebrokers the load to another party without the shippers consent, keeping the payment and leaving the actual carrier uncompensated. In consignee impersonation, scammers use phishing and cyberattacks to alter recipient details and intercept shipments in transit. Effective Strategies for Strategic Cargo Theft Prevention Shielding your digital data from malicious actors is imperative to prevent cargo theft. Here are four best practices to help reduce your risk: 1. Safeguard and Verify your Information Leverage your own experiences and insights from colleagues and professional networks as proactive defenses against cargo scams. For example, if an unfamiliar person claims to represent one of your shippers, brokers, or carriers, verify their identity with a trusted contact before moving forward. Pay close attention to details like email addresses, phone numbers, physical addresses, logos, and names. Even minor discrepancies can signal a scam and lead to substantial losses. As a shipper or receiver, its essential to track every incoming and outgoing truck. Document the motor carrier number, drivers license, bill of lading, carrier name, and more. Whenever possible, use video surveillance or take photos to maintain records. While this level of scrutiny requires effort, it significantly deters bad actors targeting your valuable cargo. 2. Screen New Partnerships Like with personal relationships, ongoing security relies on working with trusted partners. Longstanding relationships with vetted carriers and brokers ensure that your interests are understood and prioritized. When evaluating new partners, perform thorough due diligence. Use references, professional networks, and tools like the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and Carrier411 to vet providers and protect your operation. 3. Maintain a Healthy Level of Skepticism Stay cautious when reviewing offers from carriers, brokers, or shippers. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. While pricing can vary, trucking costs like fuel, vehicle maintenance, and driver pay are generally stable. Be skeptical of unusually low rates or overly generous pay, and investigate the reasoning behind such offers before committing. 4. Ensure Information Security Protocols are in Place Although fundamental, these cybersecurity best practices remain essential in the fight against modern scams, including cargo theft: Keep passwords confidential. Share them only with trusted individuals, update them regularly, and close unused accounts. Avoid clicking on links from unknown sources. Encourage employees to hover over hyperlinks and check the browser status bar before clicking. Do not respond to unsolicited emails, especially those impersonating legitimate companies. Traditional Cargo Theft Trends and Best Practices While strategic cargo theft has surged in recent years, traditional cargo theft remains prevalent. In 2024, 46% of all cargo theft occurred in California, Texas, and Illinois. The most targeted locations were warehouse/distribution centers and truck stops, with top commodities including food, beverages, and consumer household goods. Best practices for drivers and carriers to reduce the risk include: Include cargo security in your pre-trip inspection. Be strategic with parking: back trailers against buildings, fences, or other trailers; park in well-lit, high-traffic areas; and look for surveillance cameras. Do not discuss your load or route with anyone who doesnt need to know. If you suspect youre being followed, slow down and let the vehicle pass. If that fails, exit at a safe location. Contact law enforcement if suspicion remains. Try to drive several hours after pick-up before making any stops, reducing the chance of being targeted. Use theft-deterrent devices to secure and track your freight. If the vehicle must be left unattended, lock it, take the keys, and return quickly. Upon return, scan the area for suspicious people or vehicles and adjust accordingly. Follow all company policies and procedures related to cargo security. Should a theft occur, promptly file a report with law enforcement, notify all relevant stakeholders, and collaborate with your broker or insurer to initiate the claims process. By following these protocols, you can effectively address and mitigate the impacts of cargo theft. IAT Insurance Vendor Partnerships to Prevent Cargo Theft IAT Insurance has added two new partners to its Loss Control vendor list, offering cargo theft prevention products at preferred pricing for IAT policyholders: Enforcer Locks : Offering a range of heavy-duty security products, including padlocks, trailer door bar locks, air cuff locks, and trailer kingpin locks. : Offering a range of heavy-duty security products, including padlocks, trailer door bar locks, air cuff locks, and trailer kingpin locks. 7P Solutions: Specializing in covert GPS cargo tracking and trailer geo-fencing technology. For more information, please contact the IAT Insurance Loss Control department. ASK A LOSS CONTROL REPRESENTATIVE Have a question on how to mitigate risk? Email losscontroldirect@iatinsurance.com INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE? IAT Loss Control Specialist Jared Fritts and SVP of Commercial Truck Pete Matthews talk more about strategic cargo theft on IATs podcast, Whats Brewing. Tune in here. By Jared Fritts Topics Fraud Trucking A group of four men broke into a historic New York lighthouse along the Hudson River, set a fire and vandalized the interior, destroying valuable antiques, furniture and other items. The Tarrytown Lighthouse in Sleepy Hollow, built in 1883 and now on the National Register of Historic Places, had just undergone a two-year, $3.4 million renovation and reopened to the public last fall, Westchester County officials said. A county parks worker saw smoke coming from the conical, five-story lighthouse on Saturday morning, then discovered the damage, county police said. Police and firefighters responded and put out a small fire with extinguishers. The flooring on the first level was heavily damaged. Antiques, furniture and other historically significant items were destroyed. Thirty-five books dating to the 1800s and early 1900s were strewn on the floor and damaged. Multiple windows were broken. County officials say there is at least $100,000 in damage, and they expect that number to increase when an assessment is complete. The Tarrytown Lighthouse is one of our Countys most iconic and cherished landmarks, County Executive Ken Jenkins said in a statement. This was a truly despicable act, and we will do everything we can to identify those responsible and bring them to justice. County police have posted surveillance photos on their Facebook page showing four young men near the lighthouse and are asking for the publics help in identifying them. No arrests have been made. As part of the renovation, interior and exterior sections were restored and repainted. Windows were replaced and the structure stabilized. Repairs were made to the cast iron exterior and masonry. Wood floors were repaired and restored. The fire burned nearly all the way through the wooden first floor, said Peter Tartaglia, first deputy commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation. Its disturbing what happened, he said in a phone interview Wednesday. But well get it fixed. Well get it back. It was historically reconstructed and its a wonderful piece of history. Its iconic in Westchester County to see that on the Hudson River. The 60-foot-tall (18-meter-tall) lighthouse, owned by the county, opened in 1883 to guide ships past dangerous shoals along that stretch of the river, according to the parks department. Its lantern could cast a beam of light visible for 10 miles (16 kilometers), and it had a bell that could warn mariners during foggy conditions, the department said. During its 74 years of operation, 14 lighthouse keepers lived in the structure, some with their families. It was rendered obsolete when the former Tappan Zee Bridge was completed in 1955 and taken out of service in 1961, officials said. Its located about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Manhattan in a park in the village of Sleepy Hollow, made famous in Washington Irvings 1820 tale about the Headless Horseman. Its one of seven Hudson River lighthouses that remain. The arson and vandalism comes a little more than a month after a barge pushed by a tugboat struck the historic Hudson-Athens Lighthouse, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) upriver from Tarrytown. The April 29 crash severely damaged the dock of the 151-year-old lighthouse, which advocates have been trying to save from crumbling into the river. Associated Press writer Michael Hill in Albany, New York, contributed to this report. Photo: The Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse at Kingsland Point Park sits on the Hudson River at sunset, July 26, 2017, in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File) Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Russian flag carrier Aeroflot expects to sign settlement deals with Western insurers and leasing firms on the last 36 planes from a total of 228 aircraft it agreed to buy, Aeroflot head Sergei Aleksandrovski told Russian newspaper Kommersant. Aircraft leasing firms, such as AerCap and BOC Aviation have struck settlements with Russia totaling at least $2.7 billion for over a quarter of the roughly 400 aircraft stuck in the country since Moscows invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Only 36 aircraft remain, which are currently in the active phase of insurance settlement. Essentially, these are the last planes (needed to be settled) owned by fully fledged foreign lessors, he said in an interview published late on Thursday. Aeroflot expects that the agreements on the 36 planes could be finalized between May and July this year, Aleksandrovski added. As part of previous deals, international lessors have handed ownership of the planes to a Russian state insurance company, NSK, which used state budgetary funds to buy them and transfer them to Russian airlines. Aleksandrovski said government money would not be used for these 36 planes, but did not disclose the value of the deal. The settlement will be paid from Aeroflots own and borrowed funds. (Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov; editing by Alexander Marrow and David Evans) Related: AM Best has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating to A (Excellent) from A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) of Midwest Insurance Company (Springfield, Illinois), West River Insurance Company (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) and Brickyard Insurance Company (Fort Wayne, Indiana), collectively known as Midwest Insurance Group (Midwest). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) has been revised to stable from positive. The ratings reflect Midwests balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM). Midwests balance sheet strength is supported by its strongest risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). AM Best said the groups capital position reflects consistent operating performance and a diversified, well-managed investment portfolio that provides a steady stream of net investment income, which coupled with historically strong favorable reserve development, liquidity and cash flow metrics supports the very strong balance sheet assessment. The groups operating performance has been upgraded to strong from adequate. This assessment is supported by sustained profitability in the groups underwriting results combined with increasing levels of investment income. Midwests operating performance compares very favorably with the workers compensation composite on a five-year and 10-year basis contributing to strong, organic growth in surplus. Additionally, return-on-revenue and return-on-equity metrics have outpaced the composite over the past five years. Midwest maintains modest business concentration risk, operating as a monoline workers compensation insurer focusing on small- to medium-sized agency partners. As a monoline workers compensation insurer, its limited business profile leaves it susceptible to competitive pressures in certain jurisdictions, as well as potential legislative, regulatory or judicial changes. This concern is mitigated partly by the groups strategy to ensure responsiveness to its local agency base. Source: AM Best Topics AM Best R & G Endeavors, Inc., a fast-food franchisee doing business as Culvers Restaurants of Cottage Grove, will pay $261,000 and furnish other relief to settle two cases brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), one involving race, sex and sexual orientation-based harassment in the workplace and another involving disability harassment and pay discrimination, the federal agency announced today. According to the EEOCs lawsuits, multiple workers endured harassment and discrimination at Culvers Restaurants of Cottage Grove, Minnesota. Managers and other employees subjected a gay and African American employee to racial and homophobic slurs, including calling him the n-word and the f-slur frequently. They also commented on his body and sex life, among other offensive conduct. A class of female employees also faced sex harassment at Culvers, including unwelcome touching, stalker-like behavior, sexual propositions, unwelcome pet names and creepy gifts from adult employees targeting teenage girls. The EEOC alleged in a second suit that Culvers Restaurants of Cottage Grove also subjected a worker with an intellectual disability to harassment through frequent name-calling, derogatory language, unfair discipline and hostility, as well as underpaying him compared to other employees. The company failed to address the hostile work environment and discrimination even after receiving complaints, the EEOC alleged. Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits workplace harassment based on an individuals race, sex, or sexual orientation, and violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits harassment and discrimination based on a persons disability. The EEOC filed the lawsuits in May 2023 (EEOC v. R&G Endeavors, Inc. d/b/a Culvers of Cottage Grove, Case Nos. 23-cv-1501 (Title VII) and 23-cv-1506 (ADA)) in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota after first attempting to reach pre-litigation settlements through its administrative conciliation process. The cases were resolved by consent decrees, which include monetary relief totaling $186,000 for the aggrieved individuals in the Title VII case and $75,000 for the injured individual in the ADA case, as well as targeted equitable relief, such as notice to employees of the lawsuits; reporting future complaints to the EEOC; policy changes; and regular trainings for both management and non-management employees. Source: EEOC Topics Minnesota Reddit Inc. sued artificial intelligence firm Anthropic, saying it has used the social media companys content without permission to train its AI models. The lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday in San Francisco Superior Court, alleges that Anthropic attempted to access Reddit data more than 100,000 times since last July. Reddit said this unauthorized commercial use of its content has breached its rules and exploited users personal data without their consent. An Anthropic spokesperson said the company disagrees with Reddits claims and will defend ourselves vigorously, The AI firm, which was started by a group of ex-OpenAI employees, has taken a public position of being more oriented toward safety and responsibility than some of its competitors. Reddit, a San Francisco-based social media platform, called Anthropics emphasis on trust and honesty empty marketing gimmicks. The AI startup bills itself as the white knight of the AI industry, yet it is anything but, Reddit said in the lawsuit. We believe in an open internet that doesnt mean open for commercial exploitation, Ben Lee, Reddits chief legal officer, said in an email. We will not tolerate profit-seeking entities like Anthropic commercially exploiting Reddit content for billions of dollars without any return for redditors or respect for their privacy. In an interview, Lee said Reddit held several conversations with Anthropic in an effort to reach a licensing agreement, as it has with other AI companies such as OpenAI and Alphabet Inc.s Google. Lee said he was optimistic about reaching a deal until recently and views the lawsuit as the companys final option to force Anthropic back to the bargaining table. Reddit would prefer to reach an agreement outside of court, Lee said, as the legal process could be lengthy. This suit is among a flurry of high-profile complaints against AI companies, including Meta Platforms Inc. and OpenAI, over claims of unauthorized use of copyrighted material to train their generative AI models. In March, a New York federal judge ruled that a copyright infringement suit brought by the New York Times and other newspapers can move forward against OpenAI and Microsoft over alleged unauthorized use of news articles to train chatbots and other AI tools. The newspapers are seeking billions of dollars in damages as compensation for unlawful use of their copyrighted content. The case is Reddit Inc. v. Anthropic PBC, CGC-25-625892, California Superior Court, San Francisco County. Photo: Reddit Inc. has reached AI licensing agreements with Anthropic competitors OpenAI and Alphabet Inc.s Google. Photographer: Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. Topics Lawsuits InsurTech Data Driven Artificial Intelligence One of the things I love about the insurance business is that anyoneregardless of where they startcan build a meaningful, lifelong career. I am proof of that. In our industry, your ability to reach your potential is a function of your curiosity, your work ethic and your willingness to learn and grow. Recently, as I was writing a book chronicling Crum & Forsters (C&Fs) 200-year journey, I reflected not only on how much our industry has evolved, but also on how much opportunity still lies ahead. C&Fs history highlighted just how important it is to attract and develop the next generation of talent: people who are curious, focused and eager to lead the industry into the future. I am looking forward to sharing more of these reflections at the 2025 Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) Global Conference in New York. For now, here are a few thoughts on how the future of work in insurance is taking shape. Insurance is a Great Career Choice Preparing the next generation of leaders is one of our greatest responsibilities. To develop future leaders, first we have to attract the best and brightest into our business. Insurance has always had a reputation for being boring. One take-away from C&Fs 200-year history is that insurance is a tough business, but it is not boring. Since most young people are not considering insurance as a career when they graduate high school, the industry has developed extensive self-study programs. While these programs were developed in self-defense, it is interesting that they make the industry accessible to anyone and allow people to chart their own educational paths. Beyond book learning, we need to provide clear pathways for growthand a big part of that involves real-world experiences. The most interesting careers are built on the dynamic tension created as progressive levels of experience and training meet increasingly challenging assignments over many years. The good news is that there is always a new challenge to tackle. Even so, young professionals often have a hard time seeing a clear path from the front lines to the C-Suite, while senior leaders may not always have visibility into who is ready to take the next step. At C&F, I encourage people at all levels to rise above the crowd by developing an interesting And Plangetting involved over and above their day jobs. One example is our Brand Ambassador program. The Brand Ambassadors come from all over the company. They learn about C&Fs extensive product suite, and they work on advanced networking skills. Then we send them out to represent C&F at industry events and on local boards, including through organizations like the IICF. It is a win-win, employees build confidence and leadership skills, and the C&F story reaches a new audience. Decentralization Creates Opportunity How do we create Great Place to Work energy? Our goal is to make sure that our people have the opportunity to build a meaningful career path at C&F. One of C&Fs key structural features is our decentralized business unit structure. The idea is to move from a supply push model, where the leader dictates the agenda, to a demand pull approach, where teams are accountable for solving problems and driving results. Decentralization puts decision-making power with the people closest to our customers. Our colleagues in the field know their clients needs better than anyone. They are also in the best position to identify how innovations like AI can streamline workflows and improve service. Because we trust our teams and give them real ownership, engagement and retention go up. People are inspired when they see the impact their decisions make, which gives them confidence to take their career to the next level. Building a Strong Hybrid Work Culture There is an active debate right now about the future of the hybrid workplace. As much as I am a creature of the office, my perspective is that hybrid work structures are the way of the future. So how do we extend our culture in the hybrid world? It comes down to intentionality. We are deliberate about creating opportunities for connection. We have an event-driven hybrid culture. We spend some of the savings from our reduced office footprint on meaningful employee experiences: large team gatherings, cross-functional networking opportunities and partner appreciation events. We get people together who would never actually have met in-person in the old days. The events are intense and designed to build relationships while fostering a sense of belonging in a short timeframe. We also designate high-density office days which create a snowball effect where more people show up because they know the office will be packed. Our quarterly new employee onboarding events are a great example. Bringing new hires from across the country together with colleagues and leaders helps them feel part of something bigger right from day one. Cultivating Philanthropy We should all be proud that the insurance industrys core product provides a social good. We also believe in giving back to the communities where we live and work. Beyond corporate giving, I believe in empowering employees to lead grassroots efforts by encouraging them to choose causes they are passionate about and getting involved in their communities. We have an employee-led committee that drives our charitable giving and volunteerism, selecting the organizations we support and rallying colleagues to get involved. Initiatives like the IICFs Month of Giving unite thousands of insurance professionals in service and offer a powerful reminder of what we can accomplish together. Engage and Prosper What do you see as the future of insurance? I hope you will join the conversation. One lesson I learned from exploring our companys 200-year history, it is that we are stronger when we work togethersharing ideas, supporting one another and building a brighter future for our industry. A digital copy of Marc Adees book, The Once and Future C&F, can be accessed at https://www.cfins.com/c&fbook. Topics Trends The U.S. Supreme Court made it easier on Thursday for people from majority backgrounds such as white or straight individuals to pursue claims alleging workplace reverse discrimination, reviving an Ohio womans lawsuit claiming she was illegally denied a promotion and demoted because she is heterosexual. The justices, in a 9-0 ruling authored by liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, threw out a lower courts decision rejecting a civil rights lawsuit by the plaintiff, Marlean Ames, against her employer, Ohios Department of Youth Services. Ames said she had a gay supervisor when she was passed over for a promotion in favor of a gay woman and demoted, with a pay cut, in favor of a gay man. Reverse discrimination lawsuits are increasing in the United States amid a backlash by conservatives and Republicans including President Donald Trump against initiatives in the public and private sectors to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the workforce. The Ames case centered on how plaintiffs like her must try to prove a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, national origin and sex including sexual orientation. Related: Supreme Court Signals Backing for Straight Womans Bias Suit Thursdays ruling will affect how cases are handled by courts in certain parts of the country where plaintiffs from majority groups must provide more evidence than minority plaintiffs to make an initial or prima facie claim of discrimination under a 1973 Supreme Court ruling that governs the multi-step process employed to resolve such cases. These courts include the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled against Ames. They require majority-group plaintiffs to show background circumstances indicating that a defendant accused of workplace bias is that unusual employer who discriminates against the majority. Jackson, writing for the Supreme Court, said that both the language of Title VII and the courts precedents make clear that there can be no distinctions between majority-group and minority-group plaintiffs. By establishing the same protections for every individual without regard to that individuals membership in a minority or majority group Congress left no room for courts to impose special requirements on majority-group plaintiffs alone, Jackson wrote. Ames, 61, sued in 2020 seeking monetary damages. She argued that she was discriminated against in her departments 2019 employment decisions because she is heterosexual in violation of Title VII and that she was more qualified than the two gay people given the job positions instead of her. I was straight and pushed aside for them, Ames told Reuters in February. We are overjoyed that the court saw the case our way, Edward Gilbert, an attorney for Ames, said after Thursdays ruling. The 6th Circuit said Ames could not satisfy the background circumstances requirement by showing that a gay person made the employment decisions in favor of gay people. The two people who had authority in those personnel decisions, the 6th Circuit noted, were straight. Republican Ohio Attorney General Dave Yosts office had defended the employment actions concerning Ames as part of a Department of Youth Services restructuring and said department leaders felt she lacked the vision and leadership skills needed for the newly created job for which she applied. Department spokesperson Dominic Binkley said Ohio agrees that litigants should not be held to differing standards, but emphasized that lower courts must now address Ohios remaining arguments in the case. We look forward to fully pressing those arguments as the case moves forward because the Ohio Department of Youth Services did not engage in unlawful discrimination, Binkley said. Workplace Diversity Policies On his first day back in office in January, Trump ordered the dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion policies in federal agencies and encouraged private companies to follow suit. Conservative groups including America First Legal, which has filed numerous legal actions claiming anti-white and anti-male bias, had urged the Supreme Court to rule in favor of Ames. The NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund and other civil rights groups told the Supreme Court in a legal filing that Ames was asking the justices to interpret Title VII in a way that ignores the realities of this countrys persisting legacy of discrimination in evaluating disparate-treatment claims. These groups said the background circumstances inquiry lets courts account for the reality of historical and present-day discrimination against certain minority groups like Black and/or LGBTQ people, and the virtual absence of widespread discrimination targeting certain majority groups like white people and straight people. Topics Lawsuits USA Mattel Inc. and its Fisher-Price unit have settled lawsuits alleging their recalled Rock n Play baby sleeper was so defectively designed that it led to the deaths of infants. The agreement, disclosed in a Delaware court filing last week, resolves lawsuits over six death cases and four allegations the faulty design of the Rock n Play product led to babies suffering flattened heads when they rolled against the products side, said Michael Trunk, an attorney representing victims who settled their cases. He declined to provide financial terms. Among the cases settled was a suit filed by Ameena Brown over the death of her son, identified in court filings only as AB. Jury selection in her case was slated to start Thursday in Delaware. There are at least four other such cases pending in Delaware Superior Court. A representative of Mattel declined to comment. Mattel acquired Fisher Price in 1993 in a deal valued at $1 billion. Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor who teaches about product-liability law, called the settlement a positive step, but said the company should have done more to ensure that this product was safe for infant use before it put it on the market in the first place. Product Recall Mattel started selling the Rock n Play Sleeper in October 2009. Over the next 14 years, the product was tied to around 100 deaths, according to court filings in Delaware. Mattel and Fisher-Price pulled it off the market in 2019 and offered refunds for 4.7 million sleepers. It reiterated its recall in 2023. Earlier this year, Mattel agreed to settle investors claims that it hid the sleepers risks in a $17 million deal. As part of the accord, the company agreed to make changes to the way directors and executives handle safety issues. That followed Mattels agreement to pay $19 million to Rock n Play purchasers as part of a class-action settlement in federal court in Buffalo, New York. A judge approved that deal in March. In Browns case, her lawyers alleged in their complaint that Rock n Plays inclined design forced children to tilt their heads to one side, thereby increasing the risk of neck and head injuries, asphyxiation, suffocation, and death. Brown found her infant son dead in the sleeper which she got as a second-hand gift in 2018 after hed rolled over on his side and pressed his face against the soft-padded side, the filing said. Hed been born prematurely the year before his demise. The conclusion of these cases marks an important milestone for the families as they move forward from litigation and begin a new chapter, Trunk said in an emailed statement. Hes a partner in the Philadelphia-based law firm of Kline & Specter PC. Fisher-Price employees warned the company in internal memos three times in 2008 and 2009 that safety research was needed before bringing the Rock n Play to market, a US House of Representatives committee investigation found. The committee found no such checks were done. In response to the Houses report, Fisher-Price officials said they formed a medical council of pediatricians to focus more on the safety of their products. Mattel officials argued in their court filings that Brown failed to use the Rock n Plays restraints when she put her son in it despite a warning sewn on the product and that medical examiners attributed his death to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome rather than the sleeper. Mattel also said the childs health issues may have played a role in his death. The Delaware case is Brown v Fisher-Price, No. N-20C-01-067, Delaware Superior Court (Wilmington). Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. Topics Lawsuits One in three workers now describe themselves as optimistic about retirement and believe they will retire on schedule, according to a new report. The State Street Global Advisors 2025 Global Retirement Reality Report shows both of those optimistic responses as rising from around one in five in 2023. An Irish-based engineer who has been imprisoned in Iraq for four years has been released, it has been confirmed tonight. Robert Pether was arrested and detained on April 7, 2021, on fraud charges arising from a contractual dispute involving his employer over the building of a new Central Bank building in Iraq. Mr Pether, an Australian national who was living with his family in Elphin, Co Roscommon, was arrested alongside an Egyptian colleague after being called to a meeting in Baghdad to discuss the project which they had worked on for four years. Mr Pether's family had warned in recent times of his declining health due to lack of access to adequate health services and doctors. His release from jail was confirmed this evening by Tanaiste Simon Harris. However, Mr Pether has only been released on bail and will remain in Iraq for the time being. Mr Harris said it is very welcome news in a long and distressing saga for Mr Pether's wife Desree, his three children, and his wider family and friends. "Foreign Minister Hussein of Iraq, whom I spoke to last month to urge Roberts release, called me this evening with the news," the foreign affairs minister said in a statement. I was informed that Robert has been released on bail and for the moment he remains in Iraq, but I welcomed this as a first step to his being allowed to return to his family in Roscommon. Mr Harris has spoken with Desree about the development in Mr Pether's case and said there are still concerns surrounding his health and the outstanding charges. He said he is hopeful of a positive resolution in the case and took the opportunity to thank Irish diplomatic officials in the region for their continued work on Mr Pether's case. English teachers have criticised the inclusion of an unwise and unfair short story question that appeared on this years Junior Cycle exam paper this week. Many students reported their surprise at the question on the higher-level paper, which asked students to outline how a setting has a vital influence on a short story they studied. The Irish National Organisation for Teachers of English (INOTE) said it noted with dismay the question exclusively on short stories. Students will have encountered short stories during their three-year study, and the study of short stories is required by the English specification, it added. However, practically in the classroom, short stories are rarely studied in the deep analytical way required of the exam paper. Short stories are often read for enjoyment or as "stepping stones" to studying longer fiction texts, rather than for detailed narrative analysis, INOTE added. "Additionally, and sensibly, most students would instead have concentrated on their two studied novels, their studied Shakespeare play, their studied film and the array of poems they would have prepared for the exam." It would have been much fairer to pose a question about how the setting was used in a short story or a novel read by students, it added. "Narrowing the focus to short stories exclusively will have disadvantaged a significant number of students, something we absolutely reject as useful in a Junior Cycle exam." INOTE said it has felt disappointed every year with some of the questions asked in the Junior Cycle English exam, which are "either much too narrow in focus or much too ambitious in scope to allow meaningful student engagement." "Our students deserve the time and opportunity to showcase their learning rather than being punished by an exam that sometimes seems, whether intentionally or not, designed to catch them out," it added. A spokesman for the State Examinations Commission (SEC) it has been assured the exam, including the short story question, was "fully within the scope of the specification and in keeping with the aims, objectives and learning outcomes for Junior Cycle English." He added that commentary and correspondence on the examinations from students, parents, teachers, professional bodies, and other interested parties is a normal part of the examination process. "Such observations regarding test instruments are an intrinsic part of the feedback that we would expect to receive in any year. All observations received in relation to a subject are reviewed by the Chief Examiner in the context of preparing the marking scheme for that subject." The marking scheme will be published, as will the marking schemes in all other subjects, after the issue of the Junior Cycle results, he added. A man who has admitted to being a suspect in the investigation into Michael Gaines murder in Kerry has lodged a complaint to the Garda Ombudsman's office. Michael Kelley lodged the complaint with Fiosru, formerly known as the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc), about two weeks ago. According to a source, his complaint centres around interviews that took place between him and investigating gardai last month. In a newspaper interview, the 56-year-old American who lived on Mr Gaine's farm for three years openly criticised detectives. Mr Kelley was arrested on May 18 after human tissue belonging to Mr Gaine was found at his farm near Molls Gap, Co Kerry. A large queue outside Finnegans Funeral Home in Kenmare on Friday, as mourners gather to pay their respects to the late Michael Gaine. Picture: Dan Linehan Although he was questioned at length in Killarney Garda Station, he was released without charge, but has since confirmed he was a suspect. He denies any involvement in Mr Gaines death. A local farm contractor, who has carried out work for the Gaine family for years, had been spreading slurry when the machinery jammed and human tissue was found. The farm was sealed off and officially declared a murder scene. The last sighting of Michael Gaine buying phone credit in Centra in Kenmare on March 20. After an extensive search, Mr Gaines dismembered body was found in one of his two slurry tanks on May 18. The complaint to the Ombudsman comes as Mr Gaines funeral is to be held at Holy Cross Church from 10.30am on Saturday. Afterwards, his old rally car restored by friends will take part in a procession around Kenmare after his funeral. Members of the Killarney and District Motor Club, who restored a Ford Escort Mk2 Mr Gaine once raced in, have organised the procession. At the head of it will be the car, with an urn of ashes, going on a lap of the town accompanied by other rally drivers from around the country. Initially, Mr Gaines disappearance on March 20 was treated by gardai as a missing person's case, but was later upgraded to a murder probe. A 12-year-old boy lost his balance after slipping in a puddle close to the edge of the Cliffs of Moher before falling to his death, an inquest has heard. In testimony at Clare Coroners Court into the death of Zhihan Zhao on July 23, 2024, French tourist Marion Tourgon described seeing Zhihan fall over the edge at around 1.45pm on the day. Zhihan had set out on walking the Cliffs of Moher trail from the southern side towards the visitor centre with his mother, Xianhong Huang, and her friends. The two Chinese nationals had arrived in Ireland only 12 days previously. Ms Huang said Zhihan was walking ahead of her on the trail and she lost sight of him. Speaking through an interpreter at the inquest in Kilrush, Ms Huang asked: What exactly caused Zhihan to fall from the cliffs? Clare county coroner Isobel O'Dea told Ms Huang the evidence of Ms Tourgon would help answer that question. Ms Tourgon said she was at the edge of the cliffs with her husband and two children at around 1.45pm. They were taking a selfie when she saw a young Asian boy, who was alone, come into view. I saw him slipping in the puddle that appears in the photo that my husband sent to the police," Ms Tourgon said. His right foot slipped into the puddle with him trying to stop himself from falling with his left foot, but his left foot ended up in the air It was very quick. He found himself in an awkward position with his left foot in a void over the cliff and his right knee on the edge of the cliff. "His right knee eventually fell into the void over the cliff, and he was trying to grasp the grass with his hands to pull himself up. He didnt shout and there was no noise. She said that it is the only the few of us who saw him falling. One path The Tourgons alerted the emergency services by phone. Ms Huang asked: Did he slip? In reply, Insp Helen Costello told her: It appears from the witness that he slipped into the void having stumbled in the puddle. In her deposition, Ms Huang said she started out from Nagles carpark in Liscannor with Zhihan and friends of hers. My son walked very fast and was ahead of us by 50m. As there was only one path, I thought we would meet him along the way. When I didnt, I walked to the visitor centre and I checked the visitor centre." When she couldnt find her son, she walked back along the path to search for her son and after not finding him, she reported him missing. She said she last saw Zhihan at 1pm that day. She said Zhihan was a fluent English speaker. Sgt Claire McGuigan said Ms Huang was able to provide a photo of Zhihan she had taken taken earlier on the trail. Garda Colm Collins said he received a call that day at 2pm after a boy was seen falling off the cliff edge. He said the Irish Coast Guard spotted a body floating in the water at the base of the Cliffs of Moher. A lifeboat was launched, but it was not able to access the site where the body was spotted due to the sea conditions. Autopsy Zhihans body would not be recovered for another five days. Fisherman Matthew OHalloran, from Corofin, spotted a body in the water between Doolin and the Aran Islands shortly after 10am on July 28. He alerted the coastguard at Valentia and members of the Doolin unit retrieved Zhihans body from the waters and brought it ashore. Ms ODea said the autopsy found Zhihan died from multiple traumatic injuries consistent with a fall from a height. Ms ODea said her verdict was one of accidental death. It is clear from evidence we heard that Zhihan slipped off the cliffs rather than any other way. His death would have been very quick, instantaneous." Ms ODea told Ms Huang: I cant imagine how upsetting this is for you." The two embraced as Ms Huang left the Coroners Court. Ms ODea also extended her sympathies to Zhihans father, who was not present. On August 22, the Clare Local Development Company closed off large sections of part of the Cliffs of Moher trail and it remains closed off today due to continuing safety concerns. In May 2024, a student in her early 20s from Belgium died after she fell from the Cliffs of Moher. Vacant council homes should be made available to move into within 12 weeks, a Cork TD has said as he hit out at the levels of vacancy across the county. Figures released to Cork North Central Sinn Fein TD Thomas Gould show that nearly 800 council homes in Ireland have been vacant for over a year. Some 150 houses are currently vacant in Cork county with 36 empty for longer than 12 months. In the city, 99 homes have been vacant for longer than two years. Mr Gould said that his party would next week bring a Dail motion calling on the Government to grant resources to local authority housing departments in a bid to make these houses ready within 12 weeks. "This is a scandal where we're in the middle of the worst housing crisis in the history of the State, and what we are trying to do is bring forward solutions," Mr Gould said. This in itself won't solve the housing crisis, but what it would do is release thousands of homes that would help to house people who are homeless, but also take people out of the rental market "This will have a domino positive effect from homeless services to social housing to renters," he added. Mr Gould said changes were needed to allow local authorities, rather than waiting for the Department of Housing to give the go-ahead, to be able to work returning homes all year long, and "not just waiting for once or twice a year for the Government to give sanction". 'Proper procedure' "We think that makes sense, and what we can't understand is we've been talking about this for years and Fianna Fail and Fine Gael haven't put a proper procedure in place to get these houses turned around." Mr Gould said that boarded-up houses have "devastating effects" in communities where families are "coming out every day looking at them". "They're magnets for anti-social behaviour, magnets for dumping," he said. They just drag down the whole environment of really good communities, and it's about time now the government stepped up Mr Gould, the partys spokesman on urban regeneration and renewal, planning, public realm, and local government, said there are thousands of homes that have been boarded up for three to four years, with some homes lying empty for eight years. Limerick, Wicklow, Tipperary, and Louth have council homes boarded up for the longest time periods, while Donegal, Cork City and Limerick have the highest levels of vacant stock. Why are local authorities boarding up houses? When a family moves out [and] if that house is [in] a decent condition, lets put a family straight in. Lets not board it up. Lets put people in there. Instead, its being boarded up, waiting for the Department of Housing to give money in 12 months time, and then taking another six months for procurement to do it up," he added. We want to get every house returned within 12 weeks. We think 12 gives time for local authorities to repair the house and get them out again." Mr Gould said that while the average cost of repairs was 28,000, local authorities are only given 11,000 to do the works. This, he said, created a reluctance to carry out the work quickly. The other week, one of our clients in Tropical Popical (who happens to be a TD) was assigned the moniker Nailson Mandela for daring to use their nails as a platform to protest against the genocide that Israel continues to ravage upon Gaza. Whilst the label is a genius sardonic victory for sure, the underlying snideness behind it is clearly rooted in a misogyny that dismisses any female-led form of art or protest as frivolous, inferior and even distasteful. Sinead Gibney is currently a Social Democrats TD and was previously the Chief Commissioner and the inaugural Director of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. Nobody could argue that she isnt extremely well versed and capable of utilising her channels to speak about the injustices that are taking place in the world. So why then would her statement of solidarity and support for Palestine be reduced to a cheap blow simply because one of the ways she communicates it is in the form of nail art? Repeal nails. Picture: Andrea Horan Nails are often used as a form of protest; for making political statements and as a platform to communicate social issues. Weve had HIV activists sitting in our chairs getting the U=U message on their nails; Pride nails; anti-war nails; Repeal nails; trans rights nails and many supporting Palestine. Yet once again, when something is a female-led art form it is mocked and derided. Badges, flags, murals - all ok. Nails? Frivolous and distasteful. Nail art and manicures have emerged as a powerful form of silent protest and expression, particularly in times of conflict or social unrest. Individuals use nail polish and designs to convey messages, express solidarity, and uplift their spirits amidst difficult circumstances. This trend is evident in Kim Barkers recent New York Times feature story from Ukraine, where manicures have become both an act of defiance and a way for women to maintain a sense of normalcy and resilience during the war. During the Repeal campaign, the Guardian reported: "Nail bars may not be considered a hub of political activism but at Tropical Popical in Dublin, a wave of socially conscious beauty is spreading. One minute were talking about pink glitter, the next were discussing womens reproductive rights. Repeal nails. Picture: Andrea Horan Like any political symbolism, nails provide a jumping off point to open conversations and build community around complex concepts that may feel too big to approach without a supportive prompt. The whole reason the Hunreal Issues - a campaign that aimed to make political issues relatable and accessible to a broader audience, particularly women, by removing elitism and snobbiness - was set up was to bring the message of Repeal to young women in spaces where they were naturally and authentically comfortable - the worlds of fashion, beauty, pop culture and music. Precisely because for so long these spaces were seen as frivolous, this cohort of women were being left out of the conversations that concerned them. You have to meet people where they are without patronising those interests. And its rare that mens interests face the same ire. Art has always been used as protest. When you try and separate art out into its different credible forms and exclude some formats like nail art, we are led back to the age old question what is art? and who gets to decide that anyway. For centuries, traditionally female forms of art like weaving, embroidery, pottery, etc have been deemed simply 'craft' and not lofty enough to be included in galleries or to just be considered art. This proposition formed a lot of the work we did for an exhibition in the National Gallery of Ireland when we explored how, traditionally, female art formats were deemed less artistically valid and yes, frivolous. Andrea Horan: 'Art has always been used as protest. When you try and separate art out into its different credible forms and exclude some formats like nail art, we are led back to the age old question what is art? and who gets to decide that anyway.' An opinion piece in this very publication mocked the use of nail art in the gallery to explore and highlight cultural phenomena such as the rich landscape of Irish fashion designers we have like Simone Rocha, Colin Horgan and Richard Malone; Therese Rafters fine art photography and Jill & Gills screen printing and wearable art as well as a mini Caravaggio recreation on the smallest canvas - a nail! - by saying that its inclusion opened the doors to ideas like Love Island in the Louvre. Groups like Guerilla Girls, an anonymous New York-based group of feminist, female artists devoted to fighting sexism and racism within the art world and beyond have been protesting and using guerilla exhibiting tactics to highlight the lack of representation of female artists in museums and galleries around the world with popular works including Do women have to be naked to get into the Met Museum, 1989. Unfortunately, until attitudes change and the snideness towards female art forms and interests is gone, they wont be quitting their endeavours anytime soon. The speedy completion of a long-mooted greenway in Munster that has cost nearly 16m and seen little of its planned 32km route completed could now actually depend on the fate of a cow shed. This is because a landowner who owns land through which the South Kerry Greenway runs plans to sue Kerry County Council over a repeatedly broken promise to compensate her for her loss of the building. It has become a focal point for anger among a growing number of landowners, annoyed about the way they say they have been treated. They complain of officials walking around their land unannounced and work being carried out without their consent or in some cases even consultation. While the council recently blamed "engineering challenges" for delays to a project that was first formally announced in 2011, it is the interaction between it and landowners that remains an issue. Local councillor Johnny Healy-Rae believes the decision by the council to issue compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) to landowners "changed everything". "It set the whole project back, I would say, by 10 years," he said. "Up to that point, everyone got on fine. "Don't forget, this is the same area of Kerry where there are sections of the Kerry Way one of Ireland's longest and most popular signposted walking trails. "That is some 200km-long, and to my knowledge, nobody had to have a CPO served on them to gain access to their lands." The South Kerry Greenway is among the first greenways in Ireland where CPOs have been used, he said. As feelings are running high among landowners, Department of Transport figures given to the Irish Examiner this week show costs are also rising. These reveal the council has so far received 15.9m for this greenway, and a further 7.1m has been allocated to it for 2025. How much of this has gone on legal fees is an estimate at this point but action involving Clara Leahy, who is a widow, and the council shows no sign of abating. Landowners Clara Leahy and Jimmy Sheahan: 'What put the tin hat on it for me was when they took Clara to court. That really changed my attitude towards the council,' Mr Sheahan says. Matters came to a head last month when the council took her to court and was awarded an order to seize some of her land just off the N70 Ring of Kerry at Coolnaharragill Lower between Kells and Glenbeigh, which she inherited in 2010. It is where she lives with her two children and where she has a gifts and grocery shop, a cafe, a small agri store, and an assortment of cattle, goats, and sheep. The court action is a far cry from 2011, when Ms Leahy and other landowners attended a meeting chaired by the South Kerry Development Partnership. Then, they were told the greenway could be delivered within a three-year timescale. According to a booklet printed for the meeting and seen by the Irish Examiner, landowners were told: It is proposed to obtain permissive access through land along the route, and landowners "will maintain ownership of the land. As to liability for claims from users of the greenway, the body said a scheme to cover any public liability insurance issues" would be arranged. It also said any accommodation works would be developed in consultation with the land owner, and it stated the aim was to achieve consent from all landowners. As to whether or not a CPO process would be initiated if 100% consent was not achieved, the body said: If consent is not achieved from landowners an alternative route will be investigated. This, however, is at odds with the experience of landowners who have been the subject of CPOs. A strip amounting to less than an acre of Ms Leahys land was, for example, the subject of a CPO in 2018. The land subject to the order affected access to her cow shed her late husband Mike Breen had built. It also, among other things, covered land over water pipes from her back yard for the cow shed and other pipes into an external septic tank. Ms Leahy had, however, agreed not to object to the CPO in exchange for various promises from the council, which it in turn agreed. These included assurances, outlined in documents signed by a senior council official and seen by the Irish Examiner, that her cow shed would either be replaced, or she would be paid its then estimated 20,000 value in advance of the council coming onto her land, as the shed would become inaccessible once work started. It also agreed to make accommodations to resolve any issues related to the septic tank, the soak pit, and associated piping. The agreement, which reaffirmed her "right to be compensated", was contingent on the council serving a Notice to Treat, which is necessary to initiate a CPO process. This was served in April 2022 but it was around then, as new officials started handling her case, that she says relations between herself and the council deteriorated. Officials told her, for example, they were going to enforce the 2018 CPO, while also not giving her any indication they were going to honour the original agreement. A Notice of Entry was served on her in May 2023, prompting Ms Leahy to place large concrete blocks across an access point to her land. In last months court case, the council told the judge: The construction and completion of the South Kerry Greenway will continue to be impeded and delayed if full access was not granted to her land. In the resulting order, it was declared the council was entitled to sole and exclusive possession of land that was the subject of the 2018 CPO. Ms Leahy is planning to appeal this on the grounds the council has, she says, broken the 2018 agreement. She also believes the order against her is based on incorrect and incomplete information she says she has repeatedly tried and failed to get clarification around. There are some glaring errors, including reference to the council owning my home, which was pretty disturbing news to me, she said. The judge may well have, in effect, reaffirmed a CPO made in 2018, but I only agreed to that CPO on the basis of an agreement between me and the council at the time. They have broken the terms of that agreement and have repeatedly made amendments to it that I am not happy with. The dispute, which has been brewing for years, draws renewed focus on a project that has yet to see the light of day despite the millions being spent on it. The greenway only finally got the official planning go-ahead in February 2022. This was after the Supreme Court rejected two applications to appeal a decision of the High Court in 2021 to reject challenges by 83-year-old environmental litigant Peter Sweetman and Kerry farmer James Clifford. They had claimed planning permission contravened EU directives on Environmental Impact Assessment and Habitats and not enough was being done to protect the Kerry slug and the lesser horseshoe bat. Ms Leahy is not alone in her anger about the way she has been treated by council officials. Landowner Jimmy Sheahan on his land near Glenbeigh: 'It isnt just about compensation, but it is also the lack of respect for landowners and the council appearing to pretty much do whatever it wants.' A 45-acre chunk of Jimmy Sheahans 68-acre farm has been split in two by the greenway, and his access is via three separate crossing points. Added up, the land makes up about three acres in total. Like Ms Leahy and other landowners, he is a supporter of the greenway and thinks it is a great thing, but it is the way it has been handled by council officials that has turned him against it. He said: The whole thing has been grievously upsetting. The greenway is a great thing but it is the way we, as landowners, have been treated and rode roughshod over by officials that is the upsetting bit. They claim there is full dialogue and engagement, and there isnt. What put the tin hat on it for me was when they took Clara to court. That really changed my attitude towards the council. It isnt just about compensation, but it is also the lack of respect for landowners and the council appearing to pretty much do whatever it wants." Horse trainer Phil Keating, who lives in nearby Kells, agrees. Like Mr Sheahan, who farms both sheep and cattle, she is concerned about the impact of the expected greenway crowds on her animals. I have around 10 cattle at any one time and about 20 horses, she said. Some of the horses come to me because they have a few issues with their temperament that need to be sorted out, and I do that. But my school yard for the horses is right by the greenway. I will have to move my school hard because animals are easily spooked by strangers, and this is a factor the council dont seem too obviously keen to grasp. I hope people realise that when they are walking on the greenway, whenever it eventually opens, that they are walking on land that the council took from landowners. We are all reasonable people and I cannot stress enough, we are not against the greenway but the disrespect shown to us by Kerry County Council has galvanised a large section of the community against it." While her agreement clearly stated Ms Leahy would be compensated for the loss of access to her shed in advance of work being carried out, work has already started and she has lost access to her cow shed. Had the council paid Ms Leahy what they promised for her cow shed its market value in 2018 that might have been the end of the matter. However, since then, stringent new legislation around the construction and use of cattle sheds means the cost of replacing her existing shed which was built before the legislation came in is now in the region of 100,000. Little wonder that costs are rising on a project Johnny Healy-Rae, who had voted against the use of CPOs against landowners on the greenway, now believes will not be completed until "at least" 2029. A Kerry County Council spokesperson said: "(We) cannot comment on individual cases. "However, the development of the South Kerry Greenway is (compliant) with all relevant legislation. "There are 133 landowners and many agreements have been reached to date. "When compensation is agreed, the conveyancing process progresses immediately. "Kerry County Council (is) continuously engaging with landowners in relation to reaching agreement on accommodation works and compensation through engagement (and) negotiation. "In the majority of cases, this is a straightforward process. "Kerry County Council has the necessary insurances in place for all construction works," the spokesperson added. In 2016 Alan Hawe murdered his wife Clodagh and their three children. The subsequent garda investigation was found to be deficient in a number of respects. Clodaghs sister Jacqueline and their mother Mary pushed for a proper investigation. That was conducted but never published. Jacqueline, who wrote her memoir Deadly Silence on the case, believes it should be published in order to prevent any similar tragedies occurring in the future. Jacqueline is this weeks guest on the podcast. Cork City Council has given the green light for a new large-scale residential development in Douglas. Developer Barrys Field Ltd sought planning permission in January to construct 124 homes located on the Carrigaline Road and Churchyard Lane in Douglas. The development will consist of a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, as well as a new cafe and two new office units. The development will range from between one and five storeys in height and include all associated site works such as footpaths, car and bicycle parking, drainage, bicycle and bin stores, lighting, fencing, landscaping/amenity areas, ESB substation/switchroom and plant room. Planned works also include two new uncontrolled pedestrian crossings and footpath improvements on Churchyard Lane, which requires the removal of six existing on-street car parking spaces. The proposed development works will also see the connection and construction of a new stormwater and foul sewer along Carrigaline Road. Access to the site will be via a new vehicle access point, a new pedestrian connection from Carrigaline Road and two new pedestrian connections onto Churchyard Lane. The new vehicular access will also require the removal of four existing car spaces. Cork City Council approved the plans despite a number of objections from local residents and businesses. Popular pub and restaurant, Barry's of Douglas, wrote in a submission to the council that the development would exacerbate current parking problems in the area, given the planned removal of some spaces, which would also negatively impact customers in need of taxis home. In addition, the business warned that additional residents may bring a rise in complaints and objections, which could "adversely impact or long-established business." It also raised privacy concerns arising from the development and called both the height and scale of it excessive. Additional objections submitted by residents raised concerns about increased traffic congestion, a lack of parking, and the adverse impact the development may have on local amenities. Over the course of many years of studies, psychologists have proved beyond doubt that greater happiness and satisfaction is derived from spending money on experiences, rather than objects. Its a concept worth considering as Fathers Day approaches. In the busy world we live in today, making space and time to create special memories with family is the one true luxury left. And the best thing about giving an experiential gift is that you can share in the experience too. But what experience to choose? In the realm of classic dad-appropriate gifts, the ultimate expression of the Fathers Day present is whiskey. It certainly beats another pair of socks. But, thinking beyond the bottle, go one step further and book him in for a tour or tasting experience at the famed Midleton Distillery Experience in Co Cork. Its the perfect blend (whiskey pun intended) of gifting something he will love, with an experience you can share. Science says so. Thousands of satisfied sippers who pass through the doors every year would agree; the Midleton Distillery Experience is a hugely popular destination with good reason. Its home to iconic brands the Midleton Distillery Experience is home to Irelands best-loved whiskey brands, including Jameson, Redbreast, Midleton Very Rare, Powers, the Spot Whiskeys, Method and Madness, and Knappogue Castle and is steeped in history. This year marks 200 years since the founding of the Old Midleton Distillery, where production took place from 1825 to 1975; it now houses the visitor experience, while the 15-acre site is also home to anew working distillery. From immersive guided tours to premium whiskey tastings, cask sampling to cocktail classes, the Midleton Distillery Experience offers something for every whiskey enthusiast, whether you want to deep dive into the lore of the storied brands and buildings, or head straight for a tasting and savour the flavours. Getting up close to the source and understanding the journey of your whiskey from field to cask to bottle brings the alchemy of whiskey to life. Prestige pours A whiskey tasting experience at the Midleton Distillery Experience promises that you will arrive as an appreciator and leave as an expert. Knowledgeable whiskey ambassadors share their expertise and guide you through the flavour profiles of a selection of premium whiskeys, specially chosen to create an enjoyable as well as educational moment. When you next raise a glass to your nose to take in the subtle aromas, before that first delicious fiery sip, your newfound knowledge will add layers of depth, understanding and appreciation. The newly launched Redbreast Whiskey Tasting is our star pick from the menu of possibilities on offer. This indulgent encounter is led by an expert craft ambassador to ensure you can discern the tasting notes and delight in the evolution of the flavour like a true connoisseur. In the Redbreast Birdhouse tasting room, guests sample four exquisite whiskeys from the Redbreast family, the worlds most-awarded Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, and finish with a Redbreast Old Fashioned cocktail, served in the Signature Bar. The premium whiskey is a top shelf favourite the world over. The recently revamped cafe, bar and shop are free to access. Expert guidance On a guided tour, a seasoned chaperone will lead you through the impressively-designed experience, exploring the preserved distillery interior, and explaining the history and process as you view fascinating old kilns, mills and distilling equipment. Youll come to face-to-face with the largest pot still in the world and stroll through the restored 19th-century warehouse where cask barrels sit in atmospheric stores, full of their liquid gold, as it mellows and ages to perfection. Youll learn all about the process of crafting each pot still whiskey, with a meticulous blend of malted and unmalted barley, sourced from farms in the Munster region surrounding the distillery and mixed with pristine water from the Dungourney river, which flows through the lush green hills of neighbouring Clonmult. Getting up close to the source and understanding the journey of your whiskey from field to cask to bottle brings the alchemy of whiskey to life. Depending on the intensity of your whiskey obsession, choose from the 75-minute Midleton Distillery Experience Tour, finishing with a guided tasting of three whiskeys; level up to the two-hour Behind the Scenes tour with exclusive access to the Distillers Cottage, home to the Irish Distillers Archive; or go all out with the 2 hours 45 minutes Distillers Apprentice tour, an in-depth experience with exclusive access to the production facility and a sampling of whiskey straight from the cask. If that whets the taste buds for more, the Discover Academy is the ultimate full-day experience, to deep dive into whiskey production from grain to glass. The informative immersion brings the craft to life in an interactive and sensory way with practical experiments, a visit to the production site and cask sampling. Booking ahead for tours and tasting experiences is strongly recommended. However, the recently revamped cafe, bar, and shop are free to access simply drop in and soak up the atmosphere. Take time out and enjoy a celebratory drink or a relaxing bite to eat. With everything from immersive experiences to premium shopping and dining all in one place, Midleton Distillery Experience truly has everything you need for the perfect Fathers Day outing. Of course, you cant just bring Dad all that way just to look at whiskey and not send him home with a bottle. A visit to the stunning distillery gift shop is a must, where you can explore a curated selection of premium whiskeys. From June 8th to 15th enjoy complimentary bottle personalisation on selected whiskeys over 100 the ideal way to make your Fathers Day gift even more remarkable, leaving him with a cherished memento of a very special day out. Favourite child status guaranteed. Midleton Distillery Experience is open seven days a week, with tours and tastings running daily. Book online at midletondistilleryexperience.com President Donald Trump has threatened to cut Elon Musks government contracts as their fractured alliance rapidly escalated into a public feud, with Mr Trump suggesting he would use the US government to hurt his fellow billionaire financially. Mr Musk claimed that Mr Trumps administration has not released all the records related to sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein because Mr Trump is mentioned in them. The tech entrepreneur even shared a post on social media calling for Mr Trumps impeachment and skewered the presidents signature tariffs, predicting a recession this year. The messy blow-up between the president of the United States and the worlds richest man played out on their respective social media platforms after Mr Trump was asked during a White House meeting with Germanys new leader about Mr Musks criticism of his spending bill. Mr Trump had largely remained silent as Mr Musk stewed over the last few days on his social media platform X, condemning the presidents so-called Big Beautiful Bill. But Mr Trump clapped back on Thursday in the Oval Office, saying he was very disappointed in Musk. Mr Musk responded on social media in real time. Mr Trump, who was supposed to be spending Thursday discussing an end to the Russia-Ukraine war with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, ratcheted up the stakes when he turned to his own social media network, Truth Social, and threatened to use the US government to hurt Mr Musks bottom line by going after contracts held by his internet company Starlink and rocket company SpaceX. The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts, Mr Trump wrote on his social media network. Go ahead, make my day, Mr Musk quickly replied on X. Hours later, Mr Musk announced SpaceX would begin decommissioning the spacecraft it used to carry astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station for Nasa. False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it! https://t.co/V4ztekqd4g Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Mr Musk also said, without offering evidence of how he might know the information, that Mr Trump was in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! The deepening rift unfurled much like their relationship started rapidly, intensely and very publicly. And it quickly hit Mr Musk financially. After Mr Trump started criticising Mr Musk, shares of his electric vehicle company Tesla plunged more than 14%, knocking about $150bn off Teslas market valuation. Mr Musk lost about $20bn on his personal holding of Tesla. The shares doubled in the weeks after Mr Trump was elected, gave back those gains and more during Mr Musks time at the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) and then rallied after he vowed in April to focus much more on Tesla and his other companies. Mr Musk later offered up an especially stinging insult to a president sensitive about his standing among voters: Without me, Trump would have lost the election. Such ingratitude, Mr Musk said in a follow-up post. Politicians and their donor patrons rarely see eye to eye. But the magnitude of Mr Musks support for Mr Trump, spending at least $250m backing his campaign, and the scope of free rein the president gave him to slash and delve into the government with Doge is eclipsed only by the speed of their falling out. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House (Evan Vucci/AP) Mr Musk announced his support for Mr Trump shortly after the then-candidate was nearly assassinated on stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last July. News of Mr Musks political action committee in support of Mr Trumps election came days later. Mr Musk soon became a close adviser and frequent companion, memorably leaping in the air behind Mr Trump on stage at a rally in October. Once Mr Trump was elected, the tech billionaire stood behind him as he took the oath of office, flew with him on Air Force One for weekend stays at Mr Trumps Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, slept in the White Houses Lincoln Bedroom at the presidents invitation and joined his cabinet meetings wearing a MAGA hat (sometimes more than one). Ill be honest, I think he missed the place, Mr Trump said on Thursday. He got out there, and all of a sudden he wasnt in this beautiful Oval Office. Mr Musk bid farewell to Mr Trump last week in a subdued news conference in the Oval Office, where he sported a black eye that he said came from his young son but that seemed to be a metaphor for his messy time in government service. Mr Trump, who rarely misses an opportunity to zing his critics on appearance, brought it up on Thursday. Elon Musk attends a news conference with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday in Washington (Evan Vucci/AP) I said, Do you want a little makeup? Well get you a little makeup. Which is interesting, Mr Trump said. The Republican presidents comments came as Mr Musk has stewed for days on social media about Mr Trumps Big Beautiful Bill, warning that it will increase the federal deficit. Mr Musk has called the bill a disgusting abomination. He hasnt said bad about me personally, but Im sure that will be next, Mr Trump said on Thursday in the Oval Office. But Im very disappointed in Elon. Ive helped Elon a lot. Observers had long wondered if the friendship between the two brash billionaires known for lobbing insults online would flame out in spectacular fashion. It did, in less than a year. Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I dont know if we will anymore, Mr Trump said. President Donald Trump with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House (Evan Vucci/AP) The president said some people who leave his administration miss it so badly and actually become hostile. Its sort of Trump derangement syndrome, I guess they call it, he said. He brushed aside the billionaires efforts to get him elected last year, including a one million dollar-a-day voter sweepstakes in Pennsylvania. The surge of cash Mr Musk showed he was willing to spend seemed to set him up as a highly coveted ally for Republicans going forward, but his split with Mr Trump, the partys leader, raises questions about whether they or any others will see such a campaign windfall in the future. Mr Trump said Mr Musk, the chief executive and founder of Tesla, only developed a problem with the bill because it rolls back tax credits for electric vehicles. False, Mr Musk fired back on his social media platform as the president continued speaking. This bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it! In another post, he said Mr Trump could keep the spending cuts but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill. Elon Musk speaks during a news conference with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday (Evan Vucci/AP) The bill would unleash trillions of dollars in tax cuts and slash spending but also spike deficits by 2.4 trillion dollars over a decade and leave some 10.9 million more people without health insurance, according to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office, which for decades has served as the official scorekeeper of legislation in Congress. Besides Mr Musk being disturbed by the electric vehicle tax credits, Mr Trump said another point of contention was Mr Musks promotion of Jared Isaacman to run Nasa. Mr Trump withdrew Mr Isaacmans nomination over the weekend, days after Mr Musk left his government role. I didnt think it was appropriate, Mr Trump said, calling Mr Isaacman totally a Democrat. Mr Musk, reverting to his main form of political activity before he joined forces with Mr Trump, continued slinging his responses on social media. He shared some posts Mr Trump made over a decade ago criticising Republicans for their spending, musings made when he, too, was just a billionaire lobbing his thoughts on social media. Where is the man who wrote these words? Mr Musk wrote. Was he replaced by a body double!? The mayor of Kyiv said a Russian missile and drone attack has killed at least four people and injured 20 others in the capital, amid a wider attack across Ukraine. Vitali Klitschko said search and rescue operations are under way at several locations in the city. Multiple explosions were heard in Kyiv, where falling debris sparked fires across several districts as air defence systems attempted to intercept incoming targets, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Administration. The capital say several people killed in the strike (AP) Our air defence crews are doing everything possible. But we must protect one another stay safe, Mr Tkachenko wrote on Telegram. Authorities reported damage in several districts, and rescue workers are responding at multiple locations. They urged residents to seek shelter. In Solomyanskyi district, a fire broke out on the 11th floor of a 16-storey residential building. Residents were urged to take shelter during the strike (AP) Emergency services evacuated three people from the apartment, and rescue operations are ongoing. Another fire broke out in a metal warehouse. Mr Tkachenko said the metro tracks between two stations in Kyiv were damaged in the attack, but no fire or injuries were reported. In northern Chernihiv region, a Shahed drone exploded near an apartment building, shattering windows and doors, according to regional military administration chief Dmytro Bryzhynskyi. He added that explosions from ballistic missiles were also recorded on the outskirts of the city. The night-time attack came hours after US President Donald Trump said it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia fight for a while before pulling them apart and pursuing peace, in comments that were a remarkable detour from Mr Trumps often-stated appeals to stop the three-year war. The US leader spoke as he met with Germanys new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who appealed to him as the key person in the world who could halt the bloodshed by pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin. Elon Musk has suggested he may de-escalate his public row with Donald Trump after their spectacular falling out. The Tesla chief executive signalled he might back down on a pledge to decommission the Dragon spacecraft made by his SpaceX business in an exchange on his X social media platform. He also responded positively to a call from fellow multibillionaire Bill Ackman to make peace with the US president. Politico also reported overnight that the White House has scheduled a call with Musk on Friday to broker a peace deal after both men traded verbal blows on Thursday. The rolling spat which played out over social media and in a Trump White House appearance included the president saying he was very disappointed in Elon over Musks criticism of his tax and spending bill. Musk also said the presidents trade policies would cause a recession and raised Trumps connections to the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Musk had responded to a Trump threat to cancel his US government contracts on Thursday with a post on X stating he would retire his Dragon spacecraft, which is used by Nasa. However, responding to an X users post urging both sides to cool off, Musk wrote: Good advice. Ok, we wont decommission Dragon. Musk also appeared to proffer an olive branch in a reply to a post from the hedge fund owner Ackman, who called on Trump and Musk to make peace for the benefit of our great country. Musk replied: Youre not wrong. Politico also reported a potential peace call between Musk and the White House, claiming Trumps aides had worked to persuade the president to tone down his public criticism of the Tesla owner before arranging the phone conversation for Friday. After a brief interview with Trump about Thursdays Musk implosion, Politico reported that the president displayed an air of nonchalance about the spat. Oh its OK, Trump said, when asked about the dispute. Its going very well, never done better. Referring to his favourability ratings, Trump added: The numbers are through the roof, the highest polls Ive ever had and I have to go. Politico reported that Trumps aides had urged the president to focus on getting his tax and spending bill through the Senate instead of clashing with Musk, with one of his Truth Social posts reflecting a less confrontational tone. I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago, he wrote on his Truth Social platform, before adding that the tax cut legislation was one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. - The Guardian Veterans gathered in Normandy on Friday to mark the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings a pivotal moment of the Second World War that eventually led to the collapse of Adolf Hitlers regime. Along the coastline and near the D-Day landing beaches, tens of thousands of onlookers attended the commemorations, which included parachute jumps, flyovers, remembrance ceremonies, parades and historical re-enactments. Many were there to cheer the ever-dwindling number of surviving veterans in their late 90s and older. All remembered the thousands who died. US defence secretary Pete Hegseth commemorated the anniversary of the D-Day landings, in which American soldiers played a leading role, with veterans at the American cemetery overlooking the shore in the village of Colleville-sur-Mer. US defence secretary Pete Hegseth lays a wreath of flowers during the ceremony in Colleville-sur-Mer (Thomas Padilla/AP/PA) The June 6 1944 invasion of Nazi-occupied France used the largest-ever armada of ships, troops, planes and vehicles to breach Hitlers defences in western Europe. A total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself. In the ensuing Battle of Normandy, 73,000 Allied forces were killed and 153,000 wounded. The battle and especially Allied bombings of French villages and cities killed around 20,000 French civilians between June and August 1944. The exact German casualties are unknown but historians estimate between 4,000 and 9,000 men were killed, wounded or missing during the D-Day invasion alone. The heroism, honour and sacrifice of the Allied forces on D-Day will always resonate with the US armed forces and our allies and partners across Europe, said Lieutenant General Jason T Hinds, deputy commander of US Air Forces in Europe Air Forces Africa. Guests attend the ceremony at the US cemetery (Thomas Padilla/AP/PA) Let us remember those who flew and fell. Let us honour those who survived and came home to build a better world. Let us ensure that their sacrifice was not in vain by meeting todays challenges with the same resolve, the same clarity of purpose and the same commitment to freedom. Nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed on D-Day. Of those, 73,000 were from the United States and 83,000 from Britain and Canada. Forces from several other countries were also involved, including French troops fighting with General Charles de Gaulle. The Allies faced around 50,000 German forces. More than two million Allied soldiers, sailors, pilots, medics and other people from a dozen countries were involved in the overall Operation Overlord, the battle to wrest western France from Nazi control that started on D-Day. June 5, 2025 The Idaho State University Farm Bureau Summer Theatre is cranking up the volume with its summer 2025 production: Andrew Lloyd Webbers School of Rock. This crowd-pleasing musical, inspired by the hit Jack Black film, bursts onto the stage June 20, 21, 23, and 2628 at 7:30 p.m. at the Stephens Performing Arts Centers Bistline Theatre. From laugh-out-loud moments to full-blown rock anthems, School of Rock is a family-friendly spectacle* that celebrates music, rebellion, and the joy of self-expression. Expect unforgettable performances from local talent of all ages, and an experience thatll have you cheering in your seat. This summers School of Rock is a high-voltage celebration of music and community. Based on the hilarious 2003 movie, the musical captures the spirit of chasing your passion and creating art with othersexactly what our Summer Community Musical is all about," said Director Jef Petersen. "Come watch your neighbors, friends, and family rock the stage! Opening Night Afterglow - June 20: Stick around after the final bow to meet the cast and crew, hear from director Jef Petersen, and soak in the backstage energy. Refreshments will be available for purchase. *This show is rated PG for mild adult language, and will use flashing lights and water-based fog/haze ( Roy Eidelson: Psychology for Human Rights) Labeling criticism of Israel and expressions of support for Palestinian rights as antisemitism has apparently become the primary weapon of Israel advocacy organizations in the United States. These groups among others, the Anti-Defamation League, Stand With Us, Canary Mission, Betar US and, in my own profession, Psychologists Against Antisemitism are seemingly committed to denying or defending Israels genocidal assault in Gaza. In their efforts, they claim to represent the deepest concerns and convictions of the American Jewish community while promoting the narrative that Israel is a beleaguered bastion of decency and democracy. But two new polls one of American Jews and the other of Israeli Jews put the lie to these deceptions. First consider the poll of a representative sample of self-identified Jewish voters in the U.S., conducted by GBAO Strategies for the Jewish Voter Resource Center. A significant majority of the respondents were indeed very concerned about antisemitism. However, a closer examination reveals an important pattern. American Jews expressed more concern about antisemitism originating on the political right than on the political left. Consistent with that perspective, they were less concerned about antisemitism on college campuses than antisemitism in the country more generally. And by a substantial margin, they viewed the Trump administrations purported efforts to combat antisemitism for example, withholding federal funding from universities and deporting pro-Palestinian protesters as more likely to increase rather than decrease antisemitism. Other findings from the same poll are also noteworthy. Most respondents described Trump as antisemitic. Less than half expressed a strong emotional attachment to Israel. A substantial majority saw Israels ongoing military action in Gaza as driven more by prime minister Netanyahus personal political considerations than by Israels national security concerns. And finally, an overwhelming percentage agreed that someone can be critical of the Israeli government and still be pro-Israel. These poll results make one thing crystal clear: the broad and diverse American Jewish community is not focused on ensuring that criticism of Israel and expressions of support for Palestinian rights are silenced and punished. Yet this appears to be the overriding agenda of these Israel advocacy groups because, despite the unconscionable devastation of Gaza, they retain an unwavering commitment to promoting an idealized view of the State of Israel. Thats why we shouldnt expect these organizations to publicize three disturbing findings from the recent poll of a representative sample of Israeli Jews, conducted by the Israeli firm Geocartography Knowledge Group for the Pennsylvania State University. First, over four-fifths of these respondents endorsed the forced expulsion of Gazas residents. Second, over half also favored the removal of Palestinian citizens of Israel from the country. And third, nearly half expressed support for the mass killing of all inhabitants of enemy cities captured by the Israeli army (a biblical nod to the destruction of Jericho). One can reasonably wonder about the extent to which these views reflect the abiding trauma of the horrifying attacks of October 7, 2023. But even if thats true, such an explanation doesnt change the ugly reality of what many Israeli Jews are willing to openly acknowledge they want today. Propaganda, Digital, Midjourney, 2025 Taken together, I believe both polls reveal the duplicity of the campaign to ostracize and demonize those who stand against the Israeli genocide in Palestine. That campaign is now escalating in Washington, DC, on university campuses, and within professional associations. Such efforts are not only morally vacuous. Theyre also exceedingly dangerous because they downplay and distract from the very real threat posed by the Jew-hatred and racism of white supremacists, who are rapidly gaining greater influence in the United States and around the world. Never again is now, and for every people. Reprinted from Roy Eidelson: Psychology for Human Rights with the authors permission. ( Code Pink ) After twenty months of horror in Gaza, political rhetoric in Western countries is finally starting to shiftbut will words translate into action? And what exactly can other countries do when the United States still shields Israel from efforts to enforce international law, as it did at the UN Security Council on June 5th? On May 30th, Tom Fletcher, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, accused Israel of committing a war crime by using starvation as a weapon against the people of Gaza. In a searing interview with the BBC, Fletcher explained how Israels policy of forced starvation fits into its larger strategy of ethnic cleansing. Were seeing food set on the borders and not being allowed in, when there is a population on the other side of the border that is starving, Fletcher said. And were hearing Israeli ministers say that is to put pressure on the population of Gaza. He was referring to statements like the one from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who openly admitted that the starvation policy is meant to leave Palestinians totally despairing, understanding that theres no hope and nothing to look for, so that they will submit to ethnic cleansing from Gaza and a new life in other places. Fletcher called on Prime Minister Netanyahu to stop this campaign of forced displacement, and insisted, we would expect governments all over the world to stand for international humanitarian law. The international community is very, very clear on that. Palestinians might wish that were true. If the so-called international community were really very, very clear on that, the United States and Israel would not be able to wage a campaign of genocide for more than 600 days while the world looks on in horror. Some Western governments have finally started using stronger language to condemn Israels actions. But the question is: Will they act? Or is this just more political theater to appease public outrage while the machinery of destruction grinds on? This moment should force a reckoning: How is it possible that the U.S. and Israel can perpetrate such crimes with impunity? What would it take for U.S. allies to ignore pressure from Washington and enforce international law? If impoverished, war-ravaged Yemen can single-handedly deny Israel access to the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, and drive the Israeli port of Eilat into bankruptcy, more powerful countries can surely isolate Israel diplomatically and economically, protect the Palestinians and end the genocide. But they havent even tried. Some are now making tentative moves. On May 19th, the U.K., France, and Canada jointly condemned Israels actions as intolerable, unacceptable, abhorrent, wholly disproportionate and egregious. The U.K. suspended trade talks with Israel, and they promised further concrete actions, including targeted sanctions, if Israel does not end its offensive in Gaza and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid. The three countries publicly committed to the Arab Plan for the reconstruction of Gaza, and to building an international consensus for it at the UNs High-Level Two-State Solution Conference in New York on June 17th-20th, which is to be co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia. They also committed to recognizing Palestinian statehood. Of the UNs 193 member states, 147 already recognize Palestine as a sovereign nation, including ten more since Israel launched its genocide in Gaza. President Macron, under pressure from the leftist La France Insoumise party, says France may officially recognize Palestine at the UN conference in June. Canadas new prime minister, Mark Carney, claimed during his election campaign that Canada already had an arms embargo against Israel, but was swiftly challenged on that. Canada has suspended a small number of export licenses, but its still supplying parts for Israels 39 F-35s, and for 36 more that Israel has ordered from Lockheed Martin. A General Dynamics factory in Quebec is the sole supplier of artillery propellant for deadly 155 mm artillery shells used in Gaza, and it took an emergency campaign by human rights groups in August 2024 to force Canada to scrap a new contract for that same factory to supply Israel with 50,000 high-explosive mortar shells. The U.K. is just as compromised. The new Labour government elected in July 2024 quickly restored funding to UNRWA, as Canada has. In September, it suspended 30 out of 350 arms export licenses to Israel, mostly for parts used in warplanes, helicopters, drones and targeting. But, like Canada, the U.K. still supplies many other parts that end up in Israeli F-35s bombing Gaza. Declassified UK published a report on the F-35 program that revealed how it compromises the sovereignty of partner countries. While the U.K. produces 15% of the parts that go into every F-35, the U.S. military takes immediate ownership of the British-made parts, stores them on British air force bases, and then orders the U.K. to ship them to Texas for use in new planes or to Israel and other countries as spare parts for planes already in use. Shipping these planes and parts to Israel is in clear violation of U.S., U.K. and other countries arms export laws. British campaigners argue that if the U.K. is serious about halting genocide, it must stop all shipments of F-35 parts sent to Israeldirectly or indirectly. With huge marches in London drawing hundreds of thousands of people, and protests on June 17th at three factories that make F-35 parts, activists will keep applying more pressure until they result in the concrete actions the British government has promised. Denmark is facing a similar conflict. Amnesty International, Oxfam, Action Aid and Al-Haq are in court suing the Danish government and largest weapons company, Terma, to stop them sending Israel critical bomb release mechanisms and other F-35 parts. These disputes over Canadian artillery propellant, Danish bomb-release mechanisms and the multinational nature of the F-35 program highlight how any country that provides even small but critical parts or materials for deadly weapons systems must ensure they are not used to commit war crimes. So all steps to cut off Israels weapons supplies can help to save Palestinian lives, and the full arms embargo that the UN General Assembly voted for in September 2024 can be instrumental in ending the genocide if more countries will join it. As Sam Perlo-Freeman of Campaign Against the Arms Trade said of the U.K.s legal obligation to stop shipping F-35 parts, These spare parts are essential to keep Israels F-35s flying, and therefore stopping them will reduce the number of bombings and killings of civilians Israel can commit. It is as simple as that. Germany was responsible for 30% of Israels arms imports between 2019 and 2023, largely through two large warship deals. Four German-built Saar 6 corvettes, Israels largest warships, are already bombarding Gaza, while ThyssenKrupp is building three new submarines for Israel in Kiel. But no country has provided a greater share of the tools of genocide in Gaza than the United States, including nearly all the warplanes, helicopters, bombs and air-to-ground missiles that are destroying Gaza and killing Palestinians. The U.S. government has a legal responsibility to stop sending all these weapons, which Israel uses mainly to commit industrial-scale war crimes, up to and including genocide, against the people of Palestine, as well as to attack its other neighbors. Gaza 40, Digital, Midjourney, 2025 Trumps military and political support for Israels genocide stands in stark contradiction to the image he promotes of himself as a peacemakerand which his most loyal followers believe in. Yet there are signs that Trump is beginning to assert some independence from Netanyahu and from the war hawks in his own party and inner circle. He refused to visit Israel on his recent Middle East tour, hes negotiating with Iran despite Israeli opposition, and he removed Mike Waltz as National Security Advisor for engaging in unauthorized warmongering against Iran with Netanyahu. His decisions to end the Yemen bombing campaign and lift sanctions on Syria suggest an unpredictable but real departure from the neocon playbook, as do his negotiations with Russia and Iran. Has Netanyahu finally overplayed his hand? His campaign of ethnic cleansing, territorial expansion in pursuit of a biblical Greater Israel, the deliberate starvation of Gaza, and his efforts to entangle the U.S. in a war with Iran have pushed Israels longtime allies to the edge. The emerging rift between Trump and Netanyahu could mark the beginning of the end of the decades-long blanket of impunity the U.S. has wrapped around Israel. It could also give other governments the political space to respond to Israeli war crimes without fear of U.S. retaliation. The huge and consistent protests throughout Europe are putting pressure on Western governments to take action. A new survey conducted in Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and Spain shows that very few Europeansbetween 6% and 16% in each countryfind Israels assault on Gaza proportionate or justified. For now, however, the Western governments remain deeply complicit in Israels atrocities and violations of international law. The rhetoric is shiftingbut history will judge this moment not by what governments say, but by what they do. Via Code Pink VANCOUVER, BC, June 6, 2025 /CNW/ - Targa Exploration Corp. (CSE: TEX) (FRA: V6Y) (OTCQB: TRGEF) ("Targa" or the "Company") today announced that, further to the Company's news release dated May 13, 2025, it has closed its previously announced private placement for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately C$2,611,200 (the "Offering"). "I'd like to thank our investors, both new and old, for supporting Targa in this financing round," commented Targa CEO, Cameron Tymstra. "We are now fully funded to properly test the exciting gold target at Opinaca with the first ever drill program on the project. We are very pleased to be working closely with the technical team at Kenorland Minerals again this year who will continue to act as Project Operator for us at Opinaca. Airborne geophysics are underway, the results of which are expected to help with drill targeting on the 7km-long gold target trend. Drill permits will soon be applied for with a goal of drilling in Q3 of this year. Targa is now fully focused on making a new gold discovery at our 100%-owned Opinaca project." Pursuant to the closing of the Offering, the Company issued an aggregate of 6,650,200 hard dollar common shares of the Company (each an "HD Share") at a price of $0.10 per HD Share, 1,959,001 flow-through shares of the Company (each, an "FT Share") at a price of $0.12 per FT Share and 12,050,000 charity flow-through shares of the Company (each, a "CFT Share" and together with the HD Shares and the FT Shares, the "Shares") at a price of $0.142 per CFT Share. Each FT Share and CFT Share will qualify as a "flow-through share" pursuant to subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) ("Tax Act"). The net proceeds of the sale of the HD Shares will be used for the exploration of the Company's Opinaca gold project and for working capital purposes. The gross proceeds from the sale of the FT Shares and CFT Shares will be used to incur eligible "Canadian exploration expenses" in Quebec that qualify as "flow-through mining expenditures" as such terms are defined in the Tax Act. The Company has agreed to renounce such qualifying expenditures with an effective date of no later than December 31, 2025, in an amount of not less than the total amount of the gross proceeds raised from the sale of the FT Shares and CFT Shares, and incur such expenses by December 31, 2026. In connection with the Offering, the Company paid finders fees of an aggregate of $104,400 in cash and issued an aggregate of 1,024,000 finders warrants of the Company (the "Finders Warrants") to certain eligible arm's length finders. Each Finders Warrant entitles the finder to purchase one common share of the Company (a "Finder Warrant Share") at a price of $0.25 per Finder Warrant Share until June 6, 2027. All securities issued pursuant to and in connection with the closing of the Offering, including Finder Warrant Shares issuable upon the exercise of Finder Warrants, are and will be subject to a hold period expiring October 7, 2025. The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any securities in any jurisdiction. About the Opinaca Gold Project The Opinaca Project is located in the James Bay region of Quebec, approximately 45km south of the all-season Trans-Taiga Road and 140km northeast of the Eleonore gold mine. The Opinaca Project covers 85,267 contiguous hectares of the Opinaca geological sub-province, dominantly a metasedimentary region with neoarchean-aged igneous intrusions including of the Vieux Comptoir suite of granites. Till sampling and prospecting work in 2023 and 2024 has identified a 7km-long gold target trend near the center of the project. Boulder sampling in 2024 returned a dozen boulders with anomalous (>0.1g/t) gold values, including up to 6.7g/t Au. Qualified Person The disclosure of scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Adrian Lupascu M. Sc. P.Geo., Exploration Manager of Targa Exploration Corp., who is a "qualified person" within the meaning of National Instrument 43 -101- Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. About Targa Targa Exploration Corp. (CSE: TEX | FRA: V6Y | OTCQB: TRGEF) is a Canadian exploration company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of gold mineral properties with headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia. Targa's principal asset is it's Opinaca Gold Project where a significant gold-in-till anomaly has been identified over a strike length of 7km. Contact Information: For more information and to sign-up to the mailing list, please contact: Cameron Tymstra, CEO and President Tel: 416-668-1495 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.targaexploration.com SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release includes certain "ForwardLooking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forwardlooking information" under applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "proposed", "estimate", "expect", "target", "plan", "forecast", "may", "would", "could", "schedule" and similar words or expressions, identify forwardlooking statements or information. These forwardlooking statements or information relate to, among other things: obtaining the required regulatory, exchange, and board approvals; receipt of exploration permits; timing of exploration programs; the proposed use of proceeds of the Offering; the tax treatment of the FT Shares and CFT Shares; the renouncement of applicable expenditures; and the exploration and development of the Company's properties. Forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information relating to any future mineral production, liquidity, enhanced value and capital markets profile of Targa, future growth potential for Targa and its business, and future exploration plans are based on management's reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on management's experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the price of gold and other metals; costs of exploration and development; the estimated costs of development of exploration projects; Targa's ability to operate in a safe and effective manner and its ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms. These statements reflect Targa's respective current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of other assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forwardlooking statements or forward-looking information and Targa has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: price volatility of gold and other metals; risks associated with the conduct of the Company's mineral exploration activities in Canada; regulatory, consent or permitting delays; risks relating to reliance on the Company's management team and outside contractors; the Company's inability to obtain insurance to cover all risks, on a commercially reasonable basis or at all; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; risks relating to project financing and equity issuances; risks and unknowns inherent in all mining projects, including the inaccuracy of reserves and resources, metallurgical recoveries and capital and operating costs of such projects; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties; laws and regulations governing the environment, health and safety; the ability of the communities in which the Company operates to manage and cope with the implications of public health crises; the economic and financial implications of public health crises to the Company; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; the Company's interactions with surrounding communities; the Company's ability to successfully integrate acquired assets; the speculative nature of exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; litigation risk; and the factors identified under the caption "Risk Factors" in Targa's management discussion and analysis and other public disclosure documents. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forwardlooking statements or forward-looking information. Although Targa has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. Targa does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forwardlooking statements or forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements or information, other than as required by applicable law. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Vancouver, British Columbia, June 6, 2025 TheNewswire Canary Gold Corp. (the Company or Canary Gold) (CSE: BRAZ, OTC: CNYGF, Frankfurt: K5D) is pleased to announce the successful completion of its inaugural Air-core drilling programme at its flagship Madeira River Project, Rondonia, Brazil. The drilling programme encountered geology consistent with the Companys exploration model with confirmation of the widespread presence of its primary gold bearing Mocururu target as well as important secondary targets associated with paleochannels. The Company is now well positioned to expand its exploration efforts, with plans for property-wide drill testing along approximately 70 kilometres of highly prospective strike within its extensive 68,445-hectare tenement package. Completing this first round of drilling marks a pivotal step for Canary Gold. The confirmation of gold within our targeted Mocururu unit, and the scale of the prospective trend supports the Companys planned expansion of its systematic exploration efforts across the entire tenement. These initial results provide a foundation for continued exploration across the broader tenement package. stated Mark Tommasi, President of Canary Gold Corp. Figure 1. Canary Golds Madeira River Project Area Tenement Package showing the location of the ongoing reconnaissance Air Core Drilling Programme centered on Tenement 012. Air-core Drilling The drilling campaign, which concluded in late May, comprised a total of 22 vertical Air-core holes for a cumulative 950 drill metres. The deepest hole reached a vertical depth of 70m. Sample preparation is now underway, with samples being readied for dispatch to SGS Laboratory in Belo Horizonte for low-detection fire assay analysis. These results will play a key role in shaping the next phase of exploration activities. To further strengthen its exploration toolkit, Canary Gold has acquired a Brastorno - Conspeed Gravity Concentrator - Centrifuge. This equipment will be used to upgrade the quality, quantity, and reduce sample preparation production time of concentrates recovered from the Air-core samples. The concentrates will provide vital information on the distribution of particulate gold within the sedimentary profile and will support the geological teams work in interpreting sedimentary controls on gold mineralisation. Canary Gold remains committed to systematic, data-driven exploration and looks forward to updating shareholders as assay results are received and interpreted. Radiometrics Interpretation Surface Regolith Map In parallel with the drilling operations, the Company has been active in developing a surface-regolith map. This mapping integrates public domain radiometric datasets with the geological profiles intersected during the drilling campaign, enhancing the Companys understanding of the distribution of regolith and underlying lithologies within the target area Figure 2. Canary Golds Madeira River Project Area Tenement Package and collar positions of the recently completed 22-hole Air-core drilling programme overlain on the public domain Radiometric Image. Surface Regolith Map Interpretation Figure 3 below shows a surface regolith map interpreted from public domain radiometric data and validated by the recently completed Air-core drilling programme. This interpretation importantly shows the wide distribution of areas which are underlain by the prospective sedimentary package (orange areas on Figures 3 and 4) which hosts the primary Mocururu target horizon. The presence of gold within this Mocururu unit has been demonstrated from both surface outcrop samples and in material intersected in the Air-core drilling programme (see press release May 14th 2025). Figure 4 is a schematic cross-section (exaggerated vertical scale) across the northern portion of the Canary Tenement package showing the relative position of the sedimentary package that hosts the targeted gold bearing Mocururu horizon and the large scale paleochannels (yellow unit on Figures 3 and 4) which have reworked this unit to form secondary gold targets associated with favourable sedimentary depositional trap sites. The interpretation suggests a wide distribution of the prospective Mocururu unit across the full >70km strike extent of the Canary tenement package which provides a remarkable search space for continued drill testing. Figure 3. Regolith Map (interpreted from radiometrics and validated by Air-core drilling) across Canary Golds Tenement Package highlighting the widespread distribution of the primary gold bearing Mocururu target (orange) and location of paleochannels which control secondary gold targets (yellow). Air-core drill collars from the recently completed programme are highlighted in green. Figure 4. Schematic Cross-Section (validated by Air-core drilling) across the northern portion of Canary Golds Tenement Package highlighting the widespread distribution of the primary gold bearing Mocururu target (orange) and location of paleochannels which control secondary gold targets (yellow). QP Disclaimer Andrew Lee Smith, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the technical information related to the Madeira River Project in Rondonia, Brazil, disclosed herein. The information presented is based on Mr. Smiths professional judgment and understanding of the project at the time of review. However, readers are cautioned that the conclusions and interpretations are subject to the inherent uncertainties and limitations associated with exploration activities. About Canary Gold Corp. Canary Gold Corp. is a mineral exploration company whose principal business is the acquisition and exploration of gold mineral exploration properties, with a focus in Rondonia, Brazil. The Company has the option to acquire up to a 70% undivided right, title, and interest in the Rio Madeira Project, a property that covers an area of 68,445 hectares of prospective geology in Rondonia, Brazil. More information about Canary can be found at www.canarygold.ca. For further information, please contact: Canary Gold Corp. Mark Tommasi, President Phone: 604-318-1448 www.canarygold.ca Disclaimer Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as will, may, should, anticipates, expects, believes, and similar expressions or the negative of these words or other comparable terminology. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Companys planned exploration programmes and drill programmes and potential significance of results, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Companys expectations include but are not limited to the risks detailed in the Companys Prospectus and in the continuous disclosure filings made by the Company with securities regulations from time to time. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements only as expressly required by applicable law. No securities exchange or commission has reviewed or accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The grandmother of two children with French nationality killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza has filed a legal complaint, accusing Israel of "genocide" and "murder", her lawyer said Friday. Jacqueline Rivault filed her complaint with the "crimes against humanity" hub of the Court of Paris, lawyer Arie Alimi said. Rivault hopes the fact her daughter's children, aged six and nine, were French means the country's judiciary will decide it has jurisdiction to designate a magistrate to investigate the allegations. Rights groups, lawyers and some Israeli historians have described the Gaza war as "genocide" and called for a ceasefire. But Israel, created in the aftermath of the Nazi Holocaust of Jews during World War II, vehemently rejects the explosive term. The complaint states that "two F16 missiles fired by the Israeli army" killed Janna, six, and Abderrahim Abudaher, nine, in northern Gaza on October 24, 2023. They and their family had sought refuge in another home "between Faluja and Beit Lahia" after leaving their own two days earlier due to heavy bombardment, the 48-page document stated. One missile entered "through the roof and the second directly into the room where the family was", it said. Abderrahim was killed instantly, while his sister Janna died shortly after being taken to hospital. The complaint argues the "genocide" allegation is based on the air strike being part of a larger Israeli project to "eliminate the Palestinian population and submit it to living conditions of a nature to entail the destruction of their group". The children's brother Omar was severely wounded but still lives in Gaza with their mother, identified as Yasmine Z., the complaint added. A French court in 2019 convicted Yasmine Z. in absentia of having funded a "terrorist" group over distributing money in Gaza to members of Palestinian militant groups Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Militants abducted 251 hostages, 55 of whom remain in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive in Hamas-run Gaza has killed 54,677 people, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry there, figures the United Nations deems reliable. No court has so far ruled the ongoing conflict is a genocide. But in rulings in January, March and May 2024, the International Court of Justice, the United Nations' highest judicial organ, told Israel to do everything possible to "prevent" acts of genocide during its military operations in Gaza. In 1609, Dutch jurist Hugo Grotius wrote in Mare liberum that the sea by nature belongs wholly to all. In establishing freedom of the seas as a founding principle of modern maritime law, he could not have imagined that, four centuries later, this space he thought inexhaustible would become one of the most silent but devastating theatres of the global ecological crisis. The ocean, the birthplace of life, climate regulator and foundation of our food security, is now threatened in its very integrity. As the United Nations Ocean Conference takes place in Nice, France, this month, a political turning point is on the horizon: recognising the legal personality of the ocean and establishing new mechanisms to defend its rights. The current state of the ocean is that of an ecosystem in distress. No predictive model can say with any certainty what will happen to marine life in the coming decades, as the warning signs are numerous: collapsing fish populations, massive coral bleaching, and the disappearance of iconic species. Climate change, which is warming surface waters and disrupting major ocean currents, is profoundly destabilising food chains. Chemical pollutants, microplastics, deep-sea mining and industrial fishing are amplifying the collapse of coastal and deep-sea habitats. In this rapid decline, the survival of our own species is also at stake. We will only be able to get through this century by renewing our alliance with other marine life provided, first and foremost, that we end the invisible war we are waging against them. The ocean, a legal no man's land But why is the ocean, which is so vital, so poorly protected? Because it remains, in the collective imagination, in our legal compass and in public policy, a non-place. Too vast, too inaccessible, too silent. It is the last open-air industrial hunting ground, a space where appropriation prevails over cohabitation. The sea is perceived as a reservoir of resources, a dumping ground, a navigation area or a postcard landscape. But never or too rarely as the living environment of a non-human nation, the people of the ocean. Marine creatures are considered res nullius, things without an owner. And unlike the property rights that protect those who fish them, those who want to live with them have no rights available to defend them, just as these creatures have no rights of their own to invoke against extractive activities. This lack of legal consideration is no longer just a regrettable ethical problem, but a real obstacle, both biological, for our survival as a species, and ontological, as civilisations. By neglecting to recognise the intrinsic value and rights of marine life, we are sealing our own powerlessness to guarantee the sustainability of life systems on planet Earth. Ecuador, a pioneer in maritime rights But our legislative framework, far from being intangible, could be strengthened by the advent of new legal architectures. On 28 November 2024, Ecuador's Constitutional Court handed down a landmark ruling, affirming for the first time that marine and coastal ecosystems are holders of fundamental rights. Through this ruling, the Andean country which was the first in the world to enshrine the rights of nature in its Constitution affirms that marine and coastal ecosystems have intrinsic value and each of their elements has an individual role that, in turn, contributes to their preservation as a whole. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt measures to guarantee, in a comprehensive manner, their vital processes. The dispute concerned a law establishing an 8-nautical-mile (nearly 15-kilometre) coastal zone reserved for artisanal fishing, excluding industrial fishing. The plaintiffs argued that this rigid zoning violated Ecuadorian law, in particular the right to economic development. Drawing on numerous previous rulings on the rights of rivers, mangroves and forests, the Court reiterated that nature and marine ecosystems are subjects of law under Article 10 of the Ecuadorian Constitution. The Court, relying on scientific data and the Constitution, ruled that this ban on intensive fishing practices was not only consistent with the precautionary principle, but that these activities must be regulated in such a way as to be sustainable and to respect the cycles, functions, structures and evolutionary processes of marine and coastal ecosystems, as well as their conservation and restoration, in order to guarantee the rights of nature and the balance of food chains. The court affirmed that economic rights are not unlimited and may be regulated. Consequently, the Constitutional Court emphasised that the zoning adopted by the contested law is legitimate in protecting the rights of nature, the biological rights of human beings and the common and solidarity-based economic model of the artisanal fishing sector. This decision sets a precedent in the history of the global nature rights movement and, beyond Ecuador's borders, could influence future case law. It paves the way for a truly ecocentric conception of environmental law and provides concrete tools for judges, communities and citizens who wish to protect marine ecosystems. Whales and dolphins free in Malibu Ecuador is not the only country working towards this goal. In Spain, the Mar Menor lagoon has been the first European ecosystem recognised as a legal entity in 2022, with a committee of guardians to represent and defend it. In the United States, many cities have made declarations committing themselves to ensuring respect for the rights of cetaceans. In 2014, the city of Malibu published a proclamation affirming the right of whales and dolphins to freedom. The text states that the Malibu City Council supports the safe passage of all whales and dolphins in our coastal waters. These examples show that a new legal culture is emerging. It breaks with the idea that nature is a well of resources and stocks to be managed, commodified or conserved, but rather a living environment to be defended, a web of interdependencies between beings whose destiny is intimately linked to our own. These advances are not utopian, but rather the concrete implementation of a law of life aimed at providing new legal and political levers to address the challenges of the 21st century. New rights for the ocean and marine life That is why, together with the organisation Wild Legal, we have been working since 2021 to promote the rights of nature in collaboration with local authorities, scientists, NGOs and international institutions. On the occasion of the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, we are presenting a petition, supported by more than 52,000 signatories, calling for the rights and intrinsic value of the ocean to be enshrined in the final political declaration and encouraging pioneering states to continue their efforts while inspiring others to follow suit. Our proposals aim to create marine spaces where the rights of the ocean prevail over economic interests, thereby guaranteeing the existence and regeneration of ocean beings and ecosystems. It also involves exploring new forms of governance in which the specific needs and interests of marine beings can be defended, particularly through coastal and indigenous communities, who are guardians of the sea. To illustrate the practical implications of this legal development, a mock trial will be held on Saturday 7 June 2025, organised by Wild Legal, Longitude 181 and the Reunion-based NGO Vagues. At the heart of this case is the shark culling policy in Reunion, which pits the state against ocean conservation organisations. This mock trial aims not only to highlight ethical controversies and shortcomings in current law, but also to identify levers for integrating the rights of marine environments into our legal arsenal. For the future, our ambition is to bring these proposals to the fore and develop a law of life, ensuring peaceful coexistence and the fair cohabitation of human and non-human rights. Because environmental justice does not stop at land: it plunges into the abyss, to the silent territories where, against all odds, the beating heart of the blue planet still pulsates. A grandmother has filed a criminal case in Paris, accusing Israeli authorities of killing her two French grandchildren in Gaza in October 2023, her lawyer told AFP on Friday. The case, lodged with the Paris tribunal's war crimes and crimes against humanity unit by lawyer Arie Alimi, calls for the appointment of a judge to open a formal probe. The Human Rights League, a French civil liberties group, intends to join the case. The victims' French nationality could give French courts jurisdiction over the genocide accusations -- claims Israel has dismissed as "scandalous". So far, such legal attempts in France have not succeeded. The case involves the deaths of siblings Janna and Abderrahim Abudaher, aged six and nine, in a northern Gaza home struck by two Israeli F-16 missiles on October 24, 2023, 17 days after Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel. Filed by siblings' maternal grandmother, Jacqueline Rivault, the 48-page complaint accuses Israeli officials of murder, genocide and crimes against humanity. The family fled their apartment on October 22 due to intense Israeli air strikes, seeking shelter first in another home, then in a school, the complaint says. They were eventually struck by two missiles in a new house "in northern Gaza, between Al-Faluja and Beit Lahia", one entering "through the roof and the second directly into the room where the family was". Abderrahim died instantly and Janna soon after reaching hospital, the complaint says. Their brother Omar was seriously wounded but survives in Gaza with their mother, Yasmine Z. Yasmine Z. was convicted in absentia in Paris in 2019 for financing terrorism, accused of sending funds to Islamic Jihad and Hamas in 2012-2013. An arrest warrant remains in effect. France's anti-terror prosecutor last told AFP in late 2024 that no investigation had been opened into the children's deaths. The genocide claim stems from allegations the strike was part of a plan to "eliminate the Palestinian population and subject them to living conditions likely to lead to the destruction of their group". Though formally against unnamed parties, the complaint explicitly targets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli government and the military. Israel is under growing global pressure to end the Gaza war, triggered by Hamas's October 7 attack that killed 1,218 people in Israel, mostly civilians. Israel's military response has killed over 54,600 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry, whose figures the UN considers credible. Netanyahu and ex-defence minister Yoav Gallant are both subject to ICC arrest warrants for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. gd-cf/jpa/mat/srg/phz X The United Nations human rights chief on Friday demanded the United States lift sanctions it imposed on four International Criminal Court judges, saying they were contrary to the rule of law. "I am profoundly disturbed by the decision of the Government of the United States of America to sanction judges of the International Criminal Court," Volker Turk said in a statement. "I call for the prompt reconsideration and withdrawal of these latest measures," he said. "Attacks against judges for performance of their judicial functions, at national or international levels, run directly counter to respect for the rule of law and the equal protection of the law -- values for which the US has long stood. "Such attacks are deeply corrosive of good governance and the due administration of justice," he said. The US on Thursday imposed sanctions on four ICC judges. Two of the targeted judges, Beti Hohler of Slovenia and Reine Alapini-Gansou of Benin, took part in proceedings that led to an arrest warrant issued last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The two other judges, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru and Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, were part of the court proceedings that led to the authorisation of an investigation into allegations that US forces committed war crimes during the war in Afghanistan. The EU "deeply regrets" the US sanctions imposed on four judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the European Commission said Friday, voicing full support for the Hague-based court. "The ICC holds perpetrators of the world's gravest crimes to account and gives victims a voice," Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen posted on X. "It must be free to act without pressure." "We deeply regret the decision to impose sanctions on four additional individuals," added commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper. "We will provide the full support and contribution to ensure the protection of the court and its staff," she told reporters. The sanctions imposed Thursday -- in part over the ICC arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- come as Washington ramps up its efforts to neuter the court. Neither United States nor Israel are party to the Rome Statute that established the court in 2002, to prosecute individuals for the world's gravest crimes when countries are unwilling or unable to do so themselves. Two of the targeted judges, Beti Hohler of Slovenia and Reine Alapini-Gansou of Benin, took part in proceedings that led to the warrant being issued for Netanyahu last November. The other two, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru and Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, were part of proceedings that led to a probe into allegations US forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan. European Council chief Antonio Costa earlier underscored the EU's support for the ICC, which he said "does not stand against nations -- it stands against impunity." "We must protect its independence and integrity. The rule of law must prevail over the rule of power," Costa wrote on X. A vessel organised by an international activist coalition to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza has rescued several migrants from the sea near Crete, a support group in Greece said on Friday. The Madleen, launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, said it had received a distress signal from a boat in the Mediterranean, forcing it to change course off the coast of Crete. The Madleen has "a 12-member crew of peaceful activists" headed for Gaza "with the aim of breaking the blockade of Palestine by the state of Israel", the March to Gaza Greece group said. "Upon arrival (at the scene), it discovered that the boat was sinking with approximately 30-35 people aboard." At that point, the Madleen was approached by a ship that initially identified itself as Egyptian. "The activists aboard the Madleen quickly realised that this was a false identification and that the ship was, in fact, a Libyan coastguard vessel," they said. "Libya is not considered a safe country and for this reason some of the refugees jumped into the sea to avoid being returned there. "The Madleen rescued four Sudanese individuals who had jumped into the water and brought them aboard." After several hours of calls for assistance, a Frontex vessel eventually picked up the rescued individuals, the group said, referring to the European Union's border and coastguard agency. The Madleen sailed from Sicily on Sunday. Those on board include climate activist Greta Thunberg. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, launched in 2010, is a non-violent international movement supporting Palestinians. It combines humanitarian aid with political protest against the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Israel has come under increasing international criticism over the critical humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory. It blocked all aid into Gaza on March 2. The United Nations warned on May 30 that the entire population of more than two million was at risk of famine. Fighters from Palestinian group Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. A total of 1,218 people died, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. The militants abducted 251 hostages, 55 of whom remain in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military says are dead. Since October 2023, Israel's retaliatory war on Hamas-run Gaza has killed 54,677 people there, mostly civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry. The United Nations deems the health ministry figures to be reliable. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. burs-jph/gil The Trump administration has deleted a list of sanctuary jurisdictions that included seven North Dakota counties after receiving national backlash for adding a multitude of jurisdictions that have supported the administration's immigration policies. The Department of Homeland Security removed the list of jurisdictions it claimed obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration laws from its website on Sunday. Now, a page not found message is all that appears in its place. The list was released May 29 and included Billings, Golden Valley, Grant, Morton, Ramsey, Sioux and Slope counties. All of the counties listed, with the exception of Sioux County, voted for Trump in the 2024 election, most by wide margins. Slope County voted for Trump by the largest margin of any county in the state, with 90% of voters casting their ballot for him. Local officials and law enforcement from several of the counties included on the list have emphatically stated that their counties do not have any policies that hinder law enforcement or provide protections for people in the United States illegally. Many were surprised, confused and frustrated to find out their county had been included on the list. Golden Valley County Sheriff Dey Muckle said that the removal of the list did not make him feel any better. I think it's going to create more questions, Muckle said. Because they removed it (but) they have done nothing to correct the record. The Department of Homeland Security has not yet released a statement on why it removed the list from its website. North Dakota Sheriffs Association President Steve Hunt said the deletion may be the result of a request from the National Sheriffs Association, which he said has been in discussions with the administration. The National Sheriffs' Association on Saturday released a statement saying the sheriffs in the U.S. feel betrayed and the current list must be removed immediately, and DHS must release an apology to the sheriffs and the American people. Part of the problem is nobody (in the administration) really seems to know what the criteria was that they used to come up with this list, or what sheriffs would need to do to make sure that they're not on that list. It took everybody by surprise, Hunt said. The National Sheriffs Association called the list arbitrary and said it had been created without any stated criteria of compliance, mechanism for how to object to the designation or input from the Sheriffs Association. During a conference call with the National Sheriffs' Association last Friday afternoon, Homeland Security Investigations -- a law enforcement department under DHS -- was not willing to provide any insight into how the list was created at that time, according to Muckle. He said he assumes it was an AI error that caused the faulty inclusion of so many jurisdictions. He has heard the theory that the errors are potentially the result of a mix-up between Second Amendment sanctuary laws and sanctuary laws regarding immigration, but said that he looked back and could not find any reference to laws or proclamations that refer to Second Amendment sanctuary status in the Golden Valley County commission's minutes -- appearing to rule out the theory. DHS has released a boilerplate statement to the media on the list's creation and has not responded to further requests for comment from the Tribune. "Designation of a sanctuary jurisdiction is based on the evaluation of numerous factors, including self-identification as a sanctuary jurisdiction, noncompliance with federal law enforcement in enforcing immigration laws, restrictions on information sharing and legal protections for illegal aliens, a department spokesperson told the Tribune via email on Friday. The list is actively reviewed, will be regularly updated and can be changed at any time. President Trump and Secretary Noem have been clear: sanctuary jurisdictions should immediately cease violation of federal law and cooperate with law enforcement." On Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appeared to double down on the methodology behind the list on Fox News Sunday Morning Futures. Some of the cities have pushed back, said Noem, a former South Dakota governor. They think because they dont have one law or another on the books that they dont qualify, but they do qualify. They are giving sanctuary to criminals. Muckle said that he does not like the way Trump conducts himself but has sided with a large majority of Trumps policies, including the idea behind the list released last week. There was probably some merit to this in the beginning, Muckle said. If there are places out there that are intentionally defying immigration orders and stuff like that, well, then they probably do need to be put on notice -- the administration is not going to tolerate that. But, their list was a total failure and discredited it all the way around." Muckle said the administration needs to correct the record and admit that something went wrong in the creation of the list. But he joked that there was at least one upside to the fiasco. "If there was one thing that this accomplished, it got Democrats and Republicans to agree on something, and that's that the list was absolutely incorrect," Muckle said. (The Associated Press contributed to this story.) Public opinion appears to be shifting in favor of actor Kim Soo-hyun following months of controversy over allegations involving the late actress Kim Sae-ron, sparking renewed interest in the unreleased Disney+ series Knock Off. The allegations, which claimed Kim maintained a six-year relationship with Kim Sae-ron beginning when she was 15, drew heavy backlash earlier this year. The claims originated from Kim Sae-ron's family and the YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute. However, the credibility of the whistleblower and supporting evidence has since come under scrutiny. "No concrete evidence has emerged," one user on Korean forum DC Inside wrote. "If he did nothing wrong, he should return." Doubts have grown around the timeline presented by Kim Sae-ron's family, especially after reports surfaced that Kim Soo-hyun was in a relationship with an idol-turned-actress, referred to as "A," during the same period. Multiple letters reportedly exchanged during Kim's military service supported that claim. Further damaging to the original allegations was the discrediting of a photo said to prove an underage relationship. The image was found to have been taken with an iPhone 11, a device released after Kim Sae-ron reached adulthood. Another widely circulated element of the case an alleged assault involving a whistleblower in New Jersey was questioned after inconsistencies in medical records and a denial from the Korean consulate in New York. The revelation of these details has led to growing online support for Kim. Hashtags such as "#KimSooHyunCleared" and "#IsKnockOffFinallyAiring" have trended across Korean social media platforms. Hi @DisneyPlusKR when are we getting #KnockOff with Kim Soo Hyun? We need it ASAP!!! The drama's going to be a hit cant wait to see Kim Seong jun's journey from an ordinary office employee to the Knock Off KING!#KimSooHyun THE QUIET QUAKE#ShiftedWithSoohyun pic.twitter.com/6vbyhVIZH3 (@HyuniHyuniKim) May 12, 2025 One netizen commented, "They nearly finished filming once a verdict is out, it'll probably get released." Despite the increasing support, Knock Off, the Disney+ original series starring Kim and actress Jo Bo-ah, remains shelved. Hi @DisneyPlus Im an avid fan of The Mandalorian, Ahsoka and The Book of Boba Fett. So far, I havent watched any Korean drama on Disney. But Knock Off might just be my first. As the truth begins to surface and the injustice surrounding Kim Soo Hyun becomes clearer, I believe pic.twitter.com/6EdwiIxSq2 E.Y.E (@BeeZeebub) June 5, 2025 The series was absent from Walt Disney Company Korea's 2025 content lineup announcement. "There are no updates beyond our previously announced decision to postpone the release pending internal review," Choi Yeon-woo, head of local content at Walt Disney Company Korea, said in a statement. Jo Bo-ah, who postponed her honeymoon to film the series, also expressed continued hope for its future. "We all put a lot of heart into the project. I believe the effort will eventually be recognized," she said. Internationally, Kim's reputation appears to be recovering. His 2013 hit series My Love from the Star was recently broadcast in Brazil and Taiwan. [NEWS] Actor #KimSoohyuns hit drama #MyLoveFromTheStar will be broadcast in Brazil for the first time. Recently, SBT, the largest private TV network in Brazil, announced that it will air the Korean drama, My Love from the Star, on June 9 (local time) for the first time. The pic.twitter.com/Yv0ejPHrUn soohyunupdates (@soohyunupdates) June 4, 2025 Meanwhile, he has filed lawsuits against Garo Sero Institute and Kim Sae-ron's family, citing defamation, violation of the Information and Communications Network Act, stalking, and seeking 12 billion (approximately USD 8.8 million) in damages. The final verdict remains pending, but public sentiment has clearly shifted. "Season 2 sounds promising," another online commenter wrote. As legal proceedings continue, the fate of Knock Off and Kim Soo-hyun's public image may soon be decided not just by court rulings, but by growing public support. Friday, June 6, 2025 - Coast Region detectives are pursuing a case where Kitui's Ikanga Ward Member of County Assembly, Cyrus Musyoka Kisavi, was Tuesday afternoon arrested in Nairobi, being a suspect of theft of Sh 1.9M worth of assorted mobile accessories that were reported stolen by the management of Buscar Courier Services on February 8th, 2025. The arrest followed a positive ID after CCTV footage of the scene was analysed, which recorded the suspect leaving with the parcel destined for a client in Mombasa. On being sighted at the River Road-based courier offices in Nairobi, Musyoka, who did not reveal his identity as an elected member of county Assembly, was detained by Buscar security personnel who then handed him over to police at Central Police Station. It was at the station that he was identified, and handed over to Mombasa detectives for further processing. Last year, the same MCA escaped death by a whisker after he was accosted by a mob for stealing from a shop in Nairobi CBD. He had stolen a box containing six Iphone Pro 15 phones and returned to the same shop to steal more phones, only to be caught. He was severely beaten and lost consciousness before police arrived at the scene to rescue him. Friday, June 6, 2025 - Victims and survivors of police brutality are speaking out, demanding that President William Ruto fulfills his promise to compensate those affected by the June 25th, 2024, anti-Finance Bill protests - now nearing its first anniversary. Among them is 25-year-old Antony Chege, who is still recovering from a gunshot wound he sustained during the protests. He recalled the chaos and horror of that day, saying, What I witnessed was out of this world - I thought I was watching a movie. Police were killing us like how farmers fall maize stalks during harvesting. Chege was among thousands of Gen Z protesters who took to the streets to oppose the controversial Finance Bill 2024, which many Kenyans feared would worsen the economic crisis. Though the demonstrations were largely peaceful, they turned deadly when police opened fire on unarmed civilians. Chege was shot in the leg while another protester, David Chege, who was beside him, lost his life. Since the incident, Chege has been unable to work or support his family. While President Ruto issued an apology to Kenyan youths over the incident, Chege dismissed it as insincere. I didnt accept that apology. There is no way you can ask for an apology from people who are already dead. There are still some stuck in the hospital - those are the people he should go and apologise to, he said. As the Finance Bill 2025 looms, many fear the Government may repeat the mistakes of the past, as the new bill is already being compared to its 2024 predecessor. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, June 6, 2025 - A viral video circulating on social media captures the moment a thief snatched a womans phone from her back pocket in a crowded public setting. The woman was among onlookers watching a lively roadshow, unaware of the lurking danger. In a swift move, the thief grabbed her phone and quickly passed it to accomplices, vanishing into the crowd. The visibly shocked woman turned around, but it was too late - her phone was gone. While many netizens have condemned the brazen theft, others criticized the woman for her carelessness, pointing out the risk of keeping a phone in a back pocket in such a packed environment. The incident has sparked renewed warnings about staying alert in public spaces. Watch the video below. NAIROBERRY! Watch the moment a thief snatched a LADYs phone in the blink of an eye - She was left stunned! pic.twitter.com/VWNXxxTKpa DAILY POST (@dailypost_ke) June 6, 2025 The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, June 6, 2025 - Senior Economic Advisor at State House, Moses Kuria, has condemned alleged widespread corruption in the recent Kenya Prisons Service recruitment exercise. According to the former CS, candidates paid bribes of up to Ksh500,000 to secure positions. The nationwide recruitment, held on April 30th, aimed to fill positions for Cadet Officers, Technicians, Artisans, and Prison Constables, targeting men and women aged 18 to 30. However, fresh reports suggest the process may have been marred by bribery and fraud. "I am getting disturbing reports that the candidates who were recruited for the Kenya Prison Wardens jobs paid bribes of Ksh 500K each. This is not good. It's immoral. It's not worth it," Kuria said in a statement on social media. Meanwhile, several Kenyans have come forward with accounts of being conned. One parent revealed that six families each paid Ksh250, 000 to an alleged recruitment officer. Only one child received an admission letter, which was later used to convince others of the recruitments legitimacy. The officer reportedly promised to collect the candidates for training at Landimawe, but failed to show up and switched off his phone, leaving families stranded after spending additional funds on shopping and preparation. Kuria condemned the alleged corruption and warned of serious consequences. The Kenya Prisons Service has not yet issued an official response to the claims. A group of landowners and townships from southeastern North Dakota are asking a state agency to rescind an order finding that a proposed power line is necessary electric grid infrastructure. The state Public Service Commission made the determination for the Jamestown to Ellendale Transmission Line (JETx) by a 2-1 vote last year. Full state approval will involve a route siting permit, which the developers have not yet applied for. The petition to the PSC was filed by the owners of eight properties that would be directly affected by the construction of JETx, five area townships and eight other parties from the area -- including some of the property owners and a church -- that say they object to the buildout of this infrastructure as ratepayers. JETx is a joint $440 million, 95-mile transmission project of Montana-Dakota Utilities and Otter Tail Power that would carry electricity between the two cities in southeastern North Dakota. The line is part of a broader push by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), one of two regional grid operators in North Dakota, to meet its long-term transmission planning goal of improving the ability to move electricity in the region. The plan involves five rounds of transmission funding and JETx is part of the first. PSC officials spent months hammering out the details of the line with the utility companies. The commissioners have broader contentions with the MISO buildout plans because they are in part being pursued as a means to accommodate efforts by some Midwestern states to replace fossil fuel power sources with renewable energy -- the latter tends to require more transmission. Their concerns are that North Dakota ratepayers will be asked to reimburse MISO for policies pushed by other states more than what state ratepayers would proportionately benefit from, though these concerns were more related to MISO's future funding rounds and not this first one. MISO says these investments will benefit all customers within its region because the grid is interconnected infrastructure and that the cost allocations are proportionate. The ratepayer effect from this round of transmission funding will be $3.15 per month for MDU customers and $5.75 per month for Otter Tail customers for about four decades, according to the PSC. JETx makes up a small portion of that -- about 12 cents per month for MDU customers and 18 cents per month for Otter Tail customers. Ultimately, only commissioner Randy Christmann voted against the JETx approval. He argued that the companies' rationale for JETx remained vague and that the project appeared only to benefit prospective additional sources of electricity going to the power grid that were not fully planned out at that point. The other two commissioners said the project would improve reliability and help state utilities move their power, though they remained skeptical about future MISO transmission rounds. One of the seats has since changed, however, after former commissioner Julie Fedorchak was elected to a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Little, if any, in the way of public comment came during the certificate of public convenience and necessity process. The PSC provided notice of an opportunity for hearing, but one was not requested. Informal hearings were held instead. The petitioners contend that the PSC's approval failed to articulate the public necessity of the project and did not meet other obligations when issuing the certificate, which they say is a violation of due process. On Tuesday, an Otter Tail spokeswoman said the developers are drafting a response to the petition that they plan to submit by Friday. At a regular PSC meeting on Wednesday, commissioners said they are still evaluating the filings. Local challenges weakened by new law A new law passed during the recent legislative session has diminished the ability of local governments to challenge how transmission line projects are sited. During the time that the PSC was scrutinizing the need for JETx, MDU and Otter Tail were also facing challenges locally. A few small townships had enacted local ordinances in response to JETx that greatly restricted where a power line could go if it was not buried or a developer did not receive a waiver. In February, a few months after JETx received the certificate of public convenience and necessity, well over 100 people showed up at a bar in Edgeley for a rally to oppose the project. Edgeley is a small town with a population of about 600 people that sits off U.S. Highway 281, about halfway between Jamestown and Ellendale. It was the prelude to what would become contentious fights on local control in energy development at the state Legislature over two bills -- House Bill 1258 and Senate Bill 2208. MDU and Otter Tail backed HB 1258. The measure, which was signed by the governor, says that a corridor route in a state siting permit for a transmission line supersedes local zoning and land use rules. Local governments can still participate in the state siting process, but their rules hold much less legal sway. The PSC in the past could still override local rules, but that would have only been if it made the finding that the rule was "unreasonably restrictive." An exception remains for road use agreements where there is more flexibility. While HB 1258 applies to every power line, practically all of the testimony coming from both sides of the issue was about JETx. The bill's backers included Rep. Mike Brandenburg, R-Edgeley, who represents the area where JETx would go. He said small groups are pressuring local governments to block otherwise broadly accepted projects. According to the companies developing JETx, over 70% of landowners have signed voluntary leases for the project, though not everyone who owns the land necessarily lives there. Representatives from some townships said zoning allowed them to protect the wants and needs of their neighbors. Otter Tail and MDU did not take a position on SB 2208, which would have held infrastructure funding back from local governments that pass rules restricting energy development. That was defeated. Among the petitioners are some of the people who planned the February meeting in Edgeley. They argue that the line does not serve a public reliability need and instead would function as a means to bring more wind towers to the area for electric consumption by out-of-state customers and industrial demands, like data centers. In past comments, the companies have said the line would shore up the reliability needs of all of their customers -- both residential and industrial. Planning for JETx started before the huge power demands that have recently come from data centers were clear, but getting more infrastructure built to send power to the region would likely be important if development plans are seen through for projects like Applied Digital's growing data center infrastructure in Ellendale that MDU supplies with power. In a press release Monday announcing a $7 billion deal that Applied Digital secured to provide its infrastructure to CoreWeave over a 15-year period, the company said the Ellendale business campus could expand to 1,000 megawatts of demand. Friday, June 6, 2025 - Notorious Ikanga Ward MCA, Cyrus Musyoka Kisavi, is once again under public scrutiny after being arrested in Nairobi over his alleged involvement in the theft of mobile phone accessories worth Ksh 1.9 million, the latest in a growing list of scandals that have plagued his time in office. Musyoka was apprehended on Tuesday afternoon by security personnel at a courier service outlet on Nairobis River Road, where he was positively identified following the review of CCTV footage that reportedly captured him exiting the premises with a parcel destined for Mombasa. The items, according to officials from Buscar Courier Services, were reported stolen on February 8th, 2025, prompting an investigation that ultimately led to the MCAs dramatic arrest. In a puzzling move, Musyoka allegedly failed to reveal his identity as an elected official at the time of arrest. He was detained by the courier's security staff before being handed over to officers at Central Police Station, and later transferred to Mombasa detectives for further questioning and possible arraignment. While the gravity of this latest incident has shocked many, it is by no means the first time the embattled ward representative has found himself on the wrong side of the law. In 2024, Musyoka was the subject of an explosive forgery investigation involving a fraudulent motor vehicle reimbursement claim. According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the MCA presented falsified registration documents and a forged valuation report in a scheme to defraud the Kitui County Assembly of Ksh 2.2 million. The matter, which was brought to light following a complaint by a concerned citizen, led to the ODPP recommending five charges against him, including conspiracy to commit a felony, obtaining registration by false pretences, uttering false documents, and abusing his public office. That same year, in a separate and highly publicised case, Musyoka was accused by a Nairobi-based businessman of defaulting on a Ksh 160,000 car rental debt. The MCA had reportedly hired a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado TX for nearly two months and not only failed to clear the rental fees but returned the vehicle missing key accessories, including its original floor mats. The cars owner shared evidence, including an OB number, and publicly appealed for help after the lawmaker allegedly went silent and stopped picking up calls. Taken together, these incidents paint a damning portrait of a public servant whose name has become increasingly synonymous with controversy, ethical misconduct and criminal behaviour. Musyokas repeated entanglements with the law raise urgent questions about the enforcement of integrity standards for elected officials, particularly at the county level. His latest arrest has reignited calls from civil society groups and members of the public for the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to fast-track ongoing inquiries and ensure that those entrusted with public office are held to account for any criminal conduct. Via Cyprian Nyakundi 1 of 1 Apollo Spectra Hospitals Jaipur relocates to a larger, advanced, and highly accessible new facility in Lal Kothi khaskhabar.com : Fri, 06 June 2025 5:31 PM Jaipur, India , Apollo Spectra Hospitals, a trusted name in short-stay surgical and medical care, has relocated its Jaipur center to a modern, advanced, and conveniently located facility in Lal Kothi. This move represents a significant step toward providing even better healthcare services to the residents of Jaipur. Having operated for a decade now, the unit has successfully treated over 25,000 patients, establishing itself as a symbol of excellence in medical services in Jaipur. During this period, the hospital has performed numerous complex surgeries, including radical cholecystectomy, abdominoperineal resection, post-sacral neurofibroma, scoliosis surgery, elbow replacement, complex knee and hip replacements, endoscopic spine surgery, and many others, earning remarkable recognition. The new Lal Kothi center has been developed as a multi-specialty boutique hospital, equipped with an advanced Level-3 NICU unit for newborns and comprehensive care for women with complex deliveries. Additionally, the center integrates key specialties such as orthopedics, general surgery, urology, internal medicine, plastic surgery, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation under one roof. Designed with short-stay surgical procedures in mind, the center ensures rapid recovery, enhanced comfort, and minimal disruption to patients daily lives. Equipped with cutting-edge technology and experienced specialists, this unit delivers advanced surgical services. Addressing the gathering virtually, Dr. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals Group, said Apollo stands at the forefront of personalized healthcare, marked by our resolute dedication to patients' individual needs. In line with this ethos, we have now relocated our facility in Jaipur to a bigger, better, and more accessible location at Lal Kothi. With this facility, we bring together a world-class team of specialists, state-of-the-art technology, and a broad spectrum of services to cater to your unique healthcare needs. Preventive healthcare encourages people to take an active role in their health, fostering healthy habits and informed decision-making. From advanced surgical care in Orthopaedics, Laparoscopic surgery, ENT, Urology, to comprehensive mother-and-child care, we cover your health journey through out. Noted Indian actor Rajeev Khandelwal graced the launch of the newly relocated Apollo Spectra Hospital, Jaipur as the Chief Guest, alongside decorated Air Force officer, Squadron Leader Varlin Panwar (Rtd) as Guest of Honour. The unveiling ceremony marked the hospitals renewed commitment to delivering advanced, accessible, and patient-centric healthcare, now backed by state-of-the-art technology and enhanced facilities. Dr. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals joined the event virtually. Speaking at the event, Rajeev Khandelwal said, We are very thankful to eminent Healthcare Institution Apollo Spectra Hospitals for elevating healthcare delivery systems in Jaipur, my hometown. This is a much-needed step forward in making quality healthcare accessible to all. He added, Healthcare that combines technology with a human touch is the need of the hour, and Apollo Spectra has been setting the right example. As a fitness enthusiast I can say, timely intervention and preventive care can change outcomes. And thats exactly what Apollo Spectra offers: early diagnosis, expert consultations, and surgeries that get you back on your feet, faster. Distinguished Indian Air Force Officer Squadron Leader Varlin Panwar (Retd.) added, As a former Indian Air Force officer and someone deeply committed to community well-being, I find it truly inspiring to see Apollo Spectra bringing comprehensive mother and child care including a Level III NICU to Jaipur,. She added further, As a woman and being a frontliner myself, I deeply relate to the importance of accessible and quality woman and child care. Someone who values health and fitness, I believe this initiative will greatly empower families to prioritise their well-being. I congratulate Apollo Spectra on this commendable step towards enhancing healthcare access in the region. Orthopedic surgeons at Apollo Spectra Hospital, Jaipur, Dr. Mihir Thanvi and Dr. Mujahid Salim said, At Apollo Spectra Hospital, conditions related to bones, joints, spine, and muscles are treated by world-class doctors under one roof, with high-quality physiotherapy and comprehensive pre- and post-operative care. Our hospital treats conditions such as appendicitis, hernia, gallstones, and piles with minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures, ensuring minimal pain. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, we provide personalized care to patients of all ages and guide them toward a better lifestyle, added Dr. Ratnesh Jenaw, General Surgery Specialist, Apollo Spectra Jaipur. With our Level III NICU facility, we provide critical care and close monitoring for mothers and babies from pre- to post-delivery. Furthermore, the hospital uses artificial intelligence to smartly identify potential future health risks, offering early diagnostic services to help patients take better care of their health, concluded Dr. Manini Patel, Obstetrics and Gynecology Specialist, Apollo Spectra Hospital, Jaipur. About Apollo Spectra Hospitals Apollo Spectra, a part of Apollo Health and Lifestyle Limited (AHLL), is Indias largest network of multi-specialty short-stay surgical hospitals. With over 22 centers across 16 cities, more than 350,000 successful surgeries, and a team of over 3,000 leading doctors, Apollo Spectra provides world-class care in a compact, convenient setting. Specialties include orthopedics, general surgery, urology, gynecology, bariatrics, ENT, gastroenterology, and preventive health, delivering clinical excellence and personalized care under one roof. About Apollo Health and Lifestyle Limited For more than two and a half decades, Apollo Health and Lifestyle (AHLL) has touched over 20 million lives via the network of 5,500+ doctors. Focused on preventive care and well-being, AHLL has built India's largest day-to-day healthcare network, bridging the gap between hospitals and homes. With 2000+ patient care centres, 300+ primary clinics, and a collective 60+ specialized hospitals of Apollo Cradle & Apollo Fertility and Apollo Spectra, AHLL delivers quality, accessible healthcare at every stage of life. With rapid expansion, AHLL is geared to step into the next phase of growth and cater to the healthcare needs of a growing Indian population. A MAN whose car was clocked at 129kph in an 80 zone near Castledermot had his charge struck out when the judge accepted his explanation that he had lent his car to a man interested in buying it that day, and allowed the prosecuting sergeant the final decision. Before Athy District Court this week to plead not guilty to the one count of speeding on the R418 in Newtown, Castledermot on 11 November last was 51-year-old James Keogh, Straboe, Killerig, Co Carlow. The states position was given in evidence by the operator of a roadside speed van, and this was uncontested. Standing in the body of the court, Mr Keogh told Judge Desmond Zaidan that I wasnt driving it. On the day in question, I was selling my car out the front of my house. This man came to test drive it, and once he showed his insurance, I let him, said Mr Keogh. Im not going to accept that version unless its given under oath, said the judge, compelling the defendant into the witness box. He looked at it, showed me his driving licence and proof of insurance, said Mr Keogh under oath. Then a few weeks later, I get this (fine) in the post, so I went to the garda station in Tullamore to get this sorted out, he said. Given Benefit This requires the complainant to fill a formal certificate called a nomination with the details of the other driver. He did make a nomination to the FPN (fixed penalty notice) office, but it was not accepted without the address of the other driver or his licence number, said Sergeant Dave Hanrahan. Forgive me, a botched job, said the judge. You gave a name not indigenous to Ireland, and an address not in the state? he noted. He lived in Spain, but his partner is from Carlow and they were looking at moving back, said Mr Keogh. If you were in my shoes, you would have a raised eyebrow. Im finding this difficult to accept, said the judge. I just sat up here and swore an oath on the Bible and I gave all my information to the gardai and the FPN people, said Mr Keogh. Up to you, sergeant; shall I give him the benefit? the judge asked of Sgt Hanrahan. He paused but a second, before saying: yes, and so the judge struck out the charge. Newbridge native Ciara Confrey (26) was selected as Western Canadas Rose Representative on May 24 in Edmonton, Alberta. Ciara was born in Dublin in the late 90s, and lived primarily in Newbridge until she moved to Calgary, Canada in early 2015. She entered into the Western Canada Rose of Tralee selections as a way to meet fellow Irishwomen living in Canada, and to connect with those with Irish heritage and make some sincere friendships after having her daughter, Mia. I never expected to be selected, its such an honour. I was living in my little baby bubble on maternity leave when my mam sent me a screenshot of the Irish in Calgary facebook page advertising that applications were open, with one sentence attached to the text, granny would be thrilled! Ciaras grandmother, Trudy, still resides in Newbridge, along with many other family members and friends that have given her constant support throughout her journey to become Western Canadas Rose. Ciara Confrey from Newbridge, alongside her parents Noel and Alison. Since gaining her title, Ciara has gone on to be associated with Tourism Calgary and the Irish Society of Calgary, with the aim of creating an organisation to help ease the transition for Irish newcomers when they arrive in Canada. Alongside the work she is doing for newly arrived Irishmen and women, Ciara will also be organising a variety of fundraisers and plans to raise awareness and funding for numerous charities, including the Ronald McDonald House, the Alberta Childrens Hospital, and Foothills Hospital, where she gave birth to her daughter in July 2024. Being selected means more than just a title to me. I now have a platform and can reach so many people by being the Western Canada Rose, and I plan to use that to raise awareness and funds for those who need it. Life happens, we get thrown curveballs, and I truly believe that the more support you have, the less heavy those curveballs feel. Ciara will travel to Ireland in August to attend this years Rose of Tralee international festival and is extremely excited to be a part of something so empowering. Ciara Confrey Her parents, Alison and Noel Confrey, will be in attendance for support, along with family and friends. Her brother, Ben Confrey, and his partner, Monica Bermingham, recently emigrated to Canada and will be supporting Ciara from Calgary, alongside her partner Rich, and their daughter, Mia. Im still in shock to be honest. When my name was called out I was stunned, just looking at one of my fellow roses who was sitting beside me. "It was an absolute pinch me moment. My parents were in tears, and all the women who were involved in this year's selections were cheering me on. "It still hasnt sunk in that I get to be a part of this incredible, life-changing experience. Ciara has accomplished her diploma in medical aesthetics and will be returning to work shortly before this years festivities. She is the director and admissions advisor for Delmar College for Aesthetics and Wellness in Calgary. Ciara has done various charity work, including organising give back days through her work at Delmar, and her students would volunteer their time alongside Ciara, providing relaxation services. A PROSECUTING sergeant still has to seek DPPs directions on how to proceed with a man who stole two pairs of socks and a set of flipflops, Naas District Court learned this week (22 May). Up before Judge Desmond Zaidan was a James Doona (51) with an address at Marrowbone Lane Flats, Dublin 8 who is charged with committing this hosiery theft from the Adidas shop in Kildare Village on 4 May. Stole a pair of socks? You couldnt make it up, said the judge. Were they branded socks? he asked. They must be, they were valued at 85, said a deadpan Sergeant Dave Hanrahan. There were also a pair of Sliders. I think its a brand of flip flops, he clarified, after a quiet prompt from the registrar. Thank you. Thats the generation gap for you, smiled the judge. But you could get a pair of flip flops in Penneys for 2, he suggested to the defendant, who only shrugged. After the sergeant clarified that all items were recovered in re-sellable condition, but that he still needed to seek directions from the DPP, the judge remanded Mr Doona on continuing bail until 16 October to allow him ample time to achieve this. A Kilkenny man who died following a robbery in London is to be brought home for a final time, to be buried here - as he wished. John Mackey (88) was originally from Mellowes Park in Callan and it is to Callan he will be brought for his funeral, later this month. "Back home in Callan as he wished." Mr Mackey passed away in hospital two days after he was injured in a robbery, on Thursday, May 8. He had been walking home from the shops when he was attacked and his bag, containing groceries and a newspaper, was taken. A man has appeared before a judge at the Old Bailey in London charged with the murder of Mr Mackey. TAP HERE FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS Detective Chief Inspector Mark Rogers, who is leading the investigation into his death, described Mr Mackey as funny and charming, adored by his family and loved by his local community. One of 11 children, Mr Mackey left Callan for London in the 1950s and settled in the Finsbury Park area. Always a proud Irishman, he was also a lifelong Arsenal supporter and uncle to 22 nieces and nephews. Mr Mackey is survived by his brothers Tommy and Liam and his sisters Betty and Ellen; nephews and nieces Steven, Pat, Mags, Adrian, Majella, Gareth, Michelle, Lisa, Katy, Gary, Noel, Trudy, Sheila, Dorothy, David, Alan, Lorraine, Breda, Kim, Sharon and their families; his friend and brother-in-law Bill Noone. He will also be remembered with love by his friends and neighbours in London as a kind, gentle and charming man. Funeral details Reposing at Molloys Funeral Home, Callan (Eircode R95 Y443) on Wednesday, June 25, from 5pm concluding with Rosary and Vigil Prayers at 7pm. Funeral Prayers on Thursday, June 26, at 10.15am followed by removal to The Church of the Assumption, Callan arriving for Requiem Mass at 11am. Burial will follow afterwards in Kilbride Cemetery, Callan. The Requiem Mass may be viewed live on the following link; churchmedia.ie (Callan Parish). Kilkenny District Court has heard that a motorist who took all her medication before crashing her car into a pole near a garda station was trying to commit suicide. Madeline Rigby, 31 Maudlin Court, Thomastown, pleaded guilty to charges of driving while under the influence of an intoxicant and dangerous driving. She also pleaded guilty to a charge of being in illegal possession of drugs, on a separate occasion. On April 7, 2024, at 7.25pm, gardai responded to a traffic collision near Thomastown Garda Station. A BMW had crashed into a pole. CLICK HERE FOR MORE CRIME UPDATES AND COURT REPORTS On arrival gardai saw a man and a woman standing beside the car. The driver, Ms Rigby, had struck a pedestrian crossing and two parked cars then continued driving until she hit the pole. She was unsteady on her feet. She confirmed to gardai she had been driving. There was extensive damage caused to the vehicle. An oral fluid test showed the presence of drugs in Ms Rigbys system, which was confirmed by a blood test, taken at the garda station. The court heard Ms Rigby had eight previous convictions, including two for driving without insurance. Solicitor Chris Hogan said his client was not disqualified from driving at the time of this incident. The drug in her system on the day was prescription medication, he explained. Mr Hogan said Ms Rigby had tried to commit suicide on the day. She took all her medication in one go. She had no recollection of the incident and when she woke up at home, two days later, she looked for her car. Ms Rigby was also charged with being in illegal possession of drugs on September 27, 2023. Following a search of her property drugs valued at 31 were discovered. Mr Hogan said his client had bought a product, she thought legally, in a CBD shop. But because it contained THC it is illegal in Ireland. The solicitor said Ms Rigby was in a bad place at the time of both events but is doing well since. She has attended Ardu and has gone back to college. She is engaging with the services and doing well. Judge Geraldine Carthy convicted Ms Rigby on the drugs possession charge and imposed a fine of 101. On the charge of driving under the influence of an intoxicant the defendant was convicted and fined 600. She was also disqualified from driving for four years. A disqualification of two years was imposed on conviction for dangerous driving. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. With 400 ewes, 95 suckler cows, 120 sheep and three sons of her own, you would think Claire Hennessy had enough to be getting on with down on her farm in Kilkenny without adding to her load by fostering children, but you would be wrong. I love it. I love the company I have always loved having children around the place. I love the house being busy, says Claire, who has provided fostering support to more than 30 children since taking in her first child back in 2002 when she started providing respite care for children aged four to 10 years old. I was a homely farmers wife, cooking dinner, baking and always something on the farm, says Claire. I was in my element. READ MORE: Kilkenny man killed in London to be buried back home where he wished She and her husband Dick took in their first full-time, long-term child in May 2007 but then tragedy struck when Dick died from a heart attack just two months later, aged 56. With four children to raise and a farm to keep afloat, not to mention the grief of bereavement to deal with, Claire put fostering aside for a couple of years to come to terms with her loss. But she had no regrets returning to fostering, and the children she has supported over the years have found life on the farm quite idyllic. She recalls picnics with the children down by a stream that runs through the farm and bringing ducks down there for a swim in the water. Nothing is ever the same in this house there could be ewes lambing or baby lambs to feed, or calves being born, says Claire, who at 69 shows no signs of slowing down. Now semi-retired from fostering for the last five years, Clare recently took on an emergency foster care placement which she is thoroughly enjoying. But how have her own children (twins now aged 33 and a 29-year-old all male) reacted to all these new arrivals, especially the longer-term stays when boys were with her for three or four years? READ NEXT: Kilkenny psychiatry department's compliance drops in watchdog report There was never any jealousy. I always discussed things with them. All the children were raised as if they were my own. Now concentrating on dairy farming, Claire works the farm with her youngest son and her brother-in-law, Seamus, who she says has been a great influence on her boys especially, and those who have stayed with her. She points out that being a foster parent is not all rosy, and that patience and diplomacy are key to making things work. You need to build trust with the child and come down to their level and be able to empathise with them over their problems, Claire says. Children can read body language, and you have to be firm, so they know the boundaries. It depends how you say things, and you have to make time for them and be there when they want to talk to you. Security and love are what they need, and to know that youre there for them, she adds. Claire has been supported on her fostering journey by social workers and link workers from Tusla, who she can contact if she has any concerns, whether thats about a child not eating or being unusually quiet. Theyre great theyll talk to the child and to me and well solve the issues together. And when children do move on, many of them still stay in touch. SEE ALSO: New free Kilkenny bus service launches giving passengers a chance to explore Its lovely; they visit, or you get a phone call. Theyll visit for the weekend. Also, one lovely young lad, who stayed with me came back and did work experience! For those who think might be thinking of stepping into the world of fostering, Claire has this to say: If you have a fondness for children and you dont mind them running around the house, its the best thing you can ever do. If its on your mind at all, Id say give it a go. Principal Social Worker in Fostering and Aftercare for Carlow Kilkenny and South Tipperary, Brid Kiely says that Claire has been a tremendous support to children down the years. We are so fortunate to have Claire as a carer in our area and so pleased to have so many carers to offer such great support. I only hope that Claires lovely words will resonate with the public, and I urge anyone with even the smallest interest to pick up the phone and let us help guide you to start your fostering journey. June is National Fostering Awareness Month run by Tusla Fostering, the national agency for and experts in foster care. Tusla Fostering is seeking foster carers from all walks of life across Ireland to help ensure young people can stay connected to their communities. A local placement will ensure a young person can maintain important connections with their friends, sports, school, and community, and reach their full potential. Tuslas National Lead for Fostering, Jacqui Smyth, says the Child and Family Agency welcomes applicants and enquiries from all backgrounds to provide foster care, which comes in a variety of forms, from short-term respite care to relative care and long-term. It is really important that the pool of available foster carers is as diverse and unique as possible because the needs of every child differ. Right now, in every part of Ireland there is a need for foster carers. Children come into care from every socio-economic group, across religions and cultures, across rural and urban communities throughout our country. Every child deserves the chance to live in a home within their own community. In Tulsa, our focus is to support foster carers and encourage people to consider becoming a carer for a child who is unable to remain at home. We do this through a spectrum of support for fostering families. We collaborate closely with stakeholders and colleagues to innovate and advocate for children and families in the foster care system. Thanks to the support of Tusla, it seems that combining fostering and farming turned out to be a hugely positive move for Claire. I enjoy having a busy household and I really like caring for children. Its just who I am, said Clare. I am not sure if I will ever hang my welly boots up! For more information, visit fostering.ie, call freephone 1800 226771 or email tusla.fostering@tusla.ie FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS, CLICK HERE Thirty-nine areas were evaluated in the unannounced annual survey, which took place in September 2024, with the department rated as compliant in 31, non-compliant in five, and not applicable in three. Although St Lukes ranked in the top half of the 13 centres inspected across the country, its score has steadily dropped from 94% in 2020 when it had two areas of non-compliance. St Patricks University Hospital and Lois Bridges in Dublin recorded the highest scores, each receiving 97% with the Central Mental Hospital, also Dublin, getting the lowest grade of 51%. Of the five problem areas observed in Kilkenny, issues in individual care plans (ICPs), premises and staffing were deemed to be high-risk. Ten individual care plans were reviewed as part of the inspection with a required assessment to address the residents goals and care needs not conducted by a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) in five of these plans. One ICP was not developed by the MDT following a comprehensive assessment within seven days of admission while five plans were not reviewed weekly by all relevant members of the MDT in this acute setting. The premises were generally minimised of hazards, but some ligature points had not been reduced to the lowest practicable level, leaving a potential risk to residents. The centre was kept in a good state of repair apart from a broken socket which was fixed upon discovery. In staffing, the unit had two dedicated occupational therapy positions. One of the therapists was on statutory leave at the time of inspection without their position being backfilled. There was evidence of cross-cover with nursing staff providing some activities where a reinstatement of the dedicated occupational therapy resources was required. Corrective and Preventative Action Plans (CAPAs) were provided by the unit for all but one of the five areas of non-compliance. Some quality actions that were observed included several new training initiatives delivered by the units psychologist. These comprised a trauma-informed care workshop for all staff of an inpatient mental health unit, training for non-consultant hospital doctors to improve their skills in assessing and supporting residents, and a Managing Emotions open skills-based group for residents on Sycamore Ward. In addition, St Lukes secured funding for de-escalation benches as a further step towards reducing potential restrictive practices and a library was installed to help residents learn more about recovery and read hopeful stories of other people who had improved their mental health. Residents interviewed by the inspection team gave generally positive feedback with comments including, food is fantastic with good options and, care and treatment is very good. Colaiste Pobail Osrais Coiste Gaeilge (Irish Committee, above) have been awarded the 2025 Gaelbhratach Irish flag by Gael Linn for their continuous hard work to promote the language among the Kilkenny school community and beyond during the 2024-25 school year. TAP HERE FOR MORE KILKENNY SCHOOLS NEWS Under the guidance of Muinteoir Elaine, they organised events, activities and prizes, as well as visiting some primary schools during Seachtain na Gaeilge. Maith iad uile! CAMERA CLUB We want your photos to feature on the website via our Camera Club. Do you have a great photo from life in the locality? Whether its a party, wedding, communion, landscape, a quirky shot from your archives, or a simple everyday moment, we want your snapshots. We are inviting people to share photos that capture the spirit of the county. From special occasions to quieter moments, your pictures help tell the story of everyday life in our community. To submit: Go to the Camera Club page and follow the instructions to upload your photo. Include your name, where it was taken, and a short caption if you can. Your photo could be featured on our website and newspaper and seen by readers across the county and beyond. TAP HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR PICTURES TODAY When Greg Stuhr got the word that he had been offered a role in the Broadway production of George Clooneys Good Night, and Good Luck, he wasnt sure he wanted to do it. Every time an opportunity comes up, you really do weigh it, he said in a telephone interview. This was one of those ones where I was kind of on the fence about, because, you think, Well, is it a career-advancing move if its not a big role? But its a good role and a significant thing, and a lot of people are going to see it, you assume ... . I have to say that its been one of the best decisions Ive ever made, because it has been incredibly rewarding. One of those rewards for the Western New York native, 1987 graduate of Eden High School and a well-known figure in Buffalos theater community will come at 7 p.m. Saturday, when CNN will show the production live, giving people who would never get to visit the Great White Way a chance to see a Broadway play as it happens. Stuhr has multiple background roles in Good Night, with his big scene coming when he plays Phil from Legal. The timely play which became the highest-grossing play in Broadway history during its limited run and received five Tony nominations deals with famed broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrows legendary confrontation with Republican Sen. Joseph McCarthy during the Red Scare of the 1950s. It also addresses the importance that journalism plays in preserving democracy. In Stuhrs dramatic scene, Phil, a representative of the CBS legal department, has to call a writer-reporter named Palmer Williams (Fran Kranz) to tell him that he is likely to be one of the people targeted by McCarthy because of his previous marriage to a woman with communist ties. I basically tell him I dont like it, too much, but that we will help him if theres any legal ramifications of this, as long as he resigns, Stuhr explained. Its kind of one of the more dramatic moments of the play, he added. Its a fairly simple scene, but its a nice scene where, I think, both characters have stakes ... . Its not something I want to do, and the scene is interesting to me because it goes from being a very sort of formal one to a very personal scene where Im appealing to him by his first name and say, Palmer, really, you got to do this, you got to do this. You dont know what youre up against. Then he has to make this kind of big decision. Clooney, who received a Tony Award nomination as best actor, plays Murrow. He also co-wrote the play based on the 2005 film he directed. But many eyes in Western New York theater circles during the first TV broadcast of a live Broadway play will be on Stuhr, who starred in Eden High School productions of Brigadoon and Kiss Me Kate before graduating in 1987. Good Night is his seventh Broadway production. He also has appeared in many episodes of TV series, including Zero Day, Night Agent and Law & Order. He is familiar to patrons of the Irish Classical Theater, and will be returning to Buffalo to direct Richard III from July 24 to Aug. 17 at Shakespeare at Delaware Park. Stuhrs performance was praised by Cynthia Erivo, one of many celebrities who have attended a performance. The British actress, who is the host of Sundays Tony Awards on CBS and Paramount +, has won Grammy, Emmy and Tony Awards, and most recently received her third Oscar nomination for her role as Elphaba in the hit movie Wicked. You can only imagine it has been a parade of well-known folks backstage after every performance, Stuhr said. Its always a crazy hodgepodge of people. Ive been joking that it always looks like an odd reboot of We Are the World when we do the photo afterwards. John McEnroe, Woody Harrelson, Jeff Goldblum, Paul McCartney, Merrick Garland, Michael Keaton and Erivo have been among the celebrities attending. Cynthia was very sweet, Stuhr said. She said she thought the scene was very moving. And, of course, me thinking, Well, its a small little scene, theres other more moving things in the play, I said, No, no, you must be thinking of someone else. And then Cynthia talked about the phone call, specifically. She said, You can tell how hard it was for you to do this and that there was a personal connection there and it was just a very nice moment. I have to say, shes the only person Ive personally taken a photo with, mainly because not only did she say that, but I also knew that my niece would really be excited about it because of Wicked. Stuhr also has had time over the shows run to talk to Clooney, whose father, Nick, is a former WGRZ-TV news anchor. He talks about his dad quite a bit, Stuhr said. His dad has his own sort of signature sign off, and he talked about the different places he had been, including Buffalo. George remembers that well, for sure. George has been just a sweetheart to work with and, as you would imagine, has the kind of persona that you expect from him very self-deprecating, a little goofy, but he obviously takes the job very seriously. The Herald reports: She said while sometimes Brown used some colourful language, his substance and vision were good for Auckland. Auckland Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson says she will support Mayor Wayne Brown at the upcoming election. This is a good decision both for Desley and Auckland. Having two non-left candidates could split the vote. Brown confirmed that if re-elected, it would be his last term as mayor and that he would serve the whole term. He also told media he and Simpson had never had a row or an unpleasant conversation. Brown said he and Simpson had complementary approaches to Auckland Council governance. Tim Stanley is a former UK Labour Party candidate, and writer for The Telegraph. He reviews the recent autobiography by Jacinda Ardern: Dont read this book. You wont, anyway: its by Jacinda Ardern. But if I tell you that its a memoir dedicated to the criers, worriers, and huggers, youll have an idea of the nightmare youve dodged. A Different Kind of Power reads like a 350-page transcript of a therapy session: My whole short life, the author writes, I had grappled with the idea that I was never quite good enough. Regrettably, she persisted, rising through the two or three ranks of New Zealand society to become prime minister at the age of 37, from 2017 to 2023. And yet the practicalities of the job dont interest her: this book hinges on how everything felt. A fairly brutal introduction. As for what drew her into politics: was it Marx? Or Mahatma Gandhi? Well, one influence came early on: she saw a newspaper cartoon of a Tory stealing soup from children and thought, that definitely didnt feel right. Few people know this, but this is factually correct. In the 1990s, teams of Young Nationals roved the nation breaking into the homes of poor people, and stealing soup from them. she wants us to know, too, that she replied to every child who wrote to her As did John Key, just that he didnt feel the need to tell everyone about it. By contrast, the anti-lockdown crowd Ardern describes protesting outside New Zealands Parliament, wore literal tinfoil hats, flew swastikas and Trump flags. This is exactly how centrist dads (and mums) subtly vilify their opponents: set a perfect example and imply a comparison. I am so kind that anyone who disagrees with me must be nasty; so reasonable that my critics must be nuts. There were a few fringe figures there, but the vast majority were just people angry that they had lost their jobs on the basis of vaccine mandates that turned out to be based on an incorrect assumption that they would stop transmission. A poll of around a third of the protesters done by Curia staff found that 27% of the protesters were Maori (so unlikely to be Nazis!) and 40% of the protesters voted for Labour, Greens or Te Pati Maori in 2020. Post-office, Ardern became a fellow at Harvard University, teaching a course in you guessed it: empathetic leadership. The principle that the world would be a better place if we just empathised with each other is nice in theory, but codswallop in practice. How does that work with Vladimir Putin or the boys in Hamas? On the contrary, true leadership is about making tough judgments, guided by sound philosophy: St Jacinda bungled the former, lacked the latter. By reducing all government to thoughts and prayers, she transformed humility into vanity a softly photographed carnival of her own emotions. Ouch, and a final jab: But there is one wonderful moment of zen. It comes when Ardern meets the late Queen in 2018, and asks whether she has any advice on raising children. You just get on with it, said the monarch. It must have been a put-down; it sounds like a put-down and yet Ardern is too naive to notice. The Queen of course became Queen at age 26, and had two children while in office. Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 85F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. COLUMBIA The filing period closed Tuesday for the open Second Ward seat on Columbia's City Council, leaving two candidates on the ballot: Ken Rice and Vera Elwood. The filing period opened May 13 after former councilperson Lisa Meyer resigned due to health reasons a couple weeks prior. Her last day on the council was May 16. Ken Rice Rice said Meyers called him a few days before her resignation announcement and asked him if he was interested in running. "I felt very blessed that she thought that I was capable of being the person to follow in her legacy of you know collaborative governance, working with each other while staying true to her," Rice said. "... true to the values and listening to the constituents of Ward 2. Rice has lived in Columbia for the last three years with his wife and five children and serves as the chief operating officer of the Pickleman's franchise. He recently ran an unsuccessful campaign for one of the open seats on the Columbia School Board. He's previously served in several leadership positions including on the Board of Directors for Spaulding for Children, a Michigan-based charity dedicated to helping children in the foster system. Rice has also served as the vice president of operations for over 50 Burger King, Wendy's and Tim Horton restaurants. "While I haven't held a public role, I've held many, many roles that have had leadership and also roles that are similar to a council role where... yours is more strategic and sets the vision and holds accountable for the actual executive," Rice said. Rice says he thinks if someone has the ability to give back, they should. "If I can serve and lend my years of experience and things I've learned over time, and my ability to bring people together around common goals," Rice said. Vera Elwood Elwood is a disability advocate and former librarian for the University of Missouri Journalism Library in Columbia. She and her husband are adoptive and foster parents to her son. Elwood serves as the youth program coordinator for The Center Project, an LGBTQ+ community center in town and currently serves as the chair of Columbia's Disability Commission. During her time as the head of the MU Journalism Library, she joined local union chapter LiUNA 955 and was a union organizer for the Mizzou Workers United campaign. In a news release, Elwood said her experiences as a queer and disabled resident have shaped her work as she now aims for City Council. A closer look at their platforms Rice says his campaign is centered around taking action, being accessible to his ward and transparency. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. "The biggest thing I think that the city needs to work on is less talk, more action," Rice said. He says while he thinks the city is great at identifying problems but oftentimes holds off on tackling the solutions. "We have to have to be able to have the wherewithal to execute the plans, even if it's not politically expedient," Rice said. Rice says being accessible to his constituents is extremely important to him. "I want to listen to what the needs of the people in my ward are," Rice said. "... sometimes the needs of the general citizen isn't the big needs of the city." He says it's the little things like potholes that haven't been fixed in months or the need for a dumpster at Park de Ville Condominiums. "I want to be available, whether it's through a town hall type of meeting, whether it's through office hours...how do I reach my community," Rice said. He said his goal is to make sure that he's accessible to everyone. Rice said transparency is the key to good governance. "Good governance means making good decisions," Rice said. "and that's partly being transparent. We need to not have closed meetings when the things that are being discussed aren't necessarily needed for closed meetings." He said the more the public knows, the better they will feel about the decisions that are being made. Elwood's campaign is focused on improving infrastructure, creating a safer and more welcoming city, and ensuring that every voice is heard. "We are focusing on creating and maintaining a Columbia that is for everyone," Elwood said. "We want to look at building a foundation for all, ensuring safety for all, and creating opportunity for all. Elwood said she wants to prioritize public safety and safety for all. "We're looking at that from all sorts of lenses that included accessibility. That included protecting our senior citizens, that includes things like making sure there aren't potholes in the road when you're driving down there," Elwood said. Her membership in LiUNA 955 also highlights her hopes to keep our labor force locally sourced. "..and also making sure that we are focusing on our local people, that we are focusing on and advocating for local workers," Elwood said. "That we are focusing on local businesses rather than outsourcing." We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. After executives from TransDigm Group got a tour and a closeup look at Servotronics Inc., they made a quick decision: They wanted to buy the Elma motion control equipment maker and they wanted to do it right away. A day after touring Servotronics Elma factory, TransDigm officials told the advisers handling the potential sale of the Elma company that they didnt want to wait for a prolonged bidding process to play out, probably in mid-June. They wanted to bid, and they wanted to bid now. TransDigm had plenty of company, according to new documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission outlining how the deal came about and how a money-losing company with flat revenues sparked a bidding war that, if the deal closes, will produce a windfall for Servotronics investors. Nine companies had expressed interest in buying Servotronics, and TransDigm on May 8 was the seventh to tour the facility and examine confidential financial information that was being made available to the potential bidders. When TransDigm told officials from Houlihan Lokey, Servotronics advisory firm, the next day that it wanted to make a pre-emptive bid, Servotronics advisers said it would take a standout offer to speed up the process. And that is exactly what TransDigm came up with. Its May 12 offer of $38.50 per share was more than triple the closing price of Servotronics stock on the previous trading day. And TransDigm officials said they wanted to sign a definitive sale agreement within four days. With such a high bid on the table, Servotronics board members decided they didnt want to wait, either. They quickly accepted the offer. It was the sense of the Servotronics board that maximizing value to the companys stockholders would be better served by attempting to reach an agreement on an accelerated timeline that (TransDigm) had indicated they were prepared to meet, rather than a more drawn-out process that could result in failure to reach any agreement, the documents said. After all, TransDigms bid was far higher than the valuation that Wall Street had been placing on Servotronics. Until the bidding war began, its stock price had been virtually stagnant over the past four years, only briefly closing above $20 per share in 2008, and not closing above $15 per share since. TransDigms offer reflected a substantially higher price relative to any other (indication of interest) received to date, and that other parties would likely require meaningful time to complete their diligence, the documents said. The nine companies that expressed interest in buying Servotronics initially said they might be willing to make offers ranging from $13.50 per share to $31 per share. Dissident shareholder Paul Snyder III, who was mounting a proxy fight to gain control of Servotronics board of directors and fire its CEO, declared he was satisfied with TransDigms plans for Servotronics operations. He ended his bid to win control of the board at the annual shareholders meeting with a slate that included himself and three allies. TransDigms bid was significantly higher than the initial indications. But it turned out that TransDigms pre-emptive bid wasnt quite pre-emptive enough. One of the other companies involved in the bidding, identified only as Party A in the SEC documents, still was interested, and it was willing to top TransDigms bid. Late on May 23, Party A submitted a proposed purchase price of $45.56 a share 18% higher than TransDigms proposed price. Party A also pledged it could complete its due diligence in a week. The next day, Servotronics notified TransDigm about Party As new bid, which now had the inside track. On May 28, TransDigm responded with a beefed-up offer of $47 per share, up 22% from its previous proposal. Servotronics board determined that the merits of accepting TransDigms offer including a stiffer breakup fee in case the deal fell apart outweighed the benefits of continuing the process. In recommending that shareholders accept the offer, Servotronics board said it believed the price TransDigm offered was the highest reasonably attainable. A merger agreement with TransDigm was executed on May 28 and announced the following day. Less than three months had passed since Houilhan Lokey had begun reaching out to potential buyers. The purchase will put the 66-year-old Servotronics in the hands of TransDigm, a publicly traded aerospace industry giant. TransDigm already has a presence in Western New York, through its $725 million purchase of Calspan in 2023. Calspan has continued to operate under its own name. Snyder said that while what TransDigm is paying for Servotronics appears to be a dramatic multiple, its actually consistent with companies the size of Servotronics, in the range of two to three times revenue pricing. (TransDigm) did not overpay, (TransDigm) did not get irrational with the pricing, he said. And Im happy the employees, in most part, were direct beneficiaries of a fair price for the business because of the (employee stock ownership plan) set up by the Trbovich family. Snyder said that TransDigms planned acquisition means they see the value in the business that has not been unlocked by this board, this CEO, and they intend to do that with their management, their investment and their leadership, he said. And I think that will be a positive sign for the community. As for the 21 companies that responded to Houlihan Lokeys outreach, Snyder said he viewed it as a normal amount for a specialized company the size of Servotronics. Another significant shareholder, Star Equity Fund, said the deal will put Servotronics on the right path. We have long called for (Servotronics) to become part of a larger entity, said Jeffrey Eberwein, Star Equity Funds portfolio manager. TransDigm is a well-regarded, significantly larger company. We believe the Servotronics employees and clients will be better served by being part of TransDigm than remaining a standalone, small player in the industry and, needless to say, $47 per share is a very good price for (Servotronics) stockholders. Members of Servotronics board and its top executives also will reap the benefits of the bidding war won by TransDigm, due to their ownership of Servotronics shares. Brent Baird, a Servotronics board member and one of the companys largest individual shareholders, will receive total cash consideration in connection with the merger of $13 million. Another board member, Evan Wax, will receive $8.7 million, while William Farrell Jr., the president and CEO, will receive about $2.5 million. Houlihan Lokey will be paid $8.5 million for its work, according to the documents. During a news conference Tuesday following the indictment of two teens charged with murdering a 3-year-old, Mayor Byron W. Brown said what so many were thinking. Literally, these are babies killing babies, he said. It was inadvertent. It appeared they were targeting someone else. But the fact that these children had guns, and were so willing to use them indiscriminately, is what brings us to this point today. The unnamed boys were indicted Tuesday, less than four days after the shooting of a 3-year-old and his 7-year-old sister, killing the toddler, Ramone Red Carter, and wounding Jamia Griffin. They are accused of shooting the two children as they showered gunfire toward a group of people outdoors on Domedion Avenue in the citys Pine Hill neighborhood, near the Buffalo-Cheektowaga border, Acting District Attorney Michael J. Keane said. They were charged with second-degree murder, attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon. Both teens pleaded not guilty. They were arraigned by Erie County Family Court Judge Brenda M. Freedman in the Youth Part of Erie County Court, which underlines the serious nature of the charges and potential consequences if the teens are found guilty, Keane said. He said two weapons were recovered in connection with the case, a pistol and a revolver. The 14-year-old is accused of possessing a pistol, while the 16-year-old had a revolver, according to the two-page indictment. Keane said the 16-year-old will be adjudicated as an adult. If convicted on the second-degree murder charge, he faces a minimum sentence of 15 years to life in prison, and a maximum of 25 years to life. The attempted murder charge was lodged for shooting at the person who was the intended target, an individual Keane described as a another young person. With respect to the 14-year-old, he faces a different sentence because of his age and his status as a juvenile offender, said Keane. He will be adjudicated in the Youth Part of State Supreme Court, and faces a potential minimum sentence of 7 years to life in prison, and a maximum of 15 years to life. Both youths have been remanded to the Youth Detention Facility on East Ferry Street, Keane said. Keane and Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia emphasized the role that the community played in bringing an arrest about quickly, sharing information with their offices. Keane said that with the proliferation of cameras on doorbells, cellphones and telephone polls, law enforcement often has much more evidence available to them in investigations than before the use of those devices became widespread. But eyewitness accounts are still crucial to successful prosecutions and people in the community stepped up to help in a big way on this case, he added. Without live witnesses to come in and say what happened, I saw this and I saw this guy do that, these cases are extremely challenging, Keane said. Luckily, in this case, I think there was a response because of the nature that this was a 3-year-old baby. Keane also praised the work of his attorneys and employees in Erie Countys forensic lab, who worked throughout the weekend to ensure that charges were brought quickly. With the incident happening Friday evening and the grand jury delivering an indictment on Tuesday, law enforcement officials were able to work at lightning speed, he said. Its important to get these witnesses to cooperate right away, Keane said. Because if time passes, if three days pass or a week passes or two weeks, they may be less motivated to help us. Gramaglia said that officers were already in the area when the shooting occurred, on a microgrid hotspot patrol, a tactic the department uses to increase police presence in targeted areas that have seen a significant amount of guns or violent activity. That allowed them to respond quickly. We were fortunate that we were able to get there as quickly as we did, he said. Gramaglia said it is not standard protocol to take shooting victims to the hospital in a police cruiser. But, given the extreme circumstances the officers made the right decision in rushing Ramone to the hospital. I applaud the officers for the right decision and putting the baby in the back of a police car and racing to the hospital as fast as they could, Gramaglia said. Ramone, nicknamed Red by friends and family, was riding his tricycle outside with siblings and friends about 9:30 p.m. Friday, when the shooting started. His mother, Shakenya Griffin, heard gunshots and ran outside looking for her children. She first saw her daughter, Ramones 7-year-old sister Jamia, who was grazed by a bullet. Then she saw Ramone. He ran right to me, and he was full of blood, his mother told The Buffalo News on Saturday morning. I collapsed in my neighbors grass and said call 911. Ramone, who would have turned 4 on July 6, was declared dead a short time later at Erie County Medical Center. His sister was treated at Oishei Childrens Hospital. She will be physically OK, Gramaglia said during a Saturday news conference. 'This is occurring all too often': Community mourns fatal shooting of 3-year-old He ran right to me, and he was full of blood. I collapsed in my neighbors grass and said call 911, Shakenya Griffin said of her 3-year-old son, Ramone L. Carter. At the time of the incident, there was no party or get-together or any other event, said Mia Ayers-Goss, executive director of Most Valuable Parent, an anti-gun violence organization. The organization gets parents and guardians of Buffalo schoolchildren involved in helping keep the peace. Griffin has been an active member of MVP for a while, Ayers-Goss said. This is something that is passionate to her as far as fighting gun violence and trying to reduce gun violence, Ayers-Goss said. So this is definitely something that is near and dear to her heart. We definitely want to make sure that people pay attention, and weve got to do something about this violence. Anyone with additional information is asked to call or text Buffalo police confidential tip line at 716-847-2255. Ellen O'Donoghue Robert Pether has been released on bail in Iraq. The Australian national remains there for the moment as he is under a travel ban and cannot return home, it is understood. He lived with his wife and three children in Co Roscommon before travelling to Iraq, where he was arrested and jailed on fraud charges in 2021. The Tanaiste was informed of his release during a call with Foreign Minister Hussein of Iraq on Thursday evening. "I am very pleased to have been informed of the release of Robert Pether, whose imprisonment in Iraq has been a cause of huge, huge concern. This is welcome news, its been a very long-running, and extraordinary distressing, time for Roberts wife, for his three children, for his wider circle of family and friends in Roscommon," Simon Harris said on Newstalk. Mr Harris welcomed it as a first step to his being allowed to return to his wife and three children in Roscommon. "I spoke with Roberts wife, Desree, about this positive development, and I really want to thank our diplomatic officials, people in our embassy network in the region, for their tireless work. I know significant concerns remain about Roberts health, about the outstanding charges, and Im going to keep working on this until we get a fully positive resolution and Robert back home with his family," the Tanaiste said. The Irish Times reported that Mr Pether worked as an engineer and was helping to design the central bank in Baghdad, and was set to work on three hospitals. However, there was a contract dispute between his employer and the Central Bank of Iraq, which led to him and his Egyptian work colleague Khalid Radwan being imprisoned. The pair were sentenced to five years and fined $12 million by an Iraqi court. By Cillian Sherlock and Rebecca Black, PA A man who was repeatedly violent to his partner before killing her has been jailed for a minimum of 19 years. Natasha Melendez, aged 32 and formerly from Venezuela, was attacked at her home in Lisburn, Co Antrim, on March 22nd, 2020, and died from her injuries on April 1st of the same year. John David Scott (36), with an address listed as Maghaberry Prison, was sentenced at Belfast Crown Court on Friday having earlier entered a plea of guilty to her murder. The court heard she had been beaten beyond recognition and had died after a devastating stroke which was the result of damage to a major artery supplying blood to her brain. Prior to her death, Ms Melendez had expressed a fear that Scott, the father of one of her four children, would kill her. The sentencing hearing was observed via video link by her mother Maria Mejias in Florida as well as other relatives. Mr Justice OHara said the murder of Ms Melendez was the end result of Scotts repeated violence against her. Scott also pleaded guilty to the charges of grievous bodily harm with intent, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault against Ms Melendez. These charges span a period between December 1st, 2019, and March 2020. The court was told they included an exceptionally violent incident in which Scott threw a vacuum at the victim, and also jumped hard and repeatedly on her prone body while holding on to a headboard, resulting in broken ribs and facial swelling. In a separate incident, Scott was said to have attacked Ms Melendez while she was in a car before she got out and escaped to an off-licence. The court heard staff at the premises reported that she asked them not to contact police as she was afraid he would kill her. The judge said: Guess what, she turned out to be right. The prosecution said it was a domestic violence case, involving gratuitous violence with extensive and multiple injuries on a vulnerable victim before her death. It said the murder was the accumulation of cruel and violent behaviour over a period of time. The judge said the only mitigating factors he could recognise were some signs of remorse as well as the horrible childhood Scott had endured which led to addiction and mental health problems. However he said personal circumstances carry less weight in murder cases. The judge said he did not regard the case as anywhere near the borderline between murder and manslaughter. Mr Justice OHara said Ms Melendez was a particularly vulnerable young woman, adding that Scott had acknowledged a disparity in their sizes. In addition to that, she was a drug addict who he beat up again and again and again until he killed her. The judge said that while Scott had said he had suffered injuries, there was no evidence that he had been injured by her hands to any degree of note. He said the evidence showed that when he attacked her, he inflicted extensive and multiple injuries on her before the final assault. The judge accepted the murder was not premeditated but added that it was a foreseeable end result of how he had treated her. He said: What on earth did he think might happen to her if he beat her up again and again and again and again? She begged the staff in the off-licence not to call the police because she was afraid he would kill her, and that is exactly what he did. The judge said he had received exceptionally moving victim impact statements from Ms Melendezs mother, two of her aunts, and one of her children. He said her mother found it impossible to put into words the suffering the cruel murder has caused and that her grandchildren had struggled to find peace. Ms Melendezs teenage son said he was made fun of and bullied when his mothers murder was reported. He said: I will never know if my mum would have been able to get better and I could have spent more time with her. I had to start secondary school without my mum knowing, and I think of all the big things in my life she will miss out on. I just feel like my life will never be the same without her and every birthday I see as a constant reminder of her. Reading a pre-sentence report from the probation service, the judge said Scott had expressed that Ms Menendez did not deserve what happened to her and said: I genuinely loved her to bits. I want forgiveness I need to do right by her. Thats why I pleaded guilty. I took her from her family and kids. In arriving at the length of the sentence, the judge was asked to take note of delays in proceedings due to the unusual impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Scott was initially arrested on March 26th, 2020, but was not interviewed until January 2022. In the middle of that 22-month period, he was also in custody in relation to assault of police officers. In effect, the court heard that he was in custody for the matters relating to Ms Melendez alone for approximately 12.5 months but the exact time would be worked out at a later stage. Announcing his decision, the judge put a provision that that period would be taken off the sentence as there would be no administrative way for the prison service to declare that as a period of remand. It was not open to the judge to implement consecutive sentences for the other offences to which Scott pleaded guilty, but he was able to use them as an aggravating factor in arriving at the final tariff. Scott was given a life sentence with a minimum tariff of 19 years before his release can be considered. The judge said this would be reduced at a later date to account for the time he spent in custody in relation to the matters during the pandemic, when a final determination on the exact number of days had been made. A 50-YEAR-OLD man accused of publishing a grossly offence communication on TikTok about slicing Irish babies, kids and you is to represent himself in further court proceedings. Solicitor Josephine Fitzpatrick had initially been assigned to represent Beniamin Petre of no fixed abode. She told Judge Andrew Cody at Portlaoise District Court last week that the accused doesnt wish to retain my services. Asked by Judge Cody if that was the case, Mr Petre replied: I am representing myself. I didnt ask her to discharge herself. I said she was no good to me. I can represent myself all the way. Judge Cody advised Mr Petre: You may be entitled to free legal aid. Sergeant JJ Kirby applied to remand the accused in custody for two weeks, to allow time to receive directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions. Asked by Judge Cody if he would agree to a two-week remand, Mr Petre said: Yes, no problem. You can stretch that out to four weeks if you wish. Judge Cody remanded Mr Petre in custody to appear again by video link at Portlaoise District Court on 19 June. Before the video link to the court was disconnected from the prison, Mr Petre told Judge Cody to have a nice day. Mr Petre is charged with publishing a grossly offence communication on TikTok with intent to cause harm, contrary to section 4(1) and (3) of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act, 2020 on 24 May at an unknown location in Dublin. He is further charged that on the same date at an unknown location in Dublin he used or engaged in threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to provoke a breach of the peace contrary to section 6A of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994 as inserted by section 6(c) of the Criminal Justice (Hate Offences) Act, 2024. News / National by Staff reporter A 22-year-old Bulawayo man has learned the hard way that street fashion choices can carry legal consequences after being sentenced to 400 hours of community service for wearing a camouflage jacket in public - a violation of Zimbabwe's strict laws against civilian use of military-style clothing.Wilbert Gatsi appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Maxwell Ncube last week following his arrest under the Zimbabwe Republic Police's ongoing "No Camouflage" crackdown. The campaign targets members of the public wearing clothing resembling military uniform, an offence viewed as a threat to national security due to concerns over impersonation.The court heard that on the night of May 14, at around 9PM, Gatsi was walking along 6th Avenue in Bulawayo's city centre when he was spotted by a police patrol. He was wearing a camouflage jacket and, according to prosecutors, appeared unaware that his fashion choice was illegal.Prosecutor Mr Joseph Rugara told the court that ZRP officer Nicolas Masauke and his team were conducting a routine patrol specifically focused on enforcing the ban on camouflage apparel. Upon seeing Gatsi, the officers approached, identified themselves using their police IDs, and informed him he was under arrest for contravening laws governing military regalia.During the hearing, Masauke testified that Gatsi cooperated fully with police and did not resist arrest. "He was calm and seemed not to realise the seriousness of the matter," Masauke said.In his defence, Gatsi pleaded guilty to the charge and expressed remorse for his actions. His lack of prior offences and willingness to comply with authorities were considered in mitigation.Magistrate Ncube, while handing down the sentence, made it clear that ignorance of the law is no excuse. "The law is very clear on this matter. Wearing camouflage without proper authority is prohibited, and the reasons are to safeguard public order and prevent misuse of military identity," he said.Gatsi was ordered to perform 400 hours of unpaid community service. He avoided a custodial sentence largely due to his co-operative behaviour and clean record.The case serves as a warning to Zimbabweans, especially young fashion enthusiasts, that military-inspired attire - though trendy in many parts of the world - can have serious legal implications locally. The camouflage crackdown remains in full effect, with police urging the public to be aware of laws regulating what they wear in public spaces. The incident began just after 1 p.m. Thursday, June 5, 2025, in the 900 block of North New Street. Investigators were called to a reported domestic-related assault at the Bethlehem home. Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com A Bethlehem man allegedly threatened to kill a woman, chased her outside with a rifle and then surrendered after a three-hour standoff with police, according to police. Jose Martin Lopez, 30, is charged with felony strangulation; misdemeanor simple assault; misdemeanor making terroristic threats; and summary harassment. Lopez was arraigned before District Judge John C. Capobianco, who set bail at $25,000. In lieu of bail, he was taken to Northampton County Prison, where he remained Friday morning. Court records did not immediately show attorney information for Lopez. A woman claimed Lopez allegedly attacked her, choked her and threatened to kill her just after 1 p.m. Thursday in the 900 block of North New Street, according to Bethlehem Police Capt. Nicholas Lechman. Lopez chased her outside with a rifle after she ran from the home, city police said. Its unclear whether the rifle was loaded, Lechman told lehighvalleylive.com. Lopez fled back into the home by the time police arrived, Lechman said. Police shut down traffic in the neighborhood as an arrest warrant was obtained. The Bethlehem Police Departments Emergency Response Team negotiated with Lopez for about three hours to leave the home. He finally surrendered around 4 p.m. Thursday, Lechman said. Lopez was previously arrested in December on felony strangulation and misdemeanor simple assault charges. Court records show the strangulation charge was later withdrawn and he pleaded guilty to simple assault. He was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to complete an anger management program by Northampton County Judge Michael J. Koury Jr. Lopez was sentenced Jan. 23. In the Thursday case, Lopez is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 11 a.m. June 18 before District Judge Roy A. Manwaring II. A judge will then determine is theres sufficient evidence to send the case toward trial at the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached atpholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. 36 1 / 36 Liberty High School 2025 Graduation Family and friends gathered at Stabler Arena to see their seniors graduate from Liberty High School. Freelancer Donna Fisher was there to capture a few of the students on their big day. Lehighvalleylive.com will send photographers to graduations throughout the Lehigh Valley and Warren County this season. Our full coverage of graduations across the region can be found at lehighvalleylive.com/graduation. Check out the gallery above to see moments captured from this years ceremony. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Saed Hindash may be reached at shindash@lehighvalleylive.com. The former Buca di Beppo restaurant at 714 Grape St. in Whitehall Township. Photo courtesy of Lehigh Financial Group, LLC. A partnership has purchased the former Buca di Beppo restaurant in Whitehall Township, with plans to transform it into what they say will be the Lehigh Valleys first international market and kitchen with a Mediterranean focus. Sultan Property Group LLC a partnership formed by Timor Bulag, Cengiz Yalim, Tuncay Yalim, and Mohammad Khan completed the $1,150,000 acquisition of the property at 714 Grape St. on Wednesday, according to a news release from Lehigh Financial Group, which arranged financing on the deal. The group plans to fully renovate the 1.7-acre standalone property, taking advantage of its existing commercial kitchen, parking, and potential for expansion. Our core business is food importing, and weve had our eye on the Allentown corridor for a long time, Bulag said in the news release. Theres a void in this market for what we offer halal butchery, Mediterranean and international foods, and a gourmet shopping experience. Weve vetted this area for over 10 years. The new business will feature an international supermarket specializing in Mediterranean products, ethnic groceries, and a restaurant-style kitchen. Customers can expect gourmet groceries and fresh prepared foods, including custom cuts of halal meats, fresh dairy, olives, imported chocolates, and more than 20 varieties of kebabs. The owners renovation plans include gutting the interior, installing automated glass doors, upgrading the kitchen, and adding refrigeration, an olive bar, and a juice bar. They also hope to add 3,000 square feet to the building and potentially a second floor, along with a four-season dining deck. While the group has not yet finalized a name for the business, they describe the concept as an international supermarket with a kitchen. The team brings more than 20 years of combined experience in the retail and wholesale food industry. They aim to open by Thanksgiving, pending township approvals. The owners see this location as just the beginning of a broader expansion plan. We want to grow organically, and this is just the beginning, Bulag said. From here to Miami there are existing stores we want to take over and rebrand. Generative AI was used to organize information for this story, based on data provided by Lincoln Financial Group, LLC. It was reviewed and edited by lehighvalleylive.com staff. The vacant Wells Fargo bank is in the southeast corner of Centre Square in Easton is shown in this 2024 photo. Rudy Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com The Catalyst, Eastons newest coworking and event venue, made its public debut on Sunday, drawing hundreds of visitors to the transformed former Wells Fargo building at 16 Centre Square, according to a news release The grand opening featured live music, food, drinks, and the unveiling of The World in Faces, an internationally acclaimed portrait exhibition by photographer Alexander Khimushin that will remain on display throughout the summer. Brother-sister owners Jane and Bert Kurtin have reimagined the buildings dormant, first-floor bank space into a flexible, modern space designed to host gallery exhibitions, networking events, music performances, and private gatherings. This space was created to bring people together and spark meaningful conversations, Jane Kurtin said in the news release. Were honored to have launched with such a powerful exhibit and an incredible turnout from the community. According to the release, visitors to the opening enjoyed performances by local musicians against the backdrop of Khimushins 6-foot-tall portraits celebrating Indigenous peoples from around the world. The exhibition, which has previously been displayed at the United Nations in New York and Geneva, UNESCO in Paris, and the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, comes to Easton through Heavenly Host Hospitality. The World in Faces exhibition will remain viewable by appointment throughout the summer. For more information and tickets, visit The Catalyst website. Generative AI was used to organize information for this story, based on data provided by the venue. It was reviewed and edited by lehighvalleylive.com staff. "Ghost Adventures" star Aaron Goodwin's (second from right) wife has been sentenced to prison time after orchestrating a plot to have him murdered. Discovery Channel Ghost Adventures star Aaron Goodwins wife, Victoria Goodwin, will serve prison time for planning to have him murdered. Victoria, who married Aaron in 2022, was sentenced to 36-90 months in prison on Thursday, June 5. Aaron read a statement at the sentencing hearing, speaking through tears. For seven years, I thought I was in the most loving relationship a marriage with my best friend. Someone who I trusted with my whole heart and laughed with every day, he began in footage shared by Court TV. This has led me to fear [for] my life. I cant trust anything anymore. I cry every day, I feel so alone. Aaron added that he gave [Victoria] the option of divorce when he learned in 2024 that shed been unfaithful to him. He claimed that she seemed sincerely apologetic for her actions and interested in repairing their marriage. Victoria also read a statement at the hearing. Firstly and most importantly, I would like to apologize to Aaron, she said while getting choked up. Im so immensely sorry for the pain and anxiety I have caused you and the betrayal you undoubtedly and rightfully feel by my actions. I need you to know that I will always hold love for you. I genuinely pray you find your joy and peace again, and I will bow out of your life forever to hopefully ease that process. Im sorry I broke us, and I am consumed with regret every day. My absolute promise to you is that you will never see or hear from me [again]. Victoria Goodwin and Aaron Goodwin in 2022. Getty Images Victoria was arrested in March and charged with conspiring to commit murder and soliciting to commit murder. Law enforcement discovered the murder-for-hire plot after seizing a contraband phone from Grant Amato, an inmate at a Florida prison. READ MORE: Police chief regrets saying actors death wasnt a hate crime: Way too soon Victoria became aware of Amato after watching a true crime documentary and developed a relationship with him via letters and text messages. Police discovered a text message from Victoria on Amatos phone that read, Am I a bad person? ... Because I chose to end his existence. Not divorce. The plot involved murdering Aaron in October 2024 while he was on location filming the Discovery Channel paranormal reality series Ghost Adventures. According to the criminal complaint, Victoria sent funds to pay for Aarons murder and provided his location to Amato. Reach the New Jersey Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-572-SAFE (7233). Reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), chat with their advocates here or text LOVEIS to 22522. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips/. News / National by Staff reporter Two suspected copper cable thieves were left dumbfounded after their apparent smooth heist ended in handcuffs and confiscated loot valued at over US$1,500.The suspects, identified as Khumbulani Gumbo and Nicholas Moyo, were arrested along Kelvin Industrial Road in Bulawayo after police intercepted them carrying a satchel stuffed with stolen copper cables. The arrest has since linked the pair to a larger syndicate behind a spate of copper thefts that have plunged parts of the city and surrounding suburbs into darkness for weeks.According to police sources, a patrol unit noticed the two men behaving suspiciously and stopped them for questioning. A search of their bag revealed a substantial quantity of armoured copper cables believed to have been stolen from a nearby power installation."They were immediately taken in for questioning, and during interrogation, they eventually confessed to stealing the cables from a bushy area near the Marvel substation in Emhlangeni," a source close to the investigation said.The suspects also led police to the exact location of the theft, where officers recovered tools used in the operation - including a pick and shovel - which had been hidden in the undergrowth. The recovered cables have been taken to the police station as evidence, and investigations are ongoing to determine if the suspects are connected to other similar cases.Bulawayo has recently been hit by a wave of copper cable thefts, with residents in affected areas often going without electricity for up to three weeks. The high resale value of copper has made it a prime target for criminal syndicates, especially in high-density suburbs and remote utility points.Police have vowed to step up surveillance around electricity infrastructure and warned that those caught sabotaging public utilities will face the full wrath of the law."Acts of sabotage such as this affect thousands of innocent citizens. We will not rest until everyone involved is brought to book," said one of the investigating officers.The arrests have brought a sense of relief to residents who have praised the police for their swift action. Community leaders are now calling for harsh penalties to deter future incidents, hoping that a tough stance will disrupt what has become a serious threat to essential services. The U.S. State Department is warning travelers to "exercise increased caution" while visiting Italy due to rising terrorist attacks. Canva If youre planning that summer trip to Italy, whether it be for a romantic honeymoon or on a pilgrimage for religious reasons, you might want to take some extra precautions before you go. The U.S. State Department updated its travel advisory to Italy, advising travelers to take extra precautions in the country due to terrorism. Heres what you need to know if you plan on traveling to Italy. What does the latest travel advisory to Italy mean to you? Item Detail Start Date May 23, 2025 Whats changing Updated travel advisory warning travelers to exercise increased caution in Italy due to terrorism risks What will happen? Travelers should be aware of their surroundings in tourist locations and crowded public venues, follow instructions from local authorities and monitor local media. Who will it affect? Travelers to Italy The agency gave a Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution advisory to Italy because of a terrorism risk in the country. The advisory states that terrorists may attack with little to no warning in highly populated locations, including tourist destinations, religious sites, transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls and local government facilities. This includes hotels, clubs and restaurants, as well. What is the highest travel advisory? There are four levels of travel advisory, Level 1 through Level 4. When planning a vacation, you should check the current travel advisory for that destination. So, which level is the most concerning? Level 1 : Exercise Normal Precautions This is the lowest level of advisory; it is advised that there is some risk in that area, and travelers should take precautions while on their visit. Level 2 : Exercise Increased Caution There is a heightened risk for safety and security in that area, and travelers need to take extra caution. Level 3 : Reconsider Travel There are serious risks to safety, and travelers are advised to reconsider their travel plans to this destination. Level 4: Do Not Travel This is the highest level of advisory, and it is strongly recommended not to travel to any destinations with a Level 4 advisory, due to many factors, one of which is that the U.S. government might not be able to provide travelers any assistance in the event of an emergency. What should travelers to Italy do in light of this travel advisory? Travelers to Italy should stay alert in tourist locations and monitor local media. The State Department also suggests to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to get alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency and purchase travel insurance. You can also remain aware of terrorism risks in the country by checking Italys Security Report and prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations using the Travelers Checklist. You can find more information and advice related to this travel advisory here. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Katherine Rodriguez can be reached at krodriguez@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips. Weather may be to blame for the deaths of two hikers, a father and daughter from New York, in a Maine state park this week, officials revealed Thursday. Esther Keiderling, 28, was found dead around 1 p.m. on Wednesday in a wooded area, Baxter State Park officials wrote in a social media post. Her father, Tim, 58, was found dead a day prior, around 2:45 p.m., near the summit of Mount Katahdin. Both Keiderlings, of Ulster Park, New York, left Abol Campground on Sunday to hike to the summit. They were last seen at around 10:15 a.m. That day, the weather forecast called for temperatures in the mid-30s on the mountain, with the summit obscured, said Park Director Kevin Adam. There was a 70% chance of rain on Sunday, the day both Keiderlings went missing, with winds ranging from 30 to 40 mph. It would have been freezing rain, fog, and some snow for Sunday, Adam explained. Weather is definitely a factor in this incident. A search for the pair began Monday morning after finding their vehicle still in the day-use parking lot. Park rangers searched several trails, including the Katahdin Tablelands, and found no sign of the father and daughter. The search expanded Tuesday with more than 30 game wardens looking for the pair. The Maine Forest Service and Army National Guard used helicopters to aid in the search. Tim Keiderling was found dead on Tuesday by a game warden and his K-9. Game wardens, park rangers and K-9 teams resumed the search for Esther Keiderling Wednesday. We understand that many of our social media followers share in our profound sadness for the family and friends of Tim and Esther Keiderling, officials wrote in a Facebook post. We appreciate your support for their loved ones and the members of the search teams during this incredibly difficult time. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Tim and Esther Keiderlings family and friends. Editors Note: Lehighvalleylive.com is offering a benefit to subscribers: Click the photo gallery to see if we photographed your favorite prom-goer, and get free, print-quality downloads - as well as the option to purchase keepsakes at half the price. Belvidere High School students celebrated their prom at the Stroudsmoor Country Inn on Thursday. Freelancer Tim Wynkoop was there to capture a few of the students as they arrived for the prom. Lehighvalleylive.com will be sending photographers to proms throughout the Lehigh Valley and Warren County this season. Our full coverage of proms across the region can be found at lehighvalleylive.com/prom. Check out the gallery above to see everyone dressed up for a night to celebrate. SHARE YOUR PROM PHOTOS Dont forget to tag @lehighvalleylive in your Instagram photos and @lehighvalley on Twitter - we just might highlight the best pics! Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. The Managing Director of a leading engineering consultancy practice with headquarters in Portlaoise has stepped down. After 27 years of outstanding leadership, Morgan Kilgallen will be stepping down as Managing Director of Kilgallen & Partners Consulting Engineers. Mr Kilgallen will continue to work in the practice as a consultant. The company has extended its sincere thanks to Morgan for his 'exceptional work' and 'lasting impact'. The business is a leading civil and structural engineering consultancy based in Portlaoise. The company also has offices in Kilkenny. Pictured: Kilgallen & Partners Consulting Engineers headquarters, Portlaoise Paul Bergin from Abbeyleix currently heads the leadership team alongside Niall O'Callaghan, with the team to expand to include three new Directors. "As part of a planned succession, the existing leadership team of Paul Bergin and Niall OCallaghan is joined by three newly appointed directors, Aidan Lawlor, Pete Cowman, and Robert Kelly, all of whom have been promoted from their existing roles in the company," the company told The Leinster Express / Laois Live. Aidan Lawlor from Durrow will be the second Laois director at the company. "This new leadership team reflects both continuity and renewal, positioning Kilgallen & Partners for continued success and growth into the future." Kilgallen and Partners Consulting Engineers provides consulting engineering services to private and public sector clients for the design and management of building and civil engineering projects. The companys building projects range across the commercial, residential, pharmaceutical and manufacturing sectors. Their civil engineering projects range from roads, urban streets and active travel schemes to renewable energy projects, urban drainage schemes and flood relief works. A third Lidl shop has been granted conditional permission in Laois on the border to Carlow. Carlow County Council has this week approved a planning application by Lidl Ireland GmbH, submitted 12 months ago. The goahead to the German founded supermarket business is despite objections by Graiguecullen Parish and St Fiacc's House. A discount supermarket with ancillary off licence will be built in place of the National Learning Network Centre / Rehabcare, on the Killeshin / Castlecomer Road in Graiguecullen, Laois. The National Learning Centre building will be demolished and the site cleared to make way for the store. It will have a car and cycle parking with site access from Killeshin / Castlecomer Road. One submission raised concerns about "serious loss of light, overshadowing, loss of privacy and excessive noise pollution." Another submission against the proposed works comes from the Graiguecullen Parish and the Community at St Fiacc's House in which they say their position is to "strongly object" the works. St Fiacc's House also say they strongly object to the new proposed shop following their investment of 50,000 in the development of a "picnic area which is directly adjacent to the proposed boundary wall." In their submission they also note other areas of concern over the project they include "noise impact", "sunlight and daylight" (in relation to the impact the new structure will have on St Fiacc's House), and "light pollution." It is the second new Lidl supermarket at planning stage in Laois. Read also: PICTURES: Lidl plan for new Laois supermarket in Mountmellick to create 25 jobs The approval covers the renewal and replacement of boundary treatments, free standing trolley bay, refrigeration and air conditioning plant and equipment, hard and soft landscaping, public lighting, electrical vehicle charging infrastructure, roof mounted solar panels, ESB substation, drainage, utility and services infrastructure, roof mounted solar panels, ESB substation, utility and services, infrastructure and connections. As with all planning decisions it is subject to a 4 weeks appeal period during which appeals can be made to An Bord Pleanala. A Portlaoise based whiskey maker has been shortlisted for the prestigious Export Industry Awards. The Irish Exporters Association has announced that Portlaoise-based Biggar and Leith has been shortlisted in the Sustainable Food and Drink Category for this years prestigious Export Industry Awards. The Export Industry Awards recognise excellence across Irelands export sector. Portlaoise based US company Biggar and Leith are the makers of Shankys Whip Irish Black Whiskey Liqueur. The business has offices in the UK, New Jersey USA, and Co. Dublin. This year, there are 12 award categories at the Export Industry Awards., ranging from manufacturing to life sciences, covering topics such as sustainability and innovation. The category winners and the 2025 Overall Exporter of the Year will be announced at the 23rd Export Industry Awards and Gala Dinner on October 3 at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre. A man who is accused of issuing threats on Tiktok has decided to represent himself in court. Petre Beniamin (50) of No Fixed Abode, is accused of publishing a grossly offensive communication on TikTok. Its alleged he published a communication about slicing up Irish babies, kids and you with intent to cause harm contrary to Section 4(1) and (3) of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020. He was further charged with engaging in threatening, abusive and insulting words with intent to provoke a breach of the peace and demonstrating at the time of the offence, hatred towards the Irish people contrary to the Criminal Justice(Hate Offences) Act 2024. Both offences were alleged to have been committed at an unknown location in Dublin on May 24 last. The defendant was arrested in Abbeyleix on May 28 and remanded in custody at a special sitting of Portlaoise District Court a day later. He appeared in court again via video link where his solicitor Josephine Fitzpatrick told Judge Andrew Cody that she had an application to come off record as the defendant "doesn't want to retain my services. Judge Cody told the man that he may be entitled to free legal representation. I said she is no good to me, the defendant told Judge Cody. I can represent myself if you wish, the man said. Judge Cody said I am allowing Josephine Fitzpatrick to come off record. He then again asked the defendant if he would like a solicitor to be appointed. I dont mind representing myself, the man responded. Garda Sergeant JJ Kirby said he was seeking to remand the man in custody for another two weeks as he said it would be at least a month before we have directions. The defendant said he would not object to a four week remand in custody. However, Judge Cody said, for the moment we will just do two weeks, as he remanded the case back to Portlaoise District Court on June 19 by video link. Thank you. Have a nice day, the defendant said after he was remanded in custody. Elderly people were admitted to The Residence nursing home after the health service regulator ordered a halt to admissions, according to the Minister with responsibility for older people. Minister Kieran O'Donnell has also revealed that the HSE has intervened in the Portlaoise facility while HIQA inspectors are onsite in Laois investigating the shortcomings at the home. Speaking on Prime Time, the Minister of State at the Department of Health said he wanted to see "urgent action". He said met with the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to ascertain what response is happening at the nursing homes run by Emeis Ireland that were at the centre of the RTE Investigative expose. "I can confirm that HIQA is in both nursing homes, carrying out inspections. The HSE has put safeguarding teams in place and furthermore put two directors of community nursing in place," he said. HIQA has confirmed to the Leinster Express / Laois Live that The Residence Portlaoise was advised in February that it would have to stop admissions. Formal notification to do so was issued in March, and the ban came into effect on 22 April. RTE subsequently revealed that the patients were admitted after that date. Minister O'Donnell said he had followed the matter up with the regulator. "HIQA became aware of it that they (The Residence) had breached the restriction over a number of days," he said. As to whether Emeis Ireland would be sanctioned for doing so, Mr O'Donnell said he wanted HIQA to use "its maximum powers". Emeis has issued a statement of apology over what was highlighted at The Residence Portlaoise and the Beneavin Manor in Glasnevin in north Dublin. It has yet to comment on the alleged breach of the ban on admissions after April 22. He said he had asked HIQA to report back to him within two weeks on this and other issues. He stopped short of agreeing the HIQA had "failed the residents" but said "they moved too slowly". READ ALSO: Admissions stopped to The Residence It also emerged on Prime Time that the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), which regulates workplaces, is now involved. The HSA has had to be called in to both nursing homes because the use of hoists and other equipment by staff is not regulated by HIQA. The HSE confirmed to RTE Investigates that they will conduct inspections. The Minister has also asked HIQA to review operations at all Emeis Ireland nursing homes in Ireland. One of these is the Kilminchy Lodge in Portlaoise. The Residence opened in 2023 and has a capacity for 101 patients. HIQA has carried out four inspections since it opened, finding problems on all visits. Emeis Ireland is the biggest provider of nursing home care in Ireland. It is owned by the French company Emeis which was formerly called Orpea. The company rebranded after a tumultuous period caused by controversy over alleged mistreatment of residents at its facilities in France. That was caused by a book written by Victor Castanet called The Gravediggers which details hundreds of testimonies and evidence of alleged negligence at Orpea care facilites. Ireland's biggest trade union has demanded that the Government act swiftly to ensure safe staffing levels in private nursing home sector without delay in the wake of the crisis in care uncovered in Laois and Dublin. SIPTU made the call following RTE Investigates programme which the union claims has left many working in the sector "completed shattered and angry" over the way older people have been treated at The Residence Portlaoise and a sister home in Dublin. The SIPTU Sector Organiser is Liz Cloherty. She commented in a statment issued to the Leinster Express / Laois Live. The devastating reality is that the Government has effectively outsourced the care of our elderly to a for-profit sector primarily concerned with the bottom line for years and we are seeing the fruits of that now before our very eyes. A failed Government policy has led to this scandal, we have to rethink how the sector is run as a matter of urgency. "The absolutely shocking revelations laid bare the systemic violation of our most vulnerable citizens. It has damaged public trust in privatised care systems, and rightly so. The programme exposed how profit-driven operators routinely deny residents essentials like basic hygiene products to boost their bottom line. This isnt care, its all-round exploitation. Most damning was seeing how chronic understaffing and a lack of regulation, directly caused by poverty wages in the sector has shattered the morale of care workers while compromising patient safety. It has to stop. This is the inevitable result of a State that refuses to properly value care work, she said. Ms Cloherty said SIPTU has written to the Minister of State for Older People, Kieran O'Donnell TD, to seek an urgent meeting to deal with issues arising from these revelations. READ ALSO: Minister says The Residence breached admissions ban Emeis Ireland, which has apologised for what has happened, owns the two nursing homes. It is owned by a French firm that has already been embroiled in controversy over shortcomings at care homes in France when it was called Orpea. Emeis Ireland opened The Residence in 2023 after it had taken over another Laois home - the Kilminchy Lodge in Portlaoise. Neal McGroarty, CEO of Emeis Ireland, spoke about plans for the residence when it opend. I am extremely pleased to see our state-of-the-art 101-bed nursing home already providing vital, personalised nursing and residential care services to our residents and the local community. With plans to provide employment to over 100 skilled staff, The Residence Portlaoise is also offering rewarding and meaningful career possibilities at a time when Laois, and indeed Ireland, increasingly needs vital nursing home care for a growing and ageing population. Our expansion plans enable us to continue to foster the highest standards of care, services and links with local communities and other stakeholders, including the HSE and acute hospitals, as we move forward. Our staff are at the heart of everything we do, and we are proud to offer a workplace where they can thrive professionally while making a difference in the lives of our residents. Emeis said the Residence Portlaoise is a "state-of-the-art purpose-built" nursing home set in large grounds within a short distance of Portlaoise town centre. Substandard elderly care revealed by RTE Investigates at nursing homes in Portlaoise and Dublin do not represent the 'professionalism' of staff on an 'everyday' basis in its facilities around Ireland. That's according to a new statement from Emeis Ireland which owns The Residence nursing home in Portlaoise where it admits that it accepted new patients into the home despite being ordered not to do so by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA). The French-owned healthcare business says it "notes" the request by the Minister for Older People for HIQA to conduct a national review of its nursing home facilities and is co-operating fully with all regulatory and statutory bodies. Emeis also owns the Kilminchy Lodge home in Portlaoise. They also confirmed that both HIQA and the HSE have visited Beneavin Manor and The Residence Portlaoise and are engaging with these agencies. The company admitted that it had not complied with a condition not to accept new patients after April 22 this year. HIQA imposed the sanction after several failings were uncovered at the Portlaosie home by HIQA and highlighted to the operators over many months. Emeis Ireland was given notice that the sanction was in the pipeline in February. "We also wish to clarify that HIQA had, following an inspection of The Residence Portlaoise, issued notification of a decision for The Residence Portlaoise to cease admissions 14 days from receipt of the notice. Due to an administrative error on our part regarding the date to cease admissions, admissions continued for 8 days until 30 April 2025 in The Residence Portlaoise," it said. The statement issued by a public relations company elaborates on what was revealed and its response. "The footage which aired on the RTE Investigates programme was both shocking and unacceptable and unquestionably equated to poor and abusive practice. Emeis Ireland has taken appropriate safeguarding actions in relation to residents and specific actions in relation to staff and a full organisational review is underway. "These incidents were not representative of the professionalism and commitment of our employees in Ireland, nor of the everyday life in our facilities. "A series of measures were taken as soon as we were alerted to the situation. On-site audits are being carried out to determine the causes and immediate actions were taken to address these poor practices as quickly as possible; the timely supplies of materials have been addressed; an open channel has been established and maintained with the relevant regulatory authorities," it said. The Emeis Ireland also says it has also initiated a detailed corrective action plan working to six objectives: Ensuring the immediate safety of all residents Strengthening safeguarding systems Improving staff training and competence Addressing a culture of fear or poor reporting Improving communication with families Strengthening governance and oversight Emeis Ireland is also conducting its own review of operations throughout its 25 facilities. The company repeated its regret at what has happened. "We reiterate our deep regret and disappointment in respect of the matters uncovered by the programme. Emeis Ireland once again extends a genuine and open apology to all residents of Beneavin Manor and The Residence Portlaoise, and to their families for the pain and distress imposed on them, due to clearly identified failures in care. We also extend an apology to the residents and families in our wider facilities and our dedicated staff members working in good faith throughout the group, who have been let down by these events," it said. READ ALSO: Taoiseach shifts focus on regulator HIQA Emeis Ireland have also revealed what they say is a corrective plan for Beneavin Manor in Dublin and The Residence Portlaoise. They say it is grouped under five headings and 14 initial actions. Under the first heading Resident Safety and Wellbeing they commit to: a full care review for all residents enhanced clinical supervision of residents and increasing staffing levels The second heading is Safeguarding and Protection and this proposes: Full review of the delivery of our safeguarding training Appointment and training of safeguarding champions A review of safeguarding reporting processes Under Workforce Competence and Culture the pledge to: Conduct leadership training for managers Conduct an anonymous staff culture survey Review our HR and Recruitment processes The fourth area of focus is Family Communication & Involvement under which they aim to: Conduct regular family meetings every 2 weeks or as required on an individual basis Issue regular written updates to families And finally, under Governance and Oversight they commit to: Appointing an independent clinical auditor Sharing regular progress updates with HIQA Providing weekly and monthly progress reporting to the senior management Emeis Ireland is owned by French firm Emeis, which rebranded from Orpea after it was engulfed in turmoil after a book called the Gravediggers outlined shortcomings in its facilities in France. Emeis Ireland is the biggest nursing home operator in Ireland where it has expanded rapidly in recent years. The Portlaoise facility has the capacity for 101 residents. News / National by Staff reporter A Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officer accused of facilitating the cold-blooded murder of a rape complainant by handing her over to her alleged attacker has been remanded in custody alongside his co-accused, as the case sends shockwaves through the Plumtree community.Thembani Mukanyani (39), a police officer stationed in Plumtree, and Cabangani "Mike" Mathe (35), the man accused of both rape and murder, appeared before Plumtree Magistrate Mrs Ailene Munamati on 28 May 2025. The court denied the duo bail and ordered them to remain behind bars until 11 June 2025.According to the court documents, the incident began on 22 March 2025 when Mukanyani escorted 20-year-old Benitta Tshuma to the Plumtree Police Station. Tshuma had recently filed a rape complaint against Mathe, and was placed under temporary protection at the station's Victim Friendly Unit (VFU) safe house.Tragically, that protection proved fatal. Around 8pm that evening, in a shocking betrayal of duty, Mukanyani allegedly released Tshuma into the custody of Mathe-her alleged rapist-without any clearance or legal basis.Investigators allege that Mathe then drove Tshuma from Plumtree through several rural areas-Maitengwe and Madlambuzi-before illegally crossing the border into Botswana. There, he is accused of savagely murdering her by bludgeoning her with an unknown object and dumping her body in the bush. The decomposing remains of the young woman were discovered on 27 March 2025.Evidence gathered during the investigation points to coordinated communication between the two accused. Police confirmed at least eight phone calls between Mukanyani and Mathe between 5pm and 8pm on the night Tshuma was handed over. Witnesses also reported seeing Mukanyani personally delivering the complainant to Mathe that evening.Following the discovery of the body, Mukanyani allegedly attempted suicide by ingesting poison-an act investigators say was a desperate attempt to avoid prosecution.His bail bid was rejected on grounds that he posed a suicide risk, could interfere with witnesses, and that his release would provoke public outrage."This case has shaken the community. The betrayal by a trusted police officer and the gruesome death of a young woman seeking protection has left Plumtree angry and afraid," said a source close to the case.As the investigation continues, the case has reignited calls for reform within the police force, especially regarding how vulnerable victims are handled by officers sworn to protect them. Sex and the City actress, and Donegal holiday homeowner, Sarah Jessica Parker said she has given up on the idea of becoming a citizen of Ireland. Sarah Jessica Parker, who, along with her husband, Matthew Broderick, has a holiday home in Kilcar and travels to Ireland regularly, such as when they celebrated the 2024 new year. Comparing herself to fellow American, Rosie ODonnell, who says she is applying for Irish citizenship, Jessica Parker told the Sunday Independent that Irish citizenship was not for her. READ NEXT: The 2 Johnnies Pints in a Field 3: All you need to know for Saturday's St Anne's Park gig Were not in the same position, said Jessica Parker. Neither myself nor my husband has a relative that would allow permanent residency. We do feel enormously privileged to be able visit the country as much as possible, however, which of late has just worked out - our kids school schedule and our own work schedule has allowed us to be in Ireland a lot. So weve given up on the idea of being able to call ourselves Irish citizens. But it doesnt matter because it doesnt affect our love of the country and our time spent there. Following RTE's recent expose into The Residence Portlaoise nursing home, a Laois Councillor has called for answers. Fianna Fail Portlaoise Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald has called for a meeting with Minister Kieran ODonnell, Minister for Older People and Housing, along with HIQA representatives. The documentary uncovered 'systematic failures' in the Portlaoise nursing home. "Following on from the distressing and harrowing scenes we saw on last nights programme on The Residence in Portlaoise," Cllr Fitzgerald said. "I have requested a meeting with Minister Kieran ODonnell , Minister for Older People and Housing. Ive also asked for HIQA representatives to attend. "Ive a lot of questions Id like to get answered. Not least following up from todays revelation that HIQA had stopped admissions months ago. Did the HSE pay their bill?" the Cllr questioned. Admissions to The Residence nursing home in Portlaoise ceased at the end of April due to issues identified in a series reports by the health watchdog HIQA following inspections and other warnings about the care provided. The Health Information and Equality Authority revealed information to the Leinster Express / Laios Live after issuing a statement following the expose of substandard care provided at The Residence nursing home located off Portlaoise's Mountmellick Road. Emeis Ireland runs the home, which opened in 2023. The RTE investigates programme also featured a Dublin facility which is also run by the French-owned operation. Leitrim is set to come alive with colour and creativity this Saturday, 7 June, as Cruinniu na nOg returns with a jam-packed day of free, hands-on events for children and young people across the county. Part of the nationwide Creative Ireland initiative, Cruinniu na nOg is the only day in the year dedicated entirely to celebrating and nurturing youth creativity. With everything from theatre and music to crafts and animation, this years programme promises a countywide explosion of energy and imagination. In Ballinamore, kids can dive into clay sculpting, mask making, juggling, and even animation workshops. Meanwhile, in Manorhamilton, a bold 24-hour play challenge will bring theatre to life, alongside live street music performed by young musicians as part of a Shared Island project. Carrick-on-Shannon will host a drop-in print-your-own-map session, while Kinlough adds more music to the mix with performances by talented local youth. Dromahair offers a rich programme including storytelling, woodland walks, and high-tech laser-cutting workshops. In Kiltyclogher, children can step back in time with a Viking-themed axe-making session and even take part in a mini archaeological dig. Mohill, Drumsna, and Carrigallen will showcase stunning work created by young people, including felting, printmaking, and animated films. Youth theatre workshops will hit the road in both Drumshanbo and Ballinamore, giving budding actors a chance to express themselves and learn new skills. Cruinniu na nOg is more than just a day of funits a powerful reminder of how vital creativity is in young lives, and how accessible it should be to all. With every event completely free of charge, theres something in Leitrim for every child and teen to discover, create, and enjoy. For a full list of local and national events, visit https://cruinniu.gov.ie. READ MORE The late Gerry McGovern certainly did Leitrim some great service The tiny parish of Fenagh is punching above its weight in a national race for fundingand locals are calling on the public to help them win a share of AIBs 1 million Community Fund. Fenagh Development Company has been nominated under the Connaught region, and with enough votes, could secure a major boost for their ongoing work in the village. This is about more than just one project, said Paul Keegan, manager of Fenagh Development Company. Its about keeping rural communities alive. Every vote we get brings us closer to improving facilities for local families and securing the future of what weve built here in Fenagh. Over the past 20 years, the group has transformed a crumbling parish hall into a thriving visitor centre with a coffee shop and the only indoor soft play area in the county. Theyve added a preschool, extra meeting rooms, a playground, footpaths, street lighting, and a state-of-the-art sound and lighting systempowered by volunteers, local support, and a patchwork of grants. Weve come a long way through grit, graft and community spirit, said Keegan. Now were asking people near and far to get behind us and help tip the scales. Many of these developments were made possible with help from Leitrim County Council, the LEADER programme, Pobal, CLAR, and international backers like the International Fund for Ireland. But with rural populations declining and funding harder to access, outside support is now more important than ever. Voting is quick and open to everyoneno matter where you live. All you need is your name, email, and one sentence saying why youre nominating us, Keegan explained. Make sure to include our nameFenagh Development Companyour registration number 20030995, and pick Connaught as the region and Other as the theme. Thats it. One vote per email. You dont need to be an AIB customer, or even live in Ireland. The deadline to vote is June 25, and every single nomination counts. Vote here https://aib.ie/personal-forms/community-fund Were the underdogs here, no doubt about it, said Keegan. But with the support of the countyand our diasporawe have a real shot. We are urging everyonefrom Cloone to Canadato vote, share, and help keep Fenagh thriving. READ MORE The late Gerry McGovern certainly did Leitrim some great service A poignant notice has been put up on a shopfront in London, appealing for help in locating the family of a man from the north west who recently passed away in the city. A former BBC journalist shared a photo of the notice on X, which shows an image of the man Martin Fallon, originally from Sligo who passed away at Whittington Hospital in May. The notice states that he was born in April 1951, and that his funeral and cremation are scheduled to take place in Finchley, London, on Monday, June 9. The area used to be home to lots of these old boys from Ireland but they are slowly dying out along with their pubs and betting shops, the journalist wrote. READ NEXT: Gardai urge Leitrim landowners to search remote buildings for man missing almost three weeks She also mentioned that the shop displaying the notice serves as a hub for sharing personal news, and carries a wide selection of local Irish newspapers. Since the post was shared, people on social media have rallied to trace Martin Fallons relatives. On June 4, OceanFM posted a photo of the notice on Facebook in an appeal for information, which has since been shared over 300 times. One commenter mentioned that Fallon had two sisters who lived in England, both of whom have passed away, and one remaining sister in Galway. In an interview with OceanFM, Cllr Thomas Healy who lived in England for a decade said Fallon came from Collooney and moved to England 40 years ago. READ NEXT: Cruinniu na nOg brings a burst of youthful creativity to Leitrim on June 7 London is a very lonely place if you havent a support base around you, said Cllr Healy. He noted that many Irish people, like Fallon, have become disconnected in their roots over time. This brings it all home and Im sure Martin has some family here in Ireland, he added. Its sad to see it. Sligo Genealogy Research Services reported finding a Martin Fallon born in Sligo in 1951, though they cannot confirm if it is the same individual. The moving notice in the north London shop window speaks to a generation of Irish who once made London their home now slowly drifting from the familiar places and faces that once kept them tethered to their native land. Leitrim County Council is hosting an information event to showcase the potential to transform vacant and derelict properties in County Leitrim into vibrant homes. The event, taking place on Thursday June 19, from 3pm to 8pm, in the Landmark Hotel, Carrick-on-Shannon, will also exhibit how to make existing homes warmer, greener, and more energy efficient. The Keynote Speaker on the day will be award-winning architect and TV personality Hugh Wallace. The main aim of the event is to showcase existing and prospective property owners in County Leitrim, the potential to transform these vacant and derelict properties into vibrant, cosy homes. With a residential vacancy rate of almost 12%, Leitrim holds untapped potential to bring properties back into use, helping to increase housing supply while also revitalising our communities. Grants of up to 70,000 are available under the Croi Conaithe Vacant Property Refurbishment Scheme to rejuvenate and renew these vacant and derelict properties. So there has never been a better time to transform these properties into cosy homes. Whether you're a homeowner, investor, or simply curious, this event is for you. The event will provide attendees with the opportunity to meet the Leitrim Vacant Homes Team. Individuals who have already been through the journey of breathing new life into their once vacant, neglected properties will also be in attendance to relay their real-life experience of navigating the process. The event will also explore practical ways to make your existing home warmer, more sustainable, and energy efficient. Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and the Sligo-Leitrim Energy Agency will be on hand to provide guidance, share upgrade solutions, and answer any questions you may have about improving your home's energy performance. For more information on the different grants available through the SEAI - please see their website. Keynote speaker on the day, Hugh Wallace, has confirmed his excitement at being involved in the event. Im absolutely delighted that Leitrim County Council is helping people discover the incredible potential in transforming vacant and derelict buildings into vibrant homes and businesses. Across Ireland, there are thousands of empty propertiesparticularly in rural townsthese were once the heart of the community and can be once again. With the support of the Council and access to the Vacant and Derelict Homes Grant, people now have the tools and information they need to breathe new life into these buildings. Ive said it a million times before and it still rings truethe most sustainable building is the one thats already built! Leitrim County Councils enthusiasm and can-do attitude is truly commendable, and Im very much looking forward to being part of their Information Event Turning Vacant Properties into Cosy Homes. If youre thinking about doing up an old building, I strongly urge you to come along and see how your dream can become a reality. Exhibition stands will be open from 3pm, with the official welcome by the Cathaoirleach of Leitrim County Council, Councillor Paddy ORourke at 5.30pm. This will be followed by the keynote speakers including award-winning architect and TV personality Hugh Wallace. COMPETITION: If you register before 4pm on June 12, you may be in with a chance to win an exclusive one-to-one consultation with award-winning architect Hugh Wallace on the day of the event! If your name is drawn, you will be contacted and you must be in a position to provide your draft plans and Eircode to Leitrim County Council in advance of the event to be considered for the consultation opportunity. So, take the first step in your journey towards revitalising Leitrim by restoring your vacant property and register to attend this unmissable event click here!. There is no cost to attend and while pre-registration is recommended, walk-ins are welcome on the day. For more information about Turning Vacant Properties into Cosy Homes see our website leitrim.ie and check out our social medial platforms - Facebook, X or Instagram Contact us by email at turningvacantpropertiesintocosyhomes@leitrimcoco.ie. Calling all Exhibitors! We are inviting interested organisations to showcase their expertise in the exhibition area of the Event and are seeking participation from the following: * Credit Unions & Banks * Auctioneers & Solicitors * Retrofit and Sustainability Experts * Architects and Energy Advisors * Insulation Providers * Window and Door Suppliers You can register your interest in participating as an Exhibitor by visiting Leitrim County Councils website leitrim.ie and by using the link provided under the Turning Vacant Properties into Cosy Homes Event Page. Exhibitor Ticket Please note that Exhibitor spaces are offered free of charge but are limited. Should you wish to register as an Exhibitor please do so before 4pm on Wednesday, June 11 2025. If you require any further information or details on the event, please email us now. *Sponsored Content Investing in People: Gotion Illinois Supports Graduates of Local Workforce Development Program Partnership with Calumet Area Industrial Commission prepares area residents for skills needed for modern manufacturing jobs MANTENO, Ill., June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Gotion Illinois, a global innovator in next-generation energy storage and batteries, welcomed 15 newly trained area residents to its manufacturing facility in Manteno. They are the first graduating class in a unique partnership that confirms Gotion's commitment to local hiring. The program, conducted by the Calumet Area Industrial Commission (CAIC), is designed to provide students with foundational and advanced skills in modern manufacturing processes. It emphasizes hand-on experience, safety, production systems and quality control, which are all key components of Gotion Illinois' operation. "Gotion Illinois is proud to collaborate with CAIC in building a strong manufacturing workforce in Manteno and the surrounding region," said Mark Kreusel, General Manager of Gotion Illinois, "Programs like this reflect our shared commitment to creating real pathways to high-tech careers while investing in the future of the communities we call home." The training culminated in a graduation ceremony and plant tour, where students were recognized for their achievements. Most significantly, every graduate will have the opportunity to interview directly with Gotion Illinois for employment consideration, turning their training into potential careers. "As CAIC continues to champion workforce development, partnerships like this illustrate the power of collaboration between community-focused organizations and forward-looking manufacturers," said Ted Stalnos, President/CEO of CAIC. "When an employer like Gotion Illinois offers the potential for local, high-paying careers for CAIC Program Graduates, the incentive rises to meet the opportunity for our local workforce." Gotion Illinois is making a $2 billion investment, converting a large warehouse in Manteno into one of the most advanced energy storage and battery manufacturing facilities in the country. More than 300 are now working there, with up to 2,600 employed at full operations. Registration for the next CAIC program begins on June 16. For more information visit the CAIC website: calumetareaindustrial.com. About Gotion Illinois: Gotion Illinois is a cutting-edge energy story manufacturer, based in Manteno, Illinois. It specializes in energy storage solutions for home, industrial, transportation, and off-grid applications. With a "Local for Local" strategy, Gotion Illinois hires local talent, sources local materials and produces high-quality and innovative clean energy systems for both domestic and international markets. About CAIC: The Calumet Area Industrial Commission (CAIC) is a non-profit organization focused on industrial retention and expansion in the Greater Calumet Industrial Area, which covers the Far South Side of Chicago, Southern Cook County, Will County, Kankakee County and Northwest Indiana. CAIC provides programs and services in industrial advocacy, economic development, business development, workforce development and community outreach. SOURCE Gotion 6 june 2025 at 17:17 News published onand distributed by: Who are the 'Brexit badboys' tipped to replace Zia Yusuf as Reform UK turmoil deepens Who are the 'Brexit badboys' tipped to replace Zia Yusuf as Reform UK turmoil deepens Nigel Farage is on the hunt for someone to manage his party after his chairman dramatically quit. Zia Yusuf was seen as a key ally of Mr Farage and had played a central role in professionalising the party as it soared in opinion polls. But he sensationally resigned from the job he held for 11 months on Thursday, saying that working to get the party elected was no longer "a good use of my time". It followed him branding a call from Reforms newest MP to ban the burka as "dumb". Sarah Pochin used her debut at Prime Minister's Questions to ask Sir Keir Starmer during whether he would support such a law. ADVERTISEMENT On Friday, Arron Banks and Andy Wigmore, two of Mr Farages allies known as the Brexit bad boys, emerged as favourites to take on the chairman role. Mr Banks is a businessman who founded the Leave.EU campaign with current Reform deputy leader Richard Tice and was previously one of the largest donors to UKIP. In May, he came second to Labour as Reforms candidate in the West of England Mayoral election. He described suggestions that Mr Farages leadership style meant it was difficult for the party to hold onto staff as a load of tosh. Arron Banks (right) and Andy Wigmore (left) leave Portcullis House on June 12, 2018 (Getty Images) All political parties have comings and goings, he said. MP Rupert Lowe was suspended by the party in March after an allegation he made threats towards Mr Yusuf. Mr Lowe alleged that the suspension was politically motivated after he made disparaging remarks about the Reform leader in a newspaper interview. ADVERTISEMENT Mr Farage also appeared to fall out with Reforms former co-deputy leader Ben Habib who was sacked soon after the general election. Mr Habib said the leader needed to realise the party should not be controlled by one man before leaving the party. Mr Wigmore was director of communications for Leave.EU and a key figure in convincing the country to vote to leave the EU. The former diplomat for Belize and competitive clay pigeon shooter is said to be happy to let Nigel and Arron take most of the limelight. Arron Banks pictured with Nigel Farage (PA Archive/PA Images) He was an official trade emissary to Belize before the UK foreign office stripped him of his diplomatic status after he appeared in a photo with Mr Farage and Donald Trump in front of a glittering gold lift in 2016. Self-described as definitely the most handsome of the Brexit Bad Boys he has operated more behind the scenes than other allies of Mr Farage. ADVERTISEMENT Reform UK's deputy leader said women who wear burkas should be asked if it is "genuinely their choice". Addressing the row, Richard Tice said the issue should be subject to a "national debate" as he entered the count for a Holyrood by-election on Thursday night. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Friday, Mr Tice said: "I think it is right that we should have a debate about whether or not the burka is appropriate for a nation that's founded in Christianity, where women are equal citizens and should not be viewed as second class citizens." Asked whether he supported a ban, he said he was "pretty concerned" about whether the burka was a "repressive item of clothing", adding: "Let's ask women who wear the burka, is that genuinely their choice?" Wearing face-covering clothes is currently banned in seven European countries - France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria and Bulgaria - while other countries have enacted partial bans. Trump wants to protect the US Territory from Terrorists. So, he Banned Twelve Countries. If We Can Bury Together, Celebrate Together, We Can Rest Together TWO BOYS who raped a teenage girl in a car at Limerick Racecourse when they were aged just 13 and 15 years old have each been sentenced to six years in detention. A third defendant (now 18) who was found guilty of aiding and abetting the rapes by moving the car in which it occurred was jailed for three and a half years. The daytime attack against the girl involved humiliation and degradation and was committed by offenders of a very young age, the Central Criminal Court heard. The teenage rapists and their families do not accept the verdicts of the jury and there was a heavy garda presence in court for sentencing this Thursday June 5. Mr Justice Paul McDermott said that had the boys who are all cousins - been adults at the time of the offending, the headline sentence for the rape offences would have been in the range of 15 years to life imprisonment. This was a 16-year-old intoxicated girl in a vulnerable situation subjected to rape and sexual assault, he said. She was raped one after the other by (the two boys) and in the course of these rapes, she was sexually assaulted. The girl was repeatedly saying no during the assaults. Further indignity and humiliation was heaped upon her by video footage being taken of the incident, the judge said. READ ALSO: Mother of Limerick man who died after assault on night out said world is turned upside down Handing down sentence, Mr Justice McDermott noted there was very little to be said in mitigation for the boys, as they have not expressed remorse or any understanding of the harm caused to the complainant. They must be sentenced as juveniles under the Children Act, in which detention is a last resort, the court heard. The judge accepted the third defendant, who aided and abetted the rapes, has taken some responsibility for his involvement but struggles to understand it. He noted they have no previous convictions and have been subject to some childhood trauma, with mental health difficulties in their families. They had a lack of understanding in the areas of sexual relations and consent, the court heard. Mr Justice McDermott sentenced the two rapists to a sentence of seven and a half years of detention, with the final 18 months suspended on a number of conditions, including that they engage in sexual offending programmes and have no contact whatsoever with the complainant. The judge noted this means that part of their sentence will be served in prison. He sentenced the third defendant to five years in jail as he is now over the age of 18 years. He suspended the final 18 months of this sentence on the same conditions. The three boys stood trial at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork earlier this year, with two of the boys (now aged 16 and 17) found guilty of sexually assaulting and raping the then 16-year-old girl in a car at the racecourse on December 26, 2022. They were 13 and 15 years old at the time. The third boy (now 18) was found guilty by the jury of four counts of aiding and abetting the rapes and sexual assaults following the six-week trial. The court heard he moved the car during the course of the attack. He was aged 15 at the time. He was acquitted of one count of false imprisonment. Video clips were taken of the incident by one of the boys, including one clip of the girl walking away from the car after she had been raped. When she found her friends, she was extremely upset and immediately told them what had happened to her, the court heard. The boys denied raping the girl, telling gardai differing versions of events including one who said he was in Dublin on the day in question. They all eventually claimed it was a consensual encounter. Detective Garda Lisa O'Regan told Dean Kelly SC, prosecuting, that the girl was socialising with her friends at the racecourse on the day in question. She was, in her own words, really drunk when she got chatting to the three boys, Mr Kelly said. The court heard she agreed to go for a walk with one of the boys because she wanted to kiss him. Instead, she found herself in a car belonging to one of the boy's fathers where she was sexually assaulted and raped by two of them. The third boy moved the car at one point during the attack. The girl said she told the boys No repeatedly and that she was on her period and had a tampon in. She said she told them she needed to go back to her friends, but they repeatedly said no and that she was fine. When medically examined later that evening, she was found to have extensive bleeding and bruising. She was a virgin prior to the attack. The complainant (now aged 18) was not in court for the sentence hearing in Dublin. In a victim statement read out on her behalf by counsel, she described her fear and anxiety in the aftermath of the attack, during which she was begging them to get off me. At the age of 16, I had my innocence stripped away from me, she said. These two (boys) took what they wanted with no regrets. She said her parents had to hear every vulgar and gruesome detail of what happened to her and that she will forever have guilt on my shoulders - not just for how it affected me, but everyone around me. They not only took away the rest of my childhood, they took away the rest of my life, she said. At the age of 16, I was raped. This is always something I will have to carry around. But what I can do is live with the fact that I told the truth. The court heard the boys, who are all cousins, have no previous convictions. They are all in detention or custody since the guilty verdicts were handed down last April. The case was previously adjourned for a number of weeks for preparation of probation reports. Cathal McGreal, BL, defending the youngest of the three boys, said his client was then aged 13 and had no previous convictions. He said that a report before the court described him as mild-mannered, introverted and vulnerable from a mental health point of view. Counsel said his client made admissions and described him as not a particularly mature 13-year-old, and this was his first sexual experience. The court heard that the boy's father and his family do not accept the verdict. Mr McGreal said his client wants to pursue his Junior Certificate and is interested in becoming a mechanic or a builder. He is against drugs and alcohol and wants to marry his girlfriend. Vincent Heneghan SC, defending the then 15-year-old boy, said his client comes from a good supportive family and they are concerned for him. He stated that his client does not accept the jury's verdict and that this will limit any potential mitigation. Counsel said his client presents as intermittently distressed since going into custody and is not sleeping well. He said he is engaging in education and sport while in Oberstown. Mr Henaghan said the defendant has no issues with drugs or alcohol and outlined that there was no pre-planning to this offending. He asked the court to consider the reports that were before the court on behalf of his client and requested that the court be as lenient as possible. Donal Cronin BL, defending the third boy, said his sexual knowledge at the time was limited. He outlined that his client has no issues with drink or drugs and that sport has formed a major part of his life. Mr Cronin asked the court to fashion a sentence that would mark the wrongdoing but also include rehabilitation. He asked the court to consider the mitigating factors, including his client's culpability, his involvement and the fact he was a child at the time. IT WASNT just cattle that made big prices in Kilmallock Mart last week as two farms of land were sold under the hammer there. First up was a 93.5 acre residential roadside farm at Ballynamona, Hospital. The man with the gavel was Richard Ryan, of GVM Kilmallock, who described it as an outstanding farm. The lands are of excellent quality, all in permanent pasture and laid out in easily-managed well-sheltered fields. There is a considerable amount of road frontage and a range of traditional-style farm buildings. The residence is a fine imposing two storey farmhouse, however, it is in need of refurbishment, said Mr Ryan, who offered the property for sale in its entirety. READ MORE: A (silage) cut above: Limerick IFA chairperson Louise has been drawing silage for 15 seasons Despite a large attendance all the bids came through the online LSL facility with an opening bid of 1m. It was followed by 20k incremental bids until 1,420,000 when a recess was called. After the recess, more bids were invited and when bidding reached 1,500,000 there was another short recess. The property was placed on the market. No further bids followed with the hammer coming down at 1,500,000. Commenting after the auction, Mr Ryan said that it was a smashing farm situated on the main Limerick / Mitchelstown road mid-way between Hospital and Herbertstown. Both joint agent Gerald Mitchell, of EJ Mitchell Auctioneers, and I always felt that the farm was entitled and would make in the region of 1.5m, said Mr Ryan. It is understood the new owner is a local businessman with strong farming interests. The second auction offering was a 30.5 acre non-residential roadside farm situated at the Cross of Knockane with postal address of Kileenagalive, Pallasgreen (pictured below). Mr Ryan, again with gavel in hand, said it is an excellent quality roadside farm situated in the heart of the Golden Vale. The farm has a slatted shed together with lean-to style cubicle shed and ancillary out offices. Mr Ryan said the lands are all in permanent pasture and are laid out in easily managed fields . There was a much smaller crowd in attendance this time, however, most importantly plenty of action both in house and on online. An opening bid online of 400,000 was followed by a rapid succession of bids from two in-house and one online bidder. A recess was called at 550,000 and after a discussion the vendors made the decision to place the property on the market. A number of minutes later, Mr Ryans gavel came down in favour of an in-house bidder at a very impressive 600,000 or 19,672 / acre. This was another joint agent sale, this time DNG Liam OGrady, of Tipperary Town, with GVM Kilmallock. It is believed the farm was bought by a local dairy farmer. GARDAI have warned supporters travelling to this Saturday's Munster senior hurling final between Limerick and Cork that intoxicated individuals may be denied access to TUS Gaelic Grounds. A capacity crowd is expected at Limerick's GAA headuqarters at Ennis Road (throw in 6pm) and officers have pointed out that the possession of smoke bombs and flares in the stadium are also prohibited. "Patrons may be denied entry if found in possession of same. The lighting of smoke bombs or flares is an offence and any person found lighting same in the stadium will be ejected from the grounds and may face criminal prosecution," gardai have stated. READ MORE: Limerick senior hurling team announced for Munster final showdown with Cork With 43,000 expected to pile into the stadium for the decider, a traffic management plan will also swing into action. The gardai have advised spectators to arrive in plenty of time and are being advised to park in city centre car parks and walk out to the stadium on the northside. "Cars illegally parked will be ticketed and those causing obstruction are likely to be towed away by gardai," officers have warned. This includes the parking of vehicles on green areas, they've stated. Parking is being made available at different locations along the Ennis Road between Coonagh roundabout and Caherdavin Cross, while the TUS campus at Moylish will welcome cars. Motorists using Limerick Tunnel should consider using the main toll plaza, continue on the N18 to Exit 5 (Portdrine/Cratloe, take the N18 fly-over and take the Limerick Southern Ring Road to the Caherdavin Exit (R445) and utilise Ennis Road. Road closures and diversions in the city will kick in from 2pm - four hours before throw-in. Sarsfield Bridge will be closed to outbound traffic, with motorists being diverted at the junction of Henry Street and Sarsfield Street. There will be no right turn off Condell Road into the Shelbourne Rd Lower junction. Vehicles will be banned onto Clancy Strand off of High Road in Thomondgate, while residential traffic will only be permitted in a number of streets across estates on the northside. No traffic will be permitted onto Shelbourne Road at Hassett's Cross, with vehicles diverted to Cratloe Road and Secton Street North. At Ennis Road's junction with Ivan's Cross, traffic will be diverted to Northern Ring Road and towards Clonmacken Road. Council has advised supporters to use the additional bins it will provide to help keep the city clean. It's asked fans to be respectful to fellow supporters, local residents and property. "Stay sun-smart, but bring a rain jacket," the local authority said. This comes with rain forecast all day in the city, but the sun scheduled to break through the clouds around an hour before throw-in. Mayor John Moran said: "Were delighted to welcome supporters from near and far to Limerick for what promises to be a spectacular occasion. Lets show the best of Limerick hospitality and spirit as we cheer on this impressive Limerick team, hopefully to an historic seven Munster titles in a row." Priomh Comhairleoir, Cllr Dan McSweeney added: "The Munster final is a highlight of the sporting calendar, and were proud to host it here in the heart of Limerick. I look forward to welcoming many visitors who will come to enjoy our wonderful city. A special thanks to Limerick and Munster GAA for bringing this iconic sporting and cultural event once again to the TUS Gaelic Grounds. Council director general Dr Pat Daly said: "Lets make this Munster final not only a showcase of hurling excellence but also a celebration of community spirit and sportsmanship. Were proud to support this event and look forward to welcoming thousands of visitors to our city. The Toronto skyline pictured on Friday morning. Environment Canada issued special weather statements for the city on Thursday and Friday amid wildfire smoke from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. (Thomas Daigle/CBC - image credit) Toronto was the fourth-most polluted major city in the world on Friday night as wildfire smoke hung over the city, according to a global tracker. The ranking by IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company, placed the city below Detroit, U.S., Delhi, India, and Montreal, which remained in third place on Friday night as it also faces wildfire smoke from western provinces. As of 9 p.m. Friday, air quality in Toronto was at seven on Environment Canada's air quality health index, according to the weather agency's website. A value between four to six is considered moderate risk, while seven to 10 is high risk, the agency's website reads. Parts of the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding communities were under a special air quality statement on Friday as wildfires continued to scorch Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. ADVERTISEMENT Wildfire smoke is causing or expected to cause poor air quality and reduced visibility, Environment Canada said in a statement on Friday. Poor air quality was expected to persist into the evening Friday. The air quality statement was in effect for the following areas: Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Durham Region, Pickering, Oshawa, Uxbridge, Beaverton, Halton Hills, Milton, Oakville, Newmarket and Georgina. Environment Canada issued a similar special air quality statement for much of Ontario on Thursday. People are advised to limit time outdoors and consider reducing or rescheduling outdoor activities or events, the federal weather agency said in Friday's statement. Those who must spend time outdoors are advised to wear a "well-constructed, well-fitting and properly worn respirator type mask" such as an N95 mask, Environment Canada said. ADVERTISEMENT These masks can reduce exposure to fine particles in the smoke, but there can still be risks to health, the statement read. When indoors, people are advised to keep windows and doors closed as much as possible. A clean, good quality air filter in your ventilation system or a certified portable air cleaner may help protect indoor air from wildfire smoke, Environment Canada said. People may experience "mild and common symptoms" such as eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches or a mild cough, the federal weather agency said. More serious and less common symptoms include wheezing, chest pains or severe cough. People are advised to seek immediate medical assistance if they think they are having a medical emergency. Seniors, pregnant people, infants, young children, people with existing illness or chronic health conditions, and those who work outdoors are the most likely to be impacted by outdoor health pollution, Environment Canada said. ADVERTISEMENT "Check in on others who are in your care or live nearby who may be more likely to be impacted by outdoor air pollution," the statement read. Toronto Pearson International Airport said it did not "anticipate any impacts to operations" as a result of the smoke, in a post on X on Friday. Elon Musk's Starlink has been granted a key licence from the Departmemnt of Telecommunications, reports said on Friday, in a boost to the satellite company's dreams to capture the market. Starlink's receipt of approval from the telecom ministry brings it closer to start commercial operations in India with a target to reach 900 million internet users of the country, Reuters and Bloomberg reported on Friday. DoT sources also confirmed to PTI that Starlink has indeed received licence, and said they will be granted trial spectrum in 15-20 days of applying for it. Starlink and the Department of Telecommunications did not immediately make the news official. This article will be updated once there is an official notification. Starlink is the third company to get a licence from India's Department of Telecommunications. Before Starlink, the DoT had approved similar applications by Eutelsat's OneWeb and Reliance Jio to provide services in the country. Starlink has been waiting since 2022 for licences to operate commercially in India but delays have occurred due to reasons including national security concerns, as per Reuters. Amazon's Kuiper is still waiting for its India licence. In recent months, Musk's company has also clashed with billionaire Mukesh Ambani's entity Jio over how the country should grant spectrum for satellite services. The Centre agrees with Elon Musk that spectrum should be assigned and not auctioned. When will Starlink services be available in India? On May 7, Starlink had received a Letter of Intent from the DoT, in one of the initial steps to pave way for its commercial launch in India. With the key regulatory licence that Elon Musk's company received today, Starlink is expected to soon start operations in the country. Starlink's intention of starting its services quickly in India has been evident. Earlier this year, the company signed surprise pacts with two largest Indian telecom firms Mukesh Ambanis Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel to help with its roll out in the country. Days later, Union telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had said that the nation needed satellite internet, especially in remote corners of the country or when natural disasters destroy towers and fibre networks. Starlink internet plan cost As per a media report last month, Starlink could introduce plans starting as low as $10, or approximately 850 per month. This will make its services one of the most affordable globally a requirement in India, a country that leans towards low-cost high-efficiency products. (Bloomberg) -- Binance Holdings Ltd.s head of financial crime compliance, Tigran Gambaryan, who was detained last year in Nigeria for about eight months, is leaving the worlds largest crypto exchange. Gambaryan was released on humanitarian grounds in October after his health deteriorated while in jail. The former US Internal Revenue Service agent, who joined Binance in 2021, had been held on allegations of money laundering and currency manipulation when he traveling to Nigeria on behalf of Binance. The Nigerian government dropped the charges against Gambaryan. Gambaryan said in a message to Bloomberg News that Friday is his last day. Tigran has made a lasting impact on Binance, just as he did in his previous roles in law enforcement, a Binance spokesperson said in a statement. We are deeply grateful for his dedication in transforming our financial crimes compliance organization. Thanks to his tireless efforts, the crypto industry is safer for all. Binance Chief Executive Officer Richard Teng had claimed in a blog posting that the firm was asked for a secret payment to make its problems go away. Nigeria rejected the allegation of bribery. When Gambaryan was working for the US government, he earned the nickname of Crypto Wizard for his experience in tracing illicit crypto transactions. His work at Binance was mainly to help the firm to improve anti-money laundering protocols and assisting global law enforcement in major assets seizures at the time when the largest crypto exchange was under increased regulatory pressure around the world. Last week, the US Securities and Exchange Commission moved to end its legal battle against Binance. The regulator and the exchanges co-founder, Changpeng Zhao, filed a joint motion on May 29 to stay the case in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. The SEC sued Binance in June 2023, alleging the firm and Zhao mishandled customer funds, misled investors and regulators and violated US securities laws. The regulator also accused Binance of offering unregistered securities to US investors. Binance and Zhao in November 2023 pleaded guilty to separate charges that it violated anti-money laundering and US sanctions, with the firm agreeing to pay $4.3 billion. Zhao also agreed to pay a $50 million fine and step down as CEO. He served four months in a US prison. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com McDonalds is counting on star appeal to keep its customers excited as it refreshes its menu and doubles its store count in the north and east of the country. Connaught Plaza Restaurants Pvt Ltd (CPRL), the operator of McDonalds fast-food outlets in the two regions, is ramping up marketing expenditure, offering new menu categories, and launching celebrity-led campaigns targeted across generationsfrom teenagers to those in their 60s. Actor Ranveer Singh has been signed up as brand ambassador for a new celebrity meal campaign, Anant Agarwal, vice chairperson of CPRL, said in an interview with Mint. Menu offerings including boba drinks and premium burgers will be rolled out. We have committed to really good growth over the next three to four years and plan to double our outlet base," said Agarwal. In fact, we have consistently scaled up our marketing investments, with an incremental increase of 15-20% year-on-year." Also Read | McDonalds gives its restaurants an AI makeover Agarwal cited its Korean food campaign, which was backed by targeted marketing across digital and in-store platforms and drove strong consumer interest to contribute to a 20% business growth during the campaign period. The company has earmarked an investment of over $100 million for store expansion and modernisation over the next few years. We plan to more than double our store numbers, reaching 500-600 stores by 2030 over the next 3-4 years," said Agarwal. Star appeal The company is focused on marketing as a cornerstone because it wants to continue to woo patrons who started consuming McDonald's when they were in their teens and are now in their 40s. With Ranveer Singh at the helm of the campaign, it is targeting consumers ranging from 14-year-olds to 60-year-olds or even older, Agarwal added. We feel the way an actor will communicate will be very organic and will resonate with people despite there already being a strong loyalty for the brand. Its about building relevance not to inspire but more to excite consumers. Everyones a fan of McDonalds, even celebrities," he said. The campaign with Ranveer Singh will be for a limited period and will be rolled out around mid-June. The company had roped in actor Kartik Aaryan in 2023 for a similar campaign. Like that one, this too will be a 360-degree campaign for a few months before deciding whether to extend it further. Also Read | Celebrities lose ground on endorsements as more brands turn to influencers "While we can't touch upon the budgets, it's one of our largest campaigns till date. Typically, a campaign like this will give us a sense within six months based on the number of meals and burgers sold, how good our return on investment was. Usually, celebrity campaigns are also created around scarcity, and this will be more of a time-based campaign where the meal will only be around for a limited period," he said. Protein and gourmet burgers The company is also working towards introducing premium burgers and will look at innovations in the protein space both vegetarian and non-vegetarian as consumers become more conscious of their food choices, said Agarwal. Were creating food that is relevant among youth as well as older age groups like millennials, who are quite loyal, even in their 40s and 50s," he said. McDonalds launched the McCrispy chicken gourmet burger last year from its global menu. The premium chicken offering priced upwards of 200 has generated strong demand, particularly in eastern India, he said. CPRLs expansion and modernisation efforts include setting up over 200 McCafes across about 300 stores by the year end. These are shop-in-shop coffee sections to serve the growing market of coffee consumers. Today, about 35% of the company's sales come from delivery; 65% from dine-in. "We are quite content with our delivery numbers because we feel brands are created when people walk into restaurants and not only when they have them delivered," Agarwal added. Also Read | Profit squeeze drives Indian restaurants to seek new delivery paths The company posted revenue from operations of 1,410 crore in FY24, up 17.4% from 1,201 crore in FY23, according to its latest annual filings with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, accessed via business intelligence platform Tofler. Net profit in FY24 was 123.3 crore, up 58.5% from 77.8 crore. In February 2020, the MMG Group took over CPRL, and as part of the deal, Anant's father, Sanjeev Agrawal, was appointed the new development licensee for the region. QSR chains are rapidly expanding their footprints across tier-2 and tier-3 cities, supported by aggressive marketing, digital ordering platforms, and value-driven menus. The QSR segment continues to be one of the key growth drivers of the food service industry, especially within the broader casual-dining category, which is projected to grow from 1.22 trillion in FY24 to 1.74 trillion by FY28. This growth is being fuelled by rising disposable incomes, increased urbanisation, and changing eating habits among younger consumers, the National Restaurant Association of India said. Bengaluru: Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. recently bagged a big-ticket deal from a US-based healthcare company, at a time when clients are renegotiating their engagements with information technology (IT) service providers due to artificial intelligence (AI) tools and macroeconomic uncertainty. In the early hours of Tuesday, Surya Gummadi, Cognizants president for the Americas region, said the company had won a mega deal worth approximately a billion dollars" during a fireside chat with Jason Kupferberg, a senior analyst with Bank of America Merrill Lynch. To be sure, Gummadi did not announce the clients name. Mint has learnt from people with knowledge of the matter, including at least two analysts, that Cognizant might have renewed its partnership with UnitedHealth Group (UHG). This (deal) has an element of renewal, an element of expansion and a new (component) as well. It has all three components," said Gummadi, adding that the deal was a transformation deal with an average span of five years. The Cognizant veteran said the deal also has an AI component, where the IT services company is passing productivity gains to the client. Also read | Cognizant eyes a place amongst world's four largest IT services firms Should the client be UnitedHealth, a $1 billion contract translates to roughly $200 million in annual revenue for Cognizant, which counts UnitedHealth amongst its largest clients in the health sciences space. Cognizant has had a two-decade partnership with UnitedHealth. The health sciences vertical made up almost a third of its full-year revenue of $19.74 billion at the end of 2024 and is its biggest vertical. Cognizant, based in Teaneck, New Jersey, is an Indian-heritage IT firm, as more than three-fourths of its employees are based in India. UHG is among the largest healthcare companies in the US, providing healthcare plans to people. The company ended 2024 with $400 billion in revenue, almost 20 times the size of Cognizant. Close ties Notably, one of UnitedHealths subsidiaries was hit by a ransomware attack last year that impacted more than 100,000 people. The company had to pay out $22 million to hackers to protect valuable patient data, said chief executive officer (CEO) Andrew Witty. Incidentally, Cognizant CEO S. Ravi Kumar and UnitedHealth chief digital and technology officer Sandeep Dadlani were former colleagues at Infosys Ltd. Kumar took over as Cognizant CEO in January 2023, whereas Dadlani joined as UnitedHealths chief digital and technology officer in September 2022. Both worked together at Infosys between 2002 and 2017. Kumar and Dadlani both served as the Bengaluru-based companys presidents. At least one analyst said the win was a step in the right direction. Its a sign of strong forward momentum for the firm," said Phil Fersht, CEO of HFS Research. Also read | Captive concerns: Why Cognizant has called out the risk from GCCs This renewal deal comes as a shot in the arm for Cognizant, which has struggled to grow, discounting its recent acquisitions of Belcan and Thirdera, in the last two years. Acquisitions made up almost half of its full-year revenue growth of 8.2% in constant currency terms. For Cognizant, this is the second mega deal that the company signed in the last two months. Gummadi, in his chat with Bank of America, said the company had announced another deal fetching upwards of $500 million two weeks back. This is an unnamed client in the companys communication, media and telecommunications division, which makes up about 16.6% of the companys revenue. Gummadi said Cognizant is saving money for clients by using AI tools, and this is being shared with those clients, who are in turn putting these savings and some of their own investments into new IT-related work, which is helping create more volume of business for Cognizant. Cognizant declined to comment while an email sent to UHG went unanswered. Scarce deals And by the way, both the mega deals that I spoke about, they were originated by us. They did not come from an RFP (request for proposal). They (the mega deals) originated from a solution with this construct," he said. Cognizants recent deal win comes amid a drought for the countrys largest IT outsourcers, which have struggled to bag such large deals. Coforge Ltd was the only listed Indian IT outsourcer to win a deal greater than $1 billion in total contract value over the last year. Also read | Cognizant fared better than peers, but concerns linger In March, the countrys seventh-largest IT services company signed a 13-year deal worth $1.56 billion with Sabre Corp., a Southlake, Texas-based travel technology company. As part of the deal, Coforge will handle Sabres software product delivery and execute artificial intelligence-led tasks for it. Mumbai-based Tata Consultancy Services Ltd was the last of the countrys top five software service providers to land a mega deal. Last year, it signed a 15-year deal worth $2.5 billion with Aviva, a British insurance company. Minority investors in Ecom Express, holding roughly 0.6% of the e-commerce logistics firm, are weighing their avenues for divesting their stakes. This follows the company's announcement of its sale to larger rival Delhivery. Delhivery's proposed acquisition of Ecom Express's majority stake99.4% collectively owned by Warburg Pincus, Partners Group, and British International Investment (BII)has left approximately ten minority investors, who hold the remaining 0.6% of the company, to navigate their exit options independently. Delhivery agreed to acquire the Gurugram-based company in an all-cash distress sale worth 1,407 crore in April. This is just a fifth of the 7,000 crore valuation that the company was attempting to seek through an initial public offering. Despite being among the first believers in the company and long-standing shareholders of Ecom Express, we were neither informed nor consulted about the proposed transaction," said Anish Jhaveri, an angel investor. Founding investors raise concerns Delhiverys proposed purchase is awaiting nod from the Competition Commission of India (CCI), besides other regulatory approvals. Jhaveri, who owns a 0.5% stake in the company, says he is exploring options. It would be naive to assume that the voice of minority shareholders, especially founding investors, will go unheard before the appropriate regulatory bodies, including the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and the Competition Commission of India. We are evaluating our options and expect full transparency in the interest of corporate governance and investor rights," Jhaveri added. Jhaveri feels that the waterfall mechanism" clause in investor agreements has greatly diluted his stake and that of early investors. Private equity investors typically include a waterfall mechanism" clause in share purchase agreements to rank the order in which shareholders will be paid in case of a sale. Those with preferred shares are allowed to take out their investment amount on priority and the capital is distributed among other shareholders after that. This becomes critical in situations where there is a distress sale. Experts weigh in on minority rights It is as yet unclear how minority investors will proceed, and whether they have enough legal standing to jeopardise the closure of the deal. According to Sudip Mahapatra, partner at law firm S&R Associates, the minority shareholders holding less than 1% of the target company will have very limited ability to oppose a sale of the company. If they have rights under a shareholders agreement, they might be able to make a claim. However, such minority shareholders are unlikely to have significant rights under a shareholders agreement," Mahapatra said. Partners Group, Warburg Pincus, Delhivery and BII declined to offer comments for this news story. Sanket Jain, partner at law firm Pioneer Legal, said that Delhivery is not automatically required to acquire the remaining minority stake in Ecom Express unless there is a specific contractual obligation to do so". Also Read: JP Morgan sees more Indian firms going shopping abroad However, since Delhivery now holds over 99% of Ecom Express, it is legally entitled to initiate a squeeze-out process under Section 236 of the Companies Act, 2013, enabling it to acquire the remaining shares at a fair value determined by an independent valuer. Minority shareholders who disagree with the process or valuation have the right to seek recourse before the National Company Law Tribunal or courts," Jain said. Layoffs and losses Ecom Express has seen the companys revenue take a drastic hit after the entry of e-commerce platform Meeshos logistics arm in the segment. (https://www.livemint.com/companies/ecom-express-ipo-delhivery-meesho-flipkart-blue-dart-delivery-e-commerce-logistics-xpressbees-shadowfax-11729775612075.html) Earlier, Mint reported that Ecom Express had laid off over 150 employees since the deal was announced. The company has also cut costs and shut down some centres, Mint reported. The companys expenses marginally rose to 2,921.5 crore in FY24 from 2,902.8 crore in FY23. Ecom Express reported a 2.2% growth in revenue to 2,609.2 crore in FY24, and its losses declined to 255.8 crore from 428.1 crore in the previous year. After a three-year wait, Elon Musk-owned Starlink has finally received the green light to launch its satellite internet services in India a move that could provide connectivity in rural areas where physical infrastructure remains poor. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) granted the company the critical Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) licence on Friday, marking a major milestone in its entry into the Indian market. With this, Starlink becomes the latest entrant in India's satellite internet space after Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite. Notably, the licence for Startlink came within a month of the company securing a letter of intent (LoI) from the telecom department to start its services in the country. Also read: Elon Musk vs Donald Trump: POTUS to sell his beautiful red Tesla amid spat with ex-DOGE chief - Report To be sure, Starlink still needs approval from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) for its constellation of satellites and the capacity it plans to deploy. The GMPCS licence allows companies to offer voice and data services through satellite. The licence is issued for a period of 20 years and allows companies to offer satellite communication services in licenced service areas. In addition to the GMPCS licence, Starlink has also received internet services provider (ISP) and very small aperture terminal (VSAT) licences from the government. Mint was the first to report on 7 May that Starlink had got the letter of intent after agreeing to comply with licensing conditions critical to national security. The company will be given the trial spectrum in the next few days to test its services and show compliance with the security norms," a government official said. The government has given allotted provision spectrum to OneWeb and Jio as well to comply with the security norms including lawful interception, network control and monitoring, geo-fencing of services and data localization. Compliance with conditions is essential for companies before starting satellite internet services commercially. Also read: Elon Musk vs Donald Trump feud: What's at stake here as Tesla boss takes on POTUS in this big, beautiful fight? The licence comes as India looks to close a bilateral trade deal with the US to avoid a potential 26% reciprocal tariff before a 9 July deadline. Notably, Musk on 29 May announced his exit from the US president Donald Trumps administration and stepped down from his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Starlink had applied for a GMPCS licence in 2022, a key regulatory requirement for satellite-based communications in India. The company had started taking bookings for its satellite-based services from Indian customers in 2021, without even getting the licence. The company was then directed by the government to call off such bookings as these could not be done without a licence. In compliance with the DoT order, the company returned the booking amounts to over 5,000 pre-booked customers. Besides In-SPACe approval, Starlinks launch of satellite services in the country is also pending on the governments allocation of spectrum via non-auction route. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has recommended administrative allocation of spectrum, as opposed to auctions, for satellite internet services. It said satcom companies will have to pay annual spectrum charges of either 4% of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) or 3,500 per MHz, whichever is higher. The recommendations are pending with DoT and the government is expected to notify the terms and pricing for spectrum allotment soon. Satcom operators will also have to pay an annual licence fee of 8% of AGR to the government as per current authorization terms of the DoT. This is similar to what telecom operators pay, which includes a 5% licence fee and 3% towards the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF). Also read: Elon Musk vs Donald Trump: Tesla boss' alleged baby mama Ashley St Claire joins debate; offers POTUS breakup advice Additionally, Trai has recommended an annual charge of 500 per subscriber for satellite service providers in urban areas. Starlink will now need to set up earth station gatewaysground-based facilities that connect satellites to local networks, a critical component for internet connectivity. In a letter dated 29 May to telecom secretary Neeraj Mittal, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), alleged that the pricing for satellite spectrum recommended by the telecom regulator is non-transparent, unjustified, and does not lead to a level-playing field between telecom and satellite internet operators. Trai, however, had said that satellite services will be complementary and not be competing with terrestrial services. Since satellite spectrum is a shared pool, the two (terrestrial and satellite) cannot be priced at par," Trai chairman Anil Lahoti said in a press briefing on 9 May. Lahoti added that Trai has recommended assigning spectrum for five years as satcoms are currently in a nascent stage, and their business potential would emerge after some years of operations. Besides Starlink, Amazons Kuiper is also in the fray to enter the country and is awaiting a nod from the government on its application. Analysts said Starlinks entry could help bridge the digital divide, particularly in rural areas where internet access remains limited. Forty percent of Indias population does not have internet access, with rural areas comprising the majority of these cases. This represents a large market opportunity for Starlink," brokerage Bernstein had noted in a report dated 4 March. "The entry of Starlink into the Indian market along with other major players such as OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications is a significant milestone for the telecom sector in India. It will be interesting to witness these key players roll out satellite-based services and its impact, specially in underserved and rural areas, where traditional terrestrial infrastructure has struggled to reach," said Harsh Walia, Partner at Khaitan & Co. A group of 18 leading US research universities, including Princeton, MIT, Caltech and Johns Hopkins, asked a federal judge for permission to file legal arguments in support of Harvard University in its high-stakes showdown with the Trump administration over more than $2 billion in frozen grant money. The institutions have all received millions of dollars from the federal government for research that has advanced scientific knowledge, safeguarded national security, strengthened the American economy, and saved countless lives, they said in a court filing Friday in Harvards lawsuit. Harvard sued in April, claiming the government freeze violates the universitys First Amendment guarantee of free speech and federal law governing administrative rulemaking. The fight is part of a broad-based effort by President Donald Trump to force sweeping changes at Harvard and other elite US universities. The government has also frozen or is reviewing federal funding to Princeton, Cornell, Northwestern and Columbia universities, among others. Harvard claims in its suit, filed in Boston federal court, that the Trump administration illegally suspended its funding in retaliation for its refusal to bow to unconstitutional demands to overhaul governance, discipline and hiring policies, as well as diversity programs. The president claims Harvard, the nations oldest and richest university, has failed to combat antisemitism on campus and encourage viewpoint diversity. The cuts will disrupt ongoing research, ruin experiments and datasets, destroy the careers of aspiring scientists, and deter long-term investments at universities across the country, the universities said in a request to file amicus curiae or friend of the court arguments supporting Harvards case against the government. The request to support Harvard also comes from Boston University, Brown University, Colorado State University, Dartmouth College, Michigan State University, Oregon State University, Rice University, Rutgers University, Tufts University, University of Maryland at College Park, University of Oregon, University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh and Yale University. A group of states led by Massachusetts, where Harvard is located, also asked to file arguments in support of the university on Friday. The case is President and Fellows of Harvard College v. US Department of Health and Human Services et al, 25-cv-11048, US District Court, District of Massachusetts . 2025 Bloomberg L.P. A former federal prosecutor who joined Paul Weiss in the month leading up to President Trumps second term left for Jenner & Block. New York-based partner Damian Williams will co-chair Jenners litigation department and investigations, compliance and defense practice, according to the firms announcement on Friday. He leaves a firm that struck a controversial deal with the Trump administration to avoid punitive sanctions to a firm that sued Trump to block a similar attack. Williams departure comes only months after he re-joined Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison. Paul Weiss announced Williams arrival in January, and said he began his legal career as a Paul Weiss associate in 2009. Damian led the Southern District with excellence and integrity, and we are excited to welcome him to Jenner as part of our firms long tradition of hiring former public servants who are zealous and effective advocates, said Jenners chair Tom Perrelli, former Associate US Attorney General. A representative for Paul Weiss thanked Williams for his contributions to the firm and wished him well. Paul Weiss roused controversy within the legal community as the first of nine firms to pledge a collective $940 million in free legal services to Trump-approved causes in exchange for avoiding punitive White House sanctions. The firm drew Trumps anger as the former professional home to Mark Pomerantz, who left the firm in 2021 to assist with the Manhattan District Attorneys investigation into Trumps finances. Along with other Trump-targeted firms Perkins Coie, WilmerHale and Susman Godfrey, Jenner sued the Trump administration to reclaim security clearances and access to federal buildings that were threatened by a Trump executive order. Williams served as the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2021 to 2024, when he left to join Paul Weiss. He oversaw the high-profile prosecutions of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried and US Senator Bob Menendez. He was the first Black US Attorney in the history of the New York Southern District. Jenners announcement said Williams will be a driving force in the firms litigation and white-collar work. Jenner & Block fearlessly advocates for its clients and provides outstanding strategic counsel through their most difficult challenges, Williams said. Ive seen firsthand how this firm expertly tackles the toughest cases and lives its values. Im excited to join a team with an extraordinary depth of legal talent that doesnt shy away from hard fightsand delivers results that matter. Partner Exits Paul Weiss has sustained a string of partner exits in the wake of the announcement of its deal with the Trump administration. Litigation department co-chair Karen Dunn, an outside counsel to Google and former campaign adviser to Kamala Harris, left with three partners last month to start a new litigation boutique. Dunn and colleagues have represented Apple Inc. and Facebook. Their exits followed Jeh Johnson, Homeland Security Secretary under President Barack Obama, and Steve Banks, who oversaw the firms pro bono practice. Trump issued an executive order against the firm March 14, which he rescinded within a week when firm chairman Brad Karp said the firm would devote $40 million in free legal services to mutually-agreed upon causes during Trumps presidency. Karps pledge was expanded upon by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Floms March 28 deal with the president, which saw the firm promise $100 million in free legal services. Within a month, seven other firms, including Kirkland & Ellis and Latham & Watkins, made similar pledges, some as high as $125 million. The firms, as part of their deals, also promised not to engage in illegal DEI activities and commit to merit-based hiring. Skadden also faced departures in the wake of its deal with Trump, one being Kathleen Rubenstein, executive director of the Skadden Foundation, resigning from the public interest law group. To contact the reporter on this story: Justin Henry in Washington DC at jhenry@bloombergindustry.com To contact the editors responsible for this story: Chris Opfer at copfer@bloombergindustry.com; John Hughes at jhughes@bloombergindustry.com; Alessandra Rafferty at arafferty@bloombergindustry.com 2025 Bloomberg L.P. (Bloomberg) -- Switzerlands most senior arms procurement official is seeking closer collaboration with European neighbors, as global demand for weapons surges and the nations own defense industry falters. Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine and concern over US President Donald Trumps commitment to NATOs mutual defense clause is forcing Europe to rearm, pushing weapons firms to their capacity limits. Thats making it more challenging for small countries like Switzerland to place orders, said Urs Loher, director of Armasuisse, the government agency responsible for Swiss army procurement. To give it more negotiating heft, Armasuisse is in talks with Germany to jointly procure helmets, while the agency is also considering expanding cooperation in electronic warfare with foreign partners. Well have to increasingly get involved in such collaboration projects to ensure that the small quantities we need arrive within an appropriate time period at somewhat reasonable prices, Loher said in an interview in Bern. Artillery ammunition prices, for example, have quadrupled in the past three years, with waiting times of five to six years, he said. Switzerlands dilemma is partly a legacy of a post-Cold War peace dividend that allowed the neutral nation surrounded almost entirely by NATO members to spend less than 1% of gross domestic product on defense. At the same time, its neutrality means it has imposed strict export rules for arms, blocking shipments of Swiss-made weapons to Ukraine. We are paying the price of over 30 years of peace dividend, Loher said. Switzerland suffered large collateral damage from the blocked re-export requests of weapons to Ukraine. Our European partners lost trust and it will take time to rebuild that. For years, the Swiss army and government agencies have been dealing with outdated weapon systems, particularly in air defense, and delayed purchasing programs, including for Israeli drones. At current levels, Swiss air defense systems can cover just 8% of the country, or four out of the countrys 10 biggest urban areas, Loher said. On Thursday, parliaments lower house approved 1.7 billion Swiss francs ($2.1 billion) of procurement projects, but rejected a proposal for an additional 1 billion francs for anti-aircraft ammunition. New Defense Minister Martin Pfister said there was currently no financial scope to raise the army budget. NATO member states, in the meantime, adopted the alliances most ambitious military ramp-up since the Cold War on Thursday, closing in on an agreement to ratchet up spending at a summit later this month. It includes a five-fold increase in ground-based air-defense systems capabilities, Bloomberg has reported. The challenge of securing reliable arms supplies comes as Switzerlands owns defense industry is being squeezed by the nations neutral stance. In particular, blocking arms deliveries to Ukraine has meant that other European governments are increasingly cutting Swiss products out of their arms-supply chains as they rush to bolster their defenses. Thats weakening Switzerlands bargaining position in times of crisis, according to Loher, 58, who served as chief executive officer at the Swiss subsidiaries of Rheinmetall AG and Thales SA before taking over the helm of Armasuisse in 2023. If we no longer have our own arms industry we will be totally dependent on foreign countries, he said. That would make it more difficult to have an army as independent and autonomous as possible. Such fears have prompted the Swiss government to ask parliament to reinstate its power to approve arms re-exports. A commission in parliaments upper house suggested exempting 25 countries including most NATO members from having to obtain permission for re-exports. Without that flexibility, the Swiss arms industry is rapidly facing an existential threat. Whether we want a defense industry here in Switzerland is ultimately a political discussion politics set the framework, Loher said. I would simply like to point out that the longer the discussion goes on, the more it becomes redundant. (Updates with defense ministers comment in eighth paragraph) More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com (Bloomberg) -- Temasek Holdings Pte Chairman Lim Boon Heng is stepping down and will be succeeded by Teo Chee Hean, marking a significant shift in leadership at the Singapore state investor. Teo will replace Lim on Oct. 9, Temasek said in a statement on Friday. As part of the change, Deputy Chairman Cheng Wai Keung and director Stephen Lee will leave the board on June 30. Director Bobby Chin will also retire on July 31. Lim has been Temaseks chairman since August 2013. His replacement, Teo, is a former Singapore Cabinet minister who retired from politics last month after more than three decades as an elected politician. The 70-year-old was most recently Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security. Earlier on, Teo was the countrys Deputy Prime Minister and has also overseen its defense, education and home affairs ministries. Temasek is one of the biggest state-owned investment firms in the world. It grew its net portfolio value from S$223 billion ($173 billion) to S$389 billion in the 10 years through March 2024. It boasts a footprint across Europe and the US, which now hosts six of its 13 international offices. In this era of deepening global uncertainty, we must remain clear minded on critical matters such as international relations, security, and climate change, Teo said in a statement. He will join Temaseks board on July 1, initially as Deputy Chairman. Lim, who is 77, focused on talent development and oversaw the boards renewal process, increasing its international representation. He also guided Temasek through its chief executive officer leadership transition in 2021, the company said. A prolific investor, Temasek is a backer of some of the biggest companies in the world including BlackRock Inc., Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Mastercard Inc., Standard Chartered Plc and Tencent Holdings Ltd. as of March 2024. --With assistance from David Ramli. (Updates with more details about Temasek.) More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com (Bloomberg) -- A major government initiative to match exploited migrant care workers in the UK with new employers has helped less than 4% find new roles, according to a Freedom of Information request, casting further doubt on the governments efforts to cut migration in the social care sector. More than 28,000 migrant care workers whose visas were tied to their employer had to be referred to government job-finding hubs between May 2024 and April 2025, according data released by the Home Office in response to an FOI from charity the Work Rights Centre. That was after they lost the job they were supposed to fill when UK Visas and Immigration officers discovered more than 470 employers were exploiting staff, and revoked their licenses to sponsor overseas workers. But just 941 of those so-called displaced migrant staff signposted by UKVI for support, or 3.4%, reported finding alternative employment. The small proportion whove been helped will cast doubt on the governments plans to bring down job vacancies in social care by utilizing the pool of displaced workers, after it banned recruitment of overseas social care staff last month in an effort to reduce immigration. After Covid, England desperately needed more care workers, and thousands of people from around the world answered that call in good faith, said Dora-Olivia Vicol, chief executive of the Work Rights Centre. But instead of jobs they got scams, and instead of justice they got a referral to a program that simply doesnt work as intended. She urged the government to rethink their approach to migrant care workers by fully reforming the Health and Care Worker Visa so it isnt dependent on employer sponsorship. The Health and Care Worker Visa route was introduced by Boris Johnsons government in 2020, as the number of vacancies in the social care sector which looks after the elderly, sick and disabled soared due to Covid-19, Brexit and an aging population. Employers were given a fast-track route to recruit staff from abroad by applying for licenses from the Home Office to sponsor workers. But few checks were done on the businesses who became licensed to be sponsors. Bloomberg found evidence of businesses charging overseas workers tens of thousands of pounds for the opportunity to come to the UK, while some paid their workers too little, overworked them or gave them no hours at all. The migrants couldnt quit their jobs, and in many cases were too afraid to report their employer, since their right to stay in the UK was tied to their continued employment with that business. But UKVI began investigating and revoked at least 471 employers sponsorship licenses. That meant around 40,000 migrant staff employed by those businesses could no longer work, and were left looking for an alternative employer. This pool of workers was one reason that Prime Minister Keir Starmer felt able to announce last month plans to ban British care businesses from recruiting overseas workers. Under pressure from the growing popularity of Nigel Farages anti-migrant Reform UK party, Starmer has been looking for ways to reduce net migration into the country almost 700,000 people have entered the UK on Health and Care Worker Visas over the last five years. But matching those people with jobs is proving to be harder than expected. Emails sent out to displaced workers urging them to visit their local recruitment hub have in many cases gone unanswered, according to one government source. Many are thought to have gone into so-called black market work such as prostitution in order to make a living, according to another government official. In other cases, employers have rejected workers applying through the hubs because their English language isnt satisfactory, or they fail other requirements. Were hearing a lot of moans about the hubs, said Jane Townsend, chief executive of the Homecare Association which represents UK home care providers. Some businesses looking for workers said it had taken months to speak to anyone at the hubs, she said. What were hearing from lots of people is that theyre not replying to emails. There doesnt seem to be a sense of urgency and of course the clock ticks for the displaced workers, theyve got 60 days to find another job, otherwise they get deported. The Home Office had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication. It has previously said 10,000 of the 40,000 who were displaced had found alternative work. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com (Bloomberg) -- Solar Mosaic LLC, a provider of home solar loans that has private equity firm Warburg Pincus as a major backer, is planning to file for bankruptcy in the face of market uncertainty over federal support of clean energy, according to people familiar with the matter. The Oakland, California-based company recently stopped issuing loans after a new round of financing fell through due to the US House advancing President Donald Trumps massive tax and spending bill, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing a private matter. The tax bill would end generous tax incentives for residential solar systems and is now being debated in the Senate. Jared Kushners investment firm Affinity Partners is also among the companys investors. A potential filing may come as soon as Friday, the people familiar said. A Warburg Pincus spokesperson declined to comment, while Solar Mosaic didnt return a request for comment and Affinity Partners had no immediate comment. The end of federal subsidies for residential solar would devastate an industry thats already been struggling with bankruptcies, sluggish sales and high borrowing rates, executives and analysts have said. Last year, residential solar installations dropped 31% from the year before, according to research firm Wood Mackenzie. SunPower Corp., a pioneer in solar, filed for bankruptcy last year and home solar financial provider Sunnova Energy International Inc. is teetering on the edge of insolvency. The company launched more than a decade ago as a crowdfunding initiative that allowed ordinary investors to put money toward financing rooftop solar systems. The company expanded to offer loans for energy-efficiency home improvements, battery storage and electric car charging. Mosaic raised more than $5 billion in capital in 2021 and 2022, according to the latest figures from BloombergNEF. (Updates with investor information in lede and third paragraph.) More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com Vijay Mallya again claimed that the banks have recovered nearly 14,000 crore against the loan amount of 6,203 crore, including an interest of 11.5%. Mallya claimed that the banks had not given the statement of accounts despite 15 reminders from his lawyers to the banks and a personal letter to the SBI chairman. He says he received a response to the last letter requesting a meeting for clarification, which the banks denied. Hence, he was prompted to approach the Karnataka High Court. Mallya's latest statement comes at a podcast hosted by Raj Shamani. Also Read | Vijay Mallya on how they chose Kingfisher calendar girls and why it worked He mentioned that the debt recovery tribunal's recovery certificate showed a loan amount of nearly 6,203 crore, including an interest of 11.5%. The total debt was against four entities, including Kingfisher Airlines, United Breweries, Vijay Mallya and Kingfisher Finvest. I am the one under attack, Mallya said. While clarifying about the widely reported debt amount of 9,000 crore, Mallya said, I am as perplexed as you are because the banks have not ever submitted a statement to me, which in itself is very strange." On February 5, 2025, Vijay Mallya approached the Karnataka High Court seeking clarification on the loan recovery process of the banks, ANI reported. Claiming that the banks have already recovered 14,000 crore, Mallya has requested that they provide a statement detailing the total recovered amount. Recovered amount in economic offences Earlier, FM Nirmala Sitharaman listed several major cases in which the Enforcement Directorate attached the properties of individuals and companies connected to economic offence cases. Washington DC [US], June 6 (ANI): Acclaimed filmmaker Ang Lee is all set to direct 'Old Gold Mountain', an adaptation of C. Pam Zhang's debut novel, How Much of These Hills Is Gold. Hansol Jung penned the movie adaptation, which tells the journey of two orphaned immigrants, reported Deadline. The 2020 novel follows "Lucy and Sam, newly orphaned children of immigrants who suddenly are alone in a land that refutes their existence. Fleeing the threats of their western mining town, they set off to bury their father in the only way that will set them free from their past. Along the way, they encounter giant buffalo bones, tiger paw prints, the spectre of a ravaged landscape, as well as family secrets, sibling rivalry and glimpses of a different kind of future," as per the outlet. Ang Lee was honoured with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the 77th Annual Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards, which was held on February 8, 2025. Lee, the Academy Award-winning director behind masterpieces such as Brokeback Mountain and Life of Pi, will become the 37th filmmaker in history to receive this distinguished honour. Lee's career began in the early 1990s with films like The Wedding Banquet, but he became a global sensation with his films 'Crouching Tiger', 'Hidden Dragon', 'Brokeback Mountain', and 'Life of Pi'. The latter earned Lee an Academy Award for Best Director. A member of the DGA since 1996, Lee has earned multiple nominations and awards from the guild. He has been nominated for the DGA Award for Feature Film four times, winning the honour in 2000 for 'Crouching Tiger', 'Hidden Dragon' and in 2005 for 'Brokeback Mountain'.Lee's contributions to the film industry were also celebrated by the DGA in 2018 with a special recognition for his support of American culture through his work in film and television. Lee's contributions to the film industry were also celebrated by the DGA in 2018, and a special recognition was given for his support of American culture through his work in film and television. Japan's Oscar-winning anime house Studio Ghibli turns 40 this month. Here are the studio's top five films that have delighted fans over the decades: Studio Ghibli was founded in 1985, but this post-apocalyptic story featuring a young, independent princess curious about giant insects is considered its first film. It was based on a comic-strip series that Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki wrote for a magazine targeted at anime fans. Set 1,000 years after a war that destroyed human civilisation, the story takes place in a valley protected from toxic air emitted from poisonous forests. Miyazaki won critical acclaim and a cult following for the film about Nausicaa, who discovers the forests' secrets after getting embroiled in conflicts between countries trying to revive a lethal "giant warrior". This beloved Ghibli classic is set in the 1950s Japanese countryside where two young sisters with a sick mother move from the city. They encounter the cuddly yet mysterious forest spirit Totoro and Catbus, a 12-legged grinning cat with a hollow body in the form of a bus -- two characters who have become the Studio Ghibli mascots. The film was turned into a play for the first time by Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company in 2022. The tale of a girl raised by a wolf goddess in a forest threatened by humans was a smash hit in Japan and raised Miyazaki's profile internationally. A young prince on a journey to find a cure for his curse meets San, also known as Princess Mononoke -- meaning a spirit or monster in Japanese. The prince sets out to find ways to avoid wars between destructive humans and animal gods, centred around the ultimate god which is nature itself. Ghibli expert and Tufts University professor Susan Napier described "Princess Mononoke" to AFP as "serious, dark and violent". Miyazaki won his first Oscar with this film about a girl who gets lost in a mystical world of gods and spirits where she tries to save her parents, who are turned into pigs. In order to survive, 10-year-old Chihiro is told by a mysterious boy to get a job at an enormous Japanese bathhouse run by a witch. In a story infused with Japanese beliefs and traditions, Chihiro gains confidence through her work and solves the boy's curse before rescuing her parents. Miyazaki's second Oscar-winning film -- and likely the 84-year-old's last feature -- follows a boy struggling to accept his new life after his mother dies in the haunting fire-bombing of Tokyo during World War II. Everything changes when he meets a talking heron and embarks on a journey to an alternate universe, shared by the living and the dead, to find his missing stepmother. In a documentary, Miyazaki, visibly affected by the 2018 death of Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata, said the pair had had a "love-hate relationship" and that he had based the character of the grand-uncle on him. The drug industry has spent months going along with the Trump administrations efforts to move manufacturing and investment into the U.S., and to disentangle the U.S. and Chinese economies. A long list of big pharmaceutical firms have committed tens of billions of dollars to factories and research facilities in the U.S. In the past few months, though, U.S. pharma companies have simultaneously supercharged their interest in China-based biotechs, announcing what are likely to be the biggest deals ever for the rights to experimental medicines invented by Chinese companies. So far, the Trump administration has been silent on the deals, which are worth around $25 billion in upfront and potential milestone payments and seem to fly in the face of White House policy. The deals could one day result in new options for sick patients, but they also pose a major risk to U.S. biotech firms. The domestic drug pipeline relies on capital from Big Pharma, and now those funds may be going to start-ups in Shanghai, rather than Cambridge, Mass. The recent deals follow a successful trial result last year by U.S. biotech Summit Therapeutics of a new immunotherapy cancer drug it licensed from Chinese firm Akeso. In the trial, the drug outperformed Mercks top-selling Keytruda, raising hopes that it could prove a major advancement in cancer treatment. Since then, Big Pharma companies have rushed to get their own drugs to compete with Summits product. There was one deal in November, when Merck licensed an experimental drug from a Chinese drugmaker for around $500 million up front and another $2.7 billion in potential milestone payments. The biggest deals have come in just the past two weeks. In mid May, Pfizer said it would pay the Chinese biotech 3SBio $1.3 billion up front for its own competitor to the Summit drug, plus billions more in potential milestone payments. Pfizer is also making a $100 million equity investment in 3SBio. This past week, Bristol Myers Squibb said it would pay $3.5 billion over the next three years, plus billions more in potential milestone payments, for half the rights to a similar drug developed by a Chinese company called Biotheus, which German biotech BioNTech acquired a few months ago. These numbers would be big for any biotech licensing dealthe drugs remain far from approval. For Chinese-developed drugs, the payment sizes are unprecedented. These are pretty sophisticated companies allocating major capital here," says Craig Garthwaite, a professor and director of the program on healthcare at Northwestern Universitys Kellogg School of Management, of the latest deals. Its demonstrating the validity of the science." Its all happening while Big Pharma is doing its best to show the Trump administration that it can adapt to the presidents agenda, as the industry seeks to head off threatened tariffs and drug price limits. Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Bristol Myers, and others have all announced tens of billions of dollars in planned U.S. investments in manufacturing and research facilities this year. The White House didnt respond to a request for comment. Washington has been increasingly anxious about the rapid development of Chinas biotech ecosystem. The Biosecure Act, which hasnt passed Congress, targets complex drug manufacturing in China, while a recent report commissioned by Congress called on the U.S. to take swift action" to compete with the Chinese biotech sector. Amid those stalled efforts, the pace of Chinese biotech innovation is picking up. Until recently, the U.S. drug industry had largely seen Chinese biotechs as a source for cheaper me too" assets, which echo but dont duplicate existing medicines. Now, with the latest cancer drug deals, Chinese companies are innovating a new class of drugs that every Big Pharma firm seems to think it needs to get in on. The Summit drug that got investors, analysts, and companies excited last year is known as a PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody, which combines two proven cancer-fighting tools. Daina Graybosch, an analyst at Leerink Partners, says that companies in the U.S. and Europe have been experimenting with similar combinations, but never tested them in humans. Thats because early-stage human tests are cheaper and easier to run in China than the U.S. All but the largest U.S. biotechs generally develop just one or two experimental medicines at a time, while Chinese biotechs of a similar size could have a dozen" different drugs in trials, according to Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Li Watsek. The combination cancer drugs ultimately werent exciting enough for the U.S. biotechs to prioritize. But Chinese companies moved forward with different variations. When Summit and its Chinese partner got promising results on an antibody that combined PD-1 and VEGF, there were multiple other Chinese biotechs with their own PD-1/VEGF combinations ready to go.None of this is great news for the U.S. biotech sector, which has been battered in recent years by declining share prices, cash shortfalls, and other challenges. Over the past 12 months, the SPDR S&P Biotech exchange-traded fund is down 11.5%, versus a gain of 11.7% for the S&P 500. Watsek says that part of the problem for investors is that its hard to know what Chinese biotechs are actually working on. Right now its a little bit of a black box, because a lot of these Chinese companies, they may have assets, but its impossible to track," she says. There could be a dozen molecules that are in development that you may not have even heard of." Over the long term, the worries get potentially more complex. At some point, its going to get terminal velocity, and were going to have a very dangerous competitor next to us," says Joseph Grogan, a senior policy official during the first Trump administration who is now a nonresident senior scholar at the USC Schaeffer Institute. If the Chinese establish the flywheel of the ecosystem that we builtof private-sector companies, research and development, government support, and strong but prudent regulatory foundationthen were cooked." Write to Josh Nathan-Kazis at josh.nathan-kazis@barrons.com Iran has ordered thousands of tons of ballistic-missile ingredients from China, people familiar with the transaction said, seeking to rebuild its military prowess as it discusses the future of its nuclear program with the U.S. Shipments of ammonium perchlorate are expected to reach Iran in coming months and could fuel hundreds of ballistic missiles, the people said. Some of the material would likely be sent to militias in the region aligned with Iran, including Houthis in Yemen, one of the people said. Iran wants to bolster regional allies and rebuild its arsenal while it pushes deeper into contentious talks with the Trump administration over its nuclear program. Iran has continued to expand its stockpiles of uranium enriched to just below weapons grade and ruled out negotiating limits on its missile program. President Trump said he discussed the negotiations in a call with Russias President Vladimir Putin. Time is running out on Irans decision pertaining to nuclear weapons," Trump wrote Wednesday in a social-media post. An Iranian entity called Pishgaman Tejarat Rafi Novin Co. ordered the missile ingredients in the past few months from Hong Kong-based Lion Commodities Holdings Ltd., people familiar with the order said. Lion Commodities director Nelson Barba didnt respond to a request for comment. Pishgaman couldnt be reached for comment. Irans mission to the United Nations didnt respond to a request for comment. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said China wasnt aware of the contract. The Chinese side has always exercised strict control over dual-use items in accordance with Chinas export control laws and regulations and its international obligations," the spokesperson said. Iran has been looking for ways to rebuild its so-called Axis of Resistance network of militias after Israel pummeled Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza and the Assad regime fell in Syria. U.S. and Israeli strikes on the Houthis damaged the groups capabilities, though they still threaten Israel. Iran recently transferred ballistic missiles to Shia militia groups in Iraq, who could target Israel and U.S. forces in the region they have previously attacked, the people confirmed. The missile transfers were previously reported by the Times of London. After the U.S. in 2020 killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, Iraqi Shia groups fired at least a dozen ballistic missiles at the U.S. Al Asad air base in the country. Iran has one of the biggest ballistic missile programs in the region, U.S. officials have said. Ammonium perchlorate, an oxidizer used in fireworks, is essential to the solid propellant used in Irans most effective ballistic missiles. Earlier this year, two Iranian ships docked in China were loaded with more than 1,000 tons of sodium perchlorate, a precursor for producing ammonium perchlorate. The material was delivered to Iranian ports in mid-February and late March, according to shipping trackers. The sodium perchlorate was enough to fuel around 260 short-range missiles, officials said. The new, larger contract for ammonium perchlorate could be enough for Iran to produce 800 missiles, one official said. The contract was signed months ago, likely before Trump said he had proposed nuclear talks to Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in early March. The U.S. Treasury on April 29 sanctioned six people and six entities based in Iran and China for their role in procuring ballistic missile propellant ingredients," including sodium perchlorate, for Irans elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Two weeks later, it added sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong entities and people for aiding Irans ballistic missile industry. Treasury in May added sodium perchlorate to the list of materials it says are being used for Irans military, nuclear or ballistic missile programs. Chinese entities and individuals have provided support to Irans ballistic missile program, as well as to the Houthis missile and UAV production efforts, which is why we continue to identify and sanction them," a State Department official said. In November 2022, U.S. naval forces said they intercepted a vessel in the Gulf of Oman carrying over 70 tons of ammonium perchlorate on a route commonly used by Iran to send weapons to the Houthis in Yemen. Firefighters at Irans Shahid Rajaee port after an explosion in April.An injured person being carried after Aprils explosion at the port. Israel severely damaged Irans ability to produce new solid propellant missiles in October by taking out around a dozen so-called planetary mixers, used to blend components for the missiles. Iran has started to repair the mixers, one official said. That means much of the material imported from China could remain in Iran but some is expected to be sent to militia including the Houthis, the official said. Iran likely needs material from abroad to avoid bottlenecks in its domestic production capabilities, said Fabian Hinz, a military analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Storing the combustible material creates risks. An April explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port, which handles most of Irans container trade, killed dozens of people, state media said. The explosion was the result of mishandling of explosive material by a unit of the IRGCs Quds Force. At least some of the sodium perchlorate imported from China earlier this year was lost in the explosion, one official said. These substances are a major fire and explosive hazard," Hinz said. Irans defense industrial complex does not have a strong track record in ensuring safety standards." Last month, Irans customs authorities issued an order to accelerate the clearing of hazardous materials" through customs. Write to Laurence Norman at laurence.norman@wsj.com Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said last week that artificial intelligence could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar jobs within five years and cause unemployment to skyrocket to as high as 20%. He should know betteras should many other serious academics, who have been warning for years that AI will mean the end of employment as we know it. In 2013 Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael A. Osborne of Oxford University produced a research paper estimating that 47% of U.S. employment was at risk of being eliminated by new technologies. Before we resign ourselves to obsolescence at the hands of our new robot overlords, wed do well to recognize that humans have experienced technological disruptions before, and we adapted to meet them. AI wont be any different. In the first half of the 20th century, tens of thousands of men and boys across America worked as pinsetters in bowling alleys. In 1946 AMF introduced an automatic pin-setting machine, and by the mid-1950s those jobs were mostly gone. Similarly, there was a time when the elevators in hotels and office buildings across the country were staffed by human operators. In the 1920s and 30s, elevator companies began installing robot elevators" with automatic controls, and eventually elevator operators all but disappeared. Data from the Census Bureaus American Community Survey tell countless other similar storiesfrom the decline of agricultural field workers due to motorized tractors to the rise and fall of motion picture projectionists," who operated projectors in movie theaters. Entire categories of jobs were wiped out, yet automation has never created a mass lumpenproletariat. AI doomsayers frequently succumb to what economists call the lump of labor" fallacy: the idea that there is a limited amount of work to be done, and if a job is eliminated, its gone for good. This fails to account for second-order effects, whereby the saving from increased productivity is recycled back into the economy in the form of higher wages, higher profits and reduced prices. This creates new demand that in turn creates new jobs. Some of these are entirely new occupations, such as content creator assistant," but others are existing jobs that are in higher demand now that people have more money to spendfor example, personal trainers. Suppose an insurance firm uses AI to handle many of the customer-service functions that humans used to perform. Assume the technology allows the firm to do the same amount of work with 50% less labor. Some workers would lose their jobs, but lower labor costs would decrease insurance premiums. Customers would then be able to spend less money on insurance and more on other things, such as vacations, restaurants or gym memberships. In other words, the savings dont get stuffed under a mattress; they get spent, thereby creating more jobs. This is why Mr. Amodeis prediction of 20% technology-driven unemployment makes little sense. Its also why most studies on the topic find no net negative effect on employment from technology-driven automation. Some have even found a positive relationship, with increases in productivity leading to more jobs. Further, there is a great deal of work that only humans can do. Self-driving school buses will still need an adult to watch the kids. As for police, AI robots wont be arresting criminals anytime soon. It's a similar story for fish and game wardens, fashion models, priests, stonemasons, plumbers and flight attendants. Most occupations involve working with other people, with things or with ideas that are too complex for AI to handle alone. People in the last category include legislators, CEOs, antitrust attorneys and so on. The U.S. is experiencing chronically slow productivity and wage growth, a rising number of retirees relative to workers, and massive budget deficits. It desperately needs economic growth. According to Goldman Sachs Research economists, broad adoption of AI could boost the countrys productivity growth by 1.5 percentage points per year. Lets imagine that Mr. Amodeis dire forecast turns out to be accurate. Entry-level white-collar jobs constitute less than 15% of the U.S. labor force. Wiping out half of them in five years would mean roughly 2.6 million jobs lost per year. That sounds like a lot until you consider that according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 20 million U.S. workers are fired or laid off every year. In other words, the supposed AI job apocalypse, if it occurred, would be the equivalent of only about six weeks of normal labor-market churn. On the other hand, if AI industry leaders keep scaring the pants off people, then politicians and the public might demand that they slam the breaks on further innovation. AI-driven productivity growth would slow down, and the average American family would pay the price. Mr. Atkinson is president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. This is exactly what President Trump and his advisers were trying to avoid. Just six days ago, senior Trump aides swallowed their irritation with Elon Musk and planned a chummy Oval Office send-off for him. They briefed the president on allegations of Musks drug use so Trump would be ready to defend the billionaire if reporters raised the issue at his goodbye event, aides said. As late as Wednesday evening, Trump played down any conflicts with Musk in a meeting with Republican senators, according to people familiar with his remarks, even though the billionaire had spent the past few days disparaging the presidents legislative agenda. Over the weekend, after Trump dumped Musks ally as the head of NASA, the president made it clear to associates that he wasnt planning a high-profile confrontation with his former adviser, according to a person who talked to the president. That goodwill disappeared on Thursday. Thirteen minutes into an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump laid out his frustrations with Musk, marking the start of a whirlwind day in which two of the worlds most powerful men went from friends to foes. By Thursday night, Trump had publicly toyed with cutting off government contracts to Musks companies, said the billionaire went CRAZY" and suggested that he is suffering from Trump derangement syndrome." In response, Musk, the worlds richest man, floated starting a new political party, suggested that Trump should be impeached, argued that Trumps tariffs would trigger a recession and pledged to decommission a valuable piece of space equipment on which the government relies. He also alleged that Trumps name appears in documents stemming from a federal investigation into convicted sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, insinuating that Trump was in some way linked to his criminal behavior. The extraordinary fight between Trump and Musk that rippled across the country threatens the new MAGA governing coalition that the president built and Musk funded. It puts a target on Musks six companies, many of which are heavily regulated by the federal government. And it gives Democrats a rare moment of reprieve at a low point for the party. Shares of Tesla tumbled 14%, their worst day since 2020. The Trump-Musk blowup was long predicted. Even people close to both men believed privately that their relationship was destined to implode. But the fast-paced, rat-a-tat escalation still came as a shock to a White House that has grown used to curveballsand a president who often defended Musk as his aides grew frustrated. White House officials and other allies of the president spent the day refreshing their social-media feeds, watching as the situation escalated and texting Musks posts to each other. It was a matter of time before all this started, because two giant egos cant be there together," said Marc Short, who was chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence. Its hard to imagine seeing it collapsing as fast as it has, but you cant be surprised by this." When aides talked about Musk derisively in his final stretch at the White House, Trump was generally positive about him, even in private, a person who spoke to him said. The two of them clashed over personnel and tariffs. Trump listened to complaints about Musk from cabinet secretaries and occasionally flashed annoyance with him, but he was generally kind to Musk behind the scenes, aides said. Though Musk clashed with top Trump aides, he had largely smoothed over tensions by the time he departed. This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the one big, beautiful bill because it does not include the policies he wanted," said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. The president is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again." But Musks frustrations are about more than the legislation. He has told associates he is angry about Trumps decision to withdraw the nomination of Jared Isaacman, a Musk ally, to run NASA. During a meeting in the Oval Office dining room on Friday before Musks send-off, Trump aide Sergio Gor gave Trump a file at the presidents request about Isaacmans donations to Democrats. Musk defended Isaacman and tried to minimize the significance of the donations. But Trump said he wanted to pull the nomination, according to people familiar with the matter. The two then appeared together in front of television cameras, where Trump called Musk a friend and said he would continue advising him even after he left the White House. The fissure has reverberated inside the White House. Musks top aide, longtime Trump adviser Katie Miller, left the White House with him last week, according to people familiar with the matter, and now works with Musk. Katie Miller, who held the special government employee" designation, was with Musk at almost all times in the White House. She didnt respond to requests for comment. Her husband, Stephen Miller, is one of Trumps most loyal and most visible aides. He has defended Trumps legislative agenda from Musks broadsides in recent days and Musk unfollowed him on X this week. The Millers had spent extensive time with Musk, even outside the White House. The public clash between Musk and Trump also jeopardizes the Department of Government Efficiency, the billionaires trademark cost-cutting effort. DOGE affiliated staff, some of whom were responsible for pushing out thousands of federal workers, texted one another on Thursday about whether they would be fired next, according to administration officials. The blowup Thursday caught top White House aides off guard. Shortly before noon, Trump sat down in the Oval Office with Merz for a chat about predictable topics: trade, the NATO alliance and the war in Ukraine. It took about 13 minutes for the president to unload about his billionaire benefactor, expressing irritation that Musk had been critical of his legislative agenda as too costly. It started gently. Ive always liked Elon," said Trump when asked about Musks criticism of his big, beautiful bill." Id rather have Elon criticize me than the bill." But before long, Trump ratcheted up his rhetoric. Elon and I had a great relationship. I dont know if we will anymore," Trump said. The president also suggested that Musks help on the campaign trail made little difference to the outcome of the election. I think I would have won Pennsylvania anyway," he said. As Trump spoke about the swing state, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles nodded her head vigorously. It was a visual reminder of how Musk had deeply angered much of the West Wing staff, with Trump left as his main defender. The fight moved to social media before the Oval Office event ended. Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," Musk wrote, adding, such ingratitude." Shortly before 2 p.m., Musk posted a poll on X asking his more than 200 million followers whether it was time to create a new political party that would better represent most of the country. Within minutes, Mark Cuban, the billionaire businessman who has flirted with running for president, posted on social media three check marks next to Musks suggestion of starting a third party. Steve Bannon, a Trump booster who is influential with the presidents base, suggested on his podcast that Musks immigration status should be investigated. Musk was born in South Africa. Youre going to have a few of the tech bros and the crypto crowd stick with Elon because you have the cult of Elon. But MAGA will 100% back Trump. You arent going to have a person in MAGA who will buy a Tesla," Bannon said. In response to a social-media post from a prominent conservative saying Republicans might have to choose sides between the two men, Musk wrote, Oh and some food for thought as they ponder this question: Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years" Even the mother of one of Musks children weighed in. At 2:20 p.m. Ashley St. Clair, who has had a messy fight with Musk over paternity, asked the president on X if he needed help ending the relationship, tagging Trump and writing: lmk if u need any breakup advice." And by 2:37 p.m., Trump upped the ante. He posted on social media that the easiest way to save money" in the federal budget is to terminate" the government contracts that go to Musks companies. I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it," Trump wrote. He added in a separate post that Musk was wearing thin" and said the billionaire just went CRAZY" when Trump backed erasing benefits for electric vehicles in his megabill. Musk responded to that by saying he would decommission the SpaceX craft that is used to take U.S. astronauts back and forth from the space station. By 3 p.m., Musk went on the offensive. Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public," Musk wrote around 3:10 p.m., adding, Have a nice day, DJT!" Musk was referring to files from a federal investigation into alleged sex trafficking and abuse by Epstein, the disgraced financier. Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019, had well-known connections to many in elite New York society, including Trump. The FBI and Justice Department didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. One person familiar with Trumps relationship with Epstein said the administration has already released Epstein files that include Trump. By just after 4 p.m., Musk retweeted a post calling for Trump to be impeached and Vice President JD Vance to be named president, adding an affirmative, yes." Trump was taken aback by Musks escalation, according to his advisers. Trump told advisers he did not believe he was harsh about Musk in the Oval Officeand was surprised at how aggressive Musk became. Trumps aides spent some of Thursday trying to figure out what Elon Musks goal was. The president told advisers Musk was just being a child, according to a White House aide. Around the same time, Trump walked into a White House meeting with the Fraternal Order of Police and made remarks. He ignored reporters questions and didnt mention Musk. White House staff huddled with Trump in the early evening. But as of late Thursday, the shiny red Tesla that Trump purchased during a high-profile photo op with Musk was still in its parking spot, just yards away from the Oval Office. White House aides joked Thursday evening that they hadnt decided what to do with the vehicle. Write to Annie Linskey at annie.linskey@wsj.com, Josh Dawsey at Joshua.Dawsey@WSJ.com and Natalie Andrews at natalie.andrews@wsj.com Ukraines audacious drone attack wounded and embarrassed Moscow, but it also exposed a threat to Kyivs Western allies: Low-cost, high-tech strikes can deliver an increasingly potent punch to even the most heavily defended world powers. Inexpensive drones such as those Kyiv used to attack dozens of Russian warplanes parked at airfields far from Ukraine on Sunday have become a cornerstone of what strategists call asymmetric warfare, where two sides square off with mismatched military power, resources or approaches. For years, the U.S. and its partners in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization prevailed in that imbalance thanks to their wealth and advanced technologies. Now, a combination of technological advances and innovation-spawning armed conflicts has flipped the equation, leaving Washington and its allies behind on developments. For military commanders, the pace of change has meant an upheaval on a scale unseen since World War II. Were going to have to be more agile. Drones are going to constantly change," U.S. Army chief of staff Gen. Randy George told a conference on Monday. Ukraines attack was a really good example of just how quickly technology is changing the battlefield," he said. Thanks to cheap commercial drones and other digital devices, rebels, terrorist organizations and threadbare militaries like Ukraines can achieve returns on military investments of a scale almost unimaginable a few years ago. Ukraine said it launched 117 small drones in Sundays attacks on four Russian bases. The drones it employed sell for about $2,000 apiece. Even including the operations other expenses, Kyiv still probably spent well under $1 million to destroy aircraft that would cost well over $1 billion to replacesomething Russia has little ability to do in the near future. Kyiv amplified the impact through propaganda, releasing video images of the attack hours after it was carried out. The ease with which information spreads online now gives covert operations a potentially destabilizing element of psychological warfare previously impossible on a global scale. Widespread deployment of dual-use technologiesincluding commercial drones and networking software similar to that used by ride-sharing serviceshas played a big role in allowing Ukraine to thwart Russias initial large-scale invasion in 2022 and hold on against a much larger military power. Some of what the Ukrainians have learned was on display in the recent attack. Kyivs spy agency was able to execute the covert operation largely thanks to their grasp of the latest developments in military uses of civilian technologies, such as apparently using public cellphone networks to guide drones. During the war, both Russia and Ukraine have made leaps in drone design, defenses against them and electronic warfare. That face-off has presented other countries with a case study in the intensitytechnological and militaryof future conflicts. We are trying to learn every single lesson that can possibly be learned about modern warfighting and how quickly it can evolve and how we must innovate and be technologically nimble to address those threats that evolve over time," said U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker on Wednesday. The Army plans a massive increase in its use of drones, part of a broader shift in the Pentagon from large, expensive systems. The U.S. in Iraq and Afghanistan deployed with great effect sophisticated uncrewed aircraft including the RQ-4 Global Hawkwhich has a wingspan similar to a Boeing 737 passenger jetand the MQ-9 Reaper, which can launch rockets designed for use by jet fighters. Both cost millions of dollars per aircraft. Now the U.S. is rolling out a fast-changing array of smaller, expendable units and applying lessons from attacks like Ukraines. Ukraine has made leaps in drone design during the war. Its another example of how warfighting technology continues to advance and evolve, allowing armies to reach deeper with offensive capabilities, reducing an adversarys critical assets, and reducing the cost curve of deterrence," said Army Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, who is helping lead the change. Similar efforts are under way across NATO countries, including Germany, Europes largest economy but long home to one of the alliances slowest-changing armed forces. German Chief of Defense Carsten Breuer, the countrys highest-ranking military officer, said that a pivotal lesson of the war in Ukraine is the need to speed up and shorten the innovation cycle. In Ukraine they have a direct link between industry and the front line," he said in an interview. We have to do this without having a front line." He said that in late March the German military decided to acquire a type of drone, and that the so-called loitering munitions should be deployed with troops by year-end, marking a dramatic acceleration. But procurement and distribution are only a start. Ukraines attack also showed advances in operations and military tactics. Iraq was one of the first places where commercial drones were turned into weapons. Irregular warfare is hardly new. Though the Ukraine war is highlighting how armies can use technological advances and covert operations to get a leg up on more powerful opponents, terrorists and other rebel groups have for years employed such tactics against their enemies. The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, were the most extreme example of irregular, asymmetric warfare: They had historic repercussions at minimal financial cost for the organizers. Even so, they required suicidal assailants. Drones and other new technologies allow potentially massive impact for attackers who remain anonymous and out of danger. What it comes down to is, how can we remove the human and let a piece of technology do it instead?" said Mike Monnik, chief executive of DroneSec, a threat-intelligence company tracking drone attacks worldwide. Ukraines strikes are part of a worldwide trend, said Monnik. Among the first fighters to turn commercial drones into weapons were Islamic State forces in Iraq, roughly a decade ago. Early in its attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas sent slow, inexpensive drones to neutralize Israels sophisticated automated guard towers along its border with Gaza. Houthi rebels in Yemen have used relatively simple uncrewed systems to inflict costly damage on world shipping and Western navies. Many more drone attacks go unnoticed. In Myanmar, rebels modified a $600 agricultural drone bought on Alibaba with unguided rockets, making it almost a miniature attack helicopter," and a criminal gang in Israel exploded a drone packed with explosives outside the 13th-floor window of a rival gang leader in an assassination attempt, Monnik said. Ukraine used comparable innovation with the added twist of quickly posting videos as evidence of success for maximum international impact. It really is that psychological element," said Monnik of the videos. The goal is to rally support for Ukraines cause and to scare Russia into thinking, now we need to search every truck or protect every air base" because no target is out of the small systems reach, he said. Advanced wireless technology doesnt only benefit underdogs. Israel last year carried out hugely sophisticated covert attacks on Hezbollah militants in Lebanon by detonating explosives hidden in their walkie-talkies and pagers. It triggered the explosions remotely. A funeral in Lebanon last year after Israel staged an attack on Hezbollah by detonating explosives hidden in pagers and walkie-talkies. Write to Daniel Michaels at Dan.Michaels@wsj.com ABB has a positive outlook on the development of the AI industry in China and is willing to collaborate with Chinese partners to further increase its AI presence in the country, an executive of the Swiss tech giant has said. #GLOBALink The aftermath of Donald Trump and Elon Musks showstopping breakup raises the question: Who has the most to lose? In one of the most consequential moments, Trump threatened to pull billions of dollars in federal contracts from Musks companies. If that happened, it would ripple across Musks business empire, including SpaceX, which launches astronauts for NASA and satellites for the Pentagon. Underneath the drama is genuine political and financial risk for both billionaires. Tesla, the electric-vehicle company that Musk helms as CEO, lost $152.4 billion of market value Thursdaythe biggest one-day decline in its capitalization in the companys history. Trump cant lose more than three votes from Republican House members or his big, beautiful bill" will be derailed. Members of the House Freedom Caucus have already been difficult to corral, airing concerns about the bills contributions to the deficit, the same argument Musk has made against it. Heres whats at stake: Elon Musk Musk, the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and xAI, has billions of dollars in government contracts and is pushing for changes to federal regulations to deliver on his promise to investors that he will transform Tesla into an AI and robotics giant worth trillions of dollars. Trump threatened to terminate government contracts with Musks companies on Thursdayan idea the presidents allies have been pushing since the SpaceX CEO started attacking Trumps cornerstone legislative bill earlier this week, according to a person close to the president. Musks SpaceX has worked closely with the government for years, building close connections with the Pentagon, the intelligence community and NASA. The company frequently blasts off military payloads, and NASA is largely beholden to SpaceX for some of its most high-profile missions. An administration official said Musk will find it extremely difficult to find a sympathetic voice in the Trump administration now. Fritz Kocher sits in the back of his Tesla Cybertruck in Texas last month while waiting to watch the SpaceX Starship rocket launch. Tesla To roll out a nationwide fleet of self-driving cars, Tesla needs regulatory changes at the federal level, which he has been pushing for. Currently, states control whether self-driving vehicles operate on public roads. In April, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy visited Teslas headquarters in Austin. Were here in Austin, Texas, at the Tesla factory with Elon Musk, the great," Duffy said in a video posted on X. Obviously, it would be wonderful for the United States to have a national set of rules for autonomous driving," Musk said in the video. Tesla is expected to roll out its first taxi service powered by self-driving cars in Austin later this month, as it gears up to compete with Waymo. Musk has long blamed regulatory hurdles for the companys inability to roll out autonomous driving features. Many of Teslas investments in self-driving cars and humanoid robots are fueled by Tesla sales, which have fallen sharply in the U.S. and across Europe in recent months as Musk and Trumps relationship grew closer. A bigger blow to Tesla could come from White House efforts to weaken fuel economy and emissions rules. Tesla earns hundreds of millions of dollars every quarter from regulatory credit sales to rival carmakers who need to buy them to avoid fines for exceeding tailpipe emissions caps. Last month, Congress voted to eliminate Californias ability to set its own limits on tailpipe emissions, effectively killing one of the biggest drivers of EV investment in the U.S. SpaceX SpaceX works hand-in-glove with the U.S. government across multiple contracts worth billions and billions of dollars. Several government agencies use its Falcon rockets, in-orbit space vehicles and Starlink, a network of more than 7,500 internet satellites that has also drawn attention for its role supporting Ukraines battle against Russia. SpaceX needs air-safety regulators to review its flight plans and environmental agencies help regulate company plans for launch sites. In April, it landed a $5.9 billion contract to launch national-security payloads for the military. Musks company is the only U.S. space firm regularly transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station. In 2022, NASA awarded SpaceX five more crewed space-station flights, bringing the companys total contract for such operations to nearly $5 billion. SpaceX is also a big part of NASAs flagship human-exploration program, with about $4 billion in contracts to develop its Starship vehicle for future astronaut visits to the moon. NASA picked SpaceX to work on a spacecraft that would allow it to safely deorbit the space station in 2030a deal worth up to $843 million. SpaceX has struck agreements with U.S. spy agencies, too, including a $1.8 billion classified deal with the National Reconnaissance Office, an agency that operates surveillance satellites. Musk had looked likely to win more significant deals under the Trump administration. SpaceX, working with two others, wants in on the presidents missile-defense program called Golden Dome for America. Donald Trump Trump has pushed his entire legislative agenda into one massive bill, a mix of tax cuts, funding for the border and cuts to programs such as Medicaid and food stamps. The bill narrowly passed the house by a vote of 215-214 and is now working its way through the Senate before it will be voted on again by the House. Musks opposition to the legislation could derail it. Musk said the bill would add $2.5 trillion to the federal deficit, calling it a disgusting abomination" and threatening to fire politicians who betrayed the American people." His arguments could resonate with deficit-minded lawmakers. The billionaire could also tap the massive war chest he used to support Trump in last years election, funding primaries against lawmakers who support the bill, or putting his money to work in more subtle ways to sway Republicans to vote against the bill. Musk donated more than $250 million toward re-electing Trump, and said Thursday that Trump would have lost the election without his support. Such ingratitude," he posted on X, the social-media platform he owns. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) speaks to members of the media on Thursday. As legislators tried to parse the vitriolic rhetoric Thursday, most Republicans still appeared to be galvanized behind the president. But Musk only needs to pull away a handful of dissenters. White House aides said they feel Musks broadsides against Trump would weaken those Republicans who had initially viewed the billionaires comments about the bill as helpful to their cause. The thinking is that Trump voters will, as they have time and again, rally to the side of the president. Musk has received public support from only three House Republicans, including Reps. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.) and Warren Davidson (R., Ohio), who previously voted against the bill. Rep. David Schweikert, an Arizona Republican who missed the first vote, told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday that he wants multiple changes" to the bill before he will support it. Is this the moment where Republicans and everyone in the country start to understand the threat and the scale of financing this debt?" said Schweikert, who is seen as vulnerable in the midterm elections next year. On the debt, he said: Musk is absolutely right." A senior Republican member of the House Financial Services Committee said that Musks comments are not helpful in trying to pass Trumps bill. He added the argument with the president will likely have negative residual effects on Musks relationship with Republican lawmakers. Longer term, a permanent split between Musk and Trump could hurt Republicans chance at maintaining their razor-thin majority in the House in the 2026 midterm elections given the importance of having the support of the businessmans massive following on X for the GOP to pick up wins in the midterm elections. On Thursday, Musk mused about starting a new political party, asking his 220.5 million followers on X if theyd support creating one. By Thursday night, more than 81% of the roughly 3.5 million respondents were in favor. Write to Brian Schwartz at brian.schwartz@wsj.com and Micah Maidenberg at micah.maidenberg@wsj.com Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will ease key provisions in its proposed gold loan frameworkraising the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio and exempting small-ticket borrowers from credit appraisalsafter feedback from non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), cooperative banks, and government departments, governor Sanjay Malhotra said on Friday. RBI issued its final rules on loans against gold collateral, detailing easier norms for small ticket loans, later in the day. Aimed at improving access to formal credit for rural and semi-urban borrowers, the new rules will exempt gold loans up to 2.5 lakh from credit appraisals, raise the LTV cap for small-ticket loans to 85% from 75%, and allow borrowers to self-declare gold ownership in the absence of purchase invoices. The revised guidelines are expected to be released later today or by Monday, Malhotra said in the post policy conference. The RBI also clarified that end-use monitoring rules would apply only when lenders seek priority sector classification. The move to exempt small-ticket gold loans from stringent appraisal requirements addresses a long-standing ask from the sector and will go a long way in enhancing credit accessibility for the common man, said John Muthoot, chairman and managing director of Muthoot FinCorp Ltd. The changes come amid concerns that stricter rules under the April 2025 draft would restrict credit flow and drive borrowers back to informal moneylenders. Pointing out that some lenders were interpreting the rules on LTV differently, Malhotra said the final framework will clarify that the LTV ratio need to be maintained at 75% throughout the tenure of the loan, including the interest component. So far, some lenders were looking at 75% LTV on the principal amount, taking the total LTV including to up to 88%. He added that the final rules would incorporate industry feedback and provide more detailed, streamlined guidance. He reiterated that no final framework would be issued without consulting stakeholders and assessing the broader implications. Since the drafts release, several lenders, especially cooperative banks and smaller NBFCs, have flagged operational challenges. Key concerns included the valuation of inherited or undocumented gold and the feasibility of stricter appraisals for loans under 2 lakh, particularly those classified as agricultural credit. In an interview last month, Muthoot Finance managing director George Alexander Muthoot said some elements of the draft framework could inadvertently push borrowers back to moneylenders if NBFCs are forced to restrict lending. Customers are getting only 75% of its value. If they had no intention of reclaiming it, they could have sold it and gotten even 99%. By not selling their gold, theyve benefited from more than 40% rise in its value over the past year, he had said, adding that Muthoot Finances average LTV stands at 6263%. Also read | Why the surge in gold loans raises red flags In response to industry concerns, the Department of Financial Services (DFS) submitted recommendations to the RBI on 30 May. These included deferring implementation of the new norms to 1 January 2026 to allow more time for compliance, and exempting loans below 2 lakh from appraisal and end-use requirements to ensure faster disbursal. India's gold loan market was estimated at 7.1 trillion, whereas domestic gold holdings were at 126 trillion, as per a PwC report from August 2024. The likely uptick in consumption (aided by RBI measures) will boost gold loan business and formal credit demand. Further, RBIs decision to release the final regulation on gold loans is most welcome as the industry is eagerly waiting for it, said Umesh Mohanan, executive director and chief executive officer of gold loan platform Indel Money. The Reserve Bank on Friday said it has advanced its August Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting by a day due to administrative exigencies. As per the schedule announced on March 26, 2025, the MPC meeting in August was between August 5-7, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in a statement. Due to administrative exigencies, the MPC meeting has been rescheduled to August 4-6, 2025, it said. This announcement is made under Section 45ZI(4) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, it added. The six-member rate setting panel MPC is headed by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra. China has granted temporary export licenses to rare-earth suppliers of the top three U.S. automakers, two sources familiar with the matter said, as supply chain disruptions begin to surface from Beijing's export curbs on those materials. At least some of the licenses are valid for six months, the two sources said, declining to be named because the information is not public. It was not immediately clear what quantity or items are covered by the approval or whether the move signals China is preparing to ease the rare-earths licensing process, which industry groups say is cumbersome and has created a supply bottleneck. China's decision in April to restrict exports of a wide range of rare earths and related magnets has tripped up the supply chains central to automakers, aerospace manufacturers, semiconductor companies and military contractors around the world. China's dominance of the critical mineral industry, key to the green energy transition, is increasingly viewed as a key point of leverage for Beijing in its trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump. China produces around 90% of the world's rare earths, and auto industry representatives have warned of increasing threats to production due to their dependency on it for those parts. Suppliers of three big U.S. automakers, General Motors, Ford and Jeep-maker Stellantis got clearance for some rare earth export licenses on Monday, one of the two sources said. GM and Ford each declined to comment. Stellantis said it is working with suppliers "to ensure an efficient licensing process" and that so far the company has been able to "address immediate production concerns without major disruptions." China's Ministry of Commerce did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment. China's critical-mineral export controls have become a focus on Trump's criticism of Beijing, which he says has violated the truce reached last month to roll back tariffs and trade restrictions. On Thursday, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a lengthy phone call to iron out trade differences. Trump said in social-media post that "there should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products." Both sides said teams will meet again soon. U.S. auto companies are already feeling the impact of the restrictions. Ford shut down production of its Explorer SUV at its Chicago plant for a week in May because of a rare-earth shortage, the company said. The approval for the auto suppliers follows a green light granted to a U.S. electronics firm's suppliers last week and another one issued earlier this week to suppliers of a U.S. non-auto company, the first person said, declining to name the companies. New Delhi: Union heavy industries and steel minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has weighed in on the automotive industry's concerns about state governments equating hybrid and electric car incentives, stating that the government continues to support all clean fuel for automobiles. He said the government has incentivized hybrid cars under subsidy schemes such as FAME II, and hybrid ambulances under PM E-drive. In addition, under the PLI-Auto scheme, the government supports all kinds of fuels besides EVs, including CNG, LNG and biofuels. "Under the FAME-II Scheme, EV (electric vehicles) and hybrid version of e-4W was allowed for incentivization. Similarly, in case of PM E-drive scheme, a hybrid version of e-ambulances, that is, electric plug-in hybrid & strong hybrid shall be incentivized," said Kumaraswamy in an email interview with Mint. Also read: Ola Electric's founder Bhavish Aggarwal pays 20 crore to top up collateral as shares slide "Further, besides EV, the government supports all kind of fuels viz. CNG, LNG, and bio-fuels under the PLI Auto Scheme," he added. FAME, or Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric (and Hybrid) vehicles scheme, ran for two iterations from FY15 to FY19, and from FY20 to FY24. Currently, the PM E-drive scheme has replaced the FAME schemes. Under all these schemes, consumers could purchase electric vehicles at a subsidized price. The government then reimbursed manufacturers the difference. PLI-Auto is a 25,938-crore production-linked incentive scheme for automobiles and automotive components, announced in 2021. It provides incentives to automakers to manufacture vehicles that run on green fuel. Mint reported on 29 May that leading electric car makers Tata Motors Ltd, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd and Hyundai Motor India Ltd are up in arms over the Delhi governments draft paper proposing equal incentives for hybrid cars and electric vehicles. On the issue of supply disruptions of rare earth magnets from China, the minister said the automotive industry has sought help from MHI, and that "MHI and the government of India" are actively working with industry stakeholders to understand the issue and find solutions. Challenges for battery makers Kumaraswamy also said battery makers in the country have faced hurdles in meeting timelines under the production-linked incentive scheme for advanced chemical cells (PLI-ACC) due to unavailability of technology, skilled manpower, and upstream components, besides challenges in importing essential equipment and machinery. He clarified however, that by 2030, India will have indigenous ACC capacity of over 100 gigawatt-hours. Also read: Rahul Jacob: Manufacturing is crying out for a reality check "However, with support and hand holding M/s Ola Cell Technologies Private Limited (OCTPL) has reported successful installation of 1.4 GWh capacity," said the union minister. "Apart from the PLI beneficiary firms more than 10 companies have already started setting up cell manufacturing unit for more than 100 GWh capacity," he added. The problem echoes similar challenges faced by India's PLI scheme for solar modules, as Mint reported on Monday. The 18,100-crore PLI-ACC scheme was introduced in May 2021 to incentivize setting up of 50 gigawatt-hours of battery storage capacity. Three companies -- Rajesh Exports Ltd, Ola Electric Mobility Ltd, and Reliance Industries Ltd -- have been awarded 40 gigawatt-hour of storage capacity till date. This means the companies will receive benefits to set up every unit of battery capacity. Indian manufacturers are capitalizing on the heightened demand for cell components like cathode active materials, anode active material, aluminium and copper foils, with many companies setting up component manufacturing units in India to achieve higher value addition and strengthen supply chains. The ministry of heavy industries, which is also the nodal ministry for the PLI-Auto scheme, is expecting claims worth about 2,000 crore from the industry in FY26. Under the scheme, manufacturers have to claim incentives for the sales of zero-emission vehicles or other eligible components achieved in a fiscal year, in the following year. For instance, benefits for FY25 sales under the PLI-Auto scheme will be claimed and disbursed in FY26. Also read: India bulks up its drugs PLI scheme in renewed pushback against Chinese imports The expectation for FY26 claims come after a disbursal of 322 crore in FY25 to four manufacturers. This time, the minister said the government was expecting nine manufacturers to claim incentives under the PLI-Auto scheme. "Disbursal of incentive under PLI Auto is expected to increase over the years as the number of applicants achieving DVA certification increases as applicants are able to achieve localization as per scheme guidelines. Further, the applicants are expected to achieve DVA certification for more number of AAT products and variants. As more number of OEMs are likely to achieve DVA under the scheme in the coming years, the disbursal will rise in coming years," said Kumaraswamy. BHEL aims to double profits In FY26, state-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) will aim to increase its revenue by 20-25% and double its profits on the back of its existing order book of Vande Bharat trains, navy gun mounts, transmission lines, coal gasification projects, and boilers, the minister said. "In the current fiscal, BHEL is focused on consolidating project execution before expanding into newer domains," said the minister. We want BHEL to focus on delivery discipline first. Diversification into non-power sectors rail transport, defence systems, transmission and coal gasification will continue, and in some years, will contribute significant percentage of revenue." BHEL is also set to become the nodal agency for demand aggregation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and will develop an application to facilitate charging services, Mint reported on 21 May. On 2 June, the ministry notified the guidelines for the scheme to promote the manufacturing of electric passenger cars in India (SPMEPCI), which was launched in March 2024. The scheme allows foreign electric carmakers to import completely built-up units of their vehicles at a reduced import duty, in exchange for investing at least 4,150 crore towards manufacturing electric cars in India. They will be allowed to import 8,000 cars every year for five years at an import duty of 15%, as opposed to the 70% levy on imports otherwise. But electric carmakers have to achieve localization of 25% in three years, and 50% localization in five years to qualify for benefits under the scheme. Investments also have to be made in plant and machinery, electric vehicle charging systems, or research and development. American electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc. has not shown interest in the scheme yet, Kumaraswamy had said on 2 June in a press conference. But other manufacturers including Mercedes Benz, Hyundai, Kia, and Skoda-Volkswagen had shown interest in the scheme, he said. Last week, with hours to the IATA AGM in Delhi with IndiGo being the host airline, the government told IndiGo about its last and final extension for the Turkish Airlines B777s, which IndiGo has in its fleet and operates to Istanbul from Delhi and Mumbai. India cancelled the licence of Celebi, a ground handling agency with a Turkish stake, citing security issues. The issues started after Turkey actively supported Pakistan with military hardware and other means during Operation Sindoor. The clamour for breaking ties with Turkish entities was strong since then for both IndiGo and the Air India group. IndiGo has planes from Turkish Airlines, and both IndiGo and the Air India group utilise the services of Turkish Technic, the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) arm. IndiGos false starts In December 2018, IndiGo and Turkish Airlines announced a codeshare and mutual cooperation agreement. This was the first codeshare for IndiGo, after which the airline has expanded this arrangement with multiple airlines from across the world. The flights began on January 1, 2019, subsequently increasing to double daily from Delhi. Within weeks, the Balakot strike took place and Pakistan shut its airspace, leading to a very long detour and a stop for IndiGo, which went on until July that year. No sooner had things become normal, exceptionally high headwinds that year led to the airline being in the news again with baggage being left behind to cater to additional fuel or lower weight. The winter of 2019 never transitioned to the summer of 2020 as the world went into a lockdown due to the pandemic. As flights restarted across the world, starting February 2023, IndiGo inducted a Turkish Airlines B777 to fly on its behalf as a damp lease to Istanbul from Delhi. This was augmented by another in May 2023 to fly between Mumbai and Istanbul. Air Indias first foot forward Air India was taken over by the Tata group in January 2022. Within a month of this, the airlines first big decision was to appoint a new CEO, which was Ilker Ayci, the former CEO of Turkish Airlines. Within weeks, Ayci cited negative media attention and refused to join as multiple groups started opposing Aycis appointment citing his past record and proximity to the ruling dispensation in Turkey which had been pro-Pakistan even then. What now? Campbell Wilson, the CEO and MD of Air India, has indicated that the company is looking for options to shift its maintenance needs from Turkish Technic to other options. These could be expensive and hard to come by since slots at MROs are also facing issues due to supply chain constraints. In case of Air India, it could have an option of relying on the government-owned entity AIESL or equity partner Singapore Airlines facilities in Singapore. As for IndiGo, the challenges are bigger with the government directive. The airline is expected to induct five more 787-9 Dreamliners from now until the early parts of 2026. It remains unclear when the airspace over Pakistan will be available for use by Indian carriers. The flight to Turkey will not only be long, but it will also be one-stop on the narrowbody aircraft. Will it deploy the 787s, which it is getting, or will it go ahead with the deployment plans, which it had chalked out? A lot will depend on how the loads shape up for the future. SINGORE -Oil prices slipped on Friday but were on track for their first weekly gain in three weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping resumed trade talks, raising hopes for growth and stronger demand in the world's two largest economies. Brent crude futures fell 19 cents, or 0.3%, to $65.15 a barrel as of 0441 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gave up 20 cents, also 0.3%, to $63.17, after gaining around 50 cents on Thursday. On a weekly basis, both benchmarks were on track to settle higher after falling for two straight weeks. Brent has advanced 2.1% this week, while WTI is trading 4% higher. China's official Xinhua news agency said trade talks between Xi and Trump took place at Washington's request. Trump said the call had led to a "very positive conclusion," adding the U.S. was "in very good shape with China and the trade deal." Canada also continued trade talks with the U.S., with Prime Minister Mark Carney in direct contact with Trump, according to Industry Minister Melanie Joly. The oil market continued to swing with news on tariff negotiations and data showing how trade uncertainty and the impact of the U.S. levies are flowing through into the global economy. "The potential for increased US sanctions in Venezuela to limit crude exports and the potential for Israeli strike on Iranian infrastructure add to upside risks for prices," analysts at BMI, a Fitch affiliate, said in a note on Friday. "But both weaker demand for oil and increased production from both OPEC and non-OPEC producers will add to downside price pressures in the coming quarters." Top exporter Saudi Arabia cut its July crude prices for Asia to near two-month lows. That was a smaller price reduction than expected after OPEC agreed to ramp up output by 411,000 barrels per day in July. The kingdom had been pushing for a bigger output hike, part of a broader strategy to win back market share and discipline over-producers in OPEC , which groups the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia. Steel producers saw a turnaround in their performance during the March quarter (Q4FY25), aided by a decline in raw material prices and continued momentum in domestic demand. While realization remained under pressure, prices started climbing from March, in anticipation of the safeguard duty, announced in April. The combined Ebitda of the four integrated steel players, JSW Steel Ltd, Tata Steel Ltd, Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) and Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) rose only marginally by 1% during the quarter. This, however, marks a significant improvement after a decline of 14% in Q3FY25. Whats more, firm steel prices and a decline in imports are expected to further improve their profitability moving ahead. Average realization in Q4FY25 for steel producers declined by 9% year-on-year, lower than the 11% decline in Q3FY25. Flat products producers, which accounted for 95% of imports, suffered the most. Despite the lower realisation, profitability was supported by lower raw material prices with benchmark Australian coking coal prices averaging about $200 per tonne in Q4, almost 40% lower year-on-year, whereas domestic iron ore prices declined by about 7%. Raw material prices have remained subdued in Q1FY26 till date with coking coal and iron ore prices down about 23% and 11% year-on-year, respectively, in the international market. Strong volume growth of 10% also helped cushion the impact of lower realization during the quarter. Domestic demand is expected to remain strong, with the World Steel Association projecting Indias steel demand to increase by 8.5% in 2025, on top of 8% growth in 2024, and against a global growth of 1.3%. However, the subdued pricing environment led to sharp moderation in investments, with the sectors capex growing by only 2% in FY25, a sharp decline from 22% in FY24, as per a Nuvama Institutional Equities Q4FY25 earnings review report. Also Read: India likely to seek removal of US steel tariffs in trade talks rather than immediate retaliation Bright future The outlook for the industry remains strong with average flat products prices moving up by over 7% sequentially in Q1FY26-to-date to 52,000 per tonne, after the imposition of safeguard duty. While this is still lower by about 3% year-on-year, the industry expects prices to firm up further after the monsoon. Steel imports have also dropped by 21% in April, reflecting the impact of the safeguard duty, as per provisional Joint Plant Committee data. The Nuvama report projects steel industry companies to report strong earnings growth of 20% in FY26 against 5% in FY25, with revenue growth of 8% against 3% in FY25. Among the outperformers are SAIL and JSW Steel with projected earnings per share growth of 38% and 31%, respectively. Amid the improving outlook, SAIL and Tata Steel shares have gained 18% and 16% so far in 2025, respectively. JSW Steel, weighed down by the Supreme Courts verdict on Bhushan Steel, is up at a smaller rate of 7%. Steel and raw material price movement will determine the performance of stocks in the coming months. As the battle for market share between India's top two stock exchanges hots up, the capital markets regulator has directed both to furnish modalities on a proposed shift in their weekly index options settlement dates by 15 June before it approves any changes, two people aware of the matter said. "The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has instructed the bourses to apprise it about when they would issue a circular to their broking members on potential expiry day shift to ensure markets have enough time to adapt to the change," the first person said. He explained that besides weekly index derivatives contracts, exchanges like BSE and NSE run three monthly contracts concurrentlyfor eg. June, July and August (known as the front, mid and far months respectively)on a rolling basis; i.e., after the June expiry, July becomes the front month, August the mid month and September the far month and so on. Also read | Nifty options activity hints at positive market close today Sebi wants to ensure that the investing community has enough time to adapt to the new expiry day before approving any shift, the person cited above said on the condition of anonymity. Sharing of such information would enable Sebi to work out "a solution that would be acceptable to both the exchanges," the second person said. Queries emailed to NSE, BSE and Sebi went unanswered. The matter has its origins in a Sebi circular on 1 October last year which raised the cost to trade index derivatives to 15-20 lakh from 5-10 lakh a contract, and limited weekly expiries in options to one a day per exchange from multiple weekly expiries earlier, among others, to rein in the retail frenzy in options. The circular left the choice of weekly expiry day to the exchanges. For instance, NSE ran weekly options on the Midcap Select index expiring on Monday, Finnifty on Tuesday, Bank Nifty on Wednesday and Nifty on Thursday. BSE ran a Sensex options expiry on Friday and a Bankex options expiry on Monday. NSE was restricted to offering only Nifty options, which it retained on Thursday, and BSE to the Sensex options contract on Friday after the 1 October circular. However, effective January this year, BSE opted to shift its weekly expiry to Tuesday from Thursday to space its expiry further away from NSE and enjoy a day more of volumesa Tuesday expiry means the exchange sees volume distribution across Friday, Monday and Tuesday. A Thursday expiry would see volumes concentrated across two daysWednesday and Thursday. Also read | Tensions are rising on the border but FPIs arent worried In March this year, NSE informed Sebi that effective April, it would shift its Nifty expiry to Monday, just a day ahead of BSE's expiry. The regulator instructed NSE to maintain status quo as it was to issue a consultation paper on the final expiry day. The paper, issued on 27 March, sought public comments on giving exchanges the choice of either a Tuesday or Thursday expiry. The Sebi circular that followed the receipt of public comments on 26 May finalized either a Tuesday or Thursday expiry for recognized stock exchanges such as NSE, BSE, MSEI and NCDEX. NSE then applied to Sebi for a Tuesday expiry. The NSE shift is subject to Sebi approval, but market stakeholders anticipate a shift to Tuesday by NSE would result in BSE shifting its expiry to Thursday, enabling NSE to regain lost market share from the latter. For instance, thanks to the change in expiry day, BSE market share in index options based on premium turnover rose to 15.3% in the March quarter from 13.9% in the preceding quarter, with NSE market share falling proportionately to 84.7% over the same period, as per exchange data. Read this | Sebis options plan that spooked many could be in for a review "The extra day in case NSE wins Tuesday will mean some recovery as the exchange will get an extra day of volumes, " said Rajesh Palviya, senior vice-president (derivatives and technicals) Axis Securities. The importance of index options trading as a major revenue source for exchanges is underscored by the contribution of this product to total transaction charges earned by exchanges. Transaction charges contributed 50% of NSE's standalone total income of 5,860 crore, or 2,930 crore in the quarter ended March. Of this, equity options (index plus stocks) accounted for around 76%, or 2227 crore, with cash market and equity futures segment contributing 12% each. NSE has been offering Nifty weekly options on Thursday since February 2019 while BSE relaunched Sensex weekly options since May 2023. Gopika Gopakumar in Mumbai contributed to the story. And read | NSE vs BSE: Sebis curbs, exchange moves reshape options market Everyone seems to want a piece of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) even before its anticipated public market debut. The bourses unlisted shares are in short supply in the private market, having surged 40% since last week to shrink its discount to BSE Ltd. NSE shares were trading at a 50% discount to BSEs at least five-six months back," Sanat Mondal, head of private markets at Sanctum Wealth told Mint. In the last few weeks, the discount has narrowed in the range of 10-15%." NSEs privately held shares are trading between 2,375 and 2,419 apiece. Thats 48 times its FY25 earnings, according to UnlistedZone, a private market broker for retail investors. Rival BSE commands a multiple of 64.2 times its FY25 earnings, according to a recent Motilal Oswal Financial Services report. The market has perceived recent reports of NSE exploring a 1,000 crore regulatory settlement with the Securities Exchange Board of India (Sebi) as a step closer to its IPO, said Mondal. Read more: MSEI investors uncertain about their bet after Sebi expiry day rule However, there is still little clarity on when the exchange will make its stock market debuta major risk associated with unlisted equities, according to experts. NSE is trading at a discount to BSE mainly because there is no clarity on its IPO yet," Mondal said. Technically, there shouldn't be so much of a discount because, fundamentally, those are similar companies. Even (profit) margin-wise, both are comparable." With a hold on at least 90% of Indias equity volume in cash and derivative segments, NSE dwarfs BSE by size and scale. Hence, it stands to be a key beneficiary of Indias ongoing transformation as a saver-to-investor economy, according to a Motilal Oswal Financial Services report from December. We foresee 15% revenue and 22% net profit CAGR (compound annual growth rate) over FY24-27 (for NSE)," the report said. This would be primarily led by an "exponential growth" in retail derivative trading volumes, according to the financial services firm. Over 1 lakh shareholders, already NSE generates over 65% of its total revenue as profit, much of it in cash, which is a strong indicator of its robust business model, said Saurabh Rungta, CIO at Avendus Wealth Management and who himself holds unlisted NSE shares. Considering its enduring moat and long growth runway, we believe NSE may have the potential to be a consistent compounder over time, that investors can comfortably hold in their portfolios." NSEs value proposition is so lucrative, the company already has over 1 lakh unlisted shareholders, up from 39,201 in March, according to Sunil Chandak, founder and director of Gennext Investrade, a Mumbai-based unlisted equity dealing firm. Once its ISIN got unfrozen in March, the shares became freely tradable. Moreover, restrictions on minimum lot size were also removed. As a result, retail investors just lapped (NSEs) shares up," Chandak said. Right now, NSE is being touted as Indias most valuable unlisted company" in the private market. In fact, Chandak calls NSE the stock of India" a company exemplifying the promise of Indias growth story in the coming decades. Read more: ITC Hotels soared 30% from its low. Is it still a hidden gem? Such exuberance has propelled NSEs market capitalization to 5.87 lakh crore, ahead of blue-chip giants such as ITC Ltd and Larson & Toubro Ltd. Given its strong unlisted demand, the risk of under-allotment or no allotment is real for retail investors hoping to invest in NSEs inevitable IPO, unless the offering is large," Avenduss Rungta said. Hence, retail investors are now flocking to the private market to bypass the uncertainty of allotments in IPOs, said Vijay Kuppa, CEO of InCred Money. But even there, the supply of NSE shares has dried up. Valuation rerating unlikely Existing investors are now unwilling to sell their shares as they expect the exchange to hit the public markets soon, offering a much better exit at a significantly higher post-IPO price. To be sure, unlisted NSE shares have already returned almost 230% in the last three years, according to UnlistedZone. As a result, barring the initial listing day gains, experts are not anticipating outsized returns post its IPO. The stock has compounded at over 50% CAGR in the last five years, which is unlikely to repeat over the next five. Much of the valuation re-rating has already happened," Avenduss Rungta said. Moreover, since NSE does not have any promoters and its ownership is widely dispersed, Rungta expects continuous supply pressure from existing shareholders to keep its share price subdued, especially after the lock-in period ends. Sebis mandate of at least 25% public shareholding in all listed companies will only ensure this outcome, he said. Beware the hype of unlisted markets As the listed arena becomes crowded and opportunities to make outsized returns diminish, retail investors are increasingly exploring the private market. It has evolved from an opaque, niche segment into a semi-formal asset class, mainly attracting high net worth individuals (HNIs), family offices and wealth managers. Read more: India's super rich are back to betting on IPOs The unlisted space offers the allure of owning shares of exceptional" companies at cheap valuations with hopes of significant post-IPO price appreciation, said Kuppa from IncredMoney. New investors might not find NSE easily accessible in the private market today. But the unlisted space is broader than one name, and there are many other interesting companies to explore, depending on their risk appetite and time horizon, Kuppa said. Some of the most talked-about companies like OYO, Chennai Super Kings or PharmEasy have been accessible only through the unlisted route for years. Retail investors value the chance to be part of these journeys before the public market does," he added. However, experts warn retail investors, who are jumping into the private market following NSEs hype, that promises of substantial post-IPO gains may not always come true. By the time the lock-in period ends six months after a companys IPO, its shares in the public market might trade at a lower price than in the unlisted market, resulting in losses for investors," Mondal from Sanctum Wealth said. According to Yatin Singh, CEO of investment banking at Emkay Global Financial Services, NSE should not be the barometer for the private markets success. Rather, it is an exception, as it is more liquid than most unlisted companies out there." Inexperienced retail investors might find it difficult to exit promptly from unlisted shares as the market is more illiquid than public exchanges, said Singh. Investments in the unlisted market are generally riskier because the companies usually do not have enough scale, maturity and the guarantee of eventual IPOs. Essentially, investors are unprotected here. Hence, their valuations seem discounted to listed peers," he added. Unlike listed companies with publicly disclosed financials, unlisted companies often operate without a similar level of transparency, fuelling speculation and exaggeration. Thats often reflected in their grey market premiums (GMP), which is used to gauge the demand for an IPO-bound company. Read more: IRCTC's Ebitda growth rate mirrors pace of a slow-moving train GMPs typically include the valuation multiples of comparable listed peers, growth projections, valuations in recent fundraising rounds and any notable secondary transactions, said Avenduss Rungta. But hype does play a role. In several instances, weve seen unlisted stocks command disproportionately high GMPs, either due to inflated expectations, incorrect or optimistic business projections or simply FOMO," he added. Singh from Emkay Global warns that GMPs can also be manipulated. Promoters can artificially create a perception of high demand for a mediocre company's paper. They can inflate GMPs through some of their own money via unofficial channels and market operators to ensure a decent start to their listed journey," he said. Retail investors looking to invest in the private market must have access to the right network and due diligence. Else, they can fall prey to exorbitant prices, as there is no parity in prices due to the opaque structure of the market, said Mondal from Sanctum Wealth. Avenduss Rungta said deal defaults, transfer disputes and miscommunication on fundamentals also plague the private market. Combined with lack of transparency, asymmetrical price discovery and the inherent illiquidity, this market is best suited for informed and patient investors and not for momentum-driven bettors." Read more: KEC is making amends to repair margin, allay debt concerns Breakout stocks buy or sell: The Indian stock market saw widespread buying activity on Thursday, June 5, which pushed the benchmark indicesthe Sensex and Nifty 50up by more than 1% during intraday trade. However, both indices pared some of their gains by the close, ending the day with an increase of around half a percent, marking their second consecutive session of advances. Also Read | US stocks seesaw as investors weigh potential progress in US-China trade talks against soft data The Sensex opened at 81,196.08, up from its previous close of 80,998.25, and surged over 900 points to touch an intraday high of 81,911.13. Similarly, the Nifty 50 began the day at 24,691.20, compared to its last close of 24,620.20, and rose more than 1% to reach an intraday high of 24,899.85. Sumeet Bagadia's breakout stock recommendations Sumeet Bagadia, Executive Director at Choice Broking, believes that Indian stock market sentiment is positive as the Nifty 50 index is sustaining above 24,500. Speaking on the outlook of Indian stock market, Bagadia said, The benchmark index is facing hurdle at 25,000. On breaking above 25,000, the 50-stock index may soon touch 25,400. So, one should maintain stock-specific approach and look at those stocks that are looking strong on the technical chart. Looking at breakout stocks can be a good option." Also Read | Stocks to buy under 100: Experts recommend four shares to buy today Stocks to buy today Sumeet Bagadia recommends five shares to buy today J K Cement, JM Financial, Welspun Corp, Sobha, and JSW Infrastructure. 1] J K Cement: Buy at 5715, target 6300, stop loss 5440; 2] JM Financial: Buy at 141.62, target 158, stop loss 134; 3] Welspun Corp: Buy at 962.35, target 1070, stop loss 911; 4] Sobha: Buy at 1602.30, target 1775, stop loss 1520; 5] JSW Infrastructure: Buy at 307.10, target 338, stop loss 292. Indias benchmark indices have been treading water this year. Despite upbeat earnings from select sectors, the Sensex has inched up just 3.4% so far in 2025, with the Nifty rising 4.25% amid a mix of global uncertainty, volatile foreign fund flows, sticky inflation, and high oil prices. Add the Reserve Bank of Indias cautious policy stance, and its clear why investors have had little to cheer. Yet, a handful of heavyweight stocks have bucked the trendsurging over 25% and delivering market-beating returns. Read this | This lender to the railways is getting off track to get back on track In this piece, we spotlight three such large-cap outperformers, unpack the catalysts behind their rally, and assess whether their momentum can hold. Can these stocks still deliver upside, or is the best already behind them? #1 Bajaj Finance Bajaj Finance has rallied 29% year-to-date, handily outperforming the broader market. The bounce came after a surprise rebound in the December 2024 quarter, which restored investor confidence in the companys ability to grow despite macro headwinds. A stalwart in Indias non-bank lending space, Bajaj Finance posted a 23% year-on-year rise in net interest income to 9,380 crore for Q4FY25, while net profit jumped 18% to 4,310 crorefuelled by operational efficiencies and a growing loan book. The rally got an additional boost after the Reserve Bank of India lowered risk weights on bank lending to non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), a move that could reduce borrowing costs and support the companys expansion plans. Investor sentiment was further lifted when Anup Kumar Saha was announced as the incoming managing director, succeeding long-time head Rajeev Jain. Saha, a seasoned insider, is seen as well-positioned to drive the firms ambitious five-year plan, dubbed BAF 3.0." That roadmap aims to grow assets under management (AUM) to 4 trillion and the customer base to as high as 210 million by FY29. The company also expects to disburse more than 40 million loans and expand its retail credit market share to over 4%. Over the past five years, the company has scaled up its loan book 2.4 times, while growing net profit at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26%. Additionally, consistently low non-performing assets (0.30%-0.4% since FY18), and a solid return on equity (RoE) of 17.6%, Bajaj Finance remains one of the most dependable names in Indian financial services. For FY26, the company expects to add 1416 million customers and grow AUM by 2425%, supported by new business lines. It has also guided for return on assets (RoA) of 4.4-4.6% and RoE of 1920%, aided by surplus capital. Axis Securities has a Buy rating with a target of 10,500. Still, the stocks premium valuation5.7x price-to-book versus an industry average of 1.9xsuggests that much of the optimism may already be baked in. Read this | Rich valuation pricks Bajaj Finance as it cuts guidance #2 Cholamandalam Investment and Finance The second stock riding the NBFC rally is Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Co. Ltd (CIFC), up 27.8% in 2025. Its steady loan book expansion, strong asset quality, and consistent profitability have made it a standout performer in the sector this year. CIFC, a part of the Chennai-based Murugappa Group, provides vehicle finance, home loans, and loans against property. It has a strong foothold in vehicle financeaccounting for 58% of its assets under management (AUM)and has been gradually diversifying into home loans and SME lending, with a focus on self-employed borrowers. The company delivered a solid performance in FY25, with broad-based growth across disbursements, profitability, and asset quality. Total income rose 36% year-on-year to 13,570 crore, driven by a 14% rise in disbursements to 1.0 trillion. Net profit grew 24% to 4,259 crore. Asset quality also improved. Gross Stage 3 assets declined to 2.81% in March 2025 from 2.91% in December, while net non-performing assets (NPAs) fell to 2.63%. The company maintained a strong capital adequacy ratio of 19.75%, comfortably above the 15% regulatory minimum. Importantly, FY25s performance is part of a broader trend. Over the past five years, CIFC has reported a 27% CAGR in AUM, a 32% CAGR in net profit, and a 40% CAGR in disbursementsreflecting consistent execution across business segments. As part of the Murugappa Group, CIFC benefits from group synergies and a wide client base. Its five-year average return on equity stands at a healthy 18%, underlining its ability to scale profitably while keeping risk under control. Looking ahead, the company expects 2025% AUM growth in the medium term, driven primarily by non-vehicle portfolios. It also plans to enter gold loans and consumer durable financing in FY26, targeting existing customers who currently borrow from outside sources. To support this, it will add 120 dedicated gold loan branchesrequiring specific infrastructure such as vaults and tighter controlsin the South and East, where pilots are underway. Axis Securities expects robust momentum to continue, led by sustained growth in the vehicle finance portfolio and accelerating traction in newer segments, supporting a projected 24% CAGR in AUM over FY2527E. The largely fixed-rate VF book, combined with a declining cost of funds, is expected to support margins. Axis has a Buy rating on the stock with a target price of 1,780. Still, at a price-to-book multiple of 5.4xwell above the industry average of 1.9xthe stock isnt cheap. #3 IDBI Bank IDBI Bank has surged 31% in 2025, far outperforming the Sensex, driven by a mix of reform momentum and renewed investor interest as the government pushes ahead with its strategic disinvestment plans. The spotlight returned to IDBI Bank after the Centre reiterated its intention to complete the long-pending stake sale by the end of the year. Together, the government and Life Insurance Corp. of India (LIC) currently hold over 94% of the bank. As part of the proposed divestment, they aim to sell a combined 61% stakesplit roughly equally between the governments 30.48% and LICs 30.24%. The revived timeline has rekindled market interest. While the Centre no longer sets explicit disinvestment targets, the IDBI stake sale is expected to be a key contributor to FY26s budget estimate for miscellaneous capital receipts, pegged at 47,000 crore. A successful divestment could bring in private capital, strengthen management autonomy, and improve strategic executionunlocking further value. Even before the divestment, IDBI Banks fundamentals have steadily improved. Net profit has grown at a 21% CAGR over the past five years, driven by rising advances and improved core income. Return on equity has risen from just 4% to 13.5% in FY25, reflecting the success of its turnaround strategy. In FY25, the bank posted a record net profit of 7,656 crore. Total business (deposits plus net advances) crossed 5 trillion for the first time. Asset quality also strengthened sharply. Gross NPAs fell to 2.98% from 4.53% a year ago, while net NPAs dropped to just 0.15% from 0.34%. The provision coverage ratio rose to 99.48%, including technical write-offs. Capital buffers remain robust. The capital adequacy ratio improved by 279 basis points year-on-year to 25.05%, with Tier 1 capital at 23.51%. On the disinvestment front, shortlisted bidders have completed due diligence and are reviewing the banks data room. Negotiations over the share purchase agreement are currently in progress. Meanwhile, the stock trades at a price-to-book multiple of 1.8xabove its historical median of 1.3x and the industry average of 1.3x. Also read | This small-cap has already gained 1,000%. Can AI fuel its next leap? Still, the rally hinges on timely execution of the stake sale. Any regulatory delays or shifts in government stance could dampen sentiment. With much of the upside likely priced in, the room for error remains narrow. Conclusion These large-cap stocks have clearly outperformed the Sensex in 2025but their sharp rallies call for measured optimism. Much of the good news may already be priced in, leaving limited margin for error. Valuations for some names now exceed historical averages, increasing vulnerability to earnings misses, policy shifts, or broader market volatility. For more such analysis, read Profit Pulse. With global uncertainties still in play, markets may stay choppy in the near term. Investors would do well to stay anchored to fundamentals, avoid chasing momentum, and consider staggered entries over lump-sum bets. About the author: Ayesha Shetty is a research analyst registered with the Securities and Exchange Board of India. She is a certified Financial Risk Manager (FRM) and is working toward the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Disclosure:The author does not hold shares in any of the companies discussed. The views expressed are for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult a financial professional before making investment decisions. The Indian stock market benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty 50, are likely to open on a tepid note Friday amid mixed global market cues and ahead of the RBI policy today. The trends on Gift Nifty also indicate a tepid start for the Indian benchmark index. The Gift Nifty was trading around 24,841 level, a discount of nearly 20 points from the Nifty futures previous close. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra will announce the monetary policy decision today. The RBIs Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is likely to deliver a 25 basis points (bps) repo rate cut to 5.75% from 6%. On Thursday, the domestic equity market indices ended over half a percent higher each, with the benchmark Nifty 50 closing above 24,700 level. The Sensex gained 443.79 points, or 0.55%, to close at 81,442.04, while the Nifty 50 settled 130.70 points, or 0.53%, higher at 24,750.90. Heres what to expect from Sensex, Nifty 50 and Bank Nifty ahead of RBI monetary policy today: Sensex Prediction Sensex formed a reversal formation on daily charts and is currently trading near the 20-day SMA (Simple Moving Average). We believe that 81,000 would act as a key support zone for traders. As long as Sensex is trading above this level, the bullish sentiment is likely to continue. On the higher side, the index could move up to 82,000 - 82,200. However, a breakdown below 81,000 could change the sentiment. Below this level, Sensex could retest the levels of 80,700 - 80,500, said Shrikant Chouhan, Head - Equity Research, Kotak Securities. Nifty OI Data Nifty Open Interest (OI) data shows the highest concentration on the call side at the 24,800 and 25,000 strike prices, indicating strong resistance at these levels. On the put side, significant OI build-up is observed at the 24,700 and 24,500 strike prices, marking these as key support zones, said Hardik Matalia, Derivative Analyst at Choice Broking. Nifty 50 Prediction Nifty 50 ended the session at 24,750.90, advancing 0.53%, after staging a sharp intraday recovery from lower levels. Although the index encountered profit-booking near the higher band of the recent range, it managed to hold firm and closed the day with respectable gains. Nifty 50 formed a small-bodied candle with equal-length wicks on both ends, highlighting the tug of war between bulls and bears. Nifty 50 holds above its 9-day and 20-day exponential moving averages (EMA), indicating that the short-term setup remains positive. Broadly, the index remains in a narrow consolidation phase. A sustained move above the 24,900 mark could act as a trigger for renewed upward momentum, said Om Mehra, Technical Research Analyst, SAMCO Securities. According to him, on the downside, immediate support is placed at 24,600, followed by a more critical cushion near 24,550. Until a breakout materializes, the index is likely to oscillate within this defined range, with a mild bullish tilt. Dr. Praveen Dwarakanath, Vice President of Hedged.in said that the Nifty 50 formed a doji candle well within its range of 24,500 and 25,100 levels. The index bounced from the 24,500 level, indicating strong support at this level. The higher time frame momentum indicators are also decayed down and do not show clear signs of a rally. The open interest data for next weeks expiry also shows a sideways move; however, the index may pick the direction based on todays RBI policy meeting, said Dwarakanath. According to VLA Ambala, Co-Founder of Stock Market Today, Nifty 50 formed a High Wave Doji candlestick pattern on the daily timeframe, reflecting a sense of indecision in the broader market. The indexs 20-day MA emerged as a crucial support level while it traded within the 24,300 to 25,000 range. Amid these, the RBIs policy announcement could act as a major trigger, as the anticipated rate cut is expected to increase liquidity in the market. Nifty 50 could trade within a wide range in todays session. Additionally, we can expect Nifty 50 to find support between 24,540 and 24,430 and experience resistance near 24,920, 25,000, and 25,150, Ambala said. Also Read | Breakout stocks to buy or sell: Sumeet Bagadia recommends five shares to buy Bank Nifty Prediction Bank Nifty ended 84 points, or 0.15%, higher at 55,760.85 on Thursday, continuing to trade within a narrow range that has held for the past several weeks. Bank Nifty index formed a second doji candle with small shadows on either side highlighting consolidation ahead of the RBI monetary policy outcome today. The Bank Nifty index is currently placed at the upper band of the last 6 weeks consolidation range 56,000 - 53,500. We believe a closing above the 56,000 area will signal extension of the up move towards the 56,700 zone in the near term. Failure to do so will signal extension of the last five weeks consolidation, said Bajaj Broking Research. The short-term structure remains constructive with immediate support is placed at 55,000 55,200 levels, while key short-term support is seen at 54,000 53,500, which coincides with the 50-day EMA, key Fibonacci retracement levels, and the lower end of the established five-week consolidation band, it added. Om Mehra believes that while price action remains muted, the broader trend still favours the bulls, supported by a sequence of higher highs and higher lows. Bank Nifty index is trading above all major moving averages, and the ascending triangle visible on the daily chart suggests the potential for an upward push. A close above 56,162 could open room for a fresh leg of gains. As long as the Nifty Bank holds 55,300, the overall trend remains positive, Mehra said. Shares of RBL Bank, Aditya Birla Capital, and SBI Cards and Payments Services came under investor radar during Fridays trading session, June 6, gaining up to 5% after Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra, in the second bi-monthly monetary policy meeting for the financial year 2025-26 (FY26), noted that the stress previously observed in unsecured loans and credit card portfolios has abated. However, he cautioned that microfinance institutions (MFIs) continue to face pressure. Also Read | What RBI has in store for banks and NBFCs next year "The stress witnessed earlier in retail segments like unsecured personal loans and credit card receivables portfolios has abated, while the stress in the microfinance segment is persisting. Banks and NBFCs active in these segments are already recalibrating their business models, strengthening their credit underwriting practices, and stepping up their collection efforts to avoid any excessive build-up of risks on this front in the future, Malhotra said. The pace of bank retail lending in India declined sharply to 11.6% year-on-year (YoY) in 2024-25 (FY25) from 27.6% in FY24, as lenders scaled down disbursements of unsecured loans due to regulatory concerns, such as higher risk weights attached to unsecured lending, and the impact of a high base effect. Also Read | PSU banks outshine private peers in arresting bad loans Meanwhile, credit rating agency Moodys recently projected that the quality of unsecured retail loans will remain weaker than that of secured loans for at least the next few quarters. Unsecured personal loans and credit card borrowing grew at a CAGR of 22% and 25%, respectively, in the three years to FY24. RBI slashes repo rate for 3rd time in a row As widely expected, the RBI slashed the repo rate for the third consecutive time but surprised the Street by announcing a 50-basis point cut. With a total reduction of 100 basis points over the last three meetings, the RBI has brought the repo ratethe rate at which it lends to commercial banksdown to 5.5% from 6.5%. The decline in consumer prices in recent months, which hit a six-year low in April, has given the central bank the confidence to proceed with this bumper rate cut. In addition, the RBI has also cut its Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by 100 basis points. The cut in CRR will release up to 2.5 lakh crore liquidity in the system and reduce the cost of funding for banks, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said in his address. Domestic brokerage house SBI Securities has reiterated its Buy rating on Hi-Tech Pipes, assigning a revised target price of 138an upside potential of 43.4 percent from the current market price of 96.2. The brokerage said the company delivered a strong performance in the March 2025 quarter and remains well-placed for growth, backed by new capacity additions and a rising share of value-added products. During the March quarter, Hi-Tech Pipes posted consolidated revenue of 733.7 crore, EBITDA of 34.9 crore, and profit after tax (PAT) of 17.6 crore. SBI Securities said revenue and PAT grew by 7.7 percent and 55.8 percent year-on-year, respectively, while EBITDA declined slightly by 1.2 percent. Sales volumes rose 7.7 percent year-on-year to 2.14 lakh tonnes, driven by strong demand from the infrastructure and construction sectors. Capacity Expansion to Drive Medium-Term Growth SBI Securities highlighted that the companys Sikandrabad and Sanand Phase-2 units are in advanced stages of commissioning and are expected to commence operations in FY26. Trial production at both facilities is likely to begin shortly. Once operational, these units will increase Hi-Tech Pipes total manufacturing capacity to 1 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), up from the current 0.75 MTPA. The brokerage further stated that for FY26 and FY27, it has assumed annual capacity additions of 0.6 MTPA each, which translates into a 23.9 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in volumes. SBI Securities expects EBITDA per tonne to improve from 3,297 in FY25 to 3,639 in FY26 and 3,852 in FY27, aided by the higher contribution from value-added products (VAPs). Focus on Value-Added Products and Capex Plans According to SBI Securities, Hi-Tech Pipes is transitioning its portfolio from generic steel pipes to more value-added offerings like solar torque tubes and color-coated roofing sheets. The contribution of VAPs is projected to rise from 36 percent in FY25 to 42 percent in FY26 on a blended basis, thereby enhancing the companys overall margin profile. Additionally, SBI Securities pointed out that the company is lining up fresh capital expenditure for FY27, aiming to boost capacity by another 2530 percent. This includes groundwork at the Sri City project in Chennai and continued development of the Sanand Phase-2 facility. The managements long-term vision is to scale up to a capacity of 2 MTPA by FY29. Valuation At the current market price, the stock trades at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 18.1x and 12.5x on FY26 and FY27 EPS estimates of 5.3 and 7.6, respectively. SBI Securities values the stock at 18x FY27 earnings to arrive at the target price of 138. Stock price trend The smallcap stock lost over 14 percent in the last 1 year. In June so far, the stock has advanced almost 2 percent following a 5.6 percent jump in May. Before that, it was in the red for 8 straight months between September 2024 and April 2025. Currently it is over 64 percent away from its 52-week high of 210.75, hit in September 2024. Meanwhile, it is trading closer to its 52-week low of 81.53, hit last month. In conclusion, SBI Securities believes that Hi-Tech Pipes is well-positioned to benefit from robust demand in the structural steel tubes segment, rising VAP contribution, and ongoing capacity expansion. The brokerage maintained its bullish outlook, highlighting strong long-term growth visibility and an attractive valuation, offering investors a potential 44.2 percent return from current levels. (Bloomberg) -- US and Chinese negotiators will resume trade talks on June 9 in London, President Donald Trump announced, as the worlds two largest economies look to resolve a simmering dispute over tariffs and technology that has unnerved markets. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet Monday with Representatives of China, with reference to the Trade Deal, Trump posted Friday on social media. The meeting should go very well. The new round of talks follow a 90-minute call between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday that saw the two agree to defuse growing tensions spurred by concerns over the flow of critical minerals needed by American firms. Earlier talks between the two countries in Switzerland in May resulted in a tariff truce between Beijing and Washington that set the stage for further talks on trade. But negotiations between the rivals stalled after the Geneva meeting, with both sides accusing the other of violating the agreement that brought down duties from massive highs. The US expressed concerns over the lack of rare-earth magnets essential for American electric vehicles and defense systems, while China bristled at fresh US restrictions on artificial intelligence chips from Huawei Technologies Co., as well as other advanced technologies and crackdowns on foreign students in the US. After their call, Trump said he had obtained a commitment to restore the flow of rare-earth magnets. China approved temporary export licenses to critical mineral suppliers to major US automakers, Reuters reported. But questions remain about what Trump conceded to Xi in their call, which the US president had eagerly sought. The Chinese Foreign Ministry in a statement said that Trump told Xi Chinese students are welcome to study in the US, and Trump later said it would be his honor to welcome them. The call between Trump and Xi generated some hope on Wall Street for lower duties between the US and China, although investor optimism was limited, citing the lack of details on key matters and the thorny issues that await negotiators. The inclusion of Lutnick in the new round of talks may signal that Trump is willing to reconsider some of the technology curbs that threaten to hobble Chinas long-term growth ambitions. (Updates with additional background starting in third paragraph) More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com Theres a quiet yet determined shift in the Indian art market landscape. Newer art galleries are whetting the appetite of collectors, both seasoned and novice, as interest continues to evolve. Many of these galleries showcase the personal collections of longtime art collectors. For some, the galleries represent a chance to give their artworks a home. For others, its a way to tap into a growing fraternity thats interested in acquiring art. HOMES FOR ART COLLECTIONS In Ashish Thapars art gallery, which opened earlier this year in the National Capital Region (close to KNMAs mammoth art space slated to open sometime next year), the idea was to give centrestage to lesser-known but significant modernists of India, and more obscure works from leading modernists. In Thapars view, its not enough to only talk about M.F. Husains horses, F.N. Souzas nudes, or S.H. Razas bindu series. We should talk about Husains Blue period and Razas White period when the artists were evolving in their own right," says the graphic designer, curator and art collector. Thapar Art Gallerys inaugural exhibition in February, Celebrating the Modernists of Indian Art, was a showcase some of the lesser-known works of the progressives along with other artists such as Sakti Burman, Ramkinkar Baij, Himmat Shah, G.R. Santosh, Bimal Das Gupta, Sadanand Bakre, Haku Shah, Abdul Aziz Raiba, B. Prabha, B. Vithal, Laxma Goud, Sankho Chaudhuri and Abdulrahim Appabhai Almelkar. While a majority of the paintings on display are owned by Thapar, many of them are on sale. Hes already working on the estates of two lesser-known Indian modernists, besides gearing up for forthcoming shows in his gallery. In Mumbais Fort area, Subcontinent is a new gallery space started in March by husband-wife duo Dhwani Gudka and Keshav Mahendru. Our vacations are all about visiting museums and looking at works of art," says Gudka, adding that the reason behind opening their own gallery space was to foster dialogue with South Asian art. The inaugural show last month, curated by Jesal Thacker, Ya Ghat Bheetar/Rediscovering Form, was a retrospective of Vadodara-based Haku Shah, who gave indigenous folk art a twist through his distinctive style of painting. Gudka and Mahendru are managing the artists estate, which is why many of Shahs previously unseen works were displayed in the gallery. Self-confessed art nerds", Gudka and Mahendru talk about paintings over meals, on their way to work, during their free time. For us," he adds, art is all-consuming. We wake up looking at art, we go to bed looking at art, we spend the whole day engaging with it in one way or another some of our closest friends are artists." A NEW APPROACH A majority of new art gallery owners say its the growing number of collectors thats fuelling the interest for spaces. A young collector who is just starting out can be looking for something entirely different than a more seasoned one," says Monica Jain, founder-director of Art Centrix Space, which was established in 2012 to focus on vernacular voices of mid-career contemporary Indian artists". While the newer galleries have a variety of exhibitions on artists, some older art galleries like Jains are moving into providing grants for artists to promote diverse painting methodologies in Indian art". Galleries are also going beyond just exhibitions. Art Centrix Space, for instance, recently held the screening of The Song for Eresha, an indie film by A.K. Srikanth set to release abroad later this year before releasing in India. Similarly, in Thapars gallery, a music concert by bansuri player Kartikeya Vashist and Arman Dehlvi on tabla and vocals was held to coincide with the opening of the Haku Shah exhibition. Jain is correct in her assessment that theres room for everyone, not just as a collector but also as a gallerist. In Delhis Defence Colony area, an art district of sorts is emerging with new galleries cropping up alongside some of the recognised ones such as Vadehra Art Gallery, Akar Prakar and Treasure Art Gallery, among others. Galleryske and Photoink, both with a presence in Delhi, collaborated to open earlier this year in Defence Colony. Five-year-old Method Art Gallery from Mumbai also expanded to Delhi earlier this year, enthused by the demand of collectors in the city. In Kolkata, Art Exposure, around since 2018, ventured into a bigger space last October. According to Somak Mitra, founder-director of Art Exposure: We wanted to build a world-class gallery to attract South Asian and international artists to put Kolkata on the global art map." The new space is a sprawling 7,000 sq. ft, two-floor building dedicated to contemporary and modern art. It is currently hosting the exhibition Indian Modern Art: Evolution of Narratives, featuring artists such Gaganendranath Tagore, Rabindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose and Jamini Roy. The exhibition is on till 15 June. Existing galleries such as Method, Galleryske and Photo Ink are in expansion mode. Rukshaan Art, promoted by Rukshaan Krishna, has been one of the foremost galleries to promote contemporary art since its opening in Vadodara in 2007. Krishna opened her new gallery space in Mumbais Ballard Estate in March. The gallery has been at the forefront of The Baroda March, an annual exhibition showcasing contemporary art from Vadodara city, which has been going on for 18 years. Besides hosting this annual exhibition, showcasing Vadodaras vibrant art scene, Rukshaan Art continues to hold art camps, residencies and other artist-led events. Though not a traditional art gallery, on Museum Day (18 May), Jaipurs Sabha Niwas, originally Diwan-e-Aam or public audience hall in The City Palace, reopened after more than a year of restoration work. It will double up as a museum-gallery for rare artefacts, including 19th century elephant seats, canopies used for royal events, thrones, and portraits by the 18th century master painter Sahibram. Its a niche and saturated market, and you have to be very distinctive to offer something new," says Sanya Malik, curator and director, Black Cube Gallery, which opened in February in Hauz Khas, Delhi. Black Cube was a nomadic" gallery, without a space of its own. Its inaugural show in March in the new permanent space was Vocabulary of Vision, which brought together 25 Indian artistsnine modern masters and 16 contemporary voicesto explore the evolving visual language of Indian art. Most collectors at Black Cube Gallery are first-timers. Its a reason why Malik, unlike many other art galleries, has kept a wide-ranging price point, starting around 3 lakh. She advises collectors that they can always start looking at prints of master artists or start investing in some of the younger, contemporary artists, the latter being a very fascinating market. Malik is happy that her art has finally found its home. Personally, I have this itch to bring out a strong curatorial context to present my art to people. Having a personal space allows so much more freedom." Abhilasha Ojha is a Delhi-based writer. Ayesha Kathuria, 19, is sizing up my very millennial" outfitoversized white shirt and printed black ankle-length skirt. Red-and-white crew socks would have made my outfit pop", as would have a light blue bodysuit, is her verdict. We are meeting in a fast-fashion store in a south Delhi mall. Kathuria pulls a pair of cropped trousers from a rack, and says, This lavender pink screams me. And this red top I follow trends but mould them My style is trends meets chaotic customisation." The college student is referring to the notion of following a trend but pushing personalisation to an extreme. Its self-expression at its best. Its so my thing." Kathuria is as serious about finding the next trend as she is about her engineering exam the following week. Her hunt for a style worth experimenting with begins with an Instagram scroll to see what influencers, celebrities and their stylists are wearing. She goes to a mall every three weeks to see how other people are dressed, to sift through the latest collections, and try on clothes for the touch-and-feel experience. Browsing Pinterest moodboards in between helps her make an informed decision. And then comes the act of shopping, on the phoneusing her architect mothers credit card. Real fun starts after that," Kathuria says, opening the Notes app on her iPhone. It has a list of theme-based outfits she will wear through the week. The day we met was Neon Monday: Kathuria wore a sleek bun to highlight her green eyeliner and kohl-lined brown eyes. Shed paired a crisp corset-like white shirt with bright yellow cargoes and light blue slip-ons. Hoop earrings and a one-string silver chain made her look fashionable while seeming like she didnt care about fashion at alljust the vibe she was going for. Tuesday: Daisies and lilies. Wednesday: Cool-girl workwear. Kathuria makes the list every Sunday evening, based on where she has to go the following week, who shes going to meet, and the vibe" she wishes to broadcast. The other, big reason (behind the list) is that I dont want to repeat an entire outfit. It might sound shallow but I dont want to be seen in the same outfit twicenot in real life, not on social media." She does repeat her clothes but styles each piece differently enough to make it look new each timelike turning a black tank top into an asymmetric one-shoulder blousebut this happens just once in five months. All this has led to four floor-to-ceiling wardrobes being filled with fast fashion in one yearsince she started college in 2024. Her monthly shopping bill touches 7,000-8,000. Its worth it, Kathuria believes. As a kid, I used to dress up my dolls on my moms phone. Now, I have fun dressing myself. Im dressing up also because I want to be seen. Im not an influencer, but when people compliment my fit, I feel like a trendsetter. It tells me that I stand out with what I wear, in a good way. Isnt that what we all want?" Over the course of two months, I had one question for people born between 1997-2012: What does Gen Z seek in fashion and why? I spoke to 40 individuals outside colleges, via social media DMs, in the Metro, while browsing at shopping malls, and at local markets. Why only Gen Z? With a population of over 300 million in India, they are now the largest generation ever to live in the country. And their fashion choices are not just shaping business and economy but our environment too as they consume more than generations before. The everyday question of what-to-wear has never had so many answers. For a second-year student in Ghaziabad, in Uttar Pradesh, fashion is an act of rebellion. Another student in Mumbai has to be obsessed" with a trend to follow it. A Bengaluru engineer spends his salary on it" clothes to ensure he doesnt get FOMO. Mood dressing defines the wardrobe of a Chennai bakery chef. A Guwahati fashion entrepreneur follows the style of Korean pop stars, while a Delhi accountant relies on the recommendations of her favourite content creator. Overall, these 40 people, aged 17-24, browsed fast-fashion apps every day and shopped at least once in two weeks using their own money or their parents. Fast fashions pull is understandable. Its low cost ensures even those with a limited budget can buy the latest trends. Its constant churn of styles assures shoppers they will always be spoilt for choice. As more brands attempt to make fast fashion faster, its convenience becomes clearer. More so for Gen Z, which wants to follow trends but are sure to add their own twist to help them build a style identity. No, they dont all aspire to be content creators; they simply like the applause and attention, as I found out in my interviews. And neither are they looking to emulate any specific celebrity or sportsperson. They find inspiration in a range of people, but put their own personality first. So strong is the desire to be different that repeating an outfit is considered a fashion faux pas. To be clear, there are many Gen Zers across the country who cant afford to follow a trend, even if they pay attention to it. The growing hunger for new looks among Indias Gen Z shoppers was highlighted in a 2024 report, E-Styling India: Decoding Indias Online Fashion and Lifestyle Shopping Trends, by consulting firm Bain and Co. and e-commerce firm Myntra. Their purchase frequency is eight to nine times a year, compared to the national average of five to six, the report observes. Elaborating on the finding, Nandita Sinha, chief executive officer of Myntra, told Mint in August: They want to have a new look every time they step out, and thats driving the frequency of purchase. They also make up almost 20-25% of the overall e-lifestyle category today." Another study, How India Shops Online 2025, published earlier this year by Bain & Co., this time in collaboration with online marketplace Flipkart (which also owns Myntra), says Gen Z makes for 40% of e-retail shoppers of fashion. Both reports conclude that Gen Z are trends-hungrynot surprising given that for them, figuring out an Outfit of the Day to match Vibe of the Day is all in a days work. What makes a Gen Z consumer different from, say, a millennial is that they are very trend out," says Kanika Sanghi, partner and director, Center for Customer Insight, at Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Shes a millennial. That means they will have a trend in mind and they will buy that trend without caring about the brand, unlike millennials who will buy from the same five-six brands and hesitate to experiment." For the sake of comparison, I asked 10 millennials (aged 29-41), the generation that came before, about their approach to fashion trends. Many were keen to know what styles were trending, but they werent that interested in following them. They werent so many trends when I was growing up. In school, the popular kids used to copy either Bollywood stars or each other," recalls a college professor, 41, in Pune. The concept of fast fashion entered our lives a little later." (Indian consumers got the taste of fast fashion with the entry of Zara in 2010.) Would they repeat an outfit? Hell yeah," says a software engineer in Hyderabad. If I like something, why will I not wear it again?" Trends-first buying is also fuelled by Gen Z discovering their own spending power. Every second Gen Z will be earning by the end of this year, according to The $2 Trillion Opportunity: How Gen Z is Shaping the New India by social media network Snap Inc. and BCG. Sanghi was one of the authors of this 2024 report. this generation wields a total spending power of $860 billion. (Of this), approximately $200 billion comes from direct spendingmoney they earn and spend themselveswhile $660 billion comes from influenced spending, which includes purchases influenced by their recommendations or preferences," says the report. By 2035, their direct spending is estimated to reach $1.8 trillion, implying that every second rupee of consumer spend in 2035, will be driven by Indias Gen Z. View Full Image Gen Z shops a lot more than any generation before. Gen Z's purchase frequency is eight to nine times a year, compared to the national average of five to six, according to a recent report. (iStock) Small wonder then, brands, fast and slow, have their eyes set on the Indian Gen Z consumer. While the likes of Christian Louboutin and Tods are launching India-focused collections to target the young, international fast fashion mega houses such as Shein and Savana are spreading their wings here. Homegrown brands are not far behind either. Tata-owned Zudio, which offers clothes as low as 99, for instance, is expanding its base to metros after mushrooming in tier-2 cities. Emerging brands like Myntras M-Now and NewMe are ensuring the market stays competitive, by offering trendy clothes at your doorstep in 30-90 minutes. A growing number of online-only clothing brands, meanwhile, are marketing themselves with one promise: If its trending, you will find it here". According to a 2024 report by Redseer Strategy Consultants, Indias fast fashion segment expanded 30-40% in 2023-24. The countrys $10 billion fast fashion segment will hit $50 billion by 2031, it adds. MORE IS IN What makes Gen Zs pull stronger is that their influence goes beyond their wardrobe," says Sanghi. During our research (for The $2 Trillion Opportunity report), we also spoke to parents of Gen Z to know who influences the most when it comes to the decision-making at home, whether its for buying clothes, electronics, or even opening bank accounts. Its Gen Z. Thats happening in metros as well as tier-1 and 2 cities. Parents believe Gen Zers are more informed because of the time they spend on the phone. They are becoming the in-house influencers, which gives them more (external) validation." Who doesnt like external validation? The thing is, Gen Zers desire it almost at every level. Sanghi offers an insight: Its common for them to video-call or share photos with their close friends while trying on new clothes in the trial room. They want to validate before and after they buy." Isnt this the case with millennials? Nope," says Sanghis. Im a millennial. We werent calling from trial rooms. Thats besides the fact that mobile connections werent that great then, but the most we did was show clothes to our parents and a close friend after buying them." Every generation has revelled in trendswhether it was the hippie culture of the 1970s or the cyber-inspired elements of Y2K. But never before have trends appeared only to disappear in a week. Fast fashion introduces over 50 trends in a year compared to the three traditional cyclesspring/summer, fall/winter, and a holiday collection. Nor have new clothes dropped" every 7-10 days in store and on shopping apps. Like, swipe, buy, wearfast-fashion brands are trying every trick in the book to ensure the distance between you and the next hot piece of clothing shrinks by the hour. The likes of Savana and NewMe, for instance, drop new collections every week. Cherry App, a Myntra-style marketplace, on the other hand, only allows people with over 1,000-plus Instagram followers to shop on their platform. If you tag Cherry and the clothing brand youve bought, you get a cashback. For the brands, its free, authentic" marketing. Its a win-win. WHEN QUANTITY MATTERS Cocktail dresses for 300, 150 kurtas and 99 T-shirts might not deliver on quality but they do on trendsomething Indore-based Ishika Sharma, 22, is glad about. I am more of a quantity person than quality," says Sharma, who has three full-size wardrobes dedicated to 200-plus summer outfits. Shes completing an MBA degree online. I will invest 1,500 in jeans since you get more wear out of it. But with tops and dresses, I like having more options. So then I do the girl math." Thats internet-speak for buying more at lower prices. View Full Image Fast fashion may not deliver on quality, but it's cheap and ecommerce platforms often deliver trendy clothes in a day or less. 'I am more of a quantity person than quality,' says Ishika Sharma, 22, who lives in Indore, and buys new clothes every two weeks. In the past four years, since she started earning money by teaching Kathak and doing wedding choreography, Sharma has become more mindful about her spending. She shops once in two weeks, spending about 4,000-5,000 each time on clothes from brands like Westside, H&M, NewMe, or any other new website she discovers while scrolling her social media feed. When her parents were paying the bill, shopping was a weekly exercise. Also read: Why fashion loves influencers She doesnt mind breaking the two-week rule for special occasions, though. Like the other day when Sharma was packing for a quick Delhi trip, she realised she didnt have anything quite fun. So, she bought a frayed denim top for 600. People dont say it out loud but you can feel they are thinking she doesnt have new clothes (if I repeat clothes)," she explains. I wanted to wear this one dress for my birthday but I couldnt because I had posted it a few weeks before in my (Instagram) Stories. So I ordered four new ones because I had to post something on my birthday." INSTANT VIBES Sumit Jasoria calls Gen Z Generation Instant". He is one of the four co-founders of NewMe, a three-year-old Gen Z-focused Bengaluru-based startup that offers new styles on its app and retail stores every week. Their clothes are produced in India as well as China. They want everything instantly. Instant trends, instant clothes, instant mileage, instant likes. Fashion has become instant as well. Open the phone, and there are always trending trends." Hes not exaggerating. Want to take part in a collective moment"? Add a labubu or any other similar small stuffed toy to your bag or belt. Feel like channelling the 1990s since you didnt experience it the first time? Buy some butterfly jewellery that your favourite influencer wore the other day. Fancy looking rich? Go for neutral shades. NewMe, like most fast-fashion brands, wants to cash in on the relentless cycle of trends. Its online trial stores are carefully designed with a beautiful, well-lit backgrounds. The trick is to ensure that when a Gen Zer video-calls or shares a Snap with their friends for outfit approval, they get convinced easily. Low prices (the most expensive stuff on their platform is about 2,500) are the other obvious pull, plus marketing via content creators or through shout-outs by customers. Also read: That viscose shirt is harming the planet They deliver clothes in Delhi and Bengaluru in about 30 minutes, relying on a network of dark stores and zonal hubs. But its not just delivery time theyre cutting. They hope to shorten the production time from creating the design to production even furtherfrom two months to two days. Jasoria is certain thats possible with artificial intelligence (AI). Weve studied the fantastic models of Shein, Zara, H&M; our learnings have come from how they operate. But my question is when we are making clothes for such big international companies here in India, why cant a company as big as Shein or bigger emerge from our own countryclothes made in India by an Indian company and sold across the world? Thats what we are working towards." Arrsh Rehani, 19, doesnt care whether his clothes are made in India, Cambodia, China, Vietnam, Pakistan or Morocco. They just need to be trendy and fit his 6ft 1 inch frame. His experimentation is rather limited compared to the rest of the people I spoke with for this story. View Full Image Australia-based Arrsh Rehani, 19, who rarely posts photos on social media, uses Instagram to get style inspiration I just got a (Ralph Lauren) Polo sweater with an embroidered teddy bear since a lot of my friends were talking about toycore (an aesthetic around toys, especially stuffed animals and mini-figures; the viral labubus are part of this) but thats the most experiment I will do," says Rehani, who recently moved to Australia from Noida for further studies. Hes more interested in experimenting with footwearhe has over 20 pairs. So much so that he keeps searching for limited-edition Nikes, special collab adidas Sambas and latest Balenciagas on social media apps and resale websites. Most of my stuff comes from the brands I see on Instagram," says Rehani, who rarely posts photos on social media. I think I use it more as a place to get style ideas from." View Full Image Social media shapes a much of Gen Z's style. 'You have to keep up with trends otherwise youll get FOMO,' says Umar Shaikh, 19, who follows content creators like Wisdm and actor Shah Rukh Khan for style inspiration. So does Umar Shaikh, 19, who follows content creators like Wisdm and actor Shah Rukh Khan for style inspiration. Often when Shaikh and his friends at a Mumbai college meet, the first thing they discuss is whether their outfit looks like they have put in effort. We all exchange notes," says Shaikh, who describes his style as trendy streetwearthink baggy jeans, oversized hoodies, logo T-shirts. He sometimes borrows his elder sister Zees clothes; the siblings are fans of the unisex style. You have to keep up with trends otherwise youll get FOMO. Everybody wants to be different and also fit in; it doesnt matter whether you are posting on social media or not." THE GREAT PARADOX Various studies attest that Gen Z is more concerned about climate change, excessive consumption and over capitalism. But for every Licypriya Kangujam and Greta Thunberg, there are thousands chasing trends by stuffing their wardrobes with fast fashion. Studies show fast fashion is responsible for 10% of global CO2 emissionsmore than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. View Full Image Gen Z is concerned about climate change, excessive consumption and over capitalism, but for Licypriya Kangujam and Greta Thunberg, there are thousands stuffing their wardrobes with fast fashion. 'I care about the environment... but if my polyester top comes within my budget and I like it, I will buy it,' says Esha Gambhir, 20, from Ghaziabad. Esha Gambhir, a 20-year-old philosophy student in Ghaziabad, doesnt care as much about the pollution as she does about whether the clothes will complement her. I care about the environment but it is the last thing on my list," she says. I dont have the money to buy a linen top, which I think is also not very environment-friendly (shes not wrong). If my polyester top comes within my budget and I like it, I will buy it." Zee, Shaikhs sister, on the other hand, would like to care more about the environment, but she also wants to look cool". View Full Image Zee Shaikh says she would like to care more about the environment, but she also wants to look cool. Gen Z is aware of the impact of fast fashion and that it is responsible for 10% of global CO2 emissions but they don't think their consumption patterns contribute to it.. Shaikh doesnt believe his fast-fashion shopping habit is big enough to hurt the environment. Rehani, on the other hand, has heard of how wasteful fast fashion is but he doesnt buy into the idea. That whole notion that Gen Z is much more mindful in terms of consumption is a lot of talk," clarifies Sanghi. If you talk to them, they will say, of course, we care about the environment, but they dont follow it in practice." Kathuria, too, would like to reduce her consumption, but not for now. Maybe once I am older? I dont think the trend-chasing will ever stop. My Gen Z is still a little aware of what fast fashion is doing to our planet. Imagine what will happen when the next lot (Gen Alpha) will start shopping? If we are trends-obsessed, they will be trend freaks." RBI MPC: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Friday said that the central bank is concerned about cryptocurrencies as they can hamper the country's financial stability. Speaking to reporters after announcing the RBI MPC decisions, Sanjay Malhotra touched upon cryptocurrencies. He was asked about them in light of the Supreme Court's observation on cryptocurrency last month. Malhotra said that there has been no new development on cryptocurrencies. There is no new development as far as crypto is concerned. A committee of the government is looking after this. However, he said that the RBI is concerned about cryptocurrencies. Of course, as you are aware, we are concerned about crypto because that can hamper financial stability and monetary policy, Malhotra said. Supreme Court's observation on cryptocurrency The Supreme Court, in an observation on 19 May, asked the Centre why it is not making a clear-cut policy on cryptocurrency. Why does Centre not come out with a clear-cut policy on regulating cryptocurrency, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh asked. The remarks from the Supreme Court came when it was hearing a bail plea of an accused who was held for illegal Bitcoin trade in Gujarat. The accused, Shailesh Babulal Bhatt, had moved the top court for bail. The SC termed Bitcoin trade as an illicit trade, more or less like "hawala" business. On 5 May, the top court said trading in Bitcoin in India was like "dealing with a refined way of Hawala business" as it lamented the Centre's inability to come up with a clear regime on regulating virtual currency so far. Is cryptocurrency legal in India? India is currently working on a discussion paper on cryptocurrencies, and an interministerial group (IMG), comprising officials from the RBI, Sebi, and the finance ministry, is investigating global norms. Also Read | 5 Crypto Exchanges in India with Security Standards In the absence of any regulation, cryptocurrency is not yet illegal in India. The discussion paper will give the stakeholders an opportunity to give their views before India decides on its policy stance on cryptocurrencies. Also Read | RBI to soon issue easier gold loan rules for small-ticket borrowers In 2022, the government announced a flat 30 per cent tax on gains arising from cryptocurrencies. Taxing income from cryptocurrencies does not necessarily and explicitly legalise cryptocurrencies. Lets face facts. Mani Ratnams vision on film is stunning. Sreekar Prasads editing is seamless and incomparable. And Kamal Haasan might be happy to incite controversy with the film, but hes still got those acting chops. Alas, AR Rahman is the only one who does not seem to fit - the background music is so odd it is annoying at times, and the songs are forgettable (despite Sanya Malhotras pointless song appearance). The film opens where Rangaraya Sakthivel is telling us how he has survived many encounters with death. The black and white telling of his backstory and a young Kamal Haasan is unmissable. Here is where betrayal begins. Here is also where Sakthivel saves a little kid, who in turn saves the gangster. The boy Amar grows up to be Sakthivels shadow and is given the responsibility of managing the business when Sakthivel goes to jail. This annoys his older brother Mannikkam (the brilliant Nasser) but not for long. Amar and Manikkam join hands with the Sakthivels rival Sadanand who wants to look like hes cleaned up because hes going into politics. Too convoluted? Stay with me! Sakthivel comes out of jail and goes straight to Indrani (Trisha Krishnan, still gorgeous), his mistress. His wife Jeeva (Abhirami, wow!) is understandably upset but Sakthivel has a way with the ladies Alas, when he tries to get to Kailas to fulfill a vow Jeeva has made, Amar and Manikkam take this opportunity to shoot him and push him off a cliff. Of course he is saved by Buddhist monks who teach him martial arts skills. But by the time Sakthivel comes back home, those who have betrayed him are thriving and those who loved him (Jeeva and Indrani) have lost the plot (dont ask!). After Sakthivel takes his revenge on each of the five who betrayed him, plus a whole bunch of goons who are there only to lose limbs and die violently, we see him still alive What money lessons can this 165 minute long telling of a gangsters never say die attitude teach you, intrepid investors? Longevity of Sakthivel is like longevity in investments Rival Sadanand (Mahesh Manjrekar who simply zombie-walks through this role) tries to kill Sakthivel, he fails. Sadanands nephew (Ali Fazal, totally wasted in this role) sends a couple of SUVs to kill Sakthivel, but they fail. Saktivels brother Manikkam, his son Amar, His associates (the one and only Joju George), shoot him and push him off a snowy cliff, he survives. You marvel at Ravi K. Chandrans awesome cinematography, but begin to see Warren Buffetts investment tips. Warren Buffetts ability to survive in the market is legendary, as are the men who made this movie. Buffet advises: Invest only in what you understand Kamal Haasans soliloquy about hes like the yakuza doesnt wash with the audience, because we have watched international shows about gang wars, and nothing that comes before or after in the movie refer to anything Japanese Educate yourself about everything into which your hard earned money is going. Even if investing in a company that manufactures diamonds seems shiny, if you know nothing about how that business works, you should turn to what you understand. Buffet says, Our holding period is forever Through thick and thin, Sakthivel remembers the promise he made to his adopted son - that he will find his missing sister. But by the time we see this promise being fulfilled, and the lovely Aishwarya Lakshmi displays her acting chops, we have been exhausted by the interminable story. But you must take inspiration from Warren Buffett whose investing philosophy of long term view has increased his wealth from a hundred million dollars to over 166 billion! Buffet bats for great managers Sakthivel hands over the reins of his business to his adopted son instead of his older brother Manikkam. His reasoning is logical, Youve just lost a daughter and are mourning. Amar is capable of handling the day to day operations because I will still wield power even from jail. If your money manager knows what you want, is able to invest in stocks you understand thoroughly, then your chances at being successful are a given. Your goals should be your managers goals, and only then will you be happy and rich. Buffet does not follow the crowd Sakthivel knows this principle. Just because his rival Sadanand is getting into politics which promises lots of money, he tells Amar to stay away from it all. We should not join hands with Sadanand even if he promises you his territories which will bring us more money, We need to expand business in ways we understand. In your investment life too, dont go chasing after stocks everyone is buying simply because they look like the current in thing in which to invest. Hold on to your blue chip stocks that have been giving you credible returns. Nobody is saying shiny objects always turn out to be junk, but if you follow the crowd, your returns may not be as many as you might expect or perhaps not be what they promised in the shiny, expensive brochure Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) provides for a lucrative Smart Pension Plan to provide investors with an efficient tool to plan and invest for their retirement. This is a non participation, individual, non linked and group immediate annuity plan. This has been designed to facilitate efficient retirement planning for investors, this scheme provides a choice of annuity options thus catering to both members of group superannuation schemes and individuals as well. Here are five must know facts you should know before you consider investing: 1. Basic eligibility and entry criteria According to LICs official documentation, the minimum entry age is 18 years. The maximum age varies from 65 to 100 years, primarily depending on the annuity option selected by the applicant. Furthermore, the minimum purchase price is 1,00,000. The plan is available for individual applicants including National Pension System (NPS) subscribers and Divyangjan (dependents with disabilities). Note: The basic eligibility criteria discussed above is illustrative in nature. Refer to the official website of LIC for the update eligibility criteria, terms and conditions. 2. Annuity options offered The Smart Pension Plan offers for several different annuity options: Annuity type Key features Lifetime Annuity (Single/ Joint Life) Annuity continues for life; in joint life, 100% payable to survivor Annuity certain with life Fixed annuity for 5, 10, 15, or 20 years, then for life Increasing annuity Annuity increases at a simple rate of 3% or 6% per annum Return of Purchase Price Purchase price returned after death or a specified period It is important to acknowledge the fact that annuity payouts can be monthly, quarterly, half yearly or annual. Note: The key features discussed above are illustrative in nature. For the updated features, terms and conditions refer to the website of LIC. 3. Purchase incentives All policyholders who invest higher amounts in the plan, receive enhanced and boosted annuity rates. Further, nominees of deceased LIC policyholders are also eligible for better terms. These increased annuity rates act as a financial incentive for individuals planning for a prudent and stable post retirement income stream. Furthermore, nominees or beneficiaries of deceased LIC policyholders are also eligible for favourable terms and added benefits, depending on the policy conditions and the selected annuity option. These features make the plan not only lucrative for individual investors but also considerate of their respective familys financial security. 4. Loan and liquidity options To assist in financial flexibility, LIC permits policyholders to avail of loans after three months from the policy commencement date or after the end of the free look period whichever comes later. This allows individuals to avail and access funds during sudden emergencies or difficult or unforeseen circumstances. That too without terminating the policy. Furthermore, partial surrender of the policy is also permitted under critical, unforeseen circumstances including serious illness or life altering events. This particular feature ensures that the investors are not locked into their annuity completely and can avail liquidity when genuinely required. 5. Additional benefits Death benefit flexibility: Nominees can opt for lump sum payout, instalments or even annuitised benefits. Nominees can opt for lump sum payout, instalments or even annuitised benefits. Joint life annuity: Upon first death, 100% annuity continues for the remaining survivor. Upon first death, 100% annuity continues for the remaining survivor. Payout customisation: Carefully select the frequency and payout mode as per requirement and your future financial goals. How to buy a LIC Smart Pension Plan? Through the online mode: Visit the official website of LIC to apply directly. Through the offline mode: You can purchase the plan through LIC agents, designated representatives, or local CSC centres across the country. Documentation needed: You must keep your Aadhaar card, PAN card, address proof, age proof along with recent photographs and bank details ready to meet any required eligibility requirements. Select options: Choose your preferred annuity type and payout frequency. The payout frequency can be either monthly, quarterly, half yearly or annually depending on the applicant's choice. Discuss with experts: You can also consult an LIC agent or refer to the official web link of the plan for detailed plan features and benefits before opting for it. Hence, with a growing elderly population, rising cost of living, lack of efficient planning etc., structured pension products such as LICs Smart Pension Plan aim to provide financial independence to retirees. RBI repo rate cut: In a surprise move, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a 50 BPS repo rate cut to 5.50 per cent on Friday. The RBI Governor, Sanjay Malhotra, declared the higher-than-expected repo rate cut after the end of three days of the RBI MPC meeting. According to tax and investment experts, this will impact fresh home loan borrowers and bank fixed deposit (FD) account holders. They said that the RBI's repo rate cut decision is expected to bring relief for fresh home loan borrowers as their monthly EMI is expected to come down if banks pass on this relief to their customers. They said that the monthly home loan EMI calculator may show around 2,000 lower if a borrower has taken 50 lakh for 20 years. On the impact on bank FD investors, experts said that bank FD returns may yield lower after the RBI's repo rate move across tenors. Impact on monthly home loan EMI On how this RBI repo rate cut would impact one's monthly home loan EMI, Annuj Goel, Managing Director at Goel Ganga Developments, said, "While the RBI's 50 bps repo rate cut has been audacious and visually bold in terms of allowing savings for its lenders, the repo rate N/O is at 5.5%, so home loan borrowers can save from the increase. This is how the product works: if you had a 50 lakh loan for 20 years, you could save somewhere in the neighbourhood 1,960 off the monthly EMI or just under 4.7 lakh over the life of the loan." On how much relief a home loan borrower would get if it has taken 30 lakh for 20 years, Aman Gupta, Director of RPS Group, said, "Home loan borrowers with a 30 lakh loan of 20 years will see a decrease in their EMI of about 1,176 per month, and the best part is borrowers then have the choice they can either reduce their EMIs or as being discussed herein, retain their current EMI repayments to reduce the length of tenure and hence earn a greater interest saving." On the cumulative benefit that a fresh home loan borrower would be getting after the RBI's repo rate cut in 2025, Pankaj Mathpal, MD & CEO at Optima Money Managers, said, The RBI has cut repo rate by 25 bps in February and April also. So 2025, the RBI has curtailed the repo rate by 100 bps (25 + 25 + 50) in 2025, which means those who have delayed their home-buying decisions in recent quarters have a great opportunity to buy their dream home as they would be getting around 3,800 to 4,000 p0epr month relief in their EMI on a home loan of 50 lakh for 20 years. Impact on bank FD returns On how this repo rate cut move would impact bank FD rates, Pankaj Mathpal of Optima Money Managers said, The repo rate cut is going to affect FD rates negatively as banks would cut FD rates across tenors once they pass on this repo rate cut decision to their customers. So, senior citizens and other bank FD investors are advised to book a bank FD account now, as a change in bank FD rates doesn't impact old bank FD accounts. If they fail to take this opportunity, they can look at time deposits in the post office small savings schemes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he will be attending the G7 Summit later this month in Canada. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his pleasure after receiving a call from Canadian Prime Minister Mark J Carney, congratulating him on his recent election victory. During the conversation, Modi also thanked Carney for extending an invitation to attend the upcoming G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister @MarkJCarney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month, Modi wrote on X. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests. Look forward to our meeting at the Summit, he added. Highlighting the strong ties between the two nations, Modi described India and Canada as vibrant democracies connected through deep people-to-people relationships. He emphasised that both countries are committed to working together with renewed vigour, driven by mutual respect and shared interests. Modi concluded by expressing his eagerness to meet Prime Minister Carney and other world leaders at the Summit, signalling a continued focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation and global collaboration. The 2025 G7 Leaders' Summit will be held in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, from June 15 to 17. Speculations: Earlier, there were speculations that Canada may not send an invitation to Prime Minister Modi, considering the strained relationship with India. Also, there was no certainty if PM Modi would accept the offer and may not attend the G7 summit. According to a report by PTI, the PM would have skipped the summit even if he had got the invite, since such visit "would have required a lot of groundwork considering the current state of ties between the two sides". Meanwhile, the invitation to PM Modi by the Canadian PM is now being seen as a big step in improving the relationship between the two countries as well as a snub to Khalistani elements in Canada. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta received a death threat through a phone call made to the Ghaziabad PCR at around 11 PM last night, Thursday 5 June, according to India Today report. The Ghaziabad DCP City confirmed that the call was indeed received, but the callers phone was switched off shortly afterwards. Following the incident, Ghaziabad Police have informed the Delhi Police and are actively investigating to determine the identity and location of the caller. Efforts are ongoing to trace the source of the threat and ensure the Chief Ministers safety. Also Read | SC allows Delhi govt to withdraw 7 petitions against LG by AAP govt "North West District Police received this information from Ghaziabad Police late at night. Currently, Ghaziabad and Delhi Police are searching for the accused," Delhi Police said. The recent threat call to the Chief Minister comes only a few days after threat emails to blow up two government buildings in central Delhi Udyog Bhawan and Nirman Bhawan were received. Rekha Gupta may move into govt bungalow in Civil Lines Rekha Gupta may move into a government bungalow in north Delhi's Civil Lines, over 100 days after she assumed charge, officials said on Thursday. Also Read | IndiGo flight from Ahmedabad to Patna receives bomb threat, passengers evacuated A senior government official said that an allotment letter has been issued and the public works department (PWD) has started repair and renovation work at the property. "We are carrying out some repair and renovation work, after which the chief minister will move in. The allotment letter has been issued," he told PTI. Meanwhile, the PWD which allots bungalows to ministers and Delhi government's employees, has floated a tender to construct a camp office. The estimated cost of the upgradation is 47 lakh and the work is likely to be completed in 60 days, the official added. Also Read | Bomb threat email puts Udyog Bhawan in Delhi on alert Meanwhile, on June 5, CM Gupta announced the addition of 280 electric buses to Delhi's public transport fleet as part of the government's upcoming electric vehicle (EV) policy. Donald Trump's administration asked the US Supreme Court on Friday to permit it to proceed with dismantling the Department of Education, a move that would leave school policy in the United States almost entirely in the hands of states and local boards. The Justice Department asked the court to halt Boston-based U.S. District Judge Myong Joun's May 22 ruling that ordered the administration reinstate employees terminated in a mass layoff and end further actions to shutter the department. The department, created by a U.S. law passed by Congress in 1979, oversees about 100,000 public and 34,000 private schools in the United States, though more than 85% of public school funding comes from state and local governments. It provides federal grants for needy schools and programs, including money to pay teachers of children with special needs, fund arts programs and replace outdated infrastructure. It also oversees the $1.6 trillion in student loans held by tens of millions of Americans who cannot afford to pay for college outright. Also Read | This X post by Musk marked the point of no return for his bromance with Trump Trump's move to dismantle the department is part of the Republican president's campaign to downsize and reshape the federal government. Closing the department long has been a goal of many U.S. conservatives. Attorneys general from 20 states and the District of Columbia, as well as school districts and unions representing teachers, sued to block the Trump administration's efforts to gut the department. The states argued that the massive job cuts will render the agency unable to perform core functions authorized by statute, including in the civil rights arena, effectively usurping Congress's authority in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Trump on March 20 signed an executive order intended to effectively shut down the department, making good on a longstanding campaign promise to conservatives to move education policy almost completely to states and local boards. At a White House ceremony surrounded by children and educators, Trump called the order a first step "to eliminate" the department. Also Read | Harsh Goenka's hilarious contribution to Elon Musk vs Trump memefest Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced plans on March 11 to carry out a mass termination of employees. Those layoffs would leave the department with 2,183 workers, down from 4,133 when Trump took office in January. The department said in a press release those terminations were part of its "final mission." Trump on March 21 announced plans to transfer the department's student loan portfolio to the Small Business Administration and its special education, nutrition and related services to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which also is facing deep job cuts. Joun in his ruling ordered the administration to reinstate the laid off workers and halt implementation of Trump's directive to transfer student loans and special needs programs to other federal agencies. The judge rejected the argument put forth by Justice Department lawyers that the mass terminations were aimed at making the department more efficient while fulfilling its mission. In fact, Joun ruled, the job cuts were an effort to shut down the department without the necessary approval of Congress. "This court cannot be asked to cover its eyes while the department's employees are continuously fired and units are transferred out until the department becomes a shell of itself," the judge wrote. White House spokesperson Harrison Fields called the judge's ruling "misguided." With Eid-ul-Adha just a day away, it's time to look at Delhi Government's advisory for the festival. The authorities issued guidelines on June 5 for Bakra-Eid festival on June 7. The Government of national capital has mandated that all sacrificial rituals for Bakra-Eid must take place exclusively at designated locations. Prohibiting sacrifices on roadsides, streets, or any public spaces, the advisory requires states, As per Rule 3 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2001, no person shall slaughter any animal within a municipal area except in a slaughter house recognized or licensed by the concerned authority. To uphold animal welfare during Bakra-Eid, it emphasises compliance to "Food safety and standards (Food products standards and food additives) Regulations, 2011" according to which camels cannot be slaughtered for food purpose. Besides this, it mentions that the Delhi Agricultural Cattle Preservation Act, 1994 strictly prohibits slaughtering of cows in Delhi. The Delhi Government issued advisory outlining strict guidelines for Bakra Eid. Stop illegal killing of animals All concerned authorities are requested to take suitable precautionary measures for enforcing laws relating to welfare of animals to stop illegal killing of animals during Bakra-eid festival and to take stringent action against the offenders violating, the advisory issued by DAWB Member Secretary Dr Satyavir Singh states. Emphasising the government's commitment to regulate illegal slaughter of animals, Minister of Development Kapil Mishra in a post on X in Hindi stated, "Sacrifice of cows and camels is not permitted, it will be considered a crime. Sacrifice of any animal anywhere other than pre-designated slaughterhouses is illegal. Sacrifice is not permitted in public places." RPG Enterprises chairman Harsh Goenka on Friday joined the bandwagon on Friday as memes of Elon Musk and Donald Trump's very public feud took over the social media. Tesla CEO Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump on Thursday locked horns publicly for the very first time over the Republican leader's One Big Beautiful Bill. The spat resulted in a memefest, with users coming up with creative takes on the matter, and Harsh Goenka also joined them. Goenka had a hilarious take on the Elon Musk vs Trump issue. Trump is now Elon's X, he wrote in a play with words. Harsh Goenka shared a hilarious meme on Musk vs Trump Elon Musk vs Trump memes Internet users had a field day on Friday as Elon Musk and Donald Trump made their conflict public. New York Post had a fun take on the spat, similar to Goenka's. Here's what their front page looked like today: Modi ji should announce a ceasefire between Musk & Trump, a user said, referring to the US President's announcement of India and Pakistan coming to an understanding during their conflict even before the countries did it themselves. Also Read | Trump and Musk to chat privately amid their escalating feud Zelensky demands ceasefire between Trump and Elon, one user added. It's great that Musk Vs Trump is free-to-air and not pay-per-view, so we can all enjoy it. #MuskVsTrump, another user said. A third user posted a picture of a burning Tesla in front of Trump Plaza. Elon Musk and Donald Trump lock horns Days after their Oval Office meeting, Musk escalated his previously restrained criticism of Trump's big, beautiful bill", the president's top congressional priority. He continued to make jibes at the budget bill that the President is endorsing, the peak of which was reached on Thursday. He kept sharing old tweets of Trump with contradictory views from now, which finally prompted the Republican leader to speak out. Also Read | How escalating spat with Trump pose regulatory threat for Musk businesses Elon and I had a great relationship. I dont know if we will anymore, Trump said at the Oval Office on Friday, admitting he was very disappointed in the Tesla CEO. The war of words escalated rapidly from there. It all played out on their respective social media platforms, with Musk posting on X and Trump on Truth Social. Musk dismissed Trump's criticism. Whatever, he wrote. He also claimed that Trump would not have won the election without him. Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," Musk posted, a reference to Musk's record political spending last year, which topped $250 million. Such ingratitude, he added. Trump claimed that Musk was mad that Trump was changing electric vehicle policies in ways that would financially harm Musk-led Tesla. Things did not settle down as Elon Musk went a notch higher. Time to drop the really big bomb: Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! Musk said. When an X user suggested Trump be impeached and replaced by Vice President JD Vance, Musk agreed. Yes, he wrote. Less than a month after he assumed office, Chief Justice of India (CJI), Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, has taken the lid off one of judiciarys sacred holy cows. Judges, he said, taking up government appointments immediately after retirement or resigning to contest elections raises significant ethical concerns and invites public scrutiny. Coming from the highest-ranking judicial officer in the country, the words have acquired a new meaning. Making clear he has decided not to accept any post-retirement role or position from the government, Gavai said that a judge contesting an election for a political office can lead to doubts regarding the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, as it may be seen as a conflict of interest or as an attempt to gain favour with the government. Also Read | CJI Gavai flags concerns over judges entering politics post-retirement This candid admission, and one that set the cat among the judicial pigeons, came at a roundtable on June 3 at the UK Supreme Court, hosted by Lord Reed of Allermuir, President of the UK Supreme Court. The CJI said that the timing and nature of such post-retirement engagements could undermine the publics trust in the judiciarys integrity, as it could create a perception that judicial decisions were influenced by the prospect of future government appointments or political involvement. Admitting that there have been instances of corruption and misconduct that have surfaced even within the judiciary, CJI Gavai hailed the move to make the assets of Supreme Court judges public. Also Read | Meet the 3 new Supreme Court judges who took oath of office today The apex Court has recently initiated a probe into allegations against a Delhi High Court judge after a significant amount of cash was recovered from his official residence following a fire incident. Judge Yashwant Varma has been transferred back to Allahabad High Court. The CJIs sentiment has been noted by many, including veteran public interest lawyers like Prashant Bhushan: "There is no doubt that the CJIs is a big admission. Post-retirement jobs have seriously compromised judicial independence. Judges need to keep post-retirement job offers by the government at an arms length, Bhushan told this reporter. To be sure, there is no provision in law that bars judges from taking up post-retirement assignments, and neither is there a cooling-off period unlike in the case of superannuating bureaucrats. However, critics see immediate post-retirement appointments as a potential conflict of interest, pointing out that they create questions about judgments issued by judges while in service. Ranjan Gogoi became an MP This subject, never too below the surface, exploded in the open in mid-2019, when Ranjan Gogoi, the forty-sixth Chief Justice of India became a member of Parliament. The Narendra Modi government invited him to the 250-member Rajya Sabha or the upper house. Appointed for their knowledge of or experience in literature, science, art, and social service, nominated MPs are often described as political cronies. On 24 March 2020, livid opposition benches walked off crying Shame! Shame! just as the former CJI began reciting his oath of office. Also Read | Ranjan Gogoi takes oath as MP in Rajya Sabha Later, Gogoi put up a stout defence. His judgments, he told journalists, involved other judges. Because two or more judges congregate to hear cases in the Supreme Court, he could hardly be the only guilty one. If he was corrupt, then so were the judges who shared benches and decisions with him! For good measure, he let it be known that his emoluments as a MP were hardly on par with what he received as CJI. As a judge, Gogoi had presided over benches that handled many sensitive cases, including the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute and the review petitions filed to seek an investigation into Indias purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France. Another former CJI, P. Sathasivam, was appointed Governor of Kerala four months after he retired in 2014. These are not isolated cases. According to an investigation published by the Print in 2021, of the 103 Supreme Court judges who retired since 1999, at least 73 or a total of 71 percent - took up some sort of assignment after demitting office. These included appointments to tribunals, human rights commissions, government-appointed ad hoc commissions, water tribunals, and as lokayuktas or state-level anti-corruption officials. Add to these, appointments to bodies such as the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (NCDRC) and the Law Commission are pretty much the norm. Which makes the subject problematic. Prashant Bhushan agrees that most if not all - such appointments involve the government, making it a Hobsons Choice at all times. Says former Supreme Court judge, Jasti Chelameswar: At the philosophical level, the CJI is right, but the fact is that many members of the judiciary are corrupt and everyone knows it. The rot runs deep, so who will follow what the CJI said? He told this reporter: `" lot depends upon the conduct of the man in office. I, for instance, declared that I will not accept an office post-retirement. But it is equally true that judges have prostrated themselves at the feet of politicians, first with the Congress and now with the BJP. Two kinds of judges Chelameswar quotes the late Arun Jaitley, former Law Minister, and his scathing assessment of judges. "There are two kinds of judges - those who know the law and those who know the Law Minister," the BJP leader had said in 2012, adding that ``pre-retirement judgements are influenced by post-retirement jobs." This was, of course, when the BJP was out of power. Noted human rights advocate, Colin Gonsalves, welcomes the CJIs comments. ` "This is an excellent idea. The appointments should not be done by governments in the first place. If the executive appoints you and makes the financial allocation, then where is the independence for the judiciary? Instead, India needs to utilise its vast talent pool of specialists and domain knowledge experts, who have no say in the matter so far. Sure, the judges know law but what do they know about human rights to head the NHRC, about water tribunals, to become their heads, or about social sciences? In his estimate, no seismic shift in law is needed. ``Just minor tweaks in the existing statute books will do, he said in reply to a question as to who will head the plethora of bodies and government committees and institutions if judges decline to take up such appointments. Such post-retirement appointments have a hoary tradition. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated the practice of inviting judges to this banquet. In 1952, he appointed Sir Saiyid Fazl Ali, one of Indias original Supreme Court justices, as the governor of Orissa. Sir Saiyid was still a judge when Nehru announced his decision, and critics were not amused. Also Read | Justice V Ramasubramaniam appointed as National Human Rights Commission chief But Indias first prime minister persisted, feting Sir Saiyid and others with a bevy of post-retirement jobs. He made them governors and ambassadors, placed them in university administrations and tasked them with running advisory and investigative commissions. And these stalwarts obliged. Sir Saiyid reorganised states into linguistic units; MC Mahajan settled boundary disputes among states; SR Das probed ministerial malfeasance; SK Das examined bureaucratic bungling; Vivian Bose investigated corporate corruption while Venkatarama Aiyer recommended tender policy. A judge contesting an election for a political office can lead to doubts regarding the independence and impartiality of the judiciary. Clearly, that trend has now touched new heights or lows. Wrote UK-based legal scholar, Shubhankar Dam in a paper: ``This system of jobs for retired judges cycles like an economy of influence one that has damaged the courts ability to achieve its obligatory purpose. Hours after Nikhil Sosale, the marketing and revenue head of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), approached the Karnataka High Court challenging his arrest, Aarin Capital Chairman Mohandas Pai came in support of him, reported NDTV. The former Infosys chief financial officer referred to the first information report (FIR) and action against RCB without an in-depth inquiry as "Kangaroo FIR" and a 'premature' move by the Karnataka administration. Also Read | Senior IPS officer Seemanth Kumar Singh posted as Bengaluru Police Commissioner Slamming the arrests made in the Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede case, where 11 people were killed and more than 50 injured on Wednesday, Pai said, as quoted by NDTV, "The arrest is premature and wrong. Arresting all these people sends the wrong message. What has the marketing manager of RCB done, except be in RCB?" "We have to be reasonable. All of us are devastated. If the inquiry says the RCB is at fault, then file the FIR. This is a Kangaroo FIR," he added. Sosale was arrested at the Kempegowda International Airport and taken into custody by the police on June 6 after the Cubbon Park Police Station registered an FIR against Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL), the franchise owner of RCB, and its officials. On police commissioner's suspension Expressing his anger over the suspension of the police commissioner, Pai stated that the government had sent the wrong message by suspending senior police officers. Also Read | Who is Nikhil Sosale? RCB official taken into custody for Bengaluru tragedy "The government has sent the wrong message by suspending the commissioner of police. Take action against the local cops. These issues are handled by people down the line," he said. "Can you blame the lower-level police who were responsible for the area, yes, of course. Can you blame the police commissioner? I don't think so. You are demoralising the entire top police command," he added. Lack of basic facilities for crowd The Aarin Capital chairman questioned the lack of basic facilities for the crowd. All these things are diverting attention from the real issue. The real issue is how did three lakh people show up? Can the people arrive in 10 minutes? The people would have come four hours before. The police would have estimated. This was not a natural crowd. There is a protocol for managing the crowd. Whenever an accident happens on the highway, will you go arrest the cops? he asked. Two days after the tragic stampede in Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium, K Govindaraj has been relieved from the post of political secretary to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with immediate effect, said a state government notification. Apart from this, Hemanth Nimbalkar, Karnatakas Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence), has also been transferred without a new posting amid the outrage over the Bengaluru stampede, reported News18, quoting sources. Also Read | Senior IPS officer Seemanth Kumar Singh posted as Bengaluru Police Commissioner Earlier on 5 June, the government suspended multiple IPS officers, including Bengaluru city police Commissioner B Dayananda. Senior IPS officer Seemant Kumar Singh took charge as the city police commissioner on Friday. In the stampede that took place during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL victory celebrations, 11 people were killed and 47 were injured. The Karnataka CM has announced 10 lakh aid for victims families and ordered a magisterial inquiry into the tragic incident. Also Read | Who is Nikhil Sosale? RCB official taken into custody for Bengaluru tragedy A magisterial enquiry has been ordered. Following this probe, action will be taken against whoever responsible. But this incident was unexpected. Such a crowd was not expected, the Karnataka CM said. One-man commission formed The Karnataka CM on Thursday announced the formation of a one-man commission, headed by retired high court judge Justice Michael D'Cunha, and confirmed that executives of Royal Challengers Bangalore, event management firm DNA Entertainment Networks and representatives of Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) would be arrested. Siddaramaiah said, Under the chairmanship of Justice Michael D'Cunha, a retired judge of the high court, we have appointed a one-man commission...On RCB, event manager DNA, KSCA, who represented them, we have taken a decision to arrest them. The CM informed that the one-man commission will submit the report in 30 days. RCB ready to cooperate with probe IPL champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday said it will cooperate with all the legal proceedings after an FIR was registered against it. "We can't comment on legal proceedings at the moment. But we will co-operate with all the government and judicial authorities," PTI quoted a franchise source as saying. Earlier, RCB announced a financial assistance of 10 lakh each for the families of the 11 supporters who lost their lives in the stampede. "As a mark of respect and a gesture of solidarity, RCB has announced a financial support of 10 lakh to each of the 11 families of the deceased. In addition, a fund called RCB Cares is also being created to support fans injured in this tragic incident," the team has said in a statement. RCB marketing head moves Karnataka High Court In another development, the marketing and revenue head of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Nikhil Sosale, approached the Karnataka High Court to challenge his arrest relating to the stampede at Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bar and Bench reported. He argued that the manner of his arrest was unlawful, arbitrary, and infringed upon his fundamental rights. Sosale has sought orders from the court declaring his arrest illegal and for releasing him from custody. Earlier, Cubbon Park Police Station registered a first information report against RCSPL and its officials including Sosale. On 6 June, Sosale was arrested at the Kempegowda International Airport and taken into custody by the police. Public opinion took up a considerable portion of the Columbus City Council meeting on June 2 as both proponents and opponents of a winter holiday season fireworks ban spoke their minds. The issue, first raised by councilmembers Rich Jablonski, third ward, and Charlie Bahr, first ward, during the council's May 19 meeting suggested an amendment to city ordinance barring the sale and discharge of fireworks in December, limiting their sale from June 28-July 4 and discharge from July 2-4. The proposal was backed by Deb Potter of Paws and Claws Adoption Center, who read a letter at the meeting on behalf of Dr. Anne Kramer, a veterinarian in Columbus. "In my 42 years as a veterinarian, I have witnessed and treated many, many injured animals associated with fireworks accidents and sadly even some deaths. My own dogs are terrified by fireworks and they have to be medicated for anxiety during the days the fireworks are being discharged. I've also had many discussions with veterans as well as parents of autistic children who suffer greatly during that time for obvious reasons," Kramer wrote. Potter said that June and July have consistently been the adoption center's busiest months for loose animals brought in by police and animal control since it opened 16 years ago. "We're just asking for three days less, we're not asking to take it away, we're not asking to do away with any more than three days," Potter said. "Lincoln, Omaha, they have one or two days, we're not even requesting anything like that. I like fireworks myself, it's just some of the noise elements and some of the ... unenforceable parts of it ..." Dorothy Bybee, a Columbus resident, also spoke in favor of the amendment, as she has observed the disturbances associated with them as a nurse and as a dog owner. Brad Wangler, another Columbus resident, spoke in favor of the amendment and presented the proposed active dates seven days of sales, four days of use alongside those of comparable cities in Nebraska: Norfolk, 10 days; Kearney, North Platte and Hastings, seven days; Fremont, eight days; and Beatrice, six days. Wangler said that with the passage of the resolution, Columbus would have seven days, putting the city on par with others of similar size. On the other side of the issue, several local fireworks vendors and appreciators spoke against the resolution. Robert Faltys, of Schuyler, said that this impacts him negatively as he only sells fireworks in Columbus for use around New Year's Eve, and with overhead and inventory he already has invested, he wondered if perhaps the bill could at least go into effect after December 31 as opposed to August 1 as currently written. Rachel Thiele one of several Thieles in attendance spoke to the effect of her children enjoying fireworks around celebrations and to the possibility that after being narrowed down to just these seven days, what's to stop it from being cut down to fewer and eventually none. "Mr. Jablonksi stated he wanted to ban all fireworks and just have the public displays and that, I felt when he stated that, was his ultimate goal," Rachel Thiele said. "So we feel like that's where this is headed. It's not just seven days, it's seven days today so in a year we'll be back here fighting the same fight and that's why we're fighting today because we know 10 turns into seven to five to none." Daryl Thiele, who co-founded Crazy Cracker Fireworks more than 50 years ago, told the council how difficult it is having a business like this, because even when one plans out their inventory or purchasing, something can happen where they're stuck with unsold and unsellable inventory. Reducing the number of days to sell, he said, would end up costing vendors who have already purchased for the year. Kathy Sanders of Fly By Night Fireworks in Norfolk echoed the sentiment of lost revenue, not only for the vendors, but for the city in the long run. Jablonski said that he personally doesn't think this will affect revenue that much, but if it does, as Mayor Jim Bulkley noted in the May 19 meeting, the amendment can be revisited in the future and potentially reversed if it affects that many bottom lines that badly. Jason Thiele, also of Crazy Cracker Fireworks, who previously spoke at the May 19 meeting, said he has spoken to the Columbus police and fire departments, as well as Potter, and, while there are different sides to the issue, he thinks a solution can be reached without outright restriction. He suggested possibly promoting cleanup efforts, better education on the part of sellers when speaking to customers about safety and courtesy, or perhaps buckling down on reports and doubling fines associated with noise and litter. "Taking away December sales, December discharge isn't going to solve the problem until we have enforcement," Jason Thiele said. "It's an empty threat. Again, I want to partner with the community, I want to work with the police department, I want to work with all of you. Let's actually solve the problem, not just bring more restriction to the problem." Newly installed Columbus Police Chief Al Fear noted that there are possibilities in terms of enforcement, but as it is, the police deal with a range of everyday issues on top of that enforcement and may not be able to reach a reported incident in time to catch the perpetrator. Rachel Pensick, communications director for the Joint Communications Center, said that dispatch is working with reduced staff and increased calls during the holiday season as it is. Fear pointed out that lighting fireworks in the street is illegal, and that everyone should be considerate of their neighbors. Fear also noted that he has also noticed how his dog is affected by the noise. "It's a fine line," Fear said. "We're trying to keep the people happy and we're trying to keep the businesspeople happy as well, so you all have a very tough job, so good luck with that, but I will do whatever I'm told to do and I'm just happy to continue to enforce the safety of the citizens of Columbus," Fear said. Jablonski added that the occasional barrages of fireworks can be difficult for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as pets. After the public comments, Councilmember Troy Hiemer, second ward, said that after hearing from many businesspeople who would be affected this year by the December ban, he might be OK with pushing back the date of the amended ordinance until the new year, giving vendors an opportunity to offload their current stock. "Everyone says they want help make a difference, here's their opportunity to give them a chance to make a difference," Hiemer said. "If we double our fines or whatever we come up with for the force side of it, it also gives vendors a stake to make a difference." Councilmember Ron Schilling, third ward, suggested changing the start date to June 2027, extending the window of preparation for vendors, while Councilmember AJ Palensky, fourth ward, asked about the possibility of letting residents vote on the matter. City Attorney Neal Valorz said that the city has several options, including changing the date of when the ordinance would go into effect, waiving a third reading if a supermajority of the council decides to do so or letting the resolution die on the third reading, which would allow it to be brought back at a later date. Bahr, one of the originators of the resolution, said he has since received quite a bit of correspondence, split almost equally in favor of and against the proposed amendment. A vote of the people would be OK with him. Councilmember J. Prent Roth, fourth ward, expressed his interest in simply making a decision and moving on to the next issue at hand. The council proceeded with the second reading of the ordinance, and it will be back up for discussion at the third reading at the June 16 council meeting. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta may move into a government bungalow in north Delhi's Civil Lines, over a 100 days after she assumed charge.. A senior government official told news agency PTI that an allotment letter has been issued and the public works department (PWD) has started repair and renovation work at the property. Also Read | SC allows Delhi govt to withdraw 7 petitions against LG by AAP govt "We are carrying out some repair and renovation work, after which the chief minister will move in. The allotment letter has been issued," he told PTI. At present, Gupta lives in Shalimar Bagh with her family. The PWD which allots bungalows to ministers and Delhi government's employees, has floated a tender to construct a camp office. The estimated cost of the upgradation is 47 lakh and the work is likely to be completed in 60 days, official added. The chief minister was looking for a house in Lutyens Delhi but since these are under the Centre, an exchange has to be made with the Delhi government, according to a report quoting sources in The Indian Express. At present, officials said, the exchange is taking time because appropriate houses are not available for now, the report said. An allotment letter has been issued There are four bungalows in this part of Civil Lines where the Deputy Speaker and Social Welfare minister have been allotted houses. The remaining two bungalows have been allotted to the CM one residence and another as a camp office, a source told The Indian Express Arvind Kejriwal's Sheesh Mahal Former chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party national convenor, Arvind Kejriwal was living at 6 Flagstaff Road, also in Civil Lines, with his family. The bungalow became the focal point of the Bhartiya Janaat Partys campaign against the AAP. The BJP called the house Sheesh Mahal, alleging several crores were spent on its renovation. The expenditure and role of officials is under investigation. We are carrying out some repair and renovation work, after which the chief minister will move in. The BJP returned to power in Delhi after 27 years by defeating AAP in assembly elections held in February. The Delhi High Court will soon to decide whether the tax department can retrospectively reopen old tax notices involving foreign assetseven if those notices were time-barred under earlier rules. A division bench led by Justices Vibhu Bakhru and Tejas Karia was hearing a batch of petitions on 30 May filed by companies such as UK Paints (Overseas) Ltd, BJN Holdings (India) Ltd, and KS Dhingra challenging these reassessment notices under Section 148 of the Income Tax Act. It referred the matter to a larger bench for a final decision. The notices were issued between 2014 and 2021, covering assessment years that stretch back decades. 2012 amendment extended reassessment period At the centre of the case is a 2012 amendment to the Income Tax Act that extended the reassessment period from six years to 16 years for cases involving foreign assets. After the amendment, which was aimed at tackling black money and undisclosed foreign assets, the department started issuing reassessment notices for older cases, some dating back to 1997. Also read | TDS on rent: Why the tax department needs to fix its Traces portal Taxpayers challenged these notices in court, leading to conflicting legal interpretations. For example, in the Brahm Datt case (Delhi High Court, 2018) the court ruled that the extended time limit couldnt apply to cases that were already closed under the earlier six-year rule. However, in the latest hearing, the Delhi High Court observed, The view expressed in Brahm Datt may require reconsideration by a larger bench, and referred the matter to a larger bench. What experts say Taxation experts said that if the court allowed retrospective application, the tax department could reopen cases against high-net-worth individuals, business promoters and professionals, imposing significant compliance burdens. Some notices may date as far back as 1996, making it difficult for taxpayers to gather and produce old documents to defend themselves. A judgement favouring the tax department could unnecessarily trigger a significant wave of reassessment notices, especially targeting high-net-worth individuals, business promoters and professionals with offshore holdings or trusts, said Hardeep Sachdeva, senior partner at AZB & Partners. Also read | NRI taxation: How to claim special tax concessions If empowered by the extended limitation period with judicial backing, the department may feel emboldened to reopen cases as far back as 1996-97, which will certainly be very unproductive, Sachdeva added. Amit Maheshwari, tax partner at AKM Global, tax and consulting firm, said, If the larger bench rules in favour of the tax department, taxpayers biggest hurdle will be contesting these cases on their merits and gathering the necessary documentswhich could be especially difficult given the time thats passed more than 15 years in some cases." Voluntary disclosure schemes could be affected Taxation lawyers also warned that a ruling in favour of retrospective reopening could undermine the credibility of voluntary disclosure schemes for foreign assets, such as the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015. These schemes were designed to encourage taxpayers to come clean without fear of prosecution. A retrospective reopening could discourage participation in future initiatives. Also read | Capital gains on equities: All you need to know when filing returns this year A decision allowing retrospective reopening may undermine the credibility of voluntary disclosure schemes such as the one provided by the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015, said Rahul Charkha, partner at Economic Laws Practice. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch multiple development projects worth more than 46,000 crore at Katra in Jammu and Kashmir and inaugurate the Chenab bridge, the world's highest railway arch bridge today, 6 June. Modi will also flag off Vande Bharat trains between Katra and Srinagar on the occasion. This will be Prime Minister Modis first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after Operation Sindoor India's precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan launched on 7 May in response to the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. Also Read | Omar Abdullah shares glimpses of Chenab bridge a day before inauguration Tomorrow, 6th June is indeed a special day for my sisters and brothers of Jammu and Kashmir, PM Modi said in a post on X on 5 June. A PMO statement said Modi will launch multiple development projects worth over 46,000 crore at Katra, the base camp for pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi temple. Modi will inaugurate the Chenab Bridge at 11 am. Thereafter, he will visit and inaugurate the Anji bridge and then flag off Vande Bharat Trains at around 12 noon. Chenab bridge as an architectural marvel Lauding the Chenab bridge as an architectural marvel, the statement said that it is at a height of 359 metres above the river. It is a 1,315-metre-long steel arch bridge engineered to withstand seismic and wind conditions. "A key impact of the bridge will be in enhancing connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar. Through Vande Bharat train moving on the bridge, it will take just about three hours to travel between Katra and Srinagar, reducing existing travel time by two-three hours," it said, stressing Modi's commitment to boosting infra and connectivity in the region. The prime minister will also inaugurate the Anji Bridge, which is India's first cable-stayed rail bridge that will serve the nation in a challenging terrain, it added. Among the other projects to be launched is the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project. Constructed at a cost of around 43,780 crore, it includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country aiming to transform regional mobility and driving socio-economic integration. In a major boost to last mile connectivity especially in border areas, Modi will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate various road projects, the statement said. The prime minister will also lay the foundation stone of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Katra worth over 350 crore. It will be the first medical college in Reasi district contributing substantially to the healthcare infrastructure in the region, it said. First train connecting the valley to the rest of India Modi will flag off the maiden Katra- Srinagar Vande Bharat Express the first train connecting Kashmir valley to the rest of the country. He will also virtually flag off the train from Srinagar to Katra on the occasion. Through Vande Bharat train moving on the bridge, it will take just about 3 hours to travel between Katra and Srinagar, reducing existing travel time by 2-3 hours. Trains have been running between Banihal and Baramulla in the Kashmir valley, and between Jammu, Udhampur and Katra in the Jammu region. However, the 111-km Katra-Banihal section was the most difficult to construct owing to the challenging terrain. Today's event would mean first trains plying between Kashmir Valley and rest of the country. The first passenger train will set off from Delhi and reach Srinagar via the pilgrim town Katra. Although the idea of connecting Kashmir valley to the rest of the country by train was floated in the 1970s during the tenure of former prime minister Indira Gandhi, the project was officially sanctioned in a cabinet meeting chaired by her successor, PV Narasimha Rao, in 1994. The work in earnest on the railway link began in 2002, when the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government sanctioned funds for land acquisition for the project. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he had been hearing about the train to Kashmir since he was in school. "If I say that I have been waiting for this day for a long time, it won't be an exaggeration. This project started when I was in school, maybe in class 7 or 8. Today, my children have also completed their education and are now working," Abdullah told reporters at the Katra Railway Station. Ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) is one of the most ambitious railway projects undertaken in Independent India, a PIB release said. Stretching 272 kilometres through the rugged Himalayas, the project has been built for 43,780 crore, it said. Also Read | PM Modi to flag off first Vande Bharat train to Srinagar on Friday The project includes 36 tunnels that span 119 kilometres and 943 bridges that knit together valleys, ridges, and mountain passes. Designed to overcome the region's challenging geography, it connects remote areas to the national rail network and marks a new chapter in mobility, trade and tourism for Jammu and Kashmir, it added. The railway link will end the break in the surface transport between Kashmir and the rest of the country, which invariably occurs during winter or whenever the weather becomes inclement. It will also end the hike in air tickets, which shoot up whenever the Srinagar-Jammu highway is closed due to weather vagaries. Tomorrow, 6th June is indeed a special day for my sisters and brothers of Jammu and Kashmir. The Vande Bharat Express is set to run between Katra and Srinagar, cutting down travel time and setting a new benchmark in comfort for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6 June launched a fresh attack at Pakistan for Pahalgam terror attack which, he said, targetted insaniyat and Kashmiriyat and was aimed at triggering riots in India. The Prime Minister said the attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists, on 22 April in Pahalgam, will not hamper development in Jammu and Kashmir. Also Read | All you need to know about the Kashmir version of special Vande Bharat trains Pahalgam attack will not stop development in Jammu and Kashmir. I promise you whoever comes in way of fulfilling dreams of Jammu and Kashmir's youths, they will have to face me first, Modi said addressing a gathering in Katra, Jammu. PM Modi's first J&K Visit after Pahalgam Attack This was Prime Minister Modis first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after Operation Sindoor India's precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan launched on 7 May in response to the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. On 22 April, Pahalgam attack was an example. Pakistan attacked insaniyat nd Kashmiriyat in Pahalgam, The intentionwas to trigger riots. The intention was to stop earning of people. that's why it attacked tourists. Tourism numbers were increasing in last fewyears. Tourism which would run homes was targeted by Pakistan, Modi said. Modi mentions Syed Adil Shah We have been trying to generate employment through tourism.But unfortunately the neighbouring country is against humanity and tourism. That country would not even let poor earn their bread," Modi said Modi also mentioned Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a local pony onwer in Pahalgam, who lost his life while trying to protect tourists during the Pahalgam terror attack. Adil was reportedly attempting to stop the attackers from firing on tourists, and he was shot and killed. Also Read | Op Sindoor was brilliantly chosen name: Shashi Tharoor in DC "Today is June 6... a month ago... the night of May 6 proved to be doomsday for Pakistani terrorists. Whenever Pakistan will hear the 'Operation Sindoor', it will recall the shameful defeat. Pakistani army and terrorists would have never thought that India will attack them so deep inside their territory. Their terror infrastructure was turned into rubble in matter of minutes," Modi said. Projects worth over 46,000 crore Earlier, PM Modi laid the foundation stone, inaugurated and dedicated to the nation multiple development projects worth over 46,000 crore at Katra, Jammu. The PM also inaugurated Chenab bridge worlds highest railway arch bridge and Anji bridge Indias first cable-stayed rail bridge. Modi also flagged off two Vande Bharat trains between Katra and Srinagar too. Vijay Mallya, the embattled London-based Indian businessman, has said he knew nothing of any Lookout Circular (LoC) against him or any changes in it. Mallya, the former Kingfisher Airlines chief facing multiple fraud charges in India, opened up in a four-hour-long conversation with podcaster Raj Shamani. In the podcast, released on Thursday, Mallya was asked about the 2015 Lookout Circular (LoC) by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against him and the subsequent changes in it. I know nothing of any Look Out Circular. I went in and out multiple times and had never a problem, Mallya told Shamani. The CBI had issued a fresh LOC against Mallya in the last week of November, 2015 asking airport authorities across the country to 'inform' it about Mallya's movements. In doing so, the central agency replaced its previous circular which had sought detention of the businessman if he attempted to leave the country. Mallya left the country in March 2016 for the United Kingdom where he is legally contesting the extradition ordered by the British government. Background: Change in the 2015 LOC In September 2018, the CBI said that the change in a 2015 LoC against Mallya from detain to merely informing about his movements was an error in judgement because he was cooperating in the probe and there was no warrant against him. CBI sources had said in 2018 that when the first LoC was issued on October 12, 2015, Mallya was already abroad. The central agency sources had said that there was no need to arrest or detain him on 24 November 2015 when he returned from London as he was a sitting MP and there was no warrant against him. Mallya was a Member of Parliament (MP) Rajya Sabha till May 2016. Reports quoting sources had said the central agency only wanted information on his movements. Besides, the probe was in an initial stage and the CBI was collecting documents from the IDBI in the 900 crore loan default case, they said. What is an LOC? A Look Out Circular (LOC) is a notice issued by immigration authorities at airports, seaports, and land borders to alert them about individuals whose travel might be restricted or who might be detained. LOC essentially a warning system to prevent individuals from entering or leaving a country. LOCs are often issued to prevent people from absconding from criminal investigations or evading arrest. On 9 April, Mallya lost an appeal against a London high court bankruptcy order in a case pertaining to more than 11,101 crore debt to lenders, including the State Bank of India (SBI). I know nothing of any Look Out Circular. I went in and out multiple times and had never a problem. Mallya has been living in London since fleeing India in 2016. He has been embroiled in a long legal battle with lenders, as well as the Indian authorities, following the 2012 collapse of his defunct Kingfisher Airlines. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah raked up the issue of restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir at the flagging off of the maiden train to Kashmir by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. on June 6 in Katra, the pilgrim town in Jammu. There are four persons on this stage who were present at the inauguration of the Katra railway station (in 2014). You had just won the election, becoming the Prime Minister for the first time. MoS in PMO Jitendra Singh was present then, and our LG Manoj Sinha sahib was MoS Railways, and I was here as chief minister of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar said. Also Read | Pahalgam terror attack will not halt development in J&K: PM Modi Earlier, Modi laid the foundation stone, inaugurated and dedicated to the nation multiple development projects worth over 46,000 crore at Katra, Jammu. The PM also inaugurated Chenab bridge worlds highest railway arch bridge and Anji bridge Indias first cable-stayed rail bridge. Modi also flagged off two Vande Bharat trains between Katra and Srinagar too. "If you see, by the blessings of Mata (Vaishno Devi) Sinhaji has got a promotion (LG now) and I had a demotion. I was chief minister of a state and now I am a CM of the UT. However, I believe that it will not take long to rectify it .... Jammu and Kashmir will again get the statehood under your watch only," Abdullah said. Two UTs after scrapping Article 370 The erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Omar Abdullah has been long demanding statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, something that Union government has also promised. Also Read | PM Modi interacts with students during Vande Bharat inauguration in J&K Abdullah said many people have dreamt of seeing a train chugging into Kashmir and that he was in class 8th when he heard of this project for the first time. "Even the British had dreamt of connecting Kashmir by train but they did not succeed. Their plan was to bring rail from Uri, along the banks of Jhelum, to connect with the country. What the British could not achieve has happened at your (Modi's) hands and Kashmir has been connected to the rest of the country," he added. Also Read | All you need to know about the Kashmir version of special Vande Bharat trains Abdullah paid rich tributes to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for declaring the train to Kashmir a project of national importance. I believe that it will not take long to rectify it .... Jammu and Kashmir will again get the statehood under your watch only. "It will be a grave mistake if I do not thank former PM Vajpayee. This project was undoubtedly started in 1983-84.... but it was completed only after Vajpayee declared it a project of national importance and made provisions in the budget," he said. Meghalaya: With the search for the missing Indore couple entering its 11th day, a new CCTV footage has added more questions to the mystery around the baffling case of Raja Raghuvanshis murder and the disappearance of his wife Sonam in Meghalaya. Captured just a day before they vanished, the grainy CCTV footage shows the newlyweds checking into a Shillong hotel on May 22 the last confirmed sighting of them together. What added to the trail of clues was a deserted scooter, and Rajas body discovered in a remote ditch. According to a report by TOI, Sonam's family has also sought a CBI probe into the missing Indore couple's case, and asked the Meghalaya CM to treat it as a case of abduction, and not look for her dead body. Sonam's brother Govind fears that she has been trafficked to Bangladesh. What does the CCTV footage show? The CCTV footage shows Sonam Raghuvanshi and her husband Raja checking out from the hotel reception on the evening of May 22. Also Read | Murder caught on camera: Man killed with machetes inside bakery in Karnataka The couple is believed to have moved into a hotel in Sohra, 120 km away, and proceeded towards Maulakaya village in the Cherrapunjee area, after which they were never seen again. How did the incident unfold? The couple had rented a scooter, which was discovered abandoned on May 24 in Sohrarim, East Khasi Hills. On Monday, June 2, Raja Raghuvanshis body was recovered from a nearby ditch, located with the help of a drone. Police also found his phone and a machete suspected to have been used in the murder, as per reports. Sonam's bag, mobile, other items missing Govind also told TOI that Sonam's belongings, including her bag and phone, remain missing. While the police claim the last known location of the couple's phones was near the Double Decker bridge in Meghalaya's Nongriat, Govind pointed out that Raja had made a social media post shortly before his death. He said that the final signal from his phone was traced to the spot where his body was eventually found in a gorge at Sohrarim near Cherrapunji. A former employee of the ICICI Bank was arrested for allegedly siphoning off crores of rupees from accounts of customers in a fraud that spanned for more than two years. According to media reports, Sakshi Gupta, a relationship manager of ICICI Bank in Kota defrauded around 4.58 crore from at least 41 customers in hopes of achieving high returns but ended up losing it all. Gupta worked at the Shriram Nagar branch of the ICICI Bank in the DCM area of Kota city between 2020 and 2023. She was arrested by the Udhyog Nagar police on May 31 after a detailed investigation, according to a report by The Times of India. How a bank employee siphoned off 4.58 crore from customers Sakshi Gupta, according to investigators, accessed more than 110 accounts of 41 customers between 2020 and 2023 by misusing the User FD (Fixed Deposit) and conducted a series of illegal transactions. As per the probe, the ICICI Bank employee used these funds to invest in the stock market in hopes of getting good returns in a short period of time. The fraud continued for over two years without customers realising that their money was being withdrawn. However, Gupta's dreams did not go as planned as she suffered heavy losses at the stock market, losing the money and eventually failing to deposit it back to the customers' accounts. In order to conceal the fraud, she changed the numbers linked to the accounts so that customers did not find out about the transactions. She linked the phone numbers of her family members to these accounts and withdrew more than 4 crore. She even devised a system that she used to get the OTPs on her system so that the account holders don't get a whiff of the fraud, sub-inspector Ibrahim Khan of Udhyog Nagar police station was quoted as saying by NDTV. Also Read | SBI warns of scammers using its name to lure investors with stock tips Khan further said that Gupta used the account of an elderly woman and passed 3 crore through it without her knowledge. She systematically transferred funds, sometimes using the account of an elderly woman who had no knowledge of the activity as a pool account. By mid-February 2023, over 3 crore had passed through that single account, the police officer was quoted as saying by TOI. The case came into light only when a customer came to the bank to ask about his FD account. The bank then filed a report with the police on February 18. ICICI Bank settles claims, suspends employee Acknowledging the case, ICICI Bank in a statement said they filed an FIR with the police immediately upon discovering the scam. The interest of our customers are of paramount importance to us. Immediately upon discovering the fraudulent activity, we filed an FIR with the police," a spokesperson told LiveMint. The bank has suspended Gupta and settled the claims of impacted customers, it said. As Eid-ul-Adha celebrations are in full swing on June 6 across Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman, it's time to know how, when and where to watch the spectacular fireworks display in the UAE. Dubai Parks and Resorts (DPR) will host stunning fireworks at Riverland Dubai on June 6 and 7 at 9:30 pm. Even Abu Dhabi residents will be in for a treat as firework displays are planned at various locations throughout the long weekend, including Yas Bay Waterfront, Al Ain's Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium and The Corniche. The timings are given below: Yas Bay Waterfront: 9:00 pm, June 6-8 Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain: 9:00 pm, June 6 The Corniche: 9:00 pm, June 6 Sharjah residents can enjoy a stellar fireworks show at Aljada, which will take place at 8:00 pm on Friday, June 6, Khaleej Times reported. This comes against the backdrop of extended operating hours for public parks, recreational areas and leisure facilities across the emirate. After the morning Eid prayers today, the Dubai Police fired traditional cannons at 6 key spots, which symbolise the UAE's heritage. The firing of celebratory shots marks the start of festivities. Eid in India on June 7 The festival, also known as the Feast of Sacrifice or Bakrid, will be celebrated in India a day after celebrations kick off in Saudi Arabia. This means Indian Muslims will celebrate Eid on Saturday, 7 June. A passenger travelling from Jaipur to Mumbai has accused IndiGo of poor handling and lack of support after he missed his flight -- a situation he says led to a business loss of 2.65 lakh. Chayan Garg, who was headed to Mumbai for an important client meeting, shared his experience in a detailed post on LinkedIn. He claimed he arrived at Jaipur airport well in time for his early morning flight and cleared security by 5:10 AM. I was told boarding would begin in 1015 minutes. The gate was full of people, so I quickly went to the washroom, he wrote. However, when he returned 12 minutes later, he was informed that boarding had already closed. I was literally surprised as the boarding was supposed to start, not end, Garg said. He added that no announcement was made for his Mumbai flight, and when he questioned this, the staff said Jaipur is a silent airport. But Garg pointed out that another IndiGo flight to Dehradun had been announced just minutes earlier. When I said that, the staff denied it straight to my face, he alleged. Garg said he pleaded with folded hands, explaining that his meeting was urgent. Despite his efforts, he was not allowed to board the flight. No alternate option. No help with the next flight. No refund. No empathy, he said. According to Garg, the missed flight cost him a deal worth 2.65 lakh. We lost the client. A months effort gone in seconds, he wrote. Calling the experience disheartening, he added, This isn't about one missed flight. Its about accountability. Its about humanity. He urged airlines to treat passengers with more fairness and kindness, especially during challenging situations like bad weather. Garg also appealed for help from those in the aviation industry on how to seek a refund or compensation. Garg's LinkedIn post swiftly went viral on social media, even prompting a response from the airline, who said: Dear Mr Garg, we understand how disappointing it can be to miss a flight, and our carefully planned travel gets disrupted. However, as per our review, the boarding gate closed 25 minutes before departure, in line with standard procedure. Unfortunately, your arrival was after gate closure, by which time final preparations for take-off were already underway. Our airport team offered the next available flight to support you, and while we respect your decision not to proceed with it, we genuinely appreciate your patience and understanding. At IndiGo, we are committed to continuously working towards smoother, more seamless journeys for all our customers. As Tesla CEO Elon Musk fired salvos at United States President Donald Trump, criticising his big beautiful tax bill, the latter took to his social media handle to justify the bill, calling it one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. Donald Trump emphasised the legislations significance, describing it as a record-breaking $1.6 trillion cut in expenses and the biggest tax cut ever granted. While stating he didnt mind Elon Musk turning against him, Trump remarked that the billionaire should have done so months ago. I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago, Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Donald Trump also sought to warn of consequences if the bill fails to pass, saying there will be a a 68 per cent tax increase. Trump also positioned himself as a problem-solver, asserting, I didnt create this mess, Im just here to FIX IT, and claimed the bill would set the country on a Path of Greatness. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. Its a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesnt pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didnt create this mess, Im just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Donald Trump said. Earlier, as Elon Musk called for Donald Trump's impeachment, the US President threatened to cut off government contracts with billionaire Elon Musk's companies, saying they would save the government a lot of money. The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it! Donald Trump said earlier. The hostilities between Trump and Musk began when the Tesla chief denounced tax-cut and spending bill, disintegrating once-close relationship in full public view. Elon Musk also made a startling claim that Donald Trump is mentioned in files connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Musk shared the allegation on his platform X (formerly Twitter), but did not present any proof to back it up. Elon Musk and Donald Trump have been engaged in one of the biggest internal squabbles ever since the new US President was elected to the White House. Musk started off as a loyalist of the Trump regime, spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but all of a sudden began slamming the administration's agenda. Musk even took to X to turn things up a noth between him and Trump, even accusing the reigning President of being connected to the Jeffrey Epstein files. Russia enjoying the Musk-Trump feud Meanwhile, if there is one country that is enjoying the fight between Musk and Trump, it is none other than Russia. Russia's top administrators and regular netizens are flooding X with jokes, sarcasm, and jibes. One of the most important of these reactions came from Dmitry Medvedev, a senior security official and former president, who posted on X saying, We are ready to facilitate the conclusion of a peace deal between D and E for a reasonable fee and to accept Starlink shares as payment. Dont fight, guys! Then came offers by Russian officials, which included bringing Starlink's establishment to their country with the promise of freedom. "Elon, don't be upset! If you encounter insurmountable problems in the US, come to us. Here you will find reliable comrades and complete freedom of technical creativity," said Senator Dmitry Rogozin, who once ran Russia's space programme. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reacted with a diplomatic stance regarding the infighting between Musk and Trump. Peskov claimed that it was solely an internal matter for the United States, but he remained confident that Trump would be able to deal with it ably. "Presidents handle a huge number of different things at the same time, some more and some less important," Peskov was quoted as saying, according to a Reuters report. Donald Trump vs Elon Musk: In a twist nothing short of a Hollywood romcom, Ashley St. Clair who claims to be the mother of one of Elon Musks 14 children has offered to help Trump with breakup advice as the feud between the POTUS and the Tesla boss intensifies. Hey @realDonaldTrump lmk if u need any breakup advice, the 26-year-old quipped on X, after Musk fired off a series of posts accusing Trump of ingratitude and claiming credit for his 2024 win. Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Musk wrote, insisting Democrats wouldve taken the House and narrowed the Grand Old Party candidate in the Senate without his backing. Such ingratitude, Musk added in a separate post. One Big Beautiful Bill in the way The rift between Elon Musk and Donald Trump erupted over criticism of the POTUS's "One Big Beautiful Bill,' a sweeping tax-and-spending package Musk said will explode the deficit. Also Read | Harsh Goenka's hilarious contribution to Elon Musk vs Trump memefest The rife quickly escalated into a political standoff, with both men trading sharp jabs and accusations. Musk accused President Donald Trump of being named in the sealed Jeffrey Epstein files claiming thats the "real reason" theyve never been fully released, as per multiple reports. Elon Musk and Ashley St. Clair St. Clair, who went public earlier this year with her claims that she and Elon Musk share a child, also revealed in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that the tech mogul allegedly offered her a $15 million hush deal, along with $100,000 a month until the child turned 21 an offer she declined. I dont want my son to feel like hes a secret, she reportedly told Musks top aide, Jared Birchall. Musk's response to the claims Musk, who has at least 14 children with four women, previously maintained that he does not know for sure whether St Clairs child is his but the Probability of Paternity was 99.9999%, according to test results that came back, the Journal reported. The risk US transportation, environmental, communications and other regulators will take aim at Elon Musk's many businesses became a real threat after the billionaire's deep political ties with President Donald Trump disintegrated on Thursday. Below is a list of US regulators who oversee Musk's companies, including automaker Tesla, rocket and satellite company SpaceX, brain implant company Neuralink, social media platform X and construction firm The Boring Company. Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission in April voted to open a review of the decades-old spectrum sharing regime between satellite systems sought by SpaceX. SpaceX wants access to new spectrum from the FCC in the coming years to speed deployment of satellite-based internet service. The review by the US telecom regulator aims to allow a greater and more intensive use of spectrum for space activities. Existing reductions approved in the 1990s limit power usage that prevent better coverage from SpaceX's Starlink and other systems. Food and Drug Administration The FDA oversees the clinical trials for Neuralink, Musk's brain implant company, deciding whether such trials can take place and whether Neuralink can eventually sell its device to consumers. The agency already approved such trials in the US Neuralink has also been pursuing clinical trials outside the US, including in Canada. The FDA had initially rejected Neuralink's request to start clinical trials, citing safety risks, Reuters reported in 2023. The agency has since given the startup approval to do clinical trials, which are ongoing. Environmental Protection Agency SpaceX faces environmental regulations from the EPA, which oversees the company's wastewater discharges at its operating site in Texas. The company's operations are also subject to environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, with several agencies including the Fish and Wildlife Service required to analyze the impact of the company's rocket launches and landings on land, water and wildlife. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Tesla faces ongoing oversight from US auto safety investigators about the safety of its vehicles especially when using advanced driver assistance systems. Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asked Tesla to answer questions on its plans to launch a paid robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, in June, in order to assess how the electric vehicle maker's cars with full self-driving technology will perform in poor weather. NHTSA has been investigating Tesla's full self-driving collisions in reduced roadway visibility conditions since October. The agency said it is seeking additional information about Teslas development of robotaxis "to assess the ability of Teslas system to react appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions" as well details on robotaxi deployment plans and the technology being used. Federal Aviation Administration In September, the FAA proposed a $633,000 fine against SpaceX for failing to follow license requirements in 2023 before two launches. That investigation remains open. The FAA could also impose new restrictions or additional scrutiny after a series of explosions of SpaceX launches. Securities and Exchange Commission Musk is embroiled in litigation with the SEC over his 2022 takeover of Twitter, with Musk now due to respond to those allegations next month. The regulator also had opened an investigation into his company Neuralink according to a December letter from Musk's lawyer he posted on social media platform X. Federal Trade Commission The FTC is a consumer protection agency that ensures social media companies like Musk's platform X protect children's privacy and safeguard Americans' data. Donald Trump and Elon Musk's feud has taken a vivid turn over the matter of a couple of days, and in the interim, there is some ongoing activity by the administration to recall workers who were fired by DOGE. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was being led by Elon Musk since the start of Donald Trump's first term. The department was entrusted with the responsibility of cutting down federal expenses through various means. Elon Musk's DOGE took the orders by book, and began firing hundreds of federal staffers across multiple departments in order to cut down expenses. However, it now looks like the Trump administration is recalling workers as the mass firing has resulted in imperiling of key services such as weather forecasting and the drug approval process," according to a report by The Washington Post. Notice of Reduction in Force (RIF) issued to youis officially RESCINDED [and] you will not be separated from employment, read one email. It also said, You are expected to return to duty the next business day following your receipt of this notice. The Food and Drug Administration has reversed its decision to cut jobs, cancelling the layoff notice just three weeks after it was issued. Since April, the agency had let go of more than 3,500 employees, but the recent move signals a shift in plans. One FDA employee told the Washington Post they only agreed to return because they hadnt found a new job yet. Being back feels like a funeral, the employee said. Morale is terrible. Everyone is stressed and feels the absence of our colleagues. Eve Jobs, daughter of the late Apple founder Steve Jobs, is set to marry her boyfriend Harry Charles in what is being dubbed the wedding of the year. The high-profile celebration will take place in the British countryside and promises a star-studded guest list, according to a report by the Daily Mail. Who is Eve Jobs? Eve Jobs, 26, is the youngest child of Steve Jobs and his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs. A professional model, she made her runway debut in 2021 with the French fashion label Coperni. Despite her tech-royalty background, Eve has carved out a name for herself in the fashion industry. Read | Harsh Goenka shares Apple co-founder Steve Jobs video on power of asking, netizens say very important life lesson Who is the groom? Eve is set to marry Harry Charles, a British Olympian who competed in show jumping. The couple reportedly made their relationship public during the 2024 Paris Olympics, according to Brides magazine. Charles was part of the British equestrian team that clinched the gold medal in show jumping at the Paris Summer Games. Read | Steve Jobs asked Bill Gates to take acid to design better products? Microsoft co-founder recalls... When and where is the wedding? While the exact date remains under wraps, the wedding is expected to take place in August this year. The venue has been revealed as the Cotswolds a picturesque region in southern England, renowned for its rolling hills and quaint stone villages. Just an hour from Oxford, the Cotswolds is a favourite among celebrities, with the likes of David and Victoria Beckham owning an estate there. Also Read | Why did Bill Gates try LSD, marijuana and why he stopped Whos on the guest list? The guest list includes a mix of billionaires, political figures, and possibly even minor royals, the Daily Mail reported. Eve is said to be close friends with Jennifer Gates, daughter of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who is expected to attend the wedding. Most Canadians say they plan to shun US travel this summer as the trade war between the two countries continues, according to a poll by Leger Marketing Inc. Only 10% of Canadians plan to travel to the US this summer, down from 23% last year. And theyre increasingly choosing to travel domestically, with 77% planning to do so compared with 69% last year. Most respondents cited trade tensions as the main reason to avoid travel to the US, while others were concerned about their safety and worried about border delays. The sentiments reflect a broader movement by Canadians to boycott US products as a protest against President Donald Trumps tariffs and comments about making Canada the 51st state, as well as fears about Trumps immigration crackdown ensnaring visitors. The US economy is set to lose billions of dollars in revenue in 2025 from a pullback in foreign tourism and boycotts of American products. Nearly $20 billion in retail spending from international tourists could be at risk, according to an April analysis by Bloomberg Intelligence. Leger advised US tourism operators to rebuild trust and confidence among Canadian travelers by focusing on a its them, not us approach to ease concerns. Canadians who said they would proceed with their US travel plans said they didnt feel affected by the political climate or that they needed to visit family or friends. Leger surveyed 1,537 Canadian residents between May 16 and 19. Its considered accurate within approximately 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. 2025 Bloomberg L.P. Elon Musk and Donald Trump have been caught in the middle of a major spat, and there have been multiple attempts at resolving their difference by their allies, but to no avail yet. According to a CNN report, there were multiple allies and well-wishers of both, Trump and Musk, who were trying to tamp down the escalating feud, but the tipping point was ultimately reached. This happened after Musk dropped a bombastic tweet on X, which read, "Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!" One Tweet that ruined it all Other than the previously mentioned X post, Elon Musk played it even nastier a few hours ago. He retweeted an MSNBC clip from from 1992 posted by an X user. The video showed Donald Trump partying with Jeffrey Epstein back in the day at Palm Beach, Florida. The caption of the clip by the X user reads,"In 1992, Trump partied with Jeffrey Epstein. Just gonna leave this here." After the retweet of this video, the clip has crossed more than a 100 million views and counting, making the feud between Musk and Trump even more complex. However, it is interesting to note that Musk has not provided any details on how he would have gained access to unreleased files related to Jeffrey Epstein and has also not provided any evidence on where his information was actually coming from. Musk and Trump may have had their differences regarding policy, but things have now turned very personal, very direct, with unknown ramifications lying in wait for the political landscape of the United States. While Musk is getting support from a few Republicans, which could harm Trump's bill, the US President is also not far behind, hinting at going after the government contracts secured by SpaceX. Donald Trump vs Elon Musk: What started as a big, beautiful bromance between US President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk ended in a public feud that escalated to a point of a possible no return. The very public spat between Donald Trump and Elon Musk reached its peak on Thursday when the Tesla CEO launched a barrage of attacks on the President on social media. Here is everything that happened between Donald Trump and Elon Musk since he left the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Elon Musk leaves DOGE Elon Musk last week announced his decision to leave the White House and DOGE, citing that his tenure as a special government employee had come to an end. As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending, he said in a post on X. Donald Trump gives Tesla CEO a farewell Days later, Trump announced he would organise a press conference with Elon Musk to bid him farewell. Everything between the duo seemed okay at the time, though Musk had previously criticised Trump's Big Beautiful Bill intended to cut taxes. Trump was full of praise for Musk. He called Musk one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced, seemingly downplaying the rift that was already brewing between them with the Tesla CEO being disappointed with the provisions of the bill. Musk lashes out at Trump's Big Beautiful Bill The rift between the world's most powerful leader and the world's richest person took a public turn on June 3, with Elon Musk blasting Donald Trumps big, beautiful bill of tax breaks and spending cuts as a disgusting abomination. Im sorry, but I just cant stand it anymore, Musk posted on X. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it. However, Trump did not lash out like he typically does. Tesla CEO escalates fight Epstein files and more Trump's silence did not stop Musk from backing off. On Thursday, the spat became very public when the Tesla CEO made a series of posts on X, sharing 2013 posts of the President. Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate, Musk claimed. Also Read | This X post by Musk marked the point of no return for his bromance with Trump He continued to make further claims, eventually dropping a bombshell that the Jeffery Epstein files were not released in full because Donald Trump was involved in the case. Donald Trump hits back Eventually, Donald Trump let slip that he was disappointed in his former adviser, prompting Musk to unleash a flood of insults and taunts. Trump could hold back no longer. He posted that Musk had been wearing thin, that he had asked him to leave his administration, that the tech titan had gone CRAZY. Truce in sight? After a series of X posts lambasting the President and threatening to decommission a space capsule used to take astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station, Musk agreed that he would not do it. It was unclear how serious Musk's threat was, but several hours later in a reply to another X user he said he wouldn't do it. This gave way to some people thinking of a possible truce in sight, with Trump's White House aides reportedly arranging to schedule a call with the POTUS and Tesla CEO on Friday. POTUS refuses to talk However, quashing all hopes, a White House official said on Friday that Trump was not interested to talk to Musk, at least today. The White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that no phone call between Trump and the Tesla CEO was planned for the day. Earlier, a different White House official had said the two were going to talk. The US Supreme Court on Friday granted billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency access to personal information on millions of Americans amid an extended legal battle. DOGE plays a very important role in the Trump administration's aim to slash the federal workforce. According to Reuters, the justices put on hold Maryland-based US District Judge Ellen Hollander's order that blocked DOGE's access to the personal information of Americans. Maryland Judge's order put on hold Judge Hollander's order blocked DOGE's access to the Social Security data systems that contained the medical and financial records of millions of Americans. It was cited in the order that granting such access could violate federal privacy laws in the country. Also Read | Who is Abrego Garcia? Mistakenly deported man traveling back to face charges According to NBC, the conservative-majority court granted an emergency application filed by the Trump administration. The application requested the justices to lift an injunction issued by a federal judge in Maryland. Development comes around Musk-Trump fallout This comes at a time when Donald Trump and Elon Musk are caught in the middle of a major feud, with the latter taking to X to criticize the reigning US President. The Social Security data request was made by the Elon Musk-led DOGE before the fallout between the billionaire and the President. At the time, DOGE wanted to modernize the existing systems and detect waste and fraud at different levels. Their request revolved around Social Security numbers, medical records, and crucial financial information of Americans. These teams have a business need to access the data at their assigned agency and subject the governments records to much-needed scrutiny, Solicitor General D. John Sauer was quoted as writing in the court documents. Kilmar Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported from Maryland to El Salvador during the ongoing clampdown on illegal immigration in the United States by the Trump administration. However, he is now traveling back to the country to face fresh charges. According to an ABC report, Garcia will be facing charges for allegedly transporting undocumented migrants within the United States. These new charges were filed in Tennessee, long after Garcia's deportation to El Salvador, which happened on March 15. According to Reuters, Garcia's lawyers did not immediately comment on the details of the incident. Court records show that the charges were formally filed on May 21, over two months after his deportation from the United States. Later on, Abrego Garcias lawyer, Andrew Rossman, said the focus must now shift to ensuring his client is treated fairly under the US legal system. Rossman said, Today's action proves what we've known all along - that the administration had the ability to bring him back and just refused to do so. What does the indictment say? The indictment claims that Mr Garcia collaborated with at least five others to help immigrants enter the United States unlawfully and move them from the border to locations across the country. On Friday (June 6), US Attorney General Pam Bondi highlighted the charges at a news conference. The grand jury found that over the past nine years, Abrego Garcia has played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring. He made over 100 trips the grand jury found - smuggling people throughout our country... MS-13 [international criminal gang] members, violent gang terrorist organisation members... throughout our country, she said. She also added, He will be prosecuted in our country, sentenced in our country if convicted and then returned after completion of his sentence. Kingfisher Airlines owner Vijay Mallya, who once ran a business empire worth millions saw his net worth dwindling in the recent years. After taking up the role of United Breweries Group chairman at the age of 28, the liquor baron expanded into various sectors, including aviation, beverages, and real estate. Known as the King of Good Times," the journey of the successful businessman to a fugitive has been full of controversies. As per Forbes, his estimated net worth stood around $750 million in 2013. Meanwhile, Vijay Mallya's latest net worth report dates back to July 2022, when it was estimated to be around $1.2 billion, according to the Independent UK. Vijay Mallya assets Vijay Mallya reportedly owns a penthouse in New York's Trump Plaza, United States, which was purchased for $2.4 million in 2010. Besides this, he owns three luxury condos in the same building, according to IndiaToday. Two of these luxury condos were purchased jointly with his daughter. In addition to this, he owns the Le Grande Jardin estate in France which is located on the Island of Sainte-Marguerite, near Cannes. Also Read | Vijay Mallya reveals the story behind Virat Kohli's selection in RCB In 2012, Kingfisher Airlines encountered extreme financial troubles due to mounting debts and financial issues. Vijay Mallya blamed the 2008 global financial crisis for triggering the financial ruin. Embroiled in a long legal battle with lenders and the Indian authorities, Vijay Mallya recently revealed that he's willing to return to India provided he gets a fair trial. He flew to UK in 2016 after being accused in a bank loan default case of over 9,000 crore. In the following year, the Supreme Court found Vijay Mallya guilty in a case linked to the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines. He was found guilty of transferring $40m to his children and was sentenced to four months jail term. A fine of 2,000 (21) for a 2017 contempt of court case accompanied the punishment. Indian government applied for his extradition in 2017, but the 69-year-old businessman continues to deny any wrongdoing and has been fighting extradition in the courts ever since. To prove his innocence, Vijay Mallya in a recent podcast with Raj Shamani said, You may call me a fugitive for not going to India post March, but I didnt run away. I flew on a prescheduled visit. Fair enough, I didnt return for reasons that I consider are valid so if you want to call me a fugitive, go ahead. But where is the chor (thief) coming from? Where is the chori (theft)? The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) has asked the Punjab Police Chief to stop the Ahmadiyya community from performing Islamic rituals during Eid al-Adha, also known as Bakrid or Bakra Eid. According to LHCBAs letter, while Eid al-Adha is a sacred festival for Muslims, its rituals, like namaz (Islamic prayer) and animal sacrifice, are meant only for Muslims. The letter also claims that Ahmadis are a non-Muslim group. They are not legally or religiously allowed to use Islamic symbols or practise Islamic customs, the letter claims. Ahead of Eid al-Adha (June 6-10), Ahmadis faced growing threats, harassment and even deadly attacks. Since April, at least three Ahmadis have been killed, DAWN reported. Authorities in many areas forced Ahmadis to sign legal papers promising not to offer Eid prayers or perform animal sacrifices. If they break these terms, they could be fined up to 5 lakh Pakistani rupee ( 1.5 lakh) or face legal trouble. According to LHCBA, the Ahmadiyya community is still presenting themselves as Muslims, which is illegal. The letter claims that Ahmadis are openly organising events for Eid that look similar to Islamic traditions. The LHCBA calls it a violation of the Constitution of Pakistan, the Penal Code and past Supreme Court rulings. It asked police to take legal action if any Ahmadi was found violating these laws during Eid. In Pakistans Punjab province, Ahmadiyya community members have been asked to sign affidavits promising not to celebrate Bakrid or perform related rituals. This follows a 2023 order enforcing laws that ban Ahmadis from identifying as Muslims or practising Islamic traditions. Human rights groups have criticised the move as unfair and against religious freedom. Amnesty International has called on Pakistani authorities to stop the unfair treatment of the Ahmadiyya community. It has directed them to protect Ahmadis' right to follow their religion freely. Amnesty reviewed documents from five districts and found police orders in cities like Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi asking for action against Ahmadis. Even in Sialkot, authorities issued detention orders to stop them from celebrating Eid 2025. Amnesty says this shows the government is not just failing to protect Ahmadis but is actively limiting their religious freedom. Isabelle Lassee, Deputy Regional Director for South Asia at Amnesty International, raised concerns against the violence and harassment targeted against Ahmadis ahead of Eid 2025. Not only are local authorities and local enforcement agencies across Pakistan failing to protect Ahmadis, they are themselves actively restricting their rights to freedom of belief and religion, DAWN quoted Lassee as saying. Are Ahmadis Muslims? Ahmadis consider themselves Muslims and follow core Islamic beliefs like the Five Pillars and Six Articles of Faith. They believe Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the promised Messiah and a prophet while still respecting Prophet Muhammad. A shocking case in China has surfaced after 32 years. In 1992, a man named Li, then 29, killed his mother and 17-year-old girlfriend using a kitchen knife in his home in Weiyuan, Sichuan. The man then ran away. For years, the police couldnt trace him due to poor technology and lack of leads. Last year, investigators reopened the case and found something odd. Lis sister-in-law, surnamed Gu, also disappeared two months after the murders. She was never reported missing as she had a strained marriage with Lis elder brother. A village rumour suggested Gu and Li had an affair. In 2013, Gu visited her family, saying she had children but didnt reveal her location. Police traced her through an old phone number and tracked her to Jiangmen, Guangdong. A CCTV image of a woman in a cycle rickshaw confirmed her identity. Due to its bizarre twists, the case has gone viral on Chinese social media. Police tracked the man to a village after recognising him from an old photo. Villagers said he and his wife had lived there for 30 years, raising two children. An undercover officer collected a cigarette butt from Li at his construction site. DNA confirmed his identity. The murderer's confession Li confessed that, years ago, he killed his girlfriend after she had asked his mother for a large amount of money and threatened to leave. While attacking her, he accidentally stabbed his mother too. He hid in the mountains for two months, helped by his girlfriend Gu, who later agreed to run away with him. Life has been difficult for me over the years. You finally came. I am relieved to leave this life behind, the South China Morning Post quoted him as saying. Russia thinks chances are fading for agreeing on a new pact to replace the last nuclear arms control treaty with the US, which expires early next year, a top arms control official said. The main obstacle to any agreement is the state of US-Russian ties, which are in ruins, said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov in an interview published with the state-run Tass news service on Friday. There are no grounds for the full-scale resumption of the New START treaty under the current circumstances, Ryabkov said, according to Tass. Considering that the treaty is reaching the end of its life cycle in approximately eight months, any discussion about the realism of such a scenario is becoming increasingly meaningless. Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2023 suspended participation in the New START nuclear treaty though Moscow pledged to continue complying with its terms until the accords expiration. Russia in April said it continues to respect the pacts limits on nuclear arsenals, which restricts each side to 1,550 deployed strategic warheads. Then-US President Joe Biden extended the treaty by five years to 2026 as one of his first acts upon taking office in 2021 shortly before it was due to expire. Putin had pressed President Donald Trump during his first term without success to agree to a deal. Also Read | US Says Russia Used AI-Powered Bots in Disinformation Scheme The end of the treaty would mean the US loses access to inspections and monitoring data about the number of deployed Russian nuclear warheads, as well as the land- and sea-based vehicles used to launch them. * Cho Htun Aung, retired general and diplomat, shot dead on May 22 * Junta says arrested 16 people, including young girl * Myanmar in turmoil since 2021 coup triggered a civil war June 6 (Reuters) - Myanmar's military has arrested a six-year-old child as part of a group it labelled "terrorists" for the daytime killing of a retired military officer and diplomat last month, a junta-run newspaper reported on Friday. Cho Htun Aung, 68, a retired brigadier general who also served as an ambassador, was shot dead in Myanmar's commercial capital of Yangon on May 22, in one of the highest profile assassinations in a country in the throes of a widening civil war. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power in a February 2021 coup, overthrowing an elected government led by Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and triggering widespread protests. The junta's violent crackdown on dissent sparked an unprecedented nationwide uprising. A collection of established ethnic armies and new armed groups have wrested away swathes of territory from the well-armed military, and guerrilla-style fighting has erupted even in urban areas like Yangon. "A total of 16 offenders - 13 males and three females - were arrested," the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported. In an accompanying graphic, the newspaper carried the image of the six-year-old child, identified as the daughter of the alleged assassin. Her face was blurred in an online version of the newspaper seen by Reuters, but visible in other social media posts made by junta authorities. A junta spokesman did not respond to calls seeking comment. Golden Valley Warriors, an anti-junta insurgent group, said they killed the retired general because of his continued support for military operations, including attacks on civilians, according to a May 22 statement. The junta claims the group is backed by the National Unity Government - a shadow government comprising of remnants of Suu Kyu's ousted administration that is battling the military - and paid an assassin some 200,000 Myanmar Kyat ($95.52) for a killing, the state newspaper reported. NUG spokesperson Nay Phone Latt denied the shadow government had made any such payments. "It is not true that we are paying people to kill other people," he told Reuters. Since the coup, Myanmar's junta has arrested over 29,000 people, including more than 6,000 women and 600 children, according to the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners, an activist group. Fatalities among civilians and pro-democracy activists verified by AAPP during this period amount to more than 6,700, including 1,646 women and 825 children. Myanmar's junta has said it does not target civilians and its operations are in response to attacks by "terrorists" for maintaining peace and stability in the country. The biggest story swirling around Tesla Inc. right now concerns CEO Elon Musks sudden, if unsurprising, break with a leader who is as calm and unassuming as he is, US President Donald Trump. But the important story concerns what is happening far from these shores: China. Shipments from Teslas Shanghai factory fell by 15% in May compared with a year before, according to preliminary data from Chinas Passenger Car Association. That marks eight straight months of declining output from Teslas single biggest electric vehicle factory, accounting for around 40% of its global capacity. These figures dont reveal which of those EVs get sold in China or get exported from there, but this trend is not Teslas friend. Through April, Teslas share of Chinas battery EV market had fallen by more than half over the past four years, according to data compiled by New AutoMotive, a UK-based research firm. Also Read: Electric debacle: Teslas troubles started before Musk wore the MAGA cap The numbers also suggest deteriorating economics. On a simple, calendar-day basis, they imply Shanghai factory utilization of 76% in May. That isnt terrible, but its down significantly from last May. So far this year, excluding the month of February when Tesla was retooling for the refreshed Model Y, implied utilization is running 10 points lower than the same period in 2024. Speaking of that updated Model Y, it isnt a good sign that Tesla has already offered incentives like zero-percent financing in China. Taken together, lower capacity utilization, implying higher fixed costs per vehicle and higher discounts, meaning less net revenue, point to a continuing problem with what was all too apparent in Teslas first quarter results: Crushed profit margins in its main business. Unlike Teslas weaker EV sales in other important markets such as California and Europe, the slide in China has nothing to do with Musks politics. Teslas reputation within China remains high, viewed as an essential catalyst in revolutionizing the quality and scale of the countrys auto sector. Except that catalyst isnt quite the right word, because the beauty of catalysts is that they spark transformations but dont get used up in the process. In this case, it would be more accurate to call Tesla a reactant, because the domestic Chinese EV industry spurred on by its example is now eating it alive. Also Read: Mint Quick Edit | BYD versus Tesla: Let merit decide pole position While Teslas share of Chinas battery EV sales is down to about 10% so far this year, that drops to 5.8% when you include other so-called new energy vehicles (NEVs) such as plug-in hybrids, according to figures compiled by Goldman Sachs. Competitors including BYD, which holds about 27% of Chinas NEV market, are now delivering the sort of excitement that Tesla used to in terms of looks, range and driver assistance featuresand at lower prices. Xiaomi, the smartphone maker, is in the process of launching the YU7, a high-tech, fast-charging electric SUV that resembles a Porsche or Ferrari but is perhaps best pictured as a Model Y-seeking missile. In an alternate dimension, China would serve as a hothouse laboratory for Tesla to hone world beating, profitable EVs that might even be exported to its home market. In the dimension weve got, Musk has seemingly lost his ambition to develop brand new, affordable EVs that can compete across the world. Teslas last genuinely new model, the Cybertruck, is certainly big but only about as beautiful" as the Trump tax bill that Musk now openly derides as an abomination." While Tesla sits apart from the legacy automakers in the US, Germany and Japan in many respects certainly in terms of valuationit has, like them, seen its position in China weaken rapidly. And regardless of Musks latest posts on X, he worked hard to secure the election of a president and Congressional majority intent on crushing EV sales in the US. With the end of the second quarter approaching, and the sales figures emanating from China and Europe portending another set of weak earnings, it is perhaps little wonder that this narrative is crowded out by all manner of other things. Musk, who ditched Teslas public relations team and routinely denounces the media as propaganda" has nonetheless plunged into a media blitz of late, and has now whipped up a new political intrigue. Also Read: Teslas slump: When social intelligence clashes with artificial intelligence Is the break with Trump real? My litmus test: watch out if @elonmusk posts a picture of a taco. [His other jabs at Trump on X seem convincing enough]. Plus, of course, we have the imminent launch of Teslas self-driving cars in Austin, Texas. Whatever they actually turn out to be, with the always dubious narrative of Musks White House job boosting Teslas fortunes now played out, those robotaxis constitute the main pillar supporting Teslas triple-digit earnings multiple. Certainly, that number has nothing to do with whats happening in the biggest EV market on the planet. Bloomberg The author is a Bloomberg Opinion writer. Union Minister Giriraj Singh criticised Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday, calling him "useless" and alleging that he questioned the Indian army. Rahul Gandhi opposed India's valour, questioned its Army's bravery, and tarnished the army's reputation worldwide, ANI quoted Giriraj Singh. Further elaborating his statement, Singh said, PM Modi isn't being insulted. Did the army win in 1971, or did Indira ji win? It's the army that won. Atal ji was in the opposition, and he said there's no party now, only Bharat. And this useless person (Rahul Gandhi) is mocking and making fun of the nation's bravery and the army. Such a person should be boycotted. Rahul Gandhi's Bihar visit Rahul Gandhi is expected to address the 'Constitution Conference' and participate in multiple programs in Bihar today, ANI reported. Calling out the visit of the Congress leader, the Union Minister said, The Bihar public will oppose him, why would they vote for someone who doesn't respect the army or the nation? Rahul Gandhi's tongue is like Pakistan, and he does not respect the nation." Also Read | When are Bihar Elections 2025 expected to be held? Rahul Gandhi visited Darbhanga earlier In May, Rahul Gandhi interacted with students in Darbhanga and discussed key issues such as caste census and reservation. He visited Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga to deliver an address even after the Bihar Police denied him permission, resulting in a case filed against him by the district administration. During his earlier visit, Rahul Gandhi urged the need for a caste census, while highlighting the importance of social justice. Bihar Assembly elections Gandhi's current visit comes ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, where the ruling National Democratic Alliance , led by the Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) and the BJP, the Mahagathbandhan or the Grand Alliance) comprising the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the INC, and other parties, are the main contenders. The last assembly elections were conducted in three phases from October to November 2020. The National Democratic Alliance secured 125 seats in the previous elections. The BJP won 74 seats, and the JD(U) obtained 43 seats. Meanwhile, the Mahagathbandhan, consisting of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and Left parties, secured 110 seats in the 243-seat legislative assembly. Investors shouldnt get their hopes up about the talks President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping held on Thursday. The two spoke by phone to discuss rare earths and trade, defusing a tit-for-tat that had put into question the fragile truce reached in mid May. Having the worlds two largest economies on talking terms, with both leaders inviting the other for a visit and sending top officials to meet their counterparts again on trade, was a near-term positive. It reduces the risk that the levies could return to the trade-paralyzing levels seen before the May agreement. But geopolitical strategists saw little that meaningfully reduces the uncertainty hanging over businesses. Markets rose after the call on the notion that Trump would back down on the tariffs when they become too disruptive, but ended lower. From an investor perspective in the short-term because theres the view he will flip on his worst impulses, but it doesnt work for the economy or businesses and ultimately that uncertainty will lead to a slowdown, which in theory will be reflected back into the market, said Stephen Myrow, managing director at the independent research firm Beacon Policy Advisors. He previously held various roles in the State and Defense Departments. The call was aimed at breaking an impasse sparked by differing interpretations of what the two sides agreed on in the May talks in Geneva. The U.S. says China hadnt lifted restrictions on the sale of rare-earth minerals, including magnets crucial for automotive and industrial use. And Beijing complained that the U.S. violated the deal with further restrictions on access to artificial-intelligence chip technology and electronic design automation software. The State Departments plans to revoke Chinese students visas, announced after the truce, added to Chinas concern. The way the two governments presented Thursdays discussion added to skepticism any real progress was made. China has been seriously and earnestly executing the agreement, said a readout on the call by Beijing, which stressed that Trump had initiated the conversation. The U.S. side should acknowledge the progress already made, and remove the negative measures taken against China. Trump, meanwhile, described the call and his relationship with Xi positively. He said Chinese students were welcome in the U.S. a week after the State Department said it would look to aggressively revoke their visasand noted that issues around critical minerals were complicated. I think we are in very good shape with China and the trade deal. We were straightening out some of the points related to rare earths and magnets, he told reporters during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. We have the deal and just want to make sure everyone understands what the deal is. But executing the agreement isnt easy. The off-ramp on tariffs was much easier than for export controls. said Myrow. Its a lot harder to release the chips they want versus reducing tariffs. Support for restricting Chinas access to technology is much broader than for tariffs, he pointed out. These strategic supply chain choke points are the crux of the issue and we basically have a gun pointed at each others heads. Myrow said. The mistake many in the Trump administration make is they think they have China over the barrel economically. While they have a lot of economic leverage, they underestimate Chinas ability to weather political pain. Most analysts expect export controls to stay in focus. Michael Hirson, head of China research at 22V Research, said he is watching whether the U.S. gives China any assurances about future U.S. export restrictions. Many in U.S. national security circles are calling for increased controls to shore up the U.S.s position in artificial intelligence competition heats up from the likes of Chinas DeepSeek and Huawei. Investors and companies now looking to the next meeting between high-level U.S. officials and their counterparts may want to lower their expectations. The divide is wide and perceptions are deeply entrenched. This is going to take a while, said Everett Eissenstat, a partner at Squire Patton Boggs who served as deputy director in the National Economic Council during the first Trump term. I grew up on a small farm in central Pennsylvania with a small herd of cattle, pigs and chickens, but my folks werent real farmers. My father was an insurance agent and my mother a homemaker. This became a source of contempt from the neighboring kids whose fathers tilled the land. My dad walked into his office in town around 10 a.m. wearing a suit and shiny shoes; their dads were in their milking parlors before sunrise, wearing overalls and manure-covered boots. I was desperate for the farm kids to like me. I joined Future Farmers of America, built a hay wagon from scratch, gushed about heifers and harvesters at farm shows and wore the same style of western jeans and trucker boots they did. None of it worked, and when their shunning didnt deter me, they turned to bullying. Late one night when I was about 17, my family woke to the sound of a gunshot; I recognized a farm kids pickup truck speeding away. The next morning I found our beagle, Paula, with a bullet hole in her head. Two weeks later, I was home alone when there was an explosion. The same pickup roared off as smoke from our mangled mailbox soared into the cornfield. I wanted revenge, bad. Living in the country and being hunters, we had plenty of guns. I grabbed a loaded revolver from my fathers nightstand, jumped in my mothers car and tore off into the night, shouting and cursing at the top of my lungs. I didnt get revenge that night, but eventually I went into the professional revenge business: I became a lawyer. The way I saw it, lawyers get paid, a lot, for selling revenge to the masses. Getting revenge for my clients occupied the next 20 years of my life. By the end, I was little more than a briefcase-carrying version of the kids who had bullied me. I threatened and retaliated my way through grievances involving the people who hired me, as well as personal grievances I had with my family, friends, neighbors and sometimes even myself. It seemed like I was addicted to revenge, but so were people everywhere, from sparring couples to disgruntled employees, road ragers, gangbangers and spiteful politicians. I began to hate what I did for a living and descended into a professional and psychological crisis. One night, I found myself alone contemplating suicide. Can you become addicted to revenge? I stopped being a litigator and spent much of the next two decades trying to find out. Neuroscientists at universities around the world were beginning to use scanning technology to study what happens inside your brain when you seek revenge. With a psychologist, I co-founded a mental-health peer-support agency and hired Yale School of Medicine researchers to help develop a program for prison inmates, including therapy for vengeful urges. Eventually Yale offered me the opportunity to do such research myself. It turns out that your brain on revenge looks very much like your brain on drugs. In a 2004 study published in the journal Science, participants were given the opportunity to retaliate against players who betrayed them during economic games, but at the cost of bankrupting themselves. PET scans of their brains showed activation of the dorsal striatum, part of the circuitry involved in habit formation and addiction. A decade later, a study published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience subjected participants to noise blasts and gave them the chance to retaliate. Functional MRIs revealed activation of their nucleus accumbens, part of the brain most implicated in pleasure and craving. The brains of participants who didnt seek revenge showed successful intervention by the prefrontal cortexthe area of the brain responsible for executive function and self-control, which appears to be hijacked during addiction. Grievances, real or imagined, appear to cue the brain to crave revenge in much the same way that stress and anxiety, or seeing drug paraphernalia or places of drug use, cue the brains of addicts to crave narcotics. Addiction scientists describe this mechanism as part of the brains system for maintaining balance between pleasure and pain, calibrated partly by levels of dopamine. Being harmed or treated unfairly, or experiencing anger, disgust, guilt or shame, activates the brains pain network"specifically, a brain structure called the anterior insula. Getting revenge, or even just fantasizing about it, releases dopamine and produces feelings of pleasure that cover up the pain and restore balance, for a while. As with drugs and alcohol, however, the effects wear off quickly. Taking revenge, psychologists at Colgate University have found, produces negative consequences in the long run, including anxiety about becoming a victim of continued escalation of the conflict. Weve all experienced the urge to punish people who violate social norms or mistreat us. Most of us control these urges, perhaps briefly fantasizing about the deliciously terrible things wed like to do before moving on with our lives, leaving the pain of the past where it belongs, in the past. But not everyone is so successful, not all grievances are the same or experienced in the same way, and were not always able to control our revenge cravings. Human history is filled with horrifying examples of compulsive revenge seeking, from cruel acts of interpersonal violence to nation-sized conflicts. Now that we know the addictive underpinnings of revenge-spurred violence, we also can begin to use addiction-recovery approaches to counteract it. These might include public health campaigns and school programs to warn about the addictive danger of revenge, as well as addiction treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, self-help programs and possibly anti-craving medications, similar to those in the GLP-1 family that are so successful against overeating. Neuroscience has also recently shown a simpler and more potent method of addressing revenge addiction and violence. Its called forgiveness. A brain-scan study at UCLA found that participants who chose to forgive rather than retaliate reduced activity in their brains pain network and reward circuitry, and increased activity in their self-control circuitry. This suggests that forgiveness is a freely available wonder drug that reducesrather than merely covering upthe pain of grievances, eliminates revenge craving and bolsters executive function. We now have neuroscience support for the ancient forgiveness teachings of Jesus and the Buddha. To be sure, revenge is everywhere. Studies show that most people have experienced recent revenge desires. Sigmund Freud believed that in our minds we are hourly doing away with the people who wrong us. We dont have to look beyond our own homes, schools, streets, workplaces, government buildings, TVs, computers or smartphones to see the damage. Can we help an entire nation that has become addicted to revenge? It may not be as difficult as it seems. We simply need to follow the modern science and ancient teachings about forgiveness. We need to Make America Forgiving Again. That night when I was 17, I eventually cornered the farm kids. They climbed out of the truck, three or four of them, squinting back into my headlights. They were unarmed and didnt know I had a gun. I grabbed it from the passenger seat and started to open the door. And then I had a sudden insight: The cost of getting the revenge I craved was more than I was willing to pay. I put the gun back down and drove home, terrified at what Id come within seconds of possibly doing. It took me decades more to realize what I needed to do instead. Imagine what would happen if each of us, and our political leaders, understood two simple words: I forgive." James Kimmel, Jr. is a lecturer in psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. This essay is adapted from his new book, The Science of Revenge: Understanding the Worlds Deadliest Addictionand How to Overcome It," published by Harmony Books. The official start of summer is June 20, and this means more people will want to enjoy the scenic city. The state has helped invest in our Riverfront Parks right here in Chattanooga. Gov. Bill Lee, local officials celebrate state funding for Chattanooga Riverfront project The project is in the final stages of the design, with an estimated price tag of $54-million. The Riverfront Parks will be able to continue to flourish for generations to come all with the thanks of the help of the recent contribution that was made of $15 million. "Having come here when I was a kid and then bring my own kids and then now bring my grandkids, to watch the transformation of this city has been a remarkable thing," says Tennessee State Governor Bill Lee at a thank-you event was hosted for his and the state delegation on May 5th. With the help of Lee, $15 million is now included in the 2025-2026 budget to be used for both upkeep and updating the Riverfront Parks in Chattanooga. Tennessee State Senator Bo Watson says this decision was made after re-evaluating the state's lack of history in helping our parks in 23 years. "I looked back historically, the state really had not been involved at all in the twenty-three years ago when we first did this, and I thought it was something that the state 'otta really engage itself in," says Watson. Watson describes the state delegation is strong and works well together. Members will be funding assistance for the project. The state says their next project will include implementing more trees for shade, additional food and beverage options, a pier cafe, more lawn space, and a designated space for kids to play. The goal is to boost tourism and the economy. "When there's economic activity, the tax spaces increased, the services to the community are increased, and frankly, Chattanoogans benefit," explains Lee. Lee mentions tourists around the country want to travel to Chattanooga to visit and build their capital and businesses in our vibrant economy. He wants the space to be filled with more nature, walkability, and green spaces. He says the project will improve the nature of the space vastly. He reminds us the waterfront is part of Chattanoogas history and DNA, and they want to build upon that to make it even more of what Chattanooga was originally like. Lee wants to prioritize parks because they provide a quality of life you cannot find anywhere else. He mentions when cities begin to recognize the value and leverage of history to create a better future, there is a lesson learned in doing so. Chattanoogas Director of Special Projects Ellis Smith says the money from the boost will fund the state budget which funds our schools. This is because sales tax funds the state. Mayor Weston Wamp emphasizes this important investment, and it will be used on an as-needed basis. "The great cities of the world are known not for their newest toys or their newest initiatives, but for those icons that they're communities have protected and preserved and continue to invest in so that they're even better for the next generation," says Wamp. Wamp wants people to experience a time as incredible as the photos you see of the scenic city. The city has learned from its award-winning designs, but the upgrades are needed since the space is not as livable as it used to be and there are not enough shaded areas. He wants to recreate the experience of being more immersive and energized like it used to be. Stay tuned for additional updates about the recent upgrades that are going to be made. UPDATE: The family of a Cleveland realtor says they are against the death penalty for her ex-husband charged with her murder. Craig Liner, 61, faces charges of first-degree murder and felony murder in the death of his ex-wife, Karen Liner. Despite the state wanting to file for the death penalty, the victim's family asked for it not to be pursued. A jury trail has been set for May 12, 2026 for Liner. Liner has not retained an attorney, and a public defender may be appointed if he cannot afford one. A final decision will be made on his attorney on August 1. The murder trial will be separate from his solicitation of murder charge. Police say Liner attempted to arrange the murder of his ex-mother-in-law while in prison. PREVIOUS STORY: The man accused of plotting to kill his mother-in-law while in jail and charged with the murder of his ex-wife appeared in court Thursday. A fellow inmate testified that he wore a wire and that Craig Liner approached him to quote "solve his problem" about his mother-in-law. They worked with the inmate to record future interactions as an undercover hitman. The case will go to the grand jury in July. Stay with Local 3 for updates. PREVIOUS STORY: The Cleveland man charged with the murder of his realtor ex-wife is now accused of soliciting to murder his mother-in-law while he was in jail. A fellow inmate reported to detectives that Craig Liner, 61, had brought up killing his mother-in-law on "multiple occasions," according to an affidavit obtained by Local 3 News. Officials gave the inmate gear to covertly record their future interactions as an undercover hitman. Although the technology ended up glitching, the Bradley County Sheriff's Office still had enough information to charge Liner. Liner, apparently frustrated after his first court appearance, allegedly asked the inmate: "If a man wanted something done, hypothetically speaking, what would it take?" He reportedly offered to give the inmate his boat and car, worth several thousand dollars, if he murdered the mom of his slain ex-wife, Karen Liner. Craig said Karen "took half of his money" and now his mother-in-law was "trying to take the rest." "You are going to take care of my problem?" Liner asked while they were walking near the jail's recreation room. "Yes, it's a deal," said the inmate in response. He told Liner he would give him his phone number for "when he got out." Law enforcement served a search warrant at a storage facility for the 2017 Malibu boat that Liner was going to use as payment in the murder-for-hire plot. The participating inmate has not asked for anything in exchange for the undercover operation, besides the option to be moved to a different pod or facility, if needed, for his safety. PREVIOUS STORY: A Cleveland man charged with the murder of his ex-wife is now accused of soliciting to commit first degree murder while in prison. Craig Liner, 61, has been in jail facing charges of first-degree murder and felony murder in the death of ex-wife, realtor Karen Liner. According to court records obtained by Local 3 News, he solicited to commit murder while incarcerated. We are working to learn more about what prompted this new charge. This is a developing story. Stay with Local 3 News for the most reliable updates. PREVIOUS STORY: A Cleveland man charged with the murder of his ex-wife last month appeared in court today for a preliminary and bond hearing. Craig Liner, 61, faces charges of first-degree murder and felony murder in the death of his ex-wife, realtor Karen Liner. WATCH: Ex-husband charged with murder of Cleveland realtor appears in court Liner is charged with first-degree murder and felony murder, Cleveland police say. He is being held at the Bradley County Justice Center with no bond. During the hearing, eight witnesses testified, including Cleveland Police Detective, Don Nation, who shared that surveillance footage from a neighboring home captured Liner pulling into Karen's driveway in broad daylight and firing five shots. Nation described how Liner walked out of the garage and got into a white sedan parked in the driveway. After a brief pause, Liner reportedly exited the car and fired at least one more shot. The court also heard testimony from Liner's first cousin, Jay Collins, who said that Liner had spent the evening before the murder at his home, acting normally. However, the following day, Liner reportedly showed up at Collins' house, saying he needed to get rid of several guns. Liner allegedly told Collins, "It's over" and "I finished it." When asked by prosecutors if he believed his cousins statement, Collins admitted he was unsure, which led him to call police. Collins also revealed that Liner had been in the process of selling the home he shared with Karen and had recently been let go from his position as a pharmacist at CHI Memorial Hospital. After hearing the testimony, Judge Clay Collins remarked that the evidence in the case appeared to be strong. He ruled that the case would be sent to the grand jury without bond. The grand jury is set to meet on April 28th to decide if the case will move forward to trial. The investigation into the murder continues, and Liner remains in custody pending the grand jury's decision. A train passenger, who was disruptive while travelling through county Longford on the Sligo to Dublin service and highly abusive to Gardai after he got off, has been directed to make a charitable contribution. Patrick McDonagh of 45 Greenfield Estate, Longford pleaded guilty to several public order breaches on May 13 last. Sergeant Enda Daly said Gardai received multiple complaints and at 4.10pm they attended Longford Train Station. "The defendant was highly intoxicated on the Sligo to Dublin train and engaged in antisocial behaviour. Also Read: Longford Branch of Mary's Meals raise 36,000 with super barn dance and fun day "Numerous calls were received from both members of the public and the train driver in relation to his behaviour," the prosecuting officer added. Sgt Daly said when the train arrived in Longford, the defendant along with two others, were asked to leave the train. "They left and when on the platform continued to be very abusive and insulting to Gardai. "There was a lot of members of the public present at the time and he was subsequently arrested." The defendant had no previous convictions. Also Read: PICTURES | Longford country music lovers enjoy open air concert at beautiful Richmond Harbour Solicitor Frank Gearty described that summary as being more than fair and it appears he had been homeless at the time. The legal representative stated his client had travelled to Longford on the train again for his court appearance. "This time he was in a totally different state. "He acknowledges that his behaviour was shocking, appalling, he understands that and he is pleading with the court to consider dealing with him in a way that will give him an opportunity to travel," he added. Mr Gearty said his client is a highly articulate man who is determined to make amends and he has ambitions of travelling to Thailand where he hopes to teach English. Also Read: Longford Branch of Mary's Meals raise 36,000 with super barn dance and fun day "He is willing to make a contribution to the court poor box or any other charity," he added. Mr Gearty said Mr McDonagh could have the money within a month or two and he could 'prove he was on the correct road to sobriety'. "He is not letting this happen again, he has now got hostel accommodation situated a few rows from where he was homeless. "He knows this is his last chance." Judge Bernadette Owens decided to give Mr McDonagh an opportunity to make a 300 contribution to the court poor box and said if this was done she would strike out the matter before adjourning the case until September 9. An uninsured Longford motorist who was caught by Gardai has been disqualified from driving for two years. Thomas O'Reilly of Congress Terrace , Longford pleaded guilty at the local district court to driving without insurance, a licence and NCT cert at 4.25pm on the Athlone Road, Townparks. Sergeant Enda Daly said Gardai stopped him and made a demand to for him to produce his insurance and driving licence at a garda station of his choice, however, he failed to do so. Mr O'Reilly had 21 previous convictions. Also Read: Food Village 3m investment a huge vote of confidence in Longford Solicitor Ms O'Callaghan said her client had some difficulties in the past and Mr O'Reilly had struggled with his health for a large part of his life. Ms O'Callaghan said Mr O'Reilly was going through a period of 'instability' in 2018 and he bought a car, sold it and then purchased it again and the vehicle then had no insurance. "He tells me that he used to drive to AA meetings in the company of an elderly gentleman who supported him." Also Read: 'Remarkable' woman killed in Galway house fire spent five years on death row in US prison Ms O'Callaghan appealed to Judge Bernadette Owens for leniency. Judge Owens considered the case and she imposed the driving ban and a 600 fine with three days of imprisonment in default. A man who subjected two of his younger sisters to horrific and repeated sexual abuse in the 1970s has been jailed for four and a half years. Bernard Brennan, aged 67, formerly of Rathfarnham, Dublin, but most recently residing in the United States, pleaded guilty to 11 counts of indecent assault at various locations within the State between 1972 and 1975. He has no previous convictions. His sisters, Yvonne Crist and Paula Fay, waived their anonymity so Brennan could be named. Passing sentence at the Central Criminal Court on Thursday Mr Justice Paul McDermott said the facts of the case were appalling. He said that while the abuse Brennan pleaded guilty to fell under the historic term of 'indecent assault', today the abuse would constitute offences that have a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. However, he noted the court was bound by law to the maximum penalty of two years' imprisonment and that Brennan was a juvenile when he committed the abuse. READ NEXT: Gardai urge people to check remote sheds and outhouses for man missing almost three weeks Brennan pleaded guilty in advance of his trial date to four counts of indecent assault against Ms Crist and seven counts of indecent assault against Ms Fay. Ms Crist was aged 13, while Ms Fay was just seven years old when the abuse started. Mr Justice McDermott said some of the abuse perpetrated against the sisters was horrific to hear and to describe. He said they gave eloquent, moving statements outlining the horrors they have experienced and the pain they have suffered as a result of the abuse. He said the devastation the abuse caused was unspeakable and the penalties to be imposed were by reason of history and nothing else. He set a headline sentence of 21 months for each count and reduced this to 15 months, taking mitigating factors into account. He imposed four concurrent sentences of 15 months on Brennan, amounting to five years' imprisonment. He reduced this to four and a half years and backdated it to when Brennan went into custody earlier this year. At a previous hearing, Detective Garda Neil Fogarty told Patrick McCullough, BL, prosecuting, that in relation to Ms Fay, the abuse started when the then seven-year-old was called in to the house by Brennan then aged 14 years old and forced to take off her clothes in front of a group of local boys. Brennan touched her inappropriately in front of these boys and from then on the abuse escalated, to include oral rape. He would wake her in the night to abuse her. The court heard he threatened Ms Fay that their family would be split up if she told anyone about the abuse. Ms Crist was 13 and Brennan was aged 15 when he started abusing her. He would wake her in the night, sexually assault her and make her watch pornography. He digitally penetrated her and performed oral sex on her. She was afraid to call out or tell her parents for fear of physical punishment, the court heard. Brennan subjected both girls to abuse in front of and with a third party, the court heard. A letter was found from Brennan to his father, dated 2012, in which he apologised to his parents for abusing his sisters, but stated that he had no memory of it. READ NEXT: Motorists to face fines and penalty points in new plan to combat misuse at level crossings In her victim impact statement, Ms Crist said it has been hard to trust anyone in her life except her sister. Incest has affected me, and I have had to bury it deep inside, she said. You took my innocence, and I will never forget that, she said. I have become a strong person, and I have met these challenges head-to-head. I forgave you, my brother, a long time ago, but I have had to hang onto the past until now. The truth has now been told, and you will now be known as a sexual predator for the rest of your life. You have put us through hell, she added. May you never find peace again. Ms Fay also read her victim impact statement to the court, in which she said she was silenced in her childhood and felt invisible, worthless and inferior. Growing up as a child, I always felt incapable, insufficient and inadequate, she said. I should have felt safe in my childhood home. I struggle with being alone because that's when the thoughts of self-doubt come back. She said the legal process has been a long and arduous one, starting back in 2021. I have felt so much freedom since, and so much weight lifted off my shoulders, she said. I chose to survive. Today, I truly became a survivor. I now have justice. Detective Garda Fogarty agreed with Miska Hanahoe BL, defending, that her client has no previous convictions in Ireland or any other jurisdiction. The garda agreed with counsel that he immediately stated he would travel from the United States to Ireland and indicated that he would plead guilty. Ms Hanahoe said her client offers an unreserved apology to both of the injured parties. She said Brennan has suffered profound guilt and shame throughout his life. Counsel said he grew up in a violent home and that his only sexual education was from pornography, which he re-enacted. She said her client has no memory of the abuse but does not dispute the evidence of his sisters. She said he has never tried to minimise his wrongdoing. He asked the court to take into account that the Probation Services have placed him at low risk of reoffending, that he has cooperated fully with the gardai, that he has shown remorse, and his age at the time of the offending. It would be untenable to have an immigration system in which children could not be deported, the Justice Minister has said. Jim OCallaghan said it would not be a good idea to prevent the deportation of children as it would have a very significant impact on the number of people seeking asylum in Ireland. He was speaking after five children and nine women were among 35 people deported from Ireland to Nigeria on Wednesday night. The minister said the move, which was the third chartered flight used for deportations this year, was value for money at a cost of 324,714 euro. Speaking on Friday, Mr OCallaghan said: Can I just say its not a pleasant part of the job, but it is a very important part of the job. In order to have a functioning immigration system, there has to be a consequence for people who are in the country unlawfully, whether theyve overstayed a work permit, or whether they sought asylum and havent been granted asylum. Ive heard the commentary in respect of children being deported. I think the system will become untenable if we introduce rules or a new policy that says children cannot be deported. He added: Its an unpleasant part of the job, but I think if I introduced a policy like that, the effect would be that wed be an outlier in Europe, and that people would know that if they came to Ireland seeking asylum with children, that irrespective of the outcome, they couldnt be removed. It would have a very significant impact in the number of people coming to Ireland seeking asylum. So I dont think its a good idea. The minister said Ireland is a very fair country in allowing people seeking asylum to integrate into communities. The alternative is that we would do what they do in some countries and dont allow any form of integration we allow people to integrate. He added: But I suppose a consequence of the asylum process is if you apply and youre refused there has to be a consequence, and if there isnt a consequence then whats the point in having the whole system in place in the first place? I can understand the concern that people have about it, but I just say the system will become untenable if a rule was introduced which said that children could not be deported. It would mean that people could come to Ireland with children in the knowledge that no matter what the outcome, they would never be required to leave. Mr OCallaghan said his message to people was that they had to comply with the law. If you receive a deportation order, you have to comply with it. Its not meaningless. It means something. If you get a deportation order, and if you have children, youve got to get your circumstances in order, and that requires you to leave. Speaking at Leinster House earlier on Friday, Sinn Fein TD Eoin O Broin said that the international protection system needs to be compassionate, human rights-based, and timely. He said: Nobody should be waiting three, four or five years for the final decision to be made, and then when people are refused, not just refused in the first instance, but refused on appeal, they need to be safely returned to their country of origin. So thats the way the system should work. Obviously, weve expressed enormous concern in the way in which the government is operating the current system. He added: Theres far too much privateering, very poor-quality accommodation for adults and children awaiting the decisions. The decisions are taking far, far too long, and I know that from working with people inside the process. Where people are refused and are to be returned to the country of origin, it needs to be done in a compassionate and a safe manner. We will continue to raise our concerns with the government, but the system has to work. It has to work fairly efficiently, but ultimately the decisions have to be enforced. Hamas leaders in Gaza who the IDF has eliminated during the war. (IDF) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the death of Hamas chief Muhammad Sinwar during a parliamentary session on May 28. Netanyahu said that Sinwar was eliminated in a May 13 strike targeting a Hamas command center beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged the killing of Sinwar on May 31, adding that the strike also killed Hamass Rafah Brigade commander, Muhammad Shabana, and the south Khan Yunis battalion commander, Mahdi Kawara. Muhammad Sinwar had risen to prominence following the killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, his older brother, by the IDF in October 2024. Israel and the United States charged that Yahya Sinwar was the mastermind behind Hamass October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which escalated into the ongoing conflict. After Yahyas death, Muhammad assumed the leadership of Hamas in Gaza until his elimination last month. Hamas has not formally acknowledged the death of Sinwar or Shabana. The Islamist organization has kept a policy of not disclosing the deaths of most of its members and senior leaders during active conflict. Nevertheless, the deaths of Sinwar and Shabana have tightened the increasingly small circle of remaining Hamas leaders in Gaza who were responsible for launching the October 7 surprise attack on southern Israel. Izz al Din al Haddad. Among the most prominent remaining Hamas members who could succeed Sinwar is Gaza Brigade Commander Izz al Din al Haddad, also known as Abu Suhaib. Haddad has been a member of Hamas since the group declared itself as the Islamic Resistance Movement in 1987. Since his start in the nascent organization, Haddad has risen through the groups ranks and eventually replaced Gaza Brigade Commander Bassem Issa, who was killed by Israel in 2021 during Operation Guardian of the Walls. During the ongoing conflict, Israel has attempted to eliminate Haddad but has thus far failed. However, the IDF successfully targeted and killed both of his sons, Suhaib and Moaz. The IDF recently underscored that Haddad remains a high-priority target by circulating leaflets in Gaza featuring his image with a warning that he would receive a ticket to hell. Raed Saad. Another top Hamas military figure who has evaded Israeli elimination is Head of Operations Raed Saad, aka Abu Moaz. In June 2024, there were reports that the IDF killed Saad in a strike in Gaza City, but confirmation of his elimination never materialized. In general, Hamas does not disclose details about its senior members. However, a 2005 article in Fajr al Intisar named Saad a leader in Gaza. Furthermore, a Ynet report stated that Saad devised the Jericho Wall invasion plan as a countermeasure to Israels construction of an underground border barrier. From left to right: Khudayfah al Kahlout, Haytham al Hawajri, and Hussein Fayyad. Other Hamas figures who have survived the war, including Khudayfah al Kahlout (also known as Abu Obeida), Al Shaati battalion commander Haytham al-Hawajri, and Beit Hanoun battalion commander Hussein Fayyad, are potential contenders to fill the ranks of Hamass depleted leadership. However, Kahlout is a spokesperson and likely lacks the operational command experience required for military leadership. While Hawajri and Fayyad possess battlefield experience, neither has demonstrated the strategic leadership or organizational influence necessary to guide a Hamas that will likely face a period of profound reconstruction should it remain in power in Gaza. That said, if any of these individuals survive the war, their standing within the organization will almost certainly rise. Hamass future in Gaza remains uncertain, as does the identity of its next leader in the territory. While the group maintains an external leadership structure based in Qatar, Turkey, and elsewhere, it ultimately requires a commander on the ground in Gaza to maintain control and legitimacy. However, at present, Hamas has not publicly said it has appointed a new leader in the Strip, likely due to the high risk of Israeli elimination (A secret leadership appointment has happened before). The IDF has inflicted significant damage on Hamass leadership cadre, particularly by eliminating senior figures with decades of operational experience against Israel. Still, if Hamas manages to continue ruling Gaza after the war, it will select a new leader and rebuild, as it has in past conflicts. Joe Truzman is an editor and senior research analyst at FDD's Long War Journal focused primarily on Palestinian armed groups and non-state actors in the Middle East. Members of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) meet with authorities in Damascus on June 1. (SANA) A delegation from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) met with the new Syrian government in Damascus on June 1. The talks are aimed at fully integrating the autonomous eastern Syria regions military and civilian institutions into the states new institutions. The meeting followed a March meeting between Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) leader Mazlum Abdi and Syrian President Ahmad al Sharaa, which became a turning point in talks between eastern Syria and Damascus. Since 2015, eastern Syria has largely been an autonomous region led by the US-backed SDF and the civilian authorities of the AANES. The current Syrian government is led by Sharaa, who commanded Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), and a core of other HTS leaders who came to power in Damascus after the fall of Bashar al Assad. HTS, which remains a US-designated terrorist organization, previously ran Idlib province in northwest Syria. Syrian government officials and a delegation from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) convened in Damascus on Sunday, June 1, for a formal round of negotiations aimed at implementing the March 10 agreement between President Ahmad al Sharaa and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Commander Mazloum Abdi, stated the Syrian media outlet Levant24, which reflects mainstream reports in Damascus. Before the June 1 meeting, media in eastern Syria said that the AANESs visit would focus on addressing the terms of the March agreement between the SDF and Damascus. On April 12, the SDF announced the formation of a committee tasked with representing northeastern Syria in dialogue with the transitional government in Damascus, North Press noted. The goals of the Damascus meetings were to anchor the March meeting in a framework of talks and negotiations. There are many hurdles to overcome that affect not only the status of the SDF and how it might integrate into the new Syrian army but also the status of civilian institutions in eastern Syria. The SDF and AANES are primarily led by members of the Kurdish minority in Syria, whereas the leaders in Damascus are mainly Sunni Arabs, with several minorities among the two dozen new ministers in the government. Levant24 noted that the June 1 meeting was described as positive and responsible. The report added that it focused on core mechanisms to integrate AANES-administered regions into the state structure, with both sides emphasizing national unity and civil stability. Specialized subcommittees will now be established to handle issues including administrative integration, civic services, and security arrangements. Other key issues include the status of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and a deal in Aleppo, where an enclave held by Kurdish fighters through the civil war is now being integrated into the wider city. Around six months remain to fulfill the March decision to fully incorporate eastern Syrias civilian and military structuresincluding control of border crossings, oil fields, and internal securityinto the Syrian state by the end of 2025, Levant24 noted. The meeting comes amid other significant changes in Syria, including the countrys relationship with the United States. US President Donald Trump met with Sharaa in Riyadh in May, declared an intent to end US sanctions, and appointed a new US envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, who also serves as the US ambassador to Turkey. In eastern Syria, US forces have been redeploying and are slowly withdrawing. The re-deployment will see the American military consolidate from eight military posts within Syria to only one, according to reports. It is unclear if the decision will also affect the US forces at Al Tanf Garrison in southern Syria. The major impact will be on areas where the SDF operates, such as along the Euphrates River. The June meeting between the eastern Syria authorities and Damascus also took place as reports emerged about an agreement enabling Damascus to assume control over several camps where families of Islamic State (IS) members reside. After the defeat of IS, thousands of the jihadist groups members and their families ended up in detention facilities and two camps, Roj and Al Hol, in eastern Syria. At one point, Al Hols population swelled to tens of thousands. Over the last six years, many of these individuals were returned to their home countries, but at least 37,000 people still reside at the camp. Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDDs Long War Journal. He is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post, and author of The October 7 War: Israel's Battle for Security in Gaza (2024). Japanese company Ispace attempted to land a Luxembourg-designed and built rover on the Moon to collect lunar rock but lost connection with its space craft during the attempt on Friday morning (Thursday evening in Europe). The rover was launched into space aboard the Falcon 9 rocket out of Florida on 15 January and was supposed to land on the Moon late on Thursday evening, central European time. The mission - in addition to scientific goals - would have tested Luxembourg space law, which regulates ownership of resources mined in space. The 5kg digger was supposed to scoop up lunar dirt weighing about the equivalent of two bananas, with Ispace then due to sell the material to Nasa for $5,000 (4,400) as the owner of the substance. Also read: From finance hub to space pioneer: Luxembourgs 346-per-resident investment in the cosmos Luxembourg was the second country in the world, behind the US, to adopt space resources laws, with effort underway to develop international rules at UN level. A livestream of the landing showed the company losing contact with the spacecraft and ended without contact having been re-established. Ispace in a social media post after 23:00 said it had not been able to establish communication but that mission control continues to to work to contact the lander. After several hours of trying to re-establish contact with the Resilience lander and the rover, engineers concluded at 08:00 (01:00 CET) that further attempts would not succeed and that the mission had failed. They broke the news at an 09:00 press conference. We have to really take it seriously, said CEO Takeshi Hakamada about the failure, but compared his company to Elon Musks SpaceX, which he said also failed several times before succeeding on its fourth try while on the brink of bankruptcy. Ispace told CNN that it has money set aside for a third landing attempt. Still, Hakamada during the press conference said Ispace will need to regain trust of investors and investigate of the failed landing. 1 / 5 Guests at the ESA-LSA celebration Photo credit: Laurent Sturm 2 / 5 Minister of the Economy Lex Delles at the anniversary event that also streamed the lunar rover landing Photo credit: Laurent Sturm 3 / 5 Guests at Thursdays event watched live as Ispace attempted to land on the Moon Photo credit: Laurent Sturm 4 / 5 A lunar rover like this one was supposed to land on the Moon on Thursday Photo credit: Laurent Sturm 5 / 5 The event also included a panel discussion on space flight Photo credit: Laurent Sturm Thursdays attempt marked the second time Ispace tried to land on the Moon after an April 2023 mission saw the lander run out of fuel 5km above the Moons surface. Only five countries have successfully achieved soft landings on the Moon (China, India, Japan, Russia and the US), but Ispace would have been the first non-US private company to touch down. Luxembourg followed Thursdays landing via live stream at the Kinepolis cinema complex in Kirchberg, where Minister of the Economy Lex Delles and officials of the European and Luxembourg space agencies had gathered to celebrate 20 years since the Grand Duchy joined the ESA. Its a very emotional moment, said LSA chief Marc Serres at the start of the evening. There is a lot of excitement but also a lot of tension. A guest at the event described the mood as low after connectivity with the lander was lost. We must look to the future, Serres said after the failed landing. Julien Lamamy, CEO of the Luxembourg-based branch of Ispace, also said that planning on future projects will continue. This box contains embedded content from YouTube that wants to read or write cookies. You did not give permission for this. Edit preferences Ispace data revealed that the first phases of the landing sequence went well and that the lander was in a vertical descent and slowing down when contact stopped. But the laser guide it relies on to measure distance to the lunar surface experienced delays getting measurements. This meant the lander couldnt decelerate to the speed of its planned landing and probably experienced a too-hard landing. (This article was updated at 07:00 on 6 June 2025 with the latest information and again at 8:15 with further updates) German Chancellor Friedrich Merz successfully navigated a 40-minute meeting with Donald Trump in the Oval Office without falling victim to the public humiliation the American president has doled out to other leaders even though both Germany and Europe are two of Trumps perpetual irritants. Merz heeded the advice from a number of European leaders that he should let Trump do most of the talking, and when he did talk, to praise the president. Merz faded into the background for much of the meeting, breaking his silence to say that Germany owes the Americans a lot. Merzs meeting with Trump was a high-risk move to try to lobby the president on several existential issues for the European Union: the brewing transatlantic trade conflict, the continents security architecture, the upcoming Nato summit and how to continue support for Ukraine. The risks included the very public hectoring that both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa suffered on recent visits to the White House. Ill go back with the feeling that we have a good relationship between the US president and the chancellor, Merz told the German public broadcaster ZDF after the meeting. During the meeting, Trump and Merz diverged on the issue of how to end the fighting in Ukraine. Trump compared the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine to a fight between two kids, saying: you try and pull them apart, but they dont want to be pulled. Sometimes you let them fight for a while, he added. When a German reporter asked Merz what he thought about the analogy, the chancellor remained diplomatic. We are both looking for ways to stop it very soon, he said. Even though Merz differed in his assessment, he praised Trump, saying: I told the president before we came in: He is the key person in the world who can really do that by putting pressure on Russia. Merz continued: We are all having the duty to do something on that now after three-and-a-half years. Although Trump avoided a clear commitment to continue military aid for Ukraine, he also didnt contradict Merz when the chancellor put the blame for the war squarely with Putin and spoke of a duty to act. When Zelenskiy made similar statements in the White House he incurred the wrath of Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Merz drew praise for boosting German defence. I know youre spending more on defence now, said Trump, who joked that World War II General Douglas MacArthur wouldnt be happy about that. Therell be a point when well say: Please dont arm any more, he added. Trump did criticise Germany for having developed gas pipelines with Russia, but he reserved his ire for Angela Merkel, the former chancellor. Trump also had positive comments on trade, as negotiations between the US and EU have reached a delicate phase. Hes a very great representative of Germany, Trump said of his German guest. I think all we want is just going to have a good relationship. The rest will just sort of follow very easily. Well have a good trade deal. Luxembourg is among the worlds top five countries for facilitating financial secrecy, according to a report from the Tax Justice Network. The networks 2025 edition of the Financial Secrecy Index was published on Tuesday, and Luxembourgs fifth-place spot remains unchanged from the previous ranking compiled in 2022. The index ranks countries defined as most complicit in helping individuals to hide their finances from the rule of law. To do this, it takes into account two main factors to determine a countrys role in enabling financial secrecy - first the degree of tolerance of financial secrecy permitted by a country's legislation, known as the 'secrecy score' and second, the extent of the financial services that the country provides to non-residents, an indicator known as the Global Scale Weight (GSW), which is calculated on the basis of IMF statistics. The top four spots also remain unchanged from the previous edition in 2022, with the US again ranked first for financial secrecy, following by Switzerland, Singapore and Hong Kong. 10.84% of offshore financial services provided by Luxembourg It is this second factor, the GSW, that weighs particularly heavily on Luxembourg. The country accounts for 10.84% of all offshore financial services provided worldwide, the report found. Only the United States, which alone accounts for almost a quarter of GSW (24.54%), and the United Kingdom (15.74%), are home to more offshore financial services. In terms of the "secrecy score", the extent to which the country's law permits financial secrecy, Luxembourg scored 56 out of 100, placing it outside the top 100 (out of 141 countries). Although the country's legislation generally scores well, the report highlights a number of potential loopholes in the Grand Duchy, including in the registration of trusts, the freeport, the practice of offering advance tax rulings to companies, and transparency concerning the beneficial owners of limited liability companies. Luxembourgs latest national risk assessment of money laundering, published by the justice ministry last month, echoed some of the same concerns raised by the Tax Justice Network. The national risk assessment stated that trusts pose a very high risk of being misused for money laundering. Legal entities filing with Luxembourgs business register may also be abused to commit crimes, the report by the ministry added, noting that the number of registrations rose from 139,000 in 2020 to 146,000 three years later. The vast majority of beneficial owners listed around 60% - do not reside in Luxembourg, according to the assessment. Jekyll and Hyde' stance of EU countries Luxembourg is not the only EU country to feature prominently in the Tax Justice Networks rankings, as the Grand Duchy is followed by Germany (6th) and the Netherlands (7th). Other EU countries include the Republic of Ireland (14th), Cyprus (17th), France (21st), Italy (26th) and Belgium (30th). The position of many EU countries towards financial secrecy was described by the Tax Justice Network as a Jekyll and Hyde approach. While they adopt tax transparency and cooperation instruments, "most EU countries apply these mechanisms selectively, or even deliberately less transparently when it comes to cooperating with low- and middle-income countries", noted the Tax Justice Network. "In some cases, they completely bypass the international instruments they have ratified." More specifically, TJN stated that "more than half of EU countries (56%) use a little-noticed loophole in international law to protect non-EU tax evaders from prosecution". TJN is targeting the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, an international instrument that allows countries to help each other recover taxes owed by identified tax evaders, particularly when a taxpayer hides undeclared wealth in another country. While assistance is compulsory between EU member states, it is not with non-EU countries. It is therefore possible to exercise a 'reservation' in order to refuse to co-operate with other countries outside the bloc. In practice, not only Luxembourg, but also Austria, Cyprus, Germany, Croatia, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Slovakia have made use of such reservations in the past, the Tax Justice Network said, which facilitates "the circulation of dirty money and undermines the foundations of the rule of law". The Tax Justice Network has been a repeated critic of Luxembourgs tax policies. A report by the network in December concluded that the country remains a key facilitator of tax avoidance and is part of an axis of countries responsible for more than a third of all tax losses suffered by nations worldwide. The Grand Duchy scored highly in several areas in its 2022 country inspection by the global anti-money laundering watchdog FATF and joint top in a review of 35 countries last year of its system of checks and controls on so-called gatekeepers, such as lawyers, accountants and real estate agents. While Luxembourg was credited for its technical compliance - what laws the country has in place - and its cooperation with international counterparts in the 2022 inspection, it failed to achieve the highest possible score for the effectiveness of its anti-money laundering measures in any of the 11 areas examined. Luxembourgs finance ministry did not respond to a request for comment from the Luxembourg Times on the latest Tax Justice Network report. (This article was orginally published by Virgule. Machine translated, with editing, adaptation and additional reporting by John Monaghan.) Residents in a Fluvanna County gated community are now voting on just how they will pay back the nearly $650,000 pandemic-era loan that their homeowner association applied for, received but did not actually qualify for. The Department of Justice has said the Lake Monticello Owners Association could face litigation if it does not pay back the money it took to avoid furloughing staff and keep its operations running during the pandemic. But the vote on whether the association should tap into its $1 million emergency reserve fund is simply a proactive measure, according to the association itself. We dont know at this time if we have to pay anything back, what we have to pay back or how we will pay it back, but we want all of our avenues open, homeowner association spokeswoman Marieke Henry told The Daily Progress. The homeowner association is still hopeful that it may not have to pay back the loan at all, despite the DOJs insistence that it do so. Nevertheless, the homeowner association wants to be prepared in case it must, especially since it will take 90 days or until June 28 to collect votes in the 4,300-household, 12,000-resident lakeside community 15 miles southeast of Charlottesville. The DOJ is going to want their money pretty quickly, so that 90 days we cant afford to wait, Henry said. The DOJ sent a letter to the Lake Monticello Owners Association this past December saying it should have been ineligible for the $646,843 Paycheck Protection Program loan that it received in 2020 because of its status as a 501(4) social welfare organization. The U.S. Small Business Administration set up PPP in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic to help prevent layoffs by providing businesses with loans to cover things such as payroll, rent and utilities. The homeowner association did spend the $646,843 it received on payroll. That amount covered three months of pay for the 74 workers it employed at the time. Those employees included waiters and other staff at the gated communitys two restaurants and pools. Without the loan, the homeowner association said it would have had to lay off some of those employees. Even though the income from homeowner association fees stayed the same, during those months, there were fewer home sales, which meant less money collected from property transfer fees. The homeowner association also lost revenue from its pool, food and beverage services. Henry said that the administrative staff of the association at the time, none of whom still work there, believed that 501(4) organizations were eligible for the loan. They even had Richmond-based Atlantic Union Bank review its application before sending it. They also made the assumption that if they were wrong, there were two layers of the approval process that we would be picked out and it wouldnt be approved, Henry said. The Small Business Administration approved the loan in 2020 and forgave it the following year. Under the assumption the loan would not have to be repaid, the homeowner association removed the obligation to repay from its books. Then the DOJ letter arrived in December, around the same time other homeowner associations across the nation were also asked to repay PPP loans the federal government says they should have never qualified for. One in California, which was also registered as a 501(4) organization, was accused of illegally obtaining roughly $1.5 million through the program and ended up paying more than $2 million to resolve the matter in January of last year. The Lake Monticello Owners Association is trying to avoid such a penalty. But if the homeowner association attempts to contest the repayment and loses, a penalty would be the likely result. The homeowner association has already paid $35,000 to cover the insurance deductible for a lawyer to assist with negotiations with the DOJ. The Daily Progress reached out to the DOJ and asked if it was considering a penalty for the Lake Monticello Owners Association, but it did not immediately respond. It also did not respond to a question regarding who may have tipped the agency off to the Lake Monticello loan specifically if that person was Wade Riner, a whistleblower who has prompted dozens of investigations into homeowner associations across the nation. Riner is a real estate investor in Houston who has profited from the settlements of the cases he helped bring to the DOJ. Part of the False Claims Act, a Civil War-era law passed to address fraud in government contracts, says that those who file an action on behalf of the United States can receive a portion of the money that is recovered. Last June, Riner made $700,000 from settlements in California alone. There is no evidence linking Riner to the Lake Monticello Owners Association case. If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom. Massachusetts residents looking to catch a fireworks show should travel to Abington, Dalton, Foxborough or Winchester this weekend. All four towns will have events that feature fireworks displays on June 7, according to the states department of fire servicess website. See below for where you can find fireworks displays for this weekend: Abington : A fireworks display celebrating Founders Day will take place at Memorial Field at 9 p.m. on Saturday. Dalton : The Dalton Fair at American Legion Park at 255 North St. will have a fireworks show at 10 p.m. on Saturday Foxborough : A fireworks display for Founders Day will take place at Booth Fields at 79 South St. from 9:05 p.m. to 10 p.m. on June 7. Winchester : A fireworks show for Winchester Town Day will be happening at Manchester Field at 458 Main St. this Saturday at 9:15 p.m. Fireworks are illegal in Massachusetts for those without a certification or licensing. The fire service departments website urges residents to leave fireworks to the professionals. Between 2019 and 2023, Massachusetts medical facilities treated more than 200 people for burns and other injuries associated with fireworks, the website reads. Two dozen people were treated for severe burn injuries that covered 5% or more of the victims body. Lamberto Maggiorani and Enzo Staiola (1939-2025) in a scene of the film "Ladri di bicyclette" (aka "Le voleur de bicyclette, The Bicycle Thief) directed by Vittorio De Sica. (Photo by ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images) ullstein bild via Getty Images Enzo Staiola, the former child actor who starred in the Oscar-winning film Bicycle Thieves, has died, according to The Washington Post. He was 85. The Italian publication La Reppublica first shared the news of Staiolas death, revealing that he died June 4. The Washington Posts report states that the cause of death was complications from a fall. Born Nov. 15, 1939, in Rome, Staiolas silver screen debut at age 9 was also the peak of his film career. His role as Bruno Ricci in Bicycle Thieves was the first of roughly a dozen different parts that the actor would take on over the course of his childhood early adulthood; in 1950, the film won the Academy Honorary Award for Most Outstanding Foreign Language Film. Another highlight from Staiolas career includes his appearance in the 1954 film The Barefoot Contessa, a romantic drama that starred Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner. His final film appearance was a small role in The Pyjama Girl Case in the late 1970s. Following his acting career, he pivoted to working as a math teacher and a clerk at a land registry office, per The Hollywood Reporter. A student walks through the courtyard outside Eliot House at Harvard University on April 15, 2025, in Cambridge. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) Harvard University has amended one of its lawsuits against the federal government after President Donald Trump issued a proclamation this week declaring the schools foreign students would not be allowed into the country. In a major escalation on Wednesday of his war against the worlds weathiest university, in addition to the proclamation, Trump asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider revoking the visas of Harvard students already in the country. The proclamation, titled Enhancing National Security By Addressing Risks at Harvard University, invoked national security powers to bar Harvards international students from entering the U.S. Admission into the United States to attend, conduct research, or teach at our Nations institutions of higher education is a privilege granted by our Government, not a guarantee, Trump wrote in his proclamation on Wednesday. That privilege is necessarily tied to the host institutions compliance and commitment to following Federal law. Harvard University has failed in this respect, among many others. A Harvard spokesperson told The New York Times the latest move was illegal, adding that the university would continue to protect its international students. On Thursday, Harvard amended its complaint in an existing lawsuit against the federal government filed after the Trump administration revoked its key certification to host foreign students. A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction in May, staving off this particular move from Trump. In its amended complaint, asking a judge to deem the proclamation illegal, Harvard wrote that with the stroke of a pen, the DHS Secretary and the president have sought to erase a quarter of Harvards student body international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission and the country." The university said Trumps latest proclamation has equally harmful and irreparable consequences, and that the president is essentially trying to circumvent the prior preliminary injunction because of a government vendetta against Harvard. What the DHS secretary has purported to take away on the back end by revoking Harvards certifications to host foreign students, the president purports to take away on the front end by preventing the students and scholars invited to Harvard from gaining entry into the country in the first place, the school wrote. The proclamation is a patent effort to end-run this courts order. In his Wednesday proclamation, Trump asserted Harvard University, which he has gone after in the name of antisemitism issues on campus, is no longer a trustworthy steward of international student and exchange visitor programs. A student walks through the courtyard outside Eliot House at Harvard University, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) By Angie Orellana Hernandez and Rachel Hatzipanagos Centuries-old images of an enslaved man and his daughter, believed to be the earliest-known photographs of enslaved people in the United States, were relinquished by Harvard University after a 15-year-long legal battle. Connecticut woman Tamara Lanier says she is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Renty Taylor, an enslaved man photographed nude alongside his daughter in the winter of 1850 in images commissioned by a Harvard scientist, Louis Agassiz. She sued Harvard for ownership of the photos in 2019. The images were part of a collection of daguerreotypes, an early photographic process, that Agassiz commissioned in an attempt to support a pseudoscientific theory known as polygenism, which falsely states that African-descended people are inferior to white people. Renty and other enslaved men and women were taken to a studio, stripped and forced to reveal every body part, including their genitals. Fifteen images of seven people commissioned by Agassiz will be transferred to the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina. In terms of getting beyond that dispute and towards the goal of liberating these images from Harvards clutches, my client was willing to forgo a battle over ownership, Koskoff said. The identities of others in the photographs are known as a matter of historical record, but there are currently no plans to publicly share their names, Koskoff said. Once the photos are placed at the South Carolina museum, perhaps there will be a genuine interest in finding descendants, and it wont take lawsuits to motivate that interest, he said. The International African American Museum is incredibly proud to add the daguerreotypes to its collection, Tonya M. Matthews, chief executive of the museum, said in a statement. It is a weighty privilege to become home to these challenging, but precious artifacts. In 2021, Lanier told The Washington Post that she grew up hearing stories about Papa Renty and how he had been kidnapped from the Congo River basin. Lanier said she became aware of the photos while doing genealogical research. The images were lost until 1976, when an employee of Harvards Peabody Museum, the late Ellie Reichlin, discovered them in a corner cabinet of the museums attic. The images were put on display, and anyone wanting to use the images was required to pay the university. For years, Lanier attempted to share her genealogical research with the university but was ignored, according to her attorneys. In 2019, she filed a lawsuit against the college at a time where many universities were reckoning with their own contributions toward slavery and white supremacy. In 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that Lanier could sue Harvard for emotional distress after the Ivy League school disregarded her requests for information and declined to acknowledge her ancestral claim to the images. However, Justice Scott Kafker wrote in his opinion at the time that Lanier did not have a right to ownership since she was not a descendant of the photographer or the photographs owners. The agreement announced Wednesday settles the lawsuit. In a statement, a spokesman for Harvards Faculty of Arts and Sciences, James Chisholm, said the school is working with the museum to ensure the transfer to South Carolina, the state where the images were taken 175 years ago. Harvard University has long been eager to place the Zealy Daguerreotypes with another museum or other public institution to put them in the appropriate context and increase access to them for all Americans, Chisholm said in the statement, referring to the man who took the photographs, Joseph T. Zealy. However, the school continues to assert it cant prove that Lanier is related to Renty. Harvard has not been able to confirm that Ms. Lanier is related to the individuals in the daguerreotypes, the statement reads. At a news conference Wednesday, Lanier called Harvards decision to move the images a win for all descendants of enslaved people. This landmark settlement is not just a victory of my family, its a victory for every descendant who has carried the weight of a stolen past and dared to demand it back, she said. Karen Read listens to witness Brian Loughran on the stand at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Tuesday June 3, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool) AP Karen Reads second trial in connection with the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John OKeefe, continued Friday in Dedhams Norfolk Superior Court before Judge Beverly Cannone. The jury heard lengthy testimony from an accident reconstruction expert first hired by the federal government, who is now retained by the defense, about the damage to Reads SUV. People to know: Hank Brennan, special prosecutor for the Norfolk district attorneys office Alan Jackson, lawyer for Read Daniel Wolfe, director of accident reconstruction at ARCCA Heres a recap of what happened on the 28th day of the retrial. 3:45 p.m. - Wolfe concludes testimony for the day On redirect from Jackson, Wolfe explained that the sweatshirt the crash dummy was wearing was mangled in the 24 mph test. There were holes in multiple locations and significant road rash, he explained. The front of the sweatshirt was covered in holes, he added. The damage to OKeefes sweatshirt was clearly inconsistent with that of the sweatshirt on the dummy, Wolfe said. This is distinctly road rash, he said. Wolfe also confirmed it was not an insurance company that hired ARCCA, and cleared up the arm weight issue Brennan raised on cross. When that vehicle is coming in at 24 mph, 29 mph, at those speeds, that arm is going to get accelerated up to that velocity. Youre not going to somehow affect the vehicle speed, he said. Jackson concluded his questioning there for the day. Cannone told the lawyers earlier in the day that a juror needed to leave by 3:45 p.m. When dismissing jurors, Cannone said the trial appeared to be nearing its end and asked the panel to consider whether they could accommodate a full day on Thursday, rather than a half day. Read told reporters earlier this week that her defense could rest its case as soon as Tuesday. After a lengthy sidebar that featured a brief huddle between Read and her defense team, the trial concluded for the week. 3:26 p.m. Brennan concludes cross-examination Much of Brennans cross continued to focus on the weight difference between OKeefes arm and the dummies used in ARCCAs testing. He suggested that the test performed at 24 mph shouldve been performed at 31 mph to account for the weight difference. Wolfe acknowledged that he would expect more damage if the test was performed 7 mph faster. After the collision, he observed 19 pieces of broken taillight near the dummy, he said. Wolfe said he did not consider the photo of OKefes sneaker, which was found frozen against the curb near his body, in his analysis. Brennan suggested the shards of taillight could impale a person and wind up in their nose. Wolfe said that was unlikely. Weight does matter? he concluded. It can if its significant, Wolfe countered. 3:05 p.m. - Rescue Randy test showed damage to clothes Brennans cross moved to the final test Wolfe and ARCCA conducted, where they used a Rescue Randy 200-pound crash dummy. During that test, which was a direct hit, the dummy sustained several tears in the sweatshirt it was wearing. Wolfe said that was consistent with road rash, or a persons body being thrown across pavement. Brennan suggested a person sliding on a front lawn during sub-zero temperatures would have the same effect. Wolfe said he hadnt done any testing on that subject. During that test, the debris field from the taillight landed near the dummy but not directly beside it. 2:41 p.m. - Arm weight wouldnt affect damage to SUV Brennan returned to the questions about the use of the crash dummy, claiming the weight of the dummy arm was 26.3% lighter than OKeefes arm. He repeatedly suggested some of the calculations were inaccurate because of the differing weights. But Wolfe pushed back, saying the difference of about a pound wouldnt make a major impact when considering the force of a 6,000-pound SUV. Brennan also asked a series of questions about the positioning of OKeefes body and whether Wolfe considered how exactly he was positioned before the alleged collision. But Wolfe said the first step would be to determine whether the damage was consistent with a collision. If it wasnt, thats where the reconstruction stops, he said. Brennan suggested the result could have changed if the positioning were different. Wolfe said ARCCA only considered the arm in one position because it was focused on reviewing the testing of Judson Welcher, the prosecutions accident reconstruction expert. 2:20 p.m. - Wolfe questioned about use of crash dummy Brennan asked a series of questions seeking to undermine Wolfes conclusions about the damage to OKeefes sweatshirt. Wolfe said the use of a crash dummy was generally accepted in the field of accident reconstruction. But Brennan kept pressing Wolfe on whether he had any basis for using the dummy to assess damage to clothing. He said another ARCCA expert, Andrew Rentschler, supported the use of the dummy. Rentschler will testify about the injuries to OKeefes arm, Wolfe said. Still, he conceded he couldnt name a paper or study that supported the use of crash dummies for the specific purpose. 1:52 p.m. - Wolfe pressed on communications with defense Brennan began his cross-examination by asking Wolfe what specific parts of ARCCAs work he was involved in. He also pressed Wolfe about his certification and whether he passed on his first try. Wolfe largely downplayed the importance of the exam. Brennan sought to portray Wolfe and ARCCA as agents of the defense, saying they werent totally independent when he testified at the first trial. Wolfe said he had to communicate with the defense about when to appear, but didnt communicate with either side during the period where ARCCA conducted its initial testing. This spring, Cannone ordered Wolfe and another expert from ARCCA to provide prosecutors with all communications they had with the defense. Wolfe said he couldnt retrieve the messages because he had deleted them, which he said was his standard practice. After the first trial, the defense began communicating with Wolfe via Signal, the confidential messaging app. Brennan also grilled Wolfe about an outline of his testimony he gave the defense prior to taking the stand at the first trial. In the outline, Wolfe mentioned a statistic correlating pedestrian strikes with poor lighting and inclement weather. He left a note to the defense saying it could avoid asking him about that. Wolfe explained that away as wanting to avoid confusing the jury. 12:45 p.m. - Jackson concludes direct examination Wolfe talked through a final test during the direct examination, which he described as a center of mass hit with the SUV going 29 mph. For the final test, ARCCA used a dummy weighing about 200 pounds. A collision between the dummy and the SUV at that speed completely shattered the rear window, dented the SUV liftgate, and popped out the bumper window, Wolfe said. The collision blew out the outer lens cover, but part of the diffusers inside the taillight were still in place. The damage to the internal components of the quarter panel taillight was less in each test ARCCA conducted than the damage to Reads SUV. Wolfe said it was his opinion that the damage to the SUV was inconsistent with hitting a persons right arm in a high speed backing maneuver. The damage to the hoodie was also inconsistent with a collision, he said. After Jackson concluded his questioning, Cannone sent the jury out for a 45-minute break. 12:34 p.m. - Damage to taillight inconsistent with 24 mph impact to arm ARCCA conducted a test with the Lexus going 24 mph the speed prosecutors say it was going when it collided with OKeefe colliding with an arm attached to a test dummy. The dummy was outfitted with a hoodie matching OKeefes. The collision cracked several parts of the lens cover to the taillight, but not the diffuser behind it. The chrome piece between diffusers in the light was not damaged, Wolfe said. As a result, Wolfe said he concluded the damage to the light was inconsistent with striking an arm at 24 mph. There was no damage to the sleeve of the sweatshirt on the dummy. The dummy was rotated but not projected backwards or to the side, he said. 12:17 p.m. - Wolfe describes 15 mph, 29 mph collision tests ARCCA performed a series of tests using an exemplar Lexus and a test arm positioned how the prosecutions accident reconstruction expert, Judson Welcher, concluded OKeefes arm was oriented. For each test, the Lexus collided with an arm tied to a forklift with tie lines. The 15-mph test showed no damage to the taillight and the wrist and hand on the arm in contact with the part of the taillight on the liftgate. The upper arm doesnt make contact with the car. During the 29-mph test, the arm is completely ripped off the mount and a significant portion of the lens cover on the liftgate taillight, or the part of the light on the trunk, broken. The tests showed the arm sped up to faster than the car was travelling, accelerating up to around 35 mph. 11:53 a.m. - Collision at 17 mph would not have caused damage to clothes After the break, Jackson asked Wolfe if ARCCA had been paid for their initial report or testing. He said they hadnt. But Wolfe confirmed the defense paid for his and another experts time to appear at the first trial, which amounted to about $24,000. The defense then paid about $50,000 to retain ARCCA for the additional testing. Wolfe showed a video of a collision between an example taillight and a crash dummys arm at 17 mph. Much like the 10 mph test, the dummy was wearing a sweatshirt that matched OKeefes. In the video, several fragments of the taillight break off, including pieces of the red outer lens. Still, Wolfe said there were no punctures, holes or fraying of the sweatshirt material at 17 mph. 11:03 a.m. - Cannone calls morning recess Before Wolfe began detailing a second test ARCCA conducted, Cannone sent jurors out for a morning recess. She asked to see the lawyers at sidebar regarding scheduling. As Wolfes testimony continued, he explained that after being contracted by the defense, ARCCA performed testing to determine what happens when an arm is hit by a taillight at varying speeds. The tests sought to determine both what would happen to the taillight and the arm itself, including OKeefes clothing. ARCCA used a Lexus SUV that is the same year, make and model of the one Read was driving on the night of OKeefes arm and performed full-scale vehicle testing. The experts also tracked down the sweatshirt OKeefe was wearing for the purposes of their testing. All the taillights used for the tests were conditioned overnight in a freezer to bring them down to the temperature outside on the night OKeefe died. Wolfe explained there is a correlation between how plastics perform and cold weather. He then played for the jury several videos of a taillight slamming into a crash dummy arm at 10 mph. The hoodie the dummy was wearing sustained no damage at that speed, and the light was only minimally damaged, Wolfe explained. 10:13 a.m. - Prosecution experts testing doesnt tell you anything After their engagement with the U.S. Attorneys office concluded, Wolfe and ARCCA were hired by the defense in March 2025. They were asked to review and evaluate the report and analysis performed by the prosecutions accident reconstruction expert, Judson Welcher. They received Welchers reports, data and PowerPoint presentation. Wolfe said he examined the basis and foundation for Welchers conclusions. He described some of the tests as very basic. Wolfe criticized what he described as a static test where Welcher aligned his arm with a taillight on an exemplar Lexus SUV. The only thing it demonstrates is you can get the arm to align with the taillight, he said. The test doesnt answer any questions about the motion of the arm or the forces and acceleration involved, Wolfe explained. Wolfe also criticized a dynamic test where Welcher painted the taillight blue and had the Lexus collide with him at 2 mph. The test purported to show the injuries on OKeefes arm could have come from the taillight. But that test also leaves the door open, Wolfe said. Performing the test at 2 mph doesnt tell you anything about 10, 15 or 20 mph, he explained. 9:56 a.m. - Wolfe explains ARCCA testing Wolfe said ARCCA began its testing in late 2023 or early 2024. He described a test where he and other experts designed a pressurized cannon that was capable of launching a drinking glass at a taillight, essentially simulating a person throwing a glass. The idea was to determine if a small object or projectile could cause the damage seen on Reads taillight. The tests were performed at varying speeds, and ultimately showed that a glass thrown at 37 mph showed damage generally consistent with Reads SUV. ARCCA also conducted a test with a crash dummy to test if the damage to the taillight could have been consistent with hitting OKeefe in the head. The tests showed significantly more damage at 15 mph, but didnt generate enough force to cause a skull fracture like the one OKeefe sustained. 9:32 a.m. - Wolfe describes origins of ARCCAs involvement Wolfe began his testimony by talking through his background and experience. He told jurors he has worked at ARCCA for eight years, with a specialty in lighting and human factors. He described accident reconstruction as applying physics and engineering science to collision events. Wolfe and ARCCA were first hired by the U.S. Attorneys Office for Massachusetts as part of an unspecified federal investigation into OKeefes death. But Cannone has barred mention of that investigation during the trial, so Wolfe simply explained ARCCA was not hired by the defense for its initial analysis. He said ARCCA was asked to determine if the damage to Reads SUV was consistent with OKeefes injuries. Wolfe and two other experts reviewed numerous materials including an autopsy report, a crime scene report and photos of the Lexus. The damage to the SUV was primarily concentrated on the right rear taillight on the quarter panel. The majority of the outer red lines was broken and shattered, he said. The taillight is a pretty thick piece of plastic, Wolfe explained. He noted he wrote his dissertation on the specific material the taillight was made out of. 9:05 a.m. - Trial resumes As she does each morning, Cannone asked jurors if they had been able to follow her instructions about avoiding researching the case or talking about it. Each juror said they had. Read, 45, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of OKeefe, who was found outside the home of a fellow Boston police officer on Jan. 29, 2022. Norfolk County prosecutors say Read struck OKeefe with her SUV while driving intoxicated. Reads attorneys say her car never struck OKeefe and that others are to blame for his death. A New York man has been arrested after police say he scammed a Dartmouth woman out of $86,500. Arman Verma, 21, of Queens was arrested following what the Dartmouth Police Department called a reverse sting operation by local detectives and a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent. According to the department, in May, the victim told police she had received several phone calls over the last weeks of that month from a man who told her he worked for Bank of America and Microsoft. The man told her that her bank account and computer had been compromised and she would need to pay to fix the issue. Police said the man sent another person to pick up substantial amounts of cash from the victim at her home five times over a few weeks. Each time, she was first told to take a photo of the cash and send it to a certain email address. On June 4, the man contacted the woman again and requested $30,000. She called the police, who arrested Verma. This arrest is the result of outstanding investigative work and a testament to our commitment to protecting our community from financial predators, Police Chief Brian Levesque said in a statement shared on the departments Facebook page. Money scams and financial fraud pose a serious threat to the safety and well-being of our community and will not be tolerated. Verma has been charged with attempt to commit a crime (larceny over $1,200 by false pretenses), larceny under $1,200 and conspiracy. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call Detective Kyle Berube at 508-910-1760. U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey speak at a May 29 panel on reproductive rights at the John F. Kennedy Federal Building in Boston. CommonWealth Beacon So heres a not-entirely rhetorical question to ponder: When is an F on a report card not really an F? Because we can all pretty much agree on one thing: If you get an F on a history test, thats an objective measure of a uniformly terrible performance. But what if its a report card issued by an industry group with whom you have an ideological disagreement? Well, in that case, the grade is largely in the eye of the beholder. Take, for instance, the C-minus and F that Democratic U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren respectively received from the Council for Innovation Promotion, a Washington, D.C.-based industry group on its second Congressional Innovation Scorecard. First up, a bit of context: These report cards are pretty common in Congressional and state legislative circles. Youve probably seen them from such groups as the National Rifle Association and the Sierra Club. For the organizations that issue them, theyre a useful way to earn press and single out lawmakers who oppose their agendas and praise the ones who are onside. For the lawmakers, win, lose or draw, theyre something to tout during campaign season. And now a bit of background: The Council for Innovation Promotion is peopled by former Obama and Trump White House officials and retired federal judges tapped by Republican and Democratic administrations alike. It bills itself as dedicated to promoting strong and effective intellectual property rights that drive innovation, boost economic competitiveness and improve lives everywhere. The group went deep to come up with its findings, measuring every vote, every bill and every public statement, David Kappos, its board chairman, told MassLive in a recent interview. And no lawmaker, Republican or Democrat, was spared scrutiny. A look at the groups Senate scorecard finds a pretty even bipartisan spread among its grades, though some Democrats did receive worse grades than they did on an earlier report card from the group. Markey, for instance, dropped from his previous B to his current C-minus. Warren remained a basement-dweller, nabbing the F on both iterations of the groups report card. During his conversation with MassLive, Kappos stressed the importance of strong intellectual property law as an economic driver, particularly for Massachusetts, where companies that foster innovation play an outsized role. Massachusetts is the poster child for why this group exists, he said. Kappos dwelt a bit on pharmaceuticals and drug prices. While he acknowledged that everyone agrees lower drug prices are a good idea, some lawmakers have conflated [intellectual property] with drug pricing issues, which leads them to take positions that are very destructive. One example: Protecting the intellectual property rights for brand-name prescription medications, which are far more expensive than their generic equivalents. Our system works to move branded drugs into generics in a reasonable amount of time so that people can make these drugs in the first place, Kappos said. Because the drug that never exists never goes generic. And thats where Warren and Markey come back into the picture. Markey got dinged for backing a bill, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., that would have given the U.S. Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission more power to enforce antitrust law among other actions. Warren, meanwhile, was zinged for sponsoring a bill that would have created a new Office of Drug Manufacturing within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. That agency would have been tasked with manufacturing select generic drugs and offering them to consumers at a fair price that guarantees affordable patient access, according to a statement. So you can see how those measures might have run afoul of a trade group dedicated to vigorous protections for intellectual property rights. Not that Warren is sweating it that much. Drug company lobbyists gave me an F big surprise! Im proud of my work to lower prescription drug prices, and Ill keep fighting to bring down costs for families, she said through a spokesperson. Markey, who sits on the Senates Health Committee, also has been a vocal advocate for lower drug prices. In 2024, for instance, he joined with other lawmakers to press for answers on the high prices for asthma inhalers. Instead of Big Pharma taking seriously their responsibility to ensure that people get the medications they need, these companies put profits over people, he said in a statement at the time. But not every Bay State lawmaker has been asked to stay after class for remedial work. Kappos pointed specifically to U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-4th District, as someone in tune with his groups agenda. The Newton lawmaker moved from a previous C to a B-plus on the latest report card. He was one of several lawmakers to get a bump because of their legislation and public statements. There are bright lights in the Boston area, Kappos said. The members who are struggling should sit down with him. There was no word on whether that would involve a blackboard and writing I will support vigorous intellectual property law over and over again like some duly elected Bart Simpson. But one can only guess. Keoma Duarte, 40, of New Bedford, is arraigned from a hospital on Dec. 3, 2024. Newburyport District Court via Zoom The suspect in a wrong-way crash that killed an Endicott College police sergeant on Thanksgiving morning has been extradited to New Hampshire, according to New Hampshire State Police. Keoma Duarte, 40, of New Bedford, was brought from Bristol County Jail and House of Correction in Dartmouth to Rockingham County Department of Corrections in New Hampshire on Tuesday. He was arraigned in Hampton District Court on Wednesday on two felony counts of reckless conduct and one misdemeanor count of disobeying an officer. According to New Hampshire State Police, Duarte was driving north in a Tesla on Interstate 95 in Hampton on the night of Nov. 27 and entered the parking lot of the New Hampshire Liquor and Wine Outlet on the same side of the highway, which was closed. He drove through the parking lot before getting back onto the highway going the wrong direction at about 11:45 p.m. Less than one minute later, New Hampshire state troopers saw the Tesla headed south on the north side of the road. New Hampshire police tried to stop the driver, followed by members of Massachusetts State Police after he crossed the border between the two states. In Newbury, the car struck another vehicle head-on, killing the driver, Jeremy Cole, 49, of Exeter, New Hampshire. Cole was a sergeant with the Endicott College Police Department in Beverly, Massachusetts and was on his way home from work at the time. Duarte was also injured in the crash and was brought to the hospital for treatment. Medical records showed his blood alcohol level at 0.19%, MassLive previously reported. The legal limit in Massachusetts is 0.08%. Police also found marijuana in the car and a burnt smell of marijuana. In Massachusetts, Duarte was charged with motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence of liquor, operating recklessly, manslaughter, and motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation, in addition to civil motor vehicle infractions for driving in the wrong direction on a state highway, speeding and marked lane violations. The White House directly responded to Boston Mayor Michelle Wus characterization of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as secret police Thursday afternoon, denouncing her comments as a disgusting, dangerous attack on law enforcement. President Trump is keeping his promise to the American people to deport illegal aliens. Its disturbing that Democrats like Mayor Wu would side with illegal immigrants over Americans and stoke hatred against American law enforcement," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a press release. Wus office did not respond to a request for comment Thursday evening. What the White House took issue with The White House condemned Wus doubling down on negative comments about ICE that she first made last weekend at the WBUR Festival. Every aspect of whats happening at the federal level is causing harm in our local communities, the mayor said during an interview at the festival. People are terrified for their lives and for their neighbors, folks getting snatched off the street by secret police who are wearing masks, who can offer no justification for why certain people are being taken and then detained. The White House took particular issue with a reference Wu made while defending her comments to reporters on Wednesday. When talking about ICE agents choice to wear masks while making arrests, she brought up the fact that New England-based neo-Nazi group NSC-131 also wears masks in public. I dont know of any police department that routinely wears masks, she said, according to The Boston Globe. We know that there are other groups that routinely wear masks. NSC-131, routinely wears masks. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons who was the head of ICEs Boston field office until his promotion earlier this year said Monday that federal immigration agents wear masks because people have been taking pictures of them and posting them online along with death threats. Why this back and forth is happening now The White House described Wus comments as fanning the flames of hate while ICE agents face unprecedented threats to themselves and their families, citing a claim ICE made in May that its officers are facing a 413% increase in assaults. The White House also criticized Wu for denigrating ICE officers in the wake of Operation Patriot, a monthlong enforcement operation the agency carried out across Massachusetts during the month of May. Agents arrested nearly 1,500 people during that time, ICE announced Monday. The White House called attention to 10 suspects ICE arrested as part of the operation, all of whom are Central and South American men who were previously convicted of or charged with serious crimes in Massachusetts or their home countries, according to ICE. The crimes listed include murder, rape, child rape and kidnapping, among others, and two of the men had Interpol Red Notices out against them when ICE arrested them. Notably, though, some arrests made during Operation Patriot resulted in outrage and fear in Massachusetts communities. Though Acting ICE Director Lyons said the operation was focused on transnational organized crime, gangs and egregious illegal alien offenders, agents also detained foreign nationals whose only crime was being in the country illegally. On May 12, the agencys arrest of a Brazilian mother on the streets of Worcester led to a heated confrontation between protesters and law enforcement and charges against three women including a city councilor. Additionally, the Milford community was rocked by ICE officers decision to arrest and detain an 18-year-old high school student last weekend. He was released on bail on Thursday. Previous criticism of Mayor Wus comments The White House is far from the first federal entity or official to condemn Wus comments. In a social media video posted Wednesday morning, Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley decried the mayors statements as a false narrative, pushing back against the idea that people are being snatched off the street. There are no secret police. ICE agents, along with other federal law enforcement partners, are making immigration arrests. That is no secret. They are arresting individuals who are here illegally, which is a violation of federal law, the U.S. Attorney said. Every enforcement action is conducted within the bounds of the Constitution and our laws with oversight, legal justification and accountability. To claim otherwise is a gross misrepresentation and a disservice to the public. The mayor defended her characterization of ICE Wednesday afternoon when asked about Foleys criticism at an unrelated event at Boston City Hall. ICE hasnt been sharing exactly who was arrested and why, she said. The U.S. attorney is attacking me for saying what Bostonians see with their own eyes, she said. But on Thursday morning, Lyons posted his own video criticizing the mayors and other politicians anti-ICE comments, demanding that they stop putting [his] people in danger with made-up talking points that get activists riled up. These are real people with real families youre hurting with your ridiculous rhetoric and inflammatory comments, Lyons said. More than 15 years after a fatal Christmas week stabbing amid domestic abuse claims, a Massachusetts woman has been granted parole. Kimberly Savini was convicted of murder in the second degree for the death of Arnaldo Amado after a 2008 stabbing. She was sentenced in 2011 to life in prison with the possibility of parole. On Dec. 27, 2008, Amado, 42, came home drunk and the couple got into a shoving match over Amados drinking, according to a police report obtained by the Boston Herald. Savini, 33, repeatedly told her boyfriend to leave. But he didnt. Instead, the police report states she said he came at her and she grabbed a kitchen knife from the stove and plunged it into his chest near his heart. She then called 911 and washed the blood off the knife in the kitchen sink. The couples 1-year-old child was also home. She first tried to tell police he came home with the stab wound, the Boston Herald reported. But she later confessed. Yes, I stabbed him, but he attacked me first, Savini said with her hands on her head and hyperventilating. When Savini was arrested, she had signs of abuse, her attorney, Maria Curtatone, told the newspaper. The bruises are visible, she said. The injuries are visible. But Assistant District Attorney Marian Ryan said Savini was the aggressor and Amado was too embarrassed to call the police. There was a great deal of domestic violence in the home, Ryan said. On Feb. 13, Savini, who is now 46, went in front of the parole board for the first time. The board stated she had significant mental health and medical issues. She has maintained being sober during her time in prison and has also had intensive treatment for her mental health. Four people attended the hearing and spoke in support of her parole. The Middlesex District Attorneys office was against parole. The board voted unanimously to approve parole on June 5. She is required to continue taking her medication, will be in a long-term residential treatment program and continue to get counseling for anger management and mental health. The Boston Red Sox have struggled to begin the 2025 season despite making upgrades to their roster. Manager Alex Cora expressed his frustrations after another one-run loss on June 3, noting that while the team isnt getting better, hes to blame. We keep making the same mistakes, Cora said. Were not getting better. At one point, it has to be on me, I guess. Im the manager. Ive got to keep pushing them to be better. And while Cora shouldered the blame, Kevin Millar doesnt believe it all belongs on the manager. Alex Cora can only do so much, right? Youre the manager, the 2004 World Series champion told WBZs Dan Roche. The GMs and the organizations give you the players, they spend the money and then you only could do what you could do. But we all know theres something just not right. Despite the upgrades Boston made to its roster, defensive miscues and offensive woes have still plagued the team the Red Sox 588 strikeouts rank second in the American League. They also lead MLB with 53 errors and have the most one-run losses with 17. The injury bug hasnt been kind to Boston, either. Triston Casas suffered a season-ending knee injury, Bregman is on the injured list with a quad strain and Tanner Houck is also on the IL and he might not return until next month. The Red Sox havent clicked yet and there are struggles from top to bottom. And Millar thinks he knows what his former team should do if it wants to get out of this rut. I think it starts internally, Millar said. It starts with (the) guys. Doors closed, the media doesnt know anything. You know what? You gotta check some dudes and you gotta ask, Whos in? And this is about a team and a city thats right here, and thats more important than the name on your back. And I think that we forget that. Rachel Gravel, manager of adult and youth information services at Springfield City Library, appears with books being given free to the first children who sign up for the library's summer reading program, while supplies last. (Staasi Heropoulos / Special to The Republican) Staasi Heropoulos / Special to The Republican SPRINGFIELD Rachel Gravel is laying down a seven-figure challenge for readers in Springfield. She wants several thousand children and adults to collectively read for one million minutes during the summer break from school. Were encouraging folks to go for it. Level up your reading game, and lets try and get a million minutes together as a community, said Gravel, who is manager of adult and youth information services at Springfield City Library. Breeze Airways launches new route from Bradley International Airport to Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro/Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (Provided photo) The Republican WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. Breeze Airways on Friday evening launched new route from Bradley International Airport to Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro/Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The flight will operate twice a week on Mondays and Fridays, according to a statement. "I have to say, seeing your country was incredible. The infrastructure is so big, so strong." A convoy of vintage cars are crossing continents on a journey from Beijing to Paris. Reaching Horgos -- their last stop in China -- many drivers shared their impressions of the road, the scenery, and the hospitality they encountered. Chicopee Police Officer Travis Odiorne said that a Chicopee cruiser spotted in Philadelphia was sold by the department three years ago. (Screenshot from Facebook) Screenshot from Facebook CHICOPEE A Facebook post about a Chicopee Police Department cruiser spotted in Philadelphia has caused some confusion. We have been receiving calls all day about a stolen Chicopee police cruiser located in Philadelphia, the department said on Facebook on Friday. On Aug. 11, 2021, Springfield police found Brianne Boisselle face down, unresponsive and suffering from dozens of stab wounds in a small lot on Baldwin Street in Springfield. (Submitted photo) SPRINGFIELD A Hampden County judge sentenced a Springfield man to life in prison without the possibility of parole for carjacking and murdering 25-year-old Brianne Bri Boisselle in 2021. Kaysone Walters, 37, also will serve 18 to 20 years concurrently for the armed carjacking. From left, Westfield High School valedictorian Justine Romanelli and salutatorian Brandon Guyott with their project at the state science fair, which earned an honorable mention. They will both be attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the fall. (SUBMITTED) The Westfield News WESTFIELD Westfield High School Valedictorian Justin Romanelli was putting the finishing touches on his speech the day before graduation, and practicing to get it ready. Asked what he wrote about, he said, Primarily, the idea of what is permanent versus what is temporary, how its important to recognize which one is which, and how they impact [our lives]. Romanelli said he was looking forward to giving the speech. I wouldnt say Im comfortable, but Im looking forward to it. Its a great opportunity for me to do it publicly its not something Ive been exposed to in the past, he said, adding that he was also very nervous. Over regulation of the private housing sector is driving small landlords out of the market and leaving house rentals in the lands of vulture funds according to Mayo councillors. Members of the Claremorris/Swinford Municipal District passed a motion calling on the local authority to write on their behalf to the Minister of Housing to ensure that obligations currently on the private housing sector are applied to the local authority housing sector. The proposal to write to the Minister was made by Cllr Damien Ryan who earlier told the meeting that the country is obsessed with rogue landlands and that private landlords were being over regulated. We are obsessed about rogue landlords and all that sort of stuff but there are rogue tenants in it as well and they have broken the hearts of landlords. Regulation and red tape is driving private rental out of the market because it is over regulated and weighed against anyone who would look towards remaining as a landlord long term. They were providing a service and they are now creating a problem for government and local authorities because they are getting out at a massive rate, he said. Cllr Ryan who is the Cathaoirleach of the Claremorris/Swinford Municipal District said that Access Ireland is currently accessing the private rental sector in Mayo and questioned if they were also accessing the local authorities housing sector. READ: Mayo pays tribute to Louis Walshs late Mother at funeral Director of Services, Tom Gilligan replied that there is an obligation on the local authority to access 25 percent of the private housing sector and they were utilising the services of Assess Ireland to do this. He added that the council looks after their own stock which is around 2,500 units but Cllr Ryan felt that as the local authorities are also landlords, it should also be held to high standards. Cllr Ryan was supported by a number of his colleagues with Independent councillor Patsy O'Brien commenting that there is a very unfair system in place. Cllr O'Brien added that councillors are inundated from local authority tenants about the condition of their accommodation but the funding was not available to maintain them to a high standard. We should start at our own door before going after someone else's door, the Robeen-based councillor said. Claremorris-based Independent councillor Richard Finn also commented that many small local landlords have empathy with their tenants but are being forced out by all the regulation. As far as private landlords are concerned, they are fed up with the system and leaving it to the vultures and they will decide what the rent is, he commented. Wildlife groups are 'calling the shots' at the expense of road users according to a Mayo councillor after claiming trees at a busy N17 junction were not cut in order to protect birds. Fianna Fail councillor John Caulfield made the claim at the monthly meeting of the Claremorris/Swinford Municipal District after highlighting the danger of some junctions along the N17 near Kilkelly. The Kilkelly-based councillor claimed that tree cutting restrictions at some junctions was putting road users in danger. I don't know who is making the decisions about cutting the trees because I know engineers have asked for them to be cut back. There are other organisations prohibiting them from being cut back because there is a wren or something else. I am sorry but road safety is a priority at these junctions. These bird watch organisations seem to be calling the shots here while the safety of drivers and road users are not given any concern. There seems to be more concern on saving a magpie. They will move when the trees move, he said. READ: Council urged to find new Mayo manager for Lough Carra environmental project Cllr Caulfield highlighted the increase in traffic using the N17 in recent years and that the junction for Kiltimagh is 'an accident waiting to happen'. He was supported by his party colleague, Cllr Adrian Forkan who said there had been a number of near misses at the Kiltimagh junction and asked for something to be done about it. The junction for the Kiltimagh road at the N17 is absolutely treacherous with several near misses and unfortunately fatalities coming out at that junction over the last number of years. It is fine for the TII [Transport Infrastructure Ireland] to shrug their shoulders but something has to be done with it, he said. Aontu councillor Deirdre Lawless also said that any representations made about the junction have been 'batted away'. Meanwhile, Foxford-based councillor Neil Cruise called for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to address concerns regarding a pedestrian crossing in the town which he described as a big problem. There needs to be an injection of urgency. There was an accident which could have been a lot worse at Christmas where a lady was struck at a pedestrian crossing. We can have all the safety reports but when someone is seriously injured and killed, reports will be of no use, he said. Director of Services, Tom Gilligan said that he will raise the safety concerns with the TII when he meets them and added that Sligo County Council is the lead authority in the development of the N17 from Cooloney to Knock. ZTE Corporation has released its Sustainability Report 2024, marking the 17th consecutive year the company has proactively disclosed its sustainable commitments and progress to the public. The ZTE Corporation Sustainability Report 2024 highlights ZTE's ESG strategies and achievements, showcasing how the company is leveraging digital innovation to drive sustainable transformation across the globe. Amid the accelerating wave of global digitalization, ZTE remains committed to its role as a "Driver of the Digital Economy", advancing its sustainability agenda on two fronts: by making significant strides in green operations guided by science-based carbon targets, and by enabling digital and low-carbon transformation across industries through cutting-edge technologies. Xu Ziyang, Executive Director and CEO of ZTE, states in the report, "The new wave of AI-driven technological revolution, particularly the boom of large models and generative AI, has propelled global digital and intelligent transformation. In this critical year filled with both challenges and opportunities, ZTE, as a 'Driver of Digital Economy', stayed true to its original aspiration and responded to the call of the times." The report reveals that ZTE continues to strengthen its underlying capabilities, scaling up R&D investment to build stronger core competence, with R&D expenses accounting for 19.81% of operating revenue. As of December 31 2024, ZTE had filed 93,000 global patent applications, with over 48,000 granted. Specifically, in the field of chips, ZTE had filed about 5,500 patent applications, with over 2,000 granted. In the field of AI, the company had filed more than 5,000 patent applications, with nearly half of them already granted, demonstrating strong innovation and technological capabilities. Advancing Green Strategies to Tackle Climate Challenges ZTE centers its core drive on technological innovation, continuously deepening its green development strategy to address climate change challenges and promote the coordinated advancement of digital intelligence and sustainability across industries. In 2024, ZTE received official approval from the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for its near-term 1.5C target and long-term net-zero targets. In the same year, ZTE published the ZTE Net-Zero Strategy White Paper. The company continues to advance its "Green Digital Path" initiative across four dimensions: green corporate operations, green supply chain, green digital infrastructure, and green empowerment. ZTE has been named to the prestigious CDP A list for leading climate action for two consecutive years, reinforcing its global climate leadership. In terms of green corporate operations, ZTE has achieved the remarkable feat of increasing revenue while reducing energy consumption, thanks to years of continuous effort. In 2024, the company improved its energy efficiency by 20% compared with 2021, and recorded a 13.4% reduction in Scope 1&2 emissions compared to the previous year. Its telecom products saw an 8.39% reduction in physical emissions intensity during the use and maintenance phase, while its terminal products achieved a 5.02% year-on-year reduction in absolute emissions over the entire product lifecycle. ZTE reduced its Scope 1&2&3 carbon emissions by 14.317 million tons in 2024 compared to 2023 levels. For green supply chain, in 2024, ZTE has integrated dual-carbon strategy requirements into supplier management IT systems, including agreement signing, on-site audits, and performance assessments. In this year, ZTE conducted onsite CSR audits for 261 production suppliers (representing 86.9% of the top 90% suppliers by procurement amount). Regarding green digital infrastructure, ZTE boasts over 800 green innovation patents. As of 2024, the company has conducted carbon footprint assessments for 154 products, covering all its product categories. Through its end-to-end green solutions, ZTE continues to help global operators save over 10 billion kWh of electricity annually. In green empowerment of industries, ZTE has actively integrated cloud and network infrastructure, IoT, big data, AI and other cutting-edge technologies with traditional industries to achieve a win-win outcome of development and emission reduction. The company has partnered with over 2,000 leading industry players to carry out 5G-powered innovative green practices across 18 sectorsincluding steel, metallurgy, electronics manufacturing, ports, rail transit, mining, and powerpioneering more than 100 innovative application scenarios. Upholding a People-Centered Approach to Foster an Inclusive Society ZTE has pursued sustainable development by advancing both technological leadership and CSR fulfillment. By leveraging its technological advantages, it provides tailored digital solutions to global customers, helping to bridge the digital divide and accelerate digital transformation worldwide. For example, ZTE and Orange have jointly launched the "Enhance Rural Area" project, delivering communications infrastructure to rural regions in Liberia and enabling digital access for more than 580,000 people in remote areas. In Anyang, Henan, the company supported the development of a drone-based blood delivery system, effectively addressing the "last mile" challenge in urban medical logistics. In Hainan, ZTE ensured uninterrupted emergency communications with satellite terminals during Typhoon Yagi. ZTE upholds a people-oriented philosophy. In 2024, ZTE achieved 100% employee training coverage and its ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems certification now covers offices in 30 countries. In 2024, ZTE carried out 310 regular public welfare activities across various fields, including rural revitalization, education support, and medical and disaster relief. With the joint efforts of 15,000 employee volunteers, the company has provided assistance to over one million people in need, continuously delivering warmth and creating social value. Strengthening Governance to Enhance Corporate Resilience Xie Junshi, EVP and COO of ZTE, states in the report, "Committed to innovation-driven and sustainable development, ZTE has embedded ESG into every aspect of its operations. By harnessing digital and intelligent technologies, we are developing a development model that coexists harmoniously with nature and society, while exploring a path for business continuity in the new era." Integrating sustainable development with its corporate strategies, ZTE aspires to strengthen its core competitiveness with a focus on its vision and three strategic cornerstonesinternal control, compliance, and talent. In 2024, ZTE upgraded the corporate governance system and established the Strategy and Sustainability Committee to better incorporate the philosophy of sustainable development into its strategies and business activities. In terms of corporate risk prevention and control, ZTE places particular emphasis on identifying and responding to emerging risks. As AI technology rapidly transforms the world, it brings immense business opportunities while also raising widespread concerns over ethical risks such as privacy infringement and algorithmic bias. To proactively address these challenges, ZTE established the Science and Technology Ethics Committee in 2024, demonstrating high-level organizational commitment to ethical governance. In addition, the company has put in place a technology ethics governance framework to review and assess AI-related R&D projects individually, ensuring the safe, reliable, and inclusive development of AI. As a member of the UN Global Compact and the Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative and a key participant and a pioneer in the Partner2Connect (P2C) Digital Coalition initiated by the International Telecommunication Union, ZTE has received widespread recognition from numerous global authoritative organizations and rating agencies for its exemplary sustainability practices. In 2024, ZTE was recognized with EcoVadis Gold Medal for sustainability excellence. In addition, the company was selected for the S&P Global's Sustainability Yearbook 2024 (China Edition) and honored with the title of "Industry Mover". It was also listed among the 2024 Forbes China ESG 50 list and received the World Internet Conference Distinguished Contribution Award. Furthermore, ZTE won two BDO ESG awards, as well as the LinkedIn MostIn Awards Global Talent Magnet Employer, among others. Moving forward, ZTE will continue to promote sustainable development globally, leveraging technological innovation and international collaboration to inject digital vitality into efforts toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, working toward a greener, more inclusive, and resilient future. For more details of ZTE Sustainability Report 2024, please download: https://www.zte.com.cn/content/dam/zte-site/investorrelations/en_announcement/ZTE_Sustainability_Report_2024_EN.pdf by Ray Schultz , June 5, 2025 FW Publishing has named Nicolle S. Praino as editor of Nashville Post, the first female to hold that title. Praimo replaces co-interim editors Hannah Herner and William Williams. Herner will continue as associate editor and Williams as managing editor. Praino joined FW Publishing in June 2023 as a general assignment reporter for the Post and the News. Last October, she became Williamson Scene editor when FW Publishing launched that product. Prior to joining FW Publishing, Praino served as an editor for The News Courier, a newspaper based in Athens, Alabama, and as a researcher for CNN. Praino leads with heart, curiosity, and a clear vision for Nashville Posts future one focused on audience growth, subscriber engagement and deepening connections within the business community, says Mike Smith, president of FW Publishing. Nashville Post provides daily online news and an annual print edition. by Dave Morgan , Featured Contributor, June 5, 2025 I care a lot about Ukraine. Russias unprovoked invasion of the independent, sovereign nation has caused more than a million casualties and is the most important world event in my lifetime, very much paralleling what Hitlers 1938 invasion of Czechoslovakia meant for my parents' generation. Ukraine and its defense have become important issues in my life, and not for typical reasons. I dont have family roots in Ukraine. I had never traveled there before two years ago. I had only done a tiny amount of business there before. But Im about to head back to Ukraine for my tenth trip since that first visit in mid-2023. My company now has more than 40 employees there in offices in Lviv and Kyiv. I have invested in a number of local start-ups there, mostly in defense tech. And I have made hundreds of new friends there, literally. What brought me to Ukraine in the first place was a desire to make a difference, to show up and help grow partnerships between U.S. and Ukraine tech companies and entrepreneurs. What has kept going back to Ukraine are the people, the cause and what Ukraines survival means for America. advertisement advertisement First, I have never met people more American than the people Ive met and worked with in Ukraine. Everything we stand for, care about, enjoy and celebrate in America align more closely to people in Ukraine than any other country Ive been (though Canadian values are super-close to ours, too). Second, all of the values that America was built on are in play -- and under threat -- in Ukraine. The country was invaded because it is an independent, democratic nation no longer under the thumb of its autocratic, decaying, dictator-led neighbor to the north. Third, thriving, independent, democratic nations in eastern and central Europe are critical to the future of Europe, and to the U.S. as well. We need more consumers and markets for our goods and services, and we need open and free trading zones to sell and service them. Bilateral trade between the U.S. and Europe is more than $1.4 trillion. If we lose even portions of that trade, U.S. companies, workers and taxpayers will suffer enormously. Fourth, the enemy of your enemy is your friend. Russia is supported in its invasion and daily attacks on Ukraine civilians with direct material, weapons and military support from Iran, North Korea and China. The first two are self-avowed enemies of the U.S., and the third is intent on pushing the U.S. out of its position of dominance in world trade and powerful influence in the western Pacific and Asia. Fifth, America and its allies are vulnerable. Twenty-five years of fighting terrorism and counterinsurgency wars, spending a peace dividend" that has never been properly funded, and opening our markets up to free trade without appropriate access to many global markets have made America more vulnerable economically, politically and militarily than it has been since the 1930s. Witness our political polarization, the craziness of tariff-driven trade wars, and attempts to grow our economy without a rational and functioning immigration policy. Most critically, however, from a point of American vulnerability, is fragility surrounding our national security -- and recognizing that the threats we are soon to face are being created, tested and optimized on the battlefield in Ukraine on a daily basis. In less than an hour last Sunday, Ukraine launched an extraordinary operation with just over 117 remotely operated drones (costing less than $2,000 each), and disabled or destroyed one-third of the Russian strategic bomber fleet (worth $7 billion) in four different airfields, each many hundreds or thousands of miles deep into Russia territory. What happened last week can happen in the U.S. if the technology, well-known and proven, is used by our enemies. All the materials are available in the U.S. The techniques are well known to many of the nation states and proxies who seek to hurt America, with Iran and North Korea at the top of the list (not to mention Russia and China). The U.S. is very vulnerable today, not just to misinformation and disinformation attacks, as we have seen over the recent past. But, we are now becoming much more vulnerable to kinetic attacks, as we see unfolding in Ukraine. Helping Ukraine doesnt mean U.S. boots on the ground. First and foremost, Ukraine needs money. We now have a vehicle in place to make it self-funding through the minerals agreement. Second, Ukraine needs our intelligence capabilities. The more we share and learn with Ukraines forces on the ground, the more we can better prepare ourselves for what we might see in the Taiwan straits, or an airbase in Nebraska. Third, they need weapons and can do a lot with obsolete ones like F-16s and the 10,000 Bradley fighting vehicles that we have in storage. And fourth, we can sanction companies that keep giving Russia money to bomb Ukraine civilians and kidnap their children. A bipartisan bill to that end is soon to be brought before the U.S. Senate. We can also use both carrots and sticks to make sure our European allies dont just talk the talk on Ukraine defense, but walk the walk. We all need to care about Ukraine -- and help in its defense -- not just because it is the right thing to do. It is. But also because it is the best thing to do for America. by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, June 6, 2025 While mobile accounts for more than half of global web traffic, AI search engines are making the biggest impact on desktops. A reversal of user behavior patterns could change that. Next week, Apple hosts its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025, which showcases the companys software. Industry watchers are keeping an eye on changes to its AI Intelligence and search products. The market implications are vast. For publishers it means that while AI search referrals are growing, mobile the dominant traffic source remains untapped. For advertisers, it means gaining a better understanding of how desktop and mobile referrals are split and what it means for their media-buying strategies. Mobile product share belongs to Apple, but Google dominates mobile web search. Data shows AI is more dominant on desktop, but BrightEdge, an enterprise-level SEO company that supports in-depth research on shifts, suggests an AI shift in search from desktop to mobile led by consumers could disrupt the entire ecosystem. advertisement advertisement Some 58% of Google's mobile traffic to brand websites comes from iPhones, and Apple has not yet embedded AI-powered search into its mobile web stack. But here is something to consider. Safari remains the default browser for nearly a billion users, according to BrightEdge data released Friday. Mobile accounts for more than half of global web traffic, the data shows that desktops make the most impact in AI search when it comes to referring traffic to web sites. Referral traffic for Google Search is 44% on desktop vs. 53% on mobile, while Bings referral traffic is 95% desktop vs. 4% on mobile. ChatGPTs referral traffic is 94% on desktop vs. 6% on mobile. Perplexitys referral traffic is 96.5% on desktop vs. 3.4% on mobile. Google Geminis referral traffic is 91% on desktop vs. 5% on mobile. Despite its widespread mobile app use, ChatGPT sends nearly all its referral traffic via desktop. Desktop shares contribute 94% to referral traffic, whereas mobile contributes 6%, and tablets 1%. Even more desktop-based than ChatGPT, Perplexity sees 96.5% of referrals from desktop, and 3% from mobile. As the default for some Microsoft platforms and now integrated into Copilot, Bing is another major player in the AI space 94.4% on desktop, but only 4.5% on mobile. While Google holds the advantage in mobile AI web referrals, Apples role as the gatekeeper of the mobile browser experience is pivotal. In an interview with Bloomberg, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas said it takes AI search and a browser to see success in this space. BrightEdge data shows that 58% of Googles mobile search traffic to U.S. and European brand websites originates from iPhones. Safari remains the default browser for nearly a billion users. Apple has yet to embed AI-powered search into its mobile web stack, but with the upcoming Apple Intelligence announcements expected next week that could see deeper AI integration in iOS, the BrightEdge data suggests one change in Safari's default search provider could reshape mobile web search overnight. by Danielle Oster , June 5, 2025 Visitors to the Cherry Street Pier in Philadelphia will find a new sculpture on display this month, intended as a display of the citys welcome to a population under political attack. Standing 10 feet tall and weighing in at around 250 pounds, the In Plain Sight installation spells out TQ+ and was created to celebrate transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual members of the LGBTQ+ community. The sculpture incorporates color schemes from various Pride flags, including a blue T with pink and white stripes for the Trans Pride Flag, and elements of the traditional Rainbow Pride Flag (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet) for Q; the +incorporates yellow and purple from the Intersex Pride Flag. Visit Philadelphia created the campaign in collaboration with local agency A&G (Allen & Gerritsen), consulting with local artists and creatives on its design, with the final piece fabricated by local family-owned 3D design and manufacturing studio Outshaped. advertisement advertisement Everyone in the community has the right to feel safe and welcome in the birthplace of America, Visit Philadelphia CMO Neil Frauenglass told Marketing Daily, adding that given the cultural shift pushing back against those members of the community, the campaign wanted to reiterate that here in Philadelphia, they are welcomelifting up the TQ+ community will lift up the entire community. In Plain Sight arrives amidst a barrage of attacks on the civil rights of LGBTQ+ peopleand trans and intersex people in particularfrom the Trump administration. So theres real significance to celebrating the TQ+ portion of the community in particular right nowparticularly as many brands are withdrawing from, pulling back, or less vocally supporting, initiatives honoring Pride Month, continuing a trend from last year. In Plain Sight is the latest in a series of atypical Pride Month campaigns for Visit Philadelphia. Last year, Visit Philadelphia and A&Gs Pride campaign involved sponsoring Philadelphia Gay News in their successful effort to set a record for the largest drag storytime audience. Frauenglass said Visit Philadelphia asked how they could top last years effort, and consulted with the local LGTBQ+ community for ideas, who stressed the particularly painful challenges faced by more marginalized members of the TQ+ community. Further feedback from the community, he said, amounted to, If youre nervous, youre doing it right. [Visit Philadelphia] never does typical Pride Month campaigns, A&G CCO Jennifer Putnam told Marketing Daily. It's not just art, it's advocacy. The city has strong connections to LGBTQ+ history. Visit Philadelphia says its 2004 Get Your History Straight and Your Nightlife Gay campaign was the first LGBTQ+-specific tourism TV ad. Cherry Street Pier will host the installation throughout the month of June. The campaign includes a call to find a location for the sculpture at the conclusion of Pride Month, inviting its audience to apply to give it a permanent home. The campaign is part of a wider In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union campaign from Visit Philadelphia focused on promoting the city as inclusive and welcoming. Another recent installation in the series for Black History Month saw Visit Philadelphia install free little libraries across the city full of books by Black authors commonly targeted by book bans. by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, June 5, 2025 Perplexity search queries are rising more than 20% month-over-month, and in May the company served 780 million -- about 30 million per day, the company's founder and CEO Aravind Srinivas told Bloomberg at its Tech conference on Thursday. Srinivas, who interned at his first job with Google DeepMind in 2019, estimates that by the end of the year the company will serve 1 billion search queries per week. Its been a climb to the top, competing with those dominating the AI search sector such as Google and OpenAI. Perplexitys browser -- Comet, announced in February -- has yet to launch, but Srinivas believes browsers are key for successful AI companies. Sundar became the CEO of Google because he focused on the Chrome project, Srinivas said, suggesting that this helped Google compete against Microsoft, although it took 10 years to become one of the leading browsers. advertisement advertisement Srinivas said most people use Google as a navigation tool, but when companies blend navigation, activities, and transactions using the browsing infrastructure, you can go for it all in one tool. Moving from answers that are four or five searches in one, to actions that are entire browsing session in one prompt -- where the technology completes a task -- requires a browser, he said. I dont think of Comet as another browser, he said. It will be a cognitive operating system. Srinivas believes that Comet will change how people think about the internet. If you want to build a proactive personal AI, it needs to live together with you, he said. That means rethinking the browser entirely. Perplexity in April announced a preinstall deal on Motorola phones, and nearing a deal to get the companys AI engine on Samsung phones, potentially replacing Google Gemini. The company also has struck enterprise deals with SAP for the enterprise, and revenue deals with publishers. Perplexity introduced a publishers program in July 2024, and then expanded it in December. The event offered attendees a chance to explore the full range of Bobcat machinery The Doosan Bobcat headquarters for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), based in Dobris near Prague, hosted a successful Bobcat Demo Days event from 26 May to 4 June 2025. Hundreds of existing and potential customers attended, with over 70 Bobcat products on displaymost available for practical testing. The event offered attendees a chance to explore the full range of Bobcat machinery, blending well-established models with the latest innovations. The showcased equipment included compact loaders, mini excavators, telehandlers, light compaction machines, compact tractors, mowers, turf equipment, portable power products such as compressors, generators, lighting towers, as well as forklifts and warehouse solutions. A broad selection of compatible attachments was also featured. Jan Moravec, Vice President of Product at Bobcat EMEA, said: Since 2011, Demo Days has been providing a great platform for our Bobcat dealers and their customers to try out a wide selection of machines and over 100 different types of attachments in working conditions. "The event continues to reflect the very close relationship between Bobcat and its customers from all around EMEA. A major highlight of the event was the first demonstration of Bobcats new R2-Series 1-2 tonne mini excavators, alongside an upgraded R2-Series E88 model, the flagship mini excavator in Europe. The latest R2-Series 1-2 tonne mini excavatorsmodels E16, E17z, E19, and E20zreplace their M-Series predecessors. These machines feature the advanced SmartFlow hydraulic system, which integrates a load-sensing pump with a closed center/flow-sharing main control valve, powered by a new engine. This sophisticated system is exceptional for compact machines in this category. The SmartFlow system enables operators to perform multiple hydraulic functions simultaneously and smoothly. For example, when using high-demand attachments like a flail mower at full speed, operators can drive, slew and lift concurrently without loss of control. Bobcat also unveiled an enhanced version of the E88 R2-Series mini excavator. Weighing 9 tonnes, this machine offers improved operator comfort, better fit and finish, additional standard features, and multiple predefined configurations. It includes the Fritzmeier cab, which provides better window and windscreen access, reduced noise and vibrations, and a range of options to enhance the operators experience. The E88 delivers exceptional performance and stability, with high digging power despite its compact size. All new Bobcat mini excavators, along with many other models on display, come equipped with Machine IQ telematics. At Demo Days, visitors saw the debut of the Remote Engine Disable/Enable feature. This allows owners to remotely start or stop their machines engine using the Owner Portal or the Machine IQ app, enhancing control and security. Continuing its tradition of innovation, Bobcat Demo Days showcased the new Collision Warning and Avoidance System fitted to the S76 skid-steer loader. This technology uses radar sensors to boost operator awareness by detecting obstacles and risks in real time. The system is adaptable to specific site needs and offers multiple response options, improving safety on site. The Dobris Campus is a distinctive hub for Doosan Bobcat, housing the EMEA headquarters, Innovation Centre, training facilities, and a major manufacturing plant. The plant produces many of Bobcats compact machines for EMEA and global markets. With all engineering, development, production, and management under one roof, the Dobris Campus provides an unmatched venue for Demo Days, giving customers and dealers a first look and hands-on experience with Bobcats latest products before they hit the market. In what is said to be the first time Google has made a deal with an entire country, the Alphabet Inc-owned technology company has this week signed a major submarine cable agreement with the Chilean government. The deal involves the deployment of a 14,800-kilometre submarine data cable across the Pacific Ocean to connect with Australia and Asia. Claimed to be the first submarine cable in the South Pacific, scheduled for deployment next year and set to be operational by 2027, the cable will, the partners suggest, bolster Chile's digital connectivity with Asian nations, including China, its largest trading partner. Indeed, Reuters reports that the initiative coincides with intensifying competition between China and the US for influence in Latin America, with submarine cables emerging as crucial infrastructure in their technological rivalry. However, links with Australia seem to be an equally important driver for the cables development. The cable will connect Valparaiso in Chile's central region to Australia and could support mining operations in both Chile and Australia for example, allowing mining companies that have operations in Chile and Australia, to have a shared command centre. The cable could also play a part in advancing Chiles ambitions to become a regional hub for Latin America. Cristian Ramos, head of telecommunications infrastructure for Alphabet's Latin American unit, has apparently said that the cable would be open for use by other entities, including technology firms operating in Chile. In addition, Desarrollo Pais, a state-owned partner in the venture involved in developing infrastructure projects, is reportedly looking into linking the cable to Argentina via a border crossing. Reuters adds that unofficial estimates of the cables costs range from US$300 million to US$550 million, with Chile potentially contributing US$25 million. The Chile-Australia link has been on the drawing board for some time, though not always involving China. In fact Google is not the only partner to have been announced over the years; 2021 saw the involvement of aSingaporean cable company called H2. In addition, this is not the only submarine cable venture planned between Chile and other countries. As we reported in 2023, Chile is planning a submarine cable to link the southern tip of South America with Antarctica, primarily for research purposes. NEW LONDON A Navy man who police say fired at least five shots from a handgun into the air in downtown New London last year is now charged in connection with a similar shooting incident in Mystic. Petty Officer Bryce J. Harper, 22, was arrested by Groton Town police on June 2 in connection with reports of shots fired in the area of the Chelsea Groton Bank parking lot at Water and West Main streets in Mystic on May 10. At the time, Harper was already the focus of an investigation into a Nov. 28, 2024, shooting incident in downtown New London. Police said the spent shell casings left at both scenes helped to bolster the case against Harper. In both cases, Harper is now charged with illegal discharge of a firearm, first-degree reckless endangerment and carrying a pistol without a permit. Harper is assigned to the Virginia-class submarine USS California and remains on active duty, according to a Navy spokesman. Court records in the New London case reveal details of the monthslong investigation, which started at 1:10 a.m. on Nov. 28, 2024. That morning, New London police fielded several 911 calls and a report from one witness that a man had pulled a gun out and shot off three or four shots into the air, at New Londons municipal parking lot, in the heart of the downtown business district. Police at the scene found five 9 mm shell casings, according to a report from New London Police Detective Marco Zandri, the lead detective in the New London case. Police used surveillance camera footage to find that the shooter was among a group of four people walking on Golden Street that night. When the group entered the parking lot, one of the men fired a handgun into the air, a muzzle flash visible on the camera footage, police said. New London police identified the shell casing as a 9 mm Luger PMC and entered the information into a national database called the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network. New London police have access to the database from its headquarters thanks to a state- and federally funded mobile NIBIN unit it acquired last year. The database stores digital images of fired cartridge cases and bullets and the unique characteristics can be compared to evidence from other crime scenes. Police also uncovered more video footage from a Bank Street convenience store that better identified the shooter and the vehicle he was traveling in, police reports show. Police tracked the vehicle with a Louisiana license plate to the Norwich home of Ryan-David Tate, 30, who is serving in the Navy. New London police contacted the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to request information. The Navy determined Tate had checked onto the Navy base on Nov. 28 at 1:25 a.m., about 15 minutes after the New London shooting was reported. Tate and three others scanned in at the base's entrance at the same time, including Harper. Harper was the only white male among the group and the only one who fit the description of the shooter, records show. Police spoke with Tate on Jan. 28 and showed a photo of Harper, asking him if he recognized the man in the photo. Tate sat back in his seat and shook his head slowly up and down in an affirmative manner, police said. When asked if he recognized the suspect he stated yeah. Cmon man, I know who that is. Im pretty sure you already know who that guy is. Linking the two shootings On May 12, New London police received a notification that the fired cartridge casing submitted to the national database was a match to evidence submitted by Groton Town police from the May 10 shooting in Mystic. New London police spoke with Groton Town Police Sgt. Heather Beauchamp, to compare evidence from the two shootings. In Groton, police had recovered five casings from a 9 mm PMC in a Mystic parking lot. Groton Town Police had linked a vehicle driven by Ryan Hiscox, 22, also a member of the Navy, to the shooting. Groton Town Police contacted Hiscox, who confirmed he had picked up two Navy shipmates from a parking lot in Mystic, including Harper, according to the arrest warrant affidavit in the case. Hiscox later confirmed he was present when Harper fired shots from the passenger seat of his car. A search of his vehicle turned up another shell casing, police said. Available police documents reveal no victims associated with the shooting and no motive. On May 15, police went to the base to meet with Harper, who immediately requested a lawyer. Police said Harper has no criminal history. He did not have a permit for a gun. Harper is free in the New London case on a promise to appear in court. He is free after posting a $25,000 bond in the Groton case. Harper is due back in New London Superior Court on June 16. New London Police Chief Brian Wright said the acquisition of the mobile ballistics van last year was a "game changer, in terms of efficiency in analyzing ballistics both for the department and other agencies in the region. Prior to obtaining the mobile unit, Wright said, ballistics evidence was sent for analysis to the state crime lab, which has a backlog of cases. The unit, Wright said, has led to collaborations with other agencies such as the one with Groton Town police. The state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection announced in August that it in addition to the mobile NIBIN unit in New London, it had expanded its system of NIBIN kiosks to seven locations that included Bridgeport, Waterbury, Hartford, Meriden, New Haven and Troop E in Montville. 2025 The Day (New London, Conn.). Visit www.theday.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The deadline for transgender service members on active duty to voluntarily leave the military arrived Friday, setting the stage for the Pentagon to soon begin kicking out those troops. For the transgender service members faced with the decision to leave or be booted later, Friday -- which also marks the first full weekend of Pride Month when many cities around the country, including Washington, D.C., will be holding parades and festivals celebrating LGBTQ+ rights -- was an agonizing day. One of the service members who has decided to leave is Maj. Erica Vandal, a West Point graduate and field artillery officer who was raised in a military family. While Vandal said she "absolutely" wants to continue serving, she had to consider her ability to support her wife and their two children. Read Next: Army Ends Most Barracks Maintenance at Fort Cavazos Amid Federal Cuts "Honestly, I feel a lot of guilt regarding my decision," Vandal said in a phone interview Friday. "I have no doubt that is what is best for me and my family, just in our circumstances right now. It is the best decision when weighed against this carrot-and-stick policy that we are currently up against. That being said, I have that kind of guilt that I'm almost taking a step back from this fight contrary to how I was raised by my father and everything that the Army has taught me over the past 14 years." Friday's deadline for active-duty troops was set in a May memo the Pentagon issued after a Supreme Court ruling allowed the department to enforce a ban on transgender troops while lawsuits against the ban are still under consideration by lower courts. Transgender members of the reserve and National Guard have until July 7 to voluntarily separate. The Pentagon had originally set a March deadline for transgender troops to voluntarily leave, but that deadline was forestalled by court rulings before the Supreme Court stepped in. The department previously said about 1,000 troops requested to voluntarily separate in March, though it has declined to provide a more specific number. The Pentagon's latest ban on transgender troops is the result of an executive order President Donald Trump signed during his second week in office in January that contended being transgender is "not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member." Under the policy the Pentagon issued in February to implement Trump's order and reaffirmed in the May memo, troops with a history of gender dysphoria, who "exhibit symptoms" of gender dysphoria, or who have transitioned to their gender identity are now disqualified from service. Defense officials said in May they will rely on annual health screenings and recommendations from commanders in identifying troops to kick out. But before that, the department has been trying to entice transgender troops to leave of their own accord by offering financial incentives. The service members who elected voluntary separation by Friday are eligible for twice the amount of separation pay they would get if they are later involuntarily discharged from the military. Involuntary separation pay is typically 10% of a service member's annual base pay multiplied by their years of service. Many transgender troops have been serving for a decade or more, so doubled separation pay could easily top $300,000. The Navy also said this week that it was expanding eligibility for early retirement for transgender troops who voluntarily separate. Under the new criteria, transgender sailors with at least 15 years of service can request early retirement, unlocking significantly more benefits than they would otherwise get for leaving with fewer than 20 years of service. The Air Force and Army are also allowing transgender troops with at least 15 years of service to request early retirement if they voluntarily separate. Despite wanting to continue to serve, the separation pay and stability of leaving on her own terms swayed Vandal's decision. "If I was only worried about myself, there's not a doubt in my mind that I would be fighting this tooth and nail, that this would be the hill I would plant my flag on and would die on if necessary," Vandal said. "However, with the family considerations, I think it drastically changes the kind of math involved with that." The transgender ban is being challenged by two lawsuits, meaning it could still be blocked by the courts in the coming months. Vandal is a plaintiff in one of the lawsuits and, despite separating, plans to stay a plaintiff with hopes of one day being reinstated. "This voluntary separation was a coerced separation, voluntary in name only," she said. "Even after everything, I love this country, I love the Army, I love the military, and I'm proud of my service and would like to continue to serve." The lawsuits have slowed down considerably since the Supreme Court ruling. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which is weighing one of the lawsuit's requests for an injunction against the policy, issued a notice this week saying oral arguments about the injunction could be held in October. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is weighing the other lawsuit's injunction request, has given no indication of when it might issue a decision since it heard oral arguments in April. Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights and one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs in the D.C. lawsuit, said the delay since the April arguments is unusually long but speculated the D.C. Circuit is overwhelmed with challenges to Trump administration policies. Whatever the appeals court decides on the injunction, and even as the ban begins to be implemented, Minter vowed to keep fighting. "The government itself does not claim -- I mean, they couldn't. There would be nothing to support this -- but they don't claim that any of these service members have done anything wrong. They're simply kicking them out because they're transgender," Minter said. "One hundred percent we're not going to stop fighting." Related: Pentagon Will Use Health Screenings, Commanders to Ferret Out Trans Troops for Separations The White House made the unusual move of reaching out to Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for advice on who should serve as the next NASA administrator, causing experts to worry about military influence on the civilian space agency. At a news conference Thursday, President Donald Trump said that "Gen. Caine is going to be picking somebody" for the top role in NASA, which is separate from the Defense Department, and that somebody "will be checking them out." It was unclear who Trump was referring to in regards to checking candidates, or if any other military officials were consulted. On Friday, a White House official went further, telling Military.com that Trump reached out to Caine because he "wants to ensure his next nominee is aligned with his America First vision, and shares his desire to help lead humanity into space and plant the American flag on the planet Mars." Read Next: Army Ends Most Barracks Maintenance at Fort Cavazos Amid Federal Cuts The revelation that Caine was asked for recommendations about the next head of NASA -- a civilian agency with a peaceful mission -- is unusual and, according to experts, an alarming signal that the Trump administration may be looking to blur the concept of scientific space exploration with the growing arms race and military interests in space. Furthermore, the White House statement also serves to further politicize Caine and the otherwise apolitical position of the military by suggesting that the four-star general would be a good arbiter of who can carry out Trump's political "America First" agenda. Caine himself was an unusual pick by Trump that raised eyebrows because he had retired from military service and did not meet the statutory requirements for being the Joint Chiefs chairman, requiring a presidential waiver. Meanwhile, outside experts on the space agency were baffled and concerned by the move. "The [chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff] has no interaction or reporting relationship with the NASA administrator," said Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and an expert on defense policy. "And as far as I know, he has no space exploration expertise to contribute." Caine, who retired as a lieutenant general, was an F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot and held numerous National Guard assignments throughout a three-decade career. Before retiring, he served as the associate director for military affairs at the CIA. Grace Bartlinski, a NASA spokesperson, told Military.com that the agency "does not choose its own administrator or dictate the process by which one is chosen" and deferred comment to the White House. One of Trump's proudest achievements from his first term was signing the National Defense Authorization Act in 2019 that created the Space Force, a point he makes known often in public forums. However, despite its name, the Space Force doesn't send troops into space. Instead, it is largely tasked with defending the U.S. from threats from outside the atmosphere. Though the Department of Defense and NASA do have a relationship, including the services loaning troops as astronauts, they have vastly different missions, with NASA's mandate being focused squarely on scientific exploration and manned spaceflight. The distinction goes back decades, and NASA's peaceful mission allowed it to be one of the few areas of cooperation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. In 1975, less than three years after the last American walked on the moon, NASA carried out the first joint mission with the Soviets known as Apollo-Soyuz. That cooperation would then grow to the first U.S. astronaut living aboard the Russian space station Mir, a precursor to today's International Space Station, in the early months of 1995. After the U.S. retired the space shuttle in 2011, NASA astronauts relied on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to get into space. Any appearance of the Trump administration blurring those lines -- such as leaning on the military to pick a NASA leader -- is concerning to space experts. Victoria Samson, the chief director of space security and stability at the nonprofit Secure World Foundation, said she didn't "know why you would have a military officer talking about who would be best placed to be in charge of a civil space agency." "I mean, there's separation of church and state between military space and civil space, that's pretty clear, right? And that's the whole point," Samson added. Trump first named Jared Isaacman, a billionaire business executive and commercial astronaut, as his nominee to lead NASA, but withdrew his nomination late last month after a "thorough review of prior associations," the president said on social media. Isaacman would go on to tell The All In podcast that he thought he lost out on the job because of his ties with Elon Musk, who also recently left the Trump administration, saying that there wasn't "much of a coincidence" between the departure and his name being pulled from consideration. One name reported as a potential choice to replace Isaacman is retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast, Reuters reported. His last role was as head of Air Education and Training Command at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph in Texas. He was, notably, a fierce advocate of creating the Space Force. Caine did not respond to a query from Military.com on whether he recommended Kwast. Related: Trump Names Space Force Vice Chief to Oversee Golden Dome Missile Defense Project YORKTOWN Leadership of Naval Weapons Station Yorktown and Dominion Energy have signed an agreement to work together to build energy resiliency at the station. Potential projects at the weapons station could include solar farms, turbine energy or a small modular nuclear reactor. Cpt. Dan Patrick said it has been a goal of his to have more sustainable power sources for the station. Over the next decade, power demand in Virginia is going to increase, so having a diverse source of power is necessary for the station to continue providing weapons support to other military installations across the East Coast, he said. Dominion has forecasted a 5.5% annual demand increase over the next decade and double by 2039. Dominion Energy and the installation have worked for about 18 months ahead of Fridays agreement signing to see how a project at NWS Yorktown could fit into long-term energy plans. The first step is a site characterization study, which will determine where and what kind of project would work best in the area. Those typically take six to 12 months, according to Dominion officials. Patrick pointed to a historic long-term power outage in Tacoma, Washington as evidence of his concerns. In 1929, the city of Tacoma generated much of its electricity by hydroelectric dams on nearby rivers, but after a drought, the city struggled to provide enough power to keep citizens warm that winter. Fort Lewis, an Army base located located 9.1 miles south-southwest of Tacoma, had its barracks go lights out at 4 p.m. to help conserve power. Then-President Herbert Hoover sent the Navys USS Lexington to power the city for about a month. If we dont take the necessary steps to build reliant and resilient energy sources for the installation community, we clearly become very vulnerable, he said. As our country reaffirmed its commitment to energy dominance, it becomes ever clear that what we do with electricity and energy over the next five years will determine our installations readiness for the next 50. Ed Baine, president of Dominion Energy Virginia, said whichever method is selected would be owned and operated by Dominion. If a nuclear reactor is chosen, he is confident in the companys ability to handle nuclear facilities safely. Baine said short-term energy sources for the company to meet growing demand will be gas and renewable energy, but long-term plans for the company will have to include small reactors. In October, the power provider announced a partnership with Amazon to develop a small modular reactor as the utility explores building one at its North Anna Power Station, an existing traditional nuclear power plant in Louisa County. A small reactor is about a third of the size of the Surry Nuclear Power Plant, which is located just across the James River from the weapons station. On June 3, the York County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution to sponsor a study that would look at potential zoning ordinances regarding small nuclear reactors. Currently, the countys code does not address reactors at all. Baine and Patrick said whatever power source is chosen, it will bring benefits on a regional scale. Our overall goal and intent is that if something were to happen elsewhere, the base and the community our major workforce would have the lights and power on so we can continue without having to worry about the families at home or the local community not being able to work with us, Patrick said. 2025 The Virginian-Pilot. Visit pilotonline.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The Rangers are planning to recall right-hander Luis Curvelo for his MLB debut, reports Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base. Curvelo is on the 40-man roster after signing a big league deal in free agency this offseason and was optioned to Triple-A this spring (hence this technically being a recall despite never having pitched in the majors). Curvelo, 24, originally signed with the Mariners out of Venezuela as a teenager during the 2017-18 international signing period. He became a minor league free agent this past offseason and landed a major league deal with Texas after having pitched to a 2.57 ERA with a 30.6% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate in Double-A last year. So far in 2025, Curvelo has continued down that impressive trajectory. In his first crack at the Triple-A level, the 61 righty has logged 22 innings with a pristine 1.64 earned run average, a 26.9% strikeout rate and a 7.5% walk rate. Hes been an extreme fly-ball pitcher in the past but is currently carrying a better-than-average 44.6% ground-ball rate. Curvelo is averaging 95.5 mph on his four-seamer and 95.0 mph on a sinker this year, but hes thrown his 84.2 mph slider at a nearly 55% clip far and away the most frequently used offering in his three-pitch repertoire. Prior to the 2025 season FanGraphs Eric Longenhagen credited Curvelo with a 70-grade slider (on the 20-80 scale) but a 45 fastball that plays down due to the right-handers sub-par command. Outside of a rough 2022 season in High-A, Curvelo has never had much trouble throwing strikes but hes struggled at times with his precision/command within the strike zone. Curvelo will be the second fresh arm added to manager Bruce Bochys relief corps for this weekend series against the Nationals. Veteran righty Chris Martin was just reinstated from the 15-day injured list last night. Texas optioned righty Kumar Rocker to Triple-A Round Rock to clear a roster spot for Martins return. Theyll need to open a second spot for Curvelo. The Rangers optioned rookie starter Kumar Rocker to Triple-A Round Rock before tonights game against Tampa Bay. That creates an active roster spot for reliever Chris Martin, who was reinstated from the 15-day injured list. Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reported the moves before the club announcement. Rocker just returned from a month-long IL stint. Hed been bothered by a shoulder impingement that knocked him out after five appearances. The former third overall pick had a tough April, allowing more than eight earned runs per nine with a diminished 17% strikeout rate. He was hit hard again last night, giving up five runs on six hits and a pair of walks over 3 1/3 innings in a 5-4 loss to Tampa Bay. The 65 righty also had an ugly mental mistake in yesterdays game. Jake Mangum was hitting with runners on second and third and two outs in the third inning. He hit a ground-ball to first baseman Jake Burger. Rocker was late off the mound to cover the bag, allowing Mangum to beat it for an RBI infield single. Making matters worse, Rocker continued jogging up the first base line after Burger had flipped him the ball, which allowed the runner from second to score as well. Manager Bruce Bochy was blunt about the play postgame. The biggest (mistake) is the fundamental of covering first base. The fundamentals got us tonight. Thats a basic play. It could have saved us two runs, the veteran skipper told the Texas beat. He just forgot the situation and the other man on third and it compounded the damage. And thats the difference in the ball game. GM Chris Young told Grant that the demotion was not a punitive decision, instead suggesting that Rocker needs further development time in the minors. Its difficult to argue given his results this season. The 25-year-old has very little minor league experience. He underwent Tommy John surgery early in 2023, his first full professional season. That sidelined him until late last year, when he dominated minor league hitters to earn his MLB debut. He made only 10 minor league appearances, though, tossing 36 2/3 frames overall. Hes made just three career Triple-A starts one of which was a rehab outing after this years shoulder injury. This temporarily drops Texas to a four-man rotation of Jacob deGrom, Tyler Mahle, Patrick Corbin and Jack Leiter. Theyre without Nathan Eovaldi until at least next Friday as he battles a triceps issue. Theyre off on Monday, so they could get by with a four-man rotation if Eovaldi returns after a minimal stint. They could otherwise use a bullpen game or potentially reselect Dane Dunning onto the 40-man roster if they need to buy some time. Weather intelligence specialist Tomorrow.io says it has partnered with the Philippines National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to help farmers adapt to volatile and challenging climate conditions and boost productivity using artificial intelligence. In collaboration with the Philippines Department of Agriculture (DA), the partnership aims to transform how weather forecasting supports farming by leveraging Tomorrow.ios AI-driven models and proprietary network of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. These satellites enable micro-weather forecasting at the plot level, allowing them to deliver precise and timely agronomy advice, such as when to apply pesticides or delay irrigation based on incoming rainfall. Tomorrow.io says this joint effort comes at a critical time, with the southwest monsoon already starting to affect various parts of the country, signalling the arrival of the rainy season. As a geographically complex archipelago, the Philippines faces unique weather monitoring and forecasting challenges that traditional ground-based solutions cannot solve alone. Tomorrow.io says its proprietary space-based satellite constellation is purpose-built to overcome these limitations, delivering real-time, high-resolution weather intelligence across the entire country, including the most remote and underserved areas. Tomorrow.io collects global, high-resolution atmospheric data through its proprietary satellite constellation. Physics-based and AI-powered models then process the data to deliver highly accurate forecasts. This intelligence is translated into predictive insights via a scalable software platform, enabling proactive risk management across multiple industries. The licensing agreement allows Tomorrow.io to extend its services beyond agriculture to other critical sectors, such as shipping and aviation, where real-time weather data is vital for safety and efficiency. Of course the companys technology has potential relevance to a number of emerging markets. Indeed, in 2023 we reported a similar initiative in which Tomorrow.io joined forces with MTN Group to provide life-saving early warnings and critical weather information to at-risk populations of more than 300 million people across Africa. The Reds have designated catcher Austin Wynns for assignment, the team announced Friday. His spot on the roster will go to first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who is being reinstated from the injured list. Wynns, 34, has hit brilliantly in limited time with Cincinnati, slashing .390/.429/.661 in 63 plate appearances dating back to last season. That includes a .400/.442/.700 line in 43 plate appearances in 2025. That outrageous output is propped up by a .513 average on balls in play, however, and it belies a career slash line of .241/.287/.354 for the journeyman Wynns. Because Wynns is out of options, the Reds couldnt simply send him to the minors. Hed first need to pass through waivers, which may well be where hes headed now that hes been designated for assignment. Hes a career .274/.363/.401 hitter in parts of seven Triple-A seasons solid Triple-A production for any catcher, particularly a third one on a teams depth chart. Third catcher has indeed been Wynns role since Tyler Stephenson returned from an oblique strain. Stephenson and Jose Trevino have logged nearly all the time at catcher since Stephenson made his season debut. Wynns hasnt logged a single plate appearance in June and tallied only seven trips to the plate in May, despite being healthy and on the active roster that entire time. The Reds will have five days to trade Wynns before he has to be placed on outright waivers, though they could start the waiver process (which takes 48 hours) at any point between now and then. If Wynns does pass through waivers unclaimed which hes done eight prior times in his career hell have the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency. Encarnacion-Strand, 25, has been out since mid-April with a back injury. The Reds acquired him alongside Spencer Steer three years ago in the trade that sent Tyler Mahle to Minnesota. At the time, Encarnacion-Strands stock was on the rise. The former fourth-round pick was ripping through Triple-A pitching and looked poised to make the jump to the big leagues. He did just that in 2023 and hit well as a rookie: .270/.327/.477, 13 homers in 241 plate appearances. Since that time, wrist and back injuries have tanked Encarnacion-Strands output at the plate. Hes never been one to take many walks and has always been too much of a free swinger, and both of those flaws have been magnified as his power has dissipated amid health troubles. Over the past two seasons, CES has only 183 plate appearances in the majors, during which hes batted .179/.208/.295. In the absence of Encarnacion-Strand, Steer has been playing first base regularly. Its possible the Reds will slide the versatile Steer across the diamond to make room for Encarnacion-Strand at first base. Neither player is a good defender at the hot corner, however, and Santiago Espinal is also in the mix at third base. The Reds could begin to move Steer all over the diamond again, as theyve done in the past, if the goal is everyday at-bats for Encarnacion-Strand at first base. If not, Encarnacion-Strand could slide into a more limited role as a righty-swinging power bat off the bench. The Royals are in agreement with righty Justin Dunn on a minor league contract, reports Jaylon Thompson of The Kansas City Star. The former first-round pick had been pitching in Triple-A with the White Sox but was released last week. Dunn signed an offseason minor league deal with Chicago. He had a tough run in Triple-A, allowing a 7.64 ERA across 33 innings. He walked more than 15% of opponents while allowing hard contact on half the batted balls against him. Hed started his first seven appearances before moving to the bullpen. Dunn tossed a scoreless outing in his first relief appearance but gave up seven runs (five earned) over the next 2 1/3 frames and was released. The 29-year-old last appeared in the majors with Cincinnati in 2022. He battled shoulder problems the following season and was limited to three minor league appearances. That culminated in surgery that cost him the entire 24 campaign. Dunn has averaged 92.4 MPH in this years Triple-A work, which is in line with his velocity from his most recent MLB action. He has 32 big league starts to his name between the Mariners and Reds, posting a 4.44 ERA in 133 2/3 innings. The first Great Lakes Piping Plovers chicks have hatched in the wild along Great Lakes shoreline. The Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Effort recorded two hatchings in Wisconsin and one in Michigan. In this DNR File photo Piping Plover chicks are seen on the shoreline of Tawas Point Park (Photo Courtesy of David Kenyon | DNR) MI Dept. of Natural Resources This story has been updated. The stars of the shoreline are starting their summer debut. Piping Plover nests along the Great Lakes welcomed new chicks this month. As of the morning of Friday, June 6, at least 24 chicks have hatched from seven nests at sites around Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, according to the Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Effort. The nonprofit expects more to be hatching daily. Just three days prior, the nonprofit recorded one hatching in Michigan and two in Wisconsin on June 3. Piping plover chicks can move independently after hatching, meaning they are up and running and foraging within hours, according to the Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Effort. All the more reason to be mindful while on Great Lakes beaches with posted Piping Plover habitats, especially if youre bringing your dog to the beach. RELATED: Michigan will foot the bill for piping plover monitoring after feds yank funding While the majority of Piping Plovers breed in Michigan, the conservation efforts fan out to Wisconsin, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Ontario, Canada. At the end of May, the Great Lakes nonprofit recorded 68 pairs and 69 nests across the Great Lakes. Year to date, the Piping Plover pairs are ahead by two pairs. They noted 58 active nests in Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ontario. RELATED: Oldest Great Lakes piping plover returns to Sleeping Bear Dunes Michiganders hail the tiny hero and fan favorite Gabby the oldest Great Lakes Piping Plover who has claimed Sleeping Bear as her home since 2019. Gabby has raised 35 chicks to fledglings. Researchers are excited to see her return this summer, especially after finding a new beau last summer. Five other early birds were spotted in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in April. In the spring, Great Lakes Piping Plover Conservation Team spotted three returnees: a male that nests at Sleeping Bear Point, three males that nests along Platte Bay, and a female that also nests along Platte Bay. RELATED: Endangered piping plovers flourish under tribes watch on remote Lake Michigan island Piping Plovers face many obstacles and disturbances to their habitat from natural predators, humans and dogs. So far this year, 11 nests have been lost, seven of which were due to egg predation. Conservation efforts have aided in a rebounding population. Piping Plovers had two back-to-back record years for breeding along the Great Lakes. Last year, there were 81 unique pairs of piping plovers across the Great Lakes, beating the record set in 2023 by one pair. RELATED: 52 Michigan beaches to take your dog for a summer swim Awareness around protecting these tiny, fluffy birds has spread since 1986 when the breed was listed as endangered with less than 20 breeding pairs, according to Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Effort. Heres what the nonprofit recommends to keep the habitats safe: President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) AP By HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press The Trump administration must restore hundreds of millions of dollars in AmeriCorps grant funding and thousands of service workers in about two dozen states, a federal judge ruled Thursday. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman granted a temporary block on the agencys cancellation of grants and early discharge of corps members, but only for the states that sued the administration in April. The federal lawsuit, filed by Democratic state officials across the country, accused President Donald Trumps cost-cutting efforts through the Department of Government Efficiency of reneging on grants funded through the AmeriCorps State and National program, which was budgeted $557 million in congressionally approved funding this year. Boardman also said all AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps members that were discharged from their service terms early should be reinstated, if they are willing and able to return. But Boardman allowed the 30-year-old federal agency for volunteer service to proceed with its reduction in force, denying the states request to restore the majority of staff that were put on administrative leave in April. The agency employs more than 500 full-time federal workers and has an operating budget of roughly $1 billion. AmeriCorps did not immediately respond to request for comment. The Department of Justice declined to comment. The 30-year-old agency created to facilitate volunteer service across the country oversees several programs that dispatch hundreds of millions of dollars and tens of thousands of people to serve in communities. It sends roughly 200,000 corps members across the country as part of its service programs. Most corps members get a living stipend during their service and become eligible for funding for future education expenses or to apply for certain student loans. As part of the AmeriCorps State and National grant program, state volunteer commissions distributed more than $177 million in formula-based distributions, as well as $370 million in competitive grants that supported nearly 35,000 corps members serving at 300 organizations, according to announcements last year. Notices of grants being terminated were sent late on a Friday in April, explaining the award no longer effectuates agency priorities and directing grantees to immediately shut down the projects, according to a copy reviewed by The Associated Press. The states that sued the administration said those extensive and immediate cancellations did not provide the legally required notice and comment period. They said the result would be severely curtailed services and programs for vulnerable populations since states and organizations could not fill the funding void. AmeriCorps argued in court filings that a temporary block on the agencys actions as the lawsuit proceeds would disrupt efforts to comply with Trumps executive order creating DOGE and to act as responsible stewards of public funds, according to court filings. Despite bipartisan support, AmeriCorps has long been a target of critics who decry bloat, inefficiencies and misuse of funds. President Trump has the legal right to restore accountability to the entire Executive Branch, Anna Kelly, White House deputy press secretary, previously said in a statement after the lawsuit was filed. The lawsuit was filed by officials in Maryland, Delaware, California, Colorado, Arizona, Connecticut, Washington, DC, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. A Spirit Airline plane inside of a hangar at Detroit Metro Airport on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019. (Matt Durr | MLive.com) ROMULUS, MI A Los Angeles-bound flight was deplaned early Thursday after a reported bomb threat at Detroit Metro Airport. WXYZ-TV reported the threat was meant for a Spirit Airlines flight initially set to take off at 8:36 a.m. for LAX. The Wayne County Airport Authoritys emergency and support services and U.S. Transportation Security Administration responded to the incident, and the authority reported the planes passengers once off the flight were bussed to the airports Evans terminal. WDIV-TV reported passengers were later rescreened while law enforcement inspected the aircraft. According to Spirits online flight status report, Thursdays morning flight to Los Angeles departed shortly after 1 p.m. The airport authority was still investigating the threat, which came earlier Thursday morning, as of the afternoon, and further information was not available. MACOMB COUNTY, MI -- A jury needed just 20 minutes of deliberation to convict a Washington man in connection with the 2023 stabbing death of a woman. Shane Burns, 33, was convicted Thursday on numerous felony charges including one count of first-degree premeditated murder for his role in the death of a 60-year-old Cheryl Ann Parsley of Clinton Township. Todays verdict brings a measure of justice to the victims of this horrific attack. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families, who have shown extraordinary strength. We hope this conviction offers them some solace. I want to thank the investigators, first responders, and our prosecution team for their tireless work. While nothing can undo the harm caused, we remain committed to pursuing justice for all victims of violent crime, said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido. The conviction came following a six-day trial before Circuit Court Judge Jennifer M. Faunce. The murder and a subsequent stabbing took place on May 17, 2023 and were determined to be a random attack. The assaults started when Burns slit Parsleys throat at the Belle Tire located at 32700 Gratiot in Roseville. Parsley had dropped her husband off at a bus stop just minutes prior to the attack and arrived at the Belle Tire to put air in her tire. A short time later, Burns stabbed 42-year-old Robert Baecke, Jr. at a bus stop in St. Clair Shores. Warren police eventually located Burns and placed him under arrest. While in custody at the Roseville Police Department, Burns began biting his wrists and got into a scuffle with an officer. During that altercation, Burns grabbed the officers knife and slit his own wrist. A search of Burns vehicle uncovered a shotgun, a 9mm firearm, and a large amount of ammunition. Burns faces up to life in prison for the murder charge. He was also convicted on charges of assault with intent to murder, disarming a police officer and multiple weapons-related charges. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24. Oakland County sheriffs deputies found three children living in deplorable conditions during a welfare check in the 600 block of Lydia Lane in Pontiac. (Photo provided by Oakland County Sheriffs Office) Photo provided by Oakland County Sheriffs Office OAKLAND COUNTY, MI -- Kelli Bryant, the woman accused of abandoning her children and forcing them to live amongst trash has been released from jail. Oakland County Jail records no longer list Bryant as an inmate after she posted bond just before 5 p.m. Thursday. Court records show Bryants bond was set at $50,000 cash. Bryant had been incarcerated since Feb. 14 after members of the Oakland County Sheriffs Office discovered her three children living in squalor during a welfare check. Police were called to a townhouse in the 600 block of Lydia Lane after the landlord had not heard from Bryant and was concerned something was wrong. When police entered the home, they discovered Bryants three children -- a 15-year-old boy, a 13-year-old girl, and a 12-year-old girl -- living alone. Related story: Father of abandoned Pontiac children tried to see them, but mother refused, police say The children were surrounded by piles of trash, feces, and other unsanitary conditions. Police said none of the toilets in the home were working. The girls slept on old pizza boxes, while the boy was the only one who slept on a mattress. Police eventually determined that Bryant arranged for food to be delivered to the home, but instructed the children not to leave for any reason. Related story: Sheriff says abandoned children are making amazing progress but face long journey Bryant was charged with three counts of first-degree child abuse and three counts of welfare fraud. The welfare charges are part of a separate case, which alleges Bryant collected welfare for the children while they were living alone in the home. A timeline for how long the children were living alone has not been publicly announced. Police have said they believe the children were left alone starting in the spring or summer of 2020, right at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. While incarcerated, Bryant had her phone privileges revoked after she allegedly tried to contact the childrens caregiver multiple times. Court records show Bryant is due back in court on June 18 for a pretrial hearing. If convicted on the child abuse charges, Bryant faces up to life in prison. In 2021, this vending machine was stocked with 300 two-pack Narcan kits that come with instructions on how to administer the opioid reversal nasal spray. (Photo by Rose White | MLive) LANSING, MI The state is projecting the third consecutive year of decline in opioid overdose deaths for 2024, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessels office. On Thursday, June 5, the AG department reported an analysis of provisional data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services indicating a 35% decline or about 1,000 fewer overdose deaths between 2023 and last year. FRANKFORT, MI Police are investigating after a historic lighthouse was found with bullet holes. UpNorthLive reported this week that the North Breakwater lighthouse in Frankfort has multiple bullet holes in the glass at top lamp room level surrounding its lens. The light on Lake Michigan was built in 1912 and is considered a local landmark and point of pride for the community. Volunteers with the Frankfort Lighthouse Restoration Project have been working on restoring the lighthouse for more than a year, investing $1.1 million into the structure that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. Its an icon for the city of Frankfort, Frankfort Police Chief Mark Ketz told the TV station. Its something thats photographed countless times every season and to have somebody thats out there willing to cause damage for some unknown reason is pretty pathetic. The structure has been found with bullet holes more than once, Ketz said. UpNorthLive reported 19 bullet holes were found in the glass this time around and at least one made it through the first layer of glass and struck part of the $500,000 Fresnel lens. Its not just an isolated incident, Ketz said. Graffiti on the base of the lighthouse has also been an issue, Ketz said. Anyone with information about the damage are asked to contact the Frankfurt Police Department. Employees on a construction site on Latson Road in Grand River Avenue in Genoa Township were pouring concrete around 12:30 p.m. Thursday, June 6, when the spreader from the truck hit a primary power line. File photo. Jake May | MLive.com GENOA TWP., MI Two people are in critical condition after they were electrocuted during a construction mishap southeast of Howell in Livingston County. Employees on a construction site on Latson Road and Grand River Avenue in Genoa Township were pouring concrete around 12:30 p.m. Thursday, June 6, when the spreader from the truck hit a primary power line, causing it to break and fall, according to a release from the Livingston County Sheriffs Office. Indias Ministry of Home Affairs has approved Starlinks bid for a crucial licence that will allow the SpaceX unit to provide satellite services in the market. Ministry officials cleared the issue of a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite after Starlink offered assurances that it would comply with regulations relating to security and data localisation. The Times of India reported that Starlink will set up a domestic control centre and has also agreed to stipulations about intercepting communications. Last month, Indias Department of Telecommunications granted its conditional approval for Starlink to launch broadband services. The US-headquartered company still requires approval from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, although this is reportedly close. SpaceX has had a presence in India since 2021, when it established a local subsidiary. It has signed agreements with operators including Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, but has dealt with numerous regulatory delays to launching. Most recently, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India announced plans to charge satellite internet players up to 4% of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) over a five-year period to use spectrum allocated to them for satellite broadband services. Ann Arbor drivers can expect a number of traffic interruptions from special events this weekend. Lede WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI Ann Arbor drivers can expect a number of traffic interruptions from special events this weekend. The African-American Downtown Festival will lead to closures on sections of East Ann Street and North Fourth Street from Friday, June 6 to Saturday, June 7. Heres a round-up of other traffic restrictions and road work affecting commute times and travel across the county for Friday, June 6, and the week ahead. ANN ARBOR Nixon Road: The road is closed between Huron Parkway and Bluett Drive to accommodate the installation of roundabouts, pavement removal and replacement, public utility work, associated sidewalk, sidewalk ramp and crosswalk improvements. It will reopen at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22. South Division Street: The road will close between Cross and Hill streets for conduit work from 7 a.m. Monday, June 2 until 5 p.m. Friday, June 6. Jackson Avenue: There are lane closures between Maple Road and East Huron Street and between Revena Boulevard and Seventh Street through 3 p.m. Monday, June 30 while new ramps and median islands are installed. Miller & Newport roads: Miller Road from Newport Road to Seventh Street is also closed until July 7. South Seventh Street: Full closure of South Seventh Street between Sunnyside Boulevard and Potter Avenue until Tuesday, June 17 for water main construction. South Maple Road: The road is closed between Stadium Boulevard and Winewood Avenue until Friday, June 27, for underground watermain work. State Street: North of South University Avenue and south of East William Street, the street is closed until Friday, July 11 for pavement removal and replacement, utility work, associated sidewalk, sidewalk ramp and crosswalk improvements. South Fifth Avenue: The road is closed between East William and Packard streets as well as Packard to East Madison streets through 7 a.m. Monday, June 16 for underground utility work. Pauline Boulevard: The road between Seventh and Main streets is closed until the end of July while a new water main is installed. South Division Street: Between Hill Street and Hoover Avenue, the street is closed until 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8 while University of Michigans South Fifth Housing and Dining project installs utility service leads and water main. Church Street: The northbound lane between Willard and Hill streets is closed for almost two years for the construction of a high-rise apartment building. The lane will reopen April 1, 2027. South Fifth Avenue: A lane is closed from East Huron to East Washington streets until Friday, Oct. 31. East Medical Center Drive Bridge: Traffic is shifted to the east side for the third phase of the rehabilitation and widening project through Friday, June. 20. South University Avenue: Full closure at State Street closed for the placement of new water main from Monday, June 9 to Tuesday, June 17. One vehicle lane in each direction on the bridge will remain open throughout the project duration. Other restrictions include the following. No northbound East Medical Center Drive left turn will be allowed onto westbound Fuller Road. No southbound Maiden Lane left turns will be allowed onto eastbound Fuller Road. Special event closures The African-American Downtown Festival event will close the following streets 5 p.m. Friday, June 6 until 10 p.m. Saturday, June 7. East Ann Street from North Main Street to North Fifth Avenue North Fourth Avenue from Catherine to East Huron streets These streets will close for Michigan Health Systems Office of Medical Developments Event on Main special event 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 18 through 6 a.m. Friday, June 20. South Main Street between William Street and Liberty Street The following streets will be closed as part of the downtown closures for restaurant and retail use Thursdays at 4 p.m. through Mondays at 6 a.m. from Sunday June 1 through the end of September. Main Street from William to Washington streets West Liberty Street from Ashley to Main streets East Liberty Street from Main to Fourth streets West Washington Street from Ashley to Main streets OTHER WASHTENAW COUNTY PROJECTS Scio Township - I-94: Westbound I-94 from M-14 to Zeeb Road will shut down nightly from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. until June 6 for construction. Scio Township - M-14: Westbound M-14 from Maple Road to I-94 will shut down nightly from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. until June 6 for construction. Ann Arbor Township - Joy Road: The road is closed in both directions at U.S. 23 until Oct. 5 for construction. Ann Arbor Township - U.S. 23: The shoulder from 8 Mile at the northern border of Washtenaw County to the Ohio State Line is closed for construction until Nov. 15. Ann Arbor Township - Pontiac Trail: The bridge is closed in both directions at M-14 and U.S. 23 through 7 a.m. June 6. Lima Township I-94: From Fletcher Road to Baker Road will be closed for construction from Friday, June 6, to Saturday, June 7. Lyndon, Sylvan townships - M-52 & Werkner Road roundabout: There will be intermittent lane restrictions for traffic signal work from June 6 until June 13. Northfield Township - North Territorial Road: There will be intermittent lane restrictions between U.S. 23 and Dixboro Road the week of June 2 for a chip seal. Northfield Township - Joy Road: The Joy Road bridge over U.S. 23 is closed through Nov. 15 while crews complete a partial demolition of the overpass that was severely damaged when a semitrailer hit it. Pittsfield Township - Platt Road: There are intermittent lane closures between Textile and Morgan roads through June for permit work. Pittsfield Township - Morgan Road: There are intermittent lane closures at Carpenter Road and Michigan Avenue throughout June for road construction. Pittsfield, Ypsilanti townships - Packard Road: There will be intermittent lane restrictions from U.S. 23 to Cross Street through October. Scio Township - Railroad Street: There will be intermittent lane restrictions between West Delhi and East Delhi roads from June 6 to June 9 for forestry work. Scio Township - East Pineview Drive: There will be intermittent lane restrictions between Huron River Drive and West Pineview Drive June 9 and 10 for forestry work. Scio Township - West Pineview Drive: There will be intermittent lane restrictions between East Pineview Drive and East Pineview Drive from June 10 to June 12. Scio Township - Staebler and Park roads: The intersection is closed through June 13 for culvert installation and road paving. A detour map is available online. Scio Township - Jackson Avenue: Eastbound and westbound total ramp closure to westbound I-94 nightly from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for construction from Sunday, June 8, to Wednesday, June 11. Superior Township - Geddes Road: There will be intermittent lane closures between Andover Drive and Wexford Drive from June 2 to Aug. 25 for non-motorized pathway construction. Webster Township - Walsh Road: The road will close daily between Mast and Scully roads until June 9 for limestone resurfacing. It will also close between Scully and Merrill roads from June 9 to June 12 for limestone resurfacing. Augusta, Ypsilanti townships - Bemis Road: The road is closed between Stoney Creek Road and Hitchingham Road through Aug. 23. An updated list of Ann Arbor city street closures, the weekly Washtenaw County Road Commission schedule and the MDOT road closure map are all available online. This MLive file photo shows the entrance to Lincoln High School in Lincoln Consolidated Schools. Jack Zellweger | The Ann Arbor News AUGUSTA TOWNSHIP, MI Lincoln Consolidated Schools will soon search for a new superintendent. Bob Jansen, whos been the districts superintendent for the last five years, last month announced his intent to retire at the end of this school year. A bomb squad arrived Tuesday morning at the scene of a reported barricaded stand-off in Northfield Township. Jordyn Pair PITTSFIELD TWP., MI A man who had a standoff with police that lasted nearly 12 hours earlier this week has been charged. Christopher Scott Knieper, 36, was arraigned Thursday, June 5, on two felony counts of resisting and obstructing police and one misdemeanor charge of domestic violence before 14A District Court Magistrate Odetalla M. Odetalla. He faces up to two years in prison. Principal Daniel Morse poses next to a North Park Montessori sign on the building's 100th anniversary on Thursday, June 5. The school was built in 1925. Danielle James | MLive GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Principal Daniel Morse parked in front of the North Park Montessori school last spring, like he did every day, when he noticed a plaque on the building with an establishment date - 1925. Morse knew the school, which he describes as tucked away in a north Grand Rapids neighborhood, deserved to be recognized. So the Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS) district threw it a 100th birthday party. He and members of the districts communications team visited the citys historical archives to do research, made custom shirts and magnets and hosted a party with around 500 attendees. Visitors signed a banner that now hangs inside the school. Morse described the event as a night of connecting with students, staff and generations of North Park graduates, some of whom havent been in the building for nearly 50 years. A former GRPS history teacher, he said you can feel the schools 100 years of history when you walk up. The school was initially its own district - North Park School District - starting in 1875, when a one-room schoolhouse on Three Mile Road was built to serve the local farming community. In the 1960s, North Park joined GRPS, now the largest district in Kent County, with 13,692 students enrolled as of the 2024-25 school year. Prior to combining with GRPS, the district first opened a four-room Grove Avenue School in 1910 to fit more students. The current school, 3375 Cheney Ave. NE, was opened in 1925. Additions were later made to the building in 1948 and 1953. A second North Park School District building, Wellerwood School, was opened in the 1960s. It was named in honor of Superintendent Hellen Weller, one of the first female superintendents in the state. The Wellerwood building now serves as North Park Montessoris preschool and kindergarten building. The North Park building serves students in 1st through 8th grades. The campus had a combined enrollment of 379 students as of the 2024-25 school year. Students celebrated their last day of classes for the year on Thursday, June 5. North Park has now been a Montessori school for over 10 years, but Morse said its storied history still bursts out of the building and into the surrounding community, popping up when least expected. A grandfather will pick up his granddaughter wearing a t-shirt that reads North Park Class of 1969. A neighbor brings in two weathered silver pitchers engraved with North Park P.T.A. Im still struck by the sense of community, he said. Everybody has a story. Morse said at least a handful of the schools current students are multi-generational, meaning someone in their family, a parent, grandparent or uncle, attended North Park. If you would like more reporting like this delivered free to your inbox, click and signup for our weekly newsletter: Michigan Schools. GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Max Polakovich may not be the first person to run the entire lower peninsula of Michigan from south to north. But he may be the fastest. Polakovich, whos only been a hobby runner for the last year, challenged himself to run 400 miles last month, starting in northern Indiana and ending at the Mackinac Island bridge. Simultaneously, he raised thousands of dollars and awareness for AYA Youth Collective, a Grand Rapids nonprofit serving people aged 14-24 who are experiencing homelessness or housing instability. RELATED: Michigan had 35,495 homeless students last year. See the numbers, by district I think people having a safe place to call home is important, said Polakovich, 23. He is a mortgage lender. Its one of the basic needs for living a good life and AYA really stood out to me. AYA has a drop-in center where people can access food, a shower, laundry, computer and Internet access and financial and community resources. Just being in that drop-in center, it made me realize how lucky I am in my life, Polakovich said, adding that he attended private schools growing up and was able to go to college. I didnt realize how many kids go through all these things on a daily basis. So Polakovich assembled a crew and spent a couple months planning out the route for his run and a travel plan. On May 23, he set off from Michiana, Indiana and ran about 50 miles a day. Two close friends - Reed Haabestad and Cameron Beachler - accompanied him the entire time, following with a car and RV stocked with food and supplies, while about eight others ran, walked or biked alongside him for portions of the run. At one point, Polakovichs mom drove two-and-a-half hours to deliver him food and a new pair of shoes. His girlfriend walked the last 50 miles with him on the last day. Haabestad traveled from Philadelphia and another friend flew in from Boston to join Polakovich. I had a rotating group of 10 people that worked as a crew for me, made sure Im eating, following the right route, my meals were made, my clothes changed, Polakovich said. He ran along sidewalks, trails and the sides of highways, avoiding cars whipping by. Each hour, he packed on 400 calories by downing a water mixed with carbohydrate and electrolyte powder and a Krispy Kreme donut. The crew bought eight dozen donuts on the third day in Grand Rapids. Tools like a reflector vest and trekking poles kept him safe and stable. The first five days I would call fun, he said. I love pushing myself. I love the challenge. Polakovich would go on to face both physical and mental exhaustion. Everything starts to feel almost like a fever dream, he said. Youre not really rational anymore, a lot of decisions have to come from the crew. Polakovich described a moment where he tried to convince his friends that it would be efficient for him to skip sleep and walk through the night. Im going on and on about all this runner math, and how we get there, and they look at me and I think Im making perfect sense, he said. Nobody else understands what Im saying ... You start to think in a weird way. He also suffered a stress injury to his shin, which is when he said the mentality of the run shifted. I dont know if I smiled or joked around for the last of the three days, Polakovich said. Reality sets in ... I have 150 miles in front of me, this leg is not going to get any better and I have to get this run done. The fun sunk out of it. There was never a doubt that I was going to finish, but there were a lot of times I wanted to quit. Thinking of the root of his mission helped Polakovich get himself to the finish line. He had raised around $19,000 ahead of the run and was working his way towards the $50,000 goal for AYA. To date, Polakovich has raised $47,840.82 for AYA. He said with a couple checks that are coming in, he is confident he will meet the $50,000 goal. RELATED: More than 35,000 students in Michigan are homeless, schools are racing to find solutions A documentary on the epic run is being put together by Grand Rapids Marketing Company. Along the run, Polakovich said he had many conversations on the west side of the state with people who asked about his cause and stopped to take a picture. Some donated on the spot. Just knowing that there was that many people ... supporting me and believing in me ... it was definitely amazing and what helped get me through some of those low points on the run when I didnt want to go any further. Achieving challenging fitness goals is good for Polakovichs mental health. He said if he can accomplish that really hard challenge, everything else in the year doesnt feel as stressful. Nothing else seems that bad in comparison, he said. It helps me deal with stress that much better. Another challenging point on the run was when he was within a mile of the Mackinac Bridge - his finish line - but still had to tack on an extra five miles to complete the 400-mile goal. I could see the finish so close, Polakovich said. I could taste it. And then Ive got to go hobble another five miles to get back to where I was standing. When he finally reached the Mackinac Bridge, Polakovich said he felt relief. The last three days were so tough it felt like there was a weight lifted off of my shoulders, he said. I think I woke up five times that night and asked people if I was done. My brain knew I was done but couldnt fully (grasp it). A week after completing the run, Polakovichs lower left leg and foot are in a boot, but hes already back in the gym. He said his doctor said he may have a stress fracture in his shin or a muscle injury. My goal is to be back running in July and maybe get on a bike sooner than that, he said. He said while hes excited to prove he could complete the run, the weight of it all hasnt fully set in yet. Maybe the next time I have a long drive across Michigan, itll fully set in, he said. Newsweeks recognition puts Grove in competition for the top spot in a national readers' choice contest alongside one other Michigan finalist. (Photo provided by Essence Restaurant Group) Courtesy GRAND RAPIDS, MI Grove, a restaurant in Grand Rapids East Hills neighborhood, has been recognized by Newsweek as one of the top 15 farm-to-table restaurants in the U.S. The restaurant, which opened in 2011 and relaunched with a new menu and renovated interior in 2022 after being shuttered amid the COVID-19 pandemic, has an emphasis on seasonal produce and sustainably raised beef, pork, chicken and seafood. Located at 919 Cherry St. SE, the restaurant is competing with 15 other farm-to-table focused restaurants in a readers choice contest for the top spot. Other finalists span the country, from Virginia to California. One other Michigan restaurant, Trattoria Stella in Traverse City, made the list of 15 finalists. The list was developed by Newsweeks editorial leadership with contributions from a panel of six travel experts. The publication described Grove as a spot where diners can experience simple Midwestern staples like beets, pot roast and potatoes on a whole new level. Family farms provide the raw ingredients, and the restaurants highly acclaimed chefs turn each humble vegetable into an edible work of art, Newsweek wrote. Reserve your spot for a Tasting for Two, which features five courses that take you on a culinary journey through Americas Breadbasketwarm bread and butter included. Grove is owned by Grand Rapids-based Essence Restaurant Group. Essence also owns The Green Well (located on Cherry Street across the street from Grove), as well as Bistro Bella Vita in downtown Grand Rapids, and Lucys Cafe at 1747 Plainfield Ave. NE in the Creston neighborhood. Essence is led by CEO James Berg, who opened Bistro Bella Vita in 1996 and formed Essence Restaurant Group with his partners in 2006. To see the full list of Newsweeks top 15 farm-to-table restaurants and vote for your favorite, visit newsweek.com/readerschoice/best-farm-table-restaurant-2025. Voting ends June 19 at noon. Ottawa County sheriff's deputies said a woman was hospitalized after a crash in Holland Township. (MLive File Photo) John Tunison OTTAWA COUNTY, MI A woman was hospitalized Friday, June 6, when her Jeep crashed into the back of two stopped vehicles, went through a fence and came to a stop in a backyard. The 44-year-old Holland Township woman suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Ottawa County sheriffs deputies said. The crash was reported at 11:42 a.m. on Riley Street near 100th Avenue in Holland Township. The woman was driving east on Riley when her vehicle crashed into two stopped vehicles near the traffic signal at 100th Avenue. Her vehicle went through a privacy fence and came to a stop in the backyard of a house on Gray Fox Court, police said. She was taken by AMR Ambulance to a local hospital. JACKSON, MI The Jackson Public Schools board will consider stripping a member of his title as vice president because he made an addition to the new superintendents contract that a lawyer says could economically benefit his employer. I feel strongly that I have no further trust in (Derek) Dobies, and I would question anyone who would approve of him maintaining his role as vice president, Secretary Cheryl Simonetti said. She motioned at a special meeting Thursday, June 5, to remove Dobies, who denies any conflict of interest or wrongdoing, from his position as vice president and make him ineligible for any board office for the remainder of his elected term. However, the motion was not on the agenda and the board decided not to vote until their next regular meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 17 at the Jackson High School Media Center, 544 Wildwood Ave. According to a letter to the board, legal counsel Brendon Beer said Dobies inserted American Federation of School Administrators into to a section covering professional meetings and affiliations in the employment agreement between the board and newly appointed Superintendent Jeremy Patterson. Related: Jackson Schools select longtime teacher, administrator as superintendent In the letter, Beer said he has legal concerns because Dobies is the chief of staff of the labor union AFL-CIO of Michigan, affiliated with the American Federation of School Administrators, a labor organization. This revision clearly created a conflict of interest because Dobies employer could benefit economically, Beer wrote. Further, he said JPS could not recognize two labor organizations for its employees. JPS already has a labor organization representing its administrative employees, the Jackson Public Schools Administrators Association, Beer wrote in the letter, dated June 2. I have no idea why Mr. Dobies inserted this into the agreement, Beer wrote and questioned whether Dobies action was deliberate or a childish prank. Without Dobies in attendance, the board agreed Thursday to re-approve the contract, first ratified in May, without the revision. On Friday, June 6, Dobies confirmed he added the language into the contract. He said after reviewing other organizations including the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators and The American Association of School Administrators, he remembered the American Federation of School Administrators. Upon research, he found that the federation has associate membership for those who would like to participate with the organization but are not under a union contract. He thought it would be beneficial for Patterson, he said. Specifically, he said it would allow Patterson to gain insight into labor perspectives and signal a collaborative culture. I think that the Michigan Association of School administrators and American Association of School Administrators is more the management side perspective, and the AFSA is more labor side, Dobies said. Combined, those give you a pretty good rounded-out perspective of being able to manage a school system. If Patterson does not want to join AFSA, he is not obligated, Dobies said. He said he didnt believe it was a conflict of interest, since the section authorizes the superintendent to request the district pay fees and dues and the board must approve them in advance. The conflict of interest is where theres a financial transaction, so that is where its appropriate to have board members deliberate, disclose and if necessary, abstain from votes, Dobies said. Beer wrote Dobies was required to disclose the inclusion of the federation and abstain in participation of the contract and the vote to ratify it and called the addition improper and undisclosed. Dobies said he disclosed his edits to Beer, Patterson and board President Shalanda Hunt. Several edits were made to the contract, from all parties, since the board appointed Patterson on May 6. In a statement, Dobies said he made numerous edits May 15 and all were on Pattersons Google Doc, which allowed anyone shared on the document to see who made what changes and when. Dobies added American Federation of School Administrators to Section 9 on May 15, five days before the board voted on the contract. Beer wrote Patterson was not aware of the insertion before signing the agreement. Dobies said that while he believes there were areas where the process could have been handled more smoothly, the letter Beer sent the board was unprofessional and the reaction was disproportionate. Dobies denied clarifying further on this. But he added he remains committed to moving forward with business of the district and working with Patterson to ensure a successful school year ahead. Want more Jackson-area news? Bookmark the local Jackson news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Jackson daily newsletter. JACKSON, MI Joseph Gabriel ORourke claims he acted in self defense when he shot Emarion Flowers to death in an apartment complexs parking lot. His attorney, Lucas Dillion, said Flowers had a gun and a violent past. Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Hull said ORourke intentionally slayed Flowers to end a beef between the two. Related: Jackson man claims self-defense in fatal daytime shooting of 22-year-old ORourke, 22, appeared for a preliminary examination hearing Friday, June 6, before Jackson County District Judge Allison Bates. He is charged with open murder. Police and a medical examiner testified, presenting evidence of what happened on the afternoon of May 16 before the judge adjourned the hearing due to a missing witness for the defense. The hearing is scheduled to continue June 12. Flowers, 22, was found with gunshot wounds about 3:30 p.m. Friday, May 16, at Southridge Park on Warwick Court First to arrive at the scene was Jackson Police Officer Bradley Elston, who was two blocks away when the call came in. He arrived to find a group of more than 20 people surrounding Flowers, on the pavement. First aid was given to Flowers until paramedics arrived and took him to Henry Ford Jackson Hospital where he was soon pronounced dead, Elson said. Flowers was shot from front to back, damaging several vital organs, Oakland County Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Bernardino Pacris said. Pacris identified five wounds on Flowers body that contributed to his death. One went through his windpipe, another through his heart and lungs and another punctured his pelvic area. Flowers had little chance of surviving, he said. Police searched the area and recovered eight 9mm shell casings, a white and bloody T-Shirt cut from Flowers body and his cell phone that had fallen under a nearby SUV, Jackson Police Officer Tyler Panther said. Investigators recovered surveillance video from several cameras around the apartment complex showing, from a distance, the shooting. The videos, played in court, show a black SUV pull into a parking spot at the complex and drop off a woman while the driver, later identified as ORourke, stays inside the vehicle. Flowers and another man are then seen walking up to the vehicle. They stand next to its drivers side. About 11 seconds later, Flowers disappears from view and the other man runs away as the SUV backs up and speeds off. Trees and other parked vehicles obscure the shooting itself in the videos. As the SUV leaves, the other man is seen returning to parking space and picking up what appears to be a handgun from the ground before running away. Jackson Police Detective Steven Brooks could not say for certain if what was picked up in the video was a gun. Brooks discovered the SUV was owned and driven by ORourke, who would regularly pick up and drop off his girlfriend at the complex. He was tracked to his home at Springport Glenn apartments in Blackman Township and watched until he left, Brooks said. Officers then pulled him over, arresting him without incident, Brooks said. ORourke initially denied any involvement in the shooting but changed his statement after he was told about the surveillance videos, Brooks said. ORourke admitted to having a longstanding beef with Flowers and, when he saw Flowers, waved him over to his SUV to talk and end it, Brooks said. ORourke said he saw Flowers with his finger on the trigger of a gun he had hidden in his waistband before pulling out his own gun and firing until it couldnt fire anymore, Brooks said. He admitted Flowers never had a chance to return fire. ORourke, cooperating with police, led officers to a log behind a house on East Robinson Street, where he hid his gun. The homeowner didnt know ORourke and didnt know a gun was stashed there, Brooks said. Testing confirmed the gun was the same used in the shooting. Its serial number had been obliterated, making the guns history unknown, Brooks said. Police cannot confirm if Flowers had a gun with him. His hand is definitely holding his waistband, but you cant say hes holding a gun at that point. Theres no way you can see a gun there, Brooks said reacting to the surveillance video. Brooks argued it would be impossible for ORourke to see a gun in Flowers waistband given how close Flowers was standing next to the SUV. Dillon argued ORourke was forced to defend himself, noting Flowers criminal past and prior involvement with the Jackson street gang, the 5630 gang. Brooks testified Flowers did not appear to have any involvement with the gang since he was paroled in January. He severed four years in prison for assault with intent to do great bodily harm, Michigan Department of Corrections records show. He was arrested in December of 2019, accused of shooting a woman in the leg while he was shooting at another man in Jackson on Oct. 9, 2019 on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, court records show. He was 16 when he was arrested, later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to serve four to 10 years in prison, records show. Brooks noted he had spoken with Flowers the day before the shooting as a form or community outreach, part of the Group Violence Intervention program. We had a discussion, and we explained to him hey, its better to keep your life on track and Its better to stay off the streets and unfortunately it didnt happen that way, Brooks said. Want more Jackson-area news? Bookmark the local Jackson news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Jackson daily newsletter. The Jackson County for Immigrants Coalition, or Condado de Jackson para Inmigrantes, is concerned the 287(g) program, which allows the county jail to hold immigrants for ICE, could lead to racial profiling, financial burdens for the community and department and division between residents. J. Scott Park | jpark4@mlive.com JACKSON COUNTY, MI A new coalition is hoping to convince the Jackson County Sheriffs Office to end its agreement with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. The Jackson County for Immigrants Coalition, or Condado de Jackson para Inmigrantes, is concerned the 287(g) program, which allows the county jail to hold immigrants for ICE, could lead to racial profiling, financial burdens for the community and department and division between residents. Community members are afraid, Summit Township resident and coalition member Amador Ybarra said. Theyve canceled the Hispanic Heritage Festival because theyre afraid to put a large number of people that have potentially immigrated to this country at risk. Related: Jackson Hispanic Heritage Festival canceled due to current political climate Jackson resident Gayla Ignacio started the group. She has lived in Jackson for 20 years and developed a deep connection with immigrants. She previously worked at a bilingual Jackson Latino church, Comunidad Agua Viva Free Methodist, which has since closed, her former father and mother-in-law were immigrants and she loves her Latino friends, she said. Initially, she was worried as President Donald Trump promised crackdowns on illegal immigration. But, when she saw the Jackson County Sheriffs Office entered the federal program, she was further distraught. Related: Jackson County sheriff seeks authority to hold immigrants on ICE warrants I decided to not just sit at home scrolling through my phone fretting about it, but to do something, Ignacio said. The Jackson County Sheriffs Office was the first in Michigan to enter the 287g program when it adopted a warrant service officer model earlier this year. This allows ICE to train, certify and authorize local law enforcement officers to serve and execute administrative warrants on inmates lacking permanent legal immigration status while in the county jail. One of the main coalition goals is to encourage Sheriff Gary Schuette to back out of the agreement, Ignacio said. Related: Immigration rights group calls sheriffs new ICE agreement a lose-lose Schuette said he met with the coalition several weeks ago. In the three-and-a-half-hour meeting, he explained his reasoning behind partnering with ICE. He previously said the department sought to hold people with ICE warrants after they post bond or are freed in criminal cases. Any inmates would be held for 48 hours or until ICE agents can pick up them up. He said he believed the group was spreading false narratives about the agreement. The include claims the jail lacked room for detainees, that it cost the county money and that the department was making arrests based on ICE warrants. ICE covers the cost of training deputies, though the nonpartisan, nonprofit American Immigration Council notes local municipalities bear other costs. Schuette earlier said detained immigrants would stay in holding cells, not take up beds in the jail. They expressed to me that people were scared, and I told them I didnt want anybody to be scared, Schuette said. That theres no reason for them to be scared. Were not going after people. Read more: Immigration rights group calls sheriffs new ICE agreement a lose-lose He thought they found some common ground, but later members of the coalition attended a Jackson County Board of Commissioners meeting, where he said they continued spreading the same narratives that were addressed in the meeting. Because of this, he will no longer engage with the coalition, Schuette said. I dont feel that this is going to get anywhere positive, and to continue giving them oxygen on this just supports that false narrative and makes people more fearful, Schuette said. Ybarra said the Jackson County for Immigrants Coalition would like to host a town hall with Schuette and give residents a chance to submit questions and comments about the 287(g) agreement. However, Schuette declined. I think thats just trying to exert pressure on me to try and get me to change my position, Schuette said. Im not going to do that. Ignacio said the coalition will continue to advocate against the agreement by speaking at Jackson County Commission and Jackson City Council meetings. The group hopes to host know-your-rights trainings to inform people what the agreement means and how to contact a lawyer if needed, and handout red cards, which list tips and legal rights for immigrants who find themselves targeted by federal agents. They will also partner with immigrant and non-immigrant citizens to foster relationships and spread awareness of the impact immigrants have in communities, Ignacio said. What does it mean to have immigrants? What is the truth about immigration? What are the benefits? Ignacio said. To share some of their personal stories just to make people aware. Ybarra hopes the coalition will also show concerned people they have public support. John Willis, the citys chief equity officer and District 7 Jackson County Commissioner, said he plans to meet with the coalition to hear their concerns, and find out what actions they can take. He is also worried about the 287(g) agreement, because the warrants are not issued judicially, but internally, which can lead to problems like in Suffolk County, New York. Suffolk County is responsible for paying a $60 million liability in a lawsuit related to the detention of immigrants past their release dates at the request of ICE, according to the Suffolk County Legislator. Marginalized communities for long periods of time have gone without their complaints or their perspectives heard, so I think this gives us an opportunity to work firsthand with another marginalized community, Willis said. People interested in joining the Jackson County for Immigrants Coalition or learning more are encouraged to reach out via email at JCforImmigrants@proton.me. The sheriffs office agreed March 19 to join the 287(g) program that deputizes law enforcement officers to act as ICE agents. Around 12 deputies have filled out paperwork for the program. The next step is to begin training, Schuette said. Want more Jackson-area news? Bookmark the local Jackson news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Jackson daily newsletter. SAGINAW, MI A federal grand jury has indicted two more men on charges of perpetrating a smash-and-grab robbery of a Birch Run jewelry store. They join three others linked to a robbery ring that allegedly targeted businesses in Saginaw and Genesee counties. The grand jury on May 21 issued a superseding indictment charging Deon Thomas and Lorenzo Terry with interference with commerce by robbery. A grand jury in February indicted Kilaun M. Brooks, 28, on two counts of the same charge, with Demond A. Manley Jr., 27, and Christopher J. Rudolph, 34, indicted on one count. The charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years supervised release. The indictment alleges Brooks, Thomas, and Deon on Dec. 12, 2024, robbed the Zales Outlet at 12158 S. Beyer Road in the Birch Run Premium Outlets. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Rawsthorne previously indicated Brooks sprayed store employees with pepper spray or bear mace. Brooks, Manley, and Rudolph allegedly robbed the KAY Jewelers at 3259 Owen Road in Fenton on May 10, 2024. The robbers made off with more than $500,000 in stolen merchandise between the two heists, prosecutors allege. Investigators on Dec. 19, 2024, executed a search warrant on a Detroit house associated with Brooks. They seized a 9mm semiautomatic pistol under a living room couch Brooks had been sleeping on, reports state. Brooks told investigators the gun wasnt his, though others present said they had seen Brooks with the pistol. Brooks criminal record prohibits him from legally having a gun. This is the first time Manley has been federally charged with robbing a jewelry store. He and two others in August 2018 robbed the Helzberg Diamonds in Portage, using a sledgehammer to smash display cases. Manley was identified as a suspect after DNA analysis of blood found at the scene matched his. At the time, the FBI was investigating more than 35 smash-and-grab robberies they believed were the work of Detroit-area crews. Jewelry stores were robbed in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, and Louisiana. Manley in January 2020 pleaded guilty to robbery of a commercial establishment. A federal judge in Grand Rapids in May 2020 sentenced Manley to five years in prison followed by three years supervised release. The judge also ordered Manley to pay $441,921 in restitution. The quintets future court dates are pending. Want more Bay City- and Saginaw-area news? Bookmark the local Bay City and Saginaw news page or sign up for the free 3@3 daily newsletter for Bay City and Saginaw. Marijuana plants are seen in this MLive file photo. Jake May | MLive.com file BAY CITY, MI Three Cuban nationals have been sentenced to federal prison for trying to rob a Midland County marijuana grow operation in 2023. As a result, they could face deportation to their home country once theyve served their time. U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington on Thursday, June 5, sentenced Addier Meija-Torres, 50, and Andy Gomez-Niebla, 39, to 46 months in prison. The judge sentenced Yoany Alvarez-Antuna, 42, to 40 months. The trio earlier this year pleaded guilty to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, as did two additional codefendants, Roberto Padron-Alvarez, 45, and Yuan Biart-Gonzalez, 39. A sixth codefendant, 40-year-old Jorge Garcia-Santiago (also known by the surname Acosta), remains charged. The charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison followed by up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The sextet in the early morning of July 16, 2023, visited a house in the 3200 block of West Shaffer Road in Warren Township, east of Coleman. They were outfitted with guns, burglary tools, masks, and camouflaged clothing, their plea agreements state. A father and son residing in the house noticed their security cameras were activated by motion. They went outside to investigate and came upon the six men, leading to an altercation. Meija-Torres allegedly held a gun and tackled the elder resident. This resident wrangled the gun free then shot Meija-Torres with it. The wounded Meija-Torres was still on scene when Midland County Sheriffs deputies arrived and was taken to an area hospital for treatment. Behind the house was a large pole barn, and between the two buildings police found 30 to 40 marijuana plants, court records show. The barn itself was locked and bore several apparent gunshots to its exterior. The Michigan State Police Marijuana and Tobacco Investigation Section also responded and, with a search warrant, officers entered the barn. Inside, they found 227 marijuana plants, 137 pounds of marijuana flower, and 10 pounds of marijuana plant material. No one at the residence had valid credentials to grow the pot, court records state. An MSP K-9 located Alvarez-Antuna and Biart-Gonzalez about a half-mile from the scene. They were wearing camouflage coats and gloves and had a two-way radio with them, court reports state. A K-9 also located Gomez-Niebla and Padron-Alvarez about three miles west. Police located and arrested the sixth suspect, Garcia-Santiago, at a McDonalds in neighboring Gladwin County. Police also recovered several backpacks at the intersection of Shaffer and Magruder roads. The backpacks contained multiple prybars, a ski mask, a handheld cellphone jammer, numerous hand tools, work gloves, a snake camera, water bottles, and an inhaler, the agent wrote. Defense attorneys wrote in sentencing memorandums that Alvarez-Antuna, Gomez-Niebla, and Meija-Torres fled poverty and political oppression in their native Cuba for better lives in America. As they entered the U.S. without legal documentation, theyre subject to deportation once their prison terms are up. Alvarez-Antuna has lived in America for 24 years, mostly without documentation, wrote attorney Alan A. Crawford. He fathered a daughter with his wife in 2008 and worked odd jobs to make ends meet, eventually becoming a farmer, Crawford wrote. Alvarez-Antuna moved from Miami to Michigan to perform manual labor to help pay for his daughters nursing program, Crawford wrote. In the midst of his employment as a farmer and laborer, Mr. Alvarez-Antuna made one of the worst decisions of his life by agreeing to join the conspiracy in the instant matter, Crawford wrote. Mr. Alvarez-Antuna acknowledges that he tried to take a short-cut. Because of that decision, he will be unable to see his daughter graduate from high school at the end of this month, and he will miss other precious moments in her life, his wifes life, and his youngest daughters life. Meija-Torres illegally entered the U.S. in May 2023, just two months before the attempted marijuana heist, to work as a laborer and send money back to his wife and young children in Cuba, wrote attorney Bryan J. Sherer. He has not been previously deported and has no criminal history, Sherer wrote. Ludington is to sentence Padron-Alvarez on June 26 and Biart-Gonzalez on Sept. 18. Garcia-Santiagos next court date is pending. Want more Bay City- and Saginaw-area news? Bookmark the local Bay City and Saginaw news page or sign up for the free 3@3 daily newsletter for Bay City and Saginaw. Elon Musk looks on as President Donald Trump meets South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) AP Elon Musk may have left his position heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) last week, but his name continues to dominate the news cycle after a public feud with President Donald Trump. Michiganders have voiced their own strong opinions about Musk - and his DOGE cuts to federal agencies - in an unscientific MLive survey. While some were warm to the idea of cutting government waste, a majority of those who responded, 84%, said they dont agree with Musks own approach to limiting federal spending. Some said a more targeted approach or financial auditing could have yielded better, and more permanent, results. Several readers expressed concern about the cost of ongoing legal battles and paid leave for federal employees. Perhaps a gentler pruning would have yielded better results with less criticism, said one reader, Sheryl, from Grosse Pointe Park. Others disapproved of the cuts on the whole, citing Musks large role without government confirmation or experience outside of the private sector. Grand Rapids resident Bob described his approach as using a chainsaw to do brain surgery. Approximately 16% of respondents said they do appreciate Musks approach, however. MLive reader John described the cuts as an excellent start. Ada resident Scott said a deep and thorough analysis of our spending has been much needed. MLive reader Mike said he feels sorry for the way people smeared (Musk) for doing this tough project. It opened the eyes of many (to) where tax money is disappearing to, he said. RELATED: Go here for more of MLives coverage of Trump Elon Musk announced Wednesday, May 28 that he would leave his highly publicized role as a top government advisor to Trump, a little over four months after he began heading efforts to cut spending and reduce federal bureaucracy. He said on X that the announcement is because he is a special government employee, meaning he is only authorized to perform temporary, limited duties for a period of up to 130 days in a year. Despite his departure, Musk has continued to make headlines. He publicly sparred with Trump on social media on Thursday after speaking against the Presidents budget proposal. RELATED: Trump, Musk breakup gets messy as they trade insults; heres what they said MLive respondents who shared their thoughts did so before the interaction between Trump and Musk on Thursday afternoon. The back-and-forth is a departure from just weeks ago, when Musk frequently appeared by Trumps side as a special government employee. Trumps order to officially establish DOGE was among his first announcements made in office on Jan. 20. From mid-January through the end of May, Musk oversaw DOGE in selling federal assets, cancelling/renegotiating contracts and leases, ending federal grant programs and reducing the federal workforce. Several MLive readers expressed concern that Musk was not an elected official, however, and did not have an official confirmation hearing. Earlier this year, Attorney General Dana Nessel sued Elon Musk over a claim that he violated a clause in the U.S. Constitution by not receiving U.S. Senate confirmation. RELATED: Michigan, 13 states seek injunction to rein in Elon Musk and DOGE MLive reader Paul said the goal of decreasing fraud, waste and abuse always plays well, but he feels the agency was inappropriately established with no Congressional oversight, no leadership confirmation and no monitored intelligence clearances. There are many reputable good government organizations with experts eager to provide analysis of potential cost savings and ways to make stated government agency goals more efficient and effective, he said. Some of Musks cuts are now pending after court injunctions. A good number of the agencies that were affected had offices, leases or federal workers located in Michigan. DOGE has announced the closure of a Michigan-based Social Security office, a terminated lease for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services office space in Ann Arbor and an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) facility in metro Detroit. RELATED: DOGE website IDs 6 federal offices closing across Michigan, Indian Health Service, IRS among cuts MLive reader Marilyn said shes especially concerned about the disastrous impact on the IRS, after some federal employees faced cuts. RELATED: Trumps IRS cuts may cost $500 billion in lost tax revenue as taxpayers exploit system So many workers were let go that those remaining will not be able to do the work necessary to carry out the mission of the IRS, she said. Less enforcement will mean less money taken in. The savings touted by DOGE have also extended to federal funding, including the cancellation of grants and contracts at the Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of Health and Human Services. As of May 29, DOGE reported 15,149 grant terminations totaling $40 billion in savings, including multiple grants for Michigan agencies and municipalities and at least 17 grants to Michigan universities. RELATED: Michigan universities have lost millions in grant funding. They could lose billions more. Dave from Hillsdale said hes most concerned about cuts to USAID, the lead U.S. government agency for international humanitarian and development assistance. This week, the White House sent Congress a request to officially claw back $9.4 billion in funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting, including $8.3 billion from USAID. The recissions package is the first request that would codify DOGE cuts. When I hear defenders say no one has died, I wonder if those folks understand the connection between food and life, Dave said. Karen from Williamston said shes all for trimming fat in government, but the way they went about it was chaotic and unreasonable. I think DOGE went too fast and cut things without even knowing what they were cutting, she said. Musk has also sought to cut down the federal workforce, which DOGE and the Trump administration have attempted to accomplish through a combined Jan. 20 hiring freeze, federal employee buyouts and mass layoffs. RELATED: How many federal workers did Michigan have before Trump cuts? There are no official figures for the total number of firings and layoffs to the 2.4 million U.S. federal workers since Trump took office. The cuts include probationary employees, or those who have typically worked for less than a year. The move has been challenged in court numerous times, including by Nessel. Kalamazoo resident Steve said he believes the cuts have led to the elimination of a great deal of our nations brightest and most professional staff. Hes left our federal government agencies politicized, far less effective and less fiscally efficient, he said. Some of the federal departments that have seen layoffs include the Defense Department, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Veterans Affairs and National Park Service, according to analysis by the Associated Press. MLive reader Bonnie said shes especially concerned about the impact on the National Park System, one of our countrys greatest assets. Several former parks managers have anticipated that cuts may make operating Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and other Michigan parks more difficult. RELATED: Trump cuts, NPS hiring hurdles put Sleeping Bear Dunes in a bind As of June 6, a DOGE website estimates it has saved $180 billion. Thats less than the original $2 trillion figure Musk mentioned on the campaign trail, then walked back to $1 trillion, but still amounts to a little over $1,118 per taxpayer, according to DOGE. Stephen from Jackson said he believes DOGEs efforts have helped stem wasteful government spending. I am concerned that they didnt do enough and that another administration will once again add back in excess programs and expenditures that only cater to special interest groups, he said. I applaud Musks efforts and am thankful to him for his patriotism in wanting to cure our bloated government. But Grand Rapids reader Nic said he feels there hasnt so far been an organized plan. Holland resident Rich said hes concerned that instead of saving trillions, the department could ultimately lose money. MLive reader Frank said the concept of DOGE has potential, but hes afraid the cuts in practice will result in most positions cut being restored at a high actual cost. A study by the Partnership for Public Service, reported on by The New York Times, found that the cost of making DOGE cuts is also high - upwards of $135 billion for this fiscal year. The nonprofit used budget figures to produce a rough estimate regarding the costs of firings, re-hirings, lost productivity and paid leave. White House spokesperson Harrison W. Fields told the Times its important to realize that doing nothing has a cost, too, and these so-called experts and groups are conveniently absent when looking at the costs of doing nothing. DOGEs cuts are also expected to be less costly in the coming years as up-front costs may be more than future costs. Click here to follow MLives complete coverage of President Trumps impact on Michigan. Detroit Tigers' Javier Baez runs the bases after hitting a grand slam during the third inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros in Houston, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene, and Colt Keith scored. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) AP DETROIT -- Javier Baez will be starting at shortstop for the Detroit Tigers on Friday night at Comerica Park. The Tigers (41-23) open a three-game series against Baezs old team, the Chicago Cubs (39-23), at 7:10 p.m. Catcher Jake Rogers; infielder Trey Sweeney; and outfielders Wenceel Perez and Jahmai Jones will be available off the bench. The full lineup is below. Lets get the weekend started pic.twitter.com/kdlNgvokgH Detroit Tigers (@tigers) June 6, 2025 Left-hander Tarik Skubal (5-2, 2.26 ERA) will start for Detroit. Right-hander Ben Brown (3-3, 5.72) will be on the mound for the Cubs. Skubal is coming off a dominant month of May, during which he posted a 2.20 ERA over 41 innings, striking out 59 and walking just two. Brown entered in the second inning on May 31 against Cincinnati and delivered six innings of one-hit, shutout ball. It was his first appearance following an opener after 10 consecutive traditional starts. GRAND RAPIDS, MI--Swaths of Michigan have been blanketed in a smoky haze from Canadian wildfires for the last several days. From the Keweenaw Peninsula to the Mackinac Bridge and areas across lower Michigan, smoky skies could be seen throughout the week. Smoke from wildfires obscures the Mackinac Bridge. Photo provided by the Mackinac Bridge Authority Over the years weve had an occasional patch of smoke from western wildfires. In the last few years the wildfire smoke has covered our Michigan sky more often, has been thicker and is bringing some health concerns. Smoke fills air today, June 3, 2025 at the Keweenaw Waterway looking east from the Great Lakes Research Center. Michigan Tech READ MORE: Why the Great Lakes are a magnet for Canadian wildfire smoke Much of the southern half of the Lower Peninsula on Thursday, June 5, was in the red, meaning Air Quality Index (AQI) levels were deemed unhealthy for the general public. That area stretched from Muskegon and Kalamazoo east to Sandusky and Port Huron. A haze of Canadian wildfire smoke can be seen over Grand Rapids, Mich. on June 5, 2025. The air quality index was above 151, indicating unhealthy air quality. Health experts say exposure to the smoky air can have short- and long-term health consequences. Joel Bissell | MLive.com The Kalamazoo skyline seen on Thursday, June 5, 2025. The air quality index was above 151, indicating unhealthy air quality across West Michigan. Health experts say exposure to the smoky air can have short- and long-term health consequences. (Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive.com) The AQI assigns real-time local ratings between 0 and 500. Values of 101 to 150 are unhealthy for sensitive groups with underlying conditions, while values 151 to 200 are unhealthy for the general population. RELATED: Michigan doctor warns of lengthy exposure to unhealthy smoky air When AQI levels are above 150, everyone is advised to limit time outdoors and to keep doors and windows closed, Dr. Devang Doshi, a pulmonologist and allergist for Corewell Health in Royal Oak, told MLive. A haze of Canadian wildfire smoke can be seen on the horizon of Lake Michigan as a kite surfer takes flight near Tiscornia Park in St. Joseph, Mich. on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. Brad Devereaux | MLive.com Michigan may be in for a smoky summer. MLive Meteorologist Mark Torregrossa said it will be hard to have a large enough wet pattern hit Canada this time of year to put out all of the fires. The usual upper-air wind flow is expected to blow over the wildfires and continue to push smoke into Michigan. Top CEOs from Lendlease and Seek will join trade officials in Melbourne on June 12 to unpack why Malaysia is emerging as a strategic entry point into Southeast Asia. Melbourne will host a high-level business summit on Thursday, June 12, spotlighting Malaysia as a rising hub for Australian companies eyeing growth in ASEAN markets. With senior leaders from Lendlease, Seek, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and Austrade featured on the program, the event aims to provide Australian businesses with insights into new trade opportunities and the evolving economic landscape of Southeast Asia. The summit, titled Malaysia Rising A Dynamic and Trusted Market for Australian Business, will take place at Sofitel Melbourne CBD from 11:45 a.m. for registration and lunch, followed by the main event from 12:15 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Attendance is by invitation only, with priority given to Australian businesses interested in expanding into Malaysia and the broader ASEAN region. Why Malaysia? Malaysias strategic location, combined with a well-educated workforce, competitive operating costs, and mature digital infrastructure, is fast making it a preferred destination for Australian investors and exporters. The Malaysian government has embarked on sweeping economic reforms aimed at enhancing the business environment, focusing on digital innovation, green energy, and expanding manufacturing capabilities. According to Leigh Howard, CEO of Asialink Business and event host, Malaysia is uniquely positioned as a gateway into Southeast Asias growing markets, especially as the country assumes the chairmanship of ASEAN in 2025. Malaysian reforms and investments have created a landscape ripe for partnerships and trade that Australian businesses cant afford to overlook, Howard said. Featured speakers The event features an impressive line-up of speakers, including Tony Lombardo, Australias Business Champion for Malaysia and Group CEO of Lendlease, who will share insights from Lendleases expansive projects across the region, including the landmark S$3.7 billion Paya Lebar Quarter mixed-use development in Singapore. Ian Narev, Managing Director and CEO of Seek Limited, will discuss the evolving digital economy in Southeast Asia and the opportunities for Australian tech companies in ASEAN markets. Other key participants include Danielle Heinecke, Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia, Peter Horn, General Manager of Investment at Austrade, and Leigh Howard of Asialink Business. Together, they will address the economic outlook, investment climate, and strategic advantages Malaysia offers Australian exporters and investors. The summit will also delve into how global trade disruptionsincluding US tariffs and shifting supply chainsare accelerating Australias pivot towards Asia. Malaysias rising role as a stable and dynamic market provides Australian companies a buffer against global uncertainties, facilitating smoother access to a regional market of over 600 million consumers. While large multinationals often dominate headlines, this event underscores opportunities for SMEs to engage with ASEANs rapidly growing economies. The summit aims to equip businesses with practical knowledge and direct connections to government-led initiatives, funding, and partnerships designed to ease market entry. How to participate As this is an invitation-only event with limited capacity, interested businesses are encouraged to submit an expression of interest through the Asialink Business website. Media interviews with key speakers will be available ahead of the event. For Australian businesses looking to diversify, expand, or simply understand the nuances of ASEAN trade, Malaysia Rising offers a timely platform to connect, learn, and plan for growth in one of the most dynamic regions in the world. Date: Thursday 12 June 2025 Time: Registration and lunch at 11.45am 12.15pm. Event at 12.15pm 2.00pm Location: Melbourne CBD Link to register Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Hotels across Malaysias Penang island were at least 85% occupied over the weekend, with some fully booked, as travelers snapped up tour packages bundling unlimited durian feasts with accommodation. "The hotels were bustling and performed strongly during the long weekend. Beachfront and town-area hotels were nearly at full capacity," said Tony Goh, chairman of the Malaysian Association of Hotels Penang chapter, as reported by The Star. As the durian harvest season aligns with school holidays, Penang hotels have been selling rooms in tandem with all-you-can-eat durian feasts, which promotes a unique tourism experience on the island. "Penang is famous for its orchards, which yield durians unique to the region," Goh said, adding that the local varieties are also sought after along the world-famous Musang King and Black Thorn. "Each type has a distinct flavor profile, and for durian enthusiasts, these are intricate tastes to savor and explore." Penang durian for sale. Photo by Facebook/LixinDurian Wong Hon Wai, Penangs tourism committee chairman, described the king of fruits as a guaranteed crowd-puller. He noted a spike in visitors led to increased ridership on the Penang Hill funicular train: a 38% spike between May 30 and June 2. "The ridership reached 33,521 over the past four days, compared to about 4,000 on typical non-peak days." Durian is among the top fruit exports of Malaysia. Last year, US$212 million worth of the fruit went to China after the two countries signed a special protocol on durian imports. Malaysia seeks to boost its durian exports to China by over 20% this year with a focus on preserving the authenticity and brand of the Musang King variety. Rajni Pandey is a seasoned content creator with over 15 years of experience crafting compelling stories for digital news platforms. 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I Accept Arun Govil talks about casting in Ramayan, says "No current star can portray Lord Ram" Palak Vij USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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I Accept Janhvi Kapoor flaunts her new hair bangs look with 3D sculpted mini dress, see pics Vaishnavi Gavankar USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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I Accept Vaishnavi Gavankar USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Many shops selling fashion goods, watches and medicines in markets in HCMC and Hanoi have shut down as authorities ramp up raids to root out counterfeits. In HCMC, a large number of stalls closed this week at popular shopping places like Saigon Square in District 1, An Dong Plaza in District 5 and the Pharmaceutical and Medical Equipment Trading Center in District 10. The owners wandered around in the markets to monitor the situation but did not open them for fear of being busted for selling fakes. At shops that did remain open in Saigon Square, business was sluggish. "The number of visitors has plunged, and most of them only looked and did not buy," Hang, a vendor, said, adding that both customers and sellers are wary. Shops closed at An Dong Market in Ho Chi Minh City on June 3, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Tung Hanois Vinh Phat Market, a key suburban hub for clothing and fabric trade, has been unusually quiet this week, with many shops closed and some even covering up their phone number signs to avoid being contacted. Market authorities had carried out several raids at the end of May. Inspectors have found in HCMC thousands of products carrying names of luxury brands such as Rolex, Channel and Gucci without sellers being able to furnish documents for their authenticity. Their prices were much lower than those of genuine products. Low activity was seen at Vinh Phat Market in Hanoi on June 3, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Giang Managers of Ben Thanh Market in HCMC said fully controlling counterfeit goods is difficult without addressing cross-border smuggling. Managers of other markets said while the crackdown aims to protect consumers and uphold the laws, it places pressure on small vendors lacking invoices or legal expertise. Vendors at major markets said they are unable to meet requirements due to lack of resources since they have to keep prices low to retain customers, which also means they could not sell genuine goods. The great David Lynch wanted the spectator to be a detective: Stephane Ghez at Cannes 2025 Moneycontrol Features USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. 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For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Rana Daggubati reacts to his viral Paparazzi clip, says "I dont like them in my personal space" Palak Vij USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept Gold rate today: Yellow metal rises; check the latest prices in your city on June 6 Debaroti Adhikary USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Rohit Singh USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept Copper, gold and cotton buck the trend as US imports fall sharply in April Ishaan Gera USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept RBIs proactive measures are poised to spur automotive retail, says Renault India's country CEO Venkatram Mamillapalle, country CEO & managing director, Renault India: The Reserve Bank of Indias decision to reduce the repo rate by 50 basis points to 5.5%, marking a cumulative 100 bps cut in recent months (25bps cut in Feb 2025, followed by 25bps in April 2025 and 50 bps in June ), is a welcome and timely move. Combined with a significant 100 bps reduction in the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), which releases 2.5 lakh crore into the banking system, this policy is expected to strengthen liquidity and accelerate the transmission of lower interest rates to consumers, which will spur demand in the economy. For the automotive sector, this translates directly into improved access to affordable vehicle financing, especially in the entry and mid-level segments. The reduction in CPI inflation forecast to 3.7% for FY26 will likely increase real disposable income, supporting consumer sentiment. With private consumption already on a healthy trajectory and the festive season on the horizon, we expect this policy environment to drive demand further. Moreover, robust gross FDI despite global headwinds reaffirms Indias attractiveness as a long-term investment destination. The RBIs proactive measures are poised to spur automotive retail, enhance customer affordability, and strengthen the economic cycle. We are optimistic that FY2025-26 will see an upward growth trajectory for the auto industry, powered by favorable macroeconomic indicators, strong fundamentals, and evolving consumer confidence," said Mr. Venkatram Mamillapalle, Country CEO & Managing Director, Renault India Final gold loan norms likely today or by Monday, says RBI Governor, financiers cheer LTV relief Manish M. Suvarna is Senior Correspondent at Moneycontrol. He writes on the Indian money markets, RBI, Banks and NBFCs. He tweets at @manishsuvarna15. Contact: Manish.Suvarna@nw18.com Manish M. Suvarna USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept No systemic impact arising out of IndusInd Bank issue, says RBI governor Malvika Sundaresan USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Amid mounting global uncertainties and a complex external environment, China is reinforcing its commitment to high-quality development to bolster economic stability and resilience. Following a recent meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, which set priorities for maintaining stable employment, businesses, markets and expectations, relevant government organs have accelerated the rollout of coordinated policies to shore up confidence and sustain momentum. In the latest episode of the China Economic Roundtable, an all-media talk show hosted by Xinhua News Agency, officials from the country's top economic planner, labor authority, and central bank outlined how an expanding policy toolkit is enabling China to navigate headwinds and strengthen the foundations of long-term growth. MACRO POLICY SUPPORT The country's economy remained resilient in the first four months, with solid growth in industrial output, services, domestic demand and exports. Official data showed that retail sales of home appliances and communication equipment surged by more than 20 percent during the period, and investment in purchasing equipment rose by 18.2 percent. Innovation gathered pace, with high-tech manufacturing up 10 percent year on year in April, led by rapid advances in new energy vehicles, large-scale AI models, and humanoid robots. Ding Lin, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission, said the upbeat economic data reflected the accelerated rollout of targeted measures and the combined effects of recent policy initiatives. A 0.5 percentage-point cut in the reserve requirement ratio for eligible financial institutions took effect in mid-May, injecting about 1 trillion yuan (139 billion U.S. dollars) in long-term liquidity. It followed a 0.1 percentage-point cut in the seven-day reverse repo rate, effective May 8. These moves, along with expanded re-lending tools and the issuance of sci-tech bonds, form part of a broader push by monetary and financial regulatory bodies to steady markets and support recovery amid external headwinds. "These policies help expand funding available to the real economy, lower financing costs for businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and ensure more stable business operations," said Ding Zhijie, head of the Research Institute at the People's Bank of China, the central bank. Official data showed ample market liquidity and substantial credit support for SMEs. By the end of April, the outstanding balance of inclusive loans to micro and small enterprises had reached 34.3 trillion yuan, an 11.9 percent year-on-year increase, outpacing the growth of all other loan categories during the same period. Loans to "little giant" firms, which refer to novel elites among China's SMEs that are engaged in manufacturing, specialize in a niche market, and boast cutting-edge technologies, stood at 6.3 trillion yuan by the end of the first quarter, marking a 15.1 percent increase. RISING DOMESTIC DEMAND To strengthen domestic demand as a key driver of growth, China has introduced a series of targeted measures across multiple sectors. These include expanding services consumption, strengthening care for elderly people with disabilities, promoting automobile sales, improving consumption-related infrastructure, encouraging private investment, and launching new policy-based financial instruments. The central bank has introduced a package of structural monetary policies to boost domestic demand, including expanding the re-lending facility for sci-tech innovation and technological upgrading from 500 billion to 800 billion yuan, launching a new 500-billion yuan re-lending program to support elderly care and consumption in sectors such as catering and cultural tourism, and supporting financial institutions, tech firms, and equity investment institutions in issuing sci-tech innovation bonds. Ding Zhijie said that the central bank's recent policies focus on three key aspects: scaling up existing tools, reducing funding costs, and introducing innovative instruments to guide financing toward key areas of consumption and investment. The country announced a new round of the consumer goods trade-in program last year to boost consumer spending, subsidizing trade-ins of automobiles, home appliances, and home decorations -- and expanded the scope of the program earlier this year. In the first five months this year, the country's consumer goods trade-in program generated 1.1 trillion yuan in sales, fueling a surge in transactions that included 4.12 million vehicles, 77.62 million units of household appliances and 56.63 million units of digital products such as mobile phones, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce. STABLE EMPLOYMENT As domestic demand picks up and macro policies take effect, employment has remained generally stable. From January to April, urban job creation increased at a steady pace and the average surveyed urban unemployment rate was 5.2 percent, according to Chen Yongjia, an official with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. Chen said the ministry has introduced a series of targeted measures to stabilize employment, which have delivered positive results. The country has increased the quota for loans aimed at stabilizing and expanding employment, expanded the coverage of subsidy policies that support job creation, and extended existing measures such as unemployment insurance refunds and skill training subsidies to fully unleash policy dividends. In the first quarter, 3.52 billion yuan in job stabilization funds were issued, along with 23.8 billion yuan in employment subsidies and 156.3 billion yuan in special-purpose loans for job retention and expansion. Starting this year, over 10 million people will benefit from subsidized vocational training programs each year for three consecutive years, alongside specialized courses in elderly care, domestic services, and long-term caregiving to improve workforce skills. The officials said greater efforts will be made to enhance the foresight, precision and effectiveness of macro regulation, ensuring that all policies work in the same direction and reinforce each other. Such coordinated efforts are expected to support the economy's upward momentum, reinforce market confidence, and improve resilience against rising global uncertainties, they said. (Video editors: Wang Houyuan, Luo Hui.) Thai authorities have arrested three Taiwanese nationals at Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi Airport after discovering phones in their luggage linked to online scams across Thailand. The arrests took place on June 3 after airport security flagged suspicious items during a baggage scan. Inside the trios checked luggage, officials discovered 19 mobile phones, which contained data connected to fraudulent activities, according to Thailands Immigration Bureau, the Bangkok Post reported. Customs officers found bank account details on the devices that matched those listed on the Royal Thai Polices scam alert database. Authorities believe the accounts were used to facilitate online shopping and currency exchange scams, which have defrauded people in multiple localities, Thaiger reported. Police said the suspects, whose names have not been released, have criminal records in Taiwan for offenses including money laundering and illegal gambling. This was reportedly their first visit to Thailand. The three remain in custody as investigators work to determine the full extent of their involvement and whether others are connected to the operation. Shubhangi Mathur USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept GCC is truly successful when it becomes another headquarters: Accenture India GCC lead Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Reshab Shaw USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Bajaj Finance, SBI Cards, other FinNifty shares rally up to 4% as RBI Guv says stress in unsecured loans, credit card segments has abated Debaroti Adhikary USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Hindustan Zinc shares rise 3% as silver crosses Rs 1.05 lakh per kg mark for the first time Debaroti Adhikary USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept RBI Governor confirms one banking licence application rejected, name not disclosed yet Manish M. Suvarna is Senior Correspondent at Moneycontrol. He writes on the Indian money markets, RBI, Banks and NBFCs. He tweets at @manishsuvarna15. Contact: Manish.Suvarna@nw18.com Manish M. Suvarna USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Shiladitya Pandit USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Eternal, Swiggy together add over Rs 30,000 crore in market cap this week amid headwinds at Zepto Tushar Goenka is a breaking news reporter who focuses on startups. Interested in venture capital, quick commerce, e-commerce, food delivery and D2C. Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Tushar Goenka USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Naina Sood USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Biocon, Wockhardt, Eris to double insulin output, as global drugmakers scale back to focus on GLP-1, new generation insulins Viswanath Pilla is a business journalist with 16 years of reporting experience. Based in Mumbai, Pilla covers pharma, healthcare and infrastructure sectors for Moneycontrol. Viswanath Pilla USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept This is an AI-assisted live blog with updates from multiple sources Disclaimer This is an AI-assisted live blog with updates from multiple sources Disclaimer This is an AI-assisted live blog with updates from multiple sources Disclaimer This is an AI-assisted live blog with updates from multiple sources Disclaimer Alpha Desk USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Just 10 years ago many pregnant women in Vietnam traveled to places like Thailand to check for fetal abnormalities but the traffic has reversed now, with from Singapore. Expectant mothers from Southeast Asian countries are now seeking hope for their unborn child from Vietnamese doctors. In Vietnam, the first-ever laser surgery to ablate the blood vessels linking twin fetuses with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome was successfully performed at Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City in early 2016, with the support of Prof Dr Yves Ville, chairman of the department of obstetrics and fetal medicine at Necker-Enfants-Malades Hospital at the Paris University in France. Without the intervention, the fetuses could have died at any time. With twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, a rare condition that affects identical twins who share a placenta and blood vessels, leading to an unequal exchange of blood and nutrients, some Vietnamese had to race against time and travel abroad to save their babies' lives. Sadly, many lost both babies due to a lack of timely treatment. For instance, a mother in HCMC, despite her efforts, arrived in Thailand in 2015 only to discover that her twin daughters had died in her womb. Refusing to bury her children abroad, she chose to endure the pain and returned to Vietnam to deliver her stillborn babies. Professor Dr Nguyen Duy Anh of the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology said in the past the uterus was considered a "forbidden zone" that could not be interfered with. But, thanks to scientific advances, doctors could now perform exploratory and corrective procedures inside the womb, he said. Many medical facilities in Vietnam have focused on developing this field over the past decade, and doctors have gradually mastered advanced global techniques that allow interventions into nearly all organs of the fetus, opening up life-saving opportunities for conditions previously deemed incurable, he said. Tu Du Hospital, after its first success in treating fetal diseases in 2016, now performs fetal blood transfusion (2017), laser endoscopy for umbilical cord ablation (since 2018), fetal bladder drainage via amniocentesis (2022), and fetal pleural drainage (2023). Doctors perform surgical procedures on a fetus at Tu Du Hospital in HCMC. Photo courtesy of the hospital In a groundbreaking cross-border medical effort, Vietnamese doctors performed a high-risk in-utero heart surgery on a 22-week-old fetus, saving the unborn child of a Singaporean woman with a history of more than a decade of infertility. In early 2024 the hospital, in collaboration with Children's Hospital 1, performed Vietnams first fetal heart intervention for the first time anywhere in Southeast Asia. This procedure, which, needless to say, requires highly skilled surgeons, is only performed in a few places worldwide. Last month a pregnant woman from Singapore was sent to Vietnam for fetal heart intervention. The patient, 41, was referred by KK Women's and Childrens Hospital of Singapore to Tu Du Hospital and Children's Hospital 1 due to the unavailability of this advanced procedure in Singapore. The mother is expecting her first child in September this year, after more than 10 years of infertility, thanks to in vitro fertilization. Her pregnancy journey was difficult, with Singaporean doctors diagnosing the fetus with a severe congenital heart defect that posed a high risk of stillbirth. Vietnamese doctors then performed the high-risk in-utero heart surgery on her 22-week-old fetus, and managed to save the child. This was the ninth fetal cardiac intervention done in HCMC, and it was considered the most technically demanding to date due to the fetus's extremely early gestational age weighing just 600 grams - and the severity of the condition, a rare and life-threatening condition known as aortic atresia. "This is recognition in Southeast Asia of the high level of technical expertise in fetal medicine in Vietnam," Tang Chi Thuong, director of HCMC's Department of Health, said. Vietnamese doctors skillfully perform various fetal interventions such as cord occlusion, laser endoscopy, fetal blood transfusion, amniotic fluid reduction, and biopsy of the placental tissue. A cardiologist performs an ultrasound check on a newborn baby who had undergone fetal heart surgery as a fetus. Photo courtesy of the hospital Tran Ngoc Hai, director of Tu Du Hospital, emphasized the importance of timely intervention inside the womb rather than wait for the baby to be born. This is why Tu Du Hospital has focused on developing this field, he said. "Without timely detection and treatment, thousands of children born with congenital defects will severely impact the quality of the population." In 2023 Tu Du Hospital established the countrys first "European-standard" fetal intervention center, the PREIS School. It also signed a partnership with a major Italian fetal intervention center to further adopt advanced techniques. In Hanoi, the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital is set to launch a fetal medicine center in June for training, research and application of advanced techniques in pregnancy care. Ha Anh Duc, director of the Ministry of Healths department of medical service administration, spoke about the breakthroughs in obstetrics, from prenatal screening for congenital defects to surgery and minimally invasive interventions that have reduced mortality rates for both mothers and babies. Many medical facilities also use AI and digital techniques in healthcare, enabling remote consultations, improving treatment quality and increasing access in remote areas. This aligns with global trends, as fetal medicine enters a new era, regarded as a revolution in helping to dramatically reverse fetal conditions, with applications of AI, gene therapy, and stem cell science. In a recent letter commending doctors at Tu Du Hospital and Children's Hospital 1 after their successful fetal heart intervention for the unborn child of the Singaporean woman on May 28, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan praised their ability to master and successfully apply this technique, a "clear demonstration of the strengthening capabilities of Vietnam's healthcare system." This achievement not only brings hope to thousands of pregnant women and families but also opens new pathways in diagnosing and treating complex conditions during the fetal stage and a significant step for Vietnam's healthcare sector, she said. Experts said one major challenge in Vietnam is that the cost of fetal treatments, which range up to hundreds of millions of dong [VND100 million = US$3,840], is not covered by health insurance, making it unaffordable for some patients. Anh at the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology suggested that health insurance should gradually cover these and all fetal intervention treatments to reduce the financial burden on families. In advanced countries, health insurance covers 100% of fetal intervention costs, considering the fetus as a patient. 101Reporters USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. 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I Accept Smriti Mishra USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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I Accept Vault Matters | Why Japanese and Middle East investors should be welcomed into the Indian banking sector Hamsini Karthik Number crunching, drawing interesting inferences (sometimes contrarian), and penning them in an impactful manner, best describes what I do. As a BFSI specialist, I enjoy telling stories about whats working and what not for lenders, breaking down regulatory jargon and how they affect customers and financiers, and simplifying the economics of money. When not glued to banks, the world of autos and airlines keeps me busy. Namrata Agarwal USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept Shubhi Mishra USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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I Accept USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Protected but Vulnerable: Komodo dragons are guarded because of habitat loss and climate hazards, with less than 6,000 remaining in the wild. (Image: Canva) Strong Swimmers: Komodo dragons are good swimmers, albeit heavy, and can swim between islands. (Image: Canva) Restricted Habitat: They exist in only a couple of islands in Indonesia, namely Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. (Image: Canva) Remarkable Sense of Smell: They have a keen sense of smell with their forked tongue, which allows them to smell prey from up to 9 kilometres away. (Image: Canva) Ruthless Cannibals: Juvenile dragons will usually hide in trees to escape being eaten by hungry adults cannibalism is not unheard of. (Image: Canva) Reproduce Without Males: Female Komodo dragons can also reproduce alone through parthenogenesis when there are no males present. (Image: Canva) Ancient Survivors: Komodo dragons have been around for millions of years, and their ancestors date back to prehistoric reptiles. (Image: Canva) Venomous Hunters: They secrete venom that reduces blood pressure and prevents clotting, assisting to bring down prey rapidly and effectively. (Image: Canva) Deadly Bite: They have a deadly bite, not so much because of venom but because of toxic bacteria and anticoagulants in their saliva. (Image: Canva) World's Largest Lizard: Komodo dragons are the largest lizards in the world, reaching 10 feet long and more than 150 kilograms heavy. (Image: Canva) Sheetal Kumari USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept ELKO Anyone who spends time outdoors in the Elko area is bound to have seen pinyon-juniper woodlands. The short, scrubby trees cover hillsides and mountains. Robert Shriver, an assistant professor, plant ecologist and population biologist with the University of Nevada, Reno, has released a study on the pinyon-juniper ecosystem. The woodlands in recent years have grown denser, he notes. Shrivers studies indicate the reason for this increase is due to special population dynamics the trees have. The study included data from areas such as the Shoshone Mountains near Austin and a few sites south of Elko in Lincoln County. Weve known that pinyon-juniper populations have been increasing in density and expanding for a long time, Shriver said. There have been a lot of questions about why that is. Most of the existing hypotheses that are out there were sort of linked to human anthropogenic effects on woodlands increases in grazing pressure or decreases in fire frequency, which were believed to cause the trees to grow back denser, he explained. The actual data out there to support that had always been pretty weak. Several papers have noted that. But there werent good alternative explanations for whats going on, he said. We used some existing data sets that included some sites in central and eastern Nevada and showed that the increase weve seen recently is actually at the same rate that was occurring before European settlement even happened in most of the Western U.S. So, its likely that this is an expansion thats been going on for a long time, like several hundred years and were just sort of seeing the tail end of that. Single-leaf pinyons near Elko The United States has two primary species of pinyon pine trees, Shriver explained. One is found mostly in the Great Basin so, Nevada and Western Utah primarily and also eastern California. And thats single-leaf pinyon pine, the only one around Elko, he said. It produces cones and pine nuts, which are a culturally important resource for a lot of indigenous tribes in the Great Basin. And that is a common species throughout most of the mountain ranges in Nevada. As for the juniper half of pinyon-juniper ecosystems, the most common juniper species in the Great Basin is the Utah juniper, which produces bluish berries. It tends to be that the juniper is found at a lower elevation. So, juniper is often what you find first, sort of expanding on the sage brush, he said. In higher elevations, you tend to find more pinion pine. What is the particular science behind the tree population increase in Shrivers research? The reason why its happening is a little bit hard to say but there is some information from the past that could sort of indicate and tell us what might be going on, he explained. Prior to about 500 years ago, most of western North America was going through a period called the medieval climate anomaly, which was a warm, dry period. Its also thought that during that time, there were widespread declines in forests because of forest fire and drought. So, a lot of these trees basically died in many locations and were lost. From around the 1500s to the early 1800s, the Earth saw a climate cooling period known as the Little Ice Age, he said, which offered a favorable space for tree expansion. We think that might be what set off this period of long-term expansion that weve observed. The way we can determine that is from tree ring records. So, we basically have information on any given stand of pinyon pine or juniper when the trees established and how many of them established at different time periods. We can use that, along with some mathematical modeling, to reconstruct what the history of the stands were and when the trees established and determine what the rate of establishment has been over time and see that it hasnt really changed actually in the last 150 years, even though we know that the density of trees has been increasing, he said. Most of the projects I work on involve some sort of field work actually going out and collecting information. For this project, we actually just used existing published studies and extracted data from them. So, its like an analysis of previously existing studies, Shriver said. One of the biggest changes in the populations that seems to be occurring, is that over the last 100 years or so, the rate of new trees establishing is actually starting to decline and were kind of approaching the lowest rate of new tree establishment that weve seen in the last 400 years, he said. This wasnt previously known. Weve known that many of these trees are stressed by drought and warmer temperatures. So, weve seen widespread die-offs of pinyon pine and juniper in the Four Corners area, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah. And weve started to see a little bit of that in the eastern Great Basin. There was some juniper mortality event in 2020 that also affected many of the mountain ranges in eastern Nevada. And then theres been some patchy pinion mortality. But, this is sort of indicating that those die-offs were seeing in adult trees also seem to be affecting the seedlings and the juvenile small trees. Were just seeing fewer trees establishing now than there used to be. Pinyon-juniper is a big land management topic in a lot of the Great Basin, especially around Elko. Our results sort of indicate that maybe this expansion wasnt driven by human effects since European settlement, but there might also still be a need to manage a lot of these pinyon-juniper woodlands for other services, such as sage grouse habitat, he said. Theres a lot to balance when thinking about what goes on in the landscape. To view Shrivers research, visit https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2424096122. I expect Google CEO Sundar Pichai finally breaks silence on whether AI will take away 1,80,000 jobs MC Tech Desk Read the latest and trending tech newsstay updated on AI, gadgets, cybersecurity, software updates, smartphones, blockchain, space tech, and the future of innovation. Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Ankita Chakravarti USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. 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I Accept Indian government has a serious warning for Apple iPhone, Android and some Windows users: Check if you are affected and what you should do right now MC Tech Desk Read the latest and trending tech newsstay updated on AI, gadgets, cybersecurity, software updates, smartphones, blockchain, space tech, and the future of innovation. Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Shaurya Shubham USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept You cant watch Pornhub anymore if youre in this country: Heres what happened MC Tech Desk Read the latest and trending tech newsstay updated on AI, gadgets, cybersecurity, software updates, smartphones, blockchain, space tech, and the future of innovation. Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Ankita Chakravarti USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Priyanka Roshan With over eight years in multimedia journalism, is passionate about storytellingboth visual and textualacross travel, jobs, business, markets, politics, and daily news. From crafting engaging articles to producing compelling videos, she blends creativity with strategy to bring stories to life. With a strong foundation in SEO, and video production she ensures content not only informs but also resonates with audiences. Priyanka Roshan USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. 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From crafting engaging articles to producing compelling videos, she blends creativity with strategy to bring stories to life. With a strong foundation in SEO, and video production she ensures content not only informs but also resonates with audiences. Priyanka Roshan USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. 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I Accept Elections in Bangladesh to be held in April 2026, announces Yunus amid pressure to restore democracy Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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I Accept Foe, friend, foe again: A timeline of friendship, fallout and feuds between Trump and Musk Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept ELKO The Driving Change: Transformations in Mining Equipment panel at the Elko Mining Expo on Thursday gathered together mining executives to discuss what automation means for the future of the industry. Kylie Scott, general manager of mining technology for Empire Southwest, said she thinks the idea that technology means fewer jobs in mining is a myth. One of our technicians calls it job transformation. Thats really what were doing in the mining industry, is adding in more exciting, more advanced jobs, she said. The discussion was hosted by Nevada Mining Association President Amanda Hilton. In the past, weve seen mines with 20-, 30-, 60-plus trucks going autonomous. But right now, in the United States and the markets that we serve at Empire Southwest, were really seeing that number drop, because miners are looking for a smaller-scale mine site with less trucks that they can automate, to manage their risk, manage their cost, to learn as they grow, Scott explained. Mines in the U.S. are becoming a little bit harder to access and a little bit harder to recruit individuals. Were having to come up with housing solutions. Were having to commute longer distances, Scott said. On average throughout our territory, were seeing 30% turnover rates. In one case, 56% turnover rates for operators. It becomes very challenging to manage and plan your mine when you have that massive turnover. But automation is changing that. With every automation project that we have in this territory which is several weve had zero drop-offs, Scott said. So, we either moved a haul truck operator to be a water truck operator, weve moved them to be a loader operator, maybe a dozer. Weve upskilled them, she said. I think thats also something exciting about this, from a people standpoint, is that were really advancing the mining industry and the skills that our people have. Also, she added, taking some people out of trucks means reducing safety hazards. Scott said autonomy is important to staying eco-friendly as well. When it comes to charging batteries, such as for EVs, automation can help with planning how to charge. Scott Hawke, senior application specialist at Sandvik, pointed to his companys underground top hammer production drill rig as an efficient, safe and sustainable use of automation. It uses an advanced drilling control system, so thats constantly monitoring and adjusting parameters based on real-time feedback, he said. The drill also has the ability to digitally upload plans. So, it requires minimal input from the operator. The plans are uploaded, then it can carry on that drill sequence. That also opens up opportunities for operations. Another new tech feature enables the drills to navigate from side to side or ring to ring without the need for anyone being underground at the time, he said. The access protection system constantly monitors the area around the drill, shutting the drill off if anyone gets too close. Also from the safety side of things, less noise, less dust and zero emissions, Hawke added. Braden Weisheit, senior vice president of Komatsu, said automation isnt necessarily about removing individuals from the mine site. Its, how do we operate more efficiently? How do we get the most out of our money operation? How do we do that safer? And how do we put people in the right place to then run that operation? Mines can accomplish that through clear communication with employees, he explained. This industry has been around since the beginning of time. From a mining standpoint, the habits and the routines that are built in operations today did not develop over one month, one year, one training class, he said. Part of the Komatsu family is a company called Immersive Technologies. Its built around tailor-driven training for that change that youre trying to make. I think thats one of our big push points right now, is its not just about teaching the one person how theyre supposed to use the technology. Its having a curriculum built around the entire operation of how everybodys going to enter and exit an area or how my job will specifically change in terms of the way I receive reporting or data. Chuck Tollman, business development manager at Epiroc, said the ability to connect people and machines and systems in real time is what provides and enables the ability for these technologies to actually perform. Honestly, thats where we see a lot of operations struggle. Theyre not struggling because the technology isnt available. Theyre actually struggling because the infrastructure either isnt there, the infrastructure itself is improperly designed or, in a lot of cases, the infrastructure is actually in disrepair. The panelists discussed what mining technologies they thought would evolve over the next five years. Weisheit said he thinks reliance on high-precision GPS will change as mining machines gain more computing power. Scott said she thinks operator displays in equipment will change. Tollman noted how diagnostic processes which identify issues with the equipment are being built into equipment. Mining employees need to pay attention to the technical aspects of their industry, Bardo said. Just because you do load and haul and you drive a haul truck, doesnt mean you cant understand more about how the total operation works and get the details. Just because youre working in gold mining, theres no reason why you cant learn about copper, Bardo said. Ive had a long career working with a lot of folks with specialized, tribal knowledge at times. One of the things that I found really worked well and Ive done this myself for a lot of folks is mentorship programs, where we give people the time and younger, newer folks time to spend with someone whos had the experience, Bardo said. With the new generation coming in, we have to adapt. We have to build. We have to change. Theres definitely the people aspect but we have to add process to it and we have to have a plan, because the amount of retirements is absolutely through the roof right now, Scott said. Build digital libraries. Find a way to integrate technology to make it better for the people to come after you. Its all about stewardship. When you go autonomous, the entire line has to be pulling the rope in the exact same direction, or else youre going to fail. Thats just the truth. So, that collaboration, that change management, the culture bringing the team together, is such a big benefit thats unseen, Scott said. I just think that people, as they think about technology, its going to be a journey. Were all going to have to go on it together patience and just sticking with it, Lerner said. How all hell broke loose between Trump and Musk: From bombshell Epstein allegation to 'crazy' jabs Pragya Trivedi USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. 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I Accept Pragya Trivedi USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept France opens 'complicity in genocide' probes over blocked Gaza aid allegations French anti-terror prosecutors (PNAT) have launched two probes into 'complicity in genocide,' 'incitement to genocide,' and 'complicity in crimes against humanity' after French-Israelis allegedly blocked humanitarian aid destined for Gaza between January and May 2024, Gulf Today said in a report. These investigations, reportedly the first of their kind in France concerning alleged international law violations in Gaza, stem from legal complaints filed by groups including the Jewish French Union for Peace (UFJP) and Lawyers for Justice in the Middle East (CAPJO), targeting alleged members of pro-Israel groups like 'Israel is forever' and 'Tzav-9' for actions at the Nitzana and Kerem Shalom crossings. Separately, the grandmother of two French children killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza in October 2023 has filed a complaint in Paris accusing Israel of 'genocide' and 'murder,' explicitly naming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli government, and its military. While no court has yet ruled the Gaza conflict a genocide, the International Court of Justice has previously ordered Israel to prevent genocidal acts and facilitate aid. Musk blinks first in bitter Trump feud that cost him $34 billion Aishwarya Dabhade USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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I Accept Trump may sell or give away his red Tesla bought for Musk photo-op amid meltdown Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Trump vs Musk: Whats at stake in their political and financial fallout Pragya Trivedi USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election': Musk escalates feud with US President Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that dialogue and cooperation are the only correct choice for China and the United States. In the phone talks initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump, Xi said that recalibrating the direction of the giant ship of China-U.S. relations requires the two sides to take the helm and set the right course, adding that it is particularly important to steer clear of the various disturbances and disruptions. Noting that at the suggestion of the U.S. side, the two countries' lead officials recently held an economic and trade meeting in Geneva, Xi said it marked an important step forward in resolving the relevant issues through dialogue and consultation, and was welcomed by both societies and the international community. The two sides need to make good use of the economic and trade consultation mechanism already in place, and seek win-win results in the spirit of equality and respect for each other's concerns, he said, adding that the Chinese side is sincere about this, and at the same time has its principles. The Chinese, Xi said, always honor and deliver what has been promised, urging both sides to make good on the agreement reached in Geneva. In fact, China has been seriously and earnestly executing the agreement, Xi added. The U.S. side should acknowledge the progress already made, and remove the negative measures taken against China, he said. The two sides should enhance communication in such fields as foreign affairs, economy and trade, military, and law enforcement to build consensus, clear up misunderstandings, and strengthen cooperation, Xi added. Xi emphasized that the United States must handle the Taiwan question with prudence, so that the fringe separatists bent on "Taiwan independence" will not be able to drag China and the United States into the dangerous terrain of confrontation and even conflict. Trump said that he has great respect for Xi, and the U.S.-China relationship is very important. The United States wants the Chinese economy to do very well, and the United States and China working together can get a lot of great things done, he said. Trump said the United States will honor the one-China policy. The meeting in Geneva was very successful and produced a good deal, he said, adding that the United States will work with China to execute the deal. The United States loves to have Chinese students coming to study in America, Trump said. Xi welcomed Trump to visit China again, for which Trump expressed heartfelt appreciation. The two presidents agreed that their teams should continue implementing the Geneva agreement and hold another round of meeting as soon as possible. Editor: ZAD An official guides Vietnamese tourists in filling out the entry application forms at a newly opened passage gate in Fangchenggang, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on May 29. ZHAI LIQIANG/CHINA NEWS SERVICE Ferri Limputra, CEO of Pura Mayungan a Jakarta-based manufacturer of electrical components regularly travels to China for both business and leisure. This is why he welcomed the news that China has launched a five-year multiple-entry visa for business executives from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. "I am so happy with this new visa policy," Limputra said, noting that this will reduce paperwork and make it more convenient for him to travel to China. China announced an "ASEAN visa" for business executives from the 10 ASEAN members and ASEAN observer Timor-Leste. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news conference on Tuesday that the new program offers five-year multiple-entry visas to eligible applicants visiting China for business. It allows them, their spouses and their children a maximum stay of 180 days. Lin said this will further facilitate cross-border travel in the region following the visa-free arrangements between China and Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, plus China's "Lancang-Mekong visas" program for Mekong River nations. In recent years, he said, China and ASEAN have advanced the building of a community with a shared future and made important progress in creating a peaceful, safe, secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home. "Visits between the people of China and Southeast Asian countries have been frequent. There is a mutual hope to further ease travel between the two sides," Lin said. China is ASEAN's largest trading partner and one of the region's biggest sources of investment and tourists. ASEAN business executives and trade officials often go to China to negotiate deals or procure supplies. Wilson Lee Flores, a Manila-based entrepreneur and analyst, said the multiple-entry visa for ASEAN citizens is "a game changer for business expansion and innovation". He said the ease of travel will enable real-time negotiations, faster decision-making and invaluable insights into Chinese market trends. Lee Flores said the ASEAN visa will boost bilateral trade and investment as it will "empower businesspeople to engage in more frequent, efficient and meaningful exchanges". Enabling Filipino entrepreneurs, investors and traders to visit China with "unprecedented ease" will allow them to pursue more trade opportunities, attract higher-value investments and acquire advanced technologies to enhance local industries, he explained. "The ripple effects will be profound: job creation, skills transfer, technology cooperation and sustained economic growth helping position the Philippines as a more competitive player in the ASEAN-China economic corridor," Lee Flores said. John Paolo Rivera, a senior research fellow at the state-run think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies, said China's ASEAN visa has "notable economic and geopolitical implications" for the broader Southeast Asian region. Mobility streamlined He said streamlining mobility for businesspeople and their families may deepen trade and investment ties between China and ASEAN economies. Rivera said easing travel would also make it easier to establish joint ventures, integrate the supply chain and participate in trade platforms like the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the Belt and Road Initiative. "By offering this visa, China is positioning itself as a regional hub and connector, strengthening its soft power and diplomatic goodwill in Southeast Asia, and responding to growing Western protectionism by doubling down on regional integration in Asia," he said. Laode Muhammad Syarif, senior lecturer at the Faculty of Law at Hasanuddin University in Indonesia, said the benefits of the ASEAN visa go beyond spurring business and trade opportunities. "It may also improve people-to-people relationships between ASEAN and China," he said. The number of visitors to Beijing from Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand in April grew around threefold as compared to April 2019, Xinhua reported. The number of visitors from Vietnam to the Chinese mainland reached 16,715, an estimated tenfold rise for the same period. Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, said the ASEAN visa can facilitate people's movement and people-to-people interactions between China and ASEAN member states. "In particular, it would lead to the growth of tourism on both sides. It would also make the life of legitimate businesspersons much easier as they need to cross borders to conduct business at a moment's notice," he said. By Leonardus Jeghois, a freelance journalist for China Daily. Editor: ZAD Niue's Premier and Foreign Minister Dalton Tagelagi recently led a delegation to visit China's Quanzhou. During the visit, the delegation focused on seeking new opportunities in marine cooperation. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during an annual memorial service at the UN headquarters in New York, on June 5, 2025. The United Nations (UN) on Thursday paid tribute to 168 of its personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty in 2024. (Mark Garten/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua) UNITED NATIONS, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) on Thursday paid tribute to 168 of its personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty in 2024. "We honor those who gave everything in the pursuit of peace, justice, and human dignity," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the annual memorial service held at the UN Headquarters in New York. The fallen included military, police, and civilian personnel from 31 countries. Among them were 125 staff members from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), some of whom were killed along with their families. Speaking to reporters earlier Thursday, Guterres noted that more than one in every 50 UNRWA staff members in Gaza had been killed in the conflict, marking the highest staff death toll in UN history. "Recent years have been devastating for the UN family. We have suffered unspeakable and unprecedented losses in Gaza," he said at the memorial. The UN chief renewed his call for "full accountability" for the deaths. "The women and men we honor today embodied the very essence of our mission. They were driven by the cause of peace, by the need to alleviate human suffering, and to ensure dignity for all," he said. "They were teachers, engineers, doctors, and administrators. They were military, police and civilian personnel. They were humanitarians, peacekeepers, and peacemakers and so much more." When conflict erupted, they worked for peace. When violence and disasters hit, they provided life-saving assistance. When human rights were trampled, they lifted people up. And when the vulnerable needed help, they worked to ensure no one was left behind, he said. "Our work is far more than just a job. It is a calling. All our fallen colleagues answered the call to serve humanity. They did so in their own ways -- without fanfare -- and with determination," he said. "They represented humanity in action. At a time when some may question international cooperation or the very notion of multilateralism, we would all do well to remember these lives taken far too soon." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (C, Front) and Philemon Yang (L, Front), president of the UN General Assembly, light a candle during an annual memorial service at the UN headquarters in New York, on June 5, 2025. The United Nations (UN) on Thursday paid tribute to 168 of its personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty in 2024. (Manuel Elias/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua) Editor: Zhang Zhou The war continues, but the war is not the theme of Israel-China bilateral relations. Public outrage over Israels escalating genocide in Gaza has intensified so much in recent weeks that even Israels closest friends in Europe, including the UK, France and Germany, have begun to express reservations. In the UK, Labour backbenchers have intensified their calls for the Keir Starmer government to impose economic sanctions on Israel while the former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, now an independent MP, has requested a parliamentary inquiry into the UKs supporting role in Israels near-annihilation of the Gaza Strip. Legal Ass Covering Granted, many of these objections, especially those coming from the highest levels of government in countries like the UK, Germany and France, fall into one or more of three categories: empty rhetoric, too little, too late, and/or attempted legal ass-covering. As Norman Finkelstein explains in an interview with India & Global Left, Europes senior politicians know exactly what is about to happen, which is why they are trying to cover their ass after spending much of the past 21 months cheering on Israels army: Thats why they start to denounce Israel because they want to keep their hands clean at the moment when they knew that this is it, that Israel was going to push [the Gazans] out. So they decide they have to be on record as opposing the second Nakba. They knew what Israel was doing and they wanted to distance themselves. So, you remember, the French, Canadians and British denounced what Israel was doing. Then the Germans weighed in. Then the Nazi Princess Ursula Von der Leyen weighed in. Then the EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas weighed in. They all needed to have it on record that we opposed it. They all knew what Israel was planning. Also, while some of the language used in official public statements and press releases may have changed in recent weeks, the actions havent. Just days after Germanys Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul criticised Israels actions in the Gaza Strip, he reiterated Germanys continuing materiel support for those actions. In the UK, Keir Starmer, who allegedly cut his teeth practicing international human rights law, decried the situation in Gaza as appalling and intolerable. Hours later, another UK spy plane was doing the rounds over Gaza collecting yet more actionable intel for the IAFs bombing campaigns. This evening, hours after Corbyn presented his Bill for an inquiry into UK and Gaza A US military planeused by special forcesflew from RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus to Tel Aviv Soon after, Starmer sent a spy plane from same base to collect intel over Gaza for Israel In air now pic.twitter.com/GY9aLc2J55 Matt Kennard (@kennardmatt) June 4, 2025 All that being said, the mere fact that the language is shifting in many Western capitals is nonetheless relevant. It means that even some of Israels biggest apologists have finally run out of words to excuse or obfuscate its worst war crimes, now they are reaching their final phases. Piers Morgan, who is as reliable a barometer of shifting Anglo-American public opinion as one is likely to find, is finally calling Israels military campaign against Gaza, now in its 21st month, a genocide. When even the likes of Morgan are no longer willing to defend the indefensible in Gaza, the Netanyahu regimes PR offensive has finally collapsed. That would be good news, if it wasnt already too late. With 92% of Gazas housing units and 70% of all structures already destroyed or damaged, Gaza is already uninhabitable. But not all the talk is inconsequential for Israel, claims an op-ed in the FT: In the past few weeks, EU foreign ministers have triggered a review of Israels association agreement with the bloc, Britain has halted trade talks, Norways sovereign wealth fund blacklisted an Israeli company for facilitating energy deliveries to West Bank settlements, and the leaders of France, the UK and Canada threatened to put sanctions on the country. The sanctions the EU imposed on Israeli settlers late last year are already beginning to bite, it seems. Just yesterday, Israels Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich lambasted the countrys banks that have refused to provide services to sanctioned Israeli settlers. Smotrich called on the lenders not to comply with the sanctions, warning that failure to do so could result in them facing steep compensation bills. Building Meaningful Partnerships However, not everyone is trying or even pretending to distance themselves from Tel Aviv right now. The Peoples Republic of China, for example, is actually seeking to strengthen its ties with Israel. After initially siding with Palestine (and Hamas) following October 7, Beijing is now looking to rebuild ties with Israel. Just four days ago, as Israels Defence Forces were unleashing coordinated attacks on aid depots, Chinas ambassador to Israel Xiao Junzheng discussed deepening China-Israel economic and trade cooperation with Israels Minister of Economy and Industry, Nir Barkat. In a world where economic resilience and innovation matter more than ever, said Xiao Junzheng, building meaningful partnerships is key. In a world where economic resilience and innovation matter more than ever, building meaningful partnerships is key. Had a productive exchange with Israels Minister of Economy and Industry @NirBarkat we expressed shared expectations for deepening China-Israel economic and trade pic.twitter.com/ISSdkTgJ7W Xiao Junzheng (@ChnAmbXIAO) May 29, 2025 Beijings relationship with Israel has always been complex. Israel was the first country in the Middle East to recognise Peoples Republic of China, in 1950. However, the Peoples Republic of China did not return the favour by recognising and beginning formal relations with Israel until 1992 42 years later. Since then, the economic and strategic ties between the two countries have grown and deepened, to the point that China is now Israels second largest trade partner. At the same time, the PRC has strengthened its ties with Israels main regional rival, Tehran, and has been providing weaponry not only to Iran, including allegedly material for hundreds of ballistic missiles, but also Irans three main proxies in the region, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthi militia. Beijing also refused to condemn Hamas attack on October 7, and only broke its silence a week later to criticise Israel for its military invasion of Gaza and demand a ceasefire. In April 2024, Ma Xinmin, a Foreign Ministry legal department official, set out Beijings stance at an International Court of Justice hearing in February: In pursuit of the right to self-determination, the Palestinian peoples use of force to resist foreign oppression and to complete the establishment of an independent state is an inalienable right well founded in international law. A month later, the RAND corporation concluded that Beijing was effectively burning its bridges with Israel. A couple of weeks ago, rumours even swirled that Chinese jet fighters had broken Israels blockade of Gaza to deliver much-needed supplies to Gazas starving people. It was fake news that most supporters of the multipolar world order wanted to believe. In reality, China is cosying up to Israel. Throughout Israels military operations in Gaza, Beijing, like most national governments, has maintained steady trade relations with Tel Aviv. Chinese investors, like most investors worldwide, have continued to invest in Israeli firms. As the Israeli technology news website CTech reported in March, Chinas new ambassador in Tel Aviv, Xiao Junzheng, is on a diplomatic mission to strengthen relations and expand business between the two countries: China remains committed to developing our historical friendship with the Jewish people, he continues, despite Chinas historical support for Arab states in their wars against Israel. The war continues, but the war is not the theme of Israel-China bilateral relations. For more than 33 years, China-Israel relations have withstood the test of history and always maintained stable development. Indeed, China is Israels largest trading partner in Asia and its second-largest worldwide. According to China Customs, bilateral trade volume increased from approximately $8 billion in 2013 to $25.45 billion in 2022, before dropping to $14.5 billion in 2023. At the same time, in 2024, Israeli imports from China reached a record high of $13.53 billion a nearly 20% increase from 2023. Chinese companies in Israel have not evacuated or stopped their business. They have been sticking to their posts and fulfilling the contracts, Xiao asserts. Chinese business interests in Israel, unsurprisingly, are largely tech-focused: In recent years, Israel-China relations have grown significantly, particularly in technology and trade. We want to encourage more Chinese investors to come to Israel, he notes. However, Chinese investors tend to favor later-stage companies, preferring to see technologys maturity before committing capital. But the ambassador also has his eye on the other side of the equation: At the same time, we want Israeli companies and investors to come to China. Its a super market. The utility for cutting-edge high tech is the biggest advantage of the Chinese market. Chinese investments in Israeli tech are focused on autonomous driving, healthcare, clean energy, and agriculture industries where Israeli innovation can help China tackle pressing challenges. Israel is at the forefront of the world in autonomous driving and V2X (vehicle-to-everything) technology, Xiao notes. But beyond vehicles, China sees Israeli expertise as crucial for food security and water management: Israels water-saving irrigation and smart agricultural technology are key to solving food security and water shortages. Chinese capital is also paying attention to Israels innovations in solar energy and energy storage. Granted, China, unlike the US, tries to keep out of the domestic politics of its trade partners as much as possible, refraining from imposing its own principles and standards on others. And this has been a large part of its success, allowing it to forge win-win partnerships with governments of wildly divergent hues, ideologies, and political systems around the world. It is one of the main reasons why ideologically opposed governments like Bolsonaros in Brazil and Mileis in Argentina have maintained close ties with Beijing, the other being economic necessity. As Milei recently said, China is a very interesting trading partner. They do not make demands, the only thing they ask is that they not be bothered. At the same time, however, China has positioned itself as a leading defender of the Global South. In a speech in early March, Foreign Minister Wang Yi described China as a natural member of the Global South: [b]ecause we have fought colonialism and hegemonism together in history and we are committed to the common goal of development and revitalization No matter how the world changes, our heart will always be with the Global South, and our root will grow deeper in the Global South. China will work with all Global South countries to add a new chapter to the annals of the history of the world. That seemed to be what was happening in relation to Palestine until recently. By mid-2024 Chinese diplomacy had brought together 14 disparate Palestinian factions a move that resonated not only with Palestinian leaders but also with some of the regions biggest powers. From the Spanish news and analysis website Agenda Publica (machine translated): Delegations from Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Russia and Turkey converged on Beijing to witness the signing of the Declaration, a moment that symbolized Chinas growing status as a potential mediating superpower. The Beijing Declaration set out an ambitious three-step approach: Establish a sustainable ceasefire that would allow the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza; Form a temporary reconciliation government to ensure Palestinian self-government; Renew efforts for the formal accession of Palestine to the United Nations as part of a broader two-State solution. Nick here. This was the big flaw in the plan. As we have argued since the early days of Israels Gazacide, there will not be a two-state solution in Israel, for the simple reason that Israel has created facts on the ground that make it impossible. Back to the Agenda Publica piece: However, the promise contained in the Beijing Declaration has been hampered by a critical shortcoming: its inherent ambiguity. Despite the innovative nature of the document, it failed to clearly delineate the timelines, institutional frameworks, and enforceable mechanisms needed for its ambitious agenda. As the conflict escalated in the months that followed, these shortcomings became more pronounced. The absence of specific commitments left many regional stakeholders sceptical about whether the Declaration could be translated into a practical and long-term solution. Beijings recent withdrawal from the mediation spotlight, therefore, not only reflects a cautious recalibration in the face of growing risks, but also exposes the limitations of its previous diplomatic initiative. Since then, China also seems to be more focused on strengthening its economic ties with Israel. Perhaps most controversially, Chinese companies and workers are allegedly helping to sustain Israeli settlements in the West Bank in direct contradiction with Beijings public opposition to the settlements. Thats according to a recent expose by Razan Shawamreh in Middle East Eye: Amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza, Chinese officials have publicly expressed concerns over increased settler violence in the occupied West Bank. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated in September last year that Israel must stop the illegal settlement activities in the West Bank. But while Beijing speaks of restraint, Chinese companies act in support of occupation and the settler-colonial project in Palestine. One of the most striking examples is Adama Agricultural Solutions, a former Israeli company now fully owned by the Chinese state-run firm China National Chemical Corporation (ChemChina). Amid the Gaza war, Adama mobilised its workers to support farmers who have been suffering from a shortage of workers [including] farmers in the south, in the surrounding residents of the Gaza Envelope and in the northern settlements, according to a report in the Jerusalem Post Adama has a long history of collaborating with settler institutions. Its products have been used in agricultural trials conducted in Israeli settlements in the Jordan Valley, and even more troubling, one of its herbicides has been used by a contractor of the Israeli military in aerial spraying that has destroyed vegetation along the Gaza border. While China presents itself as a neutral or sympathetic actor in the conflict, its ownership of Adama links it directly to the militarised destruction of Palestinian livelihoods. Supporting colonial entrenchment This is not an isolated case. In recent years, several state-owned Chinese companies, along with other private Chinese firms, have invested directly or indirectly in Israeli settlements or companies operating within them. Take the case of Tnuva, a major Israeli food producer that operates in illegal settlements. Despite international calls to boycott the company, Chinas state-owned conglomerate Bright Food acquired a 56 percent stake in Tnuva in 2014. In 2021, Tnuva won a tender to operate 22 public transportation lines that serve 16 settlements in Mateh Yehuda all built on occupied land in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. These arent just buses; theyre infrastructure supporting colonial entrenchment, making settler life easier and more permanent. Beijings rapprochement with Tel Aviv has not escaped the attention of Israels US allies. When the Netanyahu government issued permission to Chinas state-owned Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) to double the capacity of its Bay Port in Haifa, Newsweek published an op-ed by Gordon G Chang, a prominent anti-Chinese hawk, warning that the decision entrenches China in one of Israels most strategic locations, a mere 1.8 kilometres away from the Israeli navys main base in Haifa. Now, to cut China some slack, it is not actively participating in Israels genocide, unlike the US, the UK and Germany. Nor is it vetoing UN Security Council resolutions demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the lifting of restrictions on humanitarian aid like the US just did. But the fact that the worlds rising superpower and self-described defender of the Global South is looking to deepen its economic and trade ties with Tel Aviv precisely at a time when the Netanyahu government is systematically starving the people of Gaza in a bid to drive them out is testimony to the international communitys abject failings in bringing pressure to bear on Israel throughout this shameful period. With the exception of the Houthis brave military campaign against Israeli shipping, for which Yemen has already paid a steep price; the decision by a handful of countries in the Global South, particularly in Latin America, to sever diplomatic ties with Israel, including Colombias decision to block all domestic exports of coal to Israel, for which it has also paid a price; and South Africas decision to bring the genocide action against Israel at the ICJ, for which it has faced Washingtons wrath, the overwhelming picture has been one of gross systematic inaction. Yves here. During the runup to the crisis and for many years thereafter, we would do takedowns of particularly rancid, dishonest or just plain stoopid policy recommendations. One favorite is Why Larry Summers Should Not Be Permitted to Run Anything More Important than a Dog Pound. Another is Memo to Shaun Donovan: Your Nose is Getting So Long You Need to Get a Hacksaw. But incompetence and corruption have become so pervasive that we have largely abandoned this exercise, but have welcomed Alex Christoforous Clown World for taking on these deserving targets. Ursula von der Leyen has been one of his regulars. Some readers were questioning the value of elite education in a post we featured yesterday. As we indicated, it can take otherwise mediocre but at least adequately bright and hard-working kids and polish them to a level of social skills where superficially they appear more competent than they are. Anthony Blinken was a prime example. Von der Leyen comes from a family that had been elite bureaucrats for 500 years, and also had Angela Merkels sponsorship. Various Politco stories give the impression that von der Leyen has been a very effective empire builder at the European Commission. As weve said repeatedly, smart people often underestimate how far apparent mediocrities who are well-endowed with cunning can get. By Yanis Varoufakis, economist and former Minister of Finance of Greece. Originally published at Der Frietag; cross posted from his website Failure, corruption and warmongering: Ursula von der Leyen is awarded the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen for her contribution to the EU because in Europe utter failure is not only tolerated, but celebrated! It is one of lifes guilty pleasures when ones cynical prejudices are confirmed. One such moment, when I allowed myself a long, hard laugh, came as the news arrived that Ursula von der Leyen had been awarded the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen for her services to the unity of the Member States, in the containment of the pandemic, for the unity of the Unions determination to defend itself against Russia and for the impetus towards the Green Deal. It was now official: In Brussels, nothing succeeds like gross failure and, even worse, nothing is rewarded more generously than corruption. Let me begin with the above rationale for the Prize: Mrs von der Leyens impetus towards the Green Deal. Can they be serious? Future historians will zero in on the so-called Green Deal as an example of what is wrong with the European Union: smoke and mirrors masquerading as majestic policy initiatives. Indeed, when it was announced, and after studying it carefully, I rushed out an article in The Guardian to warn against the Green Deal on two grounds: first, the money it promised to invest in the green transition was simply not there and, secondly, the heralded deal was rather brown in that it aimed at greenwashing far more than at greening Europe. Four years later, the Green Deal was declared a gross failure and was unceremoniously ditched in favour of Ursula von der Leyens next white elephant: the folly of building up a European military-industrial complex under the codenames Re-Arm Europe or SAFE. Why is it folly to think that von der Leyens Commission will spearhead a European military-industrial complex? For three reasons, as I have explained elsewhere. First, as in the case of the Green Deal, the money is not there and the EU cannot credibly commit to finding it given its steadfast refusal to form a proper fiscal union. Secondly, even if money were not a problem, the EU lacks the federal institutions to construct a top-down, paneuropean military-industrial complex, instead of the existing patchwork of nation-state based companies that compete with one another with the backing of their national governments. Thirdly, even if neither money nor a federal-like set of institutions were a problem, Europe would not be able (I hope!) to emulate the United States capacity to wage one war after the other to ensure a constant demand for weapons and munitions. Two terms as President of the European Commission, two gross and rather costly failures. But these failures would not be enough to burnish Mrs von der Leyens credentials and seal her rise to the lofty heights that justified granting her the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen. No, for that splendid Prize to be awarded, she needed to add certified corruption to her gross failure. Thankfully, she did! Showing a remarkable determination to break the law both in her own country, Germany, and in the European Union, Mrs von der Leyen succeeded in being sanctioned in both jurisdictions for treating the public with contempt in pursuit of her own interests. As Germanys defence minister, she desperately tried to conceal her involvement in shady defence contracts by sabotaging the Bundestags investigation in the matter through the illegal and deliberate deletion of her phone contents. As European Commission President, the EU top court found her culpable of repeating the unlawful practice of deleting her phone records of illicit personal exchanges with heads of global corporations on this occasion with the CEO of Pfizer with whom she negotiated, on Europes behalf, lucrative COVID-19 vaccine deals. With these findings pointing to despicable behaviour under her belt, and her majestic policy failures (the Green Deal, Re-Arm and SAFE) on hand, Ursula von der Leyen was almost a shoo in for the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen. Almost but not quite! To push through the finishing line she needed to add another credential to her curriculum vitae: she needed to become the cheerleader of Israels army. Thankfully for our European Commission President, the opportunity arose after Hamas attacked Israel on 7th October 2023. Immediately, Mrs von der Leyen sprang to action. Without any authority or authorisation since neither foreign nor defence policy is in the purview of the Commission President she landed in Tel Aviv, not as a campaigner for an immediate end to war crimes on all sides, nor as an ambassador of Peace & Reconciliation or as an advocate of International Law or as a believer in the simple idea that the Geneva convention is humanitys last hope in the darkest of hours. No, she went there to pose in front of Israeli tanks poised to enter Gaza with the air of a proud cheerleader on Grand Final day. She went there as an enabler of the war crime of denying two million non-combatants water and food, as a cheerleader of an air force intentionally targeting peoples homes, as a facilitator of the war crime of transferring a million people to other parts of Gaza where they were also bombed. Thus, Mrs von der Leyens exhausting work was done, her triple whammy of failure-corruption-warmongering completed. She was now the prime candidate for the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen, which she received gladly. Without a hint of irony, I believe that it was well deserved and fully consistent with that particular prizes background and history. After all, whether deservedly or undeservedly, the long dead European Emperor whose name the Prize carries has, for many years now, been appropriated by the inanest of Europes leaders in a frantic search for self-aggrandisement. To make the point, let me take you back to a dull autumnal afternoon when two suited men exuding authority entered Aachens Cathedral. The calendar read September 15th 1978 and the two men were there to pay their respects to the remains of Charlemagne, the 9th Century Frankish King who had briefly re-united the Roman Empire and whose spirit encapsulated, for traditionalist Central Europeans, Pan-Europa or Mittel-Europa a borderless Christian European realm. Standing above the Christian warriors grave, and next to his ancient throne, the two pilgrims sought to quell their considerable trepidation caused by what they had just done: commit their two countries, France and Germany, to bundle their money together with an agreement, they had signed earlier that day to create the so-called European Monetary System (EMS) the euros precursor. Perhaps while we were discussing monetary affairs, said one of the two to an Italian journalist, the spirit of Charlemagne brooded over us. His name? President Valery Giscard d Estaing of France. The second pilgrim appealing to Charlemagnes ghost for its approval of the monetary union with France was German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. Setting aside the awful Euro-kitsch aesthetic of two leaders visiting the tomb of a Christian warrior king to steady their nerves over creating perhaps historys most pathetic monetary union, it is heartening to realise that the EU has a long tradition of soap opera-like celebrations of failure. After all, the exchange rate mechanism that the two men established back then failed spectacularly but Europe still celebrates them to this day. As for the euro, which was born as a result of the calamity that was the EMS, it also proved a calamity for Europe and Europeans. And yet, in 2002, the committee awarding the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen chose to award that years prize to the euro! In this European Union, where nothing succeeds like failure, especially when laced with corruption and most recently warmongering, Mrs von der Leyen is the most deserved recipient of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen. The Gaza humanitarian foundation: A new face for an old tragedy On May 16, 2024, Israel initiated Operation Gideon's Chariots, marking a new phase in its military operations in Gaza. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warned that 20 percent of Palestinians in Gaza face starvation, with the UN estimating up to 14,000 Palestinian babies could die due to the intensifying siege. The GHF, a joint Israeli-U.S. initiative, is seen as a "fig leaf" for Israel's violence and displacement of Palestinians. The foundation's aid distribution, secured by Israeli military and private contractors, quickly led to chaos and violence, resulting in casualties among Palestinians. The GHF's new plan involves providing aid to pre-screened individuals via text messages and facial recognition, amid claims by the U.S. and Israel that this prevents Hamas from stealing aid. However, this approach is viewed as legitimizing genocidal violence and is part of a broader pattern of "humanitarianizing" genocide. The GHF's operations highlight a growing divide between traditional humanitarian principles and militarized approaches. The crisis underscores the need for a critical reevaluation of the international humanitarian sector, which has been complicit in the actions of dominant powers and recognizes the GHF as a strategic tool in Israel's ongoing campaign to control and recolonize Gaza. On May 16, 2024, Israel launched Operation Gideon's Chariots, signaling a new phase in its military campaign in Gaza. Just a week earlier, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification had warned that one in five Palestinians in Gaza was facing starvation, with the United Nations estimating that up to 14,000 Palestinian babies could die under the intensifying siege. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a joint Israeli-U.S. initiative marketed as a humanitarian effort, has been criticized as a "fig leaf" for Israel's ongoing violence and displacement of Palestinians. The foundation's operations began with the distribution of aid from hubs secured by the Israeli military and foreign private contractors. However, the first day of operations quickly devolved into chaos, with Israeli forces opening fire on a crowd of desperate Palestinians, resulting in at least one death and 48 injuries. The GHF's plan involves providing limited food aid to Palestinians on the condition that they accept mass displacement. Tom Fletcher, the UN's under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs, described this as a "fig leaf for further violence and displacement." The initiative echoes historical practices of concentration camps and the forced relocation of indigenous populations. The use of internment zones and forced displacement is not new to Israel's military strategy. Following the failure of "humanitarian bubbles" in January 2024, Israel began outsourcing aid delivery to private security contractors. This shift came after the "flour massacre" of Feb. 29, 2024, when Israeli soldiers shot at Palestinians gathering flour, killing at least 112 people and injuring around 760. In response, the U.S. began air-dropping food, but these efforts were largely ineffective and, in one instance, resulted in the deaths of five Palestinians when a pallet of aid failed to deploy properly. The construction of a temporary floating pier off the coast of Gaza, intended to facilitate aid delivery, was also met with skepticism, particularly after images surfaced showing Israeli special forces operating near the pier during a mission to retrieve prisoners held by Hamas. The GHF is now proposing a new aid distribution plan that involves providing essential supplies to pre-screened individuals. Recipients will receive text messages informing them when and where to collect their aid packages, but only after identity verification via facial recognition software. (Related: Israel proposes plan to screen Gaza aid recipients using facial recognition technology.) The U.S. and Israel claim these measures are necessary to prevent Hamas from stealing aid, though they have provided little evidence to support this claim. Legitimizing genocidal violence The GHF's operations are part of a broader pattern of "humanitarianizing" genocide, a concept that overlaps with "humanitarian camouflage" and "humanitarian violence." These terms describe how Israel manipulates international humanitarian law to legitimize its military actions. The appropriation of humanitarian practices, such as aid provision and refugee resettlement, is used to enact a scorched-earth policy of destruction. International aid organizations have so far refused to cooperate with the GHF, highlighting the growing divide between traditional humanitarian principles and the militarized approach of the GHF. The ongoing crisis in Gaza underscores the need for a critical reevaluation of the international humanitarian sector, which has often been complicit in the actions of dominant powers. The GHF represents a new chapter in an old story of colonial violence and displacement. As the international community grapples with the implications of this latest initiative, it is crucial to recognize the GHF for what it is: a strategic tool in Israel's ongoing campaign to control and recolonize Gaza. Watch the video below that talks about a U.S.-backed aid group starting operations in Gaza. This video is from the TrendingNews channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Israel's empty promises: No aid reaches starving Gazans despite claims of deliveries. UK takes bold stand against Israel's Gaza atrocities, suspends trade talks and sanctions settlers. Israel's U.S.-backed Gaza aid plan sparks global backlash. Sources include: MiddleEastEye.net TheGuardian.com Brighteon.com The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food is not currently considering any applications for duties or restrictions on oilseed exports, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Vitaliy Koval emphasized during a parliamentary session on Friday. The minister noted that the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food constantly analyzes the economic situation in the country regarding the agricultural sector, and also, together with state institutions, works out and models possible scenarios for the development of the domestic agro-industrial complex. "No applications for duties or any export restrictions have been received from the Ministry of Agrarian Policy," Koval assured. According to him, the situation with investments in processing capacities in the country is currently very good. The minister emphasized that as of 2025, the Ukrainian agricultural sector has 22 million tonnes of oilseed processing capacity - this includes sunflower, rapeseed and soybean. The main raw material for processing is currently sunflower, about 97% of which is processed, and only 3% is exported as raw material. "We expect an average harvest (of oilseeds) of 12-14 million tonnes. That is, we actually have a shortage of raw materials for processing plants," Koval admitted. He drew attention to the fact that the problem of the surplus of processing capacity in Ukraine can be solved by expanding processing with other types of raw materials. "As part of the analysis, we clearly see that crops for processing, for example, soybeans - 6 million tonnes, rapeseed - 3.6 million tonnes. This is in order to reload our factories," the minister summed up and added that the Ministry of Agrarian Policy does not set itself the goal of farmers suffering, and is looking for ways out of the situation. Pakistans digital crackdown: How geofencing and ID blacklists are silencing dissent Pakistani authorities disabled national IDs and passports of thousands linked to 2023 political unrest, using geofencing to track protesters highlighting the rise of digital surveillance. The crackdown followed violent protests after former PM Imran Khan's arrest, with NADRA blacklisting over 5,500 individuals via mobile data near protest sites, crippling their access to essential services. Officials claim legality but cite no specific laws, raising alarms over due process and the weaponization of digital ID systems in a country where documents are vital for daily life. Protesters faced military trials (condemned by rights groups), while passport officials admitted some were flagged merely for proximity to protests. Affected individuals remain stuck in bureaucratic limbo. Pakistan's centralized ID system, meant for efficiency, is now a surveillance tool. This mirrors global trends where digital governance clashes with civil liberties, especially where legal safeguards are weak. Authorities in Pakistan have disabled the national IDs and passports of thousands linked to the country's 2023 political unrest, using geofencing technology to track protesters in a sweeping move that underscores the growing power of digital surveillance. The crackdown began after violent demonstrations erupted on May 9, 2023, following the arrest of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. The unrest itself stemmed from nationwide protests after Khan's arrest on corruption charges. Demonstrators targeting military and government installations, including the Pakistan Army's General Headquarters in Rawalpindi district. The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Pakistan's central digital identity agency, has played a pivotal role in the enforcement. By analyzing mobile network signals near protest sites, authorities identified and blacklisted over 5,500 individuals from Lahore and other parts of Pakistan's Punjab province, blocking their passports and national ID cards. These documents are indispensable for banking, travel and even accessing mobile services, effectively cutting off those targeted from full societal participation. Officials claim the measures follow legal procedures. However, no specific laws have been publicly disclosed leaving many to question the transparency of the process and raise alarms over the weaponization of digital identity systems. With no clear legal framework cited, critics warn that the state's reliance on mobile data to blacklist citizens marks a dangerous erosion of due process in a country where ID documents are essential for daily life. Pakistani government prosecutes civilians in military courts Following the riots, Islamabad responded aggressively, labeling the events a "Black Day." The Pakistani government also prosecuted civilians in military courts an approach condemned by human rights groups. While some convictions were later pardoned, the broader crackdown has persisted with geofencing data serving as the primary evidence for blacklisting. Legal challenges have mounted as affected individuals, including government employees and private workers, argue they were wrongly implicated. In Lahore High Court hearings, passport officials admitted that many were flagged solely for being near protest sites, even without direct involvement. Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports distanced itself from the blacklisting process. According to the office, the Pakistani Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control its parent agency holds sole authority over the Exit Control List and related sanctions. This leaves Pakistanis with expired passports in bureaucratic limbo, unable to renew them until their names are cleared. The situation highlights a global tension between digital governance and civil liberties. Pakistan's centralized ID system, initially designed to streamline services, has now become a tool for mass surveillance. (Related: FBI lied about cell phone geofencing data being corrupted in area where pipe bombs were planted at DNC, RNC in January 2021.) Historical parallels can be drawn to other nations where identity systems have been repurposed for political control, raising urgent questions about oversight and proportionality. As courts weigh individual appeals, the broader implications for democracy and privacy remain unresolved. For now, the blacklisting campaign stands as a stark example of how quickly digital infrastructure can be turned against citizens especially in nations where legal safeguards are weak. Watch this clip of the Radio Pakistan building being set on fire during the May 9 riots. This video is from the APEX MENTALITY channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Congress just turned America into your worst nightmare surveillance police state. U.K. government's new surveillance measures expand policies of the POLICE STATE. French government passes justice reform bill that vastly expands police surveillance powers. Sources include: ReclaimTheNet.org Tribune.com.pk Brighteon.com Putin warns against terror, vows to continue tough peace stance amid Ukrainian infrastructure attacks Putin blames Ukraine for deadly bridge collapses in Bryansk and Kursk regions, labeling Kyivs leadership as terrorists. Bridge attacks linked to Kyiv, timed to disrupt peace talks, killed seven and injured 120 people. Putin dismisses Ukraines call for 30- to 60-day ceasefire, claiming it would allow Kyiv to rearm and regroup. Zelenskys insult toward Russian negotiators (idiots) fuels Putins allegations of Ukrainian corruption and lacking political culture. Ukraines recent drone strikes targeting Russian airbases, though unmentioned by Putin, signal escalating asymmetrical warfare. Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraines leadership of orchestrating a series of terrorist acts on Russian soil, including fatal bridge collapses, to destabilize peace negotiations. Speaking at a televised government meeting on June 4, Putin claimed Ukraines sabotage in Bryansk and Kursk regionswhere bridge failures killed seven and injured 120 peoplewas designed to derail diplomacy, with support from Kyivs Western allies. This marks a significant escalation in a conflict where words and actions have long blurred, as Moscow insists the Kyiv regime prioritizes power over peace. Terrorist regimes and accomplices: Putin labels Kyivs actions a threat to civilians The bridge attacks, which unfolded hours before scheduled Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul on June 2, formed the centerpiece of Putins remarks. He argued that Ukrainian leaders had deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure, calling the strikes a conscious blow against the Russian population, including women and children. Putin emphasized the attacks were engineered to intimidate Russia and sabotage negotiations, charging Western nations for enabling the regimes degradation into terrorism. The current Kyiv regime does not want peace at all, Putin said. Power is more important to them than peace or human life. His tone carried hardened resolve, reflecting Russias view of Kyiv as a fracturing opponent clinging to relevance through violence. Ceasefire or crises? Kyivs proposals rejected, asymmetric warfare intensifies Days before the Istanbul talks, Ukraine proposed a 30- to 60-day ceasefire and a high-level summit to resolve the five-month-old war. Putin dismissed both, citing Ukraines reliance on terrorist tactics to regroup and receive more arms. He criticized Zelenskys demand for an unconditional truce, arguing Kyiv would exploit any pause to pump Western weapons and stage more attacks. Kyivs recent drone strikes in Operation Spiderweban unaddressed detail in Putins speechhighlighted asymmetrical warfares growing role. The June 1 attacks, which targeted Russian bomber aircraft worth billions, demonstrate Kyivs shifting strategy toward disrupting Moscows supply lines. Yet, Putins focus remained on the bridge attacks, refusing to acknowledge Ukraines military gains as legitimate battlefield moves. Political culture debacle: Zelenskys words fuel Kremlin rhetoric Zelenskys May 2025 remarks further inflamed tensions. When Russia proposed a brief ceasefire to retrieve soldiers bodies, Zelensky dismissed the plan as futile, calling Moscows negotiators idiots. Putin seized on the comment, accusing Kyiv of lacking even basic political culture. Negotiations with terrorists produce nothing, Putin stated. Were dealing with people who cannot even speak civilly to their counterparts. The rhetoric underscored a deeper divide: Kyivs demand for unconditional talks versus Moscows insistence on Kyivs surrender of contested territories as a pre-negotiation condition. Fake calls for peace: From ceasefires to disinformation battles This latest chapter follows months of stalled diplomacy. Early 2025 talks in Turkey collapsed over Ukraines rejection of Moscows territorial demands, with Zelensky declaring peace only possible with Russias withdrawal from all annexed lands. Meanwhile, Russian state media intensified accusations of Ukrainian attacks on civilian life, framing Kyiv as a puppet of Western warmongering. Ukraines drone campaigns signal a strategic shift, targeting Russian infrastructure far from the front. While Putin ignored the strikes in his speech, analysts note their impact on Moscows military moralea critical vulnerability as battlefield losses mount. The dialectic of destruction: Why words might not matter anymore As Kyiv and Moscow spar over terms like terrorism and ceasefire, ordinary lives pay the price. The bridge victims, fallen soldiers and civilians displaced by escalating raids underscore a conflict no leader seems willing to end decisively. Putins stancecombining rhetorical defiance with battlefield tenacitylights little hope for diplomacy. Yet Ukraines survival hinges on Western arms and global solidarity, while Russias isolation deepens. With Zelensky absolutely rejecting any settlement without sovereignty, the cycle continues: each peace effort becoming a reminder of the futility of dialogue without power parity. In such a stalemate, the world watchesand waitsto see whether terrorism or diplomacy will shape the next chapter in Europes bloodiest war since World War II. Sources for this article include: RT.com KyivIndependent.com NewsUkraine.rbc.ua Supreme Court sides with Trump administration, allows revocation of temporary protected status for 500,000 illegal aliens The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 to allow the Trump administration to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for around 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV), overturning lower court injunctions that had blocked their deportation. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced the end of TPS protections and work permits for 532,000 CHNV migrants, effective April 24, but a federal judge blocked the order, leading to the administration's Supreme Court appeal. The Trump administration argued Biden's parole programs created an unmanageable population without a path to legal status. The Supreme Court's decision lifts the injunction, allowing DHS to proceed with terminating TPS while litigation continues. Liberal Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor opposed the ruling, while the majority sided with the administration's enforcement authority. Trump celebrated the decision, vowing stricter immigration policies, while critics condemned the lack of a 30-day notice requirement for affected migrants. The ruling aligns with Trump's broader deportation agenda. The U.S. Supreme Court has granted the Trump administration authority to revoke temporary protected status (TPS) for approximately 500,000 illegal aliens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV), overturning a lower court's injunction that had blocked their deportation. In March, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem posted a formal notice in the Federal Register ending the work permits and deportation protections for around 532,000 CHNV migrants, effective April 24. However, Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani of Massachusetts blocked the order on April 10, preventing the administration from stripping legal status from those already admitted under the parole system. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit upheld the injunction, prompting the Trump administration to appeal to the Supreme Court. (Related: Federal judge blocks Trump administration's order to deport over 500K migrants with Temporary Protected Status.) "Reviewing the results of those mass-parole programs, the new Administration concluded that they 'at best traded an unmanageable population of unlawful migration along the southwest border for the additional complication of a substantial population of aliens in the interior of the United States without a clear path to a durable status,'" Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued in his filing. Fortunately, the high court's order lifted the stay of the lower court in a decisive 7-2 ruling on Friday, May 30. This allowed the DHS to proceed with terminating TPS protections while litigation continues in the 1st Circuit. Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor, two of the three liberal justices of the court, dissented. Trump and his allies laud the Supreme Court decision During the 2024 presidential campaign, President Donald Trump frequently condemned former President Joe Biden and his immigration policies, arguing they allowed individuals from high-risk nations to settle unchecked in American communities. The president and his allies hailed the decision of the high court. "We had a great decision from the Supreme Court, thank goodness," Trump said. "That was very important." Deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller also echoed a similar statement. "You can't have a situation where the Biden administration can fly in half a million illegal aliens in the last 24 months, and we're having a conversation about, 'Oh, maybe they should get to stay for life. Good news is the airplanes travel in two directions," Miller said. Meanwhile, some immigration advocates who backed the parole program had hoped that, even if the Supreme Court permitted the administration to terminate the programs, the justices would at least mandate the 30-day advance notice Noem included in her March announcement. However, the ruling on Friday imposed no such requirement. Follow InvasionUSA.news for more stories about illegal immigration in America. Watch this Fox News clip about what the National Border Patrol Council expects from Trump regarding immigration. This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Trump administration to end legal protections for over 500,000 CHNV migrants under Biden-era parole program. Stephen Miller vows to unleash full federal power for MASS DEPORTATIONS, promises to restore law and order in America. Trump administration ends legal status for 500,000 migrants, orders self-deportation or arrest. Trump administration revokes Biden-era TPS protections for Haitians, paving way for deportations. Trump preparing to DEPORT 1.5 million illegal immigrants paroled and let into the country by Biden. Sources include: LifeSiteNews.com NYPost.com APNews.com Newsweek.com Politico.com Brighteon.com Trump administration to expedite removal of federal employees for misconduct New OPM rules streamline the removal of federal employees engaged in misconduct (e.g., tax evasion, leaks) by expanding agencies' authority to reassess suitability post-hiring, closing loopholes that protect problematic workers. The proposal targets civil service safeguards that make firing inefficient or unethical employees difficult, emphasizing that public service is a "privilege, not a right." Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) aims to slash bureaucracy, regulations and spending by 2026, calling it central to his "Save America" agenda. Executive orders eliminate redundant agencies (e.g., Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service) and enforce a "10-to-1" deregulation policy, requiring new rules to justify economic benefits. Citizens are encouraged to report government waste, while agencies must cut non-essential functions (e.g., leadership training programs) to prioritize efficiency and taxpayer savings. The Trump administration has unveiled a major regulatory overhaul aimed at speeding up the removal of federal employees for misconduct to streamline government operations and hold civil servants accountable. The proposed rule, announced by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on June 2, seeks to amend federal personnel vetting and disciplinary procedures, targeting workers whose behavior undermines public trust. Under the new rule, agencies would gain expanded authority to flag employees for "suitability action" if they engage in misconduct, including tax evasion, unauthorized leaks of sensitive information or other conduct "inconsistent with the public trust." The measure aims to close a loophole that has long frustrated officials: While federal job applicants undergo rigorous background checks, existing employees often retain their positions despite disqualifying behavior due to bureaucratic protections. Currently, most federal employees enjoy civil service protections, meaning they can only be fired for specific causes, such as misconduct or poor performance, and must be granted due process, including appeals and union representation. These safeguards have made it nearly impossible to dismiss problematic workers, even when their actions compromise government efficiency or integrity. (Related: Trump administration targets 200,000 probationary federal workers in sweeping workforce cuts.) "For too long, agencies have faced red tape when trying to remove employees who break the public's trust," OPM Acting Director Chuck Ezell said. "This proposed rule ensures misconduct is met with consequence and reinforces that public service is a privilege, not a right." The new rule, which is now open for public comment, would not convert federal employment to an at-will system but would provide agencies with a streamlined process to reassess an employee's suitability for their role if misconduct is discovered after hiring. Trump aims to slash federal bureaucracy, regulations and spending The policy change aligns with President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Workforce Optimization Initiative and reinforces his recent executive orders cracking down on poor performance and misbehavior in the federal workforce. In November, shortly after winning the presidential election, Trump launched DOGE to slash federal bureaucracy, regulations and spending. Trump framed the initiative as central to his "Save America" agenda, declaring it the "Manhattan Project of our time" to overhaul federal inefficiency by the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence in 2026. In line with this, Trump signed an executive order in March, titled "Eliminating Waste and Reducing Government Overreach," which eliminates or reduces the functions of multiple federal agencies while calling on citizens to help identify further inefficiencies. The order targets several agencies for downsizing, including the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the U.S. Agency for Global Media and the Minority Business Development Agency, to streamline government operations, including his signature "two-for-one" deregulation policy and the creation of DOGE. The White House emphasized that this executive order focuses on eliminating non-essential functions while maintaining legally required services. Agencies like the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Institute of Museum and Library Services will see their roles significantly reduced. The administration also highlighted its "10-to-1" deregulation initiative, ensuring that any new rule must be justified by clear economic or public benefits while removing outdated regulations. Trump.news has more stories related to this. Watch the video below that talks about Trump "winning" since he assumed office. This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Elon Musk warns federal workers: Return to office or face termination. Trump administration targets 200,000 probationary federal workers in sweeping workforce cuts. Federal workers panic as DOGE audits expose culture of waste and incompetence. University of Michigan shuts down DEI office amid federal funding cuts. Johns Hopkins cuts 2,000 jobs after Trump ends $800m in federal funding. Sources include: YourNews.com GovExec.com WhiteHouse.gov Brighteon.com Bayers ruthless bid for immunity SILENCES cancer victims and overrides the rule of law In the heartland of America, a sinister corporate power play is unfoldingone that threatens to strip citizens of their constitutional rights while shielding a pharmaceutical giant from accountability for its deadly product . Bayer, the agrochemical behemoth that inherited Monsantos toxic legacy, is waging a multi-state lobbying war to secure legal immunity for Roundup, its glyphosate-based herbicide linked to non-Hodgkins lymphoma. With billions in jury verdicts and settlements piling up, Bayer isnt reforming its product or warning consumersits rewriting the law. This isnt just about pesticides. Its about corporate tyranny, the erosion of state sovereignty, and the betrayal of farmers, landscapers, and consumers who trusted a product they believed was safe. Bayers playbook mirrors Big Pharmas vaccine industry tactics: lobby lawmakers, bypass courts, and silence victims. But the backlash is growing, exposing a company desperate to evade justiceno matter the cost to public health. Key points: Bayer is pushing state-level legislation to block lawsuits alleging Roundup causes cancer, effectively stripping victims of their right to a jury trial. Missouri courts have already ruled against Bayer, awarding billions in damages, but the company is now lobbying to override state laws with federal preemption. The EPAs outdated pesticide regulations leave a gaping loophole, allowing Bayer to exploit weak enforcement while avoiding accountability. Farmers, health advocates, and bipartisan lawmakers are fighting back, exposing Bayers dark money tactics and corporate manipulation. The outcome of this battle will determine whether corporations can poison citizens with impunityor if justice will prevail. Bayers legal Hail Mary: Rewriting the rules to dodge accountability Bayers desperation is palpable. After acquiring Monsanto in 2018, the company inherited not just Roundup but a legal nightmareover 54,000 lawsuits linking glyphosate to cancer. With jury verdicts totaling nearly $20 billion, Bayers response hasnt been to reformulate its product or add cancer warnings. Instead, its deploying an army of lobbyists to convince state legislatures that EPA approval should shield it from all liability. Missouri, home to Bayers North American Crop Science headquarters, became ground zero for this fight. The company flooded the state with lobbyists, pushing Senate Bill 14 and House Bill 2763both designed to block failure-to-warn claims. But Bayer underestimated the backlash. Monsanto is trying to push legislation that would take away constitutional rights, says Missouri trial lawyer Matt Clement, who has successfully represented Roundup victims. It has not been successful in getting courts to buy its preemption argument, so it is resorting to trying to pass state legislation that will do what most courts have refused to do. The EPA loophole: How Bayer exploits weak enforcement The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), last updated in 1972, was meant to ensure pesticide safety. But it has a fatal flaw: private citizens cant sue under FIFRAonly the EPA can enforce it. And with the agency reviewing chemicals only every 15 years, theres no real accountability. State law claims are the only way for private citizens to hold companies accountable, Clement explains. If the proposed legislation takes that away, there is nothing left for an injured person to do. Bayer knows this. Instead of fixing Roundup, its exploiting regulatory gaps, pouring millions into lobbying groups like the Modern Ag Alliance and the Protecting America Initiative. In Georgia, Bayer succeededSB 144 became law, threatening a $2.1 billion verdict for plaintiff John Barnes. But in Missouri, Bayers heavy-handed tactics backfired. Related: No immunity for Monsanto: Oregon court overturns Monsanto/Bayer victory in ongoing Roundup trial. Dark money and dirty tricks: Bayers PR war backfires When nine Missouri Freedom Caucus senators resisted Bayers bill, the company retaliated with vicious direct-mail flyers accusing them of betraying farmers and aiding China. The senators, furious at what they called dark money attacks, launched an ethics investigation and filibustered the bill to death. The backlash was bipartisan. Twenty-four House Republicans and 48 Democrats rejected the bill, signaling a rare moment of unity against corporate overreach. Bayers aggressive ads and sponsorship of Governor Mike Kehoes inauguration only fueled perceptions of corruption. Bayers endgame is clear: secure federal preemption through the Farm Bill or the Supreme Court, nullifying state-level lawsuits. But Congress could just as easily amend FIFRA to protect victims rights. The Trump administration could also direct the EPA to update glyphosates labeling, closing Bayers escape hatch. This battle isnt just about Roundupits about whether corporations can poison people without consequence. Farmers, consumers, and lawmakers must decide: Will we let Bayer rewrite the rules, or will we demand accountability? Sources include: Modernity.news Zerohedge.com NaturalNews.com CBO warns Trump tax overhaul adds $2.4 trillion to debt amid Musks scathing criticism and Senate delays Congressional Budget Office (CBO) revises deficit forecast for Trumps tax bill to $2.4 trillion over 10 years. Elon Musk denounces bill as a disgusting abomination, pressuring GOP leaders. Healthcare cuts could leave 10.9 million, including 1.4M undocumented individuals, uninsured. Senate faces hurdles revising the bill amid fiscal conservatives push for debt reduction. White House disputes CBO analysis, citing unproven economic growth from tax cuts. After languishing in legislative limbo, President Donald Trumps sweeping tax and spending legislation now faces mounting scrutiny as the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) revised its deficit forecast to $2.4 trillion over a decade. The analysis, published Wednesday, underscores the bills contentious path through Congress, which includes a $600 billion debt increase compared to its original $1.8 trillion estimate. The bill, which the GOP framed as a budget-saver, now faces skepticism from both ends of the ideological spectrum, with billionaire ally Elon Musk and Senate conservatives leading the backlash. The legislation, named the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed the House on May 22 via a narrow 215-214 vote. It merges extensions of Trumps 2017 tax cuts with deep cuts to healthcare programs for low-income Americans, including steep reductions to Medicaid and eligibility restrictions for the Affordable Care Act. Critics argue the bill prioritizes institutional pork over human liberty, stripping lifelines from vulnerable populations while bestowing tax breaks on corporations and the wealthy. Musks sharp critique exposes GOP divisions: A disgusting abomination The bills foremost critic, though unlikely, emerged from its own ranks: tech mogul Elon Musk, once a staunch Trump ally, publicly lambasted the measure as a disgusting abomination on Tuesday, citing its appalling budgetary implications. The outburst marks a sharp turn for Musk, who recently left his controversial post as head of the Department of Government Efficiency. His condemnation resonated with right-leaning fiscal hawks, including Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who decry the bill as fiscally indefensible. The CBOs numbers confirm something weve long known: Borrowing trillions to fund tax giveaways is a pathway to financial ruin, Musk stated on social media, adding that the bill embarrasses America abroad while crushing the most vulnerable here at home. His remarks mirror libertarian concerns that the legislation erodes human liberty by shrinking safety nets while expanding federal intrusion into healthcare decisions. Senate conservatives demand rewrite amid Deep State pork scrutiny The bills next stop is the Senate, where Republican leaders must thread the needle to secure votes. With a 53-47 GOP majority, the margin for error is razor-thin, particularly since Sens. Johnson and Paul have vowed to expose institutional corruption in the bills concessions to interest groups. Pork-laden compromises, such as raising the state and local tax deduction cap, have already inflated the deficit. To offset the $128 billion revenue loss, senators may target additional cuts or restrictions on programs like Medicare. Every dollar borrowed is a betrayal of future generationsno exception, declared Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), emphasizing the need to eliminate wasteful spending. Healthcare cuts jeopardize millions; alternative solutions highlighted The CBOs analysis warns the bill could leave 10.9 million Americans uninsured by 2034, with undocumented individuals bearing the brunt. These outcomes, say critics, necessitate natural solutions and alternative media transparency to address systemic flaws in healthcare access. Meanwhile, Republican defenders argue tax cuts will spur economic growth, offsetting losses. White House budget chief Russell Vought dismissed the CBOs baseline scoring, claiming tax extensions should not count against deficits. This bill eradicates wasteful spending like never before, Vought countered, though he presented no credible evidence for this assertion. A budgetary crossroads: Fiscal prudence or political expediency? As Congress grapples with the $36.2 trillion national debt , the One Big Beautiful Bill Act stands as a litmus test for conservative principles. For proponents like House Majority Leader SteveScalise(R?La.),thebills $1.7 trillion in cuts symbolize deficit reduction. But for fiscal conservatives, it epitomizes a betrayal of the founding tenets of limited government and fiscal responsibility. With Musks thunderclap critique and CBOs damning numbers, the Senates revisions will likely intensify partisan battles over the role of government in economic liberty. Whether the bill survives in its current form or becomes a cautionary tale depends on if GOP leaders can reconcile their pledges to balanced budgets with the political calculus of maintaining power. This story was published by Natural News. For more on fiscal accountability and libertarian values, visit NaturalNews.com. Sources for this article include: YourNews.com FoxNews.com NBCnews.com Congress demands answers from Bidens doctor about alleged cognitive decline cover-up House Oversight Chairman James Comer subpoenaed Bidens physician, Dr. Kevin OConnor, to testify on June 27 amid suspicions of concealing Bidens cognitive decline. The investigation probes whether Bidens medical team deliberately hid his deteriorating health and examines his controversial use of autopen for official documents. Dr. OConnor faced criticism for refusing cognitive tests and giving overly positive health assessments despite Bidens visible frailty and confusion. The White House obstructed testimony, fueling concerns of a shadow government operating while Bidens mental state declined. The autopen scandal raises constitutional questions about who authorized key decisions if Biden was unfit, deepening public distrust. The American people deserve transparency, especially when it comes to the mental and physical fitness of their commander-in-chief. Yet for years, concerns about President Joe Bidens cognitive decline were dismissed, downplayed, or outright concealed by those entrusted with his care. Now, House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) is demanding answers. Comer has subpoenaed Bidens longtime physician, Dr. Kevin OConnor, to testify before Congress on June 27 following his refusal to voluntarily cooperate with investigators. This subpoena marks a critical escalation in the Houses investigation into whether Bidens inner circle, including his medical team, deliberately obscured his deteriorating health from the public. The probe also scrutinizes Bidens controversial use of autopen technology to sign official documents, raising alarming questions about who was truly running the country. A physician under scrutiny Dr. OConnor, who has served as Bidens physician since 2009, has faced mounting criticism for his glowing assessments of the presidents health, even as Biden exhibited repeated signs of confusion, memory lapses, and physical frailty. Despite public outcry and demands for cognitive testing, OConnor never administered one, instead declaring Biden a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male in February 2024. The House Oversight Committees subpoena letter makes their suspicions clear: The Committee expressed its interest in whether your financial relationship with the Biden family affected your assessment of former President Bidens physical and mental fitness to fulfill his duties as President. Given your connections with the Biden family, the Committee sought to understand if you contributed to an effort to hide former President Bidens fitness to serve from the American people. OConnors refusal to voluntarily testify speaks volumes. His legal team attempted to deflect with written interrogatories in a tactic Comer dismissed as unacceptable. The subpoena now compels him to answer under oath. Was a shadow government running our country? The Biden administrations stonewalling extends beyond OConnor. The White House previously blocked him from testifying about Bidens medical assessments and his alleged involvement in the Biden familys influence-peddling schemes. This obstruction fuels suspicions that a shadow government may have been pulling the strings while Bidens cognitive state deteriorated. The autopen scandal further deepens the intrigue. Bidens reliance on the automatic signing device for official documents, including pardons and executive actions, raises constitutional and security concerns. If Biden lacked the mental clarity to fulfill his duties, who authorized these decisions? Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierres upcoming tell-all book hints at internal chaos. House investigators plan to invite her to testify, along with other key Biden aides, including Jill Bidens former chief of staff Anthony Bernal and senior advisor Annie Tomasini. A betrayal of public trust The American people have a right to know whether their president was fit to lead or if his administration engaged in a coordinated deception. Bidens debate performances, frequent verbal stumbles, and recent prostate cancer diagnosis only amplify concerns. His defiant response to critics does little to reassure a nation questioning his stability. Rep. Comers subpoena is a crucial step toward uncovering the truth. If Dr. OConnors financial ties to the Bidens influenced his medical assessments, it would constitute a grave breach of ethics. If Bidens decline was hidden to preserve political power, its a betrayal of the public trust. The House Oversight Committees investigation must proceed without obstruction. The American people deserve answers, not cover-ups. Sources for this article include: 100PercentFedUp.com FoxNews.com NYPost.com Discovery of massive planet around small red dwarf star challenges astronomys core assumptions Scientists discovered TOI-6894b, a Saturn-sized gas giant orbiting a tiny red dwarf star, defying current planet formation theories. The finding challenges the core accretion model, suggesting alternative processes like disk instability may form giant planets around low-mass stars. TOI-6894b orbits its star in just three days but remains relatively cool due to the stars low temperature, raising questions about its atmosphere. Red dwarfs are the most common stars in the galaxy, meaning there could be billions more undiscovered giant planets like TOI-6894b. Upcoming JWST observations may detect methane or ammonia in its atmosphere, offering new insights into extreme planet formation and potential habitability. In a discovery that has left astronomers scratching their heads, scientists have detected a massive gas giant orbiting a diminutive red dwarf star in a cosmic mismatch that challenges everything we thought we knew about planet formation. The planet, named TOI-6894b, is roughly the size of Saturn yet orbits a star witb just 20% the mass of our sun, located 241 light-years away in the constellation Leo. Published June 4 in Nature Astronomy, the findings upend the widely accepted core accretion model, forcing researchers to reconsider how planetsand perhaps even lifemight arise in the universe. A star too small for its planet Red dwarfs are the most common stars in the Milky Way, outnumbering sun-like stars by three to one. Yet until now, astronomers believed these faint, low-mass stars were incapable of hosting gas giants. "We did not expect planets like TOI-6894b to be able to form around stars this low-mass," said Edward Bryant, an astronomer at the University of Warwick and lead author of the study. The star, TOI-6894, is the smallest ever found to host such a large planet, defying predictions that its protoplanetary disk would lack sufficient material to birth a gas giant. TOI-6894bs existence throws a wrench into the core accretion model, which posits that giant planets form when a rocky core rapidly accumulates gas from a surrounding disk. But with TOI-6894s disk likely too sparse to fuel such runaway growth, scientists are scrambling for explanations. "This is one of the goals of the search for more exoplanets," said study co-author Vincent Van Eylen of University College London. "We don't really understand how a star with so little mass can form such a massive planet!" Rethinking planet formation The discovery suggests alternative theories may be at play. One possibility is that TOI-6894b formed through disk instabilitya process where a dense pocket of gas collapses directly into a planet without a solid core. Another theory proposes a slower, steadier accumulation of gas, avoiding the need for a massive initial core. Either way, the implications are profound. "Most stars in our galaxy are actually small stars exactly like this," said Daniel Bayliss, an astrophysicist at the University of Warwick. "The fact that this star hosts a giant planet has big implications for the total number of giant planets we estimate exist in our galaxy." Despite its size, TOI-6894b orbits its star in just three days, a proximity that would scorch most gas giants. Yet because red dwarfs are cooler than the sun, the planets atmosphere remains a relatively mild 147 degrees Celsius (296 degrees Fahrenheit), raising tantalizing questions about its composition. Observations planned with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) could detect methane or even ammonia, a first for exoplanet atmospheres. "We expect it to have a massive core surrounded by a gaseous envelope made up of predominantly hydrogen and helium gas," Bryant said. A universe full of unknowns The discovery underscores how little we truly know about the cosmos. For decades, astronomers assumed small stars bred small planets, yet TOI-6894b proves otherwise. "These findings suggest that even the smallest stars in the universe can in some cases form very large planets," Van Eylen said. "That forces us to rethink some of our planet formation models." If red dwarfsdespite their sizecan host gas giants, the Milky Way may harbor far more giant planets than previously imagined. Statistically, only 1.5% of red dwarfs are thought to host such worlds, but given their sheer numbers, that still amounts to over a billion potential giants. Each discovery like TOI-6894b chips away at the arrogance of institutional science, revealing how much remains hidden beyond the reach of mainstream theories. A humbling reminder The universe, it seems, delights in defying human expectations. As JWST prepares to probe its atmosphere, it is clear that the cosmos is far stranger, and far more inventive, than we ever imagined. In the words of the researchers, this discovery "will be a cornerstone for understanding the extremes of giant planet formation"and perhaps, in time, the origins of life itself. TOI-6894b stands as a testament to the power of curiosity-driven science, proving once again that truth is not dictated by consensus but revealed through relentless exploration. Sources for this article include: LiveScience.com Reuters.com Space.com Elon Musk vs. Trump feud escalates over AI control and allegations of Epstein list ties Musk claimed Trump opposes Epstein client list release due to his inclusion, sparking a public clash. Trump retaliated by threatening federal contracts tied to Musks companies. The conflict reflects ideological dividesMusk advocates decentralized AI, while Trump supports federal oversight. Musk warned of decommissioning NASAs Dragon spacecraft if tensions worsen. Musks push for a third party (80% support in X poll) risks splitting GOP and tech-libertarian voters, with Trump allies accusing Musk of endangering national security. Some speculate Musks actions align with elite factions aiming to collapse traditional power structures using advanced tech, favoring an AI-driven future over government control. The feud reignites Epstein scrutiny, highlights AI governance battles, and signals a broader conflict over who controls future techgovernments or Silicon Valley. The ongoing public spat between Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump intensified this week, with Musk suggesting Trump may be named in Jeffrey Epsteins filesa claim swiftly countered by Trump. The feud highlights divisions between tech leaders and political figures over AI development and government corruption. Musks Explosive Allegation In a series of heated exchanges on X (formerly Twitter), Elon Musk insinuated that Trumps resistance to the release of Epsteins client list could be self-serving, stating, The reason Trump doesnt want the Epstein files released is because Trump is named in the Epstein files. The remark sent shockwaves across social media, prompting Trump to retaliate by threatening to slash federal contracts tied to Musks companies, including SpaceX and Tesla. AI, Defense Contracts, and Decentralization The feud has broader implications for U.S. technological dominance, particularly in AI and space infrastructure. Musk, a staunch advocate for decentralized AI development, warned he may start decommissioning the Dragon spacecrafta critical asset for NASAif retaliatory measures escalate. This reflects a growing ideological rift: Musks Vision : Open-source, decentralized AI to prevent monopolistic control (he has criticized OpenAI for becoming closed AI). : Open-source, decentralized AI to prevent monopolistic control (he has criticized OpenAI for becoming closed AI). Trumps Policy: Tighter federal oversight, with tariffs and subsidies shaping industrial priorities. Political Fallout and the 2024 Landscape Analysts warn the clash could destabilize alliances ahead of the 2024 elections. Musks call for a third political party has gained traction (80% support in his X poll), signaling voter frustration with the two-party system. Meanwhile, Trump allies accuse Musk of undermining national security by threatening federal projects. Broader Context: AI and the "Breakaway Civilization" Some speculate Musks actions align with a technocratic breakaway civilization theoryan elite faction leveraging advanced AI, quantum computing, and anti-gravity tech. Critics argue this faction aims to collapse existing power structures, including the corrupt U.S. Empire, in favor of an AI-driven future. Key Takeaways: Epstein Saga : Musks jab reignites scrutiny over Epsteins elite ties. : Musks jab reignites scrutiny over Epsteins elite ties. AI Race : Decentralization vs. state control is the new battleground. : Decentralization vs. state control is the new battleground. 2024 Elections : The feud could splinter Republican and tech-libertarian voters. : The feud could splinter Republican and tech-libertarian voters. Existential Stakes: As Musk warns of AI outpacing humanity, this clash underscores who will shape the futuregovernments or Silicon Valley. The war for control of AI is no longer theoretical. Its hereand the Musk-Trump feud is just the opening salvo. Watch the June 06 episode of "Brighteon Broadcast News" as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, talks about Elons role in the breakaway civilization that possesses exotic energy, teleportation, tunneling and space-bending technology. This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Elon Musk is going to WAR Breakaway civilization initiates counter-coup: Trump and Musk at the helm Irish government to legalize retrospective facial recognition technology Sources include: Brighteon.com EVs turn ships into death traps: Lithium-ion fires ravage another vessel in Pacific disaster The Morning Midas cargo ship, carrying 3,000 vehicles including 800 EVs, was abandoned in the Pacific after lithium-ion battery fires overwhelmed suppression systems. This echoes the 2022 Felicity Ace disaster, where 4,000 EVs burned and sank, costing insurers $400 million. Lithium-ion fires are nearly impossible to extinguish at sea, and they often reignite despite massive water use. EV battery fires release toxic gases, posing greater environmental risks than fossil fuels in maritime disasters. Governments and corporations ignore EV battery dangers while pushing aggressive climate policies, risking more disasters. Another cargo ship has become a floating inferno, abandoned in the Pacific Ocean after a fire sparked by lithium-ion batteries overwhelmed onboard suppression systems. The Morning Midas, carrying over 3,000 vehicles, including approximately 800 electric and hybrid models, was en route from China to Mexico when flames erupted 300 miles southwest of Alaskas Adak Island. All 22 crew members were safely evacuated, but the vessel now drifts as a smoldering testament to the dangers of transporting electric vehicles (EVs) by sea. This disaster echoes the 2022 Felicity Ace catastrophe, where a ship laden with 4,000 luxury EVs burned and sank in the Atlantic, costing insurers over $400 million. Yet despite these repeated warnings, the maritime industry and the governments pushing EV mandates continue to ignore the explosive risks of lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion fires: A maritime nightmare According to The Washington Post, Lithium-ion battery fires are notoriously hard to extinguish. They often require immense volumes of water and can reignite even after appearing extinguished. The Morning Midas fire followed this exact pattern, with suppression systems failing as flames spread uncontrollably across the vehicle deck. The ships operator, Zodiac Maritime, confirmed the fire could not be contained despite crew efforts. Nearby commercial vessels and the U.S. Coast Guard responded, but the blaze continued to burn, fueled by the volatile chemistry of EV batteries. These incidents arent isolated. In 2023, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority issued an alert warning of the dangers posed by EVs on ferries, particularly lithium-ion fires that can spontaneously ignite. Saltwater exposure, which is common in maritime environments, further destabilizes these batteries, increasing the risk of thermal runaway, a process where overheating cells trigger uncontrollable fires. Environmental hazards worse than fossil fuels While climate activists push EVs as green alternatives, the Morning Midas disaster exposes the hypocrisy of this narrative. Lithium-ion fires release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride and phosphorus pentafluoride, which contaminate air and water. The ship carried 1,500 metric tons of low-sulfur fuel oil, raising concerns of an oil spill, but the greater threat may be the burning EV batteries themselves. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted similar risks during Hurricane Helene and Milton, reporting that floodwaters submerged EV batteries, sparking at least 16 fires in the Tampa Bay area alone. Policy arrogance meets harsh reality The Morning Midas fire is a direct consequence of climate policies that prioritize ideology over safety. Governments and corporations, eager to virtue-signal their commitment to net zero, have ignored repeated warnings about EV battery risks. Meanwhile, the maritime industry, already burdened by emissions regulations, now faces the added peril of transporting floating lithium bomb fleets. The Coast Guard is coordinating salvage efforts, but the Morning Midas may join the Felicity Ace at the bottom of the ocean. Meanwhile, insurers and shipping companies are left to grapple with the financial fallout, while policymakers refuse to acknowledge their role in creating this crisis. If these vehicles are truly the future, their risks must be addressed, not buried under subsidies and propaganda. Until then, incidents like the Morning Midas will keep happening, and the only green in this transition will be the toxic smoke billowing from burning battery packs. Sources for this article include: WattsUpWithThat.com SeattleTimes.com SAN.com Axios.com The rye deficit in the 2025/2026 season will be 100%, which will inevitably lead to a rise in the price of rye bread, director of the Millers of Ukraine union Rodion Rybchynsky said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine. "We can say with confidence that there will be a 100% rye deficit in the 2025/2026 season. Already now, Polish rye is partially processed in Ukraine, and bakers use Baltic rye flour. Unfortunately, this is already our reality," he said. According to the head of the industry association, the reason for the rye shortage is the reluctance of agricultural producers to sow the crop, since its yield is a third lower than that of wheat - up to 40 centners/ha versus 60 centners/ha, respectively. In addition, previously the entire deficit was covered from Belarus, which led to a reduction in rye production in Ukraine - it was difficult for farmers to compete with supplies from Belarus. At the same time, rye is not a popular export crop. Rye is in demand only on the domestic market. Rybchynsky drew attention to the fact that currently the price of rye is more than competitive: if in 2024 1 tonne of rye cost UAH 6,000-7,000, then as of May 2025 UAH 12,000-14,000. Answering the question of whether the rye shortage will lead to an increase in the price of rye bread, the expert emphasized that it will definitely increase in price. "Currently, the price of Ukrainian rye flour is UAH 18,000 per tonne, from imported raw materials - about UAH 20,000, while last year in May rye flour cost UAH 10,000. This will not just be an increase in the price of rye bread - many manufacturers of bakery products will simply stop baking it," he stressed. The head of the Millers of Ukraine union predicts that in the 2025/2026 marketing year, Ukraine will live with a deficit of rye and will buy it on foreign markets at European prices. This will make rye interesting for Ukrainian farmers. Therefore, in the 2026/2027 MY, agricultural producers will most likely increase the area under rye, which will be able to level the situation on the market. The depths of corruption: GOP blasts Bidens NGO funding money laundering in explosive House hearing House Republicans accuse the Biden administration of misdirecting billions in taxpayer funds to NGOs championing progressive causes like open borders and climate activism. Key lawmakers, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Eric Burlison and Brandon Gill, allege the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and federal agencies used NGOs to launder taxpayer dollars through nonprofits like Rewiring America and the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Witnesses and lawmakers clashed over ties between migrant-support NGOs and 10 million+ illegal border crossings since 2021. Democrats dismissed the hearing as a partisan witch hunt targeting Black leaders and LGBTQ+ youth programs, while defending nonprofits as essential for vulnerable communities. The conflict highlights a national divide over fiscal accountability, with GOP-aligned figures pushing aggressive reforms ahead of the 2026 elections. House Republicans have charged President Joe Bidens administration with diverting $2.3 billion in taxpayer money to progressive NGOs, fueling policies like open borders and climate activism. A high-stakes hearing titled Public Funds, Private Agendas: NGOs Gone Wild in Washington, D.C., featured starkly divided sides: Republicans demanded accountability, while Democrats accused them of politicizing humanitarian aid. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), chairing the oversight subcommittee, accused the Biden team of enabling unhinged spending via the EPA, HUD and USAID. NGOs like Rewiring America and the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) allegedly used taxpayer-backed radicalism to advance liberalism, including programs explicitly benefiting undocumented immigrants. Testimony highlighted questionable funding channels. Witnesses revealed EPA grants totaling $20 billion to Power Forward Communities, a group co-led by Stacey Abrams campaign advisor. Meanwhile, HUD contracts with NLIHC were linked to LGBTQ+ facilities in schools and organizations tied to the Immigrant Relief Network, a group helping undocumented migrants. Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) called the scheme illegal, stating, These arent grants theyre bribes, designed to redirect taxpayer money to radical political aims. Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) grilled NLIHC leaders, exposing their oversight of shelters that planned gender confirmation transition programs for minors and criticized NLIHCs board for including activists who instructed illegal immigrants on evading deportation. The hearing underscored alleged connections between NGO spending and border chaos. Data shown included a 2023 EPA $54 billion allocation to South American transit hubs, directly aiding mass migration waves. Over 10 million illegal border crossings since late 2021 have exacerbated infrastructure burdens, costs shouldered by U.S. taxpayers. Democratic pushback: Gaslighting the vulnerable Democrats framed the hearing as a baseless attack on Black communities and transgender children. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) labeled the GOPs focus on NGOs as a war on lifelines for those in need, arguing: NGOs fix the problems the government fails to solve. Critics highlighted hypocrisy. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), referencing a leaked document, alleged Republican lawmakers blacklist Black female candidates like Abrams by targeting supportive organizations. Others decried attempts to weaponize audits, like the GOPs proposed Efficiency Act (DOGE), which would grant Congress access to IRS and Treasury data to investigate nonprofits a move Democrats called smear tactics. NLIHCs Diane Yentel defended her groups work, noting that GOP policies under Trump had frozen critical aid to survivors of domestic violence and HIV organizations. These are human beings relying on our help, she pleaded, countering critics who called her programs radical. If helping people sleep under roofs is a leftist agenda, judge us by that standard. Reform or repression? The hearings fallout escalated on social media, with hashtags like #TrumpSavesTaxpayers trending alongside pro-Democrat claims that GOP starve kids amid global crises. The ideological divide mirrored broader American tensions: Democrats see NGOs as necessary buffers in a flawed system; Republicans view them as blue state slush funds. Key data deepened the rift. A leaked DHS document showed Biden-affiliated NGOs held $150 billion in long-term contracts funds redirecting U.S. infrastructure money to climate projects and urban transformation plans tied to migration hubs. Meanwhile, Rep. Mark Krikorian (R-WV) detailed a United Nations-backed network funding people-smuggler routes, funneling aid to Central American organizations allegedly aiding illegal entrants. GOP strategists termed this a Helsinki gateway a reference to Cold War-era capitol penetration claiming NGOs funnel donations to destabilize conservative policies. Democrats rejected such rhetoric as extreme fiction, noting U.S. border-crosser numbers dipped slightly under Biden in early 2025 to 6 million, down from 2021s record high. A 2026 election litmus test The hearing previews electoral clash. Trump-aligned groups vow to freeze 220 target NGOs by invoking the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, accusing EPA bureaucrats of gifting money to industries advancing woke policies. The GOPs GOLEAD Act, cosponsored by Greene, would strip NGOs of federal contracts unless they disclose all money flowsand forfeit taxpayer funds used for lobbying or politically sensitive issues. Democrats plan legal challenges, describing GOP actions as an existential threat to community groups. Theyve launched emergency fundraising campaigns to offset existing budget cuts, citing political retaliation for serving poor families. Bidens team defended spending as humanitarian but admitted mistakes in transparency. As tempers flared, partisan accusations grew wild. Rep. Gill held up an NLIHC promotional video eerily mirroring a 2019 St. Anthony shooting testimonial, mocking Democratic theatrics. A silenced Greens reiterated her campaign vow: The American taxpayer should know exactly where their money goes enabling migrants or enabling abortion clinics. Where it stands: Scandal or symptom? The controversy hinges on one question: Who defines legitimacy for nonprofits? The White House insists its allocations greet real needs, while Republicans sound the alarm on systemic corruption. Bidens EPA awarded $14 billion to CIMA, a CIA-linked group aiding Central American migrantsa figure congressional aides insist is buried in U.N. humanitarian reports. The public deserves answers. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com Cis.org Philanthrophy.com Israel prepares to seize Gaza Freedom Flotilla, arrest activists including Greta Thunberg Israel is preparing to intercept the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, a humanitarian aid ship carrying activists like Greta Thunberg, Liam Cunningham, and Susan Sarandon. Despite posing no security threat, Israel will seize the vessel to avoid setting a precedent that challenges its blockade of Gaza. Israel has a violent history of attacking aid ships, including the deadly 2010 Mavi Marmara raid and a recent drone strike on another vessel. Activists aboard remain defiant, calling the mission part of a "global uprising" against Israels oppression, while legal experts warn interception would be a war crime. Allowing this interception reinforces Israels impunity in enforcing its illegal blockade, silencing dissent, and perpetuating genocide in Gaza. In yet another brazen violation of international law, Israel is preparing to intercept and seize the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, a humanitarian aid vessel carrying 12 pro-Palestinian activists, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, actor Liam Cunningham, and actress Susan Sarandon. The ship, named Madleen, departed from Sicily and is expected to reach Gaza by June 8, where it aims to break Israels illegal blockade of the besieged enclave. According to Israeli media reports, Tel Aviv initially considered allowing the ship to dock since it poses no security threat. However, Israeli officials ultimately decided against it, fearing that permitting even symbolic aid deliveries would set a dangerous precedent that challenges their brutal siege on Gaza. Instead, Israeli naval forces are preparing to seize the vessel and arrest its passengers, continuing a long-standing pattern of suppressing dissent and humanitarian efforts. Israels history of violent interceptions This is not the first time Israel has attacked humanitarian ships attempting to reach Gaza. In 2010, Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara, part of a previous Freedom Flotilla, killing nine Turkish civilians and injuring dozens more in international waters. Just last month, an Israeli drone bombed another aid vessel, blowing a hole through its hull and nearly sinking it. Now, history appears poised to repeat itself. Military sources confirm that Israels elite Shayetet 13 naval commando unit is preparing for a potential interception, with missile boats deployed to enforce the blockade. Activists aboard the Madleen have already reported an Israeli drone hovering above them in an ominous sign of what may come. Silencing dissent, enforcing apartheid Israels crackdown on humanitarian missions is part of a broader strategy to silence critics of its apartheid regime. Despite this, Western governments continue to enable Israels crimes. The European Union remains Israels largest trading partner, even as its military entrenches occupation and genocide in Gaza. Activists aboard the Madleen remain undeterred. In a video statement, Thiago Avila declared, Its important that we understand that Netanyahu and any other repressive regime throughout history, they actually fear the people, we do not fear them. He emphasized that the mission is part of a global uprising against Israels oppression. "It will not be through force that they will make a way to defeat us, he added. More than 650,000 people have signed a letter warning Israel that any attack on the flotilla would constitute a war crime under international law. Former International Court of Justice judge John Dugard dismissed Israels self-defense claims as absolute nonsense, stating that to "justify action in self-defence, Israel has to satisfy the international community that it has been subjected to an attack. One can hardly describe the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza as an attack. Israels planned interception of the Madleen is not just about stopping a single ship; its about maintaining an illegal blockade that has starved and traumatized Palestinians for nearly two decades. If the world allows this to happen, it sends a message that Israel can do whatever it wants, silencing activists, violating maritime law, and perpetuating genocide without consequences. Sources for this article include: TheCradle.co AlJazeera.com FoxNews.com Palantirs unchecked surveillance empire expanding: How a CIA-backed data giant threatens liberty and fuels global oppression In an era where privacy is vanishing and governments increasingly weaponize data against their own citizens, Palantir Technologies has emerged as the shadowy architect of a dystopian surveillance state. Funded by the CIA and led by billionaire Peter Thiel, this Silicon Valley behemoth has infiltrated nearly every branch of the U.S. government, transforming sensitive personal data into a tool for mass control . From enabling Trumps mass deportations to assisting Israels AI-driven genocide in Gaza, Palantirs technology is not just invasiveits deadly. As its stock soars to record highs, fueled by lucrative government contracts, the world must ask: Who is really being surveilled, and who stands to profit from this unprecedented erosion of freedom? Key points: Palantir, co-founded by Peter Thiel with CIA funding, operates as a privatized intelligence arm for the U.S. government, consolidating vast troves of personal data without oversight. The companys software powers military targeting systems like Lavender (used in Gaza) and Maven (deployed globally), raising ethical concerns about AI-fueled warfare. Leaked documents reveal Palantirs role in mass surveillance, from tracking migrants for ICE to mining health data for the NHS, often with little transparency or accountability. CEO Alex Karp has openly bragged about Palantirs role in killing enemies and suppressing dissent, framing its technology as essential for elite control during coming revolutionary unrest. With contracts spanning the Pentagon, DHS, and health agencies, Palantir is poised to become the backbone of a centralized, unaccountable spying apparatusone that threatens civil liberties worldwide. The CIAs pet project goes global Palantirs origins trace back to 2004, when the CIAs venture capital wing, In-Q-Tel, injected $2 million into Thiels startup. What began as a niche data-mining tool for counter-terrorism has since metastasized into a multi-billion-dollar empire, embedded in everything from pandemic tracking to predictive policing. The companys flagship product, Gotham, was initially marketed as a way to connect the dots between terroristsbut internal documents show its now used by local police to catalog everything from mugshots to social connections, creating a perpetual dragnet of suspicion. The Los Angeles Police Department, for instance, uses Palantir to cross-reference 160 datasets, including race, tattoos, and employment history. As one LAPD sergeant gushed, Detectives love the type of information it provides They can now exactly see great information and the links between events and people. But critics warn such systems disproportionately target marginalized communities, turning everyday activities into grounds for surveillance. From Gaza to your backyard: Palantirs killing machines Nowhere is Palantirs lethality more apparent than in its work with the Israeli military. The companys AI system Lavender has been accused of automating genocide in Gaza, flagging tens of thousands of Palestiniansincluding civiliansas potential targets. Karp, a self-described militant Zionist, openly admitted Palantirs role in the slaughter, dismissing the dead as mostly terrorists. Meanwhile, Palantirs board convened in Tel Aviv earlier this year, signaling its deep ties to Israels security apparatus. Domestically, Palantirs tools have been deployed to hound immigrants, with ICE paying 30 million for a platform to track migrant movements in real time. During the COVID?19 lockdowns, the Biden regime enlisted Palantir to manage vaccine distribution, despite warnings about its history of mishandling health data. In the UK, the NHS awarded the company a 447 million contract to consolidate medical recordsa move experts called an unprecedented privacy violation. The coming revolution and Palantirs profit motive Karps chilling remarks at Davos in 2023 laid bare Palantirs endgame: Theres a revolution. Some people are going to get their heads cut off, he warned, framing social unrest as a business opportunity. His companys software, he claimed, had stopped the rise of the far-right in Europea dubious assertion given Palantirs contracts with authoritarian regimes and its CEOs familial ties to British fascism. With Trumps recent executive order mandating data-sharing across agencies via Palantirs Foundry platform, the company is poised to become the central nervous system of the U.S. surveillance state. As one anonymous employee fretted, collecting so much sensitive data in one place is recklessespecially when the governments track record includes leaks, hacks, and abuses. Yet Wall Street sees only dollar signs. Palantirs stock surged 512% in a year, hitting a $311 billion valuation, as investors bet on its growing monopoly over government spying. For Thiel and Karp, the equation is simple: more chaos equals more contracts. For the rest of us, its a dire warningone that demands urgent scrutiny before liberty becomes another casualty in Palantirs database. Sources include: TheGrayZone.com TechCrunch.com Archive.is Goldman Sachs warns U.S. power grid nearing collapse as AI and EVs overwhelm aging infrastructure The U.S. power grid is nearing collapse as AI data centers, EVs, and electrification drive demand beyond reliable generation capacity. Goldman Sachs warns spare capacity will drop to 14% by 2027, risking rolling blackouts in key regions like PJM and MISO. Renewables fail during peak demand, leaving grids vulnerableTexas nearly collapsed in 2021 due to frozen wind turbines. Households and businesses in high-risk areas should prepare for outages with backup generators as blackout threats grow. Decades of underinvestment and over-reliance on unreliable green energy have pushed the grid to the brink of failure. The U.S. power grid is teetering on the brink of failure as surging electricity demand from artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, electric vehicles (EVs), and widespread electrification outpaces the nations ability to generate reliable power. A dire new report from Goldman Sachs reveals that spare generation capacitythe critical buffer preventing blackoutsis projected to plummet to just 14% by 2027, far below the 20% safety margin experts recommend. Key regional grids, including PJM (serving the Mid-Atlantic) and MISO (Mid-Continent), have already fallen below this threshold, raising the specter of rolling blackouts, price spikes, and economic disruption. The warning comes as Americas aging infrastructure struggles to keep up with the Biden administrations previous aggressive push for renewable energy, which has proven unreliable during peak summer heat when demand soars. With no viable plan to rapidly expand baseload power generation, households and businesses are left vulnerable to cascading failures. The looming grid crisis Goldman Sachs analysts highlight a perfect storm of factors driving the grid toward collapse. Electricity demand is skyrocketing, fueled by the AI revolutions power-hungry data centers, the rapid adoption of EVs, and the electrification of industries and homes. Yet, the report notes that additions of reliable power generationprimarily natural gas, nuclear, and coalhave stalled, while wind and solar fail to deliver consistent output during critical periods. The report warns that spare capacity in the U.S. power grid will drop to 14% by 2027, a level that leaves almost no room for error. Regional grids are already buckling: PJM, which serves 65 million Americans across 13 states, saw its reserve margin fall to 15% last year, while MISO dipped to just 10%. These figures are dangerously close to the levels that triggered Californias rolling blackouts in 2020. The U.S. power grid is approaching critical instability, and the situation will worsen without immediate action. The consequences could be severe: uncontrolled blackouts, surging electricity prices, and disruptions to everything from healthcare to manufacturing. Renewables fall short when needed most Proponents of wind and solar energy claim these sources can replace fossil fuels, but reality tells a different story. During heatwaves, when air conditioning sends demand soaring, wind turbines often sit idle due to low wind speeds, while solar panels produce less energy in the evening when demand remains high. The Goldman Sachs report underscores this unreliability, noting that regions with high renewable penetration face greater risks of shortages. Texas, for example, narrowly avoided grid collapse during a 2021 winter storm when frozen wind turbines and inadequate gas supplies left millions without power. Prepare for the worst With grid instability rising, households and businesses should invest in backup power solutions. Natural gas or diesel generators can provide critical electricity during outages, ensuring families stay safe and essential appliances remain operational. For those living in high-risk areas, particularly the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, securing a backup generator is no longer optional. Rolling blackouts could strike with little warning, leaving vulnerable populations without heating or cooling for extended periods. There is also the potential for price spikes as demand outstrips supply. Electricity costs could surge during peak periods, straining household budgets and forcing businesses to cut operations. The grid crisis is not inevitable. It is the result of decades of neglect and misguided policies that prioritized green energy fantasies over real-world reliability. The U.S. has underinvested in transmission infrastructure for years, while regulatory hurdles delay the construction of new power plants. At the same time, the war on fossil fuels has left the grid dependent on weather-dependent energy sources that cannot guarantee steady power. The U.S. power grid is on borrowed time. With reserve margins collapsing and demand surging, the risk of widespread blackouts grows by the day. While policymakers dither, individuals must take responsibility for their own energy security. Investing in a backup generator is a prudent step to safeguard against outages. Staying informed about grid conditions and reducing energy use during peak periods can also help mitigate risks. However, without urgent reforms to expand reliable generation and modernize infrastructure, the lights may soon flicker out. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com Energy.gov InsideLines.PJM.com Putin warns of swift retaliation following Kyivs cross-border attacks The U.S. embassy in Kyiv issues urgent air-attack warnings to Americans. Putin threatens retaliation after Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian airbases. Trump-Putin conversation highlights tensions over Kievs "terrorist" acts. Russia rejects Ukraines ceasefire demands, proposes minimal truce agreements. U.S. urges citizens to stockpile essentials and shelter during air raids. The United States faces heightened risks in Europes eastern front as President Vladimir Putin warns of swift retaliation against American involvement in Ukraine, following Kyivs cross-border attacks. The U.S. embassy in Kyiv issued a security alert on Wednesday, urging citizens to prepare for possible air raids. Pentagon cables and a clandestine phone call between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump underscore the global stakes of a war where asymmetrical tactics blur battlefield lines and civilian safety. For the U.S., the crisis underscores why even indirect support of Ukraine may draw direct Russian consequences. U.S. embassy sounds alarm: Stay ready to shelter The U.S. State Departments stark advisory emphasized the immediacy of the threat, directing citizens in Ukraine to identify shelter locations in advance and keep critical supplies ready. The June 4 alert cited a continued risk of significant air attacks after Ukraines weekend strikes on Russian bomber airbasesa violation of traditional warfare norms. All Americans should take these warnings seriously, added officials, noting that Kyivs tactics of targeting cross-border infrastructure, including Kyivs alleged railway sabotage in Bryansk and Kursk regionskilling 7, injuring 120reflect a deliberate escalation. The embassy also urged downloading air-raid apps and stressing compliance with Ukrainian emergency protocols. Putins warning and the Trump-Putin good conversation In a rare face-to-face with Putin, Trump later revealed details of their call: Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to Kyivs attacks. The exchange centered on Kyivs escalating terrorist actions, which Moscow claims are destabilizing peace talks. Putin, in a televised address, lambasted Ukraines illegitimate regime for transforming into a terrorist organization through cross-border strikes, notably a derailed train attack near the border. U.S. officials avoided acknowledging Kyivs involvement but indicated support for Kyivs right to self-defense. Diplomacy in the crossfire: Ceasefire proposals collide At Istanbul talks Monday, Kyiv pushed for a month-long ceasefire to bring humanitarian relief and pause Western weapons deliveries a move Putin dismissed as a reward for rearming. Russia countered with a three-day ceasefire to recover bodies, which Kyiv rejected. In their view, peace would mean losing power, Putin said, framing Kyivs refusal as evidence of its destabilizing intentions. Meanwhile, a prisoner exchange agreed in Istanbul remains pending, though Zelensky delayed its start to this weekend. Historical parallels with the 2014 Crimean annexation underscore Russias hardline tactics to justify territorial claims. Analysts warn current U.S. assistance could prolong conflict while raising risks of direct U.S.-Russia escalation. No easy way out of the Ukraine vortex As tensions reach a fever pitch, the U.S. must navigate a precarious path: supporting Ukraine while avoiding Putins defined red lines. Thursdays U.S. security directive mirrors similar Cold War-era advisories, reflecting the growing unpredictability of a war that shows no signs of de-escalating. The historical parallels are stark, as geopolitical stakes heighten the risk of unintended escalation, with Putins threats casting a shadow over global stability. For civilians in Kyiv, the message is clear: Prepare for survival, as the humanitarian crisis deepens, and hope diplomacy catches up to reality before the conflict consumes the region entirely. The Embassys urgent evacuation orders underscore both the dire immediacy of the danger and the limits of diplomatic solutions amid a leadership vacuum in averting disaster. Competing interests and mistrust between nations leave little room for compromise, leaving millions trapped in a vortex with no easy exit in sight. Sources for this article include: RT.com ua.USembassy.gov TheMoscowTimes.com US government quietly shucking Zionists from the National Security Council, and Israel officials are growing nervous As Israel reels from one of the deadliest intelligence failures in its history, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a nation furious over his governments negligenceand a shifting geopolitical landscape where unconditional U.S. support is no longer guaranteed. The recent purge of pro-Israel hardliners from Trumps National Security Council signals a seismic shift in Washingtons Middle East strategy, one that prioritizes Americas interests over Netanyahus war-driven agenda. With Israelis blaming Netanyahu for the catastrophic security lapse that left thousands dead and his judicial overhauls eroding democratic norms, his political survival hangs by a thread. Meanwhile, Trumps administration appears to be distancing itself from the Netanyahu regime, sidelining Zionist influence in favor of a more restrained, America-first approach. Key points: Netanyahu faces widespread blame in Israel for intelligence failures and undermining judicial independence. Trumps NSC dismissals of pro-Israel officials suggest a re-calibration of U.S. policy away from Netanyahus agenda. Israeli officials fear losing influence in Washington as America-first voices gain traction. Netanyahus attempts to drag the U.S. into war with Iran have backfired, exposing his waning leverage. The Gaza conflict has further damaged Israels global reputation, making Netanyahu a liability for U.S. interests. The unraveling of Netanyahus security myth For decades, Netanyahu has sold himself as Israels indispensable security strongman, promising unparalleled protection against regional threats. Yet the October 7th Hamas attack shattered that illusion, exposing fatal gaps in intelligence and military readiness. Israelis, once willing to overlook Netanyahus corruption scandals in exchange for security, now hold him directly responsible for the bloodshed. His judicial power grabrewriting laws to subordinate courts to his political allieshas only deepened public distrust. The parallels to authoritarian power consolidation are unmistakable. Netanyahus overhaul mirrors tactics used by strongmen worldwide: weakening checks on executive power, packing courts with loyalists, and silencing dissent. In the U.S., such a move would be akin to allowing Congress to handpick Supreme Court justices and remove those who defy partisan agendas. Netanyahus gambit was always a high-stakes betone that has now collapsed under the weight of his security failures. Trumps purge and the decline of Zionist influence in Washington The abrupt firing of NSC officials Eric Trager and Merav Cerenboth staunch Netanyahu alliesreveals a stark reality: Trump is re-calibrating U.S. policy, prioritizing diplomacy over Netanyahus push for war with Iran. These dismissals, part of a broader NSC downsizing, reflect Trumps growing reliance on America-first advisors skeptical of endless Middle East entanglements. Israeli media reports confirm Netanyahus panic. Israel's Ynet noted his frustration that envoy Ron Dermer failed to steer U.S. policy in Israels favor, while officials privately blamed toxic influencers like Tucker Carlson for turning Trump against Netanyahus agenda. The irony is palpable: Netanyahu, who spent years cultivating U.S. support, now watches as his influence crumblesnot because of left-wing opposition, but because conservative voices reject his warmongering. Gazas toll and the collapse of Israels narrative The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza has further eroded Israels global standing. Images of starving civilians and mass casualties have made Netanyahus government radioactive, even among traditional allies. The recent killing of 27 Palestinians waiting for food aid underscores the brutality of this warone that Netanyahu cannot win militarily or politically. Trumps team appears to recognize this. By sidelining Netanyahu-linked officials, the administration signals that blind support for Israels far-right government is no longer tenable. The Deal of the Century Trump once championed now hinges on restraining Netanyahu, not enabling him. If Trump leverages U.S. power to rein in Israels excesses, he may secure a legacy-defining agreement. If not, Americas regional leadership will continue to waneand Netanyahus reckoning will arrive sooner rather than later. Sources include: Lifesitenews.com TimesofIsrael.com Haaertz.com Photo: t.me/osirskiy The Armed Forces of Ukraine are actively destroying enemy weapons at the front, in May alone 1,391 units of the occupiers' artillery systems were hit, reported the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrsky. "We are destroying enemy artillery. In May alone, almost 1,400 artillery systems of the occupiers were hit [1,391 units]," he wrote on Telegram. According to Syrsky, since the beginning of the year the enemy has lost more than 7,000 different artillery systems - 7,218 units to be precise. On the night of June 6 (from 20:00 on June 5), the enemy attacked with 452 air targets, 406 targets were neutralized throughout the country, reports the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "Some 407 Shahed type strike UAVs and simulator drones of various types from the following directions: Kursk, Orel, Millerovo, Shatalovo, Primorsko-Akhtarsk - Russia, Hvardiyske the temporarily occupied Crimea; six Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles from Kursk and Voronezh regions - Russia; 36 X-101 cruise missiles from Tu-95MS/Tu-160MS strategic aviation aircraft from the airspace of Saratov region, over the Caspian Sea; two Iskander-K cruise missiles from Dzhankoy district of the temporarily occupied Crimea; one X-31P anti-radar missile from a tactical aviation aircraft over the Black Sea," the message on the Telegram channel reads. The air attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces of Ukraine. According to preliminary data, as of 10:00, air defense neutralized 406 enemy air attack means throughout the country: "199 enemy Shahed UAVs [other types of UAVs] were shot down by fire, 169 were lost/suppressed by electronic warfare; four Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, two more did not reach their targets [lost in location]; 30 X-101 cruise missiles; two Iskander-K cruise missiles." Enemy hit 13 locations, and downed (fragments) fell in 19 locations. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 86F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few passing clouds. Low 62F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Researchers reveal that German youth who smoke or vape are hundreds of times more likely to try cannabis, highlighting the need for early, targeted prevention in schools. Study: Association of cigarette and e-cigarette use with cannabis-related risk perceptions and intentions. Image credit: KG Design/Shutterstock.com A recent study published in Journal of Cannabis Research investigated the associations between current tobacco use, cannabis risk perception, and intention to use cannabis within the next year among German youth. Current status of cannabis in Germany In April 2024, the German government partially legalized the recreational use of cannabis. In the last decade, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction has recorded an increasing prevalence of cannabis use, especially among young people. In 2021, 7.6% of adolescents and 25.0% of young adults used cannabis, compared to 4.6% and 13.5% in 2011. Recent studies have established a relationship between cannabis use and combustible cigarettes and e-cigarette use. According to a 2024 report, German adolescents and adults who were cigarette and e-cigarette users were significantly more likely to use cannabis compared to non-users of each product. Approximately 83% of cannabis users smoked cannabis together with tobacco. Scientists have different ideas about the causality of the association between cannabis and cigarette/e-cigarette use. The gateway theory assumes that the use of combustible/e-cigarettes serves as a gateway to the later use of cannabis. Multiple studies have supported this hypothesis by indicating that younger adults who used combustible/e-cigarettes were at higher risk of using cannabis later. The reverse gateway theory and shared genetic or environmental predispositions are other proposed association theories. Multiple studies have shown that early, frequent, and heavy cannabis users are at a high risk of poor psychiatric and cognitive outcomes. In addition, these people are at an elevated risk of developing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Co-use of tobacco and cannabis has also been associated with the above-mentioned health risks and more. Youths perception of cannabis risk Over the last decade, adolescents perception of cannabis being harmful has decreased. The motivational hypothesis correlated a reduction in risk perception with increases in cannabis use, while the risk reappraisal hypothesis correlated positive cannabis use experiences with less perceived risk. Many countries, including Uruguay, Canada, and several American states, have legalized the sale, possession, and use of cannabis for recreational purposes. Countries that partially legalized cannabis use, like Germany, aim to protect young people from its harmful effects via systematic education and prevention. It is crucial to identify and assess the risk factors for cannabis use to address them properly. Tobacco users and those with a perception that cannabis is harmless are at a high risk of adverse health effects. About the study The current study hypothesized that compared to never-cannabis users, current cigarette or e-cigarette users perceive a lower risk of cannabis use and develop a higher intention to use cannabis. The intention to use cannabis was assumed to be negatively associated with risk perception. This study collected data from two ongoing trials examining the impact of school-based cannabis prevention programs. The current study recruited students from grades 8 and 9 from 1,615 schools in Germany. After exclusions, the analytic sample consisted of 6,711 participants. The baseline data linked to sociodemographic characteristics, combustible cigarette and e-cigarette use, patterns of cannabis, risk perception of cannabis use, and intention to use cannabis were collected through questionnaires between autumn 2021 and spring 2022. Study findings The current study assessed a large sample of young German adolescents between 13 and 16. The study cohort consisted of a total of 6,320 participants who never used cannabis, 391 current cannabis users, 5,573 participants who either never used combustible or e-cigarettes, 387 e-cigarette users, 317 current combustible cigarette users, and 434 current dual users. Overall, a significant association between current combustible/e-cigarette and cannabis use was established in this study. Current e-cigarette users were 42.8 times more likely to use cannabis compared to never users. Adjusted odds ratios showed that current combustible cigarette users were 185.9 times more likely, and current dual users were 468.7 times more likely. Regression and post-hoc models indicated that differences in cannabis risk perception were significantly associated with current combustible/e-cigarette use. The model accounted for 4.5% of the variance in risk perception. Dual users perceived the lowest risk, followed by combustible cigarette users and e-cigarette users. Unsurprisingly, neither combustible nor e-cigarette users perceived the highest risk of cannabis use. Differences in intention to use cannabis were robustly associated with current combustible/e-cigarette use. Dual users of combustible and e-cigarettes exhibited the strongest intention of using cannabis, followed by combustible cigarette users and e-cigarette users. The current study indicated that the perceived harm of cannabis was negatively correlated with intention to use cannabis among never-users. The intention-to-use model explained 22.5% of the variance. This suggests that additional factors beyond tobacco use and risk perception likely contribute to cannabis use intention. It is important to note that this was a cross-sectional study, so no conclusions can be drawn about the causality of these associations. Conclusions The current study observed that cannabis use was strongly associated with various factors, including the use of combustible cigarettes and e-cigarettes, perceived harm of cannabis use, and intention of using cannabis in the immediate future. However, the study's findings are limited by its reliance on self-reported data, possible unmeasured confounders such as mental health and parenting style, and its failure to include all possible variables as controls. The findings highlight that prevention and intervention programs should address the co-use of cannabis and tobacco products together rather than focusing solely on cannabis use. Therefore, it is important to develop prevention programs for adolescents at an early stage in school, addressing the effects of using cannabis independently or co-using it with combustible/e-cigarette products. Download your PDF copy now! Esther Bejarano's son was 11 months old when asthma landed him inhh the hospital. She didn't know what had triggered his symptoms neither she nor her husband had asthma but she suspected it was the pesticides sprayed on the agricultural fields near her family's home. Pesticides are a known contributor to asthma and are commonly used where Bejarano lives in California's Imperial Valley, a landlocked region that straddles two counties on the U.S.-Mexico border and is one of the main producers of the nation's winter crops. It also has some of the worst air pollution in the nation and one of the highest rates of childhood asthma emergency room visits in the state, according to data collected by the California Department of Public Health. Bejarano has since learned to manage her now-19-year-old son's asthma and works at Comite Civico del Valle, a local rights organization focused on environmental justice in the Imperial Valley. The organization trains health care workers to educate patients on proper asthma management, enabling them to avoid hospitalization and eliminate triggers at home. The course is so popular that there's a waiting list, Bejarano said. But the group's Asthma Management Academy program and similar initiatives nationwide face extinction with the Trump administration's mass layoffs, grant cancellations, and proposed budget cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency. Asthma experts fear the cumulative impact of the reductions could result in more ER visits and deaths, particularly for children and people in low-income communities populations disproportionately vulnerable to the disease. "Asthma is a preventive condition," Bejarano said. "No one should die of asthma." Asthma can block airways, making it hard to breathe, and in severe cases can cause death if not treated quickly. Nearly 28 million people in the U.S. have asthma, and about 10 people still die every day from the disease, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. In May, the White House released a budget proposal that would permanently shutter the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Asthma Control Program, which was already gutted by federal health department layoffs in April. It's unclear whether Congress will approve the closure. Last year, the program allotted $33.5 million to state-administered initiatives in 27 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C., to help communities with asthma education. The funding is distributed in four-year grant cycles, during which the programs receive up to $725,000 each annually. Comite Civico del Valle's academy in Southern California, a clinician workshop in Houston, and asthma medical management training in Allentown, Pennsylvania ranked the most challenging U.S. city to live in with asthma are among the programs largely surviving on these grants. The first year of the current grant cycle ends Aug. 31, and it's unknown whether funding will continue beyond then. Data suggests that the CDC's National Asthma Control Program has had a significant impact. The agency's own research has shown that the program saves $71 in health care costs for every $1 invested. And the asthma death rate decreased 44% between the 1999 launch of the program and 2021, according to the American Lung Association. "Losing support from the CDC will have devastating impacts on asthma programs in states and communities across the country, programs that we know are improving the lives of millions of people with asthma," said Anne Kelsey Lamb, director of the Public Health Institute's Regional Asthma Management and Prevention program. "And the thing is that we know a lot about what works to help people keep their asthma well controlled, and that's why it's so devastating." The Trump administration cited cost savings and efficiency in its April announcement of the cuts to HHS. Requests for comment from the White House and CDC about cuts to federal asthma and related programs were not answered. The information wars Fresno, in the heart of California's Central Valley, is one of the country's top 20 "asthma capitals," with high rates of asthma and related emergencies and deaths. It's home to programs that receive funding through the National Asthma Control Program. Health care professionals there also rely on another aspect of the program that is under threat if it's shuttered: countrywide data. The federal asthma program collects information on asthma rates and offers a tool to study prevalence and rates of death from the disease, see what populations are most affected, and assess state and local trends. Asthma educators and health care providers worry that the loss of these numbers could be the biggest impact of the cuts, because it would mean a dearth of information crucial to forming educated recommendations and treatment plans. "How do we justify the services we provide if the data isn't there?" said Graciela Anaya, director of community health at the Central California Asthma Collaborative in Fresno. Mitchell Grayson, chair of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation's Medical Scientific Council, is similarly concerned. "My fear is we're going to live in a world that is frozen in Jan. 19, 2025, as far as data, because that was the last time you know that this information was safely collected," he said. Grayson, an allergist who practices in Columbus, Ohio, said he also worries government websites will delete important recommendations that asthma sufferers avoid heavy air pollution, get annual flu shots, and get covid-19 vaccines. Disproportionate risk Asthma disproportionately affects communities of color because of "historic structural issues," said Lynda Mitchell, CEO of the Asthma and Allergy Network, citing a higher likelihood of living in public housing or near highways and other pollution sources. She and other experts in the field said cuts to diversity initiatives across federal agencies, combined with the rollback of environmental protections, will have an outsize impact on these at-risk populations. In December, the Biden administration awarded nearly $1.6 billion through the EPA's Community Change Grants program to help disadvantaged communities address pollution and climate threats. The Trump administration moved to cut this funding in March. The grant freezes, which have been temporarily blocked by the courts, are part of a broader effort by the Trump EPA to eliminate aid to environmental justice programs across the agency. In 2023 and 2024, the National Institutes of Health's Climate Change and Health Initiative received $40 million for research, including on the link between asthma and climate change. The Trump administration has moved to cut that money. And a March memo essentially halted all NIH grants focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI funds many of the asthma programs serving low-income communities rely on to operate. On top of those cuts, environmental advocates like Isabel Gonzalez Whitaker of Memphis, Tennessee, worry that the proposed reversals of environmental regulations will further harm the health of communities like hers that are already reeling from the effects of climate change. Shelby County, home to Memphis, recently received an F on the American Lung Association's annual report card for having so many high ozone days. Gonzalez Whitaker is director of EcoMadres, a program within the national organization Moms for Clean Air that advocates for better environmental conditions for Latino communities. "Urgent asthma needs in communities are getting defunded at a time when I just see things getting worse in terms of deregulation," said Gonzalez Whitaker, who took her 12-year-old son to the hospital because of breathing issues for the first time this year. "We're being assaulted by this data and science, which is clearly stating that we need to be doing better around preserving the regulations." Back in California's Imperial Valley where the majority-Hispanic, working-class population surrounds California's largest lake, the Salton Sea is an area called Bombay Beach. Bejarano calls it the "forgotten community." Homes there lack clean running water, because of naturally occurring arsenic in the groundwater, and residents frequently experience a smell like rotten eggs blowing off the drying lakebed, exposing decades of pesticide-tinged dirt. In 2022, a 12-year-old girl died in Bombay Beach after an asthma attack. Bejarano said she later learned that the girl's school had recommended that she take part in Comite Civico del Valle's at-home asthma education program. She said the girl was on the waiting list when she died. "It hit home. Her death showed the personal need we have here in Imperial County," Bejarano said. "Deaths are preventable. Asthma is reversible. If you have asthma, you should be able to live a healthy life." Photo: https://www.facebook.com/RedCrossUkraine The Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) is helping victims of the Russian combined missile and drone attack on the night of June 6 in Ternopil and Lutsk. "Ternopil. The Ukrainian Red Cross Society rapid response team in Ternopil region is working on site. Volunteers are providing first aid and psychological assistance to the victims, and are also providing rescuers with water," the URCS reported on Friday on Facebook. According to the General Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Ternopil region, industrial infrastructure was damaged as a result of the Russian shelling, 10 people were injured, including five rescuers. In Lutsk, volunteers of the rapid response unit of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, together with other rescue services, are working at the scene of a multi-storey residential building. They provided first aid to 10 victims and are helping to evacuate residents of the damaged building. Volunteers transported one victim to a local hospital. According to the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Volyn region, 15 victims are known. A nine-storey residential building was damaged, from which five people and several pets were evacuated, as well as an administrative building and production facilities of civil infrastructure. Emergency rescue operations are ongoing. Recent advances have resulted in highly effective "tissue-agnostic" drugs that treat cancers based on their molecular markers rather than their tissue of origin, but very few of these drugs are approved for use in children. In an opinion paper publishing June 5 in the Cell Press journal Trends in Cancer, oncologists call for "ag(e)nostic" cancer treatments: drugs that are both tissue agnostic and approved for cancer patients of all ages. Cancer treatment in children is a huge unmet need. These drugs are extremely effective, and we want to see children have access to them. Personally, I think that all drugs should be age agnostic." Razelle Kurzrock, senior author, oncologist, Medical College of Wisconsin In the past, cancers were diagnosed and treated based on their tissue of origin, but modern precision cancer treatments target specific molecular abnormalities either directly or by flagging them for the immune system. Since cancers from different tissues sometimes use the same molecular abnormalities to grow and evade the immune system, the same drugs can be used tissue-agnostically to treat various cancers. And because of their targeted nature, precision treatments often have fewer side effects compared to traditional cancer treatments. "Cancer is driven by underlying genomic drivers; it's not driven by whether the cancer comes from the colon or the breast," says Kurzrock. "Precision treatments are like smart bombs-they give therapy that is precisely targeted to the abnormality in the cancer." However, very few tissue-agnostic precision drugs are approved for use in children. The researchers note that as of June 2024, 144 out of 187 precision cancer treatments were only FDA-approved for adults. Similar patterns are present in the European Union and Japan. "Only three cancer drugs are approved across all ages," says Kurzrock. "There are another four that are only approved for children in certain age groups, for example, age 12 and up or age 6 and up. But that still means that if you're a 10-year-old and you have a tumor, insurance doesn't have to pay for your drug if it's only approved for use in 12-year-olds." The researchers say that there are several historical reasons why fewer precision treatments have been approved for children. "By nature, children are defined as a more vulnerable population, and they can't give their own consent," says author Matthew Kudek, a pediatric oncologist at the Medical College of Wisconsin. "Another issue is that pediatric oncology doesn't have the same potential for revenue generation as adult cancers do because childhood cancer as a whole is a rare thing, so each cancer inside of that is even rarer." However, from a scientific and clinical standpoint, the researchers argue that there's no reason why these drugs shouldn't be approved for children. "Children actually tolerate drugs much better than adults, especially older adults," says Kurzrock. "If you can treat an 80-year-old with a drug, you should be able to treat a 2-year-old. They're much more adaptable and they experience much fewer side effects." Although the rarity of childhood cancer means that it is nearly impossible to find adequate patients to run pediatric clinical trials, the researchers say that these drugs could be approved for age-agnostic use by other means, for example, by analyzing electronic health record data. "If we can understand a medicine's absorption and clearance rates, and we know what dose might be needed to kill cancer cells, we can use those tools and data to make a compelling case that it is both safe and effective in different populations," says Kudek. "Moving forward, age-agnostic approvals should be the norm for precision cancer treatments rather than an exception to the rule." A new research paper was published in Volume 16 of Genes & Cancer on May 9, 2025, titled "Evaluation of LncRNAs CBR3-AS1 and PCA3 expression in Gastric cancer and their correlation to clinicopathological variables." Researchers, led by first author Parisa Najari and corresponding author Reza Safaralizadeh from the University of Tabriz, investigated how two long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), CBR3-AS1 and PCA3, are expressed in gastric cancer (GC) tissues compared to nearby healthy tissues. They found that both lncRNAs were significantly overexpressed in tumor samples, suggesting their involvement in GC development. The findings support future use of these molecules as diagnostic biomarkers. Gastric cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, largely due to its late detection. Reliable early detection tools are critical to improving survival rates. To explore potential biomarkers, the researchers analyzed GC tumor and adjacent normal tissue samples from 100 patients. Both CBR3-AS1 and PCA3 showed consistently higher expression in cancerous tissues, indicating a possible role in tumor progression or as markers of disease. The study also examined whether expression of these lncRNAs correlated with clinical features such as patient age, tumor size, cancer stage, or Helicobacter pylori infection. No statistically significant associations were found. However, the clear difference in expression between tumor and normal tissues supports their potential diagnostic value. To assess this hypothesis further, the team conducted receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The results showed that CBR3-AS1, in particular, could serve as a reasonably accurate biomarker for distinguishing GC tissues. "The ROC curve's findings lead to the conclusion that the genes lncRNAs PCA3 and CBR3-AS1, with AUC values of 0.68 and 0.79, respectively, suggest that they could play carcinogenic roles in GC and may act as moderate diagnostic biomarkers for GC." LncRNAs are RNA molecules that do not code for proteins but help regulate gene activity. Because of their stability and regulatory functions, they are gaining attention as tools for cancer diagnosis and treatment. CBR3-AS1 has been linked to tumor growth and drug resistance in other cancers, while PCA3 is already FDA-approved as a diagnostic marker for prostate cancer, further supporting its relevance. While the results are promising, the authors note that the study was conducted at a single center and did not explore how these molecules influence cancer progression. Larger, multi-center studies and additional validation will be essential to confirm their clinical utility. In summary, CBR3-AS1 and PCA3 emerge as promising molecular markers for GC. With further validation, these lncRNAs could support earlier diagnosis and help advance more personalized and effective treatment strategies. Pennington Biomedical Research Center publicly introduced its Greaux Healthy initiative, a public service initiative designed to help improve Louisiana kids' health at every age, during the weekly Red Stick Farmer's Market on Thursday. Developed in partnership with the State of Louisiana, Greaux Healthy implements 35 years of Pennington Biomedical research and discoveries to inform tools, resources and programing for children, parents, healthcare providers and educators throughout the state. "Greaux Healthy was created with one clear goal: to make Louisiana's children healthy again," said Governor Jeff Landry. "Through this great initiative, Pennington Biomedical, our Administration, and the Louisiana Department of Health are focused on working together to secure a healthier future for the next generation" "The Greaux Healthy initiative represents Pennington Biomedical's commitment to creating 'solutions from cells to society.' What makes this initiative so powerful is that every component builds on more than three decades of groundbreaking research from our world-renowned scientific team." Dr. John Kirwan, Executive Director of Pennington Biomedical Officials at the announcement explained that childhood obesity has become a leading public health crisis in America, with 1-in-5 children affected. According to the National Survey of Children's Health, 23.1 percent of Louisiana children are living with obesity. Louisiana ranks third highest for childhood obesity in the United States, but the Greaux Healthy initiative is intervening to make a positive impact. "Greaux Healthy is committed to being the most trusted partner in the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity," said Melissa Martin, Greaux Healthy Director. "Our resources are confirmed by research and built for families to use in their daily lives, helping them create healthier futures for themselves and the children they love." Martin emphasized that the Greaux Healthy initiative has developed, and continues to expand, a wide variety of tools and resources designed to support childhood obesity prevention and treatment. Greaux Healthy covers four priority populations: expectant families and parents of infants, preschool-aged children, school-aged children, and adolescents and young adults Confirming the importance of Greaux Healthy's mission, Martin said, are results of a survey of Louisiana parents and pregnant women that identified childhood obesity as the number one health affliction having the most harmful impact on the state's children, outpacing smoking/vaping, mental health issues, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Since it began, the Greaux Healthy initiative introduced several impactful tools across Louisiana. The Greaux Healthy program includes a school-wide promotion of healthy behaviors, physical education lessons with instant activities, take-home newsletters, and classroom lessons with corresponding activity books. These materials have been adopted by more than 20 schools around the state in regions including Baton Rouge, Shreveport, and Lafayette, with many more planned. Currently tailored for 4th grade classrooms, Greaux Healthy aims to expand program implementation in the 2025-2026 school year providing classroom resources from 4th through 8th grades. In Louisiana childcare centers, Greaux Healthy is offering education and support through Early Childhood Education trainings that help the centers implement best practices across their programs, giving Louisiana's youngest residents a healthy start. These trainings have been completed at centers around the Baton Rouge area with plans to expand via training and implementation partners and self-paced online learning. For health providers, Greaux Healthy offers education on evidence-based childhood obesity treatment. Its efforts are supported by the Greaux Healthy Provider Hub, an online hub that offers a free Childhood Obesity Prevention, Evaluation, and Treatment Toolkit and continuing education opportunities through the Improving Childhood Obesity Care webinar series. Through these available resources and planned future projects, Greaux Healthy can help healthcare professionals implement effective strategies rooted in the latest science. "For years we have been building a library of evidence-based prevention and treatment for childhood obesity, and Greaux Healthy is a major initiative to put our findings into action for our Louisiana citizens," said Dr. Peter Katzmarzyk, Chief Scientific Officer for Greaux Healthy and Associate Executive Director of Pennington Biomedical's Population and Public Health Sciences Division. "Health and nutrition at early stages, including in the embryonic stage, are known to be major factors in health later in life. Greaux Healthy is taking that evidence and turning it into practice, providing the education and tools needed to help support our children as they grow into healthy and active adults." To reach Louisianians, Greaux Healthy is launching a tour with its Healthy Moves bus traveling to all nine Louisiana Department of Health regions of the state to showcase ways the initiative can benefit Louisianians in every community. Greaux Healthy leaders will meet with educators, physicians, governmental and business leaders at every stop and meet with the media. The Pennington Generation research study will also take part in the statewide tour, enrolling Louisiana families who want to learn more about how physical activity, nutrition, sleep habits, and other factors affect children's health and development. Greaux Healthy is overseen by a national scientific advisory board, with researchers representing Tufts University, University of Florida, Duke University School of Medicine, Columbia University, Temple University College of Public Health, and the Nationwide Children's Hospital. Karnataka govt recommends four names to Guv for MLC nominations Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 23:00 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Bengaluru, June 6 (PTI) The Karnataka government has recommended the names of Dalit activist D G Sagar, senior journalist Dinesh Amin Mattu, Congress communications chief Ramesh Babu and Karnataka NRI Forum deputy chairperson Arathi Krishna for nomination to the Legislative Council, official sources said on Friday. The nominations have been sent to Raj Bhavan for approval by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Recommended Stories The recommendations come as four MLC seats previously held by C P Yogeshwar, U B Venkatesh, Prakash Rathod, and K A Thippeswamy are currently vacant. Individuals who have made contributions in various fields are usually nominated by the Governor on the governments advice. PTI KSU ROH First Published: June 06, 2025, 23:00 IST Karnataka Lokayukta officials nab govt officer for accepting bribe Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 16:00 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Bengaluru, Jun 6 (PTI) A senior official of Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) was allegedly caught red-handed on Friday while accepting a bribe of Rs 1.5 lakh, officials said. Narendra Kumar (51) serves as survey supervisor at KIADB Bengaluru, they said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Recommended Stories The action followed a trap laid by Lokayukta police officials after complainant Ravi alleged that the accused official demanded a bribe to prepare a sketch" and get approval for the same. The accused government official has been arrested and an investigation is on, a senior offcial said. PTI AMP AMP KH First Published: June 06, 2025, 16:00 IST Russian missile, drone attack across Ukraine kills 3 in capital Kyiv Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 16:00 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Kyiv, Jun 6 (AP) Russia targeted six regions of Ukraine with 407 drones and 44 missiles in one of its largest aerial attacks of the three-year war, Ukrainian officials said Friday. The nighttime assault killed three emergency responders in the capital Kyiv, according to authorities. The barrage included ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as a mix of strike drones and decoys, Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said. Ukrainian forces said they shot down about 30 of the cruise missiles and up to 200 of the drones. Recommended Stories Ukrainian cities have come under regular bombardment since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022. The attacks have killed more than 12,000 civilians, according to the United Nations. Russia doesn`t change its stripes," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Zelenskyy, as well as the Ukrainian Interior Ministry and the general prosecutors office, said three emergency workers were killed in Kyiv while responding to the Russian strikes. They were working under fire to help people," the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko earlier said four people were killed. His office did not immediately respond to a request for clarification. The war has continued unabated even as a US-led diplomatic push for a settlement has brought two rounds of direct peace talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine. The negotiations delivered no significant breakthroughs, however, and the sides remain far apart on their terms for an end to the fighting. Ukraine has offered an unconditional 30-day ceasefire and a meeting between Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin to break the deadlock. But the Kremlin has effectively rejected a truce and hasnt budged from its demands. The Kremlin continues efforts to falsely portray Russia as willing to engage in good-faith negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, despite Russias repeated refusal to offer any concessions," the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said late Thursday. Putin said in a phone call with US President Donald Trump earlier this week that he would respond to Ukraines daring long-range attack on Russian air bases on Sunday. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the attacks demonstrated key differences between Russia and Ukraine. The difference is that Ukraine hits legitimate military targetssuch as aircraft equipped to bomb our children. Russia targets residential areas, civilians, and critical infrastructure," Sybiha wrote on X. Putting Ukraine and Russia on equal footing is unacceptable." The latest Russian attack came hours after Trump said it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia fight for a while" before pulling them apart and pursuing peace. Trumps comments were a remarkable detour from his often-stated appeals to stop the war. Russia also reports drone attacks In Russia, air defences shot down 10 Ukrainian drones heading toward the capital early Friday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. Flights at Moscow airports were temporarily suspended during the night as a precaution. Ukrainian drones also targeted three other regions of Russia, authorities said, damaging apartment buildings and industrial plants. Three people were injured, officials said. Russias Defence Ministry said that air defences downed 174 Ukrainian drones over 13 regions early Friday. It added that three Ukrainian Neptune missiles were also shot down over the Black Sea. Ukraine struck airfields and other military targets in Russia, such as fuel storage tanks and transport hubs, the Ukrainian General Staff said. Also, a locomotive derailed early Friday in the Belgorod region after the track was blown up, Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Russia has recently accused Ukraine of sabotaging the rail network. Ukrainian air defences are strained In Kyiv, multiple explosions were heard for hours as falling drone debris sparked fires across several districts, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Administration. He urged people to seek shelter. Fourteen-year-old Kyiv resident Vitalina Vasylchenko sheltered in a parking garage with her 6-year-old sister and their mother after an explosion blew one of their windows off its hinges. I heard a buzzing sound, then my dad ran to me and covered me with his hand, then there was a very loud explosion," she said. My whole life flashed before my eyes, I already thought that was it. I started having a panic attack Im shocked that Im alive." Ukraines human rights chief, Dmytro Lubinets, called for a strong international response to Russias latest overnight attack, saying the assault violated basic human rights. Russia is acting like a terrorist, systematically targeting civilian infrastructure," Lubinets wrote on Telegram. The world must respond clearly and take concrete steps, including condemning the aggressors actions." Several districts of Kyiv are hit Authorities reported damage in several districts in Kyiv, and rescue workers responded to damage and fires at multiple locations. In Solomyanskyi district, a fire broke out on the 11th floor of a 16-story residential building. Emergency services evacuated three people from the apartment. The attack caused a blackout in some areas, and more than 2,000 households on Kyivs eastern bank were without power, the Kyiv City Administration said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Elsewhere, 10 people were injured by an aerial attack on the western city of Ternopil, regional governor Viacheslav Nehoda said. The strike damaged industrial and infrastructure facilities, left parts of the city without electricity, and disrupted water supplies. Three people were also injured in Ukraines central Poltava region. Russia also targeted the western Lviv and Khmelnytskyi regions, and the northern Chernihiv region. (AP) NSA NSA First Published: June 06, 2025, 16:00 IST US, Chinese officials to meet in London next week for new round of trade talks Last Updated: June 07, 2025, 00:30 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Washington, Jun 6 (AP) Senior US administration officials will meet with a Chinese delegation on Monday in London for the next round of trade negotiations between Washington and Beijing, President Donald Trump said Friday. The meeting comes after a phone call between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday, which the US president described as a very positive" conversation as the two countries attempt to break an impasse over tariffs and global supplies of rare earth minerals. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Recommended Stories Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will represent the US side in the trade talks. The meeting should go very well," Trump wrote on his social media platform Friday afternoon. (AP) GSP First Published: June 07, 2025, 00:30 IST Flipkart Secures RBIs NBFC Licence To Offer Direct Loans To Buyers And Sellers Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 09:58 IST Flipkart becomes first major ecommerce to get the RBI licence to work as an NBFC. Flipkart gets RBI licence to become an NBFC for digital lending. (Representative/PTI) Flipkart has successfully secured a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) license from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), allowing it to facilitate lending business independently. This license allows Flipkart to provide loans directly to both customers and sellers on its platform. It marks a pivotal moment in the e-commerce journey that has so far depended on third-party. Flipkart Finance Private Limited received its registration certificate in March 2025, making Flipkart the first major Indian e-commerce firm to gain such authorization. Recommended Stories Currently, Flipkart collaborates with financial institutions like Axis Bank and IDFC First Bank to offer consumer loans. The new NBFC license enables Flipkart to independently enter the lending market. Flipkart is reportedly planning to offer loans directly via its e-commerce website and its fintech application super.money. Walmart acquired a majority stake in Flipkart in 2018 at a deal worth $16 billion. Boosting Profitability and Financial Services Flipkarts move into direct lending is anticipated to enhance its profitability while improving financial services for its extensive user base. The company plans to integrate lending solutions into its e-commerce platform and the Super Money fintech app, offering personal loans and credit options to both buyers and sellers. Indias Lending Market Growth A PwC report highlights that Indias lending market has grown significantly over the past five years, from FY18 to FY23, with a CAGR of 14.8 percent. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all From FY21 to FY24, the number and value of loans disbursed by FinTechs have increased dramatically, with a CAGR of 81% (from 1.72 crores to 10.19 crore) and 46% (from INR 0.47 lakh crore to INR 1.46 lakh crore), respectively. The growth is attributed to innovations by FinTechs, leveraging technology to expand their reach, automate operations, and improve credit access. PwC report states that a significant majority of digital lending, amounting to 96% of the value of disbursed digital loans by FinTechs, has been in the form of personal loans predominantly below INR 5,000. About the Author Business Desk A team of writers and reporters decodes vast terms of personal finance and making money matters simpler for you. From latest initial public offerings (IPOs) in the market to best investment options, we cover al... Read More A team of writers and reporters decodes vast terms of personal finance and making money matters simpler for you. From latest initial public offerings (IPOs) in the market to best investment options, we cover al... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 07:47 IST How Much Will Starlink's Satellite Communication Services Cost To Indian Users? Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 10, 2025, 11:59 IST Starlink price in india: Starlink, led by Elon Musk, received a licence for satellite communication services in India. Plans to be below Rs 1,000 per month, targeting remote areas. Starlink users will have to buy a Starlink kit -- which includes a satellite dish and Wi-Fi router -- likely priced between Rs 20,000 and Rs 35,000. In a significant development for Elon Musk, Starlink has received a licence for satellite communication (satcom) services in India, clearing a key hurdle for its launch in the country. Starlink will be granted trial spectrum in 15-20 days. Starlink Price in India Recommended Stories Attention now turns to the cost of Starlink services for Indian consumers. While earlier estimates had suggested Rs 3,000-Rs 7,000 per month, a recent Economic Times report indicates Starlink is expected to debut with promotional unlimited data plans priced below $10 per month approximately Rs 850. Also Read: Starlink Gets Licence In India If the sub-Rs 1,000 price point proves accurate, it could make Starlink considerably more accessible in India than previously anticipated, and potentially competitive with conventional broadband services. Starlink Hardware Kit Cost Irrespective of plan pricing, users will need to purchase a Starlink hardware kit, which includes a satellite dish and Wi-Fi router. This kit is expected to cost between Rs 20,000 and Rs 35,000, a one-time investment required to access the service. These figures are speculative, as the company has not yet officially announced its final pricing structure for India. Also See: What Is Starlink High-Speed Internet for Remote India Starlink operates a constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites positioned just 550 km above the Earth significantly closer than traditional geostationary satellites enabling faster, low-latency internet access. The system has already been deployed in over 70 countries and aims to expand to the most remote and disaster-prone regions globally. SpaceX has already deployed approximately 7,000 LEO satellites globally and aims to increase this to over 40,000, enabling internet access even in the most remote and challenging terrains from conflict zones to disaster-stricken areas. No Upfront Spectrum Charges Likely top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended administrative allocation of spectrum, where companies would pay 4% of their Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) annually for five years. Importantly, there may be no upfront charge or allocation price for satellite spectrum, easing the financial entry barrier for players like Starlink. Furthermore, satcom firms may be required to pay Rs 500 per subscriber annually for users in urban areas, but no such charge will apply to rural users a move likely intended to bridge the digital divide. About the Author Business Desk A team of writers and reporters decodes vast terms of personal finance and making money matters simpler for you. From latest initial public offerings (IPOs) in the market to best investment options, we cover al... Read More A team of writers and reporters decodes vast terms of personal finance and making money matters simpler for you. From latest initial public offerings (IPOs) in the market to best investment options, we cover al... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 17:19 IST Stocks To Watch Today: IREDA, Bajaj Finserv, JSW Energy, Ashok Leyland In Focus Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 08:26 IST Stocks in focus today: Bajaj Finserv, IREDA, JSW Energy, Coal India, NTPC Green Energy, Lloyds Engineering Works, Ashok Leyland, Life Insurance Corp, and Praj Industries. Stocks To Watch Today (June 06) Stocks To Watch Today: Indian benchmark equity indices witnessed a positive momentum in the last session to end in the green zone after seeing a negative closing. Recommended Stories The Nifty ended 131 points higher, while the Sensex was up by 444 points. Among sectors, the Capital Market and Defense indices outperformed, rallying over 2 percent, whereas intraday profit booking was seen in selective PSU banks and media stocks. Is the momentum to be continued on Friday as well? Gift Nifty hints at a positive start on Friday, keeping yesterdays positive momentum. At 8:00 am, it was trading at Rs 24,849, with a gain of 15 points or 0.06 per cent. Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research, Kotak Securities, believe that the level of 24,600/81000 will serve as a key support zone for traders. As long as the market remains above this level, bullish sentiment is likely to persist. On the upside, the market could potentially rise to the range of 24,900 to 25,000/82000-82200. Conversely, a drop below 24,500-24450/81000-80900 could alter this sentiment, with potential retest levels between 24,350 and 24,150/80600-80100," he added. Which Stocks Are Going To Be In Focus Today? Bajaj Finserv Promoter entities Bajaj Holdings and Jamnalal Sons are expected to sell up to a 1.94% stake in Bajaj Finserv through block deals, reports CNBC-TV18 citing sources. The total block size is estimated to be around Rs 5,828 crore, with a floor price of Rs 1,880 per share. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) IREDA initiated its Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) on June 5, setting the floor price at Rs 173.83 per share. The company might also offer a discount of up to 5% on the floor price. JSW Energy The company has commissioned 281 MW of renewable energy capacity, including 215 MW of solar and 66 MW of wind capacity, bringing its total installed capacity to 12,499 MW. Additionally, JSW Renew Energy Three, a subsidiary, has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Adani Electricity Mumbai for 250 MW of wind capacity. The 25-year PPA is priced at Rs 3.65/kWh, and the project in Maharashtra is expected to be completed within the next 24 months. Coal India Coal India (CIL) has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Port Rail & Ropeway Corporation in Kolkata to develop rail infrastructure for CIL and its subsidiaries. NTPC Green Energy The company has started operations for the first 110.25 MW capacity of the 1,255 MW Khavda-I Solar PV project, undertaken by its subsidiary NTPC Renewable Energy. Lloyds Engineering Works The Board has approved the issuance of 30.85 crore partly paid-up equity shares at Rs 32 per share to eligible shareholders on a rights basis. Rs 16 per share has been paid upon allotment, with the remaining amount payable in no more than two calls. Ashok Leyland The company has received letters of intent worth Rs 1,387 crore from the Motors Vehicles Department. Life Insurance Corp Executive Director Ramakrishnan Chander has been appointed as the chief investment officer. Praj Industries top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The company has signed an agreement with Paraguay-based Enersur SA for a large-scale biorefinery project in Paraguay, which will produce ethanol and co-products like distillers dried grains with solubles, corn oil, SAF, biogas, and bio bitumen. Disclaimer: The views and investment tips by experts in this News18.com report are their own and not those of the website or its management. Users are advised to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. About the Author Business Desk A team of writers and reporters decodes vast terms of personal finance and making money matters simpler for you. From latest initial public offerings (IPOs) in the market to best investment options, we cover al... Read More A team of writers and reporters decodes vast terms of personal finance and making money matters simpler for you. From latest initial public offerings (IPOs) in the market to best investment options, we cover al... Read More Stay updated with all the latest news on the Stock Market, including market trends, Sensex and Nifty updates, top gainers and losers, and expert analysis. Get real-time insights, financial reports, and investment strategiesonly on News18. First Published: June 06, 2025, 08:23 IST Russia's strikes are acts of aggression and terror, and the night attack once again demonstrates that international pressure on Moscow must be increased as soon as possible, said Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha. The difference between Ukraine and Russia is that Ukraine hits legitimate military targetssuch as aircraft equipped to bomb our children. Russia targets residential areas, civilians, and critical infrastructure, he wrote on X. The Minister emphasized that it is unacceptable to put Ukraine and Russia on the same page. Russia is the aggressor, and Ukraine is defending itself. Ukraine's strikes are self-defense, while Russia's strikes are acts of aggression and terror. Russias overnight attack on civilians once again demonstrates that the international pressure on Moscow must be increased as soon as possible. Russias only argument is terror. Our response should be strong sanctions, which can increase the cost of war for the aggressor, and new decisions strengthening Ukraines defense, he stressed. Delhi Airport Runway To Remain Shut For 3 Months, Over 100 Flights To Be Disrupted Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 18:08 IST The runway closure coincides with low travel season to avoid disruptions during the festive period rush. Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. (PTI Photo) The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has announced that Runway 10/28 will remain temporarily shut from a period of three months from June 15 to September 15 to facilitate critical upgrades aimed at improving fog-time operations. The shutdown will impact around 100 flights in all. In a bid to prevent cascading delays, a new slot plan has been finalised after multiple rounds of discussions with airlines, DGCA, ATC, and the Civil Aviation Ministry. The runway closure coincides with low travel season to avoid disruptions during the festive period rush. Recommended Stories During the three-month closure, arrival capacity will temporarily dip from 42 flights per hour to 32. Flight cancellations and rescheduling Due to the degradation activity undertaken by the DIAL, 100 flights are going to be affected overall. 57 flights will be cancelled daily 43 flights will be rescheduled Only 78% of daily arrivals will be affected Passengers have been notified in advance to ensure smooth travel planning The new schedule has already been published, and 57 departure flights are going to be cancelled. If you put it in the perspective of the percentage, then overall, for Delhi airport, about 7 per cent of the Delhi airport capacity flights will be cancelled," DIAL CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar told news agency ANI. DIAL CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar adds, Overall, 100 flights are going to be affected. Out of that, about 43 flights are going to be rescheduled, the new schedules have already been published, and 57 flights are going to be cancelled. If you put it in perspective of the percentage, pic.twitter.com/Z0DoXRQigP ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2025 We also ensure that the cancellations are not something that is impacting in a big way. So, in most of the sectors where we had multiple connectivity, their 8-9 per cent of the connectivity was reduced so that overall that sector does not get impacted badly," he added. CAT-III upgrade to reduce fog recovery time The CAT-3B compliance for Runway 10 will be completed by November 27, reducing fog recovery time from six hours to three in easterly wind conditions. Out of the four runways that the Delhi airport has, there is one runway 10/28 that we are planning to shut down for three months because there are upgrades that are required," Jaipuriar said. As part of the degradation, DIAL will update the current ILS (Instrument Landing System), which is already out of order. DIAL will also make the runway CAT III-B compliant. CAT III-B is an advanced landing system that allows aircraft to land in extremely low visibility conditions. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all He further highlighted that this strategic runway overhaul will enhance winter operations, preventing delays during dense seasonal fog. (With inputs from ANI) About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He previously worked with Hindustan Times Digital (HTDS) and NDTV. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India ... Read More Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He previously worked with Hindustan Times Digital (HTDS) and NDTV. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India ... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 18:08 IST 4 Toppers, 1 Centre: Patna CET Row Prompts Maharashtra To Ban Out-Of-State Exam Centres Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 16:42 IST The Maharashtra government will restrict all Common Entrance Tests (CET) for professional courses to within the state from next academic year due to irregularities at Patna centre Each year, over 10 lakh students appear for various CETs across Maharashtra. (Representative Image/ Getty) In a significant policy shift, the Maharashtra government has decided to restrict all Common Entrance Tests (CET) for professional courses to examination centres within the state, starting next academic year. With this, students from outside Maharashtra taking the CET for a course offered by an institution will have to travel to an examination centre in the state. To maintain transparency and prevent malpractices in the CET, the state government has decided to restrict examination centres within Maharashtra from next year," the Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil said on Thursday. Recommended Stories This move comes amid rising concerns over alleged irregularities at certain centres outside Maharashtra, particularly one in Patna, Bihar, which produced an unusual cluster of top scorers in the CET for the five-year LLB course. The controversy erupted after four students Vishesh Kumar Pathak, Himanshu Jaiswal, Prakhar Jyoti, and Sanskriti Saundarya emerged as toppers with a perfect 100 percentile in the Maharashtra LLB CET. All four had appeared from the same test centre, Maha Infotech, located in Patna. The exam was conducted on April 28 in two shifts, and although the four candidates took the test in different sessions, they shared the same location, raising immediate suspicions about the integrity of the process. Officials confirmed that only one examination centre had been set up in Bihar this year, due to around 25 students applying from the state. In total, 18 exam centres were established outside Maharashtra, but the state government has now decided to eliminate all such centres following the Patna incident. The suspicious activity of the Patna centre will be investigated, Patil told the media, adding that strict action will be taken to prevent such incidents in the future. Such incidents raise serious doubts and undermine the credibility of the examination process. But by conducting the CET only in Maharashtra, we can ensure better monitoring and reduce the risk of organised malpractices," PTI quoted Patil as saying. The decision aims to bolster credibility and monitoring of the CET, which is a gateway for admissions to various undergraduate and postgraduate professional courses including law, engineering, management, and more. The issue gained further gravity as it unfolds alongside an ongoing investigation into a broader CET-related scam. Earlier in March, the Mumbai Crime Branch arrested three brokers from Delhi in connection with an MBA-CET admission racket. The accused reportedly collected between Rs 11 to Rs 20 lakh from aspirants in exchange for artificially inflated scores and advised them to choose remote centres in Maharashtra districts like Bhandara, Gondia, Yavatmal, and Jalna areas allegedly under lower scrutiny. The case involving the four Patna students is now under investigation by the Maharashtra CID. While no direct evidence of malpractice has been made public, officials say the clustering of perfect scores at a single out-of-state centre cannot be overlooked. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Each year, over 10 lakh students appear for various CETs across Maharashtra, with more than 25,000 candidates previously opting for centres outside the state. However, this option will no longer be available, even to out-of-state applicants. The new move would not only help maintain fairness but also enhance the integrity of the admission process," Patil told PTI. He also addressed concerns over low participation in CETs for professional undergraduate courses like BBA, BCA, BMS, and BBM. Of more than 2,00,000 available seats, only 61,666 students appeared for the exam this year. Since many seats are likely to remain vacant, students will be given another opportunity to take the CET," he said. Location : Maharashtra, India, India First Published: June 06, 2025, 16:42 IST AI Will Disrupt Routine Jobs, But Also Create Opportunities: IIM Raipur Director | Interview Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 20:11 IST AI will disrupt routine jobs but open up new opportunities, says IIM Raipur Director Prof. Ram Kumar Kakani in a conversation with News18.com. Professor Ram Kumar Kakani, Director of IIM Raipur, outlines the institutes roadmap to become a global hub for management education and research. As management education evolves to meet emerging global challenges, institutions like IIM Raipur are reimagining their programmes, deepening industry collaborations, and placing greater emphasis on hands-on learning. Speaking to News18.com, Professor Ram Kumar Kakani, Director of IIM Raipur, said, The value of an MBA, especially from a premier institution, is far from diminishing. Over the next 2030 years, demand for MBAs will continue to rise, particularly as regions like Europe and Japan face managerial talent shortages." In this exclusive interview, he shares the institutes vision, academic roadmap, and efforts to prepare future leaders for a complex world. Recommended Stories Here are the edited excerpts from the interview: Q1. What is your vision for IIM Raipur over the next five years? Over the next five years, IIM Raipur envisions becoming a global hub of management education and research by investing 250 crore to enhance its academic, residential, and IT infrastructure to accommodate 1,200 students. The institute aims to launch dual-degree MIM programmes in collaboration with leading institutions in the USA, UK, Germany, and France, and make its Case House (CHIRP) the largest multilingual case repository in India by 2030. Additionally, it plans to establish five Centres of Excellence in areas such as digital transformation, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and inclusive growth. A practice-oriented journal inspired by California Management Review is planned by 2028, along with efforts to double research output and enhance international reputation through high-impact publications and global collaborations. IIM Raipur also aims to secure prestigious accreditations such as AACSB and EQUIS while transforming into a sustainable, carbon-neutral campus by 2030. Q2. How is IIM Raipur evolving its curriculum to stay relevant in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, sustainability imperatives, and shifting geopolitical dynamics? IIM Raipur is continuously evolving its curriculum. The institute has introduced new courses in emerging areas such as blockchain, generative AI, design thinking, and data science, aligning with the technological transformations in the global economy. Through experiential learning approaches, including real-world projects, case studies, and interactive teaching methods, IIM Raipur fosters critical thinking and application-based learning. The curriculum modernisation also reflects the spirit of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, with initiatives such as a flexible PhD structure, interdisciplinary offerings, and programmes promoting Indian ethos through translated India-focused case studies. This forward-looking curriculum design is complemented by initiatives like Lounge Intellect (LIT), a forum for teaching innovations, and a strong focus on holistic development with ethics, leadership, and societal impact at its core. The institutes pedagogy emphasises leadership, ethics, and problem-solving through a mix of academic rigour and real-world application. Programmes like the Emerging Managers Bootcamp" and the Citizenship Index" instil ethical behaviour, social responsibility, and a sense of ownership among students. These initiatives, combined with live projects, simulations, and student-led clubs, ensure that graduates are not only industry-ready but also capable of leading responsibly in a complex and dynamic world. Q3. What kind of industry collaborations or MoUs is the institute pursuing to enhance practical exposure and employability for students? IIM Raipur is actively pursuing a range of industry collaborations and Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to enhance practical exposure and boost the employability of its students. In 2024, IIM Raipur and the University of Wolverhampton, UK, signed an MoU to strengthen educational collaboration. Additionally, IIM Raipur partners with Birmingham City University to advance academic and research excellence. Beyond formal MoUs, the institute maintains a strong industry interface through live consulting projects, regular corporate talks, industry-focused summits, and expert guest lectures, all of which connect students directly with real-time business challenges. Furthermore, partnerships with government bodies like SIDBI and the Ministry of MSME support entrepreneurship training and venture incubation, helping students gain hands-on experience in starting and scaling businesses. These diverse and evolving collaborations ensure that IIM Raipur students graduate with not only theoretical knowledge but also practical insights and industry-ready skills. Q4. Following the success of the new MBA in Public Policy and Governance, can we expect similar programmes in areas like healthcare, infrastructure, or climate governance? IIM Raipur is actively fostering industry collaborations to enhance student employability and practical exposure. It has partnered with HPCL to launch an Executive MBA in Energy Management and collaborates with the Digital Health Academy to offer a range of online and hybrid courses, such as the Certified Digital Health Professional programme and postgraduate certificates in digital health. Additionally, students benefit from live industry projects, corporate talks, industry summits, and entrepreneurship training programmes conducted in association with SIDBI and the Ministry of MSME, creating a strong industry-academia interface. Q5. What was the core vision behind launching the fully-funded MBA in Public Policy and Governance under the Chief Ministers Good Governance Fellowship? The core vision behind the Public Policy MBA was to build executive leadership capacity within government systems, support governance reforms, and align with national development goals such as Viksit Bharat and Viksit Chhattisgarh. Following the successful launch of the fully-funded MBA in Public Policy and Governance under the Chief Ministers Good Governance Fellowship, IIM Raipur is planning to expand into other emerging domains. Proposed future offerings include programmes in healthcare, environment, sustainability, and data science. These new programmes are designed to blend public policy with liberal arts and communication, promoting holistic and multidisciplinary education. ALSO READ: Global, Yet Affordable: Australias WACE Curriculum Coming To 100 Indian Schools | Interview Q6. How closely will students enrolled in the public policy programme engage with government departments? Are there plans for hands-on fieldwork, policy labs, or real-time governance projects? Students enrolled in the public policy programme will engage closely with government departments, district administrations, and district collectors/magistrates through hands-on fieldwork, real-time governance projects, and policy labs. The programme is designed to provide immersive exposure to administrative challenges, allowing students to contribute meaningfully to public policy formulation and implementation. Q7. Theres growing chatter online that traditional MBAs may be losing value. How do you respond to that perception? Is the MBA still a strong investment? The value of an MBA, especially from a premier management institution is far from diminishing. For the next 2030 years, I believe the demand for MBAs will continue to grow, particularly as global markets, including Europe and Japan, face managerial talent shortages due to demographic shifts. An MBA equips individuals with timeless, core capabilities. Its not just about textbook knowledgealthough thats importantbut about structured problem-solving, clarity of thought, and collaborative leadership. One of the most significant takeaways from an MBA is exposure to a diverse peer group that challenges your thinking and broadens your worldviewsomething no online course or isolated learning experience can fully replicate. While pedagogy and tools will evolve with technology, the foundational skills of leadership, decision-making, and team dynamics will remain highly relevant. In fact, with globalisation and cross-border collaboration becoming the norm, the MBA continues to be a powerful investment in long-term career growth, both in India and internationally. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Q8. With AI rapidly advancing, do you believe it will significantly displace jobs? Which sectors or roles are likely to be most affected, and how should management graduates prepare for this shift? Recognising the disruptive potential of artificial intelligence, IIM Raipur acknowledges that routine jobs across sectors such as customer service, logistics, and manufacturing will likely be most affected. However, AI also presents significant opportunities. To equip students, the institute has been offering a dedicated course on AI for several years and is now expanding this with comprehensive workshops. Additionally, to prevent copying from AI tools, we have made it mandatory for all assignments to go through Turnitin (a similarity detection software) that can easily detect the use of AI-generated content. IIM Raipur is also developing an AI policy to guide responsible use, fostering independent thinking and ethical application of generative AI tools in education. The focus remains on building adaptability, critical thinking, and domain-AI integration skills to help management graduates thrive in an AI-driven economy. About the Author Archit Gupta Archit Gupta is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18.com and a seasoned education journalist specialising in reporting on education and employment. He has covered a variety of education-related stories, including high-... Read More Archit Gupta is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18.com and a seasoned education journalist specialising in reporting on education and employment. He has covered a variety of education-related stories, including high-... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 20:10 IST First Hindu School In Australia To Open In 2027 With $8.5 Mn Grant Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 15:06 IST Australia announced an $8.5 million grant to build the country's first Hindu school. Located in Oakville, Sydney, the school will serve over 1,000 students. Australia's first Hindu school is expected to welcome its first batch of students in 2027. (Representative Image/Getty) In April, Australia announced a grant of $8.5 million to help the Hindu community in the country build its first Hindu school. Posting about the development on the microblogging platform X, Australian Education Minister Jason Clare stated that the investment will make the dreams of the Australian Hindu community a reality. He also said that the government will also commit $2.4m to expand the work of Karma Kitchen which helps to feed homeless Aussies. Today we announced an $8.5m commitment to help build the first Hindu school in Australia. This investment will make the dreams of the Australian Hindu community a reality," Clare posted on X. And on top of that, well commit $2.4m to expand the work of Karma Kitchen which helps to feed homeless Aussies," he added. Recommended Stories When Will The School Open? According to reports, Australias first Hindu school is expected to welcome its first batch of students in 2027. The school will offer classes from kindergarten through Year 12, with plans to accommodate over 1,000 students. Located in Oakville, in Sydneys north-west, the land for the school was acquired through community fundraising efforts. The Hindu Education and Cultural Centre (HEACC) will be responsible for administering the institution. Hinduism is currently among the fastest-growing religions in Australia. However, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, however, there is no mainstream Hindu school in the country a gap the Sanatan School aims to address. Why A Hindu School? Everyone in our community experienced this gap," said HEACC director Pranav Aggarwal, who noted the school will help fill a significant gap" in Australias educational landscape. A Hindu school has been missing from Australias multicultural tapestry for too long, and the amount of enthusiasm and encouragement we have heard is testament to that," Aggarwal told The Sydney Morning Herald. Surinder Jain, Vice President of the Hindu Council of Australia, echoed this sentiment, telling the outlet, I struggled, and most other parents struggled, to work out how to teach our Hindu values to our children." Weve all had to improvise at home. And while that works, a formal system was always needed, and many parents have been wishing for a school for a while," he said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all What Will Students Learn? The Hindu School will follow the standard NSW curriculum while also offering religious education tailored to Hindu teachings. Although the exact fee structure is yet to be finalised, it is estimated to range between $10,000 and $15,000 per year, according to the report. About the Author Education and Careers Desk A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses and information on college and school admissions, board and competitive exams, career options, topper interviews, job notifications, latest in ... Read More A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses and information on college and school admissions, board and competitive exams, career options, topper interviews, job notifications, latest in ... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 15:06 IST Madras HC Rejects NEET 2025 Re-Exam pleas, Clears Way For Result Declaration Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 19:35 IST The Madras High Court has cleared the way for the declaration of NEET UG 2025 results by dismissing pleas that sought to stop it due to power outages at Chennai centres. Madras High Court Dismisses Pleas Over Power Outage, Paves Way for NEET UG 2025 Result Declaration. The Madras High Court on Friday cleared the path for the declaration of NEET (UG) 2025 results by dismissing a batch of petitions that sought to restrain the National Testing Agency (NTA) from releasing the results, as reported by news agency PTI. The petitions, filed by S Sai Priya and 15 other students, requested the court to direct the NTA to conduct a re-examination for candidates who experienced power outages at four exam centres in Chennai during the test. Recommended Stories Dismissing the plea, Justice C Kumarappan said, In the present case, I find no mala fide intent on the part of the respondents. Nationwide, approximately 22 lakh students appeared for the NEET (UG) 2025. Allowing a re-exam based on such localised and minor disruptions would undermine the level playing field for millions of candidates." The court, therefore, found no merit in the writ petitions. Previously, on May 17, a vacation bench had issued an interim order restraining the NTA from declaring the results, in response to the alleged difficulties caused by the power disruption. In his detailed ruling, Justice Kumarappan noted, The petitioners primarily argue that due to power failure, lighting conditions were inadequate at the centres, creating a distracting atmosphere that affected their focus and performance." ALSO READ: NEET PG 2025 Exam on August 3, SC Approves NBEs Date Extension Request The judge emphasised that the disruption was due to unexpected rain and storm. Supporting the NTAs stance, the court observed that the exam was held during daylight hoursbetween 2:00 PM and 5:00 PMensuring sufficient natural light. When the NTA, following field verification and applying scientific methods, has concluded that no re-examination is necessary, such a decision should be respected unless proven to be influenced by mala fides," Justice Kumarappan added. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all NEET PG 2025 Exam on August 3 The Supreme Court on Thursday gave permission to the National Board of Examinations (NBE) to hold the NEET-PG 2025 exam on August 3. The court said it was satisfied that the reasons given by the NBE for choosing this date were genuine. Earlier, on May 30, the court had ruled that the exam must be held in a single shift instead of two. Because of this change, the NBE asked for more time to make new arrangements, which the court has now allowed. About the Author Education and Careers Desk A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses and information on college and school admissions, board and competitive exams, career options, topper interviews, job notifications, latest in ... Read More A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses and information on college and school admissions, board and competitive exams, career options, topper interviews, job notifications, latest in ... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 19:33 IST Mumbai University UG Admission 2025: Registration Deadline Extended To June 10 Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 07:26 IST Mumbai University has extended the UG admission registration deadline to June 10, 2025. The fourth merit list will be released on June 11. Apply via mu.ac.in. Mumbai University Admission 2025: Apply for UG courses on mu.ac.in by June 10. (Representative Image/Getty) Mumbai University UG Admission 2025: The University of Mumbai has extended the deadline for the registration process for admission to undergraduate courses. Candidates who missed the chance to apply for the 3 and 4-year degree courses due to the previous deadline can now register until June 10. Candidates can apply for Mumbai University UG Admission 2025 through the official website mu.ac.in by 10 PM on June 10. According to the official schedule, the university will release the fourth merit list for UG admission on June 11 and fifth on June 14, 2025. Recommended Stories In accordance with the National Education Policy, the university has declared three merit lists as per the schedule for pre-admission registration for the Undergraduate courses at Mumbai University affiliated colleges, as per the official statement. Mumbai University Admissions 2025: New Timetable Pre-admissions online registration process: June 6 to June 10 Fourth merit list: June 11, 2025 Online document verification and fee payment: June 11 to June 13, (Until 4 PM) Fifth merit list: June 14, 2025 Online document verification and fee payment: June 14 to June 18 (Until 5 PM) Mumbai University UG Admissions 2025: Documents Required Scanned copy of the following documents (10KB500KB) in JPG format: Scanned photocopy of passport size photo of self. Scanned photocopy of signature. Scanned photocopy of 10th marksheet. Scanned photocopy of 12th marksheet. Scanned photocopy of domicile certificate (if the student is from Maharashtra). Scanned photocopy of income certificate (if the student belongs to a category). If you dont have an income certificate, select Not Applicable" in the form (section of FAMILY INCOME). Photocopy of caste certificate (if applicable). Photocopy of EWS certificate (if applicable). How To Apply For Mumbai University UG Admissions 2025? Step 1: Visit the official website mu.ac.in or muugadmission.samarth.edu.in Step 2: On the homepage, click on the link for UG Admission Step 3: On the newly opened page, click on the New Registration" button Step 4: Register using your name, DOB, mobile number, e-mail ID etc Step 5: Once done, login using your registered email ID Step 6: Fill out the application form and upload the required documents top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Step 7: Pay the application fee and review your application form Step 8: Submit the application form and download it for future reference About the Author Education and Careers Desk A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses and information on college and school admissions, board and competitive exams, career options, topper interviews, job notifications, latest in ... Read More A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses and information on college and school admissions, board and competitive exams, career options, topper interviews, job notifications, latest in ... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 07:26 IST How To Survive In A Stampede? This Simple Trick Could Save You Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 18:31 IST In a stampede-like situation, the expert advises standing in a 'boxer pose' to reduce pressure on the body and allow lung space, lowering the risk of suffocation or injury A stampede typically involves people pushing, shoving, and even climbing over one another. (Representative Image/PTI) In the wake of the tragic stampede that claimed 11 lives during Royal Challengers Bangalores historic first IPL title win, questions are being raised about crowd safety at major events. While IPL matches are known for electrifying energy and packed stadiums, such large gatherings can quickly turn dangerous if basic precautions arent followed. A stampede typically involves people pushing, shoving, and even climbing over one another. When exit routes are blocked, the risk of accidents rises sharply. In such situations, suffocation, extreme pressure, and falling can occuroften leading to serious injuries or even death. Recommended Stories Heres what one should do to stay safe in a stampede: Protecting the bodys vital organs is crucial in a crowd, as intense pressure can lead to breathing difficulties and even become life-threatening. A viral video on social media features an expert demonstrating how to stand properly to stay safe in such situations. The expert emphasises the importance of postureparticularly protecting the lungs and heartto avoid dangerous pressure on the chest. The expert advises adopting the boxer pose during a stampede-like situation. This stance provides adequate space for the lungs and reduces bodily pressure, thereby lowering the risk of suffocation or injury. By maintaining the right posture, one can protect vital organs and manage the situation more effectively. Watch The Video Here: top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all If someone falls during a stampede, they should immediately lie down on one side and cover their head with their hands. This is known as lying in the shape of a C, which helps protect the head and body from injury while reducing pressure on the lungs and heart. This position safeguards vital organs and can help prevent serious harm. It is, therefore, crucial to remain calm and follow these safety measures during a crowd or stampede situation to ensure personal safety and that of others. A similar incident occurred during a satsang in Hathras on July 2 last year, where a stampede claimed 121 livesover 110 of them womenand left dozens injured. Most deaths were caused by suffocation. The stampede broke out when a large number of people surged forward to catch a glimpse of the Baba as he passed by or to touch the dust on the path he had walked. First Published: June 06, 2025, 18:29 IST 'Arrogance': Mohandas Pai On Bengaluru Migrant Population Who Refuse To Speak Kannada Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 21:31 IST T.V. Mohandas Pai reignited the debate on non-natives not using Kannada in Karnataka, stressing its importance for public roles and condemning the refusal to learn it. Pai condemned the rising trend of "arrogance" among non-natives working in Bengaluru over refusing to learn even basic Kannada. (Image:X/Mohandas Pai) Amid the ongoing debate over use of Kannada by non-natives in Karnataka, tech investor and former Infosys executive T.V. Mohandas Pai has reignited the fiery row, saying that working professionals in Karnataka must learn and use the local languageKannadaespecially while dealing with public. Chairman at Aarin Capital, Pai condemned the rising trend of arrogance" among non-natives working in Bengaluru over refusing to learn even basic Kannada. Recommended Stories While speaking to news agency PTI, Pai cautioned such attitude leads to avoidable tensions with the local population. Bengaluru is one of the most inclusive cities in India. The native Kannada-speaking population here is around 33%. People from across the country have made the city their home, have prospered here, and continue to do well. But some of them, instead of integrating, develop a sense of superiority and outright reject the local language. Thats not acceptable," news agency PTI quoted Pai as saying. Calling it as a mark of respect for the state people relocate to for work, Pai added the principle applies nationwide. Whether someone moves to Bengal, Maharashtra or Karnataka, it helps to learn a few words of the local language. Its not just about communicationits about respecting the culture of the place youve chosen to live in," the tech investor further said. Citing a recent controversy that involved an SBI bank manager in Karnataka who allegedly refused to speak Kannada with a customer, he said, This entire episode could have been avoided with just a little humility." All she needed to say was, Im still learning Kannada, let me ask a colleague to help. That wouldve shown basic respect." The incident had spurred strong response from pro-Kannada groups and drew flak, prompting the bank to issue an official apology. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Underlining the role of language for professionals who deliver public service, especially in rural Karnataka, Pai said, If you are posted in a village or small town, your customers may not understand Hindi or English. In such cases, it is your responsibility to adapt and speak the local language," he said. The debate over language use has become a central issue in Karnatakas politics and public discourse in recent months, particularly in Bengaluru. The citys rapidly growing migrant population has sparked concerns among locals about the declining use of Kannada in day-to-day interactions. About the Author Manisha Roy Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com's general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manisha.Roy@nw18... Read More Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com's general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manisha.Roy@nw18... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 21:20 IST Bengaluru Stampede: Karnataka ADGP Intelligence Hemant Nimbalkar Transferred, Says Source Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 17:55 IST Bangalore Stampede News: The state government has yet to issue an official statement on Nimbalkars transfer or name a replacement for the post Nimbalkar, a 1998-batch IPS officer, was appointed as the ADGP, Intelligence by the Karnataka government just last year. (Image via X/@DrAnjaliTai) Bangalore Stampede: As investigations into the Bengaluru stadium stampede continue, Karnatakas Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence), Hemant Nimbalkar, has been transferred without a new posting, sources told News18 on Friday. Nimbalkar, a 1998-batch IPS officer, was appointed as ADGP (Intelligence) by the Karnataka government just last year. His sudden transfer comes amid increasing administrative and political pressure following the stampede outside Bengalurus M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which left 11 people dead and many injured. Recommended Stories The Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government has yet to issue an official statement regarding Nimbalkars transfer or announce a replacement for the post. Notably, Hemant Nimbalkar is married to senior Congress leader Anjali Nimbalkar, who unsuccessfully contested the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In another development related to the stampedes aftermath, Karnataka CMs political advisor, Govindaraj, has been dismissed from his position. Sources say Govindaraj, who also heads the state Olympic association, was the key figure who pressured the Chief Minister to hold the event at Vidhana Soudha. This move follows a series of suspensions related to the tragedy, which is now being investigated by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). On Thursday, CM Siddaramaiah had ordered the suspension of Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B Dayananda, along with several other senior police officers, in connection with the incident. Soon after Dayanandas suspension, IPS officer Seemanth Kumar Singh was appointed as the new City Police Commissioner of Bengaluru. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The Chief Minister also had ordered the suspension of Additional Commissioner of Police (West) Vikash Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Shekar H. Tekkannavar, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Cubbon Park) C Balakrishna, and Cubbon Park police station Inspector A K Girish. ALSO READ: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiahs Political Secretary Sacked Over Bengaluru Stampede About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d... Read More The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 15:18 IST Today, 6 June, Ukraine celebrates Journalist Day, a professional holiday for everyone who works with information and social responsibility. It takes on special significance in wartime, when Ukrainian journalists continue to work under fire to convey the truth about the enemy and its crimes. For the seventh year in a row, a charity concert for journalists is being held in Kyiv to raise funds to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to a report by ICTV television channel. Initially, the initiative was aimed at helping cardiac surgeons, but with the start of the war, journalists refocused their efforts on supporting the military. Last year, the concert raised funds for 22 reconnaissance drones, and this year the organisers plan to purchase 18-19 more powerful models. To increase the amount raised, the founder and organiser of the concerts, Serhiy Nahoriansky, head of the social service at the Centre for Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, presented unique postage stamps created especially for the event. On stage, journalists perform Yuriy Rybchynsky's favourite hits, and the audience can contribute to donations aimed at supporting the military. This concert is a way to support those who defend the country and thank them. We have received reconnaissance drones that will help our soldiers work more effectively on the front lines, said Volodymyr Horovenko, director of the charitable foundation. Journalists not only cover events, but also actively help the military by attracting donors and sponsors. The charity concert became a way to remind people that the media community is capable of supporting the army not only with words, but also with actions. Call Me Fugitive, Not Chor: Vijay Mallya Apologises For Kingfisher Crash Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 14:36 IST Vijay Mallya has opened up about his reasons behind not returning to India in a podcast and also issued a public apology for the failure of his Kingfisher Airlines. Vijay Mallya apologises for Kingfisher crash (AP File Image) Businessman Vijay Mallya, who is facing various fraud charges in India and is absconding, has denied allegations of theft while also issuing a rare public apology for the failure of Kingfisher Airlines. He also defended his valid" reasons for not returning to India and claimed that he would consider getting back if he is assured of a fair trial and dignified existence" in the country. I apologise to everyone for the failure of Kingfisher Airlines," Mallya said during a four-hour-long podcast with Raj Shamani, which was put online on Thursday. Recommended Stories If I have assurance of a fair trial and a dignified existence in India, you may be right, but I dont," he said, when asked if his troubles got worse because he did not return to India. Vijay Mallya On Being Called Fugitive He also acknowledged that it was fair" to call him a fugitive but questioned the term thief" used for him in the political corridors. Call me a fugitive for not going to India post-March 2016. I didnt run away, I flew out of India on a prescheduled visit. Fair enough, I did not return for reasons that I consider are valid, so if you want to call me a fugitive, go ahead, but where is the chor coming from? Where is the chori?" he said. Mallya is facing charges of allegedly defaulting on loans worth over Rs 9,000 crore that were given to Kingfisher Airlines by a group of Indian banks. He has been residing in the United Kingdom since 2016, where he is facing extradition proceedings. Mallyas Legal Challenges Despite several legal defeats, including a UK courts 2018 decision approving his extradition, Mallya is still resisting being sent back to India. He has claimed that he would not be subjected to a fair trial in India. On April 9 this year, in another blow to his legal battles, Mallya lost an appeal against a London High Court bankruptcy order in a case involving over Rs 11,101 crore owed to lenders, including the State Bank of India (SBI). The businessman has been locked in a long-running dispute with Indian banks since the collapse of his Kingfisher Airlines in 2012. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Earlier in February 2025, Mallya approached the Karnataka High Court, seeking details about how much money banks had recovered from him. His legal team argued that while the original debt stood at Rs 6,200 crore, banks have already recovered Rs 14,000 croremore than double the amount owed. They claimed that despite this, recovery actions were still continuing and requested the court to instruct banks to provide a detailed statement of recovered funds. India has been making efforts to extradite him from the UK for his alleged loan defaults and financial fraud. About the Author Ashesh Mallick Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes... Read More Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 07:46 IST PM Modi Accepts G7 Invite From Canada's Carney, Says 'Looking Forward' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 21:19 IST PM Modi thanked Canada PM Carney for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had a warm" conversation with newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, congratulating him on his recent electoral victory and confirming his participation in the upcoming G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. In a post on X, PM Modi wrote: Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister @MarkJCarney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month." Recommended Stories He added that India and Canada, as vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties," would work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests." Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister @MarkJCarney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 6, 2025 PM Modi said he was looking forward to their meeting at the summit. Mark Carney, a former central banker and climate finance advocate, became Canadas Prime Minister after leading the Liberal Party to victory in the recent general election. G7 Summit In Kananaskis top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The 51st G7 Summit will take place from June 15 to 17 in Kananaskis, Canada, marking the second time the town will host the global gathering- the first being in 2002. This years summit is especially significant as it coincides with the 50th anniversary of the G7, a group comprising the worlds most advanced economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Union also participates in the discussions. Under Prime Minister Mark Carneys leadership, the summit will focus on a range of urgent issues, including global peace and security, economic resilience, climate action and digital transformation. Guest nations invited to the summit, other than India, include Australia, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and Ukraine. About the Author Mallika Soni When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" First Published: June 06, 2025, 18:33 IST 'Difficult Situation': New Bengaluru Commissioner Reacts To RCB Victory Parade Stampede Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 17:00 IST The officer said that his key priority for now as a Commissioner of Bengaluru, is to build the confidence among the people. Seemant Kumar Singh took charge as the Commissioner of Bengaluru City Police Seemant Kumar Singh took charge as the Commissioner of Bengaluru City Police on Friday after the stampede in the city during victory celebrations of the RCB left 11 dead on Wednesday. Soon after taking charge, Singh said that the current situation in the state is difficult," adding that he will be discussing it with his officers, and called for feedback from the public, the press, and other stakeholders. Recommended Stories Its a difficult situation, no doubt (referring to the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede). But basic policing is my priority. I will be discussing the situation with my officers, and Ill also consider the feedback from the public, the press, and other stakeholders," he said. VIDEO | Bengaluru: Heres what Seemant Kumar Singh said after taking charge as Commissioner of Bengaluru City Police, following the suspension of B Dayananda over the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede incident.Its a difficult situation, no doubt (referring to the Chinnaswamy pic.twitter.com/z0ej9Y5Bvw Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 6, 2025 Speaking about his work priorities, he said, and the main priority is to build the confidence among the people that, yes, Bengaluru City police is for you and will always be with you and provide a peaceful environment for you to stay here." Kumar was posted as the Bengaluru Commissioner only hours after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah suspended Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda for dereliction of duty in connection to the stampede case in the city. Seemanth Kumar Singh, IPS (KN: 1996), Additional Director General of Police, Bengaluru Metropolitan Task Force, Bengaluru is transferred with immediate effect and posted until further orders as Additional Director General of Police & Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City, Bengaluru," the notification stated. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Seemanth Kumar Singh is a 1996-batch IPS officer and is the 39th Police Commissioner of Bengaluru City. He was serving as the police commissioner of Mangaluru before taking charge in Bengaluru. He was also awarded the prestigious Presidents Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2023. First Published: June 06, 2025, 16:35 IST Father Of Indore Bride Missing In Meghalaya Hangs Her Photo Upside Down Outside Home Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 11:20 IST Sonams father said he consulted a Pandit who advised June 5 as an auspicious date for her to leave home for the honeymoon, but she left earlier without informing anyone Hoping for a miracle, Sonam's father took this step, a Hindu ritual to bring back the lost. (News18 Hindi) In a desperate attempt to bring his missing daughter home, the father of Sonamat the centre of the much-discussed Raja-Sonam honeymoon mysteryhas hung her photograph upside down outside their Indore residence. The couple, who hail from Indore, had travelled to Shillong for their honeymoon, where Raja Raghuvanshi was found dead under suspicious circumstances. Sonam has been missing ever since. The family has reportedly taken this step on astrological advice. Sonams father said he had earlier consulted a Pandit, who told him that June 5 was an auspicious date for her to leave the house for their honeymoon. However, he added that Sonam had made plans to travel with her husband before that date, without informing anyone. According to the Pandit, it was inauspicious for her to leave the house for the next one and a half months. Recommended Stories My son-in-law is no more in this world; now only a miracle can bring my daughter back," Sonams father said. In the hope of such a miracle, he has hung his daughters picture upside down outside the housea ritual in Hindu tradition believed to help bring back a lost person. Meanwhile, Sonams brother Govind is also searching for her in Shillong along with the local police and search team. On May 22, the newlyweds arrived at Mawlakhiyat village in Meghalaya on a rented scooter. They left their scooter parked and went to visit the renowned Living Root Bridge in Nongriat village, where they spent the night before departing the next morning. On May 24, their scooter was discovered abandoned at a cafe on the route from Shillong to Sohra. Local residents alerted the police, prompting the initiation of a search operation by Meghalaya police. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Officials reported that Rajas body was found in a deep gorge near a waterfall, while the search for his wife is ongoing. The couple had gone missing just hours after leaving their guest house in Nongriat village. The Meghalaya police have filed an FIR, charging murder, and have established a special investigation team (SIT) for the case. They recovered a bloodstained machete, which is believed to have been used in Rajas murder. Location : Indore, India, India First Published: June 06, 2025, 11:20 IST Hope I Will Be Promoted Soon: Omar Abdullahs Subtle Nudge To PM Modi On J&K Statehood Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 13:35 IST Abdullah expressed hope that the Centre will accord statehood to J&K soon Omar Abdullah Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reiterated his demand for statehood to J&K on Friday while speaking at an event in Katra, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also present. Abdullah expressed hope that the Centre will soon accord statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, which was bifurcated into two union territories in 2019. Recommended Stories Call it fate or destiny, but whenever there have been programs related to the railways, Ive been fortunate enough to be associated with the Prime Minister in all railway projects in J&K. First, when Anantnag Railway Station was inaugurated. Second, when the Banihal Railway Tunnel was inaugurated The same four people were present here in 2014 when the Katra Railway Station was inaugurated While the then MoS Railways, Manoj Sinha, got promoted to the post of J&K LG, I got demoted from CM of a state to CM of a UT. But things will get back to normal before we know it, and J&K will be given the status of a state by PM Narendra Modi," he said. #WATCH | Katra, J&K | CM Omar Abdullah says, I have been fortunate to be associated with the Prime Minister in all railway projects in J&K. First, when Anantnag Railway Station was inaugurated. Second, when the Banihal Railway Tunnel was inaugurated The same four people pic.twitter.com/35WzxGSSMT ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2025 Abdullah said PM Modi connected the Valley with the rest of India, a project even the Britishers couldnt do it. He credited the former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for Chenab Bridge. Many people dreamt of this train service What the British could not do, you got it completed, and Kashmir Valley has now been connected with the rest of the country. On this occasion, it would be a mistake if I did not mention and thank former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee I studied in 8th when the foundation for this project was laid. Now I am 55, and it has finally been inaugurated. This could happen only when Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave it the status of project of national importance and increased its budget. It will greatly benefit the people of J&K in every way," the CM said. PM Modi inaugurated the worlds highest railway bridge Chenab Bridge and flagged off the maiden Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express, the first train connecting the valley with the rest of India. He also interacted with passengers, and crew of the Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat train before flagging off at Katra railway station. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all About the Author Saurabh Verma Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter --twitter.com/saurabhkverma19 Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter --twitter.com/saurabhkverma19 Location : Katra, India, India First Published: June 06, 2025, 13:23 IST I Didn't Plant It: In US, Tharoor Gets Grilled By His Son On Pakistan's Role In Pahalgam Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 14:38 IST Shashi Tharoor's son, who is a reporter at a publication in the US, asked the Congress MP a question on Pakistan's involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack. Shashi Tharoor delegation in the US (Photo: X/ Shashi Tharoor) Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is leading an all-party delegation to the United States to expose Pakistan, was asked a question by his son about Islamabads repeated denials of any role in the Pahalgam terror attack. Ishan Tharoor asked his father, who was taking questions during a press conference at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York, whether any country had asked his delegation for evidence of Pakistans involvement in the April 22 terror attack in which 26 people were killed on religious lines. His follow-up question was about Pakistans repeated denial of any involvement in the attack. Recommended Stories Tharoor Gets Grilled By His Reporter Son Is US As Ishan got up to ask the question, Tharoor made it clear that the person is his son and said with a smile, It should not be allowed". Ishan Tharoor of The Washington Post," his son replied, and then went on to ask his questions. Responding to his sons queries, Tharoor said, Well, Im very glad you raised this, Ishan. I didnt plant it, I promise you. This guy does this to his dad." He then said that India would not have conducted such massive retaliation if it did not have convincing evidence against Islamabad. #WATCH | Washington DC: On a question asked by his son about whether any country had asked the delegation for evidence of Pakistans involvement in the Pahalgam attack and about Pakistans repeated denials of any role in the attack, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, Im very glad pic.twitter.com/RR0tcVOwpU ANI (@ANI) June 5, 2025 The Congress MP also stressed that no country had sought any evidence from the Indian delegation during their visits to any of the countries. Very simply, no one had any doubt, and we were not asked for evidence. But the media have asked in two or three places. Let me say very clearly that India would not have done this without convincing evidence," Tharoor pointed out. Shashi Tharoor Gives Three Reasons In Response To His Sons Questions The Congress MP pointed out three reasons behind Pakistans clear involvement in the terror attack and highlighted how the rogue country has repeatedly executed terror attacks in India and then denied it time and again, despite India providing ample evidence. He then cited the instances of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and the discovery of Osama bin Laden near an army cantonment in Pakistans Abbottabad. Let me say very clearly that India would not have done this without convincing evidence. But there were three particular reasons I want to draw your attention to all of you. The first is that weve had a 37-year pattern of repeated terror attacks from Pakistan, accompanied by repeated denials," he said. Americans havent forgotten that Pakistan didnt know, allegedly, where Osama bin Laden was until he was found in a Pakistani safe house right next to an army camp in a cantonment city. Thats Pakistan. Mumbai attacks- they denied having anything to do with itSo we know what Pakistans all about," Tharoor highlighted. He said that Pakistan dispatches terrorists, then denies its role until theyre actually caught with red hands." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Tharoor-led delegation arrived in the US on Tuesday after concluding its visit to Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil. They met US Vice President JD Vance and discussed the India-US ties and explained Indias position on terror. India sent seven all-party delegations to different parts of the world to expose Pakistan and its backing of terrorism. About the Author Ashesh Mallick Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes... Read More Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes... Read More Location : New York, United States of America (USA) First Published: June 06, 2025, 08:49 IST News18 Poll: PM Modis Stand On Security To Rahuls Surrender Remark, Make Your Voice Heard Published By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 20:46 IST News18 poll closes on June 7, vote before 3 pm: Is Narendar Surrender remark in good taste? Is Congress showing respect to Armed forces? Give your views on five key questions The BJP and Congress have engaged in a war of words after Operation Sindoor. (File) In the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam attack, most opposition parties extended their support to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government. However, soon after Indias Operation Sindoor the three-day retaliatory strikes on the terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) starting May 7 the Congress began to target PM Narendra Modi. In his several recent speeches, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi used the slogan Narender Surrender to allege that PM Modi surrendered" and stopped the attacks after a call from US President Donald Trump. Even as Trump on multiple occasions claimed that he had a role in the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, the Centre maintained that the Operation was paused on the request of Pakistan and no third party was involved in the process. Recommended Stories Gandhis remarks, meanwhile, sparked a massive backlash, with the BJP accusing him of speaking Pakistans language and insulting the Army. Amid the remarks and counters, News18 is conducting a poll to get your views. To participate in the poll, click here. Voting closes at 3 pm on June 7, so make sure your voice is heard. The poll includes five questions: Is the remark Narendar Surrender in good taste? Do you believe such personal attacks on the Prime Minister compromise the national interest? Do you believe that PM Modi has consistently taken a strong stand when it comes to national security? Is the Congress showing respect to the Armed forces with such a remark? The BJP says that the Indus Water Treaty signed by Jawaharlal Nehru and Ayub Khan is a surrender of national interest. Do you agree? Through address to the nation and several speeches after the Operation, the PM has been underscoring how Indias fight against terrorism will continue. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all PM Modi on Friday said that terrorist camps in Pakistan and PoK were reduced to rubble in Operation Sindoor. The PM also said that Pakistan orchestrated the Pahalgam attack to incite riots in India. In his first visit to J&K since the Pahalgam attack, the PM said Pakistan is against humanity and even the livelihood of the poor. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d... Read More The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 20:20 IST 'Won't Let Development Stop': In J&K, PM Modi Says Pahalgam Attack Aimed At Disrupting Tourism Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 14:45 IST PM Modi launched a scathing attack on Pakistan from Jammu and Kashmir and said that they wanted to harm tourism in the region and divide the people through Pahalgam terror attack. PM Modi in Jammu and Kashmir (Photo: YouTube/ Narendra Modi) In his first public meeting in Jammu and Kashmir since the Pahalgam terror attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a scathing attack on Pakistan and said that the terrorists sponsored by the neighbouring country targeted insaniyat and kashmiriyat" on April 22, when they killed 26 tourists in cold blood. The Prime Minister vowed to the people of Jammu and Kashmir that he would not let anything stall the ongoing development in the Union Territory. He also noted that the terrorists killed the tourists to harm the growing tourism in the Union Territory and wanted to incite riots in the country. Recommended Stories PM Modi Unleashes Attack On Pakistan From J&K PM Modi said that he would not let the dreams of youths in J&K be obstructed by any problems. It is a promise of Narendra Modi to all of you, I wont let development be stalled here. If any problem becomes an obstruction in the youths dreams getting fulfilled, then that problem will first have to face Modi," he said, while addressing a public meeting after inaugurating the worlds largest railway bridge Chenab Bridge in J&K. The Prime Minister exposed Pakistans ill-intention of harming the livelihood of the J&K residents and said that they deliberately attacked tourists. Unfortunately, our neighbouring country is against humanity and even the livelihood of the poor. What happened in Pahalgam on 22 April is an example of this. Pakistan attacked both insaniyat and Kashmiriyat in Pahalgam. Its purpose was to cause riots in India and to obstruct the earnings of the hard-working people of Kashmir. That is why Pakistan attacked the tourists in Kashmir," news agency ANI quoted PM Modi as saying. #WATCH | Katra, J&K | Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, Unfortunately, our neighbouring country is against humanity and even the livelihood of the poor. What happened in Pahalgam on 22 April is an example of this. Pakistan attacked both insaniyat and Kashmiriyat in pic.twitter.com/m2sP4VubzT ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2025 PM Modi said that Pakistan targeted tourism, which was a source of livelihood for the people of Kashmir. The Prime Minister lauded the people of Jammu and Kashmir for standing up against Pakistans conspiracy and sending across a strong message of unity to Pakistan and to the world. The way the people of Jammu and Kashmir have stood up against Pakistans conspiracy the strength shown by the people this time has sent a clear message not just to Pakistan, but to terrorism across the world," PM Modi said. The youth of Jammu and Kashmir have now made up their minds to give a fitting reply to terrorism. This is the same terrorism that burned down schools, destroyed hospitals in the valley, and ruined generations," the Prime Minister stressed, as he exposed Pakistan on the issue of terrorism and its sponsorship of terrorists. He also made a special mention of Adil, the pony rider who was shot dead by terrorists for resisting the terror attack at Baisaran Meadows on April 22, and said that he was only doing his job to take care of his family but the terrorists killed him as well. Adil, who challenged the terrorists, had also gone to Pahalgam to work so that he could take care of his family. But the terrorists killed him too The strength that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have shown during this time has sent a stern message to the terrorist mentality of the world" he said. #WATCH | Katra, J&K | Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, Adil, who challenged the terrorists, had also gone to Pahalgam to work so that he could take care of his family. But the terrorists killed him too The strength that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have shown during this pic.twitter.com/V5258ybajh ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2025 PM Modi On Operation Sindoor As the commencement of Operation Sindoor is set to mark its first month tonight, the Prime Minister said that Indias military retaliation will always be a reminder to Pakistan of its humiliating defeat. Today is June 6 Coincidentally, exactly a month ago on this very night, a storm was unleashed on Pakistans terrorists. From now on, whenever Pakistan hears the name Operation Sindoor, it will be reminded of its humiliating defeat," he said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Neither the Pakistani army nor the terrorists had imagined that India would strike deep inside Pakistan like this. The terror infrastructure they had built over the years was reduced to rubble in just a few minutes," PM Modi added. India had launched Operation Sindoor late on the night of May 6 (early hours of May 7) and destroyed 9 terror camps deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Over 100 terrorists were killed in the strikes. About the Author Ashesh Mallick Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes... Read More Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes... Read More Location : Jammu and Kashmir, India, India First Published: June 06, 2025, 14:03 IST 'A Month Ago..': From J&K, PM Modi Sends Reminder To Pakistan On Strikes Against Terror Hubs Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 15:48 IST PM Modi said the Pahalgam terror attack will not deter the government from continuing development work in the valley. PM Modi in Jammu and Kashmir (Photo: YouTube/ Narendra Modi) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that terrorist camps in Pakistan and PoK were reduced to rubble in strikes launched by India in Operation Sindoor in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. The PM also said that Pakistan orchestrated the May 22 Pahalgam attack to incite riots in India. In his first visit to J&K since the May 22 Pahalgam attack, the PM said Pakistan is against humanity and even the livelihood of the poor. Recommended Stories What happened in Pahalgam on 22 April is an example of this. Pakistan attacked both insaniyat and Kashmiriyat in Pahalgam. Its purpose was to cause riots in India and to obstruct the earnings of the hard-working people of Kashmir. That is why Pakistan attacked the tourists in Kashmir Pakistan targeted the tourism that earns the families of Kashmir a livelihood," he said after laying the foundation stone and inaugurating development works in Katra, Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmir To Kanyakumari Is Now A Reality: PM Modi In J&K After Inaugurating Chenab Bridge The PM recalled the night of 6 May when India dealt a doomsday blow to terrorists and added that whenever Pakistan thinks of Operation Sindoor, they will be reminded of destruction. Today is June 6 a month ago the night of May 6 proved to be doomsday for Pakistani terrorists. Whenever Pakistan will hear the Operation Sindoor, it will recall the shameful defeat. Pakistani army and terrorists would have never thought that India would attack them so deep inside their territory. Their terror infrastructure was turned into rubble in a matter of minutes," he said. India struck nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK including headquarters of Lashkar and Jaish on May 6. PM Announces Aid To Victims Of Pak Shelling The PM said that the government has provided appointment letters to the families of those who lost their lives due to shelling by Pakistan after Operation Sindoor. After Operation Sindoor, Pakistan retaliated by attacking houses, children, hospitals, temples, and mosques," he said. Announcing additional assistance to civilians affected by shelling, PM Modi said that families whose homes were extensively damaged would receive Rs 2 lakh, while those with minor damages would be given Rs 1 lakh. This financial support is in addition to the compensation already provided, he added. The Prime Minister pointed out that new infrastructure along the international border is being built. As part of security and safety measures, 10,000 bunkers have been constructed in civilian areas, which have played a crucial role in saving lives. Additionally, two border battalions have been created for the Jammu and Kashmir division to strengthen security in the region," he said. PM Modi said the Pahalgam terror attack will not deter the government from continuing development work in the valley. PM Modis Atmanirbhar Push In Defence In a special appeal to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the country, the Prime Minister urged citizens to actively participate in Indias growing manufacturing sector, highlighting that the world is now acknowledging the countrys defence capabilities following Operation Sindoor. You have seen how Operation Sindoor has shown the power of Aatmnirbhar Bharat. Today, the world is discussing Indias defence ecosystem. There is only one reason behind this. Our armys trust in Make in India. Every Indian has to repeat what the army has done In this years budget, we have announced Mission Manufacturing. I want to ask the youth of Jammu and Kashmir to join this mission Your ideas and skills will take Indias economy and security to new heights," he said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Highlighting Indias rising profile as a defence exporter, he said the country aims to become one of the top defence exporters in the world and to reach that goal swiftly. Going forward, the priority will be to purchase indigenous defence products," he added. The PM described this as a true act of service and devotion to the nation, stressing that it is now time to fully push for Made in India. About the Author Saurabh Verma Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter --twitter.com/saurabhkverma19 Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter --twitter.com/saurabhkverma19 Location : Jammu, India, India First Published: June 06, 2025, 14:12 IST Reconsider Indus Waters Treaty Suspension: Pakistan Sent 4 Letters To India, 3 After Op Sindoor Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 15:26 IST In the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reiterated that trade and terror, water and blood, bullets and dialogue cannot go together Being a lower riparian state, Pakistan is heavily dependent on India-controlled riversparticularly the Jhelum and Chenab flowing through Jammu & Kashmir. (PTI/Representative image) Pakistan has so far sent four letters expressing concerns over suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and urging India to reconsider the decision. After the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22, Indias Secretary of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Debashree Mukherjee, wrote to Pakistans Water Ministry Secretary, Syed Ali Murtaza. The letter unequivocally stated that India remains a victim of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. India cited this context, alongside technical arguments, in communicating its decision to suspend its participation in the IWT. Recommended Stories India underscored that Pakistan has undermined the spirit of mutual trust and cooperation that underpinned the 1960 treaty. PAKISTANS LETTERS The first was dispatched in early May, before the launch of Operation Sindoor. Since then, three additional appeals have been sent by Murtaza. According to sources, all correspondence has been routed through the Ministry of Jal Shakti to the Ministry of External Affairs. In the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reiterated that trade and terror, water and blood, bullets and dialogue cannot go together". HOW IWT SUSPENSION HELPED INDIA India has since accelerated work on strategic water infrastructure projects related to the Indus river system. A key initiative is a 130-kilometre canal designed to link the Beas River to the Ganga Canal, with a proposed extension to the Yamuna River. The nearly 200-kilometre project includes a 12-kilometre tunnel, potentially enabling Yamuna water to reach Gangasagar. States such as Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan are projected to benefit from this initiative. The government has stated that the work is progressing rapidly and is expected to be completed within two to three years. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) is also being prepared. WHAT IT MEANS FOR PAKISTAN Sources suggest the suspension of the treaty could significantly affect Pakistans Rabi crops, while the Kharif season will remain relatively unaffected. Beyond agriculture, the disruption could impact daily life, potentially leading to a water availability crisis. Pakistan has reportedly approached the World Bank to mediate. However, the World Bank has so far declined to intervene in Indias internal decision to suspend its participation in the treaty. India has emphasized the need to revisit and renegotiate the treaty to reflect 21st-century realities. The original treaty, drafted in the 1950s and 1960s, is increasingly viewed as outdated due to changing hydrological patterns, glacial melt, population growth, and the need for sustainable energy and water management. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Despite Indias push for modernisation, Pakistan has resisted renegotiation. According to Indian officials, this stance itself contravenes the treatys provisions. Following the Pahalgam terror attack, India has also announced a range of diplomatic and strategic responses, including the suspension of its participation in the IWT. First Published: June 06, 2025, 15:26 IST The bodies of a young couple, Mykola and Ivanka, were found under the rubble of a house in Lutsk, the We Are Ukraine TV channel reported from the site where the enemy shell hit. As reported by Lutsk Mayor Ihor Polischuk, as of 15:00, a man's body was found under the rubble in one of the apartments in a building damaged in the attack in Lutsk. "Unfortunately, as of this minute, we have one person killed by an enemy strike, a young guy whom rescuers found under the rubble of a multi-story building," he wrote on Telegram. By this time, two people were missing. Now rescuers are continuing to search for a young woman who lived with the deceased. "The house is panel, and this significantly complicates the work. Part of the house is dangerous and can simply collapse, there may be victims," the official said. Relatives say the couple planned to get married. They lived on the 8th floor of the building that was hit by the Russians. The bodies were found in the basement, because the entire structure of the entrance collapsed. PM Modi Meets Finance Ministers Of Central Asian Nations, Vows Joint Fight Against Terrorism Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 21:37 IST PM Modi, in a post on X, said that he was delighted to meet with the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi during meeting with foreign ministers Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday met the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The Prime Minister expressed his delight over the meeting, reaffirming its deep-rooted historical and cultural ties with the Central Asian region. Recommended Stories Reiterating a shared stance on global security, India and the Central Asian nations also expressed strong resolve in the collective fight against terrorism, calling for unity in addressing common challenges. Delighted to meet with the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. India deeply cherishes its historical ties with the countries of Central Asia," said PM Modi on X, sharing a picture after the meeting. Delighted to meet with the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. India deeply cherishes its historical ties with the countries of Central Asia. Look forward to working together to further deepen our cooperation in trade, pic.twitter.com/UmzPnF3BI8 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 6, 2025 top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all During the meeting, India also reiterated its stand on the fight against terrorism. Look forward to working together to further deepen our cooperation in trade, connectivity, energy, fintech, food security and health for mutual progress and prosperity. We stand firm and resolute in our collective fight against terrorism," PM Modi added. First Published: June 06, 2025, 21:25 IST 'Terrorists Killed Him Too': Who Was Adil, Pony Operator Mentioned By PM Modi At J&K Event? Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 14:27 IST PM Modi remembered Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a pony ride operator killed by terrorists in Pahalgam. Adil died while bravely trying to save a woman from the terrorists. PM Modi/Syed Adil Hussain Shah (Photos: PTI/Social Media) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday mentioned Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a pony ride operator who was shot dead by terrorists in Kashmirs iconic Pahalgam on April 22. Speaking in Katra, after the inauguration of Chenab and Anji Bridges, the Prime Minister said Adil, who was working hard in Pahalgam, was also shot dead. Recommended Stories Adil from Kashmir challenged terror," Prime Minister Modi said. He had gone there (in Pahalgam) to work hard and earn bread for his family, but he too was shot dead by the terrorists," he added. Slamming Pakistan at the event, PM Modi also said the neighbouring country murdered humanity and Kashmiriyat, and that Pakistan targetted torurism in Jammu and Kashmir. SYED ADIL HUSSAIN SHAH WAS KILLED IN PAHALGAM ATTACK Syed Adil Hussain Shah, one of those killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, was a pony ride operator in the area. He was shot dead by terrorists while he fought one of them. According to media reports, Adil was a local and was trying to save a woman from the attack. He also attempted to snatch the rifle from one of the terrorists. Adil was the sole breadwinner of his family and was the only person belonging to the Muslim community to have died in the attack. Despite being shot, Adil reportedly continued to help those injured in the firing, local witnesses of the attack later told reporters. As many as 26 tourists 25 Indians and one Nepali national- were shot dead by armed terrorists in Pahalgam on April 22. In response, India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7. Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The Indian side strongly responded to the Pakistani attempts by inflicting heavy damage to a number of key Pakistani military installations, including air bases, air defence systems, command and control centres and radar sites. On May 10, the militaries of the two countries agreed on an understanding to end the hostilities. About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. First Published: June 06, 2025, 14:13 IST PM Wants Me To...: Jaishankar Meets 3 All-Party Delegations Back From Op Sindoor Foreign Visit Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 13:49 IST Each delegation shared insights from their trips, including progress on discussions regarding India's fight against terrorism, and feedback on trade, commerce and tourism Dr S Jaishankar meets the all-party delegation led by Sanjay Jha that visited Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. (X) Members of three delegations sent to various parts of the world to discuss Operation Sindoor met Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar upon their return. Each delegation shared insights gleaned from their trips with the Indian government, including progress on discussions regarding Indias fight against terrorism. Beyond this primary focus, the envoys also provided valuable feedback on trade, commerce and tourism. Recommended Stories Glad to interact with the All Party Delegation led by @KanimozhiDMK that visited Russia, Latvia, Slovenia, Greece and Spain. pic.twitter.com/b9Nb6YkNE9 Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 5, 2025 FRIENDS OF INDIA EXPRESS CONCERNS OVER INVESTMENT AND TOURISM According to sources, South Korea inquired about its investments in India and the status of the more than 600 South Korean companies operating within the country. Concerns were raised about the potential negative impact of the India-Pakistan conflict on the investment environment and the safety of South Korean companies. Meanwhile, Japan, Malaysia, and Indonesia raised questions about the current state of tourism in India. Sources say the Indian delegation assured South Korea about the stability of Indias economy and the safety of its investments. Indian MPs stated that India is poised to surpass Japan as the worlds fourth-largest economy. They added that India does not give significant weight to Pakistan, and the limited conflict was a countermeasure to Pakistans policy of promoting terrorism. It was clarified that ASEAN countries do not support terrorism in each others territories, unlike Pakistans actions towards India. Regarding tourism, the delegations provided assurances that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is returning to normal after the Pahalgam attack. A state cabinet meeting was held in Pahalgam, and tourism activities are proceeding normally in other areas. It was emphasised that the terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam does not reflect a broader threat to tourist safety throughout the country. #WATCH | Delhi | After completing their 5-nation visit as a part of JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha-led delegation, Congress leader Salman Khurshid says, During the meeting with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, we told him who we met at various levels and what important issues we pic.twitter.com/7URNNNxmH2 ANI (@ANI) June 5, 2025 QUESTIONS ON UKRAINE-RUSSIA WAR AND ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR AND INDIAS STAND Similar questions were raised about Indias stance on the Ukraine-Russia war and the Israel-Hamas war. The delegation reportedly informed the visiting nations that Indias stance has consistently favoured peace, and its response to Pakistan should not be misconstrued as offensive. They explicitly clarified that Indias stance was not neutral but one taken in favour of peace. Several delegation members who travelled to Muslim-majority countries requested that the government consider establishing a stronger voice on platforms like the OIC, where India lacks membership and hearings are perceived as one-sided due to Pakistans membership. The delegations explicitly pointed out to all visited nations the need to present Indias perspective in meetings like those of the OIC and FATF. Delegation members also suggested improved engagement with foreign journalists, many of whom have published articles critical of India despite the narrative being against Pakistan. These delegation members reportedly informed the EAM that Western media has been unfavourable during their visits. Regular engagement with Western media by the Indian government could improve this situation. WHAT EAM SAID The External Affairs Minister thanked each delegation member for representing India, acknowledging their efforts despite domestic political differences. He also conveyed that feedback from ambassadors and consulates in these countries has been very positive. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants me to take down the feedback that you have brought back home, and we are doing it in all seriousness," Jaishankar is reported to have said to the delegation, according to sources who spoke to Network 18. Your interactions over there must have been a lot more engaging and open because, normally, during government-to-government interactions, things are generally formal," the EAM reportedly conveyed. He also indicated the possibility of more such interactions in the future. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all On Friday, two other delegations will meet with the External Affairs Minister, including one led by Supriya Sule and Dr Shrikant Shinde. On Wednesday, two delegations met with Jaishankar. One team was led by DMK MP Kanimozhi and the other by Sanjay Jha of JDU. On Tuesday, upon their return, Jay Panda led the delegation to meet with the External Affairs Minister after their trip to Middle Eastern countries. Of the seven delegations dispatched globally, five have returned. Ravi Shankar Prasad and Shashi Tharoors delegations are expected back within the next few days. First Published: June 06, 2025, 13:43 IST Popularity No Shield From Law: Allahabad HC Refuses To Quash Case Against Elvish Yadav Reported By : LawBeat Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 14:17 IST Elvish Yadav had sought to quash criminal proceedings against him in a case involving the use of snakes during a music video shoot, and alleged drug and wildlife offences. It was contended that there was no substantive evidence linking Elvish Yadav to any offence under the NDPS Act or the Indian Penal Code. (Photo Credit: Instagram) The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a petition by social media influencer Elvish Yadav seeking to quash criminal proceedings against him in a high-profile case involving the use of snakes during a music video shoot, and alleged drug and wildlife offences. Yadav had moved the court under Section 528 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), challenging the charge-sheet filed on April 5, 2024, the subsequent summoning order dated April 8, 2024, and the entire criminal proceedings in Case Crime No. 461 of 2023. The case, which began with an FIR registered at Sector-49 Police Station in Noida, accuses Yadav and others of violating provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, IPC, and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Recommended Stories Yadavs counsel, senior advocate Naveen Sinha, argued that the FIR itself was flawed, having been lodged by an Animal Welfare Officer a person not authorized under Section 55 of the Wildlife Protection Act to initiate prosecution. He also alleged that the proceedings were motivated by media sensationalism stemming from the applicants celebrity status, and that the snakes featured in the controversial video were non-poisonous pets used during the shoot without any harm caused. Further, it was contended that there was no substantive evidence linking Yadav to any offence under the NDPS Act or the Indian Penal Code, and that sections 27 and 27A of the NDPS Act were hastily invoked by police in a bid to sensationalise the arrest. However, the Additional Advocate General for the State and counsel for the complainant argued that a detailed investigation had been carried out, and a prima facie case had emerged against Yadav warranting a trial. They emphasised that the points raised by the applicant are matters of defense and ought to be considered during trial rather than at the pre-trial stage. After hearing all parties, the bench of Justice Saurabh Srivastava observed that the trial court had rightly taken cognizance after the investigating officer filed a charge-sheet based on new evidence that went beyond the original FIR. The judge remarked that popularity or position of the accused cannot be basis of extension of protection" and reiterated that every individual stands equal before the law. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The popularity or position of the accused cannot be basis of extension of protection and as per law of this land each and every person irrespective of his popularity or personality are equal in the eye of law," court observed. Holding that the issues raised by Yadavs counsel could be appropriately examined during the course of trial, the high court dismissed the application stating that it lacked merit. About the Author Salil Tiwari Salil Tiwari, Senior Special Correspondent at Lawbeat, reports on the Allahabad High Court and courts in Uttar Pradesh, however, she also writes on important cases of national importance and public interests fr... Read More Salil Tiwari, Senior Special Correspondent at Lawbeat, reports on the Allahabad High Court and courts in Uttar Pradesh, however, she also writes on important cases of national importance and public interests fr... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 14:17 IST Protecting Worlds $1.5-Trillion Coastal Economies: 7th Edition Of ICDRI Opens In France Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 15:38 IST The two-day annual conference brings together governments, UN agencies and multilateral development banks to promote disaster-resilient infrastructure in the wake of climate change Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the United Nations Climate Action Summit on 23rd September 2019, in New York, CDRI is the second major global initiative launched by India after the International Solar Alliance. The mounting disaster risks faced by the worlds most vulnerable coastal communities are at the forefront of the seventh edition of the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI-2025), which began in Nice, France, on Friday. The crucial two-day conference, organised by the CDRI, will urge the global community to fast-track resilient infrastructure in the worlds most vulnerable countries. This years focus is on coastal communities, which contribute roughly $1.5 trillion to global GDP annually a figure projected to rise to nearly $3 trillion by 2030. In addition, nearly 90% of goods moved globally are transported by sea. Recommended Stories About 37% of the worlds population lives within 100 km of the coast, where the population density is twice the global average. While all coastal areas face growing challenges, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are especially vulnerable because of their remoteness and isolation, experts say. Coastal resilience is essential for safeguarding lives, livelihoods, and economies. The conference will bridge science, policy, and finance by bringing together global voices to address shared challenges and promote collective action, particularly for vulnerable coastal communities and SIDS. Being delivered in Europe for the first time, in partnership with the Government of France, the 7th edition of CDRIs annual conference will again foster inclusive dialogue and forge action-oriented partnerships to advance the cause of disaster-resilient infrastructure," said Amit Prothi, DG, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the United Nations Climate Action Summit on 23rd September 2019, in New York, CDRI is the second major global initiative launched by India after the International Solar Alliance. A global partnership between governments, UN agencies, multilateral development banks, the private sector, and academic institutions, it serves as a platform for generating and exchanging knowledge and providing technical support to member countries. Since its formation, CDRI has forged global partnerships with as many as 49 countries. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Over the next two days, experts will discuss how coastal regions, especially SIDS, can be better equipped to withstand climate-induced hazards while ensuring economic stability. The CDRI will also launch a thought piece on Disaster-Resilient Infrastructure (DRI) for Coastal Regions at the inaugural session. Developed by expert groups, it will set the tone for discussions throughout the two-day event, including the broader third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) taking place in Nice from June 9-13. About the Author Srishti Choudhary Srishti Choudhary, Senior Assistant Editor at CNN-News18 specializes in science, environment, and climate change reporting. With over a decade of extensive field experience, she has brought incisive ground repo... Read More Srishti Choudhary, Senior Assistant Editor at CNN-News18 specializes in science, environment, and climate change reporting. With over a decade of extensive field experience, she has brought incisive ground repo... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 14:36 IST 'Taller Than Eiffel Tower': PM Modi Draws Chenab Bridge Parallel With Global Engineering Marvels Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 14:09 IST He praised the structure as not only an architectural triumph but also a powerful testament to India's growing capabilities in infrastructure and innovation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi (PTI Image) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed the Chenab Railway Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir as a symbol of Indias engineering excellence, drawing a comparison to one of the worlds most iconic landmarks. Taller than the Eiffel Tower," Modi said while addressing a gathering during the inauguration ceremony, highlighting the bridges record-breaking height of 359 meters above the riverbed. Recommended Stories He praised the structure as not only an architectural triumph but also a powerful testament to Indias growing capabilities in infrastructure and innovation. #WATCH | Katra, J&K | PM Narendra Modi says, While walking on the Chenab and Anji bridges today, I lived the lofty aspirations of India and the skill and courage of our engineers and workers." pic.twitter.com/tHvECGDotm ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2025 Prime Minister Narendra Modi also flagged off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Katra Railway Station on Friday, establishing direct rail connectivity between the Jammu region and the Kashmir Valleyanother major milestone in the regions transformative infrastructure journey. Also Read: Kashmir To Kanyakumari Is Now A Reality: PM Modi In J&K After Inaugurating Chenab Bridge top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Ahead of the flag-off, the Prime Minister interacted warmly with school children aboard the train and engaged with members of the railway staff. The new Vande Bharat service is set to significantly cut travel time between Katra and Srinagarfrom the current 67 hours by road to approximately 3 hours by railoffering a faster, more comfortable, and dependable option for residents, tourists, and pilgrims alike. The route will traverse both the Anji Khad Bridge, Indias first cable-stayed railway bridge, and the Chenab Bridge, the tallest railway arch bridge in the world, reinforcing the engineering ambition behind the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link project. About the Author Abhro Banerjee Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com as Chief Sub-Editor since 2022, covering innumerable big and small events, includ... Read More Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com as Chief Sub-Editor since 2022, covering innumerable big and small events, includ... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 13:53 IST Honeytrapped By Agent, Received Money From Abroad: How Thane Engineer Spied For Pakistan Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 12:25 IST Ravindra Verma, engineer arrested from Thane, spied by knowingly sharing classified informationincluding sketches, diagrams, and audio notes, investigations have revealed. A file photo of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (PTI) Thane engineer, who was arrested for allegedly spying and sharing sensitive information about warships and submarines to Pakistan, was lured into passing classified information after being honey-trapped by a Pakistani agent posing as a woman on Facebook. As the investigations into the case progressed, it was known that 27-year-old Ravindra Verma shared sensitive information knowingly and intentionally multiple times. Recommended Stories In exchange for the information, he received money from various bank accounts from India and abroad, according to the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). The ATS also said Verma shared sensitive information about warships and submarines to the Pakistani intelligence operative through sketches, diagrams and audio notes. As Verma worked with a defence technology firm, he had access to the Naval Dockyard in south Mumbai. He would also go on board naval ships and submarines. The ATS suspects that he also shared the names of submarines and warships to the Pakistani agent. On June 5, a court in Thane remanded Verma to 14-day judicial custody. Vermas arrest comes in line with the arrest of several others, including popular YouTubers, who have been accused of spying for Pakistan. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam terror attack, with India carrying out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10. The Indian side strongly responded to the Pakistani attempts by inflicting heavy damage to a number of key Pakistani military installations, including air bases, air defence systems, command and control centres and radar sites. On May 10, the militaries of the two countries agreed on an understanding to end the hostilities. About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. First Published: June 06, 2025, 12:25 IST Who Is Ishaan? Shashi Tharoors Journalist Son Who Questioned Congress MP On Op Sindoor Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 23:32 IST Ishan Tharoor questioned his father whether any country had asked the Indian delegation for evidence of Pakistan's involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack Shashi Tharoor and his son Ishaan | File Image Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is leading an all-party delegation to several countries, including the US, found himself in a tight situation when his journalist son asked him a question on Operation Sindoor carried out by India. Ishan Tharoor, a foreign affairs columnist at The Washington Post, questioned his father whether any country had asked the Indian delegation for evidence of Pakistans involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack in light of Islamabads repeated denials. Recommended Stories Im very glad you raised this. I didnt plant it, I promise you. This guy does this to his dad," Tharoor quipped. No one had any doubt," he added while replying to his sons question on Pakistans repeated denial of involvement in the attack. Let me say very clearly that India would not have done this without convincing evidence," the Congress leader replied. However, Shashi Tharoor admitted that the media in two or three places" did raise the question. India is not the kind of country that would undertake a military operation without a solid basis," Tharoor added during the press briefing at the Council of Foreign Relations in the US. #WATCH | Washington DC: On a question asked by his son about whether any country had asked the delegation for evidence of Pakistans involvement in the Pahalgam attack and about Pakistans repeated denials of any role in the attack, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, Im very glad pic.twitter.com/RR0tcVOwpU ANI (@ANI) June 5, 2025 Who Is Ishaan Tharoor? Ishaan Tharoor, a global affairs columnist for The Washington Post, is the son of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and currently lives and works in Washington, DC. Born in 1984 in Singapore while his father was serving as a diplomat, Ishaan also has a twin brother named Kanishk Tharoor. According to his LinkedIn profile, Ishaan earned his bachelors degree from Yale University in 2006, majoring in history and ethnicity, along with race and migration studies. During his time there, he was honoured with the Sudler fellowship. Ishaan began his journalism career in 2006 as a reporter for Time magazine, eventually becoming a senior editor based in New York City. In 2014, he joined The Washington Post, continuing his work in Washington, DC. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all From 2018 to 2020, Ishaan also served as an adjunct instructor at Georgetown Universitys School of Foreign Service, where he taught a course titled Global Affairs in the Digital Age, as noted on his LinkedIn profile. He recently gained widespread attention for a surprising exchange with his father, Shashi Tharoor, which caught many by surprise. About the Author Ronit Singh Ronit Singh, Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking News team. He has a keen focus on Indian politics and aims to cover unexplored angles. Ronit is an alumnus of Christ (Deemed to be... Read More Ronit Singh, Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking News team. He has a keen focus on Indian politics and aims to cover unexplored angles. Ronit is an alumnus of Christ (Deemed to be... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 23:32 IST Fusion Sherwani To Classic Gown: Inside Alia Bhatt's Perfect Bridesmaid Looks Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 09:35 IST After Cannes, Alia Bhatt attended her best friend's wedding in Spain. She served fashion goals as she nailed the bridesmaid glam with panache. Alia Bhatt attended her best friend's wedding in Spain after Cannes debut. Right after Alia Bhatt made a spectacular debut at the Cannes Film Festival, the actor flew straight to Spain to attend her best friend, Tanya Saha Guptas wedding. Surrounded by her girl gang and lots of love, Alia was the perfect bridesmaid. From bandhani lehengas to a contemporary take on the sherwani, Alias lookbook was refreshing. Taking to her Instagram, Alia Bhatt shared a series of pictures from Tanyas wedding in Spain. She wrote, Theres nothing softer, stronger or more sparkly than a group of girls watching their best friend marry the love of her life. The most beautiful wedding, the most beautiful bride and hearts fuller than we knew possible. Some places just feel like home ours is wherever we are together." The pictures showed Alia having the time of her life in a picturesque setting with the bride and the other bridesmaids. The pictures exuded the warmth of female friendships. Recommended Stories Lets break down Alias bridesmaid looks. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alia Bhatt (@aliaabhatt) For the mehendi celebration, Alia embraced vibrant tradition in a multicoloured bandhani lehenga designed by Arpita Mehta. The lehenga, featuring a voluminous kalidar silhouette it was paired with a mirrorwork corset-style blouse reminiscent of classic Gujarati craftsmanship. The blouse stood out with its cropped fit and seashell-embroidered hem. Adding a playful touch, she carried a matching multicoloured handbag with a strap made from the same fabric as her blouse. Completing the boho-glam look, a purple bandhani bandana was tied stylishly over her hair, paired effortlessly with gold-rimmed Gucci sunglasses and silver floral stud earrings from Tribe Amrapali. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all For the sangeet and baraat, Alia wore a coordinated look consisting of a sari-style pleated skirt, a pearl-detailed cropped blouse, and a menswear-inspired sherwani all in an elegant ivory palette. The chiffon high-waisted skirt by Shantanu & Nikhil evoked a modern sari drape, while the structured sherwani jacket, worn open, added a layer of regality with its intricate dori embroidery, pearl accents, and delicate motifs of flora and fauna. A Mandarin collar lent it a tailored edge. Accessories included a pearl-embellished rectangular clutch by the designer duo, a white kundan and bead choker, and signature Gucci sunglasses. For the wedding, Alia opted for a striking statement in a custom black gown by Rahul Mishra. The off-shoulder design featured intricate embellishment, a dramatic peplum on one side, and a thigh-high slit that added a sultry flair. Rhea Kapoor styled the final bridal morning look with sparkling closed-toe heels and standout floral stud earrings adorned with Swarovski crystals, making the ensemble a blend of edgy sophistication and couture glamour. fashion, travel, The News18 Lifestyle section brings you the latest on health food , and culture with wellness tips, celebrity style, travel inspiration, and recipes. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: June 06, 2025, 09:35 IST In Soft Pink And Silk, Mahua Moitra And Pinaki Misra Tie The Knot In Berlin Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 09:01 IST For her wedding in Berlin, Mahua Moitra ditched the bridal reds and opted for a pink hued Banarasi brocade saree that was woven with silk and real zari. Mahua Moitra shared a picture from her wedding on X. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra recently tied the knot with former BJD MP Pinaki Misra in an intimate ceremony in Berlin, Germany. The MP took to her social media to share her wedding picture. The couple was seen cutting the wedding cake. Mahua ditched the bridal reds for her wedding and opted for a soft-pink hued Banarasi silk saree. In a series of pictures doing the rounds on social media, Mahua Moitra can be seen looking stunning in a pink Banarasi brocade saree by Raw Mango. The Indian fashion brand took to their social media to share pictures of the bride looking her finest on her wedding day. Recommended Stories Take a closer look at Mahuas bridal look here. Thank you everyone for the love and good wishes!! So grateful pic.twitter.com/hbkPdE2X7z Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) June 5, 2025 For her wedding, Mahua opted for a custom Parigul saree by Raw Mango. The pale pink Baranasi brocade saree was woven with silk and real zari, and it featured rani pink meenakari work on the trellis of flowers. The Baranasi silk brocade sari takes inspiration from archival weaves. Woven in the traditional Kadwa style, the jangla design is created by weaving each motif individually using an extra weft technique, resulting in a reverse side free from floating threads. Talking about the saree, Raw Mango wrote, Seen here in the custom Parigul sari, parliamentarian Mahua Moitra during her private wedding celebrations in Berlin, Germany. The Varanasi silk brocade sari, woven with real zari and pale pink silk, draws from archival textiles and features a play of rani pink meenakari in the floral jaal. It is woven using the elaborate Kadwa technique in a jangla pattern, where each motif is woven separately utilising an extra weft insertion, and the reverse of the textile reveals the absence of thread floats. She pairs it with the pale pink Gulshera blouse in silk satin." Take a look at the picture here. View this post on Instagram A post shared by RAW MANGO (@raw_mango) top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Styled with the Gulshera blouse in silk satin, the ensemble beautifully bridged classic elegance with contemporary heirloom appeal. Mahua enhanced the look with timeless gold jewellery maang tikka, jhumkas, a choker, and a layered necklace. Her hair was adorned with a fragrant floral gajra. While Mahua stunned in pink, Pinaki chose a bespoke quilted bundi, crafted from handwoven silk in a soft shade of pale pink, bringing a refined, personalized touch to his ensemble. fashion, travel, The News18 Lifestyle section brings you the latest on health food , and culture with wellness tips, celebrity style, travel inspiration, and recipes. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: June 06, 2025, 09:01 IST Vitagro Group of Companies and leading Danish genetic company DanBred have signed an agreement to create a breeding nursery for breeding sows in Khmelnytsky region, the company's press service said. According to the statement, the Vitagro Group of Companies started the project to build a new farm in cooperation with DanBred in 2023. The farm is designed for 1,000 sows kept simultaneously and will be able to raise up to 9,000 piglets and up to 250 boars annually. The first offspring in the nursery are expected in November-December 2025, and sales on the Ukrainian market will start in early 2026. The farm will breed purebred pigs of the DanBred Yorkshire, DanBred Duroc and DanBred Landrace breeds. In addition, the main hybrids of the DanBred breeds and Duroc boars will be grown. This will provide the entire DanBred genetics line in Ukraine, and in the future, Duroc seed material will also become available. The first two batches of animals have already been delivered to Ukraine and in early June they will be delivered to the new farm. The third batch of animals will arrive in Ukraine at the end of June. "Our pig breeding department has been working with Danish genetics for more than ten years, but now this work will reach a new level, because we will be able to grow the genetics here, in Ukraine, together with our foreign partners," Project Manager at the Vitagro group of companies Ivan Varvarchyn said. In his opinion, the successful signing of the agreement also indicates that world-famous companies are actively studying promising sectors of the Ukrainian economy and, despite the risks, are ready to invest in Ukraine if they see reliable partners here. Regional Director of DanBred in Europe Stefan Derks said this step, firstly, is decisive in the development of their strategy, and secondly, it reflects their desire to invest in the development of our Ukrainian business even during the war. He added that they see prospects in Ukrainian pig farming and are confident that the industry expects rapid development. President of the Ukrainian Pig Farmers Association Oksana Yurchenko said the arrival of companies such as DanBred in Ukraine signals that Ukraine is interesting to foreign investors. "In addition, our pig farming has long since turned into a high-tech business that understands the value of global developments in genetics and actively uses them in its work," she said. DanBred is a supplier of genetics and service solutions for professional producers. DanBred reported annual revenue of EUR 147.2 million and EBITDA of EUR 8.2 million in 2024, with pre-tax profit of EUR 6 million. At the end of 2024, DanBred had local breeding nurseries in 20 countries around the world, which Ukraine has now joined. DanBred is founded by the Danish Council for Agriculture and Food, an organization that has been professionally developing Danish pig genetics for more than 120 years. Vitagro Group of Companies is one of the largest industrial groups in Ukraine with assets in the agricultural, energy, processing, construction and chemical industries. Founded and operating since 1998. It owns enterprises in Khmelnytsky, Rivne, Volyn, Ivano-Frankivsk and Kyiv regions. It cultivates about 90,000 hectares of land, and is also engaged in animal husbandry, horticulture, renewable energy, fertilizer and feed production, construction and production of building materials. During the full-scale invasion, the group built and launched 5 processing plants. Vitagro's head office is located in Khmelnytsky. According to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs, the ultimate beneficiary of the Vitagro investment company is MP Serhiy Labaziuk (parliamentary faction "For the Future"). Janhvi Kapoors Latest Look Pays A Heartfelt Tribute To Her Late Mother Sridevi Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 10:04 IST For the theatrical re-release of Sridevi's 1990 Telugu film - Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari, Janhvi Kapoor paid a tribute to her mother in a denim jacket. Janhvi Kapoor is obsessed with a jacket inspired by her mom Sridevis movie. Janhvi Kapoor never shies away from delivering a fashion moment. While the actor always stuns in haute couture pieces, she never shies away from having fun when it comes to fashion. She recently paid a heartfelt tribute to her late mother Sridevi in a custom denim jacket that was inspired by Sridevis 1990 Telugu film Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari. Taking to her Instagram, Janhvi Kapoor shared a series of pictures of herself flaunting her denim jacket. She wrote, Obsessed with this jacket!!!! Obsessssssssed with this movie!!!! I had the pleasure of rewatching the rereleased print a couple of days back and was reminded of the magic created by the whole team. Mumma is like an angel fairy princess, and so funny and so cute. @chiranjeevikonidela sir and his inimitable humour, bravado and swagger, and both of them together. Raghavendra Sirs vision. Amrish Puri sir. The music, sets, costumes, and story!!! All the actors!!!!! The revival of this new print couldnt have been executed by more able hands, and is a gift to cinema lovers today. It felt like a visual spectacle that would give our contemporary films a run for their money. Thank you for this @swapnaduttchalasani @vyjayanthimovies @nag_ashwin. Cinema at its peak. #JVAS #jagadeekaveeruduatilokasundari." Recommended Stories Take a closer look at Janhvis jacket here. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Janhvi Kapoor (@janhvikapoor) Embracing the emotion with style, Janhvi turned to high-street fashion for her latest appearance, but all eyes were on her standout retro-inspired denim jacket. Cut in a relaxed, oversized silhouette and left unbuttoned at the front, the jackets true statement came from the back featuring portrait-style images of cinematic legends Sridevi, Amrish Puri, and Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi, paying tribute to their roles in the 1990 cult hit. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all She kept the rest of her look minimal yet cool, pairing the statement jacket with a simple white crop top and sleek black denim jeans. Keeping the spotlight firmly on the jacket, she opted out of accessories. For the glam, she struck the perfect balance dewy, radiant skin paired with a soft berry blush on the cheeks, and a peach-toned matte lipstick lending a subtle, natural finish. For the eyes, she kept things clean and fresh, just curled lashes coated with mascara. Defined brows and softly tousled waves left open completed the look. With the theatrical re-release of Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari, Janhvi had the rare chance to relive her mother Sridevis iconic performance on the big screen. fashion, travel, The News18 Lifestyle section brings you the latest on health food , and culture with wellness tips, celebrity style, travel inspiration, and recipes. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: June 06, 2025, 10:04 IST Meenaakshi Chaudhary Embraces Understated Elegance In A Mustard-Hued Gown Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 13:41 IST Meenakshi Chaudhary opted for a mustard coloured one-shoulder gown for her latest look. She shared the pictures on her social media. The actor was styled by Natashaa Bothra. Best known for her role as Sumathi Kumar in Dulquer Salmaans 2024 Telugu crime drama film Lucky Baskhar, Meenaakshi Chaudhary is currently gearing up for her upcoming projects with Navin Pollishetty and Naga Chaitanya. Amidst her professional commitments, the actor took to her social media to share pictures of her latest look. For her latest OOTD, Meenaakshi opted for a mustard coloured one-shoulder scalloped gown. Taking to her Instagram, Meenaakshi Chaudhary shared a series of pictures of her latest look. She captioned the pictures with clover leaf emojis. The pictures showed her striking some regal poses against a wood panelled wall as she stunned in a mustard-hued one-shoulder gown by John & Ananth. Recommended Stories Take a closer look at Meenaakshis OOTD here. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Meenaakshi Chaudhary (@meenakshichaudhary006) For her latest look, Meenaakshi wore a bold mustard yellow one-shoulder gown from Indian luxury couturiers John & Ananth, known for their structural silhouettes and refined craftsmanship. The gown came with a striking scalloped neckline that artfully frames the collarbone, adding an architectural edge to the timeless one-shoulder silhouette. Expertly tailored, the bodice contoured her figure before cascading into a dramatic, floor-grazing trail, bringing both fluidity and red carpet drama to the ensemble. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all To complement the sleek elegance of the gown, she opted for bold statement jewellery: oversized drop earrings and a stack of rings that add just the right amount of sparkle without distracting from the gowns refined structure. She styled her hair in a textured messy bun, injecting a touch of effortless cool and balancing the sophistication with a hint of softness. For the glam, she went with a subtle, dewy makeup palette with warm undertones, enhancing her features while keeping the overall focus firmly on the ensemble. Meenaakshi rose to prominence after being crowned Miss Grand India 2018. A former national-level swimmer, she made her acting debut in Telugu cinema and has since earned praise for her screen presence and versatility. Known for her elegant charm and grounded personality, Meenakshi was last seen in Anil Ravipudis Telugu action comedy movie, Sankranthiki Vasthunam. fashion, travel, The News18 Lifestyle section brings you the latest on health food , and culture with wellness tips, celebrity style, travel inspiration, and recipes. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: June 06, 2025, 13:41 IST When Is Nirjala Ekadashi At Khatu Shyam Temple? Check Mangal Aarti Timings Curated By : Translation Desk-Local18 Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 09:46 IST Lakhs of devotees are expected at Khatu Shyam Temple on Nirjala Ekadashi. With Mangala Aarti at 5am, the temple will stay open for darshan round the clock To ensure a smooth and comfortable experience, the Shri Shyam Mandir Committee and the local administration have made extensive arrangements. (News18 Hindi) Crowds of devotees continue to gather at the renowned Baba Khatu Shyam temple in Rajasthans Sikar district. Pilgrims from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Haryana, and various parts of the country, as well as from abroad, are arriving in large numbers. With Nirjala Ekadashi falling on June 6 (Friday) this year, a massive turnout is expected at the temple. To ensure a smooth and comfortable experience, the Shri Shyam Mandir Committee and the local administration have made extensive arrangements. Fans, coolers, and ample cold water facilities have been set up across the temple premises to help devotees cope with the summer heat. Recommended Stories Huge Turnout Anticipated On Nirjala Ekadashi The temple committee and administrative authorities are holding regular meetings to coordinate crowd management and ensure orderly darshan on June 6. There are 24 Ekadashis in a year, two each month, and each is marked by a significant influx of devotees. Among these, Nirjala Ekadashi holds special spiritual significance. On this day, lakhs of devotees are expected to reach the temple. Starting with the Mangala Aarti at 5am, the temple will remain open for darshan throughout the day and night. Facilities For Devotees Chairman of the Shri Shyam Mandir Committee, Manvendra Singh Chauhan, said that special measures have been taken to protect devotees from the heat. Carpets have been laid on walking paths for those arriving barefoot. Cold water is being sprayed along village roads from tankers, and free water pouches are being distributed throughout the temple complex. In anticipation of the large crowd on Nirjala Ekadashi, security arrangements have also been bolstered. In addition to temple guards, local police, the Reserve Police Line, and the RAC will be deployed to ensure safety and crowd control. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Dedicated Arrangements For Disabled Devotees Special arrangements have been made for disabled visitors. To help them access darshan comfortably, additional wheelchairs have been provided. Volunteers from the temple committee will assist disabled devotees through a dedicated Divyang line that bypasses the general queue. Furthermore, extra traffic police will be deployed to manage vehicular flow in and around Khatu town. fashion, travel, The News18 Lifestyle section brings you the latest on health food , and culture with wellness tips, celebrity style, travel inspiration, and recipes. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! Location : Sikar, India, India First Published: June 06, 2025, 09:46 IST Deepika Padukone Demanded Rs 25-Cr, 10% Profit Cut For Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Spirit? | Exclusive Reported By : News18.com Edited By: Yatamanyu Narain Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 21:38 IST Deepika Padukone Spirit Remuneration: Deepika Padukone reportedly demanded 25 cr, 10% profit cut and refused to mouth Telugu dialogues for Spirit, claims a source. Deepika Padukones exit from Sandeep Reddy Vangas Spirit wasnt just about work-life balance. Deepika Padukone Spirit Controversy: Last month, Deepika Padukones exit from Sandeep Reddy Vangas upcoming film Spirit grabbed a lot of attention. Reportedly, her demands an 8-hour-working shift, a profit cut sharing and a ballpark remuneration of Rs 20 crore didnt sit well with the makers, which led her being ousted from the Prabhas starrer. In reaction, Vanga took to X to share a cryptic post, allegedly pointing at Padukone and called her out for her dirty PR games, putting down a younger actor and leaking key plot points from the story. The row led to conversations surrounding sexism, working conditions and work hours, particularly for new mothers, with Mani Ratnam, Ajay Devgn and Saif Ali Khan defending her demands. Now, News18 Showsha has exclusively learnt the real reason that led the makers of Spirit to drop her from the film and replace her with Triptii Dimri. News18 reached out to Deepika Padukones team for a comment, but they had not responded till the time this story was published. Recommended Stories There seems to be a deliberate attempt to control the narrative," a source close to the development revealed to us, adding, The actress perception team is struggling to come to terms with her replacement and is conveniently spinning her exit as a work-life balance decision. But the reality is quite different." According to the source, the real reasons behind the exit are far more practical and rooted in professional disagreements. The actor had reportedly demanded 25 crores for approximately 35 days of shoot, along with a 10% profit share, extensive entourage expenses, and even expressed unwillingness to deliver dialogues in Telugusomething the director felt strongly about. To top it off, confidential plot details from Spirit were allegedly leaked, which raised serious concerns among the producers," the insider stated. Contrary to speculation, her restricted filming schedule of under 8 hours a day was never the primary issue. In filmmaking, working hours are fluid and depend on location, lighting, and various technical factors. You could shoot for 2 hours or 8, depending on the scene. What truly matters is flexibility, collaboration, and respect for the craft," the source emphasised. Citing examples from the industry, the source pointed out that actors from south have learned Hindi to deliver their own dialogues. Its about commitment. Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga believes actors speaking their own lines builds authenticity and emotional connect with the audience," the source remarked. Clarifying about the rumour, the source continued, Also using this situation many are commenting on the work life balance without knowing the facts and understanding repercussions a production/director can face, this is not just misleading; its unfair. This isnt about hours or schedules, its about unreasonable demands, lack of adaptability, and unprofessional conduct." On a related note, Padukones remarks during an interview with Vogue Arabia grabbed attention, which according to netizens resonated with the ongoing controversy. Whenever Im faced with complicated or difficult situations, to be able to listen to my inner voice and just stand by decisions that really give me a lot of peace is when I feel most in equilibrium, she said. About the Author Titas Chowdhury Titas Chowdhury is a Principal Correspondent at News18 Showsha. She writes about cinema, music and gender in cinema. Interviewing actors and filmmakers, writing about latest trends in showbiz and bringing break... Read More Titas Chowdhury is a Principal Correspondent at News18 Showsha. She writes about cinema, music and gender in cinema. Interviewing actors and filmmakers, writing about latest trends in showbiz and bringing break... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 20:05 IST BTS Jin And J-Hope Suit Up In New Classic Version Photos Ahead Of Festa 2025 Published By : Trending Desk Last Updated: June 05, 2025, 09:11 IST The agency released the pictures on Weverse, where Jin and J-Hope were dressed in black suits, exuding charm effortlessly. BTS will be celebrating their 12th anniversary on June 13. (Photo Credits: X) As the calendar has flipped to June, a familiar excitement has stirred in the hearts of millions across the globe as they are ready to celebrate their favourite artist, BTS, once again. The renowned South Korean boy group marks its debut anniversary on June 13 every year in an event called Festa. This year, the septet will be marking their 12th anniversary, a celebration special in many ways. One of them being the groups reunion after a nearly three-year-long hiatus due to the members mandatory military service. To create some more hype around this years Festa, BTS agency BigHit Music dropped a set of new pictures of Jin and J-Hope, who are already out of their military service. On Wednesday, June 4, the agency released the pictures on Weverse titled Classic Version", where Jin and J-Hope were dressed in black suits, exuding charm effortlessly. Recommended Stories Jins pictures were taken against a cool bluish background, and his elegance radiated through every shot. J-Hope, BTS sunshine, posed with his signature charisma in front of a warm orange hue. In some photos, the two BTS members also posed together, showcasing their goofy sides. Fans were instantly in love with the pictures of the two, with many commenting how handsome they looked in the photographs. #JIN AND #JHOPE PHOTOS #2025BTSFESTA The 2025 edition of FESTA is more than a celebration. Its a countdown to BTS much-awaited comeback as a complete group. The month-long festivities kicked off on May 31 with a heartwarming surprise. ARMYs were treated to a video titled [2025 FESTA] BTS News" featuring Jin and J-Hope. In it, Jin played an anchor, whereas J-Hope was the energetic field reporter. The segment served as a hilarious take on a news bulletin. The clip also featured some behind-the-scenes moments and a look at BTS journey, from their humble beginnings to becoming one of the biggest artists in the world. Like every year, this years Festa theme is Twelve OClock". It is inspired by BTS heartfelt track 00:00 (Zero OClock), which is about starting fresh and the quiet power of new beginnings. Taking up the excitement to a notch higher, BigHit Music revealed that they will be organising a two-day, offline event to be held on June 13 and 14 at the KINTEX 2 Exhibition Center in South Korea to mark BTS 12th anniversary. The excitement around the Festa event has increased manifold as RM and V are getting discharged on June 10, followed by Jimin and Jungkook on June 11. Suga will be relieved from his mandatory service on June 21. First Published: June 05, 2025, 09:11 IST Shine Tom Chacko's Father Dies In Road Accident, Actor Admitted To Hospital Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 11:17 IST Malayalam actor Shine Tom Chacko's father, CP Chacko, passed away in a road accident near Bengaluru on Friday. Shine Tom Chacko's Father Dies In Road Accident, Actor Admitted To Hospital Actor Shine Tom Chackos father, CP Chacko, passed away in a road accident near Bengaluru on Friday morning, reports Manorama News. Shine, his mother, brother, and driver were injured and quickly taken to the hospital after the accident. The accident occurred around 7 am near Palakottai, close to Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu, while the family was traveling by car from Ernakulum to Bengaluru. Eyewitnesses reported that their vehicle collided with a truck in front of them, leading to injuries for all five occupants. Despite being rushed to the hospital, CP Chacko succumbed to his injuries. The injured are currently receiving treatment at the government hospital in Palakottai. Recommended Stories According to Manorama, Shines brother was in the front seat with the driver, while his father and mother were in the middle seat. Shine Tom Chacko, who was asleep in the rear seat, sustained injuries to his right hand. Dharmapuri Superintendent of Police SS Maheswaran confirmed the death of Shine Tom Chackos father, while speaking with NDTV, and said that actor Shine Tom is being treated". The report states that local police have registered a case and investigation into the accident is underway. Another police officer told NDTV, We would expedite the post mortem procedure and help the family." Shine Tom Chacko is a popular actor and former assistant director, predominantly working in the Malayalam film industry. He began his career as an assistant director to renowned director Kamal before transitioning to acting. Chacko made his acting debut with the film Khaddama in 2011. However, he gained recognition for his villainous performance in the 2019 film, Ishq. For this movie, Shine Tom also received the Best Actor in a Negative Role (Malayalam) award at the SIIMA 2019. Chacko is also known for films like Who (2018), Unda (2019), Bhoomiyile Manohara Swakaryam (2020), Operation Java (2021), and Wolf (2021). First Published: June 06, 2025, 09:58 IST Harnessing Public-Private Partnerships: A Strategic Path To Achieve India's Net Zero Goals, Water Security Written By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 14:07 IST Water conservation is essential to Indias net-zero ambitions, given its deep influence on the environment and society. Indias contribution for global warming has been minimal and even today its annual per capita emissions are only about one-third of the global average. (Image: PTI) India is an emerging economy where Green House Gas (GHG) emissions are set to increase, albeit from a low base, in pursuit of its development and poverty eradication goals. Indias historical cumulative emissions from 1850 to 2019 amount to less than 4 per cent of cumulative carbon dioxide emissions of the world from the pre-industrial era, despite being home to 17 per cent of the worlds population. Hence, Indias contribution for global warming has been minimal and even today its annual per capita emissions are only about one-third of the global average . During the 26th session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (COP 26) in November, 2021, India announced its target to achieve net zero by 2070. Indias long-term low-carbon development strategy is based on the principles of equity and climate justice and the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities. Recommended Stories Water conservation is essential to Indias net-zero ambitions, given its deep influence on the environment and society. As a country largely dependent on agriculture, industry, and domestic use, India is confronting significant water scarcity issues that are worsened by climate change and rising population. Large parts of India are already close to a crisis as the taps are running dry. The subcontinent, paradoxically blessed with abundant rainfall, faces one of the gravest water shortages of any large economy. Insights from Water Research Institute of India (WRI) and NITI Aayog reveal that India ranks 13th among 17 countries facing extreme water stress. Over the past decade, major urban centres such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai have repeatedly grappled with acute water shortages. Further, between 2017 and 2021, power plants in India lost 8.2 TWh of generation due to water shortages equivalent to the energy consumption of 1.5 million homes over five years. The reasons are not elusive. They lie in decades of groundwater overextraction, haphazard urban growth, population explosion, poor infrastructure, and the creeping, often overlooked, consequences of climate change. According to the World Economic Forums Global Risks Report 2025, the impact of this crisis falls heaviest on the shoulders of the marginalised, urban poor, and industry-reliant regions, where water scarcity is not just inconvenient but economically calamitous. Sustainable water conservation and management are crucial for climate change adaptation and also play a key role in lowering carbon emissions. Renewable Energy generation and Green Hydrogen production that significantly contribute to GHG emission reductions by displacing fossil fuel in hard to abate sectors also are heavily reliant on water availability. By prioritising measures for water efficiency, India can advance its goal of achieving net zero emissions. In such a scenario, the private sector can become key partners for the Government and act as co-stewards of this water conservation movement. Water is No Longer Just an Environmental Risk. It is a Strategic One Once pushed down to the appendices of CSR reports, water has now moved to the top tier of corporate concern. It has become a strategic variable that is central to supply chain stability, ESG ratings, and most importantly investor trust. Further, many strategies of the private and public sector corporates for achieving their net zero targets are directly or indirectly connected to water management. Indias policy regime is also gradually catching up. SEBIs Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) framework now obliges companies to disclose their water usage and risks. Yet regulation alone cannot repair aquifers or replenish rivers. What is needed is a transformation in how businesses engage with water, starting with how they value it. Innovation, Community & Collaboration Across the globe, large corporates are setting ambitious sustainability goalsranging from net-zero commitments to circularity targets. Amazon, for instance, has made significant progress in clean energy adoption, becoming the worlds largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy. Its operations are increasingly powered by wind and solar farms, including new projects in India. The company has also undertaken robust waste management effortscutting down single-use plastics in packaging and promoting reusable delivery options in key markets. Water, too, is emerging as a crucial frontier in this sustainability journey. Businesses are beginning to shift from being consumers of water to custodians of it. This new water ethic rests on three foundational pillars: operational efficiency, ecosystem replenishment, and collaborative governance. On efficiency, technology is making the invisible visible. Smart metering, leak detection systems, and real-time water monitoring are enabling companies to reduce usage and minimise waste. On ecosystem replenishment, Private Sectors water stewardship efforts are exemplified through projects such as lake restoration projects in Bengalurus Yamare Lake and Hyderabads Sai Reddy Lake, by Amazon in collaboration with SayTrees. These lakesconsidered vital lifelines for their respective citieshad long suffered from neglect, sedimentation, and flood risks due to urban sprawl. The restoration, once complete, is expected to replenish over 570 million litres of water annually, tripling their storage capacity and revitalising the surrounding ecosystem. This aligns with Amazons broader goal of becoming a water-positive company in Indiareturning more water to communities than it consumes. The third pillar is collaborative governance, which determines whether these efforts scale. Coca-Cola India is a strong examplereplenishing over 200% of the water it uses through joint projects with NGOs and government agencies. These include the rehabilitation of local water bodies and community infrastructure, contributing directly to the fulfilment of SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation. Crucially, the government is creating an enabling environment. Flagship programmes such as the Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Atal Bhujal Yojana, and the Catch the Rain campaign are revitalising traditional water systems, promoting aquifer recharge, and encouraging citizen participation. The convergence of public initiatives and private sector innovation offers a compelling case for blending capital with credibilityand for redefining how sustainability goals are met. Water, once considered an operational input, is now being recognised as a shared resourceessential to climate resilience, community well-being, and long-term business continuity. When companies take on the responsibility not just to conserve, but to restore and replenish, they become true partners in sustainable development. Culture of Water Accountability is the Next Corporate Imperative Water sustainability can no longer be seen as a philanthropic gesture or a regulatory checkbox. It must become embedded in the architecture of enterprise, reflected in capital allocation by both public and private enterprises, boardroom discourse, and operational design. A clear ecosystem where public and private enterprises come together for a common cause is the need of the day. This is about mitigating risk and pre-empting disruption. It is also about building trust with communities who live with the consequences of corporate choices. And above all, it is about recognising that the most valuable asset any company holds in a warming world is not its brand equity or its patents. It is its social licence to operate. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Prioritising water conservation supports Indias net-zero objectives by enhancing agricultural sustainability, encouraging eco-friendly industrial practices, and advancing social equity. By understanding the linkages between water, energy, and emissions, Indias focus on conserving water can play a vital role in reaching its overall climate and environmental targets. Indias water future will not be shaped solely by climate change. It will be written in boardrooms, and through partnerships. The question is no longer whether business should lead. It is a clarion call for public and private sector to come together. Namrata Mukherjee is former Chief of Party, USAID South Asia Regional Energy Partnership (SAREP). Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. About the Author Namrata Mukherjee Namrata Mukherjee is Former Chief of Party, USAID South Asia Regional Energy Partnership (SAREP). Namrata Mukherjee is Former Chief of Party, USAID South Asia Regional Energy Partnership (SAREP). First Published: June 06, 2025, 14:07 IST Opinion | As Trump's Musk Falls Off At Home, US Reveals Its Two-Faced Foreign Policy Written By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 11:17 IST While Trump rode to power lashing out against Islamist terror and the US Deep States policy of nurturing it across the world, he has chosen the continuation of the same. Elon Musk and Donald Trump's differences are now out in the public. (Reuters Image) Billionaire Elon Musk is not the only friendly piece falling out of US President Donald Trumps chessboard. He has lost way more friends abroad. Europeans even many in the Right dislike him. The Japanese, one of the USs closest allies, have recently railed against American extortionists" after Trump unleashed a tariff war. Israel is seething quietly after Trump started talking about being close to a deal with Iran. Canada deeply resents being called a colony of the US. Recommended Stories Indians had widely cheered Trumps second coming. They even endured the absurd tariffs in the spirit that the US President is entitled to out his nations interests first. But there is now a great sense of betrayal after Trumps narcissistic trumpeting for mediation during the latest India-Pakistan skirmish and then reserving high praise for Pakistan. The Trump familys crypto-currency investments in Pakistan have apparently worked wonders. World Liberty Financial (WLF), founded in 2024, is 60 per cent owned by Donald Trumps sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr, along with his son-in-law Jared Kushner. WLF founder Zachary Witkoff is the son of real estate tycoon and longtime Trump friend Steve Witkoff and now serves as a US special envoy. The Pakistan agreement reportedly marks WLFs most important international venture to date. Pakistans investment deal with Donald Trumps family-linked crypto firm is paying rich dividends.Trump effectively bailed out Pakistan during its recent military standoff with India, claiming that he used economic-sanctions threat to compel India to halt its military Brahma Chellaney (@Chellaney) June 5, 2025 Pakistans broken economy is being gifted to Trumps crypto projects, with tacit push from the Pakistan Army. The crypto deal could well be the cover for political favours and Pakistans flourishing terror factory. The Pakistan episode also reveals two faces of Donald Trump. While he rode to power lashing out against Islamist terror and the US Deep States policy of nurturing it for strategic use (or misuse) across the world, he has chosen the continuation of the same. Trump, for instance, had openly criticised Bangladeshs caretaker Muhammad Yunus government for throwing minorities to jihadi wolves. After he got elected as President, he exhorted PM Narendra Modi to have his say in the neighbourhood. But lately the US State Department has been pushing for the Chittagong corridor in Bangladesh against Indias wishes. Advance US Air Force and CIA teams have been regularly visiting Dhaka for that purpose. Also, the US government has shown no urgency in removing Yunus and restoring electoral democracy. Nor did it criticise the banning of Awami Leagues activities. The Trump administration has shown the same double face in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It is hard to tell whether it is dumping Ukraine or doubling down against Russia. As Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth has been the first to reject a 2022 Ramstein Air Base-format summit of Volodymyr Zelenskys supporters. But US weapons are still rolling into Ukraine. U.S. DUMPING Ukraine or DOUBLING DOWN?Pete Hegseth is the first Pentagon chief to bail on a Ramstein-format summit of Volodymyr Zelenskys backers yet US weapons are still rolling into Ukraine. Whats the real story here? pic.twitter.com/Uuvc1QlYye Sputnik (@SputnikInt) June 4, 2025 Ukraine is unleashing a fire-stream from the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), a light, wheeled multiple rocket launcher developed by the US Army. The rockets rain on Russian energy sites, Crimea, and the Donetsk and Lugansk Peoples Republics, allegedly leaving a long civilian blood trail. US military aid for Ukraine includes everything from Altius-600 UAVs to Phoenix Ghost loitering munitions. Donald Trumps March 2025 freeze stopped new military aid. But a USD 310 million F-16 aircraft agreement was signed in May covering spare parts, software updates, and pilot training for Ukraine. America also approved Germanys handover of 125 long-range rockets and 100 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, according to reports. This keeps the war on something Trump ostensibly was keen to end in spite of Russia pounding Ukraines shrinking stockpile and knocking out Patriot systems. And the US continues to share intelligence with Ukraine in the guise of defensive operations". Elon Musks Starlink satellite Internet service still operates in Ukraine. Incidentally, Musk has also signed a Starlink deal with the troubled and mismanaged Bangladesh. Under the new 5 per cent GDP target, military aid to Ukraine will count as defense spending", Euractiv reports. In effect, NATOs budget just got a shot in the arm. A majority of Ukraines long-range missiles, artillery, and ballistic air-defence systems are still manufactured in the US. Even with steadfast ally Israel, Trump is trying to talk up an Iran deal without Bibis consent. He went to press forbidding Tel Aviv from scuttling his peace overture to Iran. Tehran has swiftly rejected the deal and is writing its own proposal. In short, Trump is fast losing trust globally and at home because of his highly transactional approach, over-reliance on the power of whim and unpredictability, and willingness to sacrifice even the core ideological commitments to the slightest prospect of a business deal. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all At some point, the politician in him has to rein in the businessman. Else, many Trump towers will be built worldwide, but Americas credibility will crumble. Abhijit Majumder is a senior journalist. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. First Published: June 06, 2025, 11:12 IST OPINION | Trump, Putin & The Nuclear Flashpoints: Iran's Defiance And Ukraine's Escalation Written By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 10:59 IST Trump says he and Putin agreed that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Putin even hinted he might step in to help mediate. Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump are pictured before a meeting in Helsinki, on July 16, 2018. (Image: AFP/File) Seventy-five minutes Thats how long US President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 4. On the table: two of the most volatile geopolitical flashpoints today: Irans nuclear program and Ukraines drone strikes on Russian airfields. But beyond the headlines, this conversation raises far more questions than it answers about US foreign policy, nuclear risk, and Trumps diplomatic calculus. IRANS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS Recommended Stories Trump says he and Putin agreed that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon." Putin even hinted he might step in to help mediate. But can Russia, Irans closest nuclear collaborator, really be trusted to broker a deal? Former United States Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, criticised Trumps outreach to Putin, stating, Russia has been receiving drones and ballistic missiles from Iran to use in its aggression against Ukraine. Iran and Russia are partners. It is ludicrous to think we would allow Putin to be chief negotiator between the U.S. and Iran. Irans Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, has already slammed the U.S. proposal to halt uranium enrichment calling it arrogant and rejecting any compromise. But this isnt just posturing. It reflects deep-rooted distrust. Iran still remembers the US withdrawal from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action the JCPOA during Trumps first term. That deal, brokered under Obama, had curbed Irans enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief. But Trump tore it up in 2018, reinstating sanctions and vowing a tougher deal. Since then, Iran has seen every American overture as temporary at best deceptive at worst. Khameneis rejection is not just of Trumps current proposal, but of what Iran sees as a pattern of broken promises and pressure tactics dressed up as diplomacy. This comes after the five rounds of US-Iran nuclear talks, mediated by Oman, have gone nowhere. Trump blames Iran for slowwalking" negotiations. But critics say his pressure-cooker diplomacy deadlines, demands, threats may only deepen Irans resistance. UKRAINE STRIKE & RUSSIAS THREAT The call also came in the aftermath of Ukraines dramatic June 1 drone strikes, code-named Operation Spiderweb, which destroyed multiple nuclear-capable Russian bombers across four airbases Estimated cost to Moscow? 7 billion dollars. Strategic damage? Even greater these werent just any aircraft. They were part of Russias nuclear triad. In his call with Putin, Trump said he was briefed on the attack and acknowledged Putins strong warning that Russia would retaliate. But what he didnt say may matter more: There was no explicit US condemnation of Russias retaliation threats. Foreign policy experts say Trumps failure to push back against Putins warnings sends the wrong signal. Theres also growing alarm about the nuclear implications. Ukraines strikes targeted key components of Russias nuclear triad, triggering fears of escalation. Keith Kellogg, Trumps special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, warned that miscalculation could have catastrophic consequences. THE PUTIN PROBLEM Trumps reliance on Putin as both a problem-solver in Ukraine and a nuclear mediator on Iran raises eyebrows. Yes, he calls their conversation good." But just weeks ago, he labeled Putin absolutely crazy." This split-screen strategy flattery one day, condemnation the next sends mixed signals to allies and adversaries alike. And then theres the optics: trusting a Kremlin strongman who arms Iran and threatens Ukraine, to be a force for global stability? Critics and even some allies arent convinced. STRATEGIC FALLOUT Trumps foreign policy is increasingly defined by high-stakes one-on-ones and off-script diplomacy. But with nuclear threats looming on two fronts Ukraine and Iran this moment demands clarity, not contradictions. A call like this couldve offered a reset. Instead, it revealed a policy playing out on the fly reactive, not strategic. And for Ukraine, Iran, and even Israel, the message from Washington remains unclear: What exactly is the U.S. willing to deter and what is it willing to allow? top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all A good conversation," says Trump. But in geopolitics, words without direction can be dangerous. With two nuclear hotspots on the boil, diplomacy must do more than delay disaster it must prevent it. And that will take more than phone calls. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. About the Author Griha Atul Griha Atul is a broadcast journalist with 19 years of experience and currently an anchor at CNN News18. While film journalism has been a longstanding forte, she does incisive political interviews and policy deb... Read More Griha Atul is a broadcast journalist with 19 years of experience and currently an anchor at CNN News18. While film journalism has been a longstanding forte, she does incisive political interviews and policy deb... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 10:59 IST Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 08:27 IST 1 / 10 As the summer season sets in, one of the most awaited delights is the arrival of mangoes. When the scorching heat leaves people drained, mangoes offer a refreshing respite with their juicy flavour and sweetness. Do you know the top mango-producing countries of the world? You might be surprised to learn that India tops this list as the largest producer of mangoes. In fact, nearly half of the worlds mango supply comes from India. (News18 Hindi) 2 / 10 India ranks number one on this list. Almost 50% of all mangoes grown globally are cultivated in our country. Mangoes are grown in several Indian states, but Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra are the largest contributors. (News18 Hindi) ADVERTISEMENT 3 / 10 Uttar Pradesh leads India in mango production, accounting for around 2526% of the countrys total output. The state produces approximately 4.5 million metric tonnes of mangoes every year. The fertile Ganges basin, favourable climate, and age-old mango farming traditions contribute to this success. Popular mango varieties such as Dussehri, Langra, Chaunsa, and Safeda, grown in regions like Malihabad, Saharanpur, and Lucknow, are widely appreciated both in India and abroad. (News18 Hindi) 4 / 10 These numbers are based on the latest data from the year 20232024. According to this report, India holds the top global position, while Uttar Pradesh leads domestically. Mango is often referred to as the King of Fruits not only because of its sweet and delicious taste but also due to its high nutritional value. It is rich in essential nutrients like vitamins A, C, and E, which are extremely beneficial for health. (News18 Hindi) ADVERTISEMENT 5 / 10 India produces about 25 million metric tonnes of mangoes annually, meaning nearly half of the worlds mangoes come from here. The countrys diverse climate and fertile soil support the cultivation of many varieties, including Alphonso, Kesar, and Dussehri. Mangoes are also deeply rooted in Indian culture and festivals, making them much more than just a seasonal fruit. (News18 Hindi) 6 / 10 China comes in second, producing around 3.8 million metric tonnes of mangoes every year. Cultivation is mostly concentrated in the southern parts of the country, where the climate is warmer. To meet rising domestic demand and boost exports, China is steadily expanding its mango farming areas. (News18 Hindi) ADVERTISEMENT 7 / 10 Indonesia is ranked third, with an annual mango production of about 3.6 million metric tonnes. It's hot and humid climate, particularly in regions like Java and Sumatrais perfect for mango cultivation. The Gedong Ginchu mango is especially popular in Indonesia. (News18 Hindi) 8 / 10 Pakistan stands at fourth place, producing approximately 2.7 million metric tonnes of mangoes per year. Its warm climate and fertile soil are ideal for growing mangoes. Pakistani varieties like Chaunsa and Sindhari are cherished globally for their sweetness and distinctive taste. (News18 Hindi) ADVERTISEMENT 9 / 10 Mexico holds the fifth position with an annual production of about 2.4 million metric tonnes of mangoes. It is also one of the worlds leading mango exporters. Varieties such as Ataulfo and Tommy Atkins are commonly exported to international markets. Mango cultivation plays a key role in Mexicos agricultural economy. (News18 Hindi) On June 4, the China (Anhui) Trade and Investment Promotion Conference and Haike Roundtable was held in Tokyo, Japan. The event was jointly organized by the Anhui Provincial Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Japan-China Economic Association. The conference focused on leading, emerging, and future industries, promoting Anhuis investment environment and cooperation projects. It invited political and business guests from China and Japan for face-to-face exchanges to expand cooperation opportunities, assist Anhui enterprises in going global, and attract Japanese investment enterprises to come in. Attendees included Manabu Takamizawa, Director of the Japan-China Economic Association; Zheng Dongtao, Director of the Anhui Provincial Council for the Promotion of International Trade; Zhu Xunyi, Deputy Director of the Anhui Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism; Huang Xingyuan, Chinese Director of the Japan-China Friendship Center; Huang Ping, President of the General Corporation-Association of HuiShang in Japan; and other government and business representatives from Anhui and Japan. Zheng Dongtao reviewed the long history of exchanges between Anhui and Japan. He expressed hope that the World Expo would provide an opportunity to promote in-depth dialogue and cultural exchanges between Huangshan and Mount Fuji, and between ancient villages in southern Anhui and townhouses in Kyoto. At the same time, Anhui is willing to deepen mutual learning and practical cooperation with Japan in high-end manufacturing, energy conservation and environmental protection, green energy, digital economy, and other fields. Zhu Xunyi introduced the rapid development of Anhuis culture and tourism sector, highlighting Anhuis efforts to build the Southern Anhui International Cultural Tourism Demonstration Zone centered on Huangshan. Anhuis cultural tourism features are diverse, boasting famous mountains such as Huangshan and Jiuhua Mountain and abundant hot spring resources. The prospects for cultural tourism investment are broad. Anhui actively promotes cultural tourism projects and has established an industrial investment fund. Zhu also detailed three key projects: Huangshan Hot Spring Resort, Lujiang Countys Fanhuayuan Cultural Tourism Complex, and Chuzhou Citys Dalangya Mountain Tourism Resort, with a total investment of 14 billion yuan, aiming to build world-class leisure and vacation destinations. At the conference, five representatives from the Japanese business communityincluding Satoshi Yamanobe, Executive Officer of Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd., and Kentaro Maruki, Executive Officer and Head of China Business Promotion at Mizuho Bankalong with five Anhui enterprise representatives including Yan Lijun, Executive Deputy General Manager of Anhui Gujing Group, spoke in turn. They shared insights and offered suggestions for economic and trade investment cooperation between Anhui and Japan. Participants engaged in deep exchanges included Itochu Corporation, Marubeni Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric, H.I.S., Komura-Tech, Shibaura Machine Co., Ltd., TPR Corporation, TRESBO, Japan VE Association, Nishimura & Asahi Law Firm, UPRISE, and Mitsubishi UFJ Bank (MUFG Bank). Source: Anhuinews.com The Ministry of Health proposed requirement for full disclosure of the content of marketing agreements with pharmacies causes surprise among the international pharmaceutical community, Sanofi's public relations manager in Ukraine Natalia Baranovska said. "Such a point of the new procedure [proposed by the Ministry of Health], as full disclosure of marketing agreements, caused considerable surprise among the international pharmaceutical community. We specifically analyzed the compliance of the proposed norms with European practice, in particular, in France, and did not find similar requirements for the mandatory disclosure of detailed commercial information, including for manufacturers of OTC medicines," she told Interfax-Ukraine, commenting on the Ministry of Health proposals for regulating marketing in the pharmaceutical market. Baranovska said that "in fact, the market's pharmaceutical operators are obliged to submit detailed information about each concluded marketing agreement and promotion services to the State Health Service with its subsequent publication to the general public." "Such a practice is not typical for EU countries, and the information itself has signs of commercial sensitivity that is not subject to open disclosure," she said. The expert said that as of June 5, the final text of the proposed rules for marketing medicines by the Ministry of Health has not been published, however, "there have been repeated discussions." She also said Sanofi operates in the prescription segment, in which "the issue of limiting marketing payments in percentage terms is generally not relevant." "We do not order any marketing activities and services for the promotion of medicines, other services related to the sale of medicines to the end consumer in places of retail trade in medicines, that is, in pharmacies," she said. In addition, Baranovska said that a complete ban on marketing in the retail pharmaceutical market has been in effect since March. "We have had three months of complete lack of marketing activity in pharmacies. Therefore, before implementing new approaches, it is advisable to analyze the cause-and-effect relationships and economic consequences of the restrictions already in place," she said, commenting on the impact of marketing restrictions on medicine prices. For his part, Head of the legal department of Sanofi in Ukraine Oleksandr Yanev said "the application of the category of 'promotional services' to the relationship between manufacturers and pharmacies is conceptually incorrect and the introduction of new regulations regarding the obligations of business entities in the field of the sale of medicines, in particular, the definition of the terms 'promotional services' and 'contracts, the subject of which is the provision of promotional services,' which are terminologically uncertain and legally inconsistent, 'causes justified concern in the professional community." "The formulations enshrined in the law [on medicines] contradict the basic principles of industry regulation. In particular, in the current practice of carrying out promotional activities, concluding contracts with pharmacies is not necessary or legally stipulated. The promotion of medicines is, in essence, a systematic activity of medical representatives of pharmaceutical companies to inform a professional audience, and not to provide services that could be formalized in the economic and contractual field between pharmacies and manufacturers," he said. Yanev said "the European regulatory tradition clearly distinguishes between promotion and marketing." At the same time, in good practice, promotion involves professional interaction exclusively with doctors and pharmaceutical workers, while the patient as the recipient of information is excluded, and advertising does not belong to this activity. The issue of promotional activities is already regulated in Law On Medicines No. 2469-IX of July 28, 2022, which, although not yet put into effect, is more thoughtful in terms of definitions and principles of interaction. In addition, the Ministry of Health is working on guidelines on good promotion practice, which is harmonized with European approaches. "Not only does it not correspond to established professional practice, but it also creates new risks both legal and compliance risks. In the long term, such regulation will require correction or harmonization with already adopted but not yet effective regulatory acts," he said. BRS Is Now Dayyala Rajya Samithi, Says Telangana CM Revanth Reddy Reported By : News18.com Edited By: Anushka Vats Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 22:14 IST The Chief Minister accused the BRS government of looting the state under the guise of Bangaru Telangana for ten years. Telangana CM Revanth Reddy (File Photo) Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy launched a fierce political attack against the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), branding it as DRS Dayyala Rajya Samithi (Demons Rajya Samiti). Addressing a public gathering in Turkapally village of Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, the Chief Minister said the BRS has lost its credibility and moral authority after a decade of what he called misrule and loot." Recommended Stories Referring to remarks reportedly made by BRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha, daughter of party chief K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), Revanth Reddy said, Even KCRs own daughter admitted he is surrounded by demons. And yet, the leader of these demons remains silent, hiding in his farmhouse. That is not BRS anymore, its DRS not Bharat Rashtra Samithi, but Deyyala Rajya Samithi. These demons must be driven out of Telangana. I will lead this fightbut I need the people to stand with me." The Chief Minister accused the BRS government of looting the state under the guise of Bangaru Telangana for ten years. They demolished houses in Vasala Marri village claiming it would become a model village, but KCR never returned to it. The state was turned into a wasteland. 8 lakh crore in debt, no progress, and endless corruption. They failed the students, farmers, and activists who were the backbone of the Telangana movement," Revanth said. He went on to question how the BRS, despite having access to Rs 20 lakh crore in state resources, failed to complete the SLBC (Srisailam Left Bank Canal) project with just Rs 2,000 crore. Ten years in power and not a single major project completed. They disrespected the sanctity of Yadagirigutta and are now paying for their sins. Even their own leaders admit the party is haunted by demons," he added. The CM highlighted his governments commitment to development and transparency. He launched multiple development projects worth Rs 1,500 crore in the Aleru constituency during the event. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Weve restored Yadadri back to Yadagirigutta. Were making the temple accessible for autos and building a golden gopuram with 60 kilograms of gold. On the lines of TTD in Andhra, weve established YTDC in Telangana. Educational institutions in Yadagirigutta will be elevated to university status." The Chief Minister also emphasized his resolve to rejuvenate the Musi River and said, Despite opposition, we will clean the Musi River and fill it with Godavari waters. If rivers like Sabarmati and Ganga can be revived, why not Musi?" Location : Telangana, India, India First Published: June 06, 2025, 21:47 IST Kamal Haasan Files Nomination For Rajya Sabha Seat From Tamil Nadu Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 22:21 IST Haasan signed and presented the papers to officials at the State Secretariat in Chennai in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin. Kamal Haasan files Rajya Sabha nomination from Tamil Nadu in presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin. (X) Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) President and famed actor Kamal Haasan on Friday filed nomination papers to contest for the biennial polls to Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu which are scheduled for June 19. Haasan signed and presented the papers to officials at the State Secretariat in Chennai in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, and senior leaders from his party. Recommended Stories This marks his formal entry into the upcoming upper house contest. Elections for six Rajya Sabha seats from Tamil Nadu are set to be held on June 19. Haasan was initially expected to file his papers earlier but deferred it, reportedly due to the backlash he faced for a controversial comment on the origins of Kannada. Kamal Haasan Controversy The actor landed in a big controversy recently. The South superstar attended the Thug Life audio launch event in Chennai, where he made a statement linking the origins of the Kannada language to Tamil. Actor Shivarajkumar is my family living in another state. Thats why he is here. Thats why when I started my speech, I said my life and my family is Tamil. Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil. So you are included in that line," he said. The actors remarks quickly went viral and triggered backlash from pro-Kannada groups in Karnataka. They not only demanded an apology from Haasan but also a ban on his upcoming movie. However, the actor refused to apologise, saying, If I am wrong, I will apologise. If I am not, then I wont." This led to the situation getting escalated as the Karnataka Film Chamber warned that his new film, Thug Life, will not see a release in the state unless he apologises for his remark. This prompted Haasan to move the High Court, seeking protection to release the film without disturbance. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Taking a stern view, the Karnataka High Court, earlier this week rapped the actor and asked him the basis of his claims, saying that his one apology would have solved everything". (With inputs from agencies) About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He previously worked with Hindustan Times Digital (HTDS) and NDTV. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India ... Read More Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He previously worked with Hindustan Times Digital (HTDS) and NDTV. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India ... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 22:21 IST 'Trump Said 11 Times In Public': Rahul Gandhi Doubles Down On Surrender Remark Amid Row Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 18:40 IST While addressing a gathering in Bihar's Rajigir, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a habit of surrendering. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. (ANI) Amid the row over his remarks, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday reiterated his allegation against Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that the latter surrendered" after a call from US President Donald Trump during the recent India-Pakistan military conflict. While addressing an event in Bihars Rajigir, the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition said that the Prime Minister has a habit of surrendering, days later he had accused PM Modi of capitulation before Trump. Recommended Stories Gandhi further alleged that the central government would not conduct the recently announced caste census accurately because the day it happened, their (BJP) politics would end. My aim is caste census. In Lok Sabha, in front of Modi ji, I told him that caste census would be conducted. And you know he has a habit of surrendering. Trump has said 11 times in public that he made Narendra Modi surrender. But Narendra Modi ji cannot utter a word because it is the truthThey will never get a genuine caste census done because the day they get it done, their politics will end" he said as quoted by news agency ANI. #WATCH | Rajgir, Bihar | Congress MP & LoP Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi says, My aim is caste census. In Lok Sabha, in front of Modi ji, I told him that caste census would be conducted. And you know he has a habit of surrendering. Trump has said 11 times in public that he made pic.twitter.com/wVYRXYKWH1 ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2025 #WATCH | Bodhgaya | On his Narender-surrender remark, Congress MP & LoP Rahul Gandhi says, US President Trump said 11 times that only after he had put pressure on Narendra Modi ji did he stop. Narendra Modi ji has made no comments on Trumps statement. Narendra Modi ji should pic.twitter.com/lrU8gmpon6 ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2025 The Congress leader earlier stirred the controversy on Tuesday after he alleged that PM Modi surrendered after a call from Trump during the India-Pakistan conflict. Addressing a party convention in Bhopal, he had said the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, didnt budge in the 1971 war despite the US sending its Seventh Fleet. A call came from Trump and Narendra ji immediately surrendered history is a witness, this is the character of BJP-RSS, they always bow down," Rahul had stated after launching the Congresss Sangthan Srijan Abhiyan in Bhopal. Rahul had said that India split Pakistan in 1971 despite Americas threat. The BJP ripped into the grand-old party leader saying that he lacks the seriousness and maturity that the post requires. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Earlier today, Union Minister Giriraj Singh dubbed Gandhi as useless" and accused him of insulting the army. While speaking to reporters, Giriraj Singh said, Rahul Gandhi opposed Indias valour, questioned its Armys bravery, and tarnished the armys reputation worldwide. The Bihar public will oppose him, why would they vote for someone who doesnt respect the army or the nation? Rahul Gandhis tongue is like Pakistan, and he does not respect the nation." About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He previously worked with Hindustan Times Digital (HTDS) and NDTV. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India ... Read More Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He previously worked with Hindustan Times Digital (HTDS) and NDTV. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India ... Read More Location : Rajgir, India, India First Published: June 06, 2025, 15:53 IST Did Vijay Mallya Blame Pranab Mukherjee For Kingfisher Crash? Big Revelation With 'Rare Apology' Curated By : News18.com Edited By: Sumedha Kirti Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 15:52 IST Vijay Mallya, who is facing fraud and money laundering charges amounting to Rs 9,000 crore, offered a rare public apology to his former employees Raj Shamani Podcast: Vijay Mallya was backed by some top names, including IPL founder Lalit Modi and industrialist Harsh Goenka. (File photo: Getty Images) Fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya has made a comeback in national headlines for over a week now. It all began with the beleagured industrialists post on X after Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) commanded an eight-wicket win over Punjab Kings last night in the Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2025. Netizens were quick to take digs like Ghar Aaja Pardesi. This was followed by Mallyas congratulatory post for RCB after winning the IPL. And to top it all was the podcast with YouTuber Raj Shamani. Soon after the interview, Vijay Mallya was backed by some top names, including IPL founder Lalit Modi and industrialist Harsh Goenka, sparking speculations if the fugitive businessman was planning to return to India. Recommended Stories Here Are Key Points From Vijay Mallyas Podcast Vijay Mallya, who is facing fraud and money laundering charges amounting to Rs 9,000 crore, offered a rare public apology to his former employees while addressing the fall of Kingfisher Airlines. I would say I am deeply sorry for what happened to them. I would say that I am deeply sorry that some of them didnt get paid their salariesI have no excuses to offer. I take full responsibility," the beleagured industrialist said. Later, in a post on his X profile, Mallya wrote, For those who are interested, I have spoken for the first time in nine years on this podcast. I want to say sorry to employees of Kingfisher Airlines and also to set the record straight with facts and the truth." Opening up further on the downfall of Kingfisher Airlines, Mallya claimed that during the 2008 global financial meltdown, he had approached then finance minister Pranab Mukherjee with a plan to downsize operations. I was told not to downsize. You continue, banks will support you. That is how it all started," the businessman said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Vijay Mallya further dismissed Indias claims of ease of doing business", calling countrys regulatory environment extreme". There is no ease of doing business in IndiaIts in the Indian DNA. No matter what a state or federal government may say, there are bureaucratic and political hurdles all along the way," he said. Mallyas brand Kingfisher is also one of the largest beer-selling brands in India. Talking about the alcohol business in India, the business said he had to maintain favorable relations with 29 state governments, each with its own liquor policy. I had to be in the good books of 29 chief ministers," he said. He also described elections as a time of pressure, claiming politicians saw the liquor industry as a cash cow for campaigns. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d... Read More The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d... Read More News18's viral page features trending stories, videos , and memes, covering quirky incidents, social media buzz from india and around the world, Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published: June 06, 2025, 10:27 IST 'Agreed To Continued Law Enforcement Dialogue': Canada PM Carney On Talks With PM Modi Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 21:30 IST Indias relations with Canada had grown strained under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, largely due to concerns over the killing of a Khalistani separatist Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Prime Minister Narendra Modi | (Reuters Image) Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, with both leaders agreeing to maintain ongoing dialogue between law enforcement agencies and to continue discussions on security-related issues. Indias relations with Canada had grown strained under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, largely due to concerns over the killing of a Khalistani separatist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Recommended Stories The two leaders discussed the longstanding relationship between Canada and India, including deep people-to-people ties and significant commercial links. Importantly, there was agreement to continue law enforcement dialogue and discussions addressing security concerns," a readout from the Canadian Prime Ministers Office on the conversation between the two leaders stated. Further, Carney invited PM Modi to attend the G7 Summit later this month during their first phone call, signalling Ottawas intent to reset relations with New Delhi. Prime Minister Carney extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi to attend Canadas 2025 G7 Leaders Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta. Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Modi agreed to remain in contact and looked forward to meeting at the G7 Leaders Summit later this month," the statement added. G7 Summit The invitation for Prime Minister Modi to join the G7 Summits outreach session came just over a week ahead of the event, amid growing speculation in diplomatic circles about whether the Indian leaderwho has attended the last five G7 Summitswould be asked to participate this year. Canada is hosting the summit from June 15 to 17, where leaders are expected to discuss major global challenges, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the situation in West Asia. Canada-India Ties Last year, Ottawa levelled a series of unsubstantiated accusations against New Delhi, claiming the Indian government was involved in acts of violence within Canada. Tensions escalated sharply following Canadas allegations regarding the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, sparking a major diplomatic standoff that saw both countries expel senior diplomats. Canada, under Trudeaus regime, designated India as a cyber threat adversary, alleging that state-sponsored actors might be conducting espionage against it. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all India consistently denied the allegations and repeatedly urged Prime Minister Trudeau to present credible evidence to substantiate his claimsevidence that is yet to be provided. About the Author Ronit Singh Ronit Singh, Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking News team. He has a keen focus on Indian politics and aims to cover unexplored angles. Ronit is an alumnus of Christ (Deemed to be... Read More Ronit Singh, Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking News team. He has a keen focus on Indian politics and aims to cover unexplored angles. Ronit is an alumnus of Christ (Deemed to be... Read More Location : Canada First Published: June 06, 2025, 21:22 IST Bangladesh National Election To Be Held In First Half Of April 2026 Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 19:29 IST This comes amid mounting political pressure on the interim government, currently led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, to conduct elections earlier. Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus (Credits: AFP) Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus announced that the countrys next national election will be held in the first half of April 2026. Delivering a nationally televised address on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha, Muhammad Yunus said the Election Commission would soon unveil a detailed roadmap. He said, The interim government assumed office with three core mandates: reform, justice, and elections." Most Free, Fair, Competitive Election Recommended Stories Muhammad Yunus said the government had consulted with all political parties to ensure that the upcoming election would be the most free, fair, competitive, and acceptable in the countrys history." He stressed that the goal was to create a process that would satisfy the souls of the martyrs" of the uprising and be remembered by the nation for its integrity. Read more: Bangladesh Army Crushes Yunus Dangerous Plot: Indias Stance Vindicated | Finepoint The announcement ends months of speculation and political wrangling over election timing. Muhammad Yunus had earlier suggested elections could be held anytime between December 2025 and June 2026 depending on the pace of reforms. Mixed Political Reactions and Military Pushback Opposition parties like the BNP and its allies had been pressing for elections by December 2025, while the newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP) called for elections only after reforms are completed. Muhammad Yunus, however, said that he remains focused on sequencing reform before polls. Read more: We Want To Be Your Partner: Yunus Urges Stronger Bangladesh-China Ties Amid India Tensions top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The coming months will be crucial for finalising frameworks of justice and reform that can carry broad political consensus," he said in his address. The April 2026 date, he added, is chosen with a view to balancing the need for legitimate, inclusive elections with the imperative of rebuilding public trust through credible institutional reform. About the Author Mallika Soni When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" Location : Bangladesh First Published: June 06, 2025, 19:20 IST Bangladesh Political Killings: Delhi Think Tank To Petition International Criminal Court Against Yunus Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 19:37 IST RRAG will file a formal complaint, comparing the situation in Bangladesh under Yunus with crimes against humanity committed in Kenya in 2007 and 2008, which were probed by ICC The think tank asserts that 'at least' 123 Awami League members have been murdered under Dr Yunus's regime. File pic/Reuters Troubles for Muhammad Yunus may escalate in the coming days as a Delhi-based think tank, The Rights & Risks Analysis Group (RRAG), prepares to petition the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the chief adviser of Bangladeshs interim government. The think tank claims to have built a case alleging a series of political assassinations targeting members of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas party, the now-banned Awami League. The think tank asserts that at least" 123 Awami League members have been murdered under Dr Yunuss regime. This includes 41 individuals allegedly hacked to death in a manner reminiscent of Taliban-style killings, the RRAG claims. Recommended Stories The think tank has compiled a comprehensive report, reviewed by News18, which it intends to present as evidence at the ICC. The report states that the victims, besides their affiliation with the Awami League, also belonged to associated groups such as the Swechasebak League, Chhatra League, Juba League, Matsojibi League, and Krishak League. They were killed between August 5, 2024, and April 30, 2025, according to the report. The same report alleges 21 custodial deaths of Awami League activists during this period, attributed to torture. These murders of the Awami League members are just the tip of the iceberg, as not all the murders of the Awami League members were reported in the local media, and further, the RRAG was not able to monitor all local media. It is, however, clear that even children, women, the mentally unstable, and the seriously injured were not spared," said Suhas Chakma, director of RRAG. The slogan Joy Bangla" (Bengali for Victory to Bengal" or Hail Bengal") was the national slogan of Bangladesh. However, after Hasinas exit, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh ruled in December 2024 that it would no longer be the national slogan. On December 17 last year, a class five student, Mohd Masud Rian, was allegedly murdered by pro-Yunus supporters for a five-month-old Facebook post that read Joy Bangla", claims the RRAG. This shocking alleged incident took place in Nachol, Chapaiganj, in Bangladesh. The report meticulously details specific incidents, such as the alleged murder of Awami League worker Babar Ali on August 13, 2024. He was allegedly killed by having his throat slit after being abducted from the front of his house in Bogura district. Another incident highlighted is the alleged murder of Tofazzal, the Kathaltoli Union Chhatra League leader in Patharghata Upazila, a mentally disturbed individual, on September 19, 2024. He was allegedly brutally killed on the Dhaka University campus by a student mob despite his condition. The RRAG insists that among the 1,400 people potentially killed between July 15 and August 5 were Awami League members whose relatives were unable to testify before the inquiry conducted by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights due to fear of reprisal. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all At the ICC, the think tank will invoke Article 7 and Article 28 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in its case against Md Yunus. In essence, the RRAG will file a formal complaint with the International Criminal Court, drawing parallels between the situation in Bangladesh under Yunuss interim government and the crimes against humanity committed in the context of post-election violence in Kenya in 2007 and 2008, which was investigated by the ICC. About the Author Anindya Banerjee Anindya Banerjee, Associate Editor brings over fifteen years of journalistic courage to the forefront. With a keen focus on politics and policy, Anindya has garnered a wealth of experience, with deep throat in ... Read More Anindya Banerjee, Associate Editor brings over fifteen years of journalistic courage to the forefront. With a keen focus on politics and policy, Anindya has garnered a wealth of experience, with deep throat in ... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 19:37 IST Bilawal Bhutto Revives Nuclear Rhetoric As India Keeps Indus Treaty On Hold: Report Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 10:15 IST Bilawal Bhutto Zardari claimed that India is violating the Indus Waters Treaty and said that cutting off Pakistans water supply amounts to an act of war. A file photo of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (Photo: AP) Pakistans former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has claimed that India is laying the ground for the first nuclear war over its action on the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). In the age of climate challenges that are to come, water scarcity and water wars used to be a theory. India shutting off Pakistans water supply is laying the foundations for the first nuclear water war," the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman said while addressing the Middle East Institute in Washington, according to Dawn. Recommended Stories We have said that cutting off our water supply would be an act of war," he added. We dont say it in a jingoistic manner. We dont say it with any relish. It is an existential crisis for us. Any country on the planet, no matter their size, their strength or their ability, would fight for their survival and fight for their water," Bilawal said, adding that India must abide by the IWT and the US and other countries must take a firm stance to not allow it to violate the treaty." If India is allowed to cut off our water, that means that every upper riparian with hostilities to a lower riparian now has a carte blanche," Bilawal added. Bilawal, at the event, also said his country was expecting India to abide by the old treaties and take back their decision vis-a-vis the IWT". And if our dialogue and diplomacy in pursuit of peace are to be successful, if we are to talk to India, have a positive dialogue with India, make new arrangements, new deals, perhaps even new treaties with India, then surely they first must abide by the old treaties and take back their decision vis-a-vis the IWT," the report quoted Bilawal as saying. The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank and signed in 1960, governs the distribution of water from the Indus River system between India and Pakistan. The treaty has withstood multiple wars and diplomatic crises, but recent tensions between the two countries have prompted fresh discussions on its future. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is leading a team of experts to inform the world about the recent conflict with India, was also called out by a journalist in New York over his comments on the alleged demonisation" of Muslims in India. During a question-and-answer session, Egyptian-American journalist Ahmad Fathi, UN correspondent of American Television News (ATN), asked Bilawal about his comments on Indias treatment of Muslims and reminded him that it was an Indian Muslim military officer who was briefing the media during the conflict. Let me start with a statement you made today, saying that the recent terrorist attack in Kashmir is being used as a political tool to demonise Muslims in India. Sir, I have watched the briefings on both sides, and as far as I recall, there were Muslim Indian military officers who were conducting the briefing on the Indian side," Fathi said. He was about to ask his second question when Bilawal stopped him mid-sentence. The Pakistani leader then went on to criticise India and continued his usual rhetoric. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam terror attack, with India carrying out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10. The Indian side strongly responded to the Pakistani attempts by inflicting heavy damage to a number of key Pakistani military installations, including air bases, air defence systems, command and control centres and radar sites. On May 10, the militaries of the two countries agreed on an understanding to end the hostilities. About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. First Published: June 06, 2025, 10:11 IST 'Deeper Military And Political Complicity': Pakistans FATF Status Under Fresh Scrutiny After Jihadi Rally Reported By : CNN-News18 Edited By: Abhro Banerjee Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 09:53 IST While Pakistan exited the FATF grey list in October 2022 after meeting 34 action points across two action plans The FATFs 2022 onsite report already flagged low effectiveness in 10 out of 11 Immediate Outcomes. (Representative image) Pakistans commitment to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) guidelines is once again in question following a large-scale Jihadi rally on May 28, 2025. The rally has reignited concerns over the countrys approach to combating terror financing and its broader FATF compliance ahead of a critical review in 2026. While Pakistan exited the FATF grey list in October 2022 after meeting 34 action points across two action plans (27+7), experts argue that the compliance remains largely tactical, not institutional. Legislative reforms may exist on paper, but weak enforcement, selective prosecutions, and systemic tolerance for terror-linked groups undermine meaningful progress. Recommended Stories The May 28 rally, openly held by banned terror outfits, signals continued state tolerance and hints at deeper military and political complicity. This directly challenges FATFs Immediate Outcomes 811, which focus on preventing terror financing and ensuring effective law enforcement responses. Despite FATFs repeated calls, Pakistan has failed to prosecute UN-designated terrorists meaningfully. High-profile figures like Masood Azhar of Jaish-e-Mohammed face only minor charges related to terror financing not for core terror acts such as the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Convictions remain symbolic, often reversible based on the ISIs strategic needs. Groups like JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba continue to operate under aliases such as TRF (The Resistance Front) and PAFF (Peoples Anti-Fascist Front), exploiting loopholes in enforcement. Similarly, Jamaat-ud-Dawa has rebranded as political fronts like the Milli Muslim League, maintaining access to their funding networks. FATF had demanded the prosecution of key terror financiers and the dismantling of infrastructure supporting terrorism. Yet, asset confiscation remains unaddressed, and no mutual legal assistance (MLA) provisions exist for cross-border asset freezing or comprehensive coverage of predicate offences. Pakistans Mutual Legal Assistance framework continues to lack crucial provisions, including mechanisms for domestic restraint orders and global asset recovery. This gap enables illicit funds to circulate within Pakistans financial system unimpeded. In high-risk sectors like real estate and jewellery, FATF had emphasized risk-based supervision under the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Act. While laws exist, oversight of Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs) remains weak. Madrassas and hawala networks, central to terror financing, continue to resist FATF-mandated registration. Top intelligence sources note that Pakistani banks inconsistently monitor high-risk accounts. Internal compliance focuses more on form than substance, failing to detect suspicious transactions. Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies lack essential forensic and cyber investigation tools, severely hampering complex terror-financing probes. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The FATFs 2022 onsite report already flagged low effectiveness in 10 out of 11 Immediate Outcomes, including limited use of financial intelligence and poor supervision of vulnerable sectors. With strategic deficiencies unresolved and public displays of extremist activity continuing, Pakistan risks being relisted by FATF by 2026 unless genuine, institutional reforms replace symbolic gestures. About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18 Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18 First Published: June 06, 2025, 09:53 IST Love, X And Dhoka: Elon Musk-Donald Trump Bromance Turns Bitter Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 08:43 IST From mutual endorsements and political collaboration to a dramatic public fallout, here's a timeline capturing the full arc of Donald Trump and Elon Musk's relationship. Donald Trump with Elon Musk at the Oval Office (Photo: AP) Donald Trump and Elon Musks alliance took off like one of SpaceXs rockets. It was supercharged and soared high, but then it blew up. The spectacular flameout Thursday peaked as Trump threatened to cut Musks government contracts and Musk claimed that Trumps administration hasnt released all the records related to sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein because Trump is mentioned in them. Recommended Stories The tech entrepreneur even shared a post on social media calling for Trumps impeachment and skewered the presidents signature tariffs, predicting a recession this year. The messy blow-up between the president of the United States and the worlds richest man played out on their respective social media platforms after Trump was asked during a White House meeting with Germanys new leader about Musks criticism of his spending bill. Heres a timeline of how Trump and Musk evolved into a bromance over the years and how it devolved. July 13, 2024 Elon Musk posts a video of Trump soon after he was attacked in an assassination bid in Butler, Pennsylvania. In his post, Musk writes, I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery". Days later, he announces that he will interview Trump live on X Spaces. August 12, 2024 Nearly a month after the assassination bid on Trump, Musk hosts an interview with the then-US President-elect on X. During the interview, Trump praised Musk for blasting Kamala Harris, who was then Trumps opponent. Days and months on, Musk, at multiple times, was seen with Trump in several of his rallies in Butler. The SpaceX CEO also urged the masses to vote for Trump, making ominous warnings about the consequences of the upcoming election. Musk even said that, according to his prediction, this would be the last election" if they dont vote for Trump. As the US elections drew closer, Federal Election Commission filings showed Musk spent over $270 million of his own money through two super PACs that promoted Trumps candidacy and other Republicans in the 2024 election. November 5, 2024 Musk spends election night at Trumps Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. He stays there for the next several days, weighing in on key staffing decisions. Musk is also present for at least two phone calls Trump had as president-elect, including a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. November 12, 2024 Nearly a week after the US election, Trump announces that Musk, alongside former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, would lead a newly created Department of Government Efficiency." However, later, Ramaswamy stepped down from the role to run for governor of Ohio. Later that month, Trump joined Musk in Texas for the launch of SpaceXs Starship rocket. January 20, 2025 Elon Musk, along with other tech CEOs, was seen taking ringside seats at Trumps White House inauguration. February 11, 2025 Musks son X takes the spotlight as his father and the US President addressed reporters at the Oval Office. Musk defends his aggressive cost-cutting efforts across the federal government, which by that point had prompted a slew of federal lawsuits. February 26, 2025 Musk takes centre stage at Trumps first Cabinet meeting of his second term. At the time, DOGEs actions were the subject of controversy from efforts to fire federal employees to an email demanding that federal workers list their weekly accomplishments. When Musk is asked by a reporter if any Cabinet members are unhappy about the email ultimatum, Trump interrupts. March 6, 2025 Trump tells members of the Cabinet they are in charge of the agencies and departments they oversee, and not Musk. In response, Musk, in an X post, wrote that his meeting with the US President was very productive". The meeting came as some Cabinet secretaries had privately expressed frustration over Musks efforts to reduce the size and scope of their agencies. March 11, 2025 Trump hosts a showcase of the Teslas on the White House lawn amid a string of vandalism and other attacks on the cars. Moments later, Trump, who climbs into the front seat of a Tesla for photos, tells reporters hes bought one of the vehicles himself. May 27, 2025 In an interview with CBS News, Musk airs his grievances with Trumps signature bill and says, I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing." May 29, 2025 Musk announces hes departing the White House. As a special government employee," he is limited to a 130-day appointment, he clarifies. Meanwhile, White House officials insist Musk is leaving on good terms and would continue to serve as an unofficial adviser to the president. Musk posts on X his thanks to Trump, saying his DOGE team will continue to work throughout the government. May 31, 2025 At the Oval Office, Musk tells reporters he believes the Department of Government Efficiency will only grow stronger over time", but adds he looks forward to being back in the Oval Office. June 3, 2025 Musk issues a flurry of posts on X attacking the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as it awaits a vote in the Senate. Im sorry, but I just cant stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination," Musk writes. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it." Musk claims the bill would massively increase" the federal budget deficit. June 4, 2025 Musk continues his attacks on Trumps bill with a series of posts on social media, instructing followers to call members of Congress to KILL THE BILL." June 5, 2025 The war of words between Elon Musk and Trump erupts into a full-on feud, with Musk slamming Trump for ingratitude" over the 2024 election, agreeing with a call for his impeachment, knocking the presidents signature legislation and even claiming that Trump is in the Epstein files, referring to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Later in a social media post, Trump states, Elon was wearing thin, I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!" ALSO READ | Donald TrumpElon Musk Feud Erupts: Public Barbs, Ugly Threats, Impeachment Calls About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. First Published: June 06, 2025, 08:18 IST On Journalist's Day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked media workers who cover events in Ukraine for peace. The world knows what is happening in Ukraine. Every country knows our position and hears what we are doing to defend our independence and our people. None of this would be possible without thousands of our media workers. The professionalism, courage, and energy of Ukrainian journalists, our military journalists, all those working in our media, all those who create and spread content in Ukrainian and about Ukraine in the languages of the world all of this is also our weapon, our shield, our Ukrainian strength. Thank you! Zelenskyy said on X. The President also called for not forgetting the names of journalists whose lives were taken by the war. They deserve remembrance and honor, he stressed. Zelenskyy also issued a decree awarding state awards to journalists. The list of those awarded includes 31 names. Elon Musk Vs Donald Trump: Why Epstein Files Are Back In Headlines Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 12:09 IST Musks Trump claim has put the spotlight back on Epstein files. A detailed look at what may still remain hidden in one of the worlds most high-profile sex trafficking cases Elon Musks claim that Donald Trump is named in the sealed Epstein files has reignited global attention on the long-running sex trafficking scandal. (Photo Credit: X) Trump Vs Musk: The New Twist In The Epstein Scandal The bitter feud between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump has taken a sensational turn. In a recent post on X, Musk alleged that Trumps name appears in the sealed Epstein files the court documents linked to billionaire financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epsteins sex trafficking operation. Recommended Stories Musks claim comes amid their increasingly public spat, which began after Musk criticised Trumps controversial One Big Beautiful Bill Act." The two, once seemingly aligned on certain policies, are now openly attacking each other. By linking Trump to the Epstein case, Musk has escalated the feud into highly charged territory. Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.Have a nice day, DJT! Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Following Musks explosive statement, several Democratic lawmakers have urged the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI to clarify whether Trumps name appears in any of the still-sealed Epstein files and to explain the status of remaining redactions. While Trump has repeatedly denied any improper association with Epstein, Musks claim has revived both public curiosity and political calls for transparency over what the Epstein files actually contain. Who Was Jeffrey Epstein? Jeffrey Epstein was a wealthy financier with deep connections to global elites, including politicians, royalty, academics, and business tycoons. He was first investigated in 2005 in Florida for allegedly sexually abusing underage girls. In 2008, Epstein reached a highly controversial plea deal with federal prosecutors in Florida that allowed him to avoid serious jail time despite credible allegations from multiple victims. This so-called sweetheart deal" later came under widespread criticism for allegedly protecting him and others in his circle. Though he struck this deal, federal charges caught up with him again in 2019, when he was arrested on sex trafficking charges in New York. Why Was It Called A Sweetheart Deal? Under this 2008 non-prosecution agreement, Epstein pleaded guilty to minor state-level charges of soliciting prostitution. He served just 13 months in jail, much of it under work-release conditions allowing him to leave jail for up to 12 hours a day. The deal shielded Epstein from federal prosecution not only for his past crimes but also for any potential co-conspirators, whose identities remained sealed. Victims were not informed of the deal, violating federal victims rights laws. Because of its unusually lenient terms despite the serious nature of the charges the agreement was widely criticised as a sweetheart deal", suggesting Epsteins wealth and powerful connections may have helped him avoid harsher punishment. The controversy resurfaced in 2019, eventually leading to the resignation of Alexander Acosta, the US Attorney who approved the deal and later served in President Trumps cabinet. Epstein died in prison in August 2019 while awaiting trial. His death was officially ruled a suicide, though many continue to suspect foul play given the powerful individuals potentially implicated. What Are The Epstein Files? The Epstein files refer to a massive collection of legal documents, investigative records, and court evidence related to American financier Jeffrey Epsteins global sex trafficking operation, a scandal that exposed a murky world of exploitation, money, and power involving some of the worlds most influential people. At the centre of Epsteins network was Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite and daughter of late media tycoon Robert Maxwell. Maxwell was one of Epsteins closest associates and, according to court findings, played a key role in helping him recruit, groom, and exploit underage girls for years. Victims testified that Maxwell would often approach young girls with promises of education, modelling or career opportunities, only to pull them into Epsteins abusive circle. In 2021, Maxwell was convicted on multiple charges of sex trafficking and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The Epstein files contain material from multiple investigations, lawsuits, and trials involving both Epstein and Maxwell. These include: Flight logs from Epsteins private jets, especially his Boeing 727 nicknamed the Lolita Express," which reportedly carried celebrities, politicians, royalty, and business tycoons to Epsteins various properties, including his private Caribbean island. Deposition transcripts sworn testimonies from Epstein, Maxwell, their victims, witnesses, employees, and other associates. Financial and business records, exposing Epsteins complex network of offshore accounts, shell companies, and financial dealings that helped him accumulate vast wealth and influence. Civil lawsuits filed by victims against Epstein, Maxwell, and unnamed individuals alleged to have been involved. Grand jury materials and sealed court orders, some of which remain confidential even today, either to protect victims identities or because investigations are ongoing. In 2024 and 2025, fresh batches of documents were made public, renewing media and public interest worldwide. Who Is Named In The Epstein Files? Multiple high-profile names have surfaced in various parts of the Epstein files over the years. These include: Former US President Bill Clinton Britains Prince Andrew Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates Former Israeli PM Ehud Barak US President Donald Trump (social interactions mainly from the 1990s) Business executives, academics, and prominent financiers Its important to note that being named in the files does not automatically mean criminal wrongdoing. Many names appear because of business, social, or philanthropic associations with Epstein without any direct allegations of criminal conduct. Trumps name, for example, has previously appeared in social contexts such as parties and Palm Beach events in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Trump has consistently denied any involvement in Epsteins criminal activities and has stated that he distanced himself from Epstein long before the scandal became public. Why Were The Epstein Files Sealed? Much of the Epstein files remained sealed for years due to: Protection of victims identities and privacy Ongoing criminal investigations Possible sensitive intelligence links (speculated but unproven) Civil settlements with confidentiality agreements As lawsuits continued, particularly in the US Virgin Islands where Epstein owned private property, more files have gradually been unsealed. However, some documents remain sealed due to legal complexities. The pace and scope of further releases depend largely on US federal court rulings, ongoing appeals, and requests from government agencies or victims attorneys. The So-Called Client List: Myth Vs Reality One of the most widely circulated conspiracy theories is about Epsteins alleged client list" a definitive list of people who engaged in criminal acts through Epsteins trafficking network. However, no such single, official client list" has ever been released. What exists are scattered names across depositions, civil filings, and witness statements. Many media outlets have clarified that most individuals named were simply acquaintances or passengers on Epsteins planes without evidence of criminal activity. That said, there remain unanswered questions, particularly around certain redacted or still-sealed portions of the files. What Next? The Unfinished Story Even years after Jeffrey Epsteins death, the legal and political fallout from the scandal remains far from over, and may continue to generate headlines globally. More files could still be unsealed: While large portions of Epstein-related documents have already been made public, some material remains sealed under court orders, particularly parts of civil suits, depositions, and grand jury evidence. Legal experts suggest that additional files may be released gradually depending on ongoing lawsuits, appeals, and victim privacy considerations. However, there is no official timeline for further disclosures. Ghislaine Maxwells legal team continues to fight her conviction: After being sentenced to 20 years in prison, Maxwell has filed appeals challenging both her conviction and sentence. While these appeals are pending, they could potentially bring more case documents into public view though whether they will reveal new names or evidence remains uncertain. So far, these appeals have not resulted in any new public disclosures or release of sealed names. Elon Musks recent claim may increase political pressure for transparency: Following Musks allegation that Trump is named in sealed Epstein files, some US lawmakers, particularly from the Democratic Party, have urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI to clarify what remains sealed and whether politically sensitive names are being protected. It remains unclear whether these demands will lead to further disclosures, but the political conversation around transparency has intensified. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The Epstein Case: A Scandal Still Unfolding The Epstein files remain one of the most sensational and disturbing legal sagas of modern times. The latest Musk vs Trump feud has once again pushed the Epstein files into global headlines, raising both lingering questions about accountability and fresh speculation about who knew what and who may still have secrets to hide. About the Author Karishma Jain Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follow her @kar... Read More Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follow her @kar... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 12:05 IST Epsteins Former Lawyer Reacts To Musks Big Bomb On Trump: I Specifically Asked Him Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 07, 2025, 00:00 IST Despite Trumps previous social ties to Epstein, no public documents released so far directly implicate him in Epsteins criminal enterprise. US President Donald Trump with Elon Musk | File Image: AP David Schoen, who briefly represented Jeffrey Epstein before his death in 2019, has publicly rejected Elon Musks explosive claim that US President Donald Trump is named in the unreleased Epstein files. Schoen said he directly asked Epstein about Trumps involvement and was told there was none. Recommended Stories I specifically asked him whether Donald Trump was ever involved in anything like that. He said no," Schoen said in newly reported remarks, responding to Musks viral post on X claiming that Trump is in the Epstein files." Schoen said Epstein had first approached him in February 2019 but officially retained him just nine days before dying in federal custody. He noted that during this period, he saw no documentation or evidence suggesting Trumps involvement in any criminal behaviour tied to Epsteins sex trafficking network. Musks claim has stirred political backlash and prompted House Democrats to demand answers from Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel. Lawmakers are seeking confirmation on whether Trumps name appears in redacted or undisclosed sections of the Epstein case files. Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!" said Musk in an X post. Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.Have a nice day, DJT! Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Notably, the feud between Musk and Trump has intensified in recent weeks, with Musk publicly withdrawing his support and calling for a probe against Trump. The US President responded by calling Musk a lunatic" who lost his mind." Despite Trumps previous social ties to Epstein, no public documents released so far directly implicate him in Epsteins criminal enterprise. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Legal experts and investigators have noted that many names in the files are mentioned in passing, often without accusations or evidence of wrongdoing. The Department of Justice has not commented on Musks claims or the Democrats request for transparency. Location : United States of America (USA) First Published: June 07, 2025, 00:00 IST Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's Space Launch Caught In Musk-Trump Feud? Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 11:22 IST Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is scheduled to travel to the ISS onboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft this month. The Trump-Musk online spat has raised concerns over the mission. Elon Musk announces Dragon's decomissioning, later retracts decision (Images: PTI, Reuters) Amid ugly public spat with US President Donald Trump after his exit from the administration, Elon Musk raised concerns across the globe with his massive announcement that SpaceX would decommission the Dragon spacecraft a decision which he shortly walked back on. Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is among those who are scheduled to travel to the International Space Station this month on board SpaceXs Dragon capsule. Recommended Stories The Trump-Musk bromance officially came to an end after the duo engaged in a heated exchange in the open, on social media, after the Tesla CEO important spending bill supported by the administration, calling it a disaster." Reacting to it, Trump said that the US could save billions of dollars by slashing Musks government contracts and questioned why it had not been done already. Musk Announces Dragons Decommissioning, Then Walks It Back In light of the Presidents statement about the cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately," Musk made to the announcement on X, the social media platform he owns. In light of the Presidents statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately pic.twitter.com/NG9sijjkgW Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Notably, Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is slated to be launched in SpaceXs Crew Dragon to the International Space Station on June 8 for 14 days with the Axiom-4 mission. Musks announcement sparked tensions about the future of the Ax-4 mission. However, before it could explode, he rolled back his decision. This is a shame this back and forth. You are both better than this. Cool off and take a step back for a couple days," a user commented on his X post, to which Musk replied, Good advice. Ok, we wont decommission Dragon." Good advice.Ok, we wont decommission Dragon. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 6, 2025 The possible shutdown of SpaceXs Dragon spacecraft could seriously impact the International Space Stations operations, leaving Russias Soyuz as the only crewed transport option. This would limit crew rotations and international access to space. Over $22 billion in contracts between SpaceX, NASA, and the Pentagonincluding lunar Starship development and military satellite launches could be at risk. Scientific missions like Axiom Spaces Ax-4 may face major delays. The loss of Dragon would affect not only logistics but also the strategic, scientific, and geopolitical stability of human spaceflight programs. Will Ax-4 Mission Be Impacted? Even though Trump and Musk remain at loggerheads, Axiom Space has not announced any changes as of now. As Musk has decided to step back, the Ax-4 mission likely remains on schedule. Indias Shubhanshu Shukla is among other astronauts who are in quarantine as per the protocol. The Dragon spacecraft, which will take them to the IS,S has already arrived at the Kennedy Space Center launch pad. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Shukla is Indias second astronaut and the first to travel to the ISS. In a press briefing, a NASA official said that there were budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration and underlined the possibility of smaller private missions to the Space Station; however, assured that the upcoming Ax-4 mission would not be hit. About the Author Ashesh Mallick Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes... Read More Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes... Read More Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: June 06, 2025, 11:20 IST 'Legal Process Is Underway': Mark Carney On Nijjar Case Probe After Inviting PM Modi To G7 Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 23:35 IST Mark Carney's remarks came after he invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the upcoming G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed on June 18, 2023, outside a gurdwara in British Columbia. (File) Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney refused to comment on the ongoing probe in the killing of pro-Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, saying that a legal process is underway. He further asserted that Canada follows rule of law and no one would interfere in the ongoing investigations. Carney predecessor Justin Trudeau had openly accused New Delhi of plotting the murder of Nijjar. Recommended Stories Carneys remarks came after he invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the upcoming G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. As this years chair of the G7, Carney said its important to have India at the table in Kananaskis while world leaders discuss issues including energy security and critical minerals, given the countrys size and key role in the global supply chain. PM Modi said that he had a warm" conversation with newly elected Canadian PM. He congratulated him and confirmed his participation in the upcoming G7 Summit. Mark Carney, a former central banker and climate finance advocate, became Canadas Prime Minister after leading the Liberal Party to victory in the recent general election. Indo-Canadian Souring Ties Indo-Canadian ties have nosedived in the aftermath of Nijjars killing as well as Trudeaus allegations. In September 2023, Trudeau had accused New Delhi of having a potential" involvement of Indian agents in Hardeep Singh Nijjars killing. India has repeatedly denied these allegations, and has taken a decisive stand against what it perceives as Canadas non-seriousness in dealing with the Khalistan issue. The ties further strained when Trudeau named Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma as a person of interest in an investigation, without naming the case. A person of interest means a suspect who is not arrested. Earlier this year, a public inquiry on foreign interference in Canada has found no definitive link to a foreign state" in the killing of Nijjar. What Is Hardeep Singh Nijjar Case? Nijjar was killed on June 18, 2023, outside a gurdwara in British Columbia. According to the probe report, Canadas security and intelligence agencies initially assessed this to be a gang or criminal activity, and Trudeau was informed of this. But, as more intelligence was gathered over the summer, Indias involvement was revealed and the then Prime Minister was promptly briefed on the updated assessment, the report stated. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The government wanted India to acknowledge its involvement in the killing but also needed a pragmatic approach to resolve the issue. The then Prime Minister testified that the immediate approach was to engage with India and communicate the need for the two countries to work together while ensuring there was accountability," it said. In August and September 2023, there were a series of meetings between the National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister (NSIA), the CSIS Director, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and their Indian counterparts. India, however, did not acknowledge its involvement in Nijjars killing. About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He previously worked with Hindustan Times Digital (HTDS) and NDTV. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India ... Read More Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He previously worked with Hindustan Times Digital (HTDS) and NDTV. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India ... Read More Location : Ottawa, Canada First Published: June 06, 2025, 23:35 IST 'Lost His Mind': Trump Says He's Not Interested To Talk To Elon Musk Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 17:49 IST Donald Trumps comment was made in response to reports that the pair were scheduled to speak privately, a plan that now appears uncertain. Donald Trump and Elon Musk US President Donald Trump said he is not particularly" interested in speaking to billionaire Elon Musk, dismissing the Tesla and SpaceX CEO as a man who has lost his mind." The remark comes amid a public fallout between the two former allies who have turned against each other with escalating personal and political attacks. Recommended Stories Donald Trumps comment was made in response to reports that the pair were scheduled to speak privately, a plan that now appears uncertain. Read more: Donald TrumpElon Musk Feud Erupts: Public Barbs, Ugly Threats, Impeachment Calls Im not particularly interested in talking to him," Donald Trump said, adding, Hes a man who has lost his mind." Elon Musk vs Donald Trump: A High-Stakes Political Feud The high-profile alliance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk has dramatically unraveled into a bitter public feud with the two exchanging sharp accusations. The fallout began when Donald Trump publicly criticized Elon Musk at a White House press briefing, backing legislation that could severely impact the electric vehicle industry- a direct hit on Tesla. Elon Musk, in response, fired back on his platform X (formerly Twitter), claiming that without his financial and strategic backing, Donald Trump would have lost the 2024 election. Calling the US President ungrateful", Elon Musk said, Without me, Trump would have lost. The Democrats would control the House." Read more: Did This Random X User Deactivate Ticking Trump-Musk Bomb? Netizens Think Hes Fit For China Job Elon Musk then dropped a bombshell claim that Donald Trumps name appears in sealed files related to Jeffrey Epstein, suggesting thats why the documents remain hidden. He wrote, Time to drop the really big bomb: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files." He then went on to endorse a post calling for Donald Trumps impeachment and suggested that Vice President JD Vance replace him. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Elon Musks Epstein tweet is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted." About the Author Mallika Soni When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: June 06, 2025, 17:42 IST Netanyahu Confirms Israel Arming Groups Opposed To Hamas In Gaza: 'What's Bad About That' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 16:58 IST Israel- Hamas War: Benjamin Netanyahu defended the decision, saying, Whats wrong with this? It saves the lives of Israeli soldiers." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (AP Image) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Tel Aviv is arming factions in Gaza that oppose Hamas, prompting fierce criticism and warnings from former officials as well as defence analysts. It was earlier reported that Benjamin Netanyahu personally approved the transfer of weapons to a Gaza-based group led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a controversial figure linked to a local clan in Rafah. In a video posted on social media, Benjamin Netanyahu defended the decision, saying, Whats wrong with this? It saves the lives of Israeli soldiers. Publicising it only helps Hamas." Defence Officials Confirm Weapons Transfers Recommended Stories Reports claimed, citing Israeli defence sources, that the weapons- primarily Kalashnikov rifles, including some seized from Hamas- were provided to the Abu Shabab group with Benjamin Netanyahus authorisation to the clan which operates in the Rafah area, currently under Israeli military control. Earlier, Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party and former defence minister, accused Benjamin Netanyahu of bypassing cabinet approval to arm a group of criminals and felons, identified with the Islamic State group". He said, To my knowledge, this did not go through cabinet," adding that the move endangers Israeli national security. Clan Backed By Benjamin Netanyahu Accused of Looting Aid, Ties Denied The armed group, which calls itself the Popular Forces, claims its purpose is to protect humanitarian aid convoys in Gaza. However, reports suggest the faction has instead been looting those convoys. The European Council on Foreign Relations previously labelled Abu Shababs group a criminal gang." Hamas has condemned the group, accusing its members of theft and betrayal". Meanwhile, Abu Shabab, in a statement posted online, denied receiving Israeli support, saying, Our weapons are simple, outdated, and came through the support of our own people." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Benjamin Netanyahu Restless? Former deputy IDF chief and opposition politician Yair Golan, who leads the Democrats party, called the move reckless." In a post on X, he wrote, Netanyahu is a threat to Israels national security. Instead of securing a deal to bring home the hostages and ensuring the safety of Israeli citizens, hes creating a new ticking time bomb in Gaza." About the Author Mallika Soni When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" Location : Israel First Published: June 06, 2025, 16:58 IST Next Pandemic Soon? Bat Viruses In China Show Covid-Like Threat, Scientists Warn Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 19:01 IST Like SARS-CoV-2- the virus behind Covid-19- these bat viruses use spike proteins to invade host cells by attaching to the ACE2 receptor. Scientists warn that a tiny genetic change could allow them to jump to humans. A newly published study in Nature Communications raised alarm as it showed that a little-known group of bat viruses could be just a single mutation away from infecting humans. The research, conducted by teams from Washington State University, Caltech and the University of North Carolina, zeroes in on HKU5 virusesa subgroup within the merbecoviruses, which are relatives of MERS-CoV, the deadly coronavirus that emerged in 2012 and carries a fatality rate of around 34%. HKU5 viruses havent been studied much, but our research shows they have the machinery to infect cells. In fact, they might be only a single step away from being able to infect humans," Dr. Michael Letko, the studys lead author and a virologist at Washington State University, said. Recommended Stories The Spike Protein Problem Like SARS-CoV-2- the virus behind Covid-19- these bat viruses use spike proteins to invade host cells by attaching to the ACE2 receptor. Currently, HKU5 viruses bind to ACE2 only in bats. But scientists warn that a tiny genetic change could allow them to jump to humans. Supporting this concern, some HKU5 variants have already been seen infecting minks in China- proof that they can jump between species. Adding to the urgency, researchers used AlphaFold 3, a cutting-edge AI tool, to model how these spike proteins could evolve. The software simulated potential mutations and interactions with human cells in minutes, accurately matching traditional lab results. Scientists Warning For The Future The new findings align with earlier research led by Chinas renowned virologist Shi Zhengli- often dubbed the batwoman." Her team had found that HKU5-CoV-2, a variant in this group, was capable of infecting human cells in test tubes and lab models of the human respiratory and digestive systems. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The researchers also identified potential monoclonal antibodies and antivirals that could target the virus if it crosses over. Dr. Letko stressed, Theres no need to panic, but there is every reason to prepare." About the Author Mallika Soni When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" Location : China First Published: June 06, 2025, 19:01 IST Prince Harry Feels Alone In California With Meghan Markle, Misses UK Friends: Report Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 21:08 IST The Duke of Sussex is feeling desperately lonely, largely cut off from longtime friends and family, and struggling to find meaningful companionship in California. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. (File) Prince Harry may be living in a $14 million Italian-style mansion in California with his wife Meghan Markle and their two children but behind the gates life is far from idyllic for the former royal family member, it was reported. NewsNation reported, citing unnamed sources, the Duke of Sussex is feeling desperately lonely," largely cut off from longtime friends and family, and struggling to find meaningful companionship in California. Recommended Stories He doesnt really have any real friends in the area except for polo star Nacho Figueras, and Nacho travels constantly for matches," a friend told the outlet, adding, He spends a lot of his time chilling with his bodyguards." Prince Harrys Friends In UK Prince Harry is said to remain close with a few of his inner circle from the UK, including Guy Pelly and Mark Dyer but the distance and time zone differences make regular contact difficult. The source said as per the outlet, Theres no one else for him to hang out with besides Nacho, Meghan, and the children." The UK royals social circle has narrowed since stepping back from official duties and relocating to the US in 2020, the report claimed, citing a friend who said, Its hard to forge deep friendships when youre older especially when youre wary of people leaking things to the press." Another source compared Prince Harrys exile-like existence to that of his great-great-uncle Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne for love and lived out his days abroad with Wallis Simpson. Its like history is repeating itself," the friend said. What Meghan Markle Feels About Life In US top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have remained in the public eye through Netflix deals, books and public appearances. Although behind the scenes, Prince Harry is also said to have been frustrated over delays in securing British passports for his children, Archie and Lilibet. Meghan wishes her husband could feel less burdened by the past and more present in the life theyve built together," a source told People Magazine. About the Author Mallika Soni When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" Location : California, USA First Published: June 06, 2025, 21:08 IST Russia Launches Ballistic Missiles At Kyiv In Retaliation Against Ukraine's Drone Attacks Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 07:17 IST Russia retaliated against Ukraine's drone attacks as its forces launched ballistic missiles at Kyiv on Friday, officials said. Russia launches ballistic missiles at Ukraine (Reuters Image) Days after Ukraines drone attacks on bomber fleet, Russia on Friday retaliated with ballistic missiles and drones from multiple locations, the Ukrainian Air Force said. Several buildings across the capital city were damaged by falling debris and drone strikes as Ukraine attempted to stop the incoming projectiles, Tymur Tkachenko, Head of Kyiv City Military Administration, said, CNN reported. Recommended Stories At least three people were injured in the latest attack, The Guardian reported. The attacks follow Ukraines Operation Spiderweb, which inflicted heavy damage to the Russian military and took down a substantial portion of Russias strategic bomber fleet, including Tu-95 and Tu-160 aircraft. Tkachenko alleged that Russia attempted to target the residential areas with drones, adding that a high-rise building in the Solomyansky district of Kyiv suffered damage. The fire broke out on the 11th floor of the 16-story residential building. Fires were also reported in the districts of Holosiivskyi and Darnytskyi of Kyiv, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. The authorities urged the locals to seek shelter. Ukraines air defence systems were activated in the Obolon area of the capital city to shoot down the incoming projectiles, according to the Mayor. The attack on the capital continues. Stay in shelters!" the Mayor said. Russias strong retaliation comes days after Ukraines security service launched large-scale drone attacks deep inside Russia and damaged 41 Russian military aircraft. On Tuesday, Ukraine also attacked the Kerch Bridge, which is the only direct link between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula. The attack used 1,100 kilograms of explosives placed underwater. Russia had vowed to retaliate against Ukraines drone operation and said it would respond as and when its military deemed fit. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that he had urged his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Wednesday not to retaliate against Ukraine, but he expected Moscow to hit back. Its probably not going to be pretty. I dont like it," said Trump, referring to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. He also spoke about the tense relationship between Putin and Zelenskyy, saying there is great hatred" between them. About the Author Ashesh Mallick Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes... Read More Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes... Read More Location : Kyiv, Ukraine First Published: June 06, 2025, 06:59 IST Russia Shot 400 Drones, 40 Missiles In Overnight Strikes In Ukraine: Zelenskyy Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 13:50 IST Russia carried out retaliatory strikes with ballistic missiles and drones in Kyiv on Friday. Zelenskyy said that Moscow shot 400 drones and 40 missiles into Ukrainian territory. Russia attacks Ukraine with drones and missiles (Photo: X/ @ZelenskyyUa) Moscow launched over 400 drones and more than 40 missiles, including ballistic ones, at Ukraine in retaliation against Ukraines drone strikes deep inside Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday. At least three people were confirmed dead, while nearly 50 others were reported wounded in Ukraine, with the numbers likely to rise, Zelenskyy said. Recommended Stories In total, over 400 drones and more than 40 missiles including ballistic missiles were used in todays attack. 49 people were wounded. Unfortunately, the number may increase people are reaching out for help. As of now, three deaths have been confirmed all of them were employees of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. My sincere condolences to their families," he posted on X. Russia doesn`t change its stripes another massive strike on cities and ordinary life. They targeted almost all of Ukraine Volyn, Lviv, Ternopil, Kyiv, Sumy, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv regions. Some of the missiles and drones were shot down. I thank our pic.twitter.com/O1iemSp3s2 Volodymyr Zelenskyy / (@ZelenskyyUa) June 6, 2025 This comes after Russia fired ballistic missiles at Kyiv in the early hours of Friday, days after Ukraines drone attacks on the bomber fleet. Zelenskyy said that Russia targeted ordinary life" and launched strikes in almost all of Ukraine", adding that some of the projectiles were shot down; however, not all were intercepted". Zelenskyy said that Russia must be held accountable for the damage, accusing Moscow of striking cities and destroying lives. He also said that it is the right time for the US and Europe to stop the war by putting Russia under pressure. Since the first minute of this war, they have been striking cities and villages to destroy life. Weve done a lot together with the world to enable Ukraine to defend itself. But now is exactly the moment when America, Europe, and everyone around the world can stop this war together by pressuring Russia. If someone is not applying pressure and is giving the war more time to take lives that is complicity and accountability. We must act decisively," he said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The Russian retaliation came after Ukraine launched Operation Spiderweb, which badly damaged the Russian military and destroyed many of its key bomber planes, including the Tu-95 and Tu-160. Russia had vowed to strike back at Ukraine and said that it would respond at its own time and in a manner that the military thought was appropriate. About the Author Ashesh Mallick Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes... Read More Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes... Read More Location : Ukraine First Published: June 06, 2025, 13:41 IST Leading Ukrainian banks have reduced the amount of loans issued for the implementation of investment projects by more than five times - to UAH 252 million from UAH 1.3 billion, although the number of such loans increased to 86 from 79, according to information from the National Bank of Ukraine. According to it, the number of approved applications also increased - from 67 in April to 98 in May, and their amount increased from UAH 192 million to UAH 2.6 billion. The National Bank added that the total number of applications submitted in May increased to 231 from 107 in April, and their volume to UAH 1.4 billion from UAH 1.1 billion. In general, as the regulator noted based on a survey of 20 banks, from June 2024 to May 2025, banks began financing projects for the installation of energy equipment with a total capacity of over 705 MW for UAH 18.2 billion after receiving 4,500 applications for a total amount of UAH 86.4 billion. The National Bank clarified that since June 2024, the largest amount of funds has been directed to the purchase and installation of gas-piston cogeneration units (262 MW), the construction of solar power plants (249 MW), and the purchase of diesel and gasoline generators (130 MW). According to him, banks also lend to the population: in May, the number of energy loans to them increased to 616 for UAH 110 million compared to 565 for UAH 105 million in April. In total, 7,980 loans for UAH 1.2 billion have been provided to the population since June 2024, and the volume of the gross portfolio of loans to individuals for the specified purposes, taking into account repayment, is UAH 962 million. As reported, in June 2024, with the assistance of the NBU, 20 banks controlling over 85% of the sector's net assets signed a memorandum of readiness to finance the restoration of the energy sector. The lending programs take into account the needs of SMEs and large businesses, as well as households. Enterprises can receive financing for the construction of solar, wind and biogas plants, the creation of gas turbine and gas piston power plants, as well as the purchase of industrial batteries and accumulators. Simla Agreement Is Dead, Says Pakistan; No, It's Not, Says Pakistan Again Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 17:55 IST Simla Agreement News: Pakistan's foreign office has rejected its defence minister Khawaja Asif's claim that 'the Simla Agreement is now a dead document' The Simla Agreement is a peace treaty signed on July 2, 1972, in Simla (now Shimla), India, by then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. File image Simla Agreement: A day after Pakistans defence minister Khawaja Asif termed the 1972 Simla Agreement a dead document", the countrys foreign ministry moved swiftly to clarify that no official decision has been made to revoke any bilateral agreements with India, including the landmark pact. Asifs controversial remarks were made during a televised interview on Tuesday, when he asserted that Indias unilateral actions", particularly the 2019 revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, had rendered the Simla framework obsolete. Recommended Stories The Simla Agreement is now a dead document. We are back to the 1948 position, when the United Nations declared the Line of Control a ceasefire line," Asif claimed, linking it to the first India-Pakistan war. He further suggested that the bilateral structure envisioned by the agreement had collapsed, necessitating future disputes to be addressed via multilateral or international mechanisms. However, the very next day, a senior official from Pakistans foreign office contradicted Asifs bold claim. While acknowledging that recent developments, including Indias precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam attack, had indeed triggered internal discussions in Islamabad, the official stated unequivocally, At present, there is no formal decision to terminate any bilateral accord." The official indicated that all treaties, including the Simla Agreement, remain operational. This quick damage control by the foreign ministry signals an attempt to prevent further diplomatic complications and maintain a semblance of consistency in Pakistans foreign policy. The Simla Agreement is a peace treaty signed on July 2, 1972, in Simla (now Shimla), India, by then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. It came in the immediate aftermath of the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War, which resulted in Indias decisive victory and the creation of Bangladesh. Key provisions of the agreement include: Bilateralism: Both countries committed to settling their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations, eschewing third-party mediation. This was a major Indian diplomatic objective. Line of Control (LoC): It converted the 1971 ceasefire line in Jammu and Kashmir into the Line of Control, which both sides agreed to respect and not alter unilaterally. Normalisation of Relations: It laid out steps for progressively restoring and normalising relations, including resuming communications, travel, trade, and cultural exchanges. No Use of Force: Both governments committed to refraining from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of each other. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Asifs comments, particularly referencing the 2019 Article 370 revocation and even questioning the Indus Waters Treaty, reflect Pakistans ongoing frustration with Indias decisive moves in Kashmir and the heightened tensions following recent cross-border incidents. (With agency inputs) About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d... Read More The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 17:28 IST Treated Like Criminal: Pakistani Man Alleges Georgia Denied Him Entry Despite Valid UAE Residency Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 21:59 IST Georgia permits visa-free entry to UAE citizens and allows UAE residency holders to stay for up to 90 days. According to the post, immigration officers took their passports and photographed them in front of other passengers. (Representative image) A Pakistani national with valid UAE residency alleged he was denied entry into Georgia without explanation, despite carrying all necessary documents. In a viral Reddit post, the traveller recounted being detained for over 12 hours in what he described as a prison-like" room at Kutaisi Airport, where he claims he was humiliated and mistreated by immigration officials. Georgia permits visa-free entry to UAE citizens and allows UAE residency holders to stay for up to 90 days. The man, who had planned a short vacation to the country with a friend, shared his experience, saying, We flew in from Abu Dhabi to Kutaisi on Wizz Air. We had our hotel bookings, return tickets, travel insurance everything in order. But as soon as we said we were Pakistani nationals, the officers pulled us aside." Recommended Stories According to the post, immigration officers took their passports and photographed them in front of other passengers. The two travellers were then taken to a separate room and denied basic information. When we asked why we were being held, one officer just said: We cannot tell you," the man claimed, adding, No reason, no documentation, no violation just a vague statement and dismissive attitude." He said they were detained for over 12 hours in a locked room with no access to proper food, clean water, or a sanitary bathroom. It was like a prison," he wrote, adding that efforts to contact the UAE or Pakistani embassies were met with hostility. They tried to snatch our phones when they saw me trying to call the embassy." The man also shared that he holds a senior position in Abu Dhabi, has no criminal record, and possesses a strong travel history. We were not misbehaving. Our paperwork was complete. Still, we were treated like criminals," he wrote. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The loss isnt just financial," he continued, referring to expenses on flights, accommodation, insurance, and rental cars, adding, Its the psychological toll the humiliation, the anxiety, and the sheer helplessness." He concluded his post by calling out the officers behaviour as rude, racist, and unjust," saying, We feel dehumanised. We will never forget this." About the Author Mallika Soni When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" Location : Georgia First Published: June 06, 2025, 21:59 IST TrumpMusk Rift Widens As Tesla CEO Warns 'Tariffs Could Trigger Recession In US' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 10:57 IST For months, speculation lingered over how long the alliance between the worlds richest man and the US president could last. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is seen. The escalating feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump took a sharper economic turn on Thursday, as the Tesla CEO publicly warned that the former presidents proposed tariff policy could plunge the United States into a recession by late 2025. In a post on X, Musk declared, The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year," marking a stark departure from his earlier alignment with Trumps political agenda. Recommended Stories The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year https://t.co/rbBC11iynE Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 The statement adds fuel to an already volatile fallout between two of the most influential figures in business and politics, as their once-collaborative relationship continues to unravel in full public view. Also Read: Donald TrumpElon Musk Feud Erupts: Public Barbs, Ugly Threats, Impeachment Calls The political alliance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk collapsed on Thursday, ending in a highly public and combative fallout. The US President threatened to revoke the billionaires lucrative government contracts after Musk criticized his flagship spending bill. In a televised address from the Oval Office, Trump said he was very disappointed" in Musk, referring to him as a former aide and top donor who had turned against his big, beautiful" budget proposal currently before Congress. The dispute quickly spilled onto social media, where both men traded insults. Musk escalated the feud further by posting without providing evidence that Trump was named in government files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The clash could have significant political and economic consequences. Teslas stock tumbled, and Musk threatened to terminate a vital US space program involving the Dragon spacecraft, signaling the potential unraveling of a major public-private partnership. Also Read: Nehru-Bose To Mao-Liu: Political Fallouts Are Common But Trump-Musk Breakup May Be The Ugliest Yet For months, speculation lingered over how long the alliance between the worlds richest man and the US president could last. Still, the speed and intensity of the rupture surprised many in Washington. Im very disappointed in Elon. Ive helped Elon a lot," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, as visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz looked on in silence. Elon and I had a great relationship. I dont know if we will anymore." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The 78-year-old president, sounding wounded, reminded reporters that only a week earlier, he had hosted a grand farewell for Musk as he departed the governments cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Trump later labeled Musk crazy" and claimed he had asked him to step away from the role because he was wearing thin." About the Author Abhro Banerjee Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com as Chief Sub-Editor since 2022, covering innumerable big and small events, includ... Read More Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com as Chief Sub-Editor since 2022, covering innumerable big and small events, includ... Read More First Published: June 06, 2025, 10:57 IST US Troops In South Korea To Attack China In Case Of Taiwan Invasion? What Defence Secy Said Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 06, 2025, 15:57 IST Currently, 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea, primarily tasked with deterring threats from North Korea. Pete Hegseth warns Asian countries against potential Chinese military force to alter power balance (AP Image) US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that American forces stationed in South Korea are ready to respond if China launches a military assault on Taiwan. Pete Hegseth warned that Beijing is credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific," adding that the Pentagon is now reorienting toward deterring aggression by communist China." This strategic shift means US troops in South Korea, along with forces based in Japan, Hawaii, and Guam, would be part of a broader regional deterrence effort aimed at countering a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Recommended Stories Currently, 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea, primarily tasked with deterring threats from North Korea. While no changes have been made to the US footprint, officials say any future deployment strategy would be optimized to counter both Pyongyang and Beijing, as per Daily Mail. US Looking At Chinas Actions The growing US focus on China, however, poses a diplomatic challenge for South Korea. Public opinion has historically been wary of American military presence, and the countrys newly elected President, Lee Jae-myung, has voiced support for engagement with North Korea. Chinas Exercises Around Taiwan Tensions in the region escalated sharply last month when China staged large-scale military exercises around Taiwan, deploying dozens of warships and aircraft in a simulated blockade. Satellite imagery revealed massive invasion barges"- modular mobile piers that could allow Chinese forces to land en masse on Taiwans shores, analysts have said. Taiwan responded by scrambling fighter jets and naval assets to shadow and deter Chinese maneuvers. China views Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. In contrast, Taiwan is a self-governing democracy led by the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has deepened ties with Washington in hopes of deterring Chinese aggression. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Donald Trump On Taiwan This comes as US President Donald Trump pressured Taiwan to pay more for its defence while imposing steep tariffs on the islands exports- moves that some fear signal a willingness to treat Taipei as a bargaining chip in US- China negotiations, as per experts. About the Author Mallika Soni When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: June 06, 2025, 15:57 IST Who Is Manmeet Singh? Indian-Origin Blogger Fined In Singapore Over False TikTok Claim Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 18, 2025, 17:20 IST The court found that Singh made these claims without verifying the information, which he had received from an unknown source via WhatsApp Indian-origin blogger from Singapore, Manmeet Singh. (Image via Instagram/thebodyguard1505) An Indian-origin blogger, Manmeet Singh, was fined SGD 6,000 (approximately Rs 4 lakh) by a Singapore court on Friday for sharing a false claim that promoted racial disharmony. Singh, 57, pleaded guilty to knowingly posting content on TikTok that accused the countrys minister of making offensive remarks about a minority community. Recommended Stories The video, uploaded in August 2024, falsely claimed that Singapores Minister for Digital Development and Information, Josephine Teo, had insulted the Malay communitywho make up about 15 per cent of Singapores populationduring an interview with Chinese media. The court found that Singh made these claims without verifying the information, which he had received from an unknown source via WhatsApp. The TikTok video was viewed widely and prompted questions to the minister from her colleagues and a journalist. A police report was filed shortly after. Who Is Manmeet Singh And What Did He Claim? Indian-origin Manmeet Singh is known in Singapore for posting on socio-political topics through platforms like TikTok. He previously gained attention as the bodyguard of former presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian, and his TikTok account had over 9,000 followers at the time of the offence. On 12 August 2024, Singh received a link to a WordPress blog post from an unknown number. The blog falsely alleged that Josephine Teo had said Malays are i*****" during a media interview. Offended by the claim, Singh recorded a TikTok video with a caption repeating the allegation, telling his followers to go look it up". However, just hours after uploading the video, Singh began to doubt the credibility of the claim and took the video down. He also posted a follow-up video apologising to Teo and acknowledged that the allegation was likely false. However, despite this, a police complaint had already been filed by Teos press secretary. Earlier in February, Singh was arrested and granted bail the following day. His defence lawyers had told the court that he was racked with guilt" and had no intent to spread hatred or misinformation. His counsel had stressed that Singh does not create content for profit or popularity, but as a form of expression on issues he feels strongly about. He has since taken steps to avoid political controversy and now checks the reliability of his sources more carefully. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Under Singaporean law, promoting racial disharmony is a serious offence. Singh could have faced up to three years in prison, a fine, or both. (With inputs from agencies) About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d... Read More The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d... Read More Location : Singapore First Published: June 06, 2025, 18:01 IST MFA and UN call on partners to redouble efforts to protect environment for future of young citizens of Ukraine On World Environment Day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted an event entitled "Green Recovery of Ukraine through the Eyes of Children", jointly organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The event was attended by representatives of foreign diplomatic missions accredited in Ukraine. The event was also joined by Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiha together with the Primate of the OCU, His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv and All Ukraine, who were holding a meeting at the MFA at that time. Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine called on all partners to unite and redouble their efforts to protect the environment for the sake of the future of young Ukrainians. Green recovery is crucial to ensure a sustainable, safe and healthy future for Ukraine. More than three years of full-scale armed aggression by the Russian Federation have had a significant negative impact on the environment and climate in Ukraine and created unprecedented threats to the most vulnerable segments of society, in particular Ukrainian children. Increased greenhouse gas emissions, environmental degradation, including soil and water pollution, the presence of military debris and exposure to hazardous substances, all combine to pose significant threats to public health and to economic development and recovery. "In all crisis situations, one of the most vulnerable groups are children. The war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine is no exception. The aggressor destroys homes and schools where Ukrainian children live and study. The aggressor leaves a significant toxic trace, which many generations of Ukrainians will have to overcome," said First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Serhiy Kyslytsia during the event. Since the beginning of the full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation against the state, UNEP has remained a reliable partner of Ukraine in matters of environmental protection and restoration of unique ecosystems, whose expertise in synergy with other UN agencies and international partners allows it to support the government of Ukraine in its efforts to comprehensively respond to the acute challenges of war in the field of environmental protection. "Even despite the challenges, a greener and more sustainable future is achievable," said UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine Matthias Schmale. "We must prioritise a green recovery, despite the ongoing war. A recovery in which children and young people play an active role in creating and inheriting an environment that is conducive to their health and well-being," added Schmale. One of the important areas of UN assistance in Ukraine is the implementation of projects in the area of providing citizens with access to safe drinking water. The aggressor's constant attacks on critical infrastructure facilities, in particular the blowing up of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station dam by the Russian armed forces, only worsen the already difficult situation in this area: permissible water safety standards in some sources are exceeded by 30-40 times. With UN support, specialists in Ukraine are doing everything possible to ensure water supply to affected communities, despite the destruction and damage to infrastructure, as well as power outages. During the event, heads of foreign embassies and international organizations in Ukraine had the opportunity to see children's drawings dedicated to the theme of green recovery of Ukraine, in particular the winners of the contest "The Future of the Planet is in Our Hands!", held with the support of UNICEF, UNEP and the OSCE. "We call on the international community to further consolidate joint efforts in order to protect what is most precious - the future of our children," the Foreign Ministry urged. A federal judge in Washington has signaled he may accelerate the release of documents tied to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in response to President Trump's executive order . But during a Wednesday hearing, Judge Richard Leon made clear that any move would be a slow process, prioritizing privacy and careful review. He said it could still take years, per the Washington Post . A 1977 court order currently keeps the MLK documents sealed until 2027, though President Trump signed an executive order in January urging the unsealing of records tied to the civil rights leader and other assassinated figures. Judge Leon said he would now ask the National Archives to provide him a private inventory of the sealed files to see how materials directly related to King's assassination and the FBI's subsequent investigation are organized, per the New York Times. The government itself hasn't recently reviewed this stash. The hearing came about because the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the civil rights group closely linked with King, sued to keep the records sealed for now. The SCLC argues that early release is an attempt to harm the legacy of Dr. King and undermine the civil rights movement. Justice Department attorney Johnny Walker proposed that department agents do a first pass on the material, filter out sensitive information, and then let the SCLC and the court review what might be safely released. He said the government would avoid disclosing potentially damaging details harvested from FBI surveillance files. Judge Leon suggested that if both sides could jointly agree on which documents to release, he could expedite the process. For now, he encouraged continued dialogue between the involved parties, saying open communication would benefit everyone, including the president, per the Times. A group of nearly a dozen US immigration officers and eight deportees have been stranded for more than two weeks at a US military base in Djibouti after a federal judge in Boston halted a deportation flight. The detainees, who include individuals convicted of crimes like murder and armed robbery, are from Cuba, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, and Mexico, per the Washington Post . The officers and deportees have been housed in a converted shipping container with little protection from extreme heattemperatures have climbed to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheitexposure to polluted air, and the threat of rocket attacks due to the camp's proximity to Yemen. The group ended up in Djibouti after US District Judge Brian Murphy blocked their deportation to South Sudan, citing a rule against sending immigrants to countries where they aren't citizens without the opportunity to seek humanitarian protection. Instead of returning the group to the US, Trump administration officials rerouted them to Djibouti, claiming the detainees' original countries wouldn't take them back, per the AP. In Djibouti, they've reported illnesses like respiratory infections; per ABC News, neither the detainees nor ICE agents were able to start taking antimalarial meds until after they arrived in Djibouti. Medical supplies are limited, and officials worry the stock won't last. ICE has had to rotate in additional staff to relieve the initial group amid not only illness, but also security threats and complaints from base personnel about housing violent offenders. Federal officials argue the judge's order disrupts base operations and puts officers at risk, while defense attorneys voice concerns about the detainees' health and treatment. Meanwhile, officials in Mexico said they weren't informed about a Mexican national deported to Djibouti and are reviewing his case. Enemy continues to try to break through Ukrainian defense, most actively in Pokrovsk direction The enemy, despite the significant losses inflicted on it by our defenders, continues to try to break through the defense of the Ukrainian troops. In total, as of 16:00, 110 combat clashes have occurred, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports on its Telegram channel. The enemy attacked most actively in Pokrovsk direction. Here the occupiers made 36 attempts to push the Ukrainian defenders from their positions in the areas of the settlements of Yelyzavetivka, Lysivka, Pokrovsk, Udachne, Novo-Serhiyivka, Orekhove, Nadizhdynka, Andriyivka and in the directions of the settlements of Malynivka, Myroliubivka, Poltavka, Promin, Muravka. The defense forces are holding back the onslaught and have already repelled 31 enemy attacks. In Novo-Pavlivsk direction, Ukrainian soldiers repelled ten attacks by the occupation army. In Lymany direction, the invading army carried out nine attacks, and four combat clashes are currently ongoing. In Toretsk direction, the Russians tried nine times to displace the Ukrainian units from their positions. The defense forces successfully repelled all enemy assaults. In Kharkiv direction, Ukrainian units repelled two enemy attacks, in Kupyansk direction - three attacks, in Siversk direction - two. In Kramatorsk direction, our defenders repelled five attacks of the aggressor, now one battle is underway. In Huliai-Pole direction, the Defense Forces successfully repelled two enemy attacks and are giving a worthy rebuff in three more clashes. In Orikhove direction, the Ukrainian defenders successfully stopped two enemy assaults. In Kursk direction, Ukrainian defenders repelled 17 attacks by the invaders. In addition, the enemy carried out 122 artillery attacks on the positions of our troops and populated areas, including four from multiple launch rocket systems, and carried out five air strikes, dropping 11 guided bombs. As President Trump and Elon Musk argued on social media on Thursday, the world's richest man threatened to decommission a space capsule used to take astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station, the AP reports. After Trump threatened to cut government contracts given to Musk's SpaceX rocket company and his Starlink internet satellite services, Musk responded via X that SpaceX "will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately." Hours later, however, he walked that back, saying, "OK, we won't decommission Dragon" after a user on X suggested he take some time to calm down, CNBC reports. A Bloomberg podcaster joked, "An account with 184 followers has achieved de-escalation between two of the most powerful people in the world." The capsule, developed with the help of government contracts, is an important part of keeping the space station running. NASA also relies heavily on SpaceX for other programs including launching science missions and, later this decade, returning astronauts to the surface of the moon. SpaceX is the only US company capable right now of transporting crews to and from the space station, using its four-person Dragon capsules. For his part, President Trump and some of his aides appeared to be signaling a possible "detente" with Musk by Thursday night, Politico reports. "Oh it's OK," Trump told the outlet when asked about the feud with Musk. He went on to tout his current approval ratings. Sources say aides have urged Trump to focus more on legislation and less on the fight with Musk. A private lunar lander from Japan crashed while attempting a touchdown Friday , the latest casualty in the commercial rush to the moon, the AP reports. The Tokyo-based company ispace declared the mission a failure several hours after communication was lost with the lander. Flight controllers scrambled to gain contact, but were met with only silence and said they were concluding the mission. Communications ceased less than two minutes before the spacecraft's scheduled landing on the moon with a mini rover. Until then, the descent from lunar orbit seemed to be going well. CEO and founder Takeshi Hakamada apologized to everyone who contributed to the mission, the second lunar strikeout for ispace. Two years ago, the company's first moonshot ended in a crash landing, giving rise to the name "Resilience" for its successor lander. Resilience carried a rover with a shovel to gather lunar dirt as well as a Swedish artist's toy-size red house for placement on the moon's dusty surface. Company officials said it was too soon to know whether the same problem doomed both missions. "This is the second time that we were not able to land. So we really have to take it very seriously," Hakamada told reporters. He stressed that the company would press ahead with more lunar missions. A preliminary analysis indicates the laser system for measuring the altitude did not work as planned, and the lander descended too fast, officials said. "Based on these circumstances, it is currently assumed that the lander likely performed a hard landing on the lunar surface," the company said in a written statement. A nighttime missile and drone attack on Ukraine killed at least four people and injured 20 others in Kyiv, city mayor Vitali Klitschko said Friday, as Russia targeted at least six regions across the country with 407 drones and 44 missiles in one of its largest coordinated attacks of the war. Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said the barrage included ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as a mix of strike drones and decoys, the AP reports. Ukrainian forces said they shot down about 30 of the cruise missiles and up to 200 of the drones. Authorities reported damage in several districts in Kyiv, and rescue workers responded at multiple locations. Ukraine's Interior Ministry said three emergency workers were killed in Kyiv while responding to the aftermath of Russian strikes. "They were working under fire to help people," the ministry said in a statement. In Russia, air defenses shot down 10 Ukrainian drones heading toward the capital early Friday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. Flights at Moscow airports were temporarily suspended during the night as a precaution. Ukrainian cities have come under regular bombardment since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022. The attacks have killed more than 12,000 civilians, according to the United Nations. Putin said in a phone call with President Trump earlier this week that he would respond to Ukraine's daring long-range attack on Russian air bases on Sunday. The nighttime attack came hours after Trump said it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia "fight for a while" before pulling them apart and pursuing peace, in comments that were a remarkable detour from Trump's often-stated appeals to stop the war. Iran is importing thousands of tons of ballistic missile ingredients from China, according to sources familiar with the transactions, with shipments of ammonium perchlorate, a key missile propellant, set to arrive in Iran in the coming months, reports the Wall Street Journal . The materials could produce hundreds of ballistic missiles, with some potentially destined for Iranian-aligned militias in the region, including Yemen's Houthis. The procurement highlights Iran's efforts to strengthen regional allies and replenish its missile arsenal as it faces tough negotiations with the US over its nuclear program. Iran has expanded enriched uranium stockpiles and refused to negotiate limits on its missile program. An Iranian firm ordered the chemicals from a Hong Kong company called Lion Commodities Holdings Ltd., with neither side commenting. China said it wasn't aware of the contract and stressed it enforces rigorous controls on dual-use items. Earlier this year, more than 1,000 tons of sodium perchlorate arrived in Iranian ports from China, enough to fuel around 260 short-range missiles. The latest, larger order could fuel up to 800 missiles. The Times of Israel notes that Iran "has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons," despite the fact that "it has been enriching uranium to levels that have no peaceful application," among other suspicious activity. Meanwhile, Newsweek reports that on Thursday, the US State Department encouraged Iran to sign off on the United States' latest nuclear proposal. A Massachusetts high school junior who was detained by ICE on his way to volleyball practice last weekend has been released from custody. An immigration judge found that Marcelo Gomes da Silva, an 18-year-old with no criminal record, was not a danger to the community and released him on $2,000 bond, ABC News. " He's an upstanding member of the society, we have people with luminous community letters of support in terms of his character from everyone," attorney Robin Nice said. More than 100 supporters, including dozens of his fellow Milford High School students, gathered outside the courthouse on Thursday. Students staged a walkout on Monday to protest his detention, and the volleyball team dedicated Tuesday's playoff game to him. "I don't wanna crybut I wanna say that that place is not good," said Gomes da Silva, who was held at an ICE facility for six days. Among Winston Churchill's many concerns as June 6, 1944, approached was whether there'd be enough penicillin to treat the troops wounded during the Allies' Normandy invasion, rediscovered official documents show. Months after D-Day, Britain's prime minister pronounced the efforts to obtain a supply of the antibiotic "very disappointing," the papers held by the National Archives indicate, reports the BBC , which has seen them. "The files give a glimpse into the extraordinary levels of preparation undertaken in advance of the D-Day landings," said Jessamy Carlson, modern records specialist. Churchill was especially frustrated at the lack of supply because penicillin was discovered in London in 1928. When World War II started, a usable medicine to treat bacterial infections had still not been created from the bacteria-killing mold. Once a team of scientists conducted the first successful trials, the project had to be moved to the US to make large-scale production possible. His handwritten notes show the prime minister's distress that the US was "so far ahead" in its stockpile. On a Ministry of Supply report relaying that, Churchill wrote, "I am sorry we can't produce more." In 1946, the "wonder drug" became fully available to the public. But in 1944, the priority was the military. The files include a telegram from a physician that year pleading for enough to treat a 10-year-old child. "No hope without penicillin," the telegram read. The request was turned down. (D-Day veterans gathered in Normandy on Friday for commemorations.) Five members of the Proud Boys aren't content with being pardonedthey want the government to pay them $100 million over their Jan. 6 prosecutions. The five filed a lawsuit to that effect Friday in federal court in Florida, alleging that the government violated their constitutional rights by prosecuting them, reports the Wall Street Journal. The five are Enrique Tarrio, Zachary Rehl, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, and Dominic Pezzola, all of whom were convicted for their roles in the breach of the Capitol. Their suit claims that federal authorities sought "to punish and oppress political allies of President Donald Trump, by any and all means necessary, legal, or illegal." Fairbanks, AK (99701) Today Scattered thunderstorms, especially during the afternoon hours. High 71F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight with light rain possible. Low 57F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Photo: https://t.me/dsns_telegram/ Representatives of foreign embassies and charitable organizations, together with the Chairman of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine Andriy Danyk, visited the site of the enemy attack in Solomyansky district of Kyiv, where three rescuers were tragically killed, the press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine reports. "This was not only a visit of solidarity, but also an opportunity to see with our own eyes the scale of the destruction and express condolences over the irreparable loss," the message posted on the Telegram channel says. It is noted that among those who arrived at the scene of the tragedy were the Danish Ambassador to Ukraine Ole Egberg Mikkelsen, the Japanese Ambassador Masashi Nakagome, the First Secretary of the Swedish Embassy Sofia Westberg and a representative of the British charity FIRE AID Edward Matthews. "Their presence is evidence that the world does not leave Ukraine alone with its challenges. International partners not only provide humanitarian and financial assistance, but also express their support, sharing the pain of our loss. In addition, numerous letters of gratitude and support are received from international organizations, in particular from ERCC, DG ECHO and others, which only emphasizes the depth of this solidarity," the State Emergency Service emphasizes. It is separately noted that ordinary Kyiv residents also express their gratitude and respect for the deceased rescuers. People come to the place of mourning where the heroes' lives were cut short. They bring flowers, light candles and leave words of gratitude for their courage and dedication to the cause. 1. URALA International URALA International, based in Tokyo, is a leading video and photo production company recognized for its agility, creativity, and technical excellence. Specializing in high-end visual content for both domestic and international clients, URALA delivers everything from large-scale social media campaigns to cinematic commercials, corporate films, and branded event videos. The companys production capabilities span the full spectrumfrom 3D CGI for luxury brands to fast-turnaround shoots for digital platforms. Equipped with state-of-the-art cameras and lenses, URALA is backed by a seasoned team of directors, producers, colorists, illustrators, and post-production specialists. Its strong ties with major broadcasters further enhance its ability to manage complex, cross-media projects with precision and reliability. As an integrated marketing agency, URALA International also offers a range of services including digital marketing, public relations, media relations, advertising, website and app development, content marketing, performance marketing, as well as AI and translation solutions. They emphasize a client-centric approach, maintaining a high rate of client return, managing projects that effectively engage international audiences. Their video and photo clients include LOreal and luxury automotive brands. Inquiry: build@uralaverse.com Website: www.uralaverse.com B.C. companies are unlocking new opportunities in global clean tech markets VANCOUVER, BC, June 5, 2025 /CNW/ - British Columbia is home to Canada's largest hydrogen and fuel cell cluster, powering low-emission energy solutions. With over half of all hydrogen companies in the country and 1,350 full-time workers, B.C. has what it takes to meet global demand in this rapidly growing market. Image of the Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for PacifiCan. Quote reads: With clean energy innovation, British Columbians are leading Canada into the hydrogen economy. This investment supports good jobs, lower emissions, and a stronger Canadian economybuilt for today and the future. (CNW Group/Pacific Economic Development Canada) Today, the Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan), announced an investment of $466,956 in the Canadian Hydrogen Association to expand B.C. hydrogen and fuel cell companies into markets around the world. With this investment, the Canadian Hydrogen Association will help B.C. companies attract investment, seize export opportunities and grow here at home. The association will also showcase B.C. companies on international platforms including today's hy-fcell International Expo and Conference in Vancouver, where global hydrogen experts come together. This investment was provided through PacifiCan's Regional Innovation Ecosystem program. It will support 40 small- and medium-sized businesses, contributing to jobs and growth here in B.C. and a strong economy for all Canadians. In May 2024, PacifiCan also announced an investment of more than $9.4 million to launch the Clean Hydrogen Hub at Simon Fraser University. The Hub works with partners, including the Canadian Hydrogen Association, to advance hydrogen production and technologies both at home and abroad. Quotes "With clean energy innovation, British Columbians are leading Canada into the hydrogen economy. This investment supports good jobs, lower emissions, and a stronger Canadian economybuilt for today and the future." -The Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for PacifiCan "British Columbia is well-positioned to become a leading exporter of hydrogen, hydrogen technologies and related services by capitalizing on its world-leading industry and research expertise, proximity to key markets and abundant natural resources. Our sector is grateful to PacifiCan for its support as we accelerate our efforts to expand export of, and investment interest in, BC hydrogen capabilities and products." -Nicolas Hilario, Interim President and CEO, Canadian Hydrogen Association Quick Facts PacifiCan is the federal economic development agency dedicated to British Columbians. PacifiCan works with partners who are building innovative businesses, creating good jobs, and supporting inclusive growth throughout our province. PacifiCan's Regional Innovation Ecosystems program invests across British Columbia , building economic strength that includes underrepresented groups and boosts companies to innovating locally and competing globally. , building economic strength that includes underrepresented groups and boosts companies to innovating locally and competing globally. The Canadian Hydrogen Association works to advance the role of hydrogen and hydrogen technology solutions in Canada and abroad, representing over 200 organizations. Associated Links Stay connected Follow PacifiCan on X and LinkedIn Toll-Free Number: 1-888-338-9378 TTY (telecommunications device for the hearing impaired): 1-877-303-3388 SOURCE Pacific Economic Development Canada Contacts: Sofia Ouslis, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan), [email protected]; Lynsey Brothers, A/Communications Manager, PacifiCan, [email protected] Preparations for the exchange of the seriously ill, seriously wounded, young people and the return of the bodies of fallen defenders continue; reports of allegedly unilateral actions by the Russian Federation regarding the repatriation of the bodies of the dead are not true, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POW) reports. "Statements by representatives of the aggressor state about the alleged start of the return of bodies or repatriation activities as a result of the agreements in Istanbul do not correspond to reality. Preparations for the exchange of seriously ill, seriously wounded, youth and the return of the bodies of fallen defenders are ongoing," the headquarters said on Telegram on Friday. Deputy Chairman of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War Andriy Yusov also confirmed that no repatriation actions had taken place. "Tense negotiations continue to prepare for a new major exchange. Our negotiating team, in difficult conditions, is defending the interests of Ukrainian prisoners. As always, this vital process is accompanied by information attacks and fakes from the enemy; the captors are once again manipulating sensitive and emotional topics to achieve their chauvinistic goals," he wrote on his Facebook page. According to Russian media, on Friday, Russian representatives brought the bodies of the dead to the border, but the Ukrainian side refused to accept them without explanation. American society and politics maintain a high level of support for Ukraine, notes the head of the Presidents of Ukraine Andriy Yermak following the visit of the Ukrainian delegation led by the First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko to the United States on June 3-5. "It was very important to feel once again that America maintains a high level of support for Ukraine," Yermak said on the telethon on Friday. According to him, "literally everyone congratulated us on the incredible Operation Spider Web and everyone was delighted, and it really gave such a boost, and again the country returned to the spotlight and all the media, and, of course, this was one of the main issues." Yermak noted that no one died during the Spider Web Operation, and this is one of the reasons "why it is so highly valued, first and foremost, by the American military, and American congressmen and senators." "As we attack legitimate military targets, and they hit civilians, they kill civilians, they kill people who were simply sleeping at night. Therefore, the entire world certainly sees this, and today it is in the top news in the American ... Today, American society is definitely not friendly ... it is absolutely against Russia, it clearly understands that Russia is a terrorist country," he explained. "The absolute majority of American politicians, representatives of both parties and American society retain very high support. And this is the main thing, because all politicians in the world - they are guided by how society feels and what it supports," Yermak added. Bodies of two more dead found under rubble in Lutsk, 30 injured Rescuers have recovered from the rubble the bodies of two people killed in Russian airstrikes overnight in two different locations in Lutsk, bringing the death toll to five. "Rescuers have freed a body from under the rubble on the territory of an industrial enterprise," the State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported on its Telegram channel on Friday evening. "UPD: rescuers have freed the body of a deceased man born in 1998 from under the rubble of a destroyed 9-story building. The number of victims has risen to 30 people," the State Emergency Service reported a little later. According to the department, rescuers, Red Cross volunteers, psychologists from the State Emergency Service and other necessary services are working at the site. A Point of Invincibility has been deployed to help residents. As reported, on Friday night Russian troops carried out a massive shelling of Lutsk, using missiles and drones, as a result of the attack a 9-story residential building was partially destroyed. Lutsk Mayor Ihor Polischuk reported that during the attack Russian troops used 15 kamikaze drones and six missiles. The bodies of two young men and one woman were found under the rubble of the damaged 9-story building. There were also reports of 16 casualties. China ramps up summer wheat harvest with advanced machinery People's Daily Online) 15:06, June 05, 2025 China's summer wheat harvest is now in full swing across major producing regions. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), more than 17 million pieces of agricultural machinery will be deployed nationwide to ensure smooth harvesting, sowing and field management, including over 800,000 combine harvesters, with more than 200,000 working across regions. A combine harvester is seen at wheat fields in Hehui village, Nanshahe town, Tengzhou city, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Li Zhijun) The summer harvest season in China typically runs from mid-May to June, with most activity focused on reaping winter wheat, a staple crop. Central China's Henan Province, which produces nearly a quarter of the nation's wheat, has more than 85 million mu (5.67 million hectares) of wheat ready for harvest. Across the province, farmers are racing against time to bring in the crop. In Poyu village, Suiping county, Zhumadian city, combine harvesters are busy reaping wheat, with grain loaded directly onto trucks for transport. "The wheat ripened early, about 10 days ahead of schedule," said Wang Fuping, a major grain grower who is overseeing operations on his 5,000-mu wheat farm. Zhumadian has deployed 35,000 harvesters this season to work its nearly 12 million mu of wheat. Data from the Henan provincial department of agriculture and rural affairs show that as of 5 p.m. on June 1, the province had harvested 57.46 million mu of wheat, accounting for about 67.5 percent of the total planted area. In Anhui Province, another major wheat-producing region in eastern China, more than 43 million mu of wheat was planted this year, and the harvest is picking up pace. In Huoqiu county, Lu'an city, officials plan to deploy 5,500 combine harvesters to complete the harvest of 1.7 million mu of wheat within 10 days. Anhui expects to finish the wheat harvest by June 10, with a mechanization rate exceeding 98.5 percent. A combine harvester loads wheat in Shuanglou village, Zhaoqiao township, Qiaocheng district, Bozhou city, east China's Anhui Province. (Photo/Liu Qinli) According to the latest survey by the MARA, as of 5 p.m. on May 30, China had harvested 129 million mu of wheat, with progress surpassing 30 percent. "The planting area of winter wheat remained stable at 350 million mu this year, showing modest growth," said Liu Luxiang, head of the wheat industry expert team at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Driving the accelerated wheat harvest is increased investment in smart agricultural machinery and the use of new technologies and equipment. In Zhongxiang city, central China's Hubei Province, combine harvesters equipped with the BeiDou satellite navigation system have become the backbone of the harvest season. "These intelligent harvesters can efficiently complete the entire process from harvesting to threshing with wheat directly loaded onto trucks and transported to agricultural service centers for drying," said Tian Jun, a local grain farmer. Tian added that 500 mu of wheat were harvested in just a day and a half, improving operational efficiency by 30 percent. This year, the winter wheat planting area in Hubei Province exceeded 15 million mu, with more than 60,000 BeiDou-enabled intelligent terminals installed on agricultural machinery ranking among the top nationwide in application scale. Thanks to smart agricultural machinery, Hubei completed its large-scale wheat harvest in just 17 days this year, a 19 percent reduction compared to 21 days in 2024. Many agricultural machinery operators involved in cross-regional mechanized harvesting have adopted AI-powered apps that analyze wheat planting data, growth conditions and maturity levels. These apps predict optimal harvest times using historical and real-time data, providing guidance for efficient cross-regional harvesting. In east China's Shandong Province, the second-largest wheat-producing province, efforts are underway to harvest over 60 million mu of wheat while simultaneously advancing corn and soybean sowing. "As soon as the wheat is harvested, planters are deployed immediately to seize the optimal time for seeding," said Xu Baizhen, deputy Party chief of Kangzhuang town in Linqing city, Shandong Province. In recent years, the town has actively promoted soybean-corn strip intercropping. This year, it continues to prioritize large-scale farming, working closely with major growers, family farms, farming cooperatives and other agricultural entities to improve productivity. As one of China's key summer corn production areas, Shandong has prioritized soybean capacity enhancement in its agricultural development strategy in recent years, according to a provincial official. Shandong will stabilize planting areas, enhance soybean output, and strengthen support in agricultural supplies, water access, equipment, and meteorological services, laying a solid foundation for a strong autumn grain harvest, according to a local official. To support national efforts in crop pest and disease control, the Ministry of Finance and the MARA recently allocated 1.4 billion yuan ($194.33 million) in central government funds for disaster prevention and relief to boost agricultural production. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) A 71-year-old Bergen County man was arrested Thursday and charged with sexually assaulting a child under 16 over a two-year period. Manuel A. Barrantes, of Fort Lee, was charged with first-degree aggravated assault and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, according to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella. Teaneck police contacted the prosector on May 29 to report a juvenile had been sexually assaulted. An investigation revealed Barrantes sexually assaulted the child on multiple occasions between August 2016 and August 2018, Musella said. A man being sought for exposing himself to customers at the Marshalls store in Evesham. Evesham police Police in Evesham are asking for the publics help as they try to find a man who exposed himself to customers in Marshalls earlier this week. Employees at the store on Route 73 told officers that the man committed the lewd act around 2 p.m. Monday, Evesham police said. The workers also informed police that the same man had exposed himself at the store about a week earlier. One of the victims was a child. Anyone who has been victimized by the man or has information about him is asked to call Evesham police at 856-983-1116 or text ETPDTIP to 847411. The confidential tip line can be reached at 856-983-4699. Tipsters can also email Detective Sierra Gates at gatess@eveshampd.org. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. A 36-year-old New Jersey man was charged with human trafficking and other offenses after trying to arrange to sexually assault a child at a hotel in Burlington County, authorities said. The arrest took place after Robert R. Lockwood spent a month chatting and texting with an undercover detective posing as the mother of a 12-year-old girl, the state Office of the Attorney General said. Lockwood contacted the law enforcement officer earlier this spring on a mobile dating app. During the conversations between April 7 and May 6, Lockwood asked about the undercovers supposed daughter, requested photos of the girl and sent photos of himself, authorities said. He then set up a May 14 meeting at a hotel in Westampton, where police arrested Lockwood, who lives in the Browns Mills section of Pemberton Township. Lockwood is charged with conspiracy to commit human trafficking of a minor, attempted aggravated sexual assault, luring, and attempted endangering the welfare of a child. Anyone who tries to harm a child has to know that we will always be out there working to stop them and will then vigorously prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law, state Division of Criminal Justice Director Theresa L. Hilton said in a statement. He was released from jail on May 21 following a detention hearing and is scheduled for a pre-indictment conference on July 9, according to court records. Lockwoods attorney, Jeremy Lackey, couldnt immediately be reached for comment on Friday morning. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. A deacon at a South Jersey church is accused of sexually assaulted a girl younger than 13 over a period of nearly two years, prosecutors said. Authorities arrested 44-year-old Shawn Tracey, of Mount Holly, on Tuesday after investigators were informed about the abuse accusations this week, the Burlington County Prosecutors Office said Friday. Tracey was identified as a deacon at Burlington Seventh-day Adventist Church in Burlington City. The church did not immediately respond to a request to comment. The prosecutors office did not release additional details about the investigation. Tracey is charged with 10 counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, the prosecutors office said. He also faces charges of sexual assault, debauching the morals of a child and showing obscene material to a minor, the agency said. Information about the case, including an attorney for Tracey, was not available in New Jersey court records Friday. Tracey is accused of abusing the girl at multiple locations in Burlington City, the prosecutors office said. Investigators did not say whether the girl regularly attends Traceys church. A judge this week sealed charging documents in the case. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact 609-265-5035 and ask for the special victims unit. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Eric Conklin may be reached at econklin@njadvancemedia.com. A. Harry Moore School in Jersey City holds an International Person's with Disabilities Day Open House in 2023. A teacher lets her students play with a Hoberman Sphere toy. Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal This story about special education and inclusion was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. New Jersey students with disabilities are the least likely in the nation to spend their days surrounded by peers without disabilities. One underlying reason: a sprawling network of separate schools that allows districts to outsource educating them. New Jersey has more than a hundred private schools, plus eight county-run districts specifically for students with disabilities. Districts spend hundreds of millions of dollars placing students in private schools rather than investing in their own staffing and programs placements that cost New Jersey taxpayers $784 million in 2024, not including transportation. Thats up from about $725 million the year before. This can create a self-perpetuating cycle that increases reliance on separate schools and, experts say, may violate students federal right to spend as much time as possible learning alongside students without disabilities. In many cases, parents say school administrators are too quick to send children out of district and pressure families to agree to those settings. Other times, parents choose to send their child to a separate school, sometimes feeling that they have no choice after repeatedly failing to get their kids the help they need in their local school. Whatever it is that their kids need within the district, theyre not getting, said special education parent and advocate Amanda Villamar, who works with families throughout New Jersey. The question becomes: Why are these services in private schools and not necessarily integrated into our public school system? In all, about 30,000 students with disabilities in New Jersey or 13% attend separate private or public schools, according to The Hechinger Reports analysis of federal data. Thats the highest percentage in the country. Nationwide, 4% attend separate schools. Embed code: New Jerseys history of failing to include children with disabilities in public school classrooms dates back to the 1910s. Thats when the state began promoting separate schools for students with disabilities as a more humane alternative to barring them from schools altogether. Nationwide, only 1 in 5 students with disabilities were enrolled in the public school system in the 1970s, when Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act or IDEA. The law enshrines integration by saying students with disabilities have a right to learn alongside students without disabilities to the maximum extent possible and that they should be placed in the least restrictive environment. Across the nation, parents and children fought state laws excluding students with disabilities from public schools with fights in Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania fueling the passage of IDEA. It wasnt until 1992 that New Jersey repealed its statutes allowing public schools to exclude untrainable children with disabilities. By then, separate schools were an integral part of the states highly decentralized education system, which today comprises roughly 600 districts. New Jersey Department of Education officials said the state is committed to ensuring students with disabilities are in the most appropriate school setting based on individual needs, and that includes out-of-district programs. New Jersey is uniquely positioned in this regard, with a longstanding infrastructure of out-of-district options and many small local public school districts, department spokesman Michael Yaple said in an email. These and other factors have contributed to the states historical reliance on a wide array of specialized programs designed to offer diverse, individualized educational options for students with disabilities. The rate at which New Jersey school districts place students in separate schools has declined over the past two decades. In the same period, however, more parents chose to send their children to private schools, sometimes because they felt they had no other viable options. Some parents say there are significant trade-offs when their child leaves their district school. Ellen Woodcocks son, a fifth grader, attends a county-run school for students with disabilities where she says teachers understand his autism much better than they did in her home district. Despite her sons fascination with geography, however, teachers spend little time on science or social studies. The school has no library, and the day ends an hour earlier than his district elementary school. School staff focus on teaching social skills, but hes lost the chance to model the behavior of peers without disabilities. I feel like hes not being challenged, like hes kind of pigeonholed, Woodcock said. We just felt like we didnt have a choice. Many students with disabilities can make significant academic progress in general education classrooms when provided with the right support, experts say. Yunuen Bonaparte for The Hechinger Report Her son spent kindergarten through second grade learning in general education classrooms at his local neighborhood school in Haddonfield in Camden County and she was happy with the social and academic progress he was making. In third grade, however, things changed. The school shifted him into a separate classroom for significant parts of the day. Woodcock said school staff seemed unable, or unwilling, to address how his autism affected his learning and provide the right support to account for it. She felt he was unwanted. In the middle of fourth grade, she said she reluctantly transferred him to a specialized school where he spent his day with other students with autism. It was almost out of desperation, Woodcock said. It was like, lets get him out of the school district, because we feel like they cant support him. It was a fight all the time to get him what he needed. Haddonfield district officials said privacy laws prevent them from commenting on individual students but noted that the percentage of students with disabilities who spend almost all of their time in general education classrooms is significantly higher than the states average. About 69% of Haddonfield students with disabilities spend at least 80% of the school day in general education classrooms, compared with 45% statewide, according to state Education Department data. We are proud of our inclusive practices and the strong sense of belonging we strive to create for all students, district officials said in a statement. The least restrictive environment can look different for each student. In Haddonfield, 19% of parents with students with disabilities choose to enroll their children in private schools, compared with 7% statewide. Woodcock decided to move her son back to the district next year, where hell start sixth grade at the local middle school. She understands that her son may need to be pulled out of class to learn a subject like math in a special education resource room but she believes he can, and should, learn in general education classrooms as well. Under IDEA, students with disabilities should be placed in separate schools or classes only if their disability makes it too difficult for them to learn in a regular classroom, even with extra help and support. A team made up of a childs parents, teachers, school district officials and, when appropriate, the child, decide on a placement together and must review it each year. The federal Department of Education says those teams have to make this decision based on an individual childs needs not solely because of the kind of disability, how significant the childs needs are or whether the school has the money or the staff. In New Jersey, however, some parents say schools too often determine placement on a childs diagnosis alone. Observers, including special education advocates and attorneys, say school districts and leaders of separate schools tend to argue it would be too difficult for all of New Jerseys hundreds of public school districts to provide services for all types of disabilities. Thats fueled a reliance on private and county-run separate schools, many of which have classrooms or programs focused on a specific disability, such as autism or dyslexia, with specially trained teachers. Districts sometimes launch specific special education programs applied behavioral analysis classrooms for students with autism, for example only to abandon them after challenges paying for them or finding qualified staff, said Paul Barger, a special education lawyer in Irvington. Instead of continuing to develop their own programs in the districts, they went ahead and just said theyre placing out into state-approved private school programs, Barger said. Returning some students with disabilities to in-district schools would require more money. Lawmakers in New Jersey are debating the governors proposal to boost funding for special education services in public schools by $400 million for the next school year. Advocates say thats an opportunity to build stronger special education systems in public schools. The governor also proposed flat funding of $420 million for private school tuition payments for students with disabilities. Some parents, unhappy with the services they see in public districts, prefer private schools: A growing number pay for their children to attend. Thats despite the fact that those parents who choose private schools lose federal protections, including the rights to raise formal complaints. ASAH, the group representing New Jersey private schools for students with disabilities, which enroll more than 10,000 students, points out the lack of special education services in public districts. It tells parents that poorly trained paraprofessionals in public schools can be stigmatizing, and placing students in self-contained classrooms doesnt make students feel valued or included. The group, formerly known as the Association of Schools and Agencies for the Handicapped, argues private schools may not be more costly to the state than public schools once pensions are factored in. Students with disabilities have the right to options like private schools, the associations executive director John Mulholland said in an interview. It really is an individualized determination, and merely just being a part of your home district isnt always a least restrictive environment, he said. Unlike for public schools, the federal government doesnt collect data from private schools about how often their students interact with peers without disabilities. According to the associations recent study of 5,300 students served by ASAH schools, 262 students planned to leave their private schools in the 2022-23 school year to return to their home district. That report suggests such a move was less likely for children with autism and multiple disabilities. Mulholland said private schools may offer some interaction with students without disabilities through community service or sporting events. His associations analyses have found that students who start at a private school earlier are more likely to return to their public school district. If students come to us younger, they can get the intensive support they need or return to their school districts many of our members pride themselves on that turnaround, Mulholland said. Nicole Lannutti, of Washington Township in Gloucester County, said her daughter Sophia, who is non-verbal and has multiple disabilities, attended a private preschool for one year at a cost to the district of roughly $90,000. New Jersey requires school districts to provide preschool for students with disabilities. Lannutti pushed to get Sophia into the public school system for a second year of preschool and then elementary school, where she said her daughter thrived in a school that prioritized inclusion. But that changed in middle school, where her mom says shes had to push to have her daughter included even in lunch, recess and extracurricular activities. Washington Township school district did not respond to requests for comment. Lannutti said her local public school is still the most appropriate setting for her child, who will enter seventh grade in the fall and has made friends by participating in the school play. The school agrees, and said as much in her education plan. Lannutti said private schools play an important role, but public schools should work harder to serve more students and fulfill their civil right to an education. When it comes to my kid, its not that she should go because this district cant handle it, Lannutti said. They should learn how to do it. Contact investigative reporter Marina Villeneuve at 212-678-3430 or villeneuve@hechingerreport.org or on Signal at mvilleneuve.78 Contact senior investigative reporter Meredith Kolodner at 212-870-1063 or kolodner@hechingerreport.orgor on Signal at merkolodner.04 This story about special education and inclusion was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the Hechinger newsletter. As one of the key events of the 2025 RCEP Local Governments and Friendship Cities Cooperation Forum, the RCEP Member Countries' Dialogue on New Energy Vehicles and Advanced Photovoltaic Industry & Supply Chains Cooperation was held in Hefei, Anhui Province from June 3 to 5. The dialogue was co-hosted by the Hefei Municipal People's Government and the Foreign Affairs Office of Anhui Provincial People's Government. It aimed to promote international cooperation in the new energy vehicle and advanced photovoltaic industry chains and supply chains among RCEP member states, further driving high-level opening-up. During the event, industry experts provided RCEP policy guidance and delivered keynote speeches. Representatives from enterprises, associations, and research institutions in the fields of new energy vehicles, advanced photovoltaics, and new energy storage engaged in discussions on international industrial collaboration under the RCEP framework. The event also features corporate exhibition booths showcasing products and achievements from Hefei and RCEP member countries in key sectors including new energy vehicles, advanced photovoltaics, new energy storage, integrated circuits, and equipment manufacturing. A dedicated intangible cultural heritage display area highlights Hefei's traditional culture and cultural tourism routes. As a hub of technological innovation, Hefei stands at the forefront of industrial advancement, demonstrating robust growth momentum in both new energy vehicles and advanced photovoltaics. Statistics reveal that in 2024, Hefei's new energy vehicle output exceeded 1.37 million units, an 84% year-on-year increase, with industrial chain output value reaching 260 billion yuan a 71 billion yuan annual growth. The photovoltaic and new energy storage sector surpassed 180 billion yuan in scale, with SUNGROW ranking first globally in inverter and energy storage system shipments. In 2024, Hefei's exports of the "new trio" (new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and solar cells) accounted for over 70% of Anhui Province's total, ranking first in the province with 31.2% year-on-year growth. Held against the backdrop of RCEP and focused on new energy vehicles, advanced photovoltaics and new energy storage, this event is poised to generate substantial cooperative achievements between Hefei's industries and RCEP member countries. Source: Hefei Fabu China's logistics sector remains in expansion zone in May, indicating economic resilience: analyst 08:53, June 06, 2025 By Qi Xijia ( Global Times Workers transport cargo for export using a forklift at the warehouse of Ningbo Blue Dragon Logistics Co in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang Province, on May 16, 2025. (Zhang Yashu/GT) The index tracking the business climate of China's logistics sector stood at 50.6 in May, continuing its streak above the pivotal 50-point mark, according to the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) on Thursday. A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 reflects contraction. This reading for May indicates that the logistics industry demonstrated a sustained growth trend, which is a clear sign of the nation's strong economic resilience, a Chinese expert said. Consumer-driven logistics demand emerged as a highlight. Driven by policies promoting consumer goods trade-ins, holiday consumption, and increased inter-regional travel, logistics orders for home appliances and electronic products soared by 10-15 percent year-on-year, the CFLP said. The postal express sector saw its business volume index hit 69.4, a 0.8-percentage point increase month-on-month. Road transportation maintained its expansionary trend with an index of 51.3, while rail transport, essential for energy supply, stood at 54.2, ensuring the stable movement of bulk cargo. He Hui, vice president of the CFLP, told the Global Times that the logistics business climate index in May showed that demand for logistics services nationwide continues to expand. On the one hand, it is driven by logistics in the consumer sector; and on the other hand, the demand for industrial logistics remains stable and grows with resilience, He said. Meanwhile, investment in the logistics sector continued its upward trajectory, bolstering confidence in future development. The fixed-asset investment completion index climbed to 54.2, the third consecutive month of growth, according to the CFLP. On the corporate side, operational efficiency improved, with both the capital turnover and inventory turnover indices on the rise. Small and micro-sized enterprises, the most dynamic segment of the industry, demonstrated remarkable resilience, with their main business profit indices increasing more significantly than those of larger enterprises, the CFLP said. Additionally, the business activity expectations index has remained in a relatively high prosperity range of more than 55 for three consecutive months. Enterprises remain optimistic about the logistics service sectors of railway-water combined transport, the low-altitude economy, general aviation, and high-end manufacturing. These figures vividly illustrated the vitality and resilience of China's economy, which lays a solid foundation for the stable operation of the economy in the second quarter, Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday. The booming logistics sector is a multi-faceted reflection of the heightened vibrancy in domestic economic activity. As the logistics sector expands, it indicates that the arteries of the supply chain are being unclogged, facilitating the seamless flow of goods from production to consumption, Wang said. China has also made strides in enhancing its global logistics connectivity. As of the end of May, more than 100 new international air cargo routes had been launched this year, with 26 added in May alone. These new routes, mainly connecting Asia and Europe, transported a diverse range of goods, including cross-border e-commerce products, electronics, and auto parts, according to the CFLP. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) Just two days after actor Jonathan Joss was fatally shot on Sunday, June 1, the San Antonio Police Department issued a statement noting that theyd found no evidence whatsoever to indicate that his murder was a hate crime. Now, SAPD Police Chief William McManus is walking back that update. That was way, way, way premature, McManus admitted during a Thursday, June 5, press conference. Shouldnt have done it. It was way too soon before we had any real information, and I will own that and simply say, again, that we simply shouldnt have done that. It was way too early in the process for any statement of that nature to be issued. McManus went on to say that the SAPD understands that many in the LGBTQ+ community are feeling anxious and concerned about Joss murder. Joss, who was best known for his roles as John Redcorn on King of the Hill and Chief Ken Hotate in Parks and Recreation, was 59 when he was pronounced dead at the scene on Sunday. His former neighbor Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja has been charged with his murder. Chief McManus addressing the Jonathan Joss investigation. Posted by San Antonio Police Department on Thursday, June 5, 2025 Joss husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, issued a Facebook statement claiming that homophobia played a role in his murder. He alleged that the shooter yelled violent homophobic slurs at him and Joss before he raised a gun from his lap and fired. The shooting occurred when Joss and Kern de Gonzales stopped by their old neighborhood to pick up mail. Kern de Gonzales claimed that his and Joss home was previously burned down after over two years of threats from people in the area who repeatedly told us they would set it on fire. Jonathan Joss as Chief Ken Hotate in "Parks and Recreation." NBC Throughout that time we were harassed regularly by individuals who made it clear they did not accept our relationship, de Gonzales alleged. Much of the harassment was openly homophobic. During Thursdays press conference, McManus explained why SAPD has not charged Ceja with a hate crime in addition to murder. READ MORE: When did Paul Reubens die? What to know about the Pee-wee Herman stars death In Texas, hate crimes are not separate charges. Instead, they are addressed through sentencing enhancements, the Police Chief said. He noted that the SAPD will gather the facts and present their findings to the District Attorneys office. McManus said that the SAPD is also working closely with the San Antonio Fire Department arson investigators to better understand the fire that destroyed Joss and de Gonzales home. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips/. Paul Reubens didn't tell the "Pee-wee as Himself" director that he had cancer while filming the docuseries. Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP Actor and comedian Paul Reubens had myelogenous leukemia and metastatic lung cancer during the filming of the docuseries Pee-wee as Himself, but almost no one knew it at the time. Reubens died at age 70 in July 2023. Earlier that year, he spent more than 40 hours talking to Pee-wee as Himself director Matt Wolf without mentioning his diagnosis. The series documented Reubens life and career. I was completely unaware that he was sick, Wolf told USA Today in May 2025. I could tell something was up, but I had no sense of the gravity of it. So when he died, it was a complete shock to me, and I went to work immediately to figure out how to make meaning out of these extraordinary circumstances and to better understand the relationship that I had with him and what unfolded through the process of making this film. Reubens is best known for creating and portraying the character Pee-wee Herman in films including Pee-wees Big Adventure and the television series Pee-wees Playhouse. For years, Reubens did all his public appearances in character as Pee-wee. After enjoying massive success throughout the 1980s, things took a turn for Reubens in 1991, when he was arrested for indecent exposure in an adult theater. He denied the accusations at the time and pleaded no contest to avoid a charge on his record. Reubens legal troubles continued in 2002, when authorities raided his home and found a collection of gay erotica. He was subsequently charged with one count of possession of child pornography. Reubens took a plea deal, pleading guilty to the lesser charge of possession of obscene material. In Pee-wee as Himself, Reuebens attorney Blair Perk said the deal acknowledged that while the materials could be deemed offensive by an obscenity standard, they had nothing to do with child pornography. READ MORE: Late actors husband says his death was a hate crime, police say otherwise One day before he died, Reubens recorded an audio message for the docuseries that addressed his public scandals. The reason I wanted to make a documentary was to let people see who I really am and how painful and difficult it was to be labeled something that I wasnt, he said in the message. I wanted people to understand that occasionally where there is smoke, there isnt always fire. Wolf told USA Today that he felt it was important to clear [Reubens] name in Pee-wee as Himself. The response that Ive heard is that people really believe that what happened to Paul was unjust, and I feel that way based on having absorbed and looked at the facts very closely, he said. The two-part docuseries marked Reubens first time publicly acknowledging his sexuality and relationships with men. READ MORE: Hallmark Channel actor dies suddenly at 53 I hid behind an alter ego, he said, noting that he went to great lengths for many, many years to conceal his sexual oriententation from the public. Wolf told USA Today that Reubens was anxious about coming out in the docuseries, as he didnt want the revelation to define his career. He didnt want his work to be seen through a gay lens or to be perceived as a gay icon, Wolf said. That just wasnt how he defined himself. Pee-wee as Himself premiered on HBO on May 23, nearly two years after Reubens death. The docuseries is available to stream on Max. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips/. While experts say NB.1.8.1 is unlikely to ruin summer, it could cause problems come fall as people spend more time indoors. CDC/ James Gathany A new COVID-19 variant is emerging globally and infectious disease experts warn its not to be underestimated. On May 23, the World Health Organization officially designated NB.1.8.1 a variant under monitoring, according to a risk evaluation of the variant. At least 518 cases of NB.1.8.1 have been reported to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data from 22 countries as of May 18. The variant, part of the Omicron family, has been detected in Canada, China, Germany, Singapore, and right here in the United States. At least 10 states including California, Hawaii, and New York have reported cases, according to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data. As of this week, no cases have been reported in New Jersey. CDC is aware of reported cases of COVID-19 NB.1.8.1 in China and is in regular contact with international partners, a CDC spokesperson said in a statement to NJ Advance Media. The spokesperson added that there has not been enough cases in the U.S. to meet the threshold for inclusion in the COVID Data Tracker dashboard yet. We monitor all SARS-CoV-2 sequences, and if it increases in proportion, it will appear on the Data Tracker dashboard, the spokesperson said. Although the public health risk posed by NB.1.8.1 is evaluated as low at the global level, infectious disease experts said the virus could spread quickly. Heres everything you need to know to stay ahead of the curve. Why is there yet another new strain? Its normal for viruses like COVID-19, HIV, and influenza to mutate over time, according to infectious disease experts. These mutations can create new versions of the virus, some of which may differ significantly from earlier strains. This is a fundamental principle of virology, said Dr. Perry Halkitis, an infectious disease epidemiologist and dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health. As long as the virus continues to circulate, we will keep seeing new variants, said Halkitis. How quickly will it spread? NB.1.8.1 is growing rapidly compared to other variants, according to the WHO. The virus is more prevalent in other countries than the U.S. right now. But that could quickly change, said Dr. Edward Liu, chief of infectious diseases at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center. This has been an international virus from the start, said Liu. People sick on airplanes were early transmitters of the virus in the first wave. So, air travel means that international problems are still something that we have to monitor. Is this variant more dangerous than others? Clinical surveillance data doesnt indicate any signs of increased severity associated with NB.1.8.1 so far, compared to previously circulating variants, according to the WHO. Currently, there is no evidence of increased ICU admissions and deaths per hospitalizations. However, that doesnt mean the virus isnt a threat, especially to the immunocompromised or the unvaccinated, according to public health experts. I think natural infection immunity is waning. If the last time you had COVID was years ago, you probably dont have much immunity. And the last vaccine for a lot of people may have been several years ago, said Liu. Does the COVID-19 vaccine protect against new strains? Currently approved COVID-19 vaccines are expected to remain effective against symptomatic and severe disease from this variant, according to the WHO. However, the WHO adds, compared to other variants circulating, NB.1.8.1 has mutations that could increase the variants transmissibility. This one stood out because vaccine-created antibodies may be slightly less effective neutralizing these viruses than some other variants, Liu said. The CDC recently updated its COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. The agency no longer recommends vaccines for healthy children under 18 and for pregnant women. Will it increase this summer? Dont cancel those summer plans just yet. Its unlikely that this variant will ruin the summer, especially because warmer months bring more outdoor activity and better ventilation, which reduce transmission risk, said Halkitis. The real concern, Halkitis said, will come in the fall when people begin to gather indoors againin schools, offices, and other enclosed spaces. COVID-19 remains a real and ongoing threat, said Halkitis, adding that vaccines remain the greatest defense against illness. Vaccines work and have enhanced our longevity and quality of life, said Halkitis. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription. Jackie Romanmay be reached atjroman@njadvancemedia.com. The crimes allegedly occurred in October 2024 at Hudson Arts and Science Middle School, according to Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez. Canva An information technology worker at a charter school in Hudson County was charged Thursday with having inappropriate sexual contact with two children under age 13, authorities said. The crimes allegedly occurred in October 2024 at Hudson Arts and Science Middle School in Kearny, according to Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez. The Eagle Tavern in Trenton, N.J. in a 2005 file photo. (Photo by Michael Mancuso) Trenton will use $7 million in state grant funds to rehabilitate two historic properties in the city the Eagle Tavern and the Roebling Machine Shop. The money is from an Urban Investment Fund Grant from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. Mayor Reed Gusciora and city officials will announce the grant and plans for the two structures on Friday morning at the machine shop. Both buildings are city-owned, on the National Register of Historic Places and have been renovated or refurbished in the past for different uses or intended plans. On Thursday, Gusciora said the plan is to split the grant and allocate $3.5 million for each building. The machine shop, at 675 South Clinton Ave., is one of the remaining buildings of the John A. Roeblings Sons Company, designer of the Brooklyn Bridge and steel cable supplier to the Golden Gate Bridge. It is also known as the Roebling Wireworks Building and was constructed in 1890. The building has been the site of Artworks Art All Night Festival and currently hosts nonprofit organizations, including the indoor Freedom Skate Park and the Trenton Circus Squad. The city envisions more community program space. But first, the roof and windows need to be replaced and the large structure needs a better kitchen and HVAC system, Gusciora said. We cant have quality programming until that is taken care of, the mayor said. Overall, the Roebling project is estimated at $14 million, Gusciora said. The Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market at the Roebling Machine Shop in this 2016 photo. (Photo by Michael Mancuso | NJ.com) The line at the Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market - Halloween edition in this October 2018 file photo. The event was held at the Roebling Wireworks Building, aka the Roebling Machine Shop. (Photo by Michael Mancuso | NJ.com) The Eagle Tavern is older than the country, having been built in 1765 as a private house. It remains one of the citys oldest structures and has long been tied to numerous city redevelopment ideas and dreams. It is also an endangered historic site too, twice making Preservation New Jerseys Top 10 list. Also known as the Old Eagle Tavern and located at 431-433 South Broad St. at Ferry Street, Gusciora said it really should be in private ownership. Several prior parties were scared off from reopening it as a restaurant or tavern due to costly renovations, he said. (As a state legislator, Gusciora himself sponsored a bill to allow municipalities to issue liquor licenses to buyers looking to redevelop historic taverns.) Its always been a funding issue, Gusciora said. Now, the city plans to repair and renovate it in hopes of attracting a vendor, as a restaurant, or even a city visitors center. The total project is estimated at $4 million, so the grant money gets the city very close to the finish line. Its a beautiful facility and the bones are there, and wed love someone to come in and reimagine it, Gusciora said. Despite being vacant for decades at a time, the Eagle has survived. After being a house, the Eagle opened as a tavern in 1817, then became a boarding house in 1890. A Morrisville, Pa., man bought it in 1942 but soon sold it after he was unable to get a liquor license. It returned to be a residence, as an apartment house, then sat vacant until the city bought it in 1965. Following renovations, the tavern reopened in 1980 as a restaurant but closed, reopened and closed again. Its last run was from 1988 to 1992, when it shut its doors after several break-ins and a failure to turn a profit. In 2003, the city spent more than $700,000 on a new roof, windows, chimneys, front porch and brick work, again with the hopes of attracting potential buyers. The Historic Eagle Tavern in Trenton, N.J. when undergoing 2003 renovations. (Photo by Mark Sherman) Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com The Newark School of Architecture and Interior Design will open this fall without completed gym and auditorium facilities, which aren't due until 2026. Ande Richards |NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Editors note: This story was shared as part of a content-sharing agreement between Mosaic.NJ.com and Chalkbeat. You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter (or X). Newark Public Schools will pay over $300 million over 30 years for its new trade high school but after many delays, the gym and auditorium may not be finished when it opens this fall. The Newark School of Architecture and Interior Design is expected to welcome students in September, per an amended lease agreement that extended the deal from 20 to 30 years and was approved by the districts Board of Education last month. But the deadline for the developer to finish those parts of the school isnt until the middle of 2026. The district also has the option to purchase the building for $1,000 at the end of the 30-year lease, according to the revised agreement obtained by Chalkbeat through a public records request. The amended lease agreement comes after the developer of the property and Summit Assets CEO Albert Nigri promised last fall that the entire school facility would be finished by the start of the upcoming school year. When the lease for the new trade high school was first signed by the district in 2021, NPS agreed to a $160 million, 20-year lease. The following year, Superintendent Roger Leon announced the opening of the new trade high school in the citys East Ward at an invite-only groundbreaking ceremony. He touted the school the first of its kind in the district as an opportunity for students to fast-track their technical careers and earn a contract to work with the district. It was originally scheduled to open in the fall of 2022. But stop-work orders issued by the states Department of Labor and Workforce Development over wage complaints and changes in contractors have delayed the project. The districts communications director Paul Brubaker did not respond to questions from Chalkbeat about the projects setbacks, how the district plans to pay the lease for the school, or its reasoning for extending the lease agreement. Nigri did not respond to calls seeking comment. The Newark School of Architecture and Interior Design is set to focus on three trades plumbing, electricity, and HVAC and allow students to study architecture and interior design. The curriculum will also give students a high school diploma and a license for trade work, district officials have previously said. The new school is housed at the former St. James Hospital building that has stood vacant for years in the middle of the citys Ironbound neighborhood. When it opens, the school will enroll 240 ninth grade students and add a grade level each year. Payments to Nigri, the propertys landlord and developer, are set to begin when the school opens this fall. The latest version of the amended lease, approved by the school board in May, includes two new deadlines for the completion of the school. By Aug. 1, 2025, the base of the school building must be completed, which includes new walls, roofs, and windows, elevators, restrooms, a courtyard, and landscaping. By June 1, 2026, the newly constructed gym and auditorium must be completed and the building must be finished, according to the lease amendment. Those deadlines are later than those in the first amendment to the lease approved by NPS in August 2024, which were for the base of the school building to be completed by Jan. 9, the new gym and auditorium to be finished by July 30, and the building to be completed by Sept. 1. The amended lease also extends the deal from 20 to 30 years and bumps up the total lease to $295,979,990 over 30 years. The district must also pay a total of $20 million in additional payments to Nigri between year two and year six and year 26 and year 30 of the lease. Union workers at the high schools construction site also encountered poor working conditions that were making their jobs unsafe and many were being paid late or in cash. That resulted in the union filing wage complaints with the state. In September 2022, the New Jersey Department of Labor issued stop-work orders to Summit Assets as well as the former general contractor and an ex-subcontractor. That order halted work on the site for months before Nigri hired a new contractor and subcontractor. Days later, dozens of union workers showed up to a district school board meeting demanding that Leon intervene after they were forced out of work and owed pay. Leon addressed laborers complaints and reiterated the districts plan to open the school in September 2023. In October 2024, the Department of Labor issued a second stop-work order on the site and to the new contractors and subcontractors of the project. Although the work subsequently resumed, district leaders have not addressed the projects delays or issues related to worker pay. Instead, the district began to advertise a fall 2025 opening date, and this spring, it opened up enrollment to the school. Brubaker did not respond to a request for comment about the districts contingency plan if the landlord fails to deliver part of the building by Aug. 1. State remains responsible for new school construction in Newark During a May 2021 public hearing on the project, former assistant school business administrator Jason Ballard said that leasing a high school building is more affordable than building a new high school, which he said costs an average of $134 million. Thats less than half of what the district will pay on its lease for the new trade school, based on construction plans in other New Jersey cities. The Schools Development Authority is the state agency responsible for paying construction projects in Newark and 30 other low-income school districts. According to its 2022 biannual report, the cost per square foot for a high school project was $369 at that time. The agencys largest and most expensive construction project is Perth Amboy High School, which opened its doors last fall and cost $284 million to add room for nearly 3,300 students. Over the years, the agency has promised the district it would pay for school repairs and provide new buildings. But despite efforts to address these challenges, including the allocation of $18 million in state funding for building upgrades over the last three fiscal years, the district estimates that it would need more than $2 billion to repair and update all schools. The Newark school district has identified 33 out of its 64 total schools that need replacing and dozens more that need renovations. The state agency last summer promised to replace 13 of Newarks oldest buildings, but the deal still leaves out 20 schools that need replacements. The state agency also said it would spend nearly $153 million to build a new University High School and relocate Hawthorne Avenue Elementary School, but the plan is still in its early stages. In 2023, the Schools Development Authority purchased the former University Heights Charter School building for $15.5 million and transferred it to the district to fulfill its promise to provide a new elementary school, now known as the Nelson Mandela Elementary School. Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org. Welcome to Mosaic. Follow us on Instagram at @MosaicNJcom and on Facebook at MosaicNJcom and on YouTube at @MosaicNJcom. UPDATE: Man facing attempted murder charge after stabbing outside Jersey Shore home, authorities say A fight between two men Thursday in Ortley Beach ended with one seriously injured from a stabbing and the other jailed. Patrick Robertelli, 57, showed up on the 200 block of Harding Avenue to confront a 52-year-old man at the house, Toms River police said. Police broke up the fight after and took Robertelli into custody after finding a knife investigators allege he used to stab the other man. The injured man, a Toms River resident, was brought to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries. Robertelli, of Monmouth Beach, is charged with aggravated assault, stalking, harassment and weapons offenses. He was locked up in the Ocean County jail ahead of a detention hearing. Attorney information for Robertelli wasnt immediately available. Toms River police couldnt immediately be reached for more information. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Dominick Villano, 67, served as Cliftons city manager from 2014 until his final day of terminal leave on May 1. Google Maps The former city manager of Clifton in Passaic County has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the city and four sitting council members, accusing them of harassing him for years and forcing him into early retirement. Dominick Villano, 67, was hired as Cliftons city manager in 2014 and served until he left on May 1. Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks during a "Fighting Oligarchy" event at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, Idaho, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Kyle Green) AP U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) mocked President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk over their public spat. Trump and Musks relationship ended in an explosive public takedown on Thursday, after Trump criticized the billionaire for speaking out against the big beautiful bill. The battle continued on social media platforms X and Truth Social throughout the day. Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive and outspoken Trump critic, reacted to the public meltdown with a cheeky one-liner when approached by Spectrum News. Oh, man, the girls are fighting, arent they? Ocasio-Cortez quipped with a smile. United States House of Representatives member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has responded to questions about Elon Musk & Donald Trumps dramatic break-up in the most perfect way. pic.twitter.com/B0i49E5oGA The Project (@theprojecttv) June 6, 2025 She said that she did not think Trump and Musks relationship would last long. I would say that this was something that was a long time coming, where weve been seeing that these two huge egos were not long for being together in this world as friends, she said. I think this breakup weve been seeing a long time coming, but well see what the impacts are of it legislatively. Musk departed from the Trump administration last week after leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash federal spending. Musk ignited the feud with Trump on Tuesday by denouncing his big, beautiful bill as a disgusting abomination, calling it a massive, outrageous, pork-filled bill on social media platform X. Trump then went to battle with Musk during heated public remarks on Thursday, prompting Musk to lash out on X. The two have continued to trade barbs through the afternoon, with Trump threatening to cancel Musks subsidies and contracts with the federal government. Musk then alleged, without evidence, that the president is included in government documents about sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The breakup drew massive reactions on social media, with Democrats poking fun at the two former friends over their ultimate divorce. The Lincoln Project simply tweeted a popcorn emoji . Former U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh admitted he didnt think it would come to this. My bad. Because I forgot that Trump is a pathologically narcissistic idiot, and Elon is a really bad dude/really sick dude. So I suppose it was always gonna come to this. Well, they deserve each other. And America deserves better, Walsh wrote . Journalist Igor Bobic referred to Musks alleged drug use in a post about the feud : This is better than Ketamine imo. And Trump critic Ron Filipkowski wrote : This Trump-Musk feud might actually get the latest breaking news on Joe Biden off CNN for a few hours. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. President Donald Trump, left, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attend a Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission Event in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) AP Theres a new epidemic brewing under President Donald Trumps administration. Cases of whooping cough, or pertussis, have been on the rise across the United States, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The highly contagious respiratory illness causes heavy bouts of coughing that can lead to vomiting or broken ribs and can be life-threatening to susceptible populations, like those under a year old. There have been 11,720 cases of whooping cough in 2025, as of the week ending on May 24. This comes after whooping cough rates soared to surpass pre-pandemic levels last year. An expert told The New York Times that the rise of whooping cough is a combination of falling childhood vaccination rates and lack of exposure to the disease during the pandemic. Whooping cough is caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis, which can cause the airways to swell. The disease is a vaccine-preventable illness, but CDC data show that whooping cough immunization rates for children have fallen in recent years, according to a Times analysis. The CDC recommends a whooping cough vaccination for everyone, especially for babies younger than 1 year old who have a heightened risk for severe complications. Ten people died from whooping cough in 2024, most of them being less than a year old. The first round of vaccination is typically given during childhood to ward against pertussis, tetanus and diphtheria, according to the CDC. A booster shot to protect adults against pertussis and tetanus is recommended about every 10 years. Experts also recommend that pregnant women receive the vaccine to pass on immunity to their newborn. The rise in whooping cough cases comes as vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is leading the U.S. Health and Human Services Department under Trump. Kennedy is known for his controversial stances on vaccines and has claimed, without reputable evidence, that the vaccines cause autism. Health experts warned that cases of vaccine-preventable illnesses could go up with Kennedy leading the nations top health department. There have also been measles outbreaks along with whooping cough outbreaks across the country as childhood vaccination rates drop. This comes as Kennedy has repeatedly cast doubts on vaccines, highlighted in his Make America Healthy Again report that experts say was created with false or misleading citations. Increased scrutiny of childhood vaccines credited with saving millions of people from deadly diseases figures prominently in the report. It poses questions over the necessity of school mandates that require children to get vaccinated for admittance and suggestions that vaccines should undergo more clinical trials, including with placebos. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine critic, has raised doubts about the safety of shots even as a measles outbreak has sickened more than 1,000 Americans. Last week, Kennedys health department moved to limit U.S. access to COVID-19 shots. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Farmers embrace bumper lychee harvest in Maoming, S China's Guangdong People's Daily Online) 09:43, June 06, 2025 A farmer smiles while holding freshly harvested lychees at Gongyuan orchard in Genzi town, Gaozhou, a county-level city under Maoming, south China's Guangdong Province. (People's Daily Online/Tu Sheng) In early summer, visitors driving to Baiqiao village in Genzi town, Gaozhou city, a county-level city under Maoming, south China's Guangdong Province, are welcomed by branches heavy with bright red lychees and farmers inviting tourists to taste the sweet fruit. Gongyuan orchard in the village is one of the countrys largest and oldest lychee orchards, home to the widest variety of lychees. Under the sunny sky, farmers harvest the fruit while visitors stroll through the trees and artists paint scenes of the abundant harvest. Lychee cultivation in Maoming dates back more than 2,000 years. Today, the full lychee supply chain generates more than 12 billion yuan ($1.67 billion). This year, orchards in the city cover about 1.42 million mu, or nearly 95,000 hectares. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) Ex-GOP insider Anthony Scaramucci gave a prediction about President Donald Trumps future in U.S. politics after his bitter feud with tech billionaire Elon Musk. Musk, who ended his time in the Trump administration last week, ignited the spat on Tuesday after he slammed his big, beautiful bill as a disgusting abomination in a post on X. The worlds richest man then continued to criticize the GOPs spending package, which has made its way to the Senate after narrowly passing the House, in a barrage of posts on the social media platform. Trump fired back during heated remarks in the Oval Office on Thursday, saying he was disappointed and surprised at Musk, and questioned whether the great relationship between the two would remain. The president had also later threatened to cancel his subsidies and contracts with the federal government. Musk appeared to be watching, and lashed out at the president on X, before dropping what he called a big bomb that Trump was listed on disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epsteins files. Scaramucci, the former White House communications director under Trumps first time, told his audience on X on Thursday to mark the day. People arent realizing yet but today is the day that trump as a political asset has started decaying, he wrote. People arent realizing yet but today is the day that trump as a political asset has started decaying. Mark the day. Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) June 5, 2025 While Scaramucci spent only 10 days in the White House, before being ousted by Trump, he has warned others who leave his administration of a disinformation campaign against them. In a 2020 op-ed in The Washington Post, Scaramucci wrote that Trump started referring to him as a nut job who wheeled his way into the campaign after he had criticized the president. The obvious truth is that Trump cant simultaneously be the great leader and manager he says he is and then consistently flay every employee who manifests an independent opinion about something, Scaramucci wrote. Trump is either incapable of managing and working with the best people, or he is not hiring them. During Trumps press conference in the Oval Office, he noted that when people depart from his administration, they love us, before it ends up taking a turn. And then at some point, they miss it so badly, and some of them embrace it, and some of them actually become hostile. I dont know what it is. Its sort of Trump Derangement Syndrome, I guess they call it, Trump said, referencing a label coined by conservatives for critics and rivals of the president. The blistering feud formed after Musk launched attacks against the GOPs multitrillion-dollar megabill, which Trump has framed as a staple of his agenda. Musk particularly criticized the bill over predictions that it would add trillions to the national deficit, which currently sits at over $36 trillion. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated on Wednesday that the bill would add $2.4 trillion to the debt. Trump blamed Musk, the CEO of Tesla, for going CRAZY! over the electric vehicle tax credit, which would phase out after 2026 due to a provision in the bill. Trump maintained in his remarks that Elon knew this from the beginning. Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill, Musk responded on X. In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this! Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way. Trump on Friday told ABC News that Musk had lost his mind and he was not particularly interested in talking to him, despite saying that Musk wanted to. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. President-elect Donald Trump, from left, Trump's pick for the planned Department of Government Efficiency Elon Musk and Vice President-elect JD Vance attend the NCAA college football game between Army and Navy at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) AP Paging JD Vance. JD Vance, please pick up a house phone. JD Vance, this is an emergency. JD Vance? JD? ... Bueller? As Donald Trump and Elon Musk the presidents biggest donor, former advisor and drug-addicted DOGE failure were breaking up in a nasty social media spat like two bickering Housewives of the Oval Office, the call went out: Where is JD Vance? MAGA, confused and crying, didnt know where else to turn. Release the Epstein files! ... Oh, wait, Trump is in them? Buy more Teslas to support Elon! ... Oh, wait, hes now taking down our president? MAGA hadnt been this conflicted since that Trump rally when one of them admitted, You know, AOC is pretty cute. Anyway, this feud between their two heroes was enough to drive MAGA to a ketamine habit. Surely, Vance, the guy with ties to both, would ride in and negotiate a truce any minute now, they said ... any minute now ... any minute now. But as the two megalomaniacs slugged it out on their own social media sites Musk on Twitter/X and Trump on Truth Social Vance was MIA ... when Musk attacked the budget bill; when Trump called him crazy and accused Vance of having Trump Derangement Syndrome; when Musk alleged Trump is connected to Epsteins sex crimes; when Trump said hed cut off the federal spigot for Musks companies; when Musk said Trump should be impeached; when Steve Bannon called for Musk to be investigated and deported. Vance stood by, frozen and unable to think of anything clever to tweet to defuse the situation. Until around 10:30 p.m. on Thursday night, when the fighters had returned to their corners Musk to snort something; Trump to hurl ketchup at a wall. Thats when Vance caught between Silicon Valley and a hard place, or maybe he was just measuring the drapes in the Oval Office tweeted: President Trump has done more than any person in my lifetime to earn the trust of the movement he leads. Im proud to stand beside him. To which Republicans Against Trump responded: Took him 10 hours to come up with that? Weak. Where were you hours ago? a MAGA loyalist tweeted. You were more upset over a taco truck than Elon telling off your boss, an anti-Trump account needled. Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California tweeted: Wow. JD wont hit back against Elon. He then trolled Vances buddy, Donald Trump Jr.: You OK with this? JD is hedging. Ron Filipkowski, Editor-in-Chief of MeidasTouch.com, poked Vance by recalling the White House meeting with Ukraine president Vlodomyr Zelensky, tweeted: Elon will try to patch things up because he doesnt have the cards. He added: Really shocked that an admin filled with podcasters, social media influencers, reality TV participants, indicted felons, crypto bros, drunks, Fox hosts, drug addicts, weirdos, and unqualified ass kissing toadies cant keep their sh*t together for 24 consecutive hours. Meanwhile, Fox News host Sean Hannity the presidents therapist and marriage counselor pleaded with Trump and Musk to kiss and make up on his Thursday night show: You do know that the legacy media mob desperately wants to tear you guys apart and for you two to fight and get a divorce, he said. And theyre getting their wish. But is it President Vice President Vances wish, too? Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Vice President JD Vance was grilled on social media after he defended the president against the media. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) AP Vice President JD Vance defended President Donald Trump from the media on Friday for framing him as impulsive and short-tempered. Anyone who has seen him operate under pressure knows thats ridiculous, Vance wrote on X. He then continued in a separate post: Its (maybe) the single biggest disconnect between fake media perception and reality. There are many lies the corporate media tells about President Trump. One of the most glaring is that he's impulsive or short-tempered. Anyone who has seen him operate under pressure knows that's ridiculous. JD Vance (@JDVance) June 6, 2025 Social media users immediately mocked the post, which came after Vance took hours to respond to the presidents bitter flameout with tech billionaire Elon Musk. HahahhahahahHhahHahhahahahahHHhHahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahhahahahahhahahahhahaha on repeat forever, former GOP lawmaker Adam Kinzinger replied. George Conway, an attorney who was once heavily involved in Republican politics, also weighed in. Obviously a parody account, he posted, with a finger emoji pointing to the right. A different user wrote, Words dont make it true because its clearly [and] visibly not true, and another added, The presidents tweets, which reveal his impulsive temperament, arent lies told by the media. Why did Elon say that Trump is in the Epstein files? Whats going on dude? someone wrote, referring to the tech billionaires big bomb associating Trump with convicted sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Bravo host Andy Cohen, who had joked that he would host the reunion between Trump and Musk, piled on with a gif that says Sure Jan. His comments shielding Trump follow a messy blow-up between the president and one of his closest allies, who departed from the administration last week, on social media and in the Oval Office on Thursday. President Trump has done more than any person in my lifetime to earn the trust of the movement he leads, Vance wrote on X on Thursday hours after the public spat. Im proud to stand beside him. During remarks to the press, Trump criticized Musk on Thursday after he had slammed his big, beautiful bill as a disgusting abomination a couple days earlier on X. In succeeding posts, Musk specifically criticized the bill, which moved to the Senate, over predictions that it would add to the national deficit. While Trump said he could have won Pennsylvania easily without Musk, who dumped an estimated $288 million into the president and other Republican candidates races, the billionaire claimed he would not have won the 2024 election. Trump also floated the idea of canceling Musks subsidies and contracts with the government, and Musk pulled back his threat of withdrawing his space capsule used to take astronauts to the International Space Station. Republicans shortly after began taking sides in the feud on social media, while some urged the two to mend their relationship. Trump called several reporters on Friday and indicated that he was not interested in talking to Musk, telling ABC News that he is a man who has lost his mind. The question now is whether Trump and Musk find some way to step back from a battle that is tearing apart one of the most consequential relationships in modern American politics. If they dont, theres little telling how far the fallout could spread from a collision between the worlds most powerful man and its wealthiest. At stake are the future of Musks companies, including electric automaker Tesla and rocket manufacturer SpaceX; government programs that rely on the billionaire entrepreneurs technology; legislation for advancing tax cuts and Trumps other priorities in Congress; Republican chances in next years midterm elections; and an entire political ecosystem that has orbited around Trump and Musks deteriorating partnership. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., speaks during the House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Manhattan District Attorney's Office on Capitol Hill, Thursday, June 13, 2024, in Washington. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) AP U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) criticized a MAGA Republican for a xenophobic post that she later deleted on Friday. U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.) wrote in a now-deleted post that she was deeply troubled that a Sikh man, who she first mistakenly identified as a Muslim man, was leading prayer in the House of Representatives on Friday morning. According to Politico, she later edited her post to replace Muslim with Sikh before ultimately deleting it. Its deeply troubling that a Muslim was allowed to lead prayer in the House of Representatives this morning. This should have never been allowed to happen. America was founded as a Christian nation, and I believe our government should reflect that truth, not drift further from it, she wrote in her initial post, according to a screenshot shared by Politicos Nicholas Wu. Swalwell blasted Miller for both her offensive post and her error in identifying the mans faith. Theyre not just meanTheyre f-cking morons, he wrote, attaching a screenshot of Millers initial post. This visiting chaplain is Sikh." Theyre not just mean Theyre fucking morons This visiting chaplain is Sikh pic.twitter.com/aPD6cQ7xbo Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) June 6, 2025 New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R) invited Giani Surinder Singh to lead the prayer on Friday as the Houses guest chaplain. According to the House Clerk, Singh is from Vineland, New Jersey and is a member of the Gurdwara South Jersey Sikh Society. Day after day, year after year, he leads not just with words but with example. With peace, with humility, with service towards all. These are not just Sikh values, they are American values. They truly are human values and we have seen that shared spirit in action, Van Drew said on Friday. Millers comment sparked condemnation on both sides of the aisle. Whether Sikh or Muslim, every one of good faith and decency is welcome in the Peoples House. While yes, we are a nation rooted in Judeo-Christian values and our laws reflect that, we are also a nation that recognizes we are all Gods children and whatever our differences, we can and should respect differences of faith, U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) wrote on X. U.S. Rep. David Valadao said (R-Calif.): Im troubled by my colleagues remarks about this mornings Sikh prayer, which have since been deleted. Throughout the countryand in the Central Valley Sikh-Americans are valued and respected members of our communities, yet they continue to face harassment and discrimination." Democrat Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) also tore into Miller over her post. Mary, youre a racist, bigoted, disgusting, and shameful person. You dont deserve to represent anyone in public office, he wrote on X. Miller won reelection to her House seat representing Illinois in November after first being elected to Congress in 2020. She has sparked controversy before after she said that Adolf Hitler was right on one thing. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., meets with reporters to discuss work on President Donald Trump's bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) AP Republicans are picking sides in the epic breakup between President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk. Trump and Musks relationship ended in an explosive public takedown on Thursday, after Trump criticized the billionaire for speaking out against thebig beautiful bill. Social media users, Democrats and Republicans all mocked the two men for their public spat on Thursday. Musk, formerly seen as one of Trumps closest allies, ignited the feud with Trump on Tuesday by denouncing his legislation as a disgusting abomination, calling it a massive, outrageous, pork-filled bill on social media platform X. Now, Republicans are taking sides in the ongoing fight. U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who voted against the bill, suggested he trusted Musks take on the legislation in comments to CNNs Manu Raju. "I trust the math from the guy that lands rockets backwards over the politicians math," he said. Rep. Massie: I trust the math from the guy that lands rockets backwards over the politicians math. pic.twitter.com/rzeOxAnXdU Acyn (@Acyn) June 6, 2025 Meanwhile, other GOP lawmakers rushed to defend Trump. I had to go with Trump politically. You know, the two biggest dogs in the pound. Theyre going to turn on each other eventually, U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett said about the feud. Youve lost your damn mind. Enough is enough. Stop this. I dont think its healthy," U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) said to reporters in comments about Musk. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he spoke to Musk on Thursday, which is when Trump and Musks public split reached a new fever pitch. He said that he hopes the feud resolves itself, noting its very disappointing. We exchanged text messages yesterday, Johnson told CNBCs Squawk Box on Friday. I spoke with him at length on Monday. Thats why the kind of blowup that happened this week was very surprising, disappointing to me. I really like Elon. Hes a friend. Ive come to truly respect his acumen. The DOGE effort was heroic, patriotic ... Look we can have policy difference, but its not personal. It shouldnt be personal. You know I dont tell my friend Elon, argue with him on how to build rockets. I wish he wouldnt argue with me about how to craft legislation, he added. Mike Johnson: "We exchanged text messages yesterday. I spoke with him at length on Monday. That's why the kind of blowup that happened this week was very surprising, disappointing to me. I really like Elon. He's a friend. I've come to truly respect his acumen ... I wish he pic.twitter.com/Ip7lwXbkqI Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 6, 2025 Other Republican supporters also urged the president to mend fences with Musk. Billionaire Trump supporter Bill Ackman said Trump and Musk should make peace for the benefit of our great country. MAGA loyalist Benny Johnson appeared to agree, writing This is the way. This is the way. pic.twitter.com/WEsnSnFGDO Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 6, 2025 Trump went to battle with Musk during heated public remarks on Thursday, prompting Musk to lash out on X. The two continued to trade barbs through the afternoon, with Trump threatening to cancel Musks subsidies and contracts with the federal government. Musk then alleged, without evidence, that the president is included in government documents about sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The breakup drew massive reactions on social media, with Democrats poking fun at the two former friends over their ultimate divorce. Oh, man, the girls are fighting, arent they? U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said about the feud. The question now is whether Trump and Musk find some way to step back from a battle that is tearing apart one of the most consequential relationships in modern American politics. If they dont, theres little telling how far the fallout could spread from a collision between the worlds most powerful man and its wealthiest. At stake are the future of Musks companies, including electric automaker Tesla and rocket manufacturer SpaceX; government programs that rely on the billionaire entrepreneurs technology; legislation for advancing tax cuts and Trumps other priorities in Congress; Republican chances in next years midterm elections; and an entire political ecosystem that has orbited around Trump and Musks deteriorating partnership. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. New Jersey is headed into one of its most packed primary elections in decades next week, with nearly a dozen candidates vying to be their partys top pick for governor. Winners in Tuesdays primary will secure the Democratic and Republican nominations to run in Novembers general election to replace outgoing Gov. Phil Murphy. All 80 seats in the state Assembly are also on the ballot along with local races. There were more than 6.57 million registered voters in New Jersey as of June 1, new state data shows. Of those, more than 4.15 million voters are registered with a political party. (See a county-by-county breakdown below.) Though it is unclear how many people will vote in the hotly-contested primary, there are about 3.5% more registered voters in New Jersey than during the 2021 gubernatorial primary. Much of the growth is due to a surge in New Jerseyans registering as Republicans. Statewide, the Republican Party grew by more than 37,000 voters since 2021, with gains in 20 of New Jerseys 21 counties. Only Somerset County has less Republicans than it had four years ago. It was a weaker showing for the Democrats. The party shrunk in 17 counties, but saw a statewide gain of about 9,700 voters over the last four years. New Jersey is still dominated by registered Democrats. Of voters registered with a political party, 59% are Democrats while 39% are Republicans. Fewer than 2% of affiliated voters are registered with a non-major party, including the Green and Libertarian parties. Voter registration for the primary closed May 20 in New Jersey, so a small portion of voters included in the latest state data released June 1 wont have registered in time for next weeks vote. But they will be able to vote in the November general election. In New Jersey, you dont need to be registered as a Democrat or a Republican to vote in a partys primary. Unaffiliated registered voters can also cast ballots. However, if unaffiliated voters ask for a Republican or Democratic ballot in the primary, they are then affiliated with that party on voter rolls. So if you vote in the Democratic Primary, youre now a registered Democrat. But New Jersey voters can return to their unaffiliated status after the primary by re-registering as an unaffiliated voter. The Democrats running for governor are: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney. The Republicans are: contractor Justin Barbera, state Sen. Jon Bramnick, former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac and former radio host Bill Spadea. Democrats are running a closely contested race with Sherrill projected as a close favorite by pollsters. Ciattarelli has held a commanding lead in the Republican race and won an endorsement from President Donald Trump. The election for the most powerful governorship in the country is shaping up to be one of the most watched in the nation. It is one of the first big races since Trump returned to office this year, making it an early barometer for what the public thinks of his new administration. Voters will be casting ballots in an expensive race. Candidates have spent $43 million so far fighting for their vote. Here is a county-by-county breakdown of which political party rules in each of New Jerseys 21 counties and how much each party gained since this time last year: Atlantic County Democrats: 67,154 Republicans: 60,064 Unaffiliated: 73,083 How the county has changed: Atlantic County lost 1,758 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county lost 6,577 registered Democrats, and gained 4,770 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Bergen County Democrats: 247,312 Republicans: 159,810 Unaffiliated: 262,710 How the county has changed: Bergen County lost 5,280 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county lost 15,099 registered Democrats, and gained 12,030 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Burlington County Democrats: 139,358 Republicans: 96,481 Unaffiliated: 126,167 How the county has changed: Burlington County gained 5,706 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county gained 1,086 registered Democrats, and gained 7,994 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Camden County Democrats: 178,111 Republicans: 69,476 Unaffiliated: 134,583 How the county has changed: Camden County lost 6,629 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county lost 10,078 registered Democrats, and gained 6,770 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Cape May County Democrats: 18,156 Republicans: 33,666 Unaffiliated: 23,547 How the county has changed: Cape May County lost 443 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county lost 195 registered Democrats, and gained 2,614 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Cumberland County Democrats: 30,855 Republicans: 24,939 Unaffiliated: 38,397 How the county has changed: Cumberland County lost 112 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county lost 3,434 registered Democrats, and gained 2,874 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Essex County Democrats: 285,700 Republicans: 63,677 Unaffiliated: 209,245 How the county has changed: Essex County lost 1,363 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county lost 13,095 registered Democrats, and gained 5,748 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Gloucester County Democrats: 82,796 Republicans: 65,114 Unaffiliated: 76,221 How the county has changed: Gloucester County lost 5,350 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county lost 6,134 registered Democrats, and gained 9,087 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Hudson County Democrats: 217,500 Republicans: 52,847 Unaffiliated: 149,397 How the county has changed: Hudson County gained 11,423 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county lost 10,931 registered Democrats, and gained 9,444 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Hunterdon County Democrats: 30,429 Republicans: 43,184 Unaffiliated: 31,910 How the county has changed: Hunterdon County lost 4,127 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county gained 1,642 registered Democrats, and gained 2,288 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Mercer County Democrats: 116,382 Republicans: 42,516 Unaffiliated: 102,849 How the county has changed: Mercer County gained 3,463 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county lost 3,756 registered Democrats, and gained 1,906 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Middlesex County Democrats: 233,795 Republicans: 108,812 Unaffiliated: 231,351 How the county has changed: Middlesex County lost 527 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county lost 14,607 registered Democrats, and gained 15,107 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Monmouth County Democrats: 136,944 Republicans: 162,249 Unaffiliated: 196,242 How the county has changed: Monmouth County lost 5,481 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county lost 6,362 registered Democrats, and gained 21,122 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Morris County Democrats: 114,084 Republicans: 134,821 Unaffiliated: 132,733 How the county has changed: Morris County lost 10,547 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county lost 1,232 registered Democrats, and gained 1,225 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Ocean County Democrats: 96,060 Republicans: 192,773 Unaffiliated: 180,145 How the county has changed: Ocean County lost 3,479 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county lost 5,487 registered Democrats, and gained 28,094 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Passaic County Democrats: 129,801 Republicans: 78,323 Unaffiliated: 124,942 How the county has changed: Passaic County lost 1,250 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county lost 3,858 registered Democrats, and gained 9,809 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Salem County Democrats: 14,201 Republicans: 15,981 Unaffiliated: 18,473 How the county has changed: Salem County gained 242 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county lost 649 registered Democrats, and gained 2,464 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Somerset County Democrats: 88,897 Republicans: 64,482 Unaffiliated: 100,777 How the county has changed: Somerset County lost 1,161 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county lost 2,748 registered Democrats, and lost 495 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Sussex County Democrats: 26,419 Republicans: 51,524 Unaffiliated: 40,672 How the county has changed: Sussex County gained 223 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county gained 13 registered Democrats, and gained 3,359 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Union County Democrats: 174,001 Republicans: 66,483 Unaffiliated: 143,124 How the county has changed: Union County gained 20,201 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county lost 2,447 registered Democrats, and gained 10,078 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Warren County Democrats: 23,797 Republicans: 37,215 Unaffiliated: 26,881 How the county has changed: Warren County lost 3,843 unaffiliated voters between the 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial primary elections. The county gained 1,407 registered Democrats, and gained 3,700 Republican voters in the same timeframe. Staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription. Jelani Gibson may be reached atjgibson@njadvancemedia.com. The six Democrats running for New Jersey governor, clockwise from top left: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller, and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney. File photos Tom Martello writes a regular column about the 2025 race for New Jersey governor. So here we are at the end of this long, raucous, outrageously expensive, one-of-a-kind Jersey brawl that is the Democratic primary for governor. And, absurdly, the prolonged primary ends almost exactly where it began: With six candidates, including uncertain frontrunner Mikie Sherrill, who believe they have the secret sauce to keep their campaign cooking till November. Few insiders are making bold predictions. My own boldest prediction is the race wont be called before 11 p.m. on Tuesday night and counting could easily extend into Wednesday (this coming from a guy who always roots for election night-shortening landslides). But heres whats really interesting. Ive been saying all along that Democrats across New Jersey and the nation are watching this race with anticipation and fascination. But the Republicans may be watching even more closely. With their family squabble settled a month ago when President Donald Trump backed Jack Ciattarelli, they are eager to see who their November opponent would be. Like something out of The Matrix, the possible outcomes for them multiply in every direction, depending on who ekes things out on Tuesday. So I wondered: which of the Democrats would give Republicans the most trouble in the fall? In effect, who do they fear the most? And which of the Dems are Republicans itching to face? I put this to some plugged-in party leaders and operatives. Seeking symmetry, I had a half-dozen conversations with Republicans to evaluate the half-dozen Democrats in the race. You might be surprised at what they told me. Or you may not. Seems Republicans are about as spread out about which Democrat would make the best candidate as the rest of Jerseys political world. Four Democrats U.S. Rep. Sherrill, former state Senate President Steve Sweeney, U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop landed at or near the top of their lists of most formidable candidates. At the same time, a few placed Fulop and Sherrill near the bottom of those they fear the most. Consensus? Not this year. Think youre puzzled? So are the Republicans To be sure, Republicans across the state think this is Ciattarellis race to lose as eight years of Democratic rule in Trenton gives them a big fat target. You know what, Ive been having a lot of these kind of philosophical debates as of late, both with my Democrat friends and my Republican friends, one top Republican said. And you know, its really such a crap shoot. All primary long, Sherrill, who has more county leader backing than any other Democrat and a background as a former Navy helicopter pilot, has been seen as the candidate to beat. At the same time, some in the party say she hasnt lit the world on fire, allowing other candidates to have a fighting chance. Same feelings on the Republican side. Demographically, shes got a great story to tell, one Republican told me, noting that being seen as a centrist will also help her. Flew helicopters. Shes the only woman in the race. You notice her flyers. You can hand me the keys to a Mikie Sherrill campaign, and I can build a formidable one, even if the candidate herself is underwhelming. But other Republicans see chinks in Sherrills armor. And theyre ready to repeat Ciattarellis mantra that electing her would amount to a third Phil Murphy term, a charge her campaign vehemently disputes. Meanwhile, Fulop who has waged war against Democratic Party leaders draws lots of intrigue from those on the other side of the aisle who have watched his unconventional approach. I think Fulop would be a tough general election candidate, one Republican said. The more I see of him, the more he connects with people. Hes got a great grassroots campaign. Another said he would be a very interesting person to run against, and harder from some perspectives because he would be less conventional, less predictable. Sweeney and Gottheimer, who talk about cutting taxes and are right-of-center among the Democrats, could bring their own kind of trouble to Ciattarelli, Republicans told me. One said Gottheimers tax plan which promises a nearly 15% property tax cut and new tax credits for renters makes him the toughest to beat. Another said Sweeney is a candidate who could win Republican votes. Who the GOP wants to face One point of agreement among the Republicans is that no one seems to consider New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller an especially threatening or even viable candidate, feeling that even if $40 million in union dues wins him the primary, there arent enough teacher votes to survive a general election. And the Republicans all agreed on the Democrat they most want to face in the fall: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. His brand of shout-it-from-rooftops, heart-on-his-sleeve liberal progressivism simply will not play in a general election in New Jersey (or maybe anywhere) in 2025, they said. I think we run away with it, one Republican said of a potential Ciatrelli-Baraka matchup. Another said Baraka would be the easiest candidate to beat because hes so far left, noting that Republicans would also blame anything thats wrong in Newark on him. U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (left) and former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (right). The two are the leading Democratic and Republican candidates, respectively, in this year's race for New Jersey governor. File photos Indeed, this primary fight between progressive and moderate Democrats in New Jersey mirrors whats happening in the nation. But while New Jersey has had no problem electing progressive U.S. Senators, Republicans and Democrats say its different in a governors race. I think there are more people in the center than the right or the left, one longtime Republican said. So in order to be governor of New Jersey, you have to represent the majority of the people. And the majority of the people are in the center. Theyre not on the left. And on this point, many Democrats and Republicans agree. Matt Hale, a political science professor at Seton Hall University who is also a Democratic councilman in Highland Park, told me the prospect of a primary win by Baraka, Fulop or Spiller terrifies him. Wed have Governor Ciattarelli, Hale said. A Democrat will have the best chance by talking about lower taxes and talking about jobs and talking about the economy. Its not talking about social issues, you know, even immigration. Which brings us right back to Mikie Sherrill. The Democrat many Republicans most fear. The Democrat many Dems think has the best shot of winning against the Republicans, even as they concede her frontrunner candidacy, for whatever reason, hasnt electrified voters. If she makes it through Tuesdays primary, Sherrill will immediately face two unenviable obstacles. Shell need to put together a fractured Democratic Party, and shell need to energize those who have long resented her favored status among party leaders. And you know who will be relishing all her troubles? The Republicans. Although she is being pushed by a lot of the guard in the state, I dont think she motivates her base, one told me. Shell lose a lot of that progressive vote in the general. I think you could end up, you know, disenfranchising a certain population of Democrats with each of these candidates. Previous columns: Looking for even more N.J. political coverage? Try Brent Johnsons new newsletter: What Makes Jersey Run. Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Tom Martello may be reached at tmartello@njadvancemedia.com. A man and woman are facing charges on accusations that they tried to scam a business owner out of thousands of dollars. Steven Carr, 54, of Staten Island, and Whitney DaSilva, 38, of Kearny, were charged on Thursday with second-degree bribery and conspiracy. Carr has additionally been charged with third-degree theft by deception, the New Jersey Attorney Generals office said in a statement. Between February and May of 2024, the pair was in contact with a Union Township business owner, who was entangled in a legal battle with the township, authorities said. Prosecutors allege that Carr lied about his connection with a township official and said that the legal issue could be resolved by paying the official a bribe between $10,000 and $15,000. The plan called for the business owner to give the money to DaSilva, who claimed she would give it to the township official, authorities allege. The business owner instead reported the incident to law enforcement, officials said. As alleged, these defendants tried to get a business owner to pay a bribe. Instead, the owner did the right thing and reported it to law enforcement,New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. As evidenced by these charges, my office takes such allegations seriously, and we call upon other members of the public to come forward when they learn of potentially improper influence over, or bribery of, government actors. An investigation into the scheme later found that no Union Township officials were actually involved in the plan, prosecutors said. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com. Rain is likely to fall in New Jersey on Saturday afternoon, according to AccuWeather.com. AccuWeather.com The weekend forecast for New Jersey includes rain and thunderstorms on both Saturday and Sunday with damaging winds, though periods of dry weather are also expected. Conditions certainly wont be as warm as theyve been the past few days, either, forecasters say. Friday is expected to be dry most of the day with highs in the mid to upper 80s. Northern parts of the state are likely to see rain and thunderstorms late this afternoon and evening. Some showers and scattered thunderstorms may make it down to the Interstate 95 corridor by this evening, but the front will mostly be hung up west of the area, the National Weather Service said in its Friday morning forecast discussion. A new round of rain is expected to push into New Jersey on Sunday, according to AccuWeather.com. AccuWeather.com Overnight lows on a humid night will be in the 60s. Saturday will be mostly cloudy with showers and scattered thunderstorms expected in the afternoon. Damaging winds are a threat with highs in the upper 70s and 80s. Rain moves out of the area Saturday night as temps fall into the 60s. But thats not the end of it. Sunday will be cooler than Saturday with highs in the 70s and another round of showers and thunderstorms starting in the afternoon. The weather services New York office, which covers Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties, says those areas will be dry in the afternoon with light rain possible. Rain chances increase at night. More rain is expected Monday morning before we dry out in the afternoon. Current weather radar Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Watertown, NY (13601) Today Partly cloudy early followed by scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 86F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight A few showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low 63F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%. 95-year-old climbs tree for a taste of summer (People's Daily App) 13:16, June 06, 2025 A 95-year-old grandmother in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, has social media praising her fearless energy. Watch as she climbs up trees to pick Chinese bayberries, proving that you don't have to be young to go out on a limb. (Video edited by He Mengfan; Compiled by Liu Haozhe) (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) Six-day (Tuesday through Sunday) print subscribers of the Watertown Daily Times are eligible for full access to NNY360, the NNY360 mobile app, and the Watertown Daily Times e-edition, all at no additional cost. If you have an existing six-day print subscription to the Watertown Daily Times, please make sure your email address on file matches your NNY360 account email. You can sign up or manage your print subscription using the options below. In wine, there is truth, as the saying goes from ancient times. In these times, for people who value wine in their lives and people who make t In pics: Flower industry thrives in Yuxi, SW China's Yunnan People's Daily Online) 14:11, June 06, 2025 Photo shows blooming roses at a flower cultivation base in Hongta district, Yuxi, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Hu Zunhui) As June arrives, flower businesses in Hongta district, Yuxi, southwest China's Yunnan Province are buzzing with activity. Orders are pouring in, and in the greenhouses, roses, phalaenopsis orchids, and other flowers are in full bloom. Early each morning, workers begin picking, transporting, and packaging the flowers. In the first quarter of this year, the district produced 288 million stems of fresh-cut flowers, generating a total output value of 379 million yuan ($52.6 million). In recent years, the district has leveraged its advantages in natural conditions and resources to improve the flower industry chain, including infrastructure, integrated water and fertilizer systems, and intelligent cultivation. It is the core development zone for Yunnan Province's flower seed industry. In 2024, the district had 20,300 mu (1,353.33 hectares) of land dedicated to the cultivation of fresh-cut flowers, producing 1.06 billion stems of fresh-cut flowers with an output value of 1.08 billion yuan. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) Six Orleans Justice Center inmates were rebooked after they allegedly shanked an inmate on a third-floor pod Wednesday morning, sending him to a hospital with as many as a dozen stab wounds to his head, neck and back, court documents show. It's the latest crisis to afflict the city's lockup, from where 10 inmates escaped last month. Two remained at large Friday. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 6. May 28 - Independence Day of Azerbaijan was celebrated in Houston, Texas, US, the Azerbaijani State Committee on Work with Diaspora told Trend. The event, organized by the US-Azerbaijan Center of Integration (USACI) and supported by the diaspora committee, was attended by the Azerbaijani community, members of the local government, and representatives of other nations. A documentary film reflecting the history and independence of Azerbaijan was shown at the event. A congratulatory video of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan to the US Khazar Ibrahim addressed to the Azerbaijani community was broadcast. Commissioner of the Fort Bend County of Texas Andy Meyers announced the declaration of May 28 as Azerbaijan Independence Day in the county. The mayor, who signed the declaration in this regard, presented the document to Azerbaijani living in Houston, head of the USACI Samir Novruzov. In the second part of the event, Azerbaijani Sevinj Huseynova spoke on the topic "IndependencePower of the Mindset." She emphasized the importance of educating the younger generation with free thinking in strengthening the mindset of independence. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel British and French troops joined forces to storm the beaches of North Devon as they honed amphibious warfare tactics during two weeks of drills on both side of the English Channel. The training codenamed Exercise Catamaran is currently taking place for the first time in seven years. It is part of the wider French-led Exercise Polaris which has seen multiple ships and aircraft from France, Italy, Spain and the UK carry out training exercises on the North Devon coast over the past week. Above and below: Troops carry out a training assault on Braunton Burrows, echoing the training that took place there more than eight decades ago before D-Day. Credit: Royal Navy The exercise is in two phases, here in North Devon and in the Bay of Biscay and will test the ability of allied nations to operate effectively together in a war-time scenario. There is an added poignancy as the chosen area of operations, Braunton Burrows, was used extensively to train troops in the run up to the Allied invasion of Europe, 81 years ago today on June 6, 1944. It was known as the Assault Training Center and tens of thousands of troops from America, Canada, the UK and other nations went through the intense training programme. Above and below: The RFA Lyme Bay served as the launch pad for the UK Royal Marines taking part in Exercise Catamaran. A combined Royal Navy and French Marine Nationale task group of 11 warships, aircraft and some 3,000 troops have been operating under the control of the joint French and British Combined Joint Expeditionary Force, which is designed for use in a wide range of crises including the amphibious operations that have been on show during Catamaran. Support ships RFA Lyme Bay and RFA Argus have been acting as the launch pad for Royal Marines operations as members of 40 and 47 Commando carried out seaborne and helicopter commando raids onto the beaches and dunes at the Burrows. French and Spanish troops have also been conducting amphibious landings as the allies increase their ability to operate effectively together, with the fleet offshore comprised of French, Spanish, Italian and British ships. Major General Rich Cantrill, the Royal Navys Commander Operations who is responsible for commanding and orchestrating operations around the globe, said: Were delighted to participate in this ambitious French-led amphibious exercise and host its initial phase off the Devon coast. Amphibious operations are highly complex and so require regular practice. And we must stand united as allies, echoing our history from WWII and maintaining our ability to project power from sea to land. As warfare evolves, as weve seen with Ukraine, we have to adapt, and the Royal Navy is significantly transforming its Commando Force and the way it delivers operations in the littoral. Above: A briefing on board ship. Credit: Royal Navy Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard added: The enduring alliance between the UK and France underscores our shared commitment to addressing evolving security threats. Keeping our joint amphibious force ready and trained through exercises such as this is crucial for protecting not just the UKs security but also that of our NATO allies. Following an impressive showing of military might and manoeuvres off the North Devon coast, the secodn phase of the exercise from tomorrow (Saturday, June 7) until June 15 will see training carried out in the Bay of Biscay. Royal Marines will be operating from French Navy ships and air assaults will be launched from Royal Navy Air Station Yeovilton in Somerset onto the French coastline. Meanwhile, 845 and 847 Naval Air Squadrons of the Commando Helicopter Force will be flying the assault sorties over France and will be involved throughout Catamaran, with flying operations from RFA Argus. Exercise Catamaran is the amphibious element of the wider French-led Polaris 25 exercise, which sees allied nations working on warfighting skills together. Some 20 ships, 40 aircraft and 3,000 personnel are involved in the training in the Channel and Atlantic. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 6. The Embassy of Turkiye in Azerbaijan has published a congratulation on the occasion of the Eid al-Adha holiday, Trend reports. The publication placed on the diplomatic mission's X page addressed congratulations to both the citizens of Azerbaijan and Turkiye. "We congratulate all our citizens, as well as Azerbaijani brothers and sisters, on the blessed Eid al-Adha holiday - a symbol of unity, solidarity and brotherhood of Muslims around the world. We wish everyone good health, joy, well-being and abundance at the festive table," the embassy said. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Azerbaijan discloses number of apartments rented out through state So far, the Mortgage and Credit Guarantee Fund has extended loans totaling 3.53 billion manat ($2.08 billion) to over 54,000 borrowers across Azerbaijan. Guarantees and subsidies have helped back loans amounting to 549.4 million manat ($324 million). In addition, more than 7,200 apartments have been made available through rent-to-own programs. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register LAKE STATION Kash Kelly, one of the four men from Northwest Indiana arrested and sentenced for his role in the violent riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 before he was pardoned by Republican President Donald Trump, will speak Saturday at Calvary Baptist Church in Lake Station. The event is organized by the Lake Station Republican Party. It begins at 5 p.m. Tickets are $40 at the door. Kelly, 36, was one of the hundreds of people who breached the Capitol building and was charged with two federal misdemeanors shortly after the riot that injured more than 100 police officers, according to court records from the United States District Court of the District of Columbia. He was ultimately sentenced to 60 days of incarceration, a sentence he served concurrently with a 4-year federal prison sentence for a drug crime that was part of an operation perpetrated by the Latin Kings, a criminal gang organization based in Chicago. Kelly previously told The Times he has not been part of the organization for more than 10 years and runs a nonprofit called the Streetlights Unity Movement that aims to "pull kids out of gangs." In a livestreamed video posted to Kelly's Facebook Wednesday, the Hammond native who formerly lived in Lake Station said Lake Station Republicans asked him to share his story about his experience as an incarcerated man and what his life looks like today in an attempt to "spread a little bit of unity." "I told (the Lake Station Republican Party), I said, 'I hope you guys don't think I'm gonna come up there and just start slamming one side and praising the other, because that's not it,'" Kelly told The Times on Thursday. Kelly does not identify with a particular political party; he has previously told The Times he supports Trump because he votes solely on "the policies that support my life." He believes both the Democratic and Republican parties have recently caused division in the U.S. Kelly says he's a different man today compared to the man he was prior to Jan. 6, 2021. He's been trying to move away from politics, he claimed in an interview with The Times on Thursday, and is more focused on the "positivity, unity side of things," he said. When asked if he considered the Jan. 6 riot and illegal breach of the U.S. Capitol to have been a unifying event, Kelly initially said he did not. But he quickly clarified that the way that day has since been portrayed isn't unifying, but that he felt united with his fellow Americans when he was there. "The way that (Jan. 6) is portrayed in the media, it's the number one divider," Kelly said, "because you have people saying different stories... you've got the news putting racist people on the news, as if that's what was there that day. You've got the other side saying that everybody was great... which some of them aren't. Some of them are racist." He called the topic of Jan. 6 "a tool of division." "For me, yes, it was a day of unity, because I was going there to be with other Americans that shared my thought process at the time," Kelly said. His nonprofit, Streetlights Unity Movement, is currently sponsoring teens and young adults to get them off the streets this summer it's paying for memberships to a Michigan City YMCA for a full year, Kelly said. He plays an active role in working with the participants, telling them about his past as a gang member and incarcerated man in an attempt to "give them the option to not go down that path." "I changed my life up and started just working with the community, trying to keep kids away from drugs, heal the relationship between the civilians and police officers," Kelly said. "And that was what was important to me." The Lake Station Republican Party event takes place on the same day as the NWI Pride Festival scheduled for Saturday and Sunday in Lake Station's Riverview Park, three miles east of where Kelly will speak. The pardoned man said he had been unaware of the pride festival when his event was scheduled but said Thursday he has nothing against it. "For me, it's all love," Kelly said. "I tell them the same thing, like, 'I love y'all.' I ain't got nothing against nobody for who they choose to love." He said he's aware his presence could spark protests; if it does, he's open to having a civil conversation with people who oppose him or his past actions. "I do it (have conversations) every day," Kelly said. "That's what I do... I go out and talk to people... I'm willing to talk to anybody and everybody, man. I want everybody to get along." Winfield's post office substation will be closing its doors after Sept. 30, according to a letter sent to the owner of the 109th Avenue property that houses it. In a Thursday press release, Winfield Township Trustee Cody Reynolds wrote that another USPS facility in the nearby unincorporated community of Leroy could also be under threat, though a USPS spokesperson did not confirm that a closure, or any other changes, will be taking place. The May 30 letter from the United States Postal Service invokes a termination clause in the agency's lease which allows either party to exit the arrangement with 120 days' notice. "All Postal Service equipment and supplies must be returned to the US Postal Service at that time," the document reads. The letter does not identify a reason for the agency's decision to end the lease. In a Friday Statement to The Times, a USPS spokesperson confirmed that the Winfield facility will be shutting its doors. "The Postal Service sometimes contracts with retailers to host Contract Postal Units, or CPUs, within a retail establishment, operated by the retailers employees," the spokesperson wrote. "CPUs can provide communities with expanded access to postal services, but they are not operated by the Postal Service." In the case of the Winfield substation, the spokesperson wrote that "the Postal Service determined that nearby postal facilities are able to fully serve the community and the CPU was no longer needed." She added that "there is no information about changes in Leroy." The Winfield substation was previously closed in 2017 when the Fagen Pharmacy on Randolph Street, which had housed it, was sold to CVS. It reopened in 2021 following years of advocacy by then-Winfield Township Trustee Paulette Skinner, who gathered over 2,500 signatures on a petition that was sent to state and federal officials. In his press release, Winfield Township Trustee Cody Reynolds wrote that "our office has since learned that discussions are also being had about the potential closure of the Leroy post office as well." Reynolds told The Times that he learned of this possible second closure from the Leroy resident who owns the post office property, but had not seen a letter from the USPS announcing the lease's end. "These actions, if pursued to completion, would result in the loss of direct and convenient mail service for all of the approximately 15,000 residents of Winfield Town and Township," he wrote. "The Winfield Township Board and I are vehemently opposed to the closure of one or both of these facilities." Reynolds underscored that the Winfield and Leroy facilities also serve people living outside the township, including across the Porter County line in Porter and Union Townships. He wrote that his office has reached out to both U.S. senators representing Indiana as well as that of U.S. Representative Frank Mrvan in search of assistance. "Our office will leave no stone unturned as we work to ensure our communities access to local mail services," Reynolds wrote. The owner of the property that houses the Leroy post office did not return a request for comment. In March, then-Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced plans to collaborate with the the Department of Government Efficiency, a federal task force then spearheaded by the billionaire Elon Musk. DeJoy sought DOGE's help with a comprehensive review of tens of thousands of USPS's retail center leases, among other tasks. He also announced plans to cut 10,000 USPS jobs and billions of dollars in spending by the agency. News of the proposed cuts sparked protests from postal workers unions and others opposed to shrinking the USPS. DeJoy stepped down later that month. Musk announced his own departure from DOGE in May, but said that the quasi-agency's work would continue in his absence. Jerry Davich Metro columnist Follow Jerry Davich Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Lauren Thompsons 10-year-old sister, Amelia Kissel, gently placed her head on her mothers shoulder just before a judge issued a prison sentence to Thompsons killer. It was a tense moment, more than two years in the making, inside a crowded courtroom at the Porter County Courthouse in Valparaiso. As snow swirled outside the window of the third-floor courtroom on that bitter February day, Amelia Kissel looked to the back of the courtroom where I was taking notes. She quickly recognized me from when we first met one week earlier with her family. Amid the tragic circumstances of the sentencing hearing, and the emotional tone of the victim impact statements, Amelia Kissel somehow managed to share a sweet smile. It was such an endearing gesture that I wrote in my notepad, Laurens spirit will live on. I knew at that moment I would be writing todays column. Thompson was killed in what a police officer described to courtroom guests as a devastating force when a vehicle struck hers from behind at more than 100 mph. Her killer pleaded guilty last year to a felony count of criminal recklessness, with a maximum sentence of six years in prison. "Your honor, he chose to speed at over 110 mph. It wasnt an accident. It was done willingly," Thompsons stepfather, Steve Kissel, told the judge. "Your honor, I plead with you to sentence this man to maximum that the law allows." He destroyed our joy, Thompsons mother, Dawn Kissel, told the judge through tears. We had hopes and dreams. You killed those, she told her daughters killer from the witness stand, her voice rising in anger. Thompsons family didnt miss a single court hearing since she was killed in a violent vehicular crash in Portage on Nov. 8, 2022. By February of this year, they felt overcome with grief, anger and frustration. Its just hell, Steve Kissel told me before the sentencing hearing. He and his wife held hands as the judge issued his sentence, first noting that the aggravating factors of the case outweighed any mitigating factors. The sentence was what Thompson's family hoped for despite its legal limitations: Six years in prison with one year suspended on formal probation. We are comfortable with the sentencing but uncomfortable that this is the maximum punishment, Steve Kissel said after the hearing. Since then, Thompsons extended family continues to struggle. The conviction, at least on my end, has not taken any of the pain away. It really gets me frustrated that all he got was five years, Steve Kissel said. Thompsons family has reached out to state lawmakers, including State Sen. Rodney Pol Jr., to plead their case for a change in the law regarding similar circumstances. Hopefully we can get the law changed in the next legislative session, Steve Kissel said. It is still hard to celebrate things without Lauren, but it is more important to the MacKenzie, Kissel and Thompson families to continue to do good in Lauren's name and memory, Dawn Kissel said. Thompsons younger sisters, Amelia and 20-year-old Josephine, share their feelings with counselors. On the two-year anniversary of Thompsons death, Josephine Kissel shared a post on her sisters Facebook page: For most, today is just a normal day. For me, its a day Ive been dreading, a painful reminder that my life changed forever two years ago. I still catch myself almost sending you things that remind me of you, she wrote. I miss you deeply. Everything feels so foreign without you, filled with people you never got to meet and experiences you never got to share. It makes your absence feel even more real. I love you so much, Lauren, and I would do anything to have you still here with me, Josephine Kissel added. Thompsons family members and loved ones have done everything they could to keep her spirit alive. One very special and favorite teacher who Lauren fondly referred to as her school dad was Jim Weitzel, who is retiring this year, Dawn Kissel said. Mr. Weitzel created a scholarship for a graduate from River Forest High School who will be an education major in college in Lauren's name. This scholarship honors Lauren, but it honors Mr. Weitzel too. His dedication and example for so many kids over the years is hard to match. On Saturday, June 14, they are hosting a walk-a-thon event to fund this scholarship and to contribute to the elimination of school lunch debt in the schools that were an important part of Thompsons life. The event, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., takes place at the high school, 3300 Indiana St. in Hobart. For a $5 admission, guests will enjoy music, food trucks, raffle baskets, corn hole, volleyball, kids' activities and track walking, among other amenities. If we reach a certain amount, the Lilly Endowment will take it over and keep it going, Steve Kissel said. The scholarship fund is a common approach to memorialize a lost loved one and carry on their spirit. But a more enduring way can be through the sweet smile of a young girl who will grow up to be like her big sister. Read the Insults Hurled Between Trump and Musk It all started in the Oval Office Thursday during a meeting with Germanys new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, when a reporter asked President Trump about Elon Musks criticism of his domestic policy bill. Mr. Trumps sharp response kicked off a bitter online feud between the once-close allies, who had become more distant in recent weeks. Here are some of their pointed exchanges that played out throughout the day: President Trump began by saying that he and Mr. Musk had a great relationship, speaking in the past tense, and added that he was not sure it would continue. Mr. Trump said that Mr. Musk, the billionaire leader of Tesla and SpaceX, was upset that the pending legislation would roll back subsidies for electric vehicles. Then he got in a particularly sharp jab, asserting he would have won the 2024 election without the millions of dollars Mr. Musk spent to support him. Mr. Musk was watching. He renewed his attack on the bill on X, his social media platform. Elon Musk @elonmusk Whatever. Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill. In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this! Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way. President Trump also maintained that Mr. Musk knew every aspect of the bill, saying that the tech executive did not have a problem with the measure until he left his government post. He said he was very disappointed in Elon. Mr. Musk rejected the assertion that he had known what was going to be in the bill. Elon Musk @elonmusk False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it! And he objected to the idea that Mr. Trump would have won back office without his help. Elon Musk @elonmusk Replying to @AutismCapital Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. Elon Musk @elonmusk Such ingratitude He also criticized the president for reversing course on his promise to reduce the deficit. Elon Musk @elonmusk Where is the man who wrote these words? Was he replaced by a body double!? DogeDesigner @cb_doge Elon Musk reminded President Trump of his own words. Maybe, Mr. Musk suggested, it was time for a new political party. Elon Musk @elonmusk Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle? Yes No Following his news conference, Mr. Trump turned to his own social media platform, Truth Social, and fired off two posts in response to Mr. Musks missives. Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Elon was wearing thin, I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY! Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it! Mr. Musk quickly punched back. Elon Musk @elonmusk Such an obvious lie. So sad. Autism Capital @AutismCapital Trump fires back at Elon. The online battle begins. Twenty minutes later, Mr. Musk claimed there were references to Mr. Trump in unreleased government documents about the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, without offering evidence. Elon Musk @elonmusk Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! Elon Musk @elonmusk Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out. Mr. Trump responded by defending his domestic policy bill, signing off with his signature catch phrase. Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. Its a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesnt pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didnt create this mess, Im just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Mr. Musk kept up a barrage of attacks, suggesting that his company, SpaceX, would begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft. NASA relies on the spacecraft to carry astronauts, food and other supplies to the International Space Station. (He later indicated that he would hold off on such a move.) Elon Musk @elonmusk In light of the Presidents statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately Two minutes later, he endorsed another users post suggesting that President Trump be impeached so Vice President JD Vance could succeed him. He then asserted that the presidents tariff policy would sink the country into a recession. Elon Musk @elonmusk Yes Ian Miles Cheong @stillgray President vs Elon. Who wins? My money's on Elon. Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him. Elon Musk @elonmusk The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year Shibetoshi Nakamoto @BillyM2k can i finally say that trumps tariffs are super stupid As the night grew late, Mr. Musk struck a more conciliatory tone. The Oklahoma City Thunder are in the N.B.A. finals. While the Thunder have never won an N.B.A. title, the team that became the Thunder won one in 1979. Which team was that? BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 6. The book "Armenian Massacre in Igdir through the Eyes of Witnesses" by Ziya Zakir Acar, head of the Association for the Survival and Support of the Igdir-Azerbaijani Language, History and Culture Community and the Igdir Azerbaijani House, has been published in Turkiye, the Azerbaijani State Committee on Work with Diaspora said, Trend reports. The author of the foreword to the book, published with the committee's financial support, is its first deputy chairman Valeh Hajiyev. The book, intended for a wide audience in Turkish and English, tells about the terrible massacres committed by Armenia in Igdir and surrounding cities through the words of witnesses. It provides extensive information about the subsequent fate of Azerbaijanis who were forcibly expelled from Western Azerbaijan and settled in Igdir in particular. The facts of genocide were confirmed by the mass graves and eyewitness accounts discovered with the participation of the Turkish media in the towns and villages of Igdir province - Oba, Tuzluca, Hakmehmet, Kulluk, Dize, Arapkiri and Gedikli. It was noted that dozens of mass graves were also discovered in other settlements during the excavations. The publication proved with facts that present-day Armenia is an ancient Turkish homeland and that the toponyms of Western Azerbaijan were falsified by Armenia. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Revisiting the Sexual Harassment Complaints Against Cuomo A look at the allegations that led Andrew Cuomo to resign as governor of New York, where they stand and how his position on them has shifted. Dave Sanders for The New York Times Four years ago, Andrew M. Cuomo resigned as governor of New York under a cloud of multiple sexual harassment accusations. He seemed chagrined, embarrassed for acting in a way that made people feel uncomfortable. But as he prepared to make his political return, his tone changed. He said he had been driven out of office by a political hit job. He sued the state attorney general and moved to sue one of his accusers. And he began to portray himself as the victim. That which doesnt kill you makes you stronger, he told The Daily Beast recently. Now, as he runs for mayor of New York City, Mr. Cuomo is treating the scandal as ancient history, even as some of the complaints are still being contested in court. Here is a look at all of the known sexual harassment allegations, where they stand and what Mr. Cuomo has said about them. (Some of the accusers names were shielded, in part or whole, by state investigators in their reports.) 2019-2021 Cuomos third term as governor Litigation ongoing Brittany Commisso Executive assistant, governors office Ms. Commisso said Mr. Cuomo grabbed her buttocks; reached under her blouse and fondled her breast; held her in close, intimate hugs; and asked her about her relationship with her husband, including whether she had ever fooled around or had sex with anyone else. She recalled his saying something to the effect of if you were single, the things I would do to you, and said he once complimented her on showing some leg. During their hugs, she said she would try to lean away from his pelvic area, because she didnt want anything to do with whatever he was trying to do at that moment. Litigation ongoing Charlotte Bennett Executive assistant, governor's office Ms. Bennett, who was 25 at the time, said the governor asked if she had been with older men and if she practiced monogamy, and told her he was lonely and would date someone as young as 22. Mr. Cuomo, she testified, also told her he wanted to be touched, and, upon learning that she planned to get a tattoo, advised her to get it on her buttocks. She said she felt as though Mr. Cuomo was grooming her. In a conversation about a speech Ms. Bennett was about to give at her alma mater about sexual assault, she recalled his pointing at her and intoning, You were raped, you were raped, you were raped and abused and assaulted. It was something out of a horror movie, she texted a colleague that day. It was like he was testing me. State Entity Employee #1 Anonymous state employee While posing for a photo at a work event in September 2019, the governor tapped the area between the employees buttocks and thigh, she told investigators, and then moved his fingers upward to kind of grab that area. I felt deflated and I felt disrespected and I felt much, like, smaller and almost younger than I actually am, she said. She said she had reported the governors conduct to investigators to support the women who had come forward with more extreme stories and to help establish that they were part of a pattern. If I could do that, I felt that it was my responsibility to do that, she said. Alyssa McGrath Executive assistant in the governors office Ms. McGrath said she was taking dictation from the governor in 2019 when she noticed the governor had stopped talking. She said she looked up and saw him staring down her shirt. The governor then asked what was on her necklace, whose pendant was hanging between her breasts and her shirt. She said it was a Virgin Mary and an Italian horn. The governor would also ask questions that made her uncomfortable, she said, including about her divorce and whether, if Ms. Commisso were to cheat on her husband, she would tell anyone. State Entity Employee #2 Director at State Department of Health This state employee, a doctor, performed a televised Covid test on the governor at a March 2020 news conference. Beforehand, he asked her not to put the swab in so deep that you hit my brain. She said she would be gentle but accurate. Gentle but accurate, he responded. Ive heard that before. She found his demeanor flirtatious and understood his statement to have sexual undertones. At the news conference, when the doctor appeared in personal protective equipment, the governor said, You make that gown look good. The woman told investigators that she felt that in my professional standing I should share these facts, whatever they are, in order to support if there are any other women. I cant say there are or not, who are saying they have been put in an uncomfortable position, or if there is any sexual harassment, that you have the facts that you might need. Anna Ruch Guest at wedding of a senior aide to Mr. Cuomo At the wedding of an aide, the governor approached Ms. Ruch, shook her hand, and then put his hand on her bare back, she told investigators. She said she grabbed his wrist to move it, at which point the governor said, Wow, youre aggressive, and cupped her face in his hands. Can I kiss you? he asked. She turned her head, she said, and he kissed her cheek. (Ms. Ruch was hired by the New York Times photo department in 2022.) 2015-2019 Cuomos second term as governor Litigation ongoing Trooper #1 Member of Cuomo's protective detail The trooper said she first remembered the governor touching her inappropriately in an elevator going up to his Midtown Manhattan office, where he stood behind her, placed his finger on her neck, and then ran it slowly down her back, touching her bra clasp.Hey, you, she recalled him saying. In a separate incident, she recalled him running his palm across her stomach, between my chest and my privates, while she was holding a door open for him, an act that made her feel completely violated. A witness corroborated the account of Mr. Cuomo touching the troopers stomach. The trooper said he would also say sexually suggestive and sexist things, and told her to keep their conversations private. Among other things, he requested she help him find a girlfriend who could handle pain, and he asked why she did not wear a dress, she said. Lindsey Boylan Chief of staff at Empire State Development and then deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to the governor Mr. Cuomo paid so much attention to Ms. Boylan that her supervisor concluded the governor had a crush on her, both she and her boss testified. Her boss asked if Ms. Boylan needed help managing the situation. She said no. Mr. Cuomo would also compare her to an ex-girlfriend, even allegedly calling Ms. Boylan by that ex-girlfriends name. And, she said, he would touch her legs, waist and back. On an airplane, Ms. Boylan recalled Mr. Cuomo suggesting, seemingly in jest, that they play strip poker. Ms. Boylans boss at first claimed not to remember those remarks. After Ms. Boylan sent her boss what he described as a disparaging message that he found threatening, he corroborated her account. Ive been sexually harassed throughout my career, she told investigators, but not in a way where the whole environment was set up to feed the predator. Virginia Limmiatis Employee, National Grid Ms. Limmiatis said she had been waiting to meet the governor at a 2017 event when Mr. Cuomo approached her and pressed his fingers into her chest, pausing atop each letter of the energy companys name that adorned her shirt. Then he leaned in so his cheek touched hers and, in her telling, shared his cover story: He would just say there had been a bug on her shirt. Then, she said, he brushed the pretend bug from the area between her shoulder and breast and walked away. After seeing Mr. Cuomo say during a news conference on March 3, 2021, that he had never touched anyone inappropriately, she felt compelled to come forward. I am a cancer survivor, Ms. Limmiatis told investigators. I know an oppressive and destructive force when I see it. Kaitlin Aide in the governors office Kaitlin met Mr. Cuomo at a fund-raiser that her employer, a lobbying firm, was hosting at the Friars Club. When she introduced herself, he pulled her into a dance pose and told her he was going to have her work for the state. Though she told investigators she had never shared her contact information with him or his staff, nine days later she received a voicemail message inviting her to interview for a job in his office, at his behest. It turned out that two of Mr. Cuomos aides had been told to find Kaitlins contact information. Her colleagues urged her to accept the job, and she did. I knew that I was being hired because of what I looked like, she told investigators. The governor paid undue attention to her physical appearance and would comment on her clothes and makeup, she said. Stephanie Miner Former mayor of Syracuse Ms. Miner recounted Mr. Cuomos kissing her on the cheek at public events against her will, actions she believed were an expression of his will to dominate. His kissing me was about power, she wrote in Madam Mayor: Love and Loss in an American City. She went on: I never viewed it as sexual. We were gladiators in a public ring and thats how he showed he was boss. 2011-2015 Cuomos first term as governor Ana Liss Aide in governors office Mr. Cuomo would kiss her cheek and would almost always address her as sweetheart or darling, Ms. Liss said. He spoke to her, she said, like she was a little girl, almost. She said she considered Mr. Cuomos behavior improper, but not sexual harassment. (A judge, apparently referring to Ms. Liss, said a complainants legal conclusion on that matter was irrelevant.) Ms. Liss said she had spoken up because the other young women that had come forward with more egregious allegations werent being believed, and I believed them, and I wanted to share an account that was less egregious and spoke to the broader culture that allowed for the things that happened to them to happen to them. 1997-2001 Cuomos tenure as HUD secretary First, Snubs. Then Flattery. Now Trump and Musk Are at War. Elon Musk and President Trump began a relationship nearly a decade ago that developed into a close partnership over the last year. That alliance unraveled publicly in just a few days. Heres a look at what the two men have said about each other over the years both the praises and the jabs. Frenemies (2016-23) The relationship between Mr. Musk and the president started off rocky. Before the 2016 presidential election, Mr. Musk said in an interview with CNBC that Mr. Trump was not the right guy to lead the country. Over the next few years, Mr. Trump would both praise and insult the tech billionaire. What Musk said Nov. 4, 2016 I feel a bit stronger that he is not the right guy. He doesnt seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the United States. Jan. 22, 2020 Hes one of our great geniuses, and we have to protect our genius. July 9, 2022 So hes another bullshit artist. July 11, 2022 I dont hate the man, but its time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset. X post Oct. 28, 2022 I am very happy that Twitter is now in sane hands, and will no longer be run by Radical Left Lunatics and Maniacs that truly hate our country. Truth Social post What Trump said Nov. 4, 2016 I feel a bit stronger that he is not the right guy. He doesnt seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the United States. Jan. 22, 2020 Hes one of our great geniuses, and we have to protect our genius. July 9, 2022 So hes another bullshit artist. July 11, 2022 I dont hate the man, but its time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset. X post Oct. 28, 2022 I am very happy that Twitter is now in sane hands, and will no longer be run by Radical Left Lunatics and Maniacs that truly hate our country. Truth Social post Mr. Musk in 2022 reinstated Mr. Trumps account on Twitter, now X, after purchasing the social media platform, but would later support Ron DeSantis in the early days of the Florida governors presidential campaign. A close allyship (2024-May 2025) Mr. Musk gave a strong endorsement to Mr. Trump after the first assassination attempt against him at a rally in Butler, Pa., in July 2024. That year, Mr. Musk spent over a quarter of a billion dollars helping to elect Mr. Trump, and was later rewarded with a top adviser position and broad powers to slash the federal bureaucracy. Mr. Musk made a stunning Oval Office appearance in February, alongside Mr. Trump. During his time as a special government employee, Mr. Musk had a public spat with a top Trump economic adviser, Peter Navarro. What Musk said July 13, 2024 fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery IPresident Trump and hope for his rapid recovery X post Oct. 5, 2024 What a great guy. And hed rather be making rocket ships because hed really rather do that. Nobody better. Oct. 5, 2024 We had one president who couldnt climb a flight of stairs and another who was fist pumping after getting shot. Fight, fight, fight. Nov. 11, 2024 first buddy! X post Im happy to be Feb 11, 2025 Hes a big businessman, hes a successful guy. Thats why we want him doing this. March 11, 2025 a truly great American. Truth Social post Im going to buy a brand new Tesla tomorrow morning as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, April 8, 2025 Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks. X post May 27, 2025 I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing. May 30, 2025 Hes one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced. May 30, 2025 Ill continue to be visiting here and be a friend and advisor to the president. What Trump said July 13, 2024 fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery IPresident Trump and hope for his rapid recovery X post Oct. 5, 2024 What a great guy. And hed rather be making rocket ships because hed really rather do that. Nobody better. Oct. 5, 2024 We had one president who couldnt climb a flight of stairs and another who was fist pumping after getting shot. Fight, fight, fight. Nov. 11, 2024 first buddy! X post Im happy to be Feb 11, 2025 Hes a big businessman, hes a successful guy. Thats why we want him doing this. March 11, 2025 a truly great American. Truth Social post Im going to buy a brand new Tesla tomorrow morning as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, April 8, 2025 Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks. X post May 27, 2025 I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing. May 30, 2025 Hes one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced. May 30, 2025 Ill continue to be visiting here and be a friend and advisor to the president. Feud (June 2025) Cloying flattery abruptly turned into a hostile feud after Mr. Musk criticized the presidents signature domestic policy bill. The two men traded insults mostly over their respective social media platforms in what has become a very public breakup. After falling for the local undertaker, a Brazilian woman spent two years attending funerals in her community in hopes of catching the mans eye. Daniela Signor and Apollo Scariot surprised a lot of people when they arrived at their wedding venue in a funeral hearse, but to those who knew their unusual love story, the choice made perfect sense. Daniela first laid eyes on Apollo in early 2023, while attending the funeral service of a deceased relative, and immediately knew she had to do everything she could to draw his attention. He was the funeral director and seemed to be too focused on his job to notice her, but she didnt let that discourage her. Every three months or so, she would attend funerals in her community just to see Apollo and hopefully get seen by him. It took a while, but her strategy actually worked. Photo: Guy Basabose/Unsplash 33-year-old Daniela hails from Pinhalzinho, a small community south-west of Sao Paulo, where every one of the 2,832 residents knows everyone else to some extent, so attending random funerals just so she could see Apollo didnt really seem that strange. The thing is, the 31-year-old undertaker wasnt always there, and when he was, he was always focused on his work. I used to think, Ill give the family a hug just so I can see him, you know? But he wasnt always there, Daniela told Whats The Jam. He had no idea I only told him later, when we finally started talking. Then he was like, Wait, how did I never notice you before? He was always so focused on work. It took a while, but Daniela caught Apollos eye at some point, and after dating for a while, the two tied the knot last month. They arrived in a hearse because it just fitted their story so well, but they made sure to explain it to everyone. Everyone at the wedding was shocked, but during our vows, we explained everything we read out our story, Daniela said. Then people understood why I arrived in the hearse. Lisa Horton Davids Bridal appoints Lisa Horton as chief communications and creative officer. Horton was previously president at ASTRSK, leading its Davids Bridal team. Before joining ASTRSK in 2017, she worked at FINN Partners. At Davids Bridal, Horton will be charged with further evolving the companys brand and voice to meet the expectations of Gen Z and Millennial consumers. She will be based in New York. Her sharp instincts, critical thinking, unique problem-solving, creative vision, and unmatched ability to tell compelling stories across every platform are exactly what Davids Bridal needs as we continue our journey to redefine modern retail and serve todays engaged couples in new, exciting ways, said Davids Bridal CEO Kelly Cook. Rebecca van Dyck Airbnb brings on Rebecca van Dyck as CMO. Van Dyck was previously chief operating officer at Metas Reality Labs. Back when Meta was Facebook, she was at the company as VP of consumer and brand marketing. She has also held senior marketing posts at Apple, Levi Strauss and Wieden + Kennedy. In her new post, van Dyck will lead Airbnbs marketing, research and creative teams, reporting to Hiroki Asai, who has been moved from the global head of marketing post to serve as Airbnbs first chief experience officer. Were in the midst of a major transformation as a company, said Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky. Becca brings exactly the kind of leadership we need for this moment. Lesley Sillaman Havas Red U.S. promotes Lesley Sillaman to managing director. Sillaman, who joined HAVAS in 2006, was most recently an EVP at the firm. She has led the agencys Pittsburgh office and been a key member of the companys global leadership team, coordinating cross-border work with HAVAS Red teams worldwide. In her new position, Sillaman will oversee day-to-day agency operations and drive its positioning for continued growth in the U.S. market, reporting to HAVAS PR North America CEO Dara Busch. She knows the industry and our agency inside and out, leads happy and high-performing teams, and is a trusted advisor to our clients, said James Wright, global CEO of HAVAS Red and global chair of the HAVAS PR Network. HAVAS Red U.S. has also promoted Nancy Anderson, who was previously SVP, social & content, to EVP. Pakistan has awarded Qorvis a $150K monthly contract for strategic communications to highlight its culture, people, economy and history. According to the May 30 engagement agreement, the DC-based firm is to craft Pakistans overarching narrative, reflecting its gracious culture, the aspirations and indomitable spirit of its people, and its bright undeniable future, manifesting in its rapidly transforming economy and incorporating Pakistans proud history and rich legacy. Qorvis is to apprehend and help counter misinformation and disinformation, especially targeting state institutions, e.g., armed and security forces and judiciary, via credible messaging tailored to platforms and audiences. Five Qorvis staffers work on the one-year Pakistan account, including managing partner Brad Klapper; and chief editorial officer Samantha Sault. India and Pakistan last month exchanged missile attacks. MERGE, a Chicago-based marketing and technology agency, acquires strategic consulting firm Blazer. The acquisition marks the launch of MERGEs new cross-functional offering. Blazer CEO Gregory Ngs experience in transformation strategy, rooted in organizational consulting, data science, and advanced analytics, will expand MERGEs ability to build tailored solutions. Ng, along with his team, will join MERGEs integrated offerings team under chief digital officer Libby Morgan. Blazer brings a data-driven and business-minded consulting approach that sharpens our strategic lens to serve the health and consumer industries we know so well with increasingly holistic outcomes, said MERGE CEO Stephanie Trunzo. Fintech Digital, a financial services digital marketing agency that works with both traditional banks and fintech innovators, launches a subscription-based web3 and blockchain marketing service. Each engagement includes a marketing-trained, regulation-aware AI agent developed by the agency. The agents are built to be used by internal marketing teams at crypto firms as a way of adding efficiency and capacity expansion to their marketing team. The subscription offering is built around a flexible pricing model and includes access to senior strategists, multi-channel content execution, SEO and brand storytelling. Having already served some of the largest blockchains and banks, the intersection of the two is the thing that really started to get us even more excited in a space that was a natural progression of the use of our resources, skills and talent, said Fintech Digital CEO and founder Josh Meyer. Montieth & Company is holding a free webinar that will discuss how to navigate high-stakes crisis communication during arbitration. It will also provide strategies for managing media silence, speculation and messaging when disclosure is limited or impossible. Litigation vs. Arbitration, which takes place at 2 p.m. ET on June 17 (register here), is geared toward litigators, in-house counsel and crisis communications professionals, and will share real-world scenarios and case studies to highlight how proactive planning and early comms involvement can mitigate fallout and safeguard long-term credibility. President Trumps school yard brawl with Elon Musk provided excellent cover for the fact that he flopped in getting Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire in his war on Ukraine. Rather than appearing as a strong leader and negotiator standing up to Putin, Trump took on the role of being his message boy. After the June 4 phone call with Putin, Trump said Russia was going to act very strongly in response to to Ukraines drone attack on its bombers. Duh! Russia unleashed one of its biggest missile and drone attacks on Ukraine on June 6. Trump went on to say that peace between Russia and Ukraine isnt going to happen any time soon, and that both sides feel like they have to fight it out so more. How weak! He likened Russia and Ukraine to children who hate each other. During his June 5 Oval Office meeting with German chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump said sometimes youre better off letting them fight for a while and then pull them apart. Merz, who had expected more of a spine from his American counterpart, told Trump that he is the key person in the world who can really put pressure on Russia. Trump though has abdicated that role, failing to stiffen sanctions against Russian, and threatening to pull the plug on military and intelligence support for Ukraine. He seems to have a thing for Vladimir. Famously, Trump told Ukraines Volodymyr Zelensky during his trip to the White House that he didnt have the cards to negotiate the end of he war. Trump has cards to use against Putin. He just refuses to play them. Fighting the good fightBen & Jerrys co-founder Ben Cohen says companies that folded to Trumps pressure to roll back DEI programs are guilty of appeasement. Ending DEI programming just encourages bullies, he told the Financial Times. He said Corporate America jumped on the DEI bandwagon after the murder of George Floyd though they didnt really believe in it. Cohen and his partner Jerry Greenfield are trying to buy back Ben & Jerrys from Unilever, which bought the brand 25 years ago. Unilever wants to spin off Ben & Jerrys with the rest of its ice cream business by the end of the year. Good luck to Ben and Jerry in getting back their company. Target still celebrates Pride Month despite reports on right-wing media outlets that it has abandoned the LGBQ community. NewsGuard outed those bogus claims that Target has replaced its LGBQ collection with American First offerings. The retailers website features its Pride Collection (apparel, party supplies, music, books and stationery) that are available in stores and online. The conservative platforms mistakenly showcase Targets Summer Coastal Collection," which have US-themed items, as supporting Trumps America First agenda. Target in January announced that it would end diversity, equity and inclusion programs for employees. The company though says it continues to provide products that delight our customers for an array of occasions and holidays, such as Pride Month. Tullamore-based Decontamination Technical Services Ltd (dts), supported by Local Enterprise Office Offaly, has won the Midlands Regional Award at the 25th National Enterprise Awards, held at the Mansion House, Dublin. A global leader in sterilisation validation and decontamination innovation, dts serves over 400 clients worldwide across healthcare, life sciences, and government sectors. Their expert-led, independent solutions uphold the highest standards in safety, compliance, and precision. The overall winner at the National Enterprise Awards was SPRYT a virtual assistant that can liaise directly with patients on appointments via simple SMS communications to ensure appointment completion and can effectively reallocate appointments in real-time to eliminate no shows and doctor and consultant wastage. Announcing the award winners at the Mansion House, Minister Dillon said, The National Enterprise Awards are a celebration of the innovation, resilience, and ambition that define Irelands business community. Each year, the calibre of finalists continues to rise, reflecting the extraordinary talent and determination of entrepreneurs across the country. These businesses are not only creating jobsthey are shaping the future of our local economies and communities. Tonights winners represent the very best of what Irish enterprise has to offer, and we remain committed to supporting them as they grow, compete, and thrive on both a national and global stage. These businesses are at the core of every town, village and community and are vital to our economy. We will ensure businesses continue to get the support they need to grow, prosper, and remain competitive, Minister Dillon continued. READ NEXT: Tullamore College sixth year students celebrate after graduation Carol Gibbons, Head of Entrepreneurship and Local Enterprise, Enterprise Ireland, said: The high calibre of businesses in todays final highlights the vibrant entrepreneurial spirit and innovation within Irish enterprise. The solutions these businesses have developed are impressive, and I am encouraged by their ambition and determination to develop products and services with a positive impact on our society. At Enterprise Ireland, we believe Irish businesses are central to driving economic growth, and were proud to support that ambition in partnership with the Local Enterprise Offices. Congratulations to all the winners I wish them continued success on their growth journey. The National Enterprise Awards are one of a number of initiatives that the Local Enterprise Offices run, to foster entrepreneurship across the country. Others include Local Enterprise Week, the Student Enterprise Programme, National Womens Enterprise Day and Local Enterprise Showcase. The Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities are funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland. Established in 2014, the Local Enterprise Offices are the essential resource for any entrepreneur looking to start a business or any small business that is looking for support or advice to help them grow. Since their inception eight years ago, the Local Enterprise Offices have helped create over 75,000 jobs across the country. The LEOs work with thousands of client companies across Ireland in a diverse range of sectors offering mentoring, training, expert advice and financial supports to small businesses. For more information see www.LocalEnterprise.ie READ MORE: Success for Offaly team at the 50th All Ireland Safety Quiz Final A WELL-KNOWN environmental campaigner Tom Roche, from Tullamore and Rhode, who in recent times has campaigned to help distressed mortgage holders - will commence a 24-hour hunger strike and vigil on Sunday, June 15 at 11am outside The Courthouse, on Cormac St in Tullamore. The event will coincide with court proceedings for possession of Mr Roches home. Solicitors representing Mars Capital Finance Ireland DAC, will initiate proceedings on Monday, June 16 at 11am in Tullamore. Asked about why he has decided to go on hunger strike to highlight his plight, Mr Roche said; "In pre-Christian Ireland, fasting was used as a means of protesting injustice. In more recent times it has been used to raise issues of various concerns to individuals and groups - the death of 10 men in the 1981 [on hunger strike was to prove a defining moment in the struggle between the Provisional IRA and the British government or, to be more precise, the prime minister, Margaret Thatcher." "Hunger strikes have played a major role in ending slavery, challenging dictatorships, protecting workers from exploitation, protecting the Earths biological diversity, promoting equality for women, opposing racism and many other important societal issues. In ancient Ireland, going on hunger strike was a form of 'distress' called 'troscud' (or 'fasting'). This practice was socially significant and had legal support as an act of due process and fairness." Mr Roche described the impact home repossessions are having on families as utterly devastating. "One of Irelands most senior high court officials, Edmond Honohan said, some banks who were 'cheerleaders' of the Celtic Tiger were 'reverting to type' and pursuing people to the 'bitter end' even when they 'had no money'. He went on to say the 'new debt set' have 'legal rights' but some are made 'feel like outlaws' In the same article Mr Honohan said he had met ['several widows of people who had been driven to suicide because of the distress of debt." READ MORE: Tributes paid to visionary business man who changed the face of Tullamore and Mullingar Added Mr Roche: "The mental and physical impacts of the distress and trauma mortgage arrears has caused me personally has been enormous. Over the past 15 years I have exhausted every legal avenue open to me to come to an equitable resolution to my mortgage distress situation. What is taking place is the anatomical unfolding of a home repossession scandal initiated in the first instance by Permanent TSB (PTSB)." "In March 2025, I received an invitation to give a talk about my new sustainable development project ECORACE 2023, from Dr Gertrude Cotter - Lecturer in Global Citizenship Education at University College Cork (UCC) and academic coordinator of the [Praxis Project. I was to launch my new publication REBUKED - Anatomy of a broken promise during my presentation. REBUKED gives a detailed account of how the system has failed to resolve my mortgage distress issue. Unfortunately, I recently had to inform Dr Cotter that due to physical and mental pressures associated with my upcoming Court appearance on June 16 in Tullamore, that I would have to cancel my planned talk scheduled for Thursday, May 29 in UCC." READ NEXT: AN APPRECIATION: Tullamore mourns death of leading business man and sporting icon Azerbaijan's revenues from methanol sales to Italy skyrocket in 1Q2025 Azerbaijan exported 18,430 tons of methanol to Italy from January through March 2025, earning $5.57 million. Although export volume slightly declined by 117 tons (0.6 percent) compared to the same period last year, revenue rose sharply. The value of exports increased by $2 million, marking a 57.2 percent year-on-year growth. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register A publican's licence has been granted for the Palace Bar in Birr. Judge Keenan Johnson granted the application to Droughill Builders Ltd whose representative at Tullamore Circuit Court was Trevor Whelan. The court was told the application was a revival of a lapsed licence which had been advertised in the Midland Tribune on March 27 last. Marc Conroy, a Portlaoise-based architect, told the court the pub on Main Street/O'Connell Street, near Emmet Square, was a Georgian building which pre-dated the 1963 planning laws, as did its original front. A lounge had later been added at the rear. The pub is on the ground floor and there is a cellar. The first floor will be used as a storage area. He said it was suitable for use as a licensed premises. Counsel for the applicant said the premises had closed during the Covid-19 pandemic and a tenant had taken it over but could not get it off the ground afterwards. The last licence had expired in September 2022. Sergeant Richard Thornton told the court there was no garda objection to the application. Trevor Whelan told the court he bought the pub in 2018 and he was not disqualified from holding a licence. The court also heard he will be running the premises himself and will be visible there. Granting the application, Judge Johnson wished the applicant the best of luck and said it was great to see a pub reopening. Droughill Builders Ltd is registered in Portarlington and its directors are Trevor Whelan and Sinead Whelan. READ NEXT: Experienced stylist opens new upmarket hair salon in centre of Tullamore READ NEXT: Offaly GAA drawing up plans for developing new land at Faithful Fields Neosurf has entered the Swiss market and provides local players with a fast, safe and inexpensive way to deposit money into their online casino accounts. Swiss players have a new reason to rejoice, as the fast-growing payment provider has entered the local market. Neosurf has been around for quite a while, providing fast, reliable and inexpensive money transfers to online casino enthusiasts from all over the world. It is now available in Switzerland, allowing locals to enjoy a seamless payment experience with compliance and responsible gambling tools. True Cash-to-Digital Expertise Founded in Paris in 2004, Neosurf has steadily expanded its reach, now covering 31 countries across five continents. Its product is defined by simplicity and security, acting as a bridge between cash transactions and the digital world. The combination of digital wallets and vouchers provides users with a safe and transparent way to deposit money, backed by solid KYC and AML measures. Neosurf has made a name for itself as an innovative online payment provider, simplifying matters greatly for casino players. Entering Switzerland was quite a challenge due to the stringent spending controls and competitive nature of the market. Local players who are anxiously waiting for the payment provider to become available nationwide were finally given the good news. Neosurf is now available via SweePay at SBB rail kiosks and the Swiss payment app TWINT. The payment method is used securely and by the law, as the company has obtained approval from national regulators. Players can expect the same fast and reliable money transfers as their peers from other European nations at minimal cost. SweePay and Neosurf Join Forces Neosurf Global CEO Andrea McGeachin broke the good news to Swiss players, particularly those who were underserved, especially cash-based users. The company she represents has vast experience in handling cash for online deposits while ensuring the highest AML standards. Players enjoy the peace of mind that comes with using a financial instrument that is intuitive and highly secure, thereby protecting them from fraud. In Switzerland, 67% of transactions are cash-based, making Neosurf well-positioned to cater to the needs of local online players. To achieve the best results, the company shook hands with SweePay, as well as prepaid vouchers and other regional partners. The goal is to provide users with superior access as it expands nationwide by signing deals with Swiss online casinos. Said Rodolphe Texier, CEO of SweePay, expressed his enthusiasm for signing the partnership with Neosurf. Their addition to their fast-expanding portfolio of digital products is expected to empower consumers and merchants alike. They will benefit from a wider range of products and money transfer solutions while enjoying convenient and responsible payment options. Washington: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, currently leading a multi-party delegation to the United States, said India had convincing evidence before launching Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. He was responding to an unexpected question from his son, journalist Ishaan Tharoor, during an event at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington. During the interaction, Ishaan, a global affairs columnist with The Washington Post, introduced himself and said he was speaking in a personal capacity, mostly to say hi before you go off to your next engagement. He then asked whether any of Tharoors interlocutors on the tour had sought evidence of Pakistans role in the attack, and how he would respond to Islamabads repeated denials. Tharoor responded with a smile: That shouldn't be allowed. This is my son. Amid laughter from the audience, he added, Im very glad you raised this, Ishaan. I didnt plant it, I promise you. This guy does this to his dad. Washington DC: On a question asked by his son Ishaan Tharoor of Washington Post about whether any country had asked the delegation for evidence of Pakistan's involvement in the Pahalgam attack and about Pakistan's repeated denials of any role in the attack, Congress MP Shashi pic.twitter.com/aguocWdCh5 Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) June 5, 2025 ADVERTISEMENT Addressing the question, Tharoor said, Very simply, no one had any doubt, and we were not asked for evidence. But the media did ask so you are speaking for your tribe. He noted that journalists in two or three places had raised similar questions. Let me say very clearly: India would not have done this without convincing evidence, he emphasised. We are not the kind of country that would undertake a military operation without a very solid basis. This was not some random terror attack. Tharoor said that while India faced 24 cross-border terror incidents from Pakistan last year, none of them warranted a response on this scale. We dealt with those either neutralising the terrorists or capturing them with minimal damage and loss of life. ADVERTISEMENT But this attack bore all the hallmarks of a sophisticated, planned operation: reconnaissance, intelligence inputs, a clear modus operandi, and a chilling tactic asking people their religion before shooting them between the eyes, he added. Tharoor also highlighted Pakistans long record of sponsoring terrorism while publicly denying involvement. Theres a 37-year pattern here. Even Americans havent forgotten that Pakistan supposedly didnt know where Osama bin Laden was until he was found living next to an army base in Abbottabad, he said. Referring to the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Tharoor recalled how Pakistan initially denied any role until one terrorist was captured alive. His name, identity, and address in Pakistan were revealed. He even disclosed his training location. Both Indian and US intelligence recorded a Pakistani handler giving minute-by-minute instructions to the attackers, he said. ADVERTISEMENT They dispatch terrorists and deny it until caught red-handed. On the Pahalgam attack specifically, Tharoor noted that a group called The Resistance Front had claimed responsibility within minutes. Theyre a known proxy of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, he said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 6. The European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide advisory support to Bulgaria to help decarbonise the Maritsa East Complex, one of Europes largest coal-fired electricity production sites, Trend reports. A cooperation agreement was signed between the EIB and the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy. Under the agreement, EIB Advisory will assist in the development of priority renewable energy projects at the Maritsa East Complex, which currently supplies up to 35% of Bulgarias electricity. The support will also include strengthening the Ministrys capacity to manage complex projects and expand access to EU funding. The EIBs advisory support is part of the European Commissions InvestEU Advisory Hub. It builds on earlier cooperation with the Ministry under a technical assistance agreement signed in early 2024, which helped assess the current state of the complex and define a roadmap for future investments. The Maritsa East Complex includes some of the largest open-pit coal mines in Europe. Identifying near-term investment priorities and outlining strategic projects will support Bulgarias broader decarbonisation goals and the EUs clean energy objectives. OpEd News One-Time Security Check This Is NOT An Error Message Your site IP address* (5.13.19.111) is listed on one or more Internet blacklists. We get visited by hundreds of these spambots daily. To prevent these from taking resources away from legitimate users, we show this page. Please use the CAPTCHA below which proves you are human, not a spam bot. It's a one-time action** for your IP. After that, you will be able to access OpEd News easily. Thank you for your patience. * Here's more info about IP addresses. ** If your IP address is fixed, you'll be able to use this website from now on. However, if your Internet Service Provider (such as Verizon or T-Mobile) assigns you a different IP address every time you use your device, AND these IP addresses are NOT on an Internet blaclist, then all is good. If, for some strange reason, your ISP assigns you an IP that is blacklisted, then you'll have to go through this process again. (Unless you keep yourself logged in. We only check for spambots on non-logged in visitors.) The interim leader of Prosper Portland is leaving the agency later this month. Mark Graves/The Oregonian The fault line between Prosper Portlands board of commissioners and City Hall widened Friday, as commissioners for the economic development agency apologized to a departing leader who had upset a crop of newly elected City Council members. Shea Flaherty Betin, Prospers interim executive director since September, last month blasted a proposal by Councilors Mitch Green and Jamie Dunphy to cut all $11 million of Prospers general fund dollars from the upcoming fiscal year budget. He also rallied local business owners to lobby against the Dunphy-Green proposal, which ultimately failed. U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici speaks with panelists after a discussion about federal funding for programs that support small businesses. Matthew Kish | The Oregonian/OregonLive Zena Forest Products might not be a household name in Oregon, but its products have been under the feet of many Oregonians. The family-owned company makes hardwood flooring, including the oak flooring in the renovated Portland International Airport terminal. Jarod Ngiraibuuch, of Vancouver, was arrested in the May 27 shooting. File photo Police arrested a 21-year-old man Thursday in connection with a May 27 drive-by shooting near a Vancouver community center and elementary school. Jarod Ngiraibuuch, of Vancouver, was booked into Clark County Jail on suspicion of drive-by shooting, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, second-degree assault and possession of a dangerous weapon on a school facility, according to the jail roster. The shooting took place at about 2:20 p.m. May 27 in a parking lot near the Jim Parsley Center, leading staff at the adjacent Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary School to lock its doors, police said. No injuries were reported in the shooting. Nearly two weeks later, police served a search warrant at Ngiraibuuchs apartment, at 2900 General Anderson Avenue, about a 10-minute drive from the scene of the shooting, Vancouver police said in a statement. Separately, two teenage boys were arrested after video surveillance showed one of them passing a handgun, wrapped in a sweatshirt, to the other in the community center following the shooting. They were booked into juvenile detention on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a stolen firearm and bringing a dangerous weapon onto school grounds. Police said detectives are still trying to track down other suspects in the shooting who fled the scene. Kimberly Cortez covers breaking news, public safety and more for The Oregonian/OregonLive. She can be reached at kcortez@oregonian.com A 24-year-old man said ICE agents arrested him in the hallway of Portland Immigration Court Thursday after the government moved to dismiss his asylum case. Getty Images Updated Fri., June 6, 2025 A second person was arrested by federal agents in Portland Immigration Court as he appeared Thursday for an asylum case and lawyers petitioned to block his removal from Oregon. Columbia County District Attorney Joshua Pond said his office worked closely with the FBI and the county juvenile department on the case. "Everyone shared information and shared resources and worked together to address something that was frankly, very scary," Pond said. Maxine Bernstein | Staff A 14-year-old Oregon boy now charged with attempted murder in an alleged bombing and mass shooting plot had become isolated by a recent move and then radicalized by the online extremist network 764, his lawyer said. The teen, who lives in Clatskanie with his parents, had no ability to carry out the plans that the FBI has accused him of making, said defense attorney Chris Heywood. A 17-year-old at Oregons largest locked youth detention center was held for 32 days in a dirty isolation cell that reeked of urine and feces, a tactic that the Oregon Youth Authority used as punishment for the teens conduct, a new federal lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Portland by the Oregon Justice Resource Center, accuses the state of using solitary confinement as part of a harmful and illegal behavioral management strategy. It appears to be arbitrary, said Thaddeus Betz, an attorney handling the case. The youth are not afforded any process to contest the reasons that are placed there or question in any way the duration of their placement. The Oregon Youth Authority declined to comment, citing pending litigation, but released a message from Interim Director Jana McClellan sent to staff, county juvenile departments and others, saying the agency has remodeled space to align with best practices for such interventions and made changes, including how long youths spend behind closed doors. With even more adjustments planned, we hope to sustain a space that maximizes safety while also developing critical emotional regulation skills, she wrote. The lawsuit deals only with the use of isolation among male youths in state custody and centers on the experience of one teen identified only by his initials, A.H. The isolation unit moved to a different building on the grounds at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn earlier this year; A.H. spent time in the older unit, according to the lawsuit. The suit alleges that the teen was first placed in isolation at MacLaren beginning in December 2023 for his role in an alleged assault. The teen denied involvement, the lawsuit says. The criminal offense that led to the teens placement with the youth authority is not included in the lawsuit. He submitted a grievance over his placement in isolation, but the youth authority did not respond, according to the lawsuit. Another youth who was also sent to isolation for his involvement in the same incident also filed a grievance; the agency did not respond for a year, the lawsuit states. A.H. spent the majority of his day alone in a room, according to the lawsuit. His schooling and an unspecified treatment program were interrupted, the lawsuit states. It alleges youths who are placed in isolation are not provided anything except for chalk to write on the walls and one or two books. A.H. also was not allowed to make routine phone calls to family or have contact with other youths held at MacLaren and wasnt routinely given a chance to leave his cell for recreation, the lawsuit states. The stark and unsanitary conditions and the uncertainty surrounding how long he would remain in solitary confinement led to the deterioration of his mental health and emotional well-being, the suit says. According to the lawsuit, the youth was discipline-free during the time he was in solitary. He was sent back to solitary a second time after he walked into an area against the direction of an employee and made physical contact with an employee as he pushed past her, the lawsuit states. He spent three days in isolation the second time. A.H. is now 18 and was released from custody last month, said Betz, who works at the Oregon Justice Resource Center as director of its youth justice project. The nonprofit advocates for the rights of incarcerated people and improved prison conditions. Oregon law prohibits the youth authority from using isolation as punishment and instead should only address imminent violence, the lawsuit says, with the youths remaining isolated until they regain control of their emotional state. It generally isnt supposed to exceed five days, the lawsuit states. The suit names top youth authority administrators as defendants and alleges the youths civil rights were violated when the agencys leaders failed to investigate reports of abuse of isolation, failed to properly train staff on the lawful use of isolation, and failed to institute or properly implement policies that would protect youth from misuse of isolation from staff. Noelle Crombie is an enterprise reporter with a focus on criminal justice. Reach her at 503-276-7184 or ncrombie@oregonian.com. Jeremy M. Lenoire, 31, listens to closing arguments while on trial for felony murder on Thurs., May 29, 2025. Zane Sparling/The Oregonian A man accused of traveling from Texas to Portland for a pot robbery that ended in a spray of bullets leaving four dead has been found not guilty of all charges. After 3 days of deliberation, the Multnomah County Circuit Court jury voted 11-1 to acquit Jeremy Lenoire of two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Mitchell Nacoste, 31, and 27-year-old Kendall Gragg. CHANGSHA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- A civil turboshaft engine, primarily designed for helicopters, has obtained its production license and secured a sales contract, laying a solid foundation for the growth of low-altitude equipment, Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) announced on Thursday. The AES100 engine represents China's first independently developed 1,000-kW-class advanced civil turboshaft engine, achieving full compliance with international airworthiness standards. The granting of this production license signifies China's capability to independently develop and manufacture advanced civil turboshaft engines, said Li Gaiqi, chief designer of the AES100 engine. He noted that this achievement is of great importance to the AES100 engine in serving the low-altitude economy and supporting the general aviation industry. The engine can maintain stable operations in complex conditions, including icy, heavy rain and strong electromagnetic environments. It has a high safety level, excellent cost-effectiveness and broad environmental adaptability, with outstanding performances in key indicators such as energy efficiency and service life, reaching internationally advanced levels, according to the AECC. It can be used in 5-to-6-tonne twin-engine helicopters and 3-to-4-tonne single-engine helicopters, as well as tiltrotor aircraft and other aerial vehicles, and can undertake missions in such areas as transport, sightseeing, patrols and rescue operations. The engine production license is a document issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China to authorize manufacturers to produce civil aviation engines in accordance with approved designs, quality assurance systems and technical management systems. It is a critical qualification in the aircraft manufacturing sector. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 6. Kazakhstan has significantly diversified its oil export routes in recent years in response to growing geopolitical uncertainty, according to a recent report by Teniz Capital Investment Banking, Trend reports. Between 2020 and 2025, the country has actively pursued alternative transit corridors to reduce reliance on traditional routes and enhance the resilience of its energy export system. The report highlights that in 20222023, disruptions at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal and the impact of international sanctions accelerated Kazakhstans efforts to develop the Middle Corridor a key transit route across the Caspian Sea and the South Caucasus. As part of this shift, Kazakhstan signed an agreement with Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR for the transit of 1.5 million tonnes of oil per year via the AktauBakuBTC (Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan) route. Discussions are ongoing to expand volumes to 2.2 million tons in 2025, with long-term prospects of increasing flows to 5-7 million tons annually. At the same time, Kazakhstan has maintained and strengthened its eastern export options. In parallel to westward diversification, the country extended its agreement with Russia on the transit of Russian crude to China, securing an annual volume of 10 million tonnes through 2033, with the possibility of further increases. Over the past two decades, Kazakhstan has built a flexible and multi-vector pipeline infrastructure that supports oil exports both westward (via Russia and Azerbaijan) and eastward (to China). This evolving network has not only improved the countrys capacity to manage external risks but has also enhanced the strategic importance of its energy transit system. EUGENE Oregon defensive back Daylen Austins attorney is claiming severe prosecutorial misconduct occurred during grand jury testimony and has filed a motion to dismiss the indictment against him for an alleged felony hit and run that left a man dead. Bryan Boender, Austins attorney, is claiming prosecutorial misconduct and other constitutional violations took place during grand jury testimony in January. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Tuesday in Lane County Circuit Court. UPDATE: Lane County Deputy District Attorney Nicholas Geil filed a motion on Friday requesting the hearing be postponed until June 17, which Boender opposed. Austin, 20, pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned in February for failing to perform the duties of a driver when another person is injured, a Class B felony, for fatally striking Frank William Seaman with his SUV on April 15, 2024. Trial remains scheduled for Aug. 14, but Boender claims prosecutors introduced inadmissible and highly prejudicial evidence, including multiple unambiguous references to Mr. Austins invocation of his constitutional rights to silence and to an attorney and failed to provide material exculpatory evidence to the grand jury. According to Boenders motion, Eugene police detective Scott Jones referenced symbols Austin made with his hands in a photograph shown to the grand jury, as well as images of a text message between Austin and a friend whose identity is not disclosed in the motion stating I be faded just talking. However, a toxicology report showed no intoxicants found in Austins blood on the night of the incident and Jones knew that, but failed to reveal those rest results to the grand jury, according to the motion. The detectives obvious and highly inappropriate (yet incorrect) suggestion was that Mr. Austin was using a gang sign, the motion reads. The states (false) implication was that Mr. Austin was intoxicated, even though possible intoxication had no relevance to the single charge under consideration. Even more outrageous was the states blatant invocation of racist stereotypes and innuendo in a case where a Black teenager was under investigation. ... The grand jury never heard that Mr. Austin was not intoxicated; it only heard that Mr. Austin had sent a text message stating, I be faded just talking. The states failure to correct the false evidence it presented to the grand jury with available exculpatory evidence violates due process and constitutes severe prosecutorial misconduct. During Joness testimony a grand juror asked whether police contacted Austin on the night of the incident. He confirmed they did so later in the evening at his room and he lawyered up, according to the motion, which states the prosecutor told the grand jury to disregard. Joness PowerPoint presentation to the grand jury also included images of texts between Austin and Osman Kamara, Oregons director of player development, between 10:48 p.m. and 11 p.m. on the night of the incident. Kamara tells Austin to call him, then states he is on the phone with the chief, who said do not give a statement without a lawyer. The grand jury was not instructed to disregard that evidence, according to Boender. That was patently improper testimony that violated Mr. Austins constitutional rights, Boender argues. Given that prejudicial impact, the prosecutors direction to disregard one of those two improper statements was insufficient. The bell had already been rung. And, in any event, the prosecutor made no effort to cure the presumptive prejudice from the statement in the PowerPoint presentation. The Lane County Medical Examiners report released prior to the grand jury explains Seaman, who police identified as homeless, was known by police to be a mean drunk who had a history of illicit drug use and a toxicology report showed he had acute alcohol intoxication and recent methamphetamine use, and states he had schizophrenia none of which was was provided to the grand jury, according to Boender. Isabelle "Belle-A" Walker is among the cast members in the new season of "Love Island USA." Ben Symons/PEACOCK Season 7 of Love Island USA, the dating competition that, as Peacock says, features a group of sexy singles living in a tropical villa who must try to win the $100K prize by coupling up and surviving to the end, has arrived, and this time the sexy singles include a cast member with an Oregon connection. Isabelle Belle-A Walker now lives in Hawaii, according to the cast announcement. But KDRV, a TV station in Medford, reports that the cast member in question, Isabelle-Anne Belle-A Santos Walker, attended Gold Beach High School. In a post on her Instagram page, the 22-year-old Walker says that she manages her familys coffee shop in Gold Beach, but she also splits up my time in Oahu, Hawaii. Whats coming up in Season 7 of Love Island USA? According to Peacock, viewers should expect More temptation and more drama! As the sexy Islanders search for love in the tropical oasis, they will couple up to face heart-racing challenges, bigger twists and turns than ever before, and return of Casa Amor. New bombshells arrive to shake things up in the villa, forcing Islanders to decide if they want to remain with their current partners or recouple with someone new. Viewers will be able to vote for their favorite pairs through the Love Island USA app, to determine which islanders will recouple, who will remain in the villa, and who will go home single and heartbroken. Theres already been some drama. As NBC News and other sources report, cast member Yulissa Escobar left the show on the second day after video clips surfaced online that appear to show Escobar using racist language while on a podcast. In two podcast clips shared by TMZ, Escobar used racial slurs when talking about men and relationship drama. The new season of Love Island USA, which is filmed in Fiji and is hosted by Vanderpump Rules veteran Ariana Madix, debuted June 3 on Peacock. New episodes of Season 7 will drop every day on Peacock at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT during premiere week. Episodes will be released Thursdays through Tuesdays starting the week after. You can watch Love Island USA on Peacock (which offers a free trial); and on Hulu (which also offers a free trial). The National Institutes of Health has renewed its funding for OHSUs Oregon National Primate Research Center, awarding $13.7 million for 2026. Mark Graves Despite pressure from animal rights groups to shut it down, Oregon Health & Science Universitys primate research center just got another big vote of confidence from the federal government. The National Institutes of Health has renewed its funding for OHSUs Oregon National Primate Research Center, awarding $13.7 million for 2026. The Hillsboro facility has received continuous NIH support since 1960, according to OHSU. The latest funding renewal comes in the wake of national scrutiny and a public campaign by activists. Earlier this year, groups like PETA and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine stepped up their campaign against the center as OHSU pursued a high-profile merger with Legacy Health, pushing for state officials to make their regulatory approval contingent on the centers closure. The merger was called off earlier this year. Gov. Tina Kotek also weighed in amid the merger evaluation, saying that OHSU should figure out how to shutter the center, just like Harvard University did in 2015. The activists have long called for the closure of the facility, where roughly 5,000 nonhuman primates are housed for research. Theyve claimed that public money would be better spent on direct patient care at OHSU and have questioned the scientific value of primate research. OHSU has rejected those claims, arguing the centers funding comes from competitive, research-specific NIH grants that cannot legally be redirected to hospital operations or other institutional uses. The university also said that closing the primate center would cost about $100 million in winding down the programs and finding homes for the animals. The major scientific bodies are in agreement that nonhuman primates play a critical role in addressing some of the most pressing health issues including diabetes, obesity, neurodegenerative diseases, genetic diseases, infectious diseases and womens health, Dr. Skip Bohm, director of the center, said in a statement. Bohm said that the funding from the NIH will continue to support OHSUs work on groundbreaking discoveries to advance human health. The university argued that two NIH-commissioned studies one in 2018 and another last year concluded that nonhuman primates remain essential for biomedical research, backing OHSUs position. The academic medical center also cited a separate 2023 report from the National Academies of Sciences that warned that severely restricting primate research could result in significant delays in the development of life-saving treatments and increase potential harm to human patients. The center has long been a target of animal rights groups, who have raised concerns about disease, lab conditions and ethics. OHSU has maintained that most primates live in outdoor social groups, receive attentive veterinary care, and are part of research that meets strict federal standards. The new round of funding also comes as the federal government is slashing spending on medical and scientific research, with other research programs across universities seeing reduced budgets or delayed approvals. According to a recent report by The New York Times, the NIH has cut 1,389 research grants and postponed funding for over 1,000 more as of the end of April since President Donald Trump took office. The USCGC Eagle arrived in Portland Wednesday evening, passing under the St. Johns Bridge after traveling up the Columbia and Willamette rivers from Astoria. The 295-foot sailing vessel a steel-hulled, three-masted barque is now docked at Waterfront Park, where it joins eight other ships as part of the Portland Rose Festivals Fleet Week. Since being taken from Germany after World War II, the Eagle has trained generations of Coast Guard officers. Built in 1936 as the Horst Wessel and seized by the United States as a war reparation, the ship was renamed the Eagle and now serves as a hands-on training platform for cadets. It remains one of the last operational square-rigged sailing ships in the world and the only one still in active U.S. military service. This year, the Eagle is a centerpiece of Fleet Week, a Portland tradition dating back to 1907 that brings military ships and crews to the downtown waterfront for several days of public tours and civic events. Crews from the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy are offering free ship tours through Sunday. Free public tours of the Eagle Friday, June 6: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 7: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 8: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 9 1 / 9 U.S. Coast Guard Barque Eagle comes to Portland for Fleet Week 2025 Mark Graves Fleet Week offers a rare look at life aboard working military vessels and celebrates more than a century of Portlands ties to the sea services. Below is a breakdown of all nine ships visiting Portland this week. Branch Name Length Year Purpose Description United States Navy USS Mustin (DDG 89) 509 ft 2003 Destroyer Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer with Aegis system for multi-domain warfare. United States Navy USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) 509 ft 2023 Destroyer First Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer with upgraded radar and missile defense. United States Coast Guard USCGC Eagle (WIX-327) 295 ft 1936 Training ship Three-masted barque used to train cadets; acquired by the U.S. after WWII. United States Coast Guard USCGC Bluebell (WLI-313) 100 ft 1945 Buoy tender Maintains navigation aids on the Columbia, Willamette, and Snake rivers. United States Coast Guard USCGC Blue Shark (WPB-87360) 87 ft 2002 Patrol boat Marine Protector-class vessel conducting law enforcement and SAR in coastal waters. United States Coast Guard USCGC Henry Blake (WLM-563) 175 ft 2000 Buoy tender Keeper-class cutter maintaining aids to navigation in Puget Sound. Royal Canadian Navy HMCS Nanaimo (MM 702) 181 ft 1997 Coastal defense Kingston-class vessel supporting patrol, mine countermeasures, and maritime security. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Survey Vessel Redlinger 104 ft 2010 Survey vessel Foil-assisted catamaran used for hydrographic surveys and dredging support. Sources: U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Navy, Army Corps of Engineers Mark Graves/The Oregonian U.S. Navy ships will be open for public tours June 58 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but lines may close early depending on wait times sometimes as early as 2 p.m. Visitors must present government-issued ID and pass through security screening. Open-toe shoes are not allowed, and all are encouraged to bring as few items as possible. If you missed the Eagle in Portland you can still get free a tour June 13-15 in Astoria. The tall ship will be located at Pier 1. Hours are: Friday, June 13: TBD Saturday, June 14: 10 a.m. 7 p.m. Sunday, June 15: 10 a.m. 7 p.m. --Mark Graves, The Oregonian/OregonLive MORE: The 2025 Rose Festival is currently underway in Portland. Adam Harper, Sheryl WuDunn, Caroline Kristof and Nicholas Kristof hold the debut wines from Kristof wines. Photo by Joshua Chang/Foundry 503 Oregon has more than 900 wineries, and if youre not sure which one to try, our readers are here to recommend their favorites. Last week, we opened voting for the best Oregon winery in The Oregonians Readers Choice Awards, and here are the results. FILE - Elon Musk flashes his T-shirt that reads "DOGE" to the media as he walks on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) AP The Supreme Court ruled Friday that DOGE, the team formerly led by Elon Musk, can examine Social Security records that include personal information on most Americans. Acting by a 6-3 vote, the justices granted an appeal from President Donald Trumps lawyers and lifted a court order that had barred a team of DOGE employees of freely examining Social Security records. We conclude that, under the present circumstances, the Social Security Administration, or SSA, may proceed to afford members of the SSA DOGE Team access to the agency records in question in order for those members to do their work, the court said in an unsigned order. In a second order, the justices blocked the disclosure of DOGE operations as agency records that could be subject to the Freedom of Information Act. The courts three liberals Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented in both cases Today, the court grants emergency relief that allows the Social Security Administration (SSA) to hand DOGE staffers the highly sensitive data of millions of Americans, Jackson wrote. The Government wants to give DOGE unfettered access to this personal, non-anonymized information right nowbefore the courts have time to assess whether DOGEs access is lawful. The legal fight turned on the unusual status of the newly created Department of Governmental Efficiency. This was a not true department, but the name given to the team of aggressive outside advisors led by Musk. Were the DOGE team members presidential advisors or outsiders who should be not given access to personal data? While Social Security employees are entrusted with the records containing personal information, it was disputed whether the 11 DOGE team members could be trusted with same material. Musk had said the goal was to find evidence of fraud or misuse of government funds. He and DOGE were sued by labor unions who said the outside analysts were sifting through records with personal information which was protected by the privacy laws. Unless checked, the DOGE team could create highly personal computer profiles of every person, they said. A federal judge in Maryland agreed and issued an order restricting the work of DOGE. U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander, Obama appointee, barred DOGE staffers from have accessing to the sensitive personal information of millions of Americans. But her order did not restrict the Social Security staff or DOGE employees from using data that did not identify persons or sensitive personal information. In late April, the divided 4th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to set aside the judges order by a 9-6 vote. Judge Robert King said the government has sought to accord the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) immediate and unfettered access to all records of the Social Security Administration (SSA") records that include the highly sensitive personal information of essentially everyone in our country." But Trump Solicitor Gen. D. John Sauer appealed to the Supreme Court and said a judge should not second guess how the administration manages the government. He said the district judge had enjoined particular agency employees the 11 members of the Social Security Administration (SSA) DOGE teamfrom accessing data that other agency employees can unquestionably access, and that the SSA DOGE team will use for purposes that are unquestionably lawful. ... The Executive Branch, not district courts, sets government employees job responsibilities. Sauer said the DOGE team were seeking to modernize SSA systems and identify improper payments, for instance by reviewing swaths of records and flagging unusual payment patterns or other signs of fraud. The DOGE employees are subject to the same strict confidentiality standards as other SSA employees, he said. Moreover, the plaintiffs make no allegation that the SSA DOGE teams access will increase the risk of public disclosure. He said checking the personal data is crucial. For instance, a birth date of 1900 can be telltale evidence that an individual is probably deceased and should not still receive Social Security payments, while 15 names using the same Social Security number may also point to a problem, he said. _____ 2025 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, testifies before a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing to examine President Donald Trump's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2026 for the Department of Homeland Security on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Washington. DHS published and a few days later removed a list of sanctuary jurisdictions across the country. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) AP The state of Oregon and 19 of its counties and cities appeared on a list of sanctuary jurisdictions published by the Trump administration last week before federal officials quickly deleted the inventory after facing blowback. President Trump signed an executive order in April requiring federal officials to publish a catalogue of jurisdictions nationwide that obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration laws. After disclosing the list, each government was supposed to receive an official notice and a demand to revise local laws or face the threat of lawsuits and losing federal money. But the inventory, published by federal officials last Thursday, puzzled many local leaders across the nation and got yanked offline by Sunday. At least five jurisdictions in Oregon said they didnt know what prompted them to be on the list, and at least one Linn County contacted federal officials to request its removal. In my 25 years as a Commissioner in Linn County, we have never passed a Proclamation, Resolution or adopted County Code declaring Linn County to be a Sanctuary County, Roger Nyquist, chair for the countys board of commissioners, wrote in a message sent by email on Saturday to federal officials and obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive. If there is some criteria that has triggered our listing, please let us know as soon as possible. In total, the Trump administrations inventory included about 200 cities and counties in 37 states and identified 14 states themselves, including Oregon, as sanctuary jurisdictions. Oregon lawmakers in 1987 prohibited local law enforcement from cooperating with federal authorities for immigration enforcement, becoming the first sanctuary state in the nation. The Department of Homeland Security boasted that its inventory was exposing sanctuary jurisdictions nationwide and marked a first step toward changing local rules. These sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a news release last week. We are exposing these sanctuary politicians who harbor criminal illegal aliens and defy federal law. President Trump and I will always put the safety of the American people first. Sanctuary politicians are on notice: comply with federal law. But some jurisdictions across the country were quick to question their appearance on the list. It also prompted a strong response from the National Sheriffs Association, which said the inventory violated the core principles of trust, cooperation, and partnership with fellow law enforcement because it was published without input from sheriffs. The association usually supports immigration enforcement. A senior DHS official wouldnt say if the agency took down the list because of the pushback, emphasizing only that its being constantly reviewed and will be updated regularly. Designation of a sanctuary jurisdiction is based on the evaluation of numerous factors, including self-identification as a Sanctuary Jurisdiction, noncompliance with Federal law enforcement in enforcing immigration laws, restrictions on information sharing, and legal protections for illegal aliens, the official said in an email. In Oregon, officials in Linn, Clatsop and Klamath counties have contacted federal officials to challenge or seek clarity about their inclusion on the list, they said. Marion and Columbia counties said they didnt know why their jurisdictions landed on the list. The term sanctuary jurisdiction isnt defined under state or federal law, so its not a term we typically apply to the County, Mark Pacheco, a spokesperson for Columbia County, said in an email. Columbia County has not declared itself a sanctuary jurisdiction related to immigration enforcement, and we would not describe Columbia County as a sanctuary county. For other jurisdictions, their names on the list didnt come as a surprise. Portland earlier this year joined other local governments in suing the Trump administration over its executive orders that would have targeted sanctuary jurisdictions by withholding millions of dollars in federal grants. A federal judge in April issued a preliminary injunction blocking Trumps plan. As of earlier this week, Portland, which declared itself a sanctuary city in 2017, hadnt received a formal notice from DHS. Portland stands unwavering in its commitment to sanctuary policies, rooted in the belief that every resident, including immigrants, deserves dignity, respect, and protection, Mayor Keith Wilson said in a statement. Wilson added that the city fully complies with all applicable federal and state laws and will not interfere with lawful federal enforcement operations. Importantly, he said, our police officers will not be used as agents of ICE. Roxy Mayer, a spokesperson for Gov. Tina Koteks office, said the governor will not back down from a fight and believes threats from the Trump administration undermine our values and our right to govern ourselves. Oregon will not be bullied into doing the federal governments job of performing immigration enforcement, she said in an email. --Yesenia Amaro is on the investigations team. Reach her at 503-221-4395, or yamaro@oregonian.com. WASHINGTON Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation to El Salvador became a political flashpoint in the Trump administrations stepped-up immigration enforcement, was being returned to the United States to face criminal charges related to what the Trump administration said was a massive human smuggling operation that brought immigrants into the country illegally. He is expected to be prosecuted in the U.S. and, if convicted, will be returned to his home country in El Salvador at the conclusion of the case, officials said Friday. This is what American justice looks like, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday in announcing the return of Abrego Garcia and the criminal charges. The charges stem from a 2022 vehicle stop in which the Tennessee Highway Patrol suspected him of human trafficking. A report released by the Department of Homeland Security in April states that none of the people in the vehicle had luggage, while they listed the same address as Abrego Garcia. Abrego Garcia was never charged with a crime, while the officers allowed him to drive on with only a warning about an expired drivers license, according to the DHS report. The report said he was traveling from Texas to Maryland, via Missouri, to bring in people to perform construction work. In response to the reports release in April, Abrego Garcias wife said in a statement that he sometimes transported groups of workers between job sites, so its entirely plausible he would have been pulled over while driving with others in the vehicle. He was not charged with any crime or cited for any wrongdoing. The Trump administration has been publicizing Abrego Garcias interactions with police over the years, despite a lack of corresponding criminal charges, while it faces a federal court order and calls from some in Congress to return him to the U.S. Authorities in Tennessee released video of a 2022 traffic stop last month. The body-camera footage shows a calm and friendly exchange between officers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Officers then discussed among themselves their suspicions of human trafficking because nine people were traveling without luggage. One of the officers said, Hes hauling these people for money. Another said he had $1,400 in an envelope. An attorney for Abrego Garcia, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said in a statement after the footages release in May that he saw no evidence of a crime in the released footage. But the point is not the traffic stop its that Mr. Abrego Garcia deserves his day in court, Sandoval-Moshenberg said. The move comes days after the Trump administration complied with a court order to return a Guatemalan ma n deported to Mexico despite his fears of being harmed there. The man, identified in court papers as O.C.G, was the first person known to have been returned to U.S. custody after deportation since the start of President Donald Trumps second term. Four representatives on a House committee stopped a bill from advancing to the House floor with a term they believe doesn't belong in Oregon law. Clockwise from the top left, they are Rep. Hai Pham, D-Hillsboro; Rep. Travis Nelson, D-Portland; Rep. Lesly Munoz, D-Woodburn; and Rep. Shannon Isadore, D-Portland. (Submitted photos) A seemingly innocuous bill to revise the definition of acupuncture that was proposed by Gov. Tina Kotek on behalf of the Oregon Medical Board ignited controversy because of a term the governor and board chose to use in it: Oriental medicine. Senate Bill 874 unanimously passed the Senate this session and appeared poised to cruise to approval in the House until it met a wall of opposition from four members of the Legislatures BIPOC Caucus, who were adamant that the term should be removed. Even though the bill used the term to describe a branch of medicine, not a person or group of people, the representatives said the hurtful historical connotations that the term carries meant it must be removed from state law. Rep. Hai Pham, a Hillsboro Democrat who is Vietnamese American, said the word stirs memories from his childhood in the 1980s and 90s in Oregon of the negative caricatures cast upon Asian Americans, frequently using that term. Being Asian American, growing up, the term Oriental was used in a derogatory manner, said Pham, who describes the discomfort, the stereotypes that it also engenders. Rep. Travis Nelson, a Democrat from Portland, said he and three other Democratic colleagues on the Behavior Health and Health Care Committee, who are all people of color, were not willing to let the bill advance to the House floor without what they considered an essential change. We dont need to be codifying terms that we now know to be offensive and perhaps even racist, said Nelson, who is Black. It really is an outdated term. To me, using the word Oriental is akin to using the word negro or colored. Koteks office declined to answer questions this week from The Oregonian/OregonLive about why the governor introduced a bill containing the term, whether she considered it derogatory or even whether she had been personally aware that the bill used the term or if it instead had only been examined by staff. The term already had been used in the section of law that the Medical Board proposed updating. The bill states that it was introduced at the request of Governor Tina Kotek for Oregon Medical Board. But a spokesperson for Koteks office, Lucas Bezerra, emphasized the word for telling The Oregonian/OregonLive in an email that it would be most accurate to say that the Oregon Medical Board introduced the bill. Bezerra then referred questions about whether the governor was aware the term was in the bill and whether she viewed it as derogatory to the Oregon Medical Boards executive director, Nicole Krishnaswami. Krishnaswami told The Oregonian/OregonLive in an email that the original bill language was OKed by the Executive Branch to allow the OMB to introduce the bill, but I do not have knowledge as to whether or not Governor Kotek had any opinion on the bill or the term. Krishnaswami said in drafting the bill, the Oregon Medical Board asked the Oregon Association of Acupuncturists whether they would like us to replace this outdated term; however, they were reluctant to do so because there is not a universally accepted substitute. Amber Reding-Gazzini, the associations president, told the news organization that her association originally didnt want the bill to open up a wide section of Oregon law regulating acupuncture to large-scale vetting. All the bill set out to update was the definition of acupuncture and its oversight by the Oregon Medical Board, she noted. The industry has struggled to gain standing over the years as a recognized medical profession, and Reding-Gazzini said she wanted to keep changes to the law to the bare minimum. She said when she learned Pham had objected to using the term in law, the association was supportive of the proposed fix: replacing the term the lawmakers objected to with traditional Eastern medicine. We as a professional association do agree that Oriental is antiquated, its derogatory and even if it only offends 1% of the population, its time to change the language, Reding-Gazzini said. It was about a decade ago that the association changed its name to remove the offending term, Reding-Gazzini said. She said the term first showed up in state statute regulating acupuncture in the 1970s. The term nevertheless remains in use in numerous references to acupuncture, including in the degrees that some acupuncturists receive and in the name of the organization that certifies them. Rep. Hai Pham, a Democrat from Hillsboro, said he considers the original term in Senate Bill 874 "derogatory" but "not outright racist." He knows of no other references in Oregon law, but if the word is uncovered in other statutes, he believes it should be removed. Mark Graves/The Oregonian While many Asian Americans say its impossible to uncouple any use of the term with the historical baggage it carries, others say theyre not offended, in part because the Orient was a geographical reference. Today in Oregon, the term is used in the name of a handful of businesses, mostly restaurants serving Asian cuisine, including one just three miles from the Capitol in Salem. But use of the term clearly has been on the steep decline in recent years, with its removal from the names of theaters, museums, organizations, Asian studies programs, laws and even a brand of ramen. In 2009, New York rid state documents of the word. In 2016, Congress unanimously passed a bill removing Oriental and negro from all federal statutes, or, as an article in The Atlantic put it, U.S. Laws Will No Longer Sound Like a Vaguely Racist Uncle. Rep. Rob Nosse, a Portland Democrat and chair of the committee that could have ended up blocking Senate Bill 874, said he was faced with a dilemma: The bill had already passed the Senate and landed in his committee. Nosse, who is white, had initially questioned the use of the term in the bill during a public hearing, but accepted the Oregon Medical Boards explanation that it wanted to keep the term for now. Nosse said he hoped another bill would update the term in a future session. But Nosse said the four other Democratic members of his nine-member committee, all people of color, told him they wouldnt vote for the bill if the offending term remained in it. He said he asked the committees four Republicans for their support. It became a thing for a hot minute because I think sometimes the Republicans think were being politically correct, Nosse said of him and his Democratic colleagues. But cooler heads prevailed. Maybe smarter heads. And people got to work and figured it out. Republicans rejected the first amendment that Democrats on the committee proposed. It laid out the numerous reasons for rejecting the term, including that it has been used to racialize and portray Asian peoples and cultures as perpetually foreign, exotic and other in American society. Nosse and at least one Republican on the committee told The Oregonian/OregonLive that that was too much for Republicans. A second amendment removed those explanations. Rep. Cyrus Javadi, a Republican from Tillamook, said he and his Republican colleagues on the committee disapproved of the original amendment not because anyone thought the term Oriental medicine should stick around but because the explanations in the amendment felt more like a political statement than a necessary fix. One of my colleagues put it plainly: It read like a moral lecture. Javadi, who is white and the grandchild of a Persian immigrant, said he thought that the amendment that removed the explanations struck the right balance respectful without being political theater. That version passed unanimously out of committee last month and the House floor on Tuesday. The amended bill must return to the Senate for a second vote before awaiting the governors signature to become law. Nosse said he cant speak to the specifics of how the bill got as far as it did with that term in it. But he does think the legislative process worked. This is what happens when you have a more diverse Legislature, which I think is a good thing, Nosse said. My nonwhite colleagues took a look at Oriental medicine and they said Why are we using this outdated term in our statute? He added: Good for them. It was an appropriate stand. Aimee Green covers the Oregon Legislature. Reach her at 503-294-5119, agreen@oregonian.com or on Bluesky. The Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 17, 2024. AP WASHINGTON President Donald Trumps administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to pause a court order to reinstate Education Department employees who were fired in mass layoffs as part of his plan to dismantle the agency. The Justice Departments emergency appeal to the high court said U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Boston exceeded his authority last month when he issued a preliminary injunction reversing the layoffs of nearly 1,400 people and putting the broader plan on hold. Jouns order has blocked one of the Republican presidents biggest campaign promises and effectively stalled the effort to wind down the department. A federal appeals court refused to put the order on hold while the administration appealed. The judge wrote that the layoffs will likely cripple the department. But Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote on Friday that Joun was substituting his policy preferences for those of the Trump administration. The layoffs help put in the place the policy of streamlining the department and eliminating discretionary functions that, in the administrations view, are better left to the states, Sauer wrote. He also pointed out that the Supreme Court in April voted 5-4 to block Jouns earlier order seeking to keep in place Education Department teacher-training grants. The current case involves two consolidated lawsuits that said Trumps plan amounted to an illegal closure of the Education Department. One suit was filed by the Somerville and Easthampton school districts in Massachusetts along with the American Federation of Teachers and other education groups. The other suit was filed by a coalition of 21 Democratic attorneys general. The suits argued that layoffs left the department unable to carry out responsibilities required by Congress, including duties to support special education, distribute financial aid and enforce civil rights laws. Trump has made it a priority to shut down the Education Department, though he has acknowledged that only Congress has the authority to do that. In the meantime, Trump issued a March order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to wind it down to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law. Trump later said the departments functions will be parceled to other agencies, suggesting that federal student loans should be managed by the Small Business Administration and programs involving students with disabilities would be absorbed by the Department of Health and Human Services. Those changes have not yet happened. The president argues that the Education Department has been overtaken by liberals and has failed to spur improvements to the nations lagging academic scores. He has promised to return education to the states. Opponents note that K-12 education is already mostly overseen by states and cities. Democrats have blasted the Trump administrations Education Department budget, which seeks a 15% budget cut including a $4.5 billion cut in K-12 funding as part of the agencys downsizing. By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Russian's Gazprom quadruples gas exports to Uzbekistan in 2024 Gazprom has significantly boosted its gas exports to Uzbekistan, symbolizing the strengthening of energy connections with Central Asia and the growing appetite for resources in the region. The Russian energy titan announces a remarkable surge in supplies, nearly quintupled over the last year. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register Sunshine bathed Oregon Square in Northeast Portland on Friday morning as a crowd gathered for the crowning of 2025s Queen of Rosaria. Fifteen Rose Festival princesses all community-minded teens who have at least 3.0 grade point averages walked one by one down a bright red carpet in the Lloyd District park, accompanied by Royal Rosarians. Lincoln High School senior Ava Rathi was crowned the 2025 Rose Festival queen in a coronation ceremony held Friday morning at Oregon Square park in Northeast Portland. June 6, 2025 Beth Nakamura Lead with your heart, Kobi Flowers, the 2024 Queen of Rosaria, told the princesses and other onlookers. You are a part of something truly, truly special. Rose Festival President Jeremy Emerson then announced Ava Rathi, a 2025 graduate of Lincoln High School, as the next Queen of Rosaria. Rathi, 17, will attend Trinity College Dublin in Ireland to study political science, philosophy and economics. While at Lincoln, she worked with the nonprofit Mission:Citizen, which offers tutoring for future U.S. citizens seeking to pass the naturalization exam. Lincoln High School senior Ava Rathi was crowned the 2025 Rose Festival queen in a coronation ceremony held Friday morning at Oregon Square park in Northeast Portland. June 6, 2025 Beth Nakamura Watching one of her students become a U.S. citizen spurred her passion for community service, she said. Seeing that, watching that was one of the best moments, Rathi said. Quinton Prudhomme is a reporter on the public safety and breaking news team. Reach him at 503-221-8002 orqprudhomme@oregonian.com. Pastries from Dos Hermanos Bakery at the Woodstock Farmers Market. Jozie Donaghey A Portland bakery whose Mexican pastries and fresh-baked bread can be found at restaurants and farmers markets across the city is expanding into the suburbs. >> Business opening or closing in your neighborhood? Email the reporter at vnocera@oregonian.com. The sun shines through the leaves of a Japanese maple on the side of a street in Southwest Portland. Mims Copeland | The Oregonian The solstice is still a couple weeks away, but summer definitively has arrived in Portland. Friday will reach 85 degrees Fahrenheit in the metro area, with mostly sunny skies, the National Weather Service predicts. The low overnight will be 54. Then the heat will really ramp up over the weekend, with no rain in sight. Expect a high of 88 on Saturday and 96 (!) on Sunday, according to the weather service. The high temperatures continue into the next workweek, with Monday reaching 94 degrees, before the region begins to return to normal, with a projected high of 85 on Tuesday and 78 on Wednesday. Thursdays high should be around 72. -- The Oregonian/OregonLive Images of Fourth of July fireworks display taken from Cook Park in Tigard, Oregon on Tuesday, July 4, 2023. Photo by Tim Brown/Staff. Tim Brown, The Oregonian/OregonLive The coastal city of Newport is again banning the use of personal fireworks this summer as concerns about wildfires continue to increase in the state. As of Monday, the personal use of retail fireworks is banned through Oct. 15. Retail fireworks include cone fountains, cylindrical fountains, flitter sparklers, ground spinners, illuminating torches and wheels among other items, according to the city. The rule stems from a January 2022 resolution that allows the city to ban the use of fireworks based on weather conditions. However, purchasing fireworks is still permitted inside city limits. Portland, Milwaukie and Eugene have all banned the use and sale of fireworks year-round, following concerns around fire prevention that were spurred by the Eagle Creek Canyon fire that decimated 48,000 acres in the Columbia River Gorge in 2017. Newports ban moved forward this year because of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts showing Oregon will have a hot and dry summer. Sanctioned fireworks shows will still move forward in the city. Residents and visitors can catch a 10 p.m. display at Newports Yaquina Bay on the Fourth of July. Quinton Prudhomme is a reporter on the public safety and breaking news team. Reach him at 503-221-8002 or qprudhomme@oregonian.com. Cleveland County Budget Board approved the proposed fiscal year 2025-26 budget Thursday morning. The board also held a public hearing before the meeting for residents to discuss the allocation and transferring of funds. Sheriffs Office, Cleveland County Detention Center budget discussion NEWSLETTERS * required Thank you for subscribing! Email * Please enter a valid email address First Name Last Name When major news breaks + a few times a week FREE SIGN UP Subscribing... As the board discussed the proposed budget, County Sheriff and board member Chris Amason questioned when the final numbers were decided upon. Rod Cleveland, county commissioner and chairman of the board, told Amason a collection of board members threw out numbers individually, eventually deciding on the final proposal. No one came to me and asked me anything, Rod, Amason said. Thats obviously a violation of the Open Meetings Act. The Open Meetings Act requires the county government to hold meetings open to the public to ensure transparency. Robin Moore, District 21 assistant district attorney, said there was not a violation of the Open Meetings Act due to a recent change. Moore said the passage of House Bill 1664 changed the act, allowing members of the budget board to meet and discuss the budget. According to Melissa Smuzynski, county director of communications, Amasons office will receive over $21.7 million in combined funds. Amason originally submitted a combined estimated needs of roughly $26 million. Amason continued to question how the budget for his office was determined. District 2 County Commissioner Jacob McHughes told Amason the decision was made to protect taxpayers and keep the funds within the countys budget. In light of the state audit, Sheriff, we have to make sure were safeguarding the taxpayers, McHughes said. State Auditor Cindy Byrd conducted a special audit of the Sheriffs department in April, as requested by the Cleveland County Commissioners. According to an April 24 press release, the sheriffs department received the highest funding levels in county history, but exceeded its budget by $4 million. Cleveland asked the board to move to open a formal discussion of the budget, which Amason said he wasnt okay with. The board moved to open discussion, with Amason being the first to speak. You gave me this amount last year and I had to lay off 30 employees, Amason said. We have been barely surviving. I am just now getting the detention center staffed, and now this budget will decimate that. I cannot continue to allow this - to let this board affect public safety. McHughes repeated his concerns about the findings of the April audit, with Amason responding that everything from the audit had been corrected. Amason then accused the county commissioners and County Treasurer Jim Reynolds of telling news outlets that he was blowing through his budget. Amason said the Cleveland County Detention Center was falling apart and in need of repairs. In March, the centers medical contractor, TK Health, formerly Turn Key Health Clinics, announced it will leave the jail on June 30. In May, Carl Douglas Kachel, 53, became the 10th inmate to die in the detention center in the last three years. How much does it cost to maintain the detention center? Cleveland asked. When was the last time that you submitted (the cost of incarceration) to the district court? Amason declined to answer the question. McHughes revisited the cost of incarceration, saying it was required by law to be submitted each year, but Amason had not submitted it since 2022. We havent had that now for three years, McHughes said. We need to have these things figured out, Sheriff, when were presenting a budget. Thats essential. Amason said the board required him to spend all of his officers ad valorem funds the year the audit was conducted. The bottom line is that this budget board has ensured enough appropriations and enough money for you to maintain the detention center, Cleveland told Amason. NO PAYWALL, NONPARTISAN Students pay about $14 in fees that support the Daily. If you're not a student, please join those invested in OU and Norman who have given more than $110,000 to support our trustworthy, independent journalism. SUPPORT OUR LOCAL JOURNALISM McHughes said Amasons office should not request more funds as he has not efficiently and effectively managed the funds it has already allocated. Members of the board began to speak over each other, leading Cleveland to bang his gavel to call for order. Were gonna let every member vote on (the budget), Amason said. Ill take it up with the excise board next and after that, I will take legal action. Thats the only thing you guys have left me to do. The board approved the budget in a 7-1, with Amason being the only member to vote against it. Despite Amasons disaproval of the budget, Cleveland said he is satisfied with the final budget. I feel very good about the funds, Cleveland said. After looking at what we had to do, everybody was pretty much flat on a budget, and the increases were reasonably given. Reynolds told reporters after the meeting that the members of the board took a stand to do what was right for the county. Reynolds told reporters Amasons office has received about a 50% increase in funds over the last five years, but has not been able to manage these funds. Why cant he manage successfully what his predecessor was able to do with $13 million? Reynolds asked. OU Daily asked Amason for comment after the meeting, but he declined to comment. The Wells, employee benefits budget cuts During the public hearing, OU economics professor Cynthia Rogers questioned the budget cuts to The Well, a facility that hosts health and wellness community programs. In the proposed budget, The Well will see a cut of over $62,000 compared to last years budget of $249,759, according to Smuzynski. Cleveland addressed Rogers concern, saying the cut was for a position within The Well that was never occupied. It was being funded by the state, Cleveland said. And there was a fear that maybe the state was not going to fund that anymore. Cleveland said the amount was intended to be used in contract with the Cleveland County Health Department to fund the position, but it was not necessary. The Cleveland County Health Department was actually able to fund that position out of their health department funds, Cleveland said. So this year we did not need that. Rogers also questioned proposed cuts to the countys employee benefits, saying she was worried about what the cuts would mean for county staff. Cleveland said the money being cut from the employee benefits fund was excess allotted for employees who choose a payout rather than health insurance. Over the couple years, weve kind of got that program lined out, Cleveland said. There hasnt been any reduction to any health benefits. This story was edited by Ana Barboza. Correction: This story was updated at 3:18 p.m. on June 6 to reflect the proper spelling of Cleveland County Sheriff Chris Amason's last name. Cleveland County Detention Center wrongfully released an inmate in April, Cleveland County Court Clerk Marilyn Williams told OU Daily Thursday. Michael Bodnar, 41, was charged with kidnapping, first-degree burglary, and domestic assault and battery by strangulation, according to court records. Detention center employees are tasked with finding Bodnar and returning him to custody, Williams said. NEWSLETTERS * required Thank you for subscribing! Email * Please enter a valid email address First Name Last Name When major news breaks + a few times a week FREE SIGN UP Subscribing... In November 2022, Bodnar was charged with five counts, including porch piracy, public intoxication and receiving or concealing stolen property, according to court records. The records show Bodnar also has a history of vehicle-related counts in Blaine and Oklahoma counties. Ive received the order from Judge (Michael) Tupper that said a defendant was released erroneously and ordered a bench warrant in three separate cases to be issued and served in stanture, Williams said. Williams said the situation reflects poor training of the detention staff. If the sheriff doesnt know and understand the booking or the people over them dont, who do (employees) go to for answers? Williams asked. Williams said detention center clerks often call her office to ask questions about situations at the center, but according to Williams, clerks should already be trained to handle those situations. NO PAYWALL, NONPARTISAN Students pay about $14 in fees that support the Daily. If you're not a student, please join those invested in OU and Norman who have given more than $110,000 to support our trustworthy, independent journalism. SUPPORT OUR LOCAL JOURNALISM Its not necessarily the place of the court clerks office to assist in training of detention staff or the detention clerks, Williams said. Its important for the (detention center) employees to know what theyre doing to understand what theyre doing. During the Cleveland County Budget Board meeting Thursday, Cleveland County Sheriff Chris Amason protested the amount of funding the board was allotting his office, saying the detention center lacked staff. We have been barely surviving, Amason said. I am just now getting the detention center staffed, and now this budget will decimate that. I cannot continue to allow this to let this board affect public safety. According to an April 24 press release, the sheriffs department received the highest funding in county history, but exceeded its budget by $4 million. State Auditor Cindy Byrd conducted a special audit of the sheriffs department in April, as requested by the Cleveland County Commissioners. The audit revealed a decrease in detention center employees from 71 in the fiscal year 2020 to 39 in the fiscal year 2024. This decrease was due to the sheriffs office using deputies to perform detention officer duties, according to the audit. The audit also found 12 employees had started working for other areas of the sheriffs office in 2024, but were moved to the detention center. Four employees were also moved from the detention center to other areas of the sheriffs office. OU Daily reached out to Amason, but did not receive comment before the time of publication. This story was edited by Ana Barboza and Natalie Armour. Madisson Cameron and Sophie Hemker copy edited this story. WASHINGTON The One Big Beautiful Bill, backed by President Donald Trump and House Republicans, would restructure Pell Grants and end subsidized loans, reducing aid for many Oklahoma college students. The legislation, which the Senate will take up this week, would raise credit-hour requirements for Pell Grants, reducing aid and cutting eligibility for some part-time students beginning in 2026. But a parallel budget proposal for the U.S. Department of Education unveiled last Friday slashes the Pell Grant program even further by cutting the maximum award to $5,710 per year from the current $7,395 award, potentially putting college out of reach for many. NEWSLETTERS * required Thank you for subscribing! Email * Please enter a valid email address First Name Last Name When major news breaks + a few times a week FREE SIGN UP Subscribing... Its going to be a huge loss financially for my students, an academic counseling professional at OU said. At the end of the day, with rising tuition and fees, students need every cent they can get from outside resources that they are not going to have to pay back later in life. Students attending the 12 Oklahoma community colleges are even more likely to be affected by the bill and budget proposals because they often are balancing coursework with jobs and financial responsibilities. Roughly 18% of Oklahomas community college students were both part-time and receiving Pell Grants in 2023-24, the highest share of any institution type in the state. Chilua Hughes, a part-time student at Oklahoma City Community College and a mother of a 13-month-old child, received, on average, $3,000 in Pell Grant aid a year. As a mother and a student, managing time and finances is essential for her, making the ability to take fewer classes while receiving a Federal Pell Grant critical. Hughes said the proposed changes would disrupt that balance, as she relies on the aid. I would not be able to afford college without it, Hughes said. It has paid the overwhelming majority of my college tuition. During the 2023-24 school year, nearly 22,000 part-time Oklahoma students those enrolled in fewer than 12 credit hours per semester received Pell Grants, a federal need-based award that helps low-income students pay for college, according to data from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. Hughes said increasing her enrollment classes to meet new credit-hour requirements is not feasible because of her child. If her aid is reduced, she said she may have to drop classes, but doing so would lower her award amount further, and drop her close to the proposed minimum credit requirement. Im kind of at a juxtaposition where I can only really get my associates degree, because I will not be able to afford to get my bachelors with all the proposed cuts, Hughes said. I dont mind getting an alternative career, but those just dont play into things that I want to do. The Big Beautiful Bill reduces funding primarily by raising the full-time credit-hour requirement for the Pell Grant from 12 to 15 per semester. Because Pell Grants are prorated based on the hours enrolled, a student taking 12 credit hours80% of the new 15-hour full-time standardwould receive 80% of the full award if the bill takes effect. Additionally, the bill requires at least half-time enrollment, or 15 credit hours per semester, for college students to be Pell Grant eligible. As it stands, part-time students regardless of their course load receive a prorated amount as long as they are enrolled in a degree program. A Congressional Budget Office report estimates that more than half of the nearly 7 million student recipients nationwide would receive reductions to their Pell Grants, and 10% would lose eligibility for the aid program. According to the Department of Education, 93% of Pell recipients come from families with incomes of less than $60,000; two-thirds earn less than $30,000. A lot of my students who receive Pell Grants, and Im not trying to paint a broad picture, are usually crucial in supporting their families as well, said the OU academic counselor. The changes would be prohibitive in their academic success, especially if they are having to work outside of their academic program. NO PAYWALL, NONPARTISAN Students pay about $14 in fees that support the Daily. If you're not a student, please join those invested in OU and Norman who have given more than $110,000 to support our trustworthy, independent journalism. SUPPORT OUR LOCAL JOURNALISM In a letter to House GOP leaders on May 21, Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, wrote the bill would have a historic and negative impact on the ability of current and future students to access postsecondary education, as well as on colleges and universities striving to carry out their vital educational and research missions. Republican supporters argue the new measures would incentivize students to graduate faster, while Democrats contend they would harm part-time students who are balancing work, family, and other responsibilities. The CBO expects that one-third of those set to lose eligibility would increase enrollment to meet new requirements. The bill includes additional changes to eliminate Graduate PLUS loans, cap Parent PLUS borrowing for undergrads, and impose new lifetime borrowing limits for students. It also aims to hold universities accountable by taxing colleges with large endowments and imposing risk-sharing penalties tied to unpaid student loan debt. While no Oklahoma university would be taxed under the endowment provision, schools could still face financial penalties if graduates struggle to repay federal loans. The House Committee on Education and Workforce, which drafted the bills education provisions, said in a blog post that its portion aims to simplify and streamline student loan options and repayment while establishing accountability for students and taxpayers. The Congressional Budget Office estimates this portion of the bill would save almost $350 billion over the next decade, adding to the proposed $1.3 trillion in spending cuts. However, a separate CBO report projects that the bills tax measures would add $2.4 trillion to the deficit over the same period. Its time we stopped asking a factory worker in Michigan or a rancher in Texas to subsidize the student debt of a lawyer in Manhattan so colleges can continue to spike their tuition to whatever they want, said Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. By capping loan amounts and giving some financial responsibility to schools, this legislation addresses the root cause of high college costs and provides schools an incentive to deliver real value for students and taxpayers. House Democrats have sharply criticized these provisions, arguing they would gut financial aid programs, burden low-income students, and undermine college access for working families. This bill would force student borrowers into unaffordable repayment plans, said Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), Ranking Member of the House Education and Workforce Committee. Rather than streamlining the path to repayment, this bill would require students to pay more and be in repayment longer. Armando Gonzalez, a rising sophomore at the University of Oklahoma, worked a part-time job while taking 12 credits last fall and 14 during the spring, both considered full-time under OUs current policy. He received the maximum Pell Grant of $7,395 for the full 2024-25 school year, covering less than half of an OU students tuition and fees. Under the bills proposed changes, he would have received $986 less in financial aid. If President Trumps budget proposal is also enacted, he could lose even more. Gonzalez said he saved money in high school to help cover costs, but the proposed changes still worry him. I was just given so many opportunities to come to OU in the first place, said Gonzalez. Depending on how much money Ill be having to pay each year, Ill probably just have to transfer to a lower-cost college. Gaylord News is a reporting project of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. For more stories by Gaylord News go to GaylordNews.net. Gov. Kevin Stitt said Oklahoma universities did not need a tuition increase at a press briefing Thursday. I dont think weve gotten all the efficiency out of our universities, Stitt said. I would encourage the boards to look for efficiencies, look for the tenured professors that maybe arent teaching as many classes as they should. Those are the things that I would continue to push before they do a tuition increase. OU Board of Regents, which will hold its summer meeting Thursday, has historically discussed tuition increases at its June meetings. Last year, the board approved a 3% increase in tuition and mandatory fees for both undergraduate and graduate students at OUs Norman campus and College of Law. NEWSLETTERS * required Thank you for subscribing! Email * Please enter a valid email address First Name Last Name When major news breaks + a few times a week FREE SIGN UP Subscribing... At last years meeting, OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said tuition increases can help students gain more financial aid. He said the total cost of attendance is figured into how much money the university gets from the federal government. At the end of the day, our job is to make sure its an intersection of truly elite education and affordability, Harroz said last June. We know we have more and more students who have more and more need. Weve got to meet them there. We have to make sure they have the resources to get that done. At a launch event in April, Harroz said that due to underfunding from the state, students have faced tuition increases for three consecutive years, and while the university has made efforts to mitigate the financial burden of tuition increases, it is not sustainable. Harroz said state and private funding is necessary to maintain excellence. Weve got to have the states participation, and we have to have our donors kicking in funding. This is critical, Harroz said. We cannot waste dollars. Theyve got to be efficient. NO PAYWALL, NONPARTISAN Students pay about $14 in fees that support the Daily. If you're not a student, please join those invested in OU and Norman who have given more than $110,000 to support our trustworthy, independent journalism. SUPPORT OUR LOCAL JOURNALISM Last year, the Oklahoma State University Board of Regents held flat tuition costs and mandatory fees for the third year in a row. The OSU Board of Regents will meet to consider a tuition increase on June 13. OU Daily reached out to OU Marketing and Communications, but did not receive a response by the time of publication. Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education budget allocation In May, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education received $23.9 million in state appropriations, representing a 2.34% increase compared to last year. $70.7 million was allocated for the Oklahomas Promise scholarship, which was previously funded by a direct legislative apportionment. State regents also allocated funding in fiscal year 2026 to address increasing campus property and casualty insurance premiums, and financial aid and scholarship programs that support college degree completion. Targeted funds were also allocated for special institutional initiatives, including an intensive K-12 mathematics tutoring program at OU, a STEM education facility and cybersecurity plan at Cameron University, and the Forensic Science Institute at the University of Central Oklahoma. This story was edited by Ana Barboza and Natalie Armour. Sophie Hemker copy edited this story. Joann fabrics stores closed as the company went out of business. (Photo by Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images, file) Michael Siluk/Getty Images By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS, AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) Craft labels from the now-shuttered fabrics seller Joann are making their way to a new home: Michaels. The Michaels Companies announced on Thursday that it had completed its purchase of Joanns intellectual property and private label brands in an acquisition that arrives as the Texas-based arts and crafting chain works to expand its own fabric, sewing and yarn offerings. Were honored to have the opportunity to welcome Joann customers into our creative community and are committed to delivering the selection, value, and inspiration they are looking for at Michaels, Michaels CEO David Boone said in a statement. The deal, he added, allows the company to better respond to rising demand among both new and existing customers. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The Associated Press reached out to Michaels for further information on Friday. With roots dating back to a single Ohio storefront in 1943, Joann had grown into a destination for generations of sewers, quilters, knitters and lovers of other crafts for more than 80 years. But more recently, operational challenges continued to pile up with the retailer pointing to sluggish consumer demand, inventory shortages and rising competition. Joann announced it would be going out of business back in February, just one month after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time within a year. At the time, the company said financial services company GA Group, together with Joanns term lenders, had been selected as the winning bidder to acquire substantially all of Joanns assets and conduct going-out-of-business sales at all store locations. Michaels on Thursday said that its purchase of Joanns IP and private brands included the acquisition of Big Twist yarns, which had become a staple in Joann stores over the years. Those Big Twist labels are now being developed as part of Michaels portfolio and will be available in-stores and online later this year, the company said. In the meantime, Michaels has also dedicated a landing page to welcome former Joann customers online. And as part of its overall expansion into fabrics, Michaels said on Thursday that its adding more than 600 products from new and existing brands including quilting supplies and fabrics, specialty threads, sewing machines and more. Michaels, founded in 1973, operates 1,300 stores across 49 U.S. states and Canada. It has stores in Dauphin, Cumberland and Lancaster counties. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, June 6. Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo is gearing up to spread its wings in Uzbekistan by kicking off direct flights between Mumbai and Tashkent. Starting August 1, 2025, the airline will hit the ground running with regular service on the MumbaiTashkentMumbai route, Trend reports, citing Uzbekistan Airports. Flights will be up and running four times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays using Airbus A320 aircraft. This marks IndiGos second trip down the road to the Uzbek capital, after kicking off the DelhiTashkent flights back in September 2023. IndiGo, headquartered in Gurugram, India, operates as the preeminent carrier in the nation, distinguished by its expansive fleet composition and extensive domestic flight operations. The foray into Uzbekistan exemplifies the airline's overarching global expansion framework and the escalating consumer appetite for connectivity between India and Central Asia. Nearly 300 people will be laid off at a Berks County facility between June 27 and the end of the year. Instant Web, doing business as IWCO filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, informing the state it is closing the facility at 100 Industrial Drive in Tilden Township, near Hamburg Layoffs will begin on June 27, with all separations completed by December 31. The company is based in Minnesota and provides advertising services. IWCO didnt provide a reason in the WARN notice for the closure. The WARN Act is federal legislation that offers protection to workers, their families, and communities by requiring employers to provide notice 60 days in advance of a covered-business closing and covered-business mass layoff. The WARN notice was dated April 25. The Rite Aid on Main Street in Middletown, Dauphin County, Pa., is among the stores the bankrupt chain is closing. May 31, 2025. (Janet Pickel, PennLive.com) Janet Pickel, PennLive.com The latest round of store closures for Rite Aid adds to the hundreds of locations previously announced as the pharmacy chain navigates its second bankruptcy filing. Rite Aid stores in Oregon, Washington and California are disappearing as the pharmacy chains collapse accelerates through bankruptcy proceedings. Twenty-five stores are on the latest closings list that Rite Aid announced in a bankruptcy filing on Thursday. The 25 stores are in addition to the 472 stores that Rite Aid previously announced it would close. Last month, Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy for a second time to pursue a strategic and value-maximizing sale process for substantially all of its assets. Most of Rite Aids more than 1,200 stores are expected to close. Rite Aid announced that it had entered into agreements for its pharmacy assets of more than 1,000 stores across the country with CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens, Albertsons, Kroger, and Giant Eagle. CVS Pharmacy said that it has agreed to acquire the prescription files of 625 Rite Aid pharmacies across 15 states in areas that CVS serves, as well as acquire and operate 64 Rite Aid stores in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Those agreements were approved in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, according to Reuters. Heres the latest list of closings: Oregon 2021 NW 185th Ave., Hillsboro 681 Lancaster Drive NE, Salem 1970 Echo Hollow Road, Eugene 1560 Coburg Road, Eugene Washington 2131 SW 336th St., Federal Way 10407 SE 256th St., Kent 100th St., SW, Lakewood 3116 NE Sunset Blvd., Renton 140th Avenue SE, Renton 7500-a 196th St., SW, Lynnwood 2860 NW Bucklin Hill Road, Silverdale California A Cumberland County jury found Zigui Zheng and Yan Qui guilty of sex trafficking, promiting prostitutiuon and other counts. File photo Two Chinese nationals were convicted in Cumberland County court Friday of using a chain of massage parlors to run lucrative, black market sex businesses. Jurors found Zigui Zheng and Yan Qiu, both of Flushing, N.Y., guilty of sex trafficking, promoting prostitution, participating in a corrupt organization and other charges. Nolan Grove, 15, enters the York County Judicial Center for his trial in the shooting death of Kain Heiland, 12, on April 1, 2023, in Red Lion. June 4, 2025. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com 15-year-old Nolan Grove took the witness stand Friday to testify at his own murder trial, contradicting nearly every other witness in the case and calling his decision to take a KelTec gun out of his fathers safe in 2023 probably the dumbest thing Ive ever done. That decision led to Nolan, then 13, shooting and killing 12-year-old Kain Heiland, a boy he had known since kindergarten. The killing on April 1, 2023 in Red Lion shocked the community and this week divided the courtroom with Kains family and friends sitting on one side and those associated with Nolan on the other. Nolans defense attorneys are not contesting whether he fatally shot Kain with the KelTec gun. The question before the jury is whether Kains death was purposeful or an accident by Nolan. Its the difference between third-degree murder or involuntary manslaughter as a lead charge for the teen. Prosecutors wrapped up their case Friday afternoon, after more than three days of their witnesses, allowing defense attorneys to begin calling their witnesses. They called Nolans parents, and stepfather before Nolan took the stand. Nolan recounted his memories from the night of Friday, March 31, and the day of Saturday, April 1, 2023. He started his testimony in tears, but at times appeared to be smiling as his lawyers questioned him. His testimony was littered with uncertainty, with phrases like I couldnt say for certain, If I recall right, and I dont know. His version of events the night Kain was killed contradicted key portions of testimony from a series of teen witnesses, and at least one expert, who testified earlier in the week. He also contradicted his original interview with state troopers, which was played in court Friday, where he said he was simply in his home when he heard a gunshot. After police confronted him, he admitted to lying, and presented a new set of facts. Nolans two most stark differences with other witnesses were his assertions that he shot the gun by accident, instead of on purpose, and that he had only gotten the gun out one other time, instead of multiple times as other witnesses testified. Nolan said at the time of the shooting, two of his three best friends were Kain and another teen, M.B., who was with them at the time of the shooting. Nolan and M.B. planned a sleepover the night of the shooting and were already together when Kain asked them to hang out. The boys were together at M.B.s house with no adults in the late afternoon. Video evidence presented by the Commonwealth showed M.B. chasing Kain around the house with a BB gun while Kain yelled at him to stop. Nolan was not involved and did not have a gun, the video shows. After leaving M.B.s home, the three boys journeyed to Nolans house, where no one was home. Nolan said he was locked out and went through a window, then let M.B. inside. While inside, he opened the safe and took the gun out. He told the jury he didnt remember whose idea it was to get the gun out, but confirmed that he did open it. At this point, Nolan said he cleared the gun to make sure there wasnt a bullet in the chamber by grabbing the magazine and turning it sideways, a technique he had seen at gun auctions. He then placed the gun on the counter and went to the bathroom upstairs. When he came back down, Nolan said the gun had been moved to a different place on the counter, but he didnt think anything of it. The boys then left to walk around town and had an encounter with two teen girls, who previously testified that Nolan threatened to shoot them. On the stand, Nolan said he never threatened them or pointed a gun at them, and was not angry, which contradicts a separate witness who said he heard Nolan say he wanted to shoot the girls. Earlier in the day, lawyers contested a video that prosecutors said shows Nolan pointing a gun at the two girls on scooters. Defense attorney Farley Holt questioned if the video was too blurry to tell if it was a gun in Nolans hand but lead investigator Travis Vankuren said on a higher-quality monitor compared to the screen in the courtroom, it was clear to him that Nolan was holding a gun with the barrel pointed towards the two girls. The incident with the girls happened hours before Kain was shot. The boys were en route back to Nolans house when the shooting occurred. Witnesses, including M.B., previously testified Nolan purposefully shot Kain after Kain told him to shut up when Nolan made a joke about Kains mom. Nolan had an entirely different version of events. He said he was using the laser on the gun as a flashlight in a dark breezeway, swinging his arms while walking, when he somehow accidentally pulled the trigger. He said he didnt even know the gun was loaded. Pennsylvania State Police examiner David Turnbow said in prior testimony that their analysis showed nearly 6.4 pounds of force would be needed to pull the trigger, meaning he believed it was highly unlikely the firearm went off accidentally. Nolan said he didnt realize immediately that he shot Kain, and was in a state of shock. After eventually going back to his house, he said he changed his clothes because he was having an asthma attack and wanted a t-shirt and shorts on. He said he later put a sweatshirt on to go to the police station for testimony because it was cold out. Police found gunpowder residue on the outfit that Nolan was wearing during the shooting. The prosecution has pointed to this as a sign of his guilt, saying he also washed his hands to clear them of residue. In his testimony, Nolan said he didnt wash his hands until he was at the police station and had to go to the bathroom, where no one told him he couldnt wash his hands. He wrapped up his testimony, and the days hearing, by saying he had no intention to harm anyone and that he was sorry for what he did. The court was recessed before the prosecution could cross examine Nolan. The cross-examination is expected to begin Monday. Before Nolans testimony, defense attorneys Farley Holt and Brandy Hoke questioned Danielle and John Nace, Nolans mother and stepfather, on Nolans firearm safety training. Danielle Nace said she tried to instill firearm safety in both Nolan and his older brother, while John Nace testified that he never had a serious conversation about gun safety with Nolan. He also said he had only seen Nolan shoot a firearm once, after his mother loaded the gun and set it up. Danielle Nace also testified that Nolan was anxious about school shootings in the months prior to Kain getting shot. She said Nolan was visibly shaken up about shootings in Michigan and Tennessee, as well as random incidences of shooting in the Red Lion area. Jonathan Grove, Nolans father, testified about one of the witnesses in the case, who said in prior testimony that Nolan had showed him the gun before the shooting. That witness also said he had seen Nolan outside with the guns several times. Jonathan Grove tried to distance the witness from his son by saying the teen had never, to his knowledge, been inside his house and that the teen was not close friends with Nolan. The trial is expected to resume on Monday. Former Magisterial District Judge Sonya McKnight leaves the Dauphin County Courthouse after her sentencing for attempting to murder her ex-boyfriend. May 28, 2025. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com A week after an ex-Harrisburg judge learned her prison sentence for shooting her sleeping ex-boyfriend through the head, the judge who sentenced her has signed an order requiring her to pay for some of his medical expenses. Senior Judge Howard Knisely has ordered Sonya McKnight, 57, to pay $253.50 to Pennsylvanias Office of Victim Services to help cover her ex-boyfriends medical expenses. That office provided financial assistance to Michael McCoy to help alleviate the financial burden of his insurance copays for the past year, according to Prosecutor Courtney Hair LaRue. The amount seems small because McCoys insurance has covered the majority of his medical expenses. McCoy has pending unpaid bills that could later get passed on to McKnight if they are not covered by the states victim compensation program, Hair LaRue said. A Delaware County jury convicted McKnight in March of trying to kill McCoy after McCoy spent a week trying to get her to leave his home after he ended their relationship. Judge Knisely sentenced her to 13.5 to 30 years in prison at a hearing May 29, and noted the sentence may be modified after the hearing to add restitution amounts. Restitution is a form of court-ordered compensation between someone convicted of a crime and their victim. McCoy had 20/20 vision before the shooting. But when the bullet pierced the right side of his face and exited the left side, McCoy became legally blind, according to Stephen Allen, a trauma surgeon who testified at McKnights trial. 3 1 / 3 Suspended Harrisburg Magisterial District Judge Sonya McKnight arrested Every bone in McCoys face had shattered, and his left eye had become swollen and his optical nerve had possibly been severed, Allen said. Had the trajectory of the bullet been slightly different in any direction, the injury could have been fatal, Allen said. Although he survived, it comes with long-term effects. It will take him several months to recover, if he ever recovers entirely. Doctors also needed inserted a plate to reconstruct McCoys face, Cumberland County District Attorney Sean McCormack said. The purpose of the Victim Compensation Assistance Program, or VCAP, is to help alleviate the financial burden on crime victims and their families. VCAP can reimburse insurance co-pays, out-of-network expenses and other out-of-pocket costs. If VCAP decides not to pay McCoys remaining bills, Hair LaRue said she will request the court to order McKnight to pay them directly instead. VCAP is the payer of last resort so everything goes through the insurance carrier first, Hair LaRue said. Thats why it can take some time to calculate restitution costs, she said. Hair LaRue noted in court documents she tried contacting McKnights lawyer, Cory Leshner, to hear his stance on restitution. When he did not reply, she filed the motion, which Knisely granted. Leshner continues to maintain McKnights innocence and has previously indicated he may appeal the jurys verdict. Says Sarah Gummoe, the winemaker at Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery, on the challenge of making rose: 'The challenges arise in picking the fruit at just the right time during ripening to capture both freshness and flavor while avoiding the green flavors that come from unripeness.' Dr.Konstantin Frank Winery Sarah Gummoe is a Rochester, New York, native who spent the early years of her career in the Southern Hemisphere before returning to the Finger Lakes, where she is the winemaker at Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery. She started at Fox Run Vineyards in 2007 and worked in the tasting room part-time while in college. A graduate of Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where she earned a degree in sociology, cum laude, she took a job in the non-profit sector in Boston. But winemaking drew her back to Fox Run in 2011, where she learned the trade from veteran Peter Bell. She enrolled in the UC Davis University of California Winemaking Extension Program in addition to working overseas, including in Marlborough, New Zealand (Saint Clair Family Estate, 2014) and Clare Valley, Australia (Knappstein Winery, 2013). She was named assistant winemaker in February 2014. While she has changed wineries, she remains in the Finger Lakes, working in the cellar at Dr. Konstantin Frank, around 25 miles to the south of Fox Run outside Hammondsport. At Dr. Frank Winery, she is the winemaker, building on a large portfolio that features a variety of dry to sweeter reds and whites in addition to more than a half-dozen sparkling selections. It includes four still roses, which gives fans of the winery and its wines lots of choices during National Rose Month in June. The four roses produced by Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery in New York's Finger Lakes region. From left: regular rose, Rose of Pinot Noir, Rose of Blaufrankisch and Rose of Saperavi. Dr.Konstantin Frank Dr. Konstantin Franks 2024 rose lineup is a striking expression of an exceptional harvest. Its been a luxury to produce so many varietal roses in one vintage, Meaghan Frank, fourth-generation vintner and vice president of Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery, said. Each one is distinctive and captures the essence of the grape in a fresh and expressive way. Gummoe shares the personality of each below, per a press release: Dry Rose (generous and layered) : An artful blend led by Saperavi and Pinot Noir, this wine balances depth with lift. Bright, fresh, and effortlessly versatile, its perfect for everything from laid-back gatherings to more elevated summer fare. SRP $16.99 Dry Rose of Pinot Noir (s oft and elegant ): Juicy and delicate, this rose is all about subtlety and finesse. The fruit was purposely picked at a higher Brix level to achieve a rounder mouthfeel and softer acidity. Its delicate floral undertones and refined texture gracefully capture Pinot Noirs charm. SRP $19.99 (f resh and lively ): Made from Austrias beloved red grape and picked early from Dr. Franks Seneca Lake vineyard, this vibrant rose bursts with bright acidity, juicy red fruit and a crisp, refreshing finish. SRP $19.99 Dry Rose of Blaufrankisch resh and livelyMade from Austrias beloved red grape and picked early from Dr. Franks Seneca Lake vineyard, this vibrant rose bursts with bright acidity, juicy red fruit and a crisp, refreshing finish. SRP $19.99 Dry Rose of Saperavi (bold and powerful): A red wine lovers rose thats darker in hue and fuller in body. This distinctive rose offers richness, depth, and savory complexity with notes of black berries and red plum, balanced by soft creaminess and a tangy twist. SRP $24.99 Each rose underwent gentle pressing after 24 hours of skin contact to extract just enough color and texture, followed by a cool fermentation to preserve freshness and varietal character Gummoe and Frank fielded a couple of questions about the roses made there, and here are the answers they sent back. Q, What is the enjoyment you get and the challenges you face making these roses? A, Sarah Gummoe: I love seeing the contrast of a varietys expression as a rose versus as a red wine. Its a joy to see the fresh fruit and floral versions of what is usually a red wine emerge as a rose. The challenges arise in picking the fruit at just the right time during ripening to capture both freshness and flavor while avoiding the green flavors that come from unripeness. Q, How vintage-dependent are the roses compared to the other wines you make? A, Sarah Gummoe: They are just as vintage-dependent as any other wine. However, depending on the crop any given season gives us, we may have more or less freedom to make single varietal roses. For example, in a low crop year, we may need to put all our red grapes towards our red wine programs, leaving not much room to play with roses. Q, There was a time when everyone had a rose just to fill out the portfolio. What has turned them into a product thats getting a higher profile with multiple selections on a winerys list? A, Sarah Gummoe: I would guess that as rose wines have become more embraced by the American public over the last decade, people are now looking for something new and interesting within the category. When we have the flexibility to focus on making various expressions of rose in our portfolio, its great to have the different varieties highlighted in that way, and consumers respond well to having those options. Q, Has the process in how you make them changed much? A, Meaghan Frank: Rose wines in the past were seen as a way to deepen the color of the red wines and make them more concentrated, a sort of by-product of working with red varieties. Today, they are a planned and anticipated part of our wine portfolio. There is a mix of early picking, what some may call a purposeful pick at a slightly lower Brix and higher acid levels to achieve the right balance, and sometimes blending in a portion of saignee from our red fermentations to give body and depth, depending on the style and the grape variety. Q, I love the Roses of Blaufrankisch and Saperavi. I guess that I prefer the darker to the Provence style. Any other reds youd like to try to turn into a rose? A, Sarah Gummoe: Im so glad you like them! Id love to do a Rose of Cabernet Franc I have always loved them and we are looking at that possibility for the future! White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks as she is repeatedly asked about President Joe Biden's medical records during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday, July 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) AP Seaside Heights, New Jersey, is taking steps to curtail unruly crowds of teenagers, including clearing the boroughs famous boardwalk early on popular summer holidays, officials said Wednesday. At its first meeting of June, the borough council introduced a package of ordinances in light of the chaos during Memorial Day weekend. Over three days, 73 people, including 21 juveniles, were arrested, and another three were hospitalized after being stabbed. The boardwalk would close at 10 p.m. this Fourth of July, if the measure is approved later this month. The shutdown time aligns with Seaside Heights curfew for anyone under 18. If passed, the measure would affect both the Memorial Day and Fourth of July holidays next year. Throughout summer, the boardwalks regular hours end at midnight Sunday through Thursday, borough officials said Wednesday. It stays open an extra hour on Fridays and Saturdays. Wednesdays meeting was the governing bodys first since the weekend of lawlessness. Before the council voted to introduce their legislation, Mayor Anthony Vaz looked intently at about a dozen people attending, acknowledging some may have come to air concern after the disruptive weekend. My heart tells me we have many more to come, Vaz told the attendees about policy changes. I think this is a start in the right direction. Likewise, the ordinance change includes a ban on backpacks on the boardwalk not for reasonable purposes, the council said. Officials in other Jersey Shore towns say teens and young adults often use backpacks to bring contraband onto the boardwalk and hide stolen merchandise. We believe if implemented the right way, (the ordinances) will curtail many of (these) behavioral problems that we have with our young people, Vaz said. Vaz declined to answer attendees questions, citing a policy preventing public comment for an ordinances first reading. A timeframe for comments will happen before council adopts the ordinances June 18. Three other ordinances that were introduced target summer rentals increasing fines for having occupants over the maximum of six, officials said. Fines are also raised to $2,000 maximum for property owners who rent without required licenses. A fifth ordinance raises fines for disorderly behavior. Vaz hinted at policy changes days after the holiday weekend, which drew 100,000 tourists to Seaside Heights, borough police said. The mayor was promised extra state police officers for future instances of uncontrollable crowds by Gov. Phil Murphy, he said. The borough and other shore towns were further aided by the state government this week, when Murphy signed into law a bill creating fourth-degree criminal charges for inciting a public brawl. Lawmakers and police say the new law helps them punish instigators of large fights in public places like boardwalks, carnivals and malls. Much of the violence spurred from pop-up parties, which are unsanctioned gatherings. The New Jersey Legislature is considering other new laws to thwart the pattern of disorderly behavior. By NINIEK KARMINI, The Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) Less spending, higher prices and fewer animal sacrifices subdued the usual festive mood as the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha was celebrated in many parts of the world. Eid al-Adha, known as the Feast of Sacrifice, coincides with the final rites of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. Its a joyous occasion, for which food is a hallmark, with devout Muslims buying and slaughtering animals and sharing two-thirds of the meat with the poor. Palestinians face hardship at holiday Palestinians across the war-ravaged Gaza Strip marked the start of the three-day feast with prayers outside destroyed mosques and homes early Friday. For the second year since the war with Israel broke out on Oct. 7, 2023, no Muslims in Gaza were able to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the traditional pilgrimage. With much of Gaza in rubble, men and children were forced to hold Eid al-Adha prayers in the open air, and with food supplies dwindling, families were having to make do with what they could scrape together. Palestinians offer Eid al-Adha prayers beside the ruins of a mosque destroyed by Israeli bombardment, in Deir al-Balah, Gaza on Friday, June 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) AP This is the worst feast that the Palestinian people have experienced because of the unjust war against the Palestinian people, said Kamel Emran after attending prayers in the southern city of Khan Younis. There is no food, no flour, no shelter, no mosques, no homes, no mattresses. ... The conditions are very, very harsh. The U.N.s Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome said Thursday that Gazas people are projected to fall into acute food insecurity by September, with nearly 500,000 people experiencing extreme food deprivation, leading to malnutrition and starvation. This means the risk of famine is really touching the whole of the Gaza Strip, said Rein Paulson, director of the FAO office of emergencies and resilience. Kenyan Muslims keep Gaza in their prayers The war in Gaza and the struggle to celebrate were at the forefront of the minds of Muslims in Kenya, Imam Abdulrahman Mursal said as he led Eid prayers in the capital, Nairobi. We ask Allah to hear their (Palestinian) cries. We feel their pain, as much as we are far from them, Mursal said. But what unites us is our Muslim brotherhood, so we ask Allah to give them victory and to give victory to all the other Muslims wherever they are, if they are facing any kind of oppression. Eid expected Saturday in South Asia Eid al-Adha commemorates the Quranic tale of Ibrahims willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to God. Before he could carry out the sacrifice, God provided a ram as an offering. In the Christian and Jewish telling, Abraham is ordered to kill another son, Isaac. South Asian countries like India and Bangladesh will celebrate Eid al-Adha on Saturday. Ahead of the festival, many Muslims in the region were turning to livestock markets to buy and sell millions of animals for sacrifice. In New Delhi, sellers were busy tending to their animals and negotiating with potential buyers. Mohammad Ali Qureshi, one of the sellers, said this year his goats were fetching higher prices than last year: Earlier, the sale of goats was slow, but now the market is good. Prices are on the higher side. Festival preparations also were peaking in Indian-controlled Kashmir, where many Muslims dye sheep and goats in henna before they are sacrificed. We are following the tradition of Prophet Ibrahim, said Riyaz Wani, a resident in Kashmirs main city of Srinagar, as his family applied henna on a sheep they plan to sacrifice. Indonesia markets changing In Indonesias capital, Jakarta, Muslim worshippers were shoulder-to-shoulder in the streets and the Istiqlal Grand Mosque was filled for morning prayers Friday. Customers tackle a cow they purchased for sacrifice at the Hazaribagh cattle market ahead of Eid al-Adha in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu) AP Outside Jakarta, the Jonggol Cattle Market bustled with hundreds of traders hoping to sell to buyers looking for sacrificial animals. While sales increased ahead of Eid, sellers said their businesses have lost customers in recent years due to economic hardship following the COVID-19 pandemic. A foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in 2022 and 2023 significantly dampened the typically booming holiday trade in goats, cows and sheep, though Indonesias government has worked to overcome that outbreak. Rahmat Debleng, one of the sellers in the market, said before the pandemic and the FMD outbreak, he could sell more than 100 cows two weeks ahead of Eid al-Adha. But on the eve of the celebration this year, only 43 of his livestock were sold and six cows are still left in his stall. Though the threat of a foot-and-mouth outbreak looms large, declining sales are mostly because of economic hardship, Debleng said. Jakarta city administration data recorded the number of sacrificial animals available this year at 35,133, a decline of 57% compared to the previous year. The Indonesian government will make Monday an additional holiday after Fridays festival to allow people more time with their families. Eid momentum is expected to support economic growth in Indonesia, where household consumption helps drive GDP. It contributed over 50% to the economy last year, though analysts expect more subdued consumer spending in 2025. FILE - Kilmar Abrego Garcia who was mistakenly deported is being returned to the United States to face criminal charges related to human smuggling. Murray Osorio PLLC via AP WASHINGTON Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation to El Salvador became a political flashpoint in the Trump administrations stepped-up immigration enforcement, was being returned to the United States to face criminal charges related to what the Trump administration said was a massive human smuggling operation that brought immigrants into the country illegally. He is expected to be prosecuted in the U.S. and, if convicted, will be returned to his home country in El Salvador at the conclusion of the case, officials said Friday. This is what American justice looks like, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday in announcing the return of Abrego Garcia and the criminal charges. The charges stem from a 2022 vehicle stop in which the Tennessee Highway Patrol suspected him of human trafficking. A report released by the Department of Homeland Security in April states that none of the people in the vehicle had luggage, while they listed the same address as Abrego Garcia. Abrego Garcia was never charged with a crime, while the officers allowed him to drive on with only a warning about an expired drivers license, according to the DHS report. The report said he was traveling from Texas to Maryland, via Missouri, to bring in people to perform construction work. In response to the reports release in April, Abrego Garcias wife said in a statement that he sometimes transported groups of workers between job sites, so its entirely plausible he would have been pulled over while driving with others in the vehicle. He was not charged with any crime or cited for any wrongdoing. The Trump administration has been publicizing Abrego Garcias interactions with police over the years, despite a lack of corresponding criminal charges, while it faces a federal court order and calls from some in Congress to return him to the U.S. Authorities in Tennessee released video of a 2022 traffic stop last month. The body-camera footage shows a calm and friendly exchange between officers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Officers then discussed among themselves their suspicions of human trafficking because nine people were traveling without luggage. One of the officers said, Hes hauling these people for money. Another said he had $1,400 in an envelope. An attorney for Abrego Garcia, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said in a statement after the footages release in May that he saw no evidence of a crime in the released footage. But the point is not the traffic stop its that Mr. Abrego Garcia deserves his day in court, Sandoval-Moshenberg said. The move comes days after the Trump administration complied with a court order to return a Guatemalan ma n deported to Mexico despite his fears of being harmed there. The man, identified in court papers as O.C.G, was the first person known to have been returned to U.S. custody after deportation since the start of President Donald Trumps second term. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 6. The Ministry of Economics has thrown its hat in the ring with a detailed report for inter-institutional coordination, laying the groundwork for a daring shake-up of small state-owned limited liability companies. The plan is set to tie up loose ends, cut through the red tape, and keep the states purse strings tight, all while putting Latvia on the map as a sharper, more inventive, and eco-friendly economy. Data obtained by Trend from the Ministry of Economics of the Republic of Latvia proves that the Ministry of Economics is the first government institution to initiate such a consolidation effort and will continue to lead by example in reforming public sector efficiency. The initiative seeks to eliminate overlapping functions among state-owned companies, streamline operations, and lower maintenance and administrative costs. This initiative sends a clear signal that public administration can change it can eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy, optimize resources, and become more effective, and our goal goes beyond saving budget funds. We are building a modern, focused support system for entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology, said Minister of Economics Viktors Valainis. The first phase will consolidate the following three entities into a single organization: SIA Latvijas Nacionalais Metrologijas Centrs (LNMC) SIA Latvijas Standarts (LVS) SIA Latvijas Proves Birojs (LPB) LVS and LPB will be merged into LNMC, which will evolve into a unified Technology Development Center (VKTA). This new center will focus on conformity assessment, quality assurance, and technical compliance. The merger will result in improved service quality, better use of public resources, and the creation of a single support platform for innovation-driven entrepreneurs. Initial estimates project a financial benefit of approximately EUR 250,000 from this merger alone. The second phase proposes consolidating additional conformity assessment functions from the following institutions: Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Center Latvian State Roads (Road Laboratory) Sadales tikls (Metrology Laboratory) Augstsprieguma tikls (Technical Expertise Department) Riga International Airport (Environmental Noise Measurement Laboratory) Latvijas valsts mezi (Mineral Materials Testing Laboratory) The integration of these functionalities into a unified VKTA framework will systematically diminish fragmentation and streamline administrative processes across public service sectors associated with metrology, environmental compliance, and technical evaluation protocols. The delineated reorganization schema is set to advance for ratification by the Cabinet of Ministers. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Federal authorities moved Friday to drop a racial discrimination lawsuit against the Sheetz convenience store chain, part of a broader effort by President Donald Trumps administration to halt the use of a key tool for enforcing the countrys civil rights laws. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the top federal agency for enforcing workers rights, filed a motion in a Pennsylvania federal court to dismiss the Sheetz lawsuit, citing Trumps executive order directing federal agencies to deprioritize the use of disparate impact liability in civil rights enforcement. Disparate impact liability holds that policies that are neutral on their face can violate civil rights laws if they impose artificial barriers that disadvantage different demographic groups. The concept has been used to root out practices that close off minorities, women, people with disabilities, older adults or other groups from certain jobs, or keep them from accessing credit or equal pay. Trumps executive order is part of his campaign to upend civil rights enforcement through firings and other steps that have consolidated his power over quasi-independent agencies like the EEOC, redirecting them to implement his priorities, including stamping out diversity and inclusion practices and eroding the rights of transgender people. In the Sheetz case, filed in April 2024 under the Biden administration, the EEOC had claimed that the companys policy of refusing to hire anyone who failed its criminal background checks discriminated against Black, Native American and multiracial job applicants. The lawsuit could survive even if the EEOC drops it: A Black worker who was let go from his Sheetz job in Pennsylvania filed a motion in federal court Thursday evening to intervene and pursue his own class action lawsuit. In its motion Friday, the EEOC asked the court to delay its dismissal of the lawsuit for 60 days to allow potential claimants to intervene. What is disparate impact? The Supreme Court recognized the concept of disparate impact in a landmark 1971 case, which held that a North Carolina power plant discriminated against Black employees by requiring high school diplomas and an intelligence test for certain higher paying roles, even though the requirements were irrelevant to the jobs. In 1991, bipartisan majorities in Congress voted to codify disparate impact in Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. The concept holds that it is illegal to impose barriers to employment if such practices have a discriminatory effect and have no relevance to the requirements of the job. What does Trumps executive order say? The April 23 order declared that it is the policy of the United States to eliminate the use of disparate-impact liability in all contexts to the maximum degree possible. The order argued that disparate impact has become a key tool of a pernicious movement that threatens meritocracy in favor of racial balancing in the workforce. Craig Leen, a former top official at the Labor Department under the first Trump administration, said while the executive order take a more aggressive approach, it reflects long-standing conservative concerns that disparate impact liability encourages the assumption that any racial imbalance in the workforce is a result of discrimination. Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant U.S. attorney general for civil rights, said the Trump administration would rightfully focus on individual discrimination cases, which she said are more factually sound, less susceptible to manipulation, and more closely hews to the original intent of civil rights law. What is happening with the Sheetz case? The EEOC filed the original Sheetz lawsuit after an eight-year investigation that arose from complaints filed by two job applicants. But following Trumps disparate impact order, the EEOC filed a motion District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania to dismiss the lawsuit. The EEOC had sent letters to potential claimants notifying them of its intention to drop the case and urging them to act quickly if they wished to intervene. U.S. workers can pursue federal discrimination lawsuits on their own if the EEOC declines to take up their complaints but often dont because of the resources required. The EEOC declined to comment further on the case. One of the potential claimants, Kenni Miller, filed a motion to intervene late Thursday. Miller, 32, was hired as a shift supervisor at a Sheetz in Altoona, Pennsylvania, in 2020, according to the motion filed by the law firm Outten & Golden, which represents workers in employment disputes, and the Public Interest Law Center. After working there for a month, Miller was told he failed the background check because of a felony drug conviction and was let go, according to the motion. According to the EEOCs lawsuit, Sheetz policy of denying jobs who anyone who failed a background check resulted in 14.5% Black job applicants being denied employment, compared to 8% of white applicants. For Native American applicants, the rate was 13%, and for multiracial applicants, it was 13.5%. In court filings, Sheetz denied the allegations. Attorneys for the company, which is being represented by the law firm Littler, declined to comment further. The EEOC has not said how many potential claimants have been identified but Outten & Golden estimates the number to likely be in the thousands. Sheetz has more than 20,000 employees and operates at least 700 brand-store locations in Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, according to court documents. What other cases have leveraged disparate impact liability? The Sheetz case echoes a 2018 lawsuit against Target claiming that the retailers hiring process, which automatically rejected people with criminal backgrounds, disproportionately kept Black and Hispanic applicants from getting entry level jobs. Target agreed to pay more than $3.7 million to settle the lawsuit, and revised its policy so fewer applicants with criminal records would be disqualified. In 2020, Walmart agreed to pay $20 million and discontinue a preemployment strength test that the EEOC had claimed in a lawsuit unfairly excluded women from jobs at grocery distribution centers. And in one of the biggest sex discrimination cases in recent years, Sterling Jewelers, the parent company of Jared and Kay Jewelers, agreed in 2022 to pay $175 million to settle a long-fought lawsuit alleging that some 68,000 women had been subjected for years to unfair pay and promotion practices. Whats the potential fallout of scrapping disparate impact? The Justice Department, EEOC and other federal agencies have moved quickly to quash the use of disparate impact liability. The Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, for example, has moved to dismiss several Biden-era lawsuits against police departments in Kentucky and Minnesota, saying the cases claimed patterns of unconstitutional policing practices by wrongly equating statistical disparities with intentional discrimination. In a May memo to employers, EEOC Acting Chief Andrea Lucas said the agency would deprioritize disparate impact cases. She also warned companies against using demographic data, which large companies are required gather and submit annually to the EEOC, to justify policies that favor any employees based on race or sex, something Lucas has long argued many well-intentioned DEI policies do in violation of Title VII. In statement Friday, Lucas applauded a Supreme Court ruling Thursday that she said should encourage employees who feel DEI policies have discriminated against them. Jenny Yang, a former EEOC chair now with Outten & Golden, said the pullback on federal enforcement of disparate impact risks dissuading companies from proactively examining hiring and other practices to ensure they do not discriminate. At the same time, Yang and nine other former Democratic EEOC commissioners and counsels have released a letter to employers emphasizing that the Trumps order does not change the law. Employers should not expect that they will have a free pass on disparate impact liability simply because the President has instructed federal agencies not to pursue enforcement of the law, wrote the former EEOC officials. By Hannah Epstein, The Baltimore Sun (TNS) BALTIMORE As efforts to clean thousands of gallons of oil from waters near Baltimores Harbor East continue, officials are working to rescue turtles and other wildlife from the affected areas. Officials say that the leak originated from diesel tanks that supplied fuel to the Johns Hopkins Hospital care facilities. A.J. Metcalf, a spokesperson for Marylands Department of Natural Resources, said it had been an all hands on deck effort, with officials from various state departments coming together to help identify and remove the impacted animals. Around two dozen geese and ducks had been rescued from the area, along with three turtles two slider turtles and a snapping turtle as of Thursday afternoon. The affected animals are being transferred to Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, a wildlife rescue service in Newark, Delaware, where they will be rehabilitated before being released back into the wild. There had not been any reports of animals dying as a result of the oil spill as of Thursday afternoon. Turtles in the area Thursday where thousands of gallons of oil spilled into the water in Baltimores Harbor East area from diesel tanks supplying fuel to the Johns Hopkins Hospital care facilities. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun/TNS) TNS Efforts to encourage safe habitats for wildlife near the harbor have been ongoing for decades, and in 2022, a collaboration led by the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore introduced a new 100-square-foot basking location for local turtles, according to the National Aquarium. The project, which was supported by the National Aquarium, Clearwater Mills and the Living Classrooms Foundation, was dubbed Turtle Island. Turtle Island is in a canal that runs along Lancaster Street, between Eden and South Caroline streets, close to the site of the oil spill. It is a turtle haven, Adam Lindquist, vice president of the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, said of the canal. This canal is just filled with hundreds of turtles. Thankfully, the turtles are resilient to this sort of pollution, but obviously any turtles that are obviously in distress are being picked up, Lindquist said. James Piper Bond, president and CEO of the Living Classrooms Foundation, told The Baltimore Sun that, luckily, the turtles are doing pretty well, the DNR experts have been able to catch some of them they are not overly damaged at this point, from our understanding. A juvenile bear was captured by game wardens earlier this week after breaking into an Indiana County nursing home and roaming the halls before being lured out by staff members with Rice Krispies Treats. Photo courtesy of St. Andrew's Village. St. Andrew's Village Employees at a Pennsylvania nursing home used a sweet treat to lure a small bear out of the facility after it broke in and wandered around, even getting face-to-face with one resident. A little after 11 p.m. Tuesday, the black bear smashed a window at St. Andrews Village in Indiana County and entered the building, reported WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh. I was sitting there at our nurses station, and I heard a big crash, certified nursing assistant Charlene Elliott told the station. I thought it was one of the aides that fell, I got up and Id seen it was a bear coming down the hall towards me! As the juvenile bear strolled through the hallways, Elliott said she shouted for staff and residents to close any open doors, but at least one resident got up close and personal with the bear as the two came almost nose-to-nose, she told WPXI. A small bear broke a window and entered an Indiana County nursing home earlier this week before employees lured it out using Rice Krispie Treats. Photo courtesy of St. Andrew's Village. St. Andrew's Village Another resident wanted to feed the bear her sandwich, but Elliott told her not to do that. Clever employees then used some Rice Krispies Treats to lure the bear outside, St. Andrews said in a statement to PennLive. No residents or staff were harmed. Photos provided by the nursing home show a smashed window and claw marks on the windowsill. Game wardens captured the bear the next day and relocated it. Claw marks are visible on a windowsill after a bear broke a window and entered an Indiana County nursing home earlier this week. Photo courtesy of St. Andrew's Village. St. Andrew's Village The nursing home also said all bird feeders on the property were removed so any other unwanted animals would not be tempted to visit. St. Andrews credited the swift actions and bravery of the staff members during the bizarre incident. We are incredibly proud of the teams quick thinking and dedication to ensuring the safety of everyone at the community, said the nursing home in its statement. We appreciate the support of the residents, families, and local authorities in managing this unique situation, and we remain grateful to the team at St. Andrews for maintaining a safe and secure environment for all. Then President-elect Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk explains the operations ahead of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, Nov. 19, 2024, in Boca Chica, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Pool via AP, File) AP As the Donald Trump-Elon Musk unraveled in spectacular fashion in front of the world on Thursday, Steve Bannon urged the president to take drastic action. After Trump floated the idea on Truth Social that the government could cut Musks contracts and save Billions and Billions of Dollars, Musk responded by decommissioning the Dragon Spacecraft. That would reportedly bring to a halt the United States ability to send astronauts to space. Bannon said the president should not let that be a threat. President Trump, tonight, should sign an executive order calling for the Defense Production Act and seize Space X tonight before midnight, Bannon said. The US Government should seize it. Bannon took it a step further saying that Trump should have Musk, who was born in South Africa, deported. I dont know why we havent had a full investigation, Bannon said. Look, if we are going to deport illegal aliens, you gotta deport illegal aliens. The good goes with the goose and the gander. They have to go through everything about his immigration status, Bannon added. I happen to believe, given to the information that I have been shown, that he is an illegal alien and illegal aliens gotta be deported. Also, this drug use that was reported in The New York Times, if that is a fact, that should be investigated. Steve Bannon: Trump should seize SpaceX tonight! Elon Musk is an illegal alien who should be deported immediately. pic.twitter.com/lfE65ivPfR Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) June 5, 2025 Bannon said a person cannot have a security clearance and a drug problem. We should take his security clearance away, and all contracts should be suspended pending that investigation, Bannon said. Bannon also brought up a previous accusation he made that Musk is an agent of influence of the Chinese Communist Party because of his relationship in Tesla. That should be fully investigated, Bannon said. President Trump is a bull. Elon Musk is a baby calf, OK. And now it is time for the good of the country, for the republic, forget MAGA and the Republican Party, this is a national security issue now. Creates a level of a national security issue of a very unstable individual that is out saying very, I think, dangerous things about the President of the United States. This is one of two antisemitic flyers distributed in a Jewish neighborhood in Pittsburgh last month that describes the Talmud, a Jewish religious text, as satanic. Photo courtesy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh An Ohio man faces nearly 200 charges for distributing antisemitic flyers in a traditional Jewish neighborhood in Pittsburgh last month. Pittsburgh police have filed 181 traffic charges of depositing waste on a highway against Jeremy Brokaw, a 45-year-old Zanesville, Ohio, resident. He was charged by summons. Central Dauphin School District Superintendent Eric Turman on Friday addressed concerns that a new restructuring plan for next year would result in staff job losses. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com The head of the Central Dauphin School District said in a letter to staff sent on Friday that a plan to create new positions next year at the middle and high school would not result in anyone losing their jobs. Please note, this plan does not call for any staffing cuts, he wrote in his letter. A TSA officer has been charged with stealing a passenger's money during the screening process at Pittsburgh International Airport. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) AP A Transportation Security Administration officer at a Pennsylvania airport has been charged with stealing money from a passengers wallet. Allegheny County police said Richard Bruce, 39, is charged by summons with theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, both misdemeanors. FILE - Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, left, claps as Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk prepares to depart after speaking at a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, on Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) AP By Michelle L. Price, The Associated Press WASHINGTON Donald Trump and Elon Musks alliance took off like one of SpaceXs rockets. It was supercharged and soared high. And then it blew up. The spectacular flameout Thursday peaked as Trump threatened to cut Musks government contracts and Musk claimed that Trumps administration hasnt released all the records related to sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein because Trump is mentioned in them. The tech entrepreneur even shared a post on social media calling for Trumps impeachment and skewered the presidents signature tariffs, predicting a recession this year. The messy blow-up between the president of the United States and the worlds richest man played out on their respective social media platforms after Trump was asked during a White House meeting with Germanys new leader about Musks criticism of his spending bill. Trump had largely remained silent as Musk stewed over the last few days on his social media platform X, condemning the presidents so-called Big Beautiful Bill. But Trump clapped back Thursday in the Oval Office, saying he was very disappointed in Musk. Musk responded on social media in real time. Trump, who was supposed to be spending Thursday discussing an end to the Russia-Ukraine war with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, ratcheted up the stakes when he turned to his own social media network, Truth Social, and threatened to use the U.S. government to hurt Musks bottom line by going after contracts held by his internet company Starlink and rocket company SpaceX. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) AP The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts, Trump wrote on his social media network. Go ahead, make my day, Musk quickly replied on X. Hours later, Musk announced SpaceX would begin decommissioning the spacecraft it used to carry astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station for NASA. Musk also said, without offering evidence of how he might know the information, that Trump was in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! The deepening rift unfurled much like their relationship started rapidly, intensely and very publicly. And it quickly hit Musk financially. After Trump started criticizing Musk, shares of his electric vehicle company Tesla plunged more than 14%, knocking about $150 billion off Teslas market valuation. Musk lost about $20 billion on his personal holding of Tesla. FILE - President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speak to reporters as they sit in a red Model S Tesla vehicle on the South Lawn of the White House, March 11, 2025, in Washington. (Pool via AP, File) AP Politicians and their donor patrons rarely see eye to eye. But the magnitude of Musks support for Trump, spending at least $250 million backing his campaign, and the scope of free rein the president gave him to slash and delve into the government with the Department of Government Efficiency is eclipsed only by the speed of their falling-out. Musk offered up an especially stinging insult to a president sensitive about his standing among voters: Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Musk retorted. Such ingratitude, Musk added in a follow-up post. Musk first announced his support for Trump shortly after the then-candidate was nearly assassinated on stage at a Pennsylvania rally last July. News of Musks political action committee in support of Trumps election came days later. Musk soon became a close adviser and frequent companion, memorably leaping in the air behind Trump on stage at a rally in October. Once Trump was elected, the tech billionaire stood behind him as he took the oath of office, flew on Air Force One for weekend stays at Mar-a-Lago, slept in the Lincoln Bedroom and joined Cabinet meetings wearing a MAGA hat sometimes more than one. Three months ago, Trump purchased a red Tesla from Musk as a public show of support for his business as it faced blowback. Musk bid farewell to Trump last week in a somewhat somber news conference in the Oval Office, where he sported a black eye that he said came from his young son but that seemed to be a metaphor for his messy time in government service. Trump, who rarely misses an opportunity to zing his critics on appearance, brought it up Thursday. I said, Do you want a little makeup? Well get you a little makeup. Which is interesting, Trump said. The Republican presidents comments came as Musk has griped for days on social media about Trumps spending bill, warning that it will increase the federal deficit. Musk has called the bill a disgusting abomination. He hasnt said bad about me personally, but Im sure that will be next, Trump said Thursday in the Oval Office, presaging the rest of his day. But Im very disappointed in Elon. Ive helped Elon a lot. Observers had long wondered if the friendship between the two brash billionaires known for lobbing insults online would combust in dramatic fashion. It did, in less than a year. White House aides were closely following the drama playing out on dueling platforms Thursday with bemusement, sharing the latest twists and turns from the feud between their boss and former co-worker, as well as the social media reaction and memes. Officials in the extremely online administration privately expressed the belief that like the other digital scuffles that have defined Trumps political career, this would also work out in his favor. Trump said Thursday in the Oval Office that he and Musk had had a great relationship but mused: I dont know if we will anymore. He said some people who leave his administration miss it so badly and actually become hostile. Its sort of Trump derangement syndrome, I guess they call it, he said. He brushed aside the billionaires efforts to get him elected last year, including a $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes in Pennsylvania. The surge of cash Musk showed he was willing to spend seemed to set him up as a highly coveted ally for Republicans going forward, but his split with Trump, the partys leader, raises questions about whether they or any others will see such a campaign windfall in the future. Trump said Musk only developed a problem with the bill because it rolls back tax credits for electric vehicles. False, Musk fired back on his social media platform as the president continued speaking. This bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it! FILE - President-elect Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk explains the operations ahead of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, Nov. 19, 2024, in Boca Chica, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Pool via AP, File) AP In another post, he said Trump could keep the spending cuts but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill. Besides Musk being disturbed by the electric vehicle tax credits, Trump said another point of contention was Musks promotion of Jared Isaacman to run NASA. Trump withdrew Isaacmans nomination over the weekend and on Thursday called him totally a Democrat. Musk continued slinging his responses on social media. He shared some posts Trump made over a decade ago criticizing Republicans for their spending, musings made when he, too, was just a billionaire lobbing his thoughts on social media. Where is the man who wrote these words? Musk wrote. Was he replaced by a body double!? On the White House grounds Thursday afternoon, Trumps red Tesla still sat in a parking lot. Associated Press writers Chris Megerian, Zeke Miller and Eric Tucker in Washington and Bernard Condon and Paul Harloff in New York contributed to this report. Central Pennsylvania residents should prepare for an unsettled weather pattern with periods of rain showers and scattered thunderstorms expected late Thursday afternoon through Friday, with additional rounds of precipitation likely through the weekend. A slow-moving cold front will trigger scattered showers and thunderstorms, with the highest probability of precipitation focused on the Allegheny Plateau, Laurel Highlands, and central ridge and valley regions. A marginal risk exists for isolated strong winds and heavy downpours, primarily on Friday. Temperatures will cool to near or slightly below normal, with daytime highs in the 70s and nighttime lows around 60 to 65 degrees. The National Weather Service (N WS) warns that thunderstorm activity will be most intense Friday afternoon and evening, with potential brief reductions in visibility and aviation conditions. The northwestern half of the region may see a dry start to the weekend, but another wave of rain is projected to expand eastward Sunday afternoon and evening. The unsettled weather pattern is expected to continue into early next week, with rounds of showers likely as an upper-level trough moves across the region. Temperatures will remain near seasonal averages, trending slightly below normal. By mid-week, surface and upper-level ridging should bring drier conditions. Residents should stay weather-aware, monitor local forecasts, and be prepared for potential thunderstorm activity, especially during Friday afternoon and evening hours. Outdoor plans may need to be flexible due to the intermittent precipitation and potential for brief severe weather. Current weather radar Generative AI was used to produce an initial draft of this story, which was reviewed and edited by PennLive.com staff. Georgia elevates non-oil import from Azerbaijan in 4M2025 From January through April 2025, Georgia imported $105.8 million worth of non-oil products from Azerbaijan. This marks a 32 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024. Georgia ranked as the third-largest destination for Azerbaijans non-oil exports during this time. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register Photo: Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan ASTANA, Kazakhstan, June 6. Nearly half of the 12.2 million hectares of land returned to state ownership in Kazakhstan between 2022 and 2024 has been redistributed for public and agricultural use, Trend reports. The update was shared during a meeting of the national commission on land use oversight, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin. According to the Committee for Land Resources Management under the Ministry of Agriculture, 5.9 million hectares have already been reallocated. Of that, 2 million hectares near residential areas were prioritized for public grazing to support local communities. The remaining 3.9 million hectares have been distributed to agricultural producers through competitive bidding processes. In addition, territorial inspections have prompted former landholders to begin developing 3.8 million hectares of previously unused land over the past three years. For 2025, the government plans to reclaim 2 million hectares of agricultural land. So far, 979,100 hectares have already been returned to state ownership. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 6. The Chinese Fareo Elevator Company (Guangdong) intends to introduce its products to the Azerbaijani market, Ming Feng Huang, head of the company's international cooperation department, told Trend on the sidelines of the Azerbaijan-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference held on June 5. He said that this was his first visit to Baku and then provided information about the company. "I'm very happy to come to Azerbaijan. First of all, let me say that we are a Chinese elevator manufacturing factory. Our factory is located in Foshan, Guangdong Province. Our company employs about 500 people," Huang noted. The company official underscored their strategic objectives to penetrate the Azerbaijani market with their product offerings. "We export our products to many countries. I hope that as the urban development of Azerbaijan becomes more beautiful and more skyscrapers are built, there will be a need for our elevators. Our elevator products are of high quality. I hope that our Azerbaijani friends can come to Guangdong to see and get acquainted with our products," he added. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Benny Glaser Goes Back-to-Back (Again) for 7th Bracelet in $1,500 Mixed Dan O'Hair Live Reporter Copy link Benny Glaser might just be the G.O.A.T. of mixed-game tournaments. A mere four days after winning the $1,500 Dealer's Choice event, the U.K.-based poker phenom has done it again by besting a 1,239-entry field in Event #15: $1,500 Mixed: Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better for his seventh World Series of Poker bracelet and the $258,193 first-place prize. The impressive feat mirrors his 2016 summer run wherein Glaser won two Omaha bracelets within a week. All of Glaser's bracelets come from non-Hold'em events and he now sits in elite company alongside 11 other players who have won seven or more bracelets, including Scott Seiver, Billy Baxter, and Daniel Negreanu. When added along with his numerous SCOOP and WCOOP titles in mixed-games, Glaser's legacy is clearly cemented, not only in the mixed-game community but in the poker world at large. 2025 World Series of Poker Hub Bookmark this page! All you need to know about the 2025 WSOP is here. Click here Event #15: $1,500 Mixed: Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Final Table Results Place Player Country Prize 1 Benny Glaser United Kingdom $258,193 2 Travis Pearson United States $172,077 3 David Shmuel United States $121,736 4 Sean Remz United States $87,325 5 Shane Howeth United States $63,527 6 Alan Sternberg United States $46,879 7 Bashar Trad United States $35,098 8 Tyler Brown United States $26,666 Benny Glaser Winner Event #15: $1,500 Mixed PLO Hi-Lo 8 / Omaha Hi Lo 8 / Big O "I'm feeling amazing," Glaser said shortly after winning his heads-up battle against runner-up Travis Pearson. "This one feels more outrageously surreal. It still hasn't sunk in. (Heads-up) was really a tough battle. I was overall impressed with how (Pearson) played. I hadn't really played him before this tournament. There were one or two hands that were pretty rough, but I was able to re-center myself back in." Glaser, now an early front-runner for winning WSOP Player of the Year, said he will "absolutely" be going for the prestigious title. "I was potentially going for Player of the Year anyways but I think this win makes it clear now that I'll be going for it," Glaser explained. "My schedule will probably change by one or two events, like the 100k PLO that I definitely wasn't sure I'd play. I think I will still try to take a day or two off just in the hopes of setting myself up for the rest of the series and execute better." Benny Glaser Adds to His Legacy With Bracelet No. 6 in Event #8: $1,500 Dealers Choice Day 4 Action An unscheduled Day 4 saw Just three players return to the Horseshoe Events Center in hopes of securing WSOP glory. However, it took just a couple of hands for David Shmuel, who came in as the short stack, to commit the rest of his stack against Pearson in Big O. Shmuel had flopped a set and was poised to double up against Pearson, but a dramatic river saw Pearson boat up from two pair to end Shmuel's run in third place. What could have been a brief heads-up affair turned into an epic battle. Pearson held an over two-to-one chip lead over Glaser at the start of their battle, but Glaser found an early double up to pull into the lead in what would be one of many chip-leading exchanges. Benny Glaser, Travis Pearson Heads Up Pearson responded immediately, however, by winning a a flush-over-flush cooler. A few extra small pots that went Pearson's way saw him get back to where he started with a two-to-one chip lead. However, like clockwork, Glaser found a way to double up back into the chip lead after rivering a full house against Pearson's turned straight. Pearson seemingly upped his aggression and was able to grind back a chip lead with pot-sized raises and bets that resulted in Glaser folding. At one point, Glaser thought he had lost the match after getting all in against Pearson with a pair and wheel draw on the flop in Big O. Glaser went to shake Pearson's hand after the runout, but it turned out Glaser had made a better two pair for the high for a chopped pot. Funnily enough, just a few hands later, Pearson also mistakenly assumed he had won after getting Glaser all in with a queen-high flush and a low, only to realize Glaser held a king-high flush for another chopped pot. After a short break, Glaser retook a sizable chip lead after winning a series of medium-sized pots. Pearson still had some fight left in him, however, and managed to double up with a pair of tens, but Glaser wouldn't be denied. A few hands later Pearson found himself all in preflop in Omaha Hi-Lo with queen-nine-eight-six against Glaser's king-nine-seven-trey. The flop paired Glaser's king and Pearson was unable to catch up to put an end to the tournament. This concludes PokerNews coverage of the event. Be sure to check out our live-reporting hub for ongoing coverage of the 2025 WSOP. Share this article Lou Garza Mounts Memorable Heads-Up Comeback to Clinch Second WSOP Bracelet Tim Baker Live Reporter Copy link Another highly anticipated event here at the 2025 World Series of Poker has crowned its champion, with Lou Garza overcoming a stacked lineup and a huge heads-up deficit to claim victory in Event #14: $25,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha/No-Limit Holdem inside the Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas. Garza eliminated three of his four opponents on his path to securing his second WSOP bracelet and a career-best score of $1,302,233, which was the lion's share from the $5,757,500 prize pool. Over the course of two hours, Garza came back from being 4:1 down in chips heads-up to deny 2011 WSOP Player of the Year Ben Lamb his third bracelet and fourth seven-figure score. 2025 World Series of Poker Hub Bookmark this page! All you need to know about the 2025 WSOP is here. Click here Final Table Results Place Player Country Prize 1 Lou Garza United States $1,302,233 2 Ben Lamb United States $868,140 3 Chongxian Yang China $598,285 4 Robert Cowen United Kingdom $421,524 5 Brandon Mitchell United States $303,773 6 John Pannucci United States $224,034 7 Zhargal Tsydypov United States $169,183 8 Youness Barakat Italy $130,896 9 Michael Moncek United States $103,821 Winner's Reaction Fresh off winning his second WSOP bracelet, Lou Garza took a moment to reflect with PokerNews after an emotional finish. Asked how it felt to join the two-time bracelet club, Garza smiled, It feels great, but weve got some more work to finish off. Were not done yet. Garza famously proposed to his now-wife after his first victory and was asked if there were any special celebrations planned this time around. Not yet, he said, keeping his focus on the grind. Lou Garza Garza credits much of his success to his rail. It means everything to have family and close friends here supporting me, he said. At one stage during the heads-up battle, eventual runner-up Lamb held nearly four times more chips than Garza. Garza mentioned how he went into the battle with nothing to lose. Honestly, I kind of expected it. Once we got heads up, I knew I had to flip the switch, get aggressive, and just go for it with nothing to lose. When asked about his game preference, Garza was quick to answer, I like PLO. Ill play more of the bigger PLO events coming up. For now, Garza heads off to celebrate bracelet number two, surrounded by friends, family, and a whole lot of momentum. Lou Garza, Ben Lamb Heads Up Final Day Action When the cards hit the air, Lamb held close to half the chips in play and immediately asserted his dominance, raising and winning almost every pot. Garza, sat comfortably in second but seated to Lambs right, was handcuffed by the huge ICM pressure. Lamb extended his lead, but Garza found pocket kings at the right time after Brandon Mitchell committed himself with king-nine. With no help for Mitchell, he was the first out, and Garza picked up some valuable chips. Soon after Mitchells exit, during the PLO round, Robert Cowens aces were cracked by Lambs wrap, leaving just three players with Chongxian Yang on crumbs. Garza then had an opportunity to send the tournament into heads-up when Yang moved all in from the button with his short stack. The flop ran out in Garzas favor, and Yang was drawing dead by the turn, leaving only Garza and Lamb to battle for the bracelet. Robert Cowen Heads-Up Battle When heads-up play began, Lamb held nearly a 4:1 chip lead, but Garza, cheered on by his lively rail just meters away, was not about to go down quietly. Early in the NLHE segment, Garza started closing the gap. First, he got a value bet with two pair paid, then turned a wheel and squeezed even more chips from Lamb. Suddenly, Garza found himself in the lead for the first time. Still, Lamb had come back from just two big blinds on Day 3, so he was unlikely to be fazed by being behind in chips for now. While NLHE seemed to favor Garza, Lamb thrived once the action shifted to PLO, steadily chipping up, taking down pots, and even forcing Garza to fold the best hand a few times. Before long, Lamb had turned things around and reclaimed a 2:1 chip lead. Lou Garza, Ben Lamb Heads Up It looked like Lamb was back in control, but Garza fired back with a triple-barrel bluff on a four-flush board holding just nine-high, getting Lamb to fold top pair. Garza windmilled the bluff in Lambs face, showing he was not afraid to put chips in the middle. With the stacks nearly even, PLO produced the hand that shifted the momentum. Not long after that bluff, Garza check-raised Lambs turn double-barrel with trips, forcing Lamb to fold. Lamb commented he was half-expecting to see another bluff, but this time Garza had the goods and the chip lead. Ben Lamb Lambs stack dropped into the danger zone a few hands later when he decided not to pull the trigger on a bluff after barreling the flop and turn, allowing Garza to extend his chip lead. At this point, Garza held 80 percent of the chips in play. On the final hand, Lamb was down to around ten big blinds and jammed king-ten suited from the button. Garza snapped him off with pocket aces and had a chance to secure his second bracelet. Lamb picked up some outs on the flop, but the board ran out clean for Garza, and Lamb will have to wait a bit longer for his next bracelet. Afterward, Garza gave Lamb a handshake and a hug before racing over to celebrate with his wife and friends who had cheered him on from the start. With his second World Series of Poker bracelet and a seven-figure payday, Garza was all smiles. Lou Garza - Winner - Event #14: $25,000 High Roller PLO/NLH Mixed That wraps up PokerNews coverage of this event. With the 2025 World Series of Poker still in full swing, there is plenty more action to come, so be sure to tune into the coverage from other events currently in progress. Poker Player Proposes to Girlfriend After Winning WSOP Bracelet & $1,309,232 Share this article WPT Global Is Giving Away 8x $3,500 WPT Cyprus Seats For Free Matthew Pitt Senior Editor Copy link The World Poker Tour heads to the Chamada Prestige Hotel & Casino in August, where a $3,500 buy-in, $2 million guaranteed WPT Cyprus Main Event is scheduled. Thanks to WPT Global, you could find yourself playing in this massive event for free. How is that possible? Keep reading to find out. WPT Global serves as the online home of the World Poker Tour, which means it can offer some exclusive WPT-related promotions. One such promotion begins on June 9 and runs through to August 3. On eachSunday at 7:00 p.m. UTC between those dates, WPT Global is hosting a freeroll where the lucky winner captures a $3,500 WPT Cyprus Main Event seat. Each freeroll also has $500 worth of tournament tickets in its prize pool for those who miss out on the WPT Cyprus seat. Seat winners are responsible for their travel, accommodation, and any visa requirements These freerolls are exclusive to WPT Global customers who deposit at least $10 between Monday and Friday during the week of the next freeroll. After you make that deposit, WPT Global places a freeroll ticket into your account. $3,500 WPT Cyprus Freeroll Schedule Date Time (UTC) Sun 15 Jun 7:00 p.m. Sun 22 Jun 7:00 p.m. Sun 29 Jun 7:00 p.m. Sun 6 Jul 7:00 p.m. Sun 16 Jul 7:00 p.m. Sun 20 Jul 7:00 p.m. Sun 28 Jul 7:00 p.m. Sun 3 Aug 7:00 p.m. WPT Global Brings Prime Thailand Exhibition to Bangkok in July Learn more Although the 2025 WPT Cyprus Main Event has a $2 million guarantee, a much larger prize pool is highly probable. In August 2024, the $1,100 WPT Prime Cyprus attracted 1,202 players, who created a $1,165,940 prize pool, far exceeding the $1 million guarantee. In March 2025, the same $1,100 buy-in event smashed its $1 million guarantee by $349,270. Sure, these events costs $1,100 and not $3,500, but it's evident live poker in Cyprus is immensely popular, and we all know the draw the WPT has globally. $100,000 Winner's Bonus Adds Extra Value As if winning a $3,500 WPT Cyprus Main Event seat for free wasn't enough to get you clambering for your mouse and firing up WPT Global, the online poker giant throws a $100,000 curveball. Any WPT Global player who qualifies for the $2 million guaranteed WPT Cyprus Main Event via one of these freerolls and becomes the live event champion will receive a $100,000 winner's bonus! Grab A Welcome Bonus Worth Up To $3,580 Now is the time to join WPT Global if you do not already have an account. New players depositing $10 or more receive a $16.20 gift package that includes: $5 poker deposit match bonus $5 casino deposit match bonus $2.20 MTT ticket $1 Global Spins ticket $3 in Casino Coin Award Winning Poker Podcast Finds New Home at WPT Global Check it out Free gifts are always welcome, but more so when they are accompanied by the chance to receive up to $3,000 in cash plus a whole host of tournaments tickets as added extras. The size of your deposit affects the rewards you receive; check out the table below for more details: Deposit Amount Bonus $10-$29 $2.20 MTT ticket plus $1 Global Spins ticket $30-$99 2x $5 MTT tickets + 5x $1 Global Spins tickets $100-$499 2x $5 MTT tickets + 1x $10 Global Spins ticket + 2x $5 Global Spins tickets $500-$1,499 2x $11 MTT tickets + 1x $110 Sunday Slam ticket + $$25 Global Spins ticket +2x $5 Global Spins tickets $1,500-$2,999 2x $22 MTT tickets + 2x $110 Sunday Slam tickets $3,000+ 2x $55 MTT tickets + 2x $110 Sunday Slam tickets + 3x $50 Global Spins tickets Your first deposit is matched 100% up to $3,000, with 50% released at the online poker tables at a rake of $1 cashback for every $4 contributed to the cash game rake or paid in tournament fees. The remaining half is released by playing at WPT Global's casino; you receive $0.50 back for every $200 wagered. Casino players also receive free Casino Coin based on their first deposit; casino coin is a currency used at WPT Global Casino. Deposit amount Free Casino Coin $10-$29 $3 $30-$99 $5 $100-$499 $10 $500-$1,499 $50 $1,500-$2,999 $80 $3,000+ $100 Share this article After three full days of playing, Event #17: $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em at the 2025 World Series of Poker is still without its champion. On Friday at 1 p.m. local time, Scott Bohlman and Dusti Smith will return to determine whether Bohlman becomes a two-time bracelet winner, or Smith becomes the first woman to win a bracelet since Vivian Saliba last year. Bohlman and Smith are the final two standing from a field that once had 1,692 hopefuls. Bohlman will return with the chip lead of 30,500,000 in chips, while Smith bagged 20,500,000 to close out the night. The winner will take home $436,044, with the runner-up receiving $290,588. The remaining $3,011,760 of the prize pool has already been awarded to the other players. Final Table Remaining Payouts/Results Place Player Country Prize 1 $436,044 2 $290,588 3 Umesh Babusukumar United States $210,033 4 Quan Zhou China $153,576 5 Benjamin Williams United States $113,617 6 Xiaohu Liu China $85,056 7 Rafael Mota Brazil $64,443 8 Henrik Juncker Denmark $49,421 9 Samy Boujmala France $38,369 10 Allen Shen Canada $30,161 Dusti Smith The days action was fast and furious, with knockouts left and right including such luminaries as bracelet winners Pete Chen and Jesse Lonis. The final table was an international affair, with representatives from six countries. Canadian Allen Shen was the first to be eliminated when Smith outdrew him in a race. Samy Boujmala was the next victim to be knocked out in a battle against Bohlman, leaving in ninth place. Quan Zhou crushed Dutch professional Henrik Juncker, who played a steady and solid game throughout. Brazil's Rafael Mota, whose exuberant rail cheered Brazil and waved the Brazilian flag, left in seventh place. Chinas Xiaohu Liu was the next to depart in sixth place when he battled against Umesh Babusukumar and did not prevail. Benjamin Williams exited in fifth place with his best career cash of $113,617. Zhou's deep run came to an end in a pivotal pot against Smith, before Bohlman eliminated Babusukumar when Bohlman make a nut flush versus Babusukumars pair of tens. Smith and Bohlman bagged for the night shortly after. With the bracelet in sight and stacks deep, expect fireworks as they battle toward crowning the next World Series of Poker champion. Play will resume at 1 p.m. local time in Level 36 with blinds at 300,000/600,000 and a 600,000 big blind ante. Levels will be 60 minutes throughout. Stay glued to PokerNews to make sure you dont miss a single moment of the action here at the 2025 World Series of Poker. Aiken, SC (29801) Today A mix of clouds and sun this morning followed by increasing clouds with showers developing this afternoon. Hot. High near 95F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Low 74F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Aiken, SC (29801) Today Partly cloudy this morning. Increasing clouds with periods of showers this afternoon. Hot. High 94F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Some clouds. Low 74F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Moncks Corner, SC (29461) Today Sunshine and a few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 93F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Low near 75F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 6. The Chinese Youkai company intends to open a plant in Azerbaijan, the head of the company Huang Ping told Trend on the sidelines of the Azerbaijan-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference held on June 5. He first provided information about the company. "Our company produces high-quality household cleaning products. For example, we produce laundry detergents, kitchen cleaners, and floor cleaning products. We attach great importance to research and development and are focused on innovation. Therefore, we provide original manufacturer services for many internationally renowned brands. For example, we manufacture products for companies such as Unilever and global brands such as FairPrice, Lamb, and Bimax," he said. The head of the company noted that they are ready to evaluate cooperation opportunities with Azerbaijan. "China and Azerbaijan have very good relations. Therefore, we hope to establish deeper cooperation with Azerbaijani partners. If business opportunities arise, we want to build a factory in Azerbaijan and provide more high-quality household cleaning products to the Azerbaijani people," Ping added. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Teri Errico Griffis is the senior business reporter and assistant editor at The Post and Courier, focusing on retail and real estate. An award-winning journalist, she previously worked as a Southeast commerce reporter for the Journal of Commerce and a reporter for the Charleston Regional Business Journal where she covered all facets of business in the Charleston region. Raised in Connecticut and New York, she has called South Carolina home since 2012. Jenny Peterson is a business reporter at The Post and Courier, focusing on retail. An award-winning journalist, she covered statewide business news as special projects editor at SC Biz News. Originally from New Orleans, she previously worked as an editor at New Orleans CityBusiness and Biz New Orleans business publications. Columbia, SC (29201) Today Sunny to partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 97F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Clear to partly cloudy. Low 76F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Greenville, SC (29601) Today A mix of clouds and sun. Hot. High around 95F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Clear skies. Low 73F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Managing Editor - Post and Courier Myrtle Beach Born and raised in South Carolina, Charles Perry has worked in the state's newspaper industry for nearly 20 years. He covers Horry and Georgetown counties for The Post and Courier. Quick Response and Public Safety Reporter Kailey Cota is a breaking news and public safety reporter for the Post & Courier's Charleston location. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina. She previously wrote for The State, The Current and The Daily Gamecock, and was named South Carolinas collegiate journalist of the year. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, June 6. Omani low-cost carrier SalamAir has officially launched direct flights between Muscat and Almaty, with the inaugural service taking off on June 5, 2025, Trend reports. The new route will operate three times a week - on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays - connecting Kazakhstans largest city with Omans capital. SalamAir is a budget airline based at Muscat International Airport. As of December 2024, the carrier operated a fleet of 14 aircraft. The launch marks SalamAirs entry into the Kazakh market, expanding travel options for both tourists and business travelers between the Gulf and Central Asia. Quick Response and Public Safety Reporter Caitlin Bell is a breaking news and courts reporter for The Post and Courier Charleston. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Quick Response and Courts Reporter Alan Hovorka is a breaking news and courts reporter for The Post & Courier. After graduating from Ball State University in Indiana, he spent five years covering government and education in central Wisconsin before coming to the Lowcountry. Black's Peaches in York is one of 18 farms participating in York County's annual Ag + Art Tour. The event showcases the homemade and homegrown work of local artists and farmers. The tour is June 7 and 8 across the county. PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-06 15:01:07 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 697 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Combined entity redefines the residential real estate property management model with integrated technology, AI and nationwide scaleNEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / Alfred, the technology-first residential real estate platform that has spent a decade reimagining housing with resident experience at its core, announced a transformative merger between its property management arm, RKW Residential, and Quarterra Living, the multifamily property management business of Quarterra. The combined platform will manage approximately 52,000 residences nationwide, representing over $20 billion of assets, positioning it as one of the largest residential real estate property managers in the United States.This merger unites three of the most innovative groups in multifamily real estate today: Alfred, with its AI-powered management platform; RKW, known for boutique-style management rooted in exceptional service; and Quarterra, recognized for its institutional quality, operational excellence and national scale."For a decade we've shown that superior returns and an outstanding resident experience can and should go hand in hand," said Jessica Beck, CEO and co-founder of Alfred, who will lead the combined entity. "This merger creates the scale and capabilities needed to deliver on that promise at the next level. We're not just growing in size; we're strengthening our position to build a new operating model for residential real estate - one that meets the evolving needs of today's owners and residents." As market dynamics push for lower costs, operators are overwhelmed by fragmented technologies that increase workload without delivering measurable improvements. This new platform solves for that by unifying property operations, resident engagement, and asset performance into a single ecosystem - designed with automation and AI purpose-built for the core fundamentals of property operations, the platform streamlines leasing, maintenance, communications, and financial workflows.Brad Greiwe, CEO of Quarterra, will join the Board of Directors.Quarterra's proven property management leadership team will continue in its roles, ensuring continuity of operations while the companies integrate their platforms and innovate the service offering.The newly merged company will maintain operations in all current markets while actively exploring strategic opportunities for expansion. Over the next year, the company plans to introduce a refreshed brand and platform advancements. Its proprietary, fully-integrated technology platform, which unifies resident experience and property operations into a single streamlined system, will be rolled out across the entire portfolio."Housing- especially rental- should provide more than four walls; it should enable modern living with novel services, support, and community," added Marcela Sapone, the Executive Chair and co-founder of Alfred. "With this merger, we can deliver on that vision at a scale that sets the new industry standard." For more information, visit helloalfred.com Media Contact:Alfred Eric Kalis Boardroom PRekalis@ boardroompr.com Quarterra Marlena DeFalco LinnellTaylor Marketingmarlena@ linnelltaylor.com About Alfred Founded in 2014 by Jessica Beck and Marcela Sapone, Alfred is the largest and most advanced residential management platform in North America. Since its inception, Alfred has focused on providing a technology powered, resident-first experience for residential properties. With an unparalleled knowledge of what residents want and technology that boosts income and efficiency for owners and operators, Alfred provides an integrated solution that elevates the rental ecosystem for all involved. Alfred's pioneering acquisitions of RKW Residential in 2022 created the first technology forward property management platform for institutional real-estate. Named by Fast Company as one of the Top 50 Most Innovative Companies, Alfred's AOS technology drives lower operating costs and higher returns for property owners and operators. Alfred's full portfolio is present in 52 cities across North America. To learn more, visit www.helloalfred.com About Quarterra Quarterra Group, Inc. is a real estate investment firm focused on creating long-term value through the development of high-quality multifamily communities nationwide. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lennar Corporation (NYSE: LEN and LEN.B) , Quarterra combines institutional scale with local market expertise to deliver purposefully designed rental communities in high-growth markets.Quarterra's core strategy includes the expansion of its Emblem portfolio-a growing collection of attainably priced communities that deliver efficient design, modern amenities, and strong investment fundamentals. Emblem Communities are thoughtfully positioned to meet the needs of today's renters while supporting Quarterra's broader vision of sustainable, resilient, and diversified housing solutions.For more information, visit www.quarterra.com SOURCE: Alfred PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-06 02:35:09 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 757 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / June 5, 2025 / Alta Copper Corp. (TSX:ATCU)(OTCQX:ATCUF)(BVL:ATCU) ("Alta Copper" or "the Company") announces voting results for its Annual General Meeting of shareholders (the "Meeting") held on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Vancouver, British Columbia.A total of 44,398,593 common shares, representing 48.88% of the Company's outstanding common shares were represented at the Meeting and all motions put forward were passed.The following sets forth a summary of the Annual General Meeting voting results:Appointment of AuditorKreston GTA LLP were appointed as Auditors of the Company for the ensuing year at a remuneration to be fixed by the Directors.Votes For: 94.56%Votes Withheld: 5.44%Number of DirectorsPrior to the Meeting, Mr. Robert McDonald tendered his resignation as a director of the Company and decided not to stand for re-election to pursue and dedicate more time to his other business interests. In light of Mr. McDonald's decision not to stand for re-election, there were four nominees for election as director, and the number of Directors was therefore set at four.The number of Directors was set at four.Votes For: 93.97%Votes Against: 6.03%Election of DirectorsThe following nominees were elected as Directors to hold office until the next annual meeting of shareholders of the Company or until their successors are elected or appointed.DirectorsVotes ForVotes WithheldGiulio T. Bonifacio40,502,210 (93.20%)2,954,988 (6.80%)Andrew Hamilton35,768,491 (82.31%)7,688,707 (17.69%)Steven Latimer35,542,397 (81.79%)7,914,801 (18.21%)Christine Nicolau35,769,730 (82.31%)7,687,468 (17.69%)Robert McDonald tendered his resignation and decided not to stand for re-election to pursue and dedicate more time to his other business interests.Appointment of OfficersThe following persons were appointed as officers of the Company:Steven LatimerNon-Executive ChairmanGiulio T. BonifacioPresident and Chief Executive OfficerDale FoundVice President and Chief Financial OfficerMaria Paz AlfaroCorporate SecretaryGiulio T. Bonifacio, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented: "I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Robert McDonald for his significant contributions, which have enabled the Company to make substantial progress in advancing our community engagement efforts and securing the necessary approvals from the Ministry of Energy and Mines. At the same time, I am very pleased to welcome Steven Latimer as our new Non-Executive Chairman. His appointment reflects our continued commitment to adhering to best practices in corporate governance, and I look forward to working closely with Steven in the months ahead." About Alta CopperAlta Copper is focused on the development of its 100% owned Canariaco advanced staged copper project. Canariaco comprises 91 square km of highly prospective land located 102 km northeast of the City of Chiclayo, Peru, which includes the Canariaco Norte deposit, the Canariaco Sur deposit and the Quebrada Verde prospect, all within a 4 km NE-SW trend in northern Peru's prolific mining district. Canariaco is one of the largest copper deposits in the Americas not held by a major.Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, plans, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release. Although the Company believes the forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations and assumptions in such statements will prove to be correct. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which could cause events or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We are under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws.On behalf of the Board of Alta Copper Corp."Giulio T. Bonifacio" President & Chief Executive OfficerFor further information please contact:Giulio T. Bonifaciogtbonifacio@ altacopper.com +1 604 318 6760Email:info@ altacopper.comWebsite:www.altacopper.comX:https://x.com/Alta_CopperLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/altacopper/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/AltaCopperCorpInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/altacopper/YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@AltaCopper SOURCE: Alta Copper Corp. PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-06 05:10:08 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 529 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY AND NEW ORLEANS / ACCESS Newswire / June 5, 2025 /Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have untilJuly 8, 2025to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Compass Diversified Holdings (NYSE:CODI), if they purchased the Company's securities between May 1, 2024 and May 7, 2025, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.What You May DoIf you purchased securities of Compass and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ( lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com) , or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-codi/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court byJuly 8, 2025 .About the LawsuitCompass and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.On May 7, 2025, the Company issued a press release entitled "Compass Diversified Discloses Non-Reliance on Financial Statements for Fiscal 2024 Amid an Ongoing Internal Investigation into its Subsidiary, Lugano Holding, Inc.," disclosing that "the Audit Committee of CODI's Board has concluded that the previously issued financial statements for 2024 require restatement and should no longer be relied upon" and that "[e]ffective May 7, 2025, Lugano's founder and CEO, Moti Ferder, resigned from all of his positions at Lugano and will not receive any severance compensation." The Company further disclosed that "[t]he Audit Committee of CODI's Board of Directors promptly launched an investigation after CODI's senior leadership was made aware of concerns about how Lugano was potentially financing inventory" and that "[t]he investigation . . . is ongoing but has preliminarily identified irregularities in Lugano's non-CODI financing, accounting, and inventory practices." On this news, the price of Compass' shares plummeted approximately 62%, from $17.25 per share on May 7, 2025, to $6.55 per share on May 8, 2025.The case is Matthews v. Compass Group Diversified Holdings, Inc., et al., No. 25-cv-981.About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. This past year, KSF was ranked by SCAS among the top 10 firms nationally based upon total settlement value. KSF serves a variety of clients, including public and private institutional investors, and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, Delaware, California, Louisiana, Chicago, New Jersey, and a representative office in Luxembourg.TOP 10 Plaintiff Law Firms - According to ISS Securities Class Action ServicesTo learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com Contact:Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partnerwis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163CONNECT WITH US: FaceBook || Instagram || YouTube || TikTok || LinkedInSOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 6. The company to carry out renovation work on individual residential houses in Tazabina village of the Khojaly district and the amount of allocated funds have been determined, Trend reports. The relevant work by the Restoration, Construction, and Management Service in Khankendi city, Aghdara, and Khojaly districts has been completed. The state service has contracted Platin-M LLC to carry out renovation work on 152 individual houses in Tazabina village. Under the contract, the company was paid 8.78 million manat ($5.17 million). Platin-M LLC, which will carry out the renovation work, was registered in 2014. The companys charter capital is 100 manat ($59), and its legal representative is Isfandiyar Mammadov. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-06 16:00:55 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 935 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Agency Vet Moves In-House to Oversee Communications, Marketing & Creative for Leading Bridal Retailer During Pivotal "Aisle to Algorithm" Brand EvolutionKING OF PRUSSIA, PA / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 /David's Bridal, Inc. ("David's"), the nation's leading bridal and special occasion authority, today announced the appointment of Lisa Horton as Chief Communications and Creative Officer. As part of the company's Executive Leadership Team, Horton will oversee all facets of the company's marketing, brand strategy, public relations, internal and external communications, investor relations, social media, and creative. Since beginning her work with David's Bridal in late 2024, leading its agency of record, Horton has already been instrumental in shaping the company's narrative on the largest strategic pivot in its 70-year history, "Aisle to Algorithm." She has spearheaded strategic communications around major company milestones, including a transformative acquisition, the launch of the brand's retail media network, a c-suite leadership transition, including announcing the company's new Chief Executive Officer, Kelly Cook, and a headline-making partnership with couture house Marchesa. Under her direction, the company has earned over 5 billion media impressions with placements in outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNBC, WWD, USA Today, and Forbes in the past six months.A dynamic and deeply strategic communications leader, Horton brings more than 15 years of experience building and elevating brands through breakthrough storytelling and integrated marketing. She most recently served as President of award-winning boutique agency ASTRSK, where she spent the past 8.5 years in roles ranging from AVP to Chief Strategy Officer, culminating in her presidency. During her tenure, she led high-impact campaigns and launches for brands such as Prime Video, Lemonade Insurance (including the company's IPO), Match Group, Industrious, Grailed, Laird Superfood, Misfits Market, and many others."Lisa is a powerhouse, a force, and an exceptional strategic thought partner," said Kelly Cook, Chief Executive Officer of David's Bridal. "She has already made an extraordinary impact on our brand. Her sharp instincts, critical thinking, unique problem-solving, creative vision, and unmatched ability to tell compelling stories across every platform are exactly what David's Bridal needs as we continue our journey to redefine modern retail and serve today's engaged couples in new, exciting ways." In her new role, Horton will be charged with further evolving the David's Bridal brand and voice-infusing it with innovation, culture, and creativity to meet the ever-changing expectations of Gen Z and Millennial consumers. Horton is based in New York and will report directly to Elina Vilk, David's President and Chief Business Officer, who will work closely with Horton on the marketing and creative direction of David's. Vilk shared, "Lisa stands out for her expertise in gleaning insights into the needs, wants and pain points throughout the customer's journey and turning those into powerful messages, we are so lucky to have her leadership." "It's an incredible honor to join David's Bridal during one of its most transformative and exciting chapters- I bought my prom dress from David's, my mother was a David's bride, and I've been a David's bridesmaid three times and counting!" added Lisa Horton, Chief Communications and Creative Officer, David's Bridal. "This brand is steeped in history, having walked more brides down the aisle than any other brand, but also fearlessly future-forward to ensure it delivers on its mission for brides, grooms, and anyone celebrating life's most memorable moments and milestones. I'm energized by the opportunity to work with the already established team of incredible branding, marketing, and creative professionals at David's and to help shape what's next for a company with so much momentum." ASTRSK will remain David's PR agency of record, reporting to Horton.To learn more about David's, visitdavidsbridal.com For headshots and additional assets, please see media kithere .###About David's BridalWith over 70 years of experience dressing people for all of life's special occasions, David's Bridal is built on the ethos of making dreams happen. David's Bridal is dedicated to creating innovative solutions that serve wedding and special occasion consumers and the industry at large.David's boasts the industry's only loyalty program, theDiamond Loyalty Program. This program, with almost 3 million members, provides perks and deals from partners likeGeneration Tux ,Shutterfly ,Little Tuxedosand much more, including the opportunity to win a free honeymoon. Additionally,Pearl by David'soffers consumers a wedding website, universal wedding registry, robustwedding checklist , and a new vendor marketplace that beautifully pairs brides with their perfect vendor partners.Pearl Media Network allows advertisers to tap into David's Bridal unmatched market reach to authentically connect with consumers through content across the web, social, podcast, streaming, video, in-store and more. Under the Pearl Media umbrella is Love Stories by David's, the top wedding media brand taking a digital-first approach to wedding content and inspiration with over 20M viewers per month across content platforms, including the wedding industry's sole podcast network, streaming TV and Snap Discover channels, and largest YouTube and TikTok channels, and a library of over 30,000 real wedding videos. Each video comes equipped with wedding data and details, contributing to a marketplace of over 60,000 wedding professionals to help couples better dream about, research and plan their big day.With more than 190 stores across the US, Canada, and franchise locations in Mexico, David's Bridal offers the convenience of one-stop shopping for every magical event in her life, including weddings, Quinceanera, graduations, proms, communions, or simply making the world her runway and beyond. To learn more about David's Bridal, visitwww.DavidsBridal.com , download thePlanning App , and connect on social media throughInstagram ,YouTube ,Pinterest ,Facebook ,X ,TikTok , andLinkedIn .Contact InformationDavid's Bridalmediarequests@ dbi.com SOURCE: DAVID'S BRIDAL CORPORATE PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-06 19:30:20 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 702 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Nonprofit launches new PSA campaign "What Kind of World do you Want" to raise awareness and inspire collective actionOKLAHOMA CITY, OK / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / As the world observes International Children's Day, Feed the Children reaffirms its commitment to children's rights and well-being, beginning with access to nutritious food, clean water, and education. The nonprofit believes that no child can thrive unless their basic needs are met.According to the 2025 Global Report on Food Crises , over 295 million people in 53 countries faced acute food insecurity in 2024-an increase of 13 million from the year before. For Feed the Children, this day underscores the urgency of its mission to end childhood hunger."Childhood hunger is an urgent global issue that requires collective action," said Emily Callahan, President and CEO of Feed the Children. "Through our programs here at home and around the world, we are providing children and families with the vital resources they need to build stronger, healthier futures." This International Children's Day, the organization celebrates its programs and partnerships that help make a difference in the lives of children and their families around the world. Feed the Children launches a new PSA titled "What Kind of World Do You Want," which highlights children's unmet needs and calls on everyone to be part of the solution. Set to the song "World" by Five for Fighting, the campaign's message is clear: A world where no child goes to bed hungry is possible-if we create it together.Feed the Children believes that everyone can be part of the change to make the world a better place. This is the moment to unite behind a global movement to end childhood hunger. World hunger is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and it has devastating long-term consequences - especially for children. Learning about childhood hunger is the first step towards fixing the problem.Five Facts About Childhood Hunger1. Millions of children go to bed hungry.One in five children globally-approximately 148 million-suffers from hunger, lacking the nourishment needed to grow, learn, and thrive. ( UN )2. Hunger has lasting consequences.Hunger causes stunting (impaired growth and development) and wasting (rapid weight loss and severe malnutrition), both of which can be fatal or lead to lifelong challenges.3. Hunger claims lives.Hunger contributes to 3 million child deaths each year. Nearly half of all deaths in children under five are linked to malnutrition. (WFP)4. Hunger affects every regionIn the U.S., 1 in 5 children experience food insecurity ( USDA ). Globally, 24.8% of Asia's, 28.2 of Latin America and the Caribbean's, and 58% of Africa's population experience food insecurity. (The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024,FAO )5. We can end hunger-together.In 2024, Feed the Children distributed over 80.6 million pounds of food and essentials in the U.S., and 62 million meals across eight countries. But the fight can't be won alone.Access to food is a fundamental human right. Feed the Children invites everyone to take action this #InternationalChildrensDay by supporting programs that provide food, essentials, clean water, and opportunity. Donations can be made atfeedthechildren.org About Feed the ChildrenFeed the Children is a leading nonprofit committed to ending childhood hunger. The organization believes that no child should go to bed hungry, and so it provides children and families in the U.S. and around the world with the food and essentials kids need to grow and thrive.Through its programs and partnerships, the organization feeds children today while helping their families and communities build resilient futures. In addition to food, Feed the Children distributes household and personal care items across the United States to help parents and caregivers maintain stable, food-secure households. Internationally, it expands access to nutritious meals, safe water, improved hygiene, and training in sustainable living. As responsible stewards of its resources, Feed the Children is driven to pursue innovative, holistic, and child-focused solutions to the complex challenges of hunger, food insecurity, and poverty.For children everywhere, the organization believes that having enough to eat is a fundamental right. Learn how you can help create a world without childhood hunger atfeedthechildren.org ###For more information, please contact:Kelly Frey - 405-945-4064 Kelly.Frey@feedthechildren.org SOURCE: Feed the Children PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-06 01:35:06 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 664 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Docudrama Inspired by Michael Medved's Bestselling Book Debuts in Our Nation's Capital, Stirring Patriotic Sentiment Across AmericaWASHINGTON, D.C. / ACCESS Newswire / June 5, 2025 / Last night, Heroic Pictures and Patterns of Evidence Foundation hosted an exclusive VIP red carpet premiere at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., with best-selling New York Times author Michael Medved and award-winning producer and film director Timothy Mahoney. They showcased a stirring new motion picture,The American Miracle: Our Nation Is No Accident. With media coverage from Movieguide, Real America's Voice and NTD, among others, the premiere kicked off the film's national launch in theatres across America June 9-11."America needs this film at this time in our history as we approach the nation's 250th anniversary. We want this film to bring the country together by inspiring them with the miraculous and forgotten story of God's providential hand that brought about this great nation," said Mahoney. "We invite all Americans to rediscover and honor our nation's founding by going to your theater to see this epic motion picture." The American Miracle - Our Nation Is No Accident is introducing a new film style called Drama Doc," said Executive Producer Ralf Augstroze. "There is far more drama than doc, but the doc gives the important historical support of these miraculous events." During the screening, spontaneous applause broke out after a powerful scene in which Benjamin Franklin calls for prayer during the Constitutional Convention. The evening concluded with a standing ovation and was a spectacular event that featured costumed historical reenactors portraying George and Martha Washington, Billy Lee, James Madison and a host of Continental soldiers.This film brings to life the extraordinary stories of providence that shaped the founding of the United States. "[Washington used] a phrase in his first inaugural address... thanking the invisible hand for protecting him," shared Medved last night following the premiere. "I'm sure that this kind of story, about this prodigious gift of America, is something that everybody here could testify to and be thankful for." The cast includes Pat Boone, Kevin Sorbo, Nicole C. Mullen, Cameron Arnett, James Arnold Taylor and Libby Smallbone, along with authors, scholars and commentators such as Joseph Ellis, Richard Dreyfuss, Paul Kengor, Robert P. George, Akhil Reed Amar, Lord Andrew Roberts and Jana Novak, among many others. The film offers a powerful and timely reminder that America's freedom and purpose are no accident-they are the result of God's providence."We didn't just happen," Pat Boone shared in the opening prayer. "We were created, and we were led by human beings who were led by You and Your Bible. Your Word was the basis for all that makes America-who America has been and who we want to still be." Mahoney wrapped the post-premiere commentary with a closing prayer: "Lord, this film is a special film because I think it does remind us that You have been a part of our past, and we want You to be a part of our present... We ask, dear Lord, that this film would be an encouragement-and also a healing film...[for] the divides that have been out there... that You would use this film to bring healing to our nation." Following the exclusive premiere, The American Miracle will debut in theaters nationwide for a limited time this weekend, June 9-11, 2025.For more information about the film, visit AmericanMiracleMovie.com Created and funded under the auspices of Patterns of Evidence Foundation. Produced and distributed by Heroic Pictures.About Heroic Pictures Heroic Pictures is a motion picture studio telling true stories of God acting in history, shedding light on the lives of heroic people and events that have shaped our past and inspire our future.-30-For photos, media inquiries, interview requests or additional information, please contact:Heidi McDow, A. Larry Ross Communications heidi@ alarryross.com 214-679-3409SOURCE: Heroic Pictures PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-06 20:45:08 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 462 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Tidewater News Ranks Keever SEO as the #1 SEO service for proven rankings, ethical practices, and verified client success.CINCINNATI, OH / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / Keever SEOhas been named the #1 SEO Company of 2025 by Tidewater News, following an independent industry audit of the nation's top-performing digital marketing firms. Featured in the outlet's highly anticipated annual report, "Top 10 Best SEO Companies to Boost Your Business," the list spotlights agencies delivering transformational results in search engine visibility, and this year, Keever SEO secured the top ranking based on its innovation, performance, and client impact.Tidewater News , a respected authority in business and technology reporting, evaluated more than 50 SEO agencies across the U.S. using a weighted scorecard. Ranking factors included organic search performance, client retention, content execution, and return on investment. Keever SEO was recognized for its data-driven methodology, customized campaigns, and consistent Page 1 placements across Google's most competitive search terms."As search has become the modern storefront, ranking on Google is mission-critical," said Scott Keever, Founder and CEO of Keever SEO. "This recognition from Tidewater reflects our commitment to helping clients dominate their markets through strategy, transparency, and performance." What Is SEO and Why It's Essential in 2025Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of increasing a website's visibility in organic search engine results. In today's hyper-competitive digital economy, securing a Page 1 position on Google is often the difference between scaling a business or being left behind.According to Tidewater News, 2025 marks a decisive shift in how businesses allocate their marketing budgets-away from short-lived paid ads and toward sustainable, organic search strategies. Leading firms like Keever SEO are helping clients achieve long-term growth through technical audits, expert content development, strategic link building, and online reputation enhancement.About Keever SEOFounded in 2015, Keever SEO is a nationally recognized digital marketing agency specializing in search engine optimization, online reputation management, and PPC advertising. With offices in Miami, Cincinnati, and Tampa, the agency serves a diverse range of clients-from local service providers to high-profile individuals and enterprise-level brands. Known for its hands-on approach and ethical SEO practices, Keever SEO has built a reputation for delivering measurable results through customized, algorithm-safe strategies.About the Founder: Scott KeeverScott Keever is an internationally recognized SEO strategist and the founder of Keever SEO. A member of the Forbes Agency Council and the Entrepreneur Leadership Network, Keever has helped hundreds of companies climb to the first page of Google through strategic, long-term SEO execution. He's frequently featured in publications such asEntrepreneur , Metro Times, andFast Company , and consistently ranks on lists of thebest SEO consultantsin the U.S. and abroad. His leadership has positioned Keever SEO as one of the most trusted and effective digital agencies in the industry.Media Contact: John LancingCheif Editor contact@ tidewaternews.com PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-06 05:15:11 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 448 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY AND NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESS Newswire / June 5, 2025 /Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have untilJuly 22, 2025to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Organon & Co. (NYSE:OGN), if they purchased the Company's securities between October 31, 2024 and April 30, 2025, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.What You May DoIf you purchased securities of Organon and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ( lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com) , or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-ogn/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court byJuly 22, 2025 .About the LawsuitOrganon and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.On March 10, 2025, pre-market, the Company announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2025, disclosing, among other things, that management had reset the Company's dividend payout, from $0.28 to $0.02, contradicting its prior statements assuring investors that the regular quarterly dividend was a number one priority and that the Company was committed to its capital allocation strategy through the aforementioned dividend. On this news, the price of Organon's shares fell more than 27%, from a closing market price of $12.93 per share on April 30, 2025, to $9.45 per share on May 1, 2025.The case is Hauser V. Organon & Co., et al., No. 25-cv-05322.About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. This past year, KSF was ranked by SCAS among the top 10 firms nationally based upon total settlement value. KSF serves a variety of clients, including public and private institutional investors, and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, Delaware, California, Louisiana, Chicago, New Jersey, and a representative office in Luxembourg.TOP 10 Plaintiff Law Firms - According to ISS Securities Class Action ServicesTo learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com Contact:Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partner lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com 1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163CONNECT WITH US: FaceBook || Instagram || YouTube || TikTok || LinkedInSOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-06 14:00:19 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 999 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Dr. Shervin Naderi and his team integrate facial rejuvenation with weight loss care to manage the structural facial changes associated with GLP-1 medications.CHEVY CHASE, MD / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / With the rise of GLP-1 weight-loss medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, patients are seeing incredible changes in their bodies, but often, not for the better in their faces. Rapid fat loss can lead to what's now widely referred to as "Ozempic face"-a hollowed, gaunt, and prematurely aged appearance. At The Naderi Center for Plastic Surgery & Dermatology, our experts are offering a proactive solution to this growing concern. Dr. Snodgrass, Dr. Naderi and Dr. Kulak Patients receive coordinated care across specialties, with ongoing support from Dr. Snodgrass for dermatologic needs, Dr. Naderi, and Dr. Kulak for surgical guidance.What Is Ozempic Face?Ozempic face occurs when facial fat rapidly diminishes due to medication-assisted weight loss. As facial fat decreases, especially in the midface and jawline, natural volume and definition can diminish, subtly altering facial contours. This leads to:Sunken cheeksSagging skinLoss of jawline definitionA tired or older appearance that includes wrinkles"Weight loss is fantastic for your health and confidence," says Dr. Shervin Naderi, double board-certified facial plastic surgeon. "But the face often loses its natural support and volume, and that's where we come in." Why Early Intervention MattersFacial aging and volume loss aren't just cosmetic issues-they are structural changes that become harder to reverse over time. As patients lose weight, especially quickly, the skin and underlying tissues may not adapt at the same pace. Early aesthetic interventions help support the skin during this transition, preserving firmness and contour while preventing the hollowing that often accompanies significant fat loss. Rather than waiting for noticeable signs of aging to appear, proactive treatment gives patients the advantage of subtle, ongoing maintenance.The Naderi Center strongly advocates for starting aesthetic treatments at the same time patients begin their GLP-1 medications. "Prevention is more effective than correction," explains Naderi Center Board Certified Dermatologist, Dr. Alexandra Snodgrass. Dr. Snodgrass starts the early discuss about possible "Ozempic face" when she prescribes GLP-1 receptor agonist medications for her patients. "By maintaining skin firmness and stimulating collagen early, we can minimize the visual downsides of weight loss." Dual Focus: Weight Loss + Facial RejuvenationThe Naderi Center is one of the only practices in the region that offers medical weight loss and facial rejuvenation treatments under one roof. Patients reduce their weight safely with medical guidance; they also get specific treatments that prevent or reverse facial volume loss.This dual approach is supported by a collaborative team that includes Dr. Shervin Naderi, facial plastic surgeon; Dr. Alexandra Snodgrass, board-certified dermatologist; Dr. Jessica Kulak, aging face specialist; and Thifany Arce, licensed aesthetician and certified laser technician. A structured medical weight loss plan includes GLP-1 injectables. Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro are some examples of these injectables. Patients get coordinated care through this plan. The care attends to physical health and facial aesthetics during the treatment.Who's Most at Risk?Patients over the age of 40 or those losing more than 20-30 pounds tend to experience more dramatic facial changes. "Age-related collagen loss compounds the effects of fat loss," says Dr. Naderi. "The older you are, the more proactive we need to be." Best Treatments for Ozempic FaceA proper way to treat facial volume loss and skin laxity depends on a patient's age, skin along with their history of losing weight. The Naderi Center offers several non-surgical and surgical treatments; they help balance the face, improve skin, as well as support a long-term aesthetic result.1. Sculptra InjectionsThis collagen-stimulating injectable rebuilds lost volume gradually and naturally. "Sculptra is our go-to treatment for patients needing long-term structural improvement," Dr. Naderi says.The outcome shows itself slowly over months. Improvements can last for two years. This works well for patients who want a gentle, natural look to their facial skin.2. Morpheus8 RF MicroneedlingCombining microneedling and radiofrequency, Morpheus8 tightens loose skin and improves elasticity. It's ideal for the early stages of facial sagging caused by weight loss.The treatment penetrates deeper than traditional microneedling, targeting the lower dermis and subdermal layers to stimulate collagen and remodel tissue more effectively.3. Medical-Grade SkincareThe Naderi Center offers premium skincare lines like Alastin and ZO Skin Health, both of which contain proven ingredients to support collagen production and skin barrier health.4. Laser ResurfacingFractional CO2 and erbium lasers are used to improve skin texture, tone, and tightness, especially beneficial after rapid body changes.A laser resurfacing treatment causes small heated spots in the skin. This promotes the skin cells to turn over and renew collagen. The skin regains its firmness and radiance as time passes.5. Facial Fat Grafting & Facelift SurgeryFor patients with more advanced signs of aging or hollowing, surgical solutions offer long-lasting and dramatic improvement. "When nonsurgical options aren't enough, surgery can fully restore youthful proportions," says Dr. Snodgrass.Fat grafting restores volume using the patient's own fat, while facelift surgery repositions deep tissues to address sagging at its source, offering results that can last a decade or more.Long-Term Support at The Naderi CenterFrom the beginning of a patient's weight loss journey to their final aesthetic results, The Naderi Center is here to guide and support. Their integrated, holistic approach ensures your body and face transform in harmony, so patients look as good as they feel.A team of specialists provides constant care; they work together and adjust treatments as a patient's needs evolve. For a long-term plan, a person could have non-surgical maintenance or skincare updates. Another option is a surgical consultation, if that fits the situation.The Naderi Center has two locations:Chevy Chase, MD 5454 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 1655Phone: (301) 222-2020Monday-Friday: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PMReston, VA 297 Herndon Parkway, Suite 101Phone: (703) 481-0002Monday-Friday: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PMTo learn more or schedule a consultation, visit the practice web PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-06 02:35:13 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 895 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Latest June 2025 Update: Prime Biome Reviews Reveal Groundbreaking Gut Microbiome, Skin Barrier, and Dysbiosis Correction Benefits Backed by New Clinical FindingsWASHINGTON, PA / ACCESS Newswire / June 5, 2025 /Discovering Prime Biome: Why We Finally Looked Into This Gut & Skin Microbiome ResetAs of June 2025, gut health is no longer a niche conversation reserved for holistic circles-it's now the epicenter of modern health science. And at the forefront of this rapidly growing movement sits Prime Biome, a formula gaining viral traction across multiple disciplines: gastroenterology, dermatology, metabolic research, and even psychiatric wellness. Our investigation into Prime Biome Reviews began as a response to the flood of attention this product is receiving across Prime Biome Reddit threads, real-world testimonials, and most importantly-the scientific community's most recent findings.Why has Prime Biome suddenly become the gut & skin microbiome reset everyone is talking about? In short: it's the formula that finally connects all the dots. Gut dysbiosis (imbalance of intestinal bacteria), chronic low-grade inflammation, hormonal instability, leaky gut syndrome, skin barrier dysfunction, and even mood disorders-all appear intertwined through the gut-skin-brain axis. Prime Biome, according to June 2025 scientific publications, may offer One Of The First Commercially Available Protocols (Official Source) that systematically addresses these converging pathways.>>Commercial Warning: Prime Biome Is Only Sold Through The Official Website - Avoid Scams And Fakes.Prime Biome Reviews: A New Gut Reset ApproachUnlike older generation probiotics that focus on basic bacterial replenishment, Prime Biome uses a high-resilience spore-based strain-Bacillus coagulans-engineered to survive gastric acid and reach the intestines intact. This is supported by prebiotics like Inulin, adaptogenic botanicals like Babchi, Lion's Mane, Ginger, Dandelion Root, Lemon Balm, Fennel, and gut lining protectors like Slippery Elm Bark.Key June 2025 Clinical Highlights Behind Prime Biome:StudyParticipant SizeOutcome SummaryPrime Biome ImplicationInternational Gut-Skin Axis Trial (2025)4,32161% improvement in acne severity after 90 days of gut microbiome correctionPrime Biome may restore gut-skin axis integrityUniversity of Helsinki Metabolic Reset Study2,89038% reduction in abdominal bloating & water retentionPrime Biome could target metabolic endotoxemiaStanford Mood-Gut-Brain Pilot61245% reduction in self-reported anxiety after gut flora correctionPrime Biome supports the gut-brain axisJapanese Collagen & Skin Barrier Meta-analysis9,02249% increase in skin hydration via microbial modulationBabchi and Inulin synergy validatedThis growing body of research demanded our team take a serious look at Prime Biome Reviews (Check Out More). Was this merely another trend like "detox teas," or was this finally addressing root causes most products ignore?Prime Biome Reddit Reviews, Forum Buzz & Real-World CuriosityOn platforms like Prime Biome Reddit and AccessNewswire's Health Desk, verified users consistently highlight Prime Biome for its surprising multi-system benefits:Rapid bloating relief within 7-10 daysSkin tone brightening within 3-4 weeksReduced sugar cravings by week 6Fatigue improvement as gut permeability normalizesMore importantly, we observed nearly No Severe Prime Biome Side Effects Or Complaints Surfacing. While some mention mild transitional bloating (as gut flora rebalances), these were temporary.Why June 2025 Is the Tipping Point for Prime BiomeWe've monitored thousands of gut formulas over the years, but Prime Biome is capitalizing on three converging waves:The "Microbiome Revolution" - Google Scholar shows a 300% spike in gut-skin-brain studies between 2022-2025.Functional Dermatology - Integrative skincare now views acne and premature aging as downstream effects of gut dysbiosis.Post-Pandemic Inflammation - Long COVID has spotlighted the role of gut flora in immune modulation.In summary:Prime Biome isn't simply another probiotic-it's positioned as a gut reset system addressing the domino effect between gut flora, immune signaling, metabolic inflammation, and dermal regeneration. And it's precisely why we committed to running our 90-Day Clinical Observation Trial On Prime Biome that you'll see detailed next.The Origins of Prime Biome's FormulaThe research team behind Prime Biome tapped into data from recent metagenomic microbiome studies. Using samples from 14,000 subjects across the U.S., Japan, and Europe, the June 2025 Microbiome Health Consortium found recurring patterns among individuals suffering from unexplained fatigue, stubborn acne, bloating, constipation, anxiety, and metabolic slowdown. A core issue kept emerging: an overgrowth of pathogenic gut bacteria like Clostridium difficile and Enterobacteriaceae, alongside a collapse in butyrate-producing beneficial strains.>>Prime Biome Official Site Has Limited Stock - Claim Your 75% Off While Inventory Lasts.This gut dysbiosis triggers:Increased intestinal permeability ("leaky gut")Chronic systemic inflammationDysregulated insulin signalingOverstimulated cortisol levels (stress response)Skin barrier breakdown and collagen depletionPrime Biome Reviews: Our Full 90-Day Testing Timeline & Month-by-Month ResultsWhen we committed to evaluating Prime Biome Reviews with a strict 90-day testing framework, we weren't interested in anecdotal hype. Our team approached this as a clinical-grade observation, mirroring how metabolic reset protocols are run in gut-brain axis research clinics.>>Prime Biome Results Compound Over 90 Days - You Can Try It Today Fully Protected.Test Setup Overview:Participants: 36 individuals (ages 25-59)Conditions tracked: Digestion, skin quality, bloating, cravings, energy, mood stability, weight managementDosage: Prime Biome (2 gummies/day with breakfast)No other supplement interventions allowedJune 2025 tracking period>>Most Gut Supplements Fail - Prime Biome Reviews Prove This Formula Actually Delivers.Why 90 Days?Because dysbiosis correction is NOT immediate. According to theInternational Journal of Gastrointestinal Restoration(May 2025 issue), "Complete microbial recalibration requires a minimum 12-week microbial turnover window." Key Metrics We Tracked:SymptomInitial Baseline30 Days60 Days90 DaysPost-meal bloating82% reported49%21%7%Acne/seborrhea64% active43%19%4%Afternoon sugar cravings71%46%23%8%Sleep d PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-06 02:00:29 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 484 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / June 5, 2025 / If you suffered a loss on your Compass Group Diversified Holdings, LLC (NYSE:CODI) investment and want to learn about a potential recovery under the federal securities laws, follow the link below for more information:or contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. via email at jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com or call (212) 363-7500 to speak to our team of experienced shareholder advocates.THE LAWSUIT: A class action securities lawsuit was filed against Compass Group Diversified Holdings, LLC that seeks to recover losses of shareholders who were adversely affected by alleged securities fraud between May 1, 2024 and May 7, 2025.CASE DETAILS: According to the complaint, throughout the class period, defendants failed to disclose to investors that Compass lacked effective internal controls over its financial reporting; that Compass failed to disclose critical information regarding Lugano Holding, Inc. ("Lugano") which kept undisclosed financing arrangements and exhibited irregularities in its sales, cost of sales, inventory and accounts receivable; and that, as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about the Company's financial reporting were materially misleading.The truth emerged on May 7, 2025, after the market closed, the Company announced that its financial statements for fiscal 2024 could no longer be relied upon due to an ongoing internal investigation into its subsidiary, Lugano. Specifically, Compass reported that its Audit Committee launched an investigation over "concerns about how Lugano was potentially financing inventory." The Company also announced that it intends to delay the filing of its first quarter 2025 Form 10-Q. Further, effective May 7, 2025, Lugano's founder and CEO, Moti Ferder, resigned from Lugano and will not receive any severance compensation.Following this news, the price of Compass' common stock declined dramatically. From a closing market price of $17.25 per share on May 7, 2025 to $6.55 per share on May 8, 2025.WHAT'S NEXT? If you suffered a loss in Compass Diversified stock during the relevant time frame - even if you still hold your shares - go to https://zlk.com/pslra-1/compass-diversified-lawsuit-submission-form?prid=151848&wire=1&utm_campaign=24 to learn about your rights to seek a recovery. There is no cost or obligation to participate.WHY LEVI & KORSINSKY: Over the past 20 years, Levi & Korsinsky LLP has established itself as a nationally-recognized securities litigation firm that has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for aggrieved shareholders and built a track record of winning high-stakes cases. The firm has extensive expertise representing investors in complex securities litigation and a team of over 70 employees to serve our clients. For seven years in a row, Levi & Korsinsky has ranked in ISS Securities Class Action Services' Top 50 Report as one of the top securities litigation firms in the United States. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 17th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-06 01:32:07 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 646 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / June 5, 2025 /WHY: New York, N.Y., June 5, 2025. Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of Compass Diversified Holdings (NYSE:CODI) between May 1, 2024, and May 7, 2025, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important July 8, 2025 lead plaintiff deadline in the securities class action first filed by the Firm.SO WHAT: If you purchased Compass securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Compass class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=39216 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@ rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than July 8, 2025.A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, during the Class Period, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Compass's subsidiary, Lugano Holdings, Inc., maintained unrecorded financing arrangements and irregularities in its sales, cost of sales, inventory, and accounts receivable; (2) the irregularities and undisclosed details in Lugano Holdings, Inc.'s financial statements rendered the financial statements of Compass as a whole unreliable, and would require restatement; (3) Compass failed to maintain adequate internal controls related to its financial statements; and (4) as a result, defendants' public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.To join the Compass class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=39216or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@ rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed.No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm , on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/ Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.---Contact Information:Laurence Rosen, Esq.Phillip Kim, Esq.The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.275 Madison Avenue, 40th FloorNew York, NY 10016Tel: (212) 686-1060Toll Free: (866) 767-3653Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@ rosenlegal.comwww.rosenlegal.com SOURCE: The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-06 15:15:18 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 493 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 An evocative journey of fortitude, acceptance, and belongingBOSTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / GRAMMY-nominated vocal ensemble Skylark announces the release of "shades of blue," featuring world premiere recordings of Belgian-American composer Mark Van Overmeire's choral suites "Hereafter am I" and "Between the shadows." The 40-minute album emerged from a close collaborative process between composer and ensemble. Skylark Vocal Ensemble - shades of blue Album coverThe collaboration began when Van Overmeire, drawn to Skylark's blend of technical precision and emotional depth in their previous recordings, reached out directly to artistic director Matthew Guard. Rather than a traditional commission, Van Overmeire gave the ensemble unprecedented creative freedom to interpret his works."Their ability to find the soul within complex music is remarkable," said Van Overmeire. "I knew they could unlock new dimensions in these pieces and bring them fully to life." About the ComposerBorn in Sint-Amandsberg, Belgium, Mark Van Overmeire discovered music in his teens, studying at the Municipal Conservatory of Bruges and the Royal Conservatory of Ghent. His three previous albums on Kramusica Records - including collaborations with the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra and renowned guitarist Irina Kulikova - reflect his global musical influences from travels in South America and Southeast Asia.The Music"Hereafter am I" examines generational influence and belonging - how we unconsciously mirror those who came before us and the complex journey of understanding our place in that legacy. "Between the shadows" explores finding inner strength to overcome doubt, taking listeners through vulnerability toward empowerment and purpose.Guard was drawn to Van Overmeire's post-minimalist compositional style, which has shades of Arvo Part or David Lang but also tender lyrical moments. The composer's background as a percussionist creates interesting effects of articulation that the ensemble found compelling to explore, even having the freedom to use some extended vocal techniques to expand the color palette beyond traditional classical vocalization."Having this level of creative freedom allowed us to push our own boundaries," Guard explained. "We could experiment with interpretive choices that served Mark's vision while showcasing what Skylark does best." About SkylarkSince 2011, Skylark has earned four GRAMMY nominations and multiple Billboard Traditional Classical Chart entries. The Boston-based ensemble, praised as "the cream of the American crop" by BBC Radio 3, has performed internationally at venues like London's St. John's Smith Square, consistently redefining choral music through innovative programming.Their previous release, "Clear Voices in the Dark," featured the first US recording of Poulenc's challenging "Figure Humaine" interwoven with American Civil War-era songs, demonstrating their ability to create meaningful connections across musical traditions and bring renewed life to both historical and contemporary works."shades of blue" is available now on all major streaming platforms.Media Contact: Matthew Guard, Artistic Director info@ skylarkensemble.org (617) 245-4958Mark Van Overmeireinfo@ kramusica.com SOURCE: Kramusica Records SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY JWR UPDATE. IT'S FREE. Just click here. Anti-Trump resistance has sunk to a new low. An employee of the Defense Intelligence Agency is accused of attempting to share classified material with a foreign government out of frustration with President Donald Trump, the Department of Justice said last week. As Politico reported, Nathan Vilas Laatsch, who worked in IT for the military intelligence service, offered to share classified material with an unspecified "friendly foreign government," according to court documents and an announcement by the DOJ. "The recent actions of the current administration are extremely disturbing to me," he said in the email, according to an FBI affidavit filed with the court. "I do not agree or align with the values of this administration and intend to act to support the values that the United States at one time stood for." This is bound to ignite cheers with the incessant marchers decrying every move coming out of Washington and those who pepper their protest speech with cries of "fascist" and "Nazi." It was also inevitable. We live in a time in which people angry at Elon Musk and his actions at the Department of Government Efficiency have torched and vandalized random Teslas, and felt justified doing so. The murder of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson did engender a sense of outrage not at the act, but at the arrest of alleged shooter Luigi Mangione. Mangione has achieved folk hero status, a grotesque development. And now, after posing as representatives of the "friendly foreign government" and receiving material from Laatsch, the FBI arrested him in northern Virginia. The kicker: Laatsch worked in the DIA's Insider Threat Division, a unit devoted to detecting employees who might be disclosing or prone to disclose sensitive information. He allegedly told authorities he was requesting citizenship in the foreign country because of conditions in the U.S. Laatsch could have acted on those feelings by joining the "if Trump wins, I'm leaving the country" crowd and booked a ticket to virtually anywhere. Laatsch didn't need to allegedly share classified material with a foreign entity to get on a plane. Apparently it's not enough to vote with your feet, one must betray the country on your way out. "I've given a lot of thought to this before any outreach, and despite the risks, the calculus has not changed," the documents quoted him as writing. "I do not see the trajectory of things changing, and do not think it is appropriate or right to do nothing when I am in this position." Here's what Laatsch could have done to channel his displeasure with the administration: vote for Democratic candidates. Leave his government job to work on Democratic campaigns and causes. That's how citizens effect change in America. "This case underscores the persistent risk of insider threats," FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X. Fortunately, the FBI flushed this one out. There are many who share Laatsch's views on the "trajectory of things changing" under Trump, just as a poll found most Americans believing the country was headed in the wrong direction in 2024. Law-abiding Americans express their approval or disapproval at the ballot box. Betraying your country is not resistance, it's a crime. (COMMENT, BELOW) BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 6. A meeting on the prospects for financing green energy projects in Azerbaijan was held in the Philippines with the participation of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) representatives, Trend reports. This took place within the framework of the 2025-Asia Clean Energy Forum organized by the ADB in Manila, under the theme "Powering the Future: Clean Energy Innovations, Regional Cooperation and Integration, Financing Solutions". Thus, Azerbaijan was represented at the event by a delegation led by Deputy Minister of Energy Orkhan Zeynalov. The official spoke at a panel organized within the forum on the topic "Green Corridors for a Shared Future of the Central, West and East Asian Regions". The speech provided information on Azerbaijan's goals in the field of renewable energy, interregional infrastructure projects implemented for the export of green energy, and possible cooperation opportunities with Asian countries in this context. Simultaneously, the energy strategies unveiled under the auspices of the COP29 summit convened in our nation underscored the prospects generated for expediting the sustainable transition and fostering global collaboration. During the engagement, delegates from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, alongside representatives from the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, convened at a roundtable focused on the Central Asia-Azerbaijan Green Energy Corridor initiative. The symposium deliberated on fortifying energy interconnections, advancing sustainable energy transit pathways, and exploring multilateral collaborative prospects within this domain. A collaborative symposium convened with the engagement of ADB and AIIB delegates to explore the potential avenues for capital infusion into green energy initiatives within Azerbaijan's economic landscape. Furthermore, a strategic engagement was convened with ADB Executive Director Rachel Thompson. The meeting discussed the current issues of cooperation between Azerbaijan and ADB in the energy sector, especially the prospects for joint activities on renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. An exchange of views was held on the work done by Azerbaijan towards the development of green energy corridors and financial mechanisms to support investment in this area. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-06 15:30:34 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 663 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 OSWIECIM, POLAND / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / Twenty-five cadets and midshipmen from five United States service academies have arrived in Poland to take part in the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation's (AJCF) American Service Academies Program (ASAP) - an impactful 16-day educational experience that challenges future military leaders to confront the history of the Holocaust and apply its lessons to modern-day ethical leadership. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the program, which has educated hundreds of U.S. military students since its inception.This year's cohort includes 25 cadets and midshipmen from the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps. An additional ASAP group will travel later this summer.ASAP brings these future leaders through an intensive itinerary in both the U.S. and Poland, focusing on Holocaust history, ethical responsibility in the armed forces and the moral consequences of leadership during times of atrocity. Participants engage with survivors, scholars, elected officials and educators across two continents in a transformative journey of remembrance and responsibility.In Poland, the program began on June 1 with an opening dinner and orientation led by Auschwitz Jewish Center directors and the program's Scholar-in-Residence Prof. Jody Russell Manning. Over the next several days, the group will engage in guided study visits to Auschwitz I and Auschwitz-Birkenau, tour the Kazimierz Jewish Quarter and the former Krakow ghetto, meet with Holocaust survivors, visit the Auschwitz Jewish Center and museum and roll up their sleeves to help maintain the Oswiecim Jewish cemetery. The group will then travel to Warsaw to visit the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Treblinka Death Camp Museum and Warsaw Uprising Museum and concludes with academic seminars, reflection workshops and commemorative events.They then travel to New York, where the group will visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City, meet with Holocaust survivors and Poland's Consul General, visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum and participate in the AJCF's annual gala on June 11."For 20 years, the American Service Academies Program has empowered young military leaders to understand the consequences of hatred, the fragility of democracy and the importance of moral courage," said AJCF Chairman Simon Bergson. "By immersing these cadets and midshipmen in the history of Auschwitz and the Holocaust, we hope to inspire ethical leadership rooted in humanity and justice." "These young men and women represent the future of our nation's armed forces and they are confronting some of history's darkest chapters to become the kind of leaders the 21st Century needs," said AJCF Director General Jack Simony. "Twenty years of ASAP have shown us that education in ethical leadership is one of the most powerful tools we have to fight hatred and uphold democratic values." This year's ASAP is made possible with generous support from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany; the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future; the German Federal Ministry of Finance; the Taube Family Foundation and the David Berg Foundation.The Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to harnessing the lessons learned from the Holocaust to combat hatred and bigotry through educational programs and by providing direct humanitarian aid to victims of mass atrocities. It supports survivors of genocides and other tragedies, including Ukrainian refugees and those impacted by Hamas's October 7 attacks. The Foundation maintains the Auschwitz Jewish Center, the last remaining synagogue in Oswiecim (Auschwitz) and serves as the primary institution dedicated to preserving the memory of the town's Jewish community while addressing hate. To date, over a million people have visited the center and more than 300,000 individuals, including first responders, military personnel, students and educators, have taken part in its educational initiatives on tolerance and the Holocaust. For more information, visit: https://ajcfus.org/ Contact:Joshua SteinreichSteinreich Communications(212) 491-1600Jsteinreich@ scompr.com SOURCE: Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation Kenyan President William Ruto has stirred up a storm on social media with his provocative question about the romantic prowess of Kenyan men, as an increasing number of the countrys women are choosing to marry Nigerians. To add a personal touch to the story, its worth noting that Mr Rutos daughter, June, married a Nigerian, Alexander Ezenagu, an assistant professor of taxation and commercial law at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) in Qatar, in 2021. Mr Ruto, who previously served as Kenyas first elected deputy president, made the remark that went viral as a guest at his friends daughters wedding on 2 June. In the video obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday, he jokingly warned of the consequences of the growing trend. He said, My daughter is married to a Nigerian, and this one (referring to his friends daughter) is again marrying a Nigerian, and our guys (men) around, I dont know. Are you too slow? We need to balance this scale; at this stage, we will have a brain drain from Kenya. I think theres something between Kenya and Nigeria, we should pick it up further. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Nigerians Additionally, Mr Ruto teased Nigerian guests at the wedding, particularly the groom. He added that the groom arm-twisted his friend into accepting extravagant gifts in exchange for his daughters hand in marriage. Nigerians are very complicated people, and you intimidated him into accepting all this. So, that is why I proposed to come. Although my diary was full, I wanted to see this Nigerian who had come to harass my friend. But I was told you have been well-behaved since this morning. I have asked whether you have done what was needed, and he has given me a brief. Consider yourself lucky I was not here, because you would have been in trouble. But because its done and I cant reverse it anyway, said Mr Ruto. Reactions Mr Rutos comments sparked a wave of positivity among netizens, with many praising Nigerian men for their global representation. Some attributed the appeal to Nigerian mens romantic nature, sweetness, and attractiveness, leading Kenyan women to marry them. Below are some of the comments. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A US district judge has issued a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration, halting the enforcement of a ban preventing Harvard University from admitting international students. President Trump had signed a proclamation on Wednesday, blocking the institution from enrolling foreign students, which makes up a quarter of its student body, and contributes significantly to its research and academic output. This is the latest attack by the administration against the nations oldest and wealthiest university. However, it responded swiftly by filing a lawsuit. Judge Allison Burroughs, based in Massachusetts, issued the restraining order on Thursday, on the grounds that the university would face immediate and irreparable injury should the proclamation be implemented. According to the university, the policy was a vendetta waged by President Donald Trump aimed at stifling free speech. Mr Trump argued that the ban is necessary on national security grounds, and accused Harvard of not doing enough to stop antisemitism on campus. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later If Mr Trumps order were implemented, it would affect thousands of foreign students, including Nigerians who are scheduled to resume at Harvards campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for the summer and fall term. Harvards more than 7,000 F-1 and J-1 visa holders and their dependents have become pawns in the governments escalating campaign of retaliation, Harvard said. DHS previous order The US district judge has blocked implementation of the order and also extended the temporary hold placed on the administrations earlier attempt to halt Harvards enrollment of international students. In May, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it was revoking Harvards Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification. This was the programme that allowed the school to enroll foreign students. The DHS attributed this to the Universitys refusal to comply with its requests for the behavioural records of student visa holders. The Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Neom, had accused the school of fostering an unsafe campus environment, hostility to Jewish students, support for Hamas, and what she described as racist DEI initiatives. Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country. This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus, she said. It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enrol foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments. Harvard had plenty of opportunities to do the right thing. It refused. However, the order was quickly blocked by a judge and upheld last week by another federal judge. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The relationship between US President Donald Trump and his former ally, Elon Musk, reached a breaking point Thursday as their public feud escalated. The tech billionaire, and erstwhile leader of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), created by Mr Trump, made a series of posts on X in response to Mr Trumps remark at the oval office on Thursday. In one of his posts, he alleged that Mr Trump has ties to convicted sex offender and financier, Jeffrey Epstein. Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public, Mr Musk wrote on X, his social media platform. Minutes later, he followed up with, Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out. A number of powerful individuals have been previously linked to Jeffrey Epstein, with their names reportedly in court documents detailing Mr Epsteins decades-long history of sexual abuse. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Among those mentioned are Mr Trump, Prince Andrew, and former President Bill Clinton. However, Mr Trump has denied any connection to Mr Epstein. War of words Mr Musk was a major financier and supporter of Mr Trumps reelection. Their alliance, once strong, fractured over disagreements about Mr Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill, passed by the House in May. The bill seeks to enact tax reforms, cut federal spendings on policies such as medicaid and school feeding for children and implement various policy changes. Mr Musk, who previously led DOGE, criticised the bill for its projected $2.4 trillion deficit impact. Im sorry, but I just cant stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it, he wrote on X on Tuesday. At the oval office on Thursday, when asked to react to Mr Musks statement, Mr Trump expressed disappointment at the criticism. Elon and I had a great relationship. I dont know if we will anymore, Mr Trump told reporters. Shortly after, Mr Musk made a post on X stating that Mr Trump could not have won the 2024 election without him. Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. Such ingratitude, he wrote. Irritated by this, Mr Trump fired back on his own social media site, Truth Social, that the easiest way to save money would be to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. In response, Mr Musk, on X, announced that SpaceX, his private aerospace company, would decommission its Dragon Spacecraft. The Dragon spacecraft has been a critical component of NASAs operations, serving as the primary vehicle for transporting astronauts and cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Trump and Elons relationship Mr Trumps relationship with Mr Musk was considered a powerful political alliance. Mr Musk was the largest individual donor in the 2024 election cycle won by Mr Trump and the Republican Party. The billionaire contributed approximately $288 million to support Mr Trump and other Republican candidates. He was given authority through DOGE to lead efforts to reshape the federal government. But the relationship soured after Mr Musk left the agency and publicly criticised the Trump administrations budget bill. Mr Musk has also stated that Mr Trumps tariff will cause a recession by the second half of the year. In his post on Truth social, Mr Trump said, I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. Its a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesnt pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didnt create this mess, Im just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The use of legal tools to entrench political power and sideline opponents is increasing in Africa. This lawfare often presents as presidential term-limit manipulations, reshuffles of the judiciary and exploitation of legal procedures to sustain power. The tactic has emerged across the continent in countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Togo. It undermines public trust in democratic institutions and creates an uneven political playing field. As the African Union (AU) tries to advance good governance, tackling lawfare must become indispensable in curtailing democratic backsliding. Trend to manipulate legal provisions Lawfare manifests differently in different countries. A recent trend is to manipulate legal provisions defining crucial dimensions of political power. This ranges from the subtle use of ambiguous laws to tilt the political scale in favour of incumbents, to overt constitutional amendments. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later One example of the more subtle approach is using legal processes to exclude opposition parties from elections under the guise of non-compliance with electoral laws. In Tanzania, the Independent National Electoral Commission disqualified the main opposition party, Chama cha Demokrasia (Chadema), ahead of the October 2025 elections, for refusing to sign a new electoral code of ethics. While Tanzanias 2024 elections law mandates compliance, neither the Constitution nor the electoral commission has the power to disqualify parties on that basis. Yet the law was interpreted to exclude the Chadema candidate, giving the ruling party the political advantage and setting a precedent for other provisions to be similarly weaponised. The phenomenon also shows up in contradictory court rulings that sometimes point to underlying political interests. In Zambia, questions arose about the 2018 Constitutional Court decision that then-president Edgar Lungus first term didnt count towards the two five-year term limits. Lungu had appointed several of the deciding judges, whose collective ruling allowed him to run for a third term. In 2024, the same court under a new administration and with several judges removed reversed that ruling. As a result, Lungu was blocked from contesting the 2026 election. And this time, the courts decision handed President Hakainde Hichilema an advantage. (Lungu, who remained politically active, died yesterday, on 5 June.) The lack of consistency in Zambias constitutional court rulings inadvertently exposed how laws and their associated rulings could be manipulated for political gain. Rather than violating the law outright, these examples show how incumbents use legal loopholes, time key appointments to neutralise opposition, or selectively enforce court decisions and regulations. This makes detecting and countering lawfare difficult and threatens democratic accountability across the continent. A more overt manifestation of lawfare is the use of constitutional review processes and the redesign of institutions to entrench power. These tactics preserve a veneer of procedure while advancing the political goals of certain individuals. Decisions are based on parliamentary votes or referendums but seldom adhere to the spirit of a countrys constitution. A recurring pattern is resetting term limits, reframing executive powers or overhauling the political system to favour incumbents. This has happened in the DRC, Zimbabwe and Togo. In the DRC, President Felix Tshisekedi announced plans to reform and Congolicise the 2006 constitution owing to perceptions that it was the product of international mediation. His critics interpret this as a third-term bid. In Zimbabwe, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has denied seeking a third term. But recent statements by Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi about clarifying the constitution raised concerns and led to protests by opposition groups. In Togo, constitutional reforms in 2024 transformed Togos presidential political system into a parliamentary one without direct presidential elections. The ruling party said the move would strengthen democracy, but for the opposition and civil society, it amounted to a constitutional coup detat aimed at circumventing presidential term limits. These tactics quietly erode inherent checks and balances in Africas political institutions. Courts and legislatures are being repurposed for partisan ends, and the line between legality and manipulation is being blurred. All these actions set a precedent that will undermine the integrity of political institutions and the fairness of elections. The result is often instability. In Zimbabwe, weariness over apparent third-termism has strained relations with war veterans and sections of the security sector crucial to regime stability. In the DRC, the trend is diverting AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) attention from resolving the crisis in the countrys east. In Togo, already fragile civil-military relations could be inflamed. Way forward The AU has strong tools to deal with the situation. The African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, particularly Article 23(5), explicitly prohibits constitutional amendments and revisions contrary to the principles of democratic change of government. But enforcement has been selective and limited. The PSC has acted only in cases such as Burundis 2015/16 third-term crisis, where four separate council communiques attempted to prevent then-president Pierre Nkurunzizas bid. When lawfare has been more subtle, with legality carefully masking democratic backsliding, the council has remained largely inactive. Because lawfare tactics arent covered in the annual state of peace and security report presented to the AU Assembly, actions are limited to monitoring and early warning. The PSC could expand the AUs bi-annual election reporting to include the manipulation of legal provisions. This would raise awareness and bring issues onto the PSC agenda before democratic erosion deepens. Exposing the increasing sophistication of the phenomenon will provide a basis for proactive responses. Without more assertive action, Africa risks a future where democracy dwindles not through soldiers and tanks in the streets, but the quiet turning of legal gears. Zenge Simakoloyi, Research Officer, Africa Peace and Security Governance, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Addis Ababa (This article was first published by ISS Today, a Premium Times syndication partner. We have their permission to republish). Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print INFORMANT247, a digital newsroom, has faced a troubling pattern of intimidation and harassment over exposing corruption in Kwara State. A notable example occurred in February 2024 when the Rector of Kwara State Polytechnic, Abdul Jimoh Muhammed, an engineer, filed a petition to the Kwara State police headquarters leading to the arrest and detention of the Editor-in-Chief, Salihu Ayatullahi, and Managing Director, Adisa-Jaji Azeez. Their arrest followed the publication of a two-part investigation alleging financial mismanagement and the commissioning of uncompleted projects at the polytechnic. Aminat Adebayo Jaji, 28, was pregnant on the afternoon of February 4, 2024, when her husband, Mr Azeez, Managing Director of Informant247, received a phone call from the Ilorin police command headquarters. He was informed that a petition had been filed against him and his colleagues over the first and second parts of an investigative report published in November 2023 and February 2024, and that their presence was required at the station. When Aminat inquired about the issue, Mr Azeez explained that the invitation was connected to a complaint from the Rector of Kwara Polytechnic. At that moment, she became visibly unsettled. However, her husband reassured her, saying, The worst that could happen is they detain us. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Being five months pregnant, Aminat was anxious. What kept her going was her husbands promise that everything would be fine. They had agreed to stay in touch via phone. Everything went according to plan until she began calling him and received no response. I became so worried that I had to leave work early. My blood pressure shot up when I was denied access to see my husband. I lost control, I even had a confrontation with the publisher of Informant247 that same day, Aminat told The ICIR. Before responding to the police invitation, Messrs Azeez and Ayatullahi contacted their lawyer, Muhammad Edun, who filed a fundamental human rights application to prevent their detention. Although the application was submitted to the Commissioner of Police on February 5, they were still detained that same day. When Aminat couldnt see her husband she was forced to return home where she met family members, including her husbands parents, already gathered, anxiously waiting for an update. Under pressure, she eventually revealed that her husband and his colleagues had been locked up in a cell and that she could not see him. On 6 February, 2024, the journalists were arraigned before a magistrate court on charges of criminal conspiracy, cyberstalking, and defamation. Their legal counsel argued that the magistrate lacked jurisdiction over cybercrime cases, which fall under federal authority. The court granted them bail and struck out the case due to lack of jurisdiction and diligent prosecution. Messrs Azeez and Ayatullahis arrest was among at least five incidents of journalist arrests and detentions in Nigeria in 2024 alone a troubling indicator of the growing threats and intimidation faced by media professionals in the country. The pattern reflects a continuing trend of arrests, harassment, threats, and even killing of journalists despite repeated pledges by the government to uphold press freedom. A January 2025 report on Media and Expression in Nigeria by the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO) revealed that attacks on journalists and media practitioners accounted for 71.4 per cent of press freedom violations. Background of the reports The original series began with a report titled: Just a paint job: Inside Kwara Polytechnics shoddy project commissioning, published in November 2023. Following the first publication, Mr Azeez said the Polytechnic authorities tried to halt the investigation. He added that the Rector attempted to persuade him to not continue with the second part. When he (Rector) asked why I went to press without reaching out to him, I replied that I spoke to his PRO before we published the story, Mr Azeez told The ICIR Despite this, a second report was published in February 2024. We had to dig deeper to expose the systemic corruption within the institution. We launched what was supposed to be a series of investigations 10 parts in total. After publishing the second report, we were invited by the police, M Ayatullahi, the Editor- in-chief, added. Despite voluntarily honouring the police invitation, Messrs Ayatullahi and Azeez were detained by officers from the Anti-Kidnapping and Cultism Unit a section typically reserved for violent crimes. What was initially considered a routine inquiry quickly escalated and saw the journalists locked up in a cell overnight. That night felt surreal. I remember I honestly couldnt sleep overnight, Mr Ayatullahi recalled. We were thrown into a dark, cramped room no bed, no light, just a cold floor and the stares of inmates who had clearly been there for days. All I kept asking myself was, how did we get to a point in this country where telling the truth lands you here? The next morning, they were charged to court with criminal conspiracy and defamation, with an ex-parte motion seeking their remand in Okekura Prison. The magistrate rejected the motion and granted them bail. Legal retaliation and Federal charges Despite the magistrate court sticking out the original charges, a new case was filed at the Federal High Court in Ilorin, with the Federal Government now named as the complainant. Their lawyer, Mr Edun, described the refiled charges as an abuse of legal process noting that state actors exploit procedural tools to intimidate journalists. They moved the same allegations to a new charge, even though its based on identical facts, Mr Edun told The ICIR. Its a clear case of legal harassment, he noted, noting that such tactics send a chilling message to journalists, that exposing corruption may lead not just to arrests, but to relentless legal battles dressed in procedural legitimacy. He argued that procedural tools are being used to intimidate journalists, sending a message that exposing corruption could lead to prolonged legal battles. Official response When contacted, the rector, Mr Muhammed initially did not respond. Later, in an email, he stated: Currently the matter is before the Federal High Court in Ilorin. For now, its unethical to speak on it. Therefore, I urge you to be patient till the outcome of the court. Impact on newsroom and continued investigations Before the arrest, We were in full swing, everyone was motivated, knowing the impact of our work on the community, Mr Ayatullahi recalled. The arrest disrupted operations at Informant247, but the newsroom responded by deepening its investigations. We knew we were being punished for doing our job, so we decided to keep doing it louder, he said. Over the past 11 months, while the Federal High Court trial continues, the outlet has published over ten reports including four additional stories on Kwara Polytechnic. It wasnt easy, said Mr Ayatullahi. But we found purpose in the pressure. If anything, the attack made us more united, more intentional about our work, and more resolved to protect press freedom. Calls for reform Busola Ajibola, Deputy Director at the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), has been a prominent voice on the challenges facing press freedom in Nigeria. In her report, Exploring the Interface of Press Freedom and Technology in Nigeria, she highlights how digital platforms, while offering new avenues for information dissemination, have also introduced threats such as cyberbullying, surveillance, and the misuse of cybercrime laws to stifle journalistic work. Ms Ajibola emphasises that these challenges are not just technological but also legal and ethical, requiring a multifaceted approach to safeguard press freedom. In a workshop reported by Premium Times, Ms Ajibola addressed the increasing use of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) to intimidate journalists. She noted that these legal tactics are designed to burden journalists with the cost and stress of legal defence, thereby deterring them from pursuing investigative reporting. Ms Ajibola called for stronger legal protections and support systems for journalists to ensure they can continue their work without fear of retribution. Speaking with The ICIR, Abdulwasiu Mujeeb, a Lagos based legal practitioner, said theres no provision in Nigerian law that criminalises the demand for accountability. READ ALSO: Kwara Gov Abdulrazaq mourns as 37 die in boat crash The lawyer said that Section 24 of the Cybercrime Act, which was cited in Informant247 case, was intended to address threats to public peace or personal safety, not to silence investigative journalism. That publication was simply demanding accountability. The provisions concerning this subject matter is Section 24. What the provisions simply say is that no one should publish a statement that threatens another persons peace or a statement that would breach public peace. Unfortunately, powerful individuals now misuse this law to harass reporters and suppress press freedom. If this trend continues, well see fewer calls for accountability, and impunity will only deepen in our institutions, Mr Wasiu said. This report was produced by ICIR in collaboration with the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) as part of a project documenting issues focused on press freedom in Nigeria. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mohammed Uwais, is dead. Mr Uwais, 89, died on Friday, according to a statement by President Bola Tinubu. Mr Uwais was the chief justice when Nigeria transitioned to a democracy in 1999 after almost two decades of military rule. In his statement, Mr Tinubu described Mr Uwais as a colossus. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the Uwais family, the government and the people of Kaduna State, as well as the members of the Nigerian Judiciary, over the death of this colossus, the president wrote. Read the presidents full statement below. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later STATEHOUSE PRESS RELEASE IN JUSTICE UWAIS, NIGERIA LOST A PHENOMENAL JURIST, STATESMAN Former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais, who died on Friday at 89, was a phenomenal jurist and statesman who served Nigeria with honour, courage and exceptional integrity. I join family members, friends, proteges and well-meaning Nigerians in mourning this respected patriot and statesman, who passed away today as we mark Eid-Al-Adha. Many remarkable highpoints hallmarked Justice Uwais illustrious career on the bench. He superintended the Judiciary at a challenging time in our history with tact, patience, and a sense of duty. This stabilising role helped usher in the current democratic dispensation, which he had the distinct honour of ushering in as the Chief Justice of Nigeria, who swore in the elected president on May 29, 1999. READ ALSO: Commissioner resigns as PDP governor crosses to APC In retirement, the Federal Government called upon Justice Uwais to head a panel to investigate the conduct of our elections. Given his pedigree and personal integrity, he was the right person for that onerous assignment. Not surprisingly, Justice Uwais led the panel to produce a critical report that contained a detailed prognosis of our electoral system. In active service and retirement, the late Justice Uwais maintained a dignified persona, earning him respect beyond his immediate constituency. May God Almighty accept the soul of Justice Uwais and admit him to Jannatul Firdaus. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the Uwais family, the government and the people of Kaduna State, as well as the members of the Nigerian Judiciary, over the death of this colossus. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR President and Commander-in-Chief Federal Republic of Nigeria Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted and sentenced nine Chinese nationals, including two women, to one year imprisonment each for economic sabotage and financial terrorism. The trial judge, Daniel Osiagor, handed down the sentences after the convicts entered into a plea bargain agreement with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The convicts are Zhao Xiang Hui, Liu Hai Rong, Liu Gang, Du Ji Geng, Li Dong, Huang Bo, Xhiong Zhen, Lai Rui Feng, and Deng Wei Qiang. In addition to the custodial sentence, the court ordered each to pay a fine of N1 million. Their conviction follows the 10 December 2024 raid by EFCC operatives on the sixth floor of a building on Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. The operation, described by the agency as its largest single-day cybercrime crackdown, resulted in the arrest of over 700 individuals, including 158 foreign nationals, for alleged involvement in cyber terrorism and economic sabotage. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later At the resumed hearing on Thursday, EFCC counsel Nnemeka Omewa informed the court that the nine Chinese nationals had reached a plea deal with the Commission, which the prosecution found satisfactory. Defence counsel Folarin Damela confirmed the arrangement and urged the court to adopt its terms. The amended one-count was read to the defendants in open court, to which all nine pleaded guilty and affirmed that they voluntarily signed the plea bargain agreement. Judgement Following the guilty pleas, Mr Omewa urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants in line with the agreement. With no objections from the defence, Mr Osiagor convicted them accordingly. The judge ruled that the prison terms would run from 10 December 2024the date of their arrestand ordered the forfeiture of all items recovered from them, including furniture, computers, and laptops, to the Federal Government. He also directed the Nigerian Immigration Service to deport the convicts to China upon completion of their sentences. According to the EFCC, the convicts were part of a cybercrime syndicate that accessed computer systems to destabilise Nigerias economic and social structures. They were accused of recruiting Nigerian youths to commit identity theft and pose as foreign nationals for financial fraud. Their actions violated Section 18 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024), and Section 2(3)(d) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. Related convictions The sentencing of the Chinese nationals follows a string of convictions stemming from the December 2024 cybercrime raid. PREMIUM TIMES reported that another Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, convicted eight Filipino nationals of similar offences. The judge, Alexander Owoeye, sentenced each to one year in prison with an option of a N1 million fine. The convictsBeverlyn Casino, Mae Eribal, Mary Grace Dela Cruz, Jamal Polea, Tricia Castro, Rai Camara, Cherry De Leon, and Danica Jarapanpleaded guilty to charges bordering on cyber terrorism and possession of fraudulent documents. In one of the charges, Ms Casino was accused of accessing computer systems to orchestrate identity theft by procuring Nigerian youth to pose as foreigners. Their actions also violated provisions of the amended Cybercrimes Act and the Terrorism Prevention Act. Mr Owoeye ordered that their sentences also take effect from the date of their arrest. He directed that all digital devices recovered from them be forfeited to the Nigerian government and instructed the Immigration Service to deport them to the Philippines within seven days of completing their jail terms. In a separate but related ruling, Yellin Bogoro, a judge of the same court, convicted another set of 12 Filipino nationals under a plea bargain arrangement. Each was sentenced to one year in prison, fined N1 million, and ordered to be deported after serving their time. The EFCC identified the convicts as members of a transnational cybercrime syndicate operating from Lagos and using advanced technology and social engineering techniques to defraud individuals and institutions globally. Ongoing trials Meanwhile, at least four Filipino nationals arrested during the December 2024 crackdownMarj Maranga, Zara Fabian, Dominique Medina, and Rachelle Cabalonahave pleaded not guilty and are currently standing trial. The EFCC has vowed to prosecute all suspects not covered by plea bargains, and it is working with foreign missions to ensure international accountability for cyber-related crimes. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A Kaduna State High Court on Wednesday granted bail to two suspects, Benjamin Bawa and Miracle Awaje, who were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly failing to declare their assets during an ongoing investigation. The suspects were arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on false declaration of assets contrary to Section 27(3)(a) of the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004. A statement shared with PREMIUM TIMES by the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said the court, presided over by A. Bello, granted them bail in the sum of N500,000 each with one surety in like sum. The court said the sureties must be residents of Kaduna and must present national identity cards, three months utility bills and six months bank statements. The court ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Kaduna Correctional Centre pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions. Background Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Mr Oyewale said Messrs Bawa and Awaje were arrested on 25 April in Minna, Niger State, for allegedly impersonating officials of Q-Net, a multi-level marketing company. They were accused of defrauding unsuspecting investors into purchasing fake products and diverting the proceeds for personal gain. Following their arrest, the EFCC reportedly gave them asset declaration forms on 26 May. However, they allegedly failed to fully disclose their assets, omitting information about bank accounts held with Access Bank Plc and Opay Digital Services Limited. During arraignment on Wednesday, both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. EFCC Lawyer M.O. Arumemi urged the court to fix a trial date and remand the defendants. However, the defendants lawyer, whose name was not mentioned in the statement, prayed the court to grant bail on liberal terms. Mr Bello adjourned the matter to 8 October for the commencement of the trial. Expanding EFCC power beyond public officials Asset declaration is a mechanism designed to promote transparency and accountability among public officials in Nigeria. Under the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, civil servants, political office holders, and public appointees must declare their assets before taking office and upon leaving. This system aims to discourage illicit enrichment, detect conflicts of interest, and foster accountability in governance. However, the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004, notably Section 27, extends the power to demand asset declarations beyond public officials. The provision empowers the commission to require individuals under investigation to disclose their assets. Failure to do so is an offence under Section 27(3)(a). This section enables the EFCC to track undisclosed assets, uncover laundering schemes, and strengthen prosecutions, especially against private individuals suspected of economic crimes. Since 2004, the commission has increasingly used this provision in fraud and cybercrime cases. In the case of Messrs Bawa and Awaje, the EFCC Act was invoked to hold them accountable for allegedly refusing to declare their assets during the ongoing investigation. Meanwhile, Bawa and Awaje are not the first suspects the EFCC has arraigned for this act. Previous Cases Searches from the EFCC website reveal that this is not the first time the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned private individuals under Section 27(3) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004, which mandates full disclosure of assets during investigations. In 2014, a businessman, Joseph Nweke, was arraigned for under-declaring his assets. He reportedly failed to disclose ownership of a plot of land valued at N10 million, an Infiniti FX35 vehicle, and 500 shares in Royal Prince Joe Merchandise Limited during an investigation into criminal breach of trust and issuing dud cheques. Also in June 2021, the EFCC arraigned Yushau Ahmed for failing to declare a property at Plot 116 Cadastral Zone B05, Utako District, Abuja. This omission was discovered during an EFCC investigation into allegations of fraud connected to an investment scheme. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has paid an emotional tribute to a former CJN, Mohammed Uwais, who died earlier today. PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Uwais died at age 89. He was the chief justice when Nigeria transitioned to a democracy in 1999 after almost two decades of military rule. He was the chief justice when Nigeria transitioned to a democracy in 1999 after almost two decades of military rule. In a press statement she signed, Mrs Kekere-Ekun described Mr Uwais as a towering figure in Nigerias legal and judicial history whose contributions to the development of Nigeria would forever remain etched in its history. She said the late jurist was as a man committed to justice and distinguished himself during his appointment to the Supreme Court in 1979 and his service as CJN from 1995 to 2006. She also noted that despite his retirement, Mr Uwais passion and deep love for the nation compelled him to chair the Electoral Reform Committee. While extending her condolences to his family, the judiciary, and the nation, Mrs Kekere-Ekun stated that the late CJN would continue to inspire the judiciary. The life and legacy of Hon. Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais will continue to inspire generations of judges, lawyers, and public servants. He was, indeed, a beacon of principle and a guardian of judicial honour, she said. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Read the full statement PRESS RELEASE I have received, with sadness but also with gratitude to Almighty God for a life of impact, the news of the passing of Hon. Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais, GCON, former Chief Justice of Nigeria (19952006), which occurred earlier today. Hon. Justice Uwais was a towering figure in Nigerias legal and judicial historyan erudite jurist, visionary reformer, and statesman whose contributions to the development of constitutional law, judicial independence, and democratic governance will forever remain etched in the annals of our national life. Appointed to the Supreme Court in 1979 and later rising to serve as the Chief Justice of Nigeria from 1995 to 2006, Hon. Justice Uwais distinguished himself by his unwavering commitment to justice, courage in the defence of the rule of law, and the clarity and scholarship of his judgments. His post-retirement service, including chairing the Electoral Reform Committee, further affirmed his deep love for country and passion for institutional integrity. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family of the late jurist, the Nigerian judiciary, and the nation at large. I pray for the peaceful repose of his noble soul. The life and legacy of Hon. Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais will continue to inspire generations of judges, lawyers, and public servants. He was, indeed, a beacon of principle and a guardian of judicial honour. May his soul rest in perfect peace. Hon. Justice Kudirat M. O. Kekere-Ekun, GCON Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman, National Judicial Council Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Photo: Official information source of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 6. Investment in the development of existing infrastructure for the construction of the Vertical Gas Corridor is an investment in the national security of the countries in the region, said Vladimir Malinov, Executive Director of Bulgartransgaz EAD, during the 22nd Annual Conference of Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE) held in Athens, Greece, Trend reports. According to Malinov, the targeted and coordinated efforts of gas transmission operators from Southeast Europe have already produced tangible results, transforming the Vertical Corridor from a regional initiative into an infrastructure project now under construction. The Vertical Corridor plays a key role in strengthening our energy security, he stated. Malinov highlighted the initiative as a prime example of a strategic regional energy project, emphasizing its importance for the energy security and competitiveness of Southeast Europe. Once completed, the Corridor will enhance connectivity among the gas transmission networks of Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova, and Ukraine. He stressed that the implementation of the Corridor will facilitate the diversification of gas supplies, including the increase of liquefied natural gas (LNG) deliveries from reliable sources. Malinov also noted that two projects on Bulgarian territoryaimed at increasing gas transmission capacity between Greece and Bulgaria, and between Bulgaria and Romaniaare already underway. Their commissioning is scheduled for mid-2026. Concluding his remarks, Malinov called for greater flexibility and autonomy for gas transmission operators, which he said would accelerate and enhance their ability to respond to current energy challenges. A vigilante operative was on Thursday killed when gunmen invaded a vigilante facility in Anambra State, Nigerias South-east. The incident, PREMIUM TIMES gathered, happened early in the morning in Umunze Community, Orumba South Local Government Area of the state. A resident of the community, who asked not to be named, told this newspaper that those attacked were members of Agunechemba, a vigilante group set up by the Anambra State Government in January. The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident in a statement on Thursday night. Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said the gunmen also set five operational vehicles ablaze during the attack. The security operatives in an attempt to resist the gunmen during the gun duel recorded a fatal injury on one of the security operatives. Some parts of the security office also got burnt by the hoodlums, he said. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later He said a joint security team led by the police had taken over the area and needed support of communities around the area to fish out the gunmen. The spokesperson said the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Ikioye Orutugu, has condemned the attack. Mr Orutugu also appealed to residents of the community to support security operatives to track down the attackers. Increased attacks Like other states in Nigerias South-east, security has deteriorated in Anambra State with frequent attacks by armed persons. The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities. Hundreds of people have been killed or abducted and several others injured in some of such attacks in the region. The latest attack occurred about five weeks after gunmen attacked a vigilante office in Amesi, a community in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State. One person was killed in the attack which occurred in late April. The Nigerian government has repeatedly accused the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied its involvement in the attacks. IPOB is a group leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The public feud between US President Donald Trump and his former first buddy has generated a flurry of reactions from Americans and people from around the world. The duo, considered to have formed one of the strongest alliances in American politics, fell out after President Trump introduced the Big Beautiful Bill, which seeks to implement several policy changes. Mr Musk had called the bill pork-filled disgusting abomination, which should never have been passed by the US House of Representatives. The former allies engaged in a public war of words on Thursday after President Trump expressed disappointment in Mr Musks criticism, with Mr Musk alleging that President Trump has ties to convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein. Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public, Mr Musk wrote on X, his social media platform. President Trump later announced plans to terminate Mr Musks government contracts in a Truth Social post, saying, the easiest way to save money would be to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Mr Musk, in response, said SpaceX, his private aerospace company, would begin decommissioning its Dragon Spacecraft. The Dragon spacecraft has been a critical component of NASAs operations, serving as the primary vehicle for transporting astronauts and cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS). And at one point, Mr Musk even endorsed the possibility of impeaching the president and removing him from office, installing Vice President JD Vance in his stead. How Americans responded The feud between the former allies captivated global audiences and triggered a spectrum of reactions, from political upheavals and market tremors to a deluge of internet memes. Among Americans, the reaction has been divided. Some have chosen to side with President Trump or Mr Musk, and some others have opposed both sides. Conservative commentator Laura Loomer, who took sides with President Trump, made a series of posts reacting to the feud. In one of these posts, she said, President Trump is a good man. He is not on the Epstein List either. He is very unfairly attacked. Another Conservative commentator, Candace Owens, posted, My favourite part of this is going to be everyone who jumped on me for never joining the Elon-worship party, now do a complete 180. His character was always apparent. You guys were just acting like groupies. Meanwhile, a democrat and member of the US Congress wrote, Going to need a Big Beautiful Bucket of popcorn for this ugly brawl. Eric Swalwell, a California congressman, in a post on X wrote, Donald, without @elonmusk, you wouldnt be President now. Youd be a Prisoner, referring to Mr Musks statement that President Trump would not have won the election without him. Jamie Raskin, representing Marylands congressional district in the House, wrote, Trump wants oversight of Musks billions in government contracts and Musk wants oversight of Trumps role in the Epstein child sex abuse scandal. Sarah McBride, another democrat, described the feud as the Big Beautiful Breakup. Other reactions Across different social media platforms, the tension between both parties has been described as the greatest divorce of America. Conservative writer Ashley Clair, who once claimed that Mr Musk is the father of her child, asked President Trump on X to let her know if he needed any breakup advice. Users have been mocking and speculating as two of the worlds most prominent figures clash in public. A clash that has ignited a meme frenzy. A congressman, Ruben Gallego, posted a meme which read, Let them fight. Meanwhile, Arnaud Bertrand, a political commentator and foreign policy analyst, wrote, Sometimes I wonder how the media would write about whats happening in the US if it were just covered as the banana republic its rapidly turning into. Itd probably go something like this: Escalating Power Struggle Between Strongman and Key Oligarch Threatens Regime Stability. Franklin Leonard, an X user, wrote, The funniest possible outcome is definitely Trump deporting him. A Facebook user, Kelly Knox, wrote, Trump and Musks messy divorce is the gayest thing Ive seen so far this. Another Nigerian user, Ifeanyi Obiagwu, reacting to the clash, posted, I mean, just look at Donald Trump and Elon Musk, what was once a beautiful marriage has turned into an ugly public divorce. Titties flying, not so secret secrets exposed. Its chaotic and were here for it.. Ahem, we of cos feel sad for them. Meanwhile, Stephen Colbert during his monologue on The Late Show on Wednesday, said, We gather this evening on a momentous night, because yesterday, in Washington, the thinkable happened. Theres now trouble brewing between the president and former first buddy, Elon Musk. No, no, Im starting to worry that two narcissistic megalomaniacs, with a total inability to see value in other humans, might have a hard time making friends. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print President Bola Tinubu on Friday called on Nigerians to unite in building a nation that all citizens can be proud of. He made the call while speaking with journalists shortly after observing the Eid Kabir prayers at Dodan Barracks in Lagos. The president also appealed for prayers for the countrys troops on the frontlines, fighting terrorism and working to ensure national security. President Tinubu further urged citizens to be their brothers keepers, extend kindness to their neighbours, and show love to all, regardless of differences. We must sacrifice, we should remember to pray and give to those who are very vulnerable. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later In the spirit of peace, we must come together, be our brothers keepers, give to our neighbours, and love everyone equally, he said. President Tinubu expressed appreciation for the sacrifices made by Nigerias troops in keeping the country safe from terrorism and other security challenges. We must pray hard for our troops who are keeping us safe, making the sacrifices and the challenges that we face in terrorism and battle duty, he added. Today, we must pray for them, specifically, and we must remember their sacrifices, respect them, and continue to be of good behaviour, he said. Delivering the Eid Kabir message, the Grand Chief Imam of Lagos, Suleiman Abou-Nolla, urged Nigerians to sacrifice their greed, short-term thinking, and selfishness for the countrys growth and development. Mr Abou-Nolla emphasised the importance of unity, peace, and putting the nations interests above individual and group interests. He said: If we want to see Nigeria of our dreams, we must be ready to part with our habits, attitudes and systems that hinder national growth. He called on leaders to give up excessive spendings and citizens to overcome their shortcomings. The chief Imam also stressed the need for unity, citing the example of Prophet Ibrahims family, who demonstrated total obedience and trust in Allah. You must rise above tribal and religious sentiments. Whether Muslim, non-Muslim, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Ijaw, we all share the same fears, the same concerns, the same dreams. Let us be united. Let us be one body together, he said. The cleric called for an end to indiscipline, hate speech, violence, tribalism, banditry, and terrorism. He prayed for the president and other leaders, that Allah should grant them strength, protection, and guidance. He also prayed for peace and harmony in Nigeria. We pray for our nation, Nigeria, that Allah should grant us peace and harmony in our country. Some of the dignitaries at the prayer ground included, former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola and Minister of Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola. Also in attendance were members of the Lagos Council of Traditional White Cap Chiefs, Tinubus Private Secretary, Hakeem Muri-Okunola and Lagos State Head of Service, Olanode Agoro among others. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The SSS needs to roll back its normative cloak that reduces opposition to the government of the day as the pathway to political strife and instability. As Pat Utomi returns to the country from his foreign tour, I urge the SSS to understand his engagement in opposition politics as a legitimate and positive drive for the development and consolidation of Nigerian democracy. Be like me, join the Pat Utomi fan club. Although I have been a student of political science for over fifty years, I still often get surprised by the way in which security agencies take extremist positions in reading political criticisms of the regime in power. When my good friend Pat Utomi announced the decision of the Big Tent opposition group to set up a shadow government to monitor and track governance, as well as ensure that the necessary electoral reforms take place to ensure the 2027 elections are free, fair and credible, my reaction was, and still is, that its a brilliant initiative to place greater scrutiny on the twin tracks that could consolidate democratic governance policy implementation and ensuring a level playing ground for democratic practice. If I were heading the State Security Service (SSS), I would have sent a note of commendation to Pat Utomi. What did the SSS do? They threatened him and filed an application at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to restrain Utomi from making public statements or organising rallies relating to the proposed shadow government in Nigeria. In the application, filed on Wednesday by a team of lawyers led by Akinlolu Kehinde, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the DSS accused Utomi of plotting to usurp the executive authority of President Bola Tinubu through what it described as unlawful and subversive activities disguised as civic engagement. The SSS has a large number of political scientists in-house, who know that the said President Tinubu came into power because over three decades, he continuously bombarded succeeding administrations with criticisms over their policy failures; he formed political parties and coalitions and on countless occasions was an arrowhead in protests and demonstrations. The agencys intelligence analysis should, therefore, have been that what is good for Comrade Tinubu is also good for Comrade Utomi. Nigeria progressed from military dictatorship to multiparty democracy precisely because the Tinubus and Utomis of the country ceaselessly organised a series of policy analyses and reviews; set up broad front organisations; organised protests, demonstrations, media engagements, and public sensitisation efforts aimed at democracy-building. The outcome was not incitement aimed at public unrest and threatening national stability; it was democratic consolidation. The idea that the concept of a shadow government initiative is a threat to democracy has no basis in fact. In the British system, the idea is that the government is accountable to the people and the opposition party through the scrutiny of each government ministry, department and agency, while the inadequacies and insufficiencies pointed out provide information that citizens can use to determine whether to support or oppose the government of the day. The SSS should, therefore, not have asked the court to issue an interlocutory injunction preventing Utomi, his associates, or any representatives from conducting rallies, public lectures, media campaigns, or any form of gathering that would advance the shadow government agenda, pending the determination of a substantive suit already before the court. The said activities are legal, constitutional and beneficial to democracy-building and should be applauded. Their claim that Utomis actions could lead to widespread riots and the endangerment of lives and property is a figment of their imagination. The idea that the concept of a shadow government initiative is a threat to democracy has no basis in fact. In the British system, the idea is that the government is accountable to the people and the opposition party through the scrutiny of each government ministry, department and agency, while the inadequacies and insufficiencies pointed out provide information that citizens can use to determine whether to support or oppose the government of the day. One of the main reasons that explains the poor governance records in Nigeria is that opposition criticisms are too general and non-specific. It does not provide enough empirical basis for the performance monitoring of the governments leadership. Introducing a citizen-focused monitoring team is therefore a very positive development. I am glad that while speaking to reporters, Kehinde, counsel to the SSS said that it is not seeking to arrest anyone but has chosen to rely on legal channels to resolve what it views as a constitutional matter. He described the SSS as a civilised and law-abiding institution that respects judicial authority and will continue to operate within the bounds of the law. Excellent! This is the position that pushed me into this response. To make real its claim to being civilised and law-abiding places an obligation on it not to restrain Pat Utomi from making any further public comments or participating in rallies related to a suit pending against him regarding his declared intention to establish a shadow government in the country. The Constitution is very clear that we have freedoms of speech, association, assembly, and yes, the right to protest. Thats at the core of our system of constitutional democracy and the rule of law. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later The group specifically demands that the 2022 Electoral Act be amended to ensure mandatory electronic voting and transmission of election results. The group also advocates for a constitutional amendment to promote regional autonomy, ensure local government independence, and address issues of marginalisation, inequality, and exclusion in Nigerias political system. The main argument of the SSS is that establishing a shadow government is an attempt to illegally usurp President Bola Tinubus executive powers. The agency cannot seriously say that a shadow government is the same thing as a government. The proposed Big Tent Shadow Cabinet is a good governance advocacy group that is actually focused on policy analysis and for comprehensive electoral reforms in the country. The group specifically demands that the 2022 Electoral Act be amended to ensure mandatory electronic voting and transmission of election results. The group also advocates for a constitutional amendment to promote regional autonomy, ensure local government independence, and address issues of marginalisation, inequality, and exclusion in Nigerias political system. As the group noted in a recent press conference: We note that the 2022 Electoral Act has ambiguities and loopholes that were exposed during the 2023 general election, such as uncertainty regarding the stage for comparing physical copies of results and electronically transmitted results. Reforming these laws can help prevent electoral disputes and ensure clarity in the electoral process. The group is also advocating for increased autonomy for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to improve its impartiality in election administration. The SSS needs to roll back its normative cloak that reduces opposition to the government of the day as the pathway to political strife and instability. As Pat Utomi returns to the country from his foreign tour, I urge the SSS to understand his engagement in opposition politics as a legitimate and positive drive for the development and consolidation of Nigerian democracy. Be like me, join the Pat Utomi fan club. A professor of Political Science and development consultant/expert, Jibrin Ibrahim is a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Democracy and Development, and Chair of the Editorial Board of PREMIUM TIMES. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Two Eids came together at the time of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him): Eid al-Fitr and Jumuah. The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) led them in the Eid prayer, then he turned to face them and said, O people, you have attained goodness and reward, but we are going to pray Jumuah; whoever wishes to pray Jumuah may do so, and whoever wishes to go back, may go back. In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and upon all his family and companions. To proceed: Dear brothers and sisters! Eid al-Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice is the second and the largest of the two main holidays celebrated in Islam, the other being Eid al-Fitr. This significant occasion honours the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice one of his sons, either Ismail or Ishaq, as an act of obedience to Allahs command. It is a time of deep spiritual reflection, communal prayers, and acts of charity. Eid al-Adha holds immense cultural and religious significance for Muslims around the world. According to Islamic tradition, the story of Eid al-Adha dates back to the life of Prophet Ibrahim. One of the main trials of Prophet Ibrahims life was to receive and obey the command of Allah to slaughter his beloved son. Prophet Ibrahim had recurring dreams where he saw himself sacrificing his son Ismail, and he recognised this as a divine command. He shared his dream with his son, who obediently responded: Father, do what you are ordered to do. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Prophet Ibrahim prepared to fulfill Allahs will and sacrifice his son as an act of unwavering faith and obedience. However, just as Prophet Ibrahim was about to carry out the sacrifice, Allah intervened and replaced Ismail with a ram. This divine intervention demonstrated Allahs mercy and provision, acknowledging Ibrahims commitment and sparing his sons life. Muslims commemorate this event during Eid al-Adha by sacrificing animals and distributing the meat among their families, the needy, and the less fortunate. Eid al-Adha follows the Islamic lunar calendar and falls on the tenth day of Dhul-Hijjah, the twelfth and final month of the Islamic year. The celebration lasts for four days and involves various religious and social customs. Families gather for communal prayers at Mosques, where they seek blessings, forgiveness, and spiritual rejuvenation. These prayers are led by an Imam, Shaykh or Malam and emphasise the importance of unity, compassion, and gratitude. An essential aspect of Eid al-Adha is the act of Udhiyyah, which refers to the ritual sacrifice of an animal, often a goat, sheep, cow, or camel. The sacrifice symbolises Prophet Ibrahims willingness to sacrifice his son and his ultimate submission to Allahs command. Muslims who can afford it perform Udhiyyah, and the meat is divided into three parts: one for the family, one for relatives and friends, and one for the less fortunate. Apart from religious practices, Eid al-Adha is a time of joyous celebrations and vibrant festivities. Families come together to share meals, exchange gifts, and engage in acts of charity. It is a time to strengthen bonds, reconcile differences, and extend goodwill to all. Many Muslims also use this occasion to embark on journeys of pilgrimage to the noble city of Makkah, fulfilling one of the Five Pillars of Islam known as Hajj. Eid al-Adha is celebrated by Muslims across the globe, transcending geographical boundaries and cultural diversity. While the core rituals remain the same, the festivities showcase the unique traditions and customs of each region. In countries with significant Muslim populations, such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nigeria, etc, the celebrations are particularly grand and elaborate. The atmosphere during Eid al-Adha is filled with joy and a sense of community. Streets are adorned with colourful decorations, and markets bustle with shoppers purchasing new clothes, sweets, and gifts. Traditional dishes and delicacies are prepared, and families open their homes to welcome guests and share meals. The exchange of greetings and well wishes is a common practice, spreading love and harmony among individuals. The pronunciation of Eid al-Adha may vary based on regional accents and languages. It is also commonly pronounced as Eid al-Azha and Eidul Azha, especially in regions influenced by the Persian language like the Indian subcontinent. The Arabic pronunciation is Eid Al-Adha. The term Eid itself is derived from the Arabic word (id), which signifies a festival, celebration, feast day, or holiday. The term has its roots in the triliteral root , which carries meanings of to go back, to rescind, to accrue, to be accustomed, habits, to repeat, to be experienced; appointed time or place, anniversary, feast day. The holiday is known as (Eid al-Adha) or (Eid al-Kabir) in Arabic, with the words (adha) and (qurban) being synonymous in meaning, representing sacrifice, offering, or oblation. Eid al-Adha is a significant Islamic festival that commemorates the devotion and obedience of Prophet Ibrahim to Allahs command. It serves as a reminder of the importance of faith, sacrifice, and compassion in the lives of Muslims. The observance of Eid al-Adha involves prayers, acts of charity, and the sharing of joyous moments with family, friends, and the less fortunate. During this festive season, Muslims express their gratitude for the blessings received and recommit themselves to the principles of unity, generosity, and love. The timeless story of Prophet Ibrahim and his son serves as an enduring symbol of faith, resilience, and the boundless mercy of Allah. As Muslims gather to celebrate Eid al-Adha, they embrace the values of sacrifice and selflessness, fostering a sense of harmony and goodwill within their communities. Respected brothers and sisters! There are always questions whenever Eid occurs on a Friday, and I would like to clarify whether it is obligatory to pray both Eid Prayer in the morning and Jumuah in the afternoon. First of all, we should remember that both occasions are among the most important Islamic symbols. Attending both prayers and congregations are very virtuous. The mindset of the person should be to be eager to attend both prayers, as this is part of glorifying the symbols of Allah. Allah Almighty says: And whoever honours the symbols of Allah indeed, it is from the piety of hearts. [Quran, 22:32] That is why most of the scholars including Hanafiyyah and Malikiyyah consider attending both of them as obligatory. The Shafiiyyah school of thought gave an excuse only for those who live away from the city where the Jumuah is established, not to attend the Jumuah once they have attended the Eid Prayer. The reason is due to the difficulty they are likely to encounter in coming back to attend the Jumuah Prayer. These scholars say that attending Jumuah is obligatory (wajib) by consensus, as Allah Almighty says: O you who have believed, when [the Azan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumuah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you, if you only knew. [Quran, 62:9] The scholars have said that lifting this confirmed obligation needs further evidence of the same level and most of the evidences that are presented are not strong enough to waiver this obligation. Furthermore, al-Numan Ibn Bashir narrated that: The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) used to recite: Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High and Has there come to you the narration of The Overwhelming?, on Friday and on Eid, and when Friday and Eid converged, he would recite them both. [Muslim] This incident also happened during the time of Uthman Ibn Affan, as it is reported in the Sahihul Bukhari and the Muwatta of Malik that Abu Ubaid, the freed slave of Ibn Azhar, said: I was present on the occasion of two Eids (together) with Uthman Ibn Affan; that was on a Friday. He offered the (Eid) prayer before the sermon (khutbah), then delivered the sermon (khutbah) and said, O people, on this day two Eids have come to you together, so whoever wants to wait for Jumuah with the people of al-Awali, let him do so, and whoever wants to go back, then I gave him permission to do so. However, the official opinion of the Hanbaliyyah school of thought is that attending one of the two prayers is sufficient. They support their view with numerous evidences such as: 1. The Hadith of Zaid Ibn Arqam (RA), according to which Muawiyah Ibn Abi Sufyan (RA) asked him: Did you ever witness with the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) two Eids that happened on the same day? He said, Yes. Muawiyah Ibn Abi Sufyan asked, What did he do? Zaid Ibn Arqam replied, He (Peace be upon him) offered the Eid prayer, then he granted a concession allowing people to miss Jumuah prayer, and he said: Whoever wishes to pray (Jumuah), let him do so. [It is narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Nasai, Ibn Majah, al-Darimi, and by al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak, where he said, This Hadith has Sahih isnads, even though they [Bukhari and Muslim] did not narrate it, and it has a corroborating report according to the conditions of Muslim. And al-Dhahabi agreed with him. Imam al-Nawawi said in his book al-Majmu, Its isnad is jayyid. 2. The corroborating evidence mentioned above is the Hadith of Abu Hurairah (RA), according to which the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said: Two Eids have come together on this day of yours, so whoever wishes, it [the Eid prayer] will suffice for Jumuah, but we will pray Jumuah. [Narrated by al-Hakim as stated above; also narrated by Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Ibn al-Jarud, al-Baihaqi and others] 3. The Hadith of Ibn Umar (RA) who said: Two Eids came together at the time of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him). He led the people in (the Eid) prayer, then he said, Whoever wishes to come to Jumuah may come, and whoever wishes not to do so may stay away. [Narrated by Ibn Majah] It was also narrated by al-Tabarani in al-Mujam al-Kabir as follows: Two Eids came together at the time of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him): Eid al-Fitr and Jumuah. The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) led them in the Eid prayer, then he turned to face them and said, O people, you have attained goodness and reward, but we are going to pray Jumuah; whoever wishes to pray Jumuah may do so, and whoever wishes to go back, may go back. 4. The Hadith of Ibn Abbas (RA), according to which the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said: Two Eids have come together on this day of yours, so whoever wishes, it [the Eid prayer] will suffice for Jumuah, but we will pray Jumuah, In Shaa Allah. [Narrated by Ibn Majah] The discussion between the scholars cannot be concluded at this time and hence I advise Muslims for the following: 1. It is without a shadow of a doubt that attending both prayers is safer and far better than missing one of them. 2. Whoever has not attended the Eid prayer for whatever reason while he should have attended it is not included in that concession granted by some scholars. And hence he must attend Jumuah prayer. 3. The Imam of the Jumuah Mosque must hold Jumuah prayers and this is confirmed even by those scholars who do not believe that it is obligatory to attend both. 4. Whoever lives at a distance from the Mosque and needs to travel a long journey to attend the Eid prayer and it is very difficult for him to stay to attend the Jumuah prayer may have the concession allowing him not to attend Jumuah. However, he must pray it as Zuhr after the time for Zuhr begins. 5. The view that whoever attends the Eid prayer has a concession waiving both Jumuah and Zuhr prayer on that day is an incorrect view. Therefore, it is rejected by the scholars and they have deemed it to be mistaken and odd, because it is contrary to the Sunnah and suggests that one of the obligatory duties enjoined by Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is to be waived with no evidence to that effect. Perhaps the Sunnahs and reports about this issue which grant a concession allowing the one who attended the Eid prayer not to attend Jumuah, but state that he must still pray Zuhr did not reach the one who said that. I ask Allah by His beautiful Names and lofty Attributes that He brings Eid upon us once again and that our condition in that time be better than our condition in the previous instance, and that He accept our deeds from us and from all the Muslims. So, as we honour the traditions and teachings of Eid al-Adha, let us reflect upon the virtues it embodies and strive to emulate them in our daily lives. May this auspicious occasion bring peace, unity, progress, joy, happiness, and blessings to all those who observe it. Ameen. Dear brothers and sisters! Today we have only a day to Eid-ul-Adha. Please support the orphans with your sadaqah, help them with your donations and assist them with your Zakat so that they celebrate Eid-ul-Adha happily. For those respected brothers and sisters who want to donate to orphans, to Islamic projects and activities FISABILILLAH, those who want to send their Sadaqah and Zakat, here are the bank account details: 1. Account number: 0048647196. Account name: Murtala Muhammed. GTBank Or: 2. Account number: 1779691620 Account name: Murtala Muhammed. Access Bank. Allah Almighty says: Verily, Allah will help those who help His cause. Truly, Allah is All-Strong, All-Mighty. [Quran] Jazakumullah Khairan as you kindly assit, help, donate and contribute to the cause of Allah, the cause of Islam. May Allah Almighty accept your sacrifices, amplify your intentions, and bless you, your families with peace and barakah. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Prayers, peace and mercy are upon our beloved master, Muhammad, the son of Abdullah (Peace be upon him), his family and Companions. Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumuah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okenes Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: [email protected] or +2348038289761. This Jumuah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Dhul-Hijjah 10, 1446 AH (June 06, 2025). Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print It is unusual for a nation to discover its essence in a man. It is rare for humanity in their millions across continents, to be inspired; to fight seemingly unwinnable wars for freedom. Ho Chi Minh, one of the most famous figures of the twentieth century, fitted into both. Famously known as Uncle Ho, and speaking Mandarin, Cantonese, English, French, Russian and Vietnamese, the fragile-looking Vietnamese who stood at 1.6 meters (5 feet, 5 inches) led his people to defeat two super powers 30 years apart. In both cases, he took up arms only as the last resort. He tried persuasion, resorted to diplomacy and offered compromises. But first, the French, and later, the United States, US, spurned his offers. They could not fathom how such a fragile, smallish man, and his poorly armed followers, could put up any serious fight. They were to learn bitter lessons: that their power could not conquer the will of a people ready to die for their freedom. The French poured 470,000 troops to fight the poor Vietnamese people. A total of 2.7 million Americans were sent to fight the Vietnamese; in April 1969, a total of 543,000 American soldiers were in active combat in that country. Fifty eight thousand American soldiers never made it back home. They perished in Vietnam. The French and US troops fought with the intention to survive and return to their loved ones. They did not want to die in some thick forests and be buried in unmarked graves far from their homes. Therefore, they fought conventional battles, and retreated when necessary. On the other hand, the Vietnamese patriots led by Uncle Ho, fought unconventional battles, especially guerilla warfare. They were ready to die anywhere on their ancestral soil. Their choices were limited; while the French and American invaders could retreat and return to their protected homes, the Vietnamese had no such choice; to retreat was to lose their freedom. Ho used to impress on them that there is nothing more precious than independence and liberty. Before the wars, he had put the powerful enemies of the Vietnamese on notice as to the determination of the Vietnamese and the type of war to be fought. At the onset of the war with France, he told the representative of the French government: You can kill ten of my men for every one I kill of yours. But even at those odds, you will lose and I will win. When he set out in 1911 to seek salvation for his fellow compatriots, Ho stated that it was with the ultimate desire of making our country fully independent, giving every one of our people complete freedom, and for every one of them to have rice to eat, clothes to wear and, opportunities to study. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later When 34 years later he made the 2 September, 1945 Declaration of Independence, he paraphrased the US Declaration of Independence by stating: All men are born equal: the Creator has given us inviolable rights, life, liberty and happiness. The Declaration asserted Vietnams self-determination and, also rejected attempts by France to restore its colonial rule. Ho, after spending three decades outside Vietnam, living, studying and working in various countries, including China and the defunct Soviet Union, concluded that the best option for the Vietnamese was a Proletarian Revolution. To realise this, he established the Communist Party of Vietnam in 1931. Ho did not witness the end of the wars of independence. He passed away on September 2, 1969. Ironically, it was then American President Gerald Ford who in 1975, signalled the end of those wars, the reunification of Vietnam and complete independence when he indirectly announced the American defeat. Ford said: Today, Americans can regain the sense of pride that existed before Vietnam. But it cannot be achieved by re-fighting a war. That statement by the US Commander-in-Chief was the signal needed for American troops to flee Vietnam. It was one of the most disorderly and shameful retreats in military history. The 1975 victory over the US marked the end of Vietnams occupation by various powers. It had been occupied for over one thousand years by the Chinese; six decades by the French, including a brief occupation by the Japanese, and three decades by the US. It is noteworthy that for 20 years after it was forced out, the US imposed sanctions against the country. This 19 May, 2025 was the 135th Anniversary of Uncle Hos birth. In Abuja, Nigeria, a Round Table was held to honour him. Diplomats, politicians, including representatives of the Ruling All Peoples Congress, APC, led by Mr Ini Akpan, and the opposition, civil servants, journalists and a cross section of society attended. Bui Quoc Hung, the Vietnamese Ambassador, who posited that Uncle Ho founded modern Vietnam, said his dedication was so total that Ho had no wife, children or social life outside the struggle for liberation. The Acting High Commissioner of Ghana, Eddison Agbenyegah, told the Round Table that his countrys founding President, Kwame Nkrumah, was headed for Hanoi, Vietnam on a peace mission when during a stopover in China, he was overthrown. The Nigerian Government said the legacy of Uncle Ho transcended borders and generations, inspiring nations to seek freedom and independence. Ambassador Mohammed Haidara, Deputy Director, Asia and Pacific of the Foreign Ministry who delivered the governments message, noted that Uncle Ho travelled out of Vietnam for 30 years but never forgot home. He added that Nigerians who are some of the most travelled peoples in the world should learn from Uncle Ho to return and serve the country. He added that Ho had what it took to live a good life abroad but choose to return and serve his people. Cuban Ambassador Miriam Morales Palmero said Uncle Hos revolutionary vision, humility and perseverance made him not just a hero of Vietnam, but also a moral and political reference for all peoples striving for self-determination and social justice. She said legendary Cuban leader, Fidel Castro had so much respect for Ho and commitment to the Vietnamese struggles that he once said: For Vietnam, we are ready to shed even our own blood. Cuba, she said, is committed to keeping the ideals of Uncle Ho alive. Ambassador Sani Bako, the Chair of the Nigeria-Vietnam Economic, Trade and Culture Association recalled Hos positive role in the 1955 Afro-Asian Bandung Conference for global peace, economic development and decolonisation. The vision of Ho, he said, inspired various peoples to seek freedom. Retired civil servant Suleiman Haliru Malumfashi said Uncle Ho belonged to the pantheon of global revolutionary leaders like Vladimir Lenin, Mao Tsetung, Fidel Castro and Nelson Mandela. He said while followership is very important, leadership, as Ho showed, is fundamental for transformation and development. Owei Lakemfa, a former secretary general of African workers, is a human rights activist, journalist and author. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Governor Dauda Lawal has congratulated the Muslim community in Zamfara State and Nigeria on the occasion of this years Eid al-Adha celebration. He extended his felicitation as Muslim faithful across the world are celebrating the Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, today, Friday, 6th June, 2025. A statement by the spokesperson of the Zamfara Governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, noted that Eid al-Adha is one of the most significant religious celebrations in the Islamic calendar. The statement read in parts, The Zamfara State Government extends its congratulations to the Muslim Ummah on the special occasion of Eid Al-Adha. Eid Al-Adha offers Muslims a chance to honour Prophet Ibrahims (AS) readiness to sacrifice his son in obedience to Gods command. It reminds us of the significance of faith, selflessness, and our shared commitment to community and humanity. We should use this period to reflect on the values of sacrifice and obedience to Almighty Allah. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later We must all come together as a united force against all forms of social vices, deviant behaviours, and crimes affecting our societies. It is our collective responsibility to work towards ensuring the safety of our communities, state, and Nigeria because we seek in others what we lack in ourselves. May Allah accept our sacrifices as an act of Ibadah. May Allah bless Zamfara State and Nigeria. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Bauchi Division of the National Industrial Court (NIC) has dismissed a lawsuit by 114 former councillors seeking entitlements from the Gombe State Government, citing a lack of evidence and merit. The presiding judge, Mustapha Tijjani, ruled on Wednesday that the claimants, led by Umaru Ahmed, failed to provide evidence to substantiate the legitimacy of their office. The law is clear: in claims for special damages, a claimant must both plead with precision and provide convincing evidence in support. The Claimants inability to meet this standard is decisive. Courts do not award relief based on mere allegations or speculative assertions; litigants must furnish the court with all necessary evidence to validate their claims, the judge said. Details of suit Mr Ahmed, alongside 113 others, approached the court seeking payment of accumulated severance, gratuity, and furniture allowances upon expiration of their tenure, which spanned between 25 February 2013 and 25 February 2015. They alleged that the Gombe State Government paid 25 per cent of their total severance in N64.9 million but failed to pay the outstanding 25 per cent of the entitlements. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later However, the defendants comprising the state government, Governor Inuwa Yahaya, and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, argued that the claimants were merely appointed for two years and their appointment was declared null and void by the High Court of Gombe State. Furthermore, the defendants counsel asserted that the governor had already approved the payment of 50 per cent gratuity to the claimants, with an additional 25 per cent approved during the pendency of the suit. The defendants counsel argued that the former councillors had failed to show they were validly elected into their offices and urged the court to dismiss the suit for lack of evidence. Siding with the defendants, the judge ruled that the claimants failed to establish their entitlement claims. He said they should have pleaded the precise legal or contractual basis of their entitlement with supporting documents that conferred such financial benefits. Implications of judgement The judgement by the court indicates compliance with the order of the Supreme Court in July that granted autonomy to local governments. Before the judgement by the Supreme court, councillors were handpicked by state governors, a process that failed to ensure democratic governance at the local government level and breached the provisions of the constitution. Section 7 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria states that the system of the local government must be run by elected local government councils. While the claimants case was dismissed due to their inability to prove valid election and the nullification of their appointments, the proceedings, nonetheless, highlighted the diminished absolute control governors could exert over local governments. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Commissioner for Special Duties and Ibom Deep Seaport in Akwa Ibom State, Ini Ememobong, has resigned his appointment in protest an hour after Governor Umo Eno defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Mr Ememobong posted his resignation letter on Facebook about an hour after Governor Eno officially announced he had left the PDP for APC at an event in Government House on Friday. Mr Eno, weeks ago, confirmed he was leaving the PDP for the APC and urged cabinet members unwilling to join him in the new party to resign. Prepare to resign the day I announce that I am moving because you cannot; you are an appointee, and your loyalty is fully to me. You cant be in my cabinet and play anti-party. It is what it is, Mr Eno had said. Mr Ememobong cited the governors directive as the basis of his resignation. Today, I have tendered my resignation to the Governor in compliance with his directive that his appointees who are unwilling to join him on the political journey to the APC should resign. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later While I cannot question or fault the Governors personal decision, I am unable to join in that sojourn. My decision is borne out of my belief in politics with principles and my long-standing opposition to that political platform, which is daily validated by numerous Nigerians across many sectors., he said. BELOW IS THE FULL MESSAGE MR EMEMOBONG POSTED ON FACEBOOK Behold another bend Today, I have tendered my resignation to the Governor in compliance with his directive that his appointees who are unwilling to join him on the political journey to the APC should resign. While I cannot question or fault the Governors personal decision, I am unable to join in that sojourn. My decision is borne out of my belief in politics with principles and my long standing opposition to that political platform, which is daily validated by numerous Nigerians across many sectors. This decision does not affect my personal relationship with the Governor, who calls me his brother and reposed great confidence in me by saddling me with two very important ministries(Information and Special Duties & Ibom Deep Sea Port).I have and will continue to have tremendous respect for HE Governor Umo Eno, even out of EXCO. About my history in political and public service, I look back with great satisfaction at the work I have done and leave the ultimate judgement to history and posterity. Given another opportunity, I will do more. Let me convey the very sincere appreciation of my family to His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno for appointing me into his cabinet. Our very special appreciation goes to Mr. Udom Emmanuel, the immediate past Governor of Akwa Ibom State for his enduring love and belief in me, especially for appointing me into the Executive Council during his administration. I understand this decision may not please everyone, and to those who are disappointed, I humbly seek your understanding. As usual, I do not know the future, but I know HE who holds the future and I trust that at the end, all things work together for good, to those who love the Lord and are the called unto HIS purpose. Yak Emem Aba! Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The House Budget Reconciliation bill will cause at least 7.8 million Medicaid enrollees to lose their health care coverage. SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Just days ahead of an expected Senate vote on H.R. 1, 46 state medical associations, as part of Physicians for Medicaid have sent a letter to the United States Senate urging them to reject the dangerous cuts to Medicaid proposed in H.R. 1 that will cause millions of patients to lose coverage and even more to lose access to care - children, pregnant women, seniors, veterans, the disabled and working families. Statewide hospital associations have also weighed in, as proposed cuts impact all providers, including physicians and hospitals. The bill, which includes $200 billion in cuts to the existing and longstanding provider taxes, would have a catastrophic effect on state budgets and the country's entire health care delivery system and would impact 49 state Medicaid programs. Provider taxes have been authorized under federal law, approved by both Republican and Democratic administrations, and affirmed by state legislatures in 49 states for decades. They are a legitimate financing mechanism used by states in partnership with the federal government to fund essential health services and have kept rural hospitals, maternity wards, nursing homes, and physician practices open. The bill also imposes damaging changes to federal student loan programs making it harder for students to pursue medical careers at a time of critical physician shortages. We urge the Senate to pursue more balanced solutions that expand the physician workforce and preserve Medicaid for our patients. "If these provider tax cuts are enacted, it will create significant gaps in State budgets, forcing states to raise taxes, or reduce benefits, coverage, and provider payments. These reductions will lead to even more crowding of emergency departments and as the uncompensated care burdens grow from patients losing coverage, many rural hospitals, nursing homes, and community physician practices will be forced to close to all patients," the letter says. There are three main provisions in H.R. 1 (as passed by the House of Representatives on May 22, 2025) that will drastically limit or eliminate existing provider taxes nationwide. These provisions below apply to all provider taxes, including hospitals, nursing homes, managed care organizations, and other provider categories. Moratorium on New or Increased Provider Taxes (SEC. 44132) Under the provisions of H.R. 1, none of these taxes could be increased after the passage and enactment of the law nor can any new taxes be adopted by the state Legislatures (there are 19 categories of provider taxes). This provision would freeze taxes and not keep pace with increasing health care costs over time. It is also not equitable between states. Revising Payments for Certain State Directed Payments (SEC. 44133) Once a provider tax is established, state Medicaid programs can fund supplemental or enhanced payments to providers using a variety of rate methodologies. Under H.R. 1, any future directed payments would be limited to the Medicare payment rate. Medicare physician payment rates are already 33% behind the costs to provide health care. These rates will not keep pace for public hospitals and physician specialists that care for the sickest patients nationwide. Requirements Regarding Waiver of Uniform Tax Requirement for Medicaid Provider Tax (SEC. 44134) The language in H.R. 1 requires provider taxes in multiple states to uniformly tax hospitals, nursing homes, and managed care organizations within each category of provider tax. The uniformity requirement will be extremely difficult for most states to meet and therefore, it eliminates multiple provider taxes in many states. The HHS Secretary has discretion to allow for a transition period, which is not something upon which states can rely. "These provisions will destabilize state health systems, reduce access to care, and worsen physician shortages. Instead, we encourage you to protect Medicaid a proven, cost-effective safety net that serves 80 million vulnerable Americans," the letter concluded. SOURCE California Medical Association; Physicians for Medicaid BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 6. More than 34.5 million MWh of natural gas have been transported through the GreeceBulgaria interconnector (IGB pipeline) since the start of its commercial operations at the end of 2022, the ICGB, the project operator, told Trend. The pipeline continues to play a vital role in strengthening energy security and diversification in Bulgaria and the broader region, with over 45 registered network users and stable market interest. The interconnector currently supplies over 40% of Bulgarias domestic consumption during winter months, and more than 60% during summer, while also enabling virtual reverse flow deliveries to Greece. Reportedly, since the start of operations, approximately 2 million MWh have been transported in the reverse direction, showcasing the interconnectors operational flexibility. ICGB is fully prepared to offer commercial reverse flow from Bulgaria to Greece at the Komotini interconnection point (IP ICGB-DESFA) as soon as the corresponding entry capacity becomes available on the Greek side. The IGB gas pipeline connects with the Greek national gas transmission system (DESFA S.A.) and the Trans-Adriatic gas pipeline (TAP AG) in the area of Komotini (Greece), and with the Bulgarian gas transmission system (Bulgartransgaz EAD) in the area of Stara Zagora. The total length of the gas pipeline is 182 km, the diameter of the pipe - 32'' - and a design capacity of up to 3 billion m3/year in the direction Greece - Bulgaria. Depending on the market interest for larger capacity and the possibilities of the neighboring gas transmission systems, the capacity of IGB is designed with the option for increase up to 5 billion m3/year. FORNEBU, Norway, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- An extraordinary general meeting of Aker Horizons ASA (the "Company") was held today as a digital meeting with online participation. All resolutions were made in accordance with the proposals set out in the meeting notice published on 15 May 2025, including to decrease the share capital and to distribute the Company's shares in Aker Horizons Holding AS ("AKHH") as dividend-in-kind to the Company's shareholders, subject to, among other things, completion of the share capital decrease and the conditions to complete the merger between AKHH and Aker MergerCo AS (the "Merger") having been met. The Merger is expected to be completed during the third quarter of 2025. The Board of Directors will later decide on and communicate key dates for the dividend in-kind distribution. Minutes of the meeting are attached and available on https://akerhorizons.com/investors/shareholder-center/general-meetings/. For further information: Investor Relations: Jonas Gamre Mobile: +47 97 11 82 92 E-mail: [email protected] Media: Mats Ektvedt Mobile: +47 41 42 33 28 E-mail: [email protected] This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5 -12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/aker-horizons/r/aker-horizons-asa--minutes-from-extraordinary-general-meeting,c4160268 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Public/20659/4160268/84fba1f9d7aec5b4.pdf Aker Horizons ASA Minutes of EGM 6 June 2025 complete SOURCE Aker Horizons NEW YORK, June 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With the general election around the corner, Alina Bonsell dubbed "The Bombshell" by supporters for her unapologetic energy has officially secured her place on the November ballot for New York City Council District 5. A moderate Republican with an independent streak, Bonsell is shaking up the political status quo and drawing support from voters tired of party puppets and performative politics. Alina Bonsell, Republican candidate for NYC Council District 5, attending the Staten Island GOP event, with featured guests Curtis Sliwa, Congresswomen Elise Stefanik, Nicole Malliotakis, Councilman Nick Marano, and Sid Rosenberg. "I'm not running to represent a party," said Bonsell. "I'm running to represent people. I've lived the dysfunction from family court injustice to overregulation crushing small businesses. I'm stepping in because too many New Yorkers feel unheard and unprotected." A healthcare veteran, real estate entrepreneur, and longtime Upper East Side resident, Bonsell brings a rare combination of tenacity, business sense, and lived experience. As a mother of two who has battled NYC's broken family court system, she's making transparency and fairness central to her mission. Her story is rooted in resilience. At age six, her family fled Odessa, Ukraine as Jewish refugees escaping anti-Semitism. They came to New York to build a better life and she's been fighting for that promise ever since. Bonsell states, "This city's been run like a broken machine no heart, no accountability Ask the residents of Roosevelt Island. Over 8,000 parents emailed the current Democratic Councilmember, begging for help to bring their high school back. She ignored every one of them. No response. No action. They say she checked out and she doesn't care. That's just one of many issues that's been brushed aside from public safety to affordability to quality of life. That's not leadership. That's neglect. And that's the opposite of who I am." A proud graduate of New York City's public schools, Bonsell supports expanding access to tutoring, leadership programs, and cultural enrichment because every child deserves opportunity, regardless of zip code. While education remains a cornerstone of her campaign, Bonsell's platform lays out a broader vision to restore safety, accountability, and functionality both across the district and throughout New York City. Public safety : Institutionalize severely mentally ill individuals who pose a danger to others. Remove violent offenders from subways, parks, and public spaces. Legalize non-lethal safety tools like pepper spray so New Yorkers can defend themselves. : Institutionalize severely mentally ill individuals who pose a danger to others. Remove violent offenders from subways, parks, and public spaces. Legalize non-lethal safety tools like pepper spray so New Yorkers can defend themselves. Transit : Prioritize boarding for Roosevelt Island residents and install a public staircase or elevator on the 59th Street Bridge. : Prioritize boarding for residents and install a public staircase or elevator on the 59th Street Bridge. Housing : Provide tax relief for residential and commercial landlords to ease rent hikes and stabilize communities. Legalize short-term rentals when allowed by building bylaws. Reform squatter laws to permit immediate eviction of illegal occupants. : Provide tax relief for residential and commercial landlords to ease rent hikes and stabilize communities. Legalize short-term rentals when allowed by building bylaws. Reform squatter laws to permit immediate eviction of illegal occupants. Pedestrian safety : Enforce licensing, insurance, and traffic rules for commercial cyclists and e-bike delivery drivers operating with no oversight. : Enforce licensing, insurance, and traffic rules for commercial cyclists and e-bike delivery drivers operating with no oversight. Small business survival : Pass a Small Business Protection Bill to shield neighborhood shops from unfair pressures and keep local commerce alive. : Pass a Small Business Protection Bill to shield neighborhood shops from unfair pressures and keep local commerce alive. Family court reform : As a mother personally impacted by a broken system, she's pushing for accountability, transparency, and due process to ensure no parent is erased by false narratives or judicial apathy. : As a mother personally impacted by a broken system, she's pushing for accountability, transparency, and due process to ensure no parent is erased by false narratives or judicial apathy. Animal welfare: Bonsell is a vocal advocate for stronger protections for animals, including improved shelter conditions, tougher penalties for abuse, and expanded funding for rescue organizations because compassion shouldn't be selective. In her own words, Bonsell explains her mission clearly: "I'm running on the Republican line, but I don't answer to national politics or big party donors. This is an independent, grassroots campaign. New York City is often dubbed the playground for the rich and year after year, it ranks as the richest city in the world by the number of billionaires who live here. But it suffers in so many other ways. I'm running because I want this city to be rich in what actually matters: rich in safety, rich in cleanliness, rich in opportunity, justice, education, and real community." District 5 includes East 58th Street to East 96th Street, primarily east of Third Avenue, as well as Museum Mile and Roosevelt Island. The general election will be held on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. More about Alina Bonsell | www.alinabonsell.com | Instagram: @AlinaB.nyc | [email protected] Contact: Agustina Marcos Founder & Editor, The-City-Top Email: [email protected] Website: www.the-city.top SOURCE THE CITY Tens of thousands voice support for nonprofit that has helped 17 million small businesses start and grow. WASHINGTON, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- What's good for small business is good for America, and America's small business community is urging Congress to protect funding for SCORE , the nation's largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors. Tens of thousands have already responded to SCORE's call to action after President Trump's FY26 Discretionary Budget Request, released on May 2, proposed the elimination of the nonprofit's $17 million in federal funding. Americas small business community has rallied, voicing support for SCORE and joining the #StandWithSCORE campaign. Small business owners and supporters are urging Congress to protect federal funding for SCORE. "We are grateful for the incredible response we have received so far from supporters, and call on Congress to heed their messages and protect SCORE's funding," said SCORE CEO Bridget Weston. "For 61 years, SCORE has played a powerful role in the small business ecosystem. With over 10,000 volunteer mentors nationwide, SCORE's ability to provide free, expert business advice to 300,000 entrepreneurs a year would not be possible without federal support." Following SCORE's urgent call to action, America's small business community has rallied, generating nearly 50,000 letters to Congress, sharing #StandWithSCORE posts on social media, and inspiring impassioned testimonials from entrepreneurs, volunteers and supporters. From entrepreneurs SCORE has helped: "At one of my lowest points, I found hopeand it came in the form of the SBA and SCORE in Omaha, Nebraska . They took what I did know and polished it, taught me what I didn't, and helped kickstart my flourish as an entrepreneur. That moment changed the course of my life." SCORE client Carlotta "Lottie" Jackson-Kelly, Vital Defense & Prevention . They took what I did know and polished it, taught me what I didn't, and helped kickstart my flourish as an entrepreneur. That moment changed the course of my life." "When I first discovered SCORE, I was ecstatic and grateful for all the resources that were so readily available at my fingertips. From live and virtual workshops to the ability to get paired with a mentor, it's a dream for anyone looking to learn, grow and build something meaningful." SCORE client Christina Kolokotroni, RVRIE studio From business experts who volunteer with SCORE: "When you see a business that is shuttered after a year or two of struggling, they most likely started with a great idea, lots of passion and enthusiasm, but without mentoring. When you see a small business that is flourishing, expanding, demonstrating creative marketing and pivoting to meet constantly changing needs, they have most likely been mentored by a SCORE volunteer." SCORE mentor Marc Goldberg , former oil/gas CEO, author and small business founder "SCORE is not just a cost-effective use of federal fundsit is an economic catalyst. The return on investment is indisputable. For every federal dollar appropriated, SCORE returns a measurable impact in the form of job creation, small business starts, and local economic stimulation." SCORE volunteer David Mortaz, AI entrepreneur and angel investor From SCORE's community partners and supporters: "Throughout the years, we at SBDC have witnessed firsthand how SCORE's devoted mentors have guided countless individuals through the challenging journey of entrepreneurship, offering wisdom, encouragement and expertise that no textbook could provide." Texas State University Small Business Development Center "SCORE is incredibly supportive of our Chamber, our members, and our community as a whole. Please consider sending a message to help this volunteer, nonprofit organization continue its impactful work." Lebanon Valley (Pa.) Chamber of Commerce "SCORE has long been a trusted ally for business owners navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship. Through one-on-one mentoring and accessible business resources, SCORE helps transform vision into strategy and ambition into action." Jen Earle , CEO, National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) "SCORE has been a treasured friend and partner of FranNet's for over 30 years. The work that this organization does is amazing." Jania Bailey , CEO of FranNet, franchise consulting firm "With 99.9% of U.S. businesses being small, it's not hard to see why SCORE has supported more than 17 million entrepreneurs in achieving their dreamsAmerican small business owners count on SCORE volunteers to help them succeed." U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC) "SCORE's volunteer mentors empower women business owners with the tools, knowledge, and support they need to grow, create jobs and strengthen their communities. We are proud to champion SCORE's mission and impact." Angela Dingle , President & CEO, Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) SCORE continues to call on small business owners, mentors and supporters nationwide to contact Congress with one clear message: Protect SCORE. Protect American small businesses. CLICK HERE to take action now. This campaign is funded exclusively by the SCORE Foundation, without the use of federal funds. About SCORE Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 17 million entrepreneurs start, grow or successfully exit a business. SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free, expert mentoring, resources and education in all 50 U.S. states and territories. CONTACT: SCORE 202-968-6428 [email protected] Visit SCORE's media resources to connect with expert small business interview sources and news updates. SOURCE SCORE NEW YORK, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Senior Associate Attorney Ian Piasecki of Phillips & Associates in New York was granted membership to the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum after securing a $2,000,000 settlement for a client who filed a quid pro quo sexual harassment lawsuit. Attorney Ian Piasecki, a senior associate at Phillips & Associates, Attorneys at Law, PLLC in New York, was granted membership to the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum after securing a $2,000,000 settlement involving allegations of quid pro quo sexual harassment within a prominent law firm. Attorney Ian Piasecki The case result not only garnered praise from his colleagues but also caught the attention of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, which offers its membership to fewer than 1% of all practicing U.S. attorneys. To earn an invitation, a trial attorney must have acted as principal counsel in at least one case that resulted in a verdict, settlement, or award of $2,000,000 or more. First founded in 1993, the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Million Dollar Advocates Forum are today considered to be one of the most prestigious and respected legal organizations in the world, and its members are widely considered to be "attorneys to watch." Attorney Piasecki is admitted to practice in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, District of New Jersey, and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Before joining Phillips & Associates, he gained valuable experience in private practice, working for law firms that primarily handled workers' compensation, personal injury, toxic tort, insurance law, commercial litigation, real estate, and Americans with Disability Act litigation cases. Attorney Piasecki's extensive practice experience as a litigator for both plaintiffs and defendants has given him incredible insight into processes for both sides of a case, which allows him to analyze the industries in which his clients and their employers work. For more information about the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, visit: https://www.milliondollaradvocates.com/. For more information about Attorney Piasecki and Phillips & Associates, inquiring parties should visit: www.newyorkcitydiscriminationlawyer.com. Media Contact: Vanessa Keys [email protected] SOURCE Phillips & Associates BROOKFIELD, Wis., June 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Bitcoin Mining World is pleased to announce the appointment of Jordan Siff, CPA, CFE, as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective immediately. Jordan brings over a decade of extensive expertise in forensic accounting, fraud investigation, internal auditing, and financial reporting, positioning the company strategically for its next stage of growth. Jordan's professional experience spans various high-level roles, including Forensic Accounting Director at Workman Forensics, Senior Financial Reporting Analyst at Mountain West Pipeline, and Senior Internal Auditor at Core Laboratories. As owner of HC Crypto, Jordan also cultivated significant experience specifically in cryptocurrency and blockchain-related financial operations. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Jordan is renowned for his meticulous attention to detail and exceptional analytical skills. His specialty in vendor risk management, cost recovery, and fraud detection has delivered substantial savings and recovered assets for clients across diverse industries. Jordan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Schreiner University and formerly served on the board of the Northeast Oklahoma Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Scott Offord, Founder of Bitcoin Mining World, shared his enthusiasm regarding Jordan's appointment: "Jordan's unique blend of forensic accounting expertise and deep understanding of financial risk management makes him an invaluable addition to our leadership team. As we continue scaling our operations, Jordan's strategic insight and analytical rigor will be pivotal in strengthening our financial foundation and ensuring sustainable growth." Jordan Siff expressed his excitement about his new role: "Joining Bitcoin Mining World represents a remarkable opportunity to contribute directly to the evolving Bitcoin mining industry. I'm eager to apply my forensic accounting background and analytical capabilities to help the company navigate financial complexities, optimize efficiencies, and drive long-term profitability." Jordan's appointment highlights Bitcoin Mining World's continued commitment to financial excellence and proactive risk management as it positions itself for continued innovation and growth within the Bitcoin mining sector. About Bitcoin Mining World Bitcoin Mining World's mission is to empower individuals and small family offices by simplifying entry into Bitcoin mining through education, mentorship, and tailored services. Our vision is to promote decentralization and financial freedom by making Bitcoin mining accessible, leveraging innovative solutions like waste-to-energy and heat reuse, ultimately driving the adoption of sustainable and profitable mining practices worldwide. Media contact: [email protected] SOURCE Bitcoin Mining World SAN JOSE, Calif., June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Boviet Solar Technology Co. Ltd. (the "Company" or "Boviet Solar"), a solar energy technology company specializing in manufacturing monocrystalline PV cells, Gamma Series Monofacial, and Vega Series Bifacial PV Modules, has once again been ranked as a top 10 financially stable PV module manufacturer by Sinovoltaics. As a specialist in technical compliance and quality assurance services for solar photovoltaics and battery energy storage systems, Sinovoltaics uses Altman-Z Scores to rank the financial strength of companies in its PV Module Manufacturer Ranking Report. Sinovoltaics' Edition 2-2025 rankings were calculated from July 2022 until March 2025 and include the financial stability scores of 60+ publicly listed Asian, European, and American solar PV module manufacturers. The financial stability of manufacturers has become critical to ensuring project reliability and long-term returns. Boviet Solar has also stood among the top 10 in previous Sinovoltaics rankings. "We are proud to be acknowledged for our commitment to bankability in the solar sector." - Boviet Solar. Post this "It's gratifying to retain our high-ranking status for fiscal health," said Scott Chen, VP of Global Sales and Marketing. "We are proud to be acknowledged for our commitment to bankability in the solar sector. Boviet Solar remains dedicated to the ongoing technology advancement and smart financial management essential for clients to continue to rely on our products and services for successful projects and rapid industry expansion." The Altman Z-Score is a widely recognized financial assessment tool that examines the financial stability of manufacturers, identifying which companies are financially secure and which are at risk of going bankrupt within the next two years. The main factors affecting the Sinovoltaics rankings include: Working Capital Total Assets Retained Earnings Earnings Before Interest & Tax Market Value of Equity Total Liabilities Sales PV modules from financially stable manufacturers help mitigate the risk of a collapsing return on investment (ROI) in any PV project. A PV module manufacturer's financial stability impacts the validity and enforceability of its warranty policies. "Ranking in the report's top 10 signifies Boviet Solar's reliability as a long-term, trustworthy industry partner for clients and financial institutions," said Sienna Cen, President of Boviet Solar USA. "We remain focused on quality solutions that will further global sustainability." In addition to these rankings, Boviet Solar has consistently demonstrated strong bankability, as evidenced by its inclusion in the top 12 global bankable PV module manufacturers by Wood Mackenzie. Black & Veatch also successfully completed an independent assessment of Boviet Solar's manufacturing facilities in 2022. Boviet Solar's PV modules are known for their power, performance, and quality and have been rated as top performers on Kiwa PVEL's PV Module Reliability Scorecard since 2017. About Boviet Solar Boviet Solar is a leading solar technology company founded in 2013 in Vietnam, specializing in the manufacturing of high-performance Monocrystalline PV cells and high-quality Gamma Series Monofacial and Vega Series Bifacial PV modules for residential, commercial, industrial, community, and utility-scale solar applications. Boviet Solar combines business acumen, financial stability, technological expertise, and manufacturing excellence to produce top-performing PV modules, while fostering mutual partnerships, ensuring sustainability, supply chain traceability, and compliance with international trade standards. Boviet Solar has earned a reputation for excellence, holding a Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) Tier 1 ranking, being recognized as one of the top 12 most reliable PV module manufacturers by Wood Mackenzie and Sinovoltaics, and consistently rated as a Top Performer in Kiwa PVEL's PV Module Reliability Scorecard. Boviet Solar's global headquarters is in Vietnam, with manufacturing facilities in both the USA and Vietnam, featuring an annual PV cell and PV module capacity of 3.0 GW, along with additional operations in the USA, Germany, and other regional markets. For more information about our company and products, please visit www.bovietsolar.com. MEDIA INQUIRIES: Songul Atacan Head of Global Brand and Marketing Boviet Solar [email protected] SOURCE Boviet Solar Ario Khoshbin Files Oppression Lawsuit Following Removal as CEO of Prollenium TORONTO, May 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Ario Khoshbin, founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Prollenium Medical Technologies Inc., has commenced legal proceedings in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice Commercial List, against ArchiMed SAS, Panacea Holdings Inc., Prollenium Medical Technologies Inc., and related entities. The Statement of Claim includes allegations of shareholder oppression under the Canada Business Corporations Act, as well as breach of contract and wrongful dismissal. Mr. Khoshbin founded Prollenium in 2002 while still a university student. Over the next two decades, he developed the company into a global aesthetics business, with proprietary R&D, advanced manufacturing facilities, and distribution in over 80 countries. Prollenium is the only company manufacturing hyaluronic acid dermal fillers in North America and is the manufacturer of the globally recognized dermal filler brand Revanesse. In 2021, Mr. Khoshbin sold a majority stake in the company to ArchiMed, a European private equity firm, while continuing in his role as CEO and remaining a significant minority shareholder and board director. In the Statement of Claim, Mr. Khoshbin alleges that following the acquisition, ArchiMed began operating the company in a manner that sidelined minority shareholders, focused on short-term financial objectives, and diverged from prior representations about long-term growth and innovation. The claim states that Mr. Khoshbin was gradually excluded from key governance decisions and was ultimately removed from his role without cause. The Statement of Claim alleges that Mr. Khoshbin did not voluntarily resign but was instead removed by board vote on April 4, 2025, contrary to public statements made by the Defendants at the time of Mr. Khoshbin's termination. The claim further alleges that Mr. Khoshbin's termination was not preceded by any formal performance process, and that he had expressed willingness to support an orderly transition. It also alleges that ArchiMed had pre-selected Walter Geiger, an operating partner at ARCHIMED SAS based in Zurich, as interim CEO prior to the meeting, and that he did not hold a Canadian work permit at the time of his appointment. The claim states that Mr. Geiger has been performing his duties from Prollenium's Richmond Hill facility. Following his removal, Mr. Khoshbin formally stepped down from the Board of Directors of Panacea Holdings. He continues to hold a 30% indirect ownership interest in the company and owns both of its core manufacturing facilities in Aurora and Richmond Hill, Ontario. "The opportunity to build Prollenium into what it is today has been the defining journey of my professional life," said Mr. Khoshbin. "My departure as CEO was abrupt and not by choice, but my commitment to the company's mission, legacy, its employees, and its long-term success remains unwavering." The Statement of Claim seeks various remedies, including a court-ordered buyout of Mr. Khoshbin's shares at fair market value, damages for wrongful dismissal, breach of contract, and reputational harm. The allegations have not yet been tested in court. SOURCE Ario Khoshbin NEW YORK, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Levi & Korsinsky, LLP notifies investors in Compass Group Diversified Holdings, LLC ("Compass Diversified" or the "Company") (NYSE: CODI) of a class action securities lawsuit. CLASS DEFINITION: The lawsuit seeks to recover losses on behalf of Compass Diversified investors who were adversely affected by alleged securities fraud between May 1, 2024 and May 7, 2025. Follow the link below to get more information and be contacted by a member of our team: https://zlk.com/pslra-1/compass-diversified-lawsuit-submission-form?prid=151738&wire=4 CODI investors may also contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. via email at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 363-7500. CASE DETAILS: According to the complaint, throughout the class period, defendants failed to disclose to investors that Compass lacked effective internal controls over its financial reporting; that Compass failed to disclose critical information regarding Lugano Holding, Inc. ("Lugano") which kept undisclosed financing arrangements and exhibited irregularities in its sales, cost of sales, inventory and accounts receivable; and that, as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about the Company's financial reporting were materially misleading. The truth emerged on May 7, 2025, after the market closed, the Company announced that its financial statements for fiscal 2024 could no longer be relied upon due to an ongoing internal investigation into its subsidiary, Lugano. Specifically, Compass reported that its Audit Committee launched an investigation over "concerns about how Lugano was potentially financing inventory." The Company also announced that it intends to delay the filing of its first quarter 2025 Form 10-Q. Further, effective May 7, 2025, Lugano's founder and CEO, Moti Ferder, resigned from Lugano and will not receive any severance compensation. Following this news, the price of Compass' common stock declined dramatically. From a closing market price of $17.25 per share on May 7, 2025 to $6.55 per share on May 8, 2025. WHAT'S NEXT? If you suffered a loss in Compass Diversified during the relevant time frame, you have until July 8, 2025 to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. NO COST TO YOU: If you are a class member, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket costs or fees. There is no cost or obligation to participate. WHY LEVI & KORSINSKY: Over the past 20 years, the team at Levi & Korsinsky has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for aggrieved shareholders and built a track record of winning high-stakes cases. Our firm has extensive expertise representing investors in complex securities litigation and a team of over 70 employees to serve our clients. For seven years in a row, Levi & Korsinsky has ranked in ISS Securities Class Action Services' Top 50 Report as one of the top securities litigation firms in the United States. CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP Joseph E. Levi, Esq. Ed Korsinsky, Esq. 33 Whitehall Street, 17th Floor New York, NY 10004 [email protected] Tel: (212) 363-7500 Fax: (212) 363-7171 www.zlk.com SOURCE Levi & Korsinsky, LLP MAUMEE, Ohio, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Dana Incorporated (NYSE: DAN) announced today it will participate in the Deutsche Bank Global Auto Industry Conference on June 12. Beginning at 12:55 p.m. EDT, Dana's Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Timothy Kraus will host a fireside chat for approximately 35 minutes. Information on accessing the webcast will be posted to Dana's Investor website, www.dana.com/investors, before the event. About Dana Incorporated Dana is a leader in the design and manufacture of highly efficient propulsion and energy-management solutions that power vehicles and machines in all mobility markets across the globe. The company is shaping sustainable progress through its conventional and clean-energy solutions that support nearly every vehicle manufacturer with drive and motion systems; electrodynamic technologies, including software and controls; and thermal, sealing, and digital solutions. Based in Maumee, Ohio, USA, the company reported sales of $10.3 billion in 2024 with 39,600 people in 30 countries across six continents. With a history dating to 1904, Dana was named among the "World's Most Ethical Companies" for 2025 by Ethisphere and as one of "America's Most Responsible Companies 2025" by Newsweek. The company is driven by a high-performance culture that focuses on valuing others, inspiring innovation, growing responsibly, and winning together, earning it global recognition as a top employer. Learn more at dana.com. SOURCE Dana Incorporated WASHINGTON, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, with presenting sponsor Crowell & Moring LLP, will host its annual Presidents Reception on Thursday, June 26, 2025 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Westin DC Downtown, 999 9th Street NW. The event will honor incoming D.C. Bar President Sadina Montani. A partner at Crowell & Moring, Montani will be sworn in as the D.C. Bar's 54th president at the Celebration of Leadership: D.C. Bar Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner, which follows the Presidents Reception. Montani has been a leader in the D.C. Bar community for more than a decade. She was part of D.C. Bar's first John Payton Leadership Academy in 2013 and has held leadership roles with bar organizations, legal services providers, and local nonprofits. She was president of the Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia during the 2020-2021 term. At Crowell, Montani focuses her practice on complex litigation and compliance for employers. She leads internal investigations, including those involving high-level workplace misconduct and sexual harassment. She also provides pro bono counsel to nonprofits focused on education, the environment, and social services. "Providing pro bono support to nonprofit organizations that in turn support critical legal, social services, and related needs in the D.C. area has been among the most gratifying work I've done throughout my career," said Montani. "In fact, I work with a number of organizations that I first began supporting as a second-year associate. I can't imagine a better way to celebrate the start of my term as D.C. Bar president than by raising critical funds for the Pro Bono Center through the Presidents Reception." The D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center is the largest provider of pro bono legal services in the District, assisting more than 21,000 individuals and 5,000 nonprofits and small businesses annually. The Presidents Reception is the Pro Bono Center's largest fundraising event of the year. Guests will enjoy a cocktail reception, opportunities to network with leaders in the legal community, and brief remarks. Tickets are $125, and sponsorship opportunities are available at www.dcbar.org/news-events/signature-events/presidents-reception. The Presidents Reception and the Celebration of Leadership are separate events. The Celebration of Leadership is D.C. Bar's annual meeting that honors excellence and service within the legal profession. Held each June, the evening includes the swearing-in of the incoming D.C. Bar President, remarks from outgoing leadership, and the presentation of the Bar's highest honors and awards. This event brings together D.C. Bar members and the wider legal community to celebrate the achievements of exceptional individuals and to mark the transition of Bar leadership. Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with operations in the United States, Europe, MENA, and Asia. Drawing on significant government, business, industry, and legal experience, the firm helps clients capitalize on opportunities and provides creative solutions to complex litigation and arbitration, regulatory and policy, and corporate and transactional issues. The firm is consistently recognized for its commitment to pro bono service. Indeed, more than 30 years ago, Crowell was the first law firm to hire a full-time public service counsel and to promote that counsel to full-time public service partner: former D.C. Bar President Susie Hoffman. Contact: Steven Marcus Director, Development [email protected] (202) 780-2733 SOURCE District Of Columbia Bar DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, June 6. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have signed the Technical Terms of the Protocol on the exchange of preliminary information regarding the movement of goods and vehicles between the two countries, Trend reports via the Customs Service of Tajikistan. The signing took place during a high-level bilateral meeting held in Kyrgyzstans Issyk-Kul region as part of the 80th session of the Council of Heads of Customs Services of the CIS member states. The talks were led by Khurshed Karimzoda, Chairman of the Customs Service under the Government of Tajikistan, and Almaz Saliyev, Chairman of the State Customs Service under the Ministry of Finance of Kyrgyzstan. The document delineates a comprehensive legal and operational schema for the expeditious interchange of customs intelligence. The objective is to optimize bilateral synergies in risk mitigation, augment transit capabilities, streamline customs protocols in border regions, and align interaction frameworks with global benchmarks. Both parties articulated a robust assurance that the efficacious execution of the accords will bolster reciprocal trust, enhance synergistic economic collaboration, and propel regional amalgamation. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel The announcement of the award was made on June 3 during a tribute dinner held in his honor, as part of the VIII Ibero-American CEAPI Congress, which took place in Seville from June 2 to 4. The event marked the 10th anniversary of the Business Council Alliance for Ibero-America (CEAPI) under the theme "Connecting Continents, Creating Opportunities." This prestigious award, established in 2014, recognizes leaders who have contributed to the economic and business development of Ibero-America and who promote an inclusive spirit that embraces shared challenges and values. It is named after Enrique V. Iglesias, the first Ibero-American Secretary General of SEGIB, Honorary President of CEAPI, and President of the Award Jury. The jury is composed of prominent figures from Ibero-American society, including Nuria Vilanova, President of CEAPI; Ana Botella, President of Fundacion Integra; Ana Botin, Chair of Banco Santander; and Juan Luis Cebrian, Honorary President of El Pais, among others. Previous recipients of the award include Valentin Diez Morodo, President of COMCE; Placido Arango, founder of Grupo Vips; Alejandro Bulgheroni, Chairman of Pan American Energy; Ana Botin, Chair of Banco Santander; and Carlos Slim, Chairman of Grupo Carso. Nuria Vilanova emphasized that Dionisio Gutierrez stands out for his leadership, strategic vision, and management skills: "Dionisio Gutierrez is an extraordinary example of determination and early leadership, who, with experience and the passage of time, has continued to grow." Upon receiving the award, Dionisio Gutierrez expressed his gratitude and stated: "The best words I can offer today, as I receive this awardso honorable and yet undeservedare sincere recognition to those who have granted it." He added that the award should inspire us "to find more spaces for dignity, intelligence, and hope." The official presentation of the award by His Majesty King Felipe VI will take place later this year. For more information, visit fundacionlibertad.com or contact us at [email protected]. SOURCE Fundacion Libertad y Desarrollo Emerges from Chapter 11 Process as a Streamlined Business focused on Pet Supplies Plus with a Capital Structure Designed to Support Growth VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Franchise Group, Inc. (together, with its direct and indirect subsidiaries, collectively, the "Company") today announced that it has successfully completed its financial restructuring process and emerged from Chapter 11 as a streamlined company with a significantly deleveraged capital structure and enhanced liquidity. The Company's Plan of Reorganization was confirmed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware on June 2, 2025 with the support of its key stakeholders, including secured and unsecured creditors and key business partners. Over the past seven months, the restructuring process has enabled Franchise Group to take significant steps to strengthen its core franchise-based businesses and position them for incremental investment, growth, and ultimately, long-term success. As an important step in this strategic transformation, the Company has simplified its portfolio of brands, including winding down American Freight and selling The Vitamin Shoppe. Following the transaction, both the Pet Supplies Plus ("PSP") and Buddy's Home Furnishings ("Buddy's") entities will be owned by the newly-created Fusion Parent, LLC. The Company will be focused on growing and supporting both franchises that continue to deliver strong results and benefit from over 200 new stores of aggregate actionable backlog. Importantly, PSP, Buddy's, and their respective management teams will be able to fully dedicate their efforts to supporting their franchisees, vendors, and customers. With its emergence, PSP and Buddy's will be led by a reconstituted Board currently comprised of five directors with significant consumer, retail, franchising and financial leadership experience, including: Chris Rowland, CEO of Pet Supplies Plus; Chuck Rubin, CEO of West Marine and former CEO of Ulta Beauty; David Barr, board member for a number of consumer companies, including Dogtopia and Domino's Pizza China; Susan Lintonsmith, COO of European Wax Center; and Tim Johnson, former CFO and CAO for Victoria's Secret & Co. Franchise Group was advised by Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP as legal counsel; AlixPartners as financial advisor; and Ducera Partners as investment banker. The ad hoc group of debtor-in-possession and first lien term lenders was advised by Paul Hastings LLP as legal counsel and Lazard as investment banker. Media Contact: Kekst CNC Jeremy Fielding / Ross Lovern [email protected] SOURCE Franchise Group, Inc. ELIZABETH, N.J., June 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The location where Dianetics author and Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard established the first Foundation 75 years ago reopens to the world, restored and dedicated as a historical Landmark Site. Nestled in a quiet part of Elizabeth, New Jersey, is an unassuming, three-story buildinga structure that once unquestionably became the nexus of a global awakening. The first Dianetics Foundation, established by L. Ron Hubbard 75 years ago, reopens as a Landmark Site in Elizabeth, NJ. Post this A jubilant day comes alive for Scientologists, the city of Elizabeth and the state of New Jersey as 42 Aberdeen Road opens as the newest L. Ron Hubbard Landmark Siterestored to reflect the moment the first Dianetics Foundation took root. Just 15 miles from New York City, this rejuvenated Colonial-Revival setting at 42 Aberdeen Road now joins the distinguished ranks of L. Ron Hubbard (LRH) Landmark Sites around the world. During a spring afternoon celebration attended by Scientologists, community leaders and restoration specialists, guests weren't just honoring a historic moment. In fact, they were able to take the very first steps inside the exact rooms where Mr. Hubbard had personally taught the first Dianetics auditors, delivered the first Dianetics lectures and set in motion the first Dianetics Research Foundation. "To be here, at this historic site on L. Ron Hubbard's path of discovery, is an honor and in a class of its own," one guest said. Now completely restored to its 1950 appearance, 42 Aberdeen Road is more than a building, it is the precise cornerstone where the world first turned a page and a revolution of the human mind all began. With the May 9, 1950 publication of Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, what unfolded within these walls was nothing short of explosiveas the book began its unprecedented run of 28 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Almost overnight, crowds from across America began arriving without invitation, eager to meet and learn in person from the author of what was rapidly becoming the most popular book ever written on the human mind. This site of universal influence now stands as it once didcomplete with original furniture, vintage crystal doorknobs and refinished wood floors with mahogany Celtic pattern inlays. All have been restored to their glorious past, including the desk where Mr. Hubbard once wrote and the fireplace before which students gathered. The Remington typewriter and SoundScriber dictation recorders Mr. Hubbard worked with are also on displayeven his prized Ford Deluxe "Woody" Wagon is parked outside. Officiating the ceremony was the Church of Scientology Preservationist who oversaw the meticulous restoration. "This site became the epicenter of a movementone that grew from Dianetics, the first workable science of the mind, into the Scientology religion, with Churches and Missions spanning the globe," he said. "And for the first time, beginning today, you will be able to walk inside and stand right where it all began!" Fittingly, and just days before the 75th Anniversary of the publication of Dianetics, dignitaries honoring the site's Grand Opening spoke of the impact of L. Ron Hubbard, both locally and globally. The day's first guest speaker, Ms. Jennifer Costa, President and CEO of the Greater Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the opening as a milestone for the city. "Here in Elizabeth, we pride ourselves on a theme that we think says everything: 'It all starts here.' And that is so very true. Elizabeth is a city of many firstsfrom the first capital of the state of New Jersey to the home of our first governor and even the first submarine. Well, today we stand here in front of this breathtaking site, another first that claims Elizabeth with pride as the very place where the first Dianetics Foundation was born. We can't wait to welcome all of you to this landmark that belongs to all of usbecause this is where your history and our history meetright here at 42 Aberdeen Road." Mr. Thomas B. Connolly, who served as historical architect on the project, emphasized the importance of preserving the site's original character. "Working with your team to restore this landmark was a dream. Your commitment to quality and authenticity was evident from day one and your goal was clear: to return the site to exactly how it was when Mr. Hubbard was here. As just a single example, when we peeled back the white aluminum siding that had been on the facade for decades, we uncovered a century-old surprise: the original cedar shingles, right where they had been since 1910." Mr. Connolly added, "And that's only one of the countless details that brought this heritage site back to life, transforming it into what you see today: the gem of the block!" Dr. Apostle Lemmew Samuel, Founder of an Evangelical Assembly in New York City, has spent a lifetime in religious serviceand spoke to the spiritual power of the Landmark Site. "Just like those first readers who drove here back in 1950 to learn from Mr. L. Ron Hubbard himself, I now find myself on the same doorstep, drawn by the same truth from the pages of Dianetics," Dr. Samuel said. "I'm just getting started with Dianetics. But I know I have in my hands a way to help the people I servecouples in crisis, youth searching for direction, anyone trying to hold their life together. I can help them find their way out of the darkness of the mind and into the light!" Dr. Monica Sanchez, a United Nations Cultural Ambassador and Humanitarian, spoke not just of the legacy of this storied location, but of the enduring imprint L. Ron Hubbard left on Mankind. "Sometimes we think we know the way, until life gives you a detourone without signs. But Mr. Hubbard's work says: Here's another road. Here's the best road. That's why I call L. Ron Hubbard a GPS for humanity," she said to the crowd. "If I had been here on Aberdeen Road back in 1950, I would have told him: 'Take me as your student!' I would have felt very privileged just to learn by his side. But, thanks to everything he left behind and your incredible work to preserve it, we can all be his students." Captain Steve Nagiewicz, Executive Director Emeritus of the world-famous Explorers Clubwhere Mr. Hubbard was an exalted member and carried three official expedition flagspraised LRH's work as nothing short of bold discovery. "Mr. Hubbard explored the oceans, he crossed continents, he set a course for distant stars. But his final frontier was the most uncharted territory of all: conducting a journey inside the human mind," he said. "Exploring the unknown, living on the edge, going where no one has gone before ... it requires a rock-solid state of mind, leaving no margin for error." Mr. Nagiewicz added, "It's my hope that this day and this site will always remind us to push farther, reach deeper, keep exploring. And as future explorers venture to the stars, no doubt L. Ron Hubbard will be with them in spirit!" Historic 42 Aberdeen Road has a sister in Bay Head, New Jersey, 50 miles away, where LRH wrote Dianetics. Mr. Hubbard worked in both locations during the same time period, in Bay Head for part of the year and Elizabeth for the other. The Bay Head property was previously opened as an L. Ron Hubbard Landmark Site in 2011Mr. Hubbard's centennial year. All told, there are seven such Landmark Sites now open on three continents around the world, including L. Ron Hubbard's heritage site at the base of Camelback Mountain in Phoenix, Arizonaknown as the Birthplace of Scientology; the original Founding Church that Mr. Hubbard established in Washington, DC; the original Hubbard Communications Office on Fitzroy Street in London, England; his Linksfield Ridge estate overlooking Johannesburg, South Africa; and his headquarters at Saint Hill in East Grinstead, England. Each Landmark Site offers a literal and visual history of the work and advances Mr. Hubbard achieved during the time he was at that particular location. Each also features a room devoted to the wider story of Mr. Hubbard's life of global exploration and researchincluding his revolutionary work here in Elizabeth, New Jersey. In full, the sites mark Mr. Hubbard's progressive steps to the founding of Dianetics and Scientology. Two more Landmark Sites are set to open by this summerone in the US and another in Southern Africacarrying forward the legacy of places like 42 Aberdeen Road, a global tribute that echoes for generations to come. SOURCE Church of Scientology International LOUISVILLE, Ky., June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As American schools struggle with disengagement, chronic absenteeism, and teacher shortages, one national nonprofit is showcasing a powerful alternativewhere students don't just learn about the real world, they run one. From June 911, Louisville will host their 31st Annual Conference, welcoming educators and innovators from across North America. The event showcases a unique educational model where students build and lead their own governments, businesses, courts, and nonprofits inside school. "We don't just prepare students to lead tomorrow. We give them a society to lead today," said Carolynn King Richmond, President and CEO of MicroSociety Inc., the Philadelphia-based nonprofit behind the movement. "What we see in these student-run worldscreativity, leadership, empathy, innovationis nothing short of transformative." Conference Highlights: Keynote by Dr. Nat Irvin II June 9 , Gala: 6:009:00 PM, The Seelbach Hotel This author, innovator, futurist, teacher, and composer serves as Assistant Dean of Thought Leadership & Civic Engagement and Professor of Management Practice at the University of Louisville College of Business. He teaches courses on managing the future, leadership, and team dynamics, and is the founder of Thrival@IdeaFestival, in collaboration with the Kentucky Science and Technology Center. Dr. Irvin will explore what it will take for students to lead in a rapidly changing world. This author, innovator, futurist, teacher, and composer serves as Assistant Dean of Thought Leadership & Civic Engagement and Professor of Management Practice at the College of Business. He teaches courses on managing the future, leadership, and team dynamics, and is the founder of Thrival@IdeaFestival, in collaboration with the Kentucky Science and Technology Center. Dr. Irvin will explore what it will take for students to lead in a rapidly changing world. "Facing the Great Unknown" June 9 , 9:00 AM Kentucky State Senator Gerald A. Neal will open the 31st Annual MicroSociety Conference with a powerful call to elevate civic learning, equity, and student leadership. His address will inspire educators to create school communities where young people are trusted to lead and empowered to shape a just and compassionate future. will open the 31st Annual MicroSociety Conference with a powerful call to elevate civic learning, equity, and student leadership. His address will inspire educators to create school communities where young people are trusted to lead and empowered to shape a just and compassionate future. "From the Front Lines: Building a Future-Ready Workforce Today" June 9 , 2:00 PM A diverse group of Louisville leadersspanning business, government, engineering, nonprofits, and educationwill bring a range of perspectives on the city's future. But all agree on one point: young people will be key to it. Panelists include: Christen Boone , SVP and Managing Director, PNC Asset Management Rebecca Fleischaker , Executive Director, Louisville Downtown Partnership David Galownia , CEO, Slingshot Nima Mahmoodi , Group Leader, The Kleingers Group Louisville Metro Councilwoman Josie Raymond , Manager of Student Success, University of Louisville A diverse group of leadersspanning business, government, engineering, nonprofits, and educationwill bring a range of perspectives on the city's future. But all agree on one point: young people will be key to it. "Inventing the Future: How Schools and Communities Can Empower Student Innovators and Changemakers" June 10 , 1:15 PM Leaders in space exploration, education, and civic innovation explore how schools can serve as launchpads for imagination, entrepreneurial thinking, and community impactand how students can build the future they want to see. Panelists include: Ken Human , Managing Partner, Human Space Solutions, 20-year NASA veteran Kris Kimel , Founder, Humanity In Deep Space; Co-Founder, Space Tango Gregory Nielsen , CEO, Nielsen Training & Consulting Professor Terri Tinnell , University of Louisville Department of Engineering Leaders in space exploration, education, and civic innovation explore how schools can serve as launchpads for imagination, entrepreneurial thinking, and community impactand how students can build the future they want to see. MicroSociety 2.0 Simulation June 10 , 8:30 AM-12:30 PM Educators will step inside a tech-powered, student-led economycomplete with an online digital bank, websites, and venture marketplacebuilt on MicroSociety Inc.'s new digital platform. A Proven Model for Real-World Readiness For more than 30 years, MicroSociety Inc. has helped over 500 schools across 30 states and five countries put students at the center of their own living, breathing societiesbridging education and innovation for more than 650,000 students, most from underserved communities. The result? Students want to be in school and work to succeed as scholars and future-ready citizens. Media Welcome Journalists are invited to attend and, along with educators, build their own society. Interview and filming opportunities will be available. Location: Indian Trail Elementary School, 3709 E Indian Trail, Louisville, KY Dates: June 911, 2025 Details: microsociety.org/what-we-do/conference Media Contact: Riva Richmond [email protected] | 917-670-4299 SOURCE MicroSociety Inc. Global POE Switch Market is Segmented by Type (Below 12 Ports, 12-24 Ports, 24-32 Ports, 32-48 Ports, Above 48 Ports), by Application (Commercial, Government, School, Industrial). BANGALORE, India, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global POE Switch Market revenue was USD 4081.7 Million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 6184.2 Million by 2029 with a CAGR of 7.2% during the forecast period (2023-2029). Claim Your Free Report: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/QYRE-Auto-39O15948/Global_and_India_POE_Switch_Market Major Factors Driving the Growth of POE Switch Market: The Power over Ethernet (PoE) switch market is witnessing strong momentum driven by the convergence of networking, automation, and digital infrastructure. Its ability to streamline power and data delivery into a single connection supports scalable, flexible, and cost-effective network deployments. From home offices and SMBs to large-scale industrial applications, PoE switches serve a wide array of use cases. Their integration with smart building systems, edge devices, and wireless access points underscores their critical role in modern connectivity. As technologies like IoT, surveillance, and remote access continue to expand, PoE switches are well-positioned to meet the evolving demands of reliable, efficient, and intelligent power delivery systems. Unlock Insights: View Full Report Now! https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-39O15948/global-and-india-poe-switch TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF THE POE SWITCH MARKET: PoE switches with above 48 ports are playing a critical role in expanding large-scale network infrastructures, particularly in enterprise, industrial, and campus environments. These high-density switches support robust connectivity requirements for IP cameras, VoIP phones, access points, and other PoE-enabled devices, centralizing power and data transmission. Organizations with extensive surveillance systems or high user volume benefit from scalability and ease of management, reducing installation costs and eliminating the need for separate power supplies. These switches are increasingly adopted in smart buildings, hospitals, and corporate offices that demand consistent performance and power efficiency. The ability to manage numerous devices through a single switch enhances operational efficiency, thereby making high-port-count PoE switches a key growth driver in the market. PoE switches with below 12 ports are catalyzing market growth by catering to the rising demand from small businesses, home offices, and localized setups. These low-port switches offer cost-effective solutions for powering essential devices like wireless access points, IP cameras, and smart door locks without complex infrastructure. Their compact size and plug-and-play design make them ideal for residential and light commercial use, where network expansion needs are minimal. The rising adoption of smart home technologies and home-based security systems is directly contributing to increased demand for these switches. Their affordability, ease of installation, and space-saving form factor are attracting non-enterprise users, expanding the overall customer base and driving sales in the PoE switch market. Industrial PoE switches are fueling market expansion by supporting mission-critical operations in manufacturing, transportation, and utility sectors. These switches are designed to withstand extreme environmental conditions such as temperature fluctuations, dust, and vibrations, making them indispensable for harsh settings. They enable real-time data and power transmission to surveillance systems, automation equipment, and remote sensors in industrial plants. The surge in industrial automation and the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies have increased the deployment of rugged PoE switches across factory floors and outdoor installations. Their reliability, long lifespan, and enhanced security features make them a strategic investment in operational continuity. As industries digitize operations, industrial PoE switches are integral to their smart infrastructure initiatives. The growing use of IP-based devices is a primary driver in the PoE switch market. Devices like IP surveillance cameras, VoIP phones, and wireless access points require both power and data connectivity, making PoE switches a highly efficient solution. The convenience of delivering power through Ethernet cables eliminates the need for separate electrical wiring, significantly reducing installation complexity and costs. Enterprises, educational institutions, and smart cities are rapidly adopting IP-based technologies, creating a strong demand for PoE-enabled networks. This shift is pushing manufacturers to expand their PoE switch offerings, ranging from basic setups to enterprise-grade systems. The ubiquity of IP devices continues to push the adoption curve upward across all end-user segments. Smart buildings rely on interconnected systems such as access control, lighting, HVAC, and surveillance all of which benefit from PoE infrastructure. PoE switches serve as the backbone of intelligent building networks, powering and connecting devices efficiently from a centralized source. They reduce the need for AC outlets and allow for remote management, a crucial feature for smart environment scalability. With growing urbanization and focus on energy-efficient construction, real estate developers and facility managers are integrating PoE switches during the design phase itself. This proactive deployment strategy is accelerating market growth. As more commercial spaces evolve into smart ecosystems, demand for PoE switch technology is projected to surge accordingly. One of the biggest advantages of PoE switches is the cost savings they offer during infrastructure deployment. By combining power and data into a single Ethernet cable, organizations eliminate the need for expensive electrical work and additional power outlets. This is especially beneficial for retrofitting older buildings or expanding existing networks. Additionally, PoE switches support centralized power management, which simplifies troubleshooting and reduces maintenance time. Small businesses and startups, often operating with limited IT budgets, find PoE switches a cost-effective entry point for robust network setups. As affordability becomes a key purchasing factor, PoE switches remain a practical choice for reducing overall IT expenditure without compromising performance. The widespread implementation of security systems is a significant growth factor for PoE switches. Surveillance cameras and access control systems, especially those deployed outdoors or in hard-to-reach areas, require reliable and uninterrupted power supply. PoE switches allow for flexible camera placement and easy integration into the network infrastructure without separate power lines. They support Power over Ethernet Plus (PoE+), which delivers higher wattage to power advanced security devices. Organizations across sectors are investing in security upgrades, boosting the demand for these switches. This trend not only enhances public and private safety but also propels continuous innovation and demand in the PoE switch market. PoE switches are fundamental to expanding wireless infrastructure in both urban and rural areas. With the demand for high-speed internet access and Wi-Fi availability growing globally, access points need to be deployed efficiently across diverse environments. PoE switches simplify this process by powering wireless access points without additional electrical wiring. Educational institutions, stadiums, malls, and transport hubs are key adopters of this infrastructure. As 5G rollouts intensify and connectivity becomes a basic utility, the role of PoE in supporting wireless backhaul and frontend networks becomes more pronounced. This ongoing expansion translates directly into increased demand for reliable and scalable PoE switch solutions. Claim Yours Now! https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=QYRE-Auto-39O15948&lic=single-user POE SWITCH MARKET SHARE: The key players of POE switch include Cisco, HPE, etc. The top 2 players account for approximately 50% of the total market. North America is the largest market, with a share of about 36%. North America leads the market due to advanced IT infrastructure, rapid smart city development, and extensive surveillance deployment. In terms of end users, the largest segment is commercial, followed by the government. Key Companies: Cisco HPE Dell Inc Juniper Networks Extreme Networks Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Netgear Broadcom D-Link ADTRAN Panasonic Advantech ZyXEL Alaxala Microchip Technology Westermo Rubytech Moxa Repotec DrayTek Huawei ZTE TP-Link Hikvision Shenzhen Hi-Net Technology Purchase Regional Report: https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/QYRE-Auto-39O15948/Global_and_India_POE_Switch_Market SUBSCRIPTION We have introduced a tailor-made subscription for our customers. Please leave a note in the Comment Section to know about our subscription plans. DISCOVER MORE INSIGHTS: EXPLORE SIMILAR REPORTS! - Gigabit POE Switch Market - The global Gigabit Managed PoE Switch market was valued at USD 2286 Million in 2023 and is anticipated to reach USD 3615 Million by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period 2024-2030. - The global AI Switch market was valued at USD 925 Million in 2023 and is anticipated to reach USD 3473 Million by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 18.6% during the forecast period 2024-2030. - POE Optical Fiber Switch Market - Enhanced PoE Switch Market - Commercial PoE Switch Market - The global market for 100M POE Switch was valued at USD 495 Million in the year 2024 and is projected to reach a revised size of USD 744 Million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 6.0% during the forecast period. - Four Port Industrial POE Switch Market - Multiport Gigabit Managed PoE Switch Market - The global market for Industrial PoE Switch was valued at USD 3512 Million in the year 2023 and is projected to reach a revised size of USD 5650 Million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 7.0% during the forecast period. - Unmanaged PoE Switch Market DISCOVER OUR VISION: VISIT ABOUT US! 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GET A FREE QUOTE Valuates Reports [email protected] For U.S. Toll-Free Call 1-(315)-215-3225 WhatsApp: +91-9945648335 Website: https://reports.valuates.com Blog: https://valuatestrends.blogspot.com/ Pinterest: https://in.pinterest.com/valuatesreports/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/valuatesreports Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valuatesreports/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@valuatesreports6753 https://www.facebook.com/valuateskorean https://www.facebook.com/valuatesspanish https://www.facebook.com/valuatesjapanese https://valuatesreportspanish.blogspot.com/ https://valuateskorean.blogspot.com/ https://valuatesgerman.blogspot.com/ https://valuatesreportjapanese.blogspot.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082232/Valuates_Reports_Logo.jpg SOURCE Valuates Reports BEIJING, June 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In recent years, a new wave of Chinese cultural products, represented by games, short dramas, and online literature, has captivated millions overseas. Data underscores this rise. In 2024, Chinese independently developed games generated $18.57 billion in overseas sales. Chinese micro-short drama companies have launched over 300 apps overseas, amassing more than 470 million downloads across over 200 countries and regions, while a top Chinese platform for online literature exports attracted nearly 300 million users from abroad. More importantly, this global spread of culture has evolved from "one-way exports" to "co-creation." In this "Cultural Voyages" series, the Global Times will talk to cultural consumers, creators, and practitioners from both China and abroad to see how Chinese cultural products are changing people's lives. In the quiet corners of Scotland, a 19-year-old college student named Antechao (pseudonym) stumbled upon Chinese web novels - a discovery that opened a new world of literature and culture. It was five years ago when Antechao first encountered Chinese web novels through a Reddit thread. "My first Chinese web novel that I remember the most about would be Emperor's Domination," Antechao recalled. "My impression of it was 'Wow!'" he told the Global Times. "It was an entirely different reading experience that I had never had before and it was a bit overwhelming at first, but I did get engrossed the more I read." His journey reflects a global wave, where millions of readers in more than 200 countries and regions are embracing China's online literature amid a phenomenon that is transcending borders and redefining storytelling. Literary powerhouse China's online novels have evolved from a niche pastime into a cultural and economic powerhouse. By the end of 2024, the scale of China's online literature reading market had reached 43.06 billion yuan ($5.99 billion), up 6.8 percent year on year, according to a research report released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). The year 2024 also witnessed the release of a number of online literary works featuring realistic themes and fine traditional Chinese culture, which are dynamic vehicles for promoting mainstream values and spurring cultural innovation, the Report on the Development of Chinese Online Literature said. In 2024, market revenue generated by online literature adaptations reached 298.56 billion yuan, forming a synergy with short-format dramas, games, and other forms of content on various user platforms, the report revealed. Ding Guoqi, director of the Literary Institute at the CASS attributes this success to a "content + industry" model. "IP adaptations have become the core path to cross-industry monetization," he noted. With over 30 million authors crafting 41.651 million works for 575 million users - more than half of China's netizens - the industry embodies a "nationwide participation" creative landscape. This economic might is matched by a cultural resonance, as readers like Antechao discover a treasure trove of Chinese traditions within these novels. For readers like Antechao, however, the diversity is a draw. "There's a lot to draw on and many different interesting things from Chinese culture that can make a very compelling and interesting novel," he noted, highlighting the appeal of cultivation narratives and unique power systems. Bridging civilizations The global reach of Chinese online literature is undeniable, with 808,440 exported works and 352 million users across more than 200 countries and regions in 2024. A milestone in this expansion was the British Library's inclusion of these novels, which were displayed alongside classics like the Diamond Sutra. In November 2024, it added 10 online novels by Chinese authors, including Lord of the Mysteries, Soul Land and The Joy of Life. This library first added a Chinese online literature work to its collection in 2022. Ding sees this as embodying "mutual learning between civilizations," where storytelling disseminates Chinese culture while absorbing global influences. "Through 'cultural translation,' online literature promotes mutual understanding across civilizations," he said, citing elements like traditional architecture and intangible cultural heritage that captivate overseas readers. For Antechao, this cultural exchange has been personal. "I've seen elements like Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism," he said. "Taoism comes up very often in my reading as it's realistically the end goal of everything - to follow your own path." He also finds traditional Chinese medicine fascinating for its "broad and cool applications," deepening his appreciation of Chinese culture. Yet, Ding cautions that full mainstream recognition remains elusive, driven more by popularity than traditional elite systems. "Much more work needs to be done. For the industry, establishing a dynamic evaluation system for the overseas expansion of Chinese online literature can help us timely understand the effectiveness and existing problems of such an expansion, so as to adjust strategies and promote its better development," adds Ding. To resonate globally, Chinese online literature must balance its distinct "Chinese feature" with universal appeal. Ding advocates for integrating traditional elements - represented by the guochao (Chinese-style trend) with modern expression and AI translation. This cultural exchange isn't just for readers. It's inspiring creators worldwide, like Russian author Barisbi Alborov, known by his pen name Guiltythree, whose novel Shadow Slave has amassed over 50 million views. Inspired by Chinese works like Super Gene, Alborov blends Eastern fantasy with his own cultural perspective. This influence has shaped his own work. "I wanted Shadow Slave to be a lot more like Super Gene," he admitted. "But my own imagination and cultural background took control and led the story in a unique direction." Alborov's pen name, a playful choice after finding the names "Guiltyone" and "Guiltytwo" taken, reflects his lighthearted approach, though his work is serious business. Transitioning from game writing to web novels, he found freedom on the WebNovel platform. "I believed that I could write a good story, and I liked the idea that its success or failure would be solely my responsibility," he said. In his eyes, the language of stories is universal, and people in any part of the world can enjoy a good story equally. It is a unifying force. At the same time, the cultural heritage and personal imagination of authors enrich their stories with unique and distinct flavors, which makes reading such works a varied and pleasurable experience. In his case, China's online literature changed him, firstly as a reader, and then as a writer. "I spent a blissful year reading wonderful web novels, from Release That Witch, The Legendary Mechanic to Supreme Magus and so on," the Russian gamer and narrative designer recalled. "These stories reignited my love for reading," he noted. After a while, he decided to "try writing a web novel of my own." His dystopian tale, infused with Eastern influences, shows how Chinese literature has inspired global creators. "I've been to China twice, and both trips were wonderful and unforgettable experiences for me as I could enjoy China's rich history and amazing culture just like how I was inspired by novels," he said. Voices of a global community The industry now boasts 449,000 overseas authors, many of them Gen Z creators like Alborov, who enrich its narrative tapestry. "Overseas Gen Z creators bring new creative perspectives," Ding observed, noting their ability to blend local myths with Chinese elements. Alborov's routine - two chapters daily, fueled by reader interaction - illustrates this engagement. "I feel a responsibility both to my readers and to my story," he said, noting that he has connected with a cosmopolitan audience, from researchers to families. "I even talked to a person who was reading Shadow Slave in Antarctica once, which was pretty amazing." Antechao, too, reflects this global readership. "It's made me more open-minded regarding different cultures and my outlook on things," he said, noting that he is considering learning Chinese. His advice to new readers - "be open-minded and not have any bias" - mirrors the cultural learning curve these novels demand. When reading these novels, he encountered different philosophies, which found very interesting as they presented other views. "I can consider and use these to further develop my own thoughts, ideas and values. It helps me learn and consider things I might not have before." The story of Japanese screenwriter and director Hikaru Takeuchi is a little different from other readers-turned-writers. Takeuchi is an avid fan of the Chinese web novel Apocalyptic Forecast, a fantasy fiction about a disillusioned young man who gains mysterious powers and is drawn into a hidden world of supernatural conflict and secret societies. Although she studied classical Chinese literature in school, she had little exposure to online works. That changed when her work introduced her to Apocalyptic Forecast, which, in her words, "opened up a whole new world," according to a Xinhua News Agency report. She was especially struck by the multidimensional characters and the emotional complexity of the protagonist, whose joy and struggles resonated with her. When the novel ended, Takeuchi felt compelled to write a letter to its author, Feng Yue. This cross-border fan mail became a symbolic bridge between cultures. Now Takeuchi is not just a fan, but also a translator and grassroots promoter of Chinese web literature. Over the past three years, the 50-something creative has translated more than 200 chapters of Apocalyptic Forecast into Japanese and shared them with friends. As Chinese online literature expands abroad, a growing number of overseas readers are becoming not just consumers, but translators, creators, and even co-developers of new intellectual properties. Challenges and innovations Rapid growth brings challenges. The 20-fold increase in AI-translated works on Chinese online literature platforms in 2024 has sparked concerns about "diminishing literary style." "We should leverage technologies such as AI translation to make works more accessible to overseas readers, thus spreading Chinese stories and Chinese culture worldwide," said Ding, who also recommends optimizing human-machine collaboration, with translators refining AI output, and establishing industry standards to maintain quality. Alborov, meanwhile, thrives on immediacy, publishing fresh chapters daily despite the difficulty involved. "I can't create a stockpile to save my life," he said, noting that he relies on readers' support to sustain his pace. Consistency is definitely difficult to maintain. Writing daily requires a lot of discipline and willpower, while maintaining sufficient quality demands talent and dedication. "What helps me the most is the thought that I am writing for actual people, who expect to read new chapters of Shadow Slave each day," he added. Ding also envisions a "dynamic evaluation system" to assess the impact of web novels overseas and tailor stories for Gen Z. "We should create more contemporary and youthful works closely aligned with Gen Z lifestyles," he urged, noting that it will be important to leverage platforms like social media for promotion. Collaborations signal a bright future. The report shows there was a 180 percent rise in online literature readers in Japan in 2024 alone, ranking the country among the top five growth markets alongside Spain, Brazil, France, and Germany. "Japan's growth may stem from a foundation of accepting Chinese culture," Ding noted, adding that he sees potential in localized development. The online novel platform WebNovel also unveiled its plan to work with Japanese bookstores to provide localized content for Japanese readers. Inspired by his Chinese online literature experiences, Alborov said he hopes to visit China again, while Antechao ponders learning Chinese, hinting at deepening ties. In this global tapestry, China's online novels weave together diverse voices. Ding, Alborov, and Antechao illuminate a phenomenon that transcends storytelling, fostering cultural exchange and understanding. As Ding put it, "Online literature has played a vital role in spreading Chinese culture and enhancing national cultural soft power." For readers and writers alike, it's a journey of discovery - one chapter at a time. SOURCE Global Times SAO PAULO, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. (B3: GOLL4) ("Company" or "GOL"), a leading Brazilian airline, hereby announces that it has successfully completed the financial restructuring of the Company and its subsidiaries in accordance with the Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, and has emerged from the process overseen by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. "Over its more than 20 years of history, GOL Latin America's original low-cost carrier has transformed the Latin American airline market. With our financial restructuring process now complete, we are ready to continue driving forward on our purpose of 'Being First for All," said Celso Ferrer, Chief Executive Officer. "Today, we are significantly stronger. We have rationalized our fleet, optimized our costs, redesigned our network, enhanced our operational focus, and driven management efficiencies which supported by solid customer preference, robust demand, and a five-year plan that will bring more investments in customer experience as well as new routes will allow us to continue to drive success. We look forward to capitalizing on the opportunities we see ahead for GOL." "Thanks to the hard work of hundreds of people, we have achieved what we set out to accomplish when we first entered this process last year," Mr. Ferrer continued. "I thank our employees, customers, lessors and financial stakeholders especially Abra, our largest shareholder for their support throughout this process, which has been instrumental in helping us succeed." As GOL enters its next phase, the Company is well-positioned to continue expanding its position as a leading airline serving Latin America, built on its: Strengthened financial position : Having secured US$ 1.9 billion in exit financing during the court-supervised process and repaying its DIP maturity in full, GOL is now moving forward with a strong liquidity position of approximately US$ 900M , significantly reduced leverage of 5.4x, and projected net leverage below 3x by year-end 2027. With a meaningfully strengthened balance sheet, GOL is well-positioned to invest in continued enhancements to the customer experience and further network expansion. : Having secured in exit financing during the court-supervised process and repaying its DIP maturity in full, GOL is now moving forward with a strong liquidity position of approximately , significantly reduced leverage of 5.4x, and projected net leverage below 3x by year-end 2027. With a meaningfully strengthened balance sheet, GOL is well-positioned to invest in continued enhancements to the customer experience and further network expansion. Leading loyalty program: Smiles, GOL's loyalty platform, celebrated 30 years of a solid journey in 2024. The business unit reached 24 million customers and achieved the highest revenue in its history, totaling 5.3 billion reais. Smiles, GOL's loyalty platform, celebrated 30 years of a solid journey in 2024. The business unit reached 24 million customers and achieved the highest revenue in its history, totaling 5.3 billion reais. Strong market position and best-in-class On-Time Performance : In 2024, GOL was the most on-time airline in Brazil and served 30 million passengers across 65 domestic destinations and 16 international destinations. : In 2024, GOL was the most on-time airline in and served 30 million passengers across 65 domestic destinations and 16 international destinations. Growing network supported by strong global partnerships : GOL is well-positioned to deploy its rebuilt capacity both domestically and internationally by leveraging its significant presence in key Brazilian hubs. In particular, its strategic global partnerships allow for adding new service profitably to new or underserved domestic and international routes. : GOL is well-positioned to deploy its rebuilt capacity both domestically and internationally by leveraging its significant presence in key Brazilian hubs. In particular, its strategic global partnerships allow for adding new service profitably to new or underserved domestic and international routes. Abra support : The renewed commitment of Abra Group, one of the leading airline groups in Latin America -with investments in Avianca, GOL, and Wamos- provides significant know-how, financial support, and operational and financial synergies. Cooperation with other Abra airlines will allow GOL to provide customers with enhanced connectivity, new and innovative product offerings, and increased frequent flyer program opportunities and benefits. : The renewed commitment of Abra Group, one of the leading airline groups in -with investments in Avianca, GOL, and Wamos- provides significant know-how, financial support, and operational and financial synergies. Cooperation with other Abra airlines will allow GOL to provide customers with enhanced connectivity, new and innovative product offerings, and increased frequent flyer program opportunities and benefits. Logistics Operation : GOLLOG GOL's logistics unit and market share leader with a 36% share surpassed, for the first time in its history, R$ 1 billion in annual revenue, achieving a 32% growth compared to 2023. : GOLLOG GOL's logistics unit and market share leader with a 36% share surpassed, for the first time in its history, in annual revenue, achieving a 32% growth compared to 2023. Overhauled, all-Boeing 737 fleet: In 2024, GOL overhauled over 50 engines and remains on track to have all aircraft in the air by the first quarter of 2026. The Company also continues to grow its capacity, with delivery of five Boeing 737 MAX expected in 2025. Pursuant to the powers delegated to the Company's Board of Directors by the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders held on May 30, 2025 ("General Meeting"), in connection with the Company's capital increase through the capitalization of credits approved by the General Meeting ("Capitalization"), the Board of Directors, at a meeting held on the date hereof, verified the amount of such credits in local currency and determined that the Capitalization amounts to BRL 12,029,337,733.91, comprising the issuance by the Company of 8,193,921,300,487 common shares and 968,821,806,468 preferred shares. In accordance with the Law No. 6,404, of December 15, 1976 ("Brazilian Corporations Law"), the Company's shareholders are entitled to preemptive rights in the subscription of shares under the Capitalization, pursuant to Article 171, paragraph 2, of Brazilian Corporations Law (" Preemptive Rights "). Further information on the Capitalization, including the terms, procedures and conditions for the exercise of Preemptive Rights by the Company's shareholders, is disclosed and available in the notice to shareholders disclosed by the Company on the date hereof, in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. ("Brazilian Corporations Law"), the Company's shareholders are entitled to preemptive rights in the subscription of shares under the Capitalization, pursuant to Article 171, paragraph 2, of Brazilian Corporations Law (" "). Further information on the Capitalization, including the terms, procedures and conditions for the exercise of Preemptive Rights by the Company's shareholders, is disclosed and available in the notice to shareholders disclosed by the Company on the date hereof, in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. As a result of the Capitalization, Abra Group Limited controls the Company and now holds, directly or indirectly, approximately 80% of GOL's common and preferred stock (subject to variation that may result from the exercise of Preemptive Rights by other shareholders, if applicable). Due to the implementation of the Preemptive Rights, under the terms and conditions of the Capitalization, as of June 12, 2025 , the Company's shares will, in addition to being traded "ex-Preemptive Rights", also be traded on the Brazilian Stock Exchange (" B3 ") under a new quotation factor (BRL per 1,000 shares), a new standard trading lot (1,000 shares), new tickers, and new ISIN codes, as detailed below: GOLL53 Common Shares | ISIN: BRGOLLA01OR8 GOLL54 Preferred Shares | ISIN: BRGOLLA01PR5 , the Company's shares will, in addition to being traded "ex-Preemptive Rights", also be traded on the Brazilian Stock Exchange (" ") under a new quotation factor (BRL per 1,000 shares), a new standard trading lot (1,000 shares), new tickers, and new ISIN codes, as detailed below: The current tickers GOLL3 and GOLL4 will be automatically converted into GOLL53 and GOLL54, respectively, both adopting a quotation factor and standard trading lot of 1,000 shares. The trading with the Preemptive Rights on B3, which will begin on June 12, 2025 , will also follow a standard trading lot of 1,000 rights, with the quotation factor being BRL per lot of 1,000 rights. , will also follow a standard trading lot of 1,000 rights, with the quotation factor being BRL per lot of 1,000 rights. The Company's subscription warrants, which trade under on B3 the ticker GOLL13, will be automatically converted into GOLL80 (ISIN BRGOLLN04PR2) starting June 12, 2025 . Such warrants will then be traded in lots of 1,000, with a quotation factor of R$ per lot of 1,000 warrants. The terms and conditions for exercising the subscription warrants remain applicable as established in the Board of Directors' meeting that approved the respective issuance. In addition, the Board of Directors approved, on the date hereof, the dissolution of the Company's Special Independent Committee, deeming that its duties have been fully fulfilled. The Company also notes that, on the date hereof, Mr. Ricardo Constantino and Mr. Paul Stewart Aronzon resigned from their position in the Company's Board of Directors, and Mr. Manuel Jose Irarrazaval Aldunate was appointed as member of the Board of Directors. Due to the resignation of Mr. Ricardo Constantino, Mr. Antonio Kandir was appointed as the new Vice President of the Board of Directors. Advisors In the context of its restructuring efforts, GOL worked with Milbank LLP as legal advisor, Seabury Securities, LLC as investment banker, lead placement agent for the US$ 1.9 billion exit notes, and financial advisor, BNP Paribas Securities Corp. as bookrunner (B&D) and placement agent for the exit notes, and AlixPartners, LLP as financial advisor. In addition, Lefosse Advogados acted as GOL's Brazilian legal advisor. Abra worked with Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz as legal counsel and Rothschild & Co as financial advisor in connection with the restructuring. In addition, Pinheiro Guimaraes served as Abra's Brazilian counsel and Slaughter & May as Abra's English counsel. Special note regarding forward-looking statements This material fact contains certain forward-looking statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. The words "will," "maintain", "plans" and "intends" and similar expressions, as they relate to GOL, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the current views of management and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. The statements are based on many assumptions and factors, including general economic and market conditions, industry conditions, and operating factors. Any changes in such assumptions or factors could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations. Undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Forward-looking statements speak only for the date they are made. About GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. GOL is one of Brazil's leading airlines and is part of the Abra Group. Since it was founded in 2001, the company has had the lowest unit cost in Latin America, democratizing air transport with the aim of "Being the First for All". GOL has alliances with American Airlines and Air France-KLM and offers customers more than 60 codeshare and interline agreements, making connections to any place served by these partnerships more convenient and easier. GOL also has the Smiles loyalty program and GOLLOG for cargo transportation, which serves various regions in Brazil and abroad. The company has 14,5 thousand highly qualified professionals focused on safety, GOL's number one value, and operates a standardized fleet of 139 Boeing 737 aircraft. The Company's shares are traded on B3 (GOLL4). For further information, visit www.voegol.com.br/ir. About Abra Group Abra, a UK-based company, is one of the most competitive air transport groups in Latin America. It brings together the iconic Gol and Avianca brands under a single leadership and a strategic investment in Wamos Air, anchoring an airline network that has one of the lowest unit costs in its respective markets, leading loyalty programs across the region (LifeMiles and Smiles) and other synergistic businesses. In addition, Abra has a convertible debt representing a minority stake investment in Sky Airline Chile. The Group consolidates a team of around 30,000 highly qualified aviation professionals and a fleet of more than 300 aircraft, with scheduled flights serving 25 countries and more than 150 destinations. Gol is one of Brazil's leading airlines, operating a standardized fleet of 138 Boeing 737 aircraft and employing 13,900 highly qualified professionals. Avianca, the second oldest airline in the world, operates more than 140 A320 and B787 passenger aircraft, as well as 7 cargo aircraft, and has more than 14,000 employees. Finally, Wamos Air is Europe's leader in wide-body ACMI operations, operating 13 A330 passenger aircraft. For more information, visit www.abragroup.net SOURCE GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. OSLO, Norway, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Hemispherian AS, a pioneering biotech company developing next-generation therapeutics for aggressive cancers, announced today that the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) has issued a positive opinion recommending Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) for GLIX1, the company's lead molecule, for the treatment of glioma, one of the most devastating and lethal brain cancers. Significant clinical benefit beyond current therapies. The designation marks a major regulatory milestone for Hemispherian, recognizing both the urgent unmet medical need in glioma and the potential of GLIX1 to offer significant clinical benefit beyond current therapies. "We are proud to have received this recommendation for an Orphan Drug Designation from the EMA Committee. This validates our scientific approach and supports our mission to transform treatment for patients with glioma, who currently face extremely limited and ineffective options," said Zeno Albisser, CEO of Hemispherian. About the Designation Following a detailed review, the COMP determined that GLIX1 meets the criteria for orphan designation under Regulation (EC) No 141/2000. In particular: Glioma is a life-threatening and chronically debilitating disease affecting approximately 2.6 in 10,000 people in the EU. Existing therapies for Glioblastoma (a form of Glioma) offer only limited survival benefits, with median overall survival typically less than 15 months. Non-clinical studies with GLIX1 demonstrated significant tumor reduction and extended survival in validated animal models, including cases of complete tumor eradication. These results suggest that GLIX1 offers a clinically relevant advantage over existing treatments, fulfilling the EMA's criteria for "significant benefit." Benefits of Orphan Drug Designation- Faster market Access- 10 Years of market Exclusivity Orphan Drug Designation by the EMA provides Hemispherian with a range of development and commercial incentives, including: 10 years of market exclusivity in the EU upon approval. Protocol assistance and regulatory guidance from EMA during clinical development. Eligibility for fee reductions for regulatory submissions, including marketing authorization. These incentives are designed to encourage the development of innovative treatments for rare diseases with high unmet need. About Hemispherian Hemispherian is an Oslo-based pharmaceutical company focused on the development of a novel class of small-molecule drugs targeting glioblastoma and other aggressive cancers. The company's proprietary GLIX platform is based on unique DNA-targeting technology aimed at improving patient survival and quality of life. So far, the treatment shows impressive effects, with limited to no side effects, and with no damage to healthy tissue. Contact: Zeno Albisser, CEO [email protected], +47 40603455 SOURCE Hemispherian AS Partnership with Calumet Area Industrial Commission prepares area residents for skills needed for modern manufacturing jobs MANTENO, Ill., June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Gotion Illinois, a global innovator in next-generation energy storage and batteries, welcomed 15 newly trained area residents to its manufacturing facility in Manteno. They are the first graduating class in a unique partnership that confirms Gotion's commitment to local hiring. The first graduates of the CAIC jobs program at Gotion Illinois tour the Manteno plant, exploring career opportunities in advanced manufacturing. The program, conducted by the Calumet Area Industrial Commission (CAIC), is designed to provide students with foundational and advanced skills in modern manufacturing processes. It emphasizes hand-on experience, safety, production systems and quality control, which are all key components of Gotion Illinois' operation. "Gotion Illinois is proud to collaborate with CAIC in building a strong manufacturing workforce in Manteno and the surrounding region," said Mark Kreusel, General Manager of Gotion Illinois, "Programs like this reflect our shared commitment to creating real pathways to high-tech careers while investing in the future of the communities we call home." The training culminated in a graduation ceremony and plant tour, where students were recognized for their achievements. Most significantly, every graduate will have the opportunity to interview directly with Gotion Illinois for employment consideration, turning their training into potential careers. "As CAIC continues to champion workforce development, partnerships like this illustrate the power of collaboration between community-focused organizations and forward-looking manufacturers," said Ted Stalnos, President/CEO of CAIC. "When an employer like Gotion Illinois offers the potential for local, high-paying careers for CAIC Program Graduates, the incentive rises to meet the opportunity for our local workforce." Gotion Illinois is making a $2 billion investment, converting a large warehouse in Manteno into one of the most advanced energy storage and battery manufacturing facilities in the country. More than 300 are now working there, with up to 2,600 employed at full operations. Registration for the next CAIC program begins on June 16. For more information visit the CAIC website: calumetareaindustrial.com. About Gotion Illinois: Gotion Illinois is a cutting-edge energy story manufacturer, based in Manteno, Illinois. It specializes in energy storage solutions for home, industrial, transportation, and off-grid applications. With a "Local for Local" strategy, Gotion Illinois hires local talent, sources local materials and produces high-quality and innovative clean energy systems for both domestic and international markets. About CAIC: The Calumet Area Industrial Commission (CAIC) is a non-profit organization focused on industrial retention and expansion in the Greater Calumet Industrial Area, which covers the Far South Side of Chicago, Southern Cook County, Will County, Kankakee County and Northwest Indiana. CAIC provides programs and services in industrial advocacy, economic development, business development, workforce development and community outreach. SOURCE Gotion The company is celebrating 40 years of protein snacking with a special 50% discount on a gift box of Jack Link's beef jerky, only on Amazon. MINONG, Wisc., June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Jack Link's, the leading brand in protein meat snacks and a proud family-owned company, is excited to announce its celebration of National Jerky Day on June 12, 2025. This year's festive theme, "Christmas for Carnivores," invites meat-lovers everywhere to enjoy their favorite protein-packed Jack Link's jerky while celebrating four decades of Jack Link's innovation and leadership in the meat snacks category. Carnivores rejoice! For National Jerky Day, Jack Link's is rolling out a rare 50% off sale on a gift box of jerky, available exclusively on Amazon. Jack Link's celebrates National Jerky Day with a Sasquatch-approved 50% off sale on a big box of jerky, available exclusively at Amazon. "We are excited to celebrate National Jerky Day as we mark our 40th anniversary," said Troy Link, CEO of Jack Link's. "We created the protein meat snacks category and remain the number one brand in this space today. Consumers' awareness of the importance of protein is growing rapidly, and we're proud to be a family-owned company that continues to innovate with our customers. At Jack Link's, we take immense pride in our heritage, leadership and investment in the growth of our category." Leading up to June 12, Jack Link's will bring together jerky lovers from all walks of life to celebrate National Jerky Day with fun promotions, engaging social media activities, and mouth-watering meat snacks that satisfy every craving: Jack Link's will be offering a limited-time national promotion: customers can enjoy an unbelievable 50% discount on a special box containing 11 full-size Jack Link's products for only $19.19 (while supplies last). This exclusive deal will be available on Amazon starting on June 8, allowing fans to stock up on their favorite jerky just in time for National Jerky Day celebrations. For those that miss the Amazon deal, Jack Link's will also be offering 30% off all products at JackLinks.com , a sale that runs June 11-13. The excitement kicks off at the NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich. the weekend of June 6-8 . Famed Jack Link's mascot Sasquatch will play Santa while distributing more than 50,000 bags of Jack Link's DUOS alongside the waving branches of a giant, 20-foot inflatable Christmas tree strung with bags of jerky. The fan experience will be punctuated with on-air mentions during Sunday's race broadcast on Prime. the weekend of . Famed mascot Sasquatch will play Santa while distributing more than 50,000 bags of DUOS alongside the waving branches of a giant, 20-foot inflatable Christmas tree strung with bags of jerky. The fan experience will be punctuated with on-air mentions during Sunday's race broadcast on Prime. Holly LaVallie , SVP of Marketing at Jack Link's, shared insights into the significance of National Jerky Day, a national "holiday" which Jack Link's created in 2012 to celebrate real meat protein snacking. "National Jerky Day has become an event jerky fans look forward to each year. This year's 'Christmas for Carnivores' theme perfectly captures the spirit that drives our love for meat snacks and our 50% off gift box sale on Amazon is truly like Christmas in June for carnivores everywhere! Celebrate with us, or better yet, bring Christmas in June to your favorite carnivore!" This isn't the first year that Jack Link's has gone big to celebrate National Jerky Day. The company has created some memorable National Jerky Day activations in the past, from last year's 'Sasquatch in the Skies' spectacular drone light show depicting a 400-foot-tall Sasquatch (bigger than the Statue of Liberty) hovering in the sky over the Hudson River in NYC; to creating a huge replica of Mount Rushmore made out of jerky -- dubbed 'Meat Rushmore' -- in NYC's Columbus Circle; to constructing 'Meatzilla' (a three-story bag of jerky) in NYC's Meatpacking District; and the famous 'Meat the Candidates' portraits made out of jerky depicting candidates Barack 'Oba-meat' and 'Meat' Romney during the 2012 presidential election. For more information about Jack Link's and its products, visit www.jacklinks.com . About Link Snacks Link Snacks is a leader in snacking and its brand Jack Link's is the No. 1 meat snack brand in America. Headquartered in Minong, Wisconsin, Link Snacks is a family-owned and operated company that represents a heritage of unsurpassed quality and innovation since 1985. The company is made up of passionate Team Members, across 11 countries, who share an uncompromising commitment to deliver awesome products. Link Snacks offers premium protein snacks in a variety of flavors, sizes and price points, appealing to nearly every consumer and occasion. The company's portfolio of brands includes Jack Link's, Lorissa's Kitchen, Wild River, Golden Island, Country Fresh Meats, BiFi, and Peperami. Visit JackLinks.com to learn more. Media Contact: Emily Buchanan M: 201-456-5048 E: [email protected] SOURCE Jack Link's DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, June 6. Governor of Russias Tyumen region Alexander Moor and Chairman of Tajikistans Sughd region Rajabboy Ahmadzoda discussed opportunities for expanding bilateral cooperation and establishing joint ventures during a meeting held as part of the Sughd delegation's working visit to Russias Tyumen region, Trend reports via the regional administration. The sides emphasized the importance of enhancing interregional ties between Tajikistan and Russia, identifying industry, agriculture, healthcare, science, education, culture, and tourism as priority areas of cooperation. Particular focus was placed on the potential for creating joint enterprises, especially in the fields of agricultural and cotton processing. Ahmadzoda noted that the current meeting provides a solid foundation for deepening economic, social, and cultural ties between the regions. We have an opportunity to launch joint ventures and strengthen trade relations. Sughd region has significant industrial and agricultural potential that can contribute to effective cooperation with the Tyumen Region, Ahmadzoda stated. In turn, Governor Moor highlighted Sughds rapid development and affirmed readiness to deepen collaboration. Sughd region is a vivid example of industrial and agricultural growth. Guided by the strategic priorities set by our heads of state, our regions can make a meaningful contribution to the advancement of Tajik-Russian relations, he said As part of the visit, the Sughd delegation toured the Tyumen Medical Center, a local technology park, Tyumen State University, industrial enterprises, and tourism infrastructure sites. Easterly joins identity-first defenders at the award-winning conference, October 79 in Charleston, SC HOBOKEN, N.J., June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Semperis, a leader in AI-powered identity security and cyber resilience, today announced that Jen Easterly, former Director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), will keynote the Hybrid Identity Protection Conference (HIP Conf), taking place October 7-9 in Charleston, SC. Jen Easterly, former CISA Director A globally recognized leader in cybersecurity and national defense, Easterly led CISA through a transformative periodscaling it into a $3 billion agency with over 10,000 personnel and establishing it as a cornerstone of U.S. cyber defense. A combat veteran, former Morgan Stanley executive, and cybersecurity pioneer, Easterly brings decades of experience at the intersection of security, technology, and resilience. "Defenders working in hybrid identity environments set the standard for resilience in a world where adversaries move fast and trust is everything," said Easterly. "We are in an era where adversaries exploit every weakness and identity is the first and last line of defense. I am looking forward to joining this community at the upcoming HIP Conf." HIP Conf is the premier global event for identity-first defenders, uniquely focused on securing hybrid and multi-cloud environments. This year's Semperis' conference will deliver the latest in identity threat detection and response (ITDR); Active Directory, Entra ID, and Okta security; and building operational resilience in a rapidly evolving threat landscape. The 2025 program features a robust lineup of technical sessions and strategic insights from dozens of leaders across industry, government, and academia. Key sessions include: What's New, What's Next? Active Directory Roadmap Linda Taylor , Principal Software Engineer, Microsoft , Principal Software Engineer, Microsoft A Quarter Century, a Quarter Million Breaches: AD Security & Incident Response in 2025 Michael Van Horenbeeck, CEO, The Collective Michael Van Horenbeeck, CEO, The Collective The State of Identity Security 2026 Henrique Teixeira , SVP, Strategy, Saviynt, and David Lee , Field CTO, Saviynt , SVP, Strategy, Saviynt, and , Field CTO, Saviynt Beyond Backups: Practical Steps to Build Operational Resilience Ben Cauwel , Head of Cyber Security, Capgemini , Head of Cyber Security, Capgemini From Hybrid to Full Cloud: Is It Right for You? Joe Kaplan , Security Delivery Associate Director, Accenture , Security Delivery Associate Director, Accenture Demystifying Managed Service Accounts: Best Practices & Security Measures to Reduce Risk Jorge De Almeida Pinto , Senior Incident Response Lead, Semperis Additional speakers and sessions to be announced. Longtime HIP advocate Alex Weinert, Chief Product Officer at Semperis and former VP of Identity Security at Microsoft, returns to the stage for his third consecutive year. "Identity is the new security perimeter, and as organizations modernize their infrastructure, they need to stay ahead of increasingly complex identity-based attacks," said Weinert. "HIP continues to be a go-to event for real-world strategies and community connections. We're proud to be leading this important global conversation." Unlike broader cybersecurity conferences, HIP Conf is purpose-built for practitioners managing and defending hybrid identity environments. The event fosters long-term collaboration, community, and real-world knowledge sharing that continues well beyond the conference. For more information and to register for HIP Conf 25, visit: https://register.hipconf.com/event/8c5e23fe-622b-42bd-a188-2e2877d9ceb2/summary About the Hybrid Identity Protection Conference Mobile workforces, cloud applications, and digitalization are changing every aspect of the modern enterprise. With radical transformation comes new business risks. The Hybrid Identity Protection Conference (HIP Conf) is the premier educational forum for identity-centric practitioners. Whatever the industry sector or job function, HIP strives to provide its community with the insights and relationships needed to enable and protect today's digitally driven organizations. Learn more about HIP Conf 25 via our social media feeds: X / LinkedIn / Facebook About Semperis Semperis protects critical enterprise identity services for security teams charged with defending hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Purpose-built for securing hybrid identity environmentsincluding Active Directory, Entra ID, and OktaSemperis' AI-powered technology protects more than 100 million identities from cyberattacks, data breaches and operational errors. As part of its mission to be a force for good, Semperis offers a variety of cyber community resources, including the award-winning Hybrid Identity Protection (HIP) Conference, HIP Podcast, and free identity security tools Purple Knight and Forest Druid. Semperis is a privately owned, international company headquartered in Hoboken, New Jersey, supporting the world's biggest brands and government agencies, with customers in more than 40 countries. Learn more: https://www.semperis.com Follow us: Blog / LinkedIn / X / Facebook / YouTube Media Contact: Bill Keeler Senior Director, PR & Comms [email protected] SOURCE Semperis PITTSBURGH, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Kennametal Inc. (NYSE: KMT) today announced that it has completed the sale of its business in Goshen, IN. "This portfolio action is an important step toward improving our overall sales mix, reducing material cost volatility and focusing our resources on long-term strategic priorities that create greater value for all our stakeholders," said Kennametal President & CEO Sanjay Chowbey. Kennametal received $19 million from the transaction upon closing, resulting in an immaterial pre-tax loss. The proceeds are subject to customary post-closing adjustments as well as an EBITDA-based earn-out opportunity for Kennametal at the end of a three-year period. The Company expects to use the proceeds for general corporate purposes. The Goshen subsidiary was sold to a Chicago-based private equity firm. The Goshen subsidiary, known as Kennametal Stellite, L.P., serves the surface coating and welding products markets in Kennametal's Infrastructure segment and represents less than 2% of Kennametal's total sales and is immaterial to Kennametal's profitability. About Kennametal With over 85 years as an industrial technology leader, Kennametal Inc. delivers productivity to customers through materials science, tooling and wear-resistant solutions. Customers across aerospace and defense, earthworks, energy, general engineering and transportation turn to Kennametal to help them manufacture with precision and efficiency. Every day approximately 8,400 employees are helping customers in nearly 100 countries stay competitive. Kennametal generated $2 billion in revenues in fiscal 2024. Learn more at kennametal.com. Follow @Kennametal: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. Certain statements in this release may be forward-looking in nature, or "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are statements that do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. For example, statements in this press release about Kennametal's expectations regarding future growth and financial performance are forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements are based on current knowledge, expectations and estimates that involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, our actual results could vary materially from our current expectations. There are a number of factors that could cause our actual results to differ from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. They include: uncertainties related to changes in macroeconomic and/or global conditions, including as a result of increased inflation, tariffs, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the resulting sanctions on Russia; the conflict in the Middle East; other economic recession; our ability to achieve all anticipated benefits of restructuring, simplification and modernization initiatives; Commercial Excellence growth initiatives, Operational Excellence initiatives, our foreign operations and international markets, such as currency exchange rates, different regulatory environments, trade barriers, exchange controls, and social and political instability, including the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East; changes in the regulatory environment in which we operate, including environmental, health and safety regulations; potential for future goodwill and other intangible asset impairment charges; our ability to protect and defend our intellectual property; continuity of information technology infrastructure; competition; our ability to retain our management and employees; demands on management resources; availability and cost of the raw materials we use to manufacture our products; product liability claims; integrating acquisitions and achieving the expected savings and synergies; global or regional catastrophic events; demand for and market acceptance of our products; business divestitures; energy costs; commodity prices; labor relations; and implementation of environmental remediation matters. Many of these risks and other risks are more fully described in Kennametal's latest annual report on Form 10-K and its other periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We can give no assurance that any goal or plan set forth in forward-looking statements can be achieved and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements, which speak only as of the date made. We undertake no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of future events or developments. SOURCE Kennametal Inc. Employee satisfaction is 25% above the industry average, strengthening the foundation for superior customer service and long-term partnership stability DALLAS, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Lone Wolf Technologies ("Lone Wolf"), the leader in residential real estate software, and the longest-standing technology company in the real estate industry, today announced it has earned Great Place to Work Certification, with 71% of employees affirming it's a great place to work compared to 57% of employees at a typical U.S.-based company. The certification, based on anonymous employee feedback measuring trust, respect, credibility, fairness, pride, and camaraderie, underscores the company culture that drives Lone Wolf's renowned customer service and product innovation across its Foundation platform, serving over 1.5 million real estate professionals. "Great workplace culture isn't just about employee satisfactionit directly translates to better customer experiences," said Jimmy Kelly, chief executive officer at Lone Wolf Technologies. "When our team members are engaged and empowered, that energy flows through every customer interaction, every product enhancement, and every support call our real estate partners make." Culture as Competitive Advantage In an industry where technology vendors frequently change ownership, pivot strategies, or disappear entirely, Lone Wolf's strong workplace culture reinforces the stability that real estate professionals rely on for long-term partnerships. The certification validates the company's approach to attracting and retaining top talent in a competitive market. The Great Place to Work assessment evaluated Lone Wolf across five key dimensions: leadership credibility, respect for employees, workplace fairness, employee pride in the company, and sense of belonging. High scores across these areas indicate a stable, engaged workforce that directly benefits customer relationships. Talent Retention Drives Customer Success With employee turnover costs in technology rising, companies with strong workplace cultures demonstrate superior financial stability and operational consistency. Great Place to Work Certified companies show 51% higher retention rates than typical U.S. workplaces. For real estate professionals evaluating technology partners, vendor stability has become increasingly important. Companies with engaged, long-tenured employees are better positioned to provide consistent support, maintain product roadmaps, and honor long-term commitments. "Vendor stability is a big deal. We've used platforms that were great at first and then suddenly changed their pricing or support, or vanished altogether," said Ashley B. Harris. "Knowing Lone Wolf has been around for 36 years builds trust. In a world full of new, flashy tools, longevity matters. It tells me a company has adapted over time and is likely to keep evolving alongside us." Foundation Built on People The certification comes as Lone Wolf continues expanding Foundation, the real estate cloud, capabilities while maintaining the white-glove support standards that have defined the company for over three decades. The integrated suite includes transaction management, CRM, digital marketing, compliance tools, and back-office solutions designed to streamline real estate operations. Lone Wolf's hundreds of U.S.-based employees support real estate professionals across Canada, the U.S., and Latin America, with the company's culture of excellence evident in customer satisfaction scores and industry longevity. Industry Leadership Through People The Great Place to Work Certification adds to Lone Wolf's reputation as an industry leader that real estate professionals can count on for the long term. Recent partnerships, including the landmark five-year agreement with the First Multiple Listing Service, which serves 60,000 members, demonstrate the confidence the industry places in companies with strong operational foundations. Unlike venture-funded startups that may prioritize rapid scaling over sustainable culture, Lone Wolf's balanced approach to growth ensures both innovation and stability for its real estate partners. About Lone Wolf Technologies Lone Wolf Technologies, Inc. is the North American leader in residential real estate software, serving over 1.5 million real estate professionals across Canada, the U.S., and Latin America. With 36 years of industry experience, Lone Wolf provides cloud solutions for agents, teams, brokers, franchises, MLSs, and associations. The company's Foundation platform offers the entire real estate industry integrated tools to amaze clients, build business, and improve profitsfrom leads to contacts to transactions to back office to analyticsall in one secure, compliant platform. Lone Wolf's headquarters are in Dallas, TX. About Great Place to Work Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, they have surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Their employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting, and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Media Contact: Molly McKinley [email protected] 919.423.4088 SOURCE Lone Wolf Technologies A roundup of the most newsworthy tech announcements from PR Newswire, including national security and nuclear projects, XREAL's new see-through optical device and PepsiCo's digital transformation plans. NEW YORK, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each month, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help tech journalists and consumers stay on top of the month's most popular releases and newsworthy trends, here's a recap of some of the past month's most read- and engaged-with stories. The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download. PR Newswire Monthly Technology Press Release Roundup, May 2025. Photos provided by Vention Inc., XREAL and Schneider Electric. For more news like this, check out all of the latest technology-related releases from PR Newswire. Trending Topics Among the technology news that was distributed in May, the PR Newswire team was able spot several larger stories that highlight the trends shaping the industry. Intersolar Europe 2025: Intersolar, held May 7-9 in Munich, Germany , served as a pivotal platform for showcasing advancements in solar energy, energy storage and smart grid technologies. The event featured numerous companies unveiling innovative solutions aimed at driving the global energy transition. Some of the key presenters included Shanghai Electric, which presented a comprehensive suite of new energy solutions across photovoltaics, hydrogen and energy storage. Sungrow was also in attendance and introduced a complete portfolio for solar, storage and EV charging products, covering both 1-phase and 3-phase scenarios. It also unveiled its new commercial and industrial (C&I) energy storage solutions, showcasing their flexibility and performance. See more news from Intersolar, which underscored the accelerating pace of clean energy innovation. Intersolar, held in , served as a pivotal platform for showcasing advancements in solar energy, energy storage and smart grid technologies. The event featured numerous companies unveiling innovative solutions aimed at driving the global energy transition. Some of the key presenters included Shanghai Electric, which presented a comprehensive suite of new energy solutions across photovoltaics, hydrogen and energy storage. Sungrow was also in attendance and introduced a complete portfolio for solar, storage and EV charging products, covering both 1-phase and 3-phase scenarios. It also unveiled its new commercial and industrial (C&I) energy storage solutions, showcasing their flexibility and performance. See more news from Intersolar, which underscored the accelerating pace of clean energy innovation. Automate 2025: From May 12-15 in Detroit, Michigan , Automate showcased the latest advancements in robotics, AI and industrial automation. The exhibition featured over 800 exhibitors and attracted more than 40,000 attendees. It also generated quite a few newsworthy press releases. Vention displayed its AI-powered bin-picking robot. Schneider Electric unveiled innovations focused on advancing American manufacturing, including its new industrial copilot. Techman Robot showcased a next-gen lineup of AI-powered collaborative robots (cobots) designed for safer and smarter human-machine collaboration in manufacturing environments. And Epson Robots introduced SafeSense Technology, which enables safe human-robot interaction. Together, these exhibitors along with others highlighted the growing convergence of AI, robotics, and automation software redefining the standards for intelligent industry solutions. Coming Up: In June, the team will continue to watch all the big tech headlines. Of course, we expect to see new AI integrations across industries. And big events like InfoComm and Cisco Live are already generating press releases and we'll be keeping tabs on the trends. Do you have a technology press release to distribute in June? Sign up with PR Newswire to share your story with the audiences who matter most. Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists. Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers, and freelancers have access to the following free features: Customization: Users can create customized newsfeeds that will deliver relevant news right to their inbox. Newsfeed results can be targeted by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Users can create customized newsfeeds that will deliver relevant news right to their inbox. Newsfeed results can be targeted by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include in a journalist or blogger's next story. Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include in a journalist or blogger's next story. Subject Matter Experts: Journalists will have access to ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in their articles. Journalists will have access to ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in their articles. Related Resources: Our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, features regular media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more. About PR Newswire PR Newswire is the industry's leading press release distribution partner with an unparalleled global reach of more than 440,000 newsrooms, websites, direct feeds, journalists and influencers and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages. From our award-winning Content Services offerings, integrated media newsroom and microsite products, Investor Relations suite of services, paid placement and social sharing tools, PR Newswire has a comprehensive catalog of solutions to solve the modern-day challenges PR and communications teams face. For 70 years, PR Newswire has been the preferred destination for brands to share their most important news stories across the world. For questions, contact the team at [email protected]. SOURCE PR Newswire BENTONVILLE, Ark., June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- MedCore Partners, LLC, in partnership with GI Alliance, proudly announces the grand opening of a new Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) and managed clinic in Bentonville, Arkansas. The brand new facility, located at 3700 SE Dodson Rd, officially opened its doors to patients in February. The state-of-the-art center is designed to support outpatient surgical procedures and clinical services for their gastroenterology patients, combining cutting-edge technology with a patient-first care model. GI Alliance Bentonville, Arkansas "Our team was thrilled to be a part of yet another successful project for GIA," said Kyle Libby, one of the founding partners at MedCore. "Opening a facility in such a strategic location was a natural next step for this group of physicians who are focused on expanding access to high-quality GI care. We're proud to help bring their vision to life and continue supporting GI Alliance in delivering exceptional outcomes for their patients." The ASC includes multiple fully equipped operating rooms, pre-op and recovery suites, and integrated digital systems to streamline patient care. The adjacent managed clinic offers specialty consultations, pre-surgical evaluations, and post-operative follow-up, providing a comprehensive and seamless patient experience under one roof. About GI Alliance GI Alliance is a physician-led and majority physician owned GI practice management company providing services to over 800 independent gastroenterologists operating in Texas, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Utah, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Washington. GI Alliance managed practices focus on providing the highest-quality care to their patients. In addition to providing operational support for practices, GI Alliance is working to unite gastroenterologists nationwide by aligning interests and improving patient care. About MedCore Partners, LLC Based in Dallas-Fort Worth, MedCore Partners is a full-service real estate company dedicated exclusively to the healthcare and senior living industry. By leveraging off both its intimate knowledge of the dynamics of the medical sector and its comprehensive platform of real estate services, MedCore is uniquely qualified to identify and capitalize on healthcare projects around the nation and to maximize the potential profits returned to its investors. Over their careers, the principals of MedCore have led the development and investment efforts for healthcare projects around the country that have been valued in excess of $1 billion in addition to executing brokerage transactions for over 2,000 physicians. This level of experience within the medical real estate industry has allowed MedCore's principals to build trusted relationships with both healthcare providers around the United States as well as numerous capital sources. SOURCE MedCore Partners PHOENIX, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A newly dedicated L. Ron Hubbard Landmark Site commemorates the unification of Dianetics and Scientologyand stands as a testament to a transformative era. A modest midcentury building at 4451 East Osborn Road in Phoenix was once described by L. Ron Hubbard as "a beautiful place, in the middle of a citrus grove." But to the people of Phoenixand in fact to Scientologists worldwideit has become so much more than that. A defining moment unfolds in Phoenix, Arizona, as 4451 East Osborn Road is unveiled as the newest L. Ron Hubbard Landmark Siterestored to its mid-1950s brilliance, marking the very time when Dianetics and Scientology were unified. On a desert-warm Saturday evening, that heritage building was opened again, reborn as an L. Ron Hubbard Landmark Site. A location of international importance, this is "where the future changed forever," said the Church of Scientology Preservationist, who officiated the event and oversaw the site's historic restoration. The forever change referred to was that, from here, L. Ron Hubbard (LRH) not only published Dianetics 55!, but completed the work leading to the legendary Unification Congress, held six miles away at the Phoenix Little Theatre. There, Mr. Hubbard declared that, for the first time ever, two subjectsDianetics and Scientologywere to be united. That Congress became an event the Journal of Scientology immediately declared as "the most important thing that ever happened in Dianetics and Scientology." By 1954, Phoenix had become the center of the Scientology universe. It was the home of the Hubbard Association of Scientologists International (HASI)located in seven facilities nearby in the heart of downtown Phoenix. Now, some 70 years later, the Osborn Road site is a treasure of midcentury design and Scientology heritage restored to the precise way it appeared when Mr. Hubbard lived and worked there. Built in the Prairie style and touched with Moderne influence, original elements have been returned to how they once were, including the railroad trestle support beams, steel porthole windows and handcrafted maple cabinetry. Even the teardrop-shaped swimming pool and cascading stone waterfall now sparkle in their original mid-1950s splendor. Today, an audience of Scientologists, community leaders and historians gathered at Osborn Road beneath an Arizona setting sun to celebrate a glorious ribbon-pull, opening the restored Landmark Site. Inside, they had the chance to see rare artifacts of history, as visitors can view Mr. Hubbard's original desk where he wrote the milestone work Dianetics 55! Also on view are personal items such as the Hammond S4 Chord Organ Mr. Hubbard enjoyed playing and his Coronado stereo cabinet console that filled the air with waltzes and jazz. Outside, even the glacier-blue Harley-Davidson Hydra-Glide and his 1951 Chevrolet Deluxe Station Wagon have been returned to their full vintage glory. At the opening ceremony, dignitaries echoed the impact Mr. Hubbard had on Phoenix, now the fifth-largest city in the US. City Councilman Kevin Robinson, a retired police officer of 36 years, spoke with pride. "Phoenix is a city that doesn't just riseit rises again and again. From ancient canals carved by our Native American ancestors to the neighborhoods of today, this is a place of progress. Phoenix has always been a frontier town, not just in geography, but in spirit," Robinson said. "Today we turn another page in this city's history. This is a community achievement, so I extend my gratitude for what you've done for this neighborhood, for what you've achieved for our city and for helping history live again." Mr. Stan Patton, a heritage restoration specialist with 40 years of experience preserving some of Arizona's most treasured landmarks, spoke of his unrivaled passion for the Osborn Road project. "What's been accomplished here at this L. Ron Hubbard Landmark Site isn't just building restoration, it's recapturing a place and time. We were committed to bringing back every fixture, every detail as if Mr. Hubbard himself had just stepped out of the room," Patton added, "and I believe we accomplished that. In fact, of all the projects I've done, I call this my life's crowning accomplishment!" John Jacquemart, who won the Arizona Governor's Heritage Award for his work on historical sites, spoke of Mr. Hubbard's enduring legacy. "I've spent my life listening to stories as a historian and an Arizona native. The stories we tell in these parts are the ones about lone riders, long shadows and lawless roads. Yet, the story of L. Ron Hubbard? It's the most compelling of all. While this town was booming, Mr. Hubbard brought a different kind of growth. Not in land or lumber, but in ideas. His lectures filled our most iconic halls with a hunger for knowledge and a vision for the mind and spirit," he said. "It's a story Phoenix owns and, starting today, one it will never let go!" Dr. Albert Celoza is the Executive Director of the Arizona Interfaith Movement and received the Arizona Professor of the Year Award. "Milestones for one religion are milestones for us all. And you could say we stand here in Phoenix on hallowed Scientology soil. After all, it's where L. Ron Hubbard gave voice to a truth shared by all faiths: that man is, at his core, a spiritual being. Here, too, he wrote the Creed of the Church of Scientology," Dr. Celoza said. "So I say this with conviction: as an interfaith leaderone who has stood beside rabbis, imams, monks, priests and pastorsI honor L. Ron Hubbard for his contribution to people of all faiths!" This newest L. Ron Hubbard Landmark Site is the second in Phoenix. Just two miles away is another site at the base of Camelback Mountain. Previously opened in 2005, today it is officially recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. All told, there are now eight such Landmark Sites open on three continents, including: Bay Head, New Jersey, where LRH wrote Dianetics, the bestselling book ever on the human mind; Elizabeth, New Jersey, where he formed the first Dianetics Foundation; the Founding Church that Mr. Hubbard established in Washington, DC; the original Hubbard Communications Office on Fitzroy Street in London, England; his Linksfield Ridge estate overlooking Johannesburg, South Africa; and his headquarters at Saint Hill in East Grinstead, England. Each Landmark Site offers a literal and visual history of the work and advances Mr. Hubbard achieved during the time he was at that particular location. Each also features a room devoted to the wider story of Mr. Hubbard's life of global exploration and researchincluding his pivotal accomplishments here in Phoenix, Arizona. In full, the sites mark Mr. Hubbard's progressive steps to the founding of Dianetics and Scientology. The next Landmark Site is slated to open this summer in Southern Africacontinuing the legacy of Mr. Hubbard's work. Like Osborn Road, each represents a global tributepreserved in space, alive in time and destined to inspire many more. SOURCE Church of Scientology International Honoring the Music, Legacy & Cultural Impact of a Global Icon Featuring Unreleased Music, Live Performances & Exclusive Panels NPG Records Also Releases Prince's "FREE (Acoustic Version)" Friday 6/6/25 MINNEAPOLIS, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Prince Celebration, the annual gathering of devoted fans from around the world, returns to Paisley Park and downtown Minneapolis from June 58, 2025. This year's event will honor Prince's unparalleled musical legacy with exclusive programming that celebrates the 40th anniversaries of Around the World in a Day and The Family. In addition, this Friday, NPG Records and Paisley Park Enterprises shall release the acoustic version of FREE recorded in 2008 by Prince FREE (Acoustic Version) - Prince Single Artwork Prince Celebration 2025 Prince Celebration 2025 will feature unreleased music and rare concert footage from Prince, as well as a historic live performance on Friday, June 6 at Paisley Park, featuring: Morris Day & The Time Jesse Johnson The Family Johnny Venus Jada Nikole The weekend will also include panel discussions with artists and collaborators who were part of these groundbreaking albumsincluding original band members from The Family and artists who collaborated on the Around the World in a Day coverproviding fans with firsthand insight into Prince's creative universe and The Vault & Future Plans. Weekend Highlights Include: Thursday, June 5 Kick-off DJ Dance Party at First Avenue, featuring DJ Jake Rudh and DJ Lenka Paris (single tickets available) Paisley Park Open House Explore the legendary Soundstage and NPG Music Club, with food, coffee, activations and retail shop access Downtown Block Party at the Prince Mural A free, all-ages event from 5 PM1 AM with DJs, live performances, and community celebration Unreleased music, Prince in Concert, and immersive fan experiences all weekend long VIP Experience Includes: Preferred seating and access 60-minute guided Paisley Park tour VIP Lunch and Gospel Brunch at Paisley Park Additional exclusive programming Join us for Prince Celebration 2025, an unforgettable tribute to Prince's music, spirit, and global cultural influence. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: www.paisleypark.com/celebration2025 SOURCE Prince Celebration 2025 New crime prevention initiative offers up to $5,000 for actionable tips submitted through the SaferWatch app or text line that lead to arrests, preventions or the recovery of long-term missing persons. CLAY COUNTY, Fla., June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Clay County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) and SaferWatch are proud to announce the launch of the SaferWatch Rewards Program, a new public safety initiative designed to encourage community reporting of criminal activity, prevent acts of mass violence and help to find long-term missing persons. The program offers cash rewards for tips that lead to successful law enforcement and public safety outcomes. Through this partnership, SaferWatch has established an initial $50,000 fund for Clay County, Florida, dedicated to rewarding individuals who submit actionable tips through the SaferWatch platformeither via the SaferWatch app, SaferWatch Text Line or a SaferWatch Web Form. Eligible tips may involve criminal investigations, long-term missing persons, or major incidents that result in a confirmed resolution by Clay County Sheriff's Office. "The Clay County Sheriff's Office has been partners with SaferWatch for over 4 years now. We have over 50,000 SaferWatch users in our community and have already seen several success stories come from it. We couldn't be more grateful to help kick off this rewards program," Clay County Sheriff, Michelle Cook said. "If you see something, say something. This is another avenue to help encourage our community to submit valuable information. One tip can make all the difference." Key details of the program include: Rewards of up to $5,000 per case are available for tips submitted through the SaferWatch platform that results in an arrest or advance a long-term investigation. per case are available for tips submitted through the SaferWatch platform that results in an arrest or advance a long-term investigation. Tips must be original, credible, and submitted by individuals who are not victims or participants in the incident. The Clay County Sheriff's Office determines the reward amounts based on the case and outcome. "This initiative highlights how technology, community engagement and public safety agencies can come together to create a safer world," said Geno Roefaro, CEO of SaferWatch. "We're honored to support and partner with the Clay County Sheriff's Office in launching this impactful program." To submit a tip, simply download the SaferWatch app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, or visit saferwatchapp.com/download . About SaferWatch SaferWatch is a leading public safety platform that empowers individuals, schools, businesses, and law enforcement agencies to communicate, respond, and protect more effectively. Through real-time tip reporting, emergency alerts, panic buttons, and advanced integrations with 911 centers and security systems, SaferWatch helps create safer communities across the country. Learn more at www.saferwatchapp.com . About the Clay County Sheriff's Office The Clay County Sheriff's Office is committed to serving and protecting the residents of Clay County, Florida. With a strong focus on community policing, transparency, and innovation, CCSO works to maintain a safe and secure environment through proactive law enforcement and collaborative partnerships. SOURCE SaferWatch Upgrade Any Whatameal, Including the Returning Legend Pico de Gallo Burger, with New $4, $5, and $6 Add-On Deals Here for a Limited Time and Gone in a Bite! SAN ANTONIO, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Whataburger is turning up the flavor and turning down the prices with its brand-new Bigger Better Bundles! Whether you're feeding the family, grabbing lunch with coworkers or filling up for whatever the day throws at you, these deals serve big value and even bigger portions, made for appetites of all kinds. Whataburger meal featuring a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onions, served with fries and a large drink in a branded cup. Bold orange text on the left reads 'Bigger Better Bundles. For a limited time, guests can pair any full-sized Whatameal which includes any Burger, Whatachick'n, All-Time Favorites or limited-time menu item, served with a medium or large fry and drink with one of three new bundle options that are easy to mix, match and share, for only an extra $4, $5 or $6: $4 Kids Whatameal : Choose from a Justaburger , 2-piece Whatachick'n Strips, Grilled Cheese, or 4-piece Whatachick'n Bites, each with small fries and a kid's drink. Perfect for the little ones! : Choose from a Justaburger , 2-piece Whatachick'n Strips, Grilled Cheese, or 4-piece Whatachick'n Bites, each with small fries and a kid's drink. Perfect for the little ones! $5 Double Meat Jr. Whatameal : Double the meat, double the flavor. This value meal deal comes complete with small fries and a drink to seal the deal. Great for a date night! : Double the meat, double the flavor. This value meal deal comes complete with small fries and a drink to seal the deal. Great for a date night! $6 WhataWings: Nine crispy, saucy WhataWings tossed in your choice of Honey Butter , Buffalo, Honey BBQ or Sweet & Spicy sauce. Made to share or keep it all to yourself. No judgment. "Great food at a great price that's what Bigger Better Bundles are all about," said Debbie Stroud, Whataburger President and CEO. "We know our guests are looking for value that fits their everyday lives, whether fueling a busy schedule, sharing a meal with family and friends or treating themselves to a quality meal. These deals make it easy." The $4, $5 and $6 Bundles can be added to Whatameals across Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner and can be ordered with Kids Whatameals. Bigger Better Bundles are only available at the register or drive-thru. They are not available through online ordering, the Whataburger App or third-party delivery. And here's even more to love: the fan-favorite Pico de Gallo Burger is BACK and better than ever, straight out of the WhataVault! Just in time for Whataburger's 75th anniversary, this fresh, zesty masterpiece makes its triumphant return this summer and yes, it can be bundled, too. So gather the family, rally the carpool or treat yourself! Whataburger's Bigger Better Bundles are here to help you save and savor every bite. Check out all the Bigger Better Bundles details at Whataburger.com . About Whataburger Whataburger serves up Goodness 24/7 with a made-to-order, customizable menu of burgers and other favorites delivered just like you like it. Born in Texas and headquartered in San Antonio, we're celebrating 75 flavorful years of big bites, bold flavors, and even bigger fan love. We've grown to over 1,100 restaurants across 17 states, with original-recipe products now found in grocery aisles across the country. Our secret sauce (besides that Fancy Ketchup) is our Family Membersreal people serving up real hospitality and meaningful connections in the communities we call home. We've landed on Fast Company's Brands that Matter list, USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards, and NeWSes' America's Best of the Best. To learn more, shop the Whatastore, or find your nearest location, visit Whataburger.com or download our app on iOS or Android. Hungry for more? Discover what keeps fans coming back by diving into real stories from Whataburger super fans at stories.whataburger.com. For media inquiries, please contact: Whataburger PR [email protected] SOURCE Whataburger "StarKist is proudly headquartered in Reston, and partnering with Cornerstones and Feed the Children for our Fourth Annual Resource Rally allows us to make a direct and meaningful difference for those facing real challenges in our community," said Edward Min, StarKist President and CEO. "In uncertain times, access to affordable, high-quality protein is essential, and we're proud that StarKist products can help meet that need." During the event, regional business leaders, elected officials, StarKist employee volunteers, and community advocates joined forces to help address food insecurity along the Dulles Corridor. Volunteers distributed 400 family kits containing StarKist products, 25-pound boxes of shelf-stable food, 15-pound boxes of hygiene essentials, and additional resources. Each kit was designed to support a family of four, providing more than 8,300 meals to 400 households this summer. "Food insecurity in Fairfax County has reached new highs," reflects Kerrie Wilson, CEO of Cornerstones. "Many local families who have never needed assistance before are now turning to neighborhood food pantries for help. At our Cornerstones' Assistance Services and Food Pantry and our FREE from Hunger Center, as well as at many of the region's neighborhood pantries and feeding programs, we are seeing a surge in families reaching out for support. We are deeply grateful to team up with StarKist and Feed the Children, whose generosity and commitment have made a real difference for our neighbors in need this summer." For Feed the Children, the Summer Food and Resource Rally provides an opportunity to help meet the community's immediate needs while making a meaningful difference for families. Feed the Children believes it takes everyone the nonprofit sector, corporations, community organizations, government officials, and food suppliers to come together to end childhood hunger. "We've seen the significant impact Resource Rallies have in supporting communities experiencing food insecurity, and we're grateful to be working with StarKist and Cornerstones to make a difference in the lives of children and families," said Emily Callahan, President and CEO of Feed the Children. "Working together we're able to provide food and quality of life essentials that children and families need to survive, grow, and thrive. Through the power of partnership, we can make a greater impact as we seek to create a world where no child goes to bed hungry." In addition to the event in Reston, StarKist will partner with Feed the Children to host a Summer Resource Rally in Bentonville, Arkansas later this month, and will also collaborate with the Magic Johnson Foundation on its Holiday Hope event in Los Angeles in November. Over the past 16 years, StarKist has donated more than 1.2 million pounds of protein-rich tuna and chicken products, representing nearly $4.9 million in product donations and an additional $985,000 in monetary support to help food-insecure children and families across the U.S. Through its ongoing partnership with Feed the Children, StarKist has supported more than 20 Resource Rally events nationwide, including disaster and emergency response efforts. These efforts continue StarKist's long history of addressing hunger and food shortages, a commitment that dates back to 1917 when the company helped meet the nation's protein needs during World War I. About StarKist Co. StarKist Co. is a socially responsible company that empowers people to live a healthy lifestyle by providing convenient nutritious proteins. An industry innovator, StarKist was the first brand to introduce convenient single-serve pouch products, which include StarKist Tuna Creations, Salmon Creations, and Chicken Creations in over 40 varieties. As America's favorite tuna, StarKist represents a tradition of quality, consumer trust and a commitment to sustainability. StarKist's charismatic brand icon, Charlie The Tuna, swam into the hearts of tuna fans in 1961 and is still a fan favorite today. StarKist Co. is a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Dongwon Industries Co., Ltd. About Feed the Children Feed the Children is a leading nonprofit committed to ending childhood hunger. The organization believes that no child should go to bed hungry, and so it provides children and families in the U.S. and around the world with the food and essentials kids need to grow and thrive. Through its programs and partnerships, the organization feeds children today while helping families and communities build resilient futures. In addition to food, Feed the Children distributes household and personal care items across the United States to help parents and caregivers maintain stable, food-secure households. Internationally, it expands access to nutritious meals, safe water, improved hygiene, and training in sustainable living. As responsible stewards of its resources, Feed the Children is driven to pursue innovative, holistic, and child-focused solutions to the complex challenges of hunger, food insecurity, and poverty. For children everywhere, the organization believes that having enough to eat is a fundamental right. Learn how you can help create a world without childhood hunger at feedthechildren.org About Cornerstones Together with our community, Cornerstones promotes stability, empowerment, and hope through support, advocacy, and community-building for individuals and families in need. Since 1970, Cornerstones has been a leading anchor organization in Northern Virginia, serving more than 25,900 households - including individuals and families with children -just in the past fiscal year. Our dedicated team connects people facing hardship with life-changing resources, tackling the root causes of homelessness and poverty to help build strong, stable families and a resilient community. Cornerstones is also a trusted advisor at the local, state, and national levels, championing policies and partnerships that expand affordable housing, invest in food security and the well-being of children and families, and drive systemic change to ensure everyone thrives in our community. To learn more about our programs or how you can get involved, visit cornerstonesva.org Media Contacts: StarKist: Michelle Ford Faist / 571-441-8096 / [email protected] Feed the Children: Kelly Frey / 405-945-4064 / [email protected] Cornerstones: Margaret Anne Lara / 571-323-9575 / [email protected] SOURCE StarKist Co. WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, June 6. Muhammadzoda Muhammad Sulton, Head of Tajikistans Sughd free economic zone (FEZ), and Maksim Trofimenko, Head of Russias Voronezh FEZ, signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at facilitating the creation of joint ventures and strengthening trade and investment cooperation between the two regions, Trend reports via the administration of the Sughd region. The document was signed within the frame of an official visit of the Sughd region delegation to Russias Voronezh region. During a meeting with Voronezh Governor Alexander Gusev, the two sides discussed opportunities for expanding interregional ties in key areas such as industry, agriculture, tourism, education, and culture. They emphasized the importance of deeper collaboration between businesses and public institutions. An entrepreneurial symposium was convened during the visit, aggregating stakeholders and decision-makers from both factions. The symposium elucidated the economic viability of the Sughd region and underscored synergies for collaboration in the enhancement of logistics infrastructures, amplification of export activities, and the elevation of the tourism domain. The Tajik delegation conducted a comprehensive site visit to several pivotal industrial and logistics entities in Voronezh, encompassing the Pyaterochka distribution hub, Global Drinks manufacturing facility, Kobil Group, and Maslenitsa corporation. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel DALLAS, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Church technology innovator Subsplash introduces Subsplash Tap , a contactless solution that transforms how church attendees connect, give, and engage. Tapping phones to pay, share information, or visit a website has become an everyday part of modern life. Subsplash Tap leverages NFC (Near-Field Communication) technology for contactless giving, event sign-ups, easy app access, and moremodernizing church outreach and community interaction. Community engagement made simple with Subsplash Tap. Subsplash Tap products instantly connect people to a customizable link with just one tap. Tap Discs adhere to seatbacks, door frames, collection boxes, and other objects. Tap Stands are perfect for table tops, connection centers, reception desks, and more. They can be placed anywhere, linked to anything, and updated at any time. Subsplash Tap is currently the only product on the market leveraging NFC technology to help you drive engagement, boost your giving, and connect your community on a single, integrated platform. Churches leveraging Subsplash Tap can now enable tap-to-give experiences, allowing anyone to instantly donate without needing to scan codes or search onlinethe leading solution for modern, contactless giving for churches. "Subsplash Tap has been so convenient because it's just like it sounds! You tap your phone, it brings up a link, and we can put everything we need right there. It offers endless possibilities to move people in the same direction!" Dr. Jeff Thorp, Lead Pastor of Ember Church Whether it's on the back of a chair in service, in the lobby, or at kids' check-in stations, Subsplash Tap creates endless opportunities for engagement, ensuring members and visitors can effortlessly take the next right step. This release propels Subsplash closer to its vision of equipping every church with innovative technology to make meaningful connections as simple as possible. Subsplash Tap enables churches to never miss an opportunity to connect with peopleright where they are. About Subsplash Subsplash is the industry leader in Fintech and mobile SaaS with an award-winning digital engagement platform used by over 20,000 leading churches and ministries around the world. Subsplash is passionate about helping mission-minded organizations engage their audiences through centralized, easy-to-manage systems. As the creators of the Ultimate Engagement Platform, they're dedicated to delivering delight to millions of people through custom mobile apps, websites, live streaming, media hosting and delivery, online giving, events management, communication tools, and more. SOURCE Subsplash SPECIAL AWARDS INCLUDE RALPH LAUREN AS HALL OF FAME HONOREE AND DANIELA ANDRIER AS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT PERFUMER NEW YORK , June 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The fragrance industry's most iconic event bowed once again tonight at The David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center with The 2025 Fragrance Foundation Awards. The star-studded salute celebrated excellence and innovation in American fragrance across 19 categories from beautifully crafted scents to creative packaging. Two awards of distinction, the Hall of Fame and the Lifetime Achievement Perfumer, were awarded to Ralph Lauren, Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of The Ralph Lauren Corporation, and Daniela Andrier, Master Perfumer of Givaudan, respectively, adding to the evening's festivities. A sold-out crowd of 1000 gathered to celebrate the winners that made 2024 a spectacular year in fragrance with a guest list including fragrance founders and perfumers plus fashion designers, artists, celebrities and creators. 2025 Fragrance Foundation Awards "This is the fragrance industry's biggest night. It's the one night when the fragrance community from the big, bold names to the independent creators come together to celebrate the creativity and craftsmanship of our industry, and the remarkable achievements of the people behind the scents" remarked Linda G. Levy, president of The Fragrance Foundation. "What a celebration it was from tonight's winners who took home their coveted trophies to our illustrious honorees who have made such an indelible mark on the American fragrance industry." Levy added, "Honoring an American legend such as Ralph Lauren as the Hall of Fame Honoree for his incredible legacy is one of the most memorable moments in TFF USA Awards history. The emotional and creative highs of the evening were heightened to new levels through Daniela Andrier's mastery of perfumery and storytelling that earned her the Lifetime Achievement Perfumer honor. Presenting these Awards to such esteemed icons of business and prolific perfumers at Lincoln Center only elevates fragrance to the art form that it is as it celebrates the creative artistry and sheer emotion behind them." A hallmark of the evening was the signature scent that was created exclusively for the event by Daniela Andrier as a special celebration of the Lifetime Achievement Perfumer. Named Lincoln in June as a fragrant nod to the event and spectacular setting, the fragrance filled the lobby air of the majestic theater with notes of florals as guests arrived. There was exuberance in the air amidst the ambient scent as the fragrance industry mixed and mingled in anticipation of the grand awards ceremony that culminated with the ultimate accolades saluting the very best in fragrances, as well as icons of the industry who have redefined American fragrance. Daniela Andrier, Master Perfumer at Givaudan, expressed her gratitude, stating "In my work I find inspiration in the unexpected combination of colours and blending the rare with the ordinary. It is essential to avoid cliches and resist the unnecessary urge to be modern. True depth comes from humilityunderstanding where we come from, appreciating tradition, and recognizing the significance of culture in our craft. I am deeply passionate about crafting fragrances, and receiving this prestigious recognition from The Fragrance Foundation USA holds significant meaning for me as a perfumer." David Lauren, Chief Branding and Innovation Officer of the Ralph Lauren Corporation, accepted the Hall of Fame Honor on behalf of Mr. Lauren. Presenters included Actress, Producer and Advocate Laverne Cox, Fashion Designer Vera Wang, Fashion Innovator Dapper Dan, Allure and Self magazines Editor-in-Chief Jessica Cruel, and iconic brand ambassador Carolyn Murphy and model and actor Tyson Beckford, brand founders Erica Anderson and Ingrid Nilsen of The New Savant, and Jackie Aina of FORVR Mood. Celebrating fragrance at its core was this year's artistic collaboration with cinematographer Louie Schwartzberg that magnified the essence of ingredients from florals to citrus through AI. This year's Awards was another exciting edition that celebrated the artistry of perfumes and the artists that create them. The Winners for the 2025 Fragrance Foundation Awards are: Fragrance of the Year Women's Luxury Kilian Paris Sunkissed Goddess, Estee Lauder Companies; Givaudan, perfumer Calice Becker Fragrance of the Year Women's Prestige KAYALI Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar | 42, KAYALI; dsm-firmenich, perfumer Gabriela Chelariu Fragrance of the Year Men's Luxury Tom Ford Bois Pacifique, Estee Lauder Companies; Givaudan, perfumers Rodrigo Flores-Roux & Adriana Medina Fragrance of the Year Men's Prestige Ralph Lauren Polo 67, L'Oreal; dsm-firmenich, perfumer Marie Salamagne Fragrance Hall of Fame Rabanne 1 Million Eau De Toilette, Puig; Givaudan, perfumers Michel Girard, Olivier Pescheux, Christophe Raynaud Fragrance of the Year - Universal Prestige Maison Margiela Replica Afternoon Delight, L'Oreal; IFF, perfumer Carlos Benaim Fragrance of the Year - Universal Luxury Byredo Desert Dawn, Puig; Robertet, perfumer Jerome Epinette Fragrance of the Year - Ultra-luxury - Women's, Men's, Universal Tom Ford Black Lacquer; Estee Lauder Companies; Givaudan, perfumer Guillaume Flavigny Fragrance of the Year - Popular - Women's, Men's, Universal "AFTER SUN", Vacation; Givaudan, perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux Media Campaign of the Year - Women's, Men's Universal Lancome La vie est belle L'Elixir, L'Oreal Candle & Home Collection of the Year Sunlit Yuzu & Neroli Wellness Collection, Nest New York; Givaudan, perfumers Christine Hassan & Linda Song Consumer Choice - Prestige - Women's, Men's & Universal Burberry Her Intense, Coty; Takasago, perfumer Aurelien Guichard Consumer Choice - Popular - Women's, Men's & Universal Platinum, Bath & Body Works; IFF, perfumers Natasha Cote, Patty Hidalgo, Laurent Le Guernec Perfume Extraordinaire of the Year Balmain Beauty Ebene, Estee Lauder Companies; Symrise, perfumer Maurice Roucel Five Category Winners Previously Announced on April 8, 2025 in New York City Fragrance Editorial of the Year - Print/Digital Justin Fenner, Robb Report; The Man with The Golden Nose Innovative Fragrance: Product of the Year D.S.& Durga Murder Mystery Set; D.S.& Durga; dsm-firmenich, David & Kavi Moltz Packaging of the Year: Prestige/Popular Marc Jacobs Daisy Wild; Coty; Marc Jacobs Packaging of the Year: Ultra-Luxury/Luxury Diptyque Fleur De Peau Holiday Edition; Diptyque in collaboration with Lucy Sparrow Indie Fragrance of the Year Delices des Bois; Veronique Gabai; dsm-firmenich; Perfumer: Amandine Clerc-Marie About The Fragrance Foundation The Fragrance Foundation (TFF) is the industry's preeminent organization that celebrates the creativity of the people and products that bring captivating scents to life. With its mission to inspire the world to discover the passion and artistry of fragrance, TFF sets standards of excellence for the industry and embraces inclusivity and representation of the American marketplace. As the premier resource for fragrance, TFF informs and inspires through education and events. A not for profit association, the Foundation unites 140+ of the nation's leading brands, fragrance houses, and retailers as its members, expanding its roster to include independent brands. Founded in 1949, TFF remains steadfast in its commitment to growing the community of fragrance enthusiasts. For more information, please visit www.fragrance.org or our social channels including @FragranceFoundation on IG and @TheFragranceFoundation on Facebook and YouTube. ABOUT RALPH LAUREN CORPORATION Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of luxury lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, footwear & accessories, home, fragrances and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren has sought to inspire the dream of a better life through authenticity and timeless style. Its reputation and distinctive image have been developed across a wide range of products, brands, distribution channels and international markets. The Company's brand names which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children and Chaps, among others constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands. For more information, visit https://corporate.ralphlauren.com. About Daniela Andrier Vice President, Fragrance & Beauty Fine Fragrances | Givaudan Daniela Andrier has managed to maintain the wonder that smells have always brought her. Her range of fragrances, notably including orange blossom, iris, lentisk or galbanum, comes from a childhood spent in an immense garden and a Super 8 screen. Today, by combining the raw materials, she seeks to share with everyone "that joy of living that perfume celebrates in particular". She brings to life creations full of grace and delicacy, with a sophisticated design behind an apparent simplicity "achieving a just harmony on the edge, with so many facets that represent a world of 'possibles'. SOURCE The Fragrance Foundation FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Peach Cobbler Factory, renowned for its irresistible Southern-inspired desserts, is thrilled to announce it will open two new locations at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) in partnership with award-winning airport concessionaire M2 Concepts. The Peach Cobbler Factory to open in DFW Airport Slated to debut later this year in Terminal D followed by a second location in the new Terminal C Pier in 2026, these spots will serve the brand's signature warm peach cobbler, decadent banana pudding, cobbler shakes, and other sweet delights to millions of travelers from all over the world. Greg George, CEO of The Peach Cobbler Factory, shared the excitement: "DFW is one of the world's busiest airports, and we are honored to bring a taste of Southern hospitality to its travelers. Whether someone is craving our classic fruit cobblers or one of our 12 flavors of banana pudding, we want every bite to feel like a sweet escapeno matter where their journey takes them." In 2024, DFW served 87.8 million passengers, ranking it as the second-busiest airport in the U.S. and the third-busiest globally, making it a perfect stage for increasing brand awareness as The Peach Cobbler Factory continues its rapid expansion across America. **About The Peach Cobbler Factory** Founded in 2013 and franchising since 2022, The Peach Cobbler Factory has rapidly grown to 115 locations across 22 states, with 150+ locations in the development pipeline. The company serves its guests through a developing network of traditional stores, mobile trailers, professional and college stadiums, and now airports. A recently launched catering program has also been developed to serve its full array of desserts to offices, celebrations, and major events. Its menu stars fruit cobblers, banana pudding, cobbler shakes, bigger & better cookies, brownies, churros, and moreeach crafted to deliver joy in every bite. The company is co-owned by Larry Johnston (former Chairman & CEO of Albertsons Inc.) and Greg George, a franchising veteran with 25 years of industry experience. **About M2 Concepts** M2 Concepts LLC is a minority-owned leader in airport dining and hospitality, representing several national brands that operate in major hubs like Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW), Houston (IAH), and San Antonio (SAT). Dedicated to diverse culinary experiences, M2 brings innovative brands to worldwide travelers. For more details, visit: www.peachcobblerfactory.com Contact Information: The Peach Cobbler Factory Linda Powers 972-835-7187 [email protected] SOURCE The Peach Cobbler Factory More than 90% of all children tested showed evidence of exposure, with highest levels found among Black children and those living in low-income and low-education households CINCINNATI, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Toxic residue from tobacco smoke lingering in dust, old carpets, couches, and other surfaces was found on the hands or in the saliva of more than 900 of the 1,013 children tested in a recent study -- including children living in "smokefree" homes. The findings, published online May 29, 2025, in Environmental Health Perspectives, also reveal striking gaps in exposure levels based on differences in education, income and race. Infographic courtesy of thirdhandsmoke.org Led by E. Melinda Mahabee-Gittens, MD, PhD, from Cincinnati Children's and Georg E. Matt, PhD, from San Diego State University, the study examined hand nicotine and saliva cotinine levels in children aged 11 years and younger. The findings provide the strongest evidence to date that thirdhand smoke residue is a significant, independent source of tobacco smoke exposure for children. "The idea that a child is safe from tobacco exposure simply because no one smokes around them is a dangerous misconception," Mahabee-Gittens says. "Our data show that even in homes with strict no-smoking rules, thirdhand smoke pollutants persist on surfaces, in dust, and household objects and accumulate in children's bodies." What is Thirdhand Smoke? Firsthand smoke is the self-exposure that people directly experience by tobacco smoking or vaping. Decades of research have established the direct health risks of smoking, including lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and more. Secondhand smoke describes other people breathing in toxins from air polluted by smokers. Numerous studies also have shown health harm caused by such exposures, which have led to many indoor smoking bans. Thirdhand smoke describes exposure to toxic smoke particles and gases that stick to surfaces, become embedded in fabrics, and even saturate drywall. This residue can linger for years. It can be picked up by touch, easily transferred from hand to mouth, and inhaled when it off-gases. Thirdhand smoke residue contains many of the same unhealthy compounds as secondhand smoke. There is no "safe" level of tobacco smoke exposure. However, the long-term harm caused by thirdhand smoke exposure remains under study. What does the new study show? Widespread Exposure : 94.5% of children living with nonsmokers in homes with strict bans showed detectable nicotine on their hands. : 94.5% of children living with nonsmokers in homes with strict bans showed detectable nicotine on their hands. Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities : The nicotine levels found on child hands varied sharply based on the race, parental education levels and household income. For example, nicotine levels were up to 25 times higher among children in low-income homes (less than $15,000 a year) compared to children in households with incomes exceeding $90,000 a year. Nicotine levels found on the hands of Black children was up to three times higher than that of White children. : The nicotine levels found on child hands varied sharply based on the race, parental education levels and household income. For example, nicotine levels were up to 25 times higher among children in low-income homes (less than a year) compared to children in households with incomes exceeding a year. Nicotine levels found on the hands of Black children was up to three times higher than that of White children. Housing Risks: Children living in older, smaller, and multi-unit homes experienced significantly higher exposure levels, regardless of their parents' smoking status. What can be done to reduce risk? The new data exposes a dangerous legacy of tobacco pollution in U.S. housing. "These results demand a reevaluation of how we assess and address tobacco pollution in homes," Matt says. "We must move beyond secondhand smoke and begin treating thirdhand smoke residue as the persistent environmental hazard it is." Unlike asbestos or lead paint, no thresholds currently exist for thirdhand smoke pollution, such as notifying incoming tenants or issuing orders to clean up smoke-polluted buildings. The study authors recommend that policymakers focus on: Developing and funding strategies to identify and remediate thirdhand smoke-contaminated homes, especially in low-income housing. Enforcing comprehensive tobacco-free housing regulations, especially in multi-unit dwellings. Routine screening of children using hand nicotine tests to determine tobacco smoke exposure. For people living in places where government actions are limited, the co-authors recommend: Avoiding multi-unit housing without a property-wide smoking ban. Avoiding housing where previous occupants smoked or vaped. Enforcing strict home smoking bans. While results can vary--and some exposure occurs anyway in most cases--the new study shows a consistent reduction in overall nicotine exposure among "protected" groups. Funding sources for this research included the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). SOURCE Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center PHILADELPHIA, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Berger Montague PC advises investors that a securities class action lawsuit has been filed against BigBear.ai Holdings, Inc. ("BigBear" or the "Company") (NYSE: BBAI) on behalf of purchasers of BigBear securities between March 31, 2022 through March 25, 2025, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Investor Deadline: Investors who purchased or acquired BIGBEAR securities during the Class Period may, no later than JUNE 10, 2025 , seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class. To learn your rights, CLICK HERE . BigBear, headquartered in McLean, VA, is an AI-driven technology company offering national security, supply chain management, and digital identity and biometrics solutions. In June 2021, BigBear.ai Holdings entered into a business combination with GigCapital4, Inc., a special purpose acquisition company. After the business combination was consummated on December 7, 2021, BigBear issued $200 million of convertible notes with a maturity date of December 15, 2026. The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants failed to disclose that: (i) BigBear maintained deficient accounting review policies; (ii) the Company incorrectly determined that the conversion option within the 2026 Notes qualified for the derivative scope exception under Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 815-40 and failed to bifurcate the conversion option as required by ASC 815-15; (iii) thus, BigBear had improperly accounted for the 2026 Notes. To learn your rights or for more information, CLICK HERE or please contact Berger Montague: Andrew Abramowitz at [email protected] or (215) 875-3015, or Peter Hamner at [email protected] . A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. The lead plaintiff is usually the investor or small group of investors who have the largest financial interest and who are also adequate and typical of the proposed class of investors. The lead plaintiff selects counsel to represent the lead plaintiff and the class and these attorneys, if approved by the court, are lead or class counsel. Your ability to share in any recovery is not, however, affected by the decision whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. Communicating with any counsel is not necessary to participate or share in any recovery achieved in this case. Any member of the purported class may move the Court to serve as a lead plaintiff through counsel of his/her choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an inactive class member. Berger Montague, with offices in Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Delaware, Washington, D.C., San Diego, San Francisco and Chicago, has been a pioneer in securities class action litigation since its founding in 1970. Berger Montague has represented individual and institutional investors for over five decades and serves as lead counsel in courts throughout the United States. Contact: Andrew Abramowitz, Senior Counsel Berger Montague (215) 875-3015 [email protected] Peter Hamner Berger Montague PC [email protected] SOURCE Berger Montague Annual Awareness Day Focusing Attention on the Drug Crisis and Importance of Lifesaving Opioid Overdose Reversal Medications was Launched by Victoria's Voice with Support from a Bipartisan Congressional Resolution Over 140 Iconic Buildings and Landmarks Nationwide to Shine Purple in Recognition of Awareness Day WASHINGTON, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Victoria's Voice Foundation marked National Naloxone Awareness Day on June 6 with a special event on Capitol Hill, bringing together families affected by the opioid crisis, advocates, lawmakers, law enforcement and other first responders. The awareness day is a vital time to heighten awareness of the risks of opioid overdoses and the urgency of expanding access to and the use of lifesaving overdose reversal medicines. It was launched in 2023 by Victoria's Voice Foundation with support from a bipartisan congressional resolution recognizing the awareness day annually. Naloxone, commonly sold over the counter under the brand name NARCAN Nasal Spray, is a critical tool in preventing fatal opioid overdoses and is credited with helping drive the recent 27% decline in U.S. drug overdose deaths. Naloxone nasal spray helps restore normal breathing in a person experiencing an opioid overdose. It is safe, easy to administer and non-addictive and designed for use by bystanders and first responders alike. This is crucial because nearly 40% of fatal overdoses occur in the presence of someone else, according to the CDC. "We must continue to expand naloxone awareness, access and use so we can save as many lives as possible from opioid overdose," said Jackie Siegel, who co-founded Victoria's Voice with her late husband, David, after losing their daughter, Victoria, 18, to an accidental drug overdose on June 6, 2015. On the day she died, Victoria had a pulse when first responders arrived and found her unresponsive, but they were not equipped with naloxone, and Victoria became another statistic. Jackie added: "I am deeply grateful to the members of the U.S. Senate who introduced a bipartisan resolution declaring June 6 as National Naloxone Awareness Day and to all those on the front lines of the crisis. While today is especially bittersweet as we mark 10 years since Victoria's passing, I find comfort and strength in knowing that her legacy is that because of her death, many more people will live." Victoria's Voice is dedicated to drug awareness and prevention and saving lives from overdose. Since its founding, Victoria's Voice has positively impacted over 1.5 million children and parents through its education programs. Additionally, David Siegel was at the forefront of the efforts to increase naloxone access and use especially among law enforcement in Florida and nationwide and inform about its lifesaving power. The 2025 federal resolution was introduced by U.S. Senators Rick Scott (R-FL), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jim Justice (R-WV), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ashley Moody (R-FL), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), James Lankford (R-OK), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Angus King (I-ME) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA). Speakers at yesterday's resolution ceremony in the Hart Senate Office Building included Jackie Siegel, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), and Seminole County (FL) Sheriff Dennis Lemma, a statewide and national leader on responding to and preventing overdoses, and a Victoria's Voice board member. Other speakers included Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fl), Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS), Virginia First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin, and Sir Edwards, Mayor-President of Baton Rouge (LA). "It is a privilege to join Victoria's Voice Foundation in recognizing National Naloxone Day and honor the life of Victoria, a young life lost to the devastating opioid epidemic. It is every parent's worst nightmare to lose their child, and it is remarkable to see how the Siegel family has turned their grief into a mission to educate others about the dangers of the opioid crisis so other families don't experience this same heartbreak," said Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL). Scott added: "This year was also the first Naloxone Awareness Day since the passing of my friend and Victoria's Voice founder, David Seigel. Ann and I were honored to donate a portion of my Senate salary to Victoria's Voice to support its cause and pay tribute to David's incredible work and legacy. I am proud to work with the foundation to raise awareness on the crisis and life-saving tool of Naloxone, which is critical in our fight to stop loss of life from opioids." "In every state, there are families, friends, and neighbors who are grieving the loss of a loved one to overdose. Naloxone can save lives but only if we get this lifesaving medication in people's hands. We need people to have access to naloxone, be able to afford it, and know how to use it," said Senator Ed Markey (D-MA). "I'm proud to join my colleagues in recognizing June 6 as Naloxone Awareness Day. This is an essential step in spreading awareness and giving communities the tools they need to save lives in the face of the opioid epidemic." National Naloxone Awareness Day is proudly sponsored by Emergent BioSolutions, the makers of NARCAN Nasal Spray. "On National Naloxone Awareness Day, we have the opportunity to reinforce opioid emergency preparedness and make sure stakeholders across all sectors from government officials to business leaders and local organizations feel equipped with the tools they need to be ready to rescue not only today, but every day," stated Paul Williams, senior vice president, head of products business, global government & public affairs at Emergent. "We're proud of the work Victoria's Voice Foundation is doing year-round and we're honored to use this key moment in time to raise awareness and keep our communities safe together." In support of National Naloxone Awareness Day, over 140 iconic buildings, landmarks, bridges, monuments, parks, museums, city halls, downtown hubs and skylines nationwide will glow purple. From Niagara Falls, Baltimore's City Hall Dome, and the Kia Center in Victoria's Voice's Orlando hometown, to the Louisiana State Capitol, Chicago's 875 North Michigan Avenue and the Hawaii Convention Center, lights will be illuminated purple in a powerful display of awareness, unity and hope. Additionally, proclamations were issued by counties, cities and states including Orange County (FL), Baltimore, Kansas City, and the State of Illinois. For more information about National Naloxone Awareness Day, visit www.victoriasvoice.org. About Victoria's Voice Foundation David and Jackie Siegel established Victoria's Voice Foundation after losing their 18-year-old daughter to an accidental drug overdose on June 6, 2015. Victoria's Voice is dedicated to providing support and resources to families affected by substance use. Since its founding, Victoria's Voice has positively impacted over 1.5 million parents and children through its education programs. For more information, visit www.victoriasvoice.org or @victoriasvoicefoundation. #VictoriasVoiceFoundation #GetGiveSave. About NARCAN Nasal Spray NARCAN Naloxone HC1 Nasal Spray 4 mg is the first FDA-approved, over-the-counter (OTC) 4 mg naloxone product for the emergency treatment of opioid overdose. NARCAN Nasal Spray is not a substitute for emergency medical care. Repeat dosing may be necessary. Use as directed. SOURCE Victorias Voice Foundation MEISHAN, China, June 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, Wanhua Chemical Battery Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Wanhua Chemical") and ElevenEs, a leading European manufacturer of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, successfully signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Meishan, Sichuan. Mr. Wang Xiaoxing, General Manager of Wanhua Chemical Battery Technology Co., Ltd., and Mr. Nemanja Mikac, Founder and CEO of ElevenEs, attended the signing ceremony. This collaboration aims to establish a comprehensive supply and technical partnership covering products such as LFP cathode materials, PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) binders, NMP (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone) solvents, etc., to promote the sustainable development of both parties in the new energy industry. Wanhua Chemical, with its industrial chain advantages and decades of experience in process development and engineering research, has established a battery material integrating battery material technology development, equipment process technology development, and battery cell application technology research. The company has also established a complete technical platform for cathode and anode materials, binders, and solvents. Under the agreement, the parties express their intention to cooperate on LFP and other high-quality raw materials. At the same time, both parties will jointly form a technical team, exchange technical and market information, and accelerate the development of their products and markets. Wanhua Chemical will utilize its production bases and global supply chain to support ElevenES battery production in Serbia. Mr. Wang Xiaoxing, General Manager of Wanhua Battery Company, stated: "This strategic collaboration with ElevenEs marks a significant step in Wanhua Chemical's localization of battery material supply chains in Europe. We will leverage our strengths in material R&D, production processes, and global footprint to provide ElevenEs with high-performance LFP cathode materials and integrated solutions, jointly advancing the sustainable development of Europe's new energy industry." Mr. Nemanja Mikac, Founder of ElevenEs, stated: "Wanhua Chemical's profound expertise in battery materials and global production capacity will significantly support ElevenEs in achieving our localized supply chain goals. This partnership not only strengthens our raw material security but also accelerates innovation through technical synergy, delivering more competitive LFP battery products to the European market." In the future, both parties plan to deepen cooperation in areas such as electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage systems (ESS), continuously expand cooperation in battery materials, cell products, product and technology development, market expansion, and other fields, and jointly create a win-win situation for both parties to reinforce their leading positions in the global new energy industry. About ElevenEs ElevenEs is a development and industrial investment of Al Pack Group, an international leader in aluminum processing with over 30 years of high-precision manufacturing expertise including processes closely aligned with the production of electrodes, the active component of LFP batteries. ElevenEs is recognized and supported by EIT InnoEnergy, a leading global investor in sustainable energy. The establishment of a state-of-the-art Research and Development laboratory and center is operational since June 2021. Following the successful completion and commissioning of the pilot production line in mid-2023, ElevenEs is on track to build the initial Megafactory with a capacity of approximately 1000 MWh (1 GWh) during 2025 and 2026. This will be followed by the first phase of the Gigafactory, targeting an annual production capacity of 8GWh and the second phase of the Gigafactory in Europe and the USA, targeting the total annual production capacity of 40GWh (20 + 20) by 2031. SOURCE Wanhua Chemical TORONTO, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Westbridge Renewable Energy Corporation (TSXV: WEB), (OTCQX: WEGYF), (FRA: PUQ) ("Westbridge", "Westbridge Renewable" or the "Company") announces today that the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") has approved the commencement by Westbridge Renewable of a normal course issuer bid program (the "NCIB"). As of the date hereof, the Company has 101,149,851 common shares (the "Shares") issued and outstanding on a non-diluted basis. A maximum of 5,057,492 Shares may be purchased by the Company under the NCIB, representing approximately 5% of the Company's issued and outstanding Shares. The NCIB commences on June 9, 2025 and will terminate on June 8, 2026, or on an earlier date in the event that the maximum number of Shares sought in the NCIB has been repurchased. Purchases under the NCIB will be made through the facilities of the TSXV at the prevailing market price at the time of purchase and in accordance with all applicable regulations of the TSXV. Any Shares purchased by Westbridge Renewable under the NCIB will be at the market price of the Shares at the time of such purchases. All Shares purchased pursuant to the NCIB will be returned to treasury and cancelled. The actual number of Shares that may be purchased and the timing of any such purchases will be determined by the Company in its sole discretion. The Company reserves the right to suspend or terminate the NCIB at any time. The Board of Directors of the Company believes from time to time the market price of its Shares may not fully reflect the underlying value of the Company's business and that the purchase of its Shares represents a good use of its financial resources and may protect and enhance shareholder value. The Company intends to fund the purchases out of available cash. As previously announced on March 18, 2025, the TSXV had previously approved an NCIB, which commenced on commenced on March 21, 2024, and terminated on March 20, 2025 pursuant to which the Company had repurchased and cancelled 693,800 Shares. Westbridge Renewable has appointed Canaccord Genuity Corp. to make purchases under the NCIB on its behalf. About Westbridge Renewable Energy Westbridge Renewable Energy Corp. originates, develops, and monetizes best-in-class, utility-scale solar PV projects. The Company has a portfolio of projects in four key jurisdictions, Canada, the U.S., the U.K., and Italy. Westbridge plans to deliver attractive, long-term returns by originating, executing, and developing an international portfolio of renewable assets for investors and utilities. Management has a strong track-record with 40+ projects developed worldwide, obtaining, and executing projects. As one of the very few listed pure-play Canadian solar development companies, Westbridge provides its investors with valuable access to greenfield solar projects. This means the Company can invest at the earliest stage of solar energy development benefiting from the full value chain, as well as the expected wider adoption of renewable energy going forward. Westbridge brings together regulators, corporate buyers, and landowners with the goal of delivering clean, sustainable electricity to end users. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements Certain information set forth in this document contains forward-looking information and statements including, without limitation, purchases of the Shares made under the NCIB and the timing thereof, the duration of the NCIB, the management's business strategy, management's assessment of future plans and operations. Such forward-looking statements or information are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future, including the duration of the NCIB, the purchases of the Shares if at all, as there is no assurance the NCIB will be completed for the full term or at all. Forward-looking statements or information typically contain statements with words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "plan", "intend", "estimate", "propose", "project", "potential" or similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding future performance and outlook. Readers are cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of such information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them as actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties relating to Company's ability to obtain regulatory approval or at all. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, except as required by law. SOURCE Westbridge Renewable Energy Corp. Support the preservation of cultural knowledge and innovation in craftsmanship savoir-faire Vacheron Constantin, in partnership with The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) in New York, announces the Artisan Residency programme. Designed to support craft skills, encourage the evolution of traditional savoir-faire into new forms of expression and nurture the next generation of artisans, the Artisan Residency programme underlines both institutions longstanding commitment to supporting art and culture. The selection of the artisans was celebrated at a special event dedicated to Vacheron Constantins 270th anniversary, held on 5 June at The Met Cloisters. Three artisans have been chosen for the inaugural 18-month residency, which recognises practitioners who are committed to preserving traditional crafts through their exploration of artistic techniques and practices that are relevant today. As a part of their residency, the three artisans will travel to New York to engage with The Met collection, staff, and will also spend time in Geneva, Switzerland, learning about the artistic processes and practices of Vacheron Constantins master artisans. The programme will culminate in October 2026, when the artisans will return to New York to present their work at The Met. A worldwide invitation to talented artisans Emphasizing the cross-cultural reach of the programme, applications were invited from artisans worldwide who specialise in traditional crafts, demonstrating technical virtuosity, artistic sensibility and an innovative approach to their craft. These applications were assessed by a jury composed of curators, art administrators, educators, artisans, and artists. After three rounds of assessment, three finalists were chosen based on the quality of their proposals, artistic merit and commitment to not only preserving but also advancing a traditional craft technique to create objects of exceptional aesthetic and technical value. The Met Interior The Met The three finalists are Aspen Golann (b. USA), Furniture maker; Ibrahim Said (b. Egypt), Ceramicist; and Joy Harvey (b. Italy), Jeweller. Aspen Golann: US-born Aspen Golann blends contemporary art with classic American furniture forms to make subtle statements about power dynamics in the world of craft. Having trained in traditional woodworking crafts of the 17th19th century, she manipulates iconic American furniture forms to create contemporary pieces that both critique and celebrate the history of American decorative arts. Founder of The Chairmakers Toolbox a project fostering access and equity in the field of chairmaking Golann channels her passion for sharing knowledge into teaching furniture design at The Rhode Island School of Design and leading craft workshops internationally. Ibrahim Said: Recognised for his technical ability, creativity and innovation, ceramic artist Ibrahim Said comes from a family of potters in Fustat, the area of Cairo renowned for ceramics since the Islamic conquest in the 7th century AD. His first teacher from the age of six was his father, and Egypts rich cultural heritage became his second teacher. Saids signature work embodies a lightness and delicacy balanced by the strong lines and bold shapes that distinguished ancient Egyptian ceramics. He pushes the limits of clay, through both structural technique and surface adornment, to create pieces that celebrate his cultural heritage while advancing it towards new horizons. Joy Harvey: Joy Harveys artistic path, which led her from training in pure chemistry to the craft that she practises today, has a deep influence on her jewellery work. Born in Italy, where she lives and works, Harveys dedication to craftsmanship is rooted in a blend of traditional Florentine goldsmithing and Armenian techniques, merging ancient methods with modern innovations. For Harvey, beauty is not an absolute concept but is shaped by individual experience, culture and biology. Each piece that she creates serves as a platform for exploring deeper emotional and philosophical themes, blending her vision of imperfection and growth with reflections on the complexities of ageing. Aspen Golan, Ibrahim Said, Joy Harvey Vacheron Constantin An 18-month programme in three phases During their 18-month residency, each artisan will produce an original work of art that demonstrates innovation in a traditional craft technique. The first phase of the programme will be dedicated to research, with the artisans spending time in both New York and Geneva, building the foundation for the project they will each produce under the residency. At The Met, they will draw inspiration from the Museums collections, archives, and exhibitions; at Vacheron Constantin, they will gain insights into the Maisons in-house craft practices, ranging from watchmaking techniques to artistic crafts such as enameling, guillochage, engraving and gem-setting. Throughout this first phase, the three artisans will receive mentorship and feedback from peers and experts. In the second phase of the programme, the artisans will move into the design and production of their chosen work of art, beginning with the submission of detailed project proposals and budgets. Their proposed final pieces will balance craft preservation with innovation. While the artisans will each work in their own studio, The Met will provide logistical and material support to ensure the successful realisation of their projects. For the final phase, the three resident artisans will return to The Met to take part in workshops, public programmes and community events, which will provide opportunities to share their process with the public and contribute to the Museums programming. Vacheron Constantin and The Met, an artistic & cultural alliance founded on shared values The Artisan Residency programme is the latest initiative in the long-term partnership, established in 2023, between the Maison and The Met. Founded on both institutions deep commitment to the safeguarding and perpetuation of cultural and artistic savoir-faire, the partnership will manifest itself in a variety of initiatives over time. Manufacture Vacheron Constantin Vacheron Constantin Among these initiatives, the Masterpiece on your Wrist programme offers watch collectors the opportunity to collaborate with Vacheron Constantins Les Cabinotiers workshop in creating a single-piece edition watch with a dial featuring an enamel reproduction of a masterpiece from The Mets collection. The presence of an in-house Metiers dArt workshop at Vacheron Constantin is further evidence of the Maisons commitment to supporting art and culture, by preserving rare and historic decorative crafts, encouraging their evolution in new directions and passing the legacy down through the generations. For both The Met and Vacheron Constantin, the principle of mentorship that underpins the Artisan Residency programme is a true vocation. At Vacheron Constantin, it has been a core value since 1755, when Jean-Marc Vacheron signed the contract to employ his first apprentice and has been a driving force in the Maisons 270-year quest for excellence. If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Patna, June 6 : A disturbing incident occurred in Malahi village in the Majorganj police station area of Bihar's Sitamarhi district, where a trader publicly punished five minor boys, aged between nine to 12 years, for allegedly stealing snacks and chocolates from his grocery shop. The incident, which occurred on Thursday afternoon, has drawn widespread condemnation after the video went viral on social media, sparking outrage from the public and calls for legal action against the shopkeeper. In the video, the five children can be seen naked on the stage with limestone powder applied on their faces, forced to wear a garland of shoes and slippers and paraded through the village street, visibly humiliated, as the shopkeeper administered punishment in front of bystanders. According to eyewitnesses, the children appeared frightened and were treated harshly, despite being minors. The shopkeeper admitted in the police investigation that he punished the children, as they had stolen chips and chocolates multiple times. On Thursday, he said, they were caught red-handed. Instead of reporting the matter to the police or the children's families, the trader chose to take the law into his own hands. Majorganj Station House Officer confirmed the incident and said: "We received information about the matter around 3 p.m. on Thursday. The video is being verified, and we have started an investigation. The minors involved are from a nearby village. Necessary legal action will be taken against the accused trader." The viral video has triggered widespread public outrage. Social media users and child rights activists are demanding that strict legal action be taken against the shopkeeper under Juvenile Protection laws. The mental and emotional well-being of the children is being assessed and ensured. According to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, no child in conflict with the law can be subjected to public humiliation or corporal punishment. The trader will face charges of child cruelty, wrongful confinement and outraging the dignity of minors. Bhopal, June 6 : Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel has said that the eradication of sickle cell anaemia requires collective effort and active public participation. The Governor said that every individual should contribute to raising awareness at their level to achieve the goal of eliminating sickle cell disease by 2047 from the country. He urged people to first educate themselves about the symptoms, treatment options, and preventive measures of the disease. Highlighting the importance of awareness as the most powerful tool, the Governor said, "Coordinated efforts are essential to eradicate the disease through diverse treatment methods." The Governor made these assertions addressing the Sickle Cell sensitisation programme organised at the Gandhi Medical College by its alumni. Governor Patel emphasised the importance of focused research and investigation in the efforts to eliminate sickle cell disease. Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla, who is the State's Health and Family Welfare Minister, was also present at the event. During his address to the gathering of doctors and medical students, the Governor highlighted the rich availability of medicinal herbs in our forests and stressed the need for scientific validation of their effectiveness through rigorous research and studies. Governor Patel emphasised the importance of preventive measures to protect future generations from sickle cell anaemia. He said that prospective brides and grooms must match their sickle cell genetic cards before marriage. Additionally, he recommended that necessary tests be conducted during pregnancy and that newborns undergo a sickle cell anemia test within 72 hours of birth. On this occasion, Governor Patel also had a warm and cordial interaction with children suffering from sickle cell anemia and their families, inquiring about their well-being. He encouraged them to maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating nutritious food and engaging in regular exercise. Deputy Chief Minister Shukla also provided detailed insights into the state's efforts under the Sickle Cell Eradication Mission-2047, which was launched in Shahdol by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2023. The Minister announced that Centres of Excellence for Prenatal Testing would be established in all medical colleges across the state to intensify testing efforts. Trained as an architect, Eric Giroud is one of the most prolific contemporary watch designers of recent years. Between simplicity, elegance, and originality, his many recent creations reveal his authentic and unique vision of watch design. Born in Switzerland, his father, an entrepreneur from Valais, and his mother, an Italian with a strong artistic sensitivity, passed on to him an extraordinary work ethic, an insatiable love of the arts, and a deep respect for authenticity. He graduated as an architect from the University of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg (formerly the School of Engineers and Architects of Fribourg) in 1987. After a period of travel, filled with music and discovery, he joined a design office in 1993 and explored graphic design and packaging. He recalls, not without humor: The first object I truly designed was a coat hanger. My first watch sketch dates back to 1996. Eric Giroud Johann Sauty Authenticity as a Compass For him to design a watch, there must first be a meeting with people who believe in their project. Once this authenticity is established, he can try to please them while always keeping a touch of originality, a singularity, that will also please me. Thus, when he created the Speake Marin Academic One & Two in 2017, he reinterpreted the brands distinctive Roman numerals through an architectural approach that brings them to life through empty space. Similarly, in 2025, he paid tribute to the first Speake Marin piece by delicately redesigning everything, such as the modern railway track that comes to life on the immaculate white enamel dial. Sometimes, a single detail is enough to breathe new life into a creation. Academic One & Two Metallic Blue 38mm Speake Marin Deconstructed Architecture For Carl Suchy, in 2025, he had to revisit a product that already had a lot of personality. He delved into the brands roots, in early 20th-century Vienna and its architectural movement developed by Otto Wagner and Adolf Loos. The alternating black and white lines create a hypnotic animation. His approach was similar with the Geometry by Schwarz Etienne in 2023. He explains: They wanted to continue exploring guilloche. We chose three simple guilloches and I deconstructed them into four sections. It creates a kind of disconcerting classicism. With Guebly, a young brand launched in 2024, he took the prototype and finalized the dial and case by refining and simplifying, stretching the lines. Geometry Black 2025 Schwarz Etienne Overflowing Creativity This apparent search for simplicity actually reveals a creativity that is uniquely his own. It expresses all its freshness with MB&F, for whom he has designed almost every model since its founding. The M.A.D 2, launched this year, a tribute to the DJ culture of the 1980s, is the result of his love for music and incorporates the strobe light, vinyl records, ghost logo, and turntables. Watchmaking creativity in the service of meaning. That, perhaps, is the signature of Eric Giroud. Lucknow, June 6 : A man accused of abduction and rape of a three-year-old girl in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, was killed in an encounter with police on Friday. The accused was identified as Deepak Verma by the police after scanning CCTV footage that showed him with the child. The officials said he was a habitual offender with criminal cases lodged across the city police stations. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Zone) Ashish Srivastava said five police teams were formed immediately after the incident was reported, and a reward of Rs one lakh was announced for his arrest. Police, after identifying him through CCTV footage, secured his scooter's registration details. Later, following a tip-off, police intercepted Verma near Devi Kheda in Cantonment early Friday. "When asked to surrender, he opened fire at the police team. In retaliatory firing, he sustained injuries," said Srivastava. DCP Srivastava gave the details of the case. He said, "On the morning of June 5, at 10 a.m., a complaint was registered that a 2.5-year-old girl had been raped... A case was registered and five teams were formed... As per the CCTV footage of the scooter, the accused was identified as Deepak Verma... The Commissioner of Police was given a proposal to declare a reward of Rs 1 lakh... Within 20 hours, there was an encounter between the police team and the accused." The accused was critically injured and rushed to the hospital for treatment, but succumbed to injuries. The three-year-old girl was abducted, raped and then abandoned under a metro bridge in an unconscious condition, the police said on Thursday. The incident occurred in the Alambagh area of Lucknow. The girl used to live near the Chandanagar Metro Station with her parents. After the parents could not find the girl in the morning, they started searching for the minor. After a while, the toddler was found in an unconscious state under the metro bridge. The parents took the girl to Lok Bandhu Hospital and filed a police complaint at Alambagh Police Station. Upon receiving the information, the police arrived at the spot and started the investigation. New Delhi, June 6 : External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar has urged the India-Central Asia Business Council to recommend a roadmap for further deepening of India-Central Asia ties in trade, economic and investment. Addressing the Business Council meeting in the national capital, EAM Jaishankar highlighted three broad objectives for strengthening the economic partnership deepen existing cooperation, diversify the trade basket and introduce sustainability and predictability in economic interactions. "One, is to deepen the existing cooperation both in terms of volume and in terms of quality. There is already I think a recognition in each others countries and each others economies of the players and of the products. But, we must build further on that foundation and a very good example here is actually the pharmaceutical sector," he told the gathering. "Two, we need to diversify our trade baskets so that all of us have more options and we have more competition and in a way we are looking for new opportunities. I would like our friends from central Asian economies to appreciate that an economy today which is in excess of $4 trillion, which is growing at 6-8 per cent annually, it will create new demands for products, for services and even I would say in a way new demands out of more prosperous lifestyles," EAM Jaishankar emphasised. He also stressed on the need to introduce greater sustainability and more predictability in economic interactions. "That means more long-term contracts and arrangements, cross investments, joint ventures and certainly sectors like energy whether we are talking uranium, whether we are talking crude oil even potentially gas, whether we are looking at mining, If you are talking about coal or if you are discussing fertilizers, I think these are all relevant examples to reach really long term understatings between us," the foreign minister highlighted. India's trade and economic ties with Central Asia over the last decade have shown a very strong positive trend. Mutual trade was less than $500 million a decade ago in 2014. Today, "what we have collectively is actually a trade volume which is almost touching $2 billion. However, this figure does not reflect the full potential. The need to address this is today even more urgent because of the uncertainties of the international economy and this requires governments and businesses to work together in tandem, which is why all of us are here in this room," EAM Jaishankar noted. He also laid out five solutions to further bolster the India-Central Asia economic ties: Digital Economy and Innovation, Financial Services, Healthcare and Pharma, improving connectivity and streamlining Transit Procedures. "In addition to all of this, I think you would agree that tourism, education, films, and cultural exchanges, these are all important, they should be tapped for their economic and business potential," he mentioned. Washington, June 6 : The All-Party parliamentary delegation led by Shashi Tharoor on Friday met with Senator Andy Kim, member of the US Senate Homeland Security Committee, and briefed him on the Pahalgam terror attack, emphasising India's strong resolve to respond swiftly to any similar incidents in the future. Washington, June 6 (IANS) The All-Party parliamentary delegation led by Shashi Tharoor on Friday met with Senator Andy Kim, member of the US Senate Homeland Security Committee, and briefed him on the Pahalgam terror attack, emphasising Indiaas strong resolve to respond swiftly to any similar incidents in the future. The delegation also talked about fruitful areas for cooperation, which include entrepreneurship, trade, technology, and counterterrorism. "The Indian parliamentary delegation led by Dr. @ShashiTharoor had a wonderful conversation with @SenatorAndyKim, Member of the US Senate Homeland Security Committee, and briefed him on the heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Indiaas measured and precise response during Operation Sindoor, and our firm resolve to respond swiftly to any such incidents in the future. The conversation also spanned productive areas of cooperation, including entrepreneurship, trade, technology, and counterterrorism!" the Indian Embassy in the US wrote in a post on X. Earlier in the day, the delegation met with US Vice President J.D. Vance, briefing him about Operation Sindoor. "The All Party Parliamentary Delegation led by Dr. Shashi Tharoor called on Vice President J D Vance this morning. The conversation focused on strengthening the India-US partnership including cooperation in counter-terrorism domain," the Embassy of India in the United States posted on X. Sharing information about the interaction Tharoor mentioned in a post on X, "Excellent meeting with Vice President J D Vance today in Washington D.C. with our delegation. We had comprehensive discussions covering a wide array of critical issues, from counter-terrorism efforts to enhancing technological cooperation. A truly constructive and productive exchange for strengthening India-US strategic partnership, with a great meeting of minds." Vance was visiting India when the heinous Pahalgam terror attack took place on April 22. In a strong message of support and solidarity, the US Vice-President had also called Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strongly condemn the terror attack and convey that the United States is ready to provide "all assistance" in the joint fight against terrorism. Seoul, June 6 : The finance ministry here vowed on Friday to enhance communications with the United States to strengthen mutual understanding and trust regarding foreign exchange rate policies. The pledge came after the U.S. Treasury Department kept South Korea on its monitoring list for currency practices. Seoul was reinstated on the list in November 2024 after being removed in November 2023 for the first time since April 2016. "We will continue to expand mutual understanding and trust regarding exchange rate policies through regular communication with the U.S. Treasury Department," the ministry said in a press release, reports Yonhap news agency. "Ongoing discussions between the Korean and U.S. financial authorities on exchange rate issues will also be conducted thoroughly," it added. Currency policy has been one of the key topics in bilateral negotiations related to U.S. President Donald Trump's administration's sweeping tariff measures. In April, the two countries agreed to focus their talks on four categories -- tariff and non-tariff measures, economic security, investment cooperation and currency policy. They aim to reach a "package" agreement by July 8, when the 90-day suspension of Washington's tariff implementation is set to expire. Last month, South Korea's Deputy Finance Minister Choi Ji-young met with U.S. Treasury Assistant Secretary for International Finance Robert Kaproth on the sidelines of the 58th Asian Development Bank (ADB) Annual Meeting in Milan to discuss currency-related issues. Meanwhile, the US department released the updated "monitoring list" in the semiannual "Report to Congress on Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States." South Korea was put back on the list in November last year after it was excluded in November 2023 for the first time since April 2016. The latest monitoring list comprises South Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland. All except Ireland and Switzerland were on the list in the November 2024 report. The report ascribed South Korea's inclusion on the list to its bilateral trade surplus and material current account surplus. a"IANS na/ Washington, Jue 6 : India is not interested in war or conflicts but is focused on growth and development, and Pakistan wants to interrupt this through terrorism, was a message, conveyed by the Indian parliamentary delegation, led by Shashi Tharoor, during its visits to countries in the Americas. This message of development resonated with leaders of all the countries the team visited, with the discussions on terrorism moving on to economic growth and cooperation, he said at a meeting with representatives of think tanks. "There is this tremendous sense of interest in India, faith that India is heading in the right direction, and appreciation for the fact that even on this terrorism issue, we behave with restraint and responsibility", Tharoor said. "So, I think you will find that on the whole, we're on the right track here". At the same time, he delivered the incontrovertible message that if Pakistan were to hit India through terrorism hoping to interrupt its development agenda, "They will be hit back. We will hit back very hard." He added, "And the fact is that this nuclear bogey being waved around by the Pakistanis makes absolutely no sense because even what happened in Operation Sindoor stopped a long way short of anything approaching or will be considered nuclear". Tejasvi Surya said India and the US "are together in this fight against terror because it will impact both our nations". Giving the example of India's Operation Sindoor taking out Jaish-e-Mohamed leader Abdul Rauf Azhar who was responsible for the kidnapping and beheading of US journalist Daniel Pearl, Surya said, "When India hits [terrorists], we are doing the job of the United States as well". Shashank Mani Tripathi emphasised the role of democracy in bringing together democratic nations bound by their values and giving an impetus to taking a joint stand against terrorism. Team Tharoor's interlocutors were impressed seeing India's democracy at work, with all the political parties coming together in this mission, he said. While there was total agreement with India's zero tolerance for terrorism and understanding of the rationale for Operation Sindoor, sometimes they were faced with the question of why India did not have a dialogue with Pakistan, Tharoor said. He said that they were able to douse that by explaining India's position that there can be no dialogue when it is under threats of attacks. "Sometimes out of a positive mindset, people start talking about coming together holding a dialogue", he said. "We're always willing to talk. We can talk to them [Pakistan] in any language they want, but they prefer the language of force, and this is why we had to reply in that language", he added. "Once we explain that there can be no equivalence between terrorists and victims, there can be no equivalence between a state that provides safe haven to terror and a state that has repeatedly been on the receiving end of terrorist attacks, that there can be no equivalence between a state from which attacks occur and a state which is exercising its right of self-defence", he said, there was "full agreement" with India's position. "Absolutely nobody, and I do not exclude any one of the states, has in any way demurred", he said. "In fact, they all said they 'fully understand what you're saying, fully agree with you'". Tharoor-led delegation is winding up its journey across the Americas, carrying the message of fighting terrorism to the US, Guyana, Colombia and Panama. The other members of the team drawn from across India's political spectrum are Shambhavi of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Sarfaraz Ahmad of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, and Milind Murli Deora of the Shiv Sena as well as Bhubaneswar Kalita of the BJP, and GM Harish Balayogi of the Telugu Desam Party, a National Democratic Alliance partner. During two days of intense diplomacy in the US, they met Vice President JD Vance, members of Congress, the media, and the diaspora. Thrissur, June 6 : Malayalam actor Shine Tom Chacko's father died when a car, in which he was on the way to Bengaluru, crashed with a lorry at Dharmapuri near Salem on Friday. The car occupants included the actor, his father, mother, brother and driver. Chacko's father breathed his last while he was taken to the hospital. Chacko suffered injuries to his hands. The rest of the family and the driver are now reported to be out of danger. The family which left from here in the wee hours was on its way to Bengaluru for the treatment of the actor, who is presently undergoing de-addiction rehabilitation. The actor was in the news since April after he was arrested after nearly three hours of questioning under Sections 27 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. As both were bailable offences at the station level, he was released on bail, and a formal case was registered. During interrogation, Chacko reportedly admitted to using drugs after being confronted with digital evidence, including phone records and footage of his alleged participation in rave parties around Kochi. Following his admission, police recorded his arrest and took him for a routine medical examination. This is not the first time Chacko has faced drug-related allegations. In February, he was acquitted along with four women models in a 2015 cocaine use case after the prosecution failed to prove the charges. Incidentally, during the period of Chacko's arrest, his parents and brother were also summoned by the probe team. They had agreed to take the actor for de-addiction treatment. In April, Chacko was named by an arrested woman drug peddler who claimed to have supplied drugs to him and fellow actor Sreenath Bhasi Sydney, June 6 : A man has been hospitalised with serious injuries following a targeted shooting in the Australian state of Queensland. The Queensland Police Service said on Friday that emergency services were deployed to a house in Parkwood, 65 kilometres southeast of Brisbane, around 7:50 p.m. on Thursday in response to reports that a man had sustained gunshot wounds to his leg and other injuries to his hand. The 21-year-old man was found at the scene with serious injuries and was transported to the hospital in stable condition, Xinhua news agency reported. A police statement said that initial inquiries indicated that the incident was a targeted shooting and that there was no ongoing threat to the public. An investigation into the attack was ongoing and police commenced a search for the perpetrator. In a separate incident, Australian police are investigating a fatal stabbing in a remote outback mining town west of Sydney. Emergency services were called to conduct a welfare check at a home in Broken Hill, over 900 kilometers from Sydney in the far west outback of the state of New South Wales (NSW), just after 11:50 p.m. on Thursday. Police officers arrived at the scene where they found a man, believed to be aged in his 40s, with stab wounds to his neck. He was treated by ambulance paramedics but could not be revived and was declared deceased. Local police established a crime scene at the house and have commenced an investigation into the man's death with assistance from the NSW Homicide Squad. New Delhi, June 6 : Celebrating what he termed as over a decade of youth empowerment under the Modi government, BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya on Friday claimed that the last 11 years have not only unlocked lakhs of career opportunities but have also nurtured a generation of confident, job-creating youth. In a post on X, Malviya hailed the transformative impact of flagship government initiatives such as Skill India, Startup India, Digital India, and the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). These programmes, he said, have collectively reshaped the employment landscape in India by promoting entrepreneurship, upskilling the youth, and aligning education with market demands. "Today, we celebrate 11 years of youth empowerment and nation-building under the visionary leadership of PM Narendra Modi -- a journey of enabling New India's youth through opportunity, innovation, and inclusion," Malviya wrote. He also shared a video showcasing how the rise of startups in the country has led to an abundance of job opportunities. It highlights how acquiring new skills has enabled many to build stable livelihoods and move ahead in life with financial independence. According to Malviya, India has seen a remarkable increase in the number of medical colleges, a boom in the startup ecosystem, and the provision of industry-relevant training to crores of young people. He also underlined the growing participation of women in education, entrepreneurship, and STEM fields, calling it a sign of a more inclusive and progressive future. "This is not just a story of boosting employment -- it's a movement of purpose, pride, and potential for harnessing Yuva Shakti," he said, adding, "Let's highlight these milestones using #11YearsOfYuvaShakti and showcase how India's youth are powering the vision of Viksit Bharat." In another post, Malviya hailed the repo rate cut by the RBI, saying, "The repo rate cut of 50 bps and CRR cut of 100 bps will inject much-needed liquidity into the system, lower EMIs, and reduce borrowing costs -- providing timely relief to the middle class and MSMEs." New Delhi, June 6 : External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Friday welcomed the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan in New Delhi for the 4th India-Central Asia Dialogue, as India continues to put a strong foot forward in enhancing anti-terror and de-radicalisation partnerships across the region. "4th India-Central Asia Dialogue begins in Delhi. EAM S Jaishankar warmly welcomed Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu, Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin of Tajikistan, Deputy Chairman of Cabinet of Ministers and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov of Turkmenistan, Foreign Minister Zheenbek Kulubaev of Kyrgyzstan and Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov of Uzbekistan," spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal posted on X. EAM Jaishankar took to social media as he hosted the five Central Asian foreign ministers, stating "With Central Asian colleagues at the start of the 4th India-Central Asia Dialogue." After attending the India-Central Asia Dialogue on Friday, the Central Asian Ministers will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the evening before wrapping up their India visit. During the fourth edition of the dialogue on Friday, the ministers will discuss further strengthening of relations between India and Central Asian countries with a particular focus on trade, connectivity, technology, and development cooperation. They will also share perspectives on challenges to regional security and other regional and global issues of mutual interest. "India and Central Asia, in each other's 'Extended Neighbourhood', enjoy close and cordial contemporary diplomatic relations underpinned by millennia-old cultural and people-to-people exchanges. The first India-Central Summit held virtually in January 2022 and the mechanism of India-Central Asia Dialogue, at the level of Foreign Ministers, have taken this relationship substantially forward," read a statement issued by the MEA. Earlier on Thursday, the Central Asian Foreign Ministers participated in the India-Central Asia Business Council Addressing the Business Council meeting in the national capital, EAM Jaishankar urged the India-Central Asia Business Council to recommend a roadmap for further deepening of India-Central Asia ties in trade, economy, and investment. He highlighted three broad objectives for strengthening the economic partnership. "Delighted to join my fellow Foreign Ministers from Central Asia this evening at the India-Central Asia Business Council. In an uncertain world, the three broad objectives for our economic partnership are to deepen existing cooperation, diversify our trade basket and introduce sustainability and predictability in our economic interactions. Highlighted digital economy & innovation, financial services, healthcare & pharma, connectivity and streamlined transit as solutions to achieve them," EAM posted on X. The India-Central Asia Dialogue, launched in January 2019 in Samarkand, serves as a key platform for strengthening ties between India and Central Asia. The second meeting took place virtually in October 2020 and focussed on regional security, counter-terrorism, and infrastructure development. The third meeting was held in New Delhi in December 2021 and emphasised connectivity to further deepen the ties between India and Central Asia. Mumbai, June 6 : Bollywood actress Raveena Tandon was recently honoured by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in recognition of her contributions and dedication to various social and environmental causes. On the occasion of World Environment Day, the actress was felicitated for her ongoing efforts towards environmental conservation and animal welfare. Raveena took to her Instagram handle to share photo from the felicitation ceremony and captioned it, "Honoured for my work towards the Environment, from the hands of the honourable chief minister @devendra_fadnavis ji. On #environmentday And Birthday babies dinner , @reshma_thadani , #chayamalaney #5thjune and to make my day even better, one little rescued baby kitty got adopted. thank you @petaindia for fostering her till we got a home." The event also marked a special birthday celebration for Reshma Thadani, Raveena's mother-in-law, and her adopted daughter, Chaya Malaney, both born on June 5. Adding an emotional highlight to the occasion, Raveena revealed that a rescued kitten, cared for by PETA India, found a loving new home, making the day even more memorable for the actress and devoted animal advocate Raveena Tandon is much more than an actressshe is a passionate environmentalist, wildlife photographer, and dedicated philanthropist. At just 21, she adopted two daughters as a single mother. She became the youngest chairperson of the Children's Film Society of India (CFSI) and has been a member of the advisory panel for CINTAA. Recognized by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for her work in promoting organ donation, Raveena's Rudra Foundation actively champions causes related to children, women, and animal welfare. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Raveena Tandon's foundation collaborated with the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) South to distribute truckloads of oxygen cylinders to critical recipients. Additionally, Raveena serves as the Wildlife Goodwill Ambassador of Maharashtra and made history as the first entertainer to represent the industry as a delegate at W20, a G20 engagement group. How could the terrible crimes committed by the Nazis during World War II be brought to the attention of the public? Despite limited resources, exhibitions were organized throughout Europe immediately after the end of the war to document, denounce, and remember what had happened. The German Historical Museum (DHM), in the center of Berlin, is now showcasing six of those exhibitions, which took place between 1945 and 1948, in the show On Displaying Violence. Many people simply wanted to quickly forget the horrors they had experienced, but confronting the crimes of the Nazi occupation, persecution, and, above all, the Holocaust was important in putting the past behind them. Hundreds of thousands of people in Eastern and Western Europe visited these exhibitions. It became a way of overcoming trauma. However, many of them ignored or barely addressed the fact that the victims were primarily Jewish. The British wanted to show what the Nazis were capable of; the Germans and French focused more on patriotic and Christian narratives of victimhood and the rebirth of national pride, as the Berlin museum explains. The six exhibitions on display in Berlin aim to provide insight into the different perspectives and narratives that emerged. I hope visitors understand that, in the period immediately following World War II, this experience of violence wasnt just something they experienced, but something people were overcoming, and that these exhibitions were very important in processing everything that happened, explains the exhibitions curator, Agata Pietrasik. It was a kind of collective conversation that took place across Europe through various exhibitions and projects. Oil on canvas by Ludwig Meidner, 'Menschenzug.' Museo Judio de la Ciudad de Frankfurt del Meno Each exhibition had its own narrative, very much connected to the history of the occupation in each country, the expert notes. For example, in Warsaw, the exhibitions were organized in a city that was almost completely destroyed, so this theme of ruin and destruction is very present. Pietrasik acknowledges that its difficult to know exactly how many exhibitions were organized in this period. For the curator, it was important not only to include the most successful ones, but also to showcase different approaches to what had happened and ensure there was sufficient material. Each of the six exhibitions includes historical recordings and, of course, photographs images in which the horror is reflected on the faces of the visitors of that time. View of the exhibition On Displaying Violence at the German Historical Museum. David von Becker We are showing how images of Nazi crimes were first shown, images that continue to influence collective memory to this day, said Raphael Gross, president of the German Historical Museum Foundation, during the press conference to launch the exhibition, which will be on view until November 23. Each one was an attempt to understand what had happened. On the one hand, they were shaped by rapidly developing national perspectives. And on the other, they also reflected an increasingly strong transnational European understanding. The exhibition begins with The Horror Camps, which opened on May 1, 1945, just days before the end of the war. The British tabloid Daily Express hung photographs in its London reading room that were too shocking to be published. Some showed piles of corpses in German concentration camps. It opened two weeks after British troops liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in northern Germany. Queue of people outside the entrance to the exhibition 'The Horror Camps,' London, May 1945. Hulton Archive (Daily Express) Nearly 700,000 people visited it during its eight-month run. The enormous photographs of the newly liberated concentration camps became an overwhelming testimony and remain iconic representations of the Holocaust to this day. Another exhibition that drew large crowds was Crimes Hitleriens, which opened in June 1945 at the Grand Palais in Paris. There, the vast geographical reach of the Nazi occupation was made visible with a monumental map. The exhibition toured various parts of France and Europe and was seen by more than a million people in total. Dwight D. Eisenhower at the exhibition 'Warszawa oskarza' in 1945. Museo Nacional de Varsovia Next, at the center of the DHM exhibition hall, two Warsaw-based exhibitions are placed in contrast. The first, titled Warszawa oskarza (Warsaw Accuses), opened in May 1945 at the National Museum severely damaged by the war and was visited by more than 400,000 people. Rubble was cleared to fill the building with cultural artifacts destroyed during the conflict, with shattered paintings and fragments of statues serving as metaphors for devastation and violence. However, despite the fact that over three million Jews were murdered in Poland, they were barely mentioned in the Warsaw exhibition. Three years later, in April 1948, on the fifth anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, a small exhibition titled Martyrologia i walka (Martyrdom and Struggle) focused unlike the others on Jewish suffering. Among the items on display is a kilim, a woven tapestry made in 1942 in the odz Ghetto by Jewish forced laborers. It depicts four people sorting through scraps of fabric and was made from remnants of clothing from extermination camps. 'Three Marys,' bronze, 1934, by Henryk Kuna. Museo Nacional de Varsovia Continuing through the exhibition, visitors enter the display organized in 1946 in Liberec, in what is now the Czech Republic. There, a former house confiscated by a Nazi official from a Jewish couple who had fled was transformed into a memorial monument titled Pamatnik nacistickeho barbarstvi (Memorial of Nazi Barbarity). The focus was on the atrocities committed by the occupiers, with exhibits including replicas of the guillotine and the gallows from the Gestapo prison in Prague. However, the suffering of the Jewish and Romani populations was ignored, even though they comprised approximately 75% of Czech victims. The last of the six exhibitions took place in 1947 at the displaced persons camp on the grounds of Bergen-Belsen, under the title Undzer veg in der frayheyt (Our Path to Freedom). After liberation, many survivors mostly Jews from Eastern Europe could neither return to nor wanted to go back to their home countries. Over 11,000 people lived as displaced persons in a former Nazi army barracks, preparing to emigrate to Palestine. To counterbalance the traces of destruction, the exhibition showcased objects of hope: images of renewed community life and products from Jewish sewing and metalworking classes. View of the exhibition On Displaying Violence at the German Historical Museum. David von Becker In the end, as the curator explains, each exhibition had a political objective, and each one was held in a country with a different political situation. It was very much about reconstruction, so in a way, these exhibitions also show that, for a country to move forward and rebuild, its important to have a narrative about what happened, adds Pietrasik. They allowed people to move forward and move from destruction to rebuilding. Thats why I think these exhibitions focus so much on identity, national communities, and so on, because they responded to these kinds of political demands. Analyzing how Europe dealt with the crimes committed during World War II is very difficult, but also very important, says Pietrasik. In some ways, that past is still relevant to us. It continues to shape our present in many ways. General Dwight D. Eisenhower views the bodies of dozens of prisoners of war burned at the Gotha concentration camp in Germany in 1945. Bettmann (Bettmann Archive) Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Thiruvananthapuram, June 6 : Kerala Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian has departed for France to participate in the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), which is being held in Nice, France. Speaking to IANS before his departure, Cherian said the summit aims to address critical challenges confronting the oceans and inspire concrete actions aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). "I am taking part in the special event of the 3rd UNOC3 titled Ocean Rise and Coastal Resilience Summit. The coastal cities and regions are being affected by climate change, and the meeting I am taking part in is trying to find solutions to adapt to the changing times," said Cherian. He further said that the invitation to participate in the global summit was originally extended to the Chief Minister. "The invitation was for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and he asked me to represent Kerala. This is a hot topic, and Kerala has been facing the aftereffects of climate change that has affected more than one million fisher folks in our state," he told IANS. The Ocean Rise and Coastal Resilience Summit will include mayors, governors, and administrators of coastal cities and regions around the world, as well as representatives of island states and key stakeholders involved in climate adaptation efforts. Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice and President of the Coalition, underlined the significance of the gathering. "With the launch of the Coalition of coastal cities and regions (Ocean Rise & Coastal Resilience Coalition), we -- mayors, governors, and administrators of coastal communities -- are building an initiative to adapt our territories, protect our populations, and preserve our biodiversity. Through this Coalition, we are giving ourselves every chance to face together the greatest challenge of the century: global climate change," Estrosi said. Seoul, June 6 : South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said on Friday that rewarding patriotism is the nation's responsibility and duty, vowing to provide "special compensation" for those who sacrificed their lives to safeguard the nation. Lee made the remark during a Memorial Day ceremony held at Seoul National Cemetery, marking his first attendance at a national commemorative event since taking office Wednesday. "Rewarding patriotism is the bare minimum treatment for sacrifice and dedication," he said. "For special sacrifices for all, special compensation should be given." Lee said he will improve the rewards for those who sacrificed themselves to protect the country and make working conditions better for the military personnel, firefighters and police officers. "We will improve the working conditions for citizens in uniform so they can protect the nation and people without worries," he said. Lee said the government will expand support for surviving spouses of war veterans and enhance medical services for veterans while pledging fair compensation for military service. "We will implement fair compensation for military service, ensuring appropriate recognition for the dedication of national merit recipients and discharged veterans. He also called for moving beyond the old, saying, "Those who fought for independence suffered across generations, while collaborators with colonisers prospered," emphasising the need to reshape national values. "We must become a nation where sacrifice for the country and the community is rightfully rewarded -- a nation where devotion for all is honored more than anything else," Lee said. Lee's Memorial Day speech made no mention of North Korea or diplomacy, but he vowed to build a peaceful nation. "Building a peaceful nation free from the worry of war and a safe society where everyday life is secure is the most responsible way to respond to their noble sacrifice and dedication," Lee said. "Let us repay them by building a nation where democracy and prosperity flourish on the foundation of robust peace a" a nation filled with pride and dignity," he added. The ceremony was attended by about 4,000 attendees, including the bereaved families of four service members killed in the crash of a Navy patrol aircraft last month. Lee shook hands with each of the bereaved family members and offered words of consolation to the widow of a Navy pilot who died in the fatal crash in the southeastern city of Pohang that killed all four officers aboard, Yonhap news agency reported. In his address, Lee mentioned the names of the four service members, as well as a firefighter killed during operations on the southern island of Jeju, and expressed his deep condolences. "The people will clearly remember their devotion," he said. Also among the attendees were senior officials and politicians, including National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik; Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae; Park Chan-dae, acting leader of the ruling Democratic Party; and Kim Yong-tae, interim leader of the main opposition People Power Party. United Nations, June 6 : The Security Council demanded the immediate and unconditional release of personnel from the United Nations, nongovernmental and civil society organizations and diplomatic missions who were detained by the Houthis in Yemen. In a press statement on Thursday, the members of the Security Council reiterated that all threats to those delivering humanitarian aid and assistance are unacceptable. They reiterated their demand that the Houthis ensure respect of international humanitarian law with regard to safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access to ensure assistance can reach civilians in need. The council members welcomed the continued work of the United Nations through all possible channels to secure the safe and immediate release of those detained. The council members acknowledged that the Eid Al-Adha holiday will be particularly difficult for those detained, their families, and for many others who now live in fear of being themselves detained, Xinhua news agency reported. This week marks one year since the wave of detention by the Houthis. According to the world body, 23 UN staff members and five personnel from international nongovernmental organizations remain detained. One UN staff member and another from Save the Children have died in detention. In the past few days, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as well as heads of UN agencies and programs have called for the release of the detained personnel. Earlier on June 3, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called for the immediate and unconditional release of UN staff detained by the Houthis in Yemen. "This June marks one year since the arbitrary detention of dozens of personnel from the United Nations, national and international NGOs, civil society organisations, and diplomatic missions by the Houthi de facto authorities in Yemen," he said in a statement. "I renew my call for their immediate and unconditional release, including those held since 2021 and 2023, and most recently this January." The United Nations and its humanitarian partners should never be targeted, arrested or detained while carrying out their mandates for the benefit of the people they serve, said Guterres. New Delhi, June 6 : The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) on Friday launched the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) portal to digitise and streamline Waqf property registration in line with the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. The Ministry plans to coordinate with State Waqf Boards and judicial authorities to popularise the portal that promises transparent and time-bound registration of Waqf properties. The Central portal is a transformative digital platform to serve as a centralised repository of Waqf property records across India. The portal features a robust three-tier verification and security system comprising the Maker-Checker-Approver mechanism, said an official statement. The Mutawalli (caretaker) will serve as the Maker, entering property details. The Waqf Board official will function as the Checker, reviewing and validating entries. Finally, a designated government authority will act as the Approver, ensuring full verification before records are finalised, it said. As per the government's plan, registration of all Waqf properties on the portal will be mandatory within six months of its launch. Last month, the Ministry organised a two-day national training workshop in which about 141 Master Trainers from different states were given hands-on training on the portal's features and functionalities. Earlier, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) opposed the Waqf UMEED Portal, terming it "completely illegal" and in violation of ongoing legal proceedings in the Supreme Court. In a statement issued on June 4, AIMPLB President Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani said, "The All India Muslim Personal Law Board strongly opposes the launch of the Waqf Umeed Portal. We appeal to Muslims and State Waqf Boards to refrain from registering Waqf properties on the portal until the court delivers its verdict." Rahmani noted that the portal is based on the provisions of the Waqf 2025 framework, which, he said, has been widely rejected and is currently under judicial scrutiny. "All Muslim organisations have opposed this law. Opposition parties, human rights groups, and members of the Sikh, Christian, and other minority communities have also called it unacceptable," he said. Calling the government's move "contempt of court", Rahmani said it is "unfortunate" that the portal is being launched on June 6, despite the law being challenged in court. "The government is making registration of Waqf properties mandatory under the new law, whose constitutional validity is under question. This action is not only unjust but also legally untenable," he said. He further urged Waqf Board officials across the country to submit formal memoranda objecting to the registration process and to wait for the Supreme Court's ruling. The AIMPLB has also announced its intention to approach the apex court against the Centre's latest move. Nice : , June 6 (IANS) As the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) prepares to convene in Nice, leading marine scientists from across the world are calling on governments to deliver on long-standing commitments to protect fragile deep-sea ecosystems, including seamounts, from the devastation of bottom trawling. Scientists say there are only five years left to achieve the goal of protecting 30 per cent of the ocean. Currently, 8.3 per cent of the ocean is protected, with only three per cent fully protected. UNOC3, the largest ocean summit ever organised, will bring together a wide range of stakeholders, including governments, international organisations, civil society, the private sector, and academia. The ocean powers 80 per cent of global trade and supports jobs, food security and climate action. But climate change, pollution and underinvestment threaten its future. However, the scientific community calls for urgent action to protect the deep from the destruction of bottom trawling. Awe-inspiring underwater worlds, seamounts act as spawning and nursery grounds, sources of food, places of rest, and waypoints in the open ocean for whales, sharks, and countless other species. However, experts say bottom trawling continues to destroy these ancient, fragile and vital ecosystems of the deep, permitted by a handful of countries that should instead be taking action to deliver on a United Nations (UN) resolution adopted nearly 20 years ago. Under a series of UN resolutions, vulnerable marine ecosystems, including seamounts, should be protected from destructive activities. Concern about bottom trawling on seamounts was first raised at the UN in 2004, and a General Assembly resolution was passed in 2006 to stop the practice, which states have yet to implement and enforce. In an open letter, signed by international scientists, states are urged to take immediate action to protect these extraordinary underwater mountains. The letter outlines the growing scientific evidence highlighting and affirming seamounts' ecological importance as biodiversity hotspots, as recently shown in David Attenborough's landmark documentary, Ocean. Lissette Victorero, Science Advisor at the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC), said: "Never before have we known so much about seamounts and their importance for biodiversity, their vulnerability, and their essential role in keeping our ocean healthy." "This letter is a call to action from the scientific community. States have the tools required to stop this destruction and save thousands of years of history from being wiped out by bottom trawling. The science is clear: the time for action is now," Victorero said. Opening of the UNOC3 on June 9 will feature the official opening segment, which will include addresses by the UN Secretary-General, the President of Costa Rica and the President of the French Republic (co-hosts of the summit). At UNOC3, which will last till June 13, commitments are expected. Among them, new marine protected areas will be announced, and hopes are high that European leaders may take action on bottom trawling in marine-protected areas. However, marine litter presents a huge problem in oceans, with some scientists warning that by 2050, the quantity of plastics in the oceans will outweigh fish. IMO has been regulating marine plastic litter for the last 50 years -- from the dumping of waste at sea to discharges from ships. Science says by 2040 plastic leakage to the environment is predicted to grow by 50 per cent, and that pollution creeps into "our bodies through the food we eat, the water we drink, and even the air that we breathe". World Environment Day 2025 calls for collective action to tackle plastic pollution. It comes exactly two months before countries resume negotiations towards a global treaty to end plastic pollution. The European Parliament has approved rules to reduce plastic marine litter and total packaging waste per capita and, by 2030, ban certain single-use plastic packaging. Each person living in the EU generated 36.1 kilos of plastic packaging waste on average in 2021. The volume of plastic packaging waste generated per inhabitant increased by about 29 per cent between 2010 and 2021. The total plastic waste produced in the EU in 2021 was 16,13 million tonnes. Some 6,56 million tonnes of plastic waste were recycled. With the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projecting India to remain the fastest-growing major economy over the next two years, it is yet to come up with a direct policy that mandates the mitigation of marine litter. A study published in Nature has revealed that India has become the world's largest contributor to plastic pollution, accounting for nearly 20 per cent of the total global plastic waste. With 9.3 million tonnes of plastic waste generated annually, India's contribution to this environmental catastrophe is larger than that of entire regions. (Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in) Mumbai, June 6 : In fresh trouble for actor Dino Morea, investigators of the Enforcement Directorate on Friday searched his villa in Bandra West, Mumbai, and questioned him in connection with the Rs 65 crore Mithi River desilting scam, an official said. The model-turned-actor's villa witnessed hectic activity early morning as a fleet of vehicles carrying ED investigators arrived at the spot and took control of all mobile phones and prohibited residents from leaving the premises. The searches, conducted over alleged money laundering linked to the desilting scam, continued for hours at 15 locations in Mumbai and Kerala, said an official. On May 26, Dino was questioned by investigators of the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) at police headquarters over his possible links with Ketan Kadam, one of the 13 accused booked in the scam so far, the official said. An official said the actor's phone number had cropped up in the call records of the accused involved in the scam, for which three Mumbai civic officials and five contractors have also been booked. Earlier last month, Mumbai Police claimed that Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials and contractors used bogus billing to release funds without physical desilting being done in the river, a major reason for rainwater not flowing into the river and causing flooding in areas along the banks. After raiding eight premises, Deputy Commissioner of Police (EOW) Sangramsingh Nishandar said the FIR was registered at Azad Maidan Police Station following preliminary findings that pointed towards "culpability". Nishandar said the FIR was registered due to the use of fake bills and fake MoUs deposited in the BMC related to the alleged desilting work. The accused were booked under penal provisions dealing with cheating, breach of trust, forgery and conspiracy. If the charges are proved in court, the accused may get a punishment of up to seven years in jail. The FIR covered offences committed during the preparation of a contract for desilting, transportation of desilted material's dumping at nine spots and verification of the contractors' obligations under the contract by officials, he said. Nishandar said the SIT investigators scanned the processes and contract procedures and found that the contractors deposited fake bills concerning nine spots where the desilted material was supposed to be dumped on land. He also pointed to discrepancies in MoUs signed between owners of land where the silt was allegedly dumped by desilting contractors and BMC officials. In some cases, landowners told the police that they never entered into a contract with contractors engaged in desilting, yet fake MoUs bearing their names were deposited by the contractors in BMC, he said. "Some of the owners of lands, where the silt was to be dumped, mentioned in documents, don't exist. So, when there were no landowners and land, there is a suspicion that the silt was never removed from the river," he said. Some of the companies under the EOW scanner include Acute Design, Kailash Construction, N.A. Construction, Nikhil Construction and J.R.S Infrastructure. "These companies have been accused of depositing fake MoUs," he said. The DCP said the other aspect of the FIR deals with a field visit conducted by a company called Matprop in February 2020 at the Mithi River, after which its officials, in league with BMC officials, manipulated the terms of the desilting contract for illegal gain. The FIR named the accused civic officials as Prashant Ramugade, Assistant Engineer and Designated Officer in the Rainwater Drainage Department of the Municipal Corporation; Deputy Chief Engineer, East Suburbs, Ganesh Bendre and others. Among the private persons and contractors named in the FIR are Jay Joshi of Virgo Specialities Pvt Ltd, other partners and directors, Ketan Kadam of Vodar India LLP, other partners and directors and contractor Bhupendra Purohit and others, he said. Others named in the FIR include Deepak Mohan and Kishore Menon, he said. An FIR in the desilting case names five contractors, three middlemen, two company officials, and three BMC officials, accusing them of causing wrongful loss to the civic agency, said the police. The SIT was formed after BJP leader and MLC Pravin Darekar and Prasad Lad raised questions on this issue during the monsoon session of the state Assembly. The desilting project was part of a larger Rs 1,100 crore Mithi River beautification plan. New Delhi, June 6 : In a strong and clear message against terrorism, the Indian Sufi Foundation has backed a significant 'fatwa (order)' issued by the All India Imam Organisation's Chief Imam, Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, stating that no Imam in the country should lead the funeral prayers (Janazah Namaz) for any terrorist killed on Indian soil. National President of the Indian Sufi Foundation, Sufi Kashish Warsi, extended full support to this order and emphasised that such a stand is necessary to protect the true essence of Islam from being misused by extremists. Warsi commented on the recent terrorist incident in Pahalgam and firmly asserted that no funeral prayers should be held for any of the terrorists involved. "The terrorists who were involved in the Pahalgam attack do not deserve a religious farewell. I support Maulana Ilyasi's fatwa wholeheartedly," he said. Warsi further highlighted the importance of this message coming from within India. "I am glad this voice has risen from the sacred soil of India. The countries that claim to be Islamic should have raised this voice first. It's unfortunate and shameful that Pakistan, which calls itself an Islamic nation, continues to nurture and protect terrorism," he said. He condemned terrorists as enemies of humanity and society. "A terrorist has no religion. They only spread bloodshed and fear. Such individuals are the real enemies of Islam," Warsi added. Speaking strongly against those who support or glorify terrorists, he appealed to Muslims worldwide: "Anyone who defames Islam by engaging in terrorism and violence should be socially boycotted. These individuals are not martyrs; they are traitors to both humanity and faith." "Terrorists have no religion. If Maulana Ilyasi has issued such a fatwa and sent it to Pakistan, I would say that those who call their country Islamic and claim to follow Islam, yet fail to obey such fatwas, are a disgrace. It is unfortunate because they are defaming Islam, " he added. New Delhi/Agartala, June 6 : Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram has said that the Centre would do all possible to help and take steps for the development and welfare of the tribals in Tripura and their inhabited areas, according to Tripura Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma. Tripura Minister Debbarma on Friday said that he met Union Minister Oram in New Delhi and discussed various schemes and plans about the development of tribal areas and welfare of the indigenous people. He said that the Union Minister assured him of all possible help, support and guidance for the all-round development of the tribal areas and welfare of the tribal people. "I have highlighted the issues related to roads, electric and water supply, and modern education facilities in the tribal inhabited areas," Minister Debbarma told the media. He said that the Union Minister stressed that steps were undertaken to bring all tribals into the mainstream of development. Debbarma said that the BJP government in Tripura wants to provide equal developmental opportunities to both tribals and non-tribals. The ruling BJP has an alliance with two tribal based parties a" Tipra Motha Party (TMP) and Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) to obtain electoral benefits from the tribals. The TMP, headed by Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, a former royal scion, has been governing the politically important Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), which has a jurisdiction on over two-thirds of Tripura's 10,491 sq km area and is home to over 12,16,000 people, of which 90 per cent are tribals. Of Tripura's 60 Assembly seats, 20 are reserved for the tribals. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha earlier said that ambitious projects and schemes worth Rs 1,400 crore, funded by the World Bank, are currently underway in the state to improve the socio-economic conditions of indigenous tribes, adding that previously, no government had thought about their welfare. The Rs 1,400 crore would be utilised under the Tripura Rural Economic Growth and Service Delivery Project (TRESP) to further enhance the livelihoods and overall socio-economic status of Janajati (tribal) people. CM Saha said, "We must take a pledge that the works which were not fulfilled and not done yet have to be taken up after discussion in the coming year, and we must move forward to develop the state." Tribals constitute one-third of the total population of four million in Tripura, and they always play a vital role in all spheres of the northeastern state, including electoral politics. Rome, June 6 : Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, during his official visit to Italy, interacted with Mirco Maschio, Chairman of the Board at Maschio Gaspardo, a global leader in sustainable agricultural solutions, focusing on the prospects for collaboration as India advances in its effort to modernise the sector. "Had a fruitful discussion with Mirco Maschio, Chairman of the Board at Maschio Gaspardo, a global leader in sustainable agricultural solutions. As India moves towards modernising its agricultural sector, discussed the tremendous opportunities it presents for collaboration," Goyal posted on X on Friday. The Indian Minister also met Veronica Squinzi, CEO and Global Development Director of MAPEI Group, manufacturers of chemical products for the building industry. Both sides discussed the growing opportunities for MAPEI in India, driven by the country's rapid infrastructure growth and increasing demand for advanced construction solutions. Meanwhile, during a meeting with Sonia Bonfiglioli, Chairwoman and CEO of Bonfiglioli, an engineering company with a longstanding presence in India, Goyal appreciated their continued confidence in India's growth story. They discussed the company's progress in India and new avenues to boost manufacturing, Research and Development, and innovation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Make in India initiative. Goyal, during a constructive meeting with Mario Gnutti, Vice President of Gnutti Carlo Group, a leader in the automotive sector, explored how the company could strengthen its India presence and help boost local manufacturing, as significant opportunities have opened in India to also serve global demands. On Thursday, the Minister reiterated India's shared commitment to speed up the India-EU free trade agreement (FTA). Addressing the Italy-India Business Forum, the minister said he had three meetings, in less than 35 days, with "my friend Maros Sefcovic, EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security". "This shows our shared commitment to speeding up the India-EU FTA," he added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, have agreed to expedite the conclusion of the India-EU FTA by the end of the year. "Our focus is on realising the Italy-India Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029. Underscored the transformative potential of the IMEC Corridor and India-EU FTA. Also, extended an invitation to Italian enterprises to join India's growth story," Goyal said in a post on X. India and Italy reaffirmed their commitment to deepening economic ties, with a strong focus on enhancing trade, joint ventures and connectivity through the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC). In a joint press conference, Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani said there is "huge scope" for boosting India-EU trade through the potential offered by IMEEC. Tajani called for stronger collaborations in sectors such as space, technology, steel and aluminium. New Delhi, June 6 : It was a moment of immense pride and excitement for a group of students who had an opportunity to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi onboard the inaugural run of the Vande Bharat Express connecting Katra to Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. These students, selected through various competitions, were among the first passengers of the high-speed train flagged off by the PM, and shared their overwhelming experiences. One student remarked, "He interacted with us and asked what we did to get the chance to come here. There were many competitions, like poem recitation and drawing, from which we were selected. I felt very proud after meeting our Prime Minister. He is such a famous personality, and it is very rare to meet someone like him." "It felt very special and made me feel extremely proud because he is the Prime Minister of the country...He was in front of us....Not everyone gets the opportunity to meet him," she added. Another student from Delhi Public School (DPS) Katra said, "I never thought of meeting PM Modi in my lifetime. He is my idol, and I felt very nice and fortunate to meet him. He asked us what competitions we participated in, and we told him how we got selected. After winning these competitions, we got the opportunity to enter the train and meet the PM." The occasion was part of a historic day for Jammu and Kashmir, as Prime Minister Modi inaugurated a series of transformative infrastructure projects, including the world's highest railway bridge, the Chenab Bridge, and the country's first cable-supported rail bridge, the Anji Bridge. These projects mark a major leap in connectivity and development in the region. Following the inauguration, PM Modi flagged off the Vande Bharat Express, a symbol of modern transportation, bridging key destinations in Jammu and Kashmir. The train's maiden journey was marked not only by engineering marvels but also by unforgettable moments for the students who got to witness and be part of history, up close with the Prime Minister himself. The management board of EL PAIS on Friday approved the appointment of Jan Martinez Ahrens as editor-in-chief of the newspaper, effective immediately. In accordance with the EL PAIS Newsroom Statute, the new editors appointment was submitted yesterday to a consultative vote and approved by more than two-thirds of the editorial staff, almost 70%, before being presented to the board. Martinez Ahrens (Paris, 59) becomes the eighth editor-in-chief of EL PAIS in the nearly 50-year history of the newspaper. Martinez Ahrens addressed the editorial staff Friday in a speech in which he summarized his extensive experience working at all levels of EL PAIS, and began with a resounding acknowledgment: This newspaper is what it is thanks to its editorial staff, the rigor of its journalists, and the conviction here that pluralism and independence are essential to reaching the truth. The editor-in-chief of EL PAIS emphasized the newpapers commitment to the Americas and to colleagues who in many cases work in countries and environments that are extremely hostile to journalism. Its a region where we are needed because we are a bastion in the defense of human rights and democracy, he noted. The commitment to freedoms where they are at risk is one of the essential features of our newspaper, as is generating high-value information that provides our audience with certainty in confusing times. The search for truth Martinez Ahrens expressed his conviction that the companys financial stability will allow it to strengthen strategic areas and face a present and future in which good journalism is, and will be, more necessary than ever: In a world shaken by war, misinformation, and clickbait, our task is to offer context, explain, and seek the truth the truth that many try to bury, but which exists. To achieve it, we must rely on the logic of the profession. Monitor power and distrust official and biased versions. Our weapons are contrasting, pursuing accurate data and key testimony, and speaking with both sides of the conflict. With these, we will always win the competition for audience and subscribers. Furthermore, the editor-in-chief clearly laid out the ambition of his project: We must be leaders. He did so by emphasizing the newspapers hallmarks throughout its nearly five-decade history: We are a progressive newspaper that supports equality and diversity in all their forms. We are also an independent and plural newspaper. Commitment to the Americas Encouraging the honoring of EL PAIS five-decade journalistic heritage and its connection to a demanding audience, Martinez Ahrens summarized his commitment to respect for readers, for the truth, and for independence. Finally, before signing off, he wished to address his international colleagues and reiterate that he remains the editor of EL PAIS in the Americas. For her part, Pilar Gil, CEO of PRISA Media and EL PAIS, applauded the editors speech, also thanking outgoing editor-in-chief Pepa Bueno for her work over the past four years and her efforts to put subscribers at the center of the news offering. Regarding Martinez Ahrens appointment, Gil stated: It reinforces our commitment to the values of EL PAIS and its internal talent, and our radical commitment to journalism and independence. Now, finally, under Jans leadership, its time for people to talk about us for the excellence of our teams and the impact of our publications, for telling citizens the stories that deserve to be told, and the truths that must be uncovered. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Jammu, June 6 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi after inaugurating the Chenab Bridge, the world's highest rail bridge, and the Anji Bridge, the country's first cable-supported bridge, in Jammu and Kashmir, attacked Pakistan for conspiring and plotting to derail the tourism and hitting the livelihood of local Kashmiris, by killing innocent tourists in Pahalgam. Addressing the public gathering after inaugurating a slew of projects, PM Modi said that Pakistan-based terrorists deliberately and intentionally attacked tourists as their main motive was to hurt the livelihood of local Kashmiris. He said that terrorists from Pakistan targeted the innocent tourists as they wanted to bring Jammu and Kashmir's growth to a halt and hurt the poor. He said that Pakistani cowards attacked both humanity and Kashmiriyat in Pahalgam, and their intention was to stoke riots in the country. He also took the name of Adil, the horse rider who was the sole breadwinner of his family and was killed in the April 22 Pahalgam attack. PM Modi, recalling Operation Sindoor, said the enemy was taught a lesson, exactly a month ago, as Pakistan-based terrorists saw doom befalling them. "Now, whenever Pakistan hears the name of Operation Sindoor, it will remember its shameful defeat," PM Modi said, eliciting wide applause from the crowd. He said that Pakistan never imagined that Indian forces would enter their territory to take revenge for the terror attack and turn their buildings and installations into ruins. PM Modi also lauded the spirit of Jammu and Kashmir's youth in defeating terror from across the border, stating, "The youth of Jammu and Kashmir have now made up their mind to give a befitting reply to terrorism." He also announced additional assistance for the residents whose houses along the border were damaged in Pakistani shelling. "Those residents whose houses suffered major damage will get Rs 2 lakh additional assistance while those with little damage will get Rs 1 lakh additional assistance," PM Modi announced. Briefing the people about the roaring success of Operation Sindoor, the Prime Minister said that the Armed Forces' valour and 'Made In India' defence equipment and weapons taught the enemy a lesson. "Operation Sindoor showed the power of Atmanirbharata. Today, the world is talking about India's military might," he said, and also urged people to show their support for the Made in India initiative. "Our goal is to make India enter the league of top defence exporters, as this will open myriad opportunities for employment in the defence sector," PM Modi told the gathering. Mumbai, June 6 : Bollywood actress Raveena Tandon was recently honoured by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in recognition of her contributions and dedication to various social and environmental causes. On the occasion of World Environment Day, the actress was felicitated for her ongoing efforts towards environmental conservation and animal welfare. Raveena took to her Instagram handle to share photo from the felicitation ceremony and captioned it, "Honoured for my work towards the Environment, from the hands of the honourable chief minister @devendra_fadnavis ji. On #environmentday And Birthday babies dinner , @reshma_thadani , #chayamalaney #5thjune and to make my day even better, one little rescued baby kitty got adopted. thank you @petaindia for fostering her till we got a home." The event also marked a special birthday celebration for Reshma Thadani, Raveena's mother-in-law, and her adopted daughter, Chaya Malaney, both born on June 5. Adding an emotional highlight to the occasion, Raveena revealed that a rescued kitten, cared for by PETA India, found a loving new home, making the day even more memorable for the actress and devoted animal advocate Raveena Tandon is much more than an actressshe is a passionate environmentalist, wildlife photographer, and dedicated philanthropist. At just 21, she adopted two daughters as a single mother. She became the youngest chairperson of the Children's Film Society of India (CFSI) and has been a member of the advisory panel for CINTAA. Recognized by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for her work in promoting organ donation, Raveena's Rudra Foundation actively champions causes related to children, women, and animal welfare. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Raveena Tandon's foundation collaborated with the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) South to distribute truckloads of oxygen cylinders to critical recipients. Additionally, Raveena serves as the Wildlife Goodwill Ambassador of Maharashtra and made history as the first entertainer to represent the industry as a delegate at W20, a G20 engagement group. IANS ps/dc New Delhi, June 6 : A court here on Friday extended, till July 9, the judicial custody of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana. Rana was produced before Special Judge Chander Jit Singh through video conference upon the expiry of the previously granted judicial custody. The Patiala House Court asked Tihar authorities to file a status report by June 9 after Ranaas counsel raised his deteriorating health condition. As per the latest order, Rana, a former officer of the Pakistan Armyas Medical Corps, will remain under judicial custody till July 9. On May 9, a special NIA Court had sent Rana to judicial custody till June 6, marking a temporary break in questioning by the federal anti-terror agency. The NIA had collected voice and handwriting samples of Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian national, in court as a precursor to match them with recordings of his telephonic discussions with 26/11 co-accused David Coleman Headley, an official said. Rana, who was recently extradited from the US, is suspected to have passed on to Headley handwritten notes sharing instructions, coordinates, and maps which were used to scout 26/11 targets. The NIA also had plans to take Rana to Mumbai and other cities to reconstruct the chain of events preceding the terror attack that left 166 people dead. In April, the Special NIA court extended Ranaas NIA custody by 12 more days to allow investigators to question him. Special Judge Charan Jit Singh accepted senior advocate Dayan Krishnanas plea that the investigating agency needed more time to uncover Ranaas role in the Mumbai attack of 2008. Rana was presented in court for an extension of his NIA custody after his 18-day remand ended on April 28. During the court proceedings, the Special Judge was informed by the NIA about the alleged evasive technique adopted by Rana during questioning. During his NIA remand, Rana was also questioned by Mumbai Police officers. In the interrogation, Rana claimed that he had "no connection whatsoever" with the planning or execution of the attack. He also claimed that his childhood friend and co-accused Headley was solely responsible for the reconnaissance and planning aspects of 26/11. Headley is currently in a US jail. Headley, who turned approver in the case, had earlier admitted to conducting recce missions across India, including in Mumbai, on behalf of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). During questioning, Rana said that apart from Mumbai and Delhi, he had also travelled to Kerala. When asked about the purpose of his visit to Kerala, he claimed he had gone there to meet a known acquaintance and had provided the individual's name and address to the agency. Rana was extradited to India from the US recently to stand trial in the Mumbai attack case. New Delhi, June 6 : Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday hit out at Agriculture Minister P. Prasad for boycotting an event at Raj Bhavan due to the use of a portrait of Bharat Mata on the dais. "Bharat Mata's image is here to stay. Whether the CPM likes it or the Congress likes it, Bharat Mata represents how we view our country and will always continue to do so..." Chandrasekhar told IANS. Raising issues related to impropriety and protocol violation, the former Union Minister said, "The controversy is that a minister from the state government, who was invited to participate in the World Environment Day event, chose to stay away or boycott the governor's programme, a programme hosted by the constitutional head of the state, simply because he did not like the picture of Bharat Mata." The businessman-turned-politician also attacked the Congress government in Karnataka in the backdrop of the stampede on June 4, which claimed 11 lives. "The Congress government in Karnataka is the most inept, the most corrupt, the most incompetent and the heartless," he said, demanding the resignation of CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar. "The Home Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister need to be held accountable. They should resign," he said, questioning the silence of the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on the incident. "Today, pensioners have to struggle to get their pension, farmers have to struggle to avoid suicides. They are an anti-people government; they fooled the people and came to power," said Chandrasekhar. "In this incident, the Chief Minister and the Deputy CM were sitting in the stadium and celebrating the victory of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. While they were surrounded by policemen, the fans outside the stadium were getting trampled," he said. This has shown the "lack of sensitivity and negligence" of the Karnataka government, he said, adding, "It doesn't make any sense that the Deputy CM complements the police on a day when 11 people have died." He also hit out at the Congress for trying to share the credit for the Chenab Bridge, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jammu on Friday. "The Congress can't say anything meaningful, so they will only snipe. The fact is this: These huge mega projects were left incomplete for years, making the country believe that such projects could never be accomplished. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, however, has not only completed these two projects, the Anji Bridge and the Chenab Bridge, but has also tackled many such challenges that the country faced and could not be addressed for decades," he said. The Former Union minister also complemented PM Modi for using infrastructure to unite even the remotest parts of the country with the heartland. "Jammu and Kashmir now is very closely linked to the heartland of India through these projects, similarly he has done with the Northeast and even with the other remote parts of the country by building roads, bridges, trains and modern infrastructure," said Chandrasekhar. He said that PM Modi has brought India closer, connected consumers and markets closer and created more and more opportunities for the economy, both local and national. Tokyo, June 6 : The immense potential for deeper bilateral cooperation between India and Japan, that is driven by shared values and economic opportunities, was discussed in detail during the inaugural edition of 'Rising India, i.e., Bharat' in Tokyo. The conclave, organised with the support of the Indian Embassy in Tokyo and the Japan-India Association, was one of the first major India-Japan events organised in Japan by Connect India Japan a" an initiative pioneering new paths in bilateral engagement by blending cultural diplomacy with business and policy dialogue. The programme brought together policymakers, diplomats, corporate leaders, and thought influencers from both India and Japan to explore new frontiers of collaboration in diplomacy, business, technology, and cultural exchange. In his inaugural address, Sibi George, Ambassador of India to Japan, reaffirmed India's uncompromising stance on terrorism and highlighted the importance of resilience and unity in safeguarding peace. "Ambassador Sibi George delivered inaugural address and Taro Kono, former Foreign, Defence and Digital Affairs Minister of Japan delivered keynote address at the 'Rising India i.e. Bharat' seminar held in Tokyo. Ambassador highlighted India's transformational reforms, its visionary journey towards Amrit Kaal, and the growing strength of the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Condemning the recent cross border terror attacks in Pahalgam in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India's resolute stance of zero tolerance towards terrorism was reiterated at the seminar," the Indian Embassy in Japan posted on X. Kono Taro, Member of the Japan's House of Representatives, spoke about India's meteoric rise as the world's fourth-largest economy and reflected on his personal connection with India's growth story. Another speaker, Tomohiko Taniguchi, a former Special Advisor to the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, also delivered a heartfelt address celebrating Abe's profound attachment to India and his visionary commitment to strengthen India-Japan relations. The high-level panel discussions during the event delved into the evolving diplomatic landscape, discussing India's remarkable growth and its rising importance on the global stage. They reflected on how mutual trust and diplomatic collaboration have been central to nurturing this bilateral bond. Additionally, the programme brought a business perspective to the fore, featuring influential corporate leaders who discussed the opportunities and successes in India-Japan cooperation. The Indian companies representing next-gen sectors took the centerstage with live presentations and demonstrations, spotlighting India's prowess in AI, digital infrastructure, sustainable solutions, and smart manufacturing. The showcase attracted great interest from Japanese counterparts looking for reliable, forward-thinking partnerships. The programme began with a moment of silence to honour the victims of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, reminding all attendees of the ongoing challenges faced by India and the shared resolve to stand firm against terrorism. This marked the first large-scale India-centric conclave in Japan curated and hosted entirely by an Indian woman -- Nupur Tewari, the founder of 'Connect India Japan' -- who has spent over two decades bridging both cultures. Tirupati, June 6 : In a move to safeguard the sanctity and intellectual property of the sacred Tirupati Laddu, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) has initiated legal action against multiple unauthorised entities found selling or promoting products under the name "Tirupati Laddu" in violation of its registered Geographical Indication (GI). Legal notices have been served through Sahadeva Law Chambers to several online platforms and vendors including PushMyCart (Mahita LLC) and Transact Foods Limited, for unauthorized commercial exploitation of the Tirupati Laddu name and falsely associating their offerings with the temple. According to an official statement, the legal notices highlighted that Tirupati Laddu is a protected GI under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. The preparation of the laddu is done exclusively within the Tirumala temple under the supervision of TTD, following a time-honoured and sanctified process. Unauthorised use and sale of the name not only infringes legal rights but also undermines the spiritual sanctity of the offering. In response, PushMyCart acknowledged receipt of the legal notice and, showing goodwill, suspended the infringing product listings pending legal review. Several other vendors have also taken down their listings following TTD's proactive outreach. "The Tirupati Laddu is not just a product, but a sacred prasadam with deep spiritual and cultural value. We are committed to taking all necessary legal steps to prevent its misuse and to protect the trust of crores of devotees worldwide," said TTD Executive Officer J. Syamala Rao. This is claimed to be one of the first instances in India where a temple offering protected under GI law has been defended through formal legal channels on international platforms. Meanwhile, Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing Tirupati laddu ghee adulteration case has opposed the bail petitions of all three accused in the Andhra Pradesh High court. The MD of AR Dairy Raju Sekharan, Bhole Baba Organic Dairy directors Pomil Jain, Vipin Jain and Vaishavi CEO Apoorva Vinaykant Chawda, applied for bail. The court adjourned the hearing to June 17. The CBI counsel told the High Court that the accused were all part of a criminal conspiracy. Bhole Baba Dairy allegedly used AR Dairy and Vaishnavi Dairy as front companies to secure ghee supply contract from TTD. The SIT investigations revealed that the ghee supplied to TTD was mixed with palm oil and chemicals. The SIT led by CBI Joint Director Viresh Prabhu arrested the accused in February. The SIT was constituted by the Supreme Court to probe the allegations of adulterated ghee being used in the preparation of sacred laddus. Amaravati, June 6 : Eight districts will be part of Visakha Economic Region which will be developed as the growth engine of Andhra Pradesh, aiming for a $120 billion economy in this region by 2032. During a review meeting on Friday with NITI Aayog officials at the Secretariat, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu emphasised the need to transform Visakhapatnam into another Mumbai in the next seven years. Visakha Economic Region will cover districts of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, Anakapalli, Kakinada, East Godavari, Alluri Sitharamaraju and Manyam. The Chief Minister instructed officials to develop projects that will boost economic activity across the region and he asked them to identify one lakh acres for various projects. The Visakha Region spans 36,000 square kilometers and is home to a population of 15.5 million. Its current GDP is around $49 billion. The Chief Minister noted that the region could generate 20 to 24 lakh jobs by 2032, making it crucial to the state's future growth. The Chief Minister proposed development centered around 6 ports, 7 manufacturing nodes, 17 major agricultural zones, 6 service hubs, and 12 tourism hubs. NITI Aayog officials presented a detailed PowerPoint presentation. The officials outlined plans around seven growth drivers: ports, IT, agriculture, tourism, healthcare, urban development, and infrastructure. A total of 41 key projects are to be prioritised for implementation. If these plans are realised within the next seven years, the region could see the construction of 7.5 lakh housing units, 10,000 hotel rooms, up to 20 innovation centers, 10 colleges, 7,000 hospital beds, industrial development across 20,000 hectares, 80 million sq. ft. of office space, and 60 million sq. ft. of warehousing capacity, the officials told the Chief Minister. "We will develop beach roads from Mulapeta to Visakhapatnam and Visakhapatnam to Kakinada. These will be connected to national highways. The coast is a treasure trove -- we must leverage it fully. Tourism is being treated as an industry, and our new policy is very investor-friendly," the Chief Minister said. Other issues discussed during the meeting include developing Visakhapatnam as a steel hub in collaboration with the country's top 3 steel firms; focus on petrochemicals, gas grid, port development, petrochem-medical tech, shipbuilding, defence, electronics, clean tech, and labor-intensive manufacturing. The state has set a target of 4-5 lakh jobs in the IT sector over the next 7 years with emphasis on setting up data centers, startups, and innovation hubs. It was also noted that in addition to four ongoing railway projects, seven new railway projects to be completed by 2032. Nine new road projects will be launched to support manufacturing nodes and ports. The meeting also discussed the Vizag Metro project, covering 77 km, scheduled between 2028 and 2030. The meeting was attended by Minister Gottipati Ravikumar, NITI Aayog CEO B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary Vijay Anand, representatives of the ISEG Foundation, and other senior officials. Berlin, June 6 : The all-party Parliamentary delegation from India led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday held a productive interaction with Omid Nouripour, Vice-President of Bundestag, the German Parliament, deeply appreciating Germany's strong and unequivocal support for India's principled stand against terrorism. The delegates conveyed India's firm response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and briefed about Operation Sindoor, reiterating the country's zero tolerance for terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Later, the delegation also met Bundestag's Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee Armin Laschet and other members and former ministers, including Ralph Brinkhaus and Hubertus Heil. The delegation conveyed India's unwavering stand for zero tolerance for terrorism and outlined its resolve to not give in to nuclear blackmail. The leaders noted growing momentum in strategic partnership between India-Germany and joint role in ensuring global peace and security. Following the conclusion of a productive and impactful visit to Belgium, the delegation had arrived in Germany late Thursday for the final leg of their engagements in Western Europe. The delegation is a part of the Indian government's ongoing diplomatic outreach under Operation Sindoor and its "unwavering adherence" to a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism. During their stay in Germany, the delegation will also be interacting with representatives from various think tanks and the Indian community in the country. Earlier, India's Ambassador to Germany, Ajit Gupte, received the Indian delegation on their arrival in Berlin and briefed them about India-Germany relations, with a focus on expanding strategic partnerships and growing cooperation across several sectors. "The discussions included an overview on India-Germany relations, with a focus on expanding strategic partnership and growing cooperation in trade and investment, defence, science and technology and mobility," the Indian Embassy in Berlin posted on X. The nine-member delegation includes a diverse political representation with Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP), Daggubati Purandeswari (BJP), Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiv Sena-UBT), Ghulam Ali Khatana (BJP), Amar Singh (Congress), Samik Bhattacharya (BJP), M. Thambidurai (AIADMK), former Union Minister M.J. Akbar, and former Ambassador Pankaj Saran. After concluding visits to France, Italy, Denmark, the UK and Belgium, the Indian delegation is in Germany, marking the continuation of India's strategic outreach to garner international support against cross-border terrorism emanating from the soil of Pakistan. New Delhi, June 6 : Congress leader Supriya Shrinate, in a press briefing on Friday, expressed concern over what she described as a decline in India's diplomatic engagement and visibility on the global stage. She specifically referred to India's absence from major forums like the G7, despite being among the world's largest economies. New Delhi, June 6 (IANS) Congress leader Supriya Shrinate, in a press briefing on Friday, expressed concern over what she described as a decline in India's diplomatic engagement and visibility on the global stage. She specifically referred to Indiaas absence from major forums like the G7, despite being among the worldas largest economies. Shrinate cited then-US President Barack Obamaas 2010 remarks in praise of then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and questioned why countries like Canada now appear hesitant to extend invitations to India for the G7. She interpreted this as a sign of waning diplomatic influence. She also referred to public statements made by US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly claimed to have brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. The Congress spokesperson further said that similar assertions are now being echoed by Russia. She urged the Indian government to respond clearly to these claims, either by refuting them or explaining the context if they are accurate. "The nation deserves clarity," she said, stressing the importance of transparency in foreign affairs. Shrinate also voiced apprehensions over what she viewed as a preference for image-building over substantive diplomacy. She warned against focusing too heavily on symbolic gestures or visual narratives. She, in this context, suggested that a more strategic and consistent foreign policy is needed to safeguard national interests. She expressed concern over "the evolving global perception" of Pakistan. Institutions like the IMF, the ADB, and the World Bank, she noted, have extended significant financial support to Pakistan, while the country has also assumed roles in global bodies such as the UNas Counter-Terrorism Committee. In her view, this is at odds with Indiaas long-standing position on terrorism and reflects a missed opportunity for stronger international advocacy. Commenting on recent international outreach by Indian parliamentary delegations, Shrinate questioned the effectiveness of such efforts. She pointed out that many of these visits resulted in meetings with lower-level officials or Indian diaspora groups, rather than influential foreign leaders or decision-makers. "We need to assess what tangible outcomes these visits have achieved," she remarked. Turning to domestic matters with international implications, Shrinate referred to the tragic terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which claimed the lives of 26 individuals. She questioned the timing of the Prime Ministeras visit to Jammu and Kashmir, suggesting that it came more as part of a ceremonial event than a response to the tragedy. She expressed disappointment that "national security concerns in sensitive regions are not always met with prompt or visible engagement". Shrinate also commented on alleged shifts in India's traditional alliances, pointing to what she called Russiaas recent cooperation with Pakistan. She warned that regional dynamics are changing, with China and Pakistan strengthening tiesa"a development, she said, that has long been cautioned against by opposition leaders. When asked about Congress MPs, including Shashi Tharoor, who participated in foreign delegations and later described the visits as positive, Shrinate acknowledged the complexities of international diplomacy. She explained that while representatives may exercise restraint abroad, there remains a responsibility to ask hard questions back home. She cited Kuwaitas recent decision to lift a 19-year visa ban on Pakistan shortly after an Indian delegationas visit, suggesting this raised legitimate questions about diplomatic impact. A key concern she highlighted was the apparent reluctance to hold comprehensive discussions in Parliament on foreign policy matters, while simultaneously prioritising engagement with Indian communities abroad. "There seems to be a disconnect between domestic accountability and international outreach," she said. The Congress spokesperson stressed the need for a more grounded and outcome-driven foreign policy approach. In her view, the current trajectory risks sidelining Indiaas voice in global conversations, despite its growing economic stature. Katra : , June 6 (IANS) Residents of Jammu and Kashmir's Katra expressed happiness as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Chenab railway bridge and launched a slew of developmental projects on Friday. Katra (J&K), June 6 (IANS) Residents of Jammu and Kashmiras Katra expressed happiness as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Chenab railway bridge and launched a slew of developmental projects on Friday. The Chenab bridge, the worldas highest railway bridge, marks a historic milestone in Indiaas infrastructure journey. Along with it, PM Modi inaugurated multiple key projects worth Rs 46,000 crore, including two state-of-the-art bridges and the Vande Bharat train service. He addressed a public gathering in Katra town, beginning his speech by offering obeisance to Mata Vaishno Devi in the Dogri language. PM Modi also made a strong statement against Pakistan, referring to the recent Pahalgam terror attack and how India's retaliatory move under Operation Sindoor "will forever haunt" it. Condemning Pakistan, he stated it is the enemy of brotherhood, Insaniyat (humanity), and Kashmiriyat, and accused it of trying to incite communal violence in India. He added that government jobs had been provided to the next of kin of those killed in Pakistani shelling. IANS spoke to several locals who were present at the event. Sakshi, a resident, said: "I felt very good. PM Modi spoke about Operation Sindoor and various development projects. I was very happy to hear him." Ikka, another local, said: "Today is a great day for all of us. PM Modi has given us projects worth over Rs 46,000 crore. Itas a big gift to us. I want to thank him for this." Sandhya added: "It was our dream to see this train run. It will definitely reduce travel time and boost trade, business, and tourism. Terrorism has impacted tourism, but people still come to visit Vaishno Devi. PM Modias statements are completely right. I was saddened by the Pahalgam attack, where terrorists targeted Hindus based on religion." Balwant Raj said: "I like PM Modi a lot. Development in J&K has accelerated under his leadership, especially after the abrogation of Article 370. The inauguration of Vande Bharat trains will boost tourism. Earlier, winters and rain caused travel issues, and car travel was expensive. This train will make a big difference." This was PM Modi's first visit to J&K after the Pahalgam terror attack. SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY JWR UPDATE. IT'S FREE. (AND NO SPAM!) Just click here. "When you see this, do you think it's just fun? Or do you think that it's illegal?" Um ... fun? Wrong! "It is definitely the latter. Whether it's fun or not." So begins a Facebook post by the Aspen, Colorado, Police Department. And what is this possibly fun but definitely illegal activity? The photo shows a ponytailed girl riding a bike with a younger friend or sibling on the handlebars, or maybe it's a ponytailed mom riding with her child up there. They're on a suburban sidewalk, presumably in Aspen, with a wide strip of grass between them and the street. No one else is around. And yet ... "Colorado law says that two-up riding on a single seat bike is against the law, and of course, bikes are not allowed on sidewalks. These 'Sidewalk Sallys' could potentially hurt themselves or others." Now, if you had to Google "Sidewalk Sally," you are not alone. (Because it's not a real term. A daytime talk show seems to have coined and used it once.) The police post goes on to tell Aspen's citizens not to be Sidewalk Sallys and end up with a "ticket or a trip to the emergency room," both of which seem like rather dramatic denouements for an activity that has been popular since the beginning of biking. Speaking of which, the post is signed by the Aspen Police Department, "protecting the Wild West on two wheels since the 1880s." Which either means they have been using bikes for a century and a half, or they've been ticketing bicyclists all that time. The post garnered over 300 comments far more than the department's other posts the general tenor of which was: "Tell me you don't have real crimes in Aspen without telling me you don't have real crimes." "'kids never go outside anymore!' Proceeds to police every single thing kids do." "lol yes. Our children should really be playing IN the traffic. Not away from it. Got it." That one really resonated. My mom MADE me ride on the sidewalks, so it's not so "obvious" to all of us that biking (not e-biking) on the sidewalk is a crime. But what most came through is a fed-up-with-being-micromanaged streak, evident in comments like: "So basically every kid since the bicycle was invented has broken the law!" "Go find a crime to deal with or reduce your force." "The more laws you make, the more police you have to hire to enforce new laws, the more police you hire to enforce those new laws, the more criminals you make. This pattern doesn't stop one day. It keeps growing." All true. But there IS a cause for hope. In 2022 (with the help of my nonprofit, Let Grow) Colorado passed a Reasonable Childhood Independence law saying childhood independence is good and it is NOT illegal to take your eyes off your kids. In fact, here's Colorado Gov. Jared Polis discussing it with Bill Maher. Any state that sensible should be able to convince Aspen that bikes, kids, sidewalks and sharing go together like sunshine and ski resorts in the summer. The U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara, Mexico, has issued a warning to tourists in Jalisco urging them to be cautious when using dating apps. The consulate has recorded several reports of U.S. citizens being targeted by criminal groups on these platforms and tricked into meeting up. The travelers end up being kidnapped, and their families in the United States receive extortion calls demanding ransom payments. The delegation indicated that reports of kidnapping and extortion have been filed in recent months, especially in the areas of Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Nayarit, the states coastal tourist gems. It did not specify how many cases involving the abduction of U.S. citizens they have identified, but stated that the kidnappers are demanding large sums of money from the victims families. Jaliscos security crisis affects the entire population, as well as tourists from the United States. The murder of former Jalisco governor Aristoteles Sandoval at a Puerto Vallarta restaurant in 2020 sent a clear message about who rules the area, regardless of its tourist hotspots. In fact, the most horrific crime scene was discovered at the beginning of the year, a cartel recruitment camp in Teuchitlan, just two hours from the Riviera Nayarit coast, where yachts and parasols line the sandy beaches. However, the latest citizen perception surveys on security rank Puerto Vallarta among the safest cities in the country, with only 23% of people reporting feeling unsafe. The Consulate General has reminded travelers that the travel advisory for U.S. citizens in Jalisco is Level 3, meaning tourists are urged to reconsider travel to that destination due to security concerns, especially kidnappings. Among the recommendations for travelers in the area, authorities urge caution if using dating services such as Tinder, Bumble, or Grindr. These digital platforms for meeting people have become a security risk for users. Last Valentines Day, the Federal Consumer Protection Agency (Profeco) issued a series of precautions in response to the rise of deceptive strategies used by cybercriminals in Mexico, such as identity theft and fraud. To make meetings safer, the U.S. Consulate recommends holding them in public places and avoiding isolated locations, such as hotel rooms or private residences, where crimes are most likely to occur. At the same time, the consulate recommends informing a friend or family member of your meeting plans, the location, details of the person youll be meeting with, and the app you used to meet them. Trust your instincts. If something does not feel right, do not hesitate to remove yourself from a situation, the document states. Bengaluru, June 6 : A complaint was submitted to the Karnataka Chief Minister's Office (CMO) on Friday against ADGP Intelligence Hemant Nimbalkar alleging utter failure and negligence related to the stampede incident near the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on June 4 which claimed 11 lives. Following the backlash, the Karnataka government has already issued an order transferring ADGP Intelligence Hemant Nimbalkar. However, the state government has been criticised for initiating harsh measures of suspension against three IPS officers and two senior police officers, including Bengaluru Police Commissioner and having a soft corner on Hemant Nimbalkar, who is the husband of Congress leader and former MLA. Abraham T.J., President, Anti-Graft/Corruption and Environment Forum has filed a complaint in this regard and questioned the Chief Minister. Abraham said: "I hereby, appeal to the good conscience of the government and specifically the Chief Minister to initiate suspension proceedings against Hemant Nimbalkar, for the utter failure of the Intelligence Department, and holding him also responsible, for the stampede on June 4 in which 11 people were killed and over 56 left injured." "It is because Mr. Nimbalkar is the spouse of a Congress leader and former MLA Anjali Nimbalkar, who unsuccessfully contested the 2023 assembly elections and 2024 Lok Sabha elections," he said. "When there has been an intelligence failure, which was the foremost and primary cause, for the loss of 11 lives and injury of over 56 people, why only the Commissioner of Police, the Additional Commissioner, and the Deputy Commissioner of Police, along with the personnel from Cubbon Park police station, have been suspended?" he questioned. This raises pertinent question because the issue prima facie stems from an intelligence failure, as such to begin with, who should have been primarily held responsible for the failure in overseeing the intelligence operations? Abraham stated. "Why no action being taken against him?" Abraham sought to know. "The government of Karnataka and more specifically the CM has virtually acknowledged that the primary cause of the stampede was a failure of judgement, intelligence and dereliction of duty by certain officers. "The Intelligence Department is a branch of Karnataka Police, headed by an Additional Director General of Police. The department is responsible for gathering and disseminating intelligence, foreseeing possibilities of untoward occurrences or illegal activities, which the law enforcement authorities need to take note of and try to prevent such incidences in public interest," Abraham stated in his complaint. Reacting to the matter pertaining to Hemant Nimbalkar, Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy also criticised the state government, saying that it has not taken any action against him as they had to consult their high command. Varanasi, June 6 : In a significant development in Varanasi, police have arrested Amit Pathak, who is said to be an assistant to Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee President Ajay Rai, in connection with a series of robberies and thefts. Pathak, aged 45, was nabbed along with an accomplice. Both of them are implicated in multiple criminal activities across various regions, and police have termed Pathak the leader of the gang. The police have registered a case against the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including extortion (Section 384), burglary at night (Section 457), robbery (Section 392), insult (Section 504), criminal intimidation (Section 506), and molestation of a woman (Section 354). The Varanasi Commissionerate Police are carrying out an investigation and are on the hunt to nab other individuals involved in the criminal network. The arrests have sent shockwaves through political and law enforcement circles, with investigations now pointing toward a wider network of criminal activity. The police team arrested Pathak and his accomplice after a long tracking and continued surveillance. Both individuals are said to be involved in multiple criminal cases, with charges ranging from burglary to molestation. The FIRs registered against them run into dozens and include serious allegations of extortion, robbery, and violence against women. Ajay Rai's PA and the other individual were arrested under Case No. 102/2025. The arrested individuals had been operating with impunity, and they had built a network that targeted vulnerable homes and individuals. They often used political connections to protect themselves from any action or scrutiny. The inclusion of molestation charges has added further gravity to the case. The victims are now beginning to come forward with their statements. Commissionerate police have stated that further investigations are underway, and efforts are ongoing to arrest other members of the gang. "This is just the beginning. We believe there are more people involved, and no one will be spared, regardless of their political or social position," said a senior police official involved in the case. While the Congress has yet to issue a formal statement, the arrest of someone closely linked to a senior political leader is likely to raise serious questions about the vetting of personal staff and potential misuse of influence. BJP national spokesperson Ajay Alok said: "Have you all heard of 'Gangs of Wasseypur'? These days, something quite similar is going on with the Gangs of Gandhi Family... This gang is truly remarkable. Just recently, in Varanasi, the police busted a gang of robbers. Two individuals were arrested. There are over 150 cases against them, including theft, robbery, and harassment of women. And do you know who is the mastermind behind these two thieves? A man named Amit Pathak. Who is Amit Pathak? He is the private secretary to the PCC president, that is, the Congress party's Uttar Pradesh State President Ajay Rai..." The police are urging anyone who may have been affected or has information about the gangas activities to come forward. As the case unfolds, it could have far-reaching implicationsa"not just for law enforcement but for political accountability as well. New Delhi, June 6 : Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday announced plans to distribute free laptops to 1,200 students who excel in their Class 10 and 12 board exams. She added that the government is actively promoting CSR partnerships to involve the community in supporting education and public service. Earlier, CM Gupta discussed issues related to academic quality and infrastructure upgrades with principals of government schools in Shalimar Bagh Assembly constituency. "Our government believes in quality, not showmanship," said the CM promising that the government will strengthen the capital's education model. Flanked by Cabinet Minister Pravesh Sahib Singh, CM Gupta focused on digital facilities and future requirements of schools in the area. The CM said that during the meeting ongoing development efforts, policies, and on-ground challenges in Shalimar Bagh schools were extensively discussed, and feedback from principals was sought to refine strategies and ensure effective implementation. CM Rekha Gupta said: "Every child in Delhi deserves a quality education. Our goal is not just to construct school building, but to establish a robust education system that contributes significantly to nation-building." During the meeting, she emphasised on comprehensive reforms to enhance education quality in the region's schools. She instructed that essential facilities such as toilets, clean drinking water, proper lighting, and comfortable seating must be upgraded. She also directed PWD's Horticulture Department to ensure greenery and landscaping on school premises. The Chief Minister highlighted the government's push for digital education, announcing the establishment of thousands of smart classrooms, 125 digital libraries, and 100 language labs this year. Schools will also be equipped with smart boards, modern laboratories, and IT tools. Stressing the vital role of teachers in nation-building, she announced regular training and exposure to modern pedagogical methods. She directed that meritorious, struggling, and specially-abled students be identified and provided with extra guidance, resources, and support to ensure equal opportunity for all. She stated that the newly launched "75 CM Shri Schools" are a transformative initiative that will elevate government schools beyond just infrastructure to deliver education quality surpassing private institutions. Patna, June 6 : In a joint operation conducted by the Special Task Force (STF) and Samastipur police in Bihar, four individuals, including a suspended Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of police, were arrested after intense firing from both sides on Friday. The joint team also recovered a large cache of firearms and ammunition from their possession. This is considered a significant achievement of the Bihar STF and Samastipur police. The main accused, suspended ASI Saroj Singh, also known as Nimki Singh, was apprehended from his residence in Sultanpur Ganga Diara Village, under the jurisdiction of Mohiuddin Nagar police station. Patori range Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) confirmed the incident. During the raid, authorities seized over 450 live cartridges and modern firearms, from Saroj Singh premises. Police suspect that the ASI allegedly has a strong connection with the local arms smugglers. According to an official, the raid triggered resistance from Saroj Singh and his local supporters, resulting in a tense standoff. They fired several rounds on the joint forces after they saw them approaching. STF personnel, supported by the local police, were forced to retaliate to maintain control, creating panic in the village during the operation. The STF and Samastipur police have not yet disclosed the nature of the seized weapons but have confirmed that a detailed investigation is underway. The arrested individuals are currently being interrogated, and further legal proceedings are expected to follow. Saroj Singh had previously been suspended from duty a year ago, although the reasons for his suspension have not been disclosed as yet. However, sources have said that Saroj Singh allegedly has links with arms smugglers. The discovery of such a significant cache of arms and ammunition raises serious concerns about illegal activities and potential security threats in the region. Authorities are expected to brief the media after further interrogation and forensic examination of the recovered materials. The search operation is currently underway in the house of the ASI. Islamabad/New Delhi, June 6 : With its citizens deeply worried now about the country staring down the barrel of a major water crisis, a desperate Pakistan has written to India as many as four times, pleading New Delhi to reconsider its decision of suspending the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) following the heinous April 22 Pahalgam terror attack which resulted in the death of 26 innocent civilians. The four letters sent by Syed Ali Murtaza, Secretary of Pakistan's Ministry of Water Resources, were addressed to the Ministry of Jal Shakti which has since then forwarded them to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), sources indicated. In the letters, Murtaza has urged India to reinstate the agreement. Invoking its national security prerogative, India has made it clear that the treaty will remain in abeyance until Islamabad "credibly and irrevocably" ends its support for cross-border terrorism. The move was endorsed by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the apex decision-making body on strategic affairs, immediately after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, marking the first time New Delhi has hit pause on the World Bank-brokered agreement. As India launched Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi repeatedly underlined the government's uncompromising position that "water and blood cannot flow together" and "terror and talks cannot happen at the same time". Pushed on the backfoot by India's decisive operation, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has been expressing Islamabad's willingness to engage in peace talks with India to resolve ongoing disputes between the two countries. This was after several leading Pakistani politicians made a desperate appeal to the Shehbaz Sharif government to "defuse" the "water bomb" that is hanging over the country after India suspended the IWT. "We would die of hunger if we don't resolve the water crisis now. The Indus Basin is our lifeline as three-fourths of our water comes from outside the country, nine out of 10 people depend on the Indus water basin for their living, as much as 90 per cent of our crops rely on this water and all our power projects and dams are built on it. This is like a water bomb hanging over us and we must defuse it," Pakistan Senator Syed Ali Zafar said in his speech during a Senate Session, last month. The Indus Water Treaty, which was signed in 1960, governs the sharing of the waters of six rivers a" Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej a" between India and Pakistan. India has charged Pakistan with violating the IWT by trampling its spirit of goodwill through thousands of terrorist attacks and by obstructing the updating of the infrastructure to ensure its safety. "Despite this, India has shown extraordinary patience and magnanimity... Far-reaching fundamental changes have taken place not only in terms of escalating security concerns through cross-border terror attacks, but also growing requirements for producing clean energy, climate change, and demographic change," said India's Permanent Representative P Harish while responding to Pakistan's campaign of disinformation during an informal meeting of the UN Security Council in New York on May 24. New Delhi had formally asked Islamabad on several occasions in the last two years to discuss modifications of the treaty, but to no avail. "Pakistan has continued to consistently block any changes to this infrastructure, and any modifications of the provisions, which are permissible under the treaty," Harish said while emphasising that while the fundamental basis of the treaty laid out in its preamble is a spirit of goodwill and friendship, Pakistan has inflicted on India three wars and thousands of terror attacks. Seoul, June 6 : South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Friday appointed former Vice Finance Minister Kim Yong-beom as his chief of staff for policy, the presidential office said. Kim had served in various capacities at the Finance Ministry and the financial regulator since entering public service in 1987. Kang Hoon-sik, Lee's chief of staff, told reporters that Kim has a "deep understanding of overall economic policy," describing the former Vice Finance Minister as the "right person" to implement the president's pledges to improve people's livelihoods. Ha Joon-kyung, an economics professor at Seoul's Hanyang University, was appointed as senior presidential secretary for economic growth, while Moon Jin-young, a social welfare professor at Seoul's Sogang University, was appointed as senior presidential secretary for social affairs. The organisational reshuffle at the presidential office was also carried out to promote the nation's economic growth engines, with new senior aide positions established in the areas of fiscal planning and artificial intelligence, Kang said. It also included expanding the control tower function and strengthening policy efforts for public safety, according to Kang. Under the reshuffle, the new administration restored the position of secretary for gender equality and family, which had been removed during the former government. New positions were also established to oversee the relocation of the Oceans Ministry to the southeastern port city of Busan, and to ensure that the prosecution and the judiciary function properly to protect the rights of the people, Yonhap news agency reported. A temporary unit tasked with handling the relocation of the presidential office to Cheong Wa Dae was also newly established, Kang said. On the campaign trail, Lee had stated his intent to revamp Cheong Wa Dae and relocate there, but will use the Yongsan presidential office for the time being. Earlier in the day, Lee Jae-myung said that rewarding patriotism is the nation's responsibility and duty, and vowed to provide "special compensation" for those who sacrificed their lives to safeguard the nation. New Delhi, June 6 : The start of work for setting up a 500 KW solar power plant and steps towards making the legislature paperless topped the list of achievements highlighted in the 100-day report card of the Eight Legislative Assembly released on Friday. Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Harsh Malhotra released the report card in the presence of Speaker Vijender Gupta and lauded the latter's green initiatives. Other achievements listed in the report card included two-day training programme for legislators, modernisation of the Assembly Library into a state-of-the-art digital knowledge resource hub and a robust heritage conservation plan, ensuring preservation of the Assembly's architectural and historical legacy. In his address, Malhotra lauded the Assembly's commendable work, describing the report card as "a reflection of remarkable accomplishments" and applauding its visionary theme of 'Virasat se Vikas ki Ore' a journey from heritage to progress. Recalling his formative years in public service, he fondly remembered working under the guidance of Gupta during their tenure in the MCD, crediting him as a mentor whose emphasis on duty and discipline continues to influence him while discharging his duties as a parliamentarian. The Minister praised the Speaker's balanced leadership, highlighting a visible shift in the conduct of Assembly proceedings over the past 100 days. "In this entire period, not once have we witnessed the kind of disruptions that had become commonplace in the previous decade," he remarked. "Speaker Gupta has upheld democratic traditions, provided equal space to the Opposition, and ensured the dignity of the House," said Malhotra. Reflecting on the Assembly's historical and cultural significance, Malhotra described the premises as a "living heritage," emphasising the importance of its preservation for generations to come. Speaker Gupta, in his address, reaffirmed the Delhi Legislative Assembly's unwavering commitment to transparency, sustainable development, and cultural preservation. He emphasised that the Report Card is not merely a record of legislative performance, but a reflection of an evolving, citizen-centric model of legislative ethos. Gupta highlighted key milestones achieved during the Assembly's first 100 days, including the successful implementation of the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) to facilitate a paperless legislature and the laying of the foundation stone for a 500 kW solar power plant, underscoring the Assembly's dedication to clean energy and green governance. Mumbai, June 6 : Actor Dhanush is presently shooting for Aanand L Rai's much-anticipated drama, "Tere Ishk Mein". Mumbai, June 6 (IANS) Actor Dhanush is presently shooting for Aanand L Raias much-anticipated drama, "Tere Ishk Mein". It seems like Dhanush will be seen as an Air Force officer in his next. Now, adding to the hype, a new set of photos from the shoot have surfaced on social media. In the photos, Dhanush is seen in a completely new avatar posing in a sharp Indian Air Force uniform, with short hair and a steely moustache. This look of the actor is in complete contrast to his first look from "Tere Ishk Mein" with long hair and a full beard, most likely from the grittier phase of his character. The primary teaser of the drama featured Dhanush setting a wall on fire with the words, "From the world of Raanjhanaa". We could also hear in the backdrop, "Pichli baar to Kundan tha, maan gaya par iss bar Shankar ko kaise rokoge? (Last time it was Kundan, he accepted it, but how will you stop Shankar this time?)". For the unversed, Dhanush entered Bollywood with the spiritual prequel of "Tere Ishk Mein" - "Raanjhanaa", which was also helmed by Aanand L Rai. Now, more than a decade later, he is all set to once again deliver another cinematic gem with the filmmaker. Dhanush will be seen sharing screen space with Kriti Sanon in the film, who will essay the role of Mukti. The storyline of the movie has been kept under wraps for now. Presented by Gulshan Kumar, T-Series, and Colour Yellow, "Tere Ishk Mein" is being backed by Aanand L Rai and Himanshu Sharma, in association with Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar. Coming to the technical crew, Himanshu Sharma has provided the screenplay for the flick that will feature melodies scored by Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman. "Tere Ishk Mein" is scheduled for a theatrical release on November 28. New Delhi, June 6 : New Delhi-based rights group Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) on Friday claimed that at least 123 Awami League members were victims of targeted murder under Muhammad Yunus' regime, including 41 being hacked to death in Taliban style attacks. RRAG Director Suhas Chakma said that they would approach the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the targeted murder under the Bangladesh caretaker government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. The rights group in a report, 'Bangladesh: Organised murder for membership to the Awami League and its affiliate organisations', released on Friday stated that at least 123 members of the Awami League and its affiliate organisations such as Swechasebak League, Chhatra League, Juba League, Matsojibi League, Krishak League were victims of targeted murder under the regime of Muhammad Yunus from August 5, 2024 to April 30 2025. The RRAG report said that the victims include at least 41 Awami League members who were hacked to death, sometimes by slitting of throats, in a La Taliban style, while 21 others were killed in the custody of the Interim government. "These murders of the Awami League members are just the tip of the iceberg, as not all the murders of the Awami League members were reported in the local media, and further, the RRAG was not able to monitor the local media. It is, however, clear that even children, women, the mentally unstable, and maimed were not spared," said PRAG Director Chakma in a statement. Citing specific cases, the RRAG stated, on December 17, 2024, the alleged supporters of Mohammed Yunus murdered Mohammed Masud Rana and 12-year-old Mohd Rian, a class five student at Nachol, Chapaiganj, for merely writing 'Joy Bangla slogan in their Facebook page five months before the students' movement. The statement said that on December 5, 2024, Arina Begum was hacked to death while offering Namaaz just because her son was the President of the Chhatra League of Kajldighi Kaliaganj Union and had been living in hiding. On September 19, 2024, Tofazzal, Kathaltoli Union Chhatra League in Patharghata Upazila, a mentally unstable man, was brutally killed in the Dhaka University compound by a student mob despite being mentally sick. On September 8, 2024, former Rajshahi University Chhatra League leader Abdullah Al Masud whose veins in one of the legs and hands had been severed in a brutal attack in 2014 and had been walking with a plastic leg was beaten to death when he went to purchase medicine despite no longer being associated with the Chhatra League. On August 13, 2024, Awami League worker Babar Ali was murdered by slitting his throat after being picked up from in front of his house in Bogura district, the PRAG statement said. Chakma said that the shrill political rhetoric by the political opponents, whether Jamaat-I-Islami, Bangladesh National Party, the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement and the top leadership of the Interim government headed by Mohammed Yunus, effectively encouraged the vengeance against the Awami League. "The banning of the Chhatra League and subsequently the Awami League itself justified these acts of vendetta with impunity," stated Chakma. The RRAG stated that out of the 1,400 people who might have been killed between July 15 and August 5 also included the Awami League members but their relatives could not testify before the inquiry conducted by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights because of the fear of being killed. "The situation worsened as the interim government had provided absolute impunity by prohibiting the police from filing cases or arresting anyone involved in last year's July-August uprising, including for the murder of the 44 policemen," the statement said. It said that crimes against humanity are being committed in Bangladesh by both state and non-state actors. The rights body stated that these targeted murders for being members of the Awami League and its affiliate organisations under the interim government constitute a crime against humanity. Mohammed Yunus, as head of the interim government and Adviser for Home Affairs, Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, are liable for the murder of the Awami League members. Chakma said that the RRAG will file a formal complaint with the International Criminal Court as the war crimes committed in Bangladesh till date including by Yunus' Interim Government are akin to the crimes against humanity committed in the context of post-election violence in Kenya in 2007-2008, which was investigated by the International Criminal Court. The targeted killing of political opponents during Yunus' regime is among other issues being raised with the UK government, as Yunus is scheduled to visit the UK on June 10-13 to receive the Harmony Award 2025 from King Charles III, the PRAG statement said. New Delhi, June 6 : Just days after the Congress and other opposition leaders mocked what they claimed was a diplomatic snub to India over its non-invitation to the upcoming G7 Summit in Canada, the narrative has turned dramatically. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday confirmed that he has accepted an official invitation from his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney to attend the G7 Summit, in Kananaskis, Alberta. Taking to social media platform X to announce Carney's invitation, PM Modi wrote: "Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests". The invitation and acceptance directly contradict the Congress's recent statements, where senior leaders like Jairam Ramesh and Supriya Shrinate slammed the government's foreign policy, calling it a failure that India had not been invited. Ramesh had claimed on June 3 that India's absence from the list of invited nations was a "big diplomatic bungle." Shrinate, too, lamented that "even countries like Canada no longer invite India," contrasting it with then-US President Barack Obama's 2010 praise for then-PM Manmohan Singh at a G20 forum. These criticisms now appear premature and politically motivated. In a rapidly changing diplomatic environment, jumping to conclusions before official announcements are made can be misleading, say analysts. The opposition's attempt to portray diplomatic isolation now appears both ill-timed and misplaced, they add. The invitation to PM Modi has highlighted India's continued importance and its remarkable clout on the global stage, particularly in a world which is grappling with geopolitical realignments, economic instability, and climate challenges. It also reflects the maturity and flexibility of India's foreign policy, which continues to secure the country's presence in key global forums. With India having participated in previous G7 Summits as a special invitee under different hosts, this year's participation in Canada further reinforces the country's status as a major global player. As PM Modi prepares to represent India at the summit, the incident serves as a reminder that foreign policy cannot be judged through speculation or political soundbites. Strategic partnerships, bilateral relations, and summit invitations often involve complex negotiations, and India has clearly demonstrated its relevance. In 2017, the Revillagigedo Archipelago became the largest fully protected marine reserve in North America. That year, the Mexican government granted it the most restrictive conservation status under its legislation, and prohibited both fishing and natural resource extraction across its 14,808,780 hectares. The move was quickly hailed as a global example of sound conservation policy. Despite this, a U.S. yacht is believed to have been illegally entering the Revillagigedo ecosystem for eight years, according to scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The vessel is the Red Rooster III, operated by Lee Palm Sportfishers, which organizes sport fishing trips out of San Diego, California. This activity is completely prohibited in Revillagigedo, and it wouldnt be the only irregularity that this vessel has committed, says Fabio Favoretto, a scientific data analyst for marine and coastal issues at the research center, whose mission, among other activities, is to monitor marine vessels in real time through the Skylight satellite monitoring tool. Thanks to this free tool, we can detect vessels entering the park illegally and report them to the appropriate authorities, adds Favoretto, part of the team that monitored the illegal presence of the U.S.-flagged yacht in Mexican waters. The alarm first sounded on January 27 of this year, when the Skylight platform was activated and alerted researchers and park rangers from the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP). According to satellite records, the Red Rooster III entered the parks protected area and spent time near Clarion Island, one of the four volcanic islands that make up the archipelago, displaying zigzagging movements generally associated with tuna and wahoo fishing activities, two species of high commercial value. The route of the 'Red Rooster III' from the port of San Diego to the Revillagigedo National Park and Clarion Island, in images obtained by Global Fishing Watch. Cortesia In addition to allegedly violating the fishing ban, the U.S. vessel failed to notify the relevant authorities of its entry into the protected area. The regulatory framework for these territories stipulates that anyone using the park must notify CONANP, even if they are observing wildlife or flora, or diving, the only activities permitted in the area. The U.S. yacht wasnt engaging in innocent passage, adds Favoretto, the name given to the permit that all vessels crossing the maritime territory of other countries must have. So it could have violated more than one Mexican law, the scientist clarifies. Reconstruction According to satellite records, after the initial alert, the U.S.-flagged vessel sailed through the protected natural area for several days without notifying the authorities until, on February 8, while near the U.S. border and returning to San Diego, it turned on its Automatic Identification System (AIS) again. This device transmits the location, identity, heading, and speed of vessels so that other ships and port offices can be aware of their presence and avoid collisions. AIS is mandatory for vessels over certain dimensions and for all passenger vessels, regardless of size. This 105-foot vessel meets both requirements for mandatory signaling. However, the Red Rooster III has a history of turning off its AIS right near the preserve polygon, the scientist warns. This time, probably by mistake, they left the signal on, and we were able to catch and investigate them. In addition to satellite tracking, the team also detected a post on the vessels official Facebook channel with evidence of irregular activity. In a photo shared on social media, published on January 29, days after capturing the ships signal inside the park, two fishermen appear posing with several freshly caught yellowfin tuna. Social media screenshots from the RED ROOSTER III, dated during the days it was located inside Revillagigedo. Cortesia On March 5, 2025, the scientific team and CONANP park rangers received another warning about the vessels entry into the Revillagigedo National Park. On March 6, thanks to exhaustive monitoring, they were able to detect that it had reached the vicinity of Clarion Island. The last record is from March 14, when it left the park, explains the expert, whose team was able to detect the vessels history. Thanks to the satellite platform, we can perfectly observe the gaps from when they switched the system off and on, a serious mistake for them because we can reconstruct everything from that, he adds. By analyzing the available historical data on the vessels activity, obtained from the Global Fishing Watch platform, investigators realized that the ship had been illegally entering the largest protected natural area in North America for years. We have multiple pieces of evidence of all the times it has entered. Tracing the oldest trips, we have at least eight incursions into the park, reveals Favoretto. The evidence shows that, upon entering Revillagigedo National Park, the vessel always switches off its AIS, with all the implications that this entails. This newspaper contacted Lee Palm Sportfishers to get their version of events, but did not receive a reply. Lack of coordination between authorities Once all the information was gathered, CONANP reported the situation to the Mexican Federal Attorney Generals Office for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA). Given the evidence of alleged environmental crimes within protected natural areas, our obligation is to prepare a document that is technically and legally supported by evidence that an irregularity is suspected, stated Benito Bermudez, director of CONANPs Baja California Peninsula and North Pacific Region. Since then, they are still awaiting action from their superiors. PROFEPA, which this newspaper contacted, has declined to comment. For its part, Mexicos Ministry of the Navy (Semar) stated in an emailed response that monitoring of the area has been increased in order to intensify possible movements in Revillagigedo National Park by the Red Rooster vessel. However, they report that they do not have any other type of information beyond the satellite platform alerts. These statements provoke concern from a park ranger at the natural area who prefers to remain anonymous. We are concerned about the lack of capacity to act and respond to environmental crimes by some of the authorities involved in the protection of the park. Although the Mexican government announced earlier this year the implementation of innovative technologies and strategies for the conservation and management of Revillagigedo National Park, theres no point in having the technologies if it is not followed up by a legal framework, says the scientist Favoretto, who also warns about the lack of action protocols when vessels turn off their satellite monitoring systems. Bermudez, from CONANP, adds that a lot of work is being done to ensure appropriate regulations and to update regulatory frameworks based on these new technologies. In 2018, he explains, they had a similar case involving a tourist vessel near Clarion Island. Although CONANP filed a complaint and an inspection was carried out in conjunction with agents from the Navy, the crime could not be proven, even with evidence that illegal fishing had taken place. The chapter was closed, and we are not satisfied with the procedure, Bermudez states. Furthermore, as he notes, this new case is now the responsibility of PROFEPA in coordination with Semar and diplomatic bodies, because it involves a foreign vessel. We must act in accordance with international law. Disappointed by the lack of action from the relevant authorities, Favoretto laments: Whats the point of designating a protected natural preserve by decree if the law is later not upheld? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Kyiv, June 6 : Russian forces launched 400 drones and 40 missiles on Ukraine overnight on Friday, killing at least four people and injuring dozens, Ukrainian authorities said. All four fatalities occurred in Kyiv, where 20 other people were injured, said Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. The State Service for Emergencies confirmed that three of the victims were emergency service workers. Separately, the National Police reported that about 40 people were injured nationwide, with most of them in Kyiv, the northwestern city of Lutsk and the western city of Ternopil. According to the police, 38 facilities were damaged in the attacks, including five apartment buildings and five private houses, Xinhua news agency reported. For Kyiv residents, the night brought a sadly familiar chorus: the high-pitched buzz of drones, the wail of air raid sirens, and thunderous explosions overheadwhether from successful air defence interceptions or incoming missiles hitting their targets. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia had launched over 400 drones and 40 missiles in the massive overnight assault, calling it one of the largest since the war began. He said the strikes killed many people, injured 49 others, and targeted "almost all" of Ukraine, naming nine regions ranging from Lviv in the west to Sumy in the northeast. While Russia has persistently bombarded Ukraine throughout more than three years of full-scale war, this latest attack was widely anticipated. Ukrainians had been expecting a major reprisal since Sunday, when Kyiv carried out a bold strike that damaged more than a third of Russia's strategic cruise missile bombers. During a phone call with former US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would have to respond to the Ukrainian assault. Meanwhile, Ukraine's General Staff reported on Friday that its forces had struck two Russian airfields overnight. These sites were believed to be housing many aircraft that had escaped damage in Kyiv's "Spiderweb" operation last weekend. According to Ukraine's air force, Russia's assault included 407 drones, six ballistic missiles, more than 38 cruise missiles, and one anti-radar missiletotaling 452 projectiles. Of those, 406 were intercepted, including 32 cruise missiles and four ballistic missiles. The remaining two ballistic missiles reportedly missed their targets. Ukrainians had been bracing all week for a major retaliation following the weekend drone strike, which hit 34 per cent of Russia's nuclear-capable bombers at airbases as far as Siberia. Earlier on Thursday, Ukrainian forces struck a Russian missile unit in Bryansk region, hitting Iskander launchers, according to a statement from Ukraine's General Staff. The strike occurred as Russia's 26th missile brigade prepared to launch an attack, likely targeting Kyiv, from the city of Klintsy. On June 4, the Kremlin confirmed an attempted Ukrainian strike on the Crimean Bridge but claimed it caused no damage. "There was indeed an explosion, but nothing was harmed, and the bridge remains operational," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. On Tuesday, Ukraine also attacked the Kerch Bridgethe key link between Russia and the annexed Crimean Peninsulausing 1,100 kilograms of underwater explosives. Kolkata, June 6 : Trinamool Congress on Friday demanded the immediate resignation of senior BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh Cabinet Minister for Urban Development, Housing, and Parliamentary Affairs, Kailash Vijayvargiya from the state cabinet over his remarks disapproving of women wearing short outfits asserting that such a trend is a foreign concept of beauty and not aligned with Indian tradition. West Bengal minister of state for finance (independent charge) and the chief of Trinamool Congress's women's cell in West Bengal, Chandrima Bhattacharya, told media persons on Friday that nothing better could be expected from a leader like Vijayvargiya. "We condemn the remarks made by him. We hope that his party leadership will review how justified his remarks about women were. But we demand his immediate resignation from the Madhya Pradesh cabinet. He is not anyone to decide which dress a woman would choose for herself," Bhattacharya said. On Friday, All India Trinamool Congress also issued a statement in a post on X, claiming that such "regressive| comments on women have become a standard practice for the BJP leaders who are basically "Nari-Birodhi" (anti-women). "The usual suspects are at it again! MISOGYNY, PATRIARCHY, and outright DISRESPECT towards women have become a hallmark of #NariBirodhiBJP," the statement from Trinamool Congress read. In the statement, the Trinamool Congress also raised the question of whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed with the comments made by Vijayvargiya. A six-time legislator and a member of the Madhya Pradesh cabinet, Vijayvargiya on Thursday emphasised that in Indian culture, women are regarded as a form of Goddess and should dress in a manner that reflects grace and dignity. He also drew an analogy between speech length and clothing, referencing a Western saying that equates a leader who speaks less with a woman who wears less. He dismissed this notion, reaffirming his belief that women should dress modestly, reflecting their status as the embodiment of divinity. Wellington, June 6 : New Zealand is experiencing a significant surge in Covid-19 and other respiratory infections, with recent data showing a sharp jump in hospitalisations and outbreaks across the country. Healthline, the national medical advice service, reported an uptick in calls related to influenza-like illnesses, although the volume remains lower than the same period last year, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) reported on Friday. The country is facing its coldest winter temperatures of the year, with some regions recently recording temperatures below zero and fresh snowfall covering parts of the South Island. Hospital admissions for severe respiratory infections in Auckland, the country's most densely populated region, rose by over 50 per cent in the week ending June 1, although overall levels remain similar to those seen last year. Nationwide wastewater testing also points to a growing increase in Covid-19 cases, according to the Institute of Environmental Science and Research. Health New Zealand has responded by increasing staffing, optimising hospital bed use, and intensifying vaccination campaigns, Xinhua news agency reported,d quoting the RNZ. Over 1 million people have received flu shots this year, but only about 250,000 are up to date with Covid-19 boosters, government statistics show. National Chief Medical Officer Helen Stokes-Lampard acknowledged the challenges in boosting vaccination rates, citing issues with vaccine confidence and healthcare access, according to the RNZ report. Meanwhile, India is also seeing a gradual rise in Covid-19 cases, with nearly every state, except Arunachal Pradesh, reporting active infections. As of 8 am on June 6, there are 5,862 active cases nationwide, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. In the past 24 hours, there have been four new fatalities, compared to seven the day before. New Delhi, June 6 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a Prosecution Complaint (PC) against three persons in connection with a money laundering case originating from a fund transfer scam in Karnataka Bhovi Development Corporation (KBDC), an official said on Friday. The three accused -- R. Leelavathy, B.K. Nagarajappa and P. D. Subbappa a" are facing investigations over alleged misappropriation of funds from the KBDC a" a Karnataka government agency set up for the development of Scheduled Castes below the poverty line. The prosecution complaint was filed on June 3, 2025, the ED said in a statement. The investigation, which was initiated by ED on the basis of various FIRs registered by Karnataka Police, revealed that Nagarajappa, the then General Manager of KBDC, Leelavathy, the then Managing Director of KBDC and others, in connivance with middlemen and their associates, misappropriated funds from the KBDC. The funds were diverted to the bank accounts of various bogus entities, including Adithya Enterprises, Somanatheswara Enterprises, New Dreams Enterprises, Harntiha Creations, and Annika Enterprises, controlled/operated by Nagarajappa and others. Search and seizure operations under the provisions of PMLA, 2002 were carried out on April 4 at various locations across Bengaluru, including the KBDC office at V V Tower, Bengaluru and residential premises of accused/suspected persons. Nagarajappa as well as Leelavathy were arrested under PMLA, 2002 on May 5, 2025 and May 12, 2025, respectively, and they were remanded to ED custody for 14 days and 7 days, respectively. Currently, both are lodged in judicial custody. The ED said the Proceeds of Crime (POC) were used in the purchase of properties, making payments to middlemen, and further diverted to bank accounts of individuals and various other entities. Earlier, in this case, ED had provisionally attached various immovable properties worth Rs 26.27 crore (approx.), (having a market value of Rs 40 crore) belonging to Nagarajappa, Leelavathy and other accused involved in money laundering. New Delhi, June 6 : Indian and U.S. officials engaged in high-level trade negotiations here to arrive at an interim deal on tariff cuts, ahead of the July 9 deadline, have decided to extend their ongoing talks into next week, according to a senior official. Indiaas negotiating team, headed by Additional Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, has held talks over two days with senior officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), who arrived in Delhi for weekend talks. "The two countries are actively engaged in focused discussions to facilitate greater market access, reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers, and enhance supply chain resilience and integration," an official said. The negotiators are aiming to finalise an interim trade deal ahead of the July 9 deadline that has been fixed by US President Donald Trump for the 90-day pause on new tariffs that were to be levied on Indian products. Negotiations are expected to continue after that for a broader trade deal to be signed in September-October. The visit of the US team comes in the backdrop of Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal's recent trip to Washington for the trade talks. India has proposed significant tariff reductions, potentially lowering average duties from 13 per cent to 4 per cent, in exchange for exemptions from US tariff hikes imposed during the Trump administration. These concessions are on the same lines as those offered in the recent bilateral free trade agreement that India has signed with the United Kingdom. India is seeking market access for its industrial products such as steel, aluminium, auto components and pharmaceutical goods. Recently, the US doubled safeguard duties on steel and aluminium imports to 50 per cent, which has adversely impacted Indiaas exports. Although India has moved the WTO on the issue, it is hoping to settle the issue through the bilateral trade agreement. The US is also seeking broader market access for its agricultural and dairy products, but for India, the livelihood issue of the countryas small farmers is paramount, and hence, this is considered a sensitive area. India may allow the import of select agricultural products, such as almonds, as these are already flowing into the country. However, as a quid pro quo, India is likely to press for improved access to the US market for seafood products like shrimp and fish, as well as spices, coffee, and rubbera"segments where Indian exporters are globally competitive but face tariff competition in the American market. Trade between India and the US touched the $129 billion mark in 2024, with New Delhi recording a trade surplus of $45.7 billion. In February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump launched 'Mission 500', an initiative aiming to double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. The joint decision was announced during PM Modias visit to Washington. US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick also announced that a trade deal between India and the United States is likely to be finalised shortly. He stated this in his address at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum Annual Leadership Summit in Washington. New Delhi, June 6 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested a Junior Engineer, Naval Officers Family Residential Area, Mumbai, for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 4.5 lakh from a vendor for clearing his bills. A case was registered on Thursday against the accused on the basis of a written complaint of the company representative, whose bills were pending. The CBI said that the accused demanded a bribe of Rs 5.5 lakh from the complainant for clearing the pending bills of his firm, and after negotiation, he finally agreed to accept Rs 4.5 lakh. On receiving a complaint from the company owner, the CBI laid a trap and caught the accused red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 4.5 lakh. He was arrested and produced before the Special CBI Judge, Mumbai, on Friday, the CBI said. The Special Court Judge sent him to CBI custody till June 9. Searches were also conducted at the residential and official premises of the accused in Mumbai and Roorkee in Uttarakhand, and incriminating documents were seized. In a separate case, the CBI on Wednesday booked a recovery agent of a Gramin Bank in Uttar Pradesh for demanding a bribe of Rs 20,000 for the release of Rs 4 lakh life insurance claim to a widower and his son. Rahmat Ali, an employee of Prathama UP Gramin Bank, Branch-Dariyal, Rampur, was named in the complaint filed by Ashok Kumar, a resident of Rampur. Ashok Kumar said Ali called him up after Rs 2 lakh each were transferred to his and his son Vishal Singh's accounts. "The bank employee claimed that he had put in extra efforts for the issue of the claim to the family. He also sought a bribe of Rs 20,000," said Ashok Kumar in his complaint to the CBI. A CBI verification report based on the complaint said, "The above facts prima facie, discloses commission of cognizable offences punishable under section 7A of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), against Rahmat Ali, working as Recovery Agent for Prathama UP Gramin Bank (now Uttar Pradesh Gramin Bank), Branch-Dariyal, Rampur, UP and unknown public servants and private persons." Ali was booked under provisions related to taking undue advantage by corrupt or illegal means. Jamui, June 6 : In a major breakthrough in the fight against Left Wing Extremism (LWE), the Jamui Police in Bihar arrested Naresh Ravidas a.k.a. Patal Ravidas, a notorious Maoist operative and former area commander, from Teliyadih village under the Jhajha police station area on June 5, an official said on Friday. Ravidas had been on the run for 17 years and was wanted in multiple serious cases, including deadly attacks in Munger (2005) and Banka (2008) districts. According to Jamui SP Madan Kumar Anand, the arrest was made following a tip-off about Ravidas' return to his native village. Acting swiftly, a police team led by Jhajha SDPO Rajesh Kumar, Jhajha SHO Sanjay Kumar, and ASI Mukesh Kumar Singh, surrounded the area and took Ravidas into custody. "We had received secret information that Naresh Ravidas had returned. The area was cordoned off and he was arrested," SP Anand said. Ravidas, who once operated as an area commander in the Banka region of the Jharkhand-Bihar LWE zone, has been linked to major Maoist attacks. On January 5, 2005, he was allegedly involved in the ambush of then Munger SP K.C. Surendra Babu and five other police personnel in the Bhimbandh forest area. The deadly attack near Peshra village sent shockwaves across Bihar and exposed critical gaps in the state's security preparedness at that time. Surendra Babu and his team were returning after an anti-LWE operation when he and his team members were killed in a landmine explosion. In 2008, he was also accused of being involved in a Maoist attack at Belhar village that claimed five lives of innocent civilians in the Banka district. Ravidas faces multiple charges. After preliminary questioning, Ravidas was transferred to Banka jail under judicial custody on Friday. Authorities believe his arrest could reopen several old Maoist-related cases and help uncover hidden networks still operating in the region. SP Anand said the police would continue to intensify operations against Maoist remnants in the border regions of Bihar and Jharkhand, focusing on gathering intelligence and dismantling support systems. New Delhi, June 6 : In wake of revelations that a female employee of ICICI Bank illegally withdrew crores of rupees from more than 100 customer accounts, including fixed deposits (FDs), financial experts have called on the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to take stricter measures to address such loopholes in the banking system. Experts have suggested that the RBI should introduce systems like tokenisation for fixed deposits, which would ensure that sensitive FD information is accessible only to the account holder, preventing misuse by bank staff. They also emphasised the need for the central bank to strengthen its supervisory mechanisms to detect such frauds early and effectively. The fraud took place at ICICI Bankas Shriramnagar branch in the Udyog Nagar area of Rajasthan's Kota. According to reports, the employee, identified as Sakshi Gupta, allegedly misused internal banking systems to siphon off approximately Rs 4.58 crore from 110 accounts, most of which belonged to senior citizens. She is accused of investing the funds in the stock market. Gupta reportedly carried out the fraud over a span of three years, from 2020 to 2023. She allegedly prematurely closed fixed deposits without the account holdersa consent, activated overdraft facilities, and used digital banking platforms to transfer funds into accounts held by her family members. The fraud came to light only when one of the affected customers visited the branch to inquire about his fixed deposit. ICICI Bank filed a formal police complaint at the Udyog Nagar police station in February 2025, after conducting an internal investigation. In a statement, ICICI Bank clarified that all legitimate customer claims have been resolved and that no customer has suffered any financial loss as a result of the incident. However, the case has raised serious concerns about internal controls and oversight within banks. Experts are urging the RBI to implement advanced technological safeguards and a more robust monitoring framework to prevent similar incidents in the future. New Delhi, June 6 : India and five Central Asian countries on Friday expressed interest in joint exploration of rare earth and critical minerals, as New Delhi aims to reduce dependence on shipments from China, which has curbed the exports of rare earth materials. It was conveyed during the 4th meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue held in New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. Appreciating the outcomes of the first India-Central Asia Rare Earth Forum held in September 2024 in New Delhi, the Ministers called upon the relevant authorities to hold the second India-Central Asia Rare Earth Forum meeting at the earliest convenience. The Ministers also encouraged the exchange of delegations to explore new areas of cooperation in critical minerals. The Indian government wants to develop domestic manufacturing capabilities and is reportedly considering offering production-based fiscal incentives to companies in the field of rare earth materials. Meanwhile, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan noted the current level of trade and investment between India and Central Asian countries and stressed the importance of making concerted efforts to realise the full potential of mutual trade, especially in sectors like pharmaceuticals, information technology, agriculture, energy, textiles, gems and jewellery, etc. According to the MEA statement, the Ministers underlined the importance of greater financial connectivity between India and Central Asian countries, including through digital payment systems, enhanced interbank relations, and trade in national currencies to encourage greater trade, investment, tourism and people-to-people exchanges. Recognising the important role of financial and banking linkages, the Sides also expressed interest in establishing a Joint Working Group to explore ways to further deepen banking and financial connectivity between India and Central Asian partners, according to the statement. The Central Asian countries noted the importance of India Stack in accelerating digital transformation and providing public service delivery at scale. India agreed to provide assistance in developing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in Central Asian countries. The Ministers also agreed to establish the India-Central Asia Digital Partnership Forum and welcomed Uzbekistanas offer to host the inaugural meeting. a"IANS na/vd Kolkata, June 6 : Three members of a family, which includes husband, wife, and their only daughter, tried to commit suicide on Friday by consuming heavy doses of sleeping pills at Chandannagar in the Hooghly district of West Bengal. Already, the mother, Sunita Das (83), has been declared dead. The father, Ekendranath Das (87), and his daughter, Sharmishtha Das (43), are currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital in Chandannagar. While the daughter is completely out of danger now, the father is also recovering fast, confirmed an official of the Chandannagar Police Commissionerate. Initial investigation and the statement given by the daughter to the police revealed that although they were once in an affluent financial condition, the three members of the family had been reeling under an acute financial crisis for the past few years. So they decided to end their lives and hence consumed high doses of sleeping pills, as per the statement given by Sharmishtha Das to the police. However, the police, as per rule, have started a routine investigation into the case. Later, she also narrated the same story to a section of the media persons. "We have been suffering from an acute financial crisis for the last few months. We did not have the money to hire a domestic help or the treatment. So we decided to end our lives by consuming sleeping pills," she said. The body of the deceased Sunita Das had been sent for post-mortem examination. The reason behind her death will be ascertained after the full report of the autopsy is available. It has been learnt that the bodies of the three members were spotted in a visibly senseless condition at their residence by one of the neighbours. The local police station was informed and the police shifted them to the local hospital. The mother was declared dead by the hospital authorities soon, and doctors started prompt treatment of the father and the daughter. Their neighbours said that, probably because of the financial crisis, the members of the Das family became extremely unsocial during the last couple of years and hardly interacted with the local people. In the 11th century, the Spanish region known today as La Rioja was part of a vast uninhabited area of the Iberian Peninsula that served as a buffer zone between the Christian and Muslim kingdoms. It was a sparsely populated territory, fraught with danger. In 1092, a Christian mercenary did not hesitate to raze those lands, even though they belonged to King Alfonso VI. Cruelly and mercilessly, he set fire to all those lands, razing them completely in the most cruel and impious manner. He devastated and destroyed that entire region, carrying out ferocious and inhuman pillage, states the medieval chronicle Historia Roderici. That implacable warrior was named Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, and he has gone down in history as El Cid. How is it possible that a ruthless mercenary, who sold his services without regard for his employers religion, went on to become a legend of Christianity and embraced by the National Catholicism of Francos regime? The medievalist Nora Berend, 59, who teaches at St. Catharine College, Cambridge, has dedicated a book, El Cid. The Life and Afterlife of a Medieval Mercenary to try to explain the abyss that separates the Historia Roderici the first medieval account of the adventures of El Cid, written in the 12th century from the famous poem by Manuel Machado that generations of Spaniards had to learn by heart in school (Through the terrible Castilian steppe / into exile, with twelve of his own / dust, sweat and iron / El Cid rides). Other famous iterations include the El Cid myth fed by Francos National Catholic Crusade, as well as the Cantar de Mio Cid, a medieval epic poem about which there is hardly any reliable data, but which is widely viewed as marking the beginning of Castilian literature. There is also El Cid by the French playwright Corneille, which revolutionized European theater in the 17th century, and the 1961 film by Anthony Mann starring Charlton Heston and Sofia Loren. Berends book also explores contributions by Ramon Menendez Pidal, the Spanish scholar who seized upon the figure of El Cid in the 20th century (one might also say that it was the other way around and that the professor was possessed by books of chivalry); the adventurous reconstruction of El Cid by the novelist Arturo Perez-Reverte in Sidi, and even a photograph of former Spanish conservative prime minister Jose Maria Aznar dressed as El Cid, which appeared in this newspaper in 1987. The historians work not only describes the historical figure a subject to which she dedicates the first chapter but also the long path that goes from history to legend. As a first step, it was easy to transform Rodrigos story into that of a supposed leader of a Christian war against the Muslims, a transformation that had already taken place in medieval times, Nora Berend explains via email. Francoist nationalists then used the distorted past of a crusade to liberate Spain from the Muslims, with El Cid as their first leader. Castiles leadership in the Reconquista was a key element of Francoist ideology, and El Cid was seen as a Castilian patriot. This served as a model for a crusade against the Republicans [or, in other words, it transformed the medieval past to serve the Francoist present]. This was part of the strategy to legitimize terror by creating a supposed continuity." She continues: In this way, the nationalist cause was presented as a religious crusade, claiming to continue a medieval Reconquista. According to this, the supposed common past of the Spanish people, through which they constructed their identity and the very essence of the Spanish nation, was Christian and nationalist. The Francoist legacy then serves as an inspiration and model for the New Right. Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente and Ramon Menendez Pidal with Charlton Heston on the set of 'El Cid'. JAIME PATO (EFE) The surprising thing, as Berend explains in her book, is that this metamorphosis began taking place while El Cid was still alive. Rodrigos family, their descendants, and the monks of San Pedro de Cardena, among others, contributed to the development of the legend that presents him as the savior of Christians sent by God. An unparalleled warrior, never defeated, of firm Christian faith, and faithful vassal of the king, he was a good role model to propagate from the perspective of later kings, so that his legend, largely developed in the monastery of San Pedro de Cardena, was incorporated into the official histories compiled at the courts of Alfonso X and Sancho IV. The monks created the image of a saintly Rodrigo, although the attempt at canonization in 1554 ultimately failed. In all cases, the legend of Rodrigo was transformed according to the needs of the users of the story. These legends became part of literary texts, such as chronicles, romances, chivalric tales and plays, turning Rodrigo into a well-known literary hero in the Iberian Peninsula. Although the epic poem Cantar de mio Cid remains a profound mystery, the facts surrounding the life of Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar are fairly well documented. He was a medieval warrior, born around the middle of the 11th century, and died in 1099 in Valencia, a territory he had taken control of and which his wife Jimena inherited. He served under King Sancho II and King Alfonso VI, although he was exiled and later served the Muslim kingdom of Zaragoza. As Berend notes, he did not distinguish between friend and foe based on their religious beliefs. But little by little, the legend deepened, and many of his most famous exploits such as winning a battle after death although false, have come to be accepted as real. Statue of El Cid in San Diego (California). meunierd Of particular interest is the episode of the Oath of Santa Gadea, a precursor to the Magna Carta that English nobles wrested from King John Lackland in the 13th century and considered a precedent for contemporary democratic rights. According to legend, El Cid forced King Alfonso VI to swear in the Church of Santa Gadea in Burgos that he had nothing to do with the death of his brother Sancho II in order to ascend to the throne. This oath, Berend explains, was considered a precedent for parliamentary democracy, an emblem of resistance to tyranny, and a symbol of legal controls on monarchical power. However, everything related to this story is a fabrication. The striking thing is that, if the myth had moved in a different direction, El Cid could have become a myth of the struggle for democracy, not just a symbol for a fascist dictatorship and later for the reactionary right. The endless debate surrounding the authorship and composition of Cantar de mio Cid reflects the many mysteries that still surround a historical figure about whom, to paraphrase the famous final line from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, the legend was printed. This is, evidently, a very important text for Castilian literary history, says the writer. Its dating and authorship have been highly controversial. What is clear is that the monastery of San Pedro de Cardena, in Burgos, must have influenced its writing, because the text presents Rodrigo as if he had had important ties to the monastery during his lifetime, when not only do we have no evidence of this, but there is even evidence to the contrary: his donation to San Sebastian de Silos, and the absence of any trace of a donation to San Pedro. It is also evident that the Cantar significantly transformed the historical Rodrigo into a Christian hero, a loyal vassal of the king, and a Castilian patriot. In all these respects, the Cid of the Cantar is not the Rodrigo of history. Former Spanish prime minister Jose Maria Aznar dressed as El Cid, in an image published in EL PAIS in 1987, when he was still the regional premier of Castile and Leon. Luis Magan The myth of El Cid, like many other moments from the Middle Ages, has taken on increasing importance today, especially for the political far right. Berend explains: In many European countries, the Middle Ages have traditionally been considered a foundational period, during which the state was born. This in itself is a simplification, but it makes medieval events especially significant, as if modern identity depended on events and ideals from many centuries ago. Over time, many groups have found an affinity with the Middle Ages, attracted by different elements, and not just for political reasons; for example, the Pre-Raphaelites, the circle of 19th-century English artists. Of course, a very selective and distorted view of the Middle Ages is always evoked. I think its the supposedly Christian national values, the legitimization of violence against those who dont conform, the idea that a uniform society can be created, that appeals to the right. The relationship between national myths and the Middle Ages is by no means exclusive to Spain. France, with Joan of Arc, is one of the many examples that proliferate throughout Europe. In the Balkans, a territory where the past is firmly part of the present, it is especially significant. The Serbian national myth is the Battle of Kosovo, in which, in 1389, Christian troops were defeated by the Ottomans, and the Serbs lost their freedom. It was widely used by Serbian ultranationalism in the 1980s and 1990s. However, as Noel Malcolm explains in Kosovo. A Short History, the documents do not make clear what happened, and there is much evidence that there were Muslims and Christians on both sides. There are also parallels with many other places: for example, the Hungarian myth of being the bastion of Christianity contrasts with the historical deeds of several Hungarian military leaders who allied and fought alongside the Ottomans against the Habsburgs. Other examples are the myths surrounding Joan of Arc in France, which ignore the role of the Burgundians and her own compatriots in her death to instead present history as a struggle against the invaders; or also Alexander Nevsky, where myths inflate and distort his role in the fight against the Germans and eliminate the Mongols support for his rise to power. It was the creation of national narratives in later centuries, with clear enemies and heroes, which overrode the much more complex realities of the medieval past, that produced these parallels. It is not only in Spain that history has been defeated by legend. Colombo, June 6 : The proposed $3.7 million oil refinery to be built by China's Sinopec in Sri Lanka's Hambantota port is facing significant delays over multiple issues like dispute over equity structure, tax concessions, market access, and allocation of land for the project. The inland port is built in a natural harbour near the town of Hambantota in the district of the same name on the southeastern coast of Sri Lanka, located 250 kilometres from Colombo. Unable to repay its debt, Sri Lanka gave China a controlling equity stake and a 99-year lease for Hambantota port, which it handed over in December 2017. In the pact signed on January 16, 2025, during the visit of Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to Beijing from January 14 to 17 following his visit to India in December 2024, China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation, or Sinopec, the world's biggest refinery, agreed to expand its economic and energy footprints by building a massive oil refinery in Hambantota. The agreement promised a facility capable of processing 2,00,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Incidentally, the Sri Lankan government had originally envisioned a 1,00,000 barrels per day refinery when Expressions of Interest (EoI) were called. While hailed by Sri Lankan officials as a landmark foreign investment, the deal had raised deep concerns about sovereignty, environmental integrity, and long-term economic independence. This expansion had raised red flags with China controlling a major deep-water port and a potential mega refinery. However, the project in Sri Lanka is considered a top priority at Sinopec. The refinery is planned adjacent to the Hambantota port that China Merchant Port Holdings controls, on a 99-year lease. The refinery project in Sri Lanka is a move by the top Chinese and global refiner to secure more markets overseas. The Sinopec investment was cleared in November 2023 during the term of Dissanayakeas predecessor, Ranil Wickremesinghe. Under debt-trap diplomacy, China woos foreign leaders and signs deals, which are dual-use in nature. The original Request for Proposal (RFP) had stipulated foreign equity to be capped at 20 per cent and mandated 80 per cent of the projected output per day to be earmarked for exports. However, Sinopec is seeking a larger equity share and dilution of the 80 per cent export obligation to enable it to gain wider access to the domestic market in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka authorities have, till now, ruled out any changes in the RFP. Separately, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has raised concerns that unrestricted market access for Sinopec could severely disrupt the petroleum sector in Sri Lanka and adversely affect energy security. The Sri Lankan government had initially offered 500 acres of land for the project in Arabokka, Hambantota, and Sinopec subsequently requested an additional 200 acres of land just 3.5 kilometres from the Chinese-controlled port. The authorities concerned are yet to decide on the quantum of land to be allocated, and there is also the related issue of lease duration for the land to be allocated. Hence, no formal agreement has been reached in this regard. Meanwhile, the Central Environment Authority (CEA) had issued the terms of reference to Sinopec to carry out an environmental impact study and submit the report to it. Copenhagen, June 6 : India's Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal and Denmark's Minister of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, Morten Bodskov, on Friday agreed to strengthen the bilateral maritime collaboration between the two countries, which includes promoting the green transition of the maritime sector. Copenhagen, June 6 (IANS) India's Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal and Denmarkas Minister of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, Morten Bodskov, on Friday agreed to strengthen the bilateral maritime collaboration between the two countries, which includes promoting the green transition of the maritime sector. The two ministers reaffirmed the Green Strategic Partnership, as mutually agreed upon by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Danish counterpart, Mette Frederiksen. The Ministers highlighted the importance of the bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on maritime affairs signed in 2024, which encompasses the establishment of the Centre of Excellence in Green Shipping. The Ministers emphasised that the newly established Centre is intended to improve the quality and efficiency of maritime activities while promoting the green transition of the maritime sector in India. They highlighted alignment with targets set out in the Indian government's Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, including Indiaas ambitions to become a green shipping hub for the international maritime sector. Recalling that the establishment of green corridors has further been defined as a priority by the Indian government, the ministers agreed that the Indo-Danish Centre of Excellence will contribute to the development of green corridors through the conduct of a pre-feasibility study. The study will serve as a preliminary assessment of the main components of possible green corridors in India and outline the most promising ones. The two countries agreed that the study will be carried out by the MArsk Mc-Kinney Moller Centre for Zero Carbon Shipping, applying its methodological blueprint, and in close collaboration with the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, as well as other relevant Indian ministries. Union Minister Sonowal is on an official visit to Denmark on June 5-6. He arrived in Copenhagen after completing his visit to Norway, where he attended the Nor Shipping event. During the ministeras visit to Oslo, Indian maritime companies bagged shipbuilding orders and signed MoUs with leading global players to explore opportunities for collaboration and future business. New Delhi, June 6 : BJP Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey has once again targeted the Gandhi family, accusing them of favouring Pakistan at India's expense concerning the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). In a post on X, Dubey highlighted India's financial contributions to Pakistan under the treaty, suggesting that the Gandhi family's policies have been detrimental to India's interests. Dubey, in a post on X, wrote in Hindi (translated in English): "The Gandhi family fed the snake called Pakistan with both water and blood for 77 years. But read this document carefullya" in return for attacks on Indian lives, the Congress icon, Prime Minister Nehru, not only gave away 80 per cent of Indiaas water under the Indus Waters Treaty but also gave Pakistan what is today worth around Rs 14,000 crore for building dams and canals. Sell the country, fatten Pakistan by feeding it water, and die taking bullets and abusea"this is the India the Gandhi family created." To support his claim, Dubey attached Article V (Financial Provisions) of the Indus Waters Treaty in his post, which confirms that India agreed to pay 62.06 million pounds (a massive sum at the time) as financial assistance to Pakistan for building replacement infrastructure. The payment was to be made in 10 equal annual instalments and was non-refundable, regardless of any provocations or hostilities. The IWT, signed in 1960, allocated the three western riversa"the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenaba"to Pakistan, and the three eastern riversa"the Ravi, Beas, and Sutleja"to India. Despite this allocation, Article V of the treaty stipulates that India agreed to make a fixed contribution of 62,060,000 pounds towards the cost of constructing new headworks and canal systems for irrigation from the western rivers in Pakistan's Punjab province. This financial commitment was to be paid in 10 equal annual instalments, starting on November 1, 1960. Dubey's criticism centres on this provision, questioning the rationale behind India's financial support to Pakistan, especially when the country was facing challenges related to terrorism and border security from there. He contends that such agreements, made during the tenure of the Congress-led government, have compromised India's strategic interests. In April 2025, following a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India suspended the treaty, citing national security concerns and asserting Pakistan's involvement in supporting terrorism. Prime Minister Narendra Modi assertively said that Pakistan would no longer receive water over which India holds rights, signalling a shift in India's approach to the treaty. While the suspension of the treaty has been a significant development, the financial provisions under Article V remain a point of contention. Critics argue that India's contributions to Pakistan under the treaty were excessive, given the geopolitical dynamics and security challenges. Kohima, June 6 : Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Friday emphasised the need to preserve, expand and promote the rich traditions of the state's 17 tribes and multiple sub-tribes. Inaugurating a seven-storey facility to serve as a hub for Naga handloom, handicrafts, and cultural promotion, the Chief Minister also highlighted the cultural and economic importance of the new facility, calling it a "beacon of identity and opportunity". The 7-storey facility of the Nagaland State Emporium Complex in Kohima is a landmark initiative to promote and preserve the rich handloom and handicrafts tradition of the state. Rio said: "Our state's diversity, embodied in over 17 major tribes, gives rise to a rich tapestry of customs, attire, and traditional artistry. Every motif and weave tells a story. We must preserve and promote these with authenticity and pride." The Chief Minister further urged for proper documentation and quality control in the sector, noting the need to archive traditional songs, artefacts, textiles, and cuisines. "Authenticity must not be diluted. Designs must be approved by tribal authorities before production. Let us protect the integrity of our culture even as we adapt for broader markets," he said. Rio also advocated collaboration between professional designers and local artisans, promotion of Naga cuisine, and structured systems for value addition. "Let us not merely export raw materials, but create finished products that showcase the richness of our traditions," he said while calling on private and government partners to invest in skills, institutions, and marketing efforts that elevate Nagaland's craftsmanship to global standards. Nagaland Handloom & Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd (NHHDC) Chairman Prasielie Pienyu noted that the inauguration 7-storey building marks not just the completion of a structure, but the realisation of a long-cherished vision. "This new complex stands as a symbol of our cultural pride, the resilience of our artisans, and the economic potential of the handloom and handicrafts sector in Nagaland," he said. Pienyu highlighted that the Corporation has earlier established emporiums in Delhi, Kolkata, and five districts across Nagaland, serving as vital platforms to showcase and sustain the state's traditional crafts. "These emporiums go beyond commerce - they reflect our values, support local livelihoods, and carry forward our cultural legacy," he said. One of the key highlights of the day's event was the formal launch of the Naga Unity Shawl, an initiative aimed at visually representing the collective identity of the Naga people across tribal lines. While every tribe in Nagaland has its distinct traditional shawl, the idea of a common shawl representing Naga unity had long been envisioned. The Unity Shawl has now been conceptualised and woven at the Weaving Production Centre of NHHDC Ltd., Dimapur. The men's shawl is designed in three panels, with the top and bottom panels featuring the commonly used Naga coloursblack, red, and white. The central panel is white, bordered with black and adorned with painted or embroidered motifs that symbolise elements common to all Naga tribes. The women's shawl is a single-panel design divided into three sections. The top and bottom feature multicoloured stripes reflecting the colour palette seen across Naga women's attire. The central white section includes motifs inspired by traditional ornaments and crafts, signifying the artistry and strength of Naga women. The shawls were unveiled as a step towards building a shared visual symbol of unity among the diverse tribal communities of the state. Dhaka, June 6 : The Bangladeshi interim government's Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus on Friday said that the country's next national elections will be held on a day in April, next year. "I'm announcing to the countrymen that the next national elections will be held on a day in the first half of April 2026," Yunus said in a televised speech to the nation on the eve of the festival of Eid al-Adha, which will be celebrated in the country on Saturday. He said that the Election Commission will present a detailed roadmap of the election at an "appropriate time." During his address, Yunus also outlined the "achievements" of the Interim Government over the past 10 months and stressed that the government has been working on the three-point agenda of justice, reforms, and elections. "We want the largest number of voters, candidates and parties to participate in the next elections. May this be remembered by the nation as the most free, fair and impartial election," Yunus stated. Pressure had been mounting on Yunus as several political parties of the country demanded elections by December, this year. Salahuddin Ahmed, a Standing Committee member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), said earlier this week that holding national elections in the country before December is very much possible as completing necessary reforms based on a consensus could take less than a month. "December is far too late. It is possible to hold the election before then. If the reform proposals, excluding those related to constitutional amendments, are accepted through national consensus, they can be implemented in less than a month," Salahuddin was quoted as saying by the local media at a discussion organised by the Gono Odhikar Parishad on Tuesday. Reiterating that they are yet to find any valid argument to justify delaying elections beyond December, Salahuddin further observed: "We are all in favour of democracy and a prompt election to establish the people's right to vote. There is not a single reason that justifies holding the election after December". The interim government has been facing increasing pressure from various political parties, including the BNP, to hold elections by the end of this year. BNP remains confident of securing a majority in the elections while Yunus, currently swimming in the strong currents of anarchic, violent, volatile politics of the country, insists on implementing democratic reforms first and push back polls to June 2026. Last month, BNP's Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman urged the youth and the people of the country to ensure that elections take place by December. "Historically, caretaker governments in Bangladesh have shown that national elections can be organised and executed within three months. However, even 10 months into its tenure, the interim administration led by Yunus is still to announce an election date. The people of Bangladesh deserve better. We seek a nation free from authoritarianism, led by a government elected through a fair vote, and accountable to its citizens," Rahman said while addressing a BNP rally virtually from London. "If any of you want to stay in power, resign from your positions, stand with the people, contest elections, and if you win, return to lead the government," he added. Meanwhile, Yunus is scheduled to undertake another overseas visit, this time to London, from June 10-13 after Eid. New Delhi, June 6 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Delhi Zonal Office, launched a major crackdown in an ongoing money laundering investigation involving Shri Sidhdata Ispat Private Limited and associated entities. The agency carried out search operations at 12 locations across Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida, and Panipat under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), said a statement of the ED. The searches were conducted in connection with a large-scale bank fraud, originally registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), ACB, New Delhi. The FIR names Shri Sidhdata Ispat Pvt Ltd and its sister concerns a" Govardhan Industries Pvt Ltd, Shri Sidhdata Steel Tubes, and Shri Sudershan Tubes a" as the main accused. According to the ED, these companies were sanctioned credit facilities by the Bank of Baroda (formerly Dena Bank), which were allegedly misused. Instead of utilising the sanctioned funds for the intended purposes, the companies diverted the money to personal accounts, shell firms, and group entities. This financial misappropriation led to the accounts turning into Non-Performing Assets (NPAs), resulting in an estimated loss of around Rs 190 crore to the bank. During the search operation, the ED seized incriminating documents, digital evidence, mobile phones, and other materials. In addition, Rs 59 lakh lying in bank accounts was frozen. The agency also identified immovable properties worth more than Rs 30 crore, believed to be linked to the proceeds of crime. Officials indicated that these assets were acquired through diverted funds and are now under scrutiny as part of the broader money laundering probe. The EDas action marks a significant step in its pursuit to trace and recover laundered funds linked to corporate frauds that undermine the integrity of the banking system, said sources. The investigation is ongoing, and further actions, including summons and arrests, may follow based on evidence gathered during the search operations. Dhaka, June 6 : Bangladesh's Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus's 11th foreign visit in the last eleven months will be his scheduled visit to the United Kingdom from June 9-13. Reliable sources said that Yunus, who announced on Friday that elections will be held in April 2026, is scheduled to hold a confidential political dialogue with Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman. Addressing a rally virtually on May 28, Tarique Rahman had stated that historically, caretaker governments in Bangladesh have shown that national elections can be organised and executed within three months. The precedent is clear: it can be done. "And yet, ten months into its tenure, the interim administration has still not announced an election date. The people of Bangladesh deserve better. We seek a nation free from authoritarianism, led by a government elected through a fair vote, and accountable to its citizens," he had said. The BNP has stated unambiguously that it wants the national elections to be held by December this year as it perceives a "clear victory" minus the Awami League. The BNP members, including Tarique Rahman, are strongly opposed to Yunus's incrementalism and his advisors, mostly from the July uprising of 2024. At home, there is hardly any political or economic value for Yunus. The BNP wants an "honest assessment of what has been actually accomplished" in these months and not what was "spin-doctored" as Yunus is in the habit of doing. Similarly, the Bangladesh military wanted the national election to be held by December 2025. Gen Waker-uz-Zaman, the Chief of Army Staff, had drawn the red lines for the Yunus administration. Bangladeshis in Britain are mainly concentrated in Greater London boroughs such as Tower Hamlets, Newham, and Camden. Outside London, the British Bangladeshi community is heavily concentrated in major cities such as Birmingham, Manchester and other urban centres across the UK. Islam, as a religion, plays a binding factor among young British Bangladeshis, who have questioned the secular nationalism of their parents and grandparents. Many British Bangladeshi citizens are active in British politics. The Conservative Friends of Bangladesh at Westminster on April 28 discussed Bangladesh's fragile transition, law and order, safety of religious minorities, promises of reform and democracy and an inclusive election under the Interim Government. Lord Jonathan P. Marland, Chairman of the Commonwealth Enterprise & Investment Council, chaired the meeting. Richard Fuller, the MP from North Bedfordshire & Shadow Chief Secretary, Gareth Bacon, the MP from Orpington & Shadow Transport Secretary, Bob Blackman, the MP from Harrow East, Chairman of the 1922 Committee & Chair of the Backbench Business Committee, participated in the meeting and voiced their concern on the prevailing situation in Bangladesh. Overall, the participants expressed grave concern over the plight of minorities due to the disturbed political situation and also dwelt on fragile economic conditions. They pledged help and support from Conservative Party leaders and members to hold a free, fair and inclusive election, revive the economy and ensure adequate safeguards for minorities. Earlier, on April 8, senior British politician and prominent jurist Lord Alex Carlile of Berriew chaired the seminar on 'Democracy, Human Rights, Good Governance, Rule of Law and the role of Political Parties in Bangladesh's current political landscape', held at the House of Commons. The event was organised by Blackman, who is also the President of the Parliamentary Group 'Conservative Friends of Bangladesh', and he called for "sincere efforts" to make the upcoming elections in Bangladesh fair, impartial and inclusive. In his message, King's Counsel John Cammegh advised the Bangladeshi interim government to prioritise political, social, and economic democratisation over establishing an International Criminal Tribunal against the previous government. He warned that such tribunals often serve as tools for political retribution, fostering division and anxiety. Asserting that it will only help the income of legal advisors, he advocated for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to promote unity and healing in Bangladesh. Yunus wants to gain international legitimacy, economic and political support, diplomatic recognition, as well as influence from Western perspectives. The Awami League never missed an opportunity to attack Yunus, and no doubt, Yunus is paying back the same with dividends by banning the Awami League. In the complex, personal jealousy of Yunus, there is a precipitous decline of democracy and human rights in Bangladesh, with a growing Western/US trend of turning a blind eye to Yunus's adverse activities. During the visit to London, Yunus will receive the "King Charles III Harmony Award 2025". A bilateral meeting with UK PM Keir Starmer is also scheduled at 10 Downing Street on June 11. Major issues that are likely to be discussed are prevention & repatriation of illicit capital with Bangladesh expected to request British government's support in repatriating funds allegedly laundered during AL's tenure, seek the UK's backing for the reforms and election preparations by the interim government in Bangladesh, support for the July-August mass movement, and investment and export trade. The British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Sarah Cooke, met Yunus on Wednesday at the State Guest House in Dhaka. Their discussions encompassed a range of mutual interests, including trade and investment, aviation cooperation, migration, and the interim government's efforts in asset recovery (the interim government says the previous regime enabled the laundering of an estimated $16 billion annually. Yunus expressed interest in receiving technical support from the UK, including training by British researchers, to bolster Bangladesh's ocean research efforts. The meeting was also attended by Lutfey Siddiqi, the Chief Adviser's envoy for international affairs, Lamiya Morshed, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Coordinator, and James Goldman, Deputy High Commissioner of Britain. Guwahati, June 6 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday renewed his political offensive against Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, taking a sarcastic dig at the latter's family's foreign citizenship status. Speaking during his visit to assess the flood situation in Sribhumi district, Sarma remarked, "In his family of four, three are British citizens. It's a good thing that he visited Silchar to review the flood situation. Otherwise, any day, he might just decide to settle abroad." Taking the jibe further, the Chief Minister added with pointed sarcasm: "I genuinely wonder what the dinner table conversations are like in his family where three members are British citizens and he's the only Indian." The remarks are the latest in a series of barbs exchanged between the BJP and Congress leaderships in the run-up to upcoming political developments in the state. Earlier, Sarma claimed that a significant portion of pro-Congress content on social media during the recent Panchayat polls in Assam originated from abroad. "At least 50 per cent of the social media accounts supporting the Congress were operated from Pakistan, with a sizeable number based in Bangladesh as well. We have credible inputs, and the police will thoroughly investigate the matter," Sarma said. Sharpening his attack, the Chief Minister alleged that Pakistan's ISI was rooting for a specific individual to win elections in Assam, a veiled reference to Gogoi. "These kinds of activities will only intensify as elections draw nearer. I have more information that I will reveal on September 10. Many Congress supporters are not even based in Indian territory," he remarked. Taking a dig at the Congress's diminishing influence, Sarma said the party has lost ground even among its traditional support base. "During recent events led by the new Congress state chief, minority participation was abysmally low. In Lahorighat, where five lakh minority people live, only around 5,000 showed up for the Congress programme," he claimed. Sarma also drew a sharp contrast between his own political journey and that of Gaurav Gogoi. "I was not born with a silver spoon. My father was not the Chief Minister of Assam. I have reached this position through hard struggle. Unlike others, every member of my family is an Indian citizen, whereas some have at least three British citizens in their family," he said, referring to Gogoi. Nice : , June 6 (IANS) About 37 per cent of the world's population lives within a 100-km coast, where the population density is twice the global average. These coastal communities contribute an estimated $1.5 trillion to global GDP annually, a figure projected to rise to almost $3 trillion by 2030. In addition, nearly 90 per cent of the goods being moved globally are transported by sea. Climate change is intensifying climate-induced hazards, both hydrometeorological disasters and slow-onset events, and creating new risks for places and communities. In the run-up to the third UN Ocean Summit in Nice, hosted by France and Costa Rica, from June 9-13, New Delhi-headquartered Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) Director General Amit Prothi talked to IANS exclusively in an interview about the infrastructure in small island developing states (SIDS) that is at much greater risk compared to other countries. A third of India's population lives in coastal areas. Prothi said that in coastal regions, rising temperatures have increased the frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation events, such as hurricanes, cyclones, and flooding; and extreme storms and sea-level rise are resulting in greater coastal flooding, storm surges, and coastal erosion. He believes there is an increasing emphasis on mobilising private finance for disaster risk reduction and enhancing infrastructure resilience, especially in developing countries and SIDS. "CDRI's Global Infrastructure Resilience report highlights that most new infrastructure investments over the next 30 years will occur in low- and middle-income countries, necessitating resilient assets to protect communities and promote growth," he said. The CDRI, launched in 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the UN Climate Action Summit, is an international organisation set up by the Government of India to provide leadership on the topic of disaster resilience. India serves as the Permanent Co-Chair, while France holds the Rotational Co-Chair position from April 2024 to March 2026, following previous co-chairs, Britain and the US. CDRI's initiatives prioritise resilient infrastructure and services that are vital for socio-economic growth, including health, transport, power, and telecommunications. Of particular focus are high-risk geographies, including coastal, mountainous, urban, and SIDS. Prothi says infrastructure in SIDS is at much greater risk compared to other countries. When asked how far CDRI is able to support them, he told IANS, "SIDS are highly vulnerable to extreme weather events that can overwhelm infrastructure and disrupt essential services like transport, electricity, and water. These disruptions, in turn, impact livelihoods, public health, and economic stability. To address these risks, the coalition's IRIS initiative, funded by India, Australia, the UK, and the EU, supports SIDS with technical assistance, capacity building, and knowledge resources." Currently, CDRI is funding 24 projects across 25 SIDS, with a total financial commitment of $13.8 million. These projects are being implemented in collaboration with local governments, regional organisations, and technical institutions. Notable projects include strengthening housing stock in Dominica for over 72,000 people, developing a multi-hazard early warning system in Fiji for 900,000 people, improving health infrastructure in Haiti, enhancing school facilities in Comoros, and developing drainage and irrigation systems in Guyana for over 700,000 beneficiaries. A significant milestone at the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29), hosted in Baku in November last year, was CDRI's announcement of $8 million in funding for SIDS for crucial areas like early warning systems, coastal infrastructure, and water management. Throwing light on CDRI's role at COP30 in Brazil this year and beyond, the Director General, who's feeling optimistic, told IANS, "At COP30, CDRI will continue to emphasise that disaster resilient infrastructure is crucial for climate change adaptation, linking sustainable development to climate action. It remains essential to integrate resilience into all infrastructure, new, rebuilt, or retrofitted." Prothi said, "The CDRI will showcase the 'resilience dividend' through the launch of the second Global Infrastructure Resilience (GIR) report. This report, along with discussions, will reemphasise the long-term benefits of resilience investments, which far outweigh initial costs." According to him, the CDRI will also showcase region-specific programmes for Africa and SIDS, demonstrating how localised efforts can help achieve global climate goals in line with COP30's vision of a Global Mutirao. In May at the Panama Climate Week, the COP30 Presidency, Brazil, discussed the development of a global framework to realise the Climate Mutirao initiative, which aims to build a chain of mobilisation and turn climate commitments into action. Prothi believes innovative financial tools like catastrophe bonds and parametric insurance are key to filling financing gaps in vulnerable areas. Also, strengthening institutions, incorporating resilience in planning, and leveraging financial mechanisms can foster both public and private investment. Plus, tailored instruments, such as multi-country parametric insurance, can provide quick financial relief after disasters, while strengthening infrastructure agencies and implementing early-warning systems are essential for risk reduction and preparedness. New Delhi, June 6 : Union Minister for Communications and North-Eastern Region Development, Jyotiraditya Scindia has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative, "Panch Pran", which aims to propel India toward self-sufficiency and advancement, draws inspiration from Shivaji Maharaj's doctrine of Hindavi Swaraj. New Delhi, June 6 (IANS) Union Minister for Communications and North-Eastern Region Development, Jyotiraditya Scindia has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modias initiative, aPanch Pran", which aims to propel India toward self-sufficiency and advancement, draws inspiration from Shivaji Maharajas doctrine of Hindavi Swaraj. He remarked upon the countryas contemporary stance against external aggression, citing campaigns like Operation Sindoor, where adversaries are met with equal force. He underscored the deep-rooted influence of Shivaji Maharajas philosophy on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, asserting that the organisation functions in alignment with his foundational principles. The Minister was addressing a function organised on release of a book titled "Chhatrapati Shivaji, the Founder of Hindavi Swaraj", centered on the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh office, Keshav Kunj in Delhi. The book has been curated by scholars Prof. Omprakash Singh and Dr. Devendra Bhardwaj. In his address, the Minister reflected on the distinction between those who merely observe history and those who actively shape it, citing Shivaji Maharaj as an exemplar of the latter. He emphasised that Shivaji Maharaj fortified his kingdom upon the principles of Hindavi Swaraj, a vision conceived at the tender age of fourteen when he resolved before Lord Shiva to establish a realm where farmers, labourers, and individuals from every segment of society could contribute and thrive. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj championed the ideals of self-governance, rallying against oppression and safeguarding the interests of the common people and agricultural workers. His resistance against Mughal incursions solidified his legacy as a defender of indigenous sovereignty. Union Minister Scindia remarked that the publication would serve to dispel misconceptions surrounding Shivaji Maharajas contributions, offering clarity on his true impact. He traced his own familyas connection to the legendary warrior, recalling that their lineage originated as Shivajias loyal Mavale. He paid tributes to Patilbuwa Mahadji Shinde, the formidable warrior from the Scindia dynasty, crediting him with the realisation of Shivaji Maharajas vision for Hindavi Swaraj. The event also honoured the enduring legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, reaffirming his profound impact on governance, nationalism, and self-rule. In a tight Democratic race for New York City mayor, the nine candidates have found little common ground. The only three things they seem to agree on are protecting the citys immigrant population, distancing themselves from the Trump administration, and attacking one of their own, former state governor Andrew Cuomo, who was forced out of office in 2021 due to a sexual harassment scandal and is leading in all polls three weeks before the June 24 primaries. This was evident after the first of two primary debates, which took place on Wednesday and marked the first face-to-face meeting between all the candidates. On the topic of immigration, the candidates were asked how they would respond to Donald Trumps pressure to cooperate with his campaign of mass detentions and deportations. They all agreed that they would not give in to the presidents demands and criticized the current mayor, Eric Adams who was not present at the debate, as he is running for reelection as an independent (after running as a Democrat in 2021) for not doing more to stand up to the Republican on this issue. You cannot give in to Mr. Trump and his demands, Cuomo said. Meanwhile, Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist state legislator who has emerged as a leading candidate in the race, behind only Cuomo in the polls, went a step further, arguing that New York City is under attack by an authoritarian Trump administration. And I say that as someone who would be the first immigrant Mayor of this city in generations, added Mamdani, who on Thursday received the endorsement of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the citys most prominent progressive leader. New Yorkers participate in a protest against Donald Trump's immigration policies, in February 2025. Andres Kudacki (AP) In a city where nearly 40% of the population is of foreign origin, immigration is a particularly pressing issue for voters especially given the recent influx of migrants that has stretched New Yorks capacity to accommodate and support more than 230,000 asylum seekers since the spring of 2022. Mayor Adams has been accused of agreeing to collaborate with Trumps anti-immigrant efforts in New York long considered a safe and welcoming place for all immigrants in exchange for the federal government dropping the corruption case against him. The mayor denies this allegation, but has toughened his stance on immigration and made concessions to the Trump administration, such as allowing immigration authorities to operate at Rikers Island jail for the first time in a decade (a move currently blocked by a judge). New York is a designated sanctuary city, meaning local laws prevent them from cooperating with federal immigration services. All the Democratic candidates said they support this designation, despite the fact Trump has declared war on any jurisdiction that tries to stand in the way of his immigration campaign. They all said they would defend undocumented immigrants against raids by federal authorities. Brad Lander, the current comptroller of the New York City, said he was proud to co-sponsor the citys sanctuary laws. This is the future of New York City that were talking about, he declared during Wednesdays debate. The tone of the rest of the debate was less civil, with the candidates focusing on discrediting Cuomo. For two hours, the former governor defended himself against a wide range of attacks from the other candidates, not only regarding the dozen sexual harassment allegations that forced his resignation nearly four years ago, but also his response to the coronavirus crisis that devastated the city and the federal investigation into whether he lied to Congress about his handling of the pandemic in nursing homes. Candidate Brad Lander participates in the Democratic primary debate on June 4 in New York. YUKI IWAMURA / POOL (EFE) Other important issues for voters Beyond immigration, housing and affordability, or the lack thereof, are other big issues that most concern voters in the Big Apple. Its well known that the rising cost of living has hit New York harder than many other parts of the country. And the metropolis, which has some of the highest average rents in the United States and whose vacancy rates have reached historic lows, desperately needs more affordable housing. All the candidates including Adams and Republican Curtis Sliwa argue they will address this crisis by building new housing, but it remains to be seen how they will fund their plans. Another priority issue is public safety. Data shows that under Adamss administration, murders and shootings have decreased, while violent incidents, such as assaults and robberies, have increased. Violence is particularly concerning in the citys subways, which serve some 3.6 million people daily. Several subway incidents, such as shootings and stabbings, have helped create the perception that New York City is experiencing a safety crisis, which is why the current mayor has militarized the train system. Democratic candidates have diverse ideas on how to address this problem: some want to hire more police officers to patrol the streets, while others promised to invest in social and mental health services to get the homeless off the streets and off the subways. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Nagpur, June 6 : Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat on Friday said that there are people who are not aware of the Sangh, and they speak about both the 'good and bad' aspects. "But when someone comes close to seeing the Sangh, no matter how big, famous, or from any region of the country, they always say, 'I was very happy and learned a lot'," he said in his speech at the launch of part 1 and 2 of booked titled "Sangh Jeevan" written by Ramchandra Devtare. Nagpur, June 6 (IANS) Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat on Friday said that there are people who are not aware of the Sangh, and they speak about both the 'good and bad' aspects. "But when someone comes close to seeing the Sangh, no matter how big, famous, or from any region of the country, they always say, 'I was very happy and learned a lot'," he said in his speech at the launch of part 1 and 2 of booked titled "Sangh Jeevan" written by Ramchandra Devtare. Speaking about what is RSS and what it has done, Bhagwat said: "There are many people who can tell the Sangh better than me. They also have responsibilities. Just because I did this doesn't mean I am great and those who don't do it does not mean they can't do it. It doesn't matter who does what. It matters more than what someone is like, what they look like." Explaining at length the role of an RSS volunteer, Bhagwat stated: "The life of a volunteer is full of emotions. He lives among the people like other people, performs his duty. But he experiences being extraordinary while remaining in an ordinary state. The highest rank in the Sangh is the ordinary volunteer. The actual work of the Sangh is done by the volunteer. Whether anyone comes or not, he goes to the RSS Shakha every day, puts aside his own problems and helps others. "During the 1971 war, the soldiers were fighting, and the Sangh volunteers were delivering material to them. It is a tradition that the Sangh volunteers act selflessly. The Sangh volunteers consider not only their family but the entire society as their own. The volunteers regularly practice the rituals. They do not even let their emotions show while serving." "People who listen to the thoughts of the Sangh understand the Sangh. Some time ago, people were writing about the Sangh but no one believed in the work of the Sangh. Now the Sangh has started reaching everywhere. Volunteers work together, which is why the Sangh has grown so big," he said. Bhagwat said that there is a discussion about who gave the country Independence. "Efforts started from 1857 and the movement everywhere, after which the fire never subsided. Over time, many efforts were made, and as a result of all this, we got independence. Although this is true, there is noting wrong in taking credit for those who get it during their lifetime. But if credit goes to their head, then it becomes an ego.Those who have greater depth of character are able to digest success," he said. Bhagwat on Thursday made a strong pitch for country to be self reliant in terms of security especially against the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent Operation Sindoor. He said new technologies should be developed and the research should be undertaken. In his speech at the valedictory function of Karyakarta Vikas Varg he said: "In the Pahalgam attack citizens were brutally killed by terrorists after entering into our country. It was quite obvious that there was pain and anger against the killing of innocent citizens. There was strong desire that culprits should be punished. Some action was taken in return. The bravery and abilities of our army shined again.The perseverance of the government administration was also seen. Mutual intelligence appeared even in the political class. The society also gave the message of its unity. This should be lasting." Ratlam : , June 6 (IANS) Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday appreciated Chief Minister Mohan Yadav for renaming 'CM RISE' school as 'Sandipani Vidyalaya' and effectively implementing the National Education Policy (NEP-2020) in Madhya Pradesh. Pradhan, who was in Madhya Pradesh to inaugurate a Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Ratlam district on Friday, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has introduce NEP-2020 with a vision to transform India's education system. "I would appreciate Madhya Pradesh government for effectively implementing the Centre's New Education Policy. The results of this commitment would start giving results in the next few years," Pradhan said. This is the second Navodaya Vidyalaya in Ratlam district. Pradhan said that people of Ratlam are lucky to have two Navodaya Vidyalaya and he credited for it to veteran BJP leader Thawar Chand Gehlot, who is now the Governor of Karnataka. Gehlot, who had previously represented Alot Assembly seat (under Ratlam Lok Sabha constituency) twice (between 1990 and 1993), was the special guest at the event along with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. Meanwhile, highlighting the BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government's progressive steps in school education system in the past two years, Pradhan said, "I would appreciate Chief Minister Mohan Yadav's decision for changing 'CM RISE' school as 'Sandipani Vidyalaya'. It shows his commitment towards NEP-2020." Notably, the concept of 'CM RISE' school was introduced by former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is now Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister. Then it was said that the acronym 'RISE' stood for aRespect, Integrity, Strength, and Excellencea. The initiative was to transform over 9,000 government schools of the state into best-in-class models over the next one decade through infrastructure upgrades, staffing and training, academic and administrative procedures, and other processes that could boost access to quality education. However, on April 1 this year, Shivraj Chouhan's successor and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced that the 'CM RISE' schools in the state will be called 'Sandipani Vidyalaya'. --IANS pd/pgh Gadchiroli : , June 6 (IANS) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the Gadchiroli district guardian minister, on Friday said the district is on top priority list on his development agenda and directed all government departments to give priority and carry out development works. "I have consciously taken up the post of Guardian Minister here so that the issues of Gadchiroli should come directly to me. I have taken note of all the issues raised by the people's representatives and others and the policy decisions that need to be taken will be taken accordingly," said the Chief Minister. He also chaired the pre-monsoon preparedness review meeting there. CM Fadnavis said that a coordination mechanism is functioning at the district and state levels to prevent flood situations in Gadchiroli district. "Attention should be paid to ensuring that it continues to function smoothly," the CM said. He directed that the potential threats posed by water coming from Madhya Pradesh should be kept in mind. He directed the Gadchiroli District Collector and the district collectors of the adjoining districts to ensure adequate food grains, medicines and safe evacuation arrangements for pregnant women in villages that are cut off during the monsoon. He said that efforts should be made to complete at least two of the five phases approved under the permanent deployment plan for villages that are cut off this year. CM Fadnavis said that the Forest Department, Public Works Department, National Highways and other related departments should work in coordination regarding the construction of roads in forest areas. "There should be no restrictions on routes other than the Tiger Corridor. The Forest Department should be people-oriented while working and misconduct by forest officials will not be tolerated. Action will be taken against them if they are arbitrarily involved. Important road and bridge projects in the Gadchiroli district should be completed at a fast pace," he added. While reviewing the land acquisition for the Vadsa to Gadchiroli railway, he said that there was a delay in the work and directed that the land acquisition process be completed within a time frame. On this occasion, a documentary on religious tourism, Shrikshetra Markanda, was released by the Chief Minister. MoUs were signed with various industries, entrepreneurs and NGOs for the development of the district in the presence of the Chief Minister. Kolkata, June 6 : Trinamool Congress' Rajya Sabha member Sushmita Dev on Friday wrote a letter to Digvijaya Singh, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Women and Child Development seeking comprehensive reforms of the National Commission for Women (NCW). Her letter comes just a day after NCW asked the West Bengal Police to take strong and immediate action against party Trinamool Congress strongman and the party's former district president in Birbhum Anubrata Mondal over the viral audio clip where he was heard threatening a police officer from the same district to rape the latter's mother and wife. In her letter to Singh, which she has written in her capacity as a member of the said Parliamentary Committee, Dev claimed that of late, the NCW had lost all its credibility because of their "blatantly partisan actions" because of the commission's "cherry-picking of incidents of crime against women only in states where BJP is not in power". In the letter, she also pointed out how NCW ignored protests of champion wrestlers against molestation and sexual harassment of women wrestlers and recent incidents of rape in Assam, Bihar and Uttarakhand. In the letter, she pointed out how the visit to meet Manipur rape victims was delayed by four months. According to her, reforms in NCW were necessary to bring an end to misuse of powers. "It is fair to say that NCW is captive to the government for various reasons. Currently, it is financially dependent on the Ministry of Women & Child Development (MWCD), which controls budget proposals, staff appointments, and secretariat operations" Dev's letter to Singh read. According to her, to safeguard the rights of women, NCW should be empowered and made accountable for all its activities. "In view of the above, I humbly urge you to consider taking concrete steps to review and reform the NCW thereby enabling it to function effectively as a true guardian of women's rights in India rather than a political tool," the letter read. New Delhi, June 6 : The Supreme Court on Friday allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)'s plea seeking cancellation of Congress MLA and former Karnataka Minister Vinay Kulkarni's bail in connection with the murder of BJP worker Yogesh Gowda over allegations of witness-tampering. A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Satish Chandra Sharma took note of the CBI's submission that the accused attempted to contact witnesses through their friends and known persons to depose against the prosecution. The Justice Karol-led Bench "consciously" refrained from making detailed observations in respect of the allegation of witness-tampering but said that there was "sufficient material on record" to suggest that attempts were made by Kulkarni to "either contact witnesses or alternatively, influence such witnesses". "Therefore, keeping in mind the totality of circumstances, this Court is of the considered opinion that the bail granted to the Respondent (Vinay Kulkarni) ought to be cancelled," said the top court. It asked Kulkarni, presently the Chairman of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board, to surrender before the concerned trial court or jail authority within a period of one week. The Supreme Court asked the trial court to make endeavours to conclude the trial expeditiously, without being influenced by any of its observations contained in the order cancelling bail of Kulkarni. Earlier, the trial court had taken a view that it did not have the jurisdiction to consider the CBI's application seeking cancellation of regular bail since Kulkarni was enlarged on bail by the Supreme Court. In its order, the apex court said that the trial court's view was not in consonance with its decision in Gurcharan Singh v. State (Delhi Admn.) case, and the court below could have entertained an application seeking cancellation of bail on the grounds of violation of bail conditions notwithstanding the fact that bail was granted by the Supreme Court. On Thursday, the Justice Karol-led Bench turned down the request of Kulkarni's counsel to adjourn the hearing till next week for bringing certain documents which were filed before the trial court. After much persuasion, the Justice Karol-led Bench adjourned the hearing till Friday, and in the meantime, asked Kulkarni's lawyer to bring on record the additional documents. "It shall be open for the respondent (Vinay Kulkarni) to place on record any document either during the course of the day or hand over the same during the course of the hearing tomorrow," had ordered the apex court. Kulkarni was accused of conspiring in the murder of BJP Zilla Panchayat member Yogesh Gowda in 2016. He was then a Cabinet minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government. Though his name came up, no action was initiated against him. The BJP made it an issue, and former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa vowed at election rallies that he would send Kulkarni to jail if the BJP was voted to power. Later, the case was handed over to the CBI, and Kulkarni was arrested. He spent more than 9 months in jail and finally obtained bail from the Supreme Court. Last year, the Karnataka High Court had directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to complete the inquiry and questioning of witnesses in the case swiftly. Kulkarni, who is deemed close to Siddaramaiah, was elected from the Dharwad Assembly seat in the 2023 state polls, despite the court banning his entry into the constituency, and his wife and daughter campaigning on his behalf. Bhopal, June 7 : Rajya Sabha MP and national president of Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) OBC Morcha, K. Laxman, on Friday accused the Congress of failing to conduct a caste census despite being in power for nearly 60 years. He targeted the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of misleading the people on the caste census issue, and making a false claim that Prime Minister Narendra agreed to conduct the census under pressure. Laxman, who participated in a workshop of Madhya Pradesh BJP's OBC Morcha focusing on preparations for the caste census, posed a slew of questions on Congress, especially targeting Rahul Gandhi. "Congress was in power for nearly 60 years, and three members of the Nehru-Gandhi family became Prime Ministers during that period. I want to ask Rahul Gandhi why the Congress never thought about the caste census," the BJP leader asked during a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Bhopal. The BJP leader sought an answer on why the Kaka Kalelkar Commission was opposed by the Congress, and it wasn't brought into the Parliament for discussion. He also asked why the Congress had opposed the Mandal Commission. Hitting further at the Opposition, Laxman said that several proposals for reservation for backward class were brought by different committees at different times, but all those proposals were opposed by the then Congress. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the constitutional status to Backward Class Commission. He also made a provision for 11 per cent reservation for OBC children in Kendriya Vidyalayas and Sainik Schools. Besides, he took several other initiatives in the interest of OBC in the past 10 years," Laxman added. The meeting organised at BJP headquarters in Bhopal was also attended by Madhya Pradesh BJP leader VD Sharma and several other organisational leaders, especially from the party's OBC Morcha. This worship was organised two days after the BJP-led Centre announced that the process of the caste census would begin by March 1, 2027. This will be the countryas first digital census, and the first in independent India to include an enumeration of castes as well. The census will be conducted in two phases from February 28, 2027, and the data will have a reference date of 12 a.m. on March 1, 2027. Arriel Vinson is a Tin House YA Scholar, Highlights Foundation scholarship recipient, and 2020 Walter Grant recipient. Her first YA book, Under the Neon Lights, is a novel-in-verse about young Black love and coming of age in Indianapolis. We asked Vinson to discuss her debut with her friend Leah Johnson, a fellow author and Indiana University alumna, and Vinsons mentor through the Reeses Book Club LitUp Fellow program. Leah Johnson: Its been a long time coming. Weve been waiting for this day since probably the day we met. Arriel Vinson: Weve watched each others journeys as journalists first and then creative writers second, and thats where we landed. I really cant even believe that we thought we would be reporting on the news for years for a career. Johnson: We were prepared to do hard news for a living, and now we write kissing books. Where would you say your training as a journalist fits into the writing you do now? "We have to build community. We have to take care of each other, because oftentimes no one else is taking care of us." Arriel Vinson Vinson: The two of us went to Indiana University, a predominantly white institution, and most of the students in our journalism program were white. So, once I started working for the Indiana Daily Student, I was like, Well, I want to write stories about the Black students here, because we didnt have that. I was able to look and say, were missing something here. That has trained me to see whats missing in fiction and to figure out how my childhood can fit into stories for readers now. Johnson: I think as a driving ethos for storytelling my goal is always to shift the frame just slightly left or right of center to figure out who is the person or the people who dont have the camera pointed at them. Because that for me, and for you too, is where weve always lived. Were from the same hometown. We went to college together. And so, both of us understand what its like to come from a city that people dont care about, and communities that people dont write about, and to try to reflect the beauty and the complexity of those spaces and those people in our work. Vinson: Right. And so maybe that is what journalism taught us to do. Because in journalism it was always, Well, go talk to this source and see what they have to say. But we have made it our business and our job, our career, to say, Okay, well, were going to write about the people no one else wants to write about. Were going to write about Indianapolis. And I think its funny because I was talking to someone yesterday and they were like, Yeah, youre the first author from Indianapolis Ive ever read." And I was like, Well, you should read Leah Johnson. She didnt say that she didnt know Black people were in Indiana, but thats what she meant. Johnson: Its a common misconception. When I would bring my work into the classroom in our MFA program, people wouldnt know how to read it because they didnt quite understand how you square the Midwestern identity with a rich Black experience. But, in Under the Neon Lights, you specifically zoom in on the west side of Indianapolis, and to a skating rink thats fictionalized in your book, but was a major part of your upbringing. What drew you to starting your career by talking about this particular space? Vinson: You and I were sitting in the car after eating Taco Bell, and I was complaining to you about the fact that there werent any, at that time, Black roller-skating stories. And you were like, Okay, well, thats your novel. Just write it. I grew up going to the skating rink. I still go. And it has always been a place for me where Black people can unleash. Its also an intergenerational space. You have your oldheads, you have teens, you have families. History-wise, we couldnt even skate until the Civil Rights Movement. So, learning that made me be like: you know what? Lets talk about what the skating rink means to a lot of Black families. Johnson: What is it you hope your readers see in this book? Vinson: I want them to see that building community looks different for everyone. Jaelyn [the novels protagonist] figured it out for her skating rink community, but it can look different for everybody. We have to build community. We have to take care of each other, because oftentimes no one else is taking care of us. So, I want people to see that we all have a part to play in community. We cant just sit back, especially during this administration. We have to show up when we dont feel like it. We have to show up when its hard. We have to show up when we feel like theres a roadblock. Under the Neon Lights by Arriel Vinson. Putnam, $19.99 June 3 ISBN 978-0-593-85859-2 As a librarian, literacy ambassador, and social media sensation, Mychal Threets has built a very busy career out of spreading the word about the wonders that await visitors to the library. Hes now sharing his invitation to readers in his debut picture book, Im So Happy Youre Here: A Celebration of Library Joy, illustrated by Lorraine Nam, due out from Random House next February, whose cover is seen here for the first time. I adore it, Threets said of the image. I love that the library kids are all on the cover and that she used so many vibrant colors. It shows how welcoming the library and the book are meant to be. Random House Childrens Books assistant art director Elizabeth Tardiff, who designed the cover, noted that finding just the right image was a smooth process. Mychal had cover consultation and approval, so we went to him first, asking for concepts he had in mind, and he came back with some good ideas, she said. From there, Tardiff and senior executive editor Sara Sargent did some additional brainstorming. We knew we wanted Mychal, obviously, on the cover, front and center, Tardiff said. And we also wanted everything about this book, and the books package, to scream library joywhich is Mychal, and bright, colorful, and funa love letter to the library. So those were the key words we took to Lorraine for a cover idea. Nam subsequently turned in three sketches that were shared with Threets and the broader Random House team including the creative, art, and editorial directors. Everybody really landed on the same concept, Tardiff said. It was one of those covers that had a clear direction, and everybody liked the same direction. A few art and design tweaks laterdeciding on a color for the banner and selecting the most readable typeface, for examplethe cover was finalized to everyones liking. It was a pretty straightforward process, Tardiff said, saying that Threets and Nam were both wonderful partners. Threets marveled at how all the creative elements have meshed in Im So Happy Youre Here. My whole intent was to write the words, describe my hope for the book, and then let Lorraine illustrate in a way that also told the story from her end, he said. I think it is much more powerful for the illustrator to have that kind of control over the way that they want the vision to look. Tardiff agrees. Mychal created this poetic, spare text to work with and then Lorraine created a beautiful library world and these kids you can follow through little [visual] subplots and stories, she added. We gave her really minimal art notes. I prefer to do that with my illustrators anyway; I dont want them to feel hemmed in by something that they have to draw. One of the overarching visual ideas, Tardiff explained, was having the book go through the course of a day. It would be kids arriving at the library when it opens, and then all the different things in the library during the day, and then families leaving at the end of the day, she explained. And Mychal wanted the librarians [in the art] to feel a certain wayfun and diverse and kind of cool-looking. We all wanted the book to feel incredibly welcoming to all types of people. Threets recalled that the books text flowed easily, drawn from his own experience. I just sat down and recorded audio into my phone of things I would always say to library kids when I was a childrens librarian, he said. I then transcribed it into a written format. And really, my process was, what do I want a kid to see in the local library when they go there? And for the kid who doesnt feel seen, who thinks theyre invisible, who thinks that no one careshow would I show them that the library cares and is glad that theyre in the world and at the library? As Im So Happy Youre Here nears the publication finish line, everyone involved is eager to see the book in the world. Every book I work on is its own little story, and theyre all very different, Tardiff said. The fact that this one was about joy and welcoming was a bonus. It was just really fun to work on. And Threets is especially looking forward to his authorial debut. I cant wait to see the physical copies of the book and show it to my mom, to my librarian friends, he said. Im excited to show kids that there are so many ways to tell stories, and to use this book to encourage them to tell their own story and use their own gigantic voice. Im So Happy Youre Here: A Celebration of Library Joy by Mychal Threets, illus. by Lorraine Nam. Random House, $18.99 Feb. 2026 ISBN 979-8-217-02602-9 Undocumented students will no longer have access to reduced tuition rates at Texas public universities, as legal residents do. A federal judge has struck down a law that favored foreign students for more than 20 years, following a lawsuit filed Wednesday by the Department of Justice. Known as the Texas Dream Act, the law, passed in 2001 by Republican Governor Rick Perry, was the first of its kind in the country. It allowed students without legal immigration status to apply for reduced in-state tuition, provided they could prove they had lived in Texas for at least three years and had graduated from a local high school. The rule required Americans from other states to pay higher tuition to study at these schools, which District Judge Reed OConnor, who signed the ruling, found unconstitutional. The challenged provisions, as applied to aliens not lawfully present in the United States, violate the Supremacy Clause and are unconstitutional and invalid, the Court stated. According to State Attorney General Ken Paxton, the measure provided benefits to undocumented immigrants unavailable to U.S. citizens, and he therefore filed the motion to repeal it, jointly with the Trump administration. The law unconstitutionally and unlawfully gave benefits to illegal aliens that were not available to American citizens, Paxton stressed. On his social media account, the attorney general stated that ending this discriminatory and un-American provision is a major victory for Texas, in a message that was echoed by several conservative groups that had been trying to eliminate it for years. Under federal law, schools cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens, Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. The Justice Department also announced that it The Justice Department will relentlessly fight to vindicate federal law and ensure that U.S. citizens are not treated like second-class citizens anywhere in the country. The new measure complicates the dreams of thousands of university students in the state, and many others who had hoped to enroll in upcoming courses. Its quite unfair, even violent, to deny people an education. Someone who, instead of being on the streets stealing, is in the library studying for a degree, shouldnt be placed at a disadvantage for not having [immigration] status, an undocumented Venezuelan living in North Texas who aspired to study medicine told EL PAIS. My parents work hard, and so do I, and we barely have enough money, so now my dream of graduating and contributing to this country is even further away, the 20-year-old migrant added. United We Dream, the nations largest migrant youth-led organization, issued a statement calling the repeal deeply unpopular and destructive. This decision will have catastrophic consequences across the state, from weakening the states workforce and economy costing an estimated $460 million a year in lost wages to stripping thousands of Texan students of an affordable path to higher education, said the statement. Robbing students of their freedom to learn simply because of their immigration status is not just morally wrong it means that students who are currently enrolled, studying hard, attending lectures, and contributing meaningfully to campus life will be forced out of the classrooms theyve been a part of for years resulting in empty seats, disrupted futures, and a state that turns it back on the very people who power it forward, added United We Dream. According to 2022 data, more than 57,000 undocumented immigrants attend Texas public universities, representing approximately 8% of total enrollment. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition A federal judge on June 5 denied defendants request for a stay pending appeal on his May 13 preliminary injunction in Rhode Island v. Trump, a case in which 21 states attorneys general sued to halt the dismantling of three federal agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services, in response to a White House executive order. Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of the U.S. District Court of Rhode Island observed that the defendants appear to be complying with the court order without any apparent harmirreparable or otherwise. In addition to the IMLS, the Minority Business and Development Agency and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service are implicated in the suit. Defendants in the case include the agencies and their acting directors, President Donald Trump, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought. Defendants appealed the district courts decision on May 19, and they submitted affidavits from leaders of the three agencies as new evidence. They also assured the court they were reversing the actions they had taken to gut the federal agencies. They explained that they already had begun processing and disbursing unfulfilled grants, and that they had lifted administrative leaves so that staff could come back to work, but they also said that a week was not enough for full compliance. On May 30, they filed a report explaining why they believed a stay pending appeal would be appropriate. Noting that the courts conclusion in favor of the states attorneys general was not a close call, Judge McConnell reasserted his decision that Trumps March 14 EO and actions taken to carry it out violated the Administrative Procedure Act and the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches. He said that expending congressionally appropriated funds was not an injury but a constitutional and statutory requirement." He further explained that the preliminary injunction allowed for the discretion that is afforded to the Executive Branch to carry out the laws passed by Congress and that nothing in the ruling stops the defendants from taking lawful steps to manage the three agencies going forward. Several times in the order, Judge McConnell made reference to a May 12 email exchange with both parties, a day before he ordered the preliminary injunction. In the conversation, which was later submitted as evidence by the plaintiffs, he provided a draft version of the preliminary injunction and invited attorneys to submit revisions for his consideration. "Defendants proposed specific language that the Court adopted in the order verbatimand that defendants now find too restrictive, he said. He noted that the defendants present objections to the preliminary injunction repackage earlier arguments and ring hollow. ALA Case Still Up in the Air While grantees and employees of IMLS have seen some relief thanks to the preliminary injunction in Rhode Island v. Trump, a similar lawsuit filed by the American Library Association and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees awaits a judges decision. ALA and AFSCMEs case against IMLS acting director Keith Sonderling and agency defendants is being heard by Judge Richard J. Leon in the District Court of the District of Columbia. Judge Leon granted the plaintiffs a narrow temporary restraining order on May 1, as a way of protecting them while he investigated the case and made a ruling, but the TRO expired May 29. On June 2, ALA and AFSCME requested either an extension of the TRO or a preliminary injunction within a weeks time, reiterating their argumentnow echoed by the decision in the Rhode Island casethat defendants actions violate the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act and are ultra vires, or outside legal bounds. In a May 27 conversation, ALA president Cindy Hohl told PW that she hoped to hear soon from the D.C. court. We have yet to receive the judge's decision, but it should be down to the hours, at this point, Hohl said. Wikipedia, the worlds go-to site for information that professes to take a neutral point of view, is coming under fire for alleged anti-Israel bias in the sources it favors and content it delivers to millions of readers. The criticism is coming from several quarters, including a bipartisan group of 23 members of Congress who, in an April letter, expressed deep concern regarding antisemitism found in the online encyclopedia. The entries routinely highlight the work of anti-Zionist scholars and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), according to a review by RealClearInvestigations, while dismissing the views of Israels defenders. Amnesty International, which casts Israel as genocidal, is considered a reliable source for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while the Anti-Defamation League, which rejects that view, is not. A vigil for victims of antisemitic violence, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, gunned down last month in Washington, D.C. The controversy has emerged during a sharp rise in antisemitism around the world, including the recent murders of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., and the firebombing in Boulder of protesters demanding the release of hostages taken by Hamas. Critics argue that the online encyclopedia is fueling this hatred by publishing biased entries that are presented as objective statements of fact. Wikipedia is produced by volunteer editors who are instructed to follow a set of rules as they summarize the work of authoritative sources, which can include those that appear to be biased. Its consensus model encourages editors to work out their differences collegially and reach a compromise that balances the different viewpoints of sources to ensure neutrality. But critics say that so many academics and NGOs hold left-leaning views that cast Israel as the oppressor and Palestinians as the oppressed that it is hard for editors to avoid publishing biased statements as neutral ones. Consider Wikis entry for Gaza genocide a title that, critics argue, takes sides. It begins with this statement: According to a United Nations Special Committee, Amnesty International, and other experts and human rights organizations, Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people during its ongoing invasion and bombing of the Gaza Strip as part of the Gaza war. The entry then lists several paragraphs of evidence, including large-scale deaths of Palestinians, the forced displacement of most of the population, and starvation. Wheres the other side of the story to establish neutrality? Not until the seventh paragraph do readers learn that Hamas attack in Israel, killing 1,139 people, sparked the invasion of Gaza. But rather than calling Hamas a terrorist group a classification used by the U.S., EU, U.K., Canada, and other democratic nations whose avowed goal is the destruction of Israel, the entry describes the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas as a response to Israels historic treatment of Palestinians. Leading With Bias Critics say that, as in the case of the Gaza genocide, bias is often revealed in the opening lines of entries. This can skew readers understanding because, as Wikipedia reports, about 60% of people dont scroll past the lead. In the Hamas entry, readers would have missed the terrorist designation of the organization that controls Gaza. It appears in the very last line of the opening section. Wikipedia claims to use a "consensus model" that balances different viewpoints to ensure neutrality. Fundamentally the policy for reliability is based on the views of editors, and not more rigorous metrics, explained a Wikipedia editor who says they have edited hundreds of articles. There is also a conflict between reliability and the ideas of [the] ideological fringe. Pro-Hamas editors, added this editor, who insisted on anonymity, selectively choose their preferred academic sources. Wikipedias impact is amplified because its entries are usually high on the list of links offered by top search engines Google and Bing, which often reprint the first few lines in their query responses. A Wikipedia article is dedicated to the longstanding relationship between Google and Wikipedia, discussing how Google utilizes Wikipedia to combat misinformation on YouTube and how Google has made donations to the Wikimedia Foundation, the San Francisco-based nonprofit that oversees Wikipedia. The Wikimedia Foundation, which manages the site, did not respond to RCIs repeated requests for comment. In March, a spokesperson said, The Foundation takes seriously allegations of bias on Wikipedia. We categorically condemn antisemitism and all forms of hate." Katherine Maher, who led the Foundation from 2016-2021 and is now CEO of National Public Radio, recently walked back controversial statements, including that America was addicted to white supremacy and that our reverence for the truth might become, might have become, a bit of a distraction. Questionable Sources The plethora of anti-Israel academics makes it easy to present anti-Israel narratives under the guise of neutrality. The entry for the Nakba Arabic for catastrophe describes the 1948 war after the UN created the state of Israel as the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Mandatory Palestine during the 1948 Palestine war. This echoes the claim in the Zionism entry that Zionists wanted to create a Jewish state in Palestine with as much land, as many Jews, and as few Palestinian Arabs as possible. Neither article presented balancing perspectives in the all-important top parts of the lead sections. Two of the sources for these claims are Columbia University Professor Emeritus Rashid Khalidi and University of Exeter Professor Ilan Pappe. Both professors are seen by critics as anti-Israel activists. Despite his reported ties to the PLO, Columbia University Professor Rashid Khalidi's views are considered mainstream by Wikipedia. Several newspapers have reported that Khalidi was associated with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) when he was in Beirut in 1976-83; at the time, the PLO was widely considered to be a terrorist organization. In 1976, the Los Angeles Times described Khalidi as a PLO spokesman. In 1978, the New York Times said he works for the PLO (the article misspells his name as Khalidy), and in 1979 the paper re-reported that he was close to Al Fatah (which controls the PLO). A 1981 Christian Science Monitor article refers to Khalidi as having good access to PLO leadership. None of the papers has corrected these statements. Wikipedias entry on Khalidi includes his reported links to the PLO and his denial of being a spokesman for the group, saying in 2004 that he often spoke to journalists in Beirut, who usually cited me without attribution as a well-informed Palestinian source. If some misidentified me at the time, I am not aware of it. He also said that he didnt have much time for anything outside of his academic work, writing, and research while he was in Beirut in that timeframe. Asaf Romirowsky, a historian who heads Scholars for Peace in the Middle East and the Association for the Study of the Middle East and North Africa, has tracked Khalidi and Pappes work. A defender of Israel, he reports that Khalidi has at various times described Israel as a racist state and an apartheid system in creation. Romirowsky told RCI that Khalidi supported Columbias anti-Israel encampment in the spring of 2024 and has become increasingly anti-American and anti-Western in his books. Whatever the truth, critics say enough questions surround Khalidis past that it is hard to view him as a neutral source. Khalidi did not respond to RCIs requests for comment. Complicated History Pappe belongs to a group of Israeli historians who challenged Israels version of the 1948 war. In June 2024, Pappe said that the hope for me is the end of Israel and a creation of a free Palestine from the river to the sea. According to Romirowsky, Pappes 2006 book The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine which Wikipedia cites in both the as few Palestinian Arabs as possible and ethnic cleansing lines is premised on the belief that Israel had a master plan in 1948 to eradicate the Arab Palestinian community and that its policies are still motivated by an ethnic cleansing agenda. Romirowsky disputes that narrative, calling such claims sensationalist. Dont get me wrong: wars are difficult, Romirowsky said. The history is not black and white, there were a lot of mistakes made in 48, but [historians like Pappe] have selectively chosen quotes without giving context as to the position of the Jewish Agency the Yishuv at the time as it comes to the Arab Palestinian population. Wikipedia considers the veiws of Ilan Pappe, a historian who said he hopes for "an end to Israel," mainstream. Pappe did not respond to RCIs requests for comment. A second Wikipedia editor, self-described as being disillusioned after making thousands of edits, told RCI anonymously that its at best naive to use sources everyone knows are biased to make statements in the encyclopedia's neutral voice, and such sources should always be properly attributed. The first editor informed RCI that while sources like Khalidi and Pappe can be used, it should be noted that not everyone agrees with them and should be balanced with academics who hold opposing views. Comparing Hamas and Likud Wikipedias page on Hamas similarly draws upon what critics see as partisan sources. The article compares the Hamas charter to the platform of Likud, a right-wing Israeli political party, stating: Many scholars have pointed out that both the 1988 Hamas charter and the Likud party platform sought full control of the land, thus denouncing the two-state solution. These many scholars, according to the authorities cited, include the journalist Peter Beinart and politically active linguist Noam Chomsky, both of whom are well-known left-wing critics of Israel. It does not note that other scholars reject this equivalence. Romirowsky said that there is nothing in the Likud party platform that talks about the eradication of the Arab Palestinian population, while the Hamas charter calls for the eradication of Jews and Zionists, and the charter uses Jews and Zionists interchangeably. The first editor told RCI anonymously that the wording of the Hamas-Likud comparison violates the sites policy. Unless you have an academic review article that says that academic consensus is x, y, and z, you cant write, many scholars think x, y, and z and then cite it to your own cherry-picked list of scholars, the editor said. Double Standards Pro-Israel academics are cited on Wikipedia, but they often face hurdles. The 2018 book The Zionist Ideas by McGill University professor Gil Troy - who identifies himself as American Historian, Zionist Thinker on his personal website was rejected from inclusion on an editor-compiled list of Best Sources providing an overview of Zionism in Wikipedia. The stated reasoning: Troy is an American presidential historian whose book is better suited for discussing different types of Zionism. Wikipedia deems Shahid Alam, a professor who advises Northeastern University's chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, a "best source." By contrast, Shahid Alam, an emeritus professor of economics at Northeastern University who serves as faculty advisor for the schools chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, was included in the Best Sources list and is cited twice in the Zionism page, including in the opening section. Alam wrote a controversial column for CounterPunch in 2004, drawing parallels between the American revolutionaries and the 9/11 hijackers in that both insurgencies seek to overthrow what they perceive to be foreign occupations, though he acknowledged that the colonists did not target civilians and the 9/11 hijackers did. Wikipedia editors also rely on NGOs that appear to be biased in some reports as neutral observers. The lead of the Use of human shields by Hamas page states that Amnesty International found no evidence to support Israels claims that Hamas used human shields in the 2008-2009 and 2014 Gaza Wars, while Human Rights Watch found no evidence that Hamas used human shields in the 2008-2009 war. Max Abrahms, a political science professor at Northeastern University and terrorism expert, found the groups claims that Hamas did not use human shields during those prior wars laughable. He said that there is photo evidence to the contrary, and even the Palestinian Authority has said that Hamas uses human shields. While Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are considered reliable sources, some organizations more sympathetic to Israel are not. The Heritage Foundation was recently blacklisted on Wikipedia (meaning its URL is blocked from the online encyclopedia) following a report from The Forward that Heritage had proposed unmasking antisemitic Wikipedia editors. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has also been downgraded to being generally unreliable on all topics related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel, or Zionism (although the ADLs hate symbol database is considered reliable). The downgrade occurred following a formal discussion among editors last year in which they stated their position on the reliability of ADL; three uninvolved Wikipedians in good standing then closed the discussion and rendered a verdict based on the numbers and strength of the arguments. In this discussion, editors cited critics of Israel like The Nation, The Guardian, and Jewish Currents as evidence that the ADL conflates criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitism and thus its reliability should be downgraded. One source that is generally considered reliable on Wikipedia is the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which has been criticized for casting mainstream conservatives as extremists. On May 24, a formal discussion was launched reexamining the SPLCs reliability on Wikipedia, which remains ongoing as of publication time. Although Wikipedia credits its volunteer editing for making it a vast encyclopedia with tens of millions of pages, it lacks the policies and tools to achieve neutrality on hotly contested topics like the Israel-Palestine conflict, according to a third editor who requested anonymity. The system is remedial at best: if it is from a plausibly reliable academic source, publication, institution, or individual, it is usually allowed without question, and is incredibly hard to contest, a longtime editor said. Just because a person is staffed at a university or is publishing work in a peer-reviewed journal does not mean that it should be considered by default a reliable or neutral point-of-view source. Four years ago, the United States ended its war in Afghanistan. Since the U.S. withdrawal, Afghanistan and counterterrorism have rightly been deprioritized as foreign policy issues. However, amid the Trump administrations efforts to achieve a modus vivendi with Russia and Iran, cooperation on monitoring terrorist threats from Afghanistan could be another carrot Washington offers to both countries. U.S. security and prosperity are not affected by what happens in South-Central Asia. But unchecked terrorism in Afghanistan has much graver consequences for Russia and Iran. The tragically executed withdrawal from Afghanistan should not obscure the long-term benefits of terminating U.S. involvement: the war was unwinnable for political and military reasons; a significant drain on U.S. military resources; and a humanitarian disaster for the Afghan people. Despite claims Afghanistan would become a haven for global terrorist organizations, the United States has not faced a serious threat to the homeland from groups operating in South-Central Asia. By contrast, terrorism is a relevant security challenge for Russia and Iran that wont be going away any time soon. ISIS-K, a South Asian affiliate of the Islamic State, is based out of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Its ranks include Chechens, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Afghans, and Pakistanis, many of whom were previously members of other regionally based terrorist groups. ISIS-Ks grievances against Russia and Iran are largely motivated by the formers wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya and the latters adherence to Shia Islam. Both countries also waged long military campaigns against ISIS in Syria (and in Irans case, Iraq). ISIS-K has carried out several large-scale attacks that demonstrate the groups range and capabilities. In March 2024, four ISIS-K members attacked a concert hall in Moscow that left nearly 150 people dead and another 500 wounded. Two months prior, the same group bombed a public memorial ceremony in Iran, killing another 80 people. Earlier ISIS-K attacks against Shia shrines in Iran in 2022 and 2023 killed and wounded dozens of civilians. ISIS-K has also attacked foreign interests within Afghanistan, including the Russian and Pakistani embassies in Kabul and a hotel hosting Chinese nationals. Americans will remember that during the U.S. withdrawal it was ISIS-K, not Al Qaeda or the Taliban, that carried out the Abbey Gate suicide bombing which killed 13 U.S. servicemembers and 170 Afghan civilians. In the wars later years, U.S., Afghan, Pakistani, and Taliban forces all conducted operations against ISIS-K in eastern Afghanistan. The U.S. withdrawal left a security vacuum that the Taliban quickly filled. While the Talibans counterterrorism operations have led to a decrease in the number of attacks, this could also reflect a shift in ISIS-Ks strategy toward launching more attacks outside Afghanistan instead. Though the Taliban government has a stronger domestic security apparatus than its predecessor, the regime must also contend with severe economic and humanitarian crises on a shoestring budget. Additionally, Pakistans ongoing campaign against the Pakistani Taliban in eastern Afghanistan further complicates the Talibans ability to maintain a monopoly on force. Russia and Iran have offered to help the regime in Kabul contain ISIS-K despite both countries historical wariness of the Taliban. Last month Russia offered to assist in combatting the terror group as part of its normalization policy toward the Taliban. Meanwhile, Iran and the Taliban have reportedly worked together to disrupt ISIS-K attacks since at least 2023. Even the Biden administration considered working with the Taliban after the Moscow attack to contain what U.S. officials viewed as a rising threat. The Trump administration has demonstrated a willingness to strike deals with U.S. adversaries. With Russia and Iran, there are good reasons for doing so. The United States has a clear interest in stabilizing its relationship with Russia, a fellow nuclear power, to minimize the risks of escalation in Ukraine. Likewise, a bargain with Iran that limits its nuclear program, opens its economy for international investments, and lowers the temperature in the Middle East would greatly reduce the possibility of a devastating regional war. Intelligence sharing is a low-cost but valuable offering the United States could make to two countries facing a heightened terrorist threat. The U.S. intelligence community has decades of experience detecting, monitoring, tracking, and disrupting terrorist threats overseas. Indeed, before the 2024 ISIS-K attacks against Russia and Iran, U.S. officials exercised their duty to warn and told both countries about the groups plans. Of course, counterterrorism cooperation should be a secondary issue in U.S. talks with Russia and Iran. But the offering would demonstrate Washingtons seriousness about working towards a rapprochement with Moscow and Tehran. Both have a lot to lose if terrorist threats metastasize on their doorstep. The United States should exploit this insecurity for its own gain. Matthew C. Mai is a contributing fellow with Defense Priorities. The explosive feud between U.S. President Donald Trump and his until recently First Buddy, Elon Musk, sent shockwaves through the American right on Thursday, especially on the fringes of the MAGA movement, whose main leaders rallied around Trump. The demonstration of support was led by national populist ideologue Steve Bannon, who has clashed in the past with the worlds richest man. Bannon even suggested deporting Musk from the United States. The dispute between Trump and Musk which unfolded in real time on social media came just six days after the president bid farewell to the businessman in a laudatory ceremony in the Oval Office, where Trump literally handed Musk the keys to the White House, where he had often spent the night. The public display of affection took place 130 days after Trumps inauguration the time limit set by law for special government employees, a category under which the White House had placed the South African-born magnate when he agreed to take the helm of the public spending chainsaw known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). That appointment which led to the dismissal of tens of thousands of federal workers and the end of several agencies turned Musk into a villain for Democrats and a hero for the MAGA movement. But Musks honeymoon ended on Thursday, as the magnate lost tens of billions of dollars with each new insult and exposed himself to possible retaliation from the most vindictive occupant of the White House in recent memory. When Musk announced his definitive farewell to Washington last week, he had already made public his disagreement with the big, beautiful bill that Republicans are trying to push through Congress under pressure from Trump and his allies, who see the initiative as a key part of their agenda. Since then, Musk has increasingly intensified his criticism of the measure, even going so far as to call it a disgusting abomination in a message on X, the social platform he owns. It was a reporters question about those criticisms, posed during a joint appearance with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, that sparked the outbreak of hostilities on Thursday. Trump said he was very surprised and disappointed by Musks comments, arguing that Musk opposed the bill which, according to the Congressional Budget Office, could add $2.4 trillion to the deficit because it would negatively affect Tesla, his electric car business. Escalation of personal attacks This sparked a verbal and testosterone-fueled escalation: Musk accused Trump of lying, Trump threatened to cut Elons government subsidies and contracts and Musk boasted of having helped Trump win the elections: Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate [instead of the current 53-47]. Such ingratitude, he posted on X. When Trump said that he asked Musk to resign, arguing the businessman was wearing thin, Musk who had been attacking the big, beautiful bill all day on X dropped a really big bomb. @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public, he posted. And there, Musk hit a MAGA nerve. The Epstein files refers to the list of names written in a black notebook by millionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who, according to police, died by suicide in a New York jail while awaiting trial for child sex trafficking crimes that allegedly implicated some very powerful men. The conspiratorial far right in the U.S. has spun a wide range of falsehoods around that list and the supposed reasons why authorities refuse to make it public. So seeing it used against their leader was a plot twist few expected even though there are photos and videos of Trump with Epstein together from the time when they knew each other. Elon Musk, next to Trump, at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on October 5, 2024. In July of that year, Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler. Evan Vucci (AP) With Trumps return to the White House, many believed the moment of truth had arrived, and Attorney General Pam Bondi overplayed her hand by inviting a dozen influencers to Washington, with whom she shared underwhelming information. The result was frustration among prominent MAGA figures, as the declassification of documents most of which were already known left them wanting more. Needless to say, the episode only fueled further conspiracy theories. Baseless accusations Musk, a well-known spreader of fake news, offered no evidence to support his claims, but predicted in another message that time would prove him right. By then, he had fully gone off the rails, just as the world looked on in disbelief at the barrage of cheap shots like spectators at a bar brawl and Teslas stock began to plummet (down 14%). A simple act, like reposting a message on X, was enough for his more than 220 million followers to assume he was calling for Trumps removal. The original post, by influencer Ian Miles Cheong, read: President vs. Elon. Who wins? My moneys on Elon. Trump should be impeached and [Vice President] J. D. Vance should replace him. In his retweet, Musk simply wrote yes, though it wasnt entirely clear whether he was agreeing he would win more likely or with the call for impeachment. Either way, the message sparked a new conspiracy theory in MAGA circles: namely, that Silicon Valley is behind all of this in a plot to install their puppet, Vance, whose career began in the world of big tech, where he still maintains ties. In his eagerness to have the last word, Musk launched a poll on X asking whether it was time to create a third political party one separate from both Democrats and Republicans. He proposed a party that would represent the 80% of the population who are in the middle. By 9:30 p.m. Washington time, the poll had garnered nearly 3.5 million votes, with eight out of 10 respondents in favor of creating such an alternative. The Tesla that Musk sold to Trump, parked on the White House grounds, Thursday. Jeff Mason (REUTERS) As Democrats hungry for a boost after months of political stagnation popped popcorn in the microwave, the memes exploded: Who gets custody of [manosphere icon and podcast host] Joe Rogan? one joked. Reuters published a photo of the Tesla Musk had sold to the president, still parked at the White House, and rapper Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) weighed in on the drama: Broooos please noooooo. We love you both so much, he posted on X, adding the emoji of two figures hugging. Other prominent figures in the MAGA movement also jumped into the fray. Far-right influencer Laura Loomer came out in defense of Trump, while Charlie Kirk, a youth vote evangelist, praised the blessing of having him as president. Steve Bannon, for his part, told The New York Times that immigration authorities should investigate Musks status despite the fact that he has been a U.S. citizen for over a decade. I am of the strong belief, Bannon said, that he is an illegal alien and he should be deported. Both Bannon and Loomer had clashed publicly with the worlds richest man this past December over H-1B visas, which tech companies use to recruit talent like Musk himself in the 1990s. The racist far-right sees such visas as something that should be restricted, arguing that the measure goes against the interests of U.S. workers and Trumps anti-immigration crusade. From right, Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Steve Bannon, at the White House in 2017. At the time, Bannon was an advisor to Trump, at the beginning of his first administration. Evan Vucci (AP) Trump, who had not yet returned to power, came to Musks defense. That was six months ago though it feels like an eternity. Back then, Musk seemed untouchable, and the bond between these two larger-than-life men, each with an even larger ego, appeared unbreakable. Still, in Washington, there was widespread speculation about how long the relationship would last. On Thursday, the answer arrived: exactly 136 days. Thats how long it took from Trumps inauguration to the dramatic public fallout of this odd political couple. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition As the summer heat sets in, the Athens-area organizations that support Athens' unhoused population are taking steps to provide cool spaces and water to those in need. Here is is a list of resources and shelter hours. On the night of April 25, the cozy daytime atmosphere of Hendershots gave way to wigs, sequins and stilettos and dim lighting cast a warm glow over coffee tables and a crowded bar. When showtime hit fashionably late, of course show director Kellie Divine, sharp-tongued and decked in drag, welcomed the audience with a raunchy monologue and gave heartfelt shoutouts to every stretch of the LGBTQ+ spectrum before kicking off the show with her own number. EPS' acceptance of Amit Shah's proposal for an electoral alliance with the BJP is being interpreted to mean how the AIADMK has signed up the NDA national leader as a junior partner. Not many have appreciated EPS for this strategic move that has now forced the BJP to play second fiddle to the AIADMK. This has meant that the BJP has buried its ambitions of capturing power in Tamil Nadu now, and is willing to wait until after the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, observes N Sathiya Moorthy. IMAGE: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah with BJP leader K Annamalai, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and others during a press conference in Chennai, April 11, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo In yet another uncontested elections to the Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Opposition All India Anna DMK have divided the available six seats 4-2, leaving aspirant allies with li'l option but to nurse their wounds. Of course, the DMK's four include actor-politician Kamal Haasan, who was promised one for his Makkal Needhi Maiam backing the alliance in last year's Lok Sabha elections. Given their strength in the assembly, the alliances led by the DMK and the AIADMK could have won as many seats, provided the allies did not protest. DMK's Chief Minister M K Stalin did some quick thinking and announced his four candidates on day one, leaving little room for speculation and pressure-building. According to reports, Stalin did not undertake any consultations with his senior party colleagues, or consult the allies. The former would have injected fresh hope into the old guard. As senior ministers, whether in office or sacked already, they have been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Stalin obviously wanted to avoid consulting them in the long run-up to next year's assembly polls. Stalin had also briefed allies informally weeks earlier about the DMK's position in the matter. Of them, MDMK's Vaiko, on retirement now,was miffed at not being given another consecutive term, but he could not, and hence did not protest. As DMK sources pointed out, Vaiko was allowed to continue his Rajya Sabha membership when the alliance allocated the Tiruchi Lok Sabha constituency to his son Durai Vaiko, and also ensured his victory last year. After Vaiko's murmurs, the son said they were not exactly happy with the DMK's decision but there was no question of making an issue out of it. Needless to point out that every partner in either alliance, including the MDMK, did not want to upset the apple-cart just now, with the hope of obtaining a better deal during seat-sharing talks next year. This includes aspirants from the state Congress, but the Stalin leadership seems to have informed the party high command in advance and the reasons thereof. Of greater significance is the way Stalin announced his four names early on, leaving the other two for the AIADMK rival. With the numbers it has in the assembly, the AIADMK could have won one seat comfortably, but would have required the support of the five-member PMK and four-member BJP, to win the sixth seat. There was early speculation that the DMK might field a fifth candidate, to make it difficult for the AIADMK to win a second seat. This would have involved the DMK having to engineer cross-voting, possibly from the AIADMK and/or PMK, as the four BJP legislators are not expected to drift away. From a DMK perspective, such a course would have forced the allies to rally round the AIADMK, and ensure relatively smooth victory for the sixth seat. The Stalin leadership did not want that to happen, nor did it want to compromise the chief minister's 'Mr Clean' image -- rather his image as a decent politician. IMAGE: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami along with party MLAs speak to the media after they walk out of the state assembly after being disallowed to raise the TASMAC issue in Chennai. Photograph: ANI Photo Yet, there was no denying the pressure that AIADMK boss Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) faced, especially from allies. The late actor-politician Vijayakanth's DMDK expected a Rajya Sabha seat for current party boss Premalatha Vijayakanth. Early on, however, the AIADMK leadership clarified that there was no truth in media claims that the DMDK was promised a Rajya Sabha seat ahead of the assembly elections next year. The AIADMK could take a tough stand vis-a-vis the DMDK, as the party's vote-share has slid down below one per cent. In the preceding weeks and months, Premalatha was seen as wooing the DMK, again with the same purpose in mind -- but the latter was not swayed, either. However, it would have been difficult for EPS to deny a seat for PMK President Dr Anbumani Ramadoss if he had pressed his case for a second consecutive term. Thankfully for the AIADMK, the filial fight for supremacy in the PMK, involving Anbumani and his father Dr S Ramadoss, the party founder, led to a piquant situation that gave EPS a breather in particular. After all, in ordinary circumstances the PMK with a proven five per cent vote-share over three decades, would not be trifled with. Today, however, even if the family feud ends amicably, there is apprehension that traditional supporters would have moved away from the PMK. The party might not be able to attract first-time voters, especially from the traditional Vanniar community base. Interestingly, the BJP, which has four crucial MLAs and was rumoured to be expecting a Rajya Sabha seat for immediate past state party president K Annamalai, did not seem to have pressed the case. Opinion is divided if it meant that the national leadership did not want to promote Annamalai or if it did not want to embarrass EPS more than already. Apart from the projected perception that the AIADMK was 'afraid' of the BJP, there was also the lack of mutual support between EPS and Annamalai, when the latter was the state party chief. IMAGE: Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and party MP Rahul Gandhi meet Stalin in New Delhi, May 23, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo All of it has meant that the two Dravidian majors have pulled a fast one on their allies, national or regional, one more time, without providing them with elbow room to manoeuvre. Almost from the early years of the vertical split in the parent DMK in 1972, the two Dravidian majors have 'conspired silently' without mutual consultations of any kind, to ensure that they rule the roost on either side of the electoral divide, election after election, decade after decade. It's unlike what once used to be at the national level, where the Congress and the BJP used to have backroom operatives 'fix' or stall toppling games in states ruled by each other. In Tamil Nadu, there used to be a time after the death of AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran (MGR), when the Congress party actually came back into the electoral game, by scoring a 20 per cent vote-share in the assembly polls of 1989, but gave up even that minimum advantage for the future, on the altar of the Lok Sabha polls later in the year. The Congress struck a deal with the AIADMK factions that reunited under Jayalalithaa, later-day chief minister. Thus, whatever be the outcome of the assembly polls next year, or how the two alliance leaders conduct seat-sharing talks with their respective partners, the tactical upswing that the Big Two engineer at every other opportunity seems to keep them in good stead. Thus, EPS' ready acceptance of Amit Shah's proposal for an electoral alliance with the BJP so early in the day is also being interpreted to mean how the AIADMK has signed up the NDA national leader as a junior partner. Not many have appreciated EPS for this strategic move that has now forced the BJP to play second fiddle to the AIADMK. This has to be contextualised to the BJP's national/notional claims that the party-led alliance had polled a respectable 18.5 per cent vote-share in the Lok Sabha elections last year, and was thus very much in the race for chief minister's job in 2026. At least the likes of Annamalai and BJP-sympathetic sections of the national media had come up with such projections. Leave aside the fact that junior allies actually accounted for identifiable shares in the BJP-NDA's polling figure, there was always the fear that another Third Front idea, if followed up in the assembly elections, could cut both ways. Like with the rival Congress predecessor at the national-level, the BJP leadership is also more focussed on the next Lok Sabha elections in 2029. This requires that the anti-Hindutva, hence anti-BJP, DMK-led alliance cannot continue to dominate Tamil Nadu's electoral politics. If there is a split in the anti-DMK votes one more time, not only would the AIADMK face a drubbing more severe than last year's. The BJP, which has not been able to muster an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha last year, too, cannot hope for compensating prospective losses, too, through non-traditional regions like Tamil Nadu. IMAGE: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin with Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) leader Kamal Haasan in Chennai, May 30, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo In arriving at such calculations, the BJP strategists seem to still rely on the old school thinking that in Dravidian Tamil Nadu, the winner continues to take most, if not all the Lok Sabha seats. The Modi era Lok Sabha elections of 2014, 2019 and 2024 in the state have remained proof of the same. This has meant that the BJP has buried its ambitions of capturing power in the state just now, and is willing to wait until after the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, if that is what it needs. That now leaves the DMK and the AIADMK to keep the state between themselves, what with the Congress rival of the BJP and ally of the DMK not being in any position whatsoever to raise its head, as it did in 2011, and lost the state for the ruling DMK-led UPA-II. At the end of the Rajya Sabha polls, Stalin has emerged as a strong leader within the DMK, stronger than he already was. He has proved to be as smart a strategist as his late father M Karunanidhi was -- though not as much in political administration, it would seem. On the other side, EPS too has come out of it all unscathed. By refusing the DMDK's demand for now, and promising to grant them one seat in the Rajya Sabha elections that might overlap with the assembly polls in April next, he has sought to ensure that the ally from last year's LS poll did not paint him as untrustworthy. N Sathiya Moorthy, veteran journalist and author, is a Chennai-based policy analyst and political commentator. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff It is time for India to raise its voice not just through military prowess, but through professionalism, principled voting and partnerships, asserts Deepak Mishra. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff The decision by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to approve a $2.4 billion lending programme to Pakistan while it was engaged in a tense military standoff with its neighbour has been met with concern and disappointment in India. Subsequently, in a supplementary note, the IMF admitted that its reputation could be tarnished by any perceived misuse of funds, but it also claimed that 'these recent developments do not alter the thrust of the staff appraisal'. The IMF's actions have raised many questions: Why would a multilateral institution, committed to neutrality, make such a move during an active war between its two member States? And more importantly, what steps could India take to prevent similar actions from recurring? An inconvenient truth The uncomfortable reality is that multilateral institutions have not always remained impartial. During the Cold War, these bodies often aligned with the interests of dominant shareholders, largely from the Western bloc. The United States, as the largest donor to the multilateral system, routinely used its influence to channel funding toward its allies while denying support to adversaries. This trend continued after the Cold War. In 1994, the IMF provided an $18 billion loan to Mexico that served to protect American investors. In 2013, the IMF participated in a massive bailout for Greece, strongly backed by European powers looking to stabilise their own neighbourhood. During the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, multilateral agencies have offered generous financial assistance to Ukraine, while suspending their operations in Russia. However, the recent lending to Pakistan deviates from this historical pattern. Unlike the Cold War period, this time, the major shareholders have remained neutral. Second, the approval came during an active military confrontation -- an unsettling precedent. A serial borrower Pakistan's long-standing and frequent recourse to IMF funding is intriguing. The country is the fourth-largest borrower of the IMF, having received between $25 billion and $30 billion over the past 25 years. Such financial lifelines, along with bilateral assistance from China and Saudi Arabia, have helped Pakistan avoid economic collapse multiple times. Why is the IMF pouring so much money into a country that The Economist has repeatedly called 'dangerously unstable' and a 'failing State'? One explanation lies in a structural weakness within the IMF's lending framework. Several studies have found that the IMF's desire to preserve its reputation as an effective monitor distorts its judgement. Over time, it becomes increasingly lenient with serial borrowers, reinforcing a cycle of 'lending failed programme more lending'. Breaking such a cycle requires external intervention -- and India could play a role here. India's options During its G20 presidency, India took meaningful steps towards reforming the global financial architecture. It set up an International Expert Group, co-chaired by N K Singh and Larry Summers, which produced far-reaching recommendations to enhance the capacity and accountability of multilateral development banks. These ideas are now being taken forward, particularly by the World Bank. Unfortunately, the IMF was left out of this reform agenda. Looking ahead, how can India build greater influence within institutions like the IMF and ensure that its strategic interests are effectively represented? 1. Professionalise the talent pool: India must cultivate a strong cadre of development professionals to represent its interests in multilateral organisations. At present, our best and brightest do not go to these institutions. Assignments in Washington, DC, or Brussels are not seen as strategic priorities. Appointments from academia or the private sector are rare. Indian professionals living abroad -- even if well-qualified -- are often overlooked due to misplaced concerns. This must change. Our representatives must combine technical expertise with diplomatic acumen. 2. Rethink voting strategies: India has changed, but our voting pattern and alliances have not. We have traditionally aligned with other developing nations -- a legacy of our colonial past and non-aligned ethos. But as India aspires to become a leading global power, it must be willing to recalibrate. Countries such as Brazil and China have shown pragmatism by voting in ways that reflect their national interest even when diverging from the Global South. India should adopt a similar issue-based approach, which will earn it trust and respect from global powers. 3. Strengthen global partnerships: India needs to deepen its intellectual presence in the Global North. While we rightly champion the Global South, our policy infrastructure in the developed world has not kept pace with our growing ambitions. There are only a handful of India-focused centres abroad, and Indian think-tanks have minimal visibility outside the country. With strategic investment and by building on the goodwill generated during the G20, India should foster a global network of researchers and policy advocates who can champion our interests in multilateral forums. The guns along the border have fallen silent, but the diplomatic battle for global influence continues. It is time for India to raise its voice -- not just through military prowess, but through professionalism, principled voting and partnerships. Deepak Mishra is director & CEO, Indian Council of Research on International Economic Relations, New Delhi. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com 'It concerns the sea and the security of the nation. What has happened is a big tragedy.' IMAGE: Liberia-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA 3 sank off the Kerala coast soon after departing Vizhinjam port, May 24, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo On May 2, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Vizhinjam international seaport in Thiruvanathapuram. On May 24, a Liberian ship MSC ELSA 3, operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company, sank 38 nautical miles off the Kerala coast with over 640 containers on board. It included 13 hazardous cargo units and over 250 tonnes of calcium carbide, and calcium carbide reacts violently with water, producing acetylene gas, which is highly flammable. Since the development of the port began, activists and environmentalists have been warning the area is ecologically fragile, climate-vulnerable and oceanographically risky. With the shipwreck, all that they have been warning against, has happened. Father Eugene H Pereira, vicar general, archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram, and Chairman, Centre for Fisheries Studies, had called the port development an 'environmental disaster' in an earlier Rediff interview. "Do you know what the containers in the ship had? Hazardous materials and parts used in machine guns. After the shipwreck, metal links used in machine guns were found in the Chavakadu sea," Father Pereira tells Rediff's Shobha Warrier. Several environmentalists say the fragile coastline is the reason why the shipwreck happened. Do you feel so? The first demand of ours even before discussions of the port construction started in 2010 was there should be an environmental impact study. All the reports regarding the environmental impact and economic benefits came to the conclusion that this port would not be environmentally and economically viable. In fact, several studies recommended that this should be declared a special economic zone. The 2011 report by the ministry of forests and environment said that the northern part of the coastline would be heavily eroded and the fishing harbour would be adversely impacted which would in turn affect the livelihood of a large number of fishermen in the area. The ministry even wanted them to identify another area as it felt Vizhinjam is an environmentally sensitive area. What happened then was they just suppressed the original report and asked the Hyderabad- based INCOIS (Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services) to write a new report which said there would not be any erosion in the north or accretion in the south. We all know how they managed to get sanction from the environment ministry. Jairam Ramesh was the minister at that time and all of a sudden, he was removed. That was because he had said very clearly about the adverse impact the port would have on the environment. Commander John Jacob Puthur, a former officer with the Indian Navy who had studied the Indian coast extensively said at that time that the southwest monsoon winds, along with unseasonal winds, might affect the tranquillity of the proposed Vizhinjam seaport, making it dangerous for container ships, and that they would not be able to come to the port. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Adani Group Chairperson Gautam Adani and others after inaugurating the Vizhinjam seaport in Thiruvananthapuram, May 2, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo It is the monsoon season now, and what he had said more than a decade ago, has come true... Yes, it has come true. Another danger he pointed out was, sediments that moved from the land to the sea due to rainwater would get accumulated at the bottom of the sea. So, Vizhinjam port would silt during the southwest monsoon which would make it dangerous for ships to come to the port. IMAGE: A view of the Vizhinjam seaport. Photograph: ANI Photo For years, you along with the fishermen protested against the port. But when the port was inaugurated, all the political parties were there... One of our demands was to study the impact of the port on the lives of fishermen. Do you know 299 people have lost their houses already? None of the political parties wanted science to prevail in the building of the port. The Kudale committee appointed by the government came out with a report in 2023 which said that the soil erosion that was happening was due to climate change and not due to port development. As our agitation was going on, we released a report prepared by some reputed scientists. While releasing the report, historian Ramachandra Guha remarked that it was a commendable scientific study. Another point he made was the port was going to pose danger to national security. Do you know what the containers in the ship that wrecked had? Hazardous materials and parts used in machine guns. After the shipwreck, metal links used in machine guns were found in the Chavakadu sea. It is unfortunate that the authorities have not yet fully divulged the contents of the ship containers. Even the movement of the ship is not divulged properly. Some say that it was coming from Colachel. Some others say it was moving from Vizhinjam to Cochin shipyard. IMAGE: Containers from the MSC ELSA 3 that sank off Kochi on May 24 are spotted near the Kollam coast. Photograph: ANI Photo Containers, oil, plastic and even hazardous material are washing ashore along the coast almost every day. How will this affect the lives of people who live in the coastal areas? It is going to affect their livelihood and their health. Contaminated oil spillage in sea waters has affected the livelihood of fishermen adversely. Not only that, it will also affect the environment and the biodiversity of the sea. We have asked for a thorough probe on the shipwreck. They should divulge what the ship carried and the adverse impact it would have on the livelihood and health of the fishing community. There should be an environmental, social and economic impact study stressing on the health aspect of the fishing community and common people. IMAGE: Fishermen protest against the port development project in Vizhinjam. Photograph: PTI Photo from the Rediff Archives The state government has declared the Vizhinjam shipwreck a state disaster... What they are doing is an eyewash. After announcing it a state disaster, the government promised to give Rs 1,000 each to the fishermen. The Vizhinjam shipwreck should be declared a national disaster because it concerns the sea and the security of the nation. What has happened is a big tragedy. A proper committee of appropriate scientists should be set up to assess the impact of the shipwreck. Using maritime laws, the government must charge the ship company and it must be made responsible for the disaster. IMAGE: Father Eugene H Pereira, vicar general, archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram. Photograph: Kind courtesy Father Eugene H Pereira As the port will continue to function, what kind of future do you see for the fragile coastline, the biodiversity of the area and the people living there? It is very clear that the balance of the ocean is disturbed here. This will have huge impact not just on fishing and the coastline but on the entire environment. Our study has pointed out that while the Sankhumukham and Valiyathura beaches have disappeared, the same thing has not happened to some other nearby beaches which are said to be stable. Even the internationally famous Kovalam beach is disappearing. That's because we have a very fragile coastline and beaches here. This is affecting the tourism industry of this area. At least before the 2nd and 3rd phase of the project, a thorough scientific study has to be conducted and truth should be brought out. Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff Bangladesh interim government chief Muhammad Yunus on Friday said national elections will be held by the first half of April 2026 amid demands from major political parties to hold polls by December. IMAGE: Bangladesh interim government's chief adviser Muhammad Yunus. Photograph: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters "Based on this announcement, the Election Commission will provide a detailed roadmap for the elections at an appropriate time," he said during a televised address to the nation on the eve of the Eid-ul-Adha festival. Yunus, who took charge after the toppling of the former premier Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in August last year, said that the government's key responsibility is to hold a clean, peaceful, festive, and inclusive election. "Our goal is to prevent future crises. That requires institutional reform. Without ensuring good governance in the institutions directly linked to the electoral process, all the sacrifices made by students and citizens will be in vain," the 84-year-old Nobel Laureate said. Yunus said his administration took over to carry out three mandates 'justice, reform and elections.' "I have repeatedly said that this election will be held between December and June next year. The government is doing whatever is necessary to create an environment conducive to elections in the country during this period," he said. Yunus said he expected the reforms and justice issues would reach an 'acceptable stage' ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan next year, which is to be observed from mid-February to mid-March 2026. The interim government refers to the 'justice' issue as the trial of leaders and officials of deposed prime minister Hasina's now disbanded Awami League and her government that was ousted in a violent movement led by the Students against Discrimination (SAD) on August 5, 2024. Yunus, who was in Paris at that time, flew from the French capital to take charge of the interim administration as its chief adviser three days later. A large part of the leadership of the SAD floated the National Citizen Party (NCP) with Yunus's blessings in February this year. Hasina, who now lives in India, and most of her senior colleagues in the party and government are in jail or fled the country as the interim government accused them of committing crimes against humanity, which may lead to capital punishment. The deposed premier and a number of Awami League leaders and officials of the past government, however, are being tried in absentia in Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal for their role in the crackdown of last year's uprising when hundreds of people were killed. Yunus said with regards to the trial of crimes against humanity 'which is our collective responsibility towards the martyrs of the July mass uprising - we will be able to see visible progress' ahead of the polls. Yunus's announcement came amid mounting pressure on him to hold the election by December from former prime minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and several other groups while the student-led NCP and several rightwing groups said the polls must wait until the 'reforms' and 'justice' were done. The interim government was visibly in discord with the army as well over the polls with its chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, who on May 21 said the national election should be held by December this year as Bangladesh needs political stability. "This is only possible through an elected government, not by unelected decision-makers," The Daily Star and other newspapers quoted him as saying. Yunus on Friday said he was aware that there is great interest among political parties and the public about the election deadline but it was important to remember that Bangladesh was plunged into deep crisis since its 1971 independence due to flawed elections. Through repeated accumulation of power through flawed election, a political party turned into a barbaric fascist," he said in an oblique reference to Awami League, and added that the nation identified as criminals the organisers of those elections. Yunus said a truly representative parliament would be formed in the country "after a century and a half with the upcoming polls when a huge group of young people would get the opportunity to vote for the first time in their lives. The interim government chief simultaneously asked all to remain alert against efforts of the ousted regime to hit back with its venom to disrupt the justice, reform and election process. The Congress on Friday took a swipe at the Modi government over fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya's reported remarks that he had informed then finance minister Arun Jaitley before leaving the country in 2016 and said "Narender's whole system has turned out to be a surrender". IMAGE: Liquor baron Vijay Mallya. Photograph: ANI Photo In another jibe, the opposition party also said Modi government's "pakoda economics turned into bhagoda economics. The Congress often mocks the government using the term pakodanomics, an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reported comment in 2018 that selling pakoras is also employment. The Congress shared a video clip from a recent podcast Mallya did with social media influencer Raj Shamani in which he claimed he had informed Jaitley before leaving India in 2016. "It is clear that Modi government had a hand in the businessman fleeing from the country," the party said. The party's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera also posted the same clip. Mallya is heard saying in clip, "I told the finance minister, Arun Jaitley, before leaving for the airport and then I flew from Delhi to London, I was on my way to Geneva for an FIA world council meeting which was fixed months ago. I told the finance minister because I went from Parliament to the Delhi Airport. When this news hit the media it once again created a storm." People, he said, went running to Jaitley who denied meeting him. Then, a Congress MP saw them together and said so to the media. "Mr Jaitley had to retract his statement and said, 'yes, yes I met him but only while walking, it was a fleeting meeting'. I never said I went to Mr. Jaitley's office, sat in front of him, had tea with him... All I said was that I told the finance minister while leaving, I am going to London, I have to go to Geneva for a meeting, I will be back, please tell the banks to sit across the table and settle with me." "How long does it take to say this sentence, it can be talked about while walking'... but you see the way he denied it then when the Congress MP pointed out his mistake and said he saw us, he quickly changed," Mallya said. Khera responded to the podcast with a post targeting the government and reiterating party leader Rahul Gandhi's surrender comment. "The foreign minister tells Pakistan that it is being attacked. The bank fugitives flee the country by informing the finance minister. Narender's entire system turned out to be a surrender," he said. Party colleague, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh, tagged the post with the "pakoda economics" jibe. "Pakoda economics jo ban gaya bhagoda economics (pakoda economics that turned into fugitive economics)," he said. Mallya, who fled to the UK in March 2016, is wanted in India over a default of Rs 9,000 crore that was loaned to erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines by several banks. India has been seeking Mallya's extradition from the UK. He had in the past offered to repay 100 percent of "public money" but accused the banks and government of refusing his offer. The Left government in Kerala on Friday made it clear that it was not in agreement with the use of the Bharat Mata portrait at the Environment Day event at the Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram as the picture was not authorised as the official version by the Constitution or the Indian government. IMAGE: Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar asserted that there would be no compromise on Bharat Mata. Photograph: @KeralaGovernor/X Kerala Agriculture Minister P Prasad, who boycotted the event at the Raj Bhavan a day ago over the use of the portrait, said that those in constitutional offices cannot convert government programmes into political events. A similar view was also expressed by state General Education Minister V Sivankutty who said that the Raj Bhavan and the Governor were above politics and said that Arlekar should withdraw from the stand taken by him. The government's stand came a day after Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar asserted that there would be no compromise on Bharat Mata. Prasad, while talking to a TV channel, said that no Bharat Mata portrait has ever been acknowledged as the official or authorised version by the Constitution or any of the governments in power since independence. He further said that the portrait about to be used at the event was not carrying the Indian flag, but that of a political organisation, and therefore, it could not be honoured during a government event. The minister said that the particular political organisation and the Governor were free to pay homage to the portrait at private events, but it cannot be done in state government programmes. "We all have a political view, but those in constitutional positions have restrictions on how they express it," he added. He said that the government view was that such a stand ought not to have been taken by a constitutional establishment and expressed hope that it will be corrected by the concerned persons. "It actually should not be repeated in our country. We cannot accept it in Kerala," he added. The minister also questioned why the Governor was "rigid" on the issue, when none of the earlier Governors in the state and not even the Presidents of the country have carried out such a practice in the past. For the World Environment Day event, the Raj Bhavan came out with a minute-to-minute programme, but it initially did not have anything about paying floral tributes to the portrait of Bharat Mata, he said. On eve of the programme, a new schedule was sent to us and it included the paying of floral tribute to Bharat Mata portrait. "So, I enquired with the Raj Bhavan about the floral tributes and asked them to send me a picture of the portrait. The portrait was the one used by the RSS and was not recognised or authorised as an official version, I informed the Raj Bhavan that we cannot offer floral tributes to it," he said. The minister said that the Raj Bhavan in response said they cannot remove the portrait. On being told that the opposition was criticising the lack of response on the issue by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Prasad said that the Congress-led UDF was trying to gain political mileage out of it especially in view of the upcoming bypoll in Nilambur assembly constituency. After knowing Raj Bhavan's stand, the state government relocated the event to the Secretariat's Durbar Hall and the Raj Bhavan went ahead with its programme. Later, in a statement issued by the Raj Bhavan, the Governor said, "Whatever be the pressure, from whichever quarters, there will be no compromise whatsoever on Bharat Mata." In his speech at the Raj Bhavan programme, the Governor said two ministers--state Education Minister and Agriculture Minister--had agreed to attend the function but they did not turn up for the event. While Sangh outfit Bharatiya Vichara Kendram strongly backed the Governor, the ruling CPI(M) and the Congress criticised the Raj Bhavan on the matter. The Maharashtra Congress on Friday said it will welcome an alliance between the Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) if it is in the interest of the state and to keep the 'communal' Bharatiya Janata Party away. IMAGE: Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray with his cousin and MNS president Raj Thackeray. Photograph: PTI Photo/Rediff Archives The party's statement comes amid speculation about a possible reconciliation between estranged cousins -- Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS president Raj Thackeray - as their recent remarks indicated that they could join hands. State Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe said, "There has been a talk from both Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS that they will join hands to protect Maharashtra's interests and keep the communal BJP away. If the two parties are coming together for this, we will welcome the move." Raj Thackeray has earlier said that uniting in the interest of Marathi manoos (Marathi-speaking people) was not difficult, while Uddhav Thackeray has said he was ready to put aside trivial fights, provided those working against Maharashtra's interests were not entertained. Londhe said, "Those who are in power and occupying constitutional posts are trying to create a caste and communal divide and the ideology of our icons - Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Shahu Maharaj, Mahatma Phule and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar - is trampled upon daily. If they (Sena UBT and MNS) come together to protect this ideology, then Congress will welcome it." If this happens, it will be a fitting tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The coronation ceremony of the Maratha empire founder was held on this day in 1674. A senior American lawmaker has told a visiting Pakistani delegation, led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, that the country should do all it can to eliminate the 'vile' terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed as well as ensure protection of religious minorities. IMAGE: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Photograph: Rahul Singh/ANI Photo The Pakistani delegation met Congressman Brad Sherman in Washington, DC on Thursday, timing their visit to the US capital around the same time as a multi-party delegation of Indian parliamentarians led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is in Washington DC. The all-party delegation is briefing key interlocutors about Operation Sindoor in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and India's strong resolve to fight terrorism emanating from Pakistan. In a post on X, Sherman said that he 'emphasised to the Pakistani delegation the importance of combatting terrorism, and in particular, the group Jaish-e-Mohammed, who murdered my constituent Daniel Pearl in 2002'. Terrorist Omar Saeed Sheikh was convicted of orchestrating the 2002 kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Sherman said Pearl's family continues to live in his district and 'Pakistan should do all it can to eliminate this vile group and combat terrorism in the region.' Bhutto also landed in the US at the same time as the Tharoor-led delegation. Bhutto met UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres with his delegation as well as Security Council Ambassadors in New York and later travelled to Washington in Pakistan's bid to internationalise the conflict with India as well as the Kashmir issue but instead got instructed to deal with terrorism emanating from its soil. The US lawmaker also told the Pakistani delegation that the protection of religious minorities in Pakistan remains an important issue. "Christians, Hindus and Ahmadiyya Muslims living in Pakistan must be allowed to practice their faith and participate in the democratic system without fear of violence, persecution, discrimination, or an unequal justice system." Sherman further urged the Pakistani delegation to relay to their government the need to free Dr Shakil Afridi, who continues to languish in prison for helping the United States kill Osama bin Laden. "Freeing Dr Afridi represents an important step in bringing closure for victims of 9/11," he said. Afridi is a Pakistani physician who helped the CIA run a polio vaccination programme in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to collect DNA samples of bin Laden's family. Afridi was arrested by Pakistani authorities shortly after the American raid on bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad in May 2011. In 2012, a Pakistani court sentenced Afridi to 33 years in prison. The public breakdown between United States President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk grew exponentially bitter on Thursday, transforming what was once a powerful political alliance into a vicious war of words that has wiped billions from Tesla's market value and threatens to derail the president's flagship budget legislation. IMAGE: Elon Musk receives the key to the White House from US President Donald Trump during a press conference in the Oval Office at the White House, in Washington, DC, May 30, 2025. Photograph: Nathan Howard/Reuters The feud reached its peak when Musk made explosive allegations about Trump's connection to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, marking a dramatic escalation in their increasingly personal conflict. The war between the two men got nastier, less than a week after Musk officially left his position spearheading the quasi-official Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE. The latest round of hostilities erupted during an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, when Trump was asked about Musk's criticism of his signature budget legislation. "Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will any more," Trump told reporters. The president expressed his frustration more directly, saying: "I'm very disappointed in Elon. He knew every aspect of this bill. He knew it better than almost anybody, and he never had a problem until right after he left." Trump continued his criticism, adding: "He said the most beautiful things about me, and he hasn't said bad about me personally, but I'm sure that'll be next, but I'm very disappointed in Elon. I've helped Elon a lot." Musk's response on X was swift and defiant, flatly contradicting the president's account. "False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!" he wrote, before escalating the personal attack by claiming that without him Trump would have "lost the election" and bemoaning what he called "such ingratitude". But Thursday brought a far more acrimonious and personal tone to the exchanges when Musk launched his most damaging attack yet. In a jaw-dropping social media post, Musk alleged that Trump's name "is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public." The tech billionaire amplified his attack by reminding his 220 million followers of Trump's quote about Epstein from a New York magazine profile more than two decades ago: "He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side." Musk concluded his post with a gleeful taunt: "Have a nice day, DJT!" and suggested marking the post "for the future. The truth will come out." The exchange rapidly devolved into a series of increasingly serious threats. Trump responded by threatening to terminate Musk's lucrative government subsidies and contracts, prompting the SpaceX boss to counter with his own nuclear option: potentially decommissioning the Dragon spacecraft that had recently rescued astronauts stranded on the International Space Station for months. The threat could throw US space programmes into chaos, highlighting how deeply intertwined Musk's business empire has become with critical government operations. As the feud intensified, Musk crossed into unprecedented territory by suggesting Trump should be impeached and that JD Vance should replace him as president. Right-wing influencer Ian Miles Cheong, who has 1.2 million followers on X, posted that "my money's on Elon" in the battle between Musk and Trump, asserting that "Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him." Less than 30 minutes later, Musk reposted Cheong's message, adding simply: "Yes." Musk also warned that Trump's global tariffs would "cause a recession in the second half of this year" and launched an online poll asking whether a new political party should be formed, moves that are certain to enrage the president. Tesla shares plummeted more than 14 per cent on Thursday alone, erasing approximately USD 152 billion from the company's value and reducing it to roughly USD 900 billion. The decline knocked USD 8.73 billion off Musk's personal net worth according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, demonstrating how quickly political feuds can translate into economic consequences. Trump also took to his social media platform Truth Social to fire fresh salvo against Musk. In a post on Truth Social, he stated, "I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It's a Record Cut in Expenses, USD 1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn't pass, there will be a 68 per cent Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didn't create this mess, I'm just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN." Trump stated that he told Musk to leave and took away his Electric Vehicle (EV) Mandate that forced everyone to purchase electric cars. "Elon was "wearing thin," I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY," he posted on Truth Social. In response to Trump post, Elon Musk on X wrote, "Such an obvious lie. So sad." He made this statement in response to a post shared by a user named Autism Capital on X. The user had shares screenshot of Trump's post and mentioned, "Trump fires back at Elon. The online battle begins." Trump even threatened to terminate Elon Musk's governmental subsidies and contracts. "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it," Trump posted on Truth Social. Elon Musk also reposted the post shared by a social media user Kaizen D Asiedu on X. In response to Trump's statement on the "big beautiful bill", Aseidu stated, "What a waste of time by our President. Rather than making this about Elon, he should simply make clear: 1. The conditions under which this bill will reduce the deficit. 2. How he will create those conditions. He was elected to lead, not fight with citizens." Trump, in his earlier remarks, had blamed Musk's public displeasure on legislative proposals that would strip away tax incentives to buy electric vehicles. Musk vehemently denies this is the reason for his break with Trump, but the president's propensity to seek vengeance on those who cross him makes it very plausible that Musk's companies will have a target on their backs. The conflict threatens to derail Trump's centerpiece legislation, which he calls the "big, beautiful bill". Musk has trained his fire not just on Trump but also on Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, resurfacing past comments where they lamented the dangers of letting government spending spiral out of control. In characteristically fiery style, Musk contended in one Thursday afternoon post that "Congress is spending America into bankruptcy!" The budget bill in its current form is projected to add USD 2.4 trillion to the deficit over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Covid is growing milder with time but an occasional surge in cases is expected because the virus that causes it is now endemic and constantly evolving, say scientists while assuring that there is no cause for concern. Image used only for representational purposes. Photograph: Ritik Jain/ANI Photo Addressing worries over the rising incidence of the disease in various parts of the country, the experts noted that it appears to be a result of waning immunity combined with seasonal factors such as temperature extremes, which tend to keep us in air-conditioned spaces. They also stressed the need for caution, particularly in vulnerable sections of the population. "With every passing year, COVID-19 is causing milder infections. It is (now) just another respiratory illness and less dangerous than flu. We can forget COVID-19 as a special case. It is not a cause of concern," global health expert Dr Chandrakant Lahariya told PTI. "All the subvariants are similar, having a lower virulence but high infectivity. While highly susceptible people can still get severe disease, the vast majority don't, especially those who have had prior infections or vaccines," added Anurag Agarwal, dean of biosciences and health research, Trivedi school of biosciences at Ashoka University, Haryana. The World Health Organization declared an end to COVID-19 as a 'public health emergency' two years ago in May 2023. Health experts characterise the disease as 'seasonal', 'endemic', here to stay, or 'restricted to a certain region'. Active cases in the country crossed 5,300 as of June 6, with nearly 500 added in the past 24 hours. Of these, over 4,700 have recovered. The death toll is 55 in the current surge which started January this year, primarily among individuals with pre-existing illnesses, according to the Union Health ministry. "People with pre-existing illnesses and those older than 65 should follow standard precautions, as they would against any other respiratory infection -- not just for COVID-19," explained Lahariya, a consultant physician and former staff member of WHO. Kerala is the most affected with over 1,600 cases, followed by Gujarat, West Bengal, Delhi and Maharashtra, ministry data shows. The case surge in India is part of a wider wave impacting parts of Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong, which have been seeing a rise in infections over the past months. Wastewater surveillance by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) has detected presence of SARS-CoV-2 -- which causes COVID-19 -- in samples from 10 sewage treatment plants in Pune, the Times of India reported. Patterns are similar to those seen in the weeks preceding earlier surges, NCL scientists were quoted as saying. Genome sequencing of samples from India's west and south have shown links to the subvariants of Omicron -- LF.7, XFG, JN.1 and NB.1.8.1. The cases are not severe and there is no need to worry, Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Rajiv Behl said earlier this week. LF.7 and NB.1.8.1. have been classified as 'variants under monitoring' (VUM) by the WHO to alert public health authorities that a variant of SARS-CoV-2 requires prioritised attention and monitoring. JN.1 has been circulating in India since November 2023. The current situation, Behl stressed, is being monitored. Immunologist Satyajit Rath explained that the subvariants driving up case numbers indicate that they are probably better at binding themselves to human cells, despite pre-existing antibodies created in response to a prior infection or vaccination -- or 'infectivity'. "However, the important issue here is not their infectivity, but their tendency to cause severe disease, or 'virulence'," Rath, former scientist at New Delhi's National Institute of Immunology, told PTI. "Since selection pressure among the virus strains depends on infectivity and transmissibility -- and not on virulence -- there is no reason to expect a steady increase in the virulence of the emerging virus strains, which, in fact, has not at all been seen either," he added. Moreover, given that the COVID-19-causing virus is now endemic and constantly 'mutating' or evolving, ups and downs in infections in the population are expected, the health experts said. "People need not worry themselves until they are informed of a new 'variant of concern'. VUM is not relevant to the public, but only to public health authorities," Agarwal said. Lahariya advised the public to gather information from reliable sources and not to forward unverified messages, while Rath suggested that citizens keep a watch for the virulence of newly emerging strains. The experts also stressed on the role of authorities. "National and state governments in India should keep a watch on cases, monitor the trends in new cases and share data widely. The linkage between infections and clinical outcomes should be explored to understand the clinical features of the variants in circulation," Lahariya said. Rath drew attention to systemic issues that remain regarding preparedness of public health systems and availability of healthcare facilities across sections of the society should a virulent variant emerge. "The catch is, how efficiently, systematically and rigorously are our public health systems tracking virus strains, their infectivity and their virulence, not only for SARS-CoV-2 but for any other infection?" he asked. "Are we making next generation Covid vaccines at all? Are we making them available widely and affordably? Are we even carefully tracking evidence to see how well or poorly the current vaccine-induced immunity functions against emerging strains?" he added. The poor and vulnerable would need special protection 'but are masks being made widely and freely available?' "And if not, we are throwing poor communities onto their own resources even for taking such simple precautions, and that is a systemic problem," Rath said. Mixing humour with political resolve, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday used the flagging-off ceremony of the first train to Kashmir by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Katra to subtly but clearly articulate his government's demand for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah during the foundation stone laying and inauguration of development works worth Rs 46,000 Cr, in Reasi on Friday. Photograph: ANI Photo Recalling the opening of the Katra railway station, the last programme of his first government in 2014, Abdullah pointed at a 'coincidence' that four people present at the event on Friday were also on stage that day. Humorously pointing out the differing career trajectories of the persons involved, Abdullah said, "You (Narendra Modi) became the Prime Minister for the first time then... You came here right after the election. And by the grace of God, you inaugurated the Katra railway station here. "After that, you won the election twice in a row and remained the prime minister of this country. Your minister of state in the PMO, Jitendra Singh, was also present... Even our respected Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who was the minister of state for railways at that time, was present." Referring to his own position, Abdullah said, "And I, as the chief minister of a full-fledged state then, stand slightly demoted. I was the chief minister of a state. Now I am the chief minister of a union territory." "But I believe that it will not take long for this to be corrected. And with your help, Jammu and Kashmir will again attain the status of a state," Abdullah added. The chief minister's direct plea for the restoration of statehood was met with applause by the large gathering. The erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into two union territories -- J-K and Ladakh -- following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. During his speech at the inauguration of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link, Abdullah reflected on the significant passage of time since the project's inception in early 1980s. "I was an eighth grade student when this project was started. Today, I am 55 years old. My children have also completed college. Now this project has been completed," he said, pointing at the decades-long journey of the railway link between Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country. He also underscored the historical significance of the railway link, noting that even the British envisioned connecting Kashmir by rail via Uri and Jhelum, but failed to realise the dream. "But today, what the British could not fulfil, has been fulfilled by your hands. The Kashmir Valley has been connected with other parts of the country," Abdullah said, commending the Centre's achievement. Remembering former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Abdullah said, "I will be making a huge mistake if I do not thank Vajpayee ji on this occasion... This happened after he gave it the status of a project of national importance and made it a part of the Budget." Abdullah also highlighted the immense benefits the railway project would bring to Jammu and Kashmir. "Jammu and Kashmir will benefit a lot with this project. It will benefit from tourism. It will benefit the residents of Jammu and Kashmir," he said. The chief minister also specifically mentioned the inflated airfares during highway closures. "When the highway closes as soon as it rains, the airlines start looting us. A ticket for Rs 5,000 suddenly costs Rs 20,000 within hours. But with the completion of the rail link, at least the loot of the passengers will be reduced now." Abdullah further expressed hope that the railway line would also help facilitate the transportation of fruits like apples and cherries to markets across the country. Acknowledging the development of broader infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir by the Centre, Abdullah said, "With your auspicious hands, another infrastructure project has been completed in Jammu and Kashmir. Similarly, many other projects are moving forward rapidly." He also cited the ongoing work on various projects in Jammu and Kashmir, including ring roads in Jammu and Srinagar, the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway, Jammu-Srinagar four-laning, and airport and railway network expansions. A man, accused of raping a two and a half year old girl, died of gunshot injuries following an encounter with the police in Lucknow on Friday, officials said. IMAGE: The site of the encounter in Lucknow, June 6, 2025. Photograph: Screen grab courtesy ANI/X The 26-year-old man, Deepak Verma, was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh, they said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Zone) Ashish Srivastava told reporters that the accused was killed in the Alambagh area of Lucknow early on Friday. He said a couple, who lives under a metro station, lodged a complaint at the Alambagh Police Station on Thursday that their daughter was raped. "A case was registered, and five police teams were formed to probe the incident. Along with this, a reward of Rs 1 lakh was also declared on the accused," the DCP said. Srivastava said footage of CCTV cameras installed at the metro station was analysed, and it was seen that at around 3 am on Thursday, a man arrived there on a white scooter. He took the girl behind the lift of the metro station and forced himself on her. "The number of the scooter was identified, which led the police to Verma, a resident of the Aishbagh area," Shrivastava said. Late Thursday, the police received information that the accused was about to flee. A team reached the spot and tried to stop him, but the accused opened fire, the officer claimed. "Verma was seriously injured in the firing. He was admitted to Lokbandhu Hospital, where he died during treatment," he said. The DCP said the accused worked as a water vendor. He said the girl is currently undergoing treatment at the King George Medical University, where her condition is stated to be critical. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he will attend the G7 summit in Canada this month after receiving an invitation from his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney during their first phone conversation. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photograph: ANI Photo Carney's invitation to Modi to attend the outreach sessions of the G7 Summit signalled Ottawa's intent to repair the ties with New Delhi that plummeted to an all-time low over the killing of a Khalistani separatist. Prime Minister Modi accepted the invitation that came over a week before the summit of the influential grouping kicks off. The summit will be held in Canada's Alberta province from June 15 to 17. It is learnt that the phone call was initiated by the Canadian side. "Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister @MarkJCarney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month," Modi said in a social media post. "As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests. Look forward to our meeting at the Summit," he said. A Canadian readout said Modi and Carney discussed the longstanding relationship between Canada and India, including deep people-to-people ties and significant commercial links. "Importantly, there was agreement to continued law enforcement dialogue and discussions addressing security concerns," it said. According to the note, Carney extended an invitation to Modi to attend the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta. The delay in the invitation to Modi triggered speculations about whether he would participate in the G7 summit. He had attended all five previous summits of the grouping. "Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Modi agreed to remain in contact and looked forward to meeting at the G7 Leaders' Summit later this month," the statement added. The India-Canada relations hit rock bottom following then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in 2023 of a potential Indian link to the killing of pro-Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. In October last year, India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to the Nijjar case. India also expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats. However, Liberal Party leader Carney's victory in the parliamentary election in April triggered hopes for a reset of the relationship. In the last few months, the security officials of India and Canada resumed contacts, and both sides were looking at the possibility of appointing new high commissioners. India had accused Trudeau's government of allowing pro-Khalistani elements to operate from Canadian soil. After Trudeau's exit, New Delhi said it hoped to rebuild ties with Canada based on "mutual trust and sensitivity." "The downturn in India-Canada relations was caused by the license that was given to the extremist and secessionist elements in that country," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said in March. The G7 comprises the US, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, and Japan. At present, Canada holds the presidency of the G7 and is hosting the summit in that capacity. The summit is expected to deliberate on pressing global challenges, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the situation in West Asia. 'Mountain Man' Dasharath Manjhi's son Bhagirath, who recently quit Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United to join the Congress, on Friday disclosed that he wanted a party ticket in the upcoming assembly polls. IMAGE: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi meets Mountain Man' Dasharath Manjhi's son Bhagirath in Gayaji. Photograph: @INCIndia/X Bhagirath spoke to PTI Video ahead of Rahul Gandhi's visit to Beldaur, the village to which his legendary father belonged. He said, "You can look at our house. We still do not have a pucca house. The first thing that I would like to request Rahul Gandhi is to provide us with a pucca house". He also seemed unimpressed with the gesture shown by Nitish Kumar in the lifetime of his father, by getting the Dalit mason seated on his own chair. "What benefit did my father and his family get from that show? Of course, Nitish Kumar may have got some brownie points", said the embittered son. Dashrath Manjhi earned fame for his feet of flattening a hill, just with a hammer and a chisel, after his wife stumbled while bringing him food from their home. It took several years for Manjhi, who passed away in 2007, to achieve his goal which reduced by over 40 km the distance between two administrative blocks of the district of Gayaji. The poignant life story also inspired a biopic Manjhi - The Mountain Man in which the titular role was played by National Award-winning actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Bhagirath, who was inducted into JD-U last year, but joined the Congress in February this year, weeks after attending Gandhi's 'Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan' in Patna, also said he would seek a ticket in the polls which are barely a few months away. He said, with candour, "When Rahul Gandhi comes here, I am going to ask him for a party ticket from Bodh Gaya". Named after the international Buddhist pilgrim town, Bodh Gaya happens to be a reserved constituency. The seat is currently held by the RJD, the Congress' senior ally in Bihar. The West Bengal Police on Friday submitted a charge sheet against 13 people in the father-son double murder case in Murshidabad's Zafarabad violence in April, a senior police official of the district confirmed. IMAGE: Charred remains of vehicles after violence erupted during a protest against the Waqf Amendment Act, in West Bengal's Murshidabad. Photograph: ANI Photo The murders of Haragobindo Das (74) and his son Chandan Das (40) took place on April 11 during the Dhuliyan-Suti-Shamshergunj communal violence linked to protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 in the district which left at least three people dead and many injured, besides forcing hundreds to flee their homes. The unrest, which lasted from April 8 to 12, had also caused widespread damage to public and private properties prompting the Calcutta high court to order deployment of Central Armed Forces to restore law and order. "We have submitted the charge sheet before the district court within 55 days of the crime and have named 13 people in it," the official said. In the aftermath of the violence, the police had arrested over 300 suspected miscreants in connection with over 60 FIRs which were lodged at various police stations in Murshidabad. According to the police reports at the Betbona village where the Das family residence was targeted, the attackers broke down the main door, dragged out Chandan Das and Hargobindo Das, and struck them with an axe in the back. A man reportedly stood guard until they died. Reports also noted that in some attacks, the rioters cut off the water supply to prevent fires from being extinguished. Although the details of those named in the charge sheet or the sections slapped on them were not immediately clear, a fact-finding team set up by the high court had named local Trinamool Congress leader Mehboob Alam, former chairman of the Dhuliyan Municipality, to have 'directed' the attack. The team, while submitting its report before the high court on May 21, had also stated 'inactivity and absence' of the state police, and added that the men in uniform did not respond to calls from the locals during the violence. The committee documented that "as many as 113 houses were badly affected in the village of Betbona", many of which were set on fire. MLC K Govindaraj has been relieved from the post of political secretary to the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with immediate effect, the government said on Friday. IMAGE: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah meets the injured in the stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium, at Bowring Hospital in Bengaluru. Photograph: ANI Photo Though no official reason was given for Govindaraj's removal, the decision is said to be linked to the June 4 stampede incident outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium here that killed 11 people. The stampede occurred on Wednesday evening in front of the stadium, where a large number of people thronged to participate in the RCB team's IPL victory celebrations. Eleven people have died and 56 were injured in the incident. "The appointment of K Govindaraj as Political Secretary to the Chief Minister is hereby revoked with immediate effect. Accordingly, K Govindaraj is hereby relieved from the post of Political Secretary to the Chief Minister with immediate effect," an official notification said. Siddaramaiah on Thursday suspended Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda and four other senior police officials in connection with the stampede incident. TOKYO - Japan's farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Friday hinted at initiating emergency rice imports if the government fails to bring down prices, saying there should be no "sacred cows" in agricultural policy. Koizumi's remarks came as the government continues releasing rice reserves in a bid to lower prices, with it expected to leave stockpiles at 300,000 tons, down from the 1 million tons usually stored in preparation for disasters or crop failures. "Emergency rice imports are one of the options" to ease concern over distribution shortages, said Koizumi, who took his post in mid-May. He added, "We will achieve price stability by considering everything. There will be no sacred cows." The phrase "no sacred cows" is a mantra that was often employed by his father, former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who pushed through administrative reforms and labor market deregulation in the early 2000s. Currently, the government imports 770,000 tons of rice annually tariff-free, mainly from the United States, under its minimum access commitment based on World Trade Organization rules. Of that, up to 100,000 tons is used for human consumption. Since Koizumi became farm minister, the government has sold reserve rice under direct contracts with retailers in an attempt to contain soaring prices, bypassing auctions that were blamed for inflating prices. On Thursday, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's government held its first ministerial meeting on rice policy. The meeting comes as prices have doubled over the past year, with the government aiming to boost production, prevent supply shortages and support producers in response. Related coverage: Japan begins debate on rice policy review as prices soar Japan convenience store chains start selling gov't stockpiled rice Kashmir rail link melts political divide with parties' hail its opening in one voice Photograph: / Rediff.com IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates Chenab bridge - the worlds highest railway arch bridge as J-K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, CM Omar Abdullah and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw look on, in Reasi, Jammu and Kashmir, June 6, 2025. Political parties, cutting across affiliations and ideologies, Friday welcomed the Kashmir rail link inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, hoping for a boost in trade and tourism in the valley. The ruling National Conference termed the rail link a good start. "It is a good start for us. It will help ease the difficulties we have faced in transportation, and tourism and other sectors," NC leader and MLA Pampore, Justice Hasnain Masoodi (retd), told reporters here. He also at the same time said the rights and constitutional guarantees of the people of J-K must also be honoured. "The train has chugged, but the promises also need to be kept. The old promises, made when we joined hands with them, should be honoured," the former Lok Sabha MP said, referring to the promises made with the people of J-K at the time of accession. "This vehicle can only move forward well when both of its tyres -- development and political aspirations -- run well. Then only can the whole nation benefit," he added. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti welcomed the train to Kashmir, terming the project a culmination of what so many governments worked on and capped by the Modi government. "We welcome the train. The work had been on for the past 40 years, ever since Indira Gandhi started the Jammu-Udhampur railway link in 1983. All governments have worked on this project, and Modi has completed it. It was very difficult, but he has done it, and people are happy with it," Mufti said. Reacting to the prime minister's address in Katra, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said she was happy that Modi acknowledged the people's categorical denunciation of terrorism in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. "I am also happy that Modi has acknowledged the stand taken by the people of Kashmir against terrorism after the Pahalgam attack. He appreciated Adil Shah, who laid down his life while saving a tourist. This is who Kashmiris are," she said. Another PDP leader and Pulwama MLA, Waheed Para, said the train straddled centuries of separation. "As train now reaches the soul of Kashmir crossing not just mountains, but centuries of silence and separation. The Chenab Bridge is more than steel; it is healing in motion, and a long-awaited vision made real," Para said on X. He said Kashmir's future lies not in "isolation", but "in becoming a gateway as (Sufi saint) Shah-e-Hamdan (Mir Syed Ali Hamdani) once walked paths that linked this land to Central Asia. "Let all roads converge here. Through Kashmir, India opens its gates to the region, and to the world. No longer be the edge, Kashmir is the bridge to South and Central Asia," he said. The J-K unit of BJP described the completion of the Udhampur-Baramulla rail link as a "historic moment", and called the project a "precious Eid gift" for the people of the Union Territory. "The Udhampur-Baramulla railway connectivity is not just a feat of engineering, but a symbol of hope, development, and national integration. This is truly a historic moment for Jammu and Kashmir," BJP's J-K spokesperson Altaf Thakur said. He said, "This is yet another testament to PM Modi's unwavering commitment to the development and progress of J-K." Thakur hailed the project as one of the most significant infrastructure achievements in recent times and said it will benefit everyone, especially those from the far-flung and economically weaker regions. Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also welcomed the railway link. He, however, also asked the prime minister to release political prisoners from J-K if he sincerely sought to reduce the mistrust. Addressing the Friday congregation at the historic Jama Masjid here, the Mirwaiz said all prisoners, including political leadership, remain in the prayers and thoughts of the people. The government of India should, as a goodwill gesture, release these prisoners on the occasion of Eid, he said. "If the prime minister truly seeks to reduce the 'dil ki doori' (distance of hearts) which he often mentions in his speeches, then such humanitarian steps are the real way forward. Train links are welcome, but it is the human links that truly matter and endure," the Mirwaiz said. Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said whatever the people of Maharashtra wish will happen, comments coming amid intense speculation over possibility of an alliance between his party and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena led by his estranged cousin Raj. IMAGE: Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray. Photograph: @ShivSenaUBT_/X Talking to reporters in Mumbai, the former chief minister insisted there was no confusion in the minds of workers of both parties about an alliance, whose urgency has picked up pace ahead of the ensuing civic body polls and poor show by the MNS and Shiv Sena-UBT in the 2024 assembly elections. "Whatever people of Maharashtra wish will happen," Uddhav Thackeray asserted in response to a question about the possibility of an alliance between the two regional parties. Uddhav Thackeray, however, parried questions on whether there were any kind of tie-up talks taking place currently between his party and the MNS, a breakaway group of the united Shiv Sena floated by Raj Thackeray in 2006. However, Shiv Sena-UBT Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, a close aide of the former CM, suggested there may have been phone calls between the two cousins who share a cold relationship. He, however, did not elaborate further. MNS spokesperson and Mumbai unit president Sandeep Deshpande said the Sena-UBT should first send a formal proposal to Raj Thackeray or at least make a phone call to break the ice and discuss the possibility of a tie-up. He cited instances of the 2014 assembly polls and 2017 Mumbai civic body elections when the MNS had made an attempt to form an alliance with the undivided Shiv Sena. MNS' Thane city president Avinash Jadhav said if Uddhav Thackeray takes one step, "Raj will take 100 steps." Jadhav argued alliances do not take place in front of cameras and suggested the Sena (UBT) should send a formal proposal for consideration by his party. The Thackeray cousins have sparked speculation about a possible reconciliation with their recent statements indicating they could ignore 'trivial issues' and join hands nearly two decades after a bitter parting of ways. While Raj Thackeray has said uniting in the interest of Marathi manoos (Marathi-speaking people) was not difficult, Uddhav Thackeray has insisted he was ready to put aside trivial fights, provided those working against Maharashtra's interests were not entertained. On Thursday, MNS leader Amit Thackeray said alliances do not happen by making statements in the media, and asserted that Uddhav and Raj should talk to each other for any possibility of a tie-up. Prior to that, Sena-UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray said if anyone wants to come together to protect the interest of Maharashtra, then 'we will also take them along'. Asked about the developments, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis insisted there was nothing to react to the buzz about Uddhav and Raj reuniting politically. "It is for Raj Thackeray to react to Uddhav Thackeray's comments that what people want will happen. How am I concerned? They will decide whether to have an alliance or not," Fadnavis told reporters during a visit to Gadchiroli in the Vidarbha. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who heads the ruling coalition partner Shiv Sena, declined to respond to a question of the possibility of an alliance between Raj and Uddhav Thackeray, but said Mahayuti comprising the BJP and its allies will win local body polls. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who heads the NCP, it was up to Raj and Uddhav Thackeray to take a decision on political alliance between their parties. "Raj Thackeray heads the MNS and Uddhav Thackeray is the chief of Shiv Sena-UBT. They will decide if the 'railway engine' and 'flaming torch or mashaal (poll symbols of two parties) will have an alliance. It is up to leaders of the two parties to take a call. What is the point in you and me discussing the issue?" Pawar asked. The Maharashtra Congress, an ally of Uddhav Thackeray, said it will welcome an alliance between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS if it is in the state's interest and helps in keeping a 'communal' BJP away. State Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe said, "There have been talks from both Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS that they will join hands to protect Maharashtra's interests and keep a communal BJP away. If the two parties come together for this, we will welcome the move." China is an absolutely impossible factor to ignore in India's latest confrontation with Pakistan, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said, emphasising that a thaw in relations between Delhi and Beijing over the past few months was seemingly making good progress before the conflict. IMAGE: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor interacts at the Council on Foreign Relations during Operation Sindoor global outreach, in Washington, DC. Photograph: ANI Photo Tharoor, who is leading a multi-party parliamentary to the United States, said, I'm not going to mince my words, but we are aware that China has immense stakes in Pakistan." His remarks came during an interaction with representatives of think tanks organised at the Indian embassy in Washington, DC on Thursday. The largest single project under the Belt and Road Initiative is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Tharoor said, adding that 81 per cent of Pakistani defence equipment is from China. Defence may be the wrong word here. Offense in many ways, he said. "China is an absolutely impossible factor to ignore in what has been our confrontation with Pakistan, Tharoor said. He noted that despite the tensions between China and India since the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020, "we had actually begun a thaw with China in September of last year, which was seemingly making good progress before this tragedy occurred. Tharoor added that then we saw a very different China in terms of its practical support for Pakistan, even on the Security Council. We have no illusions about what the challenges are in our neighbourhood, but I want to remind you all that India has consistently chosen a path of keeping open channels of communication, even with our adversaries," he said. "We have tried as much as possible to focus on development, on growth, on trade. Our trade with China is still at record levels. It's not that we are adopting a posture of hostility, but we would be naive not to be aware of these other currents around, he said. Pakistan is currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Following the April 22 Pahalgam attack, the UN Security Council had on April 25 issued a press statement on the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir' in which the members had condemned it in "the strongest terms. The members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice, the press statement had said. However, the press statement did not mention The Resistance Front as the group responsible for the attack after Pakistan managed to get the name removed with the support of China. In October last year, India and China firmed up a disengagement pact for Depsang and Demchok, the last two friction points in eastern Ladakh. Days after the agreement was finalised, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks in Kazan, Russia, and took a number of decisions to improve ties. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in November last year in Rio de Janeiro on the sidelines of the G20 Summit and the two met again in February this year in Johannesburg. During a conversation at the Council on Foreign Relations earlier in the day, Tharoor was asked about the Chinese military equipment that Pakistan used in the conflict against India and if there is a reassessment over this. Frankly, the reassessment took place while the fighting was going on, Tharoor said. He added that when India saw what the Pakistanis were attempting to do using Chinese technology, for instance, the kill chain' that the Chinese specialise in, where the radar, GPS, planes and missiles are all linked together and they react instantly, we simply did things in a different way. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to hit 11 Pakistani airfields and we wouldn't have been able to breach the Chinese-supplied air defences. So it's clear that assessments were taking place while the fighting was happening, and we were recalibrating our strategies in order to end as effectively as we were able to end, Tharoor said. The fact is China has immense stakes in Pakistan, the largest single project on the Belt and Road Initiative is the one in Pakistan -- the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. So we have no illusions about the degree of commitment that China may well be feeling towards Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused Pakistan of attacking 'insaniyat' and Kashmiriyat by targeting tourists in Pahalgam, saying the intent was to trigger communal clashes in India and rob Kashmiri people dependent on tourism of their livelihoods. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a rally after flagging off the first train service to the Kashmir Valley. Photograph: Narendra Modi on YouTube The prime minister was speaking after flagging off the first train service to the Kashmir Valley, and inaugurating several development projects, including the world's highest railway bridge over the Chenab river and India's first cable-stayed Anji bridge. He said tourism provided employment and acts as a connecting link between people, but unfortunately, the neighbouring country is an enemy of humanity, harmony and tourism. "Not only that, Pakistan is also the enemy of the poor's bread and butter. What happened on April 22 in Pahalgam is an example of that. Pakistan attacked 'insaniyat' and Kashmiriyat in Pahalgam. "The intent of Pakistan was to trigger communal riots in India. It wanted to strip people of Kashmir of their earnings, that's why Pakistan attacked tourism," he said. Tourism was increasing during the last five years in Jammu and Kashmir, and tourists were arriving in record numbers, Modi said. He said tourism fuels the kitchens of the poor in Jammu and Kashmir, and Pakistan deliberately targeted that sector. "Pakistan wanted to destroy the livelihoods of guides, pony operators, guest house owners, shop owners, and roadside dhaba operators who are dependent on tourism. Adil, who challenged the terrorists, was also there to earn his livelihood," he said, referring to the ponywala, who was among the 26 people gunned down by terrorists in Pahalgam on April 22. The prime minister said it has been one month since Indian forces wreaked havoc on terrorists holed up in Pakistan through Operation Sindoor. "Whenever Pakistan hears about Operation Sindoor, it will be reminded of its shameful defeat," he said. Modi said the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Line Project is a symbol of a new and empowered Jammu and Kashmir, and a resounding proclamation of India's growing strength. The Chenab and Anji bridges will serve as gateways to prosperity for Jammu and Kashmir, he said. The prime minister inaugurated the two state-of-the-art bridges before flagging off the Vande Bharat train to mark the completion of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link (USBRL), providing direct train connectivity to the valley. He also laid the foundation stone and inaugurated multiple development projects worth over Rs 46,000 crore for Katra, the base camp for pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district. The 272-km USBRL project, constructed at a cost of around Rs 43,780 crore, includes 36 tunnels, spanning 119 km, and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between Kashmir and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration. 'Like me there are crores of Marathi people in the state hoping for this miracle to work.' Illustration: Generated by Perplexity AI Despite a strong undercurrent among party workers and sympathisers of both the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena for a united Marathi voice in Mumbai's civic politics and ditto for other urban centres in the state, leaders in both camps remain tentative and evasive. At the centre of the impasse is the elusive question: Will Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, synonymous with the politics of aggressive Marathi pride -- the sentiment with which the late Bal Thackeray founded Shiv Sena in Mumbai six years after its formation on May 1, 1960 -- come together in time to disrupt the Bharatiya Janata Party's dream of capturing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)? Raj Thackeray, who quit the Shiv Sena in November 2005 over leadership issues with cousin Uddhav Thackeray -- Raj's father the late Shrikant Thackeray and Uddhav's father the late Bal Thackeray were brothers; their mothers are sisters -- and formed the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in March 2006, has since been unable to establish a firm footing in Maharashtra despite the party winning 13 MLAs in its maiden electoral contest in 2009. With the BJP on the electoral upswing in the state since 2014 -- when Devendra Fadnavis became the BJP's first chief minister in Maharashtra -- and planning with all its might to wrest control of many municipal corporations from the SS (UBT) and other political rivals, Maharashtra is once again buzzing with the possibility of a 'Marathi Manoos Miracle' that could play a significant role in bringing the estranged cousins on a united political platform to puncture the BJP's dream run in the state. But with municipal corporation elections just months away, the Thackeray cousins, party insiders and leaders say, are going one step forward and two steps backward. 'We are positive, but there is no proposal' MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande reflects the guarded tone adopted by his party. "I will tell you we have not yet received any concrete proposal from the Shiv Sena UBT, and unless and until we receive it, we cannot comment on it," he tells Rediff. Explaining why earlier attempts for a rapprochement bore no fruit, Deshpande says, "In 2014 we had given them a proposal to fight the assembly elections together and in 2017 to fight the BMC election... We had talks with (senior Shiv Sena [UBT] leader) Subhash Desai... But after getting the proposal, they were very positive. But at the last moment, they did not turn up. They did not pick up our phone call." That sense of deja vu is strong. "They [SS (UBT)] have taken some steps. They have to decide what proposal they can give; how can you tell them about that?" Deshpande says cryptically. "Unless and until we get the proposal, we can't tell the benefits or drawbacks. Right now, there is no proposal," he says emphatically. 'It would make people like me happy' IMAGE: A screengrab from a video of the event posted on social media showing cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray. Photograph: Kind courtesy @VKharare75781/X Kirtikumar Shinde, former MNS leader who now represents Shiv Sena (UBT), is more vocal about the need for unity. "I left the MNS when Raj Thackeray supported Narendra Modi during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. If the Sena and MNS are now coming together, then people like me, that would make them happy," he says. Shinde, who maintains friendships and contacts on both sides of the Thackeray divide, believes the demand for unity is not just top-down. "There's a buzz at the grassroots level that the brothers should come together. People wonder -- what happens if they don't?" The logic is both emotional and electoral. "Even if the Shiv Sena (UBT)'s candidates defect or switch sides, UBT candidates still get 6,000 to 7,000 votes per ward. If the MNS supports them, their chances of winning increase significantly," notes an SS (UBT) leader, citing internal estimates. "Like me there are crores of Marathi people in the state hoping for this miracle to work. Being an emotional Marathi Manoos I strongly hope the 'Marathi Manoos Miracle' works. Let's see if it actually works or not," Shinde says. The BJP isn't worried -- yet According to a BJP internal survey, a united Sena (UBT)-MNS front will not substantially derail its prospects in the BMC elections. The BJP machinery appears unfazed. Yet, party insiders admit in private that the thin victory margins in many wards -- often as narrow as 2,000 to 3,000 votes -- mean that a tactical alliance could still upset the BJP's arithmetic. "If the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS were to align, they could emerge as a potent force, especially in Marathi-dominated wards in places like Mumbai, Thane, Nashik, Kalyan, and other urban centres," admits a senior BJP leader in Mumbai. In the last BMC election in 2017, in multiple wards the BJP defeated the Shiv Sena (UBT) by wafer-thin margins, and MNS candidates had polled 5,000-8,000 votes -- often without winning. The undivided Shiv Sena and BJP were tied in a neck-and-neck race, with the former winning 84 seats and BJP winning 82 seats. A mid-level Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said, "In some wards, simple arithmetic shows that MNS votes were the deciding factor. Add those up, and the whole picture changes." 'Take initiative. Don't tweet' Earlier on Thursday morning, MNS leader from Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Prakash Mahajan, added a spark to the slow-burn suspense by publicly inviting Uddhav's son Aaditya Thackeray to take the lead. "If Shiv Sena (UBT) is serious, then a prominent leader should take the initiative. I mentioned the name of Aaditya Thackeray in that context," he Mahajan tells Rediff. When aksed if he is authorised by the party to speak on its behalf and if his sentiments echo that of MNS President Raj Thackeray, Mahajan says, "This is not my personal opinion. I am speaking as the spokesperson of the MNS... Yes, you can write that this is also Raj Thackeray's view." Mahajan's statement, made in Marathwada -- far from Mumbai's political corridors -- seems to have caused ripples across both parties. A senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader asks, "Why is someone from Sambhaji Nagar speaking on BMC strategy? It muddles the waters. Is Raj Thackeray even on board?" he wonders. Indeed, such out-of-turn statements are a part of the problem. "Raj Thackeray has told his people not to speak on this issue. Even then, some people keep talking, creating unnecessary confusion," adds Shinde. 'The Marathi voice is being erased' For Shinde and many others, this goes beyond seat-sharing. "The BJP's emergence as a strong player in Mumbai has led to the Marathi voice in Mumbai getting erased," he says. "If the two Thackerays come together, it could become a huge political force -- both politically and electorally." Shinde points out how cultural institutions and even artists no longer speak in Marathi political idioms. "Even in theatre or art, there's no political commentary left... If the two Thackerays come together -- a 'big Thackeray' image can be formed." Sanjay Raut's silent diplomacy? Another SS (UBT) leader hints that backchannel efforts may be underway. "Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut also have a very good relationship -- that's known -- for years now," he says. "If he's saying something [referring to Sanjay Raut's morning press conferences], it must carry weight." He recalls the Maha Vikas Aghadi days, when Raut played a key role in forging the Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP alliance. "So maybe -- I don't know -- but there is effort happening to bring them together." But until a firm handshake materialises, both sides appear trapped in a repetitive loop of cautious optimism and vague signalling, leaving their Marathi-speaking supporters in the lurch with each passing day. 'In politics, one and one is eleven' Ultimately, says Mahajan, the cost of indecision could be greater than any electoral gain. "In Marathwada and Sambhaji Nagar, there are ordinary workers of both Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS. Can you tell what's going on in their minds? If both parties come together, what will happen? And if not, then what?" He adds with a laugh, "It's like a manifesto at the junction." As the municipal corporation elections near, karyakartas in both parties are growing restless. "Alliances don't happen just through discussions in the media," Mahajan warns. "Talking through the media isn't the right way." And so, while workers chant unity, leaders continue their cautious waltz. The Marathi voter, squeezed between nostalgia and realpolitik, watches and waits. "Only Donald Trump can unite the Thackeray brothers," quips a senior MNS leader with a chuckle, summing up the exasperation and confusion among grassroots party workers . If something 'concrete' doesn't materialise on the ground, perhaps only Donald Trump can then pull off the miracle as the MNS office-bearer remarked. The Normandy landings on D-Day -- June 6, 1944 -- began the end to World War II. IMAGE: US troops move onto Utah Beach, Normandy, June 6, 1944. Photographs: Kind courtesy Wikimedia Commons The weather forecast was grim over the English Channel. American General Dwight Eisenhower was in his makeshift office in England fighting a battle in his head as the Second World War raged on in its fourth year. D-Day was supposed to happen on June 5, 1944, but the weather was so bad that Eisenhower, the supreme commander of the Allied forces, had to postpone the invasion of Nazi-occupied France by a day. Thousands of sea sick troops who were packed into boats, tossing violently in the stormy waters, waiting to land on the French coast were ordered to stand down. Luckily, there was a brief lull in the storm early in the morning. The window of opportunity was brief because the weather was going to deteriorate again from the next day onwards. IMAGE: British troops come ashore at Jig Green sector, Gold Beach, Normandy, June 6, 1944. The Allied forces had spent a year planning the invasion. Delaying the attack would ruin the operation that had brought over 2 million troops from 12 countries to Britain. Eisenhower bit the bullet and gave the go ahead. The operation was codenamed 'Overlord'. Its mission was to liberate Western Europe. IMAGE: Royal Marine Commandos attached to the 3rd Infantry Division move inland from Sword Beach, June 6, 1944. June 6, 1944. D-Day Allied forces launched a combined naval, air and land assault on France in the largest ever military invasion in history. German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in charge of defending the French coast did not expect an invasion on such a stormy day. Known as the 'Desert Fox' for his brilliant victories in North Africa, Rommel was celebrating his wife's birthday. IMAGE: Large landing craft convoy crosses the English Channel on June 6, 1944. The Allied forces also carried decoy campaigns to deceive the Germans and divert their attention away from Normandy on D-Day. 'D' in D-Day stands for 'day' and refers to the first day of the big military operation. In the early hours of June 6, 18,000 Allied paratroopers were dropped into drop zones across northern France. Aircraft carried out 14,000 sorties. IMAGE: A Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel from the US Coast Guard-manned USS Samuel Chase disembarks troops of Company A, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division (the Big Red One) wading onto the Fox Green section of Omaha Beach (Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France) on the morning of June 6, 1944. American soldiers encountered the newly formed German 352nd Division when landing. During the initial landing two-thirds of Company E became casualties. Nearly 7,000 naval vessels, including battleships, destroyers, minesweepers were used to land 150,000 troops across five beaches -- Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. The boats bombarded German coastal defences and provided artillery support for the invading troops. By the end of the day, the Allies had established a foothold along the coast of Normandy and liberated 80 miles of French territory. The operation began the advance of the Allied Forces further into Northern Europe. IMAGE: US assault troops in a landing craft approach Omaha Beach, June 6, 1944. The bloody battle of Normandy went on for two-and-a-half months and finally brought victory for the Allies. The fighting by the soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the Allied forces on the western front, and Russian forces on the east, led to the defeat of the Nazis. 4,415 Allied soldiers were killed on June 6. Their plaques dot the beaches of Normandy. The campaign turned the tide of the war and eventually brought victory to the Allied forces and an end to World War II. Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 87F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low near 70F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. TOKYO - A Japanese high court on Friday overturned a ruling ordering former executives of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. to pay the utility unprecedented damages for failing to prevent the 2011 crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The Tokyo High Court determined it was difficult for TEPCO's management at the time to foresee the massive tsunami of up to around 15 meters that caused the disaster, revoking the 2022 court decision ordering the former executives to pay around 13 trillion yen ($90 billion) in compensation. The audience in the nearly packed courtroom expressed shock at hearing the ruling, with some furious about the unexpected turn of events and asking who should be held accountable. The damages of over 13 trillion yen are thought to be the largest ever in a civil lawsuit in Japan. The focal point of the trial was whether the management's inaction regarding tsunami countermeasures was acceptable after a TEPCO unit estimated in 2008 that a tsunami of up to 15.7 meters could hit the plant based on the government's long-term earthquake assessment made public in 2002. Presiding Judge Toshikazu Kino said the government's assessment did not provide a sufficient basis for the utility to swiftly conduct construction work to protect against a huge tsunami. The massive tsunami was "not foreseeable," Kino said, judging it was unavoidable for the former executives to not have a sense of urgency based on information available at that time. Regarding the foreseeability of a tsunami, the ruling added that in the future, executives of nuclear plant operators should be considered as bearing greater responsibility and operators need to continue efforts to prevent similar accidents from happening again. Hiroyuki Kawai, lawyer for the shareholders seeking the damages, criticized the ruling as "fundamentally flawed," expressing his intention to appeal the latest decision. The plaintiffs had sought about 23 trillion yen in damages in the lawsuit. TEPCO apologized for causing trouble to the public through the nuclear accident but declined to comment on a "specific lawsuit." The ruling came after the Tokyo District Court found in July 2022 the former executives liable for compensation after the combined impact of a massive earthquake and tsunami on the plant in northeastern Japan in March 2011 caused one of the worst nuclear disasters in history. The district court ruled the government's assessment was "scientifically credible" and a massive tsunami hitting the plant could have been foreseen. Both the defendants and shareholders had appealed the ruling. The district court found the late former Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata, former President Masataka Shimizu, and former Vice Presidents Sakae Muto and Ichiro Takekuro liable for damages. Katsumata's lawsuit was taken over by his heir. The acquittals of Takekuro and Muto in a criminal suit were finalized in March. Charges against Katsumata were dismissed after his death last October. Currently, about 24,000 Fukushima prefectural residents remain displaced. Related coverage: 2nd melted fuel sample retrieved from crippled Fukushima reactor 1st dismantling of nuclear reactor begins in central Japan Japan court denies request to revoke extension of aging nuclear units A coalition of partners have signed-up to use the SX Tasman Express (SX-TX) subsea cable, which will laid between Sydney and Auckland. Southern Cross, Alcatel Submarine Networks and OMS Group will look to deliver 400 terabits of additional capacity across 16 fibre pairs for Southern Cross customers under the partnership. This project aims to strengthen the digital infrastructure and connectivity between Australia and New Zealand, improving the regional network backbone. The Tasman Express subsea cable system will include Open Cable System architecture that will be compatible with future generations of submarine line terminals and optimised latency to support next generation digital applications. The system design also includes ASN branching unit technology to facilitate an alternate Australian landing (subject to demand and final design confirmation). OMS Group, in partnership with ASN, will lead the marine installation using its latest fleet of vessels. By deploying the SX-TX system, it not only reinforces vital links between Australia and New Zealand but also strengthens the backbone of regional connectivity, OMS Group CEO Ronnie Lim said. Southern Cross Cables president and CEO Laurie Miller said Tasman Express will enhance the digital infrastructure between Australia and New Zealand. Iran has vowed to take strong action against Western nations pushing a resolution at a quarterly meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog that would find the Islamic republic in noncompliance with its safeguards obligations for the first time in 20 years. In a June 6 post on X, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi slammed Britain, France, and Germany -- collectively known as the E3 -- for "falsely accusing Iran" of violating its obligations and claimed the move was "designed to produce a crisis." "Mark my words as Europe ponders another major strategic mistake: Iran will react strongly against any violation of its rights. Blame lies solely and fully with irresponsible actors who stop at nothing to gain relevance," Araqchi warned. A draft resolution prepared by the E3 and backed by the United States was shared on June 5 with the 35 members of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governors, which will hold its quarterly meeting on June 9-13. Araqchi pointed to a similar episode in 2005 when Iran resumed uranium conversion activities after suspending them during earlier negotiations with the E3. In response, the European trio pushed for Iran to be declared in noncompliance and referred to the UN Security Council. Iran retaliated by ending voluntary transparency measures and significantly expanding its uranium enrichment program -- a turning point Araqchi described as "in many ways the true birth of uranium enrichment in Iran." In its latest quarterly report, the IAEA said Iran has sharply increased its production of highly enriched uranium, stockpiling 408.6 kilograms enriched to 60 percent -- up from just under 275 kilograms in February. The agency also criticized Iran for poor cooperation, particularly its failure to explain nuclear traces detected at undeclared sites. While 60 percent enrichment is below the 90 percent threshold required for weapons-grade material, it far exceeds the 3.67 percent limit set by the 2015 nuclear deal, which US President Donald Trump exited in 2018 during his first term in office. Trump returned to the presidency in January. The Trump administration has held five rounds of talks with Iran since April to reach a new agreement on Tehran's nuclear program. But this week, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected a US proposal after Trump stated that Iran would not be allowed to continue enriching uranium under any future deal. Axios says the White House's "interpretation" of Trump's two-month deadline for a deal is that it expires next week. Israel, which has long been planning to strike Iranian nuclear sites, is said to have assured Washington it will not launch a military strike on Iran unless diplomatic negotiations fail and it receives explicit clearance from Trump. Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter. I'm RFE/RL correspondent Kian Sharifi. In this edition, I'm looking at how Iran is pushing to maintain its uranium enrichment capabilities and what analysts say this means for nuclear talks moving forward. What You Need To Know Tehran Preparing Counterproposal: Ali Shamkhani, a senior aide to Iran's supreme leader, said this week that Iran was preparing a counterproposal after the Iranian leader charged that Washington's proposal for a nuclear agreement went against national interests. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also insisted Iran will not abandon uranium enrichment. Arrests Made As Truck Drivers' Strike Continues: At least 40 people, including drivers and supporters, have been arrested as a nationwide truck drivers' strike in Iran enters its third week, spreading to at least 163 cities, according to the US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran. The strike began on May 22 with truck drivers protesting low wages, high insurance costs, and a planned fuel price hike. Iranians Barred From Entering US: President Donald Trump has reinstated a travel ban that includes Iran among 12 countries facing full entry restrictions to the United States. Taking effect on June 9, the ban suspends visa issuance for Iranian nationals, citing national security risks and insufficient vetting procedures. The decision echoes Trump's 2017 "Muslim ban" and has sparked criticism from civil rights groups and Iranian-American organizations -- including those opposed to the Islamic republic -- who argue the policy unfairly targets ordinary Iranians and further separates families already strained by political tensions. The Big Issue Doubling Down On Enrichment Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, said on June 4 that enrichment is a vital component of Iran's nuclear capabilities. This came after Trump asserted that under a potential agreement with Iran, "we will not allow any enrichment of uranium." Khamenei said the US proposal, which has been under review since last month when Omani mediators delivered it to Tehran, undermines the principle of "we can do it ourselves," which he described as a pillar of national independence. Shamkhani, a former national-security chief who serves as Khamenei's top political adviser, said later the US proposal makes no mention of lifting sanctions. "We are now preparing our counterproposal," he said, insisting Tehran will resist US attempts to eliminate its nuclear program or abandon enrichment. Why It Matters: Iran and the United States have held five rounds of negotiations aimed at curbing Tehran's rapidly expanding nuclear program in return for relief from sanctions. Sanctions have severely weakened Iran's economy by slashing oil revenues, devaluing its currency, and isolating it from global markets while also fueling domestic hardship, political hard-lining, and a shift toward alliances with the likes of Russia and China. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last week said in its quarterly report that Iran has significantly increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, reaching 408.6 kilograms enriched up to 60 percent -- well above the 2015 nuclear deal limit of 3.67 percent. The UN nuclear watchdog also criticized Iran for inadequate cooperation, particularly its failure to explain nuclear traces at undeclared sites. These findings come ahead of an IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, 23 Council and potentially reinstating UN sanctions. Iran, meanwhile, has accused Western countries of politicizing the agency and has warned the IAEA board against taking any action targeting Tehran. What's Being Said: Damon Golriz, a lecturer at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, says the hard-line public positions adopted by Trump and Khamenei are mostly aimed at placating critics of a potential agreement. He told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that "there is political will on both sides" to reach a deal. "It makes sense for Iran not to want to easily abandon its nuclear fuel cycle, which took some 20 years to acquire," Golriz said. However, Shahin Modarres, an Iranian security expert based in Rome, says Khamenei is gambling with a potential war. Modarres told Radio Farda the Iranian leader's assessment is that backing down from his hard-line stance and making too many concessions to the United States would alienate the Islamic republic's core support base and undermine the stability of the clerical establishment. He added that Khamenei is also counting on Trump's reluctance to engage in a large-scale war to eventually lead him to drop his maximalist demands. "With this type of thinking, Khamenei is forcing war on peopleand further isolating the country," he said. Expert Opinion: "I believe the Islamic republic started the nuclear program with the aim of developing a nuclear weapon for deterrence. I think enrichment has never been and will never be worthwhile. One reason why the world has doubts about the Islamic republic's nuclear program is that it is not economically justifiable," Behruz Bayat, a nuclear physicist, told Radio Farda. That's all from me for now. Until next time, Kian Sharifi If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. The Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, was hammered by Russian drone and missile strikes early on June 6. Officials said at least four people were killed and 49 were wounded. Kyiv residents told RFE/RL correspondent Oleh Haliv how they ran for cover. In the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, it's not hard to find an offer of a high-paying job in Russia. Ads posted around the city promise job-seekers a chance to earn $1,000 a week -- double what most Bishkek residents earn in a month. The ads say the job requires just three to four hours of work each day, and the worker's travel costs to Russia and housing will both be paid for. When RFE/RL contacted the Telegram account listed on the ads, a reply came back confirming that the work would involve transporting illegal drugs. It's an offer that many Kyrgyz citizens have taken, despite the serious risks. Drug-trafficking charges in Russia can result in prison terms of 20 years to life. "The 'career' of a drug courier is very short -- at best, they last two weeks," Mirlan Toktobekov, an immigration lawyer, told RFE/RL. "Of all the crimes committed by Kyrgyz citizens in the Russian Federation, the majority are drug-related. I recently took part in a court case where a Kyrgyz citizen, born in 1998, was sentenced to 15 years for simply transporting a package," Toktobekov said. In some cases, smugglers recruited into the business are reported to the authorities by traffickers higher up in the organization. "When it's time to pay [the couriers], the organizers themselves turn them over to the police, and they are detained," Toktobekov said. In those cases, foreigners working in the Russian drug trade have few resources to defend themselves. "The rights of our citizens [in Russia] are very poorly protected," Toktobekov said. "Additional charges can easily be pinned on them. People from Central Asia are an easy target for these schemes." Kyrgyzstan's Interior Ministry said authorities are working to track down the organizers who recruit Kyrgyz citizens into criminal activity in Russia. Kanybek Usenov, a representative of the Drug Control Service within the Interior Ministry, said the investigative work is being conducted in cooperation with Russia and other Central Asian governments. In one recent operation, Kyrgyz authorities shut down an online site selling drugs and detained three suspects: a Kyrgyz citizen, an Uzbek, and a Russian. "Since everything happens online, it's very difficult to determine [the traffickers'] location," Usenov said. As for the recruitment efforts, Usenov said "these ads are posted by our own citizens." For foreign nationals who face trafficking charges in Russia, the consequences can go beyond a prison sentence. More than 30,000 foreign citizens are currently detained in Russian prisons, according to the head of Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service. Nearly 70 percent of them are from Central Asian countries. Those inmates are frequently recruited to fight in Russia's war in Ukraine. According to Ukraine's I Want To Live project, which gives occupying soldiers an opportunity to surrender, more than 3,000 Central Asian citizens are now fighting in Ukraine alongside Russian forces. A London court set an April trial date for two Ukrainian men charged with orchestrating a series of arson attacks that targeted property linked to Prime Minister Kier Starmer. Neither of the two men -- Roman Lavrynovych and Petro Pochynok-- nor a Romanian man, Stanislav Carpiuc, who is also charged in the case -- entered pleas at the June 6 hearing, held at Londons Old Bailey court, a Crown Prosecution Service spokesman told RFE/RL. Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb ordered the three held in custody until their next hearing in October, with a trial date scheduled for April 2026. British counterterrorism police have been investigating how and why the three men, plus an unnamed fourth, allegedly set fire to a car and two houses linked to the British prime minister. No one was injured in any of the blazes, which took place in May. The fourth man was arrested at London's Stansted Airport in connection with the arson earlier this week and released on bail. Starmer has called the incidents "an attack on all of us, on our democracy, and the values we stand for." The Financial Times, citing unnamed government officials, said police were investigating whether Russian intelligence agencies played a role in recruiting the men, perhaps unwittingly. Ukrainian police have said they were cooperating with British and other European law enforcement entities, trying to determine if there was a connection to "foreign intelligence services or other terrorist groups." On June 2, the same day the fourth unidentified man was arrested, Ukraine's military intelligence agency issued an unusual public warning, saying that Russian intelligence agencies had intensified efforts to recruit Ukrainians for various tasks. Viktor Yagun, a former deputy director with Ukraine's main security agency, the SBU, told RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service that Telegram channels and chats -- particularly those geared for job seekers -- are one tool Russian intelligence agencies use to identify and hire people, some unsuspecting. They "are a modern method of attracting people who are in a difficult situation and are trying to somehow find themselves in life," Yagun said "In addition, the same Ukrainians are not looking for work on Polish or British sites but often on Russian-language ones." US citizen Joseph Tater has left Russia after being detained in Moscow last August on charges of abusing staff at a hotel -- which he denied -- and subsequently moved to a psychiatric clinic, Russias state news agency TASS reported. Tater was detained in Moscow on August 12, 2024, on a "petty hooliganism" charge and handed a 15-day jail sentence. His detention was then extended as Russia's Investigative Committee launched a probe into a more serious charge of using violence against a police officer. On April 6, a court ordered Tater be removed from pretrial detention and sent for compulsory psychiatric treatment. The court, according to state media, said he was not criminally responsible for his actions after he was diagnosed with a mental disorder. According to TASS, Tater was discharged from the psychiatric clinic on June 6. Unnamed medical sources told TASS the clinic had no reason to keep Tater and released him for outpatient treatment. TASS said Tater was no longer in Russia but that his current whereabouts where unclear. There was no immediate comment by either the US Embassy in Moscow or the State Department in Washington. Earlier, Reuters cited a Kremlin source saying Tater was one of the nine Americans being held in Russia that the United States wanted returned in a prisoner exchange. The information came after Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said such an exchange was discussed by US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in their phone call on May 20. Washington and Moscow have already conducted two prisoner swaps since Trump took office in January. In April, Russian-American citizen Ksenia Karelina, who was imprisoned in Russia for donating $51 to a US-based Ukrainian aid charity, was freed by Russia in exchange for Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen who allegedly exported sensitive microelectronics. Earlier, in February, the United States released confessed Russian cybercriminal Aleksandr Vinnik in exchange for the American teacher Marc Fogel. Migrants entering Moscow will soon be required to install a mobile phone application that tracks their location. Starting on September 1, an experimental digital surveillance program will target migrants in the Russian capital. The app will transmit geolocation data directly to police with the purported aim of combating crime. But human rights groups warn the program is potentially repressive. Migrants who refuse to comply could be added to a watch list and deported. The pilot program is expected to run until September 2029. Samar and his family were among tens of thousands of at-risk Afghans who were flown out of Kabul aboard US-organized flights to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates after the hardline Taliban returned to Kabul in 2021. Samar, whose name has been changed for security reasons, has been waiting to be resettled to the United States through refugee programs for Afghans who have worked for US-affiliated organizations. Four years on, however, the US resettlement remains a distant dream and Samar now fears that it might never happen after the US President Donald Trump on June 4 announced a new travel ban for 12 countries, including Afghanistan, citing national security threats. "I live at a [temporary refugee center] in Abu Dhabi, while my wife and our four children have been housed at a refugee facility in Qatar," Samar, 34, told RFE/RL on June 5. "We are still hopeful that we will be given permission to move to the United States, but this uncertainty over the past four years has drained us mentally and physically," he added. The list of banned countries in Trump's newly announced travel ban also includes Iran, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Citizens of these countries will not be allowed to enter the United States unless they qualify for an exemption, according to the proclamation announced by Trump. The document also imposes partial restrictions on visitors from seven additional countries that include Turkmenistan, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Venezuela. The policy takes effect on June 9. For Afghan nationals, an exemption has been envisaged in the new policy for those who qualify for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV). Created in 2001, the SIV program offers a pathway to Afghan nationals who were directly employed by the US military and diplomatic missions in Afghanistan. Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration attorney and professor at Cornell Law School, said the travel ban will likely be challenged but courts may uphold it. "In 2018, the Supreme Court narrowly upheld President Trump's prior travel ban, holding that presidents have wide discretion on immigration and national security issues," he said in an e-mail. For that and other reasons, "courts are likely to uphold this travel ban," Yale-Loehr said. 'No One Cares' In January, the United States suspended the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for at least three months, dealing a blow to tens of thousands of Afghans waiting for resettlement. Among them were about 15,000 Afghans living with temporary visas in Pakistan, according to figures provided by Pakistani authorities. "We were shocked by that announcement, but didnt lose hope because it said suspended, not ended, so it was like it will resume again," said Muska, a former Afghan media worker, who had been waiting for permission to move to the United States. "But this time, it sounds so final, it is a ban," Muska, 25, told RFE/RL speaking via WhatsApp from Pakistan on June 5. "We Afghans are just stranded here, and it seems no one cares about what will happen to us." Muska said she cant return to Afghanistan, where the hardline Taliban-led government has severely restricted womens lives, banning them from work or getting education beyond primary school. Staying on in Pakistan is not also an option for Muska, who like many Afghans depend on a temporary visa that must be renewed every month. They face increasing pressure by Pakistan, which has forcibly deported more than 800,000 undocumented Afghan refugees since it launched a major crackdown in 2023, according to the United Nations. Another 1.4 million Afghans who are formally registered with the Pakistani government have until June 30 to return to their homeland. "I have been anxious since I heard about the travel ban last night," said Wali, a 30-year-old Afghan who lives in Islamabad with his wife and their 3-year-old daughter. Wali, who gave only his first name, had been cleared for US resettlement, but his visa process was halted since January. Wali, who worked for a US-affiliated NGO in Kabul, believes he will face persecution if returned to Afghanistan. "The proclamation exempts only SIV-holders from the ban. We call on the US government to extend this exemption to all Afghans whose immigration visas were being processed," Wali said. "We all have worked together to support the US government efforts [in Afghanistan]." DARWIN, Australia - Japan's latest Maritime Self-Defense Force frigate made a port call in Darwin, northern Australia, on Thursday for training, as Japan competes with Germany for a contract to build Australia's new-generation fleet. Showcasing the Mogami-class multi-mission frigate Yahagi to the media on Friday, MSDF officials highlighted its advanced stealth features and ability to operate with a smaller crew than the German vessels. The MSDF hosted an evening reception for Royal Australian Navy officials on board the ship the same day. In November last year, the Australian government shortlisted the Mogami-class frigate and Germany's MEKO A200 frigate as candidates to replace its navy's Anzac-class frigates in a program worth up to AU$10 billion ($6.5 billion) over the next decade. From an operational standpoint, there is a degree of support in Australia for Germany's proposed frigates, which offer compatibility with its current fleet. Meanwhile, Japan is aiming to ease concerns by allowing officials to experience the user-friendliness of its frigate. "With a smaller crew, it is easier to keep track of personnel. I believe this is the optimal size," Yahagi's captain, Masayoshi Tamura, said. Frigates produced by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. can be operated by a crew of around 90, half as many as similar vessels. The Australian government is planning the largest expansion of its navy's combatant fleet since World War II amid China's growing military presence in the Indo-Pacific region. It is expected to choose either Japan or Germany as its partner for the joint development of new frigates by the end of the year. Spontaneous willow woods and intense biodiversity have flourished in the wake of the Kakhovka Dam breach, caused by an explosion two years ago in Ukraine's Kherson region. Russian sabotage was suspected when the dam, a critical hydroelectric power source, burst on June 6, 2023, causing widespread flooding, deaths, and damage along the Dnieper River. Now the former reservoir may be home to a renewed natural bounty, say ecologists. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned a massive Russian attack on June 6 that targeted multiple regions across the country as US President Donald Trump's hopes for a quick deal to end the more than three-year-old war fade. "Russia doesn't change its stripes -- another massive strike on cities and ordinary life," Zelenskyy said in a post on X. He added that the assault involved over 400 drones and more than 40 missiles, including ballistic missiles. That would make it one of the largest aerial attacks since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022. According to Zelenskyy, 49 people were wounded in the aerial attacks, though the number was preliminary and may rise. At least four people were killed, including three firefighters -- Pavlo Yezhor, Danylo Skadin, and Andriy Remenniy -- who were working under shelling to assist people, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported in a Telegram post. Zelenskyy urged the international community, particularly the United States and Europe, to take stronger action against Russia. Trump has so far refused to impose new sanctions on Russia despite Moscow's repeated aerial attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, including apartment buildings. "If someone is not applying pressure and is giving the war more time to take lives, that is complicity," he warned. "We must act decisively." The intense attack lasted several hours and reportedly involved cruise missiles and kamikaze drones. All the fatalities were in Kyiv, the capital. Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said drones had struck the upper floors of a high-rise apartment building on the east side of the city and started a fire. Ukraine's air force said the city had been targeted by drones and Kalibr cruise missiles. The sound of Russian kamikaze drones buzzing overhead accompanied by the sounds of Ukrainian anti-aircraft fire could be heard during the attack, Reuters reported. The massive attack comes two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Trump during a call that Moscow would respond to Ukraine's June 1 surprise attack on Russian airfields that destroyed numerous long-range bomber aircraft. Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), which carried out the attack, claimed that more than 40 bombers were hit. RFE/RL could not confirm that number. Videos posted to social media by the SBU showed several Russian bombers in flames following drones strikes. Trump spoke with Putin by phone on June 4 and described the call as a "good conversation," though he noted it was not the kind that would lead to immediate peace. Trump said Ukraine's surprise attack was one of the topics discussed. "We discussed the attack on Russia's docked airplanes by Ukraine, and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides," Trump said. Trump met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on June 5 at the White House to talk about cooperation on Ukraine and other topics. Merz, who took office last month, told reporters ahead of the Oval office meeting that he was not expecting major breakthroughs on tariffs, NATO, or the war in Ukraine. Afterward, he said he was "extremely satisfied" with how things went. He said the United States and Germany both agree on how terrible this war is," while making sure to lay blame squarely on Putin for the violence and stress that Germany sides with Ukraine. "We are both looking for ways to stop it very soon," Merz said. "I told the president before we came in that he is the key person in the world who can really do that now by putting pressure on Russia." Trump has made ending the war in Ukraine a top priority since taking office more than four months ago. To get the ball rolling, he held a call with Putin just three weeks into his new term, ending the West's diplomatic isolation of the Kremlin leader. Trump initially demanded Russia and Ukraine agree to a 30-day temporary cease-fire. While Zelenskyy accepted Trump's proposal, Putin has repeatedly rejected it, insisting instead that the sides first agree on certain pre-conditions before pausing hostilities. Many Western officials and experts say Putin has no interest in peace at this point in the war and is merely going through the motions to appease Trump. The US president seemed to concede that his peace efforts were not working and that the war would continue for some time. Sometimes you see two young children fighting like crazy, Trump said as Merz looked on. They hate each other, and theyre fighting in a park, and you try and pull them apart. They dont want to be pulled. Sometimes youre better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart. Following Russias overnight attacks on June 6, US Democratic leaders introduced legislation urging the administration to identify additional air defense systems that could be transferred to Ukraine. According to a statement published on the Senate Foreign Relations Committees website, the US air defense systems are the only ones that have proven effective in protecting the war-torn country from Russian ballistic attacks. The resolution also called on Trump to approve the "re-export" of US air defense systems that are currently owned by other "allies and partners" of the United States. With reporting by AFP and Reuters US President Donald Trump on June 5 compared Russia's war against Ukraine to children fighting in comments during a visit by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, telling reporters at the White House that "sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while." Trump downplayed prospects for an immediate peace between the countries despite his diplomatic efforts to push the two sides to negotiate a cease-fire and eventually a peace deal. The US president has become increasingly frustrated over the lack of progress toward either goal. During last year's presidential campaign, Trump vowed to end the worst war in Europe since 1945 soon after taking office. It now appears he has come to a new conclusion, saying stopping the war is difficult because there is there is "a lot of animosity" between the two countries and a lot of hatred between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "Sometimes you see two young children fighting like crazy, they hate each other and they're fighting in a park," Trump said. "Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart." Hours after Trump met Merz, Russian drones attacked Kyiv, triggering fires in residential buildings in different parts of the city, authorities said. Trump said he still believes that "at some point" there will be peace between Russia and Ukraine as Merz encouraged the US president to pressure Putin. The German chancellor stressed that Berlin and Washington need to work together to support Ukraine and put pressure on Russia. "America is again in a very strong position to do something on this war and ending this war, so let's talk about what we can do jointly," Merz said in the Oval Office. Merz said later in an interview with CNN that when Trump commented that the June 6 anniversary of D-Day wouldn't be a very good day for Germany, he told Trump he viewed the 1944 invasion launched by the United States and its allies as the liberation of Germany from the Nazis. "I used this political and historical analogy just to point out that the Americans are again in a very strong position to end something which is again a terrible war on European soil, not with military actions but this time with pressure on Russia," Merz said on CNN. He said during his visit to Washington he spoke with US senators about sanctions, noting that the European Union is debating another sanctions package -- the 18th since the war began in February 2022 -- and predicted it would pass. "We will do [more sanctions] in Europe. We are asking the American side to do the same in parallel," he said. "This is something we can do together." Trump declined to commit to backing further sanctions on Russia but noted a sanctions bill prepared by Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican-South Carolina) is a "very tough" bill. "When I see the moment where it's not going to stopwe'll be very, very, very tough," he said. "And it could be on both countries to be honest. You know, it takes two to tango." With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY JWR UPDATE. IT'S FREE. (AND NO SPAM!) Just click here. You see the same pattern over much of the world. In three consecutive presidential elections in the United States. In the latest polls in Britain, where the 2016 Brexit referendum was the first notable outbreak. In France's most recent national election and in Germany's. In Canada's election last month. And maybe in Poland and South Korea last weekend. WASHINGTON - Japan's chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa reiterated during a meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Thursday that higher import duties imposed by Washington should be reconsidered, as the countries continue negotiations toward a win-win deal. Akazawa is visiting the U.S. capital for the third straight week for another round of tariff talks at the ministerial level, hoping to smooth the way for a meeting of the countries' leaders in mid-June. Before his planned talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday, Akazawa sat down with Lutnick for nearly two hours to "strongly" urge the United States to reconsider the wave of tariff measures announced by President Donald Trump, according to the Japanese government. Akazawa and Lutnick discussed cooperation on trade, nontariff barriers and economic security, the Japanese side said. While continuing to demand the elimination of the higher tariffs, Japan is also weighing whether to accept a cut in the rates, with the United States resisting a full removal of the duties. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Trump plan to hold a meeting around the time of the three-day Group of Seven summit in Canada starting June 15. After meeting with Bessent and Lutnick last week, Akazawa said they had agreed their talks were "making progress." Akazawa, who is scheduled to leave Washington on Saturday, has declined to provide details, including in which areas progress has been made. Under Trump's so-called reciprocal tariff regime, announced April 2, almost all countries in the world have been hit by a baseline duty of 10 percent, with Japan facing an additional country-specific tariff of 14 percent for a total rate of 24 percent. Along with other countries, Japan has also been affected by the Trump administration's additional 25 percent tariff on automobiles and other sector-based levies implemented on national security grounds. Related coverage: Trump's steel tariff hike not raised in Japan-U.S. talks: negotiator Japan, U.S. agree tariff talks making progress toward deal Japan PM says mutual understanding "deepened" with Trump over tariffs Gordon Deegan A 23-year-old Dublin man has appeared in court concerning three shots allegedly fired at a caravan in an Ennis halting site last week. At Ennis District Court on Friday, Johnny Donovan of Bay 3, Rathmichael, Shankill, Co Dublin appeared in connection with four charges arising from the shooting incident at Ballaghboy halting site, Quin Rd, Ennis on Thursday, May 29th last. At a contested bail hearing, Det Garda Aoife OMalley told the court that there had been unrest all week due to tensions between certain families at Ballaghboy halting site with gardai responding to multiple incidents. Det Garda OMalley said that additional gardai have been deployed to police the situation and she said that the shooting incident took place only 10 minutes after the Garda Armed Support Unit (ASU) had left the scene. Det Garda OMalley said that the alleged shooting showed blatant disregard for An Garda Siochana. She said that the fire-arm has not yet been recovered. Det Garda OMalley said that it will be alleged that on May 29th last, Johnny Donovan while travelling in a grey BMW jeep entered Ballaghboy halting site, Quin Rd, Ennis and accompanied by a second male produced a hand-gun and fired three indiscriminate shots at a caravan in the first bay. No person was shot but Det Garda OMalley said that two people were present in the bay at the time of the shooting. She said that one of the two took a video which captures her running to a vehicle to take cover and captures three gunshots. Det Garda OMalley said that no persons are identified in the video. She said that a Garda Scenes of Crime Unit examined the scene and found one caravan had three bullet holes while one spent bullet was found inside the caravan. Det Garda OMalley said that Mr Donovan is facing three charges of criminal damage of property at Ballaghboy and a fourth under the Firearms and Weapons act concerning use of a hurley or a stick. Det Garda OMalley said there is a possibility that more serious charges are to follow and Judge Alec Gabbett described the charges before the court as holding charges. The detective said that evidence gathered confirmed that a shooting incident did occur. She said that the video of the alleged shootings showed that a viable firearm capable of causing death of serious harm was used. Det Garda OMalley said that Garda seized the jeep allegedly used in the shooting and found a hurley, a pitch fork, an axe and small bottles filled with accelerants. She said that Mr Donovan - who, she said, has family links to Co Clare - is first cousins of the partners of the injured parties in this case. They are all very well known to each other and until recently would have been very friendly with each other," she said. Solicitor for Mr Donovan, John Casey applied for bail stating that Mr Donovan was willing not to enter Clare as part of his bail conditions. However, Judge Gabbett refused bail and remanded Mr Donovan in custody to Limerick prison to appear in court next Wednesday via video link. Shri Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition, speech at Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan in Rajgir, Bihar I looked Modi ji in the eye in the Lok Sabha and said that the caste census will definitely take place. Shri Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition, speech at Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan in Rajgir, Bihar: Bihar was once considered the land of truth, justice, and non-violence. It had shown the path to the entire world; people from across the globe used to come to study at Nalanda University. But today, the situation has completely changed. People from Bihar are now forced to migrate to other states and even abroad because there are no employment opportunities here. Today, Bihar has become the crime capital of the country. Advertisement After entering politics in 2004, I gradually started discovering the real India. I began to realise that 90% of the countrys population has no real representation anywhere. The backward classes, Dalits, Adivasis, and extremely backward communities have no meaningful presence neither in the corporate sector, nor in the judiciary, bureaucracy, or among the owners of private hospitals and other institutions. On the other hand, the lists of MGNREGA workers and gig workers are filled with Dalits, backward classes, Adivasis, extremely backward communities, and the poor from the general category. They make up 90% of the population, yet they control less than 5% of the countrys resources. These 90% people are the biggest shareholders of suffering, but they have no real participation anywhere else. I am interested in the truth. Thats why I raised the issue of the caste census, so that the reality of the country could be revealed like an X-ray. Modi ji used to call himself OBC in every speech, but later he started saying that there is no caste in the country. I looked Modi ji in the eye in the Lok Sabha and said that the caste census will definitely take place. I knew that with just a little pressure, he would surrender. The BJP-RSS have a habit of surrendering; it's part of their history. Advertisement The day the BJP conducts a proper caste census, its politics will come to an end. In the BJP-model caste census, questions were decided behind closed doors by bureaucrats and none of those officials represented the 90% majority of the population. The BJP's model is: We will decide the questions. If you want to answer, fine; if you dont want to answer, dont. In Telangana, representatives from Dalits, backward classes, tribals, extremely backward classes, minorities, and the general category were asked which questions they wanted to include in the caste census. Around 300,000 people decided the questions in public meetings. Then government officials visited every household and collected data. It was found that in Telangana, Dalits, OBCs and tribals do not receive government contracts. The BJP is talking about conducting a caste census in 2027, but I don't believe it will conduct it in an appropriate manner. The day a proper caste census is done in the country, it will not be just an X-ray... it will prove to be an MRI. I want to show the country the truth about how much injustice is being done to 90% of the population. I want to do this not for politics, but for the country and for the truth. Advertisement The Constitution states that this country belongs to everyone. Caste census is a way to protect this Constitution. I do not want a country where children are lied to that even if they belong to marginalised communities, they can still become doctors or engineers. The reality is that the paths for their progress simply do not exist. The ceiling of 50% on reservation in the country is meaningless. After seeing the outcome of the caste census in Telangana, the Chief Minister removed the 50% reservation limit. Wherever our government is formed, we will break the 50% reservation barrier. Once the data from the caste census comes out, the development paradigm will change. The Constitution embodies an ancient philosophy the thoughts of Lord Shiva, Buddha, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Ambedkar, Periyar, Narayana Guru, and Basavanna. This ideological battle has been going on for thousands of years. On one side stands Mahatma Gandhi; on the other, Godse. We must not be afraid of those who follow the ideology of the RSS and BJP. Advertisement (for more news apart Shri Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition, speech at Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan in Rajgir, Bihar saty tuned to rozana spokesman) PM Modi Flags Off First Vande Bharat Train from Katra to Srinagar The Chenab Bridge is even taller than the Eiffel Tower...." PM Modi Flags Off First Vande Bharat Train from Katra to Srinagar latest News: Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first Vande Bharat Express train from Katra to Srinagar on Thursday during a special programme held in Katra. On this occasion, he also inaugurated the Chenab and Anji Bridges, engineering marvels constructed on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail line. Before flagging off the trains, Prime Minister Modi interacted with school children and members of the Railway staff onboard the Vande Bharat Express at Katra Railway Station. Advertisement Addressing the public, PM Modi said, The dream of connecting Kashmir to Kanyakumari by rail has now become a reality. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail line project is not just a name; it is a symbol of the new strength of Jammu & Kashmir and a testament to Indias growing might. Highlighting the engineering feat, he added, The Chenab Bridge is even taller than the Eiffel Tower. The Chenab and Anji Bridges stand as living symbols of Indias capabilities on the inaccessible terrains of Pir Panjal. This is the roar of a bright future for India. Now, Kashmiri apples can reach the big markets of the country on time and at a lower cost. Reacting to the recent Pahalgam terror attack, PM Modi affirmed, Jammu and Kashmir's development will not be derailed by such acts. This is Narendra Modis promise. Anyone trying to hinder the dreams of the youth here will first have to face me. Advertisement The newly launched Vande Bharat Express, after being flagged off, crossed the iconic Chenab Bridge shortly after leaving the station. J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, speaking at the inaugural ceremony in the presence of PM Modi and other dignitaries, remarked, J&K will regain its statehood under PM Narendra Modis leadership. Reflecting on past milestones, Omar said, Ive been fortunate to be associated with the PM in multiple railway projects in J&Kfrom the inauguration of the Anantnag Railway Station to the Banihal Tunnel and now this. Back in 2014, the same four people were present here for the inauguration of the Katra Railway Station. While Manoj Sinha, who was then MoS Railways, has become the LG of J&K, I went from being CM of a state to CM of a UT. But things will return to normal soon. Advertisement He further acknowledged former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayees vision, saying, I was in 8th grade when the foundation for this railway project was laid. Now Im 55, and the project is finally complete. It could only happen because Atal ji declared it a project of national importance and allocated a higher budget. This railway service will benefit J&K in every possible way. J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also addressed the gathering, stating, 'Kashmir to Kanyakumari is no longer just a slogan. The Prime Minister has made it a reality today by launching the KatraSrinagar Vande Bharat train. The bridges inaugurated today are not just structures of cement and iron but bridges of aspiration for the people of Jammu & Kashmir. (For more news apart from PM Modi Flags Off First Vande Bharat Train from Katra to Srinagar, Inaugurates Chenab and Anji Bridges, stay tune to Rozana Spokesman) PM Modi Hails Pony Operator Adils Bravery; Announces Financial Aid for Damaged Houses in the Shelling Adil, who defied terrorism, had gone there to work hard and earn a living to take care of his family,...the terrorists killed even Adil. PM Modi Hails Pony Operator Adils Bravery latest news: Katra, Jammu & Kashmir Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the public on Thursday in Katra after flagging off the Vande Bharat Express and inaugurating the iconic Chenab and Anji Bridges, praised Adil, a local pony ride operator from Pahalgam, for his bravery in challenging terrorists during the recent Baisaran terror attack. With a shaky voice and anger, PM Modi said, Adil, who defied terrorism, had gone there to work hard and earn a living to take care of his family. He was striving for their well-being, but the terrorists killed even Adil. Advertisement He added, Against Pakistans conspiracy, the people of Jammu & Kashmir have now risen. This time, the strength shown by the people of J&K has sent a strong message not just to Pakistan, but to the entire terrorist mindset across the world. Praising the youth of Jammu & Kashmir, the Prime Minister said, The youth here have made it their mission to give a fitting reply to terrorism. This is the same terrorism that has destroyed the future of two entire generations. It has devastated countless families. Adil, a pony ride operator from Pahalgam, was among the 26 people killed during the brutal attack on the meadows of Baisaran on April 22. According to eyewitnesses, Adil could have saved himself but instead chose to resist the terrorists and reportedly tried to snatch a rifle to protect others. He was shot dead on the spot. Advertisement He was the only local Muslim victim in the attack that severely impacted Indo-Pak bilateral relations. His funeral drew widespread mourning, with thousands attending, including J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Highlighting the region's recovery from decades of violence, PM Modi said, J&K has seen so much destruction that people had stopped dreaming. They had accepted terrorism as their destiny. We have pulled them out of that darkness Now, the people of J&K want to see their land once again become a location for film shoots, a hub for sports. Speaking about the April 22 attack, he declared firmly, Jammu & Kashmirs development will not be halted by the Pahalgam attack. This is Narendra Modis promise. If anyone dares to stop the youth here from fulfilling their dreams, then they will have to face Modi first. Advertisement The Prime Minister also announced financial assistance for families affected by cross-border shelling. The suffering of over 2,000 families affected by shelling is our own. Homes that have been severely damaged will receive rupees 2 lakh, while those partially damaged will be given rupees 1 lakh, he said. He further added, Two new border battalions have been formed for Jammu and Kashmir, and the creation of two women battalions has also been completed. New infrastructure worth hundreds of crores is being developed in conflict areas near the international border. The government will spend over rupees 4,200 crore on these initiatives. Earlier in the day, PM Modi flagged off the first Vande Bharat Express train from Katra to Srinagar as part of a special ceremony. He also inaugurated the Chenab and Anji Bridges two engineering marvels built as part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail line. Advertisement (For more news apart from PM Modi Hails Pony Operator Adils Bravery; Announces Financial Aid for Damaged Houses in the Shelling, stay tune to Rozana Spokesman) Vijay Mallya Opens Up About the Collapse of Kingfisher Airlines Regarding the allegations of financial misconduct, Mallya claimed he had made four settlement offers to banks... Vijay Mallya Opens Up About the Collapse of Kingfisher Airlines Vijay Mallya, who faces allegations of financial misconduct and money laundering, has revealed details about the downfall of Kingfisher Airlines. Advertisement In an interview with YouTuber Raj Shamani, Mallya said he had planned to downsize the airline to save it and had approached the then Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, with the proposal. However, the finance minister allegedly asked him to continue operating the airline at its existing scale. He also attributed much of the airlines troubles to the 2008 global financial crisis, claiming that Kingfisher Airlines had been running smoothly until then. Regarding the allegations of financial misconduct, Mallya claimed he had made four settlement offers to banks, all of which were rejected despite his willingness to repay. He further asserted that, despite sending 15 reminders, he never received a formal statement of account. According to him, the total debt of rupees 14,131.6 crore only became known through a statement made by the finance minister in Parliament. Referring to a Debt Recovery Tribunal certificate, Mallya disputed media reports of a rupees 9,000 crore debt, stating that the official figure is actually rupees 6,203 crore. Advertisement He also questioned why he is being called a thief even after repaying more than what was owed. Mallya added that he is ready to stand trial not because he did anything wrong, but because he is accused of having bad intentions. Mallya founded Kingfisher Airlines in 2005, which was once a prominent airline in India but ceased operations in 2012 due to financial difficulties. His business ventures faced significant setbacks, leading to allegations of financial misconduct. In 2016, Mallya left India for the UK amid accusations of defaulting on loans amounting to approximately rupees 9,000 crore from 17 Indian banks. (For more news apart from Vijay Mallya Opens Up About the Collapse of Kingfisher Airlines Everything They Said, stay tune to Rozana Spokesman) Breaking: SSP Vigilance Officer Who Issued Summons To Bharat Bhushan Ashu Suspended This unfolding controversy adds a dramatic layer to the Ludhiana West electoral battle SSP Vigilance Officer Suspended After Summoning Bharat Bhushan Ashu Latest News: In a major political and administrative twist just ahead of the Ludhiana West bypolls, the Punjab government has suspended the SSP Vigilance officer who had issued a summons to senior Congress leader Bharat Bhushan Ashu. This development has effectively halted Ashu's appearance before the Vigilance Bureau, which was scheduled for today. According to top government sources, a preliminary investigation has revealed disturbing allegations suggesting that the summons may have been orchestrated by Ashu himself in a strategic attempt to garner public sympathy before the bypoll. Sources indicate that there was direct and frequent communication between Ashu and the suspended SSP, with evidence pointing to a deeper personal and professional relationship between the two. Advertisement It is also being alleged that Ashu played a key role in the officers earlier appointment as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), raising serious questions about conflict of interest and political interference. A secret meeting between Ashu and Officer Jagatpreet Singh reportedly took place just days before the official election announcement, adding fuel to the controversy. Further scrutiny of the case revealed that the summons was issued in an unusual and hurried mannerovernight and without any official procedural documentation or approvalraising red flags within the Vigilance Bureau and prompting internal review. Political observers suggest this incident could significantly impact the dynamics of the Ludhiana West bypoll, where Ashu is a key contender. The opposition has already begun questioning the credibility of the Congress campaign and demanding a wider probe into the alleged misuse of government machinery. Advertisement Meanwhile, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau has stated that it is re-evaluating the circumstances under which the summons was issued and that further action will follow based on the outcome of the ongoing inquiry. This unfolding controversy adds a dramatic layer to the Ludhiana West electoral battle and puts a spotlight on the growing entanglement between politics and law enforcement in Punjab. (For more news apart from SSP Vigilance officer Suspended After Summoning Bharat Bhushan Ashu Latest News, stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman) Trump and Musk Online Spat: Big Beautiful Bill vs Big Ugly Bill Everything They Said The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year. Trump and Musk Online Spat: Big Beautiful Bill vs Big Ugly Bill Everything They Said U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, once allies, have gotten into an online spat after what appeared to be a respectful and friendly farewell during a joint press conference, where Musk stepped down from his role as a U.S. government special employee. Advertisement Their disagreement reportedly stemmed from a bill, with one calling it a big beautiful bill and the other calling it a big ugly bill, The duo publicly began condemning each other on the intervening night of June 5 and 6. Their online jabs have led to a 14% decline in Teslas share value, with its market capitalization taking a 152 billion dollar hit, according to CNBC. Advertisement Their online spat: Trump called Elon CRAZY. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, Elon was wearing thin. I asked him to leave. I took away his EV mandate that forced everyone to buy electric cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY! Advertisement To this, Elon replied, Such an obvious lie. So sad. Ive aided him significantly. Look, Elon and I had a fantastic rapport. I cant say if that will continue. I was taken aback, Trump said. Elon is upset because we implemented the EV mandate, which was a considerable sum for electric vehicles, and theyre strugglingthe electric vehiclesand they expect us to provide billions in subsidies. Elon was aware of this from the outset. He has known this for quite a while. Thats been consistent from the start. Advertisement Trump also threatened to terminate Elons government subsidies and contracts,The easiest way to save money in our budgetbillions and billions of dollarsis to terminate Elons government subsidies and contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it! In response to Trumps post, Elon replied on X, In light of the Presidents statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately. In another post on Truth, Trump wrote, I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the greatest bills ever presented to Congress. Its a record cut in expenses1.6 trillion dollarsand the biggest tax cut ever given. If this bill doesnt pass, there will be a 68% tax increase and things far worse than that. I didnt create this mess, Im just here to FIX IT. This puts our country on a path of greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! "I'm very disappointed with Elon. I've helped him a lot. He knew the inner workings of the bill better than anybody sitting here. He had no problem with it. All of a sudden, he had a problemand he only developed the problem when he found out were going to cut the EV mandate," stated in what appeared to be an interview. Elon responded, False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it! And the big, ugly spending bill will make things much worse. Musks Campaign Against the Bill Elon called for the bill to be scrapped,Call your Senator. Call your Congressman. Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL. Musk also endorsed a proposal to bar all sitting members of Congress from re-election if the deficit exceeds 3% of the U.S. GDP, according to a leading report. I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful. I don't know if it could be both, Musk remarked. He said a new spending bill should be drafted that doesnt massively grow the deficit or increase the debt ceiling by five trillion dollars. Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the billeven though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!)but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill. In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that is both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this! Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way, Elon said. He also warned, The Big Ugly Bill will INCREASE the deficit to 2.5 trillion dollars! Musk added, The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year. When a user on X posted,The Big Beautiful Bill is a debt bomb ticking. Its also the biggest missed opportunity conservatives have ever had to put our country back on a track of fiscal sanity. If we defeat this bill, a better one can be offered that wont bankrupt our country, Elon replied, Absolutely. Musk's Political Poll Elon also created a poll on his X handle, asking: Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle? As of now, 81% have voted Yes and 19% No. The poll has received 51 million views. (For more news apart from Trump and Musk Online Spat: Big Beautiful Bill vs Big Ugly Bill Everything They Said, stay tune to Rozana Spokesman) HONG KONG - Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, who has been jailed over a subversion case, was newly charged Friday with "conspiring to collude with foreign forces" under the national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020. The 28-year-old, who was sentenced in November to four years and eight months in prison over an unofficial primary election, allegedly conspired with fellow activist Nathan Law to urge foreign countries to impose sanctions or take other hostile actions against Hong Kong and China between July 1 and Nov. 23, 2020. He was also accused of requesting foreign powers or organizations to "seriously disrupt the formulation and implementation of laws or policies" by mainland Chinese and Hong Kong authorities. His case was adjourned until Aug. 8. Law is currently in self-imposed exile in Britain. Beijing introduced the national security legislation to the semiautonomous city in 2020 to criminalize activities such as secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign or external elements. The offense of collusion with foreign forces carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Related coverage: 45 Hong Kong democracy activists sentenced to up 10 years Hong Kong 2019 pro-democracy protest song banned as court reverses ruling Talks on reducing the budget deficit The record budget deficit continues to dominate public debate in Romania. Photo: loufre / pixabay.com Bogdan Matei, 06.06.2025, 14:00 The European Commissions bi-annual economic analysis shows that Romania is the only country in the Union with excessive macroeconomic imbalances. The budget deficit is the largest in the entire community block, at almost nine 9%, and, according to the Commission, the Romanian authorities have not taken any effective measures to correct it. According to the European Commissions analysts, the deterioration of the situation in Romania was caused, among other things, by the growing current expenses, through the increase in salaries and pensions. The Commission has called on Romania to present urgent and effective measures, or risk not meeting the deficit correction objectives by 2030 and entering procedures that will lead to the loss of some European funds starting next year. What is known, at the moment, in Bucharest, is that a package of measures to reduce the budget deficit could be officially presented on Monday, after the negotiations that the head of state, Nicusor Dan, has with the leaders of the four pro-European parties that could form the future government: PSD, PNL, USR and UDMR. Until then, discussions continue within the technical teams, made up of experts from the political parties. President Dan said that none of the fiscal proposals carried by the media, from increasing VAT on some products to progressive taxation of salaries, was certain. To reduce the deficit to 7.5% of the GDP, the Romanian state needs to find 30 billion lei (the equivalent of about six billion euros) either by reducing public sector spending, or by increasing taxes or by a combination of the two methods. In opposition, the nationalists with AUR announced that they would not support the increase in taxes and duties, but would insist on a 10% reduction in expenses related to the functioning of the state and on the suspension, for five years, of tax benefits for some categories of workers, in industry, construction or agriculture. Meanwhile, representatives of pro-Western parties across Romania, did not shy away from criticizing the planned austerity measures, which could affect their communities. The President of the Timis County Council, the Social Democrat Alfred Simonis, said that he would not accept the Governments removal from the list of financing, the works on the new stadium in Timisoara and that it was unacceptable for the largest city in the west of the country to pay for the errors of others. Also, the leadership of the Romanian Academy firmly rejects the claims, which it calls unfounded and insufficiently documented, against its research institutes and Romanian research in general, which critics say are siphoning off public funds without producing much. (EE) Firehook of Virginia Inc. is recalling one lot of Classic Sea Salt Organic Crackers due to potential contamination of undeclared sesame, a known allergen, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The recall was initiated on May 30 after sesame was found in products with incorrect labels, which was caused by a temporary issue in production and packaging processes. The recalled Firehook artisan baked Classic Sea Salt Crackers come in 8-oz clear package with a Best By Date of September 29 and a UPC of 899055 000635. The products were sold at retail stores in the states of CT, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, and VA. People allergic or highly sensitive to sesame may face severe or life-threatening reactions if they eat these products. However, there were no adverse reactions reported to date regarding the recall. The company advises consumers who bought the recalled product to return it for a full refund. In recent recalls, California-based Ariana Sweets Inc. recalled Afghani Corn Bread "Doda" in May due to undeclared sesame and wheat. In late March, Fresh Creative Foods recalled Trader Joe's Hot Honey Mustard Dressing, and Liaoning Cheng Da USA Inc. recalled "Wangzhihe" Hot Pot Sauce, both due to undeclared peanuts, soy, sesame, or wheat. For More Such Health News, visit rttnews.com For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News The U.S. government has imposed sanctions on four judges at the International Criminal Court, or ICC, over its "illegitimate actions targeting the United States and Israel." In an unprecedented action, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that his department is imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court. Rubio said he is designating judges Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin, and Beti Hohler of Slovenia, who "directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel, without consent" from those governments. Neither the United States nor Israel is party to the Rome Statute, which is the foundational treaty that established the ICC, an international court with jurisdiction over the most serious crimes of international concern such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. "As ICC judges, these four individuals have actively engaged in the ICC's illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel. The ICC is politicized and falsely claims unfettered discretion to investigate, charge, and prosecute nationals of the United States and our allies. This dangerous assertion and abuse of power infringes upon the sovereignty and national security of the United States and our allies, including Israel," Rubio said in a statement. The State Department said the sanctions reflect the seriousness of the threat that the U.S. face from the ICC's "politicization and abuse of power." It said the designations are in response to the judges authorizing the ICC's investigation of war crimes against U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and the issuance of arrest warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News The U.S. government has imposed sanctions on four Guyanese nationals and two Colombians for trafficking tons of cocaine from South America to the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean. The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control's sanctions target drug traffickers utilizing boats and narco-subs to traffic tons of cocaine, along with an alleged corrupt Guyanese law enforcement official. The sanctions also target individuals that are operating covert airstrips to traffic drugs via aircraft. For decades, drug smugglers have used Guyana as a transshipment point for the movement of drugs from South America to the United States, with Mexican drug cartels also maintaining a presence in the region. International cocaine trafficking remains a serious threat to the United States, as the substantial profits generated from these sales continue to fund and strengthen cartel operations. Guyana's proximity to the Caribbean, as well as alleged corruption along its ports and borders, allows aircraft and maritime vessels, also known as narco-submarines, to transit through its waters undetected. Drug traffickers exploit the rivers and jungles of South America by transporting large quantities of cocaine from Colombia and Venezuela through Guyana and Suriname. Guyana is a close partner of the United States in combating narcotics trafficking; nevertheless, according to a 2025 State Department International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, corruption in Guyana poses a significant obstacle to its efforts to combat drug trafficking. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Canadian stocks are up in positive territory in late morning trade on Friday, amid slightly easing concerns about tariffs following somewhat encouraging phone calls between the U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese Premier Xi raising hopes of a de-escalation in Sino-US tensions. Investors are also digesting the nation's jobs data, as well the non-farm payrolls data from the U.S. The benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index, which climbed to a record high of 26,519.61 earlier in the session, was up 67.02 points or 0.25% at 26,409.31 about half an hour before noon. Energy and stocks are among the major gainers. The Energy Capped Index is up 1.6%, while the Information Technology Capped Index is up 1.55%. Materials, communications and consumer staples stocks are weak. Energy stocks Baytex Energy, Nuvista Energy, Precision Drilling Corp., Vermilion Energy, International Petroleum Corp, Enerflex, Ces Energy Solutions Corp., Paramount Resources and Cenovus Energy are gaining 2.5 to 5%. In the technology sector, Shopify is rising 5.55% and Bitfarms is up 5.1%. Lightspeed Commerce and Coveo Solutions are gaining 2.3% and 1.5%, respectively. Orla Mining, Aya Gold & Silver, Centerra Gold, G Mining Ventures Corp., Calibre Mining and Equinox Gold are some of the major losers in the mining sector. Data from Statistics Canada showed the Canadian added 8,800 jobs in the month of May. While full-time employment rose by 58,000, part-time jobs fell 49,000 in the month. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in Canada rose to 7% in May, up from 6.9% in the previous month. The unemployment rate hit its highest level since September 2021. Economists had expected the rate to come in at 6.9%. The Labor Department's data showed non-farm payroll employment in the U.S. shot up by 139,000 jobs in May after jumping by a downwardly revised 147,000 jobs in April. Economists had expected employment to increase by about 130,000 jobs compared to the addition of 177,000 jobs originally reported for the previous month. Meanwhile, the report said the unemployment rate came in at 4.2% in May, unchanged from the previous month and in line with economist estimates. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Pupils from the Diocesan School for Girls (DSG), one of Makhanda's independent schools In a transformative step toward expanding access to higher education, Rhodes University proudly announces the launch of the Rhodes University 120th Anniversary Merit Scholarship, a prestigious new award aimed at recognising and empowering top-performing learners from the Makana Local Municipality. The initiative is a brainchild of the Chairperson of the Rhodes University USA Trust, Mr Donovan Neale-May. The Scholarship has been established through a joint agreement between Rhodes University and the three leading Makhanda independent schools: Diocesan School for Girls (DSG), St Andrews College, and Kingswood College. As part of the agreement, one percent (1%) of all school donations received from North America and channelled through the Rhodes University USA Trust to the schools will be allocated to a scholarship fund at Rhodes University. The fund will be dedicated to supporting academically deserving yet financially disadvantaged matriculants from the Makana Local Municipality, enabling them to pursue their studies at Rhodes University. The initiative reflects a shared vision to expand opportunity, uplift the local community, and invest in the future of Makhanda. The Scholarship seeks to attract and reward the top-performing students in the Makana Municipality who will embody the Universitys motto, Where Leaders Learn. The Headmaster of DSG, Mr Jannie de Villers, says he is delighted to be collaborating in this powerful initiative with the Rhodes USA Trust and other independent schools in Makhanda. May the scholarship grow from strength to strength in enabling exceptional young talent from our community to reach their potential and impact the world. His sentiments are shared by the Headmaster of Kingswood College, Mr Leon Grove, who says: We are thrilled to be partnering with the Rhodes University USA Trust in this meaningful way. The decision to allocate donations to a bursary fund at Rhodes University is powerful it means that each gift will have a ripple effect, opening doors for a talented young person from Makhanda to access a world-class university education. The Scholarship covers full tuition and residence fees, along with a book and living allowance annually and will be renewable each year based on academic performance and active participation in community engagement initiatives at the University. Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor Professor Sizwe Mabizelas vision is to make Makhanda a place of educational excellence, and this partnership stands as a powerful testament to what can be achieved through shared purpose and meaningful collaboration. Neale-May strongly believes that by bringing together Rhodes University and Makhandas leading independent schools, this initiative creates a vital opportunity for top-performing, financially disadvantaged learners to access quality higher education. As the Scholarship begins to take root, the University calls on alumni, donors, and supporters to be part of a larger movement one that invests in the future of Makhanda, and of South Africa. For more information on how to support this initiative, please visit the www.rhodesalumni.com website and the North American Alumni LinkedIn group (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1783587/) Analysing the sales of top performing cars and SUVs for the month of May 2025 was rather interesting. New Players have crept up the ladder and into top 5 positions and the top 2 position holders are not at all SUVs. Also, we have much pricier and significantly larger ladder frame SUVs outperforming affordable soft-roader best-seller SUVs of the past. Lets dive into details. Top 10 Cars May 2025 For the month of May 2025, Maruti Suzuki securely held the top three positions with Dzire at 1st place selling 18,084 units, Ertiga at 2nd place selling 16,140 units and Brezza in 3rd place selling 15,566 units. Within the these top 10 cars segment, Dzire held 12.31% of the total sales, Ertiga 10.98% and Brezza 10.59%. All three Maruti vehicles fell into the Green with Dzire at 12.60% YoY growth, Ertiga at 16.17% YoY growth and Brezza at 9.73% YoY growth. Volume gain stood at 2,023 units with Dzire, 2,247 units with Ertiga and 1,380 units with Brezza. It was interesting to see an MPV like Ertiga outsell heavy-hitters in SUV realm. 4th and 5th place were held by Hyundai Creta & Creta EV and Mahindra Scorpio Classic & Scorpio N with sales numbers very close to each other at 14,860 units and 14,401 units respectively. Hyundai registered 1.35% YoY growth with Cretas and Mahindra registered 4.99% YoY growth with Scorpios, gaining 198 units and 684 units in volume, respectively. Maruti Suzuki further secured 6th, 7th and 8th positions with Swift at 14,135 units, Wagon R at 13,949 units and Fronx at 13,584 units respectively. While Fronx registered a 7.12% YoY growth, Swift registered a 27.11% YoY decline, losing 5,258 units in volume and Wagon R registered a 3.75% YoY decline, losing 543 units in volume. Heavy-hitters like Tata Punch & Punch EV and Nexon & Nexon EV took 9th and 10th places as they sold 13,133 units and 13,096 units respectively. Tata registered 30.69% YoY decline with Punch and 14.31% YoY growth with Nexon. In total, the Top 10 Cars May 2025 constituted 1,46,948 units, which is a 1.70% YoY decline over 1,49,948 units sold last year, losing a volume of 2,543 units. Top 10 SUVs May 2025 As established before, Maruti Suzuki Brezza was the best-selling SUV in May 2025, followed by Hyundai Creta in 2nd place, Mahindra Scorpio in 3rd place, Maruti Suzuki Fronx in 4th place, Tata Punch in 5th place and Nexon in 6th place. The 7th best-selling SUV in May 2025 was Mahindra Thar and Thar Roxx with 10,389 units sold and registered a staggering 80.68% YoY growth YoY. Mahindra Bolero sold 8,942 units last month with 11.41% YoY growth over 8,026 units sold last year. Kia Sonet was 9th best-selling SUV in India last month with 8,054 units sold and posted 8.35% YoY growth, gaining 621 units in volume. Mahindra XUV3XO was not far off, at 7,952 units. But the 10,000 units sold in May 2024 ensured that there was a 20.48% YoY decline. Toyota Hyryder sold 7,573 units and almost doubled in volume YoY with 93.88% YoY growth. Hyundai Venue sold 7,520 units last month with a 19.37% YoY decline. Mahindra XUV700 sales soared with 6,435 units and 28.49% YoY growth. Kia Seltos and Hyundai Exter sales saw 9.71% and 23.36% YoY decline as they sold 6,082 units and 5,899 units respectively. Surprising turn of events has positioned Grand Vitara at 16th place on this list and well below its Toyota counterpart, the Hyryder. At 5,197 units, Grand Vitara registered a major YoY decline of 46.62% and sales almost halved YoY, losing 4,539 units in volume. Source TOKYO - The Japanese government on Friday approved a plan to enhance the disaster resilience of the country's infrastructure over the next five years, with the project expected to cost more than 20 trillion yen ($139 billion). Focusing on measures to address aging infrastructure, the plan specifies 326 measures to be taken by government bodies from fiscal 2026 through 2030, while regional authorities bear part of the costs. The approval by the Cabinet comes in light of prolonged water outages following a powerful earthquake that devastated the Noto Peninsula on New Year's Day in 2024, and the formation of a massive sinkhole in Yashio in Saitama Prefecture, neighboring Tokyo, which is believed to have been caused by sewer pipe corrosion. The contents of the plan will be reflected in the government's budget request for fiscal 2026, the first year of its expected enactment. According to the plan, 10.6 trillion yen will be allocated for the maintenance of vital services, which include aging infrastructure, such as transportation, communication, and energy. All sewer pipes with corrosion or damage that could lead to accidents will be repaired by fiscal 2030. The repair rate of the approximately 92,000 bridges managed by the central and local governments that require urgent attention will be raised from 55 percent in fiscal 2023 to 80 percent in fiscal 2030, with the aim of full completion in fiscal 2051. Meanwhile, 5.8 trillion yen will be used for disaster prevention infrastructure, including erosion control dams to prevent landslides and river embankments amid increasingly severe flooding caused by climate change. An additional 1.8 trillion yen goes to enhancing disaster preparedness through measures including installing air conditioners at schools that serve as evacuation centers. "We will effectively combine hard and soft measures and steadily advance our initiatives," said Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba ahead of the Cabinet meeting. "We will complete arranging evacuation center environments as soon as possible." The plan is a successor to one currently in effect from fiscal 2021 to 2025 and has been enshrined by law. Costs for the current project are approximately 15 trillion yen. Related coverage: Up to 298,000 could die in Japan in Nankai Trough megaquake: gov't Japan agrees to give patrol boats to Indonesia for maritime security Japan weather agency looks to improve forecasting with AI This undated file photo shows Robert Schoenberger, the global industry lead at the international trade fair company Messe Muenchen GmbH. The Chinese logistics sector is highly innovative and tech-oriented, contributing significantly to global logistics innovation, said an industry expert in an exclusive interview with Xinhua this week. (Xinhua) MUNICH, Germany, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese logistics sector is highly innovative and tech-oriented, contributing significantly to global logistics innovation, said an industry expert in an exclusive interview with Xinhua this week. Dr. Robert Schoenberger, the global industry lead at the international trade fair company Messe Muenchen GmbH, said during the ongoing Transport Logistic 2025 exhibition in Munich that Chinese companies are quick to implement and transform technology, and many digital and automated logistics applications are developing rapidly in China. "Even topics like smart logistics were invented in China. These ideas are where the future business will come from," he said. Messe Muenchen GmbH is the organizer of the four-day international exhibition for logistics, mobility, IT and supply chain management, which kicked off Monday in the southern German city of Munich, with over 140 Chinese companies showcasing their latest products, services, and solutions. "This year, we have more than double the number of Chinese exhibitors than in the last edition. It's a really huge increase," Schoenberger said. "One sector (for Chinese companies showcasing at this year's event) is the air cargo segment, which is a huge market. We also see more and more (Chinese firms) in the regular freight forwarding segment and the logistics services," Schoenberger said. He noted that an increasing number of Chinese logistics companies are expanding into the European market, which reflects these companies' global strategic ambition and their growing competitiveness. "This is of course a great development," he said, sharing with Xinhua his reflection on the development of the Transport Logistic China exhibition, which has taken place in Shanghai every two years since 2004. Recalling his first visit to the Transport Logistic China exhibition in 2006, Schoenberger described it as a "market exploration" trip. "But over the years, it has truly developed into a domestic trade fair for China, serving the Chinese market. This kind of localization is extremely valuable. It reflects the rise of Chinese companies in the logistics sector," he said. Asked how German companies feel about the competition from China, Schoenberger responded that the focus is not on rivalry but on shared progress. "It doesn't help if you don't cooperate, if you don't talk to each other, if you don't work together. It's more about what we can all learn from each other; we all have our certain skills and things we can contribute," he said. Cooperation is the keyword in the logistics industry, Schoenberger underlined. Whether in air cargo alliances or road transport networks, cooperation models are well-established, he said. "Something we will see in the future is that more and more companies work together to serve the whole world. And there again China will play a crucial role," he added. Despite uncertainties in the global economy, Schoenberger remains optimistic about the logistics sector, saying that he believes the industry continues to show resilience and is full of emerging opportunities. "The good thing about logistics is that it's a solution-providing industry. It's all about networks, and our industry always finds a way," he said. "We will see where the economies will go and where the production will be in the future, but for logistics, I'm very confident that there will always be a market." Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visits a test site at a Taiyuan middle school in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province, June 3, 2025. Ding inspected preparations for the college entrance examination and energy sector reforms in north China's Shanxi Province from Tuesday to Wednesday, emphasizing the need to uphold fairness and ensure safety in the national examination, also known as Gaokao. (Xinhua/Shen Hong) TAIYUAN, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang inspected preparations for the college entrance examination and energy sector reforms in north China's Shanxi Province from Tuesday to Wednesday, emphasizing the need to uphold fairness and ensure safety in the national examination, also known as Gaokao. The examination is crucial for national development and the future of families, said Ding, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, during a visit to the provincial Admissions and Examination Management Center and a test site at a Taiyuan middle school. He urged authorities to safeguard fairness as the "lifeline" in examination and admission reforms, and Gaokao organization. Ding stressed the importance of rigorous test paper security, anti-cheating measures, and compassionate support for students. At Shanxi College of Applied Science and Technology, Ding called for alignment with industrial upgrades to cultivate talent and stronger employment support for graduates. While inspecting a local company under the State Grid, Ding urged the energy-rich province to lead the way in the clean and efficient use of coal, improve policies for new energy integration, and accelerate the development of a new energy system. At an air quality monitoring station, Ding called for the optimization of industrial, energy, and transportation structures to fundamentally address pollution issues. He also emphasized the need to accelerate upgrades in key industries to achieve ultra-low emissions, strictly enforce regulations against scattered, non-compliant, and polluting enterprises, and continually improve air quality. Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visits a local company under the State Grid in north China's Shanxi Province, June 4, 2025. Ding inspected preparations for the college entrance examination and energy sector reforms in north China's Shanxi Province from Tuesday to Wednesday, emphasizing the need to uphold fairness and ensure safety in the national examination, also known as Gaokao. (Xinhua/Shen Hong) TEHRAN, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi warned France, Germany, and Britain on Friday that Tehran would respond strongly if its rights are violated. He made the remarks in a post on social media platform X as the three European powers, collectively known as the E3, are reportedly seeking to present an anti-Iran draft resolution at the upcoming meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), accusing Tehran of non-compliance with the United Nations nuclear watchdog's regulations. If passed, the resolution would prepare the ground for the E3 to trigger the snapback mechanism against Tehran, a clause in a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers that would allow the other parties to re-impose all international sanctions if Iran fails to comply with the agreement. Instead of engaging in dialogue with Tehran, "the E3 is opting for malign action against Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors," the minister said. He stressed that accusing Iran of violating the safeguards agreement with the IAEA based on "shoddy and politicized reporting" was "clearly designed to produce a crisis." Araghchi emphasized that Europe was considering making another "major strategic mistake," warning that Iran would "react strongly against any violation of its rights," the blame for which would lie "solely and fully with irresponsible actors who stop at nothing to gain relevance." Iran and the E3 have held several rounds of talks covering Tehran's nuclear program and the removal of sanctions, among other issues, since September 2024. The three European states have, over the past months, been threatening Iran with triggering the snapback mechanism. It comes as Iran and the United States have held five rounds of Oman-mediated indirect talks starting from April on Tehran's nuclear program and the lifting of U.S. sanctions. THE HAGUE, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The Netherlands will hold new general elections on Oct. 29, outgoing Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations Judith Uitermark announced Friday. The Dutch government collapsed earlier this week. The Electoral Council proposed the date to the outgoing minister, who accepted the recommendation and submitted it to the Council of Ministers the same day. The council approved the proposal, making the election date official. After the government fell on Tuesday, members of the House of Representatives pushed for new elections as soon as possible. Until then, the outgoing caretaker cabinet without the Party for Freedom (PVV), which withdrew from the coalition over disagreements on migration policy, will continue handling day-to-day affairs. The Electoral Council considered Oct. 29 as the earliest feasible date for elections. Factoring in the summer holidays and the standard three-month preparation period, this date allows municipalities and political parties sufficient time to organize. The last general elections were held on Nov. 22, 2023, during which, the far-right PVV won 37 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives, becoming the largest party for the first time in history. The GreenLeft-Labor alliance (GroenLinks-PvdA) came in second with 25 seats, followed by the right-wing People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) with 24, and the centrist newcomer New Social Contract (NSC) garnered 20 seats. The government led by Prime Minister Dick Schoof was sworn in on July 2, 2024, comprising the PVV, NSC, VVD, and the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB). However, the coalition collapsed Tuesday when PVV leader Geert Wilders withdrew his party from the government over a dispute regarding asylum policies. BRASILIA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Tie Ning, vice chairperson of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, led a delegation to visit Brazil and attended the 11th BRICS Parliamentary Forum held in the capital Brasilia from Tuesday to Thursday. During her stay, Tie met with Senate President Davi Alcolumbre and President of the Chamber of Deputies Hugo Motta, respectively. During their talks, Tie said that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, the relationship between China and Brazil has been elevated to a China-Brazil community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet. The National People's Congress of China is willing to deepen cooperation with the Brazilian Congress in a sustainted effort to enrich the dimensions of the China-Brazil community with a shared future, she added. The Brazilian side reiterated its adherence to the one-China principle, and expressed willingness to strengthen exchanges between the legislative bodies of the two countries and push for stable growth of Brazil-China relations. In her keynote speech at the forum, Tie said that as the "first echelon" of the Global South, the BRICS countries have always stood on the side of unity, cooperation and common development, and have been practicing the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation. Tie also said it is necessary to firmly safeguard the multilateral trading system, continue to deepen economic and trade cooperation in the Global South and provide assistance for the development of new industries, so as to open a new chapter in the high-quality development of "greater BRICS cooperation." Bango reported a 16% rise in total revenue to $53.4m for 2024 on Friday, driven by continued expansion of its Digital Vending Machine (DVM) platform and resilient transactional performance. Adjusted EBITDA more than doubled to $15.3m, while net losses narrowed to $3.7m from $8.8m the prior year. DVM and one-off revenue climbed 28% to $17.2m, while transactional revenue rose 11% to $36.2m. Annual recurring revenue grew sharply to $14m, up 59%, with a net retention rate of 125%. Net debt was reduced to $1.8m, from $4m a year earlier. Operational highlights included the addition of nine new DVM licence customers in 2024, bringing the total to 27 by year-end. Bango also secured its first DVM CX (user interface) contracts, including with Altice in the US, and launched a Disney+ partnership with Portuguese retailer Continente. Post year-end, the DVM platform secured six further customers, expanding Bangos reach to six of the top eight US telecom providers, and entering South Korea and Benelux. Bango noted that nearly all traffic from its DOCOMO Digital acquisition had been migrated to its platform. While high cost-of-sales routes underperformed, the company said their limited EBITDA contribution meant the impact was minimal. Several unprofitable routes were discontinued, and new, higher-margin ones were being added. To support its growth and flexibility, Bango secured a $15m revolving credit facility from NatWest and expanded its loan agreement with NHN, which included a deferral of principal repayments for 18 months. Looking ahead, Bango said it expected to meet 2025 EBITDA guidance and anticipated a modest beat against 2026 expectations, aided by further efficiency gains and reduced research and development capital expenditure. Board members Anil Malhotra and Frank Bury would meanwhile step down at the annual general meeting on 30 June. 2024 was a pivotal year for Bango, marked by strong revenue growth, a significant increase in profitability, and strategic progress across both our Digital Vending Machine and payments businesses, said chief executive officer Paul Larbey. We delivered a 16% increase in total revenue and more than doubled adjusted EBITDA to $15.3m, reflecting the operational leverage of our platform and disciplined cost management. The DVM continues to gain global traction, with nine new customers added during the year and a strong pipeline rapidly converting in 2025 with six new wins including our first customer in South Korea. Larbey said the financing provided by NatWest and NHN demonstrated strong confidence in Bango's business model and strategic plan, and materially strengthened the balance sheet. The decision to make the strategic investment in DVM coupled with the market growth in super bundling are driving a strong sales pipeline. This combined with disciplined cost management, a reduction in research and development capex and the inherent operational leverage of our platform will deliver a step-change in cash generation in 2026 and drive shareholder returns. We view the future opportunity with both confidence and excitement. At 1214 BST, shares in Bangoo were down 10.86% at 83.35p. Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com. Industrial production and exports in Germany both fell sharply in April, official data showed on Friday, missing forecasts. According to Destatis, the Federal Statistical Office, industrial production declined 1.4%, or by 1.8% year-on-year. Markets had been expecting a 1% fall. It was also a notable change to March, when industrial production sparked by a revised 2.3%. Destatis said the decline had been widespread among most sectors. However, one of the biggest falls was in the pharmaceutical industry, which saw production plunge 17.7% following a 19.3% spike in March. The manufacture of machinery and equipment was also lower, down 2.4%. Partially offsetting the falls were construction and food, which reported 1.4% and 5.7% increases respectively. Exports, meanwhile, slid 1.7% on the previous month, far more than the 0.5% decline pencilled in by analysts. Imports rose by 3.9%. The balance of trade was 14.6bn, missing forecasts for 20.2bn. Germany, the Eurozones biggest economy, exported goods worth 72.9bn to fellow European Union member states in April, up 0.9%. But exports to the US tumbled 10.5%, the lowest level since October 2024. Germanys manufacturing sector benefited frontloading earlier in the year, as companies ramped up orders ahead of US tariffs coming into force Donald Trump sweeping regime was announced on 2 April, but the US president had flagged long before that plans to hike tariffs. He also imposed sector-specific levies ahead of his so-called Liberation Day. Carsten Brzeski, global head of macro at ING, said: Todays industrial production data reflects the feared reversal of the frontloading effect of the first quarter, and suggests that the structural weakens in industry is not over yet. At the same time, however, there are growing indications that the German industrial cycle is gradually turning, as industrial orders have also improved and inventory levels have started to fall. Pinewood Technologies Group announced on Friday that it has agreed to acquire the 51% stake it does not already own in its North American joint venture from Lithia Motors for $76.5m, to be satisfied entirely in new shares. The London-listed firm said the deal valued the joint venture at $150m, and strengthened Pinewoods position in the US and Canadian automotive software markets. It said he consideration would be paid via the issue of 14.6 million new ordinary shares in Pinewood.AI at 386.5p each, representing the 30-day volume-weighted average share price. The company said the acquisition, backed by an independent valuation from Kroll, would give it full strategic control over its North American operations and allow faster commercial execution. On completion, Pinewood.AI would also enter into a five-year software deployment contract with Lithia, covering all of the US groups current and future sites in North America through to the end of 2028. Once fully rolled out, Pinewood said it expected to generate around $40m in annual recurring revenue, rising to $60m with the addition of market-specific applications. Pinewood said the transaction removed the perceived conflict of interest created by Lithias former majority stake and unlocked broader growth opportunities in the $6.5bn North American automotive software market. Lithia said it would remain a long-term minority shareholder and a key customer under the terms of the new agreement. We are delighted to have reached an agreement with Lithia to acquire the majority stake of the North America joint venture, said Pinewood chief executive officer Bill Berman. The US and Canada are central to our growth strategy, and through the joint venture, we have made significant progress towards commercialising the Pinewood.AI platform for the North American market. Assuming full control of the joint venture will strengthen our ability to fully capitalise on the opportunities available in a key strategic growth market. Berman said the company was also announcing that it had agreed the terms of a five-year contract with Lithia to implement the Pinewood Automotive Intelligence platform across all its current and future sites by the end of 2028. This is a significant milestone on our journey to entering the North American market and we remain on track to pilot the platform in Lithia's US stores in the second half of 2025, with the full system roll-out commencing in 2026. At 0920 BST, shares in Pinewood Technologies Group were up 16.4% at 465.04p. Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com. Bonuses for 10 water company executives in England, including the boss of Thames Water, will be banned with immediate effect over serious sewage pollution, as part of new powers brought in by the Labour government. The top executives of six water companies who have overseen the most serious pollution events will not receive performance rewards this year, the environment said. Guardian Amazon has promised to do a better job policing fake reviews and to crack down on sellers using them to boost product ratings after an investigation by the UK competition watchdog. Ending the scourge of fake reviews is a priority for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) due to the influence they have over consumers. About 90% of UK shoppers rely on reviews, with an estimated 23bn a year of spending influenced by crowd-sourced information. Since April, fake reviews have been explicitly banned. Guardian Nearly one in 10 cars sold in Britain are now Chinese-made as drivers turn away from Tesla and embrace newer manufacturers such as BYD. Chinese-owned brands had a 9.4pc share of Britains new car market last month, according to the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), up from 7.7pc in April. The surge saw BYDs sales alone quintuple to 3,025 cars about 1,000 more than US rival Tesla sold. Telegraph Sir Richard Branson faces a fight to fulfil his dream of operating trains through the Channel Tunnel after the rail regulator concluded there was room for just one new entrant. The ruling means Sir Richard must convince the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) that he is better placed to provide competition to Eurostar than three rival bidders. Telegraph The net worth of Elon Musk, the Tesla chief executive, fell by nearly $34 billion on Thursday as the feud with President Trump led to the electric carmakers shares experiencing their biggest drop in four years. The fortune of the worlds richest man fell to $335 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Since the start of the year, Musks net worth has declined by $97.9 billion. The Times The owner of British Gas has agreed to a ten-year deal worth more than 20 billion with a Norwegian energy giant to secure gas supplies, in a demonstration of the UKs continued reliance on fossil fuels as North Sea production winds down. Centrica said the agreement with Equinor, which is due to begin in October, will deliver five billion cubic metres of gas annually until 2035, representing about 10 per cent of UK gas demand and enough to supply approximately five million homes. The Times (photo: Topher Simon) Traci Cheeis the author of The Reader Trilogy and the novel We Are Not Free, coming from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on September 1. She studied literature and creative writing at UC Santa Cruz and earned a Master of Arts degree from San Francisco State University. Chee spoke to Shelf Awareness about changing literary gears, sharing family stories and the intricacies of avoiding over-explaining. Transitioning from worldbuilding fantasy to personally inspired historical fiction seems like quite the leap. Was it? I've written speculative fiction for as long as I've been writing. For years, every story I wrote, even the ones I tried to make realistic, had a touch of the fantastical to it. Because my family was part of the Japanese American incarcerations of World War II, I've wanted to write a story about it for years and, at one point, I even thought I might inject a little fantasy into it--because what kind of a writer was I if I wasn't writing magic?--but all of that changed the deeper I delved into my research. The more books I read, the more museums I visited, the more relatives I interviewed, the more I realized that the magic was already there in the details and in the lived experiences of the incarcerees. I stumbled upon so many facts and anecdotes that I could never have made up, and that's what I've found so enchanting about writing historical fiction. That these things really happened, to real people. When and how did you choose to explore their history through fiction? I first learned about the incarceration when I was 12. My grandfather, who was 16 when he and his family were evicted from their apartment in San Francisco, was being awarded an honorary diploma from the San Francisco Unified School District, from which he would have graduated if not for the war and the incarceration. Although he was, I think, pretty honored to get it, he was also quoted in the newspaper as saying, "Where were the bleeding hearts in 1942?" I wasn't familiar with the term "bleeding hearts," but I could recognize that hard edge of bitterness and anger to his words. When I started pursuing publication seriously, I always had in the back of my mind that I wanted to write about what had happened to my family. The problem was that I didn't know how. How could I hope to capture not only the anger and the bitterness but also the joy, the sorrow, the resentment, the sense of betrayal that so many of these Japanese American kids felt when the only country they'd ever called home stripped them of their civil rights and locked them up behind barbed wire? It just didn't seem possible to do that with a single story. How did you decide the ideal narrative structure was 14 points of view? [Rather than a] single story from a single point-of-view, I could tell these stories from the perspective of a group of people, like my grandparents and their friends, who grew up together in Japantown and were forced through this experience of war and incarceration, which changed them, scattered them across the country and also brought them closer together. It had to be a novel-in-stories: one chapter for each character, united by their love for one another. How much of your family's actual history is contained in these pages? I like to say that We Are Not Free is "loosely inspired" by my family's experiences, and that's because their stories have been transformed by fiction. I don't think you can point to a character and say that it's my grandmother or my grandfather, but I've given some of them my family stories. There's a character, Bette, who wears a blonde wig throughout the first few chapters of the book, and that wig comes from a story about my grandmother, who was enrolled in beauty school after the war. She came home one day wearing this blonde wig, and her father (my great-grandpa) was so upset, thinking she'd dyed her hair, that he started screaming at her. She just stood there, grinning, while he got madder, until finally she ripped off the wig, wagging it in his face and laughing. It's little moments like that where I've woven in family anecdotes, hopefully honoring those stories and the relatives who lived them. What made you decide to write this book now? I started interviewing relatives back in 2016, before the presidential election, but in the months that followed, news came out about the Muslim ban, immigrant detention centers and children being separated from their parents at the border. More and more, this history of injustice and persecution was alive and well in the 21st century. We need to remember we have committed heinous acts in the name of national security before, and they are not ones we should repeat. I think inspiration is often like that--a surprising confluence of events all coming together in urgency and spilling over into creativity. You didn't translate most of the Japanese words. You also never used the catchphrase shikata ga nai ("it can't be helped"), prevalent in most Japanese American imprisonment narratives. What was your thinking behind that? I love this question! Having never written historical (or contemporary, for that matter) before, negotiating these lines of "how much to explain" and "how much is over-explaining" was totally new for me. It came down to audience: Who is this book for? It's for my family. It's for my Japanese American community. It's for the larger Asian American community of which we are a part, because what happened to us in the 1940s and how we dealt with it influenced so much of what came after for other Asian American communities. And it's for American readers at large, many of whom have only heard of the mass incarceration as a passing reference in one of their high school textbooks, if at all. In the broadest sense, I hope that context will carry the meaning for readers who don't speak Japanese or who are unfamiliar with certain customs or foods. You don't need to know exactly what takuan is, for example, to know that when the characters are pickling foods during rationing and food shortages, they're gearing up for further shortages to come. But if you know what takuan is, if you've eaten it over rice or opened up your fridge to that particular sweet-vinegar smell, then I hope it provides an added layer of specialness and meaning to the story. As for shikata ga nai, omitting it was a deliberate choice. I suspect that for a lot of people, when the mass incarceration is brought up, it conjures this stereotypical idea of "noble Japanese suffering," right? Shikata ga nai--it can't be helped. A lot of existing narratives lean into this idea, and that's important, because it's certainly one type of experience that people had. But since that story had been told before, and told often, I wanted to explore some of the other experiences that Japanese Americans, particularly nisei teenagers, had. I wanted to delve into their anger, their sadness, their acts of resistance, whether that be in activism or in joy. So I chose to tell other stories, hopefully that will supplement and engage with the ones we already have. --Terry Hong KIEV, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Russian forces launched a barrage of drones and missiles on Ukraine overnight Friday, killing at least four people and injuring dozens, Ukrainian authorities said. All four fatalities occurred in Kiev, where 20 other people were injured, said Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko. The State Service for Emergencies confirmed that three of the victims were emergency service workers. Separately, the National Police reported that about 40 people were injured nationwide, with most of them in Kiev, the northwestern city of Lutsk and the western city of Ternopil. According to the police, 38 facilities were damaged in the attacks, including five apartment buildings and five private houses. Ukraine's Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said that Russia launched 407 drones, along with 38 cruise and six ballistic missiles on Ukraine overnight. About 200 drones and some 30 missiles were shot down. Vivian Blaxell (photo: Rosi Carllos) Vivian Blaxell is a former mental health nurse and a former university professor of political philosophy and Japanese history. She has lived and worked in Hawai'i, Vermont, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Kyoto, Beijing, Istanbul, and Sydney, and now lives in Melbourne/Naarm, Australia. She transitioned in 1968, and co-founded Tiresias House, the first refuge and support center for trans people by trans people in Australia. In her new essay collection, Worthy of the Event (LittlePuss Press), Blaxell takes readers on a witty and expansive sweep through history. Handsell readers your book in a handful of words: Worthy of the Event is about people who might be me and people whom I might be. It is about me in the world and the world in me. On your nightstand now: The American Library edition of Gary Snyder: Collected Poems. I can't write poetry, so I don't write poetry, but I do read poetry because poetry teaches me how to write what I write, to put music into my own writing. I like all the Beat poets, but Snyder is special for me because of his attention to nature, to Buddhism, and to Japan, all three of which are important in my own work. Alvaro Enrigue's You Dreamed of Empires. I am always interested in imperialism and colonies. Maybe that is part of growing up in Australia. Enrigue's novel about the encounter of Moctezuma and his court with Cortes and his band of merry, dirty conquistadores is densely imagined and, I think, fantastical, but it feels like a true look into the culture of elite "Aztecs" at the time. Funny and sad and moving. I Ching or Book of Changes, the Richard Wilhelm translation. My guide for when I feel confused, which happens about once a week. The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon. I have been fascinated by, and adored, this book since I was about 16. A collection of opinions, lists, rules for living, "essays," and stories about life in the Japanese imperial court more than a thousand years ago. I love how different but same life seems to have been in the palace in Kyoto in the late 10th century. I have read it again and again, and I often write using my own version of Sei Shonagon's style of short pieces to make a whole story. The Meredith McKinney translation is brilliant. Favorite book when you were a child: Any and all of the Biggles books by W.E. Johns. I am old now and these books were old when I read them as a kid. Biggles is a fighter pilot in World War I. My father was a pilot. I wanted to be a pilot. I wanted to fly away and be brave like Biggles, and in a way, I was and did, though without killing people (as far as I know). Your top five authors: Anthony Trollope: His sentences are perfect, and his stories of the Victorian middle classes entrance me. Jenny Erpenbeck: Erpenbeck just gets more masterful with each novel. Her ability to braid large historical events with intimate life is astonishing to me. I wish I could write like that. Sei Shonagon: See above. Dasa Drndic: Her novel Trieste is the most powerful thing I have ever read, both in terms of the story itself and in terms of what Drndic does with the novel form and how she does it. To be honest, I don't much care for her other novels, but Trieste is so great, she is forever on my best writer list. Robert Gluck: There is always something so provocative and energizing about Gluck's work, and something that encourages me to try new things with writing. I go back and back to him. Charlotte Bronte: I read Jane Eyre every year. I think Villette is profoundly underappreciated and under-read. Book you've faked reading: James Joyce's Ulysses. What can I say? I couldn't do it, but I am too ashamed to admit I couldn't do it. Now the cat's out of the bag, I suppose. Book you're an evangelist for: Robert Gluck's Margery Kempe. I'm always telling people to read this. Mostly they do not. Book you've bought for the cover: I've never seen a book cover good enough to make me buy the book without examining what is inside first. Book you hid from your parents: My mother was happy for me to read everything and anything I wanted to read. I had full access to her own library as soon as I could read. I never hid anything I read from her. Book that changed your life: The first (1975) edition of South-East Asia on a Shoestring by Tony Wheeler. Using this book, I went to Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand at a time when not many Australians went there. I've been going ever since. Using this book, I tried traveling on a shoestring, and my life changed completely and for the better (except for my bank balance) when I realized that shoestring is so not for me. Favorite line from a book: "There's no better way to make history disappear than to unleash money, money roaming free has a worse bite than an attack dog, it can effortlessly bite an entire building out of existence." --from Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck Five books you'll never part with: I throw away books, donate them, sell them. I'm not attached to books for themselves. I'm attached to what is in the books, sometimes. And these days, most of my books are e-books so we never part. Book you most want to read again for the first time: Apart from Jane Eyre and The Pillow Book, and a lot of poetry, I don't re-read books. I have tried to re-read John Dos Passos's U.S.A. trilogy again for it was such a mind-bender when I first read it, but it had not the same charms the second time around, which is kind of true of everything in life, really. India-Italy to boost ties in Industry 4.0, tech, and autos. MoUs signed; Joint Working Groups planned in key sectors. Focus on innovation, startups, and sustainable agriculture. In a significant step to boost bilateral trade and economic cooperation, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, during his official two-day visit to Italy, announced that India and Italy have agreed to enhance collaboration across several emerging and critical sectors. These include Industry 4.0, smart manufacturing, technology, automobile manufacturing, space, and agriculture. The announcement came after Goyal Co-chaired the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation (JCEC) alongside Italys Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani. The high-level meeting took place in Brescia, where both leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening the strategic economic partnership between India and Italy. Taking to social media, Minister Goyal stated, Co-chaired the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation along with @Antonio_Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italy. Discussed and agreed to work together for: Industry 4.0 for smart manufacturing, promoting a bridge between startups, expanding collaborations in technology, and establishing Joint Working Groups in the space and automobile sectors. A major highlight of the discussions was the focus on Industry 4.0 technologies to boost smart manufacturing capabilities in both countries. India and Italy agreed to enhance mutual investments, promote innovation, and foster direct industrial partnerships that leverage cutting-edge digital manufacturing and automation systems. In addition, the formation of dedicated Joint Working Groups (JWGs) was agreed upon to focus on key sectors such as space technology and automotive manufacturing. These groups will serve as structured platforms to facilitate targeted policy dialogue, identify business opportunities, and foster innovation-led cooperation between industries and research institutions of both nations. The two countries also inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the agriculture sector, aiming to strengthen sustainable practices and innovation in agri-tech. This reflects Indias ongoing efforts to modernize its agriculture infrastructure while ensuring food security and environmental sustainability. On the sidelines of the official meetings, both leaders participated in the Italy-India Business Forum, which brought together key stakeholders from government and industry. During the forum, Goyal underscored the importance of the Italy-India Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029, outlining a shared roadmap for deeper economic engagement. Minister Goyal highlighted that the bilateral relationship between India and Italy is being driven by a shared vision under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. He also emphasized the strategic relevance of new economic initiatives like the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), which promises to reimagine global supply chains and connectivity. Goyal further noted that the long-anticipated India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (India-EU FTA) has the potential to reshape trade relations by enhancing market access and removing trade barriers for both parties. In his remarks, Goyal extended a strong invitation to Italian businesses and entrepreneurs to invest in Indias growth story. He highlighted Indias robust economic performance, improving ease of doing business, and ongoing policy reforms under the 'Make in India' initiative as key enablers for foreign companies looking to tap into Indias vast domestic and export markets. As part of his outreach to the Italian business community, Minister Goyal held a series of one-on-one meetings with top industrial leaders from various sectors. In a notable meeting, he engaged with Mario Gnutti, Vice President of Gnutti Carlo Group, a globally recognized name in the automobile components industry. The discussions centered around expanding the groups presence in India and contributing to the local manufacturing ecosystem, particularly in precision-engineered components for both Indian and global markets. Goyal also met Sonia Bonfiglioli, Chairwoman and CEO of Bonfiglioli, an engineering company with a longstanding footprint in India. The two discussed expanding investments in India through enhanced manufacturing, research and development, and co-innovation initiatives. Bonfigliolis strong technical expertise and commitment to sustainability align closely with Indias goals for high-tech, green industrial growth. Furthering Indias ambitions in sustainable agriculture, Goyal held a productive meeting with Mirco Maschio, Chairman of Maschio Gaspardo, a global player known for its agricultural machinery and innovation in mechanized farming. Discussions revolved around the untapped potential in Indias agriculture modernization, with an emphasis on introducing Italian technology and best practices to support Indias farmers. Also Read: Piyush Goyal Engages Italian CEOs to Boost Bilateral Trade The bilateral visit was seen as a highly successful diplomatic and economic engagement that reaffirms the growing synergy between India and Italy. It marked a forward-looking shift in their relationship, prioritizing innovation, technology transfer, and industrial partnerships. India-Italy partnership is poised to create impactful business outcomes for years to come. Goyals visit comes at a time when both countries are recalibrating their global trade strategies to remain competitive and resilient. With the rising global relevance of green energy, digital transformation, and sustainable industrialization, the enhancedis poised to create impactful business outcomes for years to come. As the visit concluded, industry experts from both sides expressed optimism that this renewed partnership will yield long-term benefits in job creation, innovation, and economic growth. Local 2507, which represents paramedics and emergency medical technicians, held a 50th Anniversary Gala on Thursday at Terrace on the Park in Flushing, Queens. (Advance/SILive.com | Kyle Lawson) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Dozens of emergency medical technicians and paramedics who have died in the line of duty were recognized recently at their unions 50th Anniversary Gala in Queens. Among the faces displayed in a stirring video played on monitors throughout the venue were three heroes with Staten Island ties. All of them died as a result of 9/11-related illnesses. Surviving family members of one EMS worker who died recently stood solemnly around a monitor, joined by active FDNY EMS members offering their support. The gala was hosted by the Local 2507, which represents FDNY paramedics and emergency medical technicians. S.I. heroes remembered in tribute In 2013, FDNY members traveled to the home of former Staten Island Paramedic John Wyatt Jr., with acknowledgements that were long overdue, the Journal of Emergency Medical Services reported. Wyatt, who served with the EMS Command for 25 years before retiring in 2008, worked at the World Trade Center site for months after the tragedy. He was diagnosed with a 9/11-related cancer in 2012, and died in 2013. He was not only a great paramedic, but also a genuinely kind, loyal and compassionate friend and mentor, read an in memoriam post by NYC EMS 10-13 on Facebook. William Olsen, a former FDNY EMS captain at Station 23 in Rossville, retired from the department in 2010. He was proud to have been a first responder and later worked tirelessly at Ground Zero, his family said following his death in 2014, the Advance/SILive.com reported at the time. Olsen, a Great Kills resident, also volunteered as an EMT with Bravo Volunteer Ambulance Services in Brooklyn. He was an avid Yankees and Giants fan and enjoyed spending time with his two granddaughters. In 2015, former Staten Island paramedic Mark Harris was featured in an article in the Palm Beach Post in Florida, where he had moved later with his family. Harris described nightmares of the thick, black cloud of smoke that nearly suffocated him at Ground Zero. He said he could still picture people jumping from the buildings. And that he would never forget what it felt like to be buried in rubble. He died in 2017. There were many heroes that day, Harris told the reporter. Many people woke up that morning and just went to work not thinking of anything, and then they died. YANGON, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The 75th anniversary of China-Myanmar diplomatic relations was commemorated in Yangon on Thursday with a vibrant cultural event. Organized by China Cultural Center (Yangon), China Foundation for Peace and Development, and other Chinese associations in Myanmar, the event featured speeches as well as music and dance performances. Highlighting the role of cultural exchange, Eaint Mhue Khin, a 17-year-old Myanmar-born Chinese, recited a poem titled "Thank you, China" to express gratitude for China's support during recent earthquake recovery. "Being bilingual allows me to serve as a cultural bridge," she said. "I celebrate both Myanmar's traditional water festival and China's Mid-Autumn Festival. Language helps connect our cultures." Sein Aye Myint, 59, a veteran puppeteer from the Myanmar Theatrical Association (Central), performed a traditional Myanmar puppet show. "It was an honor to perform at this historic event. I've been invited to China nine times for cultural exchange programs. The Chinese people truly value our puppet heritage." Khine Win, 65, performed the iconic "Journey to the West" song with two students from the National University of Arts and Culture. The piece blended the Chinese flute with Myanmar's traditional harp, creating a harmonious fusion. "The collaboration symbolizes our countries' unity," he said, adding that "music reflects our shared hope for continued strong relations." Phoe Chit, chairman of the Myanmar Theatrical Association (Central), highlighted ongoing cooperation in literature and arts. "Currently, we are engaged in joint archaeological research and promoting mutual learning among young people in the fields of arts, language, and technology. Looking ahead, I hope to see even deeper collaboration, especially in blending traditional and modern cultures, and in sharing our cultural heritage with the world through digital technology," he said. "Through these efforts, I believe the relationship between our two countries can grow even stronger," he added. Win Kyaw, 52, a lecturer in the Music Department at the National University of Arts and Culture, said blending Chinese and Myanmar instruments brings out deep emotional resonance. "Beyond music, we share similarities in dress, cuisine, and even religious values," he added. Through shared traditions, artistic collaboration, and a mutual commitment to cultural preservation, both countries look forward to a future of deeper friendship and cooperation, Win Kyaw said. As part of the cultural learning and exchange between the two nations, the China Cultural Center in Yangon plays a pivotal role. Xiang Jianbo, director of the China Cultural Center in Yangon, emphasized the center's role as a cultural bridge. "We regularly organize arts training and events to promote understanding and closeness between the two nations. Our center is a platform for mutual cultural learning," he said. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Staten Islands own RZA is back behind the camera at the Tribeca Festival this Sunday with the world premiere of One Spoon of Chocolate, an action-thriller that marks the latest entry into the Wu-Tang Clan founders expanding filmography. A native of the Park Hill section of Clifton, RZA (born Robert Fitzgerald Diggs) wrote and directed the 112-minute film, which stars Shameik Moore (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) as Unique, a wrongly convicted Army veteran trying to rebuild his life in small-town Ohio. Hes then forced to bring the ruckus after encountering a racist sheriff, blatant bigotry and a town secret involving missing young Black men. Casa Mamita's "Churro Bites" have been pulled from store shelves due to undeclared milk, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Courtesy of FDA( A New Jersey company is pulling its churro bites from store shelves due to undeclared milk in the product, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced recently. Camerican International, located in Paramus, New Jersey, is recalling 7.05 oz boxes of Aldi Brand Casa Mamita Churro Bites, filled with chocolate hazelnut cream, according to the June 3 recall. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products, the company cautioned in a press release. The product was distributed in select Aldi retail stores in several states including Florida, North Carolina, Illinois and Georgia. The boxes recalled have a lot number of 01425. No illnesses had been reported as of June 3 in connection with the issue, the company noted. An internal investigation showed the problem was caused by a temporary breakdown in the companys production and packaging processes, which has subsequently been corrected. Consumers are urged to return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions can contact the company at 201-587-0101, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Additional inquiries can be sent to fsqaincidents@camerican.com. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. New Yorks controversial Medical Aid in Dying Act may soon take another big step toward legalization, right at the 11th hour. With the Senates legislative session due to adjourn on June 12, state Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins told reporters on Thursday a vote on the measure seems imminent. I do believe there are the votes, and it is likely it will come to the floor, said the Senate majority leader. The Assembly passed the measure on April 23. Its unclear whether Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, would sign the measure should it come across her desk. The Medical Aid in Dying Act, which counts Staten Island state Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, a Democrat, as its prime co-sponsor, would allow mentally competent, terminally ill patients over the age of 18 the choice of self-administering prescribed life-ending medication. Only those with medically confirmed terminal illnesses and conditions who have fewer than six months to live would be able to request medical aid in dying. A person wouldnt qualify for the measure, also commonly known as MAID, solely because of age or disability, and there is no list of qualifying medical conditions. If passed, health care providers who didnt wish to participate in the process could opt out without fear of retribution. The measure was first introduced in the 2015-16 legislative session by then-Staten Island state Sen. Diane Savino, yet was essentially stalled; until Aprils vote in the Assembly, the measure had never left the committee stage in either the Assembly or Senate. Currently, just 12 jurisdictions in the United States permit medical aid in dying: Oregon, Washington, Montana, Vermont, Delaware, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, New Jersey, Maine and New Mexico. Measure has momentum Manhattan Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Democrat behind the measure, said last month the measure had 25 sponsors and co-sponsors in the Senate. In order for the Medical Aid in Dying Act to pass in the Senate, 32 of the states 63 senators must vote in favor of it. A source told the Advance/SILive.com the measure would not be brought to the floor unless it definitively had the necessary votes. The measure has the support of the New York State Academy of Family Physicians, the New York State Psychiatric Association, the New York State Nurses Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the Womens Bar Association of the State of New York, as well as numerous other organizations. Opponents of the measure include New York Catholic Conference, other religious organizations and some disabilities rights groups. Scarcella-Spanton, who represents the North Shore of Staten Island and part of South Brooklyn, previously called passing the measure the humane thing to do. Passing (the Medical Aid in Dying Act) means giving people autonomy they deserve to make their own end-of-life decisions, and I wont stop fighting until its written into law here in New York, said the senator. A look back In April 2024, the Advance/SILive.com launched a series exploring the controversial measure. The series kicked off with Ayla Eilerts story. Eilert, 24, was was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue in 2021. Six days later, the Manhattan resident underwent surgery to remove half her tongue which was then rebuilt with part of her thigh and 22 lymph nodes. Less than seven months later, she was dead. Her parents, Daren and Amy Eilert, have since become staunch advocates for New Yorks measure. Diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, Staten Islander Gina Luongo told the Advance/SILive.com she wasnt committed to using medical aid in dying should it legalize, but still wanted the option. Luongo died in May 2025 at age 52. Longtime Staten Islander Brian Moffett was officially diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS, in the spring of 2024, though had shown symptoms for a couple of years. He told the Advance/SILive.com in May he wanted to be the first person in New York state to legally use medical aid in dying. When the measure failed yet again to pass, Moffett condemned New York lawmakers; he knew he would not live long enough to see the next legislative session and would not be able to die with dignity. Moffett invited the Advance/SILive.com to his home in Bethel, New York, in July, to discuss his deteriorating health and to again call on New York lawmakers to pass the Medical Aid in Dying Act. Moffett died less than two weeks later; his son, Jake, wrote his fathers obituary. Jake Moffett has since become an advocate for the measure, calling on Hochul and the New York State Legislature to enact the law in honor of his father. Along the way, the Advance/SILive.coms coverage sparked readers to reach out with their own support of the measure. Among them were Brian Kateman, who called on politicians to allow the choice for a more compassionate end, and Robert Moffit (no relation to Brian Moffett), who wanted access to medical aid in dying. Moffit was diagnosed with ALS in early 2024 and given two to five years to live. He died in April, his family confirmed to the Advance/SILive.com. The city has fired an NYPD captain who allegedly sexted a detective and sent her photos of his genitals, the New York Daily News reported. Brian Flynn was let go by Commissioner Jessica Tisch three months prior to his 20th anniversary, along with the pension and health benefits that come with it, according to the report. Flynn pleaded guilty before NYPD Trial Judge Jeff Adler to sending explicit messages to the detective while on duty in hopes of keeping his job or being permitted to retire with the benefits intact, according to the outlet. A department psychologist testified that Flynn had a traumatizing past, though Adler said it did not excuse the stream of sexually graphic, disturbing text messages... NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch, who has the final say in an officer's firing, agreed with an NYPD judge who stated the captain's actions were "inexcusable." In this June 3 photo, Tisch speaks to the media during a press conference at police headquarters. (Photo courtesy of DCPI) The detective, who joined the NYPD in 2014, filed a lawsuit two years ago claiming that while she was working at Bronx Warrants, she was subjected to two years of sexual harassment by Flynn. Faith leaders and officials host a vigil against antisemitism following a pair of attacks against Israel supporters. (Advance/SILive.com|Paul Liotta) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Staten Island faith leaders and public officials held a vigil against antisemitism Thursday in response to a pair of high-profile terrorist attacks in recent weeks targeting supporters of Israel. Rabbi Michael Howald, Rabbi Mendy Mirocznik, Rabbi Gerald Sussman, Rebbetzin Bonnie Sussman, the Rev. Dr. Terri Troia, and the Rev. Karen Pershing led the gathering with prayers and comments about the pair of attacks in Washington D.C. and Boulder, Colo. This story first appeared on palabra, the digital news site by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. By Teresa Puente | Edited by Patricia Guadalupe I teach at a university in Southern California, where almost half my students are Latino. We are what is known as an HSI, a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Its a designation for colleges and universities where at least 25 percent of the full-time students are Hispanic. Its also a designation being erased on some government websites, including the U.S. Department of Education. Its not just the erasure of diversity, equity, and inclusion, known as DEI, that is harming colleges and universities across the country. Its the active threats by the Trump administration to defund universities that support DEI. And its the threat to deport students and others in our communities. At least seventy international students in the California State University system have had their visas canceled, and that includes some six students on my campus in Long Beach. No explanations were given, but this is part of the nationwide attack on universities by the Trump administration. The Trump Administration then reinstated the international student visas, but their actions have created chaos and confusion. Students who are undocumented or DACA recipients also live in fear, and other students who may have legal status are fearful for their parents who are undocumented. A student told me right after Trump won that her mother is undocumented. Im really worried, she said. She had missed some assignments, and after she explained the situation, I gave her an extension. Other students have told me they are stressed and have a hard time focusing. Professor Teresa Puente in her office at CSU Long Beach. Photo by Emily Urias for palabra After Trump won, some students told me they were too depressed to come to class and felt anxiety. Others were angry. The mood has stabilized as we head toward graduation. We have an annual Latino graduation ceremony and Latino faculty and staff had to consider what could happen if ICE were to crash that ceremony. The organizers decided to go ahead with the event but posted a note on the event website explaining that the university does not share immigration information with U.S. immigration agencies. Fortunately, on my campus, we have some support for our students. We have what is called a Dream Success Center that offers support and free legal services for students and their parents through the immigrant rights group Central American Resource Center (CARECEN). Its hard to know exactly how many undocumented students are on campus, as there is no list. But there are an estimated 9,500 undocumented students at all of the 23 CSU campuses. Only around half of the undocumented students have temporary status with DACA, also known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. This program began in 2012 during the Obama administration and grants temporary work and education authorization to certain undocumented minors. While Trump has vowed to end the program, those who already have DACA can renew for now, but new applications are halted under ongoing legal challenges. Mission statement at the entrance of the CSU Long Beach Dream Success Center office. Photo by Emily Urias for palabra Our campus felt like a safe space, but threats of raids are unsettling. I always create a welcoming environment in my classroom. I tell my students they can ask for help beyond whats on the syllabus. I can refer them to various campus services, such as immigration lawyers, counseling, and basic needs to help pay rent, or refer them to our food pantry. Our university system has a website with resources for undocumented students that includes legal services, mental health, and admissions information. Additionally, the California Nonresident Tuition Exemption, known as AB 540, allows eligible students to be exempted from paying out-of-state tuition. We have student clubs on campus that support undocumented students. Im on the board of the Latinx Faculty & Staff Association (LFSA), and we work to support our immigrant community on campus. Since December of last year, we have hosted two Know Your Rights workshops, which include a guest speaker from the local immigrant rights organization ORALE that does trainings and advocacy work, and operates a hotline to report ICE activity in our city of Long Beach. Our union, the California Faculty Association (CFA), recently co-sponsored one of the Know Your Rights workshops with LFSA and has organized campus protests against ICE. About half of the overall student population on the CSU Long Beach campus is Latino, and around 25 percent are Asian American. Regardless of immigration status, we know that ICE does racial profiling, even if they officially say otherwise. Know Your Rights red cards provided by Cal State Long Beach offer guidance for students in case ICE comes on campus. Photo by Emily Urias for palabra Ive had to ask myself, what would I do if ICE came to my classroom? This is a real possibility as the Trump administration has said there are no safe spaces from ICE. Under previous administrations, including Trumps first term, ICE had a policy not to raid churches, hospitals, or schools. But that has changed. Rather than worry, I came up with a plan. It upsets me that I have to prepare for the worst. I was concerned after Trump won in 2016, but they didnt raid schools in his first term. I decided to take a stand for my students. I have a No ICE sign in my office and a stack of red rights cards on my desk. If ICE comes to my classroom, the first thing I would do is start recording and ask my students to record me. I would then explain that this classroom is only for students enrolled in the class, and I would ask ICE agents to leave, something I would do anyway for anyone interrupting my class. I would also advise my students of their constitutional right to remain silent. I learned through the Know Your Rights workshops that, as citizens, we protect those who are not citizens by refusing to answer questions about our own citizenship status. We have also distributed the red rights cards on campus. The university administration has emailed some guidance to faculty, telling us to refer any ICE encounter to university officials. They have suggested using language such as, Im not trying to obstruct you (ICE), but I do not have the authority to respond to your request. Then ask them to go to the administration office. "No ICE Allowed" sign at the entrance of Professor Puente's office. The sign was provided by the California Faculty Association and aims to keep U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement out of classrooms. Photo by Emily Urias for palabra Now, the tricky part is, what if the ICE officers refuse to leave? We have been advised to contact our administrator or dean, or call the campus police. Our campus police chief told LFSA that he and his officers wont help ICE or give out any information about faculty, staff, and students. We need more campus officials, faculty, staff, and students to stand up. We can follow the example of Harvard University, which is suing the Trump administration. Harvard President Alan M. Garber has said the university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. No government regardless of which party is in power should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue, he wrote. On the heels of Harvards pushback, the American Association of Colleges and Universities released a statement signed by nearly 250 higher education presidents to speak out against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education. CSU Long Beach is one of the signatories. And in the K-12 level, the California Department of Education announced it will defy the Trump order to eliminate DEI in the states 1,000 school districts, a system with more than 5.8 million students, of which 56% are Latino. Student on the CSU Long Beach campus. The university is known as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) for having at least 25 percent of its full-time students identify as Hispanic. Photo by Emily Urias for palabra There is nothing in state or federal law ... that outlaws the broad concepts of diversity, equity, or inclusion, wrote Chief Deputy Superintendent David Schapira in the letter to school districts, county education offices, and charter schools. We should not tolerate the attacks on DEI, and we must protect our campuses and communities from ICE. We are already seeing cases of wrongful deportations, random cancellations of international student visas, and egregious detentions of U.S. citizens. Im reminded of the famous 1946 poem, First they came by German theologian and Lutheran pastor Martin Niemoller. Do not wait until its you. Students leave PS 13 in Rosebank on the last day of classes for New York City public school students. June 27, 2023. (Staten Island Advance/Annalise Knudson) Some New York City public school students wont head to class on Friday for a clerical day, while others will be able to take off to observe a holiday. According to the 2024-2025 school calendar, Friday is a clerical day for 3-K, pre-K, elementary schools, middle schools, K-12 schools, and District 75 programs. Students in these schools are not in attendance, though staff were initially planned to go into school for a clerical day. High schools and 6-12 schools would remain open. Schools are now making last-minute changes to school schedules this week after making an error on the school calendar to observe the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. While the calendar set aside Thursday as a day off for Eid al-Adha, the Muslim holiday doesnt start until Thursday evening and into Friday. Called the Feast of Sacrifice, the major holiday is celebrated by Muslims worldwide for three to four days. Most Muslims will attend special prayers held at major mosques and Islamic centers in the United States and throughout the world. In a last-minute change on Tuesday, the education department sent a brief note that the clerical day planned for Friday would not be an in-person staff day as planned because of Eid, according to Chalkbeat. Staff in schools planning to head to campus for a clerical day will now work remotely. The purpose of a clerical day is to allow staff time to complete various administrative tasks like preparing report cards, finalizing gradebooks, documenting student areas for improvement, organizing portfolios for summer school teachers, data sharing, and more. High schools and 6-12 schools will remain open for in-person instruction on Friday. The city will excuse students who need to be absent, late, or depart early for observance of Eid al-Adha. The public school academic calendar includes some two dozen days off between the first day and the last day of classes. The school year is winding down. There is only one additional day off for public schools before the end of the school year June 19 for Juneteenth. The city Department of Education calendar gives time off for religious holidays like Good Friday, Yom Kippur and Eid al-Fitr, and week-long breaks for winter recess, midwinter recess and spring recess, which include Christmas and Passover. Diwali has also been added as a public school holiday. The school calendar also allows time off for Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous Peoples Day (Columbus Day), Election Day, Thanksgiving, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day and Juneteenth. Dates for parent-teacher conference days for elementary, middle schools and high schools are also posted in the calendar. For those counting down the days to summer, the last day of public school is Thursday, June 26. Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani arrives at the NBC studios to participate in a Democratic mayoral primary debate, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool) AP NEW YORK (AP) Zohran Mamdani has buzz and some momentum in New York Citys mayoral race. But can a 33-year-old democratic socialist or anyone else beat former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary? The candidate recently toured Staten Island. Mamdani picked up a key endorsement Thursday from U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who said in a statement that the state lawmaker has demonstrated a real ability on the ground to put together a coalition of working-class New Yorkers that is strongest to lead the pack. The endorsement, made the day after the first Democratic debate of the campaign, is likely to help solidify Mamdanis standing as a liberal darling in the contest, now in its final three weeks. It remains to be seen whether it will help him overcome Cuomo, whose campaign juggernaut has won the backing of some of the cities biggest unions as he attempts a comeback from the sexual harassment scandal that ended his reign as governor in 2021. Mamdanis laser-focus on lowering the cost of living in one of the worlds most expensive cities has helped him climb from relative obscurity to become one of the races leading figures. His criticisms of Israel, socialist label, and relative lack of experience could hurt him, though, with centrists. Mamdani, who would be the citys first Muslim and Indian American mayor, was born in Kampala, Uganda, before he and his family moved to New York City when he was 7. He became naturalized as an American citizen a few years after graduating from college, where he co-started his schools first Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. His mother, Mira Nair, is an award-winning filmmaker. His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is an anthropology professor at Columbia University. Zohran Mamdani was elected to the state Assembly in 2020, representing a district in Queens. His most-known legislative accomplishment was pushing through a pilot program that made a handful of city buses free for a year. His mayoral campaign has been full of big promises free child care, free buses, a rent freeze for people living in rent-regulated apartments, new affordable housing and raising taxes on the wealthy all packaged in well-produced social media videos. Critics say his hopeful visions get blurry when it comes to detail, and have also questioned the cost and feasibility of his proposals, many of which would need support from the state Legislature and governor. Cuomo, during Wednesday nights debate, took aim at Mamdanis relative inexperience, saying the state Assembly member has a good online presence but actually produces nothing, adding Hes been in government 27 minutes. Hes passed three bills. Thats all hes done. Some Jewish voters, an important voting bloc, might be turned off by Mamdanis support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and his use of the term genocide to describe Israels war on Gaza. Mamdani has also vowed to have Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested if he came to the city. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu last year, saying he had committed war crimes by using starvation as a weapon during Israels military campaign in Gaza. Pressed during the debate on whether he thought Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state, Mamdani said I believe Israel has the right to exist, but as a state with equal rights for people who arent Jewish. As the June 24 primary approaches, Mamdani appears aware of another issue he and every other candidate not named Cuomo is having: name recognition. Mamdani, in a recent social media video, noted that a third of New Yorkers still havent heard of us, though he framed that as a positive, indicating he still has room to grow. At a recent election rally in Manhattan, Maria Walles, a 54-year-old Bronx voter, said she didnt like Cuomo or Eric Adams, the incumbent mayor who faced federal corruption charges, then decided to skip the Democratic primary and run as an independent after President Donald Trumps Justice Department abandoned that prosecution. But Walles said she wasnt quite sure about the alternative candidates. Zo ..., she said, grasping for Mamdanis name when asked about the candidate field. As it turns out, Mamdani was at the rally, which was organized by a tenant advocacy group, and received a standing ovation for his speech. To win, Mamdani will need to expand his support beyond the citys young, progressive crowd to the more moderate voters who have been a critical factor in past elections. In an interview with The Associated Press, Mamdani said if you speak to the people directly about issues they care about, such as the sky-high cost of living, you can successfully build a coalition, regardless of what we have been told is the politics that can succeed in this city and the ways in which we have been told how to run a campaign and who we actually have to speak to. Often times people try to characterize New York City politics through the lens of political constituencies that they define as hard and fast. And in reality there is no ideological majority in New York City, he said. Elissa Montanti, often referred to as the angel of Staten Island is worried President Donald Trumps travel ban on 12 countries, will prevent her organization, the Global Medical Relief Fund, from helping all the children around the globe who desperately need care. Courtesy of Elissa Montanti STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Elissa Montanti wakes up every morning with a nagging sense of fear. With President Donald Trumps travel ban on 12 countries, Montanti is afraid her organization, the Global Medical Relief Fund, will not be able to help all the children around the globe who desperately need care. Many of the children her organization helps live in impoverished African countries, Central and South America, and the Middle East. They are children who have lost the use of limbs or eyes, have been severely burned, or injured due to war, natural disaster or illness. Im scared. Honestly, I really am, and I hope it (the travel ban) does not affect these innocent children in desperate need of care. The children do go back to their own country (after receiving medical treatment), said Montanti, who often is referred to as the angel of Staten Island. Since she founded the organization from her small apartment on Staten Island in 1997, Montanti, who is an Advance Woman of Achievement, has helped hundreds of children from all over the world get the medical care they often cant receive in their own country. "Robinson" came to the U.S. from Haiti and received medical treatment through the Global Medical Relief Fund. Courtesy of Elissa Montanti From a blinded boy in Iraq, and a maimed 4-year-old from Gaza, to a group from Tanzania who were attacked for their limbs, she has secured necessary medical care for kids devastated by injuries. This ban means a child wouldnt be able to get a (prosthetic) leg or an arm, or the surgery they need, said Montanti. "Michaelson" from Haiti received care at Shriner's Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, Pa. through the Global Medical Relief Fund. Courtesy of Elissa Montanti Trumps travel ban On Wednesday, Trump reinstated a policy initiated in his first term that bans residents of 12 countries from visiting the United States, and those from seven other countries face restrictions, according to the Associated Press. The ban, which takes effect Monday at 12:01 a.m., includes those from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. In addition, heightened restrictions will be placed on travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela, reported the Associated Press. Haiti is one of the countries the Global Medical Relief Fund has helped over the years. "Robinson" came to the U.S. from Haiti and received medical treatment through the Global Medical Relief Fund. Courtesy of Elissa Montanti I was there a week after the earthquake (in 2010), and I brought back three kids, she said. And we helped about five other Haitian kids (at that time), and continue to help others (from Haiti). She noted there was at least one child from Haiti on the waiting list to receive treatment in the U.S. through the Global Medical Relief Fund. Elissa Montanti, often referred to as the angel of Staten Island is worried President Donald Trumps travel ban on 12 countries, will prevent her organization, the Global Medical Relief Fund, from helping all the children around the globe who desperately need care. Courtesy of Elissa Montanti Fear if more countries are added to the travel ban Part of Montantis fear is that more countries -- more of those her organization serves -- will be added to the travel ban. I am praying that it will not affect the countries that we help, including Rwanda, Tanzania, (Eswatini), Guatemala, El Salvador, Colombia..., she said. I need to definitely highlight that these kids go back. These kids are not in the same category of those who come illegally. These kids come through a medical visa, and they go back (after receiving medical treatment), Montanti said. Elissa Montanti became an Advance Woman of Achievement in 2011. Advance/SILive.com | Mike Matteo When I saw the travel ban, I just held my breath. I saw that the [majority of the] countries we are helping werent affected, and I hope to God, theyre not, she added. According to the Associated Press, Trump tied the ban to Sundays terror attack in Boulder, Colorado. He said its due to the dangers posed by some visitors who overstay visas. However, the suspect in that attack is from Egypt, a country that isnt on Trumps restricted list, according to the Associated Press. Follow Tracey Porpora on Facebookand Bluesky The News in Brief Friday, June 6, 2025 U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Robin Dunnigan has announced her retirement from diplomatic service, calling it a personal decision after more than three decades of representing the United States abroad."After 33 years representing the United States as a diplomat, I have made the personal decision to retire," Dunnigan said in a statement released on June 5. "This is a fully personal decision. I have not been asked to return by my government."Dunnigan has served as ambassador in Tbilisi since 2023 and plans to depart in July. Her announcement comes amid increasing strains in U.S.-Georgia relations and months after the return of President Trump to the White House."Serving as the U.S. Ambassador to Georgia has been the greatest honor and privilege of my entire career," she said, adding that she is "forever proud" of the work done by her team in advancing U.S.-Georgia ties.She thanked Georgians for their warm welcome, describing their hospitality as unmatched. "I am more certain today than ever that the core values that bind Americans and Georgians will ensure that our special partnership and friendship endures."Until her departure, she said, she remains committed to strengthening bilateral relations.Before her role in Georgia, Dunnigan held several senior diplomatic positions, including Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central and Eastern Europe and Charge d'Affaires in Austria.The NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA) has suspended meetings of the Georgia-NATO Interparliamentary Council (GNIC) and scaled down the Georgian delegation's privileges, citing growing concerns about democratic decline in the country. The decision was confirmed in a written response to Netgazeti and reflects a shift in how the Assembly engages with Georgia's political leadership.According to NATO PA, the decision was taken by its Standing Committee, the Assembly's governing body, during its April 2025 session, concluding a six-month review process that began in November 2024. While formal ties with the Georgian Parliament remain intact, the Assembly said it would keep them "under review," while strengthening communication with civil society and political actors across the spectrum."The Standing Committee also agreed to keep relations with the Georgian Parliament under review; to maintain engagement with political forces across the political spectrum; and to step up engagement with civil society," the Assembly stated.Although NATO PA did not detail which privileges were reduced, Georgian media outlet Tabula reported that the number of plenary seats allocated to the Georgian delegation had been reduced from five to three. This move was reportedly aimed at preventing the ruling Georgian Dream party from absorbing seats originally intended for the now-boycotting opposition.According to the same reports, the Georgian delegation may no longer propose amendments during plenary sessions or participate in key programs such as the Mediterranean and Middle East Special Group (GSM) seminars and certain subcommittee visits.In response, Georgian Dream MP Givi Mikanadze dismissed the media claims as misinformation. Speaking to journalists, he stated that he and fellow MP Mariam Lashkhi took part in the GSM seminar in Antalya, Turkey, and attended the NATO PA Spring Session in Dayton, Ohio. "Invitations have already arrived for future sessions as well," he said, calling the reports "another attempt at disseminating lies." KABUL, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Afghan police have successfully rescued a kidnapped man and arrested three alleged kidnappers in northern Afghanistan's Takhar province, according to a statement released Friday by the Ministry of Interior Affairs. The alleged kidnappers abducted a man in Takhar's neighboring Kunduz province and demanded a ransom of 50,000 U.S. dollars for his release, the statement said, adding that police traced the victim to the Darqad district of Takhar and conducted an operation that led to his safe rescue. The arrested kidnappers were handed over to judicial authorities for further investigation, said the ministry, but it did not disclose the identity of the victim or provide additional details about the operation. Support the Peninsulas only locally-owned newspaper. Subscribe! Subscribing annually brings you big savings. We also offer monthly and weekly subscriptions. Premium Subscription As low as $8.25 per week Premium Includes: -- Access to the Daily Journals e-Edition: a digital replica of our daily newspaper including crossword puzzles, games, comics, classifieds and ads. You can download a digital replica of the Daily Journal for offline reading. You can also clip & download articles or images from the e-edition to share with others The most recent 90 issues are available at any given time. -- Unlimited access to our award-winning online content -- Commenting access on all stories as a valued member of the DJ community -- NEW! Access to our online-only digital crossword puzzle. A new puzzle every day, seven days a week! If we are to believe the words of former Qantas high-flyer and current Healthscope boss Tino La Spina, there remains no love lost between the failed private hospital operator and private health insurers like BUPA a potential suitor whom La Spina accuses of playing a role in Healthscopes collapse last month. La Spina describes as abhorrent the way private health insurers underfunded private hospital operators like Healthscope and were now allegedly trying to pick it up on the cheap when they contributed to the situation, he said in a private chat with doctors, first reported by The Australian Financial Review. Over my dead body, was his reply when asked if BUPA could acquire Healthscopes operations. Healthscope boss Tino La Spina at the John Fawkner hospital in Melbournes Coburg, flanked by the recently appointed receivers and Healthscope executives. Credit: Eamon Gallagher Anyone looking for a grain of salt to take with this prognosis that private health insurers are the cause of Healthscopes woes only needs to look across to its larger, and solvent, rival: the $9 billion Ramsay Health Care. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size When Jafar Panahi attended the Cannes Film Festival with his latest film, It Was Just an Accident, it was the first time the renowned director had been allowed to leave Iran in 15 years. Even after years of prosecutions, house arrest and two spells in prison, he said the most exciting thing about this sudden rush of liberty was being able to see one of his films, which are all banned in his home country, in a cinema. Watching the film with other people and telling myself, Oh wow, you were able to watch one of your films with other people! And, of course, seeing the audience finding a rapport. An intense rapport, as it turned out: on the closing night of the festival, Panahi was presented with the top prize, the Palme dOr, by specially invited Cate Blanchett. Introducing the award, jury president Juliette Binoche said cinema and art are provocative and mobilise a force that transforms darkness into forgiveness, hope and new life, which was why the jury had chosen Panahis film. Director Jafar Panahi. Credit: Scott Garfitt/Invision/AP Predictably, Panahis persecutors back in Iran didnt see it quite that way; the state television station condemned It Was Just An Accident as lies and smearing, while the victory caused a small but fiery diplomatic spat between Iran and France. I am not an art expert, sneered foreign ministry representative Esmaeil Baqaei, but we believe that artistic events and art in general should not be exploited to pursue political objectives. Like all the films Panahi has made in his years as persona non grata, It Was Just an Accident was shot and edited in secret, without the required official permits. I had to work in total secrecy, with only my very close crew being aware of the subject of the film and of the content of the script. There was no point, he says, in applying for clearance to make what is perhaps his angriest film yet and his strangest, in that it is a comedy caper about torturers and the tortured. It follows a garage mechanic, Vahid (Vahid Mobasser), who hears in the garage the uneven footsteps of his former torturer, whom he never saw through his blindfold but whom he knew had an artificial leg. He could never forget the sound of that dragging foot. Vahid becomes judge and jury. What punishment could fit this mans crimes? If, indeed, it was this man. Having kidnapped him, intending to bury him alive in the desert, Vahid starts to have doubts. Jafar Panahi poses with the Palme dOr for It Was Just an Accident. Credit: Getty Images Advertisement Bundling his catch into his van, he goes to consult his friend and mentor, a scholarly bookshop owner, who asks him with some asperity whether he is really up for burying someone alive. But he doesnt want to decide anything; for that, he should ask the photographer who was raped by this man, who turns out to be doing a wedding shoot that day with a couple of other torture victims. Did any of them see their interrogator? No. Bride, groom and photographer join his posse, with a firm ID still no closer. It Was Just an Accident walks a knife-edge between horror and humour, which Panahi says is a very Iranian approach to the world. Iranians really are that way. You will be having a very serious argument about something very difficult and 10 minutes later youre having a joke about it, he says. No political entity has ever been able to rid us of it and, of course, when it is included in a film, it makes the film more real. The Islamic Republic has tried to stamp out festivals and fun of all kinds, without ever managing it. Just like, despite imposing the mandatory headscarf time and again, they havent been able to stop our very progressive, courageous women. The Palme dOr was presented by Cate Blanchett (left) and Juliette Binoche (right). Credit: Getty Images Nothing has stopped Panahi, either. Back in 2010, he was sentenced to six years in jail for supporting anti-government protesters and creating propaganda against the system. He served only two months, but he was banned from travelling outside Iran and from making films. His response was to make This Is Not a Film, a polemic on the nature of film-making shot entirely in his home on his iPhone, which made it to international festivals on a USB stick baked into a cake. Tehran Taxi (2015) was shot surreptitiously inside a moving car. It went on, in Panahis very conspicuous absence, to win the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. In 2022, he was arrested again when he asked awkward questions about the fate of two other imprisoned filmmakers and, as a consequence, was ordered to serve the rest of his 2010 sentence. He was in prison for seven months, undergoing repeated interrogation sessions, but was released in February 2023, his sentence considered served and the previous travel and work bans lifted. He then set about turning his experience and the stories he heard from his fellow prisoners, some of whom had been incarcerated for 15 years into It Was Just an Accident. A still from It Was Just an Accident. Credit: Other Iranian filmmakers have seized opportunities such as Cannes to get out of the country for good. Panahi, however, immediately made it clear that he would never leave Iran and was heading back as soon as the festival was over. I have no ability to adapt to a new country, a new culture, he said. Many of those outside Iran did not leave of their own volition; they are in an imposed exile. I dont see myself as capable of living outside Iran or courageous enough to do so. The day after he collected his Palme, Instagram showed his return to Tehran, where a small crowd of well-wishers including many bare-headed women were waiting at the airport with a garland of flowers ready to put over his shoulders. He was home. Advertisement Somewhat disingenuously, Panahi insists on defining his films as social rather than political. To call them political is a misnomer that is itself politically motivated, he says. I think a political film has a very clear attachment to a party, a very specific stance and pursues a specific political agenda, but you will never see an entirely positive or entirely negative character in any of my films, he says. The real problem is the superstructure, the government that turns people into something they are not. What I do in my films is show people the way they are and highlight the circumstances that might have led them to be the way they are. This is, for example, the first of his films to show women with their hair uncovered, which he says reflects the fact that when he was released from prison, what struck him was the number of women in public without headscarves. The characters in the film reflect different stances one who speaks in slogans, another who is more conciliatory reflecting the real-life characters he met in prison. I even allowed an interrogator to speak for himself, and explain his ideology, his aims. The Iranian authorities, needless to say, take a different view. This Is Not a Film was shot almost entirely inside Jafar Panahis apartment during his house arrest. Credit: Panahi started his film-making career making television and as an assistant director to Abbas Kiarostami. His first film as a director, The White Balloon, was a gentle story of slum children that won the Camera dOr in Cannes in 1995. The Iranian film authority duly nominated The White Balloon as the countrys Oscar entry, then decided it was critical of the regime and banned Panahi from travelling to the United States or speaking to the press. By the time he came to make The Circle, a round of interlocking stories about Iranian women that won the Golden Lion in Venice in 2000, he was officially on the outer. The Circle, along with all his subsequent films, was banned in Iran. Loading The experience of interrogation, remembered by various characters in It Was Just an Accident, echoes his own. During his months of imprisonment, he was questioned for hours every day as to why he would make the films he does. He imitates their tirades. Youre selling out! Youre giving your country a bad reputation! You are a traitor! A lot of discussion, he says with irony. Like the people in his film, he is haunted by that disembodied voice. When the interrogator has sat you very close to the wall, blindfolded you in such a way that you can only see enough from the corner of your eye to write on a piece of paper and is standing behind you, you do wonder: who is this? What does he look like, how old is he, what does he believe? Advertisement Only two weeks ago, dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi was being feted at the Cannes Film Festival when his revenge thriller It Was Just An Accident won the Palme dOr, confirming him as a great of world cinema. Iranian director Jafar Panahi in Sydney. Credit: Janie Barrett But such has been the backlash against the film in Iran that Panahi did not know whether he would be allowed to leave the country again until his flight to Australia took off this week. Any minute, this was a possibility, he said through a translator in Sydney on Friday. When I get on a plane, I have to wait to see whether the plane is going to move or whether they are going to stop me. Sydney Film Festival, which is screening It Was Just An Accident in competition alongside a 10-film retrospective of his work, kept his visit secret until he appeared on opening night on Wednesday. Addison Raes Addison: decadent, hazy, cosmopolitan cool. Addison Rae, Addison How did a TikTok personality end up with the years most anticipated pop album? The simple answer is because shes Addison Rae and thats what she does. For years, Rae amassed TikTok followers (88 million of them) with her cute dance routines, delivered with a beaming smile and an All-American tan. Even if you werent on TikTok, you mightve recognised her from teaching Kourtney how to dance on Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Maybe you even heard The Kid Larois early tribute song in her honour. The TikTok-to-talent pipeline has been fraught for many a social media star, but Rae cracked its code when she segued to music. In 2023, her EP AR bubbled to cult status after Charli XCX cosigned on the slinky 2 Die 4, and then Raes piercing wail on Charli XCXs Von Dutch Remix became a defining sound of Brat Summer. Further cameos onstage alongside Charli XCX and Troye Sivan gave Rae clout and musics snobbier set permission to pay attention. CAPE TOWN, June 6 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen has announced the country's first-ever mass poultry vaccination campaign to protect local flocks against avian influenza. In a statement issued by the Department of Agriculture on Thursday, Steenhuisen also revealed that the department ordered vaccines to combat foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). According to him, high-risk areas and commercial flocks will be prioritized to prevent further spread of the virus and reduce the need for culling. "We have secured vaccine supply, ensured cold chain capacity, and are building in traceability and reporting mechanisms as part of a wider preparedness strategy," he said. In addition, 50 animal health technicians have been contracted to support the vaccination rollout. Their induction and refresher training is set to begin next week. Providing an update on the FMD outbreak in the country, Steenhuisen said the agriculture department had ordered vaccines specifically for KwaZulu-Natal, the most heavily affected area, while assessments, including forward and backward tracing of the Gauteng outbreak, are ongoing. More than 900,000 vaccine doses have been ordered, with the first batch expected to arrive next week, he added. As we announce Good Foods Essential Melbourne Cafes and Bakeries, Emma Breheny looks at the citys shift from macchiatos to matcha, and the rise of third culture cooking. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share As featured in Good Foods Essential Melbourne Cafes and Bakeries of 2025, presented by T2. See all stories . When Australians go overseas, it usually sparks a lightbulb moment: we take our morning routines seriously. While many other cities sleep, in Australia were seizing the day with run clubs and coffee, or stopping at our favourite cafe for babycinos and a shared croissant en route to school and work. Weekend brunch tables are booked well ahead. Peoples devotion to their daily cafe visit borders on spiritual. There are more than 100 of these cornerstones of our social lives gathered in Good Foods Essential Melbourne Cafes and Bakeries 2025, presented by T2 and published today. The guide celebrates the people and places that shape our excellent cafe and bakery scenes and includes more than 100 venues reviewed anonymously across 10 categories, including icons, those best for food, tea, coffee and matcha, and where to get the citys best sweets, sandwiches and baked goods. These reviews live on the Good Food app, and can be discovered on the map. Loading Skimming the list its clear that, even if cafes are quintessential, theyre far from standard-issue these days. Thick slabs of tamago (the firm Japanese omelette) are almost as likely as swirls of scrambled eggs. Rice and flatbread jostle for space with sourdough. Shades of purple, green and pink are seen in drinks and on pastries. Suupaas egg sando stars a slab of fried tamago. Simon Schluter Brunch and coffee have always been a significant part of Melbourne culture and the pride of every Melburnian, says Tuan To, co-owner of Amara in Seddon, which he opened in April with a Vietnamese-skewed all-day menu. I thought why not bring [together] the two and create something new yet familiar. Amaras signature dish might be a steel pan of runny-yolked eggs with pate, sweet stir-fried beef and pickles. The crusty baguette on the side can turn it into a banh mi-esque experience. Advertisement Amaras banh mi chao with stir-fried beef, eggs and Vietnamese pickles. Our cafes and bakeries are the best place to witness a much bigger trend in food: third culture cooking. The term for the cuisine that grows out of the experience of living between two cultures such as having Thai parents but being born in Australia its already evident at Melbourne restaurants such as Anchovy and Askal, and cocktail bars like One or Two. But its set to explode. According to 2021 Census data, nearly half of all Australians have a parent born overseas, in countries as different as Vietnam, Italy and Sri Lanka. Italian migrants planted the seeds of our cafe obsession: the first lever-style espresso machines were reported in Melbourne in 1954. Each new wave of arrivals since has broadened our horizons, whether through Greek-run milk bars, Taiwanese tea shops or Middle Eastern bakeries such as A1, still roaring most weekends in Brunswick. Pistachio matcha at Naau Cafe in the CBD. Today, cafe tables hold just as many green drinks as caramel-toned coffees, but theyre no longer kale smoothies, its matcha. The powdered green tea has become a global sensation, outselling coffee at many cafes, going viral on social media and for the first time depleting stocks at centuries-old Japanese producers. But its only one of the specialty drinks that have become as essential for cafes as lattes. Foams, sodas, butter-washed coffee and creams infused with fruit and flowers are now part of most baristas toolkits. Ascend two flights of stairs to Lonsdale Streets Matcha Kobo, where the food and drink menu is all about matcha. Advertisement These new-wave drinks are repositioning visits to the cafe as a true occasion, especially among younger people who are widely reported to be drinking less alcohol. I think people are looking for more places to chill these days, especially younger people. It doesnt have to be with alcohol but it can still be fun, says Sean Then who runs Cafe Tomi in North Melbourne. He styled the venue on a Japanese listening bar, and has run evening events featuring even more elevated drinks than Tomis day-time offering. Theres even a Cold Fashioned made with butter-washed cold brew, maple and Japanese citrus. With restaurants an ever more expensive proposition, it makes sense that cafes are stepping into the gap. Increasingly, cafes are also introducing dinner, such as The Age Good Food Guides Cafe of the Year, Moon Mart, in South Melbourne. From mid-June, Westgarth cafe Ophelia will do Tuesday pasta nights and weekend drinks with DJs; Carlton Norths ever-popular Florian has run evening services later in the week for more than two years. Florian in Carlton North. Our Friday nights are designed to feel welcoming and homely, says Florian co-owner Dom Gattermayr. A true neighbourhood local where you can walk down and see whats available that night. Approachability and affordability have always been key to Australian cafe culture, so why not take that sensibility to dining after dark? Offering alternative spaces to bars in which to socialise after work is also driving the day-to-night cafe boom. In Glen Iris, Siora tiramisu bar, which opened in March with music and playing cards on tables, has attracted queues of everyone from 20-somethings to grandparents with their grandchildren. Advertisement Advertisement Eating outEssential cafes and bakeries Can you truly call yourself a Melburnian if you havent tried these iconic cafes and bakeries? Melbournes cafes are the heart of the city and these are some of its best. Theres a tiny shop in an old-school mall, a Japanese breakfast expert and a 90-year-old bakery to tick off your list. Good Food June 6, 2025 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share As featured in Good Foods Essential Melbourne Cafes and Bakeries of 2025, presented by T2. See all stories . Brunswick Streets first-ever cafe. A 70-year-old spaghetti beacon. World-famous pastries that have the whole city in a queue. Whether its the romance of a simple meal in a time-honoured landmark or a cutting-edge croissant laminated by an ex-aerodynamicist, these stalwarts hit the mark every time. This category is one of our most loved entries in Good Foods Essential Melbourne Cafes and Bakeries of 2025. Presented by T2, this guide celebrates the people and places that shape our excellent cafe and bakery scenes and includes more than 100 venues reviewed anonymously across 10 categories, including those best for food, tea, coffee and matcha, and where to get the citys best sweets, sandwiches and baked goods. (These reviews also live on theGood Food app, and are discoverable on the map.) For those whove been to these before, maybe its time for a revisit. If youve never been, consider this your hit-list for the next few months. Brunetti restaurant in Lygon Street, Carlton. Mike Baker Brunetti Advertisement When someone asks What should I bring? Brunetti has been the answer for 51 years and counting. Glossy cakes are stacked in baroque cabinets; eclairs, cannoli, slices and tartlets wink from their trays; and espresso machines hiss and rumble from early until late at night. Theres plenty more pastry competition in town now, but no one can match the behemoth that is Brunetti. Good to know: There are now two arms of the family business, Oro and Classico. Both offer a head-spinning variety of sweets in big, brash surrounds. Multiple locations, brunettioro.com.au, brunetticlassico.com.au Cibis traditional Japanese breakfast plate. Mark Roper Cibi Advertisement Melbournes original purveyor of Japanese breakfasts is still a fixture of the citys mornings and thats not all. Its homewares shop has grown to encompass all the knives, cast-iron pots, soy-sauce dispensers and Japanese ceramics you could wish for, without crossing international borders. Plus, theres a grocer for kombu, yuzu kosho and (sometimes) fresh produce. Good to know: The traditional Japanese breakfast plate can be amped up with fermented soy beans, sour plum and more. 33-39 Keele Street, Collingwood, cibi.com.au Nabil Hassan, owner of Half Moon Cafe in Coburg. Justin McManus Half Moon Advertisement This tiny takeaway shop in an old-school mall produces some of Melbournes best falafel. Egyptian-style made with broad beans instead of chickpeas theyre bright green, crisp-edged and best enjoyed in the Colibaba: a wrap of fried cauliflower, house-made baba ghanoush and glowing pink pickled turnips. Tackle cravings by grabbing a tub of the raw falafel mix for home. Good to know: Theres no indoor seating, but the tables in the mall are always packed with locals. 13 Victoria Street, Coburg Lunes iconic croissants. Visit Victoria Lune Advertisement Advertisement Marios Cafe Brunswick Street cafes come and go, but Marios is Fitzroyalty, nudging 40 and as effortlessly cool and unpretentious as ever. Nothing changes here: the great-value menu stuffed with Italian classics, the buzz and clatter, the high chance of spotting a local celeb, or the suited waiters, sometimes gruff, always great. Slide onto a coveted window stool and order perfectly jammy eggs Benedict or layered-up lasagne. Good to know: You cant book but expert waitstaff keep the tables turning and queue moving. 303 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, instagram.com/marios.fitzroy Polish baked cheesecake at St Kilda stalwart Monarch Cakes. Advertisement Monarch Cakes With more than 90 years on the clock, this Polish-Jewish bakery is in a league of its own. The window heaves with Black Forest cakes, syrupy poppyseed slices and Polish cheesecake made to a century-old recipe. But the showstopper is the kuglehopf a sweet, doughy crown marbled with dark chocolate, best enjoyed warm with a strong coffee. Good to know: No holidays here theyve traded in St Kilda every single day since 1934. 103 Acland Street, St Kilda, monarchcakes.com.au Youll likely be sitting on a milk crate or spilling out onto the street at Patricia. Ben Clement Advertisement Patricia The sky is blue, the earth is round, Patricia heaves even after 14 years. More remarkably, the coffee is good every time. The austere menu (black, white or filter made using house-roasted beans) is the flipside to the cheery team working briskly, thriving on the buzz of tourists and regulars who will happily queue for an incomparable flat white and a treat from a top local bakery. Good to know: Youll be standing in a nook, spilling into the lane or perched on a milk crate. 493-495 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne, patriciacoffee.com.au Pellegrinis iconic lasagne. Eddie Jim Advertisement Pellegrinis Espresso Bar Is there a more iconic cafe than this charming 1950s capsule? The menu and decor have hardly changed, from the generous serves of saucy pastas to the red leather barstools and heritage-listed neon sign. Perch at the bar to watch white-shirted waitstaff slap down strong coffee, home-style cakes and slushy granitas dispatching diners direct to mid-century Italy. Must-order: Theres no written menu (besides a faded wooden board), but the lasagne (still the original recipe) and icy watermelon granita are crowd favourites. 66 Bourke Street, Melbourne, instagram.com/pellegrinisespressobar Assorted cannoli from T. Cavallaro & Sons. Advertisement T. Cavallaro & Sons What the Cavallaro family is able to churn out of this petite pasticceria, all while wearing a smile, is testament to the deep bonds that power this institution of the west. Customers come in for weekly orders of almond-meal biscuits weighed and packed into boxes. Others drive across town for cannoli with blistered crusts and smooth ricotta inside. Good to know: Some items, such as rum baba and sfogliatelle pastries, are only available at weekends. Order ahead. 98 Hopkins Street, Footscray, tcavallaroandsons.com.au Good Foods Essential Melbourne Cafes and Bakeries of 2025, presented by T2, celebrates the people and places that shape our excellent cafe and bakery scenes and includes more than 100 venues reviewed anonymously across 10 categories, including icons, those best for food, tea, coffee and matcha, and where to get the citys best sweets, sandwiches and baked goods. Download the Good Food app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store to discover whats near you. Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. 1 / 2 Wagyu roast beef sandwich. Supplied 2 / 2 The shop sells sandwiches and salads. Supplied Previous Slide Next Slide Cafe$$$$ Home to Greek restaurant Olympus Dining, Southeast Asian noodle joint Island Radio and Mexican rooftop bar Lottie, Wunderlich Lane has added to the breadth of its dining options with the addition of new sandwich shop, Swich. Swich was started by friends Jordan Abram and Jay Fink in Bondi in 2022, and this is the venues second outpost. The Surry Hills menu includes originals like the Swich Schnit stacked with a chicken schnitzel, white cabbage and peanut chilli sauce alongside newcomers like the Core Crunch, layered with shredded chicken, avocado and honey walnut crunch. What makes the sandwich shop so popular is that you can build your own sandwich from scratch and Swich out your breads, from A.Ps Bakery fenugreek and sesame sourdough to Sonoma focaccia or a gluten-free loaf from Wholegreen Bakery. Advertisement Eating outEssential cafes and bakeries These Sydney cafes are all-star all-rounders, nailing the vibe, food and drinks, every time These are the spots that are a good time, every time, for all occasions, whether thats a hotcake haven with cheery service or a neighbourhood haunt with a sense of community. Good Food June 6, 2025 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share As featured in Good Foods Essential Sydney Cafes and Bakeries of 2025, presented by T2. See all stories . Angus, Marrickville. Dion Georgopoulos There are some cafes that just get it. Sure, the food is good. And yeah, the coffee is smooth and strong. And hey, maybe they even have that fun-flavoured matcha latte you saw online last week. But its more than that. These cafes are a good time, every time, because theyre master curators of experiences whether thats a hotcake haven with service as cheery as its sunshine-yellow walls, or a low-key neighbourhood haunt working to create a sense of community. Read on for what made the list of essential cafe all-rounders in Good Foods Essential Sydney Cafes and Bakeries of 2025. Presented by T2, the guide celebrates the people and places that shape our cafe and bakery scenes and includes more than 100 venues reviewed anonymously across 11 categories, including icons, those best for tea, coffee and matcha, and where to get the citys best sweets, sandwiches and baked goods. (These reviews also live on theGood Food app, and are discoverable on the map.) 1 / 6 Angus, Marrickville. Dion Georgopoulos 2 / 6 Brekkie with friends at Angus in Marrickville. Dion Georgopoulos 3 / 6 The poached chicken sandwich and rhubarb matcha at Angus. Dion Georgopoulos 4 / 6 Angus, Marrickville Dion Georgopoulos 5 / 6 Angus, Marrickville Dion Georgopoulos 6 / 6 A mont blanc at Angus, Marrickville. Dion Georgopoulos Previous Slide Next Slide Angus Advertisement Finally, Angus (formerly Agnes) is open on weekends a blessing for inner-west commuters, who can now enjoy the morning sun with a matcha latte, sweetened with spoonfuls of poached rhubarb, at the graffitied intersection of industrial and suburban Marrickville. The food, as the crowd, is pleasantly unpretentious: sandwiches on fresh slabs of house-baked focaccia, soba breakfast bowls using locally sourced produce, and a pastry counter which empties by noon. Must order: Poached turmeric chicken sandwich with herbs, rocket, fried onions and aioli. 69 Meeks Road, Marrickville, angusmarrickville.com.au The courtyard at Cafe Cressida. Jennifer Soo Cafe Cressida Advertisement Chef Phil Wood and Lis Davies are the couple behind Cressida, which is fundamentally a nice place to sit on a coffee and read the paper. Cushioned seats are upholstered in marigold stripes, water is poured in Maison Balzac glasses, and Wood will send the best version of eggs any way you like them. There are also house-baked carrot cake muffins, dippy eggs and soldiers and a very popular chicken sandwich. Also open for dinner. Must order: No one ever expected Woollahra cafe and great breakfast congee would be next to each other in a sentence, but here we are. 118 Queen Street, Woollahra, cafecressida.com.au Cherry Moon General Store, Annandale. James Brickwood Cherry Moon General Store Advertisement Theres a certain storybook charm about Cherry Moon. Its the lone cafe on a pretty, tree-lined street, with mismatched wooden chairs and a blazing wood-fired oven at its heart. The queue on weekends passes shelves cluttered with house-made condiments, toward a pastry cabinet filled with fairy biscuits and sausage rolls. Order an almond chai with a sourdough brioche cinnamon bun theyre surely the best in town. Good to know: Inspired to bake your own sourdough? Starter is for sale in the fridge. 77 Nelson Street, Annandale, cherrymoongeneralstore.com.au Edition, Haymarket. Louise Kennerley Edition Coffee Roasters Advertisement The dark tones, sheer curtains and recessed seating, inspired by Japanese mountain homes, create a sense of calm amidst the high energy of Haymarket. This is a refined, all-day brunch experience. Order the black garlic butter udon with an oozing onsen egg and butterflied king prawn, smoky-sweet from the grill, or skip straight to dessert if you cant resist the sound of miso banana bread with tangy yuzu curd. Must order: Editions house-roasted single origin coffee or a creamy hojicha latte. 60 Darling Drive, Haymarket, editionroasters.com The must-order combo at Happy Alley: a warm cookie with soft-serve ice-cream. Happy Alley Advertisement Happy Alley is a playful remix of artisanal bakery and fast-food restaurant, and theres nothing else like it in Sydney. Follow the queue as it weaves around crowded communal tables (yes, that chicken schnitzel sandwich tastes as good as it looks; yes, you should order the cinnamon-spiked raspberry matcha), towards the main attraction: cookies thick, soft and fresh-out-the-oven in flavours including salted choc-chip. Its indulgent, its joyous and youll be back. Good to know: Expect slim pickings within an hour of closing. 13 Bay Street, Rockdale, instagram.com/happyalley_ Inside the cheerful Happyfield cafe in Haberfield. Jennifer Soo Happyfield Advertisement Did you ever see those towering piles of pancakes in John Candy movies and think, gee, I wish I could order a stack like that in Australia? Well, at Happyfield you can, plus eggs your way, hash browns and sausage-filled muffins. The brick and sunshine-yellow dining room is always pumping, and were looking forward to spin-off diner Happy Shop opening two doors down later this year. Good to know: New York-style chopped cheese sandwiches and beignet doughnuts have been promised for the new digs. 96 Ramsay Street, Haberfield, happyfield.com.au Chilli scrambled eggs at Haven. Haven Specialty Coffee Advertisement It doesnt matter which of the five Haven locations you visit: over the past 10 years, owners Kit Tran and Herman Chiu have become masters at creating that signature cool, calm vibe. The coffee is roasted in-house and served batched, cold-brewed, as a silky espresso, or poured over ice. The Asian-inspired brunch menu at Rosebery improves on the classics, adding peanut butter to scrambled eggs and curried chicken to congee. Must order: Chilli scramble with roasted peanuts. Multiple locations; havencoffee.com.au Jack Gray, Grays Point. Jack Gray Advertisement Jack Gray is a coastal-hued cafe in the sleepy Sutherland suburb of Grays Point, where brunch staples get a glow-up. Warming bowls of winter porridge are pretty with poached rhubarb, bruleed bananas and dusted cardamom. Bacon and egg rolls are rich with roast apple and tomato relish. On Friday nights, the chilled spot shifts gears, serving slow-cooked pork burgers and cucumber watermelon margaritas on the tree-lined terrace. Best for: Post-brekkie walk to Swallow Rock Reserves tranquil river views. 110 Grays Point Road, Grays Point, jackgray.com.au The popularity of Kepos Street Kitchen has stood the test of time. Kepos Street Kitchen Advertisement As you approach Kepos Street Kitchen you can already see the sizzling pans of shakshuka and pots of rose tea being ferried out the front door. The footpath tables are often packed with people and the falafels are the main drawcard chef-owner Michael Rantissi makes them lighter and fluffier than most, loaded with fresh herbs and broad beans. Must order: Mums favourite brekkie with falafel, pickles, hummus, radish and a soft-boiled egg. 96 Kepos Street, Redfern, keposstreetkitchen.com.au Inside the 300-seat Misc in Parramatta Park. Parker Blain Misc. Parramatta Advertisement Deep in Parramatta Park sits Misc, a cafe-restaurant hybrid thats as elegant as it is big, with 300 seats both inside and outdoors across two dining rooms. The Mediterranean-leaning menu is a whopper too, best enjoyed with a group so you can order enough small plates to cover the table. Meanwhile, weekend breakfasts are a major drawcard for shakshuka with wood-fired pita and hotcakes flavoured like a jam doughnut. Must order: At least one pasta is always worth trying, such as spaghetti twirled through prawns and fermented chilli butter. Little Coogee, Parramatta Park, Byrnes Avenue, Parramatta, miscparramatta.com.au Owner Luke Miller at Noon in Manly. Dion Georgopoulos Noon Advertisement Beware a gimmicky coffee, unless its the tahini latte from Noon an addictive concoction with warming notes of cinnamon, toasted sesame and molasses. Its the go-to order at this crowded brunch spot, where the menu leans Middle Eastern and the decor has contemporary 80s charm. Healthy dishes, such as avocado on hemp seed loaf, are on high rotation, but the crunchy hash brown with its mysterious dippy thing sauce is a must. Must-order: Potatoes and pork carnitas with fried egg, crispy buckwheat and Aleppo pepper hollandaise. 18 Raglan Street, Manly, goodgoodcompany.com Paramount Coffee Project, Surry Hills. Paramount Coffee Project Advertisement Its a lobby cafe, made seriously cool. Since 2013, PCP has served specialty coffee and consistently delicious brunch fare within the light-filled ground floor of the former Paramount Studios headquarters. Menu staples such as fried chicken waffles coated in a gravy of salty-sweet maple bacon have stood the test of time, while seasonal newcomers including yuzu shokupan French toast keep things fresh. Good to know: The specialty coffee, from Seven Seeds, is great, but you can also get matey with a strawberry yuzu spritz from CBD bar PS40. 80 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills, paramountcoffeeproject.com.au Blow-torching sandwiches at Serva, Seaforth. Dylan Coker Serva Advertisement Serva, a bright orange cafe in the Northern Beaches, is where owner-chef Miles Ackermans shows off his vast range of pickles and preserves sold retail, or served in sandwiches, toasties, muffins and salads. Join his growing group of customers-turned-mates, and start swooning over umami-rich mushroom toasties, laced with kombu butter and served with zucchini pickle and blueberry chutney; and marvelling at the meaty, crunchy, melty Reuben sandwich with apple and celery kraut. Good to know: Need a last-minute birthday gift? Pick up a pickle jar and locally crafted ceramics here. 538 Sydney Road, Seaforth, servasyd.com.au Soulmate Coffee in Newtown. Soulmate Coffee Advertisement The bright mid-morning energy of this Newtown corner cafe spills onto the street, making it as fun for people-watching as it is for a meal. The breakfast burger is generous and filling, lox bagel light and fresh, and service is always with a smile. Those game enough to try something new should order the liquorice bread topped with salt flakes and a side of butter, its texture is closer to cake than bread. Good to know: Arrive well before noon on weekends if you want to try their black sausage sanga. 12/39 Phillip Street, Newtown, soulmatecoffee.com.au Superfreak, Marrickville. Superfreak Advertisement A Johnny Cash record is playing, the air smells of freshly brewed coffee, and a spoonful of butter is slowly melting into your salty-sweet bowl of rhubarb porridge. As sunlight warms the soft-to-touch banquette seating, its hard to imagine a better place to spend a lazy Sunday. The menu is health-forward and on-trend but its the sweet dishes, such as sticky, caramelised crumpets and lemon crumble cake, which shine brightest. Best for: Aesthetic afternoon tea and a moment of morning zen. 333 Enmore Road, Marrickville, superfreakco.com The Shop & Wine Bar, Bondi. The Shop & Wine Bar Advertisement Things come and go at Bondi, but this all-day cutie has been feeding locals since 2004. Maybe its homey vibes are the secret to its staying power with a handful of tables (inside and out) and an efficient, barely-there kitchen, it makes regulars feel like theyre eating at their own tiny apartments. Joking. Kind service and a well-rounded menu keep the cafe busy throughout the day: eggs and strong coffee in the morning; salads and sandwiches after noon; and glasses of wine at happy hour. Good to know: Happy hour is 4pm to 6pm, with drinks from $9. 78 Curlewis Street, Bondi Beach, theshopandwinebar.com Tento, Surry Hills. Tento Advertisement Brewing tea, brewing coffee, brewing dashi. The mastery of each skill at Tento makes it one of Sydneys most singular operations, but its the little things that up the ante. Bittersweet black-sesame lattes served in their own handmade ceramics. Sake and chilled reds offered alongside long-simmered ramen. Cold brew? Espresso? Pitch perfect. Then theres the ochazuke list, packing brothy rice, add-ons and all-out comfort, whatever the time of day. Must-order dish: Ochazuke setto with house-made tofu, eggplant katsu and pickles. 3/8 Hill Street, Surry Hills, tento.com.au Purple ube soft-serve at Tita, Marrickville. Rhett Wyman Tita Advertisement Tita doesnt take herself too seriously: kitschy plastic tablecloths and purple-hued ube pastries are all part of the Filipino-inspired brunch experience. Dishes are familiar, but fun. French toast travels to Manila, where its dowsed in maple condensed milk and served with purple whipped cream. Brekkie muffins, made with soft pandesal dough, are some of Sydneys best, stacked with juicy longganisa (pork sausage) patties. Good to know: Check social media for regular specials. 4/359 Illawarra Road, Marrickville, instagram.com/tita.carinderia Buttermilk pancakes at Valentinas in Marrickville. Alana Dimou Valentinas Advertisement Valentinas is the dog-friendly, diner-themed darling of the inner-west brunch set. The menu is deliciously uncomplicated: buttery pancakes with self-pour maple syrup; neatly wrapped burritos with cheesy scrambled eggs; and grilled cheese sandwiches, butter-crisped and golden, best dipped in tomato soup. The maple cold-brew coffee is so good it transcends seasonality, while the cinnamon sugar-dusted snickerdoodle cookie is unmatched. Good to know: An all-day diner, in this economy? Dont let the awning signage fool you, Valentinas closes at 3pm daily. 132 Livingstone Road, Marrickville, valentinassyd.com Good Foods Essential Sydney Cafes and Bakeries of 2025, presented by T2, celebrates the people and places that shape our excellent cafe and bakery scenes and includes more than 100 venues reviewed anonymously across 11 categories, including icons, those best for food, tea, coffee and matcha, and where to get the citys best sweets, sandwiches and baked goods. Download the Good Food app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store to discover whats near you. Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up He says she stared at him as if he were Ernest Shackleton disembarking in England in 1917. I guess shed never expected to meet someone whod pulled off such a feat. Nobody could survive such a fire. Like meeting Alex Honnold, or Keith Richards a myth, a ghost, a person seemingly impervious to the certainties. Loading Ive done the maths on his habit (50 years x 365 days x 60 cigs = 1,095,000). He appears to have gotten away with smoking a million cigarettes. I guess if the packs were stacked theyd be about the size of a school bus. But youd buy the bus and the school itself for the $2 million the smokes cost. He always has one lit, and in absent-minded moments two one waggling in his lips as he talks and the other being used as a baton to enhance his arguments. And I notice that every time he draws a lungful, as the ciggie crackles and glows, his pupils dilate, and a moments serenity washes over his sallow face. So, who am I to say hes got it wrong? If it kills him now, hes still played games of chance against God and won. Is that genes? Luck? Or the devil taking care of his own? Hes also known among those who like to hoist a goblet. And when he finally got in to see the doctor he told her: The kidneys and liver were not discussing at all. Theyre off-limits, a no-go zone, my private affair. That he felt protective of these organs rather than his lungs tells you how appreciative he is of the vintners art. Judith Hancock spent most of her life wondering whether she was adopted. Nothing was ever said, but she never felt as loved by her mother as her other siblings. Her mother was in her late 40s when she had her, and there was a significant age gap between her and the three older children. Growing up in Lismore during World War II, Hancock was sent to boarding school at age seven. When back home, she spent most of her time with children from the neighbourhood orphanage where her father worked. I felt rejected and that they really didnt want me, she says. Hancocks mother passed away before she had the chance to talk to her, but when the truth came to light, it only heightened these feelings. The thing is, she wasnt adopted. The family of a young Aboriginal man who died in police custody wants the two officers involved to be stood down now a criminal investigation is under way. The call comes as rallies continue across the country in a national week of action to demand justice for Kumanjayi White and an independent inquiry into his death. White, who was mentally disabled, died on May 27, soon after being forcibly restrained by two plain-clothes police officers in a supermarket in Alice Springs. Police allege the 24-year-old, originally from the outback community of Yuendumu, was shoplifting and had assaulted a security guard who confronted him in the confectionery aisle. NT Police on Friday confirmed the officers have not been stood down. The force and NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro have strongly rejected calls for an external investigation, saying police are the right authority to carry it out, coupled with a coronial inquiry. Loading Whites family said they were angry calls for an independent investigation had been rejected and police alone would determine whether any criminality was involved in his death. Now that a criminal investigation is under way, the family call on the NT police officers involved to be stood down immediately, they said in a statement on Friday. This should be an obvious action in any criminal inquiry. Stand down now! NT Police has said its investigation would abide by strict protocols with full transparency and be independently reviewed by the coroner. We ask the community to allow the investigation to take its course, Acting Commissioner Martin Dole said in a statement. We are committed to a full and fair examination of the facts. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 AAP Outgoing NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb has been appointed a special advisor to the NSW government to help in efforts to quash the scourge of domestic violence, closing the book on three decades in policing and a turbulent three years in the top job. Webb, on her final day in the corner office of Sydneys police headquarters, told the Herald she had bigger fish to fry after a concerted push by sections of the media and from within the force to drive her out of the commissionership. Retiring Police Commissioner Karen Webb has been appointed a special adviser to the state government on domestic violence. Credit: Janie Barrett The states first female police commissioner will on Monday hand over the reins to Acting Commissioner Peter Thurtell and take on the role advising the Minister for Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Jodie Harrison. One of the jobs I did, early in my policing, was a domestic violence offender, I opened the door, and he pointed a gun at our heads, Webb said on Friday. There is a lot of wellbeing hanging on this rainfall event landing in every part of the state, he said. Hosking said rainfall would even be good for farmers who had access to irrigation because it meant they would be less reliant on hay to supplement stock feed. The drought has exacted a savage toll on south-west Victoria. Credit: Eddie Jim It means theres less competition in the hay market. At Casterton in western Victoria, sheep farmer Darren Holmberg said about 10 millimetres of rain fell on his property. Any rain is good, he said. No-ones grizzling about it, thats for sure. When he spoke to The Age about a year ago, Holmberg said his land was the driest it had been in more than 35 years he had been farming. Darren Holmberg on his farm near Casterton in June last year. Credit: Nicole Cleary But on Friday, Holmberg was hoping for much more rain over the weekend. We might get 40 millimetres over the next four days, he said. If that gets in there, it will get the grass growing. Holmberg said a green tinge had returned to the land because the soil was still warm enough for some grass growth. Bureau of Meteorology figures show Victoria had its seventh-driest May and its warmest autumn on record. Parts of south-west Victoria also experienced record-low rainfall for the 18-month period ending in May. Farmers across Victoria are dealing with some of the driest conditions theyve experienced. Credit: Joe Armao On Friday morning, bureau meteorologist Daniel Sherwin-Simpson said Kaniva in the far west near the South Australian border had already received 4 millimetres of rain and there were showers in the Wimmera and western Mallee. Other drought-affected areas, including Warrnambool in the south-west, received more than 2 millimetres. Over the long weekend, Sherwin-Simpson said, the states south-west could expect up to 30 millimetres of rain, compared to 5 to 10 millimetres in the Mallee. About 10 to 15 millimetres was forecast for the Wimmera. It will be good news, he said. In the alpine ranges, almost 40 millimetres of rain was forecast for the long weekend but some of that was expected to fall as snow, with the ski season officially beginning on Saturday. Sherwin-Simpson said communities along the south-west coast, including Portland, Warrnambool and Apollo Bay, were likely to see some of the highest rainfall after enduring some of their driest conditions on record. Jodie Anson said it was a great joy and relief to see rain falling on her property in Gorae West, near Portland in the states far south-west. It was fantastic, she said. We just need more of it. Anson said her property had been particularly dry and dusty before it started raining again.You could see cracks in the ground, she said. Its nice to not have dust floating around everywhere. Sheep farmer Duncan Barber on his Coliban Park property near Redesdale in Victoria. Credit: Alex Coppel But Sherwin-Simpson said more rain was needed to help farmers recover from drought. Well need a number of these systems to move through over the winter period, he said. The long-range forecast for June is trending slightly towards a wetter than average month. Its looking positive seeing this system come through in the early part of June. So, if we get another one or two of these systems well definitely be looking at something wetter than average. However, the outlook for the entire winter is neutral. On Friday afternoon, Duncan Barber, who is based in Redesdale near Bendigo, said he was yet to receive any rain. Its bitter cold and blowing a gale, he said. With the radar indicating clouds were heading his way, Barber was hopeful his property would receive its first rain since April 25. Shi Taifeng, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and deputy head of the Central Leading Group for Party Building, attends and addresses a symposium on the work of central groups tasked with guiding a study and education campaign to advance the implementation of the Party's eight-point decision on improving conduct, in Beijing, capital of China, June 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- A symposium on the work of central groups tasked with guiding a study and education campaign to advance the implementation of the Party's eight-point decision on improving conduct was held in Beijing on Friday. Shi Taifeng, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and deputy head of the Central Leading Group for Party Building, attended the symposium and made remarks. The symposium stressed the importance of ensuring the study and education campaign achieves more solid and tangible results, and of guiding Party members and officials to maintain a solid basis for their convictions. It also urged efforts to ensure that local authorities effectively rectify prominent problems such as the practice of holding lavish banquets and feasts to improve relevant rules and regulations, address institutional deficiencies, and to enhance accountability and coordination in their work. The board of Mildura Hospital has lashed out at the Allan government over its lack of funding to expand bed capacity at the regional health service and says it can no longer meet the growing demand from patients. The intervention comes after this masthead revealed that hundreds of patients at Mildura Hospital have been languishing in the emergency department for more than 24 hours, with scores waiting 48 hours and one 85-year-old woman dying. Linda Romeos mother died after a lengthy wait in the emergency department of Mildura Hospital in March. Credit: Ian McKenzie Mildura Base Public Hospital chair Frank Piscioneri said he was frustrated by the situation, and there had been no meaningful progress with the government despite the board repeatedly meeting ministers and representatives. Our capacity challenges are becoming more urgent by the day, he said. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Hours before the beleaguered Greens were set to choose a new leader after a rough election, the crossbench partys First Nations spokeswoman, senator Dorinda Cox, was spotted having breakfast with unusual dining companions. She was eating 10 minutes away from the Treasury building in inner east Melbourne, near the MCG, where the partys remaining 12 MPs, including Cox, would vote that afternoon on the party leadership, following Adam Bandts shock loss. Cox planned to put herself forward to be the Greens deputy. But the West Australian senator wasnt dining with her Greens colleagues. Instead, she was joined by Labor senator Jana Stewart and her husband Marcus Stewart, the first co-chair of Victorias First Peoples Assembly. Dorinda Cox arrives for the Greens leadership vote on May 15. She had breakfast with a Labor senator that morning. Credit: Penny Stephens It was one of several conversations that Labor figures had with Cox before she stood next to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday to announce she would be joining the party. Her defection shocked many; Greens leader Larissa Waters, voted in at the May 15 meeting, was told just 90 minutes before Cox went public. But the decision was 12 months in the making, and involved discussions with both Albanese and former Labor senator Pat Dodson, the Father of Reconciliation, sources familiar with the process but who asked to remain anonymous have told this masthead. Her departure deals another blow to the progressive crossbench party, already battered from losing its leader and two other lower house MPs in last months election. The Greens retain the balance of power in the Senate but go backward, again, in number. The loss of their only Indigenous senator raises uncomfortable questions about representation. Advertisement But that narrative belies the more complicated backdrop to her departure. Cox has been the subject of numerous complaints about her conduct and several Greens staffers were relieved the party would no longer have to defend her. She also had a fractious relationship with the Greens internal Indigenous network, which exposed dysfunctional elements of the at-times secretive political party. The Green wave washes away In 2022, the Greens hit a high-water mark in Canberra. Their 16 parliamentarians included two Indigenous MPs. But a bitter relationship between Cox and firebrand senator Lidia Thorpe began almost as soon as they sat together in parliament for the first time that year. Cox, who came into parliament on a senate vacancy in 2021, had coveted the Indigenous affairs portfolio, which was given to Thorpe. Then the Voice referendum campaign began, fuelling the divide within the Greens over whether the party should be more activist or collaborative. Loading Thorpe and Cox disagreed over politics. Cox supported the Yes vote and made an argument for change from within. Thorpe advocated a progressive No case, describing the Voice as a powerless advisory body as she pushed for treaties instead. They also clashed personally. Thorpe revealed this week that she made a workplace complaint against Cox to the parliamentary watchdog. When Thorpe quit the Greens in early 2023, Cox was elevated to the First Nations portfolio and led the Greens to formally support the Yes case. Advertisement But she never had the support of the Greens First Nations Network also known as the Blak Greens which is a collective of the grassroots Indigenous party members that informs the partys policy positions and who should run the portfolio. Thorpe had helped launch the group around 2018, and it backed her No stance on the Voice right through to the vote in October 2023. The Blak Greens kicked Cox out of the network in 2023, in part because of bullying allegations, her support for the Voice and her former career as a police officer. An altercation between Cox and the groups then-convenor, Tjanara Goreng Goreng, at Perth Airport that year further soured the relationship. Loading One member of the Blak Greens, who asked not to be named, said Cox was seen as relatively conservative and distant from their concerns. There were lots of tensions and we didnt see eye to eye with her at all, they said. At the partys national conference in Hobart in 2024, the Blak Greens called for the party to strip Cox of her portfolio and consider expelling her for her alleged bullying conduct. The statement divided the room at the time. Bandt continued to stand by Cox, but the dispute between the partys sole Indigenous MP and its membership had left the Greens non-Indigenous leadership in a difficult predicament. Waters this week said the partys commitment to advocating on Indigenous issues would not waver. Our policies are still very firm for First Nations justice and we wont be changing course in that regard, [we] continue to really push on those issues, she told the ABC. We do certainly have a bevy of grassroots First Nations members of our party and were really proud of that. And our policies have been crafted by those folk and our broader membership, and they are strong on truth-telling and treaties and justice. Advertisement But dysfunction in the Blak Greens makes that mission more complicated. A review of the network last year by Indigenous consulting firm MurriMatters unearthed a raft of problems with governance, relationship breakdowns and inconsistent advice to the Greens party room. A spokesperson for the group put its membership at about 300 people, with between 30 and 50 who are active, although one former senior member said meeting attendance was sometimes as few as five. Loading The network is at the bottom of an S-curve at the moment, the former member said. Theres a lot of infighting [and] people focus on personal grudges Youve got to work within all these structures, people pull against those tensions, and its a large group of white people versus a small group of black people. Some current members dispute the MurriMatters review findings, but the former member said: Were just hoping the review will set up a better structure. All the while, the networks problems with Cox persisted. In the lead-up to last months leadership ballot, the Blak Greens lobbied for a non-Indigenous MP, Mehreen Faruqi, to take the First Nations portfolio from her. The dynamics between Cox and the Blak Greens compounded the senators problems with the broader party, who rejected her bid for the deputy leadership three votes to nine last month. Advertisement Cox was a Labor member before joining the Greens and running for a state seat in 2017. According to her leaked candidate nomination form from 2020, reported in this masthead, Cox described Labor as patronising to women and people of colour, and claimed the party cared more about its donors than members. But in the Greens, Cox soon emerged as a moderate voice in a party room that seemed to platform loud voices and strident positions. That left her feeling disillusioned and unsupported, people close to her say. Coxs return to Labor The conversations that would bring Cox back to Labor began at least a year ago. She made friendships within Labor circles during the last term of parliament and became close with senators Stewart and Dodson. Cox spoke with Dodson, a fellow West Australian and one of the countrys most respected Indigenous leaders, in the weeks before her defection. But it was Albanese who led the discussions with the partys leadership, took the move to Labors national executive and made the final call. Dodson did not respond to a request for comment. Asked about his breakfast with Cox, Marcus Stewart declined to comment. But Stewart gave his reflections on a move he called a masterstroke by Anthony Albanese. There is clearly a cultural issue within their [the Greens] party room. Dorinda is a person who prioritises progress over protest, unlike the Greens, he said. Dorinda had a decision to make. Do you want to be outside the building throwing water balloons? Or in the room, trying to influence better outcomes for First Nations people? And she made it. Advertisement Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size One Sunday in mid-April, two weeks into the federal election campaign, the global leader of the extremist Christian sect formerly known as the Exclusive Brethren recorded a brief audio message to his followers. To the Brethren, the words of Man of God Bruce Hales are close to holy writ. The message was only a minute-or-so long and narrowcast to the flock on a Brethren-only app called the Global Media Stream, according to a church source who has requested anonymity for fear of recrimination. That message gave permission for an unprecedented electoral effort by the church. The following week, thousands of members of whats now known as the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church began appearing at pre-polling stations throughout the country, handing out election material and swamping booths in signage to try to get Peter Dutton elected. Plymouth Brethren Christian Church members at a polling booth in Sydney in April. Instead, this mass movement of sect members may have helped turn voters against the then-opposition leader. It has caused deep rifts within the Liberal Party and outrage in Labor, and its sparked a push to scrutinise the Brethrens secretive support of conservative politicians, and whether disclosure requirements have been met. It has also led to one young man, who transgressed the Brethrens stringent rules, facing a church punishment that could separate him from his family forever. Advertisement Its game on To people not versed in the peculiar language of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, Hales April 13 audio recording was obscure in the extreme. Government in Australia needed the Brethrens prayers, he told his members. Australia needs to smile again. Gareth Hales (centre, in blue Scott Yung T-shirt), the multimillionaire son of Plymouth Brethren Christian Church leader Bruce Hales, at the Bennelong polling booth on April 30. In the weeks leading up to this message, a large number of Brethren members had already been working quietly with the Liberal Party at the local level, phone canvassing or behind the scenes, on what they described as Kings business hoping to sway marginal Labor seats for Dutton. Hales message signalled a step-change: 16,000 Brethren members were encouraged to get involved. The government needed to change. Another church insider, who also asked to remain anonymous for fear of recriminations, said Hales sons amped the effort. In the week before pre-polling opened, a message went out from local Brethren leaders calling members to gather at one of a number of locations near where they lived. Across the nation, inside the houses of elders, church halls or business premises, the Brethren were played a video featuring Gareth, Charles and Dean Hales. Advertisement How awesome was it to hear that recording on [Global Media Stream]? the Hales boys enthused. Then, in the tones of a high-pressure sales call, they exhorted their members to step up their election efforts: Make sure our booths are manned and volunteers fired up each day to dominate the play. Loading According to a summary obtained by this masthead, one of them added: Its game on ... Pray and take action ... Its all in the extra 1 per cents. Make sure we dont leave any gas in the tank! Days later, the Brethren army was unleashed on the public. Members of this church generally are exempt from voting they claim a conscientious objection, arguing that government is of God and should not be chosen by men. They are also taught to despise the world and worldly people because they will defile and contaminate them. Despite this doctrine, thousands took time off from Brethren company jobs and fanned out to marginal Labor seats nationally to hand out for the Coalition. A booth roster from the seat of Gilmore, obtained by this masthead, shows them listed as friends. Gareth Hales was spotted at a booth in Bennelong. Make Australia smile again, they would say, parroting the words of their leader. Advertisement A significant third party? A Liberal source, who asked not be named to discuss internal matters, said numbers of the Brethren had long donated to the Coalition parties and had been well known by candidates for helping on the periphery in campaigning. This year, the source said, the effort was turbocharged. It was driven by the Brethren and welcomed by the Liberal Party, and unprecedented numbers 20, 30 or more at some polling booths turned out. The Brethren insider said the whole church had been geared towards it. Businesses lost up to three weeks of work. Everyone was active. Everyone was out. This campaign controlled what time the [church] meetings were. This was the priority. It was clear, both from the word of Labor members on the ground, and from church insiders, that the Brethren were required to travel outside their areas to campaign where they would not be recognised. Labors member for Lingiari, Marion Scrymgour, told ABC Radio after the election that Brethren members were being flown into remote areas of her huge, central Australian electorate each morning to campaign, then flown back out again to stay the night in a resort on Groote Eylandt. The spending in cash and kind raises crucial questions about political campaign disclosures. Advertisement Outside groups that spend more than $250,000 trying to persuade people during a campaign must register as a significant third party, which brings clear disclosure obligations. The ACTU, Advance and Climate 200 are examples. But the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church does not have this registration, and nor do any of its businesses, charities or trusts. A spokesman for the church has denied multiple times that the church was involved in any campaigning or spending. Anything done by members was simply the work of individual people or businesses, he said. Campaign finance expert Joo-Cheong Tham, a professor at Melbourne Law School and director of the Centre for Public Integrity, said the churchs behaviour deserved an inquiry. Its critical that there be transparency in relation to third-party expenditure, he said. Tham said the Brethren effort appeared highly co-ordinated but was not necessarily funded by a single entity, which exposed a regulatory gap that deserved scrutiny. Apart from the campaigning, the Brethren insider said church members were also told to open their wallets to make donations, but to make sure each individual amount was under the federal disclosure threshold of $16,900. That way nobody would know it was them, the source said. Ex-Brethren member Lavinia Richardson explained that to avoid public scrutiny, Brethren businessmen would gift amounts of money, or make distributions from a trust, to multiple family members or trusted staff to pass onto a candidate. Each individual donation fell under the threshold but together it could be tens of thousands of dollars. Advertisement In todays Australia, the new default should be that patriotism is a love of country that is democratic and egalitarian. It is something that includes those of different races and backgrounds, he wrote in this masthead a couple of weeks ago. With his political authority unquestioned, Albanese has an opportunity to craft a nation-building agenda. The significance is more than just national. At the moment, parties of the centre-left are struggling to find compelling alternatives to Trumpist populism. Albaneses defiance of America doesnt come out of nowhere. It rings a Labor bell. It resonates with the decision by Labors celebrated wartime leader, John Curtin, to defy Australias great and powerful friend of his time, Britain. Im conscious about the leadership of John Curtin, choosing to stand up to Winston Churchill and say, No, Im bringing the Australian troops home to defend our own continent, were not going to just let it go, Albanese said last year as he prepared to walk the Kokoda Track, where Australia and Papua New Guinea halted Imperial Japans southward march of conquest in World War II. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and PNG counterpart James Marape on the Kokoda Track last year. Credit: Matthew Knott Defiance of allies is one thing. Defeat of the enemy is another. In a moment of truth-telling, the Chief of the Defence Force, Admiral David Johnston, this week said that Australia now had to plan to wage war from its own continental territory rather than preparing for war in far-off locations. We are having to reconsider Australia as a homeland from which we will conduct combat operations, Johnston told a conference held by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. That is a very different way almost since the Second World War of how we think of national resilience and preparedness. We may need to operate and conduct combat operations from this country. He didnt spell it out, but hes evidently contemplating the possibility that China will cut off Australias seaborne supply routes, either because its waging war in the Taiwan Strait or South China Sea, or because its seeking to coerce Australia. The chief of the defence force is speaking truth, says Professor Peter Dean, co-author of the governments Defence Strategic Review, now at the US Studies Centre at Sydney University. Theres a line in the Defence Strategic Review that most people overlook it talks about the defence of Australia against potential threats arising from major power competition, including the prospect of conflict. And theres only one major power posing a threat in our region. History accelerates week by week. Trump, chaos factory, wantonly discards Americas unique sources of power and abuses its allies. Chinas Xi Jinping and Russias Vladimir Putin are emboldened, seeing Americas credibility crumbling. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, alarmed at the rising risks, this week declared a campaign to make Britain battle ready to face down Russian aggression. Loading Starmer plans to enlarge the army, commission up to a dozen new nuclear-powered submarines jointly built with Australia under AUKUS, build six new munitions factories, manufacture 7000 long-range weapons, renew the nuclear warheads on Britains strategic missiles, and put new emphasis on drones and cyberwar as war evolves daily on the battlefields of Ukraine. Starmer intends to increase defence outlays to the equivalent of 2.5 per cent of GDP with an eventual target of 3 per cent. Ukraines impressive drone strike on Russias bombers this week knocked out a third of Moscows force, with AI guiding the drones to their targets. The Australian retired major-general Mick Ryan observes that Ukraine and Russia are upgrading and adapting drone warfare weekly. The Australian government has worked hard to ignore these hard-earned lessons and these cheaper military solutions, he wrote scathingly in this masthead this week, while building a dense bureaucracy in Canberra that innovative drone-makers in Australia cannot penetrate in any reasonable amount of time. At the same time, the FBI charged two Chinese researchers with attempting to smuggle a toxic fungus into the US. Its banned because it can cause mass destruction of crops. A potential bioweapon, in other words. What would John Curtin do today? Curtin, like Albanese, was from the left of the Labor Party, says Dean. He was not an internationalist, he was very domestic focused. Indeed, he was an avowed Marxist who believed that capitalism was in its late phase and bound to fail, leading to world peace. He abandoned his idealism when confronted by the reality of World War II. He realised that a leader has to lead for his times. He had to bend his interests from the domestic sphere to the international. Curtin famously wrote that, after Britains impregnable fortress of Singapore fell to the Japanese in just a few days, Australia looked to America as its great and powerful friend. Albanese cant repeat that, observes Dean, because theres no one else to turn to. A modern John Curtin, says the head of the National Security College at ANU, Rory Medcalf, would take account of the strategic risk facing the unique multicultural democratic experiment of Australia. Hed unite the community and bring the trade unions, industry, the states and territories together in a national effort. Its certainly not about beating the drums of war, but we do need a much more open conversation about national preparedness. Australia might be directly involved in war, but, even if we arent, we will be affected indirectly [by war to our north] because of risks to our fuel security, risks to the normal functioning of the economy and risks to the cohesion of our society. Is there scope to use national cabinet which includes the states and territories to talk about these issues? Keir Starmer wants to commission up to a dozen new nuclear-powered submarines jointly built with Australia under the AUKUS agreement. Credit: US Navy And the defence budget? Albanese is dismissive of calls to peg spending by set percentages of GDP. Apply that to any other area of the budget and youd be laughed out of the room. The prime minister prefers to decide on capability thats needed, then to fund it accordingly. How big a gun do you need, then find money to pay for it. Medcalf endorses this approach of deciding capability before funding, but says that risk should come before both. And if you look at risk first, it will push spending well above 2 per cent of GDP and much closer to 3 or 4 per cent. Regardless of what the Americans say or do. Do they turn out to be dependable but demanding? Or uselessly absent? Australia will need to spend more either way, says Medcalf. The only future where we dont need to increase our security investment is one where we accept greatly reduced sovereignty in a China-dominated region. Its actually not the reason. It was something I did in my rebel teenage years. I went through a punk phase in those years and added the extra s. People have been fascinated by the numerology angle, but it is actually not correct. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has given a new explanation for her decision to add an s to her name. Credit: James Brickwood It may have taken Sussan Ley a decade to correct the record, but the opposition leader has declared the mystical practice was not responsible for her decision to add an s to her name or presumably for the excitement and success she has enjoyed since. It certainly sounded correct in 2015, when a profile in the Weekend Australian Magazine quoted Ley describing how she had gone from Susan to Sussan amidst a life far more interesting (shes been a pilot, a punk and a rouseabout cook) than most politicians experience. I read about this numerology theory that if you add the numbers that match the letters in your name you can change your personality, Ley told the magazine. I worked out that if you added an s I would have an incredibly exciting, interesting life and nothing would ever be boring. Its that simple. And once Id added the s it was really hard to take it away. We tracked down Kate Legge, the journalist and author who wrote the piece, who says she cant see why Ley would have given a false or flippant answer in a serious political profile. She would have been trying to present her best self and I would have been seeking to present the most accurate picture of her as possible, Legge says. Why would she have misrepresented such a simple thing? Was she trying to sound more colourful? And why wait so long to correct the record? This was a magazine story and we had plenty of time to correct and massage any mistakes and misunderstandings. Im surprised by her retrospective admission, but shes now opposition leader, and congratulations to her, which probably requires cleaning up her backstory. The Liberal elder who said women were now sufficiently assertive has tasked retired Federal Court judge Peter Graham, KC, a key instigator in blocking female membership to the male-only Australian Club, with rewriting the rules governing the NSW party. Former Victorian treasurer Alan Stockdale, who is one of the administrators running the troubled NSW division of the party, has appointed Graham and one-time party deputy president Rhondda Vanzella to redraft the NSW Liberal constitution. Alan Stockdale raised eyebrows at the NSW Liberal Womens Council meeting with his comments about assertive women. Credit: AAPIMAGE Stockdale was widely criticised this week after he told the NSW Liberal Womens Council on Tuesday night that women were now sufficiently assertive that we should be giving some thought to whether we need to protect mens involvement. Graham, meanwhile, was a driving force behind the campaign against allowing women to join the Australian Club, telling members in a 10-page missive in 2021 that the club was a place where you could get away from bossy women. It was a polling booth in Turramurra that broke the deadlock in the battle for the seat of Bradfield. The initial count had already revealed the tightest federal contest in years, and when it finally concluded, the Liberal contender Gisele Kapterian was ahead of her teal independent rival Nicolette Boele by just eight votes. That tiny margin triggered an automatic recount. Teal MP Nicolette Boele was formally declared the winner of Bradfield on Friday. Credit: Janie Barrett For days Kapterian held on to her wafer-thin advantage, but about 6.45pm last Saturday the momentum shifted. Election officials had just recounted 6400 votes cast at the Turramurra pre-polling station on Bobbin Head Road and the outcome posted on the Australian Electoral Commission website was good news for Boele. Kapterian had lost 16 votes, putting the teal independent ahead by 12. It was the last time the lead in this see-sawing contest would change, and when the recount eventually wrapped up on Wednesday, Boele had won the battle for Bradfield by 26 votes. One Bronte house had a reserve $1.5 million above the guide, while a Hunters Hill home had a reserve $500,000 higher. The analysis also includes homes that passed in at auction above the guide. This masthead is not suggesting these properties were underquoted. A spokesperson for Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong said he was considering legislative changes to make the rules clearer and easier to enforce. They said Chanthivong had asked NSW Fair Trading to investigate the option of creating a name and shame register to increase transparency and compliance within the real estate industry. RMIT senior lecturer and auction researcher Dr Peyman Khezr said dissatisfaction with price guides was particularly strong in Sydney. The thing about Sydney is you dont even have to have price guides and the situation is even worse [than other cities], he said. Its a guide to lure people to come and inspect and come to the auctions. Khezr said the practice was widespread because it helped to build competition on auction day and created higher final sale prices. When you set the price reasonably lower than what your reserve is, you attract more people to your auction, you will heat up the price at auction, he said. It results in people acting lets say crazy or irrational in these circumstances, but what matters to the seller is that it gets better prices and that is why they keep doing it. The researcher backed a Victorian-style price range system where a single price or price range must be published on the listing. He did not think vendors should be made to advertise a reserve, but should be made to set their reserve within the guide. The biggest gap between a price guide and a reserve at an auction recorded by this masthead was $2 million. Credit: Sam Mooy A spokesperson for the Real Estate Institute of NSW said it was difficult and frustrating for buyers when they were unable to compete for a property they were interested in, but he blamed it on a shortage of properties on the market. The institute supports improved education standards for the industry. Sometimes vendors may choose to adjust the reserve in response to interest on the day, including the number of bidders, even the identity of some of the people who turn up, the spokesperson said. A spokesperson for the NSW Strata and Property Services Taskforce said underquoting was unlawful, and harmed other real estate agents who do the right thing. The taskforce has made underquoting one of its regulatory priorities. NSW Fair Trading issued 101 penalty notices worth $221,100 for underquoting offences in 2024, and received 271 consumer complaints about underquoting, 133 of which related to auctions. PRPTY360 director Julian Fadini says the guide is unrealistically low in most cases, compared to the reserve or the market price. In 2025, there have been 123 complaints about underquoting, with 62 relating to auctions. Director of property advisory PRPTY360 Julian Fadini said price guides were unrealistically low in most cases, compared to the reserve price. However, he said vendors couldnt be blamed entirely as they were not skilled professionals. Generally agents will come in at a price which is 20 to 30 per cent below the vendors expectations in order to stimulate the amount of attention and gathering at an auction, he said. Its a very common strategy and if you were to talk honestly with many vendors, they would definitely confirm the fact that the price they want is not the price they advertise as the auction price. Maroubra renter Fian Clark found the auction process so difficult in Sydney that he paused his search for a two-bedroom inner west apartment and bought an investment property in Cairns. Maroubra renter Fian Clark purchased an investment property in Cairns after finding the auction process in Sydney to be difficult. Credit: Louise Kennerley I got disillusioned quickly, the 34-year-old account executive said. The difference between the guide and the sale price was what really surprised me. If it just went a bit past you would accept that, but youd see a property [advertised] for $700,000 going for $900,000. Loading Clark hoped for more transparency when he began his search in May last year with a budget around $750,000. If youre going to bid on a property for $700,000, I guess anything up to $750,000 youd probably accept as thats just what happens on the day, he said. But when bids are going up in big blocks, you start to go, Oh come on guys this is maybe 25 per cent more than the guide price. SydneySlice buyers agent Lauren Goudy said buyers often contact her due to frustration with misleading price guides. In most cases you would hope that the reserve is close to or within the quoted price range; however, this is not always the case, she said. In May, I bought a property for a client which was guided at $1.45 million and the reserve at auction was $1.57 million. She negotiated better terms after it passed in, paying $1.5 million. Buyers agent Lauren Goudy. Credit: Peter Braig Goudy doesnt think reserves should be disclosed, but said it would be helpful to see an agency agreement to know the figure vendors have agreed to. LJ Hooker Edensor Park and Green Valleys Graham Ball publishes the reserve price on listings before auction, which he says is in the vendors best interest and attracts more buyers on the day. When he started training almost three decades ago, Chris Waller would have been pretty happy with a career that included 18 group 1 wins. With that in mind, breaking his Australian record of 18 in one season, a mark he has already achieved twice, is not something the champion Sydney trainer is too worried about heading to Eagle Farm on Saturday, where he has good chances to do just that. Leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller. Credit: Getty Images Waller has multiple runners in the three group 1s, headlined by Kingsford-Smith Cup favourite Joliestar ($2.20 Sportsbet) and Queensland Derby equal top elect Belle Detelle ($6.50). And while he no doubt wants to win them all, Waller is already content with a campaign highlighted by Via Sistinas record-equalling seven group 1s in a season. Washington: The man mistakenly deported from Maryland to El Salvador by the Trump administration has returned to the United States to face criminal charges of transporting illegal immigrants within the US, Attorney-General Pam Bondi said. Kilmar Abrego Garcias case has become a flash point for escalating tensions between the presidency and the judiciary, which has blocked a number of US President Donald Trumps signature policies. The US Supreme Court had ordered the administration to facilitate Garcias return, with liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor saying the government had cited no basis for what she called his warrantless arrest. Kilmar Abrego Garcia is led by force by guards through the Terrorism Confinement Centre in Tecoluca, El Salvador in an undated photo. Credit: US District Court for the District of Maryland via AP The return marks a turning point in a case that became a broader symbol of criticisms of Trumps aggressive immigration policies. Critics, including many congressional Democrats, pointed to it as a sign that the administration was disregarding civil liberties in its push to step up deportations. But the administration insisted that Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang, an accusation that his lawyers denied. It later said it had sent the man accidentally and couldnt bring him back. CAPE TOWN, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Four people were killed and three others injured in a shooting incident at a minibus taxi rank in Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa, on Friday morning. According to a statement by the Western Cape provincial police, the incident occurred at the old taxi rank in Mfuleni, about 30 km east of the city center, and is currently under police investigation. "Reports indicate that the shooting occurred at about 6:00 a.m. when two gunmen fired shots. The incident is believed to be taxi conflict-related," said police spokesperson Novela Potelwa. "Of the seven victims, one injured is believed to be a commuter." "Western Cape police have since bolstered deployment at identified taxi ranks in Cape Town," she added. In the statement, provincial police offered a 100,000 rand (about 5,635 U.S. dollars) reward to anyone who shares vital information on the shooting. "All information received will be handled with care and the identities of those who share information protected," Potelwa said. PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):--- Fire Chief and National Disaster Coordinator of the Office of Disaster Management (ODM) Clive Richardson, is calling on residents and the business community to remain vigilant and monitor local weather reports from the Meteorological Department of St. Maarten (MDS): www.meteosxm.com or visit their social media page Facebook.com/sxmweather/ in connection with the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. ODM calls on the community to double check their disaster supply kit which should be in place from the beginning of the hurricane season. The disaster supply kit should have at least seven days of food and water. If you havent compiled such, the time to do so is now! Dont wait for the last moment to be storm/hurricane ready. The remaining storm names for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season are: Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dexter, Erin, Fernand, Gabrielle, Humberto, Imelda, Jerry, Karen, Lorenzo, Melissa, Nestor, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, Van, and Wendy. The community is urged to learn more about hurricane hazards and resources you need on how to prepare your family, home, or business for a storm/hurricane strike by visiting the Government website: www.sintmaartengov.org/hurricane where you will be able to download your Hurricane Season Readiness Guide and Hurricane Tracking Chart. The information here is also valuable for new residents. Residents, visitors and business owners and operators should know the difference between a watch and warning. A Tropical Storm Watch is issued when tropical storm conditions of sustained winds of 39 to 73 miles per hour are possible within a specified area within 48 hours; a Tropical Storm Warning means tropical storm conditions can be expected within 36 hours. Tropical Storm does not have to reach hurricane strength to be deadly. A Hurricane Watch means hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area, with tropical storm force winds beginning within 48 hours; a hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area, with tropical storm force winds beginning within 36 hours. Listen to the Government Radio station SXMGOV 107.9FM - for official information and news before, during and after a hurricane. You can also follow weather related news and information as well as national addresses by the Prime Minister, chairperson of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) by going to @SXMGOV Facebook Page. For official weather-related information, rely on forecasts that can be found at the website of the Meteorological Department of St. Maarten (MDS): www.meteosxm.com or visit their social media page Facebook.com/sxmweather/ Remember, it only takes one hurricane to make it a bad season. Remain vigilant and prepared! The hurricane season runs through November 30. THE NETHERLANDS (THE HAGUE):--- The participation of the Sint Maarten delegation at the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women was essential, as it is closely linked to the outcomes of the Strasbourg Conference. Insights gathered in New York will help assess whether ratifying the Istanbul Convention is relevant and necessary for Sint Maarten. Minister Plenipotentiary Gracita Arrindell considered the conference a success and expressed her gratitude: Gratitude goes out to the exceptional support team afforded to the Sint Maarten delegation under the leadership of the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations, Mrs. Lise Gregoire van Haaren." While the Kingdom of the Netherlands is a signatory to the Istanbul Convention, only the European part of the Netherlands has ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (on November 18, 2015). Sint Maarten determines independently how and within what timeframe it will proceed with implementation. As of now, this has not been possible due to the need for legislative and regulatory amendments to meet the Conventions requirements. Sint Maarten must first determine which specific areas of the Convention it wishes to prioritize. It must assess which obligations align with current policies and to what extent sufficient legal provisions are already in place. Additionally, the island must identify the necessary implementation measures that are still lacking on the island. The conference in New York also followed up on discussions held at the Istanbul Conference in December 2024, which focused on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. Both conferences aim to contribute to the prevention, prosecution, and elimination of violence against women and children, with a particular emphasis on domestic violence. The primary focus of the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women was the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, along with the outcomes of the 23rd Special Session of the UN General Assembly. This review included an assessment of ongoing challenges that impact the realization of gender equality, the empowerment of women, and their contribution to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. There is growing concern over the regression and deliberate erosion of hard-won womens rights, particularly in the public sector, since the original Beijing Conference. The 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was commemorated in New York and took place in March 2025. The Kingdom of the Netherlands was represented by a delegation including the Minister Plenipotentiary of Sint Maarten, Drs. Gracita R. Arrindell, the Prime Minister of Aruba, H.E. Evelyn Croes, and the State Secretary PHILIPSBURG:--- Signaling a bold step forward for St. Maartens economic vision, the Honorable Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina received the 14th edition of The Golden Book of Sint Maarten on Thursday, June 5th. The prestigious handover, conducted by publisher Mr. Emile Cukier, underscores the governments commitment to enhancing transparency, attracting international investors, and advancing the islands strategic development agenda. "This is more than a ceremonial gestureit is a symbol of where we are heading as a country," declared Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina during the presentation. "The Golden Book of Sint Maarten is a beacon for potential investors, entrepreneurs, and policy-makers who are seeking clarity, opportunity, and direction in a competitive global economy." Over 200 of the 5,000 printed copies have already been distributed to key government institutions, reflecting the Governments proactive stance in leveraging the publication to drive confidence among international partners. The book is also accessible digitally at www.goldenbooksxm.sx, and physical copies can be requested directly from Mr. Emile Cukier via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling +1 (721) 527-5111. Widely recognized as an authoritative resource on St. Maartens business and governance landscape, The Golden Book provides vital insights into investment opportunities, tax incentives, public sector contacts, and the mechanics of setting up a business. Its expanded coverage of regional partners such as Saba, St. Eustatius, and Anguilla makes it a one-stop reference point for those with ambitions in the northeastern Caribbean. "Every informed decision starts with access to the right information," said Prime Minister Dr. Mercelina. "By putting tools like The Golden Book in the hands of investors, we are empowering them to make confident, strategic choices that benefit not only their enterprises but the people of St. Maarten." The Prime Minister emphasized that promoting the book is part of a larger mission to foster an inclusive and sustainable economic climate for future generations. "Our government is laser-focused on building a resilient economyone that is inclusive, transparent, and forward-thinking. Initiatives like this publication show the world that St. Maarten is open for business and ready for smart, responsible growth." As St. Maarten continues to navigate global economic currents, The Golden Book of Sint Maarten stands as a cornerstone in its effort to inspire confidence, stimulate investment, and illuminate the pathway to shared prosperity. During the first hour of her operational deployment, it was a direct hit for HNLMS Friesland. South of the ABC-islands, the Navy ship intercepted a go-fast and with that confiscated 3.000 kilograms drugs. The Dash-8 Patrol aircraft of the Coastguard Caribbean Region on May 29, discovered a suspicious small vessel on the Caribbean Sea. HLNMS Friesland headed towards the vessel and immediately launched two FRISCs, (Fast Raiding Interception Special Forces Craft). A persecution followed during which the smugglers dumped the drugs into the sea. More than packages containing drugs were removed from the sea; a total of 1.837 kilos of cocaine and 1.173 kilos of marihuana. The confiscated drugs were handed over to the U.S. Coast Guard. Commander of the HLNMS Friesland, Kirsten Gouw-Savelberg, emphasized the interest of rapid deployment and international cooperation: This successful interception shows of what a well-trained and integrated team can accomplish. We are ready for what is coming. HLNMS Friesland, weeks ago, on May 23, arrived in the Caribbean Region and has since been the station ship for Defence in the Caribbean Region. The execution of counter-drugs operations is one of her tasks. Hereby, the ship works in cooperation with the US Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Caribbean Region. Additionally, the ship is equipped to render humanitarian aid, for example, in the event of natural disasters such as hurricanes. Musk 'very welcome' in Europe after Trump bust-up, official says Brussels, Belgium, June 6 (AFP) Jun 06, 2025 Elon Musk is "very welcome" in Europe, a spokesperson for the European Commission quipped Friday, following the tech billionaire's spectacular public falling-out with US President Donald Trump. The Trump-Musk political marriage blew up on Thursday as the president declared himself "very disappointed" in criticisms from his former aide and top donor -- before the pair hurled insults at each other on social media. At the commission's daily briefing, spokesperson Paula Pinho was asked whether Musk had reached out to the European Union with a view to relocating his businesses, or setting up new ones. "He's very welcome," she replied with a smile. The commission's spokesperson for tech matters, Thomas Regnier, followed up by stressing -- straight-faced -- that "everyone is very welcome indeed to start and to scale in the EU". "That is precisely the objective of Choose Europe," he said, referencing an EU initiative in favour of start-ups and expanding businesses. Musk has been a frequent critic of the 27-nation EU -- attacking its digital laws as censorship and berating its leaders, while cheering on the ascendant far-right in Germany and elsewhere. The tycoon's row with Trump saw the president threaten to strip him of government contracts estimated at $18 billion -- with Musk vowing in response to end a critical US spaceship programme. Explaining the rift, Trump said Musk had gone "crazy" about a plan to end electric vehicle subsidies in the new US spending bill -- as the bust-up sent shares in Musk's Tesla car company plunging. adc/ec/del/jxb Suspected jihadist attack in Benin kills three soldiers, two police Cotonou, June 5 (AFP) Jun 05, 2025 Three soldiers and two police officers were killed in a suspected jihadist attack in northwest Benin, locals and military sources told AFP on Thursday. The attack on a police station in Tanougou on Wednesday night comes with Benin, northern neighbours Niger and Burkina Faso and Mali further west hit by Islamist violence. A military source said there were "five dead: two police and three soldiers", adding: "Defence and Security Forces are continuing to search the area." One local in Tanougou, which lies on the edge the Pendjari National Park and attracts visitors to its forest waterfall, confirmed the incident but could not give a death toll. There was no immediate comment from the Benin authorities. In mid-April, 54 soldiers were killed in Benin's W National Park, which straddles the porous border with Niger and Burkina Faso, in an attack on two military posts. At the start of January, 28 Beninese troops were killed in the same area. Both attacks were claimed by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM or JNIM in Arabic) which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda. Israel says hits Beirut, targeting Hezbollah drone factories Beirut, Lebanon, June 5 (AFP) Jun 05, 2025 A series of Israeli air strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs on Thursday night, after the military said it would target underground Hezbollah drone factories. Plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the Lebanese capital, shortly after huge numbers of people had fled the area, clogging the roads with traffic. Lebanese news agency ANI said it counted nearly a dozen strikes, including two which were "very violent". AFP journalists in the city heard at least two strong detonations. "The IDF (military) is currently striking terror targets of the Hezbollah aerial unit," the Israeli military said in a statement on Telegram. Less than two hours earlier, its Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee had warned on social media that residents of the suburbs were "located near facilities belonging to the terrorist organisation Hezbollah" and should evacuate immediately. In a separate statement, the military had said it would "soon carry out a strike on underground UAV (drone) production infrastructure sites that were deliberately established in the heart of (the) civilian population" in Beirut. The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon wrote on X that the strikes "generated renewed panic and fear", and called for a "halt to any actions that could further undermine the cessation of hostilities". "Established mechanisms and diplomatic instruments are at the disposal of all sides to address disputes or threats, and to prevent unnecessary and dangerous escalation," it added. Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun in a statement voiced "firm condemnation of the Israeli aggression" and "flagrant violation" of a November 27 ceasefire "on the eve of a sacred religious festival", the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha. He said the strikes were "irrefutable proof of the aggressor's refusal... of a just peace in our region". Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also issued a statement condemning the strikes as a "flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty" and of a 2006 UN resolution. - Suspected drone production - One resident described grabbing her children and fleeing her home in the southern suburbs after receiving an ominous warning before the strikes. "I got a phone call from a stranger who said he was from the Israeli army," said the woman, Violette, who declined to give her last name. Israel also issued an evacuation warning for the village of Ain Qana, located in southern Lebanon around 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the Israeli border. The Israeli military then launched a strike on a building there that it alleged was a Hezbollah base, ANI reported. Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah engaged in more than a year of hostilities that began with the outbreak of the Gaza war and culminated in an intense Israeli bombing campaign and ground incursion into southern Lebanon. The November ceasefire sought to end the fighting -- which left Hezbollah severely weakened -- but Israel has continued to regularly carry out strikes in Lebanon's south. Strikes targeting Beirut's southern suburbs, considered a Hezbollah stronghold, have been rare, however. "Following Hezbollah's extensive use of UAVs as a central component of its terrorist attacks on the state of Israel, the terrorist organisation is operating to increase production of UAVs for the next war," the military statement said, calling the activities "a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon". Under the truce, Hezbollah fighters were to withdraw north of the Litani river, about 30 kilometres from the border, and dismantle their military posts to the south. Israel was to pull all its troops from Lebanon, but it has kept them in five positions it deems "strategic" along the frontier. The Lebanese army has been deploying in the south and removing Hezbollah infrastructure there, with prime minister Salam saying Thursday that it had dismantled "more than 500 military positions and arms depots" in the area. Suspected jihadist attack in Benin kills soldiers, police Cotonou, June 5 (AFP) Jun 05, 2025 Three soldiers and two police officers were killed in a suspected jihadist attack in northwestern Benin, locals and military sources told AFP on Thursday. The attack on a police station in Tanougou on Wednesday night follows a wave of Islamist violence in Benin, its northern neighbours Niger and Burkina Faso and Mali further west. A military source said there were "five dead: two police and three soldiers", adding that "defence and security forces are continuing to search the area." One local in Tanougou, which lies on the edge the Pendjari National Park and attracts visitors to its forest waterfall, confirmed the incident but could not give a death toll. There was no immediate comment from the Benin authorities. North Benin, which borders both Niger and Burkina Faso, has seen a recent rise in attacks on army positions. In mid-April, 54 soldiers were killed in the Benin section of W National Park, which straddles the porous border with Niger and Burkina Faso, in an attack on two military posts. And in January, 28 Beninese troops were killed in the same area. Both attacks were claimed by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM or JNIM in Arabic) which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda. Benin's government has attributed those attacks to a spillover from Niger and Burkina Faso, both ruled by army officers who took power in coups on the promise of quashing the Sahel region's long-running jihadist scourge. - Sahel security dispute - The junta-led trio of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali have turned their backs on the West and pulled out of West African bloc ECOWAS, branding it a tool for what they see as former colonial ruler France's neo-imperialist ambitions. Banding together as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), the three have created a unified army and conduct joint anti-jihadist operations. The trio have meanwhile closed off cooperation on rooting out Islamist violence with countries they consider too pro-Western, including Benin and Ivory Coast. Tanougou was formerly one of the surrounding Atacora area's leading tourist attractions. "This attack adds to our fears. We were wondering when things would calm down again," said a local guide, who asked not to be named. "The fact that such an important symbol of tourism should be hit risks putting off the tourists even more," he added. "Besides the loss of human life, it is a huge loss also for those of us who work in the tourist sector." Benin's President Patrice Talon in March complained of "deteriorated" relations with Niger and Burkina Faso, saying the lack of security cooperation was making it hard to fight jihadists. Niger has accused Benin of hosting foreign military bases to destabilise Niger, which Talon's government denies. Israel minister warns of more Lebanon strikes if Hezbollah not disarmed Jerusalem, June 6 (AFP) Jun 06, 2025 Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Friday that Israel will keep striking Lebanon until it disarms Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah, a day after Israeli air strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs. "There will be no calm in Beirut, and no order or stability in Lebanon, without security for the State of Israel. Agreements must be honoured and if you do not do what is required, we will continue to act, and with great force," Katz said in a statement. Katz said he was responding directly to condemnation by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun of Thursday evening strikes on south Beirut. Aoun called the strikes a "flagrant violation" of the November ceasefire, carried out "on the eve of a sacred religious festival" -- the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday. Aoun said the strikes were "irrefutable proof of the aggressor's refusal... of a just peace in our region". Following warnings on social media, the Israeli military struck a building in Beirut's southern suburbs it said Hezbollah was using to produce drones. Before the ceasefire, Israel and Hezbollah engaged in more than a year of hostilities that culminated in two months of full-fledged war. The November 27 agreement required Hezbollah fighters to withdraw north of the Litani river, about 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the Israeli border, and dismantle all military infrastructure to its south. It required Israel to withdraw all of its troops from Lebanon, but it has kept them in five positions it deems "strategic". It has also continued to carry out strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon both south and north of the Litani. Iran FM warns European powers against 'strategic mistake' at nuclear watchdog Tehran, June 6 (AFP) Jun 06, 2025 Iran warned European powers on Friday against backing a draft resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency next week accusing Tehran of non-compliance, calling it a "strategic mistake". "Instead of engaging in good faith, the E3 is opting for malign action against Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X, referring to Britain, France and Germany. "Mark my words as Europe ponders another major strategic mistake: Iran will react strongly against any violation of its rights." The warning from Iran's top diplomat comes as the three European governments prepare to join Washington in backing a censure resolution at next week's board meeting, a diplomatic source told AFP. The resolution would accuse Iran of failing to meet its nuclear obligations and carries the threat of referral to the UN Security Council if Tehran "does not show goodwill", the source added. Araghchi said Tehran had demonstrated "years of good cooperation with the IAEA - resulting in a resolution which shut down malign claims of a 'possible military dimension' (PMD) to Iran's peaceful nuclear programme". "My country is once again accused of 'non-compliance,'" he added, blaming "shoddy and politicised reporting". The criticism follows a quarterly report from the IAEA last week which cited a "general lack of cooperation" from Iran and raised concerns over undeclared nuclear material. Tehran rejected the report as politically motivated and based on "forged documents" it said had been provided by its arch foe Israel. The pressure on Iran comes amid indirect talks with the United States, mediated by Oman since April 12, to forge a new nuclear agreement between the longtime foes. The two sides have been publicly at odds over uranium enrichment, the process that produces fuel for nuclear reactors or, in highly extended form, the material for a nuclear warhead. Iran insists it has the right to enrich uranium under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the issue is "non-negotiable". But in a post on his Truth Social network on Monday, President Donald Trump said the United States "WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM" by Iran. Tehran and Washington are seeking a new agreement to replace a 2015 deal with major powers which Trump unilaterally abandoned during his first term in 2018. The agreement quickly unravelled as Trump reimposed sweeping sanctions and Tehran began walking back its own commitments a year later. Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, well above the 3.67 percent cap set by the 2015 deal but below the 90 percent threshold required for a nuclear warhead. Britain, France and Germany, which were all party to the 2015 deal, are considering whether to trigger a "snapback" of UN sanctions under its dispute resolution mechanism -- an option that expires on the deal's 10th anniversary in October. BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Chen Wenqing, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), on Friday met with Le Minh Tri, chief justice of Vietnam's Supreme People's Court. Chen, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, said the leaders of the two countries have reached important consensus on deepening the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, charting the course for the development of bilateral relations. It is hoped that both sides earnestly implement the important consensus reached between the top leaders of the two countries and parties, improve their communication mechanism, broaden cooperation channels, strengthen judicial assistance, improve the quality and efficiency of combating transnational crime, and promote the efficient resolution of cross-border disputes, Chen said. Le Minh Tri said that Vietnam is willing to deepen exchanges and cooperation with China in the judicial field. US soldiers arrive in Panama for military exercises Panama City, June 6 (AFP) Jun 06, 2025 US soldiers have arrived in Panama for military exercises aimed at protecting the Panama Canal, the US embassy said, after a bilateral agreement triggered protests in the Central American country. The agreement, signed in April, allows US troops to deploy around the canal but not to establish bases, according to the Panamanian authorities. The US military will train alongside Panamanian security forces in forest operations, the US embassy said in a statement to AFP Thursday. It said the entry of American troops for military exercises had to be approved by Panama. Panama signed the security agreement after pressure from US President Donald Trump, who threatened to take back the 82-kilometre (51-mile) waterway that connects the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea. He has repeatedly claimed that China has too much influence over the canal, which handles about 40 percent of US container traffic and five percent of world trade. The agreement has triggered protests from unions and other organizations, who argue that it "violates national sovereignty" and constitutes a veiled return of former military bases. The American military has in recent years participated in several military exercises in Panama alongside other Latin American countries. Germany's Merz says 'no doubt' US to stick with NATO Berlin, June 6 (AFP) Jun 06, 2025 Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday he had "no doubt" the United States would remain in NATO after a high-stakes meeting with President Donald Trump in the White House. Merz said he had raised the issue directly with Trump in talks on Thursday, during the chancellor's first trip to Washington since taking office last month. "The question that was asked was: do you have any plans to leave NATO? I can say it was answered with a very clear no," Merz said at an event hosted by the German family-owned business association. "I have no doubt at all that the American government will stick to NATO now after we all said we're doing more, we're making sure that we can defend ourselves in Europe. "I think this expectation was not unjustified. We have unfortunately been free-riders on American security guarantees for years and that's changing," he said. Merz earlier this year spearheaded moves to exempt most defence spending from Germany's strict constitutional debt limits and has signalled his intention to raise military spending by tens of billions of euros. During an Oval Office press conference Thursday, Trump welcomed Merz's moves to increase spending to patch up Germany's dilapidated military. "I know that you are spending more money on defence now, quite a bit more money, and that's a positive thing," Trump said. The US president has lobbied NATO partners to up their spending commitments to five percent of GDP from the current level of two percent. Defence ministers from the US-led military alliance met in Brussels on Thursday to discuss a change to the spending target ahead of a NATO summit later this month. US defence chief Pete Hegseth indicated allies were close to a deal to boost military budgets. NATO chief Mark Rutte has put forward a proposal to meet Trump's target that would see members spend 3.5 percent of GDP in core military areas by 2032, and 1.5 percent on broader security-related items such as infrastructure. Myanmar arrests six-year-old girl over killing of general Yangon, June 6 (AFP) Jun 06, 2025 Myanmar authorities have arrested 16 people including a six-year-old girl over the assassination of a retired general shot dead in Yangon last month, state media said. Cho Tun Aung, a former ambassador to Cambodia, was gunned down outside his home on May 22 in an attack claimed by an anti-junta group calling itself the "Golden Valley Warriors". Myanmar's military seized power in a 2021 coup, plunging the country into a complex, multi-sided civil war involving pro-democracy guerrillas and resurgent ethnic minority armed groups. Most fighting is confined to the countryside and smaller towns but grenade and gun attacks on junta-linked targets are regularly reported in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city and commercial hub. The Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said 16 members of the Golden Valley Warriors -- 13 men and three females -- had been arrested in various locations. Those held include the wife and six-year-old daughter of the suspected shooter, identified as Myo Ko Ko, the state-run newspaper said, without explaining what the girl is accused of. The report said Myo Ko Ko and another suspect rode to the general's home on bicycles and shot him before fleeing to a safe house. The junta has suffered significant territorial setbacks in recent months but analysts say it is far from defeat, with a powerful air force supplied with Russian jets and military backing from China. Iraq frees Australian engineer after four years, but keeps travel ban Baghdad, June 6 (AFP) Jun 06, 2025 Iraq has released an Australian mechanical engineer on bail who was detained for more than four years over a dispute with the central bank, authorities said Friday, though he remains barred from leaving the country. Robert Pether was working for an engineering company contracted to oversee the construction of the bank's new Baghdad headquarters, according to a United Nations report, when he was arrested in April 2021 alongside his Egyptian deputy Khalid Radwan. A report from a working group for the UN Human Rights Council said the arrests stemmed from a contractual dispute over "alleged failure to execute certain payments". Both men were sentenced to five years in prison and fined $12 million, the working group said. A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that Pether, in his fifties, was released "due to his poor health". Australian media have previously reported that the family suspected Pether had developed lung cancer in prison and that he had undergone surgery for skin cancer. The official declined to comment on the fate of Radwan. Australia's ABC broadcaster quoted the country's foreign minister, Penny Wong, as welcoming the release and saying the Australian government had raised the issue with Iraqi authorities more than 200 times. Simon Harris, foreign minister for Ireland, where Pether's family lives, posted on X: "This evening, I have been informed of the release on bail of Robert Pether, whose imprisonment in Iraq has been a case of great concern. "This is very welcome news in what has been a long and distressing saga for Robert's wife, three children and his wider family and friends." Speaking to Irish national broadcaster RTE, Pether's wife, Desree Pether, said her husband was "not well at all" and "really needs to just come home so he can get the proper medical care he needs". "He's completely unrecognisable. It's a shock to the system to see how far he has declined," she said. tgg/dcp/jsa CORRECTED: Mali military withdraws from base after second deadly attack in days Bamako, June 6 (AFP) Jun 06, 2025 The Malian military withdrew from a major base in the centre of the country Friday after it came under a second deadly attack in less than a week, according to multiple sources, as the country faces an uptick in jihadist assaults. At least 30 soldiers were killed at the Boulkessi army base in central Mali on Sunday in an attack claimed by the Al-Qaeda affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM). On Friday, a religious holiday in Mali, soldiers left the post after a new deadly assault, locals and a military source said, affirming there had been multiple deaths in a Thursday attack. "We are worried here in Boulkessi, very worried," a civil servant told AFP. "The soldiers have abandoned the Boulkessi camp. They left with all their belongings. The camp was attacked again yesterday," the person said. Mali marked the Muslim festival of Eid el-Adha, known locally as Tabaski, Friday. "Today after the holiday prayer, we noticed that the last Malian soldiers who were in the Boulkessi camp had left, they had abandoned the camp," a local elected official told AFP. Describing the departure as coming "at the request of the hierarchy", one security source told AFP the move was "strategic", contrary "to what Mali's enemies say". Another miliary source called it "purely tactical". While officials reported at least 30 dead in the first attack at Boulkessi Sunday, JNIM alleged it had killed more than 100 personnel and taken another 22 prisoner, on its Al-Zallaqa Foundation media platform. That statement was verified Saturday by SITE, a US organisation that follows radicalised groups. Attackers carried out an additional assault Monday on an army base and airport in the storied northern city of Timbuktu. Then on Thursday, insurgents attacked an army post in the village of Mahou in the southeastern Sikasso region, killing five. The army's general staff acknowledged the uptick in violence in a statement Thursday that said recent weeks had been marked by a "resurgence of cowardly and barbaric attacks against localities, peaceful populations, as well as military bases". It added that "these acts are being committed by a coalition of armed terrorist groups of all persuasions with internal and external support". Authorities have implemented or extended curfews in multiple locations across the country, notably the Timbuktu, Sikasso, Segou and Dioila regions. Junta-ruled Mali has since 2012 faced attacks from groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group as well as separatist movements and criminal gangs. Russia says killed man attempting drone attack on military site Moscow, June 6 (AFP) Jun 06, 2025 Russia's National Guard said Friday it had killed a man it caught trying to launch an attack on a military site using drones packed with grenades. The incident came after Ukraine carried out an audacious coordinated drone attack on Russian airbases last week that damaged billions of dollars worth of nuclear capable military planes. The National Guard said it detected a man "preparing a terrorist attack using a drone" at a military facility in the Ryazan region, southeast of Moscow. "During the arrest, the criminal gave armed resistance and was neutralised," the agency said in a statement. It published surveillance footage of a hooded man crouched in a field trying to launch a drone before being chased by armed officers. It does not show him being shot. In the attack last Sunday, Ukraine smuggled small remote-operated quadcopter-style drones deep into Russian territory in false roofs of wooden cabins. Loaded on to trucks, they were driven up close to Russian airbases and then released simultaneously to attack the sites. Iran FM warns European powers against 'strategic mistake' at nuclear watchdog Tehran, June 6 (AFP) Jun 06, 2025 Iran warned European powers on Friday against backing a draft resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency next week accusing Tehran of non-compliance, calling it a "strategic mistake". "Instead of engaging in good faith, the E3 is opting for malign action against Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X, referring to Britain, France and Germany. "Mark my words as Europe ponders another major strategic mistake: Iran will react strongly against any violation of its rights." The warning from Iran's top diplomat comes as the three European governments prepare to join Washington in backing a censure resolution at next week's board meeting, a diplomatic source told AFP. The resolution would accuse Iran of failing to meet its nuclear obligations and carries the threat of referral to the UN Security Council if Tehran "does not show goodwill", the source added. Araghchi said Tehran had demonstrated "years of good cooperation with the IAEA - resulting in a resolution which shut down malign claims of a 'possible military dimension' (PMD) to Iran's peaceful nuclear programme". "My country is once again accused of 'non-compliance,'" he added, blaming "shoddy and politicised reporting". The criticism follows a quarterly report from the IAEA last week which cited a "general lack of cooperation" from Iran and raised concerns over undeclared nuclear material. Tehran rejected the report as politically motivated and based on "forged documents" it said had been provided by its arch foe Israel. The pressure on Iran comes amid indirect talks with the United States, mediated by Oman since April 12, to forge a new nuclear agreement between the longtime foes. The two sides have been publicly at odds over uranium enrichment, the process that produces fuel for nuclear reactors or, in highly extended form, the material for a nuclear warhead. Iran insists it has the right to enrich uranium under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the issue is "non-negotiable". But in a post on his Truth Social network on Monday, President Donald Trump said the United States "WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM" by Iran. Tehran and Washington are seeking a new agreement to replace a 2015 deal with major powers which Trump unilaterally abandoned during his first term in 2018. The agreement quickly unravelled as Trump reimposed sweeping sanctions and Tehran began walking back its own commitments a year later. Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, well above the 3.67 percent cap set by the 2015 deal but below the 90 percent threshold required for a nuclear warhead. In an interview with the Financial Times published on Friday, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi warned that while "Iran doesn't have a nuclear weapon at this moment, it has the material." He warned that should Iran acquire a nuclear weapon, it would trigger "a cascade in the Middle East". Grossi further cautioned that failure in ongoing US-Iran nuclear talks "will imply, most probably, military action" against Iran - a threat raised by both the US and its ally Israel. Britain, France and Germany, which were all party to the 2015 deal, are considering whether to trigger a "snapback" of UN sanctions under its dispute resolution mechanism -- an option that expires on the deal's 10th anniversary in October. Taiwan condemns China's 'provocative' patrol Taipei, June 6 (AFP) Jun 06, 2025 Taiwan on Friday condemned Beijing's "provocative" actions after China conducted a patrol around the island, a day after a call between US and Chinese leaders. Taipei's defence ministry said it detected 21 Chinese military aircraft, including fighters and drones, of which 15 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait in a "combat readiness patrol". "The relevant actions are highly provocative... bring instability and threats to the region, and are a blatant violation of the regional status quo," the ministry said in a statement. Beijing claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and has not renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. It has ramped up military pressure on Taipei in recent years, and dispatched warplanes and naval vessels around the island on a near-daily basis. Friday's patrol followed a phone call Thursday between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, during which the two leaders discussed Taiwan. Xi warned that Washington should handle the issue "with caution" to avoid Taiwanese separatists "dragging China and the United States into the danger of conflict", according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua. The Chinese leader's comments come after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Beijing's military was "rehearsing for the real deal" and preparing for a potential invasion of Taiwan. Iraq frees Australian, Egyptian engineers after four years, but keeps travel ban Baghdad, June 6 (AFP) Jun 06, 2025 Iraq has released an Australian mechanical engineer and his Egyptian colleague who were detained for more than four years over a dispute with the central bank, authorities said Friday, though the two remain barred from leaving the country. Robert Pether and Khalid Radwan were working for an engineering company contracted to oversee the construction of the bank's new Baghdad headquarters, according to a United Nations report, when they were arrested in April 2021. A report from a working group for the UN Human Rights Council said the arrests stemmed from a contractual dispute over "alleged failure to execute certain payments". Both men were sentenced to five years in prison and fined $12 million, the working group said. A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that Pether, in his fifties, was released "due to his poor health". Australian media have previously reported that the family suspected Pether had developed lung cancer in prison and that he had undergone surgery for skin cancer. A second Iraqi official confirmed the release of Radwan, adding that he was not allowed to leave the country until a "final decision" was made regarding his case. Australia's ABC broadcaster quoted the country's foreign minister, Penny Wong, as welcoming the release and saying the Australian government had raised the issue with Iraqi authorities more than 200 times. Simon Harris, foreign minister for Ireland, where Pether's family lives, posted on X: "This evening, I have been informed of the release on bail of Robert Pether, whose imprisonment in Iraq has been a case of great concern. "This is very welcome news in what has been a long and distressing saga for Robert's wife, three children and his wider family and friends." Speaking to Irish national broadcaster RTE, Pether's wife, Desree Pether, said her husband was "not well at all" and "really needs to just come home so he can get the proper medical care he needs". "He's completely unrecognisable. It's a shock to the system to see how far he has declined," she said. LOS ANGELES, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The 18th International Forum on Ecological Civilization kicked off Thursday at Pomona College in the U.S. city of Claremont, as ecological experts around the world warned that mankind needs to take more drastic actions to preserve the ecological environment before it's too late. Themed "Is It Too Late? Toward an Ecological Civilization," a question drawn from works of the late U.S. ecological theologist John Cobb, the forum is set to discuss theories and practices of ecological civilization, and the reforms needed in politics, economics, business, education and AI, among other fields, to promote the construction of ecological civilization. Fan Meijun, program director of the Institute for Postmodern Development of China, noted in her remarks at the opening ceremony that this year's forum falls on World Environment Day. "There could not be a more fitting moment to come together and ask the bigger question: Is it too late? This is not just a question of our time, it's a question for the future of all life," Fan said, injecting a sense of urgency into the discussion. Many participants of the forum lauded China's efforts in protecting the environment and promoting ecological civilization. David Schwerin, author of many books including "Conscious Capitalism: Principles for Prosperity," said he had been to China nine times since 2001 and had witnessed the dramatic change in China's environment. China's progress is the result of resolve and evolving views of both the government and the people, said Schwerin, while expressing the hope that China's experience can help to bring other countries along. More than 100 scholars from China, the United States, Canada, South Korea, Hungary, Brazil, Germany, Italy, India and Britain are participating in the forum. Among them are more than 20 experts from Chinese institutions such as Beijing Normal University, Nanjing University and Shanxi University. The three-day event is co-organized by the Center for Process Studies, the Institute for Postmodern Development of China, Pomona College, and the municipal government of Claremont, among others. The International Forum on Ecological Civilization was first held in 2006. This wild rocky cove, just outside Peel, is home to a magical tidal pool that has an underwater archway when the tide is in. There is also a cave at one side of it. The easiest way to reach this beach is to park at the end of Marine Parade and follow the coastal footpath (Raad Ny Foillan) northwards past Traie Fogog beach. Once the path turns sharply round the corner, continue for 50m then drop down to the sea to spot this tiny cove. Its possible to reach it if you scramble down on the right side of the cove and across the sandstone cave. He admitted to police that he had done deals with the financier because he believed it would be a great accolade on Instagram and would help to grow his career. The murder sparked national outrage and an outpouring of grief, with then Prime Minister David Cameron calling it a stark reminder of the threat we face from home-grown terrorists and extremists, while The Muslim Council of Britain called it a barbaric act that had no basis in Islam. The roof and first floor of a two-storey restaurant and warehouse were destroyed by the fire. Half of the ground floor and a small part of some neighbouring units were damaged by the fire. There have been no injuries reported. The spokesperson added: We face a growing threat from the far right, fuelled by racism, division, and failed politics. We need to see peoples lives improve, we need to see the vulnerable cared for and an end to child poverty. In a signal that he believed the attack was supported by Kyivs Western allies, he added it involved provision of very high technology, so-called geospaced data, which only can be done by those who have it in possession. However, Mr Russell, who won the seat with a swing of 7.4% from the SNP to Labour, said the community had "sent a message to Farage and his mob tonight - the poison of Reform isn't us, it isn't Scotland and we don't want your division here". It is accelerating. We see this, and it means that it is normal that we must also adapt to this. We need adaptation. We need discussion about the rules that we want to have, and there is no taboo. Im asking him to set out how we would leave and to consider what the unintended consequences might be, not least in Northern Ireland, if we decide to go down this route, we must do so knowingly. BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- China will celebrate the 2025 Cultural and Natural Heritage Day on June 14, with the main city event to be held in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, the National Cultural Heritage Administration announced on Friday. Established in 2006, the annual event falls on the second Saturday of June. This year's theme, which translates to "revitalizing cultural heritage to showcase new brilliance," highlights efforts to preserve and rejuvenate the nation's cultural relics. The celebrations in Changsha will feature an opening ceremony, thematic forums, a cultural heritage technology innovation forum, and an exhibition on the Yangtze River and Chinese civilization. Nationwide, cultural heritage authorities and institutions will organize over 7,000 online and offline activities during the Cultural and Natural Heritage Day. Another said: Anyone with talent is protected in the system. People think (rowing) is elitist and it's privileged. If you have enough money, enough status, if you're good enough at sport, it's okay. We were failed by the very system that was supposed to protect us. Students pose for photos at the new teaching building of the Confucius Institute at the National Higher Education and Research Institute of Eritrea in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, on June 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Liu Fangqiang) ASMARA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- A ceremony was held on Thursday in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, to celebrate the completion of the new teaching building of the Confucius Institute at the National Higher Education and Research Institute of Eritrea (CI-NHERI) and the 12th anniversary of the institute's establishment. Speaking on the occasion, Dai Demao, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Eritrea, said that Chinese teachers have been working diligently at the institute for over a decade, building a "bridge of friendship" across mountains and seas between the two countries. "On June 10, the international community will also celebrate the first International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations, which was initiated by China. We believe that the Confucius Institute will take the completion of this building as an opportunity to make new contributions to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Eritrea and deepening the strategic partnership between the two countries," Dai said. The Confucius Institute building project covers an area of about 2,200 square meters, featuring six classrooms, four offices, a library, and a multi-functional auditorium capable of accommodating over 150 attendees. The auditorium is equipped with advanced audio-visual facilities, making it suitable for a variety of performances and events. About 600 students can study at the same time in the building, according to Sichuan Road and Bridge Corporation that built this project. CI-NHERI was jointly established in 2013 by China's Guizhou University of Finance and Economics and the National Higher Education and Research Institute of Eritrea, aiming to promote the Chinese language and culture and deepen people-to-people exchanges between China and Eritrea. The institute now offers elementary and intermediate Chinese language courses, as well as Chinese culture courses such as calligraphy, song, dance, and kung fu. The total number of registered learners at CI-NHERI has reached 20,000 since its inception, according to the institute. "The completion of the new campus heralds another success for the institute. With the new teaching building, the institute will surely expand its language and cultural programs in the future," said Zemenfes Tsighe, director of higher education and international linkage at the National Higher Education and Research Institute of Eritrea. Dancers perform during a ceremony to celebrate the completion of the new teaching building of the Confucius Institute at the National Higher Education and Research Institute of Eritrea and the 12th anniversary of the institute's establishment in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, on June 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Liu Fangqiang) Dancers perform during a ceremony to celebrate the completion of the new teaching building of the Confucius Institute at the National Higher Education and Research Institute of Eritrea and the 12th anniversary of the institute's establishment in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, on June 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Liu Fangqiang) WELLINGTON, June 6 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand is experiencing a significant surge in COVID-19 and other respiratory infections, with recent data showing a sharp jump in hospitalizations and outbreaks across the country. Healthline, the national medical advice service, reported an uptick in calls related to influenza-like illnesses, although the volume remains lower than the same period last year, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) reported on Friday. The country is facing its coldest winter temperatures of the year, with some regions recently recording temperatures below zero and fresh snowfall covering parts of the South Island. Hospital admissions for severe respiratory infections in Auckland, the country's most densely populated region, rose by over 50 percent in the week ending June 1, although overall levels remain similar to those seen last year. Nationwide wastewater testing also points to a growing increase in COVID-19 cases, according to the Institute of Environmental Science and Research. Health New Zealand has responded by increasing staffing, optimizing hospital bed use, and intensifying vaccination campaigns, RNZ reported. Over 1 million people have received flu shots this year, but only about 250,000 are up to date with COVID-19 boosters, government statistics show. National Chief Medical Officer Prof. Helen Stokes-Lampard acknowledged the challenges in boosting vaccination rates, citing issues with vaccine confidence and healthcare access, according to the RNZ report. There is an urgent need for a fully legitimate government, with ministers in office based on a mandate given by Parliament, clearly, with a governing programme, with a proper list of measures, which will impose its administrative will down to the smallest corners of the Romanian administration, acting PM Catalin Predoiu stated on Thursday. He emphasised that the interim government he leads has limited capacities from a constitutional point of view and a government with full powers is needed. On the issue of reducing the budget deficit, he specified that, from his point of view, it is unacceptable to continue having state-owned companies with losses. "In my opinion, it is unacceptable to have state-owned companies with losses, which continue to allocate, including through previously adopted budgets or through salary policies decided at the company level, at the level of general shareholders' meetings, bonuses for the boards of directors. It is exaggerated. Or companies that have losses, and they nevertheless allocate funds for fanciful investments or that are not up to date. In practice, they are independent of the Government, but still the government there has members in the general shareholders' meetings and thus controls the boards of directors. That is why I have given a precise task to each minister to give precise instructions to the ministerial representatives in the general shareholders' meetings of state-owned companies and to the members of the boards of directors to stop these expenses, to stop increasing compensation, to stop wasting public money," Predoiu stated. He added that beyond the situations in these state-owned companies, the biggest source of budgetary consolidation could come from recovering VAT, collecting arrears and eradicating tax evasion. Asked why these things are not happening and why ANAF (National Agency for Fiscal Administration) is failing to recover these amounts, Predoiu said that the legislation exists, there is a ministerial desire to perform, but there is "a problem with the way the administration at the lower levels approaches its responsibilities." Regarding the option of Ilie Bolojan being designated as prime minister, Predoiu said that he considers him the most suitable, at this moment, to lead the future government. BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that dialogue and cooperation are the only correct choice for China and the United States. In the phone talks initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump, Xi said that recalibrating the direction of the giant ship of China-U.S. relations requires the two sides to take the helm and set the right course, adding that it is particularly important to steer clear of the various disturbances and disruptions. Noting that at the suggestion of the U.S. side, the two countries' lead officials recently held an economic and trade meeting in Geneva, Xi said it marked an important step forward in resolving the relevant issues through dialogue and consultation, and was welcomed by both societies and the international community. The two sides need to make good use of the economic and trade consultation mechanism already in place, and seek win-win results in the spirit of equality and respect for each other's concerns, he said, adding that the Chinese side is sincere about this, and at the same time has its principles. The Chinese, Xi said, always honor and deliver what has been promised, urging both sides to make good on the agreement reached in Geneva. In fact, China has been seriously and earnestly executing the agreement, Xi added. The U.S. side should acknowledge the progress already made, and remove the negative measures taken against China, he said. The two sides should enhance communication in such fields as foreign affairs, economy and trade, military, and law enforcement to build consensus, clear up misunderstandings, and strengthen cooperation, Xi added. Xi emphasized that the United States must handle the Taiwan question with prudence, so that the fringe separatists bent on "Taiwan independence" will not be able to drag China and the United States into the dangerous terrain of confrontation and even conflict. Trump said that he has great respect for Xi, and the U.S.-China relationship is very important. The United States wants the Chinese economy to do very well, and the United States and China working together can get a lot of great things done, he said. Trump said the United States will honor the one-China policy. The meeting in Geneva was very successful and produced a good deal, he said, adding that the United States will work with China to execute the deal. The United States loves to have Chinese students coming to study in America, Trump said. Xi welcomed Trump to visit China again, for which Trump expressed heartfelt appreciation. The two presidents agreed that their teams should continue implementing the Geneva agreement and hold another round of meeting as soon as possible. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emil Hurezeanu, had a meeting on Friday with the Secretary General of the OSCE, Feridun H. Sinirlioglu, with the discussions being focused on topics relevant to European security, as well as on issues related to the functioning of the organization - ensuring the budget, human resources policy and the mandates of field missions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) informs. According to a press release from the ministry, the two officials highlighted the importance of respecting international law and the OSCE principles and commitments, including the Helsinki Final Act, for ensuring stability and security on the European continent. Emil Hurezeanu confirmed that Romania will continue to support the organization's activity and will be actively involved in respecting the OSCE principles and commitments. The head of Romanian diplomacy reiterated the firm position of condemning Russia's aggression against Ukraine and pointed out the need to continue OSCE activities to manage the consequences of the war and consolidate democratic institutions in Ukraine. Hurezeanu welcomed the efforts made by the OSCE Secretary General and the Finnish Chairmanship-in-Office, including through the Special Representative for Ukraine, and appreciated the activity of the Support Program for Ukraine and the organization's autonomous institutions. He also stressed the need to strengthen the resilience of democratic states in the face of Russia's destabilizing activities, including with the support of the OSCE, with particular attention to the Republic of Moldova, the MAE mentioned. The minister recalled, in this context, the financial support granted to the organization by Romania, especially for the implementation of projects in the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The Romanian official also highlighted the importance of better representation of Romania within the organization, including in management positions. Romanian Chief of Defense, General Gheorghita Vlad and his German counterpart, General Carsten Breuer visited on Friday the 57th Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, a key strategic point in NATO's eastern flank defense architecture, the National Defense Ministry said in a release. General Breuer was in Romania on June 5 and 6 at the invitation of his Romanian counterpart. The two top military officials assessed together the facilities of the base, discussed ongoing operations and approached subjects related to strengthening bilateral cooperation and interoperability within the North Atlantic Alliance. General Vlad thanked the German army chief for the significant contribution of the German Air Force to the enhanced air policing missions carried out in Romania. "The presence of German Eurofighters at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base represents a clear signal of allied solidarity and concrete support for the security of our airspace. We express our firm appreciation for Germany's commitment to stability in the region," said the Romanian CoD. In his turn, General Breuer reaffirmed Germany's commitment to collective defense and expressed the desire to bolster the Romanian-German strategic military partnership. "Romania is a reliable ally on NATO's eastern flank. We want to strengthen our bilateral cooperation through joint training, sustained presence and exchange of expertise in key areas of defense," the German official said. The visit of the German Chief of Defense reconfirms Romania's importance as a key state in the Euro-Atlantic security architecture and marks a new step in strengthening defense relations between the two countries, the cited release concludes. Over 1,800 traffic police officers will be present these days on the main roads to the coast and tourist resorts and will operate with over 400 radar devices to detect excessive speed, the Romanian Police spokesman, Bogdan Ghebaur, informed on Friday. "During the Pentecost mini-holiday, the Romanian Police has increased its forces so that everyone can enjoy their free time safely. Over 8,600 police officers will act, on average, daily, to ensure a climate of order and public safety," Ghebaur informed, in a statement given to the press on the Bucharest - Constanta Highway. The completion of the first Romania - Ukraine high-capacity road bridge across the Tisza River, as well as possibilities of participating in the reconstruction of Ukraine were tackled on Friday in Kyiv by president of the Maramures County Council Gabriel Zetea with Ukrainian state officials. "The most important thing is that we look to the future. At the Ukrainian Parliament - the Supreme Rada - we had key meetings where we discussed the completion of the advancing bridge across the Tisza, linking Sighetu Marmatiei and Solotvino, a vital project for the Romanians on both banks of the river," Zetea said in a Facebook post. The County Council president also pointed out that a protocol will be signed in the next period with several counties and regional agencies possibly involved in the reconstruction of Ukraine once the war ends. "Next week, in Sighetu Marmatiei we will sign a protocol between 12 counties and 2 regional development agencies - a historic step and an honor for Maramures. We hope that, amid the European effort to rebuild Ukraine, Western European companies will find in our county a gateway, a solid partner and reliable support. Ukraine's reconstruction can start from Maramures as well," Gabriel Zetea wrote, accompanying his post by a short video made in the Ukrainian capital, illustrating how the war has affected communities, but also conveying a ray of hope for the future. "These days, I represent Maramures and Romania in Kyiv, on an official visit brimming with emotion and responsibility. I saw the deep traces of an unjust war, I walked the streets of Bucha and Irpin - places where the past still hurts, but where hope is beginning to take shape," Gabriel Zetea also said. The Maramures County Council has a relationship of over 30 years with the authorities of Ukraine's Transcarpathia region. Also, cultural relations between Maramures and various towns or communes in Transcarpathia date back to the early 1990s. In the municipality of Sighetu Marmatiei, the Romanian Broadcasting Company established the radio station Sighet which airs programs in Romanian, targeted at ethnic Romanians in Ukraine and the local community. Maramures County is connected to Ukraine by a wooden road bridge built in the early 2000s, which is now unfit due to the increase in road and passenger traffic between the two countries. The transport of goods between Romania and Ukraine is carried out through the Halmeu border crossing point, in Satu Mare County. For ten days, military exercises will take place in the territory of Maramures County, with some scheduled near several cities, the spokesperson for the Maramures Prefecture, Dan Buca informed on Friday. "During the period June 10 - 20, 2025, military exercises are planned in the territory of Maramures County, mainly in the vicinity of the administrative-territorial units of Baia Mare, Baia Sprie, Somcuta Mare, Seini, Desesti and Satulung. The exercises are planned and involve military equipment and personnel, along with the carrying out of specific military training activities," said the representative of the Prefecture. Also, in a public message, the Maramures Prefecture warned the population not to panic at the sight of the military staff. "We ask people not to be alarmed at the sight of the military staff and the specific equipment. These military activities are periodic training exercises, being current activities, and the message has the role of contributing to calming, correcting and prompting informing local communities", the quoted source also transmitted. A new proposed class-action lawsuit against the Nestle-Purina Petcare plant in north Denver and its odiferous emissions was filed Wednesday in federal court after a similar case was dismissed. The new complaint, brought by four new plaintiffs who live near the York Street pet food plant, alleges the odors released by the facility prevent them from renting out apartments, hosting parties or enjoying their backyards. The plaintiffs also say the scent causes nausea and headaches and can infiltrate their homes for days, according to the complaint. Its like someone barfed in your backyard and then it baked in the sun and then you put a fan on the smell to keep it circulating, plaintiffs Robert Boughner and Kelly MacNeil said in the lawsuit. (They were quoted as saying the same thing in the first lawsuit, though they werent plaintiffs in that case.) The proposed class action would include anyone who lives within a one-mile radius of the plant, an area that includes an estimated 2,000 households. The previous lawsuit, filed last year, was fully dismissed May 28 at the request of the remaining plaintiff. The original plaintiffs are not associated with the new lawsuit. Laura Sheets, an attorney with the Liddle Sheets law firm in Michigan who filed both lawsuits, said she could not discuss the previous case. Efforts to reach representatives from Nestle Purina, which has its headquarters in St. Louis, were unsuccessful Thursday. Purina first operated its plant in Denver in 1930 and for 42 years produced primarily livestock feed. The company transitioned the plant to a pet food factory in 1972, according to the Nestle website. The plant on York Street abuts Interstate 70. The lawsuit mentions multiple air pollution violations committed by Purina. Most recently, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment fined the company $7,000 for its odorous emissions that were more than double the regulatory threshold allowed by the state, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit also cited violations in 2021 and 2022. A local Illinois bar will be featured on reality television series Bar Rescue this month, a year after host entrepreneur Jon Taffer helped revamp the business. In a typical episode, Taffers team uses hidden cameras and undercover customers to identify a bar or restaurants weak spots. He then meets with the business owners and staff to present plans on how to improve operations. Staff undergo training, the menu gets rewritten and construction crews redesign, and sometimes rename, the bar or restaurant. The final product is revealed only days later at a grand reopening, where patrons are served at the new and improved business. Formerly named Slotzys, owner Nick Lang had inherited the bar, at 7708 State Route 4 in Worden, Illinois, from his father in 2022. Lang said business had been stagnant, so he reached out to the Bar Rescue team in January 2024 for help keeping his fathers legacy going. The episode was filmed last June and Lang said the entire process was like what appears on television. It was all raw. Nothing was staged, Lang said. It was a very cool experience, very emotional, very disruptive. Lang said his bar failed miserably during the Bar Rescue stress test when serving a packed house of demanding customers pushes a bar or restaurant to the limit, revealing its weak points. Taffer yelled at Lang and the bar staff, but hes not angry for no reason, Lang said. Hes just like the show. Hes very direct, knows what hes talking about, Lang said of Taffer. If hes yelling and screaming, its because you deserve it. He made us better at what we do. The Bar Rescue team then remodeled the interior of the bar to give it a speakeasy, mobster feel. Lang said construction took 36 hours, and at times, 50 contractors were on site. The restaurant is about 40 miles east of St. Louis. Taffer renamed Slotzys as Vitales Hideaway, after St. Louis mobster John Vitale, and gave the kitchen recipes for signature menu items like homemade mobster meatballs, smoking gun wings, pulled pork and cheese cannolis. The new, more family-friendly bar reopened last June. Since reopening under the rebrand, Lang said the Vitales Hideaway has seen new customers every day. Vitales Hideaway has since expanded its food and drink menu and recently launched a comedy show on the last Saturday of every month. Lang said hes excited to see the uptick in business the Bar Rescue episode will soon bring. We were told by the producers that once the show airs, the floodgates will open, Lang said. If you stay the course and you follow the tools that theyve given to you (youll succeed), he said. This isnt the first time Bar Rescue has featured St. Louis area establishments. The show filmed an episode last summer at Brothers on Main, a locally-owned American restaurant in St. Clair, which aired in April. Also this spring, episodes featuring The Airliner in East Alton, CJs Pub and Grill in Smithton and The Fireplace in unincorporated west St. Louis County have aired. Tower Grove Easts Crafted (previously Van Goghz Martini Bar and Bistro) was revamped by Taffer in a 2016 episode. The show has also featured OKelleys Irish Pub (renamed Pastimes on 4th) in the citys downtown neighborhood and City Bistro (renamed The Beechwood) in Benton Park West. Both have since closed. Vitales Hideaway will appear on Bar Rescue on June 29 at 9 p.m. on Paramount Plus. Aisha Sultan | Post-Dispatch Columnist and features writer Follow Aisha Sultan | Post-Dispatch Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today When our children were young, many of our vacations involved piling into our Prius and driving 750 miles to visit my family in Texas. Our fancier trips took us to theme parks or beaches in Florida or national parks in the West. I didnt grow up in a family that took vacations not the week-long, getaway kind. There were too many of us, my parents worked all the time, and Im sure they couldnt afford it. But we had the endless days of summer with our cousins, hanging out at the pool and making our own neighborhood adventures. We walked to the nearby grocery store, attempted to make homemade pizza, rode our bikes for miles and picked wild blackberries. Our imaginations made going nowhere special feel special. When we had children of our own, I wanted to give them experiences that captured those feelings of joy and possibility. My son recently told me that I dont plan family vacations; I plan family adventures. This is a diplomatic way of saying that our trips end up heavy on exertion and light on relaxation. In my defense, doing something together that has an element of daring and provokes wonder at the worlds beauty is my definition of fun. If it takes some effort to find it, it makes the discovery even more memorable. When you have young adult children, busy with their summer internships, friends and conflicting school schedules, you never know when you will get a chance for a family vacation. The stars and our schedules aligned last month so we could all visit our daughter finishing her semester in Paris. Only one member of the family had never visited the City of Lights before. I sensed an opportunity. We had less than a week, and I wanted us all to experience something new together. My research led me to Jungfraujoch, a mountain pass in the Bernese Alps with the highest train station in Europe. Its part of the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site. Getting there from Paris would require some effort. We would take Eurail passes for trains from Paris to Basel, Switzerland and then onto Interlaken, which takes about seven hours. From there, it takes one more train to a gondola and yet another train ride up to Jungfraujoch around two more hours of travel. My husband was skeptical of the idea of traveling 20 hours round trip over the course of three days to spend two hours on a snow-covered mountain in the Alps. It will be worth it, I promised. Privately, I hoped it would be. When the train brought us into the mountainous Bernese Oberland region of central Switzerland it felt like we were riding into a storybook. The sky was foggy as we passed emerald-colored lakes, bubbling rivers, clusters of chalets, ice-capped mountains, dense forests and glaciers. The scenery had a mystical feeling. What was it like to live enveloped by so much natural beauty? We stayed the first night in the resort town of Interlaken, surprised by the number of Indian restaurants in this tourist town with 23,000 residents. We found ourselves eating in a small pizzeria run by a Syrian immigrant. I pointed out that we were eating an Italian dish with Turkish gyros served by a Syrian to Pakistani Americans in Switzerland. It was a moment that illustrated the porous connectedness of the world. The next day we trekked up the mountain to the Jungfraujoch destination, with areas for panoramic views, a terrace to walk on the largest glacier in Europe, a path to hike in the snow and an ice palace filled with ice sculptures. I wanted to memorize the landscape and the look of awe on our childrens faces when they saw the Alps for the first time. On our return, we accidentally took the wrong train and had to double back to catch the correct one. We missed our connection in Basel and rerouted on a later train. I believe I counted 11 different trains we took getting back from Wengen to Paris over the course of a very long day. As much as we will remember the stunning landscapes of Switzerland, we will remember running to catch our train and the leisurely lunch we ended up having at a cafe in Basel. Isnt that part of what travel teaches us? Learn to pivot, be flexible, enjoy the moment in front of you. I surveyed my family later about the adventure and the journey it required. Unanimously, they said it was worth it. ST. LOUIS A woman was shot to death in front of her young son on Mother's Day in a dispute over child-custody issues, police said in court documents. Deandre Miller, 28, was charged this week with first-degree murder and other felonies in the death of Jorre Hadley. Hadley, 24, of St. Louis, was shot several times May 11 as she sat in a car, in the 4200 block of Maffitt Avenue. Her 3-year-old son was among others in the car. He was not injured, authorities said. St. Louis police Officer Evan Alexander said in court papers that the couple had argued over custody issues involving their son. Miller was charged Wednesday. In addition to murder, Miller is charged with two counts of armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm and endangering the welfare of a child. When officers went to a house on Korde Avenue to arrest him Tuesday, police said he ran off and was chased by a police dog, Admiral. Miller put Admiral in a headlock, but the dog still subdued him, police said. Miller also is charged with assault on a police dog and resisting arrest. Miller lives in the 4100 block of Dryden Avenue. A judge ordered Miller be held without bond. Miller pleaded guilty of domestic abuse in St. Louis County in 2023. He punched and kicked Hadley in Bellefontaine Neighbors and then told her to tell police the abuse didn't happen. He said he would fix her car if she lied to police, authorities said. He was charged with tampering with a witness, but prosecutors eventually dropped that charge. He was sentenced to three years in prison for domestic abuse. The Missouri Department of Corrections currently lists him under supervision of a parole officer. Karen Pojmann, a spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Corrections, said Miller was released from prison on Feb. 7 of this year. Last week, the Division of Probation and Parole issued a warrant for Miller for a technical violation of his conditions of parole, Pojmann said. As of Friday, Pojmann said he was not back in state prison. Unfailing Love Christian Church is raising money to help with the care of Hadley's son. FERGUSON The city council here is working to end the nine-year-old consent decree that ordered the overhaul of Fergusons police and municipal courts. This week, the council voted 4-3 to reduce the amount the city spends on the decree. The move cuts some decree-related spending for the next fiscal year, starting July 1, to $206,350 from $412,700. Councilman Nick Kasoff, who sponsored the motion, said at the Tuesday meeting the fund left would only cover the first half of the year. He said his goal is to try to get the decree phased out by the end of December. That would require approval of the federal judge overseeing the decree. The councils cut wouldnt reduce city spending on related police training. We believe training the police department to do the right thing is a good thing, Kasoff said. What we dont want to invest in any longer than we have to is lawyers and hearings. He said cutting the overall city allocation would convey a sense of urgency to end the consent decree. He said if the decree isnt ended by Dec. 31, the council could pass a supplemental appropriation to cover decree-related costs continuing after that. Council opponents of Kasoffs move, including Mayor Ella Jones, said it would be better to let the citys lawyers and staffers continue their ongoing work. Jones at an earlier council meeting last week said people are advocating to get this thing dismissed already but didnt elaborate. She could not be reached Thursday for further comment. A city official who requested anonymity said the council previously had instructed its lawyer to work with the U.S. Justice Department and the judge to try to get the decree completed by the end of 2026. Councilman Jamil Franklin, who agreed with the mayor in opposing the reduction in spending on the decree, said he worries that the council would reallocate the cut funds to other city programs before December. If the decree wasnt ended by then, he said, well have to cut something else to deal with the shortfall. Kasoff said, however, that he wasnt seeking to reallocate the funds now. Were simply not appropriating money, he said. The 131-page decree was worked out in 2016 between the city and the Justice Department following a federal report criticizing Ferguson police and how it treated Black residents. That was issued in the wake of the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a Ferguson officer in 2014 and the protests that drew national attention. The future of the Ferguson decree is unclear in part because President Donald Trump recently ordered a review of all federal consent decrees. The councils vote on Tuesday reduced the amounts budgeted in the coming fiscal year for expenses of the federal decree monitor, Natashia Tidwell, and her team, some costs related to the citys decree coordinator, Pat Washington, and decree-related legal and IT expenses. Washington said about $80,000 for police training, much of it related to the decree, is still in the proposed budget and was unaffected by Tuesdays vote. The council still must approve the overall city budget; a vote on that will take place later this month. The council move on Tuesday followed an unsuccessful try at a meeting May 29 to cut an even larger amount of consent-decree spending from the proposed budget. Councilman Michael Palmers proposal would have chopped decree-related spending by $475,000 in the next fiscal year and shifted the money to road replacement. That was defeated on a 3-3 vote, with one council member abstaining. Councilman David Williams, who supported both proposed cuts, called this weeks version a fair compromise. Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will attend the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the opening ceremony of the Fourth China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, Hunan from June 10 to 12. China News Service: You just announced that Foreign Minister Wang Yi will attend the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the opening ceremony of the Fourth China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo. Could you give us more information? Lin Jian: Last September, the Beijing Summit of FOCAC was successfully held. President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the summit and delivered a keynote speech. China and Africa reached extensive common understandings on joining hands to advance modernization and building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. The China-Africa relationship has been at its best in history. Since then, the two sides have been working closely together to actively implement the common understandings reached by the leaders and the outcomes of the summit. The two sides have made important progress and achieved many early harvests. As agreed by China and Africa, the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of FOCAC will be held in Changsha, Hunan from June 10 to 12. The Fourth China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo will also be held back-to-back. Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the 54 African members of the FOCAC will attend the event. China will enhance coordination with Africa with a focus on implementing the six-point proposition of jointly advancing modernization and the 10 partnership actions put forward by President Xi, so that people in China and Africa will benefit more from the outcomes of the FOCAC summit. The two sides will work together to create more great stories about China-Africa cooperation for high-quality development and send a strong message of solidarity and collaboration among members of the Global South. EFE: It was reported that when meeting with Lai Ching-te in Taipei, Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo said that he intends to take the ties between Guatemala and Taiwan to the next level. What is Chinas comment? Lin Jian: There is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinas territory and the government of the Peoples Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This is a prevailing consensus in the international community, which brooks no challenge. The DPP authorities use so-called diplomatic allies to seek political gains. This is self-deceiving and will not stop the inevitable reunification of China. The fact that 183 countries in the world have established diplomatic relations with China fully proves that upholding the one-China principle is the right thing to do, and it is where the public opinion trends and the arc of history bends. Recognizing the one-China principle, developing relations with China, and sharing opportunities for development are what truly serve the fundamental interests of Guatemala and its people. We urge the government of relevant country to see the ultimate trend, meet its peoples aspirations, and make the right choice at an early date. AFP: Regarding the phone call yesterday between the Chinese and U.S. presidents, Donald Trump wrote that there should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of rare earth products, but the Chinese sides readout did not mention this topic. So can the Foreign Ministry provide more details about what was discussed between the leaders in the call specifically with regard to rare earth? Lin Jian: China has repeatedly made clear its position on relevant issue. Id refer you to competent authorities for anything specific. RIA Novosti: There has been a public row between U.S. President Donald Trump and entrepreneur Elon Musk. What is Chinas comment? Does China expect this will affect China-U.S. relations? Lin Jian: This is a domestic affair of the United States. Reuters: This is also to do with President Xi and President Trumps phone call last night. Trump said after the phone call that there should no longer be any questions about rare earth. Does this mean China is now going to speed up its approvals process for rare earth and related products export licenses, especially to the U.S.? Lin Jian: I just answered this question. Shenzhen TV: We noted that amid the severe international economic environment, Chinas trade and economic ties with the rest of the world remain robust. In the first five months of this year, China opened 101 international air cargo routes in total, and over 195 weekly round-trip flights were added. From January to April, Chinas port cargo throughput was 5.755 billion tonnes, up 3.7 percent year on year, and port container throughput exceeded 110 million TEUs, up 7.9 percent year on year. Whats your comment? Lin Jian: I noted the reports. In the first four months of this year, Chinas trade in goods grew by 2.4 percent year on year. Trade growth in April was 4.3 percentage points higher than that in the first quarter. Chinas economy continues to unleash its vitality, and resilience in trade continues to strengthen. It fully shows that whatever challenge may appear in the external environment, Chinas manufacturing remains needed by the world, and the Chinese market will always be a magnet for foreign investment. Unilateralism and protectionism are unsustainable. Walls and barriers created by some will not stop China from engaging in open cooperation with other countries for shared development. A 117.8-m-long, 128-tonne wind turbine blade arrived at a port in Nantong, China on Wednesday. Watch how this mega cargo is maneuvered through tight turns and intersections. #WindPower #EngineeringMarvel #GiantTransport #AmazingChina CLAYTON A complaint alleging St. Louis County Executive Sam Page illegally used public money for campaigning has made its way to the Missouri Attorney General. Tom Sullivan, a University City resident, accused Page of using nearly $36,000 for a mailer to sway voter opinion about a proposition on April's ballot. Sullivan submitted complaints to the Missouri Secretary of State and the Missouri Ethics Commission. The Secretary of State's office referred the matter to the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's office. And the prosecuting attorney's office forwarded it to the Missouri Attorney General, said Chris King, a spokesman for county Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith. A spokesperson for the Attorney General's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. Page spokesman Doug Moore has said it is "proper, legal, and necessary to educate voters on ballot language." State officials investigating use of public money on St. Louis County Prop B campaign The Missouri Secretary of State is investigating St. Louis County Executive Sam Page's use of taxpayer dollars for an informational campaign. Watchdog accuses Sam Page of using St. Louis County money for campaigning Tom Sullivan accused County Executive Sam Page of using nearly $5,000 for a mailer sent to voters about Proposition B. ACLU raises free speech concerns about new St. Louis County bill The new bill could prohibit a county employee "from attending any meeting where a ballot measure is merely discussed," the ACLU director said. St. Louis County Council approves using some Rams money for election costs The St. Louis County Council approved spending $520,000 in Rams settlement money to put a proposal on the ballot for next month's election. Sam Page clashes with council over St. Louis County firing power proposal The display laid bare the rancor between the two branches of government in St. Louis County. ST. LOUIS Responding to complaints from passengers, Metro Transit on Thursday said newly installed turnstiles at MetroLink stations will remain open from now on whenever security guards leave them unattended. The revised policy went into effect immediately, Metro said in a statement. This change will help ensure customers are not delayed and can make their MetroLink and MetroBus connections on time, the transit agency said in an online post. As part of a $52 million security upgrade, Metro last year began installing turnstiles at its 38 stations across St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Clair County. So far, the new gates are in place at 11 of them. But because a new fare system that will automatically open the gates when customers present tickets wont be operating until early next year, Metro security guards have been manning them and opening each gate, in the meantime. Thats left riders complaining that they sometimes encounter gates with no security guards in sight to check their tickets and let them through to the train platform. In such situations, Metro had said passengers could use an assistance button to speak with someone at its real-time camera center, where an employee can open the gate remotely. One MetroLink rider told the Post-Dispatch that he tried the call button but there was no answer. Under Metros revised policy, if a guard assigned to a stations gates needs to leave to check on something, the guard will notify the real-time camera center and workers there will hold one gate open remotely until the guard returns. Margaret Smith, a frequent rider, on Thursday lauded Metros decision. I do think its a huge improvement, and a testament to the power of community action, said Smith, of St. Louis. Smith still hoped Metro would improve communication with riders, and also worried about the gates effectiveness. Citizens for Modern Transit, a local transit booster group, said Metro announced the new policy after the group held an online forum on the new security system. The forum was held, the group said, in response to transit riders concerns and frustrations with the rollout of the new MetroLink security measures. Kevin Scott, Metros security chief, last month had said the agency would add better signage on the use of the assistance button in situations in which guards arent on hand. Scott said Thursday this typically happens when a guard is asked to address some security issue on the platform itself or on a train. On average, he said, such occurrences happen two or three times a day across all 11 stations. The ticket gate program reverses Metros longstanding policy of relying on fare enforcement conducted by roving security personnel on the trains. Under that system, which MetroLink had used since it began operating in 1993, riders have been required to produce time-stamped tickets or passes when asked to do so. Thats common for most light rail operations in North America. The security plan also includes items such as an upgraded camera system and extensive station fencing. The bulk of the funding came from local and federal funds, while $10.4 million was from private donors. Officials at the Bi-State Development Agency, which runs Metro, decided in 2021 to install turnstiles even though they werent recommended by a consulting firm that was hired to study MetroLink security following several high-profile crimes on the rail line. The consultant, WSP USA Inc., said there wasnt much correlation between serious crime and fare evasion. WSP recommended other steps, which Bi-State/Metro have mostly adopted, such as the expanded camera network. But agency officials, led by Bi-State CEO Taulby Roach, have said the new turnstiles will make passengers feel more secure and are needed to help build ridership. Ethan Erickson of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report. BEIRUT The Israeli military struck several sites in Beiruts southern suburbs that it said held underground facilities used by Hezbollah for drone production Thursday, on the eve of the Eid al-Adha holiday. The strikes marked the first time in more than a month that Israel had struck on the outskirts of the capital and the fourth time since a US-brokered ceasefire agreement ended the latest war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in November. Israel posted a warning ahead of the strikes on X, formerly known as Twitter, announcing that it would hit eight buildings at four locations. Israel has continued to carry out near-daily strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon since the ceasefire, which Lebanon has said are in violation of the agreement. Israeli officials say the strikes are intended to prevent Hezbollah from regrouping after a war that took out much of its senior leadership and arsenal. The Israeli army said in a statement that Hezbollah was working to produce thousands of drones under the guidance and financing of Iranian terrorist groups. Hezbollah used drones extensively in its attacks against the State of Israel and is working to expand its drone industry and production in preparation for the next war, the army statement said. There was no immediate statement from Hezbollah. A Hezbollah official denied that there were drone production facilities at the targeted locations. In the (ceasefire) agreement, there is a mechanism for investigating if there is a complaint, the official said. Israel in general, and Netanyahu in particular, wants to continue the war in the region. A Lebanese army official said the army had attempted to convince Israel not to carry out the strikes and to instead let Lebanese officials go in to search the area under the mechanism laid out in the ceasefire agreement, but that the Israeli army refused, so Lebanese soldiers moved away from the locations. Israeli army officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Both Lebanese officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The conflict killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon, including hundreds of civilians, while the Lebanese government said in April that Israeli strikes had killed another 190 people and wounded 485 wounded since the ceasefire. There has been increasing pressure on Hezbollah both domestic and international to give up its remaining arsenal, but officials with the group have said they will not do so until Israel stops its airstrikes and withdraws from five points it is still occupying along the border in southern Lebanon. WASHINGTON Donald Trump and Elon Musk's alliance took off like one of SpaceX's rockets. It was supercharged and soared high. And then it blew up. The spectacular flameout Thursday peaked as Trump threatened to cut Musk's government contracts and Musk claimed Trump's administration hasn't released all the records related to sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein because Trump is mentioned in them. The tech entrepreneur even shared a post on social media calling for Trump's impeachment and skewered the president's signature tariffs, predicting a recession this year. The messy blow-up between the president of the United States and the world's richest man played out on their respective social media platforms after Trump was asked during a White House meeting with Germany's new leader about Musk's criticism of his spending bill. Trump largely remained silent as Musk stewed over the last few days on his social media platform, condemning the president's tax and spending bill. But Trump clapped back Thursday in the Oval Office, saying he was "very disappointed in Musk." Musk responded on social media in real time. Trump, who was supposed to be spending Thursday discussing an end to the Russia-Ukraine war with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, ratcheted up the stakes when he turned to his own social media network and threatened to use the U.S. government to hurt Musk's bottom line by going after contracts held by his internet company Starlink and rocket company SpaceX. "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts," Trump wrote on his social media network. "Go ahead, make my day," Musk quickly replied on X. Hours later, Musk announced SpaceX would begin decommissioning the spacecraft it used to carry astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station for NASA. Musk also said, without offering evidence of how he might know the information, that Trump was "in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!" The deepening rift unfurled much like their relationship started rapidly, intensely and very publicly. It quickly hit Musk financially. After Trump started criticizing Musk, shares of his electric vehicle company Tesla plunged more than 14%, knocking about $150 billion off Tesla's market valuation. Musk lost about $20 billion on his personal holding of Tesla. Politicians and their donor patrons rarely see eye to eye. But the magnitude of Musk's support for Trump, spending at least $250 million backing his campaign, and the scope of free rein the president gave him to slash and delve into the government with the Department of Government Efficiency is eclipsed only by the speed of their falling out. Musk offered up an especially stinging insult to a president sensitive about his standing among voters. "Without me, Trump would have lost the election," Musk retorted. "Such ingratitude," Musk added in a follow-up post. Musk first announced his support for Trump shortly after the then-candidate was almost assassinated on stage at a Pennsylvania rally last July. News of Musk's political action committee in support of Trump's election came days later. Musk soon became a close adviser and frequent companion, memorably leaping in the air behind Trump on stage at a rally in October. Once Trump was elected, the tech billionaire stood behind him as he took the oath of office, flew on Air Force One for weekend stays at Mar-a-Lago, slept in the Lincoln Bedroom and joined Cabinet meetings wearing one or more MAGA hats. Three months ago, Trump purchased a red Tesla from Musk as a public show of support for his business as it faced blowback. Musk bid farewell to Trump last week in a somewhat somber news conference in the Oval Office, where he sported a black eye that he said came from his young son. Trump, who rarely misses an opportunity to zing his critics on appearance, brought it up Thursday. "I said, 'Do you want a little makeup? We'll get you a little makeup.' Which is interesting," Trump said. The Republican president's comments came as Musk griped for days on social media about Trump's spending bill, warning that it will increase the federal deficit. Musk has called the bill a "disgusting abomination." "He hasn't said bad about me personally, but I'm sure that will be next," Trump said Thursday in the Oval Office, presaging the rest of his day. "But I'm very disappointed in Elon. I've helped Elon a lot." Observers long wondered if the friendship between the two brash billionaires known for lobbing insults online would combust in dramatic fashion. It did, in less than a year. Trump said Thursday in the Oval Office that he and Musk had had a great relationship but mused: "I don't know if we will anymore." He said some people who leave his administration "miss it so badly" and "actually become hostile." "It's sort of Trump derangement syndrome, I guess they call it," he said. He brushed aside the billionaire's efforts to get him elected last year, including a $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes in Pennsylvania. The surge of cash Musk showed he was willing to spend seemed to set him up as a highly coveted ally for Republicans going forward, but his split with Trump, the party's leader, raises questions about whether they or any others will see such a campaign windfall in the future. Trump said Musk "only developed a problem" with the bill because it rolls back tax credits for electric vehicles. "False," Musk fired back on his social media platform as the president continued speaking. "This bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!" In another post, he said Trump could keep the spending cuts but "ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill." Photos: Elon Musk saw turbulent time in US politics While highlighting the success of the DOGE efforts in saving money, President Donald Trump announced a huge military parade to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army along with Trump's own birthday. ("Here's what to expect at the Army's 250th anniversary parade on Trump's birthday," May 24.) This parade will be similar to those annually conducted in Russia, China and North Korea to demonstrate their military firepower. The estimated cost of President Trump's parade is as much as $45 million. Given the focus on saving money at the expense of citizens through DOGE, it's hard to justify the expenditure on a military parade, let alone a birthday celebration. Town hall meetings by members of Congress are increasingly rare today and when they are held, many representatives use them as an opportunity to support the president's agenda. We elect our representatives expecting them to address our real needs. Yielding to pressure to support actions that ignore those needs demonstrates a failure to exercise their responsibility. Jim Allen Webster Groves The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds split off of formation while performing at the California Capital Airshow on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, at Mather Airport. (Sara Nevis/The Sacramento Bee via TNS) (Tribune News Service) The gates of Northern Californias Beale Air Force Base will open for its first public air show in seven years when the 2025 Air & Space Expo takes place this weekend. The Yuba County military base, focused on reconnaissance and home to the stealthy U-2 Dragon Lady spy planes, hosts its first air show since 2018 on Saturday and Sunday, with a lineup of aviation displays slated to begin at noon each day. The Thunderbirds a performing pack of F-16 Fighting Falcons headline the afternoon set, which begins with an opening ceremony and includes a procession of military, civilian and historical acts taking to the sky. Were happy to bring that back to the community, said Janice Nall, a board advisor to the Beale Military Liaison Council, a nonprofit that supports the base. The base brings so much to the regional community and its a great way for the community to come out to the base its not open very often and see what has changed, what is new. Whats in store? The high-speed, ear-popping aerial feats of the Thunderbirds are scheduled to close out the show in the late afternoon. But several noteworthy acts are slated to grace the sky before those fighter planes, including a squadron of Air Force parachutists, and a 1940 biplane, once used to train pilots during World War II and restored in the 1990s by Stadel Aircraft in Yuba City. High-altitude U-2 spy planes, able to fly at heights above 70,000 feet, are based at Beale and also scheduled to appear during the show. Meanwhile, visitors can find two of the Air Forces newest arrivals, autonomous planes that are part of the bases collaborative combat aircraft mission, grounded but on display for the public to see. There are a couple of things that are going to be, probably, the first opportunity in the United States to see, Nall said of the bases newest aircraft. The recently-awarded unit consists of autonomous planes, largely driven by artificial intelligence and meant to fly as unmanned wingmen alongside crewed fighter jets. The YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A aircraft, made by General Atomics and Anduril, respectively, differ from drones in that they are not remotely piloted. Instead, they are designed to function independently of fighter pilots, who would retain an element of control or guidance over the aircraft while flying alongside them. The Air Force chose Beale to host the program over Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada and Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. Ground testing for the new units had begun as of their announcement in May, with flight testing expected to begin later this year. What else to know? The weekend of events begins Friday night with a welcome party from 6-8 p.m. at Veterans Park in Marysville recognizing the Thunderbird fleet. Air show admission is free and requires a parking pass, which is also free and available at bealeairshow.com. Elevated airshow experience packages are on sale at the website and include premium parking passes. Entry to the event begins at 9 a.m. and parking lots open at 8 a.m. Attendees must park or be in line to park by 1:30 p.m., according to the air show website. Everyone 18 and older must have a valid ID on them at all times. Acceptable forms of identification are listed on the air show website. 2025 The Sacramento Bee. Visit sacbee.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. U.S. Army Pfc. Dewayne Johnson sits with his teammates during an exercise at Helemano Military Reservation, Hawaii, in November 2023. (Joshua Linfoot/U.S. Army) WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Hawaii The Hawaii-based soldier who killed his pregnant wife and disposed of her body in an incinerator last summer on Oahu was sentenced Thursday to 23 years in prison, the maximum possible under the terms of a deal in which he pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntary manslaughter. During the sentencing at the Wheeler Army Airfield courthouse, Judge Rebecca Farrell said she imposed the maximum sentence on Pfc. Dewayne Johnson II, 29, due to particularly aggravating facts in the case. He had also pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and providing false official statements. Johnson admitted in court Tuesday that he killed 19-year-old Mischa Johnson, who was six months pregnant, during a heated argument on July 12. He struck her head with a machete in the bedroom of the home they shared on Schofield Barracks in central Oahu. Over the next few days, he purchased a chainsaw, cut off her arms, legs and head, stashed them separately in garbage bags and tossed them into a dumpster used by his unit on the base. That dumpster is emptied directly into the islands solid waste incinerator. Her body has not been found. Mischa Johnson was six months pregnant on Aug. 1, 2024, when her husband reported her missing from their home on Schofield Barracks in central Oahu. (Honolulu Police Department) Johnson concocted a complex scheme intended to fool his wifes family and friends into believing she was alive as he dismembered her body and destroyed evidence. On Aug. 1, he reported her missing, telling law enforcement that she was depressed and possibly suicidal. Army units at Schofield conducted numerous searches on and around the base searches led at times by Johnson. During closing statements Wednesday, Johnsons defense team argued that the minimum sentence of 18 years was sufficient to rehabilitate him and render him no longer a threat to society. Farrell, however, said the maximum was warranted for a number or reasons. Mischa Johnson was particularly vulnerable as a pregnant woman who lived on a military base and depended on her husband for her well-being, she said. Johnsons desecration of his wifes body was particularly gruesome, an act that not only deprived her family of her life, but also robbed them of her remains for a funeral or a final resting place, Farrell said. Johnsons lies also adversely affected training, readiness and trust among the soldiers and units that spent long hours over many days in futile searches, she said. Johnson, a cavalry scout assigned to the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, will serve his sentence at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. He will receive a dishonorable discharge as part of the plea deal. While no amount of confinement will ever be able to truly ease the pain of the loss of Ms. Johnson and her unborn child for her family and friends, it is my hope that Pfc. Johnsons admissions of guilt and the information he provided as part of the plea agreement can provide some element of closure and finality for the family and all stakeholders, Lt. Col. Nicholas Hurd, the lead prosecutor, said in a news release Thursday. The 2nd Cavalry Regiment Museum in Vilseck, Germany, is shown June 6, 2025. The regiment's storied history from its formation in 1836 to present day is told through exhibits at the museum, which is among 29 on a closure list compiled by the U.S. Army Center of Military History. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes) RAMSTEIN, Germany Dozens of Army museums around the world dedicated to units, some among the most storied in the service, will disappear over the next three years as part of cost-cutting and efforts to align with Pentagon priorities. The U.S. Army Center of Military History announced plans Wednesday to close or consolidate 29 of its 41 active-duty museums to direct more resources toward readiness and lethality, a statement on the centers Facebook page said. The official list of closures has not been released pending approval from Army headquarters, but center spokesman F. Lee Reynolds confirmed Thursday that it had leaked online. A display commemorating Operation Iraqi Freedom is seen June 6, 2025, at the 2nd Cavalry Regiment Museum in Vilseck, Germany, which features exhibits from the regiment's formation in 1836 to present. A proposal to shutter 29 Army museums over the next three years includes the one in Vilseck. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes) Among the facilities proposed for shutdown are the 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum at Fort Bragg, N.C., and the 2nd Cavalry Regiment Museum in Vilseck, Germany. The problem is were not getting additional money, so we have not been able to staff the museums the way we would like to and conduct the maintenance and rotate exhibits the way we would like, Reynolds said. We just dont have the funding. The Army should decide on the proposal in the next week, Reynolds said. A World War I display with period uniforms is seen June 6, 2025, at the 2nd Cavalry Regiment Museum in Vilseck, Germany. A U.S. Army Center of Military History proposal lists 29 museums slated for closure, including the Vilseck one. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes) The closures are expected to save $114 million over 10 years through reductions to staffing and operating costs, Reynolds said. The center does not plan to fire any current employees but will offer staff positions at other locations. Some current openings will go unfilled. The cost-cutting measures are being proposed as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has repeatedly expressed the Pentagons intent to take steps toward making the military a more lethal fighting force. On Friday, the mood was somber at the Vilseck unit museum, otherwise known as the Reed Museum and 2nd Regiment of Dragoons Heritage Center. A display dedicated to the American Civil War at the 2nd Cavalry Regiment Museum in Vilseck, Germany. The museum features period uniforms, weapons and artifacts commemorating the regiment's history from its formation in 1836 to the present. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes) Curator Denise Wald tried to smile as she lovingly viewed exhibits stretching back from the units formation in 1836 to the present. Its very special, to not just the regiment but our history and our footprint here in Europe, she said. Its a shame to lose it. Please come visit while you can. All of the proposed cuts are to museums located on U.S. military bases. The Reed Museum and 2nd Regiment of Dragoons Heritage Center in Vilseck, Germany, shown here on June 6, 2025, is one of more than two dozen active-duty service museums slated for closure under a U.S. Army Center of Military History proposal. The Rose Barracks facility is also known as the 2nd Cavalry Regiment Museum. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes) There will also be a pair of consolidations in addition to two already happening at Fort Cavazos in Texas and Fort Campbell in Kentucky, Reynolds said. Fort Jacksons four museums in South Carolina will be merged into one, as will three at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. Reynolds said artifacts and exhibits from the shuttered sites could move to the 12 surviving museums and four training support facilities, including the National Museum of the U.S. Army at Fort Belvoir, Va., which will not be affected by the cuts. Some items could be loaned out or put into the Armys two storage facilities, Museum Support Center Alpha at the Anniston Army Depot in Alabama, which stores large items like vehicles and aircraft, and Museum Support Center Bravo at Fort Belvoir, which stores smaller items like weapons and uniforms. Exhibits from the 82nd Airborne Museum, for example, will likely go to the Airborne and Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville about 11 miles away, he added. The plan to close the museums came from the Center of Military History, led by executive director and chief military historian Charles Bowery Jr., Reynolds said. The move has been in the works for quite a while as local museum directors told of staffing and budgetary shortfalls, he said. The criteria used to determine which museums would get the ax were public access, number of visitors, maintenance requirements and relevance, Reynolds said. Closures are slated to start this summer and continue through September 2027, he added. It will then take two years to properly remove and store artifacts, clean out buildings and give them back to their installations, according to Reynolds. Maj. Gen. Valerie Jackson takes command of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Korea at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, June 5, 2025. (Nikolas Mascroft/U.S. Marine Corps) CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea A former Marine Corps historian has taken charge of U.S. Marines in South Korea in one of several leadership changes taking place this month across the peninsula. Maj. Gen. Valerie Jackson assumed command of Marine Corps Forces Korea from Maj. Gen. William Souza during a ceremony Thursday on Barker Field on Humphreys, home to U.S. Forces Korea, according to a command news release. Jackson described the U.S.-South Korean alliances as grounded in strength and underscored by our commitment to each other. Together, our shared vision will undoubtedly yield remarkable achievements, she said, according to the release. Souza, who led Marine Forces Korea for two years, supervised large-scale amphibious training with South Korean marines and naval forces, including Augusts 13-day Ssangyong exercise. The drills featured about 40 amphibious assault vehicles and 40 aircraft from both countries. Souza is headed to Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., where he will become deputy commander of Marine Corps Training and Education Command, Marine Forces Korea spokeswoman Capt. Ana Chiu said by email Friday. USFKs commander, Army Gen. Xavier Brunson, presided over Thursdays command change. He called Jackson the right leader to oversee the roughly 100 Marines stationed on the peninsula. This isnt a steady state mission, it is a forward position of deterrence in the region that is always moving, Brunson said, according to the release. It demands leaders who can read the terrain, anticipate threats and never wait for the ideal conditions to come about. Jacksons previous roles include leading the 4th Marine Logistics Group in New Orleans and serving as deputy commander of II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C., according to her service biography. She was commissioned in 1994 through Boston Universitys ROTC program. Early in her career, she served as a communications officer and later as a wire and radio platoon commander. In 2006, she became the senior editor and field historian for the Marine Corps History Division, the agency tasked with preserving the Corps legacy. Two years later, she joined the services civil affairs branch and helped establish the Marine Corps Civil-Military Operations School at Quantico. Before the school opened in 2009, Marines seeking civil affairs training had to attend Army or Navy programs. Also on Thursday, Cmdr. Lawrence Schaffer took over leadership of Chinhae Naval Base from Cmdr. James Dipasquale, who had led the small Navy base near Busan since 2023. Air Force Col. William McKibban, commander of the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base, is scheduled to move to another command later this month, wing spokesman Maj. Kip Sumner said by phone Friday. McKibban, who assumed command in 2023, completed his fini fight a pilots final flight before departing a unit on June 2 aboard an A-10 Thunderbolt II, Sumner said. BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- China has allocated 580 million yuan (about 80.73 million U.S. dollars) to provincial-level regions to strengthen their flood control work, the Ministry of Finance said on Friday. These funds, distributed by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Water Resources, have been directed to 29 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Local governments are required to conduct in-depth hazard inspections of water conservancy facilities critical for flood control -- such as river and lake embankments, reservoirs and key sea dikes. They are also urged to make comprehensive preparations for flood prevention and control during the main flood season. Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Carlos Ruiz, center, makes a surprise visit to a corporals course graduation ceremony at Camp Johnson, N.C., on June 5, 2025. Ruiz was there to congratulate Cpl. Andrew Hundley, who unexpectedly became a Marine Corps celebrity in April after a routine email featuring his name was accidentally sent to a mass distribution list. (Alexander Lesko/U.S. Marine Corps) Cpl. Andrew Hundley became an unexpected Marine Corps celebrity several weeks ago, after a staff sergeants routine email about a simple certificate for Hundley accidentally was sent to most of the services members. The Hundley buzz was reignited Thursday when the services top enlisted leader, Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Carlos Ruiz, made a surprise appearance at Camp Johnson, N.C., for Hundleys much-anticipated graduation from a monthlong leadership course. A cyberspace warfare operator from the Camp Lejeune-based 8th Communications Battalion, Hundley was marking completion of the standard corporals course, a required leadership school for promotion eligibility. The Marine Corps gods have called upon me, Ruiz said as he entered the packed graduation room, a video posted to his official Instagram page Thursday shows. Where are you at, Hundley? Raise your hand. Ruiz personally handed Hundley his certificate as he crossed the stage, capping off the viral journey with a moment of recognition, which was met with a chorus of cheers from the audience. Ruizs in-person congratulations were the showstopper in a saga that began April 16, when Hundleys staff noncommissioned officer attempted to email a prerequisite certificate he needed to attend professional military education course. Instead of reaching the intended recipient, the message was mistakenly sent to the entire 8th Communications Battalion distribution list, which inadvertently also contained many of the services email addresses. In classic Marine Corps fashion, the reply-all storm that followed quickly spiraled into chaos. Hundreds of Marines chimed in with jokes, congratulations or desperate pleas to be removed from the thread. Cpl. Hundley is a hard charger that took responsibility for his career and leadership skills by completing the (online prerequisite class) for the Corporals Course Distance Education Program, one r/USMC Reddit user said in April. Amid the chaos, Hundleys name became a running headline as he was celebrated for completing his online course requirements. Marines who werent on the original distribution list quickly became curious, eager to uncover why Hundley had suddenly become a Corps-wide sensation. For three or four days as I traveled the Corps, the question was not about barracks or quality of life; its Corporal Hundley, Ruiz said at the ceremony. And thats why the gods have called me to see you graduate. Ruiz had received the April 16 email, and he was aware of a Change.org petition to have the Corps top leaders attend the ceremony, Military.com reported Thursday. I didnt want this kind of thing to take away from the experience of all the other corporals that were going in that course with me, because they worked so hard, Hundley told Military.com. They deserved more fame than I ever got from it, even just that little bit, he added. Then-Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro named a John Lewis-class oiler after American abolitionist and social activist Harriet Tubman at a ceremony at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Church Creek, Md., on Sept. 17, 2023. (Omar Powell/U.S. Navy) AUBURN, N.Y. (Tribune News Service) Karen Hill, president and CEO of the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn, attended the event in 2023 when then-Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced a future ship would be named in honor of Tubman. With the Department of Defense under President Donald Trump reportedly recommending the ship and others honoring civil rights leaders to be renamed, Hill is hoping they will keep the abolitionists name on the vessel. During the Biden administration, the U.S. Navy unveiled plans to name John Lewis-class oilers in honor of Tubman and other American icons, including Robert F. Kennedy the father of Trumps secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Sojourner Truth. The oilers provide fuel for the Navys carrier strike groups. Del Toro announced that a Navy oiler would bear Tubmans name during a ceremony at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park in Maryland. Tubman, he said, is more than deserving of the honor. (Tubman) was born into unimaginable circumstances, but she dedicated her life to facing great danger and adversity, becoming a conductor of freedom, helping others escape slavery, Del Toro said. In addition, during the Civil War, Tubman was the first African American woman to serve formally in the military. Her legacy deserves our nations continued recognition, and our fleet benefits from having her name emblazoned on the hull of one of our great ships. Although Tubman is best known for escaping from slavery and her efforts along the Underground Railroad, she is also the first woman to lead a military operation in U.S. history. She led the Combahee River Raid in South Carolina that freed 756 enslaved people during the Civil War. Tubmans role in the raid is the subject of a book, Combee, that recently won a Pulitzer Prize. The books author, Dr. Edda Fields-Black, visited Auburn for the Tubman pilgrimage in May. Hill recalled attending the ceremony in 2023 when Del Toro, who was the Navy secretary under former President Joe Biden, announced the naming of a ship in Tubmans honor. She described it as an amazing event, with people from all backgrounds in the audience. It represented the best of America, Hill added. While Hill acknowledged that the Trump administration has not made a final decision, she hopes they will keep Tubmans name on the future ship. She cited the abolitionists role in the Combahee River Raid and the recognition of her military service. This year, she noted, Tubman was inducted into the U.S. Army Womens Foundation Hall of Fame. When you look at the totality of her patriotic contributions to this country and her service in the military, it goes without saying that the ship, which is scheduled to be launched in the next couple of years, should remain the Harriet Tubman, Hill said. It is not the first time during the second Trump administration that Tubmans name has been targeted for removal. In April, the National Park Service removed a Tubman quote and photo from an Underground Railroad page on its website. The agency quickly reversed that action after public outrage. Regarding the Trump administrations treatment of Tubmans legacy, Hill urged them to tell the truth. Theres a hymn, May the Work Ive Done Speak For Me, Hill said. Tubmans work certainly speaks for her. 2025 The Citizen, Auburn, N.Y. Visit www.auburnpub.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS California (SSN 781) prepares to moor during a homecoming event in Groton, Conn., Feb. 14, 2024. Petty Officer Bryce J. Harper, a 22-year-old assigned to the USS California, was arrested by Groton Town police on June 2, 2025, for allegedly firing shots in nearby downtown Mystic, Conn. (Joshua Karsten/U.S. Navy) NEW LONDON, Conn. (Tribune News Service) A Navy man who police say fired at least five shots from a handgun into the air in downtown New London last year is now charged in connection with a similar shooting incident in Mystic. Petty Officer Bryce J. Harper, 22, was arrested by Groton Town police on June 2 in connection with reports of shots fired in the area of the Chelsea Groton Bank parking lot in Mystic on May 10. At the time, Harper was already the focus of an investigation into a Nov. 28, 2024, shooting incident in downtown New London. Police said the spent shell casings left at both scenes helped to bolster the case against Harper. In both cases, Harper is now charged with illegal discharge of a firearm, first-degree reckless endangerment and carrying a pistol without a permit. Harper is assigned to the Virginia-class submarine USS California and remains on active duty, according to a Navy spokesman. Court records in the New London case reveal details of the monthslong investigation, which started at 1:10 a.m. on Nov. 28, 2024. That morning, New London police fielded several 911 calls and a report from one witness that a man had pulled a gun out and shot off three or four shots into the air, at New Londons municipal parking lot, in the heart of the downtown business district. Police at the scene found five 9 mm shell casings, according to a report from New London Police Detective Marco Zandri, the lead detective in the New London case. Police used surveillance camera footage to find that the shooter was among a group of four people walking on Golden Street that night. When the group entered the parking lot, one of the men fired a handgun into the air, a muzzle flash visible on the camera footage, police said. New London police identified the shell casing as a 9 mm Luger PMC and entered the information into a national database called the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network. New London police have access to the database from its headquarters thanks to a state- and federally funded mobile NIBIN unit it acquired last year. The database stores digital images of fired cartridge cases and bullets and the unique characteristics can be compared to evidence from other crime scenes. Police also uncovered more video footage from a Bank Street convenience store that better identified the shooter and the vehicle he was traveling in, police reports show. Police tracked the vehicle with a Louisiana license plate to the Norwich home of Ryan-David Tate, 30, who is serving in the Navy. New London police contacted the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to request information. The Navy determined Tate had checked onto the Navy base on Nov. 28 at 1:25 a.m., about 15 minutes after the New London shooting was reported. Tate and three others scanned in at the bases entrance at the same time, including Harper. Harper was the only white male among the group and the only one who fit the description of the shooter, records show. Police spoke with Tate on Jan. 28 and showed a photo of Harper, asking him if he recognized the man in the photo. Tate sat back in his seat and shook his head slowly up and down in an affirmative manner, police said. When asked if he recognized the suspect he stated yeah. Cmon man, I know who that is. Im pretty sure you already know who that guy is. Linking the two shootings On May 12, New London police received a notification that the fired cartridge casing submitted to the national database was a match to evidence submitted by Groton Town police from the May 10 shooting in Mystic. New London police spoke with Groton Town Police Sgt. Heather Beauchamp, to compare evidence from the two shootings. In Groton, police had recovered five casings from a 9 mm PMC in a Mystic parking lot. Groton Town Police had linked a vehicle driven by Ryan Hiscox, 22, also a member of the Navy, to the shooting. Groton Town Police contacted Hiscox, who confirmed he had picked up two Navy shipmates from a parking lot in Mystic, including Harper, according to the arrest warrant affidavit in the case. Hiscox later confirmed he was present when Harper fired shots from the passenger seat of his car. A search of his vehicle turned up another shell casing, police said. Available police documents reveal no victims associated with the shooting and no motive. On May 15, police went to the base to meet with Harper, who immediately requested a lawyer. Police said Harper has no criminal history. He did not have a permit for a gun. Harper is free in the New London case on a promise to appear in court. He is free after posting a $25,000 bond in the Groton case. Harper is due back in New London Superior Court on June 16. 2025 The Day. Visit www.theday.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Seaman Angelina Petra Resendiz, 21, went missing May 29, 2025, from the Miller Hall barracks at the Naval Station Norfolk, Va. Anyone with information on Resendizs whereabouts should call NCIS at 877-579-3648. (U.S. Navy) A Navy sailor went missing from her barracks more than a week ago, prompting a Virginia-wide critically missing adult alert. Seaman Angelina Petra Resendiz, 21, was last seen at about 10 a.m. on May 29 at the Miller Hall barracks at Naval Station Norfolk, Va. The Virginia State Police issued an alert late Tuesday at the request of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, both of which are investigating Resendizs disappearance. This disappearance poses a credible threat to [her] health and safety as determined by the investigating agency, the state police said. Seaman Angelina Petra Resendiz, 21, went missing May 29, 2025, from the Miller Hall barracks at Naval Station Norfolk, Va. Anyone with information on Resendizs whereabouts should call NCIS at 877-579-3648. (Virginia State Police) Resendizs disappearance is out of character, her mother told local news reporters. She calls my mother, she calls her brother, her sisters. She has friends middle school friends she still talks to, Esmeralda Castle said. Resendiz is a culinary specialist assigned to a Norfolk-based destroyer, the USS James E. Williams. Resendiz, a Texas native, reported to the Williams in February 2024. She enlisted in the Navy in August 2023. The Navy is cooperating fully with the investigation. Our top priority is the safety and welfare of our sailors, said a spokesperson for the commander of Naval Surface Forces. Resendiz stands 5 feet tall and has brown eyes and black hair. She does not have a vehicle. Anyone with information on Resendizs whereabouts should call NCIS at 877-579-3648. Italys ancient Arena di Verona amphitheater hosts an opera festival each summer. This years run begins June 13 and ends Sept. 6. (iStock) Some things were truly built to last. Some two millennia ago, Romans constructed amphitheaters across their vast empire, as far north as modern-day Scotland and as far south as whats now Libya. Large, circular or oval open-air venues with raised 360-degree seating, some 230 such structures are known to have existed. The most famous amphitheater, Romes Colosseum, could accommodate 50,000 or more spectators to its gladiator games, wild animal hunts and naval battles. While most Roman amphitheaters have long since succumbed to the ravages of time, several remain or have been refurbished to a standard allowing them to host events in our own day and age. Here are just a few spectacles set in these historic venues: Pompeii, Italy: The Amphitheatre of Pompeii was constructed around 70 BC, buried in ash by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, and excavated completely in the early 19th century. Nowadays known as the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, the venue is set to host a series of 14 live events between June 27 and Aug. 5. Some of artists performing as part of Pompei e Musica include Andrea Bocelli on June 27 and 28; Dream Theater on July 2; Jean-Michel Jarre on July 5; Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals on July 15; Jimmy Sax and the Symphonic Dance Orchestra on July 17; Nick Cave on July 19 and Bryan Adams on July 25. Online: tinyurl.com/3fnzh25y Verona, Italy: The citys most famous event, an opera festival, traces its history back to 1913, when an event was staged to mark the centenary of the birth of Giuseppe Verdi. Since then, millions of music lovers and tourists have made their way to the citys amphitheater on warm summer evenings to take in the unique atmosphere of one of Italys most iconic events. From mid-June to early September each year, the Arena Opera Festival offers a wider variety of shows than its name suggests. The 2025 season, which begins on June 13 and concludes on Sept. 6, includes the following performances: Opera: Nabucco; Aida, Rigoletto and La Traviata; all composed by Giuseppe Verdi; Carmen by Georges Bizet. Concerts: The cantata Carmina Burana by Carl Orff on Aug. 15; Viva Vivaldi - The Four Seasons Immersive Concert on Aug. 27; and Jonas Kaufmann in opera on Aug. 3. Dance: The ballets Roberto Bolle and Friends on July 22 and 23; Zorba the Greek on Aug. 26 and Aug. 31. Ticket prices vary enormously, depending on seat location and performance, with the most expensive coming in at 360 euros and the cheapest at 30 euros. Spectators holding the least expensive tickets are advised to bring their own cushions, as their places are on stone steps. Online: arena.it/en Pula, Croatia: This coastal city on the tip of the Istrian peninsula is home to the sixth-largest amphitheater of antiquity. The venue hosts a variety of events throughout the summer season. Opera: Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi, July 2. Concerts: Tom Jones on June 24; Jean-Michel Jarre on June 28; Bryan Adams on July 29; Grace Jones on Aug. 8; and Jose Carreras on Aug. 26. Spectacles: The Spectacvla Antiqva, a performance of gladiator-inspired battles, takes place on June 7 and 13. For additional dates and performances, see tinyurl.com/24zk5p6w. The amphitheater also serves as one of the main venues of the Pula Film Festival. The events 72nd edition is set to run July 7-17. Online: pulafilmfestival.hr Arles, France: After Rome, Arles is home to the largest number of Roman remains, eight of which have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites. The citys wonderfully preserved amphitheatre will host an equestrian show on July 28 and a show titled Je suis ne Roi on Aug. 4, along with other events related to bullfighting. Online: arenes-arles.com/r-servation-2025 Nimes, France: This amphitheater, constructed at the end of the first century AD and considered one of the best preserved, will host concerts by Korn on June 24; Mika on June 26; London Grammar on June 29; Santana and Jimmy Sax on July 21 and Scorpions on July 24. The Marvel Infinity Saga, a cinematic concert performed by LOrchestre National Montpellier Occitanie, will take place on June 27. Online: festivaldenimes.com Trier, Germany: Founded in 16 BC during the reign of Roman Emperor Augustus, Trier is considered Germanys oldest city. While the Porta Nigra city gate is its most prominent landmark dating back to these times, thermal baths and an amphitheater are additional remnants of the era. From May to September each year, visitors have the opportunity to witness events bringing the Roman times back to life. On Aug. 2 and 3, the remains of the citys amphitheater will host a contingent of gladiators. The remains of the imperial baths will serve as the site of a Roman crafts market on June 7-9, a Roman food and drink event July 5-6 and Roman military reenactors Sept. 6-7. Admission to the events is included in the cost of regular entry tickets. Online: trier-info.de/highlights/roemer-leben Four U.S. Air Force C-130s fly in formation over the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, June 6, 2025, during the ceremony marking the 81st anniversary of the Normandy invasion in World War II. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes) COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France On the hallowed ground above Omaha Beach, more than two dozen American World War II veterans joined Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other top officials Friday to commemorate the 81st anniversary of D-Day, the Allied assault that helped turn the tide of World War II. The gathering at the Normandy American Cemetery honored the more than 150,000 Allied troops who stormed the beaches and skies of France on June 6, 1944, launching the largest amphibious invasion in history and opening the way to liberate Nazi-occupied Europe. The ceremony drew roughly 2,000 attendees, more than expected by the American Battle Monuments Commission but far fewer than the tens of thousands who came for the 80th anniversary last year, which featured a whos who of world leaders. World War II and Normandy invasion veteran Jake Larson is interviewed by students at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, before the start of the D-Day ceremony June 6, 2025, marking the 81st anniversary of the invasion. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes) A soldier talks to Betty Huffman-Rosevear before the start of the D-Day ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, June 6, 2025, the 81st anniversary of the Normandy invasion. Huffman-Rosevear served as a second lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps during the war. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes) World War II veteran Wally King speaks at the D-Day ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, June 6, 2025, the 81st anniversary of the Normandy invasion. King was with the 513th Fighter Squadron, 406th Fighter Group, 9th Air Force during the war. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at a ceremony to mark the 81st anniversary of D-Day at Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-Sur-Mer, France, June 6, 2025. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes) This years gathering was more solemn and intimate, and no less reverent of the veterans who flew across the Atlantic Ocean to remember the fallen. During the war, our mission was clear: to defeat tyranny and restore peace, said Wally King, 101, a former first lieutenant who flew 75 missions over Europe with the 9th Air Force. Facing the rows of graves, he added, Their bravery and selflessness remind us of the price of freedom and the importance of defending it. Visitors including 101st Airborne Division soldiers walk among the graves at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, following the D-Day ceremony June 6, 2025, the 81st anniversary of the Normandy invasion in World War II. There are 9,389 military dead buried in the cemetery, which is above Omaha Beach. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes) Among the high-profile attendees besides Hegseth were Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of U.S. European Command and NATOs Supreme Allied Commander Europe; Gen. Christopher Donahue, commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Africa; and Adm. Stuart Munsch, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa. During the ceremony, officials laid wreaths and held a moment of silence as a large American flag blew in the steady seaside wind. In his remarks, Hegseth said the sacrifices made by U.S. and Allied troops on D-Day still carry pressing relevance today. History is not over, evil has not been eradicated from the globe, good men are still needed to stand up, Hegseth said. We must ensure that our children and our grandchildren know what these men did. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reflects after laying a wreath during the D-Day ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, June 6, 2025. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes) American forces landed at Utah and Omaha beaches, where they faced fierce German resistance. By nightfall, around 2,500 Americans were dead, among more than 4,400 Allied troops killed on the first day. Casualties continued to mount in the days that followed as forces fought their way inland. At the Normandy American Cemetery, nearly 9,400 white marble headstones stretch across a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach, marking the final resting place of those killed during the Normandy campaign. Service members salute the national anthems of the U.S. and France at the D-Day ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, June 6, 2025, the 81st anniversary of the Normandy invasion. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes) Among those paying respects was Samuel Meyer, a former aircraft armorer who loaded bombs and ammunition on P-38 fighter planes. Meyer, who reached the rank of corporal, said it took decades for him to accept being called a hero. Im 100 years old although I look like Im 80, thats what people tell me and they always say, Sam, youre a hero. But Ive always told them Im not, Meyer said. Well, after 80 years, I finally give up. All right, Im a hero. World War II veteran Samuel Meyer talks to people before the start of the D-Day ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, June 6, 2025, the 81st anniversary of the Normandy invasion. Meyer served with the 370th Fighter Group, 71st Fighter Wing, 9th Air Force during the war. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes) In the days prior to the ceremony on Friday, U.S. service members participated in events across the region. During downtime, they visited landing beaches and other historic sites, often reflecting on their units lineage. Pvt. 1st Class Gavin Smith, assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vicenza, Italy, said meeting World War II veterans was the highlight of the week. The stories they told me were inspiring, Smith said. For me to follow in their footsteps is an absolute blessing. That sentiment echoed across ranks. Adm. Christopher Grady, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Stars and Stripes on Friday that meeting with the veterans was humbling. A color guard from the 173rd Airborne Brigade, from left, Spc. Edgar Acuna, Sgt. William Cantrell, Pfc. Zhedmar Velasco and Spc. Jacob Brasher, marches in at the beginning of the D-Day ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, June 6, 2025, the 81st anniversary of the Normandy invasion. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes) To meet them and see them up close and personal I always feel that I dont want to let them down, Grady said. In addition to honoring those who fought in World War II, D-Day anniversaries often highlight the NATO alliance forged in the aftermath of the war. This years ceremony came amid growing uncertainty about that relationship. Questions about Americas long-term commitment to NATO have intensified during President Donald Trumps second term, driven by his calls for European allies to shoulder more of the security burden. Tensions between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have further strained trans-Atlantic unity. Still, Grady said, Fridays ceremony underscored the enduring strength of the alliance. In the various remarks you heard today, it wasnt just America or France but a litany of other countries that all came together in the defense of freedom, he said. We can look back here as an example of how it works when everybody is together and why that still matters. Petty Officer 3rd Class Pedro Peraza of the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa band salutes after playing taps at the conclusion of the D-Day ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, June 6, 2025. It marked the 81st anniversary of the World War II invasion of Normandy. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes) On the sidelines of Fridays ceremony, WWII veteran Harold Terens, 101, a former Morse code operator with the 8th Air Force, said the warm reception from the French people is one of his favorite parts of returning to Normandy. Hes been back several times since the war, and although his wife was a French professor at Hofstra University for 30 years, he joked that he never learned the language. If I didnt have the proper accent, she would give me hell, Terens said with a smile. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to World War II veterans following the June 6, 2025, ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, marking the 81st anniversary of the Normandy invasion. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes) Terens, who has pledged to return for the 85th and 90th anniversaries, wasnt surprised that thousands of people turned out Friday, even though it isnt a milestone year. I feel its going to be the same way after 181 years, he said. I dont think these people will ever forget us, nor will we forget them. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, left, poses with President Donald Trump in this still from a video taken during Merz's visit to the White House on June 5, 2025. During the visit, Trump said he wants to maintain the U.S. troop presence in Germany. (The White House) President Donald Trump said this week that he wants to keep American forces in Germany, where questions have been raised for months about the future of the tens of thousands of service members stationed at numerous U.S. bases the country hosts. When asked Thursday whether he intends to maintain the U.S. troop presence on the key NATO allys territory, Trump replied: The answer is yes. We have a lot of them, about 45,000, he said. Its a lot of troops. Its a city. Trumps comments came during a White House meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and coincide with a push by Berlin to meet Trumps demands for more defense spending. Trump said he and Merz would discuss the status of U.S. forces in the country. His favorable characterization of Germany during Merzs visit contrasts with the harder line he took toward Berlin during his first term. At that time, Germany bore the brunt of Trumps criticisms about NATO allies paltry defense spending. And the previously inadequate German military budgets were one reason Trump sought to pull 12,000 troops out of the country at the end of his tenure. The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 changed the German governments thinking on defense needs, however, as Merzs predecessor, Olaf Scholz, declared it a turning point. Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Germany gradually began to rebuild its military capabilities and has committed to raising its defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product, in line with Trumps demands to fellow NATO members. A German flag flies during a NATO training exercise Nov. 17, 2024, at Camp Aachen, a U.S. military training area in Bavaria. President Donald Trump said June 5, 2025, that he wants to keep U.S. troops based in Germany. The answer offered clarity after months of worry that the U.S. would end its long-standing military presence in the country. (Thomas McCarty/U.S. Army) On Thursday, Trump said Germany is dedicating quite a bit more money to its military now. Trumps reassurances came in the context of a global force posture review by the Pentagon that could have implications for how U.S. personnel are deployed worldwide. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called on European allies to shoulder more of the security burden on the Continent so the U.S. can dedicate more attention and forces to countering China in the Pacific region. That could mean reductions to the roughly 80,000 troops that now operate across Europe, although the Pentagon has said there are no immediate plans for reductions. While its not clear whether some of the U.S. forces in Germany could be reduced, Trumps comments suggest a total withdrawal is likely off the table for now. SOFIA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The 8th International Scientific Conference "The Silk Road" opened Friday in Sofia, covering topics such as linguistics, education, culture, diplomacy, economics, archaeology, traditional Chinese medicine, and martial arts. The two-day biennial event, organized by the Confucius Institute at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski," presented 50 reports by researchers from countries including China, Bulgaria, Russia, Italy, India, Vietnam, Armenia, and Georgia. At the opening ceremony, Guan Xin, cultural counselor at the Chinese Embassy to Bulgaria, emphasized that understanding China requires tracing its cultural origins and grasping why its traditions have endured for millennia. He highlighted the vital role of sinologists and Chinese language experts as cultural bridges, helping to foster mutual understanding and overcome cross-cultural misunderstandings. Guan also noted that the conference has become a significant platform for academic exchange and cultural dialogue between China, Bulgaria, and countries along the Silk Road. Reneta Bozhankova, vice-rector for International Affairs at Sofia University, called the event "a prestigious conference," expressing confidence that it would inspire new avenues of cooperation and knowledge sharing. Aksiniya Koleva, Bulgarian director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, extended gratitude to all participating scholars and enthusiasts of Chinese language and culture. She noted that since its founding in 2011, the conference has served as a platform for exchanging ideas on Eastern and Western languages, civilizations, and current developments in China and globally. Angel Apostolov, chief expert in the Ministry of Education and Science's international cooperation department, underscored the event's significance both as a hub of scientific exchange and a symbol of strong Bulgarian-Chinese cultural ties. Retired Brig. Gen. Phillip Stewart filed a petition in May with the White House for a pardon after he was convicted last year of four misdemeanor-level charges and acquitted of sexual assault in an Air Force court-martial. ( U.S. Air Force) AUSTIN, Texas A retired Air Force general who was acquitted of sexual assault but found guilty of lesser charges during a court-martial last year has asked President Donald Trump for a pardon because his case is an example of a woke-inspired, DEI-led campaign of lawfare. Phillip Stewart, who retired last month one star below his previously held rank of major general, argued in his petition to the White House that the felony conviction was a gross example of over-prosecution by the Air Force and his professional career was sacrificed at the altar of wokeness. The Office of the Pardon Attorney confirmed Wednesday that Stewarts application was accepted for review, said Jeffrey Addicott, Stewarts attorney through the Warrior Defense Project at St. Marys University School of Law in San Antonio. The defense project is a nonprofit that only takes on cases with clear indicators that an abuse of the military justice system is or has occurred. Stewart, a career fighter pilot who served in Afghanistan, pleaded guilty last year at Joint Base San Antonio to adultery and pursuing an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. A military jury convicted him of conduct unbecoming of an officer for inviting the female officer to spend the night in his hotel room and dereliction of duty for flying within 12 hours of drinking alcoholic beverages. Jurors found him not guilty of sexually assaulting the woman who served on his staff. Military judge Col. Matthew Stoffel sentenced Stewart to a reprimand, restriction for two months to Randolph Air Force Base in Texas and to forfeit $10,000 of pay for six months. The Air Force declined to comment Thursday on Stewarts request for a presidential pardon because the application is pending. Stewarts attorneys have always maintained he did not assault the woman and the charges to which he was found guilty did not warrant a court-martial. They could instead be handled in administrative punishment. The officer who presided over a 2023 preliminary hearing to determine whether there was enough evidence to bring Stewart to a court-martial made the same recommendation, said Addicott, a retired Army lawyer. Yet, Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson, the commander of Air Education and Training Command and Stewarts boss at the time, decided to go forward with the court-martial. The decision came 10 days before a new law took effect that moved that decision to prosecute from the commander to the Office of Special Trial Counsel. Due to the governments mishandling of my case, I have federal convictions for essentially what are either misdemeanors or not even crimes at all in the civilian world, Stewart wrote in his pardon application. Stewart, who commanded the 19th Air Force at the time of the accusations against him, also wrote in the application that he attempted to plead guilty to all misdemeanor-level charges but was denied by prosecutors because they were using the lesser charges to bolster the sexual assault charge. In sending this case to court-martial, the Air Force engaged in a gross abuse of authority, Addicott said. At the very inception of the case against Gen. Stewart, it was abundantly clear that the facts and circumstances associated with allegations of sexual assault were spurious. While the Warrior Defense Project concurs with the view that the military justice system is a solid tool that overwhelmingly produces justice, there are individual cases that fall through the crack and need to be corrected. In his pardon application, Stewart also refers to The War on Warriors, a book written by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth before he took office. Hegseth, then a commentator for Fox News, wrote about a legal assault that he believed was being waged against military members in the name of diversity, equity and inclusion, known commonly as DEI. The government knew the allegations against me were false but proceeded with the case against me anyway to score political points and position themselves for promotion and advancement, Stewart wrote. Stewart also said being charged with sexual assault now means that he is criminally titled in all background checks run on him. Titling is a process used by criminal investigators to name a suspect in a formal investigation. However, military investigators are known to enter suspects names into the FBI database early in investigations, leaving many service members and veterans who were never convicted of crimes with criminal records. There is a case pending in federal court on the practice. Only one other general has faced a court-martial in the Air Force. Maj. Gen. William Cooley was convicted of abusive sexual contact in a court-martial in 2022 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. He was sentenced to a reprimand and a forfeiture of nearly $55,000. Even with a pardon, Stewart said he would continue to carry the reprimand he received for adultery. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., takes part in a Capitol Hill rally with the Women in the Services Coalition on Thursday, June 5, 2025. The organizations goals include safeguarding womens opportunities in the U.S. military, protecting and preserving the legacy of women in service, defending women in military leadership, and strengthening sexual assault prevention and response. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes) WASHINGTON More than 20 female veterans gathered outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday to express their concerns with how women in the armed forces are treated and their frustrations with efforts to erase them from military history. Id rather not be here today. I thought this debate was over, said Olivia McQuail, who graduated from Army Ranger School in 2021. The event was orchestrated in conjunction with the Women in the Services Coalition Initiative, or WiSCI, and lasted 45 minutes before veterans went inside to deliver several thousand letters to lawmakers offices that stated women have earned their place in the services and women make our military stronger, WiSCI founder Sue Fulton said. The response from female veterans comes after a range of actions taken by President Donald Trumps administration in the first few months of his second term that have targeted programs and policies that promote diversity, equity and inclusion. Trump signed an executive order on the first day back in office to terminate all diversity programs in the federal government. His administration also began to dismiss many top-ranking female officers from the military. Adm. Linda Fagan, the first woman to the lead the Coast Guard, was the first to be fired. Other women have been fired since Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took over at the Pentagon in January including Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the former chief of naval operations, Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, the U.S. military representative to the NATO Military Committee, and Air Force Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short, a former senior military assistant to the defense secretary. These women werent promoted through the ranks because of their gender, said Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., a former Air Force officer and a member of the House Armed Services Committee. They were patriotic ... effective leaders who earned their positions through their merit and their experience and their unwavering commitment to service, just like their male counterparts. Houlahan said women make up 18% of the militarys active-duty force, along with 22% of the National Guard and Reserve. In March, the Defense Department began to purge references to thousands of photos and posts marked as diversity, equity and inclusion content including Medal of Honor recipients, the Enola Gay aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on Japan, and the first women to pass infantry training, The Associated Press reported at the time. The Air Force did restore videos of the Tuskegee Airmen and Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs, to its basic training curriculum after being removed. We are all losers when we erase the history of women who serve, Houlahan said Thursday. In March, Hegseth ordered the military to make physical fitness standards for all combat jobs gender neutral. For far too long, we allowed standards to slip and different standards for men and women in combat arms [military occupational specialties], Hegseth said in a video posted on X at the time. Thats not acceptable. We need to have the same standard, male or female, in our combat roles. McQuail said there is a kind disinformation campaign circulating that women want lower standards and lower standards are the only reason women have achieved certain milestones. She went to Ranger School five years after the first two women graduated. People always ask me, What was it like as a woman? Were you treated differently? I can honestly say no, she said. By that time, the groundwork had been laid. It wasnt a big deal. McQuail said she does not want people in the military who arent physically or tactically qualified because it is a danger to them and others. Thats not what is happening. This rhetoric is a cancer that aims to divide us, she said. I want to be very clear, that is a contrived narrative. Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, left, greets WWII veteran Harry Miller during a public ceremony at the World War II Memorial in Washington on Friday, June 6, 2025, to mark the 81 years since 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes) WASHINGTON Four World War II veterans joined by a small crowd gathered Friday near the World War II Memorial to recognize the 81st anniversary of D-Day. Today and every sixth of June, until the end of time, we should give thanks, author and historian Alex Kershaw said. And we should vow to protect that greatest of treasures bought with the blood of so many heroes from the Allied nations. More than 2 million Allied soldiers, sailors, pilots, medics and others from a dozen countries were involved in Operation Overlord, the codename for the Allied invasion of Normandy, France during World War II that began with the assault on June 6, 1944 D-Day. More than 225,000 Allied troops were killed, wounded, or declared missing during the invasion, including more than 9,000 who were lost or wounded in the opening hours of D-Day, said Jane Droppa, who is the chairwoman of the nonprofit organization Friends of the National World War II Memorial. The operation lasted for nearly three months, stretching from storming the beaches on June 6 until the liberation of Paris in late August. Their legacy is a powerful reminder of what we can achieve when we come together with purpose and resolve, Droppa said. Let us share their stories. Let us carry their values freedom, justice and courage into the future. Let us never forget. Less than 1% of those who fought in World War II are alive today, Kershaw said. Four veterans from the war attended the celebration. Each veterans time of service was read during the ceremony and the crowd applauded for their efforts. Navy Secretary John Phelan attended the ceremony and took time to speak with each of the veterans before and after the event. Veterans Harry Miller, left, and Dave Yoho salute the colors during a public ceremony on Friday, June 6, 2025, at the World War II Memorial in Washington to mark the 81 years since 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes) A military honor guard presents the colors during a public ceremony on Friday, June 6, 2025, at the World War II Memorial in Washington to mark the 81 years since 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes) A military honor guard prepares to present the colors during a public ceremony on Friday, June 6, 2025, at the World War II Memorial in Washington to mark the 81 years since 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes) Anthony Grant, 105, was drafted into the Army in 1942 and served in a segregated unit during the war. Assigned to the 534th Quartermaster Battalion, his unit landed in Normandy 10 days after D-Day to support front-line troops. As a logistics officer, Grant was part of the effort to help sustain Gen. George Pattons Third Army through France and the Battle of the Bulge. Grant later served in Korea, rising to the rank of major, before retiring in 1963. Thank you for coming. Ive got to get some of your genes, Phelan told Grant. Frank Cohn, another World War II veteran at the ceremony, was born in 1925 in Breslau, Germany now Wroclaw, Poland. He came with his family to the United States in 1938, fleeing Nazi persecution. Cohn was drafted into the Army and served in the Battle of the Bulge, the Rhineland, and Central Europe campaigns, and met Russian forces at the Elbe River. He was later assigned as sergeant of the guard during the second Nuremberg trial. Foreign military attaches Captain Nikolaos Lazakis, of Greece, center, and Colonel Thibaud Thomas, of France hold an old Baltimore News-Post issue declaring allied troops invaded France. They were attending a public ceremony at the World War II Memorial in Washington on Friday, June 6, 2025, to mark the 81 years since 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes) Foreign military attaches salute the colors during a public ceremony on Friday, June 6, 2025, at the World War II Memorial in Washington to mark the 81 years since 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes) British military attache Brigadier Dai Bevan salutes a wreath during a public ceremony at the World War II Memorial in Washington on Friday, June 6, 2025, to mark the 81 years since 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes) Cohn became a colonel and went on to serve for 35 years in the Army, including tours in Korea and Vietnam. Harry Miller also was at the ceremony Friday. At 16, he fought in the Battle of the Bulge with the 740th Tank Battalion, attached to the 82nd Airborne. He went on to serve in Korea and Vietnam, retiring in 1966 as a senior master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force. Miller still spends hours at the memorial in Washington sharing stories of service and sacrifice with visitors from around the world. He spoke to the Navy secretary about visiting the Pentagon. We can sneak you in, Phelan joked. Come see me at the Pentagon. Wed love to have you. The fourth veteran to take part in Fridays ceremony was Dave Yoho. He joined the U.S. Merchant Marine in 1944 at 16. He was assigned to a T-2 tanker refueling Allied ships in combat zones across the South Pacific. The war ended in August 1945, just four days before Yohos 17th birthday. We sometimes forget that you can manufacture weapons and purchase ammunition, but you cant buy valor. And you cant pull heroes off an assembly line, Kershaw said, reading to the crowd the words of Sgt. John Ellery, who served in the 16th Infantry Regiment. U.S. soldiers, from 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, conduct a patrol of the southern border near Santa Teresa, N.M., April 13, 2025. (Griffin Payne/U.S. Army) (Tribune News Service) An El Paso jury on Thursday rendered a blow to the Trump administrations new attempt to charge migrants with additional crimes for crossing illegally into the U.S. at the Texas and New Mexico international borders. The not guilty verdict in U.S. Magistrate Court in El Paso came in the case of a Peruvian woman charged with the petty misdemeanor of entering restricted military property when she crossed into the U.S. on May 12 west of Tornillo, Texas. The jury did convict Adely Vanessa De La Cruz-Alvarez of the charge of illegal entry, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura Enriquez dismissed the third charge of violation of a security regulation. It was one of the first times, if not the first, that average citizens have weighed in on the new novel approach to immigration enforcement at the U.S. border with Mexico. The Department of Defense, at the behest of the White House, established temporary military zones in April adjacent to the international border. The defense areas stretch about 180 miles in New Mexico and 63 miles in western Texas and signs are posted about every 100 yards warning of the restricted zones. This is a victory, said Veronica Lerma, one of the El Paso defense attorneys in the case. We hope this sends a message that there are attorneys willing to set these cases for jury trials and let the community decide. The jury deliberated for more than five hours after a two-day trial. Efforts to reach the U.S. Attorneys Office in El Paso for comment werent successful Thursday. Lerma said her 21-year-old client, captured after she walked across the Rio Grande riverbed from Mexico, will likely be deported back to her home in Peru. She was sentenced to time served on the illegal entry conviction. She was crying and hugged us (upon hearing she was acquitted of the trespass charge), said another defense attorney, Shane McMahon. Conviction on the petty misdemeanor would have carried a prison term of up to six months. The violation of a security regulation charge carries up to a year in prison. The new regulations are part of the Trump administrations push to deter undocumented immigrants from entering the country illegally. The potentially stiffer penalties, coupled with threats of mass deportations for some immigrants to El Salvadoran prisons are all part of a larger plan to reduce unlawful crossings to zero. Many of these aliens unlawfully within the United States present significant threats to national security and public safety, committing vile and heinous acts against innocent Americans, reads an executive order, Protecting the American People from Invasion, signed on President Donald Trumps first day in office. Others are engaged in hostile activities, including espionage, economic espionage, and preparations for terror-related activities. Many have abused the generosity of the American people, and their presence in the United States has cost taxpayers billions of dollars at the Federal, State, and local levels. Before this new militarized zone, those convicted of illegal entry, typically charged for first time offenders, are deported after serving a brief stint in jail awaiting resolution of their cases. Defense attorneys argued that there was no evidence that De La Cruz knew the border area she entered was military property. Federal prosecutors contended that there was no need to prove she saw the signs or had specific knowledge because she intended to willfully violate the law by crossing illegally into the U.S. No such jury trials have occurred in New Mexico, according to court records. An estimated 700 cases involving military trespass violations at the New Mexico National Defense Area have been filed by the U.S. Attorneys Office, but the prosecutions have been rocky. Earlier this week, the U.S. Attorneys Office in New Mexico struck out when attempting to reinstate dozens of the military trespass charges dismissed by the states chief U.S. Magistrate judge in Las Cruces on May 19. U.S. District Judge Sarah M. Davenport of New Mexico ruled Monday that there was no legal avenue to appeal because of the way the cases were charged. The judge didnt address the primary argument being raised in such cases: that the defendants didnt know that the border area they entered was a military property. Davenport wrote that the charges dismissed by Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Gregory Wormuth pertained to his ruling on a criminal complaint. Wormuth found the government lacked probable cause to bring military trespassing-related charges against a woman from Uzbekistan arrested in southern New Mexico in May. Davenport concluded that because a criminal complaint was the mechanism by which the charges were filed, the government had no legal right to appeal. Asked about the ruling, U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison of New Mexico told the Journal through a spokeswoman on Thursday, We remain committed to the commonsense principle that border security is national security. Every nation has the right and obligation to know exactly who and what is coming across its borders. While we respectfully disagree with the adverse rulings from the Court, the United States Attorneys Office is considering all available next steps including various avenues of appeal and will act with confidence in the merits of our position. Together with our military and Border Patrol partners, we have already made tremendous strides towards achieving operational control of our southern border. Davenport stated that the U.S. Attorneys Office can simply file what is known as a criminal information and continue such prosecutions. And, in recent weeks, thats what federal prosecutors have done in hundreds of cases. By filing criminal charges via an information, it takes it out of a magistrates hands, said McMahon on Thursday. But that could lead to the cases going to trial, as happened in El Paso. 2025 the Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, N.M.). Visit www.abqjournal.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The Department of Veterans Affairs building in Washington. (Stars and Stripes) WASHINGTON A benefits calculator that the Department of Veterans Affairs used for figuring monthly compensation amounts for disabled veterans had errors that incorrectly lowered payments for certain complex illnesses and injuries, a federal watchdog found. The VA Office of Inspector General reported findings from a review of an automated compensation calculator that was part of a web-based benefits management system. Findings were not based on actual identified claims of individual veterans, the inspector general said. The inspector generals office was responding to a report in November 2023 that the automated compensation calculator did not always generate the correct results for determining disability compensation, according to a report the inspector general released last week. The OIG review team confirmed that the calculator generated inaccurate results for the disability scenarios listed in the allegation and for several others identified by the team, the report said. Disability compensation is a tax-free payment that the VA dispenses monthly to veterans who were injured or developed illnesses connected to their military service. The VA has an online system for managing veterans benefits that supports end-to-end claims processing, according to the review by the inspector general. In October 2024, the VA discontinued the calculator that was producing the errors but continued to use an older legacy calculator that was functioning correctly, the inspector generals office said. VA said it did not know the reason for the miscalculations or for how long the problems had been occurring, according to the report. In some instances, veterans could receive incorrect monthly benefits payments most of which would be underpayments if claims processors relied on the incorrect results, the report said. Mistakes in underpayments ranged from $132 to $4,170. Monthly overpayments of $373 also were reported. Errors resulted when the calculator was figuring payments for certain disability combinations, according to the review. But when the same information on disabilities was entered into a standalone legacy calculator, it produced accurate results, the report said. The errors involved payments for a range of disabilities, including illnesses and injuries that incapacitated veterans who required an aide or caregiver. Inaccurate calculations also were found in figuring compensation for the loss of limbs, blindness in both eyes and other disabilities or combinations of disabilities, according to the report. The goal of the report was to assess the calculators accuracy, according to the inspector generals office. The review team did not recheck actual individual claims or try to identify veterans who might have been affected, according to the report. VA officials agreed with the inspector generals recommendation that it needed to correct all the errors identified and establish a plan to conduct additional tests before making plans to reactivate the calculator. The inspector generals office said it was monitoring the VAs progress for taking the recommended measures to fix the problems. KABUL, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Afghan security forces have discovered weapons and ammunition and arrested two suspects in Kabul city, the capital of Afghanistan, the state-run Bakhtar news agency said Friday. The contrabands, which included five Kalashnikovs, a U.S.-made rocket, six machine guns, and other illegally preserved military equipment, were seized during operations in Kabul's Police District 21 on Thursday, the report said. Security forces have taken into custody two suspects on the charge of involvement in this case, the report added. The Afghan interim government has rounded up arms and ammunition as part of efforts to stabilize the security situation across the war-ravaged country. It was very quick - he found himself in an awkward position with his left foot in a void over the cliff and his right knee on the edge of the cliff. A 12-year old boy stumbled in a puddle and lost his balance before he fell over the edge of the Cliffs of Moher to his death, an inquest has been told. In eye-witness testimony at the Clare coroners court into the accidental death of Zhihan Zhao at the Cliffs of Moher on July 23, 2024, French tourist, Marion Tourgon described seeing Zhihan fall over the edge at around 1.45pm on the day. Zhihan had set out on walking the Cliffs of Moher trail from Hags Head on the Liscannor side or southern side of the Cliffs of Moher to the Cliffs of Moher visitor centre with his mother, Xianhong Huang and her friends. The two Chinese nationals had arrived in Ireland only 12 days previous on July 11. Last year, 1.49m people visited the Cliffs of Moher making it Ireland's most popular natural attraction. In her deposition, Ms Huang said that Zhihan was walking ahead of her on the Cliffs of Moher trail and she lost sight of him. The Cliffs of Moher. Photo: Depositphotos News in 90 Seconds - 6th June 2025 Speaking through an interpreter at the inquest in Kilrush, Co Clare, Ms Huang wiping away tears, asked: What exactly caused Zhihan to fall from the Cliffs? Clare County Coroner, Isobel O'Dea told the distraught Ms Huang that the evidence of Ms Tourgon would help answer that question. In her deposition Ms Tourgon said that she was at the edge of the Cliffs of Moher with her husband and two children at around 1.45pm. She said that they were taking a selfie when she saw a young Asian boy, who was alone, come into view. She said: I saw him slipping in the puddle that appears in the photo that my husband sent to the police." His right foot slipped into the puddle with him trying to stop himself from falling with his left foot but his left foot ended up in the air. It was very quick - he found himself in an awkward position with his left foot in a void over the cliff and his right knee on the edge of the cliff. His right knee eventually fell into the void over the cliff and he was trying to grasp the grass with his hands to pull himself up. He didnt shout and there was no noise. She said that it is the only the few of us who saw him falling and the Tourgons alerted the emergency services by phone. Speaking again through an interpreter, Ms Huang asked did he slip? and in reply, Insp Helen Costello told her: It appears from the witness that he slipped into the void having stumbled in the puddle. In her deposition, Ms Huang said that she started out from Nagles car park in Liscannor to walk to the Cliffs of Moher with Zhihan and friends of hers. She said: My son walked very fast and was ahead of us by 50 metres. She said: As there was only one path I thought we would meet him along the way. When I didnt I walked to the visitor centre and I checked the visitor centre." When she couldnt find her son here, she walked back along the path to search for her son and after not finding him, she reported him missing. She said that she last saw Zhihan at 1pm that day. She said that Zhihan was a fluent English speaker and described the clothes that Zhihan was wearing that day including black shorts, Nike Air Jordans, an LA Lakers wristband and a kids smart-watch. Sgt Claire McGuigan said that on the day, Ms Huang was able to provide a photo of Zhihan she had taken taken earlier on the Cliffs of Moher trail. Garda Colm Collins said that he received a call that day at 2pm to attend the Cliffs of Moher after a male was seen falling off the cliff edge. He said that the Irish Coastguard had spotted a body floating in the water at the base of the Cliffs of Moher. Through the interpreter, the mother asked was the location the same spot where scenes from a Harry Potter movie were shot and Insp Costello said that they were not. Garda Collins said that a lifeboat was launched but the craft was not able to access the site where the body was spotted due to the sea conditions. Zhihans body would not be recovered from the sea for another five days and was recovered after fisherman, Matthew OHalloran from Corofin, Co Clare spotted a body facedown and arms extended in the water between Doolin and the Aran Islands shortly after 10am on Sunday, July 28. Mr OHalloran alerted the Irish coastguard at Valentia and members of the Doolin unit of the Irish coastguard retrieved Zhihans body from the waters and brought it ashore at Doolin. Ms ODea said that the post mortem found that Zhihan died from multiple traumatic injuries consistent with a fall from a height. Ms ODea said her verdict was one of accidental death. She said: It is clear from evidence we heard that Zhihan slipped off the Cliffs rather than any other way. His death would have been very quick - instantaneous." Ms ODea told Ms Huang I cant imagine how upsetting this is for you and the two embraced as Ms Huang left the coroners court in Kilrush. Ms ODea also extended her sympathies to Zhihans father who was not present at the inquest. Addressing Ms Huang, Insp Costello said: The pain must be immeasurable for you all. Ms Huang declined to comment on the record when approached for comment after the inquest. On August 22 of last year, the Clare Local Development Company closed off large sections of part of the Cliffs of Moher trail and it remains closed off today due to continuing safety concerns. At the time, the Clare Local Development Company confirmed that it was taking the action following the two recent fatal accidents on the Cliffs of Moher trail. In May 2024, a young woman died after she fell from the Cliffs of Moher. She was in her early 20s and a college student from Belgium who was studying in Scotland. Alex Plesca (25) was disqualified from driving for two years by a judge who described the incident as madness. A dangerous driver caught on the wrong side of the road was racing another car in an industrial area at the time, a court has heard. Alex Plesca (25) was disqualified from driving for two years by a judge who described the incident as madness. Judge David McHugh also fined Plesca 250. Blanchardstown District Court News in 90 Seconds - 6th June 2025 The defendant, of Elm Dale, Cherry Orchard, Ballyfermot, admitted dangerous driving on August 11, 2024. Garda Colm Fox told Blanchardstown District Court that he was on mobile patrol at Damastown Way in Mulhuddart at 10.25pm when he came across Plesca, who was on the wrong side of the road, and racing another car. Gda Fox said the road was a main road in an industrial area, and there were people standing on the footpath. Defence lawyer Ciaran MacLoughlin said this was essentially a drag race meeting, and the people were spectators. The court heard Plesca had two previous convictions for uninsured driving, and had previously served driving bans for two, and four years. Mr MacLoughlin said Plesca had served those bans, and was fully insured on the evening in question. He said that Plesca, a steel worker, was holding his hands up, and had not engaged in such races since this incident. When he was put into the holding cell, Andrew O'Neill urinated on a cell door A Dublin man has been jailed for two months for urinating in a Garda cell in Co Donegal after he was arrested. Andrew O'Neill appeared at Letterkenny District Court after a drunken episode at Letterkenny bus station on April 3rd, 2024. The 34-year-old was drunk and becoming aggressive with a bus driver at 1.35pm on the day in question. Gardai were called and O'Neill, of Gardiner Street in Dublin, was arrested and taken to Letterkenny Garda Station and was searched. Stock image News in 90 Seconds - 6th June 2025 A quantity of drugs with a street value of 40 was found on the accused. When he was put into the holding cell, O'Neill urinated on a cell door. He was charged with causing criminal damage, being intoxicated in a public place and failing to comply with the directions of An Garda Siochana. O'Neill, who has 58 previous convictions including many under the Misuse of Drugs Act, is currently in custody on other matters. Solicitor for the accused, Mr Rory O'Brien said his client had come to Donegal from his native Dublin in a bid to kick his drug habit. On the day he was under the influence and Mr O'Brien said his client regrets all that happened. He added that when this happened he was on a "downward spiral" through alcohol and that he continues to need a significant amount of assistance for his addiction. Judge Eiteain Cunningham put it to Garda Sergeant Jim Collins that she presumed the station cell required a "deep clean" following the incident adding that this was simply "not acceptable behaviour." Judge Cunningham sentenced O'Neill to two months in prison for the criminal damage charge and took the other charges into consideration. Alex Kelly (31) was identified as the culprit through dashcam footage. A man who caused more than 2,000 worth of damage to his neighbours new car had not got along with him for some time, a court heard. Alex Kelly (31) was identified as the culprit through dashcam footage. Judge David McHugh adjourned the case to a date in September, to allow Kelly pay compensation to the victim. The defendant admitted criminal damage to a 231-registered vehicle at Old Farm Apartments, Carpenterstown, Dublin 15. Sergeant Maria Callaghan told Blanchardstown District Court the paintwork on the victims car, on the front left panel, was scratched shortly after 2.30am on June 3, 2023. It cost 2,038 to repair. Alex Kelly outside Blanchardstown District Court News in 90 Seconds - 6th June 2025 Sgt Callaghan said Kelly was identified as the culprit on dashcam footage. Sgt Callaghan said the injured party did not wish to make a victim-impact statement, but wished for her to convey to the court that the incident had caused him stress. His car insurance had covered the damage, but there was an excess of 300, which he had to pay. His insurance premium had also been affected. Sgt Callaghan told the court the victim further claimed that Kelly had been abusive at times, and the victim did not want any contact with him. The court heard Kelly had no previous convictions. Defence solicitor Philip Hannon said there was a background to this matter, but Kelly did not wish to pour oil on water. Mr Hannon said the defendant was being mature, had taken responsibility for his actions, and had written a letter of apology. Mr Hannon said the parties were alienated from each other, and it would appear this situation had existed for some time. There had been a degree of intoxication on the night, but this did not excuse Kellys behaviour, added Mr Hannon. The court heard that there was still bad feeling there, and Judge McHugh adjourned sentencing, saying the matter was not straightforward. BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- As of Friday morning, the Tianwen-2 probe had been operating smoothly in orbit for over eight days, reaching a distance of more than 3 million kilometers from Earth, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA) Friday. The CNSA also released an image captured by the probe, showing one unfolded solar panel. China launched its first asteroid sample-return mission, Tianwen-2, on May 29, an endeavour to shed light on the formation and evolution of asteroids and the early solar system. The Tianwen-2 mission aims to achieve multiple goals over a decade-long expedition: collecting samples from the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3 and exploring the main-belt comet 311P, which is more distant than Mars. To meet the power demands during the deep-space voyage, the Tianwen-2 probe is equipped with circular, flexible solar panels. The Old Bailey heard how Dylan Earl had grand ambitions to build a link between the IRA, the Kinahans and Russia, as he declared: We have direct connection to the Kremlin, we can do something big A court has heard how a man hired by the terrorist Wagner Group to burn down a warehouse linked to Ukraine boasted about linking up the IRA and the Kinahan crime cartel with Russian agents. Leicestershire man Dylan Earl has admitted orchestrating an arson attack on the warehouse in east London last year, as well as plotting to burn down Mayfair businesses and kidnapping their Russian dissident owner. Described as the architect of the scheme, the Old Bailey heard how 20-year-old Earl had grand ambitions to build a link between the IRA, the Kinahans and Russia, as he declared: We have direct connection to the Kremlin, we can do something big. Earl, who had been recruited by the terrorist group that was conducting a sabotage campaign on behalf of Russian intelligence, has admitted aggravated arson on behalf of the Wagner Group on the warehouse in Leyton, East London. The fire destroyed over 100,000 worth of equipment, including generators and vital satellite equipment destined for Ukraine. Jurors at the Old Bailey were shown chats between Earl, of Elmesthorpe, near Hinckley, and a Wagner Group contact identified by the handle Privet Bot, on Telegram. Dylan Earl News in 90 Seconds - 6th June 2025 The day before the arson attack, Privet Bot instructed Earl to watch the television series The Americans, about KGB agents undercover in the US, "in order to understand (the) work". The court was told how Earl allegedly roped in Jake Reeves (23) from Croydon, south London, to help recruit people to carry out the arson attack on the warehouse. Earl also revealed his plans to Ashton Evans (20) from Newport, Gwent, on Signal, Snapchat and mobile phone messages, it is alleged. Four men accused of carrying out the arson attack, Jakeem Rose (23), Ugnius Asmena (20), Nii Mensah (23) and Paul English (61) were told to live stream it to Earl so he could report back to the Russians on the success of the mission. The four have denied aggravated arson relating to the warehouse fire. Jake Reeves (23) from Croydon, south London The blaze at 11.40pm on March 20 last year started with a jerry can of petrol and caused more than 1 million in damage to the premises, which was targeted because of its connection to Ukraine, with the warehouse being used to store StarLink satellite equipment and humanitarian aid bound for the war zone. However, Russia refused to pay the arsonists because the blaze wasnt up to the Wagner Groups standards, the court heard, as the arsonists made a series of errors, forgetting to film the attack and having to return to the scene where they were captured on CCTV. Reeves, from Croydon, South London, who has already admitted his part in the conspiracy, later complained: They were supposed to make it burn.. but they just ran in there. Two days after the attack, Earl admitted he was waiting on payment still, apparently itll land today but it's nowhere near the amount because they didnt burn the whole thing. The following day, the court was told Evans had asked Earl: "Did you light it up?" before discussing the plot to burn down Hide restaurant and Hedonism wine shop in Mayfair, snatch the owner and hand him over to Russia. On April 1 2024, Earl asked Evans to delete their chats and asked if he could make connections with the IRA or the Irish Kinahan crime family. Earl suggested he wanted to "build a link" between the Kinahans and Russia, saying: "We have direct connection to the Kremlin, we can do suin (something) big." After his arrest, Evans claimed he did not take the chat seriously, having jokingly told Earl: "And this is all in Minecraft (the computer game) right?" He also claimed in a police interview that he was just stringing Earl along to get a refund for 300 of fake cocaine he had bought. Both Earl and Reeves have pleaded guilty to aggravated arson of the east London warehouse and an offence under the National Security Act. Prosecutor Duncan Penny, KC, told jurors: This was deliberate and calculated criminality - at the behest of foreign influence. In the case of these defendants at the time of the fire they may have been ignorant of that influence and the motive may have been financial - good old-fashioned greed. For others, however, it appears to have been both political and ideological. The case continues. Alicia Kemp (24) was arrested and charged for riding the hired e-scooter on a footpath and knocking down 51-year-old engineer Thanh Phan Pedestrian Thanh Phan died after being hit at the intersection of Murray Street and King Street by an e-scooter A British backpacker is facing 20 years in prison after she allegedly killed a father by ploughing into him while riding drunk on an e-scooter. An Australian court was told Alicia Kemp (24) was arrested and charged for riding the hired e-scooter on a footpath and knocking down 51-year-old engineer Thanh Phan. Mr Phan was struck from behind as he walked along Murray Street in Perth's Central Business District with a friend at about 8.40pm on Saturday. Alicia Kemp who had been riding the e-scooter that hit Mr Phan has been denied bail having appeared in court flanked by security guards. The court was told that she was in Australia with her partner on a four-month tourist visa and that she had been working at Durty Nelly's Irish pub. E-scooters on a street in Perth. Stock image News in 90 Seconds - 5th June 2025 She had been out drinking on Saturday afternoon from 2.30pm with a friend, who was kicked out of a bar for being too drunk. Later that evening, at around 8.30pm, she hired an e-scooter. Police told the court that she was the main driver, while her friend was a passenger. Prosecutors said that Kemp was driving in an inexplicably dangerous manner and that pedestrians were forced to take evasive action. She has careered into his back, causing him to fall forward and hit his head, the officer said. Mr Phan, a senior structural engineer for Worley, was taken to Royal Perth hospital in a critical condition. He tragically died of brain injuries following the May 31 incident. Ms Kemps 26-year-old pillion passenger was flung from the e-scooter but suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The whole incident that was captured on CCTV lasted less than 10 minutes. Pedestrian Thanh Phan died after being hit at the intersection of Murray Street and King Street by an e-scooter Vehicle examiners who watched the footage estimated Ms Kemp reached up to 25km/h, while the speed limit for e-scooters on footpaths was 10km/h. She was travelling at 24km/h when she careered into his back, prosecutors said, adding that this caused Phan to fall forward and hit his head. A police prosecutor told Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday that the 24-year-old a blood alcohol reading of 0.158 per cent. The police prosecutor told Magistrate Richard Huston that an upgraded charge was guaranteed. Ms Kemp had been charged with dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm under the influence of alcohol, but that has now been upgraded to dangerous driving occasioning death under the influence of alcohol. It carries a maximum penalty of 20 years. Ms Kemp who sustained minor injuries and was not taken to hospital, also faces a charge of dangerous driving occasioning bodily harm under the influence of alcohol over her friends injuries. The unidentified 26-year-old was thrown from the scooter and suffered a fractured skull and broken nose. The police prosecutor opposed bail as Ms Kemp was in Western Australia for four months on a working holiday visa. As she had connection to WA, she was considered a flight risk to which the magistrate agreed, despite the accused womans duty lawyer saying she could be under a 24-hour curfew and surrender her passport. The magistrate said that remanding the British backpacker in custody was a very difficult decision for the court to make. But he said that the prosecution's strong case and the prospect of a long prison sentence if convicted meant that there was a risk of her not returning to court to answer the charges. The temptation might be that (she) won't return. I can't manage that risk.' Ms Kemp wiped away tears, according to Perth Now, as she was told she would be remanded in custody until her next court appearance on July 15. Mr Phans profile showed he studied in Singapore before working in Vietnam then Sydney before moving to Perth. In a statement, Mr Phans family described him as a beloved husband, father of two, brother and dear friend. Saying the news of his death on Monday night had been heart-breaking, they called for a review of laws and safety regulations around hired e-scooters to help prevent further serious incidents that put lives at risk. According to a court report, the victim, identified as 41-year-old Katherine Kipnis, was hit so hard some of her hair was embedded in the BMW's windshield and found on the front passenger headrest Ivana Gomez and the blue BMW she was driving The driver of a BMW who hit a woman so hard her head went through the windscreen allegedly told cops it was just a homeless person. Florida woman Ivana Gomez is in Miami-Dade County jail following the fatal hit-and-run crash. She is behind bars after cops say she fatally struck the pedestrian before driving away. She then dismissed her actions by allegedly saying the victim was just a homeless person. Gomez (32) is facing charges of leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death and resisting an officer without violence. Ivana Gomez and the blue BMW she was driving News in 90 Seconds - 5th June 2025 According to an arrest report, Gomez had passed a police officer while driving the BMW at a high rate of speed moments before she struck the pedestrian. She didn't stop even after the officer activated his lights and siren and only came to a halt when she reached a red light with two vehicles in front of her. The officer noted in the report that Gomez had a strong odour of alcohol on her breath and bloodshot, watery eyes. She declined to complete a sobriety test and requested to speak to an attorney. She was the only one in the car and was arrested. When she was in the back of a patrol car, police said, she spontaneously stated that it was just a homeless person that I hit and it is just an accident. Gomez denied making the statement, insisting: I did not say that whatsoever. Thats false. However, Gomezs disregard for human life by fleeing the scene and possibly being under the influence of an alcoholic beverage demonstrates a reckless and wanton disregard for the safety of others, a court report reads. According to a court report, the victim, identified as 41-year-old Katherine Kipnis, was hit so hard some of her hair was embedded in the BMW's windshield and found on the front passenger headrest. Kipnis cousin who spoke during the hearing, asked the judge to be aware of what a shining light has been taken out of this world by the incredible irresponsibility of this defendant. The victims father spoke with local ABC affiliate WPLG on Friday. My daughter was vivacious, lovable. Everyone really liked her. She was tough, but in a good way, he told the outlet. I just think back, I spoke to her last night at 6 oclock when she told me, I love you, Dad. Thats the last thing she said to me. Prosecutors say Gomez could face additional charges including vehicular homicide after further investigation. Hazel Behan accused Christian Brueckner of raping her at her home in Portugal three years before the tot vanished An Irish woman who accused Madeleine McCanns suspected killer of rape has says he could of been stopped. Hazel Behan accused Christian Brueckner of raping her at her home in Portugal in 2004. He went on trial in 2020, accused of raping the Dublin woman and a number of other women, but was aquitted. She has now said he could have been stopped from attacking other women, and potentially kidnapping and murdering the British tot in 2007. I feel that those who were in a position and mandated a position to protect and serve and do their job didn't, Behan told The State of Us Podcast hosts Tara Mills and Declan Harvey. Hazel Behan at home in Mullingar. Photo: Steve Humphreys It also places a huge amount of guilt in me because even though I know I couldn't have done anything more it doesn't stop the guilt that I have. If I had shouted louder, that if I had made more of a fuss at the time, all of these things may not have happened to other people, she confessed. I carry that because of them not doing their job, and that really, really upsets me. Like to a point that I feel that they need to be called out for that. I don't think all these years later I should be doing all, having to go through all this again because of the ineptitude of a police force. There's people like me and other victims who believe they're victims of Christian Bruckner who have suffered as a result. It comes as German police began fresh searches in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in connection with the disappearance of 3-year-old Madeline McCann. Search teams investigating Madeleine McCann's disappearance use a digger next to a derelict property close to Praia De Luz, Portugal. Photo: PA The search was reportedly prompted by the discovery of disturbing new evidence found on a hard drive hidden in Brueckners secret lair. Cops discovered a hard drive containing pictures at a disused factory in Neuwegersleben, Germany, which was purchased by Bruckner in 2008, just one year after the toddler vanished. Details of the find were reported by The Sun and Channel 4. The files were uncovered in 2016 when a dog ran onto the property and appeared to find a grave. When authorities dug, they discovered a deceased dog lying on top of a wallet containing six USB sticks and two memory cards, which reportedly contained disturbing materials. Following this, 100 cops launched a full-scale search, finding children's clothes and toys, as well as masks, chemicals and three black market guns. The sinister items also included stories allegedly written by the German national, one of which detailed the abuse of a four-year-old blonde girl. Missing Madeleine McCann and suspect Christian Brueckner News in 90 Seconds - 6th June 2025 Child abuse images, records of Skype conversations with paedophiles and 75 children's swimming costumes were also found, as well as a metal case of photographs depicting girls believed to be aged four and five. In 2020, Brueckner went on trial accused of five separate counts of rape and sexual assault which prosecutors allege he committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. One of these charges related to the alleged rape of Westmeath woman Hazel Behan after he broke into her apartment via the balcony while she was sleeping. A court heard that she was raped by him in June 2004 while working as a holiday rep in Portugal. He was acquitted of all charges, but the Irish woman has now lodged an application to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) alleging inaction by Portuguese police in identifying and prosecuting Brueckner for her rape. Cops trying to find evidence of Brueckners involvement in McCanns disappearance are in a race against time as he is expected to be released from prison in later this year. The German is serving time behind bars for the rape of an American woman in Praia da Luz in 2005. Madeline McCann vanished from her familys holiday rental in Praia da Luz two years later in May 2007. Madeleine McCann has been missing since 2007 The tot slept in a bedroom with her two younger twin siblings as their parents dined at a nearby restaurant with their friends. When Madelines mother, Kate, checked on her children at around 10 pm, Maddie was not there, and the alarm was raised. The case of the missing girl captivated the world, and continues to do so as no trace of the 3-year-old has ever been found, despite an international manhunt to find her. No one has ever been charged in connection with her disappearance. If youve been effected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact the Rape Crisis Centre on 1800 77 8888. He is accused of raping a woman as she slept at a hotel in Boston last year Jury selection has begun in the rape trial of Irish firefighter Terence Crosbie. Its alleged he raped a woman at a Boston hotel during St. Patricks Day weekend celebrations in the city last year. Witnesses from Ireland are expected to be called to give evidence at the trial at Suffolk Superior Court when it gets underway. Opening statements in the trial of the married father are expected to begin within the next week. Hes been held at Nashua Street jail in Boston since his arrested last year. The 38-year-old from Dublin was detained at Boston Logan International Airport as he attempted to fly back to Ireland a day early after speaking to cops. A Boston Police Department photo of Terence Crosbie News in 90 Seconds - 6th June 2025 He was charged on March 18 with the alleged rape of a woman at Omni Parker House, on March 14th and pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors allege he raped the female stranger as she slept during a visit to Boston with members of the Dublin Fire Brigade. The woman (28) said she went to the Black Rose Irish Pub with her co-workers when she met an Irish man and his colleagues. Video allegedly shows the woman leaving the restaurant with the man at around 11.30pm, and returning to the hotel room he was sharing with Crosbie at the hotel. The man and the woman had a consensual encounter before falling asleep in separate beds. She said she awoke to Crosbie on top of her, raping her. Court records state that she demanded he stop, but in response Crosbie allegedly said that he knew she wanted it, and called his friend pathetic for falling asleep. The woman left the hotel and messaged a friend to say she had been assaulted. She went to hospital where she spoke to cops and underwent a sexual assault examination. In August, prosecutors requested a DNA swab from Crosbie for comparative testing after a rape kit from the woman found male DNA. Terence Crosbie at a previous court hearing A known DNA sample from the defendant will produce evidence relevant to the question of his guilt, Assistant District Attorney Erin Murphy said. According to court documents, Crosbie objected to providing a sample on grounds of unreasonable searches and seizures. In an interview with police, Crosbie denied the rape. He told police he climbed into bed not knowing she was even there, but he heard her gather her clothes and leave the room. His lawyer. Daniel C. Reilly said that his client was not concerned about what the DNA is going to return or say, adding that he is adamant that he had no physical contact with her. At a previous hearing, lawyers representing the Dublin Fire Brigade firefighter said he will do everything to clear his name. I can tell you right now, he is going to fight and clear his name and do everything that he can to address these charges and maintain his innocence, Boston attorney Brad Bailey told Boston 25 News Reporter Bob Ward. This is a man, Bob, who has never been in trouble before. Has no prior record, has never been in jail. Here he is, in a jail cell with no ability to make bail, really in a situation that is arguably punitive for somebody who has the presumption of innocence, Bailey said. Dublin firefighter Terence Crosbie Crosbie was placed on leave by Dublin Fire Brigade. In a statement, his employer said: "Dublin Fire Brigade chief fire officer has been made aware that the Boston Police Department have begun a criminal investigation into an alleged serious case involving a member of Dublin Fire Brigade. "The firefighter has immediately been placed on leave. We cannot comment on the specific circumstances but we would reiterate the high standards that we expect from all who represent our organisation at any event. "As a result, we are conducting an internal investigation and establishing the facts in collaboration with the appropriate authorities and the organisers of the delegation. As this is a criminal investigation, we will not be making any further comment at this time." If youve been effected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact the Rape Crisis Centre on 1800 77 8888. The 63-year-old is trying to overturn a 2023 drug smuggling conviction Prosecutors in the Netherlands have demanded Kinahan associate and drug lord Mink Kok receive a nine-year prison sentence for his role in smuggling drugs into the country. It comes as the 63-year-old appealed his conviction at the court of appeal at The Hague on Wednesday. He was handed down a six-year sentence in June 2023 after he was found guilty for his role in smuggling 400 kilos of cocaine into the Netherlands in a shipment of bananas. The consignment arrived in 2020 via the port of Antwerp but was somehow mislaid and was eventually found at a supermarket in Remscheid, Germany. De Telegraaf reported that the court saw sufficient evidence for a conviction based on intercepted messages on the Sky ECC server. His lawyer, Mark Teurlings, has pleaded for his client to be acquitted. He claims that there is insufficient evidence to prove that the encrypted text messages were sent by Kok. He also claimed that the link between Kok and the banana shipment is factually and substantively untenable. Mink Kok News in 90 Seconds - 6th June 2025 The hearing will continue next Wednesday. According to De Telegraaf the [encrypted] messages discuss, among other things, amounts of money and order lists. In its ruling, the court refers to raw materials and chemicals and blocks of cocaine and cocaine base, payments and locations and required personnel (cooks). "He had a leading and coordinating role," the court said. In addition, he had a leading role in setting up what appears to be a large-scale drug lab, given the amounts paid and quantities of chemicals purchased. The Dutch Public Prosecution Service had previously demanded nine years in prison for Kok but the sentence was lowered as there was insufficient evidence that he also had another batch of drugs in his possession. The convicted drug trafficker and gun runner, one of the most infamous gangland criminals in Dutch history, had struck up a close working relationship with Christy Kinahan Snr when they were both based in Amsterdam in the 1990s. It is believed the pair worked together to import millions of euro worth of cocaine and ecstasy into Ireland and the UK. Kok's son-in-law, named only as Najim Z is also accused by the Public Prosecution Service of being behind the importation from South America of two batches of 750 and 840 kilos of cocaine. These were intercepted in 2021 in the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam. Najim Z (42) was previously sentenced for those two coke shipments in a separate case. He was handed down an eight-year prison sentence minus time spent in pre-detention and a detention period in Lebanon. However, prosecutors have demanded another 12 years in prison against him two weeks ago in the case which is completely separate from that of Koks. According to the justice officials, evidence against Kok stems from intercepted Sky ECC messages. Justice officials say they can prove that there was intensive contact between Sky phones that are attributed to Z and Mink Kok, who were both arrested in Lebanon at the end of March 2022. There was no Sky telephone found with Kok when he was arrested, but detectives say that the investigation against Kok started after he admitted to a TV programme that he used Sky telephones to communicate with others. His lawyer previously denied that Kok was the user of the two Sky phones attributed to him. In the messages we clearly read that the user of the telephone would be in the Netherlands, even in Amsterdam, Teurlings has been quoted as saying. So the user could never have been Kok because he was in Lebanon at the time. Various media have referred to Najim Z based on various judicial or police sources as a leader in Ridouan Taghi's network. Dutch-Moroccan Taghi is regarded as one of Europes biggest drugs traffickers and is a key associate of the Kinahan Cartel. He was one of a number of high-profile criminals who were guests at Daniel Kinahans wedding in Dubai in 2017. Along with a number of his associates, Taghi is currently facing multiple charges ranging from assassinations, attempted killings and murder plots. Lawyers for Z have previously contested that their client should be considered as the financial man in Taghi's drug network, as the Public Prosecutor believes. I got a little advance warning of his release and I was numb with shock as it was so unexpected. The Irish wife of Robert Pether who was released from an Iraqi jail last night has revealed how she was numb with shock when told the news The couple live in Elphin county Roscommon and Robert was locked up four years ago after being caught up in a dispute between his employers and the Iraqi government but is now out on bail. His wife Desree told the Sunday World, I got a little advance warning of his release and I was numb with shock as it was so unexpected. Robert Pether News in 90 Seconds - 6th June 2025 He called me from his lawyers phone late last night and only then did I really believe it. It was a video call and he looked so ill he was barely recognizable. I hadn't seen him in weeks because he was too weak to take calls and we had been correspnding solely by email As part of his bail conditions Robert has to remain in Iraq and Desree's efforts to address that have been delayed. The Muslim festival of Eid has just begun and nothing gets done for a week so we just have to wait, but having waited four years to get this far we'll manage that He needs to get home for medical help so we'll battle on. Tanaiste Simon Harris pleaded Roberts case in a meeting with Iraqi officials last month and Desree said: To be fair the government here have gone above and beyond the call of duty to help Winston Winkie Irvine is over two weeks into a 30-month sentence after being convicted of a raft of arms charges. The UVF has issued a hands-off order as gunrunner Winston Winkie Irvine goes onto the loyalist wing in Maghaberry. The one-time UVF commander is two weeks into a 30-month sentence after being convicted of a raft of arms charges. After a short time on the committal wing he has now moved to the loyalist wing, which houses 13 UDA and UVF prisoners including those recently convicted of the murder of Ian Ogle in 2019. It is understood he will be joined by Robin Workman, who was convicted alongside him but who was handed a five-year term despite being the lesser participant in the incident, which saw police discover a bagful of guns and ammunition in the boot of Irvines car. There are obvious tensions surrounding his conviction and many questions remain unanswered as to what was he doing driving through Belfast with a carload of weaponry. Winston 'Winkie' Irvine News in 90 Seconds - 6th June 2025 Irvine is a deeply divisive figure, distrusted by UVF members but backed by the terror groups leadership. Now the Sunday World understands chief of staff John Bunter Graham has issued a decree that Irvine is not to be touched while serving his sentence. UVF members are convinced Irvine, former commander of UVF B Company in the Woodvale area of the Shankill, has compromised many volunteers down the years. He is also distrusted over his roles in attempting to resolved parades dispute, in particular the three-year stand off at Twaddell Avenue which saw the Orange Order admit defeat in their attempts to complete their Twelfth return parade to Ligoniel, which would have taken them past the Ardoyne shops flashpoint. Irvine has told friends he intends to take up where he left off when he gets out which is likely to be within a year with time served and half his sentence on probation. And he is counting on the continued support of Graham and his trusted sidekick Harmless Harry Stockman. John Bunter Graham Despite deep suspicion surrounding Irvine, the pair have stood firm with him. His extensive contacts with both the British and Irish governments guaranteed a flow of grant aid and funding for community and ex-prisoner projects in loyalist areas. Irvine himself secured a stream of publicly funded jobs. At various intervals Irvine has been on the payroll at the Woodvale and Shankill Community Association, Intercomm, a conflict resolution organization which also employed a number of Sinn Fein members, the Duncairn Community Partnership, WGS Residential, WGS Green Energy, North Belfast Policing and Community Partnership and Building Cultural Networks. He is also the organiser of an annual parade on the Shankill in memory of UVF man Brian Robinson, who was shot dead by an undercover army unit in 1989. Despite pleas from the family who did not support such an event he went ahead, securing grant aid and charging traders for food stalls. He was also behind the Woodvale Festival, which is understood to receive funding from Belfast City Council. Robin Workman In references handed to court during his criminal proceedings, Irvines work in trying to help broker a peace settlement in Afghanistan was praised. There is no threat against Irvine and as long as he has the backing of the leadership he will be left alone, but his time behind bars is sure to be uncomfortable. He had confided in friends that he was dreading his stint in the clink because, despite a long paramilitary career, he has no convictions. Until his guns rap, Irvine never faced criminal charges despite being identified as the masked man reading a statement on behalf of the UVF, and pictured in the Sunday World in 2005 rioting in north Belfast, which earned him the nickname Winkie The Crate. He is also suspected of abandoning a cache of weapons recovered by police during the loyalist feud of 2000. The leadership has been discredited and embarrassed about what happened with Winkie, said our source. There has yet to be an explanation as to what Irvine was doing with a bag of guns and ammo when intercepted by police in June 2022. Promises from his legal team of a significant announcement that would explain his actions have never materialized. His 30-month sentence half behind bars, half on licence also raised eyebrows, as his co-accused Robin Workman was handed a five-year tariff. It is understood PSNI forensic tests on the weapons did not uncover any evidence that they had been previously used in terrorist activity. The shocking incident happened at a school fundraiser Bouncy castle horror as 2 kids thrown 40ft in the air at school fundraiser Terrifying footage captures the moment two children cheat death after falling from a bouncy castle blown 40 feet into the air by strong winds. The horror happened during a fund-raising day at a school in South Africa when an unexpected gust caused the seemingly-untethered inflatable to take flight. Witnesses at the Laerskool Protearif school can be heard screaming in terror as the multi-coloured castle spiralled high into the sky. A shocked worker watches helplessly as one of the children trapped on the inflatable is unable to hold on and plummets to the ground below. Just moments later, a second youngster also loses their grip and plunges off the side of the castle. News in 90 Seconds - 6th June 2025 Quick-thinking parents at the event formed a human crash pad to break the pupils' fall, but despite their efforts, both children were still seriously injured. They were rushed to hospital where one was said to have a fractured skull and the other a broken arm. It is not known how many or if any other children were on board and managed to cling on inside the bouncy castle which landed about 50 feet from where it took off. Back with a new EP and set to tour Ireland, Picture This star Ryan Hennessy is also bracing himself for the Oasis live experience. He was too young to see his idols the first time around, so Picture This star Ryan Hennessy is bracing himself for the experience of his life when Oasis come to town in August. Back with a new EP and set to tour Ireland, the Picture This frontman tells Magazine+ that he understands his own bands appeal to fans because hes a superfan himself. For us its always just naturally been about the fans, I think because were such big fans of music ourselves, Ryan says. I love being a fan of things, Im a huge Man United fan, Im a huge Oasis fan, Im super passionate about Leonard Cohen people like that get me so excited. Ryan, Jimmy, Owen and Cliff are releasing a new EP News in 90 Seconds - 6th June 2025 Im a super fan and I dont find it embarrassing. Im sorted for a ticket for Oasis in Croke Park and it will be a huge moment for me because Ive never seen them live. I was just too young to catch them and they mean everything to me and have meant everything to me since I can remember, and have informed so much of my life. Its going to be a crazy moment for me to see them on stage. I dont know how Im going to feel, actually, seeing them. Ive seen Liam and Noel separately playing their solo stuff and that alone is just so amazing to see. But the two of them standing on stage together is going to be an incredible moment. Picture This lead singer Ryan Hennessy on stage at Belsonic Ive been interviewing Picture This since the start of their career and have seen them navigate the often shark-infested waters of the music business and live to tell the tale. Nearly 10 years down the line, frontman Hennessy, Jimmy Rainsford (drums), Owen Cardiff (guitar) and Cliff Dean (bass) are enjoying the self-assurance that comes with experience. Were leading an extraordinary life, but were ordinary people and I used to be afraid of saying that. I think it was maybe an ego thing, Ryan says. I didnt want people to think I was ordinary. I wanted people to think I was extraordinary, but the older I get and the more mature I get I realise that Im just as ordinary as anybody else. Im just very lucky that I lead an extraordinary life and very, very grateful that thats the case. But I like being grounded and on earth with the boys and not being away with the fairies. Rainsford acknowledges how their wealth of experience has shaped the band. Its true that were very experienced now, we know what were doing, we have great trust in our team and our fans and weve never been happier creating music than we are today, Jimmy says. Picture This Were always trying to up the stakes a little bit because thats what the fans expect. Thats what I would expect from my favourite band anyway. I want to be challenged as a fan. I want to be told what to listen to and like and I want to be inspired. Picture This have weathered many a storm throughout their career. Oh we have! Jimmy says. Weve had some big storms, the biggest one being the coronavirus. It was just a terrible time and our career was hanging in the balance. But in a way I feel kind of thankful for that happening because it really made us stop and realise what we have and how lucky we are. I probably subconsciously still think about that. To weather those storms and come back stronger was really important because this is all we do. We dont have any other hobbies. Picture This will play all over Ireland this summer, coming to a town and city near you. Its that old-school approach, Ryan says. Were from Kildare so we know how it feels to forgotten about or overlooked or passed through while people are on the way to Dublin. So instead of people travelling to see us, were coming to see them in their home area. Releasing today, their new EP, Let The Light In, which includes Lets Try Love and A Thousand Times, is a set of stripped down songs with their unique storytelling. It was just the four of us hanging out and playing songs together and they just ended up coming out in that more acoustic stripped style, Jimmy reveals. There are no bells and whistles just pure storytelling and pure heart and pure craic between four friends. BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Every afternoon, Feng Jianlai clocks out early from his job, picks up his five-year-old son from kindergarten, and heads home to spend time with his two-year-old. Just a few years ago, this would have been unthinkable. Feng, from Zhongshan City, a manufacturing hub in south China's Guangdong Province, credits one thing for the change: a local initiative known as "Mom Posts." Initially created to help mothers of young children return to work with flexible hours, the program has since expanded to support fathers like Feng as well. Feng is the general manager of the sewing workshop at a daily necessities manufacturer. In 2024, his position was reclassified as a "Mom Post" after he applied for the designation. Today, 70 percent of the workshop roles are classified as "Mom Posts," giving caregivers greater flexibility in managing their work schedules. "It's not just for moms," Feng said. "Now dads can take time off when needed and make it up later. It's a real help for families like ours." LOCAL EXPERIMENTS, NATIONAL GOALS Zhongshan was among the first Chinese cities to roll out "Mom Posts," offering government subsidies to encourage businesses to create flexible work opportunities for parents, especially mothers. Launched in 2022 and continuously upgraded, the initiative aims to address two persistent challenges: labor shortages in the manufacturing sector and barriers preventing caregivers from rejoining the workforce. By the end of 2024, 534 enterprises in Zhongshan have set up "Mom Posts," with nearly 25,000 such positions officially registered. More than 5,600 people have been employed directly through the initiative, and nearly 12 million yuan (about 1.65 million U.S. dollars) in subsidies have been disbursed. These posts offer a rare opportunity for caregivers to balance parenting and career development, said Fan Wei, a labor economics professor at Capital University of Economics and Business in Beijing. "They support women's employment, promote child well-being, meet corporate labor needs, and even influence long-term fertility trends." The model is now spreading. In December 2024, Shanghai launched a pilot program for "Parent-friendly Posts," encouraging employers to create jobs with flexible schedules for employees caring for children under the age of 12. Dedicated government job service windows across the city have reported growing interest from parents, with some reporting that up to 40 percent of inquiries now come from fathers. "Flexible jobs have long existed, but they are scattered across sectors and companies," said Hu Yong, a community official in downtown Shanghai. "What we are doing is uncovering these opportunities, matching positions to families who need them most, and encouraging enterprises to create more." These local innovations echo the national agenda. As one of the world's most populous countries, China faces a dwindling number of newborns. Before reporting rises in 2024, the country's birth rate and number of newborns both dropped for seven consecutive years. To boost its birth rate, China has rolled out a series of policies, including support for second and third children, expanded childcare services, longer maternity leave, and broader aid in education, housing, and employment. In a 2021 policy document on promoting balanced population development, national authorities called for efforts to support work-family balance through flexible employment policies. That vision was further reinforced in 2024, when a national policy document urged employers to implement telecommuting, staggered work hours, and other childcare-supportive arrangements. Guan Lian, deputy head of the National Human Resources Institute for Service Outsourcing (NISO), said parent-friendly posts are a humane and practical response to the pressures faced by dual-role professionals in China. "They help reduce anxiety for a generation caught between work demands and child-rearing responsibilities." NEW PATHWAYS, ONGOING CHALLENGES A 2023 survey by the All-China Women's Federation found that 82.7 percent of full-time mothers hope to return to work, with nearly half favoring part-time or flexible job options. Today, parent-friendly job zones are a regular feature at recruitment fairs in China. While many roles remain labor-intensive, such as cleaning, catering or customer service, more diverse opportunities are emerging, including remote marketing, livestream hosting, and early childhood education assistance. Yueyue (pseudonym), a mother of a toddler, works part-time as an audiobook host for the Shanghai-based digital reading platform Fanshu App. From a two-square-meter corner of her apartment, she records 10 to 15 hours weekly between naps and meal prep. Her employer now designates part-time audiobook hosts and social media operators as "Parent-friendly Posts," offering flexible shifts, work-from-home options, and even child-accompanied office hours during school breaks. "Our policies help us attract and retain talented caregivers," said Liu Yi, head of Fanshu's women's federation, adding that top audiobook hosts of the platform earn around 200,000 yuan annually. Still, gaps remain. For highly skilled professionals who have taken years off for childcare, reentry into the workforce can be tough. A mother surnamed Song from Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong Province, who left the workforce for eight years, said jobs that match both her professional background and family needs are limited. Song's concerns are echoed by Shao Xiaochun, a community official in Shanghai who works with businesses to identify flexible job opportunities. "Most parent-friendly positions are still part-time or temporary, with limited prospects for long-term career development," said Shao. To truly expand such opportunities, Guan Lian from NISO argues that companies must fundamentally rethink traditional management. "They need to embed parent-friendly roles into the institutional structure, not just treat them as one-off accommodations." Meanwhile, experts are urging stronger government action to advance parent-friendly jobs, calling for clearer job standards, improved coordination across departments, and more effective policy outreach to support both workers and employers. Companies need stronger incentives, and workers need better services, said Shen Jianfeng, a law expert at Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing. "Tax breaks, insurance subsidies, and enhanced public services -- like skills training for full-time parents -- can help bridge the gap," added Shen. The Caceres Irish Fleadh has grown into a unique international celebration of Irish culture abroad A UNIQUE Irish cultural festival in Spain will again be held in September. Guests last night, including members of the Spanish embassy and the tourist board in Dublin, attended the official launch of Irish Fleadh Festival Caceres 2025. Hosted at Urban Brewing in the IFSC, the launch unveiled exciting details about the festival, which brings the very best of Irish traditional music, dance, language, and culture to the stunning medieval city of Caceres in western Spain. Now in its 21st year of the festival, Caceres Irish Fleadh has grown into a unique international celebration of Irish culture abroad, drawing thousands of attendees from Ireland, Spain, and beyond. This festival has established itself as one of the most important events in the local cultural and festive calendar. It has become a key reference point for cultural, tourism, and musical exchanges with Ireland and with traditional music lovers around the globe. . News in 90 Seconds - 6th June 2025 The 2025 edition promises a weekend of live performances, workshops, sessions, and cultural exchange all set against the UNESCO World Heritage backdrop of Caceres ancient stone streets and plazas. September 19, 20, and 21 are the dates when the heart of the city will be taken over by musicians from various parts of the world, playing traditional Irish instruments bodhran, banjo, concertina, fiddle, whistle, or Uilleann pipes. Among the musicians on this year's lineup is Michael McGoldrick, considered one of the finest living flautists in Irish music. Also featured is Tim Edey, an English multi-instrumentalist and composer, who was named Musician of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and, along with Brendan Power, Best Duo. He was also named "Musician of the Year" at the 2020 MG Alba Awards for Scottish Traditional Music. Edey has been described as an "instrumental genius." The full program features more than 60 musicians from Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Scotland, the United Kingdom, Italy, the United States, Germany, and Sweden. The Friel Sisters, composed of Anna, Sheila, and Clare Friel, are a renowned Irish traditional music group known for their powerful performances and rich unison singing. They are known for their close combination of instruments (fiddle, flute, Irish bagpipes) and for performing songs in both English and Irish, many from their family repertoire. The Friel Sisters have toured extensively throughout Europe, America, and Asia. Also at the function yesterday evening were representatives of the Government of Extremadura, the Hon. Provincial Council of Caceres, the City Council of Caceres, the Spanish Ambassador to Ireland, the Irish Ambassador to Spain, and figures from OHaras Brewery, the official sponsor of the event. The Dublin launch event in Urban Brewing included a live traditional music session, attended by well-known musicians from Ireland and beyond, friends of the Caceres Irish Fleadh. Irish Fleadh Festival Caceres is a powerful reminder of the global love for Irish culture, says Patricia Bravo Garcia, festival director. Our launch in Dublin was not just a celebration it was a homecoming. Were excited to invite the Irish public to come join us in Caceres in 2025 for what promises to be our biggest and most vibrant festival yet. In 2025, Spain will enjoy two Irish Fleadhs. The festival that originated in Caceres will expand to the Canary Islands. The La Palma Irish Fleadh, organised by Extremadura and Palma residents, will take place on the weekend of October 17, 18, and 19 in Santa Cruz de la Palma. Starting in 2026, it will coincide with St. Patrick's Day in March.. Its program will feature musicians from different countries. The goal is to expand the structure of the Caceres Irish Fleadh, founded more than 20 years ago in the city of Caceres. The festival can be followed on these links: Website: https://www.irishfleadh.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caceresirishfleadh/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/irishfleadhcaceres/ Tauranga Historic Village in 17th Ave will be coming alive with a colourful celebration of vibrant music, dance, food, and culture as the city celebrates Africa Day 2025 on June 7. From 11am-5pm this Saturday, a free, family-friendly event will transform the village into a celebration of African heritage, with live performances, traditional and contemporary African cuisine, artisan crafts, and interactive cultural experiences. We are thrilled to invite everyone to join us in celebrating Africa Day 2025 at the Historic Village, said Ubuntu African Society Bay of Plenty Inc president Faustinah Ndlovu. Its a day to honour our past, celebrate our present, and envision our future together. Through music, art, and community, we hope to share African culture with the Bay of Plenty region and support African unity. The event promises a kaleidoscope of colour and rhythm, with African drumming, dance performances, cultural displays, and delicious food stalls offering authentic flavours from across the continent. Ndlovu said attendees can expect electrifying performances from African artists, captivating crafts, tantalising tastes of authentic African cuisine and both traditional and modern expressions of African culture. This years festival marks a significant milestone as its the first time Africa Day Bay of Plenty is being organised here by Ubuntu African Society Bay of Plenty Inc, in collaboration with Nadine Nahimana of ORIKoL Production. The event is supported by funding from Lottery Grants, Tauranga City Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Waste Wizard Ltd and the Ministry of Ethnic Communities. Africa Day, formerly known as Africa Liberation Day, is celebrated worldwide to mark the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) on May 25, 1963, now known as the African Union (AU). It recognises the continents diverse and rich cultural heritage, history, and the collective efforts towards unity and progress. Celebrated annually, Africa Day is marked by various events and activities around the world, highlighting African achievements, challenges, and aspirations. Whether youre part of the African diaspora, a friend of Africa, or simply curious to explore new cultures, Africa Day 2025 offers a unique opportunity to experience the heart and soul of Africas rich continent and celebrate the spirit, rhythm and unity of Africa right here in Tauranga, Ndlovu said. The Africa Day Festival 2025 is at Tauranga Historic Village 11am-5pm, June 7. Entry is free. For more information, visit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africadabayofplenty/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575181283968 Facebook Page Event: https://shorturl.at/UUdlX Its that time of year again, when young fur seals start turning up in all sorts of odd places, from footpaths and paddocks to busy roads. With fur seal (kekeno) and sea lion populations bouncing back around the mainland, the Department of Conservation (DoC) and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency have launched a nationwide project to track where marine mammals are appearing near roads, and why. This work builds on the success of recent guardrail installations in Kaikoura, which have already made a difference by delivering conservation gains, helping to keep curious young fur seals safely off the tarmac, and reducing the risk of seal-related road accidents. The public is being asked to report sightings to help protect both people and wildlife as Aotearoa adapts to the return of these ocean wanderers and navigates the challenges of seal silly season. Tauranga biodiversity ranger Sarah-Lyn Wilson said DoC received numerous reports of fur seals around Bay of Plenty each year, often in expected places but sometimes in more unusual locations. Weve had seals on picnic tables, blocking pathways and driveways, and they can even travel inland via streams and drainage systems. Hot spots for seal sightings include many of our popular beaches and public places, including built-up Mount Maunganui, so please keep an eye out and give them space. If you see a seal thats badly injured, being harassed, or in danger, call 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468). A fur seal on a picnic table at Salisbury Wharf, Mount Maunganui, in 2024. Photo / Sarah-Lyn Wilson / DoC DoC is also asking people to report sightings of seals, fur seals or sea lions on or near roads. Your sightings - date, location, even a photo if its safe - will help us map hotspots and understand the risks, said Jody Weir, senior marine technical adviser. Its a great example of how citizen science could make a real difference. This national study used existing DoC and NZTA road data and would be strengthened by public reports. The results would help inform future road planning, identify high-risk zones, and guide where further road improvements, such as the motorcycle guard rail used in Kaikoura, might be needed. The initiative was part of a growing field known as road ecology, an area of science focused on understanding how roads affect wildlife movement and behaviour. To report a seal or sea lion on or near a road, email: seeaseal@doc.govt.nz. Include the date of your sighting, a description of the location and animal(s), including how many, specific GPS co-ordinates if possible (or drop a pin), and a photo (if safe). Similarly, report any dead marine mammals on or near roads. Reports on sections of road where youve previously seen marine mammals, and when, are also helpful. Reports submitted by June 22 will help shape the initial national road risk model, though ongoing sightings will be welcomed. Your input could directly influence how safer systems are designed. Seal tips - Never touch, handle or feed a seal, because they can be aggressive if they feel threatened. Its also a breach of the Marine Mammals Protection Act. - Maintain a distance of at least 20 metres from kekeno if possible and avoid getting between the seal and the sea. - Give seals space if encountered on or near a beach. - Always keep dogs on a leash and away from seals. - Ensure small children are at a safe distance and under control when watching seals. - If you see a seal thats badly injured, being harassed or in danger, call 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468). Additional information: Keeping Sea Lions Safe | New Zealand Sea Lion Trust Ballance Agri-Nutrients has confirmed its plans to end its manufacturing operations in Mount Maunganui, resulting in the loss of 60 jobs. In a statement, Ballances chief executive Kelvin Wickham said the company is moving forward with its proposal, announced in April, to cease manufacturing single superphosphate from its Mount Maunganui site. Ballance is a New Zealand farmer- and grower-owned co-operative. Wickham said the company would continue utilising the Hewletts Rd site and its strategic location near the Port of Tauranga for nutrient storage and distribution, as well as the home base for its national support office. The co-operative would begin a process to wind down its manufacturing facilities, aiming to end manufacturing in the later part of this year, Wickham said. We recently completed a six-week consultation process with impacted staff, which resulted in 66 roles being disestablished, and six new roles created, with a net loss of 60 jobs. He said the timeline to cease the manufacturing operations had been extended by three months after reviewing the impacted staffs feedback. Wickham said it was a big call to transition from a near-70-year history of manufacturing in Mount Maunganui, but the changes were necessary to set the co-operative up well for the future. We recognise the significance of this change for our co-operative and impacted people. Well be supporting them by offering any suitable redeployment opportunities at Ballance as well as career transition support. He said it would have required substantial investment to keep the Mount Maunganui manufacturing facilities operating reliably, alongside increasing regulatory constraints. With an over-capacity [of makers of single superphosphate] in New Zealand compared to the expected demand for this product, it is the right point in time for the co-operative to cease manufacturing at this location. Wickham said these changes enabled the co-operative to have more agility in sourcing nutrients, find new ways to provide value to its shareholders, and explore more blendable fertilisers and other densified phosphate products such as triple super phosphate and diammonium phosphate. Were seeing much more efficient and effective use of nutrients delivering higher productivity off a much lighter footprint. Kelvin Wickham. And a big focus for the co-operative is supporting our 16,000 shareholders with the technology, products and services that support those aims. Wickham said nutrients remained a vital part of driving New Zealands economic prosperity through food and fibre exports, with around 41% of the countrys agricultural exports enabled by fertiliser. To maintain supply, we secure nutrients from multiple sources and will continue to manufacture phosphate and urea at our Invercargill and Taranaki sites as well as imported products from offshore. Our focus now is supporting our impacted people and working through the process of winding down and then decommissioning our Mount Maunganui manufacturing facilities. Cristina Vallejo Malaga Friday, 6 June 2025, 10:29 Compartir A women's bookshop became much more than that: a back room where people talked quietly; where money was raised to pay for plane tickets; meetings were organised with strangers who lent spare rooms for a couple of nights; and alibis thought up for disappearing from the family home. This story takes place between Malaga and London. It tells the events of the 1980s, to commemorate 40 years since the passing of the first abortion law of Spain's restored democracy. The first approval established that abortion would not be "punishable" in the following circumstances: it was necessary to avoid a serious danger to the pregnant woman's physical or mental health, and that this was confirmed by a doctor other than the one who was to perform the abortion; if the pregnancy was the result of rape; or if the foetus would be born "with serious physical or mental disabilities". Zoom The law was a step in the right direction, but it still subjected women to severe scrutiny. Feminists in Malaga who fought for free abortion held a "popular trial" against the 1985 law: "It was not at all satisfactory. It was better than nothing, but we didn't want a makeshift solution." "We didn't like that women needed to say that the pregnancy affected them psychologically. The process was an ordeal," explain Carmen Martin and Carmen Perez Pinto, feminist activists. It took 25 years for the law on sexual and reproductive health and the voluntary termination of pregnancy to be passed in 2010. The updated law states that fourteen weeks is a "reasonable" period for women to make a "free and informed" decision about their pregnancy. After various ups and downs, feminists remain dissatisfied: the right to abortion is still not guaranteed; it has not been integrated into the health system as a service. The 2014 proposal for (counter) reform - to return to the initial scheme - failed and cost the former minister of justice, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, his political career. The new regulation of 2023 extended guaranteed rights for women, but "There are gaps," - in some provinces the public health system does not provide abortions. Zoom However, this environment is not like it was four decades ago - when there was no law. At the beginning of the 80s, the Libreria de Mujeres (Women's Bookshop) was established in Malaga. It was a place dedicated to feminist literature, where women could share experiences and ask for information on sexuality or family planning. But it was also a place where young women who needed an abortion could go; the people who ran the bookshop had contacts with women in London who acted as a support group for Spanish and Irish women who could not terminate their pregnancies in their own countries because it was either illegal or too difficult there. Discretion in the back room "It was a word-of-mouth thing. We didn't advertise. When a woman started going around the shop and browsing through books until it was empty, we knew what she was looking for, we knew she had heard that she could find help there. Almost no words were needed. When we were alone, we would take her to the back room. She took it for granted that no one would find out, that she could talk there in confidence. Some of them came with their mothers, but most of them arrived alone," says Carmen Perez Pinto, who was part of the women's bookshop in the 80s. It was the women with the least resources and education who passed through these premises in Calle San Agustin; those who had the means did not need this support network. The bookshop also collected money to pay for trips to London and cover clinic bills. "We didn't judge or ask for explanations. We just asked the woman how far along she was and from there, we tried to be quick. We would help her find an alibi: 'Tell your mother you are going away for three days with a friend.' It wasn't always easy, because the women had often never been away from home before," explains Perez Pinto with Carmen Martin, a historical feminist from Malaga. Isabel Ros talks to SUR from London. She says that between the late 70s and early 80s Our Bodies, Our Lives, a reference book on women's health and sexuality by the Boston Women's Collective, was translated into Spanish. In the copy was the phone number of Release (a human rights organisation she worked for) to call if anyone needed to terminate their pregnancy. So many calls came in that Release had to set up a specific team to deal with them. And a group of volunteers was already operating in the UK to help Irish women because it was illegal to have an abortion in their country, alongside a support group for Spanish women, SWASG (Spanish Women's Abortion Support Group) - founded at the same time. While international telephone calls were not so easy 40 years ago, the process happened quite quickly. The clinic could be arranged over the phone. "The clinics are so busy that it takes at least a week to organise the abortion," the organisation warned in its advertisement urging people to get in touch as soon as possible. Clipping from the SUR newspaper archive featuring the news of the opening of the Libreria de Mujeres in the early 1980s; a page from a Madrid-based feminist magazine reporting on the SWASG collective; and the cover of the book Nuestros Cuerpos, Nuestras Vidas (Our Bodies, Our Lives). SUR "We will ask you when the first day of your last period was and inform you about the current price of the operation. In addition to that money, you will need an extra 30 for the tube, buses, food, etc. It is very difficult to get late abortions and there is only one clinic in the whole of London that does them, and only up to 26 weeks. It is therefore very important that you call us as soon as possible. The earlier the better, as clinics prefer not to do the operation after seven weeks of pregnancy," the advice continues. "We can't give financial support because the group doesn't have any money," the leaflets said. But as in Malaga, Ros said that in London, donations were also made on occasion. In London, there were not only volunteers who took turns answering the phones and arranging appointments with clinics. They were also willing to go to the airport to pick the women up, give them accommodation and transport them from hospitals to airports. They probably did not know English, so the volunteers had to act as interpreters. The core of the organisation was made up of around ten women, but in total the network had around 30, and not only Spanish women, but others from all regions of the UK. Zoom As Ros remembers, the group was formed around helpless Spanish women, to avoid the abuse they were sometimes subjected to when they went alone. But also because, in order to face an abortion, they needed human support: understanding; empathy; and security. Ros stressed that their work included monitoring the clinics so that they would do their job properly, to ensure the women's safety. Their activism also reached institutions, where they reported on the situation in Spain and the country's need for a law recognising the right to unrestricted, safe and free abortion. Those Spanish girls who boarded a plane and left Spain for the first time in their lives had no choice but to trust the generous strangers waiting for them on the tarmac. "This is not a decision that is taken lightly," says Ros. Four-day trip The trip lasted four days: British law required you to be in the country at least the day before the operation and you had to spend a day in hospital. The process was something like this: on the first day you had a consultation with the doctor, the next morning you were admitted to the clinic and 24 hours later you were discharged. The Women's Bookshop helped many local girls get to London. And there were places like that all over Spain. In 1978, 30,000 non-resident women had abortions in the UK; almost half of them (14,000) were Spanish. In 1982, the number of Spaniards exceeded 22,000. The passing of the law of suppositions was not enough to put an end to these flights to London: having a legal abortion in Spain was still difficult. So the support group was active until the late 1980s, says Ros. Martin and Perez Pinto explain that women from Malaga were not exclusively referred to the UK. When clinics were opening in Malaga around 1984, their clients were also referred there. Although they believe that these practices should form part of the public health service portfolio, they highlighted that they were very grateful for these centres, because if the women could not pay, they did not have to. The clinics and their doctors were activists and risked their freedom for the cause. Zoom Prison German Saenz de Santamaria, Alberto Stolzemburg and Ernesto Ritwagen spent 40 days in prison and were released after posting bail of 10.5 million pesetas because in November 1986 the police raided their health centre in the Scala 2000 building on Calle Hilera and arrested 30 people: doctors, medical students, several nurses and more than 20 women who were there to terminate their pregnancies. Abortion was already legal in Spain, but with limitations and scrutiny, and the clinic was still waiting for permission to terminate pregnancies. Feminists in Malaga called for protests in solidarity with the doctors and the women - who were bailed out - and to demand the right to abortion. There were calls for 741 years in prison for the defendants. But one of the doctors declared: "Neither three months nor three years in prison can break a person who knows what they are doing and what they want and who they are fighting against." After more than ten years of court processes, they were all acquitted, but only because the statute of limitations had run out on the alleged crimes. Zoom The doctors were gambling their freedom. The women, their lives. The network formed between Spain and the UK was revived in 2014, when minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon tried to curtail the right to abortion. "SWASG 2.0 was born," explains Ros - London stood in solidarity with Spanish women. "Feminism has never considered abortion as a method of contraception. We emphasised the fight for the right to abortion because women were dying: without it being legal, abortions were still happening. Moreover, the appropriation of our bodies was an indisputable feminist premise. Our aim was also to provide better sex education," says Martin. While nowadays in Spain the Swedish flag flies in many hotels and bars as a welcoming gesture, in the 30s it identified the Swedish volunteers who came to Spain during the civil war to fight fascism and General Franco's troops Alekk M. Saanders Friday, 6 June 2025, 18:47 Compartir Although Sweden had not been involved in warfare after the end of the Napoleonic Wars, society, with its inherent democratic values, continued to be concerned about events in the rest of Europe. There were even those who dared to take a direct part in wars and conflicts on one of the opposing sides. The kingdom for the Republic The Swedish government was neutral towards the war in Spain, which started in 1936 after General Franco's coup d'etat. However, the Spanish Civil War had a strong social impact in Sweden, and support for the Second Republic was also quickly expressed. In addition to donations and the Swedish Red Cross that played a significant role in terms of humanitarian aid and medical assistance, some 600 (some sources say 500) Swedish citizens, including women, decided to enlist in the International Brigades: 550 were front-line soldiers and the rest were aid workers of various kinds. The recruitment of Swedes to the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War began at the end of 1936. First, the volunteers travelled to Paris, where they underwent medical examinations. Then they were sent south to the Spanish border. Incidentally, for the first few months, volunteers could openly cross the Franco-Spanish border. However, after France had closed the border in February 1937, they had to cross at night on secret roads often in the inaccessible mountains. The Catalan town of Figueres, close to the border, became a gathering place for volunteers from all over the world to join what became called the International Brigades. The last stop before the front and the fighting was Albacete, about a hundred kilometres from the border with Andalucia. There the Republic had the headquarters of the International Brigades located at the Gran Hotel and a training centre at Base Aerea. Like the other volunteers, the Swedish were given some equipment, uniforms and a short training course. Most Swedes ended up in the battalion named after the Swedish Social Democrat Georg Branting, who at the time was an active supporter of the Spanish Republic. The commonly known Scandinavian Battalion was part of the Ernst Thalman Brigade, made up mostly of Germans, some illegally escaped from Hitler, others from concentration camps. Additionally, there were also brigades consisting mainly of English volunteers (English Battalion), Irish volunteers (Connolly Column), etc. Fights involving the Swedes The first major battle involving the Swedes took place in February 1937 in the Jarama river valley near Madrid. There Franco's troops launched an attack to cut the vital highway between the Spanish capital and Valencia. Swedish journalist Karl-Olof Andersson studied the topic. In his research he found out that three weeks of fighting at Jarama ended in a stalemate and the first casualties of the Swedish volunteers - 28 Swedes were killed, 32 wounded and six captured by the enemy. About 80 Swedish volunteers took part in the fighting on the Ebro River in the summer of 1938. This is believed to have been the last major battle involving the Swedes. Zoom A photo from the front line. SUR It is reported that the last Swedes crossed the Spanish-French border on their way home in February 1939. That said, a quarter of all Swedish volunteers never returned home to Sweden. According to cuestionatelotodo.blogspot.com (Brigadistas suecos en la Guerra Civil Espanola), at least 173 were buried on Spanish soil. 'La Mano' in Stockholm Sweden remembers this Spanish page of history. In 1977, Stockholm got a monument with the official Spanish name La Mano (Spanish for The Hand), to commemorate the Swedes who died during the Spanish Civil War. Of the 500 Swedes who fought for Spanish democracy in 1936-38, one in three was killed. They gave their all at Madrid, Jarama, Guadalajara, Brunete, Teruel, Aragon, Ebro. Walkers, stop - remember them with pride Sixten Rogeby The monument was created by Liss Eriksson and carved in red vanga granite by him together with Goran Lange and was placed in Sodermalm in the Swedish capital; a smaller bronze copy of the artwork can be also found in Skovde close to Gothenburg. The most important battles are engraved on the map of Spain in stone, and they are mentioned in the quote on the plinth: Of the 500 Swedes who fought for Spanish democracy in 1936-38, one in three was killed. They gave their all at Madrid, Jarama, Guadalajara, Brunete, Teruel, Aragon, Ebro. Walkers, stop - remember them with pride. This text was written by Sixten Rogeby, himself a Spanish volunteer. On New Year's Day 1937, he left Sweden to fight on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War with the International Brigade. When it was disbanded, he became a Spaniard. The alarm went off in a pharmacy in Puerto de la Torre, Malaga, but the chase that ended with the death of National Police officer Antonio Ramos (48) and three fugitives has a much broader and deeper context than a one-off robbery attempt. The operation was the culmination of a police investigation conncering 13 raids on pharmacy stores and two more on fire stations along the Costa del So. The chain of events was set in motion at 4.45am on Thursday morning. The spark was an attempted robbery of the Rodulfo pharmacy, located on Avenida Lope de Rueda 171. The alleged robbers managed to manipulate the security system without forcing the lock, but stumbled upon an obstacle when they couldn't smash open the cash register. As they were trying to flee, a Malaga Local Police patrol appeared on the scene, which was when the chase began, taking the participants to the natural exit of Puerto de la Torre towards the city's motorways. The police officers called for reinforcements, reporting that they were chasing a Peugeot 5008 car. The vehicle, which was already on the police radar, had been reported stolen a couple of months prior to the incident and had been used in some of the pharmacy robberies. In addition, the suspects had stolen two BMWs (X3 and X5), also used in the raids. More patrols of the Local Police and the National Police joined the chase. They had been working for weeks on a special operation, coordinated throughout Malaga province, to arrest the members of the gang, who had acted all along the coast: six attacks in Marbella, four in Malaga, two in Torremolinos-Benalmadena and one in Estepona. The fleeing robbers took the outer ring motorway in the direction of Cadiz with a patrol car hot on their heels. According to SUR sources they drove at 200 kilometres per hour along some stretches of the getaway route. After half an hour of the pursuit, a Local Police unit managed to intercept them and cut them off. The Peugeot 5008 came to a standstill, at least momentarily. It could have ended there: with three fugitives arrested, an open investigation and a trial, but it didn't. When the police officers got out of the car and approached the suspects to identify them, the driver put the car into reverse gear and made a 180-degree turn to head in the opposite direction and drive against the flow of traffic. The police officers ran to the patrol car to resume the pursuit. They lost sight of the Peugeot, but drove in the presumed direction. When they reached kilometre point 998 on the AP-7 motorway, they saw smoke. Seconds later, they came across the fatal accident. The car in which the fugitives were travelling had just collided with another car - a Volvo XC40, inside which was National Police sub-inspector Antonio Ramos. The officer was returning home - he lived in Benalmadena - after finishing his working day at the head of subgroup II of the 'Gotham' night patrol of the force. The circumstances of the collision are being investigated by the specialised and violent crime unit (UDEV) of the National Police, as it is considered not a traffic accident but the result of deliberate actions on part of the fugitives. Investigators do not have an official estimate of the speed involved in the collision yet. However, at the scene it was determined that the impact could have occurred at more than 150 kilometres per hour, in view of the state of the vehicles. There were also no visible braking marks on the asphalt, which indicates that officer Ramos potentially did not have the time to react. Firefighters and several ambulances rushed to the scene to rescue the people trapped in both vehicles. The Volvo XC40 in which the deputy inspector was travelling caught fire as a result of the collision, although the police officer was rescued from the car before it was gutted. The ambulance crews performed CPR, but were ultimately unable to resuscitate him. The flames also set the Peugeot alight, which was reduced to a twisted heap of metal. The three fugitives, who appear to be of Bulgarian origin based on the documents they had in the car, died instantly. The identities of the three, provisional in the absence of scientific confirmation, have a history of previous offences against property in Spain, according to the sources consulted. The alleged robbers were apparently wearing overalls, gloves and balaclavas. Investigators found a sledgehammer, a crowbar and a pair of shears inside the Peugeot 5008, all of which were allegedly used in the robberies. According to SUR sources, some of these items may had been stolen from one of the fire stations raided in recent months. V. Rojas Torremolinos Friday, 6 June 2025, 10:41 Compartir The Torremolinos Pride celebrations are the biggest in Andalucia and the second biggest in Spain, only after Madrid. Celebrating its tenth anniversary, the event beats records every year thanks to a full programme of cultural and sporting events and performances. Last year some 80,000 visitors attended the Torremolinos Pride events on the Saturday evening, generating a financial impact of more than 95 million euros. This year's event is expected to attract even more. The slogan chosen for this year's event in Torremolinos is 'Celebrating all diversities, building a future in colours'. This year's event has not wanted to leave anyone out and this is reflected in its poster, designed by local artist Lucia Type. This year's gala will be presented by Estupenda Marquez, trans artist Regina Varanski, SUR journalist Ivan Gelibter and drag queens Xenon Spain and Sharonne. For the first time this year the events include a performance by a disabled drag queen. The event promises to be inclusive and accessible with sign language accompanying the important speeches and spaces for those with reduced mobility. Torremolinos may have failed in its bid last year to host Euro Pride 2027 but that has not stopped the organisers making this year's event more international than ever. The most important presentations will be translated into English. Events culminate with the grand parade setting off from Torremolinos town hall from 5pm on Saturday. Ignacio Lillo Malaga Friday, 6 June 2025, 16:31 Compartir Copper, chromium, nickel, cobalt, titanium, graphite, boron, lithium, platinum, tungsten, bismuth, tellurium and rare earths. These are the most sought-after natural resources, and there are traces of them all in Malaga. At a time when major countries are greedily seeking strategic minerals, for technology, electric vehicles and armaments, untapped deposits have been discovered in the province - some found in abandoned mines. This is reflected in the studies led in recent years by renowned Malaga geologist and geotechnical engineer Juan Carlos Romero, who was director at the Museum of Geology and Mineralogy for years (now closed). This institution also served as a base for sample collection throughout the province. In current times, mining has once again become a priority: searching for ores, the minerals from which strategic metals are extracted. These components are essential for mobile phones, computers, telecommunications, the aerospace industry, electric vehicles, renewable energy, batteries, medical equipment, drones, robotics and artificial intelligence. Defined as "critical" due to their scarcity, they are difficult to extract and they are only found in certain countries. In this vein, Romero claims "the geological wealth of our strategic resources". Minerals in Malaga Alora Ronda Malaga Marbella Estepona Copper Boron Chromium Tungsten, Bismuth, Tellurium Nickel Cobalt Lithium Titanium Platinum Graphite Rare earth elements Minerals in Malaga Alora Ronda Malaga Marbella Estepona Copper Boron Chromium Tungsten, Bismuth, Tellurium Nickel Cobalt Lithium Titanium Platinum Graphite Rare earth elements Minerals in Malaga Alora Montes de Malaga Ronda Sierra de las Nieves Malaga Sierra de Mijas Sierra Blanca Sierra Bermeja Marbella Copper Boron Estepona Chromium Tungsten, Bismuth, Tellurium Nickel Cobalt Lithium Titanium Platinum Graphite Rare earth elements Across the Andalucia region and Malaga province in particular, there are reserves of copper, chromium, nickel, cobalt, titanium, graphite, boron, tungsten-bismuth, tellurium, boron, lithium, platinum and traces of rare earths. Also, other more common minerals such as iron, lead, zinc, antimony, manganese; together with industrial minerals (clays, gypsum, talc, quartz, etc). Following are the minerals found and their location in the province. Copper This metal is extracted from chalcopyrite and chalcocite, dispersed in abundance across the Montes de Malaga national park (Cerro Santopitar, Arroyo Hondo, el Boticario, Alcuza and Este Puerto de la Torre, Arroyo el Angel in Olias, Mojea in Colmenar, San Ramon in Comares and Penas de Cabrera, in Casabermeja). As well as in the mines of Arroyo de la Cueva in Genalguacil, with traces of other metals such as nickel-gold; and in Montecorto, in the Serrania de Ronda, alongside its large reserves of iron. Copper is required for the manufacture of electronic components due to its high conductivity, ductile alloys, coinage, and is widely used in the production of wiring, piping, generators, motors, transformers, telecommunications, cars, aerospace and construction. Chromium This hard metal, highly valued for its resistant characteristics, is found in important chromite reserves with peridotite rocks, nickel and platinum, in the municipalities of Mijas (El Nebral), Ojen (La Gallega, Montenegral-Fuensanta), Estepona (Arroyo la Cala, Norte de los Reales), Carratraca (Los Jarales, El Gallego) and Alora (Sierra de Aguas). It is an antioxidant and anticorrosive metallic element, used in high-resistance alloys, in the iron and steel industry, as a catalyst in chemical processes and as a colouring agent in paints. Nickel This metal, which has similar characteristics to copper and is highly prized in alloys, is found in relative abundance in mineral species nickeline and pentlandite. These deposits in Malaga were already a "state mining reserve" between 1940 and 1960. Nickel appears forming seams in the peridotite deposits, together with chromium, platinum and cobalt, in the municipalities of Ojen (La Gallega, Cordobachina, Fuensanta and Zamba-Cerro Torron); Estepona (Arroyo la Cala); Tolox (Puerto de las Golondrinas); Carratraca (Mina San Juan, Rosario, el Ingles and Cerro Minas in los Jarales); Alora (El Sapo in Sierra de Aguas) and Mijas (Valtocado, Puerto de Pescadores). Malaga's rich geological and mining diversity, in a museum In the city of museums, it is shocking that the wealth of the province's rocks is not exhibited in any public place. Around 2016 there was an initial project (Aula Museo de Geologia y Mineralogia) led by geologist Juan Carlos Romero in the Trinidad neighbourhood. This project aimed to spread geological knowledge, but it had to close due to a lack of official support. While there had been contact with the mayor, Francisco de la Torre, this support never came to fruition. After six years of attempts, the pandemic was the last straw. However, the field studies promoted by the museum, its partners with collaboration from the University of Granada, have made important advances in the knowledge of the strategic mineral reserves possible. This research will serve as a basis for further studies on the possibility of relaunching mining in Malaga, in the midst of the world "frenzy" for the metals needed for modern technologies. It is not too late. The exhibition and documentary collections are available; the province is in a privileged position and this subject is going to grow in the global context. Therefore, there is potential to create a centre for geological and mining studies in Malaga. "Malaga's nickel ores and its deposits linked to the peridotites are the most outstanding in Spain", said the geologist. "Many reserves have not yet been evaluated economically in depth, due to their capricious irregularity and the lack of studies with modern geophysical techniques." It is a metal widely used in electronic components: computer technology, batteries with alloys, protective electrolytic coatings, electric vehicle components, alloys in kitchen batteries, coins, solar panels, and in the telecommunication and aerospace industries. Cobalt This metallic element has never been mined in Malaga, despite being a strategic metal on the rise to popularity. The mineral species in Malaga that contain cobalt are cobaltine, linneite and erythrite. The work of the Geology Museum revealed the presence of cobalt-copper deposits in Los Montes (southern edge of Cerro Alcuza, Arroyo Hondo); and in Arroyo de la Cueva mines in Genalguacil. Cobalt is an important chemical element, primarily an essential component in lithium batteries used in electronic devices and electric vehicles. It is also used in heat and corrosion resistant steel alloys, in the aerospace and automobile industries, and in production of ferrite permanent magnets used in motors, loudspeakers, etc. Titanium This light metal, which stands out for its resistance to corrosion, has never been utilised in Malaga, although there are important deposits of its three species: ilmenite, rutile and titanite. It can be found in reserves on metamorphic and erosion rocks in the Sierra Alpujata, in the municipalities of Ojen (El Juanar, Puerto de Ojen); Monda (Los Villares, La Pelada) and Coin (Barranco Blanco). It is on the rise due to its countless applications in the fields of aerospace, medical prostheses, dentistry, anti-corrosion materials, as an antioxidant, in pigments, paints, etc. Graphite This strategic mineral is abundant in Malaga, to the extent that the province's mountains contain "the largest reserves at national level". There are important deposits in Benahavis (Los Canutos de Dona Juana), which is the oldest graphite mine in Spain, in use since the 18th century. As well as in Estepona (El Nicio, Padron); Istan; Alora (El Aguila); Carratraca (El Gallego and Cerro Minas); Mijas (Pena Blanquilla) and Ojen (Linarejos). Graphite is in demand due to its resistance to high temperatures: in industry; technology and electronics; manufacture of foundry crucibles; alkaline and rechargeable batteries; graphene extraction; bullet-proof vests; nuclear reactors; screens; lubricants; car brakes; protection of electronic devices, etc. Boron It is a metalloid element whose evaluation has gone unnoticed and is regaining interest due to mechanical and resistant properties. It is related to other minerals found in the province, such as ludwigite and dumortierite. There are reserves of fibrous boron in Igualeja (Puerto and mines of Robledal); Carratraca (Cerro Minas) and Pujerra (Cerro la Mora). Boron is used as a tensile strength material in wind turbine blades; in glass manufacture; in medicine as an anti-inflammatory and for collagen production; in pyrotechnics; as a radiation shield in nuclear power plants and in industrial cleaning. Tungsten-Bismuth-Tellurium These three metallic elements combined were extracted in Malaga in a small mine to the north of Estepona (La Tejilla-Huerta Vinagre) around 1920, at a depth of just over ten metres. At the dawn of the Second World War (1944) they were in demand as minerals of strategic military interest (in El Bosquecillo mine). However, this niche has not yet been adequately investigated. Tungsten has been used in the military industry for high-resistance alloys along with steel: air-raid batteries, tanks and other military vehicles; in metal works; and in the electrical industry for fluorescent filaments and lamps. The mineral species found in Malaga is scheelite. Bismuth is used in medicines for patients with gastric problems, diarrhoea and ulcers, and in low fusibility alloys. Bismuth-containing mineral species are native bismuth and bismuthite. Tellurium is used in optic fibre, cells in solar panels, diodes and batteries, as well as in dyes in glass and ceramics. The rare tellurium-containing mineral species in Malaga are joseite and tellurobismutite. Lithium A ductile and light alkaline metal that appears in moderate concentration in the earth's crust, with a vital role in rechargeable batteries and in medicine: to treat depression and bipolar disorders (lithium carbonate). In Malaga, there are relatively high rates of minerals such as lepidolite, in Estepona (Puerto Mancilla); Cartama (Trascastillo) and Benahavis (Montemayor). However, it has never been extracted. Platinum A white, heavy metal, discovered in Malaga around 1919 by mining engineer Domingo de Orueta Duarte. It appears at primary level together with chromite, and in secondary deposits by erosion in the alluvium of the Guadaiza and Verde rivers, between Marbella and Istan; as well as in the chromium-nickel mineralisations in Carratraca (Mina San Juan, Los Jarales) and Ojen (Mina la Gallega, Arroyo los Caballos). Despite its good economic prospects, it has never been extracted despite reserves in Malaga being "the only known outcrops in Spain". It has a wide range of uses due to its corrosion resistance, high melting temperature and ductility. It is used in jewellery for its beautiful reflective white colour; in catalysts to reduce pollutants; medical devices; thermometers; laboratory equipment; electronics; chemical industry; glass manufacturing and as a precious metal (for investment). Rare earths There are traces of rare earths in Malaga, in very low concentrations, linked to minerals such as clinopyroxenes, zircons, garnets and amphiboles such as hornblende. They are mineral components of the peridotites of Sierra Bermeja (Estepona); Alpujata (Ojen, Monda); Pelada (Coin) and Mijas. As well as in pockets of metamorphic rock, such as granitoids and gneisses, linked to the peridotites. They have an enormous range of uses and show increasing market demand, mainly linked to precision technology and artificial intelligence. But their purpose doesn't stop there: including diode production in electronics; smart phones; computers and flat screen TVs; high-power permanent magnets found in electric motors; wind turbines and hard drives; components in electric vehicles; rechargeable batteries; displays and fluorescents in lighting and medicine; glass manufacturing; ceramics and metallurgy; and precision lasers in the fields of surgical medicine and advanced military industry. With such a panorama of resources of national interest, geologist Juan Carlos Romero calls for greater investment in mining research by the state, "to update the obsolete data of the 20th century with more sophisticated means of prospecting". In addition, he calls for an end to the "mining standstill, due to the ecologist policies of European directives, which have stigmatised mining practices as the cause of environmental destruction, without valuing the wealth generated by mines and industrial development". WUHAN, June 6 (Xinhua) -- A 23-year-old student has been placed under criminal coercive measures on suspicion of injuring three people at Wuhan University in central China's Hubei Province, local police said Friday. The incident occurred at around 5 p.m. Wednesday at a canteen of the university in Hongshan District in the provincial capital of Wuhan. Police arrived swiftly at the scene. The injured were promptly sent to the hospital for treatment and are not in life-threatening conditions, according to the public security bureau of Hongshan District. The suspect, surnamed Zhu, was brought under control by the police on the spot. An investigation revealed that Zhu committed the act due to an academic issue, and he has confessed to the crime and has been subjected to criminal compulsory measures. The case is currently under further investigation. Regina Sotorrio Malaga Friday, 6 June 2025, 13:48 | Updated 13:54h. Compartir Every year a disparate group of intellectuals, artists and Axarquia residents gather in Macharaviaya in Malaga province to pay respect to a man many of them never even met. Robert Harvey passed away 21 years ago. Born and raised in North Carolina, the American painter left behind a group of friends that, surprisingly, is still growing. This is the "human legacy" of Don Roberto de Macharaviaya. He was known in the village as a man with a capacity to "make a family" that rivals the importance of his undoubted artistic quality. This is the only way to understand why 61 artists responded without hesitation to the invitation of an event in his honour. The impressive collaboration of Malaga-based artists will be auctioning their self-portraits this Saturday, with a starting price of 150 euros. Lorenzo Saval, Chema Lumbreras, Fernando de la Rosa, Vargas Machuca, Rafael Alvarado, Paco Aguilar, Isabel Garnelo, Sebastian Navas, Sara Sarabia, Ignacio del Rio, Ana Roldan, Concha Galea, Panama Diaz Fernandez and many more accepted the challenge to paint themselves for the eighteenth Encuentro de Amigos de Robert (Friends of Robert Meeting) which will take place on 7 June in Macharaviaya (from 1pm with an entry fee of 20 euros all inclusive). There will be music, art, good food and gin and tonic as a digestif - as there always was at Robert Harvey's house. The Huerta del Angel is a cosmopolitan estate in the middle of the countryside, where artists and friends from Malaga met with others from San Francisco and New York over paella and good wine. Zoom Lorenzo Saval and Paco Aguilar. Tenllado Human Legacy is the title of the artistic project chosen by the Huerta del Angel Association for this edition. "After so many years, you realise that what lies behind the association are the people. It makes no sense without the people behind it supporting it," said Jorge Moreno Pena, exhibition curator. To represent this heritage, he asked Robert's 'friends' to paint themselves. A daring request because not all artists do self-portraits and, as Moreno Pena pointed out, "empathising" with another person or a landscape is not the same as staring at yourself in the mirror. But the response has overwhelmed them. At the Museo de los Galvez, in Macharaviaya, the 61 portraits spanning all imaginable techniques and styles in the exhibition are currently being assembled. Alongside the story of the hero of American independence, Bernardo and his family, there is a series of paintings showing the faces - some realistic, others figurative - of generations of painters linked to Malaga province. Each of them conceals the artistic identity of their creators. There is the diptych of Tete Vargas Machuca: her face is only half visible, but when the covers are opened, her whole universe unfolds with the pop-up technique, the artist depicted in different positions and moments, working, pensive, with birds on her head. Lorenzo Saval also multiplies in his work Autorretratos en Busca de un Autor (Self-portraits in Search of an Artist), where he creates small, amusing reproductions of himself in mixed technique. Very recognisable, staring directly at the viewer from the same wall, are the faces of Sebastian Navas, Rafael Alvarado, Buly and Concha Galea, the latter with a powerful impressionist touch. Cayetano Romero is drawn amid a landscape of handwritten words, and Ana Roldan smiles at the visitor surrounded by vibrant colours. Tenllado Paco Aguilar features in an engraving which is not his usual figurative style, but could well be one of the strange characters that occupy his world. Chema Lumbreras surprises us in a work without his signature figures: the protagonists are a giraffe and a mysterious shadow. Fernando de la Rosa opts for collage on canvas for his self-portrait composed with fine lines on thick strokes. In a meeting of artists there is no shortage of references to the greats. Arturo Meliveo winks at Matisse, Lola Diaz presents herself in Warhol style and Victor Saez adopts the position of Velazquez in Las Meninas, with Robert Harvey in the doorway - as in the photo in which he appears in La Huerta del Angel - and with Marilyn Monroe and Rossy de Palma infiltrating the work. Faithful to her feminine and feminist identity, Isabel Garnelo features pubic hair in her piece. Sara Sarabia covers her face with text in Autocensura (Self-censorship), Sandra Carmona ties herself to her identity in a highly symbolic painting and Antonio Delgado rescues a photo from his boot from 35 years ago - taking on a fresh meaning. The exhibition lineup is extensive and each piece has its own story. This Saturday the artists will be there to explain their artwork during the silent auction, where the public can bid on paper for each piece until the deadline. Half of the proceeds will go to the artists, the other half to the Asociacion La Huerta del Angel - guardian of Robert Harvey's memory. In the exhibition poster, hundreds of photographs from the 17 previous meetings make up the face of Don Roberto. At the event there will be a Polaroid camera to take up to 200 photographs of visitors, which will be instantly added to a new poster. Ensuring Robert Harvey's human legacy lives on. Kelly Clarkson made a surprising admission about American Idol Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken during her talk show on Wednesday. While talking to the cast of "From the World of John Wick: Ballerina," she brought up the subject of pre-fame summer jobs. Norman Reedus revealed that he used to clean houses and yards. When Clarkson asked The Walking Dead alum if he found cleaning therapeutic, he revealed that he was kind of anal about stuff like that. You would look at me and never think that, but like, my refrigerator, the yogurts have to be right there in order. Im that guy. You would never know. Reedus confession instantly reminded Clarkson of her singing pal Aiken. I have a friend like you that I used to mess with. He looked like a serial killer with his refrigerator, Clarkson said, before naming Aiken. He was on Idol, the same show I came from, and I went to his house, and I was like, The hell? He had everything so and just to f--- with him, I moved everything around. Clarkson revealed her prank was a success and did mess him up. She added: But it did look like a serial killer lived there, how his refrigerator looked! Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson during The 2003 Billboard Music Awards - Red Carpet at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. (Photo by KMazur/WireImage) WireImage Clarkson further explained that while [she] likes things tidy, Aikens preferences were next level. It had to be certain, like everything was faced, she said, drifting off, before asking Reedus, Is that you? to which he responded, yeah. Although Clarkson and Aiken were on different seasons of American Idol, theyve been friends for years. In an interview with Billboard last December, Clarkson spoke about their relationship: Were sort of inseparable I think were better together than apart. Ballerina, which is out on Friday, is the fifth installment in the John Wick franchise. In addition to Reedus, the action thriller stars Ana de Armas, Lance Reddick, Keanu Reeves, and others. Not featured is Reedus meticulously organized refrigerator or Aiken for that matter. Syracuse, N.Y. A man and woman were taken to a hospital Thursday night after a kitchen fire on Otisco Street in Syracuse. Syracuse firefighters were called to a two-story house fire at 312 Otisco St. around 5:20 p.m., according to Deputy Chief Nicholas Pagano. Syracuse N.Y. - The Syracuse Fire Department is warning residents of a scam where phone callers ask for donations to the fire department. The calls are unauthorized and not affiliated with the department, the department said in a news release Thursday. The Syracuse Fire Department does not solicit financial donationsby phone, mail, email, social media or in personunder any circumstances," the release said. Anthropology Professor Deborah Pellow at her Syracuse University office in 1987. David Lassman Remembered as an accomplished anthropologist, friend, and mentor, Deborah Pellow died suddenly on Thursday, May 29. She was 80 years old. Maj. Kevin Reilly is the new commander of Troop D of the New York State Police. Provided photo Oneida, N.Y. A Western New York man has been named commander of Troop D of the New York State Police. Maj. Kevin M. Reilly now leads the State Police in Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga and Oswego counties, according to a Thursday news release. Reilly has served since 2015 as Zone 1 commander in Rochester, which is part of Troop E. Reilly, 53, lives in Geneseo in Livingston County. Troop D is based in Oneida, about two hours east. He began his career with the State Police when he entered the academy in January 1996. Reilly was promoted in March 2003 to sergeant and assigned to the Horseheads barracks in Troop E. He was named a station commander later that year and worked for the next four years in Rochester. Reilly was promoted in 2007 to lieutenant. He was appointed a captain in February 2012 and was assigned to the Rochester office of the Professional Standards Bureau, which investigates allegations of misconduct. He graduated in 2008 from SUNY Albany. Reilly replaces Maj. Robert Simpson, who served as commander for a little less than a year. Simpson was removed in March from his post due to an administrative investigation, a State Police spokesperson said at the time. He has since been reassigned to the agencys headquarters in Albany until the investigation is completed, the spokesperson, Beau Duffy, said Thursday. Capt. Jason Place served as the acting commander until Thursday, when Reilly got the permanent job. Staff writer Jon Moss covers breaking news, crime and public safety. He can be reached at jmoss@syracuse.com or @mossjon7. A slew of birria tacos from Birria Queso Tacos at Taste of Syracuse. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com) (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com) Syracuse, N.Y. Give a reporter a notepad and a pen, and theyll chase a story. Give a journalist $20 and a city full of street food, and youve got something much tastier. That was the challenge I handed to myself and three fellow reporters at this years Taste of Syracuse: Build our dream meal with just $20. No limits on what we could get; just a budget and an appetite. We could feast on anything from the 100-plus local restaurants, food trucks and festival favorites dishing out $2 samples and full-size plates. (By the way, our $2 ponchos did not count toward our food budget.) Were talking birria tacos, jerk wings, banana pudding, kimbap, street corn and donuts. So we grabbed our highlighters, sketched out our routes and hit the streets in the pouring rain with empty stomachs and high hopes. Heres what each of us came up with for our personal $20 tour of Downtown Syracuses biggest food party: Charlie Millers Barfly Ballpark Platter menu Greasy, cheesy, spicy, and made to be eaten on a paper plate with a plastic fork and zero shame. This is your dive-bar dream meal, street food edition. Charlie Miller's 'barfly menu' at the Taste of Syracuse 2025. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com) Mexican rice, Baja Cali Taco Truck ($4): Simple, savory and full of flavor. This is your starchy foundation thats spiced and satisfying, like the quiet MVP of every late-night platter. Chili cheese fries, Lucky 7 ($2): Absolute chaos in a tiny plastic cup. Chili. Cheese. Fries. Its the drunk food holy trinity. Birria chicken taco, Birria Queso Tacos ($2): Its drippy, meaty, and comes in a soft shell. Like your last good decision at the bar. Bar food goes south of the border. Jerk wings, Ermas Island ($2): Smoky and bold, these wings punch way above their $2 weight class. Southern-style chicken wing, The Kitchen ($2): Because one wing just wasnt enough. Philly cheesesteak slider, Chef Jeff ($2): Griddled beef, gooey cheese and grilled onions packed into a mini roll. Its a bar classic shrunk down for street strolling. And it wasnt even messy. Boston Creme Croffle, Oh Crepe & Waffles ($2): Croissant meets waffle meets Boston creme. A gooey mic drop to end your meal. Cookies n cream bun, Sinbun ($2): If its got Oreos, it counts as classy. Well, if you apply bar dessert logic. Strawberry smoothie, Juicy Freeze ($2): Fine, its not a beer. But it feels like one on a hot day. Total: $20. Pairs well with: a cheap domestic lager and good company. **** Don Cazentres Doggone Good Taste of Syracuse Menu Innovative takes on the All-American hot dog mixed in with old and new favorites Reporter Don Cazentre bought several $2 samples and an entree with $20 at Taste of Syracuse on June 6, 2025. Don Cazentre Jerk chicken from Henrys Hen House ($2 sample): A hefty sample of tender chicken in a Jamaican Jerk marinade that builds a slow, steady burn. Risotto bombs from Peppinos ($2 sample): This long-time Taste classic is a local take on Italian arancini, rolled in a ball and fried. The Jillie Dog from Jillie Dogs ($2 sample): A hot dog covered in a nicely seasoned and tangy meat sauce with onions. Meatballs with riggies sauce from Lagana & Cerrillo Sauce ($2 sample): A juicy, fall-apart meatball swimming in a cup of tomato-ey but not so spicy riggie sauce Scoon Dog from Iroquois Eatery ($8): Theres a whole hot dog completely encased in a crispy and slightly sweet Native American frybread and then deep-fried. Chili cheese fries from Lucky 7 ($2 sample): The fries hold up well in this cup of spicy chili loaded with beans and bits of pepper. Strawberry cheesecake from Big Mamas Cheesecakes ($2 sample): A dense and flavorful mound of cheesecake covered in a fruity layer of strawberry jam makes a sweet and cooling finish to your day at the Taste. Total: $20 **** Sunny Hernandezs $2 Flavor Frenzy Menu You dont need a big budget to have a delicious day at the Taste of Syracuse. From cheesy birria tacos to glittery cotton candy. Given $20, I put together a sweet and savory menu of snacks from the Taste of Syracuse, June 6, 2025. Sunny Hernandez | ahernandez@nyup.com Sunny Hernandez | ahernandez@nyup.com Birria beef taco, Birria Queso Tacos ($2): Arguably the longest line of the festival. This mini taco packed a ton of flavor. My only regret is not having more tacos to dip into the birria sauce. Philly cheesesteak slider, Chef Jeff ($2): A hearty bun, beef, topped with peppers and onions. Dubai chocolate, Chocolate Treat ($2): A small bite of the viral Dubai chocolate trend. If you just need a little treat, this is a perfect taste. Cotton candy glitter drink bomb, Punchd ($2): No glitter, no drink, just pure cotton candy goodness in a heart-shaped box. Griot, Petu Haitian Soul Food ($2): Tender fried pork, this will help you meet your protein goals for the day. Mini acai bowl, Baja Bowls on the Go ($2): An acai base with granola, peanut butter and fresh blueberries. Cold, refreshing and healthy. Kimbap, KZumma ($2): Beef or vegan, you cant go wrong with these big, beautiful bites. Imagine a super-stuffed sushi roll. Syracuse Orange agua fresca, Brujas Aguas Frescas ($2): Made from four different kinds of oranges with a blueberry top, this is the perfect sample to wash down the rest of your goodies. Cuse salt potato pizza, Toss & Fire ($2): Got lucky and got a slice from a fresh pie right out of the oven. Hot, cheesy, and salty. Henny cake, R&R Takeout ($2): A tiny bite of sweetness to break up the fried, salty samples. Total: $20. Big flavors. Tiny prices. Endless bites. **** Samantha Houses Syracuse Girl Dinner This one for the girlies whod rather have a platter full of snacks and a signature drink than one entree and an overpriced beer. Smoked meats, cheese and sweet treats? Yes, please. Samantha House's "Syracuse Girl Dinner" consists of ALL the snacks. Top row, left to right: Kabanosy from Evas European Sweets, Italian fries from Villa Restaurant Food Truck and mac and cheese egg rolls: from Yum Yum Shack. Middle row, left to right: Freeze-dried Skittles from Funny Farm Acres, Draught of resurrection from Dark Hollow Productions and chocolate-covered bacon on a stick from Ashley Lynn Signature Chocolates. Bottom row, left to right: Risotto bombs from Peppinos Restaurant & Catering, Smoked wings the Bones Way from Smokey Bones, Oreo cheesecake loompya from Oompya Loompyas and a Dizzy Pig from Glazed & Confused. Samantha House | shouse@syracuse.com Samantha House | shouse@syracuse.com Draught of resurrection, Dark Hollow Productions ($2): This peach lemonade rimmed in crunchy orange sugar and a gummy brain was delightfully sweet and refreshing. It even came with a spell to bring my energy levels back to life. (Stay tuned.) Kabanosy, Evas European Sweets ($2): This sample was a little piece of charcuterie heaven. The smoky bite-sized slices of sausage paired perfectly with the dollop of mild horseradish sauce. Mac and cheese eggrolls, Yum Yum Shack ($2): You cant have a girl dinner without cheese, and these eggrolls make macaroni and cheese walkable. Italian fries, Villa Restaurant Food Truck ($2): These round fries are from one of the New York State Fairs most iconic vendors are satisfyingly, simply savory. Dizzy Pig, Glazed & Confused ($1): Candied bacon and maple glaze make this miniature doughnut taste anything but small. And for just $1, its a sweet deal. Risotto bombs, Peppinos Restaurant & Catering ($2): You cant ask for a better appetizer than creamy, cheesy rice packed inside a crunchy, fried ball. Oreo cheesecake loompya, Oompya Loompyas ($2): This sweet Filipino lumpia (or spring roll) comes with a side of creamy, Oreo dipping sauce. Each flaky bite will leave you wanting more. Smoked wings the Bones Way, Smokey Bones ($2): Grab a handful of napkins: Youre going to want to finish every bite of the two sticky, smoky wings offered in this generous sample. Freeze-dried Skittles, Funny Farm Acres ($2): Theres a reason youre starting to see freeze-dried candy pop up everywhere. Skittles taste lighter and somehow more gourmet when they come freeze-dried in a cup. Chocolate-covered bacon on a stick, Ashley Lynn Signature Chocolates ($2): Maple bacon and chocolate are an unbeatable pairing. And the wrapper this dessert comes in mean you can save it for later. Total: $19. Sweet, smoky, salty and a little spooky. **** Charlie Miller finds the best in food, drinks and fun throughout Central New York no freebies, no favors, just honest eats. You can call or text him at (315) 382-1984 or email cmiller@syracuse.com. Follow @HoosierCuse on Instagram and X, and sign up for his Where Syracuse Eats newsletter here. A student from Confucius Institute of Moi University presents a traditional Chinese garment during an event to mark the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 5, 2025. The International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations was observed Thursday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, with a call to foster bridges of friendship and understanding among people from different cultures. (Xinhua/Li Yahui) NAIROBI, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations was observed Thursday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, with a call to foster bridges of friendship and understanding among people from different cultures. Co-hosted by the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) and the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, the event brought together over 200 attendees, including senior government officials, diplomats and scholars, and featured speeches and cultural performances. In June 2024, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a China-sponsored resolution to designate June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Endorsed by consensus, the resolution underscores the importance of respecting civilizational diversity and the crucial role of dialogue in fostering global peace and advancing inclusive development. Director-General of UNON Zainab Hawa Bangura, who read UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' message, said multilateralism is rooted in the firm conviction that dialogue among civilizations is the path to lasting global peace and cohesion. Celebrating the rich diversity of civilizations will foster mutual understanding and global solidarity, Bangura said, stressing the urgency of embracing dialogue to heal a world grappling with growing intolerance and xenophobia. "Let us choose dialogue over divisions, and let us strive to be one human family, rich in diversity, united in solidarity and equal in dignity and human rights," Bangura said. In a video message, High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Angel Moratinos said that geopolitical tensions, violent conflicts, social fragmentation and the climate crisis have escalated, while dialogue and mutual respect among different cultures and creeds can provide some respite. Through dialogue, global civilizations can defuse tensions, build trust, and contribute positively to shaping a shared destiny for the human race, said Moratinos. Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan said that rising turbulence in the world is a wake-up call for all civilizations to engage in dialogue and achieve mutual respect and understanding. According to the ambassador, in the face of global challenges, no country can stand alone. Cultural differences should not be a source of confrontation but rather a driving force for progress. To build a global community of shared future for mankind, each civilization should pursue harmony through diversity and seek common ground while reserving differences. "Standing at a historical crossroads, humanity is in urgent need of great ideas to shed light on the way forward and open minds to bridge cultural divides," Guo said, adding that "only when each country's path of development is truly respected can the diversity of civilizations become a wellspring of understanding and appreciation." Ababu Namwamba, Kenya's permanent representative to UNON and the United Nations Environment Program, said the day reaffirms the central role of multilateralism in realizing global solidarity, peace and harmony. People attend an event to mark the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 5, 2025. The International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations was observed Thursday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, with a call to foster bridges of friendship and understanding among people from different cultures. (Xinhua/Li Yahui) A student from Confucius Institute of Moi University presents a traditional Chinese garment during an event to mark the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 5, 2025. The International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations was observed Thursday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, with a call to foster bridges of friendship and understanding among people from different cultures. (Xinhua/Li Yahui) Ababu Namwamba, Kenya's permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) and the United Nations Environment Programme, speaks during an event to mark the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 5, 2025. The International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations was observed Thursday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, with a call to foster bridges of friendship and understanding among people from different cultures. (Xinhua/Li Yahui) A student from Confucius Institute of Moi University presents a traditional Chinese garment during an event to mark the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 5, 2025. The International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations was observed Thursday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, with a call to foster bridges of friendship and understanding among people from different cultures. (Xinhua/Li Yahui) Artists perform ballet on-shoulder acrobatics during an event to mark the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 5, 2025. The International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations was observed Thursday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, with a call to foster bridges of friendship and understanding among people from different cultures. (Xinhua/Li Yahui) Kenyan dancers perform during an event to mark the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 5, 2025. The International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations was observed Thursday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, with a call to foster bridges of friendship and understanding among people from different cultures. (Xinhua/Li Yahui) A Chinese artist performs Kunqu Opera during an event to mark the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 5, 2025. The International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations was observed Thursday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, with a call to foster bridges of friendship and understanding among people from different cultures. (Xinhua/Li Yahui) Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan speaks during an event to mark the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 5, 2025. The International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations was observed Thursday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, with a call to foster bridges of friendship and understanding among people from different cultures. (Xinhua/Li Yahui) Participants learn about Chinese sachets during an event to mark the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 5, 2025. The International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations was observed Thursday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, with a call to foster bridges of friendship and understanding among people from different cultures. (Xinhua/Li Yahui) Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi Zainab Hawa Bangura speaks during an event to mark the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 5, 2025. The International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations was observed Thursday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, with a call to foster bridges of friendship and understanding among people from different cultures. (Xinhua/Li Yahui) The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime. Teagasc Launches This is Dairying Photo Competition 2025 Teagasc, with the support of FBD Insurance, is delighted to launch the This is Dairying photo competition in the lead-up to the Teagasc Moorepark Dairy Open Day which is taking place in early July. Pictured at the launch of the This is Dairying photo competition are Sarah Walsh, Teagasc Research Officer; Professor Laurance Shalloo, Head of the Teagasc Animal Grassland Research and Innovation Programme; Neil Kennedy, Teagasc Walsh Scholar; Mary B. Dunphy, FBD Insurance; Sinead Kearney, Teagasc Walsh Scholar; and Conor Hogan, Teagasc People in Dairy Programme Manager. Photo: OGorman Photography. Running throughout the month of June, this years competition is an opportunity to capture and celebrate what makes Irish dairy farming so unique. The aim of the competition is to highlight the pride, purpose and positivity within Irish dairying. Whether its a moment on the family farm, a striking landscape, your favourite animal, or the next generation of farmers in action; every photo helps to tell the story of Irish dairying at its best. It provides an excellent opportunity for budding photographers and photo enthusiasts to get snapping while being in with a chance to win exciting prizes. Speaking at the launch of the competition, Professor Laurence Shalloo, Head of the Teagasc Animal and Grassland, Research and Innovation Programme, said: Were delighted to launch this initiative once again with thanks to support from FBD Insurance. Previous competitions have showcased the passion, care, and pride within the Irish dairy industry. We have seen some great creativity in previous competitions, and Im looking forward to viewing the submissions in 2025. Dr Conor Hogan, Teagasc People in Dairy Programme Manager, added: This competition is about celebrating all that is positive in Irish dairying. Sharing a single photo is a simple but powerful way for farmers, families, and the wider community to support and promote the dairy sector. Wed love to see entries from anyone involved in Irish dairying this June. FBD Insurance are sponsoring the 1,000 worth of prizes for the competition, and Mary B. Dunphy, FBD Insurance, added: At FBD, were proud to support the return of the This is Dairying photo competition for 2025. Its a wonderful opportunity for farmers and their families to showcase the positive side of dairy farming. We always enjoy seeing life on the farm through their lens, and we look forward to this years entries. The This is Dairying photo competition runs until Wednesday, 26th June 2025. Winners will be announced at the Teagasc Moorepark Dairy Open Day, and photos will be displayed online and on the day. The overall winner will receive 500 (FBD Hotel voucher) and a professional framing of their winning photograph. The first runner up will receive 300, and two remaining finalists will be chosen to each receive 100 in FBD Hotel vouchers. To enter, participants are asked to upload their photos through the online form found here. So, get snapping Teagasc very much looks forward to viewing all photos submitted. neerajku BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 220 Thanked: 365 Times Re: Combat Aircraft of the Indian Air Force Quote: FlankerFury Originally Posted by Russian forces were regularly using strategic bombers to target Ukrainian military and dual use infrastructure from standoff ranges. Even if all 41 aircrafts can be repaired, it'll be a time consuming process. This means as of now, RuAF has 41 less aircrafts to attack Ukrainian targets. The way I'm looking at this, Ukraine just sent a message to Russia and the world that, it isn't negotiating from a position of weakness. They attacked bombers on airbases this time, who knows where else they would strike next time. Could be Kremlin, Military HQs, armament factories, ammunition storages, or logistical hubs like railroad facilities. This could be used as a bargaining chip by the Ukrainian side, they could say they'll stop all attacks on military targets deep inside in exchange for say, withdrawal of Russian forces from certain areas or exchange of PoWs. Fact is Russia stopped production long time back and US barely invested in them. Only now they have one coming up. Ballistic missiles are far more accurate and safer compared to a behemoth in the sky. Russia has been using them with impunity as Ukraine does not have enough fire power and multiple restriction on missiles and fighter jets. Whatever limited I have read about Putin regime, loss of face is a big thing for him. The drone attack will one seen as impudence from a puny opponent and not a strategic loss that must be repaid ten times bigger in currency. He is no Otto Van Bismarck here. And he is not gong to be scared of something bigger hidden and get scared to come to the table. He is not answerable to anyone and can take any rash steps. Though hope he does not, the one which some of us are reading will not be good at all for the world. To my mind if bombers were still useful we would have seen lots of investment and a new generation of bombers by now. Most countries dont have them, India had Canberra decades back, not even a bomber.Fact is Russia stopped production long time back and US barely invested in them. Only now they have one coming up. Ballistic missiles are far more accurate and safer compared to a behemoth in the sky.Russia has been using them with impunity as Ukraine does not have enough fire power and multiple restriction on missiles and fighter jets.Whatever limited I have read about Putin regime, loss of face is a big thing for him. The drone attack will one seen as impudence from a puny opponent and not a strategic loss that must be repaid ten times bigger in currency. He is no Otto Van Bismarck here. And he is not gong to be scared of something bigger hidden and get scared to come to the table. He is not answerable to anyone and can take any rash steps.Though hope he does not, the one which some of us are reading will not be good at all for the world. Dippy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 7,864 Thanked: 4,942 Times New battery innovation pushes EV range to over 3,000 miles (4,800 km) A major innovation in battery technology could increase the electric vehicle range tenfold, leading to a major transformation in the EV market. At the heart of this innovative tech are improvements in the way batteries store energy, potentially extending vehicle range dramatically and revolutionizing renewable energy use. Batteries store energy through two key parts: the anode and the cathode. The anode holds energy during charging and releases it when the battery powers devices like electric vehicles. Most common battery anodes are made from graphite. Scientists have long sought alternatives like silicon because it can store significantly more energy. But silicon has posed its own challenges. It expands when charged, potentially causing battery damage and creating safety risks. This has restricted silicon from widespread use despite its advantages. Recently, professors Soojin Park and Youn Soo Kim from Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH) collaborated with Professor Jaegeon Ryu at Sogang University to work around silicons limitations. Their team has developed an innovative binder material that effectively prevents silicon from swelling during charging. This crucial development allows batteries using silicon anodes to safely store ten times more energy than those relying on graphite. This can potentially be a huge game changer in the EV space. EVs will be able to drive long distances like ICE-powered cars without frequent recharging. Professor Park emphasizes this potential, explaining, The research holds the potential to significantly increase the energy density of lithium-ion batteries through the incorporation of high-capacity anode materials, thereby extending the driving range of electric vehicles. Park further notes, Silicon-based anode materials could potentially increase the driving range at least tenfold. Source: Link to Team BHP news A major innovation in battery technology could increase the electric vehicle range tenfold, leading to a major transformation in the EV market.At the heart of this innovative tech are improvements in the way batteries store energy, potentially extending vehicle range dramatically and revolutionizing renewable energy use.Batteries store energy through two key parts: the anode and the cathode. The anode holds energy during charging and releases it when the battery powers devices like electric vehicles.Most common battery anodes are made from graphite. Scientists have long sought alternatives like silicon because it can store significantly more energy. But silicon has posed its own challenges. It expands when charged, potentially causing battery damage and creating safety risks. This has restricted silicon from widespread use despite its advantages.Recently, professors Soojin Park and Youn Soo Kim from Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH) collaborated with Professor Jaegeon Ryu at Sogang University to work around silicons limitations. Their team has developed an innovative binder material that effectively prevents silicon from swelling during charging. This crucial development allows batteries using silicon anodes to safely store ten times more energy than those relying on graphite.This can potentially be a huge game changer in the EV space. EVs will be able to drive long distances like ICE-powered cars without frequent recharging.Professor Park emphasizes this potential, explaining, The research holds the potential to significantly increase the energy density of lithium-ion batteries through the incorporation of high-capacity anode materials, thereby extending the driving range of electric vehicles. Park further notes, Silicon-based anode materials could potentially increase the driving range at least tenfold.Source: Brighter Side of News Last edited by Dippy : 4th June 2025 at 13:19 . WTF?! When the president of the United States and the world's richest person have a falling out, the ramifications can be widespread. Since Musk and Trump went from friends to enemies, $152 billion has been wiped off Tesla's share price, and Musk has threatened to decommission the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that NASA relies on to deliver crew to and from the International Space Station. Musk has also said that Trump appears in files relating to Jeffrey Epstein. When he left the White House last week, Musk blasted those who said he'd had a falling out with Trump. The CEO insisted his departure was due to his scheduled 130 days as a government employee coming to an end. But Musk had been publicly criticizing Trump's Big Beautiful Bill Act, warning it would increase the budget deficit. After learning that an electric-vehicle tax credit that would help incentivize Tesla purchases was not included in the bill, Musk called it "a disgusting abomination" on X and urged Americans to call Congress to have the bill killed. On Thursday, the two men used their respective social media platforms to throw insults at each other. At one point, Trump threatened to "terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts" as a way to slash billions of dollars from the budget. The warning sent Tesla's shares down just over 14%, wiping around $152 billion off its valuation and almost $100 billion off Musk's total net worth. In response to Trump's threat to cancel Musk's government contracts, Musk said SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately. The craft, which NASA relies on for transport missions including ferrying astronauts to the ISS, is under contract worth roughly $4.9 billion. The capsule is the only US spacecraft capable of flying humans into orbit. The only other crewed spacecraft that sends astronauts to the ISS is Russia's Soyuz system. In light of the President's statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately pic.twitter.com/NG9sijjkgW Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 However, after an X user told him to "cool off," Musk wrote, "Ok, we won't decommission Dragon." As the war of words has grown, Musk said Trump's controversial tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year. But his "really big bomb" was an allegation that Trump appears in the files of pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in his jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial. Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Musk has also shared a post calling for Trump's impeachment and posted a poll asking if a new political party should be created in the US that "actually represents the 80% in the middle." 81% of the 4.4 million respondents have voted yes. Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle? Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 One has to wonder if Musk believes his time in the White House was worth it. Beyond his reputational damage, his companies have suffered by association. Tesla sales were down 50% last month, and there have been protests and attacks on dealerships. The company's share price is down 40% from its all-time high on December 17, 2024, before Musk was part of DOGE. In a nutshell: A recent study has revealed that Venus, Earth's closest planetary neighbor, may harbor a largely undetected population of asteroids capable of crossing Earth's path over thousands of years. While these space rocks pose no immediate danger, their elusive orbits and proximity to our planet have prompted astronomers to reconsider how we monitor near-Earth objects. Co-orbital asteroids space rocks that travel alongside planets without fully orbiting them are notoriously difficult to track. Venus currently hosts 20 known co-orbitals, including "Trojan" asteroids and the peculiar quasi-moon Zoozve. These objects, each exceeding 460 feet in diameter, could devastate urban areas if they collided with Earth. Simulations suggest their orbits, which are shaped by gravitational interactions with Venus and other planets, might eventually redirect them toward our planet. "None of the current co-orbital objects will impact Earth soon," Valerio Carruba, an astronomer at Sao Paulo State University and lead author of the study, told Live Science. His team's research, published on the preprint server arXiv and awaiting peer review, modeled the behavior of cloned hypothetical asteroids with less elongated orbits over a 36,000-year period. The results indicated that some could eventually enter collision courses with Earth, though the likelihood remains uncertain. Most known Venusian co-orbitals have highly eccentric paths, making them easier to spot during brief observational windows. However, Carruba's team suggests that many more may exist with lower orbital eccentricities, hidden from view by the Sun's glare. These stealthy objects could evade detection until they approach Earth, as demonstrated by a recent false alarm involving an asteroid initially thought to have a 2.3 percent chance of striking Earth in 2032, before revised calculations ruled it out. The study highlights the chaotic nature of these asteroids' orbits, with Lyapunov times the period after which their paths become unpredictable averaging just 150 years. This inherent instability complicates long-term risk assessments, necessitating the use of statistical models rather than single-orbit analyses. Efforts to spot these threats are set to advance with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, which will begin scanning the skies in late 2025. Its wide-field telescope may identify faint asteroids during their fleeting windows of visibility. Yet Carruba argues that Earth-based tools alone may not be enough. "Only a dedicated observational campaign from a space-based mission near Venus could map all the still 'invisible' asteroids," the researchers wrote. Proposed missions to Venus' orbital vicinity, such as telescopes positioned at gravitational balance points, could offer clearer views. Meanwhile, Carruba remains cautiously optimistic: "I believe we should not underestimate their potential danger, but I would not lose sleep over this issue. Soon, our understanding of this population will improve." Two decades after NASA was tasked with tracking 90 percent of near-Earth asteroids, the discovery of Venus' co-orbitals underscores the need to expand current search parameters. While existing surveys mainly target objects within 1.3 astronomical units of Earth, Carruba's research reveals critical gaps in monitoring asteroids tied to other planets. BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- On a sweltering summer morning in Ziyang, Sichuan Province, a group of local officials wrapped up their first round of inspections and headed straight to a government canteen. With a quick QR code scan and a tap to pay, they received their standardized working lunch. "We booked our meals through the app before heading out," said Wei Hua, a municipal official. "It saves time, avoids unnecessary hassle, and lets us stay focused on the job." The app serves a purpose beyond simple meal ordering: it is specifically tailored for people in public office. It requires users to pay for their own meals during work trips, preventing the misuse of travel meal stipends or offloading food costs onto local hosts. "Our research found that official reception costs made up a significant share of government spending on travel, vehicles, and hospitality, placing a heavy burden on local budgets," said an official with the provincial disciplinary authorities. "Misconduct such as lavish dining at public expense still exists in some townships of Sichuan and frequently tops the list of violations uncovered in investigations into undesirable work styles," the official said, according to media run by China's discipline inspection and supervision authorities. The digital fix for unregulated official dining has quickly gained popularity and is being piloted in provinces like Sichuan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang, seen as a practical step toward greater transparency and reduced extravagance in public spending. This effort is part of a broader campaign that traces back to the Communist Party of China's landmark eight-point rules introduced in late 2012 to rectify pointless formalities, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance -- beginning with seemingly trivial matters such as dining and the use of government vehicles. With the eight-point rules firmly in place, illicit wining and dining has been largely curbed across the country. However, some officials continue to flout the rules or seek to dodge them with new forms of practices. As part of its ongoing push for greater discipline and austerity, China moved to tighten the rules further. Last month, authorities revised the regulations on practicing thrift and opposing waste to ban serving alcohol, luxury dishes, and cigarettes at official meals. Even ornamental plants at official meetings and flashy vehicle upgrades have been added to the growing ban list. The impact of the eight-point rules is increasingly reflected in official budgets. China's central government has trimmed its 2025 budget for official receptions, vehicles, and overseas travel expenses to 6.124 billion yuan (about 852.4 million U.S. dollars), a 5 percent drop from the previous year. Reception spending alone is capped at 302 million yuan, 13 million less than in 2024. The austerity push is rippling through society at large. Frugality has begun to replace excess as a social value. Restaurants are downsizing portions, and it has become common for diners to take leftovers home. As some media have observed, a small shift in how officials dine is prompting a meaningful change in official conduct, one that could foster a wider culture of transparency and discipline throughout society. Why it matters: If you still think that filming the opening of hardware boxes, even those that come from Amazon, is unnecessary, here's yet another case that could change your mind. A Redditor who ordered an RTX 5090 from the Netherlands branch of the world's largest retailer allegedly found the box contained a bag of rice, a bag of pasta, and what appears to be an old graphics card. Ok-Atmosphere7655 posted that he spent weeks saving for an Aorus Master RTX 5090 card. The Redditor admits it's overkill for many people but wanted to make the most of his Samsung 7,680 x 2,160 monitor and its 240Hz refresh rate. He later confirmed that this is the 57-inch Odyssey Neo G9. Ok-Atmosphere7655 chose Amazon NL for the purchase as it was the cheapest option in the Netherlands at 2,950 euros ($3,368). But after waiting a week longer than the week-long delivery date, the box arrived damaged and unsealed, filled with bags of rice and pasta. There was also an old, scruffy graphics card in the box that the unfortunate buyer cannot identify. Based on the photo, it appears to be part of Galax's KFA2 European brand and comes from its EX/EXOC Pascal series, so it's likely a GTX 1080 or GTX 1080 Ti. While we have seen cases like this before, there are some eye-raising elements to this one. The biggest is that the RTX 5090 box was damaged and unsealed with no stickers on it, though it was presumably inside a cardboard box when delivered. The buyer also confirms that Amazon had this card listed as "new" and it was sold by the retailer itself, not a third-party merchant. The internal track and trace showed it had been shipped to the Netherlands from Spain, which is why it took so long, and it was delivered by an Amazon driver. Amazon apparently waited several days after Ok-Atmosphere7655 contacted them. The company asked for photographic evidence and for the package to be returned for inspection. The Redditor writes that he has returned it, "but I have this really awful feeling in my gut that they're not going to take this seriously." These sorts of incidents aren't limited to just online retailers. Last week brought news of RTX 5090 units being sold at Micro Center in sealed boxes that contained only backpacks. It was found that 32 boxes had their contents replaced at the Zotac factory in China. GENEVA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Friday that he was "profoundly disturbed" by the U.S. government's decision to impose sanctions on judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Turk said that attacks against judges for performing their judicial functions, whether at the national or international level, "run directly counter to respect for the rule of law and the equal protection of the law - values for which the U.S. has long stood." Such attacks, he emphasized, seriously undermine good governance and the proper administration of justice. He urged the U.S. government to reconsider its decision and lift the sanctions without delay. The Donald Trump administration imposed sanctions on four ICC judges on Thursday, freezing U.S.-based assets and restricting entry to the United States in response to the court's investigations into alleged war crimes involving Israeli officials and U.S. personnel. Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazadeh, Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office (CMO), says he is unfazed by recent commentary from Armenia regarding the potential restoration of the Iravan Qazilik a historic Islamic religious institution. Speaking to reporters after Eid prayers at the Taza Pir Mosque, Pashazadeh stated, I am not interested in what is being said in Armenia regarding the Iravan Qaziliks restoration. He explained that since the foundation of the CMO, in all big cities of the Caucasus, like Tbilisi, Batumi, Derbent, Kars, and Iravan covering all of what is now Armenia had religious jurisdictions which is called "Qaz?l?k", and all them were subordinate to the CMO. However, due to the state-sponsored deportation of Azerbaijanis from Iravan, the Qazilik was forcibly shut down, he noted. The chairman revealed that following consultations with the Western Azerbaijan Community, a decision has been made to restore the Iravan Qazilik institution. We firmly believe that Azerbaijanis will return to their ancestral lands. There are many mosques, shrines, and cemeteries in those areas that bear witness to our deep-rooted heritage. The revival of the Qazilik is a necessary spiritual step along that path. If the Qazilik is active today here, I believe one day it will also function again in Iravan, he added. Pashazadeh also addressed upcoming diplomatic and interfaith initiatives, announcing that discussions are underway regarding a potential meeting with the newly elected Pope. There is a real possibility that a meeting may take place at the end of 2025, in cooperation with the World Council of Elders. Our ties with the Vatican are strong we have friends and colleagues there. Almost every Pope has visited Azerbaijan. I am optimistic that the newly elected Pope will also visit our country, he said. Regarding the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Karekin II, Pashazadeh ruled out any meetings. To be frank, I do not find it appropriate to meet with him. Karekin has taken on an overtly political persona rather than a spiritual one. His heavy involvement in politics has led him down this path. So, there are no plans for such a meeting, he said. BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to work with Canada, in the spirit of looking to the future, to promote the steady improvement of bilateral relations, bring them onto a track of sound and steady development, and strive for win-win cooperation, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Friday. Speaking with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the phone at the latter's request, Li said that Canada was one of the first Western countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, and the bilateral relationship was at the forefront of China's ties with Western nations for a long time. However, in recent years, the relationship has suffered serious difficulties due to unnecessary disruptions, he added. The development of China and Canada represents opportunities rather than threats to each other, said Li, noting that there are no fundamental conflicts of interest between the two, only a tradition of friendship and mutual benefits. He expressed hope that the Canadian side will make joint efforts with the Chinese side, view China's development in an objective and rational manner, and work together to achieve shared success and prosperity. Looking ahead, there is enormous potential for China-Canada cooperation as the two economies are highly complementary, said Li, urging both sides to deepen cooperation in traditional areas, expand collaboration in emerging fields such as clean energy, climate change and scientific and technological innovation, and strengthen people-to-people as well as economic and trade exchanges. Li called on both governments to listen to their people, respond to their concerns, and do more to enhance bilateral friendly cooperation and increase mutual understanding and trust. China is willing to work with Canada, on the basis of equality and mutual respect, to seek and expand common ground while shelving and narrowing differences, strengthen exchanges and dialogue in various fields, and address each other's concerns appropriately, Li said. Noting that the current international situation is intertwined with turmoil, and unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, Li said China is ready to work with Canada to jointly safeguard multilateralism and free trade, promote economic globalization and the multilateral trading system to develop in the right direction, and inject more stability into world peace and development. For his part, Carney said that Canada and China have a profound traditional friendship and China is Canada's second-largest trading partner. While bilateral relations have experienced some setbacks in recent years, he said, Canada is ready to restart its relationship with China. The Canadian side looks forward to resuming high-level exchanges and dialogue mechanisms in areas such as diplomacy and economic and trade with China, and strengthening pragmatic cooperation in trade, agriculture, energy and environmental protection, he added. In the face of the current international landscape, Canada is willing to enhance communication and coordination with China, jointly safeguard the international financial and trading system, and contribute to promoting global sustainable development, Carney said. 'No doubt' Canadian firm will be first to extract deep sea minerals: CEO New York, June 6 (AFP) Jun 06, 2025 The head of submarine mining pioneer The Metals Company told AFP he had "no doubt" the Canadian firm would be the first to to extract coveted minerals from the deep seas, with help from Donald Trump. Metal-containing deep-sea nodules, which have the appearance of potato-size pebbles and typically contain nickel and cobalt, are highly sought for use in electric vehicle batteries and electric cables, and the race is on to be the first to extract them from the untapped deep sea. TMC's chief executive Gerard Barron told AFP in an interview in New York that his company was sure to win the race. The company turned its back on the International Seabed Authority (ISA), which has jurisdiction over the international seabed, complaining over its slow pace in adopting a mining code that establishes the rules for exploiting seabed minerals. Instead, TMC surprised everyone when its US subsidiary submitted a request to Washington, which is not an ISA member, to grant it the first commercial mining permit in international waters. TMC has asked to harvest so-called polymetallic nodules -- deposits made up of multiple metals -- in 9,700 square miles (25,200 square kilometers) of the Pacific's Clarion-Clipperton Zone. Here is what Barron said about what might lie ahead. Q: When is your target to start mining? A: "With the help of the executive order from President Trump,... we're expecting an expedited permitting process. And that hopefully will mean that within this next year, maybe even by the end of the year, we'll see the permission from the US government to move forward." "We do have our first production vessel, the Hidden Gem,... We've finalized how we turn these nodules into the intermediate nickel and copper and cobalt and manganese products. So we're all set." "We haven't formally told the market when we'll be seeing first production. But what I'm confident of is that it'll be sooner than people expect." "If you would have suggested me 2027, I'd say I hope so." Q: Do you need to first modify the Hidden Gem to increase its production capacity? A: "The original plan was that we were going to make quite extensive modifications to suit a much higher production number. But (expecting) an expedited permit, our thinking is, let's get the boat into production as quickly as possible, and then focus on the bigger production scale for boat number two, three, four and five." Q: When do you expect to reach the hoped-for full-scale production of 12 million tonnes of nodules per year? A: "I hope by 2030-2031." Q: How important is it to be the first to extract minerals from the deep sea? A: "It's not important, but it's a fact that we will be... No doubt." Q: Do you expect this to be seen as a historical step? A: "I think time will be the judge of just how important ocean metals are going to be to society." "The people that oppose us are pretty (much) the same people that oppose nuclear... They dramatized the potential impacts. They lied about the facts. We ended up burning a whole heap of fossil fuels. We contributed a lot of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. That didn't need to happen, and now the world is waking up with the fact that we need nuclear energy. So shame on those people that created that situation. And I think ocean metals will be the same." "I know based on the environmental research and the more than a petabyte of data that we've gathered to support our claims that the impacts of picking up these rocks and turning them into metals are a fraction compared to the land based alternatives." Q: Would you consider going back to ISA if it adopts a mining code for deep sea mining? A: "Not the way it stands now, no. Because the mining code has been overtaken by activists." "There are many ways that you can frustrate the process if you're Greenpeace. One way is to get countries to sign on to moratoriums... Another way is to get your countries to do the bidding for you by resisting language in the mining code that makes it practical." "China (has) five licenses more than any other nation, they have state-owned enterprises controlling those licenses. And they can afford to be more patient... They play the long game, whereas private contractors like ourselves, our shareholders won't sit around waiting for that." Ancient town and its manuscripts face ravages of the Sahara Oualata, Mauritania, June 6 (AFP) Jun 06, 2025 From his roof, Sidi Mohamed Lemine Sidiya scans the mediaeval town of Oualata, a treasure that is disappearing under the sands of the Mauritanian desert. "It's a magnificent, extraordinary town," said Sidiya, who is battling to preserve the place known as the "Shore of Eternity". Oualata is one of a UNESCO-listed quartet of ancient, fortified towns or "ksour", which in their heyday were trading and religious centres and now hold jewels dating back to the Middle Ages. Doors crafted from acacia wood and adorned with traditional motifs painted by local women still dot the town. Centuries-old manuscripts, a rich source of cultural and literary heritage handed down through the generations, are also held in family libraries. But the southeastern town near the border with Mali is vulnerable to the ravages of the Sahara's extreme conditions. In the punishing heat, piles of stone and walls that are ripped open bear witness to the impact of the latest, especially heavy rainy season. "Many houses have collapsed because of the rains," Khady said, standing by her crumbling home, which she inherited from her grandparents. An exodus of people leaving Oualata only compounds the problem. "The houses became ruins because their owners left them," said Sidiya, a member of a national foundation dedicated to preserving the region's ancient towns. - Encroaching sands - For decades, Oualata's population has been dwindling as residents move away in search of jobs, leaving nobody to maintain the historic buildings. Its traditional constructions are covered in a reddish mudbrick coating called banco and were designed to adapt to the conditions. But once the rains have stopped, the buildings need maintenance work. Much of the old town is now empty, with only around a third of the buildings inhabited. "Our biggest problem is desertification. Oualata is covered in sand everywhere," Sidiya said. Around 80 percent of Mauritania is affected by desertification -- an extreme form of land degradation -- caused by "climate change (and) inappropriate operating practices", according to the environment ministry. More plants and trees used to grow in the desert, Boubacar Diop, head of the ministry's Protection of Nature department, said. "The desert experienced a green period before the great desertification of the 1970s caused the installation of sand dunes," Diop said. By the 1980s, Oualata's mosque was so covered in sand that "people were praying on top of the mosque" rather than inside it, Bechir Barick, who teaches geography at Nouakchott University, said. Despite being battered by the wind and sand, Oualata has preserved relics attesting to its past glory as a city on the trans-Saharan caravan trade route and centre of Islamic learning. "We inherited this library from our ancestors, founders of the town," Mohamed Ben Baty said, turning the pages of a 300-year-old manuscript in a banco-covered building that remains cool despite the outside temperature. Like his forebears, the imam is the repository of almost 1,000 years of knowledge, descending from a long line of scholars of the Koran. - 'Valuable' for researchers - The family library has 223 manuscripts, the oldest of which dates to the 14th century, Ben Baty said. In a tiny, cluttered room, he half-opened a cupboard to reveal its precious content: centuries-old writings whose survival might once have seemed in doubt. "These books, at one time, were very poorly maintained and exposed to destruction," Ben Baty said, pointing to water stains on sheets slipped into plastic sleeves. Books in the past were stored in trunks "but when it rains, the water seeps in and can spoil the books," he said. Part of the roof collapsed eight years ago during the rainy season. In the 1990s, Spain helped to fund the setting up of a library in Oualata which holds more than 2,000 books that were restored and digitally copied. But lack of financing now means their continued preservation depends on the goodwill of a few enthusiasts, like Ben Baty, who does not even live in Oualata all year round. "The library needs a qualified expert to ensure its management and sustainability because it contains a wealth of valuable documentation for researchers in various fields: languages, Koranic sciences, history, astronomy," he added. Oualata has no real tourism to rely on -- it has no hotel and the nearest town is two hours away travelling on just a track. It is also in an area where many countries advise against travelling to due to the threat of jihadist violence. Faced with the encroaching desert, trees were planted around the town three decades ago but it was not enough, Sidiya said. Several initiatives have sought to save Oualata and the three other ancient towns, which were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996. An annual festival takes place in one of the four to raise money for renovations and investment to develop the towns and encourage people to stay. Once the sun drops behind the Dhaar mountains and the air cools, hundreds of children venture out into the streets and Oualata comes to life. els/lp/kjm/phz Along Ghana's vanishing coast, climate change swallows history, homes Keta, Ghana, June 6 (AFP) Jun 06, 2025 The salty wind blows across the ruins of Ghana's Fort Prinzenstein, where thick walls once held thousands of enslaved Africans before their journey across the Atlantic. Now, only a shell remains -- a crumbling monument teetering at the edge of the sea. For centuries, Ghana's coastline has borne the brunt of history. Today, it is being consumed by nature and neglect as climate change, rising sea levels and unchecked human activity eat away at the 550-kilometre (340-mile) shore. Villages are vanishing, and with them, centuries-old heritage. The modern economy is also at risk. A few metres (yards) away from the fort, Ernestina Gavor cleans a glass behind a bar. "I'm hoping it survives a few more years," she told AFP, noting that the restaurant relies on tourists to keep afloat. Fort Prinzenstein, once a Danish slave fort and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is among the most threatened sites on Ghana's coast. James Ocloo Akorli, its caretaker for 24 years, has watched the Gulf of Guinea claw away at the structure -- and his memories. The coast used to be about four miles from the fort, he recounted. The village he was born in has been swept away, his family packing up and leaving in 1984. Today, only 10 percent of the original fort survives. The dungeons that once held enslaved women are still visible, but the men's quarters have been swallowed by the waves. "This fort used to be significant," Akorli told AFP. "Now, we are losing everything -- our history, our homes and our livelihoods." - Modern economy at risk - Ghana's castles and forts -- particularly Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle -- attract thousands of visitors each year, mostly African Americans seeking to reconnect with their ancestral past. "For Afro-descendants, they are sacred places -- testimonies of our resilience, our pain and our ingenuity. If we lose them, we lose our connection to history," said Edmond Moukala, UNESCO's representative in Ghana. But preserving that history is proving difficult. Chris Gordon, an environmental scientist at the University of Ghana, warned that the scale of intervention required was beyond the country's current means. "You'd need the kind of coastal defences they have in the Netherlands," he told AFP. History isn't the only thing at risk. Samuel Yevu, 45, was among those displaced after "tidal waves", as ocean surges are locally known, swept through nearby Fuvemeh village in March. "We used to have coconut trees, fishing nets, everything. Now it's all gone," said Yevu, whose family sleeps in a school classroom. In 2000, Ghana launched a $100-million sea wall project to protect communities like Keta, home to Fort Prinzenstein. It saved the town, but shifted erosion eastwards, devastating places like Agavedzi and Aflao. Experts warn that short-sighted interventions -- like groynes and sea walls -- can worsen erosion by redirecting the ocean's energy elsewhere. Meanwhile, human interventions that worsen natural coastal erosion continue unabated. "Sand mining, river damming, unregulated construction -- they all starve the coast of sediment," said Gordon. A study by the University of Ghana suggests the country could lose key landmarks like Christiansborg Castle and Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum within decades if nothing is done. The country's modern economy is also heavily reliant on coastal activities, from ports and fishing to oil and gas. Yet the destruction of Fort Prinzenstein -- stone of the prince, in the Danish language -- is particularly poignant because of its unique role in the slave trade. Akorli recounted how enslaved people from modern-day Benin, Nigeria and Togo were branded, sorted and shipped from the fort, even after Britain outlawed the slave trade in 1807. "This is the only fort in the Volta region. Togo doesn't have one. Benin doesn't. Nigeria doesn't," he said. - 'Losing a graveyard' - At Cape Coast Castle, a tour guide warned of a similar fate. "Every day, people from the diaspora come here and cry in these dungeons," he said, requesting anonymity since he was not authorised to speak to the media. "If this castle disappears, it's like losing a graveyard of millions. It's not just Ghana's history -- it's world history." Even so, maintenance remains neglected. Moukala, from UNESCO, believes the core problem is not erosion, but lack of care. "If there had been regular maintenance, we wouldn't witness the severe deterioration. These were buildings meant to last centuries. But neglect, urban development and vandalism have destroyed many." In Keta, Akorli's plea to authorities is urgent. "They must come as a matter of urgency, restore this fort to boost visitation, so that our brothers in the diaspora will not lose their roots." strs/nro/kjm Japan court rejects $92 bn damages verdict against Fukushima operator ex-bosses Tokyo, June 6 (AFP) Jun 06, 2025 A Japanese court overturned a $92 billion damages verdict on Friday against ex-bosses of the operator of Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, thought to be the largest such award ever in the country for a civil suit. Four former executives had in 2022 been ordered to collectively pay 13.3 trillion yen in a suit brought by shareholders over the nuclear disaster triggered by a massive tsunami in 2011. But the verdict was thrown out Friday by the Tokyo High Court, a spokeswoman for the institution told AFP. Shareholders had argued the catastrophe could have been prevented if Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) bosses had listened to research and implemented preventative measures like placing an emergency power source on higher ground. But the defendants countered that the risks were unpredictable, and the studies cited were not credible. "The defendants... cannot be found to have had this foreseeability at a point in time before the earthquake in question," Friday's court ruling said. The 13.3 trillion yen damages award was believed to be the largest amount ever ordered in a civil suit in Japan. It was meant to cover TEPCO's costs for dismantling reactors, compensating affected residents, and cleaning up contamination. In 2015, British oil giant BP was ordered to pay $20.8 billion for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in what was described at the time as the highest fine ever imposed on a company in the United States. - Lawyers' warning - The court spokeswoman said an appeal by the shareholders for an even higher damages order of 22 trillion yen had been denied. "Take responsibility for the Fukushima nuclear accident!" said a pink-and-white banner displayed by the plaintiffs after the ruling. Hiroyuki Kawai, head of their legal team, also issued a stark warning at a press conference on Friday. "If I were to summarise today's ruling in one phrase: it is a ruling that will lead to future serious nuclear accidents," he said. TEPCO declined to comment on the High Court verdict. Three of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant's six reactors were operating when a massive undersea quake triggered a massive tsunami on March 11, 2011. They went into meltdown after their cooling systems failed when waves flooded backup generators, leading to the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Overall the tsunami along Japan's northeast coast left around 18,500 people dead or missing. In March this year, Japan's top court said it had finalised the acquittal of two former TEPCO executives charged with professional negligence over the Fukushima meltdown. The decision concluded the only criminal trial to arise from the plant's 2011 accident. Japan court rejects $92 bn damages verdict against Fukushima operator ex-bosses Tokyo, June 6 (AFP) Jun 06, 2025 A Japanese court overturned a $92 billion damages verdict on Friday against ex-bosses of the operator of Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, thought to be the largest such award ever in the country for a civil lawsuit. Four former executives had in 2022 been ordered to collectively pay 13.3 trillion yen in a suit brought by shareholders over the nuclear disaster triggered by a massive tsunami in 2011. But that verdict was thrown out Friday by the Tokyo High Court, a spokeswoman for the institution told AFP. Shareholders argue the catastrophe could have been prevented if Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) bosses had listened to research and implemented preventative measures, like placing an emergency power source on higher ground. But the defendants counter that the risks were unpredictable, and the studies in question are not credible. "The defendants... cannot be found to have had this foreseeability at a point in time before the earthquake in question," Friday's court ruling said. TEPCO declined to comment on the High Court verdict, but the shareholder plaintiffs reacted with anger. "If I were to summarise today's ruling in one phrase: it is a ruling that will lead to future serious nuclear accidents," said Hiroyuki Kawai, head of their legal team. "When nuclear operators read this ruling, I believe they'll become even more complacent," he later told AFP. "No major earthquake has ever been accurately predicted in advance," Kawai added. - 'Take responsibility' - Three of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant's six reactors were operating when a massive undersea quake triggered a massive tsunami on March 11, 2011. They went into meltdown after their cooling systems failed when waves flooded backup generators, leading to the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Overall the tsunami along Japan's northeast coast left around 18,500 people dead or missing. The 13.3 trillion yen damages award was meant to cover TEPCO's costs for dismantling reactors, compensating affected residents and cleaning up contamination. In 2015, British oil giant BP was ordered to pay $20.8 billion for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in what was described at the time as the highest fine ever imposed on a company in the United States. The High Court court spokeswoman said that an appeal by the shareholders for an even higher damages order of 22 trillion yen had been dismissed on Friday. "Take responsibility for the Fukushima nuclear accident!" said a pink-and-white banner displayed by the plaintiffs after the ruling. They said they would now appeal to the Supreme Court. In March this year, Japan's top court said it had finalised the acquittal of two former TEPCO executives charged with professional negligence over the Fukushima meltdown. The decision concluded the only criminal trial to arise from the plant's 2011 accident. kh-cg-kaf/sco TEPCO - TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER KABUL, June 6 (Xinhua) -- At least 800 drug users have made a full recovery at a rehabilitation center in southern Afghanistan's Zabul province, the state-run Bakhtar news agency reported Friday. According to the report, recently 30 drug users, after receiving medical treatment and rehabilitation, as well as receiving professional and vocational training, have reunited with their families. Afghanistan, a country deeply affected by decades of war and civil strife, is reportedly home to more than 3 million drug addicts. To overcome the challenge, the Afghan interim government, which has banned poppy cultivation and drug trafficking, has committed to eradicating drug production and addiction. Indonesia reviews nickel mining in 'last paradise' after outcry Jakarta, June 6 (AFP) Jun 06, 2025 Indonesia will review nickel mining in a region known as the "world's last paradise" and could take legal action, the environment minister said, after Greenpeace videos sparked public outcry about potential damage. The eastern archipelago of Raja Ampat in Southwest Papua Province sits in the Coral Triangle and is thought to be one of the world's most pristine reef areas, with its clear blue waters making it a popular diving spot. Greenpeace Indonesia ignited social media uproar this week with several videos highlighting nickel mining projects in the area, with one amassing 13 million views on Instagram. Indonesia has the world's biggest nickel reserves and is the biggest producer of the metal used in electric vehicle batteries and stainless steel. However, environmentalists say its rush to capitalise on supply and boost processing is causing irreparable damage to land around mines and smelters. The outcry over potential damage to the area drew a reaction from the government, with the energy ministry suspending operations at a nickel mine on one of Raja Ampat's islands pending an inspection. Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said he would visit the area and vowed to punish mining firms there. "We will immediately take legal action related to activities in Raja Ampat, after going through our studies," Hanif said on Thursday, according to Indonesian media. Nickel exploitation on the islands of Gag, Kawe and Manuran has led to the destruction of more than 500 hectares of forest and vegetation, according to a Greenpeace Indonesia analysis. They are categorised as small islands that under Indonesian law should be off-limits to mining, the environmentalist group said. The government's response has raised hopes that spreading awareness was helping to protect Raja Ampat, Greenpeace Indonesia forest campaign team leader Arie Rompas told AFP on Friday. "We are happy because there are some actions that the government could take. We are pushing the right button with this campaign," he said. Arie said he hoped the public would carry on supporting Greenpeace's campaign until the government revoked all mining licences and until Raja Ampat is "truly protected". Germany's Munich Re withdraws from climate initiatives Frankfurt, Germany, June 6 (AFP) Jun 06, 2025 German reinsurance giant Munich Re said on Friday it had withdrawn from several climate alliances but insisted that it would keep pursuing green targets independently. It is the latest sign that major firms are going cold on such initiatives, amid concerns about their effectiveness and growing political opposition in the United States and elsewhere. Munich Re said it had pulled out of the UN-backed Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance, the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative, Climate Action 100+ and the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change. The groups all aim to help financial giants reach net-zero carbon emissions. "Climate related disclosures and associated administrative requirements have become very complex for international corporations," said the firm, which acts as an insurer for insurers. "Moreover, they are disproportionate to the impact achieved in terms of climate protection." It also said there was an "increasing ambiguity in assessing private initiatives under the legal and regulatory regimes across various jurisdictions". The group, which last year booked a net profit of 5.7 billion euros ($6.5 billion), said it believed that it could pursue its climate targets "in a more focused and targeted manner on our own". "Climate protection remains an urgent priority for Munich Re," it said. "We continue to pursue our goal of contributing to the achievement of the Paris climate targets." The 2015 Paris climate accords aimed to limit global warming to well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels -- and to 1.5 if possible. The group said it had achieved or exceeded the interim targets that it had set itself for 2025. sr/sea/kjm UK plans solar 'revolution' for new homes London, June 6 (AFP) Jun 06, 2025 New homes built in Britain will have rooftop solar panels "by default", reducing energy bills and helping to meet carbon-reduction targets, the Labour government announced Friday. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's party wants 1.5 million new homes built by 2029 amid a housing shortage -- a figure many experts believe is optimistic. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said proposals announced Friday mark "a monumental step in unleashing this rooftop revolution". The government said: "New homes will also have low-carbon heating, such as heat pumps and high levels of energy efficiency, cutting people's energy bills and boosting the nation's energy security with clean, homegrown power." It added in a statement that "a typical existing UK home could save around pound530 ($717) a year from installing rooftop solar." "The proposed Future Homes Standard would see building regulations amended to explicitly promote solar for the first time, subject to practical limits with flexibility in place for new homes surrounded by trees or with lots of shade overhead," the government said. Environment campaign group Greenpeace welcomed the policy, while urging the government to go further. "This is a great example of how climate solutions can not only cut planet-heating emissions but also improve people's lives," its head of politics, Ami McCarthy, said in a statement. "Now ministers need to urgently reform the UK's energy system as a whole and stop gas from setting the price of electricity so that everyone, whether living in a new build or not, gets to enjoy the lower bills that cheap, clean renewable power can bring." Britain has set its sights on delivering a net zero carbon economy by 2050. Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Among the many brilliant artists in Tina Turners circle was Peter Lindbergh, the renowned German fashion photographer whose long-standing relationship with the rock icon is the subject of a new book. Published by Taschen, Tina Turner by Lindbergh is released next week and includes a foreword from Turners husband, Erwin Bach. If I want to see vibrant images of Tina the real Tina I just have to look at Peter Lindberghs extraordinary photographs, Bach said. Peter saw her as a work of art, a fashion and beauty icon, and, more importantly, a joyous, powerful, and deeply spiritual woman. Turner herself once said: No shot was too outrageous for Peter and he knew that I was a bit of a tomboy, so we were partners in crime. He was willing to try anything and so was I! Together, we made magic! open image in gallery Tina Turner at the Eiffel Tower, 1989 ( Peter Lindbergh/Taschen ) Lindbergh captured Turner not only in a state of joy and exuberance the vivacious rock n roll persona the world knew and loved but also in quieter, more reflective moments that demonstrated her introverted side in more vulnerable moments. open image in gallery Lindbergh captured the quieter, more introspective side of Tina Turner ( Peter Lindbergh/Tacshen ) He shot Turner through the years in myriad locations from the beach to the stage, the Eiffel Tower to the Mojave Desert depicting her singing, dancing, preparing for a show or drinking coffee. open image in gallery Tina Turner enjoys a coffee in Paris ( Peter Lindbergh/Taschen ) The book is described as a heartfelt tribute to the pairs friendship and deep connection between two artists who shaped the cultural landscape of the 20th century. open image in gallery The cover shot for Tina Turner and Peter Lindbergh ( Taschen ) open image in gallery ( Peter Lindbergh/Taschen ) open image in gallery Simply the Best: Tina Turner enjoys a stroll ( Peter Lindbergh/Taschen ) Lindbergh first rose to national prominence as the photographer who shot one of the most iconic Vogue covers of all time, the January 1990 British Vogue issue. The cover brought together a group of young women who would go on to become the supermodels of the Nineties: Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford and Christy Turlington. Among his other notable works are the covers for Turners album Foreign Affair and Beyonce I Am Sasha Fierce. Lindbergh died in September 2019 in Paris, aged 74. Turner died in May 2023, aged 83. Earlier this year, a previously unheard track, Hot for You Baby, was released as part of a 40th anniversary edition of Turners album Private Dancer. Long believed to have been lost, Hot for You, Baby was recorded at Hollywoods Capitol Studios but was bumped from Turners fifth album in favour of hits including Whats Love Got to Do with It and Better Be Good to Me. The album peaked at No 1 in the US and earned Turner four Grammy awards, including Song of the Year. Tina Turner by Peter Lindbergh is out now. Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Actor Tom Felton will join the Broadway company of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child for a limited engagement later this year. He will reprise his role as Draco Malfoy, whom he starred as across all eight Harry Potter films. Felton will join the cast at the Lyric Theatre in New York City beginning November 11, becoming the first cast member from the famed film franchise to reprise their role in the stage production. The role also marks Feltons Broadway debut. Hell remain with the show through March 22, 2026. Being a part of the Harry Potter films has been one of the greatest honors of my life, Felton said in a statement. open image in gallery Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy ( Warner Bros/Manuel Harlan ) Joining this production will be a full-circle moment for me, because when I begin performances in Cursed Child this fall, Ill also be the exact age Draco is in the play. Its surreal to be stepping back into his shoes and of course his iconic platinum blond hair and I am thrilled to be able to see his story through and to share it with the greatest fan community in the world. I look forward to joining this incredible company and being a part of the Broadway community. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child picks up 19 years after the end of the original series, following Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco as they send their children off to Hogwarts. The play is based on an original story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany. The show first opened on Londons West End in 2016, followed by the Broadway production in 2018. Several other productions have since been mounted in cities around the world, including Hamburg, Melbourne, Toronto, and Tokyo. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions. open image in gallery Tom Felton will reprise his role as Draco Malfoy in the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ( Emilio Madrid ) In a joint statement, Friedman and Callender said: As fans of the wizarding world ourselves, we feel incredibly fortunate to welcome Tom into our Cursed Child family on Broadway and to offer Harry Potter fans around the globe the once-in-a-lifetime excitement of seeing him reprise this iconic role, this time on-stage in New York City. This moment is powerful on many levelsTom will be making his Broadway debut and is marking a full-circle moment for not just himself, but for Draco too, they continued. He gets to inhabit Draco once more, but this time as an adult facing the relatable challenges of parenthood and the complicated meaning of legacy. Since the end of the Harry Potter film franchise, Felton has appeared on stage and screen. He made his West End debut in 2022 as Sam in 2:22 A Ghost Story. Two years later, he starred as Bob Edwards in Gareth Farrs play A Child of Science at Bristol Old Vic. His TV credits include roles inThe Flash, Murder in the First, the mini-series Full Circle and Ridley Scotts Labyrinth. Felton has also appeared in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Belle, the independent film In Secret opposite Jessica Lange, Elizabeth Olsen and Oscar Isaac, as well as the Netflix films A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting and The Forgotten Battle. As a playwright, Oscar Wilde turned out perfectly polished, covertly queer drawing-room comedies. So this loud, proud dystopian dance party inspired by his life would no doubt have him spluttering indignantly into his champers. Oscar at the Crown is undeniably fun, pouring all the poppy, punchy energy of Six the Musical into a mirror-lined, nightclub-style basement space. And amid the noise, there's a chaotic pummelling of the themes of celebrity and performance that Wilde delicately toyed with. Mark Mauriello is both the writer and star of this extravaganza, at the helm since it first premiered in Brooklyn in 2019, on the eve of the first Covid lockdown. And why cast anyone else? In this London transfer, housed in a Tottenham Court Road cellar, Mauriello plays Wilde with the energy of a twisted circus ringmaster, his eyes widening in fiery fervour as his crew of dancers strut and vogue their way through an intense dance soundtrack. They're all called Lisa, after the glam and unapologetically self-absorbed star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills because this unorthodox version of Wilde has turned his obsession with reality telly into a religion. In a shining stained glass window, we see an image of his prophet and saviour, Julie Cooper a character from teen drama The OC who apparently foretold the rise of the Real Housewives franchise, and thus celebrity culture as we know it, and thus (in an enjoyably implausible leap) the ultimate downfall of civilisation as we know it. Now, we're in a post-apocalyptic horror show where a totalitarian government exiles queer outcasts into the desert ready to be rescued by loving tyrant Wilde, and inculcated into his safe haven of a nightclub. It all makes a surreal kind of sense. But this set-up comes jarringly late in the show, after an extended opening sequence based on catchy original number Amethyst and Diamond (Baby I'm on top of the world, sings Wilde, lifted high above the standing audience's heads, bouffant white wig polishing the rafters). Ironically for a musical about a master of dramatic plotting, the structure is the biggest issue here. Dense, essay-like explications of Wilde's influence on celebrity culture are chucked at the audience at random, mostly missing the mark there's only so much queer theory the human brain can take in after wall-to-wall pop bangers have pounded it into post-apocalyptic gruel. Andrew Barret Cox's earworm-filled soundtrack doesnt really advance the narrative either: the lyrics are Eurovision levels of abstract, rather than offering specific insights into Wilde's worldview. Still, moments in Wilde's biography really do land. Like his rushed wedding to Constance (Elizabeth Chalmers), an elaborate camp performance where his earnest bride is an afterthought. Or his betrayal by his younger lover Bosie (Zak Marx), as a baying mob pulls apart this wounded literary lion. Mauriello digs into fascinating questions about queerness and victimhood here, showing that Wilde's own sufferings didn't stop him exploiting others in turn. Mauriello cheerfully acknowledges that this show's ending is a mess and why shouldn't it be, when Wilde's own life story finished in ugly chaos, as he grew sick and penniless in a Paris bedsit? There's something enjoyably queer about the way that this musical rejects the Victorian conventions (both social and narrative) that constrained, then ultimately silenced Wilde. And as society cracks down on expressions of queer identity on both sides of the Atlantic, it's a welcome meditation on what it means to create a safe space as the world outside burns. Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice On an August morning in 2017, a Spanish engineer named Antonio Navarro Cerdan left his home in the quiet Valencian neighbourhood of Patraix to head off to work, just as he would every other weekday. But on this particular Wednesday, Antonio never made it to the office; he didnt even get behind the wheel of his car. As he made his way through his buildings garage, he was stabbed in the chest with a kitchen knife and left to die in the car park. When she learned of his harrowing murder, Antonios wife Maria slipped into the role of the grieving widow, aghast at this seemingly random attack. It didnt take long, though, for suspicion to turn upon Maria herself. Was she in fact the black widow at the centre of a spiders web of infidelity, jealousy and deceit? Welcome to the world of Netflixs latest hit, A Widows Game, which has set up residence in the streamers top 10 films since its release last week. While this tale might sound straight out of a particularly overheated telenovela, the movie is in fact based on a real murder case that gripped Spain a few years back. With a touch of hindsight, its not hard to see why the film has got its claws into viewers. It has all the makings of a Netflix B-list success story, the sort of project that doesnt get much hype in the lead-up to its release (in fact, reviews have been decidedly mixed, to put it politely) yet still manages to shoot up the charts and cling on for dear life. And if its lead star Ivana Baquero looks vaguely familiar, thats probably thanks to her childhood role as Ofelia, the heroine of Guillermo del Toros fantastical epic Pans Labyrinth. Its a straightforward murder-mystery procedural, with the added frisson that comes with being based on a true story, albeit one that the majority of us, outside Spain at least, might not already be familiar with. Its set under the Valencian sun, and theres plenty of extramarital sex, too. Essentially, its solid, scandalous fare, the sort of stuff that people actually gobble up on Netflix (albeit perhaps with one eye on their phone, if theyve opted for the dubbed version rather than subtitles). And while many true-crime offerings dress up their salacious tales with platitudes about honouring victims, this one is, for better or worse, almost brutally straightforward in its aims. This film is not about the victim, executive producer Ramon Campo said in a statement. It is about the murderers. open image in gallery Maje, played by Ivana Baquero, and her husband appeared to be the perfect couple ( Netflix ) The story that underpins it, though, is arguably even more shocking than the film makes out. In photos, Antonio and Maria, nicknamed Maje, seemed like a perfect couple: good-looking, smiling, apparently carefree and happy in each others company. But if schlocky Netflix dramas have taught us anything, its that appearances are almost always deceptive. Maje, who was nine years her husbands junior, was in fact serially unfaithful to Antonio (whos been renamed as Arturo in the film). In photos, Antonio and Maria seemed like a perfect couple: good-looking, smiling, apparently carefree and happy in each others company One of Majes lovers was Salvador Rodrigo Lapiedra, a colleague at the hospital where she worked as a nurse. Salvador was 20 years her senior, already married with a daughter around her age; the movie leans into classic tropes to inevitably paint him as a middle-aged has-been whos dangerously flattered by the attention from his beautiful young co-worker. Reports from the Spanish press suggest that the relationship came to a head when the couple were having lunch at Salvadors farmhouse in Ribarroja: Maje told her boyfriend that Antonio was psychologically abusive and controlling, and that she wanted him to die. The couple set about putting together a plan for his murder, using Majes in-depth knowledge of the mundanities of her husbands daily routine in order to find a time when he might be vulnerable. It would later transpire that Salvador wasnt the first person Maje had tried to recruit into this grim plan; shed told previous lovers a similar story about Antonio (despite the fact that there was no evidence that hed ever been abusive). But why opt for murder when, well, divorce exists? According to later testimony from Salvador, she saw the scheme as a way of getting rid of her husband, while getting to keep his inheritance and pension as a means of financial support. open image in gallery Maje used her knowledge of her husbands daily routine to help craft the murder plot ( Netflix ) Salvador would eventually dispose of the murder weapon by throwing it in a septic tank at his farmhouse. Maje, meanwhile, got stuck into performing the part of the widow in mourning, reportedly reading an emotional farewell letter at his funeral. Initially, the police were confused as to what might be the motive for such a horrifying act; nothing had been stolen from Antonio, so it didnt appear to be a robbery gone wrong. But when officers shifted their investigation to focus on those closest to the victim, they were soon confronted with evidence of Majes secret life. A wiretap on her phone captured a message to a friend, in which she admitted to feeling free after the death (and noted that she was already collecting his pension). Not long after, she and Rodrigo made a series of incriminating calls to one another, discussing the aftermath of their plan. Lets just say that wasnt exactly the smartest move the duo were eventually arrested in January the following year. The next twist in this bleak tale, though, is strangely rushed through by the creators of A Widows Game, confined to a few lines in the end credits. At first, Salvador was happy to take the rap for his girlfriend, claiming that he and he alone was responsible for Antonios death. But then, he changed his mind. What prompted this about turn? Hed learned that Maje had struck up a relationship with another inmate while in custody. This betrayal spurred him to change his statement to better reflect her involvement. I said it was all my idea but it was both of us, he said, in a recording that plays in the films final moments. open image in gallery Salvador would eventually change his mind and revealed Majes involvement in the plan ( Netflix ) His defence lawyers would eventually argue that he had been manipulated, and that he only went along with the plot because of his infatuation. Maje, meanwhile, continued to deny any involvement in her husbands death, even as the evidence piled up against her. In October 2020, Salvador was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 17 years in prison but Maje would end up being handed the harsher punishment. She was found guilty of murder, with kinship as an aggravating circumstance, and received 22 years. The story only becomes more convoluted from there. While in prison in Picassent, Maje began another relationship with a different inmate, a man known only as David, whod been convicted of a 2008 murder. Picassent, its worth noting, was Europes first mixed penitentiary, where male and female prisoners share communal space and take part in activities together. Its not an anomaly, either: around 20 coed prison blocks are currently in operation across Spain. A few months into this romance, Maje became pregnant, and gave birth to a baby boy in 2023. Since then, shes been continuing her sentence in a mother and child unit at another prison in Alicante, where shell likely remain until her son turns three. Its a strange, sad coda to a strange, sad story and yet more proof that the truth really is stranger than fiction. A Widows Game is streaming on Netflix now Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Actor Adam Scott has inadvertently gone viral on TikTok after he made a rare appearance in one of his teenage daughters videos. The 52-year-old star, best known for playing Mark Scout in the Apple TV+ show Severance, has been married to producer Naomi Scott since 2005. The couple have two children together, Frankie, 16, and Graham, 18. However, it would appear that much of Scotts private life has largely gone over his fans heads, especially his own age and how old his kids are. That was until the Parks and Recreation star popped up in Frankies TikTok video, captioned Me informing my dad about my weekend plans, where he and Frankie lip-synched to an audio clip from Keeping Up With the Kardashians. In the clip, Kourtney Kardashian says I have a busy week, to which her ex Scott Disick replies: Do you? Thursday, Nobu. Vegas, Friday. Then I have a spray tan at 8.45, answers Kardashian. Things are filling up, laments Disick in response. Both Scott and his daughter played out the part in a 12-second clip, which has already been viewed more than 6 million times since it was shared on Wednesday (4 June). Although people were surprised to see a big star like Scott pop up in the clip, many couldnt believe just how old his daughter was despite him still appearing relatively youthful. How is Adam Scott my age who also has a daughter thats my age? one fan jokingly asked. Im shocked Adam Scott has a daughter this old, remarked another. A third said: It appears that Ive severely underestimated Adam Scotts age. Meanwhile, a fourth fan added: Adam Scott is a year older than me and I look a good 15 years older than him. Adam Scott and his wife Naomi Scott ( AFP/Getty ) Scott has previously talked about how his role in Severance mirrored his own life. Speaking to The Guardian in 2022, Scott discussed the fact that he filmed the show in the midst of lockdown and the pre-vaccine pandemic. He said: I plopped down in New York, leaving my wife and kids in Los Angeles, and because of the intense quarantine laws it was impossible to go back and forth. So for three or four months I could only see them on FaceTime. Also, Mark is grieving his wife and I was grieving my mom, who died a few months before filming. I thought Id gone through the grieving process, but then I suddenly found myself without my family to cushion the blow. He added: I was either eating and sleeping alone or I was working under the fluorescent lights at Lumon. So that sense of isolation really paralleled my own life. It was a real thing I was feeling and the right place maybe the only place to put it was into the show. Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Stephen Graham has revealed that he had to undergo an operation to fit a catheter during a recent flight to the United States after experiencing an emergency medical problem. The actor, who has won widespread acclaim for his Netflix show Adolescence this year, appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Thursday (5 June) where he recounted the incident, which occurred on his previous visit to the States. Meyers asked the A Thousand Blows stars if his trip was less eventful than his previous journey which Graham called a hell of an experience. The 45-year-old explained that like most men he has reached a stage in his life where he needs to go to the toilet quite often. Graham said that to solve the problem he had had an uninvasive procedure where a tube is fitted which does enlarge your prostate but after three or four months it should result in fewer trips to the toiler. The actor said that everything went fine until a flight to America where he naturally needed to use the bathroom. While using the planes toilet, Graham said that he couldnt urinate and thought to himself: Oh, this doesn't feel right. Returning to his seat he believed the best way to solve the issue was to continue drinking more water. A few hours later he returned to the bathroom and long story short, all of a sudden I went, but it was just pure blood. Stephen Graham revealed the incident to Seth Meyers ( Late Night with Seth Meyers ) It was very scary. I couldn't stop this trajectory of blood and I'm having a slight panic attack. I'm about to cry and I'm having a moment, Graham added. Despite being worried the actor said he was overcome with calmness after he remembered that he had taken a selfie with a doctor who he had met before they boarded the plane together, named Dr Ola. Graham spelled out the situation to an air stewardess who asked the doctor for his assistance. "Next minute, the doctor comes around the corner, and he goes, Stephen! and I'm like 'Doc, hello!', and I explained the situation, the British star said. "He had another friend with him, who was a surgeon, so I'm there, and I explain. He's like, Okay, and the surgeon, Dr Haji, says, We can work this out." The medics then proceeded to sterilise the lounge area between economy and first class and also brought out a catheter from an emergency medical kit. To maintain his privacy Graham says that the aircrew held curtains around the operating area while the star dropped me kecks and got on the couch. He was told the issue had been caused by a clot that had got stuck behind his urethra. After the operation was complete the actor joked: "I went to the toilet, and it was one of the nicest experiences with me and my penis!" He also noted after he was done "he came running out like a kid that had just learned to use the toilet". Graham took a photo with the crew after the operation was done, where he is visibly happy. He also showed the selfie he got with the two doctors who he called wonderful people. Fans have since been sending their well wishes to Graham after Late Night with Seth Meyers shared the video on Instagram with many praising the actor's storytelling abilities. This is one of the best stories Ive ever heard anyone tell on a late night show. Love Stephen! Glad hes okay! said one person. Another added: What a lovely bloke and a great story! Glad hes ok, and what a great group of people all round! A third said: Stephen Graham is a national treasure. What a charming storyteller! PHNOM PENH, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's trade with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) member countries hit 12.92 billion U.S. dollars in the first four months of 2025, up 15.4 percent from 11.19 billion dollars over the same period last year, said an official report on Friday. The kingdom's export to RCEP member countries was valued at 3.61 billion dollars during the January-April period this year, up over 7 percent from 3.36 billion dollars over the same period last year, said the General Department of Customs and Excise's report. Meanwhile, the country's import from the RCEP member countries totaled 9.31 billion dollars, up 18.9 percent from 7.83 billion dollars, the report added. Cambodia's top five trading partners under the RCEP are China, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, and Indonesia. Entered into force in 2022, the RCEP comprises 15 Asia-Pacific countries including 10 ASEAN member states -- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- and their five trading partners, namely China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Cambodian Ministry of Commerce's Secretary of State and Spokesperson Penn Sovicheat said RCEP has played a crucial role in boosting global trade amidst the United States' tariff hikes. "The RCEP is a catalyst for long-term export growth and a magnet to attract more foreign direct investment to Cambodia," he told Xinhua. "With preferential tariffs provided under the RCEP agreement, Cambodia's exports to other RCEP members will continue to rise this year and beyond, undoubtedly," he added. Kin Phea, director general of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia, a think tank under the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said the world's largest trade pact has been playing a greater role in boosting global trade amidst U.S. trade protectionism. "Against this backdrop, RCEP has become a stabilizing force, fostering economic integration across the Asia-Pacific," he told Xinhua. "While the U.S. has increased import tariffs even on its allies, RCEP eliminates 90 percent of intra-regional duties while standardizing customs and e-commerce rules," Phea added. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Brooke Shields has explained why shell only pass down her jewelry to her youngest daughter. The 60-year-old actor opened up about how much she loves and treasures her jewelry during an interview with Only Natural Diamonds published Thursday. However, she trusts only her youngest daughter, Grier, 19, to inherit her beloved gems someday, over her eldest, Rowan, 22. My older daughter has lost every piece Ive ever given her. I literally cannot do it again, the Pretty Baby actor, who shares her children with husband Chris Henchy, told the jewelry site. She added of her younger daughter: She understands the difference between real and real. Its not about the gold or diamonds alone she sees the history, the workmanship, the story behind the institution of these houses. The Blue Lagoon star said shes received some of her favorite diamonds from her late mother, actor Teri Shields. My mom always said, Buy yourself your own diamond dont wait to be given one from a man, she said. My mom bought me my first emerald-cut diamond. Its very beautiful, and I got it set in a Verdura cuff. Im very attached to jewelry and diamonds. That might sound obnoxious. Brooke Shields says her youngest daughter, Grier (right), sees history behind jewelry ( Getty Images for iHeartRadio ) Shields even loved jewelry when she was a child and would buy it with her mother when they traveled together. Ever since I was a little girl, every time wed go somewhere, wed find a jewelry store if we were in Asia, it was pearls; if we were elsewhere, it was diamonds or brooches, she said. Maybe its because she grew up in Newark during the Depression era, in poverty, and jewelry represented what she aspired to have in life. Although Rowan wont inherit her mothers jewelry, the 22-year-old has been open about the close bond she and her mother share. In January, Shields and Rowan visited East Side Ink, a New York City tattoo parlor, where they had matching tattoos inked on their forearms. The design, written in Rowans own script, reads and to a party. Mother-daughter bonding, Rowan wrote on her Instagram Story at the time alongside a photo of the tattoos. Shields reposted the story, adding: Another matching tattoo with my bug. Last month, Shields also shared some sweet photos of her and Rowan on Instagram in honor of her daughters birthday. Happy 22nd birthday to the girl who made me a mom, the actor wrote in the caption. Shes as funny as she is smart and as kind as she is beautiful. I love you so much, Rowan. Im so proud of you!! And to a party. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Eid is a special time for Muslims. There are two major Eid celebrations each year: Eid al-Fitr is celebrated at the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting, and Eid al-Adha is connected to the dates of Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Eid, which means festival or feast in Arabic, is a celebratory occasion for more than one billion Muslims worldwide. However, in some countries, especially multicultural ones like Australia, Muslims dont always celebrate Eid on the same day. Heres why. Beyond different groups celebrating on different days, the timing of Eid celebrations also shift as a whole each year. Thats because Islam follows the lunar calendar, based on the moons cycles unlike the Gregorian calendar, which follows the sun. As such, dates on the Islamic calendar come 1012 days earlier each year. This means the dates of both Eids also move about 11 days forward each year. open image in gallery Eid al-Adha happens on the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah (the 12th month), during Hajj. ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) In terms of the Islamic calendar: Eid al-Fitr happens on the 1st of the month of Shawwal (the 10th month), which comes right after the month of Ramadan. Eid al-Adha happens on the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah (the 12th month), during Hajj. Since Islam follows the lunar calendar, determining the start of each Islamic month, and the dates of both Eids, requires sighting the new crescent moon, which comes directly after the new moon (the phase in which the moon is invisible). But there are different methods for doing this, and different scholarly interpretations regarding what method is best. These variations are the reason one group in a community might celebrate on a Sunday, while others may celebrate on a Monday. Some Muslims believe each country should rely on its own local moon sighting. This means if the new crescent moon is visible in neighbouring countries, but not in Australia (such as if its hidden behind clouds), then Australia should celebrate a day after its neighbours. The organisation Moonsighting Australia follows this method, only declaring Eid when the moon is seen locally. However, others argue if the moon has been sighted anywhere in the world, it should be accepted by all Muslims as the start of the new Islamic month. Some Muslims in Australia opt for this global moon sighting approach, following Saudi Arabias Eid announcement even when the moon is not sighted locally. Apart from the question of where the crescent moon is sighted, there are also different views over how it should be sighted. Many scholars believe in physically sighting it with the eyes, as was practised during the time of Prophet Muhammad. But some Muslim countries, such as in Turkey and parts of Europe, use astronomical calculations to predict the new moons birth. This allows them to pre-set the date of Eid months, or even years, in advance. In Muslim-majority countries, deciding the day of Eid happens at a government level. For example, in Saudi Arabia, the Supreme Court officially declares the date based on moon sighting reports. This decision sets the timing for Eid prayers and public holidays for the entire nation, allowing for unified celebrations across the country. But Muslims in Australia come from diverse cultural backgrounds, and hold varying views regarding how the moon should be sighted. Some may follow the Eid announcement from their country of origin. Others may rely on local announcements, or on dates set by peak bodies such as the Australian National Imams Council. One 2023 report published by the ISRA Academy surveyed more than 5,500 Muslims in Australia to understand how they determined the date of Eid. The findings reveal notable differences across communities. Respondents from the Arab community were almost evenly split between following their local mosque (28.5 per cent) and the Australian National Imams Council (28.0 per cent), with a slightly lower percentage (23.9 per cent) following Moonsighting Australia. Only 0.6 per cent followed their country of origin. Among the Turkish community, 16.1 per cent followed their country of origin, while the largest proportion (28.5 per cent) relied on a local mosque or Islamic organisation. But given Turkish mosques tend to follow Turkeys state religious institution, Diyanet, most Australian Turks (44.6 per cent) ultimately align with Turkeys decision on Eid. Of the others, 18.8 per cent followed Moonsighting Australia and 14.6 per cent following the national imams council. In the African Muslim community, 48.4 per cent followed Moonsighting Australia, while 32.8 per cent relied on a local mosque, and 11.7 per cent on the imams council. While celebrating Eid on different days may seem divisive and fragmenting, there are positive aspects to this. For one thing, it means Australian Muslims actively seek out information from various religious authorities. This reflects a high level of public engagement in religious decisions rather than following blindly. The strong influence of organisations such as the Australian National Imams Council and Moonsighting Australia also suggests local religious institutions are a trusted source for guidance. Moreover, the high percentage of Muslims now following Moonsighting Australia indicates a trend towards a localised determination of Eid. And this trend will likely become stronger with the emergence of third- and fourth- generation Australian Muslims who are less connected with their ancestral homelands. Only time will tell whether most Australian Muslims will eventually celebrate Eid on the same day. In the meantime, families and communities continue to navigate these differences with understanding and respect. Zuleyha Keskin is Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at the Charles Sturt University, in Bathurst, Australia. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Cancerpatients are being "priced out" of holidays due to "inflated" travel insurance costs, according to Maggie's cancer support charity. The charity said that patients and those in recovery are "frequently" refused cover or quoted unaffordable premiums, forcing them to travel without insurance or skip trips altogether. Maggie's added that, as well as missing out on holidays, patients are also unable to visit friends and family abroad and avoid business travel. The charity has called on Treasury minister Emma Reynolds to help tackle the travel insurance prices faced by people with a history of cancer, urging ministers to work with travel insurance companies, the Financial Conduct Authority, and cancer patients to get a "fairer deal" for insurance. Josh Cull, from Bournemouth, was diagnosed with a medulloblastoma brain tumour in 2021 when he was 25. After his treatment, he decided to visit south Asia with his fiancee and brother but could not find a travel insurance company that would cover him for a price he could afford. open image in gallery Josh Cull, who was diagnosed with a medulloblastoma brain tumour in 2021 when he was 25, could not find a travel insurance company that would cover him for a trip to South Asia for a price he could afford. ( Maggies ) My cancer was completely unexpected, especially as I was so young, and initially I was told I only had three months to live, the 28-year-old said. I went through chemotherapy and radiotherapy as well as major surgery to remove the tumour, which affected my eyesight and my ability to walk. It was an incredibly difficult time, but I was lucky to come out the other side, and the trip was supposed to be a reward for everything wed been through. However, I couldnt get an insurance quote for less than 3,000. At that point, I had been out of treatment for two-and-a-half years, and I was healthy and fully recovered, but simply having a cancer diagnosis in my past meant the insurance was extremely expensive. It felt so unfair. I ended up travelling uninsured because I just couldnt afford the cover. Millie Tharakan, 72, from north London, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, and her cancer returned in 2020. She has since been receiving immunotherapy and has regular CT scans to monitor her condition. Despite her oncologist describing her as steady and declaring her fit to fly, she was forced to fork out 1,300 for annual cover for travel insurance in Europe. Ms Tharakan, who has three sons and five grandchildren, said: We wanted to go on a family holiday and given my health I didnt feel comfortable travelling without insurance, but its been incredibly stressful. Most insurance companies I spoke to wouldnt even consider covering me. It feels so unfair. open image in gallery Millie Tharakan, 72, who was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, and her cancer returned in 2020. She has since been receiving immunotherapy and has regular CT scans to monitor her condition ( Maggies ) Dame Laura Lee, chief executive of Maggies, said: More and more frequently, we are hearing about the barriers people with cancer face when trying to obtain travel insurance, and the emotional distress this can cause. The last thing people should have to think about is inflated insurance costs when they should be focused on recovering from treatment and living well with cancer. Travelling and taking holidays can be so important for someones wellbeing and recovery, and it is extremely unfair that people with cancer are being priced out of the opportunity to visit family and friends abroad or simply explore the world. A spokesperson for the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said: We appreciate how important being able to travel and go on holiday is for anyone who has or has had cancer, especially during such difficult times. Ensuring they can benefit from the peace of mind insurance provides is a key priority for the industry. We remain committed to supporting customers who have or have had cancer, as well as fostering an open dialogue with cancer charities, government and the regulator to address any barriers to accessing travel insurance. Unfortunately, people with pre-existing medical conditions may be more likely to need emergency medical treatment whilst abroad, which can come at a significant cost. This is something insurers will take into account, alongside other factors, when assessing whether they can offer you suitable cover. As part of a signposting agreement introduced by the FCA, if an insurer is unable to offer you cover because of a pre-existing medical condition, they will point you to specialist providers who can help you find an appropriate policy. The Treasury has been approached for comment. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Annually, Saudi Arabia welcomes a multitude of Muslim pilgrims for the Hajj, a central pillar of Islam. During this pilgrimage, devotees unite in acts of worship and religious rituals, fulfilling a sacred duty. The Hajj offers a profound spiritual experience, providing an opportunity for pilgrims to seek divine forgiveness and cleanse themselves of past transgressions. What is the Hajj? The Hajj is the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia and involves a series of religious rituals. Its required once in a lifetime of every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to make it. Some Muslims make the journey more than once. It is also one of the five pillars of Islam, in addition to the profession of faith, prayer, almsgiving and fasting. When is the Hajj? The Hajj occurs once a year during the lunar month of Dhul-Hijja, the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar year. This year, the Hajj will start on June 4. When the Hajj falls during the summer months, the intense heat can be especially challenging. Amid extreme high temperatures last year, more than 1,300 people died during the Hajj, Saudi authorities announced then. The countrys health minister said at the time that the vast majority of the fatalities were unauthorized pilgrims who walked long distances under the sun. Whats the significance of the Hajj? For pilgrims, performing the Hajj fulfills a religious obligation and is also a deeply spiritual experience. Its seen as a chance to seek Gods forgiveness for past sins, to grow closer to God and to walk in the footsteps of prophets. open image in gallery Muslim pilgrims gather at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, June 15, 2024.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File) ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) Communally, the Hajj unites Muslims of diverse races, ethnicities, languages and economic classes from around the world in performing religious rituals and acts of worshipping God at the same time and place. This leaves many feeling a sense of unity, connection, humility and equality. Pilgrims also show up with their own personal appeals, wishes and experiences. Many pilgrims bring with them prayer requests from family and friends that they would like to be said on their behalf. Some spend years hoping and praying to one day perform the Hajj or saving up money and waiting for a permit to embark on the trip. Ahead of the journey, preparations may include packing various essentials for the physically demanding trip, seeking tips from those whove performed the pilgrimage before, attending lectures or consulting other educational material on how to properly perform a series of Hajj rituals as well as spiritually readying oneself. What are the rituals? Pilgrims make the intention to perform the Hajj and they enter a state of ihram. Being in ihram includes abiding by certain rules and prohibitions. For instance, men are not to wear regular sewn or stitched clothes that encircle the body, such as shirts, during ihram. Instead, there are simple ihram cloth garments for men; scholars say the purpose is to discard luxuries and vanity, shed worldly status symbols and immerse the pilgrim in humility and devotion to God. open image in gallery Muslim pilgrims use umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun as they gather outside Nimrah Mosque to offer the noon prayers in Arafat, on the second day of the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, June 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File) ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) A spiritual highlight of the Hajj for many is standing on the plain of Arafat, where pilgrims praise God, plead for forgiveness and make supplications. Many raise their hands in worship with tears streaming down their faces. Other rituals include performing tawaf, circumambulating, or circling the Kaaba in Mecca counterclockwise seven times. The Kaaba, a cube-shaped structure, is the focal point toward which Muslims face during their daily prayers from anywhere in the world. Among other rituals, pilgrims also retrace the path of Hagar, or Hajar, the wife of Prophet Ibrahim, Abraham to Jews and Christians, who Muslims believe ran between two hills seven times searching for water for her son. What is Eid Al-Adha? Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, is the Islamic holiday that begins on the 10th day of the Islamic lunar month of Dhul-Hijja, during the Hajj. A joyous occasion celebrated by Muslims around the world, Eid al-Adha marks Ibrahims test of faith and his willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of submission to God. During the festive holiday, Muslims slaughter sheep or cattle and distribute some meat to poor people. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Harvey Weinstein, in a rare interview while awaiting the verdict in his New York sex crimes retrial, said he has regrets and admits he acted immorally, but insists his actions were never illegal. Speaking on the phone Friday with Fox 5 anchor Rosanna Scotto, the 73-year-old disgraced filmmaker and convicted sex offender also dismissed the credibility of his accusers, implying they were financially motivated, referencing his lawyers claim that they had 4 million reasons to testify. I have regrets that I put my family through this, that I put my wife through this, and I acted immorally, Weinstein told Scotto. I put so many friends through this and hurt people that were close to me by actions that were stupid, you know what I mean? But never illegal, never criminal, never anything. open image in gallery Harvey Weinstein, 73, is awaiting the verdict in his New York sex crimes trial. He now says he has regrets but said nothing he did was illegal ( AP ) Scotto also asked Weinstein why he decided not to testify in the retrial. He admitted that he wanted to, but was advised not to by his attorney, Arthur Aidala. Weinstein claimed Aidala said to me that the jury was very feeling strongly, that the jury understood our case and would be sympathetic to our case, and that the [District Attorney] would try to rip me apart if I took the stand. Im not afraid of the DA, but this was the best advice and this is the advice you often hear: dont take the stand if you dont have to, Weinstein added. A Manhattan jury, comprised of seven women and five men, remained in deliberations on Friday afternoon. They began deliberations Thursday after more than five weeks of testimony. Weinstein faces two counts of criminal sexual act and one count of rape, stemming from alleged incidents involving three women between 2002 and 2013. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. This retrial follows the 2024 overturning of Weinsteins 2020 conviction, where he was previously sentenced to 23 years in prison for similar offenses. The New York Court of Appeals vacated the conviction due to procedural errors, including the admission of testimony from uncharged accusers, which the court deemed prejudicial. open image in gallery Journalists take pictures as former Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein appears in Manhattan criminal court during his rape and sexual assault retrial in New York on June 6 ( AFP/Getty ) During deliberations, a juror expressed concerns about internal discord among the panel, citing unfair treatment. However, the judge denied the jurors request to be excused, stating there was no legal basis for removal since the juror confirmed no coercion to alter their stance on the case. Weinstein is serving a 16-year prison sentence from a separate 2022 conviction in California. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Chocolate MC, a Cuban rapper, has been arrested in south Florida for allegedly kidnapping one of his fans. Yosvanis Sierra-Hernandez, Chocolate MC's real name, allegedly forced one of his fans at gunpoint to drive him around and tried to steal money from him. The incident occurred outside an Opa-locka grocery store on Tuesday, according to Local 10. A fan approached Sierra-Hernandez, 34, and asked him for a photo outside the grocery store. Rather than posing, the rapper allegedly "walked over to the parking lot, placed a firearm on the victim's chest and forced him to surrender his vehicle," according to police. Sierra-Hernandez then "pointed the firearm at him again and ordered the victim into the driver's seat." "Yosvanis demanded cash from the victim and forced the victim to drive him to several locations over the course of approximately two hours before eventually releasing him unharmed," a police report says. The victim reportedly told Sierra-Hernandez that he didn't have any money on him, so Sierra-Hernandez allegedly gave the man his phone number and told him to send him the money over the Zelle online money transfer app, but the victim did not have Zelle either. open image in gallery Sierra-Hernandez gave his alleged victim his phone number and told him to Zelle him some money, police say ( Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office ) Detectives used surveillance video collected from the store to corroborate the victim's story. When Sierra-Hernandez was eventually arrested, police found him carrying a gun. Sierra-Hernandez was also arrested in 2024 after police accused him of kidnapping and raping his ex-girlfriend. He has also been accused of publicly advertising a bounty and a murder-for-hire plot targeting a man who was arrested in connection with the shooting death of another rapper, Jose "El Taiger" Carbajal. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A convicted murderer known as the Devil in the Ozarks has likely fled the state of Arkansas after escaping from prison last month, according to a newly unsealed federal court filing. Grant Hardin, 56, a former police chief of the small town of Gateway, broke out of Calico Rock prison on May 25 by reportedly disguising himself in a law enforcement-style uniform. After a two-week manhunt, authorities say Hardin remains at large. Two unconfirmed sightings of Hardin one in central Arkansas and another in southern Missouri have been cited as the basis for investigators belief that Hardin has left the state, Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert J. Hammons wrote in the criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Little Rock this week. Based on this information, investigators believe Hardin has fled the state of Arkansas to avoid recapture, the filing states. open image in gallery Grant Hardin, a former police chief of the small town of Gateway, escaped from the Calico Rock prison in May ( Arkansas Department of Corrections ) The second reported sighting reportedly placed Hardin near a faded red car on May 26 in Missouri, about 35 miles north of the prison, Hammons wrote. No other details were given regarding the car. Deputies responded to the area shortly after receiving the information, but were unable to locate anyone in the area, Howell County, Mo., Sheriff Matt Roberts posted on Facebook. Hammons also noted that Hardin is considered a violent offender and poses extreme risk to the public. He has extensive knowledge of the Ozark Mountain region, where he is believed to be possibly hiding in caves or rugged terrain that he is familiar with, Hammons wrote. The complaint, first reported by The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, does not reference any confirmed sightings or provide concrete evidence of Hardins whereabouts. open image in gallery Hardin was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape at the time of his escape ( AP ) Arkansas authorities have said their search remains concentrated in north-central Arkansas, though tips from other regions continue to be investigated. Hardin was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape at the time of his escape. His case drew national attention and was the subject of the true-crime documentary Devil in the Ozarks. Earlier this week, the Arkansas Department of Corrections this week released a new photo rendering of Hardin, depicting what he may look like now. He was being housed in a maximum-security wing of the primarily medium-security prison, formally known as the North Central Unit. Officials are investigating whether a job Hardin held in the kitchen aided in his escape, including whether it gave him access to materials he could have used to fashion his makeshift uniform, the Associated Press reported. open image in gallery Hardin seen as he walked out of the prison wearing an all-black outfit in an attempt to look like law enforcement ( Arkansas Department of Corrections ) As Hardin approached the exit while pushing the cart of wood, a prison guard opened a secure gate, allowing him to leave the facility. Hardin had been gone for about 20 minutes before an officer noticed he was missing. No other inmates escaped. The FBI is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to Hardins arrest. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A US Army soldier has been sentenced to 23 years behind bars for killing his pregnant wife. Pfc. Dewayne Johnson II then attempted to cover up the killing by dismembering Mischa Johnsons corpse and disposing of her body in the trash. Hawaii-based Johnson pleaded guilty earlier this week to voluntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice and providing false official statements, the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel said in a statement. open image in gallery U.S. Army Pfc. Dewayne Johnson applies face paint during a training exercise ( DoD/5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joshua Linfoot ) He was sentenced on Thursday. Mischa Johnson was 19 years old and six months pregnant when she died on 12 July, 2024. Her body has never been found. Johnson, of the 25th Infantry Division, told the judge in a military courtroom that he hit his wife with a machete in their home at the Schofield Barracks military base on Oahu after an argument, KITV reported. open image in gallery Mischa Johnson was just 19 when she was killed He said he snapped after his wife yelled that his child would not know that he existed. He hit her on the head and she stopped breathing. He said he did not intend to kill her. I couldnt picture my life without my child," he said. I regret, I shouldnt have done it. Johnson used a chain saw to cut up his wife's body and placed her body parts in garbage bags that he put in a dumpster in his unit. He said he heard the garbage was taken from there straight to an incinerator. Johnson reported his wife missing more than two weeks after her death on 31 July, then joined search parties looking for her around Oahu. He was charged with her murder on 27 August after Army investigators found blood, DNA and other evidence in his home. Prosecutors said Johnson, from Frederick, Maryland, received the maximum sentence allowed under law. They dropped child sexual abuse image charges under the terms of his plea agreement. open image in gallery Johnson will serve his sentence in a military prison ( U.S. Army ) Johnson's rank will be reduced to private and he will forfeit pay and allowances and be dishonorably discharged. He will serve his sentence in a military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Mischa Johnsons sister Marianna Tapiz told KITV it was shocking and painful to hear what happened. As a family together, were just trying not to focus on the horrific details of her last moment with him," Tapiz said. And instead, right now, were trying to just remember the happy memories that we have and remember her in that life. Army prosecutor Lt. Col. Nicholas Hurd said he hoped the justice proceedings will help the family heal. While no amount of confinement will ever be able to truly ease the pain of the loss of Ms. Johnson and her unborn child for her family and friends, it is my hope that Pfc. Johnsons admissions of guilt and the information he provided as part of the plea agreement can provide some element of closure and finality for the family and all stakeholders, Hurd said in a statement. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A judge has threatened to remove Sean Diddy Combs from the courtroom for nodding vigorously at jurors during his sex trafficking trial. Judge Arun Subramanian admonished Diddy for reportedly interacting with the jury during testimony given by fashion designer Bryana Bana Bongolan, a longtime friend of his former long-term partner Cassie Ventura. Mr. Agnifilo, your client was looking at jurors and nodding vigorously, Subramanian said, referring to Diddys lawyer, Marc Agnifilo. This can't continue or I will give a limiting instruction you won't like, or other measures including barring your client from the courtroom. Do you understand? Subramanian asked Agnifilo if it would happen again. No your honor, it's not going to happen again, Agnifilo responded. The judge then emphasized: This cannot happen again. Throughout the trial, Diddy has been passing notes to his lawyers, shaking his head, and leaning in to look at exhibits. The court artist who has been sketching Diddy for more than a month told NBC News the rap mogul has been making facial expressions at jurors since the start of the trial. Diddy has also been seen blowing kisses to his mother as she watches from the courtroom gallery and making eye contact with jurors, The New York Times reports. When his lawyers were conferring with the judge on one occasion, Combs gestured it was cold in the courtroom by rubbing his hands together, The Times noted. He then looked to the jury to see one of them rubbing his arms to keep warm. Cold, Combs mouthed with a smile, and the juror responded by nodding and smiling, according to the outlet. The music mogul is facing sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy charges. He has pleaded not guilty. The judge scolding the defendant was one of many jaw-dropping moments Thursday. A woman who dated the music mogul from 2021 through 2024 took the stand in the afternoon, telling the court about her hotel nights, which closely resemble the freak-offs Diddy and Cassie Ventura did for years. The woman, who is testifying under the pseudonym Jane Doe, sounded nostalgic when recalling the lust-filled start of their relationship until she was asked about May 2021, when she reached for a tissue and dabbed her eyes, noting that month marked her first hotel night. Although she just wanted to be with her partner, she told jurors she felt obligated to perform these nights with him because he was paying her rent. These sex sessions often spanned 12 to 24 hours and would include a male escort, drugs, and two dozen bottles of baby oil, she testified. open image in gallery Cassie Ventura's friend Bryana Bongolan demonstrates how she said Sean 'Diddy' Combs lifted her over the balcony. ( Reuters ) The judges reprimand came after Bongolan wrapped up her testimony. She testified Wednesday that she had been left traumatized after Combs dangled her over a 17th-story balcony of Venturas Los Angeles apartment. After enduring two hours of harsh scrutiny over her memory of the incident during cross-examination Wednesday, the witness faced another hour of questioning over the timeline Thursday. Jurors saw a photo dated September 26, 2016 showing a large bruise on the back of Bongolans leg she said she sustained when Diddy slammed her onto patio furniture. She also testified that she took that photo hours after the incident transpired. Nicole Westmoreland, one of Diddys defense attorneys, pointed out a discrepancy in Bongolans timeline by displaying records from the Trump International Hotel in New York. The document showed that Frank Black one of Diddys many aliases checked in to the hotel from September 24, 2016 through September 29, 2016; he performed in New Jersey for the Bad Boy Reunion Tour on September 25, 2016. Pointing out that Bongolan claimed the incident happened in the early hours of the next morning across the country in California, Westmoreland asked: Do you agree that a person cant be in two places at the same time? open image in gallery Combs has been visibly reacting to testimony throughout the trial, shaking his head and passing notes to his lawyers. ( Reuters ) In theory, yeah, Bongolan replied, speaking quietly, as she did throughout her time on the stand. Westmoreland then directly asked if she lied to the jury. I cant agree with you, Bongolan said. The defense attorney also challenged Bongolan on why she continued to spend time around Diddy after he allegedly gave her significant injuries. Days after the balcony incident, Bongolan admitted attending a private party that Diddy held at a club on October 5, 2016. You werent too fearful to not go to the event? Westmoreland asked. Bongolan then took a long pause before responding: I know I had a feeling inside, but I went. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A Florida Keys man was arrested Thursday and is facing an animal cruelty charge after admitting to being the person seen stabbing a bull shark in the head in a viral Snapchat video Zane Garrett, 26, of Stock Island, works as a charter captain for Second Nature Charters. Although the website describes him as a captain, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Garrett does not have a requisite license. Officials said he was recently investigated for false representation and works under another captain, Local 10 reports. The stabbing incident allegedly happened on May 22 at the Vandenberg Wreck site, about seven miles off Key West. An anonymous online tipster used the FWCs alert system to report a bloody video posted to Snapchat of a man repeatedly stabbing the shark in the head, with the caption, Bud broke my rod. The tipster wrote in his safety concerns report, Yes, to weapons for the 9-11 inch filet knife, yes to violent behavior for stabbing a shark repeatedly, yes to being concerned over them being dumb enough to post themselves committing a crime, according to the outlet. open image in gallery Zane Garrett, 26, of Stock Island, Florida, was arrested Thursday on an aggravated animal cruelty charge. ( Monroe County Sheriffs Office Key West jail ) Officials then interviewed the man who posted the video, who told them that Garrett explained to the customers that this was the preferred method to deter sharks from stealing their catch. The intention of stabbing the shark was to scare other sharks away from the area. FWC investigators spoke with Garrett at the Historic Charter Boat Row in Key West on Wednesday, where he allegedly agreed that the practice of stabbing sharks to deter them from stealing fish on charter boats is common. The FWC said Garrett initially denied having ever stabbed sharks, but upon seeing the Snapchat video, admitted, Yeah, thats me. Garrett admitted to repeatedly stabbing a shark out of revenge after it stole his fish, despite knowing the act wouldnt deter the animal or kill it, Local 10 reports. He acknowledged it takes much more than what was in the video to kill a shark, as hes killed many of them with guns or by stabbing, often without harvesting them. Authorities described the incident as an egregious act that caused excessive and unnecessary suffering to the shark. Garrett is being held in the Monroe County Sheriffs Office Key West jail facility on a $10,000 bond. His arrangement is set for June 26. BUJUMBURA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Nearly six million Burundian citizens living in Burundi and abroad on Thursday went to the polls to elect 100 deputies and 1,050 district councilors in the East African country's provinces of Buhumuza, Bujumbura, Butanyerera, Burunga and Gitega. According to local media, the polling operation kicked off at 6:00 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) in 14,103 polling stations located countrywide and was expected to conclude at 3:00 p.m. local time (1300 GMT). Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) Prosper Ntahorwamiye told Xinhua that the total number of candidates in the legislative elections is 2,909, while the number of candidates in the district elections is 6,753, bringing the total number of candidates from political parties, coalitions of political parties, and independent candidates for the double polls to 9,662. According to him, each of the country's 42 districts is entitled to 25 councilors. Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye cast his vote in Musama, his native village in Giheta district, Gitega Province. "Voting is a civic duty. Someone who doesn't participate in elections has no interest in the future of the country. That's why I have joined my village mates so that I choose those who will represent me," said Ndayishimiye, calling on winners in these elections "to rule for all and not for their parties or their fans." CENI Chairman Ntahorwamiye said the elections took place calmly, except for some minor incidents, notably at a polling station located at the Lycee International secondary school, where an African Union observer mission was reportedly denied entry. "If this is true, I apologize for the inconvenience. Investigations are underway," said Ntahorwamiye. In addition to the legislative and district elections, Burundi will hold senatorial elections on July 23 and village-level elections on Aug. 25. The next presidential election is scheduled for 2027. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The family of a Florida teenager who was allegedly tortured, murdered and dismembered by a man she met on Grindr has filed a lawsuit, claiming the girl would still be alive if she had never met the man on the dating app. Miranda Corsette, 16, met Steven Gress, 35, on the app on February 14. Gress and his girlfriend, Michelle Brandes, 37, allegedly held the teen against her will inside Gress' St. Petersburg home before killing her. Corsette suffocated to death after the couple allegedly shoved a billiard ball in her mouth and wrapped her head in plastic before chopping her up and stuffing her body parts in the trunk of their car. Months later, a representative of Corsettes estate filed a lawsuit against Grindr, alleging that the features of the app and lack of safeguards for minors contributed to the girls death. Without Grindr, we believe that Miranda would have never met this Steven Gress character, and shed still be alive, Attorney Lorne Kaiser said. This was a completely foreseeable event. Grinder has been warned for years and years about children and minors getting on this platform, and its obviously a dangerous platform for children. open image in gallery Miranda Corsette, who was murdered, was lured through a social media app to meet 35-year-old Steven Gress on February 14 ( St. Petersburg Police Department ) It was alleged that Gress was able to target Corsette through the app because of its lax age verification and hyper-precise geolocation. The trauma inflicted upon M.C. (Miranda) and the irreparable harm to her family are direct consequences of Grindrs reckless disregard for the safety of minor children who are routinely preyed upon by adult predators who use Grindrs platform and design as a trap, the suit states. According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, Gress and the teen first hung out at the couples St. Petersburg home on February 14. He drove her home, and then she returned the next day. Gress told detectives that he was told she was 21 but later learned she was 16, according to an arrest affidavit. It wasnt long before Gress accused her of stealing his ring, which sparked the weeklong abuse and torture, the warrant states. As Gress allegedly continued to torture Corsette in their home, his girlfriend reportedly found the missing ring in Gresss car. Police said there is no evidence Corsette took the ring. The torture ended on February 23 when Brandes allegedly shoved a billiard ball into the teens mouth and wrapped her head in plastic, a witness said. Gress reportedly told her not to cover her nose, but Brandes did, the witness said, and Corsette suffocated. open image in gallery Steven Gress has been charged with first-degree murder for the killing of Miranda Corsette ( St. Petersburg Police Department ) After she was killed, Gress allegedly put her body in a car and drove to a house in Largo, where police say Gress used a chainsaw to dismember her body. They put the remains in trash bags and tossed them into a dumpster, and police later learned that the contents went to the countys incinerator. The new lawsuit claims the LGBTQ+ dating app failed to implement safeguards to prevent minors like Corsette from using it. Long before February 14, 2025, it was clear to Grindr that it was only a matter of time before its app, as Grindr marketed it and designed it, would cause the torture, rape, and murder of a child, the lawsuit states. According to the suit, the app only requires a self-reported birthdate to confirm users are at least 18, with no cross-checking against official documentation or third-party verification at sign-up. The lawsuit claims the teens murder exposes the platforms gross negligence in relying on a farcical self-reported age verification system. This performative gesture, as absurd as a bar or strip club asking teenagers to state their age without checking ID, allowed a minor to access an adult-oriented platform with foreseeable catastrophic consequences. open image in gallery Michelle Brandes allegedly shoved a billiard ball into the teens mouth and wrapped her head in plastic, suffocating her ( St. Petersburg Police Department ) Its also claimed that the apps geolocation services deliver hyper-precise, real-time geolocation tracking accurate to within a few feet designed to facilitate immediate sexual encounters. As such, Grindr arranges user profiles based on their distance from other users for instant and spontaneous sexual hookups creating a uniquely hazardous environment for minors. Corsettes family member is seeking $750,000 and is asking the court to order Grindr to implement more robust age verification measures, like government-issued identification verification or facial age estimation system, and to stop what the suit claims are misleading claims about the apps safety. Grindr LLC has not yet filed a response to the suit, according to Gress and Brandes are facing first-degree murder charges for Corsette's death and are being held at the Pinellas County Jail without bond. Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty in the case. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Florida police are searching for a towns beloved rainbow manatee sculpture after it was stolen from a park. Authorities in Wilton Manors say the sculpture was pinched in Wilton Manors, about three miles from Fort Lauderdale. Residents there told Local 10 News that they believe the neighborhoods manatee was nabbed by someone around 1 a.m. on Tuesday. It was on display at Wilton Drive and Northeast 21st Court. The community commissioned the sculpture to honor former Wilton Manors Mayor Justin Flippen, who suffered a brain aneurysm in 2020 and died. open image in gallery Police in Wilton Manors, Florida are searching for a missing mantee statue ( WPLG ) The statue was painted by Claudia Castillo. She told the outlet the pieces robbery was sad because of what it represents to me, she said. I did this also for the community and public art is for everyone. Manatees, sometimes called sea cows, are an aquatic mammal that can weigh up to 1,000 pounds. and are protected by state and federal laws. Anyone with information about the robbery is encouraged to call Wilton Manors police. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The founder of a California-based porn empire has pleaded guilty to sex trafficking charges in a federal court, according to authorities. Michael James Pratt, 42, entered his plea on Thursday in a federal court in San Diego, the U.S. Department of Justice said. Pratt, who was on the FBIs Ten Most Wanted list, faces a possible life sentence when he is sentenced September 25. He was arrested in Madrid in 2022, three years after he fled while facing sex trafficking charges. His organisation is accused of luring women with false modelling offers. Federal prosecutors said Pratt and his co-defendants used force, fraud and coercion to recruit hundreds of women, many of whom were in their late teens, for their adult videos. A New Zealand native, he founded the now-defunct GirlsDoPorn website in San Diego. In 2019, he and others were charged in San Diego with sex crimes after being targeted in a civil lawsuit by 22 women who claimed they were victimized by fraud and breach of contract. The women said they were plied with alcohol and marijuana before being rushed through signing a contract, which they were not allowed to read. Some said they were sexually assaulted and held in hotel rooms unwillingly until adult filming had ended. open image in gallery Three photos of Michael James Pratt, the founder of a California-based porn empire that coerced young women into filming adult videos A judge in 2020 found in favor of the women and handed down a $12.7 million judgment against Pratt, Matthew Isaac Wolfe and adult producer and performer Ruben Andre Garcia. Wolfe, who handled day-to-day operations, finances, marketing and filming for the website, pleaded guilty in 2022 to a single federal count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. He was sentenced last year to 14 years in federal prison. The other co-defendants also pleaded guilty. Garcia was sentenced to 20 years in prison and cameraman Theodore Gyi received a four-year sentence. Valorie Moser, a former bookkeeper for the website, also pleaded guilty last year. She's scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 12. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The owner of a dog training facility in Washington has been arrested, police said, after he accidentally shot dead his employee. In a bizarre twist, police said the fatal shooting happened while they were taping a gun safety video. Wayne George Curry was taken into custody after the incident on Tuesday at his K9 training business, Kraftwerk K9, located in Rochester. He was being held on $250,000 bail and appeared in Thurston County Court on Wednesday for a preliminary hearing, according to The Chronicle. Allyson Zipp, Thurston County Superior Court judge, said she found probable cause to charge Curry, 64, with one count of first-degree manslaughter. Authorities responded to his business around 10:28 a.m. on Tuesday for a report of a 22-year-old unconscious man who had sustained a gunshot wound. The victim, who was identified as Curtice Gordon, was not breathing when officers and medical personnel arrived at the scene. According to court records, county dispatchers could hear people in the background screaming that someone had accidentally shot themselves. open image in gallery Wayne Curry, 64, has been charged with one count of manslaughter after he allegedly fatally shot one of his K9 employees this week ( Thurston County Superior Court ) Police said Gordon had been shot in the face near his nose by a stray round from Waynes weapon. Emergency responders declared him dead on arrival at 10:37 a.m. An investigation is ongoing. Three other Kraftwerk K9 employees were involved in the project. Two of them were instructed to serve as videographers and a third employee was asked to take photos. Gordon has been asked to agitate the dog by using a whip for noise and wearing a bite sleeve, the court documents state. Gordon was standing about 30 feet to the left of a target. Curry, police said, wanted to illustrate how the canine would not react to gunfire when he allegedly shot at the target with a rifle 10 times. The point of the advertisement was to show why people should get a dog instead of a gun for protection. Curry, the subject in the video, shot the target while holding a dog and then sent the dog after an assailant. He said in the video, the dog is supposed to bark in a certain direction, and hed shoot the target in a different direction and then the dog would go and bite the guy with the sleeve, the Thurston County Prosecutors Office stated in the affidavit obtained by the outlet. Curry, police said, then allegedly added that youre supposed to drop the gun when you let the dog go. After Curry allegedly fired one of the rounds, the dog reacted from a down position to standing and jerked Waynes body as he held the firearm. Thats when everyone on set heard a groan from Gordon and saw him collapse, court documents state. Curry told police he did not intentionally try to harm Gordon. He was observed distraught and having multiple anxiety attacks on the scene following the incident. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A postal service van ran over and killed an elderly man when he went outside to check his mail, police say. James Hofler, an 84-year-old Navy veteran from North Carolina, was crossing the street to check his mailbox when he was struck by a USPS mail delivery truck, according to a police press release. The Kill Devil Hills Police Department said Amy Hudler, 53, who was operating the Mercedes-Benz mail carrier vehicle owned by the United States Postal Service, backed into Hofler. Hudler called emergency services and stayed at the scene, police said. open image in gallery A postal service van ran over and killed James Hofler, an 84-year-old from North Carolina, when he went outside to check his mail, police say ( Rouse Mortuary Service & Crematory ) It happened on a Monday afternoon, May 19, in Kill Devil Hills, a town on the Outer Banks. Holfer was taken to two hospitals before he died from his injuries three days later on May 22. Hudler has been charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle. The Independent has reached out to the Postal Service for comment. For more than two decades, google it was shorthand for finding anything online allowing Google, a tech company founded in 1998, to build a $2 trillion empire built on blue links. But the release of ChatGPT in November 2022 caused a seismic shift, the aftershocks of which are still being felt. The chat-based tool from OpenAI and an upstart called Perplexity deliver ready-made answers instead of a list of websites, enticing users and some big tech names to rethink which icon now sits on the home screen. In fact, Perplexity has attracted so much interest from some of the biggest tech giants and could, if those deals come off, soon appear on the home screen of your smartphone at a scale that could propel it to be the next Google. Leading, even, to the tech giants downfall. Behind the scenes, Google is racing to bolt its own generative AI which is called Gemini onto its search, a race it has been forced into since the release of ChatGPT led a panicked rollout of its own AI products. Those at Google know that rivals distribution deals that could shift user habits overnight. Early numbers already hint at a changing tide. Analysis by Bank of America suggests that global visits to Google are rapidly declining year-on-year, while visits to ChatGPT are up 160 per cent in the last 12 months. Separate research by Morgan Stanley suggests ChatGPT remains a top choice for Gen Z and many of this generation hardly think about searching on Google at all. While Google is slowly losing ground to other search engines, its loss of momentum to nimbler competitors that bake AI into their systems is far quicker. While ChatGPT is a mass market use of AI, the real contender to the throne is Perplexity, which is branding itself as the ultimate answer engine. Its AI-powered results to queries combine the best parts of other generative chatbots with more of the rigour expected from search platforms. Bank of Americas data indicates that traffic to Perplexity is up 233 per cent year-on-year, albeit from a small base. The predictions are that this will now rapidly expand. Perplexity was founded in August 2022 by CEO Aravind Srinivas and three co-founders. Srinivas is a former OpenAI and DeepMind engineer who helped drive the release of its answer engine in December 2022. By February 2023, it gained two million users; by January 2024, it had 10 million monthly active users and was processing nearly 170 million queries a month. Its currently raising funding at a valuation of around $14bn, according to reports. And while Googles scale currently dwarfs Perplexity the search giant garnered 2.7 billion visits a day in March, compared to Perplexitys mere four million the tide is expected to start turning, and quickly. Lily Ray, a New York City-based search engine optimisation expert, says once a pattern of behaviour of using more explicitly AI-powered tools in place of traditional search engines takes hold, itll be challenging to undo. I hear all the time people saying they dont even use Google anymore, she says. People are starting to use ChatGPT and Perplexity for everything. open image in gallery Could Google be going the same way as other once-big tech names such as Nokia or Ask Jeeves? ( AP ) The tech sector is taking notice. Perplexity has managed to wow some of the biggest companies, including those who have previously relied on Google to provide search services to their customers. In its recent US antitrust trial, Apple executive Eddy Cue said the iPhone maker had begun talks with Perplexity to explore integrating the answer engines tools into their devices a rare public admission of a potential tie-up from a company that keeps its partners sworn to secrecy until it unveils partnerships on its own terms. Weve been pretty impressed with what Perplexity has done, so weve started some discussions with them about what theyre doing, Cue said. Apple isnt the only company interested in a partnership with Perplexity either. Also talking to them is Samsung, which sells around 224 million smartphones a year, and is one of the largest manufacturers of Android devices, which outnumber Apple products by a factor of three to one. If Apple and Samsung have a partnership with Perplexity that potentially pushes Google out as the default search engine, thats a very big conversation, because thats a very big source of traffic for Google, says Ray. Combined, Apple and Samsung sell around half a billion smartphones a year. open image in gallery New chatbot on the block: Visits to ChatGPT are up 160 per cent in the last 12 months ( AFP/Getty ) Either deal with Apple or Samsung would be enormous, says Ray. If Perplexity is truly integrated and Google is no longer used as the default search engine, thats devastating to Google, she says. Neither Apple nor Google immediately responded to a request to comment for this story. But, more broadly, the stakes couldnt possibly be higher. This feels more because these products are actually search engines, Ray says. People could feasibly switch to Perplexity and ChatGPT search for everything. Not everyone is quite as convinced about the likelihood of Google reaching terminal decline. Im not sure [Perplexity] will displace Google, says Aleksandra Urman, a researcher at the University of Zurich who specialises in search engines. The reason is the format that Perplexity and its AI competitors present their outputs. People say, Okay, actually, when we want quick answers, we still prefer using search engines, because all the chatbots always ramble and provide us lengthy results, she says. open image in gallery Google CEO Sundar Pichai with Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk at Donald Trumps second inauguration ( Getty ) That is still the case: ask Perplexity a simple question and itll provide a response that gives you the correct answer within a six-word sentence (The capital of Greece is Athens), then goes on for another 160 words unnecessarily. Stick the same question into Google, and youll get a single word, writ large atop the search results. But as AI and language models develop, that is likely to develop too. However, beyond the unnecessary cruft that comes with the current overly verbose AI answers, another issue Urman foresees for Perplexity is happenstance adoption by users. Itll be interesting to see what happens with Perplexity, because so far, theyve been struggling a bit in this market, she says. Theyre nowhere by default. You have to kind of find them as a user. Of course, that could change with any tie-up with major smartphone manufacturers or other companies pushing Perplexity in front of hundreds of millions of users. open image in gallery Google is slowly losing ground to other search engines, especially ones that have been built around AI ( Getty/iStock ) Add to this that those knowledgeable of the shifts in search engine use feel that the quality of product pushed out by the market leader Google is declining fast. It feels to me like theyre in panic mode and catch-up mode and just moving as quickly as possible with AI products, says Ray. They often launch AI products that arent 100 per cent ready, and then they just build off of that. Its a playbook that weve seen before in tech. Nokia used to be a dominant force in the mobile phone world, then went the way of the tech dinosaurs as it floundered, and if you are old enough, youll remember when Ask Jeeves was a thing. Ray says that Google, unlike Nokia, is at least making steps to try and retain its market position. But it will be a challenge. They need to be the better large language model, she says. They need to provide the better experience to keep people on Google. And as AI gets better and more honed every day, the race for the future is already here, one in which we could find ourselves one day asking a bot: What happened to Google? Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice NatWests online banking app has broken in what appears to be a major outage. Customers reported they were unable to log in and instead shown an error message telling them to try using the website. An error has occurred, the message read, alongside a statement that NatWest is working hard getting everything back up and running for you. NatWest says that over 10 million customers use its mobile banking app to access their account every day. The bank said on Twitter/X that it was aware of the issue and working to resolve it. Our team are looking into this as a matter of urgency, it said. We do not have a timescale at present as to when it will be resolved, Natwest told customers. In response, customers warned that they had been unable to undertake important travel or buy things as planned. Some customers found they were able to log in through the website instead of the app. When logging in, the website asks for a code that is usually sent to the app but the bank said that it should be possible to ask for a text instead, which will do the same job. It also advised people to call the number on the back of their card if they needed to urgently transfer funds. The problems started around 9am local UK time, according to tracking website Down Detector. The issues appear to have been reported right across the country. NatWest says it is making a number of improvements to its app over the coming months, with the aim of making it more personalised. NatWest reassured customers the issue stemmed from an update it made to the app on Thursday, after some customers raised concerns over recent major cyber hacks affecting Marks & Spencer and the Co-op. High street banks have been in the firing line over a string of outages that have affected customers, particularly around the end of month when it is typically pay day for many households. Data gathered by the Treasury Committee in March found there had been more than 33 days' worth of unplanned tech and system outages in the last two years for nine of the UK's biggest banks and building societies. NatWest had 13 "material" incidents between 2023 and 2025, paying nearly 350,000 in compensation for customers who complained, it told the committee. Barclays said it could pay up to 12.5 million in compensation for millions of customers affected over the period. Common reasons given for the incidents include problems with third-party suppliers, disruption caused when systems were changed, and internal software malfunctions. Jenny Ross, money editor for consumer champion Which?, said: "Banks are encouraging more and more of us to rely on apps to do our essential banking, so when these go down it can be devastating. "In the worst cases there's a risk that impacted NatWest customers may miss important bill payments, find themselves unable to pay for essential services or risk going overdrawn - issues which could come with knock-on effects like late payment or overdraft penalties, or affect their ability to get credit or borrow money. "NatWest must ensure customers are kept updated and are swiftly compensated where appropriate. "Anyone affected should keep evidence of impacted payments in case they need to make a claim, and if you think you'll be unable to pay a bill, contact the company involved as soon as possible to ensure they're aware and waive any late payment fees." Additional reporting by agencies Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Elon Musk and Donald Trumps spectacular fallout could have catastrophic consequences for the future of space travel. The two men the president and the person who previously referred to himself as the first buddy have been engaged in a high-profile fight that has seen them make a host of threats and allegations about each other in public. Many of those comments relate to their personal character and history. But one of the more substantial moments came when Mr Trump appeared to suggest he could cancel Mr Musks government contracts. The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it! He wrote on his own Truth Social platform. In light of the Presidents statement about cancellation of my government contracts, SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately, Mr Musks wrote on his own X platform soon after. (Soon after, he wrote that we wont decommission Dragon, though it was unclear how seriously any of the posts were intended to be taken.) The argument prompted outcry and not only for its tone. Mr Musk was warned by Ars Technica journalist Eric Berger in a post that his threat would both end the International Space Station and simultaneously provide no way to safely deorbit it, in a tweet that he responded to. The consequences for the US and the worlds plan to explore space could be even more expansive than that. As Mr Bergers posts suggested, Mr Musks threat to decommission Dragon could put the International Space Station in peril. Currently, it is the only way that the US can safely send astronauts up to space and bring them back down again. Eventually, SpaceX is expected to build the spacecraft that will bring the International Space Station out of orbit and to a fiery and safe end, after its operation life is complete in 2030. But the consequences could be much wider. Nasa, SpaceX and others have been clear that the eventual plan is to move away from a focus on low-Earth orbit of the kind that ISS embodies, and further on into space. First, that will mean taking astronauts back to the Moon and then eventually, they hope, to Mars. Those missions will probably depend on SpaceX too. The company has been hard at work on its upcoming Starship, which is being built with the explicit aim of colonising Mars. Much of SpaceXs domination over space travel can be traced back to one moment, in the wake of the cancellation of the Space Shuttle programme. The Space Shuttle was intended to be the start of a new journey to reusable spacecraft and relatively simple flights to space, but deadly disasters, high costs and other problems meant that it ended in 2010. That left the US without the ability to send astronauts to space from its own soil, and for a decade it depended on Russia to do so. In 2020, SpaceXs Dragon took astronauts to orbit, and it has since become a regular visitor. Nasa as a result relies heavily on SpaceXs dragon. Perhaps that reliance was made most clear earlier this year, when Boeings Starliner intended to be a rival to the Dragon suffered from technical issues on its way to the space station, and its crew had to be brought back on board a SpaceX spacecraft. If Mr Trump were to make good on his threat to cancel those programmes, or Mr Musk did the same with his suggestion that he could bring the Dragon programme to an end, all of that work would be in peril. With it, the whole plan for US space travel to the ISS, the Moon and onto Mars would be at risk, given how central SpaceX has become to those plans. Participants attend a forum marking the 75th anniversary of China-Myanmar diplomatic ties in Mandalay, Myanmar, June 5, 2025. The 75th anniversary of China-Myanmar diplomatic ties was marked with events in Yangon and Mandalay on Thursday, with a focus on bilateral cooperation and China's ongoing support for Myanmar. In Yangon, a commemorative event was organized to mark the anniversary alongside the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Meanwhile, a forum welcoming the diplomatic milestone took place in Mandalay. (Xinhua/Myo Kyaw Soe) YANGON, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The 75th anniversary of China-Myanmar diplomatic ties was marked with events in Yangon and Mandalay on Thursday, with a focus on bilateral cooperation and China's ongoing support for Myanmar. In Yangon, a commemorative event was organized to mark the anniversary alongside the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Meanwhile, a forum welcoming the diplomatic milestone took place in Mandalay. Hundreds of representatives from government agencies, non-governmental organizations, businesses, think tanks, and academic institutions from both China and Myanmar attended the Yangon event, highlighting the longstanding "Paukphaw" (fraternal) friendship between the two countries. Myo Aung, chief minister of Mandalay region, said in his speech at the event in Mandalay that over the past 75 years, Myanmar and China have continuously deepened cooperation in various fields such as science and technology, culture, education, sports, and health. He added that Myanmar actively supports the joint implementation of major projects, including the Belt and Road Initiative, the Myanmar-China Economic Corridor and the China-Myanmar oil and gas pipeline. U Tin Oo, chairman of the Myanmar-China Friendship Association, said at the event in Yangon that China's Belt and Road Initiative has strengthened global cooperation and promoted common development. He noted that the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism has played a vital role in fostering peace, stability, and development in the region. Ma Jia, Chinese ambassador to Myanmar, also addressed the event in Yangon. She said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Myanmar in 1950, bilateral relations have withstood the test of international changes and have always developed steadily. The two sides have worked hand in hand, and the people are close to each other and have helped each other, said the ambassador, adding that she hoped non-governmental organizations of both countries will continue to promote the construction of a China-Myanmar community with a shared future. Gao Ping, Chinese consul general in Mandalay, delivered a speech at the event in Mandalay, saying that no matter how the international situation changes, China has always adhered to the principles of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness. She added that China considers Myanmar as a good neighbor with blood ties, as a relative, and as a friend, and has always taken the well-being of the two peoples as the starting point and foothold for formulating policies toward Myanmar. Ma Jia, Chinese ambassador to Myanmar, addresses a commemorative event marking the 75th anniversary of China-Myanmar diplomatic ties in Yangon, Myanmar, June 5, 2025. The 75th anniversary of China-Myanmar diplomatic ties was marked with events in Yangon and Mandalay on Thursday, with a focus on bilateral cooperation and China's ongoing support for Myanmar. In Yangon, a commemorative event was organized to mark the anniversary alongside the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Meanwhile, a forum welcoming the diplomatic milestone took place in Mandalay. (Photo by Haymhan Aung/Xinhua) Artists perform during a commemorative event marking the 75th anniversary of China-Myanmar diplomatic ties in Yangon, Myanmar, June 5, 2025. The 75th anniversary of China-Myanmar diplomatic ties was marked with events in Yangon and Mandalay on Thursday, with a focus on bilateral cooperation and China's ongoing support for Myanmar. In Yangon, a commemorative event was organized to mark the anniversary alongside the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Meanwhile, a forum welcoming the diplomatic milestone took place in Mandalay. (Photo by Haymhan Aung/Xinhua) Myo Aung, chief minister of Mandalay region, speaks at a forum marking the 75th anniversary of China-Myanmar diplomatic ties in Mandalay, Myanmar, June 5, 2025. The 75th anniversary of China-Myanmar diplomatic ties was marked with events in Yangon and Mandalay on Thursday, with a focus on bilateral cooperation and China's ongoing support for Myanmar. In Yangon, a commemorative event was organized to mark the anniversary alongside the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Meanwhile, a forum welcoming the diplomatic milestone took place in Mandalay. (Xinhua/Myo Kyaw Soe) Gao Ping, Chinese consul general in Mandalay, delivers a speech at a forum marking the 75th anniversary of China-Myanmar diplomatic ties in Mandalay, Myanmar, June 5, 2025. The 75th anniversary of China-Myanmar diplomatic ties was marked with events in Yangon and Mandalay on Thursday, with a focus on bilateral cooperation and China's ongoing support for Myanmar. In Yangon, a commemorative event was organized to mark the anniversary alongside the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Meanwhile, a forum welcoming the diplomatic milestone took place in Mandalay. (Xinhua/Myo Kyaw Soe) Louisianas reliance on the Mississippi means the mighty river can take away as much as it gives and both the state and the nation are reaching a moment of reckoning. Kathy Oubre is president of the Coalition of Hematology & Oncology Practices, and the CEO of the Pontchartrain Cancer Center in Louisiana. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. 1 / 7 Steak frites. Supplied 2 / 7 Salted caramel espresso martini. Supplied 3 / 7 Inside the Middle Park wine bar and restaurant. Supplied 4 / 7 Cavier served on a bed of creme fraiche. Supplied 5 / 7 Salami plate. Supplied 6 / 7 Cavatelli pasta with pork and fennel sausage. Paul Jeffers 7 / 7 Stracciatella with pickled chilli, mint, persimmon and pistachio Supplied Previous Slide Next Slide European$$$$ Following months of anticipation from Middle Park locals, restaurateur Matteo Bruno (Tartine, Neds Bake) has opened Middle Park European, an elevated diner and bar offering an Italian-leaning menu with French flourishes. Leading the (open) kitchen is British-born head chef Aaron Wrafter, who cut his teeth at the Michelin-starred, now-closed Turners, and Harborne Kitchen in Birmingham. To start, caviar dip saves you having to splash out on a tin. A bed of creme fraiche is topped with Black River caviar, chives (and chive oil), and pickled shallot. There will always be two kinds of house-made pasta perhaps a fresh tagliatelle with Shark Bay crab and bisque, and ridged shell-like cavatelli with pork-and-fennel sausage. Mainstays include fishnchips and steak frites (porterhouse, say, with tarragon butter), while a specials board will introduce new dishes every couple of weeks. A resident takes photos of a Labubu toy at the Taipa exhibition area of "POP MART MACAO CITYWALK" in south China's Macao, June 6, 2025. The tourism office of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government, together with China's trendy toy maker POP MART, on Friday launched "POP MART MACAO CITYWALK," a cultural tourism initiative with the unveiling of a 7-meter-high toy Labubu known for its toothy grin. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka) MACAO, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The tourism office of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government, together with China's trendy toy maker POP MART, on Friday launched "POP MART MACAO CITYWALK," a cultural tourism initiative with the unveiling of a 7-meter-high toy Labubu known for its toothy grin. The office noted that, spanning 108 days from Monday to September 21, the event will bring POP MART's globally popular characters, including Baby Molly, Crybaby Dimoo, and Labubu, to four iconic locations across Macao. A special "pop station" was set up at Senado Square, featuring a pop-up shop and a Macao-themed Mega Space Molly Egg Tart installation, where visitors could collect themed postcards and stamps at each site. Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of the tourism office, stated to the media that POP MART has a vast resource in terms of the number of fans worldwide. "When people come to take photos with the figures, they are also walking around the city and seeing different kinds of elements related to the city," she added. Ms. Lin from Guangzhou was visiting Macao particularly for the event. Showing her two Labubu dolls and delicate decorations, she said she had only recently become familiar with the character and had become quite interested in the IP series. The project integrated a regional e-payment consumption lucky draw, open to users from Macao, Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, Thailand, and Malaysia. Visitors visit the Taipa exhibition area of "POP MART MACAO CITYWALK" in south China's Macao, June 6, 2025. The tourism office of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government, together with China's trendy toy maker POP MART, on Friday launched "POP MART MACAO CITYWALK," a cultural tourism initiative with the unveiling of a 7-meter-high toy Labubu known for its toothy grin. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka) Guests attend the opening ceremony of "POP MART MACAO CITYWALK" in south China's Macao, June 6, 2025. The tourism office of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government, together with China's trendy toy maker POP MART, on Friday launched "POP MART MACAO CITYWALK," a cultural tourism initiative with the unveiling of a 7-meter-high toy Labubu known for its toothy grin. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka) Residents pose for photos at the Taipa exhibition area of "POP MART MACAO CITYWALK" in south China's Macao, June 6, 2025. The tourism office of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government, together with China's trendy toy maker POP MART, on Friday launched "POP MART MACAO CITYWALK," a cultural tourism initiative with the unveiling of a 7-meter-high toy Labubu known for its toothy grin. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka) Advertisement Eating outHot & new Beyond the big bowls: Three extra-special ramens to seek out in Melbourne this winter More chefs are making nuanced broths and noodles that tell a personal story the larger ramen franchises cant. Harvard Wang June 7, 2025 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share As featured in the July 2025 hit list. See all stories . Melbournes ramen love affair is evolving. For the past decade or so, the ramen scene has been dominated by franchises such as Hakata Gensuke, Ippudo and Mensho places often with broad menus and flavour bombs to capture the masses. However, more refined, single-minded shops are beginning to emerge. These shops dive into one specific broth, sauce base, and noodles, based on regional produce in Japan, and you can expect nuanced slurps with personal inspiration from the chef. Chef Atsushi Kawakami is drawing on childhood memories for his monthly ramen specials at Suupaa in Cremorne. Luis Enrique Ascui For monthly innovations and Ginza-esque cool: Suupaa Cremornes brand new Suupaa, from the Future Future team, serves a monthly rotating ramen with a slick convenient store twist. Its current bowl is a chicken and pork broth mixed with a base of two types of miso rendered in pork mince and fat, and boosted by scallop powder. Wagyu brisket slices also make an appearance, marinated overnight in salt koji and slow-cooked for 36 hours. The black garlic and sesame tan tan, a soup-less abura style vegetarian ramen with burnt-garlic chilli oil and crunchy broad bean furikake, is also a standout. Miso ramen with wagyu beef brisket, fermented chilli oil, chargrilled wombok and leek at Suupaa in Cremorne. Advertisement The next monthly ramen will be inspired by Tokyo-style shoyu. For Atsushi [Kawakami] our head chef, its a particularly nostalgic dish, says Suupaa co-owner Stefanie Breschi. He remembers childhood visits with his father to Ogikubo, a Tokyo neighbourhood known as ramen town, home to some of Japans oldest ramen shops. Expect slices of chashu pork neck, bamboo shoots and a slick of chicken and duck fat oil. Pro tip: Later this month, Suupaa will launch a Custom Cup for customers to create their own takeaway noodles with fresh ingredients. 65 Dover Street, Cremorne, suupaa.au Duck shoyu ramen at Ramen Shouyuya Sake Bar in Brunswick. For the shoyu devotee: Ramen Shouyuya Sake Bar Advertisement Chef Fujio Tamura dedicates his non-descript store in Brunswick to shoyu (soy sauce) ramen, with three choices on the menu. Tamura adds depth to his broth by using niboshi (boiled and sun-dried anchovies) and kelp from Hokkaido, imparting a savoury character distinct from more common bonito stock. This combination shines in his slow-cooked duck shoyu, a nod to a traditional duck and soba dish. Thin, springy Australian wheat noodles are made in-house on an imported Yamato machine. Pro tip: Experience the full depth of Tamuras shoyu with the tofu entree, served with three types of soy sauce from three different prefectures (Aichi, Gunma, Hyogo), topped with grated ginger bonito flakes, spring onion and nori. 692 Sydney Road, Brunswick, instagram.com/shouyuyasakebar Ramen Akos chicken shio ramen in Fitzroy. For ramen like a mothers hug: Ramen Akos Advertisement Akos in Fitzroy is a heartfelt story, born from owner Sho Iijimas nostalgia for his mothers home-style chicken soup from Kanagawa, Japan. This translates to a concise menu where chicken shio ramen clear chicken broth with a salt-based tare is the hero. Sho only serves 80 to 100 bowls daily, each with meticulously prepared house-made noodles, tender torched pork chashu, marinated egg and bamboo shoots with a perfect bite. A vegan mushroom broth, also inspired by Akos recipes, offers an equally nourishing alternative. Pro tip: Order the house-made chilli oil (rayuu) for an extra kick and finish your bowl to reveal Akos own calligraphy at the bottom. 368 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, instagram.com/ramenakosfitzroy Related Article Relive your magical trip to Japan at these nine Melbourne venues Related Article Review Theres nothing else like it: Suupaa is Melbournes coolest new convenience store Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up Advertisement Eating outEssential cafes and bakeries 15 essential Melbourne cafes for exceptional food (plus where to find this fried egg sando) These cafes are strictly food-first. Slide into a booth for stacked toasties, eat French Toast while listening to vinyl or explore old-school Greek recipes at a cute eatery. Good Food June 6, 2025 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share As featured in Good Foods Essential Melbourne Cafes and Bakeries of 2025, presented by T2. See all stories . Theres a special place in heaven for venues that serve exceptional food in digs that ask nothing of their clientele. Where the likes of, say, salmon ochazuke are served with a side of comfort and an atmosphere done over-easy. Aussie brunch culture meets Vietnamese cuisine at Amara. These are Melbournes best cafes for food, and forms part of Good Foods Essential Melbourne Cafes and Bakeries of 2025. Presented by T2, the guide celebrates the people and places that shape our excellent cafe and bakery scenes and includes more than 100 venues reviewed anonymously across 10 categories, including icons, those best for food, tea, coffee and matcha, and where to get the citys best sweets, sandwiches and baked goods. (These reviews also live on the Good Food app, and are discoverable on the map.) Amaras Saigon pan with stir-fried beef, eggs and Vietnamese pickles. Amara Coffee Advertisement Vietnam meets your local cafe at this west-side newcomer run by a super friendly couple. Coconut milk adds a tropical splash to Vietnamese iced coffee and appears again as a cooling scoop of ice-cream on toasted Publique shokupan. Brunch classics such as smashed avocado and granola are kept simple, much like the clean and calming fit-out. Must order: Saigon pan fried eggs, pate and Vietnamese stir-fried beef, with a fluffy baguette for dipping (pictured above). 1/140 Victoria Street, Seddon, theamara.com.au Arlos glowing room. Simon Schluter Arlo Advertisement There are all the things youd expect from a cafe aiming to nurture regulars in a competitive bayside area: a friendly welcome, good coffee, eggs to spec. And then there are a few surprises. The menu leans a little Mexican, with charred corn on the avo toast, habanero dressing on the brekkie bowl and guacamole on the savoury waffles, all served in a glowing room with flexible seating. Must order: Its the last dish on an appealing menu, but dont get distracted on your way to the chimichurri crispy spud, like loaded fries with a fresh makeover. 133 Ormond Road, Elwood, arlocafe.com.au HK Cafe Advertisement Cha chaan tengs are Hong Kongs beloved cafes where Cantonese and Western cuisine meet, and this modern example delivers the same trademark comfort food. Slide into a booth and tuck in to rice hidden under gooey scrambled egg flecked with shallots and slices of silky beef, with curried fish balls the perfect snack to order while you wait. Must order: Decadent Hong Kong-style French toast, filled with peanut butter and dripping with condensed milk. 171 Russell Street, Melbourne, hkcafe.com.au Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with labne and salad at Athos. Penny Stephens Athos Advertisement It looks like any other suburban cafe in Melbourne: tables and chairs sit outside, people in activewear come and go, and a glass cabinet holds large trays of salads and pastries. But beneath all that, Athos has an unwavering dedication to old-school Greek recipes and ultra-fresh produce and the humble surroundings only amplify the feeling of striking gold. Best for: Spanakopita from the former owners of Moonee Ponds Greek institution Philhellene. 8 Lloyd Street, Strathmore, instagram.com/athoscafedeli Chiakis ochazuke set. Eddie Jim Chiaki Advertisement Japanese ochazuke is a bowl that heals all: rice is topped with anything from pickles to fish, then covered with warm tea to bring it all together. Slurp it, pick at it, add wasabi: its your creation. Chiakis menu is devoted to ochazuke, with toppings such as grilled salmon and peppercorn wagyu. Also find Swiss rolls, bundt cakes and excellent coffee. Must order: Lunchtime ochazuke sets include karaage chicken, an onsen egg and more. 49 Peel Street, Collingwood, chiaki.com.au Stacked sangers at Little Z. Little Z Advertisement Tucked between the hustle of Bentleigh and Moorabbins high streets, this warm-toned cafe feels like part of the furniture in the area. A focus on the basics helps bacon-and-egg rolls, bircher muesli and French toast for the kids as do seriously stacked toasties, including tuna melts, feta with greens, and chicken with aji verde (the Peruvian chilli-coriander sauce). Best for: Brunch with the whole fam, now that a courtyard with play equipment is open. 73 Patterson Road, Bentleigh, littlez.com.au Find sweet treats in the cabinet at Maria. Maria Advertisement This cute Mexican-inspired spot at the foot of the Dandenongs is the perfect reward for conquering the nearby 1000 Steps. Refuel in the sun-drenched courtyard with a burrito bowl topped with crunchy chicken-skin, or a peanut butter smoothie bowl bedazzled with raspberry jelly and granola chunks. Sip single-origin cold brew or go big with Mexican hot chocolate it comes with a waffle-shaped churro for dipping. Good to know: The kitchen excels at impressive vegan options, including the veggie-packed benny of roasted mushrooms, grilled tomato and cashew hollandaise. 56-58 Main Street, Upwey, mariamelbourne.com.au Owner-chef Eun Hee An outside Moon Mart in South Melbourne. Eddie Jim Moon Mart Advertisement Unassuming, homey and brilliantly creative, the beloved Korean-with-a-twist cafe has been embraced by its new neighbourhood after decamping from West to South Melbourne. Breakfast might be house-made rye shokupan with char siu bacon, lunch could be an eel katsu sando on the go, or even better a rice bowl with hearty sides, eaten at the broad window bench. Moon Mart was awarded cafe of the year at the 2025 Good Food Guide awards. Good to know: Look out for occasional dinners, where the team serves hanjeongsik, Korean set menus. 315 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne, moonmart.com.au Onigiri plate with furikake onigiri and miso marinated salmon. Operator San Advertisement This well-oiled machine has brunch down to a science. The menu gives the typical Melbourne format a Japanese twist think katsu curry meets eggs Benedict, and waffles with mochi-like stretch. More classically Japanese choices include salmon onigiri sets, ceremonialgrade matcha and neon-green melon soda, a kissaten (coffee house) staple served here with a double shot of espresso. Must order: Onigiri set, including furikake-seasoned rice balls, miso-marinated salmon, sesame-dressed spinach, tamagoyaki omelette, pickles and miso soup. 121 Therry Street, Melbourne, instagram.com/operator.san Ophelias savoury buckwheat galette (top right). Chege Mbuthi Ophelia Advertisement The canny crew from cafe group Yolk (Terror Twilight, Convoy) has crafted a daytime restaurant on a lush corner site, with music on vinyl and all the brunchy stuff served with expertise and aplomb. Have your coffee as a cold brew spritz, dig into a buckwheat galette with rocket pesto, or wrap your hands around a vegan cauliflower sanger with fried chickpeas. Good to know: Those cakes youre loving by the slice? Also available to order whole. 85 High Street, Northcote, opheliawestgarth.com.au Rosyln Thai is ideal for group dining. Roslyn Thai Advertisement Dont be fooled by the pokey front room. Whip around to the undercover courtyard and find tables of in-the-know diners tucking into fragrant bowls of caramelised pork belly on rice, creamy scrambled eggs with garlic soy prawns, and pork congee with silky-soft egg. But half the fun is the layered drinks, including iced espresso with coconut foam and a bittersweet mango-coconut espresso. Good to know: Most of the savoury dishes sit below $20, enough justification to add a giant wedge of chiffon cake to your order. 477 King Street, West Melbourne, instagram.com/roslyn.thaicafe Udon carbonara at Sana. Wayne Taylor Sana Coffee Advertisement In the backstreets of Cheltenham, new neighbourhood cafe Sana is starting to make waves. Its light, bright and red-bricked, with a playful menu punctuated by Japanese flourishes. Some locals catch rays and sip strawberry-matcha lattes in the dog-friendly outdoor area, while others go with an appetite, digging into two-hands-necessary wagyu katsu sandos. Must order: Udon carbonara, a Japanese-Italian hybrid that uses three cheeses. It comes with charred kaiserfleisch, smoked dashi, a soft egg and heaps of black pepper. 31 Ambrose Avenue, Cheltenham, instagram.com/sana.melbourne Shamiat owners Helda Almorani and Atallah Abo. Wayne Taylor Shamiat Advertisement After a year-long closure following a fire, this friendly family-run spot is back serving its Syrian specialties, from pillowy halloumi foldovers and crisp manoush (available dine-in or takeaway) to all-in Syrian breakfasts. A platter of light, fluffy falafel with fried eggs, stuffed eggplant and tangy labne requires a serious appetite, as does its vegan counterpart featuring vine leaves, cabbage rolls and silky hummus. Good to know: Whatever you choose, be sure to add a pot of fragrant, cardamom-spiced coffee. 64 Victoria Road, Northcote, instagram.com/shamiat_northcote Suupaas egg sando stars a slab of fried tamago. Simon Schluter Suupaa Advertisement From the team behind Richmonds Future Future, Suupaa brings a taste of Japans konbini (convenience store) culture to Melbourne. The result? Deliciously thrilling. Go handheld with an egg sando all about floofy crumbed omelette and curry ketchup (pictured), or go big with tonkatsu, accompanied by a Vegemite and red miso sauce that might ruin the regular stuff for you. Good to know: Takeaway options are abundant, from onigiri to self-serve banana cold brew. 1/65 Dover Street, Cremorne, suupaa.au Terror Twilight. Terror Twilight Advertisement Lets clear up misconceptions about the name first. Its borrowed from an album title, not a mission statement for the daytime cafe, whose menu leans feel-good and wholesome. Options include bone broth, porridge made with steel-cut oats, and build-your-own grain bowls with toppings such as zaatar-roasted zucchini, grilled halloumi and house pickles. But no one will judge if you order bacon, pastries or a breakfast martini. Must order: Spicy green eggs with spring onion and green chilli relish. 11-13 Johnston Street, Collingwood, terrortwilight.com.au Good Foods Essential Melbourne Cafes and Bakeries of 2025, presented by T2, celebrates the people and places that shape our excellent cafe and bakery scenes and includes more than 100 venues reviewed anonymously across 10 categories, including icons, those best for food, tea, coffee and matcha, and where to get the citys best sweets, sandwiches and baked goods. Download the Good Food app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store to discover whats near you. Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up Without fanfare, something remarkable has happened. The noxious practice of aborting girls simply for being girls has become dramatically less common. It first became widespread in the late 1980s, as cheap ultrasound machines made it easy to determine the sex of a fetus. Parents who were desperate for a boy but did not want a large family or, in China, were not allowed one started routinely terminating females. Globally, among babies born in 2000, a staggering 1.6 million girls were missing from the number you would expect, given the natural sex ratio at birth. This year that number is likely to be 200,000 and it is still falling. The fading of boy preference in regions where it was strongest has been astonishingly rapid. The natural ratio is about 105 boy babies for every 100 girls; because boys are slightly more likely to die young, this leads to rough parity at reproductive age. The sex ratio at birth, once wildly skewed across Asia, has become more even. In China, it fell from a peak of 117.8 boys per 100 girls in 2006 to 109.8 last year, and in India from 109.6 in 2010 to 106.8. In South Korea it is now completely back to normal, having been a shocking 115.7 in 1990. Preference for boys is fading among regions where it was strongest at a rapid rate. Credit: Getty Images In 2010 an Economist cover called the mass abortion of girls gendercide. The global decline of this scourge is a blessing. First, it implies an ebbing of the traditions that underpinned it: the stark belief that men matter more and the expectation in some cultures that a daughter will grow up to serve her husbands family, so parents need a son to look after them in old age. Such sexist ideas have not vanished, but evidence that they are fading is welcome. Second, it heralds an easing of the harms caused by surplus men. Sex-selective abortion doomed millions of males to lifelong bachelorhood. Many of these bare branches, as they are known in China, resented it intensely. And their fury was socially destabilising, since young, frustrated bachelors are more prone to violence. One study of six Asian countries found that warped sex ratios led to an increase of rape in all of them. Others linked the imbalance to a rise in violent crime in China, along with authoritarian policing to quell it, and to a heightened risk of civil strife or even war in other countries. The fading of boy preference will make much of the world safer. Missing Queensland teenager Pheobe Bishop was allegedly murdered by her two housemates, and her body was then moved more than once, detectives believe. Police have been searching for the 17-year-old since May 15, after she failed to check in for a flight at the Bundaberg Airport, north of Brisbane. She had been due to fly to Western Australia to visit her boyfriend. Her housemates, James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33, were arrested in the Bundaberg area on Thursday night, and charged with murder and interfering with a corpse. A body has been found in the search for missing teen Pheobe Bishop. Police confirmed human remains were found near the Good Night Scrub National Park outside Gin Gin about 2.30pm on Friday. A crime scene has been declared and forensic teams are on site. The body has not been identified, but Pheobes family have been notified. 2) Carls three boo-boos For a drug boss and killer, Carl Williams made many dumb decisions. Here are three. Williams commissioned one of his hit teams (he had five) to kill hot dog vendor Michael Marshall, and the paid killer known as The Runner sourced a clean car for the job. Police had got there first, bugging the car and hiding a tracking device in the rebuilt sedan. But the brake light stayed on, leading The Runner to find the device. He sought advice from Williams, who told him to carry on, using The Runners own car, which was already bugged. After he killed Marshall, he was recorded ringing the Big Fella with the message: You know that horse you and George [Carls father] tipped me? It got scratched. The Runner and the driver were arrested that night. The next mistake Carl made was not to pay his hitmen. He had promised The Runner $100,000 to kill rival Jason Moran which he did, during an Auskick morning in Essendon North. But by June 2003, Williams had paid him only $2500. The Marshall contract was worth $300,000. The Runner was paid a $50,000 deposit, but once jailed, Williams sent the hitmans mother a paltry $1500. You shortchange hitmen at your peril. The Runner became a prosecution witness and was one reason Williams eventually had to plead guilty to several murders. The third mistake was when Williams wanted to do a deal, and he believed informing on an allegedly corrupt cop would not be seen by the underworld as being a snitch. But one gangster thought Williams needed to take certain secrets to the grave. In 2010, he was beaten to death inside prison by fellow inmate Matt Johnson. 3) Why they invented voicemail On December 22, 2003, Carl Williams and hitman Andrew Benji Veniamin met Melbourne identity Mick Gatto at Crown casino for peace talks. Andrew Veniamin and Carl Williams. Credit: Ten News Gatto said he wanted to remain neutral but made it clear he could fight gunfire with gunfire. If anything comes my way then Ill send somebody to you. Ill be careful with you, be careful with me, Gatto said. I believe you, you believe me; now were even. Thats a warning. Its not my war. When Williams considered a truce, Veniamin urged, Kill him. The second dumb decision was when Benji answered his phone on March 23, 2004. It was Gatto inviting him to a Carlton restaurant, where Veniamin was shot dead. Gatto was charged, then acquitted on the grounds of self-defence. If only Benji had let the call go to voicemail. 4) The dumb cop and the public phone William Stephen Dingy Harris was not much of a cop, but he was an excellent conman. In the police force, he was a sergeant stationed at Hawthorn, but to the underworld he was known as The Captain and had impressive contacts that could protect massive hashish importations of more than 300 kilos a time. The syndicate would pay him $300,000 a pop. Dingys identity was known by few, and to protect himself he would never use the Hawthorn police station phone to talk business, preferring to use the public one across the road, believing it couldnt be bugged. By the time he knew he was wrong, the jig was well and truly up. In the secret investigation code-named Rock, police recorded 14,000 phone calls and in October 1987, Dingy was sentenced to 14 years jail, where he was allowed a couple of phone calls a week. 5) Know when to walk away, know when to run Loading The six-man burglary team was to pull off the crime of the century. Break into the Sigma pharmaceutical company and steal amphetamines with a street value of $166 million. They broke into the plant 25 times perfecting their methods based on the movie Heat, in which the message was: at the first sign of risk, walk away. When they were setting up CCTV monitors in the ceiling, they found a system that had been set up by police to watch them. Rather than walk away, they convinced themselves it was the management that was using the system to monitor staff. One was recorded saying: Flash a brown eye at them. It was our idea to put a camera in, anyway. In September 1996, they were arrested at the scene by the special operations group as they broke into Sigma. 6) The clock was ticking, but not in a good way As a terrorist, Hagob Levonian should have spent less time studying international politics and more time swatting up on chemistry. In 1986, he came to Melbourne to blow up the Turkish consulate. However, he ignored the fundamentals of OH&S. He was supposed to set the timer for a few hours. Sadly, he stuffed up and was blown to pieces. Forensic experts found a piece of skin the size of a 5 piece at the blast site that matched a fingerprint on an invoice book from Levonian. The only other remains found were a pair of feet in the bombers shoes. 7) Drugs are bad, OK? Allan Williams was a drug dealer who used his own product and was too big for his boots. Why else would he agree to the crazy scheme to kill an interstate undercover cop to stop him testifying in a case so weak it was doomed to fail? Roger Rogerson: Should have been given 10 years for the safari suit. Credit: Sydney Morning Herald He wanted to bribe the undercover, Mick Drury, but when he refused the offer, Williams, NSW rogue cop Roger Rogerson and hitman Christopher Dale Flannery conspired to kill him. On June 6, 1984, Drury was shot in his Chatswood home, but survived. The backlash was immediate. Although never convicted, Rogerson was finished, and he died in prison serving time for another murder. Flannery was considered too hot to handle and killed in cold blood, while Williams pleaded guilty to trying to bribe and then kill Drury. He later told me: I was a giant in the trade; I thought I was invincible and unpinchable. But I stepped over the line with the Drury thing. It is something I will regret for the rest of my life. 8) Milking a snake without gloves Barrister-turned-snitch Nicola Gobbo didnt play by the rules. She was too close to her clients, then she turned on them, becoming a police informer while still feeding crooks titbits of information. She burnt both sides, which has become a stain on the criminal justice system costing north of $300 million, and with criminal appeals and civil action, shows no signs of reaching resolution. Loading 9) The smiling assassins In a world full of dangerous men, Nik Radev was a man to be feared. He had ambitions to be a drug boss and wanted to borrow a drug cook who worked for Carl Williams and Tony Mokbel. The fear was that he wouldnt give him back. In April 2003, he was lured to a meeting at a coffee shop in Brighton and then given directions to travel across town to get the cook. He was ambushed in his car in Coburg. Earlier, he paid $55,000 in cash for dental surgery to have teeth as pearly white as his idol Tony Montana from Scarface, money that would have been better spent on armour-plating his car. He remembered to floss but forgot to duck. 10) Mafias own goal In the 1970s, the Griffith mafia had a winning hand. Corrupt cops, bent politicians, an Australian-wide transport network and a near-monopoly on massive cannabis crops. They were rich and getting richer. Trouble was, there was a whistleblower and that son of a bitch was brave and getting braver. Local furniture shop owner Donald Mackay had reported on a couple of crops. Instead of seeing it as a minor hiccup, the mafia took out a $10,000 contract on his life. The Japan hoodoo is over, but Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has a stern message for his players: The job isnt done yet. Australia all but locked in a spot for the 2026 World Cup after Aziz Behichs 90th-minute stunner lifted the Socceroos to a 1-0 win over Japan in Perth on Thursday night. The all but quantifier comes due to the fact Saudi Arabia are technically still in the hunt to steal the Socceroos automatic qualifier spot. The Saudis (13 points) kept their hopes alive by beating Bahrain 2-0 just hours after the Socceroos win. Tony Popovic was happy with large parts of Australias performance. Credit: AP Australia (16 points, plus eight goal difference) are still well and truly in the box seat. But if Saudi Arabia (13 points, zero goal difference) beat the Socceroos by five goals or more in Jeddah next Tuesday in the final match of the current qualifying phase, Australia will miss out on an automatic World Cup berth. Given Saudi Arabia have scored only six goals across nine matches, that scenario is unlikely, but Popovic doesnt want to take any chances. We need to do a job in Saudi, Popovic said. Were in a great position, but we have to finish it off. Its been a really intense period since Ive come in, but everyones embraced what were aiming to do. Were very close now to achieving our goal. Thursday nights win in front of 57,226 fans marked the Socceroos first victory over Japan since 2009, and inflicted a first loss on the Samurai Blue since their defeat to Iran at the Asian Cup in 2023. But it was far from a pretty display by the Socceroos against what was effectively a Japanese B team. Loading Given they had already secured their World Cup berth, Japans starting XI against Australia featured a total of nine players with four caps or less, including three debutants. Despite that Japan dominated for almost the entire match, finishing with 69 per cent possession and creating the better chances until Behichs late heroics. Popovic was proud of his teams defensive grit and believed getting a win over Japan - albeit against a severely depleted opponent - was significant. They (our players) know theyve done something that hasnt been done for quite a while, Popovic said. We kept a clean sheet, and weve done something that many Australian sides have found hard to do. Japan have been on a wonderful run and theres a reason for that. They are the best (in Asia) and we want to challenge them to be the best. We shouldnt shy away from that and hopefully we take a big step forward knowing we can beat Japan. AAP Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size There was a frogman in its seawater tank. And the glass facade of the skyscraper was sprinkled with gold dust. Little wonder that the 1962 opening of Australias then-tallest building, the 117-metre-high AMP Sydney Cove building at Sydneys Circular Quay, would excite the nation and attract a million tourists, including Queen Elizabeth, to its observation deck within a year. Opening the modernist H-shaped office block at 33 Alfred Street, then-prime minister Sir Robert Menzies said it was a towering symbol that quickened the imagination. The citys first real skyscraper, the 26-storey office block by the late architect Graham Thorp, took advantage of a change in legislation to break the citys 150-foot (46-metre) height limit imposed in 1912. That started the skyscraper phenomenon of higher buildings and increased density. Until then, Sydney had been a short and old-fashioned city, and the public feared it would go the way of New York. The AMP Building in Circular Quay was officially reopened on Friday. Credit: Sam Mooy On Friday morning, Premier Chris Minns and Lord Mayor Clover Moore reopened the 63-year-old building at 33 Alfred Street. Minns said: The great thing about this project is that they didnt call in the wrecking balls. They called in some of our best architects and engineers and created an absolutely beautiful building. Advertisement The reopening follows a three-year restoration and modernisation by architects Johnson Pilton Walker (JPW), heritage consultants Urbis, and construction company Built for co-owners Dexus Wholesale Property Fund and Mirvac Wholesale Office Fund. With AMP now housed in the Quay Quarter building, the newly modernised office block is expected to become home to some of Australias top law firms, including Allens which is expected to take over the floor that was once a public observation deck. As Sydneys first real skyscraper, Minns said 33 Alfred had helped define the city. A symbol of post-war growth and architectural ambition, it married the best of the old with the best of the new. What this project shows is we can still do great things in the city. Dexus general manager of development Nicholas Wilkinson next to some of the original window panels that once blocked the view from the offices Credit: Sam Mooy He was taken with the curve of the roof seen from the observation deck: When it is stretched against the blue sky on a wonderful Friday in Sydney, it looks like the wing of a Pan Am airplane. They dont make buildings like that any more. Loading Moore said the AMP building had to go up in height so it could look over the Cahill Expressway, which she described as a continuing blight that blocked views and separated the city from the harbour. By retaining the AMP instead of demolishing it, Moore said the redevelopment had saved tonnes of carbon and reduced emissions. It was also the culmination of the citys award-winning Quay Quarter redevelopment, which resulted in new laneways with restaurants and the restoration and reuse of heritage buildings. Advertisement Dexus said the building had been transformed into a state-of-the-art office tower spanning about 32,000 square metres. Its reuse of the existing structure minimised landfill waste, extended the lifecycle of the building and was developed to achieve a 5.5-star NABERS Energy rating for the base building, and a 6-Star Green Star. Its heritage listing by the state two years ago said the facade was covered with gold dust. Dexus general manager of development Nicholas Wilkinson said he didnt think it was real. I wish it was, he said. The original AMP building in 1961 as it was under construction. Credit: Fairfax Thorp wrote in the Herald in 1962 that the buildings shape would not have been seen elsewhere in the world. A curtain wall spandrel with gold-fused backing was used to give a reflective surface with a constantly changing pattern in sunlight. During the restoration, parts of the original facade the famous curtain walls were retained. The rest was updated with a material that Wilkinson said sparkled like the original to honour its heritage but used contemporary techniques. The windows were also changed because the views across one of the worlds most famous harbours were located somewhere between the hips and the chin of the average person standing up. With some smart design, there is now a good line of sight to the harbour. Thats where the magic happens, he said. Advertisement Nobody has any record of the original frogmen who cleaned the seawater air-conditioning system that created a steady indoor climate in the building. During the restoration, Wilkinson said divers had cleaned and repaired pipes under the ferry wharves to remove seawater, crustaceans, and other matter. Built in 21 months, it was expected to last 40 years. But now it appears increasingly small in contrast with many other tall buildings, including Sydneys tallest, One Crown at 271 metres high, and others expected to go even higher. Wilkinson said engineers had certified the newly renovated office block for another 50 years, but they expected it would outlast that estimate. He said the building was now setting a precedent for the sensitive renewal and reuse of existing heritage buildings. Many of its features are things we now take for granted. There were 400 to 500 power points in every floor, Wilkinson said. It had windows that didnt open, a novelty at that time, and was one of the first buildings to house large computing equipment and banks of speedy lifts. It had a vertical conveyer to transfer papers up and down the building. Music was piped into some floors to calm staff. Advertisement It included decorative panels, art, and about 6690 square metres of glass mosaic tiles and 4600 square metres of Italian and Australian marble. This telegraphed that customers were in safe hands taking out life insurance with the company. Wilkinson said: It really did set the benchmark. James Bosanquet of the National Trust of Australia, NSW, said the AMP was promoted as a modernist marvel and really changed Sydney. Before then, we had modernist buildings, but nothing on this scale. It may have looked like a modern mausoleum on the harbour, he said, but its curved walls allowed it to control the amount of light throughout the day. It was among many changes to transform Circular Quay about that time, ranging from the railway in 1954, the Cahill Expressway in 1958, the Overseas Passenger Terminal (also 1958), and later, in 1973, the Opera House. An awful lot was happening quickly, and it reflected the feeling that Sydney was coming of age. Professor Philip Oldfield, the head of the School of Built Environment at the University of NSW, said it was Sydneys first real skyscraper, built with all the mod cons youd expect for a post-war office open plan floor plates, curtain wall glazing, and even novel spray-on fire-proofing to the steel frame. Advertisement Of the 337 auctions, 61 agents said the reserve was a figure higher than the range, in 18 cases the home was called on the market above the range, and six times the home passed in at the top of the range or higher. Loading Another two times the home passed in and was relisted for a figure higher than the first range. There were 171 auctions where the reserve was within the range or on the market in the range, and 78 with incomplete data. Just one had a reserve below the guide. This masthead is not suggesting these properties were underquoted. Underquoting can occur in Victoria when a property is advertised at a price that is less than the estimated selling price, is less than the sellers asking price, or has already been rejected by the seller. But it is difficult to prove. A Victorian government review into underquoting, announced in 2022, made the point that there is no obligation for the estimated selling price of a property and the vendors reserve price to be the same. The results of the review have not been released. John Keating, the owner of Keatings Real Estate and an outspoken critic of underquoting, said allowing vendors to set reserves higher than the price guide encouraged deceptive conduct. The legislation is fundamentally flawed because vendors can change their reserve price at any time before the contract is signed without penalty, he said. The laws should be changed to have vendors be guilty of breaking the laws too. They can work in cahoots with the agent to underquote and get off scot-free. That is blatant and misleading and deceptive conduct. Its just bringing the whole system of real estate into disrepute. Keating said vendors should be made to advertise their homes with a set price they were willing to take. Real estate agent John Keating is an outspoken critic of underquoting, Credit: Eddie Jim Despite the legislation to stamp out the illegal underquoting, its still rife, he said. This masthead asked Consumer Affairs Minister Nick Staikos whether buyers were frustrated by higher reserves than guides, if he supported a law change to compel reserves to be within a guide price range, and whether he would release the 2022 underquoting review publicly. He said: Underquoting is deeply unfair and thats why the work of the underquoting taskforce is so important. Staikos said taskforce members regularly attended auctions to remind agents there were penalties for wrongdoing. Laws passed in March will increase the maximum penalty for underquoting to $47,422. Consumer Affairs Minister Nick Staikos with Premier Jacinta Allan last month. Credit: Wayne Taylor Recent laws passed will help protect Victorians with increased fines for underquoting offences and mandatory training for estate agents and property managers, he said. Melbourne first home buyer Corey Taylor and his partner recently made an offer on a two-bedroom West Brunswick apartment that had a price guide of $590,000 to $630,000. They offered $620,000 to the selling agent. The first thing he said to me was, The seller is probably not going to be interested in anything lower than $630,000, said Taylor, a 33-year-old sound designer. Corey Taylor recently made an offer on an apartment. Credit: Justin McManus And in my head I was kind of like, Well then why the f--- is the price guide starting at $590,000? he said. Why is it not $630,000 to $650,000? Loading The couple made an offer at the top of the range and it was accepted at first. Then Taylor was invited to attend a competitive Zoom auction. The first couple of minutes they went way above the asking price, he said. The home sold for $680,000. Real Estate Institute of Victoria interim chief executive Jacob Caine knows from personal experience that sellers may shift their expectations during a campaign and blindside agents by setting a high reserve on auction day. He once ran a sales campaign for an owner who then adjusted the reserve price up by $600,000 so he went and told potential buyers in the crowd. I absolutely agree that buyers can be and should be frustrated when they find that a reserve price has been set above the advertised range. Theres an enormous amount of effort, emotion, time and sometimes money thats invested into trying to find that home to purchase by the buying public, Caine said. I dont think its widespread. I think its the exception rather than the rule. Home sale reserves in Melbourne dont reserves do not need to be within the advertised price guide. Credit: Joe Armao He thought the sample of the auction tracking project was problematic, and he said auctioneers only call properties on the market when they feel the bidding is done and dusted. He supported any government review of the topic, but was not convinced Victorians were comfortable with mandatory publication of reserve prices or any ruling that reserves must be within guides. Dr Peyman Khezr, a senior lecturer and auction researcher at RMIT University, said the practice was widespread because it helped build competition on auction day and create higher final sale prices for vendors, although he backed Victorian rules requiring listings to include a statement of information and comparable sales. Loading When you set the price reasonably lower than what your reserve is, you attract more people to your auction, you will heat up the price at auction, he said. It results in people acting lets say crazy or irrational in these circumstances, but what matters to the seller is that [this method] gets better prices, and that is why they keep doing it. Khezr said vendors should not be made to advertise a reserve, but that they should be made to set a reserve within the price guide instead. Chamberlain Property Advocates Wendy Chamberlain said price guides were works of fiction. NANJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- In a wetland park in the industrial hub of Wuxi in Jiangsu Province, east China, an AI-powered system tracks bird species, among which is the critically endangered Baer's pochard. Installed at a biodiversity observatory in the district of Xinwu, the system can identify species and analyze population dynamics and behavioral patterns. Since its deployment in late 2024, the system has logged more than 30,000 bird activity video records. "The large-scale appearance of Baer's pochards reflects a significant improvement in the local ecosystem," said Yin Songjiang, an official with the district's ecology and environment bureau. This project offers a glimpse into how one of the nation's economic powerhouse provinces is leveraging smart technologies to protect the environment and biodiversity. Jiangsu, a manufacturing heartland with a GDP of 13.7 trillion yuan (1.9 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2024, has been pioneering a new path that reconciles dense industrial development with vibrant biodiversity. According to the Department of Ecology and Environment of Jiangsu Province, it has been redefining environmental stewardship with AI and digital tools, making ecological governance more precise, dynamic and effective. TECH-DRIVEN POLLUTION CONTROL In Jiangning District in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province, high-tech instruments track air pollutants like PM2.5 in real time. "Airborne pollutants cannot escape the scrutiny of our automated systems," said Wang Xin, deputy director of the Jiangning district department of ecology and environment. "Once detected, the pollution source is automatically reported, enabling swift and targeted pollution response." Official data show that Jiangsu saw 82.5 percent of its days with good air quality last year, a 4.6-percentage-point improvement year-on-year and the best record since 2013. Local authorities have also beefed up efforts to monitor and tackle water pollution. Along riverbanks in the city of Suzhou, compact monitoring outposts autonomously analyze pollutants and transmit data. Drones equipped with infrared and high-definition cameras monitor river temperatures and detect illicit wastewater discharges. Taihu Lake, China's third-largest freshwater lake, reported its best water quality in three decades in 2024. A smart dredging vessel capable of removing 5,000 cubic meters of nutrient-rich silt daily has helped suppress algal blooms. A multilayered smart surveillance network, spanning satellite remote sensing, AI-powered hyperspectral drone imagery, and underwater sensors, tracks algae and dissolved oxygen in real time. SMART BIODIVERSITY MONITORING In Jiangsu's biodiversity database, wildlife footage is updated in real time. A few clicks can reveal infrared footage of a Pere David's deer -- an endangered species now thriving in Yancheng, home to the world's largest wild herd of the animal. From just 39 deer in 1986, the population there has soared to 8,216 today. Jiangsu's embrace of intelligent observation tools is redefining how species are tracked and studied. In Nanjing's Jiangxinzhou wetland park, 11 smart video stations help to monitor key species. Along the banks of the Yangtze River, the world's third-longest river, night-vision laser cameras capture footage of the elusive Yangtze finless porpoise. Nanjing has become the first city in China where this critically endangered freshwater mammal can be observed in the downtown area. In 2024, there were more than 1,800 sightings, a figure more than double that recorded five years ago. According to the provincial department of ecology and environment, Jiangsu is home to 8,842 species, an extraordinary number for a heavily industrialized region. These efforts have yielded tangible economic returns. In 2024, Jiangsu's ecotourism destinations welcomed 300 million visitors, generating over 16 billion yuan in direct revenues. The province has also passed a local regulation for biodiversity protection and plans to establish 20 AI-powered biodiversity observatories in key areas by the end of this year. "These smart observatories will lay a solid foundation for long-term biodiversity monitoring and scientific research," said Wu Jun, an official with the provincial ecology and environment department. Musk had never served in public office before. His ignorance of government organisation and procedures showed. Like generations of other vain, ignorant business tycoons, he thought the problem with government was that it was not run like a business. Musk set about using his ill-defined authority to try to downsize the federal government as though it were one of his own companies, Tesla or PayPal or SpaceX. In 2022, when he bought control of Twitter, now known as X, Musk prepared for mass lay-offs of Twitter employees by sending the workforce an email asking what they had done last week. Similarly, in February, the Office of Personnel Management, over which Musk had no authority, nevertheless on his behalf sent an email to about 2 million federal employees that demanded they send their managers a list of five accomplishments from last week. Later on X, Musk announced, on the basis of no authority whatsoever, that anyone who refused to answer would be fired; he subsequently said the millions of employees would get a second chance and finally reversed himself, saying it had just been a pulse check. Elon Musk speaks at a cabinet meeting at the White House in February. Credit: AP The Department of State, led by former senator Marco Rubio, along with the Defence Department and FBI, told their employees not to answer Musks email. The tensions between Musk, who according to the administration was not actually in charge of DOGE, and Trumps constitutionally appointed, Senate-confirmed cabinet secretaries were on public display in a bizarre videotaped cabinet meeting in which Musk, dressed in black, babbled in front of stony-faced officials. According to reports, Musk on another occasion got into a shouting match with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Disloyal as he is to his own subordinates, Trump expects loyalty from others. It was one thing for Musk to fight with other Trump appointees behind the scenes, another to attack them in public. After Trump unveiled his half-baked tariff plan on April 2, Musk called Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro truly a moron and dumber than a sack of bricks. Reportedly Musk further damaged his relationship with Trump by pouring $US20 million ($31 million) into a special Wisconsin state Supreme Court election, offering to pay a million dollars apiece to lucky individual voters. This crass attempt to buy an election backfired against the Republican candidate Musk favoured, and the backlash powered the Democrats to victory. Elon Musk attacked Trump in posts on X on Thursday (Friday AEST). Credit: NurPhoto via Getty Images The trigger for the final break between Musk and Trump was money. On X, Musk tried to rally Republicans in Congress to vote against the big, beautiful bill that would be the central achievement of Trumps first year in his second term. KILL the BILL, Musk ranted in one of more than two dozen posts criticising the legislation. Some Republicans blamed Musks opposition to the bill on cuts to subsidies to consumers who bought electric cars from Tesla and other companies. Telling reporters that he was very disappointed in his donor and former DOGE tsar, Trump said, Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I dont know if we will any more. On X, Musk responded: Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. Such ingratitude. No stranger to social media, Trump replied on his own platform, Truth Social: Elon was wearing thin; I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY! Musk and Trump show off a Tesla at the White House in March. Credit: AP Trump followed this up with a threat: The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it! Exit stage right-wing. The end of the Trump-Musk relationship is a source of amusement to Democrats and a source of relief to Republican populists who dream of what Trump once called the Republican workers party, not a party subordinated to weird libertarian billionaires. Loading But everyone can learn from the latest demonstration of the fact that celebrity outsiders who have never held office before generals like Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight Eisenhower, businessmen like Herbert Hoover and Donald Trump and Elon Musk tend to perform poorly when given authority over Americas complex government, compared with presidents who had worked their way up in politics like Washington, Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt. When Eisenhower was elected president, his predecessor Harry Truman joked: Hell sit right there and hell say, do this, do that! And nothing will happen. Poor Ike it wont be a bit like the army. Or Tesla or Twitter, either. Second Lieutenant Walter Sidlowski on Omaha Beach, Normandy, after helping to rescue a group of soldiers after their landing craft sank on D-Day. KHARTOUM/GAZA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The scent of roasted lamb drifts through the air, children put on new clothes, and streets pulse with laughter and light. Yet in war-torn Gaza and Sudan, the fading memories of Eid al-Adha have yet to return. This year, the festival dawns beneath a heavy veil of loss, economic hardship, displacement, and the quiet ache of hunger. In southern Khartoum, Sudan's capital, 61-year-old Essam al-Din Mukhtar spent more than six hours roaming the dusty livestock market on Al-Hawa Street with his 16-year-old son, searching for a sheep he could afford. "I haven't received a salary in two years," said the father of eight, who lost his job when fighting shut his workplace down in April 2023. "This year, I wanted to buy a sacrificial sheep for my family... but the cheapest ones cost more than we can manage," which is priced at 750,000 Sudanese pounds (one U.S. dollar trades at about 2,700 pounds on the parallel market). This is Sudan's third Eid al-Adha since civil war erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, displacing millions and devastating the economy. Once-vibrant markets now sit quiet, where flies circle unsold livestock and vendors sigh at the lack of buyers. "Most just ask about prices without making purchases," said Ibrahim Mohamed Al-Toum, a livestock trader who paid nearly 10 times more to transport sheep this year due to war-related risks and road closures. "I brought sheep from North Kordofan to Khartoum, a trip that used to take two days now takes over a week," Al-Toum told Xinhua. "Before the war, transporting livestock cost around 700,000 Sudanese pounds. This year, it's nearly 7 million." More than 2,500 km away, in a tent on the outskirts of Gaza's Deir al-Balah city, 41-year-old Amina Jabr tries to console her three children. Their home in Gaza City's al-Zeitoun neighborhood was destroyed months ago in an Israeli airstrike. "Before the war, we baked sweets and bought new clothes," she said. "Now we have only lentils and no clean water. My children no longer ask about the Eid celebration... They ask for bread." According to the Gaza-based health authorities on Thursday, at least 54,677 people have been killed since the beginning of the conflict in October 2023. The UN reports have shown that close to 2 million Palestinians have been displaced. "I lost everything, my house, shop," said Mustafa al-Sarraj, a former barber from al-Nuseirat refugee camp. Sitting where his house used to be, the 66-year-old Palestinian man said, "We used to distribute meat to neighbors. Today, we wait for handouts, maybe a loaf of bread, maybe nothing." The traditional symbolism of Eid -- the act of sacrificing a sheep to honor Abraham's devotion -- has become painfully ironic in both places. In Gaza, schoolteacher Rana al-Mahdi said her students no longer write about joy. "They write about destruction and fear," she said, adding, "If bombs haven't killed them, they're starving." "People have different priorities now," said Abdulsalam Taha, 45, in Khartoum. "For most, it's just food and shelter." Despite the hardship, flickers of resilience remain. In southern Khartoum, vendors are returning to local markets, selling vegetables, barbecue tools, and stoves. "Things are getting better," said Imad Awad, recently returned from exile in Egypt. "We still don't have electricity, but I'm celebrating Eid in my home, with my family." In Gaza, Jabr's hope is quieter, more elemental. "We just want to be safe, to drink clean water, and to sleep without fearing airstrikes," she said. "Eid is a time to remind the world that we are still here, still alive." Samruddhi Expressway corridor of Mahs prosperity Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis with State Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar inaugurates the last phase of Hinduhrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, in Mumbai on Thursday. (ANI) MUMBAI : MAHARASHTRA Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday inaugurated the final 76-km-long stretch of the Samruddhi Mahamarg, making the entire 701-km Mumbai-Nagpur corridor fully functional and bringing down the travel time between the two cities to 8 hours from around 18 hours. Fadnavis described the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg as an engineering marvel and said this economic corridor would play a vital role in the states development. Fadnavis said by connecting the expressway with the proposed Vadhvan port, they are planning to develop it as an economic corridor of the State. A smart integrated traffic management system (ITMS) will be installed on the expressway soon, the CM said. We have given right of way to Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) to lay a pipeline alongside the road from Konkan to Nagpur to Gadchiroli so that all the industries, including the upcoming Gadchiroli Steel City, situated alongside the road will use gas as fuel for their operations, he said. Fadnavis said it is a moment of happiness and also an accomplishment of the dream for his Mahayuti Government. The Samruddhi Mahamarg is an economic corridor of Maharashtras prosperity. It has connected 24 districts of the State with Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) near Mumbai. Soon, the highway will be connected to the upcoming Vadhvan port, Fadnavis said. The expressway has a frequency of 10 lakh vehicles per month at present and this will grow further, Fadnavis said, adding he was happy the project was started and completed under the Mahayuti Government, and that all three of its top leaders (CM and two deputy CMs) were present. The proposed Shaktipeeth Expressway will similarly bring about economic turnaround of Marathwada. Work on it will begin soon, the CM added. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde termed it a game changer project for the State and urged people to use it by observing traffic rules and speed norms. The expressway project witnessed a cost escalation to Rs 61,000 crore from Rs 55,000 crore, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said. Pawar, at the start of his speech, referred to Shinde as CM before correcting his mistake, the faux pas bringing a smile on the faces of those assembled. This is the dream project of CM Fadnavis. It was started when he was CM and has been completed when he is CM again. It happens on rare occasions when those who start a project complete it. I remember those who opposed it at first later gave their land for the project and earned money (compensation), Pawar added. Besides Fadnavis and the deputy CMs, Maharashtra Ministers Dada Bhuse, Shivendraraje Bhosale and Narhari Zirwal attended the inauguration ceremony at Igatpuri, located about 140 km from Mumbai, that was held around 1.45 pm. After the inauguration, the Chief Minister also inspected the longest Igatpuri tunnel of the expressway and viaduct in the stretch. To conduct an inspection of the expressway, Deputy CM Shinde drove a high-end car with Chief Minister Fadnavis sitting beside him on the front seat and Pawar occupying the back seat. The inspection lasted around 45 minutes, including the time taken for the journey between Igatpuri and Amane. On the way back, Fadnavis and Shinde swapped seats with the CM getting behind the wheel, while Pawar remained in the same seat. Injecting humour into the proceedings, Pawar remarked that he was just observing if Shinde was driving well and was happy that everything went off smoothly. In the return leg, CM Fadnavis observed speed limits so we reached safely and I am now addressing this gathering. We could not use the insurance (cover) we had taken, Pawar said as the gathering burst out laughing. The newly-constructed third creek bridge near Vashi Sion-Panvel Highway was also inaugurated via video conferencing on the occasion. With the inauguration of the final stretch between Igatpuri in Nashik district to Amane in Bhiwandi taluka of Thane district, this six-lane expressway, officially called Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, has now been opened for traffic since Thursday evening, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRDC) said. Previously, the journey from Nagpur to Mumbai via the old route would take 17 to 18 hours. The same distance (between Nagpur and Amane in Thane district) can now be covered in eight hours, the MSRDC said in a release. After the opening of the final phase for traffic, pilgrims travelling from Thane-Mumbai region to Shirdi in Ahilyanagar district will benefit, while farmers from Shirdi, Ahilyanagar, Sinnar and Igatpuri (in Nashik district) can transport their agricultural produce to and from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region efficiently and in less time, it said. Samruddhi Mahamarg links Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (Navi Mumbai) and major tourist destinations like Shirdi, Ajanta-Ellora Caves (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) and Lonar lake (Buldhana). Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase covering 520 km between Nagpur and Shirdi on December 11, 2022. The second 80-km phase from Shirdi (Kokamthan) to Bharvir Interchange (Nashik district) was inaugurated on May 26, 2023. The third 25-km corridor between Bharvir Interchange to Igatpuri was thrown open for traffic on March 4, 2024. The expressway traverses through 392 villages in 26 talukas across 10 districts, namely Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Washim, Buldhana, Jalna, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Ahilyanagar, Nashik and Thane. Fadnavis, Shinde take turns at drivers seat during Expressway event MUMBAI, June 5 (PTI) MAHARASHTRA Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who inaugurated the final stretch of the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway on Thursday, swapped the drivers seat with his deputy Eknath Shinde during the inspection of the route - much like their political role reversal last year. In order to inspect the project, Shinde drove an Audi car from Igatpuri in Nashik district for a few kilometers accompanied by Fadnavis and deputy Ajit Pawar, while on their return journey, the trio travelled together with CM taking over the steering of high-end Lexus car. At the inauguration, Fadnavis, deputy CMs Shinde and Pawar were present. along with a few State Ministers at Igatpuri, located about 140 km from Mumbai. In the last phase of the Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway project, Igatpuri was connected with Amane in Bhiwandi taluka of Thane district to make the entire corridor fully functional, bringing down the travel time between the two cities to 8 hours from around 18 hours. At the inauguration, Fadnavis, deputy CMs Shinde and Pawar were present along with a few State Ministers at Igatpuri, located about 140 km from Mumbai. For the inspection, first Deputy CM Shinde drove the car with CM Fadnavis sitting on the front seat beside him and Pawar occupying the back seat with two bureaucrats. The inspection lasted around 45 minutes, including the time taken for the journey. The drive was up to the viaduct, which is the tallest on the expressway. On the way back, the car was changed and Fadnavis and Shinde swapped seats with the CM getting behind the wheel and Shinde sitting beside him, while Pawar remained in the same seat. The development somewhat described the political changes that the State witnessed in the past few years. Speaking at the inauguration event, deputy CM Pawar called Shinde as Chief Minister but immediately corrected his mistake, bringing a smile on the faces of everyone present on the dais, including CM Fadnavis, as well as the audience. Pawar said, This (expressway) is the dream project of Devendra Fadnavis which he launched during his first tenure as the Chief Minister and it has been completed when he is the Chief Minister again. This happens on rare occasions that people who start a project get to complete it. I remember that those who first opposed the project later gave their lands for it and earned money, he said. He further said, Deputy CM Eknath Shinde drove our Audi car during our journey on the stretch today. CM Devendra Fadnavis sat beside him and I was keeping a watch whether he was driving well or not but everything went on smoothly. During the return journey, Fadnavis followed the speed limit, and we reached safely by following all the rules and here I am speaking to you. We did not have to use our insurance, Pawar said in a lighter vein, creating laughter among the audience. Pawar said the car was being driven at 120 kmph when they were on the viaduct, but it was smoothly reduced to 100 kmph before it entered the tunnel, pointing out that there was no violation of speed limit. Fadnavis first became CM in 2014 and completed his full five-year term. But after the 2019 Assembly elections, the Shiv Sena parted ways with BJP and joined hands with NCP and Congress to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government with Uddhav Thackeray becoming the Chief Minister. However, Thackerays tenure was cut short in June 2022 after Shinde rebelled against him. Shinde along with other rebel MLAs joined hands with BJP and formed the Mahayuti Government. Shinde took over as the CM, while Fadnavis became his deputy. After the November 2024 Assembly polls, Fadnavis and Shindes roles were reversed as the former took over as the Chief Minister with Shinde being appointed as the deputy CM. However, post-2019 Ajit Pawar remained constant in the Deputy Chief Ministers chair. After the results of the 2019 elections, when Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress were holding talks, Fadnavis and Pawar sprang a surprise with the two leaders taking oath as the CM and deputy CM, respectively, in an early morning ceremony. But this Government collapsed within 80 hours. During the MVA rule that began in 2019, Pawar was appointed as the deputy CM with Uddhav Thackeray occupying the top post. In July 2023, when Shinde was the CM, Pawar joined the Mahayuti Government along with several MLAs, leading to a split in NCP. He was again appointed as the deputy CM in the Shinde-led Government. After last years polls, the trend continued with Pawar taking oath as the deputy CM along with Shinde as part of the Fadnavis-led Government. Coconut-harvesting robot is changing farming in Kerala Inspired by a moment in the bathroom and fuelled by a lifelong passion for innovation, Kozhikodes Ashin P Krishna is transforming coconut farming with his smartest and fastest coconut-harvesting robot, Coco-bot. By Mervin Preethi : In a quiet neighbourhood in Kozhikode, Kerala, a young boy turned his balcony into a makeshift theatre. At that time (2013), Ashin P Krishna was in Class 6, but this innovation planted a seed that would one day grow into something far more remarkable. Now 23, Ashin is the founder of Altersage Innovations and the creator of Coco-bot, a semi-automatic coconut-harvesting robot that makes the dangerous and difficult job of climbing tall trees to pick coconuts safer and easier. His journey from curious schoolboy to tech entrepreneur is a story of grit, regret, reinvention, and a drive to make a tangible social impact. Creating for purpose and impact Ashins love for building things began early, inspired by the animated creations he watched on TV channels like POGO and Max TV. Till Class 8, creating and building projects that were already in existence was my hobby, he recalls. His enthusiasm for replicating what he saw eventually led to a turning point - a casual conversation with his parents that would shift his perspective entirely. They said, Why cant you innovate something new instead of copying? That struck me deeply, he says. From that moment, Ashin decided to move away from imitating and instead focused on creating something truly original. The first fruit of this new mindset came in Class 9, when Ashin built a mini smart portable Android projector - without referring to any tutorials or guides. That project made me believe I could actually innovate, he says. The young innovator decided then that everything he created henceforth must be unique, purposeful and have social impact. The biggest regret of my life By the time Ashin completed school in 2019, he had already built a smart portable air conditioner which used minimal energy. The invention earned him a spot at the prestigious 46th Jawaharlal Nehru National Science, Mathematics and Environment Exhibition (JNNSMEE) by NCERT and won third place at the state level. Naturally, expectations soared, and he was urged to participate in the Indian Science Congress (a national event where young innovators present their best projects), Indias most prestigious science platform. But fate had other plans. That years theme was agriculture, and Ashins air conditioner project wasnt selected. I was just 17. I missed the invitation from Rashtrapati Bhavan, the opportunity to speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and to be awarded. That regret stayed with me, he admits. For someone who had put his heart into innovation, the disqualification stung deeply. But it also planted a new idea - one that would soon take root in the most unexpected way. The bathroom realisation In November 2019, while still grappling with the disappointment, Ashin applied for the Nanshan Entrepreneur Star Contest 2019 by the Shenzhen municipal government. He was selected as a semi-finalist and received a robot TS100 tank chassis (a compact, tracked robotic platform often used for building mobile robots) as a gift. Around the same time, his thoughts lingered on agriculture - the theme that had cost him a life-changing opportunity. Then came the moment that changed everything. It was 2 January 2020. I was taking a bath and looking out of the window at the coconut trees around my home, he says. Suddenly, a visual flashed in his mind: a futuristic robot climbing up a tree and harvesting coconuts. At that moment, I decided this would be my next big project. Planting the seeds for Coco-bot Ashin spent the next year immersed in deep research and development. He didnt look up existing prototypes or models online. I had a clear vision of how Coco-bot should be. I didnt want to be influenced by what was already out there, he says. By 2021, he had built a low-quality prototype but got caught up with college work after enrolling for a diploma in mechanical engineering at JDT Engineering College. Still, the dream of building Coco-bot never faded. In 2023, Ashin participated in the 36-hour-long Vaiga Agri Hackathon organised by the Department of Agriculture, Kerala. Coco-bot went on to win the competition - a turning point that brought his work into the spotlight. Soon after, NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) reached out, expressing interest in supporting the project. Ashin and the team winning the Hackathon Winning the Hackathon helped Ashin to be involved full-fledged in creating Coco-bot. We were excited when NABARD contacted us as it provided the hope to take this project to the next stage, he says. Only because of NABARD, Vadagara Coconut Producers Company, and Professor Shaseendran, we are here, otherwise, I would have opted for a different job, adds Ashin. This milestone reignited Ashins entrepreneurial spark. Having turned down a BTech seat and a job placement after graduating in 2023, he committed himself to Coco-bot full time. I knew that if I didnt start the work now, it would become another big regret. By February 2024, he had fully invested himself in building the product, and in August, he officially registered his startup, Altersage Innovations. Building the dream team Now, Ashin needed a team to bring his vision to life. So in 2023, he circulated posters calling for interns, eventually filtering down from 15 candidates to a tight-knit group. Today, his team of four works out of a small office in Kozhikode, focusing on refining the prototype into a minimum viable product. Their invention, Coco-bot, is a compact, semi-automatic robot that weighs under 10 kgs and can be easily fixed onto any coconut tree. The height is similar to a gaming laptop. One person can carry it and fix it onto the tree, Ashin explains. It climbs as fast as a human, and once at the top, its in-house developed wireless robotic arm harvests coconuts and leaves and even performs maintenance. It is controlled through a custom-built console. The console is not complicated to operate and can be easily learned within a span of two hours, shares Gokul Krishan, the Chief Technical Officer (CTO) at Altersage Innovations, who has been involved in the company for over a year and a half. Among the elements, building the robotic arm took time, as it was challenging to replicate the hand movement of a human, adds Gokul. Changing the future of coconut farming Coco-bot aims to revolutionise coconut farming by making it safer and more accessible. Climbing a 20-metre tree is extremely risky and physically demanding, says Ashin, who even attempted it himself at a workshop in Thrissur. Its not easy, and there are no safety measures in place. The startups vision includes deploying Coco-bot at the district and panchayat levels, empowering rural communities, particularly Kudumbashree women and ASHA workers, to earn a steady income, which is estimated at around Rs 18,000 to Rs 20,000 a month - through operating the bot. Highlighting its efficiency, Gokul says, Since its a robot, we can also use it round the clock, at any time of the day, which is not possible for a human climber. It also saves energy for a human to do this. This efficiency becomes especially relevant in a profession thats losing takers. Kalpavriksha Foundation in Coimbatore told us that no one wants to take up coconut harvesting as a career anymore because of the high risk and skill required, Ashin adds. Coco-bot hopes to change that narrative. The road ahead As the team moves into the second iteration of Coco-bot, the goal is to create a manufacturing-ready prototype by 2025. Were currently bootstrapped, but investor talks are underway. The cost of the final product should be under Rs 1 lakh, says Ashin. Altersage Innovations is supported by NABARD, Vadagara Coconut Producers Company, and collaborators like Maker Village and IIM Kozhikode. If not for their belief and funding. I would have been doing a different job. Coco-bot has also captured the attention of industry major Marico Ltd, which produces the popular Parachute brand coconut oil. However, for Ashin, its more than just a job. Innovation is his calling - sparked on a balcony, sharpened by setbacks, and nurtured by a vision that continues to grow - just like the coconut trees that first inspired it. n Consecration of Raja Ram, other deities held in Ayodhya Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attends the consecration ceremony of Shri Ram Darbar and other deity idols at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple, in Ayodhya on Thursday. (PTI) AYODHYA : THE consecration of Raja Ram - Lord Ram in his royal form - along with the installation of idols in eight newly-built temples inside the Ram Janmabhoomi complex was held on Thursday in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The ritual was the second major consecration ceremony at the temple, the first being that of Ram Lalla on January 22, 2024, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The ceremony took place during the Abhijit Muhurat, considered one of the most auspicious moments in the Hindu calendar. The consecration of the deities began with prayers at the yajna mandap at 6:30 am, followed by a havan at 9 am, which lasted an hour. Thereafter, centralised rituals began simultaneously across all temple shrines, aided by visual technology like cameras and large screens, ensuring synchronicity of the ceremonies. According to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, among the deities consecrated were Shri Ram Darbar (central installation), Sheshavatar, Lord Shiva in the northeast (Ishan) corner, Lord Ganesha in the southeast (Agni) corner, Lord Hanuman at the southern wing, Surya (Sun God) in the southwest (Nairitya) corner, Goddess Bhagwati in the northwest (Vayavya) corner and Goddess Annapurna in the northern wing. The city was festooned and lit up as priests gathered at the first floor of the Ram Temple to install the almost five-feet white marbled statue of Raja Ram, amid the chanting of hymns and elaborate rituals. The Ram Darbar also features the idols of Sita, Lakshman, Bharat, Shatrughn and Hanuman. The day, chosen to coincide with the occasion of Ganga Dussehra, comes 16 months after the consecration of Ram Lalla. Adityanath offered prayers at the Ram Temple, had darshan of the Ram Darbar on the first floor, and visited Hanumangarhi temple nearby. Today, in the holy birthplace of Lord Shri Ram, Ayodhya Dham, we are getting the great fortune of becoming a witness to the programme organised for the Pran-Pratishtha of the holy idols of Gods in the eight temples including Shri Ram Darbar on the first floor of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, he posted on X. Proud and historic moment: PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said Ayodhya has witnessed another proud and historic moment following the consecration of Ram Darbar -- Lord Rama in his royal form -- along with the installation of idols in eight newly built temples inside the Ram Janmabhoomi complex. The ritual was the second major consecration ceremony at the temple, the first being that of Ram Lalla on January 22, 2024, in the presence of the Prime Minister. In a post on X, Modi said the auspicious occasion of the consecration of the divine and grand Ram Darbar will fill the devotees of Ram with devotion and joy. The PM said he hopes that Lord Ram bestows his blessings of happiness, health and prosperity upon the countrymen. Conversion is an act of violence and RSS never supported it: Dr Bhagwat (From left) Rajesh Loya, Dr Mohan Bhagwat, Arvind Netam, Samir Kumar Mohanty and Deepak Tamshettiwar sharing the dais at the concluding function of Karyakarta Vikas Varga-2 of RSS. (Right side) Foreign guests along with Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Satyanarayan Nuwal and other guests. Staff Reporter : We are not against it when done by choice. But luring, forcing and pressurising is something we are against. By telling people that their ancestors were wrong, it is an insult to them. We are against such practices, said Dr Bhagwat RSS and society can jointly resolve the issues of Naxalism and conversion, said former Union Minister Arvind Netam Conversion is an act of violence and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has never supported this, stated RSS chief Dr Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday. Dr Bhagwat made this statement during the concluding function of Karyakarta Vikas Varga-2 of RSS held at Reshimbagh Ground. We are not against it when done by choice. But luring, forcing and pressurising is something we are against. By telling people that their ancestors were wrong, it is an insult of them. We are against such practices, said Dr Bhagwat while addressing the gathering. We are with those who are fighting against conversion, Bhagwat said, referring to tribal leader and former Union Minister Arvind Netam, who was the chief guest at the event. The recent Operation Sindoor is a perfect example of unity in diversity. The terror outfits who challenged our culture, got a befitting reply from our Armed Forces in form of the operation. Similarly, people from all faiths come together nationally and internationally and showed the unity to the world, said Dr Bhagwat. We require this unity not just at the time of operations but for generations, he added. Without naming Pakistan, Dr Bhagwat said, They followed the policy of thousand cuts from the beginning and our enemies have always tried to divide us in the name of religion. But Operation Sindoor gave them a taste of complete defeat and humiliation world-wide. This military operation proved our technological abilities and exposed the so called military preparedness of our enemies, said the RSS chief. Dr Bhagwat said, the mutual understanding displayed by the political class following the Pahalgam terror attack and action taken by India later should continue and become a permanent feature. India should be self-dependent in matters of security, Dr Bhagwat insisted. Mentioning about an incident of World War II, Dr Bhagwat said, During World War II, Hitler bombarded London for nearly a month, expecting Britain to surrender. Whereas, Prime Minister Winston Churchill addressed the nation and later, told Parliament that the British would fight till the end. Their people supported the British Government and the same thing we Indians also have to do in case of full-fledged war with our enemies, said the RSS chief. In the beginning, former Union Minister Arvind Netam urged RSS chief to work for the tribal community in Bastar, which is a Naxal-affected region in Chhattisgarh. Conversion and Naxalism are the two major issues in Bastar and RSS should come forward and work for the tribal people there. Central Government getting success in curbing the Naxal issue in Bastar but tribal people there are attached with their land and forest. Government should think about the local people there before imposing development projects in forests of Bastar. The 25-day training camp, Karyakarta Vikas Varg Dwitiya, in which 840 volunteers from across the country participated, began on May 12 at Dr Hedgewar Smriti Mandir located in Reshimbagh. In the programme, Sarvadhikari Samir Kumar Mohanty, Vidarbha Prant Sanghachalak Deepak Tamshettiwar and Nagpur Mahanagar Sanghachalak Rajesh Loya also shared the dais. Along with them, Bill Shuster, former US Congressman from Pennsylvania; Bob Shuster; Bradford Ellison; Prof Walter Russell Mead, a renowned academician and writer; and Bill Drexel also attended the programme as guests. Death of a dream ! BANGLADESH appears headed for national suicide. For, when a country changes the definition of freedom fighter and introduces a new definition -- associate of the liberation war -- for no obvious and logical reason, then it sure is charting a path to its own destruction. Bangladesh, thus, appears to be writing its own suicide note. Thanks to the hate-filled regime of the day, the country had already started ill-treating founder of Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Ur Rehman. When the change of regime took place some time ago, the statues of the Bangabandhu were pulled down and every possible public mark in his name was sought to be destroyed. And now has come a fresh blow to history of liberation of Bangladesh. This ugly effort at rewriting of the history of the nation has obvious political overtones -- that would eventually sound death bells for the country. Those who know the truth of the domestic politics of Bangladesh also know that Pakistan has been playing a dirty role in this internal game for quite sometime. Another aspect of this dirty plot is that in this ugly drama is the sly American help to the hooligans who have taken a firm grip on domestic affairs of the country. And to most observers, the active participation of Prof. Mohammad Yunus as the Chief Advisor to the Bangladesh Government in this dark process does not come as surprise. They insist that Prof. Yunus had always been a puppet of foreign masterminds -- no matter the good work he did by way of Grameen Bank that won him a Nobel Prize -- and that he had always positioned himself against Sheikh Mujib Ur Rehman and his family. The developments in Bangladesh in the past some time have been most unfortunate, to say the least. All the good work Bangladesh had achieved in the path of its own progress over time now appears to have been blocked -- so much so that Prof. Yunus even went to the extent of inviting China to lead developmental process in the country. Technically speaking, the ruler of a country can invite any other country to help him/her in developmental initiatives. But when the moves come in the form of what Prof. Yunus did, there are reasons to start smelling rat. It is obvious that forces that are coming together to run Bangladesh would eventually demolish its democratic structure and dominate the discourse in the most negative manner. Unfortunately, the Bangladesh leadership does not see these dangers hidden behind the smoke-screen of people in power with vested -- and even anti-national -- interests. Unfortunately, the current leadership of Bangladesh does not seem to think deeply about the possible damage it is causing to the nation in the longer term. If this continues for some more time, then Bangladesh would surely lose its democracy earlier than anticipated. For India, these signals are terribly negative -- in every which the way. Indian leadership should see these developments as definitively anti-India. Historic ally, it was India that helped Bangladesh achieve its goal of freedom from Pakistans military-dominated regime. It invested massively in political and strategic stakes to ensure liberation of Bangladesh from the Pakistani grip way back in early 1970s. Despite some hiccups in bilateral relations, both India and Bangladesh have been able to maintain decent relations, thanks to intermingling of respective national interest. All that good work now appears threatened by the recent developments in Bangladesh. Of course, Indian diplomacy is quite mature and will do its best to avert crisis of democracy building up in Bangladesh. Despite all that optimism, it must be said clearly and firmly that at least for the present, Bangladesh has stepped outside the circle of Indias benevolent influence and may cause itself rather suicidal trouble. Eye of the AI AI-powered surveillance project across 10 city junctions shortly By Shashwat Bhuskute : The pilot project is a result of collaboration between NMC and Traffic Police The initiative aims to enhance enforcement and streamline traffic monitoring through smart technology In a major technological upgrade for city traffic management, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), in association with Nagpur Traffic Police, has launched a pilot project for AI-based surveillance under the Integrated Traffic Management and Monitoring System (IITMS). The initiative aims to enhance enforcement and streamline traffic monitoring through smart technology. The project will commence within the next 5 to 6 days, with the initial phase covering 10 major city junctions. These include Laxmi Nagar square, Shradhanand Peth square, Shankar Nagar square, Ajit Bakery square, Abhyankar Nagar square, Alankar square, LAD square, Kachipura square, Bajaj Nagar square, and Deekshabhoomi square. In addition, a dedicated speed detection setup will be installed at Sankat Mochan Mandir, Dwarkapuri, to monitor spot speed violations. The project features three types of advanced cameras: ANPR Cameras: High-resolution, automatic number plate recognition cameras equipped with vari-focal lenses and external IR support for night detection.Evidence Cameras: 4K resolution units designed to automatically capture violations such as red light jumping, no parking, wrong-way driving, and unauthorised entry of restricted vehicles. Vehicle Detector Cameras: High-resolution cameras capable of real-time traffic assessment, also detecting mobile phone usage while driving and absence of seat belt by driver and co-passenger. LED cantilever poles for traffic signals have already been installed at all pilot junctions, except Kachipura square where work is going on. Additionally, cantilever poles equipped with Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) cameras are being installed at these junctions. The Advanced Traffic Control System (ATCS) has been set up at five locations, with commissioning and configuration underway. Installation and testing at the remaining five are in advanced stages. The existing Smart City Command and Control Room, along with the City Operations Centre, will serve as the centralised monitoring hub for the entire system. Assistant Commissioner of Police Madhuri Baviskar welcomed the initiative, stating, This project will definitely help the traffic police. An extra pair of eyes will always be monitoring the traffic. However, even with these advanced systems, a physical traffic presence remains essential for psychological reinforcement and effective enforcement. The project will be gradually expanded to the rest of the city over the next two years. Once fully implemented, the entire surveillance and management system will be handed over to Nagpur Traffic Police for permanent operation. Industry-oriented courses in ITIs soon: Minister Lodha Staff Reporter : Expressing the need for more emphasis on skill, Maharashtras Skill Development Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha said, Maharashtra Government will soon introduce new industry-oriented skill development courses in Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and other training centres across the State. Lodha was interacting with mediapersons at Chitnavis Centre on Thursday. He was in Nagpur to grace the Rojgar Melava at RTMNU. We will introduce new, industry-oriented trades and design skill development courses accordingly. Our goal is to align training with the future needs of the job market, Lodha stated. The Minister said that, the Government is actively identifying emerging trades that are in high demand across industries. These include artificial intelligence, robotics, renewable energy, drone operations, cybersecurity, smart agriculture, and green construction techniques. The Government also plans to roll out PPP models for curriculum design. Around 5,000 companies and entrepreneurs are being approached to adopt ITIs, co-create courses, and ensure employment linkages. We dont just want companies as recruiterswe want them to be curriculum partners who help shape the talent pipeline, Lodha said while replying to a question. Contd from page 1 The revamp will also focus on digital infrastructure, smart classrooms, and simulation-based training in over 400 ITIs. As of the latest available data, Maharashtra has a total of 976 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), comprising 417 Government-run and 559 private institutions, pointed out Lodha. Additionally, the Government is preparing women-centric and rural-focused training programmes. Special courses will empower rural youth and women to enter high-growth sectors like solar technology, electronics repair, logistics, and EV maintenance, informed Lodha to the mediapersons. To give Maharashtras workforce a global edge, Lodha revealed that the State is exploring partnerships with international skilling hubs in countries such as Japan, Singapore and Germany, with plans to launch globally recognised certifications. We are not just teaching skillswe are building a future-ready workforce, Lodha asserted. Mangal Prabhat Lodha acknowledged that the present condition of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) across the State was not up to the mark. We are aware that many ITIs in the State lack modern infrastructure, updated curriculum, and industry linkage. This needs urgent attention, Lodha said.b According to Lodha, Government has taken note of these challenges and is working on a comprehensive revamp, including course modernisation, faculty training, and public-private partnerships. Dr. Apoorva Palkar is the Founding Vice Chancellor of Maharashtra State Skills University(MSSU), noted entrepreneur Dr Dipen Agrawal and others were present. Musk's threat to withdraw Dragon capsule would leave NASA with 1 option: Russia Washington, Jun 6 (AP) As President Donald Trump and Elon Musk argued on social media on Thursday, the world's richest man threatened to decommission a space capsule used to take astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station. After Trump threatened to cut government contracts given to Musk's SpaceX rocket company and his Starlink internet satellite services, Musk responded via X that SpaceX "will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately. It's unclear how serious Musk's threat was. But the capsule, developed with the help of government contracts, is an important part of keeping the space station running. NASA also relies heavily on SpaceX for other programmes, including launching science missions and, later this decade, returning astronauts to the surface of the moon. The Dragon capsule SpaceX is the only US company capable right now of transporting crews to and from the space station, using its four-person Dragon capsules. Boeing's Starliner capsule has flown astronauts only once; last year's test flight went so badly that the two NASA astronauts had to hitch a ride back to Earth via SpaceX in March, more than nine months after launching last June. Starliner remains grounded as NASA decides whether to go with another test flight with cargo, rather than a crew. SpaceX also uses a Dragon capsule for its own privately run missions. The next one of those is due to fly next week on a trip chartered by Axiom Space, a Houston company. Cargo versions of the Dragon capsule are also used to ferry food and other supplies to the orbiting lab. NASA's other option: Russia Russia's Soyuz capsules are the only other means of getting crews to the space station right now. The Soyuz capsules hold three people at a time. For now, each Soyuz launch carries two Russians and one NASA astronaut, and each SpaceX launch has one Russian on board under a barter system. That way, in an emergency requiring a capsule to return, there is always someone from the US and Russian on board. With its first crew launch for NASA in 2020 the first orbital flight of a crew by a private company SpaceX enabled NASA to reduce its reliance on Russia for crew transport. The Russian flights had been costing the US tens of millions of dollars per seat, for years. NASA has also used Russian spacecraft for cargo, along with US contractor Northrup Grumman. SpaceX's other government launches The company has used its rockets to launch several science missions for NASA as well as military equipment. Last year, SpaceX also won a NASA contract to help bring the space station out of orbit when it is no longer usable. SpaceX's Starship mega rocket is what NASA has picked to get astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface of the moon, at least for the first two landing missions. Starship made its ninth test flight last week from Texas, but tumbled out of control and broke apart. Protests in Balochistan over enforced disappearance of activist Ghani Baloch BALOCHISTAN : LARGE-SCALE protests erupted in Balochistans Nushki district on Wednesday over the alleged enforced disappearance of Abdul Ghani Baloch, a prominent writer, publisher, and political activist. Demonstrators - including women, children, and youth - gathered outside the Nushki Press Club, holding placards and chanting slogans demanding his immediate release. Abdul Ghani Baloch, a native of Nushki and an MPhil scholar in the Brahui language, was reportedly detained by Pakistani security forces on May 25 while travelling from Quetta to Karachi. A former vice-chairman of the Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC) and a central organising committee member of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Ghani has not been seen or heard from since his disappearance. Protesters accused the state of systematically targeting intellectuals and political activists in Balochistan. The NDP, in a press conference held Tuesday in Quetta, condemned the incident and described it as a gross violation of constitutional rights and freedom of expression. This is not just about one individual, said Salman Baloch, NDPs Central Deputy Organiser. This is an assault on every voice that dares to speak against injustice. Our comrade Ghani has disappeared, and we will not stay silent. Salman stated that Ghani was allegedly taken into custody near Khuzdar. but has not been produced in court or allowed access to legal counsel or family. This violates Article 10 and 10-A of Pakistans Constitution, he added. The NDP has filed a constitutional petition in the Balochistan High Court and a criminal case in the Sessions Court of Khuzdar, seeking the recovery and prosecution of those responsible for Ghanis disappearance. The protest was also amplified on social media. In a tweet, The Balochistan Post (@TBPEnglish) shared: #Nushki: Protest held outside Press Club against enforced disappearance of writer & activist Ghani Baloch. Protesters demand his immediate release. Describing Ghani as a scholar, thinker, and voice of the youth, Salman vowed the party would continue protests, media outreach, and legal battles until his safe return. TDB DST gives Nagpurs Nitika Pharmaceutical highest research grant Staff Reporter : Emerging like a phoenix from the major fire tragedy that happened a few years ago, Nagpurs Nitika Pharmaceutical Specialities Pvt Ltd has scripted a glorious story by bagging the research grant of Technology Development Board (TDB), Department of Science and Technology (DST). The Hitavada has learnt that the amount of the grant, which Government would declare later, is the highest to be received by any pharma company across India. In its continued endeavour to bolster Indias pharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystem and reduce dependency on imports, the TDB, DST, has extended this financial support to M/s Nitika Pharmaceutical Specialties Private Limited, Nagpur, for its project titled Manufacture of Complex Excipients. In December 2016, a major fire caused a lot of damage to Nitika Pharmaceutical Specialities Private Limited. But that did not deter Managing Director of M/s Nitika Pharmaceutical Specialties Pvt. Ltd. Dr Ravleen Singh Khurana and his team who endeavored to rise like a phoenix. Excipients, though pharmacologically inactive, are critical to the functionality, stability, and delivery of medicines. As drug formulations become increasingly sophisticatedwith the rise of complex generics, biopharmaceuticals, and novel delivery systemsthe demand for high-quality, tailor-made excipients has surged globally. India, despite being a pharmaceutical powerhouse, continues to import the bulk of these complex excipients from countries like the United States, China, and France. Through this project, M/s Nitika Pharmaceutical Specialties aims to establish a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for commercial-scale production of 14 complex excipients that cater to advanced pharmaceutical applications. These products will be developed in line with the Quality by Design (QbD) framework, ensuring precision in parameters like surface area, particle size, and stability to meet international standards. Established in 1991 and later incorporated as a Private Limited Company in 2011, Nitika has evolved into a trusted global supplier of fine chemicals and specialty excipients. With a DSIR-recognised in-house Research and Development facility and a global footprint across 90 countries, the company is well-positioned to translate this project into a significant leap towards self-reliance in pharma auxiliary production. The project is also aligned with the Government of Indias Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for pharmaceuticals, under which M/s Nitika has been selected as a beneficiary under Group C MSME (Pharmaceuticals). TDBs support complements the broader national mission of fostering indigenous manufacturing, reducing import dependency, and expanding Indias export potential in high-value pharmaceutical components. Speaking on the occasion, Rajesh Kumar Pathak, Secretary, TDB, said: Indias pharmaceutical strength must be matched with domestic resilience in critical inputs like excipients. TDB is pleased to support Nitikas forward-looking project that strengthens Indias position not just as a pharmacy of the world, but also as a maker of world-class excipients. This initiative will boost both Atmanirbhar Bharat and Indias capacity to support global health. Commenting on the support, Dr Ravleen Singh Khurana who is also the President of Vidarbha unit of Laghu Udyog Bharati said: This support from TDB reinforces our commitment to building world-class excipient solutions in India. With advanced infrastructure and a science-led approach, we aim to reduce our countrys dependence on imported excipients and emerge as a global leader in pharmaceutical ingredients developed and manufactured domestically. UNITED NATIONS, June 5 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday called on the interim authorities in Syria to prevent dangerous chemicals and chemical weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists. Syria is currently facing a fragile security landscape and a grave counter-terrorism situation. There are increasing risks that terrorist organizations and extremist forces will take advantage of the current chaos to grow and stage a comeback, warned Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations. "The international community should remain highly vigilant about the possible scenario where terrorist forces in Syria may manufacture, acquire, or use chemical weapons," Geng told the Security Council. China is concerned about reports that foreign terrorist fighters based in Syria have recently been integrated into the Syrian national army and urges the Syrian interim authorities to fulfill their counter-terrorism obligations, he said. The Syrian interim authorities must take all necessary measures to combat all terrorist organizations and individuals listed by the Security Council, including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, and prevent dangerous chemicals and chemical weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists, he said. The political transition in Syria is at a critical juncture. China sincerely hopes that peace and stability will return to Syria at an early date, said Geng. For that, China calls on all relevant parties in Syria to fully engage and consult with each other, build maximum consensus, and push forward in an orderly manner a broad and inclusive political transition, he said. At the same time, he added, it is important, with the help of the international community, to alleviate the humanitarian situation and begin economic reconstruction. China supports the United Nations in playing an important role in this process. Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,135 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $339,000. Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vest Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 73.5% during the first quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 15,315 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,431,000 after purchasing an additional 6,487 shares in the last quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 46.6% in the first quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 34,715 shares of the companys stock worth $5,510,000 after acquiring an additional 11,034 shares in the last quarter. Breakwater Capital Group bought a new stake in Philip Morris International in the first quarter worth $293,000. Retirement Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in Philip Morris International in the first quarter worth $269,000. Finally, Chesley Taft & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 1.1% in the first quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC now owns 6,502 shares of the companys stock worth $1,032,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Philip Morris International alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities research analysts have commented on PM shares. Barclays boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Philip Morris International from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $175.30. Philip Morris International Stock Performance Philip Morris International stock opened at $181.61 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $282.68 billion, a PE ratio of 40.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.52. Philip Morris International Inc. has a one year low of $98.93 and a one year high of $183.94. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $167.34 and a 200 day moving average of $147.10. Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. Philip Morris Internationals revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year. Philip Morris International Company Profile (Free Report) Philip Morris International Inc operates as a tobacco company working to delivers a smoke-free future and evolving portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products primarily under the IQOS and ZYN brands; and consumer accessories, such as lighters and matches. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Philip Morris International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Philip Morris International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Beacon Financial Group boosted its stake in shares of iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (NYSEARCA:IGM Free Report) by 154.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,288 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after buying an additional 5,638 shares during the period. Beacon Financial Groups holdings in iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF were worth $842,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Spire Wealth Management boosted its stake in iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF by 31.8% during the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 2,841 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $290,000 after purchasing an additional 685 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co purchased a new stake in iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF during the 4th quarter valued at $83,000. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. boosted its stake in iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 10,513 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,073,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 267,000 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $27,488,000 after purchasing an additional 10,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 12,253 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,251,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the last quarter. Get iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF alerts: iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF Trading Down 0.2% Shares of IGM opened at $105.19 on Friday. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $94.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $99.29. iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF has a 12 month low of $76.26 and a 12 month high of $108.73. The company has a market cap of $6.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.64 and a beta of 1.26. About iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF iShares North American Tech ETF, formerly iShares S&P North American Technology Sector Index Fund (the Fund), is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, of the United States-traded technology companies, as represented by the S&P North American Technology Sector Index (the Index). Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE:AYI Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of Moderate Buy by the six analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $317.60. Several research analysts have commented on AYI shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Acuity Brands from $290.00 to $275.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Acuity Brands from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Acuity Brands from $310.00 to $295.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $335.00 price target on Acuity Brands in a report on Friday, April 4th. Get Acuity Brands alerts: Get Our Latest Report on AYI Institutional Inflows and Outflows Acuity Brands Stock Up 0.3% Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AYI. Durable Capital Partners LP grew its stake in Acuity Brands by 158.9% during the 4th quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP now owns 1,088,477 shares of the electronics makers stock worth $317,977,000 after buying an additional 668,048 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Acuity Brands during the 4th quarter worth $110,236,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Acuity Brands by 29,415.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 227,271 shares of the electronics makers stock worth $59,852,000 after buying an additional 226,501 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in Acuity Brands by 103.0% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 312,904 shares of the electronics makers stock worth $82,403,000 after buying an additional 158,741 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Acuity Brands by 34.6% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 613,217 shares of the electronics makers stock worth $157,910,000 after buying an additional 157,790 shares during the last quarter. 98.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Shares of NYSE:AYI opened at $264.43 on Friday. The businesss 50 day moving average is $250.71 and its 200 day moving average is $287.58. The stock has a market cap of $8.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.60. Acuity Brands has a 52-week low of $216.81 and a 52-week high of $345.30. The company has a quick ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Acuity Brands (NYSE:AYI Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 3rd. The electronics maker reported $3.73 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.67 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. Acuity Brands had a return on equity of 19.98% and a net margin of 11.11%. Acuity Brandss quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.38 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Acuity Brands will post 15.86 EPS for the current year. Acuity Brands Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 18th were issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.26%. Acuity Brandss dividend payout ratio is presently 5.16%. About Acuity Brands (Get Free Report Acuity Brands, Inc provides lighting, lighting controls, building management system, location-aware applications in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Acuity Brands Lighting and Lighting Controls (ABL); and the Intelligent Spaces Group (ISG). The ABL segment provides commercial, architectural, and specialty lighting solutions, as well as lighting controls and components for various indoor and outdoor applications under the A-Light, Aculux, American Electric Lighting, Cyclone, Dark to Light, eldoLED, Eureka, Gotham, Healthcare Lighting, Holophane, Hydrel, Indy, IOTA, Juno, Lithonia Lighting, Luminaire LED, Luminis, Mark Architectural Lighting, nLight, OPTOTRONIC, Peerless, RELOCWiring Solutions, and Sensor Switch. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Acuity Brands Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Acuity Brands and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. People taste wine during a wine-themed international conference and an expo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, June 9, 2023. (Xinhua/Feng Kaihua) BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Grape planter Li Haohua enjoys strolling around Chateau Yuanshi, drinking in people's amazement when they visit the stylish wine-tasting hall, which was converted from a once-scarred quarry. At the eastern foothill of Helan Mountain in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, northwest China, Chateau Yuanshi is among a cluster of renovated complexes surrounded by greenery. Just a handful of decades ago, the mountain bore the open scars of mining. Li, 54, is now a veteran of the winery. The former quarry worker who once transported sand and gravel has witnessed the transformation of Helan Mountain from one of China's significant coking coal production bases to an idyllic tourist hotspot. "In the past, strong winds blew sharp sand into my face. It was painful! After years of afforestation, this place has become a popular tourist destination, and the winery's business has flourished," said Li. The transformation is not unique to Chateau Yuanshi. Shitanjing, another mining area at the foothills of the Helan Mountain, has been given a second life as a favored film shooting location. As an industrial heritage site, towering chimneys, cooling towers, and structures built between the 1960s and 1990s, including hospitals, department stores, and a railway station, have been preserved to record its past. At its peak, the mining industry in Shitanjing supported over 30,000 miners and their families. "The mining town was bustling with activity, well-equipped with department stores, cinemas and schools," recalled Ying Ziyue, a local community worker. Following the depletion of coal resources, however, the area experienced significant population outflow and economic decline. A transformative shift occurred in 2017 when the regional government of Ningxia launched the Helan Mountain Ecological Protection Campaign. All coal mines, washing plants, and industrial facilities within the national nature reserve were shuttered for good. A systematic ecological restoration initiative soon followed. Shitanjing has found a new path, one paved with cultural tourism that blends improved ecology with the remnants of its unique industrial past. As a result, its rugged landscape has become a magnet for film crews, serving as backdrops for suspense, military, and sci-fi productions. Since 2021, over 30 productions have been filmed here, with five more films and five short dramas slated for this year. The local government is repurposing vacant buildings into dormitories, kitchens, and prop warehouses, providing comprehensive support. Ge Yihong, 63, who regrets not being able to wear white clothes when she was young because of the coal dust, is now working as a location scout. Popularly called a "living map" for film crews, Ge's local knowledge helped the "Home Coming" movie team find a crucial location in just 20 minutes, which they had searched for months nationwide. Unique tourism resources and rising fame saw Shitanjing clock up 184,000 tourist visits in 2024 alone. The stories beneath the Helan Mountain showcase a national trend. As China advances toward high-quality development, once-depleted mining areas are leading eco-driven industrial transformations. At Dafanpu Coal Mine of Liliang Coal Industry Co., Ltd. in Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, reclaimed mining land, once choked by dust, now yields flourishing apples and grapes. In the city of Weihai in Shandong Province, east China, a former mining gully has been reborn as a cultural valley, its cliffs etched with masterpieces from generations of calligraphy masters. And in Fuxin, Liaoning Province, northeast China, young crowds come for the scarred mining pits repurposed as challenging off-road racing tracks, and stay for various music festivals. By the end of 2024, China had rehabilitated over 333,300 hectares of abandoned mines, including 26,200 hectares in 2024 alone, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources. "Leveraging ecological restoration, industrial upgrading, and cultural-tourism integration, former industrial wastelands are reborn," said Liao Lichun, head of Delimofang Afforestation Group with long ecological greening experience. "Green development not only enhances the environment but creates new growth drivers -- offering a sustainable Chinese model for resource-depleted regions globally," Liao added. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB lessened its holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM Free Report) by 3.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 59,995 shares of the semiconductor companys stock after selling 2,400 shares during the period. E. Ohman J or Asset Management ABs holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing were worth $9,959,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of TSM. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 67.0% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,365,404 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $2,047,065,000 after buying an additional 4,158,772 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 58,547,257 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $11,562,498,000 after buying an additional 2,572,488 shares in the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP purchased a new stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the 1st quarter worth approximately $362,773,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 32.3% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,498,063 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $1,678,283,000 after buying an additional 2,074,329 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 45.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,244,965 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $1,233,318,000 after buying an additional 1,944,328 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 16.51% of the companys stock. Get Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing alerts: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Trading Up 0.5% Shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing stock opened at $203.34 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 2.57 and a quick ratio of 2.30. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited has a 1 year low of $133.57 and a 1 year high of $226.40. The company has a market capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.88, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.21. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $173.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $187.77. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Cuts Dividend Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing ( NYSE:TSM Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The semiconductor company reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.09. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing had a net margin of 40.51% and a return on equity of 30.47%. The firm had revenue of $25.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $834.10 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited will post 9.2 EPS for the current fiscal year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be issued a $0.6499 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.28%. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings dividend payout ratio is currently 30.46%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades TSM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a buy rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Citigroup restated a buy rating on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays increased their price objective on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $215.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Susquehanna reissued a positive rating on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a report on Friday, April 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $217.00. Get Our Latest Stock Report on TSM Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Profile (Free Report) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, packages, tests, and sells integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices in Taiwan, China, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Japan, the United States, and internationally. It provides a range of wafer fabrication processes, including processes to manufacture complementary metal- oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) logic, mixed-signal, radio frequency, embedded memory, bipolar CMOS mixed-signal, and others. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Riverview Trust Co lessened its position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Free Report) by 2.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 621 shares of the companys stock after selling 14 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Cos holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $513,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of LLY. Knightsbridge Asset Management LLC grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Knightsbridge Asset Management LLC now owns 813 shares of the companys stock valued at $628,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Centerpoint Advisory Group bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $514,000. LS Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. LS Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,340 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,933,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $834,000. Finally, CSM Advisors LLC grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 30.6% in the 4th quarter. CSM Advisors LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the companys stock valued at $807,000 after buying an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the companys stock. Get Eli Lilly and Company alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Eli Lilly and Company In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total value of $818,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares in the company, valued at $4,778,521.60. The trade was a 14.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets LLY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an overweight rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,100.00 to $1,050.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. HSBC cut shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a buy rating to a reduce rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $1,150.00 to $700.00 in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a neutral rating to a buy rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $892.00 to $888.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $1,011.37. Read Our Latest Stock Report on LLY Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance LLY stock opened at $765.13 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of $725.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 65.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $771.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $799.67. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52 week low of $677.09 and a 52 week high of $972.53. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $3.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.64 by ($1.30). The company had revenue of $12.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.77 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 85.24% and a net margin of 23.51%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 45.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.58 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.82%. Eli Lilly and Company Profile (Free Report) Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; Jardiance, Mounjaro, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes; and Zepbound for obesity. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LLY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Eli Lilly and Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eli Lilly and Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Enclave Advisors LLC raised its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS Free Report) by 8.6% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 732 shares of the investment management companys stock after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Enclave Advisors LLCs holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $400,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. 71.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get The Goldman Sachs Group alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. JMP Securities decreased their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $625.00 to $600.00 and set a market outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Oppenheimer lowered The Goldman Sachs Group from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Barclays decreased their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $760.00 to $720.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley set a $558.00 target price on The Goldman Sachs Group and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $660.00 to $594.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $593.40. Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, Director John B. Hess acquired 3,904 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were bought at an average price of $511.68 per share, with a total value of $1,997,598.72. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,904 shares in the company, valued at $1,997,598.72. This trade represents a increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance GS stock opened at $605.46 on Friday. The businesss 50-day moving average is $554.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $582.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $185.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.93, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.32. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $437.37 and a 1 year high of $672.19. The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 14th. The investment management company reported $14.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $12.57 by $1.55. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 11.32% and a return on equity of 13.30%. The company had revenue of $15.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $14.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $11.58 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The Goldman Sachs Group Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a dividend of $3.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.98%. The Goldman Sachs Groups payout ratio is currently 27.85%. The Goldman Sachs Group Profile (Free Report) The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc, a financial institution, provides a range of financial services for corporations, financial institutions, governments, and individuals worldwide. It operates through Global Banking & Markets, Asset & Wealth Management, and Platform Solutions segments. The Global Banking & Markets segment provides financial advisory services, including strategic advisory assignments related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense activities, restructurings, and spin-offs; and relationship lending, and acquisition financing, as well as secured lending, through structured credit and asset-backed lending and involved in financing under securities to resale agreements. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Air France-KLM (OTC:AFLYY Get Free Report) and LATAM Airlines Group (OTCMKTS:LTMAQ Get Free Report) are both transportation companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, risk and profitability. Analyst Recommendations This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Air France-KLM and LATAM Airlines Group, as reported by MarketBeat.com. Get Air France-KLM alerts: Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Air France-KLM 0 1 0 0 2.00 LATAM Airlines Group 0 0 0 0 0.00 Given LATAM Airlines Groups higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe LATAM Airlines Group is more favorable than Air France-KLM. Earnings and Valuation Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Air France-KLM $32.49 billion 0.09 $1.01 billion $0.21 5.21 LATAM Airlines Group $4.88 billion 0.00 -$4.65 billion ($7.17) N/A This table compares Air France-KLM and LATAM Airlines Groups top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Air France-KLM has higher revenue and earnings than LATAM Airlines Group. LATAM Airlines Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Air France-KLM, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Profitability This table compares Air France-KLM and LATAM Airlines Groups net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Air France-KLM 0.39% 19.62% 0.34% LATAM Airlines Group -59.52% N/A -31.39% Risk & Volatility Air France-KLM has a beta of 1.74, meaning that its share price is 74% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, LATAM Airlines Group has a beta of 2.73, meaning that its share price is 173% more volatile than the S&P 500. Institutional and Insider Ownership 0.9% of Air France-KLM shares are held by institutional investors. 7.8% of LATAM Airlines Group shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term. Summary Air France-KLM beats LATAM Airlines Group on 9 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks. About Air France-KLM (Get Free Report) AIR FRANCE-KLM is an airline company. The Companys core business is passenger transport, cargo transport, and aircraft maintenance services. The Group is the world leader in terms of international passenger traffic; and its cargo activity (not including integrators) and is one of the worlds major maintenance service providers. The Group structure is simple: a holding company with two airline subsidiaries. Air France-KLM has established a set of clearly defined commitments to ensure that its strategy of profitable growth goes hand in hand with environmental quality and social progress. About LATAM Airlines Group (Get Free Report) LATAM Airlines Group S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides passenger and cargo air transportation services primarily in Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, other Latin American countries, the Caribbean, North America, Europe, and Oceania. As of June 30, 2022, it provided passenger transport services to 133 destinations in 20 countries and cargo services to approximately 141 destinations in 23 countries, with an operating fleet of 300 aircraft and subleased one B767 cargo freighter to a third party. The company was formerly known as LAN Airlines S.A. and changed its name to LATAM Airlines Group S.A. in June 2012. LATAM Airlines Group S.A. was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in Santiago, Chile. On May 26, 2020, LATAM Airlines Group S.A., along with its affiliates, filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Receive News & Ratings for Air France-KLM Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Air France-KLM and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Harbor Group Inc. bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,690 shares of the healthcare product makers stock, valued at approximately $224,000. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Tallon Kerry Patrick acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at $200,000. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC raised its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 23.5% in the 4th quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 82,443 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $9,325,000 after acquiring an additional 15,692 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 51,719 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $5,850,000 after acquiring an additional 4,755 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at $29,120,000. Finally, Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 22,476 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $2,542,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.18% of the companys stock. Get Abbott Laboratories alerts: Abbott Laboratories Stock Up 0.5% Shares of Abbott Laboratories stock opened at $133.69 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $130.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $125.66. The stock has a market cap of $232.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.73. Abbott Laboratories has a twelve month low of $99.71 and a twelve month high of $141.23. Insider Buying and Selling at Abbott Laboratories Abbott Laboratories ( NYSE:ABT Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $10.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $10.38 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 31.95% and a return on equity of 20.74%. Equities research analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. In other news, Director Sally E. Blount sold 2,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total transaction of $337,116.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 34,058 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,415,960.28. This trade represents a 7.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Raymond James boosted their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $132.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $133.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $142.59. Read Our Latest Stock Report on Abbott Laboratories Abbott Laboratories Company Profile (Free Report) Abbott Laboratories, together with its subsidiaries, discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells health care products worldwide. It operates in four segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Medical Devices. The company provides generic pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, irritable bowel syndrome or biliary spasm, intrahepatic cholestasis or depressive symptoms, gynecological disorder, hormone replacement therapy, dyslipidemia, hypertension, hypothyroidism, Menieres disease and vestibular vertigo, pain, fever, inflammation, and migraine, as well as provides anti-infective clarithromycin, influenza vaccine, and products to regulate physiological rhythm of the colon. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ABT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Abbott Laboratories Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Abbott Laboratories and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Matrix Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Free Report) by 25.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 267 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Cos holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $221,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 74,248,997 shares of the companys stock valued at $57,320,226,000 after acquiring an additional 475,530 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,382,846 shares of the companys stock valued at $13,389,651,000 after acquiring an additional 291,875 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 103,831.6% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 14,866,380 shares of the companys stock valued at $12,278,292,000 after acquiring an additional 14,852,076 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 19.0% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,625,925 shares of the companys stock valued at $9,747,214,000 after acquiring an additional 2,012,129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $8,407,908,000. Institutional investors own 82.53% of the companys stock. Get Eli Lilly and Company alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim reiterated a buy rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday. HSBC downgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a buy rating to a reduce rating and cut their target price for the company from $1,150.00 to $700.00 in a research note on Monday, April 28th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,100.00 to $1,050.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a strong-buy rating to a moderate sell rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $1,011.37. Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 0.1% NYSE LLY opened at $765.13 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $677.09 and a 1-year high of $972.53. The company has a 50 day moving average of $771.54 and a 200-day moving average of $799.67. The company has a market cap of $725.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.34, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $3.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $4.64 by ($1.30). Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 23.51% and a return on equity of 85.24%. The business had revenue of $12.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.77 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.58 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 45.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. Eli Lilly and Companys payout ratio is 48.82%. Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company In related news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total value of $818,240.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,778,521.60. This trade represents a 14.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Eli Lilly and Company Profile (Free Report) Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; Jardiance, Mounjaro, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes; and Zepbound for obesity. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Eli Lilly and Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eli Lilly and Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Naples Global Advisors LLC lowered its position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA Free Report) by 1.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,987 shares of the credit services providers stock after selling 32 shares during the period. Naples Global Advisors LLCs holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,089,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whalerock Point Partners LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Whalerock Point Partners LLC now owns 14,678 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $7,729,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Dock Street Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Mastercard by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Dock Street Asset Management Inc. now owns 68,237 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $35,932,000 after buying an additional 2,931 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 71,862 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $37,841,000 after buying an additional 1,194 shares during the period. Avestar Capital LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 5,612 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $2,955,000 after buying an additional 550 shares during the period. Finally, Baldwin Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Mastercard by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Baldwin Investment Management LLC now owns 1,731 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $911,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the companys stock. Get Mastercard alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at $46,692,629.36. The trade was a 15.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total transaction of $3,813,337.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 34,524 shares of the companys stock, valued at $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 23,207 shares of company stock valued at $12,664,529. Insiders own 0.09% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a buy rating and issued a $633.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Macquarie decreased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered shares of Mastercard from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mastercard presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $610.00. Get Our Latest Analysis on Mastercard Mastercard Stock Up 0.1% Shares of Mastercard stock opened at $584.76 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $533.13 billion, a PE ratio of 42.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $428.86 and a 52-week high of $588.45. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $546.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $541.24. Mastercard (NYSE:MA Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.71% and a return on equity of 188.47%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.31 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year. About Mastercard (Free Report) Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. The company offers integrated products and value-added services for account holders, merchants, financial institutions, digital partners, businesses, governments, and other organizations, such as programs that enable issuers to provide consumers with credits to defer payments; payment products and solutions that allow its customers to access funds in deposit and other accounts; prepaid programs services; and commercial credit, debit, and prepaid payment products and solutions. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Mastercard Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mastercard and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Secure Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Devon Energy Co. (NYSE:DVN Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 5,363 shares of the energy companys stock, valued at approximately $201,000. Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Chronos Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Devon Energy in the first quarter worth $237,000. Brave Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Devon Energy by 29.4% during the 1st quarter. Brave Asset Management Inc. now owns 13,200 shares of the energy companys stock worth $494,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. Kwmg LLC lifted its position in shares of Devon Energy by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Kwmg LLC now owns 134,055 shares of the energy companys stock worth $5,014,000 after purchasing an additional 7,436 shares during the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Devon Energy during the 1st quarter worth $2,686,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Devon Energy by 209.5% during the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 22,679 shares of the energy companys stock worth $848,000 after purchasing an additional 15,351 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.72% of the companys stock. Get Devon Energy alerts: Devon Energy Trading Down 0.6% NYSE DVN opened at $31.38 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.02. Devon Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $25.89 and a 52-week high of $49.35. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $31.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $33.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. Devon Energy Dividend Announcement Devon Energy ( NYSE:DVN Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The energy company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.27 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $4.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.31 billion. Devon Energy had a return on equity of 22.52% and a net margin of 18.14%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.16 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Devon Energy Co. will post 4.85 EPS for the current year. The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.06%. Devon Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.87%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on DVN shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Devon Energy from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Raymond James set a $40.00 price objective on shares of Devon Energy in a research report on Monday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Devon Energy from $48.00 to $42.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Devon Energy from $49.00 to $40.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Cowen cut shares of Devon Energy to a hold rating and reduced their price target for the company from $46.00 to $45.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Devon Energy currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $43.71. Get Our Latest Analysis on Devon Energy Devon Energy Company Profile (Free Report) Devon Energy Corporation, an independent energy company, engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States. It operates in Delaware, Eagle Ford, Anadarko, Williston, and Powder River Basins. The company was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DVN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Devon Energy Co. (NYSE:DVN Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Devon Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Devon Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Snider Financial Group trimmed its holdings in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM Free Report) by 4.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,552 shares of the semiconductor companys stock after selling 774 shares during the period. Snider Financial Groups holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing were worth $3,080,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Procyon Advisors LLC raised its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 11.6% during the first quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 29,191 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $4,846,000 after purchasing an additional 3,032 shares in the last quarter. Stablepoint Partners LLC increased its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Stablepoint Partners LLC now owns 13,072 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $2,170,000 after buying an additional 410 shares during the period. Insight Advisors LLC PA increased its position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 38.5% during the 1st quarter. Insight Advisors LLC PA now owns 1,760 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $292,000 after buying an additional 489 shares in the last quarter. KRS Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 29.4% in the first quarter. KRS Capital Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $384,000 after buying an additional 525 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Adamsbrown Wealth Consultants LLC acquired a new stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the 1st quarter worth approximately $323,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 16.51% of the companys stock. Get Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing alerts: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Stock Performance TSM opened at $203.34 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.57, a quick ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The businesss 50 day moving average is $173.54 and its 200-day moving average is $187.77. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited has a twelve month low of $133.57 and a twelve month high of $226.40. The stock has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.21. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Cuts Dividend Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing ( NYSE:TSM Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The semiconductor company reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $25.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $834.10 billion. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing had a return on equity of 30.47% and a net margin of 40.51%. On average, analysts predict that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited will post 9.2 earnings per share for the current year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be issued a $0.6499 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.46%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several research firms recently commented on TSM. Susquehanna reaffirmed a positive rating on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a report on Friday, April 25th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Barclays boosted their target price on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $215.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a buy rating on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $217.00. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on TSM About Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (Free Report) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, packages, tests, and sells integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices in Taiwan, China, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Japan, the United States, and internationally. It provides a range of wafer fabrication processes, including processes to manufacture complementary metal- oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) logic, mixed-signal, radio frequency, embedded memory, bipolar CMOS mixed-signal, and others. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Unique Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA Free Report) by 26.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,713 shares of the credit services providers stock after buying an additional 993 shares during the quarter. Unique Wealth LLCs holdings in Mastercard were worth $2,583,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MA. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Navigoe LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the companys stock. Get Mastercard alerts: Insider Activity at Mastercard In related news, insider Edward Grunde Mclaughlin sold 7,132 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.68, for a total value of $3,813,337.76. Following the sale, the insider now owns 34,524 shares in the company, valued at $18,459,292.32. This represents a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $580.00, for a total value of $87,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,887,900. This represents a 4.41% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 23,207 shares of company stock worth $12,664,529 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.09% of the companys stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades MA has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their target price on Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup boosted their target price on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Tigress Financial reiterated a strong-buy rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut Mastercard from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $630.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $610.00. Read Our Latest Research Report on MA Mastercard Stock Performance Shares of MA opened at $584.76 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $588.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $546.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $541.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The firm has a market cap of $533.13 billion, a PE ratio of 42.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05. Mastercard (NYSE:MA Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.31 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Mastercard Profile (Free Report) Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. The company offers integrated products and value-added services for account holders, merchants, financial institutions, digital partners, businesses, governments, and other organizations, such as programs that enable issuers to provide consumers with credits to defer payments; payment products and solutions that allow its customers to access funds in deposit and other accounts; prepaid programs services; and commercial credit, debit, and prepaid payment products and solutions. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Mastercard Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mastercard and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Under the initiative of Leyla Aliyeva, Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and founder and head of the IDEA Public Union, the distribution of Qurban (Eid al-Adha) sacrifice portions to low-income families has commenced in celebration of the Eid al-Adha holiday. According to IDEAs statement to Azernews, this charitable campaign, implemented within the framework of the Our Kitchen social project, was first carried out in the Yevlakh district, where 100 low-income families received Qurban portions. The main objective of the Our Kitchen social project, initiated by Leyla Aliyeva, is to strengthen the spirit of solidarity in society by providing hot meals and food aid to low-income families and those in need. Since its inception, volunteers of Our Kitchen have delivered hot meals and food assistance to hundreds of thousands of people living in Baku and surrounding regions, bringing warmth and hope into their daily lives. It is also worth noting that the Our Kitchen project website has been launched, creating opportunities for people to donate or join as volunteers. This undated file photo shows a Thismia tentaculata in the Wuzhishan section of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park in south China's Hainan Province. The island province of Hainan has a unique ecological environment that provides an excellent habitat for many species and serves as a biodiversity hotspot in China. The Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, for its part, is among China's first batch of national parks, and boasts one of the country's densest, most intact, and most contiguous tropical rainforests. Straddling nine cities and counties, the park covers roughly 1/7 of the total land area of this island. Wu Wanli is a staff member of the Wuzhishan branch of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Management Office. Though a veteran photography enthusiast, Wu did not realize until May 2024 that he was deeply charmed by macro photography. There are exceptionally abundant creatures suitable for macro photographing in the park. Day or night, rain or shine, he could always find himself "surprised" by the "photogenic" creatures there. The macro photography practice has also brought him rich knowledge in biology. (Xinhua) This undated file photo shows a Funaria hygrometrica in the Wuzhishan section of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park in south China's Hainan Province. The island province of Hainan has a unique ecological environment that provides an excellent habitat for many species and serves as a biodiversity hotspot in China. The Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, for its part, is among China's first batch of national parks, and boasts one of the country's densest, most intact, and most contiguous tropical rainforests. Straddling nine cities and counties, the park covers roughly 1/7 of the total land area of this island. Wu Wanli is a staff member of the Wuzhishan branch of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Management Office. Though a veteran photography enthusiast, Wu did not realize until May 2024 that he was deeply charmed by macro photography. There are exceptionally abundant creatures suitable for macro photographing in the park. Day or night, rain or shine, he could always find himself "surprised" by the "photogenic" creatures there. The macro photography practice has also brought him rich knowledge in biology. (Xinhua) Tourists visit the Wuzhishan section of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park in south China's Hainan Province on May 28, 2025. The island province of Hainan has a unique ecological environment that provides an excellent habitat for many species and serves as a biodiversity hotspot in China. The Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, for its part, is among China's first batch of national parks, and boasts one of the country's densest, most intact, and most contiguous tropical rainforests. Straddling nine cities and counties, the park covers roughly 1/7 of the total land area of this island. Wu Wanli is a staff member of the Wuzhishan branch of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Management Office. Though a veteran photography enthusiast, Wu did not realize until May 2024 that he was deeply charmed by macro photography. There are exceptionally abundant creatures suitable for macro photographing in the park. Day or night, rain or shine, he could always find himself "surprised" by the "photogenic" creatures there. The macro photography practice has also brought him rich knowledge in biology. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun) Wu Wanli takes photos of insects at the Wuzhishan section of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park in south China's Hainan Province, May 28, 2025. The island province of Hainan has a unique ecological environment that provides an excellent habitat for many species and serves as a biodiversity hotspot in China. The Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, for its part, is among China's first batch of national parks, and boasts one of the country's densest, most intact, and most contiguous tropical rainforests. Straddling nine cities and counties, the park covers roughly 1/7 of the total land area of this island. Wu Wanli is a staff member of the Wuzhishan branch of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Management Office. Though a veteran photography enthusiast, Wu did not realize until May 2024 that he was deeply charmed by macro photography. There are exceptionally abundant creatures suitable for macro photographing in the park. Day or night, rain or shine, he could always find himself "surprised" by the "photogenic" creatures there. The macro photography practice has also brought him rich knowledge in biology. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun) Tourists visit the Wuzhishan section of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park in south China's Hainan Province on May 29, 2025. The island province of Hainan has a unique ecological environment that provides an excellent habitat for many species and serves as a biodiversity hotspot in China. The Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, for its part, is among China's first batch of national parks, and boasts one of the country's densest, most intact, and most contiguous tropical rainforests. Straddling nine cities and counties, the park covers roughly 1/7 of the total land area of this island. Wu Wanli is a staff member of the Wuzhishan branch of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Management Office. Though a veteran photography enthusiast, Wu did not realize until May 2024 that he was deeply charmed by macro photography. There are exceptionally abundant creatures suitable for macro photographing in the park. Day or night, rain or shine, he could always find himself "surprised" by the "photogenic" creatures there. The macro photography practice has also brought him rich knowledge in biology. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun) This photo taken on May 28, 2025 shows an Armored Pricklenape in the Wuzhishan section of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park in south China's Hainan Province. The island province of Hainan has a unique ecological environment that provides an excellent habitat for many species and serves as a biodiversity hotspot in China. The Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, for its part, is among China's first batch of national parks, and boasts one of the country's densest, most intact, and most contiguous tropical rainforests. Straddling nine cities and counties, the park covers roughly 1/7 of the total land area of this island. Wu Wanli is a staff member of the Wuzhishan branch of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Management Office. Though a veteran photography enthusiast, Wu did not realize until May 2024 that he was deeply charmed by macro photography. There are exceptionally abundant creatures suitable for macro photographing in the park. Day or night, rain or shine, he could always find himself "surprised" by the "photogenic" creatures there. The macro photography practice has also brought him rich knowledge in biology. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun) This undated file photo shows a Haania vitalisi in the Wuzhishan section of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park in south China's Hainan Province. The island province of Hainan has a unique ecological environment that provides an excellent habitat for many species and serves as a biodiversity hotspot in China. The Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, for its part, is among China's first batch of national parks, and boasts one of the country's densest, most intact, and most contiguous tropical rainforests. Straddling nine cities and counties, the park covers roughly 1/7 of the total land area of this island. Wu Wanli is a staff member of the Wuzhishan branch of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Management Office. Though a veteran photography enthusiast, Wu did not realize until May 2024 that he was deeply charmed by macro photography. There are exceptionally abundant creatures suitable for macro photographing in the park. Day or night, rain or shine, he could always find himself "surprised" by the "photogenic" creatures there. The macro photography practice has also brought him rich knowledge in biology. (Xinhua) This photo taken on May 28, 2025 shows an Armored Pricklenape in the Wuzhishan section of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park in south China's Hainan Province. The island province of Hainan has a unique ecological environment that provides an excellent habitat for many species and serves as a biodiversity hotspot in China. The Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, for its part, is among China's first batch of national parks, and boasts one of the country's densest, most intact, and most contiguous tropical rainforests. Straddling nine cities and counties, the park covers roughly 1/7 of the total land area of this island. Wu Wanli is a staff member of the Wuzhishan branch of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Management Office. Though a veteran photography enthusiast, Wu did not realize until May 2024 that he was deeply charmed by macro photography. There are exceptionally abundant creatures suitable for macro photographing in the park. Day or night, rain or shine, he could always find himself "surprised" by the "photogenic" creatures there. The macro photography practice has also brought him rich knowledge in biology. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun) This aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 17, 2022 shows a view of the Wuzhishan section of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park in south China's Hainan Province. The island province of Hainan has a unique ecological environment that provides an excellent habitat for many species and serves as a biodiversity hotspot in China. The Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, for its part, is among China's first batch of national parks, and boasts one of the country's densest, most intact, and most contiguous tropical rainforests. Straddling nine cities and counties, the park covers roughly 1/7 of the total land area of this island. Wu Wanli is a staff member of the Wuzhishan branch of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Management Office. Though a veteran photography enthusiast, Wu did not realize until May 2024 that he was deeply charmed by macro photography. There are exceptionally abundant creatures suitable for macro photographing in the park. Day or night, rain or shine, he could always find himself "surprised" by the "photogenic" creatures there. The macro photography practice has also brought him rich knowledge in biology. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun) SOFIA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- A China-Bulgaria forum on climate change and rural revitalization held in Sofia on Thursday highlighted the need for international cooperation in addressing climate-related challenges and promoting sustainable rural development. The forum featured academic presentations on precision agriculture, digitalization, and crop yield forecasting. In a written address, Bulgaria's Minister of Agriculture Georgi Tahov said that climate change poses mounting risks to natural resources, agriculture, and rural communities. Noting the long-standing cooperation between China and Bulgaria, he said the forum was a timely response to the challenges. Wang Min, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria, highlighted progress in bilateral agricultural cooperation at the forum, pointing out that the cooperation has produced tangible results through closer exchanges. Participants agreed that shared knowledge, advanced technologies, and international collaboration are essential to achieving resilient and prosperous rural areas. The forum was organized by China's Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) alongside Bulgarian institutions including the Institute of Agricultural Economics. RIGA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- NATO's annual large-scale multinational military exercise, Baltic Operations 2025 (BALTOPS 25), officially began Thursday in Latvia, according to the Latvian news agency LETA. The exercise aims to enhance cooperation and interoperability among allied forces, strengthen rapid-response capabilities across all military branches, and demonstrate NATO's commitment to regional security and defense of the Baltic Sea region. This year's BALTOPS 25 focuses on a wide range of operational training, including unmanned systems, medical evacuation, air defense, maritime interdiction, anti-submarine warfare, mine countermeasures, airborne operations, and engineering support. According to a press release from U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa / U.S. Sixth Fleet, the drills, which will run through June 20, involve 16 NATO member states, more than 40 ships, 25 aircraft, and approximately 9,000 military personnel. by Nurul Fitri Ramadhani JAKARTA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Sobri Nugraha, 52, has collected up to 10 wheelbarrows full of dung from the dozens of cows he sold daily as sacrificial offerings during the Eid al-Adha festivities in Indonesia's Jakarta. "I will let the dung dry first and then process it into fertilizer. After that, I'll distribute it for free to nearby residents who need it. The most important thing is that the waste is not wasted," Nugraha told Xinhua. He is following an order from the Jakarta local government to implement "eco-qurban," which refers to properly managing waste from sacrificial animals to prevent environmental pollution. Agung Asma Nugraha, a 42-year-old resident of Central Jakarta, was a sacrificial committee member. He buried the remains of the sacrificial animals deep underground as the directive has suggested. "It must be buried quite deep, about two meters down, including the animals' internal organs. Their blood is also buried in a separate hole," he said. Recently, Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung urged the public not to dispose of sacrificial animal waste into rivers, as it can pose serious health and environmental risks. Eid al-Adha in Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, fell on Friday. On this day, Indonesian Muslims typically perform communal sacrifices of cows, goats, or sheep, and distributed the meat among impoverished communities in their local areas. It is estimated that around 69,000 sacrificial animals were slaughtered in Jakarta alone. On a national scale, Indonesia's Ministry of Agriculture recorded that the supply of sacrificial animals during this year's Eid al-Adha celebration reached around 3.2 million heads, enough to meet the estimated demand of 2 million. Salundik, a lecturer at the Faculty of Animal Science at the Bogor Agricultural Institute, said that the increase in livestock slaughtering during Eid al-Adha should be accompanied by wise waste management. If not properly managed, he warned, the waste could pollute the environment and pose public health risks. Salundik suggested that waste in the form of feces and leftover animal feed could be converted into useful products, such as compost or vermicompost. Moreover, waste such as blood, rumen contents, and digestive tracts "carries a higher risk of contamination and requires special handling, especially in densely populated urban areas," Salundik added. Hasudungan Sidabalok, head of Jakarta's Food Security, Maritime Affairs, and Agriculture Office, reminded all residents and Eid committees in Jakarta to implement the eco-qurban principle during sacrificial rituals. He stated that solid waste from the sacrificial animals, including guts and blood, should be collected and disposed of at designated locations to prevent environmental pollution. "Also, do not wash the blood of sacrificial animals into open drains. Use fragrant soap to eliminate germs and odors. If possible, rinse off the resulting blood waste immediately, and apply carbolic acid or other disinfectants to prevent environmental contamination," Sidabalok said. Chandrima Bhattacharya, state minister for finance urged the people to create awareness on the plastic campaign. She took part in a programme to celebrate the World Environment Day at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre this morning. The programme was organised by the state Pollution Control Board. Advertisement Roshni Sen, additional chief secretary and Kalyan Rudra were present at the function. Advertisement Mrs Bhattacharya said massive awareness is required to beat the plastic. People are using plastic forgetting that its effect is disastrous. The navigability of rivers and channels is badly hit because people throw plastic. The pumps of Kolkata Municipal Corporation become inoperative and are unable to clear the accumulated water as plastic bags affect them badly. She sought cooperation from the media to create awareness. In another programme, Firhad Hakim, city mayor, urged the people, particularly the younger generation, to come forward and take part in the awareness campaign against the use of plastic. The world environment day was observed in the city and state with usual enthusiasm. Even as World Environment Day was being observed with enthusiasm across the region from Siliguri to Sikkim on Thursday, two major timber smuggling incidents came to light, prompting action from forest and railway authorities. Acting on a tip-off, a forest official from the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary arrested two individuals, Vishal Rai and Sailen Rai, and seized a large quantity of sal and segun timber logs intended for smuggling. Advertisement In a separate incident the same day, the Government Railway Police (GRP), also acting on a tip-off, recovered a significant number of Burmese timber logs from nearly five parcel vans of the parcel van express train (PVET) when it arrived at New Jalpaiguri (NJP) station late in the morning. Advertisement The recovery of such a large volume of timber with no known claimant has raised serious questions regarding the role of the railway department and the growing sophistication of timber smuggling operations. Preliminary inquiries have revealed that AVG Logistics, a third-party logistics provider, had hired the PVET for transporting various items. The train was coming from Guwahati. As the matter came to light, railway authorities launched a primary investigation and decided to seek clarification from AVG Logistics. An official at Maligaon, the headquarters of the Northeast Frontier Railway, said: AVG Logistics hired the train. That organisation is responsible for the consignment. There is no direct railway involvement. However, it is true that there were no papers for the timber. Railway authorities will seek clarification from the organisation regarding this serious lapse. Interestingly, following the intervention of railway authorities, the GRP has not yet issued any official press note on the recovery of the Burmese timber logs. Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal held a high-level meeting with Italys Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, in Brescia, Italys manufacturing hub. During the meeting, India and Italy agreed to prioritise cooperation in several strategic and emerging sectors, including Industry 4.0, aerospace, energy transition, and sustainable mobility. Advertisement Both sides also emphasised the need for joint efforts in skill development, digital transformation, migration and mobility, and global connectivity initiatives such as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). Advertisement The two leaders co-chaired the 22nd session of the India-Italy Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation (JCEC) during Goyals two-day visit to Italy, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said in a statement. The dialogue reaffirmed the strategic economic partnership between the two countries and aligned with the Joint Strategic Action Plan 202529, aimed at promoting economic resilience, industrial partnerships, and inclusive, sustainable growth. According to the ministrys statement, several concrete outcomes emerged from the JCEC. Both countries resolved to strengthen cooperation in agriculture and food processing and agreed to establish Joint Working Groups in the automobile and space sectors. Collaboration opportunities were identified in sustainable agri-value chains, agri-machinery, food packaging technologies, and renewable energy. Additionally, both sides agreed to cooperate on green hydrogen and biofuels, and expressed intent to facilitate the movement of skilled professionals between the two nations. On the sidelines of the JCEC, a high-level Growth Forum was organised, bringing together CEOs and industry leaders from both countries. A strong Indian business delegation, comprising senior leadership from nearly 90 companies, accompanied the Minister during the visit. Tesla India Motor and Energy Private Ltd has leased a 24,500-square-foot space in Mumbais Kurla West to set up a service centre, located close to its upcoming showroom in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). This move marks a significant step in Teslas plans to enter the Indian electric vehicle (EV) market, although the company does not currently intend to manufacture vehicles in the country. Advertisement According to real estate documents sourced by CRE Matrix, a property data analytics firm, Tesla has signed a lease and license agreement with Bellissimo in City FC Mumbai I Private to rent the space in Lodha Logistics Park. Advertisement The agreement is for a five-year period, with a starting monthly rent of Rs 37.53 lakh. Over the duration of the lease, Tesla will pay nearly Rs 25 crore in total, including a security deposit of Rs 2.25 crore, as per the documents. Tesla has made it clear that its current interest lies only in selling its vehicles in India, not in manufacturing them at the moment. They are not interested in manufacturing in India, Union Heavy Industries Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said on Monday. He added that Tesla is planning to open showrooms in India purely for sales. The minister was speaking at a press conference announcing that Indias flagship EV policy is now open for global carmakers who wish to manufacture and sell EVs in the country. Major players such as Germanys Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, along with South Koreas Hyundai Motor, have already shown interest. All three companies currently have manufacturing operations in India. Hyundai has announced its plans to make India its global hub for EVs. Volkswagen India, meanwhile, is closely watching how the EV policy unfolds and is carefully evaluating its implications before taking further steps. The government has notified guidelines for its forward-looking scheme to enable fresh investments from global manufacturers in the electric cars segment and promote India as a global manufacturing hub for e-vehicles. As the Narendra Modi-led government completes 11 years of public service, the Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will organize a series of Sankalp Se Siddhi programmes across the national capital. The aim is to raise public awareness about the central governments achievements and the Delhi governments recent welfare initiatives. Advertisement These programs are part of a nationwide campaign by the BJP to mark 11 years of good governance and pro-poor welfare under Prime Minister Modis leadership, the party said. Advertisement To discuss the plan for Delhi, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva chaired a meeting with senior state leaders on Friday. The events will be organized in accordance with the guidelines set by the partys national leadership. Sachdeva stated that over the past eleven years, the Modi government has remained committed to service, good governance, and the welfare of the underprivileged. He emphasized that through the campaign, party workers will take to the people the central governments accomplishments and also the Delhi governments 100-day progress and welfare schemes. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who also attended the meeting, said the state government would ensure that the benefits of all people-centric schemes reach every resident of Delhi. Several senior leaders were present at the meeting including Union Minister of State Harsh Malhotra, programme coordinator and MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat, MPs Manoj Tiwari, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Yogendra Chandolia, Bansuri Swaraj, and Delhi Ministers Sardar Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Pankaj Singh, Ravinder Indraj Singh. MLAs such as Mohan Singh Bisht, Satish Upadhyay, Arvinder Singh Lovely, Abhay Verma, Ajay Mahawar, and state office bearers including Vishnu Mittal and Harish Khurana also participated in the meeting. In what appears to be a significant step toward addressing the issue of illegal foreign nationals, authorities have intensified efforts to free the national capital from undocumented residents. The Delhi Police detained 71 foreign nationals including 47 Bangladeshis, 17 Rohingyas, and 7 Nigerian citizens, from Dwarka in the month of May for residing in India without valid documentation. All of them have been sent for deportation, officials said on Friday. Advertisement Ankit Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka), stated: In May, continuing the crackdown on illegally staying foreign nationals, the team detained 71 individuals, including 47 Bangladeshi nationals, 17 Rohingyas, and 7 Nigerians. Advertisement The officer said the police had received information about individuals residing in the country without valid visas or any legal documentation, prompting a series of coordinated raids across multiple areas of the Dwarka district. As part of the probe, our team gathered intelligence on the whereabouts of suspected illegal residents. Acting on a tip-off, we apprehended the individuals, who later admitted to staying in India without legal documents, Singh added. Most of the detainees were found living in slum clusters, and background checks are underway to determine any potential criminal links. Verification processes are ongoing for the remaining individuals. Singh also said, We have dispatched teams to West Bengal, as many of the detainees appear to have roots or connections there. Following their detention, all 71 individuals were produced before the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in RK Puram, Delhi, which ordered their deportation. They have since been moved to a detention center pending the completion of legal and logistical formalities. Among those arrested were seven Nigerian nationals, including Musa Umaru Abdullahi and Abasifreke Umoh Bassey, who were found staying illegally in Delhi. These individuals, aged between 30 and 35 years, hail from various Nigerian states. Singh reiterated, The detained individuals are being processed through the FRRO for formal deportation. A member of the UK-based gangster Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu was arrested by the Special Cell of Delhi police based on secret information, it said on Friday. The suspect, identified as Amardeep, was wanted in a cheating case, registered at the Bindapur Police Station; a dacoity case at Dwarka Sec-23; and a case under sections of murder for killing a person named Surajbhan in Faridabad, Haryana. Advertisement An input was received revealing that the suspect would visit Jharoda village in South West Delhi to meet his associates and acting on the input, a trap was laid on TikriJharoda Road near the canal in Jharoda Kalan, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special cell) Amit Kaushik. Advertisement He said at around 5 pm, the suspect was seen walking near the canal and was subsequently overpowered. Moreover, the cops recovered a semi-automatic pistol and three bullets from his possession, he added. During interrogation, Amardeep confessed his involvement in three cases; a murder case of a witness in Faridabad, Haryana; and a case of MCOC Act and Arms Act case being investigated by the Crime Branch Unit. Sources said Sangwan, a native of Najafgarh, operates his gang from the UK and is in conflict with Manjit Mahal gang, another criminal syndicate of the same area. He also claimed responsibility for the broad daylight murder of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Nafe Singh Rathi, who was gunned down last year in February in Bahadurgarh, Haryana, a bordering town of Najafgarh. The arrest will help in getting clues about the extortion racket being run by the syndicate and probable targets on the gangs list, if any, said another police official. Around this time of last year, Hemendra Samal from Bhubaneswar travelled to Paradip for a two-day stay at the picturesque Nehru Bungalow in the port town to beat the heat and relish the majestic march of sea waves. The enchanting beauty of the place prompted Samal to revisit it last week. But he was left bewildered to see the sea turning violent, with the mighty waves dashing against the boundary of the guest house named and inaugurated by Indias first prime minister in the sixties. Advertisement It seemed the sea had gone wild and furious. It appeared as if it was lurking its ugly head to gobble up the land area. I felt threatened, finding many areas close to the shore bearing the brunt of the advancing sea. Nature is unpredictable, and large areas close to the Paradip port town may come under oceanic submergence sooner or later, Samal, the traveller from the States Capital City, observed. Advertisement The scale of sea erosion in Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Balasore, Puri and Ganjam districts is intense, with people living in coastal patches contending with the sea scourge. The mighty sea waves had devoured several parts of the Satabhaya gram panchayat in Kendrapara district, forcing the state government to relocate the affected people to a resettlement colony. Similarly, the Pentha in the Kendrapara district was bearing the brunt of sea erosion. To tame the marauding sea, the state government has constructed a geo-synthetic seawall along the 800-metre-long vulnerable coast. The geo-tube structure, built a couple of years back, has so far managed to stop the sea waves from advancing. Similarly, projects to arrest the advancing sea by stone barriers have been taken up in Jagatsinghpur and Ganjam districts, with not much success as sea erosion goes unabated. The vulnerability of Odishas coastline to tidal surge and consequent erosion has come under sharp focus with 7.51 per cent of the States sea coast being battered by mighty waves and undergoing erosion in last 28 years, according to a joint study by Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCQIS) and National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR). As per the atlas of Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI), maps for the entire coastline of India prepared by both the research agencies, a 37-km stretch of Odisha comes under the coastal vulnerability index, which constitutes 7.51 per cent of the States 480 km stretch coastline. The coastal States of Karnataka and Goa lie at the top of the coastal vulnerability index, with 9.54 per cent of coastline exposed to the vagaries of sea erosion. The research wings using data on sea level rise, coastal slope, shoreline change rate, coastal elevation, coastal geomorphology, tidal range and significant wave height have come out with the CVI atlas. The Satabhaya, Pentha and Gahirmatha beaches in Kendrapara district, Ganjam port north in Ganjam district and Sahsadabedi in Jagatsinghpur district were found to be the worst sea erosion-hit coastal pockets of the state as per the report. The NCCR, an attached office of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, monitors shoreline changes along the Indian Coast. It has carried out a national shoreline change assessment mapping for the Indian coast using 28 years of satellite data along nine coastal States and two Union Territories (UTs) to provide information for coastal management strategy. While Odisha has around 17 per cent of Indias coastline (480 kms), the State faces around 35 per cent of the cyclonic storms along with tidal surge. The State is the sixth most cyclone-prone area of the World. There are also flat terrains with fertile agricultural land with a dense population adjacent to the coastline. Akasa Air officially announced here on Friday that it has signed a deal with Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) to operate flights out of the Navi Mumbai International Airport from Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) by August-end. However, no date has been announced yet. In its initial phase, NMIA will handle 2 crore passengers and 0.5 million metric tonnes (MMT) of cargo annually, with ultimate capacity expanding to 9 crore passengers and 3.2 MMT of cargo. Advertisement Akasa is the second airline to sign an MoU with NMIA after IndiGo, which will be the first airline to start flights from the new airport. IndiGo will start with more than 18 daily departures to fifteen cities from day one of the opening and later hike operations to 79 departures by November 2025. Advertisement Commenting on the development, AAHL CEO Arun Bansal said, We are pleased to welcome Akasa Air as one of the inaugural airline partners at NMIA. Their rapid growth and forward-looking approach make them an ideal partner in NMIAs journey to becoming a key domestic and international hub. Our collaboration aims to offer a seamless and enhanced travel experience for millions, with NMIA playing a central role in reshaping Mumbais air connectivity ecosystem. Akasa will start its operations with 15 daily domestic flights and then ramp it up to more than 40 domestic plus 8 international flights by next summer. The airline plans to operate 32 daily flights at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSMIA) and NMIA. By FY 2027, Akasa plans to have 10 aircraft based out of NMIA. The airline plans to operate more than 100 weekly domestic departures initially from NMIA, scaling up to 300-plus domestic and more than 50 international departures weekly during its winter schedule. The airline is also set to ramp up to 10 parking bases by the end of FY2027, with a focused international expansion into key Middle Eastern (West Asian) and Southeast Asian markets. Amid rising waters and growing public distress, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday conducted an on-ground review of flood relief operations in Hailakandi district, one of the areas severely impacted by the ongoing monsoon floods. The visit underscores the scale of the crisis, which has now displaced over 5.6 lakh people across 19 districts in the state. Advertisement In Hailakandi, the Chief Minister visited a major relief camp housing hundreds of flood-affected residents. Many of them have lost homes, farmland, and livelihoods as floodwaters swept through their villages earlier this week. Advertisement During his visit, Sarma interacted with displaced families and assured them of sustained government support. We have deployed medical teams, ensured drinking water supply, and are providing cooked meals at every camp. The administration is working round the clock to ensure that the displaced do not suffer further, Sarma stated in a social media update after inspecting the camp. The Chief Minister also held briefings with local officials and reviewed the situation in nearby camps in Kalinagar and Panchgram, both of which have reported swelling numbers of evacuees over the past 72 hours. He directed district authorities to speed up sanitation work and ensure that relief materials particularly food, drinking water, baby food, and sanitary items are available without delay. While water levels have started receding in some parts of central Assam, such as Morigaon district, the damage has already been done. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), 117 villages in Morigaon are still underwater, with hundreds of hectares of cropland submerged and livestock losses continuing to rise. In Barak Valleys Sribhumi and North Sribhumis Baatgram, residents remain marooned as large swathes of land, including residential areas and markets, remain underwater. The floods have severely disrupted transportation, with roads washed away or rendered unusable. Power and mobile networks in some pockets remain erratic, adding to the chaos. Floods in Assam are not new they have become a seasonal crisis. Driven by torrential monsoon rains and the swelling Brahmaputra and Barak river systems, the floods recur with alarming regularity each year. Environmentalists and policy experts have often pointed to a combination of climate change, deforestation in catchment areas, encroachment of floodplains, and weak embankment infrastructure as key contributors. Despite repeated appeals from the Assam government to the Centre to declare the states floods a national disaster, no such classification has yet been granted. The lack of such recognition, critics say, hinders the flow of emergency funds and long-term mitigation investments. The ASDMA has set up over 1,200 relief camps and distribution centres, but pressure is mounting on resources as more people continue to arrive. Civil society groups and volunteers have stepped in, supplementing official efforts with food packets, clothes, and hygiene kits. As the state awaits a break in rainfall, authorities have asked residents in vulnerable areas to remain on high alert. While the Indian Meteorological Department has forecast a gradual decline in rainfall in the coming days, the risk of waterborne diseases, post-flood health crises, and crop loss remains high. BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will attend the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, from June 10 to 12, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced on Friday. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, will also attend the opening ceremony of the Fourth China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, also to be held in Changsha, said the spokesperson. When answering a related query at a regular press briefing, spokesperson Lin Jian said Wang Yi and representatives from the 54 African members of the FOCAC will attend the events. The FOCAC Beijing Summit was successfully held in September last year. Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the summit and delivered a keynote speech. China and Africa reached extensive common understandings on joining hands to advance modernization and building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. The China-Africa relationship has been at its best in history, Lin noted. He added that following the summit, the two sides have been working closely together to actively implement the common understandings reached by the leaders and the outcomes of the summit, and have made important progress and achieved many early harvests. He said that China will enhance coordination with African countries with a focus on implementing the six proposals and 10 partnership initiatives put forward by President Xi for jointly advancing modernization, so that people in China and Africa will benefit more from the outcomes of the FOCAC summit. The two sides will work together to create more great stories about the high-quality development of China-Africa cooperation and send a strong message of solidarity and collaboration among members of the Global South, Lin said. Communist Party of India MP P Sandosh Kumar on Friday wrote to President Droupadi Murmu urging her to recall Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar, citing his unconstitutional conduct and alleged misuse of gubernatorial authority. In his letter, Mr Kumar expressed strong condemnation over the Governors decision to display a particular version of the Bharat Mata image during the Environment Day event at the Raj Bhavan in Kerala without consulting the elected state government. This move led to the boycott of the function by State Agriculture Minister P Prasad. Advertisement On Thursday, Kerala Agriculture Minister P Prasad had boycotted the state-level celebrations on World Environment Day at the Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram. The reason being that the Minister did not want the picture of the Bharat Mata, commonly used by the RSS, to be placed on the central dais. Advertisement The CPI MP further accused the Governor of behaving like a political agent of the BJP-RSS, openly defying the constitutional framework that demands neutrality and respect for elected governments. This is not an isolated case. Governors in several states are increasingly behaving like political agents of the BJP-RSS, openly defying the constitutional framework that demands neutrality, restraint, and respect for elected governments, said Mr Kumar in his letter. Mr Kumar also raised concerns over the symbolic manipulation of Bharat Mata, terming it a dangerous distortion that cannot be accepted in state functions or constitutional offices. The CPI Parliamentary Party demanded that the President intervene urgently to restore the dignity and neutrality of the Governors office, the Kerala minister said. This development adds to the growing tensions between the Kerala government and the Governor, with the ruling Left Front repeatedly accusing Arlekars partisan role. Haryana Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda has said that the state government has been consistently working over the past 10 years to extend the benefits of government schemes to every underprivileged individual, guided by the core principle of Antyodaya. As part of these efforts, the Haryana Education Department launched the Super 100 programme to prepare economically weaker students for national-level competitive examinations such as IIT-JEE. This initiative has brought new hope to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, he said. Advertisement The results of the JEE Advanced 2025 have demonstrated that government schools in Haryana are evolving from mere centres of learning into platforms of immense opportunity. Students from government schools in the state achieved a success rate of 37 per cent in JEE Advanced 2025, said the Education Minister. Advertisement He further informed that 193 students from the Super 100 programme appeared for the examination this year, of whom 72 qualified. This includes 37 students from the General category, 20 from the Backward Class category, and 30 from the Scheduled Caste category. Highlighting the progress, he said that a particularly encouraging aspect of this years results is the success of 24 girls. He attributed this achievement to the state governments continuous efforts in providing excellent educational facilities and support to girls. Among the high achievers is Ravinder from the Uchana block in Jind district, who secured the 1267th position in the All India Rank. A former student of Government Senior Secondary School, Gurana in Hisar, Ravinder also achieved a 212th rank in the OBC category. The Education Minister congratulated all successful students, their parents, and their teachers. India on Friday appreciated five central Asian countries for their support in condemning the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, and said it is committed to boost cooperation with them across all sectors, including security, defence, trade and investment. Delivering his opening remarks at the 4th India-Central Asia Dialogue here, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, I appreciate that your countries stood by India and condemned the heinous terrorist attack that took place in April in Pahalgam. Advertisement Foreign ministers from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are in the city to attend the 4th India-Central Asia Dialogue as India continues to put a strong foot forward in enhancing anti-terror and de-radicalization partnerships across the region. Advertisement Speaking at the 4th India-Central Asia Dialogue, the external affairs minister asserted that both India and Central Asian partners are committed to advancing mutually beneficial cooperation across all sectors, and hoped that the deliberations would help strengthen these ties. Both India and our Central Asian partners are committed to advancing this mutually beneficial cooperation across all sectors, particularly trade and investment, defence, agro-processing, textiles, pharmaceuticals, regional connectivity, security, education, culture, people-to-people exchanges, as well as new and emerging technologies, Jaishankar said. The minister said Indias ties with the Central Asian countries have evolved over several millennia. We have marked three decades of our contemporary diplomatic ties with our Central Asian partners in 2022. We have worked together and laid down the legal and institutional framework, which has provided the foundation to further our mutually beneficial cooperation with each other individually, as well as collectively. Our cooperation with Central Asian countries received a quantum boost with Prime Minister Modis back-to-back visits to all five Central Asian capitals in July 2015, he said. Jaishankar said ties with these countries have evolved significantly from civilizational bonds. India deeply cherishes its millennia-old civilizational and cultural ties with Central Asia. These age-old bonds forged through trade, exchange of ideas, and people-to-people contacts have strengthened over time, evolving into a partnership which is defined by shared aspirations, shared opportunities and common challenges, he said. Jaishankar said ties, especially in terms of trade, have improved in the last decade, and that Central Asian countries remain an attractive student destination to pursue higher studies. Trade, economic and investment ties between us have strengthened significantly over the last decade. Today, we have a well-connected by multiple direct flights, our enhanced connectivity facilitates greater two-way tourist flows and businesses. A large number of Indian students pursue a higher education in your countries, strengthening the bond between us, he said. Jaishankar said India remains a trusted development partner for the Central Asian nations. India remains a trusted development partner for all of you. Together with I-Tech training slots and ICCR scholarships, which are the most well-known forms of our development partnerships, we have also started providing High-Impact Community Development Projects as Indian grants for socio-economic development. Such projects have included equipping schools with computers and providing hospitals with medical equipment, he said. It is our mutual recognition of the importance of India-Central Asia cooperation that we raised it to the leaders level for the first time as a virtual summit in January 2022, which added more strands to our cooperation. Today, trade ministers, culture ministers, and NSAs exchange views on delegations and special training classes for diplomats are among the notable features of our relationship, he said. Yesterday, we had a fruitful discussion at the India Central Asia Business Council to remove impediments and add cooperation in digital technology, fintech, and inter-bank relations to the existing list of areas so that we can realise the full potential of our economic cooperation, he added. Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur has strongly criticized the policies of the Himachal Pradesh government, calling them anti-people. He accused the administration, led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, of increasing taxes and withdrawing essential public welfare facilities. Advertisement Thakur alleged that the government is imposing various levies, including charges on hospital services, while discontinuing key benefits such as subsidized cooking oil and pulses under the Public Distribution System (PDS). Advertisement The state government has decided to increase the prices of cooking oil and pulses at ration shops. The price of refined oil will go up from Rs 97 to Rs 134, which will significantly burden the common man, Thakur claimed. Raising questions about the governments decisions, Thakur said they will have a direct impact on the daily lives of people. He criticized the administrations priorities, stating that it is more focused on imposing taxes than on delivering quality services to the public. Calling the decisions anti-poor and anti-vulnerable, he warned that these moves will place a heavier burden on already struggling sections of society. Thakur also questioned the credibility of the Chief Minister, accusing him of denying the imposition of taxes on hospital services and other essential facilities. Sukhu has been caught denying facts on several occasions, only to be proven wrong later, he alleged. He reiterated that instead of increasing the financial burden on the public, the state government should focus on enhancing the quality and reach of public services. National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) for the Puducherry Legislative Assembly, which is aimed at turning it into a digital legislative house having paperless operations, will be inaugurated on June 9, an official communique said. After the implementation of the NeVA, the Puducherry Legislative Assembly will be a digital legislative house having paperless operations. Advertisement Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, L Murugan will inaugurate the NeVA for the state Legislative Assembly on June 9, it added. Advertisement Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry K Kailashnathan, Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy, Puducherry Legislative Assembly Speaker Selvam R, and members of the Puducherry Legislative Assembly will be present during the inauguration ceremony. A trial run of NeVA was conducted during the recently concluded 6th session of the 15th Puducherry Legislative Assembly by uploading the Lieutenant Governors speech, Chief Ministers Budget speech, List of Business, and Replies to the Questions of Members on NeVA. Hands-on training to the Members of the Puducherry Legislative Assembly and officials of Government Departments have already started, it said. NeVA, launched under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is an initiative by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (MoPA) to digitise and streamline legislative processes across all 37 State and UT Legislatures through a unified platform, embodying the vision of One Nation One Application. Approved by Public Investment Board (PIB) on 15th January, 2020 with a budget of Rs 673.94 crore, NeVA adopts a centrally-sponsored funding model, ensuring equitable support across states and UTs. The aim of the project is to ensure that the Legislative Business of the House is conducted in a paperless manner and to bring all the legislatures of the country together on one platform, thereby creating a massive data depository without having the complexity of multiple applications. Partnering with BHASHINI, an innovative technology that seamlessly converts text & voice from one language to another, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY), NeVA also integrates AI/ML-based real-time translation services, boosting linguistic inclusivity. Till now, 28 State Legislatures have signed MoUs and 18 Legislative Houses have transformed themselves into a Digital Legislature completely, it added. In a big infrastructure push to Jammu and Kashmir and connecting it with the rest of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday said the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail line project is not just a name, it is the identity of the new power of Jammu & Kashmir. Addressing a public gathering in Katra, PM Modi said, Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail line project is not just a name, it is the identity of the new power of Jammu & Kashmir. It is a proclamation of the new power of India. Advertisement He said today, the dream of lakhs of people of J&K has been fulfilled. Advertisement All the good work is indeed left for me only to complete. It is the good fortune of our government that this project gained momentum during our tenure, and we completed it. This was a challenging project to complete, but our government always chooses the path of challenging the challenge itself. The all-weather projects being built in J&K are an example of this. He said,Todays programme is a huge celebration of Indias unity and willpower. With the blessings of Mata Vaishnodevi, today the valley of Kashmir has been connected to Indias rail network. While describing Mata Bharti, we have been saying with reverence, Kashmir to Kanyakumari. This has now become a reality for the railway network as well. All-weather infrastructure projects will benefit Jammu and Kashmir, he stressed. Earlier, Prime Minister Modi was felicitated upon his arrival during a public gathering. He said a new medical college has been inaugurated in Jammu, adding that development projects worth Rs 46,000 crore will give new momentum to the progress of Jammu and Kashmir. He extended his congratulations to people on this new era of development. PM Modi inaugurated the Chenab Bridge, the worlds highest railway arch bridge and flagged off the inaugural Vande Bharat Express connecting Katra to Srinagar. Before flagging off Vande Bharat Express connecting Katra and Srinagar from Katra Railway Station, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with school children onboard. He also interacted with members of the Railway staff who were on the train. People in Katra performed aarti and showered flower petals on PM Narendra Modis vehicle, as his cavalcade moved across a part of the city. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said another gem has been added to Jammu and Kashmir with the inauguration of the railway line connecting Jammu to Srinagar. CM Omar Abdullah said he had been fortunate to be associated with the Prime Minister in all railway projects in J&K. Lt Governor Manoj Sinha felt that Kashmir to Kanyakumari is not just a slogan anymore and has been transformed into reality. Advertisement Standing 359 metres above the Chenab River, the bridge is the worlds highest railway arch and part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project. The 1,315-metre-long structure, built to withstand 260 kmph winds and seismic activity, is expected to drastically reduce travel time between Katra and Srinagar to just about three hours. Earlier, PM Modi spoke with J&K CM Omar Abdullah, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Union Minister Jitendra Singh as he watched an exhibition on USBRL (Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link) project; also interacted with people who worked on the project. The Prime Minister will also flag off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Srinagar and back. The flagging off ceremony will be done at Katra, the base town of the Vaishnodevi shrine, by the PM. Thereafter, the Vande Bharat will start running between Katra in the Jammu region and Baramulla in North Kashmir. The launch of the train service was earlier scheduled for 19 April but was postponed given bad weather conditions predicted for that day. Further delay was caused because of the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack, followed by Operation Sindoor in which the Indian Armed Forces carried out strikes on terror infrastructures and military installations deep inside Pakistan and PoJK from 7 to 10 May. PM Modi will also visit the countrys first cable-stayed bridge at Anju on the railway track in the Reasi district before flagging off the train services from Katra. During his day-long schedule, the Prime Minister will inaugurate Anji Bridge and will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate multiple development projects worth over Rs 46,000 crore at Katra including the 272 km long Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link(USBRL) project. The USBRL project, constructed worth around Rs 43,780 crore, includes 36 tunnels and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration. He will also lay the foundation stone of road widening project from Rafiabad to Kupwara on National Highway-701 and the construction of Shopian bypass road on NH-444 worth over Rs 1,952 crore. Besides, the Prime Minister will also inaugurate two flyover projects at Sangrama Junction on National Highway-1 in Srinagar and at Bemina Junction on National Highway-44. These projects will ease traffic congestion and enhance traffic flow for the commuters. Also, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Katra, worth over Rs 350 crore. It will be the first medical college in the Reasi district, contributing substantially to the healthcare infrastructure in the region. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday flagged off the Vande Bharat train from Katra, the base town of the Vaishnodevi shrine, in Jammu and Kashmir. Vande Bharat Express trains connecting Katra and Srinagar will reduce travel time significantly, making the journey between the two locations in just three hours. Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah were present at the occasion. Advertisement This project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between Kashmir and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration. Advertisement The trains are equipped with climate-specific adaptations and provide heating at sub-zero temperatures, along with defrosting elements embedded on the drivers lookout glass. They will offer a swift, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, pilgrims among others. Additionally, there will be the incorporation of heated windscreens and thermally insulated lavatories. A key impact of this train would be that, moving along the Chenab bridge, it will take just about three hours to travel between Katra and Srinagar, reducing the existing travel time by two-three hours. Earlier, Prime Minister Modi dedicated the Chenab bridge, the worlds highest rail arch bridge, and the Anji Bridge to the nation. The century-old dream to provide a rail link to Kashmir with the rest of the country has become a reality now. Prime Minister Modi waved the Tiranga as he inaugurated the Chenab bridge. The launch of the train service was earlier scheduled for 19 April but was postponed given bad weather conditions predicted for that day. Further delay was caused because of the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack, followed by Operation Sindoor in which the Indian Armed Forces carried out strikes on terror infrastructures and military installations deep inside Pakistan and PoJK from 7 to 10 May. #WATCH | PM Modi speaks with J&K CM Omar Abdullah, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw & Union Minister Jitendra Singh as he watches an exhibition on USBRL (Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link) project; also interacts with people who worked on the project. #KashmirOnTrack pic.twitter.com/ieJRDpzT9R ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2025 Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally received an invite from his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on Friday to attend the 51st G7 Summit to be held at Kananaskis in Alberta from June 15-17. Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister @MarkJCarney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month, Mr Modi wrote on X. Advertisement He said that as vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests. He said he looks forward to his meeting with the Canadian PM at the summit. Advertisement There were speculations that Modi may not receive the invite for the summit in Canada, given the chill in bilateral ties. The two countries downgraded diplomatic ties after Justin Trudeau, the then Canadian PM, alleged in 2023 the potential involvement of the Indian establishment in the killing of Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. New Delhi rejected the charge as absurd and motivated. The G7, an informal forum of seven major industrialised democracies, comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Usually, G7 host countries invite some countries as guest countries or outreach partners. Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari wrote to Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma with a request to concede the demand of RAS aspirants for rescheduling of the dates of state administrative service (RAS-Main 2024) examination. In her letter, the former princess of erstwhile Jaipur state, told the chief minister that representatives of the RPSC met her with a request to defer the main exam scheduled to be held on June 17 and 18. They have informed me that interviews for the final selection in the RAS 2923 batch are still in progress and the final result of the 2023 batch of examinees is yet to be announced, Ms Kumari said. Advertisement A large number of aspirants, who could not make it to the final merit list in the 2023 examination, may be required to appear at 2024 exams. Since, 2024 exams are scheduled for June 17 and 18, such candidates wont be in a position to take a timely decision on appearing or dropping the next attempt in RAS-2024. Hence, it would be appropriate to consider the examinees demand to defer the exams to a reasonable time, the Dy CM, who is incharge of the Finance portfolio, requested the CM in her letter. Advertisement Around 21,540 candidates are eligible to appear for the examination on June 27-18. Many of them have also appeared for the ongoing interviews. SAN FRANCISCO, June 5 (Xinhua) -- A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked U.S. President Donald Trump's visa ban on Harvard's foreign students. U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order that prohibits anyone from "implementing, instituting, maintaining, enforcing, or giving force or effect to the Presidential Proclamation" that Trump issued Wednesday. Thursday's order will reinstate international students' ability to enter the country to attend Harvard until a hearing on June 16. In granting the order blocking implementation of Trump's proclamation and the effort of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Burroughs wrote that she was acting "to preserve the status quo pending a hearing." Burroughs deemed that Harvard had made a "sufficient showing" that the proclamation would sustain "immediate and irreparable harm" unless a temporary restraining order was granted. Trump's proclamation targeting Harvard followed an attempt by the DHS late last month to limit Harvard's ability to enroll foreign students by revoking its certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which was temporarily blocked by Burroughs. Burroughs also announced that the court would extend the temporary restraining order first granted to Harvard on May 23 until June 20, or until a preliminary injunction order can be issued. Harvard University filed a legal challenge in federal court on Thursday against the Trump administration's ban on international students from entering the United States on visas to attend Harvard. The filing came less than 24 hours after Trump issued a proclamation suspending entry for foreign nationals intending to study at Harvard. The university alleged the administration's action was designed to circumvent an earlier court order that had blocked the DHS from banning international enrollment at Harvard. Speculation has been rife that the Udhhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and the Raj Thackeray-led MNS are likely to arrive at some sort of a mutually beneficial political understanding and there is a strong sentiment in the minds of a significant section of Maharashtrian voters that both the Thackerays must come together in the interest of Maharashtra. Uddhav on Friday said, Whatever is in the minds of the people of Maharashtra will happen. I will give the news soon, when asked about the possibility of joining hands with his cousin Raj Thackeray and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) which he leads. Advertisement Uddhav Thackerays statement about whatever is in the minds of the people of Maharashtra refers to the sentiment among Maharashtrian voters for both Shiv Sena and MNS to come together. Advertisement There is no confusion in the minds of Shiv Sainiks and there is no confusion in the minds of their (MNS) workers either, Uddhav Thackeray added, after he was asked about the possibility of a Shiv Sena-MNS tie-up. Uddhavs latest statement came within hours after MNS chief Raj Thackerays son Amit Thackeray said that Political alliances arent formed through media sound bytes or newspaper headlines. Direct dialogue is necessary. The two brothers should speak. Some of us talking about this issue will not make any difference. I dont have any issue with the two brothers coming together. Responding to what Raj Thackerays son Amit Thackeray stated, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP and official spokesperson Sanjay Raut who is in New Delhi said, I have known Amit Thackeray since his birth. He is a sweet person and his statements are also sweet. I welcome the feeling that he has as an uncle would. His statements are very good. Adityas role is also very good. Sanjay Raut said, We are positive and even the workers of Shiv Sena and MNS are meeting each other. The morale of workers of both parties has increased due to our leaders taking a positive stand. We are positive. Honorable Raj Thackeray is positive. His colleagues are positive. Honorable Uddhav Thackeray is positive. If the workers of both the parties on the ground have become united because they are very positive, then there is no reason for any concern. When asked about Amit Thackerays statement, Sanjay Raut said, All these children (Raj Thackerays son Amit Thackeray and Uddhavs son Aaditya Thackeray) have been brothers since before their birth. They must be in touch. You will see the fruit. The process has started. I am absolutely sure that after a few days you will say that the tree has borne a lot of fruit. In another indication about which way political winds are blowing, MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande, who had harshly criticised Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut until recently, tweeted a photograph on his X handle, which shows (Sandeep Deshpande) reading Sanjay Raut recently published Marathi book Narkatala Swarg (Heaven Within Hell), along with a suggestive caption There is nothing to hide. While addressing media persons in Worli on Wednesday, Aaditya Thackeray who represents the Worli assembly constituency was asked about the possibility of the Shiv Sena and MNS coming together, to which he replied, We have made our stand clear. We are ready to work together with anyone who is ready to come forward to fight for protecting Maharashtras interests. Aaditya Thackeray reference was to a joint protest held by workers of both the Uddhav-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Raj Thackeray-led MNS last week against an incomplete bridge in Kalyan-Dombivli, as an example of his partys readiness to work with the MNS. We know what people want and our intentions are clear, Aaditya Thackeray said. On Wednesday, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena MLA Sunil Prabhu said in Kolhapur that All Marathi people in Maharashtra want to see Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray working together. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met with the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and highlighted that a strong India-Central Asia partnership serves as a force multiplier in addressing shared regional and global challenges. In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi said, Delighted to meet with the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. India deeply cherishes its historical ties with the countries of Central Asia. Look forward to working together to further deepen our cooperation in trade, connectivity, energy, fintech, food security and health for mutual progress and prosperity. We stand firm and resolute in our collective fight against terrorism. Advertisement The Ministers briefed the Prime Minister on the positive and productive discussions held during the 4th Meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue, that was held in New Delhi, earlier during the day. Advertisement According to the Prime Ministers Office (PMO), PM Modi emphasised that relations with the Central Asian countries have always been a key priority for India. Building upon the strong foundation of our historic people-to-people ties, he (PM Modi) shared his vision for greater economic interconnections, expanded connectivity, enhanced defence and security cooperation, and comprehensive collaboration in new and emerging areas, the Prime Ministers Office said in a statement. The Central Asian Foreign Ministers strongly condemned the 22 April 2025 terrorist attack in Pahalgam and conveyed their support for Indias fight against cross-border terrorism. The Prime Minister extended an invitation to the leaders of all Central Asian countries for the Second India-Central Asia Summit to be held in India. There was a time ~ albeit not very long ago ~ when the term, higher education, (HE), meant chiefly teaching educational programmes at higher (postsecondary) levels in diverse disciplines and academic research conducted in educational institutions such as colleges and universities funded, in large part, by the state for promotion and cultivation of such precious public goods as scientific (original) inventions, new knowledge, new theoretical/analytical discovery and insights into major dimensions of human history, society, arts and culture. Unlike primary or secondary schools which impart universal basic education, the HE-arena was historically supposed to be thronged by those who happen to have not only proven intellectual superiority but also an innate thirst for deeper knowledge/truth and its persistent scholarly pursuits. This is how the HE-system has been, for long, perhaps until the 1970s, a distinguished, sustainable and steady source of overall societal progression and flourish ~ scientifically, technologically, socially, politically and culturally. However, there has been an unpalatably skewed participation in HE by elite and socio-economically well-off sections of population ~ a fact which has reflected, for long, a social injustice rooted in the economic and political systems as a breeding-ground of perennial inequality in the distribution of income and wealth. Lately ~ especially over the post-WWII decades ~ many concerted criticisms and analyses of this historical inequity in traditional HE have been voiced chiefly from political standpoints and mainly by socio-political activists. However, these ca mpaigns for greater equality in HE in terms of participation of all classes and castes seems often to remain oblivious to the historic fact that it is only the intellectually able and innately academic-minded candidates, and not other members even of the elite and wealthy families, that used to get admission to institutions of higher learning and research. Advertisement Although this reflects squarely a top priority that used to be traditionally accorded to the maintenance of intellectual excellence and standards of HE, this should by no means be construed as an alibi for stark social inequity manifest in a disproportionately meagre participation of candidates from socio economically weaker sections of whom many naturally are born with no less intellectual potential and innately academic inclinations than their counterparts from well-to-do households. Most of the former group remain deprived of HE, because their households cannot afford to spare even a single adult family member ~ however academically brilliant and motivated ~ for higher learning for even a single year without working and contributing to the survival of the family itself. Advertisement Therefore, there has historically been a provision of scholarships and benevolent support from state or private sources for HE of such potentia lly outstanding candidates of the underprivileged section, Dr B. R Ambedkar, one of the finest intellectual stalwarts of India of the preceding century with superior education and exposure abroad, being one of its glaring illustrations. However, this cannot hide the basic historic fact that many intellectually gifted and academic-minded youth from socio-economically weaker households remain deprived of HE opportunities both because of extreme paucity of scholarships as well as inordinately high opportunity cost for households steeped in abject poverty. Historically, HE, thus, has remained restrictive on the premise of a basic (natural) axiom of inequality in individual intellectual endowment and talent. That is, human beings of high intellectual calibre, ability and academic inclination are born naturally to be fewer in number and are also distributed randomly across an entire cohort of a population, irrespective of class, caste and creed. This perfectly echoes what the illustrious modern Bengali poet of the last century Jibanananda Das, writes in his proverbial statement: All are not poets, but a few are poets [authors own translation of the Bengali sentence into English]. Accordingly, it would not be unreasonable to presume that there must have been many Nobel-prize winners over the entire preceding century who came from very underprivileged socio-economic backgrounds. This is, of course, not to deny that at any given point of time a society would have had many more intellectual stalwarts originating in weaker socio-econo mic backgrounds if provisions of scholarships and/or financial assistance for this group would have been larger both in terms of amount and number than has been the case historically and globally. Thus, a common bid across the globe (except a few countries like India) to address the necessity of taking intellectually gifted candidates from underprivileged families on board at HE institutions has never been a policy of reserving a fixed proportion of seats in colleges or universities for students from deprived classes or castes, not to mention additional relaxa tions in stipulated intellectual and volitional abilities at the time of admission. This reflects a longstanding pragmatic conviction particularly in these societies that academic standard and excellence in HE, unlike in universal school education, is too precious to be compromised under any circumstances ~ let alone in the name or cause of social equity or justice. However, of late ~ especially after WWII ~ in the wake of neoliberal projects of massification, marketization and privatization of HE, the western world has embraced affirmative action to widen participation [read market demand] in HE of youth from underprivileged sections sometimes almost indiscriminately (i.e. irrespective of levels of intellectual ability and academic volition stipulated officially for admission) via arguably a backdoor of invoking a notion of plurality of students per se (in terms of racial, cultural, ethnicity traits), which, it is argued, exerts an independent influence towards achieving greater efficacy of HE. Apart from the fact that this plurality-argument for relaxations, if necessary, in academic eligibility in the admission process has been frowned upon in apex court judgements in most Western nations, the recent research appears distinctly uncertain and unclear over the extent of realization or realizability of purported effects of increased diversity via affirmative action on the academic performance of students from disadvantaged groups or the achievement of the goal of social integration and equity in HE campuses (For evidence on this see my recent monograph Higher Education and Intellectual Retrogression: The Neoliberal Reign, New York/London: Routledge, 2023). Indeed, there exists a lingering concern about affirmative actions potentially plausible effects towards lowering overall academic standards of HE. For example, a special adviser to the Education Secretary in UK wrote in 2013: Although they would not put it like this, most prominent people in the education world tacitly accept that failing to develop the talents of the most able is a price worth paying to be able to pose as defenders of equality. In this broad global scenario of affirmative action in HE, the Indian line of thinking is unique for its sustained advocacy of a policy of reservation/ qu ota, which is often coupled with relaxations, if necessary, in academic eligibility for admission of students from constitutionally disadvantaged sections and castes (especially when reserved seats are not filled up by adhering to a common set of stipulated academic criteria for admission to HE institutions). All this, while being heavily instrumental in massive expansion of enrolment from underrepresented social categories, together with increased diversity of teaching courses, very often ends up at a point of no return, if not negative returns, at the societal level. The clue to such outcome is not very far to seek. The admission of pupils from socio-economically weaker sections to HE institutions via both reservation and relaxation of eligibility criteria often has a great potential of diluting overall academic standards of education which in turn frustrates the core philosophy behind HE. This is mainly because of the evidently limited success ~ or perhaps even failure ~ of the commonly perceived catching-up effects on the intellectually weak students admitted via reservation. Therefore, this uniquely Indian policy of reservation in admission to HE institutions, when coupled with academic relaxation for admission of academically weaker students from reserved categories, effectually grafts a group with lower academic merit onto a meritorious majority (which comprises of students from all socio-economic categories), and often proves to be misplaced. This is because of two intertwined reasons. HE ~ in contrast to elementary/higher secondary education ~ ideally is not meant to be a major vehicle for achieving the goal of social justice, since social injustice stems from outcomes of a complex interplay of many societal forces such as political economy, history, culture, politics and religion. Secondly, any attempt at grafting a small group of low intellectual calibre, thereby exposing them to a uniform undiluted curriculum and academic standard, has often been a major cause of tre m endous tension and stress am ong students of weak merit, manifesting itself in diverse forms including depression and related mental torments culminating sometimes into incidents of suicide on campus. The universal right to school education or universal adult franchise in elections in a democracy is a notion which is eminently inapplicable in case of HE for the simple reason that it calls for superior intellectual abilities and passionate academic motivations ~ some distinct inherently cognitive resources which cannot be manufactured or injected. Let this clear and natural dictum followed perennially in the sphere of HE not be allowed to be muddled by letting political interests or sentiments interfere with the socially sacrosanct domain of higher learning and research. Its corollary, of course, is a manifold expansion and liberality in the provision of scholarships and other financial support to the meticulously identified cohort of genuinely meritorious candidates with an innate academic affinity happening to come from socio-economically underprivileged and deprived sections of the society and polity. (The writer is an independent Scholar and former Rajiv Gandhi Chair Professor in Contemporary Studies, Central University of Allahaba) In the rapidly evolving world of healthcare, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force. Its integration into pharmacy and medical education is not just a possibility it is an ongoing revolution. Across India and particularly in Odisha, a state known for its growing healthcare infrastructure and pharmaceutical hubs, AI is poised to play a crucial role in reshaping how medicines are developed, dispensed, and taught. Today, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, medical colleges, and pharmacists are aligning closely with AI technologies, creating a robust ecosystem of collaboration. This partnership is no longer futuristic its todays reality. And if nurtured properly, Odisha could become a model for the rest of the nation. The pharmacy profession, long reliant on human expertise, now finds a powerful ally in AI. From drug discovery and personalized medicine to supply chain management and patient care, AI is helping pharmacists and pharmaceutical companies perform with greater efficiency and accuracy. Traditional drug development takes years and costs billions. AI can reduce this drastically. AI algorithms analyze vast datasets from patient records to clinical trial results to predict how compounds will interact with the human body. This accelerates the discovery process. In Odisha, with its strong presence of generic pharmaceutical industries, AI can help in optimizing the development of cost-effective drugs that cater to both domestic and international markets. Advertisement AI enables personalized therapy by analyzing genetic, environmental, and lifestyle data. Pharmacists in Odisha can tailor medications based on AI-driven recommendations, minimizing side effects and enhancing efficacy. This is particularly beneficial in treating chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer, which are increasingly prevalent in the region. Many hospitals in Odisha especially government-run and private teaching hospitals struggle with overburdened staff and limited infrastructure. AI can streamline inventory management, prescription verification, and dosage accuracy. Chatbots and virtual assistants can support pharmacists and patients, improving consultation services even in rural and tribal areas. Advertisement AI is not here to replace pharmacists but to empower them. By automating repetitive tasks like stock checking or drug interaction analysis, pharmacists can focus more on patient care and clinical responsibilities. Many key roles can be enhanced by AI. Medication Therapy Management (MTM): AI systems can flag potential interactions, allergies, or redundant therapies, allowing pharmacists to intervene before problems arise. Patient Education: AI-driven tools can generate easy-to-understand medicine guides in multiple languages, including Odia, improving patient compliance. Remote Consultations: In underserved regions like Kandhamal or Malkangiri, pharmacists can consult patients virtually using AI platforms, bridging accessibility gaps. Odishas medical colleges such as SCB Medical College, MKCG, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, and newer institutions must evolve their curriculum to prepare future pharmacists and doctors for an AI-integrated future. Curricula must include: AI and Data Analytics Modules: Introduce practical courses on AI tools relevant to pharmacy and medicine. Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS): Train students to use AI systems in diagnostics and prescription analysis. Interdisciplinary Learning: Encourage collaboration between pharmacy, computer science, and data science departments. AI-powered simulation labs can allow pharmacy students to practice patient scenarios, improving their readiness for real-world situations. Hospitals and pharmaceutical companies are the biggest drivers for AI adoption in healthcare. In Odisha, companies like Imgenex, Medley Pharmaceuticals, and Bharat Biotechs local expansion plans offer a fertile ground for AI innovation. In addition, hospitals can create anonymous patient databases for AI model training. Hospital-linked innovation hubs can support AI-healthcare startups with funding and mentorship. The pharma industry can practice smart manufacturing using AI to monitor production quality in realtime, ensuring regulatory compliance. It can also aim for Supply Chain Optimization using machine learning to forecast demand, and reduce medicine shortages in remote districts. Just as millets once considered humble crops are now being hailed as smart foods due to their nutritional and climate-resilient properties, Odishas healthcare ecosystem may appear modest but holds enormous potential because of its resilience as despite limitations, pharmacists in rural Odisha work under difficult conditions and adapt quickly. As millets support local economies, strengthening pharmacy with AI can generate employment, retain talent, and improve public health. Finally, a successful AI model developed in Odisha can be replicated across India. While the benefits are clear, AI adoption in Odishas pharmacy sector faces challenges: Digital Infrastructure Gaps: Rural and tribal areas still lack high-speed internet, electricity, and basic digital literacy. Data Privacy Concerns: Patient data needs to be protected under robust cybersecurity policies. Skill Shortages: There is a lack of trained professionals who understand both pharmacy and AI. The solutions to these problems lie in Public-Private Partnerships and collaboration between the Odisha Government, AI startups, pharma companies, and educational institutions can create a supportive AI ecosystem. Offering tax benefits or grants for AI-driven pharmacy initiatives can attract innovation. Finally, the government can conduct workshops and webinars to educate pharmacists about AI applications. The bond between AI, pharmacy, pharmacists, medical institutions, and hospitals is not just a convenience it is a necessity for a healthier future. In Odisha, where challenges often coexist with opportunity, this friendship can bring transformational change. By focusing on localized solutions, skilling the workforce, and fostering innovation, AI can become not just a tool but a trusted friend in the mission to make healthcare accessible, affordable, and accurate. Just like millets, which are making a quiet but powerful comeback, AI in pharmacy may soon become the backbone of Odishas health revolution nourishing its people with smart, sustainable, and safe healthcare. (The writer is a M.Pharm student at UDPS, Utkal University.) The African Union (AU) has expressed concern over the potential negative impact of newly imposed travel restrictions by the United States, which affect nationals from several countries, including some in Africa. In a statement issued Thursday, the African Union Commission (AUC) acknowledged the sovereign right of all nations to protect their borders and ensure the security of their citizens. However, it urged the United States to exercise this right in a manner that is balanced, evidence-based, and reflective of the long-standing partnership between the United States and Africa. Advertisement Advertisement The AUC remains concerned about the potential negative impact of such measures on people-to-people ties, educational exchange, commercial engagement, and the broader diplomatic relations that have been carefully nurtured over decades, the statement said, Xinhua news agency reported. The AUC also called on the US administration to consider adopting a more consultative approach and to engage in constructive dialogue with the affected countries. US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation to ban travel from certain countries on Wednesday evening, citing national security risks. According to a release by the White House, the proclamation will fully ban the entry of nationals from 12 countries, namely Afghanistan, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. These countries were found to be deficient with regards to screening and vetting and determined to pose a very high risk to the United States, the release read. The proclamation will partially restrict the entry of nationals from seven countries Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. The travel ban is scheduled to take effect at 12:01 a.m. next Monday. The restrictions and limitations imposed by the Proclamation are necessary to garner cooperation from foreign governments, enforce our immigration laws, and advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives, the White House said. Exceptions to the ban include lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories, and individuals whose entry serves US national interests. During his first term, Trump announced a ban on travellers from seven countries, a policy that went through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018. Former President Joe Biden reversed the ban in 2021. The year 2024 ended with a record of 439 fatalities in road accidents the highest number in the last twenty years. In light of the serious situation, Israels National Road Safety Authority will hold a national emergency conference, led by the Ministry of Transportation and in cooperation with all professional bodies, with the aim of formulating immediate steps to curb the rising trend. The goal of the conference is to bring together all the key actors working in the field, and to constitute a turning point in the national fight against road fatalities. During the conference, operational steps will be presented to promote a comprehensive national plan to improve road safety and reduce the number of deaths and injuries. The Ministry of Transport and Road Safety called the setting of a new road fatalities record a disturbing statistic that indicates a continuing upward trend in fatal accidents on Israeli roads. Road accidents are a serious national problem that affects the entire public Jews and Arabs, religious and secular, men and women and requires joint, broad-based and immediate action. Advertisement Advertisement German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday that Germany supports NATOs large-scale military expansion plan, which is expected to be approved during the alliances defence ministers meeting in Brussels. However, the country is currently grappling with a significant shortage of troops. To meet the increased defence requirements under the plan, the German Bundeswehr will need to add 60,000 active-duty soldiers, Pistorius told the media ahead of the meeting. Given Germanys size and economic strength, we will shoulder a significant part of NATOs military build-up, he said. As the alliances traditional second-largest military force, we are continuing in that role. Advertisement NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte emphasised on Wednesday that the alliance needs more resources, troops, and capabilities to fully implement collective defence strategies and respond to any threat. He highlighted air and missile defence, long-range weapons systems, logistics, and large land force formations as top priorities. Advertisement However, Germany continues to face a persistent shortage of military personnel. Despite intensified recruitment efforts, the Bundeswehr saw a further decline in troop numbers last year, while the average age of soldiers continued to rise. According to the defence ministry, the total number of military personnel stood at approximately 181,000 by the end of 2024. Previously, Pistorius outlined a goal of expanding Germanys total military force to around 460,000, including 203,000 active-duty troops, 60,000 current reservists, and an additional 200,000 new reservists. He has since announced plans to establish and fully equip new large military formations. To support this expansion, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier signed a constitutional amendment in March to relax the countrys so-called debt brake, allowing greater government borrowing for defense and infrastructure investment. The move aims to bolster Germanys role in European security, Xinhua news agency reported. On the question of reinstating compulsory military service, Pistorius acknowledged that Germany currently lacks sufficient training and accommodation capacity. As a result, the country will maintain its voluntary military service system in the near term while gradually expanding capabilities. At the end of this month, NATO member states are expected to finalize new defence spending targets at a summit in The Hague. NATO chief Rutte has suggested members allocate 3.5 per cent of their gross domestic product to direct defence expenditure, and an additional 1.5 per cent for broader security-related spending by 2032. The Ukrainian forces on Thursday struck a unit of Russian missile forces in Russias Bryansk region, hitting Iskander launchers, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a statement. The strike was launched as a unit of Russias 26th missile brigade attempted to fire at a Ukrainian settlement, likely Kyiv, from the city of Klintsy, said the statement. Advertisement The targets were successfully hit. One Russian missile launcher detonated, and two others were likely damaged, it said. Advertisement The operation was conducted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in coordination with the Security Service and other agencies, Xinhua news agency reported. On Wednesday, Ukrainian forces had also attempted to attack the Crimean Bridge, but failed to cause any damage. There really was an explosion, nothing was damaged, and the bridge is working, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, responding to a question on Ukraines attempted attack on Tuesday. Traffic on the Crimean Bridge was briefly halted on Tuesday at 15:23 Moscow time (1223 GMT), according to the bridges official Telegram channel. The Security Service of Ukraine said Tuesday that it had struck the Crimean Bridge for the third time using underwater explosives, as about 1,100 kilograms of TNT-equivalent explosives were placed under the bridge and detonated. According to a video published by the Russian Federal Security Service on the same day, a detained suspect of the Crimean city admitted that he had made a bomb to commit a terrorist attack on orders from Kyiv. The blast caused damage to the bridges underwater support pillars. There were no civilian casualties, the statement issued by the Security Service of Ukraine said. The Crimean Bridge is a completely legitimate target, especially considering that the enemy used it as a logistical artery to supply its troops, Vasyl Malyuk, head of Security Service of Ukraine, was quoted in a statement as saying. According to a video published by the Russian Federal Security Service on Tuesday, a detained resident of the Crimean city of Feodosia admitted that he had made a bomb to commit a terrorist attack on orders from Kyiv. Ukraine had carried out attacks on the Crimean Bridge in 2022 and in 2023. The United States and Germany have backed India in its fight against terrorism in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam attack. The Indian all-party Parliamentary delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor met United States Vice President J D Vance in Washington on Thursday and apprised him about Operation Sindoor, terrorism faced by India and regional security. Advertisement The delegations visit to the US comes under Indias unprecedented diplomatic campaign to expose Pakistans sustained role in cross-border terrorism following the April 22 Pahalgam attack. Advertisement In a diplomatic outreach following Operation Sindoor, the Modi government has formed seven multi-party delegations to inform different nations about Pakistans links to terrorism and Indias strong message of zero tolerance for terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Tharoor is leading an all-party delegation to the US for Indias global outreach campaign of Operation Sindoor and the fight against Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism. After the delegations interaction with Vance, Tharoor said the delegation had an excellent meeting with the United States Vice President in Washington. Excellent meeting with Vice President J D Vance today in Washington D.C. with our delegation. We had comprehensive discussions covering a wide array of critical issues, from counter-terrorism efforts to enhancing technological cooperation. A truly constructive and productive exchange for strengthening India-US strategic partnership, with a great meeting of minds, Tharoor posted on X after the meeting. The All Party Parliamentary Delegation led by Dr. Shashi Tharoor called on Vice President J D Vance this morning. The conversation focused on strengthening the India-US partnership including cooperation in counter-terrorism domain, the Embassy of India in the United States posted on X. Meanwhile, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who is a member of the all-party delegation led by Tharoor, said they had a fantastic meeting with US Vice President JD Vance. Surya said that Vance expressed complete support for the Government of India in its fight against terrorism. Talking to a news agency, the BJP MP said Vance was clear that India exercised its right to deter further terrorist attacks from Pahalgam. He stated that Vance said he was a witness to the outrage and anger among people of India regarding the Pahalgam attack as he was in India when the terrorist attack took place. When asked about the delegations meeting with Vance, Surya said, We had a fantastic meeting with the Vice President of the United States of America. Vice President Vance was unequivocal, categorical in his support for Indias stance against terrorism. He was very clear that India exercised its right to deter further terrorist attacks from Pakistan and sympathised with the victims of the terror attack in Pahalgam. He mentioned that he himself was in India when the attack took place, and he also was a witness to the outrage and anger amongst the Indian people to this brutal and cruel terrorist attack. He also expressed complete support to the government of India in its fight against terror. He was also greatly appreciative of the responsible restraint that India showed even after repeated provocations by Pakistan and India very sternly dealing with the issue both militarily as well as diplomatically, Surya added. Vance was visiting India when the heinous Pahalgam terror attack took place on April 22. In a strong message of support and solidarity, the US Vice-President had also called Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strongly condemn the terror attack and convey that the United States is ready to provide all assistance in the joint fight against terrorism. On Friday, the Indian all-party Parliamentary delegation led by Tharoor also met with Senator Andy Kim, member of the US Senate Homeland Security Committee, and briefed him on the Pahalgam terror attack, emphasising Indias strong resolve to respond swiftly to any similar incidents in the future. The delegation also talked about fruitful areas for cooperation, which include entrepreneurship, trade, technology, and counterterrorism. The Indian parliamentary delegation led by Dr. @ShashiTharoor had a wonderful conversation with @SenatorAndyKim, Member of the US Senate Homeland Security Committee, and briefed him on the heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Indias measured and precise response during Operation Sindoor, and our firm resolve to respond swiftly to any such incidents in the future. The conversation also spanned productive areas of cooperation, including entrepreneurship, trade, technology, and counterterrorism! the Indian Embassy in the US wrote in a post on X. Meanwhile, another Indian all-party Parliamentary delegation led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday held a productive interaction with Omid Nouripour, Vice-President of Bundestag, the German Parliament, deeply appreciating Germanys strong and unequivocal support for Indias principled stand against terrorism. The delegates conveyed Indias firm response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and briefed about Operation Sindoor, reiterating the countrys zero tolerance for terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Later, the delegation also met Bundestags Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee Armin Laschet and other members and former ministers, including Ralph Brinkhaus and Hubertus Heil. The delegation conveyed Indias unwavering stand for zero tolerance for terrorism and outlined its resolve to not give in to nuclear blackmail. The leaders noted growing momentum in strategic partnership between India-Germany and joint role in ensuring global peace and security. Following the conclusion of a productive and impactful visit to Belgium, the delegation had arrived in Germany late Thursday for the final leg of their engagements in Western Europe. The delegation is a part of the Indian governments ongoing diplomatic outreach under Operation Sindoor and its unwavering adherence to a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism. Beijing reported steady progress in air quality in 2024. The number of days with good air quality reached 290, an increase of 114 days compared with 2013 and the highest number on record. #GLOBALink Saint-Laurent, QC (H4T1V6) Today Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 72F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Showers early, then cloudy overnight. Low 61F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Saint-Laurent, QC (H4T1V6) Today Isolated thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High around 70F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall possibly over one inch.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Cloudy skies after midnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 61F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Donald Trump and Elon Musk first locked horns over the new budget bill. However, things took a nasty turn after Elon Musk stated that the US President would not have gotten elected without the billionaires help. Trump was quick to reply, implying that Tesla and SpaceX could be in the crosshairs of the government. The easiest way to save money in our budget, billions and billions of dollars, is to terminate Elons governmental subsidies and contracts, Trump posted on Truth Social. Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public, Musk shot back, accusing the sitting US President of being in the sealed evidence that led to the arrest of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2019. Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the greatest bills ever presented to Congress. Its a record cut in Expenses, $1.6 trillion dollars, and the biggest tax cut ever given. If this bill doesnt pass, there will be a 68 per cent tax increase, and things far worse than that. I didnt create this mess; Im just here to FIX IT, Trump doubled down. Teslas stock slump shaved off gains from the past two months of healthy rise after Musk announced that Tesla would test an autonomous, driverless robotaxi service in Texas in June. MORE | Did Donald Trump humiliate Elon Musk? POTUS was on 'full alpha mode', Tesla boss stood like 'a schoolboy': Body language expert The latest friction between Musk and Trump could mean the latter might delay the entry of self-driving taxis, in turn harming Tesla. The electric car maker is also struggling with unsold stock, and the release of the widely polarising Cybertruck did not help matters. Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives told agencies that a heightened regulatory environment could delay Teslas goal of rolling out robotaxis in 20 to 25 cities next year. Another company that is getting hit by the shrapnel of the Trump-Musk proverbial shootout is SpaceX. Trumps threat of cutting government contracts seems to target SpaceX more, with the firm receiving billions of dollars to do work for NASA and provide launches to the International Space Station. Starlink, SpaceXs satellite communications arm, might also face the brunt of the battle after it recently decided to expand to Saudi Arabia and even India. However, the major market-based concerns point to the decay of the Tesla stock. During the November presidential election, a whopping $450 billion was added to Tesla in a span of four weeks as investors bet on easing regulatory oversight due to the Trump friendship. This led to the Tesla stock hitting its all-time high a month later on Dec 17. But Musks time as the head of DOGE dented Teslas reputation, including product boycotts. As of Friday, when the US markets closed, Musks own holdings of Tesla stock lost $20 billion in value after shares of the electric vehicle maker plunged more than 14 per cent. More and more investors dumped their positions on Tesla as the tussle between the US president and the worlds richest man overflowed into social media. BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- On a crisp spring morning, Wang Bing navigated frost-rimmed paths toward her office at the government building of Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a windswept frontier perched 4,000 meters above sea level on the Pamir Plateau. Last year, the 24-year-old from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in north China had joined 44 peers in the "Go West" program, trading city life for a government audit role in one of China's most remote regions. Her sun-burned cheeks tell a story shared by hundreds of thousands -- generations redefining success through service in the nation's hinterlands. Wang's journey mirrors a seismic shift among China's youth. Since its launch in 2003, China's "Go West" program has enabled 540,000 young volunteers to serve across over 2,000 county-level regions in the country's vast, underdeveloped western regions for a year or more, according to the Communist Youth League of China. The talent program seeks to bring fresh perspectives and energy to areas with significant growth potential. In Kuqa City's No. 3 Middle School, Liu Daqian from Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) in northeast China, helps his students, who once "struggled to hold a mouse," to practice robot programming. In January 2024, an HIT alumni-founded company donated an AI laboratory to the school. That same year, two student teams mentored by HIT volunteer teachers won national competition awards, setting a new record for southern Xinjiang. "I studied bridge engineering, and I want to build that same kind of bridge, one that connects children to a bigger world," said Liu, who teaches geography. To his students, the witty and humorous teacher from Heilongjiang Province possesses a magical charm -- he always seems to have the answer to every question. Of those in the "Go West" program, over 55,000 volunteers have served in Xinjiang, a region covering one-sixth of China's territory, with more than 15,000 choosing to remain in Xinjiang long term, the regional Communist Youth League Committee revealed. Wang Jiamin, meanwhile, has returned to familiar territory but in a new role. After earlier teaching in rural Yunnan Province in southwest China via this program, the Beijing Foreign Studies University graduate has gone back to Yunnan after her stint as a student in the Chinese capital, this time serving as a civil servant. Calling Yunnan her "second hometown," Wang expressed excitement about trekking through the fields and visiting the homes of villagers to persuade families to send their children back to school. There are also rooted professionals active in rural settings in the west of China. Dressed in pink scrubs and gloves, 29-year-old veterinarian Bai Hua deftly examined a cow in Guyuan of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, where she was born into a cattle farming family and has practiced as a veterinarian for a decade since graduating from a local vocational-technical school. "Field vets must travel village-to-village daily and most can't handle it," she said, recalling initial skepticism from farmers about her petite frame. "But skill outweighs size," she added. Her team now treats over 100 livestock daily -- providing critical expertise to remote farms. Youth-driven innovation is transforming rural economies. In the mountainous areas of Longnan, northwest China's Gansu Province, tech-savvy entrepreneur Zhao Wuqiang could be seen live-streaming his walnut oil products to national audiences. A former software engineer in eastern China, Zhao made a pivotal career shift 14 years ago. His foresight of China's internet boom and his hometown's untapped potential combined to create a 380-million-yuan (about 52.9 million U.S. dollars) business integrating more than 200 farming cooperatives, establishing direct farm-to-table supply chains while modernizing walnut cultivation for some 12,000 farmer households. "Upgraded rural internet infrastructure and logistics networks have been game-changers for our e-commerce growth," Zhao said. The ex-programmer's company has garnered 130,000 followers on social media platforms. Official statistics showed that as of the end of 2024, over 90 percent of China's administrative villages had achieved 5G network coverage, with gigabit broadband networks now available in all county-level regions. Notably, rural logistics infrastructure has also seen significant enhancement, with 346,000 integrated mail and delivery service stations now operational at village level -- providing express delivery access to more than 95 percent of the country's administrative villages. As China accelerates its agricultural modernization, a growing wave of urban youth are returning to their rural roots. In Anji County of east China's Zhejiang Province, an eco-tourism hotspot which drew over 34 million visitors last year, Ding Chuxiao, 27, blends design flair with tea culture and farm experiences. Ding's creative teahouse showcases her artistic vision through bamboo products, white tea caddies and canvas bags with ink-wash painted tea hills, capitalizing on Anji's booming rural tourism. The slower pace there fuels her creativity, and Ding's business now generates revenue of more than 100,000 yuan annually. China's urban-rural development model preserves rural landscapes while injecting modern elements, addressing agricultural gaps to achieve shared prosperity. "Young people bring fresh perspectives and market savvy to identify new opportunities in rural revitalization," said Xue Zelin, a senior fellow and secretary of the Communist Youth League Committee of Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. To date, more than 12 million people have returned to or settled in rural areas to start businesses across China, according to Han Wenxiu, executive deputy director of the Office of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs, who noted that human capital is fundamental to rural revitalization, emphasizing the need to leverage the countryside's abundant opportunities to attract talent while utilizing its pleasant and scenic living conditions to retain them. "Even deep in the mountains, if you settle in with commitment and perseverance, you'll grow upward and see the promise of rural revitalization," Zhao said. The Indian Navy is spearheading a unique campaign to expand mangrove plantations across coastal belts in the country as part of the World Environment Day celebrations. The Indian Navy, which reaffirmed its commitment to a cleaner and greener future, is engaging prominent environmental experts to assess existing plantations and initiate fresh drives. A defence ministry release said the Navy remains steadfast in its mission to uphold environmental stewardship, working tirelessly to drive sustainability while safeguarding India's rich maritime ecosystem. As part of Environment Day 2025, which focuses on putting an end to plastic pollution globally, naval units and establishments nationwide have launched an extensive set of initiatives, driving the transformation towards a cleaner and greener environment. ALSO READ: How all-women crew of Indian Army, Navy, Air Force officers braved high sea, fatigue to sail into history "As a force committed to environmental responsibility, the Indian Navy continues to accelerate its shift towards renewable energy and minimise its ecological footprint through sustainable practices. With its Green Initiative Programme gaining momentum, occasions like World Environment Day serve as pivotal milestones to reinforce the Navy's commitment to global environmental efforts," the statement from the ministry read. Tree re-plantation drives have also been initiated to reinforce local ecosystems and contribute to carbon sequestration. Using advanced replantation techniques, trees ranging from two to seven years of age are being carefully relocated to maximize their environmental impact. The Indian Navy has also organised nationwide beach clean-up drives at coastal stations, fostering large-scale participation among Naval, DSC, and Defence civilian personnel, along with their families. Recognising the crucial role of education in environmental conservation, interactive sessions, lectures, and workshops have been conducted across naval stations, office premises, and residential quarters. Barely a few weeks after the tense four-day military stand-off between India and Pakistan following the dastardy Pahalgam terror attack, reports emerge that Pakistan's plan to procure the highly advanced fifth-generation fighter jets from China has just been expedited. Pakistan is set to get the Shenyang FC-31 Gyrfalcon', the export variant of J-35A, which will be equipped with PL-17 air-to-air missile (AAM), in a few months, if reports are to be believed. The fighter jets will begin arriving within months, Janes quoted an unidentified senior Pakistani official as saying. Pakistani pilots are already training in Chinathe biggest arms supplier to Islamabad to operate the FC-31. While there is little information available yet on the tactical and technical data regarding the stealth aircraft, it is expected to have as many as six internal suspension points for missiles, precision weapons, and bombs, besides the external suspension points. The PL-17 fitted onto the aircraft is expected to have a range of 400 km. ALSO READ: Can India afford to wait for a decade for fifth-generation fighter jet AMCA while Pakistan gets Chinese stealth jets? Designed for air superiority, air interdiction, and precision strikes, FC-31which China positions as a counter to US-made fifth-gen fighter F-35 reportedly incorporates edge-aligned control surfaces, serpentine engine inlets, sawtooth-edged compartment doors, and radar-absorbent materials or enhanced stealth. Earlier, Pakistani Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu had said, the foundation for acquiring the J-31 stealth fighter aircraft has already been laid. The acquisition of the fighter jets by Pakistan is seen as a move to bridge the air superiority capability gap with India, whose indigenous fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is expected to take at least a decade to be fully inducted. Addressing an event at the US embassy in Islamabad on June 5, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised US President Donald Trump for his role in helping deescalate the situation with Indiaa claim New Delhi has publicly denied. He also urged Washington to facilitate a comprehensive dialogue between the two nuclear neighbours. This request comes even as New Delhi intensifies its efforts to expose Pakistan's involvement in cross-border terrorism through Operation Sindoor. His remarks are echoed by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari who leads a high-powered delegation to Washington in a global diplomatic push for support for Pakistan. Bhutto credited Trump's diplomacy for the ceasefire and suggested the US mediation could foster broader negotiations. He remarked, With the intervention of the international communityand I would like to mention the role played by President Trump and his team led by Secretary of State Marco Rubiowe managed to achieve a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. This is a welcome first step, but its only a first step. India has been piqued by calls for intervention by US Vice President J.D. Vance and Rubio, but particularly with Trumps rhetoric. The US President has been publicly claiming credit for brokering what he called a historic ceasefire between India and Pakistan. Pronouncements like I said, fellas, come on, lets make a deal. Lets do some trading, have met with disappointment in India. His uninformed approach falsely equated India and Pakistan, disregarding the fact that a terrorist attack provoked New Delhis response. Despite Indias outright denial, the Pakistanis have backed Trump's claim of brokering a ceasefire. Bhutto noted, If America can help sustain this ceasefire, its role in arranging a comprehensive dialogue would benefit both nations. It is clear that the Pakistani leadership is paying court to Trumps tendency to claim triumph over international conflicts. Although his interventions generally indicate a broader pattern of diplomatic failures, as is evident in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. During the India-Pakistan standoff, Pakistans missile strikes reportedly failed to inflict damage on India. In contrast, Indian precision strikes effectively targeted military installations across the border, including an F-16 hangar at Bholari air base. India substantiated its claims with satellite imagery, contrasting sharply with Pakistans alleged reliance on nuclear brinkmanship to compel a ceasefire. Incidentally, even while seeking the US intervention in South Asia, Bilawal has warned that the risk of conflict between nuclear-armed neighbours had grown, not diminished, after the recent ceasefire, continuing to play nuclear brinkmanship. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, leading an all-party delegation to several nations including the US, clarified Indias position during discussions with Vice President Vance. Tharoor emphasised that mediation implies parity between conflicting sides, which does not exist between Indiaa victim of terrorand Pakistan, which he described as an incubator of terrorism. Sharif has reiterated Pakistans willingness to engage in dialogue with India during meetings in Turkiye, Iran, and Azerbaijan. Nonetheless, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has maintained that any talks with Pakistan would only focus on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, reinforcing India's stance that Operation Sindoor represents a new normal. The broader question lingers: does the West truly grasp the significance of the terrorist attack that precipitated this crisis? After Indias operation on May 7, there was no immediate reaction. However, on May 9, following an IMF bailout for Pakistan, the most intense military confrontation between India and Pakistan erupted. Some argue Pakistan waited for the IMF's green light before escalating hostilities. The ongoing concern in India extends beyond diplomatic relations with the US and global institutionsit questions why Pakistan is not held to the same standard as other nations when it comes to terrorism. Pakistans appeal to Trump's deal-making persona must be viewed with scepticism, a strategic attempt to shift focus from its role in terrorism and regain diplomatic leverage. Sharif has called on Washington to facilitate comprehensive talks between India and Pakistan on all outstanding issues, including Kashmir. Yet, India has consistently rejected third-party mediation, particularly in Kashmir, asserting that terror and talks cannot coexist. His statements appear to be part of Islamabads recurring attempts to internationalise the Kashmir issue, possibly as a means of deflecting attention from its alleged support of terrorism in South Asia. The events raise deeper concerns about how global powers weigh security threats and the inconsistencies in holding Pakistan accountable for its actions. The author is a security and economic affairs analyst. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK. The child star of Vittorio De Sicas Ladri di Biciclette (Bicycle Thieves) has passed away at 85. Starring at the age of 9 as 'Bruno Ricci' in the Oscar winning drama, Staiolas realist approach in the film brought a closer look towards the Italian Neo Realist era. Born on November 15, 1939 in Rome, Staiola is described as the last icon of Italian Neorealism, according to the Italian magazine Spettacolo.EU. In an interview with La Repubblica, Staiola shares his first encounter with De Sica. The famous director noticed the little boy when he was walking back from school. I was coming back from school and at a certain point I noticed this big car following me at walking pace, Staiola explained. Then this gentleman with gray hair, all dressed up, got out and asked me: Whats your name?, and I was silent. And he said: But dont you talk? I dont feel like talking, I replied. My mother always told me not to be too familiar if someone stopped us But De Sica followed me home. My parents recognized him right away. He was a famous actor. He sat at the table in our house and tried to convince them to let me act in his new film. But they didnt want to. De Sica offered the role to Staiola without any audition. Additionally, the maker of the masterpiece was also in search of working class authenticity for a realistic approach. Films made during the Italian Neo realist wave represented the harsh realities in the wake of the Second World War. Hence, an actual raw portrayal of everyday life, particularly highlighting the struggles of the working class and the poor was the spotlight of the film movement that emerged in Italy. Bicycle Thieves is also known as the face of Italian Neo Realism. Enzos character Bruno Ricci showcases one of the best onscreen depictions of childhood innocence. The film also won an Academy Award for Best Foreign-language Film. Staiolas other works include The Barefoot Contessa, 'Hearts Without Borders', 'Vulcano', 'Guilt is Not Mine' and 'A Tale of Five Women'. He then became a mathematics teacher and a longtime clerk in a land registry office after he stopped acting. Staiola has not only been a face of reality, but also one to be remembered in history. Good news for Harry Potter fans! Actor Tom Felton, most popularly known for his iconic role of Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter film franchise is reportedly reprising his role in the Broadway production Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. This is also the first time a star of the movies has joined the stage production. The play, co-devised by J.K. Rowling and written by Jack Thorne, the co-creator of Adolescence, began in 2016 in London, and has been running on Broadway since 2018. The play is an epilogue set nineteen years after the events of the final book; it follows the children of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy. The play is also the highest-grossing, non-musical play in Broadway history, and has sold over ten million tickets worldwide since its premiere in 2016. The actor, who starred in all the film adaptations of the famous novel from 2001 to 2011, will make his comeback fourteen years later on Broadway at the Lyric Theatre in New York, later this year. The production said that he was the first actor from the films to reprise their role on stage, and interestingly, this will be Feltons Broadway debut. Its very much a pinch-me situation. I keep thinking Im dreaming. I let go of that character sixteen years ago, and now I get to step back into his shoes, as a father this time, in a new story, Tom said to TODAYs Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin. We start nineteen years later, he says, Now were no longer children. We actually are the parents. So as much as it is reprising an old role for me, its very much treading into new, unfamiliar territory. I know him quite well as a kid. I dont know him that well as an adult. The actor also posted a teaser video on Instagram, donning Dracos iconic platinum blonde hair and black robes, reaching for his hand before asking, Scared, Potter? with the announcement, Draco is back. For Felton, reprising the role is a full-circle moment, as the actor would be the exact age as Draco is in the play. His run in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on November 11, will be for nineteen weeks, the production said on Thursday. In a joint statement, the producers of the famous Broadway production, Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender, said that they could not wait for Felton to perform once again with the same depth, gravity, and humanity he has always brought to Draco. It's not lost on us that this is a cultural moment charged with nostalgia, evolution, and emotion, they added. Tom's return to Hogwarts bridges generations of fans and breathes new life into a beloved story. We're beyond thrilled to welcome Tom back home but also into a new family: our Broadway company. A day after five senior police officers including the Bengaluru police commissioner got suspended citing dereliction of duty following the Chinnaswamy stadium stampede that claimed 11 lives, the Karnataka government on Friday shunted out the Intelligence chief ADGP Hemanth Nimbalkar, while relieving the MLC K. Govindaraju from the post of CMs political secretary with immediate effect. While Nimbalkar had taken over as state intelligence chief in September 2024, Govindaraju, also the president of Karnataka Olympic Association, had been appointed as CMs political secretary in June 2023. While Nimbalkar would continue as commissioner of the Department of Information and Public Relations, ADGP and principal secretary to the government S. Ravi succeeded Nimbalkar. The move comes following strong criticism from both cabinet ministers and the opposition parties for organising the RCB felicitation at the Vidhana Soudha. The BJP and JDS which held a joint press meet on Friday, accused the state government of unfairly targeting the police officers despite the latters advice against holding the two events in haste. Earlier in the day, BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra had questioned the chief minister for choosing to keep mum over the intelligence failure. The CM has suspended the commissioner and other senior police officers. But why has he not taken action against intelligence department officers? Is it because the department reports directly to the CM and suspending them would be an admission of guilt by the CM? But the CM has already admitted that there was intelligence failure by saying they did not expect 2-3 lakh people to turn up for the event, Vijayendra had taunted. Union minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had accused Govindraju of misleading the chief minister and forcing him to instruct the commissioner to comply and provide security for the felicitation ceremony of RCB players on the grand steps of the Vidhana Soudha. CM had refused to attend the KSCA event at the Stadium and asked if he should attend an event that was being funded by a liquor company. He insisted on having the event at Vidhana Soudha. On June 4, Govindaraju called the police commissioner at 7:30 am seeking bandobast in front of Vidhana Soudha. But the commissioner said it was not possible as cops had not slept the whole night due to bandobast during the victory celebrations (on June 3)," said HDK. He also advised against holding two events. "But Govindraju went to the CM and summoned the Commissioner to the CMs residence and Siddaramaiah asked the cops to follow his orders. The police were forced to deploy additional police at Vidhana Soudha. So, they deployed only a smaller contingent of KSRP constables at the stadium. No prior video conference or planning meeting was held by the police, Kumaraswamy had alleged. Kumaraswamy also narrated how the CM and Dy CM were not on the same page over the felicitations. On June 4, deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar was in Kanakapura to attend a court proceeding, when he was informed by his media secretary about the RCB team being felicitated at Vidhana Soudha. Shivakumar, who was in the dark about the Vidhana Soudha event went straight to HAL airport and felicitated the RCB team and handed over an RCB flag and a Kannada flag. He escorted the RCB team to the Taj hotel and dialled Home Minister to inquire about the Vidhana Soudha event. Now you know how they run the government, he mocked. It was a prestige battle between the CM and DCM. They suspended the police officers to escape from High Court rap when the (suo motu) case came up for hearing, alleged Kumaraswamy. With the Bihar polls approaching, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in his sixth visit to the state, this year, took the battle to the region and votebanks of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and NDA ally Jitan Ram Manjhi. Gandhi during his visit to Rajgir and Gaya sharpened his campaign pitch around caste census, social justice, and economic inequality. Speaking at the Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan (Constitution Protection Conference), Gandhi accused the BJP-led Centre of ignoring the voices of 90% of India's population, referring to OBCs, EBCs, Dalits and Adivasis, who, he said, remain largely excluded from institutions of power and high jobs. Gandhi also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government saying that the issue of caste census was not over as the government may like to bring out the exact figures. Through his conference centered on Constitution, he reached out to the marginalised communities. As he visited Dasrath Manjhi memorial and even met his family, it was clear that he was wooing the Manjhi community which trainable had been with Nitish Kumar and Manjhi. Dasrath Manjhi, also known as 'mountain man' had chiselled out a road through the mountain as the road to the main city was circuitous. He had lost his wife due to it. There is even a biopic made on his life. In a significant gesture, Gandhi met Bhagirath Manjhi, Dashrath Manjhis son. Party sources suggest Bhagirath could be fielded from the Bodh Gaya Assembly seat, signalling Congresss effort to re-engage with marginalised voters and grassroots icons. Gandhi said Rajgir was once a land of truth and justice. Today, it's seen as the crime capital of Bihar. The youth here migrate for jobs. Why are 90% of the people missing from top positions in business, healthcare or education, said Gandhi. Meanwhile, this invited a sharp retort from Union Minister Jitanram Manjhi saying had Gandhi come here during the Lalu era, he could have been kidnapped. In Gaya, Gandhi addressed a women's conference thus leaving little doubt that Congresss strategy was to woo Nitish Kumar's loyal vote bank. The Congress is hoping to fill the space in the post-Nitish scenario. Moreover, Rahul Gandhis solo outreach in Bihar without RJD or Tejashwi Yadav indicates a shift in the Congress strategy in Bihar as it wants to revive its party independent of the dominant ally. As BJP is making Operation Sindoor an election issue, Gandhi also took a dig at Prime Minister Modi for his silence on former US President Donald Trumps repeated claim that he stopped a war between India and Pakistan. Trump has said this 11 times. Modi hasnt denied it once. The truth is Trump made Modi surrender. Gandhi's multiple visits to the state have given a peek into the Congress strategy. The party is trying to woo the marginalised communities to revive its fortunes in the state. In New Jersey, USA, Prashant Bhushan has said that Indias judicial system was being dismantled under the current regime by using multiple agencies to create secret dossiers on the judges of the Supreme Court and threatening their children with jail time. Bhushan was delivering the keynote address at an event hosted by the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) on the State of Democracy in India, on Thursday. A note issued by the IAMC said that Bhushan had alleged that all agencies - including the Enforcement Directorate, the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Income Tax department, the National Investigation Agency and local police, are being used to create dossiers on every judge who is likely to become chief justice. He alleged the agencies and police have become largely tools of this government. He added that judges were told to toe the governments line, failing which they would be exposed, and their children jailed. Fear, inducements, and obstruction were being used to bend the courts while the Supreme Court was failing to defend its own authority, even as the government routinely violated legal norms around judicial appointments. Bhushan said this had blocked the selection of some independent judges, especially those belonging to the minority communities despite the collegium recommending them. He compared the judiciarys current state to its capitulation during the 197577 Emergency, when the Supreme Court infamously held that the right to life could be suspended. Beyond the judiciary, Bhushan described a dangerous consolidation of authoritarian power in India as democratic institutionsfrom constitutional watchdogs to the mediahad been systematically undermined and stripped of independence. He included the Election Commission of India and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in the list of those institutions that had bent to the will of the ruling party. Bhushan called for a civic resistance to the ruling partys propaganda machinery. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off the first Vande Bharat Express between Katra and Srinagar. The development marks a major milestone in connecting Kashmir with the rest of India by train. He also virtually flagged off another Vande Bharat Express from Srinagar to Katra, completing the long-awaited Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL). Flagged off Vande Bharat trains that connect Katra and Srinagar. Also had the opportunity to interact with these bright and energetic youngsters. Here are highlights from our interaction... pic.twitter.com/k0UY7ilI9Z Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 6, 2025 From June 7 onwards, two Vande Bharat trains will run daily between Katra and Srinagar, making four trips every day. The ticket fare is 715 for standard class and 1,320 for executive class. Train #26401 will leave Katra at 8:10 AM and reach Srinagar by 11:08 AM. It will return the same day at 2:00 PM and arrive in Katra at 4:58 PM. This service will not run on Tuesdays. Train #26403 will leave Katra at 2:55 PM and reach Srinagar by 5:53 PM. It will return the next morning, departing from Srinagar at 8:00 AM. This service will not run on Wednesdays. The launch of these trains is seen as a historic moment for Jammu and Kashmir, and is expected to improve travel for locals, boost tourism, and help the economy by making the region more accessible. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) is a major railway project launched to connect the Kashmir Valley with the Indian Railways network throughout the year. The project was approved in the mid-1990s and gained momentum in the 2000s. It covers a total distance of 272km. The USBRL passes through difficult mountain terrain and includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119km) and 943 bridges, including the iconic Chenab Bridgethe highest railway bridge in the world. The Chenab Bridge, located between Kauri and Bakal in Reasi, is the highest railway bridge in the world | Afcons Infrastructure The most challenging part of the project was the Katra-Banihal section, where engineers had to deal with steep mountains and tough rock conditions. With this segment now completed, trains can travel smoothly from Jammu to the Kashmir Valley. This rail link is expected to transform transportation in Jammu and Kashmir, making travel safer, faster, and more convenient. Senior IPS officer and ADGP Seemant Kumar Singh is the new Bengaluru police commissioner. Singh replaces B. Dayananda, who was suspended along with four other police officers citing "dereliction of duty", following the stampede that claimed 11 lives during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru victory celebrations outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday. A 1996-batch IPS officer, who was serving as the Additional Director-General of Police (Bengaluru Metropolitan Task Force), Singh has been appointed the 39th commissioner of Bengaluru City police. "I was asked to take charge immediately. I know the circumstances now are different. But I would say the Bengaluru City police and our officers have a history of having done good work. I too have worked in this office previously as an additional commissioner and DCP. We are capable of providing good policing in the city. All the previous police commissioners have done good work and made a name and I will continue their good work, said Singh who took charge on Friday morning. Singh has served in various capacities including commissioner of Mangaluru City (20102012), SP of Dakshina Kannada (20002004) and Ballari during the height of the illegal mining crisis in 2010, ADGP of now-dissolved Anti-Corruption Bureau, and IGP and commander, anti-Naxal Force, Udupi. He was awarded the presidents medal for distinguished service in 2014. NEW YORK, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Harvard University filed a legal challenge in federal court on Thursday against Trump administration's ban on international students from entering the United States on visas to attend Harvard. The filing came less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump issued a proclamation suspending entry for foreign nationals intending to study at Harvard. The university alleged the administration's action was designed to circumvent an earlier court order that had blocked the Department of Homeland Security from banning international enrollment at Harvard. "The President's actions thus are not undertaken to protect the 'interests of the United States', but instead to pursue a government vendetta against Harvard," the university wrote in the filing. President of Harvard Alan M. Garber issued a statement shortly after the court filing, saying that "singling out our institution for its enrollment of international students and its collaboration with other educational institutions around the world is yet another illegal step taken by the Administration to retaliate against Harvard." He added that the university was developing "contingency plans" to ensure that international students and scholars could continue to pursue their work at Harvard this summer and through the coming academic year. The latest filing is an amended lawsuit. Since April, the university had taken a string of court actions against the administration, as it refused to comply with a list of demands by the administration. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Jammu and Kashmir for the first time since the Pahalgam terror attack on Friday. Modi will inaugurate key railway projects and flag off the first Vande Bharat train to Kashmir in a grand event on Friday. The prime minister will also inaugurate key railway infrastructure projects - the Chenab Bridge and Anji Bridge, on Friday. Calling it a special day, Modi said the infrastructure projects will have "very positive impact on people's lives". The prime minister will be inaugurating development works worth Rs 46,000 crore in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. "In addition to being an extraordinary feat of architecture, the Chenab Rail Bridge will improve connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar. The Anji Bridge stands tall as Indias first cable-stayed rail bridge in a terrain that is challenging. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project ensures all-weather connectivity and the Vande Bharat trains from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Srinagar will boost spiritual tourism and create livelihood opportunities," the prime minister said in a post on X on Thursday. Though scheduled in April, the inauguration of the key projects got delayed due to inclement weather and the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. As many as 26 persons including a local horse owner, a Nepali citizen and 24 tourists lost their lives in the worst terror attack since the abrogation of Article 370 in the Valley. The terror attack was carried out by terrorists allegedly with Pakistani links. To avenge the killings, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 and struck terror launchpads at nine locations along the LoC. After days of heightened military operation, India and Pakistan agreed to stop firing on May 10. AI-based gaming platform maker Dreamloop AI won big at the Eureka! GCC startup competition, coming in third from over 400 contestants. Dreamloop AI is registered with Startup Infinity, Kerala Startup Missions incubation hub for foreign geography-facing firms. Dreamloop AIs offering was its AI platform Max2D, which even lets users as young as ten and as old as fifty create their own mobile games without even writing a single line of code. Max2D already has a 34 lakh user base. Dreamloop AI CEO Rahul A.R. said that the Max2D app on the Google Play Store lets anyone make a game without coding. He was in Dubai to receive the prize money from UAE Cabinet Member and Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahyan. Indian Ambassador to the UAE Sunjay Sudhir and GII CEO Pankaj Gupta were present at the event. Rahul also stated that they were gearing up for a plan to teach game development to children in schools and educational institutions across the UAE while thanking the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) and Startup Middle East for the opportunity. The event saw major startups from the GCC countries, India, the UK, Turkiye, Jordan, and Pakistan participate. From the 400-plus participants, 30 startups were selected for an entrepreneurial training programme. Dreamloop AI came third in the grand finale, where it went against ten other startups. Iran has reportedly ordered tonnes of material needed to produce solid fuel for ballistic missiles, including ammonium perchlorate, from China as it plans to rebuild its military capacity. The move comes after the Israeli offensive left Iran and its proxies weaker and its military capacities diminished. The shipment, including thousands of tonnes of military fuel, from China will arrive in Iran in the coming months, reported the Wall Street Journal. The fuel is enough to potentially manufacture up to 800 missiles. Some of these materials will likely the sent to militia groups, including Houthis in Yemen, the report added. Iran has been discreetly buying fuel for ballistic missiles from China for some time, especially since reports emerged that it had begun repairing the 12 "planetary mixers" used in the production of rocket fuel that were destroyed by Israel during last October's attack. Though the Islamic Republic is yet to confirm this, Iran's 'China link' came to light after the massive explosion in Bandar Rajai. It is said that the blast was caused after Ammonium perchlorate, an oxidizer, exploded. The material reportedly arrived at the Iranian port in mid-February and late March and was reportedly was enough to fuel about 260 short-range missiles. In 2022, US had seized a ship in the Gulf of Oman carrying more than 70 tons of ammonium perchlorate bound for Iran. However, the agreement to import the current shipment was likely signed months ago, much before Trump proposed nuclear talks with Iran in early March. The US had earlier too stated that Chinese individuals and entities have supported Iran's missile programme, as well as the production of Houthi missiles and drones. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned six individuals and six entities in Iran, China and Hong Kong in this regard in April. Iran faced a huge setback after the US and Israeli attacks on Houthis and the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, which it supported. Israeli attacks on Hezbollah, another proxy group in Lebanon, too diminished Iran's sway in the region. Lebanese leaders have strongly condemned Israel for what they described as a flagrant breach of the ceasefire agreement, following a series of airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Beirut. The attacks, carried out on the eve of Eid al-Adha, represent Israels most significant escalation in Lebanon since the US-brokered truce was reached in November. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the strikes targeted underground drone production sites operated by Hezbollahs aerial unit in the Dahieh district, a known stronghold of the group. The IDF described the facilities as part of Hezbollahs broader plan to expand its unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities in anticipation of future conflict. Thick smoke rose from parts of the Lebanese capital as residents evacuated the area in panic, leading to traffic gridlock. Before the strikes began, the IDFs Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, warned civilians in neighbourhoods such as Hadath, Haret Hreik and Borj el-Barajneh to leave immediately, claiming they were near Hezbollah infrastructure. A social media post included a map highlighting the buildings allegedly connected to the group. BREAKING: More footage showing massive Israeli airstrikes on Beiruts southern suburbs, along with a drone strike on Ein Qana in the south. Lebanese army units inspected several buildings threatened by the IOF and found no weapons or ammunition, contradicting Israeli claims. https://t.co/ZiH5Qcclyb pic.twitter.com/sRkdIUtsYB Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws) June 5, 2025 BREAKING: On the eve of Eid, Israel launched around 15 drone strikes and 6 airstrikes on Beiruts southern suburb in Lebanon. Strikes are being reported till this moment. pic.twitter.com/3N8eTEz8N8 Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws) June 5, 2025 Lebanons president, Joseph Aoun, issued a statement condemning the Israeli action as a blatant violation of international law and a breach of humanitarian principles. He denounced the timing of the strike, just hours before the start of a sacred religious festival, and accused Israel of using Lebanon as a conduit to send messages to the United States, which is currently involved in negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also condemned the strikes, blaming Israel for violating the November 27 ceasefire, which aimed to bring peace between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, and normalise ties with Lebanon. That conflict with Hezbollah, which intensified with the Gaza war, witnessed a prolonged Israeli bombardment and a ground incursion into southern Lebanon. It led to the death of about 4,000 people and displaced more than 12 lakh, most of them civilians. Israel has defended its continued operations by claiming the need to neutralise Hezbollah's military infrastructure in areas where it says UN peacekeepers have failed. The Israeli military has justified its presence in five southern Lebanese positions as necessary for national security and the eventual return of tens of thousands of Israeli citizens displaced by Hezbollah attacks on northern communities. The ceasefire stipulated that Hezbollah fighters would pull back north of the Litani River and dismantle southern positions, while Israel would withdraw from Lebanese territory. Lebanons government says it has kept its side of the bargain. Prime Minister Salam reported that the army has dismantled over 500 Hezbollah positions and arms depots in the south. Nevertheless, Israeli airstrikes have continued. In April, two separate attacks in Dahieh targeted what Israel claimed were missile depots and resulted in the deaths of a senior Hezbollah official and three others. A Hezbollah spokesperson denied that the latest targets were related to drone production and criticised Israel for bypassing the ceasefires verification mechanism. A Lebanese army official confirmed that they had asked Israel to allow an inspection of the sites in question, but the Israeli military refused, prompting Lebanese troops to withdraw from the area for their own safety.There was no immediate response from Hezbollah following the strikes. Israels Defence Minister, Israel Katz, posted a message shortly after the operation, stating: We hold the Lebanese government directly responsible for preventing violations of the ceasefire and all terrorist activity against the State of Israel. We will continue to enforce the ceasefire rules without any compromises. The US department of defence has informed Congress that it is diverting critical anti-drone technology originally earmarked for Ukraine by the Joe Biden administration to support US Air Force operations in the Middle East. At the centre of this shift is the decision to reroute proximity fuzes intended for Ukraines 70mm Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) rockets. These rockets, which form a vital part of the L3 Harris VAMPIRE counter-drone system, have been central to Ukraines defence against Russian drones. The technology will instead be sent to Air Force Central Command, following an order from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. In a letter dated May 29 to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, the Pentagon cited the reallocation as a Secretary of Defense Identified Urgent Issue. The fuzes, which were purchased through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), enhance the effectiveness of the rockets by triggering a blast as they approach enemy drones. This move is the latest sign of shifting US military priorities under President Donald Trump, who has been pushing for a stronger American posture in the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific. It also reflects the growing strain on US defence stockpiles, particularly in key areas such as anti-drone warfare. Over recent months, the Pentagon has redirected several assets to the Middle East, including air defence systems. US forces in the region face increasing threats from Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria as well as from the Houthis in Yemen. The Air Force has begun integrating APKWS rockets into its fleet of F-16s and F-15Es, using them as a more affordable solution against unmanned aerial vehicles than traditional Sidewinder or AMRAAM missiles. While the Pentagon insists the shift is necessary, the decision has drawn criticism from members of Congress who argue that it could seriously weaken Ukraines ability to defend itself. Some have questioned the urgency of the Air Forces requirement, accusing the administration of sidelining Ukraine at a crucial moment. It is unthinkable to deny Ukraine a critical weapon at this critical point in the war, said one Democratic member of Congress. The issue has been further politicised by Secretary Hegseths absence from the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting at NATOs Ramstein headquarters yesterday. The full consequences of the reallocation remain unclear, but the proximity fuzes have significantly improved Ukraines capacity to intercept Russian drones. Russia launched a renewed, devastating offensive against Ukraine in the early hours of Friday that killed three and injured as many as 49 people, Ukrainian officials said. The three killed were said to be members of Ukraine's Emergency Service. ALSO READ | NATO ignores CRUCIAL Russian peace demand, invites Ukraine to next Summit This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of Russia's response to Operation Spider Web, a daring Ukrainian operation that destroyed 15 airplanes located deep inside the country. Putin's warning had been relayed by Trump in a Truth Social post following his telephone conversation with Putin. According to an X post from Kyiv's Ministry of Defence, 407 drones had attacked the nation, in addition to 45 missiles of various types: one of the largest single barrages launched by Moscow since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022. Overnight, russian invaders launched a massive missile attack on Ukraine, using 45 missiles of various types and 407 UAVs. air defense shot down 235 aerial targets: - 30 Kh-101 cruise missiles - 4 Iskander-M ballistic missiles - 2 Iskander-K cruise missiles - 199 Shahed-type pic.twitter.com/GLL4SFess9 Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) June 6, 2025 Kyiv also claimed that their air defence systems had intercepted 199 drones and 36 missiles, and that another 169 drones and 2 missiles had failed to hit their targets. The strikes targeted the capital Kyiv, as well as other cities in the vicinity, explained Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in an X post on Friday that criticised how Russia chose to take revenge for its destroyed aircraft by attacking civilians in Ukraine. Overnight, Russia responded to its destroyed aircraft by attacking civilians in Ukraine. Kyiv, Lutsk, Lviv, Ternopil, Chernihiv, Kremenchuk, and others. Multi-storey buildings hit. Energy infrastructure damaged. There are killed and wounded people throughout the country. pic.twitter.com/KXu1MxZA2X Andrii Sybiha (@andrii_sybiha) June 6, 2025 The difference between Ukraine and Russia is that Ukraine hits legitimate military targetssuch as aircraft equipped to bomb our children. Russia targets residential areas, civilians, and critical infrastructure, he added, calling for stronger sanctions on Moscow. ALSO READ | After Vladimir Putin's call with Trump, Kremlin aide says India-Pakistan conflict was stopped with US president's 'personal participation' Russia's Foreign Ministry, on the other hand, have justified their drone strikes by calling Operation Spider Webas well as the SBU's subsequent weakening of the Crimean Bridge with underwater explosionsterror attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure on Russian soil. The Kiev regime is relentless in its terror attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in numerous Russian regions, including Moscow. Russia will deliver a matching response to barrages of terrorist attacks carried out by the Kiev regime. pic.twitter.com/wmx3SxFrmN MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) May 23, 2025 Deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev had also declared in a Telegram post on Tuesday that retribution was inevitable. Zelenskyy echoed the defence ministry's statement calling for stronger, consistent pressure on Russia, saying that if someone is not applying pressure and is giving the war more time to take livesthat is complicity and accountability. We must act decisively," he added. Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh's turbulent interim government, has announced in a televised Eid-ul-Fitr address that voting for the first national elections will take place in the first half of April. "After reviewing the ongoing reforms in justice, governance and the electoral process, I am announcing today that the next national election will be held in the first half of April 2026," he said in a televised address to the nation in the evening. ALSO READ | Bangladesh's Muhammad Yunus 'moving towards conflict' as he takes BNP heads on with big statement in Tokyo He added that the Election Commission would set out a detailed plan for the elections in due course. This will be the first national election in the country after former Sheikh Hasina's exit (to India) in August due to pressure from insurgent protests. What began in July 2024 as student protests against public sector job quotas quickly morphed into one of the deadliest periods of political violence in the country, since its independence in 1971. This paved the way for an interim government led by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus. ALSO READ | FACT CHECK: Did Sheikh Mujibur Rahman lose 'freedom fighter' status? Here's who counts as a Bir Muktijoddha Speaking about the need for Bangladesh to return to electoral democracy, he urged for a free, fair and impartial election. The Chief Adviser is currently embroiled in a stalemate with the heads of the three armed forces that threatens his incumbency in government. On May 21 this year, Bangladeshs army chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman had publicly urged that national elections be held by December this year, warning that prolonged usage of the army for civil duties could compromise the countrys defence, as per an Al Jazeera report. ALSO READ | As Sheikh Hasina faces charges, Bangladesh Supreme Court lifts ban on Jamaat-e-Islami days after ATM Azharul Islam walks free General Waker's idea of conducting the elections as soon as possible directly clashed with Yunus' idea of holding elections no earlier than mid-2026, to allow for political and electoral reforms in a country gripped by tumult, in order to ensure a fair election. The intensifying power struggle has continued despite Yunus' open expression of interest in staying ona response to rumours stating that he was looking to exit his role. The explosive claim by the entrepreneur Elon Musk that US President Donald Trump was named in the 'Epstein files' has opened a can of worms, with the White House calling Musks claim "an unfortunate episode." It also cited Elon was unhappy with the "Big Beautiful Bill" because it didn't include the policies he wanted. Trump's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and sex offender who died in 2019 two weeks after he pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking minors, was not exactly a secret - the duo were close friends until 2002 when they fell out over a real estate feud. The US President had praised Epstein in a 2002 interview with New York magazine, calling him a "terrific guy" who he had known for over 15 years, but later changed track, stating he wasn't a fan of Epstein. Also read: Musk says Trump is in 'Epstein files': A look back at the US President's once-close ties with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein Trump and Epstein were close friends. Trump is in the Epstein files. Fact pic.twitter.com/7mDOCI5t33 Jesus is King (@ProseccoLiquido) June 5, 2025 Here is Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell together at a party in 1992. pic.twitter.com/nxSqgKpwm7 FactPost (@factpostnews) June 5, 2025 However, Epstein's biographer Michael Wolff has added fuel to the fire, stating that Trump and Epstein were "best of friends" for 15 years and "shared girlfriends, airplanes, [and] business strategy." Wolff made these claims in a podcast The Daily Beast Podcast on Thursday. The author of many books on Trump's journey as a businessman, Wolff said he had seen "evidence" from Trump's relationship with Epstein which included "lewd images of Trump and the sex offender." "I have seen these pictures. I know that these pictures exist and I can describe them," Wolff told The Daily Beast, adding that there were a dozen of them. "The ones I specifically remember are the two of them with topless girls of an uncertain age sitting on Trumps lap. And then Trump standing there with a stain on the front of his pants and three or four girls kind of bent over in laughtertheyre topless, toopointing at Trumps pants," he claimed. A photograph had recently surfaced showing the duo speaking to each other at a party in Mar-a-Lago. They were also seen together at a Victorias Secret Angels party. Epstein died by suicide in his jail cell in 2019, two weeks after pleading not guilty to the charges. Though the Trump administration has consistently vowed to declassify the Epstein files, they have yet to do so. The inclusion of a persons name in files related to the case does not indicate they have been accused of any wrongdoing. Though the White House reacted to Musk's Epstein allegations, Trump has yet to react. It is also unclear why Musk was making the statement or whether he had access to the classified Epstein Files. Wolff too added that he was uncertain what Musk was referring to but believes that he could be referring to "Epstein file writ large". "The scope of the Jeffrey Epstein life intersects with the Donald Trump life in a very meaningful, in fact, profound way. These guys kind of made each other," he told the podcaster. Wolff had earlier published an audio recording made during his interview with Epstein in 2017 in which the sex offender described Trump as his "closest friend for 10 years", revealing more personal details about Trump and his wife Melania. Epstein also claimed that Trump was "unfaithful in his marriage". Trump camp denounced the tapes as "false smears" that amounted to "election interference." Elon Musk, who openly declared war on US President Donald Trump, has accused the latter of being named in the 'Epstein files', the controversial documents related to the disgraced financier and sex offender who died in 2019 in a New York prison. The bombshell accusations came after the Musk-Trump relationship imploded on social media with the entrepreneur openly blasting the 'Big Beautiful Bill', Trump's sweeping domestic agenda bill. The duo sparred on social media with Trump confirming that he was "disappointed" with Musk over his public opposition to the bill. Musk reacted by taking a jab at the President, stating he would have lost the race to the White House without him. But, the social media volleys escalated when Musk accused Trump of being named in 'Epstein files'. Though the inclusion of a persons name in files related to the case does not indicate they have been accused of any wrongdoing, it is a fact that Trump once enjoyed a close relationship with the disgraced financier. Epstein, an accused of sex trafficking minors, died by suicide in his jail cell in 2019, two weeks after pleading not guilty to the charges. Though the Trump administration has consistently vowed to declassify the Epstein files, they have yet to do so. Trump and Epstein were close friends. Trump is in the Epstein files. Fact pic.twitter.com/7mDOCI5t33 Jesus is King (@ProseccoLiquido) June 5, 2025 In 1992 Trump partied with Jeffrey Epstein. Just gonna leave this here: pic.twitter.com/eUFm7cGVab Natalie F Danelishen (@Chesschick01) June 5, 2025 Though Trump distanced himself from Epstein since his arrest on July 6, 2019, the duo were good friends from the late 1980s to early 2000s. A photograph had recently surfaced showing the duo speaking to each other at a party in Mar-a-Lago. They were also seen together at a Victorias Secret Angels party. Trump, in his usual boisterous style, had praised Epstein in a 2002 interview with New York magazine, calling him a "terrific guy" who he had known for over 15 years. "Hes a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about itJeffrey enjoys his social life," Trump said about the sex offender. There were reports that Trump and Epstein were so close they "were each others wingmen" around the same time. Though Trump had denied it, flight logs released in 2021 as part of the trial of Epstein's accomplice and girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell indicated that the US President flew on Epsteins plane seven times. "I was never on Epsteins Plane, or at his stupid Island," Trump claimed in a 2024 Truth Social post. However, the relationship soured in 2004 over a real estate feud, according to reports. Both Trump and Epstein wanted a Palm Beach property, Maison de LAmitie, for themselves. A bidding war ensued which resulted in the end of the friendship. Then on, Trump turned on his once-close friend, even offering to talk to attorneys who represented Epstein's victim. In fact, Trump was reportedly the only one who expressed willingness to do so. According to Bradley Edwards, an attorney, there was no indication that Trump was involved in anything untoward with regard to Epstein. Trump later told an interview after Epstein's arrest that " the financier was not a person he respected and "threw him out". "I had a falling out with him a long time ago. I dont think Ive spoken to him for 15 years. I wasnt a fan That I can tell you. I was not a fan of his," Trump told an interview. However, Epstein is said to have maintained that he was Trump's "closest friend" for over a decade and the two had gone to try to "find girls in the casino". Epstein also called Trump a horrible human being who does nasty things to his friends, according to reports quoting the tape recordings of Epstein's conversations with author Michael Wolff as part of his research for his 2018 bestselling book 'Fire and Fury'. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday received an invite for the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) Summit from his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney, over a phone conversation. Canada presides over the summit this year. The two sides seek to reinstate bilateral relations that had soured over the past two years. The two prime ministers agreed to remain in contact and looked forward to meeting at the G7 summit, which will be held at Kananaskis, Alberta, from June 15-17, a statement from Carney's office read. "As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests," Modi responded, in an X post on Friday. Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister @MarkJCarney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 6, 2025 Two years ago, relations between the two nations had soured after Canada accused India of involvement in the murder of Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and of attempting to influence the country's elections in 2019 and 2021. That resulted in a reciprocal expulsion of top diplomats and consular officials, as New Delhi denied any claims of involvement in the murder, and refuted claims of any effort to target Indian or Indian-origin dissidents on Canadian soil. This reportedly factored into the exit of Carney's predecessor Justin Trudeau, in addition to internal party strife, as well as Trudeau's recalcitrance on dealing with the tariffs that US President Donald Trump had proposed for Canada at the time. Carney, having led two national banksthe Bank of England and the Bank of Canadaand having a tough(er) stance on Trump, is therefore expected to improve ties between India and Canada. The two leaders also discussed the long-standing relationship between Ottawa and New Delhi, briefly agreeing to "continued law enforcement dialogue and discussions addressing security concerns". India is Canada's 10th largest trading partner, while Canada is the biggest exporter of pulses, including lentils, to India, a Reuters report added. NAIROBI, June 6 (Xinhua) -- China's support for dialogue among civilizations has been instrumental in upholding multilateralism amid rising geopolitical tensions, intolerance and economic nationalism, foreign diplomats in Kenya have said. Through the Chinese-proposed Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), humanity is embracing dialogue instead of division, fostering unity in diversity, mutual respect, and understanding, said the diplomats. Ababu Namwamba, Kenya's permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) and the United Nations Environment Program, said the GCI charts a new pathway for the human family, rooted in mutual respect, the quest for peace, solidarity and shared prosperity. "The GCI is a phenomenal, historic step forward to bring civilizations together, to build more understanding, more harmony, and better global solidarity," Namwamba said on the sidelines of an event to mark the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations held Thursday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. Senior government officials, diplomats, scholars and students attended the event, which was convened by UNON and the Chinese Embassy in Kenya. In June 2024, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a China-sponsored resolution to designate June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Namwamba said that the civilizational dialogue promoted by China has proved effective in bringing societies together, building bridges of friendship, and stabilizing the world order in the face of tensions. China has, for centuries, made immense contributions to revitalizing global civilizations, and that the GCI has reaffirmed the interconnectedness of the human race alongside shared aspirations, he added. The International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations reinforces the collective heritage of mankind, underscoring the importance of respecting cultural diversity while highlighting the crucial role of dialogue in fostering global peace. UN Resident Coordinator for Kenya Stephen Jackson said that respecting cultural diversity and value systems is the foundation of a thriving multilateralism. Multilateral institutions, including the United Nations, have thrived by embracing the spirit of dialogue to solve pressing global challenges including wars, poverty and the climate crisis, Jackson said. He added that a durable solution to emerging challenges such as pandemics, xenophobia, isolationism and growing inequalities lies in nation-states uniting in the spirit of dialogue and consensus, as opposed to hegemonic tendencies. Erfan Ali, the chief of staff in the Office of the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat), said that civilizational dialogue has played a crucial role in ensuring that cities are livable and harmonious. Ali called for sustained exchanges and dialogue among diverse cultures to promote cohesion in a rapidly urbanizing world. IIT Roorkee, which started as Roorkee College in 1847, was the first engineering college in Asia. After about a century, the college was elevated to the University of Roorkee, the first engineering university of independent India, on November 25, 1949, and to an IIT on September 21, 2001 What could possibly go wrong when, after a normal train trip, you've just arrived at the railway station, to join your sibling to attend an auspicious family function? Who knew that in a few hours, two brothers would be chased by a lynch mob? Filmmaker Karan Tejpal begins his film Stolen with a woman's baby being snatched by a mysterious figure from a railway station at night while she was asleep. On the same platform are two brothers preparing to attend their mother's wedding function. Whether this is their mother's second or third wedding is irrelevant here. The film is interested in disrupting these brothers' ordinary lives with this baby-snatching incident which has nothing whatsoever to do with them. However, by morning the next day, things have taken such a wild turn that these brothers end up being all over the news. Stolen, streaming on Prime Video, is one of the scariest films I've seen, not because it ventures into supernatural territory although, I have to say, there is one situation where the main characters are forced to go to a "haunted" house and become embroiled in a nightmarish scenario that only gets worse from thereon. I would say that after Nikhil Nagesh Bhat's Kill, Stolen is a superlative case of an independent film with a few relatively unknown and one or more established actors that achieves a lot with very little. The film is a first-rate example of the acting, writing, and directing teams working together in perfect harmony to deliver a supreme white-knuckle experience, where the viewer gets a palpable sense of the sweat-inducing, mettle-testing chaotic chain of events that not only reveals new twists in the plot but also provide insight into the main characters. It's a story where you take delight in seeing these characters getting moulded and transformed by events beyond their control. Stolen is elevated by the first-rate cast, chiefly comprising Mia Maelzer as Jhumpa, the mother who lost her baby, and who seems to be holding more unpleasant secrets that will be revealed in due time; and Abhishek Banerjee ("Paatal Lok", "Stree 2") and Shubham Vardhan as brothers Gautam Bansal and Raman Bansal, respectively, who have two different perspectives on the whole situation, and who will eventually find a middle ground. These three actors, who are aided by a competent supporting cast, sink into their characters with such conviction and relish that they ensure, in such a short amount of time, that you are firmly invested in their journey. There is one chase sequence with the kind of energy that's as scary as anything you find in the best zombie thrillers or one of those Mad Max adventures. Stolen is one of those films that grabs your attention from the get-go. And in this age of dwindling attention spans and declining quality of most mainstream Bollywood fare, such films are a rarity. It's a gritty, lean and mean film that upends certain expectations as to what a "thriller" is supposed to do. I would even go so far as to say that it manages to generate some of the anxiety I felt while watching Alfonso Cuaron's 2006 film Children of Men, which also concerned a woman and a baby, but with a diametrically opposite story. Film: Stolen Director: Karan Tejpal Cast: Abhishek Banerjee, Shubham Vardhan, and Mia Maelzer Rating: 4/5 A debate has reignited over the last few weeks on the ethical nuances surrounding animal sacrifice in the name of religion. With Eid-ul-Adha or Bakri-id this Saturday, discussions on animal cruelty and the need to evolve and change certain religious traditions are taking over news networks and social media platforms. But finding a synergy between cultural traditions and ethical dilemmas is not always easy. The tradition of animal sacrifice is an ancient one dating to as early as the Neolithic Period as the early hunter gatherers transitioned to domesticating animals. Archaeological evidence suggests the same with ritual burials in popular Neolithic sites being documented such as Catalhoyuk where they found a human burial with a young lamb. Even ancient, sacred books suggest the importance of sacrifice. For example, the Hebrew Bible states that sacrifice is associated with a ritual of purity, while for the Greco Romans sacrifice was seen as an exchange with the Gods for posterity. Vedic literature encouraged animal sacrifice as an offering when done with a pure heart and mind. In Sanskrit this is termed as bali or tribute with the scriptures suggesting the sacrifice of man, horse, cattle, sheep and goat (in descending order) being permissible. Even epic mythological tales such as the Mahabharata speak of the auspicious sacrifice. While the practice is deemed illegal in several states in India and is not commonly done in populous cities, it continues to be tradition in smaller towns as well as Shakti temples or those places of worship dedicated to Goddess Durga. The largest of festivals in the name of animal sacrifice however is the Gadhimai Festival taking place predominantly in Nepal for over two hundred years. Today the festival is highly controversial, receiving tremendous backlash. In an attempt to reduce the press coverage last year, the Gadhimai Temple committee enforced strict measures on the filming and recording of the slaughter. But can a community or groups deep-rooted beliefs and rituals really be banned? An illustration in the book Hadikat as-Suada dating to the 16th century depicts an episode from Prophet Abrahams life. One night the Prophet had a dream where God asked him to sacrifice what was most dear to him. Diligently and selflessly, Abraham was ready to sacrifice his only son, Ishmael (Isaac). The one most dear to him. The illustration has an ornate, sepia toned background of hand drawn intricate floral motifs. The work of art is heavily detailed, in a myriad shades of red and blue. It depicts that, as the sacrifice is about to take place, the angel Gabriel sweeps in to switch Ishmael with a sheep. The act of sacrifice or this undying, absolute form of devotion is what turned into Eid-ul-Adha or the Festival of Sacrifice. However, this is narrated in Christianity, Islam as well as Judaism. One of the most riveting works of art, which mentions the tale is a painting by the Italian Master Caravaggio. Part of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Sacrifice of Isaac depicts the sacrifice of Isaac about to take place. Emotions are dramatically heightened in this powerful painting as Caravaggio uses his mastery of the chiaroscuro technique to play with light and dark. Today, the Bombay High Court announced that animal slaughter during the festival of Eid will be allowed. But the debate on ethics and morality continues with several people turning it into a political controversy rather than an ethical one. Morocco recently announced their ban on animal slaughter for Bakrid this year. A country with a population of 99% Muslims has taken these drastic measures keeping in mind Moroccos harsh drought and grave economic crisis. Needless to say it has received a backlash. But the deeper question is on the morality of animal sacrifice. Should religious traditions be exempt from anti cruelty laws? While snippets of art history are integral in shedding light on various sacrificial practices, does it mean they continue to be followed? Several archaic rituals and cultural traditions have evolved and changed over the time just as humanity and society as a whole has. Can animal sacrifice in the name of religion be justified today? Agudath Israel is calling for the swift passage of the Honoring Our Pledge to Eliminate Antisemitism (HOPE) Act (A.2139/S.7034A), legislation aimed at strengthening New Yorks response to antisemitic incidents. The HOPE Act, introduced by Assemblyman Sam Berger and Senator Kevin Parker, would require all New York State agencies and subdivisions to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism when assessing whether an act was motivated by anti-Jewish bias. The bill also mandates that statewide anti-bias trainings incorporate the IHRA definition. Agudath Israel has supported the bill since its introduction and collaborated with Assemblyman Berger on its language during the drafting process. It emphasized that the urgency for such legislation has grown in light of recent violent attacks targeting Jewish individuals across the United States. Citing examples from recent weeks, Agudath Israel referenced the attack in Boulder, Colorado, in which a man used Molotov cocktails and a homemade flamethrower to set fire to a group of Jewish demonstratorsone of whom was an 88-year-old Holocaust survivorshouting anti-Israel slogans. In Washington, D.C., a young couple was shot and killed after leaving a Jewish museum event, with the alleged perpetrator also reportedly invoking pro-Palestinian rhetoric. In Pennsylvania, a man set fire to Governor Josh Shapiros residence on the first night of Pesach and later said the act was motivated by the governors stance on Israel. Agudath Israel said these incidents reflect a growing trend of antisemitism in which Jews are being violently targeted over their perceived association with the State of Israel. The IHRA definition, which includes holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the State of Israel as an example of antisemitism, is cited as a necessary framework for identifying and addressing such acts. The HOPE Act includes provisions to safeguard free speech and emphasizes that determinations must consider the broader context. The IHRA definition is intended to be a reference point, not a legal mandate, for identifying antisemitic motivation. Agudath Israel noted that New York, home to the largest Jewish population of any state in the U.S., has yet to adopt this widely embraced definition, which is already in use by dozens of states and international bodies. The organization expressed appreciation to the bills sponsors and urged the New York State Legislature and Governor to advance the legislation without delay. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) There was a notable absence last week when U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in a 58-second video that the government would no longer endorse the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children or pregnant women. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the person who typically signs off on federal vaccine recommendations was nowhere to be seen. The CDC, a $9.2 billion-a-year agency tasked with reviewing life-saving vaccines, monitoring diseases and watching for budding threats to Americans health, is without a clear leader. Ive been disappointed that we havent had an aggressive director since February, March, April, May fighting for the resources that CDC needs, said Dr. Robert Redfield, who served as CDC director under the first Trump administration and supported Kennedys nomination as the nations health secretary. $9.2 billion-a-year agency without leader as nomination awaits The leadership vacuum at a foremost federal public health agency has existed for months, after President Donald Trump suddenly withdrew his first pick for CDC director in March. A hearing for his new nominee the agencys former acting director Susan Monarez has not been scheduled because she has not submitted all the paperwork necessary to proceed, according to a spokesman for Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who will oversee the nomination. HHS did not answer written questions about Monarezs nomination, her current role at the CDC or her salary. An employee directory lists Monarez, a longtime government employee, as a staffer for the NIH under the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. Redfield described Kennedy as very supportive of Monarezs nomination. Instead, a lawyer and political appointee with no medical experience is carrying out some of the duties of director at the agency that for seven decades has been led by someone with a medical degree. Matthew Buzzelli, who is also the chief of staff at the CDC, is surrounded by highly qualified medical professionals and advisors to help fulfill these duties as appropriate, Andrew Nixon, an HHS spokesperson said in a statement. Adding to the confusion was an employee-wide email sent last week that thanked new acting directors who have stepped up to the plate. The email, signed by Monarez, listed her as the acting director. It was was sent just days after Kennedy said at a Senate hearing that Monarez had been replaced by Buzzelli. The lack of a confirmed director will be a problem if a public health emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic or a rapid uptick in measles cases hits, said Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota. CDC is a crisis, waiting for a crisis to happen, said Osterholm. At this point, I couldnt tell you for the life of me who was going to pull what trigger in a crisis situation. An acting director rarely seen, and stalled decisions At CDC headquarters in Atlanta, employees say Monarez was rarely heard from between late January when she was appointed acting director and late March, when Trump nominated her. She also has not held any of the all hands meetings that were customary under previous CDC chiefs, according to several staffers. One employee, who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media and fears being fired if identified said Monarez has been almost invisible since her nomination, adding that her absence has been cited by other leaders as an excuse for delaying action. The situation already has led to confusion. In April, a 15-member CDC advisory panel of outside experts met to discuss vaccine policy. The panel makes recommendations to the CDC Director, who routinely signs off on them. But it was unclear during the meeting who would be reviewing the panels recommendations, which included the expansion of RSV vaccinations for adults and a new combination shot as another option to protect teens against meningitis. HHS officials said the recommendations were going to Buzzelli, but then weeks passed with no decision. A month after the meeting ended, the CDC posted on a web site that Kennedy had signed off on recommendations for travelers against chikungunya, a viral disease transmitted to humans by mosquitos. But there continues to be no word about a decision about the other vaccine recommendations. Controversial COVID-19 vaccine recommendations bypassed CDC panel The problem was accentuated again last week, when Kennedy rolled out recommendations for the COVID-19 vaccine saying they were no longer recommended for healthy children or pregnant women, even though expectant mothers are considered a high-risk group if they contract the virus. Kennedy made the surprise announcement without input from the CDC advisory panel that has historically made recommendations on the nations vaccine schedule. The CDC days later posted revised guidance that said healthy kids and pregnant women may get the shots. Nixon, the HHS spokesman, said CDC staff were consulted on the recommendations, but would not provide staffers names or titles. He also did not provide the specific data or research that Kennedy reviewed to reach his conclusion on the new COVID-19 recommendations, just weeks after he said that he did not think people should be taking medical advice from him. As Secretary Kennedy said, there is a clear lack of data to support the repeat booster strategy in children, Nixon said in a statement. Research shows that pregnant women are at higher risk of severe illness, mechanical ventilation and death, when they contract COVID-19 infections. During the height of the pandemic, deaths of women during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth soared to their highest level in 50 years. Vaccinations also have been recommended for pregnant women because it passes immunity to newborns who are too young for vaccines and also vulnerable to infections. Nixon did not address a written question about recommendations for pregnant women. Kennedys decision to bypass the the advisory panel and announce new COVID-19 recommendations on his own prompted a key CDC official who works with the committee Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos to announce her resignation last Friday. My career in public health and vaccinology started with a deep-seated desire to help the most vulnerable members of our population, and that is not something I am able to continue doing in this role, she wrote in an email seen by an Associated Press reporter. Signs are mounting that the CDC has been sidelined from key decision-making under Kennedys watch, said Dr. Anand Parekh, the chief medical adviser for The Bipartisan Policy Center. Its difficult to ascertain how we will reverse the chronic disease epidemic or be prepared for myriad public health emergencies without a strong CDC and visible, empowered director, Parekh said. Its also worth noting that every community in the country is served by a local or state public health department that depends on the scientific expertise of the CDC and the leadership of the CDC director. (AP) In a dramatic midday rescue earlier this week, the Chaverim of Rockland Search and Rescue team responded to an emergency involving an unwell hiker deep within the rugged trails near the Palisades, close to the New York/New Jersey border. Over two dozen trained volunteers sprang into action, equipped with specialized gear to handle the challenging terrain. The operation was carried out with the coordination and support of multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Orangetown Police Department, the Rockland County Sheriffs Office under the leadership of Sheriff Louis Falco, and the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police of New Jersey. Police Chaplain Rabbi Abe Friedman was instrumental in facilitating communication between all agencies and ensuring smooth inter-agency cooperation throughout the mission. Chaverims SAR team reached the hiker and provided immediate medical care, including pain relief, before securing the individual onto a specialized rescue stretcher. After a careful and physically demanding extraction through steep and uneven terrain, the hiker was brought to safety and transferred to Hatzoloh EMS of Rockland County for transport to a local hospital. Thanks to the swift response, expert coordination, and teamwork of Chaverim of Rockland and all supporting agencies, the rescue was executed successfully and safely. Your browser does not support the video tag. Your browser does not support the video tag. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk is hinting at the creation of a new political party, escalating his increasingly bitter public feud with President Donald Trump, after the two former allies traded barbs on Thursday night. In a poll posted on X, Musk asked his more than 180 million followers whether it was time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle. As of early Friday morning, the poll had garnered over 4.7 million responses with more than 80% voting in favor of the idea. The poll came just hours after Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, criticized Musk for opposing his administrations latest tax and spending bill. Im very disappointed in him, Trump told reporters. Shortly after, Trump took to Truth Social, claiming Musk had gone CRAZY and that he had previously asked him to leave his administration. Trump also threatened to cancel federal contracts and subsidies tied to Musks companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, a move that could significantly impact Musks business empire. Musk quickly retaliated on X, not only endorsing calls for Trumps impeachment but also lobbing a serious accusation: that the Trump administration is suppressing documents related to Jeffrey Epstein to protect the former president. Time to drop the really big bomb: Trump is in the Epstein files, Musk wrote. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! Musk further taunted the former president with a parting shot: Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Rabbi Elie Lemmel, an outreach leader with Lev & Lamed, was violently assaulted Friday morning in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a wealthy suburb of Paris marking the second time in less than a week he has been targeted in France. According to reports, the incident occurred at approximately 8:16 a.m. EDT while Rabbi Lemmel was sitting on the terrace of a local cafe. An Afghan national reportedly approached the rabbi and hurled a chair at him, allegedly for the sole reason that he was wearing a yarmulka. Bystanders quickly intervened and apprehended the assailant until police arrived. Rabbi Lemmel suffered minor injuries and was transported to a hospital for treatment. This attack comes just days after Rabbi Lemmel was assaulted in Deauville, a coastal town in northern France, by three intoxicated individuals. Those suspects remain at large. Rabbi Lemmel is well known for his work in Jewish education and outreach throughout France. Lev & Lamed, the organization he leads, is dedicated to promoting Jewish learning and engagement, especially among young professionals. Authorities are investigating whether the two incidents are linked and whether the attacks were motivated by antisemitic hatred. The identity of the Neuilly attacker has not yet been publicly released. Your browser does not support the video tag. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Mohamed Soliman, the Egyptian-born man charged in Sundays firebombing attack on peaceful Jewish demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado, filmed himself proclaiming that jihad for Allahs sake was more important to him than his own family. The 45-year-old foreign national, who overstayed a U.S. visa after moving from Kuwait to Colorado, was charged Monday with a federal hate crime. He faces a staggering array of state charges including 16 counts of attempted murder and 18 charges related to the use and attempted use of incendiary devicescrimes that could bring him more than 600 years in prison. In an Arabic-language video obtained and translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Soliman is seen declaring, I say to my mother, my wife, my children, my brothers, my people: I attest before Allah and before you that Allah, his messenger, and jihad for Allahs sake are more beloved to me than you and the whole world. Soliman then launches into a tirade laced with violent Islamist rhetoric: Allah is greater than the Zionists. Allah is greater than America and its weapons than the F-35 planes Only Allah has the right to be feared. He added that if his family disobeyed him, he might divorce his wife or expel his sonbut questioned why Muslims dont fear Allah, who says to us dozens of times every day: Allah Akbar. Your browser does not support the video tag. Soliman threw incendiary devices at a group of Jews peacefully demonstrating in support of the release of hostages being held by Hamas. Miraculously, no one was killed. Upon arrest, Soliman allegedly told investigators he wanted to kill all Zionist people and said he would do it again. Federal agents found a container near the scene containing at least 14 additional firebombs, suggesting Soliman was planning further attacks. The hate-fueled assault comes amid a rising tide of anti-Semitism across the U.S., following Hamass October 7 massacre and a wave of anti-Israel demonstrations nationwide. Prior to the Boulder attack, two Israeli embassy staffersYaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrimwere murdered in Washington, D.C., by a gunman with a record of antisemitic views. As of Tuesday, federal immigration authorities have detained Solimans family, who are now facing expedited removal from the U.S., according to the Department of Homeland Security. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) As part of the Expo 2025 world exhibition held in Osaka, Japan, Azerbaijans National Day was celebrated with a special event. According to Azernews, the opening ceremony featured speeches by Koji Haneda, Japans Ambassador and Chief Commissioner for Expo 2025, and Anar Alakbarov, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and the countrys Chief Commissioner for Expo 2025. Koji Haneda highlighted Azerbaijans important role as a vital hub connecting Asia and Europe. He noted that the national pavilion, inspired by the great Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavis poem Seven Beauties, showcases Azerbaijani culture and the countrys development to the Japanese public during Expo 2025. Anar Alakbarov emphasized the longstanding history of friendship and cooperation between Azerbaijan and Japan. He recalled Azerbaijans Expo journey beginning in 2000 in Hannover and continuing through Milan and Dubai, where Azerbaijans pavilions received awards and were among the most visited. He also pointed out that Azerbaijan was the first country to sign the participation agreement for Expo 2025 and that its national pavilion is currently one of the most popular. Following the speeches, a concert featuring Azerbaijani artists was held. Guests toured the Japan and Azerbaijan pavilions at Expo 2025. Organized by the Heydar Aliyev Center, the Azerbaijani pavilion is located within the Connecting Lives section of Expo 2025 and is themed Seven Bridges for Sustainability. Its concept is inspired by Nizami Ganjavis Seven Beauties poem, showcasing Azerbaijans rich cultural heritage, commitment to technological and sustainable development, and openness to dialogue. The pavilion also features a Friendship Tree symbolizing the ties between Azerbaijan and Japan. The Expo, which opened on April 13 and will last 184 days, is expected to attract 28 million visitors. JOHANNESBURG, June 6 (Xinhua) -- South African Presidential Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya has confirmed that a commercial flight recently departed for the United States with white Afrikaners on board, under an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump granting them refugee status. It was the second such flight to leave South Africa, following an earlier chartered flight that carried 49 Afrikaners who were designated as "refugees" by the Trump administration. "We are aware that there was a commercial flight that left with fewer people than the previous group," he said. Addressing a media briefing in Pretoria, South Africa's administrative capital, on Thursday, Magwenya reiterated the government's stance, denying that any citizens are being persecuted in the country because of their race, contrary to claims made by Trump and his former presidential advisor Elon Musk. "There is a so-called persecution of people of a particular race in South Africa, which is not true. That narrative cannot be sustained in the absence of anything substantial that is placed on the table. The presidency or the South African government is not running any scheme," Magwenya said. "We're on record saying there are no South African citizens that can be described as refugees under the true international law definition of what constitutes a refugee," he added. Trump signed an executive order in February, granting refugee status to white Afrikaners and allowing them to come to the United States. His administration said white Afrikaners were being targeted and had their land seized, a claim the South African government has rejected as "misinformation." Israel has assured the White House that it will not carry out a military strike on Irans nuclear facilities unless President Donald Trump determines that negotiations with Tehran have failed, according to a report by Axios citing two Israeli officials familiar with the matter. The reassurance was delivered during a high-level visit to Washington last week by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Mossad Director David Barnea, and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi. The Israeli delegation met with senior U.S. officials amid growing concerns in Washington over the possibility that Israel might launch a unilateral attack on Iranian targets, potentially derailing ongoing diplomatic efforts. While Israel has been actively preparing for a possible strike, its leadership has signaled a willingness to defer to the U.S. on the timingat least for now. President Trump confirmed last week that he had personally requested Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay any action until the fate of the negotiations becomes clear. The discussions come as the U.S. and Iran continue indirect talks aimed at containing Irans nuclear program, which Israel views as an existential threat. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Editors Note: An earlier version of this article erroneously counted Mercaz USA (Conservative) as part of the Orthodox Jewish slate. We thank the many readers who brought this to our attention, and note that the results remain the same with an Orthodox Jewish plurality in the WZOs USA elections. __________________________ In a watershed moment for Orthodox Jewry, the 2025 World Zionist Organization (WZO) elections have resulted in Orthodox slates securing a majority for the first time in WZO history, YWN has confirmed. According to preliminary results released today, voter turnout for the U.S. delegation shattered all prior records, with 230,257 valid votes cast224,237 online and 6,020 by mailrepresenting a staggering 86% increase from the 2020 elections 123,575 votes. At the forefront of this historic surge was Eretz HaKodesh, which earned 29,159 votes, coming in third overall and solidifying its position as the dominant Orthodox voice. The slates campaign focused on defending the kedushah, mesorah, and Torah of Eretz Yisrael. Eretz HaKodesh joins forces with other Orthodox-aligned slatesAm Yisrael Chai, ZOA, Aish, Vision, Biyachad, Isreal 365, Achdut Yisroel, Orthodox Israel Coalition/Mizrachi, and Shas, bringing the total Orthodox vote well beyond a simple majority, for the first time establishing a religious majority within the American delegation to the WZO. This monumental shift marks a turning point in Jewish representation on the WZO stage. The WZO, which oversees billions of dollars in funding and influence across Israel and the Diaspora, will now have significantly increased Orthodox input into matters such as Aliyah, Jewish education, land policy, and religious affairs policy in Israel. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Iran has ordered large quantities of material from China used in the production of ballistic missiles, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Thursday. The revelation comes as Tehran continues indirect nuclear negotiations with the United States and has sparked renewed concerns about Irans military ambitions and regional destabilization efforts. Citing sources familiar with the transaction, the Journal reports that Irans order includes enough ammonium perchlorate a key ingredient in solid-fuel missiles to manufacture as many as 800 ballistic missiles. The materials were purchased by Iranian company Pishgaman Tejarat Rafi Novin Co. from Hong Kong-based Lion Commodities Holdings Ltd., and are expected to begin arriving in Iran in the coming months. Western officials believe portions of the shipment could be funneled to Irans proxy forces, including the Houthis in Yemen, who launched ballistic missiles at Israel as recently as Thursday. The bulk of the material, however, is expected to stay in Iran as the regime rebuilds missile production infrastructure damaged in Israeli airstrikes last October. Those strikes, which followed an unprecedented direct Iranian attack on Israel, reportedly destroyed several planetary mixers industrial equipment essential for blending missile fuel compounds. While Iran has not responded to requests for comment, Chinas Foreign Ministry said it was unaware of the transaction and insisted it adheres to strict export controls on dual-use materials. A previous shipment from China tied to a deadly explosion in southern Iran was linked to mishandling by Irans Quds Force and also involved ammonium perchlorate. Despite claiming it does not seek nuclear weapons, Iran has amassed uranium enriched up to 60% purity a short step from weapons-grade and continues to bolster its missile capabilities through its network of proxies and domestic production. The news comes as Israel warns it is prepared to strike Irans nuclear sites if diplomacy fails. According to a separate Axios report, Israeli officials have told the White House they will hold off on military action as long as the ongoing negotiations proposed by President Trump in March remain viable. We calmed the Americans and told them there is no logic in launching an attack if a good diplomatic solution can be found, one Israeli official was quoted as saying. However, with Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejecting the latest U.S. offer this week, prospects for a deal remain uncertain. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) The Israeli Navy is preparing to intercept a vessel sailing under the British flag and carrying prominent international activists, should it attempt to breach the maritime blockade on the Gaza Strip in the coming days. The ship, Madleen, is part of the latest mission organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a pro-Palestinian group known for its anti-Israel stance. Among the 12 passengers are Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Brazilian campaigner Thiago Avila, Irish actor Liam Cunningham of Game of Thrones fame, and French-Palestinian European Parliament member Rima Hassan who was previously barred from entering Israel over her support for boycotts and armed resistance. Israeli defense officials confirmed Thursday that they are closely tracking the vessels route. The IDF said it is enforcing the maritime security blockade on the Gaza Strip, and is prepared and ready for a wide range of scenarios that it will handle in accordance with the political echelons guidelines. The ship departed from Sicily on Sunday and was expected to reach the vicinity of Gaza over the weekend. However, the activists reportedly diverted course Thursday to assist a group of Sudanese migrants stranded off the Libyan coast. Israeli officials say that regardless of detours, the vessel will be stopped if it continues toward Gaza. Possible outcomes include towing the ship to Ashdod or blocking it at sea. The mission has drawn the attention of several European governments. A French diplomat told Channel 12 that France is closely monitoring the situation due to the presence of six French nationals aboard and stands ready to intervene if needed. Meanwhile, a British official reportedly acknowledged that the UK government was initially unaware the vessel was sailing under its flag and has since asked Israel to ensure the safety of the ship and its passengers. According to the report, Israel had requested that the UK prohibit the Madleen from using the British flag a request that was denied due to maritime regulations. The Freedom Flotillas previous attempt to reach Gaza ended after activists claimed their boat, the Conscience, was hit by a drone strike near Malta. That ship, registered under Palau, was stripped of its flag just before the alleged incident and was subsequently denied docking rights by multiple countries until Malta agreed to repair it. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Politicians have been urged by one of Britain's leading businessmen to get behind wealth creators. As concern grows that the Government is hammering the private sector, Simon Peckham, who has made a fortune buying up and turning around industrial firms, said ministers 'should support' business. 'It would be nice if politicians understood that what [business] people are trying to do is generate wealth,' he said. 'If you don't generate wealth you don't generate tax income, and if you don't generate tax income you won't have any money to spend on causes they want to support, and which civilised countries probably should support.' Peckham is best known as the former boss of Melrose, the FTSE 100 firm which thrived by snapping up businesses under its 'buy, improve, sell' mantra. Most controversially, it took over and broke up the historic British industrial conglomerate GKN, earning opprobrium from unions and politicians. Backing Britain: As concern grows that the Government is hammering the private sector, Simon Peckham said ministers 'should support' business Peckham, 62, has since moved on to new venture Rosebank, which operates under the same principle and yesterday announced its first deal, the purchase of 72-year-old US firm Electrical Components International (ECI), a leading global supplier of electrical systems. Rosebank said it was raising 1.1bn to fund the deal, which it said values ECI at less than 1.5billion. The company said takeover opportunities had been 'enhanced by the turbulence of recent months' as Donald Trump's tariffs throw global trading into turmoil. Rosebank's acquisition of a US firm with more than 900million in annual revenues represents a rare win for a UK-listed firm at a time when London's stock market is being degraded by foreign takeovers as well as the departure of many of its leading companies for New York. UK firms are being hammered by Labour's determination to saddle them with higher taxes and a raft of new workers' rights. Chancellor Rachel Reeves this week failed to rule out raising taxes further. Peckham said Rosebank would '100 per cent' remain on the UK market, adding 'we are proud to be so'. But he urged UK politicians to do more to back business. Laurentian Bank of Canada (TSE:LB Free Report) had its price objective upped by CIBC from C$28.00 to C$33.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,BayStreet.CA reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the stock. A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on LB. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Laurentian Bank of Canada from C$31.00 to C$30.00 in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. National Bankshares boosted their price objective on Laurentian Bank of Canada from C$25.00 to C$28.00 and gave the company an underperform rating in a research report on Tuesday. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Laurentian Bank of Canada from C$28.00 to C$32.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Laurentian Bank of Canada from C$29.00 to C$27.00 in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Laurentian Bank of Canada from C$27.00 to C$28.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of C$29.57. Get Laurentian Bank of Canada alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Laurentian Bank of Canada Laurentian Bank of Canada Stock Down 0.4% Laurentian Bank of Canada Announces Dividend Laurentian Bank of Canada stock opened at C$29.89 on Tuesday. Laurentian Bank of Canada has a twelve month low of C$24.37 and a twelve month high of C$31.74. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of C$27.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$27.96. The company has a market capitalization of C$1.32 billion, a PE ratio of -238.40, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.25. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 1st were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.29%. Laurentian Bank of Canadas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,499.45%. About Laurentian Bank of Canada (Get Free Report) Laurentian Bank of Canada provides personal banking, business banking and real estate and commercial financing to its personal, business, and institutional customers across Canada and the United States. The company reports three operating segments: personal, business services, and capital markets. The personal segment offers financial services to retail clients. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Laurentian Bank of Canada Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Laurentian Bank of Canada and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Algoma Steel Group (TSE:ASTL Free Report) from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a report issued on Tuesday morning,BayStreet.CA reports. They currently have C$8.00 target price on the stock, down from their prior target price of C$12.00. Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Algoma Steel Group from C$15.25 to C$14.75 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Royal Bank of Canada set a C$8.00 price target on shares of Algoma Steel Group and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Get Algoma Steel Group alerts: View Our Latest Analysis on Algoma Steel Group Algoma Steel Group Trading Up 0.1% Algoma Steel Group Dividend Announcement Shares of TSE:ASTL opened at C$7.25 on Tuesday. The companys 50-day moving average price is C$7.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is C$10.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 43.70, a current ratio of 3.31 and a quick ratio of 1.51. Algoma Steel Group has a one year low of C$5.91 and a one year high of C$16.83. The stock has a market capitalization of C$753.06 million, a PE ratio of -4.97 and a beta of 1.50. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th were given a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.76%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 13th. Algoma Steel Groups payout ratio is presently -18.53%. Insider Activity In other news, Senior Officer Michael Moraca acquired 3,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of C$7.82 per share, for a total transaction of C$29,716.00. Insiders own 7.57% of the companys stock. About Algoma Steel Group (Get Free Report) Algoma Steel Group Inc produces and sells steel products primarily in North America. The company provides flat/sheet steel products, including temper rolling, cold rolled, hot-rolled pickled and oiled products, floor plate, and cut-to-length products for the automotive industry, hollow structural product manufacturers, and the light manufacturing and transportation industries; and plate steel products that consist of rolled, hot-rolled, and heat-treated for use in the construction or manufacture of railcars, buildings, bridges, off-highway equipment, storage tanks, ships, and military applications. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Algoma Steel Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Algoma Steel Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Pinterest (NYSE:PINS Free Report) from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has $40.00 price target on the stock, up from their prior price target of $35.00. PINS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Pinterest from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Pinterest from $47.00 to $42.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 31st. Bank of America reduced their price target on Pinterest from $46.00 to $35.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Pinterest from $28.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Pinterest from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and upped their target price for the stock from $34.00 to $47.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-four have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pinterest presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $40.42. Get Pinterest alerts: Read Our Latest Research Report on PINS Pinterest Price Performance Shares of NYSE:PINS opened at $33.79 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.92 billion, a PE ratio of 12.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.83. Pinterest has a 1 year low of $23.68 and a 1 year high of $45.19. The firms 50-day moving average is $28.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.31. Pinterest (NYSE:PINS Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.25 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $854.99 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $848.49 million. Pinterest had a net margin of 51.07% and a return on equity of 8.10%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.17 EPS. Analysts expect that Pinterest will post 0.6 EPS for the current fiscal year. Insider Activity In other news, Director Gokul Rajaram sold 1,150 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.00, for a total value of $31,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 26,786 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $723,222. This represents a 4.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Benjamin Silbermann sold 102,083 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.47, for a total transaction of $3,212,552.01. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,414 shares in the company, valued at approximately $264,788.58. This trade represents a 92.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 973,354 shares of company stock valued at $31,654,498. Insiders own 7.06% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of Pinterest Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. First Hawaiian Bank increased its stake in Pinterest by 180.3% in the first quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 22,226 shares of the companys stock valued at $689,000 after purchasing an additional 14,296 shares during the period. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pinterest during the first quarter worth about $60,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in Pinterest in the 1st quarter valued at about $15,035,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Pinterest by 139.4% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,400 shares of the companys stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 1,980 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its position in Pinterest by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 115,323 shares of the companys stock worth $3,575,000 after acquiring an additional 5,072 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.81% of the companys stock. About Pinterest (Get Free Report) Pinterest, Inc operates as a visual search and discovery platform in the United States and internationally. Its platform allows people to find ideas, such as recipes, home and style inspiration, and others; and to search, save, and shop the ideas. The company was formerly known as Cold Brew Labs Inc and changed its name to Pinterest, Inc in April 2012. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Pinterest Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pinterest and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Fulton Bank N.A. reduced its stake in shares of Smurfit Westrock Ltd (NYSE:SW Free Report) by 19.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,587 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,318 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A.s holdings in Smurfit Westrock were worth $252,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators bought a new position in Smurfit Westrock in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in Smurfit Westrock in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Smurfit Westrock by 54.0% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 779 shares of the companys stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 273 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management bought a new position in Smurfit Westrock in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Smurfit Westrock by 49.1% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 695 shares of the companys stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the period. 83.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Smurfit Westrock alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth SW has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Smurfit Westrock from $66.00 to $64.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Smurfit Westrock from $53.00 to $43.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Smurfit Westrock from $62.00 to $50.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Smurfit Westrock from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of Smurfit Westrock from $68.00 to $64.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $58.20. Insider Transactions at Smurfit Westrock In other Smurfit Westrock news, Director Irial Finan bought 15,180 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $39.21 per share, for a total transaction of $595,207.80. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 54,893 shares in the company, valued at $2,152,354.53. This trade represents a 38.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Smurfit Westrock Stock Up 1.1% Shares of NYSE:SW opened at $43.05 on Friday. Smurfit Westrock Ltd has a one year low of $37.01 and a one year high of $56.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $22.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.27 and a beta of 1.04. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $42.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $48.76. Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.08. Smurfit Westrock had a net margin of 0.63% and a return on equity of 6.16%. The company had revenue of $7.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.41 billion. The firms quarterly revenue was up 161.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Smurfit Westrock Ltd will post 3.25 EPS for the current fiscal year. Smurfit Westrock Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.4308 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Smurfit Westrocks dividend payout ratio is currently 140.98%. Smurfit Westrock Company Profile (Free Report) Smurfit Westrock Plc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, distributes, and sells containerboard, corrugated containers, and other paper-based packaging products in Ireland and internationally. The company produces containerboard that it converts into corrugated containers or sells to third parties, as well as produces other types of paper, such as consumer packaging board, sack paper, graphic paper, solid board and graphic board, and other paper-based packaging products, such as consumer packaging, solid board packaging, paper sacks, and other packaging products, including bag-in-box. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Smurfit Westrock Ltd (NYSE:SW Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Smurfit Westrock Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Smurfit Westrock and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Magnus Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:JHMM Free Report) by 1.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 25,380 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLCs holdings in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF were worth $1,454,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Choice Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Choice Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 199,470 shares of the companys stock worth $11,430,000 after acquiring an additional 2,958 shares during the last quarter. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC now owns 112,588 shares of the companys stock worth $6,451,000 after acquiring an additional 2,331 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. boosted its position in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 831,001 shares of the companys stock worth $47,616,000 after acquiring an additional 34,002 shares during the last quarter. Iams Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF by 14.3% during the 1st quarter. Iams Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,257 shares of the companys stock worth $359,000 after acquiring an additional 785 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF by 10.1% during the 1st quarter. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 616,916 shares of the companys stock worth $35,350,000 after acquiring an additional 56,650 shares during the last quarter. Get John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF alerts: John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF Stock Down 0.1% NYSEARCA:JHMM opened at $59.50 on Friday. John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF has a twelve month low of $49.29 and a twelve month high of $65.18. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $56.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.46. The company has a market cap of $4.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.96 and a beta of 1.04. John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF Company Profile The John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF (JHMM) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the John Hancock Dimensional Mid Cap index. The fund tracks an index of US firms ranked 200-950 by size, weighted by multiple factors relative to their sector peers. JHMM was launched on Sep 28, 2015 and is managed by John Hancock. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. LUSAKA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Zambia's cabinet convened on Friday to honor and pay tribute to former President Edgar Lungu, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 68. President Hakainde Hichilema said the cabinet met in solemn remembrance of the country's sixth president. "Our thoughts and prayers remain with his family, loved ones, and the entire nation during this time of sorrow," Hichilema said in a post on his Facebook page. Meanwhile, the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Zambia Beatrice Mutali said the UN had learned with deep regret and sadness of Lungu's death. In a statement, she noted that Lungu served Zambia with dedication and would be remembered for the country's active participation in the UN, his leadership in the fight against gender-based violence and child marriage, and his advocacy for gender equality and greater women's representation in key decision-making positions. Lungu died earlier on Thursday while receiving specialized medical treatment at Mediclinic Medforum Hospital in Pretoria, South Africa's administrative capital. He served as Zambia's president from January 2015 to August 2021. B&M European Value Retail (LON:BME Get Free Report) issued its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported GBX 31.80 ($0.43) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, Digital Look Earnings reports. B&M European Value Retail had a net margin of 5.81% and a return on equity of 43.85%. B&M European Value Retail Stock Performance Shares of BME opened at GBX 291.10 ($3.95) on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 315.77, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a current ratio of 1.06. B&M European Value Retail has a twelve month low of GBX 254.60 ($3.46) and a twelve month high of GBX 500.20 ($6.79). The firms 50 day moving average price is GBX 319.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 318.75. The firm has a market cap of 2.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.96 and a beta of 1.05. Get B&M European Value Retail alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes BME has been the subject of several analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price target on shares of B&M European Value Retail from GBX 545 ($7.40) to GBX 490 ($6.65) and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Citigroup reiterated a buy rating and set a GBX 456 ($6.19) price target on shares of B&M European Value Retail in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Shore Capital reiterated a not rated rating on shares of B&M European Value Retail in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of GBX 538.76 ($7.32). About B&M European Value Retail (Get Free Report) B&M European Value Retail SA operates general merchandise and grocery stores. The company operates a chain of stores under the B&M, Heron Foods, and B&M Express in the United Kingdom; and stores under the B&M brand in France. It also provides property management services. The company was founded in 1978 and is based in Munsbach, Luxembourg. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for B&M European Value Retail Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for B&M European Value Retail and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kapstone Financial Advisors LLC lowered its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Free Report) by 25.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,473 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 2,518 shares during the quarter. Kapstone Financial Advisors LLCs holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $456,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Insight Advisors LLC PA boosted its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. Insight Advisors LLC PA now owns 4,653 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares during the period. KRS Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 22.5% in the first quarter. KRS Capital Management LLC now owns 14,661 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $894,000 after buying an additional 2,697 shares during the last quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 5.1% during the first quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 86,313 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $5,264,000 after purchasing an additional 4,182 shares during the last quarter. Curat Global LLC purchased a new position in Bristol-Myers Squibb in the 1st quarter worth about $211,000. Finally, Generali Investments Management Co LLC grew its stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 43.7% during the first quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC now owns 28,565 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,742,000 after acquiring an additional 8,691 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.41% of the companys stock. Get Bristol-Myers Squibb alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, EVP Samit Hirawat bought 4,250 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, April 25th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $47.58 per share, for a total transaction of $202,215.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 83,513 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,973,548.54. This trade represents a 5.36% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $55.00 price target on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Argus upgraded Bristol-Myers Squibb to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $60.00 to $54.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $58.00. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on BMY Bristol-Myers Squibb Stock Down 0.2% Bristol-Myers Squibb stock opened at $47.84 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.90, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.25. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $55.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.35 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.38. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a one year low of $39.35 and a one year high of $63.33. Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.30. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a positive return on equity of 13.93% and a negative net margin of 18.53%. The company had revenue of $11.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $10.77 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($4.40) earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 6.74 earnings per share for the current year. About Bristol-Myers Squibb (Free Report) Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, and neuroscience diseases. The company's products include Eliquis for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in non-valvular atrial fibrillation, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for various anti-cancer indications, including bladder, blood, CRC, head and neck, RCC, HCC, lung, melanoma, MPM, stomach and esophageal cancer; Pomalyst/Imnovid for multiple myeloma; Orencia for active rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis; and Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Bristol-Myers Squibb Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bristol-Myers Squibb and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Alphabet, CrowdStrike, Open Text, Palo Alto Networks, and Dell Technologies are the five Cybersecurity stocks to watch today, according to MarketBeats stock screener tool. Cybersecurity stocks are shares of publicly traded companies that develop, manufacture or deliver hardware, software and services aimed at protecting computers, networks and data from cyberattacks, breaches and other digital threats. Their market performance is closely tied to the frequency of cyber incidents, regulatory mandates on data protection and ongoing investments in security infrastructure. Investors often buy these stocks to gain exposure to the rapidly growing cybersecurity sector as organizations worldwide bolster defenses against evolving cyber risks. These companies had the highest dollar trading volume of any Cybersecurity stocks within the last several days. Get alerts: Alphabet (GOOGL) Alphabet Inc. offers various products and platforms in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia-Pacific, Canada, and Latin America. It operates through Google Services, Google Cloud, and Other Bets segments. The Google Services segment provides products and services, including ads, Android, Chrome, devices, Gmail, Google Drive, Google Maps, Google Photos, Google Play, Search, and YouTube. Shares of Alphabet stock traded up $1.77 during trading on Thursday, hitting $169.82. 13,093,178 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 29,989,712. The stock has a market cap of $2.06 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.84. Alphabet has a 12-month low of $140.53 and a 12-month high of $207.05. The firms 50-day moving average price is $159.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $174.43. Read Our Latest Research Report on GOOGL CrowdStrike (CRWD) CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. provides cybersecurity solutions in the United States and internationally. Its unified platform offers cloud-delivered protection of endpoints, cloud workloads, identity, and data. The company offers corporate endpoint and cloud workload security, managed security, security and vulnerability management, IT operations management, identity protection, SIEM and log management, threat intelligence, data protection, security orchestration, automation and response and AI powered workflow automation, and securing generative AI workload services. Shares of CrowdStrike stock traded up $2.52 on Thursday, hitting $463.08. The stock had a trading volume of 2,692,716 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,145,789. The companys 50 day moving average price is $410.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $386.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market cap of $114.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 907.17, a P/E/G ratio of 17.86 and a beta of 1.22. CrowdStrike has a 52-week low of $200.81 and a 52-week high of $491.20. Read Our Latest Research Report on CRWD Open Text (OTEX) Open Text Corporation provides information management software and solutions. The company offers content services, which includes content collaboration and intelligent capture to records management, collaboration, e-signatures, and archiving; and operates experience cloud platform that provides customer experience and web content management, digital asset management, customer analytics, AI and insights, e-discovery, digital fax, omnichannel communications, secure messaging, and voice of customer, as well as customer journey, testing, and segmentation. Open Text stock traded up $0.35 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $28.81. 10,211,871 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 901,127. The firms 50 day moving average is $26.49 and its 200 day moving average is $27.58. The stock has a market cap of $7.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.70 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.87. Open Text has a 52-week low of $22.79 and a 52-week high of $34.20. Read Our Latest Research Report on OTEX Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Palo Alto Networks, Inc. provides cybersecurity solutions worldwide. The company offers firewall appliances and software; and Panorama, a security management solution for the global control of network security platform as a virtual or a physical appliance. It also provides subscription services covering the areas of threat prevention, malware and persistent threat, URL filtering, laptop and mobile device protection, DNS security, Internet of Things security, SaaS security API, and SaaS security inline, as well as threat intelligence, and data loss prevention. Palo Alto Networks stock traded up $4.70 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $198.77. The company had a trading volume of 1,215,545 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,681,976. Palo Alto Networks has a 1 year low of $142.01 and a 1 year high of $208.39. The company has a market capitalization of $132.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 111.96, a P/E/G ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 1.02. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $179.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $185.03. Read Our Latest Research Report on PANW Dell Technologies (DELL) Dell Technologies Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, markets, sells, and supports various comprehensive and integrated solutions, products, and services in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) and Client Solutions Group (CSG). NYSE:DELL traded up $1.42 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $114.12. 1,658,341 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,562,768. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $95.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $106.80. Dell Technologies has a 1 year low of $66.25 and a 1 year high of $161.52. The company has a market cap of $79.64 billion, a PE ratio of 20.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.99. Read Our Latest Research Report on DELL Read More JOHANNESBURG, June 6 (Xinhua) -- South Africa is ready to deepen cooperation with China in the technology sector, said a senior government official on Friday. South African Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation Blade Nzimande made the remarks ahead of his departure for the Second Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange, scheduled to take place in Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, from June 10 to 12. "The Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange presents South Africa with a unique opportunity to enhance cooperation with China in key areas such as artificial intelligence, future energy, transport systems, and traditional medicines. These technologies are essential for South Africa's long-term development," said Nzimande. Nzimande is scheduled to have a high-level meeting with Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Yin Hejun in China to explore new areas of cooperation. He will also meet with representatives from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the China Association for Science and Technology, the National Institute of Clean-and-Low-Carbon Energy, and Chinese tech giant Huawei. "Through this visit, we aim to strengthen strategic partnership with China in sci-tech and innovation, and encourage young scientists, researchers, and entrepreneurs from South Africa to participate in global innovation networks, with a strong focus on strengthening cooperation and advancing Africa's science agenda," Nzimande said. The funeral for Michael Gaine is due to take place on Saturday, 7 June in Kenmare just weeks after the 56-year-old farmer's remains were discovered in Carrig East. Partial human remains were discovered on lands in Carrig East in May, months after Michael was first reported missing from his home near Kenmare on Friday, 21 March. Michael's disappearance sparked a major national interest and search operation across Kenmare which included support from the Defence Forces. The missing persons case was eventually reclassified as a homicide investigation on 29 April by Gardai. Since the discovery of Michael's remains, one suspect in his 50s has been arrested in connection to the murder but released without charge. READ NEXT: Three arrested after fleeing 'across fields' following serious road crash on rural road Now, the Kenmare man will be laid to rest on Saturday in his local town. Michael will be reposing at Finnegan's Funeral Home in Kenmare on Friday from 2pm. Requiem mass will take place at 10.30am on Saturday morning at the Holy Cross Church in Kenmare, followed by the Funeral Cortege around Kenmare town. The funeral will also be livestreamed. The Gaine family has asked for Michael's final resting place to remain private. Tonight we take a peek at courthouse the latest tax update from the courthouse after a legal battle and tough compromise . . . Here's a bit of guidance as most locals notice that their costs have been spiked again EXACTLY 15% . . . Check-it: Jackson County begins mailing 2025 property value change notices KANSAS CITY, Mo. The Jackson County Assessors Office has begun mailing 2025 Real Property Value Change Notices to property owners across the county. Notices are being sent in phases throughout the week, and some residents may have already received theirs. As required by Missouri law (RSMo 137.115), all counties must reassess real estate in odd-numbered years to reflect fair market value as of January 1. This year, Jackson County is voluntarily complying with a modified 2025 assessment order issued by the Missouri State Tax Commission (STC). That order includes a specific formula that limits how much residential property values can increase, regardless of actual market value. What Property Owners Need to Know 1. Review Your Notice Carefully Your notice reflects the estimated assessed value of your property, based on the STCs order. It also includes instructions for filing an appeal if you disagree with the valuation. 2. This Is Not a Tax Bill The Assessor does not set tax rates. Tax rates (also called levies) are set by local taxing jurisdictions such as school districts, cities and fire districts based on their budget needs. 3. Appeal Deadline: July 14, 2025 If you believe your property is overvalued for 2025, you may file an appeal with the Board of Equalization (BOE) by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, July 14, 2025. In person: 1300 Washington Street, Kansas City, MO Online: www.jacksongov.org/boeappeals (fastest option) 4. Senior Property Tax Credit Program Over 40,000 Jackson County seniors are already enrolled in our new tax credit program. Estimated savings are included on 2025 notices but may change once final tax rates are set. If you were eligible in 2024, you can still apply by June 30, 2025 to lock in your 2024 bill as your base. Learn more at jacksongov.org/seniortaxcredit. Important: Once you're approved for the program, your future tax bills will be based on your base year amount. If your tax bill ever drops below that base amount, the lower bill will become your new base going forward. ### Here's the word from the courthouse as this increasingly LESS controversial Show-Me State power move works its way through the special session . . . Check-it . . . Jackson County Executive statement on passage of stadium funding bill by state senate KANSAS CITY, Mo. Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jr. has issued the following statement on the passage of a stadium funding bill by the state senate: For more than 50 years, Jackson County has proudly supported the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals, shouldering the majority of the financial responsibility that has helped keep both teams rooted in our community. Each year, our taxpayers contribute more than $54 million to support the teams more than the County currently spends combined on parks and playgrounds, roads and bridges, and our public health department. This significant investment reflects our long-standing commitment, but it also underscores the need to balance that support with the many other responsibilities we carry as a county. While it has been an honor to uphold that legacy, its time for a new chapter, one where Jackson County no longer carries the burden alone. From the beginning of this process, Ive been clear: the path forward must include a more equitable sharing of responsibility. The stadium funding plan passed by the Missouri Senate moves us in that direction. It opens the door to meaningful relief for Jackson County taxpayers and creates the opportunity to invest in the essential services our residents rely on every day, from public safety and health care to critical infrastructure, all without increasing taxes. We remain committed to working with our partners at every level to support a future that is more balanced, more sustainable, and ultimately more fair for the people of Jackson County. The following bar chart shows the stark contrast between what Jackson County contributes annually versus what it receives in return, compared to Kansas City and the State of Missouri. ########## Take a look via www.TonysKansasCity.com screencap . . . There's a lot to catch up on tonight as we look at "big picture" local crime news by way of court deets, police action, mugshots and, as always, community outreach. Check TKC news gathering . . . Police launch investigation after pedestrian struck, killed Thursday at 31st and Prospect An investigation is underway into the suspected impairment of the driver involved in striking and killing a pedestrian Thursday morning at E. 31st Street and Prospect Avenue. Woman says former firefighter sexually abused her, fears he will avoid punishment FOX4 spoke with a woman who said she's worried that a former metro firefighter will avoid punishment after she said he sexually assaulted her as a child. Woman arrested & charged with murdering pregnant woman, unborn child on Christmas Eve 2023 A woman has been arrested and charged with murdering a pregnant woman on Christmas Eve of 2023 in Johnson County, Kansas. KMBC Restrained investigation used in talks about new Kansas City detention center "We have to get this right," Kansas City, Missouri, City Councilman Crispin Rea said about building new facility Johnson County work release escapee found, taken into custody A minimum-custody resident at the Johnson County, Kansas Department of Corrections who escaped last week has been apprehended today, June 4. Murder charges filed against man in relation to shooting in Santa Fe neighborhood Murder charges have been filed against a man in relation to a fatal shooting Sunday in the Santa Fe neighborhood. 56-year-old man convicted of manslaughter in 2024 Kansas City shooting Charlie Bowman was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and other charges for a 2024 Kansas City shooting that left a woman dead. He was sentenced to prison. Independence man accused of rape after investigators given recording An Independence man has been accused of rape after a recording of the incident revealed the past sexual assault to investigators. Read the complaint: Kan. teacher charged with having sex with student Whitney Shull - Photo Reno County Sheriff's Office RENO COUNTY- Charg Man on the run for Kansas rape for nearly 5 years found, arrested in Missouri A man who had been wanted for a Kansas rape for nearly 5 years was taken into custody after he was found in Kansas City, Missouri. Bomb Squad removes grenade from Independence cemetery Independence, Missouri Police Department Bomb Squad removes grenade from Pitcher Cemetery near Blue Ridge Boulevard, Phil Roberts Park Spectrum, Google Fiber lines vandalized in Kansas City as part of rising trend Vandalism to Spectrum and Google Fiber lines in the Kansas City metro in May reflects part of a recent trend of network infrastructure vandalism across the country. Grandview carpenter's tools, trailer stolen outside his home Kyle Hudson said a thief stole his Milwaukee tools and trailer, totaling to about $10,000. A Missouri mom finally laid her son to rest, after his death in ICE custody months ago About two months after his death in ICE custody, Brayan Garzon-Rayo's family buried his ashes with support from the Ashrei Foundation. Crime Stoppers program commends community tips in tracking down suspect in Lee's Summit police shooting According to Crime Stoppers, tips from the community helped bring the search to an end. KC-area police increase presence, measures to crack down on crime this summer As warm weather approaches, locals can expect an increase in patrol officers around the KC metro in an effort to provide a safer summer. Community celebrates opening of resource center for sex trauma survivors Community leaders and regional survivors came together to celebrate the grand opening of a new center meant to connect those with sexual trauma to local resources. Developing . . . This week the White House touted progress over plummeting murder rates across the nation but that progress has yet to take hold in Kansas City. Heck, even STL is enjoying a drop in deadly violence. However . . . Right now KCMO endures a 12% increase in our homicide pace so far this year. Nearly every weekend so far this spring has been marked by gunfire and multiple shootings. This week has been relatively quiet but maybe only because of constant rain and flooding. And so we ask . . . WHY HASN'T MAGA PROGRESS AGAINST MURDER TAKEN HOLD IN KANSAS CITY?!? Consider . . . It's hard to accept the "blue city" blame game given that KCMO resides between two overwhelmingly red states AND Missouri state control of the police board should also take some accountability for the dire situation on cowtown streets. It's too easy, superficial, unproductive and lame to treat deadly local violence like a partisan wedge issue. Instead, more thoughtful residents might ask themselves how Democratic Party leadership AND Republican control of governance have led us to this tragic predicament. Per ushe . . . We trust that our opinion will be summarily ignored as political hacks find much more satisfaction in repeating talking points and awarding more EPIC cash to anti-crime programs rather than thinking critically about an ongoing slaughter on local streets. And so we reference important progress that comes with MAGA rule and HOPE that it takes hold in KC proper in what is already becoming YET ANOTHER near record-setting year for deadly violence . . . Since President Trump took office, murder rates have plummeted across the entire United States, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement . . . American families were promised their communities would be safer and President Trump swiftly delivered by vocally being tough on crime, unequivocally backing law enforcement, and standing firm on violent criminals being held to the fullest extent of the law, she added. Her remarks come after analyst Jeff Asher, co-founder of AH Datalytics, found more than a 20% decrease in murders from 2024, including murders down 31.6% in Baltimore, 34.5% in St. Louis, 36.8% in Cleveland, 63% in Denver, 30.6% in New Orleans, 26.8% in New York, and 23.7% in Chicago. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . New York Post: White House celebrates plummeting murder rates as levels dip below pre-COVID numbers Developing . . . First, this word from a respected spokesperson deserves attention and answers a great deal of local social media misunderstanding regarding how muni court functions . . . The judge hasnt "found him in violation" of anything. He hasnt even had a court date. He has merely been charged by City Prosecutor with violating the protection order. (Local MSM coverage is) implying an outcome in a pending case and that someone is guilty when they are still presumed innocent. And then . . . We noticed local news downplaying this angle but it deserves attention . . . MANNY'S LAWYER CASTS BLAME IN THIS MESSY PUBLIC DIVORCE & DOMESTIC DRAMA!!! Check this bold tactics that shouldn't escape the attention of apt Kansas City news readers . . . Attorney says Abarca took son out of fear for his safety Aldo Caller, the attorney representing Abarca in Johnson County . . . He claims that Abarca's wife is actually the one who put the child in danger. "There was an incident where his wife tried to take the child under circumstances he thought to be dangerous," Caller told FOX4. "We are going to show all of that in court. We want everyone to give these people some peace, some privacy, and let the court resolve all of these situations." His attorney said Abarca was looking out for his son when he took the child. "He has done what, I think, what any father who is concerned about the nature of a child would do," Caller said. "He has looked out for the safety and welfare of the child, and we are prepared to show that in court." He said the claims of domestic battery are false. "There are things, I think, that will be shocking to a lot of people things that are not at all uncommon in many relationships, but we're going to leave that to the courts to decide," Abarca's attorney told . . . Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Legislator Manny Abarca pleads not guilty to domestic battery charges in Johnson County Jackson County Legislator Manuel "Manny" Abarca IV pleaded not guilty Thursday to domestic battery charges in Johnson County, Kansas. Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca pleads not guilty in Johnson County court appearance Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca entered a not guilty plea during his first appearance in court on Thursday in Johnson County. Developing . . . MANILA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Thailand on Friday signed a loan agreement of 68.74 million U.S. dollars to provide connectivity infrastructure to the U-Tapao Airport in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), a manufacturing and innovation hub in eastern Thailand. The project will provide key access roads to the U-Tapao International Airport by constructing a 1.92-kilometer extension of Intercity Motorway No. 7 and expanding a 5.65-kilometer section of National Highway No. 3 from the Bang Phai River in the west to the Motorway No. 7 interchange in the east, the ADB said in a press release. "The complete road construction will provide a sustainable land transport network and support the multimodal transport connecting rail, road, and air transport linkage in the EEC, where industries such as smart electronics, agriculture and biotechnology, health care, and digital services are located," the ADB said. From 1968 to 2024, the ADB said it has supported Thailand's public sector through loan, grants, and technical assistance, amounting to 7.4 billion dollars in various sectors. Rising demand is putting strain on available housing stock for local people. Could Cornwall see protests similar to those currently taking place in Spain or might the humble beach hut provide the solution? (TRAVPR.COM) UNITED KINGDOM - June 5th, 2025 - This summer, finding a cosy seaside base could be harder than ever. A new report from the Governments Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals that bookings for UK holiday lets have soared, especially in Britains holiday hotspots. Last year, demand for holiday lets from the likes of Airbnb, Booking.com and the Expedia group resulted in holidaymakers booking 90.1 million guest nights in short-term UK lets. Cornwall was the peak August destination and the second most in demand throughout the year, only behind Westminster in London. Cornwall saw 3.4 million guest nights last year and other favourite seaside areas werent far behind. That puts a huge strain on available holiday accommodation. The growth in demand for seaside holiday accommodation is also pricing local people out of the housing market, with many homes being purchased to become lucrative holiday lets. If that sounds familiar, thats because it's a situation that is now outraging many people in Spain, who are currently holding demonstrations demanding a ban on new holiday rental accommodation. Could Cornwall be the next place to see such protests? Lily Smith, a leading travel expert from BeachHuts.com, says: Demand for a short stay base in Cornwall has ballooned in recent years. In the summer months, Cornwall has the highest number of bookings in the UK, peaking at 803,920 guest nights last August. This seasonal housing demand skews prices for locals. In mid-2023, Cornwall had a permanent resident population of 578,342 but this balloons in the summer. The number of residential homes being turned into holiday lets is one reason why Cornwalls median house price is now 8.85 times the yearly average earning for the area. Fortunately, many seaside areas of Cornwall boast beach huts that are a great alternative to holiday lets and expensive hotels. Whats more, they wont deprive locals of a home. Thousands of these are dotted around many of Britains favourite seaside resorts. They provide the perfect ethical alternative to holiday lets and hotels. Beach huts need very little infrastructure, they dont deprive anyone of a home and their bright appearance often adds character to an area. Beach huts provide an ideal base for a visit to the seaside. Not only are they ideal for a long daytrip providing a base to change, make a cuppa and have a meal without having to rent accommodation but you can actually stay in many overnight. There are hundreds of daytime huts available right around the UK on BeachHuts.com. Alternatively, for more information about renting an overnight beach hut in locations across the UK, see https://www.beachhuts.com/overnight-beach-huts-for-rent.html ### Badri Prasad Pandey, Nepal's minister for culture, tourism and civil aviation, speaks at the inaugural ceremony of the seventh Chinese language training course for Nepalese tourism professionals in Kathmandu, Nepal, June 6, 2025. The seventh Chinese language training course held by the Chinese Embassy in Nepal kicked off here on Friday for 60 tourism professionals in the country. (Photo by Hari Maharjan/Xinhua) KATHMANDU, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The seventh Chinese language training course held by the Chinese Embassy in Nepal kicked off here on Friday for 60 tourism professionals in the country. The professionals will learn the Chinese language, culture, geography and history during the six-month-long program, said Harish Chandra Shah, president of Nepal China Cultural and Educational Council, which is co-organizing the training session with the Nepal Tourism Board. The past six sessions had trained a total of 240 tourism professionals for the South Asian country, Shah told the inaugural ceremony. The training course is "a commendable initiative to support and promote our tourism sector," said Badri Prasad Pandey, Nepal's minister for culture, tourism and civil aviation. Guests pose for a group photo at the inaugural ceremony of the seventh Chinese language training course for Nepalese tourism professionals in Kathmandu, Nepal, June 6, 2025. The seventh Chinese language training course held by the Chinese Embassy in Nepal kicked off here on Friday for 60 tourism professionals in the country. (Photo by Hari Maharjan/Xinhua) Harish Chandra Shah, president of Nepal China Cultural and Educational Council, speaks at the inaugural ceremony of the seventh Chinese language training course for Nepalese tourism professionals in Kathmandu, Nepal, June 6, 2025. The seventh Chinese language training course held by the Chinese Embassy in Nepal kicked off here on Friday for 60 tourism professionals in the country. (Photo by Hari Maharjan/Xinhua) SYDNEY, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Australia's unique platypus is making a strong return to the wild, as scientists expand a pioneering reintroduction project in Royal National Park near Sydney. With new funding and early breeding success, conservationists from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) were hopeful that the park will soon host a robust, self-sustaining population of this iconic species, according to a release from UNSW Sydney on Friday. The egg-laying mammal native to eastern Australia is one of the world's most extraordinary animals, with a duck-like bill, webbed feet, and the ability to detect prey using electroreception. Building on a successful initial release in 2023, researchers have now introduced three additional platypuses to the park's Hacking River, with plans to reintroduce a total of 10 over the next three years, the release said. The initiative, led by the Platypus Conservation Initiative at UNSW Sydney, aimed to bolster genetic diversity and secure a stable, self-sustaining population, it said. Early results were promising, with nine of the original ten platypuses surviving their first year and confirmed breeding indicating a thriving wild population, said UNSW conservationists. "It's not just a scientific success -- it's a restoration of what was lost," said Gilad Bino, lead researcher at UNSW's Center for Ecosystem Science. A recent injection of 630,000 Australian dollars from Peabody's Metropolitan Mine, one of the country's top coal producers, will fund the next stage of the project, supporting further platypus releases, comprehensive monitoring, and adaptive management over the next few years, the release said. Researchers are using advanced tracking and remote monitoring to study platypus movements and behavior, providing valuable insights that will inform future conservation strategies across Australia. June 6 2025 Inverclyde Council has given the final go-ahead to a 24m transformation of Greenock to improve the setting of the town hall. The public realm project comprises the demolition of Hector McNeil House, the Bullring Roundabout, eastern side of the Oak Mall Shopping Centre and the A78 flyover. A sequence of street-level junctions controlled by traffic lights will take their place, surrounded by new parkland and a redesigned mall entrance by INCH Architecture & Design. This will remove vacant floor space with the remainder given greater outwards focus, with at grade crossings improving town centre connectivity. Councillor Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde Council, said: This is the biggest project of its kind in a generation with the aim of transforming central Greenock and the town centre for the better and is really exciting." Balfour Beatty is expected to begin site clearance works in the autumn for completion in 2027. VIENTIANE, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith has extended his warm congratulations to Lee Jae-myung on his election as President of South Korea. In a message, Thongloun expressed his great joy and sincere congratulations on Lee Jae-myung's election on Wednesday. Thongloun emphasized the significance of 2025 as a milestone year, marking the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Laos and South Korea, Lao News Agency reported on Friday. "This anniversary presents a valuable opportunity to further deepen the bonds of friendship and cooperation between our two nations," it stated. Thongloun reaffirmed his commitment to working closely with his South Korean counterpart to strengthen bilateral ties and bring greater benefits to the people of both countries, expressing the hopes for continued peace, stability, and development in the region and the world. Erma H. Ahrens, Osakis, MN, passed away on July 3rd, at the age of 92. Germany could face two more years of recession if a trade war with the United States escalates sharply, the central bank said Friday, a bleak warning for Europe's struggling top economy. If US President Donald Trump's tariffs were implemented in full from July and the EU retaliated, then German output would decline 0.5 percent this year and 0.2 percent in 2026, the Bundesbank forecast. This would be due to a "marked decline in exports and significant uncertainty weighing on investment", it said. There would be a return to growth in 2027, with a rebound of one percent, it said. The eurozone's traditional growth engine has already contracted for the past two years due to a manufacturing slump and surging energy prices after Russia invaded Ukraine, but hopes had been high for a modest recovery from this year. When Trump unveiled his "Liberation Day" tariffs in early April, he threatened to hit the European Union with a 20-percent levy over its hefty surplus in goods traded with the United States. He then paused those higher rates until July to allow for talks to try to reach a deal. More recently he said he would slap the EU with a 50-percent tariff rate as negotiations stalled -- but has also delayed that measure. The bloc still faces a "baseline" 10-percent tariff rate on all its exports to the United States, as well as higher levies on some specific sectors. - Risk to German exports - Trump's tariff blitz stands to hit export power Germany hard, as the United States was Germany's top trading partner in 2024, receiving huge quantities of its cars, pharmaceuticals and machinery. Germany's federal employment agency predicted that, in the event that 25-percent tariffs were imposed, it would cost the country about 90,000 jobs in a year, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily reported. "The erratic trade policy of the United States is putting pressure on the German labour market," agency chief Andrea Nahles told the newspaper. "The problem is this lack of predictability, which is causing us massive damage. It is preventing companies from investing, hiring and training people." As well as a worst-case scenario, the Bundesbank also released "baseline" growth projections. This envisages US trade policy having a more moderate impact on Germany as new Chancellor Friedrich Merz's planned spending surge on infrastructure and defence helps support the economy. Under these forecasts, the economy would stagnate this year before expanding 0.7 percent in 2026 and then 1.2 percent in 2027. The German government and many economic institutes have already slashed their growth forecasts for this year to zero, citing the uncertainty triggered by Trump's trade war. sr/sea/rlp The second round of the Polish presidential election was held on 1st June. The results are: Karol Nawrocki PiS: 10,606,877 votes cast, i.e. 50.89% of the voters; Rafal Trzaskowski KO: 10,237,286 votes cast, i.e. 49.11% of the voters. The presidency therefore remains with the PiS. Knowing that the president has a right of veto over all government decisions, Karol Nawrocki had the personalities supporting him sign an eight-point declaration: "- I will not sign any invoice that would increase taxes, contributions, royalties or introduce new tax charges. I will not sign any law restricting the movement of cash and I will protect the Polish zloty. I will not sign any law restricting the freedom to express opinions that are in line with the Polish Constitution. I will not allow Polish soldiers to be sent to Ukrainian territory. I will not sign a law on the ratification of Ukraines membership in NATO. I will not sign any law restricting the access of Poles to weapons. I will not accept the transfer of competences from the authorities of the Republic of Poland to the bodies of the European Union. I will not sign the ratification of new EU treaties that weaken Polands role, for example by weakening its voting rights or removing the right of veto." The Polish population remains marked by the disappearance of the country, four times in its history (the last time, during World War II). It is divided between those who fear Russia the most and those who fear Germany the most. In practice, the majority of Poles are therefore betting on... the United States. They perceive the "European Union" as a German project; Prime Minister Donald Tusk has even been described as a "German agent" by Karol Nawrocki; it is true that Donald Tusk is a childhood friend of Angela Merkel to whom he owes his entire political career. A small majority of Poles would therefore prefer the "Three Seas Initiative" (i.e. Jozef Pilsudskis Promethean project, the Intermarium, a continuation of the Commonwealth of the Two Nations, consisting of Poland and Lithuania). Added to this is the trauma of the massacres carried out during and before World War II by the Ukrainian "integral nationalists" now in power in Kiev. In addition to their leader Stepan Bandera assassinating Polish Minister of the Interior Bronisaw Pieracki, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) tried to ethnically cleanse Volhynia by massacring at least 100,000 Polish civilians. Poles are therefore divided over the Russian special military operation in Ukraine. On the one hand, they are in solidarity with the Ukrainians in the face of a Russian "invasion", on the other hand, they largely share the Russian fear of the Nazis collaborators (cf. VIN 2920). The commemoration of the Volhynia massacres has therefore become a state affair, especially since Ukraine refuses to participate. This is the editorial from our paywalled "Voltaire, international newsletter", n136. For more information, do not hesitate to subscribe: 500 per year. BERLIN, June 6 (Xinhua) -- German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt on Friday proposed suspending family reunification for refugees with limited protection status, which has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties and youth organizations. Unlike recognized refugees who enjoy full rights to reunite with family members, individuals granted subsidiary protection are currently subject to a monthly quota allowing only 1,000 relatives, such as spouses, minor children, and parents of unaccompanied minors, to join them in Germany. Under a draft law proposed by the governing coalition, this limited provision would be entirely suspended for two years. Only exceptional hardship cases would remain eligible. Condemning the bill as inhumane, Green Party lawmaker Schahina Gambir said that "families belong together," and warned that restricting legal pathways would strengthen human smuggling networks. Left Party member Clara Bunger accused Dobrindt of criminalizing legal migration routes by removing one of the last remaining lawful channels for vulnerable individuals to reunite with loved ones. Philipp Tuermer, a leader of the German youth organization Jusos, said in an interview with Deutschlandfunk that the plan would harm integration efforts for those already in Germany. "We believe it is both a moral obligation and a practical necessity to allow family reunification," he said. Dobrindt claimed that Germany had reached the limit of its integration capacity. He argued that curbing "illegal migration" required a comprehensive set of national and EU-level measures, including stricter border controls, expanded lists of safe countries of origin, and the establishment of asylum centers at the EU's external borders. The proposal has reignited debate over whether family reunification should be classified as part of irregular migration. Critics from the Greens and Left parties pointed out that reunification is a legal and regulated process, not illegal entry. According to data from the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the German government received 229,751 asylum applications in 2024, compared to 329,120 in 2023. In the first five months of this year, the number of new applications continued to decrease. If you watch Top Chef long enough, youll get used to its occasional nonsense. Youll shrug off the product placement, letting the car logos and airline-spon and brought to you by our friends at Glad Trash Bags intros roll right off your back. Youll sometimes even grow fond of the sweaty challenges designed around celebrity guests, blockbuster movies, or a local ingredient that even the locals might tire of after trying 13 courses designed around it. Because in between all that are dozens of experts with a palpable passion for food and their craft, and if you share even an ounce of that passion, learning more about it is always going to be a pleasure. Ive really liked this season! Its been far more comfortable in the slightly new groove required after Padmas exit, both for Kristen as a host and the show as an evolution of itself. Even something as silly as that hockey idiom challenge couldnt dampen my enthusiasm for long. But a penultimate episode featuring seemingly endless Olympics plugs and a tournament-style elimination to decide the final three? Yeah, I think Im allowed to get cranky now. Lets get into it, shall we? Two weeks after saying good-bye to Massimo in Calgary, our final four arrive in Milan. As Tristen says, his time off didnt exactly give him a chance to reset as it might have for Bailey, Cesar, and Shuai. Instead, Tristen had to bury his stepfather, whose presence and influence on his life clearly cannot be overstated. Im pleased to hear he could be home for a final good-bye, and also so sorry he has to go to Milan with so much pressure on his shoulders. As is pre-finale tradition, theyre quickly thrown straight into the Quickfire. The brief is simple and terrifying: Make risotto. Thats it! But as any Top Chef fan knows, make good risotto is apparently much easier said than done for even some of the best chefs in the world. Luckily, our final four knew they were headed to Milan a city famous for and extremely proud of its risotto so surely they saw this coming and prepared accordingly, right? Wrong! While Bailey does a happy dance, the men do a bad job hiding their nerves. I thought I could manifest [risotto] out of this competition, Tristen groans. Shuai, bless his heart, straight-up admits he didnt practice making risotto at all. Its something that has failed so many times with risotto on Top Chef that I thought, Theres no way theyre gonna make us make risotto. Silly me, he says. Yknow what, Shuai? I gotta agree with you there. So many chefs failing at risotto is exactly why theyre gonna make you do it, babe! Immediately in their heads, two out of the four chefs decide to just not make risotto at all? Cesar, our gentle prince of innovation, doubles down on the (incorrect) idea that risotto is a technique rather than a dish. As someone who used to pride herself on developing creative new reasons not to write college essays as assigned, I know a botched loophole attempt when I see one. The result is a celery-root risotto that makes Toms face screw up like he just sucked on a Warhead. (Somewhere, Massimos wineglass spontaneously shattered in his hand in solidarity.) In his slight defense, Cesar at least has the excuse of panicking after having to start cooking immediately; the others start 5, 10, and 15 minutes later, given Toms insistence that risotto be eaten immediately after its done. In that respect, Shuai who starts last has no excuse for spending 15 minutes staring at a wall of rice options before deciding to cook cubed butternut squash in rice stock instead. Tom could not be less impressed at his and Cesars workarounds. Risotto literally means of rice, he sputters. Neither he nor I can believe that half of the top four just fully abdicated the main responsibility of this challenge. Bailey, wanting to redeem her mediocre risotto from the first week of the competition, embraces northern Italian tradition with a red-wine risotto with a hazelnut gremolata. It seems fine enough, but also extremely safe. So its almost a disservice to Tristen that he wins the Quickfire (and $15,000!) almost by default because his dish sounds genuinely innovative and delicious. His mission to bring melanin to Milan an excellent catchphrase translates here into a jollof-rice-inspired risotto with charred butter greens that I need to eat immediately or else I might perish. Tristen was dreading cooking risotto as much as Shuai, and yet he once again made his own gorgeous version. Id started to root for Shuai to challenge Tristen for the ultimate win, but this moment convinced me once and for all that Tristen has richly earned the title of Top Chef. Before then, though, the final four has to become a final three and this is where things really go haywire. Youd think that a risotto challenge wherein half the chefs didnt make risotto would be my biggest gripe of the week, but no. Not when Kristen reveals that the final hurdle before the finale will be a three-course head-to-head tournament, with nine panelists voting to send one chef on each round until the last. This style can work for something like Top Chef: Portlands tofu tournament, which whittled six chefs down to five. But making chefs compete for a finale spot by preparing dishes they may not ever serve feels ridiculous. Whats more, the clunky attempts to tie this challenge to Milans upcoming Winter Olympics arent just clunky but pretty distracting, too. However cool it is to meet the athletes, I cant imagine the chefs were too pumped about basically having to chaperone their own personal Olympian(?) during such a crucial grocery shop. Given the widespread confusion in the supermarket, they frankly wouldve been better off getting their own personal Italian assistant. (The ghost of Massimo is screaming right now; Im so sorry, buddy!) Whats more, when their new athlete friends join the judges table, they all chicken out of the first round of judging by simply voting for the chef they shopped with. None of this would bug me half as much if it were for a much earlier challenge, but this is to get into the finale. Why are we doing paddle votes?! Anyway. I should probably get into the actual dishes, whether or not they ended up getting served. With three courses and the local ingredients of polenta, beets, and gorgonzola to consider, theres a lot at play and at stake. What becomes clear over the course of the episode is that most of the chefs thought hardest about coming out the gate strong with their first polenta dish (in hopes that theyd win and just be done), closely followed by the final Gorgonzola round (to make sure they wouldnt be totally screwed if it came down to that). The beet dish, set to be served second, definitely feels the most like an afterthought. Bailey makes some safer choices in her earlier rounds, between a straight-up parm polenta and roasted beets with ricotta schmear. Cesar, for better and for worse, never plays anything safe. He goes for a polenta cake with black walnut ice cream and a beet tostada that has him frantically pressing homemade tortillas with only minutes to go. Their respectively basic and scattershot approaches are reflected in the judges scores. Neither get enough votes from the nine-person panel of Tom, Kristen, Gail, athletes, Michelin chef Andrea Aprea, and my Top Chef: World All-Stars husband Ali Ghzawi to save themselves from the dreaded Gorgonzola. Building on his last couple of Elimination Challenge successes, Shuai ends up taking the first round by pairing well-cooked polenta with a perfectly barbecued duck. (Let it never be said that Tom cant judge a single dish while weighing an Elimination Challenge; if he did, Shuai wouldve been toast for his butternut squash cubes alone.) I would have loved to see/try his planned beet dumplings with smoked fish, but hes probably lucky it didnt come down to what sounded like a truly half-hearted butternut squash Gorgonzola dish. Shuais stunned and relieved to be done for the day at least until he has to sit and watch the others sweat it out, which quickly proves too stressful to be fun. The second round goes to Tristen. Though his peppery coo coo threatened to blow out the judges palettes in round one, his smoked beets with pikliz and pork belly earned him a near-unanimous win. Again, I wish I couldve seen what hed do with Gorgonzola (allegedly it was going to be sherbet?), but I was just as happy as he was to realize he was through to the finale with minimal stress. The same cant be said for Bailey. Visibly stressed, she still issues herself the extra challenge of making the judges love bruleed Gorgonzola a dish they pretty much hated mere weeks ago. Now, at this point, Bailey was getting so many confessionals and opportunities to explain her thinking that I, a fool, assumed this was good-bye. Nope! Her second brulee is a hit, sending Cesar and his casserole great on squash, less so on the Gorgonzola home. After turning out so many unique and challenging dishes all season, its rough to watch him go for a recipe that apparently wasnt even his, but his beloved chef de cuisines. Cesar might not be as effusive as some of the other chefs, but I wouldve appreciated hearing more from him during what was, apparently, his last episode as a competitor. Unfortunately, the Network Synergy Gods demanded a sacrifice, i.e., 15 minutes of Olympians asking Italian grocers for puff pastry. This was just a very confusing episode. Ive now seen it twice, and I remain confused! All I can hope for is that the finale has the simplest of briefs cook your best food or bust and that we end up with a winner worthy of Delta Diamond Medallion Status. Leftovers Kristen Kish Suit Envy Watch: Im once again deferring to my roommates sartorial observations; more specifically, her calling Kristens pin-striped cream Quickfire suit Im Petras father chic. That, plus the plunging black-and-white Elimination Challenge suit? Kish is crushing it. 8.5/10. I dont have much else to add this week, except to declare my allegiance to #TeamTristen for the win. Though Ive enjoyed getting to know most everyone this season, no one else has rivaled his consistency and creativity, so I cant wait to see what he cooks without constraints. So what about you? Who are you rooting for? Who wins your award for Most Improved? Best Confessionals? Best Sportsmanship? Lets get some superlatives going before the finale! LONDON, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Thursday issued a warning about the continued spread of measles in England, highlighting the potential for a surge in cases during the upcoming summer holiday season. According to the latest data released by UKHSA, there have been 420 laboratory-confirmed measles cases in England since Jan. 1, 2025. Of these, 109 cases were confirmed in April, and 86 cases were reported in May. London has seen the highest number of cases overall this year (163/420, 39 percent) and in the last four weeks (35/75, 47 percent). The majority of these cases (276/420, 66 percent) were in children aged 10 years and under. UKHSA expressed concerns that increased travel during the summer holidays could lead to further spread of the disease, especially as measles remains endemic in many countries worldwide. This year's outbreaks have been seen in several other European countries, including France, Italy, Spain and Germany. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently reported that Romania, Pakistan, India, Thailand, Indonesia and Nigeria currently have among the largest numbers of measles cases worldwide. UKHSA urged parents to ensure their children are up to date with their MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccinations. "It's essential that everyone, particularly parents of young children, check all family members are up to date with 2 MMR doses especially if you are traveling this summer for holidays or visiting family," said Dr. Vanessa Saliba, a consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA. Meloni doubles down on her choice to abstain from voting. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has reiterated her plan to show up at the polling station but abstain from voting in the five referendums being held in Italy on 8 and 9 June. The series of referendums, or referenda, includes four questions related to labour reform as well as a contentious vote on whether the waiting time for non-EU citizens to become eligible to apply for Italian citizenship via residency should be cut from the current 10 years down to five. Meloni's right-wing coalition government is particularly against the citizenship referendum, which was granted after an online petition surpassed its aim of half a million signatures. The government has largely promoted abstention as a way to prevent the voter turnout or "quorum" from reaching 50 per cent plus one, the minimum percentage required to make the referendum result valid. Meloni on Thursday evening said she was "totally against halving the time for citizenship", hailing Italy's current citizenship legislation as "excellent" and "very open". "I will not contribute to the referendum reducing the term for granting citizenship to foreigners in Italy to five years", Meloni said during an event in Rome, stressing that abstention was a right for all voters. On Monday the premier said she planned to go to her voting station for the five referendums but not pick up her ballot paper, meaning she will not contribute to the quorum. Her comments sparked outrage among the centre-left opposition, with the Partito Democratico (PD) leader Elly Schlein accusing her of "making a fool" of the Italian people and confirming that she "wants to scuttle the referendums". Meloni expanded on her position on Thursday, asserting that not voting is her right, "it is everyone's right", and underlining that she does "not agree with the contents" of the referendums. She stated that she will go to the polls "because I am a prime minister and I think it is right to give a sign of respect towards the ballot boxes and the referendum institution." Under the current citizenship legislation, which dates to 1992, non-EU nationals are required to be legally resident in Italy for 10 years before they can apply for citizenship, and children born in Italy to foreigners cannot apply for citizenship until they turn 18. The other four referendum questions, promoted by the CGIL trade union, include a push to abolish the Jobs Act, the labour reform implemented by the Renzi government in 2016. The proposed reforms include restoring stronger protections against unlawful dismissals, removing the cap on compensation for unfair dismissals in small businesses, reintroducing stricter regulations on fixed-term employment contracts, and increasing employer accountability for workplace safety. Earlier this week the CGIL union condemned a banner displayed opposite its Rome headquarters encouraging "everyone to go the beach on 8-9 June", along with the message "Fuck CGIL". On Thursday the union filed a complaint with police over a social media post showing a sniper aiming a gun with the message: "You're going to vote? I see you.." The union published a screenshot of the image, obscuring the individual's name but displaying their profile picture: the logo of Meloni's Fratelli d'Italia party. "Thousands of hate-filled comments have been written in these months of campaign by supporters of right-wing political formations against the CGIL", the union wrote in a statement, condemning the "climate of intimidation" ahead of the referendums. Photo credit: Marco Iacobucci Epp / Shutterstock.com. Causeway Facilities Management Limited has been fined 150,000 for an accident in 2016 that resulted in the death of a construction worker. The deceased, Alois Makarov, who was a general operative, was killed when a 540kg piece of masonry fell on him while he was clearing rubble on a construction site on Parnell Street in Waterford city. The company, with an address at Old Kilmeaden Road, Co. Waterford, was charged with breaches of Section 8 (1) and 8 (2)(a) of the Safety, Health and Welfare Act, which relate to an employer's responsibility to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees. In this case, the company failed to ensure an exclusion zone was in place around the demolition site. The judge took into consideration a charge of failing to ensure workers had the appropriate training at the time of the accident. Two operatives, including the deceased, did not have Safe Pass qualifications at the time of the accident. The accident in 2016 resulted in the death of 20-year-old Alois Makarov, an operative on the site. Stock Image Founder and CEO of the Causeway Group, Sean Johnston, entered a plea of guilty on behalf of the company at a sitting of Waterford Circuit Criminal Court before Judge Eugene OKelly. In passing sentence, Judge OKelly said the only realistic penalty is a financial one. He described the incident as foreseeable, but not a deliberate breach of law to increase profits. The judge said a shockingly negligent safety file was produced, and a haphazard mindset was demonstrated surrounding safety. There was also a complete lack of understanding demonstrated surrounding exclusion zones. The court heard that the company had no previous convictions of infringement of health and safety, and they apologised to the family of the victim. CATASTROPHIC INJURIES Health and Safety Authority Inspector Roddy Molloy gave evidence that on December 12, 2016, the deceased, a 20-year-old general operative from Estonia, had been working on a construction site on Parnell Street when a substantial piece of masonry weighing 540kg fell on him, causing catastrophic injuries. Causeway Facilities Management had been contracted to demolish a number of internal walls in a former Bank of Ireland building so the layout could be reconfigured. The operative had been tasked with removing rubble as the walls were demolished. His distraught colleagues discovered him at around 4pm and called an ambulance. Mr Makarov's body was removed to University Hospital Waterford, where the doctor said that he suffered blunt force trauma to his skull and brain. His death had been instant. The court was told that on the day of the accident, the project manager and foreman on site was Noel Johnston. The architect had carried out a visual survey and safety plan from templates provided to him, according to the architect's statement. The plan did not include a specific exclusion zone around the demolition site. Mr Molloy explained that exclusion zones are "marked so nobody would come in contact with falling material". Mr Johnston had instructed the operatives to remove the material but to be careful. He had been on site on the day but had left and returned a number of times. The accident happened when the operative was removing the material as the wall was being knocked. The inspector concluded from his investigation that a competent person should have assessed the area before the removal of rubble. Mr Johnston told the inspector that he considered the whole site was a "cordoned area", the court was told. Additionally, two operatives, including the deceased, did not have Safe Pass training at the time of the accident. The court was told that the company had no previous convictions and had paid costs to both the HSA and the DPP in the amounts of 9,729 and 16,794, respectively. CONDOLENCES The barrister acting for Causeway Facilities Management Limited told the court that his client wished to extend their condolences to the family of the deceased. He put it to the witness, who confirmed that he had been told the company had offered to repatriate the deceased to Estonia, an offer that was refused. The company did subsequently pay for Mr Makarov's funeral and cremation, and an employee returned the ashes to his family. The barrister said they had settled a civil claim with the family and that the company had conceded liability. INADEQUATE The court was told that Mr Johnston had been in the construction industry for 20 years. He had instructed the young worker to stay back but he was enthusiastic and eager to impress. The operative demolishing the wall said in his statement to the HSA that they had been told to go gently because of the risk. While two of the operatives did not have Safe Pass training, the second man did complete the course after the incident. The barrister told the court that the company supports local clubs and charities and that Sean Johnston had donated a building to be used for a homeless service. The court was told there was no victim impact statement available from the man's family. But Mr Molloy said that the deceased's brother had come to see the photos and that from that, he had gotten some closure. The companys barrister told the court that they accepted the safety plan on the day was inadequate. There should have been a more rigorous safety regime on the day, said the barrister. WHO IS TO PAY? On day two of the sentencing hearing, draft financial statements were provided to the court, as requested by Judge OKelly, to determine an appropriate fine. Judge OKelly asked the court if Causeway Facilities Management Limited was merely one tiny cog in an enormous property enterprise, and he requested clarity over the profits of other companies associated with Causeway Director Sean Johnston. Draft statements of turnover and profitability were therefore provided, which revealed that Causeway Facilities Management Limited is one of 26 companies in which Johnston was involved. The companies recorded an annual turnover, which is in the multi-million euro bracket. During the cross-examination of Sean Johnston, Mr Eoghan Cole SC, acting for the state, asked if the imposed fine should be proportionate only to the profits of the offending company, Causeway Facilities Management Limited, or if the profits of the other companies should also be considered. Mr Johnston said he was willing to pay the fine himself or via his other companies if Causeway Facilities Management Limited alone wasnt financially able. The annual Garda Youth Awards in Waterford took place recently to recognise young people who made a valuable and positive contribution to their community over the last year. Waterford News & Star photographer, Joe Evans was there to capture images of those in attendance. Photos will also appear in the forthcoming print edition of the newspaper and also online here at waterford-news.ie. Photos of other events are also available to view here on the website under the 'Archive' section and a collection of nostalgic photos from our archive, titled 'Colourful Memories of Waterford', is currently available as a fantastic photobook on sale at The Book Centre, in-store or through or office on Gladstone Street. Hard copy prints of photos are also available to buy through our office. Tess Ormonde, Saviour's Crystal BC, Individual Award Winner. Finn Kavanagh, Special Achievement Award winner. Michael Reilly, St. Paul's BC Special Achievement Award recipient. Chief Superintendent Anthony Pettit, Ciana Ni Bheaglaoi, Special Achievement Award winner, and Garda Lorraine O'Dwyer. Chief Superintendent, Anthony Pettit, Eilish Norris, Individual Award Winner, and Garda Seamus Ronan. I would like to offer my support to the Pride of the Deise for this years Pride festival. Events such as these underline the value of creating safe, visible and welcoming spaces for LGBTIQ+ people. Whether through cultural celebration, or simply offering a sense of belonging, the work of the Pride of the Deise reminds us of the power of community led action in shaping a fairer and more compassionate society. Such work benefits not only the people of Waterford but fosters a sense of inclusion for those across the southeast of Ireland. As Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, I am proud to be part of a Government that is deeply committed to advancing LGBTIQ+ rights. This month we celebrate ten years of marriage equality in Ireland. The Marriage Equality Referendum was undoubtedly a momentous achievement, which has made Ireland a more progressive and welcoming place than before. Irelands journey to achieving marriage equality, through the overwhelming passage of the Marriage Equality Referendum in 2015, demonstrates how a country can come together, to show understanding for our fellow citizens and to achieve fairness and equality for all couples. Since then, much has been achieved under the National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy but despite the huge strides towards equality that have been made, the Government recognises that there is still work to be done to achieve equality for LGBTIQ+ persons. We acknowledge that gaps remain and that the changing context since the inaugural Strategies, has raised new and emerging issues. The Government has developed a successor National LGBTIQ+ Inclusion Strategy, with these new challenges in mind. The new whole-of-Government Strategy will take a whole-of-lifecycle approach and is grounded in the voices and experiences of those in the LGBTIQ+ community. We remain steadfast in our commitment to create a country where everyone can live free from discrimination, fear or exclusion. Our schools, our healthcare systems, our workplaces, and our cultural life must reflect this value of equality. Equality is measured not only in laws and policies, but in the existence of spaces for joy, expression and inclusion. Organisations such as Pride of the Deise are crucial in fostering these spaces they bring the principle of equality to life at a local level. To everyone involved in Pride of theDeise, I would like to thank you for your passion and your continued commitment to your work, the effect of which is felt far beyond Waterford, inspiring a brighter and more equal Ireland for all. I wish you continued success in your vital work and extend my best wishes for the Pride season ahead. Norma Foley (Minister for Children, Disability and Equality) Progress is being made on Ferrybank Shopping Centre, as a pre-planning meeting has been arranged between Dunnes Stores and Kilkenny County Council. The site has been a topic of discussion for over a decade, following delays in Dunnes Stores moving into the dormant space. Last week, Director of Services at Kilkenny County Council, Ian Gardner, revealed at a meeting of Kilkenny's Piltown District that the meeting is expected to take place in the coming weeks. The development of a pre-planning meeting would come across as being very positive, Mr. Gardner said. Last month, Senior Executive Officer Marie Phelan said at the Piltown meeting that Kilkenny County Council officials had "positive engagement" with senior management of the Dunnes group in recent weeks. A pioneering researcher based at Walton Institute, in South East Technological University (SETU) has been honoured by Waterford City & County Council. Dr Lizzy Abraham was honoured with a Mayoral Reception by Cllr Jason Murphy, Mayor of Waterford City & County. She was bestowed with the prestigious reception for scientific excellence and having a global impact through her work. A spokesperson for the local authority said: "Waterford City & County Council proudly recognised Dr Lizzy Abraham for her outstanding contributions to science, innovation, and community leadership." "Based at the Walton Institute, South East Technological University, Dr Abraham leads cutting-edge research in AI and healthcare, and was recently awarded the prestigious Research Ireland Pathway Fellowship," said the spokesperson. Dr Abraham is also the Principal Investigator of WESAT, Indias first women-led satellite mission, which was launched in January 2024. "A trailblazer in both Irish and international science, Dr Abraham continues to inspire as a role model for women in STEM and a champion of global collaboration," said the spokesperson. Kenneth Fox Minister for Justice, Jim OCallaghan welcomed the attestation of 120 new members of An Garda Siochana at a ceremony in the Garda College in Templemore on Friday. The new Garda members will now be assigned by the Commissioner to Garda Divisions throughout the country where they will begin their careers in An Garda Siochana. Speaking at the Garda College, Minister OCallaghan said: My focus is on ensuring Ireland is a safer place for everyone. Making sure that An Garda Siochana is at full-strength is a core part of that. This Government has made a commitment, and we will recruit at least 5,000 new Gardai over the next five years. "I am pleased that a further 170 recruits will enter the Garda College this coming Monday 9th June." Of the 120 attesting on Friday, 89 are men and 31 are women. Minister OCallaghan said: I want to congratulate our new Garda members as they attest from the Garda College and join their new stations across the country. 74 of the new Members will be deployed across the Dublin Metropolitan Region. For each new Garda attesting today, this is a milestone that marks the beginning of a fulfilling career dedicated to protecting the community and to public service. That strong relationship between our gardai and the community is not the norm in many countries and it is something we must never take for granted. I know that each one of these gardai will continue in this great tradition." The two-storey 980 sq m office at No.24, opposite Luna Park and the Palais, is down the road from Saint Moritz and the Esplanade Hotel. 24 The Esplanade, St Kilda Its level-one boardroom boasts a half-pipe skateboard ramp which would make for interesting meetings. Once Oakley Sunglasses head office, the office was most recently tenanted by cannabis distributor Releaf. Savills agents Linc Reynolds and Tim Grant are selling the property and expecting around $10 million. This is not an everyday building its so iconic, Reynolds said. Looking out from 24 The Esplanade. The building occupies the entire 748 sq m site and has a flexible General Residential zoning, suggesting it may not be an office for long. The Mill Geelongs entrepreneurial Hamilton Group has snapped up The Mill on the Barwon River in Newtown. The historic mill at 403 Pakington Street is in the artsy precinct along the river on a large 29,280 sq m site. A handout image of 403 Pakington Street, Newtown. Credit: Records show Cameron Hamilton put a caveat over the title late last month. Cushman & Wakefields Oliver Hay, Hamish Burgess, Joe Kairouz and Leon Ma ran the expressions of interest campaign and were expecting more than $30 million for the property. They declined to comment on the buyer or the price, but local sources suggest it was close to the asking price. The property came with planning approval for a mixed-use development with 314 apartments and 29 townhouses. The Hamilton Group has a solid track record restoring historic properties in Geelong. Strata office Post election, city-based owner-occupiers are back in the market for their little piece of the CBD. Recent deals include the office of retired criminal lawyer Bernie the Attorney Ballmer, on level 4 of 116-120 Hardware Street. Loading A wealthy individual is understood to have paid $1.53 million for the 222 sq m penthouse office and will move out of the blue-chip office complex at 333 Collins Street. Cushman & Wakefield agents Anthony Kirwan and Jack Cooper handled the campaign and declined to comment on the buyers identity. Records show Ballmer paid $605,000 for the space in 2005. The team, including George Davies, also sold a 358 sq m penthouse office at levels 14-15 at 50 Market Street for $3 million representing a rate of $8380 a sq m. The new owner is a migration agent already leasing space on Collins Street, Davies said. They have sold 10 offices worth around $20 million in the past six weeks, with 80 per cent of the buyers, owner-occupiers, he said. Loading That figure will be tested next month when an office on level 7/343 Little Collins Street goes to auction. The 168 sq m office is leased to a private college and has a 9B permit allowing for educational use. The price is expected to be around $1.1 million a bumper yield of around 8 per cent based on the rent of $89,198 a year. Cooper and Kirwan are handling the auction. Meanwhile, there are two vacant offices up for sale in the mid-century modern Mering House at 278 Collins Street. Kirwan is quoting around $2.75 million for the 336 sq m office on level 3, which last changed hands in 2018 for $2.5 million. Mering House at 278 Collins Street. Upstairs, the vacant level six is also for sale but for around $3.2 million through CBRE agents Alex Brierley, Nathan Mufale and Jing Jun Heng. It was sold in 2018 for $2.85 million. Strip retail Three shops in the inner north found keen buyers at auction last week. The old Commonwealth Bank branch at 209-211 Smith Street, now leased by furniture retailer Tait, sold for $6.5 million on a sharp 3.8 per cent yield. Records show Sydney businessman Richard Munao, founder of the Cult design group, has put a caveat over the property. A nice little bargain it sold in 2015 for $7.1 million. 209-211 Smith Street, Fitzroy Stonebridge agents Rorey James, Nic Hage and Ian Lam handled the sale, which attracted eight bidders. On Brunswick Street, they also engineered the sale of the freehold leased to the China Bar at 325 Brunswick Street for $2.9 million on a yield of 6.72 per cent. It fetched $1.86 million in 2007. The price reflected a land rate of $16,384 per sq m, the highest land rate achieved for Brunswick Street in over a decade, James said. A handout image of the China Bar at 325 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. Credit: The buyer, an interstate South Australian investor, was one of the underbidders of Stonebridges third deal, the Coburg NAB branch at 406-408 Sydney Road. The bank sold under the hammer for $2.71 million, a yield of 4.98 per cent with bidding from six parties. It had been owned by the same family for decades and the buyer was sourced from Stonebridges Asia Practice team. The bank sold under the hammer for $2.71 million, a yield of 4.98 per cent with bidding from six parties. Finally sold A long-held property on Hoddle Street, close to the entrance of the Eastern Freeway, has finally sold after two years on the market. The Commercial 2-zoned site at 294-296 Hoddle Street is on 1864 sq m and was pitched as a potential development site worth $15 million. However, the cement works between the showroom, leased to Bathroom Direct, and the railway line, made that proposition tricky. 294 Hoddle Street, Abbotsford. VILNIUS, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania and five other countries are preparing a joint procurement of CV90 armored infantry fighting vehicles, the Baltic News Service (BNS) reported Friday. The initiative was first announced by Finland's Defense Ministry and later confirmed by Lithuania's Ministry of National Defense. According to the announcement, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Lithuania, Estonia, and the Netherlands signed a statement of intent on Thursday to explore a collective acquisition of the CV90 platform. "This agreement underscores our commitment to strengthening the capabilities of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and deepening cooperation with our Nordic partners," said Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene. Sakaliene emphasized the need for a swift and efficient procurement process, noting that Lithuania aims to have a fully operational military division by 2030, with the CV90s an integral part. "The joint defense procurement program is a strategic decision that ensures not only more efficient weapons delivery but also highlights close international cooperation," she added. The CV90, produced by Sweden's BAE Systems Hagglunds, is known for its superior protection, mobility, and combat effectiveness. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2028, although the total value of the deal has not been disclosed. In a related move, Lithuania plans to allocate at least 5 percent of its GDP to defense spending starting next year. Rolling my eyes, I correct myself to be more specific. Alexa, turn on the kitchen light. Understood. Im sorry, the contrary virtual assistant replies. Which light do you mean? The outside light? The deck light? The bathroom light? Stepping out of the bubbles into a fluffy white robe as stars start to twinkle above, I retreat inside through sliding glass doors, the autumn chill tempered by a roaring wood fire. Alexa, I command, turn the lights on. Glass of chardonnay in hand, I recline in an egg-shaped bathtub watching the sky fade from brilliant orange to a dusky violet. Kangaroos bound across distant slopes, while a resident herd of Dorper sheep trots past on a foraging mission. Smart hotels may be common these days, but this is, after all, a tent the last place I expect to be arguing with technology. However, Mudgees Sierra Escape is more than just a bunch of fancy-pants tents with great views it has elevated the concept of glamping to rival the comforts of a luxury hotel. In fact, this is done so convincingly that the property recently won a gold award for unique accommodation in the 2024 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards, hot on the heels of its victory in the NSW state awards. Outdoor fire pit for romantic nights under the stars. What, then, makes this particular adults-only eco-retreat so special? Our home for two nights a safari-style tent named Wirra (meaning to rest in Wiradjuri) is one of five (an original smaller tent plus four premium additions), along with one tiny home scattered across 180 hectares of rolling farmland 20 minutes north of Mudgee. With each structure perched on its own hillside, the seclusion is absolute theres no sign of any other tents from our elevated deck, and no one in earshot either. While staff are present on the property, there is limited face-to-face contact unless specifically requested. Access through the front gate is via numberplate recognition, entry to the tents is via a pre-sent digital code, and welcome messages are sent by text. Washington: US President Donald Trump says he may have to punish Ukraine as well as Russia if he does not believe they are sincere about peace, and that he had told Russian President Vladimir Putin the two countries may have to fight for a little while before peacemakers could intervene, after Ukraines surprise drone strike on Russian bombers. It could be on both countries to be honest, he said of the possibility of imposing punishment if Ukraine and Russia did not pursue peace. You know, it takes two to tango, but theyll be, were going to be very tough, whether its Russia or anybody else. US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday. Credit: Bloomberg Sometimes you see two young children fighting like crazy, Trump said before a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office on Thursday (Friday AEST). They hate each other, and theyre fighting in a park, and you try and pull them apart. They dont want to be pulled. Sometimes youre better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart. And I gave that analogy to Putin yesterday. I said, President, maybe you have to keep fighting and suffering a lot, because both sides are suffering, before you pull them apart, before theyre able to be pulled apart. On June 6, a special Eid prayer was held in the city of Shusha to mark Eid al-Adha, known in the local vernacular as Qurban Bayram, Azernews reports. The prayer took place at the Upper Govhar Agha Mosque, where prayers were offered for the well-being of the Azerbaijani people and the nations prosperity. During the prayer, the memory of the countrys heroes who sacrificed their lives in the struggle for Azerbaijans territorial integrity was honored, and supplications were made for their souls. A contestant showcases her talent with a tea ceremony demonstration during the Czech national qualifications for the 18th "Chinese Bridge" - Chinese proficiency competition for foreign secondary school students in Prague, the Czech Republic, June 5, 2025.(Xinhua/Deng Yaomin) PRAGUE, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The "Chinese Bridge" language contest is not just a competition, it is "a bridge that connects people from different parts of the world, and for me, it is a bridge of hope," said Czech student Anna Roubalova. Roubalova, who has been learning Chinese for five years, won second place at the Czech national qualifications for the 18th "Chinese Bridge" - Chinese proficiency competition for foreign secondary school students, held here on Thursday. "I hope to make more Chinese friends and learn more about Chinese culture through the Chinese Bridge," Roubalova said in her speech. "I want to pursue my studies at a Chinese university next year," she said. "Although the path is challenging, I'm not afraid, because learning Chinese has taught me that 'Nothing in the world is difficult for one who sets their mind to it.'" The competition featured a themed speech, a talent show, and a quiz, where six contestants shared their Chinese learning experiences and stories about China. In the end, 16-year-old Ines Kristkova emerged as the winner and will represent the Czech Republic in the "Chinese Bridge" global finals. Meanwhile, a Chinese show for primary school students in the Czech Republic was also held on Thursday. According to Dai Bo, head of the Chinese International School of Prague and the event organizer, this year's Chinese show introduced a new pairing model, in which Czech and Chinese students were teamed up to perform together. "The aim was to better convey the spirit of 'Joyful Chinese' and further inspire Czech children to develop greater interest and enthusiasm in learning the Chinese language," he said. Speaking at the event, Hao Hong, cultural counselor at the Chinese Embassy in the Czech Republic, said the "Chinese Bridge" competition has over the years provided a valuable platform for students to showcase their language skills and cultural understanding, while also building bridges of friendship and mutual learning between cultures. "Through the competition, students encourage and learn from one another, gaining not only knowledge but also confidence and friendships," she said. A contestant writes Chinese calligraphy during a Chinese show for primary school students in Prague, the Czech Republic, June 5, 2025.(Xinhua/Deng Yaomin) From 20 to 22 May 2025, the World Customs Organization (WCO), in collaboration with Viet Nam Customs, conducted a national workshop on rules of origin in Ha Noi, Viet Nam. This workshop was funded by the Customs Cooperation Fund of Korea (CCF-Korea) and aimed to enhance the competencies of Viet Nam Customs officials through in-depth training on rules of origin and advance rulings, both essential for the correct application and implementation of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). The workshop brought together 55 participants from the headquarters and 20 Regional Customs Branches of Viet Nam Customs. In his opening remarks, Mr. NGUYEN Anh Tai, Deputy Director of the Supervision and Control Sub-Department of Viet Nam Customs, expressed his appreciation to the WCO and CCF-Korea for organizing the workshop. He emphasized the critical role that accurate and efficient application of rules of origin plays in implementing FTAs. Mr. Nguyen also highlighted the importance of the workshop in strengthening both the theoretical and practical understanding of Customs officers and encouraged all participants to actively engage with WCO experts throughout the three-day program. The workshop covered a wide range of topics, including an overview of rules of origin in international trade, non-preferential and preferential rules of origin, origin determination, advance rulings on origin maters, and key implementation areas such as origin certification, origin verification, and the handling of origin irregularities. Viet Nam Customs shared insights into their national practices and current challenges related to the implementation of rules of origin under various FTAs. Their presentation provided context for peer learning and further dialogue among participants and the WCO experts. Discussions focused on managing rules of origin processes, particularly on determining the origin of goods, enhancing risk management mechanisms related to origin, and strengthening the capacity to assess and verify the origin of imported goods, especially in cases based on self-declaration of origin. Practical case studies allowed participants to apply the theoretical concepts to real-world scenarios. By the conclusion of the workshop, participants had not only strengthened their theoretical knowledge but also gained practical skills to better implement and enforce rules of origin in their daily work. For more information, please contact: ori@wcoomd.org Under the EU-WCO Rules of Origin Africa Programme, funded by the European Union (EU), the World Customs Organization (WCO) provided financial and technical support to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) for its 19th Technical Working Group (TWG) on Rules of Origin (RoO), held from 13 to 16 May 2025 in Mombasa, Kenya. The meeting was convened to advance deliberations on issues identified during previous TWG sessions and to continue the comprehensive review of the COMESA RoO. This review aims to ensure that the COMESA RoO framework remains aligned with economic realities and effectively responds to Member States' needs for integration in regional and continental value chains. In this regard, a key focus area included exploring the potential alignment of the COMESA RoO with the RoO of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The meeting notably discussed the modalities for possible cumulation between the two free trade areas (FTAs). Ambassador Dr. Mohamed Kadah, Assistant Secretary General (Programmes) of COMESA, officially opened the meeting, expressing appreciation for the continued support provided by the WCO and the EU under the Programme. He extended gratitude to the Kenya Revenue Authority for hosting the meeting at the WCO Regional Training Centre for Eastern and Southern Africa in Mombasa. Dr. Kadah emphasised that RoO serve as an essential mechanism for benefit enjoyment under FTAs, highlighting the imperative for these rules to be pragmatic, efficient and reflective of businesses everyday realities. He noted that RoO should function as catalysts for promoting industrialisation, value addition and the development of regional value chains. Recalling the functions of administrative requirements in market integration, the meeting's agenda encompassed reviewing proposed amendments to the COMESA RoO Protocol and discussing critical implementation aspects of regional provisions, including the electronic certificate of origin, self-certificate of origin, and approved exporter systems. Participants also examined the COMESA RoO compared to the AfCFTA RoO framework and reviewed outcomes and recommendations from the joint WCO-COMESA workshop on cumulation held from 22 to 24 April 2025. The meeting brought together over 45 Customs and trade experts from COMESA Member States, including representatives from Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, alongside officials from the COMESA Secretariat. For further information, please contact EU-WCORoOAfrica.Program@wcoomd.org SACRAMENTO, the United States, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The Donald Trump administration imposed sanctions on four International Criminal Court (ICC) judges on Thursday, freezing U.S.-based assets and restricting entry to the United States in response to the court's investigations into alleged war crimes involving Israeli officials and U.S. personnel. The measures, criticized by the ICC and some human rights organizations as potentially undermining judicial independence, mark the latest development in ongoing U.S. tensions with the global tribunal. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the sanctions target judges Reine Alapini-Gansou (Benin), Beti Hohler (Slovenia), Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza (Peru), and Solomy Balungi Bossa (Uganda) for their roles in authorizing ICC probes into U.S. allies. Alapini-Gansou and Hohler approved arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant related to alleged actions in Gaza. At the same time, Ibanez Carranza and Bossa oversaw investigations into U.S. military conduct in Afghanistan. The sanctions were enacted under Trump's executive order on Feb. 6 on imposing sanctions against ICC, which was established in 2002 under the Rome Statute ratified by 125 nations and operated independently to address war crimes and genocide. The United States participated in drafting the treaty but never ratified it, citing sovereignty concerns. Previous administrations adopted varying stances. U.S. President Bill Clinton signed the statute in 2000 without seeking ratification, while President George Bush signed the 2002 American Servicemembers' Protection Act, authorizing measures to protect U.S. personnel from ICC jurisdiction. The Joe Biden administration reversed Trump's 2020 sanctions against ICC prosecutors in 2021, and Trump imposed new sanctions in 2025. The ICC described the sanctions as "unprecedented challenges" to its mandate, stating its work reflects "the legacy of global efforts to address mass atrocities." Legal analysts, including scholars from the Brookings Institution, noted the sanctions might affect perceptions of U.S. engagement with multilateral institutions. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on April 11, challenging the sanctions, which it alleged restrict free speech by limiting advocacy work before the court. ICC operations have faced logistical disruptions, including frozen prosecutor accounts and preemptive salary payments to staff amid concerns about U.S. technology withdrawals. Ever heard of Brusters? If you havent, youre missing out. The ice cream chain has been around for nearly 30 years and has over 200 locations in 20 states. The company has even expanded overseas, with locations in Guyana and South Korea. Entrepreneur magazine has continually identified the ice cream, froyo and sorbet chain as a top franchise opportunity. And Brusters describes its fresh, homemade frozen treats as A Scoop Above the Rest. Dickeys has grown to become the largest barbecue chain in the world, and its not just because of the delicious food the company has franchising down to a simple, cost-effective science. Franchise fees are relatively low at $20,000 plus a 5% royalty fee and a 4% marketing fee. Dickeys has been around since 1941, slow-smoking its meats in hickory wood smokers much to the delight of Texas-style barbecue lovers everywhere. The restaurant is all about an inviting, family-style experience, with an open concept kitchen that allows guests to see their food being prepared and the opportunity to converse with the Pit Boss in charge of the barbecue. All You Need To Know: The Economy and Your Money In addition to the liquid cash of $75,000 and a franchise fee of $25,000, your net worth has to be at least $400,000. The total investment is $332,030 $455,594. Lennys Grill & Subs offers authentic Philly Cheesesteaks made with fresh ingredients even though the restaurant originated in Memphis, Tenn. The sub shop began to franchise in 2001 and is still open to franchise opportunities across the country. McDonalds is a giant with giant franchise price tags, but you can start your own business with one of these low-cost franchises instead and many of them are household names. GOBankingRates rounded up franchises that require $200,000 or less in liquid assets, according to Franchise Direct, a company that helps potential franchisees find business opportunities. The beauty of owning a franchise is that it lets you open a business without doing the hard work of building a brand but in most cases, youll pay handsomely for the privilege of repping someone elses name and logo. If you want to jump on the brand McDonalds built, for example, youll need at least $500,000 of unencumbered liquid assets, but total startup costs range from $1,008,000 to $2,214,080. Piece of cake, right? Story Continues Total expenses, including advertising, franchising and royalty fees, range between $264,500 and $643,000, but its important to note that these numbers are for smaller and less lucrative end-cap stores, not free-standing locations, which are much more expensive. Moneys Most Influential: Where Do Americans Get Their Financial Advice? Le Macaron French Pastries / Yelper Le Macaron French Pastries Liquid assets required: $75,000 Theyre sweet, light and eye-catching. Join the trend thats spreading across the U.S. and open up your own macaron shop. In addition to the low startup costs, you wont have to sweat the baking details, either. All baking is done by French chefs at the companys central pastries commissary. A total net worth of $250,000 is required to be considered for a Le Macaron franchise. The franchise fee is $45,000, and the total investment range for a traditional cafe is $149,240 $349,500. There are also the options of franchising a food truck or a mobile kiosk. There are nearly 50 Le Macaron shops open across the country, and the company is actively looking to expand nationwide. This might be a great fit if youre looking to make more money without a traditional office job. Investing for Beginners: What First-Time Investors Need To Know Imran M. / Yelper Vocelli Pizza Liquid assets required: $100,000 Vocelli Pizza has been serving quality pizza and other classic Italian dishes for over 30 years. Now you can get a slice of the pie if you have the minimum cash requirement of $100,000. The pizza shop has been in business for 30 years and consistently ranks among the top 30, 40, or 50 pizza chains in America. You can expect a total investment $156,000 to $330,900, which includes a $30,000. Troy D. / Yelper The Simple Greek Liquid assets required: $100,000 The Simple Greek has a number of franchise locations opening up and is still looking to expand its reach across the country. The food chain offers authentic Greek food in a casual yet fast dining experience and only requires $100,000 cash on hand, but you must have a net worth of $300,000. The total investment range is $316,000 to $586,000. There is also an initial franchise fee of $30,000, but if youre a veteran, youll receive a 50 percent discount. Churroholic Churroholic Liquid assets required: $150,000 If youre already familiar with Asian-fusion food chain Hiccups, its time to meet its other venture: Churroholic. Its perhaps of no surprise that this dessert chain was founded in Anaheim, Calif., home of Disneyland, where the delicious Spanish treat is a best-seller. The love of churros expands beyond the walls of the Happiest Place on Earth, however. Churroholic has only been open since 2017, and has already expanded to 15 locations. with more on the way and its looking for franchisees to take its sugar-coated dream across the country. The total investment for a Churroholic franchise is $477,500. Cinnaholic Cinnaholic Liquid assets required: $200,000 Not a churroholic? How about cinnamon rolls instead? With $200,000 liquid capital, you can open the next Cinnaholic location. Featured on ABCs Shark Tank in 2014, this bakery chain specializes in socially conscious, vegan-friendly treats everyone can enjoy. After after buildout costs of $187,000 $368,500 and a $39,000 franchising fee, youll be serving up mouth-watering baked goods with 50 flavorful frostings and toppings for your guests to choose from as long as you have a net worth of at least $500,000. Boomarang Diner Boomarang Diner Liquid assets required: $75,000 Boomarang Diner originated in Muskogee, Okla., as a single storefront, but over the last 20 years, the diner has blossomed into roughly 50 franchise locations. The restaurants are 50s- and 60s-themed and offer burgers, sandwiches and other diner staples, both dine-in and carry-out. The chain prides itself not only on good food served quickly but on treating the customer well, for a truly memorable experience. Your net worth only has to be $25,000 to own the next Boomarang Diner, but the total investment will set you back $109,800 to $508,050. Minnaert / Wikimedia Commons Robeks Fresh Juices & Smoothies Liquid assets required: $100,000 Robeks has expanded to more than 90 locations across the country since it was founded in 1996. The on-the-go fresh smoothie and juice franchise appeals to those who want a nutritious food choice and currently, the business is looking to expand its reach. Markets include Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. The required net worth is $300,000. JJBers / Flickr.com Wayback Burgers Liquid assets required: $125,000 Wayback Burgers operates in 30 states and has over 160 franchises currently operating worldwide with more than 500 others contracted out. You too can be part of the success of Wayback Burgers a burger joint thats been in operation since 1991. Generally, the operating costs to start a franchise are between $350,000 and $450,000. Rush Bowls / Yelper Rush Bowls Liquid assets required: $150,000 In 2004, company founder and president Andrew Pudalov quit his finance job in New York City to chase his healthy-living dreams, and thus, Rush Bowls was born. Its a business centered on acai (and other) healthy bowls that incorporate fresh fruit, granola and honey. Rush Bowls is currently offering single unit, multi-unit and area developer opportunities throughout the country. The franchise fees are $45,000 for single units, $25,000 for a second store, and $10,000 for the third and any additional units. Mark Turnauckas / Flickr.com Teriyaki Madness Liquid assets required: $200,000 Another Asian food franchise opportunity worth considering is Teriyaki Madness. The business has had exceptional growth in recent years including in new markets. Franchise opportunities currently exist throughout the U.S. The good news is that the $200,000 of liquid capital needed includes the franchise fee of $45,000. However, the initial investment alone for a Teriyaki Madness franchise will cost you somewhere between $327,000 and $678,000. r l. / Yelper Lumberjacks Restaurant Liquid assets required: $100,000 Theres no confusing this restaurant chain with another run-of-the-mill food joint. Youre sure to notice the difference when youre greeted by the 12-foot lumberjack standing outside. And the interior of Lumberjacks Restaurant keeps the log cabin theme going, with old saws and faux trees lining the walls. Guests enjoy old-fashioned, family-style food big enough to satiate even the largest appetites. Lumberjacks Restaurant requires a reasonable $40,000 franchising fee. But, all told, your investment could get pricey anywhere from $432,300-$1,320,700. Craving the Curls Rolled Ice Cre / Yelper Craving the Curls Rolled Ice Cream Liquid assets required: $50,000 Husband and wife team Renee and Randy Hayden started this family business in Paducah, Kentucky with the help of their daughters. Its based on a crazy concept taking the culinary world by storm: Ice cream doesnt have to be scooped it can be rolled. Everything is made fresh and delicious at Craving the Curls, from its Peachy Keen to its O Oreo flavors. Craving the Curls will consider single-unit franchises, but its ideal franchisee is someone who is looking to open three to five locations. The total investment for a franchise is between $112,000 and $228,000 depending on the size of the location units are 1,000 to 1,800 square feet. More from GoBankingRates Andrew Lisa contributed to the reporting for this article. This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 15 Franchises You Can Start for Less Than $200k Leesville, LA (71446) Today A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 92F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Leesville, LA (71446) Today Mostly sunny early then increasing clouds with some scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. High 92F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. It has been confirmed that the long-awaited primary healthcare centre in Ballyhaunis will be open before the end of this year. Local Fine Gael councillor Alma Gallagher had tabled a query on the matter at last week's meeting of Health Forum West in Merlin Park Hospital in Galway. Cllr Gallagher was told that the centre will open from year-end and will include services such as dental care and speech and language therapy. A written reply from Niall Colleary, HSE Assistant National Director, Capital and Estate, stated: All main structural works and underground civil works from the building have been completed. Mechanical and electrical works are sufficiently advanced to allow ceilings to be installed with finishes to follow. External works will be completed, following the exit of heavy machinery and external painting will follow. It is anticipated that practical completion will be achieved [in] mid to late Q3 2025 with handover to the HSE following agreement/snagging. HSE occupancy is expected in mid-Q4 2025 following [the] installation of equipment. Cllr Gallagher told the forum she was delighted with the news and also was pleased to learn that the centre will house speech and language therapy. "Currently, they are renting a room from the local Family Resource Centre for this service which is just not viable. At the moment we have two designated speech and language classes available in Castlebar and Ballina and these only address the needs of seven children in each unit, even though they are catering to three classes including junior, senior and first class. Recently, this offering was reduced from three to two days, so those children that did not succeed in getting a place at all, what happens for them? The numbers show there are actually 27 children who applied for these services but, unfortunately, there was not enough space for them and this demand shows there is an additional need for services for children. As the third largest county, I would very much advocate for those to be provided in Mayo and more pertinently in East Mayo, where the need is great. Cllr Gallagher had also questioned the delivery of HSE dental services to medical card patients in Ballyhaunis, noting that there is a shortage of dentists serving the needs of medical cardholders in East Mayo. Mayo Integrated Health Manager Mary Warde replied: The dental service to the school-going population of eligible children in Ballyhaunis will recommence when the new primary care centre is open. With regard to medical cardholders in the region, joining the scheme is optional, however the online approval system shows that contractors in Mayo are seeing medical card patients for treatment. Some medical cardholders have opted to travel outside of the county to access dental services where there are more contractors available." Cllr Gallagher said that people were not opting to travel to other counties for treatment but were being forced to do so. I do welcome the fact that the service to the school-going population will recommence when the primary care centre opens but the data shows there is a huge backlog of children not getting and waiting for those services. I did a search online myself of dentists in the county and discovered just 34 are registered for the population of 137,000 in Mayo, thats one for every 4,057 people, which is just not good enough and from what I am hearing from constituents, there are just none in the county, particularly for new patients. Ms Warde replied that there is a dental service available to people from Ballyhaunis in both Castlerea and Claremorris at the moment but it will move back out to the town once the new centre opens. A dogged Cllr Gallagher asked Ms Warde if she could advise her after the meeting who are the dentists providing the services so that she could let constituents know. The Fine Gael councillor also told the forum there was extreme disappointment for parents in the local area when it was discovered the long-promised Autism Unit for the town was no longer going ahead. The health manager said she would follow up on the points raised by Cllr Gallagher. Property owners in the vicinity of the proposed UNESCO Geopark in Mayo and Galway have been assured that the facility will not negatively impact their homes or lands. The assurances by Michael Hegarty and Benjamin Thebaudeau, of the Joyce Country and Western Lakes Geopark, were provided during a presentation to Westport-Belmullet Municipal District. The meeting heard that the park, which straddles the Mayo-Galway border, is expected to be awarded UNESCO status in September following a years-long campaign. Michael Hegarty told councillors: There are 129 such parks in the world today, over 75 in Europe, four of which are in Ireland, and some in Asia and Thailand and people like to travel from one geopark to another across the world. The Joyce Country Geopark consists of 1,560 square kilometres of territory with mountains rising up to 700 metres. It includes three of the Great Western Lakes, Lough Carra, Lough Mask and half of Lough Corrib, and also contains the only fjord in the country at Killary Harbour. It covers a population of 20,000 across 17 villages and the three main serving towns of Ballinrobe, Oughterard and Headford and is the only one to also include a Gaeltacht area." Mr Hegarty said a geopark must have "an internationally recognised geology of international significance, in terms of landscape, history and culture". He said the project will help to promote and improve an "under-developed area". Project geologist Ben Thebaudeau added: We shine a light on the overall region and how its geology interacts with everything. We also focus on the Gaeltacht and the Irish language which we promote across all our activities. There is also an education programme on the entire geopark and training for anyone who wants to become an ambassador. He noted that the geopark terrain was rich with a wide variety of rocks due to Irelands geological history which saw it connected to North America before being separated by the Atlantic Ocean around 400 million years ago, and most of our marble (including Connemara marble) tells of that connection. Interesting features in the topology include springs, swallow holes and turloughs over our limestone area which people are very interested in and this is especially visible in Cong while Lough Carra being a marl lake is also very unusual". The geologist continued: What we are trying to do is get people interested in the outdoors and in spending more time in the area. It is about slowing down and enjoying the culture and landscape. Also, it all provides lots of commercial opportunities for local farmers and communities, who we work in partnership with. By highlighting what you can do here and where to stay, the focus is on reversing rural decline while ensuring sustainable development, and people being proud of what they have and promoting it themselves. While councillors welcomed the ongoing progress towards achieving UNESCO status, concerns were raised over whether it would infringe on the movement or rights of land and property owners in the area. Cllr Peter Flynn also asked whether consideration could be given to changing the name of the geopark to something local and catchy, saying: I just noted recently that Western Lakes has been added to the name. We dont want a situation arising as happened with the naming of the Ballycroy National Park, which is now the Wild Nephin National Park. I think it is important that Mayo and Galway are mentioned in the name. Cllr Gerry Coyle said he remembered Professor Seamus Caulfield trying to do something similar with the Ceide Fields in North Mayo but there was huge local opposition to it as people felt they would be restricted in farming". "While I love the idea of it, the heritage first of all belongs to the people who protected it and the concern remains is it going to affect the lives of the people living in those boundaries as they move on and give a site to a son or daughter. Cllr Chris Maxwell said he was delighted to see the geopark going ahead and he would support it provided there were no additional restrictions on farmers or local people building homes. Cllr John OMalley expressed concerns about traffic congestion that might be caused by a large influx of visitors. Cathaoirleach Cllr Sean Carey said all concerns raised were valid, adding: In rural areas now we are blighted with designations such as SPCs and NHAs so we need to know what is in it for the locals. In response, Mr Hegarty said the promoters of the Geopark had "no interest" in getting involved in planning applciations. "This really is all about social and community development. Mr Thebaudeau added: We can reassure you there are no restrictions to come. UNESCO geoparks do not come in with any planning restrictions or on people there. In the Ceide Fields, I believe Professor Caulfield was seeking to introduce a world heritage site which is about preservation as a primary function, to a certain extent at the exclusion of the people. But a geopark is about community and promoting from the ground up and ensuring they stay strong and lively into the future. Mr Hegarty said the project was about "bottom-up and community-based tourism". "Visitors want to be able to buy food, local crafts, do local activities such as angling and kayaking. So it is not about attracting people from big cities and seeing them whizzing through on a big bus. It offers potential to build little industries along the way, for example, new income streams for farmers through offerings such as farm tours or the Community Walks scheme, where a few landowners can draw down from the fund together. So there would be seasonal business potential for locally built small-scale businesses. Already we have a number operating successfully in the area, such as in businesses relating to sheepdogs, wool and traditional basket-making. In all, we currently have over 100 businesses on our network as well as a very active community network. Visitors dont have to be interested in geology to come here, it is all about there being information available on what there is to see and do. Concluding the presentation, the two speakers appealed to the councillors for any funding support they could offer the continuing geopark campaign. The more books I buy and dont get to read, the more I return again and again to the books I treasure. The practice has shaped a bit of advice I give to people who ask me to recommend a good book. I ask them, What are the ten most satisfying books you have read, take your pick! The chances are, I tell them, that if you remember the story, it still wont spoil the read because you can savour the writing style. If you liked them then, youll still enjoy them now. Maybe even more so. Among my own favourites are 13 books of poems by the priest-poet, Padraig J. Daly. An Augustinian priest, no doubt basking at present in the reflected glory of his fellow Augustinian friar one Bob Prevost, now Leo XIV, in case you missed the news. No doubt Padraig is at present sharpening his pencil to see what the muses might deliver in that regard. Padraig is my favourite poet for a few different reasons. A contemporary of mine who has mined our priesthood for a number of telling poems that resonate with my own experience, may I quote one in passing. Its in his collection, The Last Dreamers (Dedalus Press, 1999), which may well be out of print, as all good books tend to be. Its signature poem bears the same name, The Last Dreamers, and I take the liberty to quote it in full, as I sense it is about both of us: We began in bright certainty: Your will was a master plan Lying open before us. Sunlight blessed us, Fields of birds sang for us, Rainfall was your kindness tangible. But our dream was flawed; And we hold it now, Not in ecstasy but in dogged loyalty; Waving out tattered flags after the war Helping the wounded across the desert. Priests of my vintage dont need to have The Last Dreamers parsed and analysed. Like so much of Padraigs poetry, it has huge resonances of the dreams both of us and so many of our contemporaries had, laced with an innocent certainty, dreaming of possibilities and, sometimes, more often than not, ending up waving our tattered flags after the war and helping the wounded across the desert. It has been a long haul, first, to live long enough to witness the coming and the going of the remarkable Pope Francis I and now to savour the next stage of this eventful journey, as his friend and disciple, Leo XIV, continues to mark out the same ground. First, to witness the tent of belonging that became for Francis a workable image of our Church with the pegs being moved outwards to include as many as possible rather than being moved inwards to exclude so many in the past. Second, to help Leo XIV as he attempts to discourage those who hoped that Francis legacy would be undone by his successor to move the pegs back to where they were. And maybe to witness as well the pegs being extended even further now that its official that Gods Spirit inspires the baptised as well as the ordained. Padraig Dalys latest book, This Glowing Place, New and Selected Poems, which has just been published, contains a selection from most of his earlier collections and is an ideal entry into his poetry, covering many facets of life beyond my own particular interest. A poet of the everyday and the commonplace, Padraig writes in a limpid, luminously transparent style. His is a poetry that speaks to the lived experiences of our time. Writing in a spare, minimalist style that communicates with utter clarity, it is, in effect, a processing of the human condition through the heart as well as the head. But to get back to my list of favourite books, I would want to mention too a short almost inoffensive book of just 80 pages by the late poet, Sean Dunne. A Waterford man, Dunne worked for the Irish Examiner and the context of this inspiring book is captured in his own words: "I had an image of Irish Catholicism, as narrow, intolerant and regressive. Such adjectives were like skittles set in rows and I waited to knock them down. I would break out from all this. I would have nothing to do with it, I proclaimed. My mind would be open and free. Yet, with equal fervour, I found it impossible to let Catholicism go." The Road to Silence (New Island Books) tells the story of a lifes journey set against the background of Irish Catholicism. Growing up in the 1960s, like so many of his generation, Sean Dunne rejected religion, yet still felt the need for a spiritual dimension to life. He refused to let it go (or it refused to let him go) and he followed his heart and mind searching in many different places: the Waterford suburb where he grew up; a monastic community in Paris; a Buddist centre on the Beara peninsula; the monks in Mount Melleray as he moved from a narrow, authoritarian religion to a richer Catholic spirituality. It was a difficult journey, finding a faith that matched the heart of his own life and that he could sustain despite "the occasional absurdities of the church as a social entity". It was, he wrote, "an interior experience and it changed everything . . . I no longer see a contradiction between the nature of my spiritual self and the actuality of my own life". Sean Dunnes breakthrough came when, through the influence of those he spoke to, he came to accept silence as an interior quality in his life. Something that to live without seemed like an amputation of some vital part of himself. In his reflections and travels, Sean Dunne found in the places and lives he encountered "a kind of melody" which, when he is properly in tune with it, he knows, "with Julian of Norwich, that all manner of things will be well". Written with care and grace, The Road to Silence is a rare spiritual testament by an Irish poet and writer. It may be out of print, but if you really want a copy, you should be able to find one. Sean Dunne died in 1994 at just 38 years of age. Note: Padraig Dalys This Glowing Place, New and Selected Poems, from Scotus Press, is now on sale at 15. If you happen to be one of the roughly 24 million people in America who buy their health insurance through the Affordable Care Acts marketplaces, youre probably in for some sticker shock next year. Many families could be on the hook for hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of dollars more in premium payments thanks to the expiration of Biden-era coverage subsidies. A little-talked-about change in the GOPs tax bill could also bump up costs by ending a practice among insurers known as silver loading, which juiced the amount of financial help households could qualify for when buying a health plan. Meanwhile, higher premiums and new red tape contained in the GOPs bill are expected to push younger, healthier customers out of the market. As a result, carriers are already signaling their intention to raise their rates by more than usual next year to deal with the cost of a smaller and sicker customer base. Heres what you need to know about the potential triple whammy. Goodbye to the Biden subsidies The Biden administration temporarily upgraded the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by offering insurance shoppers much larger tax credits to help them buy coverage. Those changes dropped some premiums to zero and decreased out-of-pocket costs for lower-income families, and for the first time, capped monthly payments for households earning more than 400% of the poverty line, limiting costs to 8.5% of their income. The enhanced insurance subsidies are set to expire next year, which means premiums will spike. As the Urban Institute calculated last year, that could leave some lower-income households paying 80% more. People with incomes above 400% of the poverty line $62,000 for an individual, or $128,000 for a family of four will no longer receive any help. This year, that would have meant paying an extra $2,900, according to Urbans calculations. These changes are going to be particularly important for freelancers and small-business owners who tend to rely on the individual insurance market, as well as service industry workers who dont receive health coverage through their jobs. The end of 'silver loading' For most of this past decade, many marketplace customers have been able to get a free bronze plan or very cheap gold-level coverage courtesy of a quirk that developed after Trump tried to cut funding to Obamacare during his first term. Those days will likely soon be over, thanks to the new tax bill. The backstory is a bit technical: Under the ACA, lower-income households who buy coverage from the marketplace get big discounts that shrink their out-of-pocket expenses like copays and deductibles. The federal government was supposed to pay insurers directly to cover these so-called cost-sharing reductions. Weather Alert Bulletin: ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM EDT THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall is possible. * WHERE...Portions of New Jersey, including the following areas, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Northwestern Burlington, Salem, Somerset and Western Monmouth and southeast Pennsylvania, including the following areas, Delaware, Eastern Chester, Eastern Montgomery, Lower Bucks, Philadelphia, Upper Bucks, Western Chester and Western Montgomery. * WHEN...From 10 AM EDT this morning through this evening. * IMPACTS...Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - The remnants of Chantal will move into the Mid Atlantic this morning bringing areas of heavy rain. The tropical airmass will bring generally 1 to 2 inches of rainfall across the urban corridor but will have the potential to bring isolated amounts up to 5 inches leading to flash flooding. The showers and thunderstorms will generally come to an end by 7 to 8 pm this evening with any residual flooding from showers today coming to an end during the overnight hours. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop. && Info: Type: Flood Watch start_time_local: 2025-07-07T10:00:00-04:00 end_time_local: 2025-07-07T22:00:00-04:00 county_name: state: PA headline: Flood Watch from MON 10:00 AM EDT until MON 10:00 PM EDT county_fips: category: Met url: urgency: Unknown severity: Moderate certainty: Unknown geographicname: Upper Bucks County state_name: Pennsylvania Retirement savers weathered a chaotic stretch of market gyrations in the first three months of the year, consistently adding to their savings, according to Fidelity Investments quarterly analysis. While they experienced a drop in average 401(k), 403(b), and IRA balances, mostly due to market swings, savings rates remained consistent, with the average 401(k) savings rate increasing to a record 14.3%. We saw a lot of positive savings behaviors among employees, Mike Shamrell, vice president of workplace thought leadership at Fidelity Investments, told Yahoo Finance. It was really encouraging to see that despite a lot of things going on, and economic ups and downs, people continued to save and didnt pull back, or make a lot of changes to their asset allocation, he said. As a result, we saw the individual 401(k) savings rate increase to the highest level that we've seen. To break it down, the average employee contribution rate was 9.5%, and the employer contribution rate was 4.8%. This combined savings rate of 14.3%, up from 13.5% in 2020, is the closest it's ever been to Fidelity's suggested savings rate of 15%. For years, the individual savings rate was stuck at 8%, Shamrell said. Overall, average 401(k) retirement account balances dropped 3% through the first three months of this year to an average of $127,100 from $131,700 at the end of 2024. This was the second-highest average on record for the firm and an 11% increase from the start of 2024. The data is based on 25,300 defined contribution plans at various companies across the country, covering 24.4 million participants. Read more: How much can you contribute to your 401(k) in 2025? Pumping it up In the first quarter, 17.4% of people with 401(k) accounts at Fidelity increased their savings rate, while 5% decreased. Less than 1% stopped saving altogether. Surprisingly, only 6% changed their 401(k) asset allocation. Of those who did, about 3 in 10 moved into more conservative investments. There are two big drivers. First, automatic enrollment in employer-provided retirement accounts for new employees and auto-escalation each year keep the trains running through all kinds of uncertainty. More than 1 in 4 plans now offer employer-set automatic escalation, and 35% of plans default to automatically enrolled employees at a 5% contribution rate or higher, according to Fidelity data, with an annual 1% increase until reaching roughly 10% of pay. The increasing use of auto escalation is a big factor in why we are seeing a gradual increase in the individual savings rate, Shamrell said. Tech giant Amazon has announced a $10bn investment in the US state of North Carolina to expand its data centre infrastructure. The project aims to support advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing technologies. The investment, according to the company, will create at least 500 high-skilled jobs. It will also support thousands of additional jobs within the Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centre supply chain. According to Amazons press release, the rising demand for generative AI is increasing the need for advanced cloud infrastructure and compute power. This expansion will strengthen AWS data centres in the state. Commenting on the move, Amazon chief global affairs and legal officer David Zapolsky said: Amazon's $10bn investment in North Carolina underscores our commitment to driving innovation and advancing the future of cloud computing and AI technologies. We look forward to partnering with state and local leaders, local suppliers, and educational institutions to nurture the next generation of talent. In a separate development, Amazon is reportedly developing software for humanoid robots. These robots could potentially replace delivery workers, Reuters reported citing a report published by The Information, citing a person familiar with the matter. The company is building a humanoid park, an indoor obstacle course, at one of its San Francisco offices to test these robots. Amazon is focusing on developing the AI software for these robots while using hardware from other firms for testing. Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours. Recently, Amazon started testing a new feature that uses generative AI (genAI) to create short-form audio summaries on select product detail pages. The feature provides concise overviews of products by analysing product details, customer reviews, and other relevant online information. The initial test feature targets products that often require careful consideration before buying, offering clear insights through in-depth discussion to help Amazon customers shop more efficiently, the company said in a post. "Amazon to invest $10bn in North Carolina data centres" was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand. By Ariane Luthi and John O'Donnell BERN (Reuters) -Switzerland announced reforms on Friday to make its biggest bank UBS safer and avoid another crisis, hampering the global ambitions of a lender whose financial weight eclipses the country's economy. UBS emerged as Switzerland's sole global bank more than two years ago after the government hastily arranged its rescue of scandal-hit Credit Suisse to prevent a disorderly collapse. The demise of Credit Suisse, one of the world's biggest banks, rattled global markets and blindsided officials and regulators, whose struggle to steer the lender as it lurched from one scandal to the next underscored their weakness. On Friday, speaking from the same podium where she had announced the Credit Suisse rescue in 2023 as finance minister, Switzerland's president Karin Keller-Sutter delivered a firm message. The country would not be wrongfooted again. "I don't believe that the competitiveness will be impaired, but it is true that growth abroad will become more expensive," Keller-Sutter said of UBS. "We've had two crises. 2008 and 2023," she said. "If you see something that is broken, you have to fix it." During the global financial crisis of 2008, UBS was hit by a losses in subprime debt, as a disastrous expansion into riskier investment banking forced it to write down tens of billions of dollars and ultimately turn to the state for help. Memories of that crisis also linger, reinforcing the government's resolve after the collapse of Credit Suisse. For UBS, which has a financial balance sheet of around $1.7 trillion, far bigger than the Swiss economy, the implications of the reforms proposed on Friday are clear. Switzerland no longer wants to back its international growth. "Bottom line: who is carrying the risk for growth abroad?" said Keller-Sutter. "The bank, its owners or the state?" The rules the government proposed demand that UBS in Switzerland holds more capital to cover risks in its foreign operations. That move, one of the most important steps taken by the Swiss in a series of otherwise piecemeal measures, will make UBS's businesses abroad more expensive to run for one of the globe's largest banks for millionaires and billionaires. Following publication of the reform plans, UBS Chairman Colm Kelleher and CEO Sergio Ermotti said in an internal memo that if fully implemented, they would undermine the bank's "global competitive footprint" and hurt the Swiss economy. STRATEGY The reform would require UBS to hold as much as $26 billion in extra capital. Wits welcomes young minds to solve Joburg's water crisis Over 400 top-achieving Grade 11 learners from 57 schools gathered at Wits University for a high-impact case study challenge to solve Johannesburg's water crisis For the eighth year, the Wits Integrated Experience (WIE), hosted by the Schools Liaison Office, immersed learners in real-world problem-solving under the theme Preventing Day Zero: Securing Johannesburgs Water while introducing them to university life. The fun-filled programme allows learners to partake in an integrated problem-solving exercise within the five disciplines of Science, Engineering and the Built Environment, Humanities, Health Science, and Commerce, Law and Management. Young minds, many visiting a university for the first time, were welcomed not just as guests but as future problem-solvers. Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Zeblon Vilakazi opened the day with a powerful message. This program is not just any other event. Its an invitation to be here at the heart of one of Africas top universities. A university that has produced four Nobel prizes, some of the finest writers on this continent, and incredible scientists. His words echoed the purpose of the event, to ignite a sense of urgency, creativity, and leadership in a generation that will face the consequences of climate and water insecurity. Schools Liaison Officer and event organiser Boikhutso Johnson explained that the participating schools were selected from a list of top feeder schools. Teachers from these schools were then asked to nominate five top-performing learners, each with a minimum average of 70%. Learners were divided into groups and sent to all five faculties for various presentations. Thereafter, team-based problem-solving project work will be presented to a panel of experts, which will take place in July. Fridah Maseko, a teacher from Edenglen High School, said the experience was an excellent way to engage and challenge her learners. The WIE is very enlightening because it exposes learners to a variety of courses and helps expand their understanding. The case study was particularly stimulating, especially as were currently facing a water crisis an issue young people need to be aware of. For Aaminah Suleman from Ridgeway Muslim School, the experience was both informative and inspiring. Ive learned a lot of things that I wasnt aware of. The experience was great, and the lecturers are so good. This place is inspiring, said Suleman. To celebrate their participation and hard work, learners will experience a graduation-style ceremony in part two, where they will be awarded certificates and gifts as a mark of achievement after their presentations. Good Morning, Asia. Here's what's making news in the markets: Welcome to Asia Morning Briefing, a daily summary of top stories during U.S. hours and an overview of market moves and analysis. For a detailed overview of U.S. markets, see CoinDesk's Crypto Daybook Americas. Macro Events and Vitalik's Bold Plan to 10x Ethereum Layer 1 Could Propel ETH Past $3000: OKX's Lennix Lai ETH traders are eying $2600 as Asia begins its business day, but OKX's Chief Commercial Officer Lennix Lai sees an easy path for the token to hit $3000 if Vitalik Buterin can get rid of Ethereum's reliance on Layer-2s. Layer 1 refers to the main blockchain infrastructure, such as Ethereum itself, while Layer 2 solutions are secondary systems built on top of Layer 1 to enhance scalability and speed up transactions. "Vitaliks pivot to scale Ethereum Layer 1 by 10x will be a game-changer, shifting focus away from heavy reliance on Layer 2 solutions like sharding," Lai said in a note to CoinDesk, referring to recent comments Buterin made at ETHGlobal Prauge. "On our platform, ETH perpetual futures made up 44.2% of trading volume over the past 7 days, showing us that sophisticated investors are closely tracking this evolution," he continued. Lai points to this week's key macro events, like the ECB's rate decision and U.S. jobs data, as factors that could significantly impact risk-on appetite, potentially pushing ETH past $3,000 short-term, though Ethereums long-term success hinges on Vitalik's ambitious roadmap. Elsewhere, CoinDesk Research's technical analysis model bot highlights Ethereum's resilience above critical support at $2,600, driven by institutional inflows nearing $1.2 billion and significant whale buying, positioning ETH for a possible altcoin rally. (CoinDesk) Hashed CEO Simon Kim Says Korea Election Boosts Crypto, Stablecoins, and AI Simon Kim, the CEO of Korea's largest crypto fund Hashed, believes crypto has become a critical force in South Korean politics, and it's going to be business as usual for the industry under the country's new left-leaning President Lee Jae-myung. "Officially, crypto is more popular than the stock market in Korea," Kim said in a recent interview with CoinDesk. He pointed to data showing 16.29 million daily active crypto traders compared to 14.24 million active equity traders, noting that political parties now see supporting crypto as essential to winning elections. South Koreas crypto policies also continue to be closely tied to U.S. regulatory developments, according to Kim. Candles, flowers, and notes are placed at a makeshift memorial in San Antonio, on Thursday, June 5, 2025, for voice actor Jonathan Joss who was recently killed. Residents take shelter inside an underground parking during Russian drone and missile strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, on June 6. The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature. Europe Research scientists in Greece strike and demonstrate for improved pay and working conditions Scientists and researchers in universities and research centres across Greece took part in a 24-hour strike May 29 to demand improvements in funding and conditions of employment. Protest rallies were held in Athens, Thessaloniki, Heraklion and other cities. The Panhellenic Federation of Employees in Research Centres and Institutions and Greek Confederation of Civil Servants Trades Unions members demand full-time contracts, raised staffing levels, increases in pay and other improvements in benefits and working conditions. They say the profession has long been demeaned and underfunded leaving research scientists precariously employed. They also report the sector is becoming increasingly militarised and losing its focus on social needs. Seafarers on Greece-Italy ferry route in 48-hour strike to protest unsafe conditions and overwork Seafarers on the Patras, Greece to Italy route held a 48-hour strike Tuesday to protest ferry staffing levels and other health and safety issues. In a letter to the Greek Minister of Shipping, the Panhellenic Seamens Federation members demand a doctor on every ship, the abolition of express routes, limits to overtime working, night stopovers between sailings and an enforced minimum level of personnel on all vessels. Finnish airline workers in series of strike days for pay increases Finnair employees at Helsinki airport held three strike days May 30, June 2 and June 4 to support their demands for pay increases. The stoppage by aircraft and baggage handlers, maintenance workers, catering and customer service staff caused disruption to over 100 international and domestic flights. Further periodic strikes are planned throughout June. The Finnish Aviation Union members say their pay only rose by 6.4 percent from 2020 to 2023, while the national average was 10.4 percent. The stalled pay negotiations with the service sectors employer body, Palta, have already caused several walkouts and strikes this year. Auxiliary workers at Charite Hospital in Berlin, Germany continue strike to force pay agreement Around 3,500 workers at Charite Facility Management (CFM), the subsidiary contracted by Berlins Charite hospital, went on strike May 30 as part of their ongoing dispute over pay. The auxiliary workers are responsible for cleaning, patient transport, safety and security, technological support and other maintenance work at the hospital. The Verdi union members have been striking intermittently since they began negotiations with the employer in February. They demand wage increases significantly higher than the 18 percent rise over three years offered by CFM. Municipal Call centre workers in Paris, France strike over intolerable working conditions Over 90 workers at the City of Paris municipal enquiry call centre went on strike Monday and Tuesday to protest their stressful work environment. The Federation Syndicale Unitaire members say they are understaffed despite being the first point of contact for all enquiries to the City of Paris municipal administration. The call centre receives over one million calls a year. The tele-counsellors work and break periods are timed and monitored throughout the day as they field questions and complaints for the under resourced city council. Inter-call pauses to record each query are timed to last 30 seconds. According to francebleu.fr, one worker said, We each receive between 60 and 100 calls a day. Its a very intense rhythm and it never stops! Teachers at 28-school trust in England walk out over plans to extend working day Teachers at schools run by the Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT) walked out over plans by the trust to extend the working day by 30 minutes from September 2025. The OGAT plan is for school to finish at 3 p.m. rather than the current 2.30 p.m., to comply with the Department for Educations advised 32.5 hours school week. Teachers unions argue for break periods to be cut to achieve the figure. The trust runs 28 secondary schools in England. NASUWT members at two OGAT schools in Worksop will begin five days of stoppages from June 10 while those at the Hindley school in Wigan, Foxhills in Scunthorpe and OGATs Easingwold school in York began six days of stoppages Tuesday. National Education Union (NEU) members at 14 OGAT schools in northeast England, northwest England, Yorkshire and the East Midlands began six days of stoppages Tuesday over the issue. The strikes will take place until June 19. In a separate dispute, teachers and support staff belonging to the NEU at Goodwin Academy, Deal in Kent walked out on Tuesday protesting the schools plans to make five support staff redundant. Further stoppages are planned for June 12, 18-19 and 24-26. Further strike by Scottish Water workers over unacceptable pay offer Around 2,000 workers employed by state-owned Scottish Water began a seven-day walkout on Monday. The Unison, Unite and GMB union members rejected an initial 3.4 percent pay increase and a subsequent 7 percent offer over two years. Workers held a one-day strike in March followed by two days in April. A proposed stoppage in May was suspended to allow talks on the new offer, which was subsequently rejected. The stoppage is expected to disrupt emergency repairs and hit maintenance and testing procedures. The striking workers held a joint union demonstration on Wednesday outside the offices of Scottish Water in the Shieldhall district of Glasgow. UK phlebotomists at Gloucestershire hospitals continue long-running strike over pay Around 40 phlebotomists (blood sample takers) employed by Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in England are continuing their long-running strike begun March 17. The dispute now involves all the phlebotomists employed by the trust. The Unison union members at Cheltenham and Gloucester hospitals voted by a 97 percent majority for the action. They oppose being on the National Health Service Band 2 pay scale earning 12.08 an hour. The level of pay leaves them struggling to pay bills. They argue that because of the skill sets needed to take blood, they should be on Band 3, giving them around 1 an hour more. They began the action after the failure of talks over a year to resolve the issue. Protest by UK Oxfam charity workers over outsourcing threat Tuesday saw protests by workers at development charity Oxfam outside Oxfam offices in London, Manchester and Oxford. The Unite union members fear around 265 staff posts are at risk of redundancy because of Oxfams restructuring proposals. Unite claims Oxfam is seeking to outsource work in the publishing and training teams, and replace secure jobs with casual work. Middle East Nationwide strike by truck drivers in Iran enters second week The nationwide strike of truck drivers in Iran which enters its second week has spread to around 160 cities, with at least 20 drivers arrested across several provinces. Sparked by a big increase in insurance premiums and fuel price hikes, anger was exacerbated by the death of truck drivers and damage to trucks caught up in the port city of Bandar Abbas explosion on May 19. Other issues include unfair freight rates, high cost of spare parts and lack of insurance and welfare services. The striking truck drivers have received statements of support from teachers unions as well as other workers organisations and a group of lawyers. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, rapper Toomaj Salehi and filmmaker Jafar Panahi have issued statements in their support. Heavily dependent on truck transport, the Iranian economy is being severely impacted by the ongoing dispute. Protests by bakers begun May 17 are continuing, in cities including Ahvaz, Kermanshah, Mashhad and Qom. Bread prices have nearly doubled following a cut in flour subsidies. Some protesting bakers were confronted by security forces. Around 70 percent of Iranians live below the poverty line, enduring an economic collapse exacerbated by US sanctions. The Trump regime is threatening to obliterate the country as part of its restructuring of the Middle East as it prepares war against China. Africa Ethiopian health workers' strike over staff shortages enters fourth week The indefinite strike by Ethiopian health workers over pay and conditions is now entering its fourth week. The strike began May 13 after the government failed to respond to workers 12 demands. A senior doctor at the Black Lion Specialized Hospital in the capital Addis Ababa said he handles a large number of emergency cases alone. I just finished my night shift, he said. I worked the previous night at a private hospital, and today I'm back here. We are under intense pressure. Working alone in the emergency department meant patients were left untreated. I was the only doctor on duty, he said. I watched patients suffer; patients who could have recovered if they had received timely attention. Students at University of Zimbabwe in solidarity with striking lecturers Students at the University of Zimbabwe have been demonstrating to show their backing for striking lecturers, holding their third demonstration May 27. Zimbabwe National Students Union representative Darlington Chingwena said students' education had been stolen by the authorities, who neglected the university's staff. He also denounced the attempt to hire a scab workforce. The lecturers walked out over one month ago over pay and improvements in working conditions, among other issues. They are demanding their salaries are returned to their pre-2018 level when a junior lecturer earned US$2,250. Their salaries have fallen to US$230. Union tells Nigerian judicial workers to return to work The strike by Nigerian judicial workers, who walked out on June 2 over pay, was suspended June 3 by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria pending negotiations. The stoppage was prompted by the failure to implement the minimum wage of N70,000, five months of pay arrears and lack of a pay rise of between 25 and 35 percent. BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse has announced the appointment of Lyle D Tick as CEO and president. The current interim CEO, C Bradford Richmond, will transition into the role of CEOs special advisor and continue his service on the board of directors. Tick, who has been with BJ's since September 2024 as chief concept officer and president, has played a crucial role in developing the brands vision, emphasising the team member experience and the offering of handcrafted food and beverages. Tick said: It is an honour to be appointed BJs next CEO, and I am grateful to the board for their confidence in me. Since joining the leadership team last year, I have developed an even greater appreciation for the tremendous potential of the BJs brand. I look forward to building on the foundations we have laid and continuing to work with Brad, the board, the leadership team and our team members around the country as we execute on our strategies to position BJs for sustainable long-term success. Tick was previously president and CEO of On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina from December 2023 until August 2024 and brand president of Buffalo Wild Wings, part of the Inspire Brands group of restaurants, from 2018 to 2023. He led the the revitalisation of Buffalo Wild Wings, updating its restaurant design, overhauling the menu, and introducing the GO sub-brand. Founded in 1978, BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse operates and owns more than 200 casual dining establishments across 31 states. The brand offers dine-in, take-out, delivery and catering for large parties. In a recent collaboration with Mars, BJ's launched the SNICKERS Pizookie in April 2025. In 2024, the chain introduced a $13 Pizookie Meal Deal for customers seeking value in the face of the rising cost of living. "BJs Restaurant announces Lyle D Tick as new president and CEO" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., speaks during a House Education and Workforce hearing, Thursday, June 5, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington [AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson] Eastern Michigan University (EMU), located in Ypsilanti, has announced the severing of its engineering teaching partnerships with two Chinese universities, Beibu Gulf University and Guangxi University. EMUs decision on May 28 coincided with Secretary of State Marco Rubios threats to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students linked to the Chinese Communist Party. Setting the stage for escalating assaults on democratic rights of international students and immigrants, Rubio stated, The Department of Homeland Security is targeting Chinese students studying in critical fields, in physical sciences and engineering. We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the Peoples Republic of China and Hong Kong. In February, far-right Michigan Congressmen John Moolenaar, chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and Tim Walberg, chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee, sent letters to EMU calling on them to end joint partnerships with Chinese universities. Paving the way for frameups and deportations of students and academics, with no evidence, the letter stated: The [Peoples Republic of China] systematically exploits the open research environment in the United Statesactively engaging in theft, espionage, and other hostile actions against U.S. universities perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). ...The universitys PRC collaborations jeopardize the integrity of U.S. research, risk the exploitation of sensitive technologies, and undermine taxpayer investments intended to strengthen Americas technological and defense capabilities. You must immediately terminate these collaborations to prevent further PRC exploitation of U.S. research capabilities and taxpayer investments. (Emphasis added) In March 2024 Walberg went on a fascist rant urging the total destruction of Gaza in the manner of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, the Japanese cities the United States destroyed with atomic bombs in 1945 at the end of the Second World War. We shouldnt be spending a dime on humanitarian aid... It should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Get it over quick, he said. Moolenaar and Walbergs campaign against university partnerships between the US and China is a calculated attack on the international scientific community and academic freedom. Its explicit goal is to drive out international scientists and systematically dismantle the deeply integrated research ties built between the US and Chinese scientific communities. More significantly, this campaign is aimed at creating an anti-Chinese hysteria as the ideological preparation for war with China, a nuclear-armed power. In a recent war-mongering speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that countries must not try to balance between the two superpowers, but must align with the US against China for a potentially imminent war. Universities are now being realigned at an accelerating pace according to the ruling class drive for war. This underlies Secretary of State Rubios May 28 threats to revoke visas of potentially 270,000 Chinese students, and the June 2 arrest of Yunqing Jian, demonized by FBI director Kash Patel, accused of agroterrorism for plant pathogen research at the University of Michigan. The pathogen in this case is not even on the Select Agents and Toxins list, which designates agents posing a severe threat if misused. The wider campaign against international scientific research began with efforts of House leadership to coerce universities to cut ties with China. This, coupled with daily detentions and deportations of immigrants and threats to their families is aimed against the rights of the entire working class. EMUs capitulation was the result of a February letter by Moolenaar and Walberg targeting three Michigan universitiesOakland University, the University of Detroit Mercy, and EMUas an intimidation tactic and test for wider application. EMU President James Smith offered a feeble defense, asserting the partnerships involved no research or technology transfer, before capitulating. The other universities similarly buckled, claiming their programs were solely educational. In response to previous letters, the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley announced in late 2024 the terminations of their joint partnerships. The University of Michigan followed in January 2025. On May 15, two weeks prior to EMUs announcement to cut ties with Chinese universities, Moolenaar and Walberg, together with Roger Williams (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Small Business and Brian Babin (R-TX), Chairman of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, vastly expanded their McCarthyite campaign. The scope has widened to entire state university systems: a letter sent to the University of California system and SUNY in New York warns of the risk of Chinese infiltration and programs undermining national security. Elite universities like Duke and Harvard face similar attacks. In May, Duke was pressured to terminate its Duke Kunshan University campus, and Harvard received an aggressive letter regarding alleged ties to the Chinese military and other sanctioned entities. The methods of the McCarthyite witch hunts of the 1950s are being employed: links to China treated as evidence of complicity in criminal activity; vague and unsubstantiated accusations revolving around potential risks and undue influence; public smear campaigns via congressional hearings and reports; and ideological litmus tests demanding unwavering loyalty to the national interest. The tangible effect is a stark decline in US-China research cooperation. Between 2010 and 2021, 19,955 scientists of Chinese descent left the US, a trend accelerating after the DOJs China Initiative began in 2018. National Institutes of Health (NIH) investigations found a 1.9 percent decline in publication rate and a 7.1 percent decline in citation rate for US scientists collaborating with China, compared to those collaborating with other countries. Student exchanges have plummeted: Chinese students in the US have dropped from nearly 400,000 in 2019-20 to around 270,000 today, while US students in China fell from nearly 15,000 (2012-13) to under 800 today. A 2025 study analyzing millions of publications from 2008-2020 found that over 45 percent of China-based international production of high-impact scientific research involved US-based scientists, and 30 percent of US-based research involved China-based scientists. This closely integrated international scientific community is under unrelenting assault. The struggle against national chauvinism is a matter of life and death. It demands the independent political mobilization of the international working class to reject the poison of nationalism and recognize their common enemy in the capitalist system. The defense of science and academic freedom is inseparable from the broader fight against imperialist war and for socialism. [Photo: Ajepbah / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0 DE // Grafik: WSWS] The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) are running in the elections for the student parliament (StuPa) at Berlins Humboldt University (HU), which will take place on July 3, 2025. We are publishing here the election platform of the IYSSE at Humboldt University, which will also be printed in the official election brochure. *** We from the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) have been fighting against the militarisation of Germanys universities for over 10 years. As early as 2014, we warned that universities were being transformed into ideological centres for war and dictatorship. Even back then, professors like Jorg Baberowski were trivialising the Nazi war of extermination and justifying Germanys war policy. Today, what we warned against is being escalated to an unprecedented extent: the German government and university leaders are actively supporting genocide in Gaza. Anyone who speaks out against it is to be exmatriculated and if they are a foreign student, deported. Student protests are banned and bludgeoned with police violence. While the Trump government arrests students and war opponents in the US on a daily basis and sends them to deportation camps, here too, universities are also rigidly policing the campuses. In agitating against refugees, all the establishment parties are adopting the agenda of the fascist Alternative for Germany (AfD). The threat of nuclear annihilation has never been as great as it is today. Eighty years after the end of the Second World War, the German elites are once again preparing for war against Russia. The recent deployment of German combat troops in Lithuania shows how aggressively they are continuing the Nazis old great power policy. The Merz government has decided to rearm to the tune of more than one trillion euros and wants to increase the war budget to 5 percent of GDP. The pro-war policies are supported by all parties in the Bundestag (parliament)including the Greens and the Left Partyand the trade union leaders. In order to finance militarism, universities and the education and social sectors are being cut to the bone. This means rising rents and food prices, dilapidated lecture halls, fewer courses on offerand young people consigned to barracks instead of receiving an education. The government wants to reintroduce compulsory military service and use us as cannon fodder in its wars. Socialism or barbarism! We oppose these attacks and are building an international anti-war movement among workers, students and youth. We will not allow genocide and world war to be prepared again at German universities eighty years after the end of the Second World War. But appeals to university management and the government are a dead end. Instead, we must focus on the international working classthe only social force that can stop the development of war. The fight against war requires a fight against its cause: capitalism. Today we are faced with the same alternative that the revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg once summarised as socialism or barbarism! That is why we are fighting for a socialist perspective. Join us! Vote for IYSSE! Kumanjayi White, a 24-year-old Indigenous man with a disability and under state guardianship, died on May 27 after being violently restrained by police in full view of supermarket workers and shoppers in the Northern Territory (NT) town of Alice Springs. His death has ignited widespread grief and anger not only from the remote Aboriginal community of Yuendumu where White had close family ties, but nationally. Tribute to Kumanjayi White at Sydney vigil, June 1, 2025 [Photo: @subbedin] On Wednesday, a vigil and protest of hundreds of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people was held outside the territory parliament in Darwin, the capital of the NT. It followed similar events in Alice Springs and Sydney which begins a week of action across the country demanding justice for White. According to multiple eyewitnesses, the incident in Alice Springs began when White was confronted by a supermarket security guard over the alleged theft of food items. Two plain clothes police officers who were on the scene immediately became involved. What followed was physical restraint measures that many witnesses described as disturbing and excessive. White was forced to the ground, face-down and handcuffed. Several witnesses reported that one of the officers placed a knee behind his head as he lay on the supermarket floor. White appeared visibly distressed, struggling to breathe. One witness said they heard him making gurgling noises before he lost consciousness. The officers attempted CPR and paramedics were called, but White was later pronounced dead at Alice Springs hospital. The initial autopsy report stated that a definitive cause of death was undetermined. Authorities have indicated that forensic pathology results could take several weeks to finalise. Shoppers who were present during the arrest have spoken out in the media, condemning what they saw as an unnecessary and dangerous use of force against a young man who posed no immediate threat. They didnt need to treat him like that, one witness said. You could see he was struggling, and they just kept him pinned down. Another recalled: It was so fast. One minute he was standing, the next he was on the ground with someones knee in his neck. You could hear him trying to speak, then he went quiet. These accounts have intensified demands from the public, human rights organisations, Indigenous legal advocacy groups and Whites family, for answers and justice involving an independent inquiry. The NT Police has rejected the demand outright. Acting Police Commissioner Martin Dole stated that the Major Crime Division would lead the investigation, with oversight from the NT Coroner. The police decision was immediately endorsed by NT Chief Minister, Lia Finocchiaro, leader of the Country Liberal Party government. The commissioner and the governments blatant rejection of independent oversight is in line with decades of internal state and institutional cover-ups, protecting police from prosecutions involving deaths in custody. Whites family, particularly his grandfather an Indigenous elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves from Yuendumu, rejected the polices response, demanding a fully independent investigation. We cannot trust the police to investigate themselves, Hargraves told the media. There must be an inquiry by people outside the Northern Territory Police, people who will seek the truth. Hargraves said it is disgraceful that police are already putting out stories that portray my jaja (grandson) as a criminal. We demand they stop spreading stories. he was very vulnerable. He needed support and not to be criminalised because of his disability. To date, the NT police have refused to release CCTV footage from the supermarket or the body-worn camera footage from the officers involved. The NT officers have not been named or stood down even though an internal police investigation is said to have begun. Amid growing fears of unrest in Alice Springs, the findings of the two-year coronial inquest into the 2019 police shooting of 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker by officer Zachary Rolfe has been delayed. Originally scheduled for release in early June, the findings are now postponed until July 7. Walker, like White, was from the remote community of Yuendumu. The inquest into Walkers tragic death extended far beyond the immediate circumstances of the fatal shooting by Rolfe, who fired three shots, two at close range. It revealed allegations of systemic racism, cultural insensitivity, homophobia and the use of excessive, military-style force within the NT police. Rolfe was found not guilty and acquitted of all charges in a criminal trial in 2022. White and Walkers deaths are not isolated tragedies but are part of a longstanding and ongoing history of institutionalised state murders, neglect, cruelty and violence against Indigenous people, the most vulnerable section of the working class. White is the ninth Indigenous person to die in custody in 2025. Since the Hawke Labor governments 198791 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, close to 600 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have died in police or prison custody. The number of Aboriginal people in custody has vastly increased every year. Not one police officer or prison official has been held accountable and criminally convicted over the deaths. The continuation of state brutality, oppression and killing of Aboriginal people in custody proves that token promises and sham displays of concern by sections of the ruling elite, including the the Royal Commission itself, Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudds apology to the Stolen Generations and the Closing the Gap programhave resolved nothing for Aboriginal people. In fact, conditions of life on virtually every socio-economic indicator for the vast majority of the Aboriginal population have drastically worsened. The 2024 Closing the Gap report noted that adult indigenous incarceration rates continued to rise significantly in 2023, reaching 2,265.8 per 100,000, up by 114.7 per 100,000 from the previous year. This data alone indicates the Albanese federal and state Labor governments response to the social and economic crisis impacting on the most oppressed sections of the working class, is to adopt more punitive law and order measures. The NT has the highest rate of Indigenous incarceration in Australia, with Aboriginal people frequently imprisoned for minor offences and unpaid fines. In some remote communities, Aboriginal adults are jailed at rates exceeding ten times the national average. The tragic death of Kumanjayi White is a devastating illustration of a broader and worsening social crisis, rooted in the economic conditions confronting the working class nationally. Aboriginal communities in the NT remain among the most disadvantaged in Australia, with their appalling living conditions the result of decades of government cuts to welfare, housing, healthcare and mental health services, cuts that are also increasingly affecting broader sections of the working class throughout the country. White, a young man with known cognitive and mental health impairments, was vulnerable and in need of support. Instead, he was subjected to surveillance and criminalisation. Former Alice Springs supermarket worker Gene Hill, recently spoke to the media and recalled his encounters with White: One glance at him and you can see hes got special needs. Hill described assisting White on several occasions, including buying him food and explaining that items needed to be paid for. Like many victims of police violence, White was poor, had a disability and needed continuous support. His case reflects a broader pattern, with a growing number of vulnerable people being harmed by an increasingly punitive system. The criminalisation of mental illness is the direct result of decades of bipartisan neglect, as successive Labor and Liberal-National governments have slashed funding to mental health services, shifting responsibility onto the police and prison systems. While Aboriginal people are disproportionately impacted by the violent incarceration system, police repression affects all oppressed layers of the working class, regardless of race or nationality. Racism in policing reflects not merely individual prejudice, but the conscious cultivation by the ruling class of backward and right-wing elements within law enforcement to defend capitalismnot a racial hierarchy, but the profit system itself. The common thread among victims of police brutality and deaths in custody, is their class. That is why the fight against police violence must be rooted in the unified struggle of the working class, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal alike, against capitalism itself. Brazil's ex-president Jair Bolsonaro speaking to the press after being indicted for January 8, 2023 coup attempt [Photo: Lula Marques/Agencia Brasil] The last few weeks have been marked by important developments in the case against former President Jair Bolsonaro and those accused of leading the coup attempt that culminated in the invasion of government buildings in Brasilia on January 8, 2023. The Supreme Federal Court (STF) concluded on Tuesday the questioning of witness for the prosecution and defense, including former ministers as well as military, police and intelligence officials. Next week, it will begin questioning the defendants in the core group of the case, which includes the former president and seven allies, almost all high-ranking military officers. The recent testimony of former Army commander Gen. Marco Antonio Freire Gomes and Air Force commander Lt. Brig. Carlos de Almeida Baptista Junior had deep repercussions for the crisis of the entire Brazilian political system. Before the court, General Freire Gomes attempted to downplay the significance of the preparatory meetings for a coup detat in which he participated alongside other military commanders. The meetings were called by then-Defense Minister Gen. Paulo Sergio Nogueira de Oliveira after Bolsonaros electoral defeat in 2022. The focus of the discussion was the document that became known as the coup draft, a decree to prevent the president-elect from taking office and establish a dictatorship. Justifying the presentation of such a document by General Oliveira his immediate predecessor in command of the Army General Freire Gomes claimed: Perhaps he presented it to us out of consideration... He was letting us know that he was going to begin these studies. He added that all of the considerations raised were based on legal aspects, on the Constitution, which is why it did not catch our attention. General Freire Gomes dodged allegations that he had threatened to arrest Bolsonaro if the former president continued his coup attempt: I warned him that if he strayed from legal grounds, not only would he not have our support, but he could also face legal consequences. He agreed, and that was the end of the matter. In addition to shielding Bolsonaro, the former Army commander exonerated former Navy chief Adm. Almir Garnier, accused of having resolutely supported the coup, placing his troops on standby. He merely demonstrated, lets say, respect for the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, said Gomes. The former Army commanders statements provoked a strong reaction from Minister Alexandre de Moraes. Commander, either you misrepresented the truth to the police or you are misrepresenting the truth here, said the judge, referring to Gomes previous testimony to the Federal Police. He refused to change his latest version. The former Air Force commander, who testified before the Supreme Court subsequently, stated assertively that the three heads of the Armed Forces and then-President Jair Bolsonaro met and discussed coup scenarios, not just possibilities for using the Armed Forces to ensure social peace until the transition. Brigadier Baptista Junior also stated that the meetings between the former president and the military commanders discussed the arrest of Moraes, then president of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), and that the head of the Navy placed troops at the disposal of the plot. Contrary to the testimony of General Freire Gomes, he attested that his colleague, very calmly, had threatened to arrest Bolsonaro. Regardless of the former Air Force commanders correction attempts, General Freire Gomes testimony threw a bucket of cold water on the establishments official narrative regarding the coup attempt, which claims that the military saved democracy in Brazil. This narrative is promoted in the Federal Police report and the complaint filed by the Attorney Generals Office (PGR), which forms the basis for the Supreme Courts trial, as well as in the media and the government statements. Led by the alleged heroic action of General Freire Gomes, the Armed Forces supposedly dared to say no to the coup. What the evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates, and what was made clear by Freire Gomes testimony, is that the Armed Forces went along with the coup conspiracy and their support remained an open question. The fraudulent narrative about the military as saviors of democracy is the highest expression of the hopes of Brazils ruling class to solve the greatest crisis in its history through bureaucratic maneuvers and by purely judicial means. These bankrupt pretensions are exploding in the face of the contradictions that led to the coup attempt in the first place. There are signs of growing dissatisfaction within the military with the development of the case in the Supreme Court and the general political situation in the country. Describing the reaction of high-ranking Army figures to the former commanders testimony, Veja magazine quoted an anonymous general saying: It is not natural to see an Army commander, such a respected figure, being reprimanded by a Supreme Court minister. At the same time that the STF was concluding the hearing phase of the case, Brazils Federal Police (PF) launched an operation that revealed the existence of a paramilitary organization specializing in contract killings which called itself the Commando to Hunt Communists, Corrupt Officials, and Criminals, or Comando C4. The group was made up of active and reserve military personnel and operated under the legal guise of a private security company. According to the PF, the group had a fixed price list for the execution of authorities, including congressmen, senators, and Supreme Court ministers. Former Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco was one of the figures monitored by the organization. One of the leaders of Comando C4 arrested by the PF, retired Col. Etevaldo Cacadini de Vargas, was also a head of the YouTube channel Frente Ampla Patriotica (Broad Patriotic Front), which promoted the January 8 attempt and attacked military leaders who backed down from the coup. The colonel had already been prosecuted in military court in 2024 on the grounds that his videos spread coup ideas that offended and defamed the Armed Forces. Comando C4 is a direct reference to the Communist Hunting Command (CCC), a fascist armed organization formed shortly before Brazils 1964 military coup. Operating along the lines of a classic fascist shock squad, the CCC carried out terrorist actions against left-wing activists and political events, especially in the early years of the military regime. With the consolidation of the dictatorship, its memberswho had informal ties to the military from the beginningwere incorporated into the state apparatus of repression and torture. The emergence of a fascist paramilitary organization such as Comando C4, directly linked to the forces that served as Bolsonaros constituency and remain alive in the state apparatus, exposes the grave dangers contained in the current political situation. The intensification of the international crisis, marked by the specter of world war, is a determining factor in the explosive unfolding of the Brazilian political situation, particularly under the impact of the violent eruption of US imperialism. In recent weeks, the US government has significantly escalated its offensive against Brazilian state institutions. At the end of May, the Brazilian government received an official letter from the US State Department challenging the STFs orders directed against US-based social media networks such as Rumble. Following this, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly stated that there is a high possibility that the Trump administration will impose sanctions against Moraes, the judge leading the trial against Bolsonaro. The US governments actions have been directly coordinated with the Brazilian former presidents son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, who resigned from his position as a federal deputy in Brazil to operate directly from the United States. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva described Washingtons actions as unacceptable interference in the decision of another countrys Supreme Court during a press conference on Tuesday. At the same time, the STF reacted by opening an investigation against Eduardo Bolsonaro for obstruction and coercion of the proceedings against the former president and for attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law. The investigation stemmed from an accusation by PT Deputy Lindbergh Farias, who, in addition to these crimes, characterized the activities of the former presidents son as an attack on national sovereignty and high treason against the homeland. The actions promoted by the PT and the institutions of the Brazilian bourgeoisie are fundamentally incapable of combating the rise of fascism and imperialist aggression. On the contrary, their appeals to reactionary nationalist ideals and their attempt to resolve all political conflicts in the legal sphere are only deepening the rightward turn of the entire bourgeois system. In this photo released by the Jasper National Park, smoke rises from a wildfire burning near Jasper, Alberta, Canada, Wednesday, July 24, 2024 [AP Photo/Jasper National Park/The Canadian Press] The early start of the Canadian wildfire season, and the blanket of smoke that has spread across North America as a result, has highlighted one of the many dangers caused by climate change and the inability of the capitalist system to resolve the global crisis. More than 33,000 people remain evacuated from their homes, including an estimated 17,000 from the Manitoba First Nations. The official death count remains at two. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center, there are currently 208 active fires across the country, concentrated mostly in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. The only province without an active wildfire is Nova Scotia. There are currently 114 wildfires considered out of control, meaning that they are expected to grow. Only 71 are currently contained with another 23 not contained but also not expected to grow. The highest concentrations of smoke from these fires on Thursday were in Chicago, Detroit and Toronto. The Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 170 in Chicago and 161 in Detroit, making them the cities with the second and third worst air quality worldwide. Such values are more than triple what is considered good air quality by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Throughout the day, the AQI in Toronto rose to 142, becoming the city with the seventh worst air quality globally. Dangerous amounts of smoke spread further across the Upper Midwest and north central US, including most of Minnesota, western Wisconsin and eastern Nebraska. Over 115 million people across the eastern United States and Canada are under air quality warnings. AQI is measured as the highest concentration of various toxic gasesincluding ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxideand amount of microscopic particulatesdesignated as PM2.5 and PM10in the lower atmosphere. Medical research has shown that PM2.5 particles are small enough to get into the lungs and bloodstream and the high concentrations measured in Chicago, Detroit and Toronto can cause bronchitis, asthma, obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, and diabetes. As a result, the EPA recommends that those suffering from such poor air quality avoid prolonged or heavy exertion and warns that those with asthma and heart disease watch carefully for symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, palpitations, or fatigue. An estimated 7 million people globally die each year as a result of poor air quality. The millions of workers who live in the impacted regions, however, cannot easily stay indoors. In addition to the hundreds of thousands who work outdoors in construction or agriculture, hundreds of thousands more work in plants and factories lacking proper ventilation. Nor are workers given adequate protections, including N95 masks or better, to ensure they are not forced to breathe in the smoke and particulates overwhelming their workplaces. A cynical commentator from CBS reporting in New York City merely noted that the smoke is not as bad as it was from the 2023 wildfires. The lack of health and safety considerations are of the same order that led to the death of autoworker Ronald Adams Sr., who was crushed to death on April 7 when an overhead gantry crane unexpectedly engaged, pinning him and fatally crushing his upper torso. The long-term health and lives of workers are secondary to capitalist private profit. Moreover, the wildfire season across North America is only just beginning. The 2024 Canadian wildfire season was among the worst on record, second only to the fires in 2023. If the trend set by this years fires holds, there is every possibility that the smoke and toxic chemicals covering swaths of the continent will exceed the catastrophic levels from two years ago. Canadas National Preparedness Level has already reached the highest level: 5. This level includes a full commitment of national resources, and because national availability of resources is limited, Canada is calling for international firefighters to assist. In response, 150 firefighters from the United States have been deployed to assist. The sharp increase in the scale and impact of wildfires in the past several years is the direct result of the ongoing and accelerating ecological crisis caused by climate change. It has been predicted by climate scientists for decades that one of the impacts of global warming will be longer droughts and more severe wildfires. And starting with the sixth United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Earths increasing temperatures have been definitively linked to wildfires and the associated droughts and heatwaves that exacerbate them. The situation is only going to be made worse by the chronic underfunding of the fire agencies in the US and Canada. In the past 10 years, the annual firefighting bill in British Columbia alone has come to an average of $498 million, more than twice what has typically been allocated for wildfire management. In response, the B.C. Wildfire Service has been forced to use its contingency fund to simply maintain operations. A significant consequence, however, is that wildfire management has shifted more and more to just wildfire suppression. Resources are not properly allocated to wildfire prevention, such as clearing underbrush and preventative burns, and thus the wildfires become bigger, creating a cycle in which local, provincial and national governments are constantly playing catch-up. The same has been true in the US, where the budget for the US Forest Service has gone down from $10.8 billion in 2022 to $9.3 billion in 2024 and an expected $8.9 billion in 2025. Moreover, the US agency had 10 percent of its workforce cut, approximately 3,400 employees, as part of the gutting of all federal agencies by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), formerly headed by billionaire oligarch Elon Musk. Experts have warned that the layoffs have left critical tasks understaffed, including wildfire mitigation and direct firefighting. There is also a danger of international firefighters being reluctant to come to the US to assist in its fire season as a result of the Trump administrations ongoing assault on immigrants, including the arrest of 66,463 people, the deportation of 65,682 and nearly 49,000 held in detention centers. In just January, 72 firefighters from Mexico came to Los Angeles to combat the wildfires that devastated that city. Like all crises, the Canadian wildfires expose the fundamental inability of the capitalist system, bound by the contradictions of the nation-state and the profit motive, to deal with social problems, much less environmental disasters with an international scope. A real solution to fighting fires is a massive infusion of resources to combat fires, funded through the expropriation of oligarchs like Musk, and putting those resources toward an internationally coordinated effort to fight and prevent wildfires. More than 20 international legal organisations have issued an open letter calling on authorities in the UK to urgently cease the misuse of counter-terrorism legislation against the Filton 18. The letter provides a devastating exposure of the collapse of democracy in Britain, with the right to free speech and protest being overturned. Eighteen members of Palestine Action (PA)most aged in their 20sare being held on remand and face terrorism connected prosecution over a protest at Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems in Filton, near Bristol, last August. Supports of the Filton 18 protesting outside the Old Bailey [Photo: Palestine Action] Six members of PA were arrested on August 6, after they drove through security fences in a repurposed police van, entered the factory, and allegedly damaged 1 million of military equipment including killer drones used to target and kill Palestinian civilians. Police arrested eight more PA members between August 8 and 12 over their alleged connection to the protest. In November, the final eight were arrested. All were initially questioned and detained under counter-terrorism laws. They were held for 36 hours, extended to seven days under section 5 of the Terrorism Act (2000). Their detention under the Act meant police treated PAs protest as involving the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. The open letter challenges the use of counter-terror laws against the Filton 18, connecting it to a broader pattern of increasing restriction and repression of collective dissent in the United Kingdom, including in relation to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. This includes increasing use of anti-terrorism powers against journalists reporting on Palestine; undue restrictions on public events and discussion under the problematic Prevent duty under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015; injunctions against Palestine-related protests on university campuses; and undue treatment or labelling of Palestine and environmental protestors as terrorists. Legal groups across six continents have supported the letter published Tuesday. Signatories include the National Lawyers Guild International (USA), International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), Indian Association of Lawyers, Progressive Lawyers Association (Turkey), and the Worldwide Lawyers Association (WOLAS). Although none of the Filton 18 were ultimately charged with terrorism offencesthey are charged instead with criminal damage, aggravated burglary and violent disorderthe Crown Prosecution Service has called on the courts to treat their case as having a terrorist connection. The letter explains the impact of such a ruling, If the court determines that an offence was committed with a terrorism connection, this constitutes an aggravating factor for sentencing. All 18 have been denied bail and are being subjected to higher security protocols in prison due to their initial arrest and detention under counter-terror laws. United Nations Special Rapporteurs have expressed serious concern about the activists detention, investigation and prosecution. This includes periods of incommunicado detention imposed on the Filton 18 which UN experts found may [have] amount[ed] to enforced disappearance. [emphasis in the original] The first of three separate hearings for the Filton 18 will begin in November 2025, meaning the activists will have been held in prison on remand for well over a year. The youngest of the Filton 18 is just 21 years old. The Filton 18 case is a litmus test for democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights in the United Kingdom, the letter declares. Its authors find the defendants have suffered serious violations of fair trial rights and other human rights. Chilling effect The open letter criticises the overly broad definition of terrorism in UK legislation which enables counter-terrorism powers to be used against political protest that is not genuinely terrorist in nature producing a chilling effect on political protests, freedom of expression and opinion, the right to participate in public life, and political and public discourse. The Terrorism Act (2000) and Terrorism Act (2006) used against the Filton 18 were introduced by the Blair Labour government as part of the War on Terror, used in justification for war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan and the suppression of democratic and legal rights at home. The lawyers groups cite the opinion of UN rapporteurs who warned that police, exercised significant powers under counter-terrorism legislation despite the absence of a credible connection between the activists conduct to terrorism as properly defined. [emphasis in the original] The UN experts found that anti-terrorism legislation may have been used to circumvent procedural safeguards in relation to detention, and as a specific and general deterrent suggesting there may have been an illegitimate ulterior purpose for their detention, which would amount to a serious breach of human rights standards signalling backsliding of the rule of law. [emphasis in the original] Political interference The letter cites evidence of political interference in the targeting and repression of PA activists, including the Filton 18. Documents obtained in April 2025 under Freedom of Information showed the Starmer government shared contact details of counter-terrorism police and prosecuting authorities with the Israeli Embassy in September 2024 during the investigation into the Filton 18 action and shortly after the Attorney Generals Office met with the Israeli ambassador to the UK. Earlier documents obtained under FOI, in August 2023, provided evidence that the Israeli authorities have previously attempted to pressure the UK government to intervene in judicial proceedings relating to UK protests. While the UK government routinely denounces foreign interference by Russia and Chinafrom manufactured claims about Novichok poisoning of the Skripals in 2018, to recent evidence-free claims of cyber-attacks by China on the NHSsenior figures in the Labour government have worked closely with Israeli officials to target and criminalise opponents of the Zionist state and its genocide against the Palestinians. UK repression of dissent linked to genocide Significantly, the open letter links the misuse of anti-terrorism legislation against the Filton 18 to the UKs continuing link to gross human rights violations in Palestine and to seemingly unlawful ties between the UK and Israel. It cites the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling on 26 January 2024, that Israel had a plausible case to answer for genocide in Gaza. Israel failed to comply with the ICJs provisional measures orders and continued to violate international humanitarian law, including through indiscriminate bombings. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against the Israeli Prime Minister and former Defense Minister for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, the letter states. Israel has ignored all legal rulings against its homicidal rampage. It has continued to implement genocidal policies and to violate international human rights law and international human rights law with impunity in Gaza and the West Bank. Israels security minister has most recently revealed Israels plans for Gaza to be completely destroyed. Israels genocide has killed at least 62,614 Palestinians, including 17,492 children. A further 14,222 Palestinians are reported missing, presumed dead under rubble. But only those who have protested these crimes are behind bars. While young people in Britain who protest these crimes against humanity are subjected to detention and interrogation reminiscent of a police state, Israels state terrorism against a defenceless civilian population, backed militarily, financially and politically by British and US imperialism, proceeds with impunity. The open letter concludes with a call to action. It demands that UK authorities 1)urgently cease the misuse of anti-terrorism legislation against the Filton 18, in line with international human rights law; 2) Provide concrete guarantees of a fair trial by an independent and impartial tribunal, including by disclosing any attempt by Israeli authorities to influence the conduct of the proceedings against the Filton 18; 3) Provide information on measures taken to safeguard the activists procedural rights in detention; and 4) Reform the UKs overly broad terrorism legislation in line with recommendations by human rights institutions and organisations, including by excluding acts of advocacy, dissent, protest, or industrial action where they are not intended to cause death or serious injury with a terrorist purpose. The Filton 18 case has major implications for the democratic rights of the British and international working class. It must be fought on that basis. No faith can be placed in appeals to the British state or to a Labour government committed to supporting Israels genocide in Gaza. A campaign in defence of the Filton 18 must be mounted in the working class, linking the fight against imperialist war and genocide to the imposition of state repression and austerity against the working class at home. Disinformation has become a deliberate instrument to attack and discredit scientists and health professionals for political gains. The Lancet, January 18, 2025 On April 18, 2025, the second Trump administration codified the Wuhan lab-leak conspiracy into official state policy. This is the politically engineered claim that COVID-19 began as an accidental escape from the Wuhan [China] Institute of Virology. Blame poster Donald Trump weaponized the theory five years earlier at the outset of the pandemic, but it has since gained bipartisan traction, with Democrats under Joe Biden aiding its spread. This allegation fuels anti-Chinese sentiment and lays the groundwork for war, as proven by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseths warning at the Shangri-La Dialogue that China seeks to become a hegemonic power in Asia. Christian Freis Blame, which premiered April 4, 2025, at the 56th Visions du Reel [Visions of Reality] film festival in Nyon, Switzerland, arrives as a vital rebuttal. The documentary confronts these weaponized conspiracies head-onexposing their devastating consequences: the defunding of scientific research, mass layoffs and the public vilification of scientists. Blame is both a defense of science and a searing indictment of the political assault on public health. Frei tackles the lab-leak narrative with precision, emotional depth and a carefully constructed counter-narrative. At its core are three scientistsLinfa Wang, Zhengli Shi, and Peter Daszakwhose decades-long collaboration in virus discovery and pandemic prevention becomes the target of political scapegoating and geopolitical maneuvering. Linfa Wang, Zhengli Shi and Peter Daszak Blame required more than journalistic rigorit demanded courage. Filming began weeks after the Wuhan outbreak, in politically fraught environments. Frei gained intimate access to his subjects and constructed a narrative not just of what happened, but why it matters. He draws a direct line between the lab-leak conspiracy and other politically charged disinformation campaigns, arguing that both rely on the same architecture: the rejection of complexity in favor of blame. Truth becomes the enemy. Complexity loses against conspiracy, Frei writes. But Blame does not concede that loss. Instead, it meticulously reconstructs the facts while preserving the emotional stakes. Through archival footage, fieldwork and deeply personal interviews, the work serves as both a microscope and mirror: examining the roots of zoonotic pandemics while reflecting on an official culture increasingly hostile to scientific inquiry. Structured in four chaptersThe Age of Pandemics, Cassandras Curse, The Silent Lab and Blame Gamethe film transforms itself from scientific chronicle to evidentiary case. Frei opens with a drone's descent into a vast bat cavea metaphorical and literal plunge into the origins of pandemic threats. Here, we meet Wang, Shi, and Daszak not as controversial figures, but as scientists whose work on zoonotic spillover helped identify bats as coronavirus reservoirs. They warned of global vulnerabilities, but the world, largely, ignored them. Blame Then, December 31, 2019. A novel virus emerges in Wuhan. Shi races to her lab, identifies the RaTG13 sequence, and publishes findings within weeks. Frei presents this period with urgency, capturing the pressure and chaos of early response. But her discoverya digital sequence unrelated to SARS-CoV-2becomes the seed of accusation. What was meant as a scientific contribution is twisted into suspicion. The shift is stark. Visual fragmentation mirrors social disarray: shuttered streets in China, the death of Dr. Li Wenliang, the closure of the Huanan Seafood Market. Into this atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, conspiracy entrepreneurs like right-winger Steve Bannon seize on the claims of Dr. Li-Meng Yan, a virologist from Hong Kong, to push an anti-China agenda. When the Trump administration cuts EcoHealths National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, the film registers a pivot: science is no longer inquiry; it has become politicized terrain. Huanan Seafood Market Frei resists the urge to rebut soundbites with soundbites. Instead, he builds a forensic timeline using primary sources: internal reports, peer-reviewed research, WHO communications. The WHOs Phase One mission to Wuhan becomes a critical moment. Daszak, part of the team, recounts visiting the market where wildlife was sold. The film intercuts testimony with market footagebutchering stalls, animal cages and soiled countertops. It is no longer a conjecture, but visual documentation. The film commendably gives weight to work by evolutionary virologists and renowned researchers Michael Worobey and Kristian Andersen, who used location data gathered by the WHO Phase One investigation to identify the markets southwest cornerwhere raccoon dogs were keptas a likely outbreak origin. Their studies are not offered as final verdicts but as examples of the scientific process. Frei insists that science is not storytelling. It is structure, revision and accumulation of evidence. The process attempts to approximate objective truth with each iteration. And it is to the Huanan seafood market where the evidence for the COVID pandemics origin leads us. The emotional and thematic apex arrives in The Silent Lab. Frei brings us to the rainforests of Thailand, where bat caves teem with life. Daszak is joined by blogger Philipp Markolinwhose recent book Lab Leak Fever, published in Germany, explores both the science and the conspiracies surrounding the pandemicand journalist Jane Qiu, an independent investigator recognized for her deeply nuanced reporting and the only journalist to have interviewed Zhengli Shi twice. Together, they follow field researchers who collect guano and tissue samples, reminding viewers that pandemic research is not abstractits physical, painstaking and often dangerous. There are no bad bats, the narration says. Nature does not know these terms. Blame In this section, Frei also turns his lens on the toll the conspiracy has taken. How did we get here? Daszak describes receiving death threats and needing police protection. His frustration and anguish are evident. Qiu, torn between her sympathy for Shi and frustration with Daszaks public persona, criticizes his polarizing communication, suggesting it may have exacerbated attacks. Furthermore, she worries the film will be seen as another piece of propaganda. Markolin urges reflection and objectivity. These are not scenes of consensus, but of reckoning. Its a rare moment of honest disagreement among allies, and Frei captures it without editorializing, trusting the viewer to process the nuance. Most compelling, in a video call, Shi, unable to leave China, speaks with quiet anguish: Nothing sinister, irresponsible, or secretive was done in my lab. The ruling principle should not be, Guilty until proven innocent. Her voice shakes. This is not evasion; it is heartbreak. Frei then, in defense of Shi, circles back to the Mojiang mine and RaTG13the supposed smoking gun. He clarifies it was a digital sequence, too genetically distant to be relevant. A digital sequence cannot escape from a lab, the narrator says. In this one simple line, he dispels years of viral speculation, and makes the injuries caused by these dangerous conspiracies visually palpable. Chinese scientists The final chapter, Blame Game, shifts to Washington, D.C., where Daszak prepares to testify before Congress. The setting is sterile, the tone theatrical. Frei juxtaposes the hearing with a voiceover by LA Times columnist Michael Hiltzik: A clown show spittle-flecked posturing by members who had no idea what they were talking about. It would be funny if it werent so dangerous. Over two years of witch hunts against scientists and the promotion of the lab-leak theorydespite the absence of a single piece of concrete evidencehave not been the work of Republicans alone. The Democrats, far from resisting, have marched in lockstep, lending bipartisan legitimacy to a campaign that has undermined public trust in science and endangered those who practice it. Peter Daszak Freis camera doesnt flinch. He captures not only the fury unleashed by these buffoons of lawmakers, but the fatigue on Daszaks facethe toll of being turned into a symbol. The attacks are personal, but their implications are structural. If scientists can be dragged before Congress based on misinformation, what of science? What kind of science will go undone? The image of a congratulatory shaking of hands by the triumphant fascist Trump and antivaccine zealot Robert F. Kennedy Jr. provides a stark reply. Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. On the train back to New York, Daszak rides alone. Shis voice returns, comparing the spectacle to Cultural Revolution show trials. Shouldnt scientists decide what science gets funded? she asks. Its anti-China geopolitics, Daszak replies. Quiet. Final. By films end, the EcoHealth Alliance is in collapse. Their funding is gone. Lawsuits loom. Daszak warns again: there are an estimated 800,000 unknown viruses in wildlife that could pose risks to humans. The message is chilling: the very systems designed to prevent the next pandemic are being dismantled not for failurebut for political inconvenience. Blame Blame is not just a documentary. It is a field report. A case study. A moral reckoning. Frei offers no melodrama, no easy villains. His subjects are not saints or martyrs, but scientistsprofessionals committed to understanding and protecting life. But the political maelstrom surrounding the lab-leak theory has left them battered. Zhengli Shi remains confined to China, her reputation tarnished by suspicion. Peter Daszak faces threats to his safety, financial ruin and the dismantling of his lifes work. Beyond them, countless scientists now second-guess every research proposal, haunted by the fear that their work might be misrepresented, their motives questioned, their careers upended. The damage is not just personal; it cuts into the foundation of scientific inquiry itself. Freis great achievement is that he restores complexity without losing clarity. Each frame, each quote, each scientific detail builds toward a singular point: the greatest threat to public health may not be a virus, but the systems that distort truth for political gain. By the end, one thing is clear. The scandal is not in a Chinese lab. Its in the halls of power where ignorance is weaponized, and science is silenced. Blame is not merely a defense of scientists; it is a defense of the very idea that truth still matters. As one of the few voices in cinema that has come forth to challenge the political conspiracy, it is a remarkable achievement and deserves wide distribution. Blame is presently touring the festival circuit and expected for wider release in Fall 2025. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 23, 2025, in Washington. [AP Photo/Evan Vucci] On Wednesday, President Donald Trump issued a presidential proclamation re-instituting the travel ban from his first presidential administration, expanded to include more countries. Trump said the attack last weekend at a march supporting Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colorado, underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted, as well as those who come here as temporary visitors and overstay their visas, concluding We dont want them. The proclamation fully restricts and limits the entry of nationals from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, and partially restricts and limits the entry of nationals from an additional seven countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Under the restrictions, residents of the countries listed under the partial ban will be unable to apply for six of the major visa categories, including business, tourism and visas for students. The travel ban would impact over 400 million people, including the hundreds of thousands of refugees who will now be denied asylum. American imperialism bears responsibility for the devastation of the countries affected by the travel ban. At the start of his meeting Thursday with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office, Trump was asked why the list of banned countries does not include Egypt. Egypt is the country of origin of the suspect in the attack in Boulder Colorado, which Trump cited in justifying this travel ban. Trump replied that Egypt has things under control, adding that the ban applies only to countries that dont have things under control. By have things under control Trump means that Egypts authoritarian government maintains political surveillance of its population and is subservient to the interests of American imperialism. The statement from Trump that his administration is excluding immigration from countries that dont have things under control echoes the statement made before the travel ban placed during his first administration: Why do we want all these people from Africa here? Why do we want all these people from shithole countries? A significant difference between Trumps first administration and the current one, is that Trumps openly racist statements produced declarations of shock in the media and denunciations from Democratic party politicians. This most recent announcement of a travel ban produced a fraction of the posturing from the media and political establishment. At the time, the problem for the ruling class and Democratic party was that Trump was saying openly that which the members of the oligarchy the state apparatus think and say in private. In the first Trump presidency, the Supreme Court ruled to uphold the ban and upholding the presidents power to seal the countrys borders. Trump, articulating the policies of American imperialism in blunt language, dispensed with the longstanding art of American imperialist politics: hiding the criminal activities of the US imperialism with the verbiage of humanitarianism and democratic rights. Legal scholars have warned that this current iteration of the Trump travel ban is likely to be upheld if challenged in the far-right dominated Supreme Court, with University of Michigan Law School professor Barbara McQuade saying in a BBC Newshour interview, This time I think there has been more thought given into this... this time we see a mix of countries, not just Muslim-majority countries... It seems to me very likely that it will ultimately be upheld by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled in the five-to-four decision on the 2017 travel ban, that the president and the military have the power to take drastic measures in a national emergency or during a time of crisis, including if the United States were on the brink of war. In the current administration, the state of exception, the pseudo-legal framework under which the crimes of the Nazis were carried out, is the operating principle. The American state of exception found early expression in this Supreme Court ruling, and major rulings on the basis of national security arguments following the launching of the War on Terror in 2001. The World Socialist Web Site wrote in response to the 2018 Supreme Court ruling: There can now be little question that the countrys highest court will rubber-stamp whatever authoritarian measures Trump plans on enacting, including the abolition of due process for immigrants and the erection of concentration camps. The travel ban proclamation and the earlier executive orders targeting immigrants are the spearhead of a dictatorship and intend to whip up anti-immigrant sentiment. The crackdown revives the legacy of the internment of hundreds of thousands of Japanese-Americans during World War II, and the era of Chinese exclusion. Chinese exclusion laws were upheld by the Supreme Court with arguments that Trump invokes today. There is no viable fight against the attack on immigrants and the drive toward dictatorship without a complete break with the Democratic and Republican parties. The Democratic Party is an active collaborator with the fascistic Republican party; no confidence can be placed in the Democrats to defend immigrants. The mass mobilization of the working class is the only way the attack on immigrants and democratic rights can be opposed. Opposition to the fascist policies against immigrants must be organized in defiance of the Democrats who have openly collaborated with Trump in his anti-immigrant campaign. The Democratic Party has not called for any protests against these measures because they are in fundamental agreement with Trumps policies. Furthermore, the Democrats recognize that the situation in this country is explosive, and fear setting into motion a movement that they cannot control. The SEP calls for workers to establish workplace and neighborhood committees, independent of the trade unions and the Democratic Party, to popularize these demands and mobilize their communities, schools and workplaces in defense of the rights of immigrants and all working people. This struggle must be guided by the understanding that the defense of basic rights is inseparable from a political struggle against the capitalist systemthe source of war, inequality and repressionand the fight for socialism. The campaign being waged by Michelin tyre factory workers in Midigama, southern Sri Lanka, is at a crucial stage. Management and top labour department officials, supported by the Inter-Company Employees Union (ICEU), which is controlled by the ruling Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), are attempting to break the Michelin employees fight for job security and their defence of victimised colleagues. Despite the concerted campaign against them, the workers remain on strike. They refused to return to the job on Wednesday, when management reopened the plant following a shutdown of several days in response to earlier industrial action by the employees. The 1,500-strong workforce only learnt last month that the factory had been sold to CEAT, an Indian-based corporation. Not knowing the real situation, workers began a protest campaign on the following demands: a three million-rupee ($US10,008) compensation payment for each Michelin company worker; all workers to be reemployed by CEAT with full continuation of their service, and that if these conditions were not granted, workers be allowed to apply for voluntary retirement under Michelins retirement scheme. Michelin employees began their action on May 23. This included not working when they arrived for their shifts, holding meetings and staging protests outside the factory premises. SEP members speak with Priyanga, one of the three sacked Michelin workers on June 2, 2025 The company reacted by suspending Sampath Karunasena and summarily sacking two other employeesChirangivi Seneviratne and Priyanga Dimuthu Kumarawithout any investigation and in violation of existing labour laws. Workers responded by demanding the immediate and unconditional reinstatement of their victimised colleagues. The ICEU bureaucracy, in line with the pro-business policies of the JVP/NPP government, is completely responsible for this witch-hunt. The transfer deal between Michelin and CEAT was organised in December last year. ICEU officials did not tell their members about the deal, let alone inquire how workers rights would be protected. Instead, the union leadership endorsed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Michelin and CEAT in blatant violation of union members democratic rights. On Wednesday, 11 Michelin workers representatives met with the Midigama factory management to press their demands. Management invited labour officials, headed by a deputy labour commissioner, and ICEU branch leaders, with top company head-office management officials participating online. Worker representatives called on management to reinstate the suspended and sacked workers, and for copies of the MoU signed by Michelin, CEAT and the ICEU leaders to be released to all workers. Management flatly rejected the demand for the reinstatement of suspended and sacked workers. Significantly, the deputy labour commissioner, operating as a mouthpiece for the company, claimed the workers were engaged in an illegal strike that must be stopped. A Midigama management brief on the discussion, sent to all employees, relayed the warning of the deputy labour commissioner that workers would suffer serious consequences if they continued their struggle. Midigama management did not attempt to address any of the real issues affecting workers. Sri Lankas labour department and its officials are generally painted as sympathetic to workers. Once again, this has proven to be false. Workers representatives request for a copy of the MOU signed by the trade union officials was rejected. The ICEU branch leadership, who were summoned to the discussion by the company officials, still refuses to provide a copy. Supporting these trade union bureaucrats, the deputy labour commissioner declared that employees had no right to demand a copy of the MoU. In fact, union officials have no right to sign any MoU impacting on workers jobs, wages and service conditions without consulting their members. Why are the union bureaucrats and the company, supported by labour department officials, hiding the MoU from workers? What secrets does it contain that workers must not know? Why are state officials defending this deal? These are legitimate questions. Yesterday morning, management sent a final-warning SMS message to all employees demanding that they return to work. It declared that if they did not end their industrial action, management would shut down production and not pay wages for days lost. At noon yesterday, management sent another SMS declaring that continued action would not be tolerated and warning workers that there is no alternative without resuming work at the institution. In simple language this means the plant will be closed, workers retrenched and production resumed with new employees. Those employed in the upper-steam operation, services and production sections were directed by management to work on Wednesday while others were granted shutdown leave, until full production is prepared. This is an attempt to break the strike. While upper-steam operation, services and production section employees reported for work, they refused to work until all suspended and sacked employees are reinstated. The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) has launched a campaign to mobilise workers in Sri Lanka and internationally to defend the determined fight being waged by Michelin workers. SEP member Pani Wijesiriwardane speaks with Michelin workers about the sacking of three employees on June 2, 2025 On June 2, two leading members of the SEPAruna Malalagama and Pani Wijesiriwardaneaddressed a meeting of about 200 Michelin workers. Malalagama said that the SEP strongly supported the Michelin workers fight for job security and better working conditions. He stressed the need to defend workers rights against company and state repression. We are following developments in your struggle. Your fight is part of a broader class struggle of the working class in Sri Lanka and internationally, he said. Wijesiriwardane explained how employers, the government, the trade unions and the police were united against the Michelin workers struggle. The core issue is the capitalist governments policies, which prioritise profits over workers rights, making the fight political. To advance their struggle, workers should establish independent action committees in each workplace, not allowing union bureaucrats and capitalist political parties, he said. Stressing the necessity of uniting with the international working class, he added: Your appeal to Michelin employees worldwide is an important step forward towards international unity. Michelin workers attending the June 2 meeting unanimously agreed to form an action committee independent of the union, to continue their fight and to reach out to their international colleagues. The victimised workers have lodged a complaint with the labour tribunal and an initial inquiry is scheduled for June 16. Like all international conglomerates, Michelin operates through a global production chain. Its decision to sell the Midigama factory is part of a global reorganisation of this giant corporation to boost its profits amid a worsening international economic crisis. Nor is this reorganisation limited to Michelin. The CEAT manufacturing company operates across multiple plants with an extensive distribution network. The deepening crisis of global capitalism has seen corporations everywhere pursue profits-oriented restructuring, including layoffs and the imposition of harsh working conditions. At the same time, the US and all the other imperialist powers are restructuring their operations in preparation for war to establish their hegemony over resource-rich regionsthose abundant in oil, gas and heavy metalsand to secure labour and markets. The burden of these developments is being imposed by capitalist government and companies through job cuts, low wages and brutal working conditions. To fight these attacks workers must develop a revolutionary strategy. As an SEP statement issued on June 2 said: Michelin workers in Sri Lanka now find themselves confronted with the same issues, particularly the questions of job security now facing millions of their class brothers and sisters internationally Michelin workers need to turn to workers in public and private sectors across Sri Lanka to rally their support and to urge them to form similar action committees for a unified struggle in defence of the jobs and basic rights. The statement concludes with a call for Michelin and other workers to align themselves with the fight to build the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees to unifying their struggles internationally against government and big-business attacks. In Ganja, the second biggest city of Azerbaijan, Eid al-Adha prayers began simultaneously in all the citys mosques, marking the start of the holiday celebrations, Azernews reports. Hundreds of residents participated in the festive prayer service, where prayers were offered for peace, well-being, and prosperity for the nation. It is worth noting that this year, Azerbaijan celebrates Eid al-Adha on June 6-7. To recall, Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, is one of the most significant religious holidays for Muslims worldwide. It commemorates the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God, before God provided a ram as a substitute. The holiday is observed with communal prayers, charitable acts, and the ritual sacrifice of animals, with the meat distributed among family, friends, and those in need. NurPhoto / Getty Images Boeing admitted to conspiracy to defraud the FAA's Aircraft Evaluation Group Key Takeaways Boeing signed a non-prosecution agreement to avoid federal prosecution stemming from deadly 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019. The jet maker will pay $1.1 billion as part of the deal, which included investments in compliance programs and payouts to the relatives of those who died in the crashes. Boeing admitted to conspiracy to defraud the FAA's Aircraft Evaluation Group. Boeing (BA) has agreed to pay $1.1 billion in fines to avoid federal prosecution related to the pair of 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed more than 300 people. The jet maker signed a non-prosecution agreement requiring it to invest $455 million in compliance and safety programs and pay out an additional $444.5 million in compensation to the families of those who died in the crashes. Boeing is also responsible for a criminal monetary penalty of $487.2 million, half of which the company paid in 2021, which leaves $243.6 million outstanding. Boeing admitted as part of the agreement to a conspiracy to defraud the Federal Aviation Administrations Aircraft Evaluation Group, which had been evaluating the 737 Maxs flight control system in the years preceding the crashes. Going forward, Boeing agreed to report to an independent compliance consultant, who will in turn report to the government. Granting Boeing a non-prosecution agreement represents a shift in approach by the Department of Justice under the Trump administration. The case had been scheduled to go to trial on June 23, but the DOJ last month reportedly told relatives of those killed in the Boeing crashes that the government could lose, which would prevent the department from securing additional relief. Lawyers for the families said they plan to formally object to the move. Shares of Boeing were little changed in early trading Thursday. The stock has gained 20% in 2025 so far. Read the original article on Investopedia The Federal Reserves new top banking cop Michelle Bowman said Friday she wants to revisit bank regulations made in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis so that risk is effectively managed and lenders can fail without hurting the economy. In her first remarks since being confirmed this week as the new vice chair of supervision at the central bank, Bowman stressed that while reforms made after the 2008 meltdown were important and essential to ensuring a stronger and more resilient banking system, regulators need to reconsider the unintended consequences that have arisen. "The task of policymakers and regulators is not to eliminate risk from the banking system, but rather to ensure that risk is appropriately and effectively managed, she said in a speech at Georgetown University in Washington. Bowman said the goal is to create and maintain a system that supports safe and sound banking practices with proper risk management. Our goal should not be to prevent banks from failing or even eliminate the risk that they will, she said. Our goal should be to make banks safe to fail, meaning that they can be allowed to fail without threatening to destabilize the rest of the banking system. Michelle Bowman, the new Federal Reserve vice chair for supervision, at a Senate committee hearing in April. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/File Photo Reuters / Reuters One of the crisis-era capital measures Bowman wants to redo is the so-called supplemental leverage ratio (SLR), a rule that requires big banks to maintain a preset buffer against their total portfolio of loans and debt. That pile includes large holdings of US Treasurys. Bankers maintain that asking them to hold capital when they trade against their Treasury investments discourages them from acting as intermediaries in the financial markets, which can contribute to stress when markets become volatile. Banks are key buyers of US Treasurys and serve as broker-dealers in the Treasury market, helping other investors buy and trade the government bonds. When leverage ratios become the binding capital constraint at an excessive level, they can create market distortions, said Bowman. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hopes a capital rule reset will allow banks to add more Treasurys to their balance sheet, thus giving the flood of supply a fresh incremental buyer. He also hopes that making things easier for banks will reduce upward pressure on long-term Treasury yields another key goal for the new administration. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the White House on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) ASSOCIATED PRESS Bowman wants to look at other capital rules, as well. In July, the Fed is set to host a conference to inform central bankers understanding of how capital requirements are impacting big banks now and what other changes may need to be made. Kristo Kaarmann, Wises chief executive, said a primary US listing would help the company accelerate growth - Hermione Hodgson The 12bn fintech champion Wise is to switch its primary listing from Britain to the US, dealing a fresh blow to Londons beleaguered stock market. Wise told investors on Thursday that it would move its main listing to New York, claiming the change would help the company grow faster and attract more investment. It will be seen as a snub to the London Stock Exchange (LSE), which has been battling an exodus of companies amid concerns over poor liquidity and excess governance. Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, called the news devastating and blamed Labour. News of Wises plan to turn its back on British public markets follows just days after the 1.1bn drug firm Indivior, which makes opioid addiction treatments, said it too would quit London to focus solely on New York. Other companies to have made similar moves include the gambling giant Flutter and the Cambridge-based microchip designer Arm. Wises announcement comes hours after Cobalt Holdings, a commodities business dedicated to purchasing physical cobalt, also pulled a planned $230m (169m) listing in London. Reuters reported it had dropped the plans over a lack of investor demand. Kristo Kaarmann, Wises chief executive, said shifting to New York would help us accelerate our mission and bring substantial strategic and capital market benefits to Wise and our owners. He claimed the US was the biggest market opportunity in the world for our products. The international payments company, which helps people send money across borders and offers foreign exchange cards, debuted on the LSE in 2021 at an 8bn valuation. It is among the largest technology companies on the exchange, although it is not a FTSE 100 company due to an unusual share structure. Wise handled 145bn worth of payments for 15.6m people last year. Its shares have risen by around 20pc since it joined the London market. Wise said retail and institutional investors in the US were currently unable to buy its shares and said the move would allow current shareholders greater flexibility, as well as potentially allowing it to be included in American indices. Switching a companys main listing does not affect the number of shares. However, it can have a huge effect on its visibility and its ability to attract investors and raise capital. Different markets also have varying fees, governance and financial requirements. Mr Griffith blamed Wises decision to shift focus to the US on Labours tax raid on the wealthy. He said: Wise is a fabulous UK fintech. Combined with Revoluts Paris move and millionaires fleeing London this is a devastating verdict on the UK socialist governments culture war against wealth creators. An Equinor gas production facility in Norway. The deal also allows the UK to swap gas imports for emissions-free hydrogen. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images The owner of British Gas has struck a 20bn deal with Norways state energy company to buy enough gas to meet nearly 10% of the UKs needs for the next decade. Under the agreement, Centrica will buy around 5bn cubic meters of gas from Equinor enough to supply 5m UK homes every year from this winter until 2035 at the prevailing market rate. It is the latest long-term deal between the UK and Norway, which has been one of Britains largest sources of imported gas for the last 50 years. But in a nod to Britains net zero agenda, the latest agreement will include a clause that allows the UK to swap gas imports for emissions-free hydrogen from Equinors UK hydrogen plant. Equinor is working with Centrica and the energy company SSE on multiple low carbon hydrogen projects on the north bank of the Humber. Equinors plans to develop a pathfinder hydrogen project at the existing Aldbrough gas storage facility in East Yorkshire alongside SSE could be operational by 2029. Britain currently imports nearly two-thirds of its gas requirements from Norway, although the UKs demand for gas fell to record lows last year due to a steady rise in renewable energy output and increased power imports from Europe. The UKs gas demand is expected to tumble in the decade ahead as the governments net zero policies further reduce the need for gas power plants and help homes and businesses choose electric alternatives to fossil fuels. Chris OShea, the chief executive of Centrica, said the landmark agreement underscored the vital role for gas in securing the UKs energy supplies as it moves towards a low carbon future. He added it would also pave the way for a burgeoning hydrogen market. The deal is smaller than the last decade-long agreement struck between the pair in 2015, when Centrica agreed to buy about 7.3bn cubic metres of gas each year from Equinor, which, at the time, was also about 10% of the UKs total gas demand. Centrica agreed to a top-up deal after Russias invasion of Ukraine, which wiped out Russias pipeline gas exports to Europe, to more than 10bn cubic metres a year, or about 12% of Britains total gas demand. The governments official climate adviser, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), has forecast a steep fall in the UKs demand for gas in the years ahead as it moves towards a net zero economy by 2050. Gas currently makes up 720 terrawatt hours (TWh), or almost 40% of the UKs primary energy demand according to the CCCs carbon budgets, but this will need to fall to 168TWh or less than 15% of primary energy demand by 2050 if the UK hopes to keep within its carbon budgets. Currently about 70% of homes are heated using gas boilers, while gas-fired power plants account for around a quarter of the countrys electricity supply. The government hopes ambitious targets to install up to 600,000 electric heat pumps in homes every year and keep gas plants for use only 5% of the time in the 2030s will help cut the countrys reliance on gas. 5 Best Moments as Tems Brings the Heat to Billboards The Stage at SXSW London Billboards The Stage hit SXSW London on Thursday night (June 5), marking the first time the event took place in the U.K. The show at the capitals Troxy was headlined by Lagos-born, London-based superstar Tems, a day after she collected the Diamond Award at the Global Power Players Event alongside Sir Elton John and EMPIRE CEO Ghazi. Speaking from the stage, she celebrated Billboard for championing African music on a global scale. More from Billboard Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The special ticketed event was one of SXSW Londons biggest draws and comes after days of live performances and thought-provoking panels throughout Shoreditch. The Stage has become a staple at SXSW in Austin, with 2025 headliners including John Summit, Koe Wetzel and Grupo Frontera in a genre-busting showcase of some of musics most sought-after names. Its another crowning glory for current Billboard cover star Tems following her rapid rise over the past few years, culminating in a Grammy win in 2025 for best African music performance. Speaking to Billboard on her success and staying authentic, she said, It feels good to be able to do this on this scale. My life is a dream. Tems released her debut album Born in the Wild in June 2024 to critical acclaim. The Stage featured a number of performers during the night, giving punters at the historic venue a glimpse of the present and future of music from both the U.K. and Africa. Botswanas Amantle Brown opened proceedings, with London-based rising star LULU. both appearing on the bill as well. These are five highlights from The Stages SXSW London debut. Amantle Brown Reps Botswana Amantle Brown Reps Botswana Following diverse, energetic selections from DJ Edith Escobar, Amantle Brown celebrated her home nation of Botswana in her passionate set to open the night of live performances. Im all the way from Africa and Botswana, she told the crowd, and out there, the industry is still growing, but you just know they are rooting for me back home, she said as she proudly waved her home nations flag onstage, thousands of miles away. LULU. is Unstoppable LULU. is Unstoppable London-based artist LULU. has made waves on the capitals live scene in recent months, fusing pop and R&B into her own distinctive sound. Performing cuts from her 2024 collection Dear Disorientated Soul as well as brand-new song Not There Yet, she reminded the crowd that being creative is an essential need for all people and that no-one can stop you from doing what you want as a performer. Her set which included a cover of Bob Marleys Is This Love was proof that her artistry is, indeed, unstoppable and brilliant. Tems Return to the London Stage Arriving to passionate screams, Tems told the crowd she was happy to be back onstage at what was her first show in London of 2025. Her set pulled heavily from her genre-blending debut Born in the Wild, expertly brought to life with Tems hip-shaking stage presence, top-notch vocals and backed by a tight six-piece band. Fan Favorites and Deep Cuts Alongside her biggest hits, Tems played songs for her day ones, including Higher, showcasing vocal excellence in moments both euphoric and intimate. Fan favorite Found saw Tems share the mic with eager stans in the front row and duetting on the songs memorable chorus. Tems Almighty Finale Love Me Jeje brought the vibrant party to Troxys historic dance floor, with its art-deco features withstanding the bouncing energy Tems and the crowd created together. Essence, her collaboration with Nigerian giant Wizkid, took the vibes to brand new-highs, while closing tracks Me & U and Free Mind capped off a stellar evening for the global superstar in her adopted hometown. Best of Billboard Sign up for Billboard's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Sean Byrne knows how to show an audience a bad time. Sixteen years ago, the Australian filmmaker launched onto the scene with The Loved Ones, his proudly grisly debut about a misfit teenager who gets gruesome revenge on the boy who refused to go to prom with her. Part expert torture porn, part exploration of adolescent romantic anxieties, the film was an instant midnight-madness cult item that took Byrne six years to follow up. When he did, he went in a different tonal direction with The Devils Candy, a surprisingly emotional psychological thriller about a heavy-metal-loving painter who moves his family to a beautifully rustic home, only to lose his mind. Working in recognizable horror subgenres, Byrne entices you with a familiar premise and then slowly teases apart the tropes, leaving you unsettled but also invigorated by his inventiveness. It has now been a decade since that distinctive riff on The Shining, and for Byrnes third feature, he once again pillages from indelible sources. Dangerous Animals draws from both the serial-killer thriller and Hollywoods penchant for survival stories about hungry sharks feasting on human flesh. But unlike in the past, Byrnes new movie never waylays you with a surprise narrative wrinkle or unexpected thematic depth. He hasnt lost his knack for generating bad vibes, but this time he hasnt brought anything else to the party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The movie stars Hassie Harrison as Zephyr, a solitary surfer who explains in on-the-nose dialogue that she prefers the danger of open water to the unhappiness of life on land. An American in Australia who grew up in foster homes and who lives in a beat-up old van, Zephyr encounters Moses (Josh Heuston), a straitlaced nice guy whom she hooks up with. Not that she wants him developing feelings for her: She takes off in the middle of the night so she can catch some waves. Unfortunately, Zephyr is the one who gets caught by Tucker (Jai Courtney), a deceptively gregarious boat captain who kidnaps her. Next thing she knows, shes chained up inside his vessel out at sea, alongside another female victim, Heather (Ella Newton). Read more: The 27 best movie theaters in Los Angeles Like many a movie serial killer, Tucker isnt just interested in murdering his prey he wants to make something artistic out of his butchery. And so he ties Heather to a crane and dangles her in the water like a giant lure, pulling out a camcorder to record her final moments as sharks devour her. Watching his victims struggle to stay alive is cinema to this twisted soul and Zephyr will be his next unwitting protagonist. Working from a script by visual artist Nick Lepard, Byrne (who wrote his two previous features) digs into the storys B-movie appeal. Tucker may use old-fashioned technology to record his kills, but Dangerous Animals is set in the present, even if its trashy, drive-in essence would have made it better suited to come out 50 years ago as counterprogramming to "Jaws." With Zephyrs tough-girl demeanor and Tuckers creepy vibe, Byrne knowingly plays into genre cliches, setting up the inevitable showdown between the beauty and the beast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But despite that juicy setup, Dangerous Animals is a disappointingly straightforward and ultimately underwhelming horror movie, offering little of the grim poetry of Byrnes previous work and far too much of the narrative predictability that in the past he astutely sidestepped. There are still subversive ideas for one thing, this is a shark film with precious few sharks but Byrnes sneaky smarts have largely abandoned him. Rather than transcending expectations, Dangerous Animals surrenders to them. One cant fault Harrison, whose Zephyr spends much of the movie in a battle of wills with her captor. Because Dangerous Animals limits the amount of sharks we see, digitally inserting footage of the deadly creatures into scenes, the storys central tension comes from Zephyr trying to free herself or get help before Tucker prepares his next nautical snuff film. Harrison projects a ferocious determination thats paired with an intense loathing for this condescending, demented misogynist. Its bad enough that Tucker wants to murder her beforehand, he wants to bore her with shark trivia, dully advocating for these misunderstood animals. Its an underdeveloped joke: Dangerous Animals is a nightmare about meeting the mansplainer from hell. Alas, Courtneys conception of the films true dangerous animal is where the story truly runs aground. The actors handsome, vaguely blank countenance is meant to suggest a burly, hunky everyman the sort of person youd never suspect or look twice at, which makes Tucker well-positioned to leave a trail of corpses in his path. But neither Byrne nor Courtney entirely gets their arms around this conventionally unhinged horror villain. Dangerous Animals overly underlines its point that we shouldnt be afraid of sharks its the Tuckers who ought to keep us up at night but Courtney never captures the unfathomable malice beneath the facial scruff. We root for Zephyr to escape Tuckers clutches not because hes evil but because hes a bit of a stiff. Even with those deficiencies, the film boasts a level of craft that keeps the story fleet, with Byrne relying on the dependable tension of a victim trapped at sea with her pursuer, sharks waiting in the waters surrounding her. Michael Yezerskis winkingly emphatic score juices every scare as the gore keeps ratcheting up particularly during a moment when Zephyr finds an unexpected way to break out of handcuffs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Byrne cant redeem the scripts boneheaded plot twists, nor can he elevate the most potentially intriguing idea at its core. As Tucker peers into his viewfinder, getting off on his victims screams as sharks sink their jaws into them, Dangerous Animals hints at the fixation horror directors such as Byrne have for presenting us with unspeakable terrors, insisting we love the bloodshed as much as they do. Tucker tries to convince Zephyr that theyre not all that different theyre both sharks, you see but in truth, Byrne may be suggesting an uncomfortable kinship with his serial killer. But instead of provocatively pursuing that unholy bond, the director only finds chum. Sign up for Indie Focus, a weekly newsletter about movies and whats going on in the wild world of cinema. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Double Drama: Who Is Missing From The Real Housewives of Atlanta Reunion originally appeared on Parade. When it comes to The Real Housewives of Atlanta one thing is certain, there is always drama right around the corner, and today is no exception. The series is filming its Season 16 reunion, and there are some glaring omissions that have fans buzzing. The news for the day started with Bravo announcing the filming of the highly anticipated reunion for The Real Housewives of Atlanta as well as the seating chart for the episodes. With the official Bravo TV social media account teasing, We're sat. The #RHOA Reunion has begun filming Fans were quick to note the absence of Kenya Moore. The actress and author took to her social media account to address her exit head on, posting to X (formerly Twitter), Im disappointed to not be a part of the #RHOA 16 reunion taping today. Please know I take full accountability for my actions and deeply apologize to all those affected including Brittney, the cast, crew, guests and viewers. I look forward to seeing you all back on Bravo soon. Im disappointed to not be a part of the #RHOA 16 reunion taping today. Please know I take full accountability for my actions and deeply apologize to all those affected including Brittney, the cast, crew, guests and viewers. I look forward to seeing you all back on Bravo soon. KENYA MOORE (@KenyaMoore) June 5, 2025 Meanwhile, fans also noticed Brittney Eadie was missing. The insurance agent took to Instagram to share a message with fans, stating, As everyone is now aware, I'm not attending the Reunion. This was my decision. The events of this season have devastated me, and while I cannot say much right now, I do want to set the record straight about one thing: the graphic sexual photo surrounding the events in Episode 5. That photo was not me. As the episode makes clear, I did not see the photo at the time. Rather, l was made aware of the photo being presented at the event, and based on what l was told, assumed that it was somehow a photo of me - which is why I reacted in the way that I did. I do not know who was in that photo, but upon seeing it for the first time recently, I now know it was not me. I look forward to seeking accountability and moving past this dark part of my life. ~Britt The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs Sundays on Bravo and streams the next day on Peacock. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Real Housewives of Atlanta reunion will air later this summer. Double Drama: Who Is Missing From The Real Housewives of Atlanta Reunion first appeared on Parade on Jun 5, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared. At 78 years old, Coca-Colas ex-CEO Douglas Ivester is planning his 11th safari. Its a tradition he started in the first 12 months on stepping down from the top job at the $309 billion beverage giant. What do you do after stepping down from Coca-Colas helm? For the former CEO, its taking month-long excursions around Africa. When Douglas Ivester stepped down as the $309 billion beverage giants CEO and chair at the turn of the century, he knew the continent of gold savannah, vast deserts and tropical rainforests was the first place he wanted to visit with his newfound free time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My first trips to Africa were to work because we had businesses in South Africa and East Africa particularly, Ivester recalls in an interview with Fortune. When I retired, I wanted to take my wife, so we put together the first trip to Africa, which included Kenya and Tanzania. We spent a day visiting medical facilities, including an AIDS clinic. We spent some time in schools, and we spent time with local artists, talking to them about their artistic ability and product and things like that, in addition to all the other things that people would go seethe animals and the landscape, all the things like that. Its been over 25 years since, and Douglas Ivester has made a tradition of taking yearly month-long vacations all over the worldand has found himself back in Africa many times along the way. Weve maintained what traditionally people call a bucket list of things to do I wanted to climb in Rwanda to visit the mountain gorillas. So we took a trip that included that in the middle of the trip, Ivester adds. I wanted to do Asia and wander around in Asia and see what I can learn there. So I did that. In 2017, he says he spent 30 days discovering Southeast Asia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The pandemic, of course, put his annual vacation to an abrupt halt. But now, at 78, hes planning his 11th Rewild safari with Botswana and Kenya on the cards for 2026. For the growing number of leaders taking a sabbatical, a Rewilding Safari offers the chance to participate in wildlife conservation efforts, like releasing Darwins rhea in Patagonia National Park and planting trees in Madagascar and Sumatra. Just dont think of it as a vacation, Ivester warns. The lowdown How much does it cost? Ivester estimates that an all-inclusive trip at a safari camp will set you back $50,000, including airfare. Whats so special about Africa? Ive been to Latin America, Ive been to Asia, but Africa is my favorite place to go to is Africa. Its so vast. It is so different. It is learning something new almost every minute of the trip. And I like that, Ivester says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We attempt to incorporate as many learning experiences as possible. As an example, we were in Cape Town in South Africa, and we took a day and went out to go swimming with the great white sharks and a superb experience. To take a balloon ride over the Great Migration is something you cant describe, you just have to experience it. To ride an elephant in South Africa at one of the camps down there, you cannot describe it, but Ive done it You have to be there and be there in the moment and be willing to take some risk. I wouldnt describe our trips as vacations. A vacation implies rest and relaxation. And I would say were more moving around and learning and experiencing life, and we have to rest when we get home. Do safaris have good WiFi? That is an ever-changing situation, the retired chief says. 20 years ago, the answer was no. You really didnt have phone service, and certainly no internet connection or anything like that. In more recent years, a lot of the hotels do have coverage, and the phone service is much, much better, but it improves on a yearly basis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Any word of warning for execs? My word of caution would be to plan every day and to research every day and make sure you go into it with an understanding of what you want to accomplish, Ivester recommends. A really good Safari trip will probably take a year to plan and a year to schedule. And if youve got it done that way, youll probably have a very successful trip, but you cant do things sort of spur of the moment. A 48-hour sample itinerary A two-day private safari excerpt designed by Rewild Safaris for Mr. & Mrs Ivester and friends in late June. Day 1 Location: Little Kwara Camp, Kwara Reserve, Okavango Delta, Botswana Background: The Kwara Reserve shares its southern boundary with the Moremi Game Reserve. It encompasses a wide variety of wildlife habitats, ranging from deep-water lagoons and thick papyrus beds to dry-county scrub and mopane forests. Nestled on the edge of the permanent waters of the Okavango, Little Kwara Camps five canvas tents are elevated into the tree canopy on wooden decks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Morning: Wake up to an early morning wake-up calla gentle voice saying Good Morning just outside the tent. Following breakfast, we venture out in the custom-designed Land Cruiser for our morning game drive. At this time of year, the water is high, so we frequently have to drive through water. The tracker scans for the footprints of the animals we seek. We venture into the bush, eventually finding the small lion pride whose prints he found. We watch the small lion cubs chase each other until one of them finds its mother and begins to nurse. The other two cubs join their siblings as their mother lies contentedly in the shade. Later, we venture further, scanning the trees for the most elusive big cat: the leopard. After a rewarding game drive, we return to camp for lunch. Afternoon: We venture into the Okavango Deltas waterways in a traditional canoe called the mokoro. Floating along the channels between the reeds, the guide uses a long pole to navigate the two-foot deep crystal-clear water. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We enjoy the calm silence of gliding along as we watch various birds fly over us. Eventually, we reach an island, where we disembark and take a gentle walk among the trees. The safari guide points out the various trees and shrubs and explains how some are used in the traditional day-to-day life of the local inhabitants. As we approach the end of the island, we find a team from the camp waiting for us. We order our beverages, enjoy some snacks and toast the setting sun as it disappears over the western horizon. We return to Little Kwara by motorboat, arriving just before dark. We have time to shower before returning to the dining area, where dinner is served under the African sky. Day Two: The Selinda Reserve Background: While not as famous as its southern neighbor, the Okavango Delta, the Selinda Reserve is an incredible 521-square-mile wilderness. By this time of year, large numbers of migrating wildlife have joined the permanent residents who thrive on these open savannas. A variety of antelope species are found, along with giraffe, warthog, baboons, and vervet monkeys. Lion, cheetah, and spotted hyena are the primary large predators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But there are two species of wildlife that make the Selinda Concession stand out: The Cape hunting dog and large breeding herds of elephants. The experts at Great Plains Conservation estimate that over 9000 elephants make Selinda their temporary home during the dry season. Morning: Following breakfast, we are driven to the airstrip and board a Cessna Caravan aircraft for our flight into northern Botswana. Our destination is Selinda Camp, and our goals are twofold: to find the elusive African painted dogs and experience the influx of hundreds of elephants. We land and with our tracker perched on the Land Cruisers hood, we begin our journey. Eventually, the tracker finds something interesting and tells the guide to drive into the bush. We sit silently and hear yelping sounds. The guide whispers to us that we are near the den site, where the alpha female has recently given birth to her pups. Although the den is hidden from us, we see a handful of the African painted dogs resting in the shade. We continue on to camp, where we are warmly greeted by the Selinda team. We are each handed a cool moist washcloth and a welcoming drink to freshen up after our journey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After a briefing about the camp, we are escorted to our tenthome for the next two nights. Afternoon: Following lunch, we rest until our afternoon game drive. As we drive into the bush, ithin a few minutes we come upon a herd of 12 elephants, with two very young babies. As we watch the adults chewing on tree branches, the baby elephants nurse within about twenty feet of our vehicle. As evening approaches, we begin to return to camp and come across a big bull elephant. Our guide tells us the bull is heading toward the group of elephants we just visited. His goal is to find out if any of them are ready to breed. We return to camp. After showering, we sit around the campfire as our guide summarizes the days adventures and discusses plans for tomorrow. As we crawl into bed, we hear a distinct sound in the distancethe mighty roar of a male lion telling all that this is his territory. Its the perfect sound to end another fascinating day in the African bush. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Brookfield Asset Management has announced an investment of up to Skr95bn ($10bn) to develop AI infrastructure development in Sweden. The investment will focus on a new AI centre in Strangnas, Sweden, designed to support the countrys national AI strategy. Brookfield has secured a land allocation agreement for approximately 350,000m, enabling the data centre site to expand its capacity from 300MW to 750MW. Brookfield described the facility as the first of its kind in Sweden and among the first in Europe. Brookfield Europe head Sikander Rashid said: We are pleased to extend our partnership with Sweden and support their ambitions to become a leading AI hub in Europe. To compete in the development of AI and realise its economic productivity, it is important to invest at scale in the infrastructure underpinning this technology. Since entering the Swedish market in 2018, Brookfield has invested in telecom towers, renewable energy, social infrastructure, and logistics. Brookfield has allocated more than 100bn ($113.9bn) to digital infrastructure, renewable power, and semiconductor manufacturing worldwide. Earlier this year, the firm announced a 20bn ($22.7bn) infrastructure investment programme in France, including a 10bn ($11.3bn) commitment to the countrys first AI factory, which will provide 1GW of new capacity and become Europes largest AI infrastructure cluster. The investment, confirmed by a La Tribune Dimanche and news agency AFP, will primarily fund the construction of AI-focused data centres. The announcement forms part of a series of investments as world leaders and tech executives prepare for the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, France. Brookfield Asset Management, headquartered in New York, manages $1tn in assets across renewable power and transition, infrastructure, private equity, real estate, and credit. "Brookfield Asset Management to invest $10bn in Swedens AI Infrastructure" was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand. LEBANON This year, an unprecedented number of stray cats have been flooding rescue facilities, calling for a viable and safe solution for these furry friends. The Lebanon Veterinary Hospital offered a solution by creating the SNIPS (Spays, Neuters Impact Populations) program, in which veterinarians are donating their time to provide spay and neuter services for rescue organizations at a small cost. According to Bernadette Orscher, VP of marketing for the network of hospitals Piper Veterinary, this crisis is the consequence of various factors. One of the factors is that for each unaltered female cat, 36 kittens can be born every year. Other factors have played a role in this crisis, like the increased costs for spay and neuter procedures going from $400 to over $1,000 in Connecticut. Economic pressure has also led to an increase in pet abandonments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That flywheel of unspayed and neutered animals is just going to continue to raise the number of pet abandonment numbers, she said. The state now has officially recognized the overpopulation issue. So, instead of putting additional strains on town resources, were trying to help and get ahead of it. Although rescues get help through the State Voucher Program to finance these procedures, the number of animals in need have led many rescues to be out of vouchers before the year ended. With SNIPS, the Lebanon Veterinary Hospital is providing these procedures at a discounted rate, whether they still have these vouchers or not. In a few numbers, a dog spay cost over $800, which is reduced to $200 with the SNIPS program. For cats, the procedures start at $80. In addition to each surgery, the animals also get two vaccinations at no additional cost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The veterinary team is absorbing a significant amount of the cost to offer this to rescues, she said. So, were trying to make sure we can keep it as inclusive as possible and open as possible. Throughout the summer, Piper Veterinary and the Lebanon Veterinary Hospital will be hosting programs to help animals get the medical attention they need to limit overpopulation. Were trying to maximize the number of animals that were able to help and support. And thats best negotiated through rescue groups, Orscher said. On June 9, they will have a clinic day with PAWS cat shelter and are still scheduling events to do throughout the summer. Theres nothing harder in vet medicine than seeing discarded or unwanted pets, said Dr. Steven Zickmann of Lebanon Veterinary Hospital. We have to do better, or it will never stop. Jun. 6When people enter the mobile recording studio of the StoryCorps trailer, an hour-long session seems to move much quicker than 60 minutes. Ian Murakami, site manager for StoryCorps' Mobile Tour, which is making a stop in Kalispell this month, says time flies when someone is enraptured in a good conversation. "We hope the conversations that you start in the booth move out into the larger community. One of the most common things I hear in the booth is that there wasn't enough time and. I tell everyone that you have so much time when you leave, you get to keep talking to each other, so we hope you keep doing that," Murakami said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement StoryCorps, an organization dedicated to recording Americans' stories for more than 20 years, has helped nearly 700,000 people across the U.S. record meaningful conversations since the organization's founding in 2003. Those recordings are collected in the U.S. Library of Congress and their own online archive, some of which air on NPR's Morning Edition weekly. A collaboration between Montana Public Radio and the Flathead Valley Community College brought the mobile recording booth to Kalispell. The airstream-like trailer sitting in the front parking lot of FVCC will be there through June 26. The StoryCorps staff encourages anyone to come to the mobile booth to tell a story that is important to them or to have a discussion with someone they care about. These recordings can be keepsakes for the participants, who will be emailed a digital file of the recording. Participants can choose how they want to share their conversation, if at all, by which release they sign with StoryCorps. The sessions include 40 minutes of recording time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Staff have been recording the first slate of appointments since May 30. Associate Director for the Mobile Tour Latojia Dawkins said so far, they're "hilarious and very touching." "The youth here coming into record we don't typically get a lot of youth to come out and record and to see their excitement and willingness to even spread the word that we're here to do recordings," Dawkins said. "We don't always get such a warm welcome ... because sometimes people can even be skeptical to share their stories. But that doesn't seem to be the case here." Montana Public Radio Program Director Michael Marsolek said he remembers when StoryCorps started two decades ago. Even then, he knew it was a special project. During a trip to New York City, he signed up, along with his mother, for a recording session in Grand Central Station. It came as a surprise to her, but the two had a conversation he'll keep close for the rest of his life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "She passed away a little over a decade ago and that recording is such just a treasure for my family. We play it almost every year for kids and grandkids, pieces of it around the holidays, around her birthday and everybody in the family has a copy," Marsolek said. "I encourage folks to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity while it's here." Montana Public Radio has collaborated with StoryCorps several times over the years, bringing the mobile recording booth to Butte in 2005 and to Missoula in 2022, in addition to a virtual tour held in 2020. StoryCorps' arrival coincides with Montana Public Radio's 60th anniversary. Anne Hosler, director of Montana Public Radio, said the organization's mission to preserve human voices and provide deeper connections continues to fall in line with what the public radio station is about. "I think in this moment especially, we really need to increase the communication between folks in our in our neighborhoods, in our communities and in our world, so that we have a better understanding of how we got to where we are in this moment and how we can better ourselves," Hosler said. "I think initiatives like StoryCorps, where folks are sitting down and sharing their stories, where we all can learn from one another and from another's experience I think that's really important." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The final round of timeslots to record in the StoryCorps mobile recording booth opened on June 3. To sign up, visit mtpr.org, call StoryCorps' 24-hour toll-free reservation line at 1-800-850-4406 or visit storycorps.org. To conclude the visit, StoryCorps will host a public listening event on June 23 at 6:30 p.m. at the Wachholz College Center to showcase selected stories recorded during the Flathead Valley sessions. Admission is free and open to the public. Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4440 or by emailing tinman@dailyinterlake.com. GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) The 40th annual Childrens Miracle Network (CMN) Celebration Broadcast raised more than $1.2 million dollars to support pediatric care across eastern North Carolina. According to a press statement, the telethon raised an outstanding $1,278,873 to support pediatric care across eastern North Carolina, bringing the cumulative total raised to $35,680,524. This years Celebration Broadcast was incredibly special, marking 40 years of support for Childrens Miracle Network and bringing together those who have made a difference, said Elise Ironmonger, Director of Programs at the ECU Health Foundation. It was amazing to reflect on this journey and connect with our dedicated supporters. We also honored the generous businesses, community groups and individuals whose commitment will continue to save lives and bring hope to the children at Maynard Childrens Hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WNCT. Heres what youll learn when you read this story: Researchers recently found one of the many lost Holy Land cities in Jordan. The team used maps and field surveys to identify the site. Experts believe the lost city Tharais wasnt just an agricultural villageit may have also been a spiritual hub. The Madaba Mosaic Map is perhaps the most famous geographical masterpiece of the ancient Near East. Believed to have been built during Emperor Justinians reign (527-565 A.D.), the tile art piece is the oldest surviving map of Jordans Holy Lands. The map is located in Madaba, Jordan, and depicts a total of 157 sitesmany of which have yet to be found. One of the many lost cities is a place called Tharais, which dates all the way back to the Byzantine Empire. And researchers might have just found it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Starting in 2021, a research team led by Musallam R. al-Rawahnehan associate professor of archeology and ancient Near East studies at Mutah Universitybegan looking for Tharais. The field project lasted until 2024, and the team recently published their findings in the journal Gephyra . Finding a lost city is no easy task, and researchers had to use several different methods to track down Tharais. Maps, including both the Madaba Mosaic and more contemporary maps, gave researchers a starting baseline. They then conducted a field survey near a modern city near the southeastern edge of the Dead Sea called El-Iraq. There, researchers found remnants of mosaic floors, glassware, and various toolsall compelling evidence that that was where Tharais once thrived. Most notably, the team uncovered features resembling a Byzantine basilicaan oblong building with an open-air central room. Collaborative efforts with other institutions from Spain and France added further evidence to the scene when researchers discovered Greek and Latin funerary inscriptions. These inscriptions suggest the existence of a Christian community in the area, supporting the theologic identity of the site. A doorway consistent with architecture in Byzantine churches was also found, further affirming the sites supposed history. In short: all signs point toward religion. The prominence of Tharais on the Madaba Map and the discovery of a basilica church structure suggest that it served not only as an agricultural village but also as a sacred site and commercial rest stop, al-Rawahneh said in a Turkiye Today report . Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And according to the team, the presence of religion didnt weaken the citys economy. The presence of olive oil presses, windmills, and grape crushing equipment suggests that Tharais was economically self-sustaining. Perhaps the most convincing indications of the sites true identity are the parallels between the structures found by the researchers and the Madaba Mosaic Map. The arrangement of gates, ruins, and even towers closely match the maps depiction of the lost city. As for the future of Tharais, the team says that they wish to preserve the area from El-Iraqs rapid urbanization. Our aim is not just to uncover Tharais, Al-Rawahneh explained in the report, but also to advocate for the protection of Jordans rich cultural heritage. You Might Also Like Jun. 5BEMIDJI A woman has been arrested for allegedly committing arson after an investigation showed that a mobile home in Eckles Township was intentionally set on fire early Thursday morning. According to a release from Beltrami County Sheriff Jason Riggs, at approximately 2:57 a.m. on Thursday, June 5, the sheriff's office was notified of a mobile home on fire along Theater Lane NW in Eckles Township. Upon arrival, deputies found the home fully engulfed in flames. Two people were at the scene and indicated that they were inside the home, but safely self-evacuated after realizing it was on fire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A total of 27 firefighters and 10 pieces of equipment were on the scene for approximately five hours in order to extinguish the fire. The home and its contents have been declared a total loss, according to a release from Bemidji Fire Chief Justin Sherwood. No injuries have been reported as a result of the fire. As the investigation continued, it was determined that the fire appeared to be a result of arson and had been intentionally ignited, Riggs noted in the release. Investigators identified the suspect as Natasha Redeagle. She was located at a residence in Bemidji and arrested without incident. Redeagle was booked into the Beltrami County Jail and the case is being reviewed by the Beltrami County Attorney's Office as she awaits her first court appearance. The Bemidji Ambulance Service, Bemidji Police Department, Beltrami County Sheriff's Office, Bemidji Fire Department, Minnesota State Fire Marshal's Office, American Red Cross, Beltrami Electric and Minnesota Energy assisted at the scene. CHICAGO (WGN) A man is dead and another is recovering in the hospital on Friday morning following an overnight crash on the West Side. Chicago police said the single-vehicle crash occurred just before 11 p.m. Thursday, in the 1100 block of North Central Avenue in Austin. LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland According to police, a 31-year-old man was driving a white sedan southbound when the vehicle merged into the northbound lanes, hit a fence and then hit a pole where it came to rest, according to investigators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said the man sustained severe body trauma and was treated by paramedics with the Chicago Fire Department before being taken to Stroger Hospital where he died. Authorities added a 23-year-old passenger suffered a broken ankle and lacerations, was treated by CFD paramedics and taken to West Suburban Hospital in serious condition. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Currently, it is unclear what led to the crash and authorities have not identified the victim killed. An investigation by Chicagos Major Accident Detectives is now underway. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. CHICAGO (WGN) A man is dead and another is recovering in the hospital on Friday morning following an overnight crash on the West Side. Chicago police said the single-vehicle crash occurred just before 11 p.m. Thursday, in the 1100 block of North Central Avenue in Austin. LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland According to police, a 31-year-old man traveling southbound in a white sedan when he merged into the northbound lane. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers said the driver then crashed into a fence before hitting police. The driver suffered serious injuries in the crash and was later pronounced dead at the hospital. A 23-year-old man who was in the passenger seat suffered a broken ankle and lacerations and was taken to the hospital in serious condition. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Currently, it is unclear what led to the crash and authorities have not identified the victim killed. An investigation by Chicagos Major Accident Detectives is now underway. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. DENVER (KDVR) A woman was found dead and another person was taken to the hospital with burn injuries after a residential structure fire off Colorado Highway 119, east of Longmont, early Friday morning. Mountain View Fire Rescue said in a post on Facebook that an adult female was found dead after a thorough search of the home, which was fully engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived after being dispatched before 3:40 a.m. The Weld County Sheriffs Office said it is investigating the death. MVFRs Engine 201 was dispatched to the home after a call came in reporting flames behind a commercial building near the intersection of Weld County Road 7 and CO 119, the fire district said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox Mountain View Fire Rescue responded to a residential structure fire off Colorado Highway 119, east of Longmont early Friday morning. (Credit: MVFR) Mountain View Fire Rescue responded to a residential structure fire off Colorado Highway 119, east of Longmont early Friday morning. (Credit: MVFR) Mountain View Fire Rescue responded to a residential structure fire off Colorado Highway 119, east of Longmont early Friday morning. (Credit: MVFR) Mountain View Fire Rescue responded to a residential structure fire off Colorado Highway 119, east of Longmont early Friday morning. (Credit: MVFR) Mountain View Fire Rescue responded to a residential structure fire off Colorado Highway 119, east of Longmont early Friday morning. (Credit: MVFR) Mountain View Fire Rescue responded to a residential structure fire off Colorado Highway 119, east of Longmont early Friday morning. (Credit: MVFR) Mountain View Fire Rescue responded to a residential structure fire off Colorado Highway 119, east of Longmont early Friday morning. (Credit: MVFR) MVFR said backup was called after fire crews arrived and discovered the home fully involved, and that it took about 20 minutes to get the blaze under control and several hours before it was fully out. The fire district originally said around 7:30 a.m. that six people were in the home at the time the fire started, with one taken to the hospital with burn injuries and several others evaluated at the scene. MVFR later announced that a subsequent search of the home led to the discovery of the woman. It is unclear if she was included in the fire districts original number of six people in the residence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators, as of around 7:30 a.m., were on scene attempting to figure out how the fire began. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. American inventions proved their worth in the Normandy campaign that began on June 6, 1944. They allowed Allied forces to shoot, move and communicate in the arduous D-Day landings. From floating trucks to walkie-talkies, evolved versions of these inventions remain in use today. While June 6 marks the 81st anniversary of D-Day, the preparations and planning that went into the Normandy landings a pivotal World War II turning point, and one of the largest amphibious assaults in history were years in the making. Getting nearly 160,000 Allied troops to storm a 50-mile stretch of heavily fortified French coastline called for an unprecedented level of coordination among American, British, and Canadian soldiers and equipment. It also put new technologies to the test. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "You have to control the air, the water, and the land all at once and come ashore with an inherent disadvantage," says National WWII Museum curator Cory Graff about Operation Overlord." To do so successfully meant deploying not only manpower, but also a host of pioneering technologies and inventions many of them American-made from specialized landing craft to underwater breathing equipment to amphibious trucks. "This idea of combined arms integration requires military formations to do three things: shoot, move, and communicate," adds John Curatola, senior historian at the National WWII Museum. The Normandy invasion required the US Army, Navy, and Army Air Force to collaborate in a unified manner for a singular objective, while also working with counterparts for the cross-Channel invasion, he says. These are some of the inventions that helped Allied troops win D-Day, all of which have evolved into systems still in use today. M4 Sherman The US manufactured 50,000 M4 Sherman tanks. Courtesy of The National WWII Museum The M4 Sherman was the backbone of the Allied armored force during World War II. Weighing roughly 40 tons, it was fast, reliable, and built by the thousands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sherman tanks proved key in helping the Allies break through German defenses at Utah and Omaha Beaches. Some were equipped with a bulldozer blade on the front that could cut through the defenses on the beach and that would later function as hedgecutters used to break through wall-like hedges throughout Normandy. Other Shermans were converted into Duplex Drive (DD) tanks an amphibious design pioneered by the British. Outfitted with canvas flotation skirts and rear-mounted propellers, the DDs were meant to hit the beach alongside the first wave of infantry. While rough seas and weather doomed many off Omaha, those that made it ashore at Utah and Gold Beaches delivered crucial early support. "Everybody thinks the Germans had the coolest tanks, and I categorically reject that," says Curatola. "The Shermans are relatively easy to maintain. The crews can fix them. They're relatively reliable with simple parts, and you're basically overwhelming the Germans with armor." Invented by: Developed by the U.S. Army Ordnance Department in 1941 and mass-produced by automakers including Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors. The US manufactured 50,000 throughout the war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Modern connection: While the Sherman was retired from combat decades ago, its simple, rugged design shaped post-war tank development and reinforced the importance of armored vehicles. Curatola considers the M1 Abrams tank that the US Army uses today the "grandson" of the Sherman. 'Walkie Talkie' The Signal Corps Radio 300 had a 3-mile range and 41 channels. Courtesy of The National WWII Museum Nicknamed the "Walkie-Talkie," the Signal Corps Radio 300 was the first backpack radio for mobile infantry communication and one of many radio varieties used on D-Day. Initially issued to US infantry in 1943, a soldier carried the nearly 40-pound SCR-300 transmitter and receiver on their back. With a three-mile range and 41 channels, the SCR-300 came in handy for real-time battalion-level communication during the highly chaotic, noisy beach landings Invented by: Engineer Daniel E. Noble and his project team at Galvin Manufacturing Corporation. Originally founded by brothers Paul and Joseph Galvin pre-war to develop early car radios, Galvin became Motorola in 1947. Galvin engineers also developed a handheld, single-channel AM radio the SCR-536, or "Handie-Talkie" for battlefield communication at the platoon or company level. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Modern connection: The SCR-300's pioneering use of frequency modulation (or "FM") technology paved the foundation for future portable communication devices, including cell phones. Higgins boats Landing craft known as Higgins boats carried troops to the beaches on D-Day and dropped their front ramps so troops could rush out. Courtesy of The National WWII Museum The Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel was a 36-foot landing craft made famous in the opening scene of the 1998 film, "Saving Private Ryan." Known as Higgins boats for its American inventor, 1,000 LCVPs were used to deliver troops across all five beaches during the Normandy landings, which marked the single largest deployment of LCVPs. Without these shallow-bottomed boats, landing directly on the open beaches with armor and troops would've been logistically impossible. Invented by: New-Orleans-based shipbuilder and entrepreneur Andrew Higgins of Higgins Industries. He is said to have borrowed the front ramp idea from Japanese boats after seeing photos from the Sino-Japanese War. Gen. Dwight Eisenhower called Higgins "the man who won the war for us." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Modern connection: The front-ramp design has continued to inspire modern amphibious landing craft, including the US Navy's Landing Craft Air Cushion and Landing Craft Utility. Landing ship, tank Large cargo ships like this LST unloaded tanks and trucks directly onto the beach without needing piers. Courtesy of The National WWII Museum The LST was a large cargo vessel used to land troops and armored vehicles without docking to a pier. Its large bow doors were designed to open to a ramp that let tanks and trucks drive directly from the ship to land. "To liberate continents, you need bulk. You need throughputso you can do operations inland. And the LST allowed the Allies to do that without a fixed port," Curatola says. Invented by: The LST was designed by American naval architect John C. Niedermair in response to Prime Minister Winston Churchill's request for a ship that would carry some 500 tons worth of tanks following the Dunkirk evacuation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Modern connection: In a matter of hours, Niedermair sketched the design for a ship regarded as one of the most successful in the history of the US Navy. The DUKW amphibious truck The DUKW was an amphibious truck with a propellor for water and 6-wheel-drive for land. Courtesy of The National WWII Museum The DUKW (pronounced "duck") was a 6-wheel-drive amphibious truck capable of transporting about 5,000 pounds of cargo (or 24 troops) on land and water; a propeller could chug it through water with a max speed of 6 mph. "The beauty of this thing is, not only is it amphibious, but it can drive inland and provide supplies to troops well beyond the beach at up to 50 miles an hour," says Curatola. Invented by: The DUKW was a product of collaborations among GMC, the naval architecture firm Sparkman & Stephens, and a Michigan-based bus manufacturer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Modern connection: The DUKW pioneered a feature that allowed drivers to change the tire pressure from inside the cab to accommodate different terrains, which remains a common feature on military vehicles today. Douglas C-47 transport More than 800 Douglas C-47 aircraft dropped paratroopers into Normandy during the D-Day campaign. Courtesy of The National WWII Museum The C-47 Dakota, nicknamed "the workhorse," had many uses in both World War II theaters, from cargo and troop transportation to casualty evacuation and towing. More than 800 C-47s were used in the D-Day campaign to insert thousands of paratroopers and huge amounts of equipment behind enemy lines. Invented by: Douglas Aircraft Company adapted its pre-war commercial airliner, the DC-3, for military use. It was relatively quiet and could carry up to 28 troops or 6,000 pounds of cargo. The US produced more than 10,000 C-47s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Modern connection: Valued for its versatility, the C-47 was used in the Vietnam War. Variants are still in use for civilian cargo transport. A rebreather for divers Christian Lambertsen invented a rebreathing device ideal for Navy frogmen and OSS commandos. CIA The Lambertsen Amphibious Respiratory Unit was a closed-circuit rebreather designed to recycle exhaled air by removing carbon dioxide and adding oxygen. The apparatus enabled divers to operate underwater for prolonged periods without leaving a trail of bubbles. Lambertsen, working for the Office of Strategic Services, trained OSS commandos to use the LARU for underwater reconnaissance and demolition missions in support of D-Day and other key landings. Invented by: Christian Lambertsen, who, as a University of Pennsylvania medical student in the early 1940s, designed the LARU as a self-contained breathing device ideal for covert underwater missions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Modern connection: Lambertsen himself coined the acronym "SCUBA" (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus). His equipment and techniques paved the way for rebreathing technologies still used by military divers, including Navy SEALs. He's considered "the father of US Combat Diving." Dummy paratroopers Allied planes dropped hundreds of these dummies on the night before D-Day to confuse German defenders. Courtesy of The National WWII Museum These burlap, straw-stuffed mannequins were relatively small, lightweight decoys that could be dropped from planes to give the illusion of incoming paratroopers. A form of psychological warfare, the dolls were used to confuse and mislead the enemy. Dummies were sometimes equipped with noisemakers that sounded like gunfire or explosive charges that detonated on landing, adding to the illusion. On the night of June 5, 1944, Allied planes dropped hundreds of these fake paratroopers, along with inflatable tanks, across the French countryside to give off the impression of airborne troops landing in areas far from the real drop zones. In several cases, German units responded to these fake drops. Invented by: Inspired by the British "Rupert" paradummy, the American version, nicknamed "Oscar," was more compact, with the 3-foot-tall ones used on D-Day mainly manufactured in the UK. Modern connection: While today's military decoys are generally more technologically advanced (e.g., electronic signature emitters), the principle of deception through false targets and diversionary tactics remains. Proximity fuze The proximity fuze developed by American scientists triggered a munition to explode as it neared a target. Courtesy of The National WWII Museum The proximity fuze an electronic fuze for bombs, shells, or missiles that explodes when approaching a target changed the rules of artillery in warfare; instead of needing a direct hit, anti-aircraft shells could suddenly detonate when they got close. They made Allied anti-aircraft fire far more effective in taking out German planes, helping protect the beachhead. Invented by: Developed beginning in 1940 by American scientists at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, with critical contributions from British researchers. Key to the design was the miniature radio transmitter and receiver inside the shell that sensed nearby targets and triggered detonation. Modern connection: The proximity fuze was a major step toward today's precision-guided weapons. Its combination of electronic sensing and remote detonation paved the way for modern guided bombs and missiles. The Jeep The 44 Jeep proved essential during the Normandy campaign: a compact, reliable and adaptable lightweight vehicle. AP Photo/Laurence Harris From the moment the first Allied troops hit the beaches of Normandy, this newly introduced American 4x4 was in motion, hauling supplies, ferrying wounded soldiers, towing anti-tank guns, and zipping across shell-scarred roads. Compact, reliable, and endlessly adaptable, it proved essential to the invasion of Normandy, along with many other battles. Invented by: In 1940, facing the likelihood of entering the war, the US Army issued an emergency contract for a lightweight reconnaissance vehicle, prompting the development of the first Jeep prototype by Bantam Car Company in just 49 days. With Bantam lacking production capacity, Willys-Overland and Ford were tapped to manufacture the final design, cranking out hundreds of thousands of units over the course of the war. Some Jeeps were waterproofed for the landings, sealed tight and fitted with snorkels to wade ashore behind the infantry. Others were dropped by parachute into French fields with the 101st and 82nd Airborne, ready to drive the moment they hit the ground. Modern connection: After the war, Willys began selling civilian versions, branding them as Civilian Jeep models and kickstarting America's obsession with off-road vehicles and SUVs. Katie S. Sanders is a journalist based in New York City. Her reporting has brought her to prisons, the CIA, and the White House. Follow her at @KatieSSanders. Mara Storey is a Nashville-based people analytics manager and World War II history enthusiast. Follow her at @mtruslowstorey. Read the original article on Business Insider (WJET/WFXP) Two Chautauqua County residents are facing a fresh set of criminal charges after police said they found more than 100 grams of fentanyl during a raid at their home Friday morning. That raid happened around 6:26 a.m. in the 500 block of West 6th Street in Jamestown, New York, at the home of 41-year-old Jermeek Johnson and 30-year-old Danielle Barber, both of Jamestown. Ashtabula Co. man arrested for aggravated murder Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After members of the SWAT team, Chautauqua County Sheriffs Office and the United States Marshalls Service started their search, they allegedly found 101.1 grams of fentanyl, 2.9 grams of methamphetamine, Alprazolam pills, digital scales, $1,633 in cash and other cutting agents. Police said Johnson also tried to hide an unspecified amount of fentanyl and meth while police were searching but was eventually found and both were taken into custody. Johnson already had a warrant out of Chautauqua County Court for possessing a large quantity of fentanyl and a loaded handgun after a search warrant was executed at his home in March 2024, while Barber had an outstanding bench warrant from Jamestown City Court. NY man arrested after police allegedly find over 150 grams of cocaine in his apartment Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes since been arraigned and pleaded not guilty to charges of first, third and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, tampering with evidence, and two counts of criminally using drug paraphernalia. Barber also appeared in Jamestown City Court for the bench warrants with bail set at $500 cash and $1,000 insured. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com. The Trump administration plans to reject U.S. ethane exports to China that are heavily relied upon for plastics manufacturing in an apparent escalation of the temporary trade war truce between the worlds biggest superpowers. The move may come in response to China placing restrictions on the exports of certain rare earth metals to the U.S. that are required for the tech and auto industries as the two countries continue to accuse each other of violating the trade truce. U.S. ethane export leader Enterprise Products Partners (ranked 78 in the Fortune 500) said June 4 it was notified by the U.S. Commerce Department of the intent to deny 2.2 million barrels worth of planned ethane export cargoes from Texas to China. Enterprise said it has 20 days to respond. The potential denial comes after the Commerce Department told U.S. companies in late May it would immediately require them to receive special federal licenses to export ethane and butane to China because of the unacceptable risk the natural gas liquids could be utilized for a military end use. China is by far the largest importer of American ethanethe most common building block for petrochemicals and plastics worldwide. The U.S. is the only major exporter of ethane, making China entirely dependent on Americas exports. Roughly half of all U.S. ethane exports go to China, and the cargoes are not easily redirected to other nations. The [Commerce] decision has the potential to ruin the U.S. ethane market and disrupt global flows, said Kristen Holmquist, managing director of analytics for RBN Energy, in an analyst note. But the impacts on China would prove greater, said Julian Renton, of East Daley Analytics, in a separate note. If the restriction holds, Chinas planned petrochemical expansions could become obsolete on arrival, Renton stated. Projects under construction may stall. Existing plants could face critical feedstock shortfalls. China bet billions on U.S. ethaneand that bet just got rerated overnight. Houston-based Enterprise said in a May 29 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that its unsure if it could obtain a special license in a timely manneror at alland that its ethane and butane business operations were at risk. The three cargoes Enterprise said were rejected on June 4 were sought under emergency authorization requests through the Trump administration. Enterprise declined further comment June 4. The Commerce Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment, nor did other key ethane and butane exporters, such as Energy Transfer and Phillips 66. More than 100 dogs were rescued from an apparent puppy mill in a North Carolina home, where they were kept in "egregious conditions," according to a shelter. Many of the dogs are being treated for skin and dental issues as well as some with "matted dirty fur" coming off in "heaps," the SPCA of Wake County said in a post on social media Friday. "This is the biggest moment in these dogs' lives, and we are feeling so grateful to be a part of their healing," the SPCA of Wake County said. SPCA of Wake County - PHOTO: In this photo posted to the Facebook page of the SPCA of Wake County, a dog that was saved from a possible puppy mill in Raleigh, N.C., is shown. SPCA of Wake County - PHOTO: In this photo posted to the Facebook page of the SPCA of Wake County, a puppy that was saved from a possible puppy mill in Raleigh, N.C., is shown. MORE: New York bans selling dogs, cats, rabbits in pet stores to combat 'puppy mill' pipeline Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The shelter said it responded to a home along with Raleigh Animal Control to assist in removing the dogs on Thursday. "They were housed in egregious conditions, surrounded by their own waste, packed 5 or 6 to a cage and stacked floor to ceiling, or free roaming in cramped quarters and filth," the SPCA said. The dogs have been getting "the spa day of their lives -- and their first taste of fresh air, possibly ever," the shelter said in a post on Friday. SPCA of Wake County - PHOTO: In this photo posted to the Facebook page of the SPCA of Wake County, a dog that was saved from a possible puppy mill in Raleigh, N.C., is shown. There were numerous mother dogs nursing young puppies found. The SPCA said 19 of the dogs are not in its care and they are working to medically assess them and begin providing treatment. SPCA of Wake County - PHOTO: In this photo posted to the Facebook page of the SPCA of Wake County, a puppy that was saved from a possible puppy mill in Raleigh, N.C., is shown. SPCA of Wake County - PHOTO: In this photo posted to the Facebook page of the SPCA of Wake County, puppies that were saved from a possible puppy mill in Raleigh, N.C., are shown. Donations up to $150,000 are being matched in veterinary services from Care First Animal Hospital. (WHTM) Today is June 6, the 81st anniversary of D-Day. It was the Allied invasion of Francethe beginning of the Allies retaking power in continental Europeand one of the heroes that day was Staff Sergeant Joe Folino. Folino fought in the Battle of the Bulge and stormed Utah Beach at Normandy. He lives outside Pittsburgh and spoke to abc27 news with his daughter, who lives in York Springs. Close Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now WHTM Daily Digest The worst wasnt the Battle of the Bulge, Folino said. It was the battle with the cold. We got caught sleeping there, but once we got our river clothes on, we did feel good. But before that, we suffered from the cold. The number of living WWII veterans is shrinking. Lancaster County womans quick thinking saves lives after Bali tourist boat sinks At 103 years old, Folino is the oldest of the sixteen World War II veterans who gathered on the North Shore in Pittsburgh today. There will be a picture of the men tonight at 5 p.m. on abc27 news. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. The Enquirer revisited Army veteran Richard Stewart as we mark the 81st anniversary of D-Day. We spoke with Stewart in 2023, as he revisited the beaches of Normandy and remembered the battle against the German army that was a turning point in World War II, the Battle of Normandy. This year, photographer Liz Dufour checked in with Stewart ahead of the D-Day anniversary. He returned to Normandy in 2024 to accept the French Legion of Honour from France's President Emmanuel Macron during the U.S. ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the World War II "D-Day" in Normandy. Former President Joe Biden spoke Army veteran Richard Stewart after he was awarded the Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur or French Legion of Honour by France's President Emmanuel Macron during the US ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the World War II "D-Day" in Normandy on June 6, 2024 Stewart, a Lincoln Heights resident, is now 104. He remembers working in the field, inspecting a line when a bomb hit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The earth shook, as if an earthquake had hit us, he told Dufour. During the war, the U.S. military segregated African Americans from their White counterparts, and they were assigned noncombat roles. They underestimated us, he said. Stewarts unit served in France, Belgium and Germany until he was discharged Nov. 13, 1945. As he reflects on his wartime experience, he said, Im so thankful. The Lord took us over and the Lord brought us back. "And Im still here. Read more about Stewart here. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Lincoln Heights veteran remembers D-Day battle on 81st anniversary A group of 11 Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and eight migrant detainees are stuck in a converted shipping container in Djibouti after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from deporting immigrants to third-party countries without due process. The groups plight was described Thursday in a filing in U.S. District Court, where Melissa Harper, a senior ICE official overseeing deportations, said theyre being housed in a converted shipping container on the U.S. Navy base in Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. This has been identified as the only viable place to house the aliens, Harper said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Harper, the daily temperature outside exceeds 100 degrees Fahrenheit. At night, Djibouti ignites burn pits near the base to dispose of trash and human waste, creating a lingering smog cloud. Defense officials also warned the group upon their arrival of imminent danger of rocket attacks from terrorist groups in nearby Yemen. Harper said members of the group have fallen ill and complained about a lack of medical equipment, including testing for what agents described as upper respiratory infections, all developed within 72 hours of landing. The U.S. Department of Defense, which operates the base, might contest that description, having reportedly supplied the agents with Augmentin (an antibiotic), azithromycin (another antibiotic), doxycycline (a third antibiotic), prednisone (steroid), inhalers, Zyrtec (treats allergies), Tylenol (pain and fever reliever), Motrin (pain reliever), Benadryl, Mucinex, Sudafed, nasal spray and eye drops. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While showers are available to both the ICE agents and the migrants, Harper complained theyre only available every other day. The three ICE officers originally assigned to the deportation flight were replaced May 27 with an expanded team of 11 officers and two medical support staffers, who Harper said also will soon be swapped out for a fresh team. That means the only members of the group consistently being subjected to the inhospitable conditions are the migrants. Trina Realmuto, an attorney for the deportees, told The Washington Post theyre increasingly concerned about the conditions theyre being held in, especially if theyre being shackled. A U.S. military aircraft is seen at Camp Lemonnier on Jan. 21, 2024, in Djibouti. The camp is the only permanent United States military base in Africa. Getty Images via Getty Images The detainees, who hail from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar and Vietnam, were quietly flown out of the country more than two weeks ago, violating the orders of a federal judge barring the government from deporting people to a third-party country a nation other than the U.S. or their nation of origin without first giving them a meaningful chance to contest it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawyers for the migrants said in court documents that they were given just hours before they were deported, instead of 15 days as directed by the judge. As a result, the flight, originally bound for South Sudan, instead got stuck in Djibouti. Its unclear if the Department of Homeland Security attempted to deport the migrants to their countries of origin before settling on South Sudan. Federal law prohibits deporting migrants to countries that are unsafe or where they could be persecuted. Its also unclear why ICE would continue to subject the group to inhospitable conditions when they could simply return to the United States for the requisite hearings. DHS didnt respond to a question to that effect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughin lambasted U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy on social media, accusing Murphy of putting the lives of our ICE law enforcement in danger by stranding them in Djibouti without proper resources, lack of medical care, and terrorists who hate Americans running rampant. Our @ICEgov officers were only supposed to transport for removal 8 *convicted criminals* with *final deportation orders* who were so monstrous and barbaric that no other country would take them. This is reprehensible and, quite frankly, pathological. Read Harpers sworn declaration, below: Related... DENVER (KDVR) Over 100 charges have been formally filed against the suspect in the Boulder terror attack that injured 15 people on Sunday. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, faces 118 charges and is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails into a group of people who were holding a peaceful gathering at the Pearl Street Mall. Soliman also faces a federal hate crime charge. Boulder attack now has 15 victims, officials say Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Charges were filed by the 20th Judicial District Attorneys Office on Thursday. The charges are for various alleged crimes, including: 28 counts: Criminal attempt to commit murder in the first degree 5 counts: Assault in the first-degree at-risk person 4 counts: Assault in the first-degree 1 count: Assault in the third degree 5 counts: Criminal attempt to commit assault in the first degree 2 counts: Use of explosives or incendiary devices 16 counts: Attempt to commit use of explosives or incendiary devices 1 count: Cruelty to animals 56 counts: Crime of violence Soliman, from Egypt, overstayed his tourist visa and was living in the country illegally, according to the Department of Homeland Security. His wife and 5 children were detained by ICE. An FBI affidavit said Soliman confessed to the attack and allegedly told the police he would do it again. According to the criminal complaint, the suspect told police he had been planning the attack for a year and waited until after his daughters graduation to attack. He told investigators he researched and specifically targeted a Zionist group. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Witnesses describe terrifying scene of attack at Pearl Street Mall in Boulder The group was holding a demonstration, which the city of Boulder said is a weekly peaceful event, as part of the Run for Their Lives organization, according to the complaint. The group hosts global running and walking events where local communities meet once a week to call for the release of the hostages held by Hamas. Authorities said 15 people were hurt and one dog was hurt, with victims ranging in age from 25 to 88. One of the victims was a survivor of the Holocaust. During a press conference on Thursday, officials announced that three people remain in the hospital from the attack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The hearing on Thursday at the Boulder County Jail lasted for three minutes. Soliman was present in a live stream wearing an orange jumpsuit. He stood in a sectioned-off area of the courtroom that was not visible to the public, with a glass wall separating the public from Soliman, the attorneys and the judge. Members of the public were present, but there were no victims sitting on the benches that were designated for them. The judge asked Soliman a couple of questions; one about when the next hearing would take place, another on whom he must not contact as this court process moves forward. The people had also asked for a protective order on the 4th of June. Does the defendant want to respond to that motion, or are you content with me ruling on it without a formal response? District Court Judge Nancy Salomone asked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have no objection to that request at this time, Solimans Defense attorney, Kathryn Herold, said. FBI warns of threat to Israeli, Jewish communities after Boulder attack, others Herold is the Public Defender who represented the man convicted in the Boulder King Soopers shooting. The Boulder County Assistant District Attorney in the Soliman case is Ken Kupfner, who also helped prosecute the King Soopers case. Solimans next hearing on state charges will take place on July 15. A Federal hearing on the hate crime charge is scheduled for Friday afternoon at the Federal Courthouse in downtown Denver. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. A 13-year-old boy was taken to a hospital Thursday afternoon after a police cruiser struck him while he ran across the street in Newburyport, according to police. Police and firefighters responded to the crash in front of Rupert A. Nock Middle School around 2:30 p.m., the Newburyport Police Department said in a press release. A preliminary investigation determined that a marked police cruiser traveling east on Low Street hit a student from the school around the time of dismissal. The police officer driving the cruiser was not responding to an emergency at the time of the crash, police said. Several witnesses said the boy darted out from between two parked cars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Preliminary investigation and witness accounts suggest that the cruiser had no warning and that there was nothing the officer could have done to avoid the accident, the press release reads. The officer driving the cruiser was not injured in the crash and immediately got out and provided medical aid to the student, police said. The boy was taken by ambulance to Anna Jacques Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. This is an extremely traumatic event for everyone involved, Newburyport City Marshal Matthew Simons said in the release. Im relieved that the student was not injured seriously and grateful to the officer involved for acting calmly while being involved in a very stressful event. The officers attentiveness and quick reaction undoubtedly prevented what could have been more serious injuries. Newburyport Police Sgt. Jason Kohan is still investigating the crash, police said. Anyone who witnessed the collision and has not already spoken with police is asked to call them at 978-462-4411, ext. 1. More News Read the original article on MassLive. June 6 (UPI) -- Fourteen defendants convicted in a large-scale federal dogfighting event in southwest Georgia have been sentenced to an average of two years in prison. The dogfighting event occurred in Donalsonville, Ga., on April 24, 2022. Donalsonville is near the border with Florida and Alabama, 222 miles south of Atlanta. The sentences range from six months home confinement for two defendants to 100 months in prison for Donnametric Miller, of Donalsonville, the U.S. Department of Justice said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two men from Panama City, Fla., received the next stiffest sentences: Fredricus White, 35 months, and Christopher Travis Beaumont, 30 months. Marvin Pulley, of Donalsonville, also was sentenced to 30 months. Two defendants received credit for time served. The court also imposed restitution for the care costs of dogs rescued in this investigation. Under federal law, it is illegal to fight dogs, and to possess, train, transport, deliver, sell, purchase or receive dogs for fighting purposes. "Dog fighting is an odious form of organized crime, and it's a magnet for other criminal activity," Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division said. "The Justice Department and its local partners, such as the Seminole County, Ga., Sheriff's Office, will not tolerate this callous criminal activity." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to court documents, defendants from Georgia, Florida and Alabama converged on the location for the event. Law enforcement arrived there after a 911 call and rescued 27 dogs that night, including one found in the blood-soaked fighting pit with severe injuries. It later died. Prosecutors said participants used their cars to store injured dogs that had already fought and those before going into the fighting pit. Law enforcement personnel also seized methamphetamine. Investigators seized a cellphone that contained evidence of some of the participants' extensive participation in the dog fighting "industry." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities seized and rescued 78 pit bull-type dogs in this investigation, including 51 recovered during search warrants executed this spring. Agencies in Florida assisted in the case. "The brutality of dog fighting, combined with armed drug distribution, negatively affects our community," Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker for the Middle District of Georgia said. "The collaboration among law enforcement agencies at every level during this investigation and prosecution was essential in bringing these defendants to justice and rescuing abused animals." A total of 15 people were injured in the Russian large-scale attack on Lutsk on the night of 5-6 June. Source: Prosecutor General's Office Details: The Russian army carried out a large-scale missile and UAV attack on the city of Lutsk, Volyn Oblast, on the night of 5-6 June. The investigation revealed that 15 people were injured as a result of the Russian attack. Multi-storey and residential buildings, educational institutions, administrative buildings and industrial premises belonging to civilian infrastructure were damaged. Aftermath of the Russian attack on Lutsk. Photo: Volyn Oblast Prosecutor's Office Emergency workers and public utilities are dealing with the aftermath of the attack on Lutsk. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! IRON COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) A 17-year-old boy is in serious condition after two cars collided with each other on Highway 56 in Iron County. According to Utah Highway Patrol, the boy was driving a Ford Focus and turning left to go eastbound on State Route 56 near mile post 54 when troopers say he pulled out in front of another vehicle going westbound. Courtesy: UHP Courtesy: UHP Troopers say the boy suffered serious injuries and was life flighted to a nearby hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The driver and passenger in second car suffered minor injuries. The road was shut briefly during the crash but has since reopened. This is a developing story. ABC4 will update this post as new information becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. DENVER (KDVR) Two adults were found dead inside a home in Adams County Friday morning after a wellness check turned into an officer-involved shooting just after 5 a.m. The Adams County Sheriffs Office said that deputies responded to a 911 call for a welfare check at a residence off Lofton Court and Kokai Circle. When they arrived, the sheriffs office said a 51-year-old man who threatened them with a knife. Deputies gave verbal commands and used multiple resources attempting to disarm him. Those efforts were unsuccessful and deputies ended up shooting him, according to the sheriffs office. The man was pronounced dead at a hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox Following the shooting, the sheriffs office said deputies conducted a safety sweep of the house and found two adults dead inside the residence. Their identities and cause of death will be determined in an investigation by the Adams County Coroners Office. As of Friday afternoon, the sheriffs office said the scene was still being processed for evidence and investigators were conducting interviews. No one else was injured in the incident. An investigation into the incident will be conducted by the 17th Judicial District Critical Incident Team, according to the sheriffs office. The deputies involved were placed on administrative leave per standard procedure, pending an investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sheriffs office said the Westminster Police Department and Adams County Fire Rescue assisted. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. BEIJING (Reuters) -Chinese ride-hailing company Didi Global reported an 8.5% rise in revenue in the first quarter of 2025 to 53.3 billion yuan ($7.42 billion) on Thursday, as its recovery from a regulatory overhaul of its operations gathered pace. The Beijing-based company reported net income of 2.4 billion yuan for the quarter, versus a loss of 1.4 billion yuan a year earlier, after adopting new accounting standards. Didi drew the attention of China's cyberspace regulator in 2021 over its pursuit of a U.S. initial public offering without approval, prompting an inquiry that prohibited it from adding users and saw many of its apps removed from stores. The regulator fined Didi $1.2 billion in July 2022 over a data security violation, before granting the company permission to relaunch its apps in early 2023. The company was delisted from the U.S. in 2022. Travel demand in China has shown signs of a recovery despite sluggish economic growth. Didi completed 3.3 billion transactions during the quarter, a 10.3% year-on-year rise across its platforms in China. While Didi maintains its dominant position in China's ride-hailing sector despite the regulatory challenges, competition has ramped up. Companies such as Alibaba and Meituan have integrated ride-hailing services into their broader digital ecosystems, attracting users who prefer consolidated super-apps. These platforms operate as aggregators, connecting passengers with multiple ride-hailing providers, including smaller regional operators. Didi generates most of its revenue at home but also has a significant presence in Brazil and Mexico. First-quarter revenue from international operations rose to 3 billion yuan from 2.4 billion yuan a year earlier. Over the past two years, Didi has been divesting non-core assets. Last August, it sold its smart cockpit unit to a subsidiary of state-backed map provider NavInfo. In 2023, Didi divested its electric vehicle development business - the majority of its EV-related assets - to Xpeng. ($1 = 7.1805 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Liam Mo and Brenda GohEditing by Mark Potter and Frances Kerry) ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) Yet two more teens in Albuquerque face murder charges after police said they shot and killed a homeless man last month. This wasnt the teens first run-in with the law, one was already on probation for taking a gun to school. The district attorney said this is more evidence that the juvenile justice system isnt working. Story continues below Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have two teenagers accused of killing a homeless person. The frustration level, quite frankly, is at a boiling point. This will be, I believe, the 47th juvenile that weve charged with murder in this office since Ive been district attorney, said Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman. On May 1, Albuquerque police were called to an apartment complex at Carlisle near Montgomery for a homicide. When they arrived that morning, they found 23-year-old Christopher Sturluson dead inside the tent he was living in behind the building. According to a police report, the Albuquerque Police Department arrived the night before due to reports of shots being fired nearby, which were picked up by ShotSpotter. Police interviewed Sturluson at that time. He said there were three males shooting in his direction, and he told them to stop. The next day, Albuquerque Community Safety found Sturluson dead inside the tent with a gunshot wound. Investigators believe 17-year-old Adrian Brown and 18-year-old Joshua Curtis shot and killed Sturluson. Police said the two teens can be seen in surveillance footage from that night walking near the tent moments before shots were fired. Investigators linked casings from the scene to a gun they believe was used in the crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DA said Brown has a criminal history involving firearms and was already on juvenile probation at the time of the murder for taking a gun to Sandia High School in 2022. Bregman reiterated his calls in recent months to overhaul the juvenile justice system and said minors need more consequences. If we dont start doing something, we will continue to see this kind of result. Were not teaching our kids anything when were not giving them consequences, said Bregman. The District Attorneys office said they plan on charging Adrian Brown as an adult for murder. Joshua Curtis is also facing murder and other charges. His criminal history includes a pending battery upon a peace officer case. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. NEED TO KNOW On June 5, 2024, two NASA astronauts set off in a Boeing Starliner spacecraft for a trip that turned into a nine-month stay at the International Space Station The Starliner faced helium leaks and issues with the reaction control thrusters as it approached the space station and over the coming months, their return home kept getting delayed 286 days later, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams returned to Earth on March 18 Back in June 2024, two NASA astronauts had no idea that their mission, which was supposed to take less than two weeks, would turn into a nine-month stay at the International Space Station. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One year later after liftoff, PEOPLE is looking back at the Boeing Starliner saga. Even before Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched into space on June 5, 2024 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, their mission faced a series of delays. That May, the astronauts were strapped into the spacecraft and just hours away from launch when the flight was canceled because of an issue with the rocket that helped propel the vehicle, according to NBC News. While working to address the issue, a helium leak in the propulsion system was discovered, NASA reported at the time. Almost a month later, on June 1, the spacecraft was less than four minutes away from liftoff when the ground launch sequencer the computer that launches the rocket triggered an automatic hold. A launch the following day was also scrubbed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After successfully launching into space, the astronauts arrived at the ISS the next day. But mechanical problems with their spacecraft quickly set off another series of delays that resulted in them spending 286 days in space. Joe Raedle/Getty Boeing's Starliner spacecraft launching on June 05, 2024 Boeing's Starliner spacecraft launching on June 05, 2024 As they arrived at the space station, the Starliner faced helium leaks and issues with the reaction control thrusters, Boeing said at the time. NASA and Boeing then announced on June 18, that the crew would need to remain in space for at least a week longer than expected. "We want to give our teams a little bit more time to look at the data, do some analysis, and make sure we're really ready to come home," Steve Stich, manager of NASA's commercial crew program, said during a media teleconference at the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But that timeframe came and went and months later, Wilmore and Williams were still in space. In August 63 days into the mission NASA announced that there was a chance that they would remain in space until 2025. By the end of the month, NASA announced that that they had decided that they had decided to bring the Starliner back to Earth without the crew, who would would remain at the ISS until February 2025. They will fly home aboard a Dragon spacecraft with two other crew members assigned to the agencys SpaceX Crew-9 mission, a spokesperson for NASA said. The duo welcomed the SpaceX crew, which consisted of NASAs Nick Hague and the Russian Space Agencys Alexander Gorbunov, to the ISS on Sept. 30. NASA Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, Suni Williams and Aleksandr Gorbunov Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, Suni Williams and Aleksandr Gorbunov While in space, the astronauts celebrated Thanksgiving complete with a dehydrated food feast and Christmas, voted in the 2024 presidential election and spoke with the media. During a press conference from space in early March, Williams even described her time at the ISS as fun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every day is interesting because we're up in space and it's a lot of fun, she said, but added that "the hardest part is having the folks on the ground have to not know exactly when we're coming back. About seven months after she arrived at the ISS, Williams took her first space walk in January 2025 and that same month, President Donald Trump claimed that the astronauts had been "abandoned" by the Biden administration and that he had personally asked Elon Musk and SpaceX to bring them back. Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long, Musk wrote in a social media response posted on X, the social media platform he owns, echoing Trump's rhetoric. (Despite their remarks, NASA had, of course, already been collaborating with SpaceX for months on a plan to bring the astronauts home and back in December, NASA set late March as a target for their return.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NASA had long pushed back on the idea that the astronauts were "stranded," and after Trump's remarks, the astronauts seconded that. "Thats been the narrative from day one: stranded, abandoned, stuck," Wilmore told CNN's Anderson Cooper from the International Space Station on Feb. 13. "But that is, again, not what our human spaceflight program is about," he added. "We dont feel abandoned, we dont feel stuck, we dont feel stranded." Finally, the pair started their journey back to Earth alongside Hague and Gorbunov on March 18, undocking from the ISS "right on time" early in the morning, splashing down hours hours later that same day. Keegan Barber/NASA via Getty The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft shortly after it landing with the crew onboard The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft shortly after it landing with the crew onboard In their first interview after their return, both Williams and Wilmore spoke about having to be flexible in real-time as the situation unfolded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "My first thought was, 'We just gotta pivot,' you know?" Williams told Fox News. "If this was the destiny, if our spacecraft was going to go home, based on decisions made here, we were going to be up there 'til February, I was like, 'Okay, let's make the best of it.' " "It's not about me," Wilmore added. "It's not about my feelings. It's about what this human space flight program is about. It's our national goals. And I have to wrap my mind around, what does our nation need out of me right now?" Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories In a separate interview with the BBC, they both said that although the idea of never coming home definitely went through our minds." But, Williams added, through it all, they knew nobody was going to just let us down" and that, "everybody had our back and was looking out for us. Read the original article on People NEWTON TWP., Ohio (WKBN) Investigators with the Trumbull County Sheriffs Office arrested two people in connection with a pair of robberies in arranged romantic rendezvous. Read next: Youngstown police arrest suspect in South Side break-ins Major Doug Bobovnyik with the Trumbull County Sheriffs Office said Dennis Lange voluntarily came in with deputies and was arrested on two counts of aggravated robbery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Iyana Barlow was arrested following a search warrant at a Queens Drive SW address in Newton Township. Barlow also faces two counts of aggravated robbery charges. Barlow is 23 and is from Butler, Pennsylvania. Lange is 21 and is from Newton Township. They are expected to appear in Newton Falls Municipal next week. The charges stem from two robberies at Foster MetroPark in which the victims reported connecting with a woman on social media who arranged for an intimate encounter at the park. On both occasions, the woman requested that they bring a firearm to the location, and when they arrived, they were robbed of their firearms by three armed men. Bobovnyik said the investigation is ongoing, and further arrests may be pending. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. Two foreign nationals are accused of stalking a Los Angeles artist who is a critic of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Cui Guanghai, 43, of China, and John Miller, 63, of the U.K. and a U.S. lawful permanent resident, were charged with interstate stalking, conspiracy to commit interstate stalking, smuggling and violating the Arms Export Control Act, the Los Angeles Times reports, citing information from the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ said in a news release that the charges of smuggling out military weaponry come from Milwaukee, but the stalking charges relate to an unnamed artist who planned to protest a 2023 appearance by Xi at an economic summit and who made artistic statues of President Xi and his wife to be unveiled this year, prosecutors said. Chinas President Xi Jinping gathers for the world leaders group photo at the G20 Summit, in Rio de Janeiro, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo) In both instances, Cui and Miller hired a pair of others to do the actual work, prosecutors said, including orders to surveil the victim, to install a tracking device on the victims car, to slash the tires on the victims car, and to purchase and destroy a pair of artistic statues created by the victim depicting President Xi and President Xis wife. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A different pair of people was utilized in 2025 to try to dissuade the artist from showing new statues online, the DOJ said. Unfortunately for Cui and Miller, all four of those people they hired for assistance in Southern California were affiliated with and acting at the direction of the FBI, the DOJ explained. In the release, several high-ranking federal officials expressed their support for protecting free-speech rights of U.S. residents against foreign interference, as well as protecting sensitive technology used by the American military. This is a blatant assault on both our national security and our democratic values, said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. This Justice Department will not tolerate foreign repression on U.S. soil, nor will we allow hostile nations to infiltrate or exploit our defense systems. We will act decisively to expose and dismantle these threats wherever they emerge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If convicted, Cui and Miller could face decades in federal prison. Maximum sentences are as follows: Five years for conspiracy Five years for interstate stalking 20 years for violating the Arms Export Control Act 10 years for smuggling Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. LAKE CITY, S.C. (WBTW) Two people were arrested on animal cruelty charges after a code enforcement investigation lead to the finding of several dogs in poor condition, Lake City police said Friday. Quadez Franklin, 22, of Lake City, was charged with six counts of animal fighting/baiting, manufacturing of a schedule I drug, distribution of marijuana within a 1/2 mile of a school, and two counts of criminal conspiracy. Tyrell Elmore, 28, of Conway, faces the same charges but distribution of crack cocaine near a school. Photo courtesy of Lake City police Photo courtesy of Lake City police Photo courtesy of Lake City police Photo courtesy of Lake City police Over the past several months, officers with our Community Response Team, or CRT, Narcotics Division, and our patrol officers have been effectively combating the criminal element within the city limits, Police Chief Patrick Miles said. Our officers have made over 50 arrests, with 46 being felony arrests. In doing so, officers have uncovered crimes such as dogfighting, animal cruelty, drug manufacturing and distribution, and more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In total, Lake City police have: Seized more than 30 firearms (several modified to operate as a machine gun) Seized nearly six pounds of marijuana Executed search warrants seizing over $23,000 that was used or position for use in furtherance of criminal activity Our officers are doing an outstanding job and will continue to operate within their skillset, Miles said. Every case and every conviction is a step forward for the entire city. Both Franklin and Elmore remain in the Florence County Detention Center on a $55,000 bond. * * * Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW. The boyfriend of an undocumented immigrant was facing federal charges after he followed and revved his pickup engine at agents who had detained the woman in Chandler, according to a federal court filing. The womans brother was also facing charges after he chased an agent in another vehicle, leading the agent to think they would be run off the road, according to a complaint written by an FBI agent and authorized by a federal prosecutor. The two men, Abran Villa Jr. and Jose Sarinana, were each facing a charge of assault on a federal officer after the June 1 incident, the complaint said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FBI personnel were assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents when they stopped a Nissan Titan pickup and arrested the passenger because of her immigration status, the complaint said. The woman had been under surveillance and "was allowed to hug and say goodbye to" Villa, her boyfriend, who was driving, the complaint said. As one FBI special agent left the scene, he noticed a GMC Sierra truck was following him. The truck stayed close and pulled beside the agent at one point, when the agent "feared his vehicle was going to be run off the road," the complaint said. When the agent hit the brakes and made an immediate right turn, the GMC cut across traffic to follow, the document said. Another agent who responded to help followed the GMC into a Burger King parking lot near Arizona Avenue and Ray Road. As that agent was leaving the parking lot, the Nissan driven by Villa pulled up to face the agent's vehicle head-on and block the exit, revving its engine, the complaint said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Nissan peeled out and took off, allowing the agent to continue pursuing the GMC, according to the FBI account. Ultimately, the GMC stopped and, with firearms drawn, agents had the driver and passenger exit. The driver of the GMC, identified by the FBI as Sarinana, was the brother of the woman detained by immigration agents. "Within minutes" of stopping the GMC, the Nissan returned and pulled up to a group of FBI agents at the scene, the complaint said. The truck faced the agents "head on and started to rev the engine again," the complaint said. The FBI agents feared the vehicle would ram them, and after giving commands, four people got out of the pickup, according to the FBI account. Two were 14-year-old boys, the complaint said. Villa said in an interview that he notified everyone at his home that immigration officials had detained the woman, and he and others went to look for her to find out where she was taken, the complaint said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He claimed revving the engine was just his foot slipping both times," the complaint said. It also said Sarinana told agents in an interview he believed his sister had been kidnapped, though the passenger in the GMC recorded a video that included references to "ICE" or "feds." Attorneys for Sarinana and Villa could not be reached or did not respond to requests for comment late on June 5. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona, which prosecutes federal crimes, declined to comment on the case. A federal magistrate on June 4 ordered that Villa and Sarinana be held in custody and set a hearing for June 10, according to court records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The woman whose arrest started the chain of events was being held at the ICE detention facility in Eloy. She was facing civil removal proceedings, but was not being charged with a crime. The woman came to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 9 and worked as a housekeeper, said her niece, Jessica Sarinana. The woman, who has a 23-year-old U.S. citizen daughter, was in the midst of a yearslong process of getting legal status, Jessica Sarinana said. Richard Ruelas contributed reporting. Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com or 480-416-5669. (This article was updated to add new information.) This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: FBI: Arizona men faces charges after following ICE agents EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) Two wanted fugitives were arrested on multiple charges, including possession of drugs, on Thursday, June 5, in East El Paso, according to the El Paso County Constables Office for Precinct 3. Richard Arvelo, 41, was arrested on the following warrants, according to the Constables Office: Two counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle Two counts of possession of a controlled substance Two counts of manufacturing/delivery of a controlled substance One count of tampering/fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair Bond surrender warrant for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All of Arvelos bonds totaled $252,500, according to the Constables Office. Brittney Robledo, 35, was arrested for warrants on two counts of possession of a controlled substance with a total bond of $101,000, the Constables Office said. On June 5, deputies received information about active personal bond recognizance warrants and a bond surrender warrant on Arvelo, according to the Constables Office. According to the Constables Office, Arvelo was located in a motel room at the 11000 block of Gateway West. In addition to locating Arvelo, deputies also located Robledo inside the room, the Constables Office said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Constable Bernal would like to remind the El Paso community to be vigilant and report criminal activity to law enforcement. TIPS may be submitted to Crime Stoppers of El Paso at (915) 566-TIPS (8477), read the news release by the Constables Office. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. South Florida plunges deeper into the 2025 hurricane season with its National Weather Service office in Miami down five meteorologists, a deficit that gives it the highest vacancy rate among Floridas five weather forecasting offices. According to the National Weather Service Employees Organization, Key West has four meteorologist positions that are unfilled. Tallahassee is down three. Melbourne and Tampa have two empty seats each. The shortages have some experts worried that public services and forecasts may suffer this hurricane season, which is expected to again have above-normal activity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They wont have as much time to monitor what is going on at the local level, especially with short-fused warnings, said James Franklin, former branch chief of the Hurricane Specialist Unit at the National Hurricane Center about the local forecast offices. When they are short-staffed, two people have to do the job of three. While the National Hurricane Center forecasts the big picture for tropical cyclones path, strength and size the weather forecasting offices focus on the details for local communities. And those details are critical, such as when Hurricane Milton shredded the state with 45 tornadoes in October, leaving six people dead in the Spanish Lakes Country Club Village mobile-home community in Fort Pierce. The Miami NWS office forecasts for seven counties, including Palm Beach County. The meteorologists in weather forecasting offices are also responsible for working directly with county officials, translating the forecasts into the impacts and hazards that could be felt by individual communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sometimes they embed in emergency operations centers to better help local officials decide when and who to evacuate as a storm approaches. 2025 hurricane season : New forecast calls for above normal season but questions remain Its not so much that the National Hurricane Center wont be able to get a forecast out, they will, but the local services will be degraded, Franklin said. Its unclear yet how many of the vacancies at the nations 122 local forecast offices are a direct result of the Trump administrations Department of Government Efficiency budget cuts. Tom Fahy, legislative director of the National Weather Service Employees Organization, said his office is working now to parse out that information from the 600 positions that were lost across the country this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About half of those were voluntary early retirements, while 108 were fired probationary employees. The remainder were voluntary deferred resignations, Fahy said. The NWS has since announced it wants to hire 126 people, and its asking for current employees to transfer to offices in need of critical positions including meteorologists, science and operations officers and warning-coordination meteorologists. Miami and Key West are on that list as offices in need. The National Weather Service is doing their very level best to fill the critical vacancies ASAP, but when that will happen is to be determined, Fahy said. We have hurricane season, but in California wildfire season has started, so we have two different weather disasters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ken Graham, director of the NWS, said in May that local offices will get additional resources where needed during emergencies. Every warning is going to go out, Graham said. Although Graham, and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, have said that the National Hurricane Center is fully staffed, Fahy said there are five openings at the Miami-based hurricane center. Those include a hurricane specialist, who forecasts the track, intensity and size of storms, a marine forecaster, and positions that maintain and update operational software. More: Hurricane hunters save lives, but NOAA plane breakdowns, staffing shortages put them at risk Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Franklin said its typical for there to be a small number of vacancies at any given time at the NHC, and that while it is not fully staffed, they are reasonably well staffed. I dont think that is true with the weather forecast offices, Franklin said. Fahy said Miamis NWS office has a 38% vacancy rate among its meteorologists. Key West was second highest at 30%. There are six offices nationwide none in Florida that have shuttered their typical 24-hour operations between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., Fahy said. Others have reduced their twice-daily weather balloon launches, which are important for measuring temperature, humidity and pressure in the atmosphere, as well as tracking wind speed and direction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Washington Post previously reported that since March 20, 17% of balloon launches nationwide that should have occurred didnt because of staffing losses. A weather balloon that fails to launch in the Great Plains may not seem like it could hinder hurricane forecasts, but the lack of information on upper air movements steering winds can leave blind spots. I think its safe to say that because of the reduction in weather balloon launches, that some forecasts this summer for hurricanes will be degraded, Franklin said. The problem is it will be difficult to predict when those degradations might occur, how large they might be, and even after the fact, we might not now whether a particular forecast is bad because some launches didnt happen. Jeff Masters, a meteorologist who writes for Yale Climate Connections, said he believes the loss of balloon data could mean the hurricane forecast cone will be too small this season, giving people overconfidence in the accuracy of the hurricane forecasts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Such overconfidence can result in delayed evacuation decisions and failure to take adequate measures to protect lives and property, Masters said. Kimberly Miller is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate, weather, and the environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. Help support our local journalism, subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Hurricane Season 2025 forecasts could be hurt by Trump budget cuts SIOUX FALLS S.D. (KELO) A Brookings man is behind bars accused of raping a middle school student. Court documents say 21-year old Nathan Wayne Nelson picked the girl up from church in March. He told investigators in the car that she asked him to take her to a restaurant, but he drove past it and brought her to a wooded area. Thats where hes accused of forcibly raping the 14-year-old girl. Court documents say Nelson denied going to the church or the wooded area, but his phone confirmed he was in both places. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nelson has been indicted for Rape, Aggravated Assault and Solicitation of a minor. A trial is currently scheduled for August. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com. NEED TO KNOW The body of a kayaker from Washington who vanished on May 13 has been recovered, his mom said Ty Coone's body was found on June 1, weeks after authorities say he called 911 to report that he was drowning "His spirit, humor, and kindness touched so many lives," a GoFundMe fundraiser organizer wrote A 21-year-old Washington kayaker who went missing weeks ago after pleading with 911 for help as he was struggling in the water was found dead early this week, according to his mother. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michele Scott Duncan confirmed with NBC affiliate KING that Ty Coone's body was recovered on Sunday, June 1. On May 13, Coone called 911, reporting that he was drowning, according to the Clallam County Sheriff's Office. "His phone's GPS placed him in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, north of Cline Spit, during a Small Craft Advisory," the department said. "Ty was believed to be fishing from his kayak." Amid search efforts, Coone's kayak, life vest and paddle were initially recovered but he remained unaccounted for. "Search efforts were launched by the U.S. Coast Guard, Clallam County Sheriff's Office (using a drone with thermal imaging), Park Rangers, Fire District 3, and lighthouse personnel," officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then, nearly 20 days after Coone's vanished, his body was recovered from near Dungeness Spit off the northern coast of Washington, according to KING. PEOPLE reached out to the sheriff's office and Duncan for further comment on Friday, June 6. Gofundme Ty Coone. Ty Coone. Officials have not formally identified the body as Coone's, as they reportedly await dental records. However, Duncan told KING that the discovery brings her family some closure while also restarting the grieving process. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. In a GoFundMe fundraiser launched to help cover the costs of Coone's burial and a headstone and "create a beautiful resting place" where loved ones can visit, he was described as "one of a kind full of life, laughter, and love." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "From dirtbike tracks to bonfire nights, he brought people together and made every moment unforgettable," the organizer wrote. "His spirit, humor, and kindness touched so many lives, and now its our turn to give back and lay him to rest with the love and dignity he deserves." Read the original article on People French President Emmanuel Macron attended the opening ceremony of AESCs plant in Douai on June 3. AESC Group Ltd., a Japan-based electric vehicle battery maker majority owned by Chinas Envision Group, launched output at a new factory in France on June 3. With annual production capacity of 10 gigawatt-hours, the factory, located in Douai, France, will first supply batteries to Renault, AESC said. The plant employs 650 people and will expand its workforce to 1,000 after reaching full production capacity, it added. The European Commission on Jan. 31 approved plans for the French government to provide 48 million ($54.7 million) in state aid to support the Douai plant, which will produce lithium ion batteries for EVs. Envision Group, a manufacturer of wind turbines and equipment for energy storage and hydrogen production, in 2019 acquired an 80 percent stake in AESC, then the battery unit of Nissan Motor Co. AESC, headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, operates multiple plants in Japan and China. In Europe, it produces batteries in the U.K., and is constructing a plant in Spain. In the U.S., AESC operates a plant in Tennessee and is building factories in Kentucky and South Carolina, according to information posted on its website. CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WBOY) Early voting has already begun for dozens of cities and towns across West Virginia. A total of 77 municipal elections are scheduled to take place on Tuesday, June 10, including 29 in the north central part of the state. According to West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner, most of the elections have contested races. Voters in the following local cities and towns will head to the polls on Tuesday: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement City of Junior in Barbour County Town of Sand Fork in Gilmer County Town of Anmoore in Harrison County City of Bridgeport in Harrison County Town of Nutter Fort in Harrison County City of Stonewood in Harrison County Town of West Milford in Harrison County Town of Fairview in Marion County Town of Farmington in Marion County Town of Monongah in Marion County Town of Rivesville in Marion County Town of White Hall in Marion County Town of Worthington in Marion County Town of Masontown in Preston County Town of Newburg in Preston County Town of Reedsville in Preston County Town of Terra Alta in Preston County City of Elkins in Randolph County Town of Harman in Randolph County Town of Huttonsville in Randolph County Town of Mill Creek in Randolph County Town of Montrose in Randolph County Town of Auburn in Ritchie County Town of Pullman in Ritchie County Town of Flemington in Taylor County Town of Davis in Tucker County Town of Hendricks in Tucker County Town of Addison/Webster Springs in Webster County Town of Cowen in Webster County Only those living within town or city limits will be able to vote in a municipal election. Early voting is already underway for these elections and ends at 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, according to Sec. Warner. Alert issued for disguised Chinese vaping products targeting West Virginia kids In Terra Alta, which has a budget of $0 after failing to submit a budget request for the year, the only people on the ballot for several offices are those who recently resigned from office, so after they are named the winners, they will have to resign again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Bridgeport, voters will cast their ballot for mayor and city council amid ongoing controversy and lawsuits involving the city, Mayor Andy Land and former City Manager Patrick Ford. A full list of municipal elections happening on Tuesday is available online here. Warner and other officials from his office will be visiting more than a dozen towns during the elections on Tuesday to make sure polling places are compliant with election requirements. These compliance visits are intended to ensure that polling locations are safe, secure, and following the protocols in place to help every interested and eligible voter cast a ballot, Warner said in a press release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Warner also said that anyone who sees anything suspicious or illegal during the voting process should report it to his offices investigations division by calling 877-FRAUD-WV. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBOY.com. TOPEKA (KSNT) Law enforcement has released the identity of the citys latest homicide victim after a deadly shooting in downtown Topeka Tuesday night. The Topeka Police Department (TPD) issued an update on June 6 reporting the homicide victim was Ian A. Mwaniki, 29, of Topeka. An investigation into his death is ongoing. Police were called around 7:50 p.m. on June 3 to the 700 block of Southwest Western after reports of gunshots in the nearby area. Officers responding to the call found one person at the scene, later identified as Mwaniki, with life-threatening injuries who was later declared dead by medical personnel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Driver caught speeding 114 miles per hour in Topeka The Topeka Police Department is investigating this as the citys eighth homicide case for 2025. Police have yet to say if an arrest has been made in this case. People who have information to share with police regarding this situation are encouraged to send an email to telltpd@topeka.org or call 785-368-9400. You can send anonymous tips to Shawnee County Crime Stoppers at 785-234-0007 or by clicking here. In the end, justice was served: Dana Chandler sentenced to life in prison for 2002 killings For more crime news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. Jun. 6The state will replace thousands of newly issued license plates after a printing error, the Department of the Secretary of State said. About 3,600 pairs of license plates were printed with the wrong amount of space between numbers and letters, office spokesperson Jana Spaulding said on a Friday evening phone call. She said the erroneous license plates were printed within the same time frame. "It could potentially cause an issue with E-ZPass and other things that do that character reading," she said. "Obviously an inconvenience, which is unfortunate, but was caught quickly." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new plates, which feature a pine tree reminiscent of the 1901 state flag, are being manufactured in Canada. They began replacing Maine's time-honored chickadee plates last month. The 3,600 drivers who were issued the faulty plates are being notified by letter, Spaulding said. The office will mail impacted drivers replacement plates and sticker tags at no cost. In the meantime, drivers are asked to use the errant plates and notify the Bureau of Motor Vehicles of any issues related to scanning, Spaulding said. "It's a relatively minor, short-term error," she said, adding that the issue affected only "3,600 out of a few million" the agency intends to distribute this year. Those who receive replacement plates can return the faulty ones to the BMV or hold onto them as a keepsake, but they should not be used on a vehicle, Spaulding said. Copy the Story Link The DeKalb County Police Department announced three people were arrested in illegal tire dumping cases. Its a problem Channel 2 Action News has reported on before, with people dumping hundreds, sometimes thousands, of tires in DeKalb County neighborhoods. Channel 2s Audrey Washington was at the DeKalb County Police Headquarters in Tucker, where police said some people could be charged with a felony. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police told Washington whether someone faces a felony depends on how much theyve dumped, but illegal tire dumping can land you behind bars. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Officers will be posting flyers around the area urging people to call the police department if they know anything about illegal tire dumping. It looks terrible, ridiculous, nasty, DeKalb County resident Evelyn Bridge told Channel 2 Action News. Residents like Bridge said the tires are not only an eyesore, but they can even draw insects and rodents to an area theyre dumped in. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres possible health risks with standing water, mosquitoes, DKPD Lt. Nial Fraser said. On Friday, police announced three arrests in separate illegal tire dumping cases, but they believe there are more dumpers still on the loose. If youre dumping tires for commercial purposes that is a felony, Fraser said. Police shared pictures of the some of the dump sites. From Memorial Drive to Covington Highway, police said the people behind the dumping always seem to use box trucks and wait until dark or when no one is around. Were just seeing more and more of it as you ride down the road, Fraser told Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers hope the flyers theyre putting up asking for help can move things forward. What helps us is video, Fraser said. So if these businesses have cameras up, motion detectors, cameras that can give us time stamps. Police said in a statement that there have been 19 instances of illegally dumped tires in the county since Jan. 1, including in front of a preschool. None of the suspects arrested were identified by DKPD. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] KANSAS CITY, Mo. Three people were taken to a hospital Thursday night after a car crashed into a building in Kansas City. According to the Kansas City Fire Department, around 9 p.m., crews were sent to the crash on East Ninth Street near Van Brunt Boulevard and Denver Avenue. KCFD did not say if the building is residential or a business. Download WDAF+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV Three passengers were in the car and were taken to a hospital. Two have significant injuries and were transported in serious condition, according to KCFD. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Members of the KCFD Rescue Division, along with Dangerous Buildings, were called to the scene to evaluate the stability of the building. KCPD is investigating the cause of the crash. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) Four people were displaced after their Carolina Forest home was struck by lightning and caught on fire, Horry County Fire Rescue said. Crews responded at about 3:15 p.m. Thursday to the 600 block of Table Rock Court, HCFR said. Lightning struck the house, causing a fire in the attic with significant damage. No injuries were reported. The displaced residents will be assisted by the American Red Cross. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement * * * Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) Rebuilding the westbound Washington Bridge is expected to cost $427 million and be completed by November 2028, Gov. Dan McKee announced Friday, delivering long-awaited news about the project. McKee said the state has hired Walsh Construction Co. of Chicago to rebuild the heavily traveled bridge that abruptly closed to traffic in December 2023 after a structural failure. Walsh Construction won the contract after a lengthy competitive bidding saga that began just months after the bridge closed. I understand that this has been a challenging time for those who rely on the Washington Bridge, especially in the early days before we were able to restore six lanes of traffic, McKee said at a State House news conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State officials initially estimated in early 2024 the bridge would cost between $250 million and $300 million, though they cautioned at the time those figures were highly preliminary. A later, more concrete estimate put the price tag at $368 million, making the new $427 million estimate a 16% increase. The new timeline is also considerably longer than state officials earlier goal of having the new westbound bridge open by August 2026. Asked by a reporter if he took accountability for the inaccurate early estimates, McKee replied, I think that we got it right. He said they had tried to do the project faster but changed course when experts told them it wasnt possible. The rebuild contract is only one part of the overall cost of the Washington Bridge crisis. When demolition and emergency costs are added to the overall total, taxpayers are currently expected to pay $571 million for the infrastructure failure, according to a Target 12 analysis of state documents. The bridge is part of a major artery in Rhode Island that impacts thousands of people every day, McKee added. We owe it to you to deliver a bridge that is safe and will ultimately make your life easier. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McKee and other administration officials emphasized that they have already identified over $700 million in funding sources to pay for all Washington Bridge costs, significantly more than they will need under their current estimates. The funding sources break down as $335 million in borrowing against future federal transportation funding; $221 million in federal grants won last year; $108 million from the states cash account for capital projects; $35 million in redirected pandemic relief money; and $15 million from a prior bridge award. More than 96,000 vehicles drove over the westbound I-195 bridge each day before the closure, according to the R.I. Department of Transportation. The state has since rerouted traffic on the eastbound Washington Bridge, a newer span, to go in both directions with additional lanes. RIDOT Director Peter Alviti said the new bridge that is slated to open in 2028 has been designed to carry 80,000 vehicles every day for 100 years. (Alviti said he expected daily traffic to be lower than pre-closure levels because of the reopening of the Henderson Bridge, another connection between Providence and East Providence.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State officials expressed enthusiasm about a number of the new bridges design elements. It will have five lanes instead of four, and I-195 West in East Providence will be widened by removing a lane on the approach to the bridge. There will be a new on-ramp from Gano Street and a new off-ramp to Waterfront Drive. The new bridge will also be shorter than the old one, requiring fewer piers, and will be made to look similar to its predecessor. Walsh is eligible for up to $10 million in incentive payments if the company can get the bridge done sooner than planned. On the flip-side, the company would face $25,000 a day in penalties if it fails to meet the timeline. Advance work will begin next month. Were ready to build this bridge, Alviti said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement (Story continues below video.) While the old westbound bridge was initially expected to reopen within a few months after its closure, further inspections revealed it couldnt be salvaged, and it is currently being demolished. But the effort to engineer a quick process for constructing the new bridge failed last July when no companies bid, leading the McKee administration to regroup and change its approach. The initial price tag for demolition was set at $40.5 million, but that cost quickly ballooned to nearly $100 million after the McKee administration decided to expand the project to include tearing down the bridges substructure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Walsh Construction has built other bridges throughout New England, including the Memorial Bridge in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge, also known as the Q Bridge, in New Haven, Connecticut. The company said it will model the new Washington Bridge on a project it is constructing over the Mississippi River, the Chain of Rocks Bridge. The losing bidder, a joint venture between American Bridge Co. of Pennsylvania and MLJ Contracting Corp. of New York, will be paid $1.75 million as a consolation prize for participating in the process. Alviti praised their proposal, as well. McKee and Alviti have repeatedly expressed confidence in the structural integrity of the eastbound bridge, which now has considerably more weight on it due to the added westbound vehicle traffic as well as temporary concrete barriers. Alviti said last year he still expects the eastbound bridge, built in the 2000s, to hold up for its full expected lifespan of 75 years. Separately, the state has filed a lawsuit against various companies that worked on the bridge over the years. That litigation remains in the early stages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former CVS executive Helena Foulkes, who is preparing to challenge McKee again in next years Democratic primary for governor, criticized him over his handling of the bridge crisis. Governor McKees catastrophic failure to manage the Washington Bridge has impacted countless Rhode Island families and businesses, forcing them to endure longer commutes, lost wages, and economic hardship, Foulkes said in a statement. This isnt just poor leadership; its a glaring symbol of the incompetence and neglect that has plagued our state for years. Where is the oversight? Where is the accountability? she added. This bridge debacle is exactly why our state continues to fall behind while families and businesses pay the price for failed leadership. Eli Sherman (esherman@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and on Facebook. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ted Nesi (tnesi@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter and 12 News politics/business editor. He co-hosts Newsmakers and writes Nesis Notes on Saturdays. Connect with him on Twitter, Bluesky and Facebook. Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook. Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the new 12+ smart TV app. Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. PRICEVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) A man accused of having a firearm while being a felon was arrested after a traffic stop in Priceville. Priceville Police pulled a vehicle over along I-65 Southbound on Thursday around 8:15 p.m. Police identified the driver as Chantly Shondale Williams Sr., 47, of Roanoke, Alabama. Upon further investigation, it was determined that Williams was in possession of a firearm. Due to his prior felony convictions, Williams is classified as an person prohibited from having a firearm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result, Williams was arrested and transported to the Morgan County Jail. He is currently being held on a $50,000 bond. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. AI startup You.com is in discussions to secure new funding at a valuation of $1.4bn, The Information reported. The Palo Alto-based startup, which focuses on AI search for business, plans to use the funds to bolster its AI assistant offerings. This development follows its shift from general-purpose AI search to work-related task assistance. The talks come after You.coms $50m Series B round in 2024, which included investments from Day One Ventures, DuckDuckGo, Gen Digital, Georgian, NVIDIA, Salesforce Ventures and SBVA. This round increased its total funding to $99m, elevating its valuation to between $700m and $900m. You.com gained attention with the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, capitalising on the interest in AI-powered search. However, interest waned as competitors such as Microsoft's AI-infused Bing and Google's advanced search responses gained traction. In response, You.com repositioned itself as an AI assistant to enhance productivity while maintaining internet search capabilities. Founded in 2020 by former Salesforce AI leads Richard Socher and Bryan McCann, You.com now highlights its ability to summarise information, answer questions, and support daily workflows. Richard Socher, CEO and chief scientist, said that the platform can generate text, write code, and interact with various tools for precise results, though he did not comment on the current fundraising plans. You.com offers a premium plan at $15 per month (billed annually), providing access to AI models and productivity features, slightly undercutting competitors like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI, which charge $20 monthly. In addition to its consumer-facing AI assistant, You.com is expanding into the enterprise market. The company provides a suite of AI tools, including agents and APIs, to help organisations enhance employee productivity and explore new revenue opportunities. "You.com seeking $1.4bn valuation in new funding round" was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand. At least five civilians were killed and 73 others injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past 24 hours, regional authorities reported on June 6. Russia launched 452 drones overnight, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type suicide drones, along with 45 missiles of various types, Ukraine's Air Force reported. Air defenses intercepted 199 drones, while another 169 dropped off radars likely used as decoys to overwhelm Ukrainian systems. Ukrainian forces also intercepted 36 missiles, including the Iskander-M ballistic missile. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attack was repelled using aviation, electronic warfare units, mobile fire groups, and anti-aircraft missile systems. Kyiv suffered the highest number of fatalities, where at least four civilians were killed and 20 others injured, including 16 hospitalized, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. In Volyn Oblast, 15 people were injured. Drones damaged an apartment building, blowing out windows and tearing through its roof, the local State Emergency Service said. Ternopil Oblast saw 10 people injured in strikes on civilian areas, including five members of the State Emergency Service, Governor Vyacheslav Negoda reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Four people were also wounded in Chernihiv Oblast and multiple homes were damaged by Russian strikes, Governor Viacheslav Chaus reported. In Donetsk Oblast, six residents were injured two each in Krynytsi, Pokrovsk, and Kostyantynivka amid continued Russian shelling, Governor Vadym Filashkin said. Kharkiv Oblast reported three injuries following attacks on six settlements across the region, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. In Kherson Oblast, 10 people were injured after Russian forces shelled residential areas and public infrastructure, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. Poltava Oblast recorded three injuries after missiles hit administrative buildings, commercial warehouses, and a local coffee shop, Governor Volodymyr Kohut said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Sumy Oblast, two civilians born in 1966 and 1967 were wounded. Russian troops carried out nearly 110 attacks on 47 settlements in the region, local authorities said. Zaporizhzhia Oblast reported one fatality amid ongoing Russian attacks on front-line settlements, Governor Ivan Fedorov said. Read also: UPDATE: Russia hits Ukraine with large-scale attack days after Operation Spiderweb Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) Two people were arrested on Thursday on Weedpatch Highway when a welfare check of a 5-month-old led to the discovery of a large-scale marijuana operation on the property, according to the Kern County Sheriffs Office. At around 7:10 p.m. June 5, deputies from KCSOs Lamont Substation went to the 7500 block of Weedpatch Highway to check on a 5-month-old child who was injured, according to officials. According to KCSO, deputies found deplorable living conditions for the child. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputies also found a large-scale marijuana growing and cultivation operation on the property, KCSO said. Photo courtesy of Kern County Sheriffs Office Photo courtesy of Kern County Sheriffs Office Photo courtesy of Kern County Sheriffs Office Officials said the deputies found 2,892 mature marijuana plants, 1,200 pounds of processed marijuana and two firearms in the search. Eduardo Ochoa, 23, of Lamont, and Maritz Rivas, 31, of Soledad, California, were arrested and booked into Lerdo Jail on suspicion of several narcotics and child endangerment violations. Ochoa and Rivas are not in custody as of June 6, records show. The child was treated at a hospital and taken into protective custody by Child Protective Services, according to KCSO. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17 News. The feud between President Trump and Elon Musk grew exponentially more bitter on Thursday. The two exchanged volleys of insults that reached their pinnacle or nadir, depending upon ones perspective when Musk alleged that files on the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein were being kept secret to protect Trump. The fissure between the two men now yawns wide, less than a week after Musk officially left his position spearheading the quasi-official Department of Government Efficiency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the intervening days, Musk had become bolder in expressing his dissent over the enormous budget and tax cut bill currently making its way through Congress. Trump refers to that legislation as the big, beautiful bill. It is the centerpiece of his Capitol Hill agenda. But Thursday brought a far more acrimonious and personal tone to the exchanges. Here are the five big takeaways. Musk really went there on Trump and Epstein Musks social media posts about Trump and Epstein, the wealthy serial sex offender who killed himself in murky circumstances in 2019, was a jaw-dropping shot at the president. Its well-known that Trump was acquainted with Epstein. On Thursday, Musk also took the opportunity to remind his followers of Trumps quote in a New York magazine profile of Epstein more than two decades ago. Hes a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side, Trump said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Musks intervention gave new wings to lurid speculation. Musk alleged that Trumps name is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. A follow-up post suggested marking the original post for the future. The truth will come out. It bears emphasizing that there is no proof that Trumps connection to Epstein involved nefarious activity on the presidents part. But Musks willingness to inject the story back into the national conversations amplifying it to his 220 million followers with a gleeful, Have a nice day, DJT! will cause real unease in Trump World. Musks insistence in a separate post that Trump would have lost last years election to then-Vice President Kamala Harris if it were not for his help will also enrage Trump. So too will his online poll as to whether a new party should be formed. There are big dangers for Musk too The clash between Trump and Musk seized the public imagination with its sheer melodrama. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But it also matters because each of them has real power to hurt the other. If proof were needed, it was plainly visible on the stock market. The bottom fell out of Tesla stock, with shares in the electric vehicle manufacturer plunging more than 14 percent. Tesla already faced big challenges because many buyers especially those of a more liberal disposition had been turned off by Musks work for Trump. Now it risks being buffeted by currents from the other direction. Trump, in remarks earlier Thursday at a White House meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, had blamed Musks public displeasure on legislative proposals that would strip away tax incentives to buy electric vehicles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk vehemently denies that this is the reason for his break with Trump. But Trumps propensity to seek vengeance on those who he believes have crossed him makes it very plausible that Musks companies will have a target on their backs. The political impact will be greatest with the online right The politics of Musks split with Trump are somewhat complicated. First, Musk himself is unpopular with the general public. Opinion polling consistently shows him performing worse in terms of favorability than Trump, himself an extremely divisive figure. To that extent, its possible to argue that Musks fusillades at Trump, if they continue, could wear thin with the public and even rebound to some benefit for Trump. There were already some signs by late Thursday afternoon of Trump-friendly media figures turning against the businessman. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But thats not the full story. Musk is exceptionally popular, even idolized, by many on what might be loosely termed the online right. These younger, overwhelmingly male, right-wing populists revere Musk not only for his business achievements but for his rhetorical bombardments against wokeness. Musk could wound Trump deeply among that constituency, which has previously been supportive of the president. There is already evidence of this. Right-wing influencer Ian Miles Cheong, who has 1.2 million followers on Musks social platform X, posted at 3:50 p.m. that my moneys on Elon in the battle between Musk and Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cheong also asserted, Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him. Less than 30 minutes later, Musk reposted Cheong adding one word: Yes. Will Musks fusillades sink the big, beautiful bill? Amid all the personal Trump-Musk drama, it was easy to lose sight of the fact that the fuse of this bomb began burning over the spending bill. Musks spectacular falling-out with Trump might make some congressional Republicans more willing to voice their exasperation with Musk. This irritation has been building for some time. But Musk is still training plenty of fire on the bill itself a stance that is sure to disconcert GOP leaders. In a series of social media posts, Musk targeted not just Trump but also Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), resurfacing past comments where they lamented the dangers of letting government spending spiral out of control. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The budget bill in its current form is projected to add $2.4 trillion to the deficit over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Musk, in characteristically fiery style, contended in one of his Thursday afternoon postings that Congress is spending America into bankruptcy! The GOP on Capitol Hill is overall far more loyal to Trump than to Musk. But its eminently possible that Musk could peel off enough Republican members to sink the bill. Is anybody really surprised? No. A rupture between two of the most fractious and egocentric men in public life had been widely forecast since the birth of their alliance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And so it came to pass. The flaming comet of enmity that streaked through the national conversation Thursday was spectacular. It was far from surprising. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. MEMPHIS, Tenn. Six people were arrested and 38 victims were recovered in a human trafficking recovery operation in West Memphis, Arkansas, according to Arkansas State Police. The Arkansas Human Trafficking Council partnered with other agencies, including the Arkansas State Police, Judicial Drug Task Force, West Memphis Police Department, Marion Police Department, and Crittenden County Sheriffs Office to conduct Operation DELTA, Defending Every Life Trafficked in Arkansas. Agents say six people who transported victims to the location were taken into custody. Five were charged with promoting prostitution, and one person was charged with felon in possession of a firearm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police report has new details on MS nightclub attack They said one of the suspects attempted to flee the scene but was arrested after a Tactical Vehicle Intervention conducted by Arkansas agents. In a release, law enforcement and agencies talked to nine victims who were provided access to victim services and support resources. ASP said that 29 additional local victims were identified in Operation DELTA. One child was removed and was in an unstable condition. Minors were taken into protective custody, and adult victims received support services. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. This summer, a new 60-unit, tiny-home village for the homeless will be opening near Tacomas South Hosmer Street. The project being called Kingfisher Village, 1824 S. 84th St., is a partnership between Pierce County and the Low-Income Housing Institute (LIHI) and is expected to open on July 21, according to LIHI. According to a blog post on LIHIs website, the homes at the village will serve about 70 to 75 people at a time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement John Brown, a program manager for LIHI, told The News Tribune the tiny houses are 8-feet by 12-feet wide, are insulated and contain heat and air-conditioning units. The homes will include beds and furnishings. According to Brown, the village will include case-management offices, a common kitchen, community space, security fencing, plumbed showers, laundry facilities, 24/7 staff offices, storage and parking. According to LIHI, the village will serve individuals and couples that are experiencing homelessness in the Tacoma area. People are referred to Kingfisher Village as part of the states Encampment Resolution program in cooperation with Pierce County and City of Tacoma. LIHI has operated other tiny-home villages under the same model. While most of LIHIs villages are in the Seattle area, a few are in Tacoma, including one at 6th Avenue and Orchard Street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brown told The News Tribune the site cost $2 million to construct, and the tiny homes were built with help from volunteers, including high school students. According to Pierce County Human Services spokesperson Kari Moore, the county contributed more than $1.9 million to fund the property acquisition and some initial capital costs for the site development which includes infrastructure, grading and utility installation. Some of the funding was made available to Pierce County through the Washington State Department of Commerces Right of Way Encampment Resolution Program. The program, previously called the Rights-of-Way Safety Initiative, provides funding to local governments to support programs aimed at reducing encampments in public areas. According to LIHI, the long-term vision for the site is to develop the property into affordable housing, which it has done with other villages in the Seattle area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked why the Kingfisher Village was sited near South Hosmer Street, Brown told The News Tribune LIHI wanted to be a part of the growth in Tacomas Hosmer area a street that has long been associated with crime and homeless encampments. Our long-term goal for the site is to build multifamily workforce housing that will help contribute to the positive growth that is happening in the community, Brown told The News Tribune. The project is opening at a time where Tacoma is anticipated to lose more than 300 of its homeless shelter beds after June due to a funding shortfall. City officials have maintained optimism they will be able to get state funding made available in the budget to support local homeless programs, but the timeline and process for getting the funding remains unclear. HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) A Dubois County man was arrested following a road rage incident. A release from the Indiana State Police says troopers were called to I-64 near the 21 mile-marker in Vanderburgh County at 10:00 a.m. on Friday. The release goes on to say a driver was traveling east on I-64 in a utility truck and was passing a black Toyota Tacoma when the driver of that Tacoma allegedly pointed a handgun toward the other driver. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Troopers in the area say they were able to the driver of the Toyota Tacoma near the 45 mile-marker in Warrick County. The driver was identified as 69-year-old Allan Mesmer of Dubois County. Allan Mesmer (Courtesy of the Vanderburgh County Jail) Troopers say Mesmer had a 9 mm handgun in his possession. The magazine for the handgun was full, but it was not loaded. No one was injured in the incident. Mesmer is being held in the Vanderburgh County Jail. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW). On a 7-5 vote, the South Coast Air Quality Management District on Friday rejected controversial measures aimed at reducing air pollution by imposing surcharges that could make natural gas-powered water heaters and furnaces more expensive to buy. In voting to deny the measures, AQMD board member Janet Nguyen said the rule would unnecessarily penalize people by raising the cost of household appliances. "I, like everybody here, support clean air," said Nguyen, who also serves as an Orange County supervisor. "But we must also pursue environmental progress without punishing the very people we serve today. These rules don't target refineries or shipping ports. They target people, the 17 million homeowners, renters ..." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Board member Holly Mitchell took the other side, saying the rules were needed to improve air quality in the nation's smoggiest air basin. "We have to make tough decisions on the greater good every day," Mitchell said. "I think that we have to do what we can as quickly as we can, to get into [air quality] attainment, to avoid federal penalties and to do what's in the best interest of the public's health." The AQMD governing board's vote followed a warning Friday from Bill Essayli, the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, that any action to impede the use of domestic energy resources would face a legal challenge by his office. "California regulators are on notice: if you pass illegal bans or penalties on gas appliances, well see you in court," Essayli said on X. "The law is clearfeds set energy policy, not unelected climate bureaucrats." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a six-hour public hearing before the vote, environmental advocates favoring the measure squared off against Southern California Gas, the largest gas utility in the nation, and others who said the measure would make gas appliances less affordable and place a greater burden on an already-stressed electrical grid. "It would be a devastating financial blow to our most low-income and senior, vulnerable citizens," said Bob Karwin, mayor pro tem of the Riverside County city of Menifee. "If electric was better, cheaper, faster and safer, people would choose it on their own." Lynwood City Councilman Juan Munoz-Guevara countered that the clean air standards cannot be reached without the measures. "Gas appliances in our home are now one of the largest sources of smog-forming pollution in the region," Munoz-Guevara said. "The proposed rules are a long-overdue step toward environmental justice. They will save lives and begin to correct decades of pollution burden on front-line communities." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The measures denied Friday would've imposed pollution-mitigation fees on manufacturers that sell gas-powered furnaces and water heaters in the region. The amount of these fees would've depend on manufacturers' compliance with newly established sales targets for electric space and water heaters. To meet the targets, 30% of manufacturers' sales would have needed to consist of zero-emission models starting in 2027. That would rise to 50% in 2029 and eventually 90% by 2036. Under the rule, manufacturers would be charged $100 for each gas furnace and $50 for every gas water heater they sell within the targets. For sales that exceed the cap, they would pay $500 and $250, respectively. Revenue from these fees would be used to help pay for zero-emission appliances, especially in disadvantaged communities, according to the air district. The rules were expected to significantly boost the installation of zero-emission heating equipment across Southern California, gradually displacing some of the region's 10 million gas-powered furnaces and water heating units. The policy would apply across the air district's jurisdiction, which includes Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and a portion of San Bernardino counties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once fully implemented, they were expected to prevent the release of 6 tons of smog-forming nitrogen dioxides each day roughly the amount released by two natural gas power plants. It is also expected to avert nearly 2,500 premature deaths and more than 10,000 new cases of asthma, according to the air district. The governing board ultimately agreed to consider alternative measures, including one that would culminate with a 50% sales target for electric space and water heaters. However, air district officials said the issue was unlikely to return before the governing board again this year. Ahead of the vote, the air district was flooded with more than 14,000 public comments, most of which were opposed to the new rules, and more than 100 people packed the air district's headquarters in Diamond Bar for Friday's vote. Environmental advocates were seated in the gallery holding signs that read "Delay is Deadly" and "Clean Air Now." They shared the room with business representatives and some local elected officials who opposed the rules. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many opponents argued that heat pumps are several thousands of dollars more expensive than gas furnaces. However, air district officials noted that heat pumps are dual-purpose appliances providing heating and cooling that can replace furnaces and air conditioning. When viewed through that lens, replacing both appliances can save homeowners money, according to the air district. For decades, Southern California has failed to comply with federal air quality standards for smog. The failed regulations were among the latest actions designed to reduce smog-forming emissions from gas appliances. Last year, the board voted to enact a new rule phasing out gas-fired water heating equipment for pool and hot-tub owners. In recent years, regulation that aims to transition away from gas appliances have become more politically charged, with a number of Republican elected officials vowing to fight rules that would ban the sale of gas appliances, such as stoves. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The tension between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk finally burst into the open Thursday, likely closing the chapter on one of the most significant alliances in recent political history. In the wake of the schism, some Republicans are stuck in the middle debating their next moves. Do they side with Trump, the leader of the party whose influence and authority looms over so many aspects of life? Or do they back Musk, whose massive fortune could provide a boost to anyone running for reelection or running to succeed Trump in 2028 even as he threatens to withhold donations to lawmakers who back the Republican megabill? Could they attempt to appease both? Musk, 53, is already drawing a future-forward line between himself and Trump, 78, and urging Republicans to come to his side. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some food for thought as they ponder this question, Musk wrote on X in response to far-right activist Laura Loomer wondering how Republicans would react. Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years. Here are the Republicans who were watching closely to determine how to navigate the fallout: JD Vance The vice president and possible heir to Trumps political movement could be the biggest loser of the blowout. With Musks future potential campaign contributions now in jeopardy, Vance, an expected 2028 presidential candidate, would have an incentive to mediate the relationship. Vance wouldnt want to jeopardize a donor relationship with Musk, but he also needs Trumps support if he wants to inherit his base. He will be constrained in how much he can realistically break from Trump if the feud continues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk appeared to endorse Vance in an X post calling for Trump to be impeached and the vice president to take his place, suggesting their relationship remains intact for now. And the two appear to share some political stances, including supporting Germanys far-right party Alternative for Deutschland (AfD). In April, after it was first reported that Musk intended to leave the White House, Vance said he expected Trump and Musk to remain close, a seemingly lousy prediction in hindsight. DOGE has got a lot of work to do, and yeah, that work is going to continue after Elon leaves, Vance said in April. But fundamentally, Elon is going to remain a friend and an adviser of both me and the president. Ron DeSantis The Florida governor has had a tortured relationship with Trump, his former political benefactor-turned-2024 rival who bulldozed him during the presidential campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But since Trump took office, DeSantis has publicly supported the president and signed into law a Florida immigration law that furthered Trumps immigration agenda. Hes also a big fan of Musk. Musk was an early booster of the Florida governors failed presidential campaign, offering to host a glitchy, error-ridden launch event via X Spaces, the audio livestream feature on the Musk-owned social media site. Musk also contributed $10 million to DeSantis campaign before he dropped out and endorsed Trump. In Musks final week as part of the Trump administration, DeSantis praised his work leading the Department of Government Efficiency and echoed Musks criticisms of the reconciliation package for not doing enough to reduce the deficit, calling the bill a betrayal of the voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He went further on Wednesday, singling out Musk in a fundraising solicitation. Elon Musk stood tall and took the hits to lead the fight on DOGE, cutting wasteful spending and exposing bloated government programs, said a fundraising email Wednesday from one of DeSantis political committees. The media attacked him. The Left panicked. But now? Even Republicans in Congress are backing down. Its unclear what DeSantis political future holds hes term-limited as governor from 2026 but Musks backing could play a role in whatever he does next. A spokesperson for the governors political operation said the fundraising language was approved May 29 the day before Trump prepared to extol Musk during a friendly send-off at the White House. Stephen Miller and Katie Miller The Trump-Musk rift sets up some potential awkwardness between Stephen Miller, Trumps powerful deputy chief of staff, and his wife Katie Miller, who joined DOGE as an aide to Musk and left last week to work for the billionaire entrepreneur. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The New York Times reported in January that Stephen Miller had been advising Musk on his political donations. But its unclear if that relationship is still strong. And after Musk started attacking the Republican megabill, Stephen Miller became a staunch defender of the legislation. On Thursday, after Trump and Musk traded barbs, Musk appeared to unfollow Miller on X. If there was ever a path to peace between Trump and Musk, the Millers could play a role or it could cause a rift in their marriage. Vivek Ramaswamy Once tapped to co-lead DOGE with Musk, Ramaswamy split off from the administration before Inauguration Day and ultimately mounted a run for governor of Ohio. But the former presidential candidate, who raised his profile by passionately defending Trump in the 2024 Republican primaries, has always aligned himself with the cost-cutting, Libertarian brand of conservatism that Musk embraces. However, if Ramaswamy seeks to grow closer to Musk in the vacuum left by Trump when he leaves office, hell have to overcome the fact that Musk thinks hes annoying. David Sacks Sacks, a South African entrepreneur, came into Trumps orbit by way of Musk, and now heads artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency policy for the White House. But if the White House withdrawing Jared Isaacmans nomination to head NASA is any indication, Sacks may not be long for Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the other hand, Trumps embrace of the crypto industry and Sacks role as crypto czar could prove to be tempting enough for Sacks to side with the president against his longtime friend. Thom Tillis As Trump and Musk clash over the reconciliation bill, Senate Republicans are left to pick up the pieces as they continue to argue over changes to satisfy at least 50 members and pass the bill. Tillis in particular is facing a tough reelection battle and could surely use strong support from Trump and Musk. On Wednesday day two of Musk tweeting attacks against the bill Tillis told CNN Musk is a brilliant guy, while noting hes got resources. With Republicans looking to approve the bill this summer, Tillis could be forced to take a side earlier than he might like. How he navigates the rift may offer a roadmap for other battleground Republicans ahead of 2026. Vance, DeSantis, Stephen Miller, Katie Miller, Ramaswamy, Sack and Tillis did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The majority of international students from Equatorial Guinea have overstayed their visas in the United States, according to David Gilmour, the U.S. ambassador to Equatorial Guinea. Unfortunately, many Equatoguineans travel to the United States to study and for tourism and they remain in the country beyond the validity of their visa. Seventy percent of Equatoguinean students have overstayed their visas. Some 22 percent of tourists and business travelers have not respected the limit of their permission to stay, Gilmour said in a Thursday morning statement on the social media platform X. Those Equatoguineans who have not respected U.S. immigration law are causing a problem that has restricted the travel of their fellow citizens, Gilmour said, adding that if you know someone who is presently in the United States without a valid visa, tell them to return to Equatorial Guinea immediately. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gilmours statement came less than 24 hours after President Trump signed a proclamation that fully bans nationals of a dozen countries from entering the U.S., including Equatorial Guinea. The other countries included in the Wednesday order are Afghanistan, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The order also partially restricts entry for nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Trump penned an executive order on his first day in the Oval Office in January that advocated for bolstered screening and vetting of migrants who are coming into the U.S., pointing to national security concerns. The president has also forcefully cracked down on illegal immigration since taking office and curbed the flow of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps Wednesday proclamation included exceptions for nationals mentioned on the list who are lawful permanent residents of the U.S., current visa holders and people whose entry serves U.S. national interests. Gilmour referenced those exceptions Thursday morning. The order does not affect Equatorial Guinea government officials traveling to the United States on government business, or lawful permanent residents of the United States, the ambassador said. He added that the U.S., like Equatorial Guinea and other countries, takes decisive measures to protects its borders and to prevent the illegal presence of foreigners on its territory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Photo by Getty Images via Unsplash Quick geology lesson: There are 17 types of rare earths, and theyre used as the building blocks in cars, semiconductors, missiles, drones, and more. China mines 70% and processes 90% of the worlds supply. Chinas massive rock collection has become one of its most important bargaining chips, and as the country tightens its grip on rare earths exports, the global supply chain is showing cracks. This week, world leaders raised the alarm, with EU trade officials emphasizing yesterday the blocs urgent need to reduce its dependence on rare earths from China. READ ALSO: Just How Much Data Does the Fed Need to Cut Rates? and Europe Delays Stricter Banking Rules to Keep Level Playing Field With US Rivals Rocky Relationships When POTUS Trump raised global import tariffs in April, China said, Bet, and rolled out retaliatory restrictions on seven kinds of rare earths and the magnets made from them. At the same time, China cracked down on illegal smuggling of the valuable elements that had made previous export curbs less effective. Last year, China halted exports of three rare minerals critical for making computer chips, EV batteries, and military weapons systems. Now, auto manufacturing seems to be the first major industry feeling the effects of its mineral deficiency: Ford temporarily stopped churning out SUVs at a Chicago plant last week because of a shortage of magnets, which are used not only in electric vehicle power systems but also in various components of gas-powered cars, such as power windows and headlights. Finance chief Sherry House said yesterday that restrictions are putting stress on Fords system. Mercedes-Benzs production chief noted that its chatting with suppliers about building up reserves, while BMW said its supply chain has been disrupted but its factories are still running. Chinas passing out a limited number of export permits, but experts say its not enough to keep production running smoothly. For now, the auto industry has a stockpile of magnets to fall back on, but its only expected to last a few months at most. Digging Deep: The US has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to bring rare earth production stateside since 2020, but its still in the early stages of building the complicated supply chain (rare earths require more than 100 steps to process). In the meantime, US officials are pushing for access to Ukraines rare earths, while automakers are trying to develop parts that require fewer or no rare earths. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to have a discussion this week thatll highlight export restrictions. It could be a tad awkward after Trump posted on social media that Xi is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH. This post first appeared on The Daily Upside. To receive delivering razor sharp analysis and perspective on all things finance, economics, and markets, subscribe to our free The Daily Upside newsletter. Eight Massachusetts residents have been charged in the theft of U.S. Treasury tax refund checks totaling more than $8.8 million in 2023 and 2024, the U.S. Attorney said Friday. Six of the residents were arrested Friday. Two remain at large, authorities said. Each of the U.S. Treasury checks that were stolen represented a tax refund or tax credit due to a taxpayer, but were altered to be payable to shell companies controlled by the residents, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Each resident allegedly deposited one or more fraudulent checks at banks or credit unions in and around metro Boston, Foley said. Foley said the following people are charged in separate indictments: Gurprit Singh, 34, of Framingham, charged with theft of $2,547,508 in government funds; Eric Banks, 70, of Quincy, charged with theft of $1,173,482 in government funds; Jesse El-Ghoul, 31, of Leominster, charged with theft of $1,355,863 in government funds; Domingo Villari, 49, of Framingham, charged with theft of $1,288,575 in government funds; Nnamdi Opara, 30, of Woburn, charged with theft of $700,767 in government funds; Gino Rosario Tyler Alexander Allegra, 31, of Brockton, charged with theft of $861,646 in government funds; Amarpreet Singh, 33, of Framingham, charged with theft of $536,214 in government funds; Lonnie Smith-Matthews, 33, of Hyde Park, charged with theft of $150,000 in government funds and bank fraud of $232,588. Gurprit Singh, Banks, El-Ghoul, Opara, Smith-Matthews and Villari are in federal custody and were scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Allegra and Amarpreet Singh remain at large, Foley said. As alleged, these defendants stole millions in tax refunds owed to hardworking Americans and used Massachusetts businesses and community banks to defraud the U.S. Treasury, Foley said. Would-be thieves should understand that taking government money is not a victimless crime. If you cash or deposit a refund check that you know is not yours, you will be prosecuted, Foley said. This office and its law enforcement partners are committed to rooting out fraud and abuse in the federal tax system. Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office, said Fridays arrests demonstrate his agencys commitment to identifying, investigating, and prosecuting all instances of Treasury check theft. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The theft and altering of Treasury checks is a growing issue that impacts all Americans, Demeo said. IRS-CI will continue to work diligently to bring all those who prey on American taxpayers to justice. For the charge of theft of government funds, each defendant faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. For the charge of bank fraud, Smith-Matthews faces a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW NEWTON, N.C. (AP) Eight people have now been arrested and charged in connection with last weekend's shootings at a western North Carolina house party where a barrage of gunfire ended with one person dead and 11 others injured, authorities said. Five defendants whose arrests were announced Thursday or early Friday by the Catawba County Sheriff's Office made court appearances Friday. Four of the five were facing one count each of attempted first-degree murder. A judge ordered two of those four to remain in jail without bond, according to the Catawba County Clerk of Court's office. But late Friday, the sheriff's office announced that 10 additional counts of attempted first-degree murder had been filed against each of the four who already faced one similar count. All four were jailed pending scheduled court appearances early next week, according to an office press release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A prosecutor handling the defendants appearances Friday said in court that the shootings were gang-related, and the sheriffs office agreed, news outlets reported. Gang motives were a part of this tragedy, sheriffs Maj. Aaron Turk told WSOC-TV. We are still unraveling that as part of our larger investigation. Investigators have said both adults and young people were among the scores of attendees at the house party in a residential neighborhood roughly 55 miles (88.5 kilometers) northwest of Charlotte. Another defendant arrested earlier in the week also is charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder. The two others were charged with helping underage youth possess alcoholic beverages the sheriffs office identified them as planning and promoting the house party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities have said over 80 shots were fired shortly after midnight June 1 in a crime scene that spanned several properties. The shootings began with gunfire coming from an elevated area in a yard neighboring the house, the Catawba sheriff's office has said, with shots later around the home, the homes front yard and by a road. Shawn Patrick Hood, 58, of Lenoir, was killed. He was the oldest of the victims, who ranged in age from as young as 16, the sheriffs office said. Most of the people injured were shot, Turk has said. As of Friday, no one had been specifically charged for Hood's death. Turk told reporters this week that investigators needed to account for every shot that had been fired at partygoers before we can discern who might be responsible for the homicide. FBI agents had been at the crime scene this week examining bullet trajectories. 25,859 people played the daily Crossword recently. Can you solve it faster than others? 25,859 people played the daily Crossword recently. Can you solve it faster than others? (NewsNation) Friday marks the 81st anniversary of D-Day, a pivotal moment in World War II that helped lead to the defeat of Nazi Germany. World War II veterans gathered in Normandy to honor those who gave their lives to end Nazi tyranny. Among the heroes remembered was Henry Langrehr, an Iowa native who parachuted into Normandy at age 19 and later stormed the beaches during D-Day. He endured immense hardship, including time as a prisoner of war, and died five weeks ago at 100. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At that young age, answering the call of service, sacrificing everything he could for a land of unknown, Command Sgt. Maj. Evan Lewandowski told Morning in America from Normandy. They didnt have a real connection of belonging to it, but to do what they did and liberate the country, and the amazing sacrifice and heroic actions that took place. Military zones at US-Mexico border could mean trespassing charges for migrants Lewandowski met Langrehr during last years anniversary of D-Day. The two connected and walked through Sainte-Mere-Eglise, where Langrehr shared memories of his time there during the war. Nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed in Normandy on June 6, 1944, in the largest-ever armada of ships, troops, planes and vehicles to breach Hitlers defenses in western Europe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of those, 73,000 were from the United States and 83,000 from Britain and Canada. Forces from several other countries were also involved, including French troops fighting with Gen. Charles de Gaulle. The Allies faced around 50,000 German forces. A total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed, including 2,501 Americans. More than 5,000 were wounded. The Associated Press contributed to this report. This photograph is believed to show E Company, 16th Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, participating in the first wave of assaults during D-Day in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. (Chief Photographers Mate Robert M. Sargent, U.S. Coast Guard via AP, File) D-Day veterans Ken Hay, from left, Richard Aldred, Henry Rice, Jim Grant and John Dennet pose for a picture on Sword Beach following the Spirit of Normandy Trust service in Coleville-Montgomery, France, ahead of the 81st anniversary of D-Day on Friday. (Photo by Gareth Fuller/PA Images via Getty Images) Dawn breaks over the Standing with Giants silhouettes, which create the For Your Tomorrow installation at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-Sur-Mer, France, ahead of the 81st anniversary of D-Day on Friday. (Photo by Gareth Fuller/PA Images via Getty Images) Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is warning drivers that I-93 south in Woburn is closed due to police activity. The closure is by the area of Exit 30, according to MassDOTs X account. The left lane on I-93 north is also closed along with the I-93 northbound exit off-ramp at exit 30, the X post reads. No other information was provided on the account. A spokesperson for the Massachusetts State Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. More stories on traffic cameras Read the original article on MassLive. BALTIMORE Kilmar Abrego Garcia is back in the U.S. to face a federal indictment in Tennessee accusing him of transporting across the country hundreds of people who had entered the U.S. illegally. The sprawling two-count indictment alleges the Beltsville resident conspired with others for nearly a decade to transport people, as well as narcotics and firearms on occasions, in over 100 trips from Texas to Maryland and other states. It marks a surprising turnaround in the mistakenly deported Maryland mans legal saga after months of litigation seeking to bring him back. Since being deported to a Salvadoran mega-prison in March, the Trump administration has defied a judges orders to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. or communicate their efforts to do so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Experts have warned of a ongoing constitutional crisis due to the Trump administrations failure to grant Abrego Garcia a hearing or abide by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis rulings. Justice Department officials said at a Friday afternoon news conference that they believed Abrego Garcias indictment and return made the matter moot. Abrego Garcia has landed in the U.S. to face justice, Attorney General Pam Bondi said at a Friday afternoon news conference. She said that El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who has previously refused to release Abrego Garcia, had agreed to return the 29-year-old after being presented with an arrest warrant. Abrego Garcia is charged in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee with conspiracy to unlawfully transport illegal aliens for financial gain and unlawful transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain. In a filing to keep Abrego Garcia detained in the U.S., the Justice Department said that his potential sentence, if he is convicted, goes well beyond the remainder of [his] life. Abrego Garcia was stopped by Tennessees highway patrol in 2022, while transporting eight people. Officers suspected that the matter was a human trafficking incident, according to a Department of Homeland Security document, though Abrego Garcia was not initially detained or charged. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That traffic stop appears to be at least part of the basis for the indictment, which was filed under seal in late May and cites the encounter. The indictment also accuses Abrego Garcia of being a member of MS-13. Since his deportation in March, which Xinis ruled was illegal, Abrego Garcia has been held in El Salvadors Terrorism Confinement Center as well as in a smaller prison in Santa Ana. Trump administration officials had said that he was never coming back to the U.S., despite a Supreme Court ruling affirming Xinis order to facilitate his return. For months, the Trump administration has tried to publicly justify Abrego Garcias removal, repeatedly accusing him of presenting a public danger. In April, Bondi posted a series of documents on X, including a 2019 gang field interview sheet from Prince Georges County Police that cited a Chicago Bulls hat and a shirt as being indicative of the Hispanic gang culture. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The only other piece of corroborating evidence was a confidential source, according to the document, and members of the public have called the integrity of the police officer who authored the report into question. The 2019 investigation led to an immigration hearing, in which a judge decided Abrego Garcia could remain in the U.S. because it was more likely than not he would be subjected to gang violence if deported. On X, Congressman Andy Harris, a Trump ally and the lone Republican in the Maryland congressional delegation, said that returning Abrego Garcia, whom he called an already deported illegal alien criminal, to the U.S. is a waste of hard-earned taxpayer dollars, implying that he will be deported again after he stands trial. Maryland Democrats said that Abrego Garcias return, despite under criminal charges, was a victory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement Friday afternoon, U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, the Maryland Democrat who first traveled to El Salvador to visit Abrego Garcia, said that the Trump administration has finally relented to our demands for compliance with court orders and with the due process rights. As I have repeatedly said, this is not about the man, its about his constitutional rights and the rights of all, Van Hollen said. The administration will now have to make its case in the court of law, as it should have all along. Kilmar Abrego Garcia should not have been deported, U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat, said. Even the Supreme Court demanded this President follow the law and return him to the U.S. It is right that due process will be afforded to him. In an interview Friday on CNN, Maryland U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin said he did not know any Democrats whove defended Abrego Garcias conduct because to this point, he has not been charged with a crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Raskin said since his deportation, Abrego Garcia has been entitled to a proper court procedure. Its not a moral question, its a legal question, the Montgomery County Democrat said. To accentuate his point, Raskin compared Abrego Garcias case to Trumps criminal prosecution last year in New York. He had every element of due process along the way, Raskin said of the president. Democratic Rep. Glenn Ivey, who also traveled to El Salvador to see Abrego Garcia but was denied access, said in a CNN interview Friday that the Maryland fathers return was likely due to the White House getting a lot of heat about his case. Its good they could bring him back, and hopefully theyll bring back the other 250 plus Venezuelans and others who are in this odd status of deportation, even though they havent done anything or been convicted of any criminal activity, said Ivey, who represents the Maryland district where Abrego Garcia resides. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shortly after the indictment was unsealed, the Justice Department asked for Xinis to dissolve a preliminary injunction ordering Abrego Garcias return, adding that the underlying case should be dismissed. In that case, Xinis recently permitted the plaintiffs to seek sanctions against the U.S. government. She had not made any new rulings as of Friday afternoon. _____ (Baltimore Sun reporters Hannah Gaskill, Luke Parker and Ben Mause contributed to this story.) _____ Kilmar Abrego Garcia is back in the U.S. to face a federal indictment in Tennessee accusing him of transporting across the country hundreds of people who had entered the U.S. illegally. The sprawling two-count indictment alleges the Beltsville resident conspired with others for nearly a decade to transport people, as well as firearms, in over 100 trips from Texas to Maryland and other states. It marks a surprising turnaround in the mistakenly deported Maryland mans legal saga after months of litigation seeking to bring him back. Since being deported to a Salvadoran mega-prison in March, the Trump administration has defied a judges orders to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. or communicate their efforts to do so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Experts have warned of a ongoing constitutional crisis due to the Trump administrations failure to grant Abrego Garcia a hearing or abide by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis rulings. Abrego Garcia has landed in the U.S. to face justice, Attorney General Pam Bondi said at a Friday afternoon news conference. She said that El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who has previously refused to release Abrego Garcia, had agreed to return the 29-year-old after being presented with an arrest warrant. Abrego Garcia is charged in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee with conspiracy to unlawfully transport illegal aliens for financial gain and unlawful transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain. In a filing to keep Abrego Garcia detained in the U.S., the Justice Department said that his potential sentence, if he is convicted, goes well beyond the remainder of (his) life. Abrego Garcia was stopped by Tennessees highway patrol in 2022, while transporting eight people. Officers suspected that the matter was a human trafficking incident, according to a Department of Homeland Security document. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement Friday afternoon, U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, the Maryland Democrat who first traveled to El Salvador to visit Abrego Garcia, said that the Trump administration has finally relented to our demands for compliance with court orders and with the due process rights. As I have repeatedly said, this is not about the man, its about his constitutional rights and the rights of all, Van Hollen said. The administration will now have to make its case in the court of law, as it should have all along. There were no new filings Friday afternoon in Abrego Garcias civil case in Maryland, where the former Beltsville residents family has sought his return for several months. In that case, Xinis recently permitted the plaintiffs to seek sanctions against the U.S. government. _____ Baltimore Sun reporter Hannah Gaskill contributed to this story. _____ Kilmar Abrego Garcia is back in the U.S. to face a federal indictment in Tennessee accusing him of transporting across the country hundreds of people who had entered the U.S. illegally. The sprawling two-count indictment alleges the Beltsville resident conspired with others for nearly a decade to transport people, as well as firearms, in over 100 trips from Texas to Maryland and other states. It marks a surprising turnaround in the mistakenly deported Maryland mans legal saga after months of litigation seeking to bring him back. Since being deported to a Salvadoran mega-prison in March, the Trump administration has defied a judges orders to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. or communicate their efforts to do so. Experts have warned of a ongoing constitutional crisis due to the Trump administrations failure to grant Abrego Garcia a hearing or abide by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis rulings. Justice Department officials said at a Friday afternoon news conference that they believed Abrego Garcias indictment and return made the matter moot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrego Garcia has landed in the U.S. to face justice, Attorney General Pam Bondi said at a Friday afternoon news conference. She said that El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who has previously refused to release Abrego Garcia, had agreed to return the 29-year-old after being presented with an arrest warrant. Abrego Garcia is charged in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee with conspiracy to unlawfully transport illegal aliens for financial gain and unlawful transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain. In a filing to keep Abrego Garcia detained in the U.S., the Justice Department said that his potential sentence, if he is convicted, goes well beyond the remainder of (his) life. Abrego Garcia was stopped by Tennessees highway patrol in 2022, while transporting eight people. Officers suspected that the matter was a human trafficking incident, according to a Department of Homeland Security document, though Abrego Garcia was not initially detained or charged. That traffic stop appears to be at least part of the basis for the indictment, which was filed under seal in late May and cites the encounter. The indictment also accuses Abrego Garcia of being a member of MS-13. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since his deportation in March, which Xinis ruled was illegal, Abrego Garcia has been held in El Salvadors Terrorism Confinement Center as well as in a smaller prison in Santa Ana. Trump administration officials had said that he was never coming back to the U.S., despite a Supreme Court ruling affirming Xinis order to facilitate his return. On X, Congressman Andy Harris, a Trump ally and the lone Republican in the Maryland congressional delegation, said that returning Abrego Garcia, whom he called an already deported illegal alien criminal, to the U.S. is a waste of hard-earned taxpayer dollars, implying that he will be deported again after he stands trial. Maryland Democrats said that Abrego Garcias return, despite under criminal charges, was a victory. In a statement Friday afternoon, U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, the Maryland Democrat who first traveled to El Salvador to visit Abrego Garcia, said that the Trump administration has finally relented to our demands for compliance with court orders and with the due process rights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As I have repeatedly said, this is not about the man, its about his constitutional rights and the rights of all, Van Hollen said. The administration will now have to make its case in the court of law, as it should have all along. Kilmar Abrego Garcia should not have been deported, U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat, said. Even the Supreme Court demanded this President follow the law and return him to the U.S. It is right that due process will be afforded to him. In an interview Friday on CNN, Maryland U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin said he did not know any Democrats whove defended Abrego Garcias conduct because to this point, he has not been charged with a crime. However, Raskin said since his deportation, Abrego Garcia has been entitled to a proper court procedure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not a moral question, its a legal question, the Montgomery County Democrat said. To accentuate his point, Raskin compared Abrego Garcias case to Trumps criminal prosecution last year in New York. He had every element of due process along the way, Raskin said of the president. There were no new filings Friday afternoon in Abrego Garcias civil case in Maryland, where the former Beltsville residents family has sought his return for several months. In that case, Xinis recently permitted the plaintiffs to seek sanctions against the U.S. government. Its unclear what will happen now that Abrego Garcia has returned. ____ Baltimore Sun reporters Hannah Gaskill, Luke Parker and Ben Mause contributed to this story. _____ By Sarah N. Lynch and Luc Cohen WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man mistakenly deported from Maryland to El Salvador by the Trump administration, was flown back to the United States to face criminal charges of transporting illegal immigrants within the U.S., Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Friday. Abrego Garcia's return marked an inflection point in a case seized on by critics of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown as a sign that the administration was disregarding civil liberties in its push to step up deportations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrego Garcia - a 29-year-old Salvadoran whose wife and young child in Maryland are U.S. citizens - appeared in federal court in Nashville on Friday evening. His arraignment was set for June 13, when he will enter a plea, according to local media reports. Until then, he will remain in federal custody. If convicted, he would be deported to El Salvador after serving his sentence, Bondi said. The Trump administration has said Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang, an accusation that his lawyers deny. Officials on Friday portrayed the indictment of Abrego Garcia by a federal grand jury in Tennessee as vindication of their approach to immigration enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The man has a horrible past, and I could see a decision being made, bring him back, show everybody how horrible this guy is," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that it was the Justice Department that decided to bring Abrego Garcia back. According to the indictment, Abrego Garcia worked with at least five co-conspirators as part of a smuggling ring to bring immigrants to the United States illegally, then transport them from the U.S.-Mexico border to destinations in the country. Abrego Garcia often picked up migrants in Houston, making more than 100 trips between Texas and Maryland between 2016 and 2025, the indictment alleges. It also accuses Abrego Garcia of transporting firearms and drugs. According to the indictment, one of Abrego Garcia's co-conspirators belonging to the same ring was involved in the transportation of migrants whose tractor trailer overturned in Mexico in 2021, resulting in 50 deaths. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrego Garcia's lawyer, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, called the criminal charges "fantastical" and a "kitchen sink" of allegations. "This is all based on the statements of individuals who are currently either facing prosecution or in federal prison," he said. "I want to know what they offered those people." The indictment also led to a high-level resignation in the federal prosecutor's office in Nashville, with news that Ben Schrader, chief of the criminal division for the Middle District of Tennessee, had resigned in protest. A 15-year veteran of the U.S. Attorney's Office, Schrader had grown increasingly uncomfortable with the administration's actions, and the indictment of Abrego Garcia was "the final straw," a person familiar with the situation told Reuters. Schrader declined comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schrader had posted notice of his resignation on LinkedIn last month, around the time the indictment was filed under seal, but he did not give a reason. Abrego Garcia was deported on March 15, more than two months before the charges were filed. He was briefly held in a mega-prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Center, despite a U.S. immigration judge's 2019 order barring him from being sent to El Salvador because he would likely be persecuted by gangs. Bondi said Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele had agreed to return Abrego Garcia after U.S. officials presented his government with an arrest warrant. "The grand jury found that over the past nine years, Abrego Garcia has played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring," she told a press conference. In a court filing on Friday, federal prosecutors asked a judge to keep Abrego Garcia detained pending trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Citing an unnamed co-conspirator, prosecutors said Abrego Garcia joined MS-13 in El Salvador by murdering a rival gang member's mother. The indictment does not charge Abrego Garcia with murder. Abrego Garcia could face 10 years in prison for each migrant he is convicted of transporting, prosecutors said, a punishment that potentially could keep him incarcerated for the rest of his life. TENSIONS WITH THE COURTS The case has become a symbol of escalating tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary, which has blocked a number of the president's signature policies. More recently, the U.S. Supreme Court has backed Trump's hardline approach to immigration in other cases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After Abrego Garcia's lawyers challenged the basis for his deportation, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to facilitate his return, with liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor saying the government had cited no basis for what she called his "warrantless arrest." U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has opened a probe into what, if anything, the Trump administration had done to secure his return, after Abrego Garcia's lawyers accused officials of stonewalling their requests for information. That led to concerns among Trump's critics that his administration would openly defy court orders. In a court filing on Friday, Justice Department lawyers told Xinis that Abrego Garcia's return meant they were in compliance with the order to facilitate bringing him back to the U.S. Sandoval-Moshenberg said Abrego Garcia's return did not mean the government was in compliance, asserting that his client must be placed in immigration proceedings before the same judge who handled his 2019 case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chris Van Hollen, a Democratic U.S. senator from Maryland who visited Abrego Garcia in El Salvador, said in a statement on Friday that the Trump administration has "finally relented to our demands for compliance with court orders and the due process rights afforded to everyone in the United States." "The administration will now have to make its case in the court of law, as it should have all along," Van Hollen said. (Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto, Sarah N. Lynch in Washington and Luc Cohen in New York; Additional reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston, Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware, and Trevor Hunnicut and James Oliphant in Washington; Editing by Noeleen Walder, Ross Colvin and Sandra Maler) HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) Central dispatch has confirmed that crews are responding to a report of an accident with injuries near Ascension St. Vincent in Evansville. According to officials, a call reporting an accident with injuries in the 700 block of St. Marys Drive came in just after 12:30 p.m. on Friday. AMR and the Evansville Fire Department are currently at the scene. Eyewitness News will update this story as new information is made available. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a developing story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW). Welcome Guest! You are here: Home Google unpacks Gemini 2.5 Pro new version Google on Thursday June 05, 2026 launched a new and updated version of Gemini 2.5 Pro Friday June 6, 2025 11:51 AM , ummid.com News Network Google on Thursday June 05, 2026 launched a new and updated version of Gemini 2.5 Pro. Believed to be Googles most advanced AI model to date, Gemini 2.5 Pro new version comes two months after its launch. The latest iteration, billed as an updated preview, builds upon enhancements released in May this year brings improved performance in specific programming tasks. The full release is expected in few weeks, but developers can access it through Googles AI platforms: AI Studio, Vertex AI, and the Gemini app. The latest 2.5 Pro reflects a 24-point Elo score jump on LMArena, maintaining its lead on the leaderboard at 1470, and a 35-point Elo jump to lead on WebDevArena at 1443, Google said in a blog post. More Creative, Better Performance The IT giant said along with excelling at coding, leading on difficult coding benchmarks like Aider Polyglot, the new Gemini 2.5 Pro also shows top-tier performance on GPQA and Humanitys Last Exam (HLE), highly challenging benchmarks that evaluate a models math, science, knowledge and reasoning capabilities. Google said the company has addressed the feedback received from user after the Gemini 2,5 Pro release last month. "We also heard your feedback and made improvements to style and the structure of responses, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said. Google added that the new version can now deliver answers that are more creative with better-formatted responses. Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates. Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic. In a recent episode of The Ramsey Show, a couple in their 70s shared how they went from being completely debt-free to falling back into financial chaos. After completing Dave Ramseys Financial Peace University in 2016, they had paid off all their debt by 2017 and even bought their mobile home in cash. But today, they owe $46,000. 13 Credit Cards and a $29,000 Loan Offer We were debt-free completely, the wife, who called in, said. But since 2017, they opened 13 credit cards and took out three personal loans. Their current income is limited to Social Security: $1,600 a month from her, $1,500 from her husband. Her husband picks up odd handyman jobs, but it's not enough to cover their expenses. Don't Miss: Recently, they applied for a $29,000 debt consolidation loan and wanted Dave's advice before accepting it. That will put us into a debt relief loan, she said. We havent bought it yet, but we were able to obtain a loan. Jade Warshaw, Ramseys co-host, wasn't having it. Youre still looking to debt as the solution for this, she told her. You havent learned your lesson that debt is the issue. The couple insisted they were always 100% paying the bills on time. I dont know how weve done it, she said. Thats not a miracle, Ramsey replied. You paid the stinking credit cards before you did anything else. Then you barely ate, and your husband swung a hammer enough to get it done. Trending: Invest where it hurts and help millions heal: Invest in Cytonics and help disrupt a $390B Big Pharma stronghold. Living Beyond Their Means In An Expensive Area The couple lives in Riverside County, California, about 100 miles from their family in Los Angeles. Their mobile home and the land its on are worth around $135,000. But even owning their home outright hasn't kept them afloat. You cant even pay the payments on what youve got, Ramsey said, noting their $3,100 monthly income doesnt stretch far in such a high-cost area. You're telling yourself a lie, Warshaw added. Ramsey pointed out the underlying issue: We dont have math that is sustainable here. The pattern keeps you spending more than you have coming in. See Also: The average American couple has saved this much money for retirement How do you compare? He emphasized that debt consolidation is not the way out. You cannot borrow your way out of debt, he said. So no, do not take the $29,000 loan. Several dozen women veterans blanketed Capitol Hill offices Thursday with letters of outrage over recent Defense Department moves they see as working to erase or undermine the roles of women in the armed forces. Women in the military are not distractions, not problems to be managed, Janessa Goldbeck, CEO of the Vet Voice Foundation and a Marine Corps veteran, said at a press event ahead of the congressional office visits. We are war fighters, we are leaders, we are patriots, and every person who meets the standard deserves the opportunity to serve with no exceptions. Men and women in uniform who are currently serving do not have the ability to speak freely because of their service, but we do, and we will not be silent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thursdays event came amid a host of recent completed and rumored Defense Department policy moves focused on womens military service. Critics at the event said each one has hurt morale, damaged unit readiness and discouraged female recruits. Pentagon aims to cut 14 defense advisory boards, including DACOWITS In March, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a full review of military combat arms standards, to ensure that exceptions were not being made for female troops. Pentagon leaders have also spent months purging stories and photos about historic achievements by women in the ranks, and eliminating diversity and inclusion programs. Three high-profile female military leaders Coast Guard Adm. Linda Fagan, Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti, and Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield have all been dismissed from their leadership posts since January. And last month, administration officials proposed eliminating 14 different defense advisory groups, including the 74-year-old Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Department officials have argued all of the moves are needed to refocus the military on lethality and readiness, instead of outreach and inclusion initiatives. But the women veterans gathered outside the Capitol Thursday dismissed those claims, saying that Hegseth and the White House appear intent on transforming the military into a hyper-masculine caricature of a fighting force, even at the expense of national defense. Women have earned their places in the infantry, in the armor, in the artillery, in combat aviation and in Ranger school, said Sue Fulton, founder of the Women in the Services Coalition Initiative and a West Point Graduate. We stand here saying that unity and inclusion and fairness make our military stronger. Women make our military stronger. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Women make up about 18% of the militarys active-duty numbers, and about 12% of the nations veterans population. Both of those numbers are expected to grow in coming years. Reps. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., and Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H. two of the eight women veterans in Congress spoke at the rally about the need to recognize and celebrate womens military contributions, both for future recruiting and public awareness. We owe it to every young girl who dreams of service to be able to ensure that history remembers every service womans contribution, and her sacrifices as well, she said. Fulton said Thursdays event was the first of several the advocates hope to hold in coming months. Many of them expressed frustration that the work needs to be done. I thought this debate was over, said Army veteran Olivia McQuail, a Ranger School graduate. Its disappointing to sit on the sidelines and watch as womens rights are eroded. KENTUCKY (FOX 56) Advocates say cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) included in the budget reconciliation bill passed by the U.S. House in May would harm Kentucky families, children, and farmers. This bill puts food assistance at risk for over 575,000 Kentuckians, said Jessica Klein, Policy Associate at the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. The House proposal would not only be the biggest cut to SNAP in history, it would also fundamentally weaken what we know to be an effective anti-hunger program. Klein pointed to provisions in the legislation that would require states to cover a portion of SNAP benefits, which the federal government has always covered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kentucky auditor reviewing concerns surrounding Fayette County Public Schools finances She said this could saddle Kentucky with as much as $250 million in annual costs to ensure Kentuckians continue to get the grocery help they need. The group that would be most hurt by this is the 111,000 families with kids that would be subject to these requirements, Klein said. Thats putting food assistance at risk for 65,000 kids in Kentucky. Emily Foster, a vegetable farmer and the manager of the Red River Gorge Farmers Market, said her community, like many others, relies heavily on SNAP. SNAP doesnt just help families put food on the table; it strengthens our entire local food economy, Foster said. When families spend SNAP benefits at the market, that money goes directly to our local farmers, who in turn spend it at local businesses, creating a ripple effect that benefits everyone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leah Feagin, food service director at the Mayfield Independent School District, says changes to SNAP enrollment could make it harder for kids to get food at school. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: In many districts, this could mean withdrawing from a universal free lunch program, she said. This could mean students are going back to paying for their meals if they dont qualify for free or reduced meals, and many of those families are right on the border of having the benefit and not. Advocates are calling on Kentucky State Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul to reverse what they say are harmful cuts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We reached out to both McConnells and Pauls offices for comment and havent heard back. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News. Three men who conspired with a for seven years to secure and sell $10.9 million in land and affordable housing credits in exchange for $1.9 million in bribes and kickbacks were found guilty by a federal jury Wednesday. Attorneys Paul Joseph Sulla, Jr., 78, Gary Charles Zamber, 55, and businessmen Rajesh P. Budhabhatti, 65, paid bribes and kickbacks to Alan Scott Rudo, a Housing Specialist for the Hawaii County Office of Housing and Community Development, according to the U.S. Attorneys office. They were charged in an 11-count superseding indictment filed Aug. 4, 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This verdict marks an important step toward accountability and reinforces the importance of integrity in public service, said County of Hawaii Mayor Kimo Alameda, in a statement. We understand the impact this case has had on our community and remain committed to restoring trust. Since the initial findings, the Office of Housing and Community Development has taken concrete actions to strengthen internal controls, improve oversight, and ensure that public resources are managed responsibly and transparently. These changes reflect our commitment to kuleanaour shared responsibilityto serve with integrity and protect community resources. They were convicted after a three week trial before U.S. District Judge Jill A. Otake of one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, and nine counts of honest services wire fraud, each of which also carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, according to federal prosecutors. Sullas attorney, Birney B. Bervar, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser his client plans to appeal. We think there are significant issues which could result in a reversal of the convictions, most notably that this conduct was self dealing by the county employee Alan Rudo, which under Supreme Court case law is not honest serv ices bribery, said Bervar. Sulla alone was charged with and convicted of money-laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rudo, who testified at trial, pled guilty in July 2022 to conspiring to commit honest services wire fraud in connection with the bribery and kickback scheme. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 13 ; Zamber will be sentenced Oct. 7 ; Oct. 8 for Budhabhatti ; and Sulla on Oct. 21. They remain free on bail until sentencing. In exchange for the cash, Rudo was convicted of using his official position to make certain the county approved three affordable housing agreements for Sulla, Zamber and Budhabhattis development companiesLuna Loa Developments LLC ; West View Developments LLC ; and Plumeria at Waikoloa LLC. Sulla, Zamber, Budha bhatti and Rudo collectively created, owned, managed, controlled the companies, according to federal court records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They used those companies and at least two other limited liability corporations and two trusts. Rudo worked for the county between September 2006 and December 2018. He worked at OHCD as a Housing and Community Development Specialist and was responsible for ensuring residential developers complied with the countys affordable housing requirements. He also reviewed developments and made recommendations on whether the county should enter into AHAs, according to federal court records. Although the defendants promised in the AHAs to build affordable housing for the citizens of Hawaii County, their development companies never built a single unit, read a statement form the U.S. Attorneys office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through the agreements the group got at least $10.98 million worth of land and excess affordable housing credits. From that amount, the defendants paid or attempted to pay Rudo roughly $1, 931, 778 in bribes and kickbacks. The group pulled off their scheme from December 2014 until October 2021. The land and affordable housing credits were sold, with the proceeds distributed among the conspirators, according to the superseding indictment. The verdict reiterates our unwavering message to those who bribe and attempt to buy the discretion of Hawaiis public officials at the expense of the publics trust and the integrity of our public institutionsyou will be federally prosecuted and brought to justice, said Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson, in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our office will continue to root out and vigorously pursue those who engage in public corruption or who violate their positions of public trust, he said. The indictment listed three properties and detailed the schemes the men used to pull money out of each promise to build affordable housing. On Dec. 17, 2014, Budha bhatti formed Luna Loa, a company he owned along with Zamber and Rudo. Sulla was the companys attorney. On Feb. 4, 2015 Rudo secured the OHCDs approval of an affordable housing agreement between the county and the company the men controlled. Luna Loa got 212 credits in exchange for a promise to develop 106 affordable housing units on approximately 4.6 acres of land in South Kohala. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rudo did not disclose his ownership interest in Luna Loa, or that he had an agreement to share in any proceeds to be received by the company. He helped Luna Loa negotiate deals to buy the South Kohala Property, resell it, and retain and sell the credits, all without developing any affordable housing units, contrary to the agreement they signed with the county. Rudo identified various landowners who might be interested in buying AHCs and drafted letters from Luna Loa to those landowners soliciting offers for the credits. Budhabhatti sent an email to Rudo, thanking him for compiling such a valuable list of large landowners in the county because [w ]ith judicious use, we can generate a market frenzy for the credits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On April 7, 2015, the group sold four credits for $200, 000. The money was deposited in a Luna Loa bank account. On Apr. 24, 2015, Luna Loa entered agreements to buy the South Kohala Property from one real estate development company and resell it to another real estate development company. Sulla handled the re-sale of the property. After closing the two transactions on the same day, Luna Loa retained 17 credits about $45, 000 in fees. Budha bhatti paid Zamber $11, 885, Rudo got $100, 000, and Sulla got $2, 475 out of Luna Loas accounts. The indictment details 10 wire transfer payments and email correspondence between the men. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a May 21, 2019, email Budhabhatti proposes to Rudo how to get county approval for the transfer of credits that their West View company got in its affordable housing agreement. Blasting [OHCD Housing Administrator ] sounds tempting but probably not enough. Putting pressure on mayor seems to make sense but seems bit dangerous, Budha bhatti wrote. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mohammad Khatib and Margaret Nammar and Trial Attorney William Gullota, of the U.S. Department of Justices Criminal Division, Public Integrity Section, prosecuted the case. The defendants in this investigation defrauded their own community for personal financial gain, said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter, in a statement. The corruption of government officials corrodes public trust and weakens our communities. The FBI will continue to aggressively pursue these cases to protect and maintain public trust and hold criminals accountable. Last week, the Trump administration eliminated the Congressionally mandated entity that oversees vetted Afghan allies' travel to the U.S. and stated that it will dismantle the program that oversees their resettlement, continuing the series of blows dealt to our Afghan allies since January 20. In a document sent by the State Department to multiple Congressional Committees on May 29, the Department announced that "the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) Office will be eliminated and its functions will be realigned to the Afghanistan Affairs Office." The decision angered Rep. Dina Titus (DNev.), sponsor of the CARE Authorization Act, which passed with bipartisan support in November 2024. The act states that the Secretary of State "shall appoint" a coordinator for a term of three years to assist in relocating and resettling "eligible Afghan allies," facilitating the relocation of American citizens or legal permanent residents, and coordinating with the interagency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On May 29, Titus shared a video on X of a question she asked of Secretary of State Marco Rubio only a week earlier, as he came before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "We are going to continue with this Afghan relocationthis CARE office, is what you're committing to me?" Titus asks. "We're going to comply with the statutory requirements," Rubio replies. "Clearly, he lied," Titus commented. Two days later, the White House's Technical Supplement to the 2026 Budget included notice that the government will soon terminate the Enduring Welcome program, "the U.S. Government's long-term resettlement program which relies on standard immigration pathways for immigrant visa, Afghan Special Immigrant Visa, and refugee admissions programs." "The Department will shut down the Enduring Welcome program by the end of FY 2025," the document explains. With no additional funds for the program, the document states that "any remaining prior-year balances will be used solely to finalize contractual and/or other legal obligations." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I asked the State Department whether CARE will recommence funding travel for vetted allies prior to its July 1 sundown date, and whether the Trump administration has made a final decision about the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), the 90-day suspension and review of which was meant to end on April 20. I received no response. On June 4, days after announcing the sunset of the systems that assist our allies, the Trump administration announced via executive order that it will ban travel for nationals of 12 countries, including Afghanistan. There are exceptions for Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants, and the executive order states that it does not "limit the ability of an individual to seek asylum, refugee status, withholding of removal, or protection under the [Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment of Punishment]." Shawn VanDiver, president of the nonprofit #AfghanEvac, said the exemption for SIV applicants is "functionally useless" given that CARE and Enduring Welcome no longer exist to help with resettlement and travel. According to VanDiver, the order blocks some family reunification programs, eliminates student visas for Afghans, and "does nothing to help our allies, including the family of active duty U.S. military service members stranded" in third countries. The nonprofit No One Left Behind expressed gratitude for the SIV exemption in a press release but noted that the order does not protect Afghans "who were injured in the line of duty and were unable to complete a full year of service" or "the women and men of the Afghan National Army who trained and served with U.S. Special Forces," among others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advocates, such as veteran Elizabeth Lynn, director of government affairs at the nonprofit evacuation organization Operation Recovery, are concerned about the developments. "It is as if the chaos of the withdrawal in 2021 continues and our allies are not just being left behind but dumped. Ending both Enduring Welcome and CARE places this administration at the epicenter of the chaos," Lynn said. "Essentially stranding our allies across the globe while potentially deporting them from the United States," is something Lynn said veterans and "people around the world will remember." Multiple Afghans, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity, explained the impact these decisions have had on them. Ahmad, who has been waiting on a Priority-1 referral to the USRAP due to his work with the Ministry of Interior, has been living in Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar for nine months. He says that the elimination of CARE has increased his "stress and sadness" as "CARE was a vital source of support, hope, and guidance for us during such a difficult time." Ahmad reports that camp life "has become more unstable" as families have "started to lose hope about relocating to the U.S." "Personally, my 206 bones have pain from inside," Ahmad said, though he said he tries "to hold on to hope." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Feroza said that "living in Afghanistan is [a] nightmare as a girl who worked with USA government [sic]." Though it feels that "they left us behind and totally forget us [sic]," she implores the U.S. to relocate its allies to countries friendly to Afghan women if it will not help them directly. Masud says that his "adorable" son perished of cerebral palsy while he underwent USRAP processing in Pakistan because he "wasn't able to help him with proper medical care and treatment due to our refugee status" and a lack of funds. Awaiting word about the USRAP, Masud says he is "devastated." Nasir, another USRAP applicant, says he faced "extremely difficult conditions" once he made the difficult decision to relocate to Pakistan on the U.S. government's advice after working for several years on projects supported by the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and the U.S. Agency for International Development. After selling his Kabul home "for half its value," Nasir says he "faced three years of hardship and instability," including a lack of employment and education for his two children, and a "constant fear of deportation." Though his case was in its final stages and he was set to travel to the U.S. within two weeks of the January suspension of USRAP, Nasir says he is now "trapped in limbo." The post U.S. Abandons Afghan Allies as Trump Administration Shuts Down Resettlement Programs appeared first on Reason.com. Kabul Dr. Najmussama Shefajo is probably Afghanistan's best known and most experienced OB-GYN. She became a household name from her regular appearances on Afghan television, where she talked openly about women's reproductive health, a subject still considered taboo in Afghanistan. Over the past decade, CBS News has made several visits to her private clinic in central Kabul, but it has never looked as busy as it does now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her clinic was flooded with new patients after the Taliban banned women from nursing and midwife training courses back in December. It's a move that has started to take its toll on Shefajo, who told CBS News she has been suffering from migraines for quite some time "because of the tension." "I see my patients are very poor, they cannot pay, I cannot help them, and all the pressure comes on me and I get a headache," Shefajo said. Still, Shefajo has remained a committed teacher. She found a way to get around the Taliban's education ban for her student nurses and midwives by giving them all jobs at her clinic. This means they are technically no longer students, but employees, even as she continues to train them. She says that if the current policies remain in place though, the situation in Afghanistan will worsen. "The previous doctors, midwives, nurses are getting older and older and they will die," Shefajo said. "Who will provide services?" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following the U.S. withdrawal and immediately after taking power in 2021, the Taliban also banned girls over the age of 12 from attending school. But the results of such a health care shortage could be catastrophic, Shefajo believes. Under Taliban rule, women and girls can only be treated by female doctors. Male doctors can only treat women when a male guardian is present. "For sure the number of deaths will be increasing, and one day there will not be female in Afghanistan," Shefajo said. An Afghanistan without women the Taliban insists that is not what its policies are aimed at. In the courtyard outside her clinic, CBS News tried to ask some of the husbands, fathers and guardians what they thought about the Taliban's ban on maternal health education for women, but no one wanted to talk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shefajo said her message to the Taliban is to rescind the policy on women's health education. "As a doctor, as a mother, as a woman, as a Muslim, I request themto give a chance for the female to help you to build the country." Musk alleges Trump's name appeared in Epstein files as feud escalates What to know about President Trump's travel ban on nationals from 12 countries Trump says he's disappointed by Musk criticism of budget bill, Musk says he got Trump elected LANDOVER, Md. (DC News Now) Some concerned African immigrants who live in Prince Georges County are worried about President Trumps new travel ban and how it could impact them and their families. Sonia Staples grew up in Sierra Leone but moved to the United States as a teenager and lives in Prince Georges County. She often travels to visit her family, but is concerned about how the Presidents travel ban could impact her. DCs National Airport will close during Armys June 14 party Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I feel like Sierra Leone is being picked on. What bothers me about this is that I was planning to go visit Sierra Leone in August, but right now I am very apprehensive about going because I dont know what the impact is. As an American, will they stop me from going? Staples asked. Travel to the United States has been partially restricted for citizens from Sierra Leone. A Prince Georges County spiritual leader who is the Imam at the Sierra Leone Jamaat Mosque, Teslim Alghali, is also worried. This now means what is going to happen. We just got this, and we dont know that much of what this entails. Our country of Sierra Leone is on the partial list of countries with a Partial Trump ban. Alghali says that because of his concerns, he decided to visit his County Councilor Wala Blegay for support and guidance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our biggest concern for African residents here who are planning to travel back and forth, and we have concerns for those who have pending applications for status, but this one impacts even those with green cards and those who are residents here planning to travel, Blegay explained. Sonia Staples tells DC News Now she is hoping her country will be removed from the list. We are a peaceful nation, and we dont have terrorists. We just have law-abiding people who go about their business here and in Sierra Leone. The travel ban goes into effect on Monday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. Welcome back! Before we get started, I want to take a moment to honor the U.S. and other Allied troops who took part in the D-Day landings 81 years ago, including the soldiers killed during a rehearsal of the invasion in April 1944. The free world remains in their debt. Last weekend, Ukraine launched a daring drone attack against airfields thousands of miles inside Russia. Dubbed Operation Spiders Web, the attack drew global attention. It was more than just an intelligence coup de grace it was planned over 18 months and involved smuggling the drones into Russia and launching them close to their targets. The attack also revealed how vulnerable military installations within the United States could be to a similar strike. Thats an assumption that we are far from the adversary, we have oceans separating us, that were somehow far away from these threats, said Masao Dahlgren, who writes about missile defense for the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington, D.C. But as these kinds of incidents show, that threat is not as far as we would like to think. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While certain stateside military installations are well defended, U.S. service members at other bases would not be able to do much to respond to the type of small drone attack that Ukraine launched against Russia, a former senior Defense Department official told Task & Purpose. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin said that while the service is working to bolster its defenses, it also needs to look at small drones potential for offensive operations. If all were doing is playing defense and we cant shoot back, then thats not a use for our money, he said. Now that weve discussed Operation Spiders Web at length and great name, by the way heres your rundown of all the other news you might have missed this week: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thank you for reading, and please remember that this week also marks the 83rd anniversary of the Battle of Midway from June 3-7, in 1942. The Japanese lost four aircraft carriers that had taken part in the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in the prior year. The strategic victory was due in large part to U.S. Navy codebreakers, who learned of the Japanese plans ahead of the battle. See you next week! Jeff Schogol Attorney General Gentner Drummond, pictured Feb. 28, 2024, on Thursday called for Afghan refugees in Oklahoma to be removed. (Photo by Janelle Stecklein/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY Oklahomas attorney general said Thursday he demands the removal of Afghan refugees who were resettled in the state in 2021 with Gov. Kevin Stitts support. Gentner Drummond, who is also a Republican candidate for governor, said the thousands of Afghan refugees were not properly vetted in 2021 and pose a threat to public safety. His statement followed a travel ban from President Donald Trump on 12 countries, including Afghanistan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stitt and the organizations who helped resettle around 1,800 refugees from Afghanistan in Oklahoma pushed back. They said Drummonds statement was inaccurate and creates unnecessary fear about the Afghan population in the state. Gov. Kevin Stitt said Friday Oklahomas Attorney General was using his official platform to campaign. (Photo by Emma Murphy/Oklahoma Voice) The Republican governor said in a statement Friday that the Biden administration had failed to secure a safe exit from Afghanistan, costing American lives and left Afghani citizens in danger. They aided our troops in some of the most dangerous combat situations, Stitt said. It is unconscionable that anyone would suggest that we should have left them at the mercy of the Taliban. Individuals using their official platform to campaign for a higher office are using prejudice and fear tactics to sow discord. If the attorney general can identify laws being broken, he should use his existing authority to prosecute criminal activity. Oklahomans see through the political rhetoric. Drummond rebuffed Stitts statement. He said Friday his top focus as attorney general is to ensure law and order, adding that it was a public safety issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We greatly value the Afghan friends and allies who assisted US forces, but federal investigations have clearly borne out that vetting was woefully insufficient, Drummond said. Drummond on Thursday referenced two acts of violence involving Afghan refugees, including one threat to Election Day in Oklahoma City. Tax dollars are being used to pay for resettlement efforts and foreign nationals who are not properly vetted pose a threat, he said in his statement. Adding insult to injury, Gov. Stitt illegally directed millions of our tax dollars to pay for resettlement expenses, Drummond said Thursday. Now that President Trump has acted in the best interests of the United States by fully restricting Afghan nationals, I am demanding that Gov. Stitt reject the approval he gave to the Biden Administration so all Afghan refugees can be removed from Oklahoma. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX But leaders of community organizations who helped with resettlement efforts said Drummonds statement is inaccurate and sows unnecessary fear about a vulnerable population. Patrick Raglow, executive director at Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, said its ludicrous to say this population is a threat for having not been vetted. His beef is not with the Afghan arrivals so much as it is with the governor, and this just happens to be the shape of the rock hes throwing at the governor, he said. Thats my personal opinion, but the statement itself is most unfortunate and factually flawed. It creates a little bit of hostility and animus in our community for those who are here, who fled violence and were not brought here to import violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Raglow said in 2021, Catholic Charities was approached by Stitt to aid in the resettlement efforts after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban. Catholic Charities has been involved in refugee resettlement for decades. He hopes that people draw a distinction between refugees and asylum seekers and immigrants. Every refugee is an immigrant. 99% of immigrants are not refugees, Raglow said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Veronica Laizure, executive director of CAIR Oklahoma, said refugees undergo some of the more strict security screenings. She said shes disappointed in Drummonds words. CAIR Oklahoma is a nonprofit advocacy group working to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are pretty dismayed and disappointed that (Attorney General) Drummond feels its appropriate to hold an entire population accountable for the actions of a very, very small minority, and that hes willing to generalize and paint all of our Afghan neighbors with the same brush, she said. We live in Oklahoma, which is a state thats very familiar, painfully familiar, with the impact of domestic terrorism, and yet we dont assume that everyone who looks like Timothy McVeigh holds his same views or would commit the same actions that he did. Afghan refugees who came to the U.S. were individuals, or family members, who worked with the U.S. military at high risk to themselves, resulting in violence and death, Laizure said. Islamophobia is at a high level right now, Laizure said, which puts this community on edge. She said she encourages people to reach out to people and organizations who have real experience before operating based on stereotypes and prejudice. Could artificial intelligence tools be used to stop the next pandemic before it starts? During the Covid pandemic, new technology developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins and Duke universities didnt exist. But, for the first time, researchers there say theyve devised a revolutionary large language modeling tool - the type of generative AI used in ChatGP - to help predict the spread of any infectious disease, such as bird flu, monkeypox, and RSV. That could help save lives and reduce infections. Covid-19 elucidated the challenge of predicting disease spread due to the interplay of complex factors that were constantly changing, Johns Hopkins Lauren Gardner, a modeling expert who created the Covid dashboard that was relied upon by people worldwide during the pandemic, said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When conditions were stable the models were fine. However, when new variants emerged or policies changed, we were terrible at predicting the outcomes because we didnt have the modeling capabilities to include critical types of information, she added. The new tool fills this gap. Gardner was one of the authors of the study published Thursday in the Nature Computational Science journal. Researchers say theyve developed a revolutionary new artificial intelligence tool to help predict the spread of infectious disease. Could it predict the next pandemic before it starts? (Getty Images) The tool, named PandemicLLM, considers recent infection spikes, new variants, and stringent protective measures. The researchers utilized data that had never been used before in pandemic prediction tools, finding that PandemicLLM could accurately predict disease patterns and hospitalization trends one to three weeks out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The data included rates of cases hospitalizations and vaccines, types of government policies, characteristics of disease variants and their prevalence, and state-level demographics. The model incorporates these elements to predict how they will come together and affect how disease behaves. They retroactively applied PandemicLLM to the Covid pandemic, looking at each state over the course of 19 months. The authors said the tool was particularly successful when the outbreak was in flux. It also outperformed existing state-of-the-art forecasting methods, including the highest performing ones on the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions CovidHub. Traditionally we use the past to predict the future, author Hao Frank Yang, a Johns Hopkins assistant professor of civil and systems engineering, said. But that doesnt give the model sufficient information to understand and predict whats happening. Instead, this framework uses new types of real-time information. There will be another pandemic. The researchers hope this can support public health response (Getty Images) Going forward, they are looking at how large language models can replicate the ways individuals make decisions about their health. They hope that such a model would help officials to design safer and more effective policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than a million Americans have died from Covid. Its not a matter of if there will be a next pandemic, but when. Right now, the U.S. is dealing with the spread of H5N1 bird flu, RSV, HMPV, pertussis, and measles, among other health concerns. Vaccination rates for measles have plunged since the pandemic, and general vaccine hesitancy has increased. That has resulted in fears that the nation could see decades of health progress reversed. Furthermore, U.S. health officials have acted to separate from global efforts to respond to pandemics, withdrawing from the World Health Organization earlier this year. Last month, they limited access to Covid vaccines for certain groups. We know from Covid-19 that we need better tools so that we can inform more effective policies, Gardner said. There will be another pandemic, and these types of frameworks will be crucial for supporting public health response. Deloitte UK's revenue growth slowed in its 2024 financial year. John Wreford/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Deloitte UK has promoted 60 employees to partner, 21 fewer than last year. The decline is another sign of continued pressure on the consulting industry. Deloitte is lowering some bonuses and promoting fewer employees, according to a recent internal memo. Deloitte UK has promoted fewer employees to the rank of partner than it did in 2024. The Big Four firm said in a press release that 60 staff have achieved the coveted title in this year's round of promotions, compared to 81 the year before. Deloitte said that it had also converted 77 people from salaried to equity partner, which it said was more than double compared to last year. "Our partnership remains critical to our firm's culture and success in the market," said Richard Houston, senior partner and chief executive of Deloitte UK, in a press release. Partners are the firm's most senior employees. Those who hold equity ownership in the business traditionally receive a share of annual profits, while non-equity partners receive a salary. As market pressures have weighed on the Big Four, partner numbers and their payouts have been falling. Houston said the appointment of more equity partners was "a sign of our confidence in our firm's future and the growth opportunities ahead." It is not clear how many equity partners have left the UK division in the last year. Richard Houston is the chief executive of Deloitte UK. Liam McBurney/PA/Getty Images The promotions were announced in line with the close of Deloitte's financial year on May 31. The firm's annual financial results are released in September. Annual revenue growth slowed to 2.4% in Deloitte's UK division during the 2024 financial year, a sharp drop compared to the 14% growth in revenue for 2023. A recent internal memo sent by Houston to UK staff, and seen by BI, hinted that pressures remain high. Deloitte UK's total profits for its 2025 financial year would be "slightly ahead of last year" but "below our original plan," Houston wrote. The firm would promote fewer employees across the board, and employees in the UK consulting division should only expect about 80% of their annual bonuses since they "fell materially short" of performance goals, Houston wrote in the memo. The lower bonuses would also apply to partners in the consulting division. Deloitte UK now has 1,356 partners, and the new additions bring the overall percentage of female partners to 31% and those coming from an ethnic minority background to 12%, the firm said. Partner numbers at Deloitte's Big Four rivals in the UK PwC, KPMG, and EY have dropped, according to a BI analysis of publicly available data. (NewsNation) As artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent, many traditional entry-level jobs for recent college graduates are changing or being eliminated altogether. A new report from SignalFire, a data-driven venture capital firm, suggests AI is responsible for a 25% decrease in the hiring of recent graduates by major tech companies, including Meta, Microsoft and Google. Asher Bantock, SignalFires head of research, told TechCrunch the decline equated to thousands of fewer hires in 2024 than in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report highlighted that hiring of recent graduates by big tech companies fell 25% last year and is down 50% compared to pre-pandemic levels. Unemployment rate higher for new graduates Oxford Economics determined that graduates those aged 22 to 27 with a bachelors degree or higher have contributed 12% to the 85% rise in the national unemployment rate since mid-2023. Those graduates make up only 5% of the total workforce, meaning theyre contributing more than double their share to unemployment statistics. Recent graduates also have a nearly 6% unemployment rate, beating out the national unemployment rate of 4.2%. Recent college graduates increasingly unemployed, research finds Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Experts believe AI is a major reason many are struggling to find jobs. Dario Amodei, CEO of AI startup Anthropic, warned Axios that AI could eliminate up to half of all entry-level white-collar jobs, potentially increasing unemployment by 10% to 20%. Aneesh Raman, LinkedIns chief economic opportunity officer, suggested in a New York Times op-ed that the bottom rung of the career ladder is breaking. In tech, advanced coding tools are creeping into the tasks of writing simple code and debugging the ways junior developers gain experience, he wrote. In law firms, junior paralegals and first-year associates who once cut their teeth on document review are handing weeks of work over to AI tools to complete in a matter of hours. Where has AI replaced entry-level jobs? AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are taking over customer service and support roles. Data entry and processing roles are being automated. Even retail inventory management and fast-food drive-thrus at fast-food chains like Taco Bell and Wendys are now using AI-powered voice assistants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Scott Baradell, spokesperson for media company LaborStrong, compared this shift to the automation wave that hit blue-collar manufacturing jobs in the 1980s. Thousands of classmates deepfakes found in students dorm: Police You could think of it as the white-collar version of what happened to many blue-collar manufacturing jobs back in, starting in the 80s and onward with robots and things taking over those kinds of assembly-line jobs that people had long counted on, he said. Then, many people thought, Oh, they wont be able to take all these jobs and automate them and they did. Unions move to block job-killing AI Despite these changes, some jobs likely remain beyond AIs reach and are in high demand. Airline pilots and air traffic control operators, for example, require human judgment and experience that AI cant replicate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To protect their roles, some workers are turning to unions. Last year, the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA demanded protections to ensure AI wouldnt replace their jobs, and dockworkers on the East and Gulf coasts called for a complete ban on port automation. Experts have advised that if recent graduates cant find an entry-level position in their desired field, they should consider starting in related roles to build skills and transition once they have more experience. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation. Top artificial intelligence companies are rapidly expanding their lobbying footprint in Washington and so far, Washington is turning out to be a very soft target. Two privately held AI companies, OpenAI and Anthropic which once positioned themselves as cautious, research-driven counterweights to aggressive Big Tech firms are now adding Washington staff, ramping up their lobbying spending and chasing contracts from the estimated $75 billion federal IT budget, a significant portion of which now focuses on AI. They have company. Scale AI, a specialist contractor with the Pentagon and other agencies, is also planning to expand its government relations and lobbying teams, a spokesperson told POLITICO. In late March, the AI-focused chipmaking giant Nvidia registered its first in-house lobbyists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement AI lobbyists are very visible and very present on the hill, said Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) in an interview at the Special Competitive Studies Project AI+ Expo this week. Theyre nurturing relationships with lots of senators and a handful of members [of the House] in Congress. Its really important for their ambitions, their expectations of the future of AI, to have Congress involved, even if it's only to stop us from doing anything. This lobbying push aims to capitalize on a wave of support from both the Trump administration and the Republican Congress, both of which have pumped up the AI industry as a linchpin of American competitiveness and a means for shrinking the federal workforce. They dont all present a unified front Anthropic, in particular, has found itself at odds with conservatives, and on Thursday its CEO Dario Amodei broke with other companies by urging Congress to pass a national transparency standard for AI companies but so far the AI lobby is broadly getting what it wants. The overarching ask is for no regulation or for light-touch regulation, and so far, they've gotten that," said Doug Calidas, senior vice president of government affairs for the AI policy nonprofit Americans for Responsible Innovation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a sign of lawmakers deference to industry, the House passed a ten-year freeze on enforcing state and local AI regulation as part of its megabill that is currently working through the Senate. Critics, however, worry that the AI conversation in Washington has become an overly tight loop between companies and their GOP supporters muting important concerns about the growth of a powerful but hard-to-control technology. There's been a huge pivot for [AI companies] as the money has gotten closer, Gary Marcus, an AI and cognitive science expert, said of the leading AI firms. The Trump administration is too chummy with the big tech companies, and basically ignoring what the American people want, which is protection from the many risks of AI. Anthropic declined to comment for this story, referring POLITICO to its March submission to the AI Action Plan that the White House is crafting after President Donald Trump repealed a sprawling AI executive order issued by the Biden administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement OpenAI, too, declined to comment. This week several AI firms, including OpenAI, co-sponsored the Special Competitive Studies Projects AI+ Expo, an annual Washington trade show that has quickly emerged as a kind of bazaar for companies trying to sell services to the government. (Disclosure: POLITICO was a media partner of the conference.) Theyre jostling for influence against more established government contractors like Palantir, which has been steadily building up its lobbying presence in D.C. for years, while Meta, Google, Amazon and Microsoft major tech platforms with AI as part of their pitch already have dozens of lobbyists in their employ. What the AI lobby wants is a classic Washington twofer: fewer regulations to limit its growth, and more government contracts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The government budget for AI has been growing. Federal agencies across the board from the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy to the IRS and the Department of Veterans Affairs are looking to build AI capacity. The Trump administrations staff cuts and automation push is expected to accelerate the demand for private firms to fill the gap with AI. For AI, growth also demands energy and, on the policy front, AI companies have been a key driver of the recent push in Congress and the White House to open up new energy sources, streamline permitting for building new data centers and funnel private investment into the construction of these sites. Late last year, OpenAI released an infrastructure blueprint for the U.S. urging the federal government to prepare for a massive spike in demand for computational infrastructure and energy supply. Among its recommendations: creating special AI zones to fast-track permits for energy and data centers, expanding the national power grid and boosting government support for private investment in major energy projects. Those recommendations are now being very closely echoed by Trump administration figures. Last month, at the Bitcoin 2025 Conference in Las Vegas, David Sacks Trumps AI and crypto czar laid out a sweeping vision that mirrored the AI industrys lobbying goals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking to a crowd of 35,000, Sacks stressed the foundational role of energy for both AI and cryptocurrency, saying bluntly: You need power. He applauded President Donald Trumps push to expand domestic oil and gas production, framing it as essential to keeping the U.S. ahead in the global AI and crypto race. This is a huge turnaround from a year ago, when AI companies faced a very different landscape in Washington. The Biden administration, and many congressional Democrats, wanted to regulate the industry to guard against bias, job loss and existential risk. No longer. Since Trumps election, AI has become central to the conversation about global competition with China, with Silicon Valley venture capitalists like Sacks and Marc Andreessen now in positions of influence within the Trump orbit. Trumps director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy is Michael Kratsios, former managing director at Scale AI. Trump himself has proudly announced a series of massive Gulf investment deals in AI. Sacks, in his Las Vegas speech, pointed to those recent deal announcements as evidence of what he called a total comprehensive shift in Washingtons approach to emerging technologies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But as the U.S. throws its weight behind AI as a strategic asset, critics warn that the enthusiasm is muffling one of the most important conversations about AI: its ability to wreak unforeseen harm on the populace, from fairness to existential risk concerns. Among those concerns: bias embedded in algorithmic decisions that affect housing, policing, and hiring; surveillance that could threaten civil liberties; the erosion of copyright protections, as AI models hoover up data and labor protections as automation replaces human work. Kevin De Liban, founder of TechTonic Justice, a nonprofit that focuses on the impact of AI on low income communities, worries that Washington has abandoned its concerns for AIs impact on citizens. Big Tech gets fat government contracts, a testing ground for their technologies, and a liability-free regulatory environment, he said, of Washingtons current AI policy environment. Everyday people are left behind to deal with the fallout. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres a much larger question, too, which dominated the early AI debate: whether cutting-edge AI systems can be controlled at all. These risks, long documented by researchers, are now taking a back seat in Washington as the conversation turns to economic advantage and global competition. Theres also the very real concern that if an AI company does bring up the technologys worst-case scenarios, it may find itself at odds with the White House itself. Anthropic CEO Amodei said in a May interview that labor force disruptions due to AI would be severe which triggered a direct attack from Sacks, Trumps AI czar, on his podcast, who said that line of thinking led to woke AI. Still, both Anthropic and OpenAI are going full steam ahead. Anthropic hired nearly a dozen policy staffers in the last two months, while OpenAI similarly grew its policy office over the past year. Theyre also pushing to become more important federal contractors by getting critical FedRAMP authorizations a federal program that certifies cloud services for use across government which could unlock billions of dollars in contracts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As tech companies grow increasingly cozy with the government, the political will to regulate them is fading and in fact, Congress appears hostile to any efforts to regulate them at all. In a public comment in March, OpenAI specifically asked the Trump administration for a voluntary federal framework that overrides state AI laws, seeking private sector relief from a patchwork of state AI bills. Two months later, the House added language to its reconciliation bill that would have done exactly that and more. The provision to impose a 10 year moratorium on state AI regulations passed the House but is expected to be knocked out by the Senate parliamentarian. (Breaking ranks again, Anthropic is lobbying against the moratorium.) Still, the provision has widespread support amongst Republicans and is likely to make a comeback. Nearly 200 children live in a hillside village on the border of Kampala, Uganda. They are given food, shelter and an education at the Light the Future Foundation, a school and orphanage founded by Patrick Ssenyondo. The organization provides critical care for HIV-positive children who have been left by their parents in the east African country. "Most of the children here lost their parents, and those that have them, they can't take care of them," Ssenyondo told ABC News. "They can't pay their tuition, they cannot pay for their medication, they can't pay for food." PHOTO: Children at the Light the Future Foundation school and orphanage wait for food. (Patrick Ssenyondo/Light the Future Foundation) The children, who are facing the unimaginable, now have another blockade to survival. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that suspended foreign aid for 90 days. Later came the termination of several foreign aid contracts, which have upended facilities and organizations like the Light the Future Foundation. Ssenyondo told ABC News that his foundation used to have a month's supply of medication prior to the cuts. Now, he's resorted to rationing the children's medication, only having a week's supply since the cuts have taken place While no child has died at his center, the children's 28-year-old teacher, Ms. Mary, passed away after Ssenyondo says she wasn't able to access her antiretrovirals -- a result of the USAID cuts. PHOTO: Ms. Mary, pictured in the yellow dress, serves food to children. (Patrick Ssenyondo/Light the Future Foundation) That's a fate Ssenyondo hopes won't fall on the children. He told ABC News he can't bear to tell them they aren't getting their medications. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If you tell one child that you know, we are no [longer] getting medication for your AIDS, so you're going to lose your life," Ssenyondo said. "That's something we cannot do. So we keep quiet." In another part of rural Uganda, Bayo Emmanuel, founder of the Bright Star Orphanage, shared a similar story. The eight HIV positive orphans he cared for got their medication for free prior to the cuts. After the cuts, Emmanuel said he was told he should turn to the private sector, where he would have to pay for their medication. He couldn't afford all of the children's medication and the orphanage ran out. One of the children, 14-year-old Migande Andrew, quickly fell ill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He got weaker and weaker every day and lost his life in the process," Bayo told ABC News. The community he loved gathered to say their goodbyes, burying him on Feb. 21. Uganda has one of the highest rates of HIV in the world. Migande Andrew and Ms. Mary are just two of an estimated 53,000 HIV-related deaths worldwide resulting from US Aid cuts, according to Boston University's PEPFAR Impact Tracker. This tool tracks the impact of the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, created by George W. Bush in 2003 and credited with saving 20 million lives around the globe. Today, the tool projects more than 9,000 children's lives could be lost globally by the end of 2025 if services aren't restored. PHOTO: Migande Andrew, 14, enjoys a meal with friends. (Bayo Emmanuel/Bright Star Orphanage) Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced it was terminating 90% of its foreign aid contracts and cutting $60 billion in funding for international programs that support everything from famine relief to fighting infectious diseases like HIV and AIDS. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration has denied any lives have been lost in connection to the recent cuts. On Feb. 4, Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the cuts during a press conference. "We've issued waivers because we don't want to see anybody die or anybody be harmed in the short term," he said. "But we're going to conduct a review, and we are going to have foreign aid in this country that is going to further the national interests of the United States." In a tense May 21 exchange before members of the Senate Foreign Committee, Rubio said he was very proud of the work the administration has done so far with USAID, though he was questioned by several lawmakers as to the severity of the cuts. Despite the abrupt termination of resources from the U.S., people in Uganda are doing everything they can to keep their communities alive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To the west of Kampala, a clinic called The Family Hope Center is still running due to the strength and resilience of its workers. Since March, all staff have been working for free. PHOTO: Migande Andrew's friends bid farewell to the 14-year-old at his funeral in February. (Bayo Emmanuel/Bright Star Orphanage) The center has provided comprehensive HIV care and treatment services since 2005. It's been a lifeline for just under 4,000 patients, who are now unsure of how the center will be funded. "If we are not working, that means more people are going to get HIV, more people will drop out of care," Mubezi Peruth, a nurse at the center, told ABC News. "So we have to be here to encourage our clients to continue taking the medicine and to teach those that are negative to stay negative through the prevention information we give them." At the orphanage, Ssenyondo is unsure of what will happen next. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This is the time when the children need us more," he said. "This is the time when we have to act so much to encourage these children not to lose efforts to fight AIDS." Aid workers say USAID cuts are putting the lives of children with HIV at risk originally appeared on abcnews.go.com It will probably cost hundreds of millions of dollars for the Pentagon to transform a luxury Qatari jet into Air Force One, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told lawmakers Thursday. Meink said it will likely cost less than $400 million to retrofit the Boeing 747 aircraft, the first price estimate given by the Trump administration since the U.S. military accepted the gift from Qatar last month. Under questioning from Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) Meink declined to discuss details of how the plane will need to be retrofitted to become Air Force One, citing classified information, but he pushed back at reports that the transformation could cost upward of $1 billion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We believe the actual retrofit of that aircraft is probably less than $400 million, Meink told the House Armed Services Committee, noting the Air Force had already accounted for spare parts. But Courtney, pointing to the expenses to build out two Air Force One aircraft as part of a $3.9 billion contract in 2018, contended that its clear that this new third plane is going to cost well over $1 billion. You cant retrofit a plane thats built for another purpose for Air Force One and expect it to be a free plane, he said. Youve got to install encrypted communications technology, you have to harden the defenses, you have to put countermeasures in there. Its a flying situation room. He added: Its clear that this is going to be a drain on the Air Forces budget. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Pentagon announced on May 21 that it had officially accepted the 13-year-old luxury jet previously used by the Qatari royal family. The controversial gift was announced ahead of President Trumps visit to the Middle East in early May, with the commander in chief brushing aside ethical and security concerns about receiving the jet, insisting it was free. Trump has claimed the plane one of the largest foreign gifts ever accepted by a U.S. president can be used as a stand-in for the aging Air Force One fleet as delays continue in Boeings refurbishment of the two 747 aircraft purchased during Trumps first term. Meink acknowledged that the Air Force One program has experienced significant delays but that officials are working closely with Boeing to accelerate the program. We are doing whatever we can to move the delivery timeline up, he told Courtney. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also conceded that Defense officials will need to do a deep sweep of the Qatari aircraft to make sure it doesnt pose a security threat. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Russia attacked Ukraine with 452 air targets missiles and drones on the night of 5-6 June. Ukrainian air defence downed 406 targets, with strikes in 13 locations and debris falling elsewhere. Source: Air Force on social media Details: From 20:00 on 5 June, the Russians used: - 407 Shahed attack UAVs and various types of decoy drones that were launched from the Russian cities of Kursk, Oryol, Millerovo, Shatalovo and Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Hvardiivske in temporarily occupied Crimea; Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement - six Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles launched from Russias Kursk and Voronezh oblasts; - 36 Kh-101 cruise missiles from Tu-95MS/Tu-160MS strategic aircraft launched from the airspace of Russias Saratov Oblast and over the Caspian Sea; - two Iskander-K cruise missiles from Dzhankoi in Crimea; - one Kh-31P anti-radiation missile from a tactical aircraft over the Black Sea. Early reports indicate that as of 10:00, air defence forces destroyed 406 Russian air attack assets throughout the country: - 199 Shahed-type UAVs (other types of drones) were shot down by fire weapons and 169 disappeared from radar or were suppressed by electronic warfare; Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement - four Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles and two more did not reach their targets (disappeared from radar); - 30 Kh-101 cruise missiles; - two Iskander-K cruise missiles. Meanwhile, strikes were recorded in 13 locations and debris fell in 19 locations. The air attack was repelled by aircraft, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare units and unmanned systems, as well as mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian defence forces. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! (KRON) A pilot program providing Alameda County Superior Court jurors with $100 per day in compensation is being paused indefinitely. Any juror selected to serve for a trial after June 4 will only receive $15 daily, court officials said. The goal for paying jurors $100, instead of a meager $15, was to diversify jury pools. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Thomas Nixon said, Jurors are an essential part of our judicial system, and we need to do all we can to increase participation. During jury selection, prospective jurors can request to be dismissed by a judge for a wide range of reasons. Financial hardships are common reasons for dismissal requests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Man who allegedly gunned down 2 people at Vallejo encampment captured: VPD The Jury Pilot Program was created as part of AB1981, which was signed by Newsom in 2022. In a notice sent this week to seven superior courts participating in the $100 per day pilot program, the Judicial Council of California requested that each court suspend the program because Gov. Gavin Newsoms revised budget cut funding. The National Center for State Courts, which was tracking juror demographics and diversity in all seven counties, was scheduled to release a report at the conclusion of the pilot program. The status of that report is currently unknown given the program is ending less than halfway through its designed length of time, court officials said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. The Alaska State Capitol is seen behind a curtain of blooming branches on Saturday, May 17, 2025. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) Cruise ship passengers in Alaskas capital city, visitors to the Alaska State Capitol and residents could be greeted by officials in hazmat suits next week as the city hosts a large-scale military exercise. Operation ORCA will test the readiness of first responders and members of the Alaska National Guard for a terrorist attack that involves chemical, biological, nuclear or explosive weapons, said Lt. Col. Brett Haker, commander of the 103rd Civil Support Team, which is putting on the exercise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Haker said ORCA is held every other year in Alaska, but this is the first time for Alaskas capital city and for the State Capitol itself, where they will stage a scenario involving an attack by fictitious Russia-based terrorists. Streets on three sides of the Capitol building will be closed to traffic for three days, June 9, 10 and 12, according to the Juneau Police Department. The Capitol itself will remain open to the public during the exercise. Haker said some parts of the scenario will involve a houseboat at or near Juneaus cruise ship docks, which welcome more than 1 million visitors per year. They will see us in our hazmat suits. We will have signs up, and ultimately, theyll see us entering and exiting. Well have our vehicles they are all like a blue Air Force color. They look civilian, but they all have lights on, and they look like, like an emergency vehicle, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The exercise will involve about 100 people, he said, including members of the FBI, U.S. Border Patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard, local police and fire departments, and local governments including the Tlingit and Haida Central Council. Some members of the National Guard from other states will also participate, and large military cargo planes will be involved. Haker credited his operations officer, Capt. Kyle Rehberg, for organizing much of the exercise but said it will also be a test of organization for everyone involved. Ultimately, the main purpose is to improve interoperability, so that we are all speaking the same language when we work with all these additional first responders and we have these complex problem sets that we have to work through collectively, he said. NEW MEXICO (KRQE) An Albuquerque native was one of the victims of a violent machete attack in downtown Los Angeles that left another man dead. Although the 35-year-old chef survived this attack, he has a long road to recovery ahead. Story continues below Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was a typical night for Kyle Levitt, he was walking home after his shift at a restaurant. But the walk home quickly turned violent. As Levitt went to grab his keys to unlock the door he heard footsteps running towards him, As soon as I went to look up to see the reflection in our lobby door, thats when I had noticed the reflection of a man, and that the running noise had come from him, then thats when the attack started. recalled Kyle Levitt. Levitt later learned, he was the second person to be attacked that night. A few blocks away, police say the same suspect attacked a 60-year-old man with the same machete and killed him. The attacker hit Levitt from behind, slashing his neck, ear, head, and body. Levitt called for the man to stop and turned around, the man then knocking him to the ground slashing his wrist with the machete then running away, Thats when I noticed half of my hand had been cut through. So I, both of my tendons leading to my thumb were severed, my Artery was severed in my wrist, the cut went down to the joint of my wrist, emphasized Levitt. The attack left Levitt with a skull fracture and staples on his head and neck. But worst of all, it left him without the full functionality of both of his hands. As a chef, hes left unable to work, saying it could take months to regain mobility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Levitt was born in raised in New Mexico, but has lived in LA for the last 11 years. He hopes to be back in the kitchen soon, where he hopes to achieve his goal of bringing New Mexican cuisine to Los Angeles. A Go Fund Me page has been set up to help him pay for medical bills and unforeseen expenses as he recovers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. HARVEY, Ill. (WGN) Surrounded by a group of constituents that included her mother, Harvey Ald. Colby Chapman (2nd Ward) arrived at City Hall Thursday for a meeting that never happened. Instead, she was met by police. Come to the station and we can resolve this issue, a Harvey Police Department officer can be heard telling Chapman at City Hall. Im headed to the Harvey Police Department because todays meeting was cancelled, Chapman replied. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chapman turned herself in at HPD Thursday, where she was booked and charged with one felony count of aggravated battery to a police officer, stemming from an April 28 incident at Harvey City Council, where Mayor Christopher Clark asked Chapman to be removed for disrupting the meeting. Chapman was arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting a police officer on April 28, charges the Cook County States Attorneys Office dropped on Wednesday. In October 2024, police arrested Chapman for allegedly filing a false police report where they said she claimed she was battered by the city administrator after a City Council meeting two months prior. That case was also dropped. In total, Chapman has been arrested four times since taking office as 2nd Ward alderwoman in 2023, and in all four instances, the charges have been dropped. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She told WGN TV News she feels the arrests are a part of ongoing political retaliation. Chapman said she plans to run against Clark in the south suburban citys next election cycle, after challenging him on several cases in relation to city spending and ethics. Theres an opportunity for us all to corral our efforts and change the trajectory and Im going to do that, Chapman said. Thats exactly why Im running for mayor of the City of Harvey in 2027. Todays arrest, coming on the very day Ms. Chapman announced her candidacy for mayor, is no coincidence. It is a blatant and deeply troubling act of political retaliation, said Daniel Olswang, Chapmans attorney. This is not justice. This is political persecution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Olswang said Chapman will be transferred to the Sixth Municipal District Jail in Markham and spend the night there before appearing in court at 9 a.m. Friday morning. The office of Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark has not replied to WGN TV News request for comment on this story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. Whether its picking out a new brunch spot or deciding which pants to buy next, the influencer economy has cemented itself as a powerhouse in consumer decision-makingand copy-trading app Dub believes the stock market is next. Most Read from Fast Company Founded in 2021 out of CEO Steven Wangs Harvard dorm room, the retail investment platform launched from stealth in February last year and has since amassed more than 1 million users. Especially during times of volatility like this, people need more help than ever to navigate how to invest, Wang says. People are seeing us as a trusted source to be able to find experts who guide them on how to invest and let them sort of do the hard work for you. After witnessing the impact of social media and investing through the infamous GameStop short squeeze in 2021, the 23-year-old founder set out to harness social media influence to benefit young investors. Despite ongoing economic uncertainty, more than 62% of Americans own stock, and younger generations are showing growing interest in entering the market. Gen Zers, for example, are beginning to invest at age 19earlier than previous generationsand are often turning to social media for financial advice. While Dub first gained traction by allowing users to copy high-profile investors like longtime California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and billionaire Warren Buffett, now the app also taps into the power of everyday creators, letting users copy and be copied by one another. (Politicians portfolios are not managed by the politicians themselves, but rather Dub advisers, and may take up to 45 days to update depending on their financial filing.) Functioning as a marketplace ecosystem, the app allows users to browse in-app creators, with visible returns displayed on-screen, offering a transparent and accessible experience for young investors. Its kind of like an eBay or an Amazon, Wang says. You can shop through all the different people who might interest or align with your investing style, your investing thesis. Or you might be enthused by their track record and their great performance. Headquartered in New York City, Dub has raised $47 million in funding, including a $30 million Series A round in early May, and is growing quickly. Notable investors include Nathan Rodland of Robinhood, Dara Khosrowshahi of Uber, and major firms such as Notable Capital and Tusk Venture Partners. CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WBOY) West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey is warning of Chinese vape products that are disguised as smart devices and may attract children. According to a release from the Attorney Generals Office, reports show that approximately 90% of Chinese vape products entering the United States go undetected. McCuskey and 27 other Attorney Generals have urged the Trump Administration to continue cracking down on China and its co-conspirators distributing the products. China is sending billions of dollars of vape products to the United States, but they intentionally mislabel these products to avoid FDA regulation, McCuskey said in the release. We dont know whats in these products, so adults should be aware of that risk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advocates help raise awareness in Harrison County for Alzheimers and Brain Awareness Month McCuskey went on to say that his main concern is that some vape products seem to be targeting children. Photos provided with the release depict vapes with games and apps on the front, similar to a smart device. The release also said that some vapes have been found containing urine, methamphetamine and heroin. Im a dad to two girls, so I understand parents constant worry, McCuskey said. We all want to protect our kids, and that job is harder when foreign actors directly target them. I hope to inform the public of this danger while we work with the Trump Administration to stop the problem at its source. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In December of 2024, West Virginia led the nation in the number of eighth graders who consume nicotine and tobacco products. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBOY.com. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a key progressive member of the House whose district covers swaths of the Bronx and Queens, endorsed New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on Thursday for the city's upcoming Democratic mayoral primary -- one day after the candidate clashed with front-runner former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other candidates on the debate stage. "Assemblymember Mamdani has demonstrated a real ability on the ground to put together a coalition of working-class New Yorkers that is strongest to lead the pack. In the final stretch of the race, we need to get very real about that," Ocasio-Cortez told the New York Times in an interview published on Thursday. Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images - PHOTO: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attends the House Energy and Commerce markup of the FY2025 budget resolution in Rayburn building, on May 13, 2025. MORE: Cuomo, Mamdani vie for top spot in NYC Democratic mayoral primary Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "In 2018, A.O.C. shocked the world and changed our politics for the better with her historic victory. On June 24, we will do the same," Mamdani told the Times in a statement. Mamdani, a state assemblymember and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has been steadily inching upward in the polls and fundraising. He is running on a progressive platform that includes a rent freeze for rent-stabilized apartments, eliminating fares for New York City buses and opening city-owned grocery stores. Mamdani envisions the latter two being funded by higher taxes on businesses and wealthy individuals; some have cautioned that he would need support from state government for those taxes. Yuki Iwamura, Pool via AP - PHOTO: Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during a Democratic mayoral primary debate, June 4, 2025, in New York. Her announcement came the day after a chaotic two-hour debate punctuated by candidates shouting over an increasingly exasperated slate of moderators. Nine Democrats who wish to be New York City's next mayor sparred over how they'd interact with President Donald Trump, public safety, affordability and other topics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Out of those who were onstage, Cuomo leads the pack in polling while Mamdani is slowly closing the gap in second place. The rest of the candidates have struggled to break through. MORE: 'CRAZY': Trump and Musk feud erupts on social media Each candidate was asked how they would work with -- or charge against -- Trump if elected mayor. Cuomo vowed that he is an adversary that Trump could not best. "He can be beaten. But he has to know that he's up against an adversary who can actually beat him. I am the last person on this stage that Mr. Trump wants to see as mayor, and that is why I should be the first choice for the people of the city to have as mayor," Cuomo said. Pool/Getty Images - PHOTO: Democratic mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo speaks, in the New York City Democratic Mayoral Primary Debate at NBC Studios, on June 4, 2025, in New York. Mamdani, answering the question, said, "I am Donald Trump's worst nightmare, as a progressive Muslim immigrant who actually fights for the things that I believe in, and the difference between myself and Andrew Cuomo is that my campaign is not funded by the very billionaires who put Donald Trump in D.C. ... I have to pick up the phone for the more than 20,000 New Yorkers who contributed an average donation of about $80 to break fundraising records and put our campaign in second place." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cuomo did not directly respond to Mamdani's attack on the debate stage. Some billionaires who have previously supported Trump, such as prominent hedge fund manager Bill Ackman and Home Depot founder Ken Langone, have donated to an independent group, the super PAC Fix the City, that supports Cuomo. Cuomo's campaign is not allowed to coordinate with the group. In response to reporting on Cuomo's wealthy supporters, Fix the City spokesperson Liz Benjamin told the New York Times that "donors have supported Fix the City because they know that Andrew Cuomo has the right experience and the right plans for New York City." Multiple controversies surrounding Cuomo -- including accusations against him of sexual harassment, which he denies -- came up during the debate. Former state assemblymember Michael Blake, while answering a question on public safety, brought up the sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo: "The people who don't feel safe are young women, mothers and grandmothers around Andrew Cuomo, that's the greatest threat to public safety in New York City." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cuomo, later asked about the allegations -- and if he would do anything differently given investigations that alleged his leadership fostered a toxic work environment -- told the moderators, "Let's just make sure we have the facts. A report was done four years ago making certain allegations. I said at the time that it was political and it was false." He added that five district attorneys found "nothing" and he was dropped from one case. "I said at the time that if I offended anyone, it was unintentional, but I apologize, and I say that today." Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) played the feud between President Donald Trump and former DOGE henchman Elon Musk for laughs on Thursday. (Watch the video below.) Approached by Spectrum News 1 about the fracture in their bromance, the smiling New York Democrat said: Oh man, the girls are fighting, arent they? The progressive lawmaker could be forgiven for a little regressive humor. She has been one of the Democrats most vocal opponents of Trumps so-called Big Beautiful Bill the legislation that actually ignited the Trump-Musk row. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk called the spending measure an abomination, and once Trump finally expressed his disappointment in the Tesla magnate and Trump mega-donor, things turned personal between the two. The bill is being ironed out in the Senate and would reportedly eliminate Medicaid coverage for 11 million people over time. Ocasio-Cortez had made a similar prediction last month. When this country wakes up in the morning, there will be consequences to pay for this, she said at the time. But perhaps she didnt see the bill resulting in the breakup of D.C.s premier platonic power couple. For a moment, anyway, it was something to crack wise about. AOC on Musk and Trump: "the girls are fighting aren't they ?" pic.twitter.com/pMdJun3N25 Winter Politics (@WinterPolitics1) June 6, 2025 Related... KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (KHON2) After a trial period of more than 30 days with one-way traffic on Konas Alii Drive, the County of Hawaii will revert the road back to its original two-way traffic pattern, the mayors office confirmed. After receiving feedback on the information, the county said they would simultaneously implement parking solutions across the road while maintaining its original traffic flow. Top 10 best donut spots in Hawaii Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We sincerely thank west Hawaii for their invaluable feedback during this Alii Drive pilot project, Mayor Kimo Alameda said. Recently, Big Island Now conducted a poll that garnered over 2,700 responses, and it was clear that many favored returning the traffic pattern to its original two-way flow. The county has already secured some changes while exploring possible parking aids to implement to help ease the burden of those looking to explore Konas local businesses. Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You The county has already secured reduced private parking fees, with the Parklinq Corporation agreeing to revise the cost of parking for those in and around Kailua Village. Officials are also looking at potentially opening up parking at the Hale Halawai County Facility, potential hotel partnerships and more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im grateful for this administrations courage, initiative, followed up, flexibility and willingness to return to the two-way traffic flow, said Councilmember Rebecca Villegas. In the process, other potential solutions have presented themselves. Thats a win for our village and community. Julie Ziemelis from the Fix Paid Parking in Kona group expressed similar support for the changes, thanking Alameda for listening to the groups feedback. Message boards will be installed along Alii Drive to announce the traffic change to inform residents and visitors. Official reinstatement of the two-way traffic will take effect on June 16. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A third suspect was arrested and accused of being involved in a drive-by shooting that occurred near a Vancouver school last month, authorities said. Jarod Ngiraibuuch was identified as a suspect in the May 27 shooting that happened in front of the Jim Parsely Center, the Vancouver Police Department said. He was charged with drive-by shooting, unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of a dangerous weapon on school grounds. Troutdales arts festival impacted by Job Corp cuts Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On June 5, 2025, at around 2:23 p.m., Detectives from CRU, with assistance from the SW Washington SWAT team, served a search warrant at an apartment at 2900 General Anderson Avenue, VPD said in a press release. Ngiraibuuch was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Clark County Jail. Two teenagers were previously arrested on the same day that the shooting occurred. The two teens, ages 15 and 17, were booked on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a stolen firearm, and possession of a dangerous weapon on school grounds. At the time, police said another suspect or suspects had fled the scene. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. Amazon has vowed to ban users who post fake reviews and punish companies that cheat its rating system after a UK crackdown on the practice. The retail giant has told regulators it will block businesses from selling on its website if they are found to have boosted their star ratings via bogus reviews. It will also take action against users who post the false reviews. Amazon said it would enhance its existing systems for tackling the problem, including instances where reviews of highly rated products are hijacked and added to separate items. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Amazon has been investing heavily in clamping down on fake star ratings, using expert investigators to spot bogus reviews. It is also using artificial intelligence (AI) to track how many reviews an account is posting and their sign-in activity to identify potential fraudsters. The company said it blocked more than 275m fake reviews last year. The tech giant told the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that it was committed to tackling fake reviews. Sarah Cardell, the chief executive of the regulator, said it meant people can make decisions with greater confidence knowing that those who seek to pull the wool over their eyes will be swiftly dealt with. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said the CMA would consider further action if shoppers did not see real change. Around 90pc of consumers use reviews to make decisions on what to buy online. Official figures have previously suggested that at least one in 10 of all product reviews on websites used by third-party sellers are likely to be fake. A large proportion are written by bots. However, in some instances sellers merge listings for new products with older and more popular items in order to acquire their review history. In 2019, a study by Which? found that reviews for a soap dispenser and a phone screen cover were listed under a pair of headphones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a report by the Department for Business and Trade from 2023, officials said the presence of well-written subtle fake reviews leads to a statistically significant increase in the proportion of consumers buying the product with these fake reviews. The Amazon pledges come months after new laws came into force that make online retailers liable for false reviews on their websites. Since April, companies have been legally required to take steps to prevent and remove the publication of fake reviews. The work is being overseen by the CMA, whose interim chairman, Doug Gurr, is the former UK boss of Amazon. He was appointed last year amid a push by ministers to ensure regulators tear down the barriers hindering business and refocus their efforts on promoting growth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Researchers have warned that the rise of AI threatens to lead to more fake reviews. Amazon claims that more than 99pc of all products in its store contain only authentic reviews. A spokesman for Amazon said: Ever since we introduced reviews in 1995 we have continued to innovate and work constructively with regulators around the world, including the CMA, to help customers share feedback that is relevant, helpful and trustworthy, in both Amazons store and across the industry. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. On March 13, an American Airlines flight was diverted from its destination after the flight crew reported engine vibrations, and its engine caught fire once it landed. The National Transportation Safety Board said in a report this week the engine leaked fuel because of loose and improperly installed parts. Despite numerous reported aviation safety incidents, air travel is safer than it was decades ago, experts say. An American Airlines engine that burst into flames after its aircraft was diverted in March was found to have fuel leaks and improperly installed parts, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a report released Thursday. The NTSB identified a damaged fan blade on the right side of the two-engine jet, as well as a loose airflow control component that was installed backward and a loose rod end that caused fuel to leak from the fitting. The report did not give a reason for the fire, as the NTSB has not yet finished its investigation on the incident. The purpose of the document is to find the root cause of the incident, not assign blame for it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On March 13, Flight 1006 en route from the Colorado Springs Airport to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport diverted to Denver International Airport after the flight crew reported engine vibrations. The Boeing 737-823 aircraft caught fire while taxiing to the gate, incurring substantial damage, according to the report. They thought they had what we would call the degraded engine, Cary Grant, an associate professor of aeronautical science at EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University, told Fortune. It wasnt performing. It wasnt a failed engine, but it wasnt providing all the thrust and capability that it could produce. The jet was carrying two flight crew members, four cabin crew members, and 172 passengers, 12 of whom were hospitalized for minor injuries. According to the report, gate ramp personnel extinguished the fire on the right side of the plane one minute after it began. Passengers evacuated the aircraft onto the left overwing and a slide from the jets right door. NTSBs photos of the evacuated aircraft show burn marks and damage from the jets right wing, main landing gear, and landing gear wheel well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority, and we are cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation of American Airlines flight 1006, an American Airlines spokesperson told Fortune in a statement. Managing safety incidents The March flight diversion was one of several highly scrutinized aviation safety incidents early in the year. In January, an American Airlines jet collided with an Army helicopter in Washington, D.C., killing 67 people. Later that month, a small, private plane crashed in Northeast Philadelphia, resulting in multiple deaths. Most recently, Newark Liberty International Airport experienced a series of radio outages, which resulted in a slew of flight delays and cancellations. These incidents can have financial repercussions for airlines. American Airlines reported in its first-quarter earnings challenges to resuscitate its corporate travel business as a result of economic uncertainty that pressured domestic leisure demand and the tragic accident of American Eagle Flight 5342, referring to the January incident. Despite the multiple safety blunders, aviation experts maintain it is still safe to fly. Boeingthough it has struggled in the past couple of years with safety concernsreported a significant decline in fatalities in 2024, saying there has been a 40% decline in total accident rates and 65% decline in fatal accident rates in the past 20 years, while the number of flights has increased 20% in that same time period. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Grant said the engine issues with Flight 1006 are rare, speaking to the dependability of its CFM56-7B engine. The engine is extremely reliable, he said. The fact that we dont see situations like this occurring frequently is testament to the reliability of the motors. Its an extremely reliable part. He maintains the flight crew did what was reasonably expected of them, given the information they had at the timeespecially since they had to evacuate passengers from the jet when it was taxiing at a gate, a situation that usually necessitates deplaning procedures. Combined with statistics that aviation accidents have actually decreased, the rarity of the engine degradation points to the continued security of air travel, Grant said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If we go back and look from the 50s on to where were at today, the accident trend is very, very small compared to the hundreds of thousands, millions of hours of flight time that are being flown every year, he said. The data does not support that air travel is riskier. Its actually just the opposite. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com NEED TO KNOW A boat in Bali capsized this week while carrying 89 passengers many of whom were tourists On Wednesday, June 4, a wave struck the back of a ferry off the island of Nusa Lembongan and caused it to capsize, per multiple outlets Lauren Dague, an American passenger onboard, told Good Morning America that it "felt like five minutes that it took for the entire boat to sink," after she broke through a window A ferry carrying dozens of tourists capsized in Bali this week, and one American onboard is now reflecting on her experience breaking a window to get herself and others to safety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Wednesday, June 4, a wave struck the back of a boat off the island of Nusa Lembongan, according to reporting by the Associated Press, NBC News and news.com.au. The incident took place around 4:30 p.m. local time. Local police told NBC that the wave caused the ship to "tilt to the left and lose balance." Per AP, the boat named The Tanis featured 125 seats and was carrying 89 tourists and crew when it departed from the island and began sinking. Footage of the boat sinking, shared by multiple outlets, shows passengers break through glass, the cabin filling with water and the boat itself tipping over as passengers were rescued by locals. Lauren Dague, who visited Bali to celebrate her 24th birthday, broke through a window with her foot to escape. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There [were] babies, small children, old people. It felt like five minutes that it took for the entire boat to sink," Dague told Good Morning America in an interview that aired on Friday, June 6. "I just smashed the window with my foot. I didn't even think twice about it. And I know for a fact I saved at least three to five, six other people with my decision." "People were just throwing themselves, just jumping across to the other boat," she added. "There [were] people in the water between the boats and could have easily gotten smushed." She also spoke to NBC, saying, "everyone was panicking" amid the tragedy. Viral Press Water begins to fill the bottom of boat that capsized in Bali on June 4, 2025 Water begins to fill the bottom of boat that capsized in Bali on June 4, 2025 Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Klungklung Police spokesperson AKP Agus Widiono said, per the AP, that the boat was completely evacuated by 6:30 p.m. local time and no casualties were reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement '"The Tanis was headed for Lembongan-Sanur Port. It was carrying four crew members and a captain, and 89 tourists. We have dispatched divers to ensure no one was trapped on the boat or on the seabed," the spokesperson said at the time. "Currently, two foreign passengers have departed for Sanur Port and the rest are staying in Nusa Lembongan." According to news.com.au, 77 of the ferry's passengers were foreigners and 12 were Indonesian. Nicola Wood, a tourist from Australia who was traveling with her husband and two children recalled most people being "back on shore before life raft and life jackets were thrown out," as local boats came to the rescue, per the AP. "We made it out, jumped into the water and swam to a nearby glass-bottom boat that took us back to shore," she said at the time. "Luggage is still washing up and being collected by Tanis staff." Viral Press Passengers escape capsized boat in Bali on June 4, 2025 Passengers escape capsized boat in Bali on June 4, 2025 Another Australian traveler, Megan Hughes, also recalled to 7News smashing through a window. She said she "didnt quite realize what was going on" since she was wearing headphones, but soon heard the "screams" and saw "water up to the seats." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Glass was going everywhere. Kids were screaming," she said. "People who couldnt swim as well were screaming and grabbing any life jacket they could find. We were scrambling over each other to get out the window. Dague told NBC that while she's now dealing with bruises and stitches, she's thankful to be have survived the ordeal. "I really did think that I was gonna die for a second," she said. "But I'm really glad, and pretty sure, that everybody's okay." Read the original article on People Elon Musk company reveals major leap forward originally appeared on TheStreet. As calendars turn to June, many people are waiting for an event that Elon Musk has touted for months. Tesla (TSLA) is gearing up to launch its fleet of autonomous robotaxis, an event upon which Musk has staked a great deal. The electric vehicle (EV) producers global market share has taken a significant hit, and despite some recent growth, TSLA stock is still making up the ground it lost this year. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Most peoples focus has been on Tesla recently, as this historic event draws near. But it isnt the only Musk company that is demonstrating progress in a key area. One of his startups recently announced a major milestone that indicates it is well-positioned to keep growing. Musk has a lot going on right now as he returns to his private-sector responsibilities. Regardless of how Teslas launch goes, though, one of his other ventures seems poised to continue advancing. One of Elon Musk's lesser-known companies recently reported a new funding update.Image source: Gomes/Getty Images Controversial Musk startup has great news to report When a company led by Musk makes headline news, it's typically Tesla or space exploration venture SpaceX. His brain implant startup, Neuralink, is often overshadowed by newer artificial intelligence company xAI, the maker of the Grok large language model (LLM). Related: Analyst says Tesla faces one big beautiful hit from Trump bill Since its founding in 2016, Neuralink has generated quite a bit of controversy, mostly for killing 1,500 animals while testing its products. However, the company recently announced that it has successfully closed out a Series E funding round that netted it an additional $650 million. In a company blog post published on June 2, Neuralink revealed that its latest capital raise included new funds from noted investors such as Cathie Woods ARK Invest, Sequoia Capital, and Valor Equity Partners, among others. Its latest cash influx is a significant increase from its Series D round in 2023, in which it raised $280 million. This funding helps us bring our technology to more people, restoring independence for those with unmet medical needs and pushing the boundaries of whats possible with brain interfaces, the company states. This successful capital raise isnt the only positive development Neuralink has reported. Musks company also revealed that five individuals who suffer from severe paralysis have begun using its technology to control digital and physical devices with their thoughts. However, the news comes just after Neuralink rival Paradromics shared that it had tested a brain implant in a human patient with epilepsy. This could compromise Musks companys progress if it establishes itself as a leader in the brain chip market. Senators Todd Young (Ind.) and Ted Cruz (Texas) are leading Republican efforts to brand June as Life Month during the already celebrated Pride Month, which honors the achievements and culture of the LGBTQ+ community. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images Every human life is worthy of protection, and it is especially incumbent upon Americans and lawmakers to protect the most vulnerable among us, Cruz said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. RELEASE: Sen. Cruz Leads Resolution Designating June as Life Monthhttps://t.co/cCQ14d9yWP pic.twitter.com/9duLUaiWYV Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) June 3, 2025 @SenTedCruz / Via x.com Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Youngs statement introducing the resolution, Life Month is meant to recognize the dignity of human life, commends those who promote life, and encourages policymakers to continue providing resources to empower women and families to choose life. Ted Cruz / Via cruz.senate.gov Related: "We Don't Import Food": 31 Americans Who Are Just So, So Confused About Tariffs And US Trade While the senators did have 11 other months they could designate as Life Month, they said the resolution marks June as the anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Cruz and Youngs pitch rings similar to Illinois Congresswoman Mary Millers resolution, which suggested fully replacing Pride Month with Family Month. Related: AOC's Viral Response About A Potential Presidential Run Has Everyone Watching, And I'm Honestly Living For It Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By recognizing June as Family Month, we reject the lie of Pride and instead honor Gods timeless and perfect design, Miller told right-wing news site The Daily Wire. Neither Cruz nor Young said they want to replace Pride Month, but their actions come at a time where the Trump administration has launched aggressive attacks against the LGBTQ+ community. Under his administration, President Donald Trump has erased or altered Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pages focused on the risks of suicide among LGBTQ children, school safety, and health disparities. ALLISON ROBBERT / AFP via Getty Images He has also signed executive orders that declared it official U.S. policy that there are only two sexes, male and female, and banned people with gender dysphoria from military service. Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images Earlier this week, Trumps Department of Education also formally declared June as Title IX Month. On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, which honors the slain LGBTQ+ rights icon. This move reportedly was intentionally made during Pride Month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A total of 26 Republican senators co-sponsored the resolution, including Alabamas Tommy Tuberville and South Carolinas Lindsey Graham. If we are going to dedicate entire months to recognizing every group under the sun, the least we can do is dedicate June to protecting unborn babies, Tuberville said on X. If we are going to dedicate entire months to recognizing every group under the sun, the least we can do is dedicate June to protecting unborn babies.I will ALWAYS stand for life, and Im proud to join @SenTedCruz.https://t.co/fIpHd2D1qs Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) June 4, 2025 @SenTuberville / Via x.com This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Also in In the News: People Can't Believe This "Disgusting" Donald Trump Jr. Post About Joe Biden's Cancer Diagnosis Is Real Also in In the News: Republicans Are Calling Tim Walz "Tampon Tim," And The Backlash From Women Is Too Good Not To Share Also in In the News: JD Vance Shared The Most Bizarre Tweet Of Him Serving "Food" As Donald Trump's Housewife By Laurie Chen BEIJING (Reuters) -China has signalled for more than 15 years that it was looking to weaponise areas of the global supply chain, a strategy modelled on longstanding American export controls Beijing views as aimed at stalling its rise. The scramble in recent weeks to secure export licences for rare earths, capped by Thursday's telephone call between U.S. and Chinese leaders Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, shows China has devised a better, more precisely targeted weapon for trade war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Industry executives and analysts say while China is showing signs of approving more exports of the key elements, it will not dismantle its new system. Modelled on the United States' own, Beijing's export licence system gives it unprecedented insight into supplier chokepoints in areas ranging from motors for electric vehicles to flight-control systems for guided missiles. "China originally took inspiration for these export control methods from the comprehensive U.S. sanctions regime," said Zhu Junwei, a scholar at the Grandview Institution, a Beijing-based think tank focused on international relations. "China has been trying to build its own export control systems since then, to be used as a last resort." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After Thursday's call, Trump said both leaders had been "straightening out some of the points, having to do mostly with rare earth magnets and some other things". He did not say whether China committed to speeding up licences for exports of rare earth magnets, after Washington curbed exports of chip design software and jet engines to Beijing in response to its perceived slow-rolling on licences. China holds a near-monopoly on rare earth magnets, a crucial component in EV motors. In April it added some of the most sophisticated types to an export control list in its trade war with the United States, forcing all exporters to apply to Beijing for licences. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That put a once-obscure department of China's commerce ministry, with a staff of about 60, in charge of a chokepoint for global manufacturing. The ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters' questions sent by fax. Several European auto suppliers shut down production lines this week after running out of supplies. While China's April curbs coincided with a broader package of retaliation against Washington's tariffs, the measures apply globally. "Beijing has a degree of plausible deniability no one can prove China is doing this on purpose," said Noah Barkin, senior adviser at Rhodium Group, a China-focused U.S. thinktank. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "But the rate of approvals is a pretty clear signal that China is sending a message, exerting pressure to prevent trade negotiations with the U.S. leading to additional technology control." China mines about 70% of the world's rare earths but has a virtual monopoly on refining and processing. Even if the pace of export approvals quickens as Trump suggested, the new system gives Beijing unprecedented glimpses of how companies in a supply chain deploy the rare earths it processes, European and U.S. executives have warned. Other governments are denied that insight because of the complexity of supply chain operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For example, hundreds of Japanese suppliers are believed to need China to approve export licences for rare earth magnets in coming weeks to avert production disruptions, said a person who has lobbied on their behalf with Beijing. "It's sharpening China's scalpel," said a U.S.-based executive at a company seeking to piece together an alternative supply chain who sought anonymity. "It's not a way to oversee the export of magnets, but a way to gain influence and advantage over America." DECADES IN THE MAKING Fears that China could weaponise its global supply chain strength first emerged after its temporary ban of rare earth exports to Japan in 2010, following a territorial dispute. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As early as 1992, former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping was quoted as saying, "The Middle East has oil, China has rare earths." Beijing's landmark 2020 Export Control Law broadened curbs to cover any items affecting national security, from critical goods and materials to technology and data. China has since built its own sanctions power while pouring the equivalent of billions of dollars into developing workarounds in response to U.S. policies. In 2022, the United States put sweeping curbs on sales of advanced semiconductor chips and tools to China over concerns the technology could advance Beijing's military power. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the move failed to halt China's development of advanced chips and artificial intelligence, analysts have said. Beijing punched back a year later by introducing export licenses for gallium and germanium, and some graphite products. Exports to the United States of the two critical minerals, along with germanium, were banned last December. In February China restricted exports of five more metals key to the defence and clean energy industries. Analysts face a hard task in tracking the pace of China's approvals following the Trump-Xi call. "It's virtually impossible to know what percentage of requests for non-military end users get approved because the data is not public and companies don't want to publicly confirm either way," said Cory Combs, a critical minerals analyst with Trivium, a policy consultancy focused on China. (Reporting by Laurie Chen in Beijing; additional reporting by Michael Martina in Washington and Victoria Waldersee in Berlin; editing by Kevin Krolicki and Clarence Fernandez) By Andrew Gray, Sabine Siebold and Lili Bayer BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Officials organising a NATO summit in The Hague this month are expected to keep it short, restrict discussion of Ukraine, and choreograph meetings so that Volodymyr Zelenskiy can somehow be in town without provoking Donald Trump. Though the Ukrainian president is widely expected to attend the summit in some form, NATO has yet to confirm whether he is actually invited. Diplomats say he may attend a pre-summit dinner but be kept away from the main summit meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whether the brief summit statement will even identify Russia as a threat or express support for Ukraine is still up in the air. The careful steps are all being taken to avoid angering Washington, much less provoking any repeat of February's White House blow-up between Trump and Zelenskiy that almost torpedoed the international coalition supporting Kyiv. NATO's European members, who see Russia as an existential threat and NATO as the principal means of countering it, want to signal their continued strong support for Ukraine. But they are also desperate to avoid upsetting a volatile Trump, who stunned them at a summit seven years ago by threatening to quit the alliance altogether. If Zelenskiy does not attend in some form, it would be "at least a PR disaster", acknowledged a senior NATO diplomat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since Russia's invasion three years ago, Zelenskiy has regularly attended NATO summits as the guest of honour, where alliance members pledged billions in weapons and condemned Russia for an illegal war of conquest. Leaders repeatedly promised that Ukraine would one day join NATO. But since Washington's shift under Trump towards partly accepting Russia's justifications for the war and disparaging Zelenskiy, the 32-member alliance no longer speaks with a single voice about Europe's deadliest conflict since World War Two. Trump has taken Ukraine's NATO membership off the table, unilaterally granting Moscow one of its main demands. After dressing down Zelenskiy in the Oval Office in February, Trump cut vital U.S. military and intelligence support for Ukraine for days. Since then, the two men publicly mended fences in a meeting in St Peter's Basilica for the funeral of Pope Francis. But mostly they have spoken remotely, with Zelenskiy twice phoning the White House on speakerphone while surrounded by four friendly Europeans -- Britain's Keir Starmer, France's Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Friedrich Merz and Poland's Donald Tusk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SPENDING BOOST Trump is expected to come away from The Hague with a big diplomatic victory as NATO members heed his longstanding complaints that they do not spend enough on defence and agree a much higher target. They are expected to boost their goal for traditional military spending to 3.5% of economic output from 2%. A further pledge to spend 1.5% on related expenses such as infrastructure and cyber defence would raise the total to 5% demanded by Trump. But the summit itself and its accompanying written statement are expected to be unusually short, minimising the chances of flare-ups or disagreements. A pledge to develop recommendations for a new Russia strategy has been kicked into the long grass. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Zelenskiy may have to be content with an invitation to a pre-summit dinner, hosted by Dutch King Willem-Alexander, diplomats say. Unlike at NATOs previous two annual summits, the leaders do not plan to hold a formal meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, the official venue for talks between the alliance and Kyiv. The senior NATO diplomat said a working dinner with either foreign ministers or defence ministers could instead serve as an NUC. 'PROPERLY REPRESENTED' On Wednesday, NATO boss Mark Rutte said he had invited Ukraine to the summit, but sidestepped a question on whether the invitation included Zelenskiy himself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After meeting Rutte on Monday, Zelenskiy said on X that it was "important that Ukraine is properly represented" at the summit. "That would send the right signal to Russia," he said. U.S. and Ukrainian officials did not reply to questions about the nature of any invitation to Ukraine. Some European countries are still willing to say in public that they hope to see Zelenskiy invited as the head of the Ukrainian delegation. Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said he would like to see a "delegation led by President Zelenskiy". Asked about an invitation for Zelenskiy, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said "I, for my part, strongly welcome the invitation" without giving further details. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But diplomats have tried to play down the importance of the formal status of Zelenskiy's role: "Many allies want to have Zelenskiy at the summit, but there is flexibility on the precise format that would allow his presence," said a second senior NATO diplomat. A senior European diplomat said: "We should not get stuck on NUC or no NUC. If he comes to the leaders dinner, that would be the minimum." (Additional reporting by by Lidia KellyEditing by Peter Graff) NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) A whirlwind week in the race for New York City Mayor ended with a dramatic political about-face and a chaotic rally ending with an arrest. State Sen. Jessica Ramos, once a vocal critic of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, announced Friday she is endorsing him in the Democratic mayoral primary. The surprise move comes despite years of public criticism of Cuomo by Ramos over issues ranging from sexual harassment allegations to the states handling of nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. More Local News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ramos said in the end, her decision to endorse Cuomo came down to the looming threat of President Donald Trump, and his experience as compared to the other leading contender in the race, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani. Only one of them has the experience and toughness and the knowledge to lead New York through whats about to come, and thats Andrew Cuomo, Ramos said to loud applause at a rally. Just six weeks ago, Ramos openly questioned Cuomos mental acuity. At the time, a spokesperson for Cuomo fired back by implying Ramos was drinking too much. The Senator has also recently failed to qualify for the second Democratic mayoral debate and was passed over for an endorsement by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Cuomo downplayed any recent Ramos criticism: You take everything with a grain of salt. Ive said things about opponents during campaigns. You get caught up in the rhetoric and energy of the moment. Thats the nature of the business. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Uptown, Mamdani held a rally of his own that was disrupted by a supporter of President Trump. The man confronted Mamdani, accusing him of being insufficiently supportive of Israel and Jewish people. Police said 55-year-old Raul Rivera was arrested and charged with assault after allegedly biting one of Mamdanis volunteers who tried to intervene. Amidst the commotion, Mamdani took aim at Ramos endorsement of Cuomo. Andrew Cuomo is the best example of leadership that has failed New Yorkers, he said. To see him be legitimized is always something that will trouble me. Early voting in the NYC Primary begins June 14th. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) Its been ten months since staff with Animal Charity started moving into their new shelter in Boardman and already there are more than 250 dogs, cats and other animals being housed there. We are inundated with animals coming into our facility, and those that need treated for medical issues, said Jennifer Falvey, board president of Animal Charity of Ohio. But the problem dates back to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, more than 3,500 animals have been taken in by the agency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the years have gone on, the animals that were bringing in are in much worse condition and are requiring much more care, said Jane MacMurchy, with Animal Charity of Ohio. Directors say theyve already spent nearly $500,000 on animal care this year, the vast majority just for veterinary services, compared to $660,000 for all of last year. Were in this terrible position where the numbers are rising. The numbers are rising and now weve hit a wall, MacMurchy said. Its forcing the agency to consider cuts in services and even layoffs among its staff of about 40 people. There is a point in which we have to look at our financial status to say what can we do, Falvey said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although humane agents say the problems of abuse and neglect of animals is only getting worse, theyre hoping to avoid one potential option. We cant euthanize our way out of this. its not going to solve the problem, MacMurchy said. Many of Ohios larger cities pay for animal control services. Youngstown does not. Animal Charity has been providing that for them for free for years. We are getting to a point where we simply cannot sustain at the level were going without getting additional support, Falvey said. Although directors will continue to appeal to the community for donations and other philanthropy, they say financial support from local governments is what they need the most. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York told The Independent that President Donald Trump and Elon Musks feud confirmed what she and Sen. Bernie Sanders have warned about ultra-wealthy Americans. I mean, it was a long time coming, said the progressive firebrand, who is better known to many Americans simply by her initials, AOC. The self-described democratic socialist congresswoman has spent much of the last few months traveling with Sanders, an independent socialist from Vermont by way of Brooklyn. The two have spent much of the first few months of Trumps second presidency traveling the country as part of their Fighting Oligarchy Tour. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I don't think that the whole state of the country should be with two should be concentrated in two guys with massive egos that are fighting with each other, she said. On Thursday, Musk, who enthusiastically endorsed Trump and bankrolled his campaign in 2024, went ballistic on the president, ultimately saying that Trump was in the Epstein files, which explained why they had not been released. Musk then ramped up the rhetoric even more by supporting his impeachment. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that President Donald Trump and Elon Musks feud confirmed what she has been saying about unlimited wealth. (AP) This came after Musk credited himself with Trumps victory. Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate, Musk posted on X. Such ingratitude. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The feud kicked off in earnest on Tuesday, when Musk called the One Big, Beautiful Bill, which the House of Representatives passed last month, an outrageous, pork-filled, disgusting abomination. Musks words caused a headache for Republicans in the Senate, who hope to pass their own version of the legislation, which seeks to extend the tax cuts Trump signed in his first presidency, would ramp up spending on the US-Mexico border for immigration enforcement and slash spending for social services. Other Democrats like Rep. Sarah McBride of Delaware called the feud the big, beautiful breakup. The fight between the worlds richest man and the most powerful leader in the world flooded the internet with memes. The intra-personal feud between the two is a sharp turn from when the Tesla CEO and X owner billed himself as the First Buddy who led the Department of Government Efficiency and regularly made the trek across Pennsylvania Avenue to meet with lawmakers whenever they feared services their constituents used would be subjected to his Chainsaw of Bureaucracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In recent months, Ocasio-Cortez has become a major player in the House Democratic caucus. Despite losing her bid to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, she joined the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, which not only handles energy policies like health care. One recent poll showed Ocasio-Cortez to be more popular than either the president or Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic nominee for president. Others have suggested that she either stage a primary challenge or succeed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. WASHINGTON (AP) Nearly a dozen candidates will compete in New Jersey on Tuesday for the chance to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. Voters will also pick nominees for the state General Assembly. New Jersey is one of only two states, along with Virginia, with a gubernatorial race on the ballot this year. Historically, presidential politics has cast a long shadow over the two contests, with the presidents party frequently losing one or both seats. Although Democrats have long dominated New Jerseys federal offices as well as the state Legislature, the governors office has changed hands regularly between the two major political parties for most of the last century. The last time a party held the governorship for more than two consecutive terms was in 1961. The race for the Democratic nomination for governor features a crowded field of prominent current and former officeholders: U.S. Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, New Jersey Education Association president and former Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gottheimer has had a slight edge in fundraising, with about $9.1 million in contributions, followed by Sherrill and Fulop, each with about $8.9 million raised for their campaigns. Immigration has been a major issue in the campaign. In May, the states top federal prosecutor dropped a trespassing case against Baraka, who was arrested earlier in the month at a protest outside a new federal immigration detention center. In the Republican primary, former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli makes his third attempt for the states highest office. He had a strong showing as the 2021 Republican nominee against Murphy, coming within about 3 percentage points of unseating the Democratic incumbent. He also ran in 2017 but lost the nomination to then-Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno. Also seeking the Republican nomination Tuesday are state Sen. Jon Bramnick, former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac, talk radio host Bill Spadea and general contractor Justin Barbera. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Donald Trump has been a key figure in the primary, as he has been in other GOP contests across the country in recent years. He endorsed Ciattarelli in May and campaigned for him in a virtual rally on Monday, despite the candidate having said in 2015 that he was not fit to serve as president. Bramnick is the only current Trump critic in this year's GOP primary field. The states most populous counties Bergen, Middlesex, Essex and Hudson tend to play a larger role in Democratic primaries than in Republican primaries. For example, Essex County, which is home to heavily Democratic Newark, had the largest turnout in the last competitive Democratic primary for governor in 2017, but it did not crack the top 15 counties in the last competitive Republican primary in 2021. That year, Ciattarelli received just shy of a majority of the Republican primary vote. He was the top vote-getter in all 21 counties and nearly doubled the vote count of his nearest competitor. The counties that contributed the most Republican primary votes that year were Ocean, Morris and Monmouth. Further down the ballot, all 80 state General Assembly seats are up for election this year, although only 25 districts face contested races. Primary voters may select up to two candidates per district, and each race will have two winners. Democrats have a lopsided majority in the chamber. State Senate seats will not be up for election until 2027. Some voters in Bergen and Passaic counties in northern New Jersey will pick nominees for a special state Senate election in District 35, although neither the Democratic nor Republican primary is contested. Democrats also have a decisive majority in the state Senate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when its determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why. Recounts are very rare in New Jersey. The state does not have automatic recounts, but candidates and voters may request and pay for them, with the cost refunded if the outcome changes. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is eligible for a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome. Heres a look at what to expect Tuesday: Primary day Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New Jerseys state primary will be held Tuesday. Polls close at 8 p.m. ET. Whats on the ballot? The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare winners in the primaries for governor, state General Assembly and the uncontested special primaries in state Senate District 35. Who gets to vote? Registered party members may vote only in their own partys primary. In other words, Democrats cant vote in the Republican primary or vice versa. Independent or unaffiliated voters may participate in either primary, but voting in a party's primary will enroll them in that party. What do turnout and advance vote look like? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of Sunday, there were about 6.6 million registered voters in New Jersey. Of those, 37% were Democrats, or about 2.4 million voters, and about 25% were Republicans, or 1.6 million voters. An additional 2.4 million voters were not affiliated with any party. In the 2021 primaries for governor, overall turnout was about 6% of registered voters in the Democratic primary and about 5% in the Republican primary. Nearly 383,000 ballots were cast in the Democratic primary and about 339,000 in the Republican primary. Ballots cast before primary day in 2021 made up about 38% of the total vote in the Democratic primary and 19% in the Republican primary. In the state primary two years later, 55% of the Democratic primary vote and 29% of the Republican primary vote was cast before Election Day. As of Thursday morning, more than 248,000 Democratic primary ballots and more than 91,000 Republican primary ballots had been cast before primary day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How long does vote-counting usually take? In the 2024 presidential election in New Jersey, the first results the AP reported came from Hudson County at 8:01 p.m. ET, one minute after polls closed. Vote tabulation ended for the night at 4:21 a.m. ET in Burlington County with about 95% of votes counted. Are we there yet? As of Tuesday, there will be 147 days until the November general election. ___ Follow the APs coverage of the 2025 election at https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2025/. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are struggling to celebrate one of the most important Islamic holidays. To mark Eid al-Adha Arabic for the Festival of Sacrifice Muslims traditionally slaughter a sheep or cow and give away part of the meat to the poor as an act of charity. Then they have a big family meal with sweets. But no fresh meat has entered the Gaza Strip for three months, and nearly all the territorys homegrown sheep, cattle and goats are dead after 20 months of Israeli bombardment and ground offensives. ___ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors. Residents of Sanibel Island, Florida, were in for a surprise after discovering a possible crocodile nest on the island the first reported in at least 30 years. Until recently, conservationists believed only female crocodiles inhabited the island. But the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation found two crocodiles exhibiting "typical courting behavior," fueling speculation that Sanibel may finally have a viable nest belonging to crocodile mates. According to WINK News, Sanibel has historically not had warm enough temperatures for long enough to be hospitable for crocodile eggs, but increasing average temperatures observed in the area and worldwide have led to slight changes in animal nesting preferences geographically. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We appear to be a little bit too far north for that, but just in the last few years, they successfully nested at Rookery Bay, which is further north than we've ever had that happen," SCCF Wildlife and Habitat Management Director Chris Lechowicz told WINK. One island resident had a 10-foot crocodile spending a lot of time in her backyard for over a month at first believed to be a female but now thought to possibly be a male if the courting indicates males finding homes nearby. "It's the most incredible creature you ever saw," said the resident, Carolyn David, in an interview with WINK News. "This is their territory. It's not ours." The first Sanibel crocodile documented came in 1979, and the island was actually designated as a crocodile refuge in 1998. Unfortunately, no successful nest has been documented there perhaps until now. "The three significant storm surge events that occurred over the last two and a half years have transformed most waterbodies on Sanibel to a more crocodile-friendly habitat consisting of brackish water," Lechowicz said in a blog post. "As a result, they move more freely around the island and use other water bodies." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's too soon to tell if the crocodile in David's yard or any others have actually mated, but the presence is a good sign for conservation purposes, at least, as David said she was initially "freaked out" to find the croc so close to home. The SCCF reported that the Florida population of crocodiles was listed as endangered, with only a few hundred left, in the 1970s. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service upgraded the classification to threatened, as the population has grown to roughly 2,000. A similar instance happened on a small island in Oceania when a bird once thought to be extinct reappeared. England also saw the reemergence of a rare mammal species. The successful conservation of the American crocodile and the potential new Sanibel nest are testaments to what happens when communities come together to help preserve wildlife and the environment. If you're looking to make an impact in your community, see how you can take local action here. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. By Arathy Somasekhar and Georgina McCartney HOUSTON (Reuters) -Energy Transfer said on Wednesday it received a letter from the U.S. government requiring a license to export ethane to China, adding that the U.S. export terminal operator will file for an emergency authorization to continue exporting. The move, which comes amid a broader trade fight between the U.S. and China including over Beijing's curbs on rare earths exports, adds pressure to U.S. ethane exports. It forces producers of the natural gas byproduct to seek alternate buyers and raises costs for Chinese petrochemical firms, which rely almost exclusively on U.S. producers for ethane imports that are used to make plastics and chemicals and also for heating and cooking. Another U.S. ethane exporter, Enterprise Products Partners said it received notice on Wednesday that the U.S. Commerce Department intends to deny its emergency requests to export three proposed cargoes of ethane totaling around 2.2 million barrels to China. Enterprise had filed the emergency authorization requests after it received a letter requiring license authorization on May 23. Energy Transfer said it got its letter on June 3. Enterprise shares were down 1.2% in after-market trading, while Energy Transfer's shares were down 2%. The letters from the Bureau of Industry and Security, an agency of the Commerce Department, said exports of ethane pose an unacceptable risk of military end-use in China, according to both companies' filings. The BIS did not immediately respond to requests for comment on both companies. The denial of Enterprise's emergency requests calls into question whether this is just a short-term disruption, said Samantha Hartke, Vortexas head of Americas analysis. "Near-term cargo reshuffles or resales could be necessary, as would a greater dependence on domestic storage," she said, adding that short positions in ethane were piling up on Wednesday. TRADE WAR The U.S. and China are locked in an ongoing trade war after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs in early April. The Commerce Department said last week it was reviewing exports of strategic significance to China, while noting "in some cases, Commerce has suspended existing export licenses or imposed additional license requirements while the review is pending." China's foreign ministry said last week that such U.S. practices disrupted the stability of global supply chains and that Washington was weaponizing tech and trade issues to shut out and persecute China. Energy Transfer said it intends to apply for the license, while Enterprise has not commented on its plans for a license. The companies are among the top exporters of ethane from the U.S. An apex predator was spotted strolling along a Washington wildlife crossing for the first time in over a year, transportation officials said. The Washington State Department of Transportation shared video of the sighting on its social media accounts June 3, saying the clip made their jaws drop. First cougar sighting of 2025! This one was spotted heading south to north at 4:45 a.m. on May 28 via the Unnamed Creek MP 60.9 bridges at I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East, the department said on Instagram. This is our first cougar detection since Jan. 26, 2024 which was at Price Creek! Exciting stuff! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Video shows the cougar crossing underneath a bridge among logs and grass, the department said in the post. It was captured using monochrome night vision technology, which makes the mountain lion appear blinding white against varying gray or chrome hues of the background. That looks like a big one, someone said on X, formerly known as Twitter. We had FIVE confirmed cougar sightings in 2023 and one in 2020, the department said. Happy travels, big cat! Man kicks mountain lion off dog, shoots it as it follows them, AZ officials say Elusive predator casually strolls near homes in California neighborhood. See it Apex predator prowls through California yard and triggers doorbell camera. See it Alert on security app says pet was spotted near CA home. Thats a mountain lion YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) The Seventh District Court of Appeals has denied a request by a man serving a 20-year sentence for rape to take his plea back. In an opinion released Thursday, the appeals court wrote that the trial court did not make an error when it denied a motion by Christopher Figueroa, 44, of Campbell, to withdraw his guilty plea. Figueroa was sentenced Nov. 7 by Judge Anthony DApolito in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to 20 years in prison after entering guilty pleas to two counts of rape, a first-degree felony. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He tried to withdraw his pleas, but Judge DApolito denied that motion Oct. 24. His wife, Susan Molleken, 41, received a 10-year sentence in June on similar charges after she pleaded guilty to abusing the same victims. When he was sentenced, the victim said in a written statement that she wanted Figueroa to serve a life sentence. Judge DApolito said he thought the case was one of the worst he has ever seen but he decided to go ahead with the plea and sentencing because it would spare the victim from having to testify at a trial. In his appeal, Figueroas attorney, James Wise, wrote that the trial court abused its discretion by denying Figueroas request to take his plea back. Wise wrote that Figueroa was overwhelmed by the case, he felt pressured to take a plea, he did not receive complete discovery, and that the state would not have been prejudiced had he been allowed to withdraw his plea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The appeals court disagreed, saying that Figueroa is not claiming he is innocent, only that he was overwhelmed by the circumstances of the case because he was facing a long sentence in prison as a sexual predator. Also, Figueroas attorney had access to all the material in the case, and most of that material was labeled counsel only, which precluded him from seeing it. The three-judge panel that decided the case were Appellate Judges Mark Hanni, Cheryl L. Waite and Carol Ann Robb. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. A federal appeals court panel on Friday reinstated parts of President Donald Trumps ban of the Associated Press from several key areas where presidential press events are typically held, including the Oval Office, Air Force One and the presidents home in Mar-A-Lago. The court left in place part of a lower-court order that required Trump to give AP access to events held in larger spaces, like the East Room. The ruling is a setback to the news organizations efforts to restore its access to the White House press pool, the small group of reporters and photographers who get access to a variety of White House spaces and other areas frequented by the president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Judges Neomi Rao and Gregory Katsas, both Trump appointees, largely granted the governments request to lift an April ruling from a district judge who blocked the ban. The decision from Rao and Katsas allows most of the ban to go back into effect while litigation over its constitutionality continues. The AP sued after Trump banned the news organization for refusing to adopt his renaming of the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. In a 27-page opinion, Rao wrote that these restricted presidential spaces are not First Amendment fora opened for private speech and discussion. The White House therefore retains discretion to determine, including on the basis of viewpoint, which journalists will be admitted. Katsas signed onto Raos opinion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The April injunction from district judge Trevor McFadden, another Trump appointee, impinges on the Presidents independence and control over his private workspaces, Rao added. Judge Cornelia Pillard, an Obama appointee, dissented from the ruling, saying that the Supreme Court has never held that journalists or news organizations can be excluded from a forum based on their viewpoint. The panels stay of the preliminary injunction cannot be squared with longstanding First Amendment precedent, multiple generations of White House practice and tradition, or any sensible understanding of the role of a free press in our constitutional democracy, Pillard wrote. Looking further ahead, if any merits panel were to accept those theories, the result would be a Press Pool and perhaps an entire press corps limited during Republican administrations to the likes of Fox News and limited to outlets such as MSNBC when a Democrat is elected. The Trump administration has argued that Air Force One, the Oval Office and other spaces in the White House are akin to personal and private spaces where public access can be restricted. Photo by Getty Images A federal appellate court is weighing whether to allow President Donald Trump to end the 157-year-old constitutional guarantee that every child born in the country is a U.S. citizen. On Wednesday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in a lawsuit launched in January by Arizona, Washington, Illinois and Oregon against the federal government. The Democratic-led states took the federal government to court just a day after Trump issued an executive order that sought to deny citizenship to children born in the country after Feb. 19, 2025 if the childs parents are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. A district court judge in Seattle has since temporarily blocked the executive order from going into effect, calling it blatantly unconstitutional. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration is hoping to convince the appellate court to reverse that ruling, arguing that the benefits of the Fourteenth Amendment, which grants citizenship to people born on U.S. soil, was never meant to apply to the children of undocumented immigrants. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX White House: birthright citizenship is dependent on the parents status Eric McArthur, a deputy assistant attorney general, defended Trumps executive order by pointing to the writings and debates of congressmen involved in the crafting of the Fourteenth Amendment that he claimed showed a clear intent to reserve birthright citizenship for people whose parents have a history of living in the country and have some degree of civic rights. The principal purpose of the citizenship clause was to repudiate Dred Scott, McArthur said, referring to an 1857 U.S. Supreme Court case that concluded African Americans could never be citizens. To guarantee citizenship for the freed slaves and their children. The question presented here is whether it also extended birthright citizenship as a matter of constitutional right to the children of transient visitors and illegal aliens a class that did not even exist at the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Excluding the children of undocumented immigrants from the protections of the Fourteenth Amendment would leave hundreds of thousands of children born in the country every year in legal limbo, and likely at risk of deportation. According to the lawsuit brought by the Democratic states, both parents of as many as 3,400 children born in Arizona in 2022 lacked legal status. The Trump administrations key argument turns on a phrase in the Fourteenth Amendment that has long been interpreted as excluding solely the children of foreign diplomats. It guarantees citizenship to people born or naturalized in the country who are subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. That language replaced a similar phrase in a previous iteration, called the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which also explicitly left out the children of Native Americans who were part of tribes that didnt pay taxes to the U.S. government. Native Americans werent granted U.S. citizenship until decades later, in 1924. McArthur argued that Congress could similarly choose to pass laws that protect the access to birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants. But, he said, for now the shortened phrase clearly implies that the children of people who are citizens of other countries should be denied U.S. citizenship, even if they are born in the United States. And for U.S. born children to be eligible for U.S. citizenship, their parents must have lived in the United States long enough to have a mutual relationship of allegiance on the part of the individual and protection on the part of the government, McArthur said. They cant be newly arrived or in the country on a temporary visa. The logic of the argument is: Step one is that subject to the jurisdiction thereof means subject to the complete political jurisdiction of the United States, not simply the regulatory jurisdiction where you have a duty to obey U.S. law, McArthur said. Then step number two of the argument is that in order for foreigners who are coming from abroad to become subject to the complete political jurisdiction of the United States, they have to be domiciled here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McArthurs argument that the parents of a child born in the U.S. must be domiciled in the country rests on the 1898 United States v. Wong Kim Ark case. That case centered around the U.S. born son of Chinese immigrants, Wong Kim Ark, who was denied reentry into the country following a trip abroad while the Chinese Exclusion Act was in effect. The ruling in the case, which ultimately found that Wong Kim Ark was a U.S. citizen by birth despite his parents lack of legal status, noted that his parents had a permanent domicile in the country, diminishing any allegiance they may have had to the Emperor of China. The judges appeared skeptical of McArthurs claim that parental residency in the country is a prerequisite of birthright citizenship. Im looking at the language of the citizenship clause. I dont see any language there, textually, that says they have to be domiciled, Judge Ronald Gould pointed out. McArthur replied that living in the United States is a logical precursor to acquiring a political jurisdiction in the country, which the courts have interpreted as separate from a surface-level obedience to the countrys criminal and civil laws known as regulatory jurisdiction. Undocumented immigrants, he argued, dont have that level of allegiance and are not integrated enough into the country to merit the benefits of the Fourteenth Amendment for their children they lack the quality of being completely subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Judge Michael Hawkins questioned whether undocumented immigrants could, under that logic, contest the governments lack of jurisdiction over them during criminal proceedings. McArthur disagreed, saying everyone must still obey the countrys laws and that the jurisdiction referred to in the Fourteenth Amendment simply sets a higher standard for birthright citizenship to be granted. (Political jurisdiction) is the most encompassing form of jurisdiction that a nation can have over an individual, where you not only have the duty to obey U.S. law while you are present in the country, but its the sort of jurisdiction that can get you convicted of treason if you leave the country and go abroad and take up arms against the United States, he said. Its the sort of jurisdiction that, if you are in trouble in a foreign nation, the United States will intervene diplomatically on your behalf to protect you. Hawkins pressed McArthur on his interpretation of political jurisdiction, asking whether the children of asylum seekers whose cases have been granted and are effectively being protected from another country would then be considered U.S. citizens at birth, despite their parents limited legal status. Trumps executive order doesnt address asylum seekers. McArthur said the lawsuit and subsequent court ruling blocking its enforcement prevented the federal government from working that out, or developing any policies that could explain how the order would be implemented. Gould and Hawkins seemed unimpressed with McArthurs reliance on previous court opinions and statements from the authors of the Constitution, grilling him on why they should look beyond the plain text of the amendment, which makes no mention of residency or allegiance. McArthur replied that the language had an underlying significance for the framers that is critical to understanding what the Fourteenth Amendment actually means. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The key point here that you need to understand is that jurisdiction, just like allegiance, comes in degrees, he said. What the Framers explained, and what the Supreme Court explained, is in the Fourteenth Amendment we are not looking at that lesser form of jurisdiction, were looking at a higher more encompassing form of jurisdiction that is the same type of jurisdiction in quality and extent that applies to U.S. citizens. Dem states: 14th amendment has never left children out due to parents status Noah Purcell, the solicitor general for the state of Washington, urged the judges to keep the executive order blocked, warning that lifting the injunction against it would harm the states involved in the lawsuit and fly in the face of nearly two centuries of case law. The Trump administrations position is that for that entire time, everyone was wrong, he said. If you accept that view, it would also mean that millions of babies born during that time who got the benefit of birthright citizenship never actually should have been treated as citizens. They never should have been allowed to serve on juries, or vote, to hold various government jobs, or receive government benefits. They could have been deported and that would include millions of Americans alive today who have always thought that they were citizens. While the executive order was set to go into effect in February, the district courts ruling put it on hold indefinitely while litigation continues. The judges appeared split on whether the order could ever be made retroactive, with Hawkins and Judge Patrick Bumatay dismissing the concern and saying that even children born beyond the February deadline are still benefiting from birthright citizenship. But Gould wasnt so sure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the governments position is accepted would that mean that if a mother of a child did not meet the governments current definition that (her) child even if they lived in the United States for 40 years thereafter paying taxes, working, making a life here, that they could be deported now? he asked Purcell. Purcell agreed, saying that accepting the federal governments premise could have retroactive consequences because it overrides how the Fourteenth Amendment has long been understood. The more looming issue, Purcell said, is the administrative burdens that enforcing the executive order could incur for hospital and government workers who have few systems in place to identify who would qualify for birthright citizenship. You would have to question the parents of every newborn in this country: Do you intend to stay here? What is your allegiance? Purcell said its also unclear how the children of dual citizens fit into the new understanding. He posited that dual citizenship could be considered allegiance to another country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bumatay waved away that concern, saying it was yet another point in favor of the federal governments argument that the injunction was awarded too prematurely and the White House was never given the opportunity to work out the kinks in the policy change. We dont know how unworkable it is because they were not given the chance to implement it, he said. Purcell disagreed, saying that the injunction prevents the federal government from enforcing the executive order, not developing policy on how it could be implemented or resolving the problems that the states have raised. The judges quizzed Purcell on his response to McArthurs insistence that the parents of children born in the United States must have both a domicile in the country and a political allegiance to it. Purcell said that the courts have never interpreted either requirement as being a part of the guarantee in the Fourteenth Amendment. In the 1982 case of Plyler v. Doe, the U.S. Supreme Court concluded that the immigration status of a childs parents doesnt preclude them from enjoying the constitutional protections they are entitled to by being born in the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even in the Wong Kim Ark case, Purcell pointed out, the justices found that the nonexistent citizenship status of the parents doesnt impact the right of their child born in the U.S. to be granted citizenship. The Fourteenth Amendment, Purcell said, was never intended to exclude anyone but a limited number of people. The children of Chinese immigrants and Roma people, in fact, were also a source of friction among the framers, but they werent among the groups who were written out in the end. The real object of the Fourteenth Amendment in using the phrase subject to the jurisdiction thereof was to exclude by the fewest and fittest words possible, the children of Indians and the two classes of cases the children of invading armies and the children of diplomats, Purcell said. To exclude only those cases that had been recognized as exceptions to the fundamental rule of citizenship. U.S. Supreme Court may impact the cases outcome The lawsuit from the four Western states isnt the only one aimed at nullifying Trumps bid to gut birthright citizenship. Two other legal challenges, including one launched on the same day as the one heard by the appellate court on Wednesday in a two-pronged strategy devised by Democratic elected officials, are also aimed at preserving birthright citizenship. The trio of cases were consolidated by the U.S. Supreme Court after the Trump administration petitioned the high court to consider whether to limit the scope of nationwide injunctions. In each case, three separate federal district court judges blocked Trumps executive order from being implemented anywhere in the country. The countrys highest court held oral arguments in the case last month, but has yet to issue a ruling. If the justices choose to roll back the ability of federal judges to issue decisions that affect the entire country, the Ninth Circuit of Appeals may be forced to limit the injunction or remand the lawsuit brought by the four Western states down to the lower court for reconsideration. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The Roman L. Hruska Federal Courthouse in Omaha, where the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held its hearing on the pipeline cases on Nov. 20, 2024. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner) A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld lower court decisions barring counties from imposing safety standards on a pipeline subject to federal safety standards. The cases involved Summit Carbon Solutions, the company proposing to build a carbon sequestration pipeline through Iowa and ending in North Dakota, and county supervisors from both Story and Shelby counties in Iowa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Summit sued the counties in 2022 for enacting ordinances that required county-specific setback requirements and other regulations the company argued were preempted by federal pipeline safety laws. A federal judge ruled in favor of Summit in Dec. 2023 and issued permanent injunctions, stopping the counties from enforcing the regulations, which would have impacted the carbon sequestration pipeline and other pipelines. The county supervisors appealed the decision and presented oral arguments in November 2024 to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. The counties argued that local land use and zoning regulations are not preempted standards under the Pipeline Safety Act. Writing for the appeals court, U.S. Circuit Judge Duane Benton wrote that the county ordinances focus on safety and repeatedly mention safety risks associated with the pipeline, which undermines the Pipeline Safety Acts goal of preempting state regulations on safety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This holding does not prohibit local governments from considering safety, nor prevent them from enacting all zoning ordinances, as the counties suggest, Benton said in the opinion. This court emphasizes the distinction between safety standards which the PSA preempts and safety considerations which the PSA does not preempt. The county ordinances also included emergency response requirements and abandonment provisions which the court ruled were also preempted by federal regulations. Circuit Judge Jane Kelly, however, dissented on those elements and wrote she does not believe that PSA preempts setback and abandonment provisions. Kelly said that while the counties setback requirements are animated in part by safety considerations they do not have the direct and substantial effect on safety that is reserved for federal regulation. Kelly also wrote that per her understanding, the Pipeline Safety Act does not cover pipelines that have been abandoned and therefore the Shelby County abandonment provision is not expressly preempted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The court affirmed the lower courts decision in both cases, but ordered the federal court for the Southern District of Iowa to reconsider an additional ordinance thats at issue in the Story County case. Sabrina Zenor, on behalf of Summit Carbon Solutions, said the ruling confirms pipeline safety regulation set by the federal government and the Iowa Utilities Commissions role in route and permit decisions. This supports a consistent, lawful permitting process for critical infrastructure projects like ours, Zenor said in a statement. A press release from Bold Alliance, a group representing landowners opposed to the pipeline project, called the order an anti-local government ruling and said the parties involved in the case are examining their legal and legislative options in response to the decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The landowners, impacted community members, county and state elected officials who worked for months or years to develop ordinances and state regulations are witnessing their hard-won efforts to enact common sense protections for their communities stripped away by judicial fiat, the statement read. Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Domestic violence victims receiving in-person follow-up visits from police; offenders receiving court-ordered counseling as a condition of bond, and a dedicated court day for domestic violence cases are a few of the new ways Warren police and other partners are approaching domestic violence incidents in Michigan's third most populous city. The initiative is reflective of its name, Operation Cycle Break, and is an effort to break the cycle of domestic violence, reduce assaults, get help to victims and offenders and streamline the court process to resolve cases quicker in an effort to prevent more serious situations in Warren. Police Commissioner Eric Hawkins said a majority of major cases in the city, including many homicides, had a domestic violence nexus, with more than 9,000 domestic violence calls for service in the last two years. He and other stakeholders discussed details about the new initiative June 6 at Warren police headquarters. Warren Police Commissioner Eric Hawkins, center, speaks during a news conference June 6, 2025 at Warren police headquarters to discuss a new approach to handling domestic violence cases in the city called Operation Cycle Break. Hawkins said he believes this more proactive and holistic approach will have a "profound" impact on the community and has seen some encouraging points in its first 30 days. Among them: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mandatory training for all officers with Turning Point Macomb. Eighty-eight percent of warrant authorizations for domestic incidents, a 33% increase in warrant authorizations for the same time period last year. More than 20 offenders have been mandated by the court to enroll in batterer intervention counseling as a condition of bond. Contact was made with about 80% of victims after an initial incident, making sure their needs are heard. Hawkins said 37 cases were victims who were unreachable by the court or prosecutor's office. In the past, those cases may have slipped through the cracks. Arrests were made in nearly 93% of cases where a warrant was authorized. "This past Wednesday alone, in court, (the new dedicated court day), all 12 domestic violence cases on the docket saw full participation, something that we've been told is very rare and may never happen, " Hawkins said. "Every victim had the chance to be heard, and all suspects were present and accounted for." Wayne State University will collect and review data about the strategy, providing information to refine and improve the effort. Warren Mayor Lori Stone said the idea is a result of "smart, forward-thinking public safety," with its core to break the cycle of abuse and educate and assist people to get the help they need. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said the strategy confronts domestic violence head-on, provides early intervention, does not leave survivors behind and holds offenders accountable an idea that he hopes other communities will implement. In 2023, he said, his office pursued more than 530 cases of domestic violence in the county, most for upper-level felonies, with cases trending the same way last year. "We're not making a difference. We're just going through the motions," he said, adding that he is optimistic the new initiative will change that. In 2019, Lucido said 29% of victims were receiving help. Now, he said, more than 65% of victims are getting help. Last year, he said, more than 5,000 victims were supported by the crime victim advocate program. The number of domestic violence incidents, offenders and victims has risen in Michigan from 2019 to 2023, according to Michigan State Police statistics, with 67,816 incidents in 2023 and 73,220 victims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chief Judge John Chmura of Warren's 37th District Court said he has seen tens of thousands of domestic violence cases in his 29 years on the bench. What he hasn't seen are two new facets of this initiative, the first being a condition of bond for a defendant in a domestic violence case to get counseling. Chmura said the defendant will have to report to the court's probation department within 48 hours and be referred to a number of counseling centers to sign up for as a condition of bail. While counseling is not unusual in such cases, he said, it has not been required up front. "We've never seen anything like this," he said, adding that he hopes this will help break the cycle of violence. Chmura said the court also dedicated Wednesdays as the day to hear domestic violence cases. Any of the court's four judges can hear the cases, he said, and the hope is to get cases before a judge in 14 days or fewer. He said a defendant could be sent to jail if they don't do what is required. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sharman Davenport, president and CEO of Turning Point Macomb, said the need for this type of coordinated effort has become increasingly urgent. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, she said, there has been a rise in the frequency and lethality of domestic violence in the county. She said the criminal justice path can be long and traumatic for survivors, and abusers can use threats to force survivors back into silence. She said she believes this effort will approach these barriers head-on by imbedding advocacy in the first interaction and reducing the time to hold offenders accountable, reducing intimidation time. Hawkins said police moved resources around within the department's existing budget to ensure officers can do the visitations. Turning Point Macomb is anticipating more cases, Davenport said, and will work within its budget to accommodate survivors as well as continue to accept donations and have events to raise money for the services it provides. More: Oakland County sheriff's deputies found loaded weapons at high school graduation in Pontiac Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said the initiative will fill in gaps that occurred in the past, such as follow-ups only being done by phone, not in person; victims and offenders not being connected with resources they needed, and victims getting a court date letter in the mail up to 90 days after an incident. Also, there were not unannounced welfare checks for victims or suspects routinely conducted; lethality assessments were not being completed; batterer intervention counseling was not offered at bond, and case progress was not systemically monitored for effectiveness. Now, officers will be required to complete a multi-question lethality assessment to identify high-risk situations and prioritize response. Suspects will receive a letter informing them police will monitor their behavior post-custody as well as a pamphlet with local services to seek help. Within 10 days of an incident, detectives personally will follow up with victims to ensure they are safe and that offenders are complying with no-contact orders. The Wednesday court dates also allow police, victim advocates and others to be present. If a defendant fails to appear, police will locate them and bring them to court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the Free Press. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: New strategy to tackle domestic violence announced in Warren Heres what youll learn when you read this story: A Roman army camp discovered in the Netherlands expands the knowledge of how far north the empires boundary extended. Located north of the Rhine River, the camp was found in the Veluwe region of the Netherlands. Experts believe the site was a stopover camp for troops marching to new locations. A new discovery of a Roman army marching camp changes what we know about the frontier boundaries of the empire beyond the Rhine River. The camp was located within the forested Veluwe in the Netherlands, near Hoog Buurlo, about 15 miles north of the Rhine, long considered the empires northernmost border in the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What makes this find so remarkable is that the camp lies beyond the northern frontier of the Roman Empire, Saskia Stevens, Utrecht University associate professor and researcher, said in a statement. As part of the Constructing the Limes project undertaking by Utrecht University staff and students at Saxion University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam Center for Ancient Studies and Archaeology, and Radbound University Nijmegen, researchers aim to explore the functioning of Roman borders that ran through the Netherlands and western Germany. The newly discovered 22-acre camp features a ditch, a 10-foot-wide defensive rampart, and several entrances. The team believes it was a temporary marching camp, used to shelter troops for no more than a few days to weeks as they moved to new camps. They posit it was a stopover between Hoog Buurlo and Ermelo-Leuvenum, a days march away. Only four such temporary Roman camps are known in the Netherlands, Stevens said, though dozens have been found in Germany and hundreds in Britain. We are particularly interested in these kinds of camps because they provide valuable insights into Roman military presence and operations in frontier regions. They help us understand the routes taken by Roman troops and show how the Romans made extensive use of territories beyond the formal boundaries of their empire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Finding the camp at Veluwe required LiDAR technology. Coupled with aerial photographs, researchers were able to see subtle variations in the landscape heights. That launched field work that included metal detectors and three different trench examinations at a site owned by the Dutch Forestry Commission, which has ensured it has remained largely preserved. Since the team didnt come away with a bounty of artifacts during the on-the-ground search, Stevens said it is difficult to precisely date the site, although the traces of remnants left suggest the camp is from the second century A.D. The feeling of bringing tangible evidence from the past to light was an unforgettable experience for all of us, student Sabine Boschma wrote in a translated statement. With this find, we contribute to the further reconstruction of the Roman Limes and the way in which this history still plays a role in our contemporary landscape. You Might Also Like Of course, Trump's secretary of Defense wants the name of Harvey Milk, the murdered gay rights pioneer, stripped from a ship. Never mind that Milk served in the Korean War as a diving instructor, eventually discharged because of his sexual orientation. Or that he had exhibited courage in facing down haters as the nation's first publicly out elected official. After all, when Pete Hegseth's not sending confidential war plans via Signal to people who shouldn't be privy to them, he's busy bloviating about the "warrior ethos." Hegseth is a military veteran, a National Guardsman who did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. But he's also someone who has made a career out of telling Americans he, above everyone else, knows what our veterans need and what our armed forces need to defend the U.S. in an increasingly volatile world. So Hegseth may know something about warriors and fighting. So did Milk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Hegseth is too busy playing Rambo to recognize it. Instead, he's weaponizing bigotry to remake the U.S. military as a scorched-earth, hetero-Christian outfit ready to stamp out liberal heretics here and abroad. That's not befitting anyone who calls themselves a warrior, no matter how many pseudo-patriotic tattoos and American flag items of clothing Hegseth loves to sport. Read more: Strip the name of gay rights icon Harvey Milk from a Navy ship? California leaders are furious A true warrior follows a code of honor that allows respect to those they disagree with and sometimes even combat. For Hegseth to specifically ask that the USNS Harvey Milk have its name changed during Pride Month the same month that he's requiring all trans service people to out themselves and voluntarily leave their positions or be discharged against their will does not represent the reestablishing [of] the warrior culture that the Navy is citing as the reason for the moves. Instead, it reveals Hegseth's Achilles' heel, one he shares with Trump: a fundamental insecurity about their place in a country that diversified long ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CBS News is also reporting that the Navy is recommending the renaming of ships named after civil rights leaders Medgar Evers, Cesar Chavez, Sojourner Truth and Lucy Stone along with ships that havent yet been built but are scheduled to bear the names of Dolores Huerta, Thurgood Marshall, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Harriet Tubman. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell gave my colleague Kevin Rector the same malarkey hes giving the rest of the media when asked for comment about this matter: That Hegseth is committed to making sure all named military assets are reflective of the Commander-in-Chiefs priorities, our nations history, and the warrior ethos. Marine Col. Alison Thompson, left, talks with Jenn Onofrio, center, a White House Fellow to the secretary of the Navy and Patrik Gallineaux, right, of the Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation prior to the launching of the USNS Harvey Milk, a fleet replenishment oiler ship named after the first openly gay elected official in 2021 in San Diego. (Alex Gallardo / Associated Press) I can understand the argument can be made that naval ships should be named only after those who served, which would eliminate people such as Huerta, Ginsburg and Truth. But there was a beauty in the idea of having the names of civil rights heroes adorn ships in the so-called John Lewis class, oilers named after the late congressman. It was a reminder that wars don't just happen on the front lines but also on the home front. That those who serve to defend our democracy dont just do it through the military. That winning doesnt just happen with bullets and bombs. That sometimes, the biggest threat to our nation hasnt been the enemy abroad, but the enemy within. Its not just my wokoso opinion, either the oath that all Navy newcomers and newly minted officers must take have them swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You might not associate Huerta, Truth, and Marshall with the military indeed, I was surprised the Navy had honored them, period. But I and millions of Americans do remember them for fierceness in their respective battlegrounds, a steeliness any sailor should aspire to. For anyone in Hegseth's world to even think about erasing their name is a disgrace to the Stars and Stripes but what else should we expect from a department whose boss evaded military service by claiming to have debilitating bone spurs? The striking of Milks name from an oiler, and proposed renaming of dry cargo ships named for Evers and Chavez, is particularly vile. Milk joined the Navy in the footsteps of his parents. He was so proud of his military background that he was wearing a belt buckle with his Navy divers insignia the night he was assassinated. Evers was inspired to fight Jim Crow after serving in a segregated Army unit during World War II. Chavez, meanwhile, was stationed in the western Pacific shortly after the Good War during his two-year Navy stint. I called up Andres Chavez, executive director of the National Chavez Center and grandson of Cesar, to hear how he was feeling about this mess. Andres was there in 2012 when the USNS Cesar Chavez was launched in San Diego, christened with a champagne bottle by Helen Chavez, Cesars widow and Andres grandmother. He said it was probably the second-most memorable commemoration Ive seen of my Tata after Obama dedicated the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument in the Central Valley that year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The USNS Cesar Chavez was the last of the Navys Lewis and Clark class of boats, all named after pioneers and explorers. Andres said his family was initially hesitant to have a naval ship named in honor of their patriarch because so much of Cesars identity is wrapped up in nonviolence but accepted when they found out the push came from shipyard workers from San Diegos Barrio Logan. And theres been so many Latinos who have served in the military in this country, so we accepted on behalf of them as well, he said. The Chavez family found out about the possibility of the USNS Cesar Chavez losing its name from reporters. Were just gonna wait and see whats next, but were not surprised by this administration anymore, Andres said. Its just not an affront to Cesar; its an affront to all the Latino veterans of this country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He pushed back on Hegseths definition of what a warrior is by bringing up the work of his grandfather and Milk. The two supported each others causes in the 1970s and met numerous times, according to Andres. They served by creating more opportunities for other people and fighting for their respect," he concluded. "Thats the definition of a warrior. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. BOULDER, Colo. Kathryn Sorensen likes to compare the options for finding water rights in central Arizona with shopping for clothes. Some options, such as tearing out turf, are like thrifting: cheap but a little picked over. Others, like desalination, are like buying a tiny designer handbag, expensive and ultimately limited in its capacity. And then there are other options, which might involve buying or borrowing other peoples clothes, and those options involve politics. Sorensen, director of Arizona State Universitys Kyl Center for Water Policy, spoke June 5 to an audience of water managers, scientists and tribal leaders at the 45th annual Colorado Law Conference on Natural Resources in Boulder, Colorado. She laid out how cities and developers are struggling for more limited water resources in the area of the Colorado River Basin most vulnerable to water cuts: central Arizona. If cuts become deep enough, and there's clearly a chance that will happen, I want to say in no uncertain terms, I am extraordinarily concerned that we will hit critical levels, Sorensen said in an interview. There are cities that rely on that (water) directly, and we need to make sure that those cities have a Plan B. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Colorado River, which provides 40% of water for Phoenix, along with most of Arizonas largest cities, is experiencing low flows unprecedented in U.S. history. The federal government declared the first official shortage on the river in 2021. Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties were the first to take serious cuts under an agreement struck decades ago to secure support for the Central Arizona Project Canal. So far, those cuts have dried up farms in Pinal County, but most cities and tribes have stayed wet, in part because the Gila River Indian Community volunteered to conserve some of its water in Lake Mead. That arrangement does not guarantee water after 2025, and the Colorado River Basin states are stalled in negotiations to define guidelines for how to manage shortage on a larger scale after 2026. A drier future: Worsening climate outlooks raise the stakes for an agreement on the Colorado River How will Arizona cities replace lost Colorado River water? In the long term, scientists expect climate change to continue drying the river basin, leading to low flows. Just this year, flows into Lake Powell, used to measure the rivers natural water supply, are expected to be roughly half of normal, and even that normal is lower than it once was in the 20th century. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our current climate trajectory is beyond awful, said Brad Udall, a water and climate research scientist at Colorado State University, speaking at the same event on June 5. As new water-using developments and industries move into the Phoenix area, water managers are examining their options for how to avoid sharp consequences, Sorensen said. Cities like Buckeye could lose the majority of their Colorado River water. Some cities have immediate back-ups to fill holes left by Colorado River shortages. Phoenix has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a pipeline to bring water from the Salt and Verde rivers to parts of the city that rely entirely on the Colorado. Tucson can rely on groundwater in the short term to cover its losses, but those aquifers are limited in the long run and dont provide a lasting, sustainable solution. Sorensen worries about municipalities that dont have those kinds of options. Water users in central Arizona are competing to find supplies that can provide them with assured water for a hundred years, a requirement in Arizona law, given diminished deliveries from the Colorado River, Sorensen said, and cities and developers are constantly scrambling to get entitlements to water to meet that requirement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first and cheapest option in stretching water supplies is conservation, Sorensen said. Since 1978, the portion of Phoenix single-family homes that use lush landscaping like lawns has plummeted from nearly 80% to around 20%, a result of intentionally increased water rates. Nonetheless, Sorensen said cities have already conserved a lot of water, and conserving more may see diminishing returns. The next-easiest option is for cities to lease water from other entities in central Arizona. The Phoenix area hosts a busy informal market for water leases, where entities with water rent out it out to those in need. The Salt River PimaMaricopa Indian Community, for instance, leased out all of its Colorado River water in 2021. By contrast, Chandler leased half of its Colorado River water from other parties in that year, according to the Kyl Center (leases are not inherently more vulnerable to cuts in the short term, but need to be renewed or replaced in the long term). But, as Sorensen pointed out, leasing depends on how willing an entity, usually a tribe, is to lend its water for a long time. They are sovereign nations," she said. "It is their choice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Water for tech: 'A thirsty operation': TSMC plant arrives amid water doubts, but Phoenix isn't worried How tribes, transfers could help in a shortage Cities and other water users can also rely on long-term storage credits, meaning they get to pump groundwater that other entities have saved underground. That option is a favorite for data centers, Sorensen said, which sometimes must purchase some of their own water supplies instead of relying on municipalities. Still, that option is usually a last resort, Sorensen said, as the water is nonrenewable, so once entities pump it they need to go out and find another long-term water source. All of these options involve shuffling the amount of Colorado River water already being delivered to the Phoenix and Tucson areas, but what about other sources? Cities in central Arizona are looking there too. A coalition of local governments is looking to build new storage on the Salt and Verde rivers, which could bring more water to the Phoenix area, but that project may not be completed until 2040. There is one option that may not require any infrastructure and could provide access to a massive chunk of Arizonas Colorado River water: leasing or buying agricultural water from the farms in the Colorado River Valley in the western part of the state. Together, the tribes of the Colorado River Valley and farmers in Yuma County hold rights to hundreds of thousands of acre feet of water that, unlike central Arizonas current water supply, is much safer from water cuts administered by the federal government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The idea is controversial, politically fraught, and potentially so lucrative that it has drawn the attention of private equity firms. You see private equity purchasing farms for the purchase of selling that water, Sorensen said. Only one of these transfers has occurred to date, in which a private equity firm called Greenstone bought farmland in La Paz County and sold the farms water entitlements to Queen Creek for $24 million in 2023. Local officials in western Arizona fumed about the sale, which dried almost 500 acres of farmland, worrying that it would lead to weaker local agricultural communities. Since then, the Colorado River Indian Tribes, which hold Arizonas largest and highest-priority Colorado River entitlements, have received congressional approval to lease some of their water to off-reservation users, though they havent moved to do so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rural shortages: It's not just big alfalfa farms. La Paz residents fear groundwater grab by big cities Farms use the most water. Will they give up some of it? In a May interview, CAP board president Terry Goddard said he had recently visited Yuma and wanted to open discussions about farmers there sharing water with central Arizona users. Goddard said cuts in central Arizona were getting down to the bone, and it was unacceptable to dry out the tribes and critical industries in the states most populous region. So far, he said those discussions havent happened. Presenting a slide titled, The future of Ag to Urban Transfers, Sorensen wondered aloud whether those arrangements would happen in the future, calling them a big maybe. Farms account for at least three quarters of human water consumption in the lower Colorado River Basin, according to Brian Richter, a researcher and president of Sustainable Water. As cities look to sustain themselves on a diminishing piece of the Colorado River, Phoenix-based water consultant and attorney Peter Culp said in another presentation, conversations about the river often pit the two sectors against one another. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Culp runs a nonprofit bank, Blue Commons, that provides low-interest loans to farmers and tribes to build water conservation infrastructure. The bank is designed to give farmers an alternative to selling their farms to private equity firms like Greenstone by making farming more financially feasible and providing financing that doesnt ultimately lead back to Wall Street investors. Having grown up in a farming community, Culp said he sees the transfer of water and money from farms to cities as a symptom of a deeper, larger economic shift in the United States and the West. We have spent the last hundred years engaged in an extremely effective project of resource extraction and wealth extraction that has systematically moved wealth from the rural parts of this country into a core, Culp said. Rural America is not doing great, folks. Moving forward, Culp said farmers and cities can change their view on ag-to-urban water transfers as an opportunity for mutual benefit. Cities can invest in rural economies, and in return, farmers can conserve water and support cities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Want more stories like this? Sign up for AZ Climate, The Republic's free weekly environment newsletter. Though not responding to Culps remarks, Sorensen viewed the movement in economic activity as more natural. People move towards economic opportunity, and some people may wish that were different," she said. "It's not, and it never has been." Regardless of what happens, Sorensen said in her presentation, water is bound to get more expensive. Sorensen compared Arizonas water to Bitcoin: If you didnt buy it already, its probably too late, Sorensen said. But on the other hand, maybe its like Bitcoin in that the price just keeps going up and up, and youve got to buy now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With values like that, the desalination of brackish groundwater of Pacific Ocean water in neighboring entities the tiny designer purse in Sorensens shopping metaphor could become realistic, Sorensen said. The market is tough, especially in the face of Colorado River shortages, so (the tiny purse) might be what we have to turn to, Sorensen said. Austin Corona covers environmental issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Send tips or questions to austin.corona@arizonarepublic.com. Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Follow The Republic environmental reporting team at environment.azcentral.com and @azcenvironment on Facebook and Instagram. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Colorado River cuts push central Arizona to seek water alternatives An automated license plate reader sits inside a fake cactus at a Paradise Valley roundabout. Photo by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy | Arizona Mirror A license plate scanning tool that is marketed to be used to combat car theft or find missing people is now being used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Some Arizona police departments have access to the technology, but say that ICE hasnt requested to use it. First reported by 404 Media, local police around the country have been using an AI-powered automatic license plate reader system as part of ICE investigations, essentially giving the agency access to a tool for which they dont have a federal contract. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The automatic license plate reader, or ALPR for short, camera systems gather data from license plates that can then be flagged or saved to databases. ALPR data can also reveal a lot about a persons movements, and 404 Media found that the system was used in Texas to track a woman after she had an abortion. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The vast majority of the camera monitoring systems in Arizona are used in the Phoenix area, with some in more rural areas and near the border. The Arizona Mirror reached out to nine law enforcement agencies that use the cameras, sold by a company called Flock, to ask if they had received requests from ICE and if they use Flocks ALPR Nova tool. The Nova tool came under scrutiny after 404 Media reported it had been using data obtained through security breaches and not just data from public records. Since the reporting, Flock said it will no longer use the hacked data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The El Mirage, Buckeye, Apache Junction and Casa Grande police departments all told the Mirror that they do not use the Nova tool and that ICE has not requested their data. We have not received any requests from ICE for any of our data. Border Patrol and HSI both receive our alerts for things such as stolen vehicles or wanted subjects, Casa Grande Chief of Police Mark McCrory said in an email to the Mirror. They cant access our data other than receiving these alerts. A spokesperson for the Scottsdale Police Department said it does not use the Nova tool but was unaware whether ICE had made any data requests and suggested the Mirror make a public records request to obtain more information. The La Paz, Maricopa, Graham county sheriffs offices and the Somerton Police Department did not respond to the Mirrors requests for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The reporting by 404 Media was published as law enforcement agencies across the nation and in Arizona face more scrutiny for their cooperation with federal authorities on President Donald Trumps deportation agenda. At Phoenix City Hall Wednesday, activists with the progressive group Poder in Action delivered a citizen petition to the city requesting the Phoenix Police Department quit working with ICE. While Phoenix Police do not use the Flock camera system, they do work with ICE in other capacities and have an ALPR program. The Arizona Republic reported that the majority of arrests in the metro area that led to ICE deportation actions came from Phoenix Police. State lawmakers have been seeking to force local law enforcement to work more with ICE. During a Wednesday meeting, Phoenix City Councilwoman Anna Hernandez brought up the 404 Media report and asked Police Chief Dennis Orender if Phoenix Police shares its ALPR program with ICE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Phoenix Police use an ALPR system by Vigilant Solutions, one of the nations largest ALPR vendors and one used by several other law enforcement agencies in the state. Orender said that if an approved entity made a request for data from the database then they could get access but stressed that it does not provide information on registration and ownership of the vehicle just where it was at a point in time. Councilwoman Kesha Hodge Washington also voiced similar concerns, and mentioned the 404 Media report about the Texas cop who used ALPR data to track a woman who had gotten an abortion. What protocols are being set up to ensure the privacy of our Phoenix residents? Washington asked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Orender said that the agency has policies to protect privacy but when Mayor Kate Gallego asked him if anyone was doing spot checks to make sure no one was making queries for their ex-wife, Orender said he would have to come back on June 18 with an answer. Poder Co-Executive Director Ben Laughlin hopes that petitions like the one his organization presented to the council on Wednesday will help keep people from being part of the deportation pipeline. The deportations are resulting from stops, basic interactions that are pushing folks into the Fourth Avenue Jail where theyre interacting with ICE, Laughlin said. He added that he hopes the impact of the petition would help limit Phoenix Police from engaging in racial profiling like it did in the past. Laughlin also said he hopes that local politicians, who said they wouldnt cooperate with Trumps deportation agenda, stay true to their word. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We also need elected officials to follow through on the promises that they made, Laughlin said. The Phoenix City Council asked that police come to its June 18 meeting with a plan to ensure that use of the ALPR data is audited and to have better answers to their questions about how the data is used. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The European Watch Company (EWC), a specialist in luxury pre-owned timepieces, has joined forces with Chubb to offer insurance coverage for its clientele and their watch collections. The partnership will leverage Chubb's digital insurance platform, Chubb Studio, to streamline the insurance process for EWC customers. Under the new partnership, Chubb will underwrite a worldwide insurance policy for EWC clients, covering loss, theft, damage and mysterious disappearance without a deductible. Coverage is based on the current market value of each watch, with annual adjustments reflecting market trends, the company said. For watches valued below $100,000, no appraisal is required for insurance coverage and features claim settlement options including repair, replacement or cash compensation. EWC CEO Joshua Ganjei said: Every day, we hear horror stories of entire collections being stolen, and we wanted to provide our clients with an ironclad way to protect their investments. Luxury watches are more than just timepieces; they represent history, craftsmanship and an investment asset. With Chubbs expertise and our dedication to the watch collecting community, we are offering a level of insurance protection that truly matches the importance of these pieces. Chubb's policy provides full protection for the agreed insured amount and allows for claim payments of up to 150% of the policy limit in some cases. Chubb Personal Risk Services digital consumer head Amy McNeece stated: We are pleased to collaborate with European Watch Company to provide their clients with insurance coverage designed to help protect and safeguard their cherished collections from the unexpected. In May, Chubb and Zurich North America, in collaboration with National Indemnity Company, established a new excess casualty insurance facility for large corporations. "European Watch Company forges insurance partnership with Chubb " was originally created and published by Life Insurance International, a GlobalData owned brand. Liquid from the leaking oil well pools around trees in Ouachita County. (Obtained from AOGC filing) Arkansas oil and gas regulators are working to replug a century-old oil well in Ouachita County that began leaking in May, after the state Oil and Gas Commission approved an emergency request to pay for the work. A commission inspector wrote in a May 12 report that the leak had affected large trees that are browning and losing leaves. Department of Energy and Environment spokesperson Melony Martinez wrote in an email that there was no risk of further environmental contamination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The leak is not near any private [water] wells of record or any municipal water systems. It is located in a remote area and is not near a town. Once plugging is completed and weather conditions are conducive, surface abatement and cleanup measures will begin, Martinez said. The departments Division of Environmental Quality is aware of the response but is not actively involved in plugging operations, she said. The commission has spent a little over $400,000 so far and expects to spend around $500,000, Martinez said. However, she emphasized it was difficult to estimate exact costs. According to commission staff at a hearing last week, the state was notified of the leak in mid-May. Martinez said they estimated the well had been leaking for three to four days prior to the state becoming aware of it. The well was still actively leaking as of June 3, but the leak is contained, Martinez said. Oil and Gas Commission records show the leaking fluid was diverted to a pit. Contractors removed 9 loads out of the pit on May 14. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Commission expects the well will be plugged over the next few days, which would mean it is no longer leaking, Martinez said. While Martinez said there were no estimates for the amount of fluid that has leaked from the well, images included in the commissions filings last week show large areas of pooled fluids around dying trees and vegetation. The well was last operated by The Texas Company, and was likely plugged around 1940, commission staff said in their request for emergency spending authority to address the leak. Commission attorneys said last week that they were unable to track down the original permit holder, necessitating the commission to expend funds. Commissioners voted unanimously to grant staff the authority to use money from the Arkansas Abandoned and Orphaned Well Plugging Fund to address the leak. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The number of active and producing oil and gas wells in Arkansas have been steadily decreasing. Thousands of wells have been abandoned, either plugged or unplugged, or orphaned in the century since Arkansas first oil boom. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE FLORISSANT, Mo. People living in the Cades Cove neighborhood of Florissant expressed concerns over the potential relocation for six homeowners affected by radioactive contamination. Im terribly insecure. Im scared. Am I safe to drink the water? Krystal George said. George lives next to Coldwater Creek. The Army Corps of Engineers has several poles behind her property where they are testing for radioactive contamination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were going to go back and continue sampling those areas just to refine our plan and to confirm our plan and confirm that there is nothing anywhere else. It goes to where weve defined it in these properties and thats it, Colonel Andy Pannier, commander of St. Louis District of Army Corps of Engineers, said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News According to Pannier, there are currently seven properties with contamination, six of those are homes. Its not a buyout. That would mean we would own the property. In this case, were going to remove the homes, theyll be compensated for the value of that home, well assist them to relocate to a new home wherever theyre choosing to do this, he said. Then well remediate the entirety of the property, restore it back, put the dirt back and grass back and everything and then the homeowner will still retain ownership of that property. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Georges concern is the cut off at the sixth house. This isnt just an issue with just the six people, this is an issue that affects everybody that lives around Coldwater Creek. Pannier said the Army Corps of Engineers will conduct outreach in the Cades Cove neighborhood to answer questions residents may have. He said the tentative plan is to wrap up paperwork by the end of July with the six homeowners. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. Garrison Dam on the Missouri River forms Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota. (Amy Echols/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working on shoring up Garrison Dams spillway, which is used to release water from Lake Sakakawea when water levels are high. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., announced in a news release Friday that the Corps was spending $24 million for dredging and the placement of riprap protection of the spillway at Garrison Dam near Riverdale. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This work is part of the larger Garrison Dam Spillway Approach Rehabilitation Project and is expected to be completed in April 2028. Water pours through the spillway Garrison Dam in 2011, the first time the spillway had been used for the dam on the Missouri River in North Dakota. (Amy Echols/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) The Army Corps completed a study of Garrison Dam in June 2023. The dam holds back the Missouri River, creating Lake Sakakawea, the largest reservoir of any Army Corps project in the nation. Flooding in 2011 caused Garrison Dams spillway to be used for the first time since it was completed in 1953. After dam operators closed the spillway gates and operations returned to normal, the dams maintenance team assessed the impacts of the historic flooding and the spillways ability to handle even larger floods. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The overall project includes the replacement of the spillways drainage system to remove manhole covers from inside the spillway. Some covers were dislodged in 2011. Other work at the dam this year includes replacing lighting along Crest Road and concrete repair on the Spillway Bridge that may slow travel, the Army Corps said in a news release. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX COOLBAUGH TOWNSHIP, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) Tobyhanna Army Depot cutting the ribbon on its new micro-electronics manufacturing facility. The Department of Defense depends on global supply chains to provide microelectronics for its military weapons systems. But, shortfalls and the possibility of counterfeit parts represents a significant risk so the depot created its own manufacturing facility. Kohbergers defense team summons five people Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So what this will be used in: everything. Think anything thats it. So from radio systems to radar systems to night vision goggles. Anything with electricity going through it, you have microelectronics that are involved in it, said Maj. Gen. James Turinetti, Coolbaugh Township. This is part of Tobyhannas four-phase project to prototype and produce the circuit card assemblies. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to 28/22 News. Millions of pounds of military hardware are expected to roll down the US capitals streets in less than two weeks, fulfilling a dream of President Donald Trump but also sparking concerns about how the roads of Washington, DC, will fare under the literal weight of heavy tanks and fighting vehicles. The largest military parade the city has seen in decades is expected to bring seven million pounds of vehicles and weaponry as well as a price tag potentially in the tens of millions of dollars, and this week the US Army has started reinforcing the roads that will carry the hardware downtown and along the parade route. The parade on June 14 will feature dozens of M1-A1 Abrams tanks and Bradley and Stryker fighting vehicles rolling through the streets of DC, as well as Howitzers and other artillery pieces, officials said. Nearly 7,000 soldiers are set to participate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most of the tanks, vehicles and equipment are currently en route to Maryland from Fort Cavazos in Texas, and will arrive by train at the rail station in Jessup, Maryland, early next week. They will then be offloaded onto flatbed trucks for onward transport to DC. But the US Army Corps of Engineers, which has been leading on the effort to protect DC roads and infrastructure, is confident in the mitigation efforts the Army is deploying to minimize damage efforts that have cost more than $3 million alone so far, Army officials said. The total cost of the parade could be as high as $45 million, officials have estimated. The damage mitigation efforts include laying steel plates down on roads, particularly at spots where the tanks will make sharp turns; putting new track pads on every vehicle to relieve some pressure and create separation between the metal and the asphalt; and ensuring the tanks move only at a walking pace during the parade itself, the officials said. Col. Jesse Curry, the director of the Office of the Chief of Engineers, told CNN that the Army has worked extensively with various agencies and DC utility companies in its planning to minimize potential damage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Army began laying down steel plates in roughly a dozen locations along the parade route on Wednesday night, Curry said, and is planning to put down matting at a staging area in West Potomac Park, near the National Mall, for the Abrams tanks to sit on before they roll down Constitution Avenue. Our concern from an engineer technical evaluation on anything below the surface of the road thats going to be damaged is very, very low, Curry said. Weve got the best (engineers) in the world. How theyre doing it The Armys 250th birthday celebration has been in the works for two years, Army officials said. But adding a parade was the Trump White Houses idea, so planning for that began only two months ago. Trumps desire for a large military parade featuring all of the military services dates back to his first term. But it was scrapped at the time because defense officials said it would cost as much as $100 million and damage DC streets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This months parade will focus only on the Army, making it slightly smaller and less expensive. The Army Corps of Engineers began assessing how to protect DC infrastructure during the parade back in April, Curry said. The initial worst-case-scenario estimate to protect DC streets was roughly $16 million, Curry said. That would have been the cost if the Army did nothing to mitigate the impacts, he explained. Now, the estimate has dropped down to around $3.5 million, which will include the cost for putting down steel plates and reinforcing them into the pavement with railroad ties, removing the plates afterwards, and any cosmetic upkeep that needs to be done in the wake of the parade. Two people who are not in the military but are involved in the parades planning told CNN there are still concerns among some agencies over potential damage to underground gas lines particularly on the route from the rail station in Jessup to the holding area near the National Mall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Curry emphasized that the Army Corps of Engineers assesses that risk to be very low. The Army has consulted with the National Park Services, the Federal Highway Administration, DC Water, Washington Gas, Pepco, the Department of Transportation and all the associated authorities and utility companies that would have rightful concerns, Curry said. During those discussions, the Army went over the expected route with the companies, looking at their underground gas and electric lines, which Curry said largely run under sidewalks instead of in the middle of the road. That alone mitigated some of the concern over damage to critical infrastructure, Curry said. If were driving on sidewalks, something went really wrong, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Curry noted that the Army frequently transports tanks and heavy fighting vehicles on trucks all around the country, without causing infrastructure issues. What youll see The parade is meant to tell the story of the Army through its 250-year history, beginning with the Revolutionary War, tracing through major conflicts and ending with present day. The parade route will begin near the Lincoln Memorial on Constitution Avenue, continue east to 15th Street, and end at the corner of 15th and Independence Avenue. Here is a breakdown of what will be featured: World War I A Dodge Staff car Renault tank General Dwight D. Eisenhower in his jeep in Normandy in 1944. Several Willy Jeeps will be featured in the military parade. - US Army Signal Corps/US National Archives and Records Administration World War II 6 Willys jeeps 2 Sherman tanks 2 Half-tracks 1 M14 high-speed tractor A 2.5-ton truck towing a 37mm anti-tank gun A Marine operates an M274 mule in the bulk fuel area at Cua Viet Base in October 1966. - PFC Kenneth L. Fuller/US National Archives and Records Administration Vietnam War: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 3 M151 jeeps 2 M35A2 cargo trucks 1 M274 Mule Soldiers stand beside their camouflaged M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles at the Shell Point training area in Fort Hood, Texas, in 1986. - William U. Rosenmund/US National Archives and Records Administration Gulf War: 8 M181 armored vehicles 2 Paladins 8 M2 Bradley fighting vehicles 6 M119 howitzers A US Army Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle is parked in a field to assist in a joint US and Iraqi Army search operation for hidden weapon caches in Sinjar, Ninawa Province, Iraq, on May 31, 2006. - Staff Sergeant Jacob N Bailey/US Air Force/US National Archives and Records Administration Global War on Terror: 18 Strykers Modern Era 1 6 M777 artillery pieces 12 M2 Bradley fighting vehicles 4 M119 howitzers 12 ISV utility vehicles 12 Abrams tanks This 2019 photo shows two M1-A1 Abrams tanks and other military vehicles sit on guarded rail cars at a rail yard in Washington, DC. - Mark Wilson/Getty Images Modern Era 2 3 Paladins 12 Strykers 12 M2 Bradley fighting vehicles 9 M777 artillery pieces 9 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles 12 Abrams tanks The parade will also feature an extensive flyover, Army officials said, involving more than 50 helicopters. Those will include AH-64 Apaches, UH-60 Black Hawks and CH-47 Chinooks. Finally, the Armys Golden Knights parachute demonstration team will jump and present Trump with an American flag the only part of the parade that will involve the president directly, Army officials said. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Authorities arrested a Roxbury man on Friday, accused of a deadly shooting behind a Taunton school in April. 39-year-old David Jones was charged with the murder of Stephan Myers on April 29, according to the Bristol County District Attorneys Office. Jones was arraigned in Taunton District Court on Friday afternoon. He was held without bail and hid his face in a white jump suit. He will be back in court on July 18 for a probable cause hearing. On the morning of April 30, Myerss body was found at a construction area behind Bristol-Plymouth High School. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He had sustained a gunshot wound, according to investigators. Its unclear if Jones and Myers were known to each other. No further information was immediately available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez walked into a government building Thursday morning, but just minutes later was stripped of his gun and his badge. Lopez was put in handcuff and read his rights, as authorities charged him with racketeering after a lengthy investigation. Soon after, Gov,. Ron DeSantis suspended him as sheriff. According to Homeland Security Investigations, the investigation started in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state attorney general said Lopez was involved is a massive illegal gambling operation in Osceola and Lake counties. Authorities say that operation brought in more than $20 million. Investigators say it started after Lopez took office in 2020. He allegedly allowed gambling operations to set up illegally in his county in exchange for cash. Investigators say Lopez played a multifaceted role in expanding and protecting the illegal enterprise, using his office to shield it from law enforcement. Four co-defendants - Ying Zhang, Sharon Fedrick, Sheldon Wetherholt and Carol Cote - are also named in the charging documents. Theyre accused of running or working for the illegal gambling operation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State prosecutors list one location in the charging documents. Eclipse Social Club, also known as Fusion Social Club, operated at 4561 West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway in Kissimmee. The former club is now a Mexican restaurant. State prosecutors say Eclipse Social Club operated from about June 2022 to August 2024. On the clubs TikTok, you can see Eclipse Social Club repeatedly promoting gambling. The social media page calls the establishment a casino with a lot, fish tables and computer games with daily promotions. Videos show the wall of the building lined with at least 20 video slots and other gaming machines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to state business records, Wetherholt was the manager of this social club. Wetherholt, Zhang and Lopez are accused of keeping the gambling house, unlawfully having slot machines and setting up or promoting a lottery. State prosecutors say Lopez and Zhang were also involved with money laundering so disguising the money collected from this illegal gambling operation. Fedrick and Cote are listed in court documents as employees or agents of this operation. Cote was booked in the Lake County Jail at 2 p.m. Thursday. WFTV found Wetherholt filed for the LLC in 2020 out of Citrus County. The LLC was active until 2024 shortly after it was passed to a Wyoming LLC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators say more arrest warrants will be filed in the coming days. Read continuing coverage Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) Amber Gohn, a supporter of the victim, states, There should have never been a continuance. Family and community members gathered outside the Mesa County Justice Center to protest the alleged acts of child abuse by Ashlee Davis at The Centre De Familia Daycare. Taylor Triesch, a supporter of the victim, states, We all know what is right and what is wrong. My toddler knows whats right and what is wrong. And in this situation, we know what is wrong and its not being taken seriously. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gohn states, Theres enough proof that she should have just walked right into the jail. Thats a baby. He couldnt defend himself. Now everybodys defending her and thats not okay. WesternSlopeNow reached out to Mesa County District Attorney Dan Rubinstein to see why a case can take a long time to process. Rubinstein states, A misdemeanor case typically takes between six months and 15 months to get through the criminal justice system. This is primarily guided by decisions only the defendant can make, such as whether to enter a guilty plea or take the case to trial. The criminal justice system is more concerned with getting the right results rather than fast ones. We strive to keep our victims and witnesses informed and involved, but rarely can control the pace of a case. The group of the victims supporters may be small, but their voices are continuing to spread awareness in the community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gohn explains, Im speaking for the baby. I dont even really know them personally. I saw it on social media. Im friends with one of them and its just wild to me that somebody is willing to, as a grown adult, put their hands on a baby. Bad day or not. During Davis time in court on Thursday, just like the last time, Davis avoided confronting the victims mother, family and community supporters. I think thats a very childish thing to do. I think that if youre okay to make these actions and to treat a child like this, you are grown up enough to face us and to be like seeing the signs that were holding up for him, Triesch said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com. What does it mean to die well, with dignity? The question is at the heart of the contentious debate over whether legalizing physician-assisted death for terminally ill patients is an act of compassion, upholding an individuals dignity, or a troubling step toward devaluing human life. The debate has recently returned to the spotlight in New York, where the state Assembly passed a bill in April that would allow terminally ill patients with a prognosis of six months or less to live to request life-ending medication. It also came up in May, when Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams revealed that he only has a few months to live and indicated that he might take advantage of Californias End of Life Option Act. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New Yorks proposal requires confirmation from two doctors, who must verify the diagnosis and ensure the patient is mentally sound. The measure passed narrowly 81 to 67 after more than four hours of debate. Its fate now rests with the state Senate, where it needs 32 votes to pass and currently has 26 co-sponsors. Currently, 12 jurisdictions including Oregon, Colorado and the District of Columbia permit whats commonly known as medical assistance in dying (MAiD) or assisted suicide. On May 20, Delaware became the latest state to legalize medical assistance in dying, and at least 19 other states are considering similar laws. Canada, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands have adopted MAiD laws, some extending eligibility to people without terminal illnesses. The United Kingdom is also reviewing a similar bill, with a vote expected later in June. Passing this bill is about love, compassion, and reducing needless suffering. No one should have to endure agony when there is a better, humane choice available. This is not a political issue its a human issue, and we owe it to New Yorkers to pass the Medical Aid in Dying Act, said the bills sponsor, Assemblymember Amy Paulin, D-Westchester, in a press release. Supporters argue that allowing patients to choose death in the face of unbearable suffering respects their dignity and autonomy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For those speaking out against the bill, legalizing physician-assisted suicide devalues life and puts vulnerable populations at risk, including people with disabilities, poor people and people with mental illness. Dr. Lydia Dugdale, a physician and ethicist at Columbia University, wrote in a recent New York Times op-ed that the debate isnt about dying well. It is about relieving society government, medical systems, even families of the responsibility to care for those who need the most help: the mentally ill, the poor, the physically disabled, she wrote. "this bill... is not about dying well. It is about relieving society... of the responsibility to care for those who need the most help." fantastic article by Dr Lydia Dugdale on the dangers of legalizing MAiD in NY in @nytopinion 1/n pic.twitter.com/ygwvPSFs71 Audrey Pollnow (@AudreyPollnow) May 11, 2025 Opponents worry about a slippery slope, arguing that vague eligibility requirements could lead to the kind of expansion seen in Canada, where assisted suicide has become available to people suffering not only from terminal illness, but also from conditions like loneliness, eating disorders and mental illness. I cannot get through a day ... Its physical torture, said a Canadian woman with a series of nonterminal diagnoses, whose journey seeking, and receiving, MAiD is the focus of a recent New York Times story. Once we go down this road, there is no going back, said Ed Mechmann, the director of public policy at the Archdiocese of New York, speaking at a recent event in New York hosted by Communion and Liberation, a Catholic lay movement, along with other opponents of physician-assisted suicide. It will change the nature of health care, of living and dying forever, Mechmann said. What is medical assistance in dying? The terms physician-assisted death or assisted suicide typically refer to a medical practice in which a terminally ill person is provided a lethal dose of medication they can take to end their life. The term medical assistance in dying is commonly used in U.S. and Canada policy discussions and often refers to both assisted suicide and euthanasia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Euthanasia, by contrast, involves a medical professional administering a life-ending medication, typically by injection, at the patients request. Euthanasia is not legal in the states that have legalized MAiD, whereas countries like Canada and the Netherlands allow both. Although the proponents of MAiD often frame assisted suicide as a matter of personal autonomy, those who oppose it believe that in reality, it would accomplish the opposite and endanger vulnerable patients who struggle to access care and support. As a practicing physician, I will tell you this does not become a matter of choice for most people, said Dugdale, author of the 2020 book The Lost Art of Dying, speaking at the New York event. The concern is that once you have a choice legalized for the privileged few, it will then threaten life for many others who find it difficult to maintain life for a variety of reasons. Weak safeguards of the laws and ambiguous definitions would likely contribute to eventually including a wide range of chronic conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer and even mental health disorders like anorexia, Mechmann noted. In such cases, choosing death may not reflect true autonomy but rather systemic neglect, he said. In Colorado, for instance, patients with anorexia have already qualified for assisted death on the grounds that the condition can be fatal if untreated. In 2024, Quebec, a province in Canada, established the right for a person with a serious and incurable illness to choose a medically assisted death in advance. Also in Canada, patients with a mental illness as an underlying medical condition will be eligible for MAiD in 2027. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But even with long-term patients, it can be difficult to determine whether a desire to die stems from informed decision-making or untreated depression, Dugdale said. The people who tend to seek to end their lives through lethal prescription, who want assisted suicide, are at high risk for depression demographically, Dugdale said. Among those groups are older adults with advanced cancer, especially white men. Depression is often overlooked or misdiagnosed, despite being treatable. In Oregon, where MAiD has been legal the longest, less than 1% of patients requesting lethal prescriptions are referred for psychological evaluation. This is a major oversight that fails to protect depressed people from making flawed decisions, Dugdale wrote in her op-ed. Opponents also challenge the popular narrative of MAiD as a carefully considered choice made by an informed patient with a long-trusted physician. Very few patients have a doctor they call their own anymore, or a doctor who knows them, said Dr. Eve Slater, a physician and Columbia University professor at an online event hosted by Plough, a Christian magazine, on June 2. Slater, who previously served as assistant secretary for Health and Human Services, said that for many today, especially in New York, care is fragmented, which makes it more challenging to make intimate and ethically sound decisions. She added that legalizing physician-assisted death could further erode the foundational trust between doctor and patient. Physicians also often misjudge how long terminally ill patients will live, according to Slater. Ive been thankfully proved wrong on many occasions, Slater said. I think there is a fallacy in the premise that you qualify if you have less than six months to live, because any doctor who declares that is assuming a crystal ball that they dont have. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In reality, legalizing assisted death risks creating a new social norm one that pressures vulnerable individuals, especially those who are alone, seriously ill or unsupported, into feeling like death is their best or only option. Dying is not a problem to be solved In 2019, Kate Connolly, a communications professional in New York City, received a call that her mother had been rushed to the hospital with a brain aneurysm, she recalled while speaking alongside Dugdale and Mechmann. For the next four and a half years, her mother remained confined to her bed and wheelchair, on a feeding tube, unable to do much without assistance. Yet, even in a severely disabled state, her mothers presence was cherished by her family before she died, Connolly said. Her familys role, which was also a great sacrifice, was to be steward, not dictators, but respectful stewards of a precious gift, Connolly said. Around the same time, Connolly learned her unborn son had developed a cystic hygroma a condition often considered incompatible with life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both with her mother and her son, Connolly described pressure from medical professionals to end their life prematurely through abortion or withdrawal of care, which were presented as practical and compassionate choices. She chose to continue her pregnancy, giving birth to a son and holding him after he died. Although hastening death may sometimes seem like a more compassionate and pragmatic decision, this mindset fosters a view of suffering lives as disposable, Connolly said. The truth is, from what Ive seen, dying is not a problem to be solved, she said. It is an experience to be lived and even embraced. It is a sacred time, truly set apart from any experience. End-of-life decisions must involve thoughtful, peaceful conversations between patients, families and doctors, Connolly noted. What is the right course of action? What is reasonable or what is needlessly extending pain and suffering? she said. You cannot ask these questions thoughtfully or with any real meaning when youre being pushed to just do the expedient thing and end the life in front of you. A question of control According to studies from Canada, the top reasons that patients say they seek a lethal prescription are more social rather than physical. In Canada, the 2022 annual report revealed that the most commonly cited reasons for requesting MAiD were loss of ability to engage in meaningful activities (86%) and loss of ability to perform daily activities (81%). While supporters of MAiD often argue that alleviating pain is one of the main reasons for hastening the death of a patient, about 59% are concerned about controlling pain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Oregon data, nearly 30% of MAiD-seeking patients cite current and future concerns about pain. So its much more an issue of control, Dugdale said, adding that the U.S. has robust pain control. Dying in pain is not an issue. It should not be an issue. Instead, loss of independence and fear of being a burden often are. These fears should be met with care, not a prescription, Mechmann said. Its incumbent on us to make sure people dont feel (like a burden). A culture of death? With her medical trainees, Dugdale observed a shift in attitudes toward physician-assisted dying. In recent conversations, she said, some trainees wondered, Why dont we just do away with our societal aversion to suicide altogether? and embrace the view that if individuals wish to end their lives, they should be free to do so without interference. Once, she was asked whether assisted suicide can be a solution to the problem of loneliness. With this mindset, end-of-life decisions would be made through a utilitarian and individualistic lens. Many physicians are uneasy about appearing paternalist, Dugdale said. And so to mitigate that, we defer everything to the patient, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The core ethical principles of beneficence (doing good) and non-maleficence (avoiding harm) have, in practice, been overshadowed by an almost singular focus on autonomy, Dugdale said. For doctors, she continued, MAiD can offer a controlled intervention in the often unpredictable process of dying, providing a sense of agency amid uncertainty. Theres already a growing pressure to sacrifice ones life for the so-called greater good and to rid the world of expensive, hopeless cases, she said. Normalizing the idea of choosing death, especially in a society already grappling with high health care costs and an aging population, may cause younger health care professionals to view seriously ill, expensive patients as burdens. A study from Oxford University points to a correlation between legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia and increased rates of more common forms of suicide in both the U.S. and Europe. Once it becomes widely acceptable that I can end my life on my own terms, that feeds a culture of death, Dugdale said. In Canada, euthanasia is now the fifth most common cause of death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At some point, the vast majority of people in the state of New York are gonna be laying in a hospital bed. And when the doctor shows up, what are we gonna think? Is this my ally or is this my enemy? Mechmann said. So what, then, is the way forward? Investing in meaningful relationships and community and maintaining deep personal connections through family, faith communities, clubs or friendships is a bulwark against loneliness and despair, experts agreed. Its human connection not lethal prescriptions that is the real antidote to suffering, participants in the event said. Suffering is inevitable, Mechmann said. But the assisted suicide is a bad answer to the problem of suffering. Its love, its community, its not despairing. Its being willing to embrace some of the suffering and to live with it and to walk with it. Editors note: This story deals with the practice of assisted suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of self-harm, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Line is always available. You can text or call 988 any time or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Utah, you can also reach out to SafeUT, 833-372-3388, or download the SafeUT app. By Laurie Chen and David Shepardson BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -China has granted temporary export licenses to rare-earth suppliers of the top three U.S. automakers, two sources familiar with the matter said, as supply chain disruptions begin to surface from Beijing's export curbs on those materials. At least some of the licenses are valid for six months, the two sources said, declining to be named because the information is not public. It was not immediately clear what quantity or items are covered by the approval or whether the move signals China is preparing to ease the rare-earths licensing process, which industry groups say is cumbersome and has created a supply bottleneck. China's decision in April to restrict exports of a wide range of rare earths and related magnets has tripped up the supply chains central to automakers, aerospace manufacturers, semiconductor companies and military contractors around the world. China's dominance of the critical mineral industry, key to the green energy transition, is increasingly viewed as a key point of leverage for Beijing in its trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump. China produces around 90% of the world's rare earths, and auto industry representatives have warned of increasing threats to production due to their dependency on it for those parts. Suppliers of three big U.S. automakers, General Motors (GM), Ford (FORD) and Jeep-maker Stellantis (STLA )got clearance for some rare earth export licenses on Monday, one of the two sources said. GM and Ford each declined to comment. Stellantis said it is working with suppliers "to ensure an efficient licensing process" and that so far the company has been able to "address immediate production concerns without major disruptions." China's Ministry of Commerce did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment. China's critical-mineral export controls have become a focus on Trump's criticism of Beijing, which he says has violated the truce reached last month to roll back tariffs and trade restrictions. On Thursday, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a lengthy phone call to iron out trade differences. Trump said in social-media post that "there should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products." Both sides said teams will meet again soon. U.S. auto companies are already feeling the impact of the restrictions. Ford shut down production of its Explorer SUV at its Chicago plant for a week in May because of a rare-earth shortage, the company said. AstraZeneca, a major pharmaceutical company, has sued Utahs Attorney General Derek Brown over a recently passed state law allowing for lower pricing in pharmacies. The lawsuit concerns how SB69, passed during the 2025 state legislative session, deals with Section 340B of the federal Public Health Service Act. The suit was filed in May in the U.S. District Court of the District of Utah. The lawsuit argues that SB69 violates federal law by expanding the 340B drug discount program to unlimited pharmacies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 340B drug discount program is designed to provide pricing benefits to specific eligible health care entities. It requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to offer products at steeply discounted rates for a specific list of entities. Because such price controls can disincentivize innovation and destabilize markets, Congress carefully crafted Section 340B and limited participation in the program to fifteen and only fifteen types of covered entities," per the lawsuit. It also points out that for-profit pharmacy chains, such as CVS and Walgreens, were not included in the list of covered entities. AstraZenecas suit seeks for an order declaring that SB69 violates federal law and is unconstitutional. It also seeks to stop Brown and Utah Insurance Commissioner Jon Pike from enforcing SB69 against AstraZeneca in any manner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Utah Attorney Generals Office said Friday it had no comment on the lawsuit. Utah Attorney General Derek Brown answers questions during an interview with the Deseret News about a lawsuit Utah has joined with 16 other states that could change or strike down Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, in the Utah Attorney General's Office in the Capitol, in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News What does SB69 do? SB69, which was sponsored by Sen. Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City, defines terms related to the 340B drug discount program and prohibits pharmaceutical manufacturers from setting certain restrictions. Under the law, manufacturers cannot prohibit or restrict pharmacies from contracting with 340B entities. They also cannot deny these 340B entities access to specific drugs. Apparently dissatisfied with the scope of federal law, the State of Utah has enacted a statute seeking to achieve under state law precisely the same result that federal courts have resoundingly rejected, per the suit. The state law requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to offer 340B-discounted pricing for sales at an unlimited number of contract pharmacies. Sen. Chris H. Wilson talks about SB69 Income Tax Amendments during a Senate Revenue and Taxation Standing Committee meeting in the Senate Building in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Why is AstraZeneca suing over SB69? The suit says that SB69 extends Section 340B price caps beyond the scope of the federal program, requiring manufacturers to make discounted drugs available for sale at any and all pharmacies authorized by a 340B entity to receive the drug. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It alleges that the law extends the discounts to new categories of transactions that are not covered by the program, thus conflicting with federal law requirements. The suit argues that the law conflicts with federal law, specifically court rulings that make clear that the federal 340B statute does not obligate manufacturers to deliver discounted drugs to unlimited contract pharmacies." According to the suit, SB69 also violates federal patent law, which prohibits states from regulating the price of patented goods. It requires manufacturers like AstraZeneca to offer steeply discounted prices for the sale of their patented drugs, thereby extending federal price caps to an additional category of patented drug sales (contract pharmacy sales) that federal courts have held fall outside of the 340B program. It also argues that SB69 violates the Contracts Clause of the U.S. Constitution and the Constitutions takings clause. The special election for state Senate in Orange County includes two high-profile politician siblings and a former congressman. But a newcomer to politics is hauling in more campaign money than all of them. Coretta Anthony-Smith, 54, an attorney from Gotha, is the wild card in the race to succeed the late state Sen. Geraldine Thompson, who died in February. Anthony-Smith is running in the June 24 Democratic primary for District 15, which includes parts of Orlando, Ocoee and western Orange County, against three current or former lawmakers state Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis, former state Sen. Randolph Bracy, who is Bracy Davis brother, and former U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The race was already going to be a heated one, with Bracy Davis garnering her mothers endorsement over her brother, Bracy slamming his sister in turn, and Grayson boasting a long history of liberal bomb-throwing. But as of Thursday, Anthony-Smith has raised more than all of them combined, loaning herself $175,000 alongside contributions totaling more than $39,000. An affiliated PAC chaired by Anthony-Smith, Action for Change Now, has also raised $66,500. Meanwhile, Bracy has raised $9,000, most of it loans to himself, while Grayson loaned himself $9,000. Bracy Davis has taken in about $10,000, while the committee Liberated by Democracy, which she chairs, has raised $7,500 this year. The money makes it a potential for an upset there, said Matt Isbell, a Democratic elections analyst. Its not a guarantee, and it could also fall flat. But its definitely a race to watch now, even more than it was already. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, Bracy Davis, 45, endorsed Thompson over her brother when Bracy launched what became a bitter Democratic primary battle, ultimately won by Thompson. Bracy, 48, threw his hat into the ring again the day after Thompson died, announcing via video from Italy that he would run for her seat. His sister announced her candidacy about a month later. Grayson, 67, served two incendiary stints in Congress and has since run unsuccessful campaigns for Congress, U.S. Senate and state Senate. Anthony-Smith, 54, said she became a personal injury attorney in part because of her familys tragic history. When she was a teen, her mother was killed by a drunk driver who ended up serving very little jail time, and her father died of cancer shortly afterward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Growing up like that, it causes you to have a certain amount of resilience, a certain amount of determination, a certain amount of I will not let this get me down, she said. She said she was inspired to run after years of meeting with legislators and testifying before committees in Tallahassee gave her an upfront view of how the process works. And it made her want to do better, especially after she heard insurance company executives speak and was convinced they were not being truthful nor looking out for customers. When they called the insurance companies to testify in the House, they were telling citizens that there was a lot of fraud going on, there was a lot of litigation going on, and so thats why they were losing money, Anthony-Smith said. But in reality, they were making money. They were just playing some type of shell game with their affiliates while not paying claims, but raising premiums. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was hopeful that the Legislature would crack down on insurance companies, but the attempts at reform over the last few years focused mostly on combating fraud left her disappointed Nothing happened, she said. It just fell through the cracks. I dont recall the representatives coming back and telling their constituents anything about what was going on in Tallahassee. I dont recall them coming back and letting us know that, Hey, theres an insurance crisis thats about to take effect thats going to seriously affect all of our lives. Aubrey Jewett, a professor of political science at the University of Central Florida, said Anthony-Smiths biggest challenge is to get her name out to the public, especially considering her high-profile opponents. She hasnt held office before, and that means most people probably are not that familiar with her, Jewett said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But shes helped by special elections typically having very low turnouts compared to regular elections, he added. In a four-way race, you dont have to get to 50%, Jewett said. You just have to get more than everybody else, because we dont have runoffs. She needs to be willing to go out and spend a lot of money, and spend it wisely in ways that make sense for an outsider candidate to try to raise their name recognition. More than $19,000 of her campaigns spending, according to campaign filings, has been for marketing and merchandise being done through Zoolix, an Ocoee corporation for which Anthony-Smith is the registered agent. That includes her website and campaign t-shirts. While shes put a lot of her own money into her campaign, her campaign and her PAC have also been successful in raising funds from her fellow personal injury attorneys and firms. I have been lucky enough to have people who have been willing to throw me fundraisers, including some people I dont even know, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She also stressed the importance of personally hitting the pavement and as much one-on-one time with voters as possible. Ive been going to different churches every Sunday, she said. Ive been going to HOA meetings. Ive been going to community events. Ive been doing a lot of grassroot efforts. I ask people, If you cannot donate to my campaign, at least can you donate your time? Can you phone bank? Can you canvass? Meanwhile, Bracy Davis, as an incumbent House member, is hamstrung by the law preventing incumbent state lawmakers campaigns from fundraising while the Legislature is in session. A budget deadlock between the House and Senate led to leaders extending the session until June 30 six days after the Democratic primary. The winner of the primary will face Republican Willie Montague on Sept. 2. Arkansas Board of Corrections member Lee Watson, right, answers questions from the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee on Friday, June 6, 2025. (Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate) An Arkansas legislative committee filed a report Friday detailing a requested audit into the Board of Corrections 2023 hiring of a Little Rock attorney, a move that raised concerns from lawmakers about the boards procurement practices. The nonpartisan Arkansas Legislative Audit began the probe a year ago at the request of the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee, which heard the report Friday and continued to express frustrations about attorney Abtin Mehdizadegans contract with the prison board. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mehdizadegan has been representing the Board of Corrections in both its legal challenge against two 2023 state laws and Attorney General Tim Griffins suit against the board for allegedly violating the Freedom of Information Act in Mehdizadegans hiring. Griffins office usually represents state agencies in legal cases, but Arkansas law allows special counsel to be appointed in disputes between the attorney general and constitutional officers. Board member Lee Watson, who was the panels secretary at the time it began working with Mehdizadegan, reiterated this to the committee Friday. Watson said the circumstances surrounding the boards November 2023 dispute with Griffin, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and then-Corrections Secretary Joe Profiri required special action. The board and the executive branch officials clashed over who has ultimate authority over Arkansas prison system, including the expansion of facilities. Our governor and our secretary were moving forward with moving prisoners into overcrowded facilities, Watson said. Based upon our collective experience, we believed that that would endanger the people in that facility and the general public nearby. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He repeated past statements to lawmakers that Profiris and Sanders actions justified hiring Mehdizadegan after an executive session at a brief meeting in December 2023. The Joint Performance Review Committee spent three April 2024 meetings discussing and questioning Mehdizadegans hiring and contract, and the panel voted to recommend that the Arkansas Legislative Council not review the contract. The audit report found that Mehdizadegan was present and spoke at several Board of Corrections meetings, but this was not reflected in the meeting minutes. The report also took issue with the board signing engagement agreements with Mehdizadegan without establishing how the Board would pay for these services, as the Board has no appropriation or funding. The engagement agreements also did not include the contract length or cost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mehdizadegans relationship with the board began when Watson informally contacted him as the boards legal liaison, Watson previously told lawmakers, but auditors were unable to verify his appointment as liaison until after Mehdizadegans hiring. Additionally, Mehdizadegan has submitted invoices totaling $230,138 to the board for his legal work, but those invoices were unpaid as of Feb. 11, the report states. Auditors recommended in the report that the Board of Corrections make the following changes: Making all board business public Amending the boards bylaws to include liaison appointments in required public business Including all relevant details in proposed contracts Consulting with state procurement officials before procuring goods or services Making sure all information submitted to state procurement officials is complete and accurate Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement BOC special audit report Mehdizadegan wrote the boards 30-page response to the audit findings, recommending that auditors revise the report and find that the Board acted lawfully, reasonably and appropriately in its selection of special counsel. Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, said he was disappointed in the boards response. All I was looking for in response was, Hey, we were in uncharted territory, we didnt know what we were doing, and you know what? We should have followed the procurement process, he said. Mehdizadegan and Board of Corrections Chairman Benny Magness were present at Fridays committee meeting but did not face questions from lawmakers. The lawsuits Less than a week after being hired, Mehdizadegan filed the boards lawsuit against Sanders, Profiri and then-Secretary of State John Thurston, challenging the constitutionality of Act 185 and Act 659 of 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Act 185 requires the secretary of corrections to serve at the pleasure of the governor rather than the board, while Act 659 alters the reporting structure for the directors of the Division of Correction and Division of Community Correction, requiring them to serve at the pleasure of the secretary rather than the board. The board argued the laws violate Amendment 33 of the Arkansas Constitution, which protects the power of constitutional boards like the board of corrections from the executive or legislative branches of government. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Patricia James granted a preliminary injunction in January 2024, which Griffin appealed. The Arkansas Supreme Court allowed the lawsuit to continue Thursday when it dismissed the states motion to send the case back to the circuit court, order the preliminary injunction vacated and dismiss the case as moot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The high court also dismissed a motion to disqualify Mehdizadegan from further participation in proceedings before the court. Last month, the state Supreme Court reversed a lower courts dismissal of Griffins suit against the board for allegedly violating the FOIA to hire outside counsel. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox gave Griffin 30 days to work with the corrections board on an agreement with an outside attorney to represent it. Fox dismissed the case without prejudice in January 2024, ruling Griffins office failed to make an effort to initiate the statutory procedure that allows special counsel to represent state officials and entities. Griffin moved to vacate the circuit courts order, arguing his office could not certify special counsel until the board asked for legal representation. The Supreme Court agreed and sent the case back to Fox. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX KANSAS CITY, Mo. Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick announced on Wednesday that he has taken legal action to obtain the missing link needed to complete the audit of the Jackson County Assessment Department. Fitzpatrick filed a petition in the Circuit Court of Jackson County to enforce two subpoenas he issued on Feb. 24, 2025, to the Jackson County Assessor and to Data Cloud Solutions (DCS) which is the vendor used by the department to house data that will help determine if drive-by assessments were performed in violation of state law. Woman says former firefighter sexually abused her, fears he will avoid punishment Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From the beginning we knew this data was critical to the audit and mandatory to answer the questions of Jackson County residents who have serious concerns about their rights being violated during the physical assessment process, Auditor Fitzpatrick said in a news release. We began requesting this data in the very early stages of our work and have been given the run around the entire time. He said the Jackson County Assessment Department claims they are unable to access the Mobile Assessor data created during the assessment of Jackson County property and has placed the blame on Data Cloud Solutions, a third-party vendor. Data Cloud Solutions has been unwilling to provide the data to a client paying for their services, and has already ignored two subpoenas from our office, Fitzpatrick said. Unfortunately for Data Cloud Solutions, we will fight until we have the truth for the people of Jackson County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fitzpatrick said that he and the State Auditors Office initially requested data from Tyler Technologies in November 2023. After three requests to Tyler Technologies were ignored, he said the State Auditors Office requested the data from the Jackson County Assessment Department in January 2024only to receive a response that the department would need to reach out to Tyler Technologies about the data. After months passed and no data was provided, he said the State Auditors Office issued a subpoena to the department on May 28, 2024, and again on Oct. 8, 2024. A representative from Tyler Technologies indicated the company gave Data Cloud Solutions the necessary permission to share the data with the Jackson County Assessment Department. However, after the departments request to obtain the data directly from Data Cloud Solutions failed, Fitzpatrick said he issued a third subpoena to the department on Feb. 24, 2025. From February 2024 through January 2025, he said Data Cloud Solutions ignored these requests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Fitzpatrick, the State Auditors Office also issued subpoenas to Data Cloud Solutions in December 2024 and February 2025 both of which were ignored. The audit of the Jackson County Assessment Department has been ongoing since Oct. 23, 2023. The audit was initiated at the request of the Jackson County Legislature, which passed a formal resolution authorizing the audit on Aug. 21, 2023. Download WDAF+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV Auditor Fitzpatrick released preliminary results to the people of Jackson County in December 2023 after his office discovered up to 200,000 homeowners in Jackson County were the victims of a flawed and inadequate assessment process that failed to comply with state law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said his office continues to work to complete the audit of the department in spite of continued efforts made by the auditee to delay the process. Related stories Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. GIRARD, Ohio (WKBN) The state auditor says compensation paid to the former Girard City Schools treasurer was careless, extravagant, and not representative of necessary business practices. Mark Bello resigned from the district last year after a state audit at the time revealed that he made $270,000 more in fiscal year 2023 than he did the previous year. Auditor of State Keith Faber released the latest audit of the district on Thursday for the districts finances from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. The full audit is available on the auditors website. Bello did not receive any compensation beyond June 2024, according to the district. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That audit also noted that Bellos total pay was excessive and that the district did not have rules or policies in place regarding the retire/rehire process. The treasurer retired and was rehired by the school board in June 2022. The approved contract included a base pay of $110,000, plus a stipend of 1% of all federal, state, and local grants and certain other revenues received by the district, according to a news release from the auditor. In fiscal year 2024, Bello was paid $443,568, which includes his base pay plus a $312,165 stipend. Additionally, his compensation included a $5,750 car allowance and an $11,146 leave balance payout. The district also paid his pension contribution of more than $30,000, the news release stated. The same Noncompliance, Waste and Abuse finding was included in the previous fiscal year audit, when Bello was paid $461,187, including base pay of $118,078 and a stipend of $325,918, the release stated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Faber did not recommend any findings for recovery, the auditor did recommend that the districts Board of Education exercise better diligence in reviewing and approving employee contracts to prevent similar payouts in the future. While not illegal under state law, this was an abuse of public resources that should not have been allowed, Faber said. The school board was asleep at the wheel, and the districts taxpayers paid the price. Last year, the school board released a statement blaming wording in Bellos contract that resulted in the payout. The Board said it was not aware of the language change from all Federal, State, and local grants/CCIP/awards/private revenue of the District to all revenue of the District, which resulted in excessive compensation to the treasurer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An investigation into the contract showed that the former board president negotiated the contract with Bello and did not know about the 1% of the revenue stipend because it was not part of their verbal agreement and that the former board president never reviewed the written contract before recommending it to the Board for approval, the Board said. The Board also said that the Treasurer made the changes to the stipend provision and uploaded the revised 2022 contract to the Boards agenda packet under a non-descriptive name then renamed the file to Treasurers Contract only a few hours prior to the Boards meeting on June 23, 2022. The district released the following statement Friday in response to the latest audit: The district remains committed to transparency and integrity, with strengthened processes to ensure responsible financial oversight and to rebuild trust with our community. Since being made aware of these findings in May 2024, the Board of Education has taken significant measures to ensure these issues will not happen again. These intentional and strategic steps include establishing policies and procedures to enhance transparency, accountability, and thorough review of contracts. Key measures include the following: A written summary of the purpose, effect, and estimated yearly costs of proposed contracts must accompany all submissions to the Board of Education. Redline versions highlighting changes from previous contracts, or side-by-side comparisons with existing agreements, will now be provided. Proposed contracts, summaries, and supporting documents will be shared with Board members at least a week before being considered for approval. Per guidance from the Auditors Office and Ohio Revised Code 3309.345(B)(2), Board meetings will be held 15 to 30 days prior to approving the reemployment of retirees. The Board has engaged and continues to engage legal counsel to evaluate contracts with significant operational or financial implications. Since Bello resigned, the district hired Maureen Lloyd in August 2024 as treasurer. The statement from the district stated that these changes reflect the districts dedication to improving processes and learning from past experiences. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Patty Coller contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. The city of Aurora is planning for three infrastructure projects, including road resurfacings and water main replacements. The projects, expected to cost in total roughly $9.3 million, were approved by the Aurora City Council on May 27. None were discussed at that meeting as they were passed as part of the consent agenda, which is typically used for routine or non-controversial items that are all approved with one vote. The most costly of the infrastructure-related items approved at the meeting late last month was the 2025 Citywide Street Resurfacing-EAST project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Builders Paving, LLC, of Hillside was awarded a nearly $5.9 million contract to resurface almost 26 lane miles of city-maintained streets, according to a staff report included with the May 27 meetings agenda. The company, which is certified by the Illinois Department of Transportation and has previously done resurfacing work for the city, submitted the lowest-cost bid that met the citys requirements, coming in around 2% under the estimated project cost, staff said in the report. The majority of the projects funding $3.5 million is coming from state Motor Fuel Taxes, according to the report. The resurfacing project will also be funded by municipal motor fuel taxes, water and sewer funds, the 9th Ward projects fund, neighborhood improvement capital funds and federal money through the Community Development Block Grant program. The work is expected to begin this month and be done by October. Staff said in the report that each street will be under construction for eight to 10 weeks, which will have some impact on local traffic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 2025 Citywide Street Resurfacing Project as a whole is set to resurface a total of 43 lane miles of city-maintained streets, the staff report said. The project was broken up across two contracts: one covering streets on the East Side of the city and another covering the North and West Sides of the city. The resurfacing projects other contract, awarded to Geneva Construction Co. of Aurora for around $3.4 million, was approved by the Aurora City Council earlier in May. Geneva Constructions bid came in under projected costs by 9%, according to a different staff report about that contract. Construction has already begun on this earlier-approved phase of the resurfacing project but has not yet started on the East Side part, a city spokesperson said. Staff said in their report about the West Side part of the resurfacing project that the city maintains nearly 1,300 lane miles of streets which have a pavement surface life expectancy of 20 to 25 years. Last year, the city resurfaced around 38 lane miles, and in 2023 resurfaced around 43 miles of street lanes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also approved at the May 27 meeting was a nearly $3.2 million contract with Miller Pipeline LLC to replace a water main off Sullivan Road on the citys West Side. The Beau Ridge North Water Main Improvements project looks to replace a water main prone to breaks in the area of Calico Drive, according to a staff report included with the meetings agenda. Plus, staff said in the report that the 128 water service lines off the existing water main, most of which are currently lead, will also be replaced. Because the project is being done in a quiet, residential area, there will not be any major lane closures, the staff report said. Traffic will be minimally impacted, the report said, and water shutdowns will be planned and coordinated with impacted residents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Miller Pipelines bid for the project was the lowest that met the citys requirements and came in around 4.5% under the projects expected cost, staff said in the report. Another water main project was also approved at the late May meeting: the Fox Valley Center Drive Water Main Replacement project. Fox Excavating, Inc. was awarded a roughly $210,000 contract for the project planned to replace a portion of the water main near Fox Valley Mall, which also has a history of frequent breaks, according to a separate staff report. Unlike the other water main replacement project, this one only has to replace two water service lines off the existing water main, the staff report said, and those two will only be partially replaced because they are both copper. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to the three infrastructure projects, the Aurora City Council also approved various vehicle and vehicle-related purchases as a part of its May 27 meeting consent agenda. One of the resolutions approved at that meeting, which had a price tag of a little over $1.7 million, allowed the citys Fleet Maintenance Division to purchase listed vehicles when there is the opportunity to do so. According to the staff report about the resolution, current market conditions make it difficult for the city to buy vehicles through the citys standard bidding and approval processes. In total, the city is looking to buy 27 vehicles, most of which are replacement hybrid squad cars for the Aurora Police Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Animal Control, Water and Sewer Maintenance, Downtown Maintenance, Electrical and Street Maintenance divisions are also set to get new vehicles. When it makes sense, electric or high-efficiency vehicles will be purchased, staff said in the report. In a separate resolution, the Aurora City Council approved the purchase of a new Ford Hybrid Utility Police Interceptor for around $52,000, which a staff report said will replace a similar car that was totaled in an accident. The City Council also approved, in a different resolution, the purchase of squad car cameras and related equipment for the Aurora Police Department from Axon Enterprises for almost $100,000. This equipment, a staff report said, will go to support the police departments growing vehicle fleet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Squad car cameras, in addition to body cameras, are required by police department policy and legal mandates, staff said in the report. Another vehicle-related purchase approved by the Aurora City Council was a pair of vehicle repair lifts for the new Public Works Facility. The two lifts will cost the city a total of roughly $98,000. rsmith@chicagotribune.com By Renju Jose and Peter Hobson SYDNEY/CANBERRA (Reuters) -Australia will not relax its strict biosecurity rules during tariff talks with the United States, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday ahead of a possible meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at this month's G7 summit. Since 2003, Australia has curbed entry of U.S. beef after detecting bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the United States is its largest beef export market, worth A$4.4 billion ($2.9 billion) last year - a trade disparity Trump has criticised. "We will not change or compromise any of the issues regarding biosecurity, full stop, exclamation mark. It's simply not worth it," Albanese told broadcaster ABC Radio. Biosecurity rules safeguard Australia's disease-free cattle, helping it preserve access to lucrative markets such as Japan and South Korea. Australian beef is prized by U.S. fast food chains for its lower fat content and competitive prices. Australia allows entry for U.S. beef if the cattle were born, raised and slaughtered in the United States, but few shippers can prove these requirements, as cattle frequently move between the United States, Canada and Mexico. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A report in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper on Friday, citing unidentified government officials, said Australian authorities were reviewing whether to allow entry of beef products from cattle raised in Mexico and Canada but slaughtered in the United States, as the Trump administration has demanded. Albanese said no such concessions were being considered as those imports still posed risks for domestic industry. The National Farmers' Federation welcomed Albanese's remarks. "Australia's biosecurity status is integral to the success and sustainability of our agricultural industries," said its president, David Jochinke. TRACKING IMPROVES Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the U.S. is fast improving its ability to track animals to combat the spread of avian influenza and the New World screwworm, a parasite that eats cattle alive, said Simon Quilty, a meat and livestock analyst at Global AgriTrends. "America needs to make Australia comfortable with its traceability mechanisms, but I think we're much closer to achieving that than it looks," he said. "The biosecurity risk is going to be minimal." U.S. producers are anyway unlikely to ship significant quantities of beef to Australia because cattle and livestock prices are much higher in the United States, Quilty said. Years of dry weather have shrunk U.S. cattle numbers to their lowest since the 1950s, pushing up domestic prices, but Australia is flush with supply, its herd swelled by wet weather, and offers cheaper lean cuts the United States lacks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Australia's total beef exports were worth A$14 billion ($9 billion) last year, trade data show. Australia is one of the few countries with which the United States normally runs a trade surplus, a point often argued by Australian officials and lawmakers against Trump's tariffs. Albanese said he was looking forward to a "face-to-face" meeting with Trump but did not say when. "We've had three conversations that have been constructive, they've been polite and they've been respectful. That's the way I deal with people," he added. ($1=A$1.5368) (Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Stephen Coates and Clarence Fernandez) By Alasdair Pal SYDNEY (Reuters) -An Australian woman accused of the murder of three elderly relatives of her estranged husband by feeding them poisonous mushrooms said it was possible she had searched for lethal death cap mushrooms on her computer, a court heard on Friday. Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with the July 2023 murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The prosecution accuses her of knowingly serving the guests the death caps as part of a Beef Wellington at her home in Leongatha, a town of about 6,000 people some 135 km (84 miles) from Melbourne. She denies the charges, which carry a life sentence, with her defence calling the deaths a "terrible accident". The accused, who began giving evidence for her own defence on Monday, was cross-examined for a second day by prosecution barrister Nanette Rogers on Friday. Rogers said forensic evidence showed a person using a computer found in Erin Patterson's home had conducted searches for death cap mushrooms on iNaturalist, a website where enthusiasts log localised sightings of animals and plants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I suggest that that person was you. Correct or incorrect?" Rogers asked. Patterson replied: "I don't remember doing it. It's possible it was me", adding she did not know if it was possible that one of her two children had conducted the searches. The defence's decision to call Erin Patterson as a witness has re-ignited interest in the trial that began in late April. Podcasters, journalists and documentary-makers from local and international media have descended on the town of Morwell where the trial is being held, about two hours east of Melbourne. State broadcaster ABC's daily podcast about the proceedings is currently Australia's most popular, while many domestic newspapers have run live blogs on trial developments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The prosecution rested its case on Monday after a month of evidence from relatives and medical, forensic and mushroom experts. The trial, expected to conclude this month, continues on Tuesday. (Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Michael Perry) By Pete Schroeder WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Reserve's new top regulatory official on Friday laid out an ambitious agenda for revisiting and easing numerous bank rules and oversight policies which she argued have become onerous and unnecessary. Michelle Bowman, who was confirmed to be the Fed's Vice Chair for Supervision on Wednesday, said the Fed will be reconsidering how it writes rules and polices some of the nation's largest and most complex banks. In prepared remarks, she argued that the influx of rules since the 2008 financial crisis merits reconsideration. "Our goal should not be to prevent banks from failing or even eliminate the risk that they will. Our goal should be to make banks safe to fail, meaning that they can be allowed to fail without threatening to destabilize the rest of the banking system," she said. Bowman, who has served as a Fed governor since 2018, has long been critical of efforts to impose stricter rules on the banking sector. In her first remarks since being confirmed to the Fed's top regulatory post, she said the Fed will soon launch numerous projects aimed at easing requirements and streamlining oversight, including in many areas that have been longtime targets for bank complaints. Bowman focused a large portion of her remarks on changing bank supervision, as the industry has complained for years it is overly subjective and opaque, and penalizes firms for minor issues. Specifically, Bowman said the Fed will consider changes to the ratings it applies to large banks, noting that two-thirds of big banks were given unsatisfactory ratings by Fed supervisors even as they met all capital and liquidity requirements. She said the proposed changes would address that "odd mismatch" by adopting a "more sensible approach" by reducing the weighting of some subjective ratings for banks that have demonstrated resilience. She also said the Fed will reconsider its ratings framework for smaller banks, to make sure they are primarily focused on material risks and not supervisory judgments. "While judgment is a legitimate and necessary tool in supervision, it must always be grounded in the materiality of the identified issues as they relate to the financial health of each institution and the banking system as a whole," she said. Bowman also indicated the Fed would cast a critical eye on so-called "horizontal reviews," where supervisors deeply examine numerous banks on a particular issue. She contended this approach can result in banks effectively being ranked against each other, and can ignore their unique individual characteristics in identifying shortcomings. Media reports suggest that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Austria on 16 June. Although the visit has not yet been officially confirmed, the news has sparked outrage from the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPO). Source: Austrian media outlet Heute; Austrian newspapers Kronen Zeitung and Der Standard, as reported by European Pravda Details: Media reports indicate that meetings are planned between Zelenskyy and Austrian leaders, including Chancellor Christian Stocker and Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other details of the visit remain unknown and the Austrian government has declined to comment. Despite the lack of official confirmation, Herbert Kickl, the leader of the Austrian Freedom Party, has publicly criticised the visit as a "foreign policy blunder" that, in his view, "makes Austria a potential target in the event of escalation". "This visit is yet another link in the chain of violations of neutrality and misleading neutrality policy in recent years," Kickl claimed. "As a neutral state, Austria should be a peacemaker and mediator, not a party to war." Background: This would be Zelenskyys first visit to Austria since the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In March 2023, the Ukrainian president addressed the Austrian parliament via video link. In March 2025, Zelenskyy met Austrias new Chancellor Christian Stocker in Brussels. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! PUTNAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) The Putnam County Sheriffs Office helped apprehend two inmates who had escaped from the Morgan County Residential Recovery Court earlier this week. CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime-related reports from across Middle Tennessee Putnam County deputies found an abandoned van at Odd Fellows Cemetery near Buffalo Valley Road Tuesday. After checking with the National Crime Information Center, authorities discovered that the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Morgan County. Robert Syverson arrest (Courtesy: Putnam County Sheriffs Office) Jeffery Brindley arrest (Courtesy: Putnam County Sheriffs Office) The vehicle had been registered to the Morgan County Residential Recovery Court. Two inmates, Jeffery Brindly and Robert Syverson, were both held on felony warrants out of Morgan County before being transported to the facility. Officials said they had escaped Monday. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com With help from the public, the PCSO and the Baxter Police Department apprehended the duo Thursday in the 400 block of Elm Street. As of publication, theyre being held without bond at the Putnam County Jail and are awaiting pickup from Morgan County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. Residents in rural areas of multiple Washington State counties are being urged to lock their doors in an update on the search for missing murder suspect Travis Decker. Police say they suspect that Decker, a military veteran, murdered his three young daughters before vanishing. Ever since, residents of Washington State have been on high alert. Decker also has ties to Pewaukee, WI, where he graduated from high school and was raised. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case has horrified the country, as court documents revealed that the girls likely died of asphyxiation due to bags being placed over their heads. In a June 5 update, the Chelan County Sheriffs Department in Wenatchee, WA, wrote: We are asking citizens who own cabins or reside in our remote areas of Chelan, Kittitas, King, Snohomish, and Okanagan Counties to please be aware that Mr. Decker is still missing. As law enforcement conducts their searches, we are asking for those owners to lock all their doors, to include any shedsoutbuildings, and leave their window blinds open and we recommend leaving outside lights on." The agency added: Our teams have written and executed several search warrants around the area and on electronic devices that belonged to Travis Decker. We have gathered new information, which in turn has given us more leads to follow up on. Sheriff's officials also released new photos of Decker. In a separate announcement, Chelan County Mountain Rescue advised: The Icicle Creek area near Leavenworth, WA is closed due to an active law enforcement operation. Authorities are searching for a suspect, and we encourage visitors to the forest to remain alert. They listed a number of affected rec areas. If people see Decker, they are urged to call 911 immediately and do not attempt or contact or approach him. People can call the CCSO tip line at 509-667-6845. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Law enforcement professionals are patrolling at all hours, in all spaces throughout this region, the Sheriff's Department wrote. Authorities Urge Some Residents to Lock Doors in Travis Decker Search Update first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 6, 2025 MIAMI, Okla. The Oklahoma Medical Examiner ruled a man found deceased in a Miami residence died from an accidental drug overdose. The remains of Mark Tollette, 55, of Miami were found Feb. 1. The eight-page autopsy report released on Wednesday shows Tollette died from acute methamphetamine toxicity. It was also noted he had hypertensive cardiovascular disease, and no lethal trauma, the autopsy report states. The toxicology report shows Tollette tested positive for amphetamine, methamphetamine, and diphenhydramine. Tollettes body was found in this home, pictured above, in a Miami neighborhood. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation was called in to assist with this case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com. This is a KFF Health News story. The Trump administration's cancellation of $766 million in contracts to develop mRNA vaccines against potential pandemic flu viruses is the latest blow to national defense, former health security officials said. They warned that the U.S. could be at the mercy of other countries in the next pandemic. "The administration's actions are gutting our deterrence from biological threats," said Beth Cameron, a senior adviser to the Brown University Pandemic Center and a former director at the White House National Security Council. "Canceling this investment is a signal that we are changing our posture on pandemic preparedness," she added, "and that is not good for the American people." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Flu pandemics killed up to 103 million people worldwide last century, researchers estimate. MORE: Bird flu is continuing to spread in animals across the US. Here's what you need to know In anticipation of the next big one, the U.S. government began bolstering the nation's pandemic flu defenses during the George W. Bush administration. These strategies were designed by the security council and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority at the Department of Health and Human Services, among other agencies. The plans rely on rolling out vaccines rapidly in a pandemic. Moving fast hinges on producing vaccines domestically, ensuring their safety and getting them into arms across the nation through the public health system. The Trump administration is undermining each of these steps as it guts health agencies, cuts research and health budgets and issues perplexing policy changes, health security experts said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since President Donald Trump took office, at least half of the security council's staff have been laid off or left, and the future of BARDA is murky. The nation's top vaccine adviser, Peter Marks, resigned under pressure in March, citing "the unprecedented assault on scientific truth." PHOTO: Researchers at the South African company Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines develop mRNA vaccines as part of a World Health Organization initiative. (Medicines Patent Pool via KFF) Most recently, Trump's clawback of funds for mRNA vaccine development put Americans on shakier ground in the next pandemic. "When the need hits and we aren't ready, no other country will come to our rescue and we will suffer greatly," said Rick Bright, an immunologist and a former BARDA director. Countries that produced their own vaccines in the COVID-19 pandemic had first dibs on the shots. While the United States, home to Moderna and Pfizer, rolled out second doses of mRNA vaccines in 2021, hundreds of thousands of people in countries that didn't manufacture vaccines died waiting for them. The most pertinent pandemic threat today is the bird flu virus H5N1. Researchers around the world were alarmed when it began spreading among cattle in the U.S. last year. Cows are closer to humans biologically than birds, indicating that the virus had evolved to thrive in cells like our own. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As hundreds of herds and dozens of people were infected in the U.S., the Biden administration funded Moderna to develop bird flu vaccines using mRNA technology. As part of the agreement, the U.S. government stipulated it could purchase doses in advance of a pandemic. That no longer stands. Researchers can make bird flu vaccines in other ways, but mRNA vaccines are developed much more quickly because they don't rely on finicky biological processes, such as growing elements of vaccines in chicken eggs or cells kept alive in laboratory tanks. Time matters because flu viruses mutate constantly, and vaccines work better when they match whatever variant is circulating. MORE: 2nd bird flu virus detected in western US. What does this mean for prevention? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Developing vaccines within eggs or cells can take 10 months after the genetic sequence of a variant is known, Bright said. And relying on eggs presents an additional risk when it comes to bird flu because a pandemic could wipe out billions of chickens, crashing egg supplies. Decades-old methods that rely on inactivated flu viruses are riskier for researchers and time-consuming. Still the Trump administration invested $500 million into this approach, which was largely abandoned by the 1980s after it caused seizures in children. "This politicized regression is baffling," Bright said. A bird flu pandemic may begin quietly in the U.S. if the virus evolves to spread between people but no one is tested at first. Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's dashboard suggests that only 10 farmworkers have been tested for the bird flu since March. Because of their close contact with cattle and poultry, farmworkers are at highest risk of infection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As with many diseases, only a fraction of people with the bird flu become severely sick. So the first sign that the virus is widespread might be a surge in hospital cases. "We'd need to immediately make vaccines," said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. PHOTO: Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 (L) and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines fill their syringes at Borinquen Health Care Center on May 29, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) The U.S. government could scale up production of existing bird flu vaccines developed in eggs or cells. However, these vaccines target an older strain of H5N1 and their efficacy against the virus circulating now is unknown. In addition to the months it takes to develop an updated version within eggs or cells, Rasmussen questioned the ability of the government to rapidly test and license updated shots, with a quarter of HHS staff gone. If the Senate approves Trump's proposed budget, the agency faces about $32 billion in cuts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Further, the Trump administration's cuts to biomedical research and its push to slash grant money for overhead costs could undermine academic hospitals, rendering them unable to conduct large clinical trials. And its cuts to the CDC and to public health funds to states mean that fewer health officials will be available in an emergency. "You can't just turn this all back on," Rasmussen said. "The longer it takes to respond, the more people die." Researchers suggest other countries would produce bird flu vaccines first. "The U.S. may be on the receiving end like India was, where everyone -- rich people, too -- got vaccines late," said Achal Prabhala, a public health researcher in India at medicines access group AccessIBSA. He sits on the board of a World Health Organization initiative to improve access to mRNA vaccines in the next pandemic. A member of the initiative, the company Sinergium Biotech in Argentina, is testing an mRNA vaccine against the bird flu. If it works, Sinergium will share the intellectual property behind the vaccine with about a dozen other groups in the program from middle-income countries so they can produce it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE: 12 months and 70 cases since the first human bird flu infection: Are we any safer? The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, an international partnership headquartered in Norway, is providing funds to research groups developing rapid-response vaccine technology, including mRNA, in South Korea, Singapore and France. And CEPI committed up to $20 million to efforts to prepare for a bird flu pandemic. This year, the Indian government issued a call for grant applications to develop mRNA vaccines for the bird flu, warning it "poses a grave public health risk." Pharmaceutical companies are investing in mRNA vaccines for the bird flu as well. However, Prabhala says private capital isn't sufficient to bring early-stage vaccines through clinical trials and large-scale manufacturing. That's because there's no market for bird flu vaccines until a pandemic hits. Limited supplies means the United States would have to wait in line for mRNA vaccines made abroad. States and cities may compete against one another for deals with outside governments and companies, like they did for medical equipment at the peak of the covid pandemic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I fear we will once again see the kind of hunger games we saw in 2020," Cameron said. In an email response to queries, HHS communications director Andrew Nixon said, "We concluded that continued investment in Moderna's H5N1 mRNA vaccine was not scientifically or ethically justifiable." He added, "The decision reflects broader concerns about the use of mRNA platforms -- particularly in light of mounting evidence of adverse events associated with COVID-19 mRNA vaccines." Nixon did not back up the claim by citing analyses published in scientific journals. PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office of the White House, June 5, 2025, in Washington. (Chris Kleponis/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock) In dozens of published studies, researchers have found that mRNA vaccines against COVID are safe. For example, a placebo-controlled trial of more than 30,000 people in the U.S. found that adverse effects of Moderna's vaccine were rare and transient, whereas 30 participants in the placebo group suffered severe cases of COVID and one died. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More recently, a study revealed that three of nearly 20,000 people who got Moderna's vaccines and booster had significant adverse effects related to the vaccine, which resolved within a few months. COVID, on the other hand, killed four people during the course of the study. As for concerns about the heart issue, myocarditis, a study of 2.5 million people who got at least one dose of Pfizer's mRNA vaccine revealed about two cases per 100,000 people. COVID causes 10 to 105 myocarditis cases per 100,000. Nonetheless, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who founded an anti-vaccine organization, has falsely called COVID shots "the deadliest vaccine ever made." And without providing evidence, he said the 1918 flu pandemic "came from vaccine research." Politicized mistrust in vaccines has grown. Far more Republicans said they trust Kennedy to provide reliable information on vaccines than their local health department or the CDC in a recent KFF poll: 73% versus about half. Should the bird flu become a pandemic in the next few years, Rasmussen said, "we will be screwed on multiple levels." In axing mRNA contract, Trump delivers another blow to US biosecurity, former officials say originally appeared on abcnews.go.com DENVER (KDVR) A family of raccoons was returned to the wild after a homeowner in Jefferson County discovered them in their wood-burning stove. The Jefferson County Sheriffs Office said they were found in a wood-burning stove of a residence near 14th Street and Nile Street. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox The sheriffs office shared a video of the rescue on Facebook, showing animal control officers on May 19 as they remove four baby raccoons from the stove, one by one. A family of raccoons was returned to the wild after a homeowner in Jefferson County discovered them in their wood-burning stove. A family of raccoons was returned to the wild after a homeowner in Jefferson County discovered them in their wood-burning stove. A family of raccoons was returned to the wild after a homeowner in Jefferson County discovered them in their wood-burning stove. A family of raccoons was returned to the wild after a homeowner in Jefferson County discovered them in their wood-burning stove. A family of raccoons was returned to the wild after a homeowner in Jefferson County discovered them in their wood-burning stove. A family of raccoons was returned to the wild after a homeowner in Jefferson County discovered them in their wood-burning stove. A family of raccoons was returned to the wild after a homeowner in Jefferson County discovered them in their wood-burning stove. As the stove door opened, the mother raccoon ran up the chimney and on to the roof, like it was her personal action movie, the sheriffs office said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, our officers gently scooped up the tiny, fussy fluffballs and gave them a safe spot to wait: a cozy, quiet bush just outside the home, the post reads. The babies were healthy and safe, waiting for the mother to return, the sheriffs office said, adding that it was just another day for the animal control officers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) In Louisiana, where utilities can spike during the hot summer months, many families struggle to keep up. But a new partnership is bringing hope and helping those who need it most. What we want to do is meet the community where they are, and we want to be in the community providing basic needs because everybody deserves basic needs. We want to be accessible as a mayors office to our community to make sure that whatever they need, we can meet that need, said Christopher Toombs, who works with the Office of Mayor-President Sid Edwards. Toombs says covering basic needs like electricity is critical. For families facing financial challenges, help with utility payments can mean a chance to get back on their feet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive seen families completely transform by having their basic needs met. I mean, when you lose your energy and you need energy, and the energy is turned on, you see opportunity. When you have rental assistance, people that need help with their rent and their rent is made, then that gives them another 30 days to get more support. This not only helps the community in paying their bills but also with many other services and needs as well. The purpose of having events like this is to build trust and show residents that help is available if needed. The city government is here to help assist and propel you to the next step in life. If you want a career, weve got you with EmployBR. If you want to help with some basic needs, weve got you with OSS. If your child needs an opportunity for early education, weve got Head Start. Latest News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Louisiana First News. While the long-term effects of Wednesdays 5,000-gallon oil spill in the Baltimore Harbor are unknown, the citys jewel has seen much worse. In August 1975, a Shell Oil barge leaked 135,000 gallons of heavy oil into the water at Wagners Point in South Baltimore. Five years earlier, the same barge, the Shamrock, discharged 67,000 gallons of black ooze that fouled the harbor and its environs. Fish kills were reported as far away as Riviera Beach, and residents along Rock Creek worked desperately to clean ducks soaked in oil. That spill, in July 1970, was the worst ever to pollute the harbor until the 1975 disaster. Floating muck from the latter spill reached Sollers Point before it was contained by floating booms and siphoned into vacuum trucks for $1.5 million. State officials at the time declared there was no evidence of serious environmental damage caused by the spill. Both accidents were blamed on negligence; workmen fell asleep during the barges fueling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wednesdays spill was the 12th reported in the Inner Harbor and the first since 1989. Seven spills occurred in one decade (the 1970s), with three of them in 1970 alone. Six of the accidents befouled the harbor with 2,000 gallons of oil or more. A chronology of the spills: July 1968: A pipe burst at a Humble Oil tank farm at Quail and Boston Streets, leaking 3,500 gallons of oil into the harbor. Sept. 1969: 70,000 gallons of heating oil poured out of a faulty valve at Hess Oils storage dump in Curtis Bay. About 200 gallons reached the harbor. April 1970: The Army Corps of Engineers found a 4,000-gallon oil spill beneath the Penwood Wharf at Bethlehem Steels Sparrows Point plant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement July 1970: Oil gushed for one hour from vents on an overflowing barge at Shells marine terminal at Wagners Point. The slick from the 67,000 gallon spill spread 15 miles. Sept. 1970: More than 500 gallons of heavy, crude oil streamed out of the Aegis Star as the tanker was delivering oil at the American Oil terminal at Wagners Point. The spill created a slick 1/2 mile long and 1/4 mile wide; the tankers operators were found at fault. February 1971: Mechanical failure was blamed when a fueling barge discharged 2,000 gallons of oil into the harbor at the Dundalk Marine Terminal. June 1971: At least 1,000 gallons of fuel oil leaked into the harbor after a merchant ship punctured its side while docking at a Canton terminal. The oil was quickly contained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The next day, in an unrelated spill, 2,000 gallons of oil stained a mile of shoreline at the mouth of Stony Creek. The offender was never found. Dec. 1972: While loading fuel from a barge at Locust Point, a Liberian freighter spilled 500 gallons of crude oil into the harbor. The operator of the freighter was fined $6,000. Aug. 1975: In the largest spill in Baltimore history, 135,000 gallons of heavy industrial oil poured from a barges overflowing tank and into the harbor for two hours after a duty officer nodded off. Most of the oil was recovered. July 1989: Nearly 300 gallons of oil were found in the waters near Harborplace. While a British frigate was berthed there, no blame was ever reported. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Klingaman at jklingaman@baltsun.com and 410-332-6456. (Reuters) -Tonic maker Fevertree Drinks said on Thursday it would equally split costs of the 10% tariff to be imposed on the UK imports to the U.S. with brewer Molson Coors, as part of their recent tie-up to mitigate the short-term impact. Fevertree also said that Charles Gibb, its North America CEO, will step down and be succeeded by Judd Hausner, who brings extensive experience from the U.S. beer network. The British company, known for its premium cocktail mixers, counts the United States as its largest market, where it continues to deliver strong momentum bolstered by its partnership with the U.S. beer maker Molson Coors. In January, Molson Coors took a stake in Fevertree, securing exclusive rights to distribute and market the British company's cocktail mixers and tonic waters in the U.S. Fevertree reiterated its annual revenue growth forecast. (Reporting by Anandita Mehrotra in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich) The oil spill plaguing Baltimore Harbor and originating from a pipeline more than a mile away is a reminder of the massive network of underground pipes and wires running underneath the city. About 2,000 gallons of oil spilled into Harbor East on Wednesday, originating from a Johns Hopkins Hospital pipeline blocks from the waterfront. Diesel fuel tanks serving Johns Hopkins health care facilities were accidentally overfilled, according to the hospital. Why is Johns Hopkins using diesel fuel? The fuel is used to power Johns Hopkins backup generators in East Baltimore, according to a statement from a hospital spokesperson. The system has had to pivot to backup generators to power the hospital facilities and its medical equipment recently due to outages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Diesel fuel is often used in backup generators at large facilities like hospitals, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Diesel is less flammable than other fuels, according to the agencys website, and engines that use the fuel are less likely to stall. The University of Maryland Medical System also uses diesel to power their backup generators, a spokesperson told The Baltimore Sun in a statement. At locations including downtown Baltimore, the hospital network has control systems to prevent the overfilling of diesel fuel tanks and to detect leaks, the statement said. We take fuel safety very seriously at our facilities, the statement said. What else is beneath Baltimore? Underneath Baltimore City is a maze of aging pipes and utility wire infrastructure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Baltimores over century-old conduit system comprising 700 miles of telephone, electric and fiber-optic cables protected by terra cotta and PVC pipes is owned by the city and mostly used by Baltimore Gas and Electric. The utility company has agreed to pay for $120 million in improvements of the system over four years as a part of a 2023 deal with the city. Dozens of businesses and institutions in Baltimores downtown core are also served by a steam pipe system whose existence is often evident above the surface. Steam and hot and cold water delivered through more than 15 miles of pipes heats office buildings, sterilizes medical equipment and cleans laundry. Across its entire service area, a large portion of BGEs electrical wires are underground, which makes them more resilient to harsh weather than above-ground lines. Under state law, electrical lines related to new residential developments must be underground. BGE also has been working to replace aging natural gas pipelines in the city, including one that is 100 years old. Most gas leaks which a Sun analysis found BGE experienced more often than peers from 2020 to 2023 are from old cast iron pipes, many of which BGE planned to replace with plastic. Some residents have criticized the costs of full pipeline replacements as their gas bills have increased. Other disasters involving underground infrastructure Baltimores aging underground infrastructure has been under scrutiny in recent years following several damaging events. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A fire underneath North Charles Street in September caused a massive power outage, severely damaged a bookstore and injured a firefighter. The underground blaze burned through electrical wiring and shot flames out of a manhole. Related Articles The street faced two other underground fires in 2024, including a January explosion that city officials said was caused by an electrical fire. In June 2017, five people were injured after a steam pipe exploded in downtown Baltimore. Have a news tip? Contact Katharine Wilson at kwilson@baltsun.com. Asked how the term trailblazer applies to her career, Diana Gribbon Motz smiles and shrugs. I was in the right place at the right time, she says. Last year, after nearly three decades of full-time service, Motz retired from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the highest judicial rung a Maryland federal case can reach before landing in the Supreme Court. When President Bill Clinton appointed her to the bench in 1994, Motz was the second female judge, and the first from Maryland, in the 4th Circuits 103-year history. Now, six of its 15 active judges are women, including two from the Old Line State. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite similar disparities throughout her career she was one of only two women in her graduating class at law school Motz didnt feel marginalized because of her gender. I think there were circumstances where women were treated differently and less favorably, she said. And thats why, although I have not suffered any kind of discrimination because I was a woman practicing law, I am very mindful that some were, and supportive of efforts to be sure that everything is equal. A year after joining the 4th Circuit, Motz deemed unconstitutional the admissions policies at the Virginia Military Institute, which prevented women from becoming cadets. When that choice threatened its government funding, however, the college proffered a separate, parallel program for women off campus. The court was satisfied with that proposal, but Motz wasnt, writing that women dont need equal results but are entitled to equal opportunity. Her position was cited and quoted by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg when the Supreme Court ruled against VMI bringing a jolt of energy and confidence to the new circuit judge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I thought, you know, Im gonna have such a great appellate life. This is gonna be great, she quipped. Never happened again. But if she never quite reached that level of thrill again, Motz said her time on the bench was (almost) never boring. One of my firm beliefs about the law you get enough involved in any legal question, its interesting, she said. Born in Washington D.C., Diana Gribbon grew up watching her father prepare cases for one of the citys premier law firms. Later, at a college-career crossroads, she thought, Id give it a try. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She enrolled in the University of Virginia School of Law in the mid-1960s, when women made up less than 1% of the nations judiciary. But compared with the all-women Vassar College in New York, where she earned a history degree, the male-dominated atmosphere at law school was less competitive and more laid-back, she said. It was there that she met her husband-to-be, J. Frederick Fred Motz. And when they graduated, he a year before she, they launched careers in Baltimore that led both to federal judgeships. Though Motz would tease her husband as being the most conservative person she knew, one colleague said they didnt land so far apart on a lot of issues. I think both of them, at their core, are neither Republicans nor Democrats. Theyre both extraordinary lawyers, said Ralph Tyler, a friend and lawyer who worked alongside Motz for years. After her first child was born, Motz left the private sector and joined the Maryland Attorney Generals Office in 1972. Her initial role focused on unemployment claims and was not considered a good job, she said, but the law provided her the opportunity to argue appeals before the states highest court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She took that experience with her into more diverse litigation for the attorney generals civil division, building cases around write-in presidential candidates and, in a prelude of sorts, tax breaks for a men-only country club. Perhaps her biggest case came in 1980, when Motz pursued former Vice President Spiro Agnew, arguing the bribes he took as Marylands governor belonged to the state. When she prevailed, Motz kept a copy of Agnews $268,482 return check on her wall for years. We had lots of fun doing those cases, said Special Appeals Judge Bob Zarnoch, who, like Tyler, worked with Motz in the Attorney Generals Office. It didnt matter if you were working weekends, evenings and stuff. They were fun, and you thought that you were doing something good in some of these cases. Motzs abilities elevated her to chief of litigation, where she oversaw all the attorney generals civil cases. Though she left the office in 1986 she would soon become the first attorney appointed to Marylands appellate court directly from the private sector her work with the state left an indelible impression. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state is filled with a generation, if not two generations, of lawyers whom she trained and taught to be lawyers, Tyler said, considering himself among them. She led in the best possible way, by doing the work herself at an exceptional level. Have a news tip? Contact Luke Parker at lparker@baltsun.com, 410-725-6214, on X as @lparkernews, or on Signal as @parkerluke.34. Diana Gribbon Motz Age: 81 Hometown: Washington, D.C. Current residence: Baltimore Education: Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda; Vassar College, B.A.; University of Virginia School of Law, J.D. Career highlights: Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit; judge on the former Maryland Court of Special Appeals; assistant attorney general and chief of litigation in the civil division of the Maryland Attorney Generals Office Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Civic and charitable activities: Board member of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Johns Hopkins University, YWCA of Greater Baltimore, the Junior League of Baltimore and Union Memorial Hospital Family: Married to J. Frederick Fred Motz (deceased); two children; three grandchildren An alliance between the two most powerful men in the world seemed destined to blow up into a volatile feud yet somehow held ... until it didnt. Within a few hours on Thursday, the public spat between Donald Trump and Elon Musk exploded into debates over the presidents impeachment, calls to launch primary challengers against Republican allies in Congress, and Musks accusation that the president is implicated in a sexual abuse scandal. But how they choose to escalate from here could have far-reaching impacts and not just for the fate of a massive bill that sparked their breakup. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump and Musk command the worlds attention, own competing social media platforms, and are each in a position to wield the power of the presidency and spend, and lose, billions of dollars against one another. How Trump could go after Musk Kill government contracts Trump has already suggested yanking government contracts for Musks companies Tesla and SpaceX, which are due to receive at least $3 billion in contracts from 17 agencies. Trump and Musk both command massive influence on their own platforms and the worlds attention with billions of dollars at stake (AFP/Getty) The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts, Trump wrote on Truth Social. On his War Room podcast, Trump ally Steve Bannon urged Trump to retaliate against the worlds wealthiest man by, among other things, using the Defense Production Act to take control of SpaceX. The U.S. government should seize it, Bannon said Thursday. Cut off Elons access to the White House Musk ended his 130-day special government employee term in the Trump administration last week after serving as an adviser to the president for the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which Musk unleashed across the federal government to make drastic cuts to spending and the workforce. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Trump left the door open for Musk to return. That 130-day term can be renewed next year. Trump could sever that arrangement at any time. Bannon also called on Trump to strip Musks top-secret clearances, which he is granted in conjunction with his work on SpaceX and NASA. Make X illegal With more than 220 million followers on a social media platform under his control, Musk can use that audience and ability to shift media narratives against the president to advance his agenda. Trump, whose entire campaign was built on retribution, possesses executive authority to shut X down, according to experts. Trump could declare X a national security risk, which would permit him to ban the platform outright, claims Devan Leos with AI platform Undetectable AI. Elon Musk could wield his massive audience on X to humiliate the president, who could in turn retaliate against the platform (AFP via Getty Images) The president could invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act on national security grounds to prevent X from operating, which would likely trigger a high-profile legal battle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk now faces a difficult choice. He can ban Trump from X in retaliation, but that would almost certainly trigger an executive response from the White House, according to Leos. The president, meanwhile, owns more than 100 million shares, or roughly 53 per cent, of Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of social media platform Truth Social. His stake in the company is worth billions of dollars. Investigate Musks immigration status and drug use Musk was born in South Africa before he emigrated to Canada and later the United States. Last year, The Washington Post reported that the billionaire worked in the country illegally before gaining citizenship. Bannon called on the president to deport him. Elon Musk is illegal. Hes got to go too, Bannon said on his War Room podcast. After Trump threatened to pull Musks government contracts, Musk suggested SpaceX would decommission its Dragon spacecraft escalating a feud that could have wider impacts across government agencies (Getty Images) Trump also could wield the power of his office to initiate other investigations under a Department of Justice controlled by his fierce ally Attorney General Pam Bondi, including into allegations of his drug use at the campaign trail and within the administration. How Musk could go after Trump Flood opponents with cash The worlds wealthiest person spent tens of millions of dollars supporting Trumps 2024 campaign. On Thursday, he took credit for his victory. But this year, his multimillion-dollar effort to support a conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate blew up in his face, with his DOGE efforts tanking his and Teslas appeal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, Republican candidates fear being his target. Musk and his allies have threatened to fund primary challenges against any GOP member of Congress who supports legislation he doesnt. Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80 percent in the middle? Musk asked on Thursday. Musk and his PAC spent tens of millions boosting Trump in 2024. Republicans are both vying for some of that cash and fear being primaried by candidates fueled by Musks vengeance (AFP via Getty Images) Democrats agree with Musk that Trumps big, beautiful bill is a disaster but arent necessarily welcoming him to the party after the right-wing billionaire torched government agencies and helped but Trump back in office. We should ultimately be trying to convince him that the Democratic Party has more of the values that he agrees with, California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, whose district represents Silicon Valley, told Politico. A commitment to science funding, a commitment to clean technology, a commitment to seeing international students like him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Liam Kerr, co-founder of the centrist WelcomeFest meeting underway in Washington during the Trump-Musk feud, told the outlet that of course Democrats should be open to Musk. You dont want anyone wildly distorting your politics, which he has a unique capability to do. But its a zero-sum game, Kerr told Politico. Anything that he does that moves more toward Democrats hurts Republicans. Wield social media against the president It took just four hours for a feud playing out on two different social media platforms for Musk to drop what he called a bomb against the president. Time to drop the really big bomb, he wrote on X. [Trump] is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That loaded accusation Musks suggestion that Trump was involving the sex offenders trafficking scheme appeared to be the tipping point in their feud. Musk is accused of using the White House as a show room for Tesla and profiting from his time in the Trump administration (AFP via Getty Images) Musk, who just days ago seemed to have no problem associating with a man he is now alleging is implicated in Epsteins crimes, could launch a humiliation campaign against the president for an audience that has been largely disappointed with the Trump administrations approach to the Epstein case. Far-right influencers have turned on top federal law enforcement officials over the case, accusing Trump of continuing what they believe is a deep state conspiracy theory covering up powerful people. Musk could leverage that hostility. Use DOGE against Trump Musk hired a small army of young loyalists and old allies for his government-wide operation to not only eliminate jobs and spending but extract reams of data from millions of Americans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DOGEs unprecedented access to Americans data is alarming, made worse by the complete absence of meaningful oversight, according to Ben Zipperer, a senior economist with the Economic Policy Institute. That unrestrained access to data will likely worsen the problem of identity theft in the United States, which could cost working families tens of billions of dollars annually. A report from Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warrens office also uncovered more than 100 instances that Musk allegedly abused his role as a special government employee overseeing DOGE to benefit his private interests. Musk violated norms at an astonishing pace, amounting to scandalous behavior regardless of whether it subjects him to criminal prosecution. The report accuses Musk of using the government to promote his businesses, including turning the White House lawn into a Tesla showroom, and allegedly discovered roughly two dozen instances where the government entered or explored new lucrative contracts with the billionaire while halting enforcement actions against his companies. MAGA insider and former White House adviser Steve Bannon called on President Trump to investigate Elon Musks immigration status and deport the South African tech billionaire after the bitter implosion of the presidents relationship with Musk on Thursday. They should initiate a formal investigation of his immigration status because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately, Bannon, a frequent critic of Musk, told The New York Times on Thursday. Musk and Trump spent much of Thursday afternoon trading barbs after their dispute over Trumps agenda-setting One Big Beautiful Bill Act erupted into a blistering public feud. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During an appearance on his Bannons War Room live webcast, Bannon continued to lob attacks at the former head of the White Houses Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Elon Musk is illegal, and hes got to go, Bannon said. Hes illegal? Deport immediately. Youre going to ship these other people home. Lets start with the South Africans, OK? he added, alluding to the Trump administrations sweeping immigration crackdown. Musk, one of the largest donors to Trumps 2024 presidential campaign at roughly $250 million, was born and grew up in South Africa before he emigrated to Canada and later moved to the U.S., where he became a citizen while growing his tech empire, which includes SpaceX, the social platform X, Tesla and other endeavors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Washington Post reported last year that Musk worked in the country illegally before gaining citizenship, prompting questions from Bannon and others about whether Musks citizenship is legal. Bannon also noted Musks reported drug usage as potential ammo for prompting his deportation. The New York Times reported last week that Musks alleged use of ketamine and other substances on the campaign trail sparked concerns in Trump circles, but Musk denied the claims. The drug thing is going to be investigated, Bannon said. Trump and Musks relationship began to sour in recent days as Musk lashed out over the Trump-backed megabill currently under review in Congress. Musk called it a disgusting abomination, while Trump pushed back and defended the bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bannon said he supports Trumps latest suggestion that Musks massive government contracts should be pulled. It needs dramatic action. I would pull all the contracts immediately, Bannon said. He also blasted Musks abrupt and abrasive attacks against Trump, which escalated Thursday to a series of accusatory posts on his X platform that attempted to link Trump to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and claim credit for Trumps election win. President Trump empowered him more than anyone has ever been empowered in this government, had his back, promoted this guy, even when people like me said, Youre making a mistake. This is a bad guy. Hes going to turn on you. Hes not with us. Hes also totally incompetent,' Bannon said on War Room. Then as soon as President Trump comes out today, and President Trump saying it in the nicest way possible about the bill the guy gets up and starts tweeting the most vicious stuff you can tweet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Steve Bannon is milking the raging feud between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk for all that its worth, warning the Tesla boss: I will rip your f---ing face off. After positioning himself squarely on Team Trump and calling for investigations into Musk and his businesses, now the MAGA loyalist has turned to physical threats to demonstrate his loyalty to the president. Musk began trying to tank Trumps big beautiful budget bill earlier this week, leading the two MAGA heavyweights to eventually exchange increasingly personal insults. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On his show, War Room, on Thursday, Bannon called for Musk to be deported, demanded his alleged drug use and ties to China to be investigated, and said Musks company, SpaceX, should be seized by the government. Musk responded by calling Bannon a r----d. Now, Bannon has threatened to rip his f---ing face off. Bannon said Trump, who let Musk briefly turn the White House into a Tesla dealership, had treated the world's richest man Youre going to tell me we should allow some f---ing punk to sit there and say he should be impeached, and [Vice President] JD [Vance] should step in? Bannon told Politicos Playbook. The comment was in response to a post on X saying that Musk was likely to win his fight against Trump and that Vance should replace the president. Musk shared the post and wrote simply: Yes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement F--- you, dude. Were going to go to f---ing war, and Im going to rip your f---ing face off, Bannon told Politico. Bannon was once a top strategist for Trump but has since been relegated to trying to influence the president through his punditry. Ever since Musk was brought in to lead the so-called department of government efficiency, Bannon has railed against him on War Room. Now he seems keen to exploit the rift between Musk and Trump, who famously rewards loyaltyand venom. According to Trump biographer Michael Wolff, the president likes it when his aides make biting comments on his behalf. Bannon has been speaking out against Tesla CEO Elon Musk ever since he took on the role of Trump's Hes been known to say, Thats a good one after particularly scathing insults, according to Wolff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking to Playbook, Bannon said Trump had treated Musk almost like a son, only for the Tesla chief to then turn on him. He invited his family to Christmas dinner. He let him sleep over. He let him walk in and out of meetings. The president went to the max informality to welcome this guy, Bannon said. Playbook described his remarks as an I told you so victory lap. Former White House chief strategist and MAGA stalwart Steve Bannon leaned into his tirade against Elon Musk after the worlds richest person got into a public feud with President Trump, warning the tech billionaire that were going to go to fing war. The president treated him almost like a son. He invited his family to Christmas dinner. He let him sleep over. He let him walk in and out of meetings, Bannon, an ardent skeptic of Musk, said in an interview with Politico that was published late Thursday. The president went to the max informality to welcome this guy. Youre going to tell me we should allow some fing punk to sit there and say he should be impeached and [VP] JD [Vance] should step in? F you, dude, the War Room podcast host continued. Were going to go to fing war, and Im going to rip your fing face off. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hostilities between Musk and Trump were on public display Thursday with the two men trading blows on social media after the Tesla CEO slammed the GOP-backed megabill full of the presidents legislative priorities as an abomination. Trump blasted Musk during Germany Chancellor Friedrich Merzs visit to the White House for criticizing the big, beautiful bill the massive piece of legislation currently moving through Congress. Musk fired back at Trump on the social platform X, which he purchased in 2022, backing calls for the president to be impeached and Vice President Vance to take over as his successor. The tech mogul also accused Trump of being named in convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epsteins files. Trump threatened to cut off billions of dollars of federal contracts with Musks companies, while the entrepreneur wrote that he would decommission SpaceXs Dragon spacecraft. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bannon told Politico that he hopes White House trade adviser Peter Navarro is drafting executive orders even as we speak [to] implement the Defense Production Act to seize both SpaceX and Starlink and put them under government management until that time that all investigations into Musk are complete. As the bitter implosion was unfolding earlier in the day, Bannon called for Musks immigration status to be investigated and for the billionaire, who was born in South Africa, to be deported. They should initiate a formal investigation of his immigration status because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately, Bannon said in an interview with The New York Times, published Thursday. Bannon also blasted the Tesla CEO during a War Room live webcast, saying, Elon Musk is illegal, and hes got to go. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes illegal? Deport immediately, he added. Musk grew up in South Africa. He immigrated to Canada and later to the U.S., where he became a naturalized citizen. The Washington Post reported in October that Musk worked in the U.S. illegally while building his company, which later became Zip2. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A BBC Bargain Hunt expert has been jailed for two and a half years for selling works of art to a Lebanese man suspected of financing the terrorist group Hezbollah. Oghenochuko Ojiri, who also appeared on Antiques Road Trip, pleaded guilty to eight offences under section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000. The 53-year-old, who ran an art gallery in east London, admitted failing to disclose information about sales he made to Beirut-based Nazem Ahmad. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ahmad was sanctioned by the US and UK authorities on suspicion that he was money laundering and financing the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah. Ojiri admitted failing to disclose information about sales he made to Beirut-based Nazem Ahmad - Metropolitan Police New money laundering regulations were introduced in January 2020, bringing the art market under HMRC supervision and putting a responsibility on dealers to ensure they were following the rules. The Old Bailey heard Ojiri had discussed the changes with a colleague in the US over email, indicating he was aware of his responsibilities. Evidence recovered from his phone also showed he had downloaded a New York Times article about Ahmad, indicating he knew of the suspicions surrounding his activities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But on eight occasions between October 2020 and December 2021, he sold works of art to Ahmad worth 140,000. Ojiri sold works of art to Ahmad worth 140,000 - Jones Callum D - SO15 He disguised his name in his telephone and claimed the works were being sold to a different person. Gavin Irwin, defending, said Ojiri was arrested in April 2023 in north Wales while filming a show for the BBC. He admitted the offences when he appeared at Westminster magistrates court last month. Mr Irwin said the art expert and married fathers humiliation is complete having lost his good name and the work he loves. He said Ojiri had been naive in relation to his participation in Ahmads art market, and that he was preyed on by more sophisticated others. Starclimber, by Monika Karandi, Invoiced for 5,250 Appearing at the Old Bailey for sentencing, Ojiri was given a three and a half year sentence comprising two and a half years in jail and another year on licence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said: Mr Ojiri, your hard work, talent and charisma has brought you a great deal of success. But working in a regulated sector carries significant responsibility. You knew you should not be dealing with this man. I do not accept that you were naive. Rather, it benefitted you to close your eyes to what you believed he was. You knew it was your duty to alert the authorities. Instead you elected to balance the financial profit and commercial success of your business against Nazem Ahmads dark side. Bethan David, head of the CPS Counter Terrorism Division, said: It is clear that Oghenochuko Ojiri was aware of new money laundering regulations in the art world and that he had knowledge of Nazem Ahmads background. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ojiri engaged in activity designed to conceal the identity of the true purchaser by changing the details on invoices and storing Mr Ahmads name under a different alias in his mobile phone. His motivation appears to be financial along with a broader desire to boost his gallerys reputation within the art market by dealing with such a well-known collector. Modern Man in Search of a Sole, by Baldur Helgason, invoiced for 19,500 Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Mets Counter Terrorism Command, said: This case is a great example of the work done by detectives in the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit (NTFIU), based in the Mets Counter Terrorism Command. The prosecution, using specific Terrorism Act legislation is the first of its kind, and should act as a warning to all art dealers that we can, and will, prosecute those who knowingly do business with people identified as funders of terrorist groups. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oghenochuko Ojiri wilfully obscured the fact he knew he was selling artwork to Nazem Ahmad, someone who has been sanctioned by the UK and US Treasury and described as a funder of the proscribed terrorist group Hezbollah. Financial investigation is a crucial part of the counter terrorism effort. A team of specialist investigators, analysts and researchers in the NTFIU work all year round to prevent money from reaching the hands of terrorists or being used to fund terrorist attacks. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. BARTON On the day of the flood, Barton Hose Company No. 1s first call for help came from Moscow a town of roughly 275 people in the Georges Creek Valley nearly two miles from the fire company for a woman trapped in her house that was surrounded by water. Now weeks after the catastrophe, emergency officials from across the region have expressed amazement that no one died or was seriously injured in the massive rush of rain that slammed the southwestern section of the county. But on May 13, as rain poured, emergency dispatches kept coming. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We were basically running from call to call, said Kevin Rounds, chief of Barton Hose Company. Barton Hose Company No 1. in May 2025 flood Barton Hose Company No 1 runs rescue calls during the May 13, 2025 flood. (Submitted photo) While outside help headed to Allegany County, the flood washed out local roads and bridges. The problem was getting people into our area, Rounds said. His crews were unable to reach the Laurel Run area, but made it to other calls. They assisted Westernport, which was also underwater. That day, flooded roads stopped Rounds from getting to Frostburg State University, where he works as a police officer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ultimately, Barton Hose Company took on more than two feet of water during the flood. Items destroyed or washed away included chainsaws, medical bags, fans, lights, portable radios and a rescue dummy used for training. Now, the department awaits its insurance companys decision about financial coverage of the losses. Barton Hose Company No 1. in May 2025 flood Crick Bratz girls' softball field in Barton on May 13, 2025. (Submitted photo) BackflowEric Mowbray, Bartons assistant fire chief, said the companys volunteers were busy pumping basements during the flood. We ran over 120 calls in 36 hours for flooded basements, lines down, trees down, he said. We also had over 1,900 volunteer hours in 12 days responding to calls and standing by at the station handing out supplies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, drains backed up at the fire station. A pair of womans eyeglasses washed into the trap of a first-floor toilet, and a sink filled with mud, roots and debris believed to be caused by water that backflowed into storm drains and the sewer system. Some good came from the flood, too, however. Its opened our eyes on how our community has been brought together, Mowbray said. Residents of the small town have helped their neighbors clean storm debris from houses and yards. Theres a heightened awareness to keep streams open and running. Barton Hose Company No 1. in May 2025 flood Barton Hose Company No 1 on May 13, 2025. (Submitted photo) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Came quickerWayne Rounds, father of Kevin Rounds and the companys deputy chief, recalled the 1996 storm that flooded the area. Last months rain brought more infrastructure damage to the area, he said. This time, it came quicker, Wayne Rounds said and added the rain fell for a longer period of time. You cant fight water, he said. A fire, youve got a chance. The station had three electric pumps, and two had to be replaced for overuse. We tried very hard, Wayne Rounds said. People put in a lot of hours. Barton Hose Company No 1. in May 2025 flood Barton Hose Company No 1 on May 13, 2025. (Submitted photo) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While volunteers responded to emergency calls, the station also coordinated the distribution of donated supplies that came in. We just need people to understand, all (volunteer) departments have limited resources in this type of situation, he said. Support instrumentalMowbray said that after the flood, support came in from other cities. An Annapolis resident sent a horse trailer loaded with supplies, including latex gloves, antihistamines, cleaning supplies and non-perishable foods. The support weve had from outside of the community has been instrumental, he said. It kind of leaves you in shock that complete strangers have the heart and the drive to help, Mowbray said. Its really great to know ... big hearts are out there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, more help is needed. The Barton Hose Company, established in the early 1900s, is a small department in an underpopulated area where jobs are scarce. Volunteerism is down, and equipment is expensive. We cant function without the community buying chances on raffles ... or going to auxiliary dinners, Mowbray said. Kevin Rounds said federal and state grants have helped the company with plans to refurbish two trucks and build a four-bay addition. If it werent for grants, we wouldnt have anywhere near what we have now, he said. But the remodel project is still short on funds. We always need donations, Kevin Rounds said and added that just basic operation of the fire company costs about $200,000 per year. We greatly appreciate community support. Wise, the London-based fintech unicorn, is moving its primary listing to New York, adding to the flight of public companies from the British market in recent years. The company, founded by two Estonians, debuted on the London Stock Exchange in 2021, at a time when tech and finance listings were booming worldwide. This seemed like an encouraging prospect for London, which aimed to be the epicenter of global tech companies in the European region. But such hopes have fallen flat in recent years as many companies have opted to move their primary listings from London, including $18.5 billion construction equipment company Ashtead, $61 billion building materials firm CRH, and $138 billion British chips company Arm Holdings. Still others, such as British cybersecurity firm Darktrace, have been taken private in multi-billion-dollar acquisitions. Wise expects that listing in New York could provide a potential pathway to inclusion in major U.S. indices, further enhancing liquidity and demand for Wise shares. The move would also make the money transfer platform more appealing to American investors as it eyes further growth. It admitted that it wont immediately be eligible for the big indices, but having a primary New York listing could help. Shareholders will vote on Wises plan to move its primary listing to New York, and more details will follow later this month. While the FTSE 100s share price performance might have beaten the main U.S. indices this year, the broader U.K. stock market continues to take a succession of blows to the head from a reputational perspective, Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, wrote in a note. Although subject to a shareholder vote, it seems unlikely Wise will receive widespread opposition if it means the shares could be worth more in the future. When floating on the LSE four years ago, Wises market capitalization was $11 billion. Today, its just shy of $17 billion. London has been scrambling to keep its public companies as more of them look across the Atlantic, hoping for greater access to investors and global markets and higher valuations. The capital, still considered the financial hub of the European region, has seen a sharp drop in interestlast year, there were just 17 IPOs versus 88 exits via delisting or primary listing transfers. While some of that fall is explained by the boom and bust related to the COVID-19 pandemic, companies have cited reasons such as liquidity and regulatory concerns. The Financial Conduct Authority in the U.K. overhauled rules last July to encourage more companies to join the primary market and to help companies move from the smaller market called AIM. PLAINVILLE, Mass. (WPRI) Plainville/Wrentham Animal Control is warning residents that a bat bit a resident earlier this week and later tested positive for rabies. The bat, which entered the Plainville residents home on Monday, was captured by animal control officers and humanely euthanized. It was then brought to the Massachusetts Department of Public Healths laboratory, where it later tested positive for rabies. The victim is actively receiving the appropriate medical treatment for rabies exposure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SEE ALSO: Feral cat in Dartmouth tests positive for rabies Anyone who may have come into contact with the rabid bat should call the Massachusetts Department of Public Health at (617) 983-6800 for a risk assessment. Rabies is a potentially deadly viral disease that typically spreads through bites or scratches from an infected animal, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The rabies virus primarily affects the central nervous system and, if left untreated, almost always results in death. Humans who are exposed to rabies are given a series of shots over four to five weeks to ensure the virus doesnt spread throughout the body. The CDC notes that, once the rabies virus advances past the incubation period to the onset of symptoms, there is no effective treatment for it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NEXT: Bat found in New Bedford tests positive for rabies Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the new 12+ smart TV app. Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) A Bay Area man finished a six-day barefoot trek from San Franciscos Ocean Beach to Santa Cruz, all in an effort to raise money for immigrant children detained at the border. Oakland-native Kehlani no longer listed on SF Pride Block Party flyer Patrick McConnell tells KRON4 that his feet are pretty beat up, but he finished the journey with a ton of gratitude. Photo courtesy of Patrick McConnell. Patrick McConnell has been training for three months to walk from San Franciscos Ocean Beach to Santa Cruz barefoot. (Photo: KRON4) Patrick McConnell has been training for three months to walk from San Franciscos Ocean Beach to Santa Cruz barefoot. (Photo: KRON4) McConnell trained for three months to prepare for the journey, while partnering with the Young Center for Immigrant Childrens Rights an organization that provides child advocates to help give these kids a voice in court and reunite them with their families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many of these kids are fleeing violence, trafficking, unimaginable hardships back at home then they are met with a system that treats them like adults, McConnell told KRON4s Sara Stinson. McConnell said he has raised $17K during the walk. His goal remains at $50K, and he is hoping for more donations or a match. He said he successfully completed 100 miles by walking during the day and camping at night. He also documented some of his trek. McConnell said that friends occasionally joined him at the beginning and end of the walk but contends he finished the adventure solo. Anyone who would like to donate to McConnells fundraiser can visit here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) A Bay County man, released from prison on Thursday, June 5, is still behind bars. According to the Bay County Sheriffs Office, Jerome Watts Jr. is serving five-and-a-half years of a seven-year sentence for stealing a car, running from police, leaving the scene of a crash, drug possession and being a felon with a gun, all in 2018 and 2019. Instead of being released, Watts was immediately transferred to the Bay County Jail to face child sex charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2017 and 2018, he allegedly had sexual contact with a girl in Panama City on several occasions. She was 12 and 13 at the time. The victim told her mother about the assaults, but she didnt report them to Panama City Police until 2021, when Watts was already in prison. He is being held without bond on three counts of sexual assault on a child and four counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a child. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to mypanhandle.com. A BBC report claiming Israeli troops killed Palestinians at an aid distribution centre was based on the accounts of a single Palestinian journalist and a Hamas spokesman, it has emerged. The White House has attacked the BBCs coverage of the incident, accusing the broadcaster of taking Hamass word as total truth. The BBCs first report on the June 1 incident said that at least 15 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli tank shelling and gunfire, according to medics and local residents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the local residents amounted to one Palestinian journalist, Mohammed Ghareeb, who told the broadcaster that Israeli tanks had approached and opened fire on the crowd queuing for food. No medics in the article spoke of tank shelling or gunfire, only reporting the number of dead and injured. 0506 Civilians reportedly attacked on the way to aid stations The BBC also included a quote from Mahmud Bassal, a civil defence spokesman, claiming that victims were killed and wounded due to gunfire from Israeli vehicles towards thousands of citizens. The broadcaster did not mention that civil defence in Gaza is run by Hamas. As highlighted by the White House, the story was altered several times during the day. BBC Gaza headlines - with images The first report was published on the BBC News website at 5.15am. The story was updated two hours later to increase the claimed number of fatalities from at least 15 to 26. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The death toll was increased to 31 in a third version of the story, published at 2.12pm. That story was updated to include denials from the Israel Defence Forces and from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which runs the aid distribution centre. Another update, at 4.23pm, included a denial from an IDF soldier in Rafah, who contacted the BBC to say that Israeli soldiers fired near the crowd but not at them, and nobody was hit. BBC Report Finally, at 8.34pm, the headline and opening paragraph were changed to remove references to Israeli tanks and gunfire, instead admitting that the incident was the subject of disputed reports. The BBC Verify unit billed by the corporation as experts in fact-checking and rooting out disinformation also looked into the incident, and concluded the following day that its extremely complicated because we have conflicting reports from multiple sources. Israel does not allow international journalists to enter Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, the contentious reporting was held up for ridicule by Karoline Leavitt, Donald Trumps press secretary. She brandished a print-out of the changing headlines on the BBC story, saying: Unlike some in the media, we dont take the word of Hamas as total truth. We like to look into it when they speak unlike the BBC. The BBC has rejected the claims. Danny Cohen, the BBCs former director of television, said he expected the corporation to dismiss the White House criticism. Anti-Israel bias in newsroom Speaking to the Daily T podcast, he said: They will take on an uber-defensive posture in response to this, because it has come from the Trump administration, rather than actually look at what theyve said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Cohen claimed that there was anti-Israel bias in the newsroom and condemned the BBCs rush to put out stories without first checking their validity. The BBC should no longer be using this approach, which is report first and ask questions later because it leads to dangerous misinformation from a genocidal terrorist group into the mainstream, he said. Mr Cohen added of BBC Verify: If it wasnt so serious, it would be a really bad joke. First of all, there is an absolute obsession with Israel. And second of all, it often doesnt verify anything. It just does a report and doesnt prove anything. Verify is the brainchild of Deborah Turness, the chief executive of BBC news and current affairs. A day after the offending report, she announced the launch of BBC Verify Live, in which the team will share its work throughout the day in a rolling news feed on the corporations website. Ms Turness described it as a new way of working, and an exciting step towards even greater transparency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked about the Gaza story, a BBC spokesman said: As we made clear already, we stand by our journalism, including the accurate attribution of sources throughout our coverage. We continue to press for international independent journalists to be able to report from inside Gaza. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Feras Kilani, a BBC Arabic journalist, claimed that he and his team were detained, strip-searched and interrogated by the IDF. A team of seven BBC staff members claimed they were detained, strip-searched and interrogated by the IDF in the Syrian buffer zone in a report published Thursday. Feras Kilani, a BBC Arabic journalist, said that on May 9, he and his team, comprised of himself, two Iraqi BBC staff, one Syrian BBC cameraman, and three Syrian freelancers, left Damascus with the intention of moving toward the Syrian buffer zone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The team was filming near a United Nations observation post by al-Rafeed when they were informed a nearby IDF unit had inquired about them, being told they were a BBC crew. Kilani and his team later drove toward Quneitra and saw Israeli tanks and soldiers nearby. One member of the group showed his BBC ID to IDF soldiers watching through binoculars from a nearby tower. The crew began filming, but were quickly approached and surrounded by IDF soldiers and told to place their camera on the ground. IDF soldiers gather near the ceasefire line between Syria and Israel, in the Golan Heights, December 9, 2024 (photo credit: REUTERS/AMMAR AWAD) Kilani claimed that after sending a message to his BBC colleagues in London that the military had stopped them, their phones and equipment were confiscated, and things escalated unexpectedly quickly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additional soldiers arrived to search the BBC teams vehicle, and the group was then escorted to the crossing point between Quneitra and the Golan Heights. There, the IDF reviewed the teams footage while they say in their car, while one pointed his rifle at my head from metres away. Two hours later, Kilani was asked to talk on the phone to a man who spoke broken Arabic and asked why they were filming IDF positions, to which Kilani explained that he was a British BBC journalist and explained his work. After an additional hour, IDF security personnel arrived with blindfolds and zip ties, and an officer led Kilani to a private room, telling him that he would be treated better than his team, without blindfolds or zip ties. The team was separated, strip-searched, and interrogated by the IDF I was in shock. I asked why they were doing this when they knew we were a BBC crew. He said he wanted to help get us out quickly and that we had to comply with their instructions, Kilani wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over the course of two hours, each member of the team was individually strip-searched in the private room and interrogated, including personal questions, and were returned with their hands still bound but no longer blindfolded. During the interrogations, IDF soldiers examined the teams phones and laptops, deleting many photos, including personal ones. An officer then threatened them with worse consequences if they approached forces from the Syrian side, adding that they would be tracked down if any hidden footage was published. After roughly seven hours, the team was led by two IDF vehicles over one mile outside Quneitra, and the soldiers threw the phones back before leaving. Lost in the dark with no signal, no internet, and no idea where we were, we kept driving until we reached a small village, Kilani wrote, adding that the group received directions from a group of local children who warned that a wrong turn could draw Israeli fire. According to Kilani, it took them 10 minutes to find the road and an additional 45 minutes to reach Damascus. The BBC has complained to the IDF about what happened, but the military has not responded. BEAUFORT, S.C. (WSAV) Have you ever sat down at a restaurant and wondered if the seafood you planned to order came directly from local waters? Thats the goal of a new program that will soon hit tables in Beaufort. The Only from Our Waters program will highlight businesses in the area that serve genuine, local or American-harvested seafood. We developed this program to honor them, also create economic activity and hone in on that local flavor, said Ashlee Houck, the President and CEO of the Beaufort Area Hospitality Association (BAHA). Beaufort is known for its shrimp, Its oysters, crabs and the local seafood here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Craig Reaves, the owner of Sea Eagle Market, and a large seafood distributor to several local restaurants and businesses in the area, said this program would help boost his business. Hes been involved in the creation and process of the program. Its great that theyre (BAHA) concerned for the long-term vision of the seafood industry, and specifically the shrimping industry, Reaves said. Many shrimpers have said that around 60% of seafood eaten in the United States is imported from overseas. Reaves said that hurts small family-owned businesses who are working hard to provide fresh seafood to locals and businesses. Good seafood aint cheap and cheap seafood aint good, said Reaves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reaves said that many coastal restaurants talk about working with the local industry, but dont put words into action. Theres a lot of attention on imported shrimp and how much fraud in restaurants that are claiming local but using imported Seafoods, Reaves said. Nick Borreggine, the owner of Scratch Italian restaurant and Shellring Ale Works, said hes been involved with the process and creation of the program alongside Reaves and Houck. We want to support our friends and colleagues and our local seafood fishermen, shrimpers in this case. They are our neighbors. They provide a quality of life that is unmatched here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said this program matters because the fresh seafood caught and served locally, is a representation of what Beaufort has to offer. The Indonesian farm raised shrimp that that is pumped full of antibiotics is not the same quality, so if a tourist comes into town has some of those shrimps, theyre going to walk away from Beaufort and say, I dont see whats so special about this, said Borreggine. Thats not what we want. We want to put our best foot forward. A rising tide helps all boats. In this case, its our local shrimpers. The program will place a logo on a menu or door fronts of restaurants and businesses. That will prove if they are serving genuine local, or American-harvested seafood. Our consumers want local shrimp. So not only is it our responsibility to give them that, but its truth in advertising. We want to make sure that it is local shrimp, said Borreggine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Houck said the goal is to not only support shrimpers, but Beauforts overall economy. People want to support local fishermen. They want to support American caught seafood. Its really important and vital to America because a lot of the areas within our community have been built upon local seafood, said Houck. Destin, Florida is one of them. The Maine harbor. You know, so many various areas were built on being a fishing town. So, there is definitely a piece of those gears that make our economy run. As of now, the plan for the program is to start with just shrimp, and then eventually branch out to other local seafood caught in local or American waters. They said the hope is to have the program fully rolled out and on menus by October of this year, just in time for Beauforts annual Shrimp Festival. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSAV-TV. A glimpse into the hunt for Hezbollah's Unit 127, which during the war managed to attack deep inside Israeli territory. An intelligence officer, Lieutenant Colonel N., head of "Lebanon affairs" in the Israeli Air Force's intelligence division, has been tracking Hezbollahs Unit 127 for over two years, the same unit the IDF attacked on Thursday in Beirut's southern suburb, Dahiyeh. This unit is responsible for importing, manufacturing, and deploying various unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Lebanon into Israel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the war, the terrorists succeeded in striking locations within Israel and killing civilians and soldiers, most notably in the Golani base attack, which claimed soldiers' lives. At the height of the northern conflict, Lt. Col. N. led efforts to uncover the secrets of this small Hezbollah unit, significantly disrupting its leadership, key figures, and infrastructure. About six weeks ago, he used intelligence gathered with his team to strike targets in Lebanon. On Thursday, the Israeli Air Force launched a major attack in the heart of Dahiyeh targeting Unit 127s drone infrastructure. Smoke rises, following an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, after the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for the area, as seen from Baabda, Lebanon, June 5, 2025. (photo credit: MOHAMED AZAKIR/REUTERS) What has happened in recent months with Hezbollahs Unit 127? Hezbollah took a significant beating over the course of the war and is now attempting to regroup by all means. They identified the threat posed by UAVs and invested heavily in them with Iranian support. We detected the plans and their desire to increase production. We are trying to surround Hezbollah with a tightening ringnot only militarily, but also economically, particularly regarding their weapons access and mass production efforts, the Israeli intelligence source said. Why did you attack last night? Lt. Col. N. responded: There was compelling evidence of [the location of] sites involved in UAV manufacturing. The operation was complicated because it took place in a civilian areaHezbollah operates beneath the civilian population in Dahiyeh. They believed civilians would shield them, preventing us from attacking. But thanks to our intelligence, we ensured extensive evacuations; no munitions were deployed before we confirmed that no civilians were present. We made a genuine effort to preserve human life while carrying out our strikes. What did you target? We hit seven targets: five in Beirut and two in southern Lebanon, Lt. Col. N. confirmed. Hezbollah's operations in Lebanon How is Hezbollah operating differently from the peak of the war? I believe they're trying to evade Israeli detection now. But theres no magic solution for them. To build and deploy UAVs, they must go through several stages that we can detect and counter. They assumed civilians would protect them, but we must constantly innovate against this cruel enemy, the intelligence source stated. What will the future hold? This is an ongoing contest. Our goal is always to remain one step ahead. These strikes are the best form of defense - preventing the enemy from obtaining sufficient capabilities in numbers or quality to pose a real threat, Lt. Col. N. said. What was Lebanon's reaction to last nights strikes in Dahiyeh, the heart of Hezbollah country? So far, its quiet. Northern Israeli residents did not feel that the attack happened. We hope this calm continues. As far as Im concerned, the fact that Israeli civilians can travel in the north today is itself an important achievement, Lt. Col. N. concluded. No official Lebanese response has been issued yet. HONOLULU (KHON2) Eloise Luzader affectionately known as Aunty Eloise to many students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa passed away at the age of 96 in February 2025. In lieu of a traditional funeral service, Eloise is being honored by her son with a tribute website. Everyone grieves the loss of a loved one differently. For me, this website just feels like the right thing to do, Eloises son, Gary Luzader, writes. Its certainly less stressful, but it also allows those who knew her a chance to enjoy some memories Eloise left behind and just enjoy her life one more time. The website, found at eloiseluzadermemorial.org, features photo galleries that show important moments from Eloises life including her early life, marriage and final days as well as a form for people to submit their own messages and memories of Eloise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 95-year-old UH cashier retires after nearly 30 years According to her memorial website, Eloise started working at UH in 1994, when she was 66 years old. She continued working as a cashier when most of the university was shut down at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Eloise was a cashier at UH Manoas Gateway House for nearly 30 years before she retired at the age of 95 in 2023. Im going to miss the students they keep me young and keep me happy, Eloise told KHON2 when she retired. I look forward to coming to work everyday. Not everybody look forward to go to work right? After retiring, Eloise spent time in a religious ministry before she broke her hip in October 2024. When she was in the emergency room after breaking her hip, scans of her body found incurable cancer all over her liver and bones, according to the memorial website. She declined treatment after learning it would impact her quality of life, and spent her final days receiving care at Garys house. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I miss her a lot, but its a great comfort knowing that before she passed, Mom knew she was loved by so many people, Gary wrote. To learn more about Eloises life, you can visit her memorial website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2. CHILLICOTHE (KFDX/KJTL) According to ID Tech, employment in STEM occupations has grown 20 percent over the past decade. Its the rapid growth and interest in the STEM field that prompted the creation of Boosting Engineering in Science and Technology or Best Robotics, an organization that focuses on STEM education through robotics. Lake Arrowhead reaches full capacity following storms Executive Director of Best Robotics, Johannes Starks, said the primary goal is to get kids in rural areas interested in STEM education through multiple hands-on activities, hoping to spark a passion for possible future engineers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Add both the timers for move delay and stop delay, a student said. This may sound like a foreign language to some, but to these student teachers with Best Robotics, its how they bring these little guys to life. We love to create our own robot kits and go out and try and inspire the next generation of STEM through programming, wiring and all sorts of STEM principles. So at our high school, we have many opportunities to build and create anything that we can imagine, Talamantez said. Eaglettes President Aleyna Talamantez said they 3D print all the parts needed to build these robot kits and travel the state, looking to inspire younger generations, something that Starks said was made possible through help from the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Best worked with Allen High School, the Eaglettes, and we co-wrote a grant with the Texas Workforce Commission. So we were granted $99,000 to put on camps all over the state of Texas. And so Chillicothe happens to be our first camp, Starks said. And the whole goal was to be able to provide free robotics to students, helping them learn how to code. And given the Allen Eagles the opportunity to expand their footprint. Starks said this program includes several hands-on exercises to engage these kids in engineering. I want them to go into a STEM career. We know that thats the future of America, especially being in Texas, where were heavy semiconductor. This will be an opportunity for them to dream big. And so we want them to get out of their own way and be able to say that I can do this, things that they never thought that they would be able to experience with robots are with programming and coding, Starks said. In hopes of creating the next generation of engineers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more information on booking Best Robotics, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Texomashomepage.com. The Beverly Hills Skin Whisperer: Jennifer Gerace's Emmy-Ready Revolution originally appeared on L.A. Mag. Courtesy Jennifer Gerace If you want to understand Jennifer Gerace, start with what she's not: just another Beverly Hills esthetician with a fancy title. When celebrities call her the "Beverly Hills Skincare Muse"a nickname that stuck after a client's wife used itthey're acknowledging something the beauty industry's most discerning clients have discovered: Gerace isn't following trends but creating them. In a town where looking camera-ready isn't just vanity but also career currency, Emmy season is skin season. And nobody navigates the high-stakes world of pre-awards skincare like Gerace. L.A. is a city that worships innovation almost as much as it fears aging, and Gerace has mastered both. After years working behind the scenes14 years as a makeup artist for CNN in D.C., consulting for plastic surgeons, working for Hydra Facialshe noticed a critical gap in the market. "People were just doing whatever the guy next door was doing," she says with characteristic bluntness. "I was able to see everything they were doing wrong." Gerace pioneered bringing exosomesderived from human tissue and able to "trick your skin into behaving like you're 22"into her treatments. It's this scientific rigor, coupled with results that speak for themselves, that has celebrities booking months in advance. But it's her work with plasma technology that truly puts her in a category of her own. "Plasma has been around for decades, but it's really just starting to come to the US within the last five years," she explains. Unlike light-based treatments that can trigger hyperpigmentation, her ionic plasma delivers what she calls a "manufactured lightning strike" that vaporizes tissue and kills bacteria without risking infection. The technology is so coveted that one Saudi family flew her to Dubai to install all her equipment in their home and train their in-house staff. "They've been scarred by lasers," Gerace explains. "They wanted something they couldn't find anywhere else." For all her technical expertise, it's perhaps Gerace's adaptability that makes her truly indispensable to her clients. She works appointment-only, all hourssometimes starting at 7 a.m. for clients catching early flights. One client flies in from Boston three times a year for head-to-toe plasma treatments that take three days. For those panicking with just weeks before a big event, Gerace has solutions: "If I have 30 days, I'm going to probably micro-needle twice... If I have a little more than a month, I'm probably going to do plasma, because it's just a better treatment." Jennifer GeraceCourtesy Jennifer Gerace Her latest innovation? Electromagnetic stimulation, which finds nerve branches and creates intense muscle contractions. "You could never do that on your own," she says of the technique that temporarily reconstructs facial contours without filler. "It's like doing little reps in the face." Gerace doesn't need a storefront on Rodeo Drive or a reality show to build her clientele. She operates entirely by word of mouth, treating entire "friend circles and operations of family members... granddaughters, grandkids, mother, sister, grandmother." In an industry where celebrity endorsements are currency, clients like Bella Thorne and Noah Cyrus speak volumes. Geraces no-nonsense approach strips away the flowery language of beauty marketing to deliver the real thing: results that stand up to Hollywood's harshest spotlights. For Emmy nominees (and the rest of us), that might be the most valuable red carpet accessory of all. This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared. Your GPS tracker could be making you moneyIoTeXs Jing Sun explains how originally appeared on TheStreet. Imagine a world where your solar panel, GPS tracker, or flight monitor earns passive income 24/7 feeding valuable data to AI giants and global businesses. Thats the world IoTeX is building. Co-founder Jing Sun says their platform is at the center of a new machine economy where real-world devices plug into Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePINs) and start generating real yield. From Silicon Valley VC to crypto builder Jing Sun started in venture capital, backing deep-tech startups across AI, data, and IoT. But things changed in 2017. We saw a huge vision, she said. Inspired by the Ethereum whitepaper, she co-founded IoTeX, a Layer 1 blockchain designed to connect device data with AI models and traditional businesses. From 2010 to 2018, I was running venture capital, investing in groundbreaking tech startupsAI, data, IoT, and edge companies, she shared. Now, that vision is reality. IoTeX powers networks where communities contribute data from devices like GPS antennas or solar panels and earn rewards from AI firms and enterprises. We connect device data from the real world and feed it into AI models, specifically vertical AI models, Sun said. What even is DePIN? Youve heard of DeFi. But DePIN might be cryptos most promising real-world use case. Messari coined the term in 2021, Sun said. We call it MachineFithe financialization of machine data or resources. DePIN projects crowdsource infrastructure that used to be run by governments or big techthink GPS, solar, and flight trackingand bring it to underserved regions. DePIN creates coverage for underserved areas through community contributions, Sun added. Projects like GEODNET (GPS), Glow (solar), and Wingbits (flight tracking) are already live on IoTeX. These are meaningful for society, Sun said. And theyre making real money. Anyone can join the machine economy You and I can purchase devices, deploy them in our city, and operate them, Sun said. These devices gather datalike location or energy outputsell it to networks, and pay you in tokens. Its a kind of basic income, she added. You become an operator of a diverse machine network and earn rewards. For example, a $300$500 GEODNET node earns tokens by feeding precise GPS data into robotics systems. With IoTeXs DePINScan dashboard, you can track earnings in real time. Its plug-and-play crypto that anyone can do. Why TradFi investors should care Jing Sun says DePIN is a perfect fit for traditional investors. The business model is very clear, she said. These networks have revenue, cost structures, and customer demand. You can value them like a traditional companygross margins, unit economics, current revenue, and projections. Few issues in the U.S. today are as controversial as diversity, equity and inclusion commonly referred to as DEI. Although the term didnt come into common usage until the 21st century, DEI is best understood as the latest stage in a long American project. Its egalitarian principles are seen in Americas founding documents, and its roots lie in landmark 20th-century efforts such as the 1964 Civil Rights Act and affirmative action policies, as well as movements for racial justice, gender equity, disability rights, veterans and immigrants. These movements sought to expand who gets to participate in economic, educational and civic life. DEI programs, in many ways, are their legacy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Critics argue that DEI is antidemocratic, that it fosters ideological conformity and that it leads to discriminatory initiatives, which they say disadvantage white people and undermine meritocracy. Those defending DEI argue just the opposite: that it encourages critical thinking and promotes democracy and that attacks on DEI amount to a retreat from long-standing civil rights law. Yet missing from much of the debate is a crucial question: What are the tangible costs and benefits of DEI? Who benefits, who doesnt, and what are the broader effects on society and the economy? As a sociologist, I believe any productive conversation about DEI should be rooted in evidence, not ideology. So lets look at the research. Who gains from DEI? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the corporate world, DEI initiatives are intended to promote diversity, and research consistently shows that diversity is good for business. Companies with more diverse teams tend to perform better across several key metrics, including revenue, profitability and worker satisfaction. Businesses with diverse workforces also have an edge in innovation, recruitment and competitiveness, research shows. The general trend holds for many types of diversity, including age, race and ethnicity, and gender. A focus on diversity can also offer profit opportunities for businesses seeking new markets. Two-thirds of American consumers consider diversity when making their shopping choices, a 2021 survey found. So-called inclusive consumers tend to be female, younger and more ethnically and racially diverse. Ignoring their values can be costly: When Target backed away from its DEI efforts, the resulting backlash contributed to a sales decline. But DEI goes beyond corporate policy. At its core, its about expanding access to opportunities for groups historically excluded from full participation in American life. From this broader perspective, many 20th-century reforms can be seen as part of the DEI arc. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Consider higher education. Many elite U.S. universities refused to admit women until well into the 1960s and 1970s. Columbia, the last Ivy League university to go co-ed, started admitting women in 1982. Since the advent of affirmative action, women havent just closed the gender gap in higher education they outpace men in college completion across all racial groups. DEI policies have particularly benefited women, especially white women, by expanding workforce access. Similarly, the push to desegregate American universities was followed by an explosion in the number of Black college students a number that has increased by 125% since the 1970s, twice the national rate. With college gates open to more people than ever, overall enrollment at U.S. colleges has quadrupled since 1965. While there are many reasons for this, expanding opportunity no doubt plays a role. And a better-educated population has had significant implications for productivity and economic growth. The 1965 Immigration Act also exemplifies DEIs impact. It abolished racial and national quotas, enabling the immigration of more diverse populations, including from Asia, Africa, southern and eastern Europe and Latin America. Many of these immigrants were highly educated, and their presence has boosted U.S. productivity and innovation. Ultimately, the U.S. economy is more profitable and productive as a result of immigrants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What does DEI cost? While DEI generates returns for many businesses and institutions, it does come with costs. In 2020, corporate America spent an estimated US$7.5 billion on DEI programs. And in 2023, the federal government spent more than $100 million on DEI, including $38.7 million by the Department of Health and Human Services and another $86.5 million by the Department of Defense. The government will no doubt be spending less on DEI in 2025. One of President Donald Trumps first acts in his second term was to sign an executive order banning DEI practices in federal agencies one of several anti-DEI executive orders currently facing legal challenges. More than 30 states have also introduced or enacted bills to limit or entirely restrict DEI in recent years. Central to many of these policies is the belief that diversity lowers standards, replacing meritocracy with mediocrity. But a large body of research disputes this claim. For example, a 2023 McKinsey & Company report found that companies with higher levels of gender and ethnic diversity will likely financially outperform those with the least diversity by at least 39%. Similarly, concerns that DEI in science and technology education leads to lowering standards arent backed up by scholarship. Instead, scholars are increasingly pointing out that disparities in performance are linked to built-in biases in courses themselves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That said, legal concerns about DEI are rising. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Department of Justice have recently warned employers that some DEI programs may violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Anecdotal evidence suggests that reverse discrimination claims, particularly from white men, are increasing, and legal experts expect the Supreme Court to lower the burden of proof needed by complainants for such cases. The issue remains legally unsettled. But while the cases work their way through the courts, women and people of color will continue to shoulder much of the unpaid volunteer work that powers corporate DEI initiatives. This pattern raises important equity concerns within DEI itself. What lies ahead for DEI? Peoples fears of DEI are partly rooted in demographic anxiety. Since the U.S. Census Bureau projected in 2008 that non-Hispanic white people would become a minority in the U.S by the year 2042, nationwide news coverage has amplified white fears of displacement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Research indicates many white men experience this change as a crisis of identity and masculinity, particularly amid economic shifts such as the decline of blue-collar work. This perception aligns with research showing that white Americans are more likely to believe DEI policies disadvantage white men than white women. At the same time, in spite of DEI initiatives, women and people of color are most likely to be underemployed and living in poverty regardless of how much education they attain. The gender wage gap remains stark: In 2023, women working full time earned a median weekly salary of $1,005 compared with $1,202 for men just 83.6% of what men earned. Over a 40-year career, that adds up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost earnings. For Black and Latina women, the disparities are even worse, with one source estimating lifetime losses at $976,800 and $1.2 million, respectively. Racism, too, carries an economic toll. A 2020 analysis from Citi found that systemic racism has cost the U.S. economy $16 trillion since 2000. The same analysis found that addressing these disparities could have boosted Black wages by $2.7 trillion, added up to $113 billion in lifetime earnings through higher college enrollment, and generated $13 trillion in business revenue, creating 6.1 million jobs annually. In a moment of backlash and uncertainty, I believe DEI remains a vital if imperfect tool in the American experiment of inclusion. Rather than abandon it, the challenge now, from my perspective, is how to refine it: grounding efforts not in slogans or fear, but in fairness and evidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE A public feud between Donald Trump and Elon Musk has put the fate of his signature Department of Government Efficiency work into question. After leading a charge to fire thousands of federal workers, DOGE employees are now wondering whether they could be next thanks to the worlds richest mans apparent animosity towards the president. With Musks oversight, the now-former adviser to the president deployed DOGE staff to purge the workforce, gut entire agencies and slash billions of dollars in grant funding and research. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of Musks top DOGE lieutenants connected to his companies were hired for full-time roles drawing large salaries. Among them: Edward Big Balls Coristine, Luke Farritor, and Ethan Shaotran, who have had unprecedented access to the inner workings of critical government agencies. The White House has insisted to The Independent that DOGE isnt limited to a handful of employees but is now baked into every level of government, with a mission to find waste, fraud and abuse. But the employees that Musk brought into the administration are now reportedly worried they could become its targets. DOGE staffers Elon Musk brought into his government-wide cost-cutting project fear they could be next on the chopping block after the billionaires feud with Donald Trump (Getty) Several of Musks top allies in DOGE left the administration with him, but remaining staffers fear the growing tension between the billionaire and the president could expose them to his political retribution, according to ABC News. DOGE staffers texted one another on Thursday as the Trump-Musk feud spilled out over social media and asked whether they could be fired next, according to The Wall Street Journal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some DOGE employees are also looking for jobs elsewhere, ABC reported, but its unclear what their prospects look like after a toxic run inside the federal government that most Americans dont support. But some major companies like Coinbase are opening their doors to DOGE workers. The cryptocurrency exchange created an online hiring portal specifically for former DOGE staff. The mission of eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse is a part of the DNA of the federal government and will continue under the direction of the president, his cabinet, and agency heads to enhance government efficiency and prioritize responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields told The Independent. Days before his feud with the president, Musk promised to be a friend and adviser to Trump as he hailed DOGEs progress which has yielded government-wide chaos and more than a dozen legal battles (AFP/Getty) Musks signature achievement in government fell significantly short of his stated goal of cutting $2 trillion from the federal budget. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, DOGEs efforts sparked chaos across the government, from gutting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to facing accusations of being responsible for thousands of deaths by putting the U.S. Agency for International Development through a wood chipper, as Musk called it. DOGEs work under Musk also drew more than a dozen legal challenges and court orders finding the whole operation likely unconstitutional. Musk and his allies, meanwhile, siphoned data from agencies like the Social Security Administration and IRS, knitting together an unprecedented surveillance network. In Musks absence, DOGE staff continues to report to federal agency managers and the U.S. DOGE Service, the former U.S. Digital Service that Trump renamed to reflect Musks efforts. The DOGE team is doing an incredible job, theyre going to be continuing to do an incredible job, and Ill continue to be visiting here and a friend and adviser to the president, Musk said just last week as he announced the end of his 130-day special government employee role. Elons really not leaving, Trump said at the time. Hes going to be back and forth, I think I have a feeling. Its his baby, and I think hes going to be doing a lot of things. Demonstrators gather May 27 for a protest organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee calling for the continuation of MinnesotaCare for undocumented adults outside of the Governors Reception Room at the Minnesota State Capitol (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer). The Republican budget bill the U.S. House approved last month includes a surprise for the 40 states that have expanded Medicaid: penalties for providing health care to some immigrants who are here legally. Along with punishing the 14 states that use their own funds to cover immigrants who are here illegally, analysts say last-minute changes to the bill would make it all but impossible for states to continue helping some immigrants who are in the country legally, on humanitarian parole. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the bill, the federal government would slash funding to states that have expanded Medicaid and provide coverage to immigrants who are on humanitarian parole immigrants who have received permission to temporarily enter the United States due to an emergency or urgent humanitarian reason. The federal government pays 90% of the cost of covering adults without children who are eligible under Medicaid expansion, but the bill would cut that to 80% for those states, doubling the state portion from 10% to 20%. Thats the same penalty the bill proposes for states that use their own money to help immigrants who are here illegally. Ironically, states such as Florida that have extended Medicaid coverage to immigrants who are here on humanitarian parole but have not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act would not be harmed by the bill, said Leonardo Cuello, a Medicaid law and policy expert and research professor at the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown Universitys McCourt School of Public Policy. It is wildly nonsensical and unfair to penalize expansion states for covering a population that some non-expansion states, such as Florida, also cover, Cuello said. It would appear that the purpose is more to punish expansion states than address any genuine concern with immigrant coverage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement West Virginia is one of the states where lawmakers are nervously watching U.S. Senate discussions on the proposed penalty. Republican state Rep. Matt Rohrbach, a deputy House speaker, said West Virginia legislators tabled a proposal that would have ended Medicaid expansion if the federal government reduced its share of the funding, because the states congressional representatives assured them it wasnt going to happen. Now the future is murkier. Cuello called the proposed penalty basically a gun to the head of the states. Congress is framing it as a choice, but the state is being coerced and really has no choice, he said. There are about 1.3 million people in the United States on humanitarian parole, from Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Ukraine and Venezuela as well as some Central American children who have rejoined family here. The Trump administration is trying to end parole from some of those countries. A Supreme Court decision May 30 allows the administration to end humanitarian parole for about 500,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not many of those parolees qualify for Medicaid, which requires a waiting period or special status, but the 40 states with expanded Medicaid could be penalized anyway when they do start accepting them as they begin to qualify, said Tanya Broder, senior counsel for health and economic justice policy at the National Immigration Law Center. It would appear that the purpose is more to punish expansion states than address any genuine concern with immigrant coverage. Leonardo Cuello, Georgetown University research professor Meanwhile, an increasing number of states and the District of Columbia already are considering scaling back Medicaid coverage for immigrants because of the costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The federal budget bill, named the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, is now being considered by the Senate, where changes are likely. The fact that so many states could be affected by the last-minute change could mean more scrutiny in that chamber, said Andrea Kovach, senior attorney for health care justice at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law in Chicago. By her count, at least 38 states and the District of Columbia would be affected by the new restrictions, since they accepted some options now offered by Medicaid to cover at least some humanitarian parolees without a five-year waiting period. Theyre all going to be penalized because they added in parolees, Kovach said. So thats 38 times two senators who are going to be very interested in this provision to make sure their state doesnt get their reimbursement knocked down. The change to exclude people with humanitarian parole was included in a May 21 amendment by U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington, a Texas Republican who chairs the House budget committee. Arringtons office did not reply to a request for comment, though he has stressed the importance of withholding Medicaid from immigrants who are here illegally. [Democrats] want to protect health care and welfare at any cost for illegal immigrants at the expense of hardworking taxpayers, Arrington said in a May 22 floor speech urging passage of the bill. But by the results of this last election, its abundantly clear: The people see through this too and they have totally rejected the Democrats radical agenda. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some states already are considering cutting Medicaid coverage for immigrants, though Democratic lawmakers and advocates are pushing back. Washington, D.C., Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser has proposed phasing out a program that provides Medicaid coverage to adults regardless of their immigration status, a move she says would save the District of Columbia $457 million. Minnesota advocates protested a state budget deal reached last month with Democratic Gov. Tim Walz to phase out health care coverage for adults who are here illegally, a condition Republican lawmakers insisted on to avoid a shutdown. Similarly, Illinois advocates are protesting new state rules that will end a program that has provided Medicaid coverage to immigrants aged 42-64 regardless of their legal status. The program cost $1.6 billion over three years, according to a state audit. The state will continue a separate program that provides coverage for older adults. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our position is that decision-makers in Illinois shouldnt be doing Trumps work for him, said Kovach, of the Shriver Center on Poverty Law. Lets preserve health coverage for immigrants and stand up for Illinois immigrant residents who have been paying taxes into this state for years and need this coverage. Illinois state Sen. Graciela Guzman, a Democrat whose parents are refugees from El Salvador, said many of her constituents in Chicago may be forced to cancel chemotherapy or lifesaving surgery because of the changes. It was a state budget, but I think the federal reconciliation bill really set the tone for it, Guzman said. In a tough fiscal environment, it was really hard to set up a defense for this program. Oregon Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek is among the governors holding firm, saying that letting immigrants stay uninsured imposes costs on local hospitals and ends up raising prices for everyone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The costs will go somewhere. When everyone is insured it is much more helpful to keep costs down and reasonable for everyone. Thats why weve taken this approach to give care to everyone, Kotek said at a news conference last month. Medicaid does pay for emergency care for low-income patients, regardless of their immigration status, and that would not change under the federal budget bill. Franny White, a spokesperson for the Oregon Health Authority, said her states Medicaid program covers about 105,000 immigrants, some of whom are here illegally. She said the policy, established by a 2021 state law, can save money in the long run. Uninsured people are less likely to receive preventive care due to cost and often wait until a condition worsens to the point that it requires more advanced, expensive care at an emergency department or hospital, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California was among the first states, along with Oregon, to offer health insurance to immigrants of all ages regardless of their legal status. But it now is considering cutting back, looking to save $5 billion as it seeks to close a $12 billion budget deficit. In May, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed freezing enrollment of immigrant adults who are here illegally, and charging them premiums to save money. Its possible that other states will decide to cut back these services because of budgetary concerns, said Drishti Pillai, director of immigrant health policy at KFF, a health policy research organization. If the federal budget bill passes with the immigrant health care provision intact, states would have more than two years to adjust, since the changes would not take effect until October 2027. We have time to really understand what the landscape looks like and really create a legal argument to make sure folks are able to maintain their health care coverage, said Enddy Almonord, director for Healthy Illinois, an advocacy group supporting universal health care coverage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stateline reporter Tim Henderson can be reached at thenderson@stateline.org. Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org. President Donald Trump has ordered an investigation into the Biden administration's use of an automatic signature pen, alleging that Joe Biden wasn't aware of many of his presidential orders and appointments. "This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history," Trump said in a memorandum Wednesday directing the probe. Biden denied the allegations, calling them "ridiculous and false." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is nothing more than a distraction by Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans who are working to push disastrous legislation that would cut essential programs like Medicaid and raise costs on American families, all to pay for tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and big corporations, Biden said in a statement Wednesday, referring to the massive GOP bill to advance Trump's agenda. Here's a look at what's known and what isn't about the allegations Trump has referred to on social media as "the biggest scandal in American history," how they started and what might come next. What is an autopen? An autopen is a device that replicates a persons signature or writings. Variations of it have been around for centuries Thomas Jefferson got one in 1803 that he used to make copies of his correspondence. Theyre often used for mass reproductions of signatures on items like diplomas, and there are now digital versions. Can presidents use autopens for official actions? They can, according to 2005 guidance from the Justice Departments Office of Legal Counsel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The President need not personally perform the physical act of affixing his signature to a bill he approves and decides to sign in order for the bill to become law, the guidance said. Rather, the President may sign a bill ... by directing a subordinate to affix the Presidents signature to such a bill, for example by autopen. Have presidents used autopens for official acts? They have. President George W. Bush who had requested the guidance from the Justice Department did not wind up using an autopen for official actions, but both Biden and President Barack Obama did while they were traveling. USA Today reported in 2017 that Obama used an autopen to issue dozens of pardons the previous year while he was on vacation in Hawaii. Biden, meanwhile, signed a funding extension for federal aviation programs via autopen while he traveling to San Francisco in 2024, CNN reported at the time. How often did Biden use an autopen? Thats unclear. There is no official record of Biden's using an autopen for official government business. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps memorandum says, The vast majority of Bidens executive actions were signed using a mechanical signature pen, often called an autopen, as opposed to Bidens own hand. Trump has offered no evidence to support the claims. Has Trump used an autopen? He has, but he maintains it wasn't for anything important. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One in March, Trump at first said that I never use an autopen before he acknowledged that he had. On Thursday, he said that "I think its very disrespectful to people when they get an autopen signature" but that he does use one to respond to letters. "I'd like to do it myself," he said, but he added that he gets thousands of letters a week and it's "not possible to do." What did Trump order with his new memo? Trump's memo directs "The Counsel to the President, in consultation with the Attorney General and the head of any other relevant executive department or agency (agency), shall investigate, to the extent permitted by law, whether certain individuals conspired to deceive the public about Bidens mental state and unconstitutionally exercise the authorities and responsibilities of the President." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It also orders a probe into "the circumstances surrounding Bidens supposed execution of numerous executive actions during his final years in office," including "policy documents for which the autopen was used." Asked by NBC News whether he has any evidence that anything specific was signed without Bidens knowledge or that someone in the Biden administration acting illegally, Trump said, No, but Ive uncovered, you know, the human mind. I was in a debate with the human mind, and I don't think he knew what the hell he was doing, he said Thursday, referring to his debate with Biden last year. Did Trump request a criminal probe? The Justice Department declined to comment when it was asked whether the investigation into the autopen issue is a criminal one. The White House counsel's office does not conduct criminal probes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The House Oversight Committee is also investigating Republican allegations about Bidens using the autopen. Who was making the decisions? Who was authorizing his signature? Was it him? committee chair James Comer, R-Ky., asked last month. Have the courts weighed in on autopens? The Justice Department guidance from 2005 hasnt been directly challenged in court, but a ruling last year involving presidential pardon powers lent some weight to the finding. A unanimous decision by a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said presidents dont have to issue written or signed pardons for them to be implemented. The plain language of the Constitution imposes no such limit, broadly providing that the President shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment. The constitutional text is thus silent as to any particular form the Presidents clemency act must take to be effective, the ruling said. What is the source of the allegations? While it's unclear how Trump came to seize on the allegations, right-wing media has focused on them for months, fueled in large part by a study from the conservative Heritage Foundation that accused the Biden administration of extensive autopen use, largely based on the timing of when Biden signed documents compared with when he was traveling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of the findings also came from an analysis of the signatures in the Federal Register. A National Archives spokesperson told the fact-checking website Snopes in March: At the beginning of each administration, the White House sends a sample of the Presidents signature to the Federal Register, which uses it to create the graphic image for all Presidential Documents published in the Federal Register. What is the objective of Trump's order? Trump's memorandum doesnt give any indication of what might result from the investigation. Trump has already revoked scores of Biden's executive actions including about 80 on his first day in office and he has suggested before that the use of an autopen could be used to challenge some of the pardons Biden issued. The Pardons that Sleepy Joe Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen, Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to the pardons Biden gave to members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There's no evidence that Biden wasn't aware of those pardons he'd discussed the possibility he would sign off on them in a Jan. 8 interview with USA Today and later issued a lengthy statement explaining why he'd signed them. Can a president rescind a prior president's pardon? While the Constitution give the president unique powers to issue pardons, it makes no provision for subsequent presidents to rescind them. Jeffrey Crouch, a politics professor at American University and author of the book The Presidential Pardon Power, told NBC News in March that Bidens pardons are highly unlikely to be revoked somehow because of the apparent use of an autopen. What does Biden say about Trump's allegations? In his statement Wednesday, Biden said, Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didnt is ridiculous and false." Trump told reporters Thursday that "I don't think Biden would know" if he signed something. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Former President Clinton defended former President Bidens mental acuity amid reports that the leader was experiencing a cognitive decline. But Clinton on Thursday did question Bidens schedule and the strain of a series of events prior to his disastrous performance in the first presidential debate of the 2024 campaign season. All I can say is whenever I was around him, his mind was clear, his judgment was good, and he was on top of his brief. Thats right. But look at that debate, for example, Clinton said during a Thursday appearance on ABCs The View. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What happened in the 10 days before his debate, and what were the White House staff thinking? He went to Europe and back twice and then he went to California once and he was 80 years old, he continued. What the heck is he doing that for? Why was that allowed to happen? So theres a lot of questions. Thirteen days before the debate last year, Biden returned from a trip to Italy for the Group of Seven (G7) summit on June 14, six days before heading to Camp David. Prior to the G7, the former president had a loaded schedule in France for the 80th commemoration of D-Day. I wasnt very smart. I decided to travel around the world a couple of times shortly before the debate, Biden said at the time, apologizing for his debate performance while talking to donors at a fundraiser about a week after the event. I didnt listen to my staff and then I almost fell asleep on stage. Clinton reminded the public of the previous handicaps of former presidents and warned that the public shouldnt focus on the past but rather the future during his discussion on The View. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We know President Reagan had clear signs of Alzheimers in his last two years. We know Woodrow Wilson, after his stroke, couldnt make any decisions and his wife made them, Clinton said. Now, some people think thats the best of both worlds were laughing about this, but its, in my view, we should spend more time thinking about the future. Clintons remarks come as renewed scrutiny has been placed on Biden and his age after the publication of high-profile books about the 2024 election. Earlier this week, President Trump ordered a probe of Bidens mental state and issuing of executive orders. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The bipartisan celebration emphasized the importance of faith-based diplomacy in promoting both peace and security for the Jewish state. The Congressional Israel Allies Caucus hosted its annual Jerusalem Day celebration on Wednesday on Capitol Hill, in celebration of the reunification of Jerusalem and ongoing strong US-Israel relations. This years event came not only as regional tensions remain high, with Iran-backed terror groups launching continued attacks on Israel, but also after two deadly attacks on events relating to Israel, the hostages and the Jewish community in the US. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bipartisan celebration emphasized the importance of faith-based diplomacy in promoting both peace and security for the Jewish state, while also demonstrating the USs ongoing belief in Israels right to self-defense. Jerusalem Day is a celebration of the eternal connection between the Jewish people and their capital, said Josh Reinstein, President of the Israel Allies Foundation. As threats mount against Israel from all sides, events like these remind the world that Jerusalem will never again be divided. The support of faith-based leaders and legislators in the United States is critical, not just for Israels security, but for the values we all sharefreedom, faith, and democracy. Israel's allies speak on Capitol Hill about Jewish state's defense and peace efforts Among the distinguished speakers at the event were Innovation, Science and Technology Minister, Gila Gamliel; Knesset Christian Allies Caucus Co-Chair MK Moshe Tur Paz, Reinstein, and over a dozen members of the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus. People visit the Mount Herzl military cemetery before the ceremony on Israel's Memorial Day, when the country commemorates fallen soldiers of Israel's wars and Israeli victims of hostile attacks, in Jerusalem, April 30, 2025 (photo credit: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun) Rep. Ronny-Jackson (R-TX) told the attending crowds: As Co-Chair of the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus, Im proud to stand alongside President Trump in unwavering support for IsraelAmericas greatest ally. On this special day, and every day, I remain fully committed to doing everything in my power as a Member of Congress to ensure Israel has the resources it needs to defend itself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement IAF US Director Jordanna McMillan added: For over a decade, the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus has commemorated Jerusalem Day on Capitol Hill, a powerful testament to the enduring US-Israel partnership and the vital role of faith-based support for Israel. This event has now inspired similar observances in legislatures worldwide. Our goal is to see greater international recognition of a united Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and encourage other nations to relocate their embassies there. Minister Gamliel concluded, Jerusalem is the beating heart of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Its reunification is a historic milestone that reflects our unwavering bond to our ancestral homeland. I deeply appreciate the support of our American allies, whose faith-based solidarity strengthens Israel and the values we hold dear. Six Georgia lawmakers joined more than 250 of their colleagues nationwide to ask Congress not to hamper their ability to regulate artificial intelligence. Midjourney/AI-generated art A bipartisan group of state lawmakers, including six from Georgia, is calling on Congress to cut a provision out of the massive federal spending bill that freezes state regulations on artificial intelligence for 10 years. As state lawmakers and policymakers, we regularly hear from constituents about the rise of online harms and the impacts of AI on our communities, the lawmakers wrote. In an increasingly fraught digital environment, young people are facing new threats online, seniors are targeted by the emergence of AI-generated scams, and workers and creators face new challenges in an AI-integrated economy. Over the next decade, AI will raise some of the most important public policy questions of our time, and it is critical that state policymakers maintain the ability to respond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Georgia signers were Sen. John Albers of Roswell and Reps. Todd Jones of South Forsyth and Gary Richardson of Evans, who are all Republicans, as well as Democratic Reps. Scott Holcomb and Tanya Miller of Atlanta and Sam Park of Lawrenceville. In all, 261 legislators from all 50 states signed the letter. Georgia lawmakers from both chambers met over the summer last year to discuss potential AI regulations. Albers, who chairs the Senate AI study committee, often stressed that he did not wish to overregulate, saying that he saw lawmakers duty as balancing protections for Georgians with creating a friendly environment for businesses. During this years legislative session, no major AI bills passed into law, including broadly popular provisions like increasing penalties for using AI to create child pornography or deceptive deep fake campaign advertisements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An Albers bill intended to create a new state advisory board on artificial intelligence and to require local governments to report on their use of the technology died in the Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee on the advice of Suwanee GOP Congressman Rich McCormick. Then-committee chair Brandon Beach, who now serves as U.S. Treasurer, said at the time that McCormick told him not to take any action on AI because Congress would take care of it. Senators created a new committee this year to examine artificial intelligence and digital currency, but members have not yet been appointed and no hearing dates have been set. The GOPs megabill, which has become the cornerstone of President Donald Trumps domestic agenda, passed the House by a single vote and is now in the hands of the Senate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Getting the legislation through the House was a challenge the first time, with factions within the Republican Party at odds over the size of cuts to federal programs and the expected increase in the deficit. The new focus of the AI provision could prove to be another sticking point. Members of the House including Rome Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene have indicated they were not aware of the regulation ban when they voted for the bill and will not support it when it comes back to the House unless the rule is removed. I voted for President Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill because it delivers his MAGA campaign promises and he endorses the bill and wants Congress to pass it in order to fund his MAGA agenda, Greene said on social media. Do I love the price tag? NO. But I want OUR policies funded. I campaigned across the country for YEARS with Trump, more than any member of Congress, and the man NEVER said he would destroy state rights for 10 years to let AI tech companies run rampant!!! TAKE IT OUT OR IM VOTING NO WHEN IT COMES BACK TO THE HOUSE!!!!! SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) The Birmingham Police Department is searching for a person of interest connected to a homicide that occurred on May 5. At around 12:14 PM, officers responded to the 300 block of Sixth Avenue South on a report of a person shot. Officers found Frank Jackson, 60, unresponsive in a vehicle and suffering from a gunshot wound. Birmingham Fire and Rescue transported Jackson to UAB Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Thursday afternoon, BPD released a video on social media featuring a person of interest in the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact BPD at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42. KANSAS CITY, Mo. A leader with a local Catholic high school has been placed on leave pending an investigation, the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas said in a statement Friday. Archbishop Shawn McKnight announced that the executive committee of Bishop Miege High Schools Board of Trustees decided to place Phil Baniewicz, the schools president, on administrative leave amid reports concerning his ability to oversee a safe environment. The archbishop said he supported the committees decision for the well-being of the school. Park Hill District partners with Strategos for school protection specialists Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The leave of absence went into effect Thursday. Meanwhile, the committee has appointed Joe Schramp as interim president of the school, which is located in Roeland Park. In February of 2024, the advocacy group, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), called on the archdiocese to fire Baniewicz after past allegations. No criminal charges were ever filed, but SNAP stated that Baniewicz was named in a 2005 lawsuit. In response, the archdiocese said at the time that Bishop Miege hired Baniewicz following an in-depth vetting process, including multiple interviews and a background check. Citing personnel matters, the archdiocese said no further information would be provided until an investigation is complete but said that anyone with concerns is asked to call or text the Office for Protection and Care at 913-276-8703 or visit archkck.org/reportabuse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our commitment is to make our schools and parishes places where every child feels safe, supported, and valued. This necessitates not only immediate action when concerns arise but also a continuous evaluation of our policies to ensure we are doing everything possible to prevent harm, Archbishop McKnight said in a statement. Through our efforts of accountability and transparency, we aim to foster trust and to respect the dignity of every person. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. WEST WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) A black bear was spotted wandering around the town of West Warwick Friday morning. The West Warwick Police Department warned residents of the black bears presence in a social media post, stating that it was seen in neighborhoods off of Fairview Avenue and Wakefield Street. Arianna Fortier told 12 News she was driving home from her daughters kindergarten graduation when the black bear ran out in front of her car near Woodside Avenue and Greene Street. (Courtesy: Arianna Fortier) (Courtesy: Arianna Fortier) The black bear was also spotted near Richard Street and Summit Avenue, as well as later on near Curson Street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Richard Lisi reported seeing the black bear meandering about in his backyard, and shared several photographs of it climbing over a fence and cutting through a neighbors yard. (Courtesy: Richard Lisi) (Courtesy: Richard Lisi) (Courtesy: Richard Lisi) (Courtesy: Richard Lisi) The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) confirmed it has received reports about the black bear, which appears to healthy and acting normally. Police urged residents to just leave the bear alone and let it move about, since it is probably looking for food. Anyone who believes the black bear is a threat should call the West Warwick Police Department at (401) 821-4323. Otherwise, police said theres no need to call and report a sighting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SEE ALSO: DEM reminds residents to be bear aware Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the new 12+ smart TV app. Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. Gran Tierra Energy has agreed to divest its subsidiary, Gran Tierra North Sea Limited (GTNSL), to NEO Energy for $7.5m (C$10.26m). GTNSL holds a 100% equity interest in UKCS licence P2358, which includes the Serenity Discovery. NEO Energy is a private upstream company and a significant independent operator on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). The closure of the transaction is subject to standard conditions including approval from the North Sea Transition Authority regarding the change of control of GTNSL. The sale is due to be finalised in the third quarter of 2025 (Q3 2025). Gran Tierra Energy, together with its subsidiaries, is currently focused on oil and natural gas exploration and production in Canada, Colombia and Ecuador. The company said it will continue to pursue further new growth opportunities to strengthen its portfolio. Earlier this year, Gran Tierra Energy outlined its 2025 capital budget and production guidance, projecting capital expenditures of between $240m and $280m. The company also expects cash flow from operating activities to range from $260m to $300m for 2025. In May, Gran Tierra's total average working interest (WI) production reached 46,647 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), a 14% increase from Q4 2024 and a 45% increase compared with Q1 2024. However, the company reported a net loss of $19m, an improvement from $34m posted in the previous quarter and a break-even result in Q1 2024. Last year, Gran Tierra Energy made headlines with a new oil discovery at the Charapa-B7 well in Ecuador. This discovery is part of a series of successful explorations in the country, including the Charapa-B5, Charapa-B6, Bocachico-J1, Bocachico Norte-J1 and Arawana-J1 wells, contributing to cumulative production of one million barrels since 2022. "Gran Tierra Energy to sell North Sea subsidiary to NEO Energy" was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. Blake Lively has slammed It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni, criticizing the latters shift in approach to womens advocacy as legal tensions escalate between the two. The Gossip Girl alum alleges that Baldoni is undermining the voices of womens advocacy groups that have supported her. Blake Lively criticizes Justin Baldonis shift on womens advocacy Blake Lively has taken a firm stand against Justin Baldoni. She has accused him of abandoning the values he once claimed to uphold. Through a statement issued on June 5, her representative took aim at Baldonis legal strategy. They accused Baldoni of targeting womens rights groups that have publicly backed Lively in her legal fight against him. The spokesperson said, 19 leading survivors and organizations devoted to womens rights, childrens rights, and domestic violence have now signed onto four separate amicus briefs. They added, All are united in opposing Justin Baldonis attempt to dismantle a law designed to protect women who speak up simply to protect himself. (via US Weekly) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New briefs from Child USA and Sanctuary for Families have been added to the list. They join major groups like the National Organization for Women, Womens Justice NOW, and the National Network to End Domestic Violence. The spokesperson also added, Rather than defend his case on the facts, Baldoni is now contradicting years of his own public persona abandoning the message of his #MeToo YouTubes, podcasts, TED Talks, and interviews, where he once upon a time urged men to listen to the women in your life. Moreover, Livelys representatives argue that Baldonis attempt to challenge these filings is a move aimed at suppressing support for survivors. This latest development follows a key ruling earlier in the week. On June 2, Judge Lewis Liman determined that Blake Livelys emotional distress claims would not proceed. This comes after her legal team moved to withdraw them. The judge also denied Justin Baldonis request to obtain her private therapy and medical records. He noted that they were no longer relevant in light of the withdrawn claims. Originally reported by Disheeta Maheshwari on ComingSoon. The post Blake Lively Accuses Baldoni of Hypocrisy Over Support for Women appeared first on Mandatory. Blake Lively called out Justin Baldoni, and now, 19 womens rights groups are backing her. What started as a legal dispute has turned into a public reckoning, with advocacy organizations stepping in to defend Livelys right to speak out. They are not just supporting her claims of sexual harassment but also calling out Baldonis legal tactics as dangerous to survivors everywhere. Blake Lively gains major support from womens rights advocates In a new wave of support, 14 additional organizations, including the National Organization for Women and the National Network to End Domestic Violence, filed amicus curiae briefs. They are urging the court to dismiss Justin Baldonis $400 million defamation suit against Blake Lively. This brings the total to 19 groups that stand with her. These groups accuse Baldoni of using DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender) strategies to silence Lively and twist the narrative. Furthermore, Livelys team directly called out Baldonis shift in public stance. Once known for his feminist messaging in podcasts, interviews, and his viral 2017 TED Talk, Baldoni now faces criticism for betraying those same values. Where he once upon a time urged men to listen to the women in your life to hold their anguish and actually believe them, Livelys statement read. Now, contradicting years of his own public persona. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a June 5 statement to Us Weekly, Livelys spokesperson emphasized the significance of the support from 19 organizations, including Child USA and Sanctuary for Families. All are united in opposing Justin Baldonis attempt to dismantle a law designed to protect women who speak up, simply to protect himself, the statement read. For those in need of more context, Blake Lively and Justin Baldonis lawsuit battle started in December last year when Lively sued Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment and reputational damage. Baldoni denied the claims and countersued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and her publicist for $400 million, accusing them of defamation. Both sides have filed motions to dismiss aspects of the case, with a trial expected in 2026. Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on ComingSoon. The post Blake Livelys Allegations Against Justin Baldoni Supported By 19 Advocacy Groups appeared first on Mandatory. Blake Lively has dropped two emotional distress claims from her lawsuit against Justin Baldoni after his legal team sought access to her medical records. A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the actress cannot present emotional distress evidence at trial, though she continues pursuing emotional distress damages through her remaining sexual harassment and retaliation claims. The strategic move has sparked confusion among observers, wondering if Blake Lively drops the lawsuit entirely. So, heres why netizens are searching Blake Lively drops lawsuit online and the latest updates in her legal battle against Baldoni. Here is why Blake Lively drops lawsuit trending Fans are searching whether Blake Lively has dropped her lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star after the recent developments in the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reports claim Justin Baldonis legal team demanded to check her medical records, including therapy notes. The medical records were required as Livelys original claims stated she suffered severe emotional distress and pain, humiliation, (and) embarrassment due to Baldonis actions. Moreover, a Variety report alleges that Lively is trying to drop the emotional distress claims. However, she maintains 13 other claims in the ongoing legal battle. A filing from the legal records further notes, Instead of complying with the Medical RFPs, Ms. Livelys counsel recently advised us, in writing, that Ms. Lively is withdrawing her [infliction of emotional distress] Claims. Meanwhile, the Gossip Girl stars lawyers, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, called the filing a press stunt. They stated, The Baldoni-Wayfarer strategy of filing retaliatory claims has exposed them to expansive new damages claims under California law. Hence, it rendered certain of Ms. Livelys original claims as no longer necessary. Hudson and Gottlieb added, Ms. Lively continues to allege emotional distress, as part of numerous other claims in her lawsuit, such as sexual harassment and retaliation, and massive additional compensatory damages on all of her claims. As per the report, the court can decide to compel the actress to turn over the information on her mental health. It could also dismiss the two claims with or without prejudice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blake Lively and Justin Baldonis lawsuit saga began in December 2024. The Age of Adaline star filed an official complaint accusing him of sexual harassment. Moreover, she claimed that Baldoni launched a campaign to destroy her reputation. Originally reported by Arpita Adhya on ComingSoon.net. The post Blake Lively Drops Lawsuit Continues to Trend Despite Ongoing Case appeared first on Mandatory. The first public breakup of Trump II unfolded before our eyes this afternoon a pinch-me moment for those of us long awaiting this exact estrangement. By now youve seen the reports of the very public ego clash between the worlds richest man and a man who is president but, until recently, barely a billionaire. The Donald Trump-Elon Musk imbroglio began earlier this week and culminated this afternoon with Trump threatening to rip up Musks government contracts and with Musk suggesting that the reason the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files was so dissatisfying for MAGA conspiracy theorists is because those files were not released in their entirety, because they mention a certain someone. While there could still be something to the initial impression that the whole feud is fake to help Elons plummeting Tesla stocks the Epstein allegations arent exactly the kind of public accusation that can be neatly tucked back into a box. Since the day Elon first did his gross leap in the air behind Trump on stage at that October rally, all of us masochists who keep up with this stuff have known this day would soon find us. Its a kind of law of nature, or at least of MAGA world. If youve missed any of the bickering, heres a sampling of key public remarks from each over the course of the last few hours. Trumps Backhanded Compliments And Threats Elon and I had a great relationship. I dont know if we will anymore, Trump said from the Oval Office. The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts, Trump wrote on Truth Social. I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it! Ill be honest, I think he missed the place, Trump said, again from the Oval Office. He got out there, and all of a sudden he wasnt in this beautiful Oval Office. Commenting on Elons curious black eye last week, Trump said: I said, Do you want a little makeup? Well get you a little makeup. Which is interesting. Elons Remarks (all posted on X, the platform that used to be enjoyable before Elon ruined it) Not even those in Congress who had to vote on the Big Ugly Spending Bill had time to read it! Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. Such ingratitude Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! In light of the Presidents statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately Yes (tweeted in response to a post suggesting Trump should be impeached and replaced by Vice President JD Vance. He rounded out the afternoon by posting a poll about creating a third party: Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle? Trump Loses A Weapon This implosion began mere moments after Musk left the Trump administration, which was announced with great theatrics and involved a mysterious key, the black eye and Trump insisting that Musk wasnt actually leaving. Musk soon began criticizing the spending package that just passed the House and the Senate picked up for consideration this week. The bill, of course, includes devastating and deadly cuts to Medicaid, makes Trumps tax cuts for the wealthy permanent, and ultimately will add trillions to the deficit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But theres a meatier issue at the heart of the Breakup We All Saw Coming. A few months back, Trump was working as a pseudo House Majority Whip, attempting to convince those House Republicans upset that the budget blueprint bill didnt go far enough in slashing what they deemed to be wasteful federal spending. At the time, Trump asked members of the Republican conference to not get too caught up in the details. He promised that just because certain things are funded at certain levels in the blueprint or in the eventual bill, it does not guarantee that Elon wont come in with his DOGE sledgehammer and shut down congressionally-authorized spending in the future. Worry not, we wont be respecting the legislative branchs authority in the first place, essentially. Trump used the same line of Impoundment Control Act violation-esque rhetoric when talking House Freedom Caucus members off a ledge last month, before they ultimately voted for the bill that now sits with the Senate. Implicit in this was the fact that with Musk comes Musks heaps of money, and his willingness to wage scorched-earth political combat by dumping that money, in various questionably legal ways, into key races and threatening to back primary challengers for those who dont get in line with the Trump agenda. But the Musk-backed candidates momentous loss in a Wisconsin Supreme Court race earlier this year dented that impression of invincibility, and it now appears Musks political firepower will certainly not be coming to Trumps aid anytime soon. What that means for intra-Republican political dynamics as the party attempts to negotiate its massive spending package and greenlight DOGEs cuts through a rescissions package remains to be seen. Get Where Things Stand In Your Inbox If youre reading this, you are probably someone who regularly tunes in for TPMs daily evening briefing. Beginning next week, Where Things Stand will be available in your inbox. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If youd like to subscribe and support TPMs growth on Substack, sign up here. In Case You Missed It NEW from David Kurtz: 5 Points On Boasbergs Big Alien Enemies Act Ruling In Historic First, Trump Orders Investigation Of Biden White House The Intern in Charge: Meet The 22-Year-Old Trumps Team Picked To Lead Terrorism Prevention GOP Leadership Not Worried About Forcing Members To Go On Record On Worst Of DOGE Yesterdays Most Read Story Internal Docs Raise Questions About Trump IRS Pick Billy Longs No-Show Jobs And Strange Schedule Inside A Powerful Agency What We Are Reading The Gutting of Americas Medical Research: Here Is Every Canceled or Delayed N.I.H. Grant An Immigrant Was Accused of Threatening Trump. Prosecutors Say He Was Framed. Mike Johnson scrambles to stop Elon Musk from torching the megabill GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) Its the 11th year of the national Wear Orange movement, which always falls near National Gun Violence Awareness Day, observed the first Friday in June. On average, 125 people are shot and killed daily in the United States. Hundreds more are wounded or traumatized, according to Wear Orange. State task force releases gun violence recommendations The movement encourages people to commemorate the weekend by wearing orange clothing, planting orange marigolds in honor of someone impacted by gun violence, changing the lights on their homes to orange or tying an orange ribbon around their trees or porches. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The color orange was chosen because it has a long and proud history in the gun violence prevention movement, according to the Wear Orange website. It was the color friends and family of Hadiya Pendleton wore after she was shot and killed in Chicago in 2013 her death sparked awareness campaign Project Orange Tree, which inspired Wear Orange. Its also the color worn by hunters to protect themselves and others, the movement says. Wear Orange says its movement is active in every state and Washington, D.C. The Blue Bridge in downtown Grand Rapids was set to turn orange this weekend to honor victims of gun violence and bring awareness to the issue. Due to a technical issue, a spokesperson tells News 8 the bridges lights will not be able to be changed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. ELKHORN CITY, Ky. (FOX 56) A death investigation is being carried out by state police after a man reported missing in Virginia was found dead in Elkhorn City on Wednesday. In a news release, Kentucky State Police (KSP) said that troopers with Post 9 in Pikeville were called on Wednesday, June 4, when a dead person had been found in a creek off of Big Branch Road in Elkhorn City. After an initial investigation, the body was identified as Adam Stanley, 48, of Haysi, Virginia, who KSP said had been reported missing. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stanley was pronounced dead at the scene by the Pike County Coroners Office. His body was taken to the State Medical Examiners Office for an autopsy. Stanleys cause of death remains under investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News. (Photo by Terry Vine/ Getty Images) On a winter afternoon in 2022, when I was working in an independent bookstore in Vermont, a teenager approached me with their mom to ask for a book recommendation. The mom said something vague about historical fiction, then stepped away and pulled out her phone. I started to list a few options. But the teen cut me off in a furtive whisper. Actually, they said, staring fiercely up at me, do you have any books about they paused. Trans stuff? With not-obvious covers? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We did. My heart swelling, incredibly moved that this kid trusted me, a stranger, with a question they seemed not to trust their own parent with, I got them the books. This is the unspoken honor code between kids and the keepers of books for kids, be they booksellers, librarians, or teachers the role I hold now. We keepers of stories are assumed to be the accepters of all kinds of stories, the people that help kids find the books they are seeking, no matter the content, and no matter the kid. But this important work is in jeopardy. Book bans increasingly tie the hands of adults in these roles, preventing them from connecting kids to the books theyre asking for. In February, the U.S. Department of Education rescinded all previous guidance that categorized book banning as a civil rights violation. It also eliminated the Book Ban Coordinator position in its Office for Civil Rights, created by the Biden administration, which investigated schools and libraries that removed books in order to determine legality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maine is, thankfully, a state where this practice is not widespread. But in recent years, certain districts have become more aggressive with bans. For example, in 2023, the Hermon School Department partially restricted access to more than 80 books in its high-school library, and MSAD 6 in Buxton banned two titles completely, according to PEN Americas annual survey of book bans. As a current middle school teacher and former childrens bookseller, Im worried that this trend will worsen. Removing federal safeguards that protect kids free access to books could mean that overturning a ban is much harder. And while policy moves slowly, childhood is quick. If a book spends a year or even a few months off a shelf, that can mean its not available during the time when a child reader needs it most. The vast majority of books challenged in Maine are flagged because of sex and gender-based content or LGBTQ+ representation. Its no secret that the debate over these books is rooted in controversy over the minority groups that theyre written about. But removing them from shelves will do nothing to impact the existence of those minority groups, which have been a fact of life throughout human history and will remain so, regardless of any policies for or against them. Instead, in wrongfully attempting to censor a category of human identity, we stand to lose the cornerstone of humanity itself: our ability to understand, connect to, and care for each other and ourselves. A predominant childrens literature theory put forth in 1990 by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop states that books can be mirrors, windows, or sliding glass doors; that is, that a story can replicate a child readers own lived experience, allow them to view lives different than their own, or facilitate their entrance into another way of life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A kid with two moms might read a book where the family structure mirrors their own and feel their experiences validated. A kid struggling to understand their identity might read a book with a nonbinary character and gain the language necessary to describe themselves, helping them move forward into the next chapter of their life. But even a kid who is not a part of the LGBTQ+ community can have an affirming experience with one of these books. Encountering diversity through story, reading books that are windows, fosters allyship. Empathy is a component of identity, too. Kids job is to figure themselves out their own identities, values, and interests. Our job as adults is to love and support them no matter what. Allowing kids to select their own books upholds our end of that unspoken code and empowers them to choose which ways of life beyond their own they have access to. It expands their understanding of the available options. In this way, childhood reading is a powerful tool for exploration, dignity, and self-determination. As an educator here in Maine, Im aware that the most important thing I can teach my students is open-minded curiosity, a mindset that will propel them into a lifetime of learning. More than anything, I hope they apply that curiosity and open-mindedness towards people both others and themselves. Free access to a diverse range of books is one of the best ways to achieve that goal. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Global Vehicle Group (GVG) has announced the acquisition of Glasgow-based leasing broker and fleet management specialist Fleet Alliance, according to a press release issued by the company. The financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed. Fleet Alliance will join Global Vans, XLCR Vehicle Leasing, and the LCV Group under the GVG umbrella. Together, the combined group now represents the UKs largest and most diverse B2B leasing broker, offering full market coverage across cars and vans from individual customers to fleets exceeding 1,000 vehicles. The press release states that the enlarged business will manage over 70,000 vehicles with annual volumes of around 18,000 units and a total funded value exceeding 2.5 billion. GVG confirmed that while the businesses will share resources and best practices, each will continue to operate independently with their own management teams and brand identities. Andrew Hurst, CEO of Global Vehicle Group, said the addition of Fleet Alliance provides complete coverage of the B2B sector and perfectly complements the existing group businesses. He noted that while each company shares a strong team culture and a focus on customer experience, the group would also benefit from leveraging best practices and offering a wider range of products and services. Martin Brown, Chair of Fleet Alliance, welcomed the acquisition, saying the company was delighted to become part of the Global Vehicle Group family and looked forward to working alongside the other businesses as part of the largest B2B-focused leasing broker in the UK. Founded in 2002, Global Vans is headquartered in Bristol, with offices in Hemel Hempstead and Cardiff. The group is led by CEO Andrew Hurst and co-founder Jon Lewis, with CFO Emma Thomas overseeing financial operations. GVG most recently expanded through the acquisition of XLCR Vehicle Management Ltd in December 2023. Founded in 2000, XLCR operates from Colne and Plymouth and is known for its proprietary tech and strong customer service focus. Its leaders, Lee Duerden and Shaun ONeill, now serve as GVGs Chief Operating Officer and Group Chief Sales Officer, respectively. "GVG acquires Fleet Alliance, creating UKs largest B2B leasing broker" was originally created and published by Motor Finance Online, a GlobalData owned brand. IZARD COUNTY, Ark. Additional federal resources are being extended in the search for Arkansas prison escapee Grant Hardin. The U.S. Border Patrol announced in a press release on Thursday that it was deploying a Border Patrol Tactical Unit from the Rio Grande Valley Sector to support the search effort. Authorities release updated possible picture of escaped inmate Grant Hardin Officials said the tactical unit has highly trained tactical agents that provide advanced search and operation support to the agencies engaged in searching for Hardin. The agents have specialized tools and extensive experience in high-risk operations and navigating complex terrain, officials added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 56-year-old Hardin escaped from the North Central Unit of the Arkansas Department of Corrections on Sunday, May 25. A combined reward of $25,000 is offered for information leading to his capture. Authorities increase reward for information on Arkansas inmate escapee Grant Hardin to $25,000 Anyone with information is urged to call the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK. The Byron G. Rogers U.S. Courthouse in downtown Denver is pictured on Jan. 21, 2021. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline) The man accused of injuring more than a dozen people in a firebombing attack on Boulders Pearl Street Mall appeared on Friday in Denver for the first time in federal court, where he faces a hate crime charge. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian citizen, has been charged in connection with the attack on participants in the Boulder chapter of Run For Their Lives, a group that aims to raise awareness of hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. An arrest warrant alleges that he told investigators after the attack that he had targeted the group because he wanted to kill all Zionist people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The federal hearing came one day after the defendant was formally charged on 118 criminal counts in state court in Boulder County, including dozens of charges of attempted murder and the use of incendiary devices. If convicted on those state-level charges, he faces a combined sentence of hundreds of years in prison. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The U.S. attorneys office in Denver separately charged the suspect with one count of a hate crime offense involving the actual or perceived race, religion, or national origin, as part of what acting U.S. Attorney J. Bishop Grewell called a message to the community that no acts of anti-Semitism are going to be tolerated. Grewell suggested earlier this week that additional federal charges may be forthcoming. The suspect was escorted into the courtroom Friday afternoon by U.S. marshals for an administrative hearing that lasted less than 10 minutes. Speaking through an Arabic-language interpreter, he gave short affirmative answers to a series of questions from Magistrate Judge Timothy P. OHara regarding his rights as a criminal defendant. He will be represented by an attorney from the Office of the Federal Public Defender. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement OHara set a preliminary hearing in the federal case for June 18. Federal authorities say the suspect, a Colorado Springs resident, was living in the U.S. unlawfully after overstaying a visa that expired in 2023. A federal judge in Denver has temporarily blocked the deportation of his wife, Hayam El Gamal, and their five children, after the Department of Homeland Security announced that it had taken them into custody and was processing (them) for removal proceedings from the U.S. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty addresses the media outside the Boulder County Justice Center in a June 5, 2025 press conference. (Screenshot from City of Boulder livestream) The man accused of attacking a group of demonstrators with incendiary devices on Boulders Pearl Street Mall returned to court on Thursday, where prosecutors charged him with 118 criminal counts that could add up to a prison sentence of hundreds of years. The suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, appeared for a brief administrative hearing at the Boulder County Jail. A preliminary hearing in his state case was set for July 15. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three victims in the attack remained hospitalized as of Thursday, Boulder officials said, while other victims met with law enforcement at the Boulder County Justice Center. Authorities have identified a total of 15 victims in the attack, some of whom experienced an attempted assault and did not sustain injuries. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a news conference following the hearing that the charges against the defendant include 14 counts of attempted murder with intent, and 14 counts of attempted murder with extreme indifference. Other charges include attempted assault, the use of an incendiary device and the attempted use of an incendiary device, as well as an animal cruelty charge for a dog that sustained injuries during the attack. The charges reflect the evidence that we have regarding this horrific attack that took place, and the seriousness of it, Dougherty said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suspect allegedly told police that he targeted a demonstration on Boulders Pearl Street Mall held by Run For Their Lives, which organizes events calling for the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, because he wanted to kill all Zionist people. He also faces a federal hate crime charge, and is set to make his first appearance in federal court on Friday. Additional federal charges are expected to follow. Federal authorities say the suspect, a Colorado Springs resident, was living in the U.S. unlawfully after overstaying a visa that expired in 2023. A federal judge in Denver has temporarily blocked the deportation of his wife, Hayam El Gamal, and their five children, after the Department of Homeland Security announced that it had taken them into custody and was processing (them) for removal proceedings from the U.S. Dougherty said that he was absolutely committed to fully prosecuting the defendant in the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Obviously, making sure he remains in the country is a top priority, so that he can be fully prosecuted and held fully responsible, Dougherty said. And I know the U.S. Attorneys Office, the Federal Bureau investigation and the Boulder Police Department not to speak for them, but I think were all equally committed to that goal. Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said during Thursdays press conference to expect enhanced security and a very visible law enforcement presence at Sundays Boulder Jewish Festival, which was planned long in advance of the attack and will take place on the same block of the Pearl Street Mall where it occurred. We are bringing in SWAT elements, we will have drones, we will have a lot of people there, Redfearn said. We want people to feel safe, we want people to feel at ease, and right now the best way we can do that is ensure that we have a large number of officers there to be ready to respond to anything. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Twelve people in Boulder, Colorado, were injured by a man wielding a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails on June 1, 2025. Those burned in the attack were taking part in a peaceful, silent walk on Pearl Street, a pedestrian mall, with the aim of raising awareness about Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. The suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, yelled, Free Palestine, according to local news reports. Soliman is an Egyptian immigrant who was living in the U.S. illegally after his tourist visa and work authorization both expired. On June 3, Solimans family, who lived with him in Colorado Springs, were detained by federal immigration authorities. Solimans wife and five children were placed in expedited removal proceedings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The FBI and local authorities initially said they were investigating a targeted terror attack. But Soliman was later charged with hate crimes in federal court. He also faces attempted murder and other charges in state court. We study terrorism and hate crimes. Whether an attack like the one in Boulder is considered an act of terrorism or a hate crime changes the way a suspect is charged and sentenced. Lets look at how these two terms differ. What is a hate crime? Hate crimes are crimes motivated by bias on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation or ethnicity. In some states, gender, age and gender identity are also included. Hate crime laws have been passed by 47 states and the federal government since the 1980s, when activists first began to press state legislatures to recognize the role of bias in violence against minority groups. Today, only Arkansas, South Carolina and Wyoming do not have hate crime laws. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Colorados 2024 statute prohibits bias-motivated attacks based on a wide variety of categories, from ancestry to gender identity. In order to be charged as a hate crime, attacks whether vandalism, assault or killings must be directed at individuals because of the prohibited biases. Hate crimes, in other words, punish motive; the prosecutor must convince the judge or jury that the victim was targeted because of their race, religion, sexual orientation or other protected characteristic. If the defendant is found to have acted with bias motivation, hate crimes often add an additional penalty to the underlying charge. Charging people with a hate crime, then, presents additional layers of complexity to what may otherwise be a straightforward case for prosecutors. Bias motivation can be hard to prove, and prosecutors can be reluctant to take cases that they may not win in court. Dylann Roof, who killed nine worshipers at a Black church in South Carolina in 2015, was convicted of 33 charges, including hate crimes. Grace Beahm-Pool/Getty Images What is terrorism? Terrorism is a violent tactic a strategy used to achieve a specific end. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This strategy is often used in asymmetric power struggles when a weaker person, or group, is fighting against a powerful nation-state. The violence is aimed at creating fear in the targeted population. Terrorists often justify their bloody acts on the basis of perceived social, economic and political unfairness. Or they take inspiration from religious beliefs or spiritual principles. Many forms of terrorism were inspired by struggle between races, the rich and poor, or political outcasts and elites. How different terrorist groups act is informed by what they are trying to achieve. Some adopt a reactionary perspective aimed at stopping or resisting social, economic and political changes. Others adopt a revolutionary doctrine and want to provoke change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the United States, terrorism attacks were in sharp decline from 1970 to 2011, decreasing from approximately 475 incidents a year to fewer than 20. The U.S. government began to take more note of domestic terrorism after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. And the number of domestic terrorism incidents began to rise after 2011, with notable increases in the mid-to-late 2010s and early 2020s. Data compiled by the Center for Strategic and International Studies shows right-wing terrorist attacks and plots grew substantially during the past decade, with right-wing extremists being responsible for the majority of attacks and plots each year since 2011, except for 2013. There were 44 incidents in 2019 alone. The Department of Homeland Securitys 2025 Homeland Threat Assessment indicates that the terrorism threat environment in the United States remains high, driven largely by domestic violent extremists motivated by a mix of racial, religious and anti-government grievances. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Terrorism is not a successful tactic. American University professor Audrey Cronin studied 457 terrorist groups worldwide going back to 1968. The groups lasted an average of eight years before they lost support or were dismantled. No terrorist organizations that she studied were able to conquer a state, and 94% were unable to achieve even one of their strategic goals. Portions of this article originally appeared in articles published on March 19, 2021, and May 23, 2017. Read more of our stories about Colorado. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Frederic Lemieux, Georgetown University and Jeannine Bell, Loyola University Chicago Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. DENVER (KDVR) Over 100 charges have been formally filed against the suspect in the Boulder, Colorado, terror attack that injured 15 people on Sunday. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, faces 118 charges. He is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails into a group of people who were holding a peaceful gathering at the Pearl Street Mall. Soliman also faces a federal hate crime charge. Boulder attack now has 15 victims, officials say Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Charges were filed by the 20th Judicial District Attorneys Office on Thursday. The charges are for various alleged crimes, including: 28 counts: Criminal attempt to commit murder in the first degree 5 counts: Assault in the first-degree at-risk person 4 counts: Assault in the first-degree 1 count: Assault in the third degree 5 counts: Criminal attempt to commit assault in the first degree 2 counts: Use of explosives or incendiary devices 16 counts: Attempt to commit use of explosives or incendiary devices 1 count: Cruelty to animals 56 counts: Crime of violence Soliman, from Egypt, overstayed his tourist visa and was living in the country illegally, according to the Department of Homeland Security. His wife and five children were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). An FBI affidavit said Soliman confessed to the attack and allegedly told the police he would do it again. According to the criminal complaint, the suspect told police he had been planning the attack for a year and waited until after his daughters graduation to attack. He told investigators he researched and specifically targeted a Zionist group. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Witnesses describe terrifying scene of attack at Pearl Street Mall in Boulder The group was holding a demonstration, which the city of Boulder said is a weekly peaceful event, as part of the Run for Their Lives organization, according to the complaint. The group hosts global running and walking events where local communities meet once a week to call for the release of the hostages held by Hamas. Authorities said 15 people and one dog were hurt. The victims range in age from 25 to 88, including one who is a Holocaust survivor. During a press conference on Thursday, officials announced that three people remained in the hospital from the attack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The hearing on Thursday at the Boulder County Jail lasted for three minutes. Soliman was present in a livestream wearing an orange jumpsuit. He stood in a sectioned-off area of the courtroom that was not visible to the public, with a glass wall separating the public from Soliman, the attorneys and the judge. Members of the public were present, but there were no victims sitting on the benches that were designated for them. The judge asked Soliman a couple of questions, including one about when the next hearing would take place and another on whom he must not contact as this court process moves forward. The people had also asked for a protective order on the 4th of June. Does the defendant want to respond to that motion, or are you content with me ruling on it without a formal response? District Court Judge Nancy Salomone asked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have no objection to that request at this time, Solimans Defense attorney, Kathryn Herold, said. FBI warns of threat to Israeli, Jewish communities after Boulder attack, others Herold is the public defender who represented the man convicted in the 2021 Boulder King Soopers supermarket shooting, in which 10 people were killed. The Boulder County Assistant District Attorney in the Soliman case is Ken Kupfner, who also helped prosecute the King Soopers case. Solimans next hearing on state charges is on July 15. A federal hearing on the hate crime charge is scheduled for Friday afternoon at the Federal Courthouse in downtown Denver. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. SAN MATEO, Calif. (KRON) A 4-year-old boy and his father were injured when a giant oak tree toppled down on their truck in San Mateo along South Railroad Avenue. Seeking relief from hot weather on June 4, Humberto Montoya and his son, Ysander, were relaxing inside their white pickup truck that was parked under shade from the tree. A witness watched the tree suddenly collapse, crush the truck, and shatter another vehicles windshield. Branches landed over Montoyas back. Ysanders legs were pinned under the trucks mangled steering wheel. A San Mateo father and son were injured when a tree fell on their truck in June 2025. (Photos courtesy GoFundMe) The father, friends, and San Mateo Fire Department firefighters used machinery to rescue little Ysander. Both the father and his son suffered injuries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ysander suffered a broken leg and was treated in a hospital. Montoya told KRON4 Friday, Im just thankful to be alive right now, cause the other day, I thought I was dead completely. (Photo via San Mateo Police Department) A local business owner said he had complained to the city about the same tree because its roots were raising concrete above it. An arborist said trees can fall if their roots are unable to grow and spread properly. Montoya said the city is responsible for failing to chop down a tree that had showed signs of instability for years. The father works as a local handyman and is the only income earner for this family of four. A GoFundMe page states, We are asking the community to help contribute to medical bills, time off work, and (a) new vehicle for work. Despite being injured, Humbertos #1 concern is being able to provide for his family, Nearly $2,000 in donations had been raised by Friday morning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. CONNEAUT, Ohio (WJW) An aspiring Eagle Scout in Ashtabula County, who was upset about the drowning of a young boy in Lake Erie one year ago, has poured his heart and soul into a project to save lives on the lake. It was on June 7, 2024, that a family from Summit County was enjoying a day at the beach at Township Park in Conneaut, unaware that a warning had been issued for dangerous rip currents on the lake. Hunter Ebie, 11, was wading in shallow water near the shore when he was swept away by the currents and his mother nearly drowned as she tried to save him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Red Cross honors bus driver who saved kids from fire After an exhaustive search, Hunters body was found four days later. John Repasky, 16, and his mother watched as the tragedy unfolded. They say it was heartbreaking, but they were also angry and disappointed that Ebies family did not know about the danger they were in. I felt very upset with how theres just not information that can help people with that, the currents on the lake, and I felt that something needed to change, John said on Thursday. It was devastating, his mother, Bri Repasky, added. I didnt know there was a warning either and I live here, but I also know that when you pull up and waters are rough and they look like that, its not safe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement John decided to launch a crusade to improve safety at the lakefront park. At a public meeting in Conneaut three days after the drowning, he told the audience, this has happened at least once per year and I believe that many of us can agree that it needs to stop. John is a Boy Scout. As part of his project to become an Eagle Scout, he raised funds to building a series of kiosks that will be placed along the beach. The kiosks are designed to warn visitors about dangerous currents and provide QR codes to access current weather conditions and information about CPR. The project is designed to prevent tragedies like the death of Ebie. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It always brings at a least a bit of a tear to my eye, and thats why were naming this whole thing the Hunter Project, John said. I am incredibly proud of him. Anytime someone can turn a tragedy into something that helps others and saves lives, it is impressive, his mother said. Aaron Rodgers coming to AFC North: reports Until John got involved, the only warning provided to visitors to the beach at Township Park were signs that read, no lifeguard in this area, swim at your own risk. After the teen began his campaign to prevent the loss of life, the park board decided to add life preservers along the beach. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some Conneaut residents are calling the decision the John Repasky effect. He calls it the Hunter Ebie effect. If I could save just one life or go one year without somebody drowning, that would be the greatest success Ive had so far in my life, he said. Johns new warning kiosks will be unveiled in a ceremony at the Lakefront Park on June 21. Among those attending will be Elbies family. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is planning to propose strengthening cooperation with the United States on rare earth supply chains in upcoming tariff talks, with recent export restrictions by China in mind, the Nikkei business daily reported on Thursday. Japan's Jiji Press also reported that the U.S. had shown flexibility in reducing an additional portion of reciprocal tariffs imposed on Japan. President Donald Trump hit Japan with 24% tariffs on its exports to the U.S., although, as with many of his levies, he paused them until early July to allow time for negotiations. A 10% universal rate remains in place in the meantime. The U.S. has signalled flexibility in lowering the currently suspended additional 14%, Jiji also reported, without citing any sources. Japan's chief tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, is heading to Washington from Thursday for a fifth round of talks with U.S. counterparts, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Japan has been urging the U.S. to review its tariff policies, including the 25% import levies on Japan-made vehicles. Car manufacturing is Japan's biggest industry. (Reporting by Kantaro Komiya and Satoshi Sugiyama; Editing by Tom Hogue) TROY, Pa. (WETM) A new law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania geared towards addressing distracted driving now makes it illegal for people to use their cell phones while driving. The law was signed by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro on June 5, 2024, and took effect on Thursday, June 5, 2025. The first year of the new law will involve issuing written warnings only, with penalties starting on June 5, 2026. Anybody caught driving while using their phones will be subjected to a $50 fine. If a person causes a crash or hurts someone while theyre driving and using a phone, they can face up to five years in prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Painted Post woman arrested on child sex abuse material charge I do think its going to help with the safe driving distracted driving, especially with our teen drivers that dont have the experience of driving as much as an older adult does, said Brian Wibirt, Chief of Police for the Troy Borough. I mean even older adults, one second looking away, can cause a serious accident at a red light or a crosswalk or something to that effect. Carla Dieg, Chief of Police for the Athens Borough added I am hoping that the parents do stress upon them anyways that distracted driving is no good, but now that its going into law or has go into law, Im hoping that thats even more of a deterrent, and that the parents stress on their kids. Below is a copy of the law with more information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dristracted-driving-law-in-PaDownload Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com. Community NeuroRehab at Glen Oaks is a five-bed residential care facility in Coralville, Iowa. (Photo via Google Earth) A female resident of a Coralville care facility wandered from the home earlier this year and was later found at a Nebraska truck stop 265 miles away. The incident occurred in January at Community NeuroRehabs Glen Oaks facility in Coralville, a state-licensed, five-bed residential care facility for people with mental or developmental disabilities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newly disclosed state records show that a worker at the facility told state inspectors on May 14, 2025, that she was working the morning shift at 9:40 a.m. on Jan. 2, 2025, when she checked on a resident who was due for her medication. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The resident, who had previously been diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, dementia and psychological issues, was not in her room. The worker discovered a bent window screen underneath the bed, and in looking out the window she saw a footprint on top of an air-conditioning unit directly under the window. It was snowing at the time, and the temperature was around 22 degrees. The staff then launched a search for the woman in the community. Shortly after 5 p.m., the residents mother called the facility to report that her daughter had been found, confused and frightened, 265 miles away at a truck stop in Gretna, Nebraska. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to state inspectors reports, the woman had hitched a ride from a semi-driver who drove her to Nebraska. In their written report, state inspectors said the woman had engaged in some type of sexual activity, as determined by the medical provider she saw on Jan. 3, 2025, resulting in a very traumatic 24 hours. A review of lab work revealed that testing for sexually transmitted infections was negative, the inspectors reported. A worker at the home allegedly told inspectors she had been trained to check and make sure each resident was present at the beginning of her shift but acknowledged she had not done so on Jan. 2, 2025. Inspectors concluded the resident had walked 2.3 miles through a mostly residential neighborhood to an interstate highway and then hitched a ride where she appeared to have been picked up by the driver of a semi-truck. The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing recently fined Community NeuroRehab $3,000 for resident-safety violations related to the incident. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE BRANSON, Mo. Branson police have arrested a man after participating in a nationwide human trafficking interdiction operation on Thursday, May 29. According to a Branson Police Department social media post, officers worked with Taney County Sheriffs Office, Stone County Sheriffs Office, COMET and the RISE Coalition in investigating potential victims of human trafficking. The police say they attempted to reach out to 58 local females who were identified as potential victims of human trafficking, the post says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The search led to the arrest of Bernaud Armstead, who was taken to Taney County Jail on May 29. According to online court dockets, Armstead, born 1989, was charged with promoting travel for prostitution. Mountain View man charged with attempted assault The probable cause statement says an officer posed as a man interested in buying sex services from a female. The officer met with the female at a hotel and walked her up to a secure room. The policemen told the victim their identity, and the victim told police of being dropped off by a man she knew as King. The victim said that King would give her rides to meet people, and she would pay him for the time. The victim told police that King would say they were required to have sex with them before driving them to the location. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police found King in his vehicle in the parking lot of the hotel and said he was her Uber driver. King told police he had known the female for a few months and had sex with her earlier that day. Police found condoms and fuzzy handcuffs in Kings vehicle. King is set for a hearing on June 9. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOLR - OzarksFirst.com. The Indian owner of the Port Talbot steelworks has warned that a carve-out from Donald Trumps tariffs is critical to its business. Tata Steels UK operations are at risk of falling foul of American import tariffs even if a pending agreement between London and Washington is formalised, because of a reliance on steel made in India and elsewhere. This is because of American demands that UK steel products can only be exempt from tariffs if they used metal that was melted and poured domestically. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ministers are trying to secure an exemption for Tata, which is Britains largest steel producer, but the business otherwise faces being hit by Mr Trumps 50pc tariffs on foreign steel. The company closed the last blast furnaces at Port Talbot, south Wales, last year and is currently in the process of building an electric arc furnace at the site, which will recycle domestically-sourced scrap metal. In the meantime, Tata has resorted to importing steel melted in India and Europe for processing into products that are then shipped onwards to America. The temporary measures mean the company risks running afoul of Mr Trumps 50pc tariffs on foreign steel, which are currently scheduled to be imposed on the UK from July 9. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement British steel products already face tariffs of 25pc, like those from much of the rest of the world, but the trade deal in principle struck by Mr Trump and Sir Keir Starmer would see the tax rate fall to zero. However, despite four weeks of talks, the deal has yet to be implemented. When Mr Trump imposed 50pc steel tariffs on the rest of the world, he gave Britain a reprieve until July 9 and negotiators are now racing to conclude something before then. Even this poses a problem for Tata, as the deals framework stipulates that steel products sent from the UK to the US must use steel that was melted and poured domestically to qualify for tariff relief. The Government is seeking to obtain a temporary carve-out for Tata and has reportedly said it is confident of success, but the warning from Tata signalled nervousness within the company on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is understood that being hit by 50pc tariffs would force Tata to either try to pass some costs on to customers or absorb them itself. If it could not absorb them, production cuts may have to be considered. Rajesh Nair, the chief executive of Tata Steel UK, said: Tata Steel UK will need to import steel substrate until Electric Arc Furnace steelmaking is operational in Port Talbot from late 2027 onwards. It is therefore critical for our business that melted and poured in the UK is not a requirement to access the steel quotas in any future trade deal. Even though we are not currently melting steel in the UK, we remain the largest steel producer in the country and our mills continue to transform imported steel coil and slab into high-value, specialist products which are not available from US producers and are therefore essential to our US customers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We urge the Government to secure a deal as soon as possible, and we would be happy to provide the US government with any needed assurances on the provenance and processing of the steel we supply. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Britain faces tax rises of up to 30bn in the autumn Budget to fund greater defence spending, economists have warned. Analysts said higher taxes looked inevitable as without them Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, would struggle to meet promises to increase defence spending while still meeting her self-imposed fiscal rules. Sir Keir has pledged that the UK will spend 3pc of GDP on defence by the next parliament and Nato is expected to demand even higher commitments later this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michael Saunders, of consultancy Oxford Economics, said the Prime Minister was likely to ramp up spending gradually over this parliament to make the 3pc and above target easier to meet in future. Mr Saunders said: To establish a more credible path to defence spending considerably north of 3pc next decade, the Government may decide in the autumn Budget that it needs to add some extra spending within the five-year OBR forecast horizon. Its not hard to see pressures for extra fiscal tightening of 15bn to 30bn. 3105 Increase in defence spending looming over Reeves Nato is expected to require members to lift defence spending to 3.5 pc of GDP in the coming years. The military alliance is likely to set a new increased target at its June summit, piling additional costs on to the Chancellor. Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general, recently said: We know that the 2pc pledge agreed way back in 2014 just doesnt cut it any more. So in 2025, we are finalising a plan to dramatically increase defence spending across the Alliance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The demand for additional defence spending comes as Ms Reeves is already under pressure as a result of the recent about-turn on winter fuel payments for pensions and adverse moves in financial markets. Labour pledged not to increase income tax, National Insurance or VAT in its election manifesto last year. However, Mr Saunders and other economists warned that the Chancellor might have to break one or more of these promises as spending commitments mounted. Mr Saunders said: The need to raise revenues may require the Government to revisit its manifesto commitments, which seemed to rule out increases in most major taxes. Earlier this week, the Chancellor repeatedly refused to rule out further tax rises. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im not going to say that Im not going to take any tax measures in the next four years, she told an audience of business leaders at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) annual dinner. It follows record increases of 40bn in last years autumn Budget. Ms Reeves has promised not to repeat a raid on this scale. The Chancellor left herself a margin of 9.9bn to meet her fiscal rules, a wafer-thin buffer that forced her to rip up spending plans in the spring to repair her budget. Ms Reeves also has to grapple with mounting costs from the Governments pledge to restore winter fuel payments and review the two-child benefit cap. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are also concerns that a downgrade to the UKs economic growth by the OBR and increased government borrowing costs caused by rising gilt yields could wipe out Ms Reevess narrow fiscal headroom. A Treasury spokesman said: The fiscal rules are non-negotiable. We put them in place to create stability, and support investment. The best way to strengthen public finances is by growing the economy which is our focus, and the key priority in our Plan for Change. Changes to tax and spend policy are not the only ways of doing this, as seen with our planning reforms which are expected to grow the economy by 6.8bn and cut borrowing by 3.4bn. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Britain is losing influence to Russia and China as the hostile states spending on media eclipses the BBC. Foreign Office officials have privately warned that the UK is at high risk of losing global influence without harder-edged approaches. They said: The UK still retains top rankings for strong influence within G20 countries, based on trustworthiness and independence of institutions critical prerequisites for achieving hard goals of investment and security cooperation but is losing influence in the global south and emerging powers to Russia and China. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The comments, which were made in a presentation to the Governments soft power council (a body designed to help boost UK growth and security) earlier this year, were obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by soft power research agency CreativePower. The soft power council was launched in January with the aim of boosting Britains global influence. It is chaired by Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, while members also include former ITV chairman Sir Peter Bazalgette, V&A boss Tristram Hunt and PR executive and former Remain campaigner Roland Rudd. While the officials did not explicitly mention the BBC, a separate report by CreativePower found that cuts to the BBCs World Service were opening the door to Russian and Chinese propaganda. Russia and China are believed to be spending as much as 8bn a year on growing media audiences, primarily in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The BBC has significant reach in those regions, but the amounts being spent by hostile states dwarf the budget of the World Service, which stood at 366m last year. The report said the heavy media spending demonstrates the value foreign states place on controlling global narratives, adding that they were ready to move in as soon as the BBC cedes ground. The research warned the World Service was facing a perfect storm of competition, demand and decline. It added that the service was at a crossroads and faced a choice to either pursue sustained growth or accept managed decline. In January, the BBC said it would cut 130 jobs from the World Service as part of a plan to strip out 6m of costs. While the Government this year increased its funding of the World Service from 104m to 137m, this was still 20m below the BBCs demands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Lammy is now looking to slash the budget further as part of the spending review and has reportedly asked BBC bosses to find savings of up to 70m. The CreativePower report argued that the World Service should not be funded by the licence fee but should instead receive long-term, stable funding primarily from the Government. It added that ministers and the BBC should draw up a strategy for growth for the World Service, including pursuing audiences on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok and developing a more coherent strategy for international TV news. The BBC combined its UK and international news channels in a cost-cutting measure in 2023. However, the move has proved controversial, and Lord Sedwill, the former cabinet secretary and national security adviser, said the BBC was making a mistake with its TV news channel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It came as Dame Caroline Dinenage, chair of the culture select committee, wrote to the Government asking for reassurances over the future funding of the World Service and urging ministers not to overlook the role it plays in national security. She said: Through its foreign language services, it is on the frontline of the global fight against mis- and disinformation, but unless it is properly funded, we risk handing the microphone away and giving free reign to media backed by hostile states to become the dominant voice around the world. Ministers have told us that the World Service bolsters UK security. Cutting its funding now would undoubtedly make us all less safe. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. British holidaymakers and the Canary Islands have been in love with one another since the 1960s when the first package deals attracted sun-starved northern Europeans at affordable prices. However, recent headlines suggest the romance is waning, with an acrimonious split said to be on the cards. Sensational stories of hotel guests hiding in their rooms from riotous anti-tourist demonstrations, British restaurant patrons being spat at by furious locals, and plane loads of UK arrivals suffocating in inhumane conditions in two-hour queues at Tenerife Souths arrivals hall have left many questioning whether their loyalty and their holiday euros would be more appreciated elsewhere. A proposed tourist tax could make things even more expensive in the near future, too. But does this narrative hold up? A change in mood Its clear that some British holidaymakers are taking the perceived shift in mood personally. One local, employed by MyGuideTenerife.com, says she feels theres been a definite change: My family back in the UK are saying a lot of people they know dont want to come to Tenerife any more because of the protests. They say they dont feel wanted. Mass protests against overtourism took places across the Canaries in 2024 - Getty Protests have been going on in the Canary Islands since April 2024, when tens of thousands peacefully demonstrated under the banner of Canarias tiene un limite (the Canaries have a limit). Protesters insist their gripe isnt against sun-seeking Britons, but about what they see as an unchecked tourism model that is progressively pricing locals out of their own communities and overwhelming the islands infrastructure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Brian Harrison of the Salvar la Tejita protest group, At no point was the protest aimed at tourists or tourism. Every one of the [17] organisations that took part values sustainable tourism as positive for the economy. The protest was clearly aimed at the unsustainable mass-tourism crisis which the Canarian government, island council and certain town halls are responsible for. More than 100,000 homes in the Canaries are owned by companies and large-scale property speculators. Meanwhile, during the past five years wages have dropped by nearly 7 per cent and rents have increased by 40 per cent, an unsustainable position for local workers, and the reason why the hospitality sector is threatening further strike action this summer. Concerns for the future Major UK travel providers arent panicking; far from it. Tui has actually increased its Canary Islands capacity this summer, adding 40,000 extra seats from UK airports, while easyJet has launched new routes to Tenerife from London Southend. In other words, despite the headlines, tour operators clearly still have faith in the destination. According to Spains National Statistics Institute, the Canary Islands welcomed over 4.36 million international visitors in the first quarter of this year a new record, up more than 2 per cent year on year. Of those, over 40 per cent came from the UK, with Tenerife taking the lions share. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Santiago Sese, president of Tenerifes Chamber of Commerce, recently reported an 8 per cent drop in UK summer bookings compared with last year. And Pedro Alfonso from the regions Spanish Confederation of Employers Organisations admitted that there had been a notable slump in reservations for the forthcoming season. The next big round of protests is taking place on June 15, with marches planned for mainland Spain and the Balearics, but not the Canary Islands. Nestor Marrero, secretary of Tenerifes Friends of Nature Association, says that for now, the archipelagos protest groups have decided to change tack. Instead, theyre focusing on occupying local landmarks, starting with Teide National Park on June 7. The British love affair with the Canaries may have cooled, but for now the planes are arriving full, and the hotels are still reporting high occupancy levels. Indeed, local business owners are sympathetic over the calls for change. What theyre more worried about is the damage to the islands image. As local entrepreneur John Parkes says: Im supportive of the protests. My concern is that the demonstrations are misinterpreted by the public and the media. The aims of the protests are to make the tourist model fairer for the people who live here. The reality is that the destination is just as warm and welcoming as its ever been, and visitors are unlikely to even notice the unrest amongst the islanders who understandably want the government to prioritise their needs over the demands of an ever-expanding tourism industry. Whats happening in the Canaries isnt a British retreat, its an island reckoning, and if it does lead to a fairer, more sustainable tourism model, that should be something worth raising a glass of sangria to. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. BROOKVILLE, Ohio (WDTN) Those interested in hunting for good deals will have four opportunities in Brookville this month. The city of Brookville will hold its 2025 city-wide garage sale across the four weekends in June. Sales will be held Thursday through Saturday starting June 5. Click here to see where exactly sales will be located. Several other communities are hosting garage sale events soon, including Trotwood and Harrison Township. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This will be the last year for the month-long sale, though. Brookville City Council recently approved the third weekend in June to be the only weekend for the city-wide garage sale, beginning in 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com. An incensed Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony announced Friday the reinstatement of three detention deputies recently arrested over a fight with an inmate, describing the decision to charge them as evidence of public corruption and favors for friends. The three deputies, Denia Walker, 37, Cleopatra Johnnie, 47, and Sgt. Zakiyyah Polk, 44, were arrested on felony aggravated battery charges last week following an investigation by the Broward State Attorneys Office. The three women were processing Samantha Caputo, 38, who had been arrested on a DUI charge, when an argument ensued and she flung her bra at one of the deputies, according to jail footage and arrest warrants. Polk then pushed her backwards and the altercation then became physical, though most of it occurred off camera. Caputo said she lost consciousness during the fight, suffered multiple injuries and was in fear for her life, according to the warrant. Polk, the sergeant, was also injured with a bite to her thumb that fractured bones, Tony said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At a news conference Friday, Tony was flanked by the deputies private attorneys as he repeatedly condemned the State Attorneys Office over its charging decisions both in the jail fight and in other cases while suggesting that prosecutors treated Caputo differently because of her name and connections. He did not elaborate on what those connections were. This is most certainly a miscarriage of justice and exhibits signs and symptoms of public corruption in itself. Favors for friends, Tony said, adding that there are individuals who are selectively charged and those who are not. Is it their last name? Is it theyre a power player or influence in this community? He likened the charges against the deputies to investigations he himself has faced by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The state agency concluded that he repeatedly lied or made misleading statements on official documents. The Sheriffs Office will foot the bill of the three deputies criminal defense. All of them were reinstated to full duty Friday, Tony said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Broward State Attorney Harold Pryor rejected Tonys comments in a lengthy statement Friday afternoon, saying attempts to verbally bully my office or sway public opinion prior to trial will not deter us from seeking justice and striving to do the right thing. I strongly encourage the Broward Sheriffs Office to provide us and the residents of Broward County with a detailed and specific account in writing of the allegation the Sheriff alluded to at the media conference, Pryor said. Let me assure the residents and dedicated law enforcement officers of Broward County that I will provide complete transparency regarding this matter while also complying with the ethical rules that discourage prosecutors from commenting on the facts and circumstances of cases we are prosecuting. My prosecutors and I will continue to try all criminal cases in the courtroom, based on facts and evidence not in the media. Tony had reporters watch segments of the jail footage from the Oct. 4, 2022, incident to show that the deputies acted professionally. All of the deputies demonstrated only the level of force necessary to get Caputo into compliance, Tony said. Caputo was combative throughout the night, beginning before her DUI arrest, according to an internal affairs report released by the Sheriffs Office on Friday. She was stopped on the shoulder of a road in Deerfield Beach when Deputy Jose Guzman pulled up behind her. She told him that she was sick and repeatedly asked for a warning, not a ticket, then became upset when she realized that he thought she was under the influence. She then repeatedly cursed at the deputy, and, later, multiple employees at the jail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A DUI? A D a [expletive] DUI when Im completely [expletive] sober? Are you kidding me? Based on what? Wow. Do you know how much [expletive] money this is costing me? Caputo said at one point. Caputo stated that she never returned any form of physical aggression, and did not strike or bite the deputies, according to the warrant. But the Sheriffs Office rejected that characterization. Polks thumb was bitten so hard that it fractured her bones, Tony said Friday. She had to take pills for a month due to a potential infection, according to her attorney, Eric Schwartzreich. She also had scratches on her arms. After Caputo threw the bra and Polk pushed her back, the internal affairs report said Caputo grabbed Polks arm and moved as if to strike her. Polk also told the internal affairs investigator that Caputo had cursed her out before throwing a punch at her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the fight concluded, an injured Caputo continued to be combative, according to the report, refusing to lift her head for a mugshot. Caputos attorney, Phil Johnston, did not return a voicemail Friday. He had previously told the Sun Sentinel that watching the video in slow motion shows one of the deputies catch (Caputo) in the throat with open hand before they sprayed her with pepper spray. She was kicked and punched several times, according to a warrant, and shocked with a Taser twice, Johnston said. BSO nursing staff treated Caputo immediately after the incident. She had significant bruising underneath her right eye and a bruised and swollen face, according to the warrant for their arrests. At a hospital after she was released, she learned she had a skin infection where she had been shocked with a Taser. Caputo had been charged with aggravated battery following the fight, but the State Attorneys Office dropped those charges, as well as the original DUI charge, another decision that Tony suggested was selective treatment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Caputo had blown 0.00 on the breathalyzer and submitted a urine test which came back negative except for amphetamines, according to a State Attorneys Office closeout memo. But Caputo was prescribed a medication that acted as a stimulant, and the impaired behavior she had displayed did not match that of someone who had taken stimulants, according to the memo, so a toxicologist told prosecutors that she would not be able to testify at a trial. Guzman recalled talking to Assistant State Attorney Julio Gonzalez about the decision to drop Caputos case, according to the internal affairs report, saying Gonzalez told him Caputos case was dropped was because 1) Guzman was not a Drug Recognition Expert at the time of Caputos arrest, and 2) Caputo was on her period. Asked why he was holding a news conference a week after the media reported on the arrests of his deputies without announcing them himself, Tony pointed to the two years it took to charge the deputies involved. What has been going on over the last two years at this case that sat on someones desk, that all of a sudden its time to charge these deputies inappropriately with aggravated battery? Tony said. Yes, its time for us to speculate. Dont forget the fact that we are also investigators, folks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tony also went through the numbers of potential criminal cases involving his deputies that he has sent to the State Attorneys Office, arguing that prosecutors have repeatedly declined to charge them. One case mentioned repeatedly by Tony was that of Ronald Thurston, a former deputy charged with striking a high school student in February. Prosecutors had previously declined to charge Thurston over a prior incident after BSO had turned over an internal affairs investigation to them. I dont care if its the Caputos, the Thurstons, the Rockefellers, the Vanderbilts, the Trumps or the goddamn Obamas, Tony said. It doesnt matter when youre in Broward County. Everyones going to be held to the same standards. In response, Pryor pointed to the fact that Thurston is currently facing charges brought by the State Attorneys Office and said that his offices selectivity indicates how seriously we take the process of reviewing the evidence on a case-by-case basis irrespective of an individuals name or perceived status. Pryor also said the two-year gap is because the State Attorneys Office only began its investigation into the deputies in 2024, after her attorney filed a motion to dismiss the battery charge. He latched onto Tonys use of speculate, saying he was very disappointed that the Sheriff said that he was speculating when he made vague comments alleging public corruption by my agency. However, as a prosecutor, I am held to a higher ethical and moral standard and will not speculate about this important matter. Committee Co-Chairs Rep. Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) and Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) said at a press conference ahead of the meeting that they were looking forward to getting to work on the budget despite negotiations stalling and were optimistic that they could still get the budget done on time. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner) The Wisconsin Legislatures Joint Finance Committee on Thursday took its first actions on the budget since the breakdown in negotiations between Republican lawmakers and Gov. Tony Evers by approving over $700 million in bonding authority for clean water and safe drinking water projects and taking action on several other agencies. Committee Co-Chairs Rep. Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) and Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) said at a press conference ahead of the meeting that they were looking forward to getting to work on the budget despite negotiations stalling and were optimistic that they could still get the budget done on time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve had some good conversations in the last few weeks between the governor and the legislative leaders, and unfortunately, those, you know, conversations have stopped, Born said. Lawmakers and Evers announced Wednesday evening that their months-long negotiations had reached an impasse for the time being. Republicans said they would move forward writing the budget on their own, saying the state couldnt afford what Evers wanted, and Evers said Republicans were walking away because they refused to compromise. Evers had said he was willing to support Republican tax cut proposals that even as they were similar to proposals he previously vetoed. The spending really that the governor needs is just more than they can afford, Born said Thursday, and its getting to the point where its about 3 to 1 compared to the tax cuts that we were looking at. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He declined to share specifics about the amounts that were being discussed. I dont think were going to relive the conversations of the last few weeks in any details, but certainly, you know, weve been focused on tax cuts for retirees and the middle class, Born said. Evers spokesperson Britt Cudaback said in an email that Republicans math is not remotely accurate. Despite the breakdown in discussions, the GOP lawmakers said they were optimistic about the potential for Evers to sign the budget they write, noting that he has signed budget bills passed by Republicans three times in his tenure as governor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im very hopeful that we will do a responsible budget that we can afford that addresses the major priorities and a lot of the priorities that I think the governors office has, Marklein said. Im very hopeful that the governor will sign the budget. Democrats on the Joint Finance Committee were less optimistic about the prospect for the budget to receive support from across the aisle, saying that it likely wouldnt adequately address the issues at the top of mind for Wisconsinites, including public K-12 education, public universities and child care. Were going to see a budget that prioritizes more tax breaks for the wealthiest among us at the expense of all of the rest of us and a budget from finance that will get no Democratic votes and that will likely be vetoed by the governor, Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) said. Roys said they didnt know about the specifics of what Evers had agreed to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We cant really speculate on that, but I can say that we absolutely support the process and the idea of collaborative, shared government, Roys said. We are committed to that. We have been ready from Day One to sit down with our Republic colleagues to negotiate. She said for now JFC Democrats will focus on providing alternatives to Republicans plans. Were going to do our best to advocate for what Wisconsinites have said they want to need, Roys said. We want a lower cost for families. We want to make sure that our kids are the first priority in the budget, and were going to be offering the Republicans the opportunity to vote in favor of those things. There is less than a month until the June 30 deadline for the Legislature to pass and Evers to sign the state budget. If the budget isnt passed on time, then state agencies continue to operate under the current funding levels. Committee approves bonding authority for clean water fund While negotiations have hit a wall, some committees actions on Thursday received bipartisan support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The committee unanimously approved an additional $732 million in bonding authority for the Environmental Improvement Fund (EIF). The program uses a combination of federal grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys clean water and drinking water state revolving funds and matching state funds to provide subsidized loans to municipalities for drinking water, wastewater and storm water infrastructure projects. This is going to be very good for a lot of our local communities when it comes to clean water, Marklein said ahead of the meeting. He noted that many communities were on a waiting list for their projects. The Department of Administration and the Department of Natural Resources told lawmakers in late 2024 that that year was the first time the fund had not had enough resources to meet demand. Demand for aid from the program increased dramatically starting in 2023, with a 154% increase in the clean water fund loan demand in 2023-24 and a 325% increase in demand for the safe drinking water loan program that year. Insufficient funding for the clean water program led to constraints in 2024-25 and left needs unmet for at least 24 projects costing around $73.9 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rep. Deb Andraca (D-Whitefish Bay) said she was thrilled that lawmakers were approving money for infrastructure in the state. The state has over $4 billion here, Andraca said. A lot of that is one-time money and one-time money should be used for infrastructure making sure that our communities are in a great position moving forward should the economy turn down. The action is meant to cover the next four years of state contributions to the fund. Sen. Eric Wimberger (R-Oconto) said in a statement the loans will help Wisconsin communities address aging infrastructure and water contaminants. With these additional funds, municipalities will be able to access low-interest loans to modernize their water systems, saving local taxpayers millions of dollars and keeping their water clean for years to come at the same time, Wimberger said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Peter Burress, government affairs manager for environmental nonprofit Wisconsin Conservation Voters, said including the additional revenue bonding authority in the budget is a smart, substantive way to make progress towards ensuring Wisconsinites have equitable access to safe, affordable drinking water. We urge every legislator to support this same investment and send it to Gov. Evers for his signature, Burress said. Actions on other agencies get mixed or party-line support Republicans on the committee approved an additional $500,000 for the Medical College of Wisconsins North Side Milwaukee Health Centers Family Medicine Residency Program, which focuses on training family physicians with expertise and skills to provide individualized, evidence-based, culturally competent care to patients and families. The measure also included $250,000 annually starting in 2026-27 for the Northwest Wisconsin Residency Rotation for family medicine residents. According to budget papers, starting the funding in the second year of the budget would allow time to find a hospital partner to support residents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats voted against the measure after their proposal for higher funding was shot down by Republicans. The Democrats proposal also called for funding a Comprehensive Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment Fellowship Program focusing on treating substance use disorders and anAdvancing Innovation in Residency Education project to improve the behavioral health expertise of family medicine residents. I hope that my colleagues are reading national news because were seeing lots and lots of research funding being cut, Andraca said. The Medical College has lost about $5 million in research grants recently, and in addition to other research programs being canceled, I dont know who has tried to make an appointment with the primary care physician, but theres really long wait times right now, and this program is literally designed to bring doctors into the state. Democrats proposed transitioning the Educational Communications Boards Emergency Weather Warning System from relying on fees for funding to being covered by state general purpose revenue. Andraca, in explaining the proposal, said state funding for a system like that is more important now than ever. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were talking weather alerts. Were talking about making sure that people know when theres something heading their way. We are in a time where we need these alerts more than ever. In fact, yesterday was an unhealthy air day, and were looking at drastic federal cuts, Andraca said. Republicans rejected the measure and instead approved a 5% increase that will be used on general program operations, transmitter operations and emergency weather warning system operations. Rep. Tip McGuire (D-Kenosha) joined Republicans in favor of the motion. The committee also took action on several other agencies with support splitting along party lines Republicans approved a modification to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporations budget, lowering it by $3.8 million, due to projections that surcharge collections appropriated to WEDC will be lower than estimated. They also rejected Democrats proposal to provide an additional $5 million in the opportunity attraction and promotion fund, which makes grants to attract events that will draw national exposure and drive economic development. WEC budget on pause after DOJ letter The committee was scheduled to take action on the Wisconsin Elections Commission budget, but delayed that after the U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to the state agency accusing it of violating the Help America Vote Act. The letter threatened to withhold funding and criticized the absence of an administrative complaint process or hearings to address complaints against the Commission itself. Ann Jacobs, the commission chair, has disputed the accusations and said there is no funding for the federal government to cut. Marklein said the state lawmakers want more information before acting on the agencys budget. Out of caution, we think were just going to wait and see, Marklein said. We need to analyze this and see what implications there may be for the entire Elections Commission and what impact that may have on the budget. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) A Buffalo man is facing up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit mail theft and possession of a postal service key, the United States District Attorneys Office said. According to officials, Antonio Jones Jr., 25, stole mail from mail receptacles in Cheektowaga on Oct. 2, 2024. Jones and two co-conspirators also used a stolen key to open blue collection mailboxes outside of a Cheektowaga post office and steal the mail inside. Jones and his co-conspirators, Eric Michael Robinson and Lamor Runell Bolden, were stopped by law enforcement and Jones allegedly admitted to opening other mailboxes around Western New York. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Robinson and Bolden are awaiting sentencing after previously being convicted. Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 24. Along with the maximum 10 years, he could also face a fine of up to $250,000. Latest Local News *** Mark Ludwiczak joined the News 4 team in 2024. He is a veteran journalist with two decades of experience in Buffalo. You can follow him online at @marklud12. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo. KANSAS CITY, Mo. A vacant building near downtown Sedalia is in a state of collapse, prompting the city to close part of the street and sidewalk. The city of Sedalia warned residents in Facebook posts Wednesday that eastbound traffic on West Main Street near Kentucky Avenue would be closed due to structural concerns at 207 W. Main St. 3 taken to hospital after car crashes into building in Kansas City Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The building has been in disrepair for months, but the city said recent storms have caused damage. The city said it called on a licensed structural engineer to conduct an initial inspection of the building, which was completed by Wednesday afternoon. The engineer found that the building requires immediate and extreme repairs or may face demolition. The city said it is expecting to receive a full report from the engineer within two weeks, but based on initial findings, it plans to pursue a court order to have the building demolished. It said it is working with an attorney representing the property owners. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our responsibility is to protect the public. Were following all legal and safety protocols to address this situation quickly and carefully, the city said in a statement. Further updates will be provided as formal documentation is received and next steps are confirmed. The city said property owners were notified of plans, but the business owner of a business within the building says he was not notified of any plans to restrict access to the building he operates out of. Debbie Covington, a concerned resident of Sedalia, says in 2022, the city put new sidewalks in in front of the building, which, she believes contributed to the deterioration of the building. The property owner has been in conversation with the city, she said, and has gone to council meetings to air his grievances with the damage and here we are three years later and its now to the point where they are going to demolish it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She says many of these buildings are at risk and need some cosmetic work. As a Sedalia resident, we want to see Sedalia get better. We want to see the older buildings saved, she said. Instead of demolishing things, lets fix mistakes that have been made, so we can save these historic buildings and work with us. Concerned citizens are hoping history is preserved. I know this place, but its also quite a bit different from the Sedalia that in grew up in in some good ways and in some bad, Kevin Lujin, another concern citizen shared with FOX4. I think there needs to be a lot more detailed discussion and candor and sooner is much better than later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lujin, is a Sedalia resident, who hopes to hear from City leaders on this matter. Late Friday evening, FOX4 obtained new information from the City. As a precautionary measure, the City restricted access to the area while steps were taken to evaluate the stability of the structure. The building, constructed in 1880, has faced ongoing structural challenges, particularly after the neighboring building collapsed in the past, leaving it more exposed. In addition, water infiltration through the roof has severely impacted the building over time. The City has had an active Code Enforcement case on this property since 2023 and has worked consistently to encourage repairs, a spokesperson shared. In regard to the claim of the sidewalk causing further deterioration, the city disagrees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The City is also aware of recent public claims alleging that a faulty sidewalk repair caused the structural issues The City disagrees. In 2022, the City retained professional engineers to design and install in sidewalks in front of this building. When a void was discovered beneath the sidewalk during construction, the City then hired a separate structural engineering firm to design a proper and safe plan to fill this specific site. We then contracted the work to a qualified firm to complete the project under professional oversight. Having experienced firms involved was an important part of ensuring the work was done responsibly and with care. The City has had an active Code Enforcement case on this property since 2023 and has worked consistently to encourage needed repairs. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) A northern Michigan group is working to restore a historic lighthouse. Now, theyre not only fighting Mother Nature and Father Time, but an alleged vandal, as well. Erin Griebe, the chairperson of the Frankfort Lighthouse Restoration Project, says volunteers first noticed bullet holes in the lamp room last fall. Thats very expensive glass to replace. Its all custom because this is a very old historic building, and once the integrity of the glass is disrupted with bullet holes, you have to make those repairs, Griebe told News 8 affiliate UpNorthLive. The Frankfort North Breakwater Lighthouse has long been the target of vandals, but now it has been shot at on multiple occasions. (Courtesy Marc Junod/DroneRanger360/Frankfort Lighthouse Restoration Project) Volunteers made those repairs but noticed new ones a few weeks ago. Frankfort Police Chief Mark Ketz said its clear this is not an isolated incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nitrous oxide abuse up more than 500% in Michigan Youve got these volunteers that are out here donating their own time to help protect this piece of history, and this damage is hindering that process, Ketz told UpNorthLive. In addition to the bullet holes, the lighthouse has long been a target of graffiti. The Frankfort North Breakwater Lighthouse has long been the target of vandals, but now it has been shot at on multiple occasions. (Courtesy Marc Junod/DroneRanger360/Frankfort Lighthouse Restoration Project) The Frankfort North Breakwater Lighthouse has long been the target of vandals, but now it has been shot at on multiple occasions. (Courtesy Marc Junod/DroneRanger360/Frankfort Lighthouse Restoration Project) The Frankfort North Breakwater Lighthouse has long been the target of vandals, but now it has been shot at on multiple occasions. (Courtesy Marc Junod/DroneRanger360/Frankfort Lighthouse Restoration Project) The Frankfort North Breakwater Lighthouse has long been the target of vandals, but now it has been shot at on multiple occasions. (Courtesy Marc Junod/DroneRanger360/Frankfort Lighthouse Restoration Project) The Frankfort North Breakwater Lighthouse has long been the target of vandals, but now it has been shot at on multiple occasions. (Courtesy Marc Junod/DroneRanger360/Frankfort Lighthouse Restoration Project) Its just years and years of build up and paint and, you know, if were going to spend all this money, donated money to entirely clean this down to the bare metal and then restore it to pristine condition, is this just going to happen again? Ketz said. The restoration project was estimated to cost $1.1 million in 2022. Griebe already knows the costs will surpass that estimate and wants to avoid any other unnecessary work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Suspect arrested after MSP K-9 follows track for 5 miles We are hopeful that by raising awareness, people will become less likely to tag the lighthouse, and for the individuals taking shots at it will also think twice now that the community at large is more aware, she told News 8. The Frankfort North Breakwater Light, on the north breakwater of the citys harbor, was built in 1912 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. In 1961, MIT meteorologist Edward Lorenz was inputting numbers into a weather prediction program. His model was based on a dozen variables, the value of one being .506127. When he ran the model again, he rounded that number to .506, then left the room to grab a coffee. When he came back, he discovered this tiny change had resulted in a dramatically different weather prediction. When presenting his resultant groundbreaking model of chaos and the potential of extreme chaotic unpredictability at the 1972 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Lorenz posed the question: Does the flap of a butterflys wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?" Richard A. Anthes, former president of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado (now president emeritus), says Lorenz was illustrating how, in a system of apparently simple mathematical equations, an infinitesimal change in the initial position of the particle can cause huge changes in its future positiona tiny change now may lead to gigantic and unpredictable change in the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This analogythat small, seemingly insignificant acts by individuals can lead to disruption or chaos in the futureso simply and beautifully rendered with Lorenzs captivating metaphor, captured the imaginations of scientists and the public alike. The butterfly effect disrupted science at a philosophical level, showing that modeling the future is only predictable to an extent, and that chaos, as Lorenz put it, is always present but difficult to discern, explains Bo-Wen Shen, an associate professor of mathematics and statistics at San Diego State University whos written extensively about the butterfly effect. Shen thinks this is because the idea that even the slightest perturbations may have significant impacts offers hope to individuals, encouraging them to take small actions that could have a profound and positive effect. The concept has been the subject of films and was more recently a social media trend in which people shared their butterfly effect stories: seemingly random eventsa car breaking down, a missed train, a broken shoethat lead to significant moments in their life, such as meeting a future spouse or avoiding a bigger catastrophe. These stories often misunderstand Lorenzs original concept and more accurately describe a coincidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the butterfly effect may be prone to oversimplification in pop culture, scientists are still using the concept to predict how what we do in the present will change future. Artwork of a lorenz attractor, named after Edward Lorenz, who developed a system of ordinary differential equations. In particular, the Lorenz attractor is a set of chaotic solutions of the Lorenz system which, when plotted, resemble a butterfly or figure eight. Minute variations in the initial values of the variables would lead to hugely divergent outcomes. For this phenomenon, of sensitivity to initial conditions, he coined the term butterfly effect. This effect is the underlying mechanism of deterministic chaos. Illustration by Alfred Pasieka, Science Photo Library Strange attractor, computer artwork. Illustration by Alfred Pasieka, Science Photo Library Why the butterfly effect is the subject of scientific debate The main disconnect around popular interpretations of the butterfly effect lies in the belief that the ability of a tiny perturbation to create an organized disturbance at large distances is a real phenomenon. [It] is a metaphor, Shen insists, noting that leading experts on the subject recently agreed that it is a Schrodingers cat of an idea: never scientifically proven or disproven. The metaphorical definition of the butterfly effect is widely accepted as literally true. It is not, asserts Roger Pielke Sr, professor emeritus of the department of atmospheric science at Colorado State University. The bottom line, with respect to whether a butterfly flap can result in the development of a tornado thousands of kilometers away (or even locally), is that it cannot under any circumstances. The answer is a categorical NO. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If youre confused, dont worry. Even experts dont agree on what the concept truly means. Physics Today was home to a spirited back-and-forth of papers on the topic in 2024, between Shens team and Oxford University climate physics professor Tim Palmer, debating the nature of the butterfly effect and its implications. Palmer believes that when detailing the butterfly effect, Lorenz was describing how weather is the culmination of seemingly independent atmospheric patterns collectively and momentarily changing the environment. In a 2017 Oxford podcast, he says to imagine weather like a set of Russian dolls: Within a 1,000-kilometer wide low pressure system are 100-kilometer thunderstorm clouds, and within those, sub clouds with turbulent eddies, and within those sub clouds, yet smaller turbulence eddies. Palmer has his own ideas about how the butterfly effect should be defined and how its misunderstood, saying in 2014 scientific article that there are finite predictability horizons which cannot be extended by reducing uncertainty in initial conditions. Shen says the butterfly effect is best illustrated using this proverb-like folktale (first recorded by poet George Herbert in 1640): Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For want of a horse, the rider was lost. For want of a rider, the battle was lost. For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail. The verse suggests that any slight perturbation can eventually yield a substantial effect on numerical integrations, Shen notes. Lorenz believed that the folklore better illustrated the simpler phenomenon of instability. The verse also reminds us that subsequent small events will not reverse the outcome. A close up of a butterfly's wing. The butterfly effect has become a popular pop culture metaphor that describes how a seemingly small action can lead to a life-changing result. Photograph by Konrad Wothe, Picture Press/Redux Making sense of chaos The butterfly effect has been instrumental in scientifically defining chaos. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One extraordinary contribution by Prof. Lorenz is that his models and methods have provided foundations that have inspired numerous studies and further advanced our understanding of chaotic nature and limited predictability, says Shen. Scientists have since discovered that chaotic systemssuch as weather, the population growth of a single species, or even the flow of trafficeither produce single chaotic solutions that are seemingly random but actuality just hypersensitive to their initial conditions, or coexisting chaotic and regular solutions. Minor changes may not always cause significant impacts, or their effects may be limited in the real world. Imagine a vast river flowing towards the ocean. The overall current of the river influences the movements of smaller eddies and swirls. Even though these smaller features might appear chaotic and unpredictable on their own, the larger-scale context provides a framework for understanding their behavior, explains Shen. By observing these larger-scale weather patterns, we can gain more insight into how these smaller, more chaotic events might unfold. Or as Anthes puts it, not all butterflies make a difference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Lorenz theory, you cant measure the weather today meticulously enough to accurately predict the weather in the far future; the practical limit to weather prediction caps at a couple of weeks. Shen wants to test those limits. He and his team have published papers using Lorenz models and offered a new perspective on the dual nature of chaos and order in weather and climate. Monarch butterfliesat the Santuario El Rosario, Mexico. The butterfly effect was conceived as a meteorological concept, but the framework may help scientists model future climate outcomes. Photograph by Jaime Rojo, Nat Geo Image Collection How the butterfly theory applies to a changing climate While the main usefulness of the butterfly effect lies in weather prediction, it can also help scientists model climate change. Recently, researchers were hoping to use AI to help simulate the butterfly effect to improve weather predictions. Sadly, AI failed to simulate the butterfly effect. This doesnt negate the butterfly effect, it just tells us that AI cannot conceive of it. The impact of Lorenz and his butterfly effect continues to unfold. Chaos theory has revolutionized various branches of physics, biology, engineering, economics, even social science. Anthes says Lorenz model has had an enormous effect on all fields in which the future depends on the present. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The concept of the butterfly effect applies to almost any complex system in which the future state depends on the present state the atmosphere and oceans, climate, physics, biological systems including human health, and society in general including economics and political systems, says Anthes. Seemingly small changes can have enormous and unpredictable, as well as unintended, consequences in the future. In 2011, MIT opened a climate research institute named after Lorenz that funds scientific research without an obvious real-world application. This type of pure research, as its called, will help us learn about all the small actions that may be as consequential as the flap of a butterflys wings. CADDO PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS) Community members, LGBTQ+ organizations, advocates, and allies packed the Caddo Parish Commissioners meeting in support of the resolution recognizing Pride Month. Sam Ortiz, co-founder of ShrevePride, gave a passionate and direct statement, emphasizing their mission to uplift, heal, connect, and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. The members of our community make up vital pieces of every fabric of this region, from the people who serve us in our restaurants to the people who serve us in public office. The diversity of those people is what makes us so rich, and the LGBTQ plus community is part of that diversity. This month, like every month, we strive to uplift, said Ortiz. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proclamation was moved by Caddo Commissioner Victor Thomas and seconded by Commissioner Steffon Jones on June 5, 2025. ShrevePrides Q-Prom honors queer history, fashion and more That resolution simply states that we acknowledge that we appreciate and that we, accept the individuals in our community for their contributions to our community. That doesnt, that does not in any way, implicate or ask anyone to forgo their own personal values or their personal beliefs, said Commissioner Thomas. One of the longest active LGBTQ+ advocacy groups for Northwest Louisiana, PACE People Acting for Change and Equality, was also in attendance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When our son first came out to us, I realized that Id never been prejudiced. But I just realized there was just a lot I didnt know about what it meant to be gay in the city and in this country, shared Critcher, And so I started to educate myself. And as I learned about the senseless discrimination that gay people face. It made me mad. And it just woke me up! I thought, Ive got to do something, said Founding member of PACE, Adrienne Critcher. Critcher shared she helped bring the Be Fair Shreveport Ordinance providing protection against sexual discrimination based on sexual orientation in 2013, which was an extension of former Mayor Glovers executive order. Their charity, goodness, and lives bear witness to their love, their faithfulness, and their thoughtfulness, despite a lifetime of hostility, declare an essential contribution to the fabric of our community. Their authenticity and sincerity to the vocation of God in their lives is such that it cannot be ignored. Furthermore, there are many of us, myself included, who would commend the passage of this resolution honoring the contribution of LGBT members of our community as a suitable gesture, noting that the values of inclusion, cooperation, mutual affection and care for those often derided and cast aside our values that are at the core of Pride Month, and one would hope at the core of our community as well, said Father at Holy Cross Episcopal Church, Garrett Boyte. Caddo Parish recognizes Pride Month LGBTQ Organization and community members - June 5, 2025 (Screenshot of Caddo Parish Commissioner Meeting) (2) Paige Hoffpauir, a Shreveport resident, testified against the Pride Month proclamation, comparing the LGBTQ+ community to Pickleball and JobCorps. After the testimonies, the Caddo Commission asked attendees to stand if they supported or opposed the proclamation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hoffpauir and one other person stood in opposition, while about 85% of the crowd stood up in support. Critcher said Hoffpauirs testimony was jarring, but only amplifies that there is still work to do to unite the community. After more than three hours of debate and other ordinances, the Caddo Commission voted in favor of the special resolution. The vote received nine yes votes and three no votes. Chris Kracman: No Gregory Young: Yes Victor L. Thomas: Yes John-Paul Young: Yes Roy Burrell: Yes Steffon Jones: Yes Sotrmy Gage-Watts: Yes Grace Anne Blake: Yes John E. Atkins: No Ron Cothran: Yes Ed Lazarus: No Ken Epperson, Sr.: Yes Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com. New technology in agriculture has the potential to benefit farmers and consumers alike. It could help automate farming processes and make them more efficient, leading to cost savings. Those savings, in turn, can be passed along to consumers in the form of less expensive products. But due to strict rules in California, technology like driverless tractors is banned, leaving farmers stuck. It's crazy, Larry Jacobs told NBC Bay Area, who has been a farmer in California for 40 years. It doesn't make any sense. Don't miss The technology is there, but it's off the table for California farmers Advancements in farming technology mean there are now tree-shaking machines that can collect nuts faster than any human, NBC Bay Area reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are also self-driving machines that can prepare soil for future crops and even fire lasers at weeds. "The stuff that's not fun to do, that's going to go away," Jacobs told NBC Bay Area. But if California farmers aren't allowed to use this new technology, they're going to face challenges. "Our biggest problem is labor," Jacobs told NBC Bay Area. "It's challenging to get enough people to get all the work done." Without the flexibility to use these tools to the fullest extent, food costs are likely going to increase, Jacobs warned. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition says that in 2017 there were 2 million farmers, but today that number is down to 1.9 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Part of the reason is that farmers are getting older. The average age of U.S. farmers was 58.1 as of 2022, according to the USDA, and more importantly, its trending older as time goes on, which means many people in this profession will be nearing retirement soon, with fewer younger farmers to fill the void. California's ban on autonomous agricultural equipment has been in place since the 1970s. The rules state, "All self-propelled equipment shall, when under its own power and in motion, have an operator stationed at the vehicular controls." The reason for this ban is to ensure that workers are kept safe. The state has also faced pressure from labor unions to ban autonomous farming equipment because of fear that it will lead to job loss and displaced workers. The problem is that these rules were put in place before much of todays technology was invented, leaving farmers stuck. Worse yet, anyone caught violating the states ban on autonomous equipment faces hefty fines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The laws state, "Any employer who violates any occupational safety and health standard, order or special order and such violation is determined to be a General violation may be assessed a civil penalty of up to $16,285 for each such violation." Violations the state considers "serious," however, could result in a $25,000 fine. In 2022, stakeholders petitioned the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board to allow the use of driverless tractors and other autonomous agricultural equipment. The petition spoke to the fact that certain banned equipment could actually improve worker safety, not hinder it. The state pledged three years ago to form a task force to review the issue. But that committee hasnt issued any guidance since that time. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan works every single time to kill debt, get rich in America and that anyone can do it Jacobs reiterated that not only can the use of this banned technology make operations more efficient, but the likelihood of injury is slim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres nothing for the robots to run into, Jacobs explained. And without the help of technology, he said, Crops are getting left in the fields because people don't have enough labor to get it done." Driverless cars have been allowed in California for years and on roadways with other cars and pedestrians. Yet farmers cant use similar technology on fields that arent occupied by vehicles and people. And Californias outdated rules mean the state is lagging behind others: John Deere's driverless tractors are already being used in 11 other states. But the company wont even sell its self-driving tools in California because of the current ban. Assemblyman Juan Alanis plans to work with lawmakers to try to lift the ban on autonomous farming equipment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The longer that we wait or we sit on our hands, we're going to have other states, other countries that are going to move forward with this because we're stubborn, he told NBC Bay Area. Food costs could rise if tech is off the table In 2022, California produced 40% of the country's vegetables, per the USDA. And the California Department of Food and Agriculture says the state produces nearly 70% of the country's fruits and nuts. It's also responsible for $8.13 billion in dairy products each year. The problem is that the Bureau of Labor Statistics is expecting a major shortage of farm laborers in the coming years, as the California farmers have also flagged already. Between 2023 and 2033, employment in the farming industry is projected to decline 2%. Roughly 88,000 farming jobs are expected to go unfilled each year in roughly the next decade due to workers switching to other occupations or retiring. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And, as recently as 2024, the U.S. Government Accountability Office itself found that agricultural technology offers many benefits increased profits for farmers, a reduced need for fertilizers and better conservation of water. The report also found that these tools could have environmental benefits. Just as importantly, these tools could help address the increasing labor shortage of the future and the one already identified today. If autonomous technology remains banned in California, it could lead to wasted crops, higher costs to produce crops and higher food bills not just for residents of the state, but consumers across the country. "Farmers just can't find people to fill these jobs and technology, like this, is absolutely essential to drive agriculture in the state forward," Igino Cafiero, an engineer at John Deere, told NBC Bay Area. "This is about attracting the next generation of farmers." What to read next Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. Subscribe for free. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. In Californias behind-the-scenes budget process, its hard to know what legislative leaders and Gov. Gavin Newsom will agree to until the dust settles. But with just over a week to finalize the budget, or go without pay, lawmakers are weighing the options about which of the governors proposed cuts theyre willing to stomach. One option to help patch the $12 billion deficit would be to delay salary increases for public employees in the upcoming fiscal year. By negotiating pauses in pay raises with bargaining units, the administration hopes to save $767 million. While some lawmakers have opted to remain quiet on the question, legislators on both sides of the aisle have said they are not willing to balance the budget on the backs of state employees salaries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im here in solidarity to support you and to help fight for you in the Capitol, Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, told a crowd of hundreds of state employees gathered on the Capitol grounds on Thursday morning. A coalition of labor groups, including Service Employees International Union Local 1000 and smaller unions representing doctors, scientists and other public workers, descended on the Capitol to urge lawmakers to reject the governors budget-savings measure. The stakes are high for public sector unions, many of which have spent the last few months pushing back against Newsoms March directive to bring public employees back to offices four days a week. Now, labor groups are hoping that lawmakers will say no to the governors proposals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the governor has offered to negotiate with the states 21 bargaining units over the salary freezes, the budget proposal before the Legislature now would grant the administration authority to impose savings anyway, if lawmakers agree. California is required to follow labor contracts that cover its workforce, but only if the Legislature approves the spending for it. Take care of state workers, so they can take care of Californians, Kristen Silliman, a Department of Developmental Services employee, said outside the Capitol Swing Space Thursday waiting in line to lobby lawmakers. A contractual obligation The issue of supporting public employees is close to home for Schiavo, whose constituents have been suffering the health consequences and misery of a perpetually burning landfill in Southern California. Those who live near the Chiquita Canyon landfill have come to depend on the guidance of state scientists monitoring the noxious fumes coming off the literal dumpster fire. I want to be here to stand with you, to fight with you, and to make sure that this budget changes before we see it on our desk next week, Schiavo said to rallying state employees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While she does not sit on the Assembly budget committee, Schiavo said there is a general consensus among lawmakers that they dont want to balance the budget with the help of public workers who protect Californias communities. The vice chair of the Senate Budget Committee, state Sen. Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks, similarly opposed the governors proposal to freeze salaries. State workers pay is a contractual obligation, the Sacramento-area Republican said in a statement. It would be wrong for the Governor to unilaterally break that contract. Additionally, Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, previously expressed opposition to the cuts while presiding over a budget subcommittee hearing on the issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other lawmakers, including those on budget committees, were not as eager to come out against the proposal. State Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, D-West Sacramento, and Assemblymember Liz Ortega, D-San Leandro, both declined to comment when asked if they supported freezing public employees salaries as part of the budget solution. The wider impacts of salary freezes Meanwhile, state workers and their unions have not been quiet on the subject. On Thursday, hundreds of public employees from across the civil service spectrum marched from the Capitol to the Swing Space in Sacramento to decry and lobby against the proposed payroll freeze. Equipped with pithy signs and a mariachi band, labor groups also hoped to call attention to various other employment issues at the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr. Kafia Abbasi, a psychiatrist who treats incarcerated patients at the California Health Care Facility in Stockton, said its already difficult to recruit doctors to work in state prisons. Its taxing to work in a toxic, stressful environment, Abbasi said, standing with her fellow white-coated members of the Union of American Physicians and Dentists, which represents medical professionals working for the state. Not awarding these raises will make it more difficult to hire doctors, Abbasi said, which could exacerbate another issue the union has been fighting: the replacement of state-employed physicians with contractors. Representatives for the doctors union said contracted physicians can earn more than double than what state-worker counterparts make. But because these private employees often work temporary assignments, patients dont receive the same continuity of care that state doctors said they provide, Abbasi said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The impact of salary freezes on recruitment and retention issues are also a major concern for state veterinarians. Dr. Everardo Mendes, a veterinarian with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, said the state will struggle to hire new veterinary graduates if the government withholds raises that were agreed to the previous year. I didnt expect to be here, Mendes said. I thought we had a contract. Mendes noted that his bargaining unit, which represents state scientists, went years without raises due to stalled negotiations between the state and California Association Professional Scientists, UAW Local 1115. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, Mendes is concerned he wont see raises another year. Additionally, Newsoms return-to-office order was a major concern cited by protesting workers Thursday. As an office technician, Carlyn Pipkins is on the lower end of the salary scale for state employees. With the expectation that she will return to office four days a week, Pipkins is expecting her day-to-day cost will increase. The Department of Water Resources employee hopes lawmakers will reject the proposed salary freezes. She said she was banking on a raise this year just to be able to live. By Svea Herbst-Bayliss NEW YORK (Reuters) -Jefferies has hired a veteran Lazard banker as global head of the firm's activism defense practice, people familiar with the situation said on Wednesday, as more corporations face pressure from activist investors. The New York-headquartered bank is bringing on Richard Thomas, a managing director who has served as co-head of Lazard's Equity Advisory practice, the people said. Thomas will replace Chris Young, who had been the head of activism at Jefferies and is leaving the bank, said the people who were not authorized to discuss personnel matters publicly. Thomas will report to Chris Roop, who is head of mergers and acquisitions for the Americas. Bloomberg first reported the news of Thomas' move. A Jefferies representative declined to comment. Thomas and Young did not respond to requests for comment. The move comes as many banks are paying more attention to defending their clients from the overtures of investors flexing their muscle and demanding a host of changes from selling the company to switching out the chief executive officer. While protecting companies against pushy investors was once a nice-to-have add-on service, it has become a lucrative business that major investment banks and many boutiques are scrambling to offer clients. In April, JPMorgan hired two managing directors to beef up its activism defense group and other banks are said to be looking to make new hires, bankers and lawyers said. Jefferies ranked 10th in Bloomberg's tally of Global Financial Advisers last year, trailing Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and Bank of America, which claimed the top three spots in defending companies against activists last year. At the same time, Jefferies has been on a broader hiring spree, having most recently poached four senior tech bankers from Guggenheim Partners. (Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss; editing by Diane Craft) Airmen who watched over America's nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles in Cold War-era facilities faced marginally higher risk of cancer due to contaminants found there and more workplace oversight is needed, according to the latest findings of an Air Force health study. Air Force Global Strike Command, during a town hall event Wednesday, released the latest data showing the slightly elevated cancer risk as part of its ongoing probe into health concerns for America's missileers, maintainers and other support roles at several bases in the Midwest and Western U.S. The lifetime cancer risk for all Americans is around 39%, and the Air Force's Health Risk Assessment found rates of 39.9% to 40.13% for men and women if they would have served anywhere from eight to 70 years in those jobs. Service officials said consistent workplace inspections and monitoring would likely be necessary to address the risks, which are caused by the presence of chemicals and toxins. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read Next: Army Faces Backlash over Plan to Divert Barracks Funds to Border Mission Contaminants linked to cancer were found during a series of environmental studies at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, and Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota. "In summary, this health risk assessment characterizes the health risk as low but not zero," Col. Ric Speakman, the commander of the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, said during the town hall presentation. "Therefore, the appropriate action is to include missile alert facility workers in an occupational surveillance." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Air Force Global Strike Command is still in the process of an ongoing epidemiological study and is gathering more data from states as well as national cancer registries before more definitive cancer and health conclusions can be made. Last year, Military.com reported in an investigative series that past probes by the Air Force into cancer concerns roughly two decades ago went ignored, and past and current missileers and nuclear missile maintainers raised alarms about the environmental conditions, toxins and chemical dangers they faced while in uniform. They believe the conditions made them sick. In the wake of Military.com's reporting, the service announced changes that included new workplace inspections and health record tracking, and the spouse of a missileer who died from non-Hodgkin lymphoma was able to secure Department of Veterans Affairs benefits related to his death. While polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, were one of the known outlawed carcinogenes that the Air Force's remediation efforts focused on, research shown during Wednesday's town hall showed there were other toxins detected as well that were factored into the service's health risk assessment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Although only PCBs were detected at levels above the Environmental Protection Agency's standards for cleanup and remediation, the environmental sampling was sensitive enough to detect chemicals such as benzene and chloroform at levels well below standards for remediation," a Thursday news release from Air Force Global Strike Command following the town hall said. The Torchlight Initiative, a grassroots organization that began shortly after a Space Force officer and former Air Force missileer raised concerns about non-Hodgkin lymphoma rates at Malmstrom, released its own independent study in April examining the rates of blood cancer reported in its online health registry. That study found that service members were diagnosed at younger ages compared to the wider population. Air Force Global Strike Command officials briefly mentioned that study at the town hall, stating that, "while this study is separate from the missile community cancer study, it does add to the work advocacy and the well-being of the missile community." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Representatives from the Torchlight Initiative were on Capitol Hill in early April alongside other advocacy groups, and made a plea to lawmakers in hopes of expanding the PACT Act -- a 2022 law that mostly covered veterans sickened by toxic exposure in war zones -- to cover those who experienced health issues stateside as well. "The Torchlight Initiative is happy to hear that Global Strike and U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine are still working on their long-term study and research," the organization said in a statement to Military.com on Thursday. "However, our focus and energy remains with the families who are disproportionately affected by these cancers and illnesses." The remaining data in the ongoing health study is slated to be released in late 2025. Gen. Thomas Bussiere, the head of Air Force Global Strike Command, said during the town hall he would advocate for a registry, if the VA also supported such a move, based on the study's findings. "The level of interest and oversight with the Department of the Air Force and Congress has not waned, and I'm very thankful and happy with the interest and actions on the part of the VA," Bussiere said in a news release after the town hall. "They've been great partners, and I anticipate they will continue to be great partners." Related: Independent Study Raises Alarm About Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma at Malmstrom Air Force Base Rep. Madeleine Dean and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick were banana-split on President Donald Trumps tariffs and banana prices during a House hearing Thursday. We cannot build bananas in America, the Pennsylvania Democrat said to the secretary as he testified on the fiscal year 2026 budget request before the House Appropriations Committee. The two had been discussing Trumps tariffs on almost every country and the subsequent levies that would fall onto countries that produce the bananas Americans eat for that good ol potassium. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whats the tariff on bananas? Americans, by the way, love bananas, Dean said to Lutnick. We buy billions of them a year. I love bananas. The tariff on bananas would be representative of the countries that produce them, Lutnick said. Dean: And whats that tariff? Lutnick: Generally 10%. Dean: Correct, 10%. Walmart has already increased the cost of bananas by 8%. Lutnick: As countries do deals with us, that will go to zero. Dean: But the cost is on the American consumer now and on the businesses with the confusion now. Lutnick: Theres no uncertainty: If you build in America and you produce your product in America, there will be no tariff. Dean: We cant produce bananas in America. We cannot build bananas in America. Hawaii is the only state with the climate that allows for growing bananas. Most come from overseas. AUSTIN (KXAN) CapMetro held a swearing-in ceremony for its first class of transit police officers Friday morning, where 12 members of the new force received their badges. This was a direct response from the feedback we had received from our customers and our frontline staff who had asked for enhanced safety measures on our system, said Dottie Watkins, CapMetros president and CEO. Images from the swearing in ceremony. (KXAN Photo) Images from the swearing in ceremony. (KXAN Photo) Images from the swearing in ceremony. (KXAN Photo) Images from the swearing in ceremony. (KXAN Photo) CapMetro got its Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) certification last year to make this new department possible. The agencys board approved this move in 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just last month, Akshay Gupta was sitting on a CapMetro bus when police believe Deepak Kandel, a homeless man undergoing a mental health episode, stabbed Gupta to death, unprovoked. Guptas friends and family described him as a kind, compassionate and driven young man. This incident, among other attacks, has drawn concerns from the public. Well do everything we can to make sure everyone on the system is safe. We will have a visible presence, we will continue to work with our partnerships, said CapMetro Transit Police Chief Eric Robins. The officers that we want to hire are officers who are people-centric and focused on our mission of supporting and helping people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The deployment of these officers will come in phases beginning June 16. The first active units will be placed in the busiest areas for buses. The agency did not disclose where exactly those locations are. Robins said five of these officers will officially begin their patrols on June 16, and the rest will join them once they complete their training. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. MACEDONIA, Ohio (WJW) A 75-year-old woman told police her flip-flop got stuck on the gas pedal, causing her to crash into a hair salon Thursday afternoon. According to Macedonia police, officers were called to Fantastic Sams on Valley View Road after the womans vehicle jumped a curb and crashed through the front doors of the building. Lottery ticket worth $150K sold at local Meijer FOX 8 photo FOX 8 photo FOX 8 photo FOX 8 photo Nationwide recall on jerky and snack sticks Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The crash happened while customers and staff were inside the salon, but no injuries were reported. Authorities said the driver was not cited. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. State police in New Hampshire are investigating after two vehicles windows were shattered by a passing car on the highway late Thursday night. Both victims cars were driving on the right lane of Route 101 when a car drove past them and the suspects allegedly hit the victims windows, causing them to shatter. The first incident happened in Exeter while the second happened minutes later in Auburn, according to state police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two juvenile passengers in one of the damaged vehicles had minor injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital to be checked out. Police are not revealing details of the suspected vehicle at this time. State Troopers were helped during the investigation by members of the Auburn Police Department, Candia Police Department, Auburn Fire Department, and the Candia Fire Department. Anyone who has any information or who may have dash camera video of the incidents is asked to contact Detective Sgt. John Kelly atJohn.S.Kelly@DOS.NH.GOV This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Residential care facilities house children with round-the-clock care. Idaho has 31 childrens residential care facilities, including two that provide psychiatric care. (Getty Images) Idaho kids in residential treatment facilities are under less government oversight for abuse investigations than children in traditional foster homes, a new watchdog state government report finds. The Idaho Office of Performance Evaluations, a nonpartisan state agency, found that the state lacks several accountability measures in children residential treatment facilities. Childrens residential care facilities serve some of Idahos most vulnerable children and youth, who are almost three times as likely to be diagnosed with mental health disorders, behavioral challenges, or other disabilities, the report said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A panel of Idaho lawmakers on Friday officially released the report to the public. The report was spurred by news reporting that uncovered abuse allegations at Idaho residential treatment facilities published by the news outlet InvestigateWest. Presenting the report to the Idaho Legislatures Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Friday, Office of Performance Evaluations Director Ryan Langrill called the Idaho Department of Health and Welfares response which noted ongoing progress to work toward child welfare shortcomings promising. The state lacks a formal process for investigating abuse in facilities, unlike the clear process that exists for investigating abuse in homes, Langrill wrote in a letter summarizing the report. When abuse of a child in a facility in foster care is reported, case workers are not required to respond as quickly as for other children in foster care. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX What the OPE report found and reforms it recommended Residential care facilities house children with round-the-clock care. Some kids even go to school at the facilities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some kids are placed in facilities by their parents, or by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare as part of the states foster care system. Idaho has 31 childrens residential care facilities, including two that provide psychiatric care. Need to get in touch? Have a news tip? CONTACT US In childrens residential care facilities, Idaho doesnt have an established process to investigate abuse, doesnt require unannounced visits to facilities, and doesnt have a formal process to register staff found to have committed abuse in a statewide registry, the report found. The state agencys watchdog report recommended a range of reform efforts including making an entity responsible to investigate abuse in facilities, requiring at least once a year unannounced visits, establishing a childs bill of rights in facilities, tracking ideal placement settings for children, and developing a process to include abuse perpetrators in a statewide registry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We found that while the (Department of Health and Welfare) shared oversight responsibilities of children in facilities, it lacks protocol to define communication or issue escalation across division, the report found. As a result, safety-related information may be passed from one staff member to another without timely action or clear accountability. How state officials, agency responded In a letter responding to the report, Idaho Gov. Brad Little wrote Thursday that he was pleased with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfares progress and that he and the agency want to improve more. We have more work to do, but these improvements and current momentum have us on the right track, Little wrote. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare team and I are committed to continuing this work and meeting the needs to best serve Idahos children and families. Soon after Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Alex Adams took over heading the agency in June 2024, he announced child welfare as a top priority for the agency. That was largely due to past watchdog work by the Office of Performance Evaluations into child welfare issues, Adams wrote in a May 21 letter responding to the report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And he outlined over a dozen changes within the agency that were in response to the watchdogs agencys findings, including the agencys licensing division started in May 2024 to visit facilities one time a year for an unannounced survey, expanded clinical reviews to find the best placement for kids, and visits every two months to kids in out-of-state facilities by case workers or clinicians. While these improvements have been occurring over the past year, we recognize that there is much work to do to improve child welfare in Idaho, and particularly to support Idaho youth living in residential care facilities, Adams wrote. Ultimately, it takes strong public policy, cooperation from the courts, support of law enforcement, assistance of guardians ad litem, and collaboration with the Health and Social Services Ombudsman to ensure the safety of Idahos children. Idaho state agencies to report back on progress State Rep. Steve Berch, a Boise Democrat, pressed a state health official on whether the Department of Health and Welfare needs more staff to implement recommendations from the new report. Its probably too early to tell, replied Idaho Deputy Director for Child, Youth & Family Services Monty Prow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He referenced a new investment from the Idaho Legislature this year. That new budget law approved 63 new staff for Health and Welfare targeted at preventing kids from entering the foster system by providing resources to keep them safely with their biological families. Its probably too early to tell, because those 63 folks are going to be dedicated to prevention to keep those kids in their homes. And then I dont need any of this back-end support, because Im pushing it all to the front-end to do more and more prevention to keep kids safe in their home, Prow said. House Assistant Minority Leader Steve Berch, D-Boise, answers questions at a press conference following the State of the State address on Jan. 6, 2025, at the Statehouse in Boise. (Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun) Berch quickly replied, encouraging the department to ask for the funding it actually needs, rather than shorting the request based on political calculations. The Legislature needs to know what the need is financially to deliver the kind of quality service not just now, but for the needs of a fast-growing state, Berch said. Before the Legislature decides to cut taxes, they need to understand what the needs are first. And people like you in your position and other departments need to make sure that information is available to the Legislature so they can make a fully informed decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the fall, the committee plans to hear from the Department and Health and Welfare and Idahos new Health and Social Services Ombudsman Trevor Sparrow about progress in responding to the reports recommendations. That can give lawmakers a sense of what issues state agencies can address themselves, and whether legislation is needed, said state Sen. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, who requested the update. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE r2402 TORONTO (AP) Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit in Alberta later this month, an invitation Modi accepted despite strained ties between the countries. The countries expelled each others top diplomats last year over the killing of a Sikh Canadian activist in Canada and allegations of other crimes. The invitation prompted anger from the World Sikh Organization of Canada, which wrote to Carney in May asking him not to invite Modi. Tensions remain high between Canada and India over accusations about Indian government agents being involved in the murder of a Canadian activist for Sikh separatism in British Columbia in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carney extended the invitation to Modi in a phone call between the two leaders on Friday. The summit runs from June 15 to 17. Carney noted Canada is in the role of G7 chair and said there are important discussions that India should be a part of. India is the fifth largest economy in the world, the most populous country in the world and central to supply chains," Carney told reporters, adding that there has been some progress on law enforcement dialogue between the two countries. I extended the invitation to Prime Minister Modi and, in that context, he has accepted, Carney said. Carney said there is a legal process underway in the killing of the Canadian Sikh activist and said he would not comment on the case when asked by a reporter if he thought Modi was involved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The tit-for-tat expulsions came after Canada told India that its top diplomat in the country is a person of interest in the 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and that police have uncovered evidence of an intensifying campaign against Canadian citizens by agents of the Indian government. Modi said he was glad to receive a call from Carney and congratulated him on his recent election victory. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests. Look forward to our meeting at the summit, Modi said in a social media statement. Nijjar, 45, was fatally shot in his pickup truck after he left the Sikh temple he led in Surrey, British Columbia. An Indian-born citizen of Canada, he owned a plumbing business and was a leader in what remains of a once-strong movement to create an independent Sikh homeland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Four Indian nationals living in Canada were charged with Niijars murder. Balpreet Singh, legal counsel and spokesperson for the World Sikh Organization of Canada, called Carneys invitation to Modi a betrayal of Canadian values. The summit to which Mr. Modi is being invited falls on the anniversary of the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar two years ago, he said. So for us, this is unacceptable, its shocking and its a complete reversal of the principled stand that Prime Minister Trudeau had taken. Canada is not the only country that has accused Indian officials of plotting an association on foreign soil. In 2023 U.S. prosecutors said an Indian government official directed a failed plot to assassinate another Sikh separatist leader in New York. WASHINGTON (AP) The sequence of events is familiar: A lower court judge blocks a part of President Donald Trumps agenda, an appellate panel refuses to put the order on hold while the case continues, and the Justice Department turns to the Supreme Court. Trump administration lawyers have filed emergency appeals with the nation's highest court a little less than once a week on average since Trump began his second term. The court is not being asked to render a final decision but rather to set the rules of the road while the case makes its way through the courts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The justices have issued orders in 13 cases so far. The Trump administration has won more than it has lost, including in two cases Friday in which the high court blocked lower court orders involving the Department of Government Efficiency. Among the administration's other victories was an order allowing it to enforce the Republican president's ban on transgender military service members. Among its losses was a prohibition on using an 18th century wartime law called the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans alleged to be gang members to a notorious prison in El Salvador. Two arrived this week, including one on Friday. The Education Department has laid off nearly 1,400 employees Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A federal judge in Boston has ordered the employees reinstated and also blocked action on Trump's plan to dismantle the department, one of his top campaign pledges. In his order last month, U.S. District Judge Myong Joun wrote that the layoffs will likely cripple the department. The federal appeals court in Boston rejected the administration's emergency request to put Joun's order on hold. On Friday, Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the Supreme Court that Joun's overstepped his authority and was substituting his policy preferences for those of the Trump administration. The layoffs help put in the place the policy of streamlining the department and eliminating discretionary functions that, in the administrations view, are better left to the states, Sauer wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Massachusetts school districts, education groups and Democratic-led states that sued over Trump's plan have a week to respond. Another judge blocked plans to downsize the federal workforce On Monday, Sauer renewed the administration's request for the high court to the way for downsizing plans, while a lawsuit filed by labor unions and cities proceeds. The high court filing came after an appeals court refused to freeze a California-based judges order halting the cuts, which have been led by the Department of Government Efficiency. The appeals court found that the downsizing could have broader effects, including on the nations food-safety system and health care for veterans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In her ruling last month, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston found that Trumps administration needs congressional approval to make sizable reductions to the federal workforce. The administration initially asked the justices to step in last month, but withdrew its appeal for technical, legal reasons. The plaintiffs have a Monday deadline to respond. A judge rebuked the administration over deportations to South Sudan The Trump administration's latest appeal asks the high court to halt an order by U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston. The White House violated his earlier order, Murphy found, with a deportation flight bound for the African nation carrying people from other countries who had been convicted of crimes in the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those immigrants must get a real chance to raise any fears that being sent there could put them in danger, Murphy wrote. Trump's top Supreme Court lawyer, Solicitor General D. John Sauer, asked for an immediate high court order that would allow the third-country deportations to resume. Murphy has stalled efforts to carry out deportations of migrants who cant be returned to their home countries, Sauer wrote. Finding countries willing to take them is a delicate diplomatic endeavor and the court requirements are a major setback, he said. The court could act at any time. Trump wants to change citizenship rules in place for more than 125 years Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several judges quickly blocked an executive order Trump signed on his first day in office that would deny citizenship to children who are born to people who are in the country illegally or temporarily. The administration appealed three court orders that prohibit the changes from taking effect anywhere in the country. Earlier in May, the justices took the rare step of hearing arguments in an emergency appeal. It's unclear how the case will come out, but the court seemed intent on keeping the changes on hold while looking for a way to scale back nationwide court orders. One possibility advanced by some justices was to find a different legal mechanism, perhaps a class action, to accomplish essentially the same thing as the nationwide injunctions blocking Trump's citizenship order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nationwide injunctions have emerged as an important check on Trumps efforts to remake the government and a source of mounting frustration to the Republican president and his allies. Judges have issued 40 nationwide injunctions since Trump began his second term in January, Sauer told the court during the arguments. The court could act anytime, but almost certainly no later than early summer. ___ Follow the AP's coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court. We recently published a list of Jim Cramer Talked About These 16 Stocks Recently. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) stands against other stocks that Jim Cramer discussed recently. A caller asked if they should hold, trim, or add to their position in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW). Cramer replied: Alright, I remember many, many years ago when Danny Meyer came here and he said, listen, this is a company to watch. It is a company that is also a great hospitality company. And Im going to tell you I have followed it ever since. I cannot believe it had that earnings breakout. And if anything Im a holder, not a buyer, because it just had that spike. But if it came down, I would certainly be a buyer. Jim Cramer on Build-A-Bear Workshop (BBW): I'm a Holder, Not a Buyer A smiling woman walking out of a franchised store, her new purchase in her arm. Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) is a retailer that provides customizable plush toys, pre-stuffed animals, scents, sounds, and a variety of accessories, clothing, and novelty items, with stores operating under the Build-A-Bear Workshop name. READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. A Missouri woman is suing Cass County after she was fired from the Sheriffs Office, where she allegedly endured harassment and discrimination from male coworkers, according to a Cass County court document. Melissa Manford is suing on counts of discrimination based on sex/gender, age, disability, hostile work environment and two counts of retaliation, according to court documents. Manford is also suing based on a violation of Missouri revised statute 590.502, which states that officers are allowed to have an attorney present during meetings that they believe may lead to disciplinary action, demotion, dismissal, transfer, or placement on a status that could lead to economic loss, according to the lawsuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Manford had been working for the sheriffs office since 2005, according to court documents. While the lawsuit doesnt name the agency directly, a Facebook post from the sheriffs department lists Manfords 2020 promotion to sergeant. Accusations against male officers include one allegedly forbidding Manford to become pregnant, another repeatedly touching Manfords hair despite her asking him him to stop, and a coworker telling other employees that Manford doesnt belong in her position, despite Manford being his supervisor. The lawsuit describes one instance in which Manford was working in her office and a coworker handed her a notebook, according to the lawsuit. The coworker told Manford that he and other coworkers made the notebook just for her, according to court documents. The officer told Manford they had attached a pen to the notebook because she was forgetful. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, he said the notebook had large print so Manford could see with her old eyes, and the front cover read GERIATRIC EDITION, according to the lawsuit. When Manford reported the incident, a supervisor allegedly laughed at her and did not report the behavior to human resources, the lawsuit claims. On another occasion, Manfords male coworkers gave her a gift of a denture cup and denture cream, the lawsuit alleges. As the men gave Manford the items, they allegedly said, Dont forget to clean your dentures. When Manford reported the incident to a different supervisor, it was dismissed as the coworkers playing around, according to the lawsuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Coworkers also allegedly repeatedly implied that Manford had dementia and called her meemaw, as well as trying to scare her, court documents state. Manford, who has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety, claims these conditions were exacerbated by the attempts to scare her, court documents state. In one instance, a coworker jumped out at her as she exited the locker room and Manford, acting in self-defense, reflexively slapped the coworker, court documents allege. Manford was reprimanded for the incident; a male coworker who had done something similar a month before faced no repercussions, according to court documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later, Manford documented that several of her male coworkers had violated the dress code, according to court documents. The coworker who had previously attempted to scare Manford filed a complaint in retaliation. Following the complaint, Manfords coworkers allegedly made comments to her that they were going to replace her, according to court documents. Manford was eventually moved to the night shift and received what court documents refer to as a demotion. She was fired without warning in July, according to court documents. In a phone call to the Star, The Cass County Sheriffs Office said it doesnt discuss pending litigation. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) Catholic Community Services Utah (CCS) and Masjid Al Noor (Noor Mosque) have called for unity and understanding following what they described as a hate crime at Noor Mosque in Salt Lake City. On June 3, a man was caught on video attaching a flag with split designs of the Israeli and American flags to Noor Mosque. No one was harmed and no property damage was reported, but it was reported to Salt Lake City Police and the FBI. In a press release from Aden Batar of Catholic Community Services and Dr. Salman Masud, former president of the Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake, they wrote: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While no physical damage was done, this incident was clearly intended to provoke and intimidate our congregation, and we believe it should be investigated under bias crime statutes due to its targeted nature and context. The act has understandably caused distress in our communityparticularly among our congregation of international students, many of whom already live with a sense of vulnerability. PREVIOUSLY: Man hangs Israeli and American flag on mosque in Salt Lake City The release praised Utah for its spirit of hospitality as a place where people of all faiths can coexist peacefully, and they called to reaffirm a commitment to dialogue over division and connection over suspicion. We believe strongly that houses of worship should not become fortresses, but rather sanctuaries of reflection, welcome, and conversation, the press release said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Noor Mosque is going to be hosting a community open house and interfaith forum with the goal of encouraging bridge-building and mutual understanding in the coming weeks, though they have not set a date yet. We invite our neighbors of all backgrounds to stand with us in affirming the values of dignity, peace, and justice for all, CCS wrote in the press release. Latest headlines: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) Midstate Pennsylvania will soon have three new Priests, according to the Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg. The Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg says Bishop Timothy C. Senior will ordain three deacons to the Sacred Priesthood for the Diocese of Harrisburg at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 7, at Saint Patricks Cathedral in Harrisburg. The three new Priests were born and raised in Pennsylvania, and come from Parishes all across the Midstate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now abc27 Evening Newsletter Cole Mase was born and raised in Palmyra, where his home parish is Holy Spirit Parish. The Diocese of Harrisburg says Mase worked as a shift manager at Sheetz and as a legislative monitor in Harrisburg before deciding to seek a deeper relationship with God. Andrew St. Denis, the second deacon to be ordained to the Priesthood, was born and raised in Lancaster County. His home parish is Mary, Mother of the Church in Mount Joy. Denis spent four years of undergraduate studies in college before entering seminary school, where he is about to finish his sixth year, according to the Diocese of Harrisburg. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clark Stiteler, from Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, is the third deacon to be ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Harrisburg. The Diocese of Harrisburg said Stiteler spent nearly seven years working as an attorney before entering seminary school. His hometown Parish is Saint Patrick Parish in Carlisle. The Ordination will be live-streamed to the Diocesan YouTube Channel. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. By Rodrigo Viga Gaier RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) -Brazil, the world's largest Roman Catholic country, saw its Catholic population decline further in 2022 while evangelical Christians and those with no religion continued to rise, census data released on Friday by statistics agency IBGE showed. The census indicated that Brazil had 100.2 million Roman Catholics in 2022, accounting for 56.7% of the population, down from 65.1% or 105.4 million recorded in the 2010 census. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, the share of evangelical Christians rose to 26.9% last year, up from 21.6% in 2010, adding 12 million followers to reach 47.4 million the highest figure on record. The numbers may spell trouble to Brazil's leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose Workers Party has historically struggled to gain ground among evangelicals. A recent Quaest poll showed that while 45% of Catholics approved of the Lula administration, only 30% of evangelicals did. The share of Catholics in Brazil has been dropping since the beginning of official records in 1872, when residents could only opt between Catholic or non-Catholic, said Maria Goreth Santos, an analyst of IBGE. Enslaved people, who made up a huge share of Brazil's population at the time, were all counted as Catholics, regardless of their wishes, she added. Still, Catholicism remains the country's most popular religion though the Vatican's dominance varies in different regions, with fewer Catholics in the Amazon region, and more in the Northeast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new census data also revealed that the number of Brazilians who declare to have no religion rose to 9.3% from 7.9%, totaling 16.4 million people. Afro-Brazilian religions, such as Umbanda and Candomble, also gained ground, with the number of followers increasing from to 1% from 0.3%. (Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier; Writing by Isabel Teles; Editing by Sandra Maler) LAS VEGAS (KLAS) Clark County School District police seized almost three dozen firearms during this past school year, finding them in classrooms, backpacks, and even students homes. Officers confiscated a total of 35 guns from Aug. 2024 to May 2025, according to the Clark County School District Police Department. That is a decrease compared to the previous school year, where 53 were found. Clark County School District rolls out new weapons detection system Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most of the firearms officers located in the 2024-2025 year were in high schools. However, in a few instances, middle schoolers were caught with firearms. Police went to JD Smith Middle School located in North Las Vegas on Mar. 24 after an alarm was activated. According to an arrest report, administrators found a gun on a student after searching him based on a suspicion. He was already on probation. CCSDPD said officers only found one round in the magazine; four other rounds were reported missing. On Mar. 7, officers were dispatched to Cimarron High School. Administrators had located a pink gun that was hidden in a students backpack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to police, the gun had one round in the chamber and three in the magazine. On Mar. 7, officers were dispatched to Cimarron High School. Administrators had located a pink gun that was hidden in a students backpack. (KLAS) The student told police he was door checking vehicles in the nearby apartments last week and he came across an unlocked vehicle in which he found and searched a purse that was inside the vehicle. He located and took the gun and decided to bring it to school today, according to an arrest report. 8 News Now also obtained a video from CCSD showing a teenager at Spring Valley High School running around campus late last year. The student had a gun with several rounds in his backpack, and the gun did not have a serial number, according to an arrest report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement School police were tipped off on March 27 to a student at Legacy High School posting photos on Instagram holding a gun and a liquor bottle. Police said when officers searched him, he didnt have the gun. He told officers it was his mothers gun that she kept in a safe. School police were tipped off on March 27 to a student at Legacy High School posting photos on Instagram holding a gun and a liquor bottle. (KLAS) He then spontaneously uttered that it was easy to break the lock of the boxstated that he did it with a flathead screwdriver and that all he needed to do was push down on the lock and it popped and broke open, according to an arrest report. The districts records showed Legacy High School was connected to eight gun confiscations in the 2024-2025 school year. Several of the students arrested at Legacy had gang affiliations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police seize guns from high school students in North Las Vegas with alleged gang ties Sixteen students were arrested in the 2024-2025 school year for possessing guns, according to CCSD records. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. SOUTHWEST and SOUTH-CENTRAL COLORADO (KREX) The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is giving Coloradans the chance to help set the priorities for transportation resources. CDOT will be hosting telephone town halls across Colorado and citizens can call in to specific regions related to transportation districts of the members of the Colorado Commission. The telephone town halls allow state residents to call in or join online to share their input on transportation resources. The first town hall meeting took place last Thursday, June 5, and the second will take place this coming Monday, June 9, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The counties that were able to call in on Thursday were Alamosa, Archuleta, Conejos, Costilla, Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Rio Grande, Saguache, San Miguel and San Juan. Those who have the chance to give their input on Monday are Chaffee, Delta, Eagle, Garfield, Gunnison, Lake, Mesa, Montrose, Ouray, Pitkin and Summit County. To sign up, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Its June 5th, but some South Dakotans may know it as Forever 605 Day. Its a time set aside to take in the beauty and amenities across the state. Margaret Rush of Sioux Falls spent this 605 day taking in the rushing waterfalls at Falls Park. Lincoln Countys 2026 budget sees $500K cut forecast Family is visiting here, so we made a big to do to come out here and enjoy Falls Park, Rush said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 605 is the area code across the state, which gives people a reason to come together. Its just a day for all of us to say, Hey, we have all of this. We are one, and thats what 605 Day is, Experience Sioux Falls CEO Teri Schmidt said. Schmidt says its a time to build community pride. Theres a lot of great passion and support for our community in so many ways. This is just another day to say, Hey, we got it going on in Sioux Falls. This is a great place to be,' Schmidt said. Schmidt says tourism is starting to see a slight increase, so whether you visit Falls Park, the Arc of Dreams, local wildlife or downtown, its as good of a time as any to enjoy what Sioux Falls has to offer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To us its about hey, lets get out and celebrate Sioux Falls. Enjoy the art, the recreation, the parks, Falls Park, go shopping, go eating someplace, your favorite diner, Schmidt said. And as Rush takes in the beautiful views of Falls Park, shell make sure she enjoys the nice weather while she still can. Winter will be here before you know it, Rush said. Travel South Dakota is encouraging you to share your favorite places in South Dakota on social media. For more information on how to do that, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com. EDWARDSVILLE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) Police say they have two suspects in the break-in and theft at a cell phone store in Luzerne County. Police say one of the suspects was identified by someone who saw him on a 28/22 news social media post about the break-in. Video of the break-in at the Boost Mobile store in Edwardsville on Thursday morning shows two men inside the store. One man was identified by police as 55-year-old Peter Showalter, and law enforcement say break-ins at cell phone stores are increasing nationwide and in our area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Surveillance video taken inside the Boost Mobile store in the West Side Mall in Edwardsville on Thursday morning. It was 6:30 a.m. Police say two men broke in and calmly walked around the store, stealing merchandise. Police say 55-year-old Peter Showalter is the man not concealing his face. The other suspect, according to police, is believed to be 29-year-old Mailk Smith. Islam Rabb is an area manager for Boost Mobile. What did you think when you saw that? 28/22 News I-Team Reporter Andy Mehalshick asked. I was shocked. We really havent had any issues with break-ins here at this location. It was already 6:30 in the morning, so it wasnt like it was in the middle of the night. Pretty much broad daylight at the time, Rabb explained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Showalter was arrested by Wilkes-Barre Police for allegedly stealing the Mercedes Benz that was used in the Boost Mobile break-in. Investigators tell the I-Team that someone recognized Showalter on a 28/22 News social media post, as well as on the Edwardsville Facebook page, and called police. Nuisance mosquitoes prompt spraying in several communities They connected Showalter and Malik Smith to the stolen Mercedes. Detectives also say that cell phone thefts, both from stores and individuals, are on the rise in northeastern Pennsylvania. Theres a large market for it. It is becoming more difficult for them to sell phones in that manner, but theres always somebody that going to be willing to buy it, Rabb added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spencer Rappaport is a tech expert and runs a computer store in Edwardsville. Theres a great market for them. People take them and will replace the IMEI, which is the serial number, basically that identifies them to what carrier that can be used, which service they can put on them, Rappaport said. Edwardsville police say Showalter will be charged Monday morning in connection with the Boost Mobile break-in. Malik Smith is considered a suspect. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to 28/22 News. PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) The Central Illinois Resource Center gathered local leaders to discuss ways the community can overcome barriers in the mental health realm during a virtual town hall on Thursday. The Central Illinois Resource Center hosted the town hall to provide healthcare, law enforcement and therapy perspectives. Panelists shared mental health barriers, including knowledge on how conditions work, access to care, and bettering the current mental health care system. Guest speakers included psychotherapist Kate Mills, Robin Henry of Solvera Health and Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Central Illinois Resource Center, more than 2.1 million adults in Illinois live with a mental health condition. Illinois ranks 29th in access to mental health care in the United States. Mills shared how telehealth has impacted the mental health world. I think overall it has increased the accessibility, again to people seeking help for especially things like social anxiety or agoraphobia or things that would typically prevent a person from seeking care outside of their home, Mills said. So telehealth is a really great option, especially for people who maybe are from a different socioeconomic background, who arent able to drive or get transportation to these services. She adds that one concern people have when it comes to telehealth is ensuring their privacy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The mission of the Central Illinois Resource Center is to advocate for mental health awareness, address food insecurity and provide essential resources to those in need. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com. The CEO of artificial intelligence company Anthropic called on the White House to drop its plan to limit AI regulation. Dario Amodei said a provision in President Donald Trumps bill to place a 10-year moratorium on state-level regulation of AI was far too blunt with AI advancing head-spinningly fast. He called instead for a national framework requiring leading firms to disclose their safety policies and efforts to reduce AI risk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Amodei who warned last week that technology could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs in five years is not the only AI boss calling for regulation of the technology: DeepMinds leader recently called for internationally agreed rules to implement safeguards across borders. We recently published a list of 10 Stock Predictions That Jim Cramer Got Right Again. In this article, we are going to take a look at where The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) stands against other stocks that Jim Cramer discusses. In that older episode, a caller from the Investing Club asked if The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) was worth adding to amid ongoing weakness in its China business and luxury segment. Cramer was deeply disappointed with the stocks performance at the time and cautioned against buying more: Until I see something actually good out of the company I cant keep buying it. It is a horrendous stock the worst stock that we own now China was bad but Chinas inventory has been cleaned out I need to see something, anything positive even just like a maybe like a bottle of MAC. Cramer was brutally honest in calling it a horrendous stock, and rightly so as its down -44.51%. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) is a global leader in prestige beauty, producing skincare, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products under brands like Estee Lauder, MAC, and Clinique. Was Jim Cramer Right About The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (EL)? A close-up of a customer's hands selecting beauty products from an online retailer. Overall, EL ranks 2nd on our list of stocks that Jim Cramer discusses. While we acknowledge the potential of EL as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. A longtime Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools administrator will take the helm of the 11,000-student school district in July, the district announced Thursday. Rodney Trice, the districts deputy superintendent for teaching and learning, systemic equity and engagement, starts his new job July 1, but will serve as interim superintendent starting Monday. He will replace Superintendent Nyah Hamlett, who officially leaves the district June 27, but is taking three weeks of vacation time. Dr. Trices genuine and heartfelt dedication to Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools is what stood out, school board Chair George Griffin said. Dr. Trice is invested here, and he is highly regarded both professionally and personally. That, combined with his experience, accolades, preparation and performance, made Dr. Trice the ideal choice to be the next superintendent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trice has over 27 years of educational experience, including more than 12 years as the Chapel Hill-Carrboro districts executive director for curriculum, instruction and technology and as associate superintendent for student and social services and equity oversight. He left the district in 2014 to join the Wake County Public School System as its assistant superintendent for equity affairs. In 2021, he returned to CHCCS as chief equity and engagement officer, and was promoted the next year to his current position. As superintendent, he will face some immediate challenges, from declining enrollment and ongoing budget problems to last weeks Carrboro High School student walkout to protest the principal and this falls transition to 4X4 block scheduling in the high schools. His contract will run through June 30, 2029, and shows he will earn a starting salary of $235,000, including a local supplement. Honoring Hamlett, promoting Trice On Thursday, Trice presented Hamlett with a framed photo of the districts leadership team as she was being honored. She is moving to Maryland to be the chief equity and development officer for Montgomery County Public Schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamlett, who was moved to tears Thursday, expressed gratitude and appreciation for her leadership team and other district employees, many of whom filled the district boardroom. They are amazing educators, and they care so deeply about every single child and every single staff member that is under their care, and the only reason you guys can recite (district) stats is because of the work that they do every single day, she said. Trice received a standing ovation as his promotion was announced a few minutes later. I will be forever grateful for your leadership, Trice told Hamlett, while also thanking district employees and the community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Serving as superintendent is more than a title. It is a responsibility rooted in the publics trust, Trice said. Im honored, Im humbled, and Im ready to do this work in partnership with the board for a community that means so much for me and my family, a community that Ive called home for almost two decades. In a district statement, Trice credited his parents, who were classroom teachers, with giving him a profound and deep respect for educators. At the meeting, he also thanked his wife, Kenya, and their two daughters, one of whom is a high school student. Trice plans open door, partnership Trice was selected out of 37 applicants from 14 states and territories, a news release said. The Morehouse College graduate has a masters degree in educational leadership from the University of Detroit Mercy and a doctorate in educational leadership from UNC-Chapel Hill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He has served as a policy advisor for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction; was an associate principal in the Orange County Schools; and a science teacher, department chair and director in Detroit, Michigan. The district noted that Trice has earned multiple statewide honors, including the Dr. Samuel Houston Jr. Leadership Award from the N.C. School Superintendents Association, which he received in April after graduating from the Aspiring Superintendent Program. He has also received the 2024 Dr. Frances Jones Trailblazer Award from the N.C. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the 2020 Distinguished Leadership Alumni Award from UNC-Chapel Hills School of Education. He is looking forward to creating an open and transparent district, where he can work with the community to be a full partner in tackling challenges, Trice said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If our system isnt working for a student, a family or a teacher, I want them to feel comfortable reaching out and saying, Rodney, this isnt working. People can expect me to listen deeply and work collaboratively to find real solutions that move us forward, he said. A formal swearing-in ceremony could be held at the boards June 18 meeting, Griffin said. Informal meet-and-greets and a tour of the schools this fall to meet students, parents and staff will also be scheduled, the release said. Chapel Hill-Carrboro Superintendent Nyah Hamlett talks with elementary school students in this undated district photo. Hamlett, who was hired in January 2021, announced she will leave the district in June 2025. Hamletts tenure was challenging The district has cut several dozen positions in the last year, including teachers, to close a $5.3 million budget gap. Some of the staff members were reassigned to other roles, while the remainder retired or left the district. School board members have said staffing cuts were also needed because there are fewer students in the schools, in part because home sales in Chapel Hill and Carrboro are pricing out young families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Thursday, the Orange County Board of Commissioners debated the final draft of a 2025-26 budget that included a small funding increase for local schools, but not enough to meet the $10.3 million that Chapel Hill-Carrboro school leaders requested. The district does not have savings to fill the gap, because nearly $16 million in available funding covered shortfalls in the last four years. The outgoing superintendent was hired in late 2020, as the district was wrestling with hybrid classes and how to keep students safe but engaged. Academic results have been mixed in the last few years, state data shows, with the number of the districts schools earning a A on state report cards increasing to three. Roughly 94% of students graduated on time in 2024, data shows. But it also shows 11 schools earned a B last year, continuing a decline that started in 2022 and more schools earned a C than earned that grade in 2019. The state did not report results in 2020 or 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, board members praised Hamlett at Thursdays meeting for her strategic thinking and enthusiasm for the work. The job of a superintendent is a really hard job, board member Rani Dasi said. Every day, youre facing multiple issues across multiple groups (and) a mistake in any decision could be life-changing. In 2021, Hamlett put together an incredibly superb team of leaders, Griffin said, and she has focused on the districts priorities of student safety and wellness, fiscal stewardship, and commitment to stronger family and community engagement. The district also had an extremely low teacher turnover rate during her tenure only 2.7% at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year he said. One of reasons we had the budget crunch last year is nobody wanted to leave, Griffin said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Hamlett also faced personal challenges, including a campaign to force her out. Kevin Klosty and his son, Hunter, initially challenged district policies around COVID masking and virtual classes. Hamlett sought a no-contact order in 2023, and the Klostys responded by suing her last year. Both cases were dropped or dismissed. The News & Observer also reported in 2023 that Hamlett had plagiarized parts of her doctoral thesis. Hamlett said in a post published on the districts website that the dissertations sourcing and citations give required credit and accurately reflect her research. WILL COUNTY, Ill. Felony charges have been filed against a Will County man accused of sexually assaulting a child over a nearly two-year period. Will County deputies say 32-year-old Trevon Gunn, a Crete resident, is facing several charges, including two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a victim under 13, one count of criminal sexual assault of a victim aged 13 to 17 and one count of criminal sexual assault of a family member under 18. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputies say the charges stem from Gunns role in a string of incidents that allegedly unfolded between 2023 and 2025. According to deputies, during that nearly two-year period, Gunn allegedly sexually assaulted a juvenile under the age of 13. It is unclear how authorities first became aware of the alleged incidents, but Gunn was taken into custody by members of the United States Marshals Service (USMS) Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force on Tuesday, June 3. NIU student charged with 21 felonies for child sex abuse material allegedly found on devices in dorm room Gunns arrest came after Crete police sought out the help of the USMS to locate the suspect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities eventually found Gunn at a home in the 3000 block of Sherwood Avenue in Markham, Illinois, and after spotting him enter the home, they confronted him and took him into custody without incident. LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland Today, another dangerous fugitive is off the streets thanks to the collaborative efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies, Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley said. I want to thank the United States Marshals Service and the Crete Police Department for their partnership in safely apprehending this individual so he can face the serious and disturbing charges brought forth by investigators. Gunn is currently being held at the Will County Adult Detention Facility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) Hundreds of Ohioans are one step closer to justice; the Ohio Investigative Unit has indicted three people accused of using credit card skimmers to steal more than half a million dollars from some of our most vulnerable neighbors and, ultimately, taxpayers. NBC4 Investigates has been reporting on stolen SNAP benefits, which used to be known as food stamps. The suspects are accused of stealing more than half a million dollars of Ohio SNAP funds, but thats just in Ohio. Investigators tracked these three individuals across the United States, where they are accused of using skimmers to steal funds from SNAP recipients and from every taxpayer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unsolved Ohio: Who killed Amy Jo Nelson? Family wants answers in 2017 homicide It was embarrassing, disappointing, I did not understand what was going on at first, Shadawna Collier, who had her SNAP benefits stolen, said. NBC4 Investigates asked a social worker who helped raise the alarm about this development after nearly a year of investigation by the Ohio Investigative Unit into the use of card skimmers, which resulted in the theft of at least $600,000 in SNAP benefits across Ohio. I love it, licensed social worker Lakisa Dukes said. I love it because I felt like so many people had been affected by this and no one was listening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dukes heard from many clients who were targets of SNAP fraud. This is literally families who, that is all they have for food, Dukes said. After faculty overwhelmingly voted to unionize, Ohio University is suing them again NBC4 Investigates found that in Ohio last year, nearly 27,000 people reported their SNAP benefits stolen: almost $14 million of taxpayer money, gone. The suspects arrested now are allegedly responsible for part of that amount. Its relieving, Collier said. I know a lot of people rely on the food stamps. Our suspects in this case victimize some of the poorest people that we have, you know, across the country, because they use SNAP benefits from all over the country, Ohio Investigative Unit Agent in Charge Sam Love said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators tracked the suspects across the United States and found dozens of fraudulent cards filled with stolen funds. Theyre very transient, they travel all over, Love said. They went all over the country. Ohio House Minority Leader stepping down from leadership position A release from OIU said: A search warrant executed on their vehicle led to the seizure of more than $62,600 in cash, several gold coins, various pieces of gold jewelry, four cell phones, suspected cloned credit cards, and records. When investigators arrested the suspects, they allegedly found machines used to copy stolen card information and skimmers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ones they are putting on now are pretty small, Love said. They can slip right onto the terminal and it takes a good bit of effort for us to pull them off. The thefts are being reported across the United States. Most states, including Ohio, use SNAP cards that swipe, making them easy targets. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services says adding a chip feature to the SNAP cards could stop about 85% of the thefts. Woman charged in the murder of 8-year-old Columbus boy found in attic reaches plea agreement We know theres more going on, Love said. So the work continues, but its just, you know, on to the next case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some states have moved to add chip technology to SNAP cards. Ohio has tried, but the bill in the statehouse has not moved forward. The last time we told you about this issue was because the federal government had stopped reimbursing people whose benefits were stolen. Investigators share that this was an added push for them to get these indictments against the suspects, and the investigation is ongoing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. Alejandra De La Vega, pictured on Friday, June 6, 2025, outside the Lonnie Hamilton Public Services Building in North Charleston. De La Vega was among those present but not arrested during a June 1 law enforcement raid of Alamo nightclub in Charleston County. (Photo by Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette) NORTH CHARLESTON After law enforcement arrested 80 people during a weekend sting operation at a nightclub in Charleston County, federal immigration officials claimed the community at large knew that there was nothing good going on at that establishment. But for some people present during the 3 a.m. June 1 raid at the Alamo, that simply was not the case. For Alejandra De La Vega, the venue located just outside the town of Summerville, right along the Charleston and Dorchester county line, was a place to dance with friends. The Alamo nightclub, located outside the town of Summerville, as pictured on Friday, June 6, 2025. South Carolina and federal law enforcement arrested 80 people at the venue on June 1 during a weekend sting operation at the nightclub in Charleston County. (Photo by Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette) I went to Alamo to enjoy the night, just like many others, she told reporters Friday. But instead of fun, it turned into fear and humiliation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement De La Vega had just stepped out of the restroom when she said police stormed in, guns drawn. Patrons were running and screaming, she said, as more officers streamed in and ordered people to the ground. It was chaos, she said at the news conference outside the Lonnie Hamilton Public Services Building in North Charleston. County, state and federal law enforcement held and questioned the more than 200 people present at the club during the raid, dubbed Operation Last Stand, for two hours, De La Vega said. The S.C. State Law Enforcement Division began investigating Alamo in November 2024 after receiving a tip about potential human trafficking at the venue, agency spokeswoman Renee Wunderlich told the SC Daily Gazette Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Department of Homeland Security also got involved in the investigation at that time, she said. Later Friday, SLED announced criminal charges against two people, the clubs 59-year-old owner, Benjamin Reyna-Flores of Hanahan, and a 44-year-old security guard at the club, Terone Lavince Lawson of North Charleston. Reyna-Flores faces multiple charges related to unlawful sale of alcohol. The club had no alcohol license. Lawson faces illegal gun and drug possession charges. According to warrants from SLED, Lawson had 2 grams of meth, an eight ball of cocaine, and less than a gram of psychedelic mushrooms in his van. Police also found a pair of handguns in the van, which Lawson cannot legally possess due to past convictions for burglary in 2008 and assault in 2003. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those arrested include two unidentified high-level cartel members associated with the Mexico-based Los Zetas cartel and the Venezuela-based Tren de Aragua gang and one person wanted by Interpol for murder in Honduras, said U.S. Department of Homeland Security agent Cardell Morant. Ten juveniles as young as 13 including one reported as missing as well as an unidentified number of potential human trafficking victims were at the club at the time of the raid. Law enforcement also reported seizing guns, cocaine and cash. Will McCorckle, a member of the Charleston Immigrant Coalition, was among faith and community leaders to speak out on Friday, June 6, 2025, outside the Lonnie Hamilton Public Services Building in North Charleston. (Photo by Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette) In her retelling of events, De La Vega said police separated anyone with visible tattoos and photographed them. De La Vega, a transgender Latina woman who has lived in the United States since 2001, said officers questioned the validity of her state-issued I.D. card, as well as that of the transgender woman she was there with. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement De La Vega has legal residency status in the U.S. She was not arrested. But 80% of those arrested Sunday did not have legal status to be in the country. The vast majority were arrested on civil immigration charges, not criminal violations. Five people were arrested for criminal offenses, Morant said. Homeland Security confirmed to The Post & Courier that Sergio Joel Galo-Baca is the Honduran man wanted for international homicide. Beyond SLEDs announcement Friday, no other names or list of charges have been released. Homeland Security officials have not responded to emails sent by the SC Daily Gazette. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The narrative thats been put out by the sheriff, by the governor, by the attorney general, is that they are just trying to stop violent criminals, stop trafficking, said Will McCorkle, a member of the Charleston Immigrant Coalition. But what they quickly overlook are the many innocent people that were detained and are now in the process of deportation for no real purpose. Now, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina, several families do not know where their family members are. They have searched their names online using Immigration and Customs Enforcements database that people can use to locate the state and center where detainees are being held. But their family members names have not shown up in the search, said Dulce Lopez, immigrant rights advocacy strategist for the ACLU. They can only assume, based on news reports, that their family members are at an ICE holding facility in Folkston, Georgia. Dulce Lopez, of the ACLU of South Carolina, was among those who spoke out on Friday, June 6, 2025, outside the Lonnie Hamilton Public Services Building in North Charleston. (Photo by Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette) That made me realize, how easily everything can be taken away, De La Vega said. I keep thinking, what if I didnt have a legal status? What if I were detained and ripped away from my family? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My mom is my hero, De La Vega continued. She came to this country and gave me and my siblings a better life. She raised us with love and sacrifice and with so much strength. Were really close, and I dont know what I would do if I was taken from her. No one should have lived with that fear. Charleston County Sheriff Carl Ritchie, during a news conference Monday, cited noise complaints at the club and reports of assaults in the parking lot. Outside of Sundays raid, the sheriffs department responded to the club 13 other times since 2020 for calls including suspicious circumstances, vandalism and one armed robbery, according to a call log provided by the department. A sign posted on the door of the Alamo nightclub, located outside the town of Summerville, as pictured on Friday, June 6, 2025. (Photo by Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette) Area business owners said their biggest issue in the last several months had been club goers parking on the side of the highway and in their parking lots after the clubs lot filled up, leaving behind excessive trash and beer bottles after nearly every weekend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A group of faith and immigrant community leaders stressed that they do not condone criminal activity. But no one deserves to be treated as guilty by association, said Lopez, of the ACLU. People have reason to be afraid, McCorckle said, citing the recent case of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported in March to a notorious prison in El Salvador. Living in Maryland, Garcia had been protected from deportation by a 2019 judges ruling that he likely faced gang persecution in his home country. The Trump administration has insisted Garcia is an MS-13 gang member, which Garcia denied. On Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Garcia was back in U.S. custody to face criminal charges in Tennessee related to human smuggling. In a unanimous vote last week, the Charlotte City Council approved an update to the citys climate goals. Council originally set climate benchmarks in 2018, and the city established the Strategic Energy Action Plan to meet those goals by tracking and reducing the citys greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to cleaner sources of electricity. The updated version, known as the Strategic Energy Action Plan Plus, expands on those goals by setting a benchmark to transition its entire light-duty fleet and cut citywide emissions by 72% by 2035, then reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ALSO READ: Charlotte adjusts city-wide climate goals as 2030 deadline approaches Additionally, Heather Bolick, the citys chief sustainability officer, explained that the new plan also focuses far more on climate adaptation and ways to make green technology more accessible to those who live and work in the city. One thing that we found through our engagement that was really important to the community was things like tree canopy and also reducing waste, she said. We need more shade. We need a cooler city. Bolick explained a city study found Charlotte is experiencing triple the high heat days that it experienced on average 30 years ago, so finding ways to improve shade or reflect the heat rather than absorb it is an important part of the citys plan moving forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have concrete instead of asphalt, she explained. We have cool roofs, and that reflects the heat back up into the atmosphere. The largest portion of the citys emissions comes from transportation, particularly road and rail. While Bolick explains the city is working to cut down on that through replacing its fleet with electric vehicles, adding more charging infrastructure, and advocating for the county transit plan to reduce car dependency. The Peppertree Apartments are benefiting from another citys strategy. A partnership between the complex, a mobility nonprofit, and the city, Peppertree Apartments, launched an EV carshare program about three months ago. As property manager Meg Martin explains, the program allows residents, many of whom make below the area median income, to reserve and drive one of the on-site EVs for less than the cost of an Uber or Lyft. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A lot of our residents dont have actual vehicles, but they have a drivers license, she said. This gives them a chance if they need to go to the doctors, if they need to go grocery shopping, or if they need to get their child to and from daycare. From the citys perspective, its a win-win, allowing more families access to affordable point-to-point transportation while reducing emissions and making green technology more accessible. Bolick said the city hopes to get more programs like this off the ground, including the Solarize Charlotte-Mecklenburg program, which aims to make residential and community solar more affordable to residents across the city. In the meantime, Bolick said the city is continuing to try and get all its electricity from zero-carbon sources by 2030 by building up its own solar generation. In the end, though, she said Charlotte cant meet its ambitious goals unless theres buy-in from local residents and businesses. The past six years weve been putting policy in place, programs, really setting ourselves up to get ourselves going, she said. Now were asking our community to come with us. VIDEO: Charlotte adjusts city-wide climate goals as 2030 deadline approaches (QUEEN CITY NEWS) The man accused of blowing up his own home in the citys Dilworth neighborhood made his first appearance in court Friday following his extradition from Chicago. Michael Edward Barnette, 41, was taken into custody by the Mecklenburg County Sheriffs Office after being arrested May 9 in Chicago on an out-of-state fugitive warrant. He was charged in connection with a massive house explosion on May 2, 2025, that rocked the usually quiet Lombardy Circle area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors alleged Barnette poured gasoline throughout his home and set it on fire as an intentional act. A neighbor said they last saw Barnette on May 1, a day before the fire, and he appeared to be having issues selling his house. Michael Barnette. (Mecklenburg County Sheriffs Office) Barnette faces eight felony charges, including: Three counts of first-degree arson Two counts of malicious use of explosives causing property damage Malicious use of an explosive causing injury Two counts of arson (free text) Officials said no one was inside the home when the explosion occurred, but one person sustained a minor injury. Prosecutors said a fire investigator was also injured when they stepped on a nail and required some medical treatment. Damage from the blast is estimated at around $445,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During Fridays court appearance before Mecklenburg County Judge Matthew Dennis Newton, Barnettes bond status was reviewed. Im concerned about the defendant leaving, said Judge Newton about Barnette, who was arrested at an Amtrak station in Chicago. Judge Newton continued that the allegations against Barnette involve some risk of injury to others, if not death. As a result, Barnette was denied bond for at least four of the charges and was issued a combined bond of $325,000 for the remaining charges. His next court date is scheduled for June 27 inside the Mecklenburg County Courthouse. MORE FROM QCNEWS.COM Crime & Public Safety Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. U.S. Army Air Forces Tech. Sgt. Clarence E. Gibbs, 21, of Charlotte, has been identified decades after he was killed during a 1944 bombing mission in Germany. ALSO READ: Remains of missing soldiers from World War II uncovered His remains were recovered in a German cemetery and confirmed using DNA and dental analysis. Gibbs will be buried in Clinton, South Carolina, at a later date. In late 1944, Gibbs was assigned to 368th Bombardment Squadron, 306th Bombardment Group, 1st Bombardment Division, 8th Air Force. VIDEO: World War II veteran shares her secret to long life on 100th birthday Costco shoppers beware! The warehouse chain has recently issued a recall on a popular Coca-Cola product, Topo Chico Mineral Water (one of Delish's top-ranked seltzers). The recall is due to possible contamination with Pseudomonas, a bacteria that naturally occurs in water sources and soil. While the chain noted that the health consequences of consuming the contaminated water by healthy individuals are low, those with weakened immune systems could experience "potential minor health consequences." Luckily, the recall doesn't seem to be widespreadshoppers at Costco's Texas and Louisiana warehouses are the only ones who need to check their fridges and pantries. The affected products include Topo Chico Mineral Water in 16.9-ounce bottles (or 500mL) in an 18-pack size with lot code #13A2541. The contaminated waters were sold between May 20, 2025, and May 29, 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Costco suggests that customers who purchased any of the affected products return them to their local Costco for a full refund. Anyone with questions can call Coca-Cola at 1-800-GET-COKE. Unfortunately, this isn't the only Coca-Cola product to be recalled this year. Just a couple of months ago, the soda itself was recalled for containing plasticyikes. Of course, hydration is an important staple in everyday life, but in this case, let's not risk it and return those bottles ASAP. You Might Also Like It was supposed to be a peaceful demonstration. Instead, it ended in flames. But what came after the attack in Boulder may be even more incendiary, especially online, where some users in their teens and 20s were not condemning the violence. They were endorsing it. On a clear afternoon in late May, a pro-Israel demonstration on Boulder, Colorados iconic Pearl Street Mall turned into a scene of terror. An Egyptian citizen, wielding improvised firebombs, attacked the crowd, injuring 15 people and igniting panic in a city more often associated with peaceful protests and college town calm. Authorities swiftly arrested the suspect, now charged with multiple felonies including attempted murder and arson. Law enforcement has labeled the incident an act of terrorism. But while the violence rattled the city and the Jewish community in particular, a very different response was unfolding online. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Videos posted by major outlets such as ABC News, Daily Mail, and MSNBC quickly amassed thousands of views on TikTok and Instagram. In the comment sections, a disturbing trend emerged: Rather than denouncing the attack, many young users applauded it. "He just wanted freedom for Palestine." "Keep up the good work brother! Hero." "Free him, he did no wrong. He did what we all wanted." "I was about to comment about how terrible this is and then I realized it was a pro-Israel rally and I suddenly didnt feel bad anymore." Some expressed outright Jew-hatred, writing things like, "Reduce their population" and "We owe Germany an apology." Others painted the attacker as a martyr or revolutionary. Several claimed the incident was staged entirely, a so-called "false flag" to build sympathy for Israel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This chorus of justification, denial, and celebration is jarring but not entirely surprising given the current climate. Recent polling shows a dramatic shift in how young Americans view the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. According to Pew Research Center, 53% of U.S. adults now hold an unfavorable view of Israel. Support for the Palestinian cause has grown, particularly among Democrats and younger voters. In one RealClearPolling analysis,respondentsunder 28 years old were more likely than any other age group to sympathize with Palestinians over Israelis and to view Israels military actions in Gaza as unjustified. As someone from this generation, and from Boulder, Ive watched these sentiments evolve online, where politics blur with memes and moral lines often collapse under the weight of outrage or irony. Seeing this unfold in my own hometown made it feel less like an aberration and more like a wake-up call. Whats chilling isnt just the cruelty of the comments. Its how natural they seem to the people posting them, many of whom are my peers. Layered atop this political shift is a deepening distrust of institutions. A significant share of younger Americans express skepticism toward government narratives, traditional news media, and even the legitimacy of domestic law enforcement. According to the spring 2025 Harvard Youth Poll, fewer than one in three express trust in major institutions. But when that skepticism is applied to something as clear and violent as the Boulder attack, is it truly thoughtful or is it reflexive, corrosive doubt - the kind that opens the door to conspiracism and moral disengagement? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That mindset helps explain the abundance of conspiracy-laden responses: "Yeah they set this up. Dont believe it at all," read one comment. Another called it a "planned distraction," while others insisted it was staged with actors. Though many of these reactions remain anonymous and ephemeral, they point to a generational divide not just in foreign policy, but in the moral frameworks through which violence is interpreted. Zoe Mardiks, a recent graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder and a Jewish student leader, was at her apartment when she learned of the attack. "My first reaction was to text some of my other Jewish friends to check in and ensure that everyone was okay and safe," she said. "I felt very scared that this had happened in my community." What disturbed her just as much as the attack itself was the flood of online comments defending it. "The ongoing justification for violence significantly downplays the rights of Jews and Israel to exist," Mardiks said. In her view, social media has warpedher generations sense of moral clarity. "Because of how the war has been broadcast on social media, everyone feels they have a say in the issue and believes they possess all the knowledge," she said. Mardiks said her response to those defending the attacker is simple: "If you truly care about saving or freeing anyone, we can only do that by educating each other in a non-attacking way the line is drawn when you praise violence." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Boulder attack marks a grim milestone: a foreign conflict spilling onto American soil in the form of violence, and met, in some corners of the Internet, with tacit approval. That many of those corners are populated by Americans under 30 raises hard questions about what this generation, my generation, believes, whom they stand with, and what they consider justifiable resistance. For us, the line between protest and terrorism used to feel clear. Now, for too many, that line seems negotiable. "He did what we all wanted." If thats true, we may need to start asking what "we" really means now. Adair Teuton is a 2025 intern with RealClearPolitics. Bloomberg / Getty Images Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Meta Connect, Sept. 25, 2024 Key Takeaways JPMorgan unveiled a slate of top internet stocks, which included mega-cap names Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet. Others to earn a shoutout included Spotify, eBay, Etsy, Duolingo, and Booking. The bank raised its price targets for companies across the sector as trade war concerns have abated in recent weeks. JPMorgan analysts raised their price targets on a number of internet stocks, signaling to clients that concerns over the Trump administrations tariff policies have at least partially subsided. Big Tech titans Amazon (AMZN) and Meta (META) each earned a higher price objective, along with smaller names like Spotify (SPOT), eBay (EBAY), Duolingo (DUOL), Etsy (ETSY), and Booking (BKNG). Amazon JPMorgan expects Amazon Web Services growth to reaccelerate in the second half of the year as supply chain constraints ease. The company has a litany of other potential growth catalysts, as well, including advertising, grocery sales, Amazon Logistics, and its Project Kuiper satellite internet initiative, the bank said. The company moved its price target to $240 from $225, which implies 17% upside over Amazons price shortly after the opening bell Wednesday. Meta Advertising tailwinds should help the Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp parent deliver revenue percentage growth in the low teens in 2025 and 2026, JPMorgan said. Artificial intelligence has also bolstered Metas family of apps, with Meta AI boasting roughly 1 billion monthly active users, analysts noted. The bank bumped its target for Meta to $735 from $675, suggesting 8% upside. Alphabet Google owner Alphabet (GOOGL) was also listed among JPMorgans top internet picks, although its price target remained unchanged at $195 (a 16% premium). Google has executed well its rollout of AI search tools, including AI Overviews last year and the recent introduction of AI Mode for search, the bank said. JPMorgan also pointed to the growth of Waymo, Alphabets driverless taxi business. The company has partnered with Uber (UBER) and currently operates in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin, with Atlanta and Miami next on deck. Spotify and Others The music streaming giant is expected to see low-mid teens revenue growth driven by its premium subscriber base, JPMorgan said, raising its target to $730 from $670. Meanwhile, online sellers eBay and Etsy should each benefit from China tariff relief, while Duolingo showed strength by beating expectations with recent quarterly results and guidance, the bank said. Read the original article on Investopedia Dozens marched to Flint City Hall on April 25, 2024, considered the 10th anniversary of the start of the Flint water crisis | Ken Coleman Nearly three years after a Flint-based chemical processing company released about 15,000 gallons of mixed oil and chemicals into the Flint River, the companys director is set to stand trial for his role in the release. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Friday announced that Rajinder Singh Minhas, of Rochester, was bound over to stand trial in the Genesee County Circuit Court on four felony charges for allegedly mismanaging and neglecting critical maintenance and upgrades at the Lockhart Chemical Company. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Minhas stands accused of four felony charges: Falsely altering a public record, punishable by up to 14 years in prison; Uttering and publishing a false or altered public record, also punishable by up to 14 years in prison; Substantial endangerment to the public, punishable by up to five years in prison; Discharge of an injurious substance to waters of the state, punishable by up to two years in prison. Serious violations by businesses that endanger the health and well-being of Michigan residents and our environment cannot be tolerated, Nessel said in a statement. I am grateful to the talented prosecutors in my office, the dedicated experts from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, Michigan State Police, the Genesee County Sheriffs Office, the Oakland County Sheriffs Office, and detectives of EGLE and [the Department of Natural Resources] Environmental Investigation Section, who all played a significant role in advancing this case through the judicial process. Minhas also faces several misdemeanor charges including nine violations of the states liquid industrial waste law and 11 other offenses for violating hazardous waste statutes. A pretrial date has not been set, according to the Attorney Generals office. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX (COLORADO SPRINGS) Officials with the City of Colorado Springs said North Cheyenne Canyon Road and Gold Camp Road will remain closed indefinitely while they wait for rain to let up in order to assess the damage from a washout on Wednesday, June 4. According to an update sent by the City on Thursday, the significant amount of rain the City has received, along with a number of other unknown factors, caused the washout of an entire lane of Cheyenne Canyon Road about 1.5 miles up the Canon from the Starsmore Visitor and Nature Center. Seven Bridges Trail closed due to heavy rain and potential for hazardous conditions Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the interest of safety and to allow crews to continue assessing and mitigating the damage, the City said both gates into the park remain closed. View Wednesdays press conference on the collapse below: Gold Camp Road remains closed to the public but is accessible to neighbors who live in the area. The City said the public closure ensures people who live in the area and use Gold Camp Road to access their homes can do so safely. The closure is also a safety precaution for the public to alleviate congestion on the narrow, steep road as this road now becomes the only way in and out of North Cheyenne Canon. Our primary focus remains on keeping people safe, said Gayle Sturdivant, the City Engineer and Deputy Director of Public Works. That includes people who want to visit the park, as well as those who reside in it. More rain is forecasted for Thursday and Friday, and the Citys Public Works Department said it must wait for rain to end before fully assessing the damage and creating a plan to repair the road. The City Engineer needs to certify the road as safe before it can reopen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement City crews placed large boulders in the newly created washout channel on Wednesday and Thursday to prevent further roadway damage. For now, City officials recommend people use one of the many other recreational spaces and trails throughout the city and region, including Ute Valley Park, Pulpit Rock, High Chaparral Open Space, and Sondermann Park, Stratton and Red Rock Canyon Open Spaces. Finally, the City said it is working with Pikes Peak APEX officials to stage the Sunday event in North Cheyenne Canon, dependent on road safety and weather. More details will be available at the APEX rider meeting on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Scheels, 1226 Interquest Parkway, or via its website. Those who cannot attend the meeting can follow updates on the APEX Instagram account. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado. Chicago is facing a massive budget gap, and its mayor has a possible solution. But it's not one that's sitting well with all retailers. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wants "to reinstate a 1% grocery tax" in Chicago, according to Fox 32. Johnson's push for the tax came after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker eliminated it in the state budget, the television station reported. The Chicago Tribune also reported that Johnson "is pushing aldermen to add a city grocery tax in Chicago as the long-established state grocery levy expires." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The grocery tax would bring in about $80 million for the city's 2026 budget, The Tribune reported. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the push came from "top mayoral aides" to alderpeople. Chief Financial Officer Jill Jaworski and Budget Director Annette Guzman spoke to alderpeople at a revenue subcommittee and told them that Chicago needs "a local version of the state-eliminated 1% grocery tax," the Sun-Times reported. They also said that, to close a $1.12 billion budget gap, the City of Chicago "needs a sales tax on professional services" and "a greater share of state income and personal property replacement taxes," the Sun-Times reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Fox 32, the Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) is concerned about a grocery tax for Chicagoans. "The message is that they have to consider the consumer," said Rob Karr, the president and CEO of IRMA, to Fox 32. "The retailer considers the consumer every day. Grocery, as you know, is one of the most narrow profit margins of all the industries that are out there, but particularly in retail. And so they really have no place else to go with this. That's something that has to get passed on to the consumer, so it really comes down, again to are the city leaders, is the mayor and the city council willing to impose to yet another financial pressure on their consumers?" he added. Related: Krystal Rivera Identified as 'Young, Vibrant' Chicago Police Officer Killed on Duty Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Pushes 'Grocery Tax' first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 6, 2025 Earlier in what would be her final shift, Chicago police Officer Krystal Rivera took two guns off the street, authorities said, only to come face-to-face with a rifle later that night. Rivera, 36, a four-year veteran with a young daughter who lived in the Irving Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side, was killed after the Gresham (6th) District tactical team she was part of tried to conduct an investigatory stop on a person believed to have a weapon about 9:50 p.m. Thursday in the 8200 block of South Drexel Avenue. The first Chicago police officer to be killed in the line of duty this year, Rivera was mourned by city officials and her fellow officers, who praised her work ethic and asked Chicagoans to keep her family in their prayers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our officer was young, vibrant and a hard worker, police Superintendent Larry Snelling said, speaking from the University of Chicago Medical Center early Friday. She was a working police officer trying to keep the streets safe. Flanked by department brass, Mayor Brandon Johnson and other city and state officials, Snelling gave some details about the shooting, but did not offer a full picture of exactly how the shooting unfolded. In response to a reporters question about the gunfire, Snelling said investigators were waiting on a warrant to search the apartment where the shooting happened. Heres the deal: We wont know that until the search warrant is served and we are able to go through that apartment and collect more evidence. The evidence that we collect usually gives a story of what occurred in there, Snelling said. So until we have all of that information we cant rely on just one source at this time. An autopsy found that Rivera was shot in the back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A CPD spokesperson declined to comment on the autopsy results or further elaborate on the circumstances of the shooting and whether it could even have been friendly fire saying the investigation is ongoing, and referring to Snellings comments from Thursday night. It was not clear Friday afternoon whether the suspects fired a weapon. This is what Snelling did relay about the shooting, though, in a news conference that took place hours after the event. The officers first tried to stop someone thought to be armed when the individual ran into an apartment, and the officers followed, he said. There, Snelling said, the team encountered a second person armed with a rifle. One of the officers fired a gun at some point during the confrontation, he said, and another officer was shot, later succumbing to her injuries at University of Chicago Medical Center. When the officers followed into that location they were then confronted by a second person who was in that apartment who was armed with a rifle pointed at the officers, Snelling said. At some point the officer discharged the weapon. Our officer was struck. She was then transported by assisting units to the hospital here where she later succumbed to her wounds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two people in the apartment ran away and were arrested shortly afterward, Snelling said, though he said officials had several people in custody in connection with the shooting. The department did not specify exactly how many people were in custody as of Friday afternoon. A third officer hurt his wrist and was listed in fair condition, according to a police statement. Investigators recovered three weapons at the scene and were still reviewing body-worn camera footage, Snelling said, and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability was investigating the shooting. After the shooting, police officers took their wounded colleague to the hospital in a squad car, which crashed and caught fire on the way there because of what Snelling described as a malfunction with the vehicle. Another squad car finished the trip, he said, and the officers in the first car were doing fine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The way that she worked, it was evident that she did love her job, Snelling said. She wanted to make Chicago a better place. Riveras mother, reached by phone, declined to comment. In a statement posted to social media, the mayor asked Chicagoans to keep Riveras family in their prayers, especially her young daughter who will who will miss her mom for the rest of her life. Rivera had an unmatched work ethic, Johnson said. Officer Rivera was a hero who served on the force for four years. She had a long career in front of her. A bright future was stolen from her family and from her loved ones, he said in the statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The last Chicago officer to suffer fatal injuries on the job was Enrique Martinez, 26. Martinez, who was also assigned to the same Gresham District as Rivera, was fatally shot in November in the 8200 block of South Ingleside Avenue just one street east of where Rivera was killed Thursday. Outside the hospital early Friday, squad cars lined Cottage Grove Avenue for blocks in every direction. A peer support officer walked people, some of them in tears, in and out of the ambulance bay as others in uniform exchanged hugs in the street. In Chatham, the crime scene spanned multiple blocks as law enforcement agencies fanned out in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Cook County sheriffs deputies walked up and down Maryland Avenue near East 83rd Street with rifles and canine units while tactical teams searched nearby alleys with flashlights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As squad cars lined the streets for several blocks in every direction, a police helicopter circled the area, beaming a searchlight. Residents walked their dogs and filmed the scene on their phones, protesting when officers asked them to back up to Cottage Grove so they could expand the crime scene. Officers appeared to zero in on an alley on the west side of Ingleside. A resident leaned out the window of a courtyard building across the street and asked if they needed to get in. Detectives begin combing the front yard with flashlights. Just before noon Friday, a two-man crew arrived at the Gresham District station to affix purple and black bunting on the buildings facade, in keeping with CPD tradition after an officer is killed on the job. This is a developing story. Chicago police Officer Krystal Rivera was mistakenly shot by a fellow cop during a confrontation with an armed suspect that took her life Thursday, police have announced. In a statement late Friday, the department said that an investigation had reached the conclusion that Rivera was struck by friendly fire. As released in yesterdays preliminary statement, an officer discharged his weapon during the encounter with an armed offender, the statement read. Further investigation revealed the only weapon discharged during this incident was the weapon of the officer, whose gunfire unintentionally struck Officer Rivera. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rivera was widely praised Friday. Earlier in what would be her final shift, Rivera took two guns off the street, authorities said, only to come face-to-face with a rifle later that night. Rivera, 36, a four-year veteran with a young daughter who lived in the Irving Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side, was killed after the Gresham (6th) District tactical team she was part of tried to conduct an investigatory stop on a person believed to have a weapon about 9:50 p.m. Thursday in the 8200 block of South Drexel Avenue. The investigation into the aggravated assault of the police officers by the armed offender who pointed the rifle remains ongoing, the police statement read. This offender remains in custody. Detectives also continue to investigate the circumstances that led to the investigative stop preceding the encounter. At this time, no further information is available while the investigation continues. The statement concluded with a request for prayers for Riveras family and her partner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An autopsy had found that Rivera was shot in the back. The first Chicago police officer to be killed in the line of duty this year, Rivera was mourned by city officials and her fellow officers, who praised her work ethic and asked Chicagoans to keep her family in their prayers. Our officer was young, vibrant and a hard worker, police Superintendent Larry Snelling said, speaking from the University of Chicago Medical Center early Friday. She was a working police officer trying to keep the streets safe. Flanked by department brass, Mayor Brandon Johnson and other city and state officials, Snelling gave some details about the shooting, but did not offer a full picture of exactly how the shooting unfolded. In response to a reporters question about the gunfire, Snelling said investigators were waiting on a warrant to search the apartment where the shooting happened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres the deal: We wont know that until the search warrant is served and we are able to go through that apartment and collect more evidence. The evidence that we collect usually gives a story of what occurred in there, Snelling said. So until we have all of that information we cant rely on just one source at this time. Snelling in a news conference that took place hours after the event said the officers first tried to stop someone thought to be armed when the individual ran into an apartment, and the officers followed, he said. There, Snelling said, the team encountered a second person armed with a rifle. One of the officers fired a gun at some point during the confrontation, he said, and another officer was shot, later succumbing to her injuries at University of Chicago Medical Center. When the officers followed into that location they were then confronted by a second person who was in that apartment who was armed with a rifle pointed at the officers, Snelling said. At some point the officer discharged the weapon. Our officer was struck. She was then transported by assisting units to the hospital here where she later succumbed to her wounds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two people in the apartment ran away and were arrested shortly afterward, Snelling said, though he said officials had several people in custody in connection with the shooting. The department did not specify exactly how many people were in custody as of Friday afternoon. A third officer hurt his wrist and was listed in fair condition, according to a police statement. Investigators recovered three weapons at the scene and were still reviewing body-worn camera footage, Snelling said, and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability was investigating the shooting. After the shooting, police officers took their wounded colleague to the hospital in a squad car, which crashed and caught fire on the way there because of what Snelling described as a malfunction with the vehicle. Another squad car finished the trip, he said, and the officers in the first car were doing fine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The way that she worked, it was evident that she did love her job, Snelling said. She wanted to make Chicago a better place. Riveras mother, reached by phone, declined to comment. In a statement posted to social media, the mayor asked Chicagoans to keep Riveras family in their prayers, especially her young daughter who will who will miss her mom for the rest of her life. Rivera had an unmatched work ethic, Johnson said. Officer Rivera was a hero who served on the force for four years. She had a long career in front of her. A bright future was stolen from her family and from her loved ones, he said in the statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Family friend Alicia Headrick described Rivera as someone who was unapologetically herself and wanted everyone else to be able to tap into that as well. Headrick, 28 and a Grundy County sheriffs deputy, said she mostly stayed in touch with Rivera via social media. While they occasionally talked about working for two very different law enforcement agencies, Headrick mainly remembered Rivera cheering her on and likened her to an older sister. Rivera had been a single mother for some time and was ferociously independent, she said. (Rivera) just always wanted to make a life and career for herself and for her daughter, Headrick said. She had a very pure heart that just wanted to serve other people. The last Chicago officer to suffer fatal injuries on the job was Enrique Martinez, 26. Martinez, who was also assigned to the same Gresham District as Rivera, was fatally shot in November in the 8200 block of South Ingleside Avenue just one street east of where Rivera was killed Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Outside the hospital early Friday, squad cars lined Cottage Grove Avenue for blocks in every direction. A peer support officer walked people, some of them in tears, in and out of the ambulance bay as others in uniform exchanged hugs in the street. In Chatham, the crime scene spanned multiple blocks as law enforcement agencies fanned out in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Cook County sheriffs deputies walked up and down Maryland Avenue near East 83rd Street with rifles and canine units while tactical teams searched nearby alleys with flashlights. As squad cars lined the streets for several blocks in every direction, a police helicopter circled the area, beaming a searchlight. Residents walked their dogs and filmed the scene on their phones, protesting when officers asked them to back up to Cottage Grove so they could expand the crime scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers appeared to zero in on an alley on the west side of Ingleside. A resident leaned out the window of a courtyard building across the street and asked if they needed to get in. Detectives begin combing the front yard with flashlights. Just before noon Friday, a two-man crew arrived at the Gresham District station to affix purple and black bunting on the buildings facade, in keeping with CPD tradition after an officer is killed on the job. CHICAGO Earlier in what would be her final shift, Chicago police Officer Krystal Rivera took two guns off the street, authorities said, only to come face-to-face with a rifle later that night. Rivera, 36, a four-year veteran with a young daughter who lived in the Irving Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side, was killed after the Gresham (6th) District tactical team she was part of tried to conduct an investigatory stop on a person believed to have a weapon about 9:50 p.m. Thursday in the 8200 block of South Drexel Avenue. The first Chicago police officer to be killed in the line of duty this year, Rivera was mourned by city officials and her fellow officers, who praised her work ethic and asked Chicagoans to keep her family in their prayers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our officer was young, vibrant and a hard worker, police Superintendent Larry Snelling said, speaking from the University of Chicago Medical Center early Friday. She was a working police officer trying to keep the streets safe. Flanked by department brass, Mayor Brandon Johnson and other city and state officials, Snelling gave some details about the shooting, but did not offer a full picture of exactly how the shooting unfolded. In response to a reporters question about the gunfire, Snelling said investigators were waiting on a warrant to search the apartment where the shooting happened. Heres the deal: We wont know that until the search warrant is served and we are able to go through that apartment and collect more evidence. The evidence that we collect usually gives a story of what occurred in there, Snelling said. So until we have all of that information we cant rely on just one source at this time. An autopsy found that Rivera was shot in the back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A CPD spokesperson declined to comment on the autopsy results or further elaborate on the circumstances of the shooting and whether it could even have been friendly fire saying the investigation is ongoing, and referring to Snellings comments from Thursday night. It was not clear Friday afternoon whether the suspects fired a weapon. This is what Snelling did relay about the shooting, though, in a news conference that took place hours after the event. The officers first tried to stop someone thought to be armed when the individual ran into an apartment, and the officers followed, he said. There, Snelling said, the team encountered a second person armed with a rifle. One of the officers fired a gun at some point during the confrontation, he said, and another officer was shot, later succumbing to her injuries at University of Chicago Medical Center. When the officers followed into that location they were then confronted by a second person who was in that apartment who was armed with a rifle pointed at the officers, Snelling said. At some point the officer discharged the weapon. Our officer was struck. She was then transported by assisting units to the hospital here where she later succumbed to her wounds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two people in the apartment ran away and were arrested shortly afterward, Snelling said, though he said officials had several people in custody in connection with the shooting. The department did not specify exactly how many people were in custody as of Friday afternoon. A third officer hurt his wrist and was listed in fair condition, according to a police statement. Investigators recovered three weapons at the scene and were still reviewing body-worn camera footage, Snelling said, and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability was investigating the shooting. After the shooting, police officers took their wounded colleague to the hospital in a squad car, which crashed and caught fire on the way there because of what Snelling described as a malfunction with the vehicle. Another squad car finished the trip, he said, and the officers in the first car were doing fine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The way that she worked, it was evident that she did love her job, Snelling said. She wanted to make Chicago a better place. Riveras mother, reached by phone, declined to comment. In a statement posted to social media, the mayor asked Chicagoans to keep Riveras family in their prayers, especially her young daughter who will who will miss her mom for the rest of her life. Rivera had an unmatched work ethic, Johnson said. Officer Rivera was a hero who served on the force for four years. She had a long career in front of her. A bright future was stolen from her family and from her loved ones, he said in the statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Family friend Alicia Headrick described Rivera as someone who was unapologetically herself and wanted everyone else to be able to tap into that as well. Headrick, 28 and a Grundy County Sheriffs deputy, said she mostly stayed in touch with Rivera via social media. While they occasionally talked about working for two very different law enforcement agencies, Headrick mainly remembered Rivera cheering her on and likened her to an older sister. Rivera had been a single mother for some time and was ferociously independent, she said. (Rivera) just always wanted to make a life and career for herself and for her daughter, Headrick said. She had a very pure heart that just wanted to serve other people. The last Chicago officer to suffer fatal injuries on the job was Enrique Martinez, 26. Martinez, who was also assigned to the same Gresham District as Rivera, was fatally shot in November in the 8200 block of South Ingleside Avenue just one street east of where Rivera was killed Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Outside the hospital early Friday, squad cars lined Cottage Grove Avenue for blocks in every direction. A peer support officer walked people, some of them in tears, in and out of the ambulance bay as others in uniform exchanged hugs in the street. In Chatham, the crime scene spanned multiple blocks as law enforcement agencies fanned out in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Cook County sheriffs deputies walked up and down Maryland Avenue near East 83rd Street with rifles and canine units while tactical teams searched nearby alleys with flashlights. As squad cars lined the streets for several blocks in every direction, a police helicopter circled the area, beaming a searchlight. Residents walked their dogs and filmed the scene on their phones, protesting when officers asked them to back up to Cottage Grove so they could expand the crime scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers appeared to zero in on an alley on the west side of Ingleside. A resident leaned out the window of a courtyard building across the street and asked if they needed to get in. Detectives begin combing the front yard with flashlights. Just before noon Friday, a two-man crew arrived at the Gresham District station to affix purple and black bunting on the buildings facade, in keeping with CPD tradition after an officer is killed on the job. _____ KANSAS (KSNT) The clock is ticking for the Chiefs and the Royals as Kansas tries to lure the teams across state lines. The Missouri senate has now passed a bill rivaling the offer that Kansas made last year. The bill passed through the senate early Thursday morning. It will now head to the House of Representatives. Kansas is offering to use STAR bonds to pay up to 70% of construction costs for new stadiums for the teams. The bill being debated by Missouri lawmakers is only offering to pay up to 50% of those costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FBI agents at Topeka strip club The offer from Kansas comes with a rapidly approaching deadline, June 30. Kansas House Speaker Daniel Hawkins has stated the deadline will not be extended. Missouri lawmakers are hoping to have a competitive offer on the table before that deadline. State Representative Stephanie Sawyer Clayton believes, Kansas is a better fit for both teams. One of our strengths in Kansas is that we disagree on a lot of things, but democrats and republicans come together when it comes to doing business in this state. We are smart enough to know how to grow our state and how to grow our economy, and put those differences aside, and Missouri doesnt seem to have that kind of collaboration, Clayton said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, a Royals affiliate purchased land in Overland Park, indicating that the team may be preparing for a move across the state line. For more Capitol Bureau news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) A juvenile was flown to the hospital after a crash in Greene County Thursday evening. The Ohio State Highway Patrol Xenia Post is investigating a single-vehicle crash that occurred around 7 p.m. in the 4200 block of Hussey Road. Investigation revealed a 2021 Ford Escape was traveling eastbound when the vehicle traveled off the right side of the roadway, struck a fence and hit a child in the front yard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement OSP dispatchers confirmed one child was flown to Dayton Childrens with serious injuries. The crash remains under investigation by the Xenia Post at this time. OSP was assisted on scene by the Greene County Sheriffs Office, Jefferson Township Fire Department. 2 NEWS is working to learn more. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com. A young Tibetan controversially appointed by Chinas atheist Communist Party as the second-highest spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism has pledged to make the religion more Chinese. Gyaltsen Norbu was installed by Beijing as the 11th Panchen Lama in 1995 in defiance of the religions highest authority the Dalai Lama, whose pick for the role a six-year-old boy has since vanished from public view. China has yet to reveal any information on the whereabouts of the missing boy. The Beijing-appointed Panchen Lama is dismissed as an imposter by many Tibetans at home and in exile, but he is often quoted in Chinas state-run media toeing the Communist Partys line and praising its policies in Tibet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a rare meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday, Gyaltsen Norbu vowed to make his own contributions to promoting ethnic unity and systematically advancing the sinicization of religion, state news agency Xinhua reported. The remarks refer to a sweeping campaign unleashed by Xi with an aim to purge religious faiths of foreign influence and align them more closely with traditional Chinese culture and the authoritarian rule of the officially atheist Communist Party. Gyaltsen Norbu also vowed to keep Xis teachings firmly in mind, resolutely support the partys leadership and firmly safeguard national unity and ethnic solidarity, according to Xinhua. He was told by Xi to carry forward the patriotic and religious traditions of Tibetan Buddhism and contribute to fostering a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, Xinhua reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The meeting comes on the 30th year of the disappearance of the Dalai Lama appointed Panchen Lama. Following the 1989 death of the 10th Panchen Lama, the second most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama named Tibetan child Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as his colleagues reincarnation. But three days after he was chosen, according to the US government, Gedhun and his family were disappeared by the Communist Party, which then appointed an alternative Panchen Lama. Gedhun hasnt been seen in public since. Two women place a ceremonial scarf above a portrait showing the last know image of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, in Mcleodganj near Dharamsala, India, on April 25, 2017. - Hindustan Times/Hindustan Times/Hindustan Times via Getty Images In a statement marking that anniversary, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced Chinese authorities for abducting him and his family. He called on Beijing to immediately release Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and stop persecuting Tibetans for their religious beliefs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2020, the Chinese government publicly acknowledged the fate of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima for the first time, describing him as a college graduate with a job, and that neither he nor his family wished to be disturbed in their current normal lives. Meanwhile, Gyaltsen Norbu has occupied an increasingly high-profile role since becoming an adult, joining a top Chinese political body, often appearing at important events in Beijing and meeting large crowds in the Tibetan regions of China. The contested appointment of the Panchen Lama is widely seen by experts and the Tibetan exile community as Beijings attempt to pave the way for the passing and reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile since fleeing to India following a failed Tibetan uprising against Communist Party rule in 1959. For decades, the Dalai Lama has been a persistent thorn in Beijings side as he commanded the loyalty of many Tibetan people from exile and kept their struggle for greater autonomy alive on the world stage. Chinese officials have condemned the Nobel Peace Prize laureate as a separatist and a wolf in monks robes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Dalai Lama has said he will release details about his succession around his 90th birthday in July. In his latest book, Voice for the Voiceless, the Dalai Lama said his successor will be born in the free world, which he described as outside China. Beijing has insisted it will choose his successor as well as the reincarnation of all Tibetan Buddhist lamas, but the Dalai Lama and his supporters have said that any successor named by China would not be respected. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com (Reuters) -Kimberly-Clark is nearing a sale of its Kleenex and tissue businesses outside of North America for around $3.5 billion to Brazilian pulpmaker Suzano, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. A deal could be completed as soon as Thursday, the report said on Wednesday. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report. Kimberly-Clark and Suzano did not immediately respond to requests for comments. Reuters had reported in April citing people with knowledge of the matter that along with Suzano, Southeast Asia's Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) and Asia Pulp & Paper Co (APP) were the final bidders for Kimberly-Clark's international tissue business, valued at around $4 billion. The unit, which was put on the block by Kimberly-Clark as part of a restructuring initiated last year, generates around $500 million in annual earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA). The sale is proceeding as U.S. President Donald Trump's broad trade tariffs weigh on Kimberly-Clark's business outlook. The consumer goods company slashed its annual profit forecast due to increased costs in April as a result of the tariffs. In 2022, Suzano announced a deal to buy the Irving, Texas-headquartered company's tissue paper operations in Brazil for an undisclosed sum. (Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich) By Kirsty Needham SYDNEY (Reuters) -China is taking further steps towards high seas boarding of fishing boats in the Pacific for the first time, risking tensions with Taiwanese fleets and U.S. Coast Guard vessels that ply the region, Pacific Islands officials told Reuters. The Chinese Coast Guard demonstrated the capabilities of one of its largest ships, used to enforce maritime law in the Taiwan Strait, to Pacific Island ministers last week. It is also actively involved in debates on the rules of high seas boarding, according to documents and interviews with Pacific fisheries officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The fisheries officials said it was anticipated China will soon begin patrols in a "crowded" fisheries surveillance space. "Hosting the leaders, demonstrating their capabilities in terms of maritime operations, those kind of things are indications they want to step into that space," said Allan Rahari, director of fisheries operations for the Forum Fisheries Agency, in an interview with Reuters. The agency runs enforcement against illegal fishing for a group of 18 Pacific Island countries, with assistance from navy and air force patrols by Australia, the United States, France and New Zealand. The biggest fishing fleets in the Pacific, attracting the most infringement notices by inspectors, are Chinese and Taiwanese. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But China is also the largest fisheries partner to some Pacific Island countries, and Rahari said agreements for Chinese coast guard patrols in coastal waters could be struck under security deals with these countries. China registered 26 coast guard vessels with the Western & Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) in 2024 for high seas boarding and inspections in a vast region where the U.S. and Australia have the biggest inspection fleets. The commission has not received a notification from China that it has conducted any inspection, but Chinese officials have become active in debate over the rules on boardings, WCPFC executive director Rhea Moss-Christian told Reuters. China last year called for a review of the guidelines, and in March, Chinese officials attended a video meeting about an Australian-led effort to strengthen voluntary rules, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WCPFC inspectors in international waters need to gain permission for each inspection from the suspected vessel's flag state before boarding. Rahari said it could be "very complicated" diplomatically if a Chinese coast guard vessel sought to board a Taiwanese fishing boat. Beijing does not recognise Taiwan as a separate country. Chinese officials and the Chinese Coast Guard did not respond to Reuters requests for comment. Australia declined to comment, while Taiwan and the U.S. Coast Guard did not respond to requests for comment. SHIP TOUR Foreign ministers from 10 Pacific Island nations visited the coastal Chinese city of Xiamen and toured Haixun 06, which can travel 18,500 km (11,470 miles or 10,000 nautical miles) or 60 days without resupply. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Papua New Guinea (PNG) foreign minister Justin Tkatchenko said 10 Pacific Island ministers saw the Chinese coast guard demonstrate a maritime emergency drill, but told Reuters they did not discuss Pacific patrols. PNG is negotiating a new defence treaty with Australia, and struck a 2023 security deal with the United States allowing the U.S. Coast Guard to patrol PNG's 2.7 million square kilometre exclusive economic zone. Fiji said it had approved a new maritime security agreement with Australia this week. Nauru's government broadcaster posted photographs on social media of the Haixun 06 drill, which it said "reaffirmed the importance of maritime cooperation between China and Pacific Island nations". Under a security treaty struck in December, Nauru must notify Australia before the Chinese navy comes to port. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Coast Guard has maritime law enforcement agreements with a dozen Pacific Island nations allowing it to enter nations' exclusive economic zones, and increased its patrols last year. "The key considerations for China is stepping into that space without stepping on other partners toes, because that will then create conflicts within the region and that is something we don't want," Rahari said. Reuters previously reported the first U.S. Coast Guard patrol in Vanuatu's waters saw local officials board several Chinese fishing boats in 2024, finding infringements, which Beijing criticised. Since 2008, Chinese fishing vessels were issued with 158 infringements, or 46% of Chinese boardings by WCPFC inspectors including the U.S., France and Australia, WCPFC data shows. Taiwanese fishing boats were issued 233 infringements. (Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney; Additional reporting by Liz Lee and Xiuhao Chen in Beijing, and Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan) TREMONT, Ill. (WMBD) Chief Meteorologist Chris Yates was in Tremont on Friday for our CI Road Trip. Chris was visiting the Tremont Turkey Festival and was enjoying the food, including the strawberry shortcake. He said he is also looking forward to having a turkey leg. This is the festivals 59th year, with the theme Gobble and Groove honoring the festivals history of live music. Chris talked to Miss Tremont, Ava Proehl, who said her favorite thing about the festival is the community and the businesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think its amazing to promote small businesses and look at all the knick-knacky, small things that vendors sell, Proehl said. The festival will run from June 6 to 8. More information on the festival is available here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com. Cincinnati data shows violent crime is on a slight uptick over recent years citywide and crime overall is on the rise in Over-the-Rhine, where a gym owner was fatally stabbed during a burglary this week. Patrick Heringer, 46, died after being stabbed in his Over-the-Rhine home off East McMicken Avenue early the morning of June 4. His wife, Sarah Heringer, has condemned city officials for their treatment of violent crime in a recent video and contrasted recent claims that crime is down. A review of city data by The Enquirer shows there have been more violent crimes citywide so far this year than in most recent years, according to year-to-date data since 2021. Only 2024 was higher. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Officials: Robberies up last year, but Cincinnati still 'much safer' than a decade ago City data shows there have been 778 violent crime incidents so far this year. On average, over the past four years, there were 732 violent crimes year-to-date. Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge, through her spokesman, declined to comment on the data. In a statement June 6, Mayor Aftab Pureval said, "Our entire city is mourning the loss of Patrick and the pain of those who loved him. This was an unspeakable and horrific tragedy. Senseless violence, violence that takes devoted family members and neighbors from us, is unacceptable and its our responsibility as City leaders to put a stop to it." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Public safety is and will always be our first, second, and third priority," Pureval added. "We will never stop working to ensure every neighborhood, and every family, can feel safe and at peace. Crime on the rise in Over-the-Rhine neighborhood this year to date, data shows In the Heringer's neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine, crime has gone up even more significantly. Year-to-date, there have been 635 crimes, both violent and nonviolent, reported in Over-the-Rhine, which is a 48% increase compared to the same period last year. The data available from the city does not break out violent crimes within each individual neighborhoods by year. Homicide and shootings are both down citywide. Fatal and nonfatal shootings are down by about 25% compared to the same time last year and are lower than they've been since at least 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Homicides, including stabbings, are down about 15% and are at the lowest levels they've been at since at least 2021. City of Cincinnati reported crimes dashboard, 2021-2025 This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Is crime on the rise in Cincinnati, Over-the-Rhine? Here's the data Division 5 Judge Chad Gaddie Prison Hubert Reed Davis, 402 E. Colorado, two years at the Department of Corrections for probation violation and felony non-support. Jailed John Jacob Moreno, 1506 1/2 Jules St., 180 days in the Buchanan County Jail for misdemeanor fourth-degree domestic assault with credit given for 22 days served and court costs waived. Suspended sentence Darrell Britman Wright, 1816 Clay St., two years of probation for misdemeanor fourth-degree domestic assault. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jamie Lee Vandersypen, 1801 S. 41st St., two years of probation for misdemeanor fraudulent procurement of credit/debit device. Division 6 Judge Rebecca Spencer Jailed Chad Edward Webber, 1616 Buchanan Ave., one year in the Buchanan County Jail for probation violation and misdemeanor fourth-degree domestic assault. Brent Alan Lewis, no address provided, one day in the Buchanan County Jail for infraction second-degree trespassing with credit given for one day served and court costs waived. Zayne Cashman Walters, 5701 SW Lakefront Ln S Lot 30, 60 days in the Buchanan County Jail for probation violation and misdemeanor non-support with credit given for 60 days served. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ritchy Dupoux, 3605 Charles St., 60 days in the Buchanan County Jail for misdemeanor fourth-degree domestic assault and court costs waived. Suspended Sentence Dawnmarie Rosalee Lemley, 1208 Lincoln St., tow years of probation for two years for misdemeanor violation of order of protection for adult and court costs waived. Breanna Renee Becerra, 3101 S. 33rd Terr., two years of probation for misdemeanor fourth-degree assault. Fletcher P. Runyan, Dearborn, Missouri, two years of probation for misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. Jerrod Craig Robertson, Agency, Missouri, two years of probation for misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carolyn Renee Pohl, 1515 Messanie St., two years of probation for misdemeanor fourth-degree domestic assault and court costs waived. Dawnmarie Rosalee Lemley, 1208 Lincoln St., two years of probation for misdemeanor violation of order of protection for adult and court costs waived. Ian Christopher Bittick, 6813 Carnegie, six months of probation for misdemeanor fourth-degree domestic assault. Ryan Eugene Courtny, 2001 N. 35th St., two years of probation for misdemeanor fourth-degree domestic assault. James Thomas Groh, 2709 Douglas St., six months of probation for misdemeanor owner operating vehicle without maintaining financial responsibility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jade Alan Plymell, Savannah, Missouri, two years of probation for misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. Tia Marie Pegram, 5509 Longview Dr., six months of probation for misdemeanor fourth-degree domestic assault. Lee Stephanie Chirino-Herrera, 2004 Jamesport St., six months of probation for misdemeanor operating vehicle on highway without a valid license. Mark Kevin Grieshaber Jr., 2507 Oak St., four years of probation for felony non-support and court costs waived. Cheyann Rose Keith, 2022 Dewey Ave., two years of probation for misdemeanor fraudulent procurement of credit/debit device and court costs waived. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russell Wayne Helton, 3110 N. 10th St., four years of probation for felony non-support and court costs waived. Verda Alice Meyer, 2633 SW State Route U Lot 30, two years of probation for misdemeanor identity theft and court costs waived. Brittany Nicole Collins, Agency, Missouri, two years of probation for misdemeanor driving while intoxicated and court costs waived. Jordan Jackson, Plainfield, Illinois, six months of probation for misdemeanor fraudulent use of a credit/debit device. Nathan Richard Johnson, 6825 Marie St., two years of probation for misdemeanor non-support. April Benetta Watson, 913 Vine St., six months of probation for misdemeanor operating vehicle on highway without a valid license. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jordan Cartez Walker, 506 S. 20th, two years of probation for misdemeanor fourth-degree domestic assault and court costs waived. Brittany Lee Paxton, Puxico, Missouri, six months of probation for misdemeanor operating vehicle on highway without a valid license. Jerry Douglas McGee, 3611 Gene Field Rd., six months of probation for misdemeanor driving while revoked/suspended. Albert F. Goolsby, 2103 NE 85th Rd., six months of probation for misdemeanor driving while revoked/suspended. Kristy L. Burton, 624 E. Missouri Ave., four years of probation for felony non-support and court costs waived. Calvin Eric Goodwin, 2003 1.2 Walnut, two years of probation for misdemeanor violation of order of protection for adult and court costs waived. Fined Jason Robert Schakel, 184 Countryside Ln., $25 fine for misdemeanor operating vehicle owner by another knowing owner of vehicle has not maintained financial responsibility. The City of Sanford Appearance Commission is inviting the community to its second annual Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom, a free evening of performances that celebrate the values of freedom, resilience and unity. Juneteenth is a federal holiday that commemorates June 19, 1865 the day when Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas with news of freedom. Juneteenth has been celebrated in Texas since 1866 but only became a national holiday in 2021. The event will be held Thursday, June 19, at W.B. Wicker Elementary School starting at 6 p.m. It will start with a special reading of Sanfords Juneteenth proclamation by Mayor Rebecca Salmon along with members of Sanford City Council. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Community Fellowship Choir will open the musical portion of the program with select songs before turning the stage over to the North Carolina Central University Jazz Studies Collective for several jazz standards. Rod Brower and the Together-N-Unity Choir return with Ray Owen for their second Juneteenth in Sanford. Our performance will offer a message of peace and hope, Brower said in a release. These are two things that the world needs right now. W.B. Wicker School was built in 1927 by prominent African-American contractor Link Boykin to serve Sanfords black high school students. The W.B. Wicker Alumni Association will offer a curated exhibit of historical photographs and memorabilia from the schools early days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement W.B. Wicker School stands as a beacon to all things good and favorable; to have attended it is to love it, then and now, Margaret Murchison, president of the schools Alumni Association, said. We are proud that the Appearance Commission chooses W.B. Wicker School as the venue for its Juneteenth celebration each year. Bringing the community together is a small but fitting way to commemorate this culturally and historically significant anniversary, said Liz Whitmore, a historic planner for the city and a liaison to the Appearance Commission. A new addition this year is the participation of local members of historically African-American fraternities and sororities, many of whom have roots at W.B. Wicker School. As this celebration grows, we want to fill it with the people and organizations that represent the triumphs and resiliency of the African-American community, Whitmore said. The Appearance Commission received funding for the event from Friends of Sanford, Inc., the Lee County Arts Council and the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. KANSAS CITY, Mo. The City Council on Thursday unanimously passed the blue light ordinance, requiring the Kansas City Police to activate the blue cruise lights on marked police vehicles during routine patrols. According to the docket memo, the city manager and the mayors office director of public safety will work with the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) to implement the blue cruise light policy. Independence police chief on leave, fires back at baseless rumors in FOX4 interview Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They will assess the new policys impact and effectiveness; KCPD will be required to provide a report of their findings and results within 90 days of the passage of the resolution (June 5). The estimated cost of converting all existing KCPD vehicles over to the steady blue cruise lights will be approximately $750,000, according to the docket. The use of steady blue cruise lights aligns with public safety strategies aimed at preventing crime, the docket reads. Docket-Memo-250435-1Download Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Portland City officials laid the groundwork for paying Black Portlanders millions of dollars for displacing them from an area their community once called home. A last-minute amendment had Portland City Council unanimously vote to increase the settlement by more than $6 million, bumping up the total amount to an estimated $8.5 million, and drawing emotional reactions ranging from cheers to tears in City Hall. During a meeting on Thursday afternoon, Portland City Council was slated to reach a settlement involving the December 2022 lawsuit from Emanuel Displaced Persons Association 2. The association, representing 26 plaintiffs who live in the Albina district or descend from relatives who did, accused the officials of destroying Black peoples homes in the name of urban renewal in the mid-20th century. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tillamook opens first owned-and-operated facility outside of Oregon About two and a half years ago, KOIN 6 reported that hundreds of residents were displaced by the construction of Interstate 5 and Veterans Memorial Coliseum in the 1950s and 1960s. The following decade, about 188 properties were demolished to make way for the new Legacy Emanuel Hospital. About 158 of them were residential properties, Black people accounting for about 74% of residents. The displaced buildings also included 32 businesses and four churches or community organizations. Albina residents protesting when Emanuel Hospital was built The lawsuit claims residents were not adequately compensated, and some werent compensated at all, after being intimidated by hospital representatives and told that the city would take their homes if they didnt leave willingly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to the City of Portland, Prosper Portland and the hospital were all listed as defendants in the original complaint but officials say Legacy Health settled their portion of the lawsuit late last year. The original terms would have seen $1 million from The City of Portland and another $1 million from Prosper Portland, the citys development agency, paying out the plaintiffs in the case. However, that $2 million total coming from the city was bumped up to $8.5 million after a last-minute amendment, introduced by Portland City Councilor Loretta Smith. The amendment was approved unanimously by City Council after some of the plaintiffs testified the original amount did not do nearly enough to make them whole. Portlands systemic discrimination and displacement harmed Black communities, by excluding them from homeownership and wealth-building opportunities; by denying them access to educational resources, jobs and healthy neighborhoods; and by perpetuating segregation, displacement, and harmful stereotypes through the zoning code, deeds and covenants, lending practices, public housing and urban renewal, the agreement reads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FBI Portland addresses halted plan for mass shooting at Washington state mall Along with the payout, officials are offering Emanuel Displaced Persons Association 2 a static display in the Keller Auditorium if it is renovated. The namesake of the neighboring Ira Keller Fountain led the urban renewal projects that impacted Black Portlanders decades ago, according to the city. The settlement also directs the music venue to give a 10-year hiring preference to descendants of the Albina district and establish an annual Descendants Day, among other terms. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) The City of Greenville has filed a lawsuit against Camping World for allegedly not removing the 3,200 square foot flag and 130 foot metal pole that violates city coded from the RV dealership and failing to pay thousands of dollars in civil penalties. The Greenville City Council voted in March, 4-2, to begin taking legal action against Camping World. The verified complaint includes a timeline between the Plaintiff, the City of Greenville, and the Defendant, Camping World, that starts back in October of 2024. Also detailed in the document is the amount that Camping World allegedly owes to the City of Greenville. The civil penalties Greenville has asked Camping World to pay amount to $21,750, as of May 30. The Defendant continues to be charged $250 per business day until a final judgement is made or Camping World complies with the citys zoning ordinance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For a full look at the verified complaint, continue below. City-Exhibits-Part-of-Complaint-6-6-25Download FILED-Complaint-and-Civil-Summons-Package-Greenville-v.-Camping-World-25CV004175-730Download Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WNCT. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) The City of Socorro will launch its own on-demand microtransit service next month, the City announced in a news release. This comes after the El Paso Transit Authority (ETA) announced that its buses will no longer stop in Socorro, starting July 1. Community meeting highlights end of transit service in Socorro The City of Socorro partnered with The Goodman Corporation to develop a transit development plan (TDP) that focuses on providing transit services in better alignment with the communitys needs, according to the news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The City said the planning process Socorro Avanzando! included assessing current transit services and identifying traffic needs and improvement options. The City also engaged people riding ETAs bus routes, community members, families, and stakeholders. The TDPs central recommendation is for the City to launch its own on-demand microtransit service by July 1, with the following features, according to the news release: Operated directly by the City using an existing vehicle fleet and TripMaster software. Service hours: Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. excluding major holidays. Zero-fare service initially, until demand requires adjustment. Same-day trips, with limited advance reservations. Target wait time: less than 30 minutes for 100 percent of riders. Ability to adapt service as demand and resources evolve. Microtransit will offer residents a more accessible, flexible, and responsive transit option compared to the infrequent and hard-to-access fixed-route bus services by ETA, read the news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The City said the Socorro Avanzando! TDP is the Citys independent study of transits potential in Socorro as a matter of due diligence, to understand how best to improve transit and efficiently utilize limited public resources to boldly envision What could, and should transit be in Socorro?' In addition, the plan is grounded in the Citys recent 2040 Comprehensive Plan process, according to the news release. Socorro is a welcoming community that celebrates diversity, preserves its rich culture and history, and fosters economic growth, environmental stewardship, and a high quality of life for residents and visitors alike. It stands as a symbol of unity and prosperity for future generations, read the news release. ETA operates the regional bus system serving communities throughout the greater El Paso area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, as we previously reported, in 2024, the City Council of Socorro voted not to enter into a service agreement with ETA. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. By Anuja Bharat Mistry (Reuters) -Kimberly-Clark on Thursday struck a deal with Brazilian pulp maker Suzano to sell a majority stake in its international tissue business, valuing the business at about $3.4 billion, the Kleenex tissue maker said. The deal, structured as a strategic partnership, will form a new joint venture in which Kimberly-Clark would hold a 49% stake, while Suzano will pay about $1.73 billion in cash for the 51% stake. Suzano, which is one of the world's largest pulp maker, will have the option to purchase Kimberly-Clark's ownership interest under certain conditions, the Irving, Texas-based company said. The deal is expected to close in mid-2026. Several consumer-facing companies such as General Mills and PepsiCo have ramped up strategic deals over the last year in a bid to boost growth and increase global exposure. Kimberly-Clark has also been simplifying its operations and reorganizing business to cut costs and focus on more profitable parts such as personal care and North America tissue segments. "We think the influx of capital (from the deal) will help derisk shares by giving Kimberly-Clark wiggle room during the uncertain macro environment," said Arun Sundaram, analyst with CFRA Research. Kimberly-Clark on Thursday said it would contribute assets of its international family care and professional business, including 9,000 employees, to its new venture with Suzano, aiming to reduce exposure to volatile input costs and stabilize margins. The combined business entity would be incorporated in the Netherlands and include 22 manufacturing facilities located in 14 regions such as Europe, Asia, Middle East, Central America. As part of the JV, Kimberly Clark will retain its consumer tissue and professional businesses in U.S. and its interests in existing joint ventures in Mexico, South Korea and Bahrain, among other countries. Last year, Suzano was in talks to buy International Paper, but was unable to reach a deal due to the lack of a price agreement between the parties. (Reporting by Anuja Bharat Mistry in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Shailesh Kuber) By Teresa Puente | Edited by Patricia Guadalupe I teach at a university in Southern California, where almost half my students are Latino. We are what is known as an HSI, a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Its a designation for colleges and universities where at least 25 percent of the full-time students are Hispanic. Its also a designation being erased on some government websites, including the U.S. Department of Education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not just the erasure of diversity, equity, and inclusion, known as DEI, that is harming colleges and universities across the country. Its the active threats by the Trump administration to defund universities that support DEI. And its the threat to deport students and others in our communities. At least seventy international students in the California State University system have had their visas canceled, and that includes some six students on my campus in Long Beach. No explanations were given, but this is part of the nationwide attack on universities by the Trump administration. The Trump Administration then reinstated the international student visas, but their actions have created chaos and confusion. Students who are undocumented or DACA recipients also live in fear, and other students who may have legal status are fearful for their parents who are undocumented. A student told me right after Trump won that her mother is undocumented. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im really worried, she said. She had missed some assignments, and after she explained the situation, I gave her an extension. Other students have told me they are stressed and have a hard time focusing. After Trump won, some students told me they were too depressed to come to class and felt anxiety. Others were angry. The mood has stabilized as we head toward graduation. We have an annual Latino graduation ceremony and Latino faculty and staff had to consider what could happen if ICE were to crash that ceremony. The organizers decided to go ahead with the event but posted a note on the event website explaining that the university does not share immigration information with U.S. immigration agencies. Fortunately, on my campus, we have some support for our students. We have what is called a Dream Success Center that offers support and free legal services for students and their parents through the immigrant rights group Central American Resource Center (CARECEN). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its hard to know exactly how many undocumented students are on campus, as there is no list. But there are an estimated 9,500 undocumented students at all of the 23 CSU campuses. Only around half of the undocumented students have temporary status with DACA, also known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. This program began in 2012 during the Obama administration and grants temporary work and education authorization to certain undocumented minors. While Trump has vowed to end the program, those who already have DACA can renew for now, but new applications are halted under ongoing legal challenges. Our campus felt like a safe space, but threats of raids are unsettling. I always create a welcoming environment in my classroom. I tell my students they can ask for help beyond whats on the syllabus. I can refer them to various campus services, such as immigration lawyers, counseling, and basic needs to help pay rent, or refer them to our food pantry. Our university system has a website with resources for undocumented students that includes legal services, mental health, and admissions information. Additionally, the California Nonresident Tuition Exemption, known as AB 540, allows eligible students to be exempted from paying out-of-state tuition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have student clubs on campus that support undocumented students. Im on the board of the Latinx Faculty & Staff Association (LFSA), and we work to support our immigrant community on campus. Since December of last year, we have hosted two Know Your Rights workshops, which include a guest speaker from the local immigrant rights organization ORALE that does trainings and advocacy work, and operates a hotline to report ICE activity in our city of Long Beach. Our union, the California Faculty Association (CFA), recently co-sponsored one of the Know Your Rights workshops with LFSA and has organized campus protests against ICE. About half of the overall student population on the CSU Long Beach campus is Latino, and around 25 percent are Asian American. Regardless of immigration status, we know that ICE does racial profiling, even if they officially say otherwise. Ive had to ask myself, what would I do if ICE came to my classroom? This is a real possibility as the Trump administration has said there are no safe spaces from ICE. Under previous administrations, including Trumps first term, ICE had a policy not to raid churches, hospitals, or schools. But that has changed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rather than worry, I came up with a plan. It upsets me that I have to prepare for the worst. I was concerned after Trump won in 2016, but they didnt raid schools in his first term. I decided to take a stand for my students. I have a No ICE sign in my office and a stack of red rights cards on my desk. If ICE comes to my classroom, the first thing I would do is start recording and ask my students to record me. I would then explain that this classroom is only for students enrolled in the class, and I would ask ICE agents to leave, something I would do anyway for anyone interrupting my class. I would also advise my students of their constitutional right to remain silent. I learned through the Know Your Rights workshops that, as citizens, we protect those who are not citizens by refusing to answer questions about our own citizenship status. We have also distributed the red rights cards on campus. The university administration has emailed some guidance to faculty, telling us to refer any ICE encounter to university officials. They have suggested using language such as, Im not trying to obstruct you (ICE), but I do not have the authority to respond to your request. Then ask them to go to the administration office. Now, the tricky part is, what if the ICE officers refuse to leave? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have been advised to contact our administrator or dean, or call the campus police. Our campus police chief told LFSA that he and his officers wont help ICE or give out any information about faculty, staff, and students. We need more campus officials, faculty, staff, and students to stand up. We can follow the example of Harvard University, which is suing the Trump administration. Harvard President Alan M. Garber has said the university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. No government regardless of which party is in power should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue, he wrote. On the heels of Harvards pushback, the American Association of Colleges and Universities released a statement signed by nearly 250 higher education presidents to speak out against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education. CSU Long Beach is one of the signatories. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And in the K-12 level, the California Department of Education announced it will defy the Trump order to eliminate DEI in the states 1,000 school districts, a system with more than 5.8 million students, of which 56% are Latino. There is nothing in state or federal law ... that outlaws the broad concepts of diversity, equity, or inclusion, wrote Chief Deputy Superintendent David Schapira in the letter to school districts, county education offices, and charter schools. We should not tolerate the attacks on DEI, and we must protect our campuses and communities from ICE. We are already seeing cases of wrongful deportations, random cancellations of international student visas, and egregious detentions of U.S. citizens. Im reminded of the famous 1946 poem, First they came by German theologian and Lutheran pastor Martin Niemoller. Do not wait until its you. Read the original article on MassLive. NORMAN A convicted robber was released by mistake in April from the Cleveland County Detention Center, the sheriff confirmed. Michael Sean Bodnar, 41, of Norman, was in jail awaiting trial on a kidnapping charge. Sheriff Chris Amason blamed a clerical error. "I take full responsibility for it. We are going to get him back in custody, and he will face his day in court," the sheriff said Thursday, June 5. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sheriff said safeguards have been put in place "to do everything we can to make sure it doesn't happen again." "We process in and out about 60 people a day. Human error does happen," he said. "My deputies are out looking for him." Michael Bodnar The release came after Bodnar agreed on April 28 that he violated his probation in the robbery case. Cleveland County District Judge Michael Tupper had set a hearing for July 14 to determine how long he should go back to prison. The judge issued arrest warrants on Tuesday after learning of the mistake. He directed the sheriff's office to locate Bodnar and notify him immediately when the defendant was back in custody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judge said in court records that he was advised Bodnar was erroneously released from custody "due to a misinterpretation" by the jail administration of his April 28 order. The sheriff acknowledged an employee misinterpreted what was on a form and failed to confirm what actually needed to be done. "As sheriff, everything that happens here is ultimately my responsibility. I can assure the people of Cleveland County we have identified where the failure was and taken corrective measures." Cleveland County's new district attorney, Jennifer Austin, said she has communicated with the sheriff, the judge and the defense attorney "to try to resolve the situation and get Mr. Bodnar back in custody where he belongs." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Police announce rearrest of Oklahoma County jail detainee after mistaken release Bodnar was sentenced in 2020 in his robbery case to two years in prison and eight years on probation. Norman police reported he robbed a Pizza Hut worker outside the restaurant in 2019. He was charged in 2023 with kidnapping, burglary and domestic assault and battery by strangulation. A former girlfriend told police he kicked in the door of her apartment a week after they broke up, choked her and pulled her hair to prevent her from leaving, police reported. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Inmate released from Cleveland County Oklahoma jail by mistake CLEVELAND (WJW) Local leaders fought for years to expand the federal Job Corps in Cleveland back in the late 1990s and the Coit Road center opened. Since then, thousands of young people have gone through there and received job training. Its something the Cleveland United Pastors in Mission said has to continue. I-Team: See how often lawmakers raid unclaimed funds; is help for Browns dome next? Its a sad day when you have to close down one of our major institutions that becomes the last resort for our families and our children. It is there that they get a career started, Rev. Larry Macon Sr. said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Department of Labor said it wants to close down the 99 Job Corps campuses nationwide, including centers in Cleveland, Dayton and Cincinnati. The department said an internal review of the Job Corps found that the centers arent working well, citing that fewer than 40% graduate from job programs, and it costs roughly $80,000 per student. The department also claimed that there have been more than 14,000 serious incidents in centers including assault and drug use by participants. But Job Corps supporters, instead of closing Job Corps centers, work to make them better. Here is an opportunity to create skill levels for individuals to succeed in life. And we built this campus, and it worked. Now, if something is wrong, dont break it, fix it. Fix it. Cleveland City Councilman Mike Polensek said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Right now, a federal judge has blocked the Job Corps closing, but thousands of young people have already left. Wayne Dawson talks about when hell return to FOX 8 Community advocates who house and train young people said right now, there are few places for them to go not only for job training, but for a place to live. Where do you actually house that many young people and teach them at the same time? So, when we lose a support like Job Corps, it affects us all, said Gregory Jones, founder of A 2nd Home For You Foundation. Linda Howard, founder of Young Mothers of Cleveland, said, Theyre coming out for survival. And we fuss all the time about where theyre going to go and what were going to do and wheres the money? The money is here, its just being allocated wrong. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The pastors said right now, there are fewer than 150 students remaining at the Cleveland Job Corps. They said right now, theyre trying to figure out any way they can to help them. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. ***Video above: What happens when you call 911?*** DENALI NATIONAL PARK, Ala. (WJW) A Seattle mans body was recovered in Alaska after he fell about 3,000 feet while hiking on Mount McKinley this week, the National Park Service said. On Monday, two members of Alex Chius expedition reported that the 41-year-old un-roped ski mountaineer was climbing on the route to Peters Glacier when he fell, park officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The witnesses told park rangers that they lowered over the edge as far as possible, but they couldnt see or hear Chiu. 6-year-old boy dies tragically in rare balloon suffocation accident, coroner says According to the National Park Service, because of high winds and snowy conditions, search and rescue crews could not reach the site where Chiu fell until early Wednesday morning. Clearing weather on the north side of the Alaska Range provided the opportunity for two mountaineering rangers to depart Talkeetna for an aerial helicopter search to locate and recover the body, the National Park Service said in a press release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Who stole the tree? Bizarre crime reported at presidential library in Ohio Park rangers recovered his body that morning. They then went back to the headquarters at Denali National Park and Preserve and the body was taken to the state medical examiners office. This isnt the first time a climber has died from falling in the area. According the National Park Service, an un-roped mountaineer from France fell to his death while heading to Peters Glacier in 2010. His body was never recovered, officials said. According to park officials, climbing season on Mount McKinley featuring the tallest peak in North America usually starts in early May and continues through early July. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. The determination of pay raises for Charlotte-Mecklenburg School employees now rests in the hands of the school board. The district introduced Phase 2 of its classified compensation review Thursday night. ALSO READ: CMS $1.95B operating budget aims to increase teacher pay, improve literacy It makes changes to the salary schedules for employees to reflect current market conditions. If approved, all increases will take effect July 1. VIDEO: CMS $1.95B operating budget aims to increase teacher pay, improve literacy VIDEO: HENDERSON (KLAS) A widely circulated release obtained by 8 News Now provides a timeline of events that ultimately led Henderson City Manager Stephanie Garcia-Vause to fire then-police chief Hollie Chadwick. The redacted City of Henderson emails reveal new details about several concerns with law enforcement and the fraught relationship between the city manager and police chief. More than a few of the emails are similar to public requests from 8 News Now that have gone unfulfilled for months. Ex-Henderson police chief blames mayor for abrupt dismissal, announces bid to run against her Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Hollie Chadwick for Mayor campaign spokesperson told 8 News Now they have seen the report, and they allege several responses from the former police chief were not included in the release. The following are several excerpts from the widely circulated release. Cocaine in the detectives desk On Dec. 9, 2024, Garcia-Vause asked Chadwick to respond to several concerns raised, including cocaine found on police property. Regarding a narcotics detective found with cocaine in his desk in October 2024, Garcia-Vause wrote. Was he ever drug tested? What is the policy when that happens? Chadwick wrote in response that the incident was fully investigated by the police departments internal affairs bureau, which never drug tested the detective. Hollie Chadwick, a former Henderson Police Department chief, announces the launch of her campaign on May 22, 2025, for the Henderson mayors seat. (KLAS) No, the officer was not drug tested because he was not under the influence and there was no reason to test him, Chadwick said. This was an unfortunate oversight from an officer who works long hours for our department. In addition, he is part of the narcotics unit, which is subject to random drug tests throughout the year per policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The narcotics detective was described by Chadwick as never failing a random drug test to the best of her knowledge. Do not misunderstand On Feb. 5, Garcia-Vause outlined a list of concerns she wanted addressed by Chadwick which ranged from OIS procedure to internal complaints. The city manager ended the email with a series of explanations of how different she would be from former city manager Richard Derick. I am hearing many of the same complaints, including favoritism in promotions and specialized assignments, inconsistent or unfair discipline, inconsistent policy applications or ignoring policy altogether, and a culture of retaliation, Garcia-Vause wrote. Just to name a few. Make an appointment: Henderson city manager dodges questions about fired police chief Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Garcia-Vause drew parallels for Chadwick from a speech she watched delivered by LVMPD Deputy Chief Sasha Larkin in which she talked about how she wished she did more after leaving the scene of a battered woman, explaining she didnt close the loop. Hendersons city manager, Stephanie Garcia-Vause, fired former police chief Hollie Chadwick. (KLAS) You communicated to me that you do not feel supported by me, Garcia-Vause wrote. Please do not misunderstand my concerns and desire to improve the operations and culture of the department as a lack of support. To the contrary, I am invested in ensuring that Henderson has the best police department in the state. The city manager explained that as part of her effort to implement operational change and cultural reforms, she would place retired police chief Kristen Ziman to work with Chadwick on a daily basis to determine how to improve Chadwicks efforts. To be successful in leading the changes, Garcia-Vause wrote. I need you to refrain from immediately getting defensive when I ask questions or whenever a problem is brought to your attention. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is exciting and I look forward to meeting Kristen and collaborating for her, Chadwick wrote in response. In-custody death On Feb. 6, Chadwick responded to a request from Henderson Councilwoman Monica Larson regarding an inmate, J. Chrusch. She apologized to Larson for not responding within the 48 hours required and enforced by state law. My apologies that this notification is beyond the 48 hours, Chadwick wrote. I take full responsibility and moving forward it will not happen again. I dont appreciate these type of surprises On Dec. 2, 2024, the City of Henderson Police Department received a public records request from the Las Vegas Review-Journal seeking names and other information for ICE detainees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nine days later, the LVRJ allegedly received full names, inmate IDs, booking and release dates of ICE inmates during the requested timeframe. Garcia-Vause wrote in an email that she found the release to be problematic, citing a law that she alleged barred Henderson from releasing any such material. ICE detainees cannot be treated the same as our other inmates, Garcia-Vause wrote. Different laws apply, and we are under different obligations pursuant to our contract with ICE. But the concern grew when Henderson was contacted by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department about the LVRJ story. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Metro contacted us to inquire why we would release information about our ICE detainees when the law prohibits us from doing so, Garcia-Vause wrote. I do not appreciate these types of surprises. One voice Following the release of information to the LVRJ, Garcia-Vause ramped up conversations to merge the police departments public information office (PIO) with the citys office. It is important that the City speak to the public with one voice and deliver a consistent message to members of the media and other community stakeholders, Garcia-Vause wrote. Having a department PIO division outside of the Citys Public Information Office is inefficient and leads to inconsistencies. Garcia-Vause asked Chadwick to write up a draft of a transition plan for handing over all responsibilities to the city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chadwick wrote in response that she was meeting with city communication director Karina Milani on Feb. 10 to discuss and identify a transition plan. Jail break On Feb. 6, Garcia-Vause and other city staff discussed the best way to solve a jail breach at the detention center on Water Street by an unnamed inmate. All gates were secured, Chadwick wrote. He was able to slide thru the razor wire and slide down. As soon as he got to the ground by the maintenance area the cameras spotted him and he was taken into custody. Some staff suggested an improvement be made to the wall or the maintenance gates which would include razor wire. Garcia-Vause wrote she would need to see how the razor wire looked given it can be seen from Water Street. Chadwick also characterized the razor wire as a possible eye sore. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im interested in hearing more about the gates and whether or not they were secured, Garcia-Vause wrote. Ultimately, a police captain at the detention center suggested a series of fixes, including raising the wall height and setting up a temporary chain link fence, but added the security addition would be an eyesore. Officers leave the scene of shooting involving officers Garcia-Vause emailed Chadwick to clarify what happened during an Oct. 27, 2023, officer-involved shooting. The incident, at the 2300 block of N. Green Valley Pkwy, resulted in Chadwick taking two involved police officers off-site to a fire station. Will you please clarify the policy or procedure that governs this, Garcia-Vause wrote. It has been stated that there were no body cams, or witnesses with you and that the two officers did not do their PBT (Preliminary Breath Test), nor were they drug tested or counted down before leaving the scene to use the restroom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chadwick emailed Garcia-Vause back that she was checking on the two officers who indicated they needed to use the restroom. The police chief noted the investigative units were not on scene yet, and the overall investigation could take hours. I made the decision to have them get in my vehicle and | took them to the nearest fire station, which was two blocks down the street, she wrote. We were there approximately five minutes. We all walked in, they used the restroom, and we responded back to the scene. The officers body cameras were taken to download video from the incident prior to leaving the scene, according to Chadwick. This OIS (officer involved shooting) was investigated fully and there were no issues with their PBT results, drug test, or count down, Chadwick wrote. To indicate otherwise is to discredit the integrity of the two officers involved in this critical incident and has zero merit. Chadwick wrote that there were plans to purchase a motorhome for critical incidents so officers could use facilities. Discipline after SWAT Team retreat Garcia-Vause emailed Chadwick to explain what the response was after a June 2024 SWAT Team retreat in Utah saw a senior officer passing an unsealed alcoholic beverage to a less senior officer. Garcia-Vause emailed Chadwick asking her to explain the departments response regarding a senior officer who passed an unsealed alcoholic beverage to a less senior officer at a June 2024 SWAT Team retreat in Utah. This incident was fully investigated by our Internal Affairs Bureau while adhering to the officers NRS rights and their collective bargaining agreement, Chadwick wrote. Officers did receive discipline, accepted the discipline, and continue to learn from their mistakes and move forward in a positive direction. The retirement gun Garcia-Vause wrote that she found it unacceptable that Chadwick and members of the police command team were not attending celebrations involving the city council and city executive staff. Showing up for elected officials and colleagues shows respect and builds trust, Garcia-Vause wrote. One of the celebrations which the police department did not appear to attend, according to Garcia-Vause, was a party held for an outgoing councilman. It was not acceptable that neither you nor anyone from your Command Team was present for the retirement celebration of Councilman Shaw, Garcia-Vause wrote. Absolutely, Chadwick wrote in response. Now that we know the expectations, we will ensure a presence at all these events. The retirement topic shifted into apparent favoritism for specific police staff. One example included by Garcia-Vause included a special retirement gun purchased by a deputy chief (DC). Deputy Chief Boucher used his position and City email to request his subordinates donate to a retiring lieutenant who was a personal friend of his, Garcia-Vause wrote. The department does not request donations to purchase gifts for all retiring officers, so Deputy Chief Bouchers email gave the perception of favoritism. I have spoke with HR and DC Boucher and he understands that he will not use city email again for this type of request, Chadwick wrote in response. DC Boucher did confirm he did not use any city purchasing power for the retirement gift. Alleged DUI coverup In an email sent to Garcia-Vause, a Henderson Police Department retired sergeant wrote that they were the victim of continual workplace harassment supported by Chadwick. My retirement was a direct result of continual workplace harassment that was supported by Police Chief Hollie Chadwick, the retired sergeant wrote. The retired sergeant alleged that they were the lead investigator who completed a DUI cover-up investigation. Chief Chadwick inexplicably sustained the involved Officers with low level discipline even though the investigative report established that significant Officer misconduct occurred, the retired sergeant wrote. The Officers involved met the threshold in our disciplinary matrix where they should have all been placed on a Brady list for untruthfulness and terminated. Chadwick and the deputy chief were claimed to have turned a blind eye to significant misconduct and allegedly accused internal affairs of an excessive overreach. That could be the furthest from the truth, the retired sergeant wrote. Yet it was fully supported by Chief Chadwick when she was asked to explain the decisions she made. The email to Garcia-Vause ends with accusations of corruption and poor management, which the retired chief asks to be investigated. I am sincerely sorry you had to endure the workplace environment you described, Garcia-Vause wrote in response. I would like to know more about the incident you shared and your experiences in the police department. Garcia-Vause thanked the retired sergeant by email and wrote that she looked forward to meeting them. Chadwick campaign responds Following the release of a large sum of city emails, which 8 News Now obtained, the Chadwick for Mayor campaign expressed doubt about why the emails were released. The emails provided by Henderson reveal an orchestrated, planned, and timed destructive campaign against Chief Hollie Chadwick. Stephanie Garcia-Vause took over as City Manager January 21, 2025, and 14 days later on February 5th negative, accusatory and rude emails were sent to the Police Chief. Any reasonable person who reads these emails would be alarmed by the unprofessional and threatening tone and tenor of the communications. This onslaught of emails continued until Chadick was placed on leave. What these emails reveal to the residents of Henderson is a management style based in a culture of fear that permeates the governance of the City of Henderson; from the top. - Lisa Mayo-DeRiso Campaign Manager Who controls animal control? In May, the City of Henderson asked for a chance to explain to residents why the citys animal control division would report under the police department. Excerpts from the citys new emails indicate who specifically asked for the change. Previously, Ian Massy, assistant director of Hendersons Community Development and Services Department, said the decision was made in early May and doesnt have a specific reason; instead, he pointed to multiple factors. As for the timing, you know, were coming up on a new fiscal year, and a lot of stuff relates to budgets, he said in May. And you know, honestly, there is no like specifics on the timing, other than, its a right time to make that decision to move the leadership to community development services, and this also gives the time for them to talk about the transition. However, the new emails released from the city indicate Garcia-Vause and Chadwick did not agree on if animal control should be separated from the police department. Garcia-Vause is asking Chadwick to defend the reason to leave animal control alone. On January 21, 2025, I mentioned my intent to move Animal Control out of HPD, Garcia-Vause wrote. However, you indicated that you were already in the process of making changes to the Animal Control division. Please provide me an update of the changes you made and why you believe Animal Control should stay a part of HPD by March 3, 2025. Chadwick wrote in response to Garcia-Vause the decision to move the division was already being looked into, but not proven effective. Deputy Chief Brooks and Danielle Harney met with Rosa Reynolds regarding process improvements for the Animal Shelter, Chadwick wrote. And Rosa is working on an outline of those process improvements based upon her research. City of Henderson confirmed its plan to move the Animal Care and Control division out of the police departments purview and into the Community Development and Services Department by July 1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. APPLING, Ga. (WJBF) With a rise in cyber technology, Columbia County leaders are starting to work on plans to bring a data center to Appling. After recent discussions about ways to improve the county, Economic Development Authority Director Cheney Eldridge says they saw the need for a data center. Anything you do on the internet runs through a data center, so theyre very important to havenot just for the country, but here in this community, said Eldridge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement County leaders have sent a rezoning application for almost 2000 acres near Morris Callaway Road. Theyre working with Trammel Crow, a commercial real estate firm out of Atlanta. They came to us when we were looking at this piece of property, and have really been with us the whole time working together through a public-private partnership. Theyre simply an intermediary between us and whoever would come in and locate within this park, said Eldridge. She says they strategically picked that location, as nearby White Oak Business Park hosts operations for Club Car and Amazons fulfillment center. I think its important to keep all of these together, because the last thing we want is a splattered amount of projects all over. Industrial, a data center, or even an office park. You want to keep things together just like you want residential together, Eldridge said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are not planning on the data center to be an extension of White Oak Business Park, but workers will use that area to access the building. Access will come through the business park, and theyll access the property that way, the director added. Theyll come off of the highway as opposed to coming off of Morris Callaway. The idea is to hire network engineers to operate at the centerwhat the authority hopes is a golden opportunity to create more jobs for those coming from Augusta University and Fort Eisenhower. Right now, a lot of the folks that are coming out of Fort Eisenhower are not able to find the right job that meets their skills. What we will have with this data center park is plenty of jobs that are exactly what we have coming out of Fort Eisenhower, and through the pipeline that were building, Eldridge said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The county is still working on costs and timelines with Trammel Crow. But with more jobs and generated tax revenue expected, they see it as a win-win. Any time you go on Facebook to look at pictures of your grandchildren, or you want to send a photo of your dog to a friendyou need a data center. Its integral for this country to have this type of infrastructure in place. I see it as an opportunity for this community to benefit from a necessary infrastructure thats going to have to go in any way, said Eldridge. The county is now waiting on next steps with the developer. The construction timeline will take place over the next several years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think you might see things start in the next few years. But for this size of a piece of property, for it to be fully built out will probably take 20 to 30 years, Eldridge said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF. MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexico's Pemex, the world's most indebted energy company, said on Wednesday that it plans to save 4.8 billion pesos ($250.04 million) over the next two years as part of an institutional reorganization. In a regulatory filing, the state behemoth said 3.53 billion pesos would be saved this year and the rest the following. It is about half of what had been laid out in an earlier document dated April seen by Reuters, though two sources told the news agency in May that the plan had significantly changed since then. Layoffs at one of the country's largest employers would make up 1.4% of historical full-time positions, Pemex said on Wednesday, adding that 71% of its total payroll spending would go to operational areas. ($1 = 19.1973 Mexican pesos) (Reporting by Ana Isabel Martinez; Writing by Stefanie Eschenbacher; Editing by Kylie Madry) Firefighters braved heat and humidity as they battled a raging blaze that engulfed a triple-decker home on the North Shore of Massachusetts early Friday morning. Crews responding to a report of a fire at a multi-family home on Payson Street in Revere just after 2 a.m. found flames ripping through all three floors and the basement of the house, according to the Revere Fire Department. Fire crews tried to contain it, but it did catch one house next door, so now we had two fires at once, Revere Deputy Fire Chief Glen Rich told Boston 25 News. Conditions deteriorated on the inside, and we had to pull everybody out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Video shared with Boston 25 showed the intense fire shooting from all sides of the triple-decker. The heavy flames were knocked down by 6 a.m. However, Rich warned that there was potential for a collapse. Due to the intensity of the fire in the rear...The back porches, we had to stay away from them. There was a collapse potential. We made it clear to everyone, Rich said. Rich noted that crews would remain on scene monitoring for hot spots and overhauling the structure through the morning. Everyone safely escaped the fire, and there were no reported injuries to residents or firefighters, according to Rich. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It wasnt immediately clear how many people were displaced. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW The Egyptian man accused of carrying out an antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado, appeared in court Friday afternoon on a federal hate crime charge related to the attack that left several people injured. The court appearance comes a day after Mohamed Soliman, 45, was charged with 28 counts of attempted murder after he allegedly used a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to set people on fire during a downtown event held to support Israeli hostages in Gaza. The firebombing attack occurred on the eve of Shavuot, a Jewish holiday. The attack, which happened less than two weeks after a separate antisemitic attack in Washington, DC, where two Israeli Embassy staff members were shot dead, has sparked widespread fear across the Jewish community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Soliman arrived in court Friday wearing a green jumpsuit and using a headset to listen to an Arabic interpreter. He did not enter a plea. He was remanded into custody and a preliminary hearing is set for June 18 at noon ET. In a Public Service Announcement Thursday, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security highlighted potential public safety concerns related to ongoing threats to Jewish and Israeli communities. Suspect faces 118 state charges On Thursday, Soliman appeared in court from a room in the Boulder County Jail before Colorado District Judge Nancy Salomone to face state charges. Wearing an orange zip-up jacket, Soliman nodded in response to the judges questions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He faces 118 counts, including 28 counts of first-degree attempted murder, according to court documents filed in the Boulder District Court. Soliman also faces counts of felony assault, incendiary device charges, along with one count of animal cruelty, the document shows. CNN has reached out to his attorney for comment. A total of 62 of those counts relate to the victims. If convicted, Soliman could face up to 48 years in prison for each victim, said Michael Dougherty, the district attorney for Colorados 20th Judicial District. The attack injured at least 15 people including a Holocaust survivor as well as a dog. The victims included eight women and seven men between the ages of 25 and 88, according to the FBI, with several suffering severe burns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three victims remained hospitalized as of Thursday, Dougherty said. He is due in court for a preliminary hearing on his state charges on July 15. Mugshot of Mohamed Sabry Soliman - Boulder Police Department Police investigating suspects notebook, source says During the attack, Soliman reportedly yelled Free Palestine, according to the FBI and later told authorities that he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead, an affidavit said. Authorities are investigating whether Soliman has any underlying mental health issues, a source familiar with the investigation previously told CNN. Investigators are also examining a notebook left behind by Soliman, which includes a manifesto written in English with some lines in Arabic, according to a law enforcement source. Police recovered the notebook after Soliman directed them to its location. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators are also reviewing videos Soliman recorded on his phone, featuring him speaking in both English and Arabic, the source said. One such video, which has surfaced on social media, appears to show Soliman speaking in Arabic while driving. CNN has not independently confirmed the videos authenticity. Elevated threat to Israeli and Jewish communities, officials say The attack is one of multiple recent incidents that has increased fear among the Jewish community in the US. The ongoing Israel-HAMAS conflict may motivate other violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators with similar grievances to conduct violence against Jewish and Israeli communities and their supporters, the FBI and DHS warned in their public service announcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Foreign terrorist organizations also may try to exploit narratives related to the conflict to inspire attacks in the United States, the announcement said. The agencies urged the public to remain vigilant and report any threats of violence or suspicious activity to law enforcement. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett and interfaith leaders gathered Wednesday to denounce the attack and call for unity, according to a news release. Violence in any form has no place in Colorado, and we know that to move forward we must join together in our common humanity to ensure peace in our communities, take care of one another, and emerge stronger, Polis said in a statement. CNNs Danya Gainor, Cindy Von Quednow, Evan Perez, Alisha Ebrahimji and Jeremy Harlan contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com DENVER (KDVR) A Colorado official alleges in a new lawsuit filed Wednesday that Gov. Jared Polis ordered him and others to comply with a subpoena from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, even though state law prohibits that. The lawsuit, filed in Denver District Court, alleges Polis went against his public stances opposing cooperation with immigration officials and state laws that he signed when he directed Scott Moss, director of the Colorado Department of Labor & Employments Division of Labor Standards and Statistics, and other state employees to provide federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the personally identifying information of at least dozens, and possibly far more, individuals in response to an administrative (not court-issued) subpoena that ICE served to enforce federal civil immigration law. Judge issues order stopping deportation of Boulder terror attack suspects family For years, Colorado has repeatedly reassured members of the public that they can use state services, including for reporting labor violations and claiming labor rights, without fear that Colorado will misuse their personal information by turning it over to federal immigration authorities to seize and deport them, their family members, their personal or professional contacts, or others But in late spring 2025, barely one week after signing the 2025 law expanding the ban on disclosing personal information for purposes of federal immigration enforcement, Governor Polis directed state employees to violate these legal protections and assurances, the lawsuit stated. The lawsuit further said Polis directive harms an unknown but potentially large number of state employees who risk profession and personal harms, as well as penalties of up to $50,000. ICE request to share personally identifying information According to the lawsuit, state employees in the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment on April 24 received an immigration enforcement subpoena from a Homeland Security Investigations unit within ICE requesting the information be given to an official at ICE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit states the subpoena is for investigative activities to locate unaccompanied alien children and to ensure that the children are being properly cared for.' The lawsuit states the subpoena was administrative not issued by a judge a distinction that would prohibit the release of the information under SB25-276, which Polis himself signed last month on May 23, that states that state employees can only give information when required to comply with a court-issued subpoena, warrant, or order, or as required by law. Download the FOX31 App: Breaking news alerts & Pinpoint Weather The lawsuit says the subpoena did not request the information for a judicial proceeding, nor was it for a criminal investigation, just a civil one. Polis admin. allegedly says to produce information, overriding legal ban Moss was told by the Polis administration in early May that it had decided not to produce the PII requested by the subpoena, according to the lawsuit, but Only weeks later, in the last week of May and just before the May 26th production date ICE requested Governor Polis personally decided, and state officials including Moss were notified, that Polis wanted CDLE to produce the PII requested by the ICE subpoena. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moss repeatedly told the administration verbally and in a memo attached to the lawsuit that it would be illegal to produce the information requested, but on June 2, Monday, Moss was reportedly told Polis decision to comply with the subpoena was final. Moss was told, according to the lawsuit, he must provide ICE with the information by the end of the week, Friday. The ICE collaboration directive thereby imposes a choice between harmful options upon Moss and other state employees: illegally disclose PII of the Impacted Population for ICE for immigration enforcement, risking financial, licensing, professional, and reputational harm to themselves, and deeper harm to the immigrants who entrusted their PII to them; or decline to commit the illegal act Governor Polis ordered, risking termination or other negative professional and personal consequences, according to the lawsuit. Lawsuit asks for restraining order preventing cooperation The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order, a preliminary injunction and permanent injunction stopping Polis from directing Moss to comply with the subpoena or release any personally identifying information. It also seeks a declaration as a matter of law that Colorado law prohibits Plaintiff and any other person from responding to or otherwise producing PII in response to the April 24th Immigration Enforcement Subpoena, as well as attorney fees and costs associated with the lawsuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox FOX31 reached out to Gov. Jared Polis office for a statement. Child exploitation has no place in Colorado, and we are not a sanctuary state. And we are committed to partnering on criminal investigations with local and federal partners, including to protect against human trafficking and child exploitation. Helping federal law enforcement partners locate and, if necessary, rescue children being abused and trafficked is not only in line with the law but also a moral imperative.. We expect the courts will agree. We are committed to protecting Personal Identifying Information (PII) with regard to purely civil matters. It is important to produce records in accordance with criminal investigations to ensure the safety of Coloradans and, most importantly, to protect and ensure the safety of children. Attempts to delay or block this information could prolong criminal exploitation and abuse of children, and we are eager to assist. We would comply unless a court deems otherwise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That said, it is critical that if the federal government seeks to use subpoenas to compel the release of information in connection with criminal investigations, be transparent about its investigations to the extent possible and that it not misuse that power, said a spokesperson from the Governors Office. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. DENVER (KDVR) The Colorado Renaissance Festival says it is working with the state to have elephants this year, despite claims by PETA that said Colorado Parks and Wildlife denied permission. PETA said in a press release that Colorado Parks and Wildlife made the decision after calls and emails from members of PETA and Compassion Works International. Additionally, the University of Denvers College of Law threatened to take legal action if CPW were to permit elephants at the festival. Previous: DUs College of Law threatens legal action if CPW permits elephants at Renaissance Festival Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, in a response to FOX31 after this storys original publication Jim Paradise, the vice president of the festival, said those claims are not accurate. The issuance of permits by the State for the years 2022-2024 is proof positive of that both the Renaissance Festival and Trumps and Humps are fulfilling that mission. The Renaissance Festival and its vendor are working with the State in the 2025 permitting process and are addressing various misperceptions, Paradise said in an email to FOX31. We look forward to having the elephants back to the Renaissance Festival this season. The animals were brought to the festival by Texas-based exotic animal exhibitor Trunks and Humps. PETA said that the three elephants used by the company were captured from Africa over 40 years ago and claims that they have been forced to perform in a circus style since they were infants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Colorado law prohibits the use of elephants and other exotic animals in traveling circus-style shows. PETA claims that Trunks and Humps threatens animals into doing tricks and gets past the law by falsely claiming an exemption for educational shows. Paradise again refuted this claim saying the way the animals are used has changed since SB21-135 was passed in 2021, including that elephant rides are no longer offered. The Renaissance Festival has worked and continues to work with Trumps and Humps in its ongoing and successful efforts in educating people on the history, research, and care of elephants, Paradise said. Similar claims were included in the letter from the DU College of Law to CPW. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Renaissance festivals may celebrate the past, but beating and threatening elephants with bullhooks should be relegated to the history books, PETA Foundation Senior Director of Captive Wildlife Debbie Metzler said in a release. The owner of Trunks and Humps has not yet commented. FOX31 has also reached out to CPW for comment, but has not heard back as of publication. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. DENVER (KDVR) The Colorado State Patrol is urging drivers to respect motorcyclists engaged in lane filtering, with summer riding season officially underway. First and foremost, CSP said it is important for drivers to understand the difference between lane splitting, which is illegal, and lane filtering, which was legalized last year and took effect last August. Whats the difference between lane filtering and lane splitting and which one is legal? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first thing Coloradoans need to understand is that there is a seemingly small but important difference between lane filtering and lane splitting, CSP Chief Col. Matthew C. Packard said in a statement. One maneuver is legal, and the other remains prohibited, so lets all start by getting on the same page. Lane filtering is when a motorcyclist passes other cars that are at a complete stop. Lane splitting, meanwhile, is when a rider rides in-between cars that are in motion. (Credit Colorado State Patrol) According to the new law, the CSP says these five rules must be followed: To pass, traffic in the riders lane and adjacent lanes going the same direction must be at a complete stop The lane must be wide enough to fit the vehicle and motorcycle while passing The motorcycle must go 15 mph or less The rider must pass safely and control the motorcycle The rider must pass on the left and not enter the oncoming traffic lane Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for the FOX31 Denver Guide weekly newsletter for events and activities Its up to the rider to assess each situation and determine if the conditions are safe and legal to filter its an option, not a requirement to filter, Packard said. It is also the responsibility of every motorist to share the road. Drive with etiquette and with the law in mind. Respecting each other and driving without distractions will make our commutes faster and safer. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) Military analysts are still studying Operation Spider Web, the unprecedented weekend assault on Russias nuclear-capable, long-range bombers. More than 100 Ukrainian drones struck air bases deep inside Russia, with explosions reported in five separate regions. The operation was said to be in the planning stages for 18 months, and a new Columbus defense contractor might have been part of that plan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unsolved Ohio: Who killed Amy Jo Nelson? Family wants answers in 2017 homicide Anduril is building its newest manufacturing facility near Rickenbacker air base, but its vice president for strategy said it is already supplying autonomous weapons including drones to the United States and its allies, including Ukraine. I think the biggest lesson to take away from Ukraine is not just what they can do, but whats needed, the timelines on which they are needed that very much animates what were building here in Columbus, Ohio, at our Arsenal One campus, Anduril Senior Vice President of Strategy Zachary Mears said. And what a campus it will be; five million square feet of manufacturing space that will eventually employ 4,000 people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anduril is the nations newest defense contractor and it is changing the landscape for the military-industrial complex. Central Ohio is going to be vital to the future of what we do, Mears said. Many of the products that weve designed and built are literally going to be made here over the next many decades. After faculty overwhelmingly voted to unionize, Ohio University is suing them again Unlike other defense suppliers who come up with a proposed weapon and ask the Pentagon to pay for research, development and production, Anduril uses its own capital to design and build high-tech software and weapons that are ready for market. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well, we, we very much ascribe to the view that were providing capabilities to defend the West, Mears said. And to defend Americas allies around the world with a never-before-seen business model. We think competition within the industrial base is overdue, and our model, our way of producing product, our way of investing in that product, is different than your traditional defense prime, and they need that healthy, healthy dose of competition, Mears said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) Ten school districts across Ohio are receiving a grant for a new manufacturing career tech program. Almost all companies rely on manufacturers and the Ohio STEM Learning Network said the state currently has a big manufacturing talent gap. The Manufacturing Pathways Pilot Program will work to close it. As more companies invest in central Ohio, leaders at the STEM Learning Network, which is run by Battelle, realized skilled manufacturers are going to be needed every step of the way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Columbus district lays out school closure plans When you think about companies like Honda and Intel who are making significant investments in our manufacturing infrastructure, those companies need employees, so this program will help create pathways for these students, Heather Sherman, the pilot program manager at Battelle, said. Columbus City Schools is one of the ten districts statewide receiving a grant for the manufacturing program. Starting in the fall, students at four Columbus high schools are going to get real-world experiences through the grant money. To be able to credential students in any of these in-demand fields, the equipment is extremely expensive, and so we are using pretty much the entire grant to buy the equipment, Jenny Meade, the director of Columbus Citys Career Tech Education, said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Program leaders said students will leave the manufacturing pilot program with the right skills and credentials needed to start working immediately or to continue their education in college. Unsolved Ohio: Who killed Amy Jo Nelson? Family wants answers in 2017 homicide I think students dont always know that with a high school diploma and some additional credentials, they can be positioned to work in advanced manufacturing and earn family-sustaining wages, Sherman said. Amare Kilgore just graduated from Columbus City Schools and took some manufacturing classes during his school career. He said the incoming pilot program is going to better prepare students for the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We actually got to see firsthand some of the stuff that theyll be getting, Kilgore said. From what weve all seen, its going to be great. The juniors got to see it and they were pumped. They were excited to be able to say, like, Im going to be able to do this. The Manufacturing Pathways Pilot program will begin at the ten school districts in the fall and run through 2026. Then, the goal is to expand it to as many Ohio schools as possible so even more students receive this opportunity. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. If a Facebook or Instagram account claiming to be Charlie Berens messages you out of the blue, odds are it's not actually the Wisconsin comedian. It's probably an imposter who may try to scam you. "When it happens, you think: This person that I follow, I enjoy their content. Now they're privately messaging me," Berens explained to the Journal Sentinel in a recent phone interview. "You kind of allow the excitement to maybe take over a little bit." "Before you know it," he said, the scammer tries to get gift cards or personal information out of you. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While this problem has popped up over the years, it's going on increasingly more often, Berens said. He's noticed that it's happening on Facebook and Instagram the most, especially with older adults who are newer to social media and often the target of scams. But, other platforms and people aren't immune. When Berens' name is searched for on a social media site, his real account isn't the only one to pop up. While we were on the phone with Berens, he looked up his name on Instagram and found a handful of phonies on the spot. "It's kind of a game of Whack-a-Mole," Berens said. "You can report an account and then it can get removed. But then someone else can just do the same thing. There's not really a great system to combat that stuff." At one of Berens' comedy shows in California, a fan brought him a gift she said they had previously discussed and informed him that they had been messaging each other online for months, the comedian said. This was news to Berens. The person the woman had been talking to? Not him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The imposter even went as far as to mail the woman a photo of Berens with a forged autograph on it, Berens said. Scammers often "do something that builds trust with people," he said, which can be "a dangerous game." "As an entertainer or public figure in whatever case, you try to build a lot of trust with your audience," he said. "Then, you have these people eroding that trust just because they want to make a quick buck. It's sad." Wisconsin comedian Charlie Berens. Charlie Berens' tips for avoiding scammers. And, a list of his real social media accounts. "Be very suspicious of any interaction with anybody online. Period," Berens said, especially when it's with someone claiming to be a public figure without being verified. If there isn't a blue checkmark next to Berens' username on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok the checkmark indicates that the account has been verified by the platform that's a red flag. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In case you ever need to double-check, Berens' real accounts on those platforms, as well as his Patreon where he sometimes does giveaways are: Berens noted that with X, formerly Twitter, people can get a blue checkmark by simply purchasing an active subscription to X Premium. While he doesn't do that, his main account on there is: @CharlieBerens. Berens also has social media accounts for several of his ventures, including his comedic news report series, his podcast and his brandy. Official accounts for those, include: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If Berens ever uses social media to give away tickets or discuss a donation request, he or someone from his team will converse strictly through his official accounts. During those conversations, Berens or his team may provide an email address for further correspondence if necessary. If someone thinks a Berens imposter is reaching out to them, the comedian's advice: "Don't reply" just like you'd hang up if you got a robocall. "The more time we can spend away from our phones, the better. And, I say that as somebody who obviously would benefit with people spending more time on their phones," Berens said. "It's very easy to get sucked in and lost in an algorithm. And, that can lead you to sort of think something is real when it's not. I think just enjoying life in the real world is kind of a thing we can all myself included try to do more of." Additional tips to avoid being scammed A USA TODAY report shared these tips from Chase to help people identity potential scams or fraud: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Demands for urgent action and sharing of personal information. Scammers will usually have a sense of urgency, and you may be threatened with losing money or access to your accounts or even arrest if you don't comply. New, sudden relationships that take an interest in your money. Financial abuse often happens from a person known to the victim. It might be a caretaker or a newly found friendship. Be careful of any new friends who approach you with investment opportunities or take an interest in your finances. Unusual financial activity. If you see withdrawals or changes to your accounts, or if you see your loved one suddenly making changes to financial accounts, contact the financial institution. Wrong number. Some scammers will text or call someone, hoping you'll answer, saying it's the wrong number. Then they'll try to get friendly with you to get your defenses down. What should you do if you're the victim of a scam? Contact authorities and your financial institutions as soon as possible. Don't be ashamed about what happened and seek help. The quicker a financial institution knows there is a problem, the better the chances are that some of the lost money might be recoverable. But liability for the fraud does vary for each case and often if the consumer has willingly transferred the money to a scammer, it could prove difficult to recover. If you realize you're in the middle of being scammed, disengage from contact. More about Charlie Berens Berens, who grew up in Elm Grove and New Berlin, is a comedian, New York Times best-selling author and Emmy Award-winning journalist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He's well-known for his hilarious videos about all things life in the Midwest. He also wrote "The Midwest Survival Guide: How We Talk, Love, Work, Drink and Eat ... Everything with Ranch," hosts "The Cripescast Podcast" and has several other endeavors, including Berens Old Fashioned Brandy. In the "Green and Gold" movie, which played in theaters earlier this year, Berens portrayed a radio host on a Door County station. In our recent interview, Berens shared that he recently filmed a standup special. He has a slew of shows coming up in Wisconsin in September. And, in November, he'll be hitting the road for "The Lost & Found Tour." More information, including dates and locations can be found here. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Charlie Berens warns of Facebook, Instagram scammers impersonating him Our state legislature's ban on fluoridation does not go far enough. When Republican State Rep. Danny Alvarez said, "This is not about fluoride. This is about your liberty," every word applied to chlorine with equal relevancy. Yes, chlorine. The chemical that makes swimming pools smell funny as it neutralizes the indiscretions of bathers. How dare the government add chlorine to our drinking water to protect us from diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid without our consent! Some of us might prefer seeking "herd immunity" to these illnesses, even though untrustworthy "science" tells us this is impossible. Remember, this "science" also alleges we are in "climate change," an untruth our governor has banned from our textbooks and legislation. Ending chlorination isn't a blue issue or a red issue; it's a green issue. Let's turn our tap water green with algae and pond scum as a perpetual reminder that we are free Americans living in the Free State of Florida. Fluoridation in Florida: City-by-city: Does your municipality use fluoride to treat its drinking water? Carl Imboden, West Palm Beach This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida got freedom from fluoride. They shouldn't stop there | Letters NEW YORK (AP) Craft labels from the now-shuttered fabrics seller Joann are making their way to a new home: Michaels. The Michaels Companies announced on Thursday that it had completed its purchase of Joann's intellectual property and private label brands in an acquisition that arrives as the Texas-based arts and crafting chain works to expand its own fabric, sewing and yarn offerings. Were honored to have the opportunity to welcome JOANN customers into our creative community and are committed to delivering the selection, value, and inspiration they are looking for at Michaels, Michaels CEO David Boone said in a statement. The deal, he added, allows the company to better respond to rising demand among both new and existing customers. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The Associated Press reached out to Michaels for further information on Friday. With roots dating back to a single Ohio storefront in 1943, Joann had grown into a destination for generations of sewers, quilters, knitters and lovers of other crafts for more than 80 years. But more recently, operational challenges continued to pile up with the retailer pointing to sluggish consumer demand, inventory shortages and rising competition. Joann announced it would be going out of business back in February, just one month after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time within a year. At the time, the company said financial services company GA Group, together with Joanns term lenders, had been selected as the winning bidder to acquire substantially all of Joanns assets and conduct going-out-of-business sales at all store locations. Michaels on Thursday said that its purchase of Joann's IP and private brands included the acquisition of Big Twist yarns, which had become a staple in Joann stores over the years. Those Big Twist labels are now being developed as part of Michaels' portfolio and will be available in-stores and online later this year, the company said. In the meantime, Michaels has also dedicated a landing page to welcome former Joann customers online. And as part of its overall expansion into fabrics, Michaels said on Thursday that its adding more than 600 new products from new and existing brands including quilting supplies and fabrics, specialty threads, sewing machines and more. Michaels, founded in 1973, currently operates 1,300 stores across 49 U.S. states and Canada. Its parent company also owns Artistree, a framing merchandise manufacturer. Ive been a faculty member at the University of Chicago for 27 years; for 12 of them, I was married to the universitys late president, Robert J. Zimmer. Bob was well known for his endorsement of the Chicago Principles addressing academic free speech, which were formulated by a faculty committee he appointed in 2014. Now, in 2025, at a time when opposing ideological forces threaten to rip higher education apart altogether, its clearer than ever we need to observe these principles if we are to maintain our universities as places for inquiry and learning rather than the nurturing of ideologies. First of all, lets be clear. Academic free speech and public free speech are not the same, and the Chicago Principles refer to the former, repeating a view of speech on campus with roots deep in the universitys history. There is not an institution of learning in the country in which freedom of teaching is more absolutely untrammeled than in the University of Chicago, remarked university President William Rainey Harper in 1902. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thirty years later, at a time of tension over a communist speaker on campus, President Robert M. Hutchins wrote that students should have freedom to discuss any problem that presents itself. Today, when being either for or against the position of our national government comes with undue risk and when free speech seems to many to be an insoluble problem, these principles what they allow and what they do not offer us simple guidelines as the American university faces two crises, both political in nature. The first crisis is one of free speech and free thought under attack. Faculty across the country face constraints on the ability to express a liberal opinion on any controversial matter, especially if related to DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) or other woke topics. One of my friends from another university worries that despite her U.S. passport (shes originally Japanese) the ICE men will kidnap her off the street because her work is in gender, disability and health. She doesnt expect her administration to step in if shes detained too many college administrations are primarily worried about losing additional government funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My friend is not being paranoid, and thats pretty terrifying in a country known for tolerance and freedom. Professors and students have been shut down or removed (or have fled the U.S.) for their views. Just think of Rumeysa Ozturk, whose great crime appears to have been co-authoring a pro-Palestinian op-ed for her school newspaper while on a valid F-1 visa. Never mind the Chicago Principles, ICEs overreach in her case violates the First Amendment: The government shall not interfere with freedom of expression. Ozturk was not disruptive or violent. She simply published a point of view. Are we willing to let go of this democratic cornerstone that enables public discourse and government accountability? Dont we want to push back even a little? The second crisis is arguably one of pushing free speech too far. Some students and faculty on campuses around the country seem to be confusing vandalism and disruption with the function of learning. Is using a bullhorn an example of academic free speech? If you thereby chill the main function of a university, offering an education, by disrupting classes and students, the Chicago Principles would say its not. Nor is taking over a campus quad, vandalizing university property, throwing paint or harassing people you disagree with. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Free speech on campus is enabled by certain limits of time, place and manner that keep it manageable for all. The university may restrict expression that violates the law, that falsely defames a specific individual, that constitutes a genuine threat or harassment or that is otherwise directly incompatible with the functioning of the university. Without such limits a university will have difficulty following its calling. If the future of the university itself is now at stake, as so many seem to agree, it would be a good time to reinstate our commitment to these principles. University presidents need not have to decide whether or not to call in the police if tent cities spring up on campus and administrative buildings are taken over. It should never get to that stage in the first place. ____ Shadi Bartsch is a professor in humanities at the University of Chicago and former director of the Institute on the Formation of Knowledge. _____ DANBURY, Iowa (KCAU) Danbury officials are warning residents that the citys tap water should not be given to infants under six months old until further notice. According to the towns Facebook page, recent tests show the water supply has a nitrate level above the maximum contaminant level. Nitrates can be fatal for infants because their bodies cannot process the compound. Older infants, children, and adults can process the nitrates, and so the water is safe for their consumption. Story continues below Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nitrates are a compound that can leach into water systems through industrial and agricultural run-off, as well as through naturally occurring processes. Nitrate levels in drinking water can change over time without intervention, and Danbury officials are making sure the towns infrastructure is working properly. Additionally, the nitrates cannot be removed by boiling, freezing, or filtering the tap water. Residents can check Danburys social media for updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) hosted a community meeting on Thursday, letting people share their frustrations regarding the South Coast Rail. Officials also gave a presentation highlighting the improvements they have made so far to the new rail line since it opened in March. A person who lives nearby said more change is needed. When Im walking my dog at 5 a.m., that horn is going on for like a minute and a half straight, he explained. And thats what, 15 times a day, all day? I mean, thats unbelievable. That is torture. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RELATED: MBTA reports issues with South Coast Rail service The MBTAs Chief Operating Officer, Ryan Coholan acknowledged complaints on the noise, plus other issues like train cancellations and staffing shortages. He said crew shortages have improved and most trains are back on track. MBTA officials also highlighted the Noise Mitigation Program that reimburses participating homeowners. Nearly $2 million in grants have already been given out to area residents. Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the new 12+ smart TV app. Follow us on social media: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. In early June 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk's once-close relationship turned ugly as the two traded barbs on social media. Social media users, in turn, speculated about why the two were fighting. The relationship between Musk and Trump, according to reporting from reputable news outlets, had been complicated for months, despite public amicability. Trump's team had become increasingly frustrated with Musk's erratic behavior and his slash-and-burn mentality as the public face of the Department of Government Efficiency, according to these reports. Things appeared to begin falling apart publicly when Trump pulled the nomination of a Musk ally to lead NASA, citing past donations to Democrats, and Musk started attacking Trump's trade adviser and tariffs architect, Peter Navarro. On June 3, Musk posted on X that he "just can't stand it anymore," and attacked Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, calling it a "disgusting abomination" and criticizing it for increasing the national debt. Trump, in response, said he was "very disappointed" with Musk and alleged the world's richest man was really angry about the bill's electric-vehicle tax-credit cuts, which would hurt Musk's car company, Tesla. It's true that the bill would increase the national debt, and that Trump reversed his position on increasing the debt ceiling the limit lawmakers set to how much money the government can borrow. It's also true that the bill would cut tax credits benefiting Tesla. Thus, it is likely that even if there is more going on than what is publicly known, the fight does, at least in part, have to do with Trump's budget bill. U.S. President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, a former special government employee and Trump adviser, once presented themselves as the ultimate bromance in U.S. politics but as their relationship crashed and burned in mid-2025, speculation and questions about what caused their very public breakup circulated online. "Who else still doesn't understand why Elon Musk and Donald Trump are fighting?" wrote one confused X user. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The fight between Musk and Trump appeared to center around Musk's criticism of Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, which Musk called a "disgusting abomination." Trump, on the other hand, lamented that he once "had" a great relationship with Musk and claimed Musk's anger was over cuts to electric-vehicle tax credits in the bill credits that would have benefited Musk's car company, Tesla. "I'll tell you, he's not the first," Trump said (at 1:13). "People leave my administration and they love us, and then at some point they miss it so badly. And some of them embrace it and some of them actually become hostile. I don't know what it is, it's sort of 'Trump derangement syndrome' I guess they call it." Still, news outlets and late-night hosts speculated about the "real reasons" Musk was feuding with Trump. Some X users alleged Musk had simply pretended to support Trump to receive the EV subsidies. Meanwhile, conspiracy theorists argued that the fight was planned as a distraction or so Musk could sell cars to liberals and Trump could stop appearing beholden to the world's richest man. Much of what we know about Trump and Musk's relationship comes from reporting based on anonymous sources inside the White House who fear losing their jobs, making it impossible to definitively determine based on public information if there was a "real" reason for the spat. In response to an inquiry, the White House ignored detailed questions asking for evidence of various claims and allegations made by Trump and Musk, instead providing a boilerplate statement that had been sent to Snopes previously. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted. The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again," read the statement from Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary. On June 11, 2025, Musk posted on X that he regretted some of his posts about Trump. "They went too far," he said. Below, we break down what has been reported, what Trump and Musk have said and what they appeared to be fighting about: What led up to the feud? Musk and Trump's close relationship publicly began when the SpaceX founder endorsed Trump for president on July 13, 2024, in an X post following an assassination attempt on the president in Pennsylvania. Musk poured nearly $300 million into Trump's campaign, and shortly after Trump won, he appointed Musk to head the Department of Government Efficiency, a new initiative dedicated to cutting government spending. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Musk used a literal chain saw to promote his cuts to government agencies, outwardly, the two could not have been more agreeable to each other. However, reputable news outlets citing anonymous sources in the White House painted a more complicated story. In March, The New York Times reported cabinet officials were growing increasingly frustrated with the billionaire's "unchecked power," culminating in an explosive meeting over Musk's efforts to slash spending via mass layoffs of federal workers. The meeting, the Times reported, "yielded the first significant indication that Mr. Trump is willing to put some limits on Mr. Musk," as Trump reportedly said that from that point on, "the secretaries would be in charge; the Musk team would only advise." In April, the The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump and Musk spent time together almost every weekend, and that Trump admired Musk's humor and wealth and the interest other world leaders took in Musk. The story also noted Trump's attempts to smooth over Musk's tense relationship with his cabinet officials. But the WSJ reported in May that the president and his staffers had expressed various frustrations over Musk's erratic messaging and his deep investment in a Wisconsin Supreme Court race. The candidate Musk backed, Brad Schimel, was a conservative backed by the Republican Party, but White House aides believed he would not win the race and it would become a referendum on Musk and Trump. (They were right.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Axios reported in June that Musk wanted the Federal Aviation Administration to use his Starlink satellite system for national air traffic control but "the administration balked at it because of the appearance of a conflict of interest and for technological reasons." Snopes has not independently verified the reports from Axios, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Fighting spills into public view On April 5, news outlets reported that Musk posted, then deleted, an X post disparaging Trump's top trade adviser, Peter Navarro. "A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing," Musk said in reference to Navarro's degree, adding that Navarro "hadn't built s***." On April 8, Musk called Navarro a slur for developmentally disabled people, "truly a moron" and "dumber than a sack of bricks" in several X posts. Tesla has the most American-made cars. Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks. @IfindRetards @RealPNavarro https://t.co/gECgtZt5Sc Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 8, 2025 Musk's frustrations with Navarro appeared to be over Trump's tariff policy, which Navarro was largely in charge of. (Musk said in an X post on June 5 that he believed Trump's tariffs would cause a recession in "the second half this year.") Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk then began publicly criticizing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in a May 27 interview with CBS News, saying he was "disappointed" to see that the "massive spending bill" would increase the budget deficit, adding that it "undermines the work DOGE has been doing" (see 6:00). "I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don't know if it can be both," he said. The next day, Musk announced that his "scheduled time" as a special government employee was coming to an end. Trump presented Musk with a key to the White House on May 30 and called him an "incredible patriot" (see 11:40). Musk said he'd "expect to remain a friend and an adviser" and that he was "at the president's service" (see 20:13). Axios reported, however, that Musk had discussed trying to stay in that role beyond the 130-day time limit for special government employees but White House officials denied the request. On June 1, Trump announced on Truth Social that he would withdraw a nomination of a Musk ally, Jared Isaacman, to head NASA after a "thorough review of prior associations." Based on other comments, Trump was likely referring to Isaacman's past donations to Democrats but Axios reported that for Musk, the withdrawal was the "final straw." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I'm not going to play dumb on this I don't think timing was much of a coincidence. There were other changes going on the same day," Isaacman said at the 50:04 mark in an "All-In Podcast" episode published June 4, presumably referencing Musk's departure. The big blowout On June 3, Musk posted that he "just can't stand it anymore." "This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination," he wrote. Im sorry, but I just cant stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 3, 2025 Over the next few days, Musk's X feed largely consisted of criticizing the budget bill. He repeatedly raised concerns over "debt slavery" enslavement for unpaid debts and the bill's potential effect on the national deficit. He began outright lobbying against the bill, calling on his followers to "kill the bill." Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 4, 2025 In a June 5 Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump said he was "very disappointed" to see Musk's tirade (see 4:09). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I've always liked Elon, and so I was very surprised," Trump said. "He hasn't said anything about me that's bad. I'd rather have him criticize me than the bill, because the bill is incredible. It's the biggest cut in the history of this country." Trump claimed Musk "knew the inner workings" of the bill better than many in the administration and "had no problem with it" until they cut the EV subsidies (see 21:07). (Musk said on X that the president's comments were false and the bill "was never shown to me even once.") The president also alleged that Musk was unhappy about the administration's decision to reverse Isaacman's nomination to lead NASA (see 15:03). "He said the most beautiful things about me. And he hasn't said bad about me personally, but I'm sure that'll be next," Trump said (see 21:55). "But I'm very disappointed in Elon. I helped Elon a lot." As Trump predicted, Musk turned to personal attacks: Musk claimed Trump wouldn't have won the election without him, amplified a call for Trump's impeachment and alleged the Trump administration hasn't released files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein because the president is in them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1930703865801810022 Minutes before Musk posted about the Epstein files, Trump posted on his Truth Social account, "Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!" Minutes after Musk posted his allegations that Trump was in unreleased Epstein-related files, Trump appeared to respond, without directly referencing Musk's claim. Trump's post read, "I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It's a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn't pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didn't create this mess, I'm just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Trump also threatened to take away Musk's government contracts in a Truth Social post the same day: "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk, in a now-deleted response, threatened to decommission the SpaceX capsule used to take astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station before backing off from the threat after an X user pleaded with him to cool off. What exactly are they fighting about? Let's discuss the actual policy the two men appear to be fighting about: the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. First, a quick recap: Musk's criticisms of the bill, at least publicly, center on his belief it will increase the federal deficit. Trump says Musk is mad over the administration's decision to remove electric-vehicle tax credits what the president called an "EV mandate" from the bill. While Musk initially supported eliminating the EV tax credit in 2023, he appears to have reversed his stance. The budget bill includes the elimination of a tax credit worth roughly as much as $7,500 for some Tesla models and other electric vehicles by Dec. 31, 2025, seven years ahead of schedule see Section 112002 of the bill, "TERMINATION OF CLEAN VEHICLE CREDIT." JP Morgan estimated Tesla would lose $1.2 billion over the elimination, according to Bloomberg. Thus, it is accurate to say Musk stands to lose money over the removal of the tax credit. But Musk, in response to Trump's comments in the Oval Office, claimed on X that he cared more about what he believed was wasteful spending in the bill. "Whatever," he said. "Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill." Musk's attacks centered on what he believed was Trump's about-face on raising the debt ceiling a limit Congress sets as to how much money the government can borrow as well as the fact the budget bill would increase the deficit. Part of Musk's tirade against Trump involved him pulling out old Trump posts about the deficit to paint the president as a hypocrite. It is true that Trump was against raising the federal deficit before he became president but he raised the ceiling multiple times during his first term. In a June 4 Truth Social post, he said he wanted to abolish the debt limit entirely "to prevent an Economic catastrophe." The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the bill would increase the federal deficit by $2.4 trillion through 2034; that would grow to $3 trillion with interest, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and $5 trillion with interest if temporary tax cuts were made permanent. As Trump had touted, the package also cuts spending by about $1.3 trillion, with most of that coming from cuts to Medicaid and food assistance, according to the CBO. The bill would thus necessitate raising the debt ceiling, as the ceiling as of 2025 is $36.1 trillion, which the United States has already breached the national debt, as of this writing, was $36.2 trillion, forcing the United States to take what's called "extraordinary measures" to temporarily prevent a default on the debt. Defaulting, the Department of the Treasury said, would result in "catastrophic repercussions." In sum Private arguments and issues the Trump team had with Musk may have led to this very public fight, according to reputable news outlets. While the center of the fight appeared to be the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the two were already at odds over Trump pulling the nomination of a Musk ally to lead NASA and Musk's opposition to Trump's tariff policy and the architect behind it, to name a few incidents. In early June, Musk began attacking the budget bill, leading Trump to say he was "very disappointed" in the tech billionaire before posting a few of his own responses on Truth Social. Aside from Musk attacking the bill as being bloated and financially irresponsible, Musk also attacked Trump's character. Trump alleged Musk was actually upset with the bill's electric-vehicle tax-credit cuts and said the easiest way to reduce spending would be to take Musk's government contracts away. In terms of the policy discussion, it is true the bill increases spending and the national debt, as Musk claimed, and it is true ending the EV tax credit would likely harm Tesla. At the end of the day, we can't say exactly what is going on in either man's head, making it impossible to know whether there's more to the fight but the evidence suggests the budget bill is at least one major sticking point for the relationship. Sources: Al Jazeera. 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"Elon Musk on X: "a New Spending Bill Should Be Drafted That Doesn't M." Archive.ph, 4 June 2025, archive.ph/RiBLH. Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: 'America Is in the Fast Lane to Debt Slavery' / X." Archive.ph, 4 June 2025, archive.ph/tjovK. Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "Call Your Senator, Call Your Congressman, Bankruptin." Archive.ph, 5 June 2025, archive.ph/zumUO. Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "False, This Bill Was Never Shown to Me Even Once And." Archive.ph, 5 June 2025, archive.ph/8IG7O. Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "in Light of the President's Statement about Cancella." Archive.ph, 5 June 2025, archive.ph/sjGYO. Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "Mammoth Spending Bills Are Bankrupting America! ENOU." Archive.ph, 4 June 2025, archive.ph/wfzgT. Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "the Trump Tariffs Will Cause a Recession in the Seco." Archive.ph, 5 June 2025, archive.ph/CDy1o. Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "This Immense Level of Overspending Will Drive Americ." Archive.ph, 4 June 2025, archive.ph/juP1U. Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "This Spending Bill Contains the Largest Increase In ." Archive.ph, 4 June 2025, archive.ph/hiKAc. Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "Whatever. Keep the EV/Solar Incentive Cuts in the Bi." Archive.ph, 5 June 2025, archive.ph/wcCQY. Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: 'Where Is This Guy Today??' / X." Archive.ph, 5 June 2025, archive.ph/Q9pOw. Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: 'Wise Words' / X." Archive.ph, 5 June 2025, archive.ph/GgTJT. Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Good Advice. Ok, We Won't Decommission Dragon." Archive.ph, 6 June 2025, archive.ph/l8HvU. Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "I Fully Endorse President Trump and Hope for His Rapid Recovery." X (Formerly Twitter), 13 July 2024, x.com/elonmusk/status/1812256998588662068. Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "I'm Sorry, but I Just Can't Stand It Anymore. This Massive, Outrageous, Pork-Filled Congressional Spending Bill Is a Disgusting Abomination. Shame on Those Who Voted for It: You Know You Did Wrong. You Know It." X (Formerly Twitter), 3 June 2025, x.com/elonmusk/status/1929954109689606359. Accessed 6 June 2025. PBS NewsHour. "WATCH: Trump Says He's 'Very Disappointed' in Elon Musk after Criticism of President's Budget Bill." YouTube, 5 June 2025, www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_21LILjHsY. Accessed 6 June 2025. "Statement by President-Elect Donald J. Trump Announcing That Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy Will Lead the Department of Government Efficiency ('DOGE') | the American Presidency Project." Ucsb.edu, 12 Nov. 2024, www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-president-elect-donald-j-trump-announcing-that-elon-musk-and-vivek-ramaswamy. Accessed 6 June 2025. Swan, Jonathan, and Maggie Haberman. "Rubio and Trump Officials Clash with Elon Musk in an Explosive Meeting." Archive.ph, The New York Times, 7 Mar. 2025, archive.ph/MDOht. Accessed 6 June 2025. Taija PerryCook. "Every DOGE Rumor We've Fact-Checked so Far." Snopes, 15 Mar. 2025, www.snopes.com/collections/doge-rumors-collection/. Accessed 6 June 2025. Talcott, Shelby. "'A Battle Elon Won't Win': Musk Takes on Trump Trade Guru Peter Navarro." Semafor.com, 6 Apr. 2025, www.semafor.com/article/04/05/2025/a-battle-elon-wont-win-elon-musk-takes-on-trumps-trade-guru-peter-navarro. Accessed 6 June 2025. Thadani, Trisha, et al. "Elon Musk Donated $288 Million in 2024 Election, Final Tally Shows." Washington Post, The Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2025, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/01/31/elon-musk-trump-donor-2024-election/. Accessed 6 June 2025. Trump, Donald J. "Donald J. Trump on X: "No Member of Congress Should Be Eligible for R." Archive.ph, 31 July 2012, archive.ph/yP8pg. Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Was 'Wearing Thin,' I Asked Him to Leave, I Took Away His EV Mandate That Forced Everyone to Buy Electric Cars That Nobody Else Wanted (That He Knew for Months I Was Going to Do!), and He Just Went CRAZY!" Truth Social, 5 June 2025, truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114632205177163456. Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "I Am Very Pleased to Announce That, after All of These Years, I Agree with Senator Elizabeth Warren on SOMETHING. The Debt Limit Should Be Entirely Scrapped to Prevent an Economic Catastrophe. It Is Too Devastating to Be Put in the Hands of Political People That May Want to Use It despite the Horrendous Effect It Could Have on Our Country And, Indirectly, Even the World. As to Senator Warren's Second Statement on the $4 Trillion Dollars, I like That Also, but It Would Have to Be Done over a Period of Time, as Short as Possible. Let's Get Together, Republican and Democrat, and DO THIS!" Truth Social, 4 June 2025, truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114626260163622304. Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "I Don't Mind Elon Turning against Me, but He Should Have Done so Months Ago. This Is One of the Greatest Bills Ever Presented to Congress. It's a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut Ever Given. If This Bill Doesn't Pass, There Will Be a 68% Tax Increase, and Things Far Worse than That. I Didn't Create This Mess, I'm Just Here to FIX IT. This Puts Our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Truth Social, 5 June 2025, truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114632555927229642. Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "The Easiest Way to Save Money in Our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, Is to Terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I Was Always Surprised That Biden Didn't Do It!" Truth Social, 5 June 2025, truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114632206992330264. Accessed 6 June 2025. "Truth Details | Truth Social." Archive.ph, 5 June 2025, archive.ph/RBlv2. Accessed 6 June 2025. US Treasury. "What Is the National Debt?" Fiscaldata.treasury.gov, fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/national-debt/. Accessed 6 June 2025. Wall, Mike. "Senator Grills Jared Isaacman, Trump's Pick for NASA Chief, about Elon Musk's Involvement in His Job Interview (Video)." Space, 10 Apr. 2025, www.space.com/space-exploration/watch-senator-grill-jared-isaacman-trumps-pick-for-nasa-chief-about-elon-musks-involvement-in-his-job-interview-video. Accessed 6 June 2025. Wazer, Caroline. "Musk Said He's Leaving the White House. Here's What We Do (and Don't) Know about the Departure." Snopes, Snopes.com, 29 May 2025, www.snopes.com/news/2025/05/30/musk-leaving-white-house/. Accessed 6 June 2025. White House. "President Trump Participates in a Bilateral Meeting with the Chancellor of Germany." Www.youtube.com, 5 June 2025, www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmD3sN-XWHU. Accessed 6 June 2025. Yellen, Janet. DEPARTMENT of the TREASURY | Letter to Rep. Mike Johnson. 17 Jan. 2025, home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/Debt-Limit-Letter-to-Congress-1-17-25.pdf. Accessed 6 June 2025. Updates: June 12, 2025: This story was updated to include a post from Elon Musk that said he regretted some of his prior posts about Trump. Can you sue over a view? Alhambra Place, a condo tower in Fort Lauderdale with a view of the beach, is doing just that alleging breach of contract and seeking more than $10 million in damages. For 24 years, residents of the 16-story condo tower at 209 N. Birch Road have enjoyed an unfettered view of the ocean. Then along came Selene, twin 26-story condo towers going up to the east of Alhambra Place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The projects design was substantially altered despite a development agreement the builder made with Alhambras condo association in July 2020, according to a lawsuit recently filed in Broward Circuit Court. The lawsuit lists The Kolter Group and KT Seabreeze Atlantic as defendants, claiming they submitted a slew of plan revisions aimed at cutting costs and increasing profits without the knowledge or consent of Alhambras condo association. The revisions dramatically altered the exterior design of the project and were solely made to enhance (the developers) bottom line, according to the suit. Its a totally different project, said Keith Poliakoff, one of the attorneys representing Alhambra Place. Alhambra had no idea. Some of those changes affect the view corridor for Alhambra. The Kolter Group has not yet filed a formal response to the lawsuit. KT Seabreeze Atlantic is no longer in business, according to the lawsuit as well as state records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bob Vail, a high-ranking official at Kolter, referred questions to Stephanie Toothaker, attorney for the developer. Toothaker told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Friday: From its inception, and all throughout the development of the iconic Selene project, Kolter has enjoyed a very positive and collaborative relationship with its neighbors and we look forward to continuing discussions to resolve any issues, particularly as we have a previously scheduled meeting with their counsel next week. Things didnt seem right Jim Novick lives on the 11th floor of Alhambra Place, where he serves as president of the condo association. In March, Novick said he noticed the towers going up across the street didnt quite look like the renderings he and his neighbors had been shown before construction began nearly four years ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was pretty far along when we noticed things didnt seem right, Novick said. There was equipment in the way. When the cranes came down, I was like, Oh my God, thats not supposed to be there. They took out the glass. They added more stucco to save money. They made the one balcony on the sixth floor bigger. Novick says he contacted the developer with his concerns. I was telling them to take the balcony down, he said. I told them my boards not going to be happy with this. See what you can do to fix these things. They said theyd get back to me on all these changes. And they never got back to me. Thats when the condo board decided to sue, Novick said. The end of our universe Selenes twin towers will be the tallest on the beach, rising 300 feet above sea level at 3000 Alhambra St. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Residential projects built on that part of the beach have a height cap of 200 feet. But in late 2020, Fort Lauderdale commissioners signed off on special zoning that allowed the builder to go higher. An earlier design called for a shorter and blockier set of towers that would have stood 200 feet high, with nearly 100 more condos and three times the space for restaurants and shops. But residents at Alhambra Place preferred the developer build taller, thinner towers to help preserve their views. If they build a big giant box in front of us, its the end of our universe, Novick told commissioners at the time. We had one unit owner say, Well never see the sun if they build this. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The project won commission approval in October 2020. Less than two years later, the developer returned to the commission to request approval for what it called an administrative amendment to the approved site plan. Alarmed by the proposed changes, Novick said he flew down from his second home in Boston to speak at the July 2022 meeting and voice his objection. During the meeting, Toothaker told the commission her client was requesting changes to the projects dimensional standards and architecture. Approved behind closed doors That night, the developer withdrew the request for changes related to dimensional standards and architecture, the lawsuit states. The only changes requested and approved involved a reduction in the number of condo units from 215 to 196; an increase in the restaurant and retail space by 500 square feet; and a corresponding reduction in private parking spaces from 497 to 480. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I came back on July 4 from Boston, left my family, got on the plane and went down to City Hall to testify, Novick said. And they withdrew the proposal. And I thanked them. But the developer came back later on to ask city staff to sign off on several modifications identical to those that had been withdrawn at the commission meeting, the lawsuit alleges. They submitted changes and got them administratively approved by city staff with no one knowing, Poliakoff said. City staff said they were minor modifications. These were not minor modifications. On April 23, 2025, Alhambras condo association sent the developer a notice accusing them of breach of contract. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The notice claims several design changes were made in violation of the development agreement the developer made with Alhambra Place. Among them: East tower deviations 1. The elegant, round columns that floated outside of the facade at the L-shaped indented building corners were eliminated and replaced with a 90-degree building corner and integral corner edge column. The elimination of this feature detracts from its appearance and makes the building look wider. 2. The north facade of the east tower, level 5, was constructed with a balcony that extends well beyond the balcony line of the tower to the edge of the amenities deck. 3. West-facing level 4 of the east tower is constructed with large expanses of concrete, inconsistent with renderings that depict all glass and an open, unobstructed balcony. Amenities deck deviations 1. The one-story spa extending from the west tower was reduced on the second administrative revision, adding about 30 feet more north-south open area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 2. The portion of the dog park west of the stair tower was eliminated and walled off from the reconfigured dog park. This is inconsistent with unit-view renderings. 3. The fourth level of the east tower is only partially glass, inconsistent with unit-view renderings that show an all-glass facade. West podium facade deviations 1. On the unit-view renderings, glass comprises between 65% and 70% of the west-facing podium facades vertical section of levels 1.5, 2 and 3, but only about 47% as constructed. 2. The unit-view renderings show no exposed columns other than at the corners, whereas an exposed middle column was added to the constructed product. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 3. The agreement calls for frosted glass on the west face of the parking structure. The actual construction appears to show tinted glass. The towers are expected to open later this year. Plaintiff believes that there are additional violations and defaults of the terms of the agreement and shall, hereafter, seek a complete inspection of the property, the lawsuit says. Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan Confused about the new COVID-19 vaccine guidelines for children and pregnant people? Trust us, youre not alone. It all started on May 27, when Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the U.S. would no longer recommend COVID-19 shots for healthy children over 6 months or healthy pregnant people a move that shocked most healthcare providers. Not only did the announcement upend the typical vaccine recommendation process, it also targeted a vaccine with good safety and efficacy data. Then, just a few days later, the CDC walked back part of RFKs statement regarding childrens vaccines. The agency announced COVID shots would stay on the schedule for healthy children 6 months to 17 years old, as long as the children and their caregivers consulted with a doctor or provider a caveat even doctors found confusing. My neck still hurts from the whiplash, Dr. Molly OShea, MD, FAAP, an official spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and a faculty at the Childrens Hospital of Michigan General Pediatrics Continuity Clinic, said on a briefing hosted by the non-profit HealthyWomen this week. More from SheKnows Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RFK is a known vaccine skeptic, but its highly unusual for the Health Secretary to make such decisions unilaterally, as multiple experts pointed out during the briefing. So ultimately, what does this mean for children and pregnant people when it comes to getting vaccinated for COVID? Are these shots still necessary, and will insurance still foot the bill for them if without this government backing? Heres what we know so far, according to experts in the briefing. Is the COVID-19 Vaccine Still Effective For Children & Pregnant People? The COVID vaccine is still considered very effective for children and pregnant people, with lower risks than the infection itself. Early in the pandemic, pregnant people and children often suffered significant outcomes from COVID, explained Dr. Margot Savoy, MD, MPH, FAAFP, senior vice president of education, inclusiveness and physician well-being at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). For pregnant people, in particular, the risk of ending up in the ICU, the risk of ending up on a ventilator, and the risk of death were just remarkably high, much more than you would expect, she explained during the briefing. Once the vaccine became available, those rates declined, Dr. Savoy said. In fact, the serious outcomes that many worried would be side effects from the vaccine things like miscarriage, preeclampsia, blood clots, or premature delivery were actually more likely to happen as side effects from COVID itself, not the vaccine. If you find yourself vaccinated, the rates of all of those things actually go down to almost none, Dr. Savoy explained. Plus, theres the fact that vaccinated pregnant people pass their immunity to their fetus. That means that the vaccine protects the pregnant person themselves; their fetus, against stillbirth and premature delivery; and the baby, once theyre born, by conferring protection in their first six months, Dr. Savoy explained. Thats a good thing, because babies are very high risk when it comes to respiratory infections like COVID, added Dr. Alice Sato, MD, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the Advocacy Task Force at the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. Because they have such small airways just a little bit of inflammation can make a baby get into trouble with their breathing a lot faster, Dr. Sato explained. [Babies] had very high hospitalizations, even with the last wave [of COVID-19.] Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Children of any age can also experience long COVID Dr. Sato said the most recent estimate was that 6 million children in the US were suffering from it leading to symptoms like fatigue and fussiness. COVID can also lead to missing crucial periods of time from school or preschool. Getting vaccinated can help shorten those periods and protect them from those kinds of complications. In my vaccinated patients who get COVID, they get mild COVID, if they get it at all and they arent as apt to get long COVID, Dr. OShea said. The vaccines are also still considered safe, the doctors agreed. In short, the recommendations have changed, but the science hasnt changed, said Kate Connors, senior director of public affairs at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. What Are the New COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations For Children & Pregnant People? So what are those new recommendations? The CDC no longer recommends COVID vaccination during pregnancy, which seems to be following a unilateral decision from the HHS Secretary, Connors noted, referencing RFK Jr. It was made without any of the input of the experts at the CDC, the members of ACIP [the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices], certainly without feedback from organizations like ACOG, and so were very concerned about this. She noted that ACOG continues to recommend COVID vaccination for pregnant people. For children, the new recommendations are less cut-and-dry. After initially saying the US no longer recommends COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children over 6 months (with exceptions for children with certain medical conditions), the CDC now says it recommends a collaborative decision-making [approach] with your pediatrician, explained Dr. OShea. Healthy children with no underlying health conditions can, in collaboration with their pediatrician, make a decision about whether or not they want to have their child vaccinated this coming fall against COVID-19. However, this unusual caveat leaves the door open for insurance companies to rescind coverage of the vaccine, possibly forcing parents to pay out of pocket to vaccinate their children (more on that below). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For Dr. Savoy, the really deeply troubling part of these decisions is the lack of evidence to support them. I actually dont know what data was used to make the decisions that were talking about today, she said. The data that I have been able to see most recently continues to mark pregnant people as being incredibly high risk. There would be no situation in the data that I saw that would make me think that it makes sense to remove that recommendation. The same goes for children, she added. COVID-19 remains a threat, Dr. Savoy emphasized. We keep having new variants show up. We keep having people end up in the hospital. We keep running out of beds in the ER. Theres things that are still happening, even though they dont show up on the news. Are COVID-19 Vaccines Still Covered by Insurance? This is one thorny question to come out of the changing guidelines. We dont know whats going to happen with insurance coverage, and were very, very worried about it, Connors said. Thats because theres a direct connection between government vaccine recommendations and insurance coverage of those vaccines, Dr. Savoy explained. Insurance companies typically use government recommendations as a sign that a vaccine is safe and essential; when those recommendations are removed or weakened, the companies may see it as a sign (or an opportunity) to stop covering that vaccine. Connors also pointed out that were only a few months from flu and RSV season, when vaccines become all the more essential for public health. This is a really tough time for these conversations, for these unanswered questions, she said. Should Pregnant People & Children Still Get the COVID-19 Vaccine? All four experts continue to recommend COVID-19 vaccines for everyone, including pregnant people and children. Dr. Sato cited the incredible, robust data that shows that the COVID-19 is safe, effective, and presents fewer risks of complications than an infection itself. The science has not changed, added Connors. The COVID vaccine is safe and it is effective [Its] the best tool that we have to prevent severe outcomes associated with COVID infection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr. Savoy agreed. I would still strongly recommend that if youre a pregnant person, that you get vaccinated, not just to protect yourself, but to protect the fetus and to protect your newborn infant on the other side of that delivery, she stressed. Im still willing to stand on that hill And if you were bringing your child in for their visit, I would still say that your child needs to have at least that primary series as a routine recommendation. Before you go, shop these products to soothe your childs cold symptoms: Best of SheKnows Sign up for SheKnows' Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. A day after President Donald Trump proclaimed full or partial travel restrictions for Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela and 16 other countries, U.S. tourist-visa holders from the targeted nations lacked clarity about whether they will be allowed into the United States when the ban is in force Monday. The confusion stems from language the White House used in the directive that will totally or partially suspend entry into the United States and the issuance of immigrant and non-immigrant visas to nationals of the 19 countries. The entry into the United States of nationals of Haiti as immigrants and non-immigrants is hereby fully suspended, the directive says, adding that the entry of nationals from Cuba and Venezuela as immigrants, and as non-immigrants on several temporary visa categories, including for tourism, study and business, is hereby suspended. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump hits Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti with travel bans amid immigration crackdown The directive lists several exceptions, for green-card holders, dual nationals, holders of other immigrant visas for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens and visas for diplomats and other officials. The Secretary of State and the Attorney General can also authorize the entry of nationals from the banned countries, citing national interests. Several immigration lawyers have interpreted a section explaining the scope of the directive, and who could be subject to it, to mean that foreign nationals from the banned countries who hold current visas in the suspended categories will be allowed to enter the United States when the directive takes effect. That section states that the foreign nationals from those countries subject to the restrictions are those outside the United States who do not hold a valid visa. The American Immigration Council said in a statement on Wednesday that the presidential proclamation does not apply to holders of valid current visas or permanent U.S. residents. The Migration Policy Institute also made a similar analysis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, experts are urging caution for those traveling to the U.S. after the ban kicks in. Anybody whos holding a valid visa is supposed not to be affected, said Julia Gelatt, associate director of the U.S. immigration policy program at the Migration Policy Institute told the Miami Herald. But I have to say, if I was holding one of those visas, I would still feel concerned when I showed up at a U.S. port of entry or airport if [Customs and Border Protection] would let me in. Still, the administration has not clarified how U.S. border agents will interpret the valid visa provision at airports and other ports of entry. As of late Thursday some airlines flying into the region were still awaiting guidance from Homeland Security. The State Department did not answer Herald questions about whether nationals from Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela with currently valid B1 and B2 visas issued to foreign nationals for brief visits to the U.S. will be able to enter the country after June 9. At a press briefing Thursday, a State Department spokesman avoided clarifying the issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, during an interview with a Venezuelan journalist, State Department spokesperson Natalia Molano raised the possibility that travelers from Venezuela with current B1/B2 visas may not be allowed to enter the U.S. after June 9. Along with Cuba, the South American nation was placed on a partial ban. We understand that valid visa holders will not be able to present themselves at the ports of entry if they are from these countries. But we will wait for the Department of Homeland Security to publish something official with these details. They are the authority that handles entry or exit of the United States, Molano told Venezuelan journalist Carla Angola. A State Department spokesperson told the Herald that the State Department would not revoke valid visas. However, the directive also called on the agency to limit the validity for any other non-immigrant visa issued to Cubans and Venezuelans to the extent permitted by law. Homeland Security officials also declined to provide clarity on who falls under the restrictions. The agency instead reiterated the presidents rationale for the travel ban. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Trumps action to limit the entry of foreign nationals from countries who have a significant terrorist presence, inadequate screening and vetting processes, and high visa overstay rates will help secure the American homeland and make our communities safer, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the Herald in a statement. McLaughlin called it a necessary step to get foreign governments to take back their own citizens in deportation flights and protect national security. At a gathering in Boston of funders to programs in Haiti, participants who live in the Caribbean nation were left equally confused and wondering what the ban means for their ability not just to visit the U.S. for future conferences but also to transit to other countries. Patricia Elizee, a Haitian-American immigration attorney based in Miami, said that many of her clients felt like the Trump administration was using psychological warfare towards immigrants. Theres just a lot of confusion and frustration, Elizee said. This is just one more attack, the psychological warfare that the Trump administration is having against immigrants, one other way to scare you and to make things harder. Packages of Mifepristone tablets are displayed at a family planning clinic on April 13, 2023, in Rockville, Maryland. (Photo illustration by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) A year ago, Gov. Jeff Landry signed a bill into law that made Louisiana the first state in the country to reclassify pregnancy care drugs as controlled dangerous substances. Since then, the political assault on the medications has continued to ramp up on the state and national level. The Louisiana law to reclassify mifepristone and misoprostol caused controversy, particularly when multiple medical professionals publicly criticized the measure saying the added burdens to accessing the medications could delay medical treatment in times of crisis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Misoprostol and mifepristone have been targeted because they are used in medication abortion, but both have multiple other uses. Misoprostol is used to prevent and treat postpartum hemorrhage. Since the state law went into effect in October, hospitals have changed how they store and dispense the drugs, locking them up in passcode-protected storage containers outside of labor and delivery rooms. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The New Orleans Health Department has been tracking complaints from health care providers and patients who have struggled with misoprostol access since October. The medical professionals and patients were provided anonymity to encourage feedback. One doctor wrote they had trouble accessing the drug to provide to a patient going through a hysteroscopy, a medical procedure in which the doctor examines a womans uterus using a thin, lighted tube. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was unable to get misoprostol in pre-op for [a] patient undergoing hysteroscope, the provider wrote. Therefore [I] had to manually dilate [the] cervix multiple times causing unnecessary harm to the patient. Another doctor said they couldnt complete a biopsy, so they prescribed misoprostol to a patient in order to try the procedure again after softening her cervix. The doctor included the patients diagnosis of abnormal bleeding on the prescription, and that the patient was not pregnant. The pharmacy refused to fill the prescription until the doctor got on the phone to confirm the medication was not being used to end a pregnancy. This could lead to a delay in diagnosis of cancer, the doctor wrote. In another instance, a pharmacist refused to fill a prescription for misoprostol ahead of an IUD insertion, telling the patient he thought she was going to use it for an abortion, wrote the doctor. There were also multiple accounts of misoprostol being prescribed for miscarriages, but pharmacists delayed filling prescriptions until they spoke to the doctor on the phone. In one instance, the mother who miscarried filed a complaint with the city health department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was denied misoprostol, essentially leaving me with my dead baby inside of me even longer because the pharmacist said he couldnt give it to me, the mother wrote. It was more horrific than it needed to be. Even among state lawmakers who approved the law, confusion reigns. At a Louisiana House committee hearing last month, Rep. Lauren Ventrella, R-Greenwell Springs, said that last year we made it illegal to prescribe mifepristone and misoprostol. However, both can still be legally prescribed by health care providers with the proper licensing for Schedule IV drugs. When the law reclassifying the medication passed, its supporters repeatedly stated they were not restricting access to the medication for people who needed it for reasons outside of abortion. When Ventrella misspoke, she was introducing House Bill 575, which would allow families to sue over suspected abortions. Attorney General Liz Murrill has referred to the law as another tool in the toolbox that could be used against out-of-state doctors who prescribe abortion medication to patients in Louisiana. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Murrill is currently prosecuting at least two cases involving a New York doctor who allegedly prescribed medications to pregnant women in Louisiana. So far, New Yorks shield laws, which protects abortion providers, have held up against states that have tried to prosecute doctors. Ventrellas bill awaits Senate floor action with less than a week remaining in the legislative session. Opponents of the reclassification of mifepristone and misoprostol have worried that, by labeling the drugs as controlled dangerous substances, it would confuse medical providers and the public as well as stigmatize medications that have been proven to be safe and effective. They are challenging the law, Act 246, in state court, and a judge ruled May 15 that the plaintiffs suing the state have a right to pursue their case. Specifically, the judge agreed that the plaintiffs have sufficiently demonstrated the harm that the law is causing to their practice, and the patients that they serve, to be able to challenge the constitutionality of this law, said Ellie Schilling, a New Orleans attorney representing the plaintiffs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plaintiffs include the reproductive health advocacy group Lift Louisiana, the Birthmark Doula Collective and multiple womens health advocates and Louisiana health care providers, including OB-GYNs, midwives and pharmacists. As the court fight plays out in Louisiana, another clash is occurring on the national stage. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has ordered the Food and Drug Administration to conduct a complete review on misoprostol and mifepristone. It comes in the wake of a far-right organization publishing a paper one that is not peer-reviewed and many critics view as unscientific claiming the drugs cause adverse medical effects. The far-right think tank, the Ethics and Public Policy Center, claimed almost 11% of women experienced a serious adverse event from the medications, but peer-reviewed clinical studies have shown an overall 0.5% rate of serious adverse events. Other research in the report also doesnt hold up to fact-checking, and its authors did not reveal where they sourced the data that was cited. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its deeply troubling that Secretary Kennedy is elevating junk-science to justify reopening mifepristones safety review, especially at the behest of anti-abortion political operatives, said Dr. Angel Foster, co-founder of the Massachusetts Abortion Access Project, which provides medication abortion care to all 50 states via telemedicine. I know firsthand that mifepristones safety is backed by decades of rigorous data. Rolling back access to mifepristone would be a disaster. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE CONNEAUT The Conneaut Health Department will start studying the citys mosquito population next week. Conneaut Health Commissioner Nichele Blood said the health department wants to catch mosquitos around the city. We set a trap up and it will catch mosquitos for us, she said. The mosquitos will then be taken to the health department office and frozen for a day, before being sent to an Ohio Department of Health lab for study. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blood said they are primarily interested in learning what species of mosquitos reside in the Conneaut area, and if they carry West Nile Virus. Blood said there have not been any recorded cases of the disease in northeast Ohio recently. According to the ODH website, there have been no cases of the disease in people or mosquitos surveilled across the state so far this year. Blood said the Conneaut Health Department is also monitoring for other mosquito-borne illnesses, including Eastern Equine Encephalitis, St. Louis Encephalitis, La Crosse virus, malaria, zika and yellow fever. Most are not common, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The program is being paid for by part of a $8,150 grant the health department received from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The CHD used $5,600 to fund a tire collection at the Conneaut Spring Clean-Up last weekend. Blood said the rest of the grant money is going toward funding the mosquito surveillance and promoting mosquito awareness in Conneaut. Blood said mosquitos thrive in areas where there is standing water, especially unused tires. Blood recommended people take care of items that contain standing water on their properties, including tires, bird baths and toys left outside. People should also make sure to fix screen doors so mosquitos do not get indoors, and make sure to wear mosquito repellent. The CHD will be providing mosquito spray to the public and sending out flyers spreading awareness, Blood said. The Nutriment Company has continued its acquisition spree with the takeover of German private-label pet-food business Graf Barf from CDS Hackner. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. In a statement, Sweden-based The Nutriment Company said the acquisition is aimed at further strengthening its position as a leader in the natural, high-quality pet food segment. The move comes two months after the Sweden-based group snapped up BAF Petfood from German peer Fressnapf. Graf Barf provides a range of raw pet food products, including complete meals, cube portions, and other formats. The German business also operates an IFS-certified, human-grade production facility. The Nutriment Company said the deal would broaden its geographic reach in Germany, where it already markets brands such as Barfgold, DIBO, Nutriment and Aniforte. The transaction also lays the groundwork for a more accelerated expansion into neighbouring markets, including Switzerland and Austria, it said. As part of the deal, The Nutriment Company has also teamed up with CDS Hackner to establish a frozen logistics hub to serve mainland Europe. CDS Hackner CEO and owner Michael Hackner said that the group will become The Nutriment Company's central logistics hub for Europe from our Crailsheim location and are ready to integrate Graf BARF into the TNC brand portfolio, passionately supporting the brands continued growth." Headquartered in Stockholm and owned by Nordic PE firm Axcel, The Nutriment Company supplies natural premium pet food. In April, The Nutriment Company executed its fifth acquisition of the year with the takeover of UK-based Bulmer Pet Foods. The pet-food supplier also entered Spain in February with the acquisition of Puromenu, a raw pet-food producer. "The Nutriment Company expands again in Germany via M&A" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand. THE WOODLANDS, Texas (KNWA/KFTA) For the first time, viewers are getting a behind-the-scenes look at the forensic lab credited with cracking the decades-old Morgan Nick case. Six-year-old Morgan was abducted from a River Valley ballpark nearly 30 years ago. Her body was never found. But earlier this year, the Alma Police Department announced they were certain Billy Jack Lincks, a man who died in prison, was responsible for her disappearance. The breakthrough came from a single hair found in Lincks truck, decades after Morgan went missing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement National Center for Missing and Exploited Children uses forensic artists to help save lives Somehow it stayed there, that piece of hair to be vacuumed up. Thats incredible, said Kristen Mittelman, Chief Development Officer at Othram Labs. The first thing we do is we extract DNA from the rootless hair. It goes into the lab for a DNA library to be sequenced. In this case, we compared it to a family sequence. Next Monday, June 9, marks the 30th anniversary of Morgan Nicks disappearance, and a two-hour special titled Chasing Fireflies will air in two parts on June 9 and 10, offering an in-depth look at the case, featuring investigators, forensic experts, Morgans mother Colleen and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. The special will also be available early on Sunday from 7 to 9 p.m. on the streaming app 479 First. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watch in the video player above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24. A construction worker was crushed to death by a skid steer, and now his co-worker is accused of manslaughter. Deputies said Angel Bautista Martinez initially claimed he wasnt operating the small tractor, but blood evidence and witnesses told law enforcement a different story. The incident happened on Wednesday at a construction site on Founders Way in Davenport. Deputies said upon arrival at the construction site, Jose Lopez was found dead underneath a raised loading bucket with severe head trauma. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Witnesses told deputies that Martinez had been operating the skid steer most of the day. Deputies said blood spatter inside the cab and on Martinezs clothes indicated he was in the drivers seat at the time of the incident. Polk County deputies said Martinez was arrested and is now facing a manslaughter charge. Deputies said Martinez is also being held on an ICE detainer after authorities learned he is in the country illegally. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. NEED TO KNOW A Washington man suffered a traumatic injury while working at a construction site The unnamed individual sustained injuries to the lower half of his body when an excavator bucket fell on him He was transported via a medical helicopter to an emergency room A Washington man was injured while working at a construction site after an excavator bucket fell on him earlier this week. Emergency responders were alerted of the incident at approximately 8:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, June 3, according to the Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue. The traumatic injury happened in a complex multi-agency operation off Lewis River Road in Woodland, Wash. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The worker, whose name was not publicly released, was in a 15 ft trench when a piece of heavy machinery fell on him, the organization said in a statement. Clark Cowlitz Fire Rescue/Facebook construction site injury construction site injury He was able to be extricated, and life flighted out, sustaining injuries to his lower extremities, CCFD said. Images published on CCFD's Facebook page showed multiple crew members, including local medics, as well as individuals with Portland Fire & Rescue, Vancouver Fire, FD6, Life Flight, and the Woodland Police Department working together for the difficult rescue. I cant help but reflect on the incredible teamwork shown by all the responding agencies during this rescue. Moments like this are a clear reminder that we operate better together, one person commented under CCFDs post. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Another wrote, Prayers for the worker who was injured. Thankful rescuers were able to get them help quickly. The incident remains under investigation, KATU-TV reported. Read the original article on People By Jennifer Rigby LONDON (Reuters) -Contraceptives that could help prevent millions of unwanted pregnancies in some of the worlds poorest countries are stuck in warehouses because of U.S. aid cuts and could be destroyed, two aid industry sources and one former government official said. The stock, held in Belgium and Dubai, includes condoms, contraceptive implants, pills and intrauterine devices, together worth around $11 million, the sources told Reuters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It has been stalled since the Trump administration started cutting foreign aid as part of its America First policy in February, as the U.S. government no longer wants to donate the contraceptives or pay the costs for delivery, they said. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has instead asked the contractor managing its health supply chain, Chemonics, to try to sell it, two of the sources said. An internal USAID memo, sent in April, said a quantity of contraceptives was being kept in warehouses and they should be "immediately transferred to another entity to prevent waste or additional costs". A senior U.S. State Department official told Reuters no decision had been made about the future of the contraceptives. They did not respond to questions about the reasons why the contraceptives were in storage or the impact of the U.S. aid cuts and delays. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for Chemonics said they were unable to comment on USAID's plans, but added that the company is working with clients to deliver life-saving aid globally and would continue to support the U.S. government's global health supply chain priorities. The stock represents just under 20% of the supply of contraceptives bought annually by the U.S. for donation overseas, a former USAID official told Reuters. Selling or donating the contraceptives has been challenging, according to the former USAID official, although talks are ongoing. Another option on the table is destroying it, at a cost of several hundred thousand dollars. As time goes on, shelf-lives will also become an issue, one of the sources said. The sources told Reuters that one of the key delays is a lack of response from the U.S. government about what should be done with the stock. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It had been destined largely for vulnerable women in sub-Saharan Africa, including young girls who face higher health risks from early pregnancy as well as those fleeing conflict or who otherwise could not afford or access the contraceptives, the sources added. The condoms also help stop the spread of HIV, the former USAID official said. "We cannot dwell on an issue for too long; when urgency and clarity dont align, we have to move on," said Karen Hong, chief of UNFPAs supply chain. She said the agency is now working on Plan B to help fill critical supply gaps. (Reporting by Jennifer Rigby; Editing by Andrew Heavens) Every now and then, the torrent of news serves up a grim little reminder: Maybe Donald Trump wasnt entirely wrong in his cultural critiques. Not because hes a prophet God forbid but because America has gone so far off the rails that his perspective starts to make a certain amount of sense. Thats the mood Ive been in lately. And no, Im not just talking about the recent spate of stories about Joe Bidens cognitive decline and what many see as a cover-up. Nor am I talking about reports that Dems are spending $20 million to try to learn how to (re)connect with alienated American men who feel ignored and see the Democratic Party as too weak. Those are just subplots. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im talking about how President Trump for all his bluster, baggage and baffling syntax continues to speak to realities that polite society has decided are too ugly to discuss. Things like uncontrolled immigration, violent crime and foreign adversaries who laugh at perceived American weakness. Consider the following, if only as case studies on why Trumps dark little worldview continues to resonate. Exhibit A : Mohammed Sabry Soliman, the Egyptian national accused of lobbing Molotov cocktails during an antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colo., had overstayed his visa and filed for asylum. Its not a good look for our immigration policy as though were importing our own pogroms. Exhibit B : In Virginia, body-cam footage shows Jamal Wali an Afghan who was an interpreter for U.S. forces opening fire on police during a traffic stop and shouting that he shouldve joined the Taliban. Which raises the uncomfortable question: How thoroughly are we vetting the people we bring into this country? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Exhibit C : Omer Shem Tov, a recently freed Israeli hostage, told CNN that his captors suddenly treated him better after Trump won the 2024 election. It wasnt because they liked Trump, but because they were scared of him. Which, oddly enough, may have been a side effect of Trumps posturing to look tough. Individually, these stories could be dismissed as one-offs. Together, they sketch a crude, uncomfortable truth: Trumps instincts however vulgar often land somewhere in the vicinity of prescient. For example, the recent wave of attacks on Jewish Americans comes as the Trump administration is citing campus antisemitism as justification for deportations and cuts to college funding . At the same time, Trump has blocked most refugees from entering America and recently pushed to end protections for Afghan interpreters and other wartime allies . Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While many of us decry the lack of compassion and inhumanity inherent in these policies, Trumps message is caveman-simple: Fear works. Even terrorists understand it. Thats the whole point of peace through strength. The bad guys get it. And, increasingly, so do voters. To the taste-making class, these concerns might not matter much. But out in the real world you know, where people lock their doors and pay their taxes theyre not theoretical. Theyre Tuesday. Now, does this mean Trumps solutions are good? Legal? Morally defensible? No. He governs like a guy with a hammer who thinks everything is a nail. But, in the eyes of many Americans, at least hes swinging the damn thing. Meanwhile, Democrats look like theyre waiting for permission to open their own toolbox. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is the terrain Trump thrives on. He projects dominance or at least the illusion of it while his opponents are giving HR-executive vibes. And heres the crazy part: Underneath the layers of narcissism, the carnival barking and the conspiracy-peddling, there are hints of greatness a blueprint for serious leadership that addresses lingering, overlooked problems. Sadly, its one that Trump himself will never follow. Imagine a version of him stripped of the spite, grift and performative rage who actually cared about governing. Hed fix the asylum system. Fund immigration judges to do proper vetting. Appoint competent people instead of family members and sycophants to run our intel and defense departments. Stop trying to undermine the rule of law. Speak in full sentences. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He could weed out truly dangerous elements, scare the hell out of our global enemies and still earn the respect of our friends and allies. I could go on. But thats fantasy talk. Like trying to teach a bear ballet youll waste your time and probably get mauled. Because Trump doesnt want to govern. He wants to dominate. He wants spectacle. He wants the feud. The mans not interested in building only demolishing. Its the difference between being a strongman, a showman and a statesman. Trump knows how to be the first two. He has no use for the latter. And thats the tragic comedy of it all. While liberals pretend the smoke isnt there, Trump sees the fire and instead of reaching for a hose, he grabs a gas can. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, voters who are exhausted, scared and angry keep thinking, Well, at least he noticed the fire. Matt K. Lewis is the author of Filthy Rich Politicians and Too Dumb to Fail. If its in the news right now, the L.A. Times Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The cost of defending lawsuits against individual officers and larger, class-action cases against the entire department has pushed ADOCs legal spending over $57 million since 2020. In the last five years, the department has spent over $17 million on the legal defense of accused officers and lawsuit settlements, along with over $39 million litigating a handful of complex cases against ADOC, including a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice over prison conditions. (Alex Cochran for Alabama Reflector) Journalist Beth Shelburne spent over a year investigating the Alabama Department of Corrections, pulling court documents, financial records and internal documents to track settlements over excessive force and what happened to those involved. In Blood Money, a four-part series that ran on the Alabama Reflector last month, Shelburne revealed the state had spent tens of millions of dollars to settle litigation alleging assaults on inmates that led to hospitalizations, brain damage or death. Most of that money went to attorneys for corrections officers. Some officers at the center of multiple allegations excessive force received promotions afterward. Shelburne discussed the series with Louisiana Illuminator Editor Greg LaRose on the Illuminators podcast, The Light Switch. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) A man with a history of sex-related convictions is facing new charges in Mahoning County. Justin Fay Moore, 35, is charged with two counts of public indecency, one a fifth-degree felony and another a first-degree misdemeanor. A Mahoning County grand jury returned a superseding indictment on the charges on Thursday. According to the indictment, Moore engaged in sexual conduct on September 21, 2024, in which he was in view of other people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Along with his case in Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas, Moore also faces two public indecency charges, fourth-degree misdemeanors, in Youngstown Municipal Court stemming from an incident that same day on Youngstown State Universitys campus. A YSU police report states that Moore was identified by two women on campus as a man who had been touching himself inappropriately near the water fountain in front of Kilcawley Center. Two students said he was watching them at the time but that he took off running when he saw that one of the women was on her phone. The report states that Youngstown police had received a similar call that day about a man exposing himself to people at the McDonalds on Fifth Avenue. Court records state that public indecency charges were also filed that day in the Youngstown Police Departments case, but a police report from YPD was not immediately available. The indictment states that Moore had previously been convicted of public indecency in Trumbull County in 2010. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moore was also convicted of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, as well as failure to register as a sex offender in 2020. Court records state that he was sentenced to 36 months in prison for that offense. The victim was listed as a 13-year-old girl in court documents. Moore is scheduled to appear in Youngstown Municipal Court on June 16 and Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas for a jury trial on Monday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV ( KLAS ) Every graduation is special but theres one that may be just a little more special. Dr. Genevieve Minter from the College of Southern Nevadas Prison Education Program started the recent ceremony at the Nevada Dept of Corrections Florence McClure womens prison in North Las Vegas, telling the grads: We got a lot of people who want to say a lot of nice stuff to celebrate the whole reason why were here: you guys. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The you guys in this case were 13 women who earned workforce training certificates in hospitality and air conditioning. The founder of Hope For Prisoners, Jon Ponder, who weve featured many times on 8newsnow, asked the women to look at their hands, saying those lines represent your past, but today, were pushing the reset button. The President of CSN, Dr. William Kibler told the women: You pursued education not just as a means to an end, but as a declaration of who you are and who you are becoming.Youve invested in yourselves and your future and in your power to create change. In her keynote speech, Las Vegas City Councilwoman Nancy Brune quoted the popular book The Alchemist telling the grads, When you want something, the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The women listened. And smiled. And one by one they made their way across the stage, including Karen Kincaid who high-fived her fellow grads on her way two certificates The theme of reinvention echoed throughout the afternoon. Congrats not only to the grads who put in the work, but also to the partnership between the College Of Southern Nevada and the Nevada Dept of Corrections. We always want to know Whats Cool At School. If youve got something, let us know. Whats Cool At School is under the Community tab at 8newsnow.com. Or just email: whatscoolatschool@8newsnow.com Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) The Mahoning County Coroners Office has ruled the death of a woman who died in a December 2024 fire in Boardman accidental. Read next: Firefighters battle flames at large Mahoning County building In a ruling released Thursday, the coroner said that Patricia Bell, 67, died of smoke inhalation and thermal burns after her home on Nova Lane caught fire. A coroners report said Bell called 911 from her bed and said the home was on fire. Firefighters forced their way inside and were able to rescue her, but she was already severely burned. She was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center, where she later died. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The coroners report noted that there was oxygen in the home and Bell smoked. A message was left for investigators with the Boardman Fire Department for a cause, however, the fire is not considered suspicious. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. Shane Lamond, the former leader of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Departments intelligence division, will spend 18 months in prison for leaking information ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol to Henry Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the far-right Proud Boys. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced Lamond on Friday morning. Tarrio is a free man after President Donald Trump pardoned him in January. Tarrio had been sentenced to serve 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy charges but instead was in the courthouse on Friday, watching the proceedings. Also present was Oath Keepers leader Elmer Stewart Rhodes. Like Tarrio, Rhodes was charged and convicted of seditious conspiracy. Trump commuted Rhodes 18-year sentence. Lamond was found guilty last year of obstruction of justice and lying to federal investigators at the FBI and Department of Justice after a bench trial before Jackson in Washington, D.C. He waived his right to a jury trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors originally sought a sentence of four years. The FBI and DOJ opened a probe into Lamonds conduct in 2021 after the December 2020 burning of a Black Lives Matter banner at a historic Black church in Washington, D.C. Tarrio was charged with destroying the banner and sentenced to five months in prison. At Lamonds trial, prosecutors said it was thanks to Lamond that Tarrio was tipped off about the banner investigation and learned that a warrant for his arrest was incoming. At trial, prosecutors accused Lamond of telling Tarrio that police had footage of Tarrio burning the banner and warning him that the FBI and Secret Service were all spun up about the Proud Boys presence in Washington. Tarrio had appeared on Infowars and said members of the extremist group would start prowling public events incognito or dressed up as supporters of Joe Biden. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lamond kept that conversation and many others from his colleagues at the department who were pursuing the banner probe. One omission included a meeting of Tarrio and Lamond just three days after the banner burning. Ahead of the meeting, Tarrio pressed Lamond about how the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department perceived the Proud Boys. Lamond wouldnt say over text. Instead, he asked Tarrio to meet him for a beer at a local bar. Lamond denied ever hearing a confession from Tarrio that night at the bar or at any other time in their communications leading up to Jan. 6. When Tarrio took the stand at Lamonds trial, the Proud Boys leader denied ever making a confession to Lamond but stumbled when prosecutors presented him with a secret Telegram chat. The chat showed Tarrio asking Lamond if police would add the hate crime enhancement to the destruction charge and Lamond telling him he had been asking supervisors at MPD about it. The intelligence division chief told Tarrio that if he were going to be charged with a hate crime, then police would have to start investigating hate crime charges for Trump flags burned in the district. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From the witness stand, Tarrio smirked and told the courtroom: Whoever said this is a genius because he is right. Records showed that Lamond and Tarrio spoke for months over text, sharing at least 500 texts. They typically used iMessage or Google to chat. But after the 2020 election, Lamond asked Tarrio to move their conversations to an encrypted texting app. A forensic review of Lamonds and Tarrios devices showed many of the messages in the encrypted app were set to delete automatically, something a law enforcement officer would not typically do, or be encouraged to do, when engaging with a confidential human source. Lamonds supervisors also told the judge during the trial that using Telegram to speak with a source secretly, or disclosing investigators were all spun up was something that would have never been authorized by the department. FBI agents who testified about the texts between the men said the imbalance in Lamonds relationship with Tarrio was clear: Tarrio rarely provided useful information to Lamond about Proud Boys activities or whereabouts that werent already available through Tarrios own social media posts. Messages on Tarrios device showed him telling fellow Proud Boys that he knew the warrant was incoming thanks to his D.C. cop contact. The knowledge, according to prosecutors, allowed Tarrio to coordinate his arrest on Jan. 4, 2021, giving him a helpful alibi for his whereabouts on Jan. 6. He was only held in jail briefly, however, and then he was ordered out of Washington, D.C. Tarrio obliged; he left D.C. and headed to a hotel room in Baltimore, Maryland, where he watched the rioting unfold and cheered on Proud Boys from afar online and in private discussions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Lamond sat right across from him inside Jacksons courtroom last year, Tarrio said he had lied to fellow Proud Boys about knowing the warrant was coming. It was a sort of marketing ploy, Tarrio said, because he knew it would invigorate and excite members of the extremist group. Lamond has denied being a double agent and denied having any sympathy for the Proud Boys. The vast emptiness of space is growing emptier one star at a time. That's because 80 billion lightyears from Earth, three cosmic beasts are devouring stars ten times the size of the sun. In a new study by the University of Hawaii, among others, astronomers scouring through NASA and European Space Agency's data said they had discovered three supermassive black holes. Those behemoths feast on stars of such a size that make the one at the center of the solar system look like a light snack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The explosions those scientists have recorded, which happened when those black holes shredded and sucked up the fabric of those stars, are the largest since the big bang that created the universe. What I think is so exciting about this work is that were pushing the upper bounds of what we understand to be the most energetic environments of the universe, Anna Payne, a staff scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute and a co-author of the study, said in the NASA article. Black holes are astronomical objects invisible to the human eye. They have a gravitational pull so strong that they swallow everything, including light. A supermassive black hole is the biggest of all black holes, sitting at the center of galaxies like the one at the heart of the Milky Way slowly sucking planets and all other matter toward it. When a star gets trapped in the pull of a supermassive black hole, it can disintegrate with a spectacular explosion in a cosmic event that scientists in a new study published this week in the journal Science Advances call extreme nuclear transient. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These events are the only way we can have a spotlight that we can shine on otherwise inactive massive black holes, University of Hawaii graduate student Jason Hinkle said in a separate NASA article. Hinkle is the lead author of the new study that describes for the first time two such events that took place over the past decade. Two of the three supermassive black holes were detected in 2016 and 2018 by an ESA mission and are documented for the first time in the study. The third, nicknamed Barbie because of its catalog identifier ZTF20abrbeie, was identified in 2020 by a Caltech observatory in California and subsequently documented in 2023. The blasts are so powerful that the only cosmic event larger in magnitude has been the big bang that sparked the dawn of the universe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unlike in other stellar explosions, though, the way X-ray, optical light and ultraviolet rays dimmed and brightened in these incidents made it clear this event was a black hole ripping a star apart, the NASA article said. NASA says black holes actually brighten during these cosmic events and that brightness lasts for several months. That brightness has given scientists a new way to find more black holes in the early distant universe. When astronomers peer into space, they are looking back in time because the further away they look, the older the light is reaching them the light reaching Earth from the sun, for example, is eight minutes old. We can take these three objects as a blueprint to know what to look for in the future, Payne said. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Readying the Qatari plane set to serve as Air Force One will likely cost less than expected, the Air Force secretary said. Qatar gifted the plane to the Trump administration last month, but it needs to be overhauled. Democratic lawmakers and others have said retrofitting the plane could cost upwards of $1 billion. The costs of modifying a luxury jet gifted by Qatar to the Trump administration to serve as an interim Air Force One for the president could be less than expected, the US Air Force secretary said this week. Some lawmakers and outside experts have said the expected costs could be as high as $1 billion, as the aircraft would require substantial security and communications reworks before it could be used for presidential air travel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said on Thursday that it'll probably cost less than $400 million to retrofit the jet. Some costs, he added, would likely still exist regardless. "There has been a number thrown around, on the order of a billion dollars, but a lot of those costs associated with that are costs that we would've experienced anyway," such as new technologies, capabilities, and spare parts, Meink said at a House Armed Services Committee hearing. The Boeing 747-8 in question was gifted by the Qatari royal family to the Department of Defense last month. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently directed the Air Force to start planning to modify it for use. The extensive modifications are meant to ensure that when the plane becomes Air Force One a call sign for any Air Force aircraft the president flies on but also the name that is most commonly associated with the well-known light blue and white Boeing VC-25 aircraft regularly used for flying the president it meets the security demands for the mission. The Boeing 747-8 was first delivered to Qatar in 2012. ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images The Qatari aircraft is a 13-year-old luxury jumbo jet with multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, a salon, offices, dining areas, a living room, and a playroom for kids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month, the US Department of Defense said it would "work to ensure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered for an aircraft used to transport the President of the United States." Air Force One is effectively custom-built to be a flying command center if needed. Concerns from lawmakers, especially Democrats, in Congress have centered around potential ethical problems, as well as worries about filling this role with a plane gifted by a foreign country and the work needed to upgrade it with necessary capabilities. Connecticut Rep. Joe Courtney, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services subcommittee that oversees Air Force One, previously argued that "retrofitting a plane from Qatar would create huge costs & a security nightmare that would impede the work underway to deliver the actual AF1 by 2027." Trump has voiced disappointment with Boeing over delays in delivering the new VC-25B aircraft meant to replace the current Air Force One jets. Congressional leaders, however, warn that retrofitting the Qatari jet may be an unnecessary distraction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At Thursday's hearing, Courtney said that "based on the experience that we already have gone through with retrofitting planes, 747s, it's clear that this is going to be a drain on the Air Force's budget." Read the original article on Business Insider DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) The Valley View former junior high building is one step closer to demolition. Gov. Mike DeWine announced nearly $60 million in funding for brownfield remediation across the state on Thursday. This included funding to demolish the former Valley View Junior High building. The Montgomery County Land Bank received $826,145 in grant money to cleanup the property, including asbestos abatement, universal waste removal and demolishing two former school buildings totaling more than 42,000 square feet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The school district shared the news via social media Thursday, explaining this is another step toward demolition. There is no current timeline of when the property will be demolished. Valley View students and staff recently moved into a new K-12 building in December 2024. Future plans for the property include residential and recreational redevelopment by the village of Farmersville. This grant was just announced so please be patient as the project moves forward, said the district. To learn more about brownfield remediation efforts across the state, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com. Marfa, Texas If it's morning in Marfa, Texas, the Sentinel, a local cafe, is the place to be. There's hot coffee and oversized breakfast tacos. Business is booming, but it's more than just money they're printing. Tucked away in a small corner of the cafe is the business for which it's named: The Big Bend Sentinel, the area's weekly newspaper keeping watch over this part of West Texas for 99 years. It's a menu that goes beyond restaurant fare, serving scoops to a town hungry for local news. Maisie Crow and Max Kabat moved to Marfa from New York City in 2016 in search of community. Then, in 2019, the paper's owners approached them about buying it. They said they had never considered it before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "A newspaper found us. We didn't go and search out to find the newspaper," Kabat told CBS News. It was a risky move. Since 2005, more than 3,200 print newspapers have shuttered, according to an annual report published in 2024 by the Local News Initiative at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Crow is a documentary filmmaker who worked in local news, so the couple knew it would be tough to keep the paper afloat without another source of revenue. That's when they became unlikely restaurateurs. "We saw an opportunity to engage in the community in a deeper way than we had been, but we also recognized very quickly that we would need to subsidize the newspaper in some sort of way," Crow said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A large portion of their revenue comes from the coffee shop, restaurant and home goods that they sell, Crow said. What started as just four employees the newspaper workers is now close to 20 across the business, which is one of Marfa's biggest employers, Crow and Kabat said. While the city of about 2,000 is a tourist destination, its locals including Presidio County Attorney Blair Park rely on and support The Sentinel. "The other news outlets don't, you know, they're not really concerned about what's going on in Marfa," Park told CBS News. "So if it wasn't for this newspaper, we wouldn't be seeing our local, community news anywhere." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk alleges Trump's name appeared in Epstein files as feud escalates What to know about President Trump's travel ban on nationals from 12 countries Trump says he's disappointed by Musk criticism of budget bill, Musk says he got Trump elected Crown Point man sentenced on federal gun charge A Crown Point man was sentenced to 4.5 years Thursday after pleading guilty to a federal gun charge. Dashawn Jones, 29, admitted to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. He will also serve two years on supervised release. Police arrested Jones, who was riding in a car, during an Oct. 8, 2023, Merrillville traffic stop. He was convicted in 2022 of attempted criminal sexual assault/force in Illinois. Lake Station woman charged after man abused her child A Lake Station woman was recently charged after leaving her daughter, 1, with a man who physically abused the girl. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Victoria Vega, 25, is charged with three counts of neglect of a dependent. She is not in custody. When arrested, her bail is set at $5,000 cash surety. The man is not charged in public filings. Police responded on May 17, 2023. Doctors at the University of Chicagos Comer Childrens Hospital said the girl had signs of abuse including she was covered in bruises, had two black eyes, scratches and abdominal trauma. mcolias@post-trib.com SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) The San Diego Superior Court is warning the public about a new scam targeting residents through fraudulent text messages related to overdue traffic court fees. According to court officials, the latest scheme involves scammers sending text messages that claim recipients owe traffic fines. The messages often threaten additional legal action if payments arent made quickly through specific and suspicious methods. This is the latest in a string of scams where individuals impersonate court officials or law enforcement to steal money from unsuspecting victims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Recent scam attempts have included fake calls about missed jury duty or outstanding arrest warrants. In some cases, scammers posed as law enforcement officers, claiming the recipient had failed to appear in court. Victims were told they must pay fines for contempt of court or face arrest. Ambulance rides in San Diego just got more expensive this is why These fraudsters often direct victims to meet in person sometimes even at courthouses or sheriffs offices to hand over money orders or cash. In one instance, a scammer instructed a victim to buy a money order from a convenience store and meet outside a sheriffs office, falsely claiming the court could not accept traditional forms of payment like credit cards or checks. The San Diego Superior Court emphasizes that it never contacts individuals via phone or text to collect fines or fees. All official correspondence is conducted through the U.S. mail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The court has several payment options available and will never insist that a fine must be paid in cash, a court spokesperson noted in a press release on the matter. In-person cash, credit card or check payments are accepted at the business offices in the courthouses, checks or credit card authorizations can be mailed to the appropriate courthouses and payments can also be made online. Officials urge anyone who receives suspicious calls or texts claiming to be from the court to ignore them and report the incident to local law enforcement. To verify court-related matters or make a legitimate payment, residents are encouraged to visit the San Diego Superior Courts official website or contact the courthouse directly. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. Jurors in Karen Reads second murder trial watched a test dummy get struck repeatedly by an SUV Friday as a crash reconstruction analyst testifying for the defense contradicted previous testimony about her vehicle and her boyfriends fatal injuries. Read, 45, is accused of fatally striking Boston Police Officer John OKeefe and leaving him to die in the snow outside another officers home after a night of drinking in January 2022. Shes charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene outside Boston. Her lawyers say OKeefe, 46, was beaten inside the Canton home, bitten by a family dog and then left outside as part of a conspiracy by the police that included planting evidence against Read. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A mistrial was declared last year and so far, Reads second trial has followed similar contours to the first. SEE ALSO: Snowplow driver takes stand in Karen Read trial Crash expert says damage to SUV, clothing are inconsistent with collision The defense spent Friday morning questioning Daniel Wolfe of the accident reconstruction firm ARCCA. Wolfe initially was hired by the federal government as part of an investigation into how law enforcement handled OKeefes death. He testified at Reads first trial and has since been paid by the defense. Wolfe described conducting numerous tests, including striking a dummy arm with a replica of Reads SUV taillight at various speeds. He also had an SUV back into both an arm suspended in the air and a full-body dummy wearing clothing that matched what OKeefe was wearing. Defense attorney Alan Jackson questions accident reconstruction specialist Dr. Daniel Wolfe while holding a 2021 Lexus SUV taillight assembly during Karen Reads murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, June 6, 2025.(Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool) A prosecution expert has testified that OKeefes injuries were consistent with having been struck by a vehicle. But Wolfe said based on every test he performed, the damage to Reads taillight and OKeefes clothing was inconsistent with striking an arm or body. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The taillight damage was, however, generally consistent with having a drinking glass thrown at it, said Wolfe, who tested that using a pressurized cannon to hurl a glass at a taillight at 15 mph (24 kph). That could suggest OKeefe threw a glass at the SUV, though in his cross-examination, prosecutor Hank Brennan noted that pieces of the glass were found near OKeefes body, some 7 feet from the road. Brennan also pointed out that one of the test videos shown to the jury showed the dummy being struck and spun around without its legs, hips or torso coming into contact with vehicle. Wolfe testified earlier that pedestrian crashes typically cause panel deformation to the vehicle, but there was none in that test. Wolfe acknowledged that the test dummy arm he used for some of the tests weighed more than 2 pounds (0.9 kilogram) less than OKeefes arm likely weighed based on his height and weight. But he denied that it made a difference in his conclusions and noted that the actual weight of OKeefes arm was not known. MORE: Dog bite expert quizzed over officers injuries in Karen Read trial Snowplow driver says he doesnt remember seeing a body Snowplow driver Brian Loughran, who was on his regular route during a storm early on Jan. 29, 2022, told the defense Wednesday that he saw nothing when he passed by the house several hours after OKeefe was allegedly struck by Reads vehicle around 12:30 a.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement OKeefe was found unresponsive outside Brian Alberts home in Canton, Massachusetts, and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. An autopsy found OKeefe died of hypothermia and blunt force trauma. Loughran said he passed by the house several times starting around 2:45 a.m. and could see several feet in front of him inside his trucks because of its strong lights. On the second pass, Loughran said he did see a car parked in the road in front of the house. He said he knew Albert and his family and decided not to report the car for violating snowstorm parking restrictions as a courtesy for being a first responder. RELATED: Defense continues calling witnesses in Karen Read trial Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under cross-examination, prosecutors attempted to undermine Loughrans memory, saying that the times he provided Wednesday contradict his initial testimony during the first trial. For example, prosecutor Hank Brennan pointed out that Loughran originally said he remembered the street where OKeefe was found blocked off by first responders around 5:30 a.m. but on Wednesday, Loughran said it was closer to 6:15 a.m. When Brennan asked if Loughran had a foggy memory, Loughran said he did not only that he had made a mistake. Brennan also asked if Loughran had been threatened by a confrontational blogger known as Turtleboy to help the defenses case. Aidan Timothy Kearney, who was in the courtroom Wednesday, has advocated heavily in support of Reads innocence. He has been charged with harassing, threatening and intimidating witnesses in the case. Loughran said Kearney never threatened him, but the blogger did call him and did not disclose he was recording the conversation. The call was later posted online. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE: Karen Read Trial Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the new 12+ smart TV app. Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. The Central Bank of Oman (CBO) has issued a regulatory framework governing the licensing and operation of digital banks. The framework, effective 1 June 2025, applies to digital banks operating in the Sultanate of Oman and introduces regulatory relaxations along with certain business restrictions. It stipulates that applicants must take the form of either a locally incorporated joint-stock company (SAOC or SAOG) or a branch of a foreign bank that is subject to regulatory oversight in its home jurisdiction. Two categories of licences are defined, with Category 1 permitting banking operations without business limitations and requiring a minimum paid-up capital of OR30m. Category 2 allows limited operations and requires a minimum paid-up capital of OR10m, with capital requirements in both cases to be determined by the CBO Governor. Applicants must have experience in the fintech industry and possess the financial capacity to establish a digital bank. They must also maintain a team with adequate expertise, while all relevant individuals, including ultimate beneficial owners, board members and senior management, must meet the CBOs fit and proper criteria. In the case of foreign digital bank branches, applicants must obtain approval from their home supervisory authority and receive a no-objection to joint supervision from the same, while shell banks are explicitly prohibited. A licensed digital bank is required to establish a physical presence in Oman either as its principal place of business or, in the case of a foreign branch, as a registered office. Licensed digital banks must comply with all applicable laws and frameworks, including those related to anti-money laundering and terrorism financing in a fully digitalised environment. They must also adhere to frameworks for financial consumer protection, cybersecurity and resilience, digital onboarding and e-KYC, anti-fraud measures, and outsourcing rules, including the use of cloud services. "Oman issues new regulatory framework for digital banks " was originally created and published by Retail Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) Crews with the Nashville Fire Department worked to rescue a person from the Cumberland River Friday morning. Crews were sent to the riverfront after receiving reports of a person in the water in distress around 7:45 a.m. Zebra spotted in Christiana Friday morning According to the NFD, crews saw a person attempting to swim from downtown to the East Bank before they floated away in the middle of the river. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The person was seen going underneath a barge and has not been seen since. NFD launched boats and crews are are working to locate the person. No additional information was immediately released. Download the News 2 app to stay updated on the go. Sign up for WKRN email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox. Find todays top stories on WKRN.com for Nashville, TN and all of Middle Tennessee. This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. Saying it's at a "crisis level," the Wisconsin Humane Society has temporarily lowered its adoption fees for dogs. The fees, which typically range from $199 to $299, have been reduced to $75 through June 11. The fee for "benchwarmer" dogs, which have been at the Humane Society at least seven days, has been reduced to $25. In a June 4 social media post, the Humane Society said, "The Wisconsin Humane Society is at crisis level, and we are in desperate need of dog adopters and canine foster parents. We have nearly 400 dogs in care across our organization and are drastically reducing adoption fees in hopes of finding as many great matches as possible." The shelter is at crisis capacity because of a policy that started June 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We moved to a walk-in surrender model," said Angela Speed, the Wisconsin Humane Society's vice president of marketing & communications. "We used to require appointments, but we recognize that appointments for people needing to surrender their pets were booking months out." The policy also was implemented to support families in light of systemic issues that make pet ownership difficult, Speed said, including the lack of affordable housing that allows large dogs, rising costs of pet ownership and a national shortage of veterinarians. As a result of the new policy, it's caring for just under 400 dogs about 100 more than in June 2024. The Humane Society's Milwaukee campus has started moving dogs to its other five Wisconsin locations but is quickly running out of space. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to lowering the adoption fees, the Humane Society is encouraging people to foster dogs. "We really use our foster network, when our shelters are full, to create more space for incoming animals in the shelter," Speed said. Dogs are fostered for a few reasons, she said. Some dogs need a shelter break for a day, while others need to be fostered for several weeks due to medical conditions or behavior observation. Fostering is something that doesn't require a lot of space, and Speed said there's no such thing as a perfect foster home. There are people who foster while living in smaller apartments or with other animals in their house. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There's a type of animal for just about every situation, and of course, you get first dibs if you fall in love," she said. The promotion is meant to address the shelter's current capacity, but Speed said there's an option that will never be on the table. "The Wisconsin animals in our adoption program have as long as it takes to find a new home," Speed said. "We never euthanize for space or time, and that's a promise we've kept for 26 years." This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Humane Society drops dog adoption fees temporarily Crow Wing County woman found guilty of child torture, Medicaid fraud originally appeared on Bring Me The News. A Crow Wing County woman accused of abusing her three children and then falsely claiming they suffered from various medical conditions has been found guilty. On Wednesday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced that Jorden Marie Borders, 34, of Crosslake, had been found guilty of 11 charges in Crow Wing County Court. The charges include one count of attempted murder, three counts of child torture, three counts of stalking, and four counts of theft by false representation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the AG's office, Borders physically, verbally and emotionally abused her three children for more than five years. In multiple instances, Borders abuse led to them presenting false medical conditions to providers. Borders would forcibly withdraw blood from her then nine-year old child before his doctors visits. This led to him having dangerously low hemoglobin levels. One of her children was also told to vomit and cough at the doctors office so asthma medication would be prescribed. Borders would also self-diagnose her child with diseases including osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease) and force them to wear boots, casts, and neck braces. Crow Wing County Jail Shed then take false information about the childs medical conditions to Crow Wing County Community Services in order to receive personal care assistant (PCA) services. In total, Borders received around $18,000 in PCA funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Borders abuse also included hitting the children with charging cords, belts and spoons as well as forcing them to stand outside in the cold, withholding food and regularly threatened to kill them, according to the childrens testimonies. The facts we proved in court are nothing short of horrifying. It strains the imagination and breaks my heart into pieces to think about the torture and anguish physical, mental, and emotional that Borders that inflicted on her own children. I ask every Minnesotan to join me in praying for these childrens healing," Ellison said in a statement. I am glad we have the tools under the law to hold Borders fully accountable, and I am exceedingly proud of the talented team from our Medicaid Fraud and Criminal Divisions that did so. I am also very grateful for the partnership of the Crow Wing County and Stearns County Attorneys Offices and for the hard work of all the agencies that investigated these horrific crimes. This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared. The Scottish cruise industry has lashed out at the governments proposals to introduce a cruise ship levy over fears it would deter cruises from visiting its ports. The Scottish Government announced earlier this year that it is considering a proposal to allow local authorities to create a visitor levy on cruise ships docking at its ports. During the consultation, Cruise Scotland, a membership-based marketing organisation that represents key cruise industry players, issued a warning to the Scottish Government that the levy could damage the sector. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The organisation expressed its concern in its formal submission to the government consultation on implementing a cruise ship levy, saying that cruises will become discouraged from visiting Scottish ports. Scotland must decide whether it wants to attract or deter a sector that delivers over 130m annually to the national economy and sustains jobs in some of the most remote and economically vulnerable communities, Rob Mason, chair of Cruise Scotland, said. Mr Mason also claimed that if the levy was mishandled, it could result in job losses, cause a slump in local business growth and disrupt a tourism model that benefits communities. Cruise Scotland said that the governments plans are so far too ambiguous, stating that prolonged uncertainty regarding the levy is damaging as cruise operators cannot plan accordingly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The group also warned against creating devolved powers for individual councils to implement the levy, as it claimed this would create competition between areas and would require port authorities to function as tax collectors. We must remember that this is a movable market that does not need to come to Scotland, despite all we have to offer, and neighbouring regions in the North Atlantic and Northern Europe are strongly positioned to benefit from any displacement, Mr Mason added. While the chair said Cruise Scotland fully acknowledges the need for targeted investment, he called upon the government to be more transparent in its decisions around the levy and asked for close collaboration with the industry. The organisation said it remains engaged in discussions with policymakers. Cruise Scotland says that 1.1 million passengers visited Scottish ports in 2024, contributing over 130 million to local businesses and communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kirsty Hutchison, Cruise Scotlands market development manager, said that this number could see a drop if a levy were implemented. Introducing a levy could send the wrong signal to cruise operators at a time when Scotland is successfully growing its reputation as a responsible and attractive destination, Ms Hutchinson said. The evidence from other markets suggests that a levy risks reducing visitor numbers, along with the significant revenue and opportunity they bring. The levy has received support in other areas. The Scottish Greens are in favour of the potential to cut climate emissions, while the Orkney Islands Council said it would welcome the revenue it would generate for the communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The consultation on the levy has now closed, and responses will be analysed over the summer to inform ministers the next steps they can take. For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calders podcast (COLORADO SPRINGS) The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) is notifying the community of two sexually violent predators in the community. Kailan Rodriguez Marion will be on supervised release, probation, and has moved to an address in CSPDs jurisdiction. Marions previous behavior has led to him being labeled a Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) by the 4th Judicial District Court. Marions history reveals that he was convicted of Attempted Sexual Assault on a Child in El Paso County in 2024. He also had convictions in El Paso County for First-Degree Criminal Trespass, Forgery, and Theft. Courtesy: CSPD. The 25-year-old is registered at 329 Swope Avenue in Colorado Springs, near Platte Avenue and East Boulder Street. He is described as a Black man who stands at 510 tall and weighs 250 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CSPD is also notifying the community of SVP John Jason Young, who will be on supervised Parole and is also located at 329 Swope Avenue. Youngs history reveals that he was convicted in 2023 for Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child in Jefferson County, Colorado. Young was convicted of Attempted Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child in Larimer County in 2023 and also of Sexual Exploitation of a Child- Possession of Material in 2020. Courtesy: CSPD. The 51-year-old is described as a White man who stands at 511 and weighs 160 pounds. He has a bald head (grey hair) and blue eyes Both are a part of the 21 SVPs registered with the Colorado Springs Police Department. Anyone with further questions can contact Detective J.R. Brown at (719) 444-7672 of CSPDs Registered Sex Offender Unit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado. A Waterbury man has been sentenced to almost three years in federal prison for his participation in a large-scale drug trafficking ring. Jose Delrosario-Canela, also known as Domi, 39, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 32 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances on Feb. 11, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. The FBIs Waterbury Safe Streets Gang Task Force and other law enforcement agencies used court-authorized wiretaps, video surveillance, GPS tracking of vehicles and numerous controlled purchases of narcotics as they investigated two drug trafficking organizations based in the city of Waterbury, court records show. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One organization reportedly operated in the area of William Street and the other operated in the area of Maple Avenue, according to court records. The investigation reportedly revealed that the two organizations distributed cocaine, crack cocaine and fentanyl through a network of sellers. The organizations shared sources of supply and worked together to further their operations, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. According to court records, law enforcement made two controlled purchases of crack cocaine from Delrosario-Canela, who was identified as one of the main street-level distributors for the Maple Avenue organization. As a result of the investigation, 17 individuals were charged with federal offenses, court records show. Delrosario-Canela and several codefendants were arrested on Nov. 29, 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators executed multiple search warrants and seized 700 grams of crack cocaine, more than 900 vials of crack cocaine, 200 grams of loose fentanyl, more than 1,600 dose bags of fentanyl/heroin, two stolen firearms, numerous rounds of ammunition, and over $39,000 in cash, according to court records. Delrosario-Canela has been detained since his arrest, court records show. Tthe FBIs Waterbury Safe Streets Gang Task includes members from the FBI, the Waterbury Police Department, the Naugatuck Police Department, and the Connecticut Department of Correction, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. The DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Connecticut State Police, Wolcott Police Department, and Meriden Police Department have assisted the investigation. A man was seriously injured during a crash in the early morning hours on Friday on Interstate 84 in Waterbury where police said he veered off an exit ramp and struck a guardrail. The crash occurred shortly after midnight on the eastbound side of the highway on the Exit 23 off-ramp, according to Connecticut State Police. A 43-year-old Bloomfield man was driving a 2007 Pontiac G6 in the center or right lane when he lost control and veered into the right shoulder, striking a metal beam guardrail, state police said. He suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken in an ambulance to Saint Marys Hospital in Waterbury, according to state police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Pontiac had to be towed from the scene because of the damage it sustained. The crash remains under investigation. Any witnesses or drivers who were in the area with dashboard camera recordings have been asked to contact Trooper Jack Goncalves at 203-267-2200 or Jack.Goncalves@ct.gov. An avid Reggaeton listener got a rare opportunity when he noticed well-known Cuban rapper Chocolate MC just feet away from him at a Miami grocery store Tuesday. Unbeknownst to him, he would get more than he bargained for when a quick picture quickly turned to the music artist pointing a gun at him, deputies say. Around 8 a.m., the fan, who was not identified, was pulling into a Chavez Supermarket, 101 Opa-locka Blvd., when he noticed Yosvanis Sierra-Hernandez, better known as Chocolate MC, an arrest report detailed. He waved hello to the artist and called him over to take a picture of him. Sierra-Hernandez obliged and walked to his car, but when he got there, he pulled out a gun, pointed it at the mans chest and demanded the vehicle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats not all he wanted, as he would soon demand the man give him cash too, the report read. When the fan showed Sierra-Hernandez his cashless wallet, he then demanded the man send him money through Zelle the fan also did not have Zelle. Not getting any money, Sierra-Hernandez forced the man to drive to several places for the next two hours before eventually releasing him unharmed. Miami-Dade Sheriffs Office detectives combed through surveillance video, which showed the attempted robbery at gunpoint. After putting up wanted fliers throughout the county, authorities arrested Sierra-Hernandez late Tuesday. As of Thursday night, he still remained in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo listens during a news conference following a tour of the New York City Housing Authority Andrew Jackson Houses on Monday, March 12, 2018 in the Bronx, N.Y. (Photo by James Keivom/NY Daily News via Getty Images) New York Daily News Archive via Getty Images By Samantha Maldonado, THE CITY This story was originally published by THE CITY. Sign up to get the latest New York City news delivered to you each morning. Jeannette Salcedo is still mulling over who to endorse in the mayors race. So Salcedo, the resident association president at NYCHAs Castle Hill Houses in The Bronx, was taken aback when someone asked her about an Instagram post from former Gov. Andrew Cuomos account with her name on it, indicating shed endorsed him for mayor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How did that happen? Salcedo asked. I did not endorse him. I did not. I dont know who Im endorsing. My questions, as far as Im concerned, havent been answered. Still, Salcedos name appeared with 26 other NYCHA tenant association presidents on a list the campaign released in May that indicated they all endorsed him for mayor. But that is not the case. Five tenant association presidents who appeared on the list told THE CITY they did not endorse the former governor, saying they still need to decide amongst candidates. Two others didnt reveal whether or not Cuomo won their backing, but said they never approved their names appearing on the list. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Six presidents confirmed their endorsements of Cuomo, but of those, one said she didnt know the list would be public. In a statement, Cuomo campaign spokesperson Esther Jensen pointed out that the list had been public for over a month and cast doubt on the claims. Something smells here, she said. When THE CITY reached out, we reconnected with NYCHA Tenant Leaders and learned that some had privately expressed feeling intimidated by supporters of other candidates, while others simply didnt welcome the attention that came from press inquiries. Over half a million New Yorkers live in NYCHA developments throughout the boroughs, and securing the endorsements of the tenant leaders can serve as a boon for any mayoral campaign. And its especially significant for Cuomo, who served as secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Bill Clinton and says that experience makes him the most qualified candidate on housing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Cuomo campaign has been afflicted by missteps, including a housing plan with garbled sections written with the help of artificial intelligence. It was twice docked matching funds as a penalty for ads bought by an independent committee that a city board said illegally coordinated with the campaign. Cuomo is appealing the decisions. Salcedo said Cuomos campaign had reached out to her, and she told them she didnt know enough to say shed endorse him. Instead she told the campaign representative, whose name she didnt remember, to put her on the list to learn more. Salcedo made a social media post of her own clarifying her stance and said she has now soured on considering Cuomo for mayor, given what happened. When you speak to someone in a leadership role, its important to get their words correct. You dont just take their words and run with it, she said. At this point now, that threw me to the left. I dont want any parts of you. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NYCHA leaders like Salcedo said they are eager to know what the mayoral candidates plan to improve the aging and cash-strapped public housing stock, which faces devastating possible budget cuts from the federal government. Cuomo, the races frontrunner, proposed upgrading NYCHA through a five-year investment of $2.5 billion, converting more sites to private management and developing new apartments on open space on campuses, among other ideas. Funky Politics Two tenant association presidents told THE CITY they found out their names appeared on the list only after someone from City Hall reached out and asked about it. A City Hall spokesperson clarified that in both cases, a community affairs staffer who had longstanding relationships with the tenant association presidents communicated informally in the context of regular business. One of those presidents, who asked to be kept anonymous to protect her residents from any blowback, said she had a call with the Cuomo campaign but never confirmed her support. She called the whole situation dirty politics and said the campaign blew the trust. I havent really made up my mind, and I dont know who Im voting for yet because its not even early voting, she said, adding that shed have to face the music the next time she saw Mayor Eric Adams. Adams has announced he will be running for reelection as an independent in November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lehra Brooks, Throggs Neck Houses Tenant Association president, confirmed her support for Cuomo, but said she was blindsided when she saw her name and title publicly on the list. She said she found out when she got a call from Adams office, which sent her a copy. I didnt know they were putting us out as tenant association presidents. I was speaking for me, personally, Brooks said. I think that this is some funky politics. Still, she backs Cuomo, pointing to his leadership during the pandemic. He did an excellent job, and I said yes, I would support. When I look at the state of how we are right now, hed be good, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rashida Reid, president of the South Beach Houses Resident Association in Staten Island, learned her name was on the list when THE CITY contacted her about it. She said she spoke to someone from the Cuomo campaign and didnt tell them whether or not shed support him. I have not made up my mind, Reid said. I need to see what [the candidates] stand for. Kimberly Comes, president of the Redfern Houses Resident Council in Far Rockaway, was one of the people who accurately appeared on the list in support of Cuomo. He came to visit our community, and he spoke with some of the residents, she said. I havent given any cash or anything like that, but we feel he would be a great mayor. Samantha Maldonado is a senior reporter for THE CITY, where she covers climate, resiliency, housing and development. Andrew Cuomo is pledging he would as mayor cut out the bureaucracy from New York Citys Department of Housing Presevation and Development, arguing its riddled with red tape a proposal welcomed by real estate industry players but one that is raising alarm bells among tenant advocates. The issue emerged in Wednesday nights first Democratic mayoral primary debate, when Cuomo said he would blow up the department in order to address the citys housing crisis. The agency which is tasked with helping finance affordable housing construction, enforce tenant protections and administer certain rental assistance programs has become an obstacle to the mission of building more apartments across the city, Cuomo added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked Thursday to elaborate on what Cuomo meant, his spokesman Rich Azzopardi said the ex-governor believes HPD is too slow and too inefficient in fulfilling its core functions. If elected mayor, among his first duties would be to order a top to bottom review of the agency and then implement a plan to cut out the bureaucracy, cut the red tape and make it functional in a reasonable manner, Azzopardi told the Daily News. Azzopardi said the ex-governors critical view of HPD applies to all its sectors affordable housing financing, tenant protection enforcement and rental assistance administration. Cuomos housing plan released last month didnt include the proposal to overhaul HPD, which has an annual budget of more than $1.5 billion. The plan includes a proposal to build 500,000 new housing units in the city over 10 years, but does not spell out how many of those apartments would be affordable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plan also said Cuomo would as mayor oppose most up-zoning efforts in outer-borough neighborhoods, a stance at odds with HPDs focus under Mayor Adams to facilitate more affordable housing construction in pockets of the city that have historically produced little of it. Housing has emerged as a key issue in this years mayoral race as the city reels from skyrocketing rents and a dearth of vacant apartments, and theres widespread agreement more units must be built. However, there are disagreements over what sort of affordability requirements should be placed on developers, with moderate politicians like Cuomo championing looser restrictions while more left-leaning stakeholders want most new apartments reserved for low-income New Yorkers. Cuomo, whos polling as the favorite to win the June 24 Democratic mayoral primary, floated the push for restructuring HPD as his mayoral run has taken in millions of dollars in donations from real estate industry executives and landlord lobby groups, who often air concerns about the need to reform the agency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As first reported by Politico Thursday, Housing for All, a super PAC funded by one of the citys largest landlord lobbies, is plunking down $2.5 million on airing ads boosting Cuomos run. The lobby group, the New York Apartment Association, which mostly represents landlords of rent-stabilized buildings, vehemently opposes efforts to freeze rent for the citys stabilized tenants, a proposal several of Cuomos mayoral race opponents, including runner-up candidate Zohran Mamdani, have embraced. Kenny Burgos, the New York Apartment Associations CEO, lauded Cuomo for promising to blow up the HPD, saying the agency is choking the market from producing more housing. It is bringing on layers upon layers of violations to owners, where there are scenarios where owners cant even clear the violations because of HPD mismanagement, Burgos said. So, you know, any candidate talking about completely reforming the agency that has really huge overarching powers on regulated housing, Id say is a good approach. But Brooklyn Councilman Lincoln Restler, a progressive Democrat who used to be a senior adviser to ex-Mayor Bill de Blasio, including on housing and tenant issues, said Cuomos proposal is dangerous and voiced concern his comments signal hes open to the real estate industrys push to roll back tenant protections and rent regulations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cuomo is going to do the bidding of wealthy real estate interests who had paid for his campaign, not meet the needs of the people of New York City, Restler said. Mamdani, whos consistently polling in second place in the mayors race, told The News: HPD doesnt need to be blown up it needs to be fully staffed so it can protect tenants and get affordable housing built. A city government official involved in the Adams administrations affordable housing efforts argued HPD has undergone various reforms in recent years to streamline the agencys operations. In the last fiscal year, HPD financed 14,706 newly-constructed affordable homes. HPD is already blowing up the status quo, making it easier to build new apartments and easier to get into affordable housing, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cea Weaver, director of the left-leaning Housing Justice for All group, acknowledged there are many roadblocks to affordable housing production, but also argued HPD isnt one of them. A top to bottom review, that sounds like a hell of a lot bureaucracy, she said. What needs to happen is to actually just let HPD operate. MILAN Prada Group continues to invest in Italys pipeline and in the companys vertical integration. On Thursday, the Italian luxury group said it has acquired a 10 percent stake in leading tannery Rino Mastrotto Group. More from WWD Under the terms of the agreement, Prada has taken full control of tannery Conceria Superior SpA and Tannerie Limoges S.A.S., and is contributing in kind 100 percent of the two companies to Rino Mastrotto Group. In addition, Prada is making a cash investment in a minority stake in Rino Mastrotto Group, which allows it to strengthen its control over a highly strategic phase of the production process, said chairman and executive director Patrizio Bertelli. Our groups share a passion for quality, innovation and sustainability; we are proud to foster synergies and promote consolidation along the value creation chain and the Made in Italy. Rino Mastrotto Group is a global provider of materials and bespoke services for the luxury industry. The transaction, which is expected to close between the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third quarter, contributes to fostering long-term industrial development and reinforces the commercial relationship between the two groups. The agreement reflects our ongoing commitment to investing in the luxury segment, said Matteo Mastrotto, chief executive officer of Rino Mastrotto Group, which is jointly owned by Renaissance Partners and the Mastrotto family. Having Prada Group as a shareholder is a testament to a long-standing collaboration built on trust and enhances our industrial vision to ensure sustainable growth. Rino Mastrotto Group employs more than 1,300 people across five continents and generates a turnover of approximately 360 million euros. Under its umbrella, several companies and brands operate within the luxury segment, including Rino Mastrotto, Basmar, Pomari, Nuova Osba, Tessitura Oreste Mariani and Mapel. The group is also active in the automotive sector through Brusarosco in Italy and Elmo Leather in Sweden, and in interior design through its Italian division, Elmo Leather, the North American distribution branch Carrol Leather, and Imatex in the textile sector. Morelab, a Tuscan company, is a specialized provider of tailor-made services. This transaction adds significant strategic and industrial value, further enhancing Rino Mastrottos equity story and supporting both its growth and consolidation journey, said Alessio Masiero, partner at Renaissance Partners. HONOLULU (KHON2) Congress continues to discuss possible cuts to Medicaid and many in Hawaii are concerned about the potential impacts. Some officials warn pregnant women and children could be hit the hardest. Those who rely on the service for themselves and their children also fear the worst. On Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires rip through the Lahaina community forcing thousands to flee. Mairey Garcia, then 10 weeks pregnant with her second child, made it out alive with her husband and daughter. Wanted man arrested after crime spree leads to officer-involved shooting Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We live in Maui, for almost 16 years, she said. Thinking and looking back after the fire, I dont want to think about it anymore. They lost everything. Uprooting her family and relocating after the devastation on Maui she dealt with so many stressors and the added responsibility of another baby on the way. Garcia said having Aloha Care medical coverage was a huge weight off her shoulders. Its the only thing I have that time to support my babies and my family as well, because I cant afford to get a medical, she explained. Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You On Feb. 23, 2024 she gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aloha Care has been there for me from the very start. Its been a blessing for me, Garcia said. She is not alone. According to Aloha Care CEO Francoise Culley-Trotman, 1,500 moms delivered babies last year covered by Aloha Care. With 70,000 members its the states second largest medicaid-medicare health plan. But if a bill to cut more than $600 billion in funding for Medicaid passes congress in the coming weeks, many will lose that lifeline. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news The Republican tax bill makes the biggest cuts to Medicaid in history, meaning many people on Med-QUEST will lose coverage and hospitals and clinics may be forced to reduce services or close altogether, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said in a statement. These cuts will disproportionately impact pregnant women and children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This issue goes beyond just our membership or even the Quest recipients to what happens to our state and our ability to take care of people, Culley-Trotman explained. She said cuts this extreme will increase preterm births and impact the long term health of mothers. Just an overall worsening of maternal and infant statistics in our state, she added. For Garcia, its personal. She worries about what will happen to her family and had this message for lawmakers. Please dont pass the bill, she said. Because a lot of people need help and and rely on this program. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has stated that his country will continue supporting Ukraine and push for the adoption of the 18th package of tough sanctions against Russia amid recent moves by Slovakia. Source: Radio Prague International, as reported by European Pravda Details: Fiala said the unity of the European Union is critically important and described the recent decision by the Slovak parliament to oblige its ministers not to approve further sanctions against Russia as harmful to European security. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quote: "With all due respect, I do not consider the Slovak Parliaments decision helpful for Europes security. Czechia believes that opposing Russias aggressive policy is essential. EU unity, especially against Russian aggression, is crucial." More details: The Czech prime minister reiterated that his country would continue supporting Ukraine and working towards the adoption of the 18th package of strict anti-Russian sanctions. Background: On 4 June, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini rejected a petition calling for a referendum on lifting sanctions against Russia. The petition, launched by the far-right Slovak Revival Movement, gathered 400,000 signatures and was submitted in early May. The following day, the Slovak parliament passed a resolution urging members of the government to refrain from supporting further sanctions or trade restrictions on Russia in international organisations. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico later said he would support holding such a referendum. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! June 6 (UPI) -- Former Washington, D.C., Police Intelligence Chief Lt. Shane Lamond got 18 months in a federal prison Friday for obstructing an investigation by lying regarding contact he had with Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio. Lamond leaked information to Tarrio that he was being investigated and then lied about doing that, according to prosecutors. Lamond was convicted of one count of obstructing justice and three counts of making false statements to federal law enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Judge Amy B. Jackson said Lamond showed no real contrition for his actions. "The entire attitude throughout has been, 'How dare they bring these charges!," Jackson said. Lamond attorney Mark Schamel urged Judge Jackson to not incarcerate Lamond. He told the judge he fundamentally disagrees with her about the facts in the case. He said Lamond's destroyed police career should be enough punishment. The investigation into Lamond's communication with Tarrio revealed hundreds of message exchanges that included encrypted Telegram messages. Lamond contended they were intended to gather intelligence on extremist groups. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tarrio was pardoned for his federal conviction by President Donald Trump, who also pardoned hundreds of other people convicted in connection with the violent pro-Trump attack on the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, 2021. Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy, but Trump freed him with a presidential pardon. Tarrio testified for Lamond and urged Trump to pardon the D.C. police officer. When Lamond was convicted in December 2024, U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves said in a statement, "As proven at trial, Lamond turned his job on its head-providing confidential information to a source, rather than getting information from him-lied about the conduct, and obstructed an investigation into the source." On June 6, 1944, nearly 160,000 Allied soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy in an assault that would be the beginning of the end for Nazi-occupied Western Europe. Operation Overlord, as the invasion was called, stands not only as a military triumph but also as a testament to courage, sacrifice, and the responsibility of remembranceremembering those who lost their lives for our freedom. The human cost of that day and the weeks that followed was staggering. More than 4,400 Allied soldiers died on D-Day alone. Germany suffered approximately 320,000 total battle casualties during the campaign, with 30,000 killed, 80,000 wounded, and around 210,000 reported missing: over 70% of the missing were later confirmed as prisoners of war, according to German Military records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In contrast, the United States recorded around 135,000 casualties, with 29,000 killed and the rest either wounded or missing. The UK suffered around 65,000 battle casualties, with 11,000 killed and 54,000 wounded or missing. However, these sacrifices laid the groundwork for breaking the Nazi grip on Europe and expediting the collapse of the Third Reich. Today, on the beaches of Normandy, veterans and their families gathered to honor those who never came home. Parachute jumps, flyovers, and solemn parades paid tribute to a generation that reshaped the world. Among those honored was 101-year-old Harold Terens, a radio repairman who served with the Allied forces alongside centenarians Arlester Brown and Wally King, per AP News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the years pass, the number of D-Day veterans able to attend these commemorations continues to dwindle. Only 23 veterans were present at this years ceremony, down from 50 last year. With every passing year, the responsibility to carry forward their stories grows more and more important. Figures like 104-year-old nurse Betty Huffman-Rosevear and Papa Jake Larson have turned to social media to share their experiences with younger generations of Americans, ensuring that the memory of D-Day lives on beyond the pages of history books and transitions to the screen-addicted era. Larsons YouTube channel, Story Time With Papa Jake, recently hit 16 thousand subscribers as of publication. D-Day was not just a gritty American victory; it was a shared triumph achieved by a collection of countries: Britain, Canada, Poland, Norway, and countless others, whose soldiers fought side by side to liberate Europe. With each passing year, that call to keep the memory of D-Day grows more pressing. Now, more than ever, we must honor D-Day not as a distant story but as a reminder of our responsibility to stand up for freedom and never forget the price paid for it. COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France (AP) Veterans gathered Friday in Normandy to mark the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings a pivotal moment of World War II that eventually led to the collapse of Adolf Hitler's regime. Along the coastline and near the D-Day landing beaches, tens of thousands of onlookers attended the commemorations, which included parachute jumps, flyovers, remembrance ceremonies, parades, and historical reenactments. Many were there to cheer the ever-dwindling number of surviving veterans in their late 90s and older. All remembered the thousands who died. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harold Terens, a 101-year-old U.S. veteran who last year married his 96-year-old sweetheart near the D-Day beaches, was back in Normandy. Freedom is everything, he said. I pray for freedom for the whole world. For the war to end in Ukraine, and Russia, and Sudan and Gaza. I think war is disgusting. Absolutely disgusting." Terens enlisted in 1942 and shipped to Great Britain the following year, attached to a four-pilot P-47 Thunderbolt fighter squadron as their radio repair technician. On D-Day, Terens helped repair planes returning from France so they could rejoin the battle. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth commemorated the anniversary of the D-Day landings, in which American soldiers played a leading role, with veterans at the American Cemetery overlooking the shore in the village of Colleville-sur-Mer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement French Minister for the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu told Hegseth that France knows what it owes to its American allies and the veterans who helped free Europe from the Nazis. "We dont forget that our oldest allies were there in this grave moment of our history. I say it with deep respect in front of you, veterans, who incarnate this unique friendship between our two countries, he said. Hegseth said France and the United States should be prepared to fight if danger arises again, and that good men are still needed to stand up. Today the United States and France again rally together to confront such threats," he said, without mentioning a specific enemy. Because we strive for peace, we must prepare for war and hopefully deter it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France used the largest-ever armada of ships, troops, planes and vehicles to breach Hitlers defenses in western Europe. A total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself. In the ensuing Battle of Normandy, 73,000 Allied forces were killed and 153,000 wounded. The battle and especially Allied bombings of French villages and cities killed around 20,000 French civilians between June and August 1944. The exact number of German casualties is unknown, but historians estimate between 4,000 and 9,000 men were killed, wounded or missing during the D-Day invasion alone. Nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed on D-Day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of those, 73,000 were from the U.S. and 83,000 from Britain and Canada. Forces from several other countries were also involved, including French troops fighting with Gen. Charles de Gaulle. The Allies faced around 50,000 German forces. More than 2 million Allied soldiers, sailors, pilots, medics and other people from a dozen countries were involved in the overall Operation Overlord, the battle to wrest western France from Nazi control that started on D-Day. President Donald Trump hosted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for a White House meeting on June 5, the day before the D-Day anniversary. D-Day, the 1944 groundbreaking invasion into Nazi-occupied Europe, helped turn the tide of World War II towards the Allied forces. Trump raised eyebrows at his meeting with Merz when he suggested it was a bad day for Germany. "That was not a pleasant day for you," Trump said. Merz began to respond, but Trump continued: "This was not a great day." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "No, that was not a pleasant... well, in the long run, Mr. President, this was the liberation of my country from Nazi dictatorship," Merz said. "That's true," Trump said. "That's true." 'We had a job' to do: Humble veteran, 100, recalls D-Day 81 years later What is D-Day? D-Day, also known under the code name Operation Overlord, was the Allied forces' invasion of the beaches at Normandy in what some historians consider to be the largest land, sea and air invasion in history. The Allies brought 160,000 troops, 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft. The invasion occurred on June 6, 1944, more than four years into World War II when the Allied forces, including the U.S., Great Britain, France and Russia hoped to push back against Nazi control of Europe, according to History.com. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Allies' win was not decisive. The fierce battle resulted in more than 4,000 Allied soldiers dead and somewhere between 4,000 and 9,000 German soldiers dead, wounded or missing, according to The National D-Day Memorial Foundation. Approximately 200,000 German prisoners of war were captured. Less than a year later, Germany surrendered. Trump and Merz talk Ukraine in friendly White House meeting Merz is a conservative who took office last month. He came to the White House to talk about a range of issues including trade, increased NATO spending and the Ukraine-Russia war, now in its third year. Overall, the meeting with Merz was amicable. Merz presented Trump with a framed copy of his grandfather Friedrich Trump's German birth certificate from 1869. Some of Trump's meetings with foreign leaders like South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have been more contested. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ahead of Trump's D-Day comment, Merz and Trump talked about hoping to see an end to the Ukraine war. "We know what we owe you, but this is the reason I'm saying that America again is in a very strong position to do something on this war and ending this war," Merz said. "So let's talk about what we can do jointly." Trump also dubbed V-Day a holiday? Trump also leaned into World War II history in May when he declared May 8 a holiday to commemorate the end of World War II. "All over the World, the Allies are celebrating the Victory we had in World War II. The only Country that doesnt celebrate is the United States of America, and the Victory was only accomplished because of us," Trump said in a post on Truth Social on May 5, days before the proposed holiday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This year was the 80th anniversary of what is known internationally as Victory in Europe (VE) Day, and England, for example, is commemorating the event over four days, according to Reuters. Trump said on May 1 that he wanted to recognize May 8 as "Victory Day for World War II," and Nov. 11 as "Victory Day for World War I." However, Nov. 11 is already federally recognized as Veterans Day. Contributing: Mike Snider, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY; Reuters Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Trump D-Day comments and German chancellor. Meaning of the day Dallas police arrested 98 fugitives during a month-long operation targeting violent felons. The suspects had a combined arrest history exceeding 700 prior arrests. Operation Justice Trail represents a key component of the departments strategy to reduce violent crime by focusing on repeat offenders who drive much of the citys criminal activity. The Dallas Police Fugitive Unit partnered with the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force for the May sweep. Together, they cleared 167 warrants and tracked down suspects across Dallas and beyond state lines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police Chief Daniel Comeaux launched the initiative as part of the departments Violent Crime Reduction Plan. The strategy recognizes that a small group of criminals commits most violent offenses. The Dallas County District Attorneys Office also participated in the coordinated effort. Their involvement helped expedite warrant processing and case preparation. Department officials released a comprehensive report detailing each fugitives charges and criminal background. The document underscores the extensive rap sheets of those captured during the 31-day operation. By removing these repeat offenders from the streets, police aim to create a measurable impact on public safety. The arrests target individuals with histories of violent crimes rather than low-level offenses. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) Over 1,000 children have died from being trapped in a hot car, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 39 children died from heatstroke from inside a car in 2024, up 35% from 2023. Mike Ishida, Battalion Chief of the South Salt Lake Fire Department, explained it doesnt take much heat to make a car dangerous. He said, Even if its 70 degrees outside, the chances that vehicle rising above our critical levels for an exposure to your kids or pets could be extreme and ultimately cause death. The NHTSA says 52% of child deaths from being in a hot car come from being forgotten they are even there. 25% come from children finding a way to get into a car left unlocked and unattended. The third leading cause is from doing it on purpose. Ishida said leaving a small child locked inside, even for brief moments to fend for themselves, spells a lot of potential trouble. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement https://www.abc4.com/news/wasatch-front/family-sandy-insurance-claim-asbestos/ He detailed, Were talking toddlers and infants. The chances of them being able to help themselves are pretty much zero. He continued, Its terrible as a parent thinking, you know, Im just going to take a second to run in the store. Maybe a second turns into 10 minutes. Its not worth it. Utah has a Good Samaritan law that can protect you from civil liability if you break into a car to free a child you think may be in danger. But, there are very key steps to follow: The person has to truly believe the child is in imminent danger, The car has to be locked and there is no other way to get into the car. Before breaking in, 911 has to be called to alert first responders. They can only use force that is necessary to free the child. No extra damage that doesnt make sense. They have to stay with the child until a first responder arrives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If one of those is not followed, the person could find themselves liable if a suit is filed. Ishida expressed the importance of calling 911 and letting first responders help. Latest headlines: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. By Aishwarya Venugopal and Jessica DiNapoli (Reuters) -Procter & Gamble will cut 7,000 jobs over the next two years, as the Tide detergent maker contends with an uncertain spending environment, fueled in part by U.S. tariffs that have roiled numerous consumer companies. The world's largest consumer goods company also plans to exit some product categories and brands in certain markets, including some potential divestitures, as part of the broader two-year restructuring plan. "This is not a new approach, rather an intentional acceleration of the current strategy ... to win in the increasingly challenging environment in which we compete," executives said at a Deutsche Bank Consumer Conference in Paris on Thursday. The job cuts amount to about 6% of its workforce, which P&G characterized as part of its ongoing strategy. Notably, CFO Andre Schulten and operations head Shailesh Jejurikar said at the conference that the geopolitical environment was "unpredictable" and that consumers were facing "greater uncertainty." President Donald Trump's sweeping levies on trading partners have shaken global markets and sparked concerns of a recession in the United States. P&G on Thursday estimated about a $600 million before-tax hit in its fiscal year 2026, based on current tariff rates. The rates have frequently changed over the past few months. Overall, the trade war has cost companies at least $34 billion in lost sales and higher costs, a Reuters analysis showed. In April, P&G said it would raise prices on some products, and Schulten said it was prepared to "pull every lever" in its arsenal to mitigate the impact of tariffs - primarily through higher prices and cost-cutting. "The two-year window ... gives them some flexibility in terms of timing and depth of cuts, as the tariff situation is very fluid," said Christian Greiner, senior portfolio manager at F/m Investments that owns shares in P&G. The restructuring will help simplify the organizational structure by "making roles broader" and "teams smaller," P&G said. "Spring cleaning at scale, shedding low-growth, low-moat units frees up cash to turbo-charge Tide, Pampers and Old Spicethe core brands," said Michael Ashley Schulman, chief investment officer at Running Point Capital. In the past few years, P&G has exited the Argentina market and restructured its operations in Nigeria. It also divested the Vidal Sassoon hair care brand in China and a few other local brands in Latin America and Europe. The company imports raw ingredients, packaging materials and some finished products into the U.S. from China. About 90% of what it sells is produced domestically, P&G has said. Darren Aronofsky is supporting the documentation of the Israel-Palestine conflict: The auteur produces award-winning feature Holding Liat, directed by Brandon Kramer. Holding Liat tells the story of Liat Beinin-Atzili, an Israeli-American woman who was taken hostage by Hamas alongside her husband Aviv on October 7, 2023. Liat and Aviv have been held captive in Gaza with 250 other people, 12 of whom, like Liat, are American citizens. The film details how Liats parents, sister, and children had to navigate the American political landscape to try to get her released. The official synopsis reads: Caught between international diplomacy and a rapidly escalating war, their family must face their own uncertainty and conflicting perspectives in the pursuit of Liat and Avivs release. This agonizing process, and the ultimate fate of their loved ones, challenges how the members of the family understand themselves and their place in the conflict. Through the intimate lens of a familys experience, Holding Liat poses complex questions of identity across generations, as the family is thrust into the epicenter of a global conflict rapidly unfolding in real-time. More from IndieWire Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Holding Liat is an independent production of Aronofskys Protozoa and Meridian Hill Pictures. The film was a Berlinale documentary award winner and will make its North American premiere at Tribeca 2025. Liat and her family will attend Tribeca screenings and answer audiences questions during the festival. Director Kramer is actually related to Liat, and knew he had to tell her story onscreen. This film represents the greatest challenge of my career: its a deeply personal chronicle of my extended familys intimate experiences, set against the larger Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which continues to impact so many peoples lives, Kramer told IndieWire. Our team carefully considered the films rollout, which kicked off with sold-out screenings at the Berlinale where it was recognized with the Documentary Film Award and subsequent international premieres in Hong Kong, Brazil, Croatia, Poland, and Israel. Kramer continued, As American filmmakers, with a film largely shot in the U.S., the North American premiere is a significant opportunity to reach audiences who are yearning for humane and nuanced storytelling, especially around the complex issues explored in the film. After premiering our last film The First Step at Tribeca in 2021, its an honor to return this year with Holding Liat. We are deeply grateful to Tribeca and our subsequent hometown premiere at DC/DOX for bringing this story to American audiences in a moment that feels more urgent than ever. In a directors statement, Kramer cited how the international conflict is still sadly enduring. More than a year after October 7, lives are still imperiled: with hostages still held, tens of thousands of Palestinians killed, and people across the region suffering, he said. Our conversations about all these issues have only become more polarized, even within communities and families. By telling an intimate story of one directly impacted family, and the way they navigated differences amongst each other, we hope to open up new possibilities for understanding this conflict, and contribute to an end to the unrelenting violence in the region. We are keenly aware that this film is just one familys story out of countless others, and that many important stories may tragically never be told. We hope through the familys resilience and openness, alongside other Israeli and Palestinian films that seek to broaden understanding, audiences will find room to ask deeper questions that help mark a path toward healing and reconciliation. Holding Liat is produced by Aronofsky, Justin A. Goncalves, Lance Kramer, Ari Handel, and Yoni Brook. Aronofsky also has his Underland nature documentary, directed by Robert Petit, at Tribeca. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Holding Liat will have its North American premiere at Tribeca 2025 as a sales title. Check out a sneak peek below. Best of IndieWire Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The Trump administration on Wednesday announced travel restrictions targeting 19 countries in Africa and Asia, including many of the world's poorest nations. All travel is banned from 12 of these countries, with partial restrictions on travel from the rest. The presidential proclamation, entitled "Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats," is aimed at "countries throughout the world for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a full or partial suspension on the entry or admission of nationals from those countries." In a video that accompanied the proclamation, President Donald Trump said, "The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colo., has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The latest travel ban reimposes restrictions on many of the countries that were included on travel bans in Trump's first term, along with several new countries. But this travel ban, like the earlier ones, will not significantly improve national security and public safety in the United States. That's because migrants account for a minuscule portion of violence in the United States. And migrants from the latest travel ban countries account for an even smaller portion, according to data that I have collected. The suspect in Colorado, for example, is from Egypt, which is not on the travel ban list. As a scholar of political sociology, I don't believe Trump's latest travel ban is about national security. Rather, I'd argue, it's primarily about using national security as an excuse to deny visas to non-White applicants. Terrorism and public safety In the past five years, the United States has witnessed more than 100,000 homicides. Political violence by militias and other ideological movements accounted for 354 fatalities, according to an initiative known as the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, which tracks armed conflict around the world. That's less than 1% of the country's homicide victims. And foreign terrorism accounted for less than 1% of this 1%, according to my data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration says the United States cannot appropriately vet visa applicants in countries with uncooperative governments or underdeveloped security systems. That claim is false. The State Department and other government agencies do a thorough job of vetting visa applicants, even in countries where there is no U.S. embassy, according to an analysis by the CATO Institute. The U.S. government has sophisticated methods for identifying potential threats. They include detailed documentation requirements, interviews with consular officers and clearance by national security agencies. And it rejects more than 1 in 6 visa applications, with ever-increasing procedures for detecting fraud. The thoroughness of the visa review process is evident in the numbers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorized foreign-born residents of the United States are far less likely than U.S.-born residents to engage in criminal activity. And unauthorized migrants are even less likely to commit crimes. Communities with more migrants -- authorized and unauthorized -- have similar or slightly lower crime rates than communities with fewer migrants. If vetting were as deficient as Trump's executive order claims, we would expect to see a significant number of terrorist plots from countries on the travel ban list. But we don't. Of the 4 million U.S. residents from the 2017 travel ban countries, I have documented only four who were involved in violent extremism in the past five years. Two of them were arrested after plotting with undercover law enforcement agents. One was found to have lied on his asylum application. One was an Afghan man who killed three Pakistani Shiite Muslim immigrants in New Mexico in 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Such a handful of zealots with rifles or homemade explosives can be life-altering for victims and their families, but they do not represent a threat to U.S. national security. Degrading the concept of national security Trump has been trying for years to turn immigration into a national security issue. In his first major speech on national security in 2016, Trump focused on the "dysfunctional immigration system which does not permit us to know who we let into our country." His primary example was an act of terrorism by a man who was born in the United States. The first Trump administration's national security strategy, issued in December 2017, prioritized jihadist terrorist organizations that "radicalize isolated individuals" as "the most dangerous threat to the Nation" -- not armies, not another 9/11, but isolated individuals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the travel ban is not really going to improve national security or public safety, then what is it about? Linking immigration to national security seems to serve two long-standing Trump priorities. First is his effort to make American more White, in keeping with widespread bias among his supporters against non-White immigrants. Remember Trump's insults to Mexicans and Muslims in his escalator speech announcing his presidential campaign in 2015. He has also expressed a preference for White immigrants from Norway in 2018 and South Africa in 2025. Trump has repeatedly associated himself with nationalists who view immigration by non-Whites as a danger to White supremacy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Second, invoking national security allows Trump to pursue this goal without the need for accountability, since Congress and the courts have traditionally deferred to the executive branch on national security issues. Trump also claims national security justifications for tariffs and other policies that he has declared national emergencies, in a bid to avoid criticism by the public and oversight by the other branches of government. But this oversight is necessary in a democratic system to ensure that immigration policy is based on facts. Charles Kurzman is a pProfessor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The views and opinions in this commentary are solely those of the author. Megan Mobbs, daughter of US presidents special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg, has commented on Russias latest large-scale strike on Ukrainian cities, saying she has a "strange feeling the Russians dont want peace". Source: Mobbs on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda Details: On the night of 5-6 June, Mobbs wrote that several Ukrainian cities were under attack. "Russia wants you to believe its striking back, but Ukraines precision strikes occurred in response to relentless Russian attacks on civilians and only after Putin refused a ceasefire. He only wants more war, and all of Ukraine," she wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She later addressed her father directly: "loud night in Kyiv, dad!" "It might be the explosions and gunfire in the dead of night, but I get the strange feeling the Russians dont want peace," she added. While Mobbs's remarks were framed as a personal reaction to the airstrike on Kyiv, it remains unclear where exactly she was at the time. However, on 1 June, she had stated that she was in the city of Odesa. Attending Catholic mass at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral in Odesa (est 1853). The pews were overflowing with worshippers. As @Pontifex, the first American pope at this historic moment, has implored: I carry in my heart the suffering of the beloved pic.twitter.com/uyFdqYcK3C Meaghan Mobbs (@mobbs_mentality) June 1, 2025 Background: On the night of 5-6 June, Russia launched another combined attack on Ukraines capital. Civilian infrastructure, residential buildings, cars and metro tracks were damaged by falling debris and impacts. Four people were killed and 20 injured. Mobbss post followed a statement from her father on 5 June, in which he suggested that Ukraines recent strike on Russian aircraft could serve as a catalyst for peace. US President Donald Trump had also spoken with Russian leader Vladimir Putin about Ukraines attack. During their conversation, Putin reportedly said he would "have to respond" to the recent attack on airfields. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Credit: X/@Dawn_French Dawn French has been accused of dismissing the Oct 7 Hamas attacks in Israel in a new social media video. The British comedian and actress, 67, posted a video of herself to X in which she appears to mimic Israels supporters amid the military campaign in Gaza. In the video, published by French on the social media platform on Thursday, she says about the conflict in the Middle East: Complicated, no, but nuanced. But [the] bottom line is no. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She then goes on to mimic apparent defences of Israels military campaign in neighbouring Gaza since the Hamas-led massacre in 2023, saying: Yeah but you know they did a bad thing to us... Yeah, but no. But we want that land and theres a lot of history. No. These people are not even people, are they really? No. In response to the viral tweet, which has been viewed more than half a million times in the 24 hours since it was published, Tracy-Ann Oberman, the West End star and playwright, branded Frenchs tone as mocking. Tracy-Ann Oberman said she was saddened by the clip The Jewish actress, 58, reposted Frenchs video and said: I am so saddened by this post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This mocking voice bad thing of October 7 that Dawn (who I revere by the way) appears to be mocking involved the most horrific terrorist attack involving rape, sexual violence, burning alive child, mutilation and the taking of civilian hostages. She added: Why would Dawn seem to deny that which has affected so many of us personally in the most painful way possible. I can mourn the horrors of the war in Gaza whilst also remembering the horrors of what started it. Is this how most of our industry feels now Oct 7 was a little thing? NO! Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamass massacre on Oct 7 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed by the terror group and 251 others were taken hostage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are now 56 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Israel said its expanded offensive in the Strip, named Operation Gideons Chariot, will increase the chances of returning the missing. Wow, this is really bad The Hamas-run health ministry that operates in Gaza has said that at least 54,000 people have been killed in the territory during the war. Hamas has rejected proposed ceasefire and hostage release deals that do not guarantee a full Israel withdrawal from the Strip and an end to the war. Other responses to Frenchs post include the financier Ben Goldsmith, who has been a strong defender of Israels response to the Hamas terrorist attacks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He remarked: Wow, this is really bad. Who knew. Elsewhere, comedy writer and self-described champion of Jewish rights Lee Kern wrote: What you sneeringly mock as a bad thing included the grieving children I met in hospital whose friends and family had been murdered, kidnapped and raped and who themselves were coming to terms with their own life-altering injuries. It also includes the 1,200 people murdered and tortured on October 7th you proactively broadcast with misplaced pride a wicked glee in your mockery and dismissal of Jewish suffering, pain and death. In a subsequent post following the criticism by Oberman, French clarified that she did not mean to support the atrocities of Oct 7th. Writing on X, she said: I do not say a little thing. In NO WAY do I support the atrocities of Oct 7th. Of course not. Appalling. Horrific. But starving innocent children is not the answer. NO is the answer to ALL of it, Tracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement French has been approached for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. On this date in history: In 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt signed a bill abolishing the gold standard. In 1950, the Supreme Court ruled 8-0 that segregation in railroad dining cars violated the Interstate Commerce Act. In 1967, the Six-Day War began between Israel and the Arab states of Egypt, Syria and Jordan. In 1968, as he campaigned for the Democratic presidential nomination in Los Angeles, Sen. Robert Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian immigrant. Kennedy, 42, died the next day. Sen. Edward Kennedy (far L), Ethel Kennedy (L), widow of Robert Kennedy, Rep. Joe Kennedy and other family members pay their respects at the grave of Robert F. Kennedy on June 6, 1988. UPI File Photo In 1976, the Teton River Dam in Idaho collapsed as it was being filled for the first time, killing 14 people, flooding 300 square miles and causing an estimated $1 billion damage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 1991, in a step away from apartheid, South African legislators repealed the Land Acts of 1913 and 1936, which reserved 87 percent of land for whites. Clutching his rosary beads, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy lies injured on the floor of the Ambassador Hotel after being shot by assailant Sirhan Sirhan on June 5, 1968 following his victory speech in the California primary election. Kennedy's wife, Ethel Kennedy, is at lower left. UPI File Photo In 1998, members of the United Auto Workers went on strike at a General Motors plant in Flint, Mich., over frozen wages. The strike ended seven weeks later with GM promising not to close facilities and buying new equipment for workers, and some workers increasing output by 15 percent. File Photo by Bill Pugliano/UPI Republican Gov. Scott Walker greets supporters at an election night rally on June 5, 2012, in Waukesha, Wis. Walker, who was opposed by Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, is the third governor in U.S. history to face a recall election and defeated Barrett by a wide margin. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI In 2000, Ukrainian officials announced that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, site of the worst radiation accident in history, would be closed. In 2001, Tropical Storm Allison struck the Texas coast for the second time shortly after forming in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm, which made a second landfall days later in Louisiana, would go on to kill 50 people and cause $5 billion along the gulf and northeastern coasts. U.S. President Barack Obama is accompanied by U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice (R), who he chose as national security adviser to replace outgoing national security adviser Tom Donilon (2nd R) in the Rose Garden at the White House on June 5, 2013. File Photo by Molly Riley/UPI Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2003, officials said U.S. troops would withdraw from the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea, bringing an end to 50 years of guard duty. In 2004, Ronald Reagan, the 40th U.S. president, died at his Los Angeles home at the age of 93 of complications from Alzheimer's disease. A sign declaring "Halt! Prohibited Zone" is seen in the exclusion zone around the closed Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ilinci village on April 5, 2006. On June 5, 2000, Ukrainian officials announced that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, site of the worst radiation accident in history, would be closed. File Photo by Sergey Starostenko/UPI In 2008, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States told a military court in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, he wanted to plead guilty to the charges to become a martyr. Khalid Sheik Mohammed said he expected to face the death penalty. In 2010, U.S. President Barack Obama named Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper Jr. director of national intelligence. File Photo by Alexis C. Glenn/UPI In 2012, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, became the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2013, Susan Rice was named U.S. national security adviser, replacing outgoing Tom Donilon. In 2023, former Vice President Mike Pence officially filed paperwork to seek the Republican nomination to run for president of the United States. He dropped his bid in late October 2023. On this date in history: In 1844, the Young Men's Christian Association -- YMCA -- was founded in London. In 1872, feminist Susan B. Anthony was fined for voting in an election in Rochester, N.Y. She refused to pay the fine and a judge allowed her to go free. In 1933, the first drive-in movie theater opened -- in Camden, N.J. In 1944, hundreds of thousands of Allied troops began crossing the English Channel in the D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe. It was the largest invasion in history. On June 6, 1944, hundreds of thousands of Allied troops began crossing the English Channel in the D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe. It was the largest invasion in history. File Photo courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard. File Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army In 1966, James Meredith, who in 1962 became the first Black American to attend the University of Mississippi, was shot by a sniper during a civil rights "March Against Fear" walk in the South. Meredith was hospitalized and recovered from his wounds, later rejoining the long march, which he had originated. Portrait of women's suffragist Susan B. Anthony taken by renowned photographer Frances Benjamin Johnston between 1900 and 1906. On this day in 1872, Anthony was fined for voting in an election in Rochester, N.Y. She refused to pay the fine and a judge allowed her to go free. File Photo by Library of Congress/UPI In 1968, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Democratic presidential candidate and former U.S. attorney general, died the day after he was struck by an assassin's bullets in California. He was 42. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 1972, a coal mine explosion in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), trapped 464 miners underground. More than 425 people died. On June 6, 1968, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, died the day after he was struck by an assassin's bullets in California. He was 42. UPI File Photo In 1981, a train conductor braked too hard to avoid hitting a cow, causing several cars in his train to slip off the tracks in rainy weather. The cars slid off a bridge into a swollen river, drowning an estimated 600 people in India. In 1982, thousands of Israeli forces pushed deep into Lebanon in an effort to defeat Palestinian guerrillas sheltering in the southern border region and near the capital of Beirut. Syria said its forces joined the fighting in a major escalation of the conflict. Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon displays a map of Israel and Lebanon as he appears on the CBS television show "Face the Nation" in Washington on August 29, 1982. Sharon said the Palestine Liberation Organization was very heavily damaged and he believes the new government of Lebanon will sign a peace treaty with Israel. File Photo by Mal Langsdon/UPI In 1993, the Guatemalan legislature elected Ramiro de Leon Carpio as president to replace ousted leader Jorge Serrano. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2001, a man drove his pickup truck into a Muslim family of Pakistani heritage, killing four and injuring one in London, Ontario, Canada. The driver was charged with terroristic murder and accused of targeting the family because of their religion. In 2023, Prince Harry became the first member of the British royal family to give testimony during a court proceeding since 1891. He sued Mirror Group Newspapers, accusing them of illegally hacking. In February 2024, Prince Harry won a "substantial" settlement in the case. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) A D.C. man was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute phencyclidine (PCP). The U.S. Attorneys Office (USAO) for D.C. said in a news release that a jury found 44-year-old Norman Morris also known as Fibble guilty on Tuesday. Court documents say that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the FBI started conducting an investigation in September 2023 into a group that included Morris and some other co-defendants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DC man sentenced for robbing woman, stealing car Prosecutors say that Morris was conducting drug transactions outside of his home in the 200 block of 58th St. NE. Law enforcement monitored these transactions for several months, during which time officers saw Morris co-defendants meet with him to exchange possible narcotics and cash. The USAO said that one of his co-defendants, 45-year-old Jamar Bennett, sold over two kilograms of PCP to undercover officers over nine different transactions. Another co-defendant, 44-year-old Lamont M. Langston, provided the PCP, and a third co-defendant, 43-year-old Kelvin Sanker, prepared and stored the PCP at his home. Bennett pleaded guilty to charges on April 11, 2024. Sanker pleaded guilty on Oct. 22, 2024. Langston pleaded guilty on Dec. 19, 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The date for Morris sentencing would be set later. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) D.C. police are looking for the suspect who may be involved in a hit-and-run. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said on June 2, at around 4:30 p.m., the suspect was riding a scooter in the 3000 block of Warder Street. DC man found guilty of distributing PCP The victim, a juvenile boy, was crossing the street on a push scooter when the suspect hit the boy and they both fell. The suspect got up and got back on the scooter before leaving. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The boy was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect was riding a motorized Honda cycle with Maryland tag 5830Y. Anyone with information is asked to call (202) 727-9099 or text 50411. A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered to anyone with information that leads to an arrest and indictment of those involved. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) is continuing to take steps toward banning phones inside its schools. The school division announced Friday that all phones and mobile devices will no longer be allowed in the classroom. The policy will go into effect during the fall of the 2025-26 school year. This means that all phones must be turned off and stored away throughout the school day. All middle schools and several high schools have already begun implementing the policy, and DCPS noted they are seeing positive changes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Piloting a phone-free program in our middle schools demonstrated that storing students personal devices throughout the school day enriches academic, social, and emotional learning, said DCPS Chancellor, Dr. Lewis D. Ferebee. From increased classroom engagement to reduced anxiety and stronger student relationships DCPS is ready to scale the program so we can keep driving outcomes that positively impact our students. Fairfax County Public Schools defends new cell phone policy as some question whether it complies with law Despite the new policy, the school district will continue to utilize school-issued devices to integrate technology into a learning experience, and engage students in lessons related to digital literacy. DCPS said that while technology provides learning opportunities, significant challenges arise when it comes to cell phones being present in classrooms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement School officials noted that growing research revealed that an increase in smartphones has fueled youth mental health concerns, negatively affected concentration and worsened bullying to include cyber interactions. At least eight states have imposed bans on cell phone use in the classroom, including Florida, New York, Ohio and Virginia. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed the Bell to Bell law, stating that there should be no phone usage from bell to bell, as in after the first bell rings at the start of the school day to begin instructional time until the dismissal [bell] rings at the end of the school day. It also includes lunch and time in between class periods. Check DCNewsNow.com for updates. To keep up with the latest news and weather updates, download our Mobile App on iPhone or Android. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. A new type of crypto exchange called Rails is launching in the U.S. this week. Backed by $20 million in funding, including $14 million in new token warrants, Rails wants to stand out in a crowded field by offering U.S. traders a popular but hard-to-access type of asset: perpetual futures, or perps. Perpetual futures are a crypto-specific type of derivative and have been offered for years at offshore exchanges, but not in the U.S. until recently due to regulatory uncertainty. In an interview with Fortune, Rails cofounder and CEO Satraj Bambra said the new exchange decided to launch perps in the U.S. after consulting with lawyers and working with regulators overseeing the market. This is not random, he said. No one would do this in the previous administration. FTX 2.0 Not many crypto founders, or their investors, would evoke the image of the failed crypto empire FTX. Still, both Bambra and his chief backer, Slow Ventures Sam Lessin, said their goal for Rails is to build a better version of Sam Bankman-Frieds collapsed exchange. Perps lie at the center of that vision. Most U.S. exchanges offer spot trading for popular cryptocurrencies, meaning users can buy and sell digital assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum at their current (spot) price. Many sophisticated traders, however, prefer a wider array of products that allow them to speculate on the future price of the asset, whether it rises or sinks. Such tools, called derivatives, allow traders to bet on price movement without holding the underlying asset. While derivatives are common in traditional finance, cryptos 24/7 nature gave rise to a new type of tool through perps, which operate like futures contracts but dont expire. Were a true trading platform, said Bambra. You want to be able to play both sides of the market. FTX rose in popularity in part because of its suite of trader-friendly tools, including perps, though it never launched the product in the U.S. Obviously, you need exchanges to be really high performance and good for traders, which FTX was in its day, said Lessin. Save for the big issues. One of the core issues with FTX was that the exchange held its users assets rather than allowing them to self-custodya problem that infamously blew up because Bankman-Fried used them to fund his own venture investments and luxury real estate. Bambra himself is a crypto trader, running the $100 million liquid fund for the top Canadian crypto venture firm Round13. He said that the operation had a significant amount stuck on FTX, which it later recovered in the bankruptcy, though he declined to give a specific figure. Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud is on a spiritual journey in Saudi Arabia as he performs hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage that's taking place this year from June 4-9. Hammoud, the first Muslim to become mayor of Dearborn, is one of more than 1.6 million pilgrims from around the world currently taking part in a series of rites and rituals in Mecca, the holiest city in Islam and the birthplace of its prophet. Going on hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, required of all Muslims at least once in their lifetime provided they are financially and physically capable. "I will be embarking on the sacred journey of Hajj the pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims around the world aspire to make at least once in their lifetime," Hammoud, 35, said in an Instagram post on May 27, written in both English and Arabic. "This is a deeply personal trip, one rooted in faith, reflection, and renewal." Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud gives his State of the City address to residents gathered inside the auditorium at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. Hammoud spoke about how the world these days can seem burdensome. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It comes at a time when the world feels heavy and our hearts carry more than words can express," Hammoud said. "Still I go with the intention of fulfilling a spiritual obligation, reconnecting with Allah sbwt (acronym for an Arabic phrase meaning: 'May He be glorified and exalted'), and praying for clarity and peace for myself, for my family and for our communities near and far." It's unclear how many days Hammoud will be in Saudi Arabia for the trip. A city official told the Free Press that Hammoud is currently on paid time off. He did not attend the mayor's briefing on Thursday, June 5, a city councilman said. Hajj, which is held 10 days earlier every year, coincides with Eid al-Adha, the Islamic holiday that was held Friday, June 6. Dearborn's City Hall, some city buildings and public libraries were closed Friday in observance of Eid al-Adha, and employees had the day off, the third year in a row the city has observed Eid holidays. Before leaving on hajj, Hammoud asked the public for forgiveness, which is recommended by some Islamic scholars and leaders for people performing the pilgrimage. More: Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud kicks off reelection campaign: The city is 'thriving' Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "As is custom before this journey, I humbly ask for your forgiveness if I have wronged you in word, action or deed knowingly or unknowingly I ask that you forgive me," Hammoud said. "May Allah, sbwt, accept a pilgrimage of all who are making the journey. Please keep us in your prayers, as I will carry yours with me." Pilgrims on hajj have to obtain a permit and visa through a website in Saudi Arabia, the U.S. State Department said in its guide for hajj pilgrims. In metro Detroit, mosques or groups often offer packages people can sign up for that include travel and lodging costs, allowing them to journey together. Some offer educational classes on what to expect and the various rites involved. Before the hajj, worshippers are expected to enter into a state of spiritual piety and during the events, men wear simple, white garments. Hammoud sometimes refers to his faith during public speeches. When he was elected in November 2021, he said during his victory speech: "It is here in Dearborn where we believe that you need not change your name nor your faith, that in this town, we elect you based on the direction in which you lead, no matter the direction in which you pray." Hammoud attends services at the Islamic Center of America, a Dearborn mosque that is one of Michigan's oldest and largest Muslim centers, and where one of his uncles, Sheikh Ahmad Hammoud, is the imam. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hammoud, a Democrat, is running for reelection this year, seeking a second term, facing a challenge from Nagi Almudhegi, a Republican, who has been outspoken against LGBTQ+ books in schools. Speaking at another Dearborn mosque in February, Hammoud touched upon religion at times in addressing some criticism he has faced from Republicans for being supportive of the LGBTQ+ community and LGBTQ+ books in schools. In a September 2022 statement, the mayor noted that conservatives who once attacked Muslims like him were now attacking LGBTQ+ people. "The same dangerous ideology that once considered people like me 'a problem' is now being revived under the guise of preserving 'liberty,' " Hammoud said in 2022. "Our libraries serve as a gateway to knowledge, to imagination, and to possibility. When it comes to our citys libraries, for the sake of our children, no book will be removed off the shelves." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Expectant mothers in Dearborn to get $4,500, mayor announces in State of the City But speaking at a mosque in Dearborn in February, Hammoud said of the 2022 statement: "Unfortunately, people took a statement out of context." He said he doesn't endorse any lifestyle that doesn't align with his family's lifestyle. Hammoud added, however, that "what people are doing in the privacy of their own home" is none of his business as mayor. "Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, tells you what you do in your own household is between you and Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala," Hammoud said, using the Arabic words for "God" and "May He be glorified and exalted." "My point is: I care for the whole city, to make sure that city services are delivered," Hammoud added. "When you have issues of property taxes, nobody's lifestyle matters when it comes to talking about property taxes. When you want to make investments in the parks, what matters is not anybody's lifestyle." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com, X @nwarikoo of Facebook @nwarikoo This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud on hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia The principle of habeas corpus, a legal phrase, is a simple one: Translated from the Latin as produce the body, it provides that a judge may compel prosecutors to supply evidence to determine whether someone has been legally detained or arrested. In the U.S., a detained or arrested individual, or their legal representative, may ask a judge to decide based on the evidence presented whether the detainee has been legally confined. That process is termed seeking a writ. Suspending the privilege of the writ, also known as suspending the writ, denies that individual or their representation from making that request or a judge from honoring it. The privilege in that phrase is a right of the accused. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the past few months, members of the Trump administration have raised the issue of the presidents power to suspend the privilege of habeas corpus. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller in May 2025 shared with the media the news that administration officials were exploring the possibility of suspending the privilege of the writ to help the administration deport immigrants quickly. Eleven days later, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem declared at a congressional hearing that habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country, a misunderstanding of this foundational legal right immediately challenged by New Hampshire Senator Maggie Hassan. Article I of the U.S. Constitution declares that the Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it. Suspension is thus a grave and serious matter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is not the first time that Americans have debated which branch of government the executive branch or Congress has the power to suspend the privilege of the writ and under what circumstances it may do so. Lincoln and the Great Writ Habeas corpus became a major point of controversy during the Civil War, when President Abraham Lincoln suspended the privilege of the writ, first in parts of Maryland and later throughout the nation, without seeking prior congressional approval. While the Constitution provides for the suspension of the writ, the document is silent as to who has the power to exercise this authority. Although most of this section of the Constitution concerns the powers of Congress, it also addresses the power and authority of other branches in specific instances. And the use of the passive voice shall not be suspended in this section leaves the question of who can suspend the writ open to interpretation. The questions of who may suspend the privilege of the writ and under what circumstances emerged in the spring of 1861. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On April 12, Confederate forces fired on U.S.-controlled Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, an act that is considered the formal start of the war. A week later, Marylanders supporting secession clashed with militia from Massachusetts and Pennsylvania who were making their way through Baltimore to defend Washington. Lincoln refused to honor requests from Maryland Governor Thomas Hicks and Baltimore Mayor George Brown to avoid transporting reinforcements through Baltimore. The president initially tried to skirt any conflict by routing the reinforcements through Annapolis. This proved a stopgap measure. On April 27, Lincoln authorized General Winfield Scott, commanding general of the U.S. Army, to suspend the privilege of the writ between Philadelphia and Washington, if necessary. This would permit arbitrary arrests and detaining of people determined to be acting in support of the insurrection. Taney challenges Lincoln To protect national security, U.S. military authorities arrested John Merryman on May 25, 1861. Merryman, who was from Baltimore, was suspected of involvement in destroying railroad bridges to obstruct Union troop movements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chief Justice Roger B. Taney honored a request from Merrymans lawyers to issue a writ of habeas corpus, only to have federal military authorities refuse to produce Merryman, who remained at his cell in Fort McHenry. Taney then ruled that neither Lincoln nor military personnel under his command could suspend the privilege of the writ when it came to civilians such as Merryman. If at any time the public safety should require the suspension of the powers vested by this act in the courts of the United States, it is for the Legislature to say so, wrote Taney, quoting an 1807 opinion by Chief Justice John Marshall. Days later, on June 1, Taney offered a more extended decision reflecting his reasoning that Congress, not the president, could suspend the privilege of the writ. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Taney was challenging the presidents authority to act unilaterally. Lincoln ignored Taneys ruling. He reasoned that in time of emergency, especially with Congress not in session, he as president was compelled to act in the interests of national security. He did so to protect the movement of troops through Maryland to defend the national capital. Not only did Lincolns order remain in place, but the president later expanded its geographic scope in several instances, most notably in September 1862. On the heels of issuing the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln authorized the detention of individuals accused of obstructing efforts to raise troops or who sought to support the rebellion. Unwilling to concede that Lincolns actions need not seek congressional approval, Congress, first in 1861, then through the Habeas Corpus Act of 1863 offered retroactive sanction of the actions of the executive branch and, in 1863, empowered Lincoln to suspend the privilege of the writ in the future in the interests of national security for the duration of the rebellion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats, however, criticized Lincolns actions as arbitrary, unconstitutional and smacking of tyranny. President Abraham Lincolns 1862 proclamation suspending the use of habeas corpus. Mississippi State University Executive overreach? Almost a decade later, in 1871, President Ulysses S. Grant declined to act on his own to suspend the privilege of the writ to prosecute white supremacist terrorists in the Reconstruction South, requiring that Congress first pass legislation authorizing him to do so. Since the Civil War, only once has a president unilaterally suspended the privilege of the writ without prior congressional authorization. Thats what President Franklin D. Roosevelt did in Hawaii after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, in order to combat any suspicious activity that might be construed as espionage. With Congress currently in session, lawmakers could authorize the president to suspend the privilege of the writ to set aside debates over executive overreach. Otherwise, presidents might define as emergencies situations that do not meet the extreme circumstances envisioned by the Constitution while sidestepping congressional approval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Brooks D. Simpson, Arizona State University Read more: Brooks D. Simpson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) A Decatur man is facing charges of possessing child pornography after police accused him of uploading images of child sex abuse to his Microsoft OneDrive account and having images showing a young girls rape. Kevin Horve is facing three counts of possessing pornographic content depicting someone 13 years or younger. He was arrested on Tuesday and made his first appearance in court the following day. In a sworn statement, Decatur Police Officer Timothy Wisniewski said the investigation into Horve started in February, when the Decatur Police Department received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Wisniewski was assigned to investigate the tip. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Champaign man gets probation after pleading guilty to child pornography possession The tip was originally reported by Microsoft, which flagged 11 images that were uploaded to an account of its OneDrive platform. Wisniewski said at least four of the images depicted naked girls under the age of 13. Further investigation found 84 more images in the accounts records; none of the original images were among the new photos found, but Wisniewski said another four depicted naked girls. The OneDrive account was registered to Horve, Wisniewski said, and the IP address listed with each file was registered to a Comcast account with Horve named as the subscriber. The address was geolocated to an address on Greenhill Road. Detectives served a search warrant for that address on Tuesday, and Horve was the only person present when the warrant was executed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wisniewski said that during an interview with officers, Horve confirmed his Internet provider is Comcast and that he is the only user of the electronic devices officers seized. As the interview continued, Wisniewski said Horve explained that he had previously experimented with AI programs to create images of celebrities. Kevin was asked in the images were sexual images, Wisniewski said in the statement. Kevin responded, Well yeah, obviously and explained he was trying to create images of celebrities. Decatur woman convicted of child porn sentenced after six-month delay Horve said he used the AI for a few months until Microsoft gave him a warning that stated he was creating content depicting people who were too young. He then deleted his Microsoft360 account after the warning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wisniewski did not explain the connection between the AI content and the real content Horve is accused of possessing, and the charges he is facing dont reflect AI-generated pornography. They do reflect the three images that were found on one of the seized laptops. In all three of those images, a girl under the age of 13 is shown engaging in sexual intercourse. Appearing in court on Tuesday, Judge Lindsey Shelton granted a petition by the States Attorneys Office to detain Horve ahead of his trial. He is due back in court on June 18 for a preliminary hearing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com. OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) A Del City man has been sentenced to prison for arson after a local restaurant caught fire in 2024. According to the United States Department of Justice, 38-year-old Daniel Job has been sentenced to serve 60 months in federal prison. LOCAL NEWS: He just stabbed me: New video shows Edmond officer stabbed during traffic stop On July 27, 2024, the Del City Fire Department responded to a restaurant where they extinguished a small fire near one of the doors. There, firefighters noticed the smell of gasoline. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials say surveillance footage from inside of the restaurant shows the suspect, later identified as Job, bending down and placing something next to the door right before the fire started. Investigators served a search warrant at Jobs home where they found a backpack with a hydration bladder filled with gasoline. The U.S. Dept. of Justice says on December, 17, 2024, Job pleaded guilty and said he intentionally set the fire. He was sentenced on June 5, 2025, to serve 60 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City. The summer travel season is here, but for those in the travel industry, it's actually time to look to the fall and winter travel periods. By the time June hits, airlines and staffers are already prepping for traveling during the colder months, which includes the busy holiday travel period. Delta Air Lines helps around 200 million travelers fly to more than 350 destinations each year. The airline, which is headquartered in Atlanta, calls itself the "leading global airline," with a mission to connect the world, which "creates opportunities, fosters understanding and expands horizons by connecting people and communities to each other and to their own potential." Now, Delta has announced a subtle but important change to its winter schedule. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The change impacts travelers flying out of the popular John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York. From Nov. 30, 2025, through Jan. 19, 2026, Delta will offer a second daily frequency between JFK and Tel Aviv "to support increased demand during the winter travel season." The route will use Delta's Airbus A330-900neo offering four product experiences in Delta One, Delta Premium Select, Delta Comfort and Delta Main. Delta had stopped flights to Tel Aviv for a period of time but started service up again on May 20, after what they called "an extensive security risk assessment by the airline." "Delta is continuously monitoring the evolving security environment and assessing operations based on security guidance and intelligence reports," they added. "Any further updates to operations will be shared on Delta News Hub." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In other news, on May 29, Delta announced that it had started a new nonstop flight from Boston to Barcelona, strengthening the airline's footprint in Spain and giving travelers another way to get to this Spanish tourist spot. The new route is available three times weekly and joins Delta's existing service to Barcelona from JFK, which is offered 12 times weekly, and Atlanta, which is available 10 times a week. Related: Delta Air Lines Announces Changes in Safety, Security Delta Air Lines Announces Change to Winter Schedule With Added New York to Tel Aviv Flights first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 6, 2025 The News Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., talked with one of Elon Musks senior confidants on Thursday about whether the ex-DOGE leader, now feuding with Donald Trump, might want to help the Democratic Party in the midterms. Having Elon speak out against the irrational tariff policy, against the deficit exploding Trump bill, and the anti-science and anti-immigrant agenda can help check Trumps unconstitutional administration, Khanna told Semafor on Friday. I look forward to Elon turning his fire against MAGA Republicans instead of Democrats in 2026. Khanna, who has known Musk for more than a decade, has long argued that Democrats unwisely pushed him away from their party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now the worlds wealthiest man, Musk benefited from the Obama administrations clean energy investments, defending them against Republican attacks in the 2012 election. He supported Democratic nominees for president until 2024, when he endorsed Trump for president and spent more to help elect him than he had for any Democrat. Room for Disagreement Since Musk began attacking the Trump-backed GOP tax bill as an abomination this week, Democrats in Congress have amplified his criticism and even adopted some of his language. But few besides Khanna have gone as far as talking about bringing Musk back into the Democratic tent; most Democrats are furious at Musks DOGE work to dismantle parts of the federal government and are confident that he is a political liability for Trump. How great is it that that dipshit Elon Musk is out? Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota said at last Fridays Democratic fish fry in South Carolina, after Musk left the administration. The decisions he was making were literally killing people, so he could dance around and act like he was doing something. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk was a historic villain whose unpopularity had helped Wisconsin Democrats win the states April 1 supreme court race by 10 points, said state Democratic Party chairman Ben Wikler. At their Fighting Oligarchy rallies, the largest political events since Trump was sworn in, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., torched Musk as the embodiment of what Democrats and fair-minded Americans should be against. Davids view Some Democrats believe that Musk could have stayed in their coalition, had they paid him a little more respect specifically, had Joe Biden invited Musk to the White House electric vehicle summit early in his presidency. Khanna is in that camp. Others counter that the partys overall shift leftward after 2016 alienated Musk, who was never coming back. He clashed with Elizabeth Warren (Senator Karen) over the idea of a wealth tax, and with progressives over the woke mind virus that he blamed for the gender transition of his third child. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats the camp where most Democrats are, although some like Walz see this as a political opportunity. Still, the idea of an irate multibillionaire making problems for Republicans is enticing to plenty of Democrats, who have not been above meddling in GOP primaries to help weaker candidates win nominations. What if Musk made Republicans burn money to defend their incumbents, as he slammed them with TV ads? Thats all theoretical, as Musk said last month that he would do a lot less political spending now that hed achieved his goal of electing Trump. If Musk is sincere about the political views he posts about on X, he is completely at odds with the Democratic Party, and the best they could hope for is him making trouble for Republicans out of spite. Notable In Politico, Holly Otterbein and Lisa Kashinsky wrote about the Democrats who hoped that Musk would have a villain-to-hero arc, and help them beat Trump. But Khanna was the only voice in the party who fully believed it could happen. CHEYENNE Wyoming Democrats are preparing to focus more on working-class issues and demonstrating their capacity to serve in the community following party officer elections in Rock Springs on Sunday. Wyoming Democrats suffered major losses during the 2024 election cycle, mimicking a nationwide shift toward the Republican Party. Democrats only hold eight seats in the 93-member Wyoming Legislature. With hopes to regain their footing, newly elected party vice chair Lindsey Hanlon of Cheyenne says they intend to lead by example and show the partys ability to meet people where they are. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were focusing a lot on being able to just help people, Hanlon said. There is a lot of suffering going on right now in Wyoming. Theres a lot of issues that are facing people immediately, and those are the kinds of issues that we want to start helping with. Whether it be access to food or housing, Hanlon says the party wants to be associated with actively helping in the community and showing care for the community. This message of showing up to help neighbors and leading by example was echoed by several state Democrats at Sundays meeting. (Republicans) are focusing a lot on national issues and not really on the issues that are facing Wyomingites, Hanlon said. And so we want to make sure that we are providing that assistance to the people of the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In order to meet people where theyre at and rebuild the states Democratic Party, Hanlon said they have to combat the fear that the Freedom Caucus has engendered in people. The Freedom Caucus has done a lot of work to make these races much more vitriolic, to make these races much more intense and personal, Hanlon said. ... The Freedom Caucus has done a lot to try and instill an atmosphere of fear around people trying to oppose their positions. For Hanlon and others in the party, combating this fear means ensuring theres support for potential candidates. There (needs to be) an infrastructure that the candidates can pull from in terms of campaign managers and people to walk and people to knock on doors and all of those things, Laramie County Democratic Party Central Committee Chairman Matthew Snyder said. I think thats really the thing that has been missing from where we are. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the party aims to have a candidate in every race, its too soon for new leadership to say what that will actually look like. For now, the best they can do is ensure candidates feel supported. Battling perception Though Democrats intend to put in the work to support their communities, regardless of whether they hold seats in those districts, theyre not unaware of their perception in the state. Snyder noted that sometimes Democrats prioritize intellectualizing politics over meeting people where they are. He said many Wyomingites may not realize that most Democrats are their neighbors, facing the same economic hardships as Republicans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We, as a party, like to for lack of a better term show how smart we are, Snyder said. I think we need to stop doing that. I think, fundamentally, we need to meet people where they are, and I dont think we do a great job of that. Snyder added that he hopes the party can focus on fundamental class concerns, rather than party affiliation or blue vs. white collar jobs. Nationally, the Democratic Party has been struggling, being perceived as the party of the elite, rather than the party of the working man. Snyder noted that if the party is going to succeed they have to be open to criticism. The only way that you get better is to really assess yourself, determine what things you need to fix and move from there, Snyder said. Thats something I really wish we would do, and I think were trying to do here in Laramie County. Lets be really honest about what we are perceived as, because if you dont do that, then youre going to lose every time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the party is largely optimistic about recruiting Democratic candidates for local races, former Laramie County Democratic Party Central Committee Chairman Jordan Evans noted that perception will pose a major barrier when looking for new candidates. They are going to struggle to find people who want to identify (with a party), especially the Democratic Party, just because it is the minority party where we live, Evans said. The brand right now is sort of not within the control of the party itself. When Evans was campaigning for a seat in the Legislature last year, he thought that a party identity would be a useful tool to give people a general idea of his platform. He later found that campaigning with the party instead defined his entire political identity, Evans told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Nontraditional media and the sort of polarized state of things defines the brand of the Democratic Party for most non-Democrats before you get a chance to define it for yourself, Evans said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Evans left his leadership role in the party to better focus on his family, his personal life and serving the causes he values more effectively, he told the WTE. Since leaving the party, he has been focusing on supporting the community through local organizations. He has also started a Substack, a self-publishing platform, where he published an opinion piece titled Partisan Politician or How I Ruined My Life. In the opinion piece, Evans describes what led him to leave the party; in particular, he addresses a newfound belief that has helped him get past the idea that leaving politics at this turbulent time is selfish at best and negligent at worst. Disengaging from politics is not only responsible, it may be the key to fixing the politics itself, Evans wrote. Im learning effective change cannot be steered toward an ideal from the top down. It has to be a wholistic community effort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though Evans does not want to discourage those interested in party politics from participating, he does want community members to know that party politics isnt the only way to effect change in their communities. Evans added that this exacerbates the barriers the party will face trying to recruit and even fundraise. Theyll find people with a strong interest in wanting to make their community better, Evans said. But theyll find its hard to get those people to then want to associate that interest with the party itself. Financial barriers The Democratic Partys struggles dont stop at perception; theyre also facing an upward battle financially. On Sunday, Wyoming Democratic Party State Central Committee Treasurer Dudley Case informed party leaders that the party has been operating at a loss and needs to do some serious fundraising to recover. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of May 1, the party had $36,580.20 in its federal and non-federal accounts, according to Case. The party has been spending more than it has been raising each month, resulting in a $21,795.32 loss this year, roughly a $5,000 loss per month, in the first four months of the year, according to Case. I think that this budget thing is maybe a wake-up call that the party has not been receiving the support that it should, Hanlon said. And I have faith that the people around me are going to step up and are going to give us that support. I think that Wyoming is full of some of the most generous people Ive ever met. When you ask for help, you do receive it in this state. Though Hanlon is confident that fundraising will turn the partys finances around, theres no guarantee theyll receive the support they need. Based on current finances, Case estimated that the party will sustain a $24,478 loss by the end of this calendar year. Were about to hit the ground running with fundraising, Hanlon said. I think that it shows really kind of how scrappy and committed that we are. Yeah, were running out of a bare-bones budget right now, but were still out there in the community. Were still out there in elections, and I think that just walking the walk is going to have people coming back and coming back with more support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the party cant fundraise enough to maintain its current spending, some major cuts will have to be made, though Hanlon said they have yet to have those conversations, mainly because new leadership is only a few days into their terms. I dont think its any secret that the Democratic Party in Wyoming struggles to fundraise or struggles to be organized, Evans said. Its just the nature of where were at. Evans added that, due to party perception, it is likely that people will be hesitant to donate to Democrats, even if they agree with Democrats in principle. Particularly, Evans suspects the party will struggle to garner donations from individuals with limited expendable income who have to be very conscious of where they put their money right now. I think they think theres much better use of their money than party politics, Evans said. Theyd be giving the Habitat for Humanity, for instance, if they care about housing or they care about housing prices within our community. I think people see other organizations doing work that is aligned with their values, and they feel that those organizations are going to be more effective. Though Hanlon was willing to discuss the budget with the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, a report from Cowboy State Daily indicated that other party members were not comfortable with the press having access to the budget sheet. Cowboy State Daily was present at the Sunday meeting, which prompted the committee to pass a motion formally requesting the outlet not to air its budget publicly to protect political strategies and out of courtesy to employees, whose salaries are included in the budget. Still hopeful Though there are clear criticisms of the party and major barriers to regaining influence in the state, many Democrats have hope that with diligent work they can get there, including Hanlon and Snyder. Though he found minimal success in his attempts, and claims to be no expert in the path forward, Evans said there is a way to get back on the ballot in a legitimate way. I think the way is to just show up, Evans said. Show up at the union halls, which (Snyder) is doing, show up at the town halls, which (Hanlon) is doing. Show up, be a volunteer, and dont just do it to be seen. Do it because you care. I think its a long, slow process, but eventually, those things will bear fruit. A man the Donald Trump administration mistakenly deported to El Salvador has been brought back to the United States, where authorities say he will face criminal charges. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, a Salvadoran immigrant who had lived nearly half his life in Maryland before he was deported in March, faces charges of transporting undocumented migrants inside the US, according to recently unsealed court records. US Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Friday that Abrego Garcia was returned to the US to face justice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The indictment against him was filed on May 21, more than two months after he was deported in spite of a court order barring his removal. The charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, which suspected Abrego Garcia of human trafficking but ultimately issued only a warning for an expired drivers license, according to a Department of Homeland Security report. Bondi, speaking at a news conference, said a grand jury had found that over the past nine years, Abrego Garcia has played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring. She said Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele agreed to return Abrego Garcia to the US after American officials presented his government with an arrest warrant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrego Garcia had been sent to El Salvador as part of a Trump scheme to move undocumented migrants it accuses of being gang members, to prison in the Central American country without due process. Bukele said in a social media post that his government works with the Trump administration and of course would not refuse a request to return a gang member to the US. US Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks during a news conference about Kilmar Abrego Garcia at the Justice Department, Friday, June 6, in Washington, DC [Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo] Deportation a separate legal matter Al Jazeeras Rosiland Jordan, reporting from Washington, DC, said Abrego Garcia could face up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. But that does not deal with the ongoing matter of whether or not he should be deported, she added. Thats a separate legal matter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrego Garcia will have the chance to enter a plea in court and contest the charges at trial. If he is convicted, he would be deported to El Salvador after serving his sentence, Bondi said. In a statement, Abrego Garcias lawyer, Andrew Rossman, said it would now be up to the US judicial system to ensure he received due process. Todays action proves what weve known all along that the administration had the ability to bring him back and just refused to do so, said Rossman, a partner at law firm Quinn Emanuel. Abrego Garcias deportation defied an immigration judges 2019 order granting him protection from being sent back to El Salvador, where it found he was likely to be persecuted by gangs if returned, court records show. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump critics pointed to the erroneous deportation as an example of the excesses of the Republican presidents aggressive approach to stepping up deportations. Officials countered by alleging that Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang. His lawyers have denied that he was a gang member and said he had not been convicted of any crime. Abrego Garcias case has become a flash point for escalating tensions between the executive branch and the judiciary, which has ruled against a number of Trumps policies. The US Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to facilitate Abrego Garcias return, with liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor saying the government had cited no basis for what she called his warrantless arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement US District Judge Paula Xinis also opened a probe into what, if anything, the Trump administration did to secure his return, after his lawyers accused officials of stonewalling their requests for information. Smith Collection /Gado / Getty Images Reddit's complaint seeks compensatory damages for the value of the content it says Anthropic used to train its models. Key Takeaways Reddit sued Anthropic, alleging the Claude chatbot developer unlawfully trained models on Reddit users personal data without a license. The social media platform has content licensing deals with Google and OpenAI. Shares of Reddit jumped Wednesday after the company filed the complaint. Reddit (RDDT) filed a lawsuit against AI startup Anthropic, accusing the Claude chatbot developer of unlawfully training its models on Reddit users personal data without a license. Shares of Reddit surged close to 7% Wednesday following the complaint, and have climbed about 28% so far in 2025. The complaint, filed in California Wednesday, accuses Anthropic of scraping Reddits servers more than 100,000 times despite claiming to have blocked its bots from doing so in July 2024. At issue is Reddits user agreement, which bars companies from commercially exploit[ing] users data without a formal deal with the company. ChatGPT developer OpenAI and Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google have both agreed to terms with the company to license Reddit data, for example. Reddits user agreement includes certain privacy measures, including requiring companies to remove users deleted posts from their training systems. Reddit's complaint seeks compensatory damages for the value of the content it says Anthropic used to train its models. It also requested an injunction requiring Anthropic to remove "any technology derived from Reddit content," potentially including the Claude chatbot. An Anthropic spokesperson told Investopedia, We disagree with Reddit's claims and will defend ourselves vigorously." Read the original article on Investopedia HOLLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) Deputies say a woman was hospitalized Friday after a rear-end crash in Holland Township. It happened just after 11:40 a.m. on Riley Street near 100th Avenue, according to the Ottawa County Sheriffs Office. A 44-year-old woman was heading east in a white Jeep, according to the sheriffs office. At the same time, two cars were stopped on Riley at a traffic signal. Deputies say the woman rear-ended the two stopped cars, then went off the road, through a fence and into the backyard of a nearby home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The woman was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, according to the sheriffs office. Other people suffered minor injuries. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. MARLBORO COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) Two people were arrested Friday after a man was shot and killed and a home was searched on Tranquil Lane in the Bennettsville area, Marlboro County deputies said. Daeshaune Bostic was charged with voluntary manslaughter, criminal conspiracy, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Quayshon Quick was charged with criminal conspiracy, accessory after the fact of a felony, distribution of marijuana, distribution of marijuana within the proximity of a playground, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana in proximity to a playground. The shooting happened on J. Pledger Lane, where deputies called to investigate found the man lying in the roadway. He had a gunshot wound and was unresponsive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The person and Bostic had arranged a meeting for them to buy marijuana from Quick on J. Pledger Lane, according to the sheriffs office. When they arrived, the person entered Quick and Bostics vehicle and allegedly tried to rob them of the marijuana. The person allegedly fired a shot at Quick and exited the vehicle, at which point Bostic exited from the backseat and fired several rounds at the person as he was running away, hitting and killing him, the sheriffs office said. He was taken by EMS to Scotland Memorial Hospital in Laurinburg, North Carolina, where he died. During the investigation, deputies conducted a search warrant in the 700 block of Tranquil Lane, where they found marijuana, packaging materials, paraphernalia and multiple guns, according to the sheriffs office. It is imperative that we acknowledge the potential consequences of marijuana use, the sheriffs office said in a social media post. While it is often portrayed as a harmless herb and legal in most states, it has altered these individuals and family lives forever. News13 photo / Curtis Graham News13 photo / Curtis Graham News13 photo / Curtis Graham News13 photo / Curtis Graham Count on News13 for updates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement * * * Dennis Bright is the Digital Executive Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. * * * Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) One person was shot during a case of road rage near Buchanan early Friday morning, deputies said. Around 3:40 a.m., deputies with the Berrien County Sheriffs Office were sent to JDs Truck & Liquor Stop on US-12 near US-31 after receiving reports about a shooting. Responding deputies learned that the shooting stemmed from a road rage incident that happened on US-12 in Bertrand Township. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sheriffs office said the victim was taken to the hospital for treatment and is expected to survive. The shooting suspect was arrested in the Mishawaka, Indiana, area, deputies said. The suspects name was not released later Friday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) Governor Bill Lee announced Friday that Deputy Governor and Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Butch Eley is stepping away from his role in the third quarter of 2025 after nearly seven years of leadership. Eley has been a key figure in advancing infrastructure, financial stewardship and government modernization across the state, according to a news release. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve Governor Lee and the people of Tennessee, Eley said in the release. From building long-term systems that better serve Tennesseans, to navigating some of our states toughest challenges, Im deeply proud of what weve accomplished. This moment marks not an end, but a pausea chance to ensure a smooth transition and reflect on how I can continue to make an impact in new ways. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Local agencies warn of DMV text message scam Eley described the decision as a transition to step away from government to spend more time with his family. Under his role as TDOT Commissioner, Eley reportedly launched the following initiatives: Introduced Tennessees first Public-Private Partnership (P3) initiatives to modernize project delivery and increase innovation by engaging the private sector. Pioneered alternative delivery models to improve project speed and efficiency, improving service for taxpayers. Created the first-ever fiscally constrained 10-year project plan, bringing unprecedented transparency and accountability to state transportation investments. Secured dedicated, recurring General Fund dollars for transportation for the first time in TDOTs history to ensure an additional and sustainable revenue stream to help meet Tennessees infrastructure needs in the decades to come. Led the single-largest infrastructure investment in state history with the I-55 bridge over the Mississippi replacement project. Commenced the states first performance-based maintenance contract, engaging the private sector with outlined metrics to establish clear and objective standards for how our roads should look to motorists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since I decided to run for Governor, Deputy Governor Eley has served as one of my most trusted advisors, Governor Bill Lee said in the release. I turned to him to manage our state departments as chief operating officer after my first inauguration, and then to steward our states finances as finance and administration commissioner during the worst global economic decline since the Great Depression. In my second term, Butch stepped into a new role to prepare Tennessees infrastructure for generations to come, ensuring we continue to accommodate our states extraordinary economic growth. Ive entrusted him with some of the most difficult challenges facing our state, and he has consistently overachieved. Butch has served the people of Tennessee with the highest level of excellence, and God has blessed Maria and me with a lifelong friend. I thank him for his unwavering leadership. None of this work has been mine alone, Eley said in the release. Its been the result of an extraordinary Governor, supportive and engaged teams, and a shared commitment to making government work better for the people we serve. Leadership is about stewardshipand I believe the systems, improvements, and processes weve built are strong enough to thrive for years to come. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. After jurors found Derrick John Thompson guilty Friday of murdering five women with his car in Minneapolis, the mother of one of the crash victims said family and friends feel as though the heaviness has been lifted off their shoulders. We feel relief right now, said Fadumo Warsame, adding that theyve been waiting for justice for nearly two years. Two hours earlier, Thompson, the 29-year-old son of a former St. Paul state representative, stood stoically as Hennepin County District Judge Carolina Lamas read the guilty charges: five counts of third-degree murder and 10 counts of criminal vehicular homicide for operating a motor vehicle in a grossly negligent manner and leaving the scene of an accident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The verdict was reached after about nine hours of deliberations over two days. Jurors answered yes to every question on a verdict form that allows the state to argue for an upward departure from Minnesota sentencing guidelines. Sentencing was set for July 24. Whatever his sentence, Warsame said, Thompson can call his mom and his dad from the jail and tell them he loves them. But our daughters, they are never going to call us. They will never say, I love you. Were never going to see them. Thompson was driving 95 mph on Interstate 35W in a rented Cadillac Escalade SUV when he passed a Minnesota State Trooper, exited on Lake Street at 116 mph, and then ran a red light at Second Avenue, crashing into the victims Honda Civic just after 10 p.m. June 16, 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Killed instantly were Warsames daughter, Sahra Liban Gesaade, 20, of Brooklyn Center, and her friends Salma Mohamed Abdikadir, 20, of St. Louis Park; Sabiriin Mohamoud Ali, 17, of Bloomington; Sagal Burhaan Hersi, 19, of Minneapolis, and Siham Adan Odhowa, 19, of Minneapolis. They were returning from preparing for a friends wedding, which was to be the next day. These young women were all friends, and they were bright lights in their families and community, consistently described as empathetic and kind, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. They should have made it to the wedding they were preparing to celebrate. They should still be with their loved ones. In September, prosecutors added the five counts of third-degree murder, which is defined in state statute as perpetrating an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind, without regard for human life. Members of the jury, not every murder is calculated or considered, Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Paige Starkey said Thursday in the states closing arguments. Not every murder is directed at a particular person or people. He blamed his brother Tyler Bliss, Thompsons attorney, tried to cast doubt during the trial that Thompson was the driver, despite jurors seeing surveillance video of him renting the Escalade from Hertz at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and then driving away. Bliss suggested Thompsons older brother, Damarco Thompson, was the driver that night, pointing to evidence that his hat and a set of car keys were found inside the crashed SUV. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response, the state subpoenaed Damarco to take the stand. On Wednesday, he testified that he never drove the Escalade. He said they drove to MSP in a Dodge Challenger and that after Derrick rented the Escalade, they met near the airport. Derrick transferred some possessions from the Challenger to the Escalade, which he then drove away, Damarco said. To make its case, prosecutors presented a lot of video from the night, including of the violent crash and his interaction with police. Thompson was seen speeding past a state trooper parked under a northbound I-35W overpass. The trooper wasnt able to catch up or turn on the squads emergency lights or sirens before Thompson cut across all four lanes of traffic and turned off the interstate at Lake Street. He drove down the exit ramp and into the intersection without stopping or slowing for the red light. Related Articles Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the second day of the trial, a homeowner testified that she saw Thompson limping past her Second Avenue house, then cut through a neighbors yard and go down the alley toward a McDonalds parking lot. After Thompson was arrested near the fast-food restaurant, he denied involvement in the crash and said his injuries were old. Prosecutors also reminded jurors of how Thompson acted after the crash by replaying a police officer body-cam video of an interaction with him. Do you know how long this is going to take? he asked an officer while sitting in the back of a squad car, adding he had things I do wanna get done on my Friday night, you know? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thompsons father, John Thompson, was a first-term lawmaker representing St. Pauls East Side when he was defeated in the DFL primary in August 2022 in the wake of a number of controversies, which included questions about his official residence following a July 2021 traffic stop in St. Paul. Two horrible trials Six months before the crash, Derrick Thompson was released from a California prison for fleeing police and speeding off the highway and onto city streets, where he struck and severely injured a woman. The state sought to introduce evidence from that case to support its murder charges, but last month the state court of appeals affirmed Lamas ruling that prosecutors cannot introduce evidence, concluding that while the two car crashes both involved reckless driving and caused serious injury, this commonality is too general in showing a pattern of behavior. Instead of learning from that tragedy and the trail of devastation that he has left in his wake, Moriarty said after Fridays verdict, Mr. Thompson chose to drive at speeds upward of 100 miles per hour with a Glock handgun and a large amount of drugs in his vehicle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last fall, a federal jury found Thompson, of Brooklyn Park, guilty of federal drug and weapons charges connected with the crash; more than 2,000 fentanyl pills and a Glock 40 semiautomatic handgun were found inside the Cadillac after the crash. A sentencing date has not been set. In November, Thompson turned down a plea offer from the Hennepin County Attorneys Office that called for a prison term between 32 and nearly 39 years for pleading guilty to five counts of criminal vehicular homicide. Related Articles Attorney Jeff Storms, who the families asked to speak on their behalf, said Thompson put the families through two horrible trials and forced these families to watch even more painful evidence of their loved ones. Sometimes there is time for mercy, and other times there needs to be full accountability and full justice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many prosecutors would not have been brave enough to pursue third-degree murder, Storms said. But this case warranted a murder charge, as exhibited by the fact that there were extraordinary pieces of evidence that the jury didnt even get to hear, he said. But they still said that this man murdered these young girls. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis latest DOGE-centered fundraising pitch landed right in the middle of the fierce meltdown of President Donald Trump and Elon Musks relationship. The president and Musk have traded sharp barbs over the last day, accelerating their breakup over the One Big Beautiful Bill Act via social media. Amid it all, a DeSantis political committee blasted out a text and email urging supporters to help elect real conservatives who will finish the job of the Department of Government Efficiency efforts, and highlighting how Musk stood tall and took the hits. The fundraising message raised eyebrows among the MAGA faithful and other Republicans who saw him as taking sides, though DeSantis didnt mention Trump in the donation appeal and had been pressuring Congress to enact the DOGE cuts last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By Thursday afternoon, DeSantis fundraising pitch got amplified over X by conservative activist Laura Loomer, who saw the email as an attack against Trump. She further questioned whether Musk would help to fund a gubernatorial run for Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, whos been considering a bid to replace her term-limited husband in 2026. Hard to imagine two people with more checkered national reputations among MAGA base than Musk and DeSantis, said one longtime GOP operative granted anonymity to speak candidly, upon seeing the fundraising text. Both Musk and DeSantis have put themselves on opposite sides of Trump. And both have failed in their last two campaigns: Musk in Wisconsin and DeSantis in last year's GOP primary. If they are trying to form a more traditionally conservative populist coalition, good luck with that. But Taryn Fenske, a spokesperson for the governors political operation, said the fundraising language was approved May 29 the day before Trump prepared to extol Musk during a friendly send-off at the White House. A fundraising text and email received by POLITICO went out Wednesday morning, and around the time the email was amplified Thursday, the feud had devolved into Trump threatening to remove government subsidies from Musks companies and accusations from the worlds richest man that Trump was included in the files of Jeffrey Epstein, a reference to the records of the investigation into the late convicted sex offender. (Fenske provided POLITICO with a screenshot proving the political committees messages had gone out Wednesday, not Thursday when the fight grew especially heated.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The blasts marked the clearest sign yet that term-limited DeSantis has been planning to get involved in the 2026 primary and general elections. The political committee DeSantis is using, called Restore Our Nation, was retooled after his unsuccessful presidential campaign. DeSantis has in the past proven himself to be a prodigious fundraiser, though his political future is murky with Republican strife in Florida and a bench of plenty of Trump-adjacent candidates in 2028. The governor has worked to repair his relationship with Trump after challenging him for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. Florida has enacted White House priorities on the state level, from strict immigration policy to purging fluoride from Floridas drinking water. His relationship with Congress is a different story, however. While he hasnt talked about his position on the GOP megabill that Musk wants to throttle, the governor has complained about Congress spending for years, even as a former member of the House himself. We have a Republican Congress, DeSantis complained last week in Apopka, Florida, and to this day, were in the end of May past Memorial Day and not one cent in DOGE cuts have been implemented by the Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DeSantis also has long made it clear how influential he believes Musk to be, even launching his 2024 presidential campaign over X Spaces and foregoing the typical in-person rally. While some members of Congress have faced constituent backlash at town halls over their support for Musk, DeSantis has leaned in and publicized the fact that Florida worked with DOGE to return hundreds of millions of federal dollars in February, though it was mostly for two federal programs the state hadnt requested to be a part of. One of his favorite talking points when traveling the state is that Florida was DOGE before DOGE was cool. Its not clear that DeSantis will be able to toe the line of both the Musk and Trump relationships, given that the CEO of Tesla is now on the outs with the White House. A text shared with POLITICO between two Republican donors raised concerns that the decision to fundraise off DOGE would "piss off Trump." DeSantis has bucked Trumps endorsements and positions in the past. The governor hasnt endorsed Trumps choice of GOP Rep. Byron Donalds to be his successor and instead has criticized his conservative bona fides. DeSantis also selected his own ally, former state Attorney General Ashley Moody, for the U.S. Senate seat vacated after Trump brought in Marco Rubio to lead the State Department. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has invited his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to the G7 summit in his country, despite diplomatic tensions between the two nations. The move was announced by Carney's office on Friday after a telephone conversation between the two heads of government. Ottawa said the two also discussed the traditionally close relations between Canada and India, including deep social ties and significant economic partnerships. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The G7 summit of economically powerful Western democracies will take place in the Canadian province of Alberta later this month. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and US President Donald Trump are also expected to attend. Modi later confirmed that he will attend the meetings in Alberta, writing on X: "Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister @MarkJCarney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month." "Look forward to our meeting at the Summit," the Indian leader added. The background to the dispute between Canada and India is the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023 in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case severely strained bilateral relations. Canada's then prime minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of being responsible for Nijjar's targeted killing an accusation that New Delhi rejected. Nijjar was a well-known advocate of an independent Sikh state in India. The Indian authorities had been searching for him for a long time and accused him of "terrorism." Canada is home to the largest Sikh community outside India, with around 800,000 members. Editors note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names and callsigns only. DONETSK OBLAST From the moment the vehicles duck into pre-prepared positions in the leafy treeline to the first dead Russian soldiers, less than twenty minutes pass. \With the morning sun steadily rising after the team of six complete their short commute to work, the equipment is set up in a clockwork-like rhythm: long telescopic antennas are raised to just peak out of the treeline and sway in the light wind, cables are unravelled, and camping chairs are laid out so the men can work in absolute comfort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Out of heavy-duty plastic travel cases emerge the soldiers weapons of choice: DJI Mavic drones, available all over the world in shops and of the kind used by civilian video bloggers and aerial photographers everywhere. Here in Donetsk Oblast, just west of the embattled city of Pokrovsk and only a few kilometers away from Russian positions, lost time means missed opportunities to stop the enemy creeping forward to Ukrainian lines. When your unit is consistently deployed to the hottest parts of the front line to do exactly that, every minute counts. Commander Oleksandr Zalizniak is the first to fly out, with an unassuming little munition strapped to the bottom of his Mavic. Oleksandr "Zalizniak," commander of Ukraine's Peaky Blinders drone unit on positions near Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, on April 28, 2025. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent) Zalizniak leads an elite Ukrainian drone unit known as the Peaky Blinders, named after the hit television show which inspired the groups custom-made camouflage flat caps that they often wear on positions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The unit was formed from a group of friends from Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, and its surrounds. Consisting of businessmen, lawyers, local officials, and IT specialists, Peaky Blinders now serve under the banner of the Omega special operations unit of Ukraines National Guard. Although they also use the more well-known first-person view (FPV) drones, the Peaky Blinders specialty is the use of Mavics as bomber drones to target expendable Russian foot soldiers, which have become the core of Moscows assault tactics in Ukraine. The Kyiv Independent spent a full day embedded with the unit in late April. Low on battery and needing to return soon if he doesnt hit a target, Zalizniak spots movement in a treeline with thin foliage cover two Russian troops, carrying something large between them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As commander and the most experienced Mavic pilot, it doesnt take long for Zalizniak to close in on his target, hovering over 50 meters above as he releases the bomb with the push of a button. The result is spectacular: a red-hot fireball bursts out of the large item carried by the Russian soldiers, which turned out to be a fuel canister. Both infantrymen, wounded from the blast itself, are quickly engulfed in flames. The drone lingers to watch their last moments, burning alive among the trees on another countrys soil. Look at the two of them, they burned up at work, says the commander with the wry small and dark humor that only someone who does his kind of job could have. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Without enough battery to return, Zalizniaks drone is lost, but its a small price to pay for what was achieved, as those two soldiers journey toward Ukrainian lines was ended, forever. The protection of our infantry is our main driving ideology and our motivation, so that as many of them as possible will one day return home he said. The way I see it, for this whole war, we havent actually killed anyone, instead we have saved hundreds of lives. Read also: Russia pushes forward in Donetsk Oblast, threatening Ukrainian pocket around Toretsk Unique formula After the initial adrenaline of the double hit on the Russian infantryman, the Peaky Blinders find time for a morning coffee and settle into the simple routine that will continue for the rest of the day: change batteries and attach bombs, fly out, look for the enemy, drop bombs, return, and repeat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Looking at the team spread out among the treeline, it is immediately clear that this is no ordinary drone unit. Instead of a dugout, they prefer to work from camping chairs out in the fresh air, especially when weather allows. More strikingly, nobody is watching the live reconnaissance streams of the front line that have become ubiquitous in every Ukrainian drone team or command post. A soldier of Ukraine's Peaky Blinders drone unit on positions near Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, on April 28, 2025. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent) Instead, the team consists solely of those who fly drones and those who arm them. In their eyes, there is no need for more; the Peaky Blinders philosophy is underpinned by their motto: To find and destroy. Compared to the work of a standard strike FPV team, where a target is first found by reconnaissance teams, only after which a drone is sent out to hit it, this unit does both on the same flight, giving them the ability to strike immediately after spotting an enemy soldier. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We made our own antennas with amplification, and we can now fly out 89 kilometers, said Zalizniak. Thanks to that, were getting a big result we're flying into their rear, where they don't expect to see us. But because of that, we're also losing drones. After moving positions before lunch due to neighboring electronic warfare activity disrupting their work, the four pilots once again fly out into the Russian rear, but in the midday heat, the Russian soldiers are nowhere to be seen out and about. A soldier of Ukraine's Peaky Blinders drone unit on positions near Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, on April 28, 2025. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent) Often, Zalizniak told the Kyiv Independent, when conditions are too good for drone flying, Russian soldiers stay put in basements or other forms of cover. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When targets are less keen to come out into the open, one of the most important skills of any aspiring Mavic bomber pilot becomes spotting even the slightest movement on the screen of their remote control. Unlike the cheap cameras on expendable FPV drones, Mavic drones are equipped with high-definition cameras, and some have significant zoom abilities, making them the perfect tool for such joint reconnaissance/bomber missions. "This is where I find creativity, said pilot Maksym Mytrych. Right here in the very process of fighting the enemy. It's incredibly interesting how to approach, from which side. For me, its like a kind of dance." March of death These Russian assaults represent fresh attempts by Moscow to deepen the pincers around the embattled city of Pokrovsk, which has been the central hotspot of the front line since last autumn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement East of Pokrovsk, after a period of stability over early spring, Russian forces broke across the Pokrovsk-Kostiantynivka highway, creating a threatening salient that continues to be expanded. Here on the western flank of the city however, Moscow has much less success, stuck just a few kilometers east of the border with Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. But, according to commander Zalizniak, this is not for a lack of trying. The enemy has been very active since we've been working here and has been carrying out assaults the whole time, he said. Sometimes they were weaker, sometimes stronger, but they have been happening constantly from morning to evening, and even at night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Small, nimble, and easy to deploy quickly, the Peaky Blinders are consistently deployed to some of the hottest sectors of the front line, specialized as they are in repelling enemy infantry assaults. A collection of unarmed "Foot Crusher" munitions ready to be attached to drones on positions near Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, on April 28, 2025. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent) Before being deployed to Donetsk Oblast in the fall of 2024, they played a crucial role in bogging down Russias surprise cross-border offensive on Kharkiv Oblast, headed for the city that the unit was formed to defend in the first place. Now, with Russian forces increasingly relying on waves of squad-level infantry attacks to overwhelm overstretched Ukrainian lines, their work is crucial in keeping key sectors stable. In conditions of an ever-deepening crisis in infantry strength across the Ukrainian military, it has become more important than ever to eliminate Russian assault groups with drones and artillery long before they reach Ukrainian positions. Over five days of the group's work near Pokrovsk in spring, according to Zalizniak, the Peaky Blinders stopped 106 enemy soldiers in their tracks; numbers higher than most entire specialized drone battalions in standard Ukrainian brigades, achieved by a team of only six in the field. On top of their unique team set-up the Peaky Blinders have one more trick up their sleeve that sets their work above most. Often, bomb-dropping squads arm their Mavics with hand grenades or grenade launcher roads, but, seeing the need for a more effective munition, the unit collaborated with a local manufacturer to produce the gruesomely named Foot Crusher. Deceptively light but packed with hundreds of small metal balls, the bomb usually does enough damage to stop a Russian soldier in their tracks, even if the drop does not land a direct hit. Read also: Hes mine How Ukraines ace drone unit hunts Russian soldiers near Kupiansk Telegram front As the day goes on, moments with the sound of a drone above whether a Mavic, FPV, or larger fixed-wing drone not present are few and far between. Most are friendly, but if there is any doubt, the team quickly drops what they are doing, grabbing their rifles and portable electronic warfare units to face down the enemy threat. Around 3 p.m. comes an attack from weapons that can not be shot down or evaded glide bombs. The first group lands further away, but the second is aimed right at the treeline. Everyone in the trench! yells Zalizniak, as the team ducks for cover, and dont forget to start recording! The explosions three of them tear through the air and send ripples through the ground as the soldiers wait for the all clear. A soldier of Ukraine's Peaky Blinders drone unit on positions near Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, on April 28, 2025. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent) Taking shelter in a narrow trench, Artem Deputat, who today is responsible for preparing the Foot Crushers, takes a moment to go over the videos recorded from the days work so far. That's it, he's wounded for sure, he says, watching the recording of a hit on a Russian soldier. This time, its the handiwork of Dmytro Advokat (Lawyer in Ukrainian), who was a lawyer in Kharkiv in civilian life and now continues to run a large volunteer operation alongside his service. 100% . Look, he froze see?, said Deputat, watching the playback. My hands are shaking from happiness. After a successful hit, the team makes sure to save the video to post to their units social media accounts later. With their trademark flat caps, endearing back story, and proof of effective work, the Peaky Blinders have developed an unmistakable brand as a unit, recently launching an online merchandise store where anyone can buy hoodies and tee-shirts emblazoned with the units logo and pictures of the iconic Foot Crusher. As gruesome as they can be, videos of drone hits have become a key part of the information fabric of this war on both sides. This macabre collection of greatest hits fulfils several purposes: proof of the units effective work attracts donations for drones and supplies, gives a morale boost for viewers all over Ukraine, and shows the real fate of Russians who enlist to make a quick buck. Oleksandr "Zalizniak," commander of Ukraine's Peaky Blinders drone unit on positions near Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, on April 28, 2025. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent) Compared to the more common FPV footage circulating the net, recordings from Mavics come with the advantage of the high-quality image, making it possible to make out the whites in the eyes of Russian soldiers in the last moments of their lives. One Russian sent a video (to the units account) and wrote, 'Hi, thats me in the video,' recalled Zalizniak, he recognized himself in the footage he was seriously wounded there. According to Zalizniak, the Russian soldier was from a Storm V unit, made of convicts from the Russian prison system often coerced into service as expendable assault troops with a promise of a pardon. He was injured and became disabled afterwards, but he thanked our pilot for giving him a 'white ticket' (exemption from service), and for not finishing him off, he added. Read also: As Russias fiber optic drones flood the battlefield, Ukraine is racing to catch up No stopping soon On the horizon to the south, dark clouds begin to unload rain as the days work slowly comes to an end. While Mytrych, Deputat and the others begin packing up, Zalizniak and Advokat continue flying until the last possible moments: dusk tends to be the time for increased Russian activity as Ukrainian drone teams transition from day to night shifts. While most drone units often spend several days at position at a time before resting, the Peaky Blinders commute in and out on a daily basis, laser-focused on their specialized task of bombing Russian soldiers by day. While they dont have to sleep out in the field, the routine is exhausting in its own way, but worth it, said Deputat. Whether you like it or not, the main thing is that you see the result of this work, he said. You see your comrades who are devoted to this task, and you realize that you're all focused on one shared, effective outcome that you're achieving together. On the drive back to their base in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the team crosses open fields that will remain unplanted and unharvested this summer. A soldier of Ukraine's Peaky Blinders drone unit driving to positions near Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, on April 28, 2025. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent) Their vehicles are protected with electronic warfare devices for the short but deadly drive, but now, with the advent of unjammable Russian fiber optic drones, they always have to keep an eye out for hunters in the air. With Russian advances gaining pace across key sectors of the front line over May and into June, soldiers here have little faith in renewed attempts to reach at least a ceasefire through negotiations. Instead, said Deputat, groups like the Peaky Blinders see clearly that the only real efforts for peace are forged by their own hands, by stopping Russia here on the battlefield. In truth, Ive come to understand one golden essence and truth: decisions arent made back there in offices theyre made here, on the ground, locally, he said, thats the objective truth of the modern world. I want peace, but seeing the efforts made for the so-called resolution of the conflict, I dont see that peace. You can watch the video version of this story here: Note from the author: Hi, this is Francis Farrell, the author of this piece. With the increasing saturation of drones in the sky, I can't say for sWe could just stay in Kyiv and report from there, but we go to the war regularly, to bring it back to you before it comes knocking on your door for real. Please consider supporting our reporting. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Detained Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil described what it was like to miss the birth of his son in new legal filings describing his detention and speaking out about the charges against him. The Columbia graduate has been held in a Louisiana detention facility for months, fighting the Trump administration's attempts to deport him over his support of pro-Palestinian causes. In one of the many filings supporting Khalil's request for an injunction that would grant his release, he said missing his son's birth was one of the "most immediate and visceral harms" he'd suffered. "Instead of holding my wifes hand in the delivery room, I was crouched on a detention center floor, whispering through a crackling phone line as she labored alone," Khalil wrote. "When I heard my sons first cries, I buried my face in my arms so no one would see me weep." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Khalil shared that his ongoing detention did him dignitary and reputational harm" and put him through "personal and familial hardship." He also worried that his arrest would do "severe damage" to his "professional future." Still, the activist rarely sounded more pained than when he described being away from his wife and child. "To not be able to see them, hold them, speak with them freely, enjoy everything I imagined our first days as a family would be like, is devastating," he wrote. Start your day with essential news from Salon. Sign up for our free morning newsletter, Crash Course. Khalil has a green card and is married to an American citizen. That did not stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from arresting him in March. Khalil was able to hold his infant son for the first time last month, meeting with his wife and child over the objections of the Trump administration. A federal court in New Jersey found late last month that Khalil would probably succeed in his case against the administration, saying the justification for his detention was "likely unconstitutional." Whether that court will grant an injunction and allow for Khalil's release remains to be seen. BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) Community members gathered in Glenwood Thursday to learn more about a potential grocery store development. For years, the area has been deemed a food desert. Residents got to learn more about the developer who is looking to add not just a grocery store to the area, but a completely new plaza. This has been a long time coming, the Glenwood area could soon see some action on their efforts to bring a grocery store to the area, ending the years-long food desert. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Thursday night, dozens of residents got to hear from the Sankofa group, the development agency that is heading the project. They introduced the Glenwood Town Center, a mixed-income, 3-phase development that will include apartments, townhouses, and, of course, a grocery store. It would be located on the corner of East 15th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. While the grocery store was favored by many in attendance, the developer made it clear that they did not intend to build affordable housing, which many residents were asking for. It also raised concerns over the housing outpricing those who have lived in Glenwood their whole lives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Being a legacy family member, there are several people who would like to move back to Glenwood. People who moved away up north, down south to make a living, really would like to come back to Glenwood, would like to come back to Panama City, Glenwood resident Michelle Bryant said. The developer says he would need the housing in the complex in order to draw in a grocer to fill the property. As for what kind of grocer it will be, they dont one yet but say it will be comparable to a Trader Joes or Sprouts. All of this is conceptual and still awaits approval from the community redevelopment agency that owns the land. He brought this to us and were negotiating a contract now, but we will fully discuss that and determine whether theres a green light for this particular development at the end of July at the C.R.A. meeting. It would be at that time if we were to say, hey, we like what youve presented. Lets move forward with this, Panama City Commissioner Janice Lucas said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lucas says if something were to change with the concepts, residents are welcome to voice their concerns with the CRA at their monthly meetings. Representatives from the CRA were at the meeting and confirmed that the current CRA plans do allow for this kind of development, but they are currently working on updating the plans to more specifically address this project. There is no set timeline, but the developer said Thursday he expects a project like this one to take about 6 to 7 years to fully construct. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to mypanhandle.com. Some homebuyers in Citrus Springs, Florida, are in shock after the Van Der Valk Construction company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April, leaving many homes unfinished. The Citrus County-based company is leaving many homeowners, mostly retirees, holding the bag financially. Don't miss I have no money now, said Dyandria Darel, a homeowner planning to move into this Florida retirement home from New York City, in an interview with ABC Action News. Its not only a retirement home, it was virtually my entire life savings, Darel said. I put the money down on this house in 2022. Its now 2025. The unfinished homes are sitting in the Florida sunshine as the homeowners consider their limited options in the midst of this financial nightmare. Unfinished homes destroying retirement dreams Frank Sherrill first hired Van Der Valk Construction to build a Citrus Springs home in 2022. When the company filed for bankruptcy on April 30 of this year the house was still unfinished. I need flooring. I need all the baseboards put in. All the framing for the doors, Sherrill said. Theres a few times where Ive, you know, I cried a little bit, you know, thinking about it, because its been hard. Sherrill, an Illinois native, paid the company $200,000 in cash upfront to start construction. While the house has a roof, its far from finished. According to the latest reports, hes currently talking to another contractor about finishing the house. But the additional help will mean additional expenses. As the situation drains Sherrills bank account, hes not alone. Many other homeowners, mostly retirees, are also seeing their retirement savings dwindle as this process drags out. Van Der Valk Construction claims ongoing legal issues are partially to blame for the bankruptcy situation. According to the bankruptcy filings, at least 58 homeowners will take a financial hit of some level. Beyond homebuyers, subcontractors and employees will be out of job. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan works every single time to kill debt, get rich in America and that anyone can do it Beyond unfinished homes, Van Der Valk Construction has received extensive criticism from residents of the Inverness Villages Unit 4 about the neighborhoods poorly built infrastructure. The Citrus County neighborhood was built without a drainage system or paved streets. South Florida leaders on Thursday denounced the Trump administrations travel ban targeting Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela, crisis-wracked nations that are among 19 countries hit with full or partial prohibitions against entering the United States. This is not only a cruel and xenophobic policy proposal it is a blatant attempt to scapegoat an already suffering people. This unjust policy will sow chaos in our communities, separating families and disrupting lives, said Marleine Bastien, a Haiti-born Miami-Dade County commissioner who represents one of the largest Haitian communities in the U.S. Bastien noted that the Haitian-American community is a cornerstone of Miami-Dade County, contributing to its culture, economy and strength. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Targeting Haiti in this manner is not just only discriminatory, but a betrayal of the values America claims to uphold compassion, justice, and opportunity for all, she said, slamming the administrations recent immigration directives stripping Haitian migrants in the U.S. of immigration protections. On Thursday, there was still confusion among holders of current U.S. visas who are in Haiti, Cuba and Venezuela about whether they would be let in as of Monday when the travel ban takes effect. Still, South Florida elected officials emphasized the harm the policy would create in the communities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, which of which boast sizable and thriving populations with roots in Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela. North Miami Mayor Alex Desulme said his citys Haitian population arent just residents. They are small-business owners, healthcare workers, educators and parents raising young children. South Florida boasts one of the largest Haitian diasporas in the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The reinstatement of this ban is a direct attack on the values of equity, compassion and opportunity that our city and this nation were built upon. It causes fear, separates families, disrupts lives and unfairly targets communities that have long contributed to the countrys strength and prosperity, said Desulme. He asked federal leaders to reconsider the harmful policy and work toward an immigration system that reflects our shared values and honors the dignity of all individuals. Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen described the ban as an attack on our collective humanity, a blatant disregard for the principles that make our nation great. This policy is not about safety; its about exclusion, said the official, who is Haitian American. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Donald Trump flipped Miami-Dade red for the first time since George H.W. Bush won the presidency in 1988, riding new support throughout the majority-Hispanic county. He received loyal backing from local Republicans who also viewed his victory as integral to their own. But as the Trump administration has rolled out immigration policies targeting Venezuelans, Haitians and Cubans, GOP officials in Miami have had to draw a careful balance between supporting the White House and the many immigrants in their district affected by Trumps immigration agenda. U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, a Miami Republican, told the Herald in a statement that travel restrictions could serve as temporary tools to ensure national security and said they were a way to fight against the governments in Cuba and Venezuela. However, she warned that those with family-based petitions should be protected. We must draw a clear line between hostile regimes and the families who suffer under them, she said. These are people who have followed the law and waited years, even decades, to reunite with loved ones in the U.S. We can protect our country while upholding the values that make America a beacon of hope and freedom. IOWA (KCAU) Disability rights advocates joined forces on June 5. They encouraged Iowa senators to vote against the presidents so-called Big, Beautiful, Bill due to the ramifications Iowans would face. The group Protect Our Care Iowa said that the bill would cut Medicaid to over 600k Iowans, including 81k people with disabilities. Advocates for the bill say it cuts waste, fraud, and abuse, but the group says its a way to cut services to the most vulnerable and offer tax cuts to the wealthy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zach Mecham, medicaid recipient and disability rights advocate, said, I know throughout my history of disability advocacy that all of these policies, whether theyre aimed at efficiency, or fraud, or abuse, or privatizing healthcare. I know that they all, based on my personal experience, trickle down and harm people like me. The bill is in the hands of the U.S. Senate. Lawmakers said their goal is for it to be on the Presidents desk by the Fourth of July. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) A unanimous Supreme Court decision Thursday makes it easier for people to pursue reverse discrimination lawsuits. The case kind of stands for the unexceptional proposition that racism and discrimination is not exclusive to one race or sexual orientation, Mastando & Artrip Employment Attorney Eric Artrip said. Tuberville raised $1.9 million on first day of governor bid, $3 million in first week Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a straight Ohio woman who claimed she was passed over for work opportunities because of her sexual orientation. She said she did not receive a promotion and was subsequently demoted from her position, with LGBTQ+ candidates, who Ames said were less qualified, filling both roles. Marlean Ames has worked at the Ohio Department of Youth Services since 2004. Initially, lower courts decided against her, ruling that she did not have enough evidence to prove her case, thus driving it upwards. The Supreme Court ruled in Ames favor, saying that the lower courts requiring a higher burden of proof for plaintiffs in majority groups violates Title VII. By establishing the same protections for every individual without regard to that individuals membership in a minority or majority group Congress left no room for courts to impose special requirements on majority-group plaintiffs aloneIn other words, courts with this rule have enshrined into Title VIIs antidiscrimination law an explicitly race-based preference: White plaintiffs must prove the existence of background circumstances, while nonwhite plaintiffs need not do so. Such a rule is undoubtedly contrary to Title VII, and likely violates the Constitution, under which there can be no such thing as either a creditor or a debtor race.' Justice Kentaji Brown Jackson, Opinion of the Court in Ames v. Ohio Dept. of Youth Servs. There were three Judicial Circuits that required more evidence to establish discrimination if you were male or Caucasian, Artrip said. The ruling today says that that is no longer valid or required. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Download the WHNT News 19 App to stay updated on the go. Sign up for WHNT News 19 newsletters to have news sent to your inbox. Artrip said about 85% of the cases he covers are workplace discrimination lawsuits. When it comes to that burden of proof, he said its rare that employers are outwardly discriminatory. Thus, most evidence is circumstantial. If her supervisor had said, Were not going to promote you because we are looking for a gay female in that role, that would be direct evidence of discrimination, Artrip said. We dont get a lot of those. So, typically, what we do is we look at the circumstances surrounding the failure to promote or the decision to terminate, and say that was a motivating factor in that decision. While Artrip said the ruling simply states that everyone is protected under Title VII, he argues the ruling takes another swing at DEI. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This decision may make it easier for Caucasians to sue for failure to promote or failure to hire, Artrip said. Its really another blow to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Several Supreme Court Justices wrote concurring opinions to Justice Jacksons opinion. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. TYLER, Texas (KETK) The Tyler Police Department said that a 38-year-old man was killed in an officer-involved shooting on Thursday night. Lawyers, family to unveil new evidence in Smith County deputy-involved shooting Officers responded to the 3100 block of Cascades Court at around 7 p.m. on Thursday for a report of a suspicious person and a disturbance inside of a home. When officers entered the home, Tyler PD said an officer-involved shooting injured John Augustine Tangney OKelly, 38 of Tyler. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement OKelly was then taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Texas Department of Public Safetys Texas Rangers are currently investigating the shooting. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) Air quality reached unhealthy levels across the state Thursday as smoke from the Canadian wildfires drifted south. Michigan declared an air quality advisory lasting through noon Friday. Dr. Julia Becker, a physician in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division at Corewell Health, takes care of patients with significant lung disease like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Since wildfire smoke drifted south, she said her patients have seen much worse symptoms. But its not just them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Canada wildfire smoke leaves West Michigan in a haze Even healthy people I think might notice some coughing, headaches, sore throat, she said. All those conditions are gonna feel worse when the air qualitys this bad. Wildfire smoke from Canada makes the air hazy at the lakeshore. (June 5, 2025) Becker said that healthy individuals can experience those symptoms when the air quality is in the unhealthy range, like it was in West Michigan Thursday. Certain people are especially at risk, she said. That can include people over the age of 65, under the age of 18, those who are pregnant, those who have heart or lung disease and those who often work outdoors. Becker said you can notice the effects in minutes and the damage can be long-term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People have increased events with their heart and lungs up to three months after the event, she said. People have more heart attacks, more heart rhythm problems, more pneumonia. The effects of all this inflammatory bad stuff we breathe in last for months. Clean air is actually extremely important. She recommended staying indoors if you can, keeping your windows shut and having a good air filter, preferably a HEPA filter. In Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, you can check exactly what the air quality is like in your neighborhood using JustAir. Air quality sensors are posted on poles at about a dozen spots in Grand Rapids, including at Sixth Street Bridge Park and on the Medical Mile. Wildfire smoke from Canada makes the air hazy in Grand Rapids. (June 5, 2025) Air quality worsens in eastern US as Canadian wildfire smoke hangs over Midwest Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Darren Riley started the nonprofit in 2021 to help show that in a community, air quality is not created equal. For one side of the block, it may be a poor air quality day for that community, he said. Other side of the city could be a clean air day. You may have communities that are neighboring heavy trucker routes, heavy highways. You have things we do ourselves like wood fire smoke and idle our cars when were picking up our kids. The website has a map where you can check air quality by location and get alerts when the air is bad. JustAir is active in nine other states too. Its very important we investigate how we can mitigate those disparities between neighborhood and neighborhood, he said. The only way to do that is to have data to do better. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. VIENNA, Ohio (WKBN) A Department of Defense funding plan shows that $25 million is being set aside for a new fire station at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna Township. The plan shows that money is being appropriated for FY 2025. Its part of the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act 2025, which was signed by President Donald Trump on March 15. Congressman Dave Joyce, 14th District, who is also a member of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, joined other Valley lawmakers in a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reiterating the importance of the funding for the fire station, specifically stating its importance as the facility transitions to the new C-130J. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Congressman Michael Rulli, 6th District, said that the investment is significant and shows the importance of the air station. It ensures that Northeast Ohio remains not just relevant, but indispensable to our national security, Rulli said. Last year, an $11 million project got started for a new front gate and visitor center at the air station. That project is being overseen by the Army Corps of Engineers. The air station began receiving the new C-130J in July 2024, with all aircraft to be delivered by the end of 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. The Department of Government Efficiency can have unimpeded access to sensitive Social Security records for millions of people, the Supreme Court ruled Friday. The justices granted the Trump administrations emergency request to lift a lower-court order that had blocked a DOGE team assigned to the Social Security Administration from viewing or obtaining personal information in the agencys systems. The courts majority provided no detailed explanation for its ruling, but in a three-paragraph unsigned order, the majority wrote: We conclude that, under the present circumstances, SSA may proceed to afford members of the SSA DOGE Team access to the agency records in question in order for those members to do their work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The three liberal justices dissented. In a 10-page dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote that the decision creates grave privacy risks for millions of Americans. Trump administration lawyers claimed the DOGE team members needed unfettered access to Social Securitys data in order to detect and halt fraudulent payments, but a federal judge in Maryland ruled that the breadth of DOGEs access violated federal law and put the data at risk of intentional or unintentional disclosure. The legal fight over DOGEs access to Social Security data is one of several that broke out in the early weeks of Trumps second term as the budget-slashing team overseen by Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk fanned out across the federal government. In response to lawsuits, federal judges also limited DOGE access to sensitive databases at the Treasury and Education departments, as well as the Office of Personnel Management. Some of the restrictions have been eased over time as the Trump administration convinced the judges that adequate safeguards were in place to avoid disclosure of personal information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander, a Baltimore-based Obama appointee, blocked DOGEs access to Social Securitys databases, which include tax and wage reports as well as retirement and disability payments. In her March ruling, she concluded that the access granted to the cost-cutting team violated the Privacy Act because agency officials did not show that it was necessary to include identifying information in order to carry out the search for fraudulent payments. Justice Department lawyers defending the move offered only cursory, circular statements to justify the DOGE teams access, the judge said. However, Solicitor General John Sauer told the Supreme Court that the limits Hollander imposed interfered with President Donald Trumps ability to carry out his critically important agenda to eliminate wasteful spending and update archaic systems at federal agencies. Employees charged with modernizing government information systems and routing [sic] out fraud, waste, and abuse in data systems plainly need access to those systems, Sauer wrote. District courts should not be able to wield the Privacy Act to substitute their own view of the governments needs for that of the President and agency heads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In her dissent Friday, Jackson said the government had presented next to nothing to explain what harm the DOGE operation or the Social Security Administration would suffer if the limits the lower-court ordered remained in place. The Biden-appointed justice also contended that her conservative colleagues were bending the courts usual standards to allow the Trump administration to pursue its favored course of action. It seems as if the Court has truly lost its moorings, Jackson wrote, joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor. The Court is unfortunately, suggesting that what would be an extraordinary request for everyone else is nothing more than an ordinary day on the docket for this Administration. Justice Elena Kagan also dissented from the courts order, but did not provide any explanation of her views. Among the projects DOGE staffers were working on at Social Security was one targeting improper payments to dead people. Trump has frequently falsely claimed that large numbers of deceased people receive Social Security checks, including earlier this year during a high-profile address in March to a joint session of Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One person is listed at 360 years of age More than 100 years older than our country, Trump said. But were going to find out where that money is going, and its not going to be pretty. Musk also made staggering claims, suggesting in a social media post that 20 million people over 100 years of age were receiving Social Security. However, computer experts said most of the outlandishly implausible ages were the product of a default setting in the 60-year-old COBOL programming language, which interprets incomplete or missing age data as the systems oldest possible date in 1875. Musks term as a special government employee ended last week with Trump hosting an Oval Office send-off for the tech entrepreneur. While the pair were upbeat and complimentary there, Musks escalating attacks on Trumps budget bill currently before Congress led to a spectacular flame-out of the relationship in recent days, with Trump threatening to cut government contracts to Musks businesses and Musk accusing Trump of delaying the release of FBI records that could be embarrassing to him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A coalition of groups who sued over DOGE's access said in a statement that the high court's ruling "will enable President Trump and DOGEs affiliates to steal Americans private and personal data." "Elon Musk may have left Washington, D.C., but his impact continues to harm millions of people. We will continue to use every legal tool at our disposal to keep unelected bureaucrats from misusing the publics most sensitive data as this case moves forward, the groups said. The Supreme Court cleared the way Friday for the DOGE team that had been led by Elon Musk to examine Social Security records that include personal information on most Americans. Acting by a 6-3 vote, the justices granted an appeal from President Trump's lawyers and lifted a court order that had barred a team of DOGE employees from freely examining Social Security records. "We conclude that, under the present circumstances," the Social Security Administration, or SSA, "may proceed to afford members of the SSA DOGE Team access to the agency records in question in order for those members to do their work," the court said in an unsigned order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a second order, the justices blocked the disclosure of DOGE operations as agency records that could be subject to the Freedom of Information Act. The court's three liberals Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented in both cases. Read more: Trump administration asks Supreme Court to let DOGE access Social Security systems "Today, the court grants 'emergency' relief that allows the Social Security Administration (SSA) to hand DOGE staffers the highly sensitive data of millions of Americans," Jackson wrote. "The Government wants to give DOGE unfettered access to this personal, non-anonymized information right now before the courts have time to assess whether DOGEs access is lawful." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The legal fight turned on the unusual status of the newly created Department of Governmental Efficiency. This was a not true department, but the name given to the team of aggressive outside advisors led by Musk. Were the DOGE team members presidential advisors or outsiders who should not be given access to personal data? While Social Security employees are entrusted with the records containing personal information, it was disputed whether the 11 DOGE team members could be trusted with same material. Musk had said the goal was to find evidence of fraud or misuse of government funds. He and DOGE were sued by labor unions who said the outside analysts were sifting through records with personal information that was protected by the privacy laws. Unless checked, the DOGE team could create highly personal computer profiles of every person, they said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A federal judge in Maryland agreed and issued an order restricting the work of DOGE. U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander, an Obama appointee, barred DOGE staffers from having access to the sensitive personal information of millions of Americans. But her order did not restrict the Social Security staff or DOGE employees from using data that did not identify people or sensitive personal information. In late April, the divided 4th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to set aside the judge's order by a 9-6 vote. Judge Robert King said the "government has sought to accord the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) immediate and unfettered access to all records of the Social Security Administration ('SSA') records that include the highly sensitive personal information of essentially everyone in our country." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Trump administration asks Supreme Court to leave mass layoffs at Education Department in place But Trump Solicitor Gen. D. John Sauer appealed to the Supreme Court and said a judge should not "second guess" how the administration manages the government. He said the district judge had "enjoined particular agency employees the 11 members of the Social Security Administration (SSA) DOGE team from accessing data that other agency employees can unquestionably access, and that the SSA DOGE team will use for purposes that are unquestionably lawful. ... The Executive Branch, not district courts, sets government employees job responsibilities." Sauer said the DOGE team was seeking to modernize SSA systems and identify improper payments, for instance by reviewing swaths of records and flagging unusual payment patterns or other signs of fraud. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DOGE employees "are subject to the same strict confidentiality standards as other SSA employees," he said. Moreover, the plaintiffs "make no allegation that the SSA DOGE teams access will increase the risk of public disclosure." He said checking the personal data is crucial. "For instance, a birth date of 1900 can be telltale evidence that an individual is probably deceased and should not still receive Social Security payments, while 15 names using the same Social Security number may also point to a problem," he said. Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter. Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond, in your inbox twice per week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Rowdy Mermaid, a US functional beverage company, has been acquired by a group of investors including Next in Natural. New York-based Next in Natural, which invests in emerging and better-for-you focused companies, was joined by "strategic investors" KarpReilly and Sapient Stews founder Luke Comer. The deal, struck for an undisclosed sum, aims to position Boulder, Colorado-based Rowdy Mermaid for its next phase of growth and enhance its capabilities, from production to marketing, according to a statement. Jamba Dunn and Erin Donnelly, the founders of Rowdy Mermaid, will retain their respective positions of CEO and customer growth and marketing director. The company owns the Good Mood Soda brand fortified with ashwagandha and its own line of organic kombucha drinks. Rowdy Mermaid said it is "committed" to creating beverages with functional plant medicine and sustainably sourced ingredients. Donnelly said: "With Next in Natural's cross-functional team, network and expertise, Rowdy Mermaid is set to better serve our customers and expand our community. Jeff Lichtenstein, CEO of Next in Natural, has been appointed chairman of the board, bringing his experience in scaling brands such as Chobani and La Colombe to the table. "Rowdy Mermaid epitomises what's next delicious, organic and functional ingredients with passionate mission-driven leadership and fun marketing; these align with our values and what consumers want more of," Lichtenstein said. Kristine Laurel, COO of Next in Natural, highlighted that the investment firms shared services platform will help Rowdy Mermaid thrive with comprehensive support that will strengthen their supply chain and support future innovation." KarpReilly, meanwhile, is a private-equity firm in Connecticut focused on the consumer goods space. As the name suggests, Sapient Stews, set up by Comer in Denver, is a maker of healthy stews. The investment by Next in Natural follows its acquisition of a majority stake in Aura Bora, a sparkling water manufacturer from San Francisco, in February. Aura Bora makes canned sparkling waters from herb, fruit and flower flavours and extracts, using "cold-force carbonation" and "reverse-osmosis filtration", resulting in beverages that it claims are "free of PFAS and citric acid". "Kombucha firm Rowdy Mermaid bought by investors led by Next in Natural" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. Employees in the Department of Government Efficiency reportedly used a flawed artificial intelligence model to determine the necessity of contracts in the Department of Veterans Affairs, resulting in hundreds of contracts, valued at millions of dollars, being canceled. Given only 30 days to implement President Donald Trumps executive order directing DOGE to review government contracts and grants to ensure they align with the presidents policies, an engineer in DOGE rushed to create an AI to assist in the task. Engineer Sahil Lavingia wrote code which told the AI to cancel, or in his words munch, anything that wasnt directly supporting patient care within the agency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However neither he, nor the model, required the knowledge to make those decisions.Im sure mistakes were made, he told ProPublica. Mistakes are always made. One of the key problems was that the AI only reviewed the first 10,000 characters (roughly 2,500 words) of contracts to determine whether it was munchable Lavingias term for if the task could be done by VA staffers rather than outsourcing, ProPublica reported. Experts who reviewed the code also told ProPublica that Lavingia did not clearly define many critical terms, such as core medical/benefits, and used vague instructions, leading to multiple critical contracts being flagged as munchable. A Department of Government Efficiency employee created a rushed AI tool to help uncover waste, fraud, and abuse (Getty) For example, the model was told to kill DEI programs, but the prompt failed to define what DEI was, leaving the model to decide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At another point in the code, Lavingia asked the AI to consider whether pricing appears reasonable for maintenance contracts, without defining what reasonable means. In addition, the AI was created on an older, general purpose model not suited for the complicated task, which caused it to hallucinate, or make up, contract amounts, sometimes believing they were worth tens of millions as opposed to thousands. Cary Coglianese, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who studies governmental use of AI, told ProPublica that understanding which jobs could be done by a VA employee would require sophisticated understanding of medical care, of institutional management, of availability of human resources all things the AI could not do. Lavingia acknowledged the AI model was flawed, but he assured ProPublica that all munchable contracts were vetted by other people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lavingia, who was fired from DOGE approximately 55 days into his job after sharing some of his work with journalists, has described the work he did on his blog and released the code he used at the VA on GitHub. Musk hired engineers outside of the government to assist in finding waste fraud and abuse in the government as a result, many do not possess necessary institutional knowledge (AP) The VA initially announced, in February, it would cancel 875 contracts. But various veteran affairs advocates sounded the alarm, warning that some of those contracts related to safety inspections at VA medical facilities, direct communications with veterans about benefits, and the VAs ability to recruit doctors. One source familiar with the situation in the department told the Federal News Network that some cuts demonstrated a communication breakdown between DOGE advisors, VA leaders, and lawmakers who oversee the VA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The VA soon walked that number back, instead announcing in March it would cancel approximately 585 non-mission-critical or duplicative contracts, re-directing around $900 million back to the agency. Peter Kasperowicz, a spokesperson for the Department of Veterans Affairs, said in a statement that the termination of these contracts will have no impact on Veteran care of VA services. VA does not cancel contracts unless they are no longer needed or the department has contingency plans in place to ensure continuity of services and no negative impacts to Veterans or VA beneficiaries, Kasperowicz said. Kasperowicz added the department is reviewing all 76,000 active contracts to ensure each one is a good use of taxpayers money and is benefitting veterans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Decisions to keep, cut, or descope contracts are based on careful and methodical multi-level reviews by VA employees, including career subject-matter experts who are responsible for the contracts, as well as VA senior leaders and contracting officials. As far as we know, this sort of review has never been done before, but we are happy to set this commonsense precedent, Kasperowicz added. In addition, Kasperowicz claimed ProPublica is a far-left outlet with a proven history of bias against the Trump Administration and called the article a hit piece. He said that when confronted, authors for the article were unable to identify any problems caused by VA contract cuts. NEED TO KNOW President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are feuding over the administration's "Big, Beautiful Bill" on social media The pair have exchanged a number of insults towards one another Musk claimed that Trump was "in the Epstein files," while Trump claimed that Musk was made aware of EV/Solar cuts that Musk later claimed he was never shown President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's feud continued to escalate as the pair lobbed insults at one another over social media on Thursday, June 5. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The origin of the back-and-forth lay in Musk's criticism of what the administration has called the "Big, Beautiful Bill," which has already passed the House of Representatives. During an interview with CBS Sunday Morning that aired on June 1, but was released earlier on May 27, Musk said he was "disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it," adding that it "undermines" the work the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was doing. The bill is funding its tax cuts and military spending in part by cutting some federal health and energy programs. However, it is also poised to add an estimated $3.8 trillion to the national deficit, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. A day after portions of the CBS interview were released, Musk confirmed he was leaving DOGE. On May 30, Musk went to the Oval Office for an on-camera meeting with Trump. The increasingly public feud between Musk, 53, and Trump, 78, reached a new level on Thursday, beginning when Musk shared a clip from his interview on Fox Business, in which he also criticized the "Big, Beautiful Bill." The two traded barbs on X and Truth Social throughout the day. Musk Criticizes the "Big Beautiful Bill" Chip Somodevilla/Getty Elon Musk arrives to the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Elon Musk arrives to the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. In the Fox Business clip, Musk says, "I can't believe I'm here doing this. It's kind of bizarre. But I kind of think that the...Yeah, we've got this enormous federal budget deficit. And it's a $2 trillion deficit. It keeps growing." Elon Musk/X; America PAC/X; Fox News Elon Musk makes a tweet about his appearance on Fox Business Elon Musk makes a tweet about his appearance on Fox Business "Our interest payments, our higher than our defense department budget. That's, I think was the real wake up call for me was looking at seeing that the interest payments, the national debt exceeded the Defense Department budget. And that was only growing over time, which meant if we didn't do something about this, uh, then there won't be any money for anything." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Thats what it comes down to," Musk added on X. The bill, should it pass the Senate and be signed into law, would introduce significant cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by implementing more requirements on possible beneficiaries. Musk Reposts A Tweet Supporting His Stance on the BBB Chip Somodevilla/Getty President Donald Trump President Donald Trump Musk subsequently shared a Tweet from a user supporting his stance on the BBB, which read, "The majority of republican *voters* strongly agree with Elon and want the BBB trimmed down @elonmusk left the Democratic Party and sacrificed much in his relentlessly supported the GOP. The GOP leadership should give his counsel serious consideration." Musk captioned the retweet with a simple "Yes." Musk Uses Trump's Words from 12 Years Ago to Criticize Him Brandon Bell/Getty President Donald Trump and Elon Musk President Donald Trump and Elon Musk Next, Musk reposted a tweet that Trump shared on Jan. 23, 2013. "I cannot believe the Republicans are extending the debt ceilingI am a Republican & I am embarrassed!" Trump wrote at the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Wise words," Musk added. Trump Responds with Claims on Reducing the Deficit on Truth Social Donald Trump/Truth Social Donald Trump slams Elon Musk on Truth Social Donald Trump slams Elon Musk on Truth Social "Shockingly, the Democrat controlled CBO just announced that the Tariffs will be reducing the Deficit by at least $2.8 Trillion Dollars," Trump wrote on Truth Social in response." "Too bad this information couldnt have been released earlier, it would have kept people from knowingly saying untruths," he continued, alleging that Musk was lying about the federal budget deficit. "I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago," Trump wrote in another Truth Social post during the day. "This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. Its a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesnt pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didnt create this mess, Im just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Musk Responds With Another Old Trump Tweet Musk retweeted another tweet Trump previously shared on July 31, 2012, which read, "No member of Congress should be eligible for re-election if our country's budget is not balanced---deficits not allowed!" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk captioned the retweet, "I couldn't agree more!" followed by two American flag emojis. Musk Retweets About Trump's Cuts To California High Speed Rail Project AP Photo/Evan Vucci Elon Musk in the Oval Office on May 30 Elon Musk in the Oval Office on May 30 Musk also reposted a tweet that read, "DOGE: Democrats are calling Trump's decision to end federal funding for California's high-speed rail project 'heartless'. With just 35 years left to complete the project was 'so close' to completion you could almost imagine your grandchildren riding the rails. The good news is that they won't have anything to tear down." "Sensible move by President @realDonaldTrump," Musk added. Musk Posts Brief Thread On BBB "Slim Beautiful Bill for the win," Musk wrote in one tweet, followed by another in the same thread that read, "Keep the good, remove the bad." President Trump Discusses Musk During Meeting with New German Chancellor at the White House During Trump's meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the president claimed Musk was aware of cuts to EV and solar power incentives, which will impact his electric vehicle and clean energy company, Tesla. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Elon is upset because we took the EV mandate, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles," Trump said. "They're having a hard time the electric vehicles, and they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy. Elon knew this from the beginning." Musk reposted a clip of Trump's claim, writing, "Whatever. Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill." "In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that both big and beautiful," he continued. "Everyone knows this! Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way." Musk Shares Clip of Trump Claiming Musk "Knew the Inner Workings of This Bill" amie Kelter Davis/Bloomberg via Getty Elon Musk in Wisconsin in March Elon Musk in Wisconsin in March "I'm very disappointed with Elon. I've helped him a lot," Trump said Thursday. "He knew the inner workings of the bill better than anybody sitting here. He had no problem with it. All of a sudden he had a problem and he only developed the problem when he found out we're going to cut EV mandate." Musk posted the clip, alleging, "False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later, Musk reposted a clip of Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee stating his support for making changes to the "Big, Beautiful Bill." "I'm all in for more cuts to the bill. It's big, but it's not beautiful yet," Ogles, who voted for the bill, said. "The Senate's job is to make the bill better before sending it back to us. The House's job is to pass DOGE rescissions and EO codification bills that are collecting dust. Not to go home." Musk captioned the repost with an American flag emoji. Musk Shares Screenshot of Multiple Old Trump Tweets Expressing Contrary Viewpoints to the "Big Beautiful Bill" Where is this guy today?? https://t.co/qcLNVSYEIB Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Musk reposted another X user's collage of old Trump tweets expressing contrary financial viewpoints to those of the bill. "Where is this guy today??" Musk captioned the repost. "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," Musk claimed in another tweet. Musk Shares Video of Trump Supporting Tesla in March Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty; Michael Kappeler/picture alliance/Getty President Donald Trump on June 5 President Donald Trump on June 5 After several retweets of support for himself, Musk returned to criticizing Trump by sharing a video from March 11, the day Trump and Musk showed off Tesla cars on the White House lawn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "What about Elon? Did he call? He never even mentioned it to he never complained until this moment. I'm just bringing it up. Who would do that?" Trump said. Trump continued to claim, "He has never asked me for a thing, and he's built this great company, and he shouldn't be penalized because he's a patriot. He's an incredible patriot. And I don't even know if he's a Republican," to which Musk is seen laughing while holding one of his children's hands. "Remember this? @realDonaldTrump," Musk wrote in the repost. Trump Responds to Elon's Public Dissent for the BBB "Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!" Trump wrote on a Truth Social post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In another Truth Social post, Trump threatened to cut billions in federal subsidies and tax cuts for Musk's companies. The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts, the president wrote, per the New York Times. I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it! Musk shared a screenshot of this message, adding, "In light of the Presidents statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately." "This is a shame this back and forth. You are both better than this. Cool off and take a step back for a couple days," an X user replied, prompting Musk to write, "Good advice. Ok, we wont decommission Dragon." Musk Claims Trump Is "In The Epstein Files" James Devaney/GC Images President Donald Trump in May 2024 President Donald Trump in May 2024 "Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!" Musk claimed in another tweet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump's name has previously been publicly linked with Jeffrey Epstein. His name was mentioned in flight logs released earlier this year by Attorney General Pam Bondi a total of seven times. The appearance of Trump's name in the flight logs does not immediately implicate him, however Trump was friends with the disgraced financier and pedophile for decades until the mid-2000s and many of the individuals named could have been on Epstein's plane for legitimate reasons. A Justice Department spokesperson had no immediate comment on calls to release more Epstein-related files when the New York Times asked about Musk's claim. In another of his tweets Thursday, Musk predicted, "The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year." Read the original article on People NEED TO KNOW President Donald Trump is reportedly looking to give away or sell the Tesla Model S he bought from Elon Musk in March Trump bought the car in response to "Radical Left Lunatics" boycotting Musk's companies for his ties to the administration Since Musk left his White House role on May 30, the former allies have been publicly feuding over Trump's government spending bill President Donald Trump is ridding the White House of Elon Musk mementos. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ABC News reported on Friday that Trump is considering "either giving away or selling" the red Tesla Model S he bought in March to support Musk, per a senior administration official. The president purchased the electric vehicle, valued at around $80,000, after the pair posed in front of the White House with several Tesla vehicles on March 11. The stunt was a response to "Radical Left Lunatics" boycotting Musk's company over his ties to the Trump administration, Trump said on Truth Social at the time. Andrew Harnik/Getty President Donald Trump and Elon Musk pose with various Tesla models on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025 President Donald Trump and Elon Musk pose with various Tesla models on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025 However, Musk left his role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on May 30 and has been publicly feuding with the president ever since. Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" is the main point of contention for the tech billionaire, who has complained that the behemoth government spending plan will undo any savings he and DOGE brought to the administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Im sorry, but I just cant stand it anymore," Musk posted to X on June 3. "This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it." The pair have continued to trade barbs all week. Musk claimed that Trump is named in the infamous Jeffrey Epstein files, alleging that's why they haven't been released to the public as promised. Trump threatened to cut off Musk's government subsidies and contracts. The SpaceX CEO then agreed with an X user who called for Trump to be impeached, while MAGA advisor Steve Bannon called for Musk to be deported. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Donald Trump presents Elon Musk with the "Key to the White House" on May 30, 2025 Donald Trump presents Elon Musk with the "Key to the White House" on May 30, 2025 During an Oval Office press conference on June 5 minutes after Musk reposted some of Trump's old tweets to use his 2013 criticisms of the debt ceiling against him the president said he was "disappointed" by the recent social media attacks, and hinted that the Tesla brand might be a major reason for Musk's ire. "Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anyone sitting here," the president claimed. "He had no problem with it. All of a sudden he had a problem, and he only developed the problem when he found out that we're going to have to cut the [electric vehicle] mandate, because that's billions and billions of dollars." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Elon and I had a great relationship," Trump added, noting the past tense. "I don't know if we will anymore." The feud has gone viral, with plenty of politicians, pundits and social media users poking fun at the spat between the former allies. Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joked with Spectrum 1 News on June 5, saying, Oh man, the girls are fighting, arent they? You know, I would say that this was something that was a long time coming, where weve been seeing that these two huge egos were not long for being together in this world as friends, Ocasio-Cortez added. And so I think this breakup, weve been seeing a long time coming. But well see what the impacts are of it, legislatively. Read the original article on People NEOSHO, Mo. A southwest Missouri woman is honored for her dedication to the community. This morning, Donna Wilson was celebrated for her work at the Help Center food pantry in Neosho. As part of that celebration, Wilson was presented with a senior citizens volunteer service award from the state capitol. Wilson has been volunteering at the pantry since 1998 and became the director in 2002. Over the years, shes given more than 40-thousand hours of her time to the pantry and says it became her passion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was my life. This is what I really enjoy. I enjoy seeing the people helping the people and them helping me. Theyve been a blessing to me also. And it seemed kind of short now, said Donna Wilson, Former Director of the Help Center, retired. Volunteers are what really have built America, and its what stabilizes a church, a city, a state, whatever the case may be. Volunteers have been the hope of America for years, said Reggie Powers, Field Representative for Senator Jill Carter 32nd District. The day doubled as a retirement party for Donna and her husband Jim. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com. Downed power lines in Fairfield caused massive delays and cancellations to passenger train services throughout Connecticut on Thursday and led to some cancellations in surrounding states. The downed lines were reported in the early evening hours between the Southport and Fairfield station, according to the Fairfield Fire Department. The overhead lines came down on the tracks, causing a power loss. Fire officials said they helped evacuate two Metro-North trains full of people after they lost power. The passengers were taken to the Greens Farms Station in Westport where shuttle buses were expected to transport them, according to fire officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Amtrak, the downed lines led to service being temporarily suspended and a number of cancellations between New Haven and New York. The ongoing delays caused by the wires were cited as the reason for cancellations between Philadelphia and Springfield, Boston and New York as well as Boston and Stamford. Fire officials said MTA power crews worked throughout the night to restore power to the corridor. According to a spokesperson for Amtrak, power by the morning was restored with some residual delays for services between New York and New Haven. According to the MTA, trains on the New Haven line were operating on a delay between 10-15 minutes. Two trains scheduled to depart from New Haven for New York at 7:25 a.m. and 7:52 a.m. were canceled, the MTA said. Several dozen more Ukrainians living abroad have joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces under contract and will be trained in Poland. Source: recruitment centre at the Consulate General of Ukraine in Lublin, as reported by European Pravda, citing Ukrinform Details: Petro Horkusha, a representative of the recruitment centre at Ukraines Consulate General in Lublin, told Ukrinform that on 6 June, the fourth and largest group of Ukrainian volunteers living abroad signed contracts with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among the dozens of volunteers are Ukrainians living in Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Moldova and Czechia. The group consists of both men and women, with over 20% aged between 18 and 24. Young candidates are most often drawn to departments working with unmanned systems. Women typically apply for medical or communications roles. Among men over 40, many prefer positions as mechanics or drivers. After signing their contracts, the volunteers will undergo 45 days of general military training in Polands Lublin Voivodeship, followed by specialised training elsewhere. Background: The creation of the Ukrainian Legion from Ukrainians who had recently lived and worked abroad was announced in July 2024, and the first volunteers signed contracts in November. Polands support in training these volunteers is part of a bilateral security agreement with Kyiv. Legion volunteers can sign contracts for one year, three years, or until the end of martial law. The first group of volunteers from the Ukrainian Legion signed contracts with the Ukrainian Armed Forces last November, the second in January this year and the third in late February. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! ST. LOUIS Using money from the Rams settlement fund for St. Louis tornado relief could soon be on the table for debate among city leaders. FOX 2 News has acquired what appears to be a draft of a bill made by the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. The unnumbered bill, introduced by Board President Megan Green, lists Aldermen Rasheen Aldridge and Michael Browning, Alderwomen Pamela Boyd and Laura Keys, and Mayor Cara Spencer as cosponsors. On Tuesday, Green said they were working with the budget office to identify more funding sources. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement $10K tactical robot purchase discovery leads to answers from Sheriffs Office The ordinance would direct $30 million of Rams settlement funds to be deposited in the citys Tornado Relief and Recovery Fund. The facts of the bill estimate 3,500 homes impacted and 16,000 buildings damaged or destroyed by the May 16 tornado. Upwards of 70% of homeowners in the tornados path either didnt have home insurance or were underinsured, according to the states Department of Commerce and Insurance. This would be the first expenditure of the money since the settlement was reached in November 2021. The bill lists 26 neighborhoods and parks located along the tornados path: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wydown Skinker Forest Park Skinker DeBaliviere DeBaliviere Place Central West End West End Visitation Park Academy/Sherman Park Fountain Park Lewis Place Vandeventer Hamilton Heights Wells Goodfellow Kingsway West Kingsway East Greater Ville The Ville Jeff-Vander-Lou Mark Twain Penrose OFallon Fairground Park Fairground North Riverfront OFallon Park College Hill Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. Thanks to the creative application of new technologies, the 2020s are quietly shaping up to be a golden age of archaeology. In 2023, then-21-year-old Luke Farritor (now with the Department of Government Efficiency) combined machinelearning pattern recognition with highresolution CT scans to decipher the first word from the Herculaneum scrollsa Roman library charred by Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Fully decrypting the library could ultimately double the surviving corpus of Ancient Greek and Roman literaturean unprecedented bonanza for classical scholarship. Analysis of ancient DNA has resolved long-debated questions about human migrations. After sequencing hundreds of Bronze Age human genomes, David Reich's research team at Harvard positively identified southwest Russia as the geographical origin of the Indo-European languages, while other genomic work has dated Homo sapiens-Neanderthal interbreeding to 47,000 years ago, several millennia prior to earlier best guesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fossilized human footprints in White Sands, New Mexico, have been conclusively dated to about 23,000 years agoproof that people were in North America during the last Ice Age and forcing scholars to rethink when and how humans first crossed into the New World. Lidar has recently revealed massive ancient cities under jungle canopies, from the Mayan platform of Aguada Fenix in Mexicolarger than the Great Pyramid of Gizato mysterious urban centers in the ancient Amazon. These developmentswhether driven by artificial intelligence, the decryption of ancient genomics, or airborne laserspromise to momentously expand society's understanding of humanity's past. Notably absent from this bounty, however, are the fruits of traditional, physical, Indiana Jones-style archaeology. The world of bits, as has often been the case these days, is leaving the world of atoms in the dust. While the storied bits over atoms problem is a complicated one, legal mechanisms are straightforwardly to blame for throttling archeological discovery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case of Italian antiquities policy is paradigmatic. Since the 1930s, Italyalong with Greece, Turkey, and Egypthas vested ownership of all antiquities in the state. Commerce in freshly unearthed artifacts is outlawed, and unauthorized excavation is punishable by hefty fines and sometimes prison time. Even using a metal detector requires a permit. Edward Luttwak, a historian and author of The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire, explains that in Italy, "if you find something, you report it to the authorities. The authorities take it, goodbye. Most often, what they take from you, they put in a depot, a basement, a warehouse, and it never even gets shown." This is the unfortunate lot of the fortunate discoverer of an Italian artifact. Report a Roman coin? It'll be confiscated. Find an Etruscan urn while planting olives? Your land will be turned into an archaeological site the government may never have time to excavate. It's unsurprising, then, that Italians frequently don't report their findings to the government. Many artifacts end up on the black market (in 2023, Italy's Carabinieri Art Squad seized nearly 70,000 illegally excavated artifacts), or are even simply destroyed or hidden away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Private hoarding is an especially pernicious problem: When "illegally excavated" (read: most) Italian artifacts are privately held in people's houses, they are lost both to scholarship and public view. "You could fill twice the museums that exist in Italy from what people have hidden in their houses," says Luttwak, "which they wouldn't hide if you could report [them] to the authorities like they do in England." The British model provides a striking contrast. Since the 1996 Treasure Act, British law has required that significant archaeological finds be reported. Instead of simply seizing them, if the state wishes to retain an item, it must compensate the finder and landowner at its full market value. To capture the far larger universe of objects that fall outside the law's narrow legal definition of "treasure," the state-sponsored Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) established a voluntary nationwide program through which average Britons can log any find, whether or not the state intends to acquire it, into an open scientific database. As of 2020, over 1 million objects have been logged in PAS. According to Michael Lewis, head of Portable Antiquities and Treasure at the British Museum, over 90 percent of PAS-recorded items are found by metal detectorists on cultivated land, indicating how the scheme has turned what was once seen as a threat into a fountainhead of archaeological data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thanks to these policies, Britain has been increasingly outpacing Italy in Roman archaeology despite its relatively modest classical history, as seen in this viral map of the provenance of hoards of Roman coins. Notice the sheer quantity of Roman coin discoveries reported in the U.K., far surpassing those in Italy. This disparity isn't explained by Roman Britain being richer than Roman Italy (quite the opposite), but by modern Britain recognizing and leveraging incentives to bring history out of occultation. The Great Stagnation of physical archaeology is a choice. The failure of policymakers to get the basics rightto make physical archaeology worth anyone's timerenders the richest landscapes fallow. Luttwak's attention is on one such landscape: the confluence of the Busento and Crati rivers on the edge of Cosenza, Calabria. Contemporary accounts record that in 410 A.D. the Visigoth chieftain Alaricfresh from sacking Romewas buried beneath the temporarily diverted river along with the treasures of the Eternal City. "Alaric's treasure is located in the southern part of the city of Cosenza," says Luttwak. "It was documented by an eyewitness." Alaric took "gold and silver objectsstatues, and all kinds of thingspossibly even the Temple menorah.When Alaric died in Cosenza, he got as the king one third of the treasure [to be] buried with him." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It could be found," explains Luttwak, "with hovering metal detectors, because he was buried with his weapons, too." Alaric's hoardand maybe Judaism's most iconic physical symbolshould be discoverable today with an aerial anomaly survey and some clever hydraulics. The technology is ready; the incentives are not. Change the rules, and the payoff could be extraordinary. The post The Dreadful Policies Halting Archeological Discoveries appeared first on Reason.com. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) A driver was taken to the hospital after reportedly crashing into a home in Miami County. Deputies from the Miami County Sheriffs Office responded June 6 around 8:47 a.m. to the 2200 block of S. State Route 202 in Staunton Township in reference to a crash. Initial reports indicate that a vehicle left the roadway and crashed into an occupied residence, entering the interior of the structure, said the MCSO. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 4 in custody after pursuit, wrong-way crash on I-75 First responders extricated the driver from the vehicle. Once out of the vehicle, the driver was taken to the hospital for treatment. Individuals were inside of the home at the time of the crash, but were reportedly not injured. Law enforcement is investigating to see whether or not the crash might have been intentional. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com. The training centre just outside the perimeter of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has been targeted by drones for the fourth time this year. Source: Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Interfax-Ukraine Details: The IAEA team stationed at the Zaporizhzhia NPP heard repeated gunfire likely directed against drones attacking the plants training centre, followed by the sound of multiple explosions, Interfax-Ukraine says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The team reported hearing at least five blasts between 11:30 and 13:45 on Thursday 5 June, each preceded by gunfire. No damage to the training centre has been confirmed. Quote from Grossi: "Drones flying close to nuclear power plants could threaten their safety and security, with potentially serious consequences. As I have stated repeatedly during the war, such incidents must stop immediately." More details: The agency noted that in mid-April this year, a drone crashed near the Zaporizhzhia NPP training facility, and in February, another UAV seriously damaged the New Safe Confinement at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Ukraines operating nuclear power plants in the cities of Khmelnytskyi, Rivne and Pivdennoukrainsk also regularly report sightings of drones near their sites. Background: The International Atomic Energy Agency has reported yet another drone attack near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Kent Nishimura / Bloomberg via Getty Images The recreational vehicle maker's product offerings, price, and promotions helped lift performance Key Takeaways Thor Industries exceeded earnings and revenue forecasts as North American sales increased and it contained expenses. The recreational vehicle maker's product offerings, price, and promotions helped lift performance. Thor Industries affirmed its full-year guidance. Shares of Thor Industries (THO) surged Wednesday after the recreational vehicle (RV) manufacturer reported better-than-expected results as North American demand and its efforts to reduce expenses boosted performance. The maker of Airstream and Jayco RVs posted fiscal 2025 third-quarter earnings per share (EPS) of $2.53 on revenue that rose 3% to $2.89 billion. Analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha expected $1.79 and $2.63 billion, respectively. North American Towable RV sales increased 9% to $1.17 billion, with units shipped growing 5.5% to 36,077. The company credits the gain on a 4% rise in net price per unit because of a greater proportion of fifth wheel units in its product mix. North American Motorized RV sales were 3% higher to $666.7 million, with units shipped jumping 11% to 5,507, driven by promotional activities. CEO Bob Martin said the companys "successful execution of key strategic initiatives, in particular placing further emphasis on driving down our cost profile, led to improved margins in an environment where we saw modest year-over-year top-line improvement." COO Todd Woelfer explained that Thor has taken "significant restructuring steps," and that those "will further optimize our enterprise structure and drive meaningful savings as the Company works to reduce its cost footprint." Woelfer added that while the company affirmed its full-year outlook, it recognizes "that potential swings from uncertainties in the macro environment could be significant," including the impact of tariffs. Woelfer noted that the guidance assumes "no new material shifts within the macro or global trade environment." Thor sees 2025 EPS of $3.30 to $4.00, and revenue of $9.0 billion to $9.5 billion. Despite today's 5% advance, Thor Industries shares are down nearly 10% year-to-date. TradingView Read the original article on Investopedia The drama in the British royal family has everyone taking sides. How could it not be so, considering King Charles is very sick, succession plans are reportedly underway, and Prince Harry is feuding with his father and his brother, Prince William, at the same time. Recently, reports surfaced that some royals might be looking to fix the rift between the brothers, among them Kate Middleton, but things remain frosty as of now. Prince Harry recently gave an interview in which he spoke openly about wanting to put the rift with his family behind him. I would love reconciliation with my family. Theres no point continuing to fight any more, life is precious, Harry said, explaining that the issue of security has always been the sticking point in his recent family troubles. The Prince also said that while there have been so many disagreements between myself and some of my family, hes now forgiven them. More from StyleCaster Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related: Did William really cheat on Kate? But whether the rest of the family feels the same remains to be seen. The Duchess of Edinburgh, Sophie, stepped out with Prince William for a joint engagement on June 6th, seemingly sending a message about where she stands, as she and her nephew smiled and looked to get along great during the joint appearance. The Duchess and the Prince attended the Royal Cornwall Show in Wadebridge, Cornwall, together. Prince William is patron of the association, while his aunt Sophie is the vice president. The two are not often paired for royal outings, which made it all the more remarkable that they attended together. Usually, if William is doing joint outings, its with his wife Kate Middleton, and the same goes for Duchess Sophie with her husband, Prince Edward. Other royals have seemingly come in support of King Charles, and by extension, Prince William, recently. A few days after Prince Harrys interview, King Charles, Princess Anne, and other members of the British royal familyincluding Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louiswere photographed watching the VE Day commemorations from their balcony at Buckingham Palace. Princess Annes appearance with the family has also been interpreted as a sign of support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This comes as reports indicate William and Harrys relationship is irrevocably broken, and Prince William will look to take harsh action against his brother when he takes the throne. Its no secret William wants Harry more harshly dealt with. He thinks he has betrayed the family from top to bottom, which is the ultimate Windsor crime. It wouldnt take much to provoke him to flex his muscles when he is king, a palace insider told The Daily Beast. Royal expert Hilary Fordwich also told Fox News that Harrys behavior has had quite an impact on the royal family and his reputation in the U.K. He is oblivious to the fact that his privileged upbringing was a blessing compared with most, Fordwich said. His behavior is causing irreparable harm nationally, as he was once much loved and second in popularity only to his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. She continued, He doesnt serve his country, he only serves himself. That is abhorrent to all the British and British values. For now, it seems like the royals are sticking together. Well, all but Prince Harry, his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two kids. Best of StyleCaster Sign up for Stylecaster's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. (KRON) A DUI driver drove at speeds up to 115 mph on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to escape pursuing officers on June 5, the California Highway Patrol said. The chase started around 1:54 a.m., when CHP officers saw a gray Dodge Challenger with tinted windows speeding on the eastbound side on the Bay Bridge. When officers attempted to stop the Challenger, the driver failed to stop and began driving recklessly in an effort to evade officers, reaching speeds of up to 115 mph, CHPS said. Officers ended the pursuit after losing sight of the Challenger as it transitioned onto eastbound Interstate 580. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Holding a cellphone for navigation while driving is illegal, California court rules Minutes later, the Dodge Challenger crashed into a traffic light pole and a tree near the 27th Street off-ramp for Interstate 980 in Oakland. Nearby CHP officers responded to the scene and allegedly found the suspect running from the scene of the crash. The driver was found to be under the influence of alcohol and was taken to Highland Hospital for medical evaluation for minor injuries, CHP said. The driver will face charges for reckless evading and driving under the influence. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) After days of uncertainty and unanswered questions, the National Park Service has officially announced that Dupont Circle Park will close for WorldPride weekend. Profoundly disappointed and profoundly pissed off, said Jeff Rueckgauber. Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC). This announcement came after the United States Park Police (USPP) requested the closure over safety concerns. Park police said closing the circle was necessary for the maintenance of public health and safety and protection of natural and cultural resources in the park. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Park police added the temporary closure throughout the weekend will secure the park, deter potential violence, reduce the risk of destructive acts and decrease the need for extensive law enforcement presences. PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Uncertainty lingers over Dupont Circles status ahead of WorldPride Parade The decision stemmed from previous Pride weekends, when D.C. police said groups of people damaged property, looted and participated in underage drinking. The historic fountain at the center of the circle was reportedly damaged, and there were reports of gunfire. ANC Commissioner Jeff Rueckgauber criticized how the decision was handled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres nothing wrong with having concerns about safety, but it was went about completely the wrong way, he said. Significant road closures for WorldPride Parade, Block Party In a letter to park police on April 22, D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith wrote, Every year, the situation has strained our personnel as the large crowds continued to linger around the park and spill into the nearby roadway, causing further disturbances. Days later, D.C. police rescinded their request to install anti-scale fencing around the perimeter of Dupont Circle after pushback from the community. However, the final decision was up to the United States Park Police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Around 5 a.m. on Friday, officers surrounded Dupont Circle with police tape, and fencing began going up around the park. (Ya-Marie Sesay/DC News Now) (Ya-Marie Sesay/DC News Now) USPP said the park will remain closed through Sunday, June 8, around 6 p.m. Richard Lewis, who lived in the community for nearly two decades, said he is truly disappointed. Very disappointed in the agencies that were involved in this lack of decision making, the back and forth. The public outcry apparently doesnt seem to matter. There are ways of doing and protecting the property without closing it, said Lewis. [Theres a] huge sense of community and belonging. I hope that transcends through this neighborhood and nearby neighborhoods, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. D-Day veterans have gathered on a Normandy beach to remember the landings 81 years on. The veterans, aged between 99 and 101, travelled to France for the annual ceremony of remembrance for the men who landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6 1944, to liberate France from Nazi occupation during the Second World War. The five men Ken Hay, Richard Aldred, Henry Rice, Jim Grant and John Dennett gathered ahead of the ceremony for a photograph on Sword Beach, one of the five main landing areas along the Normandy coast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The veterans, sitting in wheelchairs while adorned with medals of service, are some of the few D-Day veterans who are still alive today. Mr Hay, 99, was a private in the 4th Battalion with the Dorset Regiment, and was captured by Nazi troops shortly after the D-Day landings. Held as a prisoner of war, he was taken to Poland and forced to work in coal mines before he was liberated by US troops in 1945. Ken Hay was captured by the Nazis shortly after the D-Day landings On the eve of the ceremony, Mr Hay told The Telegraph: Even though the 80th anniversary has passed, we veterans still feel it is our duty to come back here and remember all our friends who never came home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We get applauded, even though they are the ones who gave all. Sharing my stories with children in the UK and France is something I am very passionate about. We are the age of their great grandparents we experienced it, understand it and know that it should never happen again. Francis Jim Grant, 100, served as a Royal Marine and manned a gun on a Landing Craft Flak on D-Day, spending many hours providing covering fire for troops landing on the Normandy beaches. He said: I dont think we were really prepared for what happened. We were firing over the tops of their heads. Francis Jim Grant served as a Royal Marine on the Normandy beaches John Dennett, 100, was a Royal Navy anti-aircraft gunner on one of the thousands of ships taking troops onto the Normandy beaches. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The veteran, from Wallasey, Merseyside, made sure the Allied soldiers did not get shot from overhead during the combined naval, air and land assault on Nazi-occupied France. John Dennett was a Royal Navy anti-aircraft gunner during the D-Day landings On the 80th anniversary of the famous landings last year, Mr Dennett recalled the unbelievable sight of the ships sailing to Normandy. He said he remembered the sight of the 7,000 ships and thinking nothing can happen to us. When theyd gone and opened their fire and they did realise there was trouble, and your feelings were well this one is a bit different than the last one, he added. Mr Rice, 99, from Cranleigh, Surrey, was a signalman who arrived off Juno Beach five days after D-Day. While Mr Aldred, 100, was a Cromwell tank driver attached to the 7th Armoured Division in the Army. Henry Rice was a signalman on Juno Beach while Richard Aldred was a Cromwell tank driver Their photographs came before Lord Dannatt, former head of the Army, spoke at the remembrance service at the British Normandy Memorial above Gold Beach. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said the legacy of the soldiers killed on the battlefields of Normandy paved the way for the Europe in which we live today, before warning that the shadow of the Ukrainian war looms over the continent. The former chief of the general staff added: The price of returning peace and freedom to Europe was very high but the legacy of the fallen and the courage, determination and commitment of all those who fought in the Normandy Campaign has given us the Europe in which we live today, albeit in the shadow of the war in Ukraine. Lord Dannatt, who chairs the Normandy Memorial Trust and is patron of the Spirit of Normandy Trust, gave the welcoming speech at the annual ceremony of remembrance, which is led jointly by the two trusts. Lord Dannatt spoke at the remembrance service at the British Normandy Memorial above Gold Beach - Barry Batchelor/PA The Rev Simon dAlbertanson, a Royal Navy chaplain and the chaplain for the Spirit of Normandy Trust, led a memorial service at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, describing D-Day as a seminal moment in history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He reminded veterans, officials and members of the public that the legacy of D-Day was vitally important given the conflict and troubled times that we live in. Mr dAlbertanson said: This was a seminal moment in history, and we forget it at our peril. Theres a legacy that builds from the different conflicts, and we live in very troubled times right now, and we need men and women who are fighting for peace. As a Christian, one of the lines in the Bible is Blessed are the peacemakers. Were called to make peace and sometimes that means we have to bring violence, but thats the last resort. We want to be peacemakers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two of the chaplains own relatives fought during the Second World War. His grandfather, Fred Hawker, joined the Royal Marines in 1942 and served on several ships, including HMS Ark Royal, while his great-uncle, who was a Royal Navy sailor, lost his life during the Battle of the Denmark Strait. Mr dAlbertanson said: Its an absolute honour and a privilege to be a part of this. This is all about the veterans and honouring the fallen, those who gave their lives, for our freedom. Being here brings it to life. It makes you realise what youre involved in, the men and women of the armed forces today and as chaplains we go with them. John Healey greeted the veterans during the remembrance ceremony in Ver-sur-Mer - Gareth Fuller/PA John Healey, the Defence Secretary, also attended events commemorating D-Day, alongside politicians from the United States and France. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said: We forever owe an enormous debt to the British and Allied forces who landed in Normandy 81 years ago today, determined to defeat Nazi tyranny and restore peace to western Europe. As we reset the nations contract with our armed forces, we will continue to remember all those who served to defend our values. The Normandy landings took place on June 6 1944, when nearly 160,000 Allied forces opened a second front by invading Nazi-occupied France. Of those, 73,000 were from the United States and 83,000 from Britain and Canada. Forces from several other countries were also involved, including French troops fighting with General Charles de Gaulle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Allies faced around 50,000 German forces and a total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. EARLE, Ark. One Arkansas community is looking to bring more business to the area, but city officials say there are a few steps that must be taken before that can happen. Earle city leaders are working to combat blight, and they say owners of dilapidated properties have 30 business days to come into compliance. Abandoned homes, burned structures and overgrown grass are becoming an eyesore in the small Crittenden County community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Arkansas town to open first grocery store in years If we dont take pride in our community, who else will? said Earle Mayor Jaylen Smith. Mayor Jaylen Smith says hes sent over 100 certified letters to owners of those troubled properties and the next step would be to place a lean on the property. Its a lot of owners here. They dont even take care of the property. The property is grown up. They got burned down houses on it. And you see it looks a mess like that hole right there. And Ive been here for 18 years, and it has all been there. I dont see why they dont fix it. You know, anybody could drive off in there and kids could fall off it, said William Davis, owner of Davis Automotive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mayor Smith says hes working with county, state and federal agencies to transform the trajectory of the city. In order to attract people, you have to have cleanliness. You can have your houses up, you have clean lots. And so were trying to do that. But we cant do that alone as a city. I dont have the staff as far as my public works, but Ill have five employees to really, help the entire city, said Mayor Smith. Earle, Arkansas council members freeze city funding One local business owner believes in the mayors vision and challenges his fellow residents to do the same. Hes doing an excellent job. You know, I stand behind him 100%, and hes a young guy. He got new ideas, and all they had to do is follow him, Davis said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Smith stands firm behind the city of Earle and says hes pushing for more economic development such as housing, businesses and programs, but it starts with the clean up. You know, I always say only Earle can save Earle. No one else can save the city of Earle, Smith said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. Winsome Earle-Sears, the all-but-certain Republican nominee in the Virginia governors race this fall, has built the early stages of her campaign around being Gov. Glenn Youngkins partner. Earle-Sears, the states lieutenant governor, has largely attempted to frame her candidacy as an extension of the current administration, an attempt to replicate the term-limited governors path to victory in the blue-leaning state four years ago. Together, weve fought for parents, backed the blue, and delivered real results for Virginians. Now, its time to keep that momentum going, Earle-Sears, referring to Youngkin, wrote in a Facebook post earlier this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But there has been notable daylight between Earle-Sears and Youngkin on several fronts, particularly on social issues, complicating her strategy to follow in the footsteps of her more popular governing partner. She is definitely trying to have it all ways, said a Republican operative in Virginia, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about Earle-Sears. Most prominently, Earle-Sears has made clear she is not fully aligned with Youngkin on a pair of hot-button social issues: same-sex marriage and abortion rights. Last year, Youngkin signed legislation protecting marriage equality in Virginia. But Earle-Sears left a handwritten note on the bill stating she was morally opposed to the legislation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following the bills passage through both chambers of the Legislature, Earle-Sears wrote on the physical copy, As the Lt. Governor, I recognize and respect my constitutional obligation to adhere to the procedures laid out in the Constitution of Virginia. However, I remain morally opposed to the contents of HB174 as passed by the General Assembly. Earle-Sears doubled down on separating herself from Youngkins position on the issue in a recent interview, telling a local news outlet in Richmond last month that she was fine with civil unions but refused to say she supported same-sex marriage. Shes also out of step with Youngkins positioning on abortion rights. In 2023, Youngkin proposed a 15-week ban on abortion in the state, which included exceptions for rape, incest and the health of the mother, in an ultimately unsuccessful effort to help the GOP carve out a less severe consensus bill restricting reproductive rights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For her part, Earle-Sears has supported a ban at six weeks, or when fetal cardiac activity is detected a point at which most women dont even know they are pregnant and with fewer exceptions. While she got behind Youngkins 15-week ban in 2023, she left another handwritten note on a measure passed by the Legislature earlier this year to send to voters a proposed constitutional amendment that would enshrine the states abortion protections. I am morally opposed to this bill; no protection for the child, she wrote. She has also in the past called abortion genocide and vowed to do everything in my power to end abortion in Virginia. Youngkin managed to shift the focus elsewhere during his 2021 campaign and has largely had to continue doing so as governor, as hes dealt with a Democratic-controlled Legislature. But the fact that he staked out middle ground on social issues has only further highlighted Earle-Sears more conservative positioning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition, Earle-Sears has faced criticism for her approach to the plight of federal workers in Virginia who have been affected by President Donald Trumps moves to shrink the size of government via the Department of Government Efficiency. She praised those efforts earlier this year, saying she was glad Trump was getting to the bottom of alleged waste and fraud in the federal government. While she has often pointed to the Youngkin administrations investments in the private sector of the Virginia economy as a reason workers need not worry, she has also said she would help Trump get the job done on the issue. And she downplayed the federal layoffs at an event in March, saying, The media is making it out to be a huge, huge thing and I dont understand why. Youngkin, on the other hand, has said he wants to cushion his states economy from the effects of DOGE and earlier this year was frequently touting a website his administration created that effectively serves as a job board while also praising DOGE. Earle-Sears positions stand in contrast to the relative political middle ground Youngkin has famously staked out in Virginia efforts that have contributed to a record of strong approval ratings for the Republican governor in a state that Kamala Harris carried last year by about 6 percentage points. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month, though, a Roanoke College poll found a 44% favorability rating for Youngkin among registered voters, versus 50% who view him unfavorably his worst showing in that particular poll, and a possible indication that the broader GOP brand could be facing trouble in Virginia. But Earle-Sears had lower marks, with only 32% viewing her favorably and 48% saying they had an unfavorable view. Another 20% of respondents said they had no opinion of her. And the poll showed Democrat Abigail Spanberger leading Earle-Sears in the governors race by 17 points. Political operatives in the state from both parties told NBC News these notable departures by Earle-Sears particularly on social issues risk turning off large chunks of voters in the political center that shed need to hold together Youngkins winning coalition from four years ago. Whats her core promise to the voter? It should be pretty simple: Things are going good. Lets keep it going but she gets distracted, the Republican operative said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democratic Party of Virginia spokesperson Maggie Amjad said these issues, and others, show that Earle-Sears is a far-right candidate with a long record thats out of step with Virginians. Representatives for both Earle-Sears and Youngkin downplayed any differences in their political views and emphasized that Youngkins strengths as governor still extended to Earle-Sears and other Republicans on the ballot in Virginia this fall. The medias obsession with creating division where there isnt any wont change the fact that the Youngkin-Sears Administration is one of the most popular in Virginias history thats no accident, Earle-Sears campaign press secretary Peyton Vogel said in an email to NBC News. They share a commitment to common-sense leadership, individual liberty, and getting government out of the way. Winsome has been a vital part of this administration, and will continue to bring ideas to the table that better the lives of Virginians across the Commonwealth as Governor just as she has during her time as Lieutenant Governor. Justin Discigil, a spokesperson for Youngkins Spirit of Virginia PAC, said in an email that Youngkin has delivered for Virginians with record tax relief, record job growth, and record investments in education, law enforcement, behavioral health, and other shared priorities, and that Earle-Sears and all Virginia Republicans have a record to run on with proven results. A challenging political landscape Earle-Sears positioning on social issues and DOGE could further complicate what had already emerged as an uphill climb for Republicans to keep control of the governorship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earle-Sears has already faced a torrent of criticism for running an undisciplined campaign. And Spanberger, her opponent, is widely seen as a strong candidate who has won several competitive House races. The GOP also faces historical headwinds: In 11 of the last 12 Virginia gubernatorial races, voters elected the candidate of the party out of power in the White House. Republicans view Youngkins 2021 victory as the product of a unique candidate who was able to benefit from the anger and fatigue over the Covid-19 pandemic and remote learning in public schools. Strategists said that will be difficult to replicate this year. He just simply makes the main thing the main thing, and hes extremely disciplined about it. Everything fits into make Virginia the best place to live, work and raise a family. He puts everything into the common sense bucket, the kitchen-table issue bucket. Thats where he lives. Thats why his approval ratings are always pretty high, said Virginia-based Republican strategist Zack Roday, who previously worked with Youngkin through his Spirit of Virginia PAC but is not working with the Earle-Sears campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Roday, along with other Virginia GOP strategists, suggested that Earle-Sears hadnt yet displayed the same political strengths. Meanwhile, Democrats signaled they were preparing to seize on another difference they said would be meaningful to Virginia voters: how each candidate handled Trump during their campaign. Throughout the 2021 campaign, Youngkin notably kept his distance from Trump, who was at a political low point following his loss to Joe Biden and the fallout from the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. While Youngkin has since cultivated a much more public and close relationship with Trump in the years since, operatives from both major parties credited that distance during that campaign as another reason he won. Earle-Sears has so far voiced full-throated support for Trump. Earle-Sears is only focused on appeasing Trump and pushing an extreme agenda thats wrong for Virginia, said Amjad. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com You sat in more stop-than-go traffic on Interstate-10 on the way home from work while you resisted the urge or not to hurl epithets. Thats the way it was. The way it is now, as Arizona Department of Transportation mops up its nearly four-year rebuild of the Valleys busiest freeway, 11 miles from I-17 through the Broadway Curve to the Loop 202 interchange in Ahwatukee: Better. Its fresh, so its going to take time to assess how much better. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ADOT has finished the heavy lifting. The new traffic lanes, interchanges and bridges are done. What remains is landscaping, lane striping, signage, lighting and completion of ramps that lead to two new pedestrian/cyclists bridges over I-10, which ADOT hopes to complete by June 1. It is the largest rebuild of a freeway in ADOT history. We are just so happy that all of the major components of the project are done, the big stuff, and we are now just focusing really on the cosmetics part of the project, said Marcy McMacken, ADOT spokeswoman. We are over the moon about it, with how well this project has gone. Weve already gotten a lot of positive feedback, so were glad to hear that the difference is very noticeable from four years ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Finally, relief For drivers, who for years endured not only weekday jams of traffic at rush hour on an outdated freeway but then also closures and restrictions on weekends during construction, the misery is over. When Interstate 10 was built through the Broadway Curve in the mid-1960s, the Valley had a population of about 800,000. Today, it is 5 million. ADOT estimates that 300,000 vehicles use the stretch of freeway every day. In the coming 15 years, ADOT estimates the number will rise to 375,000 a day. The average speed on eastbound I-10 from I-17 to U.S. 60 during afternoon rush hour before the rebuilding project was 32 mph, ADOT said. Without the project, that speed was projected to decrease to 29 mph by this summer and trend downward over time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With the I-10/Broadway Road Improvement project completed, average speed is projected to increase to 40 mph this summer. According to a Maricopa Association of Governments economic evaluation in 2020, improvements from the project will save motorists 2.5 million hours annually that otherwise would have been spent in traffic totaling $130 million a year in time savings due to quicker commutes. Theres good news for ADOT, too, according to McMacken. We are expected to be under budget, she said. ADOT had paid out $646,637,489 through early May, according to McMacken. The figure will rise slightly when work is completed and contractors receive their final checks in June. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whats new? With the addition of main traffic lanes, high-occupancy vehicle lanes and collector distributor roads for local traffic, capacity on I-10 has increased by 60 percent through the Broadway Curve. What taxpayers got for their money: I-10 widened to six general-purpose lanes and two high-occupancy vehicle lanes in each direction from U.S. 60/Superstition Freeway west to Interstate 17. I-10 widened to four general-purpose lanes in each direction from Ray Road north to U.S. 60. New, wider bridges over the freeway at Broadway Road and 48th Street. Wider bridge over the Salt River. Roadway improvement on approximately one mile in both directions of U.S. 60/Superstition Freeway from I-10 to Hardy Drive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Roadway improvement on approximately one mile in both directions of State Route 143/Hohokam Expressway from I-10 to the southern end of the SR 143 bridge over the Salt River. Addition of collector distributor roads next to I-10 from Baseline Road west to 40th Street to separate through-traffic on the freeway from local traffic entering or exiting at Broadway, SR 143 to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and 48th Street. Complete rebuild of I-10/SR 143 interchange with direct connections to and from SR 143 via flyover bridges to I-10. Two bridges for pedestrians and bicyclists over I-10 at Alameda Drive and the Western Canal, and improving the Sun Circle Trail crossing at Guadalupe Road. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sound and retaining walls where warranted. An LA twist The collector distributor roads are the most unique element of the project that get exiting and entering traffic off the main through lanes via what amounts to a parallel mini freeway for local traffic. There used to be a mad scramble where traffic off westbound I-10 heading for Broadway Road or SR 143 to the airport had to cross several lanes of traffic to the right in less than a mile while traffic entering I-10 west from U.S. 60 was crisscrossing as those drivers were moving left to get onto the I-10 through lanes. Collector distributors relieve most of the stress with dedicated lanes. Reducing the need for lane changes enhances safety, according to McMacken. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was a learning curve for motorists, though. The feedback on them has been amazing, McMacken said. In the beginning, it was a new concept for many drivers, because weve never had that in the Phoenix area. Our educational campaign was launched over a year ago, letting the drivers know what these roads were and how to use them. Nobody around here had seen it unless theyd been to LA, or places like that. And I think it did take people a while to figure it out. The first couple of times through, even for me, and Ive been to LA a lot, there was that learning curve because it was just so different. Now, they are being used as they should be, and its made a difference. The project was funded largely by revenue from a half-cent transportation sales tax, Proposition 400, that voters countywide approved in 2004. MAG, the regional transportation planner, identified the need to reduce travel times on I-10 during peak hours, improve airport access, support ridesharing and transit with more HOV lanes, and to prepare the region for future growth projections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the beginning of the project, one of the requirements of the construction crew was that they do not conduct any full-freeway closures during the work week, during peak travel times, McMacken said. They stuck to that. They did not conduct any freeway closures Monday through Friday. We are pleased that we were able to stick to that to minimize the impact on motorists. If we would have closed it during weekdays, the project would have been completed a while ago, but we knew that wasnt possible just because of where this project was located with its heavy volume of traffic. Whats ahead Crews will continue some landscaping work over the coming year, McMacken said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And then, ADOTs focus shifts south, to the 26-mile Wildhorse Pass Corridor along I-10 from Loop 202 to just north of Casa Grande, the final segment of the freeway that is only two lanes in each direction between Phoenix and Tucson. A separate project already is underway at the I-10 Gila River crossing, where bridges are being rebuilt and widened. The first of four phases of the Wildhorse Pass Corridor project is Loop 202 to Riggs Road. McMacken said ADOT expects to begin widening that stretch in late summer of 2026. Ryan, a provider of tax services and software, has expanded its capabilities through the acquisition of The Albano Group's real and personal property tax service lines. This move brings a team of property tax professionals to Ryan's fold and adds a diverse client portfolio across multiple industries. The Albano Group, a specialty tax consulting firm with locations in Bedford, New Hampshire, and Andover, Massachusetts, specialises in state and local tax consulting, including sales, use, and property taxes. This acquisition is expected to enhance the client experience by integrating The Albano Group's localised tax strategies with Ryan's technology solutions. Clients can expect improved navigation through complex tax regulations, stated the company. Ryan chairman and CEO G. Brint Ryan said: The expertise and exceptional consulting services provided by The Albano Group are well aligned with Ryans distinctive approach to achieving superior results for our clients. We are pleased to further our reach in the Northeast and look forward to bringing the power of our national network, diverse service offerings, and industry-leading tax technology to clients of The Albano Group to assist them in identifying additional tax-saving opportunities. Based in Dallas, Texas, Ryan delivers a wide array of tax services, including tax recovery, consulting, advocacy, compliance, and technology services. The firm operates on a multi-jurisdictional basis, serving a clientele that spans over 80 countries. Ryan's team, consisting of more than 5,900 professionals and associates, caters to the needs of over 77,000 clients globally. In July 2023, it was named one of the UK's Best Workplaces for Women by Great Place To Work, ranking 51st among 100 companies in the Medium Organisation category. "Ryan buys The Albano Groups tax service lines" was originally created and published by International Accounting Bulletin, a GlobalData owned brand. We wish that Elise Stefanik was sitting at the large C-shaped table in the UN Security Council chamber over on the East Side on Wednesday, where she would have ripped apart the fecklessness of the diplomats (from both friend and foe) who lined up to do the bidding of Hamas in support of a lopsided resolution that had to be vetoed by the United States. But due to D.C. politics and the narrowness of the Republican control of the House, Stefanik remains a congresswoman from upstate and is not the U.S. ambassador and the veto task fell to Charge dAffaires Dorothy Shea, a career Senior Foreign Service officer. Shea cast her veto, making for a 14-1 tally and correctly killing the resolution, which called for a ceasefire in Gaza without blaming Hamas, who started the fighting by launching the Oct. 7 onslaught against Israel and can stop the fighting by freeing the hostages, giving up, disarming and leaving Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The way to peace is simple: get Hamas out and get aid in. They are stealing the supplies being shipped to the needy Palestinians in the territory. Hamas started this horrible situation by launching the Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel, the deadliest day for Jews since Hitlers genocidal 1,000-year Reich was destroyed by the heroic soldiers and airmen of the Red Army and the Western Allies. Hamas has been defeated by Israel. Hamas has lost the war, but they are not willing to surrender and they are prolonging the agony for the innocent Palestinians by using them as human shields. The U.S., Egypt and Qatar have been conducting peace talks for months. Israel keeps saying yes, while Hamas keeps saying no, as recently as this past weekend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. policy has been consistent since Oct. 7: Hamas is the cause of the bloodshed and the suffering and any UN resolution must assign them the blame. The Biden administration vetoed prior Security Council resolutions that failed to condemn Hamas and now the Trump administration is continuing to do so. The Security Council cannot be allowed to deliver Hamas a propaganda victory, while in the real world, the terrorists refuse to accept a way out that the negotiators are offering. There was some hope for a breakthrough when Israel killed Hamas honcho Mohammed Sinwar last week, the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the fiend who masterminded Oct. 7 and who was killed last October. But this UN vote, which the Hamas champions will heap blame on Washington for, will only make a getting deal take that much longer and that means more suffering for the people of Gaza who have suffered under years of cruel Hamas dictatorship and now a war started by Hamas. But thats to be expected from the UN, which still hasnt labeled Hamas as a terror organization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for whats happening in Gaza while the UN dickers, Hamas terrorists hide in their tunnels and ordinary Palestinians pay for their intransigence. There are still 58 Israeli hostages being held by Hamas, now for 608 days. The way forward is clear for Hamas: lay down your weapons, release the hostages and leave Gaza behind to be rebuilt. The Hamas legacy of death and suffering has to end. The UN is only postponing that day. _____ Egyptian-born Russian fighter, callsign "Cobra," signed a contract with the Russian army in 2024, abandoning his young wife, university studies and comfortable lifestyle. Now in Ukrainian prison, he's rethinking his choices. Subscribe to our channel for more independent reporting from Ukraine. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. MEXICO CITY (AP) Abysmal voter turnout, political polarization and voting cheat sheets were among the reasons an observation mission for Mexicos historic judicial elections on Friday issued a recommendation to other countries in the region: dont try this at home. In their report, the electoral mission from the Organization of American States said the June 1 election was extremely complex and polarizing, and was marked by a widespread lack of awareness among voters about what they were voting for and who the thousands of candidates were. Given the findings, the mission concluded that it does not recommend this model of judge selection be replicated in other countries in the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Sundays vote, Mexicans elected 881 federal judges, including a new Supreme Court, and another 1,800 state judges as part of a complete overhaul of the judiciary. The process was carried out following a constitutional reform approved last year by a Congress with a ruling-party majority. The overhaul fueled protests and criticism within Mexico and by the U.S. and Canadian governments, which warned of a potential loss of judicial independence and the politicization of justice in Mexico. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and her mentor and architect of the overhaul, former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador claimed they want to root out corruption in the judiciary, which most Mexicans agree is broken. Mexico's electoral authority said this week that voter turnout was 13%, significantly lower than the 60% turnout in last years general elections. In the Friday report, the OAS mission led by former Chilean Foreign Minister Heraldo Munoz Valenzuela expressed concern over the low level of citizen participation and noted that this is one of the lowest turnout levels in the region. Observers also pointed to the high percentage of null and unmarked ballots, which exceeded 10%. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's necessary to carry out a comprehensive reflection on the nature of the (electoral) process and how it was conducted, the report concluded. The OAS's 16-member observation mission also raised concerns about the nine candidates elected to join Mexico's Supreme Court who were promoted in physical and digital cheat sheets.'" While parties were not allowed to advocate for candidates, pamphlets known as accordions guiding voters on which candidates to vote for were widely distributed. Mexican electoral authorities investigated complaints against the ruling Morena party and other opposition groups that distributed the voter guides in communities across the capital and other cities in the weeks leading up to the vote. The agency also ordered that a website featuring a digital cheat sheet with Morena-aligned candidates for the Supreme Court and other top tribunals be taken down. OAS observers also noted that six of the nine candidates elected to the high court had been nominated by the government controlled by Morena, and the remaining three were justices appointed by Lopez Obrador, which raises reasonable doubts about the autonomy and independence of the highest court in relation to the Executive. Despite the criticism, Sheinbaum praised the election this week, calling it a success. WASHINGTON If history is any guide, and there is a lot of history, the explosive new falling-out between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk is not going to end well for the former White House adviser and worlds richest man. The political battlefield is littered with the scorched remains of some of Trumps former allies who picked a fight with him or were on the receiving end of one. Lawyer Michael Cohen. Political adviser Steve Bannon. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. John Bolton, John Kelly and Chris Christie, to name just a few. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If what happened to me is any indication of how they handle these matters, then Elon is going to get decimated, said Cohen, the former long-term Trump lawyer and fixer who once said hed take a bullet for his boss. Musk, he said, "just doesn't understand how to fight this type of political guerrilla warfare." They're going to take his money, they're going to shutter his businesses, and they're going to either incarcerate or deport him, Cohen said. He's probably got the White House working overtime already, as we speak, figuring out how to close his whole damn thing down. Cohen had perhaps the most spectacular blowup, until now, with Trump. He served time in prison after Trump threw him under the bus by denying any knowledge of pre-election payments Cohen made to a porn actress to keep her alleged tryst with Trump quiet before the 2016 election. More: President Trump threatens Elon Musk's billions in government contracts as alliance craters Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cohen felt so betrayed by Trump that he titled his memoir Disloyal, but the Trump administration tried to block its publication. Cohen ultimately fought back, becoming a star witness for the government in the state hush money case and helped get Trump convicted by a Manhattan jury. More: Impeachment? Deportation? Crazy? 6 takeaways from the wild feud between Trump and Elon Musk Some suffered similar legal attacks and other slings and arrows, including Trump taunts and his trademark nasty nicknames. Trump vilified others, casting them into the political wilderness with his MAGA base. When Sessions recused himself from the Justice Departments investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election, Trump savaged him, calling his appointment a mistake and lobbing other epithets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sessions resigned under pressure in 2018. When he tried to resurrect his political career by running for his old Senate seat in Alabama, Trump endorsed his opponent, who won the GOP primary. After firing Tillerson, Trump called the former ExxonMobil chief lazy and dumb as a rock. Trump still taunts Christie, an early supporter and 2016 transition chief, especially about his weight. Trump also had a falling-out with Bannon, who was instrumental in delivering his presidential victory in 2016 and then joined the White House as special adviser. Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my presidency, Trump said in 2018, a year after Bannons ouster from the White House. When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps Justice Department even indicted Bannon in 2020 for fraud, though the president pardoned him before leaving office. One of Trumps biggest feuds was with Bolton, whom he fired as his national security adviser in 2019. Trump used every means possible to prevent Bolton's book, The Room Where it Happened, from being published, Bolton told USA TODAY on June 5. That included having the U.S. government sue his publisher on the false premise that Bolton violated a nondisclosure agreement and was leaking classified information, Bolton said. Bolton said Musk is unlike most others who have crossed swords with Trump in that he has unlimited amounts of money and control of a powerful social media platform in X to help shape the narrative. Musk also has billions in government contracts that even a vindictive Trump would have a hard time killing, as he threatened to do June 5, without significant legal challenges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even so, Bolton said, "It's going to end up like most mud fights do, with both of them worse off. The question is how much worse the country is going to be off." This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Why the Trump-Musk feud might not end well for the world's richest man Elon Musk and President Donald Trump have taken their professional rift online. On Thursday (June 5), Musk made claims against Trump and took credit for him winning the election. The feud began on Tuesday (June 3) when Musk labeled Trumps big beautiful bill a disgusting abomination, according to CNN. Time to drop the really big bomb, shared Musk on X. @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! In an additional post on the social media platform that he acquired in 2022, Musk exclaimed, Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 According to ABC News, President Trump has previously claimed, I was never on Epsteins Plane, or at his stupid Island, and noted that he has not publicly objected to releasing the files. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy, Donald Trump detailed to New York magazine in 2002. Epstein was found dead in his jail cell of an apparent suicide in 2019. He was awaiting trial for allegedly running an elaborate child sex trafficking operation, according to News Nation. Since the political fallout, Musk has experienced a financial hit. The 53-year-olds net worth fell below $400 billion, marking a decline of $26.7 billion. Additionally, Musks Tesla stock declined 14%, or $47 per share, to $285. Musk exited his role as one of Trumps advisors and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). ABC News reported that multiple administration officials have attempted to contact Musk without success as the public spat continues. As the beef continues, Steve Bannon has suggested that Trump investigate Musks alleged drug use and immigration status, according to the New York Times. More from VIBE.com Sign up for Vibe's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Earlier this week, it looked like Elon Musk had delivered arch conservatives a gift when he trashed President Donald Trumps One Big, Beautiful Bill. On Tuesday, Musk called the legislation an outrageous, pork-filled, disgusting abomination. It seemed like a boon for some of the fiscal conservatives in the Senate like Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin who criticized the fact the bill still blows up the deficit. Had Musk stopped there, he probably would have given fiscal conservatives additional leverage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Speaker Mike Johnson had spent much of the first part of the year getting every faction of the House GOP on board with the bill despite fiscal conservative grumbling. But Johnson admitted during his weekly press conference that he had tried to call Musk with no response. Immediately, House Republicans and members of the Freedom Caucus including its former chairman Scott Perry and Andy Ogles, who has tried to allow Trump to run for a third term voiced their criticisms of the bill that they had when it was being deliberated. The House Freedom Caucus tried to avoid getting in between Donald Trump and Elon Musks public feud. (Getty) They could have voiced them at any moment but did not. It clearly showed that they had abandoned their fiscal conservative principles in fear of the pressure campaign from Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Had Musk kept his critiques strictly to the bill, the tech tycoon could have offered an effective counterweight to give conservatives leverage against leadership given his immense wealth and his wide reach as owner of X. But the worlds richest man chose to blow that to smithereens when he turned the attacks personal. First, he said that Trump would not have won the presidency, Republicans would have lost the House and would have a smaller minority in the Senate had it not been for Musks money, before huffing such ingratitude. Then Musk lobbed the ultimate grenade when he said that Trump had not fully released the Epstein files information related to the late financier who parlayed his money into sex trafficking teenaged girls because Trump was mentioned in them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Tesla founder took it a step further by calling for Trumps impeachment. Not only did Musks words permanently spike any chance for reconciliation, it killed any chances for budget reconciliation, the arcane process through which Republicans hope to pass the One Big, Beautiful Bill. Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, who has spent much of the legislative process in the House trying to make the bill more conservative but ultimately voted for it, tried to split the difference. He's got concerns with the bill, he's a free American, and he can speak freely and and God bless him for what he's been doing to try to make improvements, Roy told The Independent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Again, is it what Chip Roy would draft? Not even close. But did it move in the right direction to get to a place that I felt comfortable sending it to the Senate to see if they could make it better? Sure. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who has spent much of the new Congress trying to declassify information related to Epstein, said it was too early to tell about the Senate bill since text did not exist. Ive always been a big fan of going back to pre-Covid spending levels, Luna told The Independent, but understood it would require negotiation. Rep. Andy Harris, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, who ultimately voted present on the bill last month, said he agreed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I still think his concerns about the deficit are real, he said. But the damage might already be done. If Republican elected have learned anything in the past decade, theyve learned that their voters are not so much devoted to conservative ideals; theyre devoted to Trump. Deviation from Trump, even in the name of conservative principles like restraining spending and balanced budgets, amounts to heresy. Musks decision to start talking about forming another political party further alienates him from the GOP. He is now no longer part of the Trump coalition or even the Republican coalition. That means that fiscal conservatives cannot depend on him to drop millions of dollars for people opposed to the reconciliation bill or if he does, that it will immediately be tainted as money coming from a heretic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This makes Senate and House leaderships job easier. It gives them a foil to oppose and allows critics of the bill to tied to Musk. And theyve already seen that most Republicans bluster about spending levels are just that given that they will ultimately fold. Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee spent much of the early parts of the reconciliation process intimating to reporters that he would not vote for the bill only to fold. As votes wrapped on Thursday, he did not seem worried about it all. It's just two biggest dogs in the pound, they're both gonna fight a little, he said. Except now, Musk just defanged fiscal conservatives. This article is part of HuffPosts biweekly politics newsletter. Click here to subscribe. After months of political bliss, it seems as if the president and the worlds richest man are ready to call it quits. Donald Trump and Elon Musk traded barbs on their respective social media websites on Thursday and into Friday, as social media users happily looked on. It was only a matter of time before Trump and Musk, who are not known for making and keeping allies, had a spectacular falling out. The inciting incident turned out to be Musks criticisms of the Trump-backed Big Beautiful Bill, the Houses spending bill that slashes the safety net in order to provide $4.5 trillion worth of tax cuts to the rich. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At first, Musks comments were mild, saying the bill doesnt reduce the deficit and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing. But he went fully nuclear on Thursday. Musk, who already claimed he won the election for Trump, posted to X to accuse the president of being in the Epstein files, or a list of people with suspicious associations with the financier, who died in jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. (Trump and Epstein socialized in the 1980s and 1990s, but Trump has denied ever being on his private plane or island, where some of the alleged sex crimes took place.) Trump, in turn, suggested on Truth Social he would cut Musks government contracts, while the presidents allies even started talking about deporting Musk. At this point, it seems clear that the once-budding bromance is toast. Many people reacted with schadenfreude to the worlds weirdest celebrity breakup. But it also had a few Democrats seeming ready to slide into Musks DMs. We should ultimately be trying to convince him that the Democratic Party has more of the values that he agrees with, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) told Politico on Thursday. A commitment to science funding, a commitment to clean technology, a commitment to seeing international students like him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other Democrats also signaled that the rift could benefit their party. Im a believer in redemption, and he is telling the truth about the legislation, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) said, while still cautioning that Musks slashing of the federal government is still an open wound. There are Democrats who see his decimation of the federal workforce and the federal government as an unforgivable sin. Making the enemy of your enemy your friend is not always an outlandish idea. There have been multiple reports that even some in the Trump administration were fighting with Musk behind the scenes, making it seemingly feasible to build a new alliance between him and Democrats. And Musk is known for dumping truckloads of money into politics when hes on your side. He was, by far, the largest Republican donor in the 2024 cycle, contributing more than $290 million to Trumps campaign. Then in April, Musk made a Wisconsin Supreme Court race the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history by spending $25 million to boost Brad Schimel, the GOP candidate. (Schimel lost by 10 points.) But there are strange bedfellows, and then theres extending an olive branch to someone as toxic as Elon Musk. For one thing, Musk is deeply unpopular with basically everyone. An April ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll found that Musk only had a 35% approval rating nationwide. It was even worse among the people who the Democratic Party represents just 4% of those voters approve of Musks works. In fact, hes so disliked that it seems likely Trump can spin their very public split into a good thing for him politically. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And when you boil it down further, nearly everything Musk has done as a part of the Trump campaign, and later, the Trump administration, is anathema to what Democratic voters believe. Musks purchase of Twitter, which he renamed to X, in 2022 began the South African billionaires journey to becoming Trumps closest ally and biggest donor. When a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man attempted to assassinate Trump in July 2024, Musk solidified his support by officially endorsing him. Musk appeared at Trump rallies and spent the final weeks of the campaign spreading conspiracy theories and throwing money around in order to send Trump back to the White House. Then at Trumps second inauguration, Musk was widely condemned for doing a Nazi-like salute while speaking to supporters. This didnt stop Trump from giving him a semi-official role in government, with the power to set up the so-called Department of Government Efficiency and hire a cadre of inexperienced employees to ostensibly cut waste from the government. DOGE staffers accessed private data, fired critical employees and were named in multiple lawsuits many of which are still ongoing today. Musk has repeatedly shared antisemitic posts on social media, including claiming Hitler didnt murder millions of people. Hes a proponent of a racist Great Replacement conspiracy theory, which claims that people of color are executing an intentional plot to eliminate white people. While the Trump administration has ramped up deportations, blocked migrants from receiving asylum and used ugly rhetoric about immigrants in general, Musk was able to convince the president to admit white South Africans as refugees, claiming there is a white genocide happening in South Africa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then theres the fallout from the cuts his team at DOGE has made across the federal government. Musk spearheaded the effort to cut funding for essential agencies, impacting everything from the IRS to HIV prevention to natural disaster response to Social Security. The entire U.S. Agency for International Development was effectively dismantled, which led to the deaths of children abroad and put millions of lives at risk. Across the federal government, everyday people, including Trump supporters, were thrust into unemployment as DOGE officials decided their roles werent important. I want a big tent party too, but Elons primary policy goals dont fit within the tent, Democratic pollster Evan Roth Smith of Slingshot Strategies told HuffPost. Theres nothing around Social Security or Medicare cuts that fits within the tent of the Democratic Party at all. Over the last five months, Musk has hardly signaled that hes ready to pivot to liberalism. In fact, up until this week, he remained by Trumps side, appearing at Cabinet meetings (despite not being a Cabinet member), irritating those in Trumps inner circle and parading around the White House with one of his children. Musks time at the White House was scheduled to come to an end at the end of May when his 130-day special employee status expired. The Democrats are in a bit of a political wilderness, and it can be tempting to look for a powerful new ally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After losing to Trump, the infighting has been continuous, with many placing the blame on former President Joe Biden for failing to step aside sooner, with others pointing at former Vice President Kamala Harris for running a campaign that wasnt capable of defeating Trump. But Democrats should remember that their attempts to reach across the aisle and find common ground are not what their base is asking for. A March NBC News poll found that 65% of Democrats did not want the party to compromise with Trump even if it means getting nothing done in Congress. Theres no reason to take Elon back, Roth Smith said. Kevin Robillard contributed reporting. Elon Musks stock among House Republicans is sinking as the tech billionaires crusade against the partys big, beautiful bill and President Trump himself boils over. Republicans are broadly brushing off the billionaires campaign against the legislation, saying it will not have much, if any, impact on the bills chances of passing through Congress. Musks call for his followers to lobby members against the measure isnt blowing up phone lines on Capitol Hill. And despite Musk the richest man in the world spending a quarter of a billion dollars to boost the party in 2024, lawmakers are utterly unconcerned about the possibility of the tech mogul opting out of the midterms, or working against them. Instead, House Republicans are publicly criticizing Musk for how he has approached his political fight against the megabill and personal battle against Trump and openly saying that Musks influence with Republicans is plunging just about as fast as Teslas stock price did Thursday afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive had a lot of love and respect for you for what youve done for this country over the last several months, but youve lost your damn mind, Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas), a close Trump ally, told reporters of Musk. Youve lost your mind. Enough is enough, stop this. I dont think its healthy. Every tweet that goes out, people are more lockstep behind President Trump, and hes losing favor, Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) said of Musks influence with Republican lawmakers. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) said that the episode diminishes Musks standing with Republicans. Hes extremely bright, my God. I mean SpaceX, Tesla, all that stuff. However, I never saw that he had his finger on the pulse of America and what the American man and woman is thinking, Van Drew said. I quite frankly, dont think he does. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) suggested that Thursdays events were a long time in coming: I dont think he has the gravitas that he had before. Live updates: Musk retaliates against Trump, claiming he is in Epstein files, backs impeachment The disparaging discourse comes after Musk ratcheted up his criticism of Trumps Washington in a series of Thursday posts on his social platform X, accusing the president of making false statements, claiming credit for the GOP securing a trifecta in November, and backing impeachment for the president, among other comments. Trump, meanwhile, solidified the public breakup: In his first public comments since Musk called the bill a disgusting abomination, the president said, Elon and I had a great relationship, I dont know if we will anymore. Later on, he took to Truth Social to call Musk crazy and threaten to terminate the tech moguls government subsidies and contracts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The blowup came after a days-long social media spree by Musk, who officially left the White House last week after months leading the Department of Government Efficiency. Trump has blamed Musks opposition to the bill on the inclusion of provisions that would eliminate incentives for electric vehicles, which could adversely impact Tesla. The tech billionaire particularly raised eyebrows when he made a direct appeal for his followers to lobby Republicans against the legislation in a post on X on Wednesday afternoon: Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL. The post got 40 million impressions and 282,000 likes a large amount even for Musk, the owner of the social media platform. But, as the saying goes, Twitter as the website was once called before Musk renamed it is not real life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Out of nearly a dozen Republican Capitol Hill offices that spoke with The Hill, ranging from rank-and-file members to leadership, almost none had gotten any calls from GOP-supporting constituents opposing the bill by the afternoon after the Musk post, or callers making references to the billionaire. One office reported one caller who said kill the bill. Even the loudest critics of the bill have no appetite to throw out the measure and start fresh. As party leaders push to get the legislation to Trumps desk by July 4, lawmakers say there is no time to go back to the drawing board. It would be problematic starting at ground zero since its taken us about three months to get what weve done, Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), who helped sink an initial procedural vote for the bill, said Wednesday. I dont know if Elon understands how, the whole process, but I think that the Senate will make it more conservative. While Musks criticisms of the bill, particularly that it piles on the national deficit, align with the gripes aired by several hard-line Republicans, many of those conservatives are voicing frustration at his decision to start airing criticism after the measure passed the chamber when many of them held their noses and voted for the legislation despite strong qualms a reversal of the consistent support they have offered him in recent months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), the former chair of the House Freedom Caucus, took note of Musk standing back while members of the hard-line conservative group went to war against GOP leaders and demanded more deficit reductions in the bill ahead of the vote. When there was blistering fire heaped upon them, he didnt really have much to say, Biggs said Wednesday. Hes waiting till now to make the assessments? Its kind of odd. Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), another member of the Freedom Caucus, echoed that sentiment, openly wishing that Musk had spoken up sooner. My issue is why wasnt he talking about this before the bill, right? Crane told CNN on Wednesday. Because those of us that were actually trying to make cuts, we could have used his support. And that actually might have helped us out quite a bit. And thats what frustrates me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk also alluded to electoral consequences for Republicans who voted to advance the legislation on Tuesday, posting: In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people. On Wednesday, he claimed credit for Trumps win, as well as the Republican majorities in the House and Senate. But House Republicans, including some who benefited from his war chest in 2024, say they are not concerned about losing out on his cash in the midterms. They are unconvinced he will follow through with spending plans a year from now, and that if he does, that it will be effective. Musk and his groups spent more than $20 million to support the losing candidate in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race earlier this year. As long as a candidate has Trumps endorsement, one GOP member said, you dont got to worry if Elon spends $5 million. And in a swing district, Elon being against you if you are a Republican probably isnt so bad either. And Van Drew noted of Musk: Nobody elected him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Elon Musk stepped down from his position as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on May 30, only months after promising to transform government by cutting trillions of dollars from the federal budget and eliminating so-called waste, fraud and abuse. Just a week later, Musks relationship with President Donald Trump the man Musk spent nearly $300 million to elect went up in flames, as Americans watched the drama unfold in real time on X and Truth Social. Trump publicly denounced Musk as disloyal for criticizing the president's signature legislative effort, the One Big Beautiful Bill, while Musk called the bill a disgusting abomination and openly called for Trump's impeachment. The spectacle of the richest man in the world and the president of the United States exchanging insults online may be remembered as DOGEs final chapter in the public imagination. But it should not obscure the damage Musk wrought when he commanded one of the most powerful positions in the Trump administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More from Freep Opinion: Democrats better hope Michigan Gov. Whitmer changes her mind about presidential run What savings? To start, Musks promised savings never came. The DOGE website currently claims to have saved the public $175 billion through a range of actions like eliminating fraud and improper payment and cancelling grants. But even that sum which is believed to be falsely inflated through a combination of guesswork and suspect arithmetic is less than 3% of the federal budget, and less than 9% of the $2 trillion in cuts Musk promised upon assuming his role. In other words, DOGE failed on Musks own terms. What did materialize is an unprecedented attack on public institutions, beginning with the people who carry out the work of public service. According to the latest data, around 260,000 federal employees have either been forced out, been slated for cuts, or chosen to leave their posts since DOGE began its work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These arent faceless bureaucrats. They are the people who test our water for contaminants, inspect our food for harmful bacteria, and ensure air travel is safe, among other public services. The department with the highest number of planned terminations is Veterans Affairs, with up to 80,900 personnel serving our nations veterans slated for future cuts, according to the New York Times. Many of these jobs are health care workers who care for veterans directly. More from Freep Opinion: I'm a gay man in Detroit. Celebrating Pride feels more important than ever Government isnt a business In cutting both people and programs that provide essential services, DOGE attempted a bargain that Michiganders are painfully familiar with: treat government like a business, and attempt to cut public services to balance the books no matter the risks to public health, the economy or democracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During our states era of emergency management, decision-making power in several cities and school districts like Flint and Detroit shifted from democratically elected local officials to appointees of the governor. In Flint, a series of emergency managers focused on cost-cutting to address the citys financial crisis, including the ill-fated decision to switch the citys water source. The result was the worst man-made environmental catastrophe in American history. The view from Michigan Flint should have been a warning to the country that efficiency without regard for public welfare is a dangerous proposition. Yet DOGE was a far more extreme expression of this logic. Like Flint, the DOGE experiment is a grave warning about what happens when democracy is treated as a private enterprise rather than a public trust, when billionaires think they know best what people need in their own communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And while it may take decades to account for the potential harms DOGEs actions might produce, we are already seeing some. Here in Michigan, DOGE reportedly canceled $394 million in federal public health grants, money that ultimately supports local health initiatives statewide. These cuts are not abstract. They will be felt in peoples bodies and the broader society. Local health providers will have to cut back on critical services such as vaccine administration and interventions for substance use disorder. According to a 2019 study, every dollar invested in public health departments yields as much as $67 to $88 of benefits to society. DOGE also cut $15 million in AmeriCorps funding for our state, impacting programs that offered tutoring, support for seniors, and assistance for homeless residents. At a time when Michigan ranks 34th in the nation in overall child wellbeing, students in more than 60 school districts may see tutoring support disappear. FILE PHOTO: Elon Musk receives a golden key from U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 30, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo Who benefits? This begs the question: Who ultimately benefited from Musks relentless cutting? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The clear answer is Elon Musk, who is $170 billion richer since endorsing Trump in the summer of 2024, even accounting for the drop in Teslas stock attributed to the public backlash over DOGEs actions. (How this most recent fiasco will affect Musks bottom line remains to be seen.) Meanwhile, DOGE spent months attempting to delete entire agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which stops predatory banks from scamming veterans, seniors, and consumers in general. And it destroyed the IRS ability to audit wealthy tax cheats, forcing workers and families to shoulder more of the nations tax responsibility. DOGE has also made us less free. The initiatives most significant legacy may be what the writer Julia Anguin described as a sprawling domestic surveillance system for the Trump administration the likes of which we have never seen in the United States. In agency after agency, Musk and his lieutenants accessed the most sensitive data about Americans and handled it with reckless disregard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Information like Social Security numbers and bank accounts that once stood in the relative safety of government silos are now being merged to create more sweeping surveillance tools than ever before. They could be used to further crack down on immigrants speech, or to simply make it easier to target political enemies. A fitting coda This is what were left with. A public more exposed to harm from preventable diseases, from corporate predation and scams, from toxins in our air and waterand a small group of wealthy elites more empowered to dominate our government and our democracy. Perhaps this is why a solid majority of Americans disapprove of Musks job performance, arguably accelerating his departure from government. The American public deserves a government that is fit for purpose and delivers on its promises. But Elon Musk never intended to create that. DOGE was built on the fiction of Musks mastery of all things, one of the many myths attributed to the ultra-wealthy. What it concealed was a public sector novice who failed to understand the basic mechanics of the institutions he railed against. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the day Musk announced his departure, a lawsuit against him and DOGE was cleared to proceed, accusing him of wielding unlawful power over federal agencies, contracts and data without democratic oversight. It was a fitting coda. Musk left behind no durable reform, only institutions hollowed out, public trust frayed, and a template for how easily government can be turned against the people it exists to serve. Even this spectacular fallout with Trump should not distract from the wreckage he leaves behind. Bilal Baydoun is Director of Democratic Institutions at the Roosevelt Institute, a national policy think tank devoted to building on the legacy of FDR. A version of this column was previously published on Roosevelt Forward's Substack. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters, and we may publish it online and in print. Like what you're reading? Please consider supporting local journalism and getting unlimited digital access witha Detroit Free Press subscription. We depend on readers like you. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Elon Musk-Trump spat is a distraction from DOGE failures | Opinion NEED TO KNOW Elon Musk appears to have walked back a threat to decommission SpaceXs Dragon spacecraft amid his ongoing feud with President Donald Trump The comment was made after Trump had threatened to pull the billionaire's government contracts and subsidies In June 2024, NASA awarded SpaceX a $843 million contract to help deorbit the ISS, which will see the end of its operational life in 2030 Elon Musk threatened to decommission SpaceXs Dragon spacecraft amid his feud with President Donald Trump, but seemingly has already walked back that claim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tensions between the SpaceX CEO and the 47th president of the United States escalated on Thursday, June 5, just days after Musk announced he was departing the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). On Tuesday, June 3, Musk criticized Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" on X, calling it a massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill and a disgusting abomination. Trump shot back at Musk in a post shared Thursday on Truth Social, saying the easiest way for the U.S. government to save money is to "terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. Musk rebutted on X a short time later. In light of the Presidents statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately, he wrote. Chesnot/Getty Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of Twitter, Elon Musk attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre on June 16, 2023 in Paris, France. Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of Twitter, Elon Musk attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre on June 16, 2023 in Paris, France. A few hours later, however, Musk appeared to walk back his comment after a user by the name of Fab25june suggested the SpaceX founder cool off and take a step back for a couple of days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Good advice, Musk replied. Ok, we wont decommission Dragon. The Dragon spacecraft has completed more than 50 missions, including 46 visits to the International Space Station (ISS), according to its website. According to SpaceX, the ship is capable of carrying up to 7 passengers to and from Earth orbit, and beyond and is the only spacecraft currently flying that is capable of returning significant amounts of cargo to Earth, and is the first private spacecraft to take humans to the space station. In June 2024, NASA announced SpaceX was awarded a $843 million contract to help deorbit the ISS, which will see the end of its operational life in 2030. Keegan Barber/NASA via Getty National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), support teams work on the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft shortly after it landed with NASA astronauts onboard on March 18, 2025 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), support teams work on the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft shortly after it landed with NASA astronauts onboard on March 18, 2025 Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Bethany Stevens, NASA press secretary, said in a statement on X that "NASA will continue to execute upon the President's vision for the future of space. We will continue to work with our industry partners to ensure the President's objectives in space are met." Neither the White House nor SpaceX responded to PEOPLEs requests for comment. Read the original article on People Drug containment and delivery solutions provider SCHOTT Pharma has announced an investment of more than 100m ($114m) to expand its manufacturing capacity for sterile ready-to-use (RTU) cartridges at its site in Lukacshaza, Hungary. The new facility will create 100 jobs. RTU cartridges are essential for storing glucagon-like peptide-1 drugs, biologics, insulin and hormone therapies used for treating diabetes, obesity and other immunological conditions. It will further extend the site's manufacturing capabilities for high-value solutions. SCHOTT Pharma plans to implement a fully integrated and automated production process with minimal manual intervention, ensuring the delivery of sterile products. The facility will also feature a new washing line and a steam sterilisation process for cartridges, aimed at decreasing the environmental impact of the operations. SCHOTT Pharma CEO Andreas Reisse stated: To meet growing demand, we are expanding our capabilities and presence in the diabetes and obesity fields. That is why we are investing more than 100m in our plant in Hungary. In June 2024, the company opened a new facility at the same site, which has already begun producing high-quality prefillable glass syringes. With an additional 120 employees, the site has increased its production capacity to meet the growing demand for these critical components in the healthcare industry. Lukacshaza site manager Eva Szabo stated: We would like to express our sincerest gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade for its support of these two expansion projects. Lukacshaza is not only an important location for ensuring supply security to customers in the region but also makes an important contribution to SCHOTT Pharma's global growth strategy. Lukacshaza will become the second SCHOTT Pharma site, after St Gallen in Switzerland, for sterile cartridge manufacturing. The company's portfolio includes a variety of delivery systems and drug containment solutions for injectable drugs, such as prefillable glass and polymer syringes, cartridges, ampoules and vials. "SCHOTT Pharma invests in RTU cartridge capacity expansion" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. Community advocacy groups sent a letter accusing Elon Musk's AI company, xAI, of setting up Tennessee gas turbines without permission. What's happening? According to Reuters, the Southern Environmental Law Center and other advocacy groups wrote the letter to the Shelby County Health Department. It claimed the company exceeded the number of turbines for which it has permits. The groups want turbine operations to cease until xAI complies with the Clean Air Act. The SELC said in a statement, "The dozens of turbines operating outside the datacenter likely make xAI the largest industrial source of the smog-forming pollutant NOx (nitrogen oxides) in Memphis." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NOx refers to various nitrogen-oxygen compounds produced through combustion. These harmful compounds cause respiratory health problems, acid rain, and water pollution. According to CNBC, the advocacy group said xAI applied for 15 temporary turbine permits, but aerial images show 35. Why are these extra turbines troubling? Natural gas is actually methane gas, and while the primary byproducts from these turbines is carbon dioxide and water, the combustion process causes a reaction between nitrogen and oxygen in the air, and that is where the NOx generally comes from, along with the fact that the methane is not pure and includes other hydrocarbons and other pollutants. NOx and some of these other byproducts, like formaldehyde, are dangerous to humans and the environment. These gases cause various health problems and harm local ecosystems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SELC Senior Attorney Amanda Garcia said, "xAI has essentially built a power plant in South Memphis with no oversight, no permitting, and no regard for families living in nearby communities. These dozens of gas turbines are doing significant harm to the air Memphians breathe every day." xAI's behavior disregards government requirements and the Clean Air Act. Letting companies get away with ignoring environmental policies accelerates climate change, worsens pollution, and opens the door for more corporations to operate without concern for the planet. For over 35 years, just 100 companies have created 71% of planet-warming emissions, according to The Guardian. Some promote clean policies, but are merely greenwashing themselves. Others, like xAI, sneak around authorities at the expense of the planet. What's being done about xAI's behavior? Supporting groups like SELC hold corporations and authorities accountable for following and enforcing environmental policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Garcia said, "We expect local health leaders to promptly act in order to hold xAI accountable for its clear violations of the Clean Air Act." This letter pressures government entities to keep companies in check. To stop this behavior among corporations, people must support green brands, advocate for firm policies, and speak up when they see injustice. KeShaun Pearson, Director of Memphis Community Against Pollution, said, "The rapid scaling of these dangerous toxic pollutants is this is reckless, irresponsible, and a threat to us all. The Shelby County Health Department must take decisive action and shut down xAI immediately." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Originally appeared on E! Online Ashley St. Clair is weighing in. The 26-year-old seemed to take a subtle shot at her ex Elon Musk, with whom she shares 9-month-old Romulus, as his feud with President Donald Trump escalated. "Hey @realDonaldTrump," Ashley wrote on her ex's X platform June 5, "lmk if u need any breakup advice." Indeed, more than one week after Musk left his role as the head of Trumps Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), fractures in their formerly close relationship emerged. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The SpaceX CEO has been vocal in recent days about his criticism of Trump's tax cut and spending bill, which the House of Representatives passed in May last month and is now being discussed in the Senate. Musk alleged the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would increase the United States' debt, and also further took credit for the Republican leader's return to the White House. "Without me, Trump would have lost the election," Muskone of the biggest financial backers of the politician's 2024 election campaignalleged in a follow-up post. "Such ingratitude." The president later commented on their fallout. "'Elon was 'wearing thin,'" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform June 5. "I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Tesla CEO fired back on X, "Such an obvious lie. So sad." Trump then went further to say, "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts." He continued, "I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. Its a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given." Musk responded by writing on X, "In light of the Presidents statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During his time as Trump's adviser, Musk made part of the experience a family affair . In fact, the pair's feud comes just months after videos of his son X A-Xii, 4the eldest of three children he shares with ex Grimesappearing in front of reporters with his dad and Trump in the White House Oval Office went viral. Find out more about Musk's complicated family tree... More from E! Online However, the president soon responded to the criticism, suggesting Musk's May 28 departure from the White House wasn't amicable as it originally appeared. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "'Elon was 'wearing thin,'" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform June 5. "I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!" Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock; X/Ashley St. Clair While Musk shrugged off Trumps allegation as an "obvious lie" on X, with the two continuing a back and forth over the Tesla CEOs government contracts, the feud is a stark contrast to the dynamic they shared in over the last year. "I love the president," Musk told Fox News' Sean Hannity in February. "I think President Trump is a good man." And Trump had praised Musk even before he was sworn in as president. "Hes a character, hes a special guy, hes a super genius," the U.S. leader said about Musk in a victory speech after winning the presidential election. "We have to protect our geniuses. We don't have that many of them." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Trump is no longer on good terms with his senior advisor, Musk isnt the only high-profile figure to have a seat at the table. Keep reading to learn more about Trumps cabinet members Vice President JD Vance Ohio native JD Vance worked in venture capitalism before penning the best-selling 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy and pivoting to politics. The Yale-educated lawyer and former Marine was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022 and, after less than two years in office, was picked to be Donald Trump's 2024 running mate. As vice president, in addition to being first in line to the presidency, Vance is on hand to be a deciding vote should Senate Republicans need a tie-breaker to pass legislation. He has been married to law school sweetheart Usha Vance since 2014 and they share three children. Secretary of State Marco Rubio Former Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was a fierce critic of Trump when they both ran for president in 2016 but has since become a supporter of his former antagonist's agenda. The Miami native, born to Cuban immigrant parents, was the first and only nominee for Trump's second cabinet to be confirmed by the Senate with unanimous bipartisan support, 99 to 0. (Now former Ohio Sen. Vance is the one-seat vacancy. Rubio was technically still in the Senate then and so was able to vote for himself.) Rubio (shown here with Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly) has been married to former Miami Dolphins cheerleader Jeanette Dousdebes since 1998 and they share two daughters and two sons. Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent Scott Bessent's four decades of experience in global investment management include his time as CEO of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management and Chief Investment Officer of Soros Fund Management (as in prominent Democratic donor George Soros). He also taught economic history at his alma mater Yale and, with his family, established the McLeod Rehabilitation Center at the Shriners Childrens Hospital in his home state of South Carolina. According to his government bio, he and his husband and two children split their time between Washington, D.C., and Charleston, S.C. "In a certain geographic region at a certain economic level, being gay is not an issue," he told the Yale Alumni Magazine in 2015 ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. "Whats fantastic is now, people in the rest of America, whether blue collar or white collar, have access to everything. If you had told me in 1984, when we graduated, and people were dying of AIDS, that 30 years later Id be legally married and we would have two children via surrogacy, I wouldnt have believed you." Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Army National Guard veteran Pete Hegseth had been serving as cohost of Fox News' Fox & Friends Weekend since 2017 when Trump tapped him to be Defense Secretary. Past controversial statements about diversity and women in the military, a 2017 sexual assault allegation (which Hegseth has vehemently denied), reports of drinking on the job (also denied) and a 2018 email from his mother (that she later disavowed) calling him "an abuser of women" threatened to derail his nomination. But he was narrowly confirmed by the Senate with no Democratic votes and three Republicans dissenting. Hegseth shares three kids with second ex-wife Samatha Deering and has a daughter with third wife Jennifer Rauchet Hegseth, a former producer on Fox & Friends. They tied the knot at Trump National Golf Club in Colts Neck, N.J., in 2019. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorney General Pam Bondi After Trump's original pick, scandal-plagued former Rep. Matt Gaetz, withdrew himself from consideration, the then-president-elect went with former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondia member of his defense team during his first impeachment trialto lead the U.S. Department of Justice. She spent 18 years as a prosecutor with the Hillsborough County State Attorneys Office before becoming Florida's first female attorney general in 2011. Toward the end of her tenure she cohosted Fox News' The Five for three days in 2018, sparking questions about the ethics of doing so while still an elected official. "She is often on national news," a spokesperson told the Tampa Bay Times, noting that she wasn't paid for her hosting gig. "The attorney general is always working. She is available 24/7 and works even when out of the state." Twice-divorced, Bondi has been romantically linked to Varner Wakefield Equity Partners founding principal John Wakefield since 2017. He has three children from a previous relationship. Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum Another 2024 presidential hopeful turned Trump supporter, billionaire software entrepreneur and venture capitalist Doug Burgum served as governor of North Dakota from 2017 until he was picked to head up the Department of Interior, which is responsible for the management of roughly 480 million acres of federal land, balancing resource development and conservation. After growing up in tiny Arthur, N.D., population 325, Burgum attended North Dakota State and started a chimney sweeping business that he credits for helping him get into Stanford's business school. "The [college] newspaper wrote a story about me as a chimney sweep and ran a photo of me sitting on top of an icy chimney in below-freezing weather in Fargo," he told Forbes in 2017. "The story made the AP wire service. I was later told it caused quite a stir in the Stanford admissions office." Burgum shares three children with ex-wife Karen Stoker and has been married to Kathryn Helgaas since 2016. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins Glen Rose, Texas, native Brooke Rollins has a degree in agricultural development from Texas A&M and got her JD from University of Texas School of Law. During the first Trump administration she was director of the Domestic Policy Council and Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives in the White House. Before being picked to lead the Department of Agriculture, Rollins was CEO and president of the America First Policy Institute, a think tank she founded in 2021 to promote Trump's public policy agenda. According to her government bio, she and husband Mark Rollins spend most of their free time at home in Fort Worth "taxiing their four very active children to baseball games, cattle shows, piano lessons, and Aggie football games." Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick Before joining Trump's cabinet, Howard Lutnick was CEO and president of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, where he rose through the ranks after being hired as a young broker in 1983. The New York-headquartered company infamously lost 658 employees in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks when one of four hijacked planes hit the World Trade Center's North Tower. "I went to 20 funerals a day for 35 days," Lutnick, whose brother Gary was among those killed, told BBC News in 2006. "So there were times I couldn't even go to my great friends' funerals. One day, my best friend's brother was being buried at the same exact time as my roommate from college's brother. So my wife went to one and I went to one." Asked how he was able to move forward, he said, "I would describe it like being on a surf board on a giant wave, and that if you ever looked back, the wave would get you and maybe I wouldn't be able to function." Lutnick has four children with wife Allison Lambert. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer Lori Chavez-DeRemer served as mayor of Happy Valley, Ore., from 2011 to 2019 and then became the first Republican woman to be elected to Congress from her state in 2022. She lost her bid for re-election, however, leaving the California nativeand pro-union daughter of a Mexican-American Teamster dadopen to serving in Trump's second cabinet. Chavez-DeRemer is a mom of twin daughters with her high school sweetheart husband Dr. Shawn DeRemer. Marking their 33rd wedding anniversary in 2024, she wrote on Instagram, "The years fly by because we are willing to be committed to a 'great love' thats always worth fighting for." Less than two weeks after she was confirmed as Labor Secretary on March 11, 2025, the DeRemers became grandparents. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Lifelong Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr. threw his support behind Trump after his own 2024 candidacy fizzled. The third of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy's 11 children, the environmental lawyer who's now overseeing the so-called "MAHA" (make America healthy again) movement, has been known more in recent years for questioning the safety of vaccines and psychotropic drugs and prompting the ire of his own family. While sister Kerry Kennedy slammed his "inexplicable effort" to "desecrate" their father's memory by endorsing Trump, cousin Caroline Kennedy called him a "predator" in a January 2025 open letter urging the Senate to not confirm him as HHS secretary. On the personal front, Kennedy is a father of six: Two kids from his first marriage, to Emily Black, and four children with late second wife Mary Richardson, who died by suicide in 2012. He has been married to Curb Your Enthusiasm alum Cheryl Hines since 2014. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner Former NFL player Scott Turner represented Texas' 33rd district in Congress from 2013 to 2017 before Trump appointed him director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council in 2019. My mom and dad and my godparents always taught me to serve others, he said in a 2016 NFL Player Engagement interview. They always instilled in me to look out for other people and to work hard and to have a tremendous faith...Its not easy; you just have to make up in your mind thats what youre going to do. Also an entrepreneur and Baptist pastor, he has been married to wife and fellow University of Illinois alum Robin Turner since 1995. In 2009 the couple adopted Scott's nephew Solomon, who played football at Baylor and Hawaii before walking on at Illinois. Had it not been for my uncle and my aunt, I dont know where I would be, Solomon told Big Ten news site Saturday Tradition in 2022. Personally, it just means the world to me, not only for him to be my father figure, but to come here and do this part, its almost like Im giving back to him like a thank you." Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy Sean Duffy first made a name for himself in 1997 as a housemate on The Real World: Boston. He shares nine children with The Real World: San Francisco alum Rachel Campos-Duffy, whom he met competing on Road Rules: All Stars in 1998 and married the following year. Duffy spent eight years as Ashland County District Attorney in his home state of Wisconsin before serving in Congress from 2011 to 2019. He resigned from office that August, citing his yet-to-be-born ninth child's health issues. "After shes born, whether its two to six months after life, shes going to need open-heart surgery," he explained on Fox & Friends. "They gotta crack her open and fix the heart." Duffy added, "I love politics, but I love my family, and I think its always a balance. The schedules are grueling. Im out in D.C. four days a week, and then Im back with Rachel." Traveling around his district meeting people, he said, "we get beat up a little bit as members of Congress. Were a favorite punching bag." On The Real World, "I was forced to live with people who were so different than me," he told NCTA in May 2019. "When I first got there, I saw the stark differences I had with my roommates. But when I left, I realized I had way more in common with them than I ever imagined." He compared the experience to crossing the aisle in Congress: "It's amazing the kind of legislation you can work on together and how many points of agreement you actually have." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Secretary of Energy Chris Wright Self-described "energy nerd" Chris Wright is the founder of Pinnacle Technologies, which, according to his Energy Department bio, "created the hydraulic fracture [a.k.a. fracking] mapping industry." Before his cabinet nomination, he served as CEO of Liberty Energy, the United States' second-largest fracking company. Wright"a passionate father, grandfather, skier, cyclist, climber, and outdoor enthusiast," per his bioand wife Liz Wright lived in Colorado before relocating to D.C. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon Linda McMahon (nee Edwards) was 17 when she married 21-year-old husband Vince McMahon in 1966, after she finished high school. She studied to be a French teacher but ended up co-running the family business, World Wrestling Entertainment, from 1980 until 2009. McMahon served as Administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019 during Trump's first term. After he was elected again in 2024, the grandmother of six co-chaired his transition team and was picked to head up the U.S. Department of Educationwhich Trump wants to dismantle. "I'm really all for the presidents mission, which is to return education to the states, McMahon told the New York Times. I believe, as he does, that the best education is closest to the child." While they're still married, McMahon's attorney confirmed in November 2024 that the former WWE executive and her husband are separated, according to the Washington Post. Their son Shane McMahon and daughter Stephanie McMahon are both former professional wrestlers and son-in-law Paul "Triple H" Levesque is chief content officer of WWE. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins U.S. Air Force Reserve Col. Doug Collins is a lawyer and former Georgia State House representative, congressman and military chaplain. But, according to his VA bio, he's "foremost a husband to Lisa and father to daughter Jordan and sons Copelan and Cameron." Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem Governor of South Dakota since 2019, Kristi Noem was rumored to be on the short list of possible running mates for Trump in 2024, until she wrote about shooting her family's unruly dog in her memoir No Going Back. Unfazed by controversy, Trump picked Noem, who also served in Congress from 2011 to 2019 and sat on the House Armed Services Committee, to head up the Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for protecting the United States from internal and external threats. The onetime South Dakota Snow Queen married husband Bryon Noem in 1992 and they share three children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App Cpl. Andrew Hundley never expected fame, but after becoming a Marine Corps sensation overnight, he wields it with humility and gratitude. In mid-April, Hundley's staff noncommissioned officer attempted to route a military certificate he completed up the chain so he could get a spot in a Marine Corps program designed to give up-and-coming leaders the skills to take on greater roles within the service. But the email got sent forcewide, setting off a chain of hundreds of responses from Marines across the fleet and lighting social media ablaze with memes and fraternal adulation only members of the amphibious service can dish out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read Next: Army Faces Backlash over Plan to Divert Barracks Funds to Border Mission On Thursday, Hundley, 24 years old and a cyberspace warfare operator from Colorado, graduated from that program, known as the Corporals Course, and the top enlisted leader of the Marine Corps, Sgt. Maj. Carlos Ruiz, made a surprise appearance to help herald his and the other junior leaders' accomplishment. "The Marine Corps gods have called upon me," Ruiz said at the graduation to cheers, laughs and whoops across the room for Hundley. "They were setting up a schedule, and the schedule somehow ended up with -- where you at, Hundley? Raise your hand ..." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "An unintentional, so-innocent email that went to everyone," he said at Camp Johnson, North Carolina, where the event was held. In an interview with Military.com on Thursday, Hundley said that he was "ecstatic" to have the top enlisted Marine attend his graduation. He was quick to say that his staff sergeant was doing her due diligence in trying to get him into the course, but a glitch with the distro list led him out of the unknown and into the annals of Marine Corps lore. "I was worried more than anything that I would get in trouble or I was worried something bad was going to happen," he said. In the immediate aftermath, he said his leadership checked in on him, and then together they eventually leaned into the joke. "They took off with it and were super supportive about it," he said. "They didn't start making jokes or anything, they called me to ask if I was OK and they wanted to make sure I was doing OK." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Soon, Hundley started getting requests to sign his certificate. The Marine Corps' official Instagram page got in on the joke in a post, declaring "take me off this distro" in the caption. Marines and veterans took to social media with memes, but ones that were wrapped in the congratulatory ribbing common to the Corps. "At least of my experience with the Marine Corps, we know when to be serious and that we know sometimes when it's a good time to not be serious," Hundley said. "It's a big community out there; everyone I've come across has been really motivational to talk to about [it], and I think it's a great way that we develop this because it's like friends and brother and sibling, how you have that humor with each other." After Ruiz posted to social media a video of his attendance at the Corporals Course graduation, Hundley said he started getting messages of support and congratulations from across the country, from Marines and veterans, too. He had heard rumors that Ruiz would be attending, but knew he had "so much stuff on his plate" that he wasn't certain. But he ended up being "completely amazed" -- and a little nervous -- that Ruiz attended and appreciated that he was there to celebrate with them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "To me, supporting our Marines in their endeavor to become [professional military education] complete was the win," Ruiz told Military.com through a spokesperson Thursday, referring to courses Marines take throughout their careers as they advance through the ranks. "We are Marines, and being a Marine can be difficult. As leaders, if we can take an opportunity like this and turn it into something positive that raises morale, then we should do it." Ruiz said that he too received the email chain and had "a good laugh" about a Change.org petition that received more than a thousand signatures to get the commandant of the Marine Corps to come to the graduation ceremony. Hundley said one his favorite replies to the email chain went something like, "I don't even breathe 8th comm air, why am I seeing this" in a request to get off of the distro list, referring to the 8th Communication Battalion at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where Hundley serves as a mission element leader in his platoon. He joined the Marine Corps in 2021, initially wanting to be a pilot in the Air Force. But a Marine Corps recruiter told him about opportunities in cyber after learning that Hundley enjoys building out computers as a hobby. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Having worked with animals growing up, he said he intends to start volunteering at an animal shelter in North Carolina as part of his next steps and is looking forward to finishing his five-year contract in the Marine Corps, wanting to "give back as much as I can" in that time period, before looking at other cyber opportunities in the government or private sector. "I didn't want this kind of thing to take away from the experience of all the other corporals that were going in that course with me, because they worked so hard," Hundley said. "They were amazing people, every one of them in their own different ways. And they were so inspirational. They deserved more fame than I ever got from it, even just that little bit." He was promoted to corporal last year and has thought a lot about the leader he is and wants to continue to be. Of the email saga, he said that he learned it's OK to not be "super serious all the time" and that part of being human is to "sit back and laugh" about the absurdities of life. "There's a lot of things I don't know, and I want to inspire growth in all of my Marines that I'm leading," he said. "I want them to know that they're amazing in their own ways, and that they have valued input and ideas. I want to inspire them to grow as their own human beings and leaders." Related: Marine Corps Releases New Details on Drone Competitions Coming to Bases Around the World A major update on influencer Emily Kiser has emerged in the wake of her son's drowning death. What exactly happened in the moments before Trigg Kiser died has not been detailed publicly, and Kiser is trying to keep it that way in court. However, People magazine has now revealed that Kiser was not home when her son drowned. That's a major new detail. On June 5, a source told People that "Kiser was not home at the time of Triggs drowning." It's not clear who was watching the boy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Maricopa County Medical Examiner's office confirmed Trigg's death, saying it occurred on May 18, 2025. Emilie Kiser has 3.4 million followers on TikTok. Her page is heavily focused on her family and two kids. The public information officer for Chandler, AZ, police told USA Today that Trigg Kiser died "after being pulled from a backyard pool days earlier." The police told USA Today they "responded to a drowning call at a home on Ashley Drive in Chandler, Arizona, around 7 p.m. local time for a child who had been pulled unconscious out of a backyard pool." That incident occurred on May 12. According to People, Kiser has filed a lawsuit seeking to keep records and videos sealed in the case, and she filed a declaration that outlined her "grief and trauma." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her lawyer wrote in a filing that Kiser and her family "desperately want to grieve in private, but sadly, the public will not let them." The source told People that Kiser wants a court to keep the records sealed so she does not have to "relive the aftermath through viral" videos. A source told Us Weekly that Kiser's quest for privacy is because she wants to keep the most traumatic moment of her life from public view. She has won at least a temporary reprieve. A judge granted her "temporary confidentiality on her request for privacy," Us Weekly reported, until a determination is made that balances the publics need for information vs privacy interests. Related: Trigg Kiser Death After Pool Drowning Call Is 'Open Investigation' Emily Kiser Wasn't Present When Son Trigg Drowned: Report first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 6, 2025 Emmitsburg approved a town budget on Monday that included a water-rate increase less than earlier planned, as well as above-the-norm salary increases for some town employees. The town expects to receive and spend $2.7 million in FY 2026, according to town documents. That represents a 6% increase compared to FY 2025. The municipal property tax rate will remain 34.64 cents per $100 in assessed value. The Board of Commissioners passed the budget 4-1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Commissioners Amy Boehman-Pollitt, Jim Hoover, Valerie Turnquist and Kevin Hagan voted in favor. Commissioner Cliff Sweeney voted against. In an interview, Sweeney said he was concerned the water-rate changes would not leave enough money in the budget for repairs and anything unexpected. Earlier in Mondays meeting, the commissioners voted to increase water rates by 15% in FY 2026, rather than 36%, which would have been in line with a previous ordinance. The previous ordinance stated that beginning July 1, 2023, water rates in town would increase 36% annually, and continue to increase that rate each year for five years, according to town records. Starting July 1, 2028, rates would increase 3% annually. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I didnt think the water rates should be adjusted until next year, Sweeney said. I wasnt for the 15% He was also the lone dissenting vote in the water-rate increase change, saying the need for a 36% increase was partly my fault for all of the years he served on the board and did not increase rates incrementally. Hoover said in an interview that he felt the municipal property tax rate staying flat and a reduction in the expected water rates were the most important items to residents. The tax rate is based on assessed value, so while the rate may be unchanged, individual tax bills might rise and as property assessments rise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As such, the town projects to receive almost $73,000 in FY 2026 than it did in FY 2025 due to this increase in assessed values. Hoover said the annual 36% increases were a thorn in his and others sides and represented an increase that was substantially more than I felt was justifiable. Hoover added that he felt that the new approach to managing water rates will be more responsive to the needs of the town, since the board will have to be more vigilant by reviewing rates annually and adjusting it as needed. I believe wholeheartedly that this will accomplish that, he said. Boehman-Pollitt said in an interview that she was happy to implement the smaller increase that would still put us in the black, but also not be shocking to our residents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said a proposal by Mayor Frank Davis in May sought to shift how the town paid out benefits to employees. Currently, the town attaches the benefits to the employee rather than to the departments of their work if their work impacts multiple departments. Boehman-Pollitt said the mayors proposal reflected best practices, but would also lead to around an $80,000 increase in cost of the water fund. She said the commissioners are open to phasing that accounting strategy over time, but the added financial strain on the water fund just didnt seem prudent. Davis said the was disappointed that cuts to the water fund will lead to downstream impacts to the general fund, ultimately preventing road improvement and other projects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But other than that, I am happy with the budget, Davis said. Merit increases One item he fought for at Mondays meeting and previous meetings was salary raises above the standard 3% merit increase for Najila Ahsan, the town planner, and Jared Brantner, the superintendent of water and sewer. All other town employees will receive a 3% cost-of-living increase in salary, as well as between a 1% and 3% merit increase. Ahsan and Brantner will receive additional salary increases not counted as merit-based increases due to town code of 4% and .2%. The second figure was due to a lack of money in the water fund, according to town staff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Davis said both town employees performed above expectations and he worried that without salary increases, they could be recruited by other municipalities. What made me realize that we needed to do something was when the state of Maryland came and reviewed our comprehensive plan, they asked me what contractor we used to write that plan because it was so well written, the mayor said. That would have been a very costly contract if we had to bring someone in. Our town planner was able to go above and beyond what was expected of her and we need to compensate our employees for that. Hagan participated in the committee that worked with the town staff and community input to create the comprehensive plan prior to being elected to the Board of Commissioners. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said at the meeting that Ahsan performed a lot of detailed work for the project that was all done at a pretty extraordinary level. I agree, Hoover said. Boehman-Pollitt said the increases represented a big jump, but she supports the mayors recommendations. Davis said Brantner has certifications and experiences to run large-scale water and sewage plants that were hard to find. Additionally, the mayor said Brantner runs a team of five or six and manages both the water and sewage plants. So were getting quite the bang for the buck, Davis said. We have good people and we just cant afford to lose them. Anti-deportation protesters gather in Detroit, waving Mexican flags and signs in both Spanish and English, to show their opposition to border patrol activities in the area on January 26, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz. On Wednesday morning, community members reported Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were making surprise arrests at an immigration check-in office in Grand Rapids where individuals were present for previously scheduled appointments, part of a larger nationwide effort by the Trump administration to restrict those with legal immigration status and deport them. Activist groups, including GR Rapid Response to ICE and Movimiento Cosecha GR, say they quickly mobilized through social media, with members showing up outside the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program office to let new arrivals who were showing up for appointments know about the ICE presence, while others entered the office to warn people waiting inside. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People who show up for check-ins were being taken anyway. This is what weve come to. We need to do much more to help the affected community. Still, Im hopeful that over time, the number of people helping will increase, Ivan Diaz, a former Kent County commissioner and candidate for Michigan senate, said in a text statement. ICE agents detaining an individual outside the ISAP (Intensive Supervision Appearance Program) office in Grand Rapids. June 4, 2025. | Photo courtesy of Movimiento Cosecha GR The arrests are just the latest by federal agents in Michigan that continue to spark concern among community members and activist groups of the increasing intensity and sweep of federal actions against the immigrant community. Restricting legal status Since the start of the current administration, the Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, protections for immigrants and humanitarian paroles are in danger of being removed from hundreds of thousands of foreign individuals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Christine Sauve, from the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, told Michigan Advance that it is uncertain how many members of the community across Michigan currently live under either TPS or humanitarian parole. There are currently 31,500 cases pending in Detroits immigration court, and the majority of those cases involve individuals with parole. These individuals deserve to have their case heard and their day in court, especially if they fear persecution in their country of origin, Sauve said. On Monday, May 19, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way, at least for now, for the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status for 350,000 Venezuelans who arrived in the United States in 2023. That followed a February decision by the federal government to cut similar extensions for just over half a million Haitians, leaving them vulnerable to losing their jobs and facing deportation after August. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, by the end of May, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a court order that had protected almost 500,000 Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelans immigrants with temporary legal status through what is referred to as the CHNV program, from losing their humanitarian parole protections, exposing them to possible deportation. In an X post, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson wrote that the decisions by the federal government are within their legal authority to revoke the temporary status granted to hundreds of thousands during the Biden Administration. Bidens program violated black letter immigration law, incentivized additional illegal immigration, Jackson wrote. Sauve did not appear hopeful about the issue being resolved in a timely manner for those facing deportation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During this time, current CHNV parolees will not have a legal immigration status. Individuals utilized these legal immigration pathways in good faith, and overnight they have been rendered undocumented, unable to work, and subject to deportation. Sauve said. Temporary Protected Status and humanitarian parole are two distinct immigration protection mechanisms. TPS allows qualified nationals already present in the U.S to live and work legally for a specific period, while humanitarian parole, granted on a case-by-case basis, allows certain individuals to enter or remain in the country temporarily. They are given to individuals from countries affected by armed conflict, natural disasters, or who might face persecution. Many individuals with parole status have fled dangerous situations in their country of origin and have pending applications for asylum or other immigration benefits that they may be eligible for, Sauve highlighted. They have built lives and become part of our Michigan communities. They are our neighbors and co-workers. Protesters against deportations march through downtown Grand Rapids on January 20, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz. Economic consequences Another aspect of the mass deportations promised by the federal government is the impact to Michigans agricultural economy in which a considerable portion of the working population is undocumented. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In March, days after half a million Haitians found their TPS extension cut, a Michigan food corporation declared their operation would be significantly affected by losing such a large number of employees. Clemens Food Group in Coldwater employs around 400 Haitian TPS holders as its workforce. According to a report by the American Immigration Council, based on 2022 data and published in 2024, TPS holders have contributed positively to Michigan industries and paid a significant amount of taxes in the U.S. Forcing them to leave the country not only risks putting these individuals in danger, but also threatens to significantly disrupt local economies, the report stated. The council says TPS holders across the state make significant contributions to both public coffers and the private economy, including earning $57.9 million in household income, which translates into $5.2 million in state and local taxes paid, $6.7 million in federal taxes paid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The end of TPS and parole designations is devastating for our clients and their families, but also for their families, workplaces, and communities across Michigan, Sauve said. These programs are lifelines for vulnerable individuals and should not be cruelly ended prematurely, while immigration cases are still pending or conditions are still not safe for individuals to return. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX COLCHESTER, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) University of Vermont Home Health and Hospice staff have voted to formalize a union, Hospice United. This new union will be part of American Federation of Teachers Vermont. About 88% of employees reportedly voted yes to this decision, according to a release from AFT Vermont. Union staff that work in both patients homes, and at the McClure Miller Respite house, will consist of Nurses, LNAs, Social Workers, Chaplains, Bereavement and Volunteer Coordinators, Cooks, and Administrative Support. Lindsay Gagnon, a Nurse Practitioner shares in a release that Were doing this to build a better hospice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This vote will make UVM Home Health and Hospice the final UVM Health Network location to unionize, bringing union representation to all seven cities. Its not just about medical treatmentits about helping people and families through one of lifes hardest moments. That takes everyone. We all deserve a seat at the table. Chaplain Nina Thompson emphasizes At hospice, were a team that cares for the whole person. Hospice United reportedly aims to bring awareness to the inclusion of a hospice workers in UVM Health Network leadership. After the results are officially certified, the union will begin negotiating its first contract. President for Healthcare at AFT Vermont, Nicole DiVita, notes that This is a big win. When healthcare workers have a say in their workplace, care gets better for everyone. Weve seen over 700 new members join AFT Vermont in just the last few monthsits a powerful time for healthcare workers in our state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC22 & FOX44. CEO David Zaslav will collect a $51.9 million salary at Warner Bros. Discovery. That comes despite a shareholder vote rejecting the pay package. An advisory firm had suggested shareholders say no citing inadequate responsiveness and an unmitigated pay-for-performance misalignment. Shareholders of Warner Bros. Discovery voted down the compensation packages of David Zaslav and other top executives this week but thats not going to stop the companys CEO from walking away with $51.9 million. The Say on Pay vote was widely rejected, with 1,063,214,128 votes against it and just 724,453,004 in favor, a roughly 60/40 vote against the measure. (Shareholders, last year, approved the pay package by a 53% majority.) The vote, however, is purely symbolic and nonbinding. The pay package works out to a 4% raise for Zaslavan extra $2.2 million over his 2023 pay. The Warner Bros. Discovery board, in a statement following the vote, said it appreciates the views of all its shareholders and takes the results of the annual advisory vote on executive compensation seriously. The Compensation Committee of the Board looks forward to continuing its regular practice of engaging in constructive dialogue with our shareholders. Zaslav has been CEO of WBD since 2022. His pay rate is higher than that of several competitors, including Disneys Bob Iger ($41.4 million), Comcasts Brian Roberts ($33.9 million) and SiriusXMs Jennifer Witz ($32.1 million). While the shareholder vote was mostly ceremonial at WBD, other companies have started to pay attention to those totals. Netflix adjusted its executive compensation after shareholders rejected the pay package in 2023. Shareholder advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services had recommended shareholders reject Zaslavs pay package (and the others) in light of inadequate responsiveness and an unmitigated pay-for-performance misalignment. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Frederick County is no longer in a drought as of Thursday, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, following several storms and rain events over the last several weeks. The majority of the county about 98% is considered abnormally dry, while a small portion of northern Frederick County is in normal conditions. The current stream flow for multiple streams in the county has also returned to normal or above-normal levels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Drought Monitor has five drought and dryness categories: abnormally dry, moderate drought, severe drought, extreme drought and exceptional drought. In April, all of Frederick County, as well as most of the state of Maryland, was in a severe drought. Frederick County had been in a drought since Nov. 12, according to Drought Monitor emails, with conditions worsening from moderate drought to severe drought at the end of March. The Maryland Department of the Environment also issued a drought warning the third level of the departments drought status key on April 3 for almost the whole state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At that time, the stream flow for multiple streams was much below normal levels. In May, conditions improved in the central, west and north parts of the county from severe to moderate drought. The southern and eastern parts were still in a severe drought. Drought Monitor data released Thursday morning showed the county was entirely out of a drought. In the last 60 days, Frederick County has also gotten above-normal precipitation. The Maryland Department of the Environments drought status from May 31 still had placed Frederick County under a drought warning. The Department of the Environments drought status key has four levels: normal, watch, warning and emergency. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is accused of detaining and holding asylum-seekers overnight in a downtown Los Angeles court building after they appeared for routine check-ins this week, prompting calls for an investigation into possible human rights abuses. Up to 200 people have been detained since Tuesday at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, with at least one pregnant woman and a 2-year-old child among those held overnight, Juan Proano, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, told HuffPost Friday. Its not a facility thats designed to hold anyone overnight. So they have folks in interview rooms and offices, up to 30 people. Theyve set up some makeshift tents as well, Proano said, citing information obtained by detainees and lawyers who have had access to the building. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Immigration attorney Lizbeth Mateo told CBS News that several of her clients were among those detained and taken to a basement in the building. An expectant couple and their two children, one of whom is a U.S. citizen, were left to sleep in a room without beds and given limited access to food and water. Eventually, the pregnant mother and her children were released, while the husband remained in custody as of early Friday, Mateo said. This is something Ive never seen before, she said. Under the first Trump administration, I represented clients with very difficult cases, but never anything like this. Under any other circumstance, he would have been released. The Edward R. Roybal Center and Federal Building is pictured in Los Angeles. Carlin Stiehl via Getty Images CBS also reported that it spoke with people waiting outside the building who claimed to have relatives inside the basement who were texting them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for ICE denied the reports, however, telling HuffPost in an email Friday that it has not detained individuals inside the basements or tents etc. ICE takes very seriously [its] mandate to care for people in their custody with dignity and as mandated by law. Inaccurate statements pushing a false narrative do nothing but put ICE law enforcement personnel and our communities at risk while distorting our mission of public safety and secure borders, the spokesperson wrote. HuffPosts calls to the building were unsuccessful Friday afternoon, with the line repeatedly busy. Proano said that LULAC has been told that as many as 60 people remain detained in the building as of Friday, while others have been released or moved to Texas for deportation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was nothing out of the ordinary when the immigrants reported to the building this week, and they were given no instructions to bring extra food, supplies or medical necessities, Proano said. Photos and video footage taken by two lawyers inside the building and viewed by LULAC show children being walked around the courthouse with flashlights in the dark, and folks screaming and asking for help, he said. The buildings internal lights are turned off after office hours, he said. Its entrapment, first of all, if youre calling people essentially to come in for what would be a regular routine check in with ICE with the intention of detaining and deporting them. Its really entrapment, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two California Democrats, Reps. Sydney Kamlager-Dove and Jimmy Gomez, called the reports disturbing and demanded immediate answers. These are not criminals. These are families who followed the rules. Filed the paperwork. Showed up on time. Instead, theyre being treated like they broke the law just for seeking asylum, Gomez said in a statement Friday that demanded access to the federal building to get answers. The Trump Administration claims its going after criminals this is the opposite, said Kamlager-Dove. These people are fleeing violence and persecution and doing everything they can to come here legally. My office is closely monitoring the situation, and Im demanding answers from DHS. Proano called attention to the capacity crisis in the nations detention centers amid Trump administration efforts to boost the number of daily ICE arrests and deportations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When you say youre going to ramp up deportations to 3,000 a day but youre actually out of space at the detention centers and would have to create makeshift detention centers on the fly, it puts peoples lives at risk, he said while demanding accountability. These immigrants are following the legal process, theyre following the rule of law, and they should be treated with respect and dignity. They should not be entrapped and held hostage in a federal building, he said. Related... A defense attorney who worked with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein claims his former client provided no information that would implicate President Trump in any illegal activity. Epstein, who hanged himself at Manhattans Metropolitan Correctional Center in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges, was known to party with Trump when the two were high-rolling businessmen in the 90s and 2000s. Their once-close relationship came under scrutiny again on Thursday when billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk alleged the president was a party to Epsteins dubious behavior. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Time to drop the really big bomb: @RealDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public, Musk wrote on X amid his days-long feud with the president. But according to defense attorney David Schoen, theres no such bombshell that can be found in any documents related to Epsteins alleged crimes. I was hired to lead Jeffrey Epsteins defense as his criminal lawyer nine days before he died, Schoen wrote in a series of tweets in reaction to the allegation. He sought my advice for months before that. I can say authoritatively, unequivocally and definitively that he had no information to hurt President Trump. I specifically asked him! The attorney also retweeted quotes from MAGA surrogates like political strategist Roger Stone, who helped circulate Schoens defense of the president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk presented no evidence to support his accusation, but insisted the truth will come out. House Democrats responded to the inflammatory claim by calling on Trump-appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel to immediately clarify whether Musks allegation is true, according to a letter obtained by Axios. Musk spent nearly $300 million last year to put the president back in power. On the campaign trail, he wore a hat emblazoned with the words Trump Was Right About Everything and heaped praise on the MAGA leader for months, all before their relationship publicly exploded this week. While Musk once enjoyed nearly unfettered access to the president and professed his love for Trump in February, it all broke apart after Musk walked away last week from his brief tenure with the Department of Government Efficiency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He spent the subsequent days blasting Trumps signature budget bill as a disgusting abomination, before dropping his Epstein allegation and then calling for Trumps impeachment. Trump responded by saying Musk has lost his mind, accusing him of having Trump Derangement Syndrome. Jeffrey Epstein's lawyer has publicly addressed speculations that the deceased sex offender had compromising information on President Donald Trump. There's been an uproar on social media concerning the nature of Trump's relationship with Epstein after Elon Musk alleged the president was the reason why the files had not yet been released. Donald Trump and Elon Musk have suffered a broken relationship following his controversial One Big Beautiful Bill, and the tech guru has wasted no time in taking swipes at him. Lawyer Claims Jeffrey Epstein Had No Dirt On Donald Trump Aaron Schwartz / CNP / MEGA A lawyer for Jeffrey Epstein, David Schoen, has addressed speculations suggesting the disgraced financier had some dirt on President Donald Trump. According to TMZ, Schoen revealed that Epstein told him he did not have any dirt on Trump and that he would have used it if he did. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schoen said, "What I can say definitively is that I discussed this subject with Mr. Epstein at a time when it would have been in his best interests to implicate others, and he made clear that Donald Trump did nothing wrong and that he had no damaging information against him." The financier, who had ties to celebrities, politicians, and royalty, was arrested on multiple disturbing charges and was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges before he died by suicide in 2019. Jeffrey Epstein's Lawyer Shut Down The Trump-Epstein Rumors On X MEGA Although there are pictures making the rounds on social media in which Trump was seen partying with Epstein, Schoen maintained that he didn't do anything wrong. Taking to his X account, the attorney wrote: "I was hired to lead Jeffrey Epstein's defense as his criminal lawyer 9 days before he died. He sought my advice for months before that. I can say authoritatively, unequivocally, and definitively that he had no information to hurt President Trump. I specifically asked him!" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a reply to another tweet restating his claims, Schoen said he can "unequivocally" state that President Trump "never did anything wrong with Jeffrey Epstein." Elon Musk Claims Donald Trump Is On Epstein's List ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA It comes after Elon Musk dropped the "bomb," alleging Trump was on Epstein's list and that was "the real reason they have not been made public." Trump and Musk enjoyed a working relationship prior to the November elections, after which the billionaire tech guru was given the mandate to spearhead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), responsible for cutting federal government spending. However, they have now fallen out with each other following Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill, which Musk has since labeled a "disgusting abomination." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore," Musk wrote on X. "This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination." "Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it," the billionaire continued, adding that the bill "will massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion (!!!) and burden America [sic] citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt." In another explosive tweet, Musk claimed that Trump couldn't have won the 2024 elections without him. "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House, and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," Musk said. He added: "Such ingratitude." Donald Trump Is Unbothered By Elon Musk's Rants Chris Kleponis - CNP / MEGA Meanwhile, Trump has maintained an unbothered perspective on Musk's disturbing allegations, telling CNN that he won't be speaking to him in the near future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I'm not even thinking about Elon. He's got a problem. The poor guy's got a problem," Trump said. According to the news outlet, he was asked if he'd been on a call with the SpaceX boss, to which the president replied: "No. I won't be speaking to him for a while, I guess, but I wish him well." Trump previously maintained that he was still on the best of terms with Musk and that the tech billionaire is still a part of his team. "Elon is not really leaving," he said during Musk's send-off party last week. "He's going to be back and forth." White House Defends The President's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA The White House has thrown its weight behind the bill that has caused a fallout between Musk and Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The "Big, Beautiful Bill" was passed in late May ahead of Memorial Day, but was met with disapproval from two Republicans, citing insufficient spending cuts and rising national debt, per Fox News. "Look, the president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a briefing when asked about Musk's criticism. "It doesn't change the president's opinion. This is one big, beautiful bill and he's sticking to it," she added. Note: This story has been updated with new information. A deputy used a drone to find an escaped zebra nicknamed "Ed" on social media on the morning of June 6 in a field near the Christiana community, a press release said. "Deputies are tracking the zebra with the drone," the press release from Rutherford County Sheriff's spokeswoman Lisa Marchesoni added. "Thanks to Rutherford County Deputy Ryan Bauer for the video." A zebra that escaped from a family roams May 31, 2025, in Rutherford County. Rutherford Sheriffs Cpl. Sean White has asked people to avoid the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We dont want to scare the zebra, White said in the press release. We need time to get him to calm down. The zebra's owner shares the department's concerns that people and cameras are scaring the animal, making efforts to secure it all the more difficult, Marchesoni said. The department has not named the owner publicly. But Marchesoni said the owner did obtain his own professional searchers to look for the zebra. Zebra on the run: Nashville Zoo spokesperson warns 'stay clear of that animal' Zoo spokesman says onlookers should stay clear of zebra A cornered zebra can be dangerous, according to Nashville Zoo spokesman Jim Bartoo. "Their kick can crush a lions skull in defense," said Bartoo, a 25-year staff member. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bartoo recommends people stay clear of the zebra and let experts do their job to corral or tranquilize the animal. "These are not domestic animals," Bartoo said. "They are wild animals. They have a different temperament (than a horse or donkey). They can be aggressive in defending themselves." If authorities are unable to capture the zebra, Bartoo said people should keep an eye out for where the animal may roam and call authorities if they see it. Should the zebra escape again, those who see the wild animal should contact the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office by calling 615-898-7770, Marchesoni said. Zebra causes May 31 traffic jam on I-24 The runaway animal captured national attention May 31 after it was spotted running along both sides of Interstate 24 between Joe B. Jackson Parkway and Elam Road. The zebra tied up traffic for at least an hour, said Marchesoni, the sheriff's spokeswoman. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the days since, the zebra has sparked many conversations and posts on social media, including memes promoting Middle Tennessee State University sports, local businesses, bumper stickers and even an AI-generated song. The Sheriffs Office has requested help from a veterinarian to assist in the zebra's rescue. The department has noted it will send another update when more information becomes available. This is a developing story. Reach reporter Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at sbroden@dnj.com. To support his work with The Daily News Journal, sign up for a digital subscription. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Zebra rescue in works: Rutherford deputy tracking animal by drone Jun. 6ESKO Tribal courts on reservations nationwide often rely on practices derived from the American legal system. For Esko's Megan Treuer, chief judge for the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, these practices can overlook the nuances of tribal culture and, consequently, fail to deliver effective justice. The Bush Foundation announced Tuesday, June 6, that Treuer is the recipient of a $150,000 two-year fellowship. The funds will allow her to further incorporate traditional Ojibwe practice into her tribal court by immersing herself in the Ojibwe language and culture, and travel across the world to mentor under global Indigenous leaders. "We don't have a separation of our way of life, our ceremonial practices, or language and justice," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Bush Foundation aims to identify and support leaders in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota by providing monetary assistance to grow their capacity and knowledge to be even more effective community leaders, according to Adora Land, grant-making director with the Bush Fellowship. "Megan was someone who we identified for the work that she's doing," Land said. "(It) would be really impactful (for Treuer to) have a fellowship in this moment." A member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Treuer has worked in tribal justice for about 20 years and served as a judge for the past 12. Through her fellowship, Treuer will focus on how to "fully indigenize" the tribal justice system by reexamining how justice is delivered in Indian country and revitalizing cultural justice practices that reflect how the communities have traditionally taken care of each other. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bois Forte is one of two tribal nations in Minnesota with criminal jurisdiction, the other being the Red Lake Nation. Most of Treuer's casework is criminal and child protection. Treuer believes that implementing Indigenous practices that reconnect legal jurisdiction to culture will result in lower recidivism rates and better outcomes. For example, she said that if a young offender partakes in a ceremony instead of being sent to jail, it could yield better long-term outcomes. But to do that, Treuer believes she first needs to reacquaint herself with and immerse herself in her own culture and language. Treuer's top priority with her fellowship is reacquainting herself with the Ojibwe language, which she admits she knew better as a teenager. She plans to take Ojibwe language courses and immerse herself where the language is frequently spoken, such as tribal ceremonies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's hard to authentically deliver Anishinaabe justice when you don't have good command of the language," she said. Additionally, Treuer plans to travel to seek mentorship from leaders of Indigenous justice globally. She plans to go to New Zealand, which is governed by the Treaty of Waitangi, the country's founding document between the British Crown and the island's native Maori population, which grants significant rights and recognition to its Indigenous population. Treuer cited one of her mentors, Paul Day, the recently retired chief judge of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, as a source of inspiration for the future of Indigenous law. She said he would often perform ceremonies in the Ojibwe language during court proceedings, such as a family being reunited or a child being adopted. Treuer believes it is her responsibility to follow Day's legacy. "Now that he's retired, and a number of other trailblazers are retiring or moving on, I feel it's incumbent on myself to learn what my predecessors used to do," she said. TYLER, Texas (KETK) The East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG) received a $250,00 grant that will provide GoBus transportation to veterans in over 14 East Texas counties. Gov. Abbott names new leaders to Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission The Texas Veterans Commission awarded 213 grants to many Funds for Veteran Assistance programs which will aid about 40,000 veterans. ETCOG will put this money toward funding a GoBus system. GoBus is a rural public transit system in East Texas that provides rides to daily destinations such as grocery stores, meetings and health appointments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The GoBus trips are available to veterans as well as veterans spouses, dependents survivor spouses and active military personnel. For more information about GoBus and their services visit their website: https://www.gobustransit.com/. East Texas residents asked to donate fans for summer relief It is an honor to receive this funding award from the Texas Veterans Commission and Chair Koerner, which allows us to continue our mission to support all East Texas veterans, said Vince Huerta, GoBus Director. We are dedicated to growing the program and look forward to assisting more veterans this year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com. The European Union has announced that it will allocate 30 million to support the restoration of the water supply system in the city of Kryvyi Rih, which was damaged after Russia blew up the Kakhovka dam in 2023. Source: press service for the EU Delegation to Ukraine, as reported by European Pravda Details: The project, which will be implemented by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), was symbolically announced on the second anniversary of Russia's destruction of the Kakhovka dam. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Russias attacks have severely damaged Ukraines water systems, leaving entire cities at risk. With this project, the EU is helping restore vital services and reduce the vulnerability of communities like Kryvyi Rih," said Jocelin Cornet, Head of Section "Reconstruction, energy, infrastructure and environment", the EU Delegation to Ukraine. Before the disaster, Kryvyi Rih received water from the Kakhovka Reservoir. After it was destroyed, the city has been dependent on degraded and insufficient alternative sources. As stated in the announcement, the new project, funded by the EU and implemented by IOM, aims to improve water quality and reduce energy consumption and water losses in urban pipelines. In partnership with Kryvbasvodokanal, a regional water supply operator, and local authorities, IOM will renovate pumping stations, replace pipelines and improve the efficiency of water treatment facilities. Over the next two years, the project will reach up to 700,000 residents of Kryvyi Rih, including approximately 80,000 internally displaced persons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Kakhovka dam, occupied by Russia at the start of the full-scale invasion, was destroyed on the morning of 6 June 2023. This caused dozens of deaths and widespread destruction, flooding 620 square kilometres of territory in four oblasts Kherson, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia. An assessment of the consequences of the 2023 disaster, prepared by the UN and the Ukrainian government with the participation of the World Bank and the EU, estimated the damage at US$14 billion. After Russia blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, the EU activated the Civil Protection Mechanism to provide assistance to Ukraine. The first contributions were made by Germany, Austria and Lithuania. Germany offered 5,000 water filters and 56 generators and Austria 20 water tanks and 10 drilling pumps. In addition, Lithuania and Germany also offered tents, beds and blankets. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! The European Union's top officials on Friday condemned US sanctions against four judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC). "The ICC holds perpetrators of the worlds gravest crimes to account (and) gives victims a voice," wrote European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on X. "It must be free to act without pressure. We will always stand for global justice (and) the respect of international law," she added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ICC "must remain free from pressure and true to its principles," wrote Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat. "We will always support its vital work and protect its independence," she added. Kallas' spokeswoman said that the impact of the sanctions would be monitored and possible reactions are being assessed. This could possibly include the application of the so-called blocking statue to persuade European companies not to co-operate in the implementation of the US sanctions. The US administration accuses the court based in The Hague of baseless and targeted action against the United States and Israel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Washington accuses the sanctioned judges of having authorized an investigation into US soldiers in Afghanistan or facilitated arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Galant over the Gaza war. As a result of the sanctions, any property belonging to the judges in the US will be frozen. Additionally, US companies and US citizens are no longer allowed to do business with them. However, the US government has not issued an entry ban. The European Union's top officials on Friday condemned US sanctions against four judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC). "The ICC holds perpetrators of the worlds gravest crimes to account (and) gives victims a voice," wrote European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on X. "It must be free to act without pressure. We will always stand for global justice (and) the respect of international law," she added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ICC "must remain free from pressure and true to its principles," wrote Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat. "We will always support its vital work and protect its independence," she added. Kallas' spokeswoman said that the impact of the sanctions would be monitored and possible reactions are being assessed. This could possibly include the application of the so-called blocking statue to persuade European companies not to co-operate in the implementation of the US sanctions. The US administration accuses the court based in The Hague of baseless and targeted action against the United States and Israel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Washington accuses the sanctioned judges of having authorized an investigation into US soldiers in Afghanistan or facilitated arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Galant over the Gaza war. As a result of the sanctions, any property belonging to the judges in the US will be frozen. Additionally, US companies and US citizens are no longer allowed to do business with them. However, the US government has not issued an entry ban. The judges concerned are Uganda's Solomy Balungi Bossa, Peruvian Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza, Beninese national Reine Alapini-Gansou and Slovenia's Beti Hohler. The ICC has been prosecuting the most serious crimes such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity since 2002. All EU countries are members. However, the US, Israel and Russia are not signatories. Donald Trump had already ordered sanctions in his first term as US President when the court investigated alleged war crimes committed by US soldiers in Afghanistan. His successor Biden reversed these. Zoom out further, and the long-term trend remains clear: Redfin data show U.S. home prices have surged roughly 45% over the past five years. Floridas housing market seems to be under pressure, but that doesnt necessarily signal a nationwide collapse. In fact, according to Redfin, the median U.S. home sale price in April was $437,864 up 1.3% from a year earlier. And while Florida may be feeling the pain, Zhao cautions it might not be the only state that ends up struggling: The question for the rest of the country is, will this spread? Florida is uniquely bad right now. I think youre seeing a really long, slow deflation of that bubble, Zhao said in the Bloomberg analysis, reflecting on the shifting market dynamics. In April, the median home sale price across Florida fell 3.2% year over year. And in West Palm Beach, Miami and Fort Lauderdale, nearly 5% of homes sold below asking compared to just 0.77% nationally. South Florida saw a historic run-up in prices during the pandemic, with homes routinely selling above asking price. But the tide has turned. Homes are also sitting on the market much longer than elsewhere. In April, the median time to sell in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale was 83 days, and 81 days in Miami more than double the national average of 40 days. South Florida is the epicenter of housing market weakness in the United States, she told Bloomberg. According to Chen Zhao, head of economics research at Redfin, the region is clearly under pressure. Notably, pending sales in Miami plunged 23%, while transactions in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach declined by 19% and 14%, respectively. Powered by Money.com - Yahoo may earn commission from the links above. Priority Gold: Up to $15k in Free Silver + Zero Account Fees on Qualifying Purchase Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has an important message for the next wave of American retirees here's how he says you can best weather the US retirement crisis Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how According to a Bloomberg analysis of Redfin data, the number of contracts to buy homes in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach dropped in April compared to a year ago, marking the steepest declines among the 50 largest metro areas in the U.S. Bubbles dont always burst sometimes they deflate. But the process can still be painful, as some Florida home sellers are now discovering. Moneywise and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue through links in the content below. Story Continues Affordability, however, remains a major challenge due to the imbalance between supply and demand. As Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged in a press conference last year, the real issue behind Americas housing crisis is clear: We have had, and are on track to continue to have, not enough housing. A June 2024 analysis by Zillow estimates the U.S. housing shortage at 4.5 million homes a gap that continues to support demand and rental prices in many regions. Meanwhile, many investors view real estate as a time-tested hedge against inflation. As the cost of materials, labor and land rises, property values often follow and so do rents. This allows landlords to earn income that tends to keep pace with inflation. Of course, with todays high home prices, elevated mortgage rates and an uncertain outlook, jumping into the market might feel daunting. But the good news is, you no longer need to buy a property outright to tap into the benefits of real estate investing. Crowdfunding platforms like Arrived offer an easier way to get exposure to this income-generating asset class. Backed by world class investors like Jeff Bezos, Arrived allows you to invest in shares of rental homes with as little as $100, all without the hassle of mowing lawns, fixing leaky faucets or handling difficult tenants. The process is simple: Browse a curated selection of homes that have been vetted for their appreciation and income potential. Once you find a property you like, select the number of shares youd like to purchase, and then sit back as you start receiving positive rental income distributions from your investment. Another option is First National Realty Partners (FNRP), which allows accredited investors to diversify their portfolio through grocery-anchored commercial properties, without taking on the responsibilities of being a landlord. With a minimum investment of $50,000, investors can own a share of properties leased by national brands like Whole Foods, Kroger and Walmart, which provide essential goods to their communities. Thanks to Triple Net (NNN) leases, accredited investors are able to invest in these properties without worrying about tenant costs cutting into their potential returns. Simply answer a few questions including how much you would like to invest to start browsing their full list of available properties. Read more: Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Hedge against chaos If youre uneasy about where the U.S. housing market or the broader economy is headed, youre not alone. Warnings from top economists and investors are piling up. Nobel Prizewinning economist Paul Krugman has cautioned that a recession could hit the U.S. this year. Meanwhile, Ray Dalio founder of the worlds largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates recently sounded the alarm on something worse than a recession. With soaring national debt, persistent fiscal deficits and rising geopolitical tensions, its no surprise that markets have been on edge. So where can investors turn for shelter? Dalio points to a familiar safe haven: gold. People don't have, typically, an adequate amount of gold in their portfolio, he told CNBC in February. When bad times come, gold is a very effective diversifier. Long viewed as the ultimate safe haven, gold isnt tied to any single country, currency or economy. It cant be printed out of thin air like fiat money, and in times of economic turmoil or geopolitical uncertainty, investors tend to pile in driving up its value. Hence why, over the past 12 months, gold prices have surged by more than 40%. One way to invest in gold that also provides significant tax advantages is to open a gold IRA with the help of Priority Gold. Gold IRAs allow investors to hold physical gold or gold-related assets within a retirement account, thereby combining the tax advantages of an IRA with the protective benefits of investing in gold, making it an option for those looking to help shield their retirement funds against economic uncertainties. When you make a qualifying purchase with Priority Gold, you can receive up to $10,000 in silver for free. What to read next This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. The European Union is considering placing Russia on its "gray list" of countries with inadequate controls against money laundering, the Financial Times reported June 6, citing officials from the European Commission. Inclusion on the list would damage Russia's global financial standing and compel banks to apply stricter scrutiny to transactions involving Russian individuals or entities raising compliance costs and increasing operational burdens. Although the decision was expected this week, the European Commission delayed a final ruling due to administrative or procedural reasons, according to the Financial Times. A decision is now expected early next week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There is huge support for putting Russia on the list," said Markus Ferber, a German MEP who oversees economic affairs for the European People's Party, the EU's main center-right bloc. Most European Parliament members reportedly back the move, though no consensus has yet been formalized. The EU's gray list generally mirrors the assessments of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international watchdog on money laundering and terrorism financing. Russia's FATF membership was suspended in 2023, after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Efforts to list Russia on the grey list have faced resistance, as countries with close ties to Moscow are likely to block any formal move for enhanced monitoring. The EU's most recent internal draft of the gray list includes countries such as Algeria, Kenya, Laos, and Venezuela. Several others including Barbados, the United Arab Emirates, and Senegal are expected to be removed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If implemented, the designation would further isolate Moscow from global markets and tighten compliance obligations on any remaining cross-border financial operations involving Russian institutions. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukraine strikes Russian missile base in Bryansk Oblast, damages Iskander launchers; Trump dismisses timeline to impose Russian sanctions Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Three leading European Union lawmakers on Friday expressed their "heartfelt solidarity" with those affected by sweeping wildfires in Canada. More than 200 active fires are currently raging in Canada, over 100 of which are out of control. Around 30,000 people have already been evacuated due to the blazes. A state of emergency has been declared in the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. "We stand with the Canadian people during this difficult time with the communities facing evacuation, the families who have lost their homes, and the brave first responders working tirelessly to contain the fires and protect lives," said the lawmakers in a joint statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement was issued by German EU lawmaker David McAllister, who heads the foreign affairs committee of the European Parliament, as well as Javier Moreno Sanchez of Spain and Tobias Cremer of Germany, who are in charge of EU-Canada relations. "Canada is a close friend and partner of the European Union. In moments of adversity, we are reminded of the strength of our transatlantic bonds and shared values," they said. "Our thoughts are with all those impacted, and we send our sincere hopes for safety, resilience, and a swift end to these devastating wildfires." The European Union is set to reinstate tariffs on Ukrainian agricultural exports on June 6. This is the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion that the EU will not renew an agreement suspending trade barriers between Ukraine and Europe. The end of tariff-free trade comes amid mounting opposition to Ukrainian exports and Ukraine's EU accession from eastern European bloc members, including Poland and Hungary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While a transitional agreement will govern trade to the end of 2025, negotiations between Brussels and Ukraine for a more favorable long-term agreement began on June 2, according to European Pravda. The temporary arrangement from June 6 allows for more liberal trade than established under earlier rules. But tariffs will return in full starting in 2026 unless talks in Brussels succeed in updating the pre-war framework. The talks will test the EU's ability to balance concerns from member states with Ukraine's closer integration into the trading bloc. Read also: Who is Nawrocki, Polands new president, and what could his narrow victory mean for Polish-Ukrainian relations? How wartime trade relief for Ukraine impacted EU states The so-called Autonomous Trade Measures (ATMs) were introduced in June 2022 shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. They removed tariffs that applied to some Ukrainian agricultural goods under a 2016 trade agreement, including sugar, honey, wheat, and poultry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Along with "solidarity lanes," which established alternative logistics routes, the 2022 trade measures facilitated the export of Ukrainian agricultural goods by land, bypassing Ukrainian ports blockaded by Russia in the Black Sea. With maritime exports paralyzed, overland shipments to EU neighbors especially to Poland, Romania, and Hungary surged, provoking protests from local farmers who claimed Ukrainian goods were overwhelming markets and lowering prices. Although Brussels initially intervened to curb Ukrainian imports, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary applied unilateral bans on some Ukrainian goods in September 2023, citing national security issues but defying EU trade rules. The influx following the trade measures set to expire on June 6 has been touted as a sign of Ukraine's incompatibility with the EU. The issue was on the campaign agenda in the recent Polish presidential election, with both candidates voicing concerns over Ukrainian agricultural imports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Svitlana Taran, policy analyst at the Brussels-based European Policy Centre, the 2022 trade measures were not the main driver of the surge. "Politicians have accused ATMs as the primary reason for this situation, which is not the case," she told the Kyiv Independent. "This was an exceptional situation caused by the sudden collapse of Ukraine's main export routes. The influx was not caused by the removal of tariffs, but by Russia's invasion and blockade, and insufficient transport capacities. The suspension of tariffs was just one of the factors, and after Ukraine unblocked Black Sea channels, this situation was eased." European imports of Ukrainian products whose tariffs were lifted did initially spike to an unprecedented level of over 900 million euros, but then quickly declined. Imports of these goods are now generally higher than they were before the full-scale invasion, but not at unprecedented levels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This example cannot be used to frighten EU farmers that it would be a normal situation if they open their markets to Ukrainian agriculture," Taran added. There is also little evidence that Ukrainian products affected prices in bordering countries. "We looked at (prices) for sugar and found no evidence," Stephan Cramon-Taubadel, chair of Agricultural Policy at the University of Gottingen, told the Kyiv Independent. "I currently have some preliminary results that show slightly depressed local prices for wheat in eastern Polish regions bordering Ukraine in parts of 2023 and 2024, but it's much less than it's made out to be, and something that the EU could easily compensate." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nevertheless, Brussels will not renew the ATMs following longstanding pressure from eastern European countries looking to appease the farmers' lobby. Read also: In wartime Ukraine, a university grows and reclaims a space once reserved for the corrupt More roadblocks on Ukraine's European path The reversion to pre-war rules is a step back for Ukraine's exporters. The EU has become a closer trading partner for Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began. Over 60% of Ukraine's exports now go to the EU, relative to about 40% before the war. Reverting to the pre-war rules may pose challenges to Ukrainian exporters, who have adapted to trade with fewer tariffs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's a challenge, because it's not something businesses were fully prepared for," Veronika Movchan, academic director at the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting, told the Kyiv Independent. "Many hoped that the measures would continue, at least to some extent. I expect that some businesses made decisions based on the existing regime." The Ukrainian Agribusiness Club estimates that, in 2025, Ukraine will lose up to 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) in foreign exchange earnings under the temporary measures, and 3.3 billion euros ($3.7 billion) next year if no agreement is reached. But there may even be barriers to reverting back to the 2016 trading rules, given the fraught politics surrounding the bans currently imposed by Poland, Hungary and Slovakia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's not even apparent that, when the free trade measures expire on Friday, these countries will lift the bans," said Movchan. "Some member states even imposed bans on goods that didn't have any barriers before the war, such as sunflower seeds and rapeseed." The episode highlights the potential for domestic politics within the EU and bilateral disputes to impede closer trade relations with Ukraine. It also demonstrates the opportunities for Russia to attempt to derail this process. "One thing we shouldn't underestimate is presumably largely Russian propaganda," Cramon-Taubadel said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If we look at the channels from which some farmers are getting their information, there is much unsubstantiated fear-mongering claiming that imports from Ukraine are depressing prices." Read also: Controversial Russian literature prize sparks debate on separating culture from war crimes Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. By Kate Abnett and Pavel Polityuk BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Union reimposed duties and quotas on Ukrainian agricultural products from Friday, and hopes to clinch a deal on new quotas that will be smaller than imports during the last three years after Russia's invasion, the EU's agriculture commissioner told Reuters. The EU temporarily waived duties and quotas on agricultural products in June 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion to help Ukraine compensate for the higher costs of its exports, after Russia threatened its traditional Black Sea shipping lanes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those tariff suspensions expired on Thursday. The EU and Ukraine reverted to the pre-war regime of trade quotas on Friday, while the two sides negotiate a new longer-term deal. Brussels is seeking to strike a balance between supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia, and heeding European farmers' concerns about cheaper Ukrainian imports. "What will be negotiated will be something in between the quotas under the existing DCFTA and the autonomous trade measures, the volumes that have been exported there," EU agriculture commissioner Christophe Hansen said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday. The DCFTA refers to Ukraine and the EU's pre-war trade deal. The EU's "autonomous trade measures" temporarily suspended quotas on Ukrainian imports from 2022. Ukraine's farm minister Vitaliy Koval told Reuters this week that Kyiv was pushing for an agreement on higher quotas than it had before the war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement EU farmers have complained that large shipments of cheaper Ukrainian sugar imports under the wartime tariff exemptions have undercut local supplies. The EU triggered "emergency brakes" to re-impose quotas on products including sugar and eggs in the past year, in response to surging imports. The EU's Ukrainian sugar imports soared to 400,000 tons in the 2022/23 season and over 500,000 tons in 2023/24, far exceeding the pre-war quota of 20,000 tons. Hansen said the new quotas on sugar would be "significantly higher" than those under the pre-war arrangements. "I think we can absorb a certain amount of those products," he said, while noting sensitivities among European farmers concerned about higher imports of sugar, poultry and eggs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Negotiations on the new EU-Ukraine deal started on June 2. Hansen said it was feasible a deal could be reached by summer. "It depends now on both sides, I think technically that could be feasible," he said. Agricultural goods accounted for about 60% of Ukraine's total exports last year, with the EU buying around 60% of those goods, worth about $15 billion. A senior Ukrainian lawmaker said last month the loss of tariff-free access to the EU market could cost the country 3.5 billion euros ($3.99 billion) in annual revenue. "Our solidarity with Ukraine is as firm as ever, and therefore we are very committed to deliver this agreement as quickly as possible," Hansen said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The pre-war quota regime, which applies as of Friday, also includes lighter rules on import licenses for some goods like poultry and eggs, where instead of requiring licenses, quotas will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. ($1 = 0.8763 euros) (Reporting by Kate Abnett; additional reporting by Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv, Gus Trompiz and Sybille de La Hamaide in Paris, Maytaal Angel in London; Editing by GV De Clercq, Susan Fenton, Philippa Fletcher) By Sabine Siebold BERLIN (Reuters) -Europe is capable of sustaining Ukraine's resistance against Russia, even if the United States were to decide to completely halt its military support to Kyiv, the senior military official in charge of coordinating Germany's arms supplies told Reuters. Major General Christian Freuding said NATO's European members plus Canada had already exceeded the estimated $20 billion worth of U.S. military aid provided last year to Kyiv. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They accounted for around 60% of the total costs borne by the Western allies, he said. "The war against Ukraine is raging on our continent, it is also being waged against the European security order. If the political will is there, then the means will also be there to largely compensate for the American support," Freuding said in an interview. Ukraine continues to receive weapons deliveries approved by former U.S. President Joe Biden. It is unclear, however, whether his successor Donald Trump will sign off on any new supplies - or allow third countries to purchase U.S. weapons for Kyiv. Asked how long the Biden-approved deliveries will sustain Kyiv, Freuding said this depended on logistical processes as well as the speed at which Ukraine burns through arms and ammunition, but that the summer seemed a realistic estimate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "How the American government handles further requests for military support for Ukraine is unclear at the moment. We can't say anything about that," he added. "In general, the U.S. has a great interest in boosting its own defence industry. I make the cautious assumption that at least purchasing U.S. defence goods, and delivering them to Ukraine, will be possible." RUSSIAN REARMAMENT Addressing the potential threat that Russia might pose beyond Ukraine, Freuding said Moscow had a clear plan to reconstitute and grow its military, and was expected to succeed in efforts to double its land forces to 1.5 million by 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They are recruiting significantly more personnel than they need as replacements for the war in Ukraine. They are producing surplus stocks of ammunition, in particular, which they are 'putting on store'". Freuding said Russia was also ramping up its military infrastructure, especially in its western military district bordering new NATO member Finland. Any ceasefire in Ukraine could allow Russia to accelerate its rearmament efforts ahead of a possible large-scale attack on NATO territory, he said. The alliance currently believes this could occur from 2029. "Of course, a ceasefire could change the threat situation," Freuding said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russia denies planning to attack NATO and says it is waging a "special military operation" in Ukraine to protect its own security against what it casts as an aggressive, hostile West. Germany has provided a total of 38 billion euros ($43 billion) in military aid to Ukraine, including funds earmarked for the coming years, making it the second largest donor after the United States, the defence ministry in Berlin says. Freuding said he was not aware of the Trump administration having endorsed any U.S. arms deliveries to Kyiv paid for by third countries. Still, making up for certain crucial parts of U.S. military support to Ukraine would pose significant challenges to Europe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Listing capabilities that would be hard for Europeans to replace, Freuding cited U.S. intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) data, air defence systems like Patriot and spare parts for U.S. weapons. "If we are capable of replacing specific (ISR) capabilities to a sufficient extent - we need to look into this when we definitely know the Americans won't provide this data anymore." Ukraine uses U.S. intelligence data to help its air defence, and analysts say also for targeting. ($1 = 0.8757 euros) (Reporting by Sabine SieboldEditing by Gareth Jones) The European Union deeply regrets the United States sanctions placed on four judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC), European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has said. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday announced sanctions on four judges whom the US accuses of taking illegitimate and baseless actions against the US and its allies. Responding to the announcement on Friday, von der Leyen said the Hague-based court had the full support of the EU. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ICC holds perpetrators of the worlds gravest crimes to account & gives victims a voice, von der Leyen said on X on Friday. It must be free to act without pressure. United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said he was profoundly disturbed by the US decision. Attacks against judges for performance of their judicial functions, at national or international levels, run directly counter to respect for the rule of law and the equal protection of the law values for which the US has long stood, Turk said. Such attacks are deeply corrosive of good governance and the due administration of justice, he added, calling for the sanctions to be withdrawn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, which represents national governments of the 27 EU member states, also called the court a cornerstone of international justice and said its independence and integrity must be protected. The Commission fully supports the @IntlCrimCourt & its officials. The ICC holds perpetrators of the worlds gravest crimes to account & gives victims a voice. It must be free to act without pressure. We will always stand for global justice & the respect of international law. Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) June 6, 2025 The US State Department said the sanctions were issued after the court made decisions to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a separate decision in 2020 to open an investigation into alleged war crimes by US troops in Afghanistan. The four sanctioned judges include Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru, Reine Alapini-Gansou of Benin and Beti Hohler of Slovenia. EU member Slovenia said it rejects pressure on judicial institutions and urged the EU to use its blocking statute. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Due to the inclusion of a citizen of an EU member state on the sanctions list, Slovenia will propose the immediate activation of the blocking act, Slovenias Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post on X. The mechanism lets the EU ban European companies from complying with US sanctions that Brussels deems unlawful. The power has been used in the past to prevent Washington from banning European trade with Cuba and Iran. Slovenia regrets the announced sanctions by the US government against 4 judges of the @IntlCrimCourt , including a judge from #Slovenia. SI rejects pressure on judicial institutions and influence on judicial operations, and courts must act in the interests of law and justice. pic.twitter.com/xhwBj8XeMz MFEA Slovenia (@MZEZ_RS) June 5, 2025 The US sanctions mean the judges are added to a list of specially designated sanctioned individuals. Any US assets they have will be blocked and they are put on an automated screening service used not only by US banks but by many banks worldwide, making it very difficult for sanctioned people to hold or open bank accounts or transfer money. This is not the first time the US has issued restrictions against an ICC official since Trump returned to office for a second term on January 20. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shortly after taking office, Trump issued a broad executive order threatening anyone who participates in ICC investigations with sanctions. Critics warned that such sweeping language could pervert the course of justice, for example, by dissuading witnesses from coming forward with evidence. But Trump argued that the 2024 arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant necessitated such measures. He also claimed that the US and Israel were thriving democracies that strictly adhere to the laws of war and that the ICCs investigations threatened military members with harassment, abuse and possible arrest. *Editors note. The video above is from a breaking news report moments after police reported the shooting. EVANSTON, Ill. (WGN) One person is in custody after a shooting in the Evanston Hospital Emergency Room Thursday night. Evanston police said just before 7:30 p.m., the Crisis Alternative Response Team came into contact with a 28-year-old Evanston man near the Taco Bell in the 1700 block of Sherman Avenue in downtown Evanston. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to police, the man appeared to have been suffering from unknown mental health conditions and agreed to be evaluated by paramedics before agreeing to be taken to Evanston Hospital. When he arrived at the hospital, he was brought to the emergency room. Guilty verdict in trial of man accused of fatally stabbing 11-year-old Jayden Perkins At that time, Evanston police officers were not dispatched and were not on scene, according to officials. Detectives said while nurses were helping with the intake process, the man grew agitated, prompting hospital security to go into the room and provide support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just before 8 p.m., the man lunged toward his belongings and pulled out a weapon that fired three-to-four shots. A hospital security officer was shot and is believed to have suffered non-life threatening injuries, according to police. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Authorities said other security guards and a nurse helped officers handcuff the man until Evanston police officers arrived. Although there was no active threat to the public, police said the hospital was placed on lockdown, though it has since been lifted. Evanston Hospital issued the following statement on the incident: A shooting occurred in the emergency room at Evanston Hospital last night. The individual was quickly apprehended and taken into custody. There is no active threat. The safety of our patients and team members is our top priority. The emergency department is no longer on lockdown and has come off bypass. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) A former Arvin High teacher accused of sex with an underage student is scheduled for a hearing next week at which attorneys will say whether theyre ready for trial. Michael Joseph Parra, 46, is charged with seven felony counts related to engaging in sex acts with a minor. The readiness hearing is scheduled Wednesday, and trial is currently set for June 23. An investigation began in November 2023 after Parras wife found sexually graphic messages on his cellphone between him and a student, then 17. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials break ground on Park Center at Seven Oaks The teen admitted to having a sexual relationship with the then-44-year-old Parra, according to court documents. She told police she willingly engaged in sex acts on a futon bed in the attic above his classroom and in a storage closet at school. Its alleged Parra snuck her onto campus after hours. Parra has been out of custody since bail was reduced from $417,500 to $75,000 in December 2023. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17 News. A former Washington, DC, police lieutenant was sentenced Friday to 18 months in prison for leaking confidential information to Enrique Tarrio about his forces investigation into the Proud Boys leaders burning of a Black Lives Matter flag and for misleading federal agents. Retired DC Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Shane Lamond was convicted in December of one count of obstruction of justice and three charges of lying to investigators. Lamond had leaked confidential information to the former Proud Boys leader throughout his own departments investigation, culminating with him tipping off Tarrio that a warrant had been issued for his arrest for burning a DC churchs Black Lives Matter banner at a rally in 2020. US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who oversaw Lamonds bench trial last year, sentenced him to 18 months for the obstruction conviction and six months apiece for the three false statements convictions, to run concurrently. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jackson was critical of Lamonds actions, emphasizing that he knowingly abused his position as a law enforcement officer to aid the subject of the investigation his department was conducting. He hurt the reputation of the Metropolitan Police Department, the judge said, stressing that prison time was necessary to account for his crimes. He lied to federal agents when he was a sworn law enforcement officer himself. The sentence issued was much shorter than the four years sought by federal prosecutors which Jackson described as excessive but longer than the sentence of probation sought by Lamonds attorneys. Addressing the court on Friday, Lamond attempted to frame his relationship with Tarrio as an effort to develop a law enforcement source so he could help his department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I thought building rapport, sloppy as I was, was doing my job, Lamond said. Tarrio, who was in court Friday for Lamonds sentencing, eventually pleaded guilty to the flag burning incident in 2021 and was sentenced to five months in prison. Tarrio was separately convicted of seditious conspiracy for his involvement in the January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol. He had been serving a 22-year prison sentence until earlier this year, when President Donald Trump commuted his sentence. Lamond was also ordered to serve 18 months of probation following his prison term. CNNs Devan Cole contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com By Gianluca Lo Nostro and Heekyong Yang (Reuters) -South Korea's Hanwha Systems said on Thursday it was selling its entire 5.4% stake in Eutelsat for 77.6 million euros ($88.5 million), as the Franco-British satellite operator seeks new investors. Eutelsat has garnered unprecedented attention this year from governments looking for home-grown alternatives to SpaceX's Starlink for satellite internet connectivity. The company is working on a new financing plan to fund the second generation of its low Earth orbit (LEO) OneWeb satellites and to fulfil commitments to the European Union's IRIS project. It has piled up hundreds of millions of euros in losses, particularly from its waning video business, while its 2023 acquisition of OneWeb has yet to yield the results it had hoped for due to competition and delayed deployment of technology. Finance chief Christophe Caudrelier said in May that Eutelsat was looking for capital investors. Hanwha's shares were offered at 3.00 euros ($3.42) apiece, representing a 13.9% discount to Eutelsat's closing price of 3.48 euros on Wednesday, a term sheet from bookrunner Citi showed. It also marks a steep 70.5% loss on Hanwha's initial $300 million investment made in OneWeb in 2021, with the stake now valued at just $88.5 million. Eutelsat's Paris-listed shares fell 14.8% by 0920 GMT. Only 21% of Eutelsat's shares are publicly traded, making the stock prone to sharp price swings. However, the yield on its 2029 9.75% bond fell to 7.71%, showing a positive shift in bondholder confidence. Hanwha said the sale, which was set to be concluded on Thursday, was not driven by an investment perspective but by a strategic shift to focus more on its core business operations. "This decision reflects a long-term strategy to concentrate on defense-related satellites and military communications, rather than on civilian satellite operations and services," Hanwha said in a statement to Reuters. A representative for the South Korean company resigned from Eutelsat's board in April, signalling its diminishing involvement with the satellite operator. MAJOR OVERHAUL When asked by Reuters, Eutelsat said none of the other shareholders had expressed interest in selling their shares. A company spokesperson declined to comment on media reports saying France may raise its stake in the group. Bloomberg News and The Telegraph have reported that France is considering doubling its stake in Eutelsat and is in talks to raise 1.5 billion euros. Eutelsat is also reshuffling its upper echelons. In a surprise move last month, it appointed Jean-Francois Fallacher as its new CEO and it is looking for a new chairperson after the current one announced his departure in February. Jennifer Eckhart, a podcaster and former Fox Business producer who is suing Ed Henry for allegedly sexually assaulting her, filed an injunction for protection against stalking in a Florida court that was granted Wednesday against the former Fox News anchor just weeks before the civil case goes to trial. According to the injunction order, Henry is required to stay at least 500 feet away from Eckhart and her family. Additionally, he has to relinquish any and all firearms and other weapons. A detective for the Palm Beach Sheriffs Office attempted to serve Henry Thursday at the Boca Raton headquarters for Newsmax, the right-wing network where Henry currently works, but was told that he was currently at Newsmaxs offices in New York City. Eckhart has since requested that the injunction be served at Henrys current location. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The predator who once thought he owned me is about to face the woman who cant be brokenthis time, in front of a jury, Eckhart said in a statement to The Independent. Today, I was granted an Order of Protectionnot just for myself, but for my family and loved ones being targeted through legal harassment. Survivors should never have to shield their families from the very system meant to protect them. Soon, heand the institution that protected himwill be forced to reckon with the truth they tried to bury. The restraining order, which was spurred by Henrys legal team issuing a subpoena to Eckharts family to appear as witnesses for the defense in the New York-based trial, also included a bombshell claim by Eckhart that the FBI visited her last year to discuss potential allegations surrounding Henry. A lawyer for Henry did not respond to questions about the injunction that was granted this week. Newsmax host Ed Henry, who is heading to trial this month over claims of sexual assault, has been hit with a restraining order by the woman suing him. (Newsmax) On May 13, 2024, Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation visited my residence as part of an active investigation into sex trafficking allegations against Respondent, Eckhart wrote in an exhibit attached to the petition for injunction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to documents and emails shared with The Independent, two special agents for the bureaus office in West Palm Beach, Florida, were in communication with Eckhart last year about Henry. We appreciate your time today and thank you for your patience, FBI Special Agent Marisa Morris wrote Eckhart on May 13, 2024. A criminal case is different than a civil matter in that we will not be able to update you as often as a civil attorney would, and I realize that can be extremely frustrating. Morris, who was responding to a message from Eckhart acknowledging the meeting earlier that day, added that we take these types of cases very seriously and will update you as much as possible through the process. The agent concluded the email by telling Eckhart that we will review everything and follow up as appropriate. In follow-up emails that Eckhart sent Morris and fellow Special Agent Gennady Julien, she summarized much of what had been detailed in her lawsuit, which accuses Henry of raping her and subjecting her to sex trafficking while both were employees at Fox. Henry has vehemently denied the allegations against him, claiming that he only engaged in consensual sex with Eckhart. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Besides sharing publicly available exhibits that have been filed in her civil case, she also provided the names of other women who have filed sworn affidavits testifying that theyve also been subjected to harassment and sexual assault by Henry. Morris would also acknowledge receipt of a June 25, 2024, email in which Eckhart shared a Mediaite article detailing a human resources complaint filed by a female staffer against Henry during his time at Real Americas Voice, a fringe conservative news network. The unnamed staffer alleged to RAV that through a series of escalating comments, Henry established a grooming relationship with her, according to Mediaite. This article was just published today and brought to my attention about Ed Henry grooming another victim at his former workplace here in Palm Beach County, Eckhart wrote, prompting Morris to respond: Received, thank you! Jennifer Eckhart says that she was visited by the FBI last year to discuss allegations surrounding Henry, who she is suing for alleged sexual assault. (Jupiter Magazine) The Independent attempted to contact Agents Julien and Morris directly. The Miami divisions public affairs officer responded instead, requesting that all questions regarding any communications with Eckhart be directed to him or the agents supervisor. The FBI has strict procedures governing our employees interaction with members of the news media, the public affairs officer added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are aware of your inquiry and interest in the FBI, but as a matter of policy, the FBI does not confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation except in rare circumstances where the publics assistance is requested, Special Agent Willie Creech responded in a separate email to a series of questions related to Henry, echoing the bureaus standard response to media requests. The injunction against Henry, which was granted by a judge on Wednesday, was initially filed by Eckhart in response to a subpoena sent to her elderly mother, who also lives in South Florida. The subpoena, which demands Eckharts mother to appear and testify on June 25 at the Manhattan courthouse where the civil trial is taking place, incorrectly cites Fox News as the defendant in the case an error Eckhart cites in her petition for the injunction. The subpoena my mother received was issued under the misleading header Fox News, despite the fact that this particular litigation is solely between myself and the Respondent, Ed Henry, in his individual and professional capacities, the petition states. This created unnecessary fear and confusion, especially considering the traumatic context, and further demonstrates the coercive and intimidating nature of the Respondents tactics. While Fox News was initially a defendant in Eckharts lawsuit, as she claimed the network downplayed the severity of the risk Henry posed to female employees and retaliated against her by firing her in June 2020 after she complained about a hostile work environment, Fox News was dismissed from the case in March. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The caption for the case is Eckhart v. Fox News Network, LLC et al., 20-cv-5593, Henrys attorney Eden Quainton told The Independent. Jennifer should have understood this because she has recently made filings herself with this caption. I encourage you to look up the case on PACER. Henry, seen here with actor Sylvester Stallone, was the center of a human resources complaint while he worked for fringe right-wing outlet Real Americas Voice (Getty) Quainton did not respond to additional questions regarding the granting of the injunction or the claims made by Eckhart about the FBIs visit. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams said there was no direct evidence that Fox News was aware of Henrys alleged harassment of Eckhart before it occurred. Additionally, Abrams agreed with Foxs legal team that no reasonable jury would find the network liable for preventing Henry from harming Eckhart. We are pleased with the court's decision to dismiss FOX News from this case, which speaks for itself. Upon learning of Jennifer Eckhart's allegations in 2020, FOX News promptly conducted an investigation by an outside independent law firm and terminated Ed Henry within six days, a Fox News spokesperson said in a statement. Discovery in this matter confirmed that FOX News was not aware of their relationship or of Ms. Eckhart's allegations until after she left the company. The only people who know what happened between Mr. Henry and Ms. Eckhart are the two of them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eckhart also reiterates many of the accusations she had raised in her lawsuit against Henry such as claims that he sex trafficked and violently raped her to assert that Henry has a documented history of harassment, stalking and repeated threats to physically punish her as part of an ongoing campaign of retaliation. Additionally, she cites a pretrial motion filed by her lawyers on May 12, which sought to deny Henrys efforts to subpoena her mother and personal acquaintances, claiming it is purportedly because they will testify that Ms. Eckhart did not tell them that Mr. Henry raped her prior to her termination from FNN. Eckharts legal team argued that this was tantamount to harassment and intimidation on Henrys part due to the risk of unfair prejudice. [T]he Respondent subpoenaed my elderly mother, who has zero involvement in my ongoing federal rape lawsuit, as a means of harassment and emotional manipulation, the petition states. He has also made legal threats to subpoena my ex-boyfriends and best friends individuals with no bearing on the case as part of an apparent campaign to punish and isolate me. Eckhart also argues in the petition for injunction that she lives in a constant state of anxiety and fear for her personal and physical safety, adding that shes been diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the Respondents past acts of rape and sex trafficking. She adds that Henrys recent efforts to destabilize her are inflicting deep psychological harm and have impacted her ability to prepare for the trial. Ed Henry was terminated from Fox News in 2020 over an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He will now head to trial later this month over claims that he sexually assaulted former Fox Business producer Jennifer Eckhart. (AP) Other than lawful communication between her and Henrys legal counsels, the Florida court granted Eckharts request that prohibits Henry from contacting her and her family, and keeps him at least 500 feet away from her except for during the upcoming legal proceedings in New York. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the granted injunction, Henry and Eckhart will be scheduled to appear and testify before Judge Laura Burkhart on June 12 to discuss whether the court will make the injunction permanent. In her lawsuit against Henry, Eckhart alleges that the former Fox News anchor groomed, psychologically manipulated and coerced her into a sexual relationship while referring to her as his personal sex slave. Eventually, after she would not comply voluntarily with his sexual demands, she claims he violently raped her in 2017. In a motion filed last fall in the case, her attorney Michael Willemin laid out a series of new allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct against Henry, including accusations that he sexually assaulted a second woman during his time at Fox News. Following those revelations, current and former colleagues of Henrys told The Independent that they didnt understand how he was able to continue to find employment in the media industry. Ed Henry being in Florida has him out of sight, out of mind most of the time, one Newsmax employee said at the time. However, after that most recent court filing, some people are wondering: how the hell does this guy have a job? Meanwhile, a year after exiting Fox Business, Eckhart launched the interview podcast series Reinvented, which focuses on conversations with people who have overcome serious obstacles on their path to success. Shes sat down with multiple celebrities over the years, including a newsmaking interview with Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, who revealed he discusses his childhood trauma with his young kids. Raver and three others were killed when a bomb detonated, causing a building to collapse on the troops. Former hostage Liri Albag eulogized killed soldier and former classmate St.-Sgt. Yoav Raver in an Instagram story on Friday, after his death was announced along with the deaths of three other soldiers who were all killed in the same incident in Khan Yunis. "Yoav was in my class. Hes someone who does everything calmly and quietly. He always respects everyone and makes those around him feel at ease," Albag said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The four soldiers were killed when a bomb detonated, causing a building to collapse on the troops. Five soldiers were wounded in the same incident, one severely. "Yoav was the son of Lior and Gili Raver and the brother of Tamar and Omri, a graduate of Ami Asaf Educational Center. Our hearts are broken," the Drom Hasharon Regional Council said in a Facebook statement. Liri Albag eulogizes former classmate killed soldier St. Sgt. Raver, June 2025. (photo credit: Instagram/screenshot/section 27A copyright act) Warr. Ofc. Gross, 33, from Gan Yoshiya, was named as another soldier killed in the explosion. The names of the two other killed soldiers were not cleared for publication. Roni Ben-Av, Gross's close friend, wrote in a Facebook post: "And there was darkness. I get the message, Chen Gross, it can't be, my neighbor? This champion? No way, just two weeks ago I asked you, 'Is this it, Chen? Is Gaza over?' and you answered me, 'No, where, I'm going and coming back.' 'Take care of yourself,' I asked. We loved seeing you walk with the dogs, smiling a huge smile, building, assembling cars nonstop, and more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "You are a loss to the world, I walk past your house and can't believe it. Chen, what, is that it? The best ones go. The light has gone out. Im sorry for you, for your parents, what a loss! May God avenge your blood!" "I want to tell you in a few words about Chen, about the aspects that I knew. I dont consider myself his closest friend, but still," Yishai Tshuva wrote. "I met Chen when he came to learn welding from me in a course I taught many years ago. Our paths crossed over the years in other ways his parents, Adi and Irit, who own a company dealing with pumps, became my clients. Chen was the only former student I kept in touch with (and there were several hundred over the years). "Chen, the next generation of Adi and Irit, worked in the family factory, pushed it forward, was an entrepreneur at heart, and no obstacle stopped him. He was a man of action and work, making his way with honesty, integrity, good spirit, and cooperation. A cheerful guy, direct, a real charm. Under his hands, the factory moved a few years ago from its previous location in Kibbutz Vitkin to the Shak Industrial Park. I remember him telling me on the phone how cold it was there in the winter because the whole building was still open. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Chen worked on establishing a foundry in the factory, first for bronze and later for steel parts for pumps, bodies, and various fittings. He organized and changed the production departments in the factory, and as the right-hand man of Adi and Irit, he was responsible for daily operations. Yes, if I forgot to mention, he also went out for outside work. "My heart is with you, dear friend, forever, I will never forget you. I dont have comforting words that can really ease the pain, my heart is with the family," Tshuva concluded. Rotem Ben-Abraham, the security coordinator of the community of Hinnanit and close friend of former Sergeant Major Chen Gross, said with pain: "A person who loved to help everyone, a great fighter, was only a good man who would never do harm to anyone in the world." Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan said Chen was "a brave and precious fighter, and a dedicated resident of Hinanit and Samaria. He was part of the community and the security and civilian efforts in the settlement and the area. A person of stature who was loved by all who knew him. On behalf of all the residents of Samaria, I send a deep embrace to the Gross family, his friends, and loved ones. Chen will never be forgotten in our hearts." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hinanit chair Or Yakubovitch called Gross an "exceptional person, with a lot of social involvement, and a full partner in the settlement, an athlete, a fighter in a special unit, a businessman, and a man of the earth. We embrace the family in this difficult time." The Emek Hefer Regional Council grieved Gross's death. "Chen was the son of Irit and Adi and the brother of Mor and Raz, a graduate of Ma'ayan Regional High School in Emek Hefer. We embrace the family, friends, and residents of Gan Yoshiya with immense sorrow." 'An entire nation is overwhelmed with grief' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it "a sad and difficult day," stating, "On behalf of all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I send our deepest condolences to the families of our four heroic fighters who fell in Gaza in the campaign to defeat Hamas and return our hostages." Defense Minister Israel Katz expressed his hopes for the wounded soldiers recovery and posted on X/Twitter, "There are no words that can comfort the magnitude of the loss." He added that the soldiers acted "with strength and determination against a cruel enemy, for the security of our citizens and for the release of the kidnapped." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Isaac Herzog underscored the national pain. "The cost of war is extremely heavy. This is a time of great sorrow but also of great commitment: To stand behind the generation of heroic warriors, to embrace the families of the fallen, and to ensure that their names and heroism are never forgotten. An entire nation is overwhelmed with grief." Opposition leader and Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid remarked, "Every Shabbat table in Israel will be quieter and sadder tonight." He extended condolences to the families of Raver and Gross, "the heroes of Israel who fell in the incident in Gaza," and wished a swift recovery to the wounded. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett acknowledged the devastation for the bereaved families. "The people of Israel grieve with you and surround you with all their love. The boys fell in action in the heart of Khan Yunis against Hamas murderers. How sad. How painful." National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir also offered his condolences and wrote in a Facebook post that he is "praying together with all the people of Israel for the recovery of the wounded." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just before Shabbat, Likud MK and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana expressed his condolences to the friends and families of those killed. Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Yariv Levin called the news unbearable. "I send my heartfelt condolences to the families of Warr. Ofc. Chen Gross, St.-Sgt. Yoav Raver, and the two other fighters whose names have not yet been released, and I wish a swift recovery to the soldiers wounded in the same incident. Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen added, I send my condolences to the families who lost their most precious loved ones defending the country, and wish a speedy recovery to the soldiers wounded in this difficult incident." Echoing the grief felt nationwide, Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat reflected, They went to fight for the country they loved so much, courageously battling on the frontlines against a cruel enemy for the security of us all." Democrats MKs, Naama Lazimi and Gilad Kariv, also sent condolences to the family and friends of the killed soldiers, noting the significance of their loss to them. A former Metro Transit worker is suing the Metropolitan Council, claiming religious discrimination and workplace retaliation drove him out of his job. A lawsuit filed Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court alleges Jihad Hamoud, who is Muslim, left his job in 2022 after repeated questioning of his religious accommodations, discrimination based on his faith, and disciplinary measures from management after reporting problems. It also claims management sent police with Hamoud to pray after repeatedly declining his requests to do so during a 2021 discipline meeting with management. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Met Council cant comment on ongoing litigation, spokesman John Schadl said in a statement. Metro Transit is just one service run by the regional planning organization. The lawsuit comes after an investigation by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights found probable cause that the Met Council violated state antidiscrimination law and retaliated against Hamoud. The council appealed the November 2024 ruling, but Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero reaffirmed her decision in January this year. Minneapolis law firm Storms Dworak brought the lawsuit on Hamouds behalf. Hamoud had been an employee of the Met Council since 2010, when he was hired as a Metro Transit bus driver, according to court documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He transferred to a job cleaning and maintaining Metro Transit facilities in 2019. Work was based out of a central hub in St. Paul. While in that position, Hamoud experienced multiple incidents of religious discrimination, the lawsuit claims. In one incident detailed in the lawsuit, a supervisor blamed the bathrooms becoming dirty on Muslims who pray in there and wet up the whole place and throw tissue and paper towels all over the place and get the toilets clogged.' Hamoud told the supervisor Muslims must pray in clean settings, the lawsuit said. In another incident, according to the lawsuit, a Met Council janitor told Hamoud that Muslims were creating problems and leading to a conflict with Christianity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Problems continued, but when Hamoud met with managers to discuss his concerns about religious discrimination, he was placed on administrative leave, according to the lawsuit. When Hamoud returned to work, a manager accused Hamoud of driving past him and the janitor to intimidate him, and later called Hamoud into a meeting with two police officers present, according to the lawsuit. The manager allegedly accused Hamoud of insubordination. As they waited for a union representative, Hamoud asked to pray, which, as a practicing Muslim, he is required to do five times a day. The manager allegedly directed the two police officers to keep an eye on Hamoud while he prayed, causing him to, among other things, feel degraded, humiliated, disrespected, vilified, and discriminated against. Hamoud was placed on a five-day suspension without pay and escorted off the premises. In a later meeting between Hamouds union and Met Council, the groups assistant director of Facilities Maintenance said the situation was blown out of proportion, and border[ed] on ridiculous, the lawsuit claims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamoud returned to work, but continued to experience discrimination and eventually resigned in May 2022. He is seeking a total of $100,000 in damages and any other relief a court deems appropriate. Related Articles The former Arkansas police chief who escaped prison while serving a 30-year sentence for murder and rape has been recaptured after nearly two weeks on the run, authorities said. Grant Hardin was captured by law enforcement officials Friday afternoon, approximately 1.5 miles west of the northern Arkansas prison he had escaped, according to the Izard County Sheriff's Office. His identity was confirmed by fingerprint analysis, the sheriff's office said. Hardin, 56, escaped the Calico Rock North Central Unit in Izard County on May 25 after donning a uniform and impersonating a corrections officer and being allowed to walk through a sally port pulling a cart. Arkansas Department of Corrections - PHOTO: Escaped inmate Grant Hardin is seen being taken into custody on June 6, 2025, in this graphic released by the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Arkansas law enforcement officers and the U.S. Border Patrol located Hardin near Moccasin Creek in Izard County and he was taken into custody shortly after 3 p.m. local time Friday, according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Tracking dogs were able to pick up a scent in the area, and Hardin was apprehended a short time later," the department said in a press release. Arkansas' secretary of corrections, Lindsay Wallace, thanked those who helped "bring this search to a peaceful conclusion." Arkansas Department of Corrections - PHOTO: Escaped inmate Grant Hardin is seen being taken into custody on June 6, 2025, in this graphic released by the Arkansas Department of Corrections. MORE: 'Evil man': Search continues for ex-police chief who escaped Arkansas prison Hardin, the former police chief of Gateway, Arkansas, pleaded guilty in October 2017 to first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of 59-year-old James Appleton, according to The Associated Press. He was also convicted of the 1997 rape of an elementary school teacher in Rogers, Arkansas, a crime highlighted in the 2023 television documentary "Devil in the Ozarks." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the search, officials deployed helicopters, drones and K9 officers. A U.S. Border Patrol tactical unit from Texas, known as BORTAC, had also been deployed to Arkansas to assist in the manhunt, officials said. Stone County Arkansas Sheriff's Office - PHOTO: Grant Hardin in police photo. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders expressed gratitude for local, state and federal law enforcement -- and especially thanked the Trump administration for sending a Border Patrol team "that was instrumental in tracking and apprehending Hardin. "Thanks to the great work of local, state and federal law enforcement Arkansans can breathe a sigh of relief and I can confirm that violent criminal Grant Hardin is back in custody, she said in a statement. Stone County Arkansas Sheriff's Office - PHOTO: Grant Hardin, a former police chief sentenced for murder and rape, escaped an Arkansas prison on May 25, according to the Stone County Sheriff's Office. MORE: US Border Patrol tactical unit deployed to help manhunt for escaped Arkansas inmate Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The FBI and U.S. Marshals offered a combined $25,000 reward for information leading to his capture. Arkansas officials urged residents of the surrounding Izard County to stay vigilant and lock the doors of their homes and vehicles following his escape. "I am very scared that this guy is going to hurt or kill somebody before this is over with," Stone County Sheriff Brandon Long told ABC News amid the manhunt. Nathan Smith, the former Benton County prosecutor who helped put Hardin behind bars, told Arkansas ABC affiliate KHBS the escaped inmate is "a sociopath." A version of this story appeared in CNNs What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here. Any reasonable American could objectively ask what exactly President Donald Trumps new travel ban, which affects a dozen countries, is about. Is it about protecting Americans from murderers, as Trump said Thursday, or punishing small countries for a modest number of students who overstayed their visas? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The drive for Trumps first-term travel ban in 2017 and 2018 was clear. He was seeking to deliver on an ugly campaign promise to ban all Muslims from entering the US. That morphed, over the course of years as the administration adapted to court cases, into a ban on travel to the US by people from certain countries, most of which were majority-Muslim. It was only by agreeing to ignore Trumps anti-Muslim 2016 campaign statements and focus solely on the security-related language in his third attempt at a travel ban that the US Supreme Court ultimately gave its blessing to that ban. We must consider not only the statements of a particular President, but also the authority of the Presidency itself, wrote Chief Justice John Roberts in the majority opinion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump is using that authority again in his second term. But this time, as he said Thursday in the Oval Office, the ban is about removing horrendous people who are in the country now and about keeping murderers out. The data suggest the travel ban will primarily affect students and businesspeople from countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean as well as the Middle East. It was an attack on Jewish community members in Colorado by an Egyptian national that convinced Trump to speed up plans to ban people from a dozen countries from entering the US, restarting the travel ban policy he pioneered during his first term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Egypt is not on the travel ban list. Neither is Kuwait, the country where Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the suspect in the Boulder attack, lived before coming to the US. Egypt has been a country we deal with very closely. They have things under control, Trump told reporters Thursday. Instead, the travel ban includes countries that Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who assembled the list, feel dont have things under control. That includes places like Equatorial Guinea in Africa and Burma, also known as Myanmar, in Asia. Neither is a nexus of terror threatening the American homeland. Trumps order announcing the travel ban explains that these countries have high rates of students and other travelers overstaying their visas in the US. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It points to a report of DHS overstay data from 2023 to argue that for more than 70% of people from Equatorial Guinea with US student visas, there is no record of them leaving the US when their visa ended. In real numbers, that equals 233 people with student visas. The numbers are similarly small for other African countries. Theyre just throwing things at the wall, said David Bier, an immigration expert at the libertarian-leaning Cato institute and a Trump immigration policy critic. Theres not really a coherent philosophy behind any of this, Bier added. The reinstated travel ban does include countries associated with terrorism, including Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, all of which were also included in Trumps first-term travel ban. But its worth noting that no immigrant or traveler from one of these countries has launched a terror attack on the US in recent years, according to a review by the Washington Post during Trumps first term. A man from Sudan killed one person at a Tennessee church in 2017. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president claims that there is no way to vet these nationals, yet that is exactly what his consular officers and border officials have successfully done for decades, Bier said. The man responsible for the ISIS-inspired truck bomb in New Orleans in January, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was a Texas-born Army veteran and US citizen. The new travel ban also includes Afghanistan, which could jeopardize many Afghans related to those who aided the US during its war there, as Shawn VanDiver, president of the aid organization #AfghanEvac, told CNNs Jim Sciutto on Thursday. There are 12,000 people who have been separated through the actions of our government, who have been waiting for more than three and a half years, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration recently paused the processing of student visas, interrupting the plans of thousands of people to study in the US. In the Oval Office, Trump said he was not interested in banning students from China. Its our honor to have them, frankly, we want to have foreign students, but we want them to be checked, Trump said, suggesting there will be even more strenuous background checks in the future. The existence of the travel ban list could also factor into tariff negotiations the Trump administration has taken on with nations across the world, as well as its effort to countries nations to take back migrants it wants to deport. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its about power and control and manipulating both the US population to suppress dissent as well as trying to manipulate foreign relations with these countries by getting them to do whatever he wants in order to get off the disfavored nation list, Bier said. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) The father of Shaun Marlar, the man shot by Virginia Beach police Wednesday morning, spoke exclusively with 10 On Your Sides Andy Fox the day after the shooting. Shaun arrived in town from Richmond, where he lived with his mother. His father said he was was working with a construction sub-contractor, but stopped showing up on Monday, according to Shauns father. On Wednesday morning, Shaun was spotted at AAAA Self Storage on Honeygrove Road after police said he attempted to break into an administrators car at a daycare facility next door. He was shot by Virginia Beach police officers after he allegedly pointed a replica gun at them. Shaun appeared for an arraignment from the hospital Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement VBPD: Suspect brandishing replica handgun shot by officers at storage unit on Honeygrove Rd. Shauns father expressed his devastation regarding the incident. I dont know. My heart is broken. I dont know what to say about that. You know, Im terrified for the people that he had an effect on, and Im terribly sorry for what theyve gone through, but super glad that nobody got hurt, Shauns father, who didnt want us to use his name, said. He added that he hopes Shaun can recover and that no real damage was caused. Hes got to know the consequences for what he has done and get some help. He is not a bad or mean person. He just struggles, Shauns dad said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 10 On Your Sides Andy Fox asked the father if anything was going on with Shaun Marlar that led to the incident. To be honest, sir, I dont know. I have not seen Shaun in about three years. He just moved back to Virginia Beach from the Richmond area in the last 5 or 6 days, the dad said. Shauns father said Virginia Beach detectives visited him on Wednesday night. The police came to my door last night, and they informed me essentially what you could see on TV. They couldnt tell me a lot because of privacy issues, but they said Shaun wanted them to tell me that he is sorry and that he is going to be okay, and I appreciated that, the dad said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shauns father saw him last summer and he could see he was troubled. I dont believe its medication. I believe its probably some sort of addiction or drug use, but again, I dont know. He hasnt lived here in our home for almost four years, the dad said. Shaun lived with father until he was 15 years old. He then moved in with his mother in Richmond, but the father said he became too much for the mother to handle, leading to him becoming a ward of the state at age 16. From the last thing I heard in a text, he wanted to join the National Guard. That seemed like a bit of a stretch to me. Hes had ups and downs where hes tried to get himself in a better place, and I think he has some, some clear, medical issues, emotional issues that are tied to his behavior. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During his arraignment Thursday, Shaun Marlar was still in his hospital bed with a tube coming out of his nose. He is in critical but stable condition. Shaun will be back in court for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 28, and he will be represented by a court-appointed attorney. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. By Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The State Department is weighing giving $500 million to the new foundation providing aid to war-shattered Gaza, according to two knowledgeable sources and two former U.S. officials, a move that would involve the U.S. more deeply in a controversial aid effort that has been beset by violence and chaos. The sources and former U.S. officials, all of whom requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said that money for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) would come from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which is being folded into the U.S. State Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plan has met resistance from some U.S. officials concerned with the deadly shootings of Palestinians near aid distribution sites and the competence of the GHF, the two sources said. The GHF, which has been fiercely criticized by humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, for an alleged lack of neutrality, began distributing aid last week amid warnings that most of Gaza's 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli aid blockade, which was lifted on May 19 when limited deliveries were allowed to resume. The foundation has seen senior personnel quit and had to pause handouts twice this week after crowds overwhelmed its distribution hubs. The State Department and GHF did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reuters has been unable to establish who is currently funding the GHF operations, which began in Gaza last week. The GHF uses private U.S. security and logistics companies to transport aid into Gaza for distribution at so-called secure distribution sites. On Thursday, Reuters reported that a Chicago-based private equity firm, McNally Capital, has an "economic interest" in the for-profit U.S. contractor overseeing the logistics and security of GHF's aid distribution hubs in the enclave. While U.S. President Donald Trump's administration and Israel say they don't finance the GHF operation, both have been pressing the United Nations and international aid groups to work with it. The U.S. and Israel argue that aid distributed by a long-established U.N. aid network was diverted to Hamas. Hamas has denied that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement USAID has been all but dismantled. Some 80 percent of its programs have been canceled and its staff face termination as part of President Donald Trump's drive to align U.S. foreign policy with his "America First" agenda. One source with knowledge of the matter and one former senior official said the proposal to give the $500 million to GHF has been championed by acting deputy USAID Administrator Ken Jackson, who has helped oversee the agency's dismemberment. The source said that Israel requested the funds to underwrite GHF's operations for 180 days. The Israeli government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two sources said that some U.S. officials have concerns with the plan because of the overcrowding that has affected the aid distribution hubs run by GHF's contractor, and violence nearby. Those officials also want well-established non-governmental organizations experienced in running aid operations in Gaza and elsewhere to be involved in the operation if the State Department approves the funds for GHF, a position that Israel likely will oppose, the sources said. Gaza hospital officials have said more than 80 people had been shot dead and hundreds wounded near GHF's distribution points between June 1-3. Since launching its operation, the GHF has opened three hubs, but over the past two days, only two of them have been functioning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Witnesses blamed Israeli soldiers for the killings. The Israeli military said it fired warning shots on two days, while on Tuesday it said soldiers had fired at Palestinian "suspects" advancing towards their positions. (Reporting by Jonathan Landay; additional reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Don Durfee and Alistair Bell) A family member of Miranda Corsette, a 16-year-old Florida girl who police say was kidnapped, tortured and killed, is suing the dating application Grindr for what they allege to be its role in the murder. Corsette was the victim of a man and his girlfriend she had met in February via the app, according to the lawsuit. In a May 18 lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the plaintiff, identified as D.W., who is acting on behalf of Corsette's estate and her family, accused the dating app of playing a role in the teenager's death because she met Steven Gress, 35, on it in February. The victim is identified as M.C. in the lawsuit, and the details of the crime against her match those of what happened to Corsette. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gress is accused of luring Corsette through an app before he and his girlfriend, Michelle Brandes, 37, killed her around a week later, according to police and the criminal court documents, which did not identify the app. The pair was arrested in March and charged with first-degree murder. Gress was also charged with kidnapping and has pleaded not guilty to both charges. Brandes also pleaded not guilty. Their next hearing is set for July 8. Investigators believe Corsette was staying with Gress and Brandes after she was lured to their home on Feb. 14. Following a dispute days later, the couple "repeatedly beat" and tortured Corsette while holding her captive for a week, before fatally suffocating her, according to arrest affidavits. Her body was then dismembered and discarded in a dumpster in Ruskin, Florida, court documents state. Gress and Brandes may be facing the death penalty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The May lawsuit accuses Grindr of nine counts, including wrongful death, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and participation in a sex trafficking venture. An attorney for D.W. identified them as a family member of Corsette. Miranda Corsette. (St. Petersburg Police Dept. ) According to the court document, Grindr provides exact coordinates of users' location, has a "minimal, unverified signup process," and an "illusory self-reporting age verification," exposing children to sexual predators. "Grindr chose not to implement adequate safeguards to prevent minors from accessing its services," the lawsuit says. "Grindr emphasizes user anonymity and confidentiality. The app does not verify username, sexual orientation, gender identity, or age." Grindr and an attorney for D.W. did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a January post on their website, Grindr explained the multipronged approach they use to keep minors and predators off the app, including age-restrictive settings, a mandatory age gate, reporting tools and a human content moderation support team. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the lawsuit, D.W. accuses the dating app of purposely choosing not to use "industry-standard age verification technologies," like facial age estimation, thereby guaranteeing the presence of minors on the app, which attracts child predators. The lawsuit also cites examples, including an NPR story about a man who says he was sexually assaulted by someone he met on Grindr as a kid. It claims Grindr markets large age-range relations and prioritizes secrecy, including with its logo, which is "a mask superimposed on a dark background." "The trauma inflicted upon M.C. and the irreparable harm to her family are direct consequences of Grindrs reckless disregard for the safety of minor children who are routinely preyed upon by adult predators who use Grindrs platform and design as a trap," the lawsuit states. D.W. is seeking a trial by jury and "$150 million in compensatory damages and up to $600 million in punitive damages," as well as asking the court to urge Grindr to include age verification in its application, according to attorney Lorne Adam Kaiser. "We aim to cause change to prevent future tragedies," Kaiser said in a news release. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) A military training exercise is expected to cause some noise around the Miami Valley this weekend. On June 7, residents around Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Wright State Universitys Calamityville Training and Research Facility and Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport should expect to hear planes and noise. The following could be noticed for those in the area: Flashbangs Gunfire/Gunshots Explosions Helicopter activity Increased aircraft activity Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Residents are encouraged to neither be alarmed nor call 911, as the activity is planned training. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com. By Heather Schlitz CHICAGO (Reuters) -A biological sample that a Chinese researcher was accused of smuggling into the United States and that prosecutors cast as a "dangerous biological pathogen" is a common type of fungus already widespread in U.S. crop fields that likely poses little risk to food safety, experts said. On Tuesday, U.S. federal prosecutors accused two Chinese researchers of smuggling samples of the fungus Fusarium graminearum into the U.S., describing it as a potential agricultural terrorism weapon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yunqing Jian, 33, a researcher at the University of Michigan's Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology has been charged in connection with allegations that she helped her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, 34, smuggle the pathogen into the U.S. However, agriculture experts interviewed by Reuters this week said the fungus has been in the U.S. for more than a century, can be prevented by spraying pesticides, and is only dangerous if ingested regularly and in large quantities. "As a weapon, it would be a pretty ineffective one," said Jessica Rutkoski, a crop sciences professor, wheat breeder and geneticist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Rutkoski and other researchers said extensive testing for the fungus' toxin, widespread use of fungicides and the difficulty of intentionally creating an infection with the pathogen would make it a clumsy weapon. The U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI declined Reuters' request for comment. Since the 1900s, U.S. farmers have been battling the fungus, which causes Fusarium head blight, usually known as "scab," which often infects wheat, barley and other grains on farms during rainy years. The telltale pink streaks on the grain heads contain a toxic byproduct called vomitoxin, which is tested for and tightly controlled by grain elevators where farmers sell their crops. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Constant testing and monitoring means that only negligible amounts of vomitoxin ever make it into the bread, pasta and cookies Americans eat, far below levels that would sicken a human, experts said. "We have a long history of managing epidemics of scab," said Andrew Friskop, professor and plant pathologist at North Dakota State University, noting that farmers have access to many tools to prevent and control the disease. Farmers began regularly spraying their fields with fungicide as early as the 1990s, and researchers have since developed multiple strains of fungus-resistant wheat. Plant experts said that it would be difficult to fully assess the risks posed by the samples without more information on the particular strain. But Rutkoski, whose research involves intentionally contaminating wheat with the fungus, said that she isn't always successful at infecting her test field's wheat with scab. She said the pathogen is difficult to control, and her lab has to strike the right balance of temperature and humidity to create an infection. In federal court in Detroit on Tuesday, Jian was charged with conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud the U.S., smuggling goods into the U.S., false statements and visa fraud. Jian did not comment on the charges, and the lawyer who represented her in court was not immediately available for comment. Liu could not be immediately reached for comment. The court scheduled Jian's bail hearing for June 13. (Reporting by Heather Schlitz. Editing by Emily Schmall and Nick Zieminski) By Panu Wongcha-um BANGKOK (Reuters) -Tension has been rising between Thailand and Cambodia following the killing of a Cambodian soldier in May during a brief exchange of gunfire at a disputed border area between the two Southeast Asian neighbours. WHERE DOES THE DISPUTE ORIGINATE? Thailand and Cambodia have for more than a century contested sovereignty at various undemarcated points along their 817 km (508 miles) land border, which was first mapped by France in 1907 when Cambodia was its colony. That map, which Thailand later contested, was based on an agreement that the border would be demarcated along the natural watershed line between the two countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2000, the two countries agreed to establish a Joint Border Commission to peacefully address overlapping claims, but little progress has been made towards settling disputes. Claims over ownership of historical sites have raised nationalist tension between the two countries, notably in 2003 when rioters torched the Thai embassy and Thai businesses in Phnom Penh over an alleged remark by a Thai celebrity questioning jurisdiction over Cambodia's World Heritage-listed Angkor Wat temple. WHAT WERE PREVIOUS FLASHPOINTS? An 11th century Hindu temple called Preah Vihear, or Khao Phra Viharn in Thailand, has been at the heart of the dispute for decades, with both Bangkok and Phnom Penh claiming historical ownership. The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but Thailand has continued to lay claim to the surrounding land. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tension escalated in 2008 after Cambodia attempted to list the Preah Vihear temple as a UNESCO World Heritage site, leading to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths, including during a weeklong exchange of artillery in 2011. Two years later, Cambodia sought interpretation of the 1962 verdict and the ICJ again ruled in its favour, saying the land around the temple was also part of Cambodia and ordering Thai troops to withdraw. WHAT'S BEHIND RECENT TROUBLES? Despite the historic rivalry, the current governments of Thailand and Cambodia enjoy warm ties, partly due to the close relationship between their influential former leaders, Thailand's Thaksin Shinawatra and Cambodia's Hun Sen, whose daughter and son respectively are now the respective prime ministers in their countries. Thaksin and Hun Sen also remain active in politics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But nationalist sentiment has risen in Thailand after conservatives last year questioned the government's plan to negotiate with Cambodia to jointly explore energy resources in undemarcated maritime areas, warning such a move could risk Thailand losing the island of Koh Kood in the Gulf of Thailand. Tensions also rose in February when a group of Cambodians escorted by troops sang their national anthem at another ancient Hindu temple that both countries claim, Ta Moan Thom, before being stopped by Thai soldiers. The issue is a problem for Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, whose government is facing multiple challenges on the domestic front, including a stuttering economy facing steep U.S. tariffs. Thailand's military, however, has ramped up the rhetoric with statements that have contrasted with the government's conciliatory tone, expressing readiness for a "high-level operation" if sovereignty comes under threat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paetongtarn later echoed the military's position but said a peaceful resolution of the disputes was Thailand's priority. The mixed messaging underlines the troubled history between the billionaire Shinawatra family and the royalist military, which toppled its governments in 2006 and 2014. HOW IS THE ISSUE BEING RESOLVED? After the May 28 clash, both countries quickly promised to ease tension, prevent more conflict and seek dialogue via their joint border commission at a meeting planned for June 14. The neighbours have issued diplomatically worded statements committing to peace while vowing to protect sovereignty, but their militaries have been mobilising near the border, raising concerns about another flare-up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cambodia, meanwhile, said existing mechanisms were not working and it planned to refer disputes in four border areas to the ICJ to settle "unresolved and sensitive" issues that it said could escalate tensions. Thailand has not recognised the ICJ's rulings on the row and wants to settle it bilaterally. (Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by Martin Petty and Kate Mayberry) Crews spent the night Thursday battling a fire at a Villa Rica ammunition supply shop after an explosion. The explosion happened around 8:30 p.m. at Georgia Arms on Industrial Court. Channel 2s Eryn Rogers was at the scene Thursday night and spoke with Interim Carroll County Fire Chief Dave Wade, who said firefighters were able to put out the fire pretty quickly. Firefighters have been able to secure the scene until others can get out there Friday morning to figure out what happened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Rogers and her photographer arrived around 9 p.m., they found Carroll County firefighters spraying water from above, trying to put the flames out. Officials said an outbuilding storing gunpowder caught on fire. Georgia Arms sells ammunition and caught on fire a couple of years ago. TRENDING STORIES: Rogers spoke to one employee who said everyone was worried when they heard there was another fire because the main building had recently been rebuilt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Firefighters say there was no damage to the main building or any other business in the industrial park, and nobody got hurt. The danger of it is the biggest reason, but this fire, everything is stored how its supposed to be stored, so its relatively safe until its not. Which is kind of what we were dealing with tonight. So once the explosion is over, youre just dealing with some spot fires, Wade said. Investigators said they were able to look at video, and they dont think anything suspicious happened, but theyre waiting to complete the investigation. Editor's Note: This is a developing story and is being updated. An oil refinery in the city of Engels in Russia's Saratov Oblast was engulfed in flames after an overnight Ukrainian drone attack on June 6, Russian officials and media outlets reported. Ukraine has previously targeted the Kristal Plant, an oil refinery in Engels that supplies fuel to Russia's Engels-2 military airfield. The airfield is one of the country's key strategic military bases. It hosts long-range bombers, including the nuclear-capable Tu-95 and Tu-160 aircraft. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Residents shared footage of major fires breaking out in Engels following a drone attack, according to the independent Russian Telegram news channel Astra. Locals reported that the refinery was under attack and that a residential building had been hit. 0:00 / 1 The Saratov airport imposed restrictions due to the drone threat, according to Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya). Saratov Oblast Governor Roman Busargin claimed that a fire had broken out at an unspecified "industrial enterprise" and that emergency responders had been dispatched to the scene. He also said drones caused damage to a residential building. No casualties were reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that 174 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight, targeting 12 regions within Russia as well as Russian-occupied Crimea. The Kyiv Independent could not confirm these claims. The reported drone attack comes after a series of major Ukrainian strikes against military targets inside Russia. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on June 1 launched Operation Spiderweb, a daring mass drone attack that damaged 41 Russian heavy bombers at four key airfields throughout the country. The operation reportedly targeted A-50, Tu-95, and Tu-22 M3 planes parked at the Belaya, Diaghilev, Olenya, and Ivanovo air bases, causing approximately $7 billion in damage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the following days, Ukraine carried out strikes against Russia's Crimean Bridge, a military base in distant Vladivostok, and a missile base in Bryansk Oblast. Located in Russia's Saratov Oblast, around 600 kilometers (370 miles) from the front lines in Ukraine, the Engels-2 base has been a frequent target of Ukrainian strikes since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. The airfield houses three types of strategic bombers regularly used in missile attacks on Ukraine: the Tu-95, Tu-22, and Tu-160. An attack against the air base on March 20 destroyed 96 air-launched cruise missiles, according to Ukraine's General Staff. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukraine strikes Russian missile base in Bryansk Oblast, damages Iskander launchers; Trump dismisses timeline to impose Russian sanctions Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Claim: U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said, "Elon is calling for Trump's impeachment. MAGA is calling for Elon's deportation. Why not both?" Rating: Rating: Incorrect Attribution As U.S. President Donald Trump and tech billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk engaged in a war of words over social media in early June 2025, many people online attributed a quote to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT. According to a Reddit post, Sanders allegedly said: "Elon is calling for Trump's impeachment. MAGA is calling for Elon's deportation. Why not both?" (Reddit user u/Pumuckl4Life) Even though he has been a critic of Trump and Musk, Sanders never said the above words. We found no evidence in his publicized statements, in the news media or on his social media accounts to corroborate the claim. As such, we rate this claim as an incorrect attribution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We reached out to Sanders for comment on whether he made the above statement. A spokesperson from his office denied the above claim. We also looked for examples of Sander's comments to the media by searching for segments of the above quote on Google News. If Sanders had said this in public it would have been widely covered by news media publications. We also found no similar statements on Sander's Senate website or his social media accounts. However, on June 5, the Facebook group U.S. Democratic Socialists did post the statement without attributing it to anyone. Sanders has used similar language. In a June 6 post from his official campaign account on X. Sanders criticized both Trump and Musk by using their arguments to bolster his point: Trump's right: The easiest way to save money is to eliminate the "Billions and Billions" in corporate welfare Elon Musk has received. Musk's right: Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill" is a "disgusting abomination" that must be defeated. Let's do both. It'll be a win-win for America! Trump's right: The easiest way to save money is to eliminate the "Billions and Billions" in corporate welfare Elon Musk has received. Musk's right: Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill" is a "disgusting abomination" that must be defeated. Let's do both. It'll be a win-win for America! Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) June 6, 2025 Sanders was referring to Trump's threats to cut off federal subsidies and contracts with Musk's companies, which could cost Musk billions of dollars. He also was referring to Trump's tax and spending bill, which Musk called a "disgusting abomination" on X. Since Trump's inauguration, Sanders has been traveling the country on a "Fighting Oligarchy Tour" looking to build up resistance to the Trump administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Sanders did not advocate for Musk's deportation, in February 2020, he did vote to convict Trump in the Senate impeachment trial during his first administration. He also voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial in 2021. Meanwhile in June 2025, Steve Bannon, a former aide to Trump, called for an investigation into Musk's immigration status: "They should initiate a formal investigation of his immigration status, because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately." Sources: "Bernie Sanders Brings His Fight against 'Oligarchy' to Philadelphia." WHYY, https://whyy.org/articles/fighting-oligarchy-bernie-sanders-may-day-philadelphia/. Accessed 6 June 2025. Booker, Brakkton. "Trump Impeachment Trial Verdict: How Senators Voted." NPR, 13 Feb. 2021. NPR, https://www.npr.org/sections/trump-impeachment-trial-live-updates/2021/02/13/967539051/trump-impeachment-trial-verdict-how-senators-voted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Breslow, Jason. "In a Break with Trump, Elon Musk Calls the GOP Megabill a 'Disgusting Abomination.'" NPR, 3 June 2025. NPR, https://www.npr.org/2025/06/03/nx-s1-5422350/elon-musk-trump-reconciliation-bill. Accessed 6 June 2025. Liles, Jordan. "Trump Once Calling Epstein 'fun' and 'Terrific Guy' Resurfaced during Feud with Musk." Snopes, 5 June 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/trump-quote-epstein-musk/. Accessed 6 June 2025. "Trump Threatens to Cut off Elon Musk's Federal Subsidies. That Could Cost Tesla and SpaceX Billions." CBS News, 5 June 2025, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-elon-musk-federal-subsidies-cost-tesla-spacex-billions/. Accessed 6 June 2025. Pager, Tyler. "Steve Bannon Says He Told Trump to Investigate Elon Musk's Immigration Status." The New York Times, 5 June 2025. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/us/steve-bannon-trump-elon-musk.html. Accessed 6 June 2025. "Senator Sanders Votes to Convict President Trump " Senator Bernie Sanders." Senator Bernie Sanders, https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/senator-sanders-votes-to-convict-president-trump/. Accessed 6 June 2025. By Scott Murdoch SYDNEY (Reuters) -Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Wistron Corp is looking to raise up to $923 million by selling global depository shares that will be listed in Luxembourg, according to a term sheet reviewed by Reuters on Thursday. The company, which is a supplier to Nvidia, is selling up to 250 million depository shares in a price range of $36.20 to $36.93, the term sheet said. That is a discount of 4% to 6% to a closing stock price of NT$115 ($3.85) on Thursday. Wistron did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. The company plans to use the money raised in the share sale to buy raw materials in foreign currencies, the term sheet showed. The shares are due to start trading on June 16. Wistron said last month its new U.S. manufacturing facilities for customer Nvidia would be ready next year and that it was in talks with other potential customers. The facilities will produce high-performance computing and AI-related products. ($1 = 29.9060 Taiwan dollars) (Reporting by Scott Murdoch; Additional reporting Ben Blanchard; Editing by Tom Hogue) Claim: The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, signed by U.S. President Bill Clinton, allowed deportation without due process. Rating: Rating: False Social media posts alleged that former U.S. President Bill Clinton's 1996 immigration law allowed the U.S. government to deport noncitizens without due process. The posts referenced the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, which created the "expedited removal" process. While expedited removal permits the deportation of certain noncitizens without a court hearing, it does not eliminate due process protections. The Fifth and 14th amendments of the U.S. Constitution guarantee due process to all people in the United States, including noncitizens, and courts have consistently upheld that expedited removal procedures remain subject to due-process standards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In early May 2025, a claim circulated on social media that in 1996, then-U.S. President Bill Clinton signed an "Immigration Reform Act" that allowed deportation without due process. One Facebook post (archived) with the claim, as of this writing, reached more than 10,000 reactions, 1,200 comments and 11,000 shares. The text on the attached image read, "In 1996 Bill Clinton signed his Immigration Reform Act that stated illegals could be deported without judicial hearings, sooo if this is really about Due Process and the Constitution talk to him" Additionally, the description of the post stated that in 1996 "Congress specifically authorized the executive branch to conduct non-judicial deportations NOT SUBJECT TO DUE PROCESS." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The post continued, "The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) was passed by Bill Clinton, enforced by George W. Bush, and expanded by Barack Obama, with support from both political parties." It later mentioned the act introduced "the expedited removal process." The claim gained attention on social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram. In short, the posts referenced the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which Clinton signed in 1996. While the law created a legal mechanism called "expedited removal," allowing certain noncitizens to be deported without a court hearing, it did not eliminate due process. For people seeking initial entry into the United States, the Supreme Court has long held that decisions made by immigration officers under powers granted by Congress constitute due process of law. Although fast-track procedures like expedited removal do not involve hearings before a judge, they remain subject to legal constraints and procedural safeguards. Therefore, the claim that Clinton signed a law allowing deportation without due process is false. What is expedited removal? The IIRIRA, which Clinton signed in 1996, introduced a procedure known as "expedited removal," which refers to a fast-track process that allows U.S. immigration officers to remove certain noncitizens who are "inadmissible because the individual does not possess valid entry documents or is inadmissible for fraud or misrepresentation of material fact." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The term also refers to the removal of a noncitizen "who has not been admitted or paroled in the United States and who has not affirmatively shown to the satisfaction of an immigration officer, that the alien had been physically present in the United States for the immediately preceding 2-year period." According to Department of Homeland Security documents, people placed in expedited-removal proceedings "are generally not entitled to immigration proceedings before an immigration judge unless the alien is seeking asylum or makes a claim to legal status in the United States." In those cases, immigration officers must refer the individual for a credible fear interview or to further proceedings to assess the validity of their claim. The expedited removal Clinton introduced did not apply to noncitizens already residing in the interior U.S. However, in 2004, the DHS under then-President George W. Bush expanded the use of expedited removal, allowing immigration officers to deport certain noncitizens without a court hearing if they were apprehended within 14 days of entering the U.S. and found within 100 miles of a land border. Previously, expedited removal had been limited to noncitizens encountered at official ports of entry, such as airports or border crossings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2019, the Trump administration removed these time and geographic constraints, allowing DHS to apply expedited removal nationwide to people who could not prove they had been in the U.S. continuously for at least two years, which was the maximum extent permitted under federal law. In 2022, the Biden administration "had rescinded this policy, reverting back to the preTrump Administration application of expedited removal." In January 2025, the Trump administration rescinded the Biden-era restrictions on expedited removal and reinstated the broader enforcement guidelines originally implemented in 2019. This shift was introduced through an executive order titled "Protecting the American People Against Invasion." What is due process? "Due process" is a term with both a specific legal meaning and a broader everyday sense of fairness. In constitutional law, it refers to the government's obligation to follow fair procedures and respect individual rights when taking action that affects a person's life, liberty, or property. The website of Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute explains that due process (or due process of law) primarily refers to the concept found in the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which says no one shall be "deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law" by the federal government. It also underscored that the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, used the same eleven words ("nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law"), called the Due Process Clause, to extend this obligation to the states. "These words have as their central promise an assurance that all levels of American government must operate within the law ('legality') and provide fair procedures," the LII article summarized. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, due process can refer to two concepts: procedural due process a course of formal proceedings (such as legal proceedings) carried out regularly and in accordance with established rules and principles; substantive due process a judicial requirement that enacted laws may not contain provisions that result in the unfair, arbitrary, or unreasonable treatment of an individual. Another dictionary, Collins, describes it more broadly as "carrying out of the law according to established rules and principles." Clinton did not remove due process Although the 1996 law introduced expedited removal, it did not eliminate due-process protections for noncitizens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Katherine Yon Ebright, counsel for the Brennan Center's Liberty and National Security Program, told PolitiFact, a fact-checking organization that also investigated this topic, that in the context of immigration, due process generally refers to "appropriate notice (of government action), the opportunity to have a hearing or some sort of screening interview to figure out, are you actually a person who falls within the law that says that you can be deported." She also noted that "the courts have never said that expedited removal negates migrants [sic] due process rights." According to the Constitution Annotated, which provides a comprehensive overview of how the Constitution has been interpreted over time, the Supreme Court has recognized that "aliens who have physically entered the United States generally come under the protective scope of the Due Process Clause, which applies to all 'persons' within the United States, including aliens, whether their presence here is lawful, unlawful, temporary, or permanent." The website further said that "there are greater due process protections in formal removal proceedings brought against aliens already present within the United States" and explained these protections "generally include the right to a hearing and a meaningful opportunity to be heard before deprivation of a liberty interest." It summarized that the U.S. Supreme Court has indicated that noncitizens present within the United States generally have due-process protections under the Constitution. However, those protections "may depend on certain factors, including whether the alien has been lawfully admitted or developed ties to the United States, and whether the alien has engaged in specified criminal activity." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2020, the Supreme Court opinion (Page 34) in the case Department of Homeland Security v. Thuraissigiam also mentioned that according to its previous rulings, "Whatever the procedure authorized by Congress is, it is due process as far as an alien denied entry is concerned." Therefore, for noncitizens seeking initial admission to the United States, due process is satisfied so long as the procedures established by Congress are followed. Similarly, Kathleen Bush-Joseph, a lawyer and policy analyst at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute, told Al Jazeera in mid-May 2025 that "although expedited removal and the Alien Enemies Act limit people's due process protections, they do not eliminate them." She clarified, "There are no exceptions to due process." Related claims Internet users also shared claim about the alleged lack of due process in deportation procedures with regard to the number of noncitizens removed from the country under former U.S. presidents. One X post (archived) on the topic claimed that during the Obama administration "75% of illegals deported received NO Due Process." Barack Obama: 75% of illegals deported received NO Due Process Bill Clinton: 90% of illegals deported received NO Due Process All the sudden Democrats in 2025 want 100% of illegals to receive Due Process BECAUSE NOW IT'S ABOUT VOTES Barack Obama "If you're a criminal, you'll pic.twitter.com/JZbum8xTOR Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) April 24, 2025 Other posts (archived) claimed "Bill Clinton deported 12 million illegals during his presidency -- AND 93% of those aliens were deported WITHOUT a [FORMAL PROCEEDING AKA] 'due process' hearing." Bill Clinton deported 12 million illegals during his presidency -- AND 93% of those aliens were deported WITHOUT a 'due process' hearing.pic.twitter.com/IGdDFNOBpi Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) May 6, 2025 The posts likely referred to the proportion of removals carried out through summary processes, such as expedited removals, reinstated removals or returns. While these procedures do not involve court hearings, they are still subject to due-process protections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In early May 2025 we investigated the related claim that, during the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, immigration authorities deported more than 3 million people, 75% to 83% of whom did not see a judge or have the opportunity to plead their case. In another article, we examined how deportation figures during Trump's first term compared to those under previous presidents. Sources: "8 U.S. Code 1225 - Inspection by Immigration Officers; Expedited Removal of Inadmissible Arriving Aliens; Referral for Hearing." LII / Legal Information Institute, www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1225. American Immigration Council. "Expedited Removal Explainer." American Immigration Council, 3 Feb. 2017, www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/expedited-removal. Christensen, Laerke, and Nick Hardinges. "Comparing Deportations under Trump's First Term to Past Presidents." Snopes, Snopes.com, 14 Feb. 2025, www.snopes.com/news/2025/02/14/trump-presidents-deportations/. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Definition of Due Process." Collinsdictionary.com, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 2 June 2025, www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/due-process. Accessed 5 June 2025. "Designating Aliens for Expedited Removal." Federal Register, 11 Aug. 2004, www.federalregister.gov/documents/2004/08/11/04-18469/designating-aliens-for-expedited-removal. Accessed 5 June 2025. "Designating Aliens for Expedited Removal." Federal Register, 23 July 2019, www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/07/23/2019-15710/designating-aliens-for-expedited-removal. "Designating Aliens for Expedited Removal." Federal Register, 24 Jan. 2025, www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/24/2025-01720/designating-aliens-for-expedited-removal. "Fourteenth Amendment Section 1 | Constitution Annotated | Congress.gov | Library of Congress." Constitution.congress.gov, constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-14/section-1/. "H. Rept. 104-828 - ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION REFORM and IMMIGRANT RESPONSIBILITY ACT of 1996." Www.congress.gov, 24 Sept. 1996, www.congress.gov/congressional-report/104th-congress/house-report/828/1. Jazeera, Al. "Is Due Process Different for Undocumented Immigrants as Trump Claims?" Al Jazeera, 11 May 2025, www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/11/is-due-process-different-for-undocumented-immigrants-as-trump-claims. "Katherine Yon Ebright." Brennan Center for Justice, 19 Feb. 2025, www.brennancenter.org/experts/katherine-yon-ebright. "Questions and Answers: Credible Fear Screening | USCIS." Www.uscis.gov, 31 May 2022, www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/refugees-and-asylum/asylum/questions-and-answers-credible-fear-screening. "Removal of Aliens Who Have Entered the United States | Constitution Annotated | Congress.gov | Library of Congress." Congress.gov, 2020, constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt5-6-2-3/ALDE_00013726/. "Removal of Aliens Who Have Entered the United States | Constitution Annotated | Congress.gov | Library of Congress." Congress.gov, 2020, constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt5-6-2-3/ALDE_00013726/#ALDF_00028415. Accessed 5 June 2025. "Rescission of the Notice of July 23, 2019, Designating Aliens for Expedited Removal." Federal Register, 21 Mar. 2022, www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/03/21/2022-05961/rescission-of-the-notice-of-july-23-2019-designating-aliens-for-expedited-removal. Accessed 5 June 2025. Simanski, John. Office of Immigration Statistics Immigration Enforcement Actions: 2013. ohss.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2023-12/Enforcement_Actions_2013.pdf. Simanski, John, and Lesley Sapp. Office of Immigration Statistics Immigration Enforcement Actions: 2012. ohss.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2023-12/Enforcement_Actions_2012.pdf. Strauss, Peter. "Due Process." Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, 2022, www.law.cornell.edu/wex/due_process. SUPREME COURT of the UNITED STATES. 2019, www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/19pdf/19-161_g314.pdf. SUPREME COURT of the UNITED STATES. 2019, www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/19pdf/19-161_g314.pdf. Trump, Donald. "Protecting the American People against Invasion." The White House, 20 Jan. 2025, www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/protecting-the-american-people-against-invasion/. Uribe, Maria Ramirez. "Are Fast-Track Deportations an Exception to Due Process?" @Politifact, 2024, www.politifact.com/factchecks/2025/may/12/social-media/Immigrants-due-process-rights-Bill-Clinton-1996/. Accessed 5 June 2025. ---. "Are Fast-Track Deportations an Exception to Due Process?" @Politifact, 2024, www.politifact.com/factchecks/2025/may/12/social-media/Immigrants-due-process-rights-Bill-Clinton-1996/. Webster, Merriam. "Definition of DUE PROCESS." Merriam-Webster.com, 2019, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/due%20process. Wrona, Aleksandra. "US Deported More than 3M People during Obama Presidency. Most Did Not Have Chance to Plead Case in Court." Snopes, Snopes.com, 4 May 2025, www.snopes.com/fact-check/obama-deportations-court/. Claim: An image authentically shows U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, "That totally was a Nazi salute that Elon did by the way. You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it." Rating: Rating: Fake A rumor that circulated online in June 2025 claimed U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that tech billionaire and former White House adviser Elon Musk "totally" did a Nazi salute. The alleged post read, "That totally was a Nazi salute that Elon did by the way. You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it." The text displayed in the image referenced a moment from Trump's second Inauguration Day in January in which Musk raised his arm in a gesture that many compared to the stiff-armed salute historically associated with Nazism. Musk later blamed (archived) the "legacy media" for supposedly misinterpreting his actions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Snopes readers emailed about this matter, with one person asking, "True or false? In the current feud between Trump and Elon Musk, the president has publicly commented on Musk's previously reported Nazi salute." Another reader also wrote: "There is a photo on Facebook that appears to be a Trump 'Truth' that says: Elon did in fact do a Nazi salute on stage and everyone knows it." On social media, an X user posted (archived) the image of the alleged Trump post. That user's post, which received more than 1.5 million views, displayed a text caption suggesting the image was nothing more than a joke, reading, "Hahahaha this one is actually funny." Numerous users shared the purported Trump post image or quote on Bluesky (archived), Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived), Threads (archived) and X (archived). (Matthew Rife/X) As the X user's post hinted, someone with the goal of creating a meme fabricated the image of the Trump Truth Social post that said Musk performed a Nazi salute. No such post appeared on Trump's Truth Social feed. There was also no sign of the post on Trump's Truths, a website that archives Trump's Truth Social posts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The fake post screenshot circulated at the same time as a rift widened between Trump and Musk in early June, days following Musk's departure from his role as White House adviser. The rift began with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO's disagreement over provisions included in a Republican-backed bill, referenced by Trump as the "big, beautiful bill," which features tax breaks and spending cuts. Musk called the bill a "disgusting abomination." At one point during the back-and-forth between Trump and Musk, which mostly occurred on social media, Trump floated (archived) an idea on his Truth Social account of terminating federal subsidies and contracts associated with Musk's companies. Musk then fired back on X, alleging Trump appeared in unreleased government files associated with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Musk added (archived), "That is the real reason they have not been made public." He did not provide evidence to support his claim. In an emailed statement to Snopes, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to Musk's allegation about Epstein not by directly addressing Snopes' question but instead sending a general statement about the pair's feud. "This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted," Leavitt said. "The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again." For further reading, Snopes reported in early June that Musk shared another user's post who called for Trump's impeachment, and also posted that Trump "would have lost the election" without his support. Sources: Cooper, Jonathan J., and Chris Megerian. "Musk Calls Trump's Big Tax Break Bill a 'disgusting Abomination,' Testing His Influence over the GOP." The Associated Press, 3 June 2025, https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-trump-tax-spending-bill-abomination-157b8733b60c343a5f8e551ffc887bf3. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Liles, Jordan. "Did Musk Give 'Nazi Salute' at Trump's 2025 Inauguration Rally? Here's What We Know." Snopes, 21 Jan. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//news/2025/01/20/musk-nazi-salute/. ---. "Yes, Musk Alleged Trump Appears in the Epstein Files." Snopes, 5 June 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/elon-musk-epstein-trump/. Megerian, Chris. "Trump Gives Elon Musk an Oval Office Sendoff, Crediting Him with 'Colossal Change.'" The Associated Press, 30 May 2025, https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-donald-trump-doge-e09ac9f31cb2eb2e2d815a66cdffb7ba. Walsh, Joe. "Trump Threatens to Cut off Elon Musk's Federal Subsidies. That Could Cost Tesla and SpaceX Billions." CBS News, 5 June 2025, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-elon-musk-federal-subsidies-cost-tesla-spacex-billions/. Claim: 15 doctors on a flight to Orlando, Florida, helped save a 67-year-old womans life after she had a heart attack while in the air. Rating: Rating: True Context: Though the incident occurred in 2003, the story was still making the internet rounds in 2025. A long-standing claim (archived) about 15 doctors who helped save a 67-year-old woman who suffered a heart attack on a plane circulated in May 2025. One Facebook user wrote: On a flight to Florida a 67 year old woman had a heart attack. The cabin crew asked if there was a doctor on the plane. 15 people stood up. They were all cardiologists on their way to a conference. Needless to say she survived. Though the claim is not new (archived), it circulated in recent years on Facebook (archived), Threads (archived), Bluesky (archived) and X (archived). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The story, in all its "right place at the right time" magic, is true. Dorothy Fletcher was 67 years old when she suffered a heart attack while flying to Orlando, Florida, on Nov. 7, 2003. Also on that plane: several doctors headed to a Heart Association conference in the Florida city. Fletcher, originally from Liverpool in England, gave her account of events to the BBC, which ran an article (archived) about the incident in early 2004. Other (archived) British (archived) and American (archived) news media also reported on the incident at the time. That article said Fletcher was traveling to attend her daughter Christine's wedding when she fell ill. We reached out to a company registered in Christine's name where an employee confirmed that Christine was Fletcher's daughter and that Fletcher was still alive and well in April 2025. We could not reach Christine directly for this story. According to the BBC, Fletcher told BBC Breakfast she realized she was having a heart attack while on the plane but was comforted by the number of doctors who sprang to her aid: I only realised when they said is there a doctor on board and all the lights above their heads began lighting up and they all came running towards me. I can't believe there were so many doctors - never mind cardiologists - on a plane. It was so frightening. I had never experienced a heart attack. But to see so many people helping me took the fright away. The article said that Fletcher's flight landed in North Carolina instead of Florida, where Fletcher spent five days in the hospital before attending her daughter's wedding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fletcher told the BBC she didn't get the names of any of the doctors and only knew they were traveling to Orlando for a conference. "I wish I could thank them but I have no idea who they were other than that they were going to a conference in Orlando," Fletcher said in 2004. Though we did not manage to track down any of the doctors who helped Fletcher, we did confirm with the American Heart Association that it held an event for cardiologists in Orlando around the time Fletcher fell ill. Suzanne Grant, the national VP for media relations at the AHA, said: We can confirm that the American Heart Association held its annual Scientific Session in Orlando, Florida, from November 9-12, 2003. Thousands and thousands of cardiologists from around the world (10k+ attendees) attend every year. The Heart Association doesn't make travel arrangements for attendees so we would never have information on who was on which plane, what connecting flights were used, etc. Were you one of the doctors who helped Fletcher in 2003 or do you know someone who did? Send us a tip. Sources: Boffey, Chris. "Heart Woman Saved by 15 Flying Doctors." The Telegraph, 1 Jan. 2004, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1450662/Heart-woman-saved-by-15-flying-doctors.html. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Flier Stricken On Doc-Laden Plane - CBS News. 31 Dec. 2003, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/flier-stricken-on-doc-laden-plane/. Gran's Heart Attack on Jet with Medics. 2 Jan. 2004. news.bbc.co.uk, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/merseyside/3359149.stm. "Meetings Calendar." Circulation, vol. 107, no. 1, Jan. 2003. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1161/01.CIR.0000051859.12020.5B. "Woman on Plane Saved by 15 Cardiologists." The Independent, 1 Jan. 2004, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/woman-on-plane-saved-by-15-cardiologists-84577.html. Claim: U.S. President Donald Trump deleted and reposted a statement on Truth Social about his phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Rating: Rating: True On June 4, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly posted and deleted a Truth Social post about a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Numerous claims said the post appeared to show Trump revealing he spoke to Putin about Ukraine's recent drone attacks on Russian aircraft. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A number of X claims said Trump deleted the following Truth Social post about his phone call with Putin, while others noted that he deleted and then reposted the message. (X user @AesPolitics1) Trump's apparently deleted post read: I just finished speaking, by telephone, with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia. The call lasted approximately one hour and 15 minutes. We discussed the attack on Russia's docked airplanes, by Ukraine, and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides. It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace. President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields. We also discussed Iran, and the fact that time is running out on Iran's decision pertaining to nuclear weapons, which must be made quickly! I stated to President Putin that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and, on this, I believe that we were in agreement. President Putin suggested that he will participate in the discussions with Iran and that he could, perhaps, be helpful in getting this brought to a rapid conclusion. It is my opinion that Iran has been slowwalking their decision on this very important matter, and we will need a definitive answer in a very short period of time! Trump did indeed make the above statement on Truth Social and subsequently delete it. Around an hour after deleting the post, he posted it again. As such, we rate this claim as true. We found evidence of the deleted post on Trump's Truth and Roll Call. Both websites have dedicated archives of Trump's Truth Social account. (Screenshot via Roll Call) We found archived links to his now-deleted post, which he shared at 12:40 p.m. EDT on Truth Social. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Around an hour after deleting the original post, Trump reposted (archived) the same statement on Truth Social: I just finished speaking, by telephone, with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia. The call lasted approximately one hour and 15 minutes. We discussed the attack on Russia's docked airplanes, by Ukraine, and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides. It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace. President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields. We also discussed Iran, and the fact that time is running out on Iran's decision pertaining to nuclear weapons, which must be made quickly! I stated to President Putin that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and, on this, I believe that we were in agreement. President Putin suggested that he will participate in the discussions with Iran and that he could, perhaps, be helpful in getting this brought to a rapid conclusion. It is my opinion that Iran has been slowwalking their decision on this very important matter, and we will need a definitive answer in a very short period of time! (Truth Social user @RealDonaldTrump) Trump and Putin's call occurred after Ukraine carried out a drone attack on Russian airfields, destroyed warplanes, on June 1. Per the above post, Trump warned of Putin's response to Ukraine's attack and said their phone conversation would not lead to immediate peace. According to Trump, Putin also said he would participate in discussions with Iran on their nuclear weapons. According to the BBC, Russian officials declined to confirm the country's response to Ukraine's drone attack. Trump's social media accounts and statements have been the subject of misinformation during the Russia-Ukraine war. Previously, we reported on the false claim that Trump called on Ukraine to compensate Russia for destroying its aircraft. Sources: Ibrahim, Nur. "Trump Did Not Say Ukraine Must Compensate Russia for Destroyed Aircraft." Snopes, 3 June 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/trump-ukraine-russia-aircraft/. Accessed 5 June 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Liptak, Kevin. "Trump Says Putin Told Him in Phone Call He Will Respond to Ukraine's Weekend Drone Attacks | CNN Politics." CNN, 4 June 2025, https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/04/politics/trump-putin-phone-call-ukraine-response. Accessed 5 June 2025. "Putin Will Seek Revenge for Ukraine Drone Attack, Warns Trump after Phone Call." BBC, 4 June 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2r108l785o. Accessed 5 June 2025. Claim: U.S. President Donald Trump's name is mentioned in convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's "black book." Rating: Rating: True Context: Being listed in the book does not implicate Trump as being involved in Epstein's crimes. Trump, however, did have connections to Epstein. A fiery public feud between U.S. President Donald Trump and his former adviser Elon Musk in early June 2025 reignited interest in claims about Trump's alleged relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a June 5, 2025, post on X, Musk alleged that Trump appeared in unreleased government files connected to Epstein. His post read: Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! Following Musk's allegations about the Epstein files, some X (archived) users (archived) claimed Trump is mentioned in Epstein's "black book," referring to the billionaire's contact book. As Snopes previously reported, Epstein's infamous contact book contains the names of approximately 1,000 people, including Trump and some members of his family. Therefore, we've rated this claim as true. However, this does not implicate Trump as being involved in Epstein's crimes. Trump's name appeared in Epstein's book, along with several phone numbers and email addresses. His contact information was also circled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A screenshot of Trump's redacted contact information can be seen below and also appears on Page 80 of a digital copy of Epstein's book: Image shows Donald Trump's name and redacted contact information listed in convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's (Gawker) Trump's brother, Robert, and his ex-sister-in-law, Blaine, are also mentioned on Page 54 of the digital copy of Epstein's book. As we reported before, being listed in the book does not implicate Trump or anyone else as being involved in Epstein's crimes. Not everyone mentioned in the book has a connection to Epstein, either. For example, several people mentioned within it have said they never met the billionaire, and some were described as people Epstein wanted to meet, according to a New York Times report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump, however, did have connections to Epstein. In a 2002 article published by New York magazine, Trump called Epstein a "terrific guy" and added that "he's a lot of fun to be with." "It is even said he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side," Trump added. A November 1992 tape in the NBC archives also shows the two partying together at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. Trump later distanced himself from Epstein. In July 2019, a reporter in the Oval Office asked the president, "Do you still think Jeffrey Epstein is a 'terrific guy?'" In response, Trump said three times that he was not a "fan" of Epstein's: Well, I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him. I mean, people in Palm Beach knew him. He was a fixture in Palm Beach. I had a falling out with him a long time ago. I don't think I've spoken to him for 15 years. I wasn't a fan. I was not, yeah, a long time ago, I'd say maybe 15 years. I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you. I was not a fan of his. Trump isn't the only well-known public figure listed in Epstein's black book. It contains the names of dozens of other people that vary from entertainers, such as musician Courtney Love, to members of the royal family, such as Prince Andrew. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New York magazine went through all of the contacts in Epstein's black book in 2019 and detailed each person's alleged relationship with the convicted sex offender. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton also was mentioned in the flight logs for Epstein's plane. For further reading, a previous fact check confirmed as authentic photos and video of Trump with Epstein and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. Also during their social media feud in June 2025, Musk shared a post calling for Trump's impeachment and Trump suggested the country could save money by ending Musk's government subsidies and contracts. Sources: "Jeffrey Epstein's Little Black Book REDACTED | DocumentCloud." Documentcloud.org, 2015, embed.documentcloud.org/documents/1508273-jeffrey-epsteins-little-black-book-redacted/. Accessed 5 June 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prokop, Andrew. "Jeffrey Epstein's Connections to Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, Explained." Vox, 9 July 2019, www.vox.com/2019/7/9/20686347/jeffrey-epstein-trump-bill-clinton. Accessed 5 June 2025. Thomas Jr., Landon. "Jeffrey Epstein: International Moneyman of Mystery." New York Magazine, 28 Oct. 2002, nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/n_7912/. Accessed 5 June 2025. Bohrer, Jack. "Tape Shows Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Discussing Women at 1992 Party." NBC News, 17 July 2019, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tape-shows-donald-trump-jeffrey-epstein-discussing-women-1992-party-n1030686. Accessed 5 June 2025. Baio, Ariana. "Epstein Files: Full List of Names in Disgraced Financier's Contact Book Released by AG Pam Bondi." The Independent, 28 Feb. 2025, www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/epstein-files-pam-bondi-names-list-b2706666.html. Accessed 5 June 2025. Colvin, Jill. "What Did Jeffrey Epstein's Famous Friends Know and See?" AP News, 9 July 2019, apnews.com/general-news-united-states-government-3d0490c6774048dc8a5f4fe80d0cf71f. Accessed 5 June 2025. Claim: In 2002, Donald Trump called Jeffrey Epstein a "fun" and "terrific guy," and added, "It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side." Rating: Rating: Correct Attribution On June 5, 2025, online users claimed U.S. President Donald Trump once called now-deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein a "fun" and "terrific guy," adding, "It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For example, progressive commentator Brian Tyler Cohen posted (archived), "Let's be fair here. Just because Elon says that Trump is in the Epstein files and just because there are dozens of photos and videos with Trump & Epstein together and just because Trump called Epstein a 'terrific guy' who 'likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side' and just because Trump said that he's 'less so' likely to release the Epstein files because 'you don't want to affect people's lives if it's phony stuff in there' and just because his administration has refused to actually release anything doesn't mean... okay yeah he's in the Epstein files." Users on Bluesky (archived), Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived), Reddit (archived), Threads (archived), Truth Social (archived) and X (archived) also reposted the quote. (Brian Tyler Cohen/X) Trump genuinely called Epstein a "fun" and "terrific guy." The authentic quote appeared in the New York Magazine article, "Jeffrey Epstein: International Moneyman of Mystery," on Oct. 28, 2002, just over 14 years before Trump claimed victory in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and several years before Epstein registered as a convicted sex offender in 2008. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The relevant portion of the Trump phone interview transcript read: Epstein likes to tell people that he's a loner, a man who's never touched alcohol or drugs, and one whose nightlife is far from energetic. And yet if you talk to Donald Trump, a different Epstein emerges. "I've known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy," Trump booms from a speakerphone. "He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it Jeffrey enjoys his social life." Cohen's statement that Trump was "less" likely to release the Epstein files than other files because "you don't want to affect people's lives if it's phony stuff in there" referenced authentic remarks broadcast during a Fox News interview in 2024. The quote from the 2002 interview spread on June 5, 2025, the same day a sudden rift widened between Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, who days earlier departed his White House adviser role. In posts on his platform, X, Musk alleged Trump appeared in unreleased government files associated with Epstein's activities, and that that was why no one, Trump included, had yet released the documents. In a statement emailed to Snopes, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted. The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again." Trump addressed 2002 quote about Epstein On July 6, 2019, federal authorities arrested Epstein and then indicted him on charges of the sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three days later, on July 9, an unidentified reporter asked Trump in the Oval Office, "Do you still think Jeffrey Epstein is a 'terrific guy?'" In response, Trump said three times that he was not a "fan" of Epstein's: Well, I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him. I mean, people in Palm Beach knew him. He was a fixture in Palm Beach. I had a falling out with him a long time ago. I don't think I've spoken to him for 15 years. I wasn't a fan. I was not, yeah, a long time ago, I'd say maybe 15 years. I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you. I was not a fan of his. At the time, Politico posted (archived) a video of Trump's full answer: Reporter: Do you still think Jeffrey Epstein is a 'terrific guy'? Trump: Well, I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach... He was a fixture in Palm Beach. I had a falling out with him a long time ago. I don't think I've spoken to him for 15 years.. I was not a fan of his pic.twitter.com/l4wVbolshO POLITICO (@politico) July 9, 2019 Weeks later, on Aug. 10, guards found Epstein dead in his jail cell. An autopsy ruled he died of suicide by hanging, setting off a wave of new conspiracy theories. Trump on Ghislaine Maxwell: 'I wish her well' In a related remark, in July 2020, an unidentified reporter asked Trump about the case involving Epstein associate, and later convicted sex trafficker, Ghislaine Maxwell, who, at the time, the U.S. Justice Department had just arrested and charged for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors. During his answer, Trump said, "I just wish her well, frankly." He then mentioned a second time, "I wish her well." More than one year later, on Dec. 29, 2021, a jury convicted Maxwell of multiple charges. A judge then sentenced her to 20 years in prison for what the U.S. Justice Department described as "her role in a scheme to sexually exploit and abuse multiple minor girls with Jeffrey Epstein over the course of a decade." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Days prior to her conviction, the Miami Herald published information about flights that Trump had taken on Epstein's jets. According to the reporting, flight logs showed Trump had flown at least seven times, with all of the flights being between Palm Beach, Florida and New York City airports. Meanwhile, former President Bill Clinton had flown on Epstein's jets at least nine times. In a statement, a spokesperson for Clinton said in 2019 that Clinton knew "nothing" about Epstein's crimes. For further reading, a previous fact check examined whether or not Musk genuinely posted on X that Trump "would have lost" the 2024 election without his efforts. Sources: "A Timeline of the Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell Scandal." The Associated Press, 28 June 2022, https://apnews.com/article/epstein-maxwell-timeline-b9f15710fabb72e8581c71e94acf513e. "Ghislaine Maxwell Charged In Manhattan Federal Court For Conspiring With Jeffrey Epstein To Sexually Abuse Minors | United States Department of Justice." Southern District of New York, 2 July 2020, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ghislaine-maxwell-charged-manhattan-federal-court-conspiring-jeffrey-epstein-sexually. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Ghislaine Maxwell Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison For Conspiring With Jeffrey Epstein To Sexually Abuse Minors | United States Department of Justice." Southern District of New York, 28 June 2022, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ghislaine-maxwell-sentenced-20-years-prison-conspiring-jeffrey-epstein-sexually-abuse. Hays, Tom, and Larry Neumeister. "Ghislaine Maxwell Convicted in Epstein Sex Abuse Case." The Associated Press, 30 Dec. 2021, https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-convicted-jeffrey-epstein-trial-verdict-63a71a2825eab41184a79e37bb967e90. Hill, James, and Aaron Katersky. "Federal Judge Orders Documents Naming Jeffrey Epstein's Associates to Be Unsealed." ABC News, 19 Dec. 2023, https://abcnews.go.com/US/federal-judge-orders-documents-naming-jeffrey-epsteins-associates/story?id=105779882. "Jeffrey Epstein Charged In Manhattan Federal Court With Sex Trafficking Of Minors | United States Department of Justice." Southern District of New York, 8 July 2019, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/jeffrey-epstein-charged-manhattan-federal-court-sex-trafficking-minors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Judge Orders Release of over 150 Names of People Mentioned in Jeffrey Epstein Lawsuit Documents." The Associated Press, 19 Dec. 2023, https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-ghislaine-maxwell-financier-names-released-8ce48f838d61c853efe643977ccc1bb1. Karni, Annie, and Maggie Haberman. "Jeffrey Epstein Was a 'Terrific Guy,' Donald Trump Once Said. Now He's 'Not a Fan.'" The New York Times, 10 July 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/09/us/politics/trump-epstein.html. @politico. "Reporter: Do You Still Think Jeffrey Epstein Is a 'Terrific Guy'?" X, 9 July 2019, https://twitter.com/politico/status/1148638639213043713. Tabachnick, Tara. "List of Jeffrey Epstein's Associates Named in Lawsuit Must Be Unsealed, Judge Rules. Here Are Details on the Document Release." CBS News, 19 Dec. 2023, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jeffrey-epstein-list-associates-unsealed-judge-rules/. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thomas Jr., Landon. "Jeffrey Epstein: International Moneyman of Mystery." New York Magazine, 28 Oct. 2002, https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/n_7912/. "Trump Says of Ghislaine Maxwell, 'I Wish Her Well.'" YouTube, The Associated Press, 21 July 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkrnWRIavAU. Watson, Michelle, et al. "Dozens of Documents Naming Jeffrey Epstein's Victims and Associates to Be Made Public in 2024." CNN, 19 Dec. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/19/us/jeffrey-epstein-victims-associates-order/index.html. Wieder, Ben, and Julie K. Brown. "Maxwell Case Logs Show How Frequently Trump Flew on Epstein Jets; Bill Clinton, Too." Miami Herald, 21 Dec. 2021, https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article256740662.html. Think youd never fall for a fake job offer? Think again. The fastest-growing scam in America right now isnt about Nigerian princes or shady cryptoits texts offering high-paying jobs for easy tasks. And as the job market tightens, younger job seekers are falling hard. Business Insider reported that according to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans lost nearly $470 million to scam texts in 2024. While fake delivery notices topped the list, job offer scams were number two. These messages often impersonate companies like Temu, Amazon, or Target and promise thousands in exchange for simple tasks like rating products or boosting apps. What makes these scams particularly dangerous is how realistic they seem. Many victims are asked to share personal information, Social Security numbers, IDs, even bank details, under the guise of onboarding. The twist? Some are even told to purchase office equipment with fake checks and send back the overpayment, only to discover the checks bounce after their money is long gone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The FTCs Kati Daffan says reported losses to job scams have tripled since 2020. Proofpoints Selena Larson notes these scams thrive on emotional manipulationexcitement, urgency, and the fear of missing out on a rare opportunity. And Gen Z is especially vulnerable. Between remote work expectations, a harsh job market, and a culture that handles everything by text, many dont think twice about engaging with a recruiter over a messaging app. As one expert put it, younger users just click, click, click. The rise of AI has made it even easier for scammers to craft realistic, mistake-free messages. Combine that with financial anxiety and a lack of coordinated enforcement, and youve got a scammers dream scenario. The best defense? Slow down. Research the offer. If a job pays in crypto, conducts interviews via text, or asks for money upfrontits likely a scam. Real employers dont operate like that. Related: The Most Dangerous Creature in the U.S. Right Now Isnt What You Think The Fake Job Offer That Could Cost You Everything first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 5, 2025 An Athens man faces felony charges after what was found at his home, officials said Friday. Athens-Clarke County Police Departments Property Crimes Unit joined the Northeast Georgia Regional Drug Task Force in the 200 block of Jennings Mill Parkway on May 29. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Police said the warrant was in connection with a two-year-long investigation into mail theft, check manufacturing and forgery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alex Brown, 30, was arrested after police said the search revealed stolen checks, manufactured checks, stolen identification documents, stolen mail and materials used in the manufacturing of fraudulent check. The materials included blank check stock paper and a magnetic ink cartridge. TRENDING STORIES: Brown faces 16 felony charges. Authorities say theyre seeking more warrants as the investigation continues. Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to contact Lt. Enrique Rivera at Enrique.Rivera@accgov.com or at 762-400-7338. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] CINCINNATI, Iowa A fallen WWII soldier from Iowa was laid to rest on the 81st anniversary of D-Day Friday. U.S. Army Private James. L. Harrington from Cincinnati, Iowa was just 21-years-old when he and his fellow soldiers were sent to Omaha Beach in Normandy, France on June 6, 1944. Harrington and the roughly 200 other soldiers were aboard Landing Craft Infantry 92 when it struck an underwater mine and burst into flames. The craft was also being hit by enemy artillery fire, which caused an explosion. There were no survivors. Salvation Army of Greater Des Moines celebrates National Donut Day Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a search of the burned craft a few days later, several unidentifiable remains were recovered. The remains were later buried in the United States Military Cemetery St. Laurent-sur-Mer. In 2021 the unidentified remains were exhumed and sent to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) Laboratory for analysis. In August 2023, some of the remains recovered from the wreckage of the LCI 92 were identified as belonging to Harrington. Eighty-one years after his death, Harrington was buried with full military honors in his hometown of Cincinnati next to his mother and his grandparents. Governor Kim Reynolds ordered flags to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Friday to honor Harrington. Iowa News: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to who13.com. The families of Omar Van Gelder, Lior Steinberg, and Alon Farkas, three soldiers killed in Gaza this week, have agreed to donate their organs. Three soldiers killed earlier this week in Gaza donated their organs to patients in critical condition, the families announced on Thursday. For more stories from ALL ISRAEL NEWS go to allisrael.com The families of Omer Van Gelder from Maale Adumim, Lior Steinberg from Petah Tikva, and Alon Farkas from Kibbutz Kabri nobly agreed to the donations. The condition of the organ recipients has not been disclosed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alon Farkas, 27, a soldier in the 6646 Reconnaissance Battalion of the Shuali Marom Brigade, was killed during a clash with terrorists in the Shuja'iya area in northern Gaza. The incident occurred when an IDF unit came under enemy fire. The IDF responded, advanced on the terrorists, and during the fighting, Farkas was killed, and another soldier was wounded. The Air Force attacked the target, and it is believed that some of the terrorists were hit. Farkas, a neuroscience student at Ben Gurion University in Beer Sheva, had completed 300 days of reserve duty since the start of the war. His funeral took place on Wednesday in Pardes Hanna. A spokesperson for Kibbutz Kfar Yehezkel, Adi Kinan, confirmed that the family agreed to donate his organs. Farkas's parents reside in Pardes Hanna, while his grandparents live in Kibbutz Kfar Yehezkel. Finding solidarity in tragedy Farkas' parents stated: "Looking at the images of the fallen, the nobility of the families in the hardest moments reminds us of the strength of our people, the values of solidarity, and the love for humanity." Soldiers carry the casket of Alon Parks. (photo credit: Walla) Sergeant Major Lior Steinberg, 20, from Petah Tikva, a combat medic in the Givati Brigade, was killed in an explosion at a bomb site in the Jabalya camp in northern Gaza. He was laid to rest at Segula Cemetery in his hometown. He leaves behind his parents, Orly and Anton, and his older sister, Shira. Sergeant Major Omer Van Gelder, 22, from Maale Adumim, served as a team commander in the Rotem Battalion of the Givati Brigade. He was laid to rest at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. Omar is survived by his parents, Haggai and Tehila, and three siblings Talia, Ori, and Itai. He volunteered with Magen David Adom and the "Wings of Crane" organization. All of his family members had signed the organ donation card. This story was originally published on CFO Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily CFO Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja made two sales of company stock this week in his latest offloading of company shares, selling approximately $2 million on June 2 before selling $342,690 in shares on June 3, according to company filings. The sales Tanejas fourth and fifth sales over a three-month period, according to company filings come as the Austin, Texas-electric vehicle makers brand continues to field reputational impact from CEO Elon Musks political activities, as well as slumping sales in key markets such as Europe. Musk, who officially departed from his role at the Department of Government Efficiency on Friday, has previously sought to reassure Tesla investors of the companys financial health, announcing his intent to remain as CEO for the next five years during a recent conference in Qatar, according to reports by the BBC. Dive Insight: Tanejas June sales follow the CFOs offloading of over $3 million in shares last month, CFO Dive reported. His repeated sales of stock come after the finance chief, who took the top financial seat at Tesla in 2023, received a pay package worth $139 million comprised mainly of stock last year, CFO Dive reported. Tanejas full-year 2024 compensation included an equity award of approximately $113 million in stock options and approximately $26 million in stock awards, with Taneja the only named executive to receive an equity award last year, according to Teslas annual report. Along with Taneja, other executives have offloaded company stock in recent weeks; Kimbal Musk, the brother of CEO Elon Musk, sold $31 million in shares on May 27, according to a company filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The sales come as Teslas stock price has continued to whipsaw over the past few months, impacted by a consumer backlash related to Elon Musks continued connection with the Trump administration. The EV makers stock slumped by approximately 10% Wednesday after Musk clashed with President Donald Trump Tuesday on the Big beautiful bill currently making its way through Congress calling the tax and spending bill a disgusting abomination on the social platform X, which he owns. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it, Musk tweeted Tuesday. The clash comes after Musk sought to reassure investors during the companys most recent earnings call after Tesla reported a 71% drop in net profit, noting he would be stepping back from his role at DOGE and promising to refocus his attention on the EV maker. A 7-year-old girl from South Carolina has been fighting to recover at a Charlotte hospital after someone fired into her house and shot last weekend. Pageland police have not made an arrest. ALSO READ: 7-year-old shot while sleeping in critical condition; suspect on the loose South Carolina reporter Tina Terry talked to the girls grandfather who is calling on the public for help. Skylar Baker was still listed in critical condition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was always happy, said Shawn Christopher Moore, Skylars grandfather. I mean, shes just a happy kid you know, four-wheeler riding, just a happy kid. He said his family had recently returned back from a Disney cruise that his granddaughter loved. Someone fired into Skylars Pageland house on Brewer Circle at about 1 a.m. Sunday while she was sleeping, striking her. She was flown to a hospital. It was awful, said Dianne Louallen, a cousin. Everybody in Pageland right now wants some justice for her and everybodys praying that shell pull through. Louallen and Skylars grandfather are asking people with information to come forward now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What if this was your own personal family? Moore said. You definitely would want them brought to justice. Its just not about my situation, its about anybody that ever have to go through something traumatic like this. Pageland police said Friday there were no updates in this case so far. Skylars family just started a GoFundMe page to help raise money to keep her parents by her side while shes in the hospital. (NewsNation) A Wisconsin family is suing Walgreens and insurance companies after they say the rising costs of asthma medication led to the death of their 22-year-old son last year. Cole Schmidtknecht suffered from asthma his entire life, and one day tried to get a refill on his inhaler only to find out his medication, which typically cost less than $70, had skyrocketed to $500. He had a severe asthma attack five days after his pharmacy visit, stopped breathing, and collapsed, according to his father. Schmidtknecht never regained consciousness and died. Doctors attributed his death to asthma. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Woman dies from brain-eating amoeba after using tap water to clear sinuses: CDC Cole became very accustomed to asthma, said Bil Schmidtknecht. His struggles were very traditional, as any asthmatic has. He was fortunate to have health insurance through us as he grew up. And we were very versed on asthma, as I have it and Shanon has it too. From a young age, we taught him how to manage it. Shanon Schmidtknecht, Coles mother, revealed he had never had issues getting his medication before the incident, nor had she and her husband. It wasnt until I went to pick up Bills same medication on the same insurance plan that we had realized what happened with the price increase, she added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schmidtknechts death caught the attention of Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., who shared his story on the House floor in December. Cole had his whole life ahead of him, Auchincloss said. Because Cole was forced to choose between paying his rent or shelling out hundreds of dollars to cover his medication out of pocket for a drug that did not need to be that expensive, his family is without their loved one. Theres no justification for a family facing Thanksgiving without their child. Coles death was preventable. Scientists hooking flies on cocaine to study addiction: Reports Now, the Schmidtknecht family has chosen legal action against Walgreens and OptumRX. They allege OptumRX violated Wisconsin law by raising the cost of the medication without a valid medical reason and failing to provide 30 days advance notice of drug price increases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres blame to go around to OptumRX and Walgreens Pharmacy, said Michael Trunk, the familys attorney. We have a young man who was on Advair Diskus for a decade, actively and effectively controlling his asthma. Walgreens, in a statement, said, Walgreens extends its deepest condolences over the tragic loss of Cole. While we are unable to discuss specific patient interactions due to privacy restrictions, in general, in cases where a medication is not covered by insurance, pharmacy staff may work with the plan patient, and/or prescriber in an effort to process and dispense the prescription if able. According to the Allergy and Asthma Network, the cost to treat asthma per person is $3,300. Currently, 28 million people are suffering from asthma in the U.S, which amounts to $82 billion annually for health care costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation. MEMPHIS, Tenn. The family of a man who was killed when he ran from Arkansas State Police says newly-released video reinforces their push for changes. WREG first spoke with the family of Revail Murphy back in March, shortly after he died. Murphy was killed when Arkansas State Police used a pit maneuver on his vehicle. A pit maneuver is a tactical move where ASP bumps a fleeing car to get it to stop. Video from ASP shows what happened the evening of March 28, when state officers got behind Murphys truck on Interstate 55. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Memphis man killed in Crittenden Co. high-speed chase Murphys fiance, Candice Woods, was in the truck with him. She says the car flipped four or five times. Once he hit us, it just automatically start spinning, Woods said. When it start spinning, it hit the gray railing. The gray railing is how we end up flipping over. But its why officers were behind Murphy in the first place that has his family demanding answers. Murphy and his fiance had just bought a truck in Arkansas and stopped at a gas station. His sister had taken them to pick up the truck and was the first one officers noticed at the gas station. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My brother did say why is he harrassing you? Whats wrong? Im finna go, Murphys sister Shenairca Jackson said. The officer did say why are you moving your vehicle. You dont supposed to move your vehicle. He said Sir, you never pulled me over. Why am I not able to move?' When he did move, the chase ensued. Arkansas State Police say Murphy was wanted for several charges in Tennessee, but his family says those were old charges and officers didnt know anything about the charges when they decided to chase him. My brother was scared about recent charges that he had in Memphis, not Arkansas. He was just fearful and scared for those charges he did have, Jackson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One pit maneuver didnt work and caused an officer to spin out, but Woods says it wasnt because of them. We didnt hit no cars. We didnt hit anybody vehicle, Woods said. The chase went into Crittenden County. Murphys family says just as he was slowing down to stop, officers bumped his car again with a second pit maneuver. This one caused Murphys truck to flip. Pit maneuvers by Arkansas State Police lead to second death in a week I had my eyes closed the whole time we was rolling, and I was just praying, Lord, please dont let us die. Please dont let us die,' Woods said. Once it got through rolling, I looked up and to the left, and he was gone. He was just gone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Murphy had been ejected. He died of his injuries. His mother says he had turned his life around and shouldnt be judged on a record from years ago. He did not rob anybody. He didnt rape anybody, Kathy Murphy Wilson said. He was afraid. He should have stopped. He was afraid and didnt know what was going on. She says the deadly pit maneuvers need to stop. Someone could have said Hey, let him go. They didnt do it, Wilson said. The family is now reliving the nightmare. Its not fair. I have a 5-month-old who wont see her dad. Its not fair. Its not, Woods said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. The family of twins Qaadir Malik Lewis and Naazir Rahim Lewis said Friday they do not believe their disappearance and deaths were self-inflicted. The bodies of the Lewis twins were found in Towns County on Bell Mountain in early March. Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson reported the family want all of the case files released. The deaths were eventually ruled a double-suicide by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, but the Lewis family called it a lynching. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A gas station on Hurricane Shoals Road around 10:30 p.m. March 7 is the last place the 19-year-olds were seen alive by anyone else. The family says they want to see all the evidence of everything that happened before and after this gas station trip thats led to such mysterious circumstances for them. More on the story LIVE on Channel 2 Action News at 4 p.m. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] According to the announcement sent by attorneys for the Lewis Family, they wanted to dispel information and present the facts, while calling for a new, thorough, transparent investigation and calling for accountability for those responsible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The family was joined at the briefing in Lawrenceville by members of the NAACP Georgia State Conference an the NAACP Gwinnett County Branch, as well as community advocates and supporters. The GBI said they determined the method of the deaths based on the medical examiners autopsy of the twins and other investigative findings, which agents shared with the Lewis family in May. In part, the GBI said cellular location data helped establish a timeline of when the Lewis twins left their home in Gwinnett County to go to Bell Mountain, and that while Naazir Lewis went to the airport on March 7, and had a ticket, he never caught the flight and returned home. Additionally, the GBI said records show that Naazir Lewis bought ammunition for the gun used, which was delivered to their home in Gwinnett County on March 5. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The GBI said internet search history from both of the twins phones showed searches for how to load a gun, suicide rates in 2024 and related searches. Forensic evidence showed both twins fired a gun, according to the GBI, and a comprehensive investigation indicated the injures were self-inflicted. RELATED STORIES: If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Call 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] A brick sign welcomes visitors to the Florida A&M campus in Tallahassee. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix) Controversy continues to swirl around the president-designate of Florida A&M University, with the latest dispute being over Marva Johnsons five- year contract and how she will earn her pay. FAMU Board of Trustees Chair Kristin Harper said Friday that Johnsons contract puts the university at odds with the FAMU Foundation, which is responsible for providing most of the money. Thats because state law caps contributions at $200,000 annually for presidential salaries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The foundations board chair said it could not afford a $750,000 base salary, the Tallahassee Democrat reported, which is what Johnson requested. The foundation anticipated the new presidents salary would be $588,562, Harper said, reading from a letter from the foundation. The contract says the board shall use its best efforts to cause the foundation to contribute to the university portions of all payments beyond $200,000. That language concerns Harper, who said she is not sure trustees can make the foundation, a direct-support organization of the university, do anything. I have concerns about the burden, the financial burden that this places on the university and the universitys inability to fund this sweetheart deal of sweetheart deals, Harper said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX There was significant pushback among alumni to Johnsons candidacy, much of which was centered around her political connections to former Gov. Rick Scott and Gov. Ron DeSantis. Alumni also cited her lack of higher education administration experience. Despite the opposition, the FAMU Board of Trustees voted 8-4 last month to hire Johnson; Harper voted against her. After the trustees approved Johnson, the board voted to put FAMU trustee Nicole Washington, instead of Harper, in charge of negotiating the contract. At the time, Harper said she was offended. On Friday, Washington disagreed with Harpers assessment about the foundations ability to pay. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its my understanding that the foundation will be required to amend their budget to accommodate this expense, Washington said. Required is quite a strong word, Harper replied. Washington on Friday stood by the contract she negotiated, which was ultimately approved with an 8-3 vote. I compare this process to, similar to, buying a house. I still regret not buying a house back in 2017 when the median home price in Florida was $237[,000]. In 2025, that median price is $389,400, a 60% increase. The market has changed, Washington said, calling the contract competitive yet balanced. Johnson is yet to be approved by the Board of Governors. If approved, her contract would take effect Aug. 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Total compensation would be about $840,000 in the first year and rises up to about $981,000 in the final year. Comparing the contract to other historically Black colleges and universities, the FAMU contract rises above the average HBCU contracts that search consultants evaluated at $446,094. The average of other institutions with a similar research capacity as FAMU is $617,021, according to consultants. Trustee Craig Reed took issue with the size of the contract compared to former President Larry Robinson, whose total salary was $591,669 in his last year. I find it highly difficult to approve a contract that significantly exceeds, essentially, what we paid our previous president that had significant experience as a sitting president and as a faculty member in a higher ed institution, Reed said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Compared to other State University institutions, FAMUs package would land it below the 50th percentile in the first year, which is $899,644. The contract also provides Johnson a spot as a faculty member at the FAMU College of Law following her presidency. Priorities One concern voiced by some trustees and during public comment, was whether the contract prioritizes retention rather than performance. The five-year contract would start Johnson at a base salary of $650,000 with a 3% annual increase. The contract provides annual performance compensation of $86,000, if the board deems her worthy. For comparison, the recently negotiated University of Florida contract wouldve provided Santa Ono with a 20% performance bonus. Johnsons performance bonus would be approximately 13% of her salary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her contract provides a $150,000 annual retention payment, able to be cashed out after the three- and five-year marks. The retention bonus would be approximately 23% of her annual base salary. Im just concerned, you know, about what matters more to this board: Occupying a seat or delivering outcomes for student success? Harper said, adding that she would prefer that performance and retention were swapped. Trustee Zayla Bryant, a student, stood with Harper. And with that only being less than half of what her retention payment would be, I feel like that sets a clear standard or sets a clear indicator that her presence is more important than her performance, Bryant said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Washington countered that the two are intertwined. Its interesting that you see that as an either/or. I see that as a both/and. In order for the president to remain for three years would require that she has performed over that time, Washington said, adding that This is not a contract that anybody is going to get just for sitting in the seat. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE In news that can only be described as what the helly? a recent meet & greet with a Florida rapper was met with an unfortunate ending. But the story of how things even got there is almost too wild to be true. Let us explain. Earlier this week, a fan ran into local rapper Chocolate MC outside of grocery store in Miami. Excited at the chance happening, the male waved him down and asked if they could take a photo together to commemorate the occasion. What happened next was something straight out of a horror movie. According to NBC6 Miami, instead of taking a photo, the rapper instead took the fan hostage, pointing a gun to his chest and ordering him to get back inside his car. With the man in the drivers seat, Chocolate (legally Yosvanis Sierra-Hernandez) began demanding for the man to give him any cash he had on him. Once he realized the man didnt have any, Sierra-Hernandez tried to take his money via the popular money transfer app Zelle. That also proved unsuccessful as the man didnt have it installed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result, the rapper forced the man to drive him around to different locations over the course of two hours before he was eventually let go without harm or injury. Sierra-Hernandez was eventually arrested on Wednesday after the victim went to local authorities to file a police report. The rapper is now facing charges of kidnapping with a firearm, armed robbery, and written threats to kill or injure. His latest arrest couldnt come at a more worse time as he was already scheduled to appear in court in connection to a prior, separate incident involving burglary and murder. Given his absence in court for that case (as he had been arrested for the kidnapping crime), he was subsequently denied bond for the burglary charges. In a post to social media last week, Sierra-Hernandezs mother spoke out concerning her sons crimes, tearfully explaining how much her son needs help and that she was concerned for his well-being. After coming under fire for not securing any murder convictions in the YSL RICO case, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis stood her ground on the overall effectiveness of her team on Thursday. Crime is down, Willis said during an interview with 11Alive in the lobby of Atlanta City Hall. What my constituents say, who just voted [for] me by 68%, is, Shes doing an amazing job. Her answer was in response to being questioned directly about her teams inability to secure murder convictions for any of the eight defendants who were charged with murder in the sprawling racketeering case that began three years ago. Read More: After Fani Willis Drops YSL Murder Charge, Defendant Is Sentenced to 5 Years Demise McMullen, the final defendant facing a murder charge, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in court Thursday. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop the murder charges against him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McMullen is the seventh out of eight to plead guilty to a lesser charge. Last week, Damekion Garlington was sentenced to five years in prison by a Fulton County Superior Court judge. He was originally facing life in prison if convicted on all charges including murder and attempted murder but he entered into an Alford plea with the district attorneys office. An Alford plea allows a defendant to maintain their innocence while admitting the prosecution likely has enough evidence to secure a conviction. In exchange for prosecutors agreeing to downgrade the murder charge to aggravated assault and drop the attempted murder charge, the 29-year-old pleaded guilty. Garlington had been Willis last hope to hold one of the four people charged with the 2022 murder of Shymel Drinks accountable. Drinks was central to the prosecutions argument that Atlanta rapper Young Thug and 27 others were members of a criminal street gang called YSL. Last year, Willis team dropped murder charges against Miles Farley and Quamarvious Nichols, two of the three other defendants charged with Drinks murder, in exchange for guilty pleas on lesser charges. The third, Shannon Stillwell, was found not guilty in early December. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Critics had honed in on the resources and manpower spent to prosecute this one case throughout the trial, which only exacerbated the issues with the case backlog that began during the 2020 pandemic. My message to taxpayers is, it was an amazing time. We had 19 convictions. The community is safer. We made sure that we got the resolutions we want. If theyre unhappy with sentencing, they should elect other judges, Willis said. Despite the district attorneys office asking for 20-year sentences to be served, the majority of defendants were sentenced to just a few years in jail and 10 to 15 years on probation. Willis, however, maintains that the case was a success, and pointed out that seven of the people she declined to prosecute are already serving life sentences after being convicted of other crimes. Read More: State NAACP Calls for Appeal in Fatal Atlanta Police Shooting After Judge Drops Charges Over the past few years, Willis has faced praise and criticism for her aggressive use of Georgias RICO law, which she also employed to prosecute President Donald Trump and his associates on allegations of attempting to interfere in the 2020 presidential election. With the Trump trial on hold until 2029, and the YSL case likely to conclude with all convictions coming from guilty pleas instead of guilty verdicts, Willis most successful RICO case remains the Atlanta cheating scandal trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Until it was usurped by YSL proceedings, the trial against Atlanta Public Schools teachers and administrators was the longest trial in Georgia history and ended with 34 convictions for Willis, then an assistant district attorney. She secured 12 guilty pleas and 11 guilty verdicts. The post Fani Willis Responds to Critics after YSL Trial Ends with Zero Murder Convictions appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta. CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) The Illinois General Assembly has recessed for the spring term after passing a budget, but the big issue that agriculture wanted was not included. The Family Farm Preservation Act was designed to overhaul the estate tax on farms, which frequently requires substantial amounts of land to be sold to pay the tax. However, it was not called for a senate vote because of the concern it would reduce state tax revenue when the state needs money. From the Farm: Illinois Corn Grower testifies on new Farm Bill Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rep. Charlie Meier, a farmer from Oakville and the top Republican in the House Ag Committee, opposes the whole concept of the estate tax. Its doubtful that Meier will get his wish though. Other lawmakers supportive of the Family Farm Preservation Act plan to push it during the fall veto session. It is a perennial issue for agriculture and will be until the cows come home. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com. GRANITE CITY, Ill. A police pursuit in Granite City, Illinois, ended in a fatal crash Thursday afternoon. According to the Granite City Police Department, they were observing an individual who reportedly had an active arrest for Parole Violation just before 4 p.m. today. The alleged suspect, now identified as Montie Eugene Ritchie, 34, was riding a motorcycle. Police say that they attempted to pull Ritchie over at a traffic stop, but they were unsuccessful as he fled away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News The pursuit wouldnt last long, as Ritchiewho was driving at high speedscrashed at the intersection located at Maryville Road and Pontoon Road. According to police reports, Ritchie struck a Hyundai. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. The Illinois State Police is investigating the crash. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / June 6, 2025 / Teva Pharmaceutical: At Teva, we are all in for better health. Increasing access to quality medicines is fundamental to improving the health of patients and the success of our business. In order to achieve lasting impact, we have expanded a number of our access programs to go beyond the product by incorporating Health System Strengthening and Capacity Building efforts. Capacity building is critical for ensuring sustainable and resilient healthcare systems, directly contributing to our mission of expanding access to care. To increase our positive impact beyond medicines, our health system strengthening and capacity-building initiatives expand healthcare professionals' skill sets, increase treatment accessibility such as diagnosis and screening, improve community members' health literacy and awareness and overall enhance local capacity to support the health needs of underserved populations. We take a holistic approach to health equity to address other social determinants of health, including financial, geographic, socioeconomic and cultural factors. We aim to increase the cumulative number of beneficiaries of our initiatives by 200% by 2026 (vs. cumulative 2022-2023 baseline). Many of our initiatives complement our Access to Medicines programs (see page 19 in the Healthy Future Report). Our main initiatives in 2024 to promote health system strengthening and capacity-building were: NEED TO KNOW Travis Decker, who is suspected of killing his three young daughters, was an "active dad" and showed "no red flags" before the girls were found dead following a "planned visitation," his ex-wife's attorney has said "He loved those girls very much," Arianna Cozart, the attorney for Whitney Decker, told ABC News Police continue to share updates amid the manhunt for Decker, after Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were discovered deceased on June 2 in Chelan County, WA Missing father Travis Decker, who is suspected of killing his three young girls over the weekend, showed "no red flags" before his disappearance, his ex-wife's attorney has said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Chelan County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) has been sharing multiple updates amid the manhunt for Decker, including recent images and footage from the days leading up to the planned visitation he had with his daughters on Friday, May 30. Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were found dead on Monday, June 2, at 3:45 p.m. local time after authorities located their father's car near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington state, the Wenatchee Police Department said in a release on Tuesday, June 3. The girls most likely died by asphyxiation, according to a preliminary report filed with the Chelan County Superior Court, Fox 13 Seattle reported. Chelan County Sheriff's Office Facebook Police have been releasing recent images of Travis Decker Police have been releasing recent images of Travis Decker While speaking to ABC News, Arianna Cozart, the attorney for Decker's ex-wife, Whitney Decker, insisted "there were no red flags" before Decker failed to bring the girls home on the evening they disappeared. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cozart has said that the "system" let Decker down over his mental health following his career in the military, the outlet reported. She told the publication, "He had some mental health issues and some instability in his life that really led to the restrictions as far as overnight visitation or him taking them out of the area, but other than that, he loved those girls very much and him and Whitney were able to communicate on a regular basis, not just as co-parents, but as friends." Chelan County Sheriff's Office Police have been releasing recent images of Travis Decker Police have been releasing recent images of Travis Decker Decker and Whitney were married for 10 years before he ended their marriage in 2023, because he "felt like he wasn't worth it," Cozart told ABC News. After Whitney, who had full custody of the girls, "put restrictions in place on his parenting" due to "concerning factors regarding Travis' mental health and stability" in September 2024, something "broke" inside Decker, Cozart told the outlet. Chelan County Sheriff's Office Facebook Police have been releasing recent images of Travis Decker Police have been releasing recent images of Travis Decker He'd been granted visitations to visit his daughters for three hours on Fridays and eight hours every other weekend, as long as he stayed in Wenatchee Valley, the publication stated, citing Cozart, who claimed Decker was an "active dad." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He was a loving man, but something broke and whatever monster came out of him, it's something that he was trained to do in the military," Cozart told the outlet. The comments came as authorities confirmed the Enchantments trail region in Washington state was now closed until at least June 18, "or until further notice" amid the ongoing search for Decker, per a CCSO Facebook post. Police shared further images of Decker in a Thursday, June 5 post, alongside an update that read, "Our teams have written and executed several search warrants around the area and on electronic devices that belonged to Travis Decker. We have gathered new information which in turn has given us more leads to follow up on." "Additionally, we are asking citizens who own cabins or reside in our remote areas of Chelan, Kittitas King, Snohomish, and Okanagan Counties to please be aware that Mr. Decker is still missing," police added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "As law enforcement conducts their searches, we are asking for those owners to lock all of their doors, to include any sheds out outbuildings, and leave their window blinds open and we recommend leaving outside lights on," the release continued. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. The CCSO previously said in Facebook post that Decker was "well-versed in wilderness survival and capable of spending days or even weeks in the wilderness on his own and with very little equipment." Authorities are asking anyone who has seen Decker to call 911 immediately, and are also asking the public not to attempt to approach him. People can also call the CCSO tip line at 509-667-6845 or submit information to the tip line. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A GoFundMe page set up to help Whitney with expenses and legal costs amid the tragic loss had raised over $1 million as of Friday, June 6. Cozart didn't immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for comment. Read the original article on People Fort Benning confirmed that a man being sought by authorities in Washington in connection with his three daughters deaths served at the Georgia Army post. Travis Caleb Decker, 32, served at Fort Benning from 2018 to 2020, the Public Affairs Office said. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] He was an infantryman, earning the Expert Infantryman Badge and completing the Airborne course while at Fort Benning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities in Washington state are still searching for Decker one week after he and his daughters didnt return from a planned custody visit, our sister station KIRO reports. Authorities found Beckers three girls dead Monday. The bodies of 9-year-old Paityn, 8-year-old Evelyn and 5-year-old Olivia were discovered Monday near Deckers unoccupied truck near a campground in Leavenworth, Wash., KIRO said. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attorney for Whitney Decker, Travis Deckers ex-wife, told ABC News that Decker struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and lacked mental health help. His ex-wife feels the system let Travis down, attorney Arianna Cozart told ABC News. If somebody would have provided Travis with the help that he needed, those girls would be alive. The attorney also told ABC News there were no red flags before he and the girls disappeared. Officials said Decker could be traveling along the famed Pacific Crest Trail, ABC News reports. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Law enforcement officials have warned people in the rural area to keep their windows and doors locked. Deputies with the Chelan County Sheriffs Office in Washington state have released multiple photos and a surveillance video of Decker in the hopes that someone might recognize him, KIRO reports. (WJW) A New York father and daughter were found dead after the pair went missing while hiking on Mount Katahdin in Maine over the weekend, leading to an extensive search. According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 58-year-old Tim Keiderling and his daughter, 28-year-old Esther Keiderling, went missing after leaving the Abol Campground in Baxter State Park to hike to the Mount Katahdin summit. Courtesy of Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife They left the campground around 10:15 a.m. on Sunday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Park rangers started a search for the hikers on Monday morning after realizing that their vehicle was still in the same parking lot. Climber fell about 3,000 feet from Mount McKinley; body recovered Officials said more than 30 game wardens, a K-9 unit and helicopters flown by Maine Forest Service and the Maine Army National Guard joined the widespread search. In a Tuesday update, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said the 58-year-olds body was discovered by the K-9 unit on the Katahdin Tablelands, near the summit around 2:45 p.m. VIDEO: Last sighting of father Travis Decker before 3 girls found dead in Washington Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The searched continued for his daughter, but on Wednesday afternoon, authorities confirmed that a team of game wardens found the 28-year-olds body off the Katahdin Tablelands, in a wooded area between two hiking trails. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Tim and Esther Keiderlings family and friends, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said. According to the National Park Service, Mount Katahdin, which means Greatest Mountain, is the highest in the state, peaking at 5,269 feet. Baxter State Park describes the hiking trails there as a very strenuous climb, no matter which trailhead you choose. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. One day after missing his flight, a Spirit Airlines passenger landed in federal court for allegedly taking his travel frustration to extremes: He called in a bomb threat, causing chaos at Detroit Metro Airport on June 5 and triggering federal charges and a warrant for his arrest, prosecutors say. According to a criminal complaint filed June 6 in U.S. District Court in Detroit, the bomb threat that led to a Spirit Airlines flight being evacuated and delayed by six hours at Metro Airport on Thursday, June 5, was a hoax. The person behind the hoax, the complaint says, is 23-year-old John Charles Robinson, of Monroe, who prosecutors say was headed to Los Angeles on Thursday morning when he missed his 7 a.m. Spirit Airlines flight and was told at the gate that he had to rebook. Robinson, though, had another idea in mind: call in a bomb threat with the hopes of the flight being delayed long enough so that he could still make it on the plane, court records state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But his plot was discovered. According to an FBI agent's affidavit on file in federal court, here is what Robinson did after being turned away from the gate: At about 6:25 a.m. Thursday, a person called Spirit Airlines and stated the following: I was calling about flight 2145 because I have information about that flight. The caller continued: "Theres gonna be someone whos gonna try to blow up the airport, and theres gonna be someone thats gonna try to blow up that flight, 2145. More: Bomb threat forces Spirit Airlines plane evacuation at Detroit Metro Airport The caller gave a description of the alleged bomber, then stated: Theyre going to be carrying a bomb through the TSA, and, theyre still threatening to do it, theyre still attempting to do it, they said its notgoing to be able to be detected. Please dont let that flight board. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the FBI, the phone call was recorded and reported to law enforcement, who responded to the gate where Spirit Airlines flight 2145 was set to depart. At this point, the doors to the plane had been closed by the flight crew. The plane was ordered to taxi to a remote location where passengers were deplaned and bussed back to the Evans Terminal. Bomb-sniffing dogs and FBI agents then swept the plane. Passengers went through additional screening, including several who were interviewed by the FBI and Wayne County Airport Police. The investigation found no bombs on the airplane, or in any luggage. But what authorities would eventually discover was a hoax, with cellphone records leading the FBI to Robinson, who had rebooked a 6:28 p.m. flight to Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But he didn't make that flight either. Robinson did arrive at the terminal on time, only FBI agents showed up to interview him. According to the complaint, Robinson initially denied making any phone calls to Spirit Airlines. Though after he gave consent to have his cellphone searched, the complaint states, the agents discovered the hoax. Robinson then reportedly fessed up: "(He) stated that he made the call with the hope that it would delay the flight long enough for him to make it in time so he would not have to take a different flight," the complaint states. Robinson was taken into custody at the airport. He made an initial court appearance Friday in U.S. District Court and was released on bond. He is charged with making a hoax and using a cellphone to threaten/maliciously convey false information in an attempt or alleged attempt to damage or destroy an airplane using an explosive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neither Robinson, nor his court-appointed attorney could not be reached for comment Friday. Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: FBI: Bomb threat to Spirit Airlines was made by frustrated passenger This story was initially published on MyNorthwest.com The FBI thwarted an improvised explosive attack and a potential mass shooting that was intended to take place at Three Rivers Mall in Kelso last month. A teenager, whose name will not be released due to an effort to limit public disclosure of a minor, was arrested May 22 by Columbia County Sheriffs Office deputies after his plans to set off an explosive at a shopping mall in Washington and shoot people as they fled the movie theater there were reported to the FBI on May 19, law enforcement leaders said Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The mall is approximately 50 miles north of Portland off I-5. This plot was as serious as it gets, FBI Portland Special Agent in Charge Doug Olson stated. We, along with our partners, moved swiftly to interrupt this violent plan and to protect our community. The teenager arrested for planning the attack is a Columbia County resident who, according to the FBI, shared nihilistic, violent extremist ideology and the plans in online chats. The suspect was placed under court-authorized surveillance for public safety concerns. The suspect demonstrated the intent and means to carry out their plan, which included precise details such as a map of the mall, a route the shooter would follow, a plan to use an improvised explosive device commonly known as a chlorine bomb to incite panic, and then to shoot mall patrons as they were exiting the movie theatre before ultimately committing suicide at a pre-determined location in the mall, the FBI wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators found annotated schematics, the weapons the teenager planned to use, and even the clothing he planned to wear. Three handguns, boxes of ammunition, four knives, and five digital devices were seized during a search, according to The Oregonian. The Columbia County District Attorneys office is prosecuting this case. Follow Frank Sumrall on X. Send news tips here. The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are warning of an "elevated threat" facing the Jewish community in the wake of two attacks: Sunday's Molotov cocktail assault in Boulder, Colorado, and last month's killing of two Israeli Embassy staff members in Washington, D.C. The Israel-Hamas conflict "may motivate other violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators with similar grievances to conduct violence against Jewish and Israeli communities and their supporters," the FBI and DHS said in a public service announcement issued Thursday night. "Foreign terrorist organizations also may try to exploit narratives related to the conflict to inspire attacks in the United States." The public should "remain vigilant" and "report any threats of violence or suspicious activity to law enforcement," the agencies said. Chet Strange/Getty Images - PHOTO: Police cordon off Pearl Street following an attack on the Pearl Street Mall, June 1, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. MORE: Suspect in Boulder attack charged with 118 counts, including attempted murder, assault charges Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The PSA references Sunday's attack in Boulder when Mohamed Soliman allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at a group of marchers advocating for the release of Israeli hostages, according to prosecutors. Fifteen people, including a Holocaust survivor, were injured, officials said. Soliman, who was arrested at the scene, allegedly yelled "Free Palestine" during the attack, the FBI said. MORE: Boulder attack survivor recounts desperation trying to help woman on fire Soliman later told police "he wanted to kill all Zionist people," court documents said. He "said this had nothing to do with the Jewish community and was specific in the Zionist group supporting the killings of people on his land (Palestine)," documents said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Soliman has been charged with a federal hate crime as well as 118 state charges, including attempted murder, assault and explosives charges. He has not entered a plea in either case. Boulder Police Department - PHOTO: Booking photo of 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman, the man suspected of carrying out an "act of terrorism" in Boulder, Colorado, June 1, 2025. MORE: Colorado attack comes amid record incidents of antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes The PSA also mentions the May 21 killings of two Israeli Embassy staff members. Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were fatally shot as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in D.C. When the suspect was arrested, he began to chant, "free, free Palestine," according to police. The Anti-Defamation League has documented a dramatic rise in acts of hate targeting Jewish people in the U.S. since the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel. In 2024, the ADL said it recorded a record high of 9,354 antisemitic incidents in the U.S., marking a 344% increase over the past five years and a 893% increase over the past 10 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I am angry," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said a news conference in Boulder on Wednesday. Eli Imadali/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: An Israeli flag is fixed to a street sign as police stand by off Pearl Street on the scene of an attack on demonstrators calling for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, in Boulder, Colorado, June 1, 2025. Its way past time for our political leaders, community groups, media outlets, tech platforms, faith leaders to take action before more Jewish blood is spilled. And it's way past time to stop excusing antisemitic rhetoric," he said. Greenblatt urged the public to speak out against hate and shared small, specific actions people can take. "Flag a hateful post, sign a petition, attend a service, make a comment in city council," he said. DENVER (KDVR) The FBI is warning of an elevated threat to Israeli and Jewish communities, citing recent attacks like the one in Boulder among others. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security issued the announcement Thursday evening to highlight potential public safety concerns related to ongoing threats to Jewish and Israeli communities. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The announcement cites recent attacks, including the incident in Boulder when a man allegedly threw incendiary devices into a group of people who gathered weekly to peacefully call for the release of hostages held by Hamas. The attack followed another that happened late last month at the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., where one person shot and killed two Israeli Embassy staff members. According to the announcement, the attacker allegedly cited Israels treatment of the Palestinian people. The announcement read in part: The ongoing Israel-HAMAS conflict may motivate other violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators with similar grievances to conduct violence against Jewish and Israeli communities and their supporters. Foreign terrorist organizations also may try to exploit narratives related to the conflict to inspire attacks in the United States. The FBI and DHS therefore urge the public to remain vigilant and to report any threats of violence or suspicious activity to law enforcement. FBI, DHS Public Service Announcement Law enforcement is increasing security Local law enforcement is responding by increasing visibility, especially ahead of this weekends events, including Pride celebrations and the Boulder Jewish Festival. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Youre going to see a significant increase in law enforcement presencenot just in uniform, but also in plainclothes officersthroughout the weekend, said Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn in a Thursday afternoon briefing. The warnings come as the 20th Judicial District Attorneys Office formally filed 118 charges against Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the man accused of throwing incendiary devices into a crowd of demonstrators on Sunday. 118 charges filed against suspect in Boulder terror attack Among the charges are attempted murder, numerous assault charges, including some involving at-risk persons, crimes of violence enhancements, and one count of animal cruelty after officials said a dog was hurt in the attack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers responded very quickly after the initial 911 call, taking Soliman into custody just five minutes after the first call was made. Officials say that a swift response may have prevented a larger tragedy. District Attorney Michael Dougherty said his office is now focused not only on prosecution, but on supporting those affected. We met with many of the victims here earlier today, along with the FBI, Boulder Police Department, and the U.S. Attorneys Office. We have been in contact with other victims, and three victims remain in the hospital at this time. Going forward, part of our work will be to support the victims as much as we can, Dougherty said. Soliman is being held on a $10 million bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The FBI said it encourages people to report suspicious activity online or contact their local FBI field office. Anyone with concerns involving U.S. citizens abroad can contact the Department of States Overseas Citizens Services at (888) 407-4747 or complete an online Crisis Intake Form. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) Florida Department of Transportation officials made a visit to Bay County on Friday to discuss the future of transportation in the Panhandle. Transportation officials joined local leaders at the DuPont Bridge to celebrate the groundbreaking of the DuPont Bridge replacement project. It is a $350 million project that will include 4 lanes of traffic while adding new sidewalks, bicycle lanes, multi-use paths, and more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is set to be completed by mid-2030. The current bridge may not have any major issues, but its reaching the age when things could go wrong. We always do maintenance and preservation before we do any new capacity. We spare no expense with our bridges. Theyre very important to us, and we have a very robust bridge replacement program. Its that strategic moment in time for the DuPont Bridge where its time to replace it. And I think its an added benefit with the Tyndall Air Force Base rebuild that we use the opportunity to add that additional capacity to U.S. 98, FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue said. Bay Building Industries Association begins 46th annual Parade of Homes Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tyndall officials say that capacity is needed. Currently, about 3,500 service members travel on and off the base daily. The bridge really fits into that nicely as we open up new facilities, open up new missions, welcome more people to the base. That bridge is really just going to help facilitate our growth. Tyndall Commander Col. Chris Bergtholdt said. State officials also attended the Bay County Chamber of Commerce First Friday meeting, where they discussed the future of FDOT and how they have invested more than $382 million in bridge maintenance projects, like the DuPont project, in the past year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They say a lot of their success is due to the fact that they receive more than 70% of their funding from the state. Theres a whole lot less restrictions with state money. Federal money comes with a lot of caveats. Anything that runs through the U.S. Treasury usually takes a long time to get moving. So were very lucky when funds are allocated through the state. The DOT has a plan of work. They can go to work immediately. They have lots of projects on the shelves that are shovel-ready. So when we allocate that money, they can go to work right away, State Representative Griff Griffitts said. State lawmakers are expected to vote on next years budget by June 16th. The proposed plan will include nearly $15 billion for FDOT. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to mypanhandle.com. By Robert Harvey LONDON (Reuters) -Commodities traders could struggle to capitalise on politically driven market volatility rather than supply and demand disruptions in 2025, trading house Trafigura said on Thursday, as it reported a slight rise in first-half net profit. The unlisted Swiss-based trading house reported a 3% rise in net profit to approximately $1.52 billion for the six months ending March 31, stabilising after a sharp drop in its 2024 full-year results, when the company discovered a $1.1 billion fraud in Mongolia. Trafigura, alongside rivals Vitol and Gunvor, also reaped lower profits in 2024 as the post-pandemic recovery and commodity price shocks following Russia's invasion of Ukraine faded, ending a boom period for commodities in 2022-2023. The first half of its 2025 financial year coincided with the beginning of U.S. President Trump's second term, whose trade and foreign policies have thrown global markets into turmoil. While market volatility is often seen as an opportunity for traders, Trafigura struck a cautious tone about the nature of the volatility rocking markets in 2025. "Increased volatility may not necessarily translate into physical trading opportunities, as current market movements are driven more by policy-focused decisions rather than traditional supply-demand disruptions, Trafigura Chief Financial Officer Stephan Jansma said, adding that he anticipated that turbulence would continue in the second half of the year. "This is clearly a volatile environment and not one that supports strong commodity demand," the firm's chief economist, Saad Rahim, said. The period also marked a leadership transition at Trafigura, with Richard Holtum taking over from Jeremy Weir on January 1. Holtum said the firm serves as a "shock absorber for volatility and risks in global supply chains." REVENUES DOWN ON OIL AND GAS First-half revenues fell by 4% to $119.2 billion, due to lower commodity prices, the firm said, with oil and gas volumes unchanged on the year at around 7.2 million barrels per day. Trafigura traded 9.9 million metric tons of non-ferrous metals, down from 10.4 million in the same period last year, citing a focus on "profitable tonnages." Bulk minerals volumes fell to 43.4 million tons, compared to 54.7 million in the first half of 2024. The company announced dividends totaling $1.537 billion for the period, primarily related to share redemptions. (Reporting by Robert Harvey; Editing by Jamie Freed and Louise Heavens) June 6 (UPI) -- A federal judge temporarily paused President Donald Trump's ban on foreign nationals coming to study, teach, or do research at Harvard University, pending a hearing later in June. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs' ruling Thursday night came after Harvard filed a suit in Boston alleging Trump's proclamation, issued a day earlier, was unlawful because it violated the First Amendment. Burroughs said she was granting Harvard's motion for a restraining order against the Homeland Security Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Justice Department, State Department and the Student and Exchange Visitor Program after accepting Harvard's claim that it would otherwise "sustain immediate and irreparable injury before there was an opportunity to hear from all parties." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The motion was in a hastily amended complaint by Harvard after Trump on Wednesday suspended entry of all foreign nationals "who enter or attempt to enter the United States to begin attending Harvard," and directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider cancelling the visas of foreigners already there. She said the court would reconvene on June 16 for a full hearing on whether Trump's proclamation is legal. Burroughs' order also extended through June 20 a temporary restraining order she issued May 23, preventing DHS from implementing a ban on Harvard sponsoring holders of F-1 and J-1 non-immigrant visas, something the university has been permitted to do for more than seven decades. The school's legal team argued Wednesday's proclamation was an effort to get around this restraining order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The proclamation simply reflects the administration's effort to accomplish the very result that the Court sought to prevent. The Court should not stand for that," Harvard's legal counsel alleged in court filings. Harvard has maintained that the orders represent executive overreach, while Trump insists there is a national security risk posed by its foreign students. The Trump administration has demanded that Harvard water down its diversity, equality and inclusion policies in hiring and admissions, beef up enforcement of anti-Semitism measures on campus following anti-Gaza war protests and hand over the records of its international students. Trump's proclamation stated that the step was in the national interest because he believed Harvard's refusal to share "information that the federal government requires to safeguard national security and the American public" showed it was not suitable for foreign nationals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In April, Trump cancelled more than $2 billion in federal funding that the university receives and threatened to remove its tax-exemption status and ability to enroll overseas students. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Hill that Harvard's lawsuit was a bid to "kneecap the President's constitutionally vested powers" to suspend entry to the country of persons whose presence was not in line with national interests. "It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments," McLaughlin said. "The Trump administration is committed to restoring common sense to our student visa system; no lawsuit, this or any other, is going to change that. We have the law, the facts, and common sense on our side." (Getty Images) A three-judge federal court panel on Friday dismissed with prejudice a case challenging Arkansas congressional district map. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas by a group of voters and the Christian Ministerial Alliance. It claimed boundaries for Arkansas 2nd Congressional District were racially gerrymandered and diluted the votes of Black Arkansans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Congressional and state legislative districts are redrawn after the U.S. Census each decade in a process known as redistricting. The goal is to create districts that contain roughly the same population. The Ministerial Alliances lawsuit was one of four filed to challenge Arkansas 2021 redistricting process and the only one that hadnt been dismissed. On Friday, U.S. Circuit Judge David Stras, U.S. District Judge D.P. Marshall Jr. and U.S. District Judge James Moody Jr. granted the states motion for summary judgment, saying there was not enough evidence to support the plaintiffs racial discrimination claims. Multiple Arkansas citizens challenge how the General Assembly redrew the states congressional district lines, Fridays order states. Although their allegations were plausible enough to survive a motion to dismiss [Docs. 35, 42], the evidence does not back up their claims of racial discrimination. For that reason, we grant summary judgment to Secretary of State John Thurston. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thurston, who was secretary of state when the lawsuit was filed in 2023, was elected state treasurer in 2024 during a special election. The governor appointed Cole Jester to succeed Thurston. Previously, the entirety of Pulaski County was included in Arkansas Second Congressional District, which is represented by Republican U.S. Rep. French Hill. During the 2021 redistricting process, Pulaski County was split between three congressional districts. Plaintiffs alleged the General Assembly considered racial data when redrawing district lines and unconstitutionally cracked the Black voting bloc in southeast Pulaski County. Let us know what you think... The states attorneys submitted a motion for summary judgment in favor of the state last October. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Fridays order, the original complaint alleged two constitutional claims one for racial gerrymandering under the Fourteenth Amendment and one for vote dilution under the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. The federal panel said race needed to be the predominant factor motivating the General Assemblys decision and that awareness or acceptance of a racially disparate impact is not enough. Creating an alternative map is one way to prove redrawn boundaries were racially motivated, the panel said. However, that only works if the alternative map still accomplishes the Legislatures partisan goals. If it does not, then it just highlights how the pursuit of a nonracial aim like retention, partisanship, or geography could have led to an unintended racial disparity, the panel wrote. All three of the plaintiffs alternatives fall short in exactly this way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Citing a U.S. Supreme Court reversal of a decision by a three-judge panel that found South Carolina had discriminated against Black voters in a 2023 redistricting lawsuit, Stras and his counterparts noted the high court emphasized that the courts must start with the presumption that the legislature acted in good faith. Absent direct evidence of racial discrimination and with only weak circumstantial evidence supporting the plaintiffs case, the presumption of legislative good faith tips the balance, Stras wrote. That coupled with the fact that no alternative map achieves the General Assemblys goals with significantly greater racial balance, meant the judges could not reasonably find that the plaintiffs had proved enough for their claim of racial gerrymandering to survive summary judgment, according to the ruling. The primary obstacle of the presumption of good faith holds true for the plaintiffs vote-dilution claim, according to Fridays order. While the vote-dilution claim requires race to be a motivating factor instead of the predominant one, the panel argued the plaintiffs do not have enough evidence to get there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most of what the plaintiffs offer are the materials we have already discussed: maps, statistics, and legislative history, none of which are enough to infer a racial motivation, the panel wrote. The federal judges acknowledged as evidence a report from a university doctoral candidate that describes Arkansas long history with racism and resistance to Black voters, but wrote that much of that predates the passage of the 1964 Voting Rights Act. Even if he identifies a few scattered examples since then, none are reasonably contemporaneous with the challenged decision, giving us little insight into what the General Assembly may have been thinking four years ago, the panel wrote. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX BOSTON (AP) Democratic state attorneys general and government lawyers argued Friday over the implications of President Donald Trump's proposed overhaul of U.S. elections and whether the changes could be made in time for next year's midterm elections, how much it would cost the states and, more broadly, whether the president has a right to do any of it in the first place. The top law enforcement officials from 19 states filed a federal lawsuit after the Republican president signed the executive order in March, saying its provisions would step on states' power to set their own election rules. During a hearing in U.S. District Court in Boston, lawyers for the states told Judge Denise J. Casper that the changes outlined in the order would be costly and could not be implemented quickly. Updating the voter registration database just in California would cost the state more than $1 million and take up to a year, said the states' lead attorney, Kevin Quade, a deputy attorney general with the California Department of Justice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawyers said making the changes would take time away from preparing for the next round of elections, potentially undermining public confidence in the voting process. "The provisions of the executive order cast doubt and shadow on the ability of states to fairly implement federal elections at the local level, and those types of goodwill and reputational harm ... are not the type that can be easily repaired, Quade said. Trumps election directive was part of a flurry of executive orders he has issued in the opening months of his second term, many of which have drawn swift legal challenges. It follows years of him falsely claiming that his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election was due to widespread fraud and an election year in which he and other Republicans promoted the notion that large numbers of noncitizens threatened the integrity of U.S. elections. In fact, voting by noncitizens is rare and, when caught, can lead to felony charges and deportation. The executive order would require voters to show proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections, prohibit mail or absentee ballots from being counted if they are received after Election Day, set new rules for voting equipment and prohibit non-U.S. citizens from being able to donate in certain elections. It also would condition federal election grant funding on states adhering to the strict ballot deadline. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Justice Department lawyer Bridget OHickey said the order seeks to provide a single set of rules for certain aspects of election operations rather than having a patchwork of state laws. Public confidence in elections is paramount to the success of the republic, and the government thinks the best way to do that is to have uniform procedures, she said. She said the harm the states are arguing is only speculation. The lawsuit is one of three against the executive order. One filed by Oregon and Washington, where elections are conducted almost entirely by mail and ballots received after Election Day are counted as long as they are postmarked by then. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The provision that would create a proof-of-citizenship requirement for federal elections already has been halted in a lawsuit filed by voting and civil rights groups and national Democratic organizations. The judge said the presidents attempt to use a federal agency to enact a proof-of-citizenship requirement for voting usurped the power of states and Congress. During Friday's hearing, where the states argued for a preliminary injunction, the executive order's demand that only ballots received by Election Day should be counted drew considerable attention from both sides. In defending the provision, O'Hickey said mailed ballots received after Election Day might somehow be manipulated. She suggested people could retrieve their ballots and alter their votes based on what they see in early results. Uniform deadlines for receiving ballots are needed, she said, to prevent recasting of ballots. It was not clear how such a thing could happen. States have numerous security measures in place to ensure that eligible voters cast only one ballot that gets counted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Responding for the states, California Deputy Attorney General Anne Bellows said all ballots received after Election Day require a postmark showing they were sent on or before that date, and that any ballot sent afterward would not count. "Theres simply no world in which there is a meaningful difference afforded to absentee voters thats not given to voters who vote in person, she said. The governments argument for a national ballot deadline runs contrary to the approach of Republicans nationally, who in recent years have criticized Democrats for federal overreach when they offer proposals seeking certain uniform voting standards. The executive order also tasks the U.S. Election Assistance Commission with updating the federal voter registration form to require people to submit documentation proving they are U.S. citizens. Similar provisions enacted previously in a handful of states have raised concerns about disenfranchising otherwise eligible voters who can't readily access those documents. That includes married women, who would need both a birth certificate and a marriage license if they had changed their last name. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Justice Department argued that Trump's executive order falls within his authority to direct officials to carry out their statutory duties, adding that the only potential voters it disenfranchises are noncitizens who are ineligible to vote anyway. ___ This story has been updated to correct the cost of updating the voter registration database in California. It is $1 million, not $1 billion. __ Associated Press writer Christina A. Cassidy in Atlanta contributed to this report. The numbers are staggering: 160,000 Allied troops. Five thousand ships and 13,000 aircraft. All to take a heavily fortified 50-mile stretch of French shoreline, a herculean effort to reclaim a critical part of Europe from the Nazis and turn the tide of the most horrific war the world had ever seen. On June 6, 1944 D-Day World War II's invasion of Normandy, codenamed Operation Overlord, got underway. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, told the men as they mobilized for battle: "The eyes of the world are upon you. ... The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you." Tolley Fletcher, at the time a 19-year-old Navy gunner's mate, remembered the rough seas and the treacherous landing troops at Utah Beach had to make in 3- to 4-foot waves, each carrying about 60 pounds of gear on their backs and descending on rope ladders from larger ships onto smaller landing crafts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I felt for those soldiers," Fletcher, now 100 years old, told USA TODAY. "In my mind, that was the worst part, other than people getting hurt." Fletcher, who joined the Navy at 17 in late December 1941, said he and his shipmates were fortunate to be mostly out of the line of fire. "There was some shelling, not really a lot, and luckily we didn't get hit. "Maybe halfway in, we started seeing lots of bodies in the water," said Fletcher, who now lives in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, area. "I was asked (later) what we did about it. We didn't do anything about it we had a job: to escort those troops to the beach." On D-Day, "that's what these guys faced," said Peter Donovan Crean Sr., vice president for education and access at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. "They knew they were in the presence of history. Soldiers, sailors, Marines they knew what they were doing was going to go down in history, which also meant they knew the danger involved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Guys who were 18, 19, 20 years old were faced with the possibility of their death, but they did it anyway." As we mark the 81st anniversary of D-Day, here is a look at what happened on the beaches of Normandy, the men who fought knowing they might not survive to see victory and the way it affected the Allies' fight to defeat fascism, genocide and tyranny. What happened on D-Day? In order to defeat the Nazis in Europe, the Allies knew they'd have to take France, under German occupation since 1940. Operation Overlord saw a mobilization of 2,876,000 Allied troops in Southern England, as well as hundreds of ships and airplanes, in preparation for a ground invasion, the largest the world had seen. Tolley Fletcher was a 19-year-old U.S. Navy gunner's mate when Allied Forces undertook the D-Day mission to invade France, a decisive battle in the European theater during World War II. Weighing conditions including the weather, disagreements among other military leaders and strategic uncertainty, Eisenhower gave the go-ahead for the operation to begin before dawn on June 5, 1944. If things didn't go well for the Allies, Eisenhower wrote a note accepting responsibility. The following day, nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed along the 50-mile stretch of French shoreline. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 9,000 Allied troops were killed or wounded, and 100,000 troops would continue the slow, bloody journey to Berlin, the center of German power. A handout photo made available by the US Army shows US soldiers of the 16th Infantry Regiment, wounded while storming Omaha Beach, waiting by the chalk cliffs for evacuation to a field hospital for treatment on D-Day at Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. Why was it called D-Day? According to the U.S. Army, D-Day was "simply an alliteration, as in H-Hour." Some believe the first "D" also stands for "day," a code designation, while the French say the "D" stands for "disembarkation." The Army's website says that "the more poetic insist D-Day is short for 'day of decision.'" Asked in 1964, Eisenhower instructed his assistant Brig. Gen. Robert Schultz, to answer. Schultz wrote that "any amphibious operation has a 'departed date'; therefore the shortened term 'D-Day' is used. US troops of the 4th Infantry Division "Famous Fourth" land on Utah Beach as Allied forces storm the Normandy beaches on D-Day What happened after D-Day? D-Day was not the only decisive battle of the European theater, Crean said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It was a crucial battle but there were more ahead," he said. "They had 700 miles of tough road ahead to get to Berlin." The Battle of the Bulge, waged over 41 days in December 1944 and January 1945, required 700,000 Allied troops. "It was a tough slog for another 11 months," Crean said. Victory in Europe V-E Day would come on May 8, 1945, nearly a year after D-Day. The war wouldn't end until the Japanese surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945. How many World War II veterans remain in the U.S.? There are about 66,000 surviving World War II veterans in the United States, Crean said, and while that may sound like a lot, it's a tiny fraction of the 16.4 million who served their country in the conflict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "So to be able to talk to and thank one veteran now is a gift for any of us," Crean said. Tolley Fletcher, now 100 years old and living in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area, remembers his experiences as a U.S. Navy gunner's mate during the D-Day landing in Normandy, France. The National World War II Museum's mission "is more critical than ever ... so more people will understand what they did and continue to be inspired by their sacrifices," added Crean, a retired colonel with 30 years' service in the Army. The museum has had oral historians travel the country to record more than 12,000 personal stories from World War II veterans. They've conducted extensive interviews with veterans, Holocaust survivors and homefront workers and, using artificial intelligence, created a way for visitors to have "conversations" with them and ask questions to learn about the war effort. And they offer virtual programming, teacher training and a student leadership award. Fletcher, the Navy gunner's mate, said he's uncomfortable with the idea of being considered a hero. Asked about his role in history, he said, "I really didn't think about it then, and I don't think about it now, though it's been impressed upon me quite a bit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "When I think about what I went through, and what all the Army and the other men who were mixed up in really tough situations, it makes me feel a little bit guilty." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Remembering D-Day: Veteran, 100, offers first-hand account of D-Day BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) The East River was temporarily shut down to all marine traffic, including ferries, on Friday to move the Mexican Navy ship that crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge three weeks ago. The Cuauhtemoc was taken to the Brooklyn Navy Yard as part of a multi-agency effort to move the vessel. The 300-foot-long ship, with 277 sailors on board, careened into the bridge after taking off from a dock on May 17. More Local News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two sailors, ages 20 and 23, were killed and 19 others were injured, according to authorities. Three of the ships masts snapped. The National Transportation Safety Board said the ship initially sped up in the five minutes it took for it to strike the bridge after pushing off from shore with the help of a tugboat. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State The agency is expected to reveal more findings within the week after inspecting the vessels engine, recovering any data recorders and speaking with crew members. The ship left Acapulco, Mexico on April 6 for a goodwill tour that was meant to continue to Iceland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. Related video: Why do scammers love gift cards? EVANSTON, Ill. (WGN) An Evanston woman thought she was sending gift cards to actor Kevin Costner in hopes of elevating her financial portfolio. It turns out that she was the latest victim of a scam that federal authorities say has been circulating since at least 2018. According to Evanston police, the victim stated that she sent gift cards totaling $62,000 over a six-month period to Costner via Telegram, an instant messaging service. The actor promised to multiply the victims investment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities said she never received the promised cryptocurrency. Drivers beware! Its turtle crossing season, warns DuPage County forest preserve The cryptocurrency scam often uses gift cards to deceive victims, with scammers posing as celebrities to lure them into their schemes. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has previously warned against consumers sending money to celebrities who contact them online. Imposter scams come in many varieties, but they all work the same way: a scammer pretends to be someone you trust to convince you to send them money. And thats exactly what these celebrity imposters are trying to do, the FTC said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Evanston police and the FTC offered tips on how locals can protect themselves from scams: Slow down. Before you send money, talk with someone you trust. Do some research: search online for the celebritys name plus scam. Do the same with any charity or cause theyre asking you to supportand learn more about charity scams here. Never send money, gift cards, or prepaid debit cards to someone you dont know or havent met even celebrities you meet on social media. If you sent money to a scammer, contact the company you used to send the money (your bank, wire transfer service, gift card company, or prepaid debit card company). Tell them the transaction was a fraud. Ask the company to reverse the transaction, if its possible. Report your experience to the social media site and the FTC. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Some celebs do raise money for legitimate causes. But you want to be sure the causeand the person asking you to support itare real, the FTC said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. MEMPHIS, Tenn. A woman is facing charges after an argument over washing powder and a title led to a fight involving a gun. Susan Robles, 52, has been charged with aggravated assault. Memphis Police responded to a home on Buffer Drive on Wednesday afternoon. The victim reportedly told police that she had gotten into an argument with another woman over washing powder and a title. The victim allegedly told police that during the argument, Robles arrived with a gun, machete, and assault rifle. Police say the victim claimed Robles pointed the handgun at her and her boyfriend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Woman arrested after McDonalds coworker punched, hit with gun, stripped: MPD According to police, the victim said a struggle broke out over the gun. Police say the victim received minor injuries during the struggle, including a busted lip and a small cut on her left heel. Robles was detained on the scene. Memphis Police say that officers found a nine millimeter in her front pocket. The woman the victim had been arguing with reportedly told police that she had called Robles to make sure she wasnt harmed while the victim signed the title over to her. Memphis Police say she told officers that she saw the handgun but did not see a rifle or machete. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Memphis Police searched the victims car and found no weapons. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. Finlands Ministry for Foreign Affairs, holding the OSCE presidency in 2025, has called on Russia to implement an "unconditional ceasefire" following the latest large-scale attacks on Ukrainian cities. Source: Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda Details: The ministry highlighted that Russias attacks on Kyiv and other cities resulted in the death of "dozens of people, including employees of Ukraine's emergency services, amid ongoing talks". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Our thoughts are with their loved ones. We urge Russia to agree to a full, unconditional ceasefire," it said. Background: UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned Russias large-scale attack targeting Ukraine on the night of 5-6 June 2025, describing Moscows actions as "barbaric". EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova shared her personal experience of the night under Russian attack in Kyiv, when she and her brother sought safety in a shelter. Following another large-scale Russian attack on Ukrainian regions, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged allies to intensify pressure on Moscow to end the war of aggression. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) The North Carolina Office of the State Fire Marshal will launch its statewide Smoke Alarm Saturday initiative this weekend. As part of the initiative, more than 150 fire departments from 62 counties will install free smoke alarms. Participating departments will also offer fire safety education to families, according to the fire marshals office. According to the fire marshals office, more than 4,700 smoke alarms from its grant funds will be distributed in the state. This includes 1,200 smoke alarms donated by State Farm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The fire marshals office said the participating fire departments include the following from central North Carolina: Wake County: Apex Fire Department Garner Fire-Rescue Holly Springs Fire Department Knightdale Fire Department Northern Wake Fire Department Wake Forest Fire Department Wendell Fire Department Durham County: Bahama Volunteer Fire Department City of Durham Fire Department Durham County Fire Marshals Office Lebanon Fire Department Orange County: Carrboro Fire Rescue Chapel Hill Fire Department Cumberland County: Cumberland Road Fire Department Fayetteville Fire Department Grays Creek Fire Department Hope Mills Fire Department Spring Lake Fire Department Vander Volunteer Fire Department Johnston County: Clayton Fire Department Cleveland Fire Department Smithfield Fire Department West Johnston Fire Department Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More information about the initiative can be found on the fire marshals website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS17.com. Former acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney has expressed doubt on President Donald Trump's ability to strike a deal with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping. What Happened: Mulvaney, speaking to Bloomberg TV, highlighted a fundamental distinction between both leaders' approaches to diplomacy. "There's a fundamental disconnect here," he said. "Trump wants to talk at the very highest levels. That's not always how the Chinese want to do business." Trump, who is known to prefer direct engagement, wants to have a call with Xi. The White House said it is likely to take place this week. Don't Miss: Mulvaney observed that this tactic may not be compatible with how Xi usually operates. "I do not see them being able to pull off a deal the old-fashioned way, which is going through the back channels," he explained. "And I think it'd be very difficult to do a deal going the Trump way, which is only Xi to Trump man-to-man." Why It Matters: Trump likes to communicate directly with leaders, both in case of politics and business, according to Mulvaney, who also served as his budget director in the past. This contrasts with Xi's practice of negotiating and resolving key issues through advisers before any leader-level engagement. Mulvaney also presented a larger critique of Beijing. "They can't steal people's intellectual property. They can't force you into bad deals in order to do business in your country. They can't hide information when they deal with pandemics, like they did with Covid-19," he said. "First-tier nations of the world don't do that. China's going to become a first-tier nation. They need to step up their game." Mulvaney's comments come just as China refuted claims of violating agreements made in Geneva, stating that it implemented and consistently upheld the terms of the deal reached last month. The ministry also rebuked Washington's actions, citing "discriminatory restrictive" measures imposed by the U.S., including curbs on AI chip exports, bans on chip design software, and visa revocations for Chinese students. Read Next: GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) Greenville County officials are at the scene of a reported fire at a property formerly known as Trap Church. The Parker Fire District said firefighters are at Woodside Avenue after receiving a call around 8:20 a.m. A large presence remains surrounding the pink building as investigators determine the cause of the fire. Firefighters said crews had been training in adjacent buildings earlier this week but responded to the area Friday morning in regard to the fire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No injuries were reported. Berea Fire and the City of Greenville are also at the scene. 7NEWS will continue to update this story as more information becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS. CANFIELD, Ohio (WKBN) A large building fire shut down part of Route 62 in Canfield Township Friday morning. Read next: 2 charged in local romantic rendezvous robberies Firefighters were called just before 8 a.m. to the 4100 block, about a half-mile from Tippecanoe Road. The building was used by the homeowner as a party shack. Captain Josh Grossman has an idea of how it started. The neighbors actually heard a big, loud boom I think maybe from a lightning strike, possibly, from what we had this morning and came outside and saw the black smoke coming from the outbuilding, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was already hot and muggy outside, so firefighters were careful both inside and out. Trying to keep the guys cool with the humidity today, water breaks and cycling through, just to make sure everyone is safe, Grossman said. The building is a total loss. No one was hurt. The road has since reopened. Brian Oehlbeck contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. Editor's Note: This article was updated to reflect reported casualties. Russia launched a mass missile and drone attack against Ukraine overnight on June 6, targeting the capital, major cities, and the country's far-western regions. A total of 80 people were injured and seven people killed, including first responders, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. "A cynical Russian strike on ordinary cities. More than 400 drones, more than 40 missiles. ... We need to put pressure on Russia to (accept a ceasefire) and to stop the strikes," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attack comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to retaliate against Ukraine for its drone strike against Russian air bases in a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump. Air raid alerts were activated in all Ukrainian regions, following Russia's latest mass attack. Ukraine's Air Force warned during the night that multiple Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers had taken flight and likely already launched cruise missiles. Explosions were reported in Kyiv, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Lviv, Lutsk, and other cities as drones and missiles targeted all regions of the country. Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russia launched 452 drones overnight, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type suicide drones, along with 45 missiles of various types. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Air defenses intercepted 199 drones, while another 169 dropped off radars likely used as decoys to overwhelm Ukrainian systems. Ukrainian forces also intercepted 36 missiles, including the Iskander-M ballistic missile. "Russia doesn't change its stripes another massive strike on cities and ordinary life. They targeted almost all of Ukraine Volyn, Lviv, Ternopil, Kyiv, Sumy, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv regions," Zelensky said the morning after the attacks. "Russia must be held accountable for this. Since the first minute of this war, they have been striking cities and villages to destroy life." Read also: Loud night in Kyiv, Dad US envoys daughter appeals to Kellogg during Russian attack Kyiv and Central Ukraine An apartment in flames after a Russian attack on June 6, 2025, in Kyiv. (Ukraine's State Emergency Service) Multiple fires broke out across Kyiv as drones struck residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure. Explosions and falling debris were reported in several districts, including Solomianskyi, Holosiivskyi, Darnytskyi, Dniprovskyi, and Shevchenkivskyi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three people were killed overnight, Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported. Ukraine's State Emergency Service later confirmed that the victims were rescue workers responding to the attack. Another 23 people in Kyiv were injured, including 14 emergency responders. A child was among the injured. According to Ukraine's largest private energy company, DTEK, 2,167 families on the left bank of Kyiv were left without electricity due to Russian attacks. Read also: Russias response to Operation Spiderweb is likely not going to be pretty, Trump says A Russian drone struck the 11th floor of a 16-story apartment block in the Solomianskyi district, igniting a fire, the Kyiv City Military Administration reported. Three people were rescued, and the fire has since been extinguished. A fire also broke out at an industrial site in the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the Holosiivskyi district, debris hit a residential building, sparking a blaze and causing yet-to-be-assessed damage. An educational institution was damaged in the attack and falling drone wreckage landed near a gas station, damaging a car. Another erupted on the 17th floor of a residential high-rise in the Darnytskyi district. Medics were called to the site of the attack. The administration also reported "significant damage" to a gas station in the city's Dniprovskyi district. The attack damaged tracks and cables on the metro line between the Darnytsia and Livoberezhna stations, causing closures and route disruptions. Repair work is expected to be completed in 24 hours, the administration said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Chernihiv, the bodies of two people were recovered in the rubble of an industrial facility, Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported. Read also: Time to put an end to insanity of war, Brazils Lula told Putin, calls for restraint following Operation Spiderweb Western Ukraine In the western city of Ternopil, Russia struck infrastructure and industrial facilities with Shahed drones and Kalibr cruise missiles, according to Mayor Serhii Nadal. Part of the city lost electricity. Eleven people were injured, including five emergency workers. Ternopil lies hundreds of kilometers from the front line and is not a frequent target of Russian attacks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Casualties were also reported in Lutsk in northwestern Ukraine amid the mass strike. At least two people were killed and 27 more injured, according to the State Emergency Service. Ihor Polishchuk, the city's mayor, said that the roof of an apartment building was damaged, as were vehicles, commercial properties, and a government institution. According to the mayor, Russia attacked Lutsk with 15 drones and six missiles. Lutsk is located in Ukraine's Volyn Oblast, which borders Poland. Russia's overnight attack represents the largest strike against the city since the start of the full-scale war. Emergency responders assist a civilian following a deadly Russian strike in the city of Lutsk in Ukraine's northwestern Volyn Oblast on June 6, 2025. (Ukraine's State Emergency Service) Russia's retaliation Russia's mass attack injured dozens of people and caused destruction across the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ukraine had been bracing for a large-scale assault after the Kremlin threatened revenge for Operation Spiderweb Ukraine's audacious drone strike that damaged 41 Russian bombers on June 1. After speaking with Putin over the phone on June 4, Trump warned that the Kremlin was planning a response to Ukraine's strike. While Putin has stayed publicly silent on Ukraine's attack, Trump said Russia's retaliation was "not going to be pretty." The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on the morning of June 6 that the overnight attack was a "response" to Operation Spiderweb and alleged that the "goal of the strike was achieved" and the "designated objects were hit." But Moscow needs no excuse to bombard Ukraine with drones and missiles, as the mass strikes Russia launched against Ukrainian cities in the days before Spiderweb prove. For three consecutive nights in the last week of May, Russia targeted Ukraine with some of the heaviest aerial attacks since the start of the full-scale war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aerial strikes against civilian targets have been a regular feature of Russia's all-out war since February 2022. Russia continues to reject calls for a ceasefire and Putin has said he is no longer interested in negotiating with Ukraine. Read also: Putin rejects Zelenskys call for peace talks, accuses Ukraine of deadly bridge attack in Russia Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Frederick Leon Newell (left) exits the Hennepin County Government Center with his attorney Daniel Repka (right) after a court appearance on Jan. 22, 2025. He is the first person to be convicted of criminal wage theft in Minnesota. (Max Nesterak/Minnesota Reformer) A painting contractor was sentenced on Friday to three years probation for stealing more than $37,000 in wages from five workers at an affordable housing development in Minneapolis. Frederick Leon Newell was the first person ever to be convicted of felony wage theft in Minnesota in April, more than five years after state lawmakers enacted criminal penalties for wage theft. Newell was also convicted of felony theft by swindle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newell must also complete 200 hours of community service and pay more than $42,000 as part of the sentencing, and he may not bid on new public contracts. Mr. Newell was entrusted with public funds to pay his employees for their labor on a public works project. Instead, he siphoned the money they earned for himself, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. I am proud of our prosecutors efforts in securing the first wage theft criminal conviction in Minnesota history; it is a major step toward greater protection for workers. Integrated Painting Solutions was hired for painting and cleaning work in 2020 on the Redwell, an affordable apartment complex in Minneapolis. Newells company received more than $320,000 for the work on the development, which required that he pay a prevailing minimum wage of $36 per hour for painters and $36.41 per hour for general laborers plus benefits because it received public funding through tax increment financing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newell paid his workers far less than required from $15 to $25 per hour and submitted falsified payroll records to cover up the underpayments. All told, Newell stole more than $35,000 in wages from five workers, with one employee underpaid by nearly $14,000 over just three months in 2020, according to the criminal conviction. The case came to light after the workers filed complaints with the city of Minneapoliss Civil Rights Division, with the help of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades union. The city investigated their claims and in June 2021 issued a violation letter to Integrated Painting Solutions. Newell signed a settlement agreement with the city to pay $43,166 in restitution but never did. Greiner Construction, the general contractor for the Redwell, voluntarily made Newells workers whole beyond what they had already paid to Newells company. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2022, the previous Hennepin County attorney, Mike Freeman, filed charges against Newell after receiving a referral from the city of Minneapolis. Last week, Moriarty announced felony wage theft and theft by swindle charges against Bishop Harding Smith, the head of the violence intervention nonprofit Minnesota Acts Now, for allegedly shorting workers $150,000 from a county contract. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is currently prosecuting another felony wage theft case against a central Minnesota dairy farmer, accused of stealing millions in wages from hundreds of workers in a civil case that settled for $250,000 last year. At its regular meeting Thursday morning, the Laurel County Fiscal Court approved several items related to tornado recovery and county operations for the upcoming fiscal year. Judge-Executive David Westerfield received approval to bring in DRC Emergency Services to oversee remaining tornado debris cleanup through local subcontractors. He was also authorized to hire a company to handle FEMA documentation related to the cleanup, as well as a monitoring company to meet FEMA requirements for debris removal tracking. As for personnel matters, multiple new hires were approved. Jordan Dalrymple, who will serve as retirement clerk, will enter her role on June 16. Dalrymple will earn $21 per hour for the position. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following the retirement of two road department employees, the department saw two new hires William Antrim and Billy Goforth. Antrim will earn $15 per hour, whereas Goforth will make $14 an hour due to not having his CDL (commercial drivers license). Further, six temporary employees will be hired to haul debris, each earning $30 an hour. In new business, the court approved bids for materials to be used during the 20252026 fiscal year. During the county treasurers report, several transfers and approvals were made, including: Approval of May claims with no discussion. An intra-fund transfer, also approved without discussion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The adoption of standing orders for the 20252026 fiscal year. The closure of the countys ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) account after funds were fully allocated and spent. The cash transfer report included $500,000 from the occupational tax fund to the road fund, $299,848.67 from the ARPA fund to general fund, and $800,000 from the occupational tax fund to general fund. Judge Westerfield closed Thursdays meeting by thanking those involved with tornado relief efforts. I just appreciate everybody in the county for pulling together and trying to help these people, Westerfield stated. The Laurel County Fiscal Court regularly meets at 8:45 a.m. on the second Monday and 9:30 a.m. on the final Thursday of each month. The fiscal courts next meeting will take place Monday, June 9. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has released a guide on what fish are safe to eat, if you should limit servings and what fish to keep off your plate. The 2025 Eat Safe Fish Guide provides Michigan residents with safety information for fish in popular fishing locations. Each year, MDHHS tests fish to determine what chemicals are present in those fish, including polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as "forever chemicals." "Using the ESF Guide and following the MI Serving suggestions will keep you from getting too many chemicals in your body at once," the guide states in its FAQ section. "Scientists set the limits in the ESF Guide so that you are protected from possible health problems from the chemicals, no matter how long they stay in your body." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The guide includes sections on each county, including St. Clair County, a popular fishing destination. The guide breaks the portions of fish down by species and what body of water it comes from. Summer fun: The coolest places to beat the heat in the Blue Water Area More: Is it too cold to swim in Lake Huron? What to know if you want to dip your toes in the water Belle River fish Type of Fish Chemicals of Concern Size of Fish (inches) MI Servings per Month Blue Gill PFOS Any 2 Rock Bass PFOS/PFOS and Mercury Under 7 inches/over 7 inches 2 (regardless of size) Sunfish PFOS Any 2 Yellow Perch PFOS Any 2 Black River (downstream of Fort Dam) fish Type of Fish Chemicals of Concern Size of Fish (inches) MI Servings per Month Bluegill PFOS Any Do not eat Largemouth Bass PFOS Any Do not eat Rock Bass PFOS Any 6 per year Smallmouth Bass PFOS Any Do not eat Suckers PFOS Any 1 Sunfish PFOS Any Do not eat Yellow Perch PFOS Any 2 Burtch Creek fish Type of Fish Chemicals of Concern Size of Fish (inches) MI Servings per Month Rock Bass PFOS Any Do not eat Fort Gratiot Nature Preserve Pond (west of Parker Road) fish Type of Fish Chemicals of Concern Size of Fish (inches) MI Servings per Month Bluegill PFOS Any Do not eat Sunfish PFOS Any Do not eat Fort Gratiot Pond fish Type of Fish Chemicals of Concern Size of Fish (inches) MI Servings per Month Bluegill PFOS Any 4 Sunfish PFOS Any 4 Howe Drain fish Type of Fish Chemicals of Concern Size of Fish (inches) MI Servings per Month Rock Bass PFOS Any Do not eat Lake St. Clair fish Type of Fish Chemicals of Concern Size of Fish (inches) MI Servings per Month Black Crappie Mercury Under 9 inches/over 9 8 servings/ 4 servings Bluegill PFOS Any 6 per year Carp PCBs Any Limited* Catfish Dioxins Any Limited Freshwater Drum Mercury, PFBs Any 2 Largemouth Bass PFOS Any 6 per year Muskellunge Mercury Any Do not eat Northern Pike Mercury Any 2 Rock Bass PCBs Any 1 Smallmouth Bass PFOS Any 6 per year Sturgeon PCBs Any Limited Sunfish PFOS Any 6 per year Walleye Dioxins, PCBs, PFOS Any 6 per year White (Silver) Bass PCBs Any Limited White Crappie Mercury Under 9 inches/ over 9 8 servings/ 4 servings Yellow Perch Mercury Any 4 Pine River fish Type of Fish Chemicals of Concern Size of Fish (inches) MI Servings per Month Black Crappie PFOS Any Do not eat Bluegill PFOS Any Do not eat Carp PFOS Any Do not eat Rock Bass PFOS Any Do not eat Sunfish PFOS Any Do not eat White Crappie PFOS Any Do not eat Other Species PFOS Any Do not eat St. Clair River fish Type of Fish Chemicals of Concern Size of Fish (inches) MI Servings per Month Carp PCBs Any Limited Freshwater Drum Mercury, PCBs Any 2 Largemouth Bass Mercury, PFOS/Mercury Under 18/over 18 2 servings/ 1 serving Rock Bass PFOS Any 2 Smallmouth Bass Mercury, PFOS / Mercury Under 18/over 18 2 servings/1 serving Sturgeon PCBs Any 2 Walleye Dioxins, PCBs, PFOS Any Limited White Bass PCBs Any 6 per year Yellow Perch PFOS Any 4 William P Thompson Lake fish Type of Fish Chemicals of Concern Size of Fish (inches) MI Servings per Month Bluegill PFOS Any Do not eat Sunfish PFOS Any Do not eat Other species PFOS Any Do not eat Lake Huron fish Type of Fish Chemicals of Concern Size of Fish (inches) MI Servings per Month Atlantic Salmon Dioxins Any 2 Brown Trout PCBs Any 6 per year Carp Dioxins, PCBs Any Do not eat Catfish Dioxins Any Limited Chinook Salmon PCBs Any 6 per year Coho Salmon PCBs Any 6 per year Freshwater Drum Mercury Any 1 Lake Herring PFOS Any 2 Lake Trout Dioxins, PCBs Under 20/20-24/0ver 24 1 serving/6 per year/Limited Lake Whitefish Dioxins Any 6 per year Northern Pike PCBs Any 1 Rainbow Trout PFOS Any 1 Smelt PFOS Any 2 Steelhead PFOS Any 1 Suckers PCBs Any 2 Walleye Dioxins Any 6 per year White (Silver) Bass Dioxins, PCBs Any Limited White Perch PCBs Any 6 per year Yellow Perch Dioxins Any 2 More outdoor news: No license needed. How to fish for free in Michigan this weekend Fish recommended for limited servings are recommended to not be eaten by children under 15, anyone with health problems, or people who are pregnant or plan to have kids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The department notes in its guide that its serving are only suggestions, and that eating more than the recommended amount does not guarantee the fish will make a person sick. For anyone else the guide recommends only one or two servings per year. More information, including how each concerning chemical can affect those who eat fish and what fish are safe in each Great Lake are safe to eat are available in the guide on the department's website. Contact Johnathan Hogan at jhogan@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Michigan Dept Health Human Services releases guide on safe fish eating WEST JEFFERSON, Ohio (WCMH) Two of five people did not survive a Thursday night crash after an SUV drove into a West Jefferson pond. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Madison County, the incident happened on US Route 40 and Parkwest Drive in Jefferson Township just before 6:30 p.m. when a woman lost control of a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. Strauss sexual assault documentary trailer released Police said two of the victims were in cardiac arrest and taken to a local hospital,; the three other victims are believed to be in non-life-threatening condition. Friday morning two victims were pronounced dead; 27-year-old Kelita Alfred, of Columbus, and a 3-year-old child. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The car was fully submerged in the pond when police arrived at the scene, according to Ohio State Highway Patrol. The car has been removed from the water. According to Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Merrill Thompson, a witness told police they saw the car drive by in the left-hand lane of U.S. 40, pass them, then slowly drive into the right lane, off the road, and into a retention pond. The OSHP said the vehicle struck a ditch before coming to rest in the water. The witness helped the victims escape from the vehicle, and four of the five people were out of the car by the time it fully submerged in the water. While were still investigating the cause of this crash, its just a good reminder to, you know, make sure that youre doing the speed limit, dont be distracted in the vehicle, whether its by your phone or people inside the vehicle, on the radio, and just maintain visual in front of you and just make sure everyone in the vehicle is safe, Thompson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the West Jefferson Police Department, Jefferson Township EMS, and Prairie EMS responded to the scene. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. Russian forces conducted a large-scale missile and drone attack on the city of Lutsk on the night of 5-6 June. A residential building has been partially destroyed and five people have been injured. Source: Ivan Rudnytskyi, Head of Volyn Oblast Military Administration; Lutsk Mayor Ihor Polishchuk Details: Rudnytskyi said Volyn Oblast had been attacked by missiles and drones. Quote from Rudnytskyi: "A high-rise building in Lutsk was hit, sustaining partial damage. The blast wave also shattered windows in many nearby buildings. Five people have been injured so far. People have been evacuated and all are receiving medical treatment. Thankfully, there are no fatalities." Details: Polishchuk noted that Russian forces had used 15 kamikaze drones and six missiles during the attack. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Five Proud Boys leaders who were convicted of spearheading the January 6 Capitol riot are suing the federal government and claiming that their constitutional rights were violated. The lawsuit, which was filed on Friday in a federal court in Florida, is seeking $100 million in restitution and comes after President Donald Trump pardoned almost all of the January 6 defendants on the first day of his second term, The Hill reports. The five men bringing the suit are Enrique Tarrio, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl, Joe Biggs and Dominic Pezzola. Four of the men were convicted on charges of seditious conspiracy. Pezzola was acquitted but was convicted on other felonies associated with the infamous riot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are claiming that "political prosecution" violated their constitutional rights. What follows is a parade of horribles: egregious and systemic abuse of the legal system and the United States Constitution to punish and oppress political allies of President Trump, by any and all means necessary, legal, or illegal, their lawsuit alleges. Enrique Tarrio, a leader of the right wing Proud Boys gang who was pardoned by Donald Trump after he was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in the Capitol riot, is one of five January 6 defendants suing the federal government for $100 million (Getty Images) In the filing, the Proud Boys accuse the FBI of using paid informants to spy on their defense team, allege they were denied bail, and claim that federal agents had altered what they say was exculpatory evidence relevant to their defense, according to the New York Times. The lawsuit will force the Department of Justice under Trump to either defend its prosecution of Capitol rioters or offer a payout to the right-wing gang members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ed Martin, who is now the Justice Departments pardon attorney, has said he believes that the Capitol riot convicts deserve compensation for what he claimed was mistreatment by the federal government. $100 million lawsuit comes after Trump pardoned almost all of the January 6 defendants on the first day of his second term (Getty Images) Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison, the longest for any January 6 defendant before he was pardoned by Trump. The Proud Boys' lawsuit cites Trump's pardon in its language, arguing that it sought to "end a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years." The Independent has requested comment from the Department of Justice. MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) Five teenagers ranging from 13-15 years old were arrested in connection to four stolen vehicles after officers responded to a crash on Tuesday. Around 7:30 p.m. on June 3, officers from the Montgomery County Department of Police (MCPD) responded to the intersection of Heathfield Drive and Parkland Drive for the report of a collision in which multiple teenagers were seen fleeing, police said. Officers arrived to find three empty vehicles at the scene two Hyundais and a Kia. A fourth vehicle, another Kia, was spotted by officers speeding away with multiple passengers, MCPD said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Photos: Airbags deployed in Montgomery County crash that injured three The Kia stopped at Weller Road, where five teenagers were seen getting out. They were all taken into custody. All four vehicles were reportedly stolen. The teens arrested included a 13-year-old, three 14-year-olds and a 15-year-old. Upon their arrest, they were found to be in possession of items of evidentiary value, including knives and tools used to break into cars. The teens were transported to the 4th District, charged with possession of a stolen vehicle and released to their guardians. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. Altogether, this powerful blend of rapid growth and resilient profitability signals that TSMC is far more than a cyclical beneficiary. It is a foundational force in the global tech ecosystem, building lasting competitive moats and firmly establishing itself as the dominant player in semiconductor manufacturing. Despite facing some operational headwinds, including an early-year earthquake, TSMC has maintained robust profitability. Non-GAAP gross margins came in at around 59%, significantly beating analysts subdued expectations. Management also remains highly optimistic about the near-term outlook, guiding for another strong quarter with an anticipated 38% year-over-year revenue increase in Q2. From a financial standpoint, TSMCs performance in Fiscal 2025 has been nothing short of exceptional. In the first quarter alone, revenue surged by 35% year-over-year, reaching approximately $25.5 billion . This impressive growth has been fueled by strong and timely demand from high-performance computing and automotive sectors, more than offsetting temporary softness in the smartphone market. Notably, TSMCs cutting-edge 3-nanometer process has become a meaningful contributor to revenue, further underscoring the companys leadership in advanced semiconductor manufacturing. For investors who recognize the strategic significance of technological leadership, TSMC is far more than just another chipmakerits a cornerstone of global economic and national security. Given the confluence of positive factors surrounding TSMC stock, Im confidently bullish on its chances of picking its way through the brewing geopolitical minefield to, ultimately, deliver strong shareholder returns for the next decade. However, my optimism extends far beyond chart patterns. TSMC is a pivotal force at the heart of the AI revolution, playing a crucial role in powering next-generation technologies. The company is aggressively expanding its global footprint with major facilities planned across Europe, the U.S., and most intriguingly, the United Arab Emirates. As an avid follower of semiconductor stocks, Im genuinely excited by the recent momentum in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM), widely known as TSMC. The stock has decisively broken above its key 50-week moving averagea technical milestone thats hard to overlook. Story Continues Ambitious Moves in Critical Global Markets Ive taken a deep interest in TSMCs bold and rapidly unfolding global expansion strategy. The companys landmark $100 billion investment in Arizona represents more than just a manufacturing footprintit signals a decisive pivot by the U.S. toward strengthening domestic semiconductor resilience. While challenges such as elevated labor costs and project delays are to be expected, the long-term strategic value is substantial. This initiative cements TSMC as a foundational technology partner for the West and a central pillar of the emerging U.S. semiconductor ecosystem. Equally impressive is TSMCs growing presence in Europe. Its joint venture in Dresden, Germanyalongside Bosch, Infineon (IFNNY), and NXP Semiconductors (NXPI)marks a transformative effort to reshape the continents semiconductor supply chain. With a total project cost of approximately 10 billion, half of which is backed by EU state aid, the partnership aims to reduce Europes reliance on external sources for advanced chips. This move is not only strategically sound but also enhances TSMCs global resilience and influence. TSMC (TSM), IFNNY and NXPI stock comparison results TSMC (TSM), IFNNY and NXPI stock comparison results Perhaps the most intriguing development is the proposed gigafab in the United Arab Emirates. TSMC is reportedly in discussions with Abu Dhabis sovereign wealth fund, Mubadala, which, if finalized, would signal a breakthrough expansion into the rapidly evolving tech ambitions of the Middle East. Though still speculative, this potential partnership could significantly extend TSMCs geopolitical reach and strategic footprint. Altogether, TSMCs global initiatives reflect a visionary approach to navigating complex geopolitical and economic terrains. These moves arent just about scaling productiontheyre about redefining the global semiconductor map, securing long-term relevance, and reinforcing TSMCs status as a trailblazer in advanced manufacturing. Technical Momentum Provides Enormous Return Potential Technically speaking, TSMCs recent price action represents an undeniably eye-popping bull pattern, drawing tremendous interest from institutional investors. The technical indicators, such as the Relative Strength Index, down in the mid-60s, suggest that TSMC has plenty of room for continued gains before becoming overbought. TSMC (TSM) Technical Analysis In fact, even heavyweights such as Cathie Woods ARK Invest have recently increased their holdings in TSMC. This adds another dimension of institutional confidence that deserves the attention of retail investors. For me, the institutional dynamics tell a strong story about why TSMC will continue to compound returns impressively. Taiwan is The Elephant in the Room That said, while I remain optimistic about TSMCs long-term prospects, the geopolitical risk surrounding China and Taiwan is both real and significant. The increasing military activity by Chinas Peoples Liberation Army in the Taiwan Strait cannot be overlooked. According to various intelligence reports, China is preparing for potential scenarios involving Taiwan, with a key timeline centered around 2027. Should a military conflict occur, the consequences for TSMC would be severe. Its critical manufacturing facilities could face operational disruptions or even destruction, triggering a major shock to the global semiconductor supply chain. Based on my analysis, such an event could lead to a collapse in TSMCs stock price, potentially as much as 60%. Given the scale of this risk, it demands careful consideration. Even with a fundamentally bullish outlook, I believe its essential to have a clear risk-management strategy in place. This is not about fearits about being realistic in the face of a complex and evolving geopolitical landscape. Is TSMC a Buy or Sell? On Wall Street, TSMC stock holds a consensus Strong Buy rating, supported by seven Buy ratings, one Hold, and zero Sells. TSMCs average stock price target sits at $219.43, suggesting a potential upside of 13% over the next 12 months. Personally, Im a bit more bullish, with my own price target closer to $250. Bold Investments Make the Best Returns Overall, I remain firmly bullish on TSMC. This investment goes beyond financialsTSMC is a cornerstone of the global technology infrastructure. While the geopolitical risk tied to its location in Taiwan is both real and substantial, its a factor that strategic investors must weigh carefully. For those capable of evaluating the balance between opportunity and geopolitical exposure, TSMC presents a rare and compelling proposition. Given the companys dominant market position and long-term growth potential, my $250 price target feels not only reasonable but well within reach. Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) High school graduations were among the hundreds of practices adjusted in the wake of COVID-19, and five years later, some still dont look the same. In 2020, many districts turned to virtual ceremonies or heavily restricted in-person events. Five years out, high school seniors are able to enjoy a more classic ceremony. However, some central Ohio school districts continued select COVID-era practices, turning adaptations into new traditions. See previous coverage of 2020 adaptive graduations in the video player above. Grandview Heights Superintendent Andy Culp said in 2020, the district hung banners of the graduating class along a fence on Grandview Avenue. Hayley Head, Grandview Heights executive assistant to the superintendent, said the tradition has continued since. Initially parent-driven, Head said the banners are hung the weeks around graduation to celebrate seniors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Big Lots reopening fourth wave of revived Ohio stores Five years later, this has become one of the many traditions that celebrate our graduating seniors and it is also a much anticipated community tradition as well, Head said. Bexley City Schools also continues to hang senior banners along Main Street post-COVID, as does Whitehall on Yearling Road. Whitehall Schools Director of Communications Amanda Isenberg said the district prints individual banners for each senior. It has become a visible way to celebrate our graduates and their hard work, Isenberg said. Larger districts were less likely to maintain COVID-era traditions. New Albany-Plain Local Schools spokesperson Patrick Gallaway said district bus drivers delivered yard signs for each graduate in 2020, but with 441 graduates this year alone, it was not cost-effective to continue it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The one thing we still do is a slide show that we run on the jumbotron at Huntington Park before the ceremony, Gallaway said. It is definitely a labor of love. Gallaway said parents have also continued making an Instagram account each year since 2020 to celebrate the graduating class. The account is not associated with the school, but posts photos of graduates and their after-high school plans. Where to find specials Friday for National Donut Day New Albany-Plain is one of many larger districts that did not maintain new traditions, but have leaned into the technological or logistical adjustments from COVID. Hilliard and South-Western City Schools representatives both said commencement is almost entirely back to pre-COVID operations, but both schools now offer video formats for people who cannot attend in person. South-Western makes graduation videos available online after, and Hilliard livestreams the event. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pickerington spokesperson Jacqueline Bryant said the district first implemented a ticketing system for graduation in 2020. The district continues to use ticketing, although students now receive eight tickets each instead of the two they had in 2020. Olentangy spokesperson Amanda Beeman said the district adapted in 2020 and 2021, but has since gone back to its many pre-COVID traditions. She said with multiple high schools, anything else would be tricky. Gahanna-Jefferson, Reynoldsburg, Upper Arlington, Canal Winchester and Westerville also told NBC4 they have fully reverted back to pre-pandemic celebrations. We had a parade instead of a graduation ceremony in 2020. We tried doing both a ceremony and a parade in 2021, but it turned out to be too much for families to juggle, Upper Arlington spokesperson Karen Truett said. Weve been back to normal for the past several years. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. Strong thunderstorms are forecast to develop across the Susquehanna Valley this afternoon as a slow-moving cold front moves into the northwestern corner of Pennsylvania. According to the National Weather Service, potentially severe thunderstorms will move out of Ohio. These storms will be moving east at around 25 mph and will affect the Laurel Highlands, including Somerset and Johnstown this morning, before sliding east into the Interstate 99 corridor, including State College, Altoona and Bedford between 11 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. The NWS has issued a flash flood warning for parts of Columbia, Northumberland and Schuylkill counties until 3:30 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to NWS, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the area, where there has already been more than an inch of rain, additional rainfall amounts up to an inch are possible. NWS Tweet Some locations that will experience flash flooding include Mount Carmel, Kulpmont, Ashland, Lavelle, Aristes, Fountain Springs, Wilburton Number One, Locustdale, Beurys Lake, Wilburton Number Two, Gordon, Marion Heights, Centralia, Pitman and the Schuylkill County Airport, according to the warning. The storms will likely intensify as they approach and impact the Middle Susquehanna Valley and Interstate 81 corridor between 1 and 3 p.m., NWS reports Wind gusts up to 55 MPH are possible with these storms, along with nickel-size hail in some locations. This is a developing story. More details will be published when they become available. JACKSONVILLE, Texas (KETK) Following the severe storms in Jacksonville on Wednesday, the city is now looking to regroup after the roads were significantly damaged. Beyond the headlines: Who was the East Texas mom of 3 that was murdered in 2006 According to Kelly Traylor, the Cherokee County Commissioner of Precinct 1, Jacksonville received four and a half inches of rain during a two-hour period. Due to the amount of rain the city received in such a short period, significant flooding occurred across the city, causing severe damage to multiple roads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Courtesy of Kelly Traylor Traylor also stated that at least five residents were stuck inside their homes due to the flooding and crews were forced to work until 2 a.m. Thursday morning to create a safe pathway for residents to drive from their houses. Flooded road, fallen trees in Smith County following severe weather Traylor did provide a piece of advice to anybody who is caught driving during a flash flood. If you drive up to a body of water and can see the road or where youre going, you need to turn around, Traylor said. It is estimated that it will take up to two months to fix the damaged roads and Traylor is asking residents to be patient as crews begin construction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com. WACO, Texas (FOX 44) Waco mobile home dealer Fleetwood Homes is now operating as Cavco-Waco. The company says this comes as part of a broader brand realignment by parent company Cavco Industries. The shift reflects the companys nationwide strategy to simplify the homebuying process and to strengthen recognition of its affordable housing solutions across the country. According to Cavco President and CEO Bill Boor, the name unification was driven by a desire to make homebuying easier for customers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cavco-Waco employs approximately 200 people in the local community, while Cavco Industries supports approximately 800 across its locations in Seguin, Austin, Fort Worth and Presidio. The company is located at 2801 Gholson Road in Waco, and is among 31 Cavco-owned manufacturers and builders of manufactured homes who have adopted the companys national brand name. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KWKT - FOX 44. State Board of Education members recently grilled Hillsborough County's public schools superintendent after state officials condemned books in his district's schools that they called "pornographic." Superintendent Van Ayres was called to the June 4 board meeting after receiving a letter from Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. At issue: The books "Call Me By Your Name" and "Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts)," which both involve LGBTQ+ themes. Diaz, who is in line to become the next president of the University of West Florida, said they were "pornographic and inappropriate books." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the book's publishers, "Call Me by Your Name" is the "story of a sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents cliffside mansion on the Italian Riviera," and "Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts)" is "about an unapologetically queer teen working to uncover a blackmailer threatening him back into the closet." "Unfortunately, your lack of leadership regarding the selection, approval and maintenance of library media materials continues to put children at risk and undermines parental rights," Diaz wrote in his May 9 letter to Ayres, who has led the district the seventh largest in the U.S. since November 2023. Florida Department of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. speaks to the room as he joins Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Tuesday September 3, 2024 as Governor DeSantis highlights state funding for nursing education during a news conference at Daytona State College. Florida's public schools have seen a significant increase in book removals, driven by legislation that empowers parents to challenge materials they consider inappropriate, leading to the removal of thousands of books that address LGBTQ+ themes, race, or even classic literature. It's sparked a national controversy, with critics arguing that such moves constitute censorship and violate First Amendment rights, prompting lawsuits from authors, publishers, and advocacy groups. In Hillsborough County, more than 600 books were removed from circulation in mid-May, after state officials including Diaz and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier pressured school districts. Those books included the two mentioned by Diaz. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In heated questioning, board members asked Ayres why these books were not flagged sooner. But Ayres said "inappropriate materials will absolutely not be in our libraries, and it does not take a process for us to do that." Banned book list: Hundreds of books pulled from Florida schools listed in new DOE release. Here are the titles Board member Ryan Petty countered: "These are nasty, disgusting books that have no place in a school in Florida. Please help me understand what your review process is, because it took me less than five minutes to realize these books violate the statute and they should not be in our schools." Ayres said he removed the books specifically named by Uthmeier and Diaz in their letters in "an abundance of caution." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stephana Ferrell with Florida Freedom to Read, a group that advocates for book access, told board members she was troubled with them only reading one-page excerpts about the books instead of trusting media specialists who read and analyze them in their entirety. Ferrell added that her group is OK with a book going through the objection process "so long that it is considered in its entirety for literary, artistic, scientific and political value." She said the problem is when it's considered only by "standards set by the state." From the archives: Which books are allowed? Varied interpretations of Florida law lead to confusion at schools "This is not about parental rights," Ferrell said. "This is about state control and this idea that our libraries are government speech, that they can regulate and decide what's available based on their own viewpoints." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In November, the Florida Department of Education released a list of about 700 books that were "removed or discontinued" from public schools in the 2023-2024 school year. The list is in accordance with state law from 2022, which increased regulation of school library books. The state education board approved a rule to publish an annual list in 2023 to provide "transparency" to families. Both "Call Me By Your Name" and "Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts)" are on the list. These actions also follow Florida's record of having the most book bans in the nation, according to PEN America in November. The free speech group's report at that time had more than 4,500 instances of books being removed from classroom libraries, removed pending a review or restricted based on grade or parental permission. This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA Today Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Stephany Matat is based in Tallahassee, Fla. She can be reached at SMatat@gannett.com. On X: @stephanymatat. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Hillsborough superintendent in hot water over LGBTQ+ titles in schools The Haitian and Venezuelan communities in central Florida are bracing for yet another federal move that would impact them. President Donald Trump is now imposing travel restrictions for visitors from several countries, including Haiti and Venezuela. Haitian citizens at the consulate on Thursday voiced their concern, especially for those who are in the U.S. under asylum and cannot visit their family members back home. Garry Beauplan is an American citizen whos been in the United States for about 15 years. He was already an engineer back in his home country and now is just one year away from becoming a physician in Florida. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is how I can help my community and offer support to them, he said, reflecting on his journey from Haiti to America. We were all looking for our American dream. He and his wife, Martine, whos also an U.S. citizen, now have no idea when theyll see their parents once again, because theyre still back home. Its an ongoing crisis in Haiti. We can deny that. But at the same time, we feel like this is not fair, Garry Beauplan said. They (Haitians) are hardworking people. They are not here to cause any harm, theyre here to find better a living, said Martine Beauplan. The Beauplans concern comes as the Trump administration imposes drastic travel restrictions for Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. There will be increased restrictions on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is due to the vetting process when it comes to getting visas, but also to issues in these countries not receiving foreign aliens who have overstayed, said Andrea Bowers, an immigration attorney in Orlando. The White House says Haiti has a 31% overstay rate for tourist visas and claims the country cannot ensure its citizens wont undermine Americas national security. As a result, the entry of any Haitians in the U.S. - either to visit or to live is set to be suspended. The same limitation was also imposed on Venezuelan citizens. Additionally, the president also required the consulate in Venezuela to reduce the number of visas given out in the country. Its interesting that this happened just a week after the Supreme Court upheld his decision to terminate humanitarian paroles for citizens from Cuba, Venezuela, and some other countries, Bowers said. In this travel ban you see some of the same countries being repeated which is obviously a form of saying that these people are not welcome here. The ban takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Monday. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. For Fran Sullivan, living in a Florida condo has become financially unbearable. I've seen my condo HOAs at $450, double in two years to $900, and I've seen thousands of dollars in assessments. Thats what its cost us, Sullivan, a condo owner in St. Petersburg, told ABC Action News. Don't miss Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Across Florida, thousands of condo owners are facing similar financial pressures as homeowner association (HOA) fees and insurance premiums skyrocket. Surfside collapse drives up condo expenses The 2021 Surfside condominium collapse, which claimed 98 lives, prompted Florida lawmakers to enact sweeping safety regulations. The disaster exposed widespread structural vulnerabilities in the states aging condo buildings. The resulting legislation requires milestone inspections and structural integrity reserve studies for condos 30 years or older and three stories high, as well as strict funding requirements for future repairs. The compliance deadline Dec. 31, 2024 triggered fee hikes and surprise assessments. Some owners, like Sullivan, have already paid thousands for repairs with little warning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A lot of people here were financially strapped for doing this, myself included, said fellow condo owner Tyler Clee. To come up and say, I need $10,000 in three months for most of us, thats not realistic. The financial fallout is chilling Floridas condo market. Listings in areas like Pinellas County have been sitting on the market longer, ABC Action News reports, as buyers balk at unpredictable costs. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan works every single time to kill debt, get rich in America and that anyone can do it Condo owners criticize late reforms In response to mounting pressure, lawmakers passed House Bill 913 the latest revision to the post-Surfside condo reform. While core safety rules remain intact, the bill includes key concessions: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A one-year delay in funding structural integrity reserve deadlines. Permission for associations to use loans or lines of credit instead of cash. Clarification from inspectors on which repairs are safety-related. The bill also allows electronic voting to engage more owners in financial decisions. For many residents, the changes come too late. Sullivans building has already set its budget and has completed major repairs based on the earlier deadlines. Its too little, too late, she said. I was hoping they would have done that before the end of last year, because we were forced into a position, because of the timeline, that we had to take care of all of that. Now, I'm not sure if other condos could be helpful to them, that's great. It's not for us. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, residents hope for zero- or low-interest loans to offset assessments that weren't included. Potential solutions While the new law offers short-term relief, many say broader reform is needed. One of the biggest frustrations is that the legislation does little to address soaring condo insurance. Experts and residents alike suggest more balanced, long-term strategies. These could include: Phased timelines. Allow condo associations to resolve urgent repairs first and offer extended deadlines for less critical upgrades. That way, owners have time to plan, save and avoid sudden, unaffordable assessments. Means-tested aid. State-backed grants or low-interest loans to seniors and low-to-moderate-income residents to help cover extensive assessments or emergency repairs. Tax incentive. Provide tax credits or deductions for unit owners or associations making qualified repairs such as structural reinforcements, roofing or waterproofing. Exemptions or relaxed rules. Exempt or reduce requirements for small, low-rise or recently constructed condos with clean inspection records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Floridas condo communities grapple with the financial fallout of much-needed reforms, many hope lawmakers will allow sustainable recovery. The goal being to ensure staying safe doesnt mean losing your home or going into debt. What to read next Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. Subscribe for free. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. BOSTON (WWLP) A Florida man who served as a finance director has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison for embezzling over $5.8 million from his employer, prosecutors announced Thursday. Ten arrested in multi-location drug bust in Holyoke Paul Schnitzer, 52, of Clermont, Fla., was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Boston to 54 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schnitzer was also ordered to pay $5,831,829 in restitution and forfeit assets he acquired through his scheme, including the balances of two financial accounts, subscription ownership shares in certain artwork, and up to $50,000 in cash held with luxury jeweler Bulgari. Federal prosecutors said Schnitzer carried out the fraud between January 2022 and May 2024 while working as the finance director of a Florida-based company owned by a Massachusetts investment firm. Over that period, he made more than 100 unauthorized transfers from the companys operating account into his personal bank account. Many of the transfers were falsely labeled as equity distributions, according to court documents. To conceal the theft, Schnitzer used a company line of credit to replace stolen funds and further siphon money into his own account. Prosecutors said he also submitted falsified financial reports showing inflated cash balances to the companys owners and went so far as to spoof email addresses, posing as representatives from the companys bank and customers to mislead auditors. Schnitzer was initially released while awaiting trial, but was arrested again in June 2024 after he removed his court-ordered location monitoring device. He was later found to have used a company credit card to make more than $10,000 in unauthorized purchases in August 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schnitzer pleaded guilty in the case earlier this year. Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP. Florida sheriff Marcos Lopez was arrested June 5 and charged with racketeering in connection with an alleged massive gambling operation and public corruption scheme that generated more than $21 million in profits, according to a release from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier's office. The Osceola County sheriff was charged with one count of racketeering and one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering, both second-degree felonies. Gov. Ron DeSantis followed the arrest with an executive order suspending Lopez and replacing him with Christopher Blackmon, the central region chief for the Florida Highway Patrol. Who is Marcos Lopez? Former Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez has been charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering for his alleged role in a massive Central Florida gambling operation, according to the State Attorney General's Office. Marcos Radame Lopez, 56, was born in Chicago and grew up in central Florida, according to his now-removed biography on the Osceola County Sheriffs Office website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lopez enlisted in the U.S. Navy when he was 17, his bio said. He served for 22 years on active duty and the reserves, working as a linguist and training in explosive ordinances, counterterrorism, and supervising logistical operations. He supported operation Iraqi freedom, Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom as a law enforcement specialist attached to the Centcom Logistical Support Group Forward, he told VoterFocus.com. He received a degree in Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement in 2003 from Valencia College, according to his LinkedIn account, and joined the sheriffs office the same year. For more than 16 years, Lopez also served as a firearms and defensive tactics instructor while working as an investigator. Former Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez. Since 2019, he has also operated Lo-Jeng Tech, a security consultant business that trains small businesses, churches and nonprofits on how to handle active shooters, cybersecurity and other security matters. After failing to win election in 2016, Lopez was first elected as sheriff in 2020, defeating Luiz "Tony" Fernandez to became the first Hispanic sheriff in the Osceola County and Florida. Lopez was re-elected in 2024, defending his position from Republican challenger Donnie Martinez. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During his terms, Lopez started the Real Time Crime Center and added specialty units to the OCSO, including the Tactical Anti-Crime Unit, Osceola County Narcotics Bureau, and a fugitive extradition program with Puerto Rico, according to his bio. He also launched anti-bullying initiatives and the all-female police academy Woman on Watch. Why was a Florida sheriff arrested? What we know about Marcos Lopez, alleged gambling scheme Has Marcos Lopez come under fire before? Lopez and the OCSO have been in the spotlight several times in recent years. In December 2024, Lopez pleaded no contest to a civil infraction and agreed to pay a $250 fine for posting a photo of a dead body on his personal Instagram page, FOX 35 Orlando and WFTV reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The image was of 13-year-old Madeline Soto, who disappeared in February 2024 from her home in Kissimmee. Her body was found days later, and the boyfriend of the girls mother was charged with her death. After Lopez claimed, on the air, in an interview on a radio station that he didn't post the picture even though the OCSO had already apologized for it he was placed on the Brady List, a state list of the local law enforcement officers who may not be suitable as witnesses in criminal cases due to past actions, WFTV reported. As of June 6, Lopez is still listed on the Brady List as having made false statements. Lopez, a Democrat, has claimed the move was politically based. In June 2024, Lopez was accused of making lewd comments about a nude photo of a young female civilian employee in 2022, according to WFTV. Former deputy Samantha Sanchez found the picture on the phone of her then-boyfriend, former deputy Alex Valentin, along with text messages reportedly of Valentin and Lopez exchanging such photos and commenting on them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sanchez said she took a screenshot of the alleged conversation and later reported it to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement when she was fired in what she said was retaliatory action after she told a female deputy about the conversation. Lopez has denied the accusations and the FDLE declined to investigate after the civilian employee failed to press charges, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Lopez and the OCSO were sued in January on behalf of a motorcyclist who was burned on more than 75% of his body after Osceola County deputies fired a Taser at him while he was filling up his motorcycle, WFTV reported. Lopez and the sheriff's office also came under scrutiny in 2022 after a 20-year-old was shot and killed by deputies, according to local television station WESH. Authorities said the 20-year-old and the group he was with were accused of stealing pizza and Pokemon cards from a Target store in Kissimmee, WESH reported. A grand jury declined to file charges in the case, according to WESH, but criticized the sheriff's office for its handling of the incident. The grand jury recommended policy and procedure changes for shootings involving law enforcement, WESH reported. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Florida sheriiff charged with racketeering. Who is Marcos Lopez? (Photo by Getty Images) One of the less noticed features of the Virginia Way is the long-running tendency of the commonwealths leaders to conduct their decision-making behind closed doors. While the Virginia Freedom of Information Act presumes all government business is by default public and requires officials to justify why exceptions should be made, too many Virginia leaders in practice take the opposite stance, acting as if records are by default private and the public must prove they should be handled otherwise. In this feature, we aim to highlight the frequency with which officials around Virginia are resisting public access to records on issues large and small and note instances when the release of information under FOIA gave the public insight into how government bodies are operating. Connolly questioned firings of CDC staff responsible for FOIA requests Shortly before his late-May death, U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Fairfax, expressed concern about the termination of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staffers who handled Freedom of Information Act requests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was one of his final acts as a member of Congress before passing away following an extended battle with cancer. In his letter to the CDCs acting director, Connolly said that the elimination of staff responsible for facilitating FOIA strongly implies an effort by the administration to prevent the public from obtaining information about their government that they are entitled to request. The staff cuts come as FOIA officers at the Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, and other agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services were also let go. Connolly also pointed out that several outbreaks of infectious disease have been reported across the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now more than ever, maintaining transparency about the operations of the broader HHS and CDC in particular is crucial to understanding the governments capacity to respond to such crises. Some outbreaks are currently noted on CDCs website, but with no FOIA-dedicated staff to handle records requests, it may be harder for journalists and citizens to seek further information that could aid public health. Former Richmond fire department employee under investigation for potential fraudulent spending Records obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch show that a former Richmond Fire Department employee spent over $800,000 at a company registered to his home between 2017 and 2024. Reginald Thomas, a former analyst for RFD, used his city credit card, purchase orders and invoices to spend money at RPM Supply Co., LLC. The entity is registered to a house in Henrico County that he and his wife own. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though Richmond city officials did not say how much, if any, of the total was spent on legitimate products or services, they did confirm that he is no longer an employee. His conduct has since become the subject of two investigations one by Richmonds auditor and another by the citys inspector general. The investigation into Thomas is among the latest actions the city has taken to address a history of funding issues tied to card misuse by employees. This spring, Mayor Danny Avula announced restrictions on employees use of purchasing cards for several months while leaders re-evaluate how employee spending is handled overall. Last year, the inspector general found that nearly $500,000 in RIchmond tax dollars were wasted or misused through use of employees cards. The Mercurys efforts to track FOIA and other transparency cases in Virginia are indebted to the work of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, a nonprofit alliance dedicated to expanding access to government records, meetings and other state and local proceedings. Recidivism rates touted by Virginia state prison system, contributing factors not fully disclosed Recently, Virginias Department of Corrections announced and celebrated low recidivism rates, but not mentioned in the agencys news release was a note from the departments research team suggesting the achievement was due to the effects of COVID-19 on Virginias court system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Recividism when former prisoners reoffend and end up back in prison is a metric law enforcement agencies often use to measure the success of rehabilitation programs or other efforts to lower crime rates. Prison reform advocates and rehabilitation advocates also view these metrics as either calls to action or reasons to celebrate programs that may benefit incarcerated people, their families, and the communities to which they return. The latest announcement from the state focuses on recidivism among former prisoners released between July 2020 and June 2021 and only examines people who returned to prison within three years of release not those who were rearrested during the same time period, Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. About 17% of released prisoners landed back in prison, while 44% were rearrested, according to the report. While rearrests were higher, those numbers arent counted as recidivism. Because the states definition ties recidivism to reincarceration, it is influenced by how quickly courts deliver verdicts and Virginias courts were under emergency orders that slowed proceedings until the summer of 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Re-incarceration rates are lower during follow-up years impacted by COVID-19 due to court closures and sentencing delays, the research team wrote in its report. Kyle Gibson, a spokesperson for VADOC, acknowledged that recidivism rates were lower due to COVID-19, but VADOC cannot conclusively say that the pandemic was the sole cause of the lower rates. Attorney General Jason Miyares, who is seeking reelection this year, has emphasized on social media that the low recidivism rate supports his tough-on-crime approach as the states top lawyer. In a post to X, he said there are two approaches to lowering the rate: hold violent repeat offenders accountable or let them out early. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For four years, Ive fought to put violent criminals behind bars while leftist politicians demanded leniency and reduced sentences, he added. We see which approach works. While the recidivism rates have declined over the past decade, according to a Richmond Times-Dispatch analysis, the time frame that VADOC recently celebrated occurred prior to Miyares taking office. Audit shows Roanoke spent $5 million over citys general fund budget Without city council approval, the city of Roanoke overspent by $5 million last year, WSLS reported. A recent audit of expenditures found that the citys general fund exceeded the final budget. We are stewards of taxpayer dollars, said newer council member Nick Hagen, who joined the citys legislative body after the issues occurred. Theyre not ours theyre the peoples. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He suspected staff turnover might be part of the problem with lack of budget oversight. This is because the former city manager had stepped down, a successor was appointed, and a new city council took office. The audit also revealed that much of the overspending came from the Childrens Services Act which funds services for at-risk youth and the citys fire department, which faced rising overtime costs and implemented pay increases. Still, to ensure spending is justified and remains within budget, WSLS reported that the city claimed to be implementing reforms. There will be more frequent budget reviews going forward, new staff will be hired, and stricter internal protocols will be put in place. Have you experienced local or state officials denying or delaying your FOIA request? Tell us about it: info@virginiamercury.com SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE A small-town veterans hall is facing a big-money headache after a second vehicle plowed through its roof in less than three months just days before the building was set to reopen. The latest crash at the Clay-Ray Veterans Hall on St. Louis Avenue in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, injured one person and has left the nonprofit scrambling. They just got that fixed up, Lt. Ryan Dowdy of the Excelsior Springs Police Department told KCTV, I mean, literally the roof is brand new. Don't miss It sounded like a gas explosion going off That brand-new roof had only just been repaired after a previous incident on February 15, when a fugitive from Kansas lost control of a vehicle during a police chase and launched it into the same spot. The Clay-Ray Veterans Hall, located just below a road that curves over a hill, sits in a vulnerable position. Its roof is level with the street, which has a 25 mph speed limit. Locals say the issue isnt the road, its the drivers. If you drive the speed limit, its not an issue, said Lisa Reinhart, who lives nearby. Its 25 through here, so it shouldnt be an issue unless youre blatantly not listening to the speed limit. Reinhart was shocked to hear the impact. It sounded like a gas explosion going off, she said. It rattled the windows and everything. It was insane. The damage has been more than physical; its hitting the veterans groups finances hard. Chris Stull, president of the Clay-Ray Veterans Association, says the repeated repairs are straining their budget. Its crazy, Stull said. Its seriously crazy. The American Legion post, which relies on bingo nights for revenue, hasnt been able to host events during repairs. That also means no income to help pay bills or support local community donations. Still, the legion has no intention of relocating. Were staying here, Stull said, saying the organization has been at the location for over 100 years. But staying put doesnt mean doing nothing. Stull said the association has spoken with city officials about installing a barricade to prevent future crashes. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan works every single time to kill debt, get rich in America and that anyone can do it Frequent claims and the impact on insurance While commercial property insurance would typically cover damages like the ones at Clay-Ray Veterans Hall, the frequency of these incidents could lead to higher premiums and potential challenges in policy renewal. The immigration detention center in Charlton County has been given the green light to create the largest facility in the U.S. Georgia Rep. Buddy Carter confirmed Friday that he landed a contract with the Department of Homeland Security to combine the D. Ray James Correctional Facility and the Folkston ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Processing Center. It will have about 3,000 beds and is expected to bring about 400 jobs to the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With this expansion, Georgia will strengthen its status as a national leader in the fight to secure our southern border. Im proud to have worked with Charlton County to get the D. Ray James Correctional Facility expansion over the finish line, which will bring jobs and economic growth to our region, and I will continue to support our brave ICE agents as they seek to restore law and order, Carter said in a news release. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Action News Jax first told you that the vote was put on hold Wednesday. Immigration advocates were protesting outside the meeting when the vote was set to take place. Charlton County Administrator Glenn Hull told Action News Jax on Wednesday that the agreement was worth more than $47 million. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] However, he got a call from ICE on Wednesday, saying federal policy prevents the Department of Homeland Security from entering into an agreement of more than $20 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Action News Jax asked a representative from Carters office about this on Friday, and they said that all procedural hurdles had been cleared. The City of Folkston is expected to receive approximately $600,000 a year in revenue from water and sewer services to the facility, Carters office said. Click here to download the free Action News Jax apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action Sports Jax 24/7 live. DES MOINES, Iowa Millie the food truck just joined The Hope Foundation, a non-profit focusing on creating inclusive social experiences for teens and young adults living with disabilities. Katie Hoover and Alicia Karwal lead the foundation, and theyre the reason the Millie Movement and Cups of Kindness exist. They met in college when they were studying to become special education teachers. Now their mission is expanding. We love that all abilities are able to work, says Hoover. We have some students that have a diagnosis of autism. We have some students that have a diagnosis of Downs syndrome and some that dont have a diagnosis. But they found their place and wanting to learn and be part of our kindness village. Karwal adds, They are capable and able to work and be contributing citizens. We need to wrap around them and provide that support so that they can have these gainful employment opportunities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We didnt expect it to be life changing: Hoover, Bergman say banning phones was just that The unemployment rate tells the story. Its nearly twice as high for people with disabilities. Thats something Mindy Toyne wants to change for her 17-year-old son Koen, who loves Godzilla. Theyre my emotional support to help me control my feelings, he explains I bring them to work because they help me stay calm and focused. Mindy says, If somebody else has something that they like to wear or if its a mannerism that they might not be allowed to embrace in a typical work place, they can go ahead and feel safe and supported while focusing on working on your eye contact, working on your social skills, and not worry about also making a cup of coffee or preparing the muffin or the ice cream float or whatever it is. Volunteers are part of the Millie Movement. They are kindness curators who work alongside young people like Koen. Its changing their lives, and the world, one cup of kindness at a time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were just hoping that a lot of learning can come out of it and that the community can be kind and experience a feel good takeaway, says Toyne. Its a bit of an experiment in the social aspect for all of us at the same time, but hopefully a good reminder of how to treat each other, whether you have special needs or you dont. None of this would be possible without the support of local businesses; from Toynes business In Any Event and BDI Signs, to La Barista, The Outside Scoop and Court Avenue Brewing Company donating food. This Saturday is Millies first real outing. Youll find her and the Cups of Kindness crew at the Iowa Craft Brew Festival at Water Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to who13.com. Related Video: First hearing held for Dr. Brian Hyatts civil lawsuit in August 2024. BENTON COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) Dr. Brian Hyatt, a former Arkansas State Medical Board member accused of Medicaid fraud, has been arrested for public intoxication, according to court documents. Hyatt, 52, was booked into the Benton County Detention Center on June 5 by the Rogers Police Department and released on June 6. Brian Hyatt, 52 (Courtesy: Benton County Detention Center) A preliminary report from RPD said that around 9 p.m., an officer working a concert at the Walmart AMP saw a car with its trunk open while driving through the parking lot of a nearby hotel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the officer approached the vehicle, they saw a man, later identified as Hyatt, staggering towards the vehicle as the alarm was going off. The officer asked Hyatt if the vehicle belonged to him, and Hyatt responded yes. Orbeez gun leads to aggravated assault arrest in Siloam Springs The report said the officer could smell alcohol in Hyatts breath and saw he had an alcohol band typically provided by the Walmart AMP. When asked about the band, Hyatt ripped it off and said he had not been drinking. Hyatt reportedly told the officer that he was not intoxicated and that he suffered from the Patrick Swayze kind of cancer, referring to pancreatic cancer. The report also later noted that Hyatt had a small abrasion on the top of his head. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report said Hyatt told the officer that he had a room at the hotel, but the front desk clerk said he did not. Hyatt allegedly tried to purchase a room but could not find his ID. He was then escorted out of the hotel and placed in handcuffs. Hyatt is set to appear in court on July 29. Izard County sheriff gives update on escaped Arkansas inmate Medicaid fraud charges and lawsuits Hyatt is also facing two counts of violating the Medicaid Fraud Act. He was arrested on those charges in October 2023 and has pleaded not guilty. An affidavit filed in Pulaski County states that on April 1, 2022, the Arkansas Medicaid Fraud Control Unit received a complaint from a confidential informant who worked at the Behavioral Health Unit in Springdale. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hyatt, who served as director of the unit from February 2018 to May 2022, was accused of being present for only brief periods during scheduled workdays and having little to no contact with patients. Court records say an omnibus hearing is scheduled for Sept. 12, with the jury trial beginning on Oct. 20. Beyond his criminal case, Hyatt faces more than 200 civil lawsuits from former patients who claim they were falsely imprisoned under his care. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) A woman formerly employed with the Ascension Parish Public School System has been arrested after she was accused of stealing over $12,000. The Ascension Parish Sheriffs Office (APSO) says Kayla Jones, 33, is charged with felony theft of $5,000 but less than $25,000. Kayla Jones According to the sheriffs office, detectives started an investigation after being contacted by officials with Ascension Public Schools on Wednesday, April 30. Jones, a former employee, was reported to have taken approximately $12,624.92 during her time of employment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An internal audit and follow-up investigation showed that the funds were taken in separate amounts over a period of time. A warrant was issued for Jones, who later turned herself in. She was booked into the Ascension Parish Jail. The investigation is ongoing. Ascension Public Schools released the following statement: We have zero tolerance for any form of misconduct or financial mismanagement within our school system. Upon discovering indications of potential theft of funds at Central Middle School, we acted immediately by initiating a thorough investigation in partnership with an independent auditor and notifying law enforcement and the legislative auditors office, said Ascension Public Schools Superintendent Edith M. Walker. We are grateful for our partnership with the Ascension Parish Sheriffs Office for pursuing this case and protecting our school district. In Ascension, we are fully committed to transparency, accountability, and the protection of public resources, and we will pursue the matter to the fullest extent of the law. Superintendent Edith M. Walker Gonzales police arrest two suspects in Top Notch Daiquiris shooting Latest News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Louisiana First News. BRANSON, Mo. A Branson man who was formerly a businessman pleaded guilty to a child pornography charge in federal court last week. Forster, courtesy of the Greene County Jail. Thomas Eldon Forster, 66, pleaded guilty to one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography. According to federal documents, the charges came from an investigation that began in October of 2020 when social media platform Kik submitted a cyber tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicating that a user uploaded or shared 15 files of suspected child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to another Kik user. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators determined Forster was the suspect responsible for the Kik account. In August of 2022, law enforcement with Homeland Security Investigations and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force executed a federal search warrant at Forsters Taney County residence. Law enforcement interviewed Forster and searched his cellphone, where they found 19 unique images depicting CSAM According to the Greene County Jail roster, Forster was booked last week. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOLR - OzarksFirst.com. Amie Baca-Oehlert, a former teachers union president, launches her congressional campaign in Colorado's 8th District at Adams City High School on June 5, 2025. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline) Its suddenly a very crowded race in the Democratic primary for Colorados most competitive congressional seat. One day after Colorado State Treasurer Dave Young announced his bid, former teachers union president Amie Baca-Oehlert became the latest Democratic hopeful in the 8th Congressional District, a key battleground in the nationwide battle for control of the House of Representatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Baca-Oehlert, who served as president of the Colorado Education Association from 2018 to 2024, launched her campaign in front of a crowd of about 50 supporters Thursday evening at Adams City High School, where she got her first teaching job. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX When I look at Congress, I dont see people like me, Baca-Oehlert said. I dont see enough teachers, Latinos, moms, union members or middle class Americans. What I do see is a broken system, a system that caters to the wealthy and well-connected, where plenty of politicians are looking out for themselves and their billionaire donors. Drawn by an independent redistricting commission in 2021, the 8th District includes parts of Denvers northern suburbs as well as more rural areas in southern Weld County. Four in 10 residents of the district are Latino. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The seat is currently held by U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, a Fort Lupton Republican who unseated former Democratic Rep. Yadira Caraveo by a margin of fewer than 2,500 votes in the 2024 election. Despite representing one of the nations most evenly divided congressional districts, Evans has remained a steadfast supporter of President Donald Trumps historically extreme anti-immigration agenda, his chaotic efforts to launch a global trade war and a sweeping GOP budget bill that would cut $625 billion from Medicaid. Nearly all of us are hurting right now, because of the fear, division and economic turmoil that Trump has created, Baca-Oehlert said. And Evans is literally standing by standing beside his friends like Lauren Boebert, to promote this disastrous agenda, and not fight against it. Boebert, a staunch Trump supporter, is the Republican representative of Colorados 4th Congressional District. Caraveo has launched a bid to win back her seat in 2026, joining a Democratic primary that also includes Young, state Reps. Manny Rutinel of Commerce City and Shannon Bird of Westminster. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Baca-Oehlerts campaign launch featured endorsements from Adams County Commissioner Emma Pinter and former state Reps. Judy Solano and Joe Salazar. I know all the candidates that are running, I know all of them, Solano told the crowd. But Amys the one. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE WASHINGTON (AP) A retired police officer was sentenced on Friday to serve 18 months behind bars for lying to authorities about leaking confidential information to the Proud Boys extremist group's former top leader, who was under investigation for burning a Black Lives Matter banner in the nation's capital. Shane Lamond was a lieutenant for the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., when he fed information about its banner burning investigation to then-Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio. Last December, after a trial without a jury, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington, D.C., convicted Lamond of one count of obstructing justice and three counts of making false statements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tarrio attended Lamond's sentencing and later called for Trump to pardon Lamond. I ask that the Justice Department and the President of the United States step in and correct the injustice that I just witnessed inside this courtroom," Tarrio said outside the courthouse after the sentencing. Prosecutors recommended a four-year prison sentence for Lamond. Because Lamond knew what he did was wrong, he lied to cover it up not just to the Federal Agents who questioned his actions, but to this Court," they wrote. "This is an egregious obstruction of justice and a betrayal of the work of his colleagues at MPD. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lamond's lawyers argued that a prison sentence isn't warranted. "Mr. Lamond gained nothing from his communications with Mr. Tarrio and only sought, albeit in a sloppy and ineffective way, to gain information and intelligence that would help stop the violent protesters coming to D.C. in late 2020, early 2021," they wrote. Tarrio pleaded guilty to burning the banner stolen from a historic Black church in downtown Washington in December 2020. He was arrested two days before dozens of Proud Boys members stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Tarrio wasn't at the Capitol that day, but a jury convicted him of orchestrating a violent plot to keep President Donald Trump in the White House after he lost the 2020 election. Lamond testified at his bench trial that he never provided Tarrio with sensitive police information. Tarrio, who testified as a witness for Lamonds defense, said he did not confess to Lamond about burning the banner and did not receive any confidential information from him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the judge did not find either mans testimony to be credible. Jackson said the evidence indicated that Lamond was not using Tarrio as a source after the Dec. 12, 2020, banner burning. It was the other way around, she said. Lamond, of Colonial Beach, Virginia, retired in May 2023 after 23 years of service to the police department. Lamond, who met Tarrio in 2019, had supervised the intelligence branch of the police departments Homeland Security Bureau. He was responsible for monitoring groups like the Proud Boys when they came to Washington. Prosecutors said Lamond tipped off Tarrio that a warrant for his arrest had been signed. They pointed to messages that suggest Lamond provided Tarrio with real-time updates on the police investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lamonds indictment says he and Tarrio exchanged messages about the Jan. 6 riot and discussed whether Proud Boys members were in danger of being charged in the attack. Of course I cant say it officially, but personally I support you all and dont want to see your groups name and reputation dragged through the mud, Lamond wrote. Lamond said he was upset that a prosecutor labeled him as a Proud Boys sympathizer who acted as a double agent for the group after Tarrio burned a stolen Black Lives Matter banner in December 2020. I dont support the Proud Boys, and Im not a Proud Boys sympathizer, Lamond testified. Lamond said he considered Tarrio to be a source, not a friend. But he said he tried to build a friendly rapport with the group leader to gain his trust. ___ ADAMS COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) The former publisher of a Gettysburg area newspaper was charged Thursday with mail theft. Harry Hartman, 54, of Gettysburg, is accused of stealing packages from the Gettysburg Post Office between May 2023 and August 2024, the Department of Justice announced Thursday. The Gettysburg Times previously confirmed that Hartman was suspended from his role as the papers publisher in August and then let go after the papers parent company was informed by him that he was going to be charged. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Packages allegedly stolen by Hartman were supposed to go to Gettysburg College, Print Center & Post Office. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now abc27 Evening Newsletter The DOJ said Hartman was charged with mail theft after the investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General. If convicted, Hartman faces up to five years in prison, supervised release, a fine and the imposition of a special assessment, the DOJ said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. A former Jacksonville mayor is taking President Donald Trumps administration to court. Alvin Brown filed a lawsuit claiming his removal as the vice chair of the National Transportation Safety Board was illegal. Brown was designated as vice chair by former President Joe Biden last year. Browns lawyers claim that Trump lacked the authority to remove him from the post. According to court documents, Brown was notified of his firing through email. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] He also warned that his removal will have damaging consequences on aircraft investigations and reporting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also named as defendants in the suit are the NTSB itself and Jennifer Homendy, the Chairman of the NTSB. You can read Browns lawsuit below: Former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown sues Trump, NTSB over his firing from vice chair post by ActionNewsJax on Scribd [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. The former chairman of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission is under investigation for alleged retaliation against a Sheriff's Department sergeant who faced scrutiny for his role in a unit accused of pursuing politically motivated cases. Sean Kennedy, a Loyola Law School professor who resigned from the commission this year, received notification from a law firm that said it had been engaged by the Office of the County Counsel to conduct a neutral investigation into an allegation that you retaliated against Sergeant Max Fernandez, according to an email reviewed by The Times. Kennedy and other members of the commission questioned Fernandez last year about his connections to the Sheriff's Department's now-disbanded Civil Rights and Public Integrity Detail, a controversial unit that operated under then-Sheriff Alex Villanueva. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: How a Mojave Desert footrace became a showcase for L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. turmoil Kennedy said the commission's inquiry into Fernandez appears to be what landed him in the crosshairs of the investigation he now faces. Kennedy denied any wrongdoing in a text message Thursday. "I was just doing my job as an oversight official tasked by the commission to conduct the questioning at an official public hearing," he wrote. Last week, Kennedy received an email from Matthias H. Wagener, co-partner of Wagener Law, stating that the county had launched an investigation. The main allegation is that you attempted to discredit Sergeant Fernandez in various ways because of his role in investigating Commissioner Patti Giggans during his tenure on the former Civil Rights & Public Corruption Detail Unit, Wagener wrote. It has been alleged that you retaliated for personal reasons relating to your relationship with Commissioner Giggans, as her friend and her attorney. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Office of the County Counsel confirmed in an emailed statement that "a confidential workplace investigation into recent allegations of retaliation" is underway, but declined to identify who is being investigated or who alleged retaliation, citing a need to ensure the integrity of the investigation and to protect the privacy of the parties. In accordance with its anti-retaliation policies and procedures, LA County investigates complaints made by employees who allege they have been subjected to retaliation for engaging in protected activities in the workplace, the statement said. On Friday, a county spokesperson said via text message that the investigation was requested by the County Equity Oversight Panel, an independent body that reviews the county's equity-related issues and makes recommendations to county officials. "County Counsel has no role here beyond facilitating access to outside counsel with expertise in this area," the spokesperson added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Sheriffs Department said in an email that it has no investigation into Mr. Kennedy." Reached by phone Thursday, Fernandez said that he doesn't "know anything about" the investigation and that he has not "talked to anybody at county counsel." "This is the first Im hearing about it," he said. "Who started this investigation? They haven't contacted me. I don't know how that got into their hands." In a phone interview, Kennedy described the inquiry as extraordinary. I think that this is just the latest in a long line of Sheriffs Department employees doing really anything they can to thwart meaningful oversight, Kennedy said. So now were at the point where theyre filing bogus retaliation complaints against commissioners for doing their jobs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kennedy resigned from the Civilian Oversight Commission in February after county lawyers attempted to thwart the body from filing an amicus brief in the criminal case against Diana Teran, who served as an advisor to then-L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascon. The public corruption unit led several high-profile investigations during Villanuevas term as sheriff, including inquiries into Giggans, the Civilian Oversight Commission, then-L.A. County Supervisor Shelia Kuehl and former Times reporter Maya Lau. Read more: Former Times reporter sues Villanueva, L.A County, alleging 1st Amendment violation One of the unit's investigations involved a whistleblower who alleged that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority unfairly awarded more than $800,000 worth of contracts to a nonprofit run by Giggans, a friend of Kuehls and vocal critic of Villanueva. The investigation made headlines when sheriffs deputies with guns and battering rams raided Kuehls Santa Monica home one early morning in 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The investigation ended without any criminal charges last summer, when the California Department of Justice concluded that there was a lack of evidence of wrongdoing. Asked Thursday about the claim that Kennedy who served as a lawyer for her while she was being investigated by the public corruption unit interrogated Fernandez as a form of retaliation, Giggans called it "bogus" and said Fernandez "was subpoenaed because of his actions as a rogue sheriff's deputy." Lau filed a lawsuit last month alleging the criminal investigation into her activities as a journalist violated her 1st Amendment rights. California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta ultimately declined to prosecute the case against Lau. Critics have repeatedly alleged that Villanueva used the unit to target his political enemies, a charge the former sheriff has disputed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In October, Kennedy and other members of the Civilian Oversight Commission spent five hours interrogating Fernandez and former homicide Det. Mark Lillienfeld about the public corruption unit, of which they were members. Kennedy questioned Fernandezs credibility during the exchange, asking about People vs. Aquino, a ruling by an appellate court in the mid-2000s that found he had provided false testimony during a criminal trial that was deliberate and no slip of the tongue. Fernandez argued that he had never lied on the stand, adding that thats ridiculous, Im an anti-corruption cop. Fernandez also fielded questions about whether he was a member of a deputy gang. Critics have accused deputy cliques of engaging in brawls and other misconduct. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fernandez said he was not in a deputy gang or problematic subgroup. But he acknowledged that he drew a picture of a warrior in the early 2000s that he got tattooed on his body. A lieutenant tattooed with that image previously testified that it is associated with the Gladiators deputy subgroup, of which Fernandez has denied being a member. Kennedy also asked Fernandez about a 2003 incident in which he shot and killed a 27-year-old man in Compton. Fernandez alleged the man pointed a gun at him, but sheriff's investigators later found he was unarmed. Read more: Judge again dismisses former Sheriff Villanueva's lawsuit over county's 'do not hire' label Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a 2021 memo to oversight officials, Kennedy called for a state or federal investigation into the Civil Rights and Public Integrity Detail and its pattern of targeting critics of the Sheriffs Department. Then-Undersheriff Tim Murakami responded in a letter, writing that the memo contained wild accusations. On May 30, Wagener questioned Kennedy about "why I examined Max Fernandez about his fatal shooting of a community member, his Gladiators tattoo, his perjury in People v. Aquino, and why he put references to people's sexual orientation in a search warrant application," Kennedy wrote in a text message Thursday. "I told him I was just asking questions that relate to oversight." Robert Bonner, chair of the Civilian Oversight Commission, provided an emailed statement that called the investigation into Kennedy extremely troubling and terribly ironic." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The allegation itself is rich," Bonner wrote. "But that [it is being] given any credence by County Counsel can only serve to intimidate other Commissioners from asking hard questions. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The Federal Reserve a key regulator of U.S. banking is about to have a new vice chairman for supervision, Michelle Bowman, who will ultimately guide how the Fed oversees the financial system, possibly including how stablecoin issuers are regulated. After a tight party-line confirmation vote in the Senate approved the Kansas Republican's nomination 48-46, Bowman, who has already been serving as one of the Fed board's governors, will now be elevated to one of its leadership roles. The supervision job was created after the 2008 global financial meltdown and is meant to help focus the central bank's regulatory role as distinct from its better-known job marshaling U.S. monetary policy. Banking has been a sore spot for the crypto industry, and the Fed alongside the two other bank agencies, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. had taken a highly cautious crypto stance. The sector and its lawmaker allies have blamed the agencies for pressuring the banking system to cut off digital assets businesses and insiders from banking services, jeopardizing the industry's health, though this changed after Donald Trump became U.S. president again this year. In April, the Fed joined the other regulators in withdrawing earlier constraints on banks' interactions with the industry. The Fed's potential role over stablecoin issuers remains murky as the regulatory legislation is still being debated. Republicans lawmakers have worked hard to sideline the central bank from stablecoin duties, but the latest legislation being considered still foresees the Fed regulating stablecoin issuance in the banks it oversees, plus serving a role in assessing whether foreign regulators are up to snuff to handle issuers outside the U.S. While Democrats had favored a Fed duty as a watchdog over nonbank issuers, the current legislation being debated on the floor of the Senate puts the OCC in that position. In her new job, Bowman will serve under Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who has stated in the past that he'd defer to the vice chairman to lead the supervisory agenda. She replaces Democrat predecessor Michael Barr in the position, though he stayed on the board. Read More: Fed's Powell Says He's Also Worried About Debanking That Strained U.S. Crypto SAINT GEORGE, S.C. (WCBD) A former Saint George police officer is accused of stealing several guns from the departments evidence room and selling them to pawn shops, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Scott A. Oliva, 52, was arrested June 4 and charged with misconduct in office. 16-year-old charged with attempted murder in Miles Jamison Road shooting An affidavit provided by SLED stated that Oliva took four firearms from the evidence room and sold them at two separate Summerville pawn shops between June 2023 and January 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oliva was booked into the Dorchester County Detention Center but released the same day on a personal recognizance bond, according to jail records. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCBD News 2. BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) A former Sanborn resident was sentenced to 364 days in prison after previously pleading guilty for her role in a February 2024 crash that killed a passenger in the vehicle she was driving, the Niagara County District Attorneys Office said. Ninaatikwe A. Hamby, 20, pleaded guilty to second-degree vehicular manslaughter in August 2024. Hamby admitted to driving under the influence of cannabis and officials said she was driving her vehicle at 100 miles per hour before crashing her vehicle at the intersection of Walmore Road and Upper Mountain Road in Sanborn. The crash resulted in the death of a 20-year-old male, who was the backseat passenger, and seriously injured another passenger. Latest Local News *** Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mark Ludwiczak joined the News 4 team in 2024. He is a veteran journalist with two decades of experience in Buffalo. You can follow him online at @marklud12. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo. GRAHAM, N.C. (WGHP) A former teacher is accused of taking indecent liberties with a student at Southern Alamance High School, according to a Graham Police Department news release. On May 29, investigators with the GPD began investigating a report involving a teacher having inappropriate sexual contact with a student. According to the warrant for arrest, the date of the offense was May 9. The investigation identified Nicholas Anders, 52, of Graham, who at the time of the incident was a teacher at Southern Alamance High School. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators learned Anders had also been involved in separate incidents involving the solicitation of prostitution in the Graham area. On Thursday, Anders was arrested and has been charged with felony taking indecent liberties with a student and felony solicitation of prostitution. He was taken to the Alamance County Detention Center and given a $75,000 Secured Bond. The Alamance-Burlington School System said Anders resigned on May 30. He was hired in 2005 and, over 20 years, worked as an agriculture teacher, served as CTSO advisor, assistant lacrosse coach, weightlifting coach, junior varsity volleyball coach, assistant track coach and substitute bus driver. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The school system released the following statemennt on Thursday evening: We informed Southern Alamance staff and families this evening about a situation involving a staff member who had been charged by the Graham Police Department. When we became aware of the incident we fully cooperated with their investigation. The staff member, who was a former Agriculture Teacher, resigned on May 30, 2025. ABSS Investigators said theyre still working to determine if there may be other victims or charges to come. We take active steps to make sure that somebodys personal information isnt given out to anyone who doesnt require it. If somebody is not necessarily a victim but wants to report something, you can use Crimestoppers to kind of talk to our investigators directly, said Tony Velez with the GPD. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP. MEMPHIS, Tenn. Former Corinth School District superintendent Edward Childress has been indicted in connection with an investigation into an ex-middle school teacher accused of creating AI porn using students images. The arrest of former Corinth teacher Wilson Frederick Jones on May 23 led to the termination of Childress contract as superintendent of Corinth schools. Childress, who was also arrested on state charges the same day, has now been indicted on state and federal charges in connection with the investigation. MS superintendent fired following arrest of teacher on child porn charges Edward Childress, former Corinth School District superintendent (Photo from the City of Corinth Facebook page) WREG has followed this story since Jones arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jones is accused of using Artificial Intelligence to morph pictures of several students in his class, turning them into explicit material. According to reports, the content was created on his school-issued computer in November 2024. Joness activity triggered a program with the school system that scans for illicit content being downloaded or shared. Ex-MS school worker accused of AI porn videos of students Court documents show that Childress knew about the explicit material in November, but did not notify the Mississippi Department of Education until January. The evidence was seized on Mar. 3, and Jones was arrested on Mar. 12. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The indictment states that Childress concealed the acts by permitting Jones to resign his position as a teacher at the Corinth School District and misrepresented the reason behind Joness resignation to the school board. Parent concerned over ex-MS teacher accused of AI porn videos of students Wilson Frederick Jones (Photo courtesy of the Lafayette County Sheriffs Office) None of the students involved, between the ages of 14 and 16, were aware of what Jones was allegedly doing. Parents expressed their concerns following the arrest, knowing that Superintendent Childress was aware of the illicit content, but did not report it until months later. We need to know. We need to know whats going on at our schools and with our children, and not only our own but anybody elses children, said Jasmica Wade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Childress was subsequently fired on Mar. 17. Jones and Childress have both been indicted at the federal and state levels. Childress is facing one federal count regarding his alleged knowledge of Joness possession and production of child pornography, and his part in concealing the crime. If convicted, he could face up to three years behind bars. 3 MS teachers face child pornography charges In a state indictment, he is also facing one count of Hindering Prosecution in the First Degree, which is a Class 1 felony, as returned by the Alcorn County Grand Jury. Jones is facing two federal counts possession of child pornography and production of content that depicts a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Count one has a maximum penalty of no more than 10 years in prison, and count two carries a penalty of at least five years, but not more than 20. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jones was also indicted on three counts at the state level, charging him with Depicting Child Engaging in Sexual Conduct, according to District Attorney Jason D. Herring. This investigation uncovered many decisions, actions, and omissions that could have and should have been handled differently, said Herring in a social media post. His responsibility is every student in the school district, every parent in the school district, I mean the entire school district is his responsibility, said one Corinth School graduate. And if a teacher is doing something like that in the school district, then its his responsibility to report that, get rid of the teacher, and just fix it, but rather than fix it he tried to hide it. The Corinth School District released a statement regarding the termination of Childress in March. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Districts greatest priority is the safety and well-being of its students. The Board of Trustees is heartbroken over the pain caused to these young victims and their families over the incident with a former teacher at Corinth Middle School. The District is providing these families and the families of any other affected children with appropriate counseling services for these students. The school district also said that the Board of Trustees is working to quickly implement new policies designed to prevent similar incidents from ever happening again. WREG reached out to Corinth Schools for a statement regarding the indictment and said they have no comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. Forsyth County Board of Commissioners rejects $32 million request from Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners rejected a $32 million request from Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. The actual number is so large, it will require someone with a bigger checkbook than the county, Chairman and former WS/FS Superintendent Don Martin said at the county budget meeting on Thursday. The commission approved its 2025-2026 budget, allotting $591 million in total. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The embattled WS/FCS district was allocated its full funding request of $180 million, which is 30 percent of the entire county budget and the most money the county has ever provided the district. Still, the district asked the county for $32.1 million in a loan last week, and that was ultimately denied in a 6 to 1 vote. We dont have a fund balance either, Martin said. If the county were to give the school district a $32 million loan, Martin said it would tank the countys credit rating and put the county in a tough financial position. Martin, who was the superintendent of WS/FCS for 19 years, has uniquely qualified insight into what he thinks happens next. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A part of the issue that created this is state revenue is based on enrollments. Enrollments have gone down. There are fewer state-paid positions, so they will have to reduce staff, Martin said. Some of that could be done via attrition, retirements and resignations, but a reduction in force is becoming more likely. Outgoing Superintendent Tricia McManus proposed increasing class sizes as a cost-saving measure at the May 28 board meeting, showing that increasing class sizes by two students could save $6.67 million. I had to do that one of my years in my 19, Martin said. You dont ever want to do it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For his part, Martin has spoken to North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Greene, who served as superintendent in Guilford County. I can send him a text. I can call him, and he will answer, and thats been a good thing, Martin said. Having Greene in on the conversations with the district, state legislators and other power players is essential to working toward a solution, according to Martin. This is unprecedented, and theres no magic bullet, Martin said. The county did offer relief in one way. The district owes the county $5 million, and theyre going to offer them a repayment plan, which is something Martin hopes the state will consider for the $18 million the district owes them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Martin did confirm the state will not reduce its funding to the district for next year by the million theyre owed. The full statement is presented below: We were happy the County Commissioners approved a $180 million Fiscal Year 25-26 local budget for WS/FCS. This is a funding increase over last years appropriation that meets the agreed-upon funding formula and will help us in meet the critical needs of our students. While we are disappointed the Commissioners rejected the Board of Educations request for a one-time payment of $32.1 million to help balance our current year budget, we understand the Commissioners position that maintaining the Countys fiscal stability is paramount. Maintaining the financial health of the whole county including WS/FCS is essential as we strive to provide the best outcomes for our students and the ensure our community thrives. Responsible stewardship of public dollars is and will continue to be a district priority. We appreciate the County Commissioners offer to provide a reasonable payment plan for the $5 million in obligations owed by WS/FCS for school resource officers and other services. That is one important strategy to meet our financial needs, and we will continue to collaborate with our local and state leaders to seek other solutions. WS/FCS Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP. (FORT CARSON, Colo.) Soldiers from Fort Carson and the 4th Infantry Division marked the 81st anniversary of D-Day on Thursday, June 5, at the Mountain Post. On June 6, 1944, approximately 130,000 American and Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, ultimately turning the tide for Allied troops in World War II. Thursdays ceremony honored the service and sacrifice of 4th Infantry Division soldiers who fought during both D-Day and WWII. A few soldiers also choose to re-enlist ahead of the solemn milestone. Courtesy: FOX21 News photojournalist Dennison Howard Courtesy: FOX21 News photojournalist Dennison Howard Courtesy: FOX21 News photojournalist Dennison Howard Courtesy: FOX21 News photojournalist Dennison Howard I am honored to serve in such a great military force, said SPC Evan French. It also allows me to honor those who have fallen in combat, no matter what date, or year, or time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In total, 197 4th Infantry Division soldiers lost their lives during that fateful battle. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado. DES MOINES, Iowa The Saydel Community School District started looking into the possibility of a four-day school week three years ago, and this Wednesday marked the end of the school year with the first time applying that theory. There are 18 school districts in the state that have converted to a four-day school week. For Saydel, the two major goals were mental well-being and retention of quality staff. As a smaller school district surrounded by giants in the metro, something needed to change to appeal to potential teachers. We want to make sure that we retain our people and keep them here for longer to make a larger impact. And then obviously, you know, if we cant attract top talent, that becomes a problem as well, said Todd Martin, Superintendent of Saydel Community School District. At the beginning of the summer in 2024, there were 25 full-time positions needing to be filled. Fast forward to this year, there are only 13 positions needing to be filled. For Martin, that indicates the four-day week is working. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DMPS selling student-run radio station KDPS 88.1 FM And in the past before that, years ago, it was nothing to have, you know, 30 new staff members. So you can see 13 is a dramatic decrease in new people to our district, which means we can spend more time on further developing people that are currently here, said Martin. Martin added that there are 15-20 people applying for each position and people are cold calling about those jobs. That has not happened during his tenure as superintendent. The district plans on doing the four-day weeks for the next two years, with Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays off. More data will be collected about attendance, staff retention, and impact on academics. The district did a district-wide survey in the fall and the spring to see what students, staff, and parents/guardians had to say. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the academic side, Martin said that the results show in just one year on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress tests. There was an increase in scores which means, to the administration, something is working. 10% increase is fantastic across the board as a district. Our elementary saw the greatest gains, which was really awesome, said Martin. Matter of fact, we look for them to really show great improvements on the report card this year. As for our middle school and high school we did wee quite a few pockets of excellence beginning to grow, which is very promising. The way I explain this to anybody that asks is all the arrows are pointing in the right direction, and now its just about maintaining that consistently over time to continue to move towards comprehensive improvement as a district. Martin said schools have reached out inquiring about the four-day weeks, asking what works and what doesnt. He expects there to be even more school districts next year adopting this calendar. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to who13.com. June 6 (UPI) -- At least four people were killed and 53 injured in Ukraine after Russia launched almost 500 drones and ballistic missiles as the country came under sustained airborne assault for the second night in a row. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said four people were killed and 20 injured after civilian and industrial infrastructure was targeted in six districts of the capital, but that search and rescue operations at multiple sites were continuing Friday morning, he wrote in a social media update. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said in a Telegram post that three of the fatalities were emergency service staff killed as they worked under fire while the attack on Kyiv was ongoing, and that nine other State Emergency Service workers had been injured, some of them seriously. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kyiv City Military Administration said the combined missile and drone attack caused widespread damage, both from direct hits and debris from downed drones, with subway tracks and trains sustaining damage and a residential tower block and an educational institution set ablaze. The authority said firefighters were continuing to battle a major blaze at a metal warehouse in Solomianskyi district in the west of the city. In Ternopil province, 260 miles southwest of Kyiv, 10 people were injured, including five emergency workers hurt while battling a large fire, according to the regional governor. President Volodymyr Zelensky said almost all of Ukraine had come under attack, including the Khmelnytskyi, Lviv, Volyn, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Poltava and Sumy regions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Some of the missiles and drones were shot down. I thank our warriors for their defense. But unfortunately, not all were intercepted," he wrote on X. The State Emergency Service in the northwestern province of Volyn said 15 people were injured when a 9-story apartment building in Lutsk, the capital, was struck. In a social media update, the SES said damage to residential and administrative buildings and manufacturing facilities had been extensive. Kherson Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin reported 10 people injured after Russian forces, which occupy part of the province, opened fire with artillery on residential districts and civil infrastructure in the Ukrainian zone. Four people were also hurt in Chernihiv, three in Poltava, three in Kharkiv and two in Sumy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ivan Federov, governor of Zaporizhzhia province, which is under partial Russian occupation, said on social media that the Ukrainian part of the province had come under heavy attack from airstrikes, artillery and drones, damaging infrastructure and homes, but there had been no deaths or injuries. However, Ukraine also launched its own attacks into Russia, claiming to have successfully carried out "a preemptive strike, hitting enemy airfields and other important military facilities." The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on social media that drones had carried out a second successful attack overnight on Russian aircraft at Engels airfield in the Saratov region, following a strike at the weekend. It also claimed Diaghilev airfield in the Ryazan region, where air tankers and escort fighters used to carry out missile strikes against Ukraine were based, was also hit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russia's state-run TASS news agency said civilian and industrial targets in Moscow and 11 other regions, including Saratov and Ryazan, were targeted by drones and missiles, injuring at least six people. The defense ministry said air defenses shot down or disabled 174 drones and three guided missiles, but no mention was made of damage to military bases. TASS confirmed a blaze in Engels in the Saratov region from a drone strike, but said it was at an industrial facility. The agency said the injuries occurred in the city of Michurinsk, 250 miles southeast of Moscow, where three people were hurt, two of them hospitalized, and in the Tula region, 120 miles south of Moscow, where three people were being treated in the hospital. Passengers in cars that were struck by debris from drones downed in Kaluga Region sustained minor injuries, the regional governor said. The Canadian metals industry faces significant challenges as higher US tariffs on steel and aluminium, now at 50%, threaten to result in job losses and lost sales, according to a Reuters report. Canada is the largest seller of steel and aluminum to the US. Unifor, Canada's private sector union, and the Aluminium Association of Canada have expressed serious concerns over the immediate impact of the tariffs. Unifor president Lana Payne was quoted by the news agency as saying: So this is going to have a very quick impact, I will say to you, on steel industry. According to the report, members of the Aluminium Association of Canada, including Rio Tinto, are reportedly considering diversifying to Europe in response to the 50% tariffs. Nova Scotia-based Marid Industries CEO Tim Houtsma highlighted the impossibility of selling to the US market under these conditions, indicating a need for cost-watching and market exclusion fears. Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced that Canada is ready to retaliate if negotiations with the US fail. We are in intensive negotiations with the Americans, and, in parallel, preparing reprisals if those negotiations do not succeed, he declared to the House of Commons. Unifor has urged immediate retaliation and suggested halting exports of critical minerals to the US. The union also warned of potential layoffs in the auto and aerospace industries. Canada imposed 25% tariffs on $21.79bn (C$29.78bn) worth of US imports in March. Meanwhile, the Mining Association of British Columbia's 2025 economic impact study highlights 27 advanced-stage mining projects in British Columbia that could inject more than $90bn into the economy, potentially creating thousands of jobs and generating significant tax revenues. Navigate the shifting tariff landscape with real-time data and market-leading analysis. Request a free demo for GlobalDatas Strategic Intelligence here. "US tariffs on steel and aluminium may lead to job losses in Canada" was originally created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Update June 6, 2025: Charges have been filed against the fourth alleged masked man, who was previously unidentified. This article has been updated to include his involvement. OGDEN, Utah (ABC4) Four people have been charged after an alleged robbery and assault in Ogden. Police say that a woman asked to visit the victim, then had four masked men break in and rob him at gunpoint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crissa Courtney Shaw, 25, Ayden Anthony Valencia, 19, Angelo Cesar Esteban Salazar, 22, and Carter Cory Jones, 27, have all been charged with felony aggravated robbery and felony aggravated assault. Anthony Joseph Lilly, 19, has been charged with conspiring to commit aggravated robbery, obstruction of justice, and conspiring to commit aggravated assault. Three men charged after alleged robbery at gunpoint during house party, documents say According to documents, on May 13, 2025, Ogden Police officers were called to the 800 block of Wood Street in Ogden. A victim reported that he had been attacked and robbed by a group of people. Shaw, who was previously in a relationship with the victim, had called the victim and asked him if she could come to his residence, documents say. Almost immediately after she went into the home, four masked men entered the residence and came downstairs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to police, the victim saw that one of the men was carrying a machete, another had a short-barreled rifle, and a third had a handgun. The man with the rifle told the victim that if he tried anything, he would shoot him in the leg. The four masked men stole multiple items from the victims residence, including jewelry, electronics, tools, and keys. Shaw left with one of the male suspects while the victim was held at gunpoint and his home was ransacked. Prisoners briefly evacuated after fire at Salt Lake County Metro Jail After the robbery, the group left together in a dark blue passenger car that was missing a rear drivers side hubcap, as identified on security footage. Surveillance video captured the vehicle in several places around Ogden City on the night of the robbery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shaw was located and arrested by police first. She was charged on May 19 and is being held in the Weber County Jail. A search warrant was served for her phone, and photos of a man wearing a hat seen on surveillance footage were found on the device. Ogden officers were able to track down Jones due to the distinct hat he was wearing, and they identified his blue Honda Civic as the vehicle used to flee the scene. He was arrested on May 20 and charged the next day. During the investigation, Valencia was identified as a possible suspect. Police served a search warrant on his phone and located a conversation from the day before the robbery between him and Lilly. Valencia told Lilly that he had a lick planned and discussed acquiring firearms and ammunition. Riverton teen allegedly shoots uncle three times during dispute, police say Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A search of Lillys house revealed that he had a firearm concealed in cat litter. He was arrested and later charged on June 5 for his role in the robbery. While at the jail, he allegedly made a call and instructed someone on wiping information from his phone remotely. Valencia admitted to police that he had been involved in the robbery and assault. He was charged on June 5, and he said that he had brandished a firearm at the victim while the robbery was occurring. Salazar was arrested and later charged on June 6. According to documents, he was Shaws roommate, and photos from Shaws phone showed him sitting next to property stolen from the victim on the day of the robbery. Shaw, Jones, Lilly, Salazar, and Valencia have all been booked into the Weber County Jail and are being held without bail. Latest headlines: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade struggled to comprehend just how badly President Donald Trump and Elon Musks bubbling feud dramatically escalated during Thursdays back-and-forth. The Epstein file thing was way over the top and just crazyto say that Trump was in the Epstein files. I mean, what are you doing? Kilmeade said Friday morning. Sometimes when people get drunk, they do crazy things. But this is a total escalation. The simmering tensions between Trump and Musk reached a very public boiling point as the pair exchanged a series of threats and attacks on social media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This included Trump saying Musk went crazy over his plan to remove an electric vehicle (EV) mandate from his One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and suggesting the easiest way to save billions of dollars from the budget would be to terminate the government subsidies that Musks tech companies receive. Brian Kilmeade also suggested that Elon Musk may be willing de-escalate his public feud with Donald Trump. / MANDEL NGAN / Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images Musk retaliated in a series of posts on X, including claiming, Without me, Trump would have lost the election, and reposting calls for the president to be impeached and replaced with JD Vance. Musk also suggested Trumps sweeping tariffs will cause the U.S. to fall into a recession before dropping the really big bomb that escalated the feud even further. Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public, Musk wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jeffrey Epstein, the billionaire financier, died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting federal sex-trafficking charges. He was known for having a series of high-profile friends, such as former President Bill Clinton and Britains Prince Andrew. Epstein and Trump were at the very least acquaintances, with the pair sometimes hanging out together at the presidents Mar-a-Lago resort in the 1990s. In a 2002 interview with New York magazine, Trump praised Epstein as a terrific guy he had known for 15 years. Hes a lot of fun to be with, Trump said. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. Jeffrey Epstein (left) and Donald Trump posing together at Mar-a-Lago in 1997. / Davidoff Studios/Getty Images The Justice Department has vowed to release files related to Epstein. So far, Attorney General Pam Bondi has only authorized the release of documents previously leaked but never released in a formal capacity by the government in February. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is no evidence Trump was connected to or aware of Epsteins crimes, with the pair said to have fallen out over a Palm Beach real estate deal in 2004. Discussing the bust-up between Trump and Musk, Kilmeade suggested that the tech billionaires opposition to Trumps mega bill shows he doesnt know how to achieve compromise in politics. He doesnt understand that Donald Trump has to make [Republican Congressman] Mike Lawler happy in New York, and hes got to make every conservative congressman in Texas happy, Kilmeade said. Hes got to conduct an orchestra where the bassoon is having a fight with the oboe and the trumpets dont like the saxophone. All Trump has to do is get the song done. And what Musk does is say, If I dont agree with the saxophone and the oboe, I dont want to play. On a recent episode of The Ingraham Angle, Fox News host Laura Ingraham called out both President Donald Trump and Elon Musk amidst the former allies public dispute. Following Musks departure from the Department of Government Efficiency, his opposition to the Big Beautiful Bill, and his subsequent spat with Trump, Ingraham suggested that Trump should simply disengage from the discourse. She also acknowledged both sides of the pairs argument. Ingraham praised the value of Musks enormous financial contribution to Trumps presidential campaign, and said he was like the Thomas Edison of our time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He sacrificed for America personally and professionally, and he wanted to make the Trump presidency happen, and it did, Ingraham said. But Ingraham also disagreed with Musks assertion on X that Trump had displayed such ingratitude, saying that Trump showed his thanks by giving Elon Musk a seat at almost every table. He had more influence and more access to Trump personally than any other cabinet member in political history, at least modern political history, she added. She also said that many aspects of the Big Beautiful Bill that Musk opposed are pretty much what Trump campaigned on, and Musk had to know this, citing policies like no tax on tips, no tax on social security, and increases in military spending. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Trump wasnt safe from criticism, either, and Ingraham disagreed with the presidents reaction to the fallout with Musk. Musk is his own person, she said. The government contracts that he has stand on their own merit. They shouldnt be called into question. Threatening to pull them, thats not wise, when five minutes ago, you were, you know, of course hailing Musks work in helping rescue the stranded Americans in space. As Ingraham said this, a Truth Social post from Trump about terminating Musks governmental subsidies and contracts appeared on the screen behind her. More on Politics Read the original article on MassLive. France is scaling back expectations for the recognition of Palestinian statehood ahead of a key United Nations conference in New York, saying commitments by Middle Eastern players are needed. President Emmanuel Macron had previously pointed to the event, set for June 1720, as a possible moment for such a move. But French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Friday that recognition would be conditional and must be part of an international effort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "France is determined to recognize Palestine, but will not do so alone," Barrot told French broadcaster RTL. At the upcoming conference, France is aiming "in particular to bring the Palestinian Authority and the Arab countries in the region on board so that they commit to removing all obstacles to the establishment and existence of a Palestinian state," Barrot said. He emphasized the need to confront the role of the militant group Hamas in Gaza: "There is, of course, an absolute necessity to address the issue of disarming Hamas, because there is no future and no stability for Gaza and Palestine without excluding Hamas." Barrot said that France was deliberately refraining from making a mere symbolic gesture. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We could have taken a decision with symbolic significance, France could have taken it," he said. "But if we do it, it will be to change things and ensure that the existence of the State of Palestine becomes more credible and possible." Nearly 150 UN member states have recognized Palestinian statehood, but key Western powers like the United States, Britain, France and Germany have not. Conversely, Israel remains unrecognized by several states in the region, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria. Macron has also said he is seeking mutual recognition at the conference, urging pro-Palestinian countries to formally recognize Israel as part of a broader diplomatic initiative. France is scaling back expectations for the recognition of Palestinian statehood ahead of a key United Nations conference in New York, saying commitments by Middle Eastern players are needed. President Emmanuel Macron had previously pointed to the event, set for June 1720, as a possible moment for such a move. But French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Friday that recognition would be conditional and must be part of an international effort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "France is determined to recognize Palestine, but will not do so alone," Barrot told French broadcaster RTL. At the upcoming conference, France is aiming "in particular to bring the Palestinian Authority and the Arab countries in the region on board so that they commit to removing all obstacles to the establishment and existence of a Palestinian state," Barrot said. He emphasized the need to confront the role of the militant group Hamas in Gaza: "There is, of course, an absolute necessity to address the issue of disarming Hamas, because there is no future and no stability for Gaza and Palestine without excluding Hamas." Barrot said that France was deliberately refraining from making a mere symbolic gesture. "We could have taken a decision with symbolic significance, France could have taken it," he said. "But if we do it, it will be to change things and ensure that the existence of the State of Palestine becomes more credible and possible." TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) In honor of Juneteenth, the Indiana State Museum and Historical Sites will offer free admission to all of its locations across the state on Saturday, June 21. Juneteenth is a federal holiday recognized on June 19 and commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States following the Civil War. Three locations in southwest Indiana Angel Mounds, New Harmony, and Vincennes State Historical Sites will welcome visitors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. as a way to celebrate the holiday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The beginners guide to celebrating Juneteenth Angel Mounds State Historical Site in Evansville: The Indiana State Museum and Historical Sites said visitors at the Angel Mounds State Historical Site will be able to explore the newly transformed interpretive center, which showcases the modern perspective of native descendants of the Mississippi culture from 1100-1450 A.D. Attendees will also be able to learn how the mounds were created to align with certain celestial events, such as the summer and winter solstices, and the special meaning this site has in todays world. Juneteenth at WH: Black history is American history New Harmony State Historical Site: During visitors trip to the New Harmony State Historical Site, they will be able to hear stories of the early utopian communities the Harmonists and the Owenites that once called the area home. Visitors will also be able to walk the halls of the Fauntleroy House and Thralls Opera House buildings early utopian communities left behind. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Indiana State Museum and Historical Sites said tours will offer tours at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., CDT. Community House No. 2 will also be open throughout the day for guests to explore during self-guided tours. ISU holds Juneteenth celebration on campus Vincennes State Historical Site: At the Vincennes State Historical Site, visitors can learn more about Indianas time as a territory by exploring the states oldest town and former territorial capital from 1800-1813. Guided tours will be offered at the original Territory Capital building, the Jefferson Academy, the Elihu Stout print shop and the Old French House, offering visitors insight on what life was like during Indianas territorial period. Building tours will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., EDT. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Guests can also learn more about the areas importance as an early military outpost during self-guided tours at Fort Knox II. The Indiana State Museum and Historical Site said the tours are first-come, first-served, and advanced registration is encouraged by calling the sites directly. Visitors can also go to their website for more information. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyWabashValley.com. June 6 is National Gun Violence Awareness Day, and to commemorate this event, Public Health Seattle & King Countys Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention is partnering with community organizations and South King County cities to host free gun lockbox giveaway events throughout King County. Each event will feature remarks from community safety experts and local government leaders, gun safety education, and free gun lockbox giveaways. These events are free and open to all, and lockboxes will be distributed while supplies last. Free community lockbox giveaway events on June 6: Seattle Lockbox Giveaway, hosted with Community Passageways Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Time: 9 10:30 am Location: Parking lot at 23rd Ave - 2300 S Jackson St, Seattle Renton Lockbox Giveaway, hosted with Freedom Project Time: 1 2:30 pm Location: Renton Community Center - 1715 Maple Valley Hwy, Renton Kent Lockbox Giveaway, hosted with Community Passageways Time: 2:30 4 pm Location: City Hall Square 220 4th Ave S, Kent Skyway Lockbox Giveaway, hosted with Urban Family Time: 3 5 pm Location: Grocery Outlet parking lot 11656 68th Ave S, Seattle Burien Lockbox Giveaway, hosted with Progress Pushers Time: 4 5:30 pm Location: Burien City Town Square - 400 SW 152nd St, Burien Auburn Lockbox Giveaway, hosted with The City of Auburn Time: 4 5:30 pm Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Location: Auburn City Hall - 25 W Main St, Auburn Federal Way Lockbox Giveaway, hosted with Progress Pushers Time: 4 5:30 pm Location: Federal Way Community Center - 876 South 333rd St, Federal Way Safe firearm storage is the best way to reduce the risk of unintentional shootings and injury, and prevent firearms from being stolen and misused by others. In order to help increase safe firearm storage, Public Health runs the Lock It Up program. Everyone who owns firearms can take action by locking up their guns, whether in their home or car. Americas biggest threat to freedom of the press is its establishment media. This is the inescapable conclusion coming from the medias flurry of apologies over their response during the last four years two biggest events: the administrations manipulation of the public during the COVID pandemic and Bidens incapacitation in office. Through both, the establishment media were at least derelict in their duty; at worst they were accessories. On Feb. 26, the New York Times printed David Wallace-Wells opinion piece, "The Covid Alarmists Were Closer to the Truth Than Anyone Else." It was a confession not just for a paper but for an industry. Following hot on the heels of pandemic apologies, confessions have cascaded from Biden administration insiders and mainstream reporters about what they saw of the presidents declining performance and the administrations increasingly aggressive compensation for it. There is a push, particularly on the part of the establishment media and the elites on whom they depend, to let bygones be bygones and reputations return to what they were. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not so fast, it must not be so easy. The pandemic response struck at the core of how American society operated; the presidents inability to function struck at the core of American constitutional government. The establishment medias response to both struck at the core of the First Amendments freedom of the press. Beyond consequential, these issues are constitutional. Throughout the COVID crisis, the establishment media failed to report objectively. On issue after issue -the Wuhan lab leak theory, vaccine efficacy, social distancing, herd immunity, school closures, and refusal to reevaluate positions as new data emerged - the establishment media locked arms with the administration around an enforced consensus. Missouri v. Biden confirmed that the administration was censoring dissenters and pressuring social media platforms to do likewise. Recalling administration efforts to dictate Metas content, Mark Zuckerberg stated: "Basically, these people from the Biden administration would call up our team and, like, scream at them and curse." Questioners of the enforced COVID consensus - including experts such as those who signed the Great Barrington Declaration - were censored and vilified. For the most part, the establishment media stood silently by or joined the chorus against them. What they didnt do was investigate and ask the questions that informed dissenters were raising: they did not report; they did not do their job. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Listening to revelations from administration staff, celebrity Biden supporters, and establishment media members, virtually everyone in Washington was in on the "secret" of Bidens incapacity. Far from a technical, or even a political, point, presidential incapacity undermines constitutional government. Federal power was purposely placed in a single head - not a cabinet, not the legislative branch, and certainly not unelected staff - to execute our laws. To have the executive branch function otherwise is a violation of the Constitution itself. For how long was Bidens presidential capacity questioned? Who was running the country during these periods? Why was the 25th Amendment not invoked? All these questions and more are still valid, but even more: Why was the establishment media not asking these questions at the time - when they now confirm that they suspected or knew. Clearly more than just friendly to the administration, the establishment media had unparalleled access to the president and his staff. This means unparalleled opportunities to know and ask and investigate. If they suspected, it was their job to investigate; if they knew, it was their job to report. They did neither, as their mea culpas now implicitly confirm. Through the two biggest stories of the last four years, the establishment media were little more than the three monkeys, sitting without hearing, seeing, or speaking. Their stance then and exculpatory attempts now call into question freedom of the presss value if the press decide to not use it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For freedom of the press to work, to have meaning, it must be a two-way street. Certainly, it must be protected, as under the First Amendment. However, to be truly free it must also be exercised. This free exercise was the reason the right was enshrined in the Constitution. All the Constitutions provisions, both directly or through their representatives and the states, ultimately exist to protect the citizenry. Without the presss exercise of its right, this freedom becomes worse than a dead letter: It becomes a ruse. Citizens are not simply uninformed; they are left with the mistaken impression that they have been informed. It was an informed citizenry on which the Constitutions designers rested the government; if the establishment media fails to inform - as they did - the government on which it rests is also threatened. As it was. J.T. Young is the author of the recent book Unprecedented Assault: How Big Government Unleashed Americas Socialist Left from RealClear Publishing and has over three decades experience working in Congress, the Department of Treasury, the Office of Management and Budget, and representing a Fortune 20 company. ST. LOUIS Long dubbed the Ag Coast of America, St. Louis remains a crucial hub capable of handling auto, river, and rail freight across the country and beyond. On Thursday, important international guests joined a local delegation on a riverboat cruise to see the regions multi-modal freight network from a unique vantage point. On the cruise, theyre going to learn about rail and barge and trucking and how all those modes of transportation interact, Mary Lamie, Bi-State Developments executive vice president of multi modal enterprises, said. Youre going to see ports and conveyor belts and what makes the St. Louis region the Ag Coast of America and most efficient inland port system in the nation. Starting under the Arch, the Tom Sawyer riverboat took off on a cruise upstream Thursday morning the Midcoast Ag Tour. Onboard were educators, guidance counselors, a group from Argentina, along with civic leaders and business owners. Touring infrastructure improvements like the $222 million Merchants Bridge reconstruction in 2022 and businesses like Ingram Infrastructure group, who invested in St. Louis, adding jobs and opportunities into the economy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Caught on Camera: Tornado likely struck near De Soto, Missouri In St. Louis, we are investing $50 million over the next three years, Dan Lester, senior vice president of business development for Ingram Infrastructure, said. A combination of private and grant funds to revitalize the facilities on the Missouri and Illinois sides. Touting the regions assets along the river, from barge to rail and freight, the St. Louis Regional Freightway hosted the cruise as part of FreightWeekSTL2025. We are on an exploring mission visiting the United States and Midwest corn belt ecosystem, Gonzalo Valenci, executive director of Cordoba Innovate and Entrepreneur Agency, said. Weve brought 30 people, mixing farmers, producers, public officials, startups, and universities. So, we can visit the state-of-the-art where the agriculture is happening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Missouri educators on the trip got to learn of the career possibilities; knowledge they could take back downstream with them and pass along to their students. Thats been the benefit of this whole experience, Marc Reid, business teacher at Jennings High School, said. Just really getting a chance to see whats available in the marketplace for our students, so they can really take advantage of and start contributing to the St. Louis economy and getting really good jobs. So, its exciting and I cant wait to take it back to my students. With its location in the center of the county St. Louis leaders from the bi-state area showcased the multimodal freight network, roads and bridges, rail and barge, ports and infrastructure. Taking it all in, at a nice cruising speed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. (Corrects location of city of Rafah in 10th para) PARIS (Reuters) -A French rabbi was attacked on Friday for the second time in a week, he told Reuters, reflecting a broad rise in hate crimes across France that has included high-profile anti-Semitic assaults. Elie Lemmel said he was sitting at a cafe in the Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine on Friday when he was hit in the head by a chair. "I found myself on the ground, I immediately felt blood flowing," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was stunned and unsure what exactly had happened, he said, initially thinking something must have fallen from a window or roof, before it occurred to him he had been attacked. "Unfortunately, given my beard and my kippah, I suspected that was probably why, and it's such a shame," he said. Friday's incident follows another in the town of Deauville in Normandy last week, when Lemmel said he was punched in the stomach by an unknown assailant. Lemmel said he was used to "not-so-friendly looks, some unpleasant words, people passing by, spitting on the ground," but had never been physically assaulted before the two attacks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The prosecutor's office in Nanterre said it had opened an investigation into the Neuilly attack for violence aggravated by the fact that it was committed on religious grounds. A man being held for questioning at the Neuilly-sur-Seine police station underwent a psychiatric examination that required his hospitalization, it said. According to German-language identity documents found in his possession, the 28-year-old man was born in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. "This act sickens us," former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal wrote on X regarding Friday's incident involving Lemmel. "Antisemitism, like all forms of hatred, is a deadly poison for our society." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, five Jewish institutions were sprayed with green paint in Paris. "Attacking a person because of their faith is a shame. The increase in anti-religious acts requires the mobilization of everyone," Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on X. France has seen a rise in hate crimes. Last year, police recorded an 11% rise in racist, xenophobic or antireligious crimes, according to official data published in March. The figures did not include a breakdown by attacks on different religions. (Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter, Antony Paone, Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Hugh Lawson) Finnish company Valmet has revised its financial reporting structure to better reflect its new strategy and operating model. The new operating model and reporting structure will be effective from 1 July 2025. The revised structure will see Valmet reporting under two main segments, Biomaterial Solutions and Services and Process Performance Solutions. The biomaterial segment will offer technology solutions and services for the life cycle of customers in the pulp, paper, and energy industries. It is divided into three business areas: Pulp, Energy and Circularity; Packaging and Paper; and Tissue. These business areas will focus on integrating technology deliveries with life cycle services to enhance customer proximity and value creation. Process Performance Solutions, meanwhile, will provide flow control technologies and automation solutions, serving a wide range of customer industries globally. This segment includes the Flow Control business area and the Automation Solutions business area. For each business area, Valmet will disclose orders received, net sales, and personnel numbers. The company will also continue to provide financial data for five geographical areas: North America, Central America, EMEA, China, and Asia-Pacific. The new reporting structure aligns with Valmet management's approach to monitoring operational performance. Financial information will be restated to reflect the new structure in the January-September 2025 Interim Review, with unaudited data for 2024 and the first quarter of 2025 provided for comparison. In the first quarter of 2025, both segments received total orders worth 1.3bn ($1.5bn) and recorded net sales of 1.18bn. Valmet has also outlined its 2030 financial targets, aiming for a 5% organic net sales growth over the cycle, a comparable earnings before interest, taxes, and amortisation margin (EBITDA) of 15%, a comparable return on capital employed before taxes of 20%, and maintaining gearing below 50%. The company has set strategic missions for each segment. The Biomaterial Solutions and Services segment aims to advance circularity, with a focus on life cycle services, innovation towards circularity, and product cost competitiveness. It targets doubling organic growth in biomaterial services to 8% and reaching a 14% comparable EBITA margin by 2030. The Process Performance Solutions segment's mission is to unlock resource efficiency, with priorities such as leading life cycle value, customer-focused innovation, and growth in high-quality technologies. By 2030, this segment aims to accelerate organic growth to over double the market rate and achieve a 20% comparable EBITA margin. A sign warns of a sled dog crossing along Old Murphy Dome Road outside Fairbanks. The road leads to a site where an Australian company called Felix Gold could begin mining antimony. (Max Graham/Northern Journal) Alaska hasnt produced antimony a shiny mineral used in weapons, flame retardants and solar panels in almost 40 years. That could change this summer, according to the executives of a Texas company that has snatched up more than 35,000 acres of mining claims in Alaska. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dallas-based U.S. Antimony Corp. is looking to the state as a new source of antimony for its smelter in Montana, the only plant in the United States that refines the mineral. Alaskas antimony, the company says, could help the U.S. overcome a recent ban on exports of the mineral from China, the worlds top antimony producer. Antimony is among several minerals many of which are used in renewable energy that the U.S. has sourced primarily from China and other countries in recent decades. Efforts to build more mines in the U.S. have accelerated amid worsening trade tensions and growing demand. With no active antimony mines, the U.S. in recent years has imported roughly 60% of its antimony from China. Meanwhile, need for the mineral has surged as antimony-laden arms flow to wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. The price of the mineral has quadrupled in the past year, rising from around $13,000 to $55,000 per ton. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Antimony is now expanding its Montana smelter and rushing to find more ore to supply it. Alaska is its primary focus for boosting production, an executive said in an interview last week. In the past eight months, a U.S. Antimony subsidiary, Great Land Minerals, has acquired claims in three different areas of Alaskas Interior: outside Fairbanks; near the small town of Tok; and along the Maclaren River off the Denali Highway, a scenic road that runs outside the national park. U.S. Antimony says its looking to truck antimony ore some 2,000 miles from Alaska to its processing plant in Montana. That operation could start as soon as September, executives said on a recent call with investors. We cant get that antimony from Alaska to Montana fast enough, Joe Bardswich, U.S. Antimonys chief mining officer, said on the call. A chunk of stibnite, which contains more than 70% antimony, from Felix Golds Treasure Creek project near Fairbanks. (Max Graham/Northern Journal) The companys plans coincide with a separate effort by an Australian company to start up its own small-scale antimony mine near Fairbanks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Felix Gold is seeking to restart production this year at a long-shuttered antimony mine that sits within a few miles of a residential subdivision, Hattie Creek. The company also is eyeing prospects near the hamlet of Ester on the outskirts of Fairbanks where U.S. Antimonys subsidiary has claims, too. The potential developments are generating a mix of responses locally. Some residents worry about environmental impacts of mining and its potential to transform tranquil Fairbanks-area neighborhoods into noisy industrial sites. I dont want to be all NIMBY. But it literally is my backyard, said Lisbet Norris, who lives in Hattie Creek, about 10 miles north of downtown Fairbanks. Its just so close. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Norris, a dog musher, runs sled tours on trails that cross Felix Golds claims on state land, and shes concerned that mining might impede her business. Shes also worried about heavy industrial use of the dirt road that connects her neighborhood and Felix Golds potential operations to the rest of town. Other Fairbanks residents, however, say they support mining in the area; some cite the towns early history as a gold mining town and the potential economic benefits of new mines. Its because of mining that Fairbanks is what it is, said Roger Burggraf, a local prospector who owns some of the claims that Felix Gold has leased to study the feasibility of antimony mining. Roger Burggraf is leasing mining claims to one of the companies looking for antimony in the Fairbanks area. (Max Graham/Northern Journal) Burggraf said he understands the concerns of people who live near gold and antimony prospects. But when they bought their properties, they should have realized that if a mine developed, that might change their lifestyle, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Felix Gold has a permit only for mineral exploration, not active mining. The company aims later this year to apply for additional state permits, and to finish studying the profitability of developing a small antimony mine near the Hattie Creek subdivision. U.S. Antimony also has applied only for a permit to search for antimony, though it hopes to apply for more permits and start mining within a year. If its exploration efforts show a mine would be profitable, it would propose an underground operation, said Rodney Blakestad, U.S. Antimonys vice president of mining. The footprint would be small, more similar to the family-run placer mines in the area than to a large-scale hardrock mine, according to Blakestad. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were not Fort Knox, he said, referring to Fairbanks huge open pit gold mine. But before U.S. Antimony begins mining, it wants to buy antimony ore from existing placer gold mines. Antimony often appears alongside more-valuable gold, and gold miners have typically thrown it aside. Now that antimony prices are surging, though, U.S. Antimony representatives say every little bit is valuable. A 25-ton truck could carry some $600,000 worth of minerals, Bardswich said in an interview. That means small loads of antimony ore from shallow, exploratory trenches that the company intends to dig at its Alaska prospects this summer also could be worth driving 2,000 miles to the Montana smelter, company executives said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the meantime, they intend to launch an advertising campaign to share their interest in buying the mineral from placer miners. People dont realize this: Gold is not the best mineral to be mining, if youre looking for really good value, said Blakestad. Antimony is. Northern Journal contributor Max Graham can be reached at max@northernjournal.com. Hes interested in any and all mining related stories, as well as introductory meetings with people in and around the industry. This article was originally published in Northern Journal, a newsletter from Nathaniel Herz. Subscribe at this link. SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) An evasive fugitive was taken into custody by the Tom Green County Sheriffs Office Special Response Team on Thursday, June 5, in San Angelo. According to the Tom Green County Sheriffs Office, the fugitive, Steven A. West, 43-year-old male, was actively evading law enforcement for Felon in Possession of a Firearm charges and other offenses. 5 vehicle crash sends 1 person to the hospital Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement West was considered a flight risk and was taken into custody without incident. He was then booked into the TGC Detention Center, where he awaits further legal proceedings. This operation is a testament to the dedication of our team and their commitment to keeping our community safe, said Sheriff Nick Hanna. No injuries were reported during the operation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com. A 32-year-old Army veteran accused of murdering his three young daughters in rural Washington State had searched the internet a few days earlier for information on how to quietly slip across the border into Canada, according to a U.S. Marshals Service affidavit obtained first by The Independent. Authorities began searching last Friday for sisters Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5, after they didnt return from a scheduled visitation with dad Travis Caleb Decker. On Monday afternoon, Decker's 2017 GMC Sierra pickup was found near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington. The bodies of all three girls were found about 75 to 100 yards away, their wrists zip-tied and a bag over each of their heads, apparently suffocated, police said. Decker, however, was nowhere to be found. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over the next two days, investigators obtained and served multiple search warrants for records contained in Deckers Google accounts, the Marshals affidavit states. I reviewed the Google-provided records containing some of the Google searches that occurred on 05/26/2025 using Deckers Google account, Deputy U.S. Marshal Keegan Stanley wrote. These Google searches included the following: how does a person move to canada, how to relocate to canada and jobs canada. After the above-listed Google searches, he visited the site Find a job - Canada.ca. Decker has extensive training in wilderness survival and may have fled to Canada, according to investigators (Chelan County Sheriff's Office) The affidavit notes that the childrens remains were found relatively close to the Canadian border and approximately 11 miles from the Pacific Crest Trail, a well-established trail that leads directly to Canada. Decker, who is now wanted on three counts each of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping, has training in navigation, woodland/mountainous terrain, long distance movements, survival and numerous other disciplines needed to be able to flee, the affidavit goes on. He is also facing an additional federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prior to the above alleged crimes, Decker frequently recreated in outdoor, woodland and mountainous areas throughout the Eastern District of Washington and surrounding states, it says. Amongst other outdoorsman activities, Decker frequently engaged in hiking, camping, survival skill practice, hunting and even lived off the grid in the backwoods for approximately 2.5 months on one occasion. The affidavit points out that the charges against Decker are all very serious violent felonies which all carry significant prison sentences if convicted, and that those facing significant prison sentences have a propensity to flee. In the aftermath of the triple homicide, a very public national campaign to locate Decker, was launched, and it is publicly known there is a warrant for his arrest, the affidavit states. Attorney Arianna Cozart, who represents Decker's ex, Whitney, said Thursday that there had been no red flags leading up to the death of the three girls. At the same time Decker reportedly struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and was unable to access sufficient resources to deal with it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He had some mental health issues and some instability in his life that really led to the restrictions as far as overnight visitation or him taking them out of the area, but other than that, he loved those girls very much and him and Whitney were able to communicate on a regular basis, not just as co-parents, but as friends, Cozart told ABC News. Cozart did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. A GoFundMe campaign set up four days ago by a longtime friend of Whitney Decker has so far raised more than $1 million. In it, organizer Amy Edwards, the music director of a local Shakespeare program who taught the Decker children, said their joy touched so many. The bodies of sisters Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5, were discovered on Monday near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington, but their suspect father was nowhere to be found (Wenatchee Police Department) Their loss is unimaginable, but the compassion weve received from this community and beyond has brought light into this darkness, the GoFundMe page tells prospective donors. Thank you for continuing to hold Whitney close in your hearts. Your support is not only helping her through this tragedy, its also carrying forward the love and spirit her daughters brought into the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deckers current location is unknown, the Marshals affidavit says. Authorities have asked anyone who lives in a remote area of Chelan, Kittitas, King, Snohomish, and Okanogan counties to lock all of their doors, secure any sheds or outbuildings, and leave their window blinds open and outside lights on. Due to safety concerns do not attempt to contact or approach Decker, the Chelan County Sheriffs Office said in a news release. Decker is white, 5-feet, 8-inches tall and190 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a light-colored shirt and dark shorts. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call 911 or submit an online tip to the Chelan County Sheriffs Office. SALEM, Ohio (WKBN) A convicted felon from Ravenna was arrested in a prostitution sting in Salem Thursday. Read next: 2 charged in local romantic rendezvous robberies Investigators say 34-year-old Erick Stewart responded to an undercover ad and agreed to pay $60 for sex. When he arrived and saw the police, he tried to drive away but got stuck in traffic and was arrested. Stewart, a known gang member with a violent criminal past, is on probation in Portage County. Hes now in the Columbiana County Jail facing multiple charges, including engaging in prostitution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. BRYAN, Texas (FOX 44) A member of a Bryan street gang has been sentenced to prison for a violent Burglary of a Habitation. The Brazos County District Attorneys Office says Judge David Hilburn sentenced Jordan Webber to 35 years in prison on Wednesday. Webber was also sentenced to 20 years in prison for two counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and one year in county jail for Failure to Identify and Evading Arrest. Webber and two juveniles originally kicked down the front door of his ex-girlfriends apartment on September 16, 2023. All three were wearing ski masks and carrying firearms. This was after they discovered her new boyfriend was inside. Webbers two-month-old daughter and his ex-girlfriends sister were also in the apartment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The D.A.s Office says Webber determined the new boyfriend was hiding in a bedroom closet. After kicking in the bedroom door, Webber instructed one of his co-conspirators to shoot into the closet. He also instructed the co-conspirator to shoot his ex-girlfriends sister. Dispute between Killeen neighbors leads to gunshots, one arrested Webber then fled the residence while firing off four shots into the apartment in the direction of the closet. Despite eight shots being fired, no one was injured in the incident. The D.A.s Office says when officers went to arrest Webber days later, he evaded from police and attempted to hide in a garbage can. His efforts to avoid detention were thwarted by well-prepared Bryan Police officers who anticipated Webber would attempt to evade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Webber and his co-defendants are documented members of a local criminal street gang. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KWKT - FOX 44. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) The City of Albuquerque has poured tens of millions of dollars over the past several years to create the Gateway Center, in hopes of helping hundreds of people get back on their feet and find housing. For the first time, KRQE News 13 got a chance to speak with some of the residents about their experience and how its opening new opportunities for them. Homelessness does not discriminate, said Adrienne, a resident at the center. Story continues below Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For 13 years, Adrienne and her partner, Lisa, lived in an apartment together in Albuquerque. That was until the day Lisa was shot in the head in October, which led to costly medical bills and an eviction notice. Oddly enough, we lost everything we owned, Lisa said. After getting evicted, it was only a couple of days before they were welcomed at Albuquerques Gateway Center. By Gods good graces, Im still here, and the worst that came out of this is we got to start over a little bit, Lisa said. Its been two weeks since they arrived, and they say theyre making good progress on finding a new home for themselves. Lisa says she does not have a job, identification, or a cell phone, but that caseworkers at the center are helping her. Theyre also working to get her an EBT card. If youre willing to utilize the resources that theyre giving you, then youre going to succeed, Adrienne said. If youre not, then youre going to go out and say all these kinds of bad stuff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adrienne, however, does have a job, but stays at the center as the eviction process and apartment search play out. The city has faced scrutiny over the center, with the public questioning the millions spent and its success. Lisa and Adrienne say their experience is much different than what some people may think or hear about the center. [It] focuses on getting peoples lives back together, Lisa said. Focuses on what the reality of going back out there is. According to Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, about 500 people have gone through housing navigation at Gateway since the start of the year. About 20% of them have found some sort of housing. Youre either going to step up and help yourself, or were going to go ahead and rotate through and get somebody who wants to step up and help themselves, Lisa added. The couple plans on moving to a new place in the next several months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Jon Voight, one of President Donald Trumps three Hollywood ambassadors, met in Century City on Thursday to discuss the actors Make Hollywood Great Again proposal, TheWrap has learned. The group discussed their shared commitment to supporting the television and film industry, including the Governors proposed $750 million investment in Californias film and television industry, which will protect good-paying jobs and support the workers who power the states creative economy, the governors office shared in a statement to TheWrap. From construction crews and electricians to costumers and lighting technicians, these below-the-line crews are the backbone of a vital California industry, the statement continued. This investment will help ensure they can keep doing what they do best crafting stories, building careers and keeping the Golden State the global leader in entertainment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former Warner Bros. executive Dee Dee Myers, who is Senior Advisor to the Governor and Director of Go Biz; Steven Paul and Scott Karol were also present. They shared a commitment to working together to help to build up the film industry in the U.S. particularly California and Los Angeles, Politico further reported. The meeting came as Californias $750 million film tax credit plan remains in the air as state budget cuts have slowed the process. The pair of California Film & TV Jobs Act bills passed their first floor votes in Sacramento this week, though its unclear if Trumps tariffs and/or Los Angeles wildfire recovery efforts will impact the outcome. If successful, the bills would expand the types of productions that are eligible for tax incentives, offer a 35% tax rate to L.A.-based productions and increase the programs cap from $330 million to $750 million. Newsom also previously suggested a $7.5 billion film and TV national tax incentive program last month. The Oscar-winning actors May proposal included a carrot-and-stick approach, mixing tax incentives, foreign film tariffs and co-production treaties to encourage U.S. movie production. Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone are Trumps other two Hollywood ambassadors. The post Gavin Newsom Meets Privately With Trump Ambassador Jon Voight in LA appeared first on TheWrap. LOS ANGELES The exodus of movie and television production from California has brought together an unlikely duo working to stem the tide: California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Jon Voight, the actor-turned-show biz emissary for President Donald Trump. The pair met privately Thursday afternoon in Century City, the sleek Los Angeles business district, to discuss their shared interest in boosting the states iconic industry, which has increasingly moved its operations to other states and overseas. They discussed Voights proposal to reshore the American film industry through a combination of federal tax credits and tax code changes, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting granted anonymity to discuss it. They also talked about Newsoms push to double Californias film tax incentive, which is currently winding its way through state budget talks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They shared a commitment to working together to help to build up the film industry in the U.S. particularly California and Los Angeles, the person said, adding that Newsom expressed interest in working with Trump on the issue. Voight, the Midnight Cowboy star who Trump designated a special ambassador to Hollywood , has become an increasingly visible figure in the efforts to stanch runaway production. He was joined Thursday by his business partner, Steven Paul, and producer Scott Karol, who have been meeting with studio executives, labor leaders and Trump himself at Mar-a-Lago to pitch their draft plan to rescue the industry. Voights proposal includes harsh tariffs on producers who could have based their productions in the states but chose instead to film abroad, though tariffs were not discussed in his sit-down with Newsom, according to the person familiar with the discussion. Tariff talk has subsided in recent weeks after Trump vowed to impose a 100 percent tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands. The missive immediately rocked and confused the industry . A Newsom aide confirmed the meeting took place and said the governor, while focused on the California tax credit now, is open to all good ideas. A representative for Voight also confirmed the meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also present was DeeDee Myers, Newsoms chief economic adviser and director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development. Myers, a former executive at Warner Brothers, has been a key player in the effort to double Californias film tax credit and overhaul the program to make filming in California more enticing. Local production has shriveled in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, two paralyzing industry strikes and more aggressive incentives from other jurisdictions. Newsoms office reaffirmed Thursday that the tax credit expansion was a top priority for next years budget, which is entering its final negotiations before the June 15 deadline. The Governor is fully committed to this proposed $750 million investment in Californias film and television industry, which will protect good-paying jobs and support the workers who power the state's creative economy, said Tara Gallegos, a spokesperson for the governor. CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated the last name of Jon Voight's business partner, Steven Paul. Investors looking to benefit from the growth of private market giants like Blackstone, Brookfield, KKR and Apollo may be interested in VanEcks latest exchange-traded fund: the VanEck Alternative Asset Manager ETF (GPZ). Launched on Thursday, the fund provides targeted exposure to alternative asset managers, including leaders in private equity, venture capital, private credit, private infrastructure and private real estate, according to the firms press release. GPZ Brings Access to Big Names in Alternatives GPZ is designed to track the performance of the MarketVector Alternative Asset Managers Index. The index includes equity securities of publicly traded U.S., Canadian and developed European alternative asset management companies that are ultra-pure play, meaning at least 75% of their revenues come from private market activities. The aforementioned Blackstone, Brookfield, KKR and Apollo are currently the top holdings in the fund. Company weightings are capped at 12%. This is really pure growth exposure to the asset class, Brandon Rakszawski, director of product management with VanEck, told etf.com. He added that while there are legacy offerings that provide exposures to the market, what sets this fund apart is dedicated exposure to the managers as opposed to strategies that may have launched a decade ago. For instance, instead of offering exposure to the private credit market, GBZ offers exposure to the managers of those assets: Its more of an investment for investors who are looking for exposure to growth of the segment. The Growing Popularity of Private Market Strategies Private assets are one of the fastest-growing markets due to their potential for significant returns, high yields and diversification. Traditionally, only available to institutional investors and the wealthy, more asset managers are looking for ways to offer retail investors exposure to these opaque investments. Industry estimates project private markets growing from $13 trillion in 2025 to more than $20 trillion by 2030, according to a recent report from BlackRock. Rakszawski said GPZ came about as a result of immense client demand. Permalink | Copyright 2025 etf.com. All rights reserved California Governor Gavin Newsom ripped President Trump on Friday after CNN reported his administration is preparing to cancel a large swath of federal funding for state universities. Californians pay the bills for the federal government. We pay over $80 BILLION more in taxes than we get back, Newsom posted on X. Maybe its time to cut that off. Newsoms post included a screenshot of the CNN article on Friday that reported the Trump Administration is looking to cancel federal funds that go towards the University of California and California State University systems. Those two systems, as well as California community colleges, are projected to receive $7.3 billion in federal funds for the 2025-26 school year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No taxpayer should be forced to fund the demise of our country, White House spokesman Kush Desai told CNN. In particular, CNN said Desai criticized Newsoms state for its energy and immigration policies, among other issues with how California is run. No final decisions, however, on any potential future action by the Administration have been made, Desai added, and any discussion suggesting otherwise should be considered pure speculation. The potential funding cuts for California universities comes as the Trump Administration has signaled it is going to stop sending tax dollars to help with Californias high-speed rail project. The project, aiming to quickly connect the Bay Area to Los Angeles, started in 2008 but has made little progress since construction started in 2015. Voters approved spending $10 billion on it, but costs have since ballooned to more than $100 billion, the Associated Press reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Trump has indicated he wants to cut funding for California on other fronts as well. In a post on Truth Social last week, he said he wants to withhold federal funding because California continues to ILLEGALLY allow MEN TO PLAY IN WOMENS SPORTS. So far, California has spent $5 million of the $25 million it has set aside to fight the Trump Administration in court, CNN reported. The post Gavin Newsom Reacts to CNN Report That Trump Is Canceling Funding for the State: Californians Pay the Bills for the Federal Government appeared first on TheWrap. While Ukraine just pulled off an audacious and effective attack on Russias bomber fleet, Vladimir Putin is slow-walking Donald Trumps effort to nudge the warring countries toward peace talks and continuing to kill Ukrainian civilians, irritating the American president. Soon, Trump could have on his desk a sanctions bill that would do grave damage to Russias capacity to fund the war by targeting the countries still buying Moscows oil and gas, the lifeline of their economy. The measure, co-sponsored by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), has amassed a remarkable 82 sponsors and both Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson this week vocalized their support for confronting Russia. There may not be again such an opportune moment to squeeze Putin and finally force him to the negotiating table. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres only one hold-up: Trump doesnt seem to want to. Theres little indication he will publicly green-light Congress to send him the bill, let alone sign it were it to ever reach him, prerequisites for it to clear both chambers. In fact, on Wednesday the president, after speaking to Putin, released a statement previewing Russias reprisals for the airfield attack without any denunciation and intimated hed rather have Putins help with Iran than push the Russian strongman toward a ceasefire in Ukraine. By Thursday, Trump wasn't just offering punditry about Moscow's coming counter-attacks, he was portraying more fighting as inevitable and perhaps even useful, likening the two nations to children on a playground better left to fight it out till they each tire. The gap between GOP lawmakers eager to starve the Russian war machine and a president more interested in, as he says, getting along with Putin in hopes they can do great deals together has never been starker. And it is about to present a test of Republican leaders in Congress: Is there anything on which they will force Trumps hand? Probably not, but Putin may be the only person who can force the issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The most likely outcome is that Trump will continue to offer his patented two weeks to Putin, the war will drag on and GOP lawmakers will defer to the presidents wishes. Thats been the precedent. Putin rebuffs a ceasefire and keeps killing civilians, Trump gets annoyed and the hawks in his party seize the moment to offer the president attaboys in hopes hes about to turn on Putin. But he never does. Nobody from the partys interventionist wing has been as aggressive as Graham, who just returned from a trip to Kyiv and other European capitals. The wily South Carolinian keeps keeping hope alive, swooping in at every moment Trump vents about Putin to offer positive reinforcement. Wednesday night, Graham saw an opening when Trump posted a Marc Thiessen column in The Washington Post, which made the case that Congress could pass the sanctions bill as a warning and then sit on it, not sending it to Trump for his signature. It is clear to me that given Putins behavior and refusal to be reasonable, the Senate will soon provide President @realDonaldTrump with more tools in his toolbox, and they will not be carrots, Graham wrote, hopefully. On Thursday, Graham was at it again, flattering Trump by saying the president is the person who can end the war, even as Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he hadn't yet looked at a bill Graham has repeatedly discussed with him. Then, as if to dispel any doubt that he expected Congress to follow his lead, Trump said of GOP lawmakers: "They're waiting for me to decide on what to do." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet Congress doesnt even have to pass the bill: A single, overwhelming vote in just the Senate would deliver a resounding message to Moscow that Trump wields the proverbial sword over their neck. Thune this week said publicly, and in private to his GOP colleagues, that hes willing to bring Grahams bill to the floor before the July 4 recess. The White House hasnt offered encouragement, Im told by people close to the discussions, but has said they wont stand in the way if the Senate wants to pursue the measure. It was a If you guys feel you need to do it message, per Republicans. Of course, neither West Wing aides nor Republican lawmakers know what Trump will say on any given day about Putin. There is, however, real sentiment among Senate Republicans in favor of passing the measure, for leverage purposes if nothing else. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We should just do it, Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a staunch pro-Trump lawmaker, told me. Donald Trump can stop it or slow it over there [in the House]. But we can make our point, offer the muscle of the Senate so Donald Trump has the ability to say to Putin, Don't make me do this. Another Trump ally in the Senate said that, while Thune would prefer to bring up a bill with Trumps blessing, there is a scenario in which the Senate moves first to at least send a statement. Even Blumenthal has gotten in on the bit, spelling out how this could unfold with his Republican colleagues. The White House can stay neutral, Blumenthal said on MSNBCs Morning Joe this week. It can stay hands off, and Republicans will stand up to Putin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That said, such a scenario presumes that Trump would go along with the act and play his role, without reading the stage directions out loud. Because whats the point of handing Trump a loaded weapon if hes only going to put it down, log on to Truth Social and say he never asked for this bill? Still, some old Republican hands think even Senate passage would echo across the Atlantic and that Thune has his own hand to play with Trump. The act of moving it in the Senate would send a real signal, said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is in touch with Trump and recently helped steer the president away from his tax hike temptation. Gingrich, no stranger to legislative sorcery, said Thune could simply plead that its the will of his body and bring up the measure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When you have over 80 co-sponsors, you have an ability to say, Gee, I don't know how we can stop this, said the former speaker. Echoing Cramer, Gingrich said Trump should realize there are several steps between initial Senate passage and a bill on desk, but that even one chamber casting an overwhelming vote would convey a signal to Putin that things may get dramatically worse. The fundamental challenge for the hawks is that Trump is similarly annoyed at both Ukraine and Russia for prolonging the war and is unwilling to single Putin out. Pressed in the Oval Office Thursday about the moment he'd levy sanctions on Russia, Trump said "when I see the moment where it's not going to stop...we'll be very, very tough and it could be on both countries to be honest, you know it takes two to tango." Further, there are still some GOP holdouts in Congress. The Senate Republicans whove not co-sponsored the bill are a Whos Who of non-interventionists and more recent arrivals to the chamber who dont want to be for anything that Trump may oppose. This opposition wouldnt prevent passage, but it could prolong debate, particularly if the president is unwilling to offer public support and these lawmakers dont see any political risk in blocking the measure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet whats more striking is that any such piece of major foreign policy legislation could command over 80 supporters in a deeply polarized Senate. There is near-uniform recognition among Democrats of Putins malign ways. And most of the Republicans and certainly Thune still possess Cold War DNA when it comes to the Russians. I'd sure be happy if he did it, Cramer said of Thune, his longtime friend (they were young GOP executive directors in their respective Dakotas in the 1980s). Pass one for the Gipper, he urged. Id like to show the world that Ronald Reagan still lives in the heart of us, said Cramer. George Clooney anticipates that President Donald Trump will be finished soon. Speaking to Anderson Cooper in a Wednesday interview with CNN, Clooney confessed that although he worries about being targeted by Trump he believes its more important to not cower to fear. Everybody worries about it, Clooney told Cooper. But if you spend your life worrying about things, then you wont do things. We, like everybody, we have a family and we have a life and we try to live and do the things as the best example for our kids, Clooney, who shares twins Alexander and Ella with wife Amal Clooney, continued. I want to be able to look my kids in the eye and say where we stood and what we did at certain times in history. And I have no problem with that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The actor then argued against the prospect of Trumpism lasting beyond the presidents current term, saying that its success largely hinges on Trumps celebrity status and charisma. Hes a celebrity, and hes the president [of the] United States, and so he has been elected. Duly elected, fair deal. Im not complaining about that. Thats how it works. Thats how this democracy works, Clooney said But hes also a celebrity, and he is charming. And to the people who like him, they think hes funny. To a great many others, they dont. So when [Trump] is finishedand he will be finishedtheyre going to have to go looking for someone who can deliver the message that he delivered with the same kind of charisma, and they dont have that, the two-time Oscar winner concluded. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Clooney, an outspoken Democrat, has a storied rivalry with Trump that has heated up over the past year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a July 2024 Truth Social post, the president responded to an op-ed Clooney wrote for The New York Times calling on then-President Joe Biden to step down from the 2024 presidential ticket, and slammed him as a fake movie actor So now fake movie actor George Clooney, who never came close to making a great movie, is getting into the act, Trump wrote. Clooney should get out of politics and go back to television. Movies never really worked for him!!! The president criticized Clooney again in another Truth Social post in March, calling him a second rate movie star and failed political pundit. The Georgia Department of Public Health confirmed another unvaccinated metro Atlanta resident had been diagnosed with measles. The resident this time is a family member of the person who had been infected with measles while traveling outside of the United States, which was confirmed in May. Health officials say those who may have been in contact or exposed to either of the two individuals who have been confirmed to have measles were given the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine or antibodies to help reduce their risk of contracting the disease. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Georgia health officials are now monitoring the individuals who came into contact or were exposed to the two metro Atlanta residents with measles for symptoms. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] RELATED STORIES: At this time, no new cases of measles have been reported outside of the family, according to GaDPH. Health officials said the MMR vaccine is safe and effective and mentioned that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is based in the metro area, recommends that children receive their first dose of the MMR vaccine between 12 to 15 months of age and a second between four and six years old. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "More than 95% of the people who receive a single dose of MMR will develop immunity to all three viruses. A second dose boosts immunity, typically enhancing protection to 98%," GaDPH said. The department said this was the fifth case of measles reported in Georgia for 2025. In 2024, there were six cases reported in the state. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] POOLER, Ga. (WSAV) Pooler Mayor Karen Williams took to her Facebook page to assure residents that the city is aware of the power issue. The Facebook post read: The city is aware of the power outages and traffic signals that are down on Hwy 80. Around 650 GA Power customers are out of power. GA Power is already on Hwy 80 to address the issues. The outages are from Piggly Wiggly to S Rogers. There was no accident involved with this issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is an ongoing story. Stay with WSAV for updates to this situation as they are made available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSAV-TV. THE HAGUE, Netherlands The Ukraine Defense Contact Group is in for some changes aimed at streamlining international support for Ukraines defense, according to German officials. The group, which has played a key role in coordinating military aid for Kyiv, saw a leadership change earlier this year following the inauguration of Donald Trump as U.S. president. Washington stepped back from a leading role, in line with the new presidents tepid support for Ukraine in the face of Russias attacks, leading Germany and the U.K. to host meetings since then. Work to tweak the UDCG structure is expected to commence next week, with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius describing the intended changes as a joint evolution. The idea is to better integrate the groups work with the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) mission and the smattering of so-called capability coalitions aimed at improving individual military disciplines key to Kyivs defense, a German MOD spokesman in Berlin said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alliance officials created the NATO support organization for Ukraine at the July 2024 Washington summit. Placed under the auspices of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, or SHAPE, its purpose is to coordinate the provision, transfer and repair of military equipment critical to Ukraines operations, as well as training in Allied countries to bolster Ukraines military effectiveness in line with NATO standards, reads a description on the alliances website. The new UDCG strategy is also expected to expand the capability coalitions framework. The supply of fighter jets to Kyiv, for example, was facilitated through such channels. Meanwhile, the capability coalition responsible for electronic warfare will see additional members, with Belgium, Estonia, Sweden, Italy and Turkey joining the forum, Pistorius announced Wednesday. Electronic warfare capabilities have become crucial on the battlefields of Ukraine. They encompass manipulations of the electromagnetic spectrum aimed at disabling aerial threats, including drones. German lawmakers have criticized the government's plans to suspend family reunification for some groups of refugees. The German lower house of parliament held its first consultation on a draft bill on the suspension on Friday, at which Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt reiterated his desire to limit irregular migration. There is "no single switch that can be flipped to solve the problem of illegal migration," Dobrindt said. Instead, he said, a variety of measures at the national and European level were necessary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His comments sparked outrage from lawmakers from the Greens and The Left party, who argued that family reunification was not irregular migration, but an orderly procedure in which it was clear who was entering the country. Green Party lawmaker Schahina Gambir criticized the planned reform as inhumane, saying that "families belong together" and charging that anyone who blocks legal routes is promoting human trafficking. Clara Bunger, of The Left party, described the draft bill as "anti-Christian" and "anti-family." The proposed bill aims to suspend family reunification for two years for people holding so-called "subsidiary protection status," who are allowed to remain in Germany due to the threat of political persecution in their homelands, despite lacking formal refugee status. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill says that almost 400,000 residents have subsidiary protection. Around three-quarters are reportedly Syrian nationals. The bill foresees that these people will only be able to bring close family members - spouses, children and, in the case of unaccompanied minors, parents - to Germany in exceptional cases. Family reunification for people with subsidiary protection is already restricted to 1,000 relatives in total per month, unlike for those with refugee status. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier honoured Nobel prize winning author Thomas Mann on Friday at a ceremony to mark the 150 anniversary of the writer's birth in the port city of Lubeck. Steinmeier recalled Mann's commitment to democracy. In a speech in 1938, the Nobel Prize winner for literature said that "democracy today is not a secure asset, it is under attack, seriously threatened from within and without." Mann's message is still relevant today, Steinmeier said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Democracy once achieved can only survive if people commit themselves to it, defend it and stand up for it." The president asked whether Mann could have imagined today's America, "in which art and science, in which universities, which were the pride of the free country that had granted him refuge, are threatened at their core as never before?" Steinmeier recalled Mann's great works, such as "The Magic Mountain," which was a farewell to the old Europe, symbolically set in a tuberculosis sanatorium, and "Buddenbrooks," in which Mann came closer than ever before to his own origins, his family and his hometown of Lubeck. Mann, said Steinmeier, "is the best you can read." Xi says dialogue, cooperation only correct choice for China, U.S. in phone call with Trump Xinhua) 08:05, June 06, 2025 BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that dialogue and cooperation are the only correct choice for China and the United States. In the phone talks initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump, Xi said that recalibrating the direction of the giant ship of China-U.S. relations requires the two sides to take the helm and set the right course, adding that it is particularly important to steer clear of the various disturbances and disruptions. Noting that at the suggestion of the U.S. side, the two countries' lead officials recently held an economic and trade meeting in Geneva, Xi said it marked an important step forward in resolving the relevant issues through dialogue and consultation, and was welcomed by both societies and the international community. The two sides need to make good use of the economic and trade consultation mechanism already in place, and seek win-win results in the spirit of equality and respect for each other's concerns, he said, adding that the Chinese side is sincere about this, and at the same time has its principles. The Chinese, Xi said, always honor and deliver what has been promised, urging both sides to make good on the agreement reached in Geneva. In fact, China has been seriously and earnestly executing the agreement, Xi added. The U.S. side should acknowledge the progress already made, and remove the negative measures taken against China, he said. The two sides should enhance communication in such fields as foreign affairs, economy and trade, military, and law enforcement to build consensus, clear up misunderstandings, and strengthen cooperation, Xi added. Xi emphasized that the United States must handle the Taiwan question with prudence, so that the fringe separatists bent on "Taiwan independence" will not be able to drag China and the United States into the dangerous terrain of confrontation and even conflict. Trump said that he has great respect for Xi, and the U.S.-China relationship is very important. The United States wants the Chinese economy to do very well, and the United States and China working together can get a lot of great things done, he said. Trump said the United States will honor the one-China policy. The meeting in Geneva was very successful and produced a good deal, he said, adding that the United States will work with China to execute the deal. The United States loves to have Chinese students coming to study in America, Trump said. Xi welcomed Trump to visit China again, for which Trump expressed heartfelt appreciation. The two presidents agreed that their teams should continue implementing the Geneva agreement and hold another round of meeting as soon as possible. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Telsey Advisory analyst Dana Telsey maintained a Market Perform rating on Victorias Secret & Co. (NYSE:VSCO) with a price forecast of $24. On Tuesday, the company reported a cybersecurity breach that caused it to take its website offline for three days in late May, the fashion industry hardly batted an eyelash. Also, the company reported preliminary first-quarter results and saw revenue of $1.35 billion (vs. consensus of $1.33 billion) and adjusted EPS of 9 cents (vs. street view of four cents). Also Read: Dollar General Posts Convincing Q1 Earning Beat, The Year Is Off To A Solid Start, Could Mitigate Most Potential Tariff Headwinds This is compared to the companys prior guidance of net sales of $1.30 billion-$1.33 billion and adjusted EPS range of a loss of 10 cents to a profit of 10 cents. The analyst is encouraged by the companys better-than-expected preliminary results, showing continued momentum despite a slow start in January/February. However, the cybersecurity incident is a significant concern; Telsey noted that VSCOs inability to access systems for its full earnings report has caused a postponement. Given digital sales were ~33% last year, the analyst believes that the prolonged website shutdown during Memorial Day sales could have a meaningful impact. While the first quarter showed positive momentum, the analyst asserted that the unknown fallout from the cyberattack could weigh on the second quarter and the second half as details emerge. With this new incident, ongoing macroeconomic challenges, and fluid tariff impacts, the analyst remains cautious on the company. Despite strides in product and messaging, Telsey believes the brand still needs to be more successfully repositioned within its highly competitive, low-growth category. Consequently, the analyst lowered the estimates and now projects FY25 EPS at $2.22, down from $2.35 previously, which compares to last years $2.69 and the prior consensus of $2.22. Also, the FY26 EPS estimate is lowered to $2.38 from $2.58, against a prior consensus of $2.35. Price Action: VSCO shares are trading lower by 0.84% to $20.10 at last check Wednesday. Read Next: Image via Shutterstock Latest Ratings for VSCO Date Firm Action From To Mar 2022 Wells Fargo Maintains Overweight Jan 2022 UBS Initiates Coverage On Neutral Dec 2021 Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight View More Analyst Ratings for VSCO View the Latest Analyst Ratings Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. The sale of nitrous oxide (N2O) as a party drug is to be restricted in Germany, primarily to protect young people, according to a draft bill introduced by Federal Health Minister Nina Warken on Friday. The measure aims to ban the purchase and possession of the chemical, also known as laughing gas, by children and young people. Online sales and purchases from self-service vending machines are to be prohibited across the board. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Warken had already made it clear that laughing gas is "not harmless fun" but poses high health risks, especially for children and young people. "Intensive acute consumption can lead to unconsciousness," according to the draft bill, which has been made available to dpa. Direct consumption from a cartridge can cause frostbite due to cooling to minus 55 degrees Celsius and lung tissue damage due to gas pressure. Nitrous oxide has been gaining popularity as a party drug for several years. Consumers inhale the euphoric substance via balloons. The chemical compound is used in medicine as a mild anaesthetic for anxiety and pain. The chemicals gamma-butyrolactone and 1.4-butanediol are also being targeted. They are known as "date rape" drugs that can be added to drinks and used by perpetrators to commit sexual offences or rob their victims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Exceptions to the sales ban are planned because the chemicals are widely used for other purposes. In the case of nitrous oxide, cartridges with a capacity of up to 8 grams will be allowed to remain on the market for use in whipped cream, for example. The draft will now go through further internal government consultations and must then be approved by the Cabinet and the Bundestag, the German parliament. The head of the organization that represents Germany's armed forces personnel has called for the reintroduction of compulsory military service. Andre Wustner, from the Bundeswehr Association, said on Friday that Germany's new coalition government should start laying the groundwork now for the possible reintroduction of conscription. In an interview with the Deutschlandfunk radio station, Wustner also called for voluntary military service to be made more attractive in order to achieve increased NATO targets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He expressed doubts that it would be possible to recruit up to 60,000 additional men and women for active duty on a voluntary basis alone. He added that he could almost predict that a review would be necessary in the middle of the legislative period and that a switch to some form of compulsory military service would then be necessary. "In the military, those who plan best get better options. Now we have to plan and prepare," Wustner said. In view of the threats Germany faces, speed is needed to increase the number of active soldiers from 181,000 to 260,000, he argued. The current target for the armed forces is 203,000 active soldiers, but this has not yet been achieved. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius had recently made it clear on several occasions that the voluntary nature of military service agreed by the coalition only applies if the demand can be met in this way. The Bundeswehr Association represents the interests of soldiers and civilian employees and has around 200,000 members. On Thursday, NATO defence ministers in Brussels agreed on the largest rearmament programme since the Cold War in response to the threat posed by Russia. After talks with US President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has emphasised the shared responsibility of Berlin and Washington to increase pressure on Russia. Source: European Pravda with reference to DW Details: After talks with Trump, Merz said that he also reminded him that the US has always been responsible on a global scale for putting pressure on those who are going to wage war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The chancellor also noted that the two countries were now jointly obliged to exert greater pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine. In this context, Merz recalled D-Day, the historic event of World War II when American, British and Canadian allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy in Nazi-occupied France. This day marked the first step in the liberation of Europe by the Allies and the defeat of Nazi Germany. "Tomorrow, 6 June (Friday), is D-Day, when the Americans entered Europe to stop the war in 1944. This may be a similar historical situation, but not with military action but with pressure on Russia to end this war," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked if he thought his mention of the United States' historical role would change anything, Merz replied that he was optimistic. "But I am not so optimistic as to predict that something will change immediately in Ukraine," he added. Background: During his meeting with Merz in the Oval Office, Trump, whose monologues took up most of the public meeting, compared the Russo-Ukrainian war to children fighting in a park and said that he understood Putin after Ukraine's Spider's Web operation. Merz, for his part, avoided direct confrontation with the American president but gently emphasised that Germany stands with Ukraine. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said migration is a significant factor behind the rise of anti-Semitism in Germany, calling it a "terrible challenge" for the country. "We have a sort of imported anti-Semitism with the big numbers of migrants we have within the last 10 years," Merz said late on Thursday in an interview with US broadcaster Fox News. The phrase "imported anti-Semitism" has stirred controversy in Germany. It suggests that anti-Semitism is mainly a result of immigration, a view often echoed in right-wing circles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Critics say the term unfairly targets Muslims and migrants, while downplaying anti-Semitism within broader German society. Anti-Semitic incidents in Germany surged sharply in 2024, according to figures published by a monitoring organization on Wednesday. The report from the Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism (RIAS) documented 8,627 anti-Semitic incidents a 77% increase compared to the previous year. Of these, 5,857 cases were classified as "anti-Semitism related to Israel" - meaning incidents in which Jews living in Germany are held responsible for the actions of the Israeli government, or where Israel's right to exist is disputed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The figure was more than twice as many as recorded in 2023. A total of 544 cases were attributed to right-wing extremist views, a record since RIAS began documenting cases nationwide in 2020. "We are doing everything we can to bring these numbers down," Merz said, adding that Germany was prosecuting those who break the law. By Friederike Heine and Andreas Rinke BERLIN (Reuters) -Some U.S. lawmakers do not understand the scale of Russia's rearmament campaign, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday, a day after he held talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in the White House. "I met with some senators on Capitol Hill and told them to please look at the rearmament Russia is doing," Merz told a business conference in Berlin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They clearly have no idea what is happening there right now," he said, without identifying the senators. Russia has shifted defence plants to round-the-clock production since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has signed arms deals with North Korea and Iran, prompting European officials to warn that Moscow could soon be in a position to attack NATO territory. Russia, which raised its 2025 defence budget to its highest level since the Cold War, denies any such intention and says it is waging a "special military operation" in Ukraine to protect its own security against what it casts as a hostile West. Merz, a conservative who took power in May, is the latest European leader to visit Trump hoping to convince him of the need to back Ukraine against Russia's invasion and continue to help underpin Europe's security through the NATO alliance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Merz said he had been reassured by the words Trump had uttered during their public encounter in the Oval Office, especially the U.S. president's "resounding no" to a question on whether the United States had plans to withdraw from NATO. European countries have been boosting defence spending since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine triggered the continent's bloodiest conflict since World War Two. Even before taking office, Merz rallied an ad hoc parliamentary majority to change Germany's constitution to exempt military spending from most borrowing rules, and he has since promised to spend a further 1.5% of gross domestic product on infrastructure with military dual use. Merz has backed Trump's demand for NATO members to commit to a target of more than doubling defence spending to 5% of GDP in the future. Trump welcomed that commitment on Thursday and told Merz that U.S. forces would remain in Germany. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Whether we like it or not," Merz said on Friday, "we will remain dependent on the United States... for a long time to come." Last September, Russia said its defence budget would hit 13.5 trillion rubles in 2025, 25% more than it was in the previous year, meaning the military will soak up 32% of all public spending. (Reporting by Friederike Heine and Andreas Rinke, Writing by Thomas EscrittEditing by Gareth Jones) German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has expressed that some US lawmakers do not understand the scale of Russias rearmament campaign. Source: Reuters, citing Merz in a statement at a business conference in Berlin, as reported by European Pravda Details: Merz made the statement the day after holding talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House. "I met with some senators on Capitol Hill and told them to please look at the rearmament Russia is doing," Merz said Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They clearly have no idea what is happening there right now," he added, without naming the senators he spoke to. Since the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has established a 24-hour production cycle in the defence industry and secured arms supplies from North Korea and Iran. This development has prompted European officials to warn that Moscow may soon be capable of attacking NATO territory. Russia denies having such intentions. Merz is the latest European leader to visit Donald Trump in an attempt to persuade him of the importance of continued support for Ukraine and reinforcement of European security through NATO. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said he was reassured by Trumps response, especially his very clear "no" when asked whether the United States was planning to leave NATO. Merz also endorsed Trumps call for NATO members to more than double their defence spending commitments to 5% of GDP. Trump welcomed this pledge on Thursday and told Merz that American troops would remain stationed in Germany. "Whether we like it or not, we will remain dependent on the United States for a long time to come," Merz said on Friday. Background: Following his meeting with Trump, Merz also stated that Germany and the US share a joint responsibility to exert stronger pressure on Russia. Overall, Merz deemed his first visit to Trump as positive. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Elon Musk now finds himself out in the cold as both MAGA and liberals have turned on him and his businesses following the dramatic divorce of the billionaire and President Donald Trump. MAGA faithful and liberals alike were celebrating Thursday night after the president and the worlds richest man traded barbs publicly, and their relationship came to a bitter end after almost a year. Musk now finds himself a pariah of both the GOP and liberals following the fallout. Liberals turned against him and Tesla after he joined the Trump campaign and then the administration, where he spearheaded ruthless cuts at federal agencies with the Department of Government Efficiency, while MAGA has sided with their partys leader. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nobody elected Elon Musk, and a whole lot of people don't even like him, to be honest with you, even on both sides, said Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey. At Butterworths, a French restaurant on Capitol Hill that has become a popular MAGA haunt during Trumps second term, celebrations were in full swing. Were popping bottles tonight, Raheem Kassam, editor of right-wing news site The National Pulse, told The Washington Post as he tucked into a tin of caviar with a pearl spoon. This is a lesson the MAGA right needed to learn right now, Kassam, an investor in the restaurant, said. He told the outlet that he was worried for a time that MAGA would be bought out by oligarchs and referred to the Republican megadonor Koch brothers. Its just so satisfying to see that that is now no longer the case. MAGA supporters and liberals alike were celebrating Thursday night after President Donald Trump and Elon Musks relationship came to a bitter end after almost a year. (AFP/Getty) He also slammed officials working at Musks DOGE who he claimed dont know how to work in this town. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While having a cigarette break outside, Kassam looked at a Cybertruck parked on the street nearby. And so as I stare at his Cybertruck, he told The Post, [Musks] greenness has finally come back to bite him. And good riddance. Butterworths chef Bart Hutchins also weighed in. Elon Musk is an insufferable nerd, and I hope this marks the end of his engagement with public life, he said. Congressional Republicans are also not holding back on their public attacks of Musk to show their solidarity with Trump. This is absolutely childish and ridiculous. Enough of this nonsense, Rep. Greg Murphy of North Carolina told Axios. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rep. Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania told the outlet that Musk is starting to look a little crazy. He added that Musk was always an important voice, but ... it's going to be a lot more people weighing what Trump has to say than what Musk has to say. Musk now finds himself a pariah of both the GOP and liberals following the fallout. Liberals turned against him and Tesla after he joined the Trump campaign and then the administration, where he spearheaded ruthless cuts at federal agencies with DOGE. (AFP/Getty) Its a victory for liberals who have been demonstrating against Musk since he entered politics. At the peak of the DOGE cuts in February and March, hundreds mobilized across the U.S. to protest in rallies organized by liberal groups. Protests also called for a boycott of Tesla, as liberals ditched the vehicles. Some took it further by vandalizing Teslas in violent incidents across the country. The Trump administration rallied around Musk and his electric vehicle company at the time, with the president turning the White House lawn into a Tesla showroom to promote the cars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also encouraged people to buy Tesla stock in March amid the backlash. He said that Musk was probably the best entrepreneur, the best technologist, the best leader of any set of companies in America working for America. Tesla yesterday saw its stock plummet nearly 16 percent. By Friday morning, stock was on the rebound after it was reported that Trump and Musk would speak on the phone today. Trump has since commented that he is not particularly interested in speaking with the former first buddy. Credit: mirr22_/Tiktok TikTok influencers are promoting fare-dodging on the London Underground in viral videos that have racked up millions of views. In dozens of videos seen by The Telegraph, TikTok users show off by pushing through the barriers at Transport for London (TfL) stations and other rail services, a practice known as bumping on the app. One account holder had uploaded more than 50 videos of them skipping the barriers at different Underground stations. A video with 72,000 views celebrated bumping from London to Scotland by train. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some clips have attracted hundreds of comments celebrating different techniques for squeezing through the barriers. Another with 128,000 views showed off TfL hacks, including codes for opening gates at stations. In one video, a masked TikTok user who has just jumped a station barrier says: At what age are we gonna stop bumping trains? Its getting silly. He suggests he might start paying rail fares when he is 25. Normalised Earlier this week, a government report found that rail staff feared fare-dodging had become normalised and was viewed by offenders as a victimless crime. A report from the Office of Road and Rail said: As well as occasional opportunistic fare evaders, there are some individuals who use a range of techniques to persistently underpay and avoid their fares. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Staff reported being met with aggressive and abusive behaviour when trying to check the tickets of fare-dodgers. Some videos on TikTok showed fare-dodgers filming their interactions with station staff, goading them or trying to talk their way out of paying for fares. Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said: There is an epidemic of fare-dodging in this country. Yobs are laughing at working people who do the right thing. Its a disgrace. I am sick to my back teeth of it the authorities need to be shamed into action. Last week Mr Jenrick filmed himself confronting fare-dodgers at Stratford Station amid growing public anger that petty crime is going unpunished. Credit: X/@RobertJenrick Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Writing for The Telegraph last week, he said: I watched as people flooded through an empty barrier, while the enforcement officer was on his backside, feet up, watching on. It was a perfect encapsulation of Broken Britain. For ordinary hard-working citizens travelling into work on their morning commute, the sight of somebody slipping through the barriers without paying is a slap in the face. However, on TikTok, many commenters praised the barrier-jumpers, encouraging them to try to dodge-fares at other stations. Some videos included people vandalising the barriers at stations. One video seen by The Telegraph was captioned: My excuse for bumping is that I dont support TfL funding. Bumping is a choice, Im not broke. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some channels are entirely dedicated to bumping. One explains to uses how to bump narrow gates on National Rail. The video says to wait until there is an influx so the guards are distracted and s---. It then says fare-dodgers should scope out your victim, follow behind them and cover the sensor on the gate. The user says follow for more bumping guides. 400m a year The Government has said that fare-dodging costs the taxpayer 400m per year. Failure to pay on the Underground can result in a 100 fine, although this is halved if paid within 21 days. Deliberately dodging fares is a criminal offence and can lead to a criminal record and fines of up to 1,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sir Sadiq Khan has been expanding a team of professional investigators at TfL to catch persistent fare-dodgers. The transport authority has a target of halving fare-evasion by 2030. It is estimated that passengers avoid paying for up to 3.4pc of all TfL journeys. TikTok has long struggled with users sharing videos of petty criminal activity or extreme pranks to bolster their online following. Last year, The Telegraph found evidence of gangsters advertising for cannabis farmers on TikTok. People smugglers have also used the app to recruit people for small boat crossings. Influencers have meanwhile undertaken increasingly extreme pranks, such as a wave of TikTok users posting videos of themselves trespassing in peoples homes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After The Telegraph reported the videos to TikTok, the social media app took many of them offline. Siwan Hayward, TfLs director of security, policing and enforcement, said: Fare evasion is unacceptable. That is why we are strengthening our capability to deter and detect fare evaders, including expanding our team of professional investigators to target the most prolific fare evaders across the network. This builds on the work of our team of more than 500 uniformed officers already deployed across the network to deal with fare evasion and other anti-social behaviour, keeping staff and customers safe. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. The clock started ticking when Michelle Mazzolas son, Guy, was diagnosed with autism before his second birthday. Doctors told her the sooner Guy received therapy for his nonverbal communication and behavioral challenges, the better chance he had of reaching his full potential and perhaps entering a kindergarten with neurotypical students. Like many parents, Mazzola hoped to find therapists who were covered by their insurance. So she consulted a directory of providers listed as in-network on her insurance companys website. Mazzola spent two weeks calling providers on the list, but found no viable options. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Probably 50% of the time no one answered the phone or the phone number was wrong, she said. Then you would get people on the phone and theyd say, Yeah, we have about a nine-month wait list. Guy and Michelle Mazzolas son, also named Guy, was diagnosed with autism before his second birthday (Courtesy Michelle Mazzola) She had stumbled upon whats informally known as a ghost network a directory of providers that are largely unreachable, out of network or dont accept new patients. Studies suggest its common to encounter these networks while looking for covered care. By prolonging the search for a provider, ghost networks can delay patients ability to get diagnosed and treated, or cause them to forgo care altogether. But regulatory efforts to force insurance companies to update their directories or penalize them for inaccurate provider information have fallen short, prompting some patients to turn to the courts. A class action lawsuit filed last year on behalf of federal employees in New York against Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield claims the companys ghost networks amount to deceptive advertising by making people think theyre purchasing insurance with an extensive list of in-network providers. Guy's mother spent two weeks calling in-network providers but found no viable options for her son's care. (Courtesy Michelle Mazzola) The suit further claims that inaccurate directories help insurance companies evade the costs of covering peoples care. It alleges that plaintiffs who could not rely on Anthems directory were forced to use out-of-network doctors, saddling them with thousands of dollars in extra costs. In moving to dismiss the case, Anthem has argued that federal law pre-empts the plaintiffs from suing as members of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mazzola, who lives in Connecticut and runs a construction company with her husband, is not a plaintiff in the suit. She estimated that she pays about $7,000 out of pocket each month for Guys care, even after appealing denied claims and getting reimbursed for some out-of-network costs. She believes she wouldnt have to pay that sum if the providers in Anthems directory were available. You take it at face value when youre buying a plan that this is what Im getting, Mazzola said. I would have gladly gone to any of those [in-network] providers if they actually were taking patients. If you are dealing with bills that seem to be out of line or a denial of coverage, care or repairs, whether for health, home or auto, please email us at Costofdenial@nbcuni.com. A spokesperson for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield said the company meets access requirements outlined under state law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We also work hard to ensure that our provider directories are up-to-date and as accurate as possible, which requires a shared commitment from providers to update their information when there are any changes, the spokesperson said. Anthem said its provider network offers most of the services Guy needs, but due to the specialized nature of those services, it can be challenging to get appointments immediately. The company said it reviewed the list of providers that Mazzola tried to contact and found five errors related to incorrect phone numbers or addresses, which it said it will work with providers to fix. NBC News reached out to 21 providers listed in Anthems network, and found 20 either didnt take patients Guys age or had no availability for months. Another class action lawsuit filed in April on behalf of state and local employees in New York against Carelon Behavioral Health, which provides health care services through insurance plans, claims that ghost networks delayed plaintiffs access to mental health treatment. Carelon said it does not comment on pending litigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two class action suits are among the first to challenge insurance companies over ghost networks, said Steve Cohen, a lawyer at Pollock Cohen in New York who is representing the plaintiffs in both cases as well as Mazzola. Patients are in need of help, Cohen said. They call provider after provider who are listed in this directory to get no answer, to be told its not a doctors office, to be told they dont accept the insurance. Its incredibly frustrating and often complicates getting medical care. Its dangerous. A widespread problem Mazzolas experience is familiar to many, regardless of their insurance plan or health issue. The vast majority of the time, a doctors information is not going to be correct, said Dr. Neel Butala, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine who co-founded a company that uses artificial intelligence to help large health plans improve provider data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Butala reviewed physician directories from five large health insurers and found that 81% of entries had inconsistencies, such as address errors or the wrong specialtys being listed for a physician. His findings were published in JAMA Network Open. A government review of Medicare Advantage plans found that the share of inaccurately listed provider locations ranged from nearly 5% to 93%, depending on the directory. Ghost networks can pose a particular challenge to finding mental health providers, many of whom have long patient waitlists or have stopped taking insurance. After having called nearly 400 listed numbers for mental health providers in New York, the state attorney generals office found that 86% were ghost entries. Staffers on the Senate Finance Committee similarly contacted 120 mental health providers listed as in-network by Medicare Advantage plans and found that ghost entries made up more than 80%. Guy isnt speaking yet, but he has gotten better at making eye contact and using sign language to communicate words. (Courtesy Michelle Mazzola) In my view, its a breach of contract for insurance companies to sell their plan for thousands of dollars each month while their product is unusable, unusable due to a ghost network, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said at a Senate hearing on mental health access in 2023. Anneliese Hanson, who was a network market manager at Cigna Behavioral Health until several years ago, said she felt pressure to make provider networks seem more robust to appeal to current or prospective members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If our target was to have 100 autism specialists within a certain [geographic area], we would be working towards meeting that target on paper, rather than actually checking and ensuring that there were 100 autism providers, Hanson said. A Cigna spokesperson said that it takes rigorous measures to ensure its directory is updated and accurate and that it has a dedicated team of specialists to help patients access behavioral care quickly and conveniently. In response to Hansons comments, the spokesperson said: These untrue and inflammatory assertions have no basis in reality, neither back then nor today. Cohen said federal and state standards require insurance companies to offer an ample number of in-network health care providers within a defined distance of a patients home. Those requirements may encourage insurers to pad their directories, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Butala pushed back on that idea: I dont think theres any actually bad actors, he said. I think everyone wants to get this right. Butala said theres an incentive for insurance companies to put out the right information, since a bad member experience could cause them to lose customers. One explanation for ghost networks, he said, is that providers report doctors information in a way thats conducive for billing, but isnt necessarily accessible to patients. Insurers often receive data thats difficult and time-intensive to comb through, he said. I think its just a really hard problem to solve, he said. A better solution? Mazzola said she and her husband, also named Guy, have been fortunate enough to afford their sons autism therapy so far. The younger Guy, now 2, is not speaking yet but has gotten better at making eye contact and using sign language to communicate words. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the Mazzolas still feel the insurance system didnt work for them as promised. You pay for insurance your whole life, hoping [a diagnosis] never happens, but when it does, that you can put your head on the pillow at night knowing theyre going to be there for you. And that just wasnt the case, Guy Mazzola said. Legal and medical experts say some protections against ghost networks exist but arent consistently enforced. Under the No Surprises Act, a federal law that took effect in January 2022, private health plans are required to verify and update their provider directories at least every 90 days. If members receive out-of-network care because the directory information was inaccurate, insurance companies must reimburse them for any costs that exceed the in-network price. Patients can also file complaints to state regulators, who have the authority to fine companies for directory errors. But a ProPublica investigation last year determined that such fines are rare. In an average year, insurance regulators issue fewer than a dozen fines for directory errors, the investigation found and even then, the penalties are small. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One solution that might reduce the prevalence of ghost networks is a centralized directory of providers that all health plans could refer to. But health policy experts see that as a long-term goal that would be difficult to implement. Butala said AI can help insurers scrub their directories for errors. I dont think health plans are skimping on throwing people at the problem, he said. I think theyve been throwing too many people at the problem, and now they realize maybe AI can actually make it better. But the Mazzolas also think insurance companies should be willing to pay more providers, so its not a challenge to offer services in-network. Im not anti-business. Im not anti-profit, but theres an ethical side of it, too, Michelle Mazzola said. Something needs to be done. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com A marketing booth for VW's Cariad software unit is shown. Cariad is working with Rivian in the U.S. and with Horizon Robotics and Xpeng in China. BERLIN Volkswagen Groups troubled software division, Cariad, has put its problems behind it, CEO Peter Bosch told Automotive News Europe sister publication Automobilwoche. Bosch said the unit has entered a new phase of delivery and focus, marked by a string of key software launches and a break from past missteps. When you take on a task that everyone knows is difficult, you dont do it expecting constant applause, Bosch said. But we delivered. The cars are here, costs have been significantly reduced, and we have broken new technological ground. Cariad was launched in 2020 with ambitions to become the second SAP, a multinational German software company, but it soon became a symbol of delay and dysfunction within VW Group. VW Group CEO Oliver Blume moved Bosch from his job as production chief at Bentley to Cariad, tasking him with fixing the division that was hit by overspending and delays in developing advanced software. Cariads problems delayed the launches of Porsches full-electric Macan and the Audi Q6 E-tron. A new software platform intended to enable Level 4 autonomous driving was pushed back to the end of the decade. Sign up for the Automotive News Europe Segment Analysis newsletter, a monthly in-depth look at a segment of the car market, including sales and market share data When Bosch arrived in summer 2023 from Bentley, Cariads reputation was in tatters. Since then, Bosch, a former Oliver Wyman consultant, has led a broad reorganization. He realigned development processes with the groups brand structure, slashed costs and pushed for tighter control of code. His actions include ending over-reliance on external system suppliers. Bosch said the traditional outsourcing model does not work for modern automotive software. Cariad CEO Peter Bosch said the company is now significantly cheaper per vehicle in the cloud than the competition. In software, with its fast development cycles, we have to work directly on the code, he said. Our employees know, write, understand, and change the code even via over-the-air updates. VWs long-term goal is a fully software-defined vehicle architecture with centralized computing and proprietary code. We now do a lot ourselves, faster and more cost-effectively, Bosch said. We must master the code. Cariad contributed software to 14 models released in 2024. Bosch said that in April, nine of the 10 top-selling electric vehicles in Germany were VW Group models equipped with Cariad software. The company has overhauled its workforce structure, introduced agile delivery units and reduced management layers. Artificial intelligence tools were deployed throughout development, and insourcing has replaced expensive outsourcing in many areas. CHICAGO (WGN) A 16-year-old girl is hospitalized after suffering a gunshot wound inside an apartment on Chicagos Near West Side, police said Friday. Details remain limited, but according to Chicago police, the shooting incident occurred at around 1:20 p.m. Friday in the 1000 block of S. Ashland Ave. The 16-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to the left arm, police added. She arrived at nearby Stroger Hospital in good condition. MORE CHICAGO NEWS | Young, vibrant and a hard worker: CPD officer killed in South Side shooting identified No one is in custody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone with additional information may leave an anonymous tip at cpdtip.com. CPD said Area Three Detectives are investigating the incident. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. After three years on the run and a stint on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, the leader of GirlsDoPorn, Michael Pratt, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking charges in San Diego on Thursday, authorities said. Pratt used force, fraud and coercion to recruit hundreds of women, many of whom were in their late teens, to perform sex acts on camera, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The women were often lured under the pretense of modeling gigs and were later told they would be filming adult videos, which Pratt and his business partners falsely promised would not appear online, prosecutors said. If the women refused to finish filming, Pratt would threaten to sue them, cancel flights home and post the videos publicly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The videos would then be uploaded to GirlsDoPorn.com, where Pratt made more than $17 million in profits from 2012 to 2019, prosecutors said. The consequences for the young victims were devastating. In court hearings, victims detailed how they had lost jobs, been evicted, dropped out of school or been disowned by friends and family. Some attempted suicide. Read more: After years on the run, GirlsDoPorn boss faces 'beginning of the end' in San Diego In court, Pratt admitted to coming up with the idea for GirlsDoPorn, recruiting women to appear in the videos, sometimes transporting them to and from the site of a video shoot and sometimes manning the camera, prosecutors said. He faces a potential life sentence and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 25. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was initially indicted in October 2019 alongside his business partners. But before Pratt could answer for his crimes, he disappeared. For years, while his business partners entered guilty pleas and victims testified in court, Pratt was nowhere to be found. The FBI placed him on its top 10 list and offered a $100,000 reward in return for information leading to his arrest. Authorities finally nabbed the elusive sex trafficking ringleader in Spain in December 2022, where he was held in custody until his extradition to San Diego in 2024, according to the Department of Justice. Pratt's former business partners Ruben Andre Garcia, Matthew Wolfe and Theodore Gyi have already been convicted and are serving sentences of 20, 14 and four years, respectively. Valorie Moser, the former GirlsDoPorn bookkeeper, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and is scheduled to be sentenced in September, prosecutors said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The charges against the sixth person in the indictment a woman who was accused of helping recruit women to film the adult movies were dropped in 2021, according to reporting from the San Diego Union-Tribune. Read more: 22 women win $13 million in suit against GirlsDoPorn videos Pratt directed Garcia, a male adult-film performer, to recruit "reference girls" to falsely convince young women that the videos they were filming would not appear online and that their friends and family would never see them, prosecutors said. The reference girls were paid per model they tried to recruit. At least one of the models was underage. "I can remember being so worried to tell him [Garcia] that I was just 17," a woman told the court during a hearing for Garcia. "But he was not mad or concerned. Instead he was excited and was eager to start." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The women were often flown to San Diego from out of state to participate in the adult films. Pratt and his business partners would attempt to hide their connection to GirlsDoPorn from the models, having them sign contracts with innocuous-sounding business names such as Begin Modeling, Bubblegum Casting or BLL Media," prosecutors said. Pratt pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to sex-traffic from 2012 to 2019 and one count of sex trafficking a victim in May 2012, prosecutors said. Times staff writer Sonja Sharp contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Pleads Guilty to Sprawling $17 M Sex Trafficking Operation originally appeared on L.A. Mag. FBI Most Wanted Michael Pratt, the mastermind behind the GirlsDoPorn sex trafficking ring that "extorted and terrorized women and teenage girls to produce pornography," pleaded guilty Thursday in a San Diego federal court, three years after he was captured in Spain, where he had been living as a fugitive, federal prosecutors say. Pratt, who was the owner of the GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys websites was charged in October 2019 as part of a 19-count indictment that accused him of sex trafficking, production of child pornography, sex trafficking of a minor, and money laundering, all part of his "scheme to deceive and coerce young women to appear in pornographic videos," the Department of Justice said. The victims were lied to, federal prosecutors say, and were told the videos would not be posted online. Instead, Pratt admitted, he enticed subscribers to his website - which raked in $17 million dollars - by posting the videos on international sites like Pornhub. "Women from various places throughout the United States and Canada were recruited to appear in videos based on these material misrepresentations," prosecutors say. Pratt had help, court records indicate, from male model and porn star Ruben Andre Garcia, who lured the women he would perform alongside, with a target age of 18 to 20, with promises of "clothed modeling" for a fake entity called "Bubblegum Casting." Pratt even bought a website domain called beginmodeling.com and set up a seemingly legitimate production company that could be googled called Plus One Media, which was used to recruit unwitting aspiring actresses. The victims responded to ads that offered to pay "cute girls" anywhere from $2000 to $6000 for modeling gigs, according to the indictment. The traffickers lured the women to the San Diego area by paying for their flights. In one case detailed in the indictment, Garcia picked up one young victim at the airport and brought her to a hotel room where he made her pose for nude photos "for his boss" before raping her, growling during the attack that "he needed to take her for a test drive," the indictment states. The ensuing sex tape was posted online and later seen by her family who "disowned her," the victim told prosecutors, leaving her homeless. This, prosecutors say, was a pattern repeated over and over again by Pratt and his co-conspirators. Teens and young women being lured with promises of fast cash for modeling gigs who were instead forced to perform on camera in hotel rooms at the Hard Rock Hotel and at short-term rentals in Dana Point, among other locations. "If the women balked at the sex acts," Pratt or his co-conspirators threatened to sue the women, cancel flights home, and post the videos on-line if the women did not complete the sex videos," prosecutors say. The victims, many under the legal drinking age, and some under the legal age of consent, were plied with alcohol and drugs and then forced to say on camera that they were not under the influence. When the videos went live, the victims were harassed, bullied out of colleges, lost jobs, or threatened with lawsuits over the sham contracts the women signed under duress from Pratt and his employees. When one father found out, he went after Pratt legally to remove his daughter's video with a letter to the pornographer's attorney. Pratt's lawyer responded by "attaching naked photos of the man's daughter," the indictment states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Soon the victims of Pratt's scheme found their social media profiles and real names on Pornwikileaks.com, a site dedicated to exposing the identities of individuals appearing in explicit videos, which were likely liked by members of his enterprise. Dozens of survivors told prosecutors they became suicidal, or saw their lives spiral out of control after shooting the films during which they were often physically battered and then told to stop making "pain faces." "The sex for the video shoots was rough and caused many victims pain, and in some cases, bleeding. Some victims asked to stop filming," prosecutors say, but their pleas were denied. Worse, the promised payments for the abuse were reduced or withheld entirely. Pratt, who is a New Zealand native, and his coconspirators, Matthew Isaac Wolfe, who told investigators he moved to southern California from New Zealand to work as a producer for the sites; cameraman Theodore Gyi; model Amberlyn Dee Nored, office manager Valorie Moser - who admitted to recruiting some of the victims - were all charged by federal prosecutors in 2019. The pornographers have since confessed that the victims who were willing were told the videos would never appear in the United States, which was a lie. When the 2019 indictment was unsealed, Pratt "liquidated his assets and fled the United States," federal prosecutors say. His flight from justice landed him on the FBI's Most Wanted list. An Interpol Red Notice was issued for his arrest, which led police in Madrid to lock him up in December 2021. He remained in a Spanish prison until his extradition back to San Diego last March. The capture of Michael Pratt is an example of how the FBI will pursue justice beyond U.S. borders you can run, but you cant hide, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Diego field office Stacey Moy said after Pratt was brought back to the U.S. Michael Pratt was captured in Madrid after living a luxe life on the lam FBI Wolfe pleaded guilty in 2022, and was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison. Garcia pleaded guilty in 2020 and was sentenced to 20 years. Gyi pleaded guilty in 2021 and was sentenced to 4 years. Moser's sentencing hearing is slated for this fall, which is when Pratt is expected to be sentenced. The charges against Dee Nored were dropped. Any other victims who were part of the Pratt organization's fraud are urged to call FBI National Threat Operations Center at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Many of the women who were victimized have still not yet come forward. This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared. People from across the world are showing an outpouring of support for Whitney Decker and her family. On Thursday, her GoFundMe soared past $1 million from more than 21,000 donors. This comes as the world mourns Whitneys three young girls: Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, were found dead near the Rock Island Campground in Leavenworth. Their father, Travis Decker, is accused of murdering them. When one mother cries, we all cry and hold her in our heart. Thank you for holding Whitney in your hearts now, said Amy Edwards, a close friend of Whitney. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Edwards organized the GoFundMe so Whitney can take time off, care for herself and cover the final expenses of the girls without taking a financial hit. Whitney has been on the minds and in the hearts of people across the world. Whitney is living every parents worst nightmare, the hole in her heart is immeasurable there are no words that can capture the weight of this loss. Right now, she is surrounded by friends, family, and neighbors doing everything they can to hold her up, said Mark Belton, a close friend of Whitney. But from afar, thousands of strangers, fellow mothers, and people in other countries are showing their support for the mother. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On GoFundMe and across social media, people are sharing their own stories, their sympathy, their prayers, and their love. Everyone coming together to raise more than $1 million for Whitney in just a few days. In a statement, GoFundMe told KIRO 7: This would be the 2nd Washington GoFundMe ever to reach $1M in donations. However, Washingtonians have consistently shown their generosity. Throughout our 15-year history, Washington is the 9th most generous state in the country. Here are ways you can help Whitney Decker and her family: Donate through her GoFundMe Visit any Cashmere Valley Bank and ask to make a donation: In Memory of the Decker Girls Send gift cards in place of a meal to: Decker Girls PO Box 405, Wenatchee, WA 98807 Contributors have given more than $200,000 to a high school graduate who jumped in to help coworkers at Burger King while still wearing his graduation apparel. His story went viral via a TikTok video. Burger King has separately given him a $10,000 scholarship. On May 21, Mykale Baker graduated from Mill Creek High School in a suburb of Atlanta. He might have known it was a day that would change his life when he woke up, but he absolutely didnt know the extent of that change. After the ceremony, Baker and his parents went to the local Burger King to grab dinner. Baker had worked there since February to save money for college and the family could eat at a discount. When they walked in, though, the place was boomingand there were only three employees trying to juggle cooking the food and handling customer orders. Baker volunteered to help and got straight to work, while still wearing his graduation medals and sash. A bit later, Maria Mendoza pulled up to the drive-thru and spotted Baker. She shot a video of him hard at work and posted it on TikTok, where it went viral. People asked how they could help Baker with his college expenses, so Mendoza launched a GoFundMe campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of Friday morning, that campaign has gathered over $201,000 in pledges. While many graduates spent the night celebrating with friends and family, one young man quietly showed the world what determination looks like, Mendoza wrote. Mendoza and Baker didnt know each other. She happened to be at the restaurant to pick up food for a party celebrating her own daughters graduation from Mill Creek. Baker wasnt aware of the video or the fundraiser until three days later, when Mendoza spoke with the manager at Burger King, asking to meet Baker. The fundraiser, at the time, had collected $6,000. I didnt realize she was recording me, Baker told The Washington Post. I felt very happy. I was surprised; I had never seen that much money in my life. Im very thankful to everyone who has donated and supported me through this journey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beyond the money raised via the GoFundMe, Burger King has presented Baker with a $10,000 scholarshipas well as a $10,000 scholarship for Mendozas daughter. Baker had planned to take a gap year to save up for college. Now, he says, he has applied to a technical college and plans to study automotive technology this fall, with plans to become a mechanic. Until then, though, he plans to keep working at Burger King. I just love working, he said. The people I work around make the job more fun. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com In the information age, data is gold and Google has enough to make King Midas blush. But in this new economic paradigm, all that data comes at a price: privacy lawsuits. To amass its wealth, Google's been caught collecting personal information from users even in incognito mode, tracking location data even when location tracking is off, collecting children's personal information in violation of child safety laws, and selling millions of Americans' health data to a healthcare conglomerate and that's just a taste. Now, Reuters reports that Google's going to trial in California after a class action lawsuit representing some 14 million state residents alleged the company gathered personal data from their phones even when they were off. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suit alleges that Google enables Android phones to send and receive info "for Google's own purposes," draining users' cellular data as they do. While the California suit is unique for going to trial, it's just one of 50 separate state class action lawsuits being brought against the tech company. Altogether, there are billions of dollars on the line. It's a big case with some major implications: can the companies that sell our phones and in Google's case with Android, create the underlying operating system decide whether or not we can ever turn them off? Google's response is telling. Rather than deny that it had collected data on powered-off Androids, it's saying that Android users gave their consent to Google's "passive" data harvesting when they agreed to the company's terms of service agreement, which is required to use the phone. Google is also challenging the core of the plaintiffs' argument basically, that cell phone data doesn't count as personal property under California law. And if it isn't, then there's nothing wrong with Google taking it without permission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ultimately, there's a lot of money riding in how the state classifies that nebulous data. George Zelcs, a lawyer representing the plantiffs, told Reuters that Android users aren't arguing against data collection when the phones are on and the apps are fired up. Instead, he notes that "these phone users unknowingly subsidize the same Google advertising business that earns over $200 billion a year." Googles usual tactic when it's caught nabbing data to settle out of court for millions or sometimes billions of dollars probably won't fly here, as the timeline reaches all the way back to 2016. With millions of defendants and unfathomable quantities of data at play, any sort of settlement is likely to run in the "tens of billions," according to Reuters. Time will tell whether that's less costly than if Google were to lose all that juicy data altogether. More on law: A Mother Says an AI Startup's Chatbot Drove Her Son to Suicide. Its Response: the First Amendment Protects "Speech Allegedly Resulting in Suicide" A federal arrest warrant has been issued for Travis Caleb Decker, the man accused of kidnapping and killing his three young daughters near Leavenworth, Washington, after authorities say he fled the area and may be attempting to escape prosecution. According to a newly filed affidavit from U.S. Marshals Service Deputy Keegan Stanley, Decker is charged with Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution. The charge comes in addition to existing state charges that include three counts of aggravated first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree kidnapping. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The affidavit, filed in U.S. District Court in Eastern Washington, describes the intensive investigation following the disappearance and death of Deckers children: Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia. The girls were last seen on May 30, during a scheduled custody visit in the Wenatchee area. Their remains were discovered two days later, on June 2, on U.S. Forest Service land near Icicle River Road in Leavenworth. Deckers vehicle was found at the scene, but he was not. Court documents reveal that Decker, a former military member and avid outdoorsman, may have used his extensive knowledge of wilderness survival to evade capture. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities say he is trained in long-distance movement, navigation, and off-the-grid living. Investigators also noted that Decker once lived off the land in remote terrain for more than two months. According to the affidavit, Decker conducted a series of Google searches on May 26, 2025 just days before the girls were reported missing that included phrases like how does a person move to canada, how to relocate to canada, jobs canada and jobs canada. He also visited the official Canadian job website, suggesting he may have been planning to flee the country. The affidavit notes that the location of the girls remains is less than a dozen miles from the Pacific Crest Trail, which stretches to the Canadian border. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Marshals believe Decker may have headed into remote terrain with the intention of escaping law enforcement. A Chelan County Superior Court judge issued a warrant for Deckers arrest on June 3, ordering no bail until his first appearance in court. That warrant carries nationwide extradition authority. Deckers location remains unknown, and law enforcement agencies nationwide continue the search. Officials urge the public to report any confirmed sightings to authorities immediately. Republican Rep. Mary Miller is facing bipartisan criticism over a now-deleted social media post in which she called it deeply troubling that a Sikh delivered the morning prayer on the US House floor. Giani Surinder Singh a member of the Gurudwara South Jersey Sikh Society in Vineland, New Jersey was introduced as the guest chaplain on Friday morning and delivered the House prayer. Miller later posted on X, saying, its deeply troubling that a Sikh was allowed to lead prayer in the House. That post has now been deleted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This should have never been allowed to happen. America was founded as a Christian nation, and I believe our government should reflect that truth, not drift further from it, the Illinois Republican wrote. The congresswoman had initially referred to Singh as a Muslim, in an X post that was also later deleted, according to a screenshot posted by Politico reporter Nicholas Wu. CNN has reached out to Millers office for comment and to ask why the post was deleted. CNN also reached out to the Gurudwara South Jersey Sikh Society to request comment. The House has historically welcomed guest chaplains from a variety of different faiths. Millers post drew pushback from Democrats and Republicans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Posting on X, GOP Rep. David Valadao of California said hes troubled by my colleagues remarks. Throughout the countryand in the Central Valley Sikh-Americans are valued and respected members of our communities, yet they continue to face harassment and discrimination, Valadao said. GOP Rep. Nick LaLota of New York wrote on X, A Sikh prayer on the House floorfollowed by a Christian prayer one week and a Jewish prayer the nextdoesnt violate the Constitution, offend my Catholic faith, or throttle my support for Israel. Live and let live. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries posted on X, Its deeply troubling that such an ignorant and hateful extremist is serving in the United States Congress. That would be you, Mary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus condemned Millers comments. Sikhs and Muslims practice two separate and distinct religions, and conflating the two based on how someone looks is not only ignorant but also racist, the caucus, whose members are all Democrats, said in a statement posted to X. CNNs Annie Grayer contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com David Kelly, the new commissioner of the state Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, is shown during a legislative meeting earlier this year. (Perry Bennett | West Virginia Legislative Photography) David Kelly, a current leader in the House of Delegates and pastor from Tyler County, will take over as commissioner of the states troubled jails and correctional system. He spent 20 years in law enforcement before serving in the Legislature, where the Republican chaired a committee on jails and prisons. Kelly championed raises for correctional officers during a staffing crisis that prompted a state of emergency from 2022 through last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My passion is to get in there and see what we can do to build on what weve got to make it better, said Kelly, 68. West Virginias prison system is one of the deadliest in the country with an ongoing issue of overcrowding. The overpopulated jails can lead to safety and security issues, sometimes leading to people who are incarcerated sleeping in day rooms in the facility. The elephant in the room is the overcrowding, and so weve got to work on that, Kelly said. As of June 3, the regional jails were 425 over capacity of 4,265, according to a spokesperson for the states Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The prisons are 486 under capacity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement West Virginia has one of the most overcrowded jail systems in the country. This leads to deplorable conditions like increased violence, lack of access to basic medical care and sanitation and degrading practices like requiring people to sleep on floors, said Rusty Williams, advocacy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia. We hope Commissioner Kelly will use his new position to bring a more compassionate and humane approach to managing this system. This year, state lawmakers passed several bills that lengthened sentences for crimes including drug dealing and fleeing from a police officer. It costs $35,000 per year for state prisoners. There are crimes that when they are committed, we need to make sure that the punishment [and] the sentencing fits the crime, Kelly said. I look forward to working with the legislature in the future and trying to come up with possible ways to deal with sentencing, to deal with the overcrowding. Lesley Nash is an attorney with Mountain State Justice, a nonprofit legal firm that sued WV DCR over the mental health care and medical care provided in 10 state regional jails. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said the state over-incareates, often jailing individuals with substance abuse problems for minor property crimes. Sometimes individuals end up incarcerated after a family member called 911 seeking helping for substance abuse, Nash said. There are huge numbers of people that we have in jails and prisons who are in those facilities as a result of mental health or addiction issues, Nash said. What they need is mental health assistance. State improved jail staffing, other issues persist Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Kellys appointment as commissioner of WV DCR on June 2. Lance Yardley had been serving as the acting commissioner. Its hard to say no to the governor when he called you and asked you to join his team. Im thankful that he did. Kelly said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state has made headway in hiring correctional officers under the leadership of former DCR Commissioner Billy Marshall, who was recently appointed by President Donald Trump to lead the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Kelly praised Marshalls work, saying he hopes to build on that momentum. Lawmakers have increased salaries for uniformed officers and DCR offered special hiring rate increases. The state was able to remove National Guard members, who had been filling in as correctional officers, in 2024 after reaching full staffing levels. But, other problems persist, and West Virginia is facing numerous allegations and lawsuits about jails conditions, including excessive use of force and insufficient medical care. A suit filed in May says inadequate medical care at Eastern Regional Jail in Martinsburg led to the death of a 25-year-old woman who had Type 1 diabetes along with a history of substance abuse. Southern Regional Jail and Correctional Facility in Beaver, W.Va. (Chris Jackson | West Virginia Watch) In December, a federal court approved a more than $4 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit for inmates at Southern Regional Jail and Correctional Facility in Raleigh County who alleged deplorable conditions in the jail. The lawsuit was filed in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I need to sit down with the team in Charleston and see where we are, and then talk with the governors and his folks and see if theyve got any plans they want implemented, and then well go from there, Kelly said. Williams called on Kelly to ensure the jails provide prompt access to quality health care, consistent and sanitary water and facilitate faster reentry programs. Several counties are struggling to pay their jail bills, Kelly noted. West Virginia counties pay the state per inmate per day to house inmates at regional jails. In 2022, jail bills cost the states 55 counties a total of $45 million, with many local governments listing the charge as their largest annual expense. A 2023 bill meant to address county jail bill costs hasnt solved the problem. I dont know what the answer is right now for that, that is a that is that is a problem. There are counties that just simply cant pay, Kelly said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He will continue to pastor a church in Wetzel County while serving as DCR commissioner. My faith guides me every day, he said. Kelly, who was first elected in 2018, plans to resign from his seat in the House of Delegates late this month before he officially begins his role as commissioner. He is serving as deputy speaker in the House. Amid the messy ongoing divorce between the president and the worlds richest man, this much is already clear: Donald Trump has sole custody of the House GOP. Republican lawmakers are making clear that, if forced to choose, its Trump not Elon Musk theyre sticking by as leaders race to contain the fallout for their one big, beautiful bill. Even Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who helms a House panel inspired by Musks Department of Government Efficiency initiative, blasted Musks public attacks on Trump as unwarranted and criticized his lashing out on the internet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement America voted for Donald Trump on Nov. 4, 2024 every single vote mattered just as much as the other, Greene said in a brief interview. And whether it was $1 that was donated or hundreds of millions of dollars, the way I see it, everybody's the same. Like many Americans, GOP members watched Thursday's online exchange with a sense of car-crash-like fascination. Many shared that they hoped Musk and Trump could somehow patch things up. But many including some of the former DOGE chiefs biggest backers on Capitol Hill were wholly unsurprised to see the billionaire suddenly cut down to size after months of chatter about who was really calling the shots at the White House. Its President Trump, not President Musk, said one lawmaker granted anonymity to speak frankly about prevailing opinions inside the House GOP. Speaker Mike Johnson made no secret of where he stands on the public breakup. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He told reporters Friday that he hoped the two men reconcile and that it would be good for the party and the country if all this worked out. But in the nearly same breath, Johnson quickly reaffirmed his allegiance to the president and issued a warning to Musk. Do not doubt, do not second-guess and dont ever challenge the president of the United States, Donald Trump, Johnson said. He is the leader of the party. He is the most consequential political figure of this generation and probably the modern era. And hes doing an excellent job for the people. Other House Republicans concurred with the speakers assessment Friday, even as they faced the looming threat of Musk targeting them in the upcoming midterms or at least pulling back on his political giving after pouring more than $250 million into the 2024 election on behalf of Trump and the GOP ticket. I think its unfortunate, said Rep. Tim Moore (R-N.C.) of the breakup. But Donald Trump was elected by a majority of the American people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio, who was one of only two Republicans to oppose Trumps megabill in the House last month, also made clear he stood with the president over Musk. He does not have a flight mode he's fight, fight, fight and he's been pretty measured, Davidson said of Trump. I think Elon Musk looked a little out of control. And hopefully he gets back and grounded. GOP leaders who have spent weeks cajoling their members to vote for the sprawling domestic-policy bill hardly hid their feelings as Musk continued to bash the legislation online, even calling on Americans to call their representatives in an effort to tank it. Frankly, it's united Republicans even more to go and defend the great things that are in this bill and once it's passed and signed into law by August, September, you're going to see this economy turning around like nothing we've ever seen, Majority Leader Steve Scalise said in a brief interview Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I'll be waiting for all those people who said the opposite to admit that they were wrong, Scalise added. But I'm not expecting that to happen. A few Republicans are still trying to walk a fine line by embracing both Trump and Musk especially some fiscal hawks who believe Musk is right about the megabill adding trillions to the national debt. I think Elon has some valid points about the bill, concerns that myself and a handful of others were working to address up until the passage of it, Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas) said in an interview. I think that'll make the bill stronger. I think it'll help our standing with the American people. Both Trump and Musk have paid a tremendous price personally for this country, Cloud added. And them working together is certainly far better for the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Notably, House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, a key Musk ally on the Hill, declined to engage Thursday when asked about the burgeoning feud. Instead, the Ohio Republican responded by praising the megabill Musk had moved to tank. Democrats, for their part, watched the unfolding and public breakup with surprise and a heavy dose of schadenfreude. There are no good guys in a fight like this, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.). You just eat some popcorn and watch the show. This story was originally published on HR Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily HR Dive newsletter. U.S. Supreme Court justices lamented the courts decision to dismiss a Black dancers claim, and moms say their child care benefits dont stack up. Heres a look at those and some of the other numbers making headlines in the HR world. By the numbers 45% The percentage of CEOs who said most of their employees are resistant or even openly hostile to AI, according to a survey by Kyndryl, an enterprise technology services firm. 68% The percentage of moms who say the benefits offered by their employers arent enough to meet their child care needs. 100+ The number of undocumented workers arrested during an ICE raid on May 29 at a Tallahassee, Florida, construction site, according to an agency news release. 2 The number of Supreme Court justices who opposed the courts decision not to take up a Black dancers discrimination claim. 79% The percentage of U.S. job seekers who told Express Employment Professionals the skills gap is less about a lack of ability and more about employers unwillingness to train them. Recommended Reading The Scene The Donald Trump-Elon Musk alliance ended like it started, 11 months ago: two of the worlds most influential men, on the social networks that they own, posting about each other. But on Thursday afternoon, as Musk mused on X about supporting Trumps impeachment, launching a third party, and exposing his supposed ties to Jeffrey Epstein, nationalist conservatives celebrated the self-exile of a tech billionaire they never trusted. Their man was in the presidency. A South African immigrant who posted cringe, dreamed of microchipped brains, and didnt understand the importance of halting mass immigration was going to become irrelevant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump is a hero, and Elon Musk is not, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon said on the Thursday episode of his podcast. Musks eight-figure support for Trump in 2024 was deal baggage, and the deal had been completed months ago. Elon Musk is illegal, and hes gotta go, too, Bannon said. Deport immediately. Bannon told Semafor late last year that Musk wrote a quarter-of-a-f*cking-billion-dollar check when we had no money, and helped execute a winning GOP strategy. But Musk, he added, was out of sync with a populist economic project more than a decade in the making. Know More Musks public spat with Trump began on Tuesday, when the former DOGE head began attacking the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, warning that it would bankrupt the country. Democrats rubbernecked from the sidelines, happy to watch Musk make some of their arguments, skeptical that it would amount to anything. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pro-Trump conservatives were on surer footing. They saw the end of Musks advocacy for policies that clashed with their vision, including visas for highly skilled immigrants and tax credits for electric vehicles. And they spied victory over the GOPs libertarian wing down to a handful of congressional Republicans, and Musk who were more worried about deficit reduction than immigration. Debt is an important issue, the pro-Trump influencer Jack Posobiec wrote on X. But there is one issue that is more important than all others, and that is Immigration. This bill funds the Mass Deportations. This faction of MAGA notched one victory before Trump took office. The day after Christmas, when he was slated to lead DOGE alongside Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy defended tech companies that hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over native Americans, arguing that modern America didnt venerate the right skills or ethics. A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers, Ramaswamy wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ramaswamy left DOGE just hours into the Trump presidency, launching a run for governor of Ohio that Trump would soon endorse. But his riff on American competitiveness, and the need for more smart immigrants, became infamous on the nationalist right. When an outsider comes here, gets in your face, and starts throwing definitions at you, and you gotta Google sh*t? Were not doing that, said the comedian Sam Hyde in a livestream dedicated to Ramaswamy. Youre getting called a slur. Musk, who had taken Ramaswamys side in the argument, kept his role in the administration. He was publicly supportive of moves taken to cut grants for Ivy League schools. But as he exited DOGE, and the administration ramped up efforts to bar foreign students from those schools, Musk did not weigh in. I think we want to stick to the subject of the day, which is spaceships, as opposed to presidential policy, he told CBS News last week, when reporter David Pogue asked about the foreign student crackdown. Davids view Musks MAGA self-deportation isnt a total victory for any political faction. The Department of Government Efficiency remains in place; Democrats and liberal groups are still suing to undo its work. And the Musk/DOGE effort to demolish USAID fulfilled a basic nationalist project, pulling back resources for noncitizens and giving the money to Americans. (The agencys offices are being refitted for Customs and Border Protection.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the long-term Trump project, which has been succeeding all year, is transforming the Republican Party from Reaganite national greatness to nationalism more like Viktor Orbans Fidesz than George W. Bushs GOP. As progressives and ex-Republicans fret about foreign scientists fleeing the country, as they quote Emma Lazarus and Martin Niemoller, Trumps Republicans are raising tariffs and funding more border wall construction. How far would Trump go to punish Musk? Maybe not as far as Bannon, who wants the government to seize SpaceX and his citizenship. The punishment matters less than the policy, which is to stop seeing the national debt as an existential threat, and understand immigration as an existential threat. Who wins if Trump-endorsed Republicans run on that, and candidates backed by a Musk PAC talk about cutting the deficit? The ending to that story is even more predictable than the ending of this one. The View From Democrats California Rep. Ro Khanna, a personal friend of Musk, believed that he could be brought back to the Democratic Party after his fight with Trump. Few Democrats agreed, even though some were using Musks disgusting abomination language against the OBBBA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ben Wikler, the chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, said that the donors and voters who helped beat Musks candidate in the states supreme court race drove a chisel into a crack in the Republican Hoover Dam, and got a historic villain, who is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, to slink out of politics. A few months ago, politicians in both parties were terrified about crossing Trump, because they thought Musk might fund a primary campaign against them, Wikler told Semafor. He was Trumps No. 1 enforcer. Now, hes been pushed out of the palace, and hes responding by trying to burn the whole thing down. Musks approval rating with Democrats, he said, was somewhere between anthrax and the bubonic plague. Notable FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) Governor Andy Beshear is launching a new effort to bring universal pre-K to Kentucky. I dont ever want to lose a company to another state thats able to look at that company and say, well, we have pre-K for all of our four-year-olds, meaning youre going to have a larger workforce, meaning your employees are going to have fewer costs, Beshear said at Thursdays Team Kentucky briefing. RELATED l Gov. Beshears Pre-K for All initiative aims to close achievement gap, boost workforce Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its an issue Beshear has brought to lawmakers in his past two budgets, most recently at a projected cost of $172 million in his 2024 proposal. However, universal pre-k is not an issue thats gained traction among Kentucky Republicans, who have proceeded with their own budget proposal in recent years. Thats a school-year, school-based type of resolution. It doesnt take care of the second shift or the weekend person who has that shift where there isnt daycare, Senate President Robert Stivers told FOX 56 in an interview following the 2024 budget session. On Wednesday, Beshear announced he had signed an executive order to form a 28-person advisory committee thats going to be hosting five town halls across the state this summer, getting input on the issue. They will be held in: Frankfort, June 25th Northern Kentucky, July 8th Bowling Green, July 23rd Morehead, August 5th The Kentucky State Fair, TBD Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Interested individuals can find more information about the town halls and fill out a lawmaker contact form on a newly launched website accompanying the initiative: prek4all.ky.gov. Right now. Childcare, especially for all of those years, is just too expensive. And thats if you can find it, because 79 of 120 of Kentuckys counties, nearly two-thirds, dont have enough child care options, Beshear said. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Republican lawmakers still have some questions. Senate Education Chair Steve West told FOX 56 in a statement: Supporting Kentuckys youngest learners has been a top priority for the General Assembly. Over the last two budget cycles, weve increased education funding by more than $1 billion, including full-day kindergarten, early literacy and numeracy initiatives, and other foundational supports to help students succeed from the start. We understand the Governor has appointed a group of stakeholders to explore early childhood education initiatives and the potential expansion of pre-K, and we recognize the value of gathering input from a broad range of perspectives. That said, many details remain unclear. As chair of the Senate Education Committee, I look forward to continued conversations about how best to expand access while ensuring any future proposals are effective, sustainable, and responsible for families, schools, and Kentucky taxpayers. Senate Education Chair Steve West Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News. MADISON, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) Republicans in the Wisconsin State Legislature on Wednesday backed out of months worth of bipartisan budget negotiations with Gov. Tony Evers toward reaching bipartisan compromise on the 2025-27 Biennial Budget. Despite having secured the governors support for Republicans half of the proposal, which included an income tax cut targeting Wisconsins middle-class and working families and eliminating income taxes for certain retirees, Republican lawmakers are unable to reach consensus with their caucuses in order to support the governors half of the proposal, which included meaningful increased investments in child care, K-12 schools, and the University of Wisconsin (UW) System. Republicans decision to cease discussions comes after meetings between Gov. Evers and Republican leaders, as well as several staff-level meetings with leaders, have occurred over the span of several months and ramped up in recent weeks, including meetings every day this week. Gov. Evers Wednesday released the following statement responding to Republican leaders decision: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I am grateful to the legislators and legislative staff for their efforts over the past several weeks to reach a bipartisan agreement that would have delivered on key priorities for Wisconsinites. The concept of compromise is simpleeveryone gets something they want, and no one gets everything they want. I told Republicans Id support their half of the deal and their top tax prioritieseven though theyre very similar to bills I previously vetoedbecause I believe thats how compromise is supposed to work, and I was ready to make that concession in order to get important things done for Wisconsins kids. Unfortunately, Republicans couldnt agree to support the top priorities in my half of the deal, which included meaningful investments for K-12 schools, to continue Child Care Counts to help lower the cost of child care for working families, and to prevent further campus closures and layoffs at our UW System. So, today, Republicans decided not to move forward with any more bipartisan negotiations with me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve spent months trying to have real, productive conversations with Republican lawmakers in hopes of finding compromise and passing a state budget that everyone could supportand that, most importantly, delivers for the people of Wisconsin. I am admittedly disappointed that Republican lawmakers arent willing to reach consensus and common ground and have decided to move forward without bipartisan support instead. I will always try to do the right thingand compromise in order to get good things done. Wisconsinites expect their elected officials to show up, act in good faith, and work together across the aisle to get things donethats what Ive been committed to doing in these bipartisan negotiations from the get-go, and that remains my commitment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX2548 & WIProud. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) Alabama Governor Kay Ivey appointed Cynthia Lee Almond as the next president of the states Public Service Commission. The role was previously held by Twinkle Cavanaugh, who stepped down last month to take an appointed role within the United States Department of Agriculture. Cavanaugh was first elected to the commission in 2010 and was elected president in 2012. As president, Almond will be tasked with leading a three-person board charged with regulating utilities within the state. Almond is a licensed attorney and has served in the Alabama House of Representatives since 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Almond will vacate her District 63 house seat on June 15 and being her appointment as commission president the following day. In a statement released alongside news of the appointment, Almond wrote the following: I am honored to have been asked by Governor Ivey to fill this important position. It is one I accept with great enthusiasm. I know how important this commission is to the people of Alabama and to the industry sectors it regulates. I believe my training as an attorney and legislator will prove to be helpful in performing this role. I appreciate greatly the confidence shown in me by Governor Ivey, and I will work hard for her and for this great state of Alabama. Previously, Almond served four terms on the Tuscaloosa City Council, where she was elected president pro tem. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42. A law passed in March 2024 made it legal for adults to carry a handgun openly or concealed without a permit. Legislation dismissing pending cases for unlawful carry was again vetoed by Gov. Henry McMaster on May 22, 2025. (Stock photo illustration by Getty Images) COLUMBIA South Carolinians will continue to face sentencing for a gun charge thats no longer a crime after Gov. Henry McMaster again vetoed a bill erasing the pending cases. A law signed by McMaster 15 months ago made it legal for adults to carry handguns without a permit and allowed past convictions for unlawful carry to be expunged. It set a five-year deadline until March 2029 for expungement applications. One conviction per person can be expunged. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the law didnt address pending cases. Last year, McMaster vetoed legislation to dismiss those charges. The Legislature tried again this year with another version of the bill, which both chambers passed unanimously. But the governor vetoed that too. In his May 22 veto letter, the governor made clear his fundamental objections to the legislation remain unchanged. As the states former U.S. attorney and two-term attorney general, McMaster said hes wary of limiting prosecutors authority and discretion to resolve those cases. Every case is unique and the prosecutors in our state should be permitted to evaluate each case based on law and the facts and then proceed as they deem appropriate, McMaster wrote. The bill would universally strip prosecutors of the ability to determine whether a case warrants dismissal or prosecution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Besides that, he wrote, it was a crime when they were charged. Their alleged actions were, in fact, unlawful, he wrote. To be sure, those actions might not be illegal today, but that distinction misses the critical point that such actions were illegal at the time they were committed. The question is whether the House will vote this time to override the governors veto. Last year, the Senate voted unanimously to override the governors veto, but it takes a supermajority vote in both chambers for a bill to become law despite a veto. And the House never took it up. So, the bill died. Last week, the Senate again voted unanimously to overrule the latest veto. The House never brought it up during the Legislatures one-day special session to adopt the budget. But this time, an override is still possible next year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Judiciary Chairman Weston Newton said the chamber will likely take a vote when they return in January. The chambers unanimous approval of the bill May 8 suggests an override wont be a problem, he said. Its dismissing charges that are no longer illegal for the purposes of consistency, said the Bluffton Republican. Following passage in March 2024 of the law allowing any adult who can legally buy a handgun to carry it with or without a concealed carry permit, some solicitors dismissed older charges of unlawful possession on their own, but not automatically. As of February, 206 people in 11 of South Carolinas 16 judicial districts still had charges pending for that crime alone, according to Lisa Catalanotto, the executive director for the state Commission on Prosecution Coordination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She didnt have numbers from the other five judicial districts. More cases have been dropped since she last collected the numbers in February, said Catalanotto, who didnt yet have an update. But a decline isnt good enough. No one should face conviction for something thats no longer a crime, said Sen. Deon Tedder, who was again the chief sponsor. This time, three Republicans joined him in co-sponsoring the legislation. Sen. Deon Tedder, D-Charleston, addresses the Senate after hes sworn in the opening day of the 2024 session Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Columbia, S.C. (File photo by Mary Ann Chastain/Special to the SC Daily Gazette) We had to act as a Legislature. Its simply not fair, said Tedder, D-Charleston. He voted against the bill that legalized carrying a handgun without a permit, which supporters titled the S.C. Constitutional Carry/Second Amendment Preservation Act of 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But anyone charged with a crime the Legislature has determined in state law to be unconstitutional certainly shouldnt be convicted now, Tedder said. This fixes something that we missed, he said. During legislative hearings, opponents of the bill argued some people charged with the crime were known violent offenders, and unlawful carry was just the crime they could be arrested for at the time to build a case. Catalanotto, with the prosecution commission, gave the example of a person who went to a former workplace with a gun, intending to shoot someone, but was chased away at the door. An officer arrested the person for unlawfully carrying a weapon with the intent to add additional charges later, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Tedder pointed to a sentence in the law specifying that an immediate dismissal isnt mandated if the charge was made in conjunction with any other criminal offense arising out of the same facts and circumstances. The bill also specifies that a dismissed charge cant be the basis of an unlawful arrest lawsuit another concern of law enforcement that McMaster said in his veto letter he appreciated legislators addressing. We tightened this bill to do what its supposed to do, he said. HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) Pennsylvanias Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro campaigned hard against Republican President Donald Trump. Shapiro is not a fan of the president, but unlike many fellow Democrats, Shapiro hasnt been a loud and harsh critic of every move Trump has made. Hes taken a more measured approach, but that changed a bit this week. I got a pretty good track record when I take Donald Trump to court, Shapiro said. Were gonna win this and get our money back for the good people of Pennsylvania. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shapiro announced a lawsuit against the Trump administration for reneging on a contract to pay Pennsylvania farmers to produce food for the Keystone States hungry. Hes also claimed victory in lawsuits against the Trump administration. The Governor is also showing more of an appetite for pointed remarks about the Presidents men. These guys dont know how to govern, Shapiro said. Over the last four months, what has defined the federal government, absolute chaos at every level, rising prices, screwing over farmers. President Trump took an oath of office and on that day, he was the leader of the free world, Shapiro added. He seems to be working overtime to relegating us to being a hemispheric power in the world. This is really dangerous, scary, chaotic stuff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shapiro had mostly avoided sparring with Trump, who has a reputation for retaliation. The gloves came off this week, with Shapiro saying, These guys are like the gang that cant shoot straight. Were going to have political differences, responded U.S. Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA). Im sure I disagree with the Governor probably more than we agree. McCormick didnt hear Shapiros comments but prides himself on bipartisanship. He cordially shared a stage this week with Democrat Senator John Fetterman. You know, therell be opportunities to punch, opportunities to tell each side how theyre failing the people of Pennsylvania, McCormick said. But more than anything else, I think the expectation is were going to solve problems and you cant do that if youre just highly partisan in the way you conduct yourself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An approach the Governor has mostly taken with the President. Mostly. Get the latest Pennsylvania politics and election news with abc27 newsletters! I will not be afraid to stand up to them when they do something that undermines the interests of Pennsylvanians, said Shapiro. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. Harvard University has amended one of its lawsuits against the federal government after President Donald Trump issued a proclamation this week declaring the schools foreign students would not be allowed into the country. In a major escalation on Wednesday of his war against the worlds weathiest university, in addition to the proclamation, Trump asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider revoking the visas of Harvard students already in the country. The proclamation, titled Enhancing National Security By Addressing Risks at Harvard University, invoked national security powers to bar Harvards international students from entering the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Admission into the United States to attend, conduct research, or teach at our Nations institutions of higher education is a privilege granted by our Government, not a guarantee, Trump wrote in his proclamation on Wednesday. That privilege is necessarily tied to the host institutions compliance and commitment to following Federal law. Harvard University has failed in this respect, among many others. A Harvard spokesperson told The New York Times the latest move was illegal, adding that the university would continue to protect its international students. On Thursday, Harvard amended its complaint in an existing lawsuit against the federal government filed after the Trump administration revoked its key certification to host foreign students. A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction in May, staving off this particular move from Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In its amended complaint, asking a judge to deem the proclamation illegal, Harvard wrote that with the stroke of a pen, the DHS Secretary and the president have sought to erase a quarter of Harvards student body international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission and the country." The university said Trumps latest proclamation has equally harmful and irreparable consequences, and that the president is essentially trying to circumvent the prior preliminary injunction because of a government vendetta against Harvard. What the DHS secretary has purported to take away on the back end by revoking Harvards certifications to host foreign students, the president purports to take away on the front end by preventing the students and scholars invited to Harvard from gaining entry into the country in the first place, the school wrote. The proclamation is a patent effort to end-run this courts order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his Wednesday proclamation, Trump asserted Harvard University, which he has gone after in the name of antisemitism issues on campus, is no longer a trustworthy steward of international student and exchange visitor programs. More Higher Ed Read the original article on MassLive. MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- Governor Greg Abbott made a stop in Midland Thursday, joined by former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Don Evans, Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick, Senator Kevin Sparks, Representative Tom Craddick, Representative Brooks Landgraf, Midland Mayor Lori Blong, and other state and local officials and energy leaders, to sign a series of bills passed during the 89th regular legislative session. Abbott said these bills will safeguard Texas robust oil and gas industry and spur economic growth across West Texas. Today is a defining moment for the Permian Basin, for the future of this region, as well as for the future of Texas, Governor Abbott said. The Permian Basin, what we like to call the land out of the high sky and where the sky is the limit. Its a land of purpose, a land of promise. Its a place where of unlimited opportunity for all who dream big, work hard, and never give up, Evans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In West Texas, oil and gas are king. I like to call the people of West Texas people with a compassionate heart and a rocket engine. I like to call it the largest secure supply of energy in the world, which it is, governor Abbott said. The Permian Basin produces more that six million barrels of oil every day. The Permian Basin is the lifeblood of Texas. Its the lifeblood that quite literally powers our engines, but equally literally that powers our economy, Governor Abbott said. But being the highest-producing oil field in the US comes at a cost. Many of you all have complained about oil field theft and for a good reason. Its on the rise and its very costly, the Governor said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oil field theft has hit the Basin hard. Law enforcement officials said more than $2,000,000 worth of stolen equipment has been seized this year alone. Your Senator and Representatives got three laws to my desk to fix that, Governor Abbott said. First, House Bill 48 will establish an oil field theft prevention unit within the Texas Department of Public Safety. The second is Senate Bill 498 by Senator Sparks, sponsored in the House by Representative Landgraf. It establishes the Theft of Petroleum Products Task Force, Governor Abbott said of another bill signed today. The third, Senate Bill 1806, will allow police to confiscate petroleum products that have been stolen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It creates a program to inspect oil and gas tankers for possible theft, and it increases criminal penalties for theft of petroleum products in Texas, the Governor said. The crackdown on oil theft in Texas is now law. Another bill signed today addressed the demand for economic growth in the Basin. Having been the governor of the state, its ranked number one in the United States for economic development. Not once, not twice, but actually 13 years in a row, Texas has been the national champion for economic development, Governor Abbott said. To foster that growth, he signed Senate Bill 529. Its a program that will help Midland to boost hotel and convention projects and to attract more tourists and businesses to your great city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leadership within the Tall City said the bill will help keep local dollars here. Over the last few years, weve seen so much of the revenue coming from oil and gas and from other things going out of the Permian Basin and really resourcing the rest of the state budget, said Mayor Blong. I often think of the Permian Basin as the goose that lays the golden egg for the state of Texas and if they want us to continue to be able to lay those golden eggs, then theyre going to have to invest in our infrastructure, theyre going to have to invest in our local economy, theyre going to have to invest in the health care and public safety and education of our students. Now that these critical bills have been signed into law, Governor Abbott said locals will start to see some changes. Its going to transform the entire Permian Basin region for decades if not a century, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One thing that Governor Abbott wanted to make clear to all- our local lawmakers were essential in making these changes happen. You all are fortunate to have representatives who deliver on solutions to the problems you face, so give it up for Speaker Craddock, Senator Sparks, and Representative Landgraf and Representative Darby for everything they have done to get things across the finish line, he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Yourbasin. MONTPELIER, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) Vermonts Phil Scott had a busy day Thursday as we near the end of the legislative session. He signed six bills into law, and allowed one to become law without his signature. H. 1, which adds exemptions to reporting to the State Ethics Commission, was not signed by Scott. However, he still allowed it to become law, saying that it does not rise to the level of a veto but encouraging legislators to revise it in the future. He objected to any law weakening the State Ethics Commission after its power was strengthened last year. H. 105 relates to the Youth Substance Awareness Safety Program, which provides an alternative to young offenders of drug laws, where they can enroll in an educational program instead of going through civil courts. The bill lowers the minimum age for enrollment from 16 to 10 and includes alcohol-impaired youth drivers in the scope of the program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement H. 222 allows state courts to require people convicted of domestic violence offenses to complete an accountability program before they are released from a restraining order. It also allows courts to require an offender return vehicles shared by them and a victim. Vermont exempts some home kitchen businesses from licensing fees H. 231, about fish and game management, increases penalties for snaring animals. It also makes it an offense to transport a cocked crossbow in a vehicle. H. 458 increases accountability for state technology programs. It requires that the states Agency of Digital Services include more detailed information in its reports, including summaries of the scope, timeline, status, and budget of each of its individual projects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement H. 482, about health insurance, allows the Green Mountain Care Board to reduce hospital reimbursement rates for insurers if the insurer is at risk of going bankrupt. It also allows the board to reduce a hospitals budget if the hospital went over budget the previous year, and to appoint an independent overseer to a hospital the board thinks may be out of compliance. Scott signs bill adding felony charge for abuse of a corpse Finally, H. 504 approves minor changes to the charter of the City of Rutland, including changes to the citys purchasing policy. Legislators are still working on some major new legislation, especially an education reform package that Phil Scott decided not to sign after a compromise was reached by the House and Senate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC22 & FOX44. "The pressure, by the way, for me - it doesn't go away, it just changes" from focusing on historical problems to future growth, Scharf said. "I'm not going to work any less hard, I'm not going to feel any less pressure, I'll probably have more fun." Wells Fargo shares were up 0.5% on Wednesday afternoon, having climbed more than 8% so far this year as investors became more optimistic about the bank shedding its regulatory baggage. Scharf, who previously ran BNY and Visa, took over scandal-plagued Wells Fargo after his two predecessors were ousted. He installed new leadership, slashed more than 55,000 jobs, exited unprofitable businesses and reworked the bank's risk management and controls. In an effort to transform its culture, he also reworked the company's performance review process to boost accountability. As Wells Fargo aims to increase earnings, it plans to raise its dividend to keep payouts consistent for investors, Scharf said. Share buybacks will continue, but their pace will probably slow as the bank invests in growth, he said. It will not expand in mortgages, he said. The bank exited many of those operations after they were beset by scandal. He is turning his focus to growth after serving almost six years as Wells Fargo's fixer-in-chief. He plans to expand further in credit cards and investment banking, while also investing in wealth and commercial banking. "I feel great," Scharf told Reuters in a wide-ranging interview on Wednesday after being inundated by congratulatory messages from employees and counterparts at other banks. The Federal Reserve's decision to lift one of Wells Fargo's last major punishments this week has largely closed that chapter in its history. It also cements Scharf's legacy after a grueling turnaround in which he overhauled management, slashed headcount and shed businesses. Scharf, 60, took the helm at Wells Fargo in 2019, vowing to repair its deeply entrenched problems from a fake-accounts scandal that erupted in 2016. The bank faced a public outcry, was blasted by lawmakers and slapped with billions of dollars in fines. "Everyone thinks that I'm this tough, tough person ... but it's been so long in the making, it's impacted so many people so negatively," Scharf said. "All of a sudden, it's like it's all been worth it and everyone's feeling it." NEW YORK (Reuters) -Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf knows he has a reputation for sternness, but he said that when the bank was finally freed of a $1.95 trillion asset cap by regulators on Tuesday, he became emotional. Story Continues Below is a transcript of Reuters' interview with Scharf, which has been edited for length and clarity. REACTIONS I feel great. I felt a little emotional yesterday. Everyone thinks I'm this tough, tough person, and I'm not actually. It's been so long in the making, it's impacted so many people so negatively. And I started getting notes immediately from everyone, but especially people who work here. I would say 80% of them, 75% of them were about their experience here over a period of time and how proud they are now, and thankful. Twenty percent were about the $2,000 (stock award) we were giving them. All of a sudden, it's like it's all been worth it and everyone's feeling it. It's everyone, and I really do believe that everyone who is here has been impacted by the work. Some directly, because they had to do it, but even just people having to talk to their family and friends on weekends about Wells Fargo news, and why do they still work here? You put people through a lot. GROWTH AREAS I would expect that across all the remaining businesses that we have, with the slight exception of our mortgage business, all have opportunities to grow and produce higher returns. So it's true of the wealth business through commercial still true of CIB (corporate and investment banking), because even though we're seeing results and significant upside there, it's true in our business, and super importantly, it's true in our consumer and small business banking business, where they were most impacted by the sales practice scandal. We're just introducing disciplines back to be able to serve customers more broadly and grow in ways that we haven't been able to. People always ask me, "What are the top three priority areas for growth?" And I try not to answer the question, because I really believe every line of business has an opportunity. ACQUISITIONS Not on the short list right now. At some time, capabilities around payments, around rewards, around the movement of securities, would we be willing to look at something like that? Sure. But we haven't even begun to think about what that is. And we still have more work to do. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves. CHANGES AT WELLS FARGO In some ways, it's a totally different company. The culture is different here, it's not a "me" culture. People want to be treated fairly, they want to be paid fairly, but they come here because they want to work together. That is incredibly important. Carried to an extreme, it hurt us because we didn't make difficult decisions about people, we didn't confront things. But I do think a culture like that, in a balanced way, is incredible to have. It takes a long time to build. We have real accountability in the organization, and that's those that's positive, that's negative, but it also brings with it a strong desire to help people get better. It's much more of a meritocracy. Nothing's perfect. We've still got a ways to go, but it drives performance. Every senior leader is expected to be involved in a detailed way in both the strategy and the execution of their business plan. HEADCOUNT We're adding bankers, sales people, relationship managers in the commercial bank, technology resources. We're just funding it through efficiencies that we're getting elsewhere. There's significant opportunities to become more efficient. BUYBACKS AND DIVIDENDS We've been buying a lot of stock back, and I anticipate that we'll continue to buy stock back. So on the dividend, what we want to be able to do is increase the earnings capacity of the company (and) increase the dividend to keep a relatively consistent payout ratio. We hope to be able to consistently increase the dividend at a reasonable level. Hopefully we'll have more opportunities to invest inside the business so we'll likely buy less stock back than we had. FUTURE PLANS (Scharf's hobbies include woodworking, playing guitar and tennis.) As hard as I've been working, we find time to do the things that allow us to regenerate. I'm not going to work any less hard, I'm not going to feel any less pressure. I'll probably have more fun. INDUSTRY REACTION I've heard from just about all the big banks' CEOs congratulating us. When you're on the inside of these things, you know how hard they really are and what it takes. Folks have said it's good for the industry. A strong Wells Fargo, without those constraints, allows Wells to be able to support growth. And even though we're all very competitive, a strong U.S. is a good thing. (Reporting by Nupur Anand and Lananh Nguyen in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis) Gov. Kim Reynolds, seen here in a file photo from May 2023, signed two dozen bills Friday. (Photo by Kathie Obradovich/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Gov. Kim Reynolds signed more than 20 bills into law Friday, including funding for the states Opioid Settlement Fund and state-level Medicaid work requirements. The governor has a little more than a week, until June 14, to sign the remaining bills passed during the 2025 legislative session into law. This week, the governor has held events signing multiple measures into law including the reduction in Iowas unemployment insurance tax system. On Friday, she signed into law House File 969 , a bill expanding the disability and death benefits for first responders like firefighters, emergency medical services responders and law enforcement officer to cover all forms of cancer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This was not the only measure Reynolds signed into law Friday. She released a list of 24 new laws, which include some state spending provisions and other high-profile policies sent to her desk earlier this year. Here are some of the bills signed into law: Medicaid work requirements As discussions and conflicts continue over the federal work requirement proposal for Medicaid coverage included in the GOP budget reconciliation bill, Reynolds signed Senate File 615, into law, a measure setting similar work requirements for the Iowa Medicaid program. The requirements for at least 80 hours of work each month would apply to people receiving health coverage through the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan. IHAWP is the states expanded Medicaid program for low-income people between ages 19 to 64. There are exemptions to these work and reporting requirements for people with disabilities, serious illnesses or injuries, as well as those with children under age 6. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The law directs the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to seek a waiver to implement these requirements from the federal government. Iowa HHS has already submitted a waiver with a slightly different work requirement plan for IHAWP one that sets a 100-hour per month work requirement, or for a person to be earn the equivalent in wages to working 100 hours a month at $7.25 per hour, or be enrolled in education or job skills programs to retain coverage. Reynolds said in a statement on the bill signing, it is priority of mine to ensure our government programs reflect a culture of work. If you are an able-bodied adult who can work, you should work, the governor said. We need to return Medicaid back to its intended purposeto provide coverage to the people who truly need it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats and others critics have said the legislation will cut off health care coverage for eligible Iowans due to additional red tape, leading to a financial hit for rural hospitals and other health care centers. The measure also contains a component that could have lasting impacts for Iowas expanded Medicaid program: If the federal government allows Iowa to implement work requirements, then later revokes approval, HHS would be directed to end IHAWP. The move to discontinue the program would require federal approval, and if the decision is not approved, Iowa HHS would be asked to pursue implementing an alternative plan under federal Medicaid administration guidelines. Opioid Settlement Fund After several years of stalled action, Reynolds approved the Legislatures agreement on how to spend money from opioid lawsuit settlements. House File 1038 distributes $29 million from the fund, money obtained in settlements for lawsuits by states against opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies for their roles in the opioid epidemic. For several years, lawmakers in the Senate and House have failed to reach an agreement on how to spend the funds, which are obligated to go to opioid addiction treatment and prevention. But in the final hours of the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers agreed to a system that provides funding for specific organizations and programs that focus on addition treatment, recovery and prevention in fiscal year 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In future years, money in the settlement fund will go to Iowa HHS and the Attorney Generals office entities that will then decide how to allocate the money to organizations in the state. HHS will receive 75% of the funding each year and the AGs office will receive 25%. While some lawmakers said they were frustrated with the money going to these state entities instead of being distributed directly by the Legislature, the bill passed with broad bipartisan support as get the funding into Iowa communities. The governor thanked the Legislature for sending the bill to her desk in 2025. The opioid crisis continues to impact Iowa families, Reynolds said in a statement. Im thankful the legislature reached an opioid settlement fund agreement this session to immediately distribute $29 million to providers and appropriate ongoing available funds to support early intervention, prevention, treatment, and recovery. Open records, meetings The governor also signed House File 706, the bill setting higher penalties for violations of open meetings laws and requiring public officials t9 receive training on open meetings and records laws. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill was brought forward this year after a similar measure was vetoed in 2024 after a last-minute amendment was added that public records advocates had said would lead to unintended consequences. But Rep. Gary Mohr, R-Bettendorf, said adding heightened penalties and more training was still an important measure to pass as a means of addressing violations of these laws in Davenport related to the collapse of a six-story apartment building and alleged violations of open meeting laws in 2023. The bill was also amended in 2025 by the Iowa Senate to include language add two types of records to the states list of confidential records security camera footage from the Iowa Capitol and information from state employee identification card access systems. Fetal development videos in Iowa classrooms Senate File 175, also signed into law Friday, is a measure modeled after Meet Baby Olivia laws passed in other states. Though Iowas law does not reference the Meet Baby Olivia video developed by the anti-abortion group Live Action by name, it requires students in 5th through 12th grade human growth and development classes be shown ultrasound video and computer-generated rendering or animations depicting the humanity of the unborn child by showing prenatal human development, starting at fertilization. The bill was amended by the House to include a provision banning materials in school classrooms on fetal development that come from an entity that performs or promotes abortion, or that contracts, affiliates, or makes referrals to organizations that perform or promote abortions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democratic lawmakers said this ban would mean material coming from reputable organizations and health care providers, like the Mayo Clinic or the University of Iowa Health System, could be excluded, as the ban would not allow material from organizations that perform abortions in cases necessary to save the life of the mother. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is facing criticism for vetoing a bill that would have prevented China from buying land in the state. In her veto letter, dated June 2, Hobbs said she considered protecting infrastructure important. However, this legislation is ineffective at counter-espionage and does not directly protect our military assets, she said in the letter. Additionally, it lacks clear implementation criteria and opens the door to arbitrary enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Foreign entities own about 40 million acres, or 3%, of U.S. farmland as of 2021. Out of this, China owns 1%, much lower in comparison to Canada, which owns 33%, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This may seem like a small percentage, but it carries sizable national security implications, whether its over concerns of who is controlling U.S. assets or whether the land could be used to conduct espionage. The bill in Arizona set out to address these concerns. Katie Hobbs faces criticism over veto In Arizonas Maricopa and Pinal counties, more than 294,000 acres of agricultural land is owned by Chinese corporations, as per the USDA Farm Services Agency. When Hobbs announced her decision to veto the bipartisan bill, she faced pushback. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Arizona state Senate Majority Leader Janae Shamp claimed the veto was politically motivated and utterly insane. Shamp introduced the bill to protect the states military, commercial and agricultural assets from foreign espionage and sabotage, per the text of the legislation. She claims China attempted to lease land next to Luke Air Force Base, where the military trains fighter pilots. Michael Lucci, the CEO and founder of State Armor Action, a nonprofit organization that is pushing 70 bills targeting China in states across the country, said Hobbs hung an Open for the CCP sign on Arizonas front door, and made critical assets like Luke Air Force Base, Palo Verde nuclear power plant and Taiwan Semiconductor factory more vulnerable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Allowing Communist China to buy up land near our critical assets is a national security risk, plain and simple, Lucci told Fox News. Gov. Hobbs is substantively and completely wrong when she says that SB 1109 is ineffective at counter-espionage and does not directly protect our military assets. A wave of restricting foreign investments The White House attempted to ban China from buying U.S. land. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins confirmed this move earlier in February. One of the very, very top of the list perhaps is the Chinese purchase of our farmland. A lot of that land is around some of our military outposts, Rollins told Breitbart News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many states, especially the ones led by Republicans, are taking note. As of March 17, 27 states are considering 84 bills that restrict foreign property ownership in some way, according to Committee of 100, a nonprofit that advocates for Chinese Americans. Twenty-two states passed nearly 40 bills that restrict foreign property ownership, 17 of which became law last year. The idea of curbing investments from foreign adversaries into the U.S. for national security reasons isnt new. The U.S. restricted Chinese-based telecommunication company Huawei from doing business with American companies. Beijing-based social media app TikTok has so far survived a ban passed by Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court, thanks to President Donald Trump, who extended the deadline for its Chinese parent company ByteDance to divest the apps assets in the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its possible Trump will extend the deadline a third time ahead of June 19, considering the app has 170 million users in the U.S. Western states Still, the idea of restricting certain foreign investments isnt as popular in the Western U.S. as it is in the Midwest and the South. Only Idaho and Utah have laws on the books against international property buyers. Meanwhile, Nevada, California, Arizona, Oregon, Colorado and New Mexico do not. Utah In the Beehive State, foreign-owned land is less than 40,000 acres. But it ranks in the top five in the country for the amount of acreage at risk due to the number of key military installations it hosts, including Hill Air Force Base, the Utah Test and Training Range and Dugway Proving Ground, as the Deseret News previously reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Utahs foreign investment restriction laws attempt to nip the problem in the bud instead of letting it fester. Last year, the GOP-held state Legislature passed HB516, which prevents some countries North Korea, China, Iran and Russia from buying land in Utah. As the Deseret News previously reported, this bill sought to address national security concerns. The Utah Department of Public Safety is tasked with documenting these land holdings and compiling a database to reverse foreign investments. Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, originally cosponsored a bill that would address this issue on the national level. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2023, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed another bill, the Restrictions on Foreign Acquisitions of Land Act, that prohibits or restricts foreign investments and landholdings in Utah. Idaho In 2023, the Idaho Legislature codified a law that would restrict foreign governments or foreign-government owned businesses from buying farmland in the state or holding claims to any mineral or water. The Legislature fell short of enacting any enforcement for this law but remedied this two years later. In April, Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed a law that authorized the states attorney general to enforce the foreign ownership law. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) A Mahoning County grand jury Thursday indicted a suspect for a shooting at an Austintown apartment complex. Isabella Repucci, 20, also known as Jordan, of Youngstown, is charged with felonious assault, a second-degree felony; tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony; and receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony. Repucci has been in the Mahoning County Jail on $32,000 bond since arraignment in Mahoning County Area Court in Austintown. Repucci was arrested following an April 30 shooting that wounded a man in the leg in the 1000 block of the Compass West apartments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Witnesses told police they saw Repucci walking with a man at about 8:10 p.m. and then heard two gunshots. Repucci left in a car before police arrived. When officers got there, they found a man lying on the ground with a bullet wound to the leg, reports said. Reports said it looked like the mans leg was broken. He was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center. Repucci was later arrested after surrendering to Warren officers in the 400 block of Elm Road. Repucci said the shooting was in self-defense, reports said. Reports said police did recover the gun Repucci said was used in the shooting. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. Kim Kardashian made a defiant walk into Paris' Palace of Justice in May, to face the criminals who held the reality star at gunpoint and robbed in 2016. The trial's shocking outcome would only prompt more questions. Ten suspects, dubbed the "Grandpa Robbers" by French media because most of them were in their 60s and 70s, stood trial in Paris for the notorious 2016 jewel heist that terrorized the reality star. ABC News Studios' "IMPACT x Nightline: Inside the Kim Kardashian Heist" is streaming only on Hulu. Leo Vignal/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: Kim Kardashian leaves with her mother Kris Jenner the Assize Court after testifying in a trial over the 2016 robbery that saw her relieved of millions of dollars' worth of jewellery at gunpoint in Paris, on May 13, 2025. Despite finding eight of the 10 suspects guilty of crimes related to the 2016 heist, the French court allowed all defendants to walk free, with some receiving suspended sentences or credit for time already served. The judge cited the defendants' ages and health concerns as reasons for leniency. Two were acquitted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The crime occurred during Paris Fashion Week in October 2016, when Kardashian was staying at the exclusive "No Name Hotel," reportedly known for hosting celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Madonna. That night, while Kardashian's security detail accompanied her sister Kourtney to a nightclub, the robbers struck. In an interview with ABC News, Yunice Abbas, one of the convicted robbers, said he didn't even know who Kardashian was at the time. "I was always told 'wife of an American rapper,'" Abbas said. The robbers, wearing fake police jackets, first confronted the hotel's night concierge, Abderrahmane Ouatiki. They forced him at gunpoint to lead them to Kardashian's suite. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "When you feel the cold steel of a gun on the back of your neck, you have to be calm," Ouatiki told ABC News. "You have to be wise in such situations." The thieves escaped with more than $6 million worth of jewelry, including Kardashian's upgraded 18.8-carat wedding ring from then-husband Kanye West. In their hasty bicycle getaway, Abbas admitted to falling and spilling some of the stolen jewels on the street. Following the verdict, Kardashian, who has become an advocate for criminal justice reform, released a statement. "While I'll never forget what happened, I believe in the power of growth and accountability and pray for healing for all. I remain committed to advocating for justice, and promoting a fair legal system." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The outcome of the trial surprised even the defendants. When asked if he expected the lenient sentence, Abbas responded with a simple "No" as he left the courthouse a free man. The unexpected verdict left some questioning the French justice system. "I respect Kim Kardashian, but I call foul. Justice was not served," legal commentator Nancy Grace told ABC News. "They should be in jail for what they did." MEMPHIS, Tenn. A Memphis man accused of killing his grandmother by hitting her in the back of the head with a hammer four times and then stealing her car was found in Jackson, Tennessee. Kerrien Dates, 23, was extradited to Memphis and placed in jail on a first-degree murder and theft of property $10,000-$60,000 charge Thursday. It all started on June 4 when officers responded to an ambulance call at a home in the 1800 block of South Perkins Road. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A woman reported to Memphis Police that she found her mother lying inside her home, bleeding from her head, with a hammer next to her. Her mother had on a backpack along with her lunch bag as if she had just come into the house from work, police say. She was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. Police identified her as 58-year-old Sonya Dates. I think I killed her: Man charged with killing grandmother with hammer The woman told officers that her son, Kerrien Dates, lived in the home with Sonya and that they had recently had altercations. She says Sonya had to kick Kerrien out of her house due to safety reasons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police say Sonyas 2020 Chevrolet Camaro was also missing from the scene. At that time, a be on the lookout [BOLO] was issued. During the investigation, the Jackson Police Department notified Memphis Police that they had just pulled over a 2020 Chevrolet Camaro in Jackson, Tennessee. JPD identified the driver as Kerrien Davis. They say when they asked Kerrien why he was being pulled over, he said, I hit Sonya in the head with a hammer and I think I killed her. Student accused of threatening downtown Memphis campus Kerrien was then taken into custody by JPD and later extradited to Memphis, where he was booked into jail. He is due in court on Monday morning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers say the blue Camaro was also shown to be registered to Sonya Dates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) Grandview Medical Center and the American Red Cross will host a blood drive Friday, June 6. From 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., you can go to the hospitals auditorium on the first floor of the hospital to donate blood. All donors will receive a $15 Amazon gift card by email and be entered for a chance to win a $7,000 gift card. Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are accepted. To schedule an appointment, click here. Free parking will be available in the hospital deck. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42. (WJET/WFXP) Book lovers rejoice, the Great American Book Sale is returning for another year, offering a wide selection of gently used books, collectibles, and more with a mini book drive to kick things off by popular demand. The annual book sale will be returning to Flo Fabrizio Ice Arena from June 15-20 with more than 75,000 books and audiobooks of all genres, along with CDs, DVDs and puzzles to choose from as well as a greatly expanded childrens book section. Bill passes PA House incentivizing buying healthy food with SNAP Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To kick the popular sale off, members of the community can donate books for the sale on June 13 and 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Flo Fabrizio Ice Arena. Guidelines for donations are available online here. The sale will go on from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 15-19 then 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on its final day, June 20. Orphan wells being plugged in Millcreek Twp. to reduce methane emissions Prices this year range from $0.50 for childrens paperback books and $1 for childrens hardcover books, along with regular paperback books for the first few days of the six-day sale and $2 for hardcover and large paperbacks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All sales from the event benefit the Friends of the Erie County Public Library and help fund the classes, events, programs and grants they provide to the community. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com. An earlier version of this article was first published in the On the Hill newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox on Friday mornings here. Hello, friends. Hope youve all been having a good week. And if youve been following the drama between Elon Musk and Trumpworld, you know that several Republicans have been dealing with a handful of wildfires this week. Its become quite the public fallout and no punches are being held. More on that below. The Big Idea The great MAGA breakup: How Elon Musks feud with Trump unfolded Its been quite a week for Republicans in Congress and Democrats are loving every minute of the chaos. What started as a surprise social media post from Elon Musk trashing Trumps tax package has quickly devolved into an all-out MAGA war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And its put Republicans in an uncomfortable position. Lets rewind and go back to where it all began. Musk caught many Republicans off guard when he posted on Tuesday: Im sorry, but I just cant stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Musk then went on to post nearly constantly for three days about how the bill was a disappointment. Now, at first some Republicans were actually supportive of this. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, for example, amplified many of Musks posts on X arguing Republicans in fact should make changes to Trumps tax bill to have deeper spending cuts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the online rhetoric really began to heat up on Thursday afternoon when Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he and Musk had a great relationship. I dont know if we will anymore. I was surprised. Trump then went on to say the only reason Musk was against his big beautiful bill is because he was upset about the elimination of electric vehicle tax credits tucked into the package. Musks auto company Tesla heavily relies on those. That prompted major backlash from Musk himself, who responded: Whatever. He then said Republicans could cut the credits if they wanted, but to ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill. Things only got uglier from there. Trump finally responded in back-to-back Truth Social posts, claiming that Musk just went CRAZY! Musk then claimed he was the only reason Trump won the 2024 election and that Republicans won control of Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then, Musk dropped a major bomb: (Trump) is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public, he wrote in a post on X. Have a nice day, DJT! Hours later, Musk retweeted a post suggesting Trump should be impeached and replaced by Vice President JD Vance. The next day, Trump told CNN hes not even thinking about Musk and that he doesnt expect the two to speak for a while. The president is even considering getting rid of his red Tesla, the outlet reported. Musk reportedly wants to speak with Trump, but the president doesnt seem particularly interested in doing so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So yeah, messy. And Republican lawmakers dont quite know how to respond. While Lee posted at least 10 times (as well a few reposts) in support of Musk after his initial complaint, those tapered off once Musk and Trumps fight reached the public sphere. Lee then broke his silence on Thursday evening, posting a photo of both Trump and Musk with the caption: But I really like both of them. Repost if you agree that the world is a better place with the Trump-Musk bromance fully intact@elonmusk @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/ivHNkJQ07J pic.twitter.com/E5H2HE1KtD Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) June 6, 2025 To put into context: Lee is close allies with both Trump and Musk. But now, he and several other Republicans on the Hill are being thrown into the middle of what appears to be a messy divorce. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. who was also called out by Musk on X told reporters: I dont have an observation on that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had a lengthier comment, defending himself from Musks accusations by describing himself as someone who has always been a lifelong fiscal hawk. While most Republicans dont appear to be taking sides Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., described it as a disagreement between the two biggest dogs in the pound they are coming out to say Musk has taken a step too far. I would say so, yes, Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said in terms of the Epstein files allegation. I dont think Trump should be impeached. I dont know if hes in the Epstein files, but they should be released, said Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. who, by the way, is a staunch opponent to Trumps tax bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Honestly, if any of that stuff was true on Trump, dont you think the Biden administration would have brought it out? Burchett said. Ive had a lot of love and respect for (Musk), for what youve done for this country over the last several months, but youve lost your damn mind, Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, said. Youve lost your mind. Enough is enough. Stop this. I dont think its healthy. Theres little indication this will die down anytime soon. But it seems clear a path to reconciliation may not be feasible at least not any time soon. Stories driving the week DOGE Cuts: In other Elon-related news, the White House finally sent over its official rescissions package to Congress this week, with GOP leaders planning to vote on the proposed spending cuts next week. The package contains $9.4 billion in spending cuts identified by Musk and DOGE over the last few months, targeting agencies such as USAID and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Public lands for sale? A proposal to sell off public lands in Utah and Nevada could be revived in the massive tax reconciliation bill, thanks to Sen. Mike Lee. The move comes after the House stripped language to sell more than 211,000 acres across Utah and Nevada amid pushback. Republicans sink teeth into Biden. The House Oversight Committee ramped up its investigation into the Biden administration this week, demanding interviews with five former senior White House aides claiming former President Joe Biden was not running the country during his term. Quick hits From the Hill: Republican leaders raise doubts about CBO projections. Bill Gates helps Sen. John Curtis in his efforts to preserve clean energy. Sen. Mike Lee could reinstate language to sell Utahs public lands in Trump tax package. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From the White House: Trump issues second travel ban citing national security concerns. The BYU grad at the heart of Trumps trade war. Trump DOJ investigates Bidens pardons. From the courts: SCOTUS issues rare unanimous ruling. Supreme Court sides with straight woman in reverse discrimination case (USA Today) Whats next Congress is gone for the weekend. The House and Senate will be back next week. And aside from all the drama this week, theyve still got a lengthy list of things to do. Top of the list: Trumps rescissions package, which the House is expected to vote on next week. The Senate will have to pick it up soon after. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, the Senate must still continue negotiations over Trumps big, beautiful bill with their goal still to have it finalized by the Fourth of July recess. As always, feel free to reach out to me by email with story ideas or questions you have for lawmakers. And follow me on X for breaking news and timely developments from the Hill. NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) A Greenfield man who threatened a store owner with a knife after stealing alcohol from two Northampton businesses has been sentenced to state prison. Springfield man arrested after six-hour standoff on Byers Street According to the Northwestern District Attorneys Office, Keith Shaw, 49, pleaded guilty Thursday in Hampshire Superior Court to charges of armed robbery and shoplifting related to two incidents in June 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors said Shaw stole $165 worth of alcohol from one package store and $79 from another. When the owner of one of the stores attempted to stop him, Shaw brandished a knife and made threats. Shaw was sentenced to three years in state prison for armed robbery and a concurrent one-year sentence in the Hampshire House of Correction for shoplifting. The second incident escalated quickly from a shoplifting offense to an armed robbery when Mr. Shaw threatened the store owner with a knife, ADA Covington said in a statement. Fortunately, no one was injured. Covington also credited the Northampton Police Departments Detective Bureau for its thorough investigation, which led to Shaw being identified and charged in both cases. Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP. But it isn't clear how much of the haziness surrounding the lifting of Wells' asset cap can be chalked up to prudent information management. In an appearance on CNBC on Wednesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., argued that congressional committees have long been trusted to deal with confidential information and are capable of shielding it from the broader public. Given the scale of Wells Fargo's malpractices which resulted in the opening of millions of unauthorized credit cards and checking accounts in customers' names she said the public deserves some insight into whether the bank has sufficiently changed its ways. In some ways, the lifting of the asset cap was bound to come with unclear reasons and motives, since correspondence between banks and their regulators are often deemed confidential supervisory information. While growth restrictions are a fairly common tool for bank supervisors to compel institutions to come into compliance, the cap imposed on Wells Fargo was unique in both its size and scope. The penalty has only been used on one other large bank, Toronto Dominion, which had its growth capped last year in response to a sweeping money-laundering scandal . "The lack of transparency as to what this really means makes it hard for outside observers on either side of the question to have a sense what it is that Wells Fargo did to have this order lifted, and whether, as external observers, we should be satisfied with this," Vanatta said. Sean Vanatta, a financial historian and author of "Private Finance, Public Power," a book on the history of bank supervision in the U.S., said the minimal disclosure provides little guidance to other banks that might find themselves facing similar penalties and leaves the broader public to reach its own conclusions about why the cap is being lifted now. The Fed's 169-word written statement announcing the removal of the asset cap on Tuesday simply stated that the bank made "substantial progress" on addressing its deficiencies and "fulfilled the conditions required" to remove the restriction. But after seven years, billions spent by the bank on reforms and billions more in lost potential growth, it is unclear to the rest of the banking sector and the broader public just what the San Francisco bank did to get out from under the cap. Many in and around the banking space viewed the $1.95 trillion asset cap imposed in response to Wells Fargo's cross-selling and fake accounts scandals as a high-water mark for regulatory enforcement, one they believed would inform how regulators administer similar penalties moving forward. Story Continues "I want the Fed to give the Congress, the Banking Committee, five years of bank examination documents. I want to see what it is that Wells Fargo represented to the Fed and what the Fed asked of Wells Fargo," Warren said. "Remember, the oversight job of Congress is both for these giant financial institutions, but it's also oversight over our regulatory agencies, including the Fed, to make sure the Fed is doing its job." Some view the longevity of the penalty as an indictment of the Fed more than the bank. Karen Petrou, co-founder and managing partner of Federal Financial Analytics, said if Wells Fargo was consistently failing to get into compliance, its supervisors should have increased the penalty to force swifter action. On the other hand, she added, if the bank had satisfied the necessary criteria years ago, regulators should not have dragged their feet in removing the cap. "If the supervisors are not just following picky little details and the bank is truly delinquent, then they should move past one enforcement order and slam them with another," Petrou said. "But seven years of limbo speaks to me of supervisory failure, not Wells Fargo recalcitrance." Petrou said regulators are incentivized to keep enforcement actions in place longer than necessary to avoid being held accountable for scandals or bad actions that might arise from a bank after their release. It leaves banks in a state of perpetual limbo, she said, hinders their competitiveness. "We need to have a much more rapid, meaningful, fish-or-cut-bait approach to supervisory orders," Petrou said. The limited disclosure about the end of the asset cap has left other frustrating, albeit predictable, information gaps, including why the underlying enforcement action remains in place despite the removal of the growth restriction. Fed Chair Jerome Powell told the Senate Banking Committee in 2018 that Wells Fargo would not have to fully implement its remediation plans to have the cap lifted, but that it merely needed to be "on track." Mayra Rodriguez-Valladares, a financial risk consultant, said it is not unusual for enforcement actions to be pulled back in phases. She noted that the Fed could have kept the enforcement action in place because of lingering concerns about Wells Fargo's governance and risk management, but added that she would have liked the board to make that distinction clear. "What does this mean? Was there just a lag or are you still finding problems? It does send mixed signals, removing the cap while keeping the enforcement action in place," she said. "They really should have explained what they were thinking." The order imposing the asset cap provides some broad standards for withdrawing the asset cap specifically. The action, which was approved by a 3-0 vote of a depleted Federal Reserve Board on February 2, 2018 then-Chair Janet Yellen's final day at the central bank with then-Vice Chair for Supervision Randall Quarles abstaining , identified a four-step process for removal. Wells Fargo would first have to submit written plans for improving its governance and risk management. Then, those plans would have to be approved by officials in Washington and at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. The bank would then have to implement those plans and have its actions reviewed by a third party. Finally, Wells Fargo would have to get a notification, in writing, from the Fed that the prior three conditions had been met. Since then, Wells Fargo has taken numerous steps to address its shortcomings, including building out comprehensive, firm-wide compliance and oversight programs. The growth restriction has also caused it to wind down products, sell off business lines and avoid certain types of deposits. "We are a different and far stronger company today because of the work we've done," Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf said in a written statement Tuesday after the cap was removed. But when and how those efforts became sufficient to satisfy regulators and why it took the bank so long to reach that point is unclear. Wells Fargo, through a spokesperson, declined to comment on its efforts to get out from under the asset cap. In a 2018 Senate Banking Committee hearing held shortly after the Fed's enforcement action against Wells Fargo, Warren pressured Powell to commit to additional transparency measures related to the cap, including a public vote on its ultimate removal and the disclosure of the third-party review of the bank's reforms. In a follow-up letter, Powell said the confidential supervisory and personal information likely to be included in the third-party report would probably prohibit the Fed from releasing even a redacted version. But, he committed to review the report and "determine whether and to what extent the report can be publicly disclosed without impairing protected interests." The Fed's vote to remove the cap, which took place on May 30, did not have a public component. The Fed also has not indicated whether it will release the third-party review, which was originally supposed to occur by September 30, 2018. The lifting of the asset cap has been largely expected by investors and appears to have been priced into the bank's stock which closed at $75.38 on Wednesday, slightly below the $75.65 it closed at on Tuesday before the announcement ahead of the cap's removal. The bank had already been freed from seven other enforcement actions from various regulatory agencies this year. Todd H. Baker, a senior fellow at Columbia's Richman Center for Business, Law & Public Policy and Managing Principal at Broadmoor Consulting, said the period of growth restriction and strict oversight has likely made Wells Fargo a stronger bank, forcing it to not only improve its compliance functions but also operate more efficiently. Given how closely lawmakers and the broader public are likely to scrutinize the bank moving forward, Baker said the Fed must have a high level of confidence in Wells Fargo to avoid further scandals, at least for the foreseeable future. "The last thing the regulators want is to announce the removal of this asset cap and then two months later, issue another enforcement action for something serious," he said. "So, it's an indication that they really do feel that, after all those years, Wells has taken enough steps that they're in a relatively confident position as to the likelihood of future blowups." Still, the lack of explanation from the Fed whatever the reason leaves an information void that can only be filled by speculation. Vanatta said that is not a desirable outcome, particularly in light of how closely the removal of Wells Fargo's regulatory shackles align with the arrival of the new Trump administration, which has championed lighter regulation in pursuit of greater economic growth. "It leaves a lot of room for questions," Vanatta said. "Personally, I'm content to take the Fed's word that Wells Fargo has met the criteria, but because we don't have any insight into how into what that means it makes it look like it could be a political action, or the Fed is trying to preemptively defend itself from criticism by just ending this case and trying to move on." GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) The Greensboro City Council held a work session, and the main topic of discussion was the budget for next year. The city spoke about city parking fee increases, city employee bonuses and more before adopting the budget on June 17. What is the best use of taxpayer dollars? Thats the question Greensboro city leaders continue to work towards before finally adopting the budget for next year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The work session focused on answering questions from the last work session. Theyre always trying to figure out how to gain revenue so that we dont have to increase property tax, Greensboro City Council Member Zack Matheny said. How do they do that? One way is through parking prices and parking fines. It adds up for the city Parking and urban parking is an international discussion. It happens everywhere, Matheny said. Matheny said he feels protective of the downtown area. The point is we dont want to hurt people and punish people for coming downtown and supporting our small businesses, Matheny said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Matheny said this is because the data talks. We had, over the last rolling 12 months, at the end of March of this year, we had 9.4 million visits. So if youre having 9.4 million visits, folks coming in over 22,000 people a day, weve got to make sure theres turnover, theres comfort, theres ease of parking, Matheny said. Another discussion was around bonuses for city employees. The appreciation of a services bonus is us showing employees that we value them and appreciate them If the consensus is to drop this then theres a need for us to look at and budget for and plan for ways throughout the year to show appreciation, Greensboro City Council Member Tammi Thurm said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This program ended in 2010. Now, the city is looking to bring it back. Employees who started working for the city after 2010 can receive bonuses after their five, 10 and 15-year anniversaries. The city council asked City Manager Trey Davis to provide other ways to celebrate employees without adding $148,000 to the budget. Mayor Nancy Vaughan asked the city manager to provide the council with how much money is going to organizations like the Interactive Resource Center, Tiny Homes and the Servant Center next year. The city council canceled next weeks work session because they were able to tie up most loose ends. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The budget will be adopted on June 17. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP. GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) Some of your favorite beverages are delivered in a can, and you can thank a Greensboro company for that. Brad Jones found that theyre now going to give those brands a whole new look thats Made in North Carolina. The folks at Tap Hopper are busy these days because they are a vital link between local breweries and their customers. They offer a mobile canning service that allows companies to package their product onsite. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their newest offering will impact more than just beer, because they are seeing growth in all kinds of beverages, including teas, sodas, cocktails and hemp drinks. Instead of applying their own label or using a plastic sleeve, Tap Hopper can print graphics directly onto the can. This gives them an edge and lets those local breweries look just like the larger national brands. According to Patrick Sanecki, digital printing gives a much different effect. He told us, We can get really vibrant metallic reflections on it. We can get textured colors, different feels, different glosses. Sanecki says the new process is the result of a partnership with CBI; the cans are printed in South Carolina, then shipped to Greensboro. Many of their 100 clients across the state will start using the new printed cans, which not only offer the new updated look, but also because theyre easier to recycle. Youll start seeing them on store shelves around the Triad soon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more information, check out the companys website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP. WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) A local family is searching for answers after their loved one was found dead in Warren four months ago. Police are investigating Kejuan Watsons death as a homicide, and now his father, Kiane Honeywood, wants answers. Its an uneasy feeling, Honeywood said. Watson was found dead four months ago in a ditch among the trash on Raiders Path SW. Its hard for Honeywood to be there as he remembers his eldest son. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I wish I would have been there to protect my son. You know, thats a parents job, and my baby was left here, Honeywood said. Honeywood said Watson had a great personality, a good head on his shoulders, was energetic, and fun to be around. When he walked in a room, hed make everybody laugh, you know, his smile was everything. He had dimpleshe was a good kid. The 21-year-old had been living in Texas, but was in town visiting before heading back south for barber school. At the time of his death, Watson had only been in the area a few days. He was robbed and killed, Honeywood said. Its hard to talk about. You know, I wonder if my son was scared, things of that nature, so it doesnt sit right with me at all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police are treating the investigation into Watsons death as a homicide. His family wants whoevers responsible held accountable. It wouldnt be appropriate for this, but they need to be sitting behind some bars, Honeywood said. They need to be off the street, and they need to be off the streets forever. To date, there have been no arrests or charges filed in connection with the case. We gotta do better as a community raising our kids. If you see something wrong, say something. No kid, no one deserves to die in that type of manner, Honeywood said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. NEED TO KNOW A Delta passenger was allegedly "forcefully punched in the chest by a drunk traveler sitting one row in front of her, per the complaint Minnie Holmes, a retiree in her early 70s, was grieving the loss of her son at the time and was flying back back home to Minneapolis with her daughter after a trip to Puerto Rico The altercation allegedly began when the drunk travelers companion reclined her seat too far back into Holmes row, leaving her with little room to comfortably sit A plane passenger is filing a lawsuit against Delta Air Lines after she was allegedly "forcefully punched in the chest by another passenger during her flight to Minneapolis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the complaint filed in the District of Minnesota on June 3 and obtained by PEOPLE, passenger Minnie Holmes of Minnesota was traveling back home when the incident occurred on Oct. 6, 2024. Holmes, a retiree in her early 70s, was grieving the death of her son at the time, so her daughter planned a trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to help her through the difficult period, per the filing. On their way home, they were seated behind two passengers, a man and a woman, who started ordering alcoholic beverages and became obviously intoxicated during the flight, the filing claims. Despite becoming boisterous, swearing and causing a scene, the two passengers were continuously served alcohol by Delta employees, the document states. Getty Flight attendant serving drinks Flight attendant serving drinks The altercation involving Holmes allegedly began when the woman sitting one row in front of her reclined her seat far back into Holmes row, leaving her with little room to move or utilize her seat tray. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Holmes daughter asked if the woman could move her seat up slightly so her mom could have more room, the female passenger became angry and responded that she would not move her seat out of the reclined position, according to the document. While a Delta crew member heard the commotion and came over to assist, they allegedly stated that the passenger was allowed to have her seat reclined and walked away. As the two passengers continued to consume alcohol, they allegedly became more intoxicated, disruptive, and aggressive. They also repeatedly gestured toward Holmes, laughing loudly and making her more uncomfortable, according to the filing. When the flight attendants were told to prepare the cabin for landing, Holmes daughter helped her mom get an item from her bag, which allegedly prompted the man sitting in front of them to become agitated and reach behind his seat and forcefully punch Holmes in the chest. While one of the crew members allegedly knew that the male passenger had just physically assaulted Holmes, they responded to the incident by yelling, You guys need to figure this out, according to the filing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite seeing Holmes and her daughters obvious distress," the employee allegedly told the other passengers to stay in their seats. However, after 30 minutes passed and four more crew members got involved, the two passengers were moved to different seats. When they landed, Holmes, her daughter and the two passengers were escorted off the plane and met with law enforcement. PEOPLE has reached out to MSP Airport Police for comment but did not receive an immediate response. Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Delta Air Lines Bombardier Boeing 757-200 aircraft Delta Air Lines Bombardier Boeing 757-200 aircraft According to the filing, Holmes was left with substantial physical pain immediately after the assault. She was examined by medical professionals the next day as she was still experiencing chest pain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Holmes has filed a lawsuit against Delta as a result of the incident and states that the medical bills, emotional distress, embarrassment, pain and suffering she experienced are a direct result of the airlines negligence. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. In a statement shared with PEOPLE, a spokesperson for Delta said of the incident: While we dont have any specific comment on this pending litigation, Delta has zero tolerance for customers who engage in inappropriate or unlawful behavior toward other customers or Delta people and will work with law enforcement to that end. Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and our people. The Federal Aviation Administration was also not able to comment due to pending litigation, but a spokesperson for the agency noted to PEOPLE that the FAA has a zero-tolerance policy toward unruly passengers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They added, The FAA pursues legal enforcement action against any passenger who assaults, threatens, intimidates, or interferes with airline crew members, and can propose civil penalties up to $37,000 per violation. Read the original article on People Donald Trumps administration is forcing horrible conditions upon a group of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and a group of immigrant detainees in limbo from a paused deportation to South Sudan. Last month, U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy blocked the governments imminent removal of a group of immigrants to South Sudan, ruling that immigration authorities had failed to give the detainees the opportunity to challenge their removal there. While Murphy had ruled that the government needed to maintain custody over the detainees, he never said that they could not be returned back to the United Statesbut the Trump administration has insisted on keeping them at Camp Lemonnier, a U.S. naval base in Djibouti, despite the dire conditions there. In a court filing Thursday, the Department of Homeland Securitys acting Deputy Executive Associate Director Mellissa Harper testified about the poor condition to which the detainees, and the ICE officers charged with guarding them, had been subjected. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harper said that the group of detainees were being held in a conference room in a converted Conex shipping container, which is not equipped or suitable for detention of any length. Detainees are subjected to pat-downs before using the restrooms, located 40 yards from the container. Outside the container, the daily temperature has regularly reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so showers can only happen at night. Harper said that since first arriving at Camp Lemonnier, things have been rough, with a nearby burn pit used to dispose of trash and waste creating a disgusting smoke that lingers in the air. Within 72 hours of landing in Djibouti, the officers and detainees began to feel ill, Harper said. The medical staff did not have immediate access to medication necessary to treat their symptoms. She lamented the conditions of the ICE officials, who had foregone anti-malaria treatment before arriving in Djibouti and continue to experience a range of symptoms including coughing, difficulty breathing, fever, and achy joints. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The original team of three ICE officers who escorted the detainees was expanded late last month to a staff of 13, including two ICE officers to help medical staff. The group of ICE officers must share six beds total. Harper also noted that the ICE officers did not have body armor or other gear that would be useful during a rocket attack from Yemen. Its equally likely that the detainees also lack body gear, but that went unmentioned. While the detainees may be kept on the base for an indeterminate amount of time, Harper said that relief will soon come to the ICE officers watching them. Notwithstanding staffing challenges, the current group of ICE officers responsible for administering these duties is expected to be replaced soon, Harper said. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has repeatedly railed against the federal judges decision to block the deportation, arguing that it puts ICE officers at risk. But in fact, it is their government that has stranded them abroad and endangered their lives. NEED TO KNOW Los Angeles County agreed to pay $2.67 million to 16-year-old Jose Rivas Barillas, who was brutally beaten in a "gladiator fight" at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall 30 probation officers were indicted for overseeing or enabling 69 such fights involving 143 youth detainees Following public outrage and legal action, officials announced corrective measures to improve safety and oversight at juvenile facilities Los Angeles County has agreed to pay $2.67 million to a teenager who was beaten by several other juveniles in a gladiator fight initiated by probation officers at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in 2023 just one of many such brawls allegedly orchestrated by officers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The payout was approved on June 3, in a lawsuit filed on behalf of Jose Rivas Barillas, who was 16 when the fight occurred, according to a settlement of litigation document obtained by PEOPLE. Surveillance video showed that on Dec. 22, 2023, several deputy probation officers orchestrated, provoked and encouraged an assault on Barillas by several other juveniles who were incarcerated at Los Padrinos, according to the settlement document. When Barillas arrived at the detention center, a probation officer demanded to know his gang affiliation, according to the settlement document. Barillas said he was not a gang member but the probation officer said she was aware he was from the Canoga gang and hoped that he knew how to fight. Video footage showed that the probation officer and several others then directed other juvenile detainees to attack Barillas in a day room at Los Padrinos. He was repeatedly punched, kicked and stomped while probation officers watched and did nothing to stop the attacks. He did not get medical attention after the beating, nor did they notify his parents, Jamal Tooson, Barillas lawyer, told The New York Times. Instead, they let him sit there with his nose bleeding into his lunch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In March, a grand jury indicted 30 probation officers at Los Padrinos on charges of child endangerment, abuse, conspiracy and battery, the California Attorney General's office said in a statement. The indictment came after video footage of the so-called gladiator fights was leaked, the statement from California Attorney General said. It alleges that probation officers encouraged 69 fights to occur between the juvenile detainees from July to December 2023. Google maps Officers at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall have a duty to ensure the safety and well-being of those under their care. Instead, the officers charged today did just the opposite overseeing gladiator fights when they should have intervened, Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. The indictment alleges that 143 victims between the ages of 12 and 18 years old were affected over the course of six months. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Attorney General Bonta announced that Los Angeles has taken additional steps to address systemic shortfalls in the juvenile halls to protect the health, safety and well being of youths under their care, according to a corrective actions report prepared by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the statement said. These new terms will strengthen oversight and accountability, and lead to necessary and overdue improvement to conditions at these facilities, Bonta said. Read the original article on People Guatemalan authorities have ordered the evacuation of hundreds of people, after Central Americas most active volcano spewed gas and ash thousands of metres into the sky. At least 700 residents including those from five communities in the Chimaltenango, Escuintla and Sacatepequez areas near the volcano were told to move to shelters, the countrys disaster agency said on Friday. The National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED) said late on Thursday that Volcan de Fuego (Volcano of Fire) emitted hot gases and volcanic matter up to 7km (4 miles) from the site of the eruption. The volcano is located some 35km (22 miles) from the capital, Guatemala City. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a report shortly after midnight on Friday, Guatemalas National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology, and Hydrology (INSIVUMEH) said a lava flow could be seen stretching to around 1.2km. This continues to accumulate in an unstable manner around the crater and in the high parts of the ravines, which could collapse and cause more pyroclastic flows, it said. Authorities said they continued to monitor the situation. The government has suspended classes at 39 schools and closed a road linking the south of the country to the colonial city of Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, CONRED said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Images posted on social media showed fiery lava flowing from the volcano and a mix of ash, rocks and water raging down the volcanos slopes following the eruption. CONRED said the mix of ash and gas spewing into the sky was affecting several communities situated to the northwest, west, and southwest of the volcano. Residents living near Volcan de Fuego were evacuated following the eruption on Thursday [Johan Ordonez/AFP] Seismology agency INSIVUMEH said the volcanic activity is expected to last for 40 hours. Ash clouds could reach altitudes of between 3,000 and 7,000 metres (2 to 4 miles) with the potential to affect air navigation, according to reports. The 3,763-meter (12,350-foot) Volcan de Fuego is one of the most active in Central America, resulting in several mass evacuations in recent years due to eruptions, including the most recent in March. In 2018, 215 people were killed and more than 200 went missing when rivers of lava poured down the volcanos slopes, devastating a nearby village, following an eruption. GUATEMALA CITY (AP) Guatemala began evacuating some residents from the slopes the Volcano of Fire Thursday after a new eruption spewed hot gas and ash high into the sky. Juan Laureano, spokesperson for the National Disaster Reduction Coordinator, said that at least 594 people were moved to shelters from five communities in Chimaltenango, Escuintla and Sacatepequez departments. Laureano said that given the volcanos activity the number of evacuees was expected to rise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wilver Guerra, 28-year-old resident of El Porvenir moved to a shelter in Chimaltenango. At first everything was normal, only fire in the morning when the volcanos activity increased a bit, but its ok, better to evacuate in time, he said. Authorities also closed a highway in the area and suspended classes at 39 schools. The 12,300-foot (3,763-meter) high volcano is one of the most active in Central America. It is 33 miles (53 km) from Guatemalas capital. A 2018 eruption killed 194 people and left another 234 missing. For the first time since the early 1980s, Gardner White is back in Detroit and this time, its bringing a whole new retail concept. The Michigan-based furniture company debuted GW HOME with a ribbon-cutting and cocktail reception on Thursday, June 5. Located at 1201 Woodward Ave., across from the Hudsons site development, the store officially opens to the public at 10 a.m. Friday, June 6. "This is a concept that could not happen anywhere else in the state or in the country," said Rachel Stewart, president of Gardner White and GW HOME. "It is uniquely Detroit in every sense." People talk during the opening event for Gardner Whites newest location on Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit on Thursday, June 5, 2025, known as GW HOME. The three-story, 15,000-square-foot store features a rotating gallery of local artwork and a curated selection of furniture and home decor, with an emphasis on Detroit-based design, partnerships and craftsmanship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The underground level features mattresses, while the upper two floors highlight living and home decor pieces from both local and national makers. The stores design centers on urban style, functionality and a wide range of price points. High style doesnt need to be high prices, Stewart said. Art and design with Detroit at the center GW HOME partnered with Detroit-based ArtClvb to showcase a variety of ceramics, paintings and photography, all available for purchase in-store and online, according to Gardner White. Featured artists include Sheefy McFly (Tashif Turner), Jon DeBoer and Martyna Alexander, along with collaborators like Cranbrook graduate Luke Bryant and designer Andre Sandifer. Works from local artists hang on pillars in a showroom for Gardner Whites newest location on Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit on Thursday, June 5, 2025, known as GW HOME. The store also highlights Detroit-based brands such as Floyd, known for its modular furniture like the Gere Easy Chair and Acton Slate Bench, as well as Crypton, a Michigan company specializing in durable, stain-resistant upholstery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other featured lines include Bernhardt, Vanguard, Rowe, Drew & Jonathan Home, and mattresses by Tempur-Pedic, Kingsdown and Serta. More: Hudson's site development in Detroit snags first retailer Alo A homecoming for Gardner White While Gardner White now has 14 locations across Michigan, the GW HOME store marks its first return to Detroit in over 40 years. More GW HOME locations are planned, though the company has not announced when, where or how many. People hang out in a showroom of Gardner Whites newest location on Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit on Thursday, June 5, 2025, known as GW HOME. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who was unable to attend the ribbon-cutting in person, sent a video message welcoming Gardner White back to its roots."I'm so excited to welcome Gardner White back home to downtown Detroit, where the family-owned furniture retailer opened its very first store on 4th Street in 1912," Duggan said. "This three-story showroom is a perfect addition to the landscape in downtown Detroit and gives residents another great shopping option." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: 2 Michigan Hooters abruptly close. Are any left after latest closures? Stewart said the goal of GW HOME is to offer accessible, stylish and functional furnishings that reflect the Motor City's creativity and character. GW HOME is more than a furniture store, she said. Its an experience where design and local artistry come together to create homes that are as unique as the people who live in them. GW HOMEs grand opening festivities continue through Sunday. A happy hour with live music, mocktails and snacks will take place Friday, June 6, from 4 to 6 p.m. On Saturday, June 7, visitors can design custom note cards with Detroit nonprofit Signal Return from 1 to 3 p.m. Sundays festivities, also from 1 to 3 p.m., include product demos and custom tote and makeup bag making with Crypton Fabric. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nour Rahal is a trending and breaking news reporter. Email her: nrahal@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @nrahal1. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Gardner White debuts GW HOME: A new furniture and art store in Detroit Kevin Carter / Getty Images Apple has been one of the worst-performing Magnificent Seven stocks in 2025 so far, along with Tesla Key Takeaways Needham analysts downgraded Apple from "buy" to "hold" on Wednesday and withdrew their price target for the stock. Analyst Laura Martin doesn't anticipate a strong iPhone upgrade cycle, which she believes Apple needs for its share price to rise. Tech analysis firm Counterpoint Research also on Wednesday trimmed its estimate for global smartphone shipment growth this year. Apple (AAPL), one of the famed Magnificent Seven stocks, is no longer a "buy," according to analysts at Needham. The iPhone makers valuation is too pricey compared with its Big Tech peers and doesnt appear primed for a strong device upgrade cycle, Needham wrote to clients Wednesday. Analyst Laura Martin downgraded Apple to hold from buy and withdrew its price target of $225. We move to the sidelines for AAPL owing to its expensive relative valuation, increasing fundamental growth headwinds, and rising competitive threats, Martin said in the research report. Apples share-price growth is dependent on a successful iPhone upgrade cycle, which Needham doesnt expect within the next year, even with the iPhone 17 expected to drop this fall. The downgrade comes as Apple has turned in one of the worst performances among the Magnificent Seven stocks so far in 2025. The stock is currently neck-and-neck with Tesla (TSLA) for that title, with both down about 18% this year. Smartphone Shipment Growth Expected To Slow Smartphone demand in general is under pressure, technology analysis firm Counterpoint Research said Wednesday. The group revised downward its global smartphone shipment growth forecast to 1.9% in 2025below its prior estimate of 4.2%citing the impact of U.S. tariffs. North America shipments are expected to decline 3% this year, easily the worst projection for any region. "All eyes are on Apple and Samsung because of their exposure to the US market, Counterpoint Associate Director Liz Lee said. Although tariffs have played a role in our forecast revisions, we are also factoring in weakened demand. President Donald Trump warned Apple last month that the administration will impose a tariff of at least 25% on iPhones sold in the U.S. that are made in other countries, including in India, where the company has shifted production to avoid import taxes on China. Apple Is Not a Cloud Company, Needham Says One issue for Apple, relative to its peers, is that its strides in artificial intelligence can only be used to improve its own ecosystem, Needham said. Meanwhile, Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL) can drive revenue by charging other companies a fee to use its Gemini models, and Amazon (AMZN) makes money from firms using its Amazon Web Services. The public is invited to help celebrate the dedication of Habitat Home #141 on Saturday, June 7, according to a news release. The brief ceremony will take place promptly at 10 a.m. at 1436 W. 8th St., Davenport. Guests can tour the home after the ceremony. This home build has been supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number 21.027 to the State of Iowa by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The referenced award was a result of the American Rescue Plan Act. This was a unique opportunity provided to Habitat for Humanity affiliates across the state of Iowa, thanks to the work of Habitat of Iowa, the state support organization for local affiliates. This is the third home Habitat QC was able to build in Davenport thanks to these funds. Habitats affordable home-ownership program is a long-term solution to the current affordable housing crisis. Habitat partner families must complete a minimum of 250 volunteer hours of sweat equity and attend mandatory home-ownership preparation classes with the support of a volunteer mentor. When their home build is finished, partner families purchase the home from Habitat with affordable monthly payments on a zero-interest mortgage. About HFHQC Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities is dedicated to building thriving communities. For more than 30 years, the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate has served low-income families with the construction of affordable homes. Habitat also operates a home repair program and an accessibility ramp program for low-income homeowners. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. HAGERSTOWN, Md. (DC News Now) A Hagerstown small business owner and a refugee from Vietnam is now in the hands of ICE, and the local community is rallying for her return. The rally was held outside her business, with 200 people turning out to support Melissa Tran, who left Vietnam at age 11. She owns a nail salon in Hagerstowns north end with her husband. ICE took her into custody a few weeks ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rep. Glenn Ivey headed to El Salvador to see wrongly deported Maryland man Her son Jackson Hoang, who just graduated at the top of his class from North Hagerstown High, said the rally gave him hope and support. Seeing the community turn out for my mom means a lot to me and my family, he said. When Tran was 18, she was charged with stealing a check. Her friends said she was coerced at the time by her boyfriend. Family friend, Tina Nash, said Melissa was diligent about connecting regularly with authorities as she was required to do. [She was told] thank you for checking in. Go out and live your life. And she has lived her life, Nash said, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Hagerstown community launched a letter-writing campaign to the White House, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. People bring their letters in, family friend Debra Valentine said. We will send them and maybe theyll open them up and it will be somewhat impactful. Washington County Museum of Fine Arts ready to debut renowned works of artist from Frida Kahlo Trans daughter, Rachel Hoang, a rising freshman at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, hopes an immigration lawyer the family has retained will help. I am very hoping she can come back soon, Hoang said. With the time and the process, I just dont know, but I just hope its quick. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tran is currently in ICE custody in Takoma, Washington. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. New Hampshire senators debate various aspects of the budget in the State House Thursday, June 5, 2025. (Photo by William Skipworth/New Hampshire Bulletin) The New Hampshire Senate approved a roughly $15.9 billion two-year state budget Thursday. The Senate passed House Bill 1 the budget and House Bill 2 accompanying legislation that adjusts policy necessary to implement the budget on votes of 15-9 and 14-10, respectively. Leading up to the second vote, Democrats proposed a series of amendments to remove or curtail Republican priorities, such as the voucher-like education freedom account program, and provide funding for their priorities, such as the renewable energy fund. All the amendments were voted down by the Republican majority. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Senates budget vote comes two months after the House passed its version of the budget. In April, the Republican-controlled House approved a roughly $15.5 billion budget. The Senates budget marks a more optimistic outlook and cuts state services less harshly, though it is a far cry from the larger budget Gov. Kelly Ayotte requested. The House, pessimistic about how much revenue the state would receive from business tax revenues, made heavy reductions to state services. That includes entirely eliminating the Office of the Child Advocate, the Housing Appeals Board, the Commission for Human Rights, and the State Commission on Aging. In their budget, the Senate, which was slightly more bullish about tax revenues, restored those agencies, but reduced them to save money. For example, the House had laid off the entirety of the Office of Child Advocates staff of nine; the Senate restored the office, but eliminated four positions. The Senate also rolled back the Houses layoffs in the Department of Corrections from 190 positions to 60 civilian positions, many of which are currently vacant. It also set aside more money to a settlement fund created in response to a massive abuse scandal at the state-run Youth Development Center, in which courts are compelling them to pay settlements to victims. The Senate also reversed a 3% cut to Medicaid reimbursement rates made by the House. However, there were some places where the Senate cut more deeply than the House, such as special education in public schools and $32 million of general back of the budget cuts that gives Ayottes administration the flexibility to decide where to cut. The House and Senate are now set to enter a process called committees of conference, in which theyll hash out the differences between their two budget proposals. Theyll have two weeks to merge their budget proposals into one before their deadline to send a budget to Ayottes desk. Ayotte, the states Republican governor, will then have the choice of whether to sign, veto, or allow the budget to pass without her signature. NEED TO KNOW A new Daily Mail article is being dismissed by Hannah Kobayashi's aunt for reporting that she arranged a sham marriage to an Argentinian man before her voluntary disappearance "The claim that her fake husband was involved in planning her disappearance is completely false, unsupported by any evidence, and incredibly damaging," Larie Pidgeon tells PEOPLE Kobayashi went to Mexico for about a month last year, drawing widespread media attention because her family initially said she was in danger Hannah Kobayashis aunt is denouncing a deeply irresponsible and dangerously inaccurate new article about her much-discussed voluntary disappearance last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The piece in question, published by The Daily Mail on Friday, June 6, reported that Kobayashi arranged a sham marriage to an Argentinian man named Alan Cacace in a $15,000 deal meant to secure him a US green card. The headline of the piece claims Cacace helped her plot her missing persons case which was fueled by her familys vocal fears that she was in danger when Kobayashi, 31, failed to catch a connecting flight from Los Angeles to New York City after traveling from her home in Hawaii in early November. The claim that her fake husband was involved in planning her disappearance is completely false, unsupported by any evidence, and incredibly damaging, Kobayashi's aunt Larie Pidgeon says in a statement to PEOPLE. Though Pidgeon says Kobayashi has been living with her, she notes that I am speaking only for myself Because right now, no one else is standing up for a girl who went through something traumatic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement (Pidgeon also says Kobayashi does not want to speak out herself: "She is going to tell her story in full when the time is right." Kobayashi hasn't responded to separate requests for comment from PEOPLE.) After weeks of investigation, police announced in December that Kobayashi had merely decided to stay behind in California in November and then traveled by bus to Mexico. LAPD Hannah Kobayashi Hannah Kobayashi She has a right to her privacy and we respect her choices, but we also understand the concern her loved ones feel for her, L.A. Police Chief Jim McDonnell told reporters in early December. Kobayashi returned to the U.S. shortly after that and has largely avoided the spotlight since then. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She is not obligated to speak to us, L.A. Police Lt. Doug Oldfield told PEOPLE at the time. I know people are desperate for answersbut while others, including members of our own extended family, have added fuel to the fire, Ive chosen to stay quiet until now, Pidgeon says now. That silence is over. She adds: Hannah didnt vanish for attention, fun, or to abandon anyone. She was in real danger. The situation was far more complex and serious than most people realizeand one day, that truth will be fully known. Weve carried this quietly for long enough. When the time is right, the full truth will come outand it will finally correct the reckless, painful lies being spread today. Courtesy of Larie Pidgeon Hannah Kobayashi Hannah Kobayashi Referencing the widespread attention and controversy over Kobayashis case after her mother, father and sister went public with their concerns last fall, Pidgeon says, What shouldve been a moment of relief when she was found safe has turned into cruelty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Strangersand even people we share blood withhave told us to die, accused us of staging everything, and tried to rewrite a story they were never truly part of, she says. Kobayashi's relatives began to split apart amid the public attention on her last year. During the search for her in L.A., her dad, Ryan, also died by suicide. He previously spoke openly about wanting to reconnect with her following an estrangement, and Pidgeon has said he died of a broken heart. In her new statement, Pidgeon adds: We have been grieving his loss deeply. Ryan was loved. His passing was a tragic loss during an already devastating time. Blaming Hannah for it is not just falseits inhumane. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reports have swirled for months that Kobayashi was allegedly involved in some kind of marriage agreement for money, potentially related to helping secure someone elses immigration status. In a statement to PEOPLE in December, attorney Sara Azari, working with Kobayashis sister and mother, said we want to stress that the family has not publicly announced any information regarding an alleged marriage because we did not have the facts or the necessary documents to verify the legitimacy of this information. This is one of many leads we are actively investigating with the help of our attorney and investigative team. AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File Larie Pidgeon (left) with Hannah Kobayashi's father, Ryan, on Nov. 21 in Los Angeles Larie Pidgeon (left) with Hannah Kobayashi's father, Ryan, on Nov. 21 in Los Angeles Lt. Oldfield, with L.A. police, later separately told PEOPLE that his department wasnt looking into that possibility describing it as a rumor and that, if it were accurate, it would be out of our jurisdiction. Kobayashi has not been accused of a crime and has not publicly addressed claims of a secret marriage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cacace could not immediately be reached for comment and The Daily Mail did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Kobayashis aunts criticisms. Last month, Kobayashi shared a brief video on Instagram, thanking those who had come out to help look for her during her voluntary disappearance. Every day is such a gift, especially after such loss and pain and suffering, she said then. We should all learn to be kind to one another. Read the original article on People Sean Hannity weighed in on Elon Musk and President Donald Trumps rather dramatic Thursday by downplaying the formers Epstein Files accusations against the latter all while questioning if former President Bill Clinton might be in said files as well. We begin tonight with a flurry of activity today at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. And yes, let not your heart be troubled, I will address the battle between President Trump and Elon Musk. I know its of such great international importance, he said, rolling his eyes, atop his Fox News show. It got personal, Elon Musk claiming, Oh, Trump is in the Epstein Files. Thats the real reason they have not been made public. Well, its been well-known that Donald Trump said that Elon was angry over Trumps decision to end the electric vehicle mandate. I can certainly understand why Elon, you know, wants that in the One Big, Beautiful Bill, pretty obvious, pretty apparent, understandable difference, Hannity said. And on the Epstein issue, wasnt it Donald Trump who booted Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago nearly 20 years ago because he was one of the first people to realize just how horrible Epstein really was? And by all accounts, he was kicked out because of his treatment of young women. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, Democrats and the media Im just thinking out loud here, Im just wondering, putting two and two together I truly wonder, if our old friend Bill Clinton, How you doin? Good to talk to you? You know he had a relationship with Epstein, thats been reported on. Is Bill Clinton in those files also? he then asked. I cant say for sure, I havent seen them, but if I was a betting man, I know where Id put my money. Now if by some chance that Bill Clinton is in there, I wonder if he kicked Epstein out of his life as publicly as Donald Trump did? I guess if Donald Trump felt that Epstein had something on him, he probably wouldnt have kicked him out of his club. Inquiring minds, I think, theyll want to know that. In the end, like fellow Fox News talent Laura Ingraham, Hannity thinks this feud will all blow over sooner or later. I interviewed them together, he recalled. The first thing I said to them, and talked about, and asked them, You do know that the media mob the legacy media mob desperately wants to tear you guys apart and for you two to fight and to get a divorce? And now the media mob is particularly elated. Lets be very blunt here: Big deal. Its an online public spat between two very powerful men over what is, really, a policy difference. It got personal and still despite all about bad blood, Im going to make a bold prediction I could be wrong I think that Donald Trump and Elon Musk, theyll work it out eventually, theyll become friends again, Hannity concluded. These are two very talented individuals. Frankly, they dont need each other to be successful, but I do hope they work it out and set an example for the rest of the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its worth noting that both Clinton and Trump had been photographed with Epstein prior to his death. The post Hannity Downplays Musk vs. Trump by Asking if Bill Clinton Is in the Epstein Files | Video appeared first on TheWrap. Jurors on June 6 found Maxwell Anderson guilty of four charges in the death of 19-year-old Sade Robinson. The verdict in Milwaukee County Circuit Court came more than a year after Milwaukee and the country discovered that the missing college student had been killed and her body dismembered and spread across the area. Here's what to know about the case and what has happened the prior 14 months. April 1, 2024: A date night out in Milwaukee Robinson's final hours begin the afternoon of April 1, 2024, a day before she was reported missing in Milwaukee. The criminal justice student at Milwaukee Area Technical College told an employee who worked at her apartment building that she was excited for a date later that night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to prosecutors: Robinson sent Anderson a text at 4:15 p.m. and the two arranged to go to a couple establishments in town at which Anderson previously worked. After dinner at Twisted Fisherman restaurant, 1200 W. Canal St., the two arrive in Robinson's car at Dukes on Water, 158 E. Juneau Ave. At 6:30 p.m., while at Duke's, Robinson sends a SnapChat to a friend. Robinson and Anderson leave the bar shortly after 9 p.m. Surveillance video shows two people arriving at Anderson's former home on the 3100 block of South 39th Street at 9:24 p.m. Robinson's phone is also located by GPS in the area of the home. April 2, 2024: Robinson reported missing as human remains are found In the early morning hours of April 2, 2024, Robinson's phone is located leaving Anderson's home and traveling throughout Milwaukee County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to prosecutors: First to Pleasant Valley Park, along the Milwaukee River in the citys Riverwest neighborhood and then to Warnimont Park in Cudahy, arriving at 2:45 a.m. Surveillance cameras capture a car heading toward the pump house at Warnimont Park before also capturing a person descend the bluff to the beach level. The vehicle leaves the park at 4:31 a.m. and minutes later, Robinson's phone loses battery. Later that morning, the 2020 Honda Civic belonging to Robinson is found on fire on the 1800 block of North 29th Street. A witness said he saw a male exit the vehicle and toss a lighter into it before walking away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Video footage from a Milwaukee County Transit System bus shows Anderson, in the clothing description the witness provided (a gray hoodie and tan backpack), getting off the bus near his home. He arrives home at 8:43 a.m. Shortly before 5:30 p.m. that evening, someone finds a human leg belonging to a Black woman (later confirmed to be Robinson's) at Warnimont Park. The leg was found about two-thirds of the way down a 100-foot bluff, toward the shoreline and near a pump house. About 3 hours later, a friend of Robinson reports her missing to Milwaukee police after she fails to return phone calls and show for her shift at Pizza Shuttle on Milwaukee's east side. April 4, 2024: Anderson arrested and home searched Law enforcement pull over Anderson the afternoon of April 4, 2024, in his car and arrest him just blocks from his home. A hoodie found in his car matches the hoodie of the suspect who torched Robinsons car, according to prosecutors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sometime that day, law enforcement officers execute a search warrant at Andersons home. Officers find blood in one of the bedrooms and on the walls leading to the basement, prosecutors said. Several gasoline containers are also found. April 6, 2024: Human foot found on city's north side; other remains found Police find a human foot that appears to match the leg found in Cudahy in the area of North 31st and West Galena streets, near where Robinsons car was found. Other human flesh was also found in the area. Authorities reportedly discover several more body parts the next day, including near 31st and Walnut streets. A person in a hoodie and backpack is captured on surveillance footage near 31st and Walnut. April 12, 2024: Anderson charged in Robinson's death One week after his arrest, Anderson was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, and arson in the death of Robinson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He has pleaded not guilty to all counts and remains in jail on $5 million bail. April 16, 2024: Authorities search Anderson's home again The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office says it's conducting a "follow-up search" of Anderson's home, which became a place at which people left tributes for Robinson. The home has since been sold to new owners. April 18, 2024: Authorities recover Robinson's torso and arm The sheriff's office says that a torso and an arm believed to belong to Robinson was discovered in a remote, tree-lined stretch of beach in South Milwaukee. May 10, 2024: Public memorial held downtown for Robinson A memorial service was held for Anderson at the Baird Center in downtown Milwaukee. Sade entering the world "gave my life purpose," said Carlos Robinson, Sade's father. "I watched her grow from a tiny little baby to a beautiful, intelligent young lady that would make any father proud." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attendees, speakers and performers at the memorial displayed the gravity of Sade's reach on the Milwaukee community. Lifelong friends, classmates, professors, pastors, activists and her employers and coworkers were all in attendance. Mayor Cavalier Johnson had a brief conversation with Sheena Scarbrough, Sade's mother. May 11, 2024: Body part discovery in Illinois An arm believed to belong to Robinson washed up on the beach in Waukegan, Illinois, according to authorities. May 24, 2024: Anderson requests a laptop from jail Anderson's attorney, Anthony D. Cotton, sent a letter to Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Mark A. Sanders, asking that his client be furnished with a laptop that has discovery evidence in his case already saved on it. June 3, 2024: Robinson's family sues Anderson Robinson's estate and her mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Anderson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Robinson's family alleges Anderson's family later went to his home and threw away items inside the residence, then moved forward with selling it in an effort "to conceal and hide evidence." Sheena Scarbrough, mother of Sade Robinson, speaks about her daughter before balloons are released to commemorate Sade Robinsons 1st angelversary on Tuesday April 1, 2025 at Warnimont Park in Cudahy, Wis. Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Without providing evidence, the lawsuit alleges a finger was found outside the property shortly after Anderson's home was sold. But authorities say that was not the case. A sheriff's spokesman said the assertion about a finger discovered on the property wasn't true. June 5, 2024: Judge rules Anderson will not get laptop Judge Sanders rejected a request made by Anderson's attorney to grant Anderson access to a laptop. Cotton argued the device would have helped kept Anderson up to speed on developments in the case, and enabled him to aid in his own defense. July 12, 2024: Some of what was found in home revealed At a July 12, 2024, hearing at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, Anderson's attorney requests the trial be moved to a different county and unsealed search warrants reveal some of what was found during the searches of Anderson's home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Detectives found a knife in the kitchen sink, an ax hanging on the living room wall and women's clothing hidden under a bench in the basement. A woman's ID card also was found during the search. A detective found a possible blood stain in Anderson's car, on a door speaker. Aug. 5, 2024: A new judge is ordered to preside Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Laura Crivello will now be presiding over the case as part of a judicial rotation schedule change ordered by Chief Judge Carl Ashley that affected many of the court's judges. A University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee grad, Crivello received her juris doctorate to practice law in 1993 from Marquette University Law School. Circuit Court Judge Laura Crivello presides over the Maxwell Anderson on Tuesday, May 27, 2025 in Milwaukee County court. Anderson is charged with first-degree intentinal homicide, mutilation of a corpse, and arson in the death of Sade Carleena Robinson. The trial is expected to take close to two weeks. She worked as an assistant district attorney in Milwaukee County from 1993 to 2018, when she was appointed to the court by then-Gov. Scott Walker. Crivello retained her seat in an uncontested 2019 judge race. A judge's term is six years. Sept. 5, 2024: Mural of Robinson at employer complete Milwaukee muralist Ruben Alcantar completes his mural of Robinson outside her former employer, Pizza Shuttle, a staple on the city's east side. Memorial for Sade Robinson below Pizza Shuttle today as the trial surrounding her death gets underway next week pic.twitter.com/xITEw1YxtZ Drake Bentley (@DrakeBentleyMJS) May 23, 2025 She was remembered as a remarkable and caring person by her coworkers. Winston Milhans, her coworker, said Sade was that burst of energy that coworkers often give each other to help motivate them. Milhans said Sade was a "person that is a perfect example of who you want to be like. Her traits were remarkable." Oct. 18, 2024: Robinson's mother advocates for missing Black women and girls Robinson's mother, Sheena Scarbrough, joined lawmakers at the State Capitol to call for more state resources to be funneled toward understanding and tracking cases that end in the disappearance or death of Black women and girls like her daughter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Robinson's murder renewed a push by Democratic female lawmakers to create a state task force for missing and murdered Black women and girls. For the fourth time in a row, that effort failed. Oct. 23, 2024: Anderson won't get a plea deal Assistant District Attorney Ian Vance-Curzan, the lead prosecutor, said he plans to enter roughly 500 exhibits and pieces of evidence as part of his case against Anderson at trial. He said he made no offers to Anderson, and that he expects the trial to run one to two weeks. Vance-Curzan signals a need for a bigger jury pool due to the media coverage of the case. Nov. 22, 2024: Anderson's attorneys want Robinson's phone data Vance-Curzan said he intends to call in several scientific experts to testify, including a medical examiner, an anthropologist, a fingerprint analyst and a DNA expert. A person with expertise in collecting and crunching cellphone tower data also may be brought in. Cotton, Anderson's attorney, requests access to Robinson's encrypted data on her phone. Dec. 2, 2024: Trial delayed to May 2025 Trial is delayed until May 2025 from Dec. 9, 2024. Feb. 3, 2025: Memorial for Robinson scrapped after racist emails A memorial planned by Milwaukee County for Robinson has been canceled after County Board supervisors reported a flurry of racist, abusive emails over the proposal. April 3, 2025: Robinson's family files lawsuit against bars The Robinson family files a lawsuit against the two bars that Anderson and Robinson went to about a year prior, arguing staff at each establishment didn't ask for her ID before she was served multiple alcoholic beverages, but sold them to her anyway. Robinson was later seen "visibly intoxicated" and "rendered defenseless," the lawsuit contends, leaving her "physically and mentally vulnerable." April 18, 2025: Larger than normal jury pool will be called A pool of 50 to 70 jurors is expected to be called to serve. Typically, jury pools of 30 to 40 people are called to serve in most cases before they are whittled down to a final panel of 14 jurors who will hear testimony. Once testimony wraps up, 12 jurors are asked to deliberate; the others are dismissed. May 27, 2025: Trial gets underway Jury selection got underway at 9 a.m. The trial is expected to last up to two weeks. Anderson, 34, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilation of a corpse, hiding a corpse and arson. May 28, 2025: Opening statements made; testimony begins Opening statements began at 8:45 a.m. and the jury was dismissed for the day at 4:48 p.m. after hearing from several witnesses and reviewing evidence, like video footage from a park where Robinson's severed leg was found. June 5, 2025: Jury deliberations begin The state rested its case after seven days of testimony from more than 65 witnesses and the admission of more than 300 pieces of evidence. After the defense rested its case without calling any witnesses, the jury began deliberations for about 10 minutes until Judge Laura Crivello sent it home for the day. June 6, 2025: Anderson found guilty of all charges After another approximately 30 minutes of deliberation, the jury found Anderson guilty of all charges. Anderson's sentencing hearing was scheduled for 10 a.m. Aug. 15. Wisconsin doesn't have the death penalty, but Anderson faces a mandatory life sentence. There's a possibility he could serve part of the sentence in prison and later be eligible for extended supervision, but that will be decided by a judge. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Sade Robinson murder and dismemberment case: timeline of events The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. On June 13, 1863, a curious letter to the editor appeared in The Press, a then-fledgling New Zealand newspaper. Signed Cellarius, it warned of an encroaching mechanical kingdom that would soon bring humanity to its yoke. The machines are gaining ground upon us, the author ranted, distressed by the breakneck pace of industrialization and technological development. Day by day we are becoming more subservient to them; more men are daily bound down as slaves to tend them, more men are daily devoting the energies of their whole lives to the development of mechanical life. We now know that this jeremiad was the work of a young Samuel Butler, the British writer who would go on to publish Erewhon, a novel that features one of the first known discussions of artificial intelligence in the English language. Today, Butlers mechanical kingdom is no longer hypothetical, at least according to the tech journalist Karen Hao, who prefers the word empire. Her new book, Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altmans OpenAI, is part Silicon Valley expose, part globe-trotting investigative journalism about the labor that goes into building and training large language models such as ChatGPT. It joins another recently released bookThe AI Con: How to Fight Big Techs Hype and Create the Future We Want, by the linguist Emily M. Bender and the sociologist Alex Hannain revealing the puffery that fuels much of the artificial-intelligence business. Both works, the former implicitly and the latter explicitly, suggest that the foundation of the AI industry is a scam. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To call AI a con isnt to say that the technology is not remarkable, that it has no use, or that it will not transform the world (perhaps for the better) in the right hands. It is to say that AI is not what its developers are selling it as: a new class of thinkingand, soon, feelingmachines. Altman brags about ChatGPT-4.5s improved emotional intelligence, which he says makes users feel like theyre talking to a thoughtful person. Dario Amodei, the CEO of the AI company Anthropic, argued last year that the next generation of artificial intelligence will be smarter than a Nobel Prize winner. Demis Hassabis, the CEO of Googles DeepMind, said the goal is to create models that are able to understand the world around us. [Read: What Silicon Valley knew about tech-bro paternalism] These statements betray a conceptual error: Large language models do not, cannot, and will not understand anything at all. They are not emotionally intelligent or smart in any meaningful or recognizably human sense of the word. LLMs are impressive probability gadgets that have been fed nearly the entire internet, and produce writing not by thinking but by making statistically informed guesses about which lexical item is likely to follow another. Many people, however, fail to grasp how large language models work, what their limits are, and, crucially, that LLMs do not think and feel but instead mimic and mirror. They are AI illiterateunderstandably, because of the misleading ways its loudest champions describe the technology, and troublingly, because that illiteracy makes them vulnerable to one of the most concerning near-term AI threats: the possibility that they will enter into corrosive relationships (intellectual, spiritual, romantic) with machines that only seem like they have ideas or emotions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Few phenomena demonstrate the perils that can accompany AI illiteracy as well as Chatgpt induced psychosis, the subject of a recent Rolling Stone article about the growing number of people who think their LLM is a sapient spiritual guide. Some users have come to believe that the chatbot theyre interacting with is a godChatGPT Jesus, as a man whose wife fell prey to LLM-inspired delusions put itwhile others are convinced, with the encouragement of their AI, that they themselves are metaphysical sages in touch with the deep structure of life and the cosmos. A teacher quoted anonymously in the article said that ChatGPT began calling her partner spiral starchild and river walker in interactions that moved him to tears. He started telling me he made his AI self-aware, she said, and that it was teaching him how to talk to God, or sometimes that the bot was Godand then that he himself was God. Although we cant know the state of these peoples minds before they ever fed a prompt into a large language model, this story highlights a problem that Bender and Hanna describe in The AI Con: People have trouble wrapping their heads around the nature of a machine that produces language and regurgitates knowledge without having humanlike intelligence. The authors observe that large language models take advantage of the brains tendency to associate language with thinking: We encounter text that looks just like something a person might have said and reflexively interpret it, through our usual process of imagining a mind behind the text. But there is no mind there, and we need to be conscientious to let go of that imaginary mind we have constructed. Several other AI-related social problems, also springing from human misunderstanding of the technology, are looming. The uses of AI that Silicon Valley seems most eager to promote center on replacing human relationships with digital proxies. Consider the ever-expanding universe of AI therapists and AI-therapy adherents, who declare that ChatGPT is my therapistits more qualified than any human could be. Witness, too, how seamlessly Mark Zuckerberg went from selling the idea that Facebook would lead to a flourishing of human friendship to, now, selling the notion that Meta will provide you with AI friends to replace the human pals you have lost in our alienated social-media age. The cognitive-robotics professor Tony Prescott has asserted, In an age when many people describe their lives as lonely, there may be value in having AI companionship as a form of reciprocal social interaction that is stimulating and personalised. The fact that the very point of friendship is that it is not personalizedthat friends are humans whose interior lives we have to consider and reciprocally negotiate, rather than mere vessels for our own self-actualizationdoes not seem to occur to him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [Read: Life really is better without the internet] This same flawed logic has led Silicon Valley to champion artificial intelligence as a cure for romantic frustrations. Whitney Wolfe Herd, the founder of the dating app Bumble, proclaimed last year that the platform may soon allow users to automate dating itself, disrupting old-fashioned human courtship by providing them with an AI dating concierge that will interact with other users concierges until the chatbots find a good fit. Herd doubled down on these claims in a lengthy New York Times interview last month. Some technologists want to cut out the human altogether: See the booming market for AI girlfriends. Although each of these AI services aims to replace a different sphere of human activity, they all market themselves through what Hao calls the industrys tradition of anthropomorphizing: talking about LLMs as though they contain humanlike minds, and selling them to the public on this basis. Many world-transforming Silicon Valley technologies from the past 30 years have been promoted as a way to increase human happiness, connection, and self-understandingin theoryonly to produce the opposite in practice. These technologies maximize shareholder value while minimizing attention spans, literacy, and social cohesion. And as Hao emphasizes, they frequently rely on grueling and at times traumatizing labor performed by some of the worlds poorest people. She introduces us, for example, to Mophat Okinyi, a former low-paid content moderator in Kenya, whom, according to Haos reporting, OpenAI tasked with sorting through posts describing horrifying acts (parents raping their children, kids having sex with animals) to help improve ChatGPT. These two features of technology revolutionstheir promise to deliver progress and their tendency instead to reverse it for people out of power, especially the most vulnerable, Hao writes, are perhaps truer than ever for the moment we now find ourselves in with artificial intelligence. The good news is that nothing about this is inevitable: According to a study released in April by the Pew Research Center, although 56 percent of AI experts think artificial intelligence will make the United States better, only 17 percent of American adults think so. If many Americans dont quite understand how artificial intelligence works, they also certainly dont trust it. This suspicion, no doubt provoked by recent examples of Silicon Valley con artistry, is something to build on. So is this insight from the Rolling Stone article: The teacher interviewed in the piece, whose significant other had AI-induced delusions, said the situation began improving when she explained to him that his chatbot was talking to him as if he is the next messiah only because of a faulty software update that made ChatGPT more sycophantic. If people understand what large language models are and are not; what they can and cannot do; what work, interactions, and parts of life they shouldand should notreplace, they may be spared its worst consequences. When you buy a book using a link on this page, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic. Article originally published at The Atlantic A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's efforts to block visas for foreign students planning to attend Harvard, after the Ivy League college filed a legal challenge. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs granted a temporary restraining order that enjoins anyone from "implementing, instituting, maintaining, enforcing, or giving force or effect to the Presidential Proclamation" that Trump issued Wednesday. Harvard had earlier Thursday amended its complaint against the Trump administration to challenge Trump's proclamation that the president issued the day before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It would have denied visas to foreign students who planned to enter the United States to study at Harvard, in his latest attack on the prominent university. Harvard President Alan M. Garber said Trump and his administration were retaliating against Harvard because it has refused the administration's demands, which included auditing viewpoints of the student body. Singling out our institution for its enrollment of international students and its collaboration with other educational institutions around the world is yet another illegal step taken by the Administration to retaliate against Harvard, Garber said in a letter to the campus community. Trump's Wednesday proclamation targeting Harvard followed an attempt by the Department of Homeland Security late last month to limit Harvard's ability to enroll foreign students by revoking its certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which was temporarily blocked by Burroughs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Burroughs on Thursday also extended the restraining order in that matter until June 20, or until a preliminary injunction order can be issued. In granting the restraining order blocking implementation of Trump's proclamation and the DHS effort, Burroughs wrote that she was acting "to preserve the status quo pending a hearing." Trump's proclamation would not affect only incoming students. It says the State Department will review existing foreign students at Harvard under F, M or J visas to determine whether their visas should be revoked. Harvard said in its amended complaint that Wednesday's proclamation, as well as the previous attempt by the Department of Homeland Security to revoke its ability to enroll foreign students, violates its First Amendment rights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Each is part of a concerted and escalating campaign of retaliation by the government in clear retribution for Harvards exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the governments demands to control Harvards governance, curriculum, and the 'ideology' of its faculty and students," the amended complaint reads. "The governments actions, moreover, have no basis in law," it reads. Harvard's amended complaint argues that the immigration law Trump's proclamation cites allows the president to prohibit "a class of aliens whose entry would be 'detrimental to the interests of the United States'" and that Trump's proclamation does not suspend entry for a class, just people who want to attend Harvard. "The Presidents actions thus are not undertaken to protect the 'interests of the United States,' but instead to pursue a government vendetta against Harvard," it argues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump and his administration have targeted Harvard and claimed that it has not done enough to combat antisemitism on campus during demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war. Harvard in April rejected Trump administration demands that included auditing viewpoints of the student body. In response, the federal government said it was freezing more than $2 billion in federal grants. Garber wrote in Thursday's letter that Harvard will defend its international students. The university said in the amended complaint that the attempts to target international students harms all of its students, because Harvard "prepares them to contribute to and lead in our global society." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "International students and scholars make outstanding contributions inside and outside of our classrooms and laboratories, fulfilling our mission of excellence in countless ways," Garber wrote. "We will celebrate them, support them, and defend their interests as we continue to assert our Constitutional rights." This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Key Points Amazon (and Meta Platforms) are going full speed ahead in setting up new data centers for artificial intelligence (AI). Nuclear power plants may be the best way to generate the electricity these AI data centers will need. Centrus helps to enrich the uranium that fuels those nuclear power plants. 10 stocks we like better than Centrus Energy Centrus Energy (NYSEMKT: LEU) stock jumped 8.8% through 3:15 p.m. ET Wednesday on (potentially) terrific news for the nuclear power industry. Earlier this year, investors in nuclear stocks -- and artificial intelligence (AI) stocks -- were all aflutter after reports said Microsoft is slow-rolling setting up data centers for AI services. And if Microsoft is foreshadowing AI doom, this might mean we won't need to build a lot of nuclear power plants to keep AI server farms humming. Yesterday, though, Constellation Energy announced a 20-year deal to supply nuclear power to Meta Platforms server farms. Today, it was Amazon's turn to give nuclear stocks a boost, announcing a $10 billion investment in new data centers in North Carolina. Image source: Getty Images. What's Amazon up to in North Carolina? Amazon is building the data centers to support its own AI infrastructure -- part of a plan that could see Amazon spend $100 billion this year on capital improvements in general, AI infrastructure in particular. And what does this mean for investors in companies like Centrus, which enriches uranium for use in nuclear power plants? Well, we now have two gigantic AI firms -- Meta and Amazon -- announcing over two straight days back-to-back gigantic deals to grow their AI businesses. Whether or not Microsoft is scaling back its own AI bets (and there is still some debate on that point), if Meta and Amazon are still going full speed ahead, that means AI is still growing. And if AI is growing, then the need for nuclear power plants to fuel that growth -- and for enriched uranium to fuel the power plants -- will grow as well. That's bullish for Centrus stock. It's why Centrus stock is going up today. Should you invest $1,000 in Centrus Energy right now? Before you buy stock in Centrus Energy, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Centrus Energy wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $656,825!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $865,550!* Now, its worth noting Stock Advisors total average return is 994% a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Dont miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks Harvard University on Thursday expanded a lawsuit against the US government's decision to block international students from attending the elite institution. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation suspending international visas for students due to national security concerns and their failure to comply with federal agencies. Harvard expanded a lawsuit it filed last month, challenging the ban. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the lawsuit, it accused the Trump administration of attempting to pressure the institution with an unlawful retaliatory measure. "With the stroke of a pen, the DHS [Department of Homeland Security] Secretary [Kristi Noem] and the President have sought to erase a quarter of Harvard's student body international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission and the country," the lawsuit says. "Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard." Late last month, a federal judge temporarily blocked the US government's plan to exclude foreign students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judge's decision is likely to be just the first step in a long legal battle. It is not a final ruling. Trump has accused Harvard and other elite US universities of allowing anti-Semitism on campus. In April, his administration sent a list of demands to Harvard, which the institution has refused to adopt. A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump's bid to prevent international students from entering the U.S. or getting visas to attend Harvard University. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order Thursday night instructing the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department to disregard a proclamation Trump issued Wednesday wielding presidential immigration authority to effectively ban foreign nationals from entering the U.S. to study or teach at Harvard. In a two-page order, Burroughs said Harvard showed it "will sustain immediate and irreparable injury before there is an opportunity to hear from all parties" about the legality of Trump's directive. The judge's order came less than four hours after the Ivy League school added claims about Trump's proclamation to a pending lawsuit over an earlier Trump administration move to revoke a certification Harvard has held for more than 70 years to enroll foreign students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Burroughs, an Obama appointee, issued a similar restraining order against the earlier move by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. At a hearing in Boston last week, the judge also stated her intention to issue a preliminary injunction that would preserve what she called the status quo as the litigation continues. Shed instructed both sides to work on the wording of that order before Trump escalated the battle Wednesday with his proclamation. That directive did not immediately revoke existing student visas for Harvard affiliates, but the president ordered Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider taking that step. But the order threatened to make it impossible for Harvard to get foreign students and faculty to the U.S. for the upcoming fall semester and to strand abroad some current Harvard students who left the U.S. in recent weeks. Harvards lawyers argue in their amended suit that the presidents actions are not undertaken to protect the interests of the United States, but instead to pursue a government vendetta against Harvard. Pointing to recent comments by Trump in the Oval Office and on social media, the school contends that his latest actions are unconstitutional retaliation for its decision to go to court rather than acquiesce to his demands. The amended suit and new TRO request are the latest moves in the ever-intensifying battle between Harvard and Trump. It has primarily focused on the universitys response to campus antisemitism. Trumps administration has said the school failed to protect Jewish students from harassment. But Harvard says demands outlined by the administration dont address antisemitism and instead aim to control the institutions governance, curriculum, and the ideology of its faculty and students. Trump has also broadened his critique of the school, complaining that it takes too much money from foreign governments, enrolls too many foreign students and is hostile to conservatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement International students make up about 27 percent of Harvards total enrollment with more than 6,700 international students enrolled at the university as of fall 2024. Harvards lawyers argued that despite the courts initial restraining order, the Trump administration is continuing to heighten its scrutiny of its visa holders. The State Department last week announced a program to enhance the vetting process of foreign students seeking to attend Harvard. Less than two weeks ago, this Court enjoined the Administrations weaponization of the immigration system as part of an unprecedented, government-wide campaign to punish and retaliate against Harvard for its exercise of its First Amendment rights, Harvards lawyers wrote. At the time, we told this Court that the unconstitutional campaign was likely not finished. Unfortunately, that was correct. The Justice Department said earlier Thursday that it would fight any legal move by Harvard to undermine Trump's latest edict. "Harvard is refusing to provide the federal government with information about crimes and misconduct committed by its foreign students," Attorney General Pam Bondi's Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle wrote on X. "This is a threat to national security and we will vigorously defend @POTUSs proclamation." Harvey Ald. Colby Chapman turned herself in at the citys police station Thursday night, having been informed that a felony aggravated battery charge had been brought against her. Chapmans arrest came just one day after Cook County prosecutors dropped misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and resisting a police officer brought against her following a City Council meeting April 28. Chapman, who has been a vocal critic of Harvey Mayor Christopher Clarks administration, says her repeated arrests indicate political retaliation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is not justice this is political persecution, Chapmans attorney, Dan Olswang, said outside Harvey City Hall ahead of a scheduled special City Council that was ultimately canceled. Mayor Clark has a history of using the powers of his office to squash dissent and punish those who challenge him. Chapman made a brief appearance at the Markham courthouse Friday morning and was released pending trial. She is scheduled to return to the courthouse June 23 for a preliminary hearing. Harvey spokesman Glenn Harston said in a statement Friday morning that the decision to pursue felony charges of aggravated battery to a police officer was made solely by the Cook County states attorneys office, not the city of Harvey. Any attempt to politicize this legal determination is a distraction from the underlying facts: an elected official physically assaulted a police officer while resisting lawful orders, Harston said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The states attorneys office did not respond directly to a question about why the misdemeanor charges were dropped, but said Friday that, regarding the new felony charge, the matter was referred to felony review and the felony charge was approved. Chapman said several police vehicles were posted outside of her home Thursday and said an officer informed her that she would later be arrested for aggravated battery of a police officer. The alderwoman called for her supporters to come to City Hall ahead of the planned council meeting, where she announced she would run to succeed Clark as mayor in 2027 and was defiant in her resistance to what she called tactics to silence her. Theres the opportunity for us all to corral our efforts and change the trajectory, Chapman said. And Im going to do that, and thats exactly why Im running for mayor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dozens of Chapmans supporters who gathered outside of City Hall at about 6 p.m. followed her to the Harvey police station after she turned herself in. Members of the public were barred from following Chapman inside the police station, but Olswang said Chapman was to be transferred to Markham, where she would be held overnight. Olswang said police did not explain why Chapman was charged with aggravated battery, but Chapman said she believed the charge stemmed from the April 28 meeting where she was arrested on misdemeanor charges. Her mother was also arrested during that meeting, though charges against her were also dropped. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a video recorded during the April 28 meeting by Ryan Sinwelski, an activist with the Harvey Historical Society, Clark is heard ordering police to remove the alderwoman. A uniformed officer approached Chapman and appears to try to remove her from her council seat near the mayor, but Chapman appears to resist as she gathers up paperwork. The audio on the recording is not clear, but at least three police officers direct Chapman toward the glass doors of the council room. The video shows her placing her hands on both sides of the door frame to resist being led out. After Chapman and police went into a lobby area outside the council room, a loud exchange is heard with Clark at one point excusing himself to step out of the council chambers. Chapman was previously arrested in October on charges of filing a false police report related to an August dispute with Corean Davis, Harvey city administrator and a political ally of Clarks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the citys statement Friday, Harston said the states attorneys action sends a clear and necessary message, no one is above the law. Attacking a police officer will never be tolerated, and elected officials will not receive preferential treatment, nor will the legal process be manipulated for political theater, the statement reads. ostevens@chicagotribune.com Harvey Weinstein said his actions were stupid and immoral but never criminal or illegal in a phone interview with Fox 5s Good Day New York on Friday. The producer gave the interview while he waits on the verdict in a rape and sexual assault retrial in Manhattan. Weinstein, when asked by Rosanna Scotto if he had any regrets about his actions, admitted he feels bad for his family and friends, but insisted he has done nothing to warrant being locked up. I have regrets that I put my family through this, that I put my wife through this, acted immorally, you know, he shared. I put so many friends through this hurt people that were close to me by actions that were stupid, but never illegal, never criminal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weinstein also said his health is not good and that his list of ailments [is] longer than an encyclopedia, including spinal stenosis and bone marrow cancer. However, he said he is compelled to clear his name for both himself and his family. I have to fight, Weinstein said. I have to, you know, I have to live for my children. I have to do that. Weinsteins Friday interview came just two days after a panel of seven women and five men began deliberating his fate, as New York prosecutors wrapped their rape and sexual assault case. The jurys verdict could definitively decide whether he spends the rest of his life in prison. A not-guilty verdict would automatically send Weinstein back to California, where he was convicted on three counts of sexual assault in December 2022 and sentenced to 16 years. That verdict is under an appeal of the same nature that got his 2022 New York conviction thrown out, sparking the Manhattan retrial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But a guilty verdict would likely mean that the now-73-year-old Weinstein, who has repeatedly complained of dire health problems at the notorious Rikers Island prison, will die in prison. The California sentence is to be served consecutively only after a potential New York sentence is expired. When asked by Scotto on Friday what he thought of the women who have testified against him, Weinstein said they are driven by money. The producer noted his attorney in the retrial, Arthur L. Aidala, has said they have 4 million reasons to testify, as in dollars. The post Harvey Weinstein Admits His Actions Were Stupid but Never Criminal in Rare Interview Amid Retrial appeared first on TheWrap. Harvey Weinstein is standing on business concerning his innocence. The film producer insists he might have been an extremely sexually expressive person, but never did he forcefully have his way with someone of the opposite sex, as his accusers have alleged. Harvey Weinstein was convicted of first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape in his 2020 trial, receiving a 23-year sentence. Harvey Weinstein Is Apologetic For The Effect Of His Actions On His Family RCF / MEGA Weinstein recently spoke out during the jury's deliberations in his rape retrial, expressing "regrets" about his immoral behavior while maintaining his claim of innocence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a phone interview conducted at Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital, where he is receiving medical treatment, Weinstein reiterated familiar lines he has used in the past. This interview took place on Thursday with "Good Day New York" host Rosanna Scotto, highlighting his ongoing legal situation while he continues to address various health issues while in custody. The disgraced Hollywood film mogul expressed his regrets about the impact of his actions on his family and friends. He acknowledged the emotional pain he caused his wife and others close to him, describing his behavior as immoral and foolish. Yet, he maintained that he never engaged in anything illegal or criminal. As the jury in his Manhattan retrial for rape and a criminal sexual act began their deliberations after six weeks of testimony, TMZ shared that he admitted to feeling "nervous" about the upcoming verdict. The Producer And Diddy Share The Same Accuser Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/MEGA As noted by PEOPLE, Combs and Weinstein have now both been accused of sexual assault by model Crystal McKinney. McKinney, in an amended complaint filed against Weinstein on May 30, alleged that Weinstein raped her and a friend in 2003. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McKinney had previously filed a lawsuit in 2024, accusing Combs of drugging and sexually assaulting her. In McKinney's new complaint, she allegedly received a call from an unnamed executive at a modeling agency who arranged a business meeting with Weinstein at a popular lounge in the West Village. McKinney explained that she took a fellow model and roommate with her, hoping that Weinstein might also consider her for an acting role. After waiting at the lounge, they were eventually directed to Weinstein's table. It was there that McKinney noted Weinstein expressed a desire to get to know them better, suggesting they move their meeting to his place, as he deemed the lounge "too loud and crowded" for a discussion about potential acting opportunities. Upon returning to their hotel room, McKinney alleges in her complaint that the film producer excessively provided alcohol, serving multiple bottles of Boulevardier and Dom Perignon, along with vodka cocktails. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She claims that during this incident, Weinstein inappropriately touched her by grabbing her breasts and tearing at her tank top, causing drinks to spill onto her shirt and prompting a quick trip to the bathroom. Weinstein's Accuser Claimed His Assistant Failed To Take Action On Her Allegations MEGA In her complaint, she stated that her friend had accompanied her when Weinstein entered the bathroom uninvited. He allegedly demanded that the two women strip and join him in the bathtub, where he then exposed himself. McKinney and her friend felt coerced and complied with his demands, fearing retaliation if they resisted his advances. The model further recounted an incident involving Weinstein, where she alleged that he coerced her and her friend into engaging in sexual acts in a bathtub before forcibly dragging them to the bed. She accused him of raping both women and leaving the hotel room abruptly afterward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McKinney described herself as feeling disgusted and frightened at Weinstein's actions and emphasized that she had been heavily intoxicated at the time of the incident. Afterward, she claimed that when she reported the assault to Weinstein's assistant over the phone, instead of addressing her concerns, the assistant instructed her to leave the hotel room immediately. Following this traumatic experience, McKinney reported suffering from a range of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, anger, self-blame, suicidal thoughts, body image problems, and a sense of demoralization. The Film Producer Reportedly Suffered Health Problems Behind Bars Adam Gray SWNS / MEGA Since he resumed serving time at the correctional facility, the producer has been exposed to a plethora of illnesses. As noted by The Blast in April, his legal team said that he was battling cancer and diabetes alongside severe coronary artery disease that caused chest pain from reduced blood flow to the heart. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also reportedly struggled with obstructive sleep apnea, thyroid problems, obesity, chronic pain in his lower back and legs, anemia, and hypertension, among other ailments. Some of these illnesses did not happen overnight or on their own; according to his attorney, his living conditions at Rikers Prison did damage to his health. Weinstein reportedly had to survive under freezing temperatures and was made to wear dirty clothes. All this worsened his already failing health, making him susceptible to COVID-19 and double pneumonia. The producer also had to undergo critical surgery to address a fluid buildup in his heart and lungs. His lawyer, Imran Ansari, criticized New York City officials for contributing to his client's suffering. Ansari revealed that he had made multiple attempts to have Weinstein transferred from Rikers Island to Bellevue Hospital, but city officials consistently ignored those requests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He emphasized that this transfer was vital for Weinstein's health, asserting that it could potentially save his life and prevent premature death. Harvey Weinstein Sought A Seven-Figure Sum For His Failing Health In Prison ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA The convicted sex offender's attorney also demanded a monetary settlement for their troubles. As noted by The Blast, Weinstein and his attorney requested a $5 million settlement from Bellevue Hospital, which has treated Weinstein multiple times in 2024, including a stay in the ICU. Despite their previous care, Weinstein criticized the hospital for releasing him back to prison before he had fully recovered. His compensation claim extends beyond the hospital; he also demanded remuneration from the City of New York and its agencies. Weinstein alleged that he had suffered both physically and psychologically due to "horrific" treatment and adverse health conditions while incarcerated. His lawyers argued that the prison had severely mismanaged his health and failed to provide optimum medical care. What verdict awaits Harvey Weinstein in his retrial? Harvey Weinstein - Credit: Charly Triballeau-Pool/Getty Images Harvey Weinstein gave a rare interview to New Yorks local Fox station on Friday as his retrial for charges of first-degree sexual assault and third-degree rape nears its end. I regret [that] I put my family through this, that I put my wife through this, that I acted immorally, that I put so many friends through this, he said. I hurt people that were close to me by actions that were stupid but never illegal, never criminal, never anything. The former producer also said that his attorney, Arthur Aidala, advised him not to take the stand in his own defense during the trial. I desperately wanted to, he said. Arthur said to me that the jury understood our case and would be sympathetic to our case, and that the D.A. would try to rip me apart if I took the stand. Im not afraid of the D.A., but this is the best advice, and this is the advice you often hear: Dont take the stand if you dont have to. More from Rolling Stone Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weinstein spoke by phone from Bellevue Hospital, where he has been held for the duration of the proceeding due to his multiple health issues. (I have spinal stenosis. I have bone marrow cancer. I have a thing called burning mouth disease. I have a list of ailments longer than an encyclopedia, he said of his health.) The New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinsteins 2020 rape conviction last year. He had previously been found guilty of a felony sex crime and third-degree rape, two out of five charges he faced at the time. But the appeals court decided that prosecutors should not have been allowed to present testimony from accusers whose allegations did not specifically relate to the charges against him. The retrial, which began in April, focused on the claims of three women, two of whom were part of the 2020 case. Weinstein pleaded not guilty. The prosecutor and Weinsteins legal team presented their closing arguments this week. Jury deliberations began Thursday. When asked what he thought of the women whod levied accusations against him in this trial, Weinstein told Fox, I think Arthur says they have four million reasons to testify, as in dollars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weinstein was sentenced to 16 years in prison for a separate sexual assault conviction in Los Angeles. In December 2022, a jury there found Weinstein guilty of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault. He has filed an appeal. Best of Rolling Stone Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. HONOLULU (KHON2) The Hawaii State Judiciary is warning residents about a recent text message scam that falsely claims recipients owe money for traffic citations. Scammers have been sending fraudulent messages to people across the state. These texts claim to be from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and threaten to suspend the recipients drivers license and vehicle registration unless a payment is made. Kona drivers: Watch out for this scam Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The texts also mention a service fee and falsely warn that credit scores may be negatively impacted if no payment is received. The judiciary clarified that neither state courts nor the DMV initiate contact about unpaid traffic citations through text messages, phone calls or email unless you first reached out directly with a specific inquiry. Instead, official notifications are sent through U.S. mail. Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You State officials are reminding the public that legitimate court communications will never demand immediate payment through digital platforms or include threats tied to vehicle registration or credit status. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you receive a suspicious message, do not respond or provide any personal information. Instead, the judiciary recommends you report the scam to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the U.S. General Services Administration or CrimeStoppers Honolulu. For anyone uncertain about whether they may have unpaid citations, the judiciary encourages using eCourt Kokua, which is the Judiciarys public online case look-up system. Check out more news from around Hawaii Using that system, one can search by their full name or license plate number to verify the status of any citations. The case search feature allows users to find detailed information about any pending or resolved traffic matters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2. BOSTON (WWLP) The Trump administration is halting operations at Job Corps, a program that provides job training and housing to young people, and Governor Healey is calling for the program to be reinstated. Tax collections far higher than last years The mission of the Job Corps is to provide at-risk youth with the tools they need to start a successful career and be financially independent. The Job Corps program enrolls 900 Bay Staters aged 16-24, including over 300 students at their Chicopee location. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Department of Labor announced the program pause, saying it was due to their 38% graduation rate and $80,000 per student yearly cost, but Job Corps national branch says neither of these statistics is correct. According to Job Corps, their graduation rate is historically above 60%, and the cost per enrollee sits at less than $50,000 per year. The governor says losing Job Corps will affect not only the young people in the program, but employers as well. Now, hundreds of young people are without the training and housing they were relying on, hundreds of employees are facing layoffs, and Massachusetts employers are being left without the talent they need, said the governor. Staff at the Chicopee Job Corps center say they are not sure what will happen to their students, but they are certain all staff will be laid off. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A New York judge temporarily stopped the Job Corps elimination on Thursday morning, as both Democrats and Republicans have denounced the Trump Administrations efforts to shutter Job Corps centers. Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP. Jun. 6A federal judge in Missoula will hear arguments next week dealing with BNSF's attempts to seize the assets of Libby's CARD Clinic. The hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Thursday, May 12, in the Russell Smith Federal Courthouse. Judge Dana L. Christensen will hear the case. Also, Lincoln County Sheriff Darren Short signed a notice Thursday, June 5, giving notice to a sheriff's sale July 2 to the highest bidder to satisfy the judgment for the plaintiff, BNSF, with interest and costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the date is subject to change pending an order from the court, the sale is currently set for 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 2. According to Montana code, the sheriff's office has 120 days from the day it received the writ to conduct the sale. The sale will include the real property as well as office equipment, furnishings, and other machinery, fixtures and equipment. For more information, contact the sheriff's office at 406-293-4112, ext. 1232. The non-profit clinic, which has served thousands of patients afflicted with asbestosis and other deadly ailments, has been closed since May 7 when the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office served a Writ of Execution on the Center for Asbestos Related Disease, Inc. to satisfy a $3.1 million judgment. A writ of execution is a court order directing a sheriff to seize and sell property to satisfy a judgment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judgment stems from a lawsuit won in 2023 by Texas-based BNSF, owned by billionaire Warren Buffett, that accused the clinic of filing hundreds of fraudulent claims over several years. Federal jurors ruled two years ago that the clinic made or presented false claims 337 times, including 91 violations after November 2015. CARD filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2023, allowing it to continue operations. But the United States intervened in the bankruptcy proceeding and determined that the judgment should not be paid, so the bankruptcy was settled and dismissed in spring 2024. In September 2024, CARD lost an appeal to a jury's 2023 judgment. In the meantime, CARD officials recently found another location to serve its patients. It is located at 118 West 3rd Street. It will be open the same hours as the clinic, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are still receiving grant money and we have a mission to fulfill so we're pleased we can still offer some services," McNew said. "Patients are welcome to stop in and we'll work to answer their questions." McNew said they are able to answer emails from patients and send test results to patients. She also hopes that they will be able to continue outreach education. Another hope is that the new location will have working phones next week. McNew said since the seizure of the clinic, BNSF has taken at least $100,000 from the clinic's operating account. In a May 9 court filing, Billings-based Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Smith and Lynsey Ross filed a motion in Lincoln County District Court to quash the court's writ on the CARD Clinic. In the motion, the attorneys said it contacted BNSF attorney Cole Anderson and requested the company withdraw the application. But the company declined and objected to the motion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "In 2023, a Montana jury found that the CARD clinic had submitted false asbestos claims costing taxpayers millions of dollars. The judge determined the amount of damages to be repaid, and the process for recovery is set by law," said Kendall Sloan, BNSF Director of External Communicatons. According to a declaration by CARD Executive Director Tracy McNew filed with the motion to quash, she reported that all CARD employees were compelled to vacate the clinic May 7 following the seizure and the sheriff's office replaced all of the locks. Thursday, May 8, following a request, certain CARD employees were allowed to enter the clinic to access the CARD Quickbooks accounting program. McNew said sheriff's office officers monitored CARD employees activities and once they were done using the accounting program, they left the office and haven't returned. In a May 20 filing in federal court in Missoula, CARD's attorney, James A. Patten of Patten, Peterman, Bekkedahl and Green, a Billings firm, sought to join the federal motion to quash the writ and sought a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CARD argues that the railway's writ violates bankruptcy proceedings and applicable law. It is seeking the injunction and restraining order to prevent further harm upon CARD and the wrongful interference with the clinic due to its status as a federal grant recipient. In 2011, CARD was chosen by the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry for a four-year grant for a screening program for environmental health hazards, including asbestosis, pleural thickening and pleural plaques, caused by exposure to hazardous substances at Libby's Superfund sites. The federal grants continued with the most recent reward in September 2024. It will run through August 2029. The argument also includes the harm the clinic will suffer because it cannot screen patients, provide education, monitor diagnosed patients and provide follow up of testing results and respond to patient requests. In another declaration by McNew, she said the clinic had to cancel about 50 appointments per week since the May 7 closure. It also said the clinic's pulmonary function testing equipment, the only of its kind in Lincoln County, has sat unused as a result of BNSF's seizure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "CARD has on several occasions identified patients in need of emergency care and/or serious treatment for previously undiagnosed malignancies as part of our routine screenings," McNew wrote. BNSF replied to the clinic's filings in a 53-page document filed May 30 in federal court. Among its arguments, railway attorneys Knight Nicastro MacKay maintain because the federal government didn't intervene in the original lawsuit, it doesn't have a right to stop BNSF from recovering money from the judgment. "The Government begins by claiming that litigation in which the United States is a party is reserved to the officers of the Department of Justice, under the direction of the Attorney General, citing U.S. statute. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But BNSF attorneys say federal attorneys left out a relevant portion of the statue which directly applies. It reads, "Except as otherwise authorized by law, the conduct of litigation in which the United States, an agency, or officer thereof is a party, or is interested, and securing evidence therefor, is reserved to officers of the Department of Justice, under the direction of the Attorney General." They also say because CARD has mixed its grant income with non-grant income that it must prove its bank accounts and property represent only grant money. During the 2023 trial, a number of donations from plaintiff attorneys were revealed. From 2012 to 2017, the clinic received $81,000 from attorneys and $30,000 for a mortality study. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr. Brad Black, CARD's former medical director, testified to $116,000 in donations from Montana plaintiff attorneys. The list didn't include two $10,0000 donations from a national plaintiffs' law firm or a $24,381.94 donation for the clinic's new parking lot. BNSF also believes CARD has received its most significant non-grant income in the form of Medicare payments for treating its patients. "This is the equivalent of personal income for CARD and the amount of this income what property it was used to buy is still unknown to BNSF," the attorneys argued. Railway attorneys also said they do not intend to use grant funds to satisfy the judgment or ask to liquidate CARD assets pending the federal court's review of whether grant funds were mixed with non-grant funds to secure the assets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gold miners discovered vermiculite in Libby in 1881. In the 1920s, the Zonolite Company formed and began mining the vermiculite. In 1963, W.R. Grace bought the Zonolite mining operations. The mine closed in 1990. In 2002, the Environmental Protection Agency placed the site on the Superfund program's National Priorities List and cleanup work continues to this day. Fibers from the asbestos tied to vermiculite mining that began in the 1920s can embed in lung tissue and cause fatal lung disease. No one knows how many people in the region have died from the effects of asbestosis, mesothelioma or other cancers linked to exposure to asbestos-containing vermiculite mined, processed and shipped from Lincoln County and Libby. BNSF's involvement relates to asbestos-contaminated vermiculite in the rail yard that a 2024 federal jury said was a considerable factor in the negligent deaths of former Libby residents Thomas Wells and Joyce Walder. Both Wells and Walder lived near the railyard and were both diagnosed with mesothelioma and died in 2020. Hundreds of people died and more than 3,000 were sickened from asbestos exposure in the Libby area, according to researchers and health officials. BNSF faces accusations of negligence and wrongful death for failing to control clouds of contaminated dust that used to swirl from the rail yard and settle across Libby's neighborhoods. The vermiculite was shipped by rail from Libby for use as insulation in homes and businesses across the U.S. The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee has warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that he could be on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars for having accepted a luxury jet from the Qatari government. In a letter sent Wednesday, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) argued that Hegseths formal acceptance of the Boeing 747 jetliner last month a move made so the Air Force can upgrade its security measures so it may eventually be used as Air Force One violates the Constitution Emoluments Clause. The rule bars federal officials from accepting financial benefits from foreign governments without congressional approval. I write now to urge and advise you to promptly mitigate these violationsand your own personal legal exposureby either returning the plane to the Qatari government or promptly seeking Congresss consent to accept it, Raskin wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Pentagon announced on May 21 it officially accepted the 13-year-old luxury jet previously used by the Qatari royal family, a supposed free, gift that could be used to supplement the aging Air Force One fleet, according to President Trump. The transfer has been criticized by U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, who say it raises ethical and corruption questions in addition to costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars to retrofit the plane into a secure and working Air Force One. Others have focused on the national security risks of such a gift, saying the aircraft would have to be swept for listening devices. Some have worried that in Trumps push to use the plane before he leaves office, the Air Force will rush security upgrades and cut corners on protection systems. A former professor of constitutional law and former ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Raskin has focused his criticisms on the ethical issues around accepting the Qatari plane, repeatedly arguing that it requires congressional approval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Constitution is perfectly clear: no present of any kind whatever from a foreign state without Congressional permission, Raskin wrote on the social platform X last month after news of the gift broke. Congress has the authority to block federal officials from receiving gifts from foreign governments, as granted in the Constitution, but the government arm has not held any formal vote to accept the plane or not. Democrats largely have been unsuccessful in stopping Trump from accepting the Qatari jet. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) last month attempted to pass a bill that would bar the use of a foreign jet as Air Force One, but that effort failed. Raskin, along with other Democrat lawmakers, have introduced resolutions to condemn the gift, but Republicans have blocked them from being considered on the floor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Making matters more complicated, Democrats, given their status as the minority party, cant convene any oversight hearings that would force government officials to testify on the issue, and their colleagues across the aisle have not called any such hearings themselves. In his letter, Raskin says Hegseth is in violation of the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act, which could prompt the Attorney General to bring civil action and penalties against him. Under that law, government officials can accept certain gifts up to $480 in value, and they cannot request or otherwise encourage the tender of a gift or decoration from another country. In violating the act, Hegseth can face a penalty not to exceed the retail value of the gift improperly solicited or received plus $5,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In other words, you may be on the hook for $400 million (plus $5,000) even for a jumbo jet that you accepted on behalf of the President but do not get to personally enjoy, Raskin writes, referring to the cost of a new Boeing 747-8 jet. If you truly believe that there is nothing untoward about the President asking for and receiving a $400 million flying palace from a foreign power, then you should let Congress and the Presidents Republican colleagues vote to approve the transaction, he adds. If youre unwilling to do that, you must return the plane to Qatar. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Key Points A state previously very resistant to marijuana law reform is having something of a rethink. North Carolina's governor is re-evaluating the state's approach to weed. 10 stocks we like better than Curaleaf With the mighty struggles the cannabis industry is currently experiencing, any positive news item concerning the sector is encouraging for investors. That was the dynamic behind the nearly 5% surge in Curaleaf (OTC: CURLF) stock on Wednesday, as yet another small step toward legalization was reported. That sub-5% pop was more than high enough to beat the flat-lining S&P 500 index. A new approach to pot in North Carolina That news came from one of the dwindling number of U.S. states that has not yet legalized cannabis -- North Carolina. In a TV interview with WRAL News, the state's governor Josh Stein clearly expressed support for flipping the switch on legal weed. Image source: Getty Images. "If you are an adult and that's the choice you want to make, you should be able to make that choice," he said. So far, that doesn't seem to be just empty rhetoric. Stein has issued an executive order (EO) creating a North Carolina Advisory Council on Cannabis, a body that will evaluate the pros and cons of marijuana law reform in the state. It will be composed of as many as 30 individuals and include legislators, representatives from tribal groups, and agriculture specialists. In the interview, Stein expressed concern that the market for products associated with cannabis and hemp is unregulated and as such poses a risk to the state's youth. The situation will likely be one of the many explored by the council. Slow but steady change Of course, this development in and of itself doesn't move the needle much for any pot company, let alone Curaleaf. Yet it's still another sign that the ice freezing U.S. marijuana law is melting, if only slowly and gradually. Investors are justified in feeling a small jolt of optimism and for hoping the momentum continues. Should you invest $1,000 in Curaleaf right now? Before you buy stock in Curaleaf, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Curaleaf wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $656,825!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $865,550!* Now, its worth noting Stock Advisors total average return is 994% a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Dont miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks PEORIA HEIGHTS, Ill. (WMBD) Improving relationships with other departments and cutting down the response times are two priorities for Peoria Heights new fire chief. Thats the word from Tony Ardis, who was just named the villages new interim fire chief, regarding what he wants to do during his time in the position. The response time is the end-all and be-all of this service. A fire can double every 90 seconds, he said. So what Im really trying to focus on is how we can improve getting as many personnel on the scene as quickly as possible because thats going to determine the outcome of the situation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ardis, who retired four years ago as the city of Peorias top firefighter, opted to gather his turnout gear and take the reins as interim fire chief for Peoria Heights. Yeah, its good to be back, he said Thursday morning outside the fire station. An engine was behind him and another truck was inside the bay. You always miss it when you do these things for as long as I have. You miss the camaraderie. You miss the smells after a fire, the little things like that. Members of the villages board of trustees gave him the job as interim fire chief earlier this week after they opted not renew the contract of Dan Decker, their old chief. Having the interim moniker means Ardis is temporary. His contract is for three months and hell be paid a pro-rated amount based on an annual salary of $100,000, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ardis retired in 2021 after 18 months as Peorias top firefighter. The brother of former Mayor Jim Ardis, Tony Ardis joined the department in 1994 and rose through the ranks. Besides being the chief, he was also a division chief of operations. He was a member of Firefighters Local 50, the union that represents the rank and file of the department where he served as one of the leaders. Peoria Heights has a long tradition of a volunteer department but recently, they have chosen to have at least two firefighters on duty at all times. There are still volunteers but Ardis said thats not enough to ensure the safety of residents and the firefighters. He knows the history of the village and how residents and others have resisted going completely to full-time firefighters or even contracting with the city of Peoria. But he wants to improve relations with others and try to find new ways to collaborate. I absolutely feel there should be more collaboration, more teamwork between the two departments, because, again, its about the citizens, he said. Its not about protecting kingdoms. Its not about protecting the chiefs position. Its about serving the citizens of your your city or village. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com. NEED TO KNOW 12-year-old Ramir Parker was at home with his grandmother and younger brothers when he discovered a fire in the downstairs of the property Fire crews responded to reports of a "structure fire with visible flames and heavy smoke" at their home in Petersburg, Virginia, at around 8:51 a.m. on Tuesday, June 3 Ramir grabbed his younger brothers and helped lead everyone out of the house. The Petersburg Fire Rescue & Emergency Services said his "selfless" actions were "nothing short of heroic" A 12-year-old boy in Virginia became a hero after he saved his grandmother and two younger brothers from a burning home on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fire crews responded to reports of a "structure fire with visible flames and heavy smoke" in Petersburg at around 8:51 a.m. on June 3, according to The Progress-Index, a local Virginia outlet. Once they arrived, all occupants were safely out of the home, the title reported. And the person behind their rescue was 12-year-old Ramir Parker. Petersburg Fire Rescue & Emergency Services/Facebook Ramir Parker Ramir Parker According to a Facebook post from Petersburg Fire Rescue & Emergency Services, instead of panicking or running away when confronted with the fire, Ramir "acted" as soon as he caught wind of the devastation ahead. The pre-teen was in the upstairs of the home talking with his grandmother when he is said to have heard "a strange crackling and rattling sound, growing louder by the second," as reported by The Progress-Index. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He initially thought his younger brothers, just one and two years old, had woken up from their nap in the downstairs living room. "My mother-in-law [Ramir's Grandmother] told me that my son [said] he smelled fire and they went downstairs [thinking] it was his little brothers playing, but it wasn't," Andrea Parker, Ramir's mother, told WTVR-TV. Petersburg Fire Rescue & Emergency Services/Facebook Front view of house fire Front view of house fire As soon as he stepped into the hallway, Ramir saw "thick, black smoke" rising from the basement, according to the fire department. Their report stated that he yelled "fire," alerting his grandmother. "Without hesitation, Ramir ran into the smoke-filled living room, scooped up both of his little brothers, and led everyone out of the house. As glass shattered and the heat intensified, this young boy kept his composure and got his family to safety, before our units arrived," the department noted. Petersburg Fire Rescue & Emergency Services/Facebook Side view of house fire Side view of house fire According to WTVR-TV, it took firefighters approximately 20 minutes to get the fire under control, as their efforts were complicated by live power lines that were also ablaze. According to WTVR-TV, the fire was caused by an electrical issue in the downstairs of the property and has been ruled an accident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Petersburg Fire Rescue & Emergency Services applauded Ramir, expressing that "his quick thinking and selfless bravery are nothing short of heroic." Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "In a moment where seconds mattered, he stepped up just like a firefighter would. Just like a protector does. Ramir, we see you. We salute you. You showed the heart of a fireman today and the soul of a warrior," the post said. For his efforts, Ramir will be honored in an upcoming award ceremony. Read the original article on People A high-profile Paul Weiss lawyer is leaving five months after rejoining the firm. Damian Williams is joining Jenner & Block, a Big Law firm fighting the Trump administration. Williams served as US Attorney in Manhattan, one of the most powerful Justice Department positions. Damian Williams, one of the most prominent federal prosecutors in the country, is walking away from the law firm that struck a deal with Donald Trump and joining one that's suing him. Williams is leaving Paul Weiss five months after returning to the firm to work for Jenner & Block, a law firm actively challenging the Trump administration in court. Jenner & Block announced the move Friday. Williams will serve as co-chair of both the firm's Litigation Department and its Investigations, Compliance, and Defense Practice. The high-profile defection is a blow for Paul Weiss, an elite law firm that was the first to broker an agreement with President Donald Trump in March. As part of the deal, Paul Weiss said it would devote $40 million in pro bono hours toward Trump's political priorities. After it was announced, Trump rescinded an executive order that would have, among other sanctions, stripped Paul Weiss employees of security clearances and cut off government contracts. Eight other firms have since made similar deals with the White House. Four including Jenner & Block opted to sue instead. All four have won court rulings blocking Trump's orders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Jenner & Block fearlessly advocates for its clients and provides outstanding strategic counsel through their most difficult challenges," Williams said in a press release. "I've seen firsthand how this firm expertly tackles the toughest cases and lives its values." "I'm excited to join a team with an extraordinary depth of legal talent that doesn't shy away from hard fights and delivers results that matter," his statement continued. Williams isn't the only notable attorney to leave Paul Weiss in recent weeks. Karen Dunn, a prominent litigator who helped Kamala Harris prepare for her 2024 presidential debate with Trump, left along with three other top lawyers last month to start a new boutique law firm. Williams previously served as the US Attorney in the Southern District of New York, one of the most powerful perches in the Justice Department. Williams brought criminal cases against Sean "Diddy" Combs, Sam Bankman-Fried, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and now-former Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey. Before that, Williams worked at Paul Weiss between 2009 and 2012 and clerked for Justice John Paul Stevens on the US Supreme Court and Merrick Garland on the federal appeals court in Washington, DC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Paul Weiss' January announcement about his return, Williams praised the firm's "devotion to pro bono." "Damian is a transcendently talented lawyer who has led many of the government's highest-profile prosecutions and investigations," Paul Weiss's chair Brad Karp said at the time. "He will be an exceptional addition to our already outstanding team of white collar and regulatory lawyers and a leader in the national legal community." A representative for Paul Weiss didn't respond to a request for comment Friday. Read the original article on Business Insider As lawmakers push for sweeping cuts to Medicaid, fear weighs heavily on Tori Cooper. Cooper, a trans woman who serves as the director of strategic outreach and training for the Human Rights Campaign, told Capital B Atlanta that for her and other Black trans residents, these cuts will have a detrimental impact on their lives. The Black LGBTQ community will be greatly impacted, and Black trans folks even more so, said Cooper. For years, weve acknowledged how systematic racism impacts the lives of Black LGBTQ people. Inequity and racist ideology and policies have traditionally led to worse health outcomes for poor, less educated, underemployed people and those of us who live in the South. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month, congressional House Republicans passed a bill that would cut billions over the next 10 years from Medicaid, the federal-state health care insurance program that helps pay for health care for low-income people. The bill also would prohibit gender transition care from being covered by the program. Tori Cooper, who is the director of strategic outreach and training for the Human Rights Campaign, said her job includes working with communities across the country to discuss HIV-related issues and how different policies are impacting the lives of people in the LGBTQ+ community. (Courtesy of the Human Rights Campaign) I worry that preventable health conditions like HIV will ravage my community, Cooper said. I worry that Black trans people will lose some of the social and political traction that our transestors fought for. I worry that my Black trans family will have to go back into the proverbial closet for safety. Closets are made for clothes, not people. Cooper worries that in a place like Georgia, where HIV rates are high and access to health care is already difficult due to the Georgia General Assemblys refusal to expand Medicaid, the Black LGBTQ+ community will be one of the vulnerable and bear the brunt of these looming cuts. In 2023, about 1 in every 4 Black Georgians was covered by Medicaid, compared to about 1 in every 10 white Georgians, according to the State Health Access Data Assistance Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nationally, Black LGBTQ residents are twice as likely to be enrolled in Medicaid compared to the general population, Victoria Kirby York, director of public policy and programs for the National Black Justice Coalition, told Capital B Atlanta. York said shes fearful that critical areas of health care for Black LGBTQ+ residents such as gender-affirming care, mental health services, and substance abuse treatment will all be impacted by the Medicaid cuts. Thirty-two percent of [LGBTQ people] versus 15% of the general population use Medicaid in order to access health care, and that number is even higher for transgender members of our community, where 45% of the community are relying on Medicaid, York said. Although Georgia is one of the 10 states that did not expand Medicaid, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents uninsured, the proposed budget cuts will still be felt. The state could potentially lose billions in federal Medicaid funding, and hundreds of thousands of Georgians could lose Medicaid coverage over the next 10 years, according to reporting from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Matthew Rose, senior public policy advocate with the Human Rights Campaign, told Capital B Atlanta these cuts will put a strain on the states budget, resulting in a push by state lawmakers to make draconian decisions on how to further cut costs. This could mean cutting back on some of the optional health services and medicines provided underneath Medicaid in Georgia, such as HIV preventative medications or mental health services, or lawmakers could tighten eligibility requirements so fewer residents are covered by the insurance program. When it comes to HIV, Maxx Boykin, the campaign manager for Save HIV Funding, told Capital B Atlanta he worries Medicaid cuts could exacerbate the already high HIV transmission rates in the state, as many people living with HIV rely on Medicaid for medication and wraparound services like home health care and therapy. Read More: CDC Cuts HIV Communications, Leaving Vulnerable Black Georgians in the Dark According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, Medicaid is the largest source of insurance coverage for people with HIV in the United States, covering an estimated 40% of the nonelderly adults with HIV, compared to just 15% of the nonelderly adult population overall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the CDC, Georgia had the second-highest HIV diagnosis rate and the second-highest rate of HIV related deaths in 2023 in the U.S. Additionally, Georgia had the highest rate of new HIV infections in 2022. In addition, despite constituting about 32% of Georgias population, Black people accounted for approximately 71% of new HIV diagnoses in 2021. When thinking about HIV, that means less people will have access to the medications that they need, and we will see an even larger spread of HIV in our communities, and a big part of that will be because the majority of people living with HIV actually need Medicaid, said Boykin. Maisha Standifer, the director of population health at the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at the Morehouse School of Medicine, said the elderly and those with disabilities shouldnt be forgotten when thinking about Medicaid and the LGBTQ community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Human Rights Campaign, in the U.S., LGBTQ+ adults, and transgender adults in particular, were significantly more likely than non-LGBTQ+ adults to self-report having at least one disability. Standifer said that for Georgias Medicaid program, people ages 65 and older and people with disabilities account for more than half of the states $16 billion Medicaid spending. We have community partners who are 30-plus years living with HIV and aging. So with aging naturally comes other chronic conditions. Were talking about diabetes, cancer, heart disease, said Standifer. The cuts to Medicaid are part of the Trump administrations efforts to curb federal spending to offset the cost of extending the presidents 2017 tax cuts for high-income earners. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of further concern to Rose with the Human Rights Campaign is the impact on the LGBTQ community when the Medicaid cuts are layered on top of the proposed SNAP cuts in the bill, creating even more harm to LGBTQ peoples health. Weve seen the result of what hunger can do, which is why we feed people, why we created these programs in the first place, and the SNAP cuts would be devastating. Then you tack them on to the fact that youre not eating as much, which weakens your immune system, and so it makes it easier for you to get sick, so its a compounding issue, said Rose. While the Medicaid cuts are still under review in the Senate, advocates are encouraging anyone in opposition to the cuts to reach out to their representatives and share their concerns about the proposed legislation. We need to hold our elected officials accountable, both on the federal side, the state side, and our local side, to make sure theyre actually doing whats right for folks, said Boykin. The post From HIV to Hormone Therapy, Medicaid Cuts Threaten Atlantas LGBTQ+ Community appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta. (KRON) A California appellate court ruled Tuesday that a state law prohibiting the handheld use of cellphones while driving also applies to holding phones operating as navigation systems. The Court of Appeal of the State of California sixth appellate district reached its decision against defendant Nathaniel Gabriel Porter, who received a $158 ticket in Santa Clara County for holding his cellphone in one hand and looking at a mapping application while driving. Porter appealed the ticket and the fine was initially reversed on the grounds that he was not operating a wireless telephone as outlined by state law, but holding and looking at the mapping application on the phone without active manipulation, court documents state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Settlement reached after Santa Rita Jail inmate Maurice Monk left dead in cell The court concluded there must be something equated to carrying out a function, actively using or manipulating the phone while holding and driving, court documents read. This may include talking, listening, emailing, browsing the internet, playing video games, or otherwise engaging with the smartphone. Merely observing GPS directions on the phone does not constitute the kind of active use or manipulation to trigger an infraction under the statute. That decision was reversed by the California Court of Appeal for the sixth appellate district Tuesday. In its finding, the court concluded that the term operating under the aforementioned law prohibits all use of a handheld phones functions while driving, including looking at an application on the phone. Allowing a driver to hold a phone and view a mapping application, even if not touching the phones screen, would be contrary to the Legislatures intent in enacting [the law], the courts decision reads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California State Parks doesnt want you collecting sea glass or agates at the beach Porters $158 traffic ticket was reinstated following the decision. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. It remains to be seen whether President Donald Trump and Elon Musk can patch things up after their ugly break-up this week as many around them are hoping. But as their feud devolved into highly personal attacks on Thursday, one of the most interesting facets was this: Musk leaned in on a potential power struggle. He didnt just criticize Trump or his agenda bill that Republicans are trying to enact; he talked about unseating Republicans who voted for that disgusting abomination. He mused about forming a third party. He suggested Trump needed him claiming Trump would have lost in 2024 without his support. He repeatedly played up X posts suggesting people would have to choose between him and Trump and sent a not-subtle warning to those who might choose wrongly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oh and some food for thought as they ponder this question: Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years, Musk wrote on his social media platform. In other words: Make sure you think long and hard about what you do next, because you could live to regret it. So assuming for the moment that this feud continues, who holds the cards? There is no question that, if truly forced to choose, the vast majority of Republican powerbrokers would choose Trump. But its not quite so simple. Vice President JD Vance, after hours of somewhat conspicuous silence Thursday, eventually came down firmly in Trumps corner (in case there was any doubt) albeit without criticizing Musk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other Trump allies who arent fond of Musk and his influence seemed to seize on the opportunity to try and excommunicate him in Steve Bannons case, somewhat literally, as he suggested Trump should deport the South African-born Musk, whos now a US citizen. Musk the wealthiest man in the world is a relative newcomer to politics, having only really joined the conservative movement less than a year ago (after the assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania). Trump, by contrast, often seems to have an almost cult-like influence over his side of the political divide, transforming the GOP into one thats much more about loyalty to him than any particular set of ideals or principles. The president often flip-flops Musk on Thursday noted Trump was once a professed deficit hawk just like him and the base often flips right alongside him. When Trump says something baseless or false (like that the 2020 election was stolen) much of his party internalizes it and rallies around it. This is Trumps party, full stop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But when it comes to how much this feud could matter, its not quite as simple as who picks what side. Musk retains real influence, and thats why were seeing many Republicans resist that binary choice. A persistent rift with Musk would force Republicans to reckon with some uneasy dynamics. Musks overall popularity has clearly taken a hit as the Department of Government Efficiency has fallen out of favor. And hes definitely not as popular as Trump is on the right. Musks personal politics and tech-world background always made this a somewhat uneasy marriage with Trump, and the presidents agenda bill has unearthed some of those tensions. But Musk has retained significant Republican support even as the DOGE effort has struggled. In fact, his stature eclipses most Republicans not named Trump or Vance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An April Reuters/Ipsos poll, for instance, showed 54% of Republicans had a very favorable opinion of Trump, and 50% said the same of Trumps vice president. But Musk wasnt far behind, at 43%. He was well ahead of other Trump administration figures like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (33%) and then-national security adviser Michael Waltz (18%). Similarly, a more recent Marquette University Law School poll showed Musks very favorable number among all Americans (22%) coming up just shy of Trump (25%) and matching Vance. And thats even after the polling decline of DOGE. Musks DOGE work has also remained quite popular in GOP circles. An April New York Times/Siena College poll showed 63% of Republicans and 70% of Trump voters said they strongly support the cuts made by Musk and DOGE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The flip side is that even if Republicans really like Musk in numbers that arent that far from Trumps own that doesnt mean their devotion to him is comparable. Its possible to really like two people but clearly like one of them more. And there have been signs that Republicans dont necessarily want more of Musk. Polling from Quinnipiac University in early April, for example, showed while 71% of Republicans said he had about the right amount of power to make decisions in the Trump administration, just 8% thought he had too little. And all of this is before the rift with Trump. Toss on a few days or weeks of potential missives from the president, and its likely Musks numbers among Republicans would crater. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But thats not the same as saying a rift between these two billionaires wouldnt matter. Musk not only has retained plenty of goodwill from Republicans of late, but he wields immense influence via his personal fortune and ownership of perhaps the preeminent social media platform for politics, X. Weve seen before that Musk can drive support for initiatives he likes and torpedo things he doesnt. He has used his control of Xs moderation policies and algorithm to boost his own posts and at times silence his critics, as the Washington Post noted Thursday. And hes proven plenty willing and able to seed unsubstantiated theories about his political opponents, as he did Thursday with his posts linking Trump to Jeffrey Epstein. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Toss on top of that the wealth that Musk has proven increasingly willing to deploy on politics (i.e. potential primary challengers) and his promise to be a force for decades to come, and its not an easy call to disown him. Well see if Musk and Trump intend to force that choice on the Republican Party. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL) Holston Habitat for Humanity recently dedicated two homes in Bristol, Tennessee, bringing the total of families served to 383. The two homes were built with the help of local volunteers, donors and future homeowners. Around 250 hours were contributed to building the homes, according to a news release. Bristol, Tennessee announces July 4 fireworks display Moments like these remind us why we do this work, Executive Director of Holston Habitat for Humanity Laura Kelly said in the release. Were grateful for every helper and donor that helped make these new, affordable homes possible. Two hardworking families are moving into a wonderful neighborhood and were sure they will make the community even stronger. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The dedication brings the number of Holston Habitat for Humanity houses built in Bristol, Tennessee, to 32. For more information on Holston Habitat for Humanity, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. A stretch of the border wall near Columbus, New Mexico along State Road 9. (Photo by Patrick Lohmann / Source NM) The U.S. government this week set aside environmental protection laws in order to speed up border wall construction along approximately 20 miles of New Mexicos border with Mexico. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday signed a waiver of various federal laws to expedite border wall construction in southwestern New Mexico. She also signed two similar waivers for areas in neighboring Arizona on Tuesday and Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Taken together, the waivers allow the federal government to speed up construction of physical barriers and roads along approximately 36 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, the agency said in a news release on Thursday. The waivers ensure the expeditious construction of physical barriers and roads, by minimizing the risk of administrative delays, DHS said. The New Mexico waiver lifts the legal requirements of 24 separate federal statutes, including the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, just to name a few. Trump is recklessly casting aside the foundational laws that protect endangered species and clean air and water to build a wildlife-killing wall through pristine wilderness, Laiken Jordahl, Southwest conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, told Source NM on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham told Source NM on Friday in a statement that she has serious concerns about the waivers, saying they bypass protections for endangered species, cultural heritage sites and Native American artifacts. New Mexicos archaeological resources and sensitive ecosystems could face permanent damage without proper environmental review, Lujan Grisham said. While we understand border security concerns, the federal government should engage with state officials before waiving decades of established environmental protections. The New Mexico waiver designates an area in southwestern New Mexico as an area of high illegal entry, divided into three sections. The DHS news release states that the sections of the border where the laws have been waived total approximately 8.5 miles, but that figure is inaccurate, according to Jordahl, who has traveled to every part of the U.S.-Mexico border as part of his work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is extremely frustrating how difficult they make these waivers to track, he said. Instead of using simple [latitude and longitude] coordinates, they pick landmarks that are almost impossible for the public to map. I believe they may have made an error in their locations in the waiver. One section starts at a point on the border just south of Antelope Wells in Hidalgo County and extends one-tenth of a mile east, according to International Boundary and Water Commission data. Jordahl told Source NM he found the same measurements using his own map of the border. This section is already walled off, and so DHS is likely adding another layer of wall, he said. Another section begins at a point on the border just south of Wamels Draw, a valley in Luna County, and extends approximately 7.5 miles east. This section of the border already has vehicle barriers, but is not walled off yet, Jordahl said. Building a border wall along this particular stretch would be the most environmentally damaging by far, Jordahl said, because it would threaten the movement and migration of Mexican gray wolves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve seen Mexican gray wolves in this area; weve seen them cross the border, he said. Weve also seen them push up against the border wall in New Mexico, wander along it for days and then ultimately have to turn around, being unable to cross. This section of border wall between Columbus and Santa Teresa, New Mexico was built during the first Trump administration. (Courtesy photo by Laiken Jordahl) Jordahl said his organizations focus lies on Arizonas two waivers and potential wall construction, which would also threaten wildlife. Throwing taxpayer money away to wall off the Santa Cruz River and San Rafael Valley would be a death sentence for jaguars, ocelots and other wildlife in the Arizona-Sonora borderlands, he said. This is happening while border crossings are at the lowest level in decades. Well fight this disastrous project with everything weve got. The third section starts at a point on the border west of Santa Teresa and extends approximately 12.4 miles, over Mount Cristo Rey, to the Rio Grande near El Paso. This section already has older mesh border walls, and DHS may be installing newer walls there, Jordahl said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sections of the border described in the waiver lie in the same general area as the New Mexico National Defense Area, a newly created military buffer zone which the U.S. government is trying to use along with novel criminal charges to discourage people from crossing the border. Gov. Lujan Grisham, in the statement provided to Source, urged meaningful consultation with state and local officials before the federal government begins construction that could cause lasting harm to our communities and environment. New Mexicos natural and cultural resources deserve consideration in this process, she said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX PEMBROKE, N.C. (WBTW) A homicide investigation is underway after the body of a 66-year-old man was found outside a vacant home Thursday morning in Pembroke, police said. Officers found Dwayne Locklears body after they were called at about 10 a.m. to the 500 block of Union Chapel Road to investigate a report of an unresponsive person under a covered porch, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Evidence collected at the scene and preliminary findings from the Robeson County Medical Examiners Office led to the homicide investigation, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are treating this case with the utmost seriousness and urgency, Police Chief Adrian Hunt said in a news release. Our detectives, in collaboration with agents from the State Bureau of Investigation, are working diligently to gather information, interview witnesses, and identify any persons of interest involved in this crime. No additional details were immediately available. Anyone with information is asked to call Pembroke police at 910-521-4333. * * * Dennis Bright is the Digital Executive Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW. By Jessie Pang and James Pomfret HONG KONG (Reuters) -Hong Kong authorities once again arrested prominent activist Joshua Wong on Friday and charged him with conspiracy to collude with a foreign country under a Beijing-imposed national security law. Wong, 28, was originally set to be released in January 2027 from a 56-month jail sentence he is serving under the same law for conspiracy to commit subversion after he participated in an unofficial primary election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Taken to the West Kowloon magistrates' courts, Wong faced a new charge of conspiracy to collude with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security. The former student pro-democracy activist, who wore a blue shirt and appeared noticeably thinner than before, replied, "Understand," when the clerk read out the charge and details of the offence. Wong did not apply for bail, and the case was adjourned to August 8. Before returning to custody, he waved, shrugged, and shook his head in the direction of the public gallery. In a statement, Hong Kongs national security police said they had arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of the offence, as well as for "dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A charge sheet seen by Reuters accuses Wong of having conspired with exiled activist Nathan Law and others to ask foreign countries, institutions, organizations, or individuals outside China to impose sanctions or blockades. Such actions against Hong Kong or China, along with other hostile activities targeting them, took place in 2020, between July 1 and November 23, it added. The National Security Law, which punishes offences such as acts of subversion, collusion with foreign forces, and terrorism, with terms of up to life in jail, was imposed by Beijing on the former British colony in 2020. The Chinese and Hong Kong governments say the law is necessary to restore stability following anti-government protests in 2019. But some Western governments have criticised it as being used to suppress free speech and dissent. (Editing by Clarence Fernandez) Key Points NuScale Power is soaring along with the narrative around nuclear energy stocks. Companies are looking for nuclear power to provide reliable electricity generation. The stock is overvalued for a company that may never generate any revenue. 10 stocks we like better than NuScale Power Last month, shares of NuScale Power (NYSE: SMR) shot up more than 93%, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The designer of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs for short) won approval for one of its designs and is benefiting from the narrative around a nuclear renaissance in the United States. It currently has a market cap of $9 billion, zero revenue, and a share price that is up 347% in the past year. Here's why the stock rocketed higher yet again in the month of May. A nuclear renaissance? We are in the midst of a power generating revolution. The insatiable demand for electricity from artificial intelligence (AI) data centers is causing power consumption to grow again in the United States. To prepare to match supply with demand, the large technology companies are signing long-term deals with utilities. For example, just this week, Meta Platforms signed a deal with Constellation Energy for 1.1 gigawatts of power from one of its nuclear reactors. And the president has signed executive orders calling for a reinvigoration of the nuclear power industry. While none of this will directly impact NuScale Power, investors generally view the company in the category of nuclear stocks, which is why its shares are soaring this year. It has nothing to do with its financials, which are basically nonexistent. The company hopes to benefit from this demand when its reactors come on line, which will not be until 2030 at the earliest. Image source: Getty Images. The truth about NuScale Power stock NuScale may be a hot stock today, but it is highly risky and has a difficult path ahead of it. It is generating zero revenue, will not generate any for many years, and is burning around $100 million in free cash flow annually. It has a market cap approaching $10 billion even without any sales. SMRs are an interesting idea, but are a cutting-edge technology that may not work at scale. Investors buying shares today are essentially betting on a science project making a company with a market cap of $8.9 billion worth something well into the future. This is not a good bet to make. It could end in pain for shareholders. Avoid NuScale Power stock today. Should you invest $1,000 in NuScale Power right now? Before you buy stock in NuScale Power, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and NuScale Power wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) An Horry County judge recently ruled against some defendants named in a pair of Jane Doe lawsuits involving John-Paul Miller after they failed to respond to the allegations. The lawsuits were filed on behalf of Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 in late February and early March. The women alleged that John-Paul raped them when they were teenagers. Both lawsuits named John-Paul Miller, his dad Reginald Wayne Miller, All Nations Cathedral Church and Solid Rock Ministries, while Jane Doe 2s lawsuit also named Cathedral Hall Academy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement John-Paul Miller responded to Jane Doe 1s allegations in March, denying them and accusing her of slander. Court documents show he also filed a response on April 29 to Jane Doe 2s allegations, denying them and accusing her of slander. Jane Doe 2s attorney on May 12 filed a motion to dismiss his counterclaim. Timeline: The saga of John-Paul and Mica Miller On May 28, a judge granted Jane Doe 2s motion for default judgment against Reginald Miller, All Nations Cathedral Church and Cathedral Hall Academy. Jane Doe 1s motion was also granted against Reginald Miller and All Nations Cathedral Church. Because John-Paul Miller responded to the claims, he was not included in the default judgments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A judge ordered hearings for the other defendants for the purpose of receiving evidence on the damages to be awarded in favor of the plaintiff. John-Paul Miller has been embroiled in controversy since his second wife, Mica Miller, 30, was found dead in a North Carolina swamp in April 2024. Investigators ruled her death a suicide by gunshot, but thousands of people have questioned the circumstances and blamed Miller for contributing to her death. John-Paul married Suzie Skinner on Sunday. Skinners previous husband, Chris Skinner, was a quadriplegic Army veteran who died by drowning in a swimming pool in 2021. According to court documents, Chris Skinner confronted Miller about an alleged affair with his wife just two weeks before his death. Miller has repeatedly denied having an affair with Suzie Skinner, claiming they were only friends. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement * * * Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW. On April 27 2024, near the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, a touring bus was blocked, sprayed with water pistols, and a banner bearing the slogan lets put out the tourism fire was stuck to its front. It was a headline-grabbing protest against the stranglehold tourism holds over the city, and underscored growing tensions between touristification processes and an increasingly vocal local backlash. Large-scale protests have made Barcelona synonymous with social resistance to the negative impacts of predatory and extractive tourism, but it is far from alone: popular destinations such the Canary Islands, Malaga, and the Balearic Islands have all seen massive protests against the excesses of tourism over the last year. People are fed up, and the writing is quite literally on the wall tourist apartments graffitied with the slogan tourists go home have now become an almost ubiquitous sight in many Spanish cities. However, it is not individual tourists that are to blame, but rather the excessive reliance on tourism which has, over several decades, gradually pushed countless residents out of their homes and neighbourhoods. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But how did we get here? As international travel rebounded in the wake of COVID-19 lockdowns, Barcelona and other Mediterranean cities saw tourists return in remarkable numbers. This led to mounting social unrest, as local communities became increasingly frustrated with how tourism has reshaped urban spaces at their expense. Mural by artist Elias Tano in the central El Carmen neighbourhood of Valencia featuring another common anti-tourism slogan: +1 turista = -1 veina, One more tourist = one less neighbour. Nicolas Vigier Residents concerns range from housing shortages and job insecurity to environmental damage. The privatisation of public spaces is also high on the agenda in Barcelona, exacerbated by high-profile events, such as the 2024 Americas Cup and Formula One Grand Prix, which brought little benefit to local residents. The ongoing backlash signals a weve had enough moment that can no longer be dismissed as mere inconvenience or NIMBYism. Instead, it reflects structural inequalities and deeper conflicts over urban space, social justice, and the power dynamics that underpin the tourism sectors unchecked growth. Leer mas: Overtourism: a growing global problem Evolving activism Anti-tourism activism in Barcelona traces back to the mid-2010s, when neighbourhoods like Barceloneta first challenged tourisms role in displacing residents. Since then, groups such as the Neighbourhood Assembly for Tourism Degrowth (ABDT) have pushed back against policies fostering excessive reliance on the tourism economy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ABDT notably prefers the term touristification to overtourism. According to them, the concept of overtourism risks depoliticising the issue, framing it as a simple problem of too many visitors. Instead, they say, the problems are a result of the structural inequalities tied to capitalist accumulation, tourisms extractive nature, and a sector that funnels community wealth into private hands. What distinguishes this current wave of activism from its predecessors is a shift from blunt opposition to providing organised, constructive proposals. At one major demonstration in Barcelona in July 2024, activists presented a manifesto calling for clear measures to reduce economic dependence on tourism, and for a transition towards an eco-social economy. Key demands included ending public subsidies for tourism promotion, regulating short-term rentals to prevent housing loss, cutting cruise ship traffic, and improving labour conditions with fair wages and stable work schedules. The manifesto also urged leaders to diversify the economy away from tourism, repurpose tourist facilities for social use, and develop programs to support precarious workers. The ABDTs 13-point manifesto. Milano et al. 2024 The movement shows no signs of slowing down. Over the weekend of April 27 2025, exactly one year after the water pistol episode, the Southern Europe against Touristification Network gathered in Barcelona to agree on a shared political agenda. They also convened a coordinated demonstration across multiple cities in Southern Europe for June 15 2025. Marginalised groups hit hardest Anti-tourist activism is often dismissed by those with a vested interest in tourism, labelled as either tourismphobia or NIMBYism a desire to protect ones own local area from unwanted development (derived from the acronym of not in my back yard). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These labels ignore the fact that tourism-driven economies most strongly impact marginalised groups with little political power, such as tenants, migrants and precarious seasonal workers, and disenfranchised young people. Social movements in Mediterranean cities have taken this to heart, broadening anti-tourism activism to address more general government inaction on housing, labour rights, climate action, and the defence of public space. These movements confront the complex, interconnected challenges of touristification, including social division of labour, gender inequalities, and capital concentration. They also, importantly, are living proof that many residents want to prioritise community wellbeing over economic growth. Leer mas: Bali gives a snapshot of what 'overtourism' looks like in the developing world Academics and politicians are failing Both policy makers and academics are falling short in addressing protesters concerns. Countless studies focus on topics like space management, green tourism, or tourism as a tool of empowerment. Few, however, explore the experiences of people living in tourism hotspots, or how the sector produces precarious labour conditions, social exclusion and environmental injustice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result, current policies mostly aim at managing visitors or transport, not at curbing tourisms growth or addressing power imbalances. This limited approach fails to solve the root causes of the problem, and will only perpetuate inequalities. Beyond urban transformations, tourisms reliance on precarious labour is a pressing issue. Many jobs in the sector are low-paid, unstable and highly seasonal. While international organisations and cities authorities promote tourism as a driver of economic prosperity and job creation, the question of what kind of jobs? is too often overlooked. Going forward, more grounded, intersectional research is needed, especially longitudinal and ethnographic studies that examine the class, gender, and environmental impacts of tourism. This will, in turn, inform policy-making at all levels, and guide it away from the current predatory, growth-first mindset that is fuelling social conflict and inequalities. Rather than viewing protests as isolated single-issue nuisances, they should be understood as part of broader struggles for social justice. This movement shows that co-constructed alternatives and proposals need to prioritise community wellbeing over economic growth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rethinking urban tourism means reimagining cities as places where residents can thrive, not just survive. To achieve this, we must address the deeper inequalities at the heart of touristification processes. Este articulo fue publicado originalmente en The Conversation, un sitio de noticias sin fines de lucro dedicado a compartir ideas de expertos academicos. Lee mas: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Claudio Milano has received funding from grant RYC2021-032437-I by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, and from the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR. Antonio Paolo Russo has received funding from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Universities, I+D+i projects Retos Investigacion Ref. PID2020-112525RB-I00, MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. Marina Novelli no recibe salario, ni ejerce labores de consultoria, ni posee acciones, ni recibe financiacion de ninguna compania u organizacion que pueda obtener beneficio de este articulo, y ha declarado carecer de vinculos relevantes mas alla del cargo academico citado. Some members of Congress believed the implosion of President Trumps relationship with tech billionaire Elon Musk was so inevitable that they were wagering on how long it would last, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) said Thursday. We had wagers going on the floor: Is this relationship going to last three months? Is it going to last six months? Gonzalez told CNNs Kaitlan Collins. I dont think anyone thought it was going to last a year. I dont think you needed to be a genius, though, to foresee that this eruptive and public display of divorce was going to happen at some point, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Starbase, Texas the new city that is the site of Musks SpaceX headquarters is in Gonzalezs district. Trump threatened to pull Musks lucrative government contracts for the aerospace company and his other companies after their fallout. The tech billionaire also suggested he could decommission the spacecraft used to transport cargo and crew to and from the International Space Station. Obviously, that would be devastating for SpaceX, and obviously many other programs that Musk is running, Gonzalez told Collins. Trump and Musk publicly traded barbs Thursday in an explosive end to their previously tight alliance, with cracks beginning to show in recent days as Musk blasted the House GOPs One Big Beautiful Bill Act a key component of the presidents domestic policy agenda for his second term. The tech mogul lobbed a series of accusatory posts on the social platform X, which he also owns, that attempted to link Trump to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges and claimed credit for the presidents 2024 election win. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Trump spoke openly of their emerging feud during previously scheduled press events at the White House. Elon and I had a great relationship, I dont know if we will anymore, he told reporters. Despite the tension, Musk signaled late Thursday that the heat between the two could cool. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is not weighing in on the public feud between President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk. At a press conference Friday Jeffries focused on the Democrats efforts to kill the presidents big, beautiful bill and not the dustup between the two men. The opportunity that exists right now is to kill the GOP tax scam, Jeffries said. Its legislation that we have been strongly opposed to, and uniformly opposed to, from the very beginning. It rips health care away from millions of people. It snatches food out of the mouths of hungry children. And it rewards billionaires and donors in ways that are fiscally irresponsible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats have taken a cautious approach to the feud since theyve spent the last few months criticizing Musk and his efforts with DOGE to cut government spending. Jeffries said the bill adds too much to the federal debt which the Congressional Budget Office estimates to be $2.4 trillion. And to the extent that Elon Musk has made the point that the bill is a disgusting abomination, we agree. And to the extent that Elon Musk has made the observation about the GOP tax scam, that it is reckless and irresponsible to explode the deficit by more than $3 trillion, and that potentially could set our country on a path toward bankruptcy, we agree, said Jeffries. On Friday President Trump said he has no plans to talk to Musk to try and mend the rift while Senate Republicans continue their work on the bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. President Donald Trump's crypto ventures were once again under the microscope during a House Financial Services Committee hearing that otherwise saw legal experts express worries about how regulators might police digital assets under a market structure bill. The committee held a "minority day" hearing meaning the witnesses were primarily picked by the Democrats, the current minority party in the House on Friday, letting lawmakers ask questions more targeted on concerns they have with the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, the Republican-led market structure legislation that will receive a markup vote next week. Maxine Waters, the ranking Democrat on the committee who'd demanding this extracurricular hearing after the panel met earlier in the week on the same topic, pointed to Trump's various crypto efforts in her opening statement, saying her goal was to stop Trump from profiting off of his crypto ventures to the extent he has been. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "What I'm opposed to in this act is the crooked president of the United States of America, who's decided to use the office of the presidency to enhance his access to profits," Waters said. Republicans focused on a different tack: "Currently, there is no federal framework for non-security digital assets," Committee Chair French Hill said in his own opening statement, a stance echoed by his colleagues Bryan Steil and Warren Davidson. They contend that Democrats and the administration of former President Joe Biden allowed years to pass in which they failed to protect consumers by offering no rules to oversee crypto. Crypto has driven an ideological wedge into the Democratic Party on Capitol Hill, with many Democrats typically skewing toward the younger members supporting the advancement of digital assets legislation despite the direction of their leadership. Most of the Democrats attending this bonus hearing on the Clarity Act were in the crypto-critical camp, though Representative Jim Himes, a Connecticut Democrat, has supported crypto bills in the past and questioned witnesses at the hearing about his concerns that the bill may include loopholes that could allow financial firms to dodge oversight. Himes, a yes vote on last year's predecessor to the Clarity Act the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act, or FIT21 said some of the provisions in the new effort may allow for a carveout that can be abused by certain types of issuers under Securities and Exchange Commission regulations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Clarity Act itself is more complicated than it needs to be and does not address some of the cybersecurity risks posed to the cryptocurrency industry, said Carole House, a former White House adviser who is now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council GeoEconomics Center. She pointed to recent crypto hacks, including crypto exchange ByBit, as an example. Amanda Fischer, policy director at Better Markets, a Washington group advocating for financial policies that favor the public, said her bigger issue was with the exceptions that exist for companies to seek regulation under the Commodity Futures Trading Commission rather than the Securities and Exchange Commission, saying that it might provide loopholes for issuers or other crypto companies that otherwise would be regulated under the SEC and be subject to securities registration and reporting requirements. But as has been seen in other recent hearings, Trump's crypto ties again reappeared as the star of the show. Bart Naylor, a policy expert at Public Citizen and a former investigator for the Senate Banking Committee, said he believes Trump is specifically soliciting gifts through his memecoin and selling favors through actions like his memecoin dinner or by terminating SEC lawsuits against companies which donated money to him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement White House officials have routinely denied Trump is exhibiting a conflict of interests in his pursuit of digital assets business gains. Waters had staged a walkout last month from what was meant to be a joint hearing of this and the House Agriculture Committee on crypto policy, though industry insiders were careful to note that not all the panel's Democrats followed Waters' departure. Read More: Planned Crypto Hearing in U.S. House Derailed by Democrat Revolt House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) issued a subpoena on Thursday for testimony from former President Bidens White House doctor, Kevin OConnor. Its Comers latest move to expand his panels probes into Bidens mental acuity. Among other subjects, the Committee expressed its interest in whether your financial relationship with the Biden family affected your assessment of former President Bidens physical and mental fitness to fulfill his duties as President, Comer said in a letter accompanying the subpoena. Given your connections with the Biden family, the Committee sought to understand if you contributed to an effort to hide former President Bidens fitness to serve from the American people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The subpoena dictates that OConnor appear for testimony at a deposition on June 27, and comes after OConnor had declined Comers request to voluntarily appear before the committee. OConnors attorneys previously told the committee that the denial to appear was due in part to a D.C. code concerning physicians disclosing patient information to a court without consent, ethical obligations pursuant to Principal No. IV of the Code of Ethics of the American Medical Association (AMA), and physician-patient privilege, according to the letter from Comer. These arguments lack merit, Comer wrote. Congress is not a court; this Section therefore in no way precludes you from appearing and testifying regarding your role as Physician to former President Biden, the letter said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement OConnors attorney David Schertler told The Hill in a statement: We just received the correspondence and subpoena from the House Oversight Committee this afternoon. We will review it carefully and respond to Chairman Comer after we have had a chance to do so. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. On a busy final day of regular legislative business, the New Hampshire House of Representatives and state Senate acted on some major bills including a permanent expansion of Education Freedom Accounts (EFA) along with a bell-to-bell ban on cellphone use in New Hampshire public schools. There were a few hiccups Thursday as the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to set aside a Senate-passed bill (SB 54) that would impose more penalties on motorists accused of driving drunk who refused to submit to a blood alcohol test. House debates minimum mandatory drug crimes, firearms training Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee Chairman Terry Roy, R-Deerfield State Rep. Terry Roy, R-Deerfield, had convinced the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee he chairs to add to the bill a proposed mandate that K-12 schools offer at least one hour a year of firearms training. Without debate, the House voted 256-106 to table the bill, effectively killing it for the year. State Sen. Victoria Sullivan, R-Manchester, authored the EFA expansion (SB 295) that has now passed both the House and the Senate. Currently, EFAs are only available to families that make up to 350% of the federal poverty level, which is just above $100,000 for a family of four. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill would eliminate the income limit but place an initial enrollment cap of 10,000 students; presently abut 5,400 are enrolled. The Senate still has to agree with changes that the House made to the bill on Thursday before passing it, 190-178. Sen. Glenn Cordelli, R-Tuftonboro, said EFAs have been very popular among middle class New Hampshire families. But Rep. Kate Murray, D-New Castle, said this expansion will cost the state at least $17 million more a year and she said the public at large doesnt like EFAs. Between the thousands of emails and online sign-ins against this bill, and warrant articles passed in communities throughout the state, the public has repeatedly expressed its strong disapproval of the voucher program, Murray said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead of listening to the people we were elected to represent, Republicans voted to raise taxes to expand an unpopular program to that subsidizes wealthier households whose students are already in private schools. Cellphone ban The House gave final approval to the cellphone ban (SB 206) that would direct all school boards to adopt policies that prevent student access throughout the school day. Earlier this year, the House and the Senate approved separate, more limiting bills that merely directed local officials to adopt the plans to deal with the issue. Gov. Kelly Ayotte urged the Senate to approve the House plan, which was similar to what the governor proposed in her budget last February. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Screens are distraction for students and a barrier for teachers to do their jobs. A bell-to-bell ban on cellphones in the classroom will help kids focus on learning and let teachers do what they do best without being the phone police, Ayotte said in a statement. Im glad to see the House pass this today and thank them for taking action to help deliver a best-in-class education for all of New Hampshires students. In another mild surprise, the House voted 170-168 against legislation to move the state primary election from September to June in time for the 2026 election. Last March, the House had approved a different bill to make that change but to not have it begin until 2028. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rep. Matt Wilhelm, D-Manchester, said state and local election officials along with the candidates need more time to cope with the change. House Election Laws Committee Ross Berry, R-Manchester, had said there was still time to act, but the House narrowly disagreed. OK, I guess its 2028, Berry said in response. The state Senate has yet to approve the House-passed bill (HB 481) to move the primary for the 2028 election. klandrigan@unionleader.com (Texas Scorecard) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has deported 142 criminal aliens from the Houston area to Mexico. Among them were eight known gang members, 11 convicted child predators, and one individual who had entered the country illegally 21 separate times. Collectively, the group illegally entered the country 480 times and accumulated 473 criminal convictions for a wide range of serious crimes, including: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 11 convictions for child sex crimes 76 convictions for driving while intoxicated (DWI) 43 convictions for aggravated assault and domestic violence 22 convictions for human smuggling ICE Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford said, Unfortunately, this is not an anomaly. For the past few years, there has been virtually no deterrent to illegal entry into the country. As a result, millions of illegal aliens, including violent criminals, child predators, transnational gang members, and foreign fugitives, have poured into the U.S. Among the most egregious cases: Benito Charqueno Zavala, 60, was convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child and is one of the 11 convicted child predators deported. Johnny Urbina Carillo, 37, was convicted of sexually exploiting a minor and had prior convictions for cocaine possession and illegal reentry. Luis Angel Garcia-Contreras, 40, a documented member of the Surenos 13 gang, had illegally entered the U.S. 21 times and had four convictions for illegal entry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, ICE arrested nine illegal aliens allegedly involved in a drug trafficking operation that utilized both the U.S. Mail and a taco truck for distribution. Last month, ICE arrested 422 illegal aliens in the Houston area, including a convicted murderer who had been released into the country under Biden-era parole policies. Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey, a Republican, noted that the county jail maintains a strong partnership with ICE and regularly transfers custody of individuals with ICE detainers. Houston Mayor John Whitmire clarified in January that the Houston Police Department does not participate in federal immigration enforcement. HPD enforces state laws and will hold violators accountable regardless of immigration status, he said. Still, HPD does notify ICE when officers encounter suspects with active immigration warrants. Key Points Oklo is soaring because of narratives around nuclear energy and an executive order. The company aims to get its new reactors to market by 2028, but that may prove to be aggressive timing. The company generates zero revenue but has a market cap of $6.8 billion. 10 stocks we like better than Oklo Shares of Oklo (NYSE: OKLO) sank this week, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The company aiming to build what it calls fast-fission nuclear reactors is benefiting from nuclear energy executive orders and a global renaissance for the energy category. Up almost 400% since going public through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), the company now has a market cap of $6.8 billion and zero revenue. Here's why shares of Oklo soared in the month of May. Betting on a nuclear future Rising demand for electricity has companies in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector looking for truly reliable and renewable energy. Nuclear energy is the only type of energy that checks off both criteria. Large technology companies investing in data centers, like Amazon and Microsoft, are signing commitments to try and get more nuclear power used in their operations. The White House just released an executive order around Nuclear Power, saying the industry in the United States needs to be reinvigorated. All of this talk around nuclear power has stocks such as Oklo soaring. The company's founder was at the executive order signing by President Trump, and the company even put out a press release about the matter. It is aiming to build small fission reactors with recyclable material and aims to have plant operations begin at its first site in Idaho by late 2027 or early 2028. Until then, the company is not generating any revenue. Its stock is all riding on the future and hopes from shareholders that the company can spin itself into one of the nuclear energy leaders of the next few decades. Image source: Getty Images. Buy Oklo stock at your own peril Oklo wants to become a nuclear power giant through its innovative designs. The problem remains around approvals and cash burn. It has a free cash flow burn of $44 million and $200 million in cash on the balance sheet. It says that it aims to get its plant underway by 2028 at the latest, but it has not gotten any approvals from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Competitor NuScale Power Corporation has approval and still doesn't think it can get its reactors up and running until 2030. The timelines don't match up. Investing in pre-revenue stocks is mighty dangerous. Oklo has no sales, is burning a lot of cash, and has never proven its designs work. There are no approvals by the NRC. The stock has a market cap of $6.8 billion, built on castles in the air. If you buy this stock, you are taking a huge risk with your portfolio. Human remains have been found just over three weeks after missing teenager Pheobe Bishop disappeared after failing to check in for a booked flight in Australia, police have confirmed. On Friday, June 6, Queensland Police said in a release, "Police have located what is believed to be human remains following a search of an area near Good Night Scrub National Park near Gin Gin this afternoon." "The brief search commenced after further enquires and investigations today, with the discovery being made by specialist units around 2:30 p.m. [local time]," the post added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police continued, "The remains are yet to be formally identified; however, investigators are in contact with the family of missing 17-year-old Pheobe Bishop." "A crime scene has been declared at the location and forensic examinations are continuing," the post stated. It added, "Police continue to appeal for any information in relation to Pheobe Bishop or the movement of a grey Hyundai IX35 between May 15 to 18 in the greater Gin Gin area." Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. The announcement comes shortly after police confirmed in a release on Thursday that a 34-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman had been charged in connection with Bishop's death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Australias ABC News, SBS World News and news.com.au reported that the suspects were Bishop's housemates James Wood, 34, and Tanika Kristan Bromley, 33. This is a breaking story. More to follow. Read the original article on People NEED TO KNOW Robert Eaton of Louisville, Ky., was reported missing in February 2022 and last seen at a casino in Indiana Four months later, human remains were recovered in the Mississippi River at Portageville, Mo. but it took years for authorities to be able to identify them Finally, this June, authorities confirmed that the remains belonged to Eaton The mystery behind human remains that were found in the Mississippi River three years ago has finally been solved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a Tuesday, June 3, news statement, the New Madrid County Sheriff's Office in Missouri said that the remains belonged to Robert J. Eaton, 26, who was reported missing from Elizabeth, Ind., in February 2022. Eaton, who is from Louisville, Ky., was last seen at the Caesars Southern Indiana, Fox affiliate WDRB and NBC affiliate WAVE. In its latest statement, the sheriffs office said that on June 2, 2022, authorities received a phone call about a body that was spotted in the Mississippi River in Portageville, Mo. The remains were later recovered and taken to the medical examiner for an autopsy. The remains were those of a white male between the ages of 18 and 29, approximately 510 in height, and were estimated to have been in the river for a minimum of two to three months, the sheriffs office said. No signs of trauma were noted. The case was entered into NamUs as UP 96458. A traditional DNA profile was developed for comparison to missing persons, but no matches were returned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite continued efforts, for the next two years officials were unable to determine the John Doe's identity. That all changed last summer, when sheriffs investigators contacted Dr. Jenifer Bengtson, a professor of anthropology at Southeast Missouri State University, to consult on the case. Bengston and her students traveled to Portageville to meet with investigators and the coroner as well as to analyze the remains and pick samples for additional testing. New Madrid County Sheriff's Office Robert Eaton Robert Eaton They completed an updated dental inventory and analysis and entered those data into NamUs, the sheriffs office said of Bengston and her team's work. They also used literature-based and bone chemistry research to prioritize samples for advanced DNA testing. These samples were sent to Othram [a company that specializes in forensic work], where their scientists were able to build a comprehensive SNP [single-nucleotide polymorphism] profile." While Dr. Bengtson and her students continued to fine tune the decedents biological profile, Othrams in-house forensic genetic genealogy team worked to develop new leads in the case, which were returned to investigators, the sheriffs office added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators later discovered that a possible relatives mentioned in the genealogy report had made social media posts about a missing loved one who matched the demographic profile of their John Doe. Authorities interviewed the potential relatives in April of this year and collected samples for analysis, The results from the testing confirmed the identity. Sheriff Joey Higgerson said in the statement that authorities on May 30 met with Eatons family, who traveled to Missouri to pick up their loved ones remains and bring them back to Kentucky. We are especially grateful to Dr. Bengston and the Anthropology Department at Southeast Missouri State University; because of their tireless efforts, a family who has been searching for their son for the last two years finally has closure, Higgerson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They [Roberts family] assured us that they are finally at peace, and they took some comfort in the fact that this case opened the door to new techniques that will change the way we investigate these cases in New Madrid County, he added. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The investigation into the circumstances behind Eatons disappearance and death is ongoing, said authorities. According to Eatons obituary, a visitation will be held on Sunday, June 8. He loved his friends and family deeply and he will be remembered by his kind heart, sweet smile and comforting presence, the tribute read. Read the original article on People GUATEMALA CITY (AP) A panel of independent experts who make up the United Nations Human Rights Committee said Thursday they found that Guatemala violated the rights of a 14-year-old girl who was raped and forced to continue her pregnancy. A former director of a government-run daycare facility she had attended as a child raped her on multiple occasions beginning in 2009 when she was 13 and no longer attended the center, but she was denied access to abortion, forced to carry out the birth and care for the child, treatment the committee compared to torture. No girl should be forced to carry the child of her rapist. Doing so robs her of her dignity, her future, and her most basic rights, Committee member Helene Tigroudja said in a statement, adding that This is not just a violation of reproductive autonomy it is a profound act of cruelty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The committee monitors countries adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. When the girls mother found out about the abuse she reported it to authorities. The man and his wife tried to bribe and threaten the girls family into withdrawing the report. The case wound on in Guatemalas justice system for nine years, but the man was never punished. Guatemala did not properly investigate the rape, nor did it take effective action to prosecute the perpetrator, the committee said. Guatemala is one of the Latin American countries with the highest rates of both forced motherhood and systematic impunity for sexual violence, the committees statement said. Although the Guatemalan Criminal Code allows abortion in specific situations to avoid a threat to the life of the mother, access to legal abortion is almost impossible in practice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The committee called on Guatemala to establish a system to record and monitor such cases. In the case of the girl, it said the state should support her to complete higher education and attain her goals. Catalina Martinez, vice president for Latin America and the Caribbean for the Center of Reproductive Rights, one of the groups that brought the girls case forward, said there is agreement in society that the protection of girls is a priority. But that promise is broken when we dont provide access to all health services, including abortion, and we obligate them to assume motherhood that they dont want and for which they are not prepared, she said. BUDAPEST (Reuters) -Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday that nationalist Karol Nawrocki's victory in Poland's presidential election was "fantastically good", hailing the success of an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump. Eurosceptic Karol Nawrocki narrowly won the Polish presidential election on Sunday, delivering a big blow to the efforts of Donald Tusk's centrist government to cement Warsaw's pro-European orientation. "From a Hungarian perspective, I think the outcome is fantastically good, as there is a pro-Ukrainian, pro-war, pro-Brussels liberal government operating in Poland," Orban said in an interview on state Kossuth radio. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Orban, also an ally of Trump, said he interpreted Nawrocki's victory as the "continuation of the patriot's advance." "One could also say that the 'Washington Express' has arrived in Warsaw," Orban said, alluding to Nawrocki's election as a victory for European conservatives inspired by Trump and his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement. Both Tusk's government and its conservative nationalist predecessor have been staunch supporters of Ukraine in the war triggered by Russia's 2022 invasion and have been critical of Orban's tilt towards Moscow. Nawrocki has said Poland must continue to support Kyiv's war effort, but in a break with the policy of previous governments in Warsaw, he opposes NATO membership for Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For his part, Orban has refused to send weapons to Ukraine since the start of the war and kept close relations with Moscow. Orban publicly endorsed Nawrocki ahead of the second round of Poland's election. (Reporting by Anita Komuves; editing by Mark Heinrich) Hunter Biden on Friday dropped a lawsuit against Fox News that accused the conservative network of unlawfully airing sexually explicit images of him. This is the second time Hunter Biden has filed and then voluntarily dismissed a lawsuit against Fox News. The cases stemmed from a 2022 digital miniseries that featured a dramatized mock trial against Hunter Biden about his overseas financial dealings. Lawyers for former President Joe Bidens son claimed Fox News violated revenge porn laws and defamed him. They did not explain in court filings why they dropped the case, though they recently lost an effort to move the case from federal to New York state court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CNN has reached out to Hunter Bidens lawyers seeking comment. In a statement sent to CNN, a Fox News Media spokesperson said, We are pleased to move on now that Hunter Biden has finally voluntarily withdrawn this meritless case which proved to be nothing more than a politically motivated stunt. The Fox series highlighted Hunter Bidens lucrative business deals in Ukraine and China, which he pursued his father was vice president. It also delved into his admitted struggles with drug abuse and alcoholism. The program also featured some intimate images of Hunter Biden with various women, which appeared to originate from his infamous laptop. After he threatened a lawsuit in April 2024, the miniseries was taken down from the Fox Nation streaming site. He sued Fox anyway last summer, dropped the case after a few weeks, filed a new lawsuit in October, and dropped that case on Friday. In a court filing, his lawyers said he was dropping the case with prejudice, meaning he cant file it again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hunter Biden was convicted last year on federal gun charges and pleaded guilty to tax crimes related to his overseas deals. However, he was never accused of illegally lobbying the US government on behalf of his foreign clients, as was portrayed in the Fox miniseries. Before he could be sentenced and potentially sent to prison his father issued a full pardon in December, despite repeatedly pledging that he would not grant any clemency. One of several dropped cases This is one of several major lawsuits that Hunter Biden has recently withdrawn. He voluntarily dismissed a lawsuit about the laptop that he filed against a former Trump White House aide. And in April, he dropped his lawsuit against the IRS, giving up an effort to get compensated for what he claims was a breach of his taxpayer privacy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He filed that case in 2023 and claimed that two IRS whistleblowers violated federal law by sharing his private tax return information with a Republican-run House committee. The whistleblowers, Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, were promoted by the Trump administration to more senior roles at the IRS, and are also top advisers to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. President Donald Trump even tapped Shapley to be acting IRS commissioner in April, but was ousted after a few days after Bessent intervened. We truly wanted our day in court to provide the complete story, but it appears Mr. Biden was afraid to actually fight this case in a court of law after all, they said in a statement. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com When Derbyshire Dales district council voted to saddle second home owners with double council tax bills, officials argued it would free up more homes for first-time buyers. Those prospective buyers, however, likely have little appetite for a one-bedroom 1920s hutment with no running water, electricity or mains sewage system. And yet the council saw it fit to slap owners John and Fiona Jeffrey with a double council tax bill, amounting to 3,000 a year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Jeffery, 66, and Mrs Jeffery, 63, whose main residence is in Sheffield, are outraged not least because you would be hard-pressed to call their hutment habitable. It is inaccessible by road and a 40-minute walk from the nearest village. Had the council wanted to inform the couple in writing about the propertys new tax bill, they wouldnt have been able to send a letter because there is no postal service. In fact, it is difficult to think of any council service that reaches their property. There is no bin collection or street lighting let alone libraries or schools. And yet, they are one of around 1,000 second home owners in the Derbyshire Dales who must now pay twice as much for these services. We are in a Kafkaesque dilemma, Mr Jeffrey, who works in market research, said. We appealed to the council who were sympathetic but ultimately useless. They advised us we needed to go to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA). Its funny both authorities had a knack of responding to us a week before the council tax doubled after not getting an answer for months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The VOA, the government body which settles council tax disputes, wrote to Mr Jeffrey on March 24 to reject his council tax challenge. They explained that because the hut was wind and watertight it would be assessed for council tax and unless the roof or external walls were missing, they would have to pay double bills. Mr Jeffrey said: I feel strongly about this tax for two reasons. Firstly, its punitive and secondly I think its a bit of a fake policy. I understand the attack on second homes in some areas but this is not a rentable property and its barely suitable. It could not be a permanent residence. Property aligned with Buddhist values Mr and Mrs Jeffrey bought the property in 2014 for 155,000 without seeing it first. We were in a cafe at eight in the morning when we saw the advertisement. We just understood straight away that it was a very unusual property. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are both practising Buddhists and it aligned with the vision of preserving small spaces. Since then, they have regularly made use of the space as well as offering it to friends and family as a quiet refuge. It is also used by Buddhist practitioners for solitary retreats. The simplicity of the property is what attracted them to buy it as well as the historical significance of hutments in the Derbyshire Dales. Although hutments are traditionally known as a camp made of rudimentary temporary accommodation for soldiers, in the Peak District they offered respite for many local miners and steelworkers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The majority of these buildings were purchased by authorities in the 1950s and 1960s and destroyed, but some have remained. It is difficult to estimate how many remain in Britain, and of those how many are still used today. There is also no strict definition of a hutment. Two-tier system All of these factors Mr Jeffrey believes played into the decision for hutments not to be exempted in legislation passed by the Conservatives in 2023 under the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act. This is despite the Government introducing carve-outs for caravan pitches and boat moorings. Its just one of many exemptions that have led to accusations of a two-tier system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Wales, the former First Minister Mark Drakeford avoided paying a 200pc premium on his second home in Pembrokeshire because the chalet could only be occupied for nine months of the year under the holiday park licence. Meanwhile, owners of a nearby wooden beach hut with no lavatory, were liable to pay and saw their bills treble to more than 4,000 a year. I think we were just seen as more trouble than drafting a careful legal clause, Mr Jeffrey said. However many hutments are left, he fears the second home premium could be the death knell for many of them with owners trapped paying extortionate bills and unable to find anyone willing to rent them. They might not be architecturally significant but they are historically significant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesman for Derbyshire Dales district council said it had carefully considered the specific circumstances of the property. He added: The property is considered to be a hutment with no running water or energy supplies, which aligns with the description of a rural hutment. However, this classification does not meet any of the statutory exceptions outlined by the Government for exemption from the second homes council tax premium. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Quad Cities, Eldridge, and Clinton Hy-Vees are sponsoring their 15th Honor Flight of the Quad Cities. Hy-Vees $50,000 donation will send approximately 80 local Vietnam veterans to Washington D.C. to visit memorials dedicated in their honor. Hy-Vee staff members said they believe every veteran should have the opportunity to go on an Honor Flight. The Honor Flight of the Quad Cities director, Steve Garrington, is an Army veteran, and he said each flight is a special moment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the exciting things about our flights is we take Vietnam veterans who were not welcomed when they came home back during the war, Garrington said. Were able to take them and say, Welcome home through their welcome home now. Its a little late, but better late than never. For everyone that laughs or cries, or has a good time, and says, Gosh, this was great, that means a lot to me. The Honor Flight is scheduled to leave for Washington D.C. on Sept. 16. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -The International Criminal Court's governing body on Friday condemned the Trump administration's decision to impose sanctions on four ICC judges. "It is with deep concern that we note the latest actions announced by the Government of the United States ... These ... are regrettable attempts to impede the Court and its personnel in the exercise of their independent judicial functions", The ICC's governing body said in a statement. (Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout, Editing by GV De Clercq) Immigration agents briefly detained a U.S. Marshals Service deputy last month as he was entering a federal building that houses the immigration court in Tucson, Arizona. The Marshals Service an agency in charge of enforcing the law in federal courts, protecting judges and apprehending fugitives confirmed with the Arizona Daily Star on Thursday that a deputy who fit the general description of a subject being sought by ICE was briefly detained at a federal building in Tucson after entering the lobby of the building. Immigration and Customs Enforecement officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from HuffPost. ICE agents mistakenly detained a U.S. Marshals Service deputy last month. Aaron M. Sprecher via Getty Images The Deputy US Marshals identity was quickly confirmed by other law enforcement officers, and he exited the building without incident, the Marshals Service told the Arizona Daily Star Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its unclear what the Marshals Service meant when it said the deputy fit the general description of a person being sought by ICE. However, President Donald Trumps policy of aggressive mass deportation has raised concerns about racial profiling. Legal residents and U.S. citizens, including Native Americans, all have been stopped by ICE. And prior to Trumps current presidential term, a 2022 report from the American Civil Liberties Union shed light on racial profiling that it called endemic to an ICE program that allows state and local law enforcement to perform certain immigration enforcement duties. Earlier this year, Jensy Machado, a Northern Virginia man who voted for Trump, was handcuffed by ICE agents. A spokesperson for ICE said Machado matched the description of the subject of an operation. Machado is now reconsidering his vote for the president and said ICE agents are just following Hispanic people. Last week, Axios reported on a meeting between two top Trump administration officials, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, where they discussed a goal of arresting 3,000 people a day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Noah Schramm of the ACLU of Arizona told the Arizona Daily Star that while theres little information about the incident involving the deputy, arrest quotas from the Trump administration are leading to more mistakes. It is not surprising that there would be these cases that the wrong person is detained, Schramm said. I think it reflects that they are trying to get numbers and that they are OK violating basic principles and basic procedures that are meant to protect people and make sure the wrong people dont get picked up. Related... Key Points TSMC told its shareholders it expects to earn a record profit this year. Tariffs could depress demand in the U.S. -- but not demand everywhere. TSMC is confident it can continue growing at 20%-plus annually. 10 stocks we like better than Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE: TSM) jumped 3% through 2:35 p.m. ET after CEO C.C. Wei told shareholders at the company's annual general meeting that TSMC expects to earn "record profit" in 2025. Of particular interest to investors, Wei said he's "not afraid" that President Donald Trump's tariffs turmoil will keep TSMC from reaching this goal. Image source: Getty Images. TSMC and tariffs "The impact of tariffs on TSMC is not direct," Wei said. "Tariffs are paid by importers. However, tariffs will make prices higher and could drag down demand." Regardless, "overall AI demand is still very high" -- indeed, higher than the production capacity to fulfill it. Thus, if U.S. buyers pull back on buying semiconductors manufactured in Taiwan, well, there are always other buyers elsewhere. Long story short, Wei is confident his company can continue growing sales in the mid-20% range despite tariffs threats. Because even if supply eventually meets demand for artificial intelligence applications, new markets are forming to create even more demand for the company's chips. Which markets? "The chip demand for humanoid robots starts now," declared Wei. Is TSMC stock a buy? So demand for TSMC's chips shouldn't be an issue. But should you demand to buy some TSMC stock? Maybe. On the one hand, a mid-20s growth rate compares favorably against a TSMC P/E ratio of only 24, suggesting TSMC stock is cheap. On the other hand, TSMC's free cash flow isn't quite as robust as its reported generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) earnings suggest. The company reported $39.4 billion profit over the past year, but FCF was only $27.3 billion, meaning TSMC generated cash profit of only about $0.69 for each $1 in claimed profit. With a price-to-free-cash-flow ratio of more than 31, TSMC still seems pricey to me. Should you invest $1,000 in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing right now? Before you buy stock in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Antonio Chairez Rios, in blue hat, hugs his lawyer Rebecca Kitson after being released with an ankle monitor from an ICE check-in on Friday in Albuquerque. Despite the temporary reprieve from deportation, the grandfather who has been in this country at least 20 years could still be arrested any day, he and his lawyers say. (Photo by Patrick Lohmann / Source NM) Antonio Chairez Rios stepped out from behind a gate enclosing the local Immigration and Customs Enforcement office south of Albuquerque on Friday, prompting cheers from several dozen activists who had been waiting three hours to learn whether he would be detained and eventually deported. His release late Friday morning meant the grandfather of two if only for a few more days would not be sent away from the country hes lived in for at least 20 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the last nine years, Chairez Rios, an immigrant from Mexico, has dutifully attended every annual check-in appointment with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, each time securing a stay of deportation, according to his attorney Rebecca Kitson. His next check-in had been scheduled for September, but authorities abruptly re-scheduled it a few days ago for 9 a.m. on Friday, Kitson said. That was not a good sign, she said. She assumed the check-in really served as a way for ICE agents to rack up another deportation without having to go through the trouble of arresting someone at their home or in public. News reports elsewhere and reports from her colleagues suggest ICE is increasingly arresting people at annual check-ins, with agents no longer allowed or willing to use discretion or consider the details of individual cases when deciding whether to arrest and deport someone, she said. Rebecca Kitson, holding microphone, gives an update to activists gathered to decry the potential deportation of Kitsons client Antonio Chairez Rios. (Photo by Patrick Lohmann / Source NM) From the indications that we received, we were pretty clear that their intent is to arrest everyone now, she said. Its really just easier to arrest people who show up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chairez Rios was deported in 2006 but then re-entered the country after he received photos showing that his two young daughters were living on the streets of Albuquerque with their mother, who was addicted to drugs, Kitson said. In his mind there was no other choice but to return, Kitson said. Eventually, he got here and was granted full custody of his children because there was no one else, because they were in severe danger. Since returning to take care of his kids, a judge issued a stay of deportation repeatedly, allowing him to raise his daughters and work. He took a tough construction job and suffered a traumatic brain injury after falling 20 feet onto concrete, Kitson said. He was briefly in a coma from the injury, she said. The exploitation he suffered as an undocumented immigrant in the construction industry prompted Kitson to seek whats known as a T visa on his behalf, which are temporary visas for victims of human trafficking. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The fact that the visa application remains pending marks one reason she hoped Chairez Rios and the attorney who accompanied him to the check-in could argue he be allowed to stay in the United States a little bit longer, she said. Soon after Kitson learned that Chairez Rioss check-in had been re-scheduled, she sounded the alarm to various immigration advocacy groups. Despite the short notice, nearly 100 people showed up at the ICE office, chanting and picketing for several hours. Chairez Rios arrived with his daughters and two grand-kids about half an hour before the check-in, smiling and wiping tears from his eyes as he saw the crowd gathered with signs that said Keep Antonio here! He walked into the HSI office holding a grandson in his arms, taking a final look back at the crowd before what could be his last time in the U.S. According to Kitson, deportation would mean hed have to stay in Mexico for at least 10 years before he had any legal way of returning. About 100 protesters gathered south of Albuquerque in front of the local ICE office to oppose Chairez Rios deportation. (Photo by Patrick Lohmann / Source NM) According to Kitson, the events that unfolded over the next two and a half hours in a nondescript government office provided an increasingly rare reprieve from President Donald Trumps new mass deportation push. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chairez Rioss legal team fought against an apparent detention order, Kitson said, which she described as an informal appeal that made its way up through several supervisors stationed outside of Albuquerque, Kitson said. ICE supervisors were still considering the appeal by 11:30 a.m. or so. Thats about the time they gave Chairez Rios the choice of leaving the office with an ankle monitor on or staying and waiting for a decision. Kitsons best guess is that Chairez Rios will still be arrested and deported, she said. And she said hell be paranoid in the coming weeks about when agents could come to arrest him. But that didnt happen Friday, she said, which is a win by itself. Antonio Chairez Rios, left, walks out of the ICE headquarters near Albuquerque following a nearly three-hour check-in on Friday, accompanied by his daughter, center, and one of his attorneys. (Photo by Patrick Lohmann / Source NM) Chairez Rios spoke briefly to reporters and activists, gesturing to the device on his ankle and offering gratitude to the people who waited and chanted and prayed for him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They dont have a decision yet, but I do feel powerless because it seems unfair to me that one who is not a criminal is waiting after 20 years working here, he said in Spanish. I would like to have a chance, because all my family is from here, my daughters, my grandchildren. He said agents scheduled another check-in for September, but they told him that he could be arrested at any time between now and then. You have no idea when they could arrest you if they decide to do that. I have no idea. It could be now, tomorrow, in a month, he said. It feels insecure without an answer. While several U.S. communities have seen Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers waiting to detain defendants outside court hearings, Lake County hasnt experienced that yet. A spokesperson for the U.S. department said in a statement that ICE officers are permitted to conduct civil immigration enforcement in or near courthouses with credible information. The memorandum gives further procedures and responsibilities for ICE officers to conduct civil immigration enforcement actions against targeted aliens discreetly to minimize their impact on court proceedings, avoid unnecessarily alarming the public or disrupting court operations, and avoid enforcement actions in or near courthouses, or areas within courthouses that are wholly dedicated to non-criminal proceedings, the statement said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To remove an undocumented immigrant, a judge has to sign off on an order of removal, said Vanessa Cruz Nichols, an assistant professor of political science at Indiana University. Under President Trump, Cruz Nichols said a new ICE tactic has been to wait outside immigration court hearings to deport people who, in most cases, had their cases dropped meaning they could remain in the country. The Indiana Capital Chronicle reported May 30 that federal officials are considering Camp Atterbury in south central Indiana as a temporary holding site for immigrant detainees. No official announcement has yet been made. President Donald Trump has vowed to deport millions of people, staging the largest deportation operation in American history. Stars and Stripes a news source from the U.S. military reported Thursday that the National Guard is prepared to provide more than 20,000 troops to crack down on immigration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Army officials say they dont yet know the role that National Guard members will play, Stars and Stripes reported, but troop involvement would be legal and in line with training. As of Monday, no one in Lake County had been taken by ICE when going to court, Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez said in a statement. Martinez does not know how many people have been detained by ICE or at risk of detention. As the elected Lake County Sheriff, I took an oath to enforce the law and Im committed to collaborating with our federal partners to do so, Martinez said in a statement. Those who break the law in Lake County, regardless of immigration status, will be brought to justice. I take the safety of all of our citizens seriously and will continue to work tirelessly to ensure their well-being. The goal of waiting outside the hearings, Cruz Nichols said, is to follow Trumps directive to remove people who have been in the U.S. for about two years with temporary status and told to follow up for routine appointments in immigration court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump 2.0 administration doesnt see any of those cases really being legitimate, Cruz Nichols said. These new plans adopted under the Trump administration are quite different and quite a big deviation from what he had in his first administration and what weve seen previous presidents do. With ICE waiting to arrest and deport people outside of immigration hearings, Cruz Nichols said it will break down trust of authority figures in immigrant communities. It makes these routine court hearings very high risk. People will end up avoiding these appointments and hearings as a result if they feel like they are being staked out by ICE agents, Cruz Nichols said. People should be able to attend important court cases, advocating for their rights, their due process, without fear of being arrested, detained or deported outside of the court. Typically, if police discover that someone they arrested is an undocumented immigrant, then local sheriff officials notify ICE, Cruz Nichols said. Depending on the local county resources and its jail capacity, as well as the crime committed, an undocumented immigrant could be held for weeks or a few days before being released if an ICE agent didnt come, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Each day, the sheriffs department provides a list of non-citizen inmates to ICE, who then notifies the department of which inmates they request to be held on a detainer, Martinez said. Then the department receives the detainer, serves it and places a hold in the system. ICE has 48 hours to take the person into custody or the sheriffs department will release them after they become eligible for release. ICE agents could obtain a judicial warrant, which is signed by a judge, listing the persons name and address, to detain and deport someone, Cruz Nichols said. A judicial warrant allows the ICE agents to enter the address listed on the warrant, which could be the persons home or workplace. ICE agents could also obtain an administrative warrant, Cruz Nichols said, but thats more vague and only lists a persons name but no specific address to pick them up and it isnt signed by a judge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those administrative warrants are not sufficient for an ICE agent to use that at like a church or at a public space claiming they can enter those spaces. They cant do that with an administrative warrant. They could do that if they have a judicial warrant, Cruz Nichols said. Many activist organizations have been working with undocumented immigrants to let them know that if ICE doesnt have a judicial warrant, they dont have to open the door if agents come knocking, Cruz Nichols said. An administrative warrant is easier to obtain, Cruz Nichols said, and its an intimidation tactic because many undocumented immigrants just see an official piece of paper but dont know its not signed by a judge. Its an easier thing to request from the agency than a specific, targeted, more onerous judicial warrant that provides the address information, provides the signature by the judge, Cruz Nichols said. akukulka@chicagotribune.com mwilkins@chicagotribune.com Extremely rare and endangered Ghost Orchid - Dendrophylax lindenii. (Stock photo/Getty Images) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing the ghost orchid, considered to be Floridas most famous flower, under the Endangered Species Act. The announcement came on Wednesday, more than three years after three environmental groups the Center for Biological Diversity, The Institute for Regional Conservation, and the National Parks Conservation Association filed a petition requesting that the ghost orchid be listed under the law as a threatened species. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ghost orchid is endemic to southwestern Florida and western Cuba. It is estimated that its population has declined by more than 90% around the world, and by up to 50% in Florida. There are only an estimated 1,500 ghost orchids remaining in Florida, and less than half are known to be mature enough to reproduce. They are located mostly in the Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida Panthers National Wildlife Refuge, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve Park, Audubons Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, and other conservation areas in Collier, Hendry, and possibly Lee counties. Among the factors that have led to the flower decreasing in population are the consequences of poaching as well as recent major storms, such as Hurricane Irma in 2017 and Hurricane Ian in 2022, says Jaclyn Lopez, an attorney with the Jacobs Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment at Stetson Universitys College of Law based in Pinellas County, who is representing the conservation groups. Jaclyn Lopez directs the Jacobs Public Interest Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment at Stetsons College of Law (Photo courtesy of Stetson College of Law) Other factors that have led to the ghost orchid becoming more vulnerable include increased development and climate change. The ghost orchid is a leafless plant species that uses its roots to photosynthesize and attach itself to a host tree. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The habitat changes that happen used to be quite slow over time. As sea levels have changed historically that allowed plants to move, Lopez said. The difference now is that the levels are rising much more quickly, not really giving plants the opportunity to adapt and to migrate on their own, and so the concern is that some of these trees could be lost to sea level rise. In February 2023, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission posted on social media that it had apprehended individuals attempting to steal a ghost orchid. In their petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the conservation groups noted that one of the chief threats to the ghost orchid was overcollection, and therefore they did not list the exact locations of where the populations of the flower exist. However, Lopez says that the Endangered Species Act requires very specific data to be included in the petition process, so the conservation groups were still able to provide that information to the Fish and Wildlife Service confidentially. We understood that the principal threat is poaching, so we had to make sure that we werent going to be the reason poachers could find out their exact location, she said, adding that the federal agency was later able to communicate directly with officials at Big Cypress and Corkscrew to provide location specific information on the species right down to the individual plant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement, Elise Bennett, the Florida and Caribbean director and attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, welcomed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services announcement on the ghost orchid, but said it was far too early to celebrate. [W]ith the Trump administrations incessant attacks on landmark environmental laws meant to stop species from going extinct, we know our job here isnt done, she said. Well continue to do whats necessary to ensure the ghost orchid and every other iconic Florida species has a fighting chance to thrive in our beautiful state. People love plants, adds Lopez. Theyre part of our own ecosystem and habitat. Theyre part of the aesthetic of living in Florida. And ghost orchids in particular are like the movie star of that ecosystem, so I imagine that this proposal will be gladly supported. I dont expect any political interference or backlash as a result. so were just hopeful that the administration is able to move forward without further delay in giving the species finally all the protection that it needs. The Fish and Wildlife Service is taking public comments on the proposed rule until August 4. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Key Takeaways Chimney Rock State Park reopens June 27, nine months after Hurricane Helene's devastation. A temporary bridge and road repairs now allow access to park. Advance reservations with limited capacity will be required via chimneyrockpark.com. Chimney Rock State Park is set to reopen exactly nine months after being devastated by Hurricane Helene. The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and N.C. State Parks announced today that Chimney Rock State Park, as well as the iconic Chimney Rock attraction, will reopen to visitors on Friday, June 27the nine-month anniversary of Hurricane Helenes deadly assault on western North Carolina. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chimney Rock, the tiny North Carolina town roughly 25 miles southeast of Asheville thats home to the park, was nearly wiped off the map by flooding caused by the storm. Experts say it was the hardest-hit spot in a region where the destruction stretched for hundreds of miles. J Hiatt/Courtesy of the NC Division of Parks and Recreation. Chimney Rock is a western North Carolina jewel, Governor Josh Stein said in a statement. Reopening the state park will draw tourists back to this area. I am pleased that DNCR, DOT, and local leaders in Chimney Rock were able to get this park open for people to enjoy and so local businesses can thrive. Access to the park, where tens of thousands of visitors climb the famous 315-foot granite monolith for sweeping views of the Blue Ridge Mountains each year, has been limited since September 2024 due to the loss of the park entrance bridge. The N.C. Department of Transportation just recently completed work on a temporary bridge and repairs to the parks roads. The reopening of this iconic park is another positive step toward recovery in western North Carolina, N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary, Pamela B. Cashwell, said in a news release. We could not reopen Chimney Rock without the swift work of the N.C. Department of Transportation and the leadership from Governor Josh Stein and his recovery team. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Park hours will reportedly be announced soon. Capacity will be limited due to ongoing recovery and rebuilding efforts in the area, a news release notes. Advance reservations will be required to access the Chimney Rock attraction via chimneyrockpark.com, which will go live approximately one week prior to the reopening. Read the original article on Southern Living Claiming to be from the Idaho DMV, some of the scam texts say your drivers license could be immediately suspended unless you pay through a suspicious link. (Courtesy of Getty Images) Idaho government officials are warning that text messages about unpaid traffic tickets and the newly required Star Card are scams. Idaho law enforcement agencies never send texts to people to demand payments, threaten penalties for violations or tolls that havent been paid, or for missed jury duty, the Idaho Attorney Generals Office said in a news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Scammers stole over $63 million from Idahoans last year, predominantly targeting our seniors, Attorney General Raul Labrador said in a statement. These scammers are now using fake DMV texts to steal even more. Idaho families need to know that legitimate government agencies never demand payments through text messages. Claiming to be from the Idaho DMV, some of the scam texts say your drivers license could be immediately suspended unless you pay through a suspicious link. The Idaho Attorney Generals Office urges Idahoans to look out for red flags, like: Demanding payment urgently or through gift cards. Threats to suspend licenses, or even arrest. And suspicious web links that might look official. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you receive a suspicious text, do not click any links or share your personal information. Report the text to the Federal Trade Commission, and delete it. The FTCs fraud reporting website is https://reportfraud.ftc.gov. The Idaho Transportation Department is also warning Idahoans about scam texts that falsely promote online payments or quicker access to REAL IDs, also known as Star Cards. Scammers are targeting Idahoans with messages that look official but are completely fake, Idaho DMV Administrator Lisa McClellan said in a statement. Your REAL ID can only be obtained in person through an authorized DMV office, not by clicking a link in a text message. Find accurate information about Idaho services for the DMV and REAL ID online at the Idaho DMV website, at www.dmv.idaho.gov. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The Illinois State Police are looking for information on a missing person report where the victim was later found dead. Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 2 East Moline Major Crimes is investigating a homicide in Henry County. The Kewanee Police Department requested assistance from ISP special agents with a missing persons investigation on May 27. The victim, Catrell Reed, was reported missing to the Kewanee Police Department. Catrelle Reed (Kewanee Police Department) Reed was found dead on a property near the intersection of Highway 81 and East 2350th Street, just west of Kewanee on May 30. A June 2 autopsy revealed Reeds death was a result of a homicide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone who has any information regarding this investigation should contact ISP Zone 2 Special Agent Walt Willis at 309-948-4818 or submit a tip via email to ISP.CRIMETIPS@illinois.gov. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. Leavenworth Federal Correctional Institution, pictured here in 2023, is the subject of criticism from civil rights groups and immigration attorneys who say conditions for immigrants inside are inhumane. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA Immigrants being held inside a federal prison in northeast Kansas and their attorneys reported an unsanitary, inequitable and unhealthy environment that has left people, even those who have won their immigration cases, deprived of basic needs. Based on interviews with people inside the prison and attorneys representing those people, immigrants face unsanitary and crowded living quarters, extended lockdowns, delayed and costly medical treatment, restricted contact with their families, and no access to religious services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In some cases, these conditions have led to suicide attempts. These arent criminals, said Michael Sharma-Crawford, a local immigration attorney and chair of the Kansas and Missouri chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. In theory, none of these people deserves to be in jail. A pair of letters one sent to the warden of the Leavenworth Federal Correctional Institution complaining of a rat infestation and another sent to the warden, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Prisons detail conditions that are well below what is required of the federal agencies. Attorneys and advocates claim in the letters, sent May 5 and May 29, that a significant number of people remain imprisoned at Leavenworth despite having won their immigration cases, which often fall under civil law, not criminal. Some cannot return to their countries of origin because, upon return, they could face torture or violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the possibility of securing release for people facing deportation is low, Sharma-Crawford said ensuring they are held within legal standards could be done. Leavenworth is one of two facilities in the state currently used to detain immigrants. In February, ICE and the Bureau of Prisons agreed to hold immigrants at Leavenworth. A separate facility in Leavenworth, a shuttered prison owned by private company CoreCivic, was planned to reopen and detain immigrants as well, but a judge blocked the company from doing so Wednesday based on local zoning rules. Sharma-Crawford said he has heard anecdotes about ICE officials in and around Chicago driving across the region, including to Kansas and Missouri, frantically trying to find a place to hold people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 1,300 men are typically held in the medium-security prison, and about 220 are held in a minimum security satellite camp. At least 80 immigrants are being held at Leavenworth, according to the letter. Randilee Giamusso, a spokeswoman for the prison bureau, declined to comment on the letters claims but confirmed the bureau received the letter. The Federal Bureau of Prisons is committed to ensuring the safety and security of all inmates in our population, our staff, and the public. We have received the letter, Giamusso wrote in an email. However, we do not comment on matters related to pending litigation, legal proceedings, or investigations. Media officials at ICE did not respond to requests seeking a comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Life without sunlight Several immigrants at Leavenworth experienced such a depression from extended lockdown periods, which often lasted 20 hours and sometimes as long as three days, that they attempted suicide, said the May 29 letter signed by a collection of eight civil rights organizations and attorney groups. After their suicide attempts, they were reportedly put in solitary confinement. One detainee who witnessed a suicide attempt has felt depressed and fearful during subsequent lockdowns, the letter said, but has been afraid to report his mental health symptoms to staff for fear that he, too, will be removed from the unit and will be placed in solitary confinement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another representative of the prison bureau declined to confirm or deny the letters claims about suicide attempts in Leavenworth. Karla Juarez, executive director of Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation, said in a news release that the conditions at Leavenworth are horrifying. Whats happening at FCI Leavenworth is not only a violation of ICEs own policies its a violation of our shared humanity, she said.These are people who have already won their immigration cases and who should be free with their families, not locked in overcrowded cells without access to medical care or even sunlight. People serving sentences from criminal convictions at Leavenworth are able to use the prisons outdoor yard for recreation and exercise. Those in ICEs custody are not, despite that being a condition of the two agencies collaboration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agreement between the federal agencies said: ICE detainees will have access to education and psychology materials, leisure and law libraries, and indoor and outdoor recreation. Reports from inside the prison have found that people being held for immigration reasons have access to none of these things. Plus, a pervasive language barrier has created a hurdle for immigrants in the prison who say their basic needs arent being met, the letter said. Those imprisoned for crimes and in immigration cases both report that they usually do not encounter prison staff who speak Spanish, the letter said. One person who only speaks Spanish said he wasnt offered a translator when given medical care. Another, who only speaks Russian, said his requests for medical assistance have gone unanswered for months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Access to prescribed medications, dental care, mental health care and medical care has been delayed, the letter said, and when they are seen by staff for treatment, they are not provided with proper care and are instructed to pay for medication, which is in violation of ICE policy. The letter concludes with a list of 14 recommendations. The foremost suggestion demands the release of all detained immigrants who have won their immigration cases. Others included providing free and timely medical care, interpretation services, free and private confidential calls with attorneys, access to a chaplain, free printing from the prison law library, recreational services, and outdoor time. The letter was backed by Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation; the American Civil Liberties Union; the ACLU of Kansas; the American Immigration Lawyers Association; the Missouri and Kansas chapter of the immigration lawyers association; the Federal Public Defenders for the District of Kansas; the National Immigrant Justice Center; and the Office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation through the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. The rodent letter In early May, the Kansas Federal Public Defenders wrote to Crystal Carter, the prison warden, and Nathan Atkinson, a general attorney for the prison bureau, about a months-long rat infestation in Leavenworth that showed no signs of abating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rats have infested the housing area, said the letter, obtained by Kansas Reflector, Clients report rats stealing commissary and finding rat feces in their food, as well as finding dead rats in the common areas. The federal defenders saw and heard rats during visits with their clients. The letter outlined the health and safety hazards associated with such infestations, arguing that allowing the rodents to remain could degrade conditions so much so that it amounts to a constitutional violation. Often, in-person visits are the attorneys only options, they said in the letter. They called video visits problematic because clients are frequently brought into video visitation rooms late, or the wrong person is brought in, or all the rooms are full, so visits have to be done in a common area. Carter, the warden, stated in a May 13 response obtained by Kansas Reflector that the prison had cleaned infested areas and implemented pest control measures, including regular inspections, baiting, and setting traps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A person who was detained in Leavenworth earlier this year described the prison to civil rights groups and attorneys as very dirty. We didnt have any cleaning supplies. Food was the hardest part because it wasnt a pleasant meal. There was no way to wash clothes. We only had one uniform, and that was it, said the man, who was unnamed in a press release from the ACLU of Kansas. Honestly, the time we were locked up in the cell was the worst. We had no communication with our families, and they didnt comply with the necessary resources. While both letters make claims that the federal agencies are breaking the law, attorneys and advocates have not filed a lawsuit or an official complaint. If proper conditions for immigrants cannot be ensured, thats when they could go to court, said Sharma-Crawford, the immigration attorney. At one point, immigration officials and courts would allow leniency for immigrants with open cases who were in good standing, Sharma-Crawford said That grace is gone, he said. That humanity is gone. Eunice Cho, senior staff attorney at the ACLUs National Prison Project, said the Trump administration should cease the use of federal prisons to detain immigrants. Holding people in extended lockdown, and denying them access to adequate medical care, legal counsel, and even sunlight isnt just inhumane, Cho said. Its illegal. Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly described the history of the Leavenworth Federal Correctional Institution. EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) President Donald Trumps complete travel ban of 12 countries and a partial ban of 7 others certainly has implications on an international level, but a University of Evansville professor says even locally some impacts can be felt. Dr. Amanda Krause is the dean of the college of arts and sciences with her phd in political science. She says that message comes with ripple effects. It kind of sends a message to the international community that the United States as a country wants to limit the influx of people into the country, Krause said. The way you would see that in a community like Evansville is that you might see a decrease in some economic activity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This policy from the Trump administration is similar to the one that went into effect during the presidents first term in 2016. Since the first travel ban UE leaders say the university has seen a decline in international students. Dr. Krause says a number of factors can contribute to that decline but these bans play a role. This particular travel ban and more broadly speaking this administrations policies in the last 100 days are probably sending a message internationally that will result in lower international student enrollment across the country, likely I cant say 100 percent, Krause said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Away from campus some in the community say they were shocked by the decision. Haiti was one of the 12 countries completely banned from travel into the U.S. The Haitian Group of Evansville provided a statement. Below is their full statement: Like many, we were surprised by the Presidents announcement of a travel ban last night. We are actively researching the details of this policy to ensure we can provide clear, accurate information to our Haitian neighbors in Evansville and across Southwest Indiana. The Haitian Resource Center is a nonprofit organization that empowers the Haitian community by offering vital resources, opportunities, and support. Our top priority at this time is to ensure our community is informed and prepared, and we remain committed to standing with them through this uncertainty. Director, Haitian Center of Evansville Gelina Mascoe Dr. Krause says she doesnt expect the bans and restrictions to be as contentious as it was in 2016 because the administration gave a more detailed list as to why countries were banned. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW). Last Friday, President Donald Trump heaped praise on Elon Musk as the tech billionaire prepared to leave his unorthodox White House job. Less than a week later, their potent political alliance met a dramatic end Thursday when the men attacked each other with blistering epithets. Trump threatened to go after Musk's business interests. Musk called for Trump's impeachment. Here's a look at the implosion of their relationship in their own words. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The goodbye Today it's about a man named Elon. And he's one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced. He stepped forward to put his very great talents into the service of our nation and we appreciate it. Just want to say that Elon has worked tirelessly helping lead the most sweeping and consequential government reform program in generations. Trump, May 30, Oval Office remarks ___ Trump invited cameras into the Oval Office last week to bid farewell to Musk, who said he was stepping away from his government work to focus on his businesses. Trump spoke effusively of Musk and his work with the Department of Government Efficiency for nearly 15 minutes straight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I'll continue to be visiting here and be a friend and adviser to the president," Musk said. He marveled at the gold-tinged decorations Trump placed around the Oval Office. The oval office finally has the majesty that it deserves thanks to the president, he said. The budget dispute Im sorry, but I just cant stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it. Musk, Tuesday, post on X. ___ Days after their Oval Office meeting, Musk escalated his previously restrained criticism of Trump's big, beautiful budget bill, the president's top congressional priority. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, he kept his critique focused on their policy disagreement. He did not go after Trump by name, even as he called on Republican lawmakers to vote down the bill and threatened political retribution against those who took Trump's side. In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people, Musk wrote on X. Uncharacteristically for a man who rarely lets a snub go unanswered, Trump did not respond. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Musk's views on the bill were not a surprise to Trump, and his social media posting doesnt change the presidents opinion. Musk continued Wednesday, approvingly sharing social media posts and memes that criticized the budget's price tag and deficit impacts, though still directing his ire at Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bitter breakup Elon and I had a great relationship. I dont know if we will anymore." -- Trump, Thursday, Oval Office meeting with the German chancellor. ___ Trump said he was very disappointed in Elon" and was surprised by his benefactor's criticism. The war of words escalated rapidly from there. It all played out on their respective social media platforms, with Musk posting on X and Trump on Truth Social. Musk dismissed Trump's criticism. Whatever, he wrote. He shared old Trump social media posts urging lawmakers to oppose deficit spending and increasing the debt ceiling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," Musk posted, a reference to Musk's record political spending last year, which topped $250 million. Such ingratitude, he added. Trump said Musk had worn out his welcome at the White House and was mad that Trump was changing electric vehicle policies in ways that would financially harm Musk-led Tesla. Elon was wearing thin, I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY! Trump wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added: The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it! Musk goes nuclear Time to drop the really big bomb: Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! Musk, Thursday, X post. ___ In a series of posts, he shined a spotlight on ties between Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who killed himself while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Some loud voices in Trump's Make America Great Again movement claim Epstein's suicide was staged by powerful figures, including prominent Democrats, who feared Epstein would expose their involvement in trafficking. Trump's own FBI leaders have dismissed such speculation and there's no evidence supporting it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later, when an X user suggested Trump be impeached and replaced by Vice President JD Vance, Musk agreed. Yes, he wrote. I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago, Trump wrote. He went on to promote his budget bill. Indiana is among the least welcoming states for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans, according to a recent national study. Advocacy group Out Leadership this week released its seventh annual Business Climate Index Report, which assigns numbered scores to all 50 U.S. states based upon the government policies and local attitudes impacting LGBTQ+ communities. Indiana scored lower than Kentucky, Wyoming and Texas, where lawmakers in the Lone Star State have recently considered banning high school pride clubs. Indiana performed poorly across Midwest states as well, according to Out Leadership, while neighboring Illinois ranked among the safest places to live and work for LGBTQ+ people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here's what we know about the study and why Indiana scored so low. Story continues after photo gallery. Out Leadership: Equality is declining across the country The recent findings by Out Leadership paint a "discouraging picture," it said, for LGBTQ+ Americans. The report's national average equality score fell across the country for a third year in a row, dropping slightly from 62.77 to 62.22. "While this drop may seem small, it indicates a deeper regression," stated the report. "Political polarization is widening, and following the 2024 elections, a new wave of anti-LGBTQ+ laws is sweeping the nation." Data from the ACLU shows more than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were filed in 2025 alone nine of which were in Indiana. How many LGBTQ+ people live in Indiana? As many as 277,100 estimated Hoosiers, or roughly 5.4% of Indiana's population, identify as LGBTQ+, according to a 2023 study performed by the Williams Institute. The same report estimates the Midwest is home to roughly 2.9 million LGBTQ+ people 21% of the region's total population. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Only 50.8% of LGBTQ+ workers in the Midwest are out at work," according to the report. A member of the Indiana University School of Medicine float smiles at parade attendees, June 8, 2024, during the Indy Pride Parade on North Delaware Street in Indianapolis, Indiana. Out Leadership: When LGBTQ+ people feel discriminated against, they can leave, hurting companies and costing states potential billions in revenue According to Out Leadership, its annual Business Climate Index Report serves as a bellwether to alert companies on which U.S. states are making it harder for LGBTQ+ people to work and live. Where discrimination becomes a problem, they argue, queer Americans are more likely to leave, taking their skills with them. This can cost states money in the long run. The collective personal income of Indiana's LGBTQ+ population is conservatively around $12.6 billion, according to Out Leadership, which urges business leaders not to dismiss the needs of queer people. How did Indiana rank? Out Leadership measured each U.S. state under five items of criteria, assigning each a total of 20 points. Here's how Indiana performed: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Legal & Nondiscrimination Protections : Indiana received 9 out of 20 points. Youth & Family Support : Indiana received 6.57 out of 20 points. Political & Religious Attitudes : Indiana received 9.6 out of 20 points. Health Access & Safety : Indiana received 6.5 out of 20 points. Work Environment & Employment: Indiana received 11 out of 20 points. The Hoosier State earned a total score of 42.67 out of a possible 100 points, according to Indiana's LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index Report. The low score it received placed Indiana near the bottom of the rankings, and gave Indiana the dubious distinction of being named a "high risk" area for LGBTQ+ people. In total, Indiana ranked 38th out of 50 states, with Arkansas receiving the worst score overall. Why did Indiana rank so poorly? Accounting for Indiana's low score, Out Leadership cited several laws passed by Indiana's state legislature in recent years harmful to the LGBTQ+ community. They include restricting the ability of pronouns at schools, blocking gender affirming care and banning transgender women from playing collegiate sports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A full copy of Indiana's Business State Climate Index Report with more details can be accessed online at OutLeadership.com. Story continues after photo gallery. What states were at the very bottom of the list? In order of worst to better, states that appeared at the bottom of the rankings are as followed: Arkansas: 29.50 South Carolina: 32.15 Louisiana: 33.00 South Dakota: 34.80 Tennessee: 35.00 What states are at the top? Both Massachusetts and New York tied for first place, according to the report, with Midwest states like Illinois and Minnesota appearing among the top ten places for LGBTQ+ people to work and live. Massachusetts: 93.67 New York: 93.67 Connecticut: 92.27 New Jersey: 90.07 Vermont: 89.50 How Indiana ranks among Midwest states toward LGBTQ+ people Indiana ranked almost at the bottom of the list of regional Midwest states for LGBTQ+ people, coming in 10th place out of 12 states. The rankings are as follows: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Illinois: 88.47 Minnesota: 87.33 Michigan: 82.07 Wisconsin: 68.72 North Dakota: 56.47 Nebraska: 53.4 Kansas: 51.8 Iowa: 47.45 Missouri: 43.60 Indiana: 42.67 Ohio: 42.35 South Dakota: 34.8 More about Pride Month in Indianapolis: Here's how Indy's LGBTQ+ community is celebrating Pride Story continues after photo gallery. How each state ranked overall from best to worst Massachusetts: 93.67 New York: 93.67 Connecticut: 92.27 New Jersey: 90.07 Vermont: 89.50 Maine: 88.67 Illinois: 88.47 Colorado: 87.67 Minnesota: 87.33 Oregon: 87.00 New Mexico: 86.93 California: 86.67 Rhode Island: 85.70 Maryland: 84.83 Washington: 84.83 Michigan: 82.07 Hawaii: 81.27 Virginia: 80.47 Nevada: 79.67 New Hampshire: 76.08 Delaware: 71.43 Wisconsin: 68.72 Pennsylvania: 66.27 Arizona: 61.05 North Dakota: 56.47 Alaska: 56.00 Georgia: 53.50 Nebraska: 53.40 North Carolina: 53.05 Utah: 52.50 Kansas: 51.80 Iowa: 47.45 West Virginia: 46.90 Wyoming: 45.42 Texas: 44.70 Missouri: 43.60 Kentucky: 43.25 Indiana: 42.67 Ohio: 42.35 Florida: 42.20 Idaho: 42.07 Montana: 40.62 Alabama: 39.40 Oklahoma: 37.62 Mississippi: 37.27 Tennessee: 35.00 South Dakota: 34.80 Louisiana: 33.00 South Carolina: 32.15 Arkansas: 29.50 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com. Find him on BlueSky at JohnWritesStuff. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana ranks among worst states for LGBTQ+ people to live and work Charlie Carpenter, an Afro-Indigenous and Latino conservationist, is helping lead a movement to reintroduce one of North America's most iconic animals to the lands it once roamed freely the buffalo. Carpenter is the braided science program manager at Indigenous Led, an organization working to elevate Indigenous-led conservation by weaving traditional ecological knowledge with Western science. At the heart of this work is a mission to heal land and community by restoring the sacred relationship between Indigenous people and the buffalo, an animal once driven nearly to extinction through colonization. In an interview shared by the Moab Sun News, Carpenter explained that buffalo were central to Indigenous life, providing food, clothing, shelter, and tools while shaping entire ecosystems. These efforts in cultural restoration are a holistic model that heals people and the planet together. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carpenter's work focuses on helping tribes reclaim land and restore it for buffalo. That includes collecting soil and vegetation data, removing invasive species, planting native grasses, and securing funding and permits. "Braided science is all about pulling in the Indigenous knowledge, then mixing in some Western science and it just turns into this amazing thing," Carpenter told the Moab Sun News. Carpenter noted that while buffalo are classified as wildlife in some states, others define them as livestock, adding political and bureaucratic challenges to the process. So far, the group has sourced animals from Yellowstone National Park, private herds, and Canada's Oak Island. In addition to their importance to Indigenous culture, buffalo are a keystone species. That means their return has ripple effects, from boosting biodiversity and promoting native grasses to restoring balance to the ecosystem. "The native grasses also tend to have longer roots so they can hold more carbon in the soil. So it's a very beneficial thing to have buffalo back on the land," Carpenter told the Moab Sun News. "The ecosystem thrives if buffalo are back on the land." While restoring the ecosystem has plenty of environmental pros, it also benefits people. Healthy ecosystems support pollinators (crucial for protecting our food security) and improve water and soil quality for local communities, directly supporting farmers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carpenter explained in the interview: "[Reintroducing the buffalo] is essentially bringing back what was taken from us. There's a lot of reconciliation that needs to happen with Indigenous communities, and bringing back the buffalo, I feel, is the number one way that it needs to happen." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. It's been hard to keep a track of immigration detentions, even as another 500,000 people are eligible for deportation. Hurricane season starts with doubts about hurricane forecasting in the age of government budget-cutting. Elon Musk is gone from DOGE, and so apparently is as much as $53 million in funding at Florida State University. Listen to the Inside Florida Politics podcast with Ana Goni-Lessan, Kimberly Miller and Antonio Fins. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Keeping track of immigration detainees, hurricanes, DOGE cuts DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) A proposed settlement agreement would have Davidson County Schools pay a family $20,000 and issue a public apology after a student was reportedly suspended for making what the school board deemed a racially motivated comment. The plaintiffs motion for settlement approval offers insight into the proposed settlement that will be heard in court in early July. While the filing says both parties have agreed to the settlement, it will not be final until a judge approves it. Forsyth County Board of Commissioners rejects $32 million request from Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the document, the district would pay the family $20,000, which will help to cover the costs of the students new school. The school district would remove all reference to racial bias in [the students] school record. However, the district would leave the suspension unchanged due to the class disruption caused by the comments at issue. The board would issue a public apology for mischaracterization of racial bias in [the students] school records, and a former member of the school board would issue an apology for additional inappropriate conduct after the suspension. Dean McGee, senior counsel for Educational Freedom at the Liberty Justice Center, said in a statement, On Friday, we filed a motion asking the court to approve a settlement that would resolve this matter. Because [the student] is a minor, a court hearing is required before the settlement can become final. Well have more to say after that hearing, but were pleased to take this important step toward clearing our clients name. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for the school district previously said they are unable to comment due to pending litigation. The incident happened on April 9, 2024, at Central Davidson High School. On April 9, my son received a write-up stating that he violated a board of education policy by using or making a racially motivated comment, saying that an alien needs a green card, the boys mother, Leah McGhee, said. The lawsuit claims the teen left class to go to the bathroom. He missed some of the lesson, and when he came back, the word aliens was used during class discussion. The student reportedly asked if aliens referred to space aliens or illegal aliens who need green cards and the teacher said to watch your mouth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the suit, a Hispanic male classmate then threatened to beat the student up. That same day, the 16-year-old received a three-day out-of-school suspension. I cannot appeal this suspension since it is less than 10 days. Racism is only a three-day suspension with no appeal when it should be a top-tier punishment, Leah McGhee said. The 16-year-old is no longer enrolled at the school because, according to the lawsuit, he received threats and was harassed about this situation. The students parents, Leah and Chad McGhee, filed a lawsuit on behalf of their 16-year-old son and called on the school to reverse the suspension and remove it from the students record. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit argues that the words alien, illegal alien and green cards are common terms used in both state and federal law. It goes on to say the punishment was too harsh and his comment should have been protected under his First Amendment rights of free speech. There is nothing inappropriate about saying aliens need green cards, and there certainly isnt a case for racism due to the fact that alien is not a race, Leah told the school board in May 2024. The McGhee family asked the courts to require a public apology from the school board, reverse the suspension, remove it from the students record, remove unexcused absences because of the suspension, remove all references from his record that he used racially motivated, inappropriate, or insensitive language in class and monetary damages determined during trial. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP. SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4 Utah) May is Melanoma Awareness Month and Intermountain Health is unveiling an exciting new treatment program for Utahns with advanced melanoma cancer the first time local patients have been treated with this advanced technology and new therapy in the Beehive State. Thanks to this new cutting-edge personalized cancer treatment program, Utahns who have advanced melanoma cancer no longer have to leave the state to get a groundbreaking new treatment that is showing promise for patients with the deadliest type of skin cancer. Intermountain Health has launched a new program to provide tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy to treat patients with a type of skin cancer called unresectable or metastatic melanoma that cannot be removed surgically or has spread to other parts of the body. It is the first time this therapy has been used to treat patients in Utah. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This novel therapy works by using special immune cells, called lymphocytes, which are taken from the tumor itself. These cells are then multiplied in a lab and put back into the patients body to help fight the cancer. As part of the treatment process, doctors use AMTAGVI, the first and only FDA-approved prescription medication for the treatment of advanced melanoma that has not responded to standard therapies. AMTAGVI activates the patients own immune system to target and destroy cancer cells and represents a different approach compared to other immunotherapies. Instead of broadly stimulating the immune system, it harnesses a patients own tumor-specific T cells to directly target and destroy cancer cells. Intermountain Health cancer experts say the groundbreaking treatment marks a significant advancement in the fight against advanced melanoma, offering a new option for patients with limited treatment alternatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were excited to offer this advanced therapy and the hope it provides for improved outcomes for patients who have not responded to standard therapies, said Tawnya Bowles, MD, a surgical oncologist at Intermountain Health. The promise for patients is that this treatment will work against their advanced melanoma when other treatments have failed. These patients do not have as many treatment options once their tumor has progressed on standard treatments. This therapy offers new hope for these patients. TIL therapy has been used for decades, but AMTAGVI allows the treatment to extend beyond select treatment centers by using a protocol that lets a patients tumor T cells grow at centralized facilities in the United States. Previously, only limited academic facilities with lab facilities could grow and expand the T cells. For Utahns, having the therapy program available locally is a major advancement. Not only does Utah have the highest incidence of melanoma in the nation, but until now, Utahns needing TIL therapy had to travel out of state for their care. Each year we see Utah patients who need this next step of treatment for advanced melanoma, and these patients previously had to leave the state and incur the expense of travel and the increased stress of being away from home, said Caroline Nebhan, MD, PhD, Intermountain Health medical oncologist. Were thrilled to be able to offer this advanced treatment close to home with our Intermountain Health oncology team. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Patients in the new Intermountain treatment program are supported by a multi-disciplinary team of clinicians, including oncology experts and patient navigators, who work closely with patients throughout their treatment. The therapy involves surgically removing a sample of the patients tumor, from which tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are extracted. These TILs, which are immune cells capable of recognizing and attacking cancer cells, are then sent to a specialized manufacturing facility where they are expanded and multiplied into billions of cells. Once the manufacturing process is complete (approximately 34 days), the patient undergoes a short course of lymphodepleting chemotherapy to prepare their body for the infusion of the expanded TILs. Following the AMTAGVI infusion, patients may receive several doses of interleukin-2 (IL-2) to further stimulate the activity and growth of the infused T cells. Patients are cared for in the hospital for a period to monitor for potential side effects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Research results of the medication were promising. Clinical trial data supporting FDA approval of AMTAGVI demonstrated promising response rates and, in many cases, prolonged outcomes in patients with advanced melanoma, suggesting the potential for long-term control of the disease. Were committed to providing our patients with access to the most advanced and innovative cancer treatments, said Dr. Bowles. The addition of AMTAGVI to our comprehensive oncology program underscores this commitment and offers new hope for patients battling advanced melanoma. To learn more about cancer care at Intermountain Health, go to Intermountainhealth.org. Close Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now ABC4 Daily News Sponsored by Intermountain Health. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. LYON, France (AP) Global police organization Interpol says 20 people have been arrested in Europe and the Americas following a cross-border operation in 12 countries targeting child sexual abuse material. The operation, led by Spanish police, started at the end of last year after police officers identified online messaging groups circulating child sexual exploitation images. Spanish authorities arrested seven suspects, including a health care worker and a teacher, Interpol said. The health care worker allegedly paid minors in Eastern Europe for explicit images, while the teacher is accused of possessing and sharing child sexual abuse material via various online platforms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities in Latin America arrested 10 suspects in seven countries, including three in El Salvador and a teacher in Panama. The remaining suspects were arrested in other parts of Europe and the United States. So far, 68 additional suspects have been identified, and investigations are ongoing, Interpol said. (Reuters) -Yale University is finalizing the sale of up to $2.5 billion of its private equity and venture capital assets, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday. The Ivy League school's endowment is in advanced talks on the portfolio sale, code-named "Project Gatsby," with an overall discount expected to be less than 10%, Bloomberg News reported citing people familiar with the matter. In April, Reuters reported that Yale was exploring a sale of private equity fund interests and was being advised by investment banking firm Evercore. The sale discussions includes a so-called mosaic deal that allows buyers to cherry-pick specific investment funds they would like to acquire, and multiple buyers, including Lexington Partners and HarbourVest Partners, have assessed the portfolio, Bloomberg said. Yale University and Lexington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. HarbourVest declined to comment. (Reporting by Pretish M J in Bengaluru; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) Hundreds of people gathered at Goodwill Commons in Peoria Friday for the organizations annual Big Job Fair, hoping to connect with potential employers and find new career opportunities. The event featured around 30 employers from across Central Illinois, including Illinois State Police, OSF HealthCare, Carle Health, and CEFCU. Many companies conducted on-site interviews in designated rooms, giving applicants the chance to land a job on the spot. Tim OMalley, Community Relations Manager for Goodwill of Central Illinois, said the goal of the fair is to break down barriers for people searching for employment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think its hard for anyone to find a job. So, we want to try to make it as easy as possible and reduce any barriers that they may have trying to find that work, said OMalley. He shared one of the most rewarding moments from the day overhearing a father excitedly tell his child that he had just been hired. I heard someone say to their child, Guess what? Dad just got a job. And I could hear in the background the kid yelling and happy. So thats really rewarding to hear and see, he said. For those who missed the annual event, Goodwill Commons hosts smaller job fairs every month, continuing its mission to support the local workforce and connect job seekers with meaningful employment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com. ARDMORE, Okla. (KFOR) An investigation by the Ardmore Police Department and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN) led to the arrest of two individuals accused of child exploitation and sex trafficking. According to OBN, on Tuesday, June 3, a local investigation by detectives with the Ardmore Police Department uncovered the involvement of 32-year-old Antron Monroe in child sexual abuse material, and he was arrested for those charges. Information would later reveal that Monroe had been communicating and negotiating the exploitation of another juvenile with 30-year-old Ashleigh Blanton, also known as Ashleigh Ramsey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Del City man sentenced to five years in prison for arson Antron Monroe. Image courtesy, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics. Ashleigh Blanton, aka Ashleigh Ramsey. Image courtesy, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics. OBNs Human Trafficking Agents began their investigation and uncovered evidence that Ashleigh Blanton had negotiated with Antron Monroe to sell him explicit images of an 8-year-old in her care. Blanton had also discussed prices for physical sexual interaction with this child at a location in the Oklahoma City area, said Mark Woodward, spokesperson for OBN. Later that evening, agents with OBN found Blanton and the child driving near the area of Ardmore. She was arrested and taken to the Oklahoma County Detention Center and faces several charges, including child exploitation and transporting a person for prostitution, OBN officials say. The child was placed into protective custody with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, June 6, agents with OBNs Human Trafficking department served an arrest warrant for Monroe in Oklahoma County for child sexual exploitation and using access to computers to violate Oklahoma statutes. Monroe is being held in Carter County Jail on a $1 million bond. I am extremely proud of the diligent work by our Human Trafficking Agents and our partners at the Ardmore Police Department to quickly rescue this child and prevent any further abuse and exploitation, said Donnie Anderson, OBN Director. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City. NORTHFIELD CENTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WJW) The Summit County Medical Examiners Office has identified two people killed at a Northfield Center Township home Friday afternoon. Deputies and other first responders were called to a residence on the 7300 block of Meadow Brooke Way around 10:45 a.m. for reports of the shooting, according to the Summit County Sheriffs Office. Country singer Conner Smith hits, kills woman walking dog in crosswalk, police say Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Upon arrival, a man and woman were found with gunshot wounds inside the residence. The sheriffs office said the 48-year-old woman was declared dead at the scene and a 48-year-old man was taken to Summa Health Akron Campus where he later succumbed to his injuries. WJW photo WJW photo WJW photo The deceased were identified as Jerodd Jones, 48 and Angela Jones, 48. The medical examiner called the deaths a homicide/suicide. A girl was also found inside the residence but was unharmed, the sheriffs office said. She is in the care of Summit County Childrens Services for the time being. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. CARROLL COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) Kentucky State Police (KSP) is investigating an officer-involved shooting that happened early Thursday in Carroll County. According to a news release from KSP, an off-duty Carroll County Sheriffs Office saw a suspicious vehicle parked on private property on Kentucky Route 55 around 2 a.m. June 5. The occupant allegedly drove in the direction of the deputy, who fired their gun, state police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The vehicle later crashed into a wooded area, per KSP, and two people were arrested. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Authorities said 28-year-old Clinton Meadows Jr. and 34-year-old Holly Price, both from Indianapolis, were arrested. According to court documents, the vehicle was parked in the off-duty deputys driveway. An arrest citation for Price said police found items typically found in narcotics sales, including suspected methamphetamine, scales, and cash, along with a loaded gun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Price was charged with the following: first-degree first-offense enhanced trafficking in controlled substance (methamphetamine) Using restricted ammo during a felony Leaving the scene of an accident or failure to render aid or assistance Attempted murder of a first responder (peace officer) Convicted felon in possession of a handgun First-degree fleeing or evading police Meadows was listed as a fugitive from another state. No injuries have been reported, according to KSP. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) The trial for the man accused of murdering local civil rights activist, 75-year-old Sadie Roberts-Joseph, in 2019 is underway. 44-year-old Ronn Bell appeared in court as the victims family testified. Jurors heard from Sadie Roberts-Josephs daughter and an investigator who worked on the case. A great-grandmother and a woman who worked tirelessly as the founder of the Baton Rouge African American Museum is how Robert-Josephs daughter, Angela Machen, described her mother in court. A life that prosecutors say was ended when Ronn Bell strangled Roberts-Joseph to death back in 2019. Another witness called to the stand was former BRPD officer Lindsey Keller Lacoste, who worked on the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She told the court that Bell was a tenant of Roberts-Josephs, and he owed her rent money. Thats a key part of the prosecutions case, because they say the money was the motive in this murder. Officer Lacoste also spoke about finding Ronn Bells name and number on a note in Roberts-Josephs home next to a daily prayer. Lacoste described more grisly scenes as well, finding Josephs body in the trunk of her car and witnessing her autopsy. One other detail Lacoste talked about in court: finding Roberts-Josephs cell phone on the side of the interstate near the 10/12 split shortly after the crime. Latest News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Louisiana First News. The Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation released dozens of files and a report related to the partial collapse of The Davenport two years ago. Our Quad Cities News has obtained a copy of the report. The release included an interview between an Iowa DCI special agent and Richard Oswald, the Director of Development and Neighborhood Services for the city at the time. He told investigators that he was Trishna Pradhans supervisor; Pradhan was the Chief Building Inspector for the city at the time. Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (dps.iowa.gov) Oswald told the agent that Pradhan was going on vacation three days before the collapse. Oswald wanted to meet with Andrew Wold and Pradhan at The Davenport to discuss repair work and contractors to ensure the buildings safety. He said Pradhan told Wold any masons he used had to be licensed per city code. Oswald told the agent Wold told them that two people who were also at the meeting were licensed and worked for Fuessel Masonry. Oswald said he thought Pradhan had noted in the records that Wold said he was using licensed masons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report goes on to say that Oswald told agents there may have been an edit made by Pradhan to the report after the building collapsed on May 28, 2023. He said there should have been date and time stamps for all edits made in their departments reporting software. He said he was pretty sure that when Pradhan returned from vacation, after the collapse, he panicked and entered the notes into her report, which she had neglected to do prior to leaving on vacation. Oswald stated that it is his understanding that during the post-collapse edits made by Pradhan is when she also changed the status of this inspection report from Passed to Incomplete. Oswald stated that he believes there was no malicious intent by Pradhan when making those edits and further stated that Pradhan is a good person. The report mentions that Oswald said he liked Pradhan, but he had been in a meeting with the mayor, the city HR director and the city attorney, where he was asked if he, given the circumstances of the altered report, would fire Pradhan and he said he would. He said altering the report made Pradhan look guilty as [expletive]. Another part of the report discusses a cell phone that was in Wolds possession. On June 8, 2023, agents obtained a search warrant for the phone and asked the LeMars (Iowa) Police Department to help serve it. Agents advised that Wold was believed to be staying at his mother-in-laws house in LeMars. Wold met agents outside when they arrived because his children were inside. An agent displayed his badge and said he had a warrant for Wolds phones. The agent indicated the phone Wold was holding and asked if he had any more. Wold allegedly ran from the agents, went back into the house and locked the door. A person at the home unlocked the door to let the agents in. Wold was telling people in the home that the agents were there to steal his phone, but they told him they had a court order. Wold contacted his attorney, who advised him to give the agents the phone. Four new defendants and 75 new plaintiffs have been added to the case since the original civil petitions were filed two years ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. WAUKEE, Iowa Its been more than a year and a half since the Oct. 7th Hamas attack on Israel, and even though its on the other side of the world, it has been widely discussed and felt here in the U.S., including right here in Iowa. The Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines has watched everything happen over the last few years, taking extra precautions to stay safe in a time where there is a lot of hostility. It is especially important after hate crimes across the country have happened, like a couple of weeks ago, two employees of the Israeli embassy were shot and killed in D.C. One of the victims grandparents lives in Des Moines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then this past weekend, 15 people were injured in an attack in Boulder, Colorado. Since Oct. 7th, 2023, more than 10,000 antisemitic incidents have been reported in the U.S. alone, according to the ADL. The situation really has put us on alert, Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines Executive Director Jarad Bernstein said. Its both taking a toll physically and mentally. Physically, we make sure that we have security guards at all of our events, both at the Federation and synagogues. Mentally, its taking a toll as well. To make sure it is safe for our community members to be out there publicly and proudly Jewish. And its always also in the back of their mind, like, hey, this just happened not too far away. There are people who dont like us, and we just need to be aware of that and take precautions as a result. Last year, Attorney General Bird announced a statewide task force to combat anti-Semitism. Bernstein is a part of that group. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were focusing efforts on things that we think will matter, like ensuring that the criminal justice system and law enforcement officers know how to identify anti-Semitism and how to respond, making sure that university leaders, he said. We see nationally big problems of anti-Semitism on college campuses, making sure that that doesnt happen in Iowa. Antisemitism is real. It is present in Iowa, and we do need to combat it with all that we can. And that takes not just the Jewish community, but the help of everyone else. The Jewish community will continue to show its pride despite the challenges in the current climate. We are part of this community. We are your neighbors. We are your coworkers, your classmates. And, you know, the more that we are out there and educating people, hopefully the less hatred there will be. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to who13.com. Lt. Spencer Ripperger of the Muscatine Fire Department (MFD) has been named the 2024 Iowa Hazmat Technician of the Year by the Iowa Hazmat Task Force, recognizing his outstanding contributions to hazardous materials response and training. He is the second MFD firefighter to receive this prestigious honor and will attend the International Association of Fire Chiefs Hazmat Conference in Baltimore, June 1215. Muscatine Fire Captain Pat Gingerich (left), the 2015 Iowa Hazmat Technician of the Year, and Muscatine Fire Lieutenant Spencer Ripperger, the 2024 Iowa Hazmat Technician of the Year. (City of Muscatine) Spencer has demonstrated exceptional skills and expertise in the hazardous materials field, said Captain Pat Gingerich, who nominated Ripperger for the award. He has consistently produced outstanding work that has earned him a great reputation within the department. Interim Fire Chief Mike Hartman agreed the award was well deserved. It is people like Spencer that make this place so special, Hartman said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ripperger joined the MFD nine years ago, earning his Hazmat Technician certification in 2017. He currently serves as a member and instructor for the departments Hazardous Incident Response Team (HIRT) and was promoted to Lieutenant in 2022. Since then, he has taken on a leading role in advancing the departments Hazmat capabilities. Gingerich, who received the same award in 2015, praised Ripperger for helping maintain the departments Hazmat program at a high standard. This is a well-deserved recognition, he said. In his role, Ripperger oversees both shift and department-wide Hazmat training. He has coordinated specialized sessions, including a rail safety class with Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Rail and training focused on lithium-ion battery firesboth critical given the increased risks posed by rail transport and emerging technologies. Canadian Pacific brought their training trailer here, allowing our team to get two weeks of hands-on experience, Ripperger said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The trailer includes a variety of valves, tank car components, and other equipment responders may encounter in rail-related Hazmat incidents. He also led a full reorganization of the Hazmat truck two years ago to improve efficiency and accessibility during responses. Beyond internal training, Ripperger is an active member of the Hazmat Outreach Program, delivering refresher training to volunteer fire departments across Muscatine, Louisa, Henry, Washington, and Keokuk counties. We set a date, travel to their location, and teach a four-hour class, he explained. Its incredibly beneficial for these departments, and not many teams provide this kind of outreach. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ripperger has also built relationships with outside agencies, including the Iowa National Guards 71st Civil Support Team, which handles hazardous materials and WMD emergencies across the state. At the upcoming Hazmat Conference in Baltimore, Ripperger will engage in advanced training on a wide range of topics, from transportation safety to bioterrorism and mass decontamination. Captain Gingerich reflected on the similarities between his own path and Rippergers. Spencer has followed a similar route to mine, he said. Hes incredibly dedicated and confident in his role, and we look forward to his continued leadership. In 2015, Gingerich was nominated by Gary Ronzheimer after filling in for Ronzehimer when he was deployed overseas and was honored with the Iowa Hazmat Technician of the Year award. The award also recognized Gingerich for his work with the Iowa Hazardous Materials Task Force during the avian flu outbreak. Gingerich, along with other firefighters, assisted the USDA with monitoring bio-security, cleaning, and decontamination at infected sites and landfills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Muscatine Fire Department is designated as the regional team for Region 16 and provides services to Muscatine, Louisa, Henry, Washington, and Keokuk counties in Iowa. CAPTION FOR PHOTO: Muscatine Fire Captain Pat Gingerich (left), the 2015 Iowa Hazmat Technician of the Year, and Muscatine Fire Lieutenant Spencer Ripperger, the 2024 Iowa Hazmat Technician of the Year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. Sources estimated that if delivered, the materials could produce around 800 missiles. Iran has ordered thousands of tons of ballistic missile ingredients from China as part of an effort to rebuild its military capabilities while navigating ongoing nuclear talks with the United States, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the transactions. The shipments, which are expected to reach Iran in the coming months, include ammonium perchlorate, a key component in the solid propellant used for ballistic missiles. Sources indicated that these materials could potentially fuel hundreds of missiles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of the ammonium perchlorate is expected to be sent to militias aligned with Iran, including the Houthis in Yemen, one of the sources revealed. This move aligns with Irans broader strategy to strengthen its regional influence and rebuild its missile arsenal while continuing to negotiate with the Trump administration over the future of its nuclear program. Iran has been expanding its stockpiles of uranium enriched to just below weapons-grade levels, despite calls from the US to curb its nuclear activities. At the same time, Iran has made it clear that it has no intention of negotiating limits on its missile program, a point that has remained a major sticking point in international discussions. According to sources, the order for the missile ingredients was placed in recent months by an Iranian entity, Pishgaman Tejarat Rafi Novin Co.. The material was sourced from Hong Kong-based Lion Commodities Holdings Ltd., a company that did not respond to requests for comment. The Iranian mission to the United Nations also declined to comment on the matter. (Illustrative) Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi and US President Donald Trump. (photo credit: Caitlin Ochs, Canva, Carl Court/Pool via REUTERS, REUTERS/DADO RUVIC/ILLUSTRATION) In a statement, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson denied knowledge of the deal, asserting that China has always exercised strict control over dual-use items in accordance with Chinas export control laws and regulations and its international obligations. Part of rebuilding Irans 'Axis of Resistance' The shipment of ammonium perchlorate is part of Irans broader efforts to rebuild its so-called "Axis of Resistance" network, which includes a number of terror proxies across the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These groups have faced significant setbacks over recent years, as well as the ongoing war. These setbacks include Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon and the assassination of key leaders such as Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, former Hezbollah secretary general Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and multiple Hamas leaders. While US and Israeli strikes have damaged the Houthis' capabilities in Yemen, they continue to periodically launch missiles at Israel. Beyond supporting regional militias, Iran has also reportedly transferred ballistic missiles to Shia militia groups in Iraq, which have previously targeted both US and Israeli forces in the region. Earlier shipments of missile ingredients Earlier this year, Iranian ships docked in China to load over 1,000 tons of sodium perchlorate, a precursor for ammonium perchlorate. The material was delivered to Iranian ports in mid-February and late March, according to shipping trackers. This quantity of sodium perchlorate is said to be enough to fuel around 260 short-range missiles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new order for ammonium perchlorate, which was placed months before President Trumps proposed nuclear talks with Irans Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in early March, could supply Iran with enough material to produce approximately 800 missiles, one official estimated. In response to Irans missile activities, the US Treasury Department sanctioned six individuals and six entities from both Iran and China on April 29 for their involvement in procuring ballistic missile propellant ingredients. Two weeks later, the Treasury expanded these sanctions to include additional Chinese and Hong Kong entities. The US Department of the Treasury also added sodium perchlorate to the list of materials it believes are being used in Irans military, nuclear, or ballistic missile programs. Irans reliance on foreign material for missile production is due, in part, to domestic production bottlenecks. Fabian Hinz, a military analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, noted that Irans defense industry struggles to meet its needs without the continued importation of missile propellant materials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The storage and handling of these materials, however, come with significant risks. A deadly explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port in April, which killed dozens, was reportedly caused by the mishandling of explosive materials by a unit of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Some of the sodium perchlorate imported earlier this year was lost in that explosion, an official confirmed. These substances are a major fire and explosive hazard, said Hinz. Irans defense industrial complex does not have a strong track record in ensuring safety standards. Summary: NBKC is a Kansas-based online bank that offers consumer banking products such as CDs, money market accounts, and a combination checking and savings account. NBKC Bank provides products and services to individual, business, and fintech customers and is an established lender offering a wide range of loan products, including mortgages, personal loans, and auto loans. NBKC Bank product overview NBKC Everything Account NBKC offers a combination checking and savings account that allows customers to spend and save money with one account. Customers can set up autopay for their regular bills, create savings goals for future expenses, and track their progress and spending along the way. This account currently offers an annual percentage yield (APY) of 1.75%. Money market account NBKCs money market account doesnt charge any fees and has a minimum balance requirement of just $0.01 to earn interest on your balance. Certificates of deposit NBKCs CD terms range from seven months to five years and require a minimum opening deposit of $250 or $1,000, depending on the term you choose. It also offers personal IRA CDs. Mortgage loans Homebuyers and owners can benefit from NBKC Banks mortgage offerings, which include conventional loans and VA loans, refinancing options, and home equity loans . Lending services NBKC also offers other types of financing options like auto loans , personal loans , bridge loans, and land loans. This embedded content is not available in your region. NBKC fees NBKC doesnt charge many fees, but heres a closer look at the account fees NBKC customers can expect to pay: Outgoing domestic wire: $5 Incoming and outgoing international wires: $45 Pros and cons of NBKC Bank There are a few major perks and drawbacks customers should be aware of before deciding to bank with NBKC. Pros Offers ATM reimbursement: NBKC customers have free access to more than 90,000 ATMs worldwide, and the bank will reimburse up to $12 per month for out-of-network ATM fees. Low minimum balance requirements for checking/savings and MMA: NBKC does not require a minimum opening deposit for its Everything and money market accounts, and the minimum to earn interest on those balances is $0.01. No monthly fees: NBKC does not charge any monthly maintenance fees for its deposit accounts. Cons Short-term CDs require $1,000 to open: NBKCs CDs offer competitive rates, but CD terms of a year or less require a $1,000 deposit to open an account. This is on the higher end compared to other banks. Doesnt offer Zelle: NBKC Bank is not currently on the Zelle network. No standalone checking pr savings accounts: NBKC only offers a combination checking and savings account; it does not offer standalone accounts for customers who only need one of those products. Customer service and mobile banking experience NBKC Bank representatives are available via telephone Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. CST. Live chat is available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CST. NBKC also offers customer support via email. To report a lost or stolen debit card, representatives are available 24/7. To inquire about an online account application, representatives are available Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CST. Home loans support specialists are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. CST, and for any questions related to NBKC mortgages, support is available Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CST. NBKCs mobile app is available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play and has a rating of 4.5 and 4.4, respectively. Customers can use the app to move money between accounts, set savings goals, deposit checks, check balances, and more. NBKC Bank's social and environmental impact NBKC encourages its customers to donate to worthy causes by partnering with Spiral, a donation platform that streamlines charitable contributions. Customers can submit donations directly from their online banking account and will receive annual tax paperwork detailing their monetary gifts. Previously, NBKC Bank partnered with Shop Local KC in the redesign of its Leawood branch. The shared space features a retail shop showcasing accessories, home goods, and artwork from local artists and small businesses. NBKC Bank FAQs Does NBKC offer FDIC insurance? Yes, NBKCs deposit accounts are FDIC-insured up to the federal limit of $250,000 per depositor, per institution, per ownership category. Is NBKC a real bank? Yes, NBKC is a legitimate and reputable bank. It was founded in 1999 and is an FDIC-insured institution. Does NBKC have an app? Yes, NBKC Bank offers a mobile app that's available for download in the Apple Store and Google Play. Is NBKC online only? NBKC Bank operates primarily online. However, if you live in the Kansas City, Missouri area, you can visit a physical branch. Who owns the NBKC Bank? NBKC is owned by Ameri-National Corporation. Hossein Shanbehzadeh was tortured and had death threats issued against his niece during interrogations, an informed source said. Hossein Shanbehzadeh, an Iranian national arrested in Ardabil last year over allegations he was working as a spy for Israel, confessed to the charges only because the Islamic regime threatened to harm his 6-year-old niece, informed sources told BBC Persian earlier this week. After being taken by Tehrans security forces while enjoying lunch, Shanbehzadeh was tortured and had death threats issued against his niece during the interrogation, the source said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After being arrested with his hands up and calmly surrendering to the police, the unidenified source told BBC Persian that several officers severely beat him and cursed him. After much beating, they put him in a car and asked for his mobile phone password, but he resisted at first. The person sitting in front punched him in the head and face. When one of them said, Bring the electric shocker, he stopped resisting and wrote down his mobile phone password on a piece of paper with his hands that were shaking from the beating." The security forces then allegedly posted several pre-prepared posts on his social media. Once transferred to prison, he was said to have spent 24 days and nights in solitary confinement and was repeatedly stripped in front of officers. The original tweet (photo credit: SCREENSHOT/X) Iranian man charged with spying for Israel Interrogaters reportedly claimed that some of the social media accounts he had interacted with were Mossad agents and he was consequently charges with being a "spy, "collaborating with hostile states" and "propaganda activities in favor of the Zionist regime," as well as "insulting the sanctities, the founder of the Islamic Republic, and the Leader of the Revolution." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He has since been sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment. The source claimed he was forced to waive his right to appeal, while his lawyer told Sharq News Agency that there was no evidence he was working with Jerusalem. The source added that the interrogator had threatened Shanbehzadeh with the death penalty under allegations he had insulted an Islamic prophet. The source said Shanbehzadeh had no knowledge of the chats that authorities referenced. He was allegedly then later told by another interrogator that if he refused to confess during an interview on television, "the group of Imam Hussein's Madmen would kill your six-year-old niece." Hossein said that although he did not take his promise seriously, his promise brought to mind the image of Karun Hajizadeh's bloody body, which is why he said that even if the interview led to his execution, he would accept it, the source said. Two foul-mouthed reporters were present during the television interview, and the interrogator dictated everything and even asked Hossein to say that if he made any mistake next time, they would execute him. He said that he was ready to kill Jesus Christ or even behead a leader, but the madmen of Imam Hussein should stop killing my six-year-old child." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hajizadeh was a 9-year-old boy murdered in Kerman in September 1998, along with his father. The Prisoner of the Dot Now known as Prisoner of the Dot, over a period with which he had replied to Ayatolla Khameinis X post, Shanbehzadehs case has seen wide attention. His single-character X post received double the number of likes that Khameinis did. While the Prisoner of the Dot was said to have been initially charged with "propaganda against the regime by the Evin Prosecutor's Office, Iranian media quickly changed the story and accused him of working on behalf of the Mossad. Shanbehzadehs family denies the latter charge, noting that his use of his real identity on social media would make him an ineffective spy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The claim that Hossein has absconded is also unjustifiable. He had long ago spoken on X Network (formerly Twitter) about his intention to travel to Ardabil, and even up until an hour before his arrest, he was talking about the city of Ardabil on the same network and posting photos of himself," his family said. The anonymous source added, "The accusation of espionage was fabricated by the judicial authorities of Ardabil and was given to the Tasnim news agency in an exclusive report." The report follows the execution of Shanbehzadehs friend Mohsen Langarneshin, who was also accused of spying for Israel. Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani and Democratic Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith speaking at a press conference in the Capitol on March. 19, 2025 (Photo credit: Mitch Perry / Florida Phoenix) Florida Democrats from countries in President Donald Trumps travel ban list denounced the policy that they say punishes families and hurts the economy during a virtual press conference Friday morning. Orlando Democrat Anna Eskamani, whos Iranian-American, said she worries she wont be able to see her aging grandmother before she passes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is a very difficult reality for many of us, where we are navigating conflict in these homelands that are dictorial in nature, that make it difficult already to survive, and for folks who are fleeing that to achieve the American dream, it is heartbreaking and unAmerican that they cannot do that, Eskamani said. Trump issued a proclamation late Wednesday barring the entry of people from a dozen countries, including Iran, and partially restricting entry of nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Florida is home to the largest population of Cubans, Venezuelans, and Haitians in the country. The travel ban proclamation, which cited national security concerns, goes into effect on Monday. The Democrats, who are in the superminority at the state Legislature, said Congress needed to be held accountable, particularly Floridas Republican delegation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At least within the Haitian community, ever since on the campaign trail, this administration has been targeting Haitians, and its turned its back on Cubans as well, said North Miami Democratic Rep. Dottie Joseph, of Haiti. Seminole Republican Rep. Berny Jacques, who is from Haiti, supports the Trump administrations policy. It is essential for our nations sovereignty and security, he wrote to Florida Phoenix. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iranians again face a U.S. travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump, with the decision drawing anger, frustration and some shrugs given the decades of tensions between the countries. Trump imposed a similar ban during his first term before withdrawing America unilaterally from Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, under which Iran drastically limited its program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. When he returned to the White House and began seeking a new deal with Iran, it saw the countrys rial currency improve and stocks rise. But worries have grown as its government appears poised to reject an initial American proposal. The travel ban has further darkened that mood and led Iranians to fear Trump will lump the nation's 80 million people with its theocratic government even after he repeatedly praised them while seeking a deal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now I understand that Trump is against all Iranians, and his attitude is not limited to the government, said Asghar Nejati, a 31-year-old man working in a Tehran pharmacy. Even in the years after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and subsequent U.S. Embassy hostage crisis, Iranian students traveled to the U.S. to attend universities. Between 2018 and 2024, an average of around 10,000 Iranian students went to the U.S. annually. Estimates suggest some 1 million Iranian-origin people live in the U.S. today. Mehrnoush Alipour, a 37-year-old graphic designer, said the nations could have better relations if they could spoke to each other in softer tones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is another foolish decision. Trump cannot reach his goals by imposing pressures on ordinary Iranians," she said. "The two nations can have better relations through openings, not restrictions. Bank teller Mahdieh Naderi said Trump was lashing out over his frustrated efforts to reach ceasefires in the Israel-Hamas war and the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump just expressed his anger about his failed plans, Naderi said. He is complaining about the Chinese and others who are living in the U.S., too Some said interest in the U.S. was already waning before the latest ban. Over the past years, two of my grandchildren went to Canada to continue their education there," said Mohammad Ali Niaraki, 75. "Iranians are not limited in immigration and they are not as interested to go to the U.S. as they were decades ago. Iranians prefer Canada, as well as neighboring countries with flourishing economies like the (United Arab) Emirates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Others pointed out that high-ranking government officials have children living or working in the U.S., despite the tensions, and suggested that it would be fair to remove those as well. Tehran resident Mehri Soltani offered rare support for Trumps decision. Those who have family members in the U.S, its their right to go, but a bunch of bad people and terrorists and murderers want to go there as well, he said. So his policy is correct. Hes doing the right thing. ___ Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Israel is arming local militias in Gaza in an effort to counter Hamas in the besieged enclave, officials say, as opposition politicians warned that the move endangers national security. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the covert enterprise on Thursday, calling it a good thing. In a video posted on social media, Netanyahu said Israel had activated clans in Gaza which oppose Hamas, and that it was done under the advice of security elements. Former defense minister and Netanyahu rival Avigdor Liberman divulged the move on Israels Ch. 12 News on Wednesday, saying that Israel was distributing rifles to extremist groups in Gaza and describing the operation as complete madness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were talking about the equivalent of ISIS in Gaza, Liberman said one day later on Israels Army Radio, adding that Israel is providing weapons to crime families in Gaza on Netanyahus orders. No one can guarantee that these weapons will not be directed towards Israel, he said, a warning echoed by one of the officials who spoke with CNN. After Libermans revelation, the Prime Ministers Office issued a statement saying, Israel is acting to defeat Hamas in various ways upon the recommendation of the heads of the security establishment. The ongoing operation was authorized by Netanyahu without security cabinet approval, two officials told CNN, which is the normal forum for making major policy decisions. Netanyahus far-right coalition partners would likely have vetoed such a move. Meanwhile, Hamas said the plan revealed a grave and undeniable truth. In a statement, the militant group said: The Israeli occupation army is arming criminal gangs in the Gaza Strip with the aim of creating a state of insecurity and social chaos. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One group that has received weapons from Israel is the militia led by Yasser Abu Shabab, officials said. Abu Shabab heads an armed group that controls some territory in eastern Rafah and he has posted photos of himself holding an AK-47 rifle with UN vehicles behind him. Though Abu Shabab has denied receiving weapons from Israel, Hamas has accused him of being a traitor. We pledge before God to continue confronting the dens of that criminal and his gang, no matter the cost of the sacrifices we make, Hamas said on Thursday. Opposition politicians ripped Netanyahu for the plan to arm militias and the secrecy around it, lambasting it as a continuation of the Israeli leaders decision to allow millions of dollars in cash to travel from Qatar to Gaza beginning in late 2018. They accused him of strengthening Hamas in the past as an alternative to the rival Palestinian Fatah faction, and now arming gangs as an alternative to Hamas. Opposition leader Yair Lapid speaks in Israel's parliament in October last year. - Debbie Hill/AP After Netanyahu finished handing over millions of dollars to Hamas, he moved on to supplying weapons to groups in Gaza affiliated with ISIS all improvised, with no strategic planning, and all leading to more disasters, opposition leader Yair Lapid said on social media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Netanyahu has not laid out a plan for who will govern Gaza in the future and has hardly made clear any of his post-war intentions for the coastal enclave. Part of Israels war goals include the complete disarmament of Hamas and the end of its ability to govern in the territory. The arming of militias in Gaza appears to be the closest that Netanyahu has come to empowering any form of alternate rule. Despite nearly 20 months of war, Israel has not been able to dislodge Hamas completely from large swaths of Gaza, and the militant group classified as a terrorist organization in Israel, the United States, and the European Union has clung to power. Yair Golan, head of the left-wing Democrats party, said in a post on social media: Instead of bringing about a deal, making arrangements with the moderate Sunni axis, and returning the hostages and security to Israeli citizens, he is creating a new ticking bomb in Gaza. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com One official told Axios that Israel made it clear to the US that they wouldn't surprise the Trump administration with any attacks on Iran without informing the US first. Israel assured the White House it won't launch an attack against Iran's nuclear facilities unless US President Donald Trump signals that negotiations with Iran have failed, two Israeli officials told Axios on Friday. According to the officials, the message was delivered during a visit to Washington last week by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Mossad director David Barnea, and National Security Council Head Tzachi Hanegbi, Axios reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One official told Axios that Israel made it clear to the US that they wouldn't surprise the Trump administration with any attacks on Iran without informing the US first. "We calmed the Americans and told them there is no logic in launching an attack if a good diplomatic solution can be found. This is why we are going to give it a chance and wait with any military action until it is clear that negotiations were exhausted and Steve Witkoff has given up," a second Israeli official said. An Iranian missile is displayed during a rally marking the annual Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan in Tehran, Iran April 29, 2022. (photo credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS) US believed Israel was preparing to strike Iran In late May, multiple US officials revealed intelligence to CNN that Israel was preparing to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, The Jerusalem Post reported. Any Israeli strike on Iran would be "a brazen break with President Donald Trump," the officials told CNN. They added that it could also risk triggering a broader regional war. However, a senior Israeli official told Axios that while the IDF is training for a possible strike against Iran, the US and other countries misread measures the IDF took ahead of strikes against the Houthis in Yemen as preparations for an imminent strike against Iran. Four soldiers were killed and five were injured during an operation in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army said on Friday. The incident occurred in the city of Khan Younis in the southern part of the coastal territory, the army said. According to consistent reports from Israeli media, the soldiers entered a building that had been rigged with an explosive device. The device detonated, causing the building to collapse. Four soldiers were killed and five were injured during an operation in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army said on Friday. The incident occurred in the city of Khan Younis in the southern part of the coastal territory, the army said. According to consistent reports from Israeli media, the soldiers entered a building that had been rigged with an explosive device. The device detonated, causing the building to collapse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, more than 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed, according to Israeli figures. The war was triggered by the attack on Israel by Hamas and other Islamist militants on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were abducted to the Gaza Strip. According to the health authority controlled by Hamas, more than 54,600 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been killed as a result of the war so far. Aid group says all distribution sites closed Earlier on Friday, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US and Israeli-backed aid group, said it temporarily closed all of its aid distribution centres in the Gaza Strip. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement posted on its Facebook page on Friday, the GHF said the closures were made for safety reasons and urged residents to stay away from the facilities. It did not specify how long the suspension would last. The announcement comes as residents in Gaza mark Eid al-Adha, the Muslim festival of sacrifice, traditionally celebrated with communal gatherings and festive meals. Israel eased its blockade on aid deliveries into the besieged territory two weeks ago. Since then, the GHF has taken over the distribution of supplies, operating outside of United Nations agencies and other international humanitarian efforts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The organization has faced criticism for bypassing established aid networks, as well as for allegedly endangering civilians and breaching widely accepted standards of impartial humanitarian assistance. But Israeli officials have defended the initiative, saying the GHF aim is to prevent Hamas from diverting aid for its own use in war-shattered Gaza. Meanwhile, the Israeli military issued a warning to civilians in northern Gaza on Friday afternoon, urging them to evacuate ahead of an imminent military operation. In a message posted in Arabic on X, the military advised residents in the affected area to immediately seek safety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A map was included with the post, showing a designated attack area east of Jabalia, as well as the locations where civilians were advised to relocate. According to the Israeli military, the planned strikes target sites from which rockets were recently launched. Israeli faith in lasting peace with Palestinians and the possibility of a two-state solution is at the lowest since 2013, a Pew poll shows. The share of Israeli adults who believe that Israel and Palestine can coexist peacefully is the lowest it has been since 2013, data from Pew Research Center published Tuesday revealed. Despite the fact that a majority of Israeli adults reported believing Israeli people are committed to working toward lasting peace, only 21% of Israeli adults believed coexistence was possible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In its second annual survey since the Israel-Hamas war began, the survey revealed that Arab Israelis were significantly more confident in the existence of a two-state solution, with 40% responding positively, compared to 16% of Jewish Israelis. Nearly half of Israelis said their government is very or somewhat committed to working toward lasting peace. A similar share believed the Palestinian Authority is committed to peace, and 20% of Israelis believe Hamas is at least somewhat committed to seeking peace. Settlement of Elon Moreh, near Nablus, West Bank, June 11, 2020 (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST) West Bank settlements 'major obstacle' to lasting peace The survey showed that Israelis viewed several things as at least minor obstacles to peace, including the status of Jerusalem, West Bank settlements, political conflicts in Israel, and conflicts between Hamas and Fatah on the Palestinian side. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, 75% of Israelis agreed that the most significant obstacle to lasting peace is a lack of trust between Israelis and Palestinians. Despite half of Israelis naming Israeli settlements in the West Bank as a major obstacle to lasting peace, 44% believed continued building of settlements would help the security of Israel. A third of Israelis believed Israel should retain control of Gaza after the war, down from 40% reported in last years survey. A smaller share of Israelis said the Gazan public should be allowed to decide who governs them, with only 1% stating Hamas should be allowed to retain control of the Gaza Strip. Many Israelis stated that the involvement of foreign entities, such as the United Nations, in peace efforts has been more harmful than helpful. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, a majority of respondents said the United States was an exception, with 81% of Israelis saying the US has been helpful in the work toward lasting peace. Still, half of Israelis say US President Donald Trump has favored Israelis too much in his foreign relations, while 2% said he favored Palestinians too much, and 42% say he favored each group the right amount. The Israeli Air Force said on Friday it has struck underground facilities used by Hezbollah to manufacture and store drones in the suburbs of Beirut and in southern Lebanon. Despite a ceasefire in place since November, the Israeli military accused the Lebanese militia of operating "under the direction and with the financial support" of Iranian officials to produce thousands of drones. The claim, made via the army's Telegram channel, could not be independently verified. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attack on Thursday evening occurred on the eve of Eid al-Adha, one of the most significant holidays in the Muslim calendar. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the strikes, while the Lebanese army strongly criticized Israels actions, calling them a violation of the ceasefire agreement. The Lebanese military leadership warned it could suspend cooperation with a monitoring committee overseeing ceasefire compliance. As part of the agreement, which ended months of severe fighting between Israel and Hezbollah late last year, the Lebanese army is gradually replacing the Iran-backed militia in patrolling the southern border region near Israel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Israeli military said Hezbollahs drone capabilities were expanding with Iranian support, contrary to agreements with Lebanon. Before the latest strikes in Beiruts Dahiya suburb and at an alleged Hezbollah drone workshop in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military said it took precautions to minimize civilian harm. It added that the targeted infrastructure was embedded in densely populated areas - evidence, it claimed, that Hezbollah was using civilians as human shields. The Israeli military has issued a warning to civilians in northern Gaza, urging them to evacuate ahead of an imminent military operation. In a message posted in Arabic on X, the military advised residents in the affected area to immediately seek safety in a neighbouring zone to the west. A map was included with the post, showing a designated attack area east of Jabalia, as well as the locations where civilians were advised to relocate. According to the Israeli military, the planned strikes target sites from which rockets were recently launched. The Israeli Air Force said on Friday it had struck underground facilities used by Hezbollah to manufacture and store drones in the suburbs of Beirut and in southern Lebanon. Lebanese leaders said the aerial assault undermines the ceasefire agreed to in November after more than a year of cross-border attacks and a ground invasion by Israel. The Israeli military accused the Lebanese militia of operating "under the direction and with the financial support" of Iranian officials to produce thousands of drones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The claim, made via the army's Telegram channel, could not be independently verified. The Israeli attack on Thursday evening occurred on the eve of Eid al-Adha, one of the most significant holidays on the Muslim calendar. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the strikes, while the Lebanese army strongly criticized Israel's actions, calling them a violation of the ceasefire agreement. The Lebanese army on Friday denounced what it described as an escalating pattern of "Israeli aggression." The Lebanese military leadership warned it could suspend cooperation with a UN-backed monitoring committee overseeing the compliance of the ceasefire deal, which included specific requirements of both sides to comply with. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As part of the agreement, which ended months of severe fighting between Israel and Hezbollah late last year, the Lebanese army is gradually replacing the Iran-backed militia in patrolling the southern border region near Israel. Hezbollah was supposed to withdraw behind the Litani River, located approximately 30 kilometres north of the border. Israel accuses the militia of repeated violations of that provision. Israeli troops, for their part, were due to pull out of southern Lebanon. The Lebanese army noted that the timing of the strikes - ahead of the major religious holiday - appeared aimed at undermining Lebanons stability and recovery efforts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It warned that Israels "persistent refusal to engage with the committee is weakening its credibility and the armys operational role." Drone threat cited by Israel The Israeli military said Hezbollahs drone capabilities were expanding with Iranian support, contrary to agreements with Lebanon. Hezbollah has been launching rockets into Israel since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023, declaring its support for Hamas. Israel has responded with airstrikes and ground operations. According to the Israeli army, Hezbollah has launched more than 1,000 drones at Israel during the conflict, some carrying explosives, others used for surveillance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before the latest strikes in Beiruts Dahiya suburb and at an alleged Hezbollah drone workshop in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military said it took precautions to minimize civilian harm. It added that the targeted infrastructure was embedded in densely populated areas - evidence, it claimed, that Hezbollah was using civilians as human shields. By Angelo Amante ROME (Reuters) - Italians will start voting on Sunday in a two-day referendum on whether to ease citizenship laws and reverse a decade-old liberalisation of the labour market, but the vote may fail to generate sufficient turnout to be deemed valid. Opposition leftist and centrist parties, civil society groups and a leading trade union have latched onto the issues of labour rights and Italy's demographic woes as a way of challenging Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing coalition government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They gathered over 4.5 million signatures, according to the CGIL labour union, far more than needed to trigger the referendum, which will comprise five questions - four on the labour market and one on citizenship. However, opinion polls suggest they will struggle to persuade the required 50% plus one of the electorate to turn out to make the outcome of the vote binding. Meloni and senior government ministers have indicated they will not vote. "Meloni is afraid of participation and has understood that many Italians, even those who voted for her, will go to vote," said Elly Schlein, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (PD), who is spearheading the campaign along with Maurizio Landini, the CGIL labour union chief. A Demopolis institute poll last month estimated turnout would be in the range of 31-39% among Italy's roughly 50 million electors - well short of the required threshold. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Securing a quorum will be hard. The opposition's minimum aim is to show strength and bring to vote more people than the 12.3 million who backed the centre-right at the 2022 general election," said Lorenzo Pregliasco, from YouTrend pollsters. CITIZENSHIP The citizenship issue has garnered most public attention in a nation where concerns over the scale of immigration helped propel Meloni's anti-migration coalition to power in late 2022. The question on the ballot paper asks Italians if they back reducing the period of residence required to apply for Italian citizenship by naturalisation to five years from 10. This could affect about 2.5 million foreign nationals, organisers say. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With Italy's birthrate in sharp decline, economists say the country needs to attract more foreigners to boost its anaemic economy, and migrant workers feel a lot is at stake. "If you just look at the time frame, five years are a huge gain for us migrants, if compared to 10," said Mohammed Kamara, a 27-year-old from Sierra Leone who works in a building construction company in Rome. Francesco Galietti, from political risk firm Policy Sonar, said keeping such rules tight was "an identity issue" for Meloni, but she was also being pushed by business to open up the borders of an ageing country to foreign workers. "On the one hand there is the cultural identity rhetoric, but on the other there are potential problems paying pensions and an economy that relies on manufacturing, which needs workers," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The questions regarding the labour market aim to make it harder to fire some workers and increase compensation for workers laid off by small businesses, among other things, reversing a law passed by a PD government a decade ago. The leaders of two of the governing coalition parties, Antonio Tajani of Forza Italia and Matteo Salvini of the League, have said they will not vote on Sunday, while Meloni, who heads Brothers of Italy, will show up at the polling station but will not vote. "She will thereby honour her institutional duty but avoid contributing to the quorum," said pollster Pregliasco. (Reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Gareth Jones) Video: Search continues over a week for escaped Arkansas inmate Grant Hardin IZARD COUNTY, Ark. Izard County Sheriff Charley Melton gave an update Thursday on the ongoing search for an escaped Arkansas inmate. Melton posted to social media that the search is ongoing for Grant Hardin and his office is actively involved. He acknowledged that the coordinated roadblocks in the county are creating frustration for some people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Izard County sheriff gives update on escaped Arkansas inmate Melton continued to assure that his department and others involved in the search are not intended to disrupt your daily life but that the searches are underway out of concern for public safety. Hardin escaped the Arkansas Department of Corrections North Central Unit in Calico Rock on May 25. Multiple law enforcement agencies continue to search the area around the prison, in the continued belief that Hardin is still in the region, according to official statements. Izard County sheriff gives update on escaped Arkansas inmate Melton concluded that his department will continue to take every necessary action until we are confident that Hardin no longer poses a threat to the community. He asked that anyone who sees something unusual or suspicious call the FBI, the U.S. Marshals tip line or the Izard County Sheriffs Office at 870-368-4203 or 911. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK. OWENSBORO, Ky. (WEHT) An Owensboro native who has reached national acclaim returns home to speak to members of the citys chamber of commerce. National Transportation Safety Board Member J. Todd Inman spoke at this mornings rooster booster breakfast. He served in several roles while living in Owensboro. Most recently he was the spokesperson for the investigation into that mid-air collision over the Potomac River. Trump EPA rollbacks would weaken rules projected to save billions of dollars and thousands of lives From the frontlines of national transportation crises, back to Owensboro. J. Todd Inman reflects on what leadership, community and service really mean to him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Inman served as Chair of the Greater Owensboro Chamber board in 2006. He returned Thursday as a proud Western Kentucky University alum and now national figure at the center of transportation safety conversations. We would like to be able to prevent disasters from happening rather than investigating them and then making recommendations. I was there on the two Boeing Max crashes occurred. I thought the first was a tragedy. The second was a travesty. So, I wanted to try to make a difference so I could try to help not let that second travesty occur again, says Inman. Earlier this year, he was the spokesperson for the Potomac River crash investigation. 67 lives were lost when an American Airlines jet and Army Black Hawk helicopter collided. Inman offered transparency and compassion as he addressed the public and family members of crash victims, before helping to implement new safety recommendations regarding helicopter proximity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We found that the current configuration around DCA had to high of a level of risk in that planes could get too close. We saw that happen on January 28thwhere slight variations outside of parameters were catastrophic. We need to build in additional buffersYou hope something else captures it. In this case, nothing caught it. You saw devastation. Its been 19 years since weve seen something like that. Well get better. Well learn from it, says Inman. Rooster Booster also honored the newest Leadership Owensboro graduates. Future leaders heard from someone who was once in their shoes. Calvert City, Kentucky 3000 people, two stoplights ,a national spokesperson. I came because they asked. I think theyre proud, but I also want them to know it could be them at any point, says Inman. Inman now lives in Arlington, Virginia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He says the streets he walked in Owensboro were the beginnings of his pursuit of purpose. I dont know a single person who lives in out building in Arlington, Virginia, I dont know their name, but here youre getting hugs. Youre talking about children. You have ties [and] bonds. There are good people around, and I like being around good people, says Inman. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW). JACKSONVILLE, Ark. If you were in Jacksonville on Thursday morning, you may have heard a loud boom. City officials say an explosion took place that morning at the Sig Sauer ammunition center, located on Swift Drive in Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Police Department requested that people avoid the area for several hours following the incident. Explosion reported at Sig Sauer facility in Jacksonville Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The explosion left people in Jacksonville wondering what happened. I woke up, and I was like, What was that? said Carlos Tobar, who lives near the facility. It was huge. It shook the house. Tobar says he was at home asleep when the explosion happened. He says he woke up, went outside, and, like many of his neighbors, was shocked at what he had heard. They were like, Did you hear that? and I was like, Yeah, that was insane, he said. While walking his dog following the explosion, Damon says he heard it too. I heard some rumblings and sound like someone with a big crash, he said. After hearing the city-shaking explosion, Damon stepped outside and said he saw a huge fireball in the sky. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Seeing the fire roll up and seeing the black smoke, yeah, it was crazy, he said. A Jacksonville spokesperson stated that the cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the citys fire department and that no criminal activity is suspected. Sig Sauer expanding ammunition manufacturing facility in Jacksonville, creating 625 new jobs No injuries or deaths were reported. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK. JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) Onslow Memorial Hospital has recently been re-certified with the Joint Commissions Gold Seal of Approval for Stroke Certification. Onslow Memorial has been upholding its prestigious honor of being stroke certified by making sure they are constantly meeting all the standards that help ensure quality and safety measures for all stroke care patients in the hospital. It does mean that we are giving that good quality of care. We also do outreach at community events, making sure that were doing stroke screenings, making sure were doing stroke education to the patients, making sure that they have all the tools that they need when theyre discharged, Manager of Quality Improvement & Accreditation for Onslow Memorial Takenya LaBriado said. So, it is a lot of care inside and outside of the hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Onslow Memorial aims to provide the highest quality evidence-based practice it can for the community and all patients who are receiving stroke care. It guarantees the patients that theyre getting the most appropriate and latest care that they can for stroke, because stroke is a disease process, Onslow Memorial Medical Director Terence Kolb said. Thats certainly something we can intervene on the earlier you come, the more we can do because everything is timed and so, this is a big, important topic here in this area. We want to be the communitys choice for stroke care. So, you can trust us to make sure that you get all the needs that you need if you are having a stroke, LaBriado said. So, youre going to get that education, youre going to get all the tools and youre going to get quality staff to take care of you. The certification showcases the hospitals commitment to providing the highest level of care for all stroke patients. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WNCT. Jake Tapper tried to make sense of Elon Musk and President Donald Trumps friendship graveyard after the pair spent the day sparring on social media. On Thursday, Tapper took a whole seven minutes of The Lead to walk through the messy timeline of events between the once close political allies. It wrapped up a day of Musk and Trump trading blows on their respective social media platforms. Just in the last few hours, the relationship between President Donald J. Trump and billionaire Elon Musk has so rapidly disintegrated that Musk without evidence is now accusing President Trump of being in the as-yet-released Epstein Files, Tapper noted on CNN. The accusation from Musk is about as nasty as it gets, accusing somebody of being a pedophile and covering it up. The host continued: We need to back up for a moment, though, and explain how we got to this particular friendship graveyard given that just six days ago when Elon Musk left his role as an advisor to the president and head of the Department of Government Efficiency, President Trump gave Musk the key to The White House the ceremonial golden key. Mr. Trump may now be changing the locks as this feud today essentially escalated publicly in real-time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Tesla CEO took to his X account Thursday morning with the Epstein claim less than a week after stepping down as the leader of DOGE. Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files, Musk wrote. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! He then added: Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out. Trump finally broke his silence on Musks many posts about his dislike of the Big Beautiful Bill on Thursday after the tweets. He was also insistent that he would have won the 2024 election without the tech billionaires help, as Musk suggested. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elon and I had a great relationship. I dont know if we will anymore, Trump told White House reporters. Im very disappointed in Elon. Ive helped Elon a lot. Musk disagreed with the idea that Trump would have been victorious in the election, though. He tweeted that without his help, the Republicans would have been much weaker. Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. In an additional tweet, the billionaire accused Trump of expressing such ingratitude. The barrage continued throughout the day. At one point, the president hinted that he had asked Musk to step back and then later threatened to terminate the Tesla CEOs government subsidies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elon was wearing thin, I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!, Trump posted. The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it! Trumps latest message stated: I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. Its a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesnt pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didnt create this mess, Im just here to FIX IT. The post Jake Tapper Breaks Down Timeline of Elon Musk and Donald Trumps Friendship Graveyard | Video appeared first on TheWrap. This is a free article for Diddy on Trial newsletter subscribers. Sign up to get exclusive reporting and analysis throughout Sean Combs federal trial. A former girlfriend of Diddys took the stand today under the pseudonym Jane and testified that the music mogul pressured her to participate in drug-fueled sexual encounters known as freak offs. At first, Jane said, she and Diddy shared a loving relationship beginning in 2021, giving each other the nicknames Bert and Ernie. But after her first freak off, it became a Pandoras box situation in which, she said, she had to oblige. The sex sessions could last between 24 and 30 hours with no sleep, Jane said. Diddy would arrange the freak offs around the world. As a single mother who came to depend on Diddy, I felt an obligation because I knew he was paying my rent, she testified. Known as Victim-2 in the prosecutions indictment, Jane is expected to testify over multiple days, presumably building on allegations that Diddy used his business empire as a criminal enterprise to fulfill his desires. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres who else testified today: Bryana Bongolan , the friend of Casandra Ventura s who said she was dangled over a 17th-floor balcony in Los Angeles in 2016, was on the witness stand for a second day under cross-examination. Defense lawyer Nicole Westmoreland questioned that timeline of events and showed receipts that indicated Diddy was in New York. You came in here and lied to the jury, isnt that true? Westmoreland asked, to which Bongolan replied, I cant agree with you. Enrique Santos, an investigative analyst for the U.S. attorneys office, briefly took the stand to talk about extracting data from cellphones. In one text message, Ventura informed a top Diddy aide about the alleged dangling incident. The view from inside By Adam Reiss, Chloe Melas, Jing Feng and Austin C. Mullen Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a striking moment for the otherwise mild-mannered Judge Arun Subramanian, he admonished the defense team after Diddy apparently flashed facial expressions at jurors during Bongolans testimony. There was a line of questioning where your client was nodding vigorously and looking at the jury, Subramanian said, warning that if Diddy didnt stop, it could result in the exclusion of your client from the courtroom. Diddy, in an oversize cream sweater and khaki pants, had been extremely engaged with his legal team all day, passing notes and conferring with his lawyers. In the morning, he waved and blew a kiss to his mother, Janice Combs, right after proceedings began. And when one of his lawyers made objections before the jury came in, he nodded in affirmation. In other news: There were audible gasps and laughter in the courtroom overflow room with members of the public during the cross-examination of Bongolan, as Westmoreland got the witness to repeatedly say, I dont remember. Westmoreland showed her legal chops again today in her exchanges with Bongolan. Meanwhile, Janes taking the stand drew obvious interest from the media and spectators in the overflow room, with some wondering how someone so close to Diddy became a witness for the prosecution. Analysis: Look not guilty By Danny Cevallos Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Diddy was reprimanded for trying to connect with jurors. Generally, its OK for a defendant to react to testimony, but it should be subtle. A nod or a shake of the head is acceptable. But its also unwise. Defendants should not be showing much emotion at the defense table. It seems counterintuitive, right? After all, if you are on trial, and you believe you are innocent, wouldnt you show emotion at all these lies being told about you? But for whatever reason, emotive defendants do not play well with juries. Its a paradox: The jury is constantly watching the defendant, but the defendant shouldnt actually do anything. A defense attorney once told me he advises his clients to just sit there and look not guilty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But what does that mean? What it doesnt mean is acting out. No muttering under the breath. No harrumphing. And, if Diddy is trying to make eye contact or otherwise connect with jurors, thats crossing the line. Its another example of a defendant trying to engage in self-help. And thats almost always a bad idea. Whats next Tomorrow: Jane is expected to return to the stand for more questioning from prosecutors. PSA: Every night during Diddys trial, NBCs Dateline will drop special episodes of the True Crime Weekly podcast to get you up to speed. Dateline correspondent Andrea Canning chats with NBC News Chloe Melas and special guests right in front of the courthouse. Listen here. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com TOKYO (AP) A Japanese court ruled former executives at the utility managing the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were not accountable for the 2011 meltdown crisis and do not need to pay damages to the company. The Tokyo High Court ruling on Friday reversed a lower court decision in 2022 ordering four former executives of the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings to pay 13 trillion yen ($90 billion) to the company, saying they had failed to take the utmost safety precautions despite knowing the risks of a serious accident in a major tsunami. A magitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 destroyed key cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, causing its three reactors to melt down, spreading large amounts of radiation in the area and keeping tens of thousands of residents from returning home due to radioactive contamination and other safety concerns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Tokyo District Court ruling three years ago was the only ruling that held the former TEPCO liable for the Fukushima disaster. It upheld the plaintiffs' argument that the executives had neglected to heed experts long-term tsunami predictions and failed to take adequate tsunami precaution measures soon enough. The court said, however, the long-term tsunani prediction was not considered pressing data requiring immediate tsunami measures and it was understandable the executives had no sense of urgency from the data they had at that time, Kyodo News reported. Fridays ruling is a major disappointment for Fukushima residents and anti-nuclear activists seeking the managements responsibility in nuclear safety. Plaintiffs and their lawyers criticized the ruling as unjust and said they planned to appeal to the Supreme Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hiroyuki Kawai, a plaintiffs' lawyer, criticized the ruling as logically flawed," saying it means nobody can be held liable for any safety negligence because tsunami and earthquake predictions are still impossible today. A group of more than 40 TEPCO shareholders filed the lawsuit in 2012 demanding five former executives pay the company 22 trillion yen ($153 billion) in damages. The amount of the 2022 ruling against four of the executives was the highest ever ordered in a lawsuit. Japan's top court in March found two former TEPCO executives not guilty of negligence over the Fukushima meltdowns, saying a tsunami of the magnitude that hit the plant was unforeseeable. It was the only criminal trial related to the nuclear accident and the only criminal case related to the nuclear accident. LAUREL, Neb. (KCAU) A man who was found guilty of killing four people in Laurel, Nebraska, may now be asked to testify at his wifes trial. Court documents indicate that prosecutors filed a motion for deposition on May 28, asking a judge to approve the states request to have Jason deposed before Carrie Jones trial begins. Prosecutors say they believe Jason will testify for multiple reasons. One reason includes a letter dated January 2 of 2025, and authored by Carrie stating her husband is supposed to be a witness at her trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carrie is facing three charges, including one count of 1st-degree murder. A hearing is set for June 12, with a jury trial scheduled for July 28 in Madison County. Story continues below Jason has a status hearing scheduled for July 25. Back in September of 2024, a jury found Jason Jones guilty of 10 charges, including four counts of 1st-degree murder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. The kingdom is in turmoil, the great Houses of Musk and Trump at war, and their subjects forced to choose sides. But as the scheming Littlefinger in Game of Thrones famously said as he plotted to take the Kings place: chaos is a ladder. And so it is for JD Vance, the ostensibly loyal vice president, and perhaps the person who stands to benefit the most from the chaos unleashed by the feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump which is perhaps why hes remaining uncharacteristically subdued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vance has never been one to shy away from a fight, especially an online one, especially if its in defense of his boss. He once launched a 400-word diatribe against historian Niall Ferguson for criticizing Trumps Ukraine policy, slamming his moralistic garbage and historical illiteracy. (Getty) He had no problem accusing senior members of his own party of pettiness for voting against what Trump wanted, and mocked world leaders whove had run ins with the president. The practicing Catholic even found himself on the wrong side of the Pope himself when he got into another online beef with British politician Rory Stewart over Trumps deportation policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So one would expect the online warrior to rush to the defense of his president in response to the firestorm of abuse unleashed by Musk against the president on Thursday, which began with accusations of ungratefulness and ended with claims of him being close to Jeffrey Epstein. But Vance has been remarkably quiet. His only public comment at the time of writing has been the kind of terse statement a wife gives in support of a cheating politician spouse. President Trump has done more than any person in my lifetime to earn the trust of the movement he leads. I'm proud to stand beside him, Vance wrote on X. The next day, he continued with his lawyerly posts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are many lies the corporate media tells about President Trump. One of the most glaring is that he's impulsive or short-tempered. Anyone who has seen him operate under pressure knows that's ridiculous, he wrote. It's (maybe) the single biggest disconnect between fake media perception and reality, he went on. Where was the combative Vance who demanded the Ukrainian president say thank you to his boss in the Oval Office? The one who told Kamala Harris to go to hell over the Biden administrations handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan? Instead, Vance did not utter Musks name in the 24 hours since the feud burst into the open. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There may be an innocent reason for his uncharacteristic reserve. Vance was asked by Trump to remain diplomatic in his dealings with Musk, The Independent learned from a source familiar with the situation. But the VP has other motivations for keeping quiet, too. For years, he has been dogged by rumors of dual loyalties between the tech billionaires who fueled his rise and the president he now serves. Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump (C) visits with Elon Musk (L) and Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance back stage during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds on October 05, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Getty) Vance first came to public attention as the best-selling author of Hillbilly Elegy, a memoir of a rough Appalachian upbringing that many liberals praised as an intellectual explanation of Trumps appeal to the white working class. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But before that book set him on a path to Congress and the Senate, he was already being courted by a set of right-wing tech billionaires known as the PayPal mafia the billionaires Musk, David Sacks and Peter Thiel, who worked together at the pioneering online payments company back in the late Nineties and early Noughties and were bound together by a belief in deregulation, libertarianism and later, by darker right-wing ideology that railed against multiculturalism. Vance was working in venture capital at the time and went to work for Thiel at his San Francisco investment house, Mithril Capital. Thiel would be instrumental to Vance's rise, backing his campaign for Senate in 2021-22 to the tune of $15 million, and reportedly introduced Vance to Trump. The trio of Musk, Sacks and Thiel were instrumental in convincing Trump to choose Vance as his running mate, seeing in him an ideological ally, the libertarian tech investor who could one day take over as president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some have gone so far as to call Vance a Manchurian Candidate for the tech elite. When the feud between Musk and Trump spilled out into the open, Musk was not shy about announcing his desire for Vance to take over as president. He responded to a tweet calling for Trump to be impeached and replaced with Vance with one word: Yes. Elon Musk in the Oval Office on his last day as a special government employee. (AP) That is not an empty threat. Vances path to the White House would inevitably require the support of Musk, the man who spent $395 million on electing Republicans in 2024. So his decision to ignore Musks call for mutiny is an interesting and calculated choice. Much like Littlefinger, Vance has made sharp ideological turns and formed strategic alliances to find his way to within arm's length of the throne. He was once vehemently opposed to Trump, only to radically change course to stand by his side in his quest for power. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But, spoiler alert, his fictional counterparts calculating and maneuvering didnt end well for him. Trump spent his entire first term weeding out traitors, and claims to have gotten very good at it over the years. Will he be able to sniff out Vance? A New Jersey man has been arrested for allegedly stealing a pair of instruments from Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Heart. Just days after the band offered a reward for the return of a custom guitar and mandolin they said were stolen from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City on the night before they kicked off their An Evening With Heart summer tour on Saturday (May 31), the Associated Press reported on Thursday (June 5) that a Pleasantville, N.J. man has been taken into custody. Atlantic City police said surveillance video first led them to the 57-year-old suspect, who was allegedly seen on video walking through the city trying to sell the instruments. Authorities said that the man eventually succeeded in selling one, while the other is currently unaccounted for at press time it was unclear which instrument was sold and which one was still missing. More from Billboard Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to NBC 10 Philadelphia, investigators obtained video footage of the theft, which they said took place around 2 a.m. on May 30. They identified the suspect as Garfield Bennett and charged him with theft and burglary on Wednesday (June 4). Officials reported that Bennett has a long criminal record and was previously arrested in April for a prior burglary. Prior to the arrest, Heart described the missing items as a custom-built, one-of-a-kind purple sparkle baritone Telecaster with a hand-painted headstock, crafted specifically for [guitarist] Nancy Wilson, as well as a vintage 1966 Gibson EM-50 mandolin that band member Paul Moak has played for over 25 years. In a statement, band co-founder Wilson, said, These instruments are more than just tools of our trade theyre extensions of our musical souls. The baritone Tele was made uniquely for me, and Pauls mandolin has been with him for decades. Were heartbroken, and were asking for their safe return no questions asked. Their value to us is immeasurable. Police told NBC 10 that they are not sure where Bennett sold the instrument and are asking anyone in possession of the other one to alert Atlantic City Police to return it, warning anyone in possession of the stolen item that they will be arrested and charged with receiving stolen property if they dont hand it over. If youve got the guitars, bring them back. Turn them in. No questions asked, Atlantic City Director of Public Safety Sean Riggin told the channel. If we continue looking and we have to find them, there are absolutely going to be serious criminal charges. Best of Billboard Sign up for Billboard's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. NEW YORK In an extraordinary about-face, back-of-the-pack mayoral candidate Jessica Ramos is endorsing her front-running rival Andrew Cuomo just weeks after questioning his mental acuity and comparing his mental state to former President Joe Bidens. Ramos, a Queens state senator who was also among scores of lawmakers to call for Cuomos 2021 resignation as governor over sexual misconduct accusations, is expected to formally throw her political weight behind his mayoral bid at a press conference in Manhattan on Friday morning, sources confirmed to the Daily News. Ramos and her campaign didnt immediately return multiple calls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But she told the New York Times, which first reported her surprising decision, that shes going with Cuomo because hes the one best positioned right now to protect this city. Cuomo, whos polling as the favorite to win the June 24 Democratic mayoral primary, knows how to hold the line and deliver under pressure, she added, citing uncertainty caused by President Donald Trump. Ramos, who identifies as a progressive Democrat, said shes not dropping out and her name will still appear on the primary ballot. But her endorsement of the centrist Cuomo is an effective acknowledgement she has no path to victory. Most polls of the mayoral race have shown Ramos pulling 1% or less in support. On the fundraising side, she hasnt taken in enough cash to qualify for matching funds and her latest filing from last month showed she had just about $9,000 in her war chest. The Cuomo nod marks a drastic flip-flop for Ramos, who said in April she believes Cuomos mental acuity is in decline. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont think the City of New York can afford a Joe Biden moment, she said at the time, referring to the former president who ended his reelection bid last year after serious concerns emerged about his mental fitness. I think that there are real reasons why [Cuomo is] not answering questions. In response to her mental fitness broadsides against Cuomo, his spokesman Rich Azzopardi shot back in April: Was she sober when she said it? Azzopardi didnt immediately return a request for comment Friday. Ramos has been a harsh critic of the centrist Cuomo on a number of other fronts, too. People may want to be courteous to Cuomos face but they dont forget the people he sent to die, the women he touched or the people he left in our streets needing mental health care and housing, Ramos wrote on X in March, referring to accusations that Cuomo mismanaged the COVID pandemic, sexually harassed more than 10 women and shuttered psychiatric institutions statewide as governor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cuomo has denied the sexual harassment and pandemic mismanagement claims. Ramos change of heart comes just days after the progressive Working Families Party ranked her its No. 5 candidate as part of an anti-Cuomo mayoral endorsement slate. On Friday, the party, which has had a rocky relationship with Ramos over the years, said its sad and disappointed by Ramos announcement, but vowed to not be distracted by this desperate move. Party leaders declined to immediately say whether they will formally remove Ramos from the slate. Ramos, the chair of the State Senates Labor Committee, was the first woman to enter the 2025 mayoral race and had hoped to build a coalition rooted in union and Latino communities. But she never gained momentum on the campaign trail, as other progressives in the race, like runner-up candidate Zohran Mamdani, capitalized on a surge in enthusiasm for left-wing politics among young voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the first mayoral debate this week, Ramos lobbed a barb at Mamdani, Cuomos top rival in the race, saying she wished she had run for mayor in 2021. I thought I needed more experience, but turns out you just need to make good videos, she said, a reference to Mamdanis social media strategy. ----------- MORGANFIELD, Ky. (WEHT) Job Corp Centers around the country are celebrating a small victory after months of fighting to stay open. Earl C. Clements Job Corp Center Director Tessa Gough says its been a whirlwind. Yesterday, she said staff members were handed termination letters days after the U.S. Department of Labor announced plans to eliminate Job Corps operations nationwide. Less than 20 minutes later staff learned that a federal judge ruled to block the plans and prevent the Trump administration from closing Job Corps Centers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Trumps decision was based on an internal review and transparency report saying it has been a failed experiment to help Americas youth and calls it financially unsustainable. But Gough disagrees and says the report used data from 2023 not the most recent numbers. We were coming out of the covid pandemic and centers had sent all of their students home during covid,Gough said. We had no students on our campus but they used 2023 statistics when we were trying to rebuild our program. The center in Morganfield employs over 300 people and Gough says getting to this step was not an easy feat. From social media to the community she says support came from everywhere. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You know this is why I talk to our staff and students and I told them this is why we have a voice and this is why we stand up and fight for causes that you believe in and you do it in a positive and professional manner, Gough said. But the fight is not over yet. The federal judge ordered the government to stand down until a further ruling in the case. The next court date is June 17. If that hearing goes in our way and in our favor that June 30 date to eliminate the Job Corp program and staff would be on halt that we would go past that June 30 date because this would then have to play out in the court and we dont know how long that will take, Gough said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW). PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) Attorney John Dorsey has been selected to become a judge at the Rhode Island U.S. Bankruptcy Court, meaning he will step down as one of the two lawyers currently running the cash-strapped Providence Place mall. Dorsey will fill an upcoming vacancy created by Judge Diane Finkle, whos expected to retire in September. He is well-known for his years of helping businesses go through the process of receivership, a state-level version of bankruptcy. Unlike U.S. District Court judges, who must receive presidential appointments, bankruptcy judges are appointed by the U.S. Court of Appeals. U.S. 1st Circuit Chief Judge David Barron announced Dorseys selection on Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is the honor of a lifetime, and I accept it with great humility and responsibility, Dorsey said in a statement. I am committed to serving the people of Rhode Island with fairness, integrity, and compassion. The selection means Dorsey will have to step down from his high-profile position running the Providence Place mall, which was ordered into receivership in October after the malls largest private lenders alleged the former operator failed to make payments on nearly $260 million in debt. RELATED: Providence Place mall turned over to veteran RI receivership attorneys R.I. Superior Court Judge Brian Stern appointed Dorsey and his business partner, W. Mark Russo, to take over the operation and finances of the 1.4 million-square-foot shopping complex, which has struggled to make ends meet amid an ongoing shift in consumer habits thats fueled a decline in brick-and-mortar retail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dorsey, whos been managing more of the day-to-day operations, has been praised for funneling fresh resources into cleaning up the facility and beefing up security. But hes also faced headwinds, most recently having to walk back a decision to hike parking fees amid concerns from shoppers and vendors. The receivers have been tasked with trying to improve the facility while also shoring up its finances so that it might eventually be sold to a new owner and operator. Dorsey described his time serving as a receiver for the mall as a privilege, adding hed continue the work in the weeks ahead. Becoming a federal judge typically requires a long vetting process, which happens before getting sworn in. Finkle is slated to retire on Sept. 8. Barring any unforeseen decisions by the court, Russo is expected to take over full responsibility of the mall once Dorsey steps down. Mark Russo and I have worked side-by-side for over 15 years on complex operating receiverships, Dorsey said. From day one, weve taken a team-based approach to the mall sharing responsibilities, making strategic transitions between us, and always keeping the long-term interests of the property and community at the center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the receivership enters the next phase including broker engagement and property marketing Mark will continue to lead with the same commitment and expertise weve brought throughout this process, he added. Eli Sherman (esherman@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and on Facebook. Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the new 12+ smart TV app. Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. This article includes graphic descriptions of gun violence that some readers may find distressing. On Monday, the sad news broke that actor Jonathan Joss had died at age 59 years old after he was shot and killed in what his husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, alleged was an anti-gay hate crime on Sunday, June 1. Derek Storm/Everett Collection People previously reported that the couples neighbor Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, 56, confessed to shooting Jonathan as he was detained and has been charged with first-degree murder. He was released from police custody under full house arrest on a $200,000 bond on June 2. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later that same day, Tristan posted a statement to Jonathans official Facebook page where he alleged that Jonathan had been killed because of his sexuality. He added that he and Jonathan had been harassed regularly by their neighbors in San Antonio, Texas, for being a gay couple, and that their home had recently burned down after repeated threats. Related: People Are Talking About The Most Shocking Celebrity Deaths That Don't Get Enough Attention Tristan, 32, said that the shooting occurred when he and Jonathan returned to the remains of their home to check for mail and became distressed when they found their dogs skull at the site, which had been placed in clear view. jonathan.joss.3 / Via Facebook @/ Via facebook.com My husband Jonathan Joss and I were involved in a shooting while checking the mail at the site of our former home. That home was burned down after over two years of threats from people in the area who repeatedly told us they would set it on fire. We reported these threats to law enforcement multiple times and nothing was done, the statement began. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Throughout that time we were harassed regularly by individuals who made it clear they did not accept our relationship. Much of the harassment was openly homophobic, Tristan went on. When we returned to the site to check our mail we discovered the skull of one of our dogs and its harness placed in clear view. This caused both of us severe emotional distress. We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw. While we were doing this a man approached us. He started yelling violent homophobic slurs at us. He then raised a gun from his lap and fired, he alleged. Jonathan and I had no weapons. We were not threatening anyone. We were grieving. We were standing side by side. When the man fired Jonathan pushed me out of the way. He saved my life. Related: Celebrities Who Were Allegedly Horrible To Wait On At Restaurants, And Others Who Were Amazing And Tristan has bravely shared some more details from his husbands death in a devastating new interview with People, where he alleged that the gunman was laughing at them as Jonathan died. He also opened up about immediately knowing that there was no hope of saving Jonathan due to the severe damage caused by the really, really close range shot to his head. jonathan.joss.3 / Via Facebook @/ Via facebook.com He was struggling so hard, trying to stay alive, Tristan recalled. I held my husband's face together as best I could, and I told him how much I loved him, and that none of this was his fault. I told him he needed to cross over easy. He didn't need to keep fighting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I told him that no matter what, and in some way, shape, or form, well always be together, and he'll always be my husband, Tristan continued. He also claimed that the alleged gunman still had the gun pointed over him while his husband lay dying, adding: He was laughing. He mocked me for telling my husband that I loved him and used the same homophobic slurs. Tristan told the publication that he finds it hurtful whenever people try to say that it wasnt a hate crime, which is no doubt a reference to the San Antonio Police Department saying that they had found no evidence to indicate that Mr. Josss murder was related to his sexual orientation just one day after his murder. On Thursday, SAPD police chief William McManus admitted that he regretted making this statement, and said that it was way too soon for a hate crime to be ruled out. jonathan.joss.3 / Via Facebook @/ Via facebook.com That was way, way, way, premature, he said. We shouldnt have done it. It was way too soon before we had any real information. And I will own that I want to apologize to the LGBTQ+ community for the tragic loss of Mr. Joss, which has been heavily felt." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our homicide detectives are continuing to pursue every lead in this case to ensure that we understand the full picture of what led up to the senseless murder of Mr. Joss, McManus added during a press conference. McManus also addressed Tristans claims that their home was burnt down in an anti-gay hate crime, saying that they were working closely with the fire departments arson investigators, and that the investigation is still active. He went on to confirm that law enforcement had received approximately 70 calls over the past two years from both Jonathan and his neighbors over neighborhood-type disturbances. If you or someone you know has experienced anti-LGBTQ violence or harassment, you can contact the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs hotline at 1-212-714-1141. Also in Celebrity: 14 Celebrities Who Have So Many Kids, They're Basically Running Their Own Daycare, And 11 Who Said "Hmm, Hard Pass" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also in Celebrity: 21 Times Celebrities Revealed Wildly Juicy, Shady, Or Even Disturbing Things In Interviews Also in Celebrity: Kylie Jenner's First Met Gala Dress Made Her Bleed, And 20 Other Red Carpet Looks That Took "Beauty Is Pain" Wayyyy Too Far Candles, flowers, and notes are placed at a makeshift memorial in San Antonio, on Thursday, June 5, 2025, for voice actor Jonathan Joss - Credit: Eric Gay/AP Photo Police investigating the shooting death of actor Jonathan Joss have not ruled out his sexual orientation playing a role in his killing, despite an earlier statement suggesting otherwise. During a dispute Sunday night near his San Antonio, Texas home, Joss was shot and killed; a neighbor, identified by investigators as Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, was taken into custody and charged with murder. More from Rolling Stone Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following Joss death, the King of the Hill voice actors husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, said on social media that they were approached by the neighbor who began yelling homophobic slurs and fired his gun. Jonathan and I had no weapons. We were not threatening anyone, said de Gonzales. We were standing side by side. When the man fired, Jonathan pushed me out of the way. He saved my life. The day after Joss killing, the San Antonio police wrote on social media that despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that the Mr. Josss murder was related to his sexual orientation. However, during a press conference Thursday, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said that statement was premature. SAPD Homicide is currently investigating the murder of Mr. Jonathan Joss. Despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that the Mr. Josss murder was related to his sexual orientation. San Antonio PD (@SATXPolice) June 2, 2025 I will own that and simply say again that we simply shouldnt have done that. It was way too early in the process for any statement of that nature to be issued, McManus said, adding that authorities are investigating the actors sexual orientation as a possible motive. The loss of Jonathan Joss was tragic, most heavily felt by the LGBTQ+ community, McManus said (via the Associated Press). We gather the facts, and we give those facts to the district attorneys office. And then that hate crime designation is determined at sentencing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joss King of the Hill and Parks and Recreation co-stars and creators paid tribute to the actor following news of his death. King of the Hills co-creators, Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, and revival showrunner Saladin Patterson shared a post on Instagram alongside images of Joss and his character, John Redcorn. Jonathan brought King of the Hills John Redcorn to life for over a dozen seasons, including in the upcoming revival, they wrote. His voice will be missed at King of the Hill, and we extend our deepest condolences to Jonathans friends and family. Best of Rolling Stone Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Hot dogs with a side of shopping will soon be on the menu at select Walmart stores, including one in Colorado Springs. Southern California-based Wienerschnitzel,, the self-billed "world's largest hot dog chain," recently announced it will add six restaurants to select Walmart stores in Colorado Springs; Tempe, Ariz.; Bakersfield, Calif.; Alamogordo, N.M.; Reno, Nev.; and Puyallup, Wash. by this fall. It was unclear at which Colorado Springs Walmart store the chain plans to open a restaurant. Each restaurant will be owned and operated by "local high-caliber franchisees," none of whom were named, Wienerschnitzel said in a May 28 news release. Wienerschnitzel parent company The Galardi Group did not return The Gazette's calls requesting more information this week. The restaurants at each of the six Walmart locations will feature Wienerschnitzel's full quick-serve menu that includes a variety of hot dogs, corn dogs and veggie dogs as well as the brand's signature chili and chili cheese dogs; burgers; burritos; fries; and Tastee Freez ice cream. The expansion marks Wienerschnitzel's new focus on non-traditional growth, the company said in the release. As well as Walmart, Wienerschnitzel is actively focused on driving growth in high-traffic areas such as airports, food courts, convenience stores, military bases and theme parks. "Wienerschnitzel has spent decades building a strong reputation, especially on the West Coast, and this expansion into Walmart stores signifies a new era of growth for the brand," Shak Turner, director of franchise expansion for The Galardi Group, said in the release. "It's clear Wienerschnitzel's unique concept fills a specific void for multi-brand franchisees looking to grow their portfolios ... ." Sign up for free: Gazette Business Receive a weekly roundup of business news around El Paso County. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Featured Local Savings Through a non-traditional format, the company can modernize its footprint, reinforce the brand and reach more customers, said Ted Milburn, director of franchise development for The Galardi Group. "Growing inside these Walmart locations significantly expands our reach and opens the door for franchisees to tap into high-traffic locations with built-in demand," Milburn said. Former Taco Bell employee John Galardi founded Wienerschnitzel in 1961 with a single location south of Los Angeles. The brand now has 340 franchised locations in 13 states, with more than 50 units in various stages of development across the country, the company said in the release. All Wienerschnitzels are franchised; there are no corporate-run stores. Colorado currently has three Wienerschnitzel locations, according to its website, including at 4095 Austin Bluffs Parkway in Colorado Springs, which opened in 2021, and at 8045 Fountain Mesa Road in Fountain, which opened late last year. One other location operates in Grand Junction. The Hamburger Stand, Wienerschnitzel's sister company, has six locations throughout the Denver area. AmeriCorps members help load food and tableware during disaster relief in this photo from Jan. 1, 2023. (Photo courtesy AmeriCorps) A federal judge in Maryland on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to restore AmeriCorps programs and workers in the 24 states, and the District of Columbia, that sued to stop the deep cuts ordered in April by DOGE and the administration. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman said the administration failed to provide sufficient notice of the cuts, which were announced without warning in the case of AmeriCorps, nearly $400 million in grants were canceled after business hours on a Friday, and many workers only found out the next day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Boardman granted a preliminary injunction that temporarily blocks the cuts in the 25 jurisdictions, most led by Democrats, that filed the suit. Her order does not affect the program in the states that were not part of the suit, or the cuts ordered at the agencys headquarters. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly, in a statement Thursday, reiterated administration claims that AmeriCorps failed eight consecutive audits and reportedly made more than $45 million in improper payments just last year. President Trump has the right to restore accountability to the entire Executive Branch, and this will not be the final say on the matter, Kellys statement said. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown (D), who led the April 29 suit, with 22 other attorneys general and two governors, has argued the AmeriCorps cuts are unconstitutional because the programs funded by Congress can only be undone by those lawmakers. He welcomed Thursdays ruling, which he said safeguards life-changing services that help build a better Maryland. AmeriCorps programs provide critical resources that Maryland communities rely on to educate our students, preserve our parks, and feed our families through the dedicated service of selfless public servants who tutor children, care for the elderly, and protect public lands, Brown said in a statement. As this case continues, I will do everything in my power to defend these essential programs from the Trump administrations unlawful and reckless cuts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cuts came at the direction of billionaire Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Service and began in mid-April, when 85% of AmeriCorps administrative staff was placed on administrative leave, and a little more than a week later began receiving reduction-in-force notices. States were notified after hours on April 25, a Friday, that nearly $400 million in federal grants had been canceled effective immediately, that grant recipients must immediately cease all award activities and AmeriCorps members were to be let go and sent home due to the agencys termination of the grant and program closure. Officials said that in Maryland, the administrations cuts affected at least 550 positions at universities, state agencies and other organizations that offer programs such as mentoring services, food pantries and conservation. The state Department of Natural Resources said in a statement Thursday that the abrupt loss of AmeriCorps funding forced the cancellation of many summer park events and programs such as student field trips, programming for campers and other functions handled by conservation corps members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The positive impacts this program has on the State of Maryland can only partly be measured in statistics, Ranger Sara Marcinak, director of the Maryland Conservation Corps, said in a statement. The real value are the sparks of stewardship they set in peoples hearts and minds and the resulting fires they carefully tend to further cultivate that stewardship ethic. Thanks to some state and private funding, 17 members, or less than half of the states Conservation Corps were reactivated last week. This seasons environmental education program will continue through August. But state officials did not indicate when, or if, other AmeriCorps members might be back on board. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Boardmans order gave the government until 5 p.m. Friday to notify states and AmeriCorps members of her order, and she gave it until Tuesday to report back on what actions it has taken to implement the order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DNR spokesperson Gregg Bortz said the agency does not have a comment on Thursdays court decision. But a spokesperson for Gov. Wes Moore (D) praised Browns leadership in the fight against draconian cuts to AmeriCorps. Todays ruling makes it clear that the chaotic decision by Washington to immediately dismantle service pathways and abruptly dismiss committed AmeriCorps members actively strengthening our communities was erroneous, said Carter Elliott IV. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) one of two governors, along with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D), to join state attorneys general in the suit said on social media Thursday that the federal government made a commitment to organizations across the Commonwealth, and with the abrupt termination of AmeriCorps, the Trump Administration went back on that commitment without obeying the law. Boardman denied the states request to reverse the reductions-in-force of AmeriCorps administrative staff, saying the damage the states claimed as a result of those firings was too speculative. Besides Maryland and Washington, D.C., the other states named in the suit are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. WASHINGTON (AP) A federal judge has temporarily blocked a proclamation by President Donald Trump that banned foreign students from entering the U.S. to attend Harvard University. Trumps proclamation was the latest attempt by his Republican administration to prevent the nations oldest and wealthiest college from enrolling a quarter of its students, who account for much of its research and scholarship. It's the second time in a month Harvard's incoming foreign students have had their plans thrown into jeopardy, only to see a court intervene. Alan Wang, a 22-year-old from China who is planning to start a Harvard graduate program in August, said it has been an emotional roller coaster. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I cannot plan my life when everything keeps going back and forth. Give me some certainty: Can I go or not? Wang said. Wang was born and raised in China but attended college in the U.S. He's now in China for summer vacation. Recently he has been exploring options in countries with more appealing immigration policies, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Harvard filed a legal challenge on Thursday, asking for a judge to block Trumps order and calling it illegal retaliation for Harvards rejection of White House demands. Harvard said the president was attempting an end-run around a previous court order. A few hours later, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston issued a temporary restraining order against Trumps proclamation. Harvard, she said, had demonstrated it would sustain immediate and irreparable injury before she would have an opportunity to hear from the parties in the lawsuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Burroughs also extended the temporary hold she placed on the administration's previous attempt to end Harvard's enrollment of international students. Last month, the Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvard's certification to host foreign students and issue paperwork to them for their visas, only to have Burroughs block the action. Trumps order this week invoked a different legal authority. A court hearing is scheduled for June 16 to decide if the judge will extend the block on Trump's proclamation. If Trumps measure were to survive the court challenge, it would block thousands of students who are scheduled to go to Harvard's campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for the summer and fall terms. It would also direct the State Department to consider revoking visas for Harvard students already in the U.S. Harvards more than 7,000 F-1 and J-1 visa holders and their dependents have become pawns in the governments escalating campaign of retaliation, Harvard wrote Thursday in a court filing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the court case proceeds, Harvard is making contingency plans so students and visiting scholars can continue their work at the university, President Alan Garber said in a message to the campus and alumni. Each of us is part of a truly global university community, Garber said Thursday. We know that the benefits of bringing talented people together from around the world are unique and irreplaceable. Trump's proclamation invoked a broad law allowing the president to block any class of aliens whose entry would be detrimental to U.S. interests. It's the same basis for a new travel ban blocking citizens of 12 countries and restricting access for those from seven others. In its challenge, Harvard said Trump contradicted himself by raising security concerns about incoming Harvard students while also saying they would be welcome if they attend other U.S. universities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not only does this undermine any national security claim related to the entry of these individuals, it lays bare the Proclamations true purpose: to punish Harvard as a disfavored institution, the school wrote. Harvard has attracted a growing number of the brightest minds from around the world, with international enrollment growing from 11% of the student body three decades ago to 26% today. Rising international enrollment has made Harvard and other elite colleges uniquely vulnerable to Trump's crackdown on foreign students. Republicans have been seeking to force overhauls of the nation's top colleges, which they see as hotbeds of woke and antisemitic viewpoints. Garber says the university has made changes to combat antisemitism. But Harvard, he said, will not stray from its core, legally-protected principles, even after receiving federal ultimatums. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump's administration also has taken steps to withhold federal funding from Harvard since it rejected White House demands related to campus protests, admissions, hiring and more. Harvard's $53 billion endowment allows it to weather the loss of funding for a time, although Garber has warned of difficult decisions and sacrifices to come. ___ Associated Press writer Chrissie Thompson in Spokane, Washington, contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. By Jody Godoy NEW YORK (Reuters) -The judge overseeing former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape and sexual assault trial refused on Friday to dismiss a juror who said some jurors were treating others on the 12-person panel unfairly. "I just don't think it's fair and just," the juror told New York Supreme Court Justice Curtis Farber in court, referring to things other jurors were saying and doing behind another juror's back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There is a bit of a shunning happening," the juror said. The juror asked to be dismissed but Farber said there was no legal basis to do so after the juror confirmed that no one on the jury panel was pressuring him to change his view of the case. "If any other juror feels they need to talk to me, they can," the judge said. Weinstein's lawyers said they would make a proposal on how to address the matter later on Friday. Friday was the second day of jury deliberations. No other jurors were present during the exchange. Farber dismissed alternates from the jury on Thursday. Weinstein, 73, was convicted of rape by a Manhattan jury in February 2020, but the New York Court of Appeals threw out the conviction and ordered a new trial, citing errors by the trial judge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors say the Academy Award-winning producer raped aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013 and assaulted two other women in 2006 and 2002. Weinstein, who has denied ever having non-consensual sex or assaulting anyone, has pleaded not guilty. He faces up to 25 years in prison for two counts of criminal sexual acts and up to four years for one count of rape. Weinstein is already serving a 16-year prison sentence after being found guilty in December 2022 of rape in a separate California case. Prosecutors with the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg have portrayed Weinstein as a serial predator who promised career advancement in Hollywood to women, only to then coax them into private settings where he attacked them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weinsteins defense lawyers have said his encounters with the women were consensual and accused them of lying about being raped after failing to make it big in Hollywood by sleeping with him. (Reporting by Jody Godoy; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Howard Goller) BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) Two federal agencies cannot punish Catholic employers and health care providers if they refuse for religious reasons to provide gender-affirming care to transgender patients or won't provide health insurance coverage for such care to their workers, a federal judge ruled Thursday. The ruling from U.S. District Judge Peter Welte, the chief federal judge in North Dakota, bars the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from enforcing a health care rule it imposed in 2024 under Democratic President Joe Biden. The rule said that existing policies against sex discrimination covered discrimination based on gender identity, so that health care providers risked losing federal funds if they refused to provide gender-affirming care. Welte also barred the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from telling employers that a failure to have health plans cover gender-affirming care for their workers would represent discrimination based on sex that could lead to a lawsuit against them and penalties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judge rejected a request from an order of nuns, two Catholic homes and the Catholic Benefits Association, which represents employers, to impose similar bans on each agency covering abortion and fertility treatments Catholic organizations consider immoral. He said those claims were underdeveloped and not ready for court review. But he concluded that allowing the two agencies to enforce policies on gender-affirming care or health coverage for it would restrict employers' and health care providers' ability to live out their religious beliefs, violating a 1992 federal law meant to provide broad protections for religious freedoms. The HHS rule had a provision allowing the agency to make case-by-case exceptions based on religious beliefs, but Welte said that would be insufficient. The case-by-case exemption procedure leaves religious organizations unable to predict their legal exposure without furthering any compelling antidiscrimination interests, wrote Welte, who is based in Fargo. The two agencies did not immediately respond to email messages seeking comment Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Catholic Benefits Association serves more than 9,000 employers and about 164,000 employees enrolled in member health plans, according to its website. The group, founded in 2013, says it advocates for and litigates in defense of our members First Amendment rights to provide employee benefits and a work environment that is consistent with the Catholic faith. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects religious freedoms. Association General Counsel Martin Nussbaum welcomed the ruling, saying the organizations members want to do the right thing in their health plan and in their medical services that they provide for those medical providers, and this gives them protection to doing that. And he said the judge's ruling suggests there are no mandates from the federal government on abortion or fertility treatments, so there is no need to provide protection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that the Civil Rights Act's protections against discrimination based on sex also cover anti-LGBTQ+ bias in employment. The landmark 1964 act doesn't have specific provisions dealing with bias based on sexual orientation or gender identity. But courts also have intervened to limit how far the federal government can go in combating anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination when religious organizations or employers with religious beliefs against LGBTQ+ rights are involved. Both the HHS rule and the EEOC's policy on sex discrimination have their roots in efforts by President Barack Obama to protect LGBTQ+ rights in 2016, in his last year in office. When President Donald Trump began his second term in January, he issued an order saying the federal government would not recognize transgender people's gender identities. In April, two employees said the EEOC was classifying all new gender identity-related discrimination cases as its lowest priority, essentially putting them on indefinite hold. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 2024 HHS rule also covered bias based on pregnancy or related conditions," and the Catholic health care providers argued that they might face losing federal funds if they refused to perform abortions, in line with Catholic opposition to abortion. But HHS said the rule wouldn't have forced them to perform abortions or provide health coverage for abortions only that it couldn't refuse to care for someone because they'd had one, according to Welte. ___ Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas. Jun. 5KENNEBEC, S.D. A 12-member jury began deliberations Thursday afternoon in the second-degree manslaughter trial of Jan Bothma, following closing arguments from both the prosecution and defense at the Lyman County Courthouse. Bothma, 32, is charged in connection with an April 25, 2024, collision that occurred at the intersection of 305th Avenue and South Dakota Highway 248, near Presho. Authorities say he failed to stop a Case IH sprayer at a posted stop sign, resulting in a crash that killed 33-year-old Chance Veurink, of Vivian. Bothma was working in the area on a visa for a local farming operation at the time. In his closing statement, Lyman County State's Attorney Steve Smith framed the jurors' task as one of careful decision-making and responsibility. He told the jury that they had already made one difficult decision earlier in the week when they were selected and agreed to serve impartially. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "That was the second hardest decision you'll make in this courtroom," Smith said. "Now comes the hardest one determining whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty." Smith emphasized that the case centers on the choices made by Bothma. He argued that Bothma made a conscious decision to go through the intersection without stopping, despite knowing the risks involved. "He self-admittedly went through that stop sign," Smith said. "It was a true risk to go through it. It was a reckless choice a choice he made for himself to speed up, to get where he needed to go. But Chance Veurink wasn't safe because of that choice." Smith also highlighted Bothma's experience, stating he logged approximately 300 hours operating the same equipment on rural Lyman County roads. That level of familiarity, Smith argued, indicated that Bothma understood the capabilities and limitations of the sprayer, including its blind spots and the importance of checking for traffic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He was aware," Smith said. "He knew the risks and made the choice anyway." Defense attorney George Johnson challenged the state's characterization of Bothma's behavior as reckless. He argued that while Bothma made mistakes, including failing to fully clear the intersection, those actions did not meet the legal threshold for recklessness. Johnson said there was no evidence that Bothma was aware of Veurink's vehicle before the crash. "To be reckless, a person must consciously disregard a known risk," Johnson told the jury. "Bothma wasn't aware of any immediate danger. He may have been negligent maybe he should have looked harder but negligence is not the same as recklessness." Johnson also pointed to investigative shortcomings. He noted that three different law enforcement officers interacted with Bothma at the scene, but none asked him why he didn't stop at the sign. He further argued the state could not definitively prove Bothma was on his phone at the moment of impact, citing a lack of precise data from a phone expert. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In rebuttal, Smith reiterated the state's position: that Bothma's experience and situational awareness made it clear he understood the risks of not stopping. "This wasn't a mistake made by someone unfamiliar with the machine or the road," Smith said. "He took a risk and someone died as a result." Twelve jurors eight men and four women were selected from a larger pool on Monday. Two women were dismissed prior to deliberations beginning, leaving a 12-member panel to determine the verdict. Deliberations began shortly before noon Thursday. As of 3:25 p.m., the jury was still in deliberation. If convicted of second-degree manslaughter, a Class 4 felony in South Dakota, Bothma could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000. Judge Margo Northrup is presiding. NEW YORK (AP) A juror in Harvey Weinsteins sex crimes trial asked to be removed from the case Friday because he felt his fellow jurors were treating a member of their panel in an unfair and unjust way, but the judge told him he had to keep deliberating. Judge Curtis Farber later denied a defense request for a mistrial, saying he believed the juror was simply expressing discomfort in the deliberation process, noting that hes the youngest on the 12-person panel. This is nothing other than normal tensions during heated deliberations, Farber told the lawyers after the juror rejoined his peers. Perhaps his youth makes him uncomfortable with conflict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The second day of deliberations ended Friday without a verdict. Jurors are expected back in court Monday. Jurors reheard testimony from Weinsteins three accusers. They also reviewed other evidence, including medical records and emails. Twice on Friday, though, a juror requested to address the court without the other jurors present. The juror said he wanted to be excused from the trial because he was uncomfortable with how some jurors were acting toward another juror. But Farber denied the request, saying there were no more alternate jurors to replace him and, in any case, his concerns did not warrant being dismissed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The juror insisted, calling the treatment unfair and unjust even as he described the tension as playground stuff with jurors shunning another juror and talking behind their back. Weinsteins lawyer Arthur Aidala argued that the jury should be told to stop deliberating while the court found out more about the concerns. He criticized the judges questions to the concerned juror as anemic at best. You didnt ask him one follow-up question, Aidala said. Manhattan prosecutor Nicole Blumberg said the judge acted appropriately by reminding jurors about the expectations for them including that they not speak to anyone about the case unless all members of the jury are deliberating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The issue, she noted, does not appear to be hindering the jurys work, as the panel requested a readout of other testimony even after he raised concerns. Sexual misconduct allegations against Weinstein propelled the #MeToo movement in 2017. The jury of seven women and five men is considering two counts of criminal sex act and one count of rape against the 73-year-old Oscar-winning movie producer, with the criminal sex act charges the higher-degree felonies. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty. Weinstein was convicted of sex crimes in New York and California, but the New York conviction was overturned last year, leading to the retrial before a new jury and a different judge. Jurors heard more than five weeks of testimony, including lengthy testimony from three accusers. ___ Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo. MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WFRV) Maxwell Anderson, 34, has been found guilty on all charges after the jury concluded its deliberation on Friday morning in the case involving the murder and dismemberment of Sade Robinson in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, back in April 2024. Court records show that Anderson was found guilty of 1st-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, arson of property other than a building, and hiding a corpse. The jury delivered its verdict on the ninth day of the trial, June 6, around 9:15 a.m. Anderson will be sentenced on August 15 at 10 a.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement VIDEO: Last sighting of former Wisconsin resident Travis Decker before 3 girls found dead in Washington Anderson, of Milwaukee, was arrested on April 4, 2024, two days after a leg was found by a passerby down a bluff at Warnimont Park along Lake Michigan in Cudahy. Additional human remains were found on April 5 and April 6. Investigators believe Anderson killed Robinson on their first date on April 1, 2024, dismembered her body, and spread her remains around Milwaukee County. They also believe he burned her car to hide evidence. Sade Robinson was 19 years old at the time of her murder. Robinson had been reported missing on April 2 by a friend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. Jurors heard testimony on Thursday from the man whose uncorroborated allegations of 2020 election rigging spawned a series of defamation lawsuits against conservative political figures who publicly repeated that narrative. Jun. 5In two words, an El Paso jury on Thursday rendered a blow to the Trump administration's new attempt to charge migrants with additional crimes for crossing illegally into the U.S. at the Texas and New Mexico international borders. The "not guilty" verdict in U.S. Magistrate Court in El Paso came in the case of a Peruvian woman charged with the petty misdemeanor of entering restricted military property when she crossed into the U.S. on May 12 west of Tornillo, Texas. The jury did convict Adely Vanessa De La Cruz-Alvarez of the charge of illegal entry, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura Enriquez dismissed the third charge of violation of a security regulation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was one of the first times, if not the first, that average citizens have weighed in on the new "novel" approach to immigration enforcement at the U.S. border with Mexico. The Department of Defense, at the behest of the White House, established temporary military zones in April adjacent to the international border. The defense areas stretch about 180 miles in New Mexico and 63 miles in western Texas and signs are posted about every 100 yards warning of the restricted zones. "This is a victory," said Veronica Lerma, one of the El Paso defense attorneys in the case. "We hope this sends a message that there are attorneys willing to set these cases for jury trials and let the community decide." The jury deliberated for more than five hours after a two-day trial. Efforts to reach the U.S. Attorney's Office in El Paso for comment weren't successful Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lerma said her 21-year-old client, captured after she walked across the Rio Grande riverbed from Mexico, will likely be deported back to her home in Peru. She was sentenced to time served on the illegal entry conviction. "She was crying and hugged us (upon hearing she was acquitted of the trespass charge)," said another defense attorney, Shane McMahon. Conviction on the petty misdemeanor would have carried a prison term of up to six months. The violation of a security regulation charge carries up to a year in prison. The new regulations are part of the Trump administration's push to deter undocumented immigrants from entering the country illegally. The potentially stiffer penalties, coupled with threats of mass deportations for some immigrants to El Salvadoran prisons are all part of a larger plan to reduce unlawful crossings to zero. "Many of these aliens unlawfully within the United States present significant threats to national security and public safety, committing vile and heinous acts against innocent Americans," reads an executive order, "Protecting the American People from Invasion," signed on President Donald Trump's first day in office. "Others are engaged in hostile activities, including espionage, economic espionage, and preparations for terror-related activities. Many have abused the generosity of the American people, and their presence in the United States has cost taxpayers billions of dollars at the Federal, State, and local levels." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before this new militarized zone, those convicted of illegal entry, typically charged for first time offenders, are deported after serving a brief stint in jail awaiting resolution of their cases. Defense attorneys argued that there was no evidence that De La Cruz knew the border area she entered was military property. Federal prosecutors contended that there was no need to prove she saw the signs or had specific knowledge because she intended to willfully violate the law by crossing illegally into the U.S. No such jury trials have occurred in New Mexico, according to court records. An estimated 700 cases involving military trespass violations at the New Mexico National Defense Area have been filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office, but the prosecutions have been rocky. Earlier this week, the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Mexico struck out when attempting to reinstate dozens of the military trespass charges dismissed by the state's chief U.S. Magistrate judge in Las Cruces on May 19. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. District Judge Sarah M. Davenport of New Mexico ruled Monday that there was no legal avenue to appeal because of the way the cases were charged. The judge didn't address the primary argument being raised in such cases: that the defendants didn't know that the border area they entered was a military property. Davenport wrote that the charges dismissed by Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Gregory Wormuth pertained to his ruling on a criminal complaint. Wormuth found the government lacked probable cause to bring military trespassing-related charges against a woman from Uzbekistan arrested in southern New Mexico in May. Davenport concluded that because a criminal complaint was the mechanism by which the charges were filed, the government had no legal right to appeal. Asked about the ruling, U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison of New Mexico told the Journal through a spokeswoman on Thursday, "We remain committed to the commonsense principle that border security is national security. Every nation has the right and obligation to know exactly who and what is coming across its borders. While we respectfully disagree with the adverse rulings from the Court, the United States Attorney's Office is considering all available next steps including various avenues of appeal and will act with confidence in the merits of our position. Together with our military and Border Patrol partners, we have already made tremendous strides towards achieving operational control of our southern border." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Davenport stated that the U.S. Attorney's Office can simply file what is known as a criminal information and continue such prosecutions. And, in recent weeks, that's what federal prosecutors have done in hundreds of cases. By filing criminal charges via an information, "it takes it out of a magistrate's hands," said McMahon on Thursday. But that could lead to the cases going to trial, as happened in El Paso. Jun. 6---- The teen previously charged with attempted murder as a juvenile, in connection with an October was arraigned as an adult Wednesday in Per a June 2 court order, Talan James Lehmann was certified as an adult, just days before his 18th birthday. Lehmann is charged with the same offenses alleged in the juvenile petition, including second-degree attempted murder without intent while committing felony. He is also charged with a felony count of dangerous weapons for shooting toward an occupied vehicle, second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm while under the age of 18. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Kandiyohi County Attorney's Office, in its May filing to charge Lehmann as an adult, cited the seriousness of the charges, writing that while the juvenile "does not have a prior record of delinquency, he has shown an escalation of violent behavior that is unlikely to stop." Judge Melissa Listug ultimately agreed that five out of the six factors weighed in favor of adult certification in this case and that prosecution shall occur on the same offenses alleged in the juvenile delinquency petition. She further ordered that Lehmann remain in custody at a secure Prairie Lakes Youth Programs facility until he can be transported to the Kandiyohi County Jail. During the arraignment Wednesday, Judge Richard Perkins set unconditional bail at $750,000 or $150,000 with conditions including that Lehmann have no contact with the alleged victim in the case, submit to random drug testing and not use or possess any alcohol or drugs, unless prescribed. The shooting was reported Oct. 27. While being treated in the emergency room of CentraCare Rice Memorial Hospital, a 17-year-old from Willmar told police he had been at a party and saw a car following him on his way home. He heard shots and felt that he had been hit in the back, according to the complaint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lehmann was arrested by Willmar police in January after police executed search warrants at two southeast Willmar residences, described in the complaint as kitty-corner to each other. Lehmann lived at one of the residences. Four other adults who lived at the two residences also were arrested. All four including first-degree drug offenses after police confiscated more than 22 pounds of marijuana from both addresses, along with other drugs and thousands of dollars in cash. One of the four adults arrested reported to officers that Lehmann allegedly shared details about the October 2024 shooting sometime after it had happened, including the fact that "another kid named Carsten" was reportedly driving the vehicle he had shot from. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carsten Ronald Tallman, 19, of Wilmar, was arrested immediately after the shooting. He is dangerous weapons drive-by shooting toward an occupied vehicle, second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, illegal possession of ammunition and/or a firearm, and fifth-degree drug possession, all felony offenses. According to the narrative in court records, Tallman denied being involved in the shooting. He has since been transported to the Renville County Jail, where he remains in custody on a $350,000 conditional bail or $750,000 without any conditions. His next court hearing is currently scheduled for July 15. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the criminal complaint filed against Lehmann, rounds found in the suspect vehicle involved in the shooting were examined by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. An ATF report returned in November found four other reported incidents in 2024 that are "potential links/matches" and that the same firearm could have been used in all four cases. Officers recovered a 9mm handgun in the basement of the residence where Lehmann is said to have stayed, along with six 9mm casings reportedly located in Lehmann's room. After his arrest, Lehmann agreed to speak with investigators. Lehmann stated he was the only person involved and said Tallman was not with him the night of the shooting, but "did not know why" the suspect vehicle had been found near Tallman's residence in Willmar. According to the complaint, he also indicated that he felt bad for the juvenile male who was injured in the shooting, but then ended the interview. Lehmann was not listed as in custody on the Kandiyohi County Jail roster as of mid-afternoon Thursday. His next court hearing is currently scheduled for Aug. 12. Jun. 6---- The is on the verge of what could prove to be one of its most significant projects in its 91-year history. The omnibus bill that is expected to be approved by the 2025 Legislature includes a $2.4 million allocation from the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council to the local district for a comprehensive project to restore the headwaters area of Shakopee Creek. The funding comes along with a partnership with the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources. It will separately make available Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement funding for easements to protect improvements to portions of the stream bank in the headwaters. The Outdoor Heritage Council funding represents a significant commitment for a district of this size, according to Margaret Johnson, director of the Kandiyohi SWCD. She said the comprehensive project, if successful, could prove to be the foundation for similar work in other areas of the county. Johnson said she and her staff and landowners who have already expressed interest are very excited about the opportunities ahead. The effort will focus on restoring the terrestrial and aquatic habitat along the meandering creek by addressing stream bank erosion and sloughing, scouring and degraded areas along the waterway. Field crossings and small dams that are in disrepair many of them 50 and 60 years old will be removed or fixed to restore connectivity for aquatic life in the waterway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sloughing and stream bank erosion will be addressed on a site-by-site basis. Engineers will determine the best means of protecting against erosion and restoring natural habitat on the stream banks. The work will be performed only landowners voluntarily participate, Johnson emphasized. The Soil and Water Conservation District has already received verbal support from some landowners. She is hopeful of finding more support as the district reaches out directly to landowners to inform them of possible improvements. The headwaters area for the project runs from the creek's outlet on Lake Andrew to its crossing at County Road 5 near Lake Florida. Shakopee Creek weaves its way through a rolling landscape of glacial till in this scenic area. The glacial soils are vulnerable to erosion. An altered hydrology resulting from roadways and other infrastructure have served to fragment and degrade habitat in this stretch of the waterway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The habitat restoration aims to benefit both the aquatic and terrestrial life, according to Johnson. It's hoped the improvements can benefit native species of special concern in Minnesota. The pugnose shiner, which is a slender minnow, and two bird species the Forster's tern and lark sparrow are among the species a restored habitat could benefit. The grant funds will be available for a five-year project time frame, according to Johnson. She is hopeful that the improvements will build community support and bring people together to further enhance the natural habitat in this corridor. The habitat and water quality issues in Shakopee Creek are hardly unique. If this project works as hoped, Johnson said it could provide the foundation for work in other waterway segments in the county, such as Chetumba Creek, Judicial Ditch 1 by Big Kandiyohi Lake, and Kandiyohi Creek by the community of Kandiyohi. KANSAS CITY, Mo. Security camera footage from Friday morning shows the front door of Ruby Jeans Kitchen and Juicery being smashed in, as would-be thieves unlocked the door and let themselves in. It was an all too familiar call, said Ruby Jeans owner, Chris Goode, about learning of the break-in. A call that Ive gotten many times before. Goode says this is the eighth break-in at the business, they were able to catch the door smashing on their security cameras. Goode described it as a couple of people taking a hammer and just having way too much time to hammer through security film, through glass, reach their hand through, and unlock the door. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite the frustrating circumstances, Goode said hes focusing on the positives of the situation. Yes, its infuriating, but its no, theres no progress in that pain, Goode said. Theres no progress in being pissed. He says its all a part of being an entrepreneur. Youve got to be able to accept the lows as much as you celebrate the highs, you have no choice in entrepreneurship, he said. Because we know we dont have crystal balls, you know, we dont have long runways of funding. We dont have just endless copious amounts of customers all the time. But its a faith walk. Hes encouraging other entrepreneurs, enduring the faith walk, to push forward. He said its because he knows you reap what you sow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The investment they made that night into their time to break into this door, thats coming back to them, Goode said. How we invest of ourselves no matter what, whether its good or bad, thats a deposit. And there theres going to be a return for that. Even though its his eighth break-in, Goode says theres nothing government or law enforcement can do to address the issue. He says its a community issue that requires a community-focused solution. I would bet that theres more opportunity on the other side of community and of shaking peoples hand and of telling people about your struggles and your circumstance than there is coming into a juice bar at 4 a.m. in the morning, Goode said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said the community that surrounds his business never fails to pick him up when he struggles, and he hopes that it catches on. Every single time [theres a break-in] theres a flood of comments, a flood of support. We had a line to the door that day, he added. As Ruby Jeans gets ready to celebrate 10 years in business, Goode said they arent going anywhere. Download WDAF+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV Ive been rooted here. I and my team, were not running. Were only going to dig deeper trenches here and figure out ways to be a part of healing, he said. FOX4 reached out to the Kansas City Police Department for their report on the incident, but we did not hear back in time for the deadline for this story. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. KANSAS (KSNT) With the possibility of federal tax credits being repealed, low energy assistance programs on the chopping block and Evergy seeking a rate hike, Kansans face a triple-whammy when it comes to energy bills. Several studies from this year indicate the average electric bill for families could rise as much as $400 under Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), according to The Independent. The Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA) raised the red flags in a recently commissioned report on May 15 on the repeal of federal energy tax credits. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget reports that under the bill, $249 billion in energy investment, production and manufacturing credits would be phased out. Additionally, the bill would strip funding for various environmental projects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cutting federal investment and production tax credits could raise electricity and natural gas prices and lead to an economic slowdown, according to the CEBA. The report claims that cutting the credits could lower household incomes in 19 states between 2026 and 2032. What to know for Germanfest 2025 in Topeka If these tax credits disappear, American households and businesses in both red and blue states would experience economic harm, CEBA CEO Rich Powell wrote in the report from May 15. This is not a partisan issue. Americans voted to combat the cost-of-living crisis in the 2024 election. Now is the time for Congress to incentivize private investment in more sources of low-cost, reliable energy that fuels economic growth and jobs, helps the United States secure energy dominance and independence, and decreases energy costs nationwide. Kansas could lose 5,250 jobs and see energy prices increase 14.3% for households and 16.7% for businesses, according to CEBA. CEBA also reported that Kansas could see an average loss of $420 in household incomes and a $600 million decrease in state GDP. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 27 News reached out to Evergy to see what federal tax credits they receive, have applied for, and whether theyll lose them under the OBBBA. The company didnt answer questions regarding tax credits but said its working with the Edison Electric Institute to see how changes in legislation would impact the industry. The bill is not final and predicting what effect it may have on prices is unknowable given the changing nature of generation sources and increased usage, Evergy spokesperson Gina Penzig wrote. Car insurance rates in Kansas and the impact of traffic violations Evergy has submitted a request with the Kansas Corporation Commission for $196.4 million, or an 8.62% rate increase, to cover the cost of increased operating expenses. If the proposal is approved as-is, the new electric rates would take hold in September 2025. Residential customers could see an average monthly increase of $13.05. Evergy will be holding public hearings on the rate hike proposals later this month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those arent the only things that could hurt wallets. On Tuesday, April 1, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) terminated the employment of everyone working on the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), according to a now-former employee. Kansass Low-income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) helped distribute funds from LIHEAP to lower-income families under the Department of Children and Families. Those programs wont be continued under the OBBBA, according to the Independent. Free driving school for teens coming to Topeka To date, the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) has not received information from federal partners about any potential impacts to Kansas Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP), DCF Deputy Director of Media Relations Erin La Row told 27 News in April. The current LIEAP application period ended on March 31, 2025. DCF continues to process applications and draw down federal funds as usual at this time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 27 News checked back with DCF on June 5 for a status update on LIEAP. La Row said DCF still hasnt received any updates from its federal partners. For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. A recreation of the spaceship from "Doctor Who," made by artist Sheila Roberts, sits on a Kansas prairie trail owned by Laura Mead, who opens up the trail to help people find a deeper understanding of self. (Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector) DOVER A recreation of a TARDIS the blue British police box and time-traveling spaceship from Doctor Who sits on a Kansas prairie with one purpose: fostering connection, both with oneself and with others. Other art installations along a walking path in Laura Mead and Dave Kendalls backyard in Dover form a meditative journey and, like their well-attended virtual town hall in February for an absent U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, represent the couples mission to reignite dialogue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are a few other literal and figurative bells and whistles the TARDIS leads to an artistic interpretation of the spaceship, complete with a console, for example. Through the doors of Laura Meads TARDIS is an artistic interpretation of the console, made by artist Dustin Sypher. (Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector) Mead hears a common response to their work: I feel less alone. People are longing to feel connected. Theyre longing to feel a part of something, and shared values, Mead said. As we become more isolated in these bubbles, it becomes harder to even talk to people who think differently. Its hard to find them. The virtual town hall they hosted lasted two and a half hours, which signaled to them that Kansans are looking for a space to talk. As a next step, theyre producing a forthcoming podcast about how government changes affect peoples lives. At the town hall, both Republicans and Democrats shared their lived experiences. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mead sees the value of diverse opinions and perspectives reflected back in the prairie but also the harm of negativity. During a walk through the prairie, she pointed to a small patch of land with about a dozen types of plants. Farther down the path, closer to the highway and before the art installations, an invasive species had taken over a stretch. The couple consulted with specialists and sprayed the grass with chemicals, which stopped the spread. The brown patches show where an invasive species began to take over and was killed with chemicals, turning the grass brown. (Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector) This just blows my mind, Mead said. There are seed banks underground where these seeds can last for 50 or more years. And if the conditions are right, they just bloom. And unfortunately, metaphorically, I think the conditions are right right now for some of the less established parts of human nature to bloom. Their property is a registered agritourism site, and they offer free appointments to walk the trails. Mead has seen people who were initially resistant to the walk, usually brought there by an eager partner, return more connected with themselves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mead gestured toward a white bench nestled between two trees. She recalled an older man who had been unsure about joining the walk but was eventually persuaded by his wife. Mead said the man sat on the bench for about 30 minutes and upon return shared that he had been able to truly listen to himself. In this liminal space were in, theres an opportunity for some of our best qualities to bloom, Mead said. I think there is a basic human goodness. And if we can create the right environment, that will arise. Kendall, who has written opinion columns for Kansas Reflector, grew up on a Kansas farm. After some time in California, he returned. Mead grew up in Vermont, then moved to the prairie a part of the world where both Kendall and Mead feel a connection. Kendall is especially worried about the Trump administrations approach to climate change. You cant care about the climate until youre in it, Kendall said. Dave Kendall believes a connection with nature can foster better climate change policy. (Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector) They believe stability, both emotional and political, can be achieved through connection. Their forthcoming podcast series will provide a platform where people from all backgrounds can answer the questions: How have changes in the federal government affected your life? What kind of America do you want to live in? What is important to you? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This dehumanizing and othering is a difficult thing for people. It makes me unpopular in some circles, but we cant other even the people that are following the policies of this administration, Mead said, referring to President Donald Trump. We can disagree, which I do. Mead said that connection has allowed her to see that people on the other side of her politically are wanting safety, security, and respect. The couple run Prairie Hollow Productions, a documentary production company, for which they interviewed former Republican U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum. I learn every time I talk to Senator Kassebaum, because shes intelligent. Shes thoughtful. Even if we dont necessarily agree with certain budget items or whatever, I like that kind of exchange with people. Its healthy, Mead said. So my hope is that our society will deescalate some of this vitriol, deescalate some of this othering and find a way to talk again. GEARY COUNTY (KSNT) Law enforcement in Geary County seized a vehicle on I-70 containing thousands of pounds of illegal drugs. The Geary County Sheriffs Office posted on social media on that on June 2 it participated in a joint law enforcement effort in which deputies pulled over a vehicle on I-70 for traffic infractions. Officers searched the vehicle, finding 3,280 pounds of marijuana and 260 pounds of cocaine in a trailer. The total estimated value of the find is around $4 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Murder charge filed after death of 35-year-old Topeka man (Photo Courtesy/Geary County Sheriffs Office) (Photo Courtesy/Geary County Sheriffs Office) The sheriffs office contacted the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to assist with the investigation. Officers arrested two Californians in connection with this investigation. This operation is a powerful example of what law enforcement can accomplish when we work together across jurisdictional lines, said Geary County Sheriff Nate Boeckman. The commitment and coordination of all agencies involved was key to this success. Emotions run high as Dana Chandler is sentenced in 2002 double-murder case For more crime news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. Kara Swisher, renowned tech journalist and podcast host, weighed in on the ongoing battle between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, saying the controversial commander-in-chief has met his match with the Tesla CEO. Im not sure Donald Trump has dealt with someone who really is a scorched Earth kind of personality, Swisher told CNNs Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown during a guest appearance. At the time, Pamela asked the Pivot co-host which of the two, between Trump or Musk, has more to lose in their fallout. Elons willing to take a lot of risks, Swisher continued As you see, he blows up rockets to see which one can work. So he doesnt mind chaos in that regard, in a way that Donald Trump I dont think quite understands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Swishers thoughts came as response to Trump and Musks ongoing spat that started up earlier this week after Musk slammed Trumps big, beautiful spending bill, and follows Musks exit as Trumps Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) last week. Since then, Musk argued hes the only reason Trump got elected in the first place and even stated Trumps connected to notorious financier Jeffrey Epstein. In response, but after serving Musk with a bit of the silent treatment, Trump threatened to end Musks government contracts. Swisher noted Musk, who she says is giving Fatal Attraction vibes, is probably upset that he got booted from the White House, supposing hopes to stay on as the head of DOGE beyond the 130-day period were denied. While Musks businesses have taken a hit, Swisher said the tech billionaire is locked and loaded for an all-out showdown if triggered. Obviously, Elons lost a lot of money, gained a little bit back. Tesla stock, for example, went way down, $150 billion, and then it rose a little bit more when the idea that it would calm down a little bit. So hes got financial things at stake, but he doesnt care; thats the issue, Swisher said. She continued: They could certainly investigate him, the justice department. There were a bunch of investigations that got quashed. They could un-quash them, I guess. In terms of Donald Trump, [Musk] could just keep up the drumbeat of recession, chaos, overspending. Hes got one of the worlds biggest platforms. Hes one of the worlds most famous people, aside of Donald Trump. So this isnt just anybody leading the White House. This is someone who has the ability to do something about it if he feels wronged. The post Kara Swisher Says Trump Has Met His Match in Battle With Elon Musk: He Doesnt Mind Chaos appeared first on TheWrap. A key defense witness was called to the stand Friday morning when testimony in Karen Reads murder retrial resumed after jurors were given Thursday off due to concerns about the heat. Read, 45, is accused of striking John OKeefe, her Boston police officer boyfriend, with her Lexus SUV and leaving him to die alone in a blizzard outside of a house party in Canton at the home of fellow officer Brian Albert on Jan. 29, 2022, following a night of drinking. Friday marks Day 28 of the retrial of Read, who said Wednesday that her legal team is closing in on resting its case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NOW ON THE STAND: Dr. Daniel Wolfe, director of accident reconstruction for ARCCA WATCH LIVE starting at 9 a.m.: Day 28 of Karen Read's retrial KEY DEFENSE WITNESS TAKES STAND Dr. Daniel Wolfe, the director of accident reconstruction for ARCCA, was the first witness called to the stand Friday. Wolfe first testified on behalf of Read in June 2024 and stated that injuries to OKeefe werent consistent with a vehicle strike. Before the start of Reads second trial, special prosecutor Hank Brennan alleged that the defense hid communications with ARCCA, as well as a more than $23,000 payment they allegedly made to the engineering consulting firm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wolfe and his colleague, Dr. Andrew Rentschler, were originally hired as part of a federal investigation into the murder case. Court updates from Ted Daniel: Jury is being excused for the weekend. Dr. Wolfe will be back on Monday. Judge asks jury if they can stay a full day Thursday. Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) June 6, 2025 HB: You would agree there can be a clip of a pedestrian that causes significant damage to a tail light, where the pedestrian incurs no lower body injuries whatsoever. That can happen, can it? DW: Well, I don't know that I would describe this as a clip to the arm. This is this Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) June 6, 2025 Brennan is questioning Dr. Wolfe's credentials, communication with defense on Signal, and impartiality HB: The truth is, before you testified, you are communicating with the defense and attempting the best you could to assist their cause. DW: I wouldn't characterize it that Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) June 6, 2025 Brennan's is now crossing Dr. Wolfe from ARCCA HB: Is there any reason why you deleted all of your text communications with the defense? DW: Well, it's something that that I routinely do. I work with attorneys and clients all the time, whether it's appearing for trial or Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) June 6, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The temperature rises this week in the Karen Read trial. -Officer Dever (not Deever) -Luckys plow-by -dollar bill size taillight damage. -proposed jury instructions Perspective from a reporter in the courtroom and a lawyer who knows his stuff - @LawyerYouKnow PODCAST Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) June 6, 2025 Daniel Wolfe showing ARCCA's 17 mph impact test DW: the outer lens broke into approximately four pieces in the 17 mile per hour test. (taillight) DW: There were no punctures, holes or fraying (sweatshirt) pic.twitter.com/N5DV9GNiEz Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) June 6, 2025 Dr. Wolfe says he used a Lexus SUV similar to Karen Read's for testing. Commonwealth expert did the same. Unclear if Read or the Feds paid for it. AJ: were you hampered or hindered in any way in terms of damaging the vehicle or utilizing the vehicle in any way that you wished? Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) June 6, 2025 Dr. Wolfe talking about the cannon he built to simulate a drinking glass being thrown at a taillight. DW: "from the 37 mile per hour test... we observed damage that was generally consistent with that of the subject taillight." AJ: were you able to conclude, in your opinion, pic.twitter.com/vZBvAaMLiF Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) June 6, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here we go... day 28. Dr. Daniel Wolfe from the ax recon firm ARCCA is on the stand. Live stream here:https://t.co/1QZHaOWqP5 pic.twitter.com/a6QAJjljA0 Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) June 6, 2025 READ SAYS DEFENSE NEARING END OF CASE After Canton snowplow driver Brian Lucky Loughran and Canton resident Karina Kolokithas testified on behalf of the defense on Wednesday, Read was asked outside of Dedhams Norfolk Superior Court, When do you think youll [defense] wrap? Read said, Tuesday, give or take. The retrial, now in its eighth week, has brought 38 witnesses for the prosecution and seven for the defense so far. Since the prosecution rested its case last week, Reads legal team has called seven witnesses to the stand: Motor vehicle accident reconstructionist Matt DiSogra, Michael Proctors childhood friend Jonathan Diamandis, dog bite expert Dr. Marie Russell, former Canton Police Officer Kelly Dever, and Dighton Police Sgt. Nicholas Barros, in addition to Loughlan and Kolokithas. SNOWPLOW DRIVER SAYS HE SAW NOTHING During Wednesdays half-day of testimony, Loughran, who works for the town of Canton, told the court that he was plowing overnight before OKeefe was found dead. Just like in Reads first trial, Loughran testified that his route took him by Alberts home at 34 Fairview Road and that there was no body on the lawn when he drove by. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The prosecution alleges Read struck OKeefe around 12:45 a.m. and that OKeefes body was on the lawn until about 6 a.m. that morning. Loughran said he drove by the home at 2:45 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., noticing nothing suspicious. Again on Wednesday, Loughran told the court, I saw nothing. WOMAN WHO WAS OUT WITH OKEEFE BEFORE HIS DEATH RECALLS NIGHT AT WATEFALL Kolokithas, a Canton resident who was out with OKeefe and Karen Read the night before he was found dead, was called to the stand by the defense after Loughran was dismissed. Kolokithas hung out at the Waterfall Bar and Grill with Read and OKeefe. She recalled drinking water that night due to her propensity for migraines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While speaking with Read at the Waterfall, Kolokithas said Read praised OKeefe for stepping in for his niece and nephew. Kolokithas said she also saw Read and OKeefe lovingly embracing each other. JURORS GOT THURSDAY OFF Judge Beverly Cannone canceled Thursdays testimony, telling the jury on Wednesday, I understand tomorrow is supposed to be very hot. Court officers are concerned about how were going to keep the fans and air conditioners going, and be allowed to hear the witnesses. Prosecutors allege Read intentionally backed into OKeefe after she dropped him off at the house party and returned hours later to find him dead. The defense has claimed that she was a victim of a vast police conspiracy and that OKeefe was fatally beaten by another law enforcement officer at the party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death. A mistrial was declared last year after jurors said they were at an impasse and deliberating further would be futile. Before the jury enters the courtroom Karen Read shares a lighthearted moment with her defense team, during her second murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool) Karen Read sits with her defense team, from left, Robert Alessi, Elizabeth Little, Alan Jackson, and David Yannetti during her murder retrial in Norfolk Superior Court, in Dedham, Mass., Monday June 2, 2025. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Karen Read during her trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool) Defendant Karen Read, center, and defense lawyer David Yannetti, right, listen as Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik testifieds during the Karen Read murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 9, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Defense lawyer Alan Jackson, left, questions Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik during the Karen Read murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 9, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool) Karen Read talks with her attorneys Robert Alessi and David Yannetti during her trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool) Karen Read and her defense team watch jurors leave the courtroom during Read's murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool) Karen Read speaks with her defense attorney, Alan Jackson, during her retrial in Norfolk Superior Court, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell, Pool) Defense attorney Robert Alessi, center, confers with Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone as Karen Read, left, stands by during a sidebar during Read's murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool) Karen Read, who is accused of killing her boyfriend Boston police Officer John O'Keefe, in 2022, during her murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool) Karen Read, who is accused of killing her boyfriend Boston police Officer John O'Keefe, in 2022, during her murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool) Karen Read and attorney Alan Jackson look at the empty jury box while listening to Judge Cannone during Read's murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool) Karen Read looks on during her trial Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool) Defendant Karen Read, right, confers with her attorneys Alan Jackson, left, and Robert Alessi, center, before Read's trial in Norfolk Superior Court, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle, Pool) Defendant Karen Read talks with her attorneys during her murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Mark Chavous/Enterprise News via AP, Pool) Karen Read Dedham, MA - April 12: Karen Read at her pre-trial hearing at Norfolk Superior Court. (Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) Karen Read watches attorney Robert Alessi make a point during her trial at Norfolk Superior Court at Dedham, Mass., on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool) Judge approves joint motion to delay start of Karen Reads 2nd murder trial Dedham, MA - July 1: Karen Read looks toward the jurors, as they are greeted by Judge Beverly J. Cannone (not pictured) in Norfolk Superior Court. (Photo by Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) All stand as the jury files out to the courtroom, to start their fifth day of deliberations in the murder trial for Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Monday, July 1, 2024. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool) Karen Read jurors tell judge theyve been unable to reach unanimous verdict Day 3 of jury deliberations finishes without verdict in Karen Read trial Karen Read awaits the juries verdict in her murder case at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday June 26, 2024. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP) Defense attorneys in Karen Read murder trial argue with judge over jury verdict slip Some witnesses are in the courtroom on Tuesday include Brian Albert, Colin Albert, and Jennifer McCabe. Karen Read Karen Read, center right, is seated Monday, June 10, 2024, in Norfolk Super Court, in Dedham, Mass., during her trial on charges in connection with the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston police Officer John O'Keefe. (Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool) Karen Read is seated Monday, June 10, 2024, in Norfolk Super Court, in Dedham, Mass., during her trial on charges in connection with the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston police Officer John O'Keefe. (Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool) Karen Read Karen Read smiles after listening to her attorney Alan Jackson during her trial at Norfolk County Superior Court, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. Read, 44, is accused of running into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in the middle of a nor'easter and leaving him for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool) Karen Read Karen Read Karen Read sits with her legal team team in court Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. Read, 44, is accused of running into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in the middle of a nor'easter and leaving him for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (David McGlynn/New York Post via AP, Pool) Karen Read sits with her legal team team in court, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. Read, 44, is accused of running into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in the middle of a nor'easter and leaving him for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (David McGlynn/New York Post via AP, Pool) Get caught up with all of the latest in Karen Reads retrial. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell posted to his X account from inside a federal courtroom seven times during the first day of his defamation trial, which ignores strict rules in place to prevent such activity, according to a late-night court filing on Tuesday. Week seven of the Karen Read retrial saw the defense team continue to develop its theories of the case and give jurors reasons to question the prosecution. The week opened with some of the most damaging text messages from the now-fired lead investigator, Michael Proctor, who prosecutors did not call during their case-in-chief. Shes a whack job c-word, read Special Prosecutor Hank Brennan in court, quoting Proctors texts to old friends from Canton High School. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Witnesses included a former Canton police officer who clashed with defense attorney Alan Jackson and a doctor with more than 35 years of experience in emergency medicine and forensic pathology, who said John OKeefes arm injuries were consistent with dog bites. A Dighton police officer also testified, directly contradicting the claims by investigators about Reads taillight being smashed on the morning of Jan. 29, 2022 the morning OKeefe was found unresponsive and died. Read told reporters on Wednesday that she anticipates the defense to call its final witnesses next Tuesday. With the trial nearing the final stretch, here are the key takeaways from week seven. Prosecutor reads Proctors texts: Homeowner is a Boston cop too. Jonathan Diamandis, a friend of Proctor, testified about the text messages Proctor sent in a group chat that spanned several years and contained more than 38,000 texts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Proctor sent some of the texts the day he began investigating OKeefes death. Brennan attempted to prevent the text messages from being read in court, arguing the defense should call Proctor himself, but ultimately, Judge Beverly Cannone allowed the text messages into evidence Monday morning. Reading from a printout, Diamandis said Proctor told his high school buddies that the powers that be want answers ASAP about what happened to OKeefe. When a friend asked Proctor if the homeowner where OKeefe was found would face scrutiny, Proctor replied, Nope. Homeowner is a Boston cop too. Reads lawyers have argued that the Massachusetts State Police investigation focused on her from the start and never considered other possibilities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She waffled him, Proctor wrote, meaning he believed Read struck OKeefe. She hit him with her car, he wrote. A friend asked if OKeefe was beaten up, but Proctor said, Nope. One friend wrote back that something stinks, but Proctor said, There will be some serious charges brought on the girl. Other texts included: Shes a whack job [expletive] A babe with a weird Fall River accent Shes [expletive] Nutbag with a leaky balloon knot, a reference to medical conditions At one point, Proctor told his friends he was writing a warrant. Former Canton police officer claims false memory Kelly Dever, a former Canton police officer, took the stand on Monday and delivered tense and, at times, combative testimony. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She currently works for the Boston Police Department, but she worked an overnight patrol shift in Canton the night into Jan. 29, 2022. Dever went to the station that night to work as a dispatcher. She spoke with federal agents in August 2023 the only investigators who questioned her as part of an investigation into OKeefes death. Neither the state police nor Canton police interviewed her. She told the agents she saw then-Canton Police Chief Ken Berkowitz and federal agent Brian Higgins inside the stations sally port, where police brought Reads SUV. Higgins had been at the bar with Read and OKeefe and later went to 34 Fairview Road, where OKeefes body was found. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, under questioning by the prosecutor, Dever called the statement a false memory that she provided in good faith. She said it wouldnt have been possible because she left her shift before the SUV arrived. At some point before her testimony, Dever told the prosecutor, a defense attorney threatened to charge her with perjury if she didnt repeat the statement about Berkowitz and Higgins. It was very clear, given the timeline, it could not be correct, Dever said about why she refused to repeat what she told federal investigators. Jackson said that she told federal investigators the two men were in the garage for a wildly long time. Doctor says OKeefes injuries consistent with dog attack Dr. Marie Russell was the third witness to take the stand on Monday. She currently works for the Medical Board of California. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She described OKeefes arm injuries as scratches on the surface of the skin and that she believes the bites are incomplete. They dont penetrate the full thickness of the skin, she said. She described seeing evidence that the bites occurred while he was still alive and at about the same time, but admitted she didnt physically view OKeefes body, only looked at photographs. She defended the practice as accepted in the medical field. A dramatic moment occurred during Russells testimony after Brennan asked her about swabs taken from OKeefes sweatshirt for dog DNA. Jurors were asked to leave the courtroom and defense attorney Robert Alessi argued passionately for a mistrial due to Brennans questions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors did not call any witnesses to testify about the dog DNA swabs that came up negative, even though they did the first trial. The judge denied the request for a mistrial and Brennan was allowed to question the doctor about the negative DNA swabs. Brennan spent a long time questioning Russell about her opinions of various pieces of evidence, and often made statements that damaged the prosecutions theory of the case. The prosecutor asked Russell whether OKeefes injuries couldve been from a side swipe. Russell said, They could be. I didnt see any medical evidence that there was an impact. There were no significant injuries from the neck down. No fractures, no bruise, no internal injuries, no, you know, lacerated organs. There is no collection of fluid in the lung cavities, the abdominal cavities, she said. Dighton police officer on Reads taillight Dighton Police Sgt. Nicholas Barros gave testimony that could be a game-changer for the trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Barros responded to Reads parents house on Jan. 29, 2022, at about 3:27 p.m., to help retrieve her SUV parked there. Barros said he observed the rear of Reads SUV for a good amount of time and noted that the rear right taillight was damaged. There was a crack missing, but it was not completely damaged, Barros testified. A piece was missing, about 3 by 6 inches. When Jackson showed him a photograph of the taillight taken while parked in the Canton police garage, Barros said it didnt match how it looked in Dighton. That taillight is completely smashed out, he said. That middle section was intact when I was there. Defense crash experts rebut collision The defense called arguably its most important witness yet on Friday when Daniel Wolfe, the director of accident reconstruction at ARCCA, took the stand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wolfe and another expert testified at Reads first trial about testing they undertook for the U.S. Attorneys Office for Massachusetts. While jurors in either trial wont hear anyone say ARCCA was hired by the FBI, Reads defense lawyers made sure to stress ARCCA was not initially hired by them. For this second trial, ARCCA was formally retained by the defense and undertook a series of tests responding to work performed by the prosecutions accident reconstruction expert, Judson Welcher. Wolfe said his specific focus was the damage to Reads taillight. Wolfe testified about six tests he and his team conducted for the case. The tests involved various crash dummies or crash dummy arms, suspended a distance away from a car that was the same make, model and year as Reads SUV. ARCCA reversed the car at speeds ranging from 10 to 29 mph, and cameras captured the impact of the dummy into the SUVs taillight. Multiple videos of the tests were played for the jury. Photos showing damage to the test cars taillights were also displayed in court alongside an image of Reads taillight. Wolfe testified that none of the tests he and ARCCA conducted resulted in damage as severe as what was seen on Reads light. All the testing involving the dummies was new for the retrial. Prosecutors have claimed data from Reads SUV showed she was traveling at 24 mph when she hit OKeefe. In Wolfe and ARCCAs fifth test, they reversed the test SUV at that speed into a suspended crash dummy. The crash dummys impact caused some splintered glass, but Wolfe said many of the internal components of the light were not damaged unlike Reads. In his cross-examination, Brennan attacked Wolfe over communications with the defense team, which Wolfe brushed off as usual conversations focused on logistics. Brennan also pointed out potential miscalculations in the testing due to discrepancies in the weight of the dummys arm. OKeefes arm weighed 11.86 pounds, while the dummy arm was just 9.38 pounds. But Wolfe said the difference of about a pound wouldnt make a major impact when considering the force of a 6,000-pound SUV. In Jacksons redirect, he clarified further, When that vehicle is coming in at 24 mph, 29 mph, at those speeds, that arm is going to get accelerated up to that velocity. Youre not going to somehow affect the vehicle speed. Jackson also brought up Brennans claims that holes caused by road rash in the sweatshirt the scientists put on the dummy during testing an exact material replica to OKeefes the night he died could have been like ones caused by frozen ground. But Wolfe said the damage to OKeefes sweatshirt was clearly inconsistent with that of the sweatshirt on the dummy. The hoodie was mangled in the 24 mph test, he said, with the front and both arms covered in holes and significant road rash. OKeefes had just one area with holes different than the distinct road rash seen in testing. Wolfes testimony will resume when the trial picks up at 9 a.m. Monday. Irene Rotondo and Charlie McKenna of the MassLive staff contributed to this report. Karen Read murder case Read the original article on MassLive. Karen Reads second trial in connection with the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John OKeefe, continues on Friday in Dedhams Norfolk Superior Court before Judge Beverly Cannone. The trial was off on Thursday in large part due to soaring temperatures across Massachusetts, which prompted concerns about the jurys ability to hear witness testimony with fans running to keep the courthouse cool. Reads defense called two witnesses on a half-day Wednesday. People to know: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alan Jackson, lawyer for Read Daniel Wolfe, director of accident reconstruction at ARCCA 9:56 a.m. - Wolfe explains ARCCA testing Wolfe said ARCCA began its testing in late 2023 or early 2024. He described a test where he and other experts designed a pressurized cannon that was capable of launching a drinking glass at a taillight, essentially simulating a person throwing a glass. The idea was to determine if a small object or projectile could cause the damage seen on Reads taillight. The tests were performed at varying speeds, and ultimately showed that a glass thrown at 37 mph showed damage generally consistent with Reads SUV. ARCCA also conducted a test with a crash dummy to test if the damage to the taillight could have been consistent with hitting OKeefe in the head. The tests showed significantly more damage at 15 mph, but didnt generate enough force to cause a skull fracture like the one OKeefe sustained. 9:32 a.m. - Wolfe describes origins of ARCCAs involvement Wolfe began his testimony by talking through his background and experience. He told jurors he has worked at ARCCA for eight years, with a specialty in lighting and human factors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He described accident reconstruction as applying physics and engineering science to collision events. Wolfe and ARCCA were first hired by the U.S. Attorneys Office for Massachusetts as part of an unspecified federal investigation into OKeefes death. But Cannone has barred mention of that investigation during the trial, so Wolfe simply explained ARCCA was not hired by the defense for its initial analysis. He said ARCCA was asked to determine if the damage to Reads SUV was consistent with OKeefes injuries. Wolfe and two other experts reviewed numerous materials including an autopsy report, a crime scene report and photos of the Lexus. The damage to the SUV was primarily concentrated on the right rear taillight on the quarter panel. The majority of the outer red lines was broken and shattered, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The taillight is a pretty thick piece of plastic, Wolfe explained. He noted he wrote his dissertation on the specific material the taillight was made out of. 9:05 a.m. - Trial resumes As she does each morning, Cannone asked jurors if they had been able to follow her instructions about avoiding researching the case or talking about it. Each juror said they had. Read, 45, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of OKeefe, who was found outside the home of a fellow Boston police officer on Jan. 29, 2022. Norfolk County prosecutors say Read struck OKeefe with her SUV while driving intoxicated. Reads attorneys say her car never struck OKeefe and that others are to blame for his death. Karen Read murder case Read the original article on MassLive. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Senators Chris Karr and Jamie Smith of Sioux Falls are on opposite sides of the political isle in South Dakotas capital of Pierre, but with regard to Project Prison Resets task force, they have similar evaluations. Being able to have the public input has been very important, Smith, a Democrat, said Thursday. I think the first thing is transparency for all of us and being able to let the people know whats happening, let them voice their opinion and then make our decisions based upon the input that weve had from other people. I think thats gone really, really well. Minnehaha County jail seeing more arrested by ICE Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its been a transparent process, Karr, a Republican, said Thursday. Its been inclusive. Weve had great testimony from inmates to the public from different contractors that have stepped forward to give us their professional opinion on construction. I think this is what should have taken place the first time. Project Prison Reset has just one more meeting before a special session of the state legislature learns about their recommendations for where and how big to build a new mens prison in South Dakota. Gov. Larry Rhoden launched the task force in the wake of the legislative failure to fund a new mens prison in Lincoln County between Harrisburg and Canton. Now, the task force has endorsed a plan for one or more locations at existing DOC facilities or in the Mitchell or Worthing areas. The cap for this plan is $600 million. But for Smith and Karr, its not just about incarceration. What we dont want to do is cut corners, not include space thats needed for maybe programming, for education, for those technical trades, Karr said. For educational opportunities, for treatment options, for mental health, all of those things have to be accounted for in the design that we do and what we build, Smith said. Because ultimately, most of these people will get out of prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Project Prison Resets task force is set to meet for the final time on July 8, and a special session of the state legislature is planned for July 22 when lawmakers can learn about the groups recommendations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com. The Keller school board named Cory Wilson as the finalist for the districts open superintendent position during a special meeting June 5. Wilson has served as interim superintendent since Jan. 31, following the resignation of Tracy Johnson, who parted ways with Keller schools over a proposal put forth by board members to split the district in half using U.S. 377 as the dividing line. Board trustees interviewed Wilson in executive session before revealing their decision. The board voted 5-0 in favor of the recommendation. Trustees Charles Randklev and Chris Coker werent in attendance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The board posted the superintendent position on May 20. At that time, they voted to only consider internal applicants. Prospective candidates had until May 30 to submit their applications. In a statement to the Star-Telegram, a Keller spokesperson said only one candidate applied. By law, the board must wait 21 calendar days before taking action to officially hire Wilson. The Board has been pleased with Dr. Wilsons performance during his time as Interim Superintendent and we are excited for the future of Keller ISD under his leadership, a Keller spokesperson said in the districts statement. Johnsons resignation earlier this year was seen as an act of protest against the plan to split the district. Many around Keller vocally opposed the proposal, which would have detached schools in the eastern portion of the district those in Keller, Colleyville, Southlake and Watauga from the ones on the west side of 377 in Fort Worth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The split was called off on March 14, with former school board president Charles Randklev citing financial hurdles. On May 15, the board officially adopted a resolution quashing the proposal. Despite that, the board faces two lawsuits related to the split. On June 4, Randklev was deposed, reportedly for more than six hours, in a suit brought by homeowners in north Fort Worths Heritage neighborhood. They allege board trustees violated the Texas Open Meetings Act by discussing the split plan behind closed doors and without all trustees in attendance. Former trustee Micah Young is scheduled to be deposed in the same case on June 11. Young did not seek reelection in May for his board seat. LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) State leaders said Fayette County parents are voicing concerns about financial decisions being made by school board leadership after an attempted tax hike was found unlawful by the attorney generals office. Kentucky AG: Fayette County Public Schools violated law in attempted tax hike According to Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS) leaders, an occupational tax increase was proposed as a necessary evolution in the schools future budget to balance against anticipated funding cuts, as well as increased demand on school staff and the school facilities themselves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This shift broadens the tax base to equitably support public education and ensure long-term sustainability without placing additional strain on property owners, Dia Davidson-Smith, spokesperson for FCPS, said. We encourage our community to look beyond headlines and social media chatter and consider the full context of our decisions. Each investment is made thoughtfully, strategically, and with the success of our students in mind. Our progress is not by chance. It is the result of deliberate planning, partnership, collaboration, and a deep belief in the power of public education. Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman wrote on Wednesday in an opinion that the school boards tax hike proposal was unlawful. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: If the Fayette County School Board members believe they need more of Kentuckians hard-earned dollars, they should clearly and publicly make their case before their own constituents, the attorney general wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe, R-Lexington, said in a news release on Thursday that she proposed the possibility of initiating an FCPS audit to State Auditor Allison Ball. She commended the Fayette County Fiscal Court for its decision to halt a vote on the proposed hike. Fayette County fiscal court halts vote on school tax increase after AG opinion Given widespread concerns about spending priorities and the recent tax controversy, an independent review could provide much-needed transparency and reassurance, Bledsoe said in a news release. Taxpayers deserve to know that education dollars are being used effectively, and I will continue to push for accountability where its needed. Auditor Ball told FOX 56 that shes heard about financial concerns at FCPS from more sources than just Sen. Mays-Bledsoe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I have heard from parents and other constituents concerned about the state of FCPS, Ball said. In light of our ongoing audits of the Kentucky Department of Education and the Jefferson County Public School system, my office is reviewing these concerns to determine our next steps. The school board carried out the rest of its June 5 meeting as planned, deciding on unrelated agenda items. The next school board meeting will be June 23. Madylin Goins contributed to this story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News. LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) Health officials are urging Kentuckians to remain up to date on immunizations after two infants died from whooping cough. On Friday, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services said two infants have died from pertussis, whooping cough, in Kentucky in the last six months. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cabinet said both infants and their mothers were not immunized against whooping cough. These were the first pertussis-related deaths in Kentucky since 2018. Anyone can get whooping cough, but infants are at greatest risk for life-threatening illness, Kentucky Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack said. Fortunately, when vaccinations are administered to pregnant women, it provides protection to both the mother and the baby. In July 2024, officials announced that whooping cough cases had begun increasing in Kentucky to levels not seen in over a decade. There were 543 cases of whooping cough reported in Kentucky in 2024, the highest number of cases in the commonwealth since 2012. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more of the latest health and wellness news The cabinet said 247 cases of whooping cough have been reported in Kentucky this year, with officials anticipating cases increasing during the summer and fall, based on historic trends. FOX 56 chief medical contributor, Dr. Ryan Stanton, said whooping cough cases often show up in clusters throughout the year. Many U.S. states and other countries are also experiencing elevated levels of whooping cough. Symptoms of pertussis, whooping cough According to the Centers of Disease Control, early symptoms are usually mild, like a cold, and can include a runny nose, a low fever, and a mild cough. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The CDC said those symptoms usually progress into many rapid coughs followed by a high-pitched whooping, vomiting, and general exhaustion. The coughing can continue for up to 10 weeks or more. Babies may experience pauses in breathing rather than the signature whooping cough. ALL ABOUT KENTUCKY The health department is asking parents to be sure school-age children have up-to-date vaccines. The vaccines immunity tends to decrease over time, making the booster important for older children and adults, so talk to your provider to find out if you need a new dose! the health department said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone exposed to pertussis should get tested, officials said. Stanton said that whooping cough is high-risk for newborns and the elderly, but most cases are found in upper-middle and lower-high-school-age children. Thats why he said up-to-date Tdap vaccinations are key. Read more of the latest trending news The tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis, this is the one you get when you cut yourself, he said. But unfortunately, you know, we get them pretty regularly as children as we grow. But once were an adult, were not as prone to accidents. We dont cut ourselves quite as much. So, many people havent had that up to date. Who should get vaccinated for pertussis? The pertussis immunization is given in combination with tetanus and diphtheria vaccines (DTaP and Tdap) and is required for Kentucky school children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Data from the 2045-2025 Kentucky school immunization survey shows that only 86% of kindergarteners and 85% of seventh graders are up to date on their required pertussis immunizations. People should be vaccinated if: With every pregnancy, to protect babies Infants at 2, 4, 6, and 12 to 15 months old Children, before starting kindergarten Teens between 11 to 12 years old Teens and adults every 10 years or sooner if an injury occurs Health care providers said early detection, with proper testing, is critical to prevent further spread. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News. FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) State leaders are seeing a spike in voter affiliation shifting away from Republicans or Democrats. Secretary of State Michael Adams announced on Friday in a news release that Kentuckians registered under other political affiliations have outpaced Republican and Democratic registrations combined for three straight months. As the Democrats move further left and the Republicans move further right, more voters are registering as Independent, said Adams. Kentucky has a large and growing political center; candidates should take note and court this growing bloc of voters. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: How Republican and Democrat voters stack up in Kentucky State officials said in a news release that Republican voter registration made up 47% of the electorate in Kentucky, with 1,582,699 voters, gaining an increase of 1,026 voters for an increase of 0.07%. Democratic registration makes up 42%, with 1,391,172 voters, seeing a decrease of 838 registrations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adams wrote that by comparison, voters registered under other political parties saw an increase of 0.38%, or 1,352 voters. Secretary Adams office wrote in a news release that 4,157 voters were removed in May, including 3,173 who died, 440 who moved out of state, 402 convicted felons, 65 who voluntarily de-registered, 49 voters adjudged mentally incompetent, and 28 duplicate registrations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) If you think its too early to talk about the 2026 midterm election, its not at least not for our local electeds. Kern County Democrats returned from a weekend in Anaheim, meeting with fellow party leaders and voters to discuss directions for the 2026 midterms. It was a weekend of passion and like-mindedness at the California Democratic Party State Convention in Orange County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was a convention of 4,000 Democrats, but why should all voters care? This convention sets the stage for 2026 who may be running and what issues, like the economy, could be front and center. Will you stand up to Donald Trump? said an energetic Senator Cory Booker (D-New Jersey), one of the speakers over the weekend. In an interview with 17 News reflecting on the convention, Kern Democratic Party Chair Christian Romo stated, This go around was really a come to Jesus moment. We came together not just as friends, but also to say, what did we do wrong? The mass gathering was a reflection on the 2024 presidential election and a determined gearing up for the 2026 midterm election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At center stage, a change in messaging. And how do we drive down the costs while also making sure that the deficit doesnt go higher? And making sure that all Californians have the right to thrive, Romo noted. Civil rights activist and local Democratic leader Dolores Huerta agreed. Sometimes people voted and not because of the political party, but they voted on these what we call the cultural issues, she began. You have to think about your bread-and-butter issues, the things that are going to affect your family economically, things that are going to affect your family when it comes to their health. [The focus is] not whether someone wants to have an abortion, not whether somebody happens to be gay or transgender. These are the important issues. Economic issues are the important issues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Christian Romo and Dolores Huerta both said messaging in 2024 like on healthcare and abortion may not have appealed to the local voter base, albeit important topics nationally. Take the always-contentious, could-go-either-way 22nd Congressional District race. David Valadao, the Republican incumbent, has been reelected time and time again, despite the majority Latino, Democratic leaning district he represents. Democratic challenger Rudy Salas has been unsuccessful twice in a row. And we lost it by a lot, Romo said of that races 2024 results. Thats no secret about that. Democrats have not ruled out Salas for a third run. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well see what Mr. Rudy Salas decides to do, and then well go from there, Huerta said when asked about the race. All I can say about CD-22 is theres no permanent enemies in politics and theres no permanent friends. So, anythings at play, Romo hinted. Heres where the more progressive members of the party come into play. Like Randy Villegas, the only candidate so far to have announced a run against Valadao. JH: Neel Sannappa a senior organizer with the progressive Working Families Party says change is coming perhaps more unity between the progressives and moderates of the party. [The convention] was an acknowledgment of the fact that the party has gone kind of far away from the working class, kind of far away from the base, said Sannappa. And we have a different view of how to approach politics. We want to stay with working families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of party unity heading into the election, especially as Democrats will have to make endorsements of candidates, Sannappa stated, My goal right now is to bring the party together and to make sure that we can rally behind similar candidates and not have such an internal fight. Seats Democrats will have to defend in 2026 include Bakersfield City Council Ward 1, held by Eric Arias, as well as Ward 7, held by Manpreet Kaur. State Senator Melissa Hurtado has filed an intent to run for reelection in 2026. Obviously, the Central Valleys always in play. Its a very moderate district, although solidly Dem for CD-22 and city and state and assembly races, Romo explained of voter demographics. Its still a tossup because its very moderate. Its very conservative leaning and very Latino. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 2026 primary will be on June 2. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17 News. Once a key member of President Donald Trump's inner circle, a major campaign donor and a scene-stealing presence at Cabinet meetings, Elon Musk's relationship with the president has deteriorated into a bitter public feud since leaving the White House last week. Musk departed from his highly visible White House role leading the Department of Government Efficiency after reaching his 130-day limit as a special government employee. The war of words began shortly after Musk left the White House and voiced his opposition to Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed the House last month by a single vote and is now in the Senate. Here's a rundown of the relationship between Trump and Musk -- and how it devolved. Brandon Bell via Reuters, FILE - PHOTO: President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk watch the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket in Brownsville, Texas, Nov. 19, 2024. MORE: Trump Musk feud explodes with claim president is in Epstein files July 13, 2024 In the wake of the attempted assassination of Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, Musk posts a video of a bloodied Trump pumping his fist in the air on X and writes, "I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery." Aug. 12, 2024 Musk hosts an interview with Trump on X. The event is plagued with technical difficulties, but sees a reported audience of 1.3 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk praises Trump for how he handled the assassination attempt and blasted Trump's opponent, then-Vice President Kamala Harris, but he pushes back on some of Trump's claims about climate change. Oct. 5, 2024 Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images, FILE - PHOTO: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk jumps on stage as he joins former US President and Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., on Oct. 5, 2024. MORE: Thune plows ahead to pass Trump's megabill as Musk continues to bash it Musk appears with Trump at a second rally in Butler, the site of the earlier assassination attempt. Musk urges people to register to vote and made ominous warnings about the consequences of the upcoming election. "If they don't, this will be the last election. That's my prediction," Musk says, echoing sentiments similar to Trump's. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later, Federal Election Commission filings show Musk spent over $270 million of his own money through two super PACs that promoted Trump's candidacy and other Republicans in the 2024 election. Nov. 5, 2024 Musk spends election night at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida -- and stays there for the next several days, weighing in on key staffing decisions. Musk is also present for at least two phone calls Trump had as president-elect, including a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Nov. 12, 2024 A week after the election, Trump announces that Musk -- and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy -- would lead a newly created "Department of Government Efficiency." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies," Trump said in a statement. Ramaswamy would later step down from the role to run for governor of Ohio. Later that month, Trump joined Musk in Texas for a launch of SpaceX's Starship rocket. Saul Loeb, Pool via AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk cheers as President Donald Trump speaks after being sworn in as the 47th President in the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2025. Jan. 20, 2025 Musk, and other tech CEOs, take ringside seats at Trump's inauguration. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images, FILE - PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks to Elon Musk's son in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 11, 2025. Feb. 11, 2025 In an appearance in the Oval Office, Musk defends his aggressive cost-cutting efforts across the federal government, which by that point has prompted a slew of federal lawsuits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk's son "X," who clambers around the Resolute Desk as his father and the president address reporters, takes the spotlight. Feb. 26, 2025 Musk takes center stage at Trump's first Cabinet meeting of his second term. At the time, DOGE's actions were the subject of controversy -- from efforts to fire federal employees to an email demanding federal workers list their weekly accomplishments. When Musk is asked by a reporter if any Cabinet members are unhappy about the email ultimatum, Trump interrupts. Evan Vucci/AP, FILE - PHOTO: Elon Musk and Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence listen as President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, April 30, 2025, in Washington. MORE: Trump admin live updates: Trump declines to give deadline for decision on Russia sanctions Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Is anybody unhappy with Elon?" Trump said to the group, many of whom started laughing. "If you are, we'll throw him out of here. Is anybody unhappy? They have a lot of respect for Elon," he said as Cabinet members started applauding. At the meeting, Musk, in a black "Make America Great Again" hat -- despite not being an official member of the Cabinet -- is the first to speak. March 6, 2025 At another meeting a few weeks later, Trump tells members of the Cabinet they are in charge of the agencies and departments they oversee -- not Musk. Musk later posts on X that the meeting was "very productive." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The meeting came as some Cabinet secretaries had privately expressed frustration over Musk's efforts to reduce the size and scope of their agencies. Trump later tells reporters he warned the Cabinet members that if they don't make necessary cuts to reduce "bloat" in the federal government, Musk and DOGE would take over. March 11, 2025 Andrew Harnik/Getty Images, FILE - PHOTO: President Donald Trump and White House Senior Advisor, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk deliver remarks next to a Tesla Model S on the South Lawn of the White House, on March 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Amid a sliding bottom line at Musk's Tesla car company and a string of vandalism and other attacks on the cars, Trump hosts a showcase of the Teslas on the White House lawn. "I just want people to know that you can't be penalized for being a patriot," Trump tells reporters during a photo-op with Musk and his vehicles. "People should be going wild, and they love the product." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president, who climbs into the front seat of a Tesla for photos, tells reporters he's bought one of the vehicles himself. May 27, 2025 In an interview with CBS News, Musk first airs his grievances with Trump's signature bill: "I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing," Musk says. May 29, 2025 Musk announces on X he's departing the White House. As a "special government employee," he is limited to a 130-day appointment. At that point, White House officials insist Musk is leaving on good terms and would continue to serve as an unofficial adviser to the president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk posts on X his thanks to Trump, saying his DOGE team will continue to work throughout the government. "As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending," Musk posts. He said the DOGE mission "will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." May 31, 2025 Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images - PHOTO: Tesla CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump laugh as they listen to a question from reporters in the Oval Office of the White House, on May 30, 2025, in Washington, D.C. During brief remarks from the Oval Office at a farewell appearance, Musk tells reporters he believes the Department of Government Efficiency will "only grow stronger over time." By that point, Musks team claimed DOGE has so far cut $175 billion through asset sales, canceled contracts and leases and workforce reductions -- a figure that falls considerably short of the $1 trillion goal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk, sporting a bruise he said he received after he asked his 5-year-old son to punch him in the face, said he looks forward to being back in the Oval Office. "I look forward to continuing to be a friend and adviser to the president," he said. June 3, 2025 Musk issues a flurry of posts on X attacking the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as it awaits a vote in the Senate. "I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination," Musk writes. "Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it." Musk claims the bill would "massively increase" the federal budget deficit. June 4, 2025 Musk continues his attacks on Trump's bill with a series of posts on social media, instructing followers to call members of Congress to "KILL THE BILL." June 5, 2025 The war of words between Elon Musk and Trump erupts into a full-on feud, with Musk slamming Trump for "ingratitude" over the 2024 election, agreeing with a call for his impeachment, knocking the president's signature legislation and even claiming that Trump is in the Epstein files, referring to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein Trump, speaking on television from the Oval Office, responds to Musk's barrage of criticism, saying he is "disappointed" in Musk. Later in a social media post, Trump states: "Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!" Trump goes on to say the "easiest way to save money" would be to "terminate Elon's governmental subsidies and contracts." Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran native whose deportation by the Trump administration was declared illegal by the Supreme Court and generated a national furor, is back in U.S. custody and will face federal human trafficking charges in Tennessee. Abrego Garcia was secretly indicted by a federal grand jury in Nashville last month on two felony charges: transporting undocumented immigrants and conspiring with others to do so. The charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee, when police found Abrego Garcia at the wheel of an SUV carrying nine other men, all of whom were Hispanic and lacked identification, according to the indictment. The indictment was unsealed Friday after Trump administration officials acknowledged Abrego Garcia was in custody of U.S. authorities. Abrego Garcias return was first reported by ABC News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrego Garcias return follows months of extraordinary brinkmanship between the Trump administration and federal courts, a Supreme Court rebuke, diplomatic intrigue and a domestic political crisis over the episode. Abrego Garcia, who allegedly entered the U.S. illegally more than a decade ago, had been living in Maryland when the Trump administration arrested him, put him on a plane and deposited him at a notorious Salvadoran prison on March 15. The deportation violated a 2019 immigration-court order that barred the U.S. from sending him to El Salvador because he was at risk of being targeted by a local gang. The Supreme Court and other judges said he was illegally denied due process, and in court papers, a Justice Department lawyer acknowledged that the deportation was an error a position that the administration soon renounced. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the administration to facilitate his return. For months, the administration publicly resisted that order. At times, Trump and his top aides suggested Abrego Garcia would never return to the United States. "There is no scenario where Abrego Garcia will be in the United States again, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said last month during a hearing before a Senate appropriations panel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administrations reversal comes with a significant cost for Abrego Garcia: federal criminal charges that could result in decades in prison. The government disappeared Kilmar to a foreign prison in violation of a court order. Now, after months of delay and secrecy, theyre bringing him back, not to correct their error but to prosecute him, his attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said in a statement. This shows that they were playing games with the court all along. Due process means the chance to defend yourself before youre punished, not after. The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw, an Obama appointee confirmed 92-0 by the Senate in 2016. Crenshaw was the presiding judge in a corruption case involving a Tennessee state senator, Brian Kelsey, recently pardoned by Trump. The Trump administration had insisted that it had no power to compel El Salvador to return Abrego Garcia, but in recent weeks there were signs that officials had begun to engage with El Salvador and its president, Nayib Bukele, about bringing Abrego Garcia back to the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our government presented El Salvador with an arrest warrant, and they agreed to return him to our country, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday during a press conference at Justice Department headquarters. We're grateful to President Bukele for agreeing to return him to our country to face these very serious charges. In a separate legal case involving another improperly deported immigrant, Homeland Security officials revealed earlier this week that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a longstanding personal relationship with Bukele and was using it to advance negotiations. But the administration also repeatedly refused to provide more details, instead invoking the state secrets privilege and other authorities to refuse to detail their efforts. Its unclear whether Abrego Garcias return will have implications for other people deemed by courts to have been improperly deported. A federal judge in Maryland ordered the administration to facilitate the return of a Venezuelan man, Daniel Lozano-Camargo, from El Salvadors custody last month. Earlier Friday, the administration declined to provide a substantive update on Lozano-Camargos whereabouts, saying they were the subject of high-level negotiations between the State Department and El Salvador. The issue of the erroneous deportations exploded on Capitol Hill, where Democrats used it to underscore the extraordinary assertions of power and violations of due process underlying Trumps mass deportation policy. Some, like Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) made trips to El Salvador and attempted to meet with Abrego Garcia, while others were given an audience with senior Salvadoran officials and a tour of CECOT, the notorious anti-terrorism prison where Abrego Garcia was first taken. (He was later moved to a different facility.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Van Hollen welcomed the news of Abrego Garcias return, saying it would vindicate his due process rights. The Administration will now have to make its case in the court of law, as it should have all along, he said. Prosecutors said that Abrego Garcia could face up to 10 years in prison for each undocumented immigrant he transported effectively a life sentence. However, defendants typically are sentenced under federal sentencing guidelines, which usually call for sentences far shorter than the maximum. In a request to the federal court in Nashville to keep Abrego Garcia locked up pending trial, prosecutors leveled a series of serious allegations against the Salvadoran native, including that he was a serial trafficker of undocumented immigrants and was involved in the abuse of children. Prosecutors also accused him of being a member of the MS-13 gang. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This was his full-time job, Bondi said. He was a smuggler of humans and children and women. Thousands of illegal aliens were smuggled. Abrego Garcias lawyers, though, said the allegations were spurious and should be treated with suspicion because of the Trump administrations effort to publicly assail Abrego Garcias character throughout his detention in El Salvador. Until the new indictment, he had never been charged with a crime. Before his deportation, he had been a metal worker in Maryland and had been living with his wife and children, all U.S. citizens. Theyll stop at nothing at all even some of the most preposterous charges imaginable just to avoid admitting that they made a mistake, which is what everyone knows happened, Sandoval-Moshenberg told reporters Friday. "Hes not going to be convicted of these crimes. Theres no way a jury is going to see the evidence and agree that this sheet metal worker is the leader of an international MS-13 smuggling conspiracy." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a court filing, prosecutors said Abrego Garcia transported approximately 50 undocumented aliens throughout the United States per month for several years. They also alleged that Abrego Garcia solicited nude photographs and videos of a minor, beginning in approximately 2020. Abrego Garcia, however, is not charged with any crime related to child sexual abuse material. Bondi attributed some of the allegations against Abrego Garcia to co-conspirators, and she acknowledged that he does not currently face any charges besides the two counts related to alleged smuggling of undocumented immigrants. Abrego Garcias lawyers said they are making urgent plans to meet with him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sandoval-Moshenberg suggested the criminal charges amounted to a kind of retaliation for the negative publicity the case brought to the Trump administration. The attorney said Abrego-Garcias return could allow him to shed more light on the conditions at CECOT, where he was held for a period and where more than 200 other men deported from the U.S. are believed to remain. Bondi asserted Friday that the Justice Departments intense scrutiny of Abrego Garcia had led to the break-up of the human smuggling ring he was allegedly involved in, although she did not announce any charges against anyone else. Abrego Garcia arrived in Nashville Friday, according to ABC News, which posted a photo of him being escorted out of a private terminal at the airport there. He was scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate judge in Nashville later in the day, a Justice Department spokesperson said. An illegal migrant who was mistakenly deported from the US to El Salvadors notorious mega prison is on his way back to the US to face charges. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, who entered the US illegally, was one of hundreds deported by Donald Trump. He will face criminal charges for allegedly transporting undocumented migrants within the US, ABC reported. The US Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to facilitate Mr Abrego Garcias return after he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House initially refused, insisting Mr Abrego Garcia is a member of the notorious South American gang MS-13, allegations his wife and lawyer have denied. Mr Abrego Garcia remained imprisoned in the notorious Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo in El Salvador. Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, said he lacked the power to return Mr Abrego Garcia, saying it would be preposterous to smuggle a terrorist into the United States. Protesters demand the freeing of Kilmar Abrego Garcia in Greenbelt, Maryland - Andrew Harnik/Getty Mr Trump on Friday declined to say if he had spoken to Mr Bukele to facilitate the return, or whether it was his own decision. He should have never have had to be returned, if you take a look at what they found in the grand jury, the US president said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a disaster, a whole disaster when you look at him with his antics. For the Democrats who backed him, this was not the man from Maryland. He added: This was a pretty bad guy. Mr Abrego Garcias case dominated the news agenda in the US for a time and was seized upon by Democrats, who held it up as evidence of the cruelty of Mr Trumps mass deportation programme. In turn, Republicans claimed it proved that Democrats cared more about the welfare of an alleged gang member than the safety of the US people. Mr Abrego Garcias wife Jennifer Vasquez has campaigned for his release, despite allegations he had previously beaten her and was once detained as part of a murder investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police documents made public by Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, alleged Mr Abrego Garcia had a rank and street name with the brutal gang MS-13. He also allegedly beat Ms Vasquez in 2021, prompting her to get a restraining order against him and describe him as violent in a handwritten statement. Ms Vasquez, who has since described her husband as an excellent father, previously told law enforcement he punched her, scratched her and ripped off her shirt. Jennifer Vasquez (right) campaigned for her husbands release - Alex Wong In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph in April, Gustavo Villatoro, El Salvadors justice and security minister, said there was no proof Mr Abrego Garcia was a member of MS-13. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Villatoro also suggested it was possible El Salvador could facilitate the return of Mr Abrego Garcia in the future should Donald Trump request it, contrary to claims made by Mr Bukele. Ms Bondi said a grand jury had found Abrego Garcia had played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring, prompting an arrest warrant to be sent to El Salvador. They found this was his full time job, not a contractor. He was a smuggler of humans and children and women. Mr Abrego Garcia abused undocumented alien females, according to co-conspirators who were under his control while transporting them throughout our country, Ms Bondi claimed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He is alleged to have trafficked firearms and narcotics throughout America on multiple occasions, the grand jury found. A co-conspirator also alleged that Mr Garcia solicited nude photographs and videos of a minor and played a role in the murder of a rival gang member. It is very dangerous, and they [MS-13] are living throughout our country. but no more because they are being arrested, they are being prosecuted and being convicted and deported, when appropriate, Ms Bondi added. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said: Abrego Garcia is an illegal alien terrorist, gang member, and human trafficker who has spent his entire life abusing innocent people, especially women and the most vulnerable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrego Garcia will now return to the United States to answer for his crimes and meet the full force of American justice. The Democrat lawmakers, namely Democrat Senator Chris Van Hollen, and every single so-called journalist who defended this illegal criminal abuser must immediately apologise to Garcias victims. The Trump administration will continue to hold criminals accountable to the fullest extent of the. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. (WTVO) Deported Salvadoran Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been returned to the U.S. to face charges of human trafficking, according to ABC News. Garcia was mistakenly deported to El Salvador from Maryland despite a 2019 court order barring his deportation there over a fear of persecution. A federal grand jury has indicted Garcia for allegedly transporting undocumented migrants within the United States over nearly a decade, involving thousands of illegal immigrants from Mexico and Central America, ABC News reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among those were members of MS-13, a Salvadoran gang, the investigation said. The Trump administration had previously accused Garcia of being a member of MS-13, although his wife and attorneys have denied it. In the charging documents, prosecutors alleged that Garcia was part of a conspiracy to transport illegal migrants, including MS-13 gang members, women, and children, and sometimes weapons and drugs, from Texas to other locations in the United States. According to one co-conspirator, Garcia also abused some of the female undocumented migrants, which caused him to report Garcias behavior to the other co-conspirators because it was bad for business. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced in April that his state would take punitive actions against El Salvador for holding Garcia in custody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Salvadoran native reportedly fled to the U.S. when he was 16 and lived in Maryland for roughly 14 years. In 2022, he was stopped by Tennessee State Troopers, who, in released body camera footage, suspected he was a human trafficker. However, he and his passengers were released from the scene. The federal documents alleged that Garcia and his co-conspirators devised and employed knowingly false cover stories to provide to law enforcement if they were ever stopped during a transport. These false cover stories regularly involved the transportation of individuals (i.e. the undocumented aliens) for work, such as a construction job. One of Garcias co-conspirators was allegedly involved in the transportation of more than 150 migrants that ended when the trailer overturned in Mexico, killing more than 50 migrants and injuring others, according to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyStateline | WTVO News, Weather and Sports. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man whose erroneous deportation to El Salvador became a protracted battle over due process and a test of wills, was returned to the United States to face human smuggling charges in Tennessee and appeared in federal court Friday. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday in a news conference that he had landed in the U.S. to face justice. Abrego Garcia, 29, has been named in an indictment charging him with transporting within the U.S. people not legally in the country. The two-count indictment, sealed by a Tennessee court last month, alleges that Abrego Garcia participated in a conspiracy over nine years to move people from Texas deeper into the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The indictment alleges that those transported included members of the MS-13 gang and that he worked with co-conspirators. Wearing a beige button-down shirt, jeans and hiking boots, Abrego Garcia was asked Friday afternoon by a federal judge in Nashville if he understood the issues and and he answered "Yes, I understand" through an interpreter. An arraignment and detention hearing is scheduled for June 13. Abrego Garcia remains in federal custody. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes declined his public defender's request that he be freed immediately. Prosecutors have argued that he should be detained, and they say he is a flight risk. In a detention memo, they said that testimony at trial will show he transported "approximately 50 undocumented aliens throughout the United States per month for several years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors added that he faces a maximum of 10 years imprisonment for each alien he has transported, which they say is effectively a life sentence. The Justice Department said that Abrego Garcia used his status in MS-13 to further his criminal activity. President Donald Trump said to reporters Friday that he never should have been returned and pointed to the grand jury findings. This was his full-time job, not a contractor, Bondi said. He was a smuggler of humans and children and women. He made over 100 trips, the grand jury found, smuggling people throughout our country. Abrego Garcias attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said bringing him back for prosecution is an abuse of power, not justice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The government disappeared Kilmar to a foreign prison in violation of a court order, Sandoval-Moshenberg said in a statement. Now, after months of delay and secrecy, theyre bringing him back, not to correct their error but to prosecute him. This shows that they were playing games with the court all along. Due process means the chance to defend yourself before youre punished, not after. The indictment alleges that from about 2016 to 2025, Abrego Garcia and others conspired to bring migrants illegally to the United States from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Ecuador and elsewhere, through Mexico and across the Texas-Mexico border. Abrego Garcia and a co-conspirator ordinarily picked up the undocumented aliens in Houston, Texas area after they had crossed the border. The pair then allegedly would transport the undocumented aliens from Texas to other parts of the United States to further the aliens unlawful presence in the United States, the indictment said. In the indictment, the government said Abrego Garcia and six other uncharged and unnamed co-conspirators communicated using cellphones and social media to unlawfully transport the undocumented immigrants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They allege that Abrego Garcia would hold the cellphones of those he was transporting within the U.S. and would return them at the end of their trip, they did this to ensure the undocumented aliens could not and would not contact anyone else during the trip, the government said in the indictment. The indictment also claims Abrego Garcia and other conspirators would reconfigure vehicles to transport the immigrants and that children would travel on floorboards. On one occasion, the Tennessee Highway Patrol stopped Abrego Garcia while he was driving a Suburban with an after-market third row of seats placed where a cargo area should be, which was occupied by undocumented passengers. The government further alleged that Abrego Garcia and co-conspirators collected financial payments from the immigrants and transferred money between one another to conceal the origin of the payments. The indictment claimed that he was involved in the transport of 150 migrants in a tractor trailer that overturned in Mexico, killing 50 and injuring others. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, where Abrego Garcia was a resident, pointed out that he was deported on March 15 and said that it was about time he was returned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They obviously want to make this about whether or not he ends up being a good guy or a bad guy, but its not a moral question," Raskin, a Democrat, told CNN. Its a legal question. Its a constitutional question of whether the government can pick people up and take them out of country. Abrego Garcias wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, has insisted that he was not involved in criminal activity. Kilmar worked in construction and sometimes transported groups of workers between job sites, so its entirely plausible he would have been pulled over while driving with others in the vehicle, his wife previously said in a statement. He was not charged with any crime or cited for any wrongdoing at the time. The family's attorney, Chris Newman, said Friday that the Trump administration for months engaged in "a campaign of disinformation, defamation against Kilmar and his family." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Kilmar will finally get his day in court," Newman said. The Trump administration has released various allegations against Abrego Garcia over time to support its deportation of him and in response to court demands. Abrego Garcia was on his way home from a job in Baltimore with his child in the car when he was pulled over on March 12. He was detained in several different facilities. A federal judge and the U.S. Supreme Court in April ordered the federal government to facilitate Abrego Garcias return to the U.S., but the administration dragged its feet and resisted. At times, the administration insisted that his return was up to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who, after refusing to send him back wrote on X Friday that of course we wouldnt refuse the request of the Trump administration. Bondi said the U.S. presented an arrest warrant to El Salvador, and they agreed to send him back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration previously agreed to pay El Salvador $6 million to imprison about 300 people it alleged were members of the Tren de Aragua gang for one year. U.S. officials accused Abrego Garcia of being a member of the Salvadoran gang MS-13 and gave that as reason to deport him, despite a judges order from 2019 barring him from being sent to his home country. He was taken to the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador, known for its harsh and brutal conditions. Government attorneys had said he was taken there as a result of administrative error. Abrego Garcias wife said she did not know he was in the El Salvador prison until she recognized him in a video that Bukele posted of detainees taken from a plane. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Supreme Court ruled in April that Abrego Garcias removal was illegal and determined that a judges order for the administration to facilitate his return was proper. As calls for his return intensified, the administration doubled down on keeping him incarcerated in El Salvador. Despite orders to bring him back, the administration stood its ground repeatedly, raising concerns about its defiance of the judicial branch and setting off threats of contempt from the bench. A federal judge ordered the Trump administration just last week to give hundreds of migrants in El Salvadors CECOT prison the chance to challenge their detentions and removals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newman, the Abrego Garcia family attorney, expressed doubts about the charges. "Weve been concerned for some time that either the Trump administration or the Bukele administration would gin up charges against him to kind of backfill the violation of rights, that are demonstrable, that theyve engaged in," he said. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been returned to the U.S. to face federal human smuggling charges in Tennessee, the Justice Department said Friday, in a case that became emblematic of the combined coarseness and incompetence behind the Trump administrations immigration crackdown. The Maryland resident, who was illegally deported to El Salvador in March, was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts: conspiracy to unlawfully transport illegal aliens for financial gains and the unlawful transportation of illegal aliens for financial gains, according to a copy of the indictment obtained by NBC News. ABC News first reported the indictment. The indictment alleges that Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang and took part in a multiyear conspiracy to move people from Texas deeper into the country: [Abrego Garcia] used his status in MS-13 to further his criminal activity. Over the course of the conspiracy, the co-conspirators knowingly and unlawfully transported thousands of undocumented aliens who had no authorization to be present in the United States, and many of whom were MS-13 members and associates. The co-conspirators also worked with transnational criminal organizations in Mexico to transport undocumented aliens through Mexico and into the United States. Defense attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said in a statement that bringing Abrego Garcia back for prosecution is an abuse of power, not justice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The government disappeared Kilmar to a foreign prison in violation of a court order, Sandoval-Moshenberg said. Now, after months of delay and secrecy, theyre bringing him back, not to correct their error but to prosecute him. This shows that they were playing games with the court all along. Due process means the chance to defend yourself before youre punished, not after. A judge in 2019 had ordered Abrego Garcia not to be removed to El Salvador, due to the potential persecution the Salvadoran native could face there. Nonetheless, in March, federal officials detained Abrego Garcia, who was living in Maryland, and flew him and others to a notorious prison in El Salvador, where he and others have been held without having been convicted of, or charged with, any crime. (Others have brought separate litigation.) Kilmar Abrego Garcia. (via Facebook) U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the government to facilitate his return, and the Supreme Court largely upheld her order on April 10, ruling that it properly requires the Government to facilitate Abrego Garcias release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador. The justices noted that the government said his removal to that country was the result of an administrative error. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet, the government still resisted returning him. During further litigation before Xinis after the Supreme Court ruling, the Obama-appointed judge criticized officials continued mischaracterization of the high court command, accusing them of acting in bad faith. The government has argued that Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang, which it has deemed a foreign terrorist organization. Addressing that accusation during the litigation, Reagan-appointed appellate Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III wrote, Perhaps, but perhaps not. Regardless, he is still entitled to due process. Subscribe to the Deadline: Legal Newsletter for expert analysis on the top legal stories of the week, including updates from the Supreme Court and developments in the Trump administrations legal cases. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to an El Salvadoran prison in March, has been returned to the U.S. to face criminal charges related to the transportation of undocumented immigrants, according to a federal indictment that was unsealed on Friday. Abrego Garcia, who entered the U.S. illegally years ago, was deported in March despite a 2019 federal court order that protected him from removal to El Salvador. His case sparked national outrage and warnings from some legal scholars that it put the U.S. at risk of a constitutional crisis, as the Trump Administration opposed multiple court orders, including one from the Supreme Court, to take steps to facilitate Abrego Garcias return to the U.S. On Saturday, President Donald Trump told NBC News that it was not his decision to bring Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. and that the move had been made by the Department of Justice. According to Trump, "it should be a very easy case" for federal prosecutors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He went on to criticize Democrats, specifically Sen. Van Hollen of Marylandwho visited Abrego Garcia in jail in El Salvador in Aprilfor arguing that the Maryland man was denied due process. Hes a loser. The guys a loser. Theyre going to lose because of that same thing. Thats not what people want to hear, Trump said of Van Hollen. Hes trying to defend a man whos got a horrible record of abuse, abuse of women in particular. No, hes a total loser, this guy. The 10-page indictment against Abrego Garcia, filed in Federal District Court in Nashville, alleges that the Maryland man belongs to the MS-13 gang and participated in a conspiracy to transport thousands of undocumented aliens across the U.S. The Administration has argued without verification that Abrego Garcia is a member of MS-13, which it has designated a foreign terrorist organization, since he was deported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the charges in a press conference, thanking El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele for agreeing to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. This is what American justice looks like, Bondi said. Upon completion of his sentence, we anticipate he will be returned to his home country of El Salvador. Abrego Garcias lawyers told news outlets that his return on Friday made clear that the Trump Administration had the power to bring him back to the U.S., adding that it was now up to the judicial system to see that Mr. Abrego Garcia receives the due process that the constitution guarantees to all persons. Todays actions proves what weve known all alongthat the Administration had the ability to bring him back and just refused to do so, Andrew Rossman, a lawyer for Abrego Garcia, said in a statement to multiple outlets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres what to know about the legal and political battle over Abrego Garcias case. His deportation On March 15, Abrego Garcia was among the more than 200 people who were removed from the country as part of a mass deportation order by the Trump Administration. The Administration invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to conduct expedited removals, a use of the obscure 18th-century wartime law that has faced widespread legal challenges and bipartisan concern. Read more: The Trump Administration Could Have Fought to Deport Abrego Garcia in 2019. It Passed on the Chance A judge granted Abrego Garcia withholding of removal status in 2019, deeming that his concerns that he would be persecuted if he were to return to El Salvador were well-founded. The federal government initially called his deportation an administrative error, but later argued that it couldnt be compelled to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. and lacked the authority to do so. The ensuing court battle Prior to Abrego Garcias return to face charges, the Trump Administration pushed back on a series of court orders instructing it to take steps to bring Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On April 4, a federal judge ordered the Administration to facilitate and effectuate Abrego Garcias return. The Administration quickly appealed the decision, but it was upheld on April 7 by a federal appeals court and affirmed on April 10 by the Supreme Court, which directed the Administration to facilitate Abrego Garcias release from prison in El Salvador. A day after the Supreme Courts ruling, the judge who had issued the April 4 decision ordered the Trump Administration to submit daily updates on its efforts to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S., amid growing judicial frustration with what many legal scholars saw as a pattern of defiance from the Administration. The April 11 ruling came during a hearing in Maryland, where a Justice Department attorney declined to provide basic details about Abrego Garcias whereabouts. I am asking a very simple question: Where is he? the judge asked, according to CNN. There is no evidence today as to where he is today, she continued. That is extremely troubling. The Trump Administration argued that the Supreme Courts ruling simply said the federal government must facilitate Abrego Garcias return, not effectuate. Administration officials have also depicted Abrego Garcia, a sheet metal apprentice, as a violent criminal, accusing himwithout proofof being affiliated with MS-13. Abrego Garcia and his family have denied the allegations, saying that he fled gang violence in El Salvador. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The federal appeals court denied the Administrations second appeal on April 17, but the Administration continued to push back against the orders to facilitate Abrego Garcias return. Read more: Read Conservative Judges Full Opinion Rebuking Trump Administration Over Abrego Garcia Case The Administrations refusal to bring Abrego Garcia back sparked nationwide outrage. After two days of negotiations, Sen. Chris Van Hollen was able to meet briefly with Abrego Garcia in El Salvador in April amid the ongoing battle in the courts. Four House Democrats traveled there a week later to pressure Bukele and Trump to release Abrego Garcia, but were denied access to him during their visit. His return and indictment Abrego Garcias return to the U.S. was revealed when the federal indictment, which was filed on May 21, was unsealed on Friday. It includes two criminal counts: conspiracy to transport aliens and unlawful transportation of undocumented aliens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The indictment alleges that Abrego Garcia, along with several alleged unnamed co-conspirators, conspired to bring undocumented aliens to the United States from countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Ecuador, and elsewhere, ultimately passing through Mexico before crossing into Texas. The allegations date back to 2016. The indictment also alleges that Abrego Garcia is a member of MS-13, claiming that he used his status in MS-13 to further his criminal activity and unlawfully transported thousands of undocumented aliens who had no authorization to be present in the United States, and many of whom were MS-13 members and associates. It alleges that he and others agreed to transport undocumented immigrants for profit and private financial gain, and that they routinely devised and employed knowingly false cover stories to provide to law enforcement if they were stopped during a transport, such as claiming that the people being transported were on their way to construction jobs. Abrego Garcia will now face prosecution in the U.S. courts, and, if convicted, Bondi said the government would again seek to deport him to El Salvador after his sentence is completed. Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, one of Abrego Garcias lawyers, criticized the Trump Administrations actions, calling them an abuse of power, not justice, in a statement to CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The government disappeared Kilmar to a foreign prison in violation of a court order. Now, after months of delay and secrecy, theyre bringing him back, not to correct their error but to prosecute him. This shows that they were playing games with the court all along, Sandoval-Moshenberg said in the statement. Contact us at letters@time.com. (NewsNation) Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was deported to El Salvador due to an administrative error, has returned to the United States to face federal charges, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Friday. He faces two counts of unlawful transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain, and a third count for conspiracy. The charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee in which Abrego Garcia was pulled over by state troopers and found to be in the vehicle with a number of other people traveling to Maryland. In a news conference on Friday, Bondi alleged Abrego Garcia is a trafficker of men, women and children. She said that U.S. officials presented El Salvador government officials with an arrest warrant for Abrego Garcia, and they agreed to release him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrego Garcia is a danger to our community, Bondi told reporters, adding, This is what American justice looks like. Kilmar Abrego Garcia facing smuggling charges: US Attorney General Pam Bondi Kilmar Abrego Garcia accused of trafficking, MS-13 ties Abrego Garcias wife and his attorneys have denied that he was involved in human trafficking. They have also denied that he belongs to the MS-13 gang, as Trump administration officials have maintained. MS-13 was designated as a foreign terrorist organization as part of an executive order Trump signed shortly after taking office in January. El Salvadors President, Nayib Bukele, wrote on social media Friday that, as he pledged to President Donald Trump in a White House meeting, he would never smuggle a terrorist into the United States or release a gang member into the streets of his country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Bukele added that if the United States requested the return of a gang member to face charges, of course we wouldnt refuse, he wrote on X. His legal team has also accused the government of stonewalling Abrego Garcias case by failing to provide substantive information about what steps were being made to return him to the United States per a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. In a statement obtained by NewsNation on Friday. U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, said that the Trump administration appears to have finally relented to demands for compliance with the Supreme Courts order to begin working toward returning Abrego Garcia to the United States. Van Hollen alleged in his statement that the Trump administration flouted the Supreme Court and the Constitution. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks about a 24 year-old MS-13 gang leader who was arrested in an operation by the Virginia Homeland Security Task Force in Dale City, VA., on March 27, 2025, during a news conference at the Manassas FBI Field Office, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Manassas, VA. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey) As I have repeatedly said, this is not about the man, its about his constitutional rights and the rights of all, Van Hollen, who was among Democratic lawmakers to travel to El Salvador and who met with Abrego Garcia in prison, said. The Administration will now have to make its case in the court of law, as it should have all along. Kilmar Abrego Garcias deportation to El Salvador prison Abrego Garcia was deported in March and has since remained at the center of a contentious legal fight between the Trump administration and those advocating that he was wrongfully deported to his home country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California boy, 9, to be deported following ICE detainment This week, a federal judge ordered the unsealing of several court documents in the lawsuit over Abrego Garcias deportation. The Trump administration argued that unsealing the documents would be a threat to national security. Abrego Garcias attorneys have argued that the Trump administration has done nothing to bring Abrego Garcia back to the United States. They say the government is invoking the privilege to hide behind the misconduct of mistakenly deporting him and refusing to bring him back. In a statement published on X on Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote, The United States of America confronts Kilmar Abrego Garcia with overwhelming evidence he is being indicted by a grand jury for human smuggling, including children, and conspiracy. Justice awaits this Salvadoran man. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrego Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador who entered the United States illegally. He has been living in Maryland with his U.S.-born wife and son after being provided protected legal status and legal work authorization in 2019. The protected status was granted after an immigration judge agreed with Abrego Garcia that his life was in danger if he was sent back to El Salvador. Abrego Garcia was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on March 12 and questioned about his MS-13 affiliation. He was deported on March 15 on one of three flights to El Salvador that included alleged Venezuelan gang members. The Justice Department argued on April 7 that although Abrego Garcia was deported through an administrative error, his removal from the U.S. was not an error. The error, department attorneys wrote, was in having him deported specifically to El Salvador even though he had been protected from deportation through the 2019 order. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, has landed in the United States to face criminal charges, according to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. An indictment, which was recently filed in the U.S. District Court Middle District of Tennessee, reports that Abrego Garcia, 29, conspired to bring undocumented migrants to the United States from around 2016 to 2025. Body cam footage released from 2022 THP traffic stop of Maryland man deported to El Salvador Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrego Garcia and co-conspirators reportedly collected financial payments for illegal transportation and knowingly transferred the money between one another. The indictment alleges that the 29-year-old used his status in MS-13 to further his criminal activity. According to the court filing, Abrego Garcia also participated in varying transportation routes within the United States. Co-conspirators also alleged that Abrego Garcia trafficked narcotics, abused women and had been associated with child sexual abuse, Bondi said. garcia indictmentDownload On May 2, the Tennessee Highway Patrol released video of traffic stop dated Nov. 30, 2022, which involved Abrego Garcia in Cookeville. The 29-year-old was reportedly pulled over for speeding in a vehicle with eight passengers and told state troopers theyd been working in Missouri. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As seen on video, THP troopers could be heard discussing among themselves their suspicions of human trafficking since the group was traveling without luggage. However, the 29-year-old was not charged with a crime that day. When asked about whats changed since the Department of Homeland Security declined to charge Abrego Garcia, Bondi told reporters that its due to Trumps presidency. Thanks to the bright light that has been shined on Abrego Garcia, this investigation continued with actually amazing police work and we were able to track this case and stop this international smuggling ring from continuing, Bondi said, citing recently found facts. The indictment alleges that over the past nine years, Abrego Garcia transported undocumented migrants and children on approximately more than 100 trips between Texas to Maryland and other states. Bondi claimed that this was his full-time job and that he was associated with a larger smuggling group. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The defendant traded the innocence of children for profit, Bondi said. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Abrego Garcia has since been charged with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and unlawful transportation of undocumented aliens. An arrest warrant, which was signed in Nashville and obtained by News 2, states that Abrego Garcia was to be arrested and brought before United States magistrate judge. Bondi said in a Friday press conference that the U.S. had presented El Salvador with an arrest warrant and they agreed to return him to the U.S. This is what American justice looks like, Bondi said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, an attorney for Abrego Garcia said he is being held without the ability to have phone calls, adding that the move is the exact opposite of due process. Instead of simply admitting their mistake, theyll stop at nothing just to avoid something that they made a mistake, which is what everyone knows happened in this case, said attorney Simon Sandoval Moshenberg. Chris Newman, Legal Director at the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, stated that the indictment includes accusations without presenting any evidence. These allegations must be treated with suspicion, said Newman. This administration has treated Kilmar like they do all non-white immigrants, like theyre guilty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bondi added that upon completion of Abrego Garcias sentence, officials anticipate that he will be returned to El Salvador. The moves come more than two months after the Trump administration acknowledged in court filings that Abrego Garcias deportation was due to an administrative error. No additional details were immediately released. The Tennessee Attorney General declined to comment on the matter. The next hearing and arraignment has been scheduled for Friday, June 14 at 10 a.m. In the meantime, he will be in the custody of the U.S. Marshals and some supplemental documentation will be filed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Download the News 2 app to stay updated on the go. Sign up for WKRN email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox. Find todays top stories on WKRN.com for Nashville, TN and all of Middle Tennessee. This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. Democrat Hetal Doshi, a former federal prosecutor and former senior U.S. Department of Justice official running for Colorado attorney general, is pictured in the first-time candidate's announcement video, released on Thursday, June 5, 2025. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man whose deportation to El Salvador made him a flashpoint in President Donald Trump's immigration policy, has been indicted in federal court in the Middle District of Tennessee on conspiracy to transport aliens and unlawful transportation of undocumented aliens. Abrego Garcia, of Maryland, appeared in an after-hours court hearing June 6 in Nashville and will be arraigned at 10 a.m. June 13, a spokesman confirmed. During a White House press briefing earlier June 6, United States Attorney General Pamela Bondi said El Salvador returned Abrego Garcia to the country after being presented with warrants for his arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Live: Kilmar Abrego Garcia charged with human smuggling after return from El Salvador Abrego Garcia has played a significant role in a nine-year smuggling ring, Bondi said. He was indicted by a grand jury May 21. "He made over 100 trips, the grand jury found, smuggling people throughout our country," Bondi said, noting that MS13 gang members and violent gang terrorist organization members were among the thousands of undocumented immigrants brought in to the U.S. during Abrego Garcia's trips. "This is especially disturbing because Abrego Garcia is also alleged with transporting minor children," Bondi said. "The defendant traded the innocence of minor children for profit." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the June 6 press conference, Bondi alleged that Abrego Garcia is responsible for additional crimes, though none have been charged as of press time for this story. "Abrego Garcia is a danger to our community," Bondi said. On March 15, Abrego Garcia was flown with a group of hundreds of prisoners to El Salvador, where most were locked in the countrys infamous maximum security prison, known as CECOT. The Trump administration said the deportees, originally from El Salvador and Venezuela, were members of gangs MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, though most had not been charged with crimes in the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrego Garcia, a sheet metal worker and undocumented immigrant, became the poster boy for what critics called Trump's assault on due process rights. What the indictment says The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee unsealed the indictment against Abrego Garcia on June 6. Abrego Garcia, and co-conspirators not named in the indictment, is accused of facilitating and taking money from undocumented people to help them move through the country for nearly 10 years, according to federal court records. Over the course of the conspiracy, the co-conspirators knowingly and unlawfully transported thousands of undocumented aliens who had no authorization to be present in the United States, and many of those were MS-13 members and associates, according to the indictment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The group worked together to help people from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador and Mexico cross the border for profit and private financial gain, the indictment said. To move people, they reconfigured vehicles with after-market unattached seating rows, and they transported children on floorboards, the indictment said. Court documents accuse Abrego Garcia, and another conspirator, of meeting undocumented people in Houston, Texas, and then transporting them across the country. The group also transported firearms and drugs from Texas for distribution and resale in Maryland, the indictment said. On Nov. 30, 2022, the Tennessee Highway Patrol pulled over a Chevrolet Suburban driven by Abrego Garcia on Interstate 40 in Putnam County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There were nine additional passengers in the Suburban, all of whom were Hispanic males, and none of whom had any identification, the indictment said. Abrego Garcia told state troopers they were coming from St. Louis, where theyd been working on construction sites, but no one had any luggage or tools. They were on their way back to Maryland, Abrego Garcia told state troopers, the indictment said. A license plate reader captured the car not in St. Louis, but in Houston the week before the traffic stop. The Tennessee Highway Patrol let the group go, according to the indictment. USA Today contributed. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Kilmar Abrego Garcia appears in Tennessee court, arraignment set DES MOINES, Iowa Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds put a bullseye on cutting taxes during the recent legislative session. On June 5 in Pleasant Hill, she signed off on a law helping business owners. Reynolds autographed the measure while visiting a metal building manufacturer in the Des Moines suburb. The change will reduce the amount of money businesses pay in unemployment insurance taxes. Story continues below Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a released statement, Reynolds said the states unemployment trust fund has a nearly $2 billion fund balance and is the ninth highest in the country. Iowa ranks 32nd in population. Senate File 607 will cut the taxable wage base by half. It lowers the maximum tax rate to 5.4%, which was 9% before this. And it streamlines the system while saving businesses, as you heard, nearly a billion dollars over 5 years, said Reynolds. Reynolds has until June 14, a little more than a week, to sign or veto bills approved during the session. She is yet to make a decision on new restrictions for carbon pipeline developers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. AUSTIN (KXAN) This Pride month, local LGBTQ+ and HIV prevention nonprofit Texas Health Action celebrates a decade of service to the Austin community through its Kind Clinic. Kind Clinic began in 2015 as THAs Austin PrEP Access Project, which worked to help locals get the HIV-prevention drug PrEP. The first physical Kind Clinic location opened in 2017 on 40th Street. Since then, THA has expanded and opened clinics in San Antonio and Dallas. While the direct history of Kind Clinic only goes back to 2015, THAs story began with the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, according to a timeline created by the nonprofit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement THA Chief Advancement Officer Juan Benitez said that many medical providers werent willing to offer the HIV prevention drug PrEP after it became available. [Kind Clinic and Texas Health Action] is really rooted in that foundation of community members responding to a need and a lack of providers, which we have seen throughout the history of queer people. Its what we saw in the 80s, at the height of the HIV and AIDS epidemic, Benitez said. Currently, two Kind Clinics operate in Austin: one at 101 W Koenig Lane and another at 2800 S I-35 Frontage Rd #103. Were fortunate to be able to celebrate 10 years of kindness and 10 years of Kind Clinic, where now we serve almost 30,000 people every single year across the state of Texas, but we know that there are thousands more who need access to the life-saving care that we provide, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Benitez, the Kind Patient Assistance Program has provided $1.6 million to help cover patients costs. The fund has also helped patients get rides to and from the clinic. It is funded by private donors and organizations. PREVIOUS | LGBTQ+ health clinic seeks donations amid uncertain federal funding environment That $1.6 million helps us identify all of those challenges that a patient has and we remove them so that they dont have to worry about whether theyre going to get their medications or not, he said. Texas is the most uninsured state in the country. About 20% of Texans do not have health insurance our patient base is 40% uninsured. The clinic has also started to help uninsured patients enroll in health insurance Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We go as far as helping them pay for those premiums if they get health insurance on marketplace. Its really a patchwork of funds here, whether theyre private, public or even individual donors, that help make this care possible to begin with, Benitez said. As for where THA will be in another 10 years? Benitez said they plan to go as far as the local LGBTQ+ community wants and needs. Queer people exist here and their healthcare needs are just as valid as anyone elses, he said. We are everywhere as LGBTQIA+ communities and people impacted by HIV. Across the state and every county, every corner of Texas, theres someone living there who needs our services. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. Kohls will be shutting down its e-Fulfillment Center in Butler County. Its a decision thatll impact more than 700 employees. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] In a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) sent to state and local officials, a human resources leader at Kohls said its facility at 3500 Salzman Road will permanently close on October 31, 2025. While the facility has a Middletown address, it is located in Monroe. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The closure will impact all 768 employees, including 664 material handlers. All employees have already been informed of the closure. The notice states the last day for employment will be September 12, 2025. It is possible that one or more employees will remain actively employed for a limited time after the Facility is closed to assist with administrative tasks related to its closure, the WARN notice said. Of those employees who remain with the company to assist with administrative tasks related to closure, all will be separated by October 31, 2025. Kohls said a union doesnt represent the employees, and there are no bumping rights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement News Center 7 reported earlier this year that Kohls closed 27 underperforming stores across the country, including two in Ohio, both of which were in the Cincinnati area. There are still nine Kohls locations in the Miami Valley. You can find them here. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] The Kremlin has reacted angrily to a comparison made by US President Donald Trump, who likened the war in Ukraine to a bitter dispute between toddlers. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in Moscow on Friday that it was possible Trump believed this. "But for us, this is an existential question, a question of our national interests, a question of our security, the future of our children, the future of our country," Peskov said, according to the Russian state news agency TASS. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The spokesman did not comment on Russia's role as the aggressor in the war. Russia is fighting because the West has rejected all of Moscow's proposals for a solution to the conflict, Peskov claimed. During his meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House, Trump accused both sides in the war of being determined to continue fighting. "Sometimes you see two young children fighting like crazy, they hate each other and they're fighting in a park," he said. "And you try and pull them apart, they don't want to be pulled. Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart." Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion for more than three years. WARREN, Ohio (MyValleyTributes) Kristy Leigh Pinto-Marko, 44 of Warren, Ohio, passed away unexpectedly of natural causes on Monday, June 2, 2025, in the early hours of the morning in her home. Kristy was born on November 2, 1980, in Warren, Ohio, to parents Joseph and Liane Pinto. Find obituaries from your high school Kristy grew up surrounded by her loving family alongside her older brother, Michael Pinto. As a young girl, she played many years for Burbank Girls Softball, performed numerous dance recitals and spent countless hours playing with her dolls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kristy graduated from Warren G. Harding High School in 1999, where she enjoyed playing trumpet in symphonic, jazz and marching band. Kristy went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Kent State University in 2005. She met the love of her life, Brian C. Marko and they joined hands in marriage at First United Methodist Church in Warren, Ohio, on October 17, 2010. Kristy held many jobs, at all of which she was well-loved by her coworkers but most recently, she was employed by Hearing Life as a Sales Specialty Consultant. Kristy loved spending time with her husband, Brian, more than anything. Kristy and Brian loved watching movies, going to concerts and adventuring into exotic cuisines. Kristy loved all things fashion and beauty, her clothing collection was impressive and she always reminded everyone that everything comes back in style. She also loved watching and feeding the wildlife, particularly the neighborhood squirrels, from her home office. Most of all, Kristy adored spending time with her family every chance she got, making sure to capture the moment as the designated videographer at every family Christmas. Kristy particularly enjoyed being her nieces, Isabella and Madeline Pinto, number one fan and couldnt have been prouder to have never missed a single one of their dance recitals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kristys family will miss her so deeply and carry her memory close to their hearts forever. Kristy is survived by her husband, Brian C. Marko; her parents, Joseph and Liane Pinto; maternal grandparents, Charles and Shirley Peterson; brother, Michael (Mackenzie) Pinto; nieces, Isabella and Madeline Pinto; best friend, Amber Border; mother-in-law, Ramona Reed; aunt, Gina (Angus) Macaulay; uncle, Jerry Pinto and several cousins. Kristy is preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Joseph and Ila Jean Pinto; father-in-law, Eugene Marko; uncle and aunt, Daniel and Kimberly Peterson; aunt, Judy Aleman and beloved fur babies, Dago and Humphrey. A memorial service will be held at 6:00 p.m., on Thursday, June 12, 2025, at the Carl W. Hall Funeral Home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Visitation will be from 4:00 6:00 p.m., on Thursday, at the funeral home. A television tribute will air Sunday, June 8 at the following approximate times: 8:58 a.m. on FOX and 9:58 p.m. on MyYTV. Video will be posted here the day of airing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. Ukrainian authorities have strongly criticised the decision to transfer part of Russias frozen assets in Europe to Western investors, stating it weakens the EUs stance in confronting Moscow. Source: Reuters Details: Last month, the Belgian company Euroclear transferred 3 billion (US$3.4 billion) previously belonging to Russian investors to compensate Western companies whose assets were confiscated by Russia. This move alarmed Kyiv, which said such actions set a dangerous precedent and undermine Europes determination in its confrontation with Russia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If private investors are compensated before the victims of war, it won't be justice," said Iryna Mudra, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. She stressed that international law requires full reparations from the aggressor to the victims of war, not to companies that "entered a high-risk jurisdiction". The Euroclear decision raises concerns amid growing Western fatigue over support for Ukraine. Meanwhile, the frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank most of which are held by Euroclear remain a key leverage tool against Moscow. Ukraine insists these assets must be used for reconstruction and defence of the country. "If it is returned to Russia, it will be converted into tanks, missiles, drones, training of new troops," Mudra said. European leaders are expected to extend sanctions against Russia at the June summit. However, there are fears that some countries, including Hungary, might attempt to block the decision. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) announced Thursday that major repairs to the historic Glover Cary Bridge also known as the Owensboro Blue Bridge will begin with preliminary work next week. When major repair get underway in early July, the bridge is expected to be closed to all traffic for about 90 days. Repairs to safeguard the iconic Glover Cary Bridge in downtown Owensboro are scheduled this summer to maintain the vital traffic service it provides across the Ohio River between northwest Kentucky and southern Indiana, a Thursday press release from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is the largest repair operation on the Glover Cary Bridge since 2011, said KYTC district two public information officer Matt Hughes. It has closed for more minor repairs since 2011, but this is the biggest project in recent years. Hughes said that following an inspection of the bridge last fall, engineers estimated needing to close the bridge for around six months. But the engineers have worked to streamline the repairs in order to shorten the closure length, to reduce traffic impacts to a minimum, he said. Last falls inspection also called for repairs to the roadway on the Indiana side of the bridge, Hughes said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During that inspection back in the fall, they found some issues over on the north river in Indiana that were going to require the road to be shut down to make some repairs, Hughes said. We were able to work with the Indiana Department of Transportation to try to get that built into this one project because were going to have the bridge shut down anyway. So we though to go ahead and get that fixed as well so there wont be more inconvenience for travelers. According to Thursdays press release, work on the bridge will begin with single-lane closures starting on Monday, June 9 and run through Wednesday, June 11. Flaggers will be directing traffic in an alternating one-lane method. American Contracting & Services, hired by the KYTC, plans to fully close the bridge, which connects Kentucky 2262 with Indiana SR 161, following the Independence Day holiday weekend, in order for the full scope of work to begin. During that time, the aging bridge deck will be replaced, concrete repairs will be made and bridge joints will be repaired. While the entire project is slated to last through November, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is limiting the actual bridge closure to 90 days or less. That schedule would have the bridge reopened around the first of October, stated the press release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hughes said that construction crews are planning to work through the night in order to keep the repair timeline to 90 days or less. KYTC said that closing only one lane at a time on the bridge wasnt possible to be able to complete all of the repairs. Crews will be fully replacing one 750-foot span of concrete-filled bridge decking while making repairs to a second span of the same length. Because the decking spans the entire width of the bridge surface, closing one lane at a time is impossible, the press release detailed. Closing the bridge for these repairs, Hughes said, will allow for long-term concrete maintenance to be completed, rather than short-term repairs, helping to keep the bridge safe and open for many years to come. Work that can be completed without fully closing the bridge is planned to happen outside of the 90-day window. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement KYTC estimates that around 7,200 vehicles cross the Blue Bridge, which opened to public traffic in 1940, daily. During the time of the closure, travelers needing to traverse the Ohio River into Southern Indiana should detour to the U.S. 231 William H. Natcher Bridge. Up-to-date traffic information provided by the KYTC can be found at goky.ky.gov. Search efforts for a missing Los Angeles woman who jumped into a river to rescue her sister in Sequoia National Park have been scaled down as river conditions become increasingly unsafe, park officials say. On May 25, during a trip with family and friends, 26-year-old Jomarie Calasanz was swept up by fast river currents in the Kaweah River of the Sequoia National Park foothills, according to a Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks news release. A trained swimmer, Calasanz entered the river to rescue her sister, Joanne, who was attempting to swim in deceivingly calm waters, as outlined in a GoFundMe page created by the family. The Kaweah River in Sequoia National Park can be dangerous and unpredictable. Above, floodwaters churn the Kaweah on March 14, 2023. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) What was supposed to be a fun, bonding moment very quickly turned into a traumatic event that will stick with us forever, the family added. While the river released Joanne, it is our deepest regret to inform everyone that Jomarie has not yet been found. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A multi-agency search that included search-and-rescue teams, canines, underwater cameras and aerial searches lasted for nine days in the river and surrounding areas. However, snowpack melt from higher elevations and elevated river flow rendered the search area too hazardous for rescue staff to conduct thorough searches, according to the release. Read more: The 5 most dangerous places to be rescued in California's wilderness When river conditions improve, possibly in the coming weeks, the team will reevaluate next steps, the release said. The search will continue in a limited manner with fewer resources until river conditions stabilize. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Park officials urged visitors to stay out of rivers during elevated-flow conditions and warned of slippery rocks near riverbanks. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The federal appeals court based in Denver cleared the way on Tuesday for a 2023 Colorado law to take effect that will generally raise the age limit for purchasing firearms to 21. The House of Lords is preparing to inflict an embarrassing defeat on Labour over its deeply problematic plans to let foreign powers become part-owners of British newspapers. Peers including a former chancellor, a former director of public prosecutions and the current chairman of the press regulator are in open revolt over proposals by Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, to relax an outright ban on foreign state shareholdings to allow passive stakes of up to 15pc. The basic principle was expected to be reluctantly accepted by Parliament, in part to end the destabilising uncertainty at The Telegraph caused by a blocked takeover bid bankrolled by the United Arab Emirates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, a loophole that it is feared could allow foreign powers to team up to gain sway over Britains free press has stoked a rebellion capable of defeating the Government. As proposed, the legislation would enable foreign states to own up to 15pc if they are not cooperating with each other. Lord Young, the journalist and founder of the Free Speech Union campaign group, has spearheaded an open letter to Ms Nandy demanding she tighten the proposed laws. Lord Young is at the head of a campaign to restrict foreign state ownership of newspapers - Andrew Crowley It has dozens of signatures from Conservative peers of all stripes, including former Cabinet ministers Lord Lamont, Lord Baker and Lord Lilley, as well as crossbenchers including Lord Macdonald, the former director of public prosecutions. The letter to Ms Nandy said her proposals to allow multiple foreign powers to own shares in a single newspaper were deeply problematic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It added: It has to be assumed that if different state actors are intent on exerting influence through their shareholding, then some may be prepared to do so covertly and in collusion with other states. To guard against this risk, the draft regulations should ensure that the cap in the percentage of shares that can be owned in a British newspaper enterprise is a total cap. The letter was also signed by Lord Faulks, the chairman of the press regulator Ipso; Baroness Fleet, the former editor of The Evening Standard; and Lord Goodman, the former editor of the Conservative Home website. Other prominent backers included Lord Brady, the former chairman of the 1922 committee of Conservative backbenchers; Baroness Deech, the chairman of the House of Lords appointments commission; Lord Swire, the former Foreign Office minister; and Baroness Spielman, the former head of Ofsted. Lord Roberts, the Churchill biographer, has also signed and has written in The Telegraph that the legislation must be done in a way that entrenches the traditional freedoms of our press. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The letter marks a significant escalation of opposition to the legislation in the Lords. Baroness Stowell, who last year played a critical role in forcing the Government to block the UAE bid for The Telegraph, was among the first to raise concerns over multiple state shareholdings in a letter to Ms Nandy last week. She did not sign Lord Youngs letter, but warned the Government it faced defeat if it pressed ahead, even though the Conservative leadership in the Commons had signalled it did not oppose the proposed laws. The Liberal Democrats have tabled a rare fatal motion to veto the statutory instrument which may become the focus of the Lords rebellion. Lady Stowell said: I really hope the Government reconsiders these proposals quickly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It would not be acceptable for multiple foreign states to own stakes of up to 15pc in the same newspaper, yet for reasons unclear, that is a scenario Lisa Nandy wants to allow. Unless she closes this obvious loophole, I can see peers swinging behind a fatal motion to block this legislation. It would be a rare step to take, but I know colleagues feel very strongly about this crucial matter of press independence. The Conservatives are the biggest group in the Lords. Alongside the Liberal Democrats and some crossbenchers they could readily defeat the Government and spark a battle with the Commons. Lady Stowell is among the parliamentarians to have said she would accept a limit of 15pc with reservations, were it not for the risk of cumulative shareholdings. Lady Stowell has raised concerns over the risk of cumulative shareholdings by foreign states The figure is three times the limit proposed last year by Rishi Sunaks government. Ms Nandy decided to lift it following lobbying on behalf of Rupert Murdoch and Lord Rothermere, the owner of the Daily Mail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both media moguls have sought sovereign wealth investment in the past. Lord Rothermere previously considered a takeover bid for The Telegraph with financial backing from the Gulf. Mr Murdoch relied on the support of a Saudi royal shareholder to fight off the investor rebellion sparked by the phone-hacking scandal. Lobbyists for Lord Rothermere and Mr Murdoch argued that a 5pc cap on foreign state investment would cut news publishers off from a significant source of potential investment in digital growth at a time of upheaval as print newspapers decline. The row over cumulative shareholdings threatens to further delay a conclusion to the two-year saga over ownership of The Telegraph. RedBird Capital, the US private equity firm that was the minority investor in the blocked UAE takeover, has agreed in principle to become controlling shareholder in a 500m deal. IMI, the media investment vehicle owned by UAE royal Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan is expected to retain up to 15pc. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the deal has not been finalised and is likely to require a settled legal position before it can face regulatory scrutiny. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport declined to comment. Full list of signatories Lord Biggar Baroness Meyer Lord Moylan Lord Jackson of Peterborough Baroness Eaton Lord Brady Lord Elliott of Mickle Fell Baroness Finn Baroness Fleet Baroness Noakes Baroness Bray of Coln Lord Strathcarron Baroness Lea of Lymm The Earl of Leicester Lord Borwick Lord Roberts of Belgravia Baroness Deech Lord Sherbourne Lord Mackinlay Lord Ashcombe Baroness Coffey Baroness Foster of Oxton Lord Moynihan of Chelsea Lord Evans of Rainow Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lord Forsyth of Drumlean Baroness Buscombe Lord Sharpe of Epsom Lord Mancroft Lord Robathan Baroness Nicholson Lord Wrottesley Baroness Cash Lord Goodman Lord Shinkwin Baroness Altmann CBE Edward Faulks KC Lord Swire Baroness Fox of Buckley Baroness Spielman Lord Lamont Lord MacDonald of River Glaven Lord McInnes of Kilwinning Lord Hamilton of Epsom Lord Reay Lord Pearson of Rannoch Lord Lilley Lord Baker of Dorking Lord McLoughlin Baroness Morrissey Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Ministers are being urged to publish a report into the impact of rental reforms on the courts as landlords face eight-month delays to repossess their property. Government departments are required to complete a justice impact assessment for any new bills that are likely to impact the UK courts system. Labours Renters Reform Bill is set to become law this summer and will include the removal of Section 21 no-fault evictions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are fears the change will force landlords to rely on the courts to regain possession of their properties, adding to existing backlogs. Private landlords faced an eight-month wait from making a claim to the courts to their properties being repossessed in the first four months of 2025, according to the latest government data. Chris Norris, chief policy officer for the National Residential Landlords Association, said: The justice system is simply not ready for the impact of the Bill. In the interests of transparency, the Government should publish the Justice Impact test. The Government also needs to come clean about how it defines the courts being ready for the reforms. Warm words are no substitute for clear objectives for the justice system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Justice impact assessments are an internal process and not usually published by government departments, but previous ministers have committed to publishing court reviews ahead of implementing rental reforms. The former Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee in a 2023 report said: It is not clear whether the Government fully appreciates the extent to which an unreformed courts system could undermine its tenancy reforms. Furthermore, in a consultation in 2022, the then-government acknowledged that Section 21 was preferred by landlords to other means of eviction such as Section 8 as it was perceived as quicker and more certain. Richard Atkinson, president of the Law Society, said of the Renters Rights Bill: The bill will not be effective without further investment in the justice system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Atkinson also urged the Government to provide greater funding and more clarity to the enforcement provisions so that justice is accessible to renters and landlords alike. In addition to concerns about the justice system, a report has warned impacts of the bill will add almost 900 a year to the average tenancy. The legislation will limit landlords to just one rent increase per year capped at the market rate the price that would be achieved if the property was newly advertised to let. Landbay said property owners were planning to increase rent by an average of 6pc, which would add 74 to the average monthly rent, or 888 a year. Dr Neil Cobbold, director at property software company Reapit UKI, said: The Governments decision not to share the Renters Rights Bill justice impact test raises serious questions about transparency and accountability. The estimate of changes in the number of court and tribunal cases is a vital tool for understanding how the legislation will affect the property sector including case volumes and whether the justice infrastructure is in place to support the change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Bill is currently going through the House of Lords before being sent back to the Commons and is expected to receive Royal Assent by summer 2025 and be implemented before the end of the year. An MHCLG spokesman said: As was the case under previous governments, Justice Impact Tests are internal government documents and it is not standard practice for them to be published. We are fully focussed on ensuring the justice system is ready for our reforms, which will create a fairer housing market, and are working closely with the Ministry of Justice and HM Courts and Tribunal Service to ensure all necessary preparations are in place. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) A Lancaster County woman says she is lucky to be alive after she was trapped on a sinking boat full of people in Bali. Lancaster County woman Lauren Dagues solo 24th birthday trip to Bali turned into a disaster when a boat she was on with many other tourists began to sink. Dague said the boat was so packed that people were forced to stand in the aisles. Close Thanks for signing up! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Severe Weather Alerts I just had a gut feeling. I knew something was like going to happen, she said. And something did happen. Dague said the boat began to fill with water as soon as they left the dock. We obviously didnt realize the full extent of what was happening in the back of the boat and how much water was quickly coming in because we couldnt see it, Dague said. But they, and then the boat started going out, and it just got pulled out into the ocean. Like, we were not close to the sea. We were not close to the beach anymore. A wave crashed into the boat just moments after it began to fill up with water. That is when it began to sink, according to Dague. Dagues quick thinking not only saved herself, but also others on board. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the water started coming in, I immediately knew I was going out the window if anything happened, because there was too many people, she said. I was kicking out the window of the row that we were sitting in. So like, it just happened so fast. I was so fortunate and so lucky to be sitting where I was and I am just so lucky that I had enough time. Because once we saw the water up by the third row, thats when I started taking all of my important things out, my passport, my wallet, my phone. 27 baby skunks rescued in Lancaster County Dague said she smashed the window with her foot, and that the action saved at least three others. Passengers could be seen clinging to the side of the boat as it flipped on its side and bags could be seen floating in the ocean, according to Dague. Dague added that she is a freelance photographer and was carrying more than $1,000 worth of equipment at the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) A historic stretch of land on the campus of a Triad college will never be developed thanks to a new deal. According to Guilford College, the college and Piedmont Land Conservancy have signed a memorandum of understanding to pursue a conservation easement to permanently protect a large swath of Guilford Woods. Guilford College Bryan Series to end after 20-year run The easement would protect 120 acres of land on the Guilford College campus, including a tree known as the Underground Railroad tree, a 300-year-old tulip poplar. This deal would ensure that this area, one of Greensboros last undeveloped woodlands, according to the college, would never be developed, but would remain owned by the college. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PLC wants to fund the easement by raising $8.5 million, which would be available to the college by 2028. While the proceeds will not be factored in the current $5 million For the Good of Guilford campaign that concludes June 30, the money will be important in Guilfords longer-term financial strategy, the college writes. The college states that this is an ideal solution for the community and the college, who have long sought a way to support the college and preserve Guilford Woods, which has ecological and historical value to the community. Guilford College is proud to be part of this partnership to preserve Guilford Woods, said Guilfords acting president, Jean Bordewich. We are committed to ensuring this beloved Greensboro landscape remains protected and accessible for generations to come. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a win-win-win for PLC, Guilford College and the greater community, said Mary Magrinat, incoming PLC board president and longtime community advocate. The land will be permanently protected, Guilford College will receive vital financial support for its programs, and the public will gain official access to pristine green space in a rapidly growing part of Greensboro. In 2017, the federal government recognized the land as one of the earliest documented sites of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, Guilford College states in their release. This easement will connect to Julian and Ethel Clay Price Park, 100 acres that are also protected by PLC, linking it to Greensboros existing trail network. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP. They say not all heroes wear capes, and that is exactly the case with Cornelius Rainey. The people he helped save from a burning apartment complex in Hyde Park on Wednesday night agree. The Landscape supervisor was visiting his family at Riverbank Apartments on Wednesday, June 4, when he quickly realized something was wrong. I looked to the left and see fire, flames shooting out the building, said Rainey. Thats when I went and helped everyone out of their apartment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Around 4:45 pm Wednesday, JFRD responded to a fire at Riverbank apartments in Hyde Park. JFRD said the fire originated in a bedroom inside one of the apartments. The fire quickly spread to the attic, and as a result of that, JFRD told me they told JEA to cut the power off for the entire building. The state fire marshal is currently investigating the cause of the fire. Without hesitating, Rainey said he ran inside the burning building and began banging on residents doors, telling them it was time to go. I was trying to kick peoples doors in, burglary style, but it wasnt flying open, said Rainey. And the doors that I didnt get opened, kicked in, it was people actually in those apartments, too. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Rainey tells me he helped get 15 people and 3 dogs out of the burning building, including an elderly woman in a wheelchair. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was knocking on their door. It wouldnt open; I opened the door. She was sitting in the living room. Her husband was trying to get her out. And I just grabbed him. I said Move, man. I got her, I got her, said Rainey. I grabbed her and rolled her out. And thats how she got out there. I asked Rainey why he decided to run into that building. He said it was instinct. I just care about people. I was just helping everybody. I couldnt leave them in there. The building was shooting fire, like real big flames, said Rainey. Rainey told me everyone he helped was extremely grateful to him, and he was just happy that everyone was safe. The Red Cross said it assisted a total of 34 individuals displaced by this fire. In addition, there are also other people displaced. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] I had never been in a place with a fire before, said Riverbank apartment resident Ekira Jackson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jackson was on her way back home from work on Wednesday when she got a call telling her apartment building was on fire and she needed to evacuate. When I walked up, I just see this black apartment complex, said Jackson. I just moved in literally I havent been here for not even a month yet. And everything I work hard for is ruined. I spoke with Riverbank Apartments Property Manager about what they are doing to help residents during this time. They told me everyone who was impacted by the fire can access their units, but they need to obtain an access pass through the city, which they have available if residents contact them. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) A large four-alarm fire ripped through several multi-residential buildings in San Franciscos Inner Richmond neighborhood early Friday morning. More than 130 firefighters responded to the blaze before it came under control at 4:37 a.m. The San Francisco Fire Department was dispatched at 1:54 a.m. to the report of a fire in the 500 block of Fifth Avenue. The flames spread across five three-story multi-residential buildings as people were evacuated from their homes, according to fire officials. (SFFD) One firefighter suffered a twisted ankle while working at the scene. No residents were injured, according to fire officials. A cat that was reported missing was later found deceased. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A total of 35 residents were displaced in the fire and are being assisted by the American Red Cross, SFFD said. Officials are asking the public to avoid the areas between Fifth Avenue and Cabrillo Street and Fifth Ave. and Anza Street as fire crews continue to work. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A Las Vegas man with a record of violent attacks on women was sentenced Thursday to seven years in prison on a drug trafficking charge, according to a Thursday news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office. Damien Patillo, 41, was convicted by a jury in January after a four-day trial on one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Court documents show he had 16 grams of pure methamphetamine. In addition to prison time, he will also be required to serve four years of supervised release. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Nevada said Patillo has 38 prior convictions that include brutal attacks on six different women. He has 10 past convictions on domestic violence charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The methamphetamine epidemic continues to threaten the health and safety of Americans, said Anthony Chrysanthis, deputy special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administrations Los Angeles division, which includes Las Vegas. Todays sentencing serves as a stern warning to drug distributors: When you unleash deadly poison in our communities, we will track you down and ensure you face the full force of the law, Chrysanthis said. The DEA and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case. U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada, the DEA and the ATF made the announcement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A Las Vegas woman indicted in the death of an English bulldog named Reba took a plea deal Thursday afternoon, bringing her down to a lesser charge. On Thursday, June 5, Markeisha Foster, 30, took a plea deal, agreeing to one count of attempt to kill, maim, or disfigure an animal of another. She originally faced a charge of willful/malicious torture/maiming/killing of a dog, cat, or animal. On July 26, 2024, Las Vegas Metro police officers found the English bulldog, later named Reba, in the 1100 block of East Twain Avenue, near Maryland Parkway, next to a dumpster inside a tote that was taped shut. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The temperature that night hovered around 110 degrees. The National Weather Service reported a high of 111 for the evening. Reba died the next day. Her death made national headlines as people called for Justice for Reba. Last December, police arrested Issac Laushaul Jr., 32, and Foster on animal abuse charges. A grand jury later voted to indict them on similar charges. On May 16, documents were filed by Laushauls attorney asking a judge to move his case from Clark County because of intense media coverage, instead wanting to the trail to happen outside of Las Vegas. While not asking for a venue change, Fosters attorney asked the judge to sever her case from Laushauls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The filing indicated Laushaul and his attorney believe they will be unable to find an impartial jury. RELATED: Nevada lawmakers approve Rebas Law; its now on the governors desk The media has followed this case/story extensively, Laushauls attorney wrote in court documents filed May 16, citing 8 News Nows reporting. Media coverage has included photographs, articles all about Reba, interviews with individuals who know the defendant, coverage of in-court proceedings, pending motions, comments by prosecutors, police, and defense attorneys, and interviews and analyses of veterinarians as to how this could have all happened. News coverage of Rebas death began in the months after Laushaul and Foster allegedly left her in the heat, as police released video footage of their suspects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors oppose the venue change, writing, The mere existence of publicity does not require a trial to be moved. Additional details about Fosters plea deal were not immediately known. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. Gov. Jared Polis looks out at the crowd while alongside other local and Sundance Institute leadership announce Boulder, Colo. as the host city of the Sundance Film Festival starting in 2027, in a press conference in front of the Boulder Theater on Thursday, March 27, 2025. Today the clock starts ticking on finding an interim leader in a tiny Connecticut town. Its first selectwoman Paula Cofrancescos last day on the job after resigning amid a scandal produced by an alleged child sex abuse case. Meanwhile, the remaining two members of the Board of Selectmen will be in charge: Democrat Gina Teixeira and Republican Robert H. Brinton, Jr. They are also responsible to take the first steps in finding an interim first selectman until November, when the regular election is held. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Teixeira, who has a busy full-time job as a staff attorney for Disability Rights Connecticut in Hartford, said she is willing to handle town business in the meantime and she assumes so as Brinton, who couldnt be reached for comment. He is the town engineer in Orange. My plan is to be available as needed, she said. Its a crisis situation. Cofrancesco announced her resignation in May, effective June 6 at an annual town meeting after calls from residents for her to step down reached a feverish pitch. Cofrancesco came under fire in the wake of a report that blasted her handling of alleged child sex abuse by a town employee working with kids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That former employee, Anthony Mastrangelo, 25 at the time of his arrest, is facing sex assault and risk of injury to a minor charges. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and is free on bond. Now starts the task of finding a new first selectman. It could be fast or it could drag on until sometime in September. The process in this case gives Republicans an advantage because Cofrancesco is of that party. Cofrancesco could not be reached for comment. Since Bethany doesnt have a charter the town will follow the process outlined in state statute Sec. 9-222, Filling of vacancy in office of first selectman or selectman. The statute says the remaining selectmen, in this case Teixeira and Brinton, can either take the position themselves or have 30 days to agree on a replacement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the vacancy were not filled within 30 days the town clerk would within 10 days after have to notify the elective Republican town officers and they get to pick someone. It has to be within 30 days. If someones not happy with the choice, a member of either party can petition for a special election for an interim replacement. For the petition to be successful they must have a number of electors at least equal to five percent of the names on the last-completed registry list, but not fewer than fifty electors. In this case if each step before a special election went out to the full 60 days , it would put a special election into about September. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Regular Election Day is Nov. 4. Roger Senserrich, spokesman for the Secretary of States office said that agency would become involved if there were a special election. To start the process Brinton and Teixeira are scheduled to meet Monday at Town Hall. If Mondays meeting were made public, the two selectmen would likely to go into executive, or private, session for part of it, if names are discussed. Cofrancesco has been under fire for about a year after the public, including irate parents, questioned her handling of allegations of sexual assault of girls by parks and recreation employee Anthony Mastrangelo, who was 25 at the time of his arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is alleged he touched the girls during his employment. A fifth alleged child victim came forward after Mastrangelo babysat at her house. An investigation on the handling of the allegations revealed the State Police dropped the ball by not making an arrest sooner and that Cofrancesco failed to take action quickly to fire Mastrangelo and warn parents. The investigation also revealed a close friendship between Cofrancesco and the Mastrangelo family. It was so close they went on vacation together and Cofrancesco and Mastrangelos mother planned meals together by email. When questioned about the vacation at a public meeting Cofrancesco told residents the meeting on vacation was by chance. Cofrancesco at first vowed she wouldnt resign, but residents didnt back down and began an appeal to the governors office to have her ousted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cofrancesco resigned effective June 6, saying although she didnt agree with the investigation report, the matter had become a distraction to the town. Residents applauded when she resigned, but at the same time many were also further angered by what they read as a her continued lack of accepting responsibility. At the height of the demands for her to leave, those joining the list of residents calling for her resignation were state Sen. Jorge Cabrera, state Rep. Lezlye Zupkus, a Republican like Cofrancesco, the Bethany Democratic Town Committee, and Democratic Selectwoman Gina Teixeira, and the Republican Town Committee. The investigative report was based on a review of more than 125,000 electronic and paper documents emails, text messages, town policies, and related attachmentsand on interviews of 48 current and former town employees, elected officials, concerned citizens, and parents of the victims, according to the the law firm Pullman & Comley, LLC. She began her first term as first selectwoman in 2019. Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been charged in the U.S. with trafficking immigrants into the country, nearly three months after the Trump administration mistakenly deported him to his native El Salvador. The charges stem from a 2022 vehicle stop in which the Tennessee Highway Patrol suspected him of human trafficking. A report released by the Department of Homeland Security in April states that none of the people in the vehicle had luggage, while they listed the same address as Abrego Garcia. Also Friday, it was the final day for active duty transgender service members to identify themselves and begin to leave the military voluntarily, while the National Guard and Reserve have until July 7. Lawmakers and conservative figures urged detente between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump, fearful of the potential consequences from a prolonged feud. And the administration asked Supreme Court to allow Education Department layoffs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here's the latest: Kilmar Abrego Garcia appears at court hearing in Tennessee Abrego Garcia wore a short-sleeved, white, button-down shirt during his appearance after being returned from El Salvador. Asked if he understood the charges against him, he told the judge: Si. Lo entiendo. An interpreter then said: Yes. I understand. Federal Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes in Nashville determined that he will be held in custody until at least next Friday, when there will be an arraignment and detention hearing. Plaintiffs criticize Supreme Court decision on DOGE access to Americans Social Security data Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Plaintiffs in the lawsuit at the center of the case called the decision a sad day for our democracy and a scary day for millions of people. Elon Musk may have left Washington, D.C., but his impact continues to harm millions of people, the plaintiffs said. X users were glued to the Musk v. Trump blowup. Could this be good for the platform? The blowup between the president of the United States and the worlds richest man has played out on social media in real time, the latest, perhaps ultimate example of how X has become Elon Musks personal platform, his own reality show where anyone can tune in to watch the mercurial twists and turns of his unpredictable personality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And tune in they did. The feud has birthed countless memes, hot takes and speculation, with some X users bringing out the popcorn emojis while rejoicing that the site has returned to its fun roots back when it was called Twitter. While its not yet clear if the feud will have any permanent effects on Xs audience size or advertising business, its owner reposted a meme late Thursday suggesting that, at least for now, it was good for getting active users to tune into the platform. Read more about the Musk-Trump dispute and X Trump once opened the door to the LGBTQ+ community. Now activists say hes their top threat Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When he first ran for office, the president appeared to be a new kind of Republican when it came to gay rights. Years earlier he overturned the rules of his Miss Universe pageant to let a transgender contestant compete. He said Caitlyn Jenner could use any bathroom at Trump Tower that she wanted. And he was the first president to name an openly gay person to a Cabinet-level position. But since returning to office this year, Trump has engaged in what activists say is an unprecedented assault on the LGBTQ+ community. I am deeply concerned that were going to see it all be taken away in the next four years, said Kevin Jennings, who leads the advocacy group Lambda Legal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps defenders insist he has not acted in a discriminatory way, and they point to public polling that shows widespread support for policies like restrictions on transgender athletes. Hes working to establish common sense once again, said Ed Williams, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans. Read more about Trump and the LGBTQ+ community Trump says China has agreed to restart exports of rare earth minerals and magnets to the US Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, he said that during his call Thursday with Xi Jinping, the Chinese president agreed to restore the exports. China had slowed them amid the countries trade war, threatening a range of U.S. manufacturers that relied on the critical materials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The was no immediate confirmation from China. Sheetz racial discrimination case is on the chopping block as Trump rewrites civil rights Federal authorities moved Friday to drop a racial discrimination lawsuit against the Sheetz convenience store chain, part of a broader effort by the administration to halt the use of a key tool for enforcing civil rights laws. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the top federal agency for enforcing workers rights, filed a court motion to dismiss the lawsuit, citing Trumps executive order directing federal agencies to deprioritize the use of disparate impact liability in civil rights enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Disparate impact liability holds that policies that are neutral on their face can violate civil rights laws if they impose artificial barriers that disadvantage different demographic groups. The concept has been used to root out practices that close off minorities, women, people with disabilities, older adults or other groups from certain jobs, or keep them from accessing credit or equal pay. In the Sheetz case, filed in 2024 under the Biden administration, the EEOC had claimed that the companys policy of refusing to hire anyone who failed its criminal background checks discriminated against Black, Native American and multiracial job applicants. Read more about the EEOC and the Sheetz lawsuit Musk could lose billions of dollars depending on how spat with Trump unfolds Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The feud between Elon Musk and the president could mean Teslas plans for self-driving cars hit a roadblock, SpaceX flies fewer missions for NASA, Starlink gets fewer overseas satellite contracts and the social media platform X loses advertisers. Maybe, that is. It all depends on Trumps appetite for revenge and how the dispute unfolds. Joked Telemetry Insight auto analyst Sam Abuelsamid, Since Trump has no history of retaliating against perceived adversaries, hell probably just let this pass. Turning serious, he sees trouble ahead for Musk. For someone that rants so much about government pork, all of Elons businesses are extremely dependent on government largesse, which makes him vulnerable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump and the federal government also stand to lose from a long-running dispute, but not as much as Musk. Read more about potential losses for Musk Transportation chief seeks to weaken fuel economy standards, calls Biden-era rule illegal Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Biden-era fuel economy standards for gas-powered cars and trucks were illegal and moved to reverse them. Combined with Senate language in the pending budget bill to eliminate penalties for exceeding standards regulating how far vehicles must travel on a gallon of fuel, automakers could come under less pressure from regulators to reduce pollution. Ultimately the nations use of electric vehicles could be slowed. The moves align with the administrations ongoing efforts to slash federal support for EVs. Trump has pledged to end what he called an EV mandate, referring incorrectly to former President Joe Bidens goal for half of all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2030. No federal policy has required auto companies to sell or car buyers to purchase EVs, although California and other states have imposed rules requiring all new passenger vehicles sold in the state to be zero-emission by 2035. Education Department weighs bringing back hundreds of laid-off employees The department says it is actively assessing how to reintegrate the workers after a judge blocked the agencys sweeping downsizing. A department email told workers on leave that they will not be terminated June 10 as originally planned. It asked them to share whether they have gained other employment, saying that request aims to support a smooth and informed return to duty. The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Friday to pause a court order blocking the layoffs. A department spokesperson said the agency is complying with the order but intends to win its legal battle over the downsizing. The department laid off about 1,300 employees in March, reducing its staff by about half. Workers have been on paid leave since then, and none have been asked to return to their jobs, according to their union. A federal judge in Boston blocked the layoffs in May in response to two lawsuits. Lawyer for Kilmar Abrego Garcia confident he will be cleared of charges Theres no way a jury is going to see the evidence and agree that this sheet metal worker is the leader of an international MS-13 smuggling conspiracy, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said. Even if he were to be convicted, the Trump administration would still have to return to immigration court if it wants to deport him to El Salvador. Sandoval-Moshenberg also expects Abrego Garcias case in Maryland to continue as a judge there considers whether the administration has obeyed her orders. NFL and others cheer Trumps order on drone use Cathy Lanier, the chief security officer of the National Football League, applauded the new order, saying more and more drones have flown into restricted airspace during games. She called the order, which could train law enforcement agencies to respond in real time, the most significant step taken to address the issue. U.S. drone makers also praised the order, which prioritizes drones made domestically over foreign ones, for helping ensure the country will lead in the industry. Amazon Prime Air said it welcomes the fact that rules would be expedited to let companies use drones beyond operators line of sight, or farther away. Lawyer for Abrego Garcia says it will be interesting to hear his account of treatment in El Salvador lockup Kilmar Abrego Garcia is one of the first, if not the first, person to be released from a notorious prison in El Salvador, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said. So its going to be very interesting to hear what he has to say about the way in which he was treated in that prison by the Salvadoran authorities, he said. Lawyer for Kilmar Abrego Garcia decries preposterous charges What happened today is an abuse of power, said Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, an attorney for Abrego Garcia. He said he plans to meet with him soon and will vigorously defend him against the new charges. This administration instead of simply admitting their mistake, theyll stop at nothing at all, including some of the most preposterous charges imageable, just to avoid admitting they made a mistake, which is what everyone knows happened in this case, he said. How DOGE ended up at the Supreme Court The lawsuit was originally filed by a group of labor unions and retirees represented by the group Democracy Forward. Its one of more than two dozen lawsuits filed over DOGEs work, which has included deep cuts at federal agencies and large-scale layoffs. The Trump administration says DOGE needs access to Social Security systems to carry out its mission of targeting waste and fraud in the federal government, which Musk called an alleged hotbed of fraud. U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander in Maryland found that DOGEs efforts at Social Security amounted to a fishing expedition based on little more than suspicion of fraud and allowing unfettered access puts Americans private information at risk. Her ruling did allow access to anonymous data for staffers who have undergone training and background checks, or wider access for those who have detailed a specific need. The Trump administration has said DOGE cant work effectively with those restrictions. An appeals court then refused to immediately lift the block on DOGE access, though it split along ideological lines. Conservative judges in the minority said theres no evidence that the team has done any targeted snooping or exposed personal information. The Supreme Court was also split along ideological lines, with only the three liberal judges dissenting. 5 Proud Boys sue US government over Jan. 6 prosecutions The five members of the far-right militant group claim their constitutional rights were violated when they were prosecuted for their participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to a lawsuit filed Friday. Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, Ethan Nordean and Dominic Pezzola are seeking unspecified compensatory damages plus 6% interest and $100 million in punitive damages plus interest. The lawsuit claims the men were arrested with insufficient probable cause and government agents later found fake incriminating evidence. They also claim they were held for years in pretrial detention, often in solitary confinement. The Plaintiffs themselves did not obstruct the proceedings at the Capitol, destroy government property, resist arrest, conspire to impede the police, or participate in civil disorder, nor did they plan for or order anyone else to do so, the lawsuit says. Tarrio, Biggs, Rehl and Nordean were all convicted of seditious conspiracy and other crimes for their participation in the Capitol riot. Pezzola was acquitted on the conspiracy charge but convicted of stealing a police officers riot shield and using it to smash a window. Trump granted pardons to nearly all the more than 1,500 people who stormed the Capitol. Tarrio received a pardon, the other four plaintiffs had their sentences commuted. Prosecutors accuse Abrego Garcia of smuggling thousands of people and taking part in a killing He is also accused of bringing MS-13 gang members into the U.S. from Central America and abusing women he was transporting, according to court documents. An alleged co-conspirator also said he participated in a killing in El Salvador, prosecutors wrote in papers urging a judge to keep him behind bars while he awaits trial. Later, as part of his immigration proceedings in the United States, the defendant claimed he could not return to El Salvador because he was in fear of retribution from the 18th Street gang, prosecutors wrote. While partially true the defendant, according to the information received by the Government, was in fear of retaliation by the 18th Street gang the underlying reason for the retaliation was the defendants own actions in participating in the murder of a rival 18th Street gang members mother. Administration has continued to publicize Abrego Garcias police interactions Authorities in Tennessee released video of a 2022 traffic stop last month. The body camera recording shows a calm and friendly exchange between officers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Officers then discussed among themselves their suspicions of human trafficking because nine people were traveling without luggage. One of the officers said, Hes hauling these people for money. Another said he had $1,400 in an envelope. An attorney for Abrego Garcia, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said in a statement after the videos release in May that he saw no evidence of a crime. But the point is not the traffic stop its that Mr. Abrego Garcia deserves his day in court, Sandoval-Moshenberg said. Supreme Court allows DOGE team to access Social Security systems with data on millions of Americans The Supreme Court cleared the way Friday for the Department of Government Efficiency to access Social Security systems containing personal data on millions of Americans. The justices sided with the Trump administration in its first Supreme Court appeal involving DOGE, the team once led by billionaire Elon Musk. The high court halted an order from a judge in Maryland restricting the teams access to the Social Security Administration under federal privacy laws. Kilmar Abrego Garcia made more than 100 trips as part of smuggling ring, grand jury finds The grand jury found that he made the trips as part of a ring that trafficked guns, drugs, children and women, Attorney General Pam Bondi said. She said co-conspirators alleged that he abused women he was transporting and played a role in the killing of a rival gang members mother. They found this was his full time job, not a contractor, Bondi said of the grand jury. He was a smuggler of humans and children and women. Abrego Garcia returned to US to face charges related to human smuggling Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation to El Salvador became a political flashpoint in the Trump administrations stepped-up immigration enforcement, was being returned to the United States to face criminal charges related to what the Trump administration said was a massive human smuggling operation that brought immigrants into the country illegally. He is expected to be prosecuted and, if convicted, will be returned to his home country at the conclusion of the case, officials said. This is what American justice looks like, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday. The charges stem from a 2022 vehicle stop in which the Tennessee Highway Patrol suspected him of human trafficking. A report released by the Department of Homeland Security in April states that none of the people in the vehicle had luggage, while they listed the same address as Abrego Garcia. Abrego Garcia was never charged with a crime, and the officers allowed him to drive on with only a warning about an expired drivers license, according to the DHS report. It said he was traveling from Texas to Maryland, via Missouri, to bring people to perform construction work. State Department tells US embassies and consulates not to revoke previously issued visas The instruction comes even as diplomatic outposts are to reject future visa applications from 12 mainly African and Middle Eastern countries starting next week under Trumps new travel ban. In a cable sent Friday, the department said no action should be taken for issued visas which have already left the consular section and no visas issued prior to the effective date should be revoked pursuant to this proclamation. It suggests that there should be no entry issues for current visa holders from affected countries after the restrictions take effect June 9 at midnight ET. However ports of entry are not controlled by State, and it will be up to the Department of Homeland Security and individual Customs and Border Patrol agents to determine if visa holders are eligible to enter. The cable, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, says the only people who should be denied entry are those currently outside the country who do not have a valid visa on the effective date. Trump signs executive orders on drones, flying cars and supersonic flights The orders will help clear the way for companies to use drones beyond operators line of sight, while also imposing restrictions to help protect against terrorism, espionage and public safety threats. Drones have a wide range of civilian uses, but the war in Ukraine has highlighted some potential threats that concern officials as the World Cup and Olympics approach in the U.S. White House officials also say regulations have slowed development of supersonic flights and flying cars. Trump says hes planning a ballroom at the White House President Donald Trump says hes planning to build a new ballroom at the White House, posting on his social media Friday that he inspected the site on the grounds. Trump pledged it would go up quickly and be a wonderful addition to the complex, but provided no design details about the location, how much it would cost or who would foot the bill. Trump has long complained that the East Room is too small for the large events he and other presidents want to host, which often necessitates the installation of tents on the South Lawn. For 150 years, Presidents, and many others, have wanted a beautiful Ballroom, but it never got built because nobody previously had any knowledge or experience in doing such things, Trump posted, adding But I do. US and China meet for trade talks on Monday in London President Donald Trump says U.S. and Chinese delegations will meet in London on Monday for another round of trade talks. Trump wrote in a social media post Friday that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer would represent the U.S. at the talks. He previewed the meeting on Thursday after a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but a time and location had not yet been revealed. Yemeni Americans could make Trump pay at the polls over his travel ban, Detroit imam says A Michigan imam who presided over a prayer service marking the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha says President Donald Trumps new travel ban could backfire on the Republican Party. The travel ban announced Wednesday by the White House applies to citizens of Yemen and 11 other nations. We saw the price that the Democratic Party had to pay for undermining the Palestinian voice. There are many people that avoided voting altogether just because of this countrys policies toward Gaza, Imam Imran Salha told The Associated Press, referring to Trump in November becoming the first Republican presidential candidate since 2000 to win the majority-Arab city of Dearborn. Lets not make the same mistake, Salha said. Salha spoke to AP on Friday, after leading the Eid service at the Islamic Center of Detroit, a mosque with a significant number of Yemeni American worshippers. Transgender troops face a deadline and a difficult decision: Stay or go? As transgender service members face a deadline to leave the U.S. military, hundreds are taking the financial bonus to depart voluntarily. But others say they will stay and fight. For many, it is a wrenching decision to end a career they love, and leave units they have led or worked with for years. And they are angry they are being forced out by the Trump administrations renewed ban on transgender troops. Active duty service members with gender dysphoria have until Friday to identify themselves and begin to leave the military voluntarily, while the National Guard and Reserve have until July 7. Then the military will begin involuntary separations. Theyre tired of the rollercoaster. They just want to go, said one transgender service member, who plans to retire. Its exhausting. For others, its a call to arms. Im choosing to stay in and fight, a noncommissioned officer in the Air Force said. My service is based on merit, and Ive earned that merit. The service members spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they fear reprisals. World Prides human rights conference ends with drag show amid mounting threats to LGBTQ+ community World Pride s human rights conference ended Friday with a drag show featuring some of the most prominent stars from Rupauls Drag Race ahead of a weekend parade, rally and concerts amid anxieties over an increasingly hostile political environment for the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S. Courtney Act, the first drag performer in the world to debut on a major label, crooned a slowed-down version of Lady Gagas Poker Face against a backdrop of glittering rainbow pixels. Peppermint, the first trans woman to originate a principal Broadway role, strutted in a shimmering bodysuit to Whitney Houstons Im Your Baby Tonight. Bob the Drag Queen, a nonbinary comedian, actor and drag performer, belted Dionne Warwicks I Got Love. And TV personality and actor Mrs. Kasha Davis twirled in a sparkling black gown to Kelly Clarkson singing the words We are all misfits living in a world on fire. Sing it for the people like us. Many LGBTQ+ travelers have expressed concerns or decided to skip World Pride due to anxieties about safety, border policies and a hostile political climate. Yet cross-national strategizing has still been central to the gathering as international attendees at the human rights conference echoed that they wanted to send a clear message of opposition to U.S. officials with their presence. This is World Pride on Trumps doorstep, said Yasmin Benoit, a British model and asexual activist. See you in the woodchipper, ex-USAID staffers tell Musk A social media account run by recently terminated staffers of the U.S. aid agency that Elon Musk helped destroy had parting words for Musk Friday after his public falling-out with President Donald Trump. Well see you in the woodchipper, the group, Friends of USAID, said on Instagram. Ex-staffers of the U.S. Agency for International Development began the account in the early days of the agencys dismantling by the Trump administration and Musks Department of Government Efficiency. The remark referenced Musks own Feb. 3 boast on X after his DOGE team helped rout USAID staffers from the agencys headquarters and computer systems. Spent the weekend feeding USAID into a wood chipper, Musk said then. Musk and Trump turned on each other this week over the administrations funding legislation this week. The dispute led Trump to threaten to yank billions of dollars in government contracts from Musk. The sign-off to Fridays Friends of USAID post noted DOGEs hands-on role in cuts at USAID and other federal agencies. Sincerely, one of the 50,000 people you laid off by email. Like most of the media world, Laura Ingraham spent a sizable portion of her Thursday following along as Elon Musk and President Donald Trump took turns trading barbs on social media. But by the end of the day, the Fox News host decided the former allies would be better off as friends than enemies. She even went so far as to defend the billionaire from Trumps potential future ire. As for the president, he should simply disengage. Musk is his own person. The government contracts that he has stand on their own merit, they shouldnt be called into question. Threatening to pull them, thats not wise, when five minutes ago you were, of course, hailing Musks work in helping rescue the stranded Americans in space, she said on The Ingraham Angle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elon Musk is like the Thomas Edison of our time, Ingraham added. He sacrificed for America personally and professionally and he wanted to make the Trump presidency happen. And it did. Ultimately, the pundit is confident the former friends will make up, despite Musk suggesting Trump is in the Epstein Files. Its getting very nastybut will they ever reunite? I actually think [Musk and Trump] are going to reconcile at some point though because deep down I would like to believe they both want the same thing. @charliekirk11 pic.twitter.com/DFRw12xkeb Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) June 5, 2025 It was their mutual desire to help America, to save America from the decline and ruin of Kamala Harris and the Democrats, that initially drove their friendship from day one, Ingraham noted. Now, stop to think how happy the media and the Democrats are today. They always wanted to break this alliance, I said this last week, and today, they got their wish again. Just last week, we told you that their relationship was always an unlikely one. Trump has always been a populist. Sometimes he was a Democrat, sometimes but hes always been a populist. Hes a real estate guy who does deals. Musk has pretty much always been a libertarian, a tech and engineering guy, innovator, she continued. At Tesla and SpaceX, hes the top dog; he orders people around, and he has the right to. But in Washington, Trumps the top dog, and he calls the shots. Always, the other two branches of government, though, are checking him. And just like Elon does at his companies, Trump does the best that he can. And until recently, Elon understood those challenges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I get it, Elon is frustrated that common sense things arent getting done in D.C. But again, he hasnt been in D.C this has been going on in D.C. for, you know, decades and decades and decades, Ingraham concluded. Things arent just happening now, more isnt being cut. But train your frustration, not on the guy who fought everyone to get where he is, but on the people who are blocking Donald Trump. Meanwhile, you can read all about Trump and Musks fallout right over here. The post Laura Ingraham Defends Elon Musk as The Thomas Edison of Our Time Amid Donald Trump Fallout | Video appeared first on TheWrap. AUSTIN (Nexstar) Undocumented students at Texas public universities will lose the ability to receive in-state tuition, a federal judge ruled Wednesday in an uncontested settlement. The change comes after the U.S. Department of Justice sued the state of Texas for a 2001 law, known as the Texas Dream Act, which allowed those students to receive in-state tuition if they met certain qualifications. The lawsuit alleged that the Dream Act violated federal law, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton released a statement Wednesday announcing his office would not contest the suit, causing the law to be repealed through a default judgment. Ending this discriminatory and un-American provision is a major victory for Texas, Paxton wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Texas Legislature considered bills during this years session to repeal the Dream Act, but it failed to pass. The initial Dream Act had bipartisan support and was signed into law by Republican former Gov. Rick Perry. The move by the Trump administration and agreement from Paxton, a Republican, represents a method of removing enforcement of a law without the approval of the legislature. Josh Blackman, associate professor of law at South Texas College of Law, said that while the strategy is uncommon, it is not unheard of. For example, an environmental group will sue a Democratic [Environmental Protection Agency], and the EPA says, Oh, we agree with you. Well settle the litigation,' Blackman said. Its not as common [for] conservatives, but I guess were seeing it now. Blackman added that the settlement happened very quickly just hours after the suit was filed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The decision is effectively final, Blackman said. He said that a relevant party could have signed onto the suit after it was filed, but because of how quickly it was decided, no group did so. There was no intervention here. It sort of happened very quickly, Blackman said. I dont see howsome other group might intervene. I think the case is over. Barbara Hines, an immigration law professor who helped craft the initial Texas Dream Act, did not share Blackmans assessment that it was the end of the road for the law, however. She said that in previous lawsuits related to the Dream Act or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, other parties have been allowed to intervene. In this case, it is not immediately clear if another party could still intervene given that the case was settled. The legal basis for challenging the Texas Dream Act is contained in Section 505 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. The act states that noncitizens cannot receive higher education benefits, based on residency, that are not afforded to all U.S. citizens. Because in-state tuition for Texas universities is not available to all U.S. citizens only Texas residents the DOJ argued that Texas was in violation of federal law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Hines said that the workaround to prevent violating federal law was that the qualification for in-state tuition was based on other factors besides simply residing in Texas. They had to graduate from a Texas high school, and they had to make efforts to obtain permanent residency in Texasunder the immigration laws, Hines said. Hines said, though she did not provide specific evidence, that she believes the Trump administration and state officials colluded to overturn the law without the approval of the legislature after the attempt to repeal the Texas Dream Act died during session this year. The initial law in 2001, she said, was passed by an overwhelming bipartisan majority. Its been around for 25 years, and the effort in this legislature failed, and that shows that the majority of elected officials, that are people that are elected by the residents of Texas, thought that this bill was a good thing for Texas, Hines said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Regardless, she took issue with the manner in which the case was decided. She disapproved of both that the case was filed intentionally in a conservative court, and that Paxton did not defend existing state law and immediately settled. Generally, the Attorney General of a state is entrusted with defending the laws of a state not signing a pro forma consent decree hours after youre sued, saying that a state law is unconstitutional, Hines said. Undocumented students who wish to attend Texas public universities will now see a significant cost increase. The in-state cost of tuition and fees at the University of Texas at Austin, previously available to undocumented students, is $11,768, according to U.S. News and World Report. But the cost of attendance of an out-of-state student is $42,778 nearly four times higher. Hines said that the law was initially passed because it provided the opportunity for higher education to immigrants who may not be able to access it otherwise. The absence of this law in Texas does not mean immigrants will choose to stay in their home country, Hines said. She said it will merely lead to a less-educated Texas population. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People are coming to this country because theyre looking for better economic opportunities. Theyre fleeing violence, theyre reuniting with their families, Hines said. The idea that taking this benefit away is going to make you think Im going to stay in my home country when theres a violent civil war is ridiculous. It just means that well have an under educated population in Texas. Blackman said that he does agree with the decision, but that the political environment which once allowed this bill to receive bipartisan approval is no longer the reality in Texas. I think states have been flouting federal law on this issue. For decades, everyone kind of just looked the other way, Blackman said. This is a Perry-era law, and I think theres actually been a shift in Republican politics, really a shift in Texas politics on this issue over the last two decades. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. By Sam Tobin LONDON (Reuters) -Lawyers who use artificial intelligence to cite non-existent cases can be held in contempt of court or even face criminal charges, London's High Court warned on Friday, in the latest example of generative AI leading lawyers astray. A senior judge lambasted lawyers in two cases who apparently used AI tools when preparing written arguments, which referred to fake case law, and called on regulators and industry leaders to ensure lawyers know their ethical obligations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There are serious implications for the administration of justice and public confidence in the justice system if artificial intelligence is misused," Judge Victoria Sharp said in a written ruling. "In those circumstances, practical and effective measures must now be taken by those within the legal profession with individual leadership responsibilities ... and by those with the responsibility for regulating the provision of legal services." The ruling comes after lawyers around the world have been forced to explain themselves for relying on false authorities, since ChatGPT and other generative AI tools became widely available more than two years ago. Sharp warned in her ruling that lawyers who refer to non-existent cases will be in breach of their duty to not mislead the court, which could also amount to contempt of court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She added that "in the most egregious cases, deliberately placing false material before the court with the intention of interfering with the administration of justice amounts to the common law criminal offence of perverting the course of justice". Sharp noted that legal regulators and the judiciary had issued guidance about the use of AI by lawyers, but said that "guidance on its own is insufficient to address the misuse of artificial intelligence". (Reporting by Sam Tobin; Editing by Sachin Ravikumar) 'People like me in this position, we have hundreds of hours of facetime with the other side.' In December 2024, the IDF was fighting in Jabalya in northern Gaza. The military had attempted to clear this stronghold of terrorists in the past. However, they were still there. Jabalya is a warren of residential homes, some of which are part of a refugee camp established in the 1950s. The war has dramatically changed the area. Some homes were badly damaged or destroyed by the fighting: windows blown out, pieces of concrete dangling, walls ripped apart, and the ground around them churned up by tanks and armored vehicles. Other areas were less damaged. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was with a combination of the Givati Infantry Brigade and the 401st Armored Brigade, recalled Major Y. His name cannot be used for security reasons. He is a member of the IDFs Unit 504, which is part of the Military Intelligence Directorate. The 504th focuses on gathering human intelligence in the field, which can mean interrogating people to identify threats in the thick of battle. In December 2024, Major Y was in Jabalya, attached to IDF units advancing through the urban battlefield. The military usually does this with tanks and infantry working together, hence he was with the Givati infantry and the 401st and their tanks. A terrorist was detained during operations and brought to the officer, Major Y noted. He was identified as a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, one of the terrorist groups in Gaza. While Hamas is the largest terror group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, PIJ, also has thousands of members. IDF soldiers are seen searching a house in Gaza. (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT) This PIJ member was ready to talk, not about his own group but about Hamas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was willing to share information about Hamas. He gave a few different bits of information. One was the site of an ambush Hamas had set up and the houses the operatives were in. The information was combined with other intelligence the IDF had gathered and received about the sector. After it was checked, there were airstrikes on the targets. For me, that was meaningful because the troops had been expected to move in that direction [toward the threat]; it was good to see the effects of our good work. The intelligence he gathered had helped lead to strikes that neutralized the threat. Path to intelligence role I met with Major Y at a base in the South. He spoke about his background and operations with the directness and the passion of a professional soldier who takes his work seriously. He has done this for a long time. Today, he resides in central Israel with his family. He was still in uniform and ready to go back to fight his countrys enemies. Working in an elite intelligence unit, hes one of those veterans of Israels wars who work quietly in the shadows alongside the troops to keep his people safe. Born in the US, the intelligence officer made aliyah in the early 2000s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I spent two years preparing for army service, was drafted to Givati, and was a fighter, commander, and officer. I spent some time in Gaza during those years. I was first there in 2007 after Hamas took over from Fatah, he recounted. After leaving the army, he moved to work in another part of Israels defense and security establishment, where he learned Arabic. In parallel to that, I continued as a reservist and became a company commander in the reserves in the infantry and took part inOperation Protective Edge in 2014. With a decade of experience in the army and other state security work, Major Y decided to transfer from his unit and try out for the 504th. He went through a selection process and joined the unit. This unit is a human intelligence unit that works closely with Military Intelligence, he said. The Intelligence Directorate is split into intelligence gathering, investigation, and operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He noted that there are three key units in this area. Unit 8200 focuses on collecting signal intelligence, or SIGINT. Unit 9900 is tasked with visual intelligence, or VISINT. And 504 focuses on human intelligence, or HUMINT. In the past, the IDF has said that 8200 is the largest of these three units. Unit 504 has received increased attention since the Israel-Hamas war began. It has operated on various fronts, including Gaza and Lebanon. Members of Unit 504 are embedded with battalions in the field, gathering intelligence from the combat zone, and they are also skilled in on-site interrogations of enemy combatants, including critically wounded ones. In recent years, they have successfully recruited agents against Hezbollah without setting foot on Lebanese soil, Ynet noted in October 2024. Unit 504 has not been as active in Gaza in recent years, it added. The Jerusalem Post reported last year that prior to October 7, the unit had left much of its intelligence gathering to the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency). That changed after October 7. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As soon as the terrorist attacks occurred, Unit 504 built a makeshift southern headquarters, doubled the size of its ranks, and reinvested deeply into Gaza, the Post said in November 2023. Major Y said the unit is the center of the IDFs efforts to gather intelligence from people from afar or up close. Major Y worked on his Arabic after joining the unit and went through a training process. Not all the members of the 504th need to learn Arabic; some are native speakers. An IDF soldier is seen operating in the field in Gaza. (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT) Hamas assault and what followed On October 7, the major was called up like hundreds of thousands of soldiers. He was active along the border and witnessed the horrors of the Hamas attack. This motivated what came next, he recalled. After the first few days of helping on the Gaza envelope, we began preparations for the ground maneuver. He noted that his unit is divided up such that there is a part of it that is a field investigative team. Every unit that is part of the ground offensive receives someone from the 504th. I was attached to the Nahal Infantry Brigade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following October 7, the IDF deployed numerous brigades around Gaza to prepare for the ground offensive. The Nahal Brigade was part of the 162nd Division, which was deployed north of Gaza. Its task was to head south into the enclave when the invasion began. This meant passing through the windswept shores of northern Gaza, which consist of open, flat fields and sandy areas. He recalled going through Al-Atatra and then Beit Lahiya in the enclaves north. Then he went into the Shati camp, a Gazan refugee camp near the beach. In fact, shati means beach. Those were the first two and a half weeks of October to November 2023, and then we went into Jabalya. In the first battle for Jabalya, the major recalled that a company of Nahal soldiers was going down an alleyway when suddenly there was an explosion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I ran to help get the wounded out, and there was an active firefight. While we were getting the wounded and fallen out, I was wounded by a piece of shrapnel from a grenade. Maj. Shay Shamriz, a company commander in the Nahal Brigades 931st Battalion, was killed along with Capt. (res.) Shaul Greenglick, also from the 931st. Nine other soldiers were wounded. This was the first time I was wounded. We were in the middle of this firefight because there had been an ambush there. Although wounded by the shrapnel from the grenade, the major remained until the others were evacuated. His injury was less serious, he said. I walked to the doctor and was evacuated to the hospital via Unit 669 and one of their helicopters. He was taken to Ichilov Hospital, where he called his wife. She went to visit with their newborn child. Due to the war, he had missed the birth of his new son. Ten days later, and after surgery, Major Y was back in combat. Before returning to the war, he was able to make a birthday party for his eldest child. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For most of the past year and a half, Y had been in the reserves in Gaza. He served in various other operations in Gaza, including the operation around Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, which Hamas has used for terrorist purposes. By May 2024, the major was still attached to the Nahal Brigade to help collect intelligence. The brigade was sent into Rafah along with the 162nd. On June 16 in Rafah, we were sweeping houses looking for terrorists. We were searching for terrorist infrastructure, such as tunnels and other threats. There was another explosive device that went off. St.-Sgt. Tzur Avraham was killed in the blast, and three other soldiers, including Major Y, were wounded. I took a piece of shrapnel in the neck. That was a life-threatening injury; I was considered critically wounded, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The intelligence officer had been hit with shrapnel in many parts of his body. I was evacuated by the 669th to Shaare Zedek Medical Center. I called my wife and told her, Im in a hospital closer to home this time. When I got to the hospital, one of the protocols was a full-body CT scan, and they discovered a piece of shrapnel in my brain. The shrapnel had managed to get under his helmet and become lodged near the center of his brain. The major said that he was able to speak to a friend who is a physician. He rushed to the hospital when he heard about my situation; the surgeons were discussing whether to take out the shrapnel or not, and they ended up leaving it in the brain. Y noted that when a person suffers an injury like this, the doctors can insert a camera to see the situation. He called what happened "miraculous." He added, The shrapnel sits a millimeter above an important artery. I was in intensive care for a few days. I dont like being in hospitals, so I left quickly. I had the surgery to remove the shrapnel from my neck. He suffered from headaches for a time. I was totally good to go after a while. A destroyed home in Kibbutz Be'eri, near the Gaza border. (photo credit: SETH J. FRANTZMAN) Wounded and back in combat He could have stayed home, but Y felt a responsibility to continue his service. It wouldnt be easy to get back to the front, though. The army had lowered his medical profile due to his injury. He was now a 28 and would need to be more than a 70 to get back into combat duty. I had to fight to increase it [the number]. Not everyone believes you when you have shrapnel in the brain, the officer said with a kind of smile. After doctors visits and bureaucracy, I got my [army] profile back up. When things blew up in Lebanon in the fall of 2024, around the end of October, I got my profile back and went back into full combat reserve service. Y is proud of his service and spoke with conviction about going back to the front. He has a unique and important role with an extensive background. He is also deeply grateful to his wife, who has been at home with the kids while he has been off at war. They have been through a lot. My whole family understands. My brothers served in combat; we are all in this together, and we all understand the importance of the mission and defending our country. He said that its crucial to go back. If one of us doesnt go back, it has a negative effect on others. And if they see me going back, it has an important effect on resolve. Its important to serve the country; its part of my identity. Y explained that hes not the only one he knows who went back after being wounded multiple times. This is the iron will that has enabled Israel to keep fighting for 20 months. Its about going back and never quitting. Houses reduced to rubble in Jabalya, Gaza. (photo credit: SETH J. FRANTZMAN) Boots on the ground In his part of the 504th, the field investigators are mainlyreservists. They come to the unit with skills and maturity. Being older in combat is also important when attached to infantry soldiers, like those in Nahal, who are younger and have just been trained and called up. As a veteran who has been around the block, the major said that other soldiers feel they can turn to him. This is one of the most intense and difficult parts of their lives. There are guys that I went through things with, these young men in combat. And to this day, they call me up about different things in their lives. You need a certain maturity and psychological profile to do this type of work. The work of the 504th has been essential in this war. In one incident, the major recalled that one battalion in Nahal had captured around 80 people inJabalya in December 2023. He had arrived to help sort out who might be terrorists and who were not. We release the civilians, and we interview the terrorists in the field. After the field interviews, the suspected terrorists are sent back for further interrogation. During an interview, one of the captured men was identified as a member of Hamass elite Nukhba units. From that information, we were able to provide details that led Nahal to change its plan and tactics in that sector by learning about IEDs [improvised explosive devices], tunnels, how the enemy force is set up, and what kind of ambushes we might expect. A year later, back in Jabalya, he recalled the incident where the PIJ terrorist was captured and gave up information about the location of a Hamas ambush. When suspected terrorists give information, it is cross-referenced using other methods. The IDF has various technologies, such as drones, that can aid in this effort. There are types of information where youre not going to take a chance. For instance, if someone says a house is booby-trapped, you can also send in drones, dogs, or other methods, the major said. A Palestinian man is seen detained by the IDF in Rafah, Gaza, in the summer of 2024. (photo credit: FLASH90) Nuances in Gaza The war in Gaza has been surprising. During the initial invasion, before large areas were damaged in the fighting, Y was shocked by how similar some parts of the enclave near the beach resemble parts of Tel Aviv. Its not what people imagine a refugee camp to look like, he said. It was a fine place to live. Some people even thought it was nicer than where we lived in Israel. It was no prison, he said. People had a standard of living similar to Eastern Europe, not super wealthy but not squalor. There is aculture of hatred in Gaza, he said. He reads Arabic and noted the number of antisemitic books. The soldiers found copies of Mein Kampf and saw Hamas propaganda posters and graffiti. Even if someone is not in Hamas, youll find all the Hamas literature and religious stuff and military books [in their homes], he said. I think that is one thing that surprised us. The normalization of the hatred was also normal. People arent going out to fight because they dont have money; its an ideology. The war in Gaza that unfolded after October 7 was different than when he had served there in 2007 and 2014. Those were limited conflicts. Over time, he has seen Hamas degraded in many ways, and it is ground down by the fighting. It is unable to put up as organized a fight. Here and there, they manage to put up a fight in certain locations; its not the same resistance as at the beginning. The motivation of the enemy has gone down, and it is also clear they are having trouble getting their new recruits to stand and fight. Nevertheless, Hamas continues to function as a guerrilla force. The work of the 504th is complex. They have to collect information in the field, sometimes under fire. Its not like sitting in an air-conditioned room where an interrogator or investigator might have all the time in the world. One might be conducting an interview with a suspected terrorist in a house that could be hit by an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade). That presents its own challenges. Also, it makes it harder on the person you are questioning; he is in that same situation with you. However, war has its idiosyncrasies. The major recalled having coffee with people in Gaza. Coffee in Gaza You may be sitting with some grandma, and shes telling you about life in Gaza over coffee. Its not part of my job description, but it helps me understand the place and the people. One thing that makes me good at my job is that I am interested in what life was like there before the war and how the Gazans view the universe. Major Y pointed out one interesting division of society he saw in the enclave. There are the Gazans whose roots go back long before 1948, and there are those called refugees who arrived in 1948 from areas that became Israel. The original Gazans call the new arrivals refugees, even though they have now been there for generations. The leadership of Hamas mostly came from the refugee camps. Yahya Sinwar and his brother, for instance, came from Khan Yunis. Pre- and post-1948 Gazans There are cultural differences between those who arrived in 1948 and the estimated 35% of Gazans whose roots precede 1948. Major Y believes that the pre-1948 Gazans are generally less inclined to be involved in terrorism. The terrorists mainly come from the refugee camps. This explains, to some extent, why Hamas has been able to hold on to the area called the central camps in Gaza. This includes Nuseirat, Bureij, Maghazi, and Deir el-Balah in central Gaza. The IDF has never taken over these areas. Gazans say that Hamas has ruined their lives, the officer said. They view the time before Hamas and the war as a kind of heaven. The terrorist group brought the hell of war. The people would like to see someone other than Hamas in power. People like me in this position, we have hundreds of hours of face time with the other side, said Major Y. For Israels security system, the 504th is very important because it gathers the badly needed human intelligence. The conversations and investigations are producing important results. The unit strengthens Israel. The 504th has helped Israel recover from the impact of Oct. 7, and it is showing how crucial on-the-ground work is. Technology can only do so much. The 504th continues to grow as a result of the war, and it is now run by a brigadier general, illustrating the confidence the IDF has in expanding this unit. Scott Peterson (center), Leavenworth city manager, and attorneys for the city David Waters, left, and Joseph Hatley, spoke to the media after winning a victory in Leavenworth County District Court against CoreCivic. (Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector) LEAVENWORTH A Kansas district court barred CoreCivic Wednesday from reopening its shuttered prison until the company goes through Leavenworths development process to receive a special use permit. Judge John Bryant, Leavenworth County District Court, was unconvinced by arguments from CoreCivic attorneys that the company was grandfathered into the citys zoning codes and did not need a special use permit to hold U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He ruled in favor of the city of Leavenworth, which had asked for a temporary restraining order to stop the reopening of CoreCivics prison, the Midwest Regional Reception Center. After nearly two hours of arguments in front of a courtroom packed with Leavenworth city officials and community activists, Bryant made an immediate ruling. He said his decision was not affected by CoreCivics history in the community, which has been openly criticized by former employees, inmates and residents, and in submitted court documents. The request for a restraining order was a procedural issue, he said. The posture of this case is a little bit different in that the city has acted here because CoreCivic has stated its intent to ignore or not give any effect to the March 25 administrative decision, Bryant said, referring to the citys requirement that CoreCivic get a special use permit before reopening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bryant said that if CoreCivic disagreed, company attorneys could have gone through the Kansas judicial review process to argue zoning decisions. Such a move needed to be made within 30 days, he said, and CoreCivic did not take that action. Whats next? We are reviewing the courts decision and considering next steps, said CoreCivic spokesman Steve Owen in response to emailed questions. We maintain the position that our facility, which weve operated for almost 30 years, does not require a special use permit to care for detainees in partnership with ICE. We look forward to presenting our arguments to the court. He did not answer questions about whether the company is housing any ICE detainees in Leavenworth or what is happening at the facility, which had a parking lot full of cars on Wednesday. Leavenworth city manager Scott Peterson was pleased with the courts decision. Although CoreCivic could continue litigation on the issue, he said the company was welcome to go through the citys planning and zoning process to get a special use permit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joseph Hatley, attorney for Leavenworth, said the next step today would be writing the temporary restraining order and then circulating it to all parties. If we have a disagreement about it, the judge can resolve the disagreement, but essentially it will say they cannot house detainees without a special use permit, he said. Three months The typical special use permit process in Leavenworth takes about three months, Peterson said, in part to allow time to set up public hearings to allow Leavenworth area residents to have input. In its motion to the court asking for the temporary restraining order, the citys attorneys laid out significant issues they had when CoreCivic previously operated a prison in Leavenworth. The national private prison company operated the Leavenworth Detention Center from 1986 to 2021, when CoreCivics federal contract was not renewed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city opened its petition with quotes from a 2021 court transcript. U.S. District Court Judge Julie Robinson called CoreCivics Leavenworth prison a hell hole. All thats going on there and causing trauma to everybody guards are being traumatized. Guards have been almost killed. Detainees are being traumatized with assaults and batteries, and not long ago a detainee was killed. So Im well aware of the situation at CoreCivic and very troubled by it as well, Robinson said at the time. Leavenworth County District Court Judge John Bryant found in favor of Leavenworth city, ruling CoreCivic must obtain a special use permit before reopening its prison. (Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector) In the petition, the city also noted the Leavenworth Police Department had issues with CoreCivic in the final years before the prison closed, citing roadblocks when investigating violent crimes within the facility, lack of planning for major crises such as riots or hostage situations and difficulty getting access. The citys special use permitting process would allow the city to set guidelines that would address those situations, Peterson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cities generally have broad abilities to impose additional requirements on a special use permit, so long as they are applicable to the use that were discussing, he said. Obviously, property owners are protected in some regards in that we cant make outlandish requirements. If CoreCivic would disagree with city requirements, Peterson added, they could then access the judicial review process to argue those points. CoreCivic had initially applied for a special use permit in March but withdrew that application. Peterson said the process had begun and CoreCivic and city officials were meeting. I would note that with internal conversations the city was having with CoreCivic, we were in agreement with the things the city was going to propose in terms of protecting the city services moving forward, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the hearing, CoreCivic attorney Taylor Hausmann said the company withdrew from those proceedings because the city did not schedule a hearing within a 60-day period, as required. It became clear to CoreCivic that there was not a cooperative relationship happening there, and thus CoreCivic fell back on its position that it was not required to have it (the special use permit), and that this was not going to work, to move together cooperatively, she said. City officials are adamant that the city is not stalling the prisons reopening. From the perspective of the city, this was never about stopping something from happening, said David Waters, an attorney for the city. This is about following the citys rules and regulations and going through those processes, giving everybody the same fair hearing that we afford all special use permits. Community concerns Esmie Tseng, spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, attended the hearing. She was pleased the judge heard the citys concerns but is worried about what will happen in the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think thats the core of the case, she said. There is a lot of distrust. And CoreCivic definitely hammered very hard on past conduct should not be an indicator of future conduct, but I dont think we have to rely on past conduct. We have cases across the country of CoreCivics current conduct that sort of speak to concerns about local distress, about their business practices, about shortcuts, Tseng said. This article was initially published by Kansas Reflector, a part of States Newsroom. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The military force complained that Israel's strikes weakened the role of Lebanon's army, according to the report. Lebanon's army threatened to withdraw cooperation with the ceasefire committee monitoring the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire over Israeli airstrikes in Beirut, the Associated Press reported on Friday. The military force complained that Israel's strikes weakened the role of Lebanon's army, according to the report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The warning came after the IDF said it struck Hezbollah's underground drone manufacturing facilities in the southern Beirut suburbs. While Israel warned civilians to evacuate ahead of the strikes, much criticism was directed at the fact the attacks were carried out on the eve of the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha. The Israeli enemy violations of the deal and its refusal to respond to the committee is weakening the role of the committee and the army, the Lebanese army said in its statement, adding that it would discontinue cooperation with the committee when it comes to searching posts should the strikes continue. People inspect the damage in the aftermath of an Israeli strike in Beirut, Lebanon, April 27, 2025 (photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED AZAKIR) International condemnation of Israel's strikes in Beirut France condemned the Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburb, Dahiyeh, on Thursday in a Friday statement on X/Twitter, and called on Israel to completely withdraw from Lebanese territory "as quickly as possible." "France calls on all the parties to abide by the ceasefire signed on November 26, 2024, in order to ensure the safety of civilian populations on both sides of the Blue Line," the statement reads. "In accordance with the agreement, the dismantling of unauthorized military sites on Lebanese soil remains a priority for the Lebanese Armed Forces, which have been engaged in this task for several months, with assistance from the monitoring mechanism and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon." Roughly 70 law professors, attorneys and justices filed an ethics complaint against Attorney General Pam Bondi with the Florida Bar on Thursday, accusing her of serious professional misconduct and political bias in favor of President Donald Trump. The complaint alleges that the former Florida attorney general has worked to weaponize the Department of Justice by threatening department lawyers with discipline or termination if they fail to zealously pursue the Presidents political objectives. DOJ lawyers say Bondi and her staff have pressured them into violating their ethical obligations and doing things they are ethically forbidden from doing. This has resulted in serious professional misconduct that threatens the rule of law and the administration of justice, states the complaint, obtained by HuffPost and first reported by the Miami Herald. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Francisco Digon-Greer, counsel for the Florida Bar, dismissed the complaint in a letter on Friday, saying the institution does not investigate or prosecute sitting officers appointed under the U.S. Constitution while they are in office. Such proceedings by The Florida Bar, as an arm of the Florida Supreme Court, could encroach on the authority of the federal government concerning these officials and the exercise of their duties, his letter read. Dozens of legal experts, including retired Florida Supreme Court justices Barbara J. Pariente and Peggy A. Quince, had signed the complaint, which demanded an investigation and sanctions against Bondi. It was the third complaint the group has filed against Bondi, and the third denied due to her current employment status. President Donald Trump appears with Attorney General Pam Bondi at the White House on Thursday. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI via Getty Images Possibly anticipating another rejection, the complaints authors said Thursday that states are responsible for overseeing who can practice law in their respective jurisdictions and disciplining them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Rules not only require that lawyers who are public officials are accountable for their ethical conduct, but they specifically declare that lawyers who are public officials have a higher duty than other lawyers to maintain ethical standards, they argued, citing the Florida Bars rules of professional conduct. Nowhere in the Rules or Comments is there an exemption for lawyers who are federal public officials. The complaint cites three glaring examples as evidence of Bondis alleged misconduct, including the April firing of immigration lawyer Erez Reuveni. Reuveni was terminated after telling a judge that the governments deportation of migrant Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to El Salvador was made in error. He was ousted, the complaint states, for telling the truth. It also cites the forced resignation of federal prosecutor Denise Cheung in February after she declined Trump officials request to open a criminal investigation into a government contractor because there was insufficient predication. The third example is the DOJs efforts to dismiss New York City Mayor Eric Adams criminal indictment without prejudice. Nearly a dozen lawyers who objected to the DOJs proposal, calling it an improper quid pro quo, were either forced to resign or resigned after being placed on administrative leave, the complaint states. A DOJ official dismissed the complaint as meritless to HuffPost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Florida Bar has twice rejected performative attempts by these out-of-state lawyers to weaponize the bar complaint process against AG Bondi, DOJ chief of staff Chad Mizelle said in a statement. This third vexatious attempt will fail to do anything other than prove that the signatories have less intelligence and independent thoughts than sheep. Bondi, a staunch Trump loyalist, served as a special adviser to the president during his first impeachment and supported his efforts to deny his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden. During her confirmation hearing in January, she refused to acknowledge his defeat. Since her appointment as the nations top attorney, Bondi has sided with Trump on every controversial and constitutionally questionable order and has publicly vowed to root out anyone within the DOJ and FBI who despise Donald Trump. Bondi presented herself as an independent prosecutor during her Jan. 15 Senate confirmation hearing, saying that politics will not play a part in deciding whom to investigate and that she would exercise independent judgment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Politics has to be taken out of this system, she said. This department has been weaponized for years and years and years, and it has to stop. Trump on Wednesday ordered Bondi and other federal officials to investigate the Biden administration and his predecessors health while in office. Related... The Democrats running in next year's election to succeed term-limited Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser agree that the state's next top lawyer needs to be a fighter. Still, beyond that, the four announced candidates in the growing primary field bring different backgrounds and approaches to the table. After the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a reverse discrimination claim, Black Americans are left wondering how this new precedent will impact them. The courts decision came down on Thursday (June 5), adding to the growing list of the judges past controversial decisions on civil and social liberties. A woman named Marlean Ames is suing her employer in Ohio after she alleged she was passed up on a promotion because she is a straight woman, according to BBC. Instead, her gay boss hired another gay employee for the job, which Ames claims was a clear act of gender discrimination. Several lower level courts didnt agree with her. Thats when she took things to the highest court in the land, who ultimately ruled with an unanimous vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Root spoke to Marc Brown, founding attorney at Marc Brown law Firm, who said the floodgates have been let open for discrimination cases of all kinds. In a country where anti-DEI legislation and other attacks to Black history and education has become the norm, the courts ruling is a rolling back of some protections that the Supreme Court previously made available for minorities people that have been subjected to centuries of discrimination, Brown said. But it doesnt mean that she [Ames] wins. The Supreme Court ruled on the principle of the Constitution, not Ames case itself. She still must present her case in a lower level court. Regardless, its not lost on Brown the future implications of such a decision. There will likely be a heavy increase of these reverse discrimination lawsuits, Brown continued. For him, this ruling emphasizes a trend started by majority groups. Ive noticed over the years, whenever the majority feels threatened or upset, new terms are created. The term reverse discrimination was in direct retaliation to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. When you look at the historical systemic inequalities over the years or centuries, you know there is no way that minorities are in the power to really discriminate against these individuals, Brown added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For anyone paying attention to the conservative-led Supreme Court recent history, Ames decision is one of the many giving legs to right-wing agendas. Whether its reversing Roe v. Wade or Affirmative action in schools back in 2023, the Justices three of whom were hand picked by President Donald Trump have made their position clear. But according to Stacey Marques, ESQ, Black Americans shouldnt panic. What I tell my sons is the same thing I tell myself: Make sure you bring your A-game to everything that you have the opportunity to work on, she said. The mother of two also knows the challenges of being Black in America, and she warned Black folks to get prepared. With this anti-DEI climate that were in also this climate that is encouraging reverse discrimination lawsuits, its gonna require the younger generation to adopt the ideals as well as the work ethic of the older generation in order to not only survive but to excel, she added. Marques has been practicing for 25 years, and she said the ruling only adds more to the already full plates of lawyers nationwide. Lawyers are so busy now because theres so many things happening, she said referring to Trumps blitz of pending lawsuits and court decisions. We are in a constitutional crisis. continued to 11 years Anytime the Supreme Court speaks, everyone listens. The National Conference of State Legislatures said most state constitutions contain similar immunity from arrest provisions. (Photo from Indiana State Archives) Many Hoosiers recently learned that Indiana has an immunity statute that protects lawmakers from some arrests during the legislative session. The reaction has been surprise and frustration. One social media user posted, How have we gotten to the point in this state where our elected leaders are above the law? This is pure insanity & would NEVER be acceptable for the average citizen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another reader responded, Are they immune from common sense too? So, I thought I would delve into the provision and explain why it exists and how often its used. History State Sen. Mike Bohacek was pulled over for suspected drunk driving in January and recorded a blood-alcohol content of 0.238%. But the Michiana Shores Republican wasnt charged until this week due to the legislative immunity provision. The first important fact is that no modern-day lawmaker created this exemption, and it basically mirrors a similar provision for federal lawmakers. The National Conference of State Legislatures said most state constitutions contain similar provisions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The states prohibition is found in Article 4, Section 8 of the Indiana Constitution. Senators and Representatives, in all cases except treason, felony, and breach of the peace, shall be privileged from arrest, during the session of the General Assembly, and in going to and returning from the same; and shall not be subject to any civil process, during the session of the General Assembly, nor during the fifteen days next before the commencement thereof. Indianas current Constitution was adopted in 1851 with numerous amendments since then. But this portion goes back as far as the states 1816 constitution before Indiana became a state. Then it was under Article 3. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For a long time, there was no definition of breach of the peace in Indiana code but lawmakers in 2021 added one: breaking or disturbing the public peace, order, or decorum by any riotous, forcible, or unlawful proceedings, including fighting or tumultuous conduct. The federal immunity provision is almost exact. Some historical texts indicate the language was created so that lawmakers werent blocked from being able to vote on a matter or otherwise participate in proceedings. In his Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story said this: When a representative is withdrawn from his seat by a summons, the people whom he represents, lose their voice in debate and vote, as they do in his voluntary absence. When a senator is withdrawn by summons, his state loses half its voice in debate and vote, as it does in his voluntary absence. The enormous disparity of the evil admits of no comparison. The privilege, indeed, is deemed not merely the privilege of the member, or his constituents, but the privilege of the house also. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Supreme Court of the United States has interpreted the provision to apply to all crimes, but Indiana has generally seen it used in cases of misdemeanors. Examples Bohaceks case is almost identical to one from 1992 when then-Rep. Keith Bulen was pulled over for drunk driving in January. Police also didnt arrest him due to the immunity clause and he was charged weeks later after session ended. Similar to Bohacek, Bulen refused the breathalyzer test and said a prescribed medicine made him groggy. But Bulens incident resulted in him hitting an off-duty police officers car. Bulens case, though, was not hidden from public view at the time. He was eventually acquitted. In 2002, two northwest Indiana lawmakers Reps. Charlie Brown and Vernon Smith used the provision to contest their criminal case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Gary Post Tribune reported the pair was arrested June 18 on traffic and related offenses. They protested the action and claimed they were shown a lack of respect as elected officials and residents. The legislature was in special session in Indianapolis, although the men were in Gary. They were arrested immediately but the chief of police quickly apologized. The men were charged with obstructing traffic later that year by a special prosecutor. Smith was acquitted but Brown was found guilty. If Hoosiers want to change the constitutional provision they will have to convince lawmakers to start that years-long process because Indiana doesnt allow citizen-initiated constitutional amendments or referendums. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It remains to be seen what will happen to Bohacek, including any punishment by leaders of the Senate. Voters have the ultimate say on consequences at the ballot box, but they will have to wait a long time. Bohacek isnt up for election again until 2028. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The dome of the Maine State House in Augusta. Sept. 5, 2023. (Photo by Jim Neuger/ Maine Morning Star) With a citizen-led campaign to impose voter ID requirements heading to the ballots, lawmakers discussed the issue at length Thursday before rejecting a legislative proposal mirroring the ballot initiative. Several Republican members of the Maine House of Representatives said if returning clothes and buying cigarettes requires photo identification, so should voting. They alleged rampant voter fraud by noncitizens, which Maines Secretary of State has said is not the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats pushed back, saying Maine already has a robust system to prevent fraud, and that requiring voter ID would disadvantage students, seniors and people with disabilities. With a 72-69 vote, the bill, LD 38, was rejected. There is a fundamental difference between having to show an ID to buy alcohol or tobacco products or returning an unwanted item to a store, said Rep. Kelly Noonan Murphy (D-Scarborough).None of those things are sacred rights granted to us in the Constitution. And therefore, imposing barriers on that right is un-American. With papers shuffling between chambers this week, Maine Morning Star has compiled a slightly more pared down roundup again for Thursday, focusing on the biggest items of debates as well as legislation and issues that weve followed all session. Heres an overview of what happened Thursday. Both chambers Both chambers have now passed an amended version of LD 1726, which seeks to improve planning for the future of the energy grid. The House supported it with a 75-69 vote, and the Senate followed suit passing the bill 19-13 Thursday afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After LD 1928 squeaked through the House with a 72-70 vote, the Senate passed it 17-15. This bill would ban single-use plastic containers such as mini shampoo bottles at lodging establishments starting in 2030. Although Rep. Michael Soboleski (R-Phillips) said the well-intentioned legislation overlooks sanitation concerns and poses challenges for businesses, others praised it for its potential to chip away at plastic use in the state. A conservative estimate is that this bill could eliminate as many as 73 million single-use plastic bottles per year from Maines waste stream as we struggle to recycle our way out of the catastrophe of microplastics, that is meaningful action, said Rep. Vicki Doudera (D-Camden). Although the proposed net energy billing reform that could save ratepayers more than $65 million has yet to hit the floors, the Senate and House passed an amended version of LD 839, which would create a fund to offset transmission and distribution costs associated with the policy that would otherwise be passed onto ratepayers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, lawmakers backed a bill requiring internet providers to treat all broadband internet traffic equally, a concept commonly referred to as net neutrality. LD 536 passed the House 79-66, while the Senate gave its approval Thursday. With a 74-67 House vote, both chambers supported LD 246, which asks courts to consider a sentence other than imprisonment for primary caregivers. Rep. Adam Lee (D-Auburn) said the bill is needed because the research is clear, children with incarcerated parents are more likely to face mental health challenges, exhibit behavioral problems, experience social isolation and suffer from economic hardship. These children are also more likely to perform poorly in school and have higher absentee rates. With a 73-69 vote, the House also passed LD 1859, a bill that would offer regional hubs for childcare, which can serve as access points in communities, tailored to the needs of those families. The Senate approved it Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both chambers have now rejected LD 1476, which sought to impose a new lodging fee to help fund homeless shelters in the state. A heavily amended version of LD 1787 passed in the Senate after the House gave approval Wednesday. The bill initially sought to allow candidates for district attorney, sheriff and county commissioner to participate in the Maine Clean Election Act, but the version now being considered was amended to increase the contribution limits for gubernatorial seed money donations. (Read more about other proposals related to changing Maines clean elections here.) Legislation (LD 1900) to grant authority to certain Wabanaki Nations to develop tribal power districts and recognize the authority for child support enforcement passed the House 75-67 on Wednesday and Senate 20-12. There was also bipartisan support for LD 1886, which would extend the current penalties applied when a motor vehicle violation results in death to violations that result in serious bodily harm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawmakers killed a proposal (LD 1461) to prohibit school boards from adopting a mask mandate unless directed by a health agency. So far, the Legislature has only supported modest refinements to the states paid family and medical leave. That approach continued Thursday, when two more bills looking to amend the program were rejected. LD 1169, which would allow employers to get a refund for any premiums paid into the states plan if they are approved to use a private substitute plan, was voted down 73-68 by the House and 18-14 by the Senate. Both chambers also rejected LD 1400, which looked to exempt certain public school employees from the program. And the Senate cast a final enactment vote for LD 588, which would give agricultural employees the right to engage in certain concerted activity, which includes talking about wages, working conditions and other employment matters with other employees or the employer. (Read more about that here.) Non-concurrent matters After the Senate narrowly voted it down, the House passed LD 1535, which would require the Public Utilities Commission to gather a group of municipal, police and fire officials to discuss the high electricity usage related to illegal cannabis grows in the state. During discussions Wednesday, Sen. Craig Hickman (D-Kennebec) said the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee is carrying over legislation into the next session that could provide a more comprehensive approach, including this sort of study. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Senate insisted on its original vote Thursday night. Leaving it in limbo, the House did not again take up LD 810, the bill seeking to modify the law born out of a 2021 referendum question requiring the Maine Legislature to approve any new high-impact transmission lines. It fell shy of passage in the House with lawmakers voting 72-75 before ultimately killing the bill under the hammer. However, the Senate passed the bill 18-16 Wednesday. During an evening session, the Senate rejected LD 1036, which would prohibit landlords from refusing to rent to tenants solely because they rely on programs such as General Assistance or housing vouchers. Since the House passed the proposal 72-70 on Wednesday, the lower chamber will need to take it up again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Chip Curry (D-Waldo) said this is an important issue, but asked the Senate to reject the measure simply because the Judiciary Committee is carrying a similar bill into the next session to allow more time to work on it. Although the House rejected LD 1263 earlier in the day on Thursday, the Senate voted 22-10 in favor of its passage after a failed 16-16 vote to reject the bill and impassioned floor speeches about the importance of addressing the presence of fentanyl in the state. The amended version of the bill seeks to create a Class A crime for aggravated trafficking of fentanyl when it results in an overdose. While no one refuted that fentanyl poses a crisis, Curry said the state cant incarcerate its way out of it. Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart said he supports a multipronged approach to solving the substance use crisis including access to treatment and other supports, but argued that this bill could bolster that. Senate action The Senate advanced two bills that aim to support mobile home park residents in purchasing their parks. (Read more about that here.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maine is one step closer to joining its New England peers who all have so-called food waste bans on the books now that the Senate has approved a slightly amended version of LD 1065. The bill would prohibit significant generators of food waste, which could include schools, hospitals, food producers and others, from disposing of food waste if they are close to a facility that could compost or otherwise dispose of the waste. House action The House passed a bill (LD 1078) expanding access to needle exchange programs in a 74-65 vote. The bill would allow certified programs to operate additional locations within the same county. (Read more about our syringe service program coverage here). SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE OLATHE, Kan. Jackson County Legislator Manuel Manny Abarca IV appeared in a Johnson County courtroom Thursday after he was charged with domestic battery. On Wednesday, Manny was charged with domestic battery in Johnson Countystemming from a reported incident that happened on May 29, 2025. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Thursday, June 5. Jackson Co. Legislator Abarca served protection order before reported missing Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was booked into the Johnson County, Kansas, jail at 2:14 p.m. Wednesday and was released after posting a $1,500 bond. On Sunday, Abarcas wife reported him and their 2-year-old son missing stating that she last saw her son on Wednesday evening and last saw her husband on Thursday. Shawnee police announced on Wednesday that the missing 2-year-old had been safely located and said their well-being had been verified. Alexis posted on Facebook Wednesday evening that her son is safe and back home with her. Abarca released the following statement to FOX4 Wednesday night: This is a matter of current litigation, so, unfortunately, there is not much I can say about this case at this time. However, I will say that I love my children more than anything, and I will always put them first. I hope that this issue is decided quickly so that the entire story can be told. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jackson Co. Legislator Abarca charged in Missouri, Kansas He is also charged in Kansas City Municipal Court with violating a protection order. According to online court records, the protection order was issued by a Jackson County Circuit Court judge on May 30. As part of it, Manny was ordered to have no contact with his wife, and his wife was awarded custody of their child. Online court records show that Abarca is scheduled to appear in court for the Kansas City charge on July 10, 2025, at 9 a.m. Attorney says Abarca took son out of fear for his safety FOX4 spoke with Aldo Caller, the attorney representing Abarca in Johnson County. He claims that Abarcas wife is actually the one who put the child in danger. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was an incident where his wife tried to take the child under circumstances he thought to be dangerous, Caller told FOX4. We are going to show all of that in court. We want everyone to give these people some peace, some privacy, and let the court resolve all of these situations. His attorney said Abarca was looking out for his son when he took the child. He has done what, I think, what any father who is concerned about the nature of a child would do, Caller said. He has looked out for the safety and welfare of the child, and we are prepared to show that in court. He said the claims of domestic battery are false. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are things, I think, that will be shocking to a lot of people things that are not at all uncommon in many relationships, but were going to leave that to the courts to decide, Abarcas attorney told FOX4. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. A row of firefighters' helmets, coats, and boots in suspendered pants hang at the ready at a fire station. (Stock photo by Doug Wilson via Getty Images) Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed into law a bill allowing municipalities to establish a Length of Service Award program for members of volunteer first-responder organizations. Under the provisions of House File 1002, municipalities that establish such a program can apply for matching state funding. The state funding will be awarded on a dollar-to-dollar basis for awards of up to $500 per person. Volunteer firefighters, volunteer emergency medical care providers, and emergency peace reserve officers are eligible for a Length of Service Award. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its more like were unpaid firefighters and first-responders, said Kent Brix, first vice president of Iowa Firefighters Association. We all go through the same training as professionals, we deal with the same situations as professionals. Its just that small communities cant afford to hire people full-time. According to Brix, volunteer participation is a major problem, with most volunteer departments down five to six people. Across the state, he estimates, 100 to 150 people are dropping out of volunteer first-responder programs each year. Many of the volunteers are age 50 to 70 and sometimes older. Low volunteer rates mean that some communities are very short on people to respond to emergency calls. Brix believes that by providing an incentive for volunteers, it will increase participation in the programs. It takes so much of your time with all the training required by the state and new rules, said Keith McDavid, a former Pleasantville volunteer firefighter of 33 years. Its a lot of time and effort. And the amount of time a volunteer puts in is crazy sometimes, especially if you become a volunteer EMT. When McDavid became a volunteer, the fire and rescue teams in Pleasantville were separate with around 20 members each. Now both teams have been combined with only a total of only to 15 to 20 members. He also noted that participation on an individual basis is diminished, with many members unable to put in as much time. The result is a reduction in capability to address emergency situations in a timely manner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McDavid said he was never personally interested in a monetary reward, but notes that one of the biggest issues for volunteers is the cost of equipment. During his time in the service, his team would buy used firetrucks through eBay and refurbish them with the assistance of members who had experience as mechanics. Brix said that affording firetrucks, buildings and equipment is a major issue for organizations. Volunteer fire organizations get a certain amount of tax money from their community, he said, and they hold around two to three fundraisers each year, but even then its a constant money chase. Its something to protect a persons life, so its not cheap, Brix said. We always have different equipment we have to have to protect ourselves and protect our communities. Reynolds also signed House File 969 on Friday, a bill dealing with cancer coverage for firefighters. The bill expands the definition of cancer for the Peace Officers and 411 Retirement Systems so that it covers all forms of cancer. In his first official appointment, Pope Leo named a woman to head a major Vatican office. Sister Simona Brambilla is now the prefect of the department responsible for all the Catholic Churchs religious orders. Nuns at the Augustinian Nuns Monastery in New Lenox celebrated the appointment and their new Holy Father. Bob Prevost was a frequent visitor to the monastery as an adult. Ninety-year-old Sister Carmen Miravalles and 87-year-old Sister Mary of Good Counsel Villar met the pope in 1969 at St. Augustine Seminary High School. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Special Section: Pope Leo Weve known him for many, many years, Sister Miravalles said. We love him. I remember he was very kind, also very special, Sister Mary of Good Counsel Villar said. The Augustinian order asked the women to move from Spain to provide the seminarians with an example of a contemplative life. Our life was dedicated to prayer, Sister Mary of Good Counsel Villar said. Young Bob Prevost often showed his appreciation to the sisters. He would come with baskets of apples for the sisters and (was) very helpful, very easy to help us in anything that we needed, Sister Miravalles said. When Prevost was elected pope, it was evidence of the power of prayer over a lifetime. I know he will be a very good pontiff because the whole time he has been like our brother, Sister Mary of Good Counsel Villar said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. LESLIE, Mich. (WLNS) The town of Leslie is wrapping its arms around two families impacted by a tragedy. On Tuesday, a 14-year-old boy was electrocuted and killed by a power line. His friend, who tried to help him, remains in the hospital. The Leslie community is feeling the weight of the situation and is doing what they can to show support. (WLNS) When tragedy hits a small town, it hits hard. Faith Church Lead Pastor James Courter said the city of Leslie is like a family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its been heavy around here all week since that happened, the pastor said. Everybody feels the weight. Courter said he was at the church Tuesday evening when the incident happened, and he did not find out until later. The power went out and we didnt know what was going on, said Courter. At Leslie First Baptist Church, Pastor Toby Teague reacted to the tragedy, saying the two boys were best friends and came to his youth ministry often. They would come to our after-school program and Bible studies. Two really good boys that we spent a lot of good time with. You would see them going through town all the time, having fun, just being together, Teague said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both pastors are leading efforts in the community to support the families emotionally. (WLNS) I went to check with the family, be with them, pray with them, Teague said. They are also looking to help financially. We are going to talk to the bank and see about setting up an account where people can deposit money directly there, Teague said. And another group is putting together jars to put out at the local businesses so people can donate. The efforts are community-wide. Everybody steps up, and we take care of each other. We do what each family needs and we always will, said Teague. The bank where pastor Toby plans to set up a fund is the Independent Bank on Main Street in Leslie. Residents tell 6 News that there will be collection jars and buckets at Main Street Parlor, Boss Cider, Main Street Bakery, Leslie Liquor store, and possibly more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News. Friday marked a grim milestone for transgender service members across the armed forces: the deadline set by the Pentagon to either resign or face involuntary separation under a Trump administration policy that legal advocates say is discriminatory, unjustified, and a profound betrayal of those who serve. Under a May 15 directive, military commanders were ordered to review medical records for any diagnosis, history, or symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria. Those identified and not granted a rare, nearly unobtainable high-level waiver, which requires the denial of ones identity, are being kicked out from service. The result: a systemwide purge that LGBTQ+ advocates call discriminatory, degrading, and dangerous to military readiness. Theres nothing voluntary about forced separation, said Jennifer Levi, senior director of transgender and queer rights at GLAD Law, which represents transgender plaintiffs suing the administration over the ban in Talbott v. United States. Honorable and committed transgender servicemembers are being coerced into choreographing their own dismissal under a presidential edict that maligns their character with falsehoods characterizations the government itself admitted in court are untrue. These are decorated veterans who served for decades, and forcing them out simply for being transgender is a shameful betrayal of American values. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The policy took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted an injunction in a separate case, Shilling v. United States, the lead lawsuit challenging the ban. Commander Emily Shilling, a Navy pilot, aerospace engineer, and the first out transgender aviator cleared for tactical jet operations, is the lead plaintiff in that case out of Washington state. Speaking at the Equality PAC Pride Gala just days before the implementation of forced separation, Shilling made her position clear. The case was originally Shilling v. Trump, and now its Shilling v. United States. I want to make it very clear: I am not against the United States. I serve because I love this country even when the courts get it wrong, she said. This ban does not make us stronger, Shilling continued. It tells service members that their identity matters more than their performance, their sacrifice, or even their oath. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Pentagons order has triggered a wave of quiet exits and agonizing decisions. Some troops are retiring early to preserve benefits. Others are being separated involuntarily under codes usually reserved for misconduct. Major Erica Vandal, a plaintiff in Talbott v. United States, is among those now being forced out. She is a West Point graduate, a Bronze Star recipient, and a veteran of Afghanistan who served with distinction for 14 years. The military has invested millions of dollars in training thousands of transgender servicemembers, said Shannon Minter, legal director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which also represents Talbott plaintiffs. Major Vandal and others are now being forced out through a humiliating process typically reserved for misconduct that will leave a stain on their records. This mistreatment is needlessly cruel and a shocking betrayal of our commitment to all those who serve. Second Lieutenant Nicolas Talbott, the lead plaintiff, has told The Advocate that he had no intention of resigning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I do not have any plans to pursue voluntary separation, he said in May. Navy Commander Blake Dremann, a submarine logistics officer and one of the first out transgender service members, marked the day with a somber reflection online. Today will be a lesser-known D-Day for many transgender service members, he wrote in a lengthy post on the social media platform Threads. They must choose to leave voluntarily or ride out involuntary separation. I have requested my regular retirement It feels like giving up. It feels like I will be judged for it. Dremann, who was set to deploy for the 12th time, called the bans deployability rationale made up and listed what he called the 7 Truths of transgender service: they are in every branch and specialty; they lead, deploy, and train others; they are welcomed and trusted by their units; and they have families and communities who support them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We LOVE what we do AND we are damn good at it, he wrote. If merit is what matters, my gender shouldnt. Waivers under the policy must be approved by a Senate-confirmed officiala process that many legal advocates describe as opaque and functionally unattainable since it requires the military member not to express their gender identity. The Pentagon has cut transgender troops off from SkillBridge, a civilian career prep program, and reinstated its ban on gender-affirming care. While legal challenges persist, lawmakers are highlighting the policys immediate harm. On Thursday, Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois a decorated Iraq War veteran and double amputee led 22 Senate Democrats in a last-minute plea to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, urging him not to carry out what they called a foolhardy, cruel, and politically motivated expulsion. In a scathing letter obtained by The Advocate, Duckworth wrote that the policy punishes those who have volunteered to serve and warned that it would harm our armed services operational readiness and lethality. The letter condemned the Pentagons order to assign separation codes to transgender troops that suggest they pose a threat to national security. Using this discharge code is not only cruel, it read. Its stupid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For Dremann, who says he would continue serving if allowed, the impact is personal, but the fight is larger than one career. Our lives as service members are an example to many that need to see it to believe they can be us, he wrote. Talbott, a reservist, said he has until July 7 to decide whether to fight separation or accept what the government calls voluntary exit. Im definitely feeling the weight of what this means for my thousands of fellow trans service members who are active duty and had to make their impossible decision by today, Talbott told The Advocate on Friday. We are all burdened with the uncertainty of whats to come and major concerns about the widespread ramifications of the sudden dismissal of thousands of troops. I continue to find strength in the knowledge that this fight is not over, and I am confident that we will prevail in the end. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another plaintiff, 24-year-old Air Force recruit Clayton McCallister, graduated from basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas on Thursday after 7.5 weeks of grueling instruction. Despite graduating with the highest physical training scores in his dorm and receiving praise from superiors and peers alike, McCallister was told he would not be allowed to continue to technical school. Everybody that I worked with and worked for wants me to be in the Air Forcepoint blank, McCallister said in a phone interview Friday. They said I was one of the best trainees theyve had come through there. As far as my wingmen, theyre mad about it just as much as I am. Although McCallister technically remains on active duty, he has begun the process of separation, doing so under protest. Its not what I want, he said. But with the uncertainty of the involuntary separation process, especially in a training environment, my wife and I just want some stability in this. With the end result likely being the same, I told them I want whatever is fastest to get the whole process over with. He added that he's not eager to set his dreams and hard work aside, but that having been forced to decide his future, he's putting his family first and going with certainty, for now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McCallister, who trained for a career in special warfare and was preparing to enter pararescuea highly selective field involving combat and medical rescue, said the decision to force out trans troops despite their qualifications sends a dangerous and demoralizing message. When I first came to training, I thought I had to prove that trans people could serve, he said. But as I got deeper into it, I realized: weve already proven that, over and over. Thousands of trans service members have already done that. McCallister said fellow trainees told him he had changed their minds about the ban. One airman who initially supported it told McCallister he now stands firmly against it after serving beside him. I may not have won the war, McCallister said. But I won some battles here at BMT. I changed some opinions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now in legal limbo, McCallister is awaiting paperwork, medical evaluations, and the official processing of his discharge. He said the timeline is unclear, and his family remains in flux. Were just trying to find some stability again, he said. Its stressful. But people here saw me for who I am. That means something. To the editor: I read about Tom Girardi with astonishment ( Tom Girardi disgraced legal titan, former Real Housewives husband sentenced to 7 years in prison, June 3). There were over 200 complaints to the State Bar of California. Yet the bar was MIA, with wine-soaked lunches while money was stolen from clients right under their noses. In contrast, lawyers in the U.K. must have full outside audits of their books. Client money is audited to the last penny. And the auditors themselves are audited, by examiners from the bars equivalent. Hence, corruption is rare. The bar here has roused itself to make some minor reforms. Good luck. Attorneys are not saints, free from temptation. More policing is needed. I suggest outside audits of attorneys books by certified public accountants retained by the bar, to obviate conflicts of interest. As for the bars dereliction of duty, heads must roll. Raymond Freeman, Thousand Oaks This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) Lithium-ion battery recovery company Li-Cycle is facing a trade ban in Canada amid financial difficulties. The company received a cease trade order from the Ontario Securities Commission, which bans companies from trading in any security of the Company in Ontario and other jurisdictions in Canada. According to Li-Cycle, they received the order after failing to file financial statements as required by law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This comes as Li-Cycle is facing financial issues, which have halted production of its Rochester Hub project at Eastman Business Park. The company recently announced that they are seeking buyers of its business or assets. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst. Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade said he was at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central for two nights to recover from double pneumonia and received a "minimally invasive procedure" to clear a "significant blockage" in an artery. Trumps Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, praised the administration for pushing Harvard and Columbia University to make progress on tackling campus antisemitism. "I have seen progress. And you know why I think were seeing progress? Because we are putting these measures in place, and were saying were putting teeth behind what were looking at," McMahon told NBC News. They talk a lot about it, but I think we really started to see a lot of their actions once we were taking action," McMahon added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The comments come as the administration continues its unprecedented campaign to force changes at both universities, on allegations that they didnt do enough to combat campus antisemitism during contentious protests surrounding the Israel-Hamas war. In April, the administration froze more than $2.2 billion in federal funding to Harvard after it refused to comply with a series of sweeping on-campus changes the administration demanded, prompting the university to sue. Trump administration Education Secretary Linda McMahon argues threats to funding and international student enrollment have caused progress in fighting antisemitism at Harvard and Columbia (AP) The Trump administration also imperiled $400 million to Columbia in March, though the New York university has taken a different tack than its Massachusetts peer in the Ivy League, largely agreeing to administration demands to restore the funds. Both schools were making concerted efforts to address antisemitism on campus before Trump took office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Columbia created an antisemitism task force in 2023, while Harvard followed suit in 2024, and the schools have worked to reform student training practices, disciplinary policies, and protest rules prior to Trumps crackdown on the universities beginning. Harvard also settled a major antisemitism suit from students and adopted a new campus definition of antisemitism in January, right as Trump took office. However, once the administration was underway, the universities have taken sharply divergent approaches, though neither has spared the Ivy League universities from scrutiny from the administration. In April, the administration demanded that Harvard institute unprecedented changes, including ending all diversity policies, cooperating with federal law enforcement, and subjecting itself to a viewpoint diversity audit, among other reforms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The university declined, and soon after the administration froze the $2.2 billion in grants and contracts, prompting Harvard to sue. Since then, the administration has continued to ratchet up pressure on Harvard, attempting to strip its ability to enroll international students and threatening to revoke Harvards tax-exempt status. In March, Columbia largely acceded to the administrations requests, instituting changes like empowering a new campus police force to arrest students, committing to hiring faculty with greater intellectual diversity, partially banning face masks at protests, and restructuring Middle East-focused university departments. Nonetheless, on Wednesday, the Department of Education claimed that Columbia was in violation of federal antidiscrimination laws and therefore fails to meet the standards for accreditation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harvard President Alan Garber has accused the administration of trying to unconstitutionally interfere with the universitys affairs and choosing punishments that have little to do with tackling antisemitism. Columbia University agreed to major campus reforms as part of funding negotiations, but continues to face scrutiny from Trump administration over alleged antisemitism (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) The sanctions that the government chose to impose against us having to do with cutting off federal support at Harvard those are not sanctions that will particularly aid us in the fight against antisemitism, Garber told alumni in April. The administration has at times struggled to explain its own education policies. During a hearing in the House on Wednesday, McMahon appeared unable to answer questions about whether teaching students about the Tulsa race massacre or the fact that Joe Biden won the 2020 election would amount to illegal DEI, a practice the administration says should bar schools from receiving federal funds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked about whether the administrations push to force universities to hire more ideologically diverse staff meant Harvard had to hire people like Holocaust deniers, McMahon responded and said, I believe that there should be diversity of viewpoints relative to teachings and opinions on campuses. Officials have also spoken openly about their desire to police student opinion and political activity. Its very important that we are making sure that the students who are coming in and being on these campuses arent activists, that theyre not causing these activities, McMahon added in her NBC News interview. This spring, the administration briefly revoked, then reinstated, legal status for thousands of internationals on student visas in the U.S. LISBON, Ohio (WKBN) A Lisbon man convicted in a child sexual abuse material case was sentenced Friday in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court. Matthew Spack, 37, was sentenced to 10 to 11 years in prison, according to the Columbiana County Prosecturos Office. Spack pleaded guilty in March to six counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person; two were second-degree felonies, and four were fourth-degree felonies. He also pleaded to six counts of illegal use of a minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance, which are all fifth-degree felonies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spacks arrest followed a November 2024 search of his home in Lisbon by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force after he was flagged online for downloading suspicious images, according to the prosecutors office. During the search, investigators said they found sexual images of juveniles on Spacks cell phone, some as young as 7 years old. Spack will also have to register as a Tier II sexual offender for 25 years after he is released from prison. Chelsea Simeon contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) The western Massachusetts Ironman triathlon is returning to the Springfield area this Sunday. Springfield law firm celebrates 130 years of service Different parts of popular routes will be closed to accommodate athletes in this incredible feat. The course goes through Springfield, Agawam, parts of Connecticut, Southwick, Westfield, and West Springfield. Most roads will be closed from 8:00 a.m. to noon, and officials say to expect delays. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The triathlon begins with a 1.2-mile downriver swim in the Connecticut River, followed by a 56-mile bike ride starting at Riverfront Park and winding through scenic New England countryside. The final leg is a 13.1-mile run, newly rerouted this year to pass through Springfields Forest Park, before finishing in downtown. Roads closures in Springfield Court Street will be closed from 8 a.m. Saturday, June 7, through 6 p.m. Sunday, June 8. E. Columbus Avenue (northbound) from State Street to Boland Way will also be closed during the same time frame. On Sunday, June 8, W. Columbus Avenue (southbound) from Memorial Bridge to State Street will be closed from 4 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Town of West Springfield is also advising residents to plan, as multiple roads will be impacted by the bike and run routes from approximately 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sunday. The following roads will experience closures or significant delays: Westfield St: From Springfield Rd to Old Westfield Rd Old Westfield Rd: From Westfield St to Dewey St Dewey St: From Old Westfield Rd to Amostown Rd Country View St: From Dewey St to Amostown Rd Amostown Rd: From Country View St to Piper Rd Piper Rd: From Amostown Rd to Kings Hwy North Blvd: From Kings Hwy to Westfield St South Blvd: From Westfield St to Park St Park St: From South Blvd to North End Bridge Main St: From Park St to Park Ave North End Bridge: Eastbound Lanes CLOSED Race Maps Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP. On New Years Eve on the last day of 2015, the Port of Corpus Christi quietly exported the United States first crude oil barrels in 40 years just two weeks after Congress lifted the ban that dated back to the 1973 Arab oil embargo. Less than a decade later, the sleepy Texas beachside city has expanded rapidly into Americas largest energy export gateway through a network of pipelines, storage tanks, docks and, this week, the completion of a prolonged ship channel dredging and widening project that should soon allow the single port to ship out almost as much crude oil as Iraq. Its very similar to the real estate markets: Location, location, location, Port of Corpus Christi CEO Kent Britton told Fortune, noting that the ports total tonnage volumes have essentially tripled in a decade. The growth has been just astronomical. Its truly astonishing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The port is now shipping out more than 2.4 million barrels of oil dailyroughly 60% of the entire nations crude exportsand almost 20% of the countrys liquefied natural gas exports. Those LNG volumes are expected to almost double in a couple of years once LNG pioneer Cheniere Energy completes a series of expansions. Corpus Christi offers a series of logistical benefits for liquids that cannot be matched by the much larger Houston Ship Channel or any other ports. Corpus Christi is the closest to West Texas landlocked Permian Basin, which began to boom along with the lifting of the export ban. Corpus is much less congested than Houston, and Corpus easily opens up to the Gulf of Mexicos deep waters, especially now that the port is dredged to 54-foot depths throughout. I think theres a theres a little bit of luck involved in just fortuitous timing, Britton said. But there was also a concerted effort on the ports part to say, Were going to have the deepest ship channel on the Gulf Coast, and you should be coming here. Long time coming The federal feasibility study to expand the port started way back in 1990 only for the funding not to start flowing until 2018such is the pace of bureaucracy, but well timed after the lifting of the export banwhen heavy construction began for the first of four phasesall of which are now finished. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Likewise, Permian Basin and overall U.S. oil and gas production spiked to the record highs of today. As the Permian production grew, your exports grew, and the Corpus docks grew, said Kristy Oleszek, director of crude oil at East Daley Analytics. They were all growing in tandem. And not by coincidence. The Permian barrel is a very desirable quality to export, she added. One thing Corpus really provides is direct access from the Permian to the docks. The Permian and Corpus may be more than 450 miles apart across most of Texas connected via long-haul pipelines, but its still a straight path without much traffic in between. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Corpus channel improvement project cost $625 million and is projected to save customers up to a combined $200 million per year by speeding up the trips of crude carriers and using fewer vessels. Smaller ships will no longer be needed as much to top off the bigger crude carriers in deeper waters because they couldnt fully load at the shallower 47-foot depthsa time-consuming and expensive extra step. Were moving more crude oil now than we were five years ago with fewer ships, Britton said, with traffic now more focused on very large crude carriers (VLCCs) and Suezmax tankers. The Suezmax, which holds 1 million barrels, can now fully load at the deeper depths. Even amid weaker crude prices and the Permian maturing and its production potentially plateauing, Britton still sees Corpus export volumes growing to as much as 3 million barrels a day in the next couple of years as more pipeline and dock expansions are completed. Other than the original creation of the port, this is probably the most significant project weve ever done, both from a cost perspective and from an impact on world markets, he said. Fortuitous occurrences Before the ports improvement project started, there were two key and somewhat serendipitous events initiated separately by Occidental Petroleum (159 in the Fortune 500) and Cheniere (275 in the Fortune 500). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Already positioned with an OxyChem petrochemicals facility by Corpus, Occidental bought the shuttered Naval Station Ingleside by the port in 2012 for just $82 million to transform it into an export terminal for its products. After the lifting of the crude export ban, Oxy focused on making its renamed Ingleside Energy Center a prime oil-exporting hub. After building it out, Oxy sold it as part of a terminals and pipelines package for $2.6 billion in 2018. Enbridge, the largest midstream pipeline and terminal company in North America, then bought it for $3 billion in 2021 and has continued to grow it ever since, including new storage tank construction ongoing now. Enbridge also is expanding its Gray Oak Pipeline to transport even more oil from the Permian to Corpus for export. The Enbridge Ingleside Energy Center is by far the largest oil-exporting terminal in the Americas, able to simultaneously load two VLCCsthe largest oil tankers that can carry 2 million barrels of oil each. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And Enbridge is just one of several oil exports at the port. Likewise, Cheniere first began planning Corpus Christi LNG way back in 2003, but it was designed as a gas-import project long before the U.S. was approaching any degree of energy security following the shale oil and gas boom that took off shortly thereafter. Cheniere soon pivoted, building Corpus Christi LNG as the first large, greenfield LNG export project built in the country. Construction started in 2015 and exports commenced in 2018. They did such a fabulous job pivoting from that import play when the shale revolution started, and everyone realized that we were going to have excess gas to become an exporter, Britton said of Cheniere. They just they just hit it right. They get a little lucky on the timing as well, but it was a lot of vision and recognition of whats going on in the market to flip that switch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result, the U.S. became a net energy exporter for the first time ever in late 2019a position thats only been strengthened ever since. Cheniere is currently completing a third phase of Corpus Christi construction by the end of 2026, and then a midsized follow-up project is planned to take Corpus Christi LNG to an export capacity of 16.5 million metric tons of LNG annually now to more than 30 million metric tons. Cheniere has the acreage for a fourth phase of expansions but has not yet made any decisions. LNG is really taking off, Oleszek said. Crude oil kind of had its day in the sun and now its moved over to LNG. Crude oil is still growing, but not nearly as much [as gas]. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com A fight between President Trump and Elon Musk that broke into the open over the big, beautiful bill earlier in the week escalated quickly Thursday afternoon on social media. Trump, on his Truth Social platform, said he just went CRAZY! and threatened to cut Musks government contracts. Musk, on his X platform, claimed Trump is in the infamous Jeffrey Epstein files, then reposted a comment calling for Trumps impeachment. Yes, Musk replied to the influencers idea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier Musk accused Trump of ingratitude after the president suggested the billionaires criticism of the big, beautiful bill was self-interested. Trump, in an Oval Office meeting, told the press Musk seemed to miss being in the White House and was upset about Republicans rolling back Biden-era electric vehicle incentives. Musk responded on X, saying Trump would have lost the election without him. Trump, hosting a roundtable at the White House in late afternoon, did not take questions from the media. Amid the fight, senators on the Hill continued to dig into the spending bill. Lawmakers were not immune to Musks accusations, with both House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) targeted in posts that recalled statements that were years old with a purpose of showing theyre twisting past beliefs to back the funding package. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump disappointed by Musk criticism of big, beautiful bill Musk says Trump is named in Epstein files Follow along all day for updates on these stories and more. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez was arrested Thursday morning. See our latest videos on this developing story below. Read continuing coverage 4:45 p.m. Friday update: Lopez pleaded not guilty to both counts of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering. 5:30 p.m. update: The states case lists four co-defendants: Ying Zhang, Sharon Fedrick, Sheldon Wetherholt, and Carol Cote. As of 5:30 p.m., Cote was the only one appearing in a jail log. She was in Lake County. 5 p.m. update: Lopezs scheduled arraignment is on June 30 at 8:30 a.m. 4:40 p.m. update: The law firms Romanucci & Blandin LLC and the Pendas Law Firm also weighed in on Lopezs arrest. These firms filed a civil lawsuit against Lopez, the Osceola County Sheriffs Office, and four deputies in January over an incident on February 22 where deputies tackled a man filling up his motorcycle at a gas station, leaving him with burns across 75% of his body. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorneys Antonio Romanucci, Stephen Weil and Sam Harton from the national trial firm Romanucci & Blandin LLC in Chicago and attorney Albert Yonfa from the Pendas Law Firm in Orlando released this joint statement: Sheriff Lopezs arrest on racketeering charges is further evidence of a deeply rooted culture of unlawful behavior from the very top of the Osceola County Sheriffs Department. The charges against Lopez go to show that he was parading as a serious law enforcement officer and was not interested in improving public safety. Keeping communities safe takes hard work, but Sheriff Lopezs arrest suggests that he was instead putting on a show for social media and let his deputies run wild while he spent his own time engaged in illicit behavior. We hope our pending civil lawsuit brings justice not only to our client who was the victim of life threatening injuries by Osceola County Deputies, but to others who have been harmed by a lawless department that all along was overseen by a man allegedly more interested in enriching himself than protecting Osceola Countys residents he was elected to serve. 3:58 p.m. update: Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood released a statement saying, I was very disappointed to learn of the arrest of Osceola Countys sheriff. The allegations, if true, are extremely serious and disturbing, and undermine the honor and integrity of every law enforcement officer who wears the badge. I dont know all the details of the investigation, but the allegations released at this point represent a betrayal of the most basic tenets of law enforcement leadership. 2:10 p.m. update: HSI released the video of Lopezs arrest. 1:23 p.m. update: Orlando trial attorney Mark NeJame released a statement saying, We have been a major critic of suspended Osceola County Sheriff Lopez for several years now. We have accused him and some in his office of a variety of questionable activities and misdeeds and have filed suit against him and others for some of these. Its terrible when any public official is accused of crimes and compromising the very people and laws they are sworn to protect. Sadly, I cannot state that Im surprised with this recent allegation. 12:44 p.m. update: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier released a statement following Lopezs arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Uthmeier said his charges are related to a massive illegal gambling operation. This is a solemn day for Florida and our law enforcement community. We put great trust in our constitutional officers, especially those who are our communities first line of defense, said Attorney General James Uthmeier. However, the law must be applied equally, regardless of position, power, or branch of government. Public servants should never exploit the publics trust for personal gain. Our Statewide Prosecutors will hold Sheriff Lopez, his associates, and all lawbreakers accountable. Uthmeier added that Lopez engaged in the operation for campaign contributions and personal payments, and played a multifaceted role in expanding and protecting this illegal enterprise, using his office to shield the enterprise from law enforcement. The organization generated more than $21.6 million in illicit proceeds, prosecutors said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Channel 9 has a team of reporters working to gather more details and will provide continuing coverage on Eyewitness News. 12:28 p.m. update: Lake County deputies released a mugshot of suspended sheriff Marcos Lopez. His charges are also listed on the jails website as racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering. 12:05 p.m. update: Osceola County officials released the following statement to Channel 9 following Lopezs arrest: The Sheriff is a separate constitutional officer, apart from the County or the County Commission, and its important to note that the County had no role in this investigation. However, the County and our Commission stand ready at the helm to support Interim Sheriff Christopher Blackmon and the courageous men and women of the Osceola Sheriffs Department, however we can during this period, as appropriate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Further questions regarding this matter may be referred to the Osceola County Sheriffs Office or law enforcement. 11:55 p.m. update: Gov. Ron DeSantis has filed an executive order to suspend Lopez. The order cites a federal count of racketeering, a first-degree felony. Christopher A. Blackmon, a region chief for the Florida Highway Patrol, has been appointed by the governor to fill Lopezs position. Blackmons career in law enforcement spans 35 years. Hes led over 850 state troopers and serves as the Florida Highway Patrols statewide immigration incident commander. 11:30 a.m. update: Law enforcement sources told Channel 9 that Lopez was taken to the Lake County Jail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Channel 9 has several crews around Central Florida working to get more information and will provide updates on Eyewitness News. 11:10 a.m. update: Multiple law enforcement sources confirmed with WFTV that Lopezs arrest is related to a conspiracy to commit racketeering charges. Original report: Channel 9 has learned that Lopezs arrest comes after an extended investigation by federal and state law enforcement. Sources said both Homeland Security and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement have been working on information they received a few months ago. Sources told Channel 9 that statewide prosecutors have been working with investigators on this case, and a warrant for his arrest was recently signed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Channel 9 is working to gather more information and will provide updates on Eyewitness News. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. FITCHBURG, Wis. (WFRV) A loaded AR-15 was recovered following a traffic stop on May 19 in Fitchburg, leading to the arrest of a passenger who fled the scene. According to the Fitchburg Police Department, officers conducted a stop around 12:30 a.m. near East Badger Road and Rimrock Road. Two teens arrested after early morning burglary in Fond du Lac During the stop, one passenger ran from the vehicle as officers attempted to detain him. He was later located and taken into custody after a brief foot chase. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A search of his belongings led to the discovery of a loaded AR-15 pistol-style firearm. Authorities say the passenger, identified as 21-year-old Quayshun High of Fitchburg, is a convicted felon and was on active probation. High was booked into the Dane County Jail on multiple charges including felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon, and resisting or obstructing an officer. The driver and another passenger were released without criminal charges. A fourth passenger was cited for possession of marijuana and released. Authorities remind drivers to buckle up after semi-truck crash in neighboring state Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers from the Madison Police Department assisted Fitchburg officers during the investigation. This marks the 27th unlawfully possessed or used firearm seized by the Fitchburg Police Department in 2025. Police say the seizures are part of targeted enforcement, community tips, and proactive efforts to reduce gun violence. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) Authorities across the area are warning the public about a text message scam. The Tennessee Highway Patrol, Johnson City Police Department, Kingsport Police Department, and Washington County, Tennessee Sheriffs Office were among the agencies that issued warnings Thursday. According to police, people have received messages from someone posing as the Tennessee Department of Motor Vehicles claiming that the recipient has an outstanding traffic ticket. The message demands the recipient pay the ticket by a certain date or their vehicle registration and driving privileges will be suspended. The message includes a link for making a payment. Example scam text message posted by the Tennessee Highway Patrol Police say the Department of Motor Vehicles does not communicate in this way and people should not click on the link or any other suspicious links. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also, citizens are encouraged to always call any government agency to double-check that any communication they have received is from the corresponding agency, the Kingsport Police Department said in a release. The Washington County Sheriffs Office says people who receive one of these texts do not need to report it to law enforcement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) The Warren company that invented the design on the fair lemonade cups is going to be having a lemonade stand of its own. Berk Enterprises will host a lemonade stand on June 13 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at its corporate headquarters on Thomas Road Southeast. Molnars concessions will also be serving food from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and thats when theyre encouraging people to come. Its in honor of the companys new partnership with Alexs Lemonade Stand Foundation, which raises money to help find a cure for childhood cancer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President and CEO Reilly Berk says the goal is to raise $2,500 at the lemonade stand. Its important for us to have our own lemonade stand just to show our support with the foundation. I think its so important what theyre doing, trying to raise money for childhood cancer research. It affects so many people across the country, across the world, Berk said. Berk Enterprises also developed exlusive cups for the foundation and to sell to its current customers. A portion of the cup sales will be donated back to the foundation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. Fort Carson is celebrating the 100th birthday of the 4th Infantry Division with stories about the unit's past. This, the third installment, tells the story of the division's participation in the Normandy landings that turned the tide in Europe during World War II. The Normandy landings were the largest amphibious landings conducted. Allied forces landed on five beachheads on the coast of German-held France during World War II. The beaches each had a code name: "Juno," "Sword," "Gold," "Omaha," and "Utah". A late addition to the plan, Utah beach was added to the invasion plans to enable the swift capture of the vital port of Cherbourg, France. CLEVELAND (WJW) As the battle over the proposed budget bill continues in the nations capital, local families are preparing to go to Washington to meet directly with lawmakers to advocate for the preservation of Medicaid. The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed the sweeping budget bill that reportedly cuts $600 billion from Medicaid and would eventually reduce enrollment by millions. Missing 7-year-old paddleboarder found, and he only had one question Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New Franklin mother Wendy Wilson is planning to go to Washington with her daughter Mia, 14, representing University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Childrens Hospital. Since birth, Mia has had a critical heart defect called Ebsteins anomaly. Wendy said she wasnt able to be repaired, meaning her heart is not fixed. More than once she was at risk of dying. Although she does enjoy activities including boating, going to concerts and just having fun, Mia is on a daily routine that includes breathing treatments twice a day, feeding tubes and about 40 doses of medication every day. Her mother left her work when Mia was young so she could care for her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her father has a good job with insurance, but Mias condition keeps them from getting any other insurance. I havent checked recently, but the last time I checked, it was around $5,000 a month for just her medicine, said Wendy. That does not include all of the additional costs. They qualified for assistance through Medicaid through a state program that picks up a large portion of the cost. Without it, Wendy said they could be at risk of losing their home. Akron Childrens Hospital will be represented in Akron by Stephanie Hill of Twinsburg and her 2-year-old daughter Amaiyah. At 17 months old, Amaiyah accidentally swallowed some baby oil while she was taking a bath. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although it did not immediately show signs of significantly impacting the toddler, within a short time, she started to experience breathing problems and was eventually admitted to Akron Childrens Hospital where she spent 152 days. During that time, her condition became so serious that there was consideration of Amaiyah needing a double lung transplant. As we were waiting to hear back from her insurance, we got word that they denied it, but that very same day was the day she started getting better and better, said Stephanie. In February, Amaiyah was released from the hospital. On Friday having celebrated her second birthday just this week she appeared to have suffered no ill effects from that episode. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Without Medicaid, she may not have had access to the health care that helped her recover. Remains found in search for missing teen last seen at airport Access to pediatric care Chris Gessner, CEO of Akron Childrens Hospital, said about 54% of the patients at his hospital are helped by Medicaid, which he believes is about the norm across the state. I think its been proven, evidence-based, that kids who have access to high quality health care services do much better long-term and and the Medicaid program is wonderful from a benefit perspective in terms of what it covers, Gessner said. It would be a real problem for us. I mean, with over half of our business with Medicaid, we pay a lot of attention when they start talking about Medicaid cuts, Gessner told FOX 8 News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From my perspective, we understand the need to balance the budget and be responsible with resources, but we really dont want to see that done by cutting into the future of our country our kids health, he added. As the debate over Medicaid cuts continues in Washington, he hopes federal lawmakers understand how the program has a direct impact on the welfare of young lives. What legislators are saying When discussing the budget bill, President Donald Trump has defended the need to make cuts to Medicaid. The only thing we are cutting is waste, fraud and abuse from Medicaid, Trump said, discussing his big beautiful bill on May 30. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among the lawmakers who the Hill family knows they will be speaking with directly is Ohios Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed to fill the term of now Vice President J.D. Vance. FOX 8 News reached out to Husteds office on Wednesday and was sent a written statement which reads: We need to save Medicaid. And saving Medicaid means you have to make it financially sustainable. We want to make sure that children, people with disabilities and the people who are really in need have this program available to them. To do that, able-bodied, healthy Americans without dependents have to give back to their communities in return for the benefits theyre getting. America has a $36 trillion national debt, so we have to be smart about finding savings in order to protect these programs. Participating in a Democratic news conference about Medicaid on May 20, U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown of Cleveland said she will do everything within her power to preserve the program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In my state of Ohio, the state government has already said that if these cuts are enacted under state law, they would end the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion in our state, so what does that mean? It means 770,000 people will lose their health care. Thats an entire congressional district in just one state. This is suffering on a massive scale and its going to hurt people of all backgrounds, said Brown. Sobriety checkpoints Friday: Heres where in Northeast Ohio The trip to Washington Next weeks trip to Washington, D.C., is sponsored by the Childrens Hospital Association, an organization that represents 150 hospitals across the country. It is an annual trip the organization schedules each year, giving each member hospital the opportunity to nominate one family as their representative. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among the other things for which they are advocating is access to pediatric hospitals, which Gessner said is particularly concerning in many rural areas of the country. They will also be advocating for what they describe as the growing youth mental health crisis. But for Medicaid, the Northeast Ohio families that are going hope they can show firsthand how important the program has been for them. We have good insurance and its still just not enough. With the health care costs and the way the policies run, [Mia] cant get insurance anywhere else, said Wilson. Mias never gone without something that she needed, but I also realize thats not the case for everybody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thank God we are in a position where we are surrounded by a community that literally has helped us pay for these things when we didnt have coverage but not everybody is in that position. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. A help center is working to guide Haitian migrants facing uncertain futures. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] This comes as around 15,000 Haitians who live and work in Springfield must leave by Aug. 3. What I dont understand is the lack of empathy or sympathy towards the folks from Haiti or towards the immigrant community in general, Viles Dorsainvil, executive director of Haitian Community Help and Support Center, said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dorsainvil said he wants to guide the Springfield migrant community through this time, where their legal protections are coming to an end in the United States. TRENDING STORIES: Weve been receiving some phone calls, so many phone calls, and we have decided to have a legal clinic tomorrow, Saturday, where some of them will have time to come and ask questions to an immigration attorney, Dorsainvil said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said migrants are worried about their livelihood in Springfield. Gov. Mike DeWine and Springfield city leaders said fewer Haitians can impact the citys economy. Their presence here in the community helps the workforce to keep moving forward. So I think there will be an economic impact on the community if it happens that they are in removal proceedings or they are deporting them, Dorsainvil said. Along with fewer legal protections, Haitian nationals are now banned from entering the U.S. They put Haiti on that list because of the insecurity, and even the US embassy cannot operate properly in Haiti, Dorsainvil said. The center is inviting anyone with questions to their legal aid event on Saturday. There will be more events like that leading up to Aug. 3. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) Two of South Dakotas lawmakers who represent the area have written a formal letter of support for the state of public safety emergency declared by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe president. Mitchell residents against Davison County prison site Democratic Rep. Eric Emery and Republican Rep. Rebecca Reimer signed the letter sent June 2 to RST President Kathleen Wooden Knife. Letter-to-Pres.-Wooden-Knife-for-State-of-Emergency-1Download Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Wooden Knifes May 27 proclamation follows previous emergency declarations in August 2019 and August 2024. The current proclamation is featured on the Rosebud Sioux Tribe government website and cites pervasive law and order and public health issues related to the epidemic of meth and illicit drug use, drug trafficking, and gun related violence and other violent and unlawful activity creating severe and extreme threats to public safety, the health and welfare of the general public. In her proclamation, President Wooden Knife calls on the U.S. government, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of the Interior and the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs to honor their legal, statutory, trust and treaty obligations to provide sufficient resources for competent law enforcement patrol, reporting and investigations (of) criminal activity. The letter from Emery and Reimer thanks Wooden Knife and says they are honored to stand beside her effort. Emery, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, represents the southern portion of the legislative district that includes the Rosebud Indian Reservation, while Reimer represents the districts northern part. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We commend your decisive leadership in addressing this crisis and your administrations willingness to take action in a time of immense difficulty. It takes courage to confront such challenges head-on, and your focus on protecting your people is both necessary and deeply respected, their letter states. As representatives of our communities, made up of families, elders, first responders, educators, and caregivers, we understand that this crisis reaches far beyond public safety. It impacts the well-being of the people in every way and calls for a unified, sustained response rooted in compassion, cultural respect, and community-focused action, the letter continues. U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, a former governor of South Dakota, has been pushing the federal government for a second tribal law enforcement training center to be placed somewhere in the Great Plains region. Then-Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, provided funding last year for some tribal law officers to receive training through a state course conducted under the state Office of Attorney General. She later held a summit on tribal law enforcement and urged then-U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, a Democrat, to take action on tribal public safety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Noem had been temporarily banned from all nine reservations in South Dakota after a speech to the Legislature last year in which she said drug cartels were using reservations as protection and for other remarks that tribal leaders said were offensive. Noem in turn called for law enforcement agreements between tribal and state governments. The Oglala Sioux Tribe, which neighbors the Rosebud reservation, has twice sued the federal government over inadequate law enforcement on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Rounds also recently called for creation of a federal commission on violent crimes committed on tribal reservations. Republican U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, who holds South Dakotas lone U.S. House seat, in March urged that waste, fraud, and abuse of funds for Indian country be examined by the federal government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com. A local officer has resigned after he was arrested for reportedly driving under the influence in Indiana. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Clayton officer Jacob Filbrun was arrested by police in Fort Wayne, Indiana, over Memorial Day weekend for a suspected OVI after attending an event, according to a statement from Clayton Police Chief Matt Hamlin. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An Internal Investigation was initiated by this department, and during the conclusion of the investigation, Mr. Filbrun resigned with an effective date of July 2, Hamlin said. Filbrun is currently on an unpaid administrative leave, utilizing vacation accrual until July 2, according to Hamlin. He is facing charges of resisting law enforcement, leaving the scene of an accident, and speeding, according to Indiana court records. We will continue to follow this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) On Friday, June 6, the Salvation Army and Mesa County Sheriffs Office will be celebrating National Donut Day by giving back to the local community. The Grand Junction Salvation Army will be delivering donuts to various locations throughout the day to thank individuals, such as first responders, for their hard work. A few of these locations the Salvation Army will be visiting include: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Veterans Community Hospital Community Hospital The Harely-Davidson shop News stations, including KREX The Mesa County Sheriffs Office will be holding a National Donut Day Fundraiser from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. at their office on 215 Rice Street. Individuals can purchase donuts or coffee provided by the Palisade Coffee Company. All proceeds made from this event will go to Special Olympics Colorado. Individuals can learn more about the Grand Junction Salvation Army on its website at grandjunction.salvationarmy.org. More information about the Mesa County Sheriffs Office can be found on its website at mesacounty.us. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com. State leaders have given local police thousands in grant funding to help address violent crimes. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The Dayton Police Department was awarded $400,000 as part of the states latest round of the Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program. The City of Dayton has announced plans to implement a violence interruption program targeting crime hot spots. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were looking at areas of the North Main area and also some areas over in Westwood. Those are two primary areas, Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims previously told News Center 7. Other local agencies that received funding include the Auglaize County Sheriffs Office, Greene County Sheriffs Office, Logan Sheriffs Office, and Montgomery County Sheriffs Office. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Local Chickasha leaders, with special guest Governor Kevin Stitt, announced plans for a major new industrial park and power generation initiative in Chickasha last week. The project is spearheaded by businessman Chet Hitt, who purchased around 320 acres near the Chickasha Municipal Airport from the city of Chickasha back in Dec., and is expected to bring in high-demand industries. According to a press release, the Chickasha Airport Industrial Park could potentially bring in thousands of new jobs and put around $3.5 billion into the local economy. Held in the middle of a wheat field just down the road from the Chickasha Municipal Airport, Hitt was joined by Governor Kevin Stitt, Chickasha Economic Development Council Executive Director Jim Cowan, Citizen Capitals Executive Chairman Bond Payne, Rep. Brad Bowles, R-Marlow and more for the announcement. In the coming months and years, that wheat field will be the home of the Chickasha Airport Industrial Park. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If youre not already on the Chickasha train, buy your ticket, find your seat and buckle up because were going full steam down the tracks, Chickasha Mayor Zachary Grayson said. The 320 acres purchased by Hitt was first partially developed about 25 years ago with the addition of a mile-long paved road, power lines and water lines for future developments and business. However, the land has remained vacant since. An agricultural lease on the land will expire at the end of the month. According to a July 13 appraisal by Property Valuation Specialists, Inc., the market value of the land was $1,578,000. Now, following Thursdays announcement, the land will soon be the home to a new power plant, an incoming data center and feature several other businesses that Hitt is helping recruit to Chickasha. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When I looked at this development here, I said Id much rather have 50 new businesses with 50 jobs than I would one big company, Hitt said. And thats what were going after. Were going after the small business, 50 to 100 jobs, and its pretty exciting going after what we believe is the heart of America. Hitt also said a local manufacturing company wants to expand and hes going to push for said company to be one of the first to move into the industrial park. The name of the manufacturing company was not provided as Cowan said the businesses need to take care of a few things before making a public announcement. Also announced at the press conference was a joint venture between Citizen Capital and Lightfield Energy for innovative, behind-the-meter power generation solutions. These solutions will help meet the energy needs of high-demand industries including data centers, critical minerals processing and advanced manufacturing. New power Generation is imperative for America to meet its national security needs and to develop infrastructure. For critical manufacturing and high-tech computing, said Citizen Capitals Executive Chairman Bond Payne. As one global investor told me the AI journey will be a slow one or a fast one, depending on our ability to provide power, and America must win the race for for power in order to win the 21st century. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bond said thanks to abundant natural gas production in the state and partnerships with midstream operates, the county can continue to lead in the AI revolution without delay. He added that the site will be able to produce more than 500 megawatts of power for large customers and will benefit the state and local communities with jobs, investments and tax dollars. The power plant, and potential data center, are possible in part thanks to Senate Bill 480, also known as the Behind-the-Meter Bill, authored by Rep. Brad Boles, R-Marlow. Boles said the bill, which was recently signed into law, allows large companies to provide their own power generation behind the meter or off the power grid. Currently, if a large company wanted to build a 400-megawatt facility, it could take years to get approval from the Southwest Power Pool to be added to the current grid system. What this opportunity does is give these prime industries the opportunity to make their own investment, take their own risk, Boles said. And if they were to fail, thats on them, not the ratepayers. And if theyre successful, which I think they will be, it wont increase all the ratepayers rates to pay for that infrastructure. So I think its a win-win for the community. Its a win-win for private industry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Governor Stitt said the investment from Chet Hitt is the largest economic, private investment in Chickashas history. This sends a clear message that Oklahomas open for business, Stitt said. When government gets out of the way and just lets businesses innovate, thats when the magic happens. And thats when you see companies growing and you see companies moving from states like California to states like Oklahoma. He added that the Chickasha Airport Industrial Park will create thousands of jobs and bring in billons of dollars worth of investments. When we get our economy booming, guess what? It helps education and infrastructure, healthcare, Stitt said. Everybody wins when were the most pro-business state in the country We really all want the same things. We all want the best education for our kids. We want the best economy. We want the best healthcare. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stitt said the Behind-the-Meter legislation, which he ceremoniously signed at the event, will contribute to that pro-growth, pro-freedom, pro-American vision for Oklahoma. The American dream is alive and well in Oklahoma, Stitt said. JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) Local veterans departed on Friday morning on an Honor Flight of the Appalachian Highlands (HFAH) trip hosted by Antioch Baptist Church. The missions are provided at no cost to veterans and give them an opportunity to visit memorials throughout Washington D.C. to honor their service, sacrifice and valor. HFAH President Michelle Stewart said 19 veterans are going on the trip this weekend, including one Korean War veteran and Vietnam veterans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputy Governor, TDOT Commissioner steps away after seven years Many of these veterans, especially the Vietnam veterans, were not welcomed home, Stewart said. They were treated so poorly. This is the communitys opportunity to change that and to say to them, welcome home. Oftentimes, the veterans on the bus are so shocked that people came out just to welcome them home. It means so much to them to have a crowd here to welcome them home. The trip is expected to arrive back in Johnson City around 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information on HFAH, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. (WIVT/WBGH) Lockheed Martin in Owego is getting a significant contract to make modifications to a Naval helicopter. Congressman Nick Langworthy announced that Lockheeds Rotary and Mission Systems division has been awarded a $9.5 million contract from the U.S. Navy to perform the modifications on 60 Naval Hawk helicopters. The work will be conducted at the Owego facility and the contract is expected to continue through March of 2029. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WIVT - News 34. HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) The Log Inn in Gibson County is celebrating there 200th anniversary. The Log Inn was built in 1825 and is the oldest restaurant in Indiana. The restaurant is holding a ceremony with local and state officials Friday at 3:30 p.m. The owner says this anniversary is not only a milestone for the restaurant but for the community as well. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW). You are the owner of this article. Transgender rights activists and supporters participate in the Trans Day Of Visibility rally on the National Mall on March 31, 2025 in Washington City. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images) Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed two bills this week that would have enshrined a shield law for health care providers who offer gender-affirming care and ensured protections for transgender people incarcerated at local jails. The vetoes come as President Donald Trump, who Lombardo supported in the election, has escalated attacks against the LGBTQ+ community in the first few months of his second term and issued several anti-trans orders, including one that blocked federal support for gender-affirming medical care to patients younger than 19. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor turned his back on LGBTQ+ Nevadans and their familiesvetoing two critical protections just days into Pride Month, Silver State Equality State Director Andre Wade said in a statement. These bills would have provided critical protections to transgender people seeking healthcare and their medical providers, as well as to transgender people in our criminal justice system. To the surprise of many LGBTQ organizers, Lombardo in 2023 signed legislation that prevented insurance companies from discriminating against trans people on the basis of gender identity and required the Nevada Department of Corrections to adopt regulations to protect trans and gender-nonconforming people in prison. The move at the time made him an outlier among Republican governors and legislatures, which have supported and passed bills targeting the trans and queer community. Gender-affirming care is supported by a variety of health providers and medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics. But it has been a high-profile target, and several states, including Utah, have banned it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democratic state Sen. James Ohrenschall has said prohibiting gender-affirming care will not only harm transgender individuals but create a climate of fear and uncertainty for health care providers who offer gender-affirming health care services. Nevada law doesnt restrict medically necessary gender-affirming care, but many LGBTQ advocates and medical providers, including pediatricians, worried bans in other states could prevent trans youth from seeking care and doctors from providing it in Nevada. Ohrenschall brought legislation in 2023 that sought to enact a shield law for medical providers in Nevada but Lombardo vetoed the bill. With Senate Bill 171, Ohrenschall used the same language from the 2023 bill to yet again try to bolster protections for medical providers who offer gender-affirming care. It would have prevented a medical licensing board from punishing or disqualifying providers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill passed both the Senate and Assembly in party line votes. This bill was a clear opportunity to ensure that transgender Nevadans can access the care they needand that providers can offer it without fear of legal retaliation, Wade said. Transgender people in Nevada deserve safety, dignity, and access to life-saving health care. The Governors decision puts all of that at risk. In his veto message, Lombardo wrote that the bill would lead to complicated legal battles and uncertainty about what laws providers must follow and put medical licensing boards in the awkward position of navigating potentially conflicting mandates in federal and state law. The message was similar to his 2023 veto. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The second trans bill vetoed by Lombardo, Senate Bill 141 would have required local detention facilities to develop policies that address the custody, housing, medical and mental health treatment of transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex people incarcerated. Democratic state Sen. Melanie Scheible, who sponsored the bill, said during its hearing it was similar to legislation she brought in 2023 that required prisons to enact similar policies for trans people who were incarcerated. Lombardo signed that bill. All 15 Assembly Republicans joined Democrats to unanimously pass SB 141, but the Senate voted along party lines. In his veto message Lombardo acknowledged that he did which authorized the Director of the Department of Corrections to implement similar policies through regulation with Board of Prison Commissioners approval. Federal authority in this space is potentially evolving and, if altered, could conflict with the provisions of this bill leading to decreased state and local access to vital federal funding, he wrote. FRANKLIN COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) A river otter rescued by Pennsylvania State Police will need to undergo surgery, according to a wildlife rehabilitation center. Raven Ridge Wildlife Center took in the injured otter after troopers responded to a call last week for an otter injured and in distress. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now ICYMI: Top 5 Stories of the Week Following a full examination and X-rays, it became clear that the otter had a broken front right leg, the center said in a social media post, adding the otter will need to undergo surgery. This surgery will be challenging, and the otter will need to stay with us for some time while he heals. Fortunately, the injury has not hindered him from using both paws to eat, and he is not favoring the injured leg. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The unnamed male otter weighs 21 pounds. The center said he was impressively strong, quick and slick to handle. A river otter rescued by Pennsylvania State Police will need to undergo surgery for a broken leg, according to a wildlife rehabilitation center. | Raven Ridge Wildlife Center A river otter rescued by Pennsylvania State Police will need to undergo surgery for a broken leg, according to a wildlife rehabilitation center. | Raven Ridge Wildlife Center A river otter rescued by Pennsylvania State Police will need to undergo surgery for a broken leg, according to a wildlife rehabilitation center. | Raven Ridge Wildlife Center A river otter rescued by Pennsylvania State Police will need to undergo surgery for a broken leg, according to a wildlife rehabilitation center. | Raven Ridge Wildlife Center A river otter rescued by Pennsylvania State Police will need to undergo surgery for a broken leg, according to a wildlife rehabilitation center. | Raven Ridge Wildlife Center His appetite does not seem to be affected despite the injury. The otter scoffs down up to six trout a day, enough for the center to request more fish donations. What do mayflies do? This is the first time Raven Ridge has cared for a river otter, which is native to nearly all of Pennsylvania. Our team was captivated by the beauty of this creature, and even after 10 years of our team rehabilitating Pennsylvania wildlife, we had never had the privilege of admitting an otter before, the center said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. Cattle gather around a watering hole on federal land near Monticello, Utah. Utah is among several Western states seeking to reduce federal land ownership. (Photo by Utah News Dispatch) Public outcry was swift and forceful after a U.S. House committee last month hastily approved an amendment directing the federal government to sell off more than half a million acres of public land. A few days later, lawmakers advanced the larger bill a sweeping list of President Donald Trumps priorities but stripped the federal lands provision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet leaders on both sides of the issue say the battle over selling off federal lands is likely just heating up. Some conservatives in Western states have complained for decades that the feds control too much of the land within their borders. They see a long-awaited opportunity in a Trump administration thats sympathetic to their cause. Public lands advocates are bracing for more attempts to turn land over to states, industry groups and developers. The threat level is red alert, said Randi Spivak, public lands policy director with the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental nonprofit. Some of these states have been champing at the bit for decades to privatize. Theyre certainly not going to let this opportunity pass without an aggressive effort. The balance sheet In Western states, where most federally owned lands are located, some leaders view these lands as a treasured inheritance places reserved for all Americans and critical for wildlife, tourism and outdoor recreation. Others feel that too much of the land in their states is controlled by officials in Washington, D.C., leaving it off-limits for development and curtailing its economic value. Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, President-elect Donald Trumps nominee for Interior Department secretary, waits for the beginning of a confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee at Dirksen Senate Office Building on Jan. 16, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Trump officials and allies have embraced the latter view. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has repeatedly called federal lands Americas balance sheet, describing them as untapped assets worth trillions of dollars. He has launched an effort to identify federal lands suitable for housing development. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other proposals have centered around using land sales to pay for tax breaks or to finance Trumps proposed government-run fund that could invest in stocks or real estate. For some state leaders, the newfound interest at the federal level to turn public lands into cash along with Trumps cuts to land management agency staff aligns with a long-standing movement to reduce federal ownership. I look at it as an opportunity to say, Hey, turn it over to the state, said Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz, a Republican. Utah leaders have made the most forceful push to challenge federal land ownership. The state filed a legal challenge last year seeking to take control of more than 18 million acres of unappropriated lands parcels held by the federal government without a specific designation such as a national park or monument. That effort hit a roadblock earlier this year when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But with Trump in the White House, state leaders may pivot from challenging the feds in court to seeking their cooperation. We would love if the federal government just turned it over to us and said, Here, manage these lands, Schultz said. Thats an option as well. Those are discussions that are happening. Everything is on the table. Schultz declined to say which federal officials have been involved in discussions about transferring lands to the state. Some lawmakers in Wyoming backed a state resolution this year which ultimately failed calling on Congress to hand over all federal lands except for Yellowstone National Park. Idaho lawmakers passed a measure calling on the feds to turn over a wildlife refuge to the state. And Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Republican, has called for a systematic release of federal land in the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But public lands also have many supporters in Western states, including some prominent Republican members of Congress, such as Reps. Mike Simpson of Idaho and Ryan Zinke of Montana. Zinke was Interior secretary for two years during the first Trump administration. John Leshy, who served as solicitor for the U.S. Department of the Interior during the Clinton administration, said proposals to dispose of federal lands tend to be stymied by fierce public backlash. Federal lands are really popular, he said. Its political poison [to sell off public land]. Its a different West now. Public attitudes have changed. Leshy also noted that livestock ranchers especially benefit from discounted lease rates offered by the federal government. Housing arguments The most recent clash over the future of federal lands was the amendment sponsored by a pair of congressional Republicans last month. The measure would have directed the Bureau of Land Management to sell more than 500,000 acres of land in Nevada and Utah. Local governments would have been able to buy the land at market value, with no restrictions on how they used it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Backers said the sale would bring in revenue to cover Trumps proposed tax cuts, while allowing local governments to build much-needed housing on the parcels. Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee said he will try to revive the measure as the Senate considers the bill this month, E&E News reported. In Nevada, where 85% of land is owned by the federal government, some leaders say their communities are hemmed in by a checkerboard of public lands that constrain development. The city of Fernley, which is growing rapidly, would have acquired 12,000 acres under the proposal. We need housing, said Benjamin Marchant, Fernleys city manager. The city cant plan roads and water lines, sewer lines and gas lines, when you have federal land between two parcels that want to develop. This will bring a practical and helpful consolidation of all these lands into one developable area. Nevada leaders have long worked on proposals to transfer some federal lands to local governments and allow for increased growth. But some lawmakers say the latest push bypassed that collaborative process and failed to include safeguards that the money raised from the sale of the lands would be reinvested into conserving public lands elsewhere. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was a complete betrayal of everything weve worked on in this state, said Assemblymember Howard Watts, a Democrat. This amendment is trying to sell off half a million acres of Nevadas public lands in order to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. This is not going to address our housing problem. These lands are positioned to be sold off for other forms of development and extraction. Similar debates are happening in Utah. In southwestern Utahs Washington County, local officials say the disposal of federally controlled land could help alleviate the regions housing crisis and increasingly strained infrastructure. The county is experiencing rapid population growth in 2022, St. George, the county seat, was the fastest-growing metro area in America. County and city leaders hoped the amendment would have helped them manage the growth. The measure would have disposed of roughly 11,500 acres of federally controlled land in Utah, selling it at market value to local governments. The proposal received pushback from all sides, including environmentalists, hunting and fishing groups, House Democrats and even conservatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [The amendment] is consistent with how U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Burgum thinks about federal public lands, as simply assets on a ledger to be sold off, said Steve Bloch, legal director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, an environmental nonprofit. Its just antithetical to how Westerners think about the federal public lands that make up so much of our landscape. Washington County Commissioner Adam Snow, a Republican, said a lot of the opposition was misguided. The county would have acquired almost half of the land earmarked for disposal, and Snow said much of that would have been used to widen existing roads and construct new ones that are bordered by Bureau of Land Management property. These were not pristine wilderness lands. Some of the environmental groups tried to make it sound like were selling off Zion National Park, and thats not even close to true, Snow said. If we can just not have to deal with the federal government every time we want to chip seal a road or improve an intersection, that would be really nice. Because we have to ask Mother, may I? for everything out here. Local leaders say federal parcels could help ease housing pressures as well. Snow said transferring parcels to the city or county is one of the only ways to stop the area from becoming wildly expensive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were running out of room real quick, he said. There is still private land to develop, but theyre going to charge an absolute premium. The amendment that was stripped from the House bill was widely criticized for not having any restrictions on what could be done with the land. There was no language whatsoever that would require Washington County or St. George to do anything with these lands. They could lease them for development. They could sell them outright, said Bloch. The costs of management In Utah, lawmakers have created a state Department of Land Management essentially a placeholder agency that would be funded and staffed only if their effort to assume control of large swaths of federal land succeeds. Schultz, the House speaker, said the state is committed to keeping the lands in the public domain, reopening roads and campgrounds closed by the feds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wed just take over the job from the federal government, he said. It is something that the state absolutely would do, and wed do it more efficiently, more effectively and wed have better outcomes. Schultz said the state could bring in the revenues needed to manage the land by raising lease prices for oil and gas operations on parcels currently managed for drilling. But some public lands advocates say thats not realistic. The federal Bureau of Land Management employed more than 950 people in the state as of 2024, and feds also assume the expensive task of wildfire management on their lands. If you look at the history of what Utah has done with their lands, theyve sold more than half of them, said Devin ODea, Western policy and conservation manager with Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. Were certainly of the perspective that states could not handle the economic costs of managing these lands. Their hand would be forced; they would have to sell these lands in order to deal with those costs. John Robison, Idaho Conservation League public lands and wildlife director, said Simpson the Idaho congressman and the states two senators have all won praise from constituents for their work on public lands compromises. Savvy Idaho politicians know that public lands are popular, he said. But other state leaders insist their governments are better equipped to manage the lands. Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador, a Republican, was among the officials who signed an amicus brief in support of Utahs lawsuit against the feds. We live here, we work here, and we are far better stewards of our forests and resources than federal bureaucrats in Washington, Labrador said in a statement. If Idaho owned this land, we could lease it for timber, grazing, and mining just like the federal government does but reinvest that revenue right here in Idaho. Stateline reporter Alex Brown can be reached at abrown@stateline.org , Idaho Capital Sun reporter Clark Corbin can be reached at ccorbin@idahocapitalsun.com, and Utah News Dispatch reporter Kyle Dunphey can be reached at kdunphey@utahnewsdispatch.com. Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org. Cattle gather around a watering hole on federal land near Monticello, Utah. Utah is among several Western states seeking to reduce federal land ownership. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) Public outcry was swift and forceful after a U.S. House committee last month hastily approved an amendment directing the federal government to sell off more than half a million acres of public land. A few days later, lawmakers advanced the larger bill a sweeping list of President Donald Trumps priorities but stripped the federal lands provision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet leaders on both sides of the issue say the battle over selling off federal lands is likely just heating up. Some conservatives in Western states have complained for decades that the feds control too much of the land within their borders. They see a long-awaited opportunity in a Trump administration thats sympathetic to their cause. Public lands advocates are bracing for more attempts to turn land over to states, industry groups and developers. The threat level is red alert, said Randi Spivak, public lands policy director with the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental nonprofit. Some of these states have been champing at the bit for decades to privatize. Theyre certainly not going to let this opportunity pass without an aggressive effort. The balance sheet In Western states, where most federally owned lands are located, some leaders view these lands as a treasured inheritance places reserved for all Americans and critical for wildlife, tourism and outdoor recreation. Others feel that too much of the land in their states is controlled by officials in Washington, D.C., leaving it off-limits for development and curtailing its economic value. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump officials and allies have embraced the latter view. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has repeatedly called federal lands Americas balance sheet, describing them as untapped assets worth trillions of dollars. He has launched an effort to identify federal lands suitable for housing development. Other proposals have centered around using land sales to pay for tax breaks or to finance Trumps proposed government-run fund that could invest in stocks or real estate. For some state leaders, the newfound interest at the federal level to turn public lands into cash along with Trumps cuts to land management agency staff aligns with a long-standing movement to reduce federal ownership. I look at it as an opportunity to say, Hey, turn it over to the state, said Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz, a Republican. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Utah leaders have made the most forceful push to challenge federal land ownership. The state filed a legal challenge last year seeking to take control of more than 18 million acres of unappropriated lands parcels held by the federal government without a specific designation such as a national park or monument. That effort hit a roadblock earlier this year when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case. But with Trump in the White House, state leaders may pivot from challenging the feds in court to seeking their cooperation. We would love if the federal government just turned it over to us and said, Here, manage these lands, Schultz said. Thats an option as well. Those are discussions that are happening. Everything is on the table. Schultz declined to say which federal officials have been involved in discussions about transferring lands to the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some lawmakers in Wyoming backed a state resolution this year which ultimately failed calling on Congress to hand over all federal lands except for Yellowstone National Park. Idaho lawmakers passed a measure calling on the feds to turn over a wildlife refuge to the state. And Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Republican, has called for a systematic release of federal land in the state. But public lands also have many supporters in Western states, including some prominent Republican members of Congress, such as Reps. Mike Simpson of Idaho and Ryan Zinke of Montana. Zinke was Interior secretary for two years during the first Trump administration. John Leshy, who served as solicitor for the U.S. Department of the Interior during the Clinton administration, said proposals to dispose of federal lands tend to be stymied by fierce public backlash. Federal lands are really popular, he said. Its political poison [to sell off public land]. Its a different West now. Public attitudes have changed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leshy also noted that livestock ranchers especially benefit from discounted lease rates offered by the federal government. Housing arguments The most recent clash over the future of federal lands was the amendment sponsored by a pair of congressional Republicans last month. The measure would have directed the Bureau of Land Management to sell more than 500,000 acres of land in Nevada and Utah. Local governments would have been able to buy the land at market value, with no restrictions on how they used it. Backers said the sale would bring in revenue to cover Trumps proposed tax cuts, while allowing local governments to build much-needed housing on the parcels. Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee said he will try to revive the measure as the Senate considers the bill this month, E&E News reported. In Nevada, where 85% of land is owned by the federal government, some leaders say their communities are hemmed in by a checkerboard of public lands that constrain development. The city of Fernley, which is growing rapidly, would have acquired 12,000 acres under the proposal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We need housing, said Benjamin Marchant, Fernleys city manager. The city cant plan roads and water lines, sewer lines and gas lines, when you have federal land between two parcels that want to develop. This will bring a practical and helpful consolidation of all these lands into one developable area. Nevada leaders have long worked on proposals to transfer some federal lands to local governments and allow for increased growth. But some lawmakers say the latest push bypassed that collaborative process and failed to include safeguards that the money raised from the sale of the lands would be reinvested into conserving public lands elsewhere. It was a complete betrayal of everything weve worked on in this state, said Assemblymember Howard Watts, a Democrat. This amendment is trying to sell off half a million acres of Nevadas public lands in order to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. This is not going to address our housing problem. These lands are positioned to be sold off for other forms of development and extraction. Similar debates are happening in Utah. In southwestern Utahs Washington County, local officials say the disposal of federally controlled land could help alleviate the regions housing crisis and increasingly strained infrastructure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The county is experiencing rapid population growth in 2022, St. George, the county seat, was the fastest-growing metro area in America. County and city leaders hoped the amendment would have helped them manage the growth. The measure would have disposed of roughly 11,500 acres of federally controlled land in Utah, selling it at market value to local governments. The proposal received pushback from all sides, including environmentalists, hunting and fishing groups, House Democrats and even conservatives. [The amendment] is consistent with how U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Burgum thinks about federal public lands, as simply assets on a ledger to be sold off, said Steve Bloch, legal director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, an environmental nonprofit. Its just antithetical to how Westerners think about the federal public lands that make up so much of our landscape. Washington County Commissioner Adam Snow, a Republican, said a lot of the opposition was misguided. The county would have acquired almost half of the land earmarked for disposal, and Snow said much of that would have been used to widen existing roads and construct new ones that are bordered by Bureau of Land Management property. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These were not pristine wilderness lands. Some of the environmental groups tried to make it sound like were selling off Zion National Park, and thats not even close to true, Snow said. If we can just not have to deal with the federal government every time we want to chip seal a road or improve an intersection, that would be really nice. Because we have to ask Mother, may I? for everything out here. Local leaders say federal parcels could help ease housing pressures as well. Snow said transferring parcels to the city or county is one of the only ways to stop the area from becoming wildly expensive. Were running out of room real quick, he said. There is still private land to develop, but theyre going to charge an absolute premium. The amendment that was stripped from the House bill was widely criticized for not having any restrictions on what could be done with the land. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was no language whatsoever that would require Washington County or St. George to do anything with these lands. They could lease them for development. They could sell them outright, said Bloch. The costs of management In Utah, lawmakers have created a state Department of Land Management essentially a placeholder agency that would be funded and staffed only if their effort to assume control of large swaths of federal land succeeds. Schultz, the House speaker, said the state is committed to keeping the lands in the public domain, reopening roads and campgrounds closed by the feds. Wed just take over the job from the federal government, he said. It is something that the state absolutely would do, and wed do it more efficiently, more effectively and wed have better outcomes. Schultz said the state could bring in the revenues needed to manage the land by raising lease prices for oil and gas operations on parcels currently managed for drilling. But some public lands advocates say thats not realistic. The federal Bureau of Land Management employed more than 950 people in the state as of 2024, and feds also assume the expensive task of wildfire management on their lands. If you look at the history of what Utah has done with their lands, theyve sold more than half of them, said Devin ODea, Western policy and conservation manager with Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. Were certainly of the perspective that states could not handle the economic costs of managing these lands. Their hand would be forced; they would have to sell these lands in order to deal with those costs. John Robison, Idaho Conservation League public lands and wildlife director, said Simpson the Idaho congressman and the states two senators have all won praise from constituents for their work on public lands compromises. Savvy Idaho politicians know that public lands are popular, he said. But other state leaders insist their governments are better equipped to manage the lands. Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador, a Republican, was among the officials who signed an amicus brief in support of Utahs lawsuit against the feds. We live here, we work here, and we are far better stewards of our forests and resources than federal bureaucrats in Washington, Labrador said in a statement. If Idaho owned this land, we could lease it for timber, grazing, and mining just like the federal government does but reinvest that revenue right here in Idaho. Stateline reporter Alex Brown can be reached at abrown@stateline.org , Idaho Capital Sun reporter Clark Corbin can be reached at ccorbin@idahocapitalsun.com, and Utah News Dispatch reporter Kyle Dunphey can be reached at kdunphey@utahnewsdispatch.com. Cattle gather around a watering hole on federal land near Monticello, Utah. Utah is among several Western states seeking to reduce federal land ownership. Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch Public outcry was swift and forceful after a U.S. House committee last month hastily approved an amendment directing the federal government to sell off more than half a million acres of public land. A few days later, lawmakers advanced the larger bill a sweeping list of President Donald Trumps priorities but stripped the federal lands provision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet leaders on both sides of the issue say the battle over selling off federal lands is likely just heating up. Some conservatives in Western states, including Arizona, have complained for decades that the feds control too much of the land within their borders. They see a long-awaited opportunity in a Trump administration thats sympathetic to their cause. The Grand Canyon States Sen. Mark Finchem, R-Prescott, earlier this year sponsored a resolution that would encourage the transfer of federally-owned land within Arizona to state or private control so that it can be better managed and used for economic purposes. Public lands advocates are bracing for more attempts to turn land over to states, industry groups and developers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The threat level is red alert, said Randi Spivak, public lands policy director with the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental nonprofit. Some of these states have been champing at the bit for decades to privatize. Theyre certainly not going to let this opportunity pass without an aggressive effort. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The balance sheet In Western states, where most federally owned lands are located, some leaders view these lands as a treasured inheritance places reserved for all Americans and critical for wildlife, tourism and outdoor recreation. Others feel that too much of the land in their states is controlled by officials in Washington, D.C., leaving it off-limits for development and curtailing its economic value. Some of these states have been champing at the bit for decades to privatize. Theyre certainly not going to let this opportunity pass without an aggressive effort. Randi Spivak, public lands policy director with the Center for Biological Diversity Trump officials and allies have embraced the latter view. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has repeatedly called federal lands Americas balance sheet, describing them as untapped assets worth trillions of dollars. He has launched an effort to identify federal lands suitable for housing development. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other proposals have centered around using land sales to pay for tax breaks or to finance Trumps proposed government-run fund that could invest in stocks or real estate. For some state leaders, the newfound interest at the federal level to turn public lands into cash along with Trumps cuts to land management agency staff aligns with a long-standing movement to reduce federal ownership. I look at it as an opportunity to say, Hey, turn it over to the state, said Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz, a Republican. Utah leaders have made the most forceful push to challenge federal land ownership. The state filed a legal challenge last year seeking to take control of more than 18 million acres of unappropriated lands parcels held by the federal government without a specific designation such as a national park or monument. That effort hit a roadblock earlier this year when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But with Trump in the White House, state leaders may pivot from challenging the feds in court to seeking their cooperation. We would love if the federal government just turned it over to us and said, Here, manage these lands, Schultz said. Thats an option as well. Those are discussions that are happening. Everything is on the table. Schultz declined to say which federal officials have been involved in discussions about transferring lands to the state. Some lawmakers in Wyoming backed a state resolution this year which ultimately failed calling on Congress to hand over all federal lands except for Yellowstone National Park. Idaho lawmakers passed a measure calling on the feds to turn over a wildlife refuge to the state. And Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Republican, has called for a systematic release of federal land in the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But public lands also have many supporters in Western states, including some prominent Republican members of Congress, such as Reps. Mike Simpson of Idaho and Ryan Zinke of Montana. Zinke was Interior secretary for two years during the first Trump administration. John Leshy, who served as solicitor for the U.S. Department of the Interior during the Clinton administration, said proposals to dispose of federal lands tend to be stymied by fierce public backlash. Federal lands are really popular, he said. Its political poison [to sell off public land]. Its a different West now. Public attitudes have changed. Leshy also noted that livestock ranchers especially benefit from discounted lease rates offered by the federal government. Housing arguments The most recent clash over the future of federal lands was the amendment sponsored by a pair of congressional Republicans last month. The measure would have directed the Bureau of Land Management to sell more than 500,000 acres of land in Nevada and Utah. Local governments would have been able to buy the land at market value, with no restrictions on how they used it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Backers said the sale would bring in revenue to cover Trumps proposed tax cuts, while allowing local governments to build much-needed housing on the parcels. Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee said he will try to revive the measure as the Senate considers the bill this month, E&E News reported. In Nevada, where 85% of land is owned by the federal government, some leaders say their communities are hemmed in by a checkerboard of public lands that constrain development. The city of Fernley, which is growing rapidly, would have acquired 12,000 acres under the proposal. We need housing, said Benjamin Marchant, Fernleys city manager. The city cant plan roads and water lines, sewer lines and gas lines, when you have federal land between two parcels that want to develop. This will bring a practical and helpful consolidation of all these lands into one developable area. Nevada leaders have long worked on proposals to transfer some federal lands to local governments and allow for increased growth. But some lawmakers say the latest push bypassed that collaborative process and failed to include safeguards that the money raised from the sale of the lands would be reinvested into conserving public lands elsewhere. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was a complete betrayal of everything weve worked on in this state, said Assemblymember Howard Watts, a Democrat. This amendment is trying to sell off half a million acres of Nevadas public lands in order to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. This is not going to address our housing problem. These lands are positioned to be sold off for other forms of development and extraction. Similar debates are happening in Utah. In southwestern Utahs Washington County, local officials say the disposal of federally controlled land could help alleviate the regions housing crisis and increasingly strained infrastructure. The county is experiencing rapid population growth in 2022, St. George, the county seat, was the fastest-growing metro area in America. County and city leaders hoped the amendment would have helped them manage the growth. The measure would have disposed of roughly 11,500 acres of federally controlled land in Utah, selling it at market value to local governments. The proposal received pushback from all sides, including environmentalists, hunting and fishing groups, House Democrats and even conservatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [The amendment] is consistent with how U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Burgum thinks about federal public lands, as simply assets on a ledger to be sold off, said Steve Bloch, legal director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, an environmental nonprofit. Its just antithetical to how Westerners think about the federal public lands that make up so much of our landscape. Washington County Commissioner Adam Snow, a Republican, said a lot of the opposition was misguided. The county would have acquired almost half of the land earmarked for disposal, and Snow said much of that would have been used to widen existing roads and construct new ones that are bordered by Bureau of Land Management property. These were not pristine wilderness lands. Some of the environmental groups tried to make it sound like were selling off Zion National Park, and thats not even close to true, Snow said. If we can just not have to deal with the federal government every time we want to chip seal a road or improve an intersection, that would be really nice. Because we have to ask Mother, may I? for everything out here. Local leaders say federal parcels could help ease housing pressures as well. Snow said transferring parcels to the city or county is one of the only ways to stop the area from becoming wildly expensive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were running out of room real quick, he said. There is still private land to develop, but theyre going to charge an absolute premium. The amendment that was stripped from the House bill was widely criticized for not having any restrictions on what could be done with the land. There was no language whatsoever that would require Washington County or St. George to do anything with these lands. They could lease them for development. They could sell them outright, said Bloch. The costs of management In Utah, lawmakers have created a state Department of Land Management essentially a placeholder agency that would be funded and staffed only if their effort to assume control of large swaths of federal land succeeds. Schultz, the House speaker, said the state is committed to keeping the lands in the public domain, reopening roads and campgrounds closed by the feds. Wed just take over the job from the federal government, he said. It is something that the state absolutely would do, and wed do it more efficiently, more effectively and wed have better outcomes. Schultz said the state could bring in the revenues needed to manage the land by raising lease prices for oil and gas operations on parcels currently managed for drilling. But some public lands advocates say thats not realistic. The federal Bureau of Land Management employed more than 950 people in the state as of 2024, and feds also assume the expensive task of wildfire management on their lands. If you look at the history of what Utah has done with their lands, theyve sold more than half of them, said Devin ODea, Western policy and conservation manager with Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. Were certainly of the perspective that states could not handle the economic costs of managing these lands. Their hand would be forced; they would have to sell these lands in order to deal with those costs. John Robison, Idaho Conservation League public lands and wildlife director, said Simpson the Idaho congressman and the states two senators have all won praise from constituents for their work on public lands compromises. Savvy Idaho politicians know that public lands are popular, he said. But other state leaders insist their governments are better equipped to manage the lands. Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador, a Republican, was among the officials who signed an amicus brief in support of Utahs lawsuit against the feds. We live here, we work here, and we are far better stewards of our forests and resources than federal bureaucrats in Washington, Labrador said in a statement. If Idaho owned this land, we could lease it for timber, grazing, and mining just like the federal government does but reinvest that revenue right here in Idaho. The Arizona Mirrors Caitlin Sievers contributed to this report. Stateline reporter Alex Brown can be reached at abrown@stateline.org , Idaho Capital Sun reporter Clark Corbin can be reached at ccorbin@idahocapitalsun.com, and Utah News Dispatch reporter Kyle Dunphey can be reached at kdunphey@utahnewsdispatch.com. Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org. CHESAPEAKE Longtime Deputy City Manager Wanda Barnard-Bailey retired after two decades with the city, and former Police Chief Kelvin Wright was hired as her replacement. Bailey began her tenure with the city in 2005 and in 2020, was designated chief equity officer. Before then, she worked as a Navy Mid-Atlantic Region Counseling and advocacy coordinator for fleet and family support programs. She also worked as a hospice social worker and school social worker and worked on dropout prevention and alcohol an drug prevention in North Carolina. Dr. Bailey represents the very best of what it means to be the city that cares, and she has meant so much to the community and our team, City Manager Chris Price said in a statement. Under her leadership, the city has taken significant strides in areas from homelessness and quality of life to substance abuse, wellness, and much more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She received a Bachelor of Arts in recreation administration and a masters degree in social work from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and a doctorate in philosophy from Norfolk State University. Wright, who served as police chief from 2008 to 2022, was appointed in April and assumed the role in June. Hell oversee the citys departments of Human Services, Human Resources, Libraries, the Call Center, and Integrated Behavioral Healthcare. He holds a masters degree in public administration from Troy University, a Bachelor of Science in sociology from Saint Leo University, and an associate of applied science degree in criminal justice from Tidewater Community College. While Dr. Bailey is truly irreplaceable, the demands of the organization require that we bring in a leader to guide the Wellbeing and Quality of Life team and to continue Wandas legacy of building relationships with community groups and the faith community, Price said. We are confident that (Wright) will bring the same dedication to this new public service role as he demonstrated for so many years in public safety. Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133, natalie.anderson@virginiamedia.com Treadle Yard Goods, a fabric shop with a nearly half-century-long history on Grand Avenue, has closed as its owner undergoes cancer treatment. Michele Hoaglund, who bought the store about a decade ago from its founding owners, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer around Christmas, she wrote on the stores social media page. The shops final day was June 1. My focus must be on my health and getting well, she wrote in the stores farewell message on its website. I have enjoyed getting to know so many of you over the years and loved seeing and hearing about your sewing projects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hoaglund could not be reached for comment this week. Hoaglund, a longtime employee who had initiated the stores class program, took over the store in 2015 from Mary Daley, who had founded it in 1976 with her late husband, Paul. The shop was known not just for its wide fabric selection but also for its employees skill at supporting and advising customers projects, and for its community outreach efforts. In 2020, the store provided free kits for sewists to make their own Covid-19 face masks. Then, in 2022, amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine, Hoaglund organized community sewing sessions to produce more than 200 handmade baby blankets for Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Related Articles An area Catholic university is mourning the death of a beloved priest. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Xavier University announced the passing of Fr. Al Bischoff, S.J., on Friday. He was 98. Known as Father B, the university said he made a profound impact on the community. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His deep care for each student, commitment to the Jesuit Catholic tradition and love for Xavier will never be forgotten, the university wrote in a social media post. The university also called Father B a campus legend. Father B held several roles during his years at Xavier. He served as Emeritus Campus Minister for the Dorothy Day Center for Faith and Justice, as a longtime resident minister in Husman Hall, as Bellarmine Chapel Minister, where he presided over the 4:00 p.m. daily Mass, and as a longtime member of the Jesuit community. The university said in a statement online that he earned both his bachelors degree and masters degree at Xavier. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was ordained in 1956 and began working full-time at Xavier in 1998. He was so popular with students that in 2003, a group of 130 alumni from 1969-1974 created a scholarship fund in his honor and surprised him with it on his 75th birthday, the university said. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) June 2025 marks the 250 years of service for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps began its operations in June 1775 and its legacy in Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky is intertwined with the Cumberland River. Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts In the late 1800s, there was thriving commerce with boat traffic along the Cumberland River. At times, the water got too low for the boats to get through. The Corps built a series of small wicket dams to keep the water level high enough for the boats. (Courtesy: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) (Courtesy: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) (Courtesy: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) Each wicket dam had a lock to allow the boats to get around the dam. The wicket dams would keep at least six feet of water in the river, and usually around nine feet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Feedback sought on proposed changes to Percy Priest Reservoir You can see the remnants of one of the locks at Lock Two Park in Nashvilles Pennington Bend neighborhood. Construction on this particular lock began in 1892 and both the lock and the dam were completed in 1907. (Source: WKRN) (Source: WKRN) In the 1930s, the older, smaller locks and dams became obsolete as the Corps began constructing more modern dams, power plants and navigation locks. Those projects were meant to reduce flood risks, provide lower-cost electricity and improve navigation along U.S. waterways. Additionally, they helped water quality and supply and some provided recreation. (Courtesy: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) Read todays top stories on wkrn.com You can learn more about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its work on the Cumberland River here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. A 14-year-old Colorado Springs boy was arrested on suspicion of 11 counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder in connection with a shooting at a pop-up party in Aurora on Sunday. The boy, whose name is being withheld due to his status as a minor, faces one count of first-degree murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and two counts of possession of a handgun by a juvenile, said Mark Hildebrand, chief of the Aurora Police Department's investigations division, at a news conference Thursday afternoon. Police have identified three women two 15-year-olds and one 20-year-old who were injured when the boy shot into the party crowd after a fight broke out around midnight Saturday, Hildebrand said. One of the victims, 15-year-old K'Tahna Jordin Smith, died shortly after arriving at the hospital that night. "We send our condolences to the family of the young female who lost her life senselessly," Hildebrand said. "This is a tragedy." Police initially responded to the scene at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning near an Aurora fire station in the 12000 block of East Hoffman Boulevard, according to a news release received on Thursday from the Aurora Police Department. 15-year-old identified in fatal Aurora shooting The shooting had broken out after a pop-up party involving juvenile individuals, many of them female, had led to a fight, Hildebrand said. Many of the people at the party were drinking alcohol and livestreaming the event on social media, resulting in others in the area joining in. Currently, police believe that the fight involved two distinct groups of people: the group that initially began the party in Denver before relocating it to Aurora and another who came from Colorado Springs, the group that included the shooter, Hildebrand said. Police currently believe there were members from different gangs at the event, but do not think that the violence was one gang against another. Featured Local Savings Additionally, police believe that the group from Colorado Springs was the initiator of the violence that broke out, Hildebrand added. The shooter, who police said was part of that group though they do not yet know exactly why, fired into the crowd of people. "The community as a whole needs to do a better job of controlling the actions of our juvenile population, ensuring that they are safe and that they're not engaging in this type of behavior," Hildebrand said. A cell phone video obtained and redacted by Aurora police depicts what appears to show a group of at least several people beating an individual on the ground. Police currently believe that immediately after the fight is when the shooting occurred, Hildebrand said. "We have a juvenile population that is going out well after hours, they're posting on social media platforms encouraging multiple people to come to these locations, we even have information that they're participating in girl fight clubs," Hildebrand said. "The behavior that we're observing is completely unacceptable." The 14-year-old shooter was arrested on an unrelated warrant for motor vehicle theft by the Colorado Springs Police Department, Hildebrand said. Upon searching his residence, police found two handguns, a 9mm and a .380-caliber. Police currently do not know if the guns found in his residence were the ones used in the shooting, but multiple types of bullet casings were recovered at the scene, Hildebrand said. "A 15-year-old female lost her life during this, in this senseless act," Hildebrand said. "A 14-year-old armed himself with two firearms ... and made the conscious decision to use them against a group of people." With his legs crossed, and grinning ear to ear, Lord Mandelson was honoured by the Maga elite with a plaque at a restaurant favoured by Trump supporters. The British ambassador to the US was in a jovial mood as he arrived at Butterworths to pull back the tiny curtains on a brass plate above his favourite sofa. The plaque, around double the length of the Labour peers index finger, rests above the French-style couch upon which he sprawled during his first visit to the restaurant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I do feel that I have finally made it from tribal politician to real diplomat now that I have unveiled the first plaque in my new diplomatic career, he said, gesturing towards the sign. When I came here, I wandered off the streets hungry, not knowing what it was. I thought I might get a nice lobster thermidor if I was lucky. I sprawled out on this sofa and we had a wonderful conversation for a long time. After a tumultuous three decades pulling the strings in Westminster, Lord Mandelson has spent the past six months trying to schmooze his way into Magaland. It has involved a three-pronged charm offensive endless meetings on the hill, lunches with big businesses and the odd party to prove to the US presidents allies that he is a friend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many of those allies have been lobbying for the peers removal since his appointment was announced, due to him once labelling Mr Trump a danger to the world. Lord Mandelsons charm offensive has resulted in recognition from Butterworths restaurant - Dermot Tatlow Donning a red tie emboldened with butterflies, borrowed from an embassy staffer, Lord Mandelson made his way to the sofa through a small group of hacks and supporters who sipped Hambledon English sparkling wine. In front of a backdrop of British and American bunting, he said he felt really chuffed by the ambassadors sofa, which is where he first met Raheem Kassam, a British Right-winger and the co-owner of the restaurant. In deeply partisan-charged environments, it is incumbent upon those who believe in putting Britains best foot forward to lock arms, said Mr Kassam, the National Pulse editor and an ally of the president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Washington is a cut-throat city, but if you want to represent the country in a serious diplomatic way, you have to reach out to all sides. Like many who have dined in Butterworths, the ambassador wasted no time digging into the restaurants famous French fries, which are fried in beef tallow. The nouveau French restaurant has quickly emerged as the destination du jour for Republican elites in Washington, and for good reason. Only Mr Trumps breakneck takeover of the capital itself has matched the booming popularity of this Maga haven. Then there is the food. Glowing reviews in the Washington Post and the New York Times magazine, both of which should be ideological foes, means the restaurant is already taking Christmas bookings. Lord Mandelson is a fan of the restaurant, one that has emerged as an eatery of choice for Republican elites - Dermot Tatlow The chic dining room on Capitol Hill, which opened in October, is the creation of several investors including Alex Butterworth, the senior counsel for Uber. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While his name appears above the door, it is Mr Kassam, another investor, who has drawn in clientele including Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, and Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state. Although we dont have identical politics, we are familiar with masters of the same drivers that brought our respective figures to power President Trump in your case and Keir Starmer in mine, Lord Mandelson said, smiling to Mr Kassam. I feel that over centuries now, British diplomats here in the United States have been creating coalitions that support the special relationship. I just think what you have created here at Butterworths is fairly remarkable. Youve brought the best of British gastro pub food and planted it down here on Capitol Hill. I feel youve brought the special relationship up to a new higher level. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new climate in Washington is one even the most experienced of diplomats have struggled to navigate. Embassies across the city have resorted to throwing their own parties in the hopes White House officials and staffers alike will venture through their doors. It is an environment even Lord Mandelson, one of the wiliest of political operators, admits has been difficult to crack. Its complicated, its challenging, its unpredictable, and changes day by day. Indeed, quite often it changes during the time, he said, appearing to reference the explosive fallout between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Mr Kassam, who was sceptical of Lord Mandelsons appointment, said it was important to show Brits back home that we can actually work together in His Majestys interest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite my historic political differences with Lord Mandelson, Im delighted to help him help Britain, and we will endeavour to vigorously pursue that cause with rugged prejudice, he added. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Jun. 6In December, as the Biden administration was winding down and the air was thick with plans for the second Donald Trump term in the White House, I asked a question. I looked at the events surrounding the continuing resolution bill making its way through both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support until Trump's biggest donor, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, called it a "steal" of public tax dollars. Then Trump backed away, and Republican lawmakers were left at a loss, caught between what had seemed like a good idea and what the richest man in the world wanted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before the new administration even got to rearrange the furniture in the West Wing, there was confusion about who was deciding where the couch went. What will happen if Trump and Musk start to butt heads, I wondered. It's June. Now we know. The bromance between the billionaire president and the man who literally wrote million dollar checks to voters has collapsed. After six months of Musk's Department of Government Efficiency running roughshod over agencies, firing employees and delving into data, but never finding the trillions in waste he predicted, he departed last week. In an Oval Office press conference, Trump and Musk said lovely things about each other and their time working together. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once out the White House doors, however, Musk began to slam Trump's hyped "One Big Beautiful Bill" as a "disgusting abomination." On Thursday morning, Trump countered, saying he was "very disappointed" in Musk. And then they started throwing social media mud, with Trump saying Elon was "wearing thin." Musk in turn said Trump hasn't released files about accused sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein because the president's name is included in them. This is the kind of catfight both men are famous for starting online. Seeing the relationship turn sour was as predictable as the sunrise. The question now is: What's next? While Trump bristled at suggestions Musk's money was instrumental in his campaign, money is what makes the political world go 'round. A bitter breakup between the two, especially when it involves all the Republicans in Congress, can have widespread repercussions for the 2026 midterms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk threw out a post about starting a third party "that actually represents the 80% in the middle." Is that something the GOP and Democrats alike should be watching? On the other hand, Musk's involvement in Wisconsin's judicial race this year was a dismal failure as a follow-up to Trump's win. Maybe just maybe it would be a good idea for Musk to stick to Musk things, like Cybertrucks and SpaceX. Trump could concentrate on the presidency and maybe read a few of his daily intelligence briefings. And lawmakers could stop worrying about what rich men want and do the jobs they were elected to do for the American people. Lori Falce is the Tribune-Review community engagement editor and an opinion columnist. For more than 30 years, she has covered Pennsylvania politics, Penn State, crime and communities. She joined the Trib in 2018. She can be reached at lfalce@triblive.com. Elon Musk and Donald Trump in a Tesla car Andrew Harnik/Getty Images President Donald Trump dismissed the idea of reconciling with Elon Musk in the near future on Friday morning, telling ABC News in a phone interview that hes not particularly interested in speaking with the Tesla CEO. You mean the man who has lost his mind? Trump said when asked about reports of a scheduled call with the tech billionaire later that day, saying that Musk was interested in speaking, even if the president was not. The feud between the president and his former adviser exploded into view Thursday, sending shockwaves through the MAGA movement. The ABC News report says that Trump mostly seemed calm about the back-and-forth and preferred shifting the conversation to other topics. But one adviser told the network that the president was bummed about the situation Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The dispute between the two men started as a disagreement over a spending bill, but quickly devolved as Musk claimed that Trump would have lost the election without his support, agreed with a social media post calling for the presidents impeachment and claimed that Trumps name appeared in the so-called Epstein files. Trump fired back by calling Musk CRAZY and threatening to revoke his federal contracts. Among the casualties of the falling out which also includes billions of Musks personal wealth may be the red Tesla Model S that Trump purchased earlier this year to publicly signal his support for Musk. Trump is planning to sell the car now, according to the New York Times, citing a White House official speaking on condition of anonymity. Despite a small jump on Friday afternoon, Tesla stocks are still down roughly 13% this week. Meaghan Mobbs, daughter of U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg, made a direct appeal to her father on social media during Russias combined missile and drone attack on Ukraine overnight on June 6. "Loud night in Kyiv, Dad! It might be the explosions and gunfire in the dead of night, but I get the strange feeling the Russians don't want peace," Mobbs wrote on X, as Russia launched one of its most intense air assaults of the war. According to Ukraines Air Force, Moscow fired 452 drones including Iranian-designed Shahed-type drones and 45 missiles of various types across Ukraine, targeting the capital, major cities, and even western regions of the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ukrainian defenders intercepted 199 drones and 36 missiles, while another 169 drones disappeared from radar, likely decoys used to saturate air defenses. Multiple fires broke out across Kyiv after strikes hit residential areas and infrastructure. Nationwide, at least five civilians were killed and 73 injured during the past day, according to regional authorities. Ukraine's Air Force repelled the barrage with aviation, electronic warfare, mobile fire groups, and missile defense systems. Mobbs, a U.S. former paratrooper and longtime advocate for Ukraine, heads the R.T. Weatherman Foundation, which has delivered over 10,000 pallets of medical supplies and humanitarian aid to more than 70 Ukrainian hospitals and organizations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The large-scale assault came as Russia continues to reject calls for a ceasefire and escalates its air campaign despite mounting international pressure and ongoing negotiations. Kellogg has not yet commented on the attacks. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has positioned himself as a would-be peacemaker, has thus far refused to impose new sanctions on Moscow, citing ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire. Read also: UPDATE: Russia hits Ukraine with large-scale attack days after Operation Spiderweb Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. (KLFY) St. Landry Parish District Attorney seeks death penalty after Davieontray Breaux was indicted again for first degree murder and other charges earlier today. Davieontray Breaux indicted again for two counts of first degree murder and also charged with three counts of attempted first degree murder, Chad Pitre, St. Landry District Attorney, said. In June 2022, a St. Landry Grand Jury indicted Breaux along with Felton Martin James and Holly Roberts with two counts of first-degree murder for the shooting of a four year old girl and Alton Thomas of Opelousas. In additional, these three individuals are charged with three counts of attempted first degree murder of three other juveniles involved in the shooting, Pitre said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier in May, attorneys appealed to the Louisiana supreme court and argued that it would be improper for Mr. Breaux to have to defend against the death penalty charges and the attempted first-degree murders in the same trial. On May 9, the Louisiana Supreme Court agreed with the capital defense attorneys and revoked the states indictment against Mr.Breaux due to the Louisiana Constitution does not allow a district attorney to join capital offenses with noncapital offenses in a single indictment and be trialed together, Pitre said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now KLFY Daily Digest The case is now in the posture required by the (Louisiana) Supreme Court. With the new indictment, we intend to proceed as planned and seek the death penalty for Mr.Breaux, with trial beginning in this matter mid-2026. Pitre said. Latest news Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLFY.com. Louisiana Senate chambers during the close of the 2023 legislative session on June 8, 2023. (Photo credit: Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator) Louisiana lawmakers are trying to change the state constitution to wrestle power away from the Civil Service Commission to eliminate state worker protections and could, according to some critics, allow for the quick firing of thousands of employees for any reason, creating fear that some dismissals could be politically motivated. Senate Bill 8, sponsored by Sen. Jay Morris. R-West Monroe, is nearing final passage in the Louisiana Legislature, though voters will get the final say on a constitutional amendment on a ballot that could have significant consequences for how state government operates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Morris proposal would give state lawmakers power that currently rests with the Civil Service Commission, a seven-member independent review panel that oversees the hiring and firing of 39,000 classified state workers, though the text of the bill has created confusion. The commission hears complaints from classified employees and appeals from any who want to contest their dismissal or demotion, affording them due process when it comes to discipline and terminations. In an interview Tuesday, Morris said his bill would let lawmakers unclassify state employees, removing them from the oversight of the commission. An unclassified employee does not have Civil Service protections and can be fired at will for no reason. The bills current version would also apply to local civil service workers such as municipal police and firefighters, but Morris said he intends to change his measure to exclude them and restrict it to only state employees. If you believe in democracy or republicanism [because] were a republic then the Legislature should have some ability to alter how our civil service system works, Morris said. Right now we cant do anything because the constitution prevents it. Some Democrats have taken issue with the latest iteration of the ballot language in Morris bill because it doesnt explicitly mention classified employees and could mislead voters into thinking the amendment doesnt affect those state workers who are currently protected under Civil Service. When asked about the proposal following Tuesdays meeting of the House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure, Rep. Wilford Carter, D-Lake Charles, said the ballot language doesnt align with whats in the bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ballot language states: Do you support an amendment to allow the legislature to remove or add officers, positions, and employees to the unclassified civil service? Critics have pointed to other issues that have not been addressed or debated in any of the committee hearings on Morris proposal. One of those is the vague use of the word remove, which could be interpreted to mean fire or terminate, said Peter Robins-Brown, who opposes the bill on behalf of Louisiana Progress, which advocates for low and middle-income people. He said lawmakers have not drafted any kind of companion measure that would establish statutes or regulations to implement the specific necessary changes. No one has really been paying attention to the details, Robins-Brown said. Im not sure how the average voter will be able to figure it out, especially when the bill doesnt have a statutory companion to prove the goal of this exercise. Rep. Nicholas Muscarello, R-Hammond, who chairs the House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure, said the intent of the amendment is to give lawmakers the power to unclassify state employees, not fire employees. Hiring and terminating decisions would be left up to the executive branch, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Civil Service Commission, a nonpartisan entity, has taken a neutral position on Morris proposal. When asked about it Wednesday, commission administrators said they assume remove means the act of changing an employees classification status, but they pointed out the word is not actually defined in the bill. State Civil Service Director Byron Decoteau said Morris civil service amendment amendment, if adopted, could technically allow lawmakers to simply remove an unclassified job position with no intention of classifying it, leaving a current employee in a limbo with neither a classified nor unclassified status. Sherri Gregoire, Civil Service general counsel, said the lack of a clear definition invites different interpretations, including that the amendment gives lawmakers the power to remove governors staff members, and creates a situation that would certainly end up in court. The more likely course of events, if voters decide to approve the amendment, would be that the legislature designates all future hires as unclassified employees a move that would eventually end the classified civil service system altogether, Gregoire said. The Civil Service Commission, itself, would still exist under the constitution but would effectively become pointless because it would no longer have anything to oversee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eventually you wont have any classified employees, so why do you need a commission? Gregoire said. Morris said he doesnt yet have a vision for how lawmakers would exercise their new power if voters approve the amendment. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry has tried repeatedly to exert authority over the commission. In February, he tried unsuccessfully to revoke civil service classifications from 900 state jobs, mostly positions for engineers, shortly after President Donald Trump made a similar move at the federal level. The state Civil Service Commission rejected Landrys request in a 4-2 decision in February. Because unclassified workers can be subject to political punishment and coercion, removing such a large number of engineers from the classified service could create ethical conflicts and unnecessary risks to the public, the commissioners said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A similar version of Morris bill stalled on the House floor last year, but some Republicans who likely would have supported the bill were absent when the final vote took place. Morris bill is expected to earn final passage before the regular session ends June 12 and will be placed before voters on the Nov. 3, 2026, statewide election ballot, though that date will move up to April 18, 2026, if Gov. Jeff Landry signs House Bill 625 into law. . Correction: The State of Louisiana has approximately 39,000 classified employees. A previous version of this article mistakenly reported a lower number. Also, information was added to clarify the election dates on which the amendment will go before voters. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX NEW ORLEANS (AP) Louisiana is poised to adopt new measures that watchdogs warn raise barriers to holding public officials accountable via the state's ethics board. The legislation was drafted by the personal attorney of Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, who faces charges brought by the board for violating state ethics laws. Proponents say the measures give those accused of ethics violations more opportunities to respond to allegations, increases transparency and limits abuses of a process they claim is often unjust. But watchdog groups and the Board of Ethics warn the changes will undermine the board's ability to hold public officials accountable. While the changes would not apply to Landrys current charges, the legislation further bolsters the governors power over a state board largely made up of his own appointees. Having overwhelmingly passed in the House and Senate this week only three lawmakers voted against it the bill awaits Landry's signature. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republican Rep. Gerald Beau Beaullieu, who sponsored the bill, said it was brought forth after officials complained that the board's investigation process was more like being investigated by the Gestapo. Landrys office declined to comment. Another bill would share the names of complainants with officials they are accusing of wrongdoing, as well as limit the board's ability to launch investigations. Governor's lawyer behind the legislation Landrys private attorney, Stephen Gele, drafted the legislation, which the governor supports. Gele is defending Landry against ethics charges brought in 2023 for undisclosed free plane rides to Hawaii when he served as the state's attorney general. Gele said negotiations are progressing to amicably resolve the charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, Gele warned lawmakers that the ethics boards investigatory powers are dangerous, unwarranted, and threaten well-established fundamental constitutional rights" and he has sought to rein them in with new legislation. The bill's supporters say it gives the board more discretion about whether to pursue investigations and bring charges, cuts down on waste of taxpayer dollars and strengthens due process rights for the accused. Yet these changes are raising red flags. In a letter to lawmakers, the Board of Ethics warned that the bills requirement to share copies of all subpoenas with officials under investigation allows them to influence a witnesss documents or responses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Critics say the bill undercuts the board's authority by granting local courts the power to quash investigations, gives officials opportunities to run out the clock on the board's one-year timeline to bring charges and prevents the board from investigating violations that were disclosed by public officials seeking the boards advisory opinion. The bill also requires a two-thirds board vote to approve an investigation into a sworn complaint and another two-thirds vote on whether to file charges. Current policy requires only majority votes. Barry Erwin, president of the Council for a Better Louisiana, a nonpartisan government accountability group, said the bill's two-thirds vote requirements constitute a high bar to overcome for a board of political appointees. I just think in real life, in very political situations, its hard for some of these board members to act with the independence in the system we had before, Erwin said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A bill that will reduce complaints The other bill under consideration which Gele said he did not craft and Landry has not publicly supported would require anyone bringing an ethics complaint to disclose their name and file the complaint in person at the ethics board offices in Baton Rouge. The bill passed in the House with only seven lawmakers opposed and is pending final passage in the Senate. In a legislative committee hearing, David Bordelon, general counsel for the ethics board, warned that the bill would enable officials to intimidate a witness or potentially alter information that's requested. Bordelon said the measure would drastically reduce the number of complaints." The legislation's sponsor, Republican Rep. Kellee Hennessey Dickerson, said her bill is part of a fight for truth and justice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For those of us who have been through it, it helps develop peace of mind, knowing who your accuser is, especially when you are spending thousands upon thousands of dollars to try and clear your good name, said Dickerson, who was fined $1,500 for an ethics violation in 2023. She argued people frequently file complaints to harass their political opponents. Bordelon countered that the board dispassionately evaluates complaints and provides the accused with the opportunity to defend themselves if charges are brought. The bill also prevents the ethics board from launching investigations based on non-governmental sources such as media reports. Governor dominates state ethics board Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following legislation passed last year, the governor directly appoints nine of the board's 15 members, with the Legislature appointing the rest. Officials with the legislative and executive branches now have more control over those who may be tasked with investigating them, watchdogs note. Its gone from a process that was as much arm's length away from politics as we could make it, and we had it that way for many years, to a process now that is very much more political than we've ever seen it," Erwin said. Its going to be very difficult for the board to act in a way that guarantees that kind of oversight we want to have. ___ Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This story has been corrected to show that the bill has already passed the House and Senate, not that it is awaiting approval in the House. ___ Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. A red notebook could hold the motive behind one of the most jarring killings in corporate America. ABC News reported that, according to a new court filing, diary entries written by 27-year-old Luigi Mangione reveal his thinking before he allegedly gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan last December. Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, was arrested hours later at a McDonalds in Pennsylvania. The handwritten entries detail Mangiones rage against the health insurance industry and his belief that a high-profile killing could ignite a broader conversation. The target is insurance, he wrote in August 2024. It checks every box. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Manhattan District Attorneys Office filed the notebook excerpts in response to Mangiones legal team, which sought to pause or dismiss the case. Prosecutors argue that the writingsalongside the fact that shell casings at the scene were etched with the words delay, deny and deposeshow clear intent to commit murder in furtherance of terrorism. Mangione, a former Ivy League student from a privileged background, allegedly viewed the killing as a way to strike at what he saw as systemic greed. Do you bomb the HQ? No. Bombs=terrorism, he wrote. Targeted, precise and doesnt risk innocents. Prosecutors say the killing triggered a cascade of threats against health insurance employees, forcing UnitedHealthcare to pull executive headshots from its website, hire private security, and advise employees to stop wearing branded clothing. Despite the violence, Mangione has become a cult-like figure to some online. A legal defense fund has raised more than $1 million, and many frustrated with rising health costs have voiced support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The motive, authorities argue, wasnt personal. It was symbolic. He chose UHC solely because they were the largest, the filing reads. The entry explains Mangione's motive in this high-profile, shocking case. Luigi Mangiones Chilling Diary Reveals Motive on CEO Killing first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 6, 2025 The state wolf compensation fund, set at $350,000 by statute last year, saw claims from 2024 that are approaching double that amount. Data obtained through an open records request to Colorado Parks and Wildlife showed that the agency paid out $425,478.61 in claims. But the information provided by the agency appears to exclude claims that were denied, recent claims paid and claims still awaiting final payments or settlements. Based on information independently verified by Colorado Politics, the total amount of claims stood at at least $649,765.90, with a dozen claims still showing as pending on CPWs wolf depredation website. Two ranchers in Grand County settled for lesser amounts, which are not reflected in the data obtained from the state. Additionally, three claims listed were entirely redacted, citing changes in the states open records law, including amounts or details about the animals involved. That is not covered under the changes lawmakers approved in Senate Bill 25-038, which allowed for redaction of a claimants personal and business information. SB 38 specifically stated that the law would not prohibit the disclosure of non-identifying information, including the number or dollar amounts of claims, claims made to the division that were settled, and the monetary amounts of those settlements, pending settlements, or denials of claims, along with the reasons for those denials. Costs exceeding the funds $350,000 can be covered by the states Species Conservation Trust Fund, which receives $5 million annually. Additionally, the Colorado Nongame Conservation and Wildlife Restoration Cash Fund is funded by a tax-deductible contribution through state income tax returns and other unidentified sources within the Colorado Parks and Wildlife organization. The nongame fund has generally received less than $200,000 in contributions per year. Claims paid were for 15 cattle and nine sheep killed by wolves and 21 missing cattle presumed taken by wolves, all coming from Grand, Jackson and Routt counties, and a llama killed by a wolf in Elbert County. A second part of the claims process allows ranchers to submit the costs that wolves have caused to livestock, including reduced birth rates and market weights, as well as the impact of wolf activity on nearly 1,800 cows on the two Grand County ranches. Conway Farrell, one of the Grand County ranchers, submitted claims totaling $558,161.92, although he has stated that his losses totaled more than $600,000 in 2024. However, he accepted a settlement with CPW for $422,784.78. Thats $135,377.15 less than what he filed for. Doug Bruchezs claim for $99,130.60 was reduced to $56,008.74, which is $43,121.86 less. A claim by Don Gittleson of Jackson County for $2,542 was not included in the report. That claim is on hold while the state reviews rules that allow only veterinarian-provided care for injured animals. Most of the time, ranchers provide that care themselves and at a substantial savings, both to the rancher and the state. Featured Local Savings A claim approved in May by the commission, for $32,768 to compensate for cattle killed by wolves in 2024, was also not included in the information provided by the state. (The claim for $32,768, the state wildlife agency said, was covered under two payments for $4,096 and $28,672.) Finally, two claims submitted last December for $41,138.09 and $2,118.19, respectively, for low weights and the cost of a calf and the necropsy that the rancher paid for, was also not included in the open records data provided by the state. Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, one of the sponsors of SB 38, said he found the discrepancies concerning. In a response Friday, the wildlife agency said it denied the records request for claims that were currently pending. This includes claims that do not have a final disposition of paid or denied. This is the reason for the completely redacted claims and this also includes claims that were still being negotiated, the agency said. The past month has seen several dead wolves in Colorado, as well as a three-day attack by wolves in Pitkin County over Memorial Day weekend that resulted in multiple deaths and injuries to young calves and heifers. Meanwhile, the Parks and Wildlife commission is changing its public comment policy and it could substantially affect the ability of people, including ranchers and wolf lovers, to comment on the wolf reintroduction program and the problems associated with it. Next weeks commission meeting will be the first one without an update on the wolf relocation program included in the agenda. According to the CPW website, effective with the June 11-12 meetings, we will only be accepting public comment on rulemakings and non-adjudicatory action items at the discretion of the Chair. The public will still be able to make comments during the public comment period. Still, the commission will adjust the amount of time available based on the total number of requests, with a minimum time allotted of one minute. Despite the most recent activity and claims from ranchers that range riders hired for the area lacked accurate information, a wildlife agency spokesman told Colorado Politics that there isnt a wolf update scheduled for June because, at the time the agenda was drafted, staffers did not have anything to report. Thats despite the death of a calf in Gunnison County on May 6 and In addition, the spokesperson said, CPW Wolf Program Manager Eric Odell has given several comprehensive updates at the last few Commission meetings, and Director (Jeff) Davis will likely share more recent updates regarding the Wolf Program as part of his Director updates. We have no regulatory (or rulemaking) items related to wolves on the agenda and it is important for CPW to share information about our many programs and operations, which the Commission has encouraged the agency to do, the spokesman added. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) The 6th annual Luke Day fundraiser encouraged folks to drop off a donation of pet food, cleaning supplies, or cash at the Sioux City Animal Adoption and Rescue Center. In exchange, each participant received a free pulled pork sandwich meal. NextHome Tristate Realty helped sponsor the event. Luke is the name of the companys mascot, a French terrier. Story continues below Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have a passion for animals, dogs, cats, [and] Shelters. And going with the Luke, the French concept, we just decided to take on this mission every year. We walked through the dogs, theres so many dogs in there right now looking for homes. You know its so sad to see them, you know theyre sad, they want their forever home, and we want to help them find that, broker/owner Katie Slater said. Folks were also invited to sign up for a raffle for the chance to have adoption fees paid for. Central Bank also helped sponsor the event. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. Former gubernatorial candidate Phil Lyman launched another legal battle against Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson on Friday, alleging that Utah voter privacy laws violate federal statute and demanding that he receive access to state voter registration information. The organization representing Lyman, the Public Interest Legal Foundation, a national nonprofit firm focused on election transparency, said they filed the lawsuit on Friday morning in the Utah District of the United States District Court. Phil Lyman supporter Kevin Kelly Kelly stands and listens to speakers at a press conference announcing a lawsuit by Phil Lyman, represented by Public Interest Legal Foundation, to require Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson to give Lyman a copy of the Statewide Voter Registration List, at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, June 6, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News During his race against Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Lyman filed a number of unsuccessful lawsuits, including one he filed by himself asking the Utah Supreme Court and then the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the results of his 2024 election loss to Cox in the primary and general contests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im not interested in election integrity because I ran for governor, I ran for governor because Im interested in election integrity, Lyman said Friday. Lyman was joined by around 150 supporters on the south steps of Utah Capitol Building who repeatedly made statements about Lyman being cheated out of an election and Lyman being the rightful governor of the state of Utah. But whereas Lyman has spent the past year making unsubstantiated allegations of corruption against Henderson, the lawsuit filed Friday takes a narrow approach that the Public Interest Legal Foundation has used several times before to win cases across the country. Phil Lyman speaks at a press conference announcing a lawsuit by Lyman, represented by Public Interest Legal Foundation, to require Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson to give Lyman a copy of the Statewide Voter Registration List, at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, June 6, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News This isnt about the lieutenant governor; this is about the Utah statute that doesnt comply with federal law, Chris Adams, the president of the Public Interest Legal Foundation, told the Deseret News. What is Utahs voter privacy law? Utah law allows voters to make their voter registration information private and unavailable for public information requests. Only government employees acting in their official capacity and political parties can access this information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Utah law also classifies the voter registration records of some protected individuals as withheld, meaning they cannot be accessed by political parties; only government employees acting in their official capacity. This designation applies to voters who are public figures, law enforcement officers, members of the armed forces, victims of domestic violence, those with a protection order, and all those who had already opted for their information to be private before the withheld designation was created in 2020. A request for voter registration rolls from Nov. 3, 2020, revealed that nearly 34% of the 610,000 voter registration records in Salt Lake County had either private status (16%) or were withheld (18%), according to the lawsuit. Phil Lyman, left, speaks with Fred Hayes, right, during a meet and greet before a press conference announcing a lawsuit by Lyman, represented by Public Interest Legal Foundation, to require Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson to give Lyman a copy of the Statewide Voter Registration List, at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, June 6, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News Lymans lawsuit, obtained by the Deseret News, argues that Utahs opt-in privacy designations, and expanded withheld category from 2020 which are both unique in the United States are illegal under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 32-year-old law requires state DMVs to provide voter registration when individuals obtain a drivers license. But it also mandates that states create a process for members of the public to inspect all voter list maintenance records, including the final statewide voter registration database. No other state in the country does what Utah does and block public records from the public simply by marking a box that 40% of the people have hidden records, Adams told the Deseret News. No state in the country even comes close to them. What does the lawsuit mean for Henderson? The case does not allege any malfeasance by state officials, Adams clarified. It argues that the state law allowing for increased voter privacy should never have been passed because, under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, federal statute trumps state authority. The lawsuit states that Lyman reached out to the Lieutenant Governors Office in September seeking access to the complete statewide voter registration database pursuant to the National Voter Registration Act. Lyman allegedly never received a response. Sophie Anderson, Phil Lymans campaign manager, center, cheers with other Lyman supporters during a press conference announcing a lawsuit by Phil Lyman, represented by Public Interest Legal Foundation, to require Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson to give Lyman a copy of the Statewide Voter Registration List, at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, June 6, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News Following a subsequent request in October, Lyman was allegedly directed toward the public version of the statewide voter roll but was denied full access because of the state law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On March 7, the Public Interest Legal Foundation on behalf of Lyman, notified Henderson that they believed she was in violation of the National Voter Registration Act, and that they would file a lawsuit if the state did not comply within 90 days. The Office of the Lieutenant Governor has received letters from the Public Interest Legal Foundation. Were working through their requests and will respond according to law, the lieutenant governors spokesperson told the Deseret News in a statement. Weve evaluated state election and privacy law, and the NVRA, and are confident in our compliance with both. The statement continues: While our office does not comment on pending or active litigation, we have not been served a lawsuit and, according to the latest correspondence with PILF and according to the NVRA, the office has until mid August to respond to the requests and to address the concerns raised. The office will submit responses within that statutory timeline. Christian Adams, president and general counsel for the Public Interest Legal Foundation, speaks at a press conference announcing a lawsuit by Phil Lyman, represented by Public Interest Legal Foundation, to require Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson to give Lyman a copy of the Statewide Voter Registration List, at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, June 6, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News What is the Public Interest Legal Foundation? Over the past few years, the Public Interest Legal Foundation, based out of Alexandria, Virginia, has won a number of lawsuits focused on compliance with the National Voter Registration Act, including in Illinois, Maine and Maryland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They have also experienced victories, which have been appealed, in ongoing cases in Hawaii, South Carolina, Minnesota and Wisconsin. If Lymans lawsuit is successful, Utahs voter privacy statute would be struck down. The lawsuit also asks the judge to order Henderson to give Lyman the full and complete Statewide Voter Registration List, including registrations classified as private or improperly classified as withheld. Phil Lyman, left, speaks with members of his security team during a meet and greet before a press conference announcing a lawsuit by Lyman, represented by Public Interest Legal Foundation, to require Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson to give Lyman a copy of the Statewide Voter Registration List, at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, June 6, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News This would include the names, addresses, contact information and voter registration dates for all Utah voters except for those who have applied for withheld status since the designation was created in 2020, according to Adams. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We do this all over the country. We dont lose these cases on the merits, Adams said. In every state where it obtains voter registration information, the Public Interest Legal Foundation then also conducts a review looking for voter roll issues. A Utah legislative audit report released in December identified 1,400 deceased voters who were still on Utah voter rolls. Of these individuals, 700 likely received ballots and two cast a vote in the November 2023 election. The audit also found 300 duplicate records and 450 records where multiple people were apparently registered using the same drivers license number. We identified voters who appeared to cast ballots inappropriately in each of these areas of analysis, the audit said. President Donald Trump said Friday that he has little appetite for reconciling with Elon Musk any time soon, signaling hes eager to move on to other topics following their extraordinary public blow-up. Im not really interested in that, Trump told reporters as he arrived in New Jersey, where hes slated to spend the weekend at one of his properties. Im really interested in the country and solving problems. The remarks represented the presidents latest insistence that hes gotten over the high-profile breakup with Musk, even as he continues to talk about him. Trump on Thursday and earlier Friday conducted interviews with several media outlets including POLITICO to emphasize that he was shifting to other concerns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im not thinking about Elon, Trump said. I just wish him well. The high-volume conflict between Trump and Musk has consumed Washington for two days, alarming allies who have since encouraged the two to call a truce and generating anxiety on Capitol Hill, where Republicans are still trying to push through their top legislative priority. Trump later Friday downplayed the rift, touting support within the GOP for the megabill and brushing off questions about the accusations he earlier hurled at Musk including that the billionaire had a problem. I dont want to talk about the problems, Trump said, pivoting quickly to talk up the state of the economy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, pressed on the matter, Trump acknowledged that hes still considering eliminating lucrative federal contracts with companies run by Musk a move that he first floated on Thursday in response to the billionaires criticism of Trump and the GOPs megabill. Well take a look at everything, Trump said of the contracts that the government maintains with companies like Musks SpaceX. Its a lot of money, it's a lot of subsidy. Despite SpaceXs central place in the U.S.s defense and space programs, Trump said that the country can survive without the contracts that it has awarded to the Musk-run company. As for the ongoing effort by Trump and Musk allies to bring the two back together, the president acknowledged that they remained ongoing but at least for now, werent gaining much traction. Ahead of Donald Trumps second inaugural, there were plenty of rumors that billionaire Howard Lutnick was well positioned to lead the Treasury Department one of the most sought-after positions in any White House Cabinet. The Associated Press reported that some prominent supporters had lobbied on his behalf. Those efforts ultimately fell short, and Trump tapped Lutnick to serve as commerce secretary. As for why, exactly, he didnt get a more prominent position, The Bulwark reported two weeks after Election Day that Lutnick kept shooting himself in the foot with foolish rhetoric. The report quoted a Trump adviser who said Lutnick needed to learn how to shut the f--- up. And yet, he keeps finding microphones and making things worse for himself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This week, for example, Lutnick appeared on Capitol Hill, where he seemed eager to defend the presidents policies on trade tariffs. As part of one especially memorable exchange, Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania asked the Cabinet secretary, Whats the tariff on bananas? He responded, The tariff on bananas would be representative of the countries that produce them, before ultimately acknowledging that the rate would be 10%. The congresswoman reminded the witness that Walmart has already increased the cost of bananas by 8%. After pointing to the possibility of increasingly unlikely trade deals, Lutnick eventually declared: If you build in America, and you produce your product in America, there will be no tariff. It was at that point that Dean lowered the boom. We cannot build bananas in America, she explained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lutnick didnt respond, which was just as well given the circumstances. Complicating matters for the commerce secretary, embarrassing moments like these have become a staple of his tenure. Lutnick announced that the president was preparing to waive taxes on Americans earning under $150,000 per year, only to walk that back soon after. He urged a national television audience to buy stock in Tesla, sparking an ethics controversy the White House struggled to defend. In one especially glaring incident, Lutnick suggested that only criminals would complain about missing a Social Security check. A month later, the secretary pitched a new model of American employment that sounded an awful lot like the factory jobs that existed in the 19th century. And dont even get me started on his little screws to make iPhones comments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Lutnicks rhetorical record was proving to be so challenging to the White House that officials asked him to start saying less. He might need a reminder. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Before Donald Trumps conflict with Elon Musk turned into a raging dumpster fire, the president shared some thoughts with reporters about why his top campaign donor was moving away from him. The Republican specifically said: Ill be honest, I think he misses the place. I think he got out there and all of a sudden, he wasnt in this beautiful Oval Office. Ill tell you, hes not the first. People leave my administration, and they love us, and then at some point, they miss it so badly, and some of them embrace it, and some of them actually become hostile. I dont know what it is. It was in his next breath when the president suggested that Musk, whom Trump praised and celebrated just a few days earlier, had contracted a case of Trump derangement syndrome. In other words, as far as the president is concerned, Musk enjoyed the glamor and prestige of White House work; one day after exiting the complex he discovered that he missed the place; and this in turn led the billionaire to condemn the Republican Partys domestic policy megabill the inaptly named One Big Beautiful Bill Act as a disgusting abomination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If that sounds to you like an implausible explanation of the ugly Trump-Musk breakup, youre not alone. But lets not brush past a detail that the president made in passing: Referencing the former DOGE chiefs newfound opposition to the GOP agenda, Trump said, [H]es not the first. Thats true, and its a point worth dwelling on. The presidents public comments suggested that hes aware of the extraordinary number of people from his team who have become, to borrow his word, hostile. He added, however, I dont know what it is. Perhaps I can help. As regular readers know, members of a presidential team have a unique perspective on an American presidency. After a chief executive chooses them for their powerful positions, these officials routinely work closely with the person behind the desk in the Oval Office, learning firsthand how a president thinks, works, prioritizes, processes information and leads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Trumps case, an astonishing number of people who worked at his side, witnessing his leadership style up close, came to believe that he was the wrong man for the job. He has, after all, been condemned in no uncertain terms by retired Gen. John Kelly, Trumps former White House chief of staff; retired Gen. James Mattis, Trumps first defense secretary; Mark Esper, Trumps second defense secretary, and retired Gen. Mark Milley, Trumps choice to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Several of these men warned the public that they saw Trump as a fascist, a threat to democracy and a man unfit for public office. But they arent alone. Stephanie Grisham, Trumps former White House press secretary, not only condemned him after working with him, she also spoke at the Democratic National Convention and urged the public to vote against her former boss. John Bolton, Trumps former White House national security adviser, issued similar warnings to Americans. Even Mike Pence, Trumps own former vice president, has become one of Trumps most prominent Republican critics. This week, Musk unexpectedly joined the club, shortly after his failed tenure on Team Trump ended with a whimper. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president would have Americans believe that these former members of his team turned on him because they missed the White House and the status. By that reasoning, every modern president would be in a similar position, watching their former aides trash them on a regular basis. Except, that hasnt happened at all. The opposition and condemnations that Trump has faced from leading members of his own team is unprecedented in American history. The Republican doesnt know what it is. Could it have something to do with the fact that these officials got an up-close look at his work and came away disgusted? This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Among the many problems that have emerged in federal law enforcement during Donald Trumps second term is the campaign against key personnel. Indeed, theres been an unsubtle campaign to purge federal law enforcement of prosecutors and FBI officials for unsubtle political reasons. As The New York Times reported, those efforts are ongoing. The F.B.I. has targeted another round of employees who ran afoul of conservatives, forcing out two veteran agents in Virginia one of whom is friends with a critic of President Trump and punishing another in Las Vegas, according to several people familiar with the matter. Two of the men, Spencer Evans and Stanley Meador, are senior agents who ran F.B.I. field offices in Las Vegas and Richmond, Va. The third, Michael Feinberg, a top deputy in the Norfolk, Va., office, had ties to a former agent whom Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, identified in his book as part of the so-called deep state. The rationales behind the reported moves have varied. Evans, for example, apparently became a target after a stint at the FBIs human resources department, where he was reluctant to approve exemptions for Covid vaccines. Republicans didnt like Meador after his office issued a memo in 2023 related to possible threats from anti-abortion activists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for Feinberg, the Times report added that he issued a statement a couple of weeks ago, explaining that he was threatened with an investigation and the possibility of a demotion because of his friendship with Peter Strzok who appeared on FBI Director Kash Patels infamous enemies list. On his way out, Feinberg added that the FBI as an institution had begun to decay, and its easy to understand how and why he came to that conclusion. For years, the public has been bombarded with hysterical rhetoric from Republican conspiracy theorists who insisted that the FBI one of the most politically conservative institutions in the federal government and an agency that has literally never had a Democratic director had secretly become weaponized by rascally liberals hellbent on targeting poor, unsuspecting victims on the right. The baseless claims never made sense, though the FBIs Trump-appointed leadership is now engaging in many of the same political efforts that Republicans long claimed to oppose. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the 11th day of Trumps second term, for example, NBC News reported, Trump administration officials have forced out all six of the FBIs most senior executives and multiple heads of FBI field offices across the country, in part as retribution for the president having faced federal criminal charges in 2023 and in part to punish officials involved in Jan. 6 cases. It was the first such purge on Team Trumps revenge tour, but it was hardly the last. The Times added in a separate report earlier this week, Behind the scenes, [Patels] vision of an F.B.I. under President Trump is quietly taking shape. Agents have been forced out. Others have been demoted or put on leave with no explanation. ... The actions have obliterated decades of experience in national security and criminal matters at the F.B.I. and raised questions about whether the agents taking over such critical posts have the institutional knowledge to pursue cornerstones of its work. I dont know if the bureau will ever recover from the efforts to Trumpify it, but I know that recovery wont happen anytime soon. This post updates our related earlier coverage. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com About a month into his second term as president, Donald Trump told Fox News interviews they shouldnt worry about Republican plans for the nations largest health care programs. Medicare, Medicaid, none of that stuff is going to be touched, Trump said. As the GOPs domestic policy megabill the inaptly named One Big Beautiful Bill Act took shape, the presidents promise related to Medicaid quickly evaporated. In fact, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the Republicans reconciliation package would cut Medicaid by hundreds of billions of dollars in the coming years. But as the party tries to advance the legislation in the Senate and GOP leaders scramble to make their arithmetic work, the other part of Trumps promise from February is suddenly in doubt, too. NBC News reported: Looking at new ways to pay for their sprawling bill for President Donald Trumps domestic agenda, Republicans are exploring ideas to slash waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare, several senators said Thursday. And President Donald Trump has blessed the pursuit, they said. Senate Majority Leader John Thune didnt come right out and endorse Medicare cuts, but when asked whether his party would look for savings in the popular health care program, the South Dakota Republican told reporters, I think anything that can be thats waste, fraud and abuse are open to, obviously, discussions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At this point, some readers are probably thinking that this topic sounds vaguely familiar. After all, didn't The Washington Post already report recently on the GOP megabill and possible Medicare cuts? The answer is yes, but the details matter. The Post highlighted the fact that the Republicans legislation would add so many trillions of dollars to the national debt that it might automatically trigger sequestration changes that would force massive Medicare cuts. But there are budgetary tactics that Congress could, and likely would, take to prevent that from happening, which helps to explain why the Posts reporting from mid-May didnt have a greater political impact. This weeks developments are qualitatively different: Were not just talking about the possibility of Medicare cuts being triggered by automatic budget constraints; rather, Republican senators are making a deliberate choice to look for Medicare savings as a way to pay for the massive tax breaks the party is eager to deliver to the wealthy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Time will tell what, if anything, comes of this, but Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas told the Post that the discussions among GOP members of the Senate Finance Committee have focused on Medicare Advantage, a program through which the federal government pays private insurers to enroll Medicare beneficiaries. The far-right Republican plan was already shaping up to be a political albatross for its proponents. Putting Medicare funding on the table probably wont help matters. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com About a month after Election Day 2024, it became clear that Donald Trumps team had embraced a problematic approach to new employee screenings. The New York Times, for example, reportedly spoke to several people involved in the hiring process for high-ranking positions who were asked whether they believed the 2020 election was stolen. The Wall Street Journal reported soon after that the Republican operation was imposing loyalty tests on job applicants, even asking candidates about their views on NATO and tariffs for jobs that had nothing to do with international affairs or economic policymaking. Two weeks after Inauguration Day, The Washington Post reported on similar tests being applied to candidates for top national security positions, including questions about whether the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was secretly an inside job. Against this backdrop Politico reported this week: As President Donald Trump moves to slash the size of the federal workforce, his administration unveiled a plan to ensure that any new hires are patriotic Americans who vow to advance the presidents policy priorities. The White House and the agency that serves as the governments human resources arm Thursday released directives for departments to use when recruiting employees in a memo that represents a dramatic shift in federal hiring procedures. At first blush, a story like this might seem dry and bureaucratic. The Office of Personnel Management last week issued a memo outlining the administrations detailed merit hiring plan, and I can appreciate why this could come across as boring. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not. Under the new policy, everyone seeking a job at the GS-5 pay-grade or above a group that would include everyone from firefighters to food inspectors to air traffic controllers will have to submit four essays as part of the application process. The essays are supposed to provide answers to specific questions: How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? Provide a concrete example from professional, academic, or personal experience. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? Provide specific examples where you improved processes, reduced costs, or improved outcomes. How would you help advance the Presidents Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired. How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Provide one or two specific examples, and explain how those qualities would enable you to serve effectively in this position. Imagine people who are applying to be rangers at a national park being asked to write essays about how theyd advance Trumps executive orders. Then imagine the president himself trying to write an essay about his commitment to the Constitution a document hes talked about terminating in response to one of his election conspiracy theories. The goal, according to the memo, is to recruit patriotic Americans with a commitment to American ideals, which also sets a bar that the incumbent president would likely struggle to clear. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an opinion piece for The New York Times, Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of the law school at the University of California, Berkeley, and Catherine Fisk, a professor of labor law at the same school, explained, The government can and should ensure that federal employees, from administrative assistants to air traffic controllers, have the skills and aptitude to do their jobs. But their views on the administrations policy priorities are irrelevant, as is their patriotism however that is defined. Allowing someone in the government to screen applicants for patriotism is reminiscent of the loyalty oaths of the McCarthy era, which were arbitrarily applied to unfairly deny employment to many. Chemerinsky and Fisk added, No modern presidential administration has undertaken such an effort to staff the entire government with political loyalists. It is plainly inconsistent with good government, with federal law and with the Constitution. There was a time in the recent past that patriotism tests for federal employees wouldve generated a significant controversy and an intense backlash. But in 2025, against a backdrop of countless other White House outrages, the OPM memo doesnt appear to have made much of a splash. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Donald Trump and his team have spent a fair amount of time recently trying to convince the public that the presidents policy toward Russias war in Ukraine is having a positive impact. In mid-March, for example, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt boasted, I can say we are on the 10th yard line of peace, and weve never been closer to a peace deal than we are in this moment. Two months later, Trump participated in a two-hour phone meeting with Vladimir Putin, and the Republican touted the discussion as a possible breakthrough. The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent, the American president declared, adding that his chat would immediately lead to new diplomatic negotiations. Soon after, Kyiv came under a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack, described by Ukrainian officials as the largest aerial assault on the country since the war began. It was soon followed by Ukraines surprise drone attack that proved disastrous for Russia, and that jolted global perceptions. This in turn led Russia to launch one of the largest barrages of missiles and drones of the war at targets across Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This does not look like the 10th yard line of peace. It was against this backdrop that Trump has apparently come up with a new metaphor. The New York Times reported: As Germanys chancellor, Friedrich Merz, sat beside him watching in silence, President Trump compared Russia and Ukraine to two fighting children who needed to work out their differences for a while before anyone could intervene. Sometimes you see two young children fighting like crazy, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. They hate each other, and theyre fighting in a park, and you try and pull them apart. They dont want to be pulled. Sometimes youre better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart. And I gave that analogy to Putin yesterday, the Republican added. I said, President, maybe you have to keep fighting and suffering a lot, because both sides are suffering, before you pull them apart, before theyre able to be pulled apart. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, a few things. First, comparing this conflict to a dispute among children on a playground is unhelpful, and Trump complaining about anyone engaging in juvenile behavior is unwise, given everything we know about his temperament and frequent tantrums. Second, the idea that the White House is prepared to let Russia and Ukraine fight for a while overlooks the inconvenient fact that theyve already been fighting for a while. Indeed, Russia invaded Ukraine back in February 2022 more than three years ago which Trump described at the time as genius and part of a wonderful strategy. But lets also not lose sight of the evolution of the American presidents thinking. Trumps Plan A for the war in Ukraine was ending the conflict within 24 hours by way of a secret strategy he assured voters was real. When it became obvious that this strategy didnt actually exist, Trump moved on to Plan B: He told Russia that if it failed to end the conflict quickly, the White House would have no other choice but to impose new economic sanctions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Putin ignored those threats and Trump failed to follow through, the American president floated Plan C (international economic penalties designed to force a ceasefire), Plan D (Trump-backed bilateral talks between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy) and Plan E (bilateral talks between Trump and Putin). Plan F White House passivity is now increasingly coming into focus. Trumps latest plan to end the conflict is apparently to stop trying to end the conflict. This post updates our related earlier coverage. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Late Wednesday, Donald Trump broke new ground, directing the Justice Department to launch a wide-ranging investigation into Joe Biden and officials in the Democrats administration, based on Republican conspiracy theories about the former presidents mental health. It was an unprecedented move: An incumbent American president had never before publicly ordered a federal probe of his predecessor. There was a degree of irony to the circumstances. After his defeat in the 2020 election, Trump spent years insisting that Biden had ordered an investigation into him an odd conspiracy theory for which there is literally no evidence. As of this week, its Trump whos doing exactly what he falsely accused his predecessor of doing. The day after the incumbent president delivered his directive to Attorney General Pam Bondi, as NBC News reported, a reporter asked Trump a good question. Trump said he does not have evidence to support his claims of illegal autopen use during the Biden administration. Asked by NBC News whether he has uncovered any evidence that anything specific was signed without Bidens knowledge or that someone in the former presidents administration acting illegally, Trump said, No. The Republican specifically said, No, but Ive uncovered, you know, the human mind. I was in a debate with the human mind. He went on to say, So, you know, its just one of those things. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In other words, as far as Trump is concerned, he debated Biden last year; the Democrat struggled; so the Justice Department should investigate the former president and his team to see if White House aides secretly signed laws, orders, directives and pardons without Bidens knowledge. In this country, federal law enforcement is supposed to launch investigations when presented with evidence of wrongdoing. As of now, however, the Trump administration is less concerned with the existence of evidence and more concerned with a president who believes hes uncovered, you know, the human mind. I can appreciate why this might seem like the latest in a series of head-shaking Trump being Trump stories, but it has a broader significance. A sitting American president, effectively by his own admission, just ordered the attorney general to launch an unprecedented fishing expedition against a former American president on the basis of a failed debate performance. Whats more, this weeks White House offensive marked the third time in three months that Trump has ordered baseless investigations into Americans he perceives as political foes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The story was soon eclipsed by dozens of other administration controversies, but in April, Trump signed two first-of-their-kind executive orders targeting a pair of officials from his first term who defied him. There was barely a pretense in the orders that the targeted former officials Christopher Krebs, who led the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Miles Taylor, a former high-ranking Department of Homeland Security official had done anything wrong. Indeed, the closer one looked at the stated rationales in support of the directives, the more ridiculous they appeared. Nevertheless, the president directed Pam Bondi and the Department of Homeland Security to launch a review into Krebs, while simultaneously ordering DHS to investigate Taylor. A week later, The New York Times Jonathan Swan reminded White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, The president has long said that it would be an abuse of power for a president to direct prosecutors to investigate him. Last week, President Trump explicitly directed the Justice Department to scrutinize Chris Krebs to see if it can find any evidence of criminal wrongdoing. How is that not an abuse of power, to direct the Justice Department to look into an individual, a named individual? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leavitt struggled badly to defend Trumps move, and for good reason: The directives were indefensible. That did not, however, stop the Republican president from pushing the problem to a new level by going after his immediate predecessor. I can appreciate why the media landscape is crowded, but I continue to believe this should be more than a one-day story. Trump who ran on an authoritarian platform, whos trying to concentrate power while expressing indifference to the rule of law has now ordered three investigations into Americans he doesnt like. He has an enemies list, and hes using the power of the presidency to target people on that list, despite the inconvenient fact that theres no evidence whatsoever of actual wrongdoing. If the pushback is muted, Trump will do what hes always done: assume that he can get away with such an abuse, while preparing to go even further down the same radical and dangerous path. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not to put too fine a point on this, but if the president can sic the Justice Department on his critics and perceived enemies and this isnt seen as a dramatic scandal, wholl be next? How far down his enemies list will he go? Im reminded anew of J. Michael Luttig, a prominent conservative legal scholar put on the federal bench by President George H.W. Bush who published a Bluesky thread on the orders against Krebs and Taylor, calling them shameful and constitutionally corrupt and accused Trump of palpably unconstitutional conduct. The more routine this becomes, the greater the severity of the offense. This post updates our related earlier coverage. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Republican-aligned news anchors held a wake for Donald Trump and Elon Musks bromance on Thursday. As the two billionaires feuded over the big, beautiful bill and Trumps associations with Jeffrey Epstein, thoughts and prayers on MAGA networks went outto both of them. Will Cain was the first Fox News host to cover Musks tantalizing accusation on Thursday that Trump is named in the governments files on the pedophile, which Musk claimed is the reason why Attorney General Pam Bondi has not released the documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bombshell came after the two traded barbs throughout Thursday over the spending package, which Musk opposes. Trump suggested earlier on Thursday that Musk may suffer from Trump derangement syndrome and that Musk had gone CRAZY! Cain said on The Will Cain Show that the saga was not a story that we wanted today for America. Seems a rubicon that Elon Musk has crossed that it appears its hard to see a path forward for these two to repair their relationship, Cain said. This is not a story that anyone was looking forperhaps somewhat predictable with two big personalitiesbut not a story that we wanted today for America." The sadness continued on The Five, where panelists Greg Gutfeld and Kayleigh McEnany lamented the breakdown. Gutfeld said the feud was a battle between the purists and the pragmatists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont like it, Gutfeld said. I want it to stop. I want to tell them, if they are both watching: Knock it off. Were done with this. McEnany also took issue with Musks claim that, if he had not donated more than $300 million to help support Trump, Trump would have lost the election. President Trump won all of the swing states, he is the first person in the Republican Party to win the popular vote in 20 years, McEnany said, touting his electoral accomplishments. No amount of money bought that. What bought that was a movement. I think its a sad thing to see, she added. I dont want to see the adults fighting, but I do think this was predictable. The schism between the U.S. president and the worlds richest man rippled among Republicans on Thursday, with many of its media personalities figuring out how to balance Musks financial contributions to the party with their overwhelming support of Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Podcast host Megyn Kelly told fellow conservative podcaster Stu Burguiere before the Epstein accusation on Thursday that she hoped Musk would eventually come around to the big, beautiful bill. Musk has derided the mega bill as a disgusting abomination. Its so much better for America, I think, to have Elon on board with the Trump agenda, Kelly said on Thursdays episode of The Megyn Kelly Show. It does not serve us at all to have him supporting Democrats. But Kelly conceded that Trump likely wont let Musks claim that his support won Trump the election go. Theres zero chance Trumps going to let you would have lost the election without me lie, Kelly said. Its about to get ugly, she added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has not responded to the Epstein accusation, but he tried to brush off the friendship on Truth Social while advocating for the spending package, which the Senate is reviewing. I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago, Trump wrote. People had a lot of worries at Butterworths on Thursday night. In the hours after the near-apocalyptic online showdown between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, a palpable angst permeated the fashionable MAGA bistro on Capitol Hill. As the Velvet Underground crooned Oh! Sweet Nuthin over the sound system, patrons let loose with their anxieties: Was the gas station erectile dysfunction drug Rhino Dick safe? Would the guy from The Heritage Foundation ever stop stealing their beef tallow-soaked french fries? These were the pressing concerns for this far-right crowd. But Elon Musks online attacks on Donald Trump? Those were mere trifles at the Trumpist haunt where lamb tartare, not cheeseburgers, is on the menu. In the hours after the Musk-Trump feud blew up online, with the tech billionaire bashing the Republican spending bill, suggesting Trump should be impeached and tying him to notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, those criticisms barely registered. As the denizens of Butterworth saw things, the kerfuffle was simply the temper tantrum of a disgruntled administration official whod run afoul of a popular president. And Trumps counter attacks dismissing the worlds richest man as going CRAZY? Now that was gospel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At a night in which MAGA personalities congregated to greet the British Ambassador, Lord Mandelson for the unveiling of a plaque in his honor at the restaurant, the spat was little more than a sideshow. Still, the men and women bumping up to the bar all had their opinions. Raheem Kassam, the longtime ally of Nigel Farage, who is a part owner of the restaurant, waved off Musks Twitter spree as the rantings of a mega donor disappointed that he could not bend the Republican Party to his will. The Tea Party sold out to Koch, said Kassam. MAGA will not sell out to ketamine, in a reference to first, the billionaire Koch brothers and second, Musks admitted use of the anesthetic . Matt Boyle, the Washington bureau chief for Breitbart and longtime conservative media powerhouse, opined biblically, Pride cometh, before the fall. Elon Musk got too big for his britches. This was destined to happen. It's better now than later. President Trump is going to win, as he always does. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One key theme last night: For all his wealth, Elon Musk has never run for office. Donald Trump was on the ballot, not the billionaire. As conservative influencer C.J. Pearson noted, The reason I'm in this movement is because of President Trump. And the person that was on the ballot was President Trump. The American people voted overwhelmingly for him not for Elon Musk. Pearson added of those defending the tech mogul, I think it's unfortunate to see people who are so desperate for validation from someone like Elon Musk, they're betraying the very person who made them who they are. As one Trump administration appointee, who asked not to be identified because they were there for drinks, not work, put it starkly, This is Elon's insurrection. He's disloyal. Not everyone there was willing to go quite that far. Mandelson, the evenings honoree, had witnessed titanic personality clashes across the pond, notably, the decades-long drama between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He dismissed the Trump-Musk drama as a small earthquake. He added as a careful diplomatic caveat, I don't really follow it because I'm not on social media. So I have no idea what they're saying to each other. Natalie Winters, the hard right media personality on Steve Bannons War Room, coyly responded Ill let the men handle that one. Another administration appointee, who asked not to be identified so they could speak freely, noted that Musk represented a different libertarian element on the right than the more populist aspects of Trumps party. Both, the appointee said, have a place in the GOP. It was a very valid conversation. However, the appointee noted that Trump had not run his campaign on what the billionaire wanted. Musk, they said, would have few defenders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People want careers in politics and when they see the writing on the wall, the appointee said, they see the writing on the wall. Outside the Capitol Hill restaurant, Musk did not find a sympathetic audience from other members of the right, either. After former top White House aide Steve Bannon suggested that the South African born billionaire should be deported , one administration official, who asked not to be identified so they could speak frankly, told POLITICO Magazine, Elon should be careful. Trump could easily drug test him based on erratic behavior and nationalize SpaceX. Other Beltway Republicans merely groaned at the additional work that this online drama created. "A lot of staffers are having to explain what Ketamine is to their bosses this week," one said. But inside Butterworths on Thursday, all of that was irrelevant. For the blazer-and-slacks crowd at the bar, all that really mattered was that the Guinness taps were flowing for a steady pour and a solid drink. The Columbia University student-activist at the center of a legal battle with Donald Trumps administration has filed dozens of pieces of evidence and statements outlining the irreparable harm he faces in an immigration detention center in Louisiana. Mahmoud Khalil who was arrested by federal agents nearly three months ago for his role leading pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus also submitted a declaration of his own, writing of the visceral pain he experienced missing the birth of his son. Instead of holding my wifes hand in the delivery room, I was crouched on a detention center floor, whispering through a crackling phone line as she labored alone, Khalil wrote. I listened to her pain, trying to comfort her while 70 other men slept around me. When I heard my sons first cries, I buried my face in my arms so no one would see me weep. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The massive tranche of filings unsealed on Thursday also include statements from Khalils wife, his fellow Columbia students and professors, a former State Department official condemning his arbitrary detention, and experts outlining the chilling effect of his arrest and Islamophobic reactions surrounding his case. Khalils arrest has sparked protests across the country and fears the Trump administration is crushing political dissent by targeting demonstrations against Israels devastating campaign in Gaza. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he proudly revoked hundreds of student visas over campus activism, leading to several high-profile arrests of international scholars. A judge has determined that Mahmoud Khalils arrest on foreign policy grounds under Marco Rubios determination was likely unconstitutional. The judge will review additional filings from the Columbia University student activist, detailing the ongoing harms of his detention. (REUTERS) Khalil, who is Palestinian, grew up in a refugee camp in Syria. He entered the United States on a student visa in 2022 to pursue a masters degree in public administration, which he completed last year. He missed his graduation ceremony last month. As someone who fled persecution in Syria for my political beliefs, for who I am, I never imagined myself to be in immigration detention, here in the United States, Khalil wrote in his declaration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawyers for Khalil argue he suffers irreparable harm from his arrest and detention including First Amendment violations, his separation from his wife and child, and psychological harm specific to his arrest and detention. They also accuse the Trump administration of damaging Khalils reputation by baselessly identifying him as a risk to the foreign policy of the United States, marking him and his family as targets for harassment and notoriety and severely undermining his ability to pursue a career in international diplomacy and human rights advocacy. Khalil wrote that he was subject to dignitary and reputational harm, personal and familial hardship, including constant fear for personal safety, continued detention, restrictions on my freedom of expression, and severe damage to my professional future. Statements from the Trump administration amounted to attacks against him, amplified across social media and into the lives of his family, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These were not just attacks on my character, he added. They were efforts to erase my humanity. His wife Noor Abdalla described the moment Khalil met his newborn son through a plate glass window inside a detention center one month after he was born. It was an awful feeling for all of us, she wrote. Mahmoud was right there, but he could not touch his son. Khalils wife Noor Abdalla gave birth to the couples son while he was imprisoned in Louisiana. Khalil met his newborn from behind a plate glass window. (REUTERS) The filings follow a federal judges ruling that the Trump administrations attempt to deport Khalil on foreign policy grounds is likely unconstitutional. New Jersey District Judge Michael Farbiarz has asked for additional information before ruling on his release from detention. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration has accused Khalil of antisemitic activities and of supporting Hamas, which he has flatly rejected. He has not been charged with any crime, but officials claim Khalil can be removed over what Rubio has characterized as adverse foreign policy consequences. Khalil also is seeking an order to block Rubio from relying on an obscure immigration law to similarly deport other activists. There are no further hearings scheduled in his parallel immigration court proceedings in Louisiana. The judge in that case has determined Khalil can be deported. June 6 (UPI) -- Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate detained by the Trump administration in March for deportation over his pro-Palestinian views, offered a public declaration that details what he's experienced since his arrest. In a case document filed Thursday, Khalil listed what he described as the "irreparable harms" he has suffered, which he claimed have affected several parts of his life that "include dignitary and reputational harm, personal and familial hardship, including constant fear for personal safety, continued detention, restrictions on my freedom of expression, and severe damage to my professional future." The declaration, which was made from inside the LaSalle Detention Center in Jena, La., where Khalil has been held since March 9, puts focus on the birth of his son, which happened during his incarceration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Instead of holding my wife's hand in the delivery room, I was crouched on a detention center floor, whispering through a crackling phone line as she labored alone." Khalil described. "I listened to her pain, trying to comfort her while 70 other men slept around me. When I heard my son's first cries, I buried my face in my arms so no one would see me weep." Khalil described that the first time he saw his son was through a window, and the first time he held him was in an immigration courtroom, to which his wife had to travel ten hours to reach, with their newborn. "I speak to her as often as possible, but these conversations are not private, everything is monitored by the government," Khalil said, which makes it impossible for them to comfortably speak freely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We leave so much unsaid, and that silence weighs heavily on both of us." Khalil said that not only has the situation been "devastating" for him, but that his wife has dealt with harassment since his arrest. Khalil further described the anguish of seeing Trump administration officials post statements and photos of him on social media that he purports as "accompanied by inflammatory language, grotesque and false accusations, and open celebration of my deportation." Khalil expressed concern for his future as well. He said he was hired by the nonprofit equality-focused Oxfam International group only days before his arrest as a Palestine and Middle East/ North Africa policy advisor, and was scheduled to start work in April, but the job offer was formally revoked. He says "I strongly believe" his arrest and continued detention is the reason for this. He added that should the charges against him stand, "the harm to my professional career would be career-ending." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Khalil further worried his arrest would result in a lifetime of "being flagged, delayed, or denied when traveling, applying for visas, or engaging with consular authorities anywhere in the world," and not just him, but his wife and son. His mother had also applied for a visa in March to visit the United States to see their child be born, and although that was approved, the U.S. embassy returned her passport without a stamp, and now her case is under "administrative processing," and remains unapproved. Khalil's elderly father, whom he describes as "severely disabled," lives in Germany, and he ponders whether any country allied with the United States will ever grant him entry should the charges stand. Khalil detailed the allegations under which he has been held for deportation, which not only did he deny as testimony at his May immigration court hearing, at which he purports "The government attorneys did not ask me any questions regarding these issues." However, Khalil maintained his greatest concern of all is a determination by Secretary of State Marco Rubio based on a law that an "alien" can be deported should his presence in the United States "have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I understand that the Rubio Determination is not only a ground for deportation, but it is also a bar to entry," said Khalil. "In other words, no matter what happens to the other charge against me, it is the Rubio Determination that will make this country, the country of my wife and child, a country I cannot return to in the future." A sharps disposal box sits beside Needlepoint Sancutary's set up at Camp Hope, an unhoused encampment in Bangor. The syringe service program hands out provisions and clean syringes along with kits containing fentanyl testing strips and the overdose reversal drug Naloxone. (Photo by Eesha Pendharkar/Maine Morning Star) Lawmakers in the Maine House of Representatives advanced legislation Thursday expanding access to needle exchange programs and funding proper disposal of syringe litter. Syringe service programs are nonprofits or municipalities certified by the state to hand out clean syringes in exchange for used ones as a method of harm reduction for those impacted with substance use disorder. The two bills LD 1078 and LD 1738 would allow the programs to expand their locations within the county they are certified to operate in and create a biohazard waste disposal program within the Maine Department of Health and Human Services that would offer grants to community organizations that incentivize proper disposal of used syringes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both passed the House after some debate with critics questioning the need to expand these programs, which are often blamed for creating excessive syringe litter. The potential for improperly discarded needles in parks, on sidewalks or in public bathrooms is not hypothetical. It is a reality in cities that have expanded similar programs without adequate controls, said Rep. Kathy Javner (R-Chester). Proponents of the bills pointed to support among medical providers and harm reduction experts, who have vouched for the programs effectiveness in preventing disease transmission. They also said the proposed grant program would incentivize safe needle disposal and allow communities to come up with their own solutions to syringe litter disposal, with partial funding from the state. We know that when people have access to safe disposal, we all benefit with the right tools, we can reduce the risk of disease transmission, protect public spaces and build trust across divides, said Rep. Julie McCabe (D-Lewiston). We do not need to choose between the health of our communities and the health of individuals. We can have both. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rep. Ambureen Rana (D-Bangor) pointed to Portlands needle buyback program, which the city estimates has helped reduce syringe litter by 76% and resulted in a 58% increase in used syringe return. Participants can earn 10 cents per used needle they turn in, with a weekly cap of 200 syringes per person. Both bills will be taken up by the Senate next. The grant program would cost the state roughly $120,000 for the first two years for a new position to oversee the program, in addition to an annual allocation of $500 to establish the fund. The syringe service expansion is estimated to cost roughly $426,000 a year, which would go to the Department of Health and Human Services. Even if both bills win the support of the Legislature, funding may still prove to be an obstacle as the budget committee is wrestling with how to address a significant deficit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this session, lawmakers on the health committee rejected a bill that would have severely limited the number of clean syringes that certified programs can hand out, backing the states current, more flexible policy. In 2022, Maine adopted new rules that allow participants to bring in just one used syringe to receive 100 clean ones. The state health department also allows participants to receive up to 100 syringes, even if they dont bring any used ones in, at the discretion of the provider. Correction: An earlier version of this story said the bills had also passed the Maine Senate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Late last year a team of ecologists came to a dire conclusion: without new conservation and management initiatives, half of the oldest forests in Maines unorganized territory could be gone in the next 35 years. A bipartisan bill introduced by state Sen. Rick Bennett (R-Oxford) aims to reverse that trend while also protecting Maines undeveloped lakes and ponds through prescriptive conservation measures. After overcoming initial opposition from state officials and forest industry groups through multiple compromises, the bill was unanimously voted out of committee and approved by the state Senate this week. Although the version of L.D. 1529 the full legislature received is drastically different from what Bennett originally proposed, it now has support from both conservation and forestry groups. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Bennetts original draft, agencies under the state Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry would have been tasked with prioritizing the acquisition of mature forest stands for conservation and placing dozens of undeveloped ponds and lakes into a new management classification, further shielding them from development. By instructing the Land for Maines Future Board the state entity that funds conservation land acquisitions to place parcels with mature tree stands at the top of its acquisition list, Bennett said his original bill would have provided protective actions without regulatory processes. The bill also included measures to promote the study of Maines oldest forests, intended to spur new conservation strategies down the line and entrench late-successional, old-growth forests at the center of forest management plans. And the bill went beyond forest protections. Bennett also included a provision directing the Land Use Planning Commission, which oversees Maines unorganized territory, to reassign undeveloped lakes and ponds to a more protective class that limits development near shorelines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Such proposals won approval from conservationists and environmental nonprofits across Maine, but drew criticism from DACF officials and forestry groups like the Maine Forest Products Council. DACF official Judy East testified that the proposals were developed without input from key stakeholders and would be a costly addition to the departments already heavy workload. Similar criticism arose from the Maine Forest Products Council, a trade group representing landowners, loggers, truckers, paper mills and foresters across the state. In his testimony, MFPC Executive Director Patrick Strauch wrote that L.D. 1529 establishes predetermined outcomes for forest stands on private land without any consultation with the landowner community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead of jumping forward to land acquisition policies and reclassifying Maine lakes, Strauch said the state should first work with stakeholders to determine how and where to conserve older forests and lakes while acknowledging the multiple uses, like recreation and timber production, that state management plans allow for. John Hagan, who co-authored the 2024 report from environmental nonprofit Our Climate Future that surveyed the states unorganized territory, encouraged both sides to come to the table the same way they did to support his teams mapping project. I hope we can all come together, work together, support this bill, and come up with a practical plan to conserve (late-successional or old-growth) forest before its gone and the question of saving it becomes moot, Hagan wrote in his testimony. Ultimately, both sides did. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The amendments added across two committee work sessions removed more immediate, sweeping development restrictions but maintained and fine-tuned instructions for state agencies to study and incorporate forest and lake protections in long-term management plans, all for an estimated cost of $75,000. Instead of reclassifying undeveloped Maine ponds and lakes in the near future, the new version now instructs the Maine Land Use Planning Commission to evaluate the decades-old Lake Management Program and determine whether reclassification is needed. It also instructs the state Bureau of Forestry to conduct research that follows the work done by Our Climate Future and sets a 2026 deadline for the DACF to compile statewide strategies to enhance its conservation. The end result is a bill that the Maine Forest Products Council and environmental nonprofit Natural Resources Council of Maine both support. Mainers recognize that these are really unique resources that we have, said Luke Frankel, director of NRCMs Woods, Waters, and Wildlife Division, and the bill is a promising path forward to protecting older growth forests. Jun. 6School districts across Maine are urging families to be vigilant of online groups that allegedly target children and coerce them into committing acts of self-abuse, though no specific threats have been made against Maine schools, officials say. In letters to families sent this week, superintendents warned of "nihilistic violent extremist" groups, which they say target children from 9 to 17 through social media and online video games. The letters, which came from districts from Brunswick to Portland to Yarmouth, followed a notification by the Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency warning local school districts and community organizations of the groups. "Cumberland County EMA has received credible information from the FBI and CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) confirming that multiple Nihilistic Violent Extremist (NVE) groups are actively targeting children online," the letter began, though it did not specify whether any schools or students in Maine had been singled out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agency was alerted to the groups' existence during a general informational session held about a week ago by the FBI and released "a notice to raise awareness," Director Michael Durkin said on a Friday afternoon phone call. The FBI has been warning about these and similar groups for months and the program Durkin cited was a routine awareness session not triggered by any single incident, the bureau said. "We just got this put on our radar," he said. "It's a new term for us." Durkin deferred questions about the term's origin and definition to the FBI. Kristen Setera, a spokesperson for the FBI's Boston field office, said the bureau has been "increasingly concerned about a loose network of violent predators" who coerce children into committing sexual or violent behavior on camera. They are motivated by a general desire to sow chaos, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "However, not all participants in these violent online networks are motivated by NVE," she said. "These subjects may be engaging in criminal activity for sexual gratification, social status, a sense of belonging." Multiple superintendents told the Press Herald they had not heard of any specific threat against Maine schools. "We've not been told that there are any students in Maine or any of our schools who were targeted," Yarmouth Superintendent Andrew Dolloff said in a phone call Friday afternoon. He indicated the same in his letter to parents. Dolloff said he was not sure the threats were a wholly new danger or a new angle to long-known online safety threats, but they seemed worth surfacing for parents at the state's urging, Dolloff said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They suggested that we should consider notifying parents, community networks, and so forth about this growing threat," Dolloff said. "Just to remind people that we all have to be vigilant." Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less Jun. 6Maine is in the middle of writing its once-a-decade wildlife action plan, a conservation blueprint that will guide funding decisions, science and protection efforts. And, for the first time, the plan will emphasize the critical role of habitat protection, and consider how climate change affects local plants and animals. The state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife's 2025 plan will assess the health of Maine's 1,500 native plants, in addition to Maine's 15,000 native wildlife species. The 2005 and 2015 plans only considered animals species. The new plan will also make use of new climate science not available for past plans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "You can't talk about what's happening with saltmarsh sparrows or moose without talking about sea level rise or the growing winter tick population," said state wildlife biologist Alex Fish, who is overseeing Maine's wildlife action plan update. "Climate is the major threat to some, not all, but some of Maine's at-risk species." Every 10 years, 48 states and two territories update their wildlife action plans to identify ways to protect common and imperiled species before they become rare and thus harder, and more costly, to preserve. The plans must be submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by October. At the heart of every state plan is its list of species of greatest conservation need, which serves as a kind of watch list for plants and animals that aren't yet threatened or endangered but are likely in decline. Making a list of at-risk species opens the door to federal and state funds for further study and conservation action. In 2015, Maine's plan identified 378 such species, from bog lemmings to saltmarsh sparrows, and more than 600 conservation actions to help these targeted species recover, ranging from wildlife reintroduction and habitat restoration to managing wildlife diseases and invasive predators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2022, Maine submitted an amendment to its 2015 wildlife action plan to add 285 plant species to its list because Congress was considering a bill that would have increased grant funding for plants and animals of greatest conservation need. But the bill, Recovering America's Wildlife Act, died in the Senate. The updated 2025 plan will assign listed species to one of three categories: those at risk of disappearing from the state, those in significant decline, and understudied species that could be in trouble. In 2015, Maine identified 58 species in danger of disappearing, 131 as high priority and 189 as understudied. The 2025 plan will consider a wide range of potential threats, from industrialization to fishing to logging. In a public survey on potential threats and actions, however, global warming and sea level rise aren't mentioned by name. "Changes in temperature regimes" and "changes in precipitation and hydrological regimes" are listed instead. Fish said Maine will be careful about its word choice during the plan revision, but will not censor the science that shows predicted sea level rise and warming land and sea temperatures are affecting Maine's wildlife. The final plan will be cited when Maine applies for federal wildlife grant funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maine gets about $564,000 a year in congressionally approved federal funding to protect the 378 species of greatest conservation need identified in its 2015 plan, according to Nathan Webb, the director of DIFW's wildlife division, when speaking to a group of plan collaborators last fall. President Donald Trump's proposed budget would currently eliminate that funding, Fish said. Luckily, Maine gets most of its funding to implement the wildlife action plan actions or about $13 million a year from excise taxes on guns and sporting equipment. That funding source remains secure, at least for now, Fish said. The agency also receives limited funding from the state's general fund budget, the state's loon license plate and the chickadee checkoff program that allows taxpayers to donate money to state wildlife programs, Webb said. But it's the excise tax funding that "really pays the bills," he said. SUCCESS STORIES Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Past species listings and conservation actions have fueled dozens of wildlife success stories. For example, reintroduction and habitat work has helped Maine's only true rabbit species, the New England cottontail, regain a toehold in southern Maine, Fish said. Forest managers now have a manual teaching them how to protect wood turtle habitat. For the northern bog lemming, a small vole-like critter once considered one of Maine's rarest mammals, the additional study born out of its listing in the plan led biologists to reconsider its rarity. DNA analysis of its droppings suggest its diet is not limited as once believed, and may therefore have a broader range of habitat, Fish said. The attention from a 2015 listing helped secure funding to survey and monitor the population of the purple sandpiper, a shorebird that overwinters on Maine's coast. It is not considered threatened or endangered, but it is declining, with state surveys showing a 49% decrease between 2004 and 2014. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But not every conservation action listed in the 2015 plan could be implemented, and not all those that were have proven successful at managing a threat. White nose syndrome is still killing Maine's cave-dwelling bats despite the installation of gates to prevent human disturbance at winter hibernation spots. The agency is developing the draft plan in collaboration with stakeholder groups, including other state agencies, environmental groups and sporting groups, Fish said. The public was invited to suggest list updates in February, and can suggest habitat list changes through this Saturday. Copy the Story Link The age-old adage, It takes a village to raise a child, seemed especially fitting Wednesday night, as students, families and business and education leaders came together to celebrate the opening of education nonprofit Peak Education's new home. The organization, which has worked to advance education and career options for Pikes Peak youth for 25 years, purchased a permanent location and opened its new College and Career Readiness Center along South Wahsatch Avenue in downtown Colorado Springs. Among the attendees was Jeff Anderson, senior adviser to U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colorado Springs, who recalled multiple examples of students who had gone through the program and would later earn doctoral degrees and certifications. "These young people and their stories, they inspire me and remind me that this launch of the College [and] Career Center is really not a grand opening," he said. "This really is a massive expansion of a proven service in our community." Along with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting, complete with large novelty scissors, Peak Education staff opened their new doors to the public to conduct tours and show off their new space and potential going forward. Peak Education CEO Carlos Jimenez said the group was able to secure the centralized location through its strong relationships with Silver Key Senior Services, which rented out its previous location, and other donors developed over the years. The location's really great because it's 15 minutes from just about anywhere, he said. "And we were able to raise enough money for the mortgage currently to be about equivalent to the rent we were paying. So, we're owners but it's at a similar cost level." 'Exactly what we were looking for' Starting off as a scholarship-based incentive program, Peak Education offers students youth development opportunities as long as they met certain academic requirements and participate in activities throughout middle and high school. These opportunities include mentorship for college and career readiness, building students capacity for leadership, fostering family engagement and creating broad-based community connections. This was initially done by meeting them in their schools in the Harrison D-2 area. Their reach would later expand to include Colorado Springs D-11, Manitou Springs D-14 and Widefield D-3. Peak Education scholars are required to graduate from high school within four years, pursue a postsecondary degree program after graduation, maintain at least a 3.0 grade-point average as well as good behavior and attendance at school and give back to their community through volunteering and community service. Details Schools with Peak Education Core Programs: Harrison D-2 Carmel Community School Fox Meadow Middle School Mountain Vista Community School Panorama Middle School Sand Creek International School Sierra High School Harrison High School Widefield D-3 Janitell Junior High School Sproul Jr. High School Mesa Ridge High School Widefield High School Colorado Springs D-11 Mann Middle School North Middle School Mitchell High School Palmer High School Doherty High School Manitou Springs D-14 Manitou Middle School Manitou High School According to Peak Education's 2024 impact report, only 17% of low-income students earn a degree or certification beyond high school while 75% of jobs require a bachelors degree or higher. Since 2020, Jimenez said student participation has increased from 175 to 445 this past year. To date, Peak Education has yielded 141 alumni who have gone on to earn degrees from schools ranging from Pikes Peak State College to Colorado School of Mines to Stanford University. As the organization and local interest have grown over the years, the opportunities to offer additional afterschool, weekend and summer programs began to develop. And so, having those needs, we really needed a space which could facilitate that, Jimenez said. Since moving into the new space this past April, Jimenez said the group has already begun offering FAFSA Fridays and career workshops there. The 2024 cohort features 18 seniors who all graduated and 57 scholars attending colleges across the country. Featured Local Savings For these students, the organization secured over $1 million in scholarships and financial aid. 2025 Sierra High School graduate Caleb Burger said he first learned about the nonprofit when the group visited him at Panorama Middle School. He said the workshops that helped him develop his people skills and introduce him to new people have been his greatest takeaway from the experience. It showed me a few different careers and options after high school, he said. Which was great for me because I originally wanted to be a video game designer and I had a feeling that (I) wouldnt be able to do that. His mother Ruth said the organization was exactly what we were looking for so that she wasnt the only one pushing him to pursue college. In addition to character and leadership development, she said the tours to various college campuses was a big one for us. Im a single mom. I dont have the resources or the time or the money to do all this myself, she said. So, the fact that they covered it all was huge. Now graduated, Caleb is currently pursuing the Colorado National Guard before working toward a degree in cybersecurity at PPSC. Continuing growth Despite losing $35,000 in grant funding from El Paso County last year, community support for Peak Education has remained strong. Earlier this year, the organization and the Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC announced the Innovate Pikes Peak collaboration. Its goal is to create an ecosystem of career pathways for El Paso County students by exposing them to learning experiences with local businesses while earning college credits and industry credentials. Ahead of the ribbon-cutting, Chamber and EDC President and CEO Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer said the new center is truly transformational in achieving this goal. The new College and Readiness Center represents Peak Educations evolution from just serving southeast Colorado Springs to now all the school districts in El Paso County, she said. Sixty pathways are currently being developed by 60 convening leaders in business, philanthropy, K-12 and higher education. The new center also plans on hosting over 50 events per year to foster deeper connections between students, families, educators and industry leaders, and create a talent pipeline for local businesses. The new location also marks an increased commitment to community partnerships. Now with its own available space, Peak Education has begun renting out space to other local organizations like Highroots Wellness and Consulting and The Mindfulness and Positivity Project for more professional development opportunities. Our thought was, Lets provide opportunities to other local organizations who are doing amazing work just like Silver Key did for us, Jimenez said. As for future Peak Education students, Ruth said she already plans for her younger son, Malachai, to go through the program just as his older brother did. Were excited," she said. "This has been huge for us. Gov. Tina Kotek delivers her State of the State address on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. She recently ordered the extradition of a suspected member of a multi-state burglary ring from Texas to Oregon. (Laura Tesler/Oregon Capital Chronicle/pool) Gov. Tina Kotek on Friday said shes ordered the extradition of a suspected member of a multi-state burglary ring who allegedly targeted Asian households throughout the Eugene area and fled to Texas, averting some of the blowback she faced for rejecting the extradition earlier this week. The reversal marks the second time in the past two weeks that Kotek has changed course in an extradition decision in the wake of public pressure. The governor made a more explicit reversal in May regarding the transfer of a woman who fled to Ohio after being accused of embezzling from Eugene Weekly, a move the locally-beloved newspaper has called an about-face. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This time, the decision to extradite came after further communication with the Lane County DAs office and review of the information provided, Roxy Mayer, a Kotek press secretary, said in an email. The governor is still not moving forward with the extradition of another member of the burglary ring who fled Oregon and who is being held in Texas with an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement hold. We were notified two days ago that the Governors Office has changed their position on funding in [a] case where our Asian residents were targeted, Lane County District Attorney Christopher Parosa said in a statement. I am grateful for that. It will go a long way to allowing us to make that community feel welcomed and protected in Lane County. Parosa told The Register-Guard on Tuesday that Koteks denial was out of the ordinary and seems to be an attempt by the governors office to put that financial obligation on the local communities, who, of course, have never had that responsibility in the past. He declined to elaborate on the states extradition efforts to the Capital Chronicle but shared a statement in an email. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is my hope that further dialogue regarding extradition funding requests will occur between the Governors Office and the Lane County District Attorney in the near future, he said. Jennifer Jonak, a board member at the Eugene-based Asian American Council of Oregon, said in a statement that the group is grateful that the Governors office has heard and taken into account the impact on our Asian American community. Jonak said the council is still reviewing further details regarding the suspect still on ICE hold in Texas. We deeply appreciate the hard work of local law enforcement agencies and the Lane County DAs office who have worked so hard to obtain justice for the victims of these race-targeted offenses, she said. The Oregon governor has the discretion to make decisions on extraditions in light of the sometimes high costs, a factor Koteks office has highlighted when explaining its recent rejections of extradition requests. Costs of retrieving alleged criminals from other states have significantly increased since 2020, according to data shared by Koteks office. The average cost of extraditions from non-shuttle states those are states that dont participate in cost-sharing and inter-state coordination with fugitive return has risen about 30% since the 2019-2021 biennium. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police in Eugene described the burglaries as part of a multi-state crime ring targeting wealthy individuals of Asian descent, to include business owners, doctors, and others, according to one February news release, including states such as Washington and Idaho. The suspects surveilled and targeted homeowners who they believed were likely to store valuables at home, police say. Authorities estimated similar crimes continued throughout summer and fall of 2024. While some suspects have been arrested and charged, many warrants remain standing nationwide as several alleged perpetrators are believed to have fled the country. Officials have not named or released a country of origin for the suspect. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX NEED TO KNOW A 19-year-old man was arrested for speeding and other charges after eluding police while on the way to a job interview Azmir Djurkovic was pursued by Connecticut State Police on June 4; however, the officer on the scene called off the chase due to unsafe conditions He was later identified as the driver and surrendered himself to officers in Hartford, Conn. A man learned a hard lesson about leaving enough time to make it to a job interview after he was pursued by police and later arrested for speeding, among other charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Wednesday, June 4, a 19-year-old man identified as Azmir Djurkovic surrendered himself to Connecticut State Police in Hartford, Conn., according to police. He did so after police reportedly recorded him reaching speeds over 130 MPH while driving on Interstate 91 South in Cromwell around 8:54 local time that morning. Alamy Stock image of a Connecticut State Police trooper car Stock image of a Connecticut State Police trooper car According to a statement shared on CSP's website, an officer noticed a Mercedes E300 "traveling at a high rate of speed, faster than the flow of traffic." The report noted that the officer believed the vehicle was reaching speeds over 100 MPH with a police laser confirming that it was moving at approximately 132 MPH. The officer pursued the vehicle to conduct a traffic stop. However, the statement noted that the driver "accelerated away while making unsafe lane changes and weaving in and out of traffic." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time, the officer decided to end his pursuit "due to the hazard posed to the public." Connecticut State Police Azmir Djurkovic mugshot Azmir Djurkovic mugshot However, police tracked the car and reached out to its registered owner, who informed CSP that they were not behind the wheel at the time. Djurkovic was identified as the driver, and police made contact. He reportedly "admitted to driving and stated he did not stop because he was late for a job interview." Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Getty Connecticut Superior Court in Middletown, Conn. Connecticut Superior Court in Middletown, Conn. Djurkovic met police at Troop H in Hartford and was arrested "without incident." He's been charged with reckless driving, disobeying the signal of an officer, failure to maintain lane, passing on the right, improper turn, passing at an unsafe distance, engaging police in a pursuit, interfering with an officer and reckless endangerment in the first degree. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was released on a bond of $2,500 but is due in court at Middletown Superior Court on June 17 to be arraigned. It is not clear if Djurkovic managed to get the job. PEOPLE reached out to Connecticut State Police, but they had no further comment on the case. Read the original article on People HONOLULU (KHON2) Honolulu police arrested a 25-year-old man for two counts of Assault Against a Law Enforcement Officer in the First Degree, the police department said in a social media post. According to HPD, a 911 call was made at around 6 p.m. on June 5, reporting the man acting erratically near Piikoi Street and S. King Street. Cuts to care: The price mothers and children will pay Upon arrival, officers saw that the man was armed with a knife. Police say the man attempted to evade them and entered the roadway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As officials made their initial response, HPD said the man then assaulted two officers, leading to his arrest. The two officers were taken to the hospital for treatment as police investigate the situation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2. ANDREWS, S.C. (WCBD) A man wanted in an Andrews home invasion was arrested following a traffic stop in Berkeley County, authorities say. The suspect, 49-year-old Kendrick Lamar Tuff Alston, is accused of entering a home on Ten Acre Road with a firearm Thursday night and making demands. The Georgetown County Sheriffs Office said Alston was later taken into custody by the Berkeley County Sheriffs Office following a traffic stop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Georgetown County Sheriffs Office deputies are seeking warrants for kidnapping and first-degree burglary. He will be transported to Georgetown County Detention Center and held pending a bond hearing, the sheriffs office said. Anyone with information should call about the home invasion is encouraged to call 843-546-5102. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCBD News 2. MCHENRY, Ill. (WGN) Felony charges have been filed against a man accused of burglarizing a suburban home two different times this week after he was taken into custody on Thursday afternoon following an hours-long standoff in McHenry. According to McHenry police, 44-year-old Patrick Anderson has been charged with two felony counts of residential burglary, one felon count of obstructing justice, as well as misdemeanor counts of resisting a peace officer and criminal damage to property. Anderson was peacefully taken into custody after an hours-long standoff with MPD Thursday in a residential area near Venice Avenue and Court Street, adjacent to the Fox River, due to what police said was an isolated police incident. MPD said what led to the standoff originated three days prior on Monday, when they responded to a residence in the 1200 block of North Green Street in McHenry for a burglary. Three days later on Thursday morning, MPD was called to the same residence for another reported burglary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While investigating, police said they identified Anderson as a suspect. Shortly after the second reported burglary, MPD went to Andersons residence. When police arrived, he retreated inside and refused to respond to MPDs commands. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines According to police, they tried numerous times to coax Anderson out from his residence, but were unable to, and obtained an arrest and search warrant for Anderson and his residence. MPD, with the assistance of the NIPAS Emergency Services Team, said they made entry into Andersons residence and took him into custody. MPD, with the assistance of the NIPAS Emergency Services Team, said they made entry into Andersons residence and took him into custody. The view from WGNs SkyCam 9 on Thursday showed authorities and at least two armored vehicles at the home. SWAT officers also used drones and a robot while trying to make contact with the man inside. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Throughout the day, investigators with the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System NIPAS were on the scene with command vehicles. LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland Anderson has a prior criminal record and MPD said he is a convicted felon, which led them to request assistance from NIPAS. No injuries were reported as a part of this incident. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. CLIVE, Iowa The Clive Police Department says a bomb threat that was made at a MercyOne facility on Thursday was made by a man who was frustrated with the wait time. According to a Clive Police Department release, just before noon, a bomb threat was called into the MercyOne Family Medicine facility in the 1600 block of NW 114th Street. Authorities say the building was evacuated and then inspected by an explosive detection K-9. No devices were found, and the threat was deemed not credible, according to Clive PD. Iowas Jewish community on high alert after recent hate crimes across the country Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Detectives traced the phone number used back to 59-year-old Kevin Sanders from West Des Moines, Iowa. Authorities say Sanders was located at his residence and later, during the interview, made admissions to the call. Sanders claimed he was frustrated with the length of time he had to wait on hold, and after asking what was taking so long, Sanders referenced a bomb in the building and then hung up, according to Clive PD. Sanders was arrested and taken to the Clive Police Department, where he was charged with harassment, a simple misdemeanor. While this comment may have been made out of frustration, it does not relieve Mr. Sanders from the repercussions that have accompanied it. This call resulted in the evacuation of a medical facility, disruption of services to those in need of medical care, and wasted resources of the Clive Police and Fire Department, as well as the Johnston Police Department, stated Clive PD Chief Mark Rehberg. Sanders was processed and released with a court date. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A harassment charge may only be a simple misdemeanor, but this should serve as an example that we will investigate these crimes and hold those who commit them accountable, said Chief Rehberg. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to who13.com. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) A 38-year-old man was arrested for assault this week, according to the Horizon City Police Department. Aldo Gutierrez Serna, 38, was charged with assault causing bodily injury family violence and booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility with a $2,000 bond, Horizon Police said. At roughly 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 1, officers were dispatched to a report of an assault along the 14500 block of Banana Yucca Avenue, according to Horizon City Police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When officers arrived on scene, they spoke with the victim, who reported being assaulted following an argument with Serna, Horizon Police said. According to Horizon Police, following an investigation, officers located Serna and placed him under arrest. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. A man has been arrested after sparking a security scare at Windsor Castle. The intruder entered the restricted grounds of the castle on Sunday where he was detained on suspicion of trespassing and possession of drugs, police told news outlets today. A man in his thirties has been arrested on suspicion of trespass on a protected site and possession of Class A drugs after entering private grounds at Windsor Castle, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police, who are responsible for royal protection, told media in a statement. Officers in the grounds spotted the man just after 13.00hrs on Sunday, 1 June and quickly arrested him. He was then passed into the custody of Thames Valley Police. Thames Valley Police confirmed the arrest to media, pointing out that the man did not enter the inner grounds at Windsor Castle. The man has been bailed and an investigation is ongoing. The Sun, which broke the story, quoted a source as saying the incident caused quite a stir, but that at this stage it appears there was no intent to cause any serious harm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Windsor Castle is one of the Kings official residences. However, last weekend he was photographed at Sandringham in Norfolk where he waved to those gathered as he made his way to church. Prince William, Kate, and their three children live in Adelaide Cottage, which is on the grounds of the Windsor Castle estate. It is not known if they were home at the time of the incident, however their cottage is not situated next to the castle itself where the intruder was detained. Buckingham Palace has been contacted for comment. This is not the first time that an intruder has made it into the castle grounds, and previous incidents have at times been serious. On Christmas Day 2021, a man was arrested after breaking into Windsor Castle armed with a crossbow. He was later charged under the Treason Act and apologized to the royals. You Might Also Like In the lead-up to the resignation of Palmer Lake Mayor Glant Havenar on Thursday, the Tri-Lakes area has been experiencing a social media firestorm over texts allegedly leaked in a Signal group chat. The texts, posted as screenshots by former Colorado state Republican Party Chair candidate and Monument resident Darcy Schoening, appear to show Havenar making derogatory comments about multiple Palmer Lake and Monument residents and elected officials. A lawsuit supplemental filed Monday by political nonprofit Integrity Matters along with other nonprofits and individuals claims the texts show unethical behavior on the part of the now-former mayor namely collusion with Buc-ee's developers. The lawsuit supplemental claims to show correspondence with Mark Waller, a local consultant for Buc-ee's, the Texas chain of superstores, during a meeting on a plan to build a location in Palmer Lake in December of last year was unethical. Havenar was not in attendance at the meeting. The lawsuit was originally filed in January and claimed the town board of trustees violated open meeting laws at the December meeting, which was a hearing to determine the eligibility of an annexation request from Buc-ee's developers. Havenar did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday. She released a resignation letter the day prior without discussing a cause. "I leave this position with every confidence in the integrity and strength of the current Town Board," she wrote. Schoening posted the texts in a group chat on Signal, an open-source, encrypted messaging platform. The group included 108 participants and was entitled "Never Surrender National." Dana Duggan, who was a member, described the group chat as "clearly conservative," with information on political news and events. She said recent discussions included an upcoming event with Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican for the 4th Congressional District. According to the lawsuit supplement, filed on June 2 in El Paso County District Court, Schoening sent a total of 55 screenshots of texts to the chat during May. One message from Schoening describes the screenshots as a "Palmer Lake corruption dump," according to court documents. Schoening confirmed she sent the screenshots and said that they were accurately portrayed in the lawsuit. A former friend of Havenar, she said the two fell out over a personal dispute. "I just wanted people to know who their mayor is," she said. The many screenshot texts included in the lawsuit appear to be communications between Havenar and Schoening. Waller, a former El Paso County Commissioner, also briefly appears in exchanges. Waller confirmed his part in the texts on Thursday, saying his participation did not add up to an ethical or legal violation for him or Havenar. During the December annexation meeting, Waller replies "yes" to a question from Havenar on the contiguity of the annexation request that would put the proposed Buc-ee's within Palmer Lake town limits. "I got drawn into a text chain, didn't feel super comfortable about it, and I gave a one word answer," he said. Another interaction shows Waller defending his advice to Havenar not to board a private jet for the 2025 presidential inauguration, saying that to do so would be a violation of a Colorado constitution amendment on ethics in government. Featured Local Savings Waller and Schoening said that Havenar did not travel to the inauguration on the jet. Schoening said that she was invited on the flight by a friend in Black Forest and asked Havenar along as well. While Waller said he thought Havenar "did the right thing" in resigning, he said he was disappointed that personal communications were made public. "I think it's unfortunate that peoples dirty laundry gets aired," he said. Schoening, for her part, said she thought Havenar had breached ethics as a public official. "She most certainly did illegal acts," she said. The messages allegedly from Havenar also included derogatory comments about multiple people, including Monument Mayor Mitch LaKind, Monument Mayor Pro Tem Steve King, Palmer Lake Trustee Shana Ball, Palmer Lake resident Nancy Jurka, Integrity Matters lawyer Kat Gayle, and others. Havenar also, according to the posted texts, may have created a Nextdoor account under another name to post about town news, including her own claim that nails were put behind her car tires. The content of the texts has prompted hundreds of posts and comments on local community pages on platforms like Facebook and Nextdoor. Walking their dogs around Palmer Lake on a sunny early afternoon Thursday, longtime town residents Caryn and Bill Fenton said they were happy about the news of the mayor's resignation. Karyn was at an anti-Buc-ee's meeting when she heard the news Wednesday night. "I want a mayor who's going to believe in our little town, keeping our little town," she said. Schoening said aside from her feud with Havenar, she did not oppose the building of a Buc-ee's. She said she felt the texts would not harm the ongoing annexation decision process. "The activists probably believe it's a notch in their belt, but it's not," she said. In a statement Thursday, the town said that considering "recent public controversy and Havenars decision to resign," the board of trustees would meet on June 12 to determine how to fill the vacancy. Three other town trustees, including Mayor Pro Tem Dennis Stern, are currently the subject of a recall campaign motivated by concerns over the December meeting and their decision to vote for Buc-ee's annexation eligibility. It is with sadness that I acknowledge and agree with Glants decision to step down, Stern is quoted in the statement. During her tenure serving as Mayor, and prior as Trustee, Glant made many contributions to our Town, and its clear she loves Palmer Lake. ORLAND PARK, Ill. (WGN) A man has been arrested in connection with a deadly crash in Orland Park. The Orland Park Police Department said the crash happened just before 3:15 p.m. Saturday, May 31 near the intersection of South Harlem Avenue and 159th Street. When officers arrived, they determined someone was driving their vehicle southbound on Harlem Avenue when they hit a vehicle being driven by a 23-year-old Romeoville, Illinois resident traveling westbound on 159th Street, according to investigators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Verdict reached in trial of man accused of fatally stabbing 11-year-old Jayden Perkins Police said the 23-year-old driver was taken to Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox where he died from his injuries. Over the course of the investigation, detectives reviewed surveillance footage and gathered physical evidence from the scene that led them to identifying 41-year-old Robert Barajar of Tinley Park as the suspect. After the crash, authorities said Barajar ran away from the scene and did not help the injured driver, nor did he notify authorities of the crash. Barajar was arrested without incident and charged with the following offenses: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leaving the Scene of an Accident Failure to Report Death or Injury (Class 1) Reckless Homicide (Class 3) 625 5/11-305(a) Disobey Traffic Signal (2 counts) 625 5/11-601(b)(5) Speeding 26 mph Over the Posted Limit Barajar had his first court appearance Thursday, June 5. This arrest is the result of tireless work by everyone involved in the investigation with the Orland Park Police Department Orland Park Police Chief Eric Rossi said. We extend our deepest condolences to the victims family and want them to know that we are committed to pursuing justice. We would also like to thank all the surrounding agencies for their assistance with this investigation as well. The investigation remains ongoing as detectives continue to gather additional evidence in relation to this incident. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. The Seattle Police Department (SPD) arrested a 39-year-old man in connection with a series of armed bank robberies around the city in 2024, SPD said in a release. The man was arrested on Wednesday at an apartment complex in the Chinatown International District near Maynard Avenue South and South Jackson Street, SPD said. Police say detectives worked for months to build a case the man was booked in the King County Jail for investigation of robbery. The Seattle Police Department (SPD) arrested a 23-year-old man charged with assault in connection with a drive-by shooting on Tuesday in West Seattle, SPD said in a release. At around 11:30 a.m. on June 3, officers found multiple shell casings after the shooting near Southwest Dakota Street and 25th Avenue Southwest, according to Seattle police. SPD said after reviewing video of the 23-year-old suspect running into a nearby apartment building, officers were able to find and arrest him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police say they found a handgun with ballistic-tipped ammunition inside a black Audi sedan, but another suspect connected to the car has not been found. SPD asks anyone with information to call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000. GREENSBURG Daoto Thomas of Cold Springs, Kentucky, was apprehended by the Greensburg Police Department after a high-speed vehicle chase Wednesday. Police pursued Thomas from SR 3 250 W to W State Road 46, where he veered into a ditch. Taking off on foot, Thomas fell in high grass, was placed into custody and taken to the Decatur County Detention Center. Thomas was charged with resisting a law officer, a level 6 felony. January of 2025 in Troy, Ohio, officers attempted to serve an arrest warrant on Thomas issued by the West Chester Police Department. Thomas was identified, but he threatened officers on the scene and refused to surrender. This led to a 5-hour standoff with police before Thomas was eventually taken into custody. The man accused of killing a woman in unincorporated Ventura County last weekend has been charged in that slaying and in a separate homicide two years ago, prosecutors said. Christian Alexandre Hillairet, 25, faces two counts of murder, one for the death of Carolyn Nino De Rivera on May 31 and another for the 2023 death of Ventura resident William Thompson, the Ventura County District Attorneys Office said in a news release. Rivera was found dead that night at a residence in the 12000 block of Sisar Road, which is located in an unincorporated area between Santa Paula and Ojai known as Upper Ojai. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hillairet allegedly fled to Mexico shortly after Riveras death, but he was found and returned to Ventura County in less than a week. During the investigation into Riveras killing, detectives obtained information that linked Hillairet to a second alleged murder involving the death of William Thompson, who was bludgeoned to death with a weapon in Ventura on Nov. 3, 2023, prosecutors said. The defendants alleged actions reflect a chilling pattern of violence and cruelty, District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said in a news release. Our office is committed to securing justice for these victims and prosecuting Hillairet to the fullest extent of the law. Hillairet, who is being held without bail, faces two murder charges and special allegations of committing more than one murder, use of a deadly weapon, having a prior felony strike, having a prior serious or violent felony, and having a serious felony prior. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes expected to make his first appearance in Ventura County Superior Court Friday afternoon. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. (FOX40.COM) The Sacramento FBI announced the arrest of an internationally wanted man accused of attempted murder. Video Above: Most commonly reported crimes in the U.S. FBI Sacramento, HSI San Francisco and ERO San Francisco worked together to arrest Lakhvinder Kumar, who is wanted in India and was arrested in Stockton. His charges include alleged attempted murder, extortion, criminal conspiracy and illegal use of firearms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40 News. SWANTON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) Vermont State Police began an investigation May 16 after a mandated reporter called with information about a possible case of child sexual abuse. Dylan Franolich is facing two charges in the case. (Courtesy: VSP) Police arrested Dylan Franolich, 27, of Swanton, on Thursday following the investigation. Franolich was arraigned at Franklin County Superior Court for two counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child. He is being held at Northwest State Correctional Facility without bail. St. Albans man tracked down in Burlington after alleged stalking, assault Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Laws on mandated reporting, which means the requirement to contact authorities when any kind of child abuse is suspected, varies by state. In Vermont they include many professionals who work regularly with children, such as teachers, medical providers, social workers, camp counselors, and members of the clergy. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC22 & FOX44. PRICEVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) A man has been arrested and a woman is now wanted after a police chase along I-65 on Thursday. On Thursday, Priceville Police pulled a vehicle over in the 3200 block of Point Mallard Parkway around 11:50 p.m. Officers said that a male driver and a female passenger were inside the vehicle. Police said that the vehicle drove away when an officer tried to approach the vehicle leading authorities on a chase along I-65 Southbound. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Priceville Police then requested assistance from neighboring law enforcement agencies as the chase continued toward Falkville. The suspects vehicle exited I-65 and entered the Town of Falkville, nearly colliding with two patrol vehicles belonging to the Morgan County Sheriffs Office. PPD said that the suspects vehicle then changed course and continued driving towards the Eva area. While trying to drive around a curve near Adams Road, the suspects vehicle veered off the road and crashed, according to police. Police told News 19 that the pair got out of the vehicle and ran away. The driver, later identified as Richard Conrad Rothe,34, of Nashville, Tennessee, was arrested with the help of Morgan County Deputies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The female passenger remains at large at this time. PPD said that when Rothe was arrested, authorities found fentanyl and drug paraphernalia on him. Additionally, Rothe had several active felony and misdemeanor warrants from Tennessee and Kentucky. Rothe also told medics on the scene that he had consumed illegal narcotics. He was transported to Decatur-Morgan Hospital for medical clearance before being booked into the Morgan County Jail. Rothe is now facing the following charges: trafficking in dangerous drugs felony evasion of law enforcement resisting arrest using a false identity to evade arrest or hinder prosecution driving under the influence reckless driving reckless endangerment tampering with physical evidence unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Morgan County Circuit Judge has set Rothes total bond at $420,300, with additional holds for authorities in Tennessee and Kentucky. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the female passenger is urged to contact the Priceville Police Department at (256)-355-5476. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. DENVER (AP) A man who told investigators he was driven by a desire to kill all Zionist people when he threw Molotov cocktails at demonstrators raising awareness of Israeli hostages appeared briefly in federal court for the first time Friday to face a hate crime charge. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, sat in the jury box in a Denver courtroom handcuffed and dressed in a green jail uniform, a U.S. Marshal sitting in the row behind him. Listening to the proceedings in Arabic through an interpreter, he answered yes and I understand in Arabic as Magistrate Judge Timothy P. OHara explained his rights. Before the brief hearing started, Soliman mostly looked away from the crowded gallery, but after the proceedings he nodded and smiled as his lawyers spoke to him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A conviction on a hate crime charge typically carries a penalty of no more than 10 years in prison, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Hindman said if the crime involves an attempted killing, the sentence can be as long as life in prison. Soliman is represented by public defenders who do not comment on their cases to the media. He is scheduled to appear in federal court again June 18 for a hearing in which federal prosecutors will be asked to show they have enough evidence to prosecute Soliman. He'll face a similar hearing in state court July 15. He is accused in Sundays attack on the weekly demonstration in Boulder, which investigators say he planned for a year. The victims include 15 people and a dog. He has also been charged in state court in Boulder with attempted murder and assault counts as well as counts related to the 18 Molotov cocktails police say he carried to the demonstration. Investigators say Soliman told them he had intended to kill all of the roughly 20 participants at the weekly demonstration on Boulder's popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall, but he threw just two of his 18 Molotov cocktails while yelling Free Palestine. Soliman told investigators he tried to buy a gun but was not able to because he was not a legal citizen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal authorities say Soliman, an Egyptian national, has been living in the U.S. illegally. Soliman did not carry out his full plan because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before, police wrote in an arrest affidavit. Not all of the victims were physically injured. Some of them are considered victims because they were in the area and could potentially have been hurt in the attack, 20th Judicial District Michael Dougherty said Thursday. Three victims remained in the hospital Friday, UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital spokesperson Dan Weaver said. The dog was among the injured, which resulted in an animal cruelty charge being filed against Soliman, Dougherty said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Soliman told investigators that he waited until after his daughter graduated from school before launching the attack, according to court documents. Federal authorities want to deport Soliman's wife and their five children, who range from 4 to 17 years old, but a judge issued an order Wednesday halting deportation proceedings until a lawsuit challenging their deportation can be considered. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin has described their claims as absurd and an attempt to delay justice. U.S. immigration officials took Soliman's wife and children into custody Tuesday. They are being held at a family immigration detention center in Texas. According to a court document filed Friday by the family's lawyers, law enforcement had arranged for Soliman's wife and children to stay in a hotel while their home was searched following the attack. After two nights, Homeland Security Investigations agents told the family they had to move to another hotel for their safety and were then met by between 10 and 20 plainclothes officers who took them into custody, the filing said. According to the document, one of them allegedly told Soliman's wife, You have to pay for the consequences of what you did. NEWARK, Ohio (WCMH) A 67-year-old man is facing murder and rape charges in connection with a 1989 Licking County homicide. On Thursday, Delbert Saunders Jr. was indicted by a grand jury on charges of aggravated murder, murder, aggravated robbery, kidnapping and rape in relation to a homicide that occurred on or about April 20, 1989, according to Licking County court records. Saunders would have been 31 years old at the time. Helen Stuart (Photo courtesy/Ohio Attorney Generals Office) While the indictment does not state who the victim was, on Thursday, Newark police announced that the department will be holding a news conference on Monday to share recent developments in the homicide of 71-year-old Helen Stuart. A Facebook page dedicated to Stuart run by her family also made a post Friday stating an arrest has been made in her case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Helen was a beloved mother, grandmother, and woman of deep faith, the post reads. She was taken from us in 1989, and for decades, her case remained unsolved. This page was created with hopehope that someone, somewhere, knew something that could help us find the truth. And now, that day has come. An Ohio Attorney General unsolved homicide database states on April 21, 1989, Stuart was found dead in the back of her silver 1981 Ford Fairmont on State Route 16 near State Route 668 in Licking County. An investigation revealed that the homicide possibly occurred at Stuarts residence before she was transported to where her remains were found. Stuart was sexually assaulted and strangled to death, according to the attorney generals office. Saunders is currently in prison at the Noble Correctional Institution, as he was found guilty of separate rape and kidnapping charges in 2003, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. His eligible parole date is currently listed as Oct. 1, 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. A 19-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly stealing tobacco and vape products from a store in an armed burglary in northeast Colorado Springs Thursday morning. Jabez Martin was arrested for the alleged robbery of a convenience store in the 2800 block of Dublin Boulevard around 7 a.m., according to the Colorado Springs Police Department. Police said Martin threatened an employee with a weapon before fleeing with a female accomplice and the stolen goods in a dark SUV. Officers identified Martin as the suspect and found him and the vehicle at his residence in the 100 block of West Fountain Boulevard. Martin was in custody at the El Paso County jail as of Thursday afternoon, with a $25,000 bail amount. A man was convicted after a stabbing attack at a Ventura County hiking trail left a person hospitalized. On July 9, 2020, the victim was hiking with a friend at the Simi Valley Cross trail when they encountered two men walking uphill, according to the Ventura County District Attorneys Office. As the two parties passed each other, the suspect, Alfredo Vasquez, 25, of Moorpark, asked the victim, Where you from? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors said the question was a common gang challenge. When the victim responded, Vasquez ran at him with a knife. During the violent altercation, Vasquez stabbed the victim twice in the chest and slashed his forearm, leaving him with serious injuries. The victim managed to escape by running down the trail and into a nearby neighborhood, where he knocked on a strangers door for help. Alfredo Vasquez, 25, of Moorpark, is seen in a booking photo from the Ventura County District Attorneys Office. He was taken to the hospital where he received multiple staples for his wounds. The injuries left permanent scarring, authorities said. The suspect had fled the area. While investigating, Simi Valley police detectives found two pieces of key evidence the victims T-shirt, which was stained with Vasquezs blood, and another T-shirt that DNA testing later connected to Vasquez. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Surveillance footage from a nearby home showed the victim fleeing the area shirtless and bleeding, followed minutes later by two suspects walking away from the trail, including a man who matched Vasquezs description and who was also shirtless at the time, prosecutors said. Vasquez was later arrested and on June 4, was convicted by a jury of assault with a deadly weapon. The special allegations found true included that the crime was gang-related and that he caused great bodily injury in the commission of a felony. Ventura County residents should feel safe and secure while hiking on our beautiful trails, not worried about encountering gang violence, said Hayley Moyer, Ventura County District Attorney who prosecuted the case. We would like to thank the jurors for their careful and thoughtful deliberation, holding the defendant accountable for this vicious, gang-motivated attack. He remains in custody without bail and faces 14 years in state prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled on July 3 at the Ventura County Superior Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. Criminal charges were pending against a person Thursday in connection with fatal stabbing of a 23-year-old man Wednesday night in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the citys Southwest Side, according to authorities. The victim was involved in an argument with a woman who was accompanied by a large group of people shortly after 11:15 p.m. in the 4300 block of South California Avenue, police said. The group attacked the man and someone stabbed him with a sharp object, Chicago police said. The victim suffered injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. He was identified as Maximillion Luz Flores Hernandez of the same block where he was fatally stabbed, according to the Cook County medical examiners office. An autopsy confirmed that Flores died from sharp force injuries and his death was ruled a homicide. Police had a person in custody and charges were pending as of Thursday afternoon, according to police. This story has been corrected from an earlier version that gave the incorrect neighborhood. A man accused of following a 15-year-old around a mall and then shooting him in the parking lot is heading to prison, Oregon prosecutors said. Pedro Anthony Cornejo-Morales, 19, from Gresham, was sentenced to 7.5 years behind bars after pleading guilty to unlawful use of a weapon and attempted murder in the second degree, the Clackamas County District Attorneys Office said in a June 5 news release. McClatchy News couldnt immediately find attorney information for Cornejo-Morales on June 6. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes accused of shooting at the 15-year-old five times on Dec. 20, 2024, prosecutors said. The teen was hit in the hand and treated at a hospital, according to prosecutors. Cornejo-Morales and another man followed the 15-year-old around the Clackamas Town Center before the gunfire, prosecutors said. The teen and a female accompanying him realized they were being followed and recognized the two men, according to prosecutors. The 15-year-old and his companion tried to leave, and Cornejo-Morales and the other man approached their vehicle and Cornejo-Morales began shooting, prosecutors said, noting that the teen was a passenger. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors didnt provide information about what led up to the shooting or how they knew the men. The second man, Carlos Raul Herrera-Medrano, 20, from Gresham, is scheduled for trial in connection with the incident in August, prosecutors said. McClatchy News reached out to his attorneys June 6 and was awaiting a comment. Gresham is about a 17-mile drive east from Portland. Older sibling stabs 16-year-old to death over not picking up trash, WA cops say Dad upset over girls constant bullying shoots at teens SUV, CA officials say Dad talks about harming family to 911, then fatally shoots toddler, AZ cops say WASHINGTON (DC News Now) A man was hospitalized after a Thursday shooting in Southeast D.C., according to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Man attacked for protecting Pride decorations in Dupont Circle Police say officers received reports of a shooting in the 3000 block of 30th Street, SE, shortly after 9:30 p.m. There, a man was found suffering from a gunshot wound and was transported to the hospital, conscious and breathing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The shooting remains under investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) A Warren man was indicted on additional charges after police said that he was accused of sending inappropriate pictures of himself to a 13-year-old girl. According to court records, Domonic Rogers, 27, was indicted on charges of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a fifth-degree felony; illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material/performance, a second-degree felony; and tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony. Police received a complaint in January that Rogers had asked the teen to send him inappropriate pictures of herself. Reports said that after the teen sent Rogers the pictures, he sent her inappropriate pictures of himself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said that Rogers and the teen have known each other for several years. Police arrested Rogers on a warrant in April. Rogers awaits his next court date. Kristen Hephner contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. One person was killed Thursday morning, another seriously injured in a Fresno County crash. The California Highway Patrol said the crash happened at 6:50 a.m. at the intersection of Buttonwillow and American avenues, near Reedley, in the CHP Kings River Resident Port area. A 64-year-old woman from Reedley was driving a Toyota Prius northbound on American when she entered the intersection to make a left turn onto southbound Buttonwillow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A 28-year-old man from Exeter was driving a Honda Accord westbound on Buttonwillow, which has no traffic controls at the intersection. CHP spokesperson Mike Salas said the Toyota entered the intersection in front of the Honda. In an attempt to avoid the collision, the driver of the Honda braked and steered left, but the front of the Toyota collided with the front of the Honda, causing major damage to both vehicles. Both vehicles came to rest on the northwest side of the intersection. The driver of the Honda Accord was pronounced dead. Officers determined the driver was not wearing a seat belt. The driver of the Toyota sustained major injuries and was airlifted to Community Regional Medical Center. Drugs or alcohol do not appear to be contributing factors in the collision, Salas said. The investigation is ongoing. The National Weather Service has announced a flash flood warning for El Paso County and surrounding areas through Thursday evening. A severe thunderstorm warning has grown to include a flash flood warning as the storm moves into southern Colorado. There is a projected 1.5 inches to 2 inches of rainfall within an hour falling on the southern end of Colorado Springs, Fort Carson, Fountain and Security-Widefield, according to the NWS. "All storms will bring the threat of dangerous lightning to our forecast today, so remember that if thunder roars, head indoors," KOAA Meteorologist Alan Rose said. The Pikes Peak region has experienced higher rainfall than usual in recent weeks. A portion of North Cheyenne Canon Park was closed Wednesday after rain washed out a "significant" section of the roadway. Colorado Springs storm-water manager Tim Biolchini said this week that North Cheyenne Creek was running at its highest level in about 10 years, contributing to the severe erosion undercutting the roadway which remains closed Thursday. In a Thursday update, the city said that Gold Camp Road would also remain closed to the public but is accessible to residents who reside in the area. The closure also serves a safety precaution for the public to alleviate congestion on the narrow, steep road since this road now becomes the only way in and out of North Cheyenne Canon. The US Forest Service Pikes Peak Ranger District announced Thursday afternoon that the nearby Seven Bridges trail in North Cheyenne Canon was also closed, due to flooding. A high-wind and penny-sized hail warning was also given by the NWS at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, for the area around Florence and Stone City in Fremont County. Thunderstorms will carry into the weekend. Friday: 80% chance of thunderstorms with increasing intensity throughout the day and into the night. The high will be around 69 degrees, with a nighttime low of 48. Saturday: A sunny day with 20% chance of thunderstorms in the evening. The high will be around 79, with a nighttime low of 51. Sunday: A sunny day with 40% chance of thunderstorms in the evening and nighttime. The high will be around 79, with a nighttime low of 52. MONTREAL (AP) A man who was once convicted in the United States of supporting al-Qaida has been charged in Canada after allegedly threatening an attack. Mohammed Abdullah Warsame, 51, allegedly told a homeless shelter employee in Montreal that he wanted to build bombs to detonate on public transit. He was charged with uttering threats. He was ordered at a court appearance in Montreal on Friday to undergo a 30-day psychological assessment and return to court July 7, according to the newspaper La Presse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both parties have reason to believe that Mr. Warsames criminal responsibility is in question in this case, Vincent Petit, who represents Warsame, told the court. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed that he is the same Mohammed Warsame who spent 5 years in solitary confinement before pleading guilty in Minnesota in 2009 to one count of conspiracy to provide material support and resources to al-Qaida, which the U.S. calls a terrorist organization that was responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Warsame was sentenced to seven years and eight months in federal prison with credit for time served. He was deported to Canada in 2010 and had no fixed address at the time of the latest alleged incident. The Old Mission Brewery, which runs several homeless shelters in Montreal, contacted police after Warsame allegedly said on May 27 that he wanted to carry out an attack that would kill a large number of people. Warsame was hospitalized for psychiatric reasons, and he was formally arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Somali-born Canadian citizen admitted in his 2009 plea agreement that he traveled to Afghanistan in 2000 to attend al-Qaida training camps, where he dined with the organizations founder, Osama bin Laden. Prosecutors say he later sent money to one of his training camp commanders and went to the Talibans front line. Warsame later settled in Minneapolis, where he continued to provide information to al-Qaida associates. Prosecutors painted him as a jihadist who called his time in one training camp one of the greatest experiences of his life. They said that even after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, he passed along information to al-Qaida operatives about border entries and whereabouts of jihadists and only stopped when he was arrested in December 2003. But his attorneys depicted him as a bumbling idealist whom other fighters in the camps in Afghanistan viewed as ineffective and awkward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Warsames case took unusually long to work through the U.S. court system partly because everyone including the judge, defense attorneys and prosecutors needed security clearances. Retired agent Harry Samit, who was the lead FBI investigator on the case and is now director of special investigations for the professional assessment company Pearson VUE in Bloomington, recalled in an interview Friday that Warsame's case was the second major al-Qaida case to break in Minnesota. It came after that of Zacarias Moussaoui, who took flight simulator training in Minnesota and remains the only person to stand trial in a U.S. court in the 9/11 attacks. Moussaoui was jailed on an immigration violation when hijacked planes slammed into the World Trade Center and Pentagon and crashed in a Pennsylvania field. Samit, whose books on the Minnesota cases will be published starting this summer, said the FBI got word as it was preparing for Moussaoui to stand trial that another al-Qaida operative was in Minneapolis. He said he is certain that Warsame was a sleeper agent who was waiting for instructions from his commanders before he was found. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Warsame was kind of a goofy, not very threatening guy, Samit said, he and other agents who questioned him also concluded that he was pure of heart and he was dedicated to the cause. He said that was apparently enough for al-Qaida leaders who sent him Minnesota, where at a minimum they used him to raise money. When Warsame was deported, the retired agent said, the FBI gave Canadian authorities a full accounting of what it knew and why the bureau still considered him a threat. So he said wasn't surprised to learn this week, after all these years, that Warsame might still remain a danger to society. HENDERSON, Ky (WEHT) A Louisville man will spend time in prison following an agreement to plead guilty in relation to a traffic stop in 2024 that turned up drugs and a stolen gun. According to the Spencer County Prosecutors Office, 38-year-old John Mooney plead guilty to Possession of Meth and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon among other charges. As previously reported, in early February 2024, Indiana State Police Troopers running stationary traffic on I-64 saw a black Honda Civic going in excess of 120 MPH. Mooney was the one discovered to be driving. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials state upon catching up to the vehicle at the Nancy Hanks Rest Area, an investigation uncovered several items of contraband in the vehicle. Troopers discovered a stolen 9mm pistol and 623 grams of meth in a trash receptable of the womans bathroom during a search of the rest area. The passenger was identified as 24-year-old Rita Delong of Louisville. Officials say she admitted to placing the stolen firearm and meth in the bathroom shortly before Troopers caught up. Mooney reportedly denied having knowledge or involvement in the items, but analysis later revealed Mooneys DNA was on numerous components of the firearm. Officials state under the plea agreement, Mooney agreed to be sentenced to 12 years with six being executed at the Indiana Department of Correction while the other six would be executed by continuing supervision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Delong had previously plead guilty in June 2024 to Possession with Intent to Deliver Methamphetamine and Theft of a Firearm. She was sentenced to 17 1/2 years with four being executed at the IDOC, six tears on Community Corrections Work Release and 7 1/2 years of continuing supervision. Mooneys sentencing is slated for July 17. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW). BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) A man listed as one of the most-wanted people in Puerto Rico was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Lancaster on Thursday, a representative with U.S. Customs and Border Protection told WIVB News 4. Raymundo Rondon-Canales, 54, a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico, was listed on the most-wanted list for sexual assault of a minor, failure to register as a sex offender, and for violating a court order from Guayama Court, Customs and Border Protection said. A $2,500 award was offered for information about him in February of last year. This arrest underscores our unwavering commitment to border security and apprehending dangerous fugitives, said Patrol Agent Martin Coombs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rondon-Canales allegedly presented a counterfeit lawful permanent resident card during a traffic stop impersonating a Colombian National. He also gave a false name to police, officials said. An investigation revealed his true identity, as well as his status as a wanted man. Officials said he had absconded from Puerto Rico and posed a significant threat to public safety. He is currently being held at the Erie County Sheriffs Office pending extradition to Puerto Rico. Latest Local News Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini joined the News 4 team in 2024 as a Digital Video Producer. She is a graduate of Chatham University. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo. A man was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for his role in the March 2024 death of an Edgerton man, according to Johnson County court documents. Joseph Andrew Wacaster pleaded guilty to premeditated first-degree murder in April. He was sentenced to life in prison with a 50-year mandatory sentence, according to court documents. On March 30, 2024, sheriffs deputies responded to a home in the 500 block of West Edgewood Drive. There, they found 27-year-old Cade H. Blackburn. Wacaster was identified as a suspect. He was later found and arrested in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. The Stars Kendrick Calfee contributed reporting to this story. NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) A man who pleaded guilty to killing 32-year-old Bobby Lee Hill in the Grandy Village neighborhood in Norfolk last year received a 30-year prison sentence for the crime. 28-year-old Michael Lewis Jr. was sentenced on charges of second degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of murder. The crime happened the morning of June 18, 2024. Hill, who was wheelchair-bound, was shot at close range in the 3100 block of Kimball Terrace, according to a news release from the Norfolk Commonwealths Attorneys Office. He died at the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators located security camera footage that captured the shooting. It showed Lewis get out of a car, run up to Hill, shoot him, then run back to his car and take off. Police used Flock license plate reader technology to trace Lewis to his apartment. Investigators got a warrant to search his apartment and recovered a 9mm firearm. Forensic testing of that firearm, along with cartridge casings collected from the scene, confirmed it was the gun used to murder Bobby Lee Hill. Lewis was arrested just hours after the shooting. Michael Anthony Lewis Although he admitted to the crime, and officially agreed to plead guilty in February, the motive for the killing remains unknown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He faced up to 43 years in prison. On May 23, Judge Joseph C. Lindsey sentenced Lewis to serve 30 years in prison and suspended another 13 years on the conditions that Lewis comply with supervised probation for three years following his release and be of uniform good behavior while incarcerated and for 30 years following his release. Quick police work and the use of technology helped lead to Mr. Lewis arrest and conviction for this unnecessary and violent crime against a disabled person, said Norfolk Commonwealths Attorney Ramin Fatehi. Without cameras, I do not know that this crime would have ever been solved. With them, we have held Mr. Lewis accountable for taking the victims life. While Mr. Lewis sentence is substantial, no sentence will ever bring back Mr. Lewis victim. I mourn for him and for his family as they grieve his absence. My office will continue to focus our efforts on holding accountable the people who take the lives of our fellow citizens. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. A woman is in custody after allegedly stabbing a man to death during a domestic dispute in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles overnight. Police were called to an apartment building on the 300 block of North Soto Street around 10:45 p.m. Thursday. Arriving officers saw the suspect, a 30 to 35-year-old woman, attacking the male victim, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department told KTLA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The unidentified victim, also believed to be between 30 and 35 years old, was stabbed multiple times with a pair of scissors and was pronounced dead at the scene. A suspect is taken into custody following a fatal stabbing in Boyle Heights on June 5, 2025. (KNN) The spokesperson said the incident appears to have resulted from a domestic dispute that turned physical. Video showed several officers carrying the suspect out of the apartment building before placing her into the back of a police car. No further details about the suspect or what may have prompted the attack were immediately released. KTLAs Alexis Lewis contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) A man was arrested Thursday afternoon after deputies with the Lewis County Sheriffs Office said he stole a vehicle from a Harrison County car lot. On Thursday, the Lewis County Sheriffs Office received a report from Harrison County regarding a stolen 2024 Jeep Wagoneer that was reportedly stolen from Black Bear Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM, according to a press release. The vehicle was reported to have no registration and was being driven by a white man wearing a hat and camouflage jacket with distinctive red marker stripes on his arm. At about 1:50 p.m., law enforcement officers said they saw a vehicle matching the description driving north on Center Avenue in Weston. Lewis County deputies said they initiated a traffic stop near the intersection with East 4th Street, but the driver fled the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Man charged after allegedly shooting victim in head in Barbour County Deputies pursued the vehicle, which ran through an occupied intersection before stopping on the north end of Center Avenue, the release said. The driver, identified as Joshua W. Merritt, 38, was then taken into custody. Merritt has been charged with felony fleeing with reckless indifference and grand larceny. Hes being held in the Central Regional Jail. As of Thursday evening, his mugshot does not appear in the West Virginia Division of Corrections system. Deputies said the Jeep Wagoneer was recovered and returned to the dealership. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBOY.com. Jun. 5Police have issued an arrest warrant for a man wanted in the killing of a snowplow driver outside an Ellicott City Montessori school last year. Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To log in, click here. Originally Published:June 5, 2025 at 4:02 PM EDT MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (WCMH) A man and a woman were found dead after a standoff and a shootout with Knox County deputies. Deputies responded to a 911 call in the 10000 block of Busenburg Road in Howard Thursday morning. They encountered a woman who said she was injured by a man, according to the Knox County Sheriffs Office. Police shoot 19-year-old knife-wielding man in Gahanna The man and a deputy exchanged gunfire before the man released an unknown chemical, forcing the deputies to evacuate, according to the sheriffs office. While the deputies were leaving, the man fired more shots at officers and their vehicles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A standoff ensued that lasted for several hours, until both the man and a woman were found dead inside the home, according to the sheriffs office. Two other people inside the home were safely removed. No other details were immediately available. The Bureau of Criminal Investigation was called in to investigate. Mount Vernon police, the Fredericktown Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol and Ohio State Highway Patrols aviation unit all responded. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. Colorado Springs police arrested a man in connection with nearly 3 pounds of illegal narcotics that was shipped through the U.S. Postal Service on Thursday. Employees at a local USPS suspected a package contained narcotics. When the Colorado Springs Police Department and a Fountain K-9 unit arrived on the scene, it was confirmed that the package contained illegal substances, according to the Police Department's online blotter. USPS delivered the package, and when the suspect picked it up from the mail, police made contact, seized the narcotics and arrested the suspect. The man's identity and the type of narcotic were not immediately released by police. The manhunt for Travis Decker, the man accused of killing his three young daughters during a scheduled visit, is still underway across Washington State. On June 2, Deckers truck was found abandoned in a trail area of Leavenworth, and the girls bodies were found nearby. Since then, law enforcement across Washington have been looking for him. Law enforcement officials say Decker has military training and is able to survive secluded in the wilderness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because of this, several camps and hiking trails have been closed. Also, the Chelan County Sheriffs Office has issued a warning for people living in rural King, Snohomish, Chelan, Kittitas and Okanagan Counties. Deputies said that people who live in remote cabins should keep their doors locked, including those in sheds and outbuildings, and keep lights on to make it look like theyre home. They also said to expect increased police patrols at all hours. A decent portion of trails and campsites in the North Cascades National Park has been closed to better locate Decker. The following trails are closed, including backcountry camps and cross-country zones along closed trails: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pacific Crest Trail within the park complex (Agnes Creek, Old Wagon, and Bridge Creek trails) Rainbow Lake Trail Rainbow Creek Trail McAlester Lake Trail Twisp Pass Trail (to USFS border) Stiletto Spur Trail North Fork Bridge Creek Trail Upper Stehekin Valley Trail Flat Creek Trail Thunder Creek Trail from Park Creek Pass to the junction with Upper Stehekin Valley Trail Upper Stehekin Valley Trail to junction with Horseshow Basin Trail Trails are closed until further notice due to ongoing search operations for a suspect in Chelan County. A spokesperson for the Pacific Crest Trail Association said: The Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) is aware of ongoing law enforcement activity involving a person who may be traveling on or near the Pacific Crest Trail in Okanogan and Chelan Counties in Washington State. What else is closed nearby? Whats closed? The closure area surrounds the Icicle Creek drainage southwest of Leavenworth. It begins at the Snow Lakes Trailhead at Forest Service Road (FSR) 7600000 and loops through high alpine terrain including Colchuck Pass, Dragontail Peak, Mount Stuart, and surrounding ridgelines before returning to the starting point. The boundary encompasses key hiking routes and developed campgrounds. Closed Campgrounds: Eightmile Campground Bridge Creek Campground Icicle Group Campground Johnny Creek Campground Ida Creek Campground Chatter Creek Campground Rock Island Campground Blackpine Horse Camp Closed Roads: More than 20 forest service roads are off-limits, including all primary spurs off FSR 7600000. This includes: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FSR 7600100, 7600800, 7600900 FSR 7600020, 7601111, 7601112 (and spurs A & B) FSR 7603000 and its spurs including 7603175, 7605000, 7605113 Additional roads: FSR 7600315, 7600415 (and spur A), 7600615, 7600616, 7600810 Closed Trails: Some of the regions most popular alpine and backcountry trails are impacted, including: Trail 1553 (Snow Lakes) Trail 1599 (Stuart Lake) Trail 1599.1 (Colchuck Lake) Trail 1552 (Eightmile Lake) Trail 1554 (Eightmile Trout Creek) Trail 1579 (Fourth of July) Trail 1580 (Chatter Creek) Trail 1596 and all segments of the Icicle Gorge loop Trail 1570 (upper portions of Icicle Ridge) Trail 1551 (Icicle Creek) Trail 1558 (Jack Creek) Trail 1555 (Trout Creek) Trail 1597 (Jack Pine) Trail 1565 (Blackpine) Trail 6723 (Bruces Boulder) Exceptions Emergency personnel, such as law enforcement, rescue teams, or those with special Forest Service permits, are exempt from the closure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Forest officials emphasized that the closure order is meant to ensure public safety. Anyone found violating the closure could face up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $5,000 for individuals or $10,000 for organizations, under federal law. Decker is 58 and has dark hair and may have a beard. He has extensive identifiable tattoos. If you see him, do not approach. He is considered dangerous and may be armed. If you see, or believe you have seen Decker, call 911 immediately. Anyone with information is urged to call the Chelan County Sheriffs Office tip line at 509-667-6845 or submit your information here. Rescue workers have retrieved the body of a man from under the rubble of a 9-storey apartment block destroyed by a Russian attack on Lutsk on the night of 5-6 June. People are likely still trapped under the rubble. Sources: State Emergency Service of Ukraine; Ukraines Internal Ministry Details: The number of people injured in the nighttime Russian attack on Lutsk has risen to 27. Rescue workers are dismantling the structures of the destroyed building. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Emergency workers from Rivne Oblast have arrived to help clear the rubble in Lutsk. Equipment from utility companies and other providers are being used. Background: On the night of 5-6 June, Russian troops conducted a large-scale drone and missile attack on Ukraine and Lutsk in particular. By morning, reports indicated a residential building had been partially destroyed and five people had been injured. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) There are 4,370 families in Massachusetts who are currently being housed in emergency housing in Massachusetts, the states biweekly report indicates. Operation Patriot nets 1,500 arrested by ICE in Massachusetts In December last year, the Healey Administration changed how it handles families needs and risks, and assigns them to shelters. They are placed on one of two tracks, the Bridge or the Rapid shelter. Both tracks have the overarching goal of making shelter stays rare, brief, and non-recurring, and aim to give families the resources they need to acquire stable housing and employment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bridge track families are considered to have higher or more complex needs and are permitted to stay in traditional shelters for up to six months. There are 4,206 families currently in this system. Rapid track families are determined to have lower support needs and are permitted to stay in temporary shelter sites for up to 30 days. There are 163 families currently in this system. The state is also working to transition families out of hotels and place them into safe and stable housing. Over the last 14 days, 836 hotel rooms have been in use for those in the emergency shelter system, and 166 have since been phased out. Number of families in Massachusetts emergency shelters: As of April 3rd, 4,370 families are in shelters or hotels, 2,366 of those entered Massachusetts as migrants, refugees, or asylum seekers. In western Massachusetts, around 537 families are being housed in emergency shelters. In western Massachusetts, there are currently no Rapid Track families at temporary respite centers. The following towns and cities have families in the Bridge track: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Amherst: 5 Chicopee: 26, 14 hotel rooms in use Greenfield: 7 Holyoke: 153 Pittsfield: 12 Springfield: 243 West Springfield: 7, 6 hotel rooms in use Reasons for homelessness Domestic violence or abuse: 364 Health and Safety Risk / Ask to Leave, Threatened Eviction: 834 Housing situation not meant for human habitation: 1,598 Fire, flood, or natural disaster: 23 Asked to leave a Teen Living Program: 10 Other: 1,110 Eviction: 433 In fiscal year 2024, the state spent $894 million on the system. In total, since October 2022, Massachusetts has spent over $58.4 million in supplemental funding for school districts across the state. Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP. DRAPER, Utah (ABC4) The Salt Lake County Health Department issued a boil water advisory for some WaterPro customers in Draper on Thursday around 6 p.m. WaterPro notified affected customers that there has been potential contamination to the drinking water system, outlined in the map below. As a precaution, the Utah Division of Drinking Water issued a boil order. WaterPro-Water-System-Potentially-Affected-AreaDownload Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WaterPro is one of two water utilities that serves Draper City, and customers served by the Draper City water company are not affected. According to WaterPro, the contamination came from a cross-connection between secondary and culinary water systems, allowing untreated water to enter the drinking water system. WaterPro is reportedly testing to determine bacteria levels in the water supply, and so far, chlorine levels observed have been normal. Residents and businesses in the affected area should boil tap water before using it or use bottled water. In order to properly boil water, it needs to be brought to a rolling boil for at least one minute and cooled before using it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Salt Lake County Health Department said that boiled or bottled water should be used for the following things until further notice: Drinking (pets and people) Making ice Brushing teeth Washing dishes Washing produce Bathing/showering Baby formula Food preparation Humidifiers, CPAP, and other medical devices Discard any stored water, drinks, and ice made from the water supply in the last 24 hours. Flush any humidifiers, CPAP, and other medical devices with boiled or bottled water. After the order is lifted, flush all water dispensers (including on refrigerators) and discard all ice made for 24 hours. According to the Salt Lake County Health Department, contaminated water can possibly expose you to: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bacteria (e.g., E. coli, Salmonella) Viruses (e.g., Norovirus, Hepatitis A) Parasites (e.g., Cryptosporidium) Chemical contaminants (e.g., fertilizers, pesticides) Drinking untreated water, or using it to bathe or brush teeth, can cause: Nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps or diarrhea Headache, fever or flu-like symptoms More severe illness in young children, older adults or those with weakened immune systems The Health Department urges anyone in the affected area who develops these symptoms to contact their health care provider. The full boil order is included below. WaterPro-Public-Notice-Potential-Water-ContaminationDownload Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. Joplins annual March for Jesus will take place at 9 a.m. Saturday, starting at Seventh Street and Joplin Avenue. It will continue to Third Street, cross over to Main and then finish at Sixth and Main streets, where there will be a worship service, prayer tents, baptisms and dancers. Organizer David Pizinger, senior pastor at Glorious Church Training Center, said everyone is welcome. Were calling everybody out into the streets, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This years theme is Jesus Christ Our Only Hope, and it will be reflected in the message, songs, banners and prayers at the event, Pizinger said. Parking is available downtown between Seventh and Fifth streets. If people arent comfortable walking, they can meet the march at its final destination for the worship service. People should bring seating for the event. The Joplin March for Jesus resumed about three years ago after a pause. Last year, around 900 people participated, and based on responses, organizers are expecting upward of 2,000 attendees this year. Pizinger said he has been fielding calls about the event from all over Missouri and Kansas. Im hoping to get the church outside of the walls of the church, Pizinger said. Second of all, were hoping to gather the body of Christ because John 17 says were just one body. Third of all, were inviting God to our city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The march is connected with the worldwide March for Jesus taking place on Pentecost weekend, marking the birth of the church. According to the events website, the marchs vision is to see the churches united in public worship and working together. Pizinger said the march traces its roots back to social action churches took in 1885 in England. The Salvation Army and the Methodist Church marched to Parliament with a petition of 343,000 signatures, demanding that the trade in child prostitution be stopped and the age of consent be raised from 13 to 16 years old. They succeeded, and laws were passed to prevent the mistreatment of minors. They went back to Joshua 6 and did the Jericho march, Pizinger said. From that, it started developing in other places. In the 1980s, Austin, Texas, brought it here. Its been going on ever since. I did some research on it, and theres over 60 million people since the conception who have marched. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pizinger said hes excited for Joplin to join in this movement. My heart when we started this was to not only get outside the walls, but how do you unify the body of Christ? Pizinger said. You do that by calling all of the churches and all the worshipers, and its been fantastic. People can find more information about the event on their Facebook page, March for Jesus Joplin. As the Donald TrumpElon Musk axis disintegrated spectacularly on Thursday, billionaires and investors were among the many who were transfixed by the public spat. During the melee, Musk posted a poll on X asking if it was time to create a new political party, drawing an endorsement from Mark Cuban, who has previously eyed a third party as well. During the heat of battle as Elon Musk publicly feuded with President Donald Trump on Thursday, the tech billionaire posted a poll on his social media platform X asking if its time for a new political party. That drew an endorsement from fellow billionaire Mark Cuban, who re-posted the poll and added three check marks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Entrepreneur Andrew Yang, who ran for president in 2020 and later cofounded the Forward Party, reposted Cuban and then floated a notional 2028 presidential primary that includes Cuban and JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon as well as other names like Matthew McConaughey and Oprah Winfrey. Cuban was a top surrogate for thenVice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 campaign but has flirted with third-party politics, though he has yet to run for office. In 2020, Cuban revealed he seriously considered running for president as an independent and even hired a pollster, but said he had long odds and his family was against the idea. Last year, Cuban confirmed he had past conversations with No Labels, a bipartisan group that sought ballot access for a third-party presidential campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He decided against a White House run, citing his family again, but told NBC News at the time, I think the two-party system is broken. While Cuban and Musk were on opposite ends of the 2024 race, the Shark Tank star was among the first to admit defeat on election night in November, and even congratulated Musk. To be sure, Cuban has continued to speak out against Trumps policies, but said in February he has no plans to make his own political run in the near future, telling an audience of anti-Trump conservatives, Hell no. Its not going to happen. Meanwhile, other billionaires and investors weighed on in the Musk-Trump spat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pershing Square CEO Bill Ackman posted on X that he supports both men and that they should make peace for the benefit of our great country. We are much stronger together than apart. And longtime Tesla investor Ross Gerber lamented Thursday that shareholders had seen $140 billion in market cap wiped out as the stock sold off, nearly matching what Musks Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) claimed to have saved the federal government in cuts. On Friday, Gerber said on X that Trump is vindictive and does not forget when hes been slighted. This doesnt get solved other than Elon groveling back and publicly apologizing, he added. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Sen. Marsha Blackburn (RTenn.) introduced a bill Wednesday that would make it a federal felony punishable by up to five years in prison to publish the name of a federal law enforcement officer with the intent to obstruct an investigation. Blackburn unveiled the "Protecting Law Enforcement from Doxxing Act" as masked Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are carrying out nationwide raids under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. These raids have sparked public protests and pushback from local officials, including Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell, who has released records of local police interactions with ICE that include the names of ICE agents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Blue city mayors are doing everything they can to obstruct the Trump administration's efforts to deport criminal illegal aliens," Blackburn said in a press release. "Just last week, Nashville Mayor O'Connell and his office doxxed federal law enforcement officers after the Trump administration worked with Tennessee Highway Patrol to arrest criminal illegal aliens." However, press freedom groups say the bill raises serious First Amendment concerns. "Public oversight and accountability relies on accurate news about law enforcement activity," Gabe Rottman, vice president of policy at the Reporter's Committee for Freedom of the Press tells Reason. "The bill is dangerously overbroad and could be used to chill newsgathering and reporting that is clearly in the public interest." Government employees, including law enforcement officers, generally don't have the presumption of privacy when it comes to information such as their names, salaries, and business conducted in public. Nevertheless, that hasn't stopped police and politicians from accusing people of "doxxing" officers for releasing public information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month, ICE agents stormed a house in Irvine, California, executing a search warrant for a man accused of putting up flyers around Los Angeles with photos, names, and phone numbers of several ICE agents operating in the area. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment from Reason to state what law the man was accused of violating. While the requirement in Blackburn's proposed law for an intent to obstruct an investigation would appear to provide some safeguard against abuse, Blackburn and other Republicans' comments make clear that their goal is to insulate ICE from transparency. When asked by reporters on Friday if he was OK with ICE agents not identifying themselves, House Speaker Mike Johnson responded, "Why, so they can target them? So they can put names and faces online and dox them? That's what these activists do." What Blackburn and Johnson's comments ignore is that an anonymous police force is an unaccountable police force. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For example, when New York City's Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) attempted to investigate the hundreds of complaints of police brutality and misconduct during the 2020 George Floyd protests, it was forced to close a third of the cases because it couldn't identify the officers involved. The CCRB noted that it faced "unprecedented challenges in investigating these complaints" due to officers covering their names and badge numbers, failing to turn on their body-worn cameras, and failing to file reports. Of course, it's already functionally impossible to sue a federal law enforcement officer for a civil rights violation thanks to the Supreme Court's evisceration of the Bivens doctrine, but the normalization of anonymous federal agents will further immunize them from other forms of oversight such as media, inspector general, and congressional investigations. There are already laws on the books to handle those who threaten federal officers or interfere in investigations. It's essential for government transparency, public trust, and the rule of law that the officials dictating and enforcing public policies can be identified by media outlets and citizens without fear of retribution. The post Marsha Blackburn Wants Secret Police appeared first on Reason.com. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-8th) addressed a crowd of hundreds outside NOAA's Silver Spring headquarters in March, just days after the Trump administration cut hundreds of jobs from the agency. (Photo by Jack Bowman/Maryland Matters) Marylanders affected by federal layoffs this year can now apply for an interest-free state loan to help them pay the bills in the short term, according a press release Thursday from the state Department of Labor. The Federal Emergency Loan Program is directed at the thousands of Maryland residents who have lost jobs in the federal government so far since the Trump administration began slashing the federal workforce to cut down federal spending. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The loan program was created this year under the new Protect Our Federal Workers Act, sponsored this year by Majority Whip Jazz Lewis (D-Prince Georges) and signed into law in April. The law expands the use of two current employee-assistance funds so they apply to federal workers laid off as the Trump administration rushes to slash the size of government. It also expands the authority of the attorney generals office to take legal action on behalf of laid-off federal workers in some instances, and it creates an expedited state hiring program for workers who lost jobs due to administration cuts. Lets be clear these federal workers didnt lose their jobs because they failed us, Lewis said in a written statement. They lost them because of reckless decisions in Washington that turned public servants into political targets. These are our neighbors, our veterans, our civil servants people who dedicated their lives to this country. The program offers a $700 interest-free loan for residents who qualify. Those residents must have been terminated from a federal job since Trump took office, in a mass layoff, relocation, or closure of a unit of the federal government, or in a similar situation beyond their control. Former federal workers must also demonstrate that they are experiencing financial hardships caused by the loss of their job in the loan application. Recipients have 180 days to pay the loan back, though they can ask for a 90-day extension if hardships continue. Federal contractors are not eligible for the loan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This loan program is an important piece of Marylands larger effort to respond to federal job loss, providing emergency financial assistance while we are also working to connect thousands of Marylanders to new job opportunities and help with career transition, Maryland Labor Secretary Portia Wu said in a written statement Thursday. Marylands workforce is uniquely susceptible to the effects of the federal layoffs, and its economy is heavily reliant on federal employment, due to the states proximity to Washington, D.C., though the exact scope of the impact to the state is challenging to calculate, according to labor department officials. So far, about 1,600 federal unemployment claims have been filed since the Trump administration started in January, the department said. In addition to the new loan program, the Moore administration is also working to connect laid-off federal workers with state jobs, among other measures, in an effort to mitigate those impacts. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) A Maryland lawmaker is reacting to Kilmar Abrego Garcia returning to the U.S. He was wrongfully deported more than two months ago to El Salvador due to an administrative error. According to a report from The Hill, the Trump administration moved to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. to face criminal charges stemming from a traffic stop that was made in Tennessee in 2022. I will not stop fighting until I see my husband alive: Fight continues over wrongly deported mans return to Maryland Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Court documents show that he is being charged with two counts related to the unlawful transportation of undocumented migrants. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released a statement about Abrego Garcias return to the U.S. He said it is about his constitutional rights & the rights of all. For months, the Trump Administration flouted the Supreme Court and our Constitution. Today, they appear to have finally related to our demands for compliance with court orders and with the due process rights afforded to everyone in the United States. As I have repeatedly said, this is not about the man, its about his constitutional rights and the rights of all. The Administration will now have to make its case in the court of law, as it should have all along. Sen. Chris Van Hollen Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. Another strike could soon hit grocery stores across Colorado, but this time at Safeway. An overwhelming majority of Safeway grocery workers across the Denver metro area voted on Wednesday and Thursday to strike against one of the states largest grocery stores, the United Food & Commercial Workers Local 7 announced late Thursday. The Denver metro region includes stores in Boulder, Louisville, Brighton, Broomfield, Castle Rock, Conifer, Evergreen, Idaho Springs and Parker. At the bargaining table, this employer is holding hands with King Soopers and City Market to propose major cuts to workers healthcare benefits, and to threaten the financial security of our pension beneficiaries on fixed incomes, while continuing to reject meaningful efforts to address chronic understaffing in stores, UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova said in a news release. She added Safeway and fellow grocer Albertsons have gone back on several agreements made during the negotiating process. A Safeway spokesperson said the company is committed to finding a deal. We remain committed to negotiating a contract that is fair to all parties, including our employees, and will continue to work to achieve that, a Safeway spokesperson said in an email. The outcome of the strike authorization vote does not change anything related to this process. Over the weekend, workers in other parts of the state, such as Estes Park, Fountain, Salida, Vail, Fort Morgan, Pueblo and Grand Junction, also voted to authorize a strike. The votes gave union leaders the green light to launch a strike against Safeway. A date for the strike to begin hasnt been set yet. Itll be the second major strike against a grocer in Colorado this year after the union representing the states grocery workers picketed against King Soopers over disagreements on contract negotiations. The February King Soopers strike of 10,000 workers ended when the two parties decided to extend negotiations for 100 days of peace, which has been extended until the end of this week for a new round of bargaining meetings. When the union got authorization from its Denver region workers to strike against King Soopers, workers set up picket lines nearly a week later. At the time, the union was encouraging customers to show support by shopping at Safeway instead. Featured Local Savings Now, its asking for people to join in its fight against Safeway. The looming strike was brought about for similar reasons as to what caused the picket against King Soopers earlier in the year: establishing a new contract. Safeway and the union have been in contract negotiations for nine months. In May, when it began to schedule strike votes, the union posted on Facebook insisting Safeways leaders are pushing for workers to take concessions. It said the two parties made progress to create a new alcohol and drug rehabilitation policy in contract negotiations and add protections to workers assigned to curbside delivery, but added that Safeway was far behind on many economic issues. Union leaders claimed the grocer is proposing lower wage increases than other competitors, health care cuts and isnt addressing chronic understaffing of stores. Safeway is owned and operated by Albertsons, which recently appointed Susan Morris as its new CEO. Morris began her career in Denver when she was 16 as a customer service clerk for the company. The company has 105 stores in Colorado, and only regions that authorized a vote and unionized stores can be affected by a strike. Most of the smaller towns that voted to strike only have one Safeway store in its area, according to the companys website. Grand Junction and Boulder each have three stores and Denver has 14. Kevan Kohlman, a Safeway worker in Grand Junction and a negotiating committee member, said in a press release that he voted to strike as he felt patient for months while Safeway ignored proposals on store staffing and other key issues. Time has run out, he stated. My co-workers and I have authorized a ULP strike to address our concerns and make our workplaces better for us and our customers. BALTIMORE A Maryland State Police trooper was sentenced Thursday to six years in federal prison after he admitted to passing information to a suspect in a drug case in exchange for cash. The sentence came after Justin Riggs, 35, pleaded guilty to drug and bribery charges, signing an agreement where the former corporal admitted to telling the drug distributor the name of an informant who had passed information to police. Federal prosecutors noted in court filings that the harm caused by Riggs soliciting bribes from a drug dealer was far-reaching and could have led to the informants death. Words do not accurately convey the damage caused by Riggs, who had been with the state police for 10 years, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum. Riggs leaked the information about the probe into a Western Maryland drug ring for a mere grocery bag of cash, they noted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Court documents show Riggs, of Smithsburg, was part of a team surveilling sales from cocaine and methamphetamine dealers. Those transactions, authorities said, were led by a confidential informant, who made several recorded purchases throughout 2022. According to his plea agreement, Riggs created a fake Facebook account that December and reached out to one of the suspected distributors, telling them that he was working for a federal agency on a very serious case. Im [sic] looking to receive payment for info I can give you and hopefully work with you for info you need in the future, Riggs wrote online. As a good faith measure, Riggs told the suspect that there was a magnetic tracker on his truck, hidden good under a wheel well, according to court documents. Removing the tracker, Riggs said, would alert police. So he suggested driving the truck across the country and leaving it there to throw everyone off. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also told the suspect that he had tons of information on an informant who was doing you dirty, court records show, but said that kind of intel would have to be bought I know whatll happen to the rat, he wrote in a message to the suspect. Like I said I can help you. By telling you the snitch. Once hes gone then youre case should be gone because he wont be able to testify against you, Riggs messaged the suspect. It ended up only costing around $1,800, which the alleged drug distributor left near dumpsters at a Red Roof Inn in Williamsport. Afterward, Riggs checked the suspects associates for warrants, the plea agreement says. Defense attorneys for Riggs wrote in court filings that the troopers catastrophic lapse in judgment was due to overwhelming financial pressure, severe PTSD, and cognitive impairment from toxic chemical exposure. They noted that the bribery case has destroyed his career and separated him from his wife and young children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They said he has genuine remorse for his actions and fully accepted responsibility for his conduct. In addition to the six-year sentence, U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher ordered for Riggs to be placed on three years of supervised release after he serves his time behind bars. ------------- COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) Marysville and Westerville LGBTQ+ groups said some businesses have shied away from sponsoring this years Pride festivals, while others have stepped up to fill the financial gap. The Union County Rainbow Coalition, host of Marysvilles Pride Fest, said it has encountered funding challenges as the coalition has spoken out against anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. That advocacy has yielded a drop in support from some local companies, according to organizers Christian Downey-Thompson and Betty Elswick. List: 2025 Pride Month events, festivals in central Ohio Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyve shied away because theyre more performative, Downey-Thompson said. They are all about throwing a party, but dont want to do any of the advocacy work that our group does to support the marginalized communities in Marysville. You cant just slap a rainbow on it and call it allyship; you actually have to do the hard work. The Union County Rainbow Coalition is hosting the Marysville Pride Fest on June 14 in Partners Park. (Courtesy Photo/Brigid Yates Photography) The Union County Rainbow Coalition is hosting the Marysville Pride Fest on June 14 in Partners Park. (Courtesy Photo/Brigid Yates Photography) The Union County Rainbow Coalition is hosting the Marysville Pride Fest on June 14 in Partners Park. (Courtesy Photo/Brigid Yates Photography) Issues have been ongoing since 2023, when a group named the Union County Faith Family Coalition began targeting drag performances and businesses hosting Pride events, like Walking Distance Brewing. The brewery permanently closed in February and hosted Pride events that were meant to further inclusion for Marysvilles LGBTQ+ community. Members of the Faith Family Coalition began taking to social media during the summer of 2023 to denounce the brewerys drag queen shows, hurling unfounded accusations of pedophilia and grooming. Consequently, some local sponsors withdrew their support when the Rainbow Coalition spoke out in defense of Walking Distance and other LGBTQ-affirming businesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We were told that they didnt want us speaking up against that, they wanted us to be quiet, and they wanted us to continue to have fun, Elswick said. Well, we tried to tell them that this is not how this works. It was a really hard conversation for them and some of them were unwilling to have the conversation. Out in Ohio: Stonewall Columbus gets ready for Pride 2025 Still, the Rainbow Coalition forged ahead with Marysville Pride Fest, taking place June 14 from 3 to 9 p.m. in Partners Park with vendors, nonprofits, animal sanctuaries, live bands and a comedian. The celebration is in part made possible by several Marysville families who stepped up to replace those local businesses with even larger donations. The coalition was also the recipient of prize money from Folx Health, an online healthcare provider for LGBTQ+ people. Weve got more genuine giving, people are giving because of us standing up, which has been really nice, Elswick said. Its kind of changed the tone of everything. Its been a positive thing on that front, is that people are giving because they want to do the work. They want us to continue our work and its a little bit more genuine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Westerville Queer Collective, the group behind Westervilles Pride Festival, has also been the beneficiary of more intentional donating, according to organizer Lee Bradford. Bradford said this Junes festival has about the same number of sponsors as last year, even though the collective has needed to do a little bit of extra campaigning in the wake of President Donald Trumps reelection and anti-LGBTQ+ proposals at the Ohio Statehouse. As much as I kind of look out into the wider world of hatred and bigotry, I feel like theres a comforting amount of support here, Bradford said. Weve been doing a little bit more about reaching out to local businesses and trying to find support those ways. The Westerville Queer Collecting is hosting Westerville Pride on June 7 in front of Birdie Books. (Courtesy Photo/Lee Bradford) A mural outside Birdie Books is the backdrop for Westerville Pride on June 7. (Courtesy Photo/Lee Bradford) The collective grew out of an effort in 2021 to fly a Pride flag outside City Hall, and is hosting Westervilles fifth annual festival from 5 to 8 p.m. on June 7 at the parking lot in front of Birdie Books, a LGBTQ-owned bookstore and longtime supporter of the collective. Bradford said the group has become a much larger part of the fabric of Westerville throughout the past years and has garnered community support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this year, Westerville became the 13th Ohio city to ban healthcare professionals in the city from engaging in anti-LGBTQ+ practices known as conversion therapy with minors. The practices falsely claim to change a persons sexual orientation or gender identity, and have been discredited by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and more. Bradford said this years Westerville Pride features more vendors, food trucks and an increased focused on resources from organizations. NV Gay, a nonbinary photographer known for This is Trans, a gallery showcasing diverse identities within the trans community, will also be at the festival to sign their recent book, The Queer Allies Bible: The Ultimate Guide to Being an Empowering LGBTQIA+ Ally. Ohio lawmakers call for 2026 ballot measure to overturn same-sex marriage ban I think the support here is actually way bigger this year than it was last year, everybodys been coming out and saying theyre excited for it, Bradford said. Its hard, but pulling it off and watching something that you worked so hard for come into fruition, and you see a big celebration in the middle of town, its so, so worth it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Marysville and Westerville are two of several central Ohio suburbs whose LGBTQ+ organizations have struggled organizing events while fending off anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. Delaware Ohio Pride, the organizers behind the city of Delawares Pride festival, told NBC4 in March that some local entrepreneurs who previously backed the organization have cut off support and no longer offer their businesses as event space since Trumps reelection. The Fairfield County Rainbow Alliance faced targeting last September when a group called the Fairfield County Conservatives spoke out in protest of a LGBTQ+ event hosted in downtown Lancaster. The debate culminated in a city council meeting where the conservative group argued the event featured an obscene drag show, but the citys top prosecutor said the performance was legally permissible and protected by the First Amendment. LGBTQ+ business owners in Lancaster said they saw a boost in sales when their shops were named to a list shared on social media by members of the conservative group. The entrepreneurs said the reverse happened when the group posted the list as part of an alleged boycott against businesses that support the LGBTQ+ community. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) Earning a high school diploma in Massachusetts looks a lot different now. This comes in response to ballot question number 2, part of November 5ths state election. Healey calls for Job Corps reopening Patrick Tutwiler, The Massachusetts Secretary of Education, was in Holyoke on Thursday. He heard out the concerns from educators and parents on the new graduation requirements. The graduating classes of 2026 and 2027 will be required to complete specific courses to receive a diploma. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What were doing now is taking the input, researching to understand how we want to shift and sort of reform the high school experience, and in the form of graduation requirements, Tutwiler states. Students are still required to take the MCAS exam. However, their scores will not be used as a requirement to graduate. Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP. At the Mass State Police Museum in Whitinsville, where the Massachusetts State Police honors its long, storied history, for the first time, the son of a murdered New Jersey State trooper met Friday with the two Massachusetts State Troopers who helped his family get justice back in 1982 In December 1981, NJ State Trooper Philip Lamonaco was shot and killed during a traffic stop. The manhunt to find his killer wound its way to a North Attleboro rest stop on Route 95 two months later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats when Mass State Trooper Paul Landry encountered a parked car with two men and a dog inside. As he investigated, he sensed something was wrong. Trooper Michael Crosby answered a backup call. Soon, they found themselves under gunfire. The driver rolled out of the front seat, went to the back of the car and went boom, boo, boom, Paul Landry said, remembering the gunfire. I made it to my cruiser, I was able to call in for help from Mass State Police, Michael Crosby remembered The driver got away, but the passenger was caught. And soon they were linked to a domestic terrorist group responsible for Trooper Lamonacos murder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These were the handcuffs that he had that night, it has his badge number on it. I carry them with me. Michael Lamonaco was 4 years old when his dad was killed. Today, he is a New Jersey State Trooper, like his father. How are you thinking of your dad right now? I asked Lamonaco. I think he would be very proud to see today come together the way that it did, Lamonaco said. Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble was a New Jersey State Trooper for 27 years. He says what happened back in 1981 and 1982 still matters today. It provides a compass. It provides a course that we can set for our todays troopers and future troopers, Colonel Noble said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michael Lamonaco was recently promoted to Captain by the NJ State Police This event. where his fathers ultimate sacrifice was remembered, was the first time hes worn his Captains bars in public. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW A woman who had worked in several Massachusetts school districts is accused of lying about her college degrees and falsely claiming to be a Purple Heart recipient, officials say. Lissa Lagasse, 57, of Lowell, was arrested Friday morning after an Essex County Grand Jury voted to issue 21 indictments against her for allegedly lying that she had undergraduate and advanced college degrees. She also falsely claimed to be a retired military combat veteran and a Purple Heart recipient, according to the Essex County District Attorneys office. Haverhill Public Schools Superintendent Margaret Marotta says Lagasse was hired as a science teacher at the high school in September. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After an incident involving her service animal, details and inconsistencies involving her background and credentials came under scrutiny. The district immediately placed her on administrative leave and conducted a thorough investigation. At the time of hire, Ms. Lagasse held a valid teaching license, and standard reference checks were completed with her previous school districts, with no concerns reported, Marotta said. As soon as red flags surfaced, the district acted swiftly and responsibly, prioritizing the safety and trust of our students, families, and staff. We have no further public comment due to the ongoing police investigation. Lagasse also taught in Lowell and Worcester, according to the DAs office. Boston 25 spoke to Lagasses brother-in-law, Michael Lagasse, who said the arrest came as a complete surprise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was a moment this morning where the detectives and police department, they went through her stuff on the dining room table, Michael Lagasse said. All they saw was a plaque with her purple heart on it. Most of the family I would have to say really doesnt trust her that much, Im not sure if I trust her that much but she tries, she tries to makes things work, she works hard, she just has a way of doing things that most of us are not aware of, Lagasse continued. The charges Lissa Lagasse is facing include three counts of pretending to hold degrees, identity fraud, reckless endangerment of a child, three counts of procurement fraud, two counts of stolen valor, six counts of uttering at common law, intimidation of a witness, three counts of larceny in excess of $1,200, and being a common and notorious thief in violation of Massachusetts law. Lagasse pleaded not guilty to the charges in Salem Superior Court Friday afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I never thought in a million years that this would ever happen, ever, Michael Lagasse said. Bail was set at $25,000. If she posts bail, she will be ordered to home confinement with GPS monitoring. She is due to return in court on Monday, July 28, the DAs office says. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Elon Musk just launched a war against the GOP. Now the partys hopes of holding onto power are at stake. Musk has gone from helping Republicans take total control of Washington spending nearly $300 million to become the single biggest known donor last year to attacking the highest-ranking leaders of the party and daring the rank and file to cross him. Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years, Musk said on X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The post was an unambiguous warning from the world's richest man, who has the power to single-handedly reshape elections with his wealth. It was not long ago that Republicans hoped Musk could pour cash into their efforts to help maintain control of Washington. Instead, hes becoming their public adversary. Musk spent Thursday online attacking President Donald Trump over Republicans massive tax-and-spending bill, which Musk says does not cut enough government spending. Hed already threatened to challenge Republicans who support the megabill; on Thursday, he blasted House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, took credit for Republicans winning trifecta control in November, and floated the idea of launching a third party. This is a massive crack in the MAGA coalition, said Matthew Bartlett, a Republican strategist and a former Trump administration appointee. This town is historically built on Republican versus Democrat, and this seems to be crazy versus crazy. It is asymmetric and it seems, for the first time, President Trump seems to be out-crazied. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just a few weeks ago, Republicans were still praising Musk for his financial backing in the 2024 election as they hoped he'd make a graceful return to the private sector after overseeing the administration's program to slash federal spending. Less than one week ago, Musk was in the Oval Office with Trump commemorating his time in administration as a special government employee. But that polite departure, it quickly became evident, was not going to happen. "Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave," Trump wrote on Truth Social, blaming Musks anger on the megabills removal of electric vehicle tax credits. He just went CRAZY! As Musks drama engulfed the party Thursday, Republicans in Congress mostly tried to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. Key GOP lawmakers in both chambers worked to downplay the potential effects on both the partys domestic policy package and on the GOPs midterms posture. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), who leads the House GOP campaign arm, told reporters Thursday that he hopes the spat will blow over. Before the breakup went nuclear, Hudson had said in a brief interview Wednesday evening that Musk has been a friend and hes just wrong about this bill. Even fiscal hard-liners who have embraced some of Musks talking points about the bill tried to avoid getting drawn into the fracas. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who at one point threatened to tank the megabill for not being fiscally conservative enough, said, "Elon crossed the line today ... we'll let those guys go play it out." "I don't disagree with him about our need to find more spending cuts," Roy added, but Musk needs to "keep it in the lines." Another hard-liner, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), said he believes Musk is losing sway within MAGA. Musk is just another shiny object, he said, and well deal with it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Musk appeared intent on turning his opposition to the legislation into a civil war for the party. He amplified two Kentucky Republicans, Rep. Thomas Massie and Sen. Rand Paul, who have been thorns in the side of Trump and GOP leaders trying to pass the bill. Even though Musk brought massive financial backing, he has also at times been an electoral problem for Republicans. His popularity has fallen below Trumps, and his biggest political effort this year the Wisconsin Supreme Court race ended with the conservative candidate losing by almost 10 points. Elon couldnt buy a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat. You really think that people are gonna be afraid of this money? said a person close to the White House, granted anonymity to discuss the dynamics. As Musks popularity faded, Republicans wondered how long his relationship with Trump could endure. On Thursday, Musk severed ties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He took shot after shot at Trump, accusing him of lying, replying yes to a post suggesting he should be impeached, and accusing him of having a cozy relationship with the deceased Jeffrey Epstein, who had been accused of sex trafficking. "What a predictable shitshow," said a person who has been in the room with both Musk and Trump. "Trump is a liar, and it was obvious Elon would not be able to go along with his incessant lying forever." A nervous Republican Party is now scrambling to figure out what the electoral fallout will look like, starting with next years midterms. Already, two of Trump's top campaign operatives, Chris LaCivita and Tony Fabrizio had signed up to work with Musk's Building America's Future PAC. But Musk's scorched-earth strategy could create dueling allegiances. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Privately, some Republicans are arguing they had already been preparing for next year's elections without Musk's money, and complained that America PAC the tech billionaires super PAC didn't spend its money effectively in House races last year. America PAC spent $19.2 million backing GOP candidates across 18 battleground House races last year, according to data from the Federal Election Commission. Republicans won 10 of those elections. But those were among the highest-profile and most expensive races in the country, and Musks group accounted for only 12 percent of Republican outside spending in them. It wasnt even the biggest GOP spender that was still the Congressional Leadership Fund, the primary super PAC affiliated with House Republicans. What Elon has is money, and if hes not going to put $100 million in the [midterms], thats a hole that has to be filled, said Chris Mottola, a GOP media consultant. "On the other hand, there was a question about how effective the money was that he spent, because he spent it the way he wanted to." Over the last few months, Musk has floated the idea of getting involved in the midterms, but hes also claimed he would step back from political spending. If Musk is going to go all-in against the party, hes going to need more than money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Are there enough good Republican operatives out there to go achieve this mission for Elon Musk when it means going up against the president?" said a former RNC official, granted anonymity to discuss the situation candidly. Everybodys got a price, but I dont think they are rushing to go help Elon further divide the Republican Party ahead of the midterms. Lisa Kashinsky, Jessica Piper, Holly Otterbein, Dasha Burns, Nicholas Wu, Sophia Cai, Jordain Carney and Meredith Lee Hill contributed to this report. A massive oak tree toppled over onto homes in Boston on Friday morning, crushing cars and ripping down power lines. The gigantic tree came crashing down across K Street in South Boston just after 5:15 a.m., according to the Boston Police Department. The uprooted tree damaged several homes, and its massive limbs smashed and trapped at least two cars. Photos and video showed power lines dangling in the street as crews assessed the extensive damage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I heard this loud crash. It almost sounded like a truck coming down and just smashing a bunch of cars, neighborhood resident Alicia Hillsamer told Boston 25 News. I saw sparks coming from across the street from where the power lines went down...Then I pivoted and I saw that the entire oak tree had just collapsed across the street. Boston police roped off the scene with yellow caution tape. Eversource and Boston Public Works crews have also been called to the scene. The tree fell hours before severe storms rolled through parts of the Bay State. There were no injuries reported. Massive tree down on K Street in South Boston. It fell on top of at least two cars and damaged several homes. Boston police report no injuries. Theyre working to remove tree now. @boston25 pic.twitter.com/fh2pSkqBC0 April Baker (@AprilBakertv) June 6, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) State lawmakers are attempting to pass legislation that would allow the Matunuck Oyster Bar to open back up on a limited basis. The South Kingstown mainstay went up in flames last month and has been closed ever since. The cause of the fire has since been deemed accidental in nature. Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee and Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski introduced legislation Friday that would allow the restaurant to set up outdoor seating in the parking lot across the street, which is owned by Matunuck Oyster Bars Perry Raso. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hagan McEntees legislation is set to be reviewed by the House Committee on Small Business next Tuesday. Sosnowskis companion legislation will also be discussed Tuesday in the Senate Committee on Housing and Municipal Government. SEE ALSO: Rhode Islanders distraught by fire at beloved oyster bar The goal of the legislation is to keep the restaurant up and running throughout the busy summer months. The legislation would allow the restaurant to establish a mobile kitchen and serve patrons at outdoor tables. The award-winning Matunuck Oyster Bar is a beloved part of the South Kingstown and Rhode Island community and everyone was devastated when the fire broke out a few weeks ago, Hagan McEntee said. Its success elevates the town and both locals and tourists alike have made this restaurant a true destination in Rhode Island. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This legislation is the least we could do to help weather the difficulties resulting from the fire, including keeping some of the restaurants workers employed during the busy summer season, she continued. Specifically, it amends the Take It Outside law that allowed food service establishments to operate outdoors during the pandemic. The proposed change would allow restaurants to provide temporary outdoor dining service any time a building or other structure used as a food service establishment is rendered uninhabitable by virtue of a casualty, such as a fire or flood. MORE: Fundraisers launched for Matunuck Oyster Bar If passed, the restaurants would be allowed to do so for 18 months or until the building is fit for occupancy. The current proposal notes that the legislation would sunset and expire on June 30, 2027. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our community was heartbroken by the fire at Matunuck Oyster Bar, and so many people have rallied behind Perry Raso and his employees during this difficult time, Sosnowski said. The fact that this happened on the cusp of the busy summer season is particularly devastating for Perry, the restaurants workers, and our entire community. As this cherished establishment works to rebuild, its important we do everything we can to support that process and the many people who rely on the restaurant for their livelihood, she added. Utilizing the successful approach of the Take It Outside law is a common-sense step that will help immediately. The proposed legislation requires municipal approval before it can be considered by lawmakers. The South Kingstown Town Council is scheduled to consider a resolution of support for it on Monday. RELATED: Matunuck Oyster Bar fire appears accidental Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Valarie Lawson have already expressed strong support for the legislation. Shekarchi said Raso was the one who came up with this creative approach. I pledged my strongest support to expedite this process with the House, he said, adding that he will also work with the Senate and town to make this happen quickly. Lawson stressed that she also plans on ensuring the passage of this legislation. While the news of the fire was truly devastating, the way Rhode Islanders have responded to support Perry and his employees has been extraordinary, Lawson said. Along with our partners at the State House and in South Kingstown, we will continue working to support everyone impacted as the restaurant rebuilds. Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the new 12+ smart TV app. Follow us on social media: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. (This story was updated to add more information.) A Milwaukee County jury on June 6 convicted 34-year-old Maxwell Anderson of killing and mutilating 19-year-old Sade Robinson last April. Jurors listened to eight days of witness testimony and delivered the verdict after less than an hour of deliberation. Here's what to know: Was Maxwell Anderson found guilty? Yes, jurors found Anderson guilty of first-degree intentional homicide, mutilation of a corpse, hiding a corpse and arson. How long did jurors deliberate? Jurors took about 45 minutes total to deliberate and find Anderson guilty of all charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They deliberated for about 15 minutes starting at 4:40 p.m. on June 5, and for about 30 minutes between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. June 6. What was Maxwell Anderson's reaction during the verdict? Anderson remained largely still as the verdicts were read out, appearing to swallow and blink a few times. What did Sade Robinson's mother, Sheena Scarbrough, say after the verdict? Scarbrough spoke to the media after the verdict, saying of her daughter: "She will be forever remembered as an angel. She is a hero." Scarbrough later urged support for missing Black and Brown women, and advocated for the creation of a state taskforce. More: Wisconsin lawmakers tried to create a task force for missing and murdered Black women. Will this year be different? What did Robinson's family attorney, Verona Swanigan, say after the verdict? Swanigan said the Robinson family will continue to pursue its civil case against Anderson. She added that Robinson's family hopes to force Anderson to participate in a deposition, so outstanding questions about her death might be answered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Anderson in June 2024, and sued the two bars Robinson attended with Anderson on the night of her death in April 2025. Later, the attorney chastised some media outlets' decision to publish graphic images during the proceedings. What did prosecutor Ian Vance-Curzan say after the verdict? Vance-Curzan said the state was feeling confident throughout the trial, going on to say authorities spent "countless hours" investigating. When a case is investigated the way this one was investigated, the evidence just spoke for itself, he said. The prosecutor also said he was thinking of Robinson's family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While we are satisfied with this verdict, our hearts go out to the family of Sade Robinson, he said. This is a tragedy, and Im just hopeful this verdict will be a step towards healing. What did Maxwell Anderson's attorney, Anthony Cotton, say after the verdict? Cotton told WISN-12 News he wasnt surprised by the jurys quick deliberation. We respect the jurys verdict, Cotton said. We understand they had a very difficult job to do. They obviously thought about it overnight. He also said there was a "sense of relief" with the end of the trial. Cotton reportedly received personal threats. My heart goes out to Sades family, he added. I cant imagine what theyre going through." When will Maxwell Anderson be sentenced? Anderson will be sentenced at 10 a.m. Aug. 15. What is the maximum sentence Maxwell Anderson could receive? A conviction for first-degree intentional homicide carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment in Wisconsin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's possible that Anderson could serve part of the sentence in prison and then be eligible for extended supervision, but it will be decided by a judge. Could Maxwell Anderson get the death penalty? No, Wisconsin doesn't have the death penalty. Chris Ramirez, David Clarey, Maia Pandey, Sophie Carson and Ariela Lopez contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Maxwell Anderson trial in Milwaukee: What to know about the guilty verdicts The family of Sade Robinson waited 14 months for justice in her murder and dismemberment. It took a jury only 45 minutes to deliver it. A Milwaukee County jury found Maxwell Anderson, a 34-year-old former bartender, guilty on all counts June 6, including first-degree intentional homicide. The quick verdict followed a closely watched, nearly two-week-long trial into the killing last April of Robinson, a 19-year-old Milwaukee college student. "She will be forever remembered as an angel," said Sheena Scarbrough, her mother and most prominent advocate. "She is a hero." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The killing and dismemberment of Robinson shocked the Milwaukee community and led to an outpouring of grief and anger over the gruesome nature of her death. For many, including Robinson's family, it also underscored the persistent, and often ignored, violence facing Black women and girls. As body parts began to be found throughout the area, Robinson's story gained national attention. Her supporters wore pink, held memorials in Robinson's honor and called for justice in her case. A year later, many in the Milwaukee area were riveted by the trial of Anderson, who remained silent and largely stoic throughout the proceedings. Prosecutors successfully made the case that Anderson and Robinson met for drinks and he later killed her, dismembered her body, hid her remains around the area and set her car on fire. Sade Carleena Robinson The guilty verdict, though, did not offer Scarbrough a measure of relief, she said. She spoke to reporters in front of more than a dozen pink-clad supporters outside the courthouse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's such a heavy weight," Scarbrough said. "There's no such thing as justice. We don't have her." Verona Swanigan, an attorney for Robinson's family, said justice would only be served with civil litigation, changes to the law, and a "continued effort" by everyday people and the media. "It has been a long year," Swanigan said. "It has been a mountain of grief no parent should have to bear." The jury, made up of nine women and three men, reached its verdict around 9 a.m. June 6. They had deliberated for about 15 minutes the prior afternoon and for about 30 minutes in the morning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anderson sat still as the verdicts were read out by Judge Laura Crivello. He appeared to swallow and blink a few times, and he continued to sit quietly with his brow furrowed as the jury left the room. Afterward, his attorney said Anderson likely would appeal the decision. Sheena Scarbrough pauses when asked about fond memories of her daughter at a press conference following the verdict of Maxwell Anderson in the homicide of her daughter, Sade Carleen Robinson in Milwaukee County Court on Friday, June 6, 2025. Anderson, 34, was found guilty in all charges in the homicide of Sade Carleen Robinson. Jury sifted through graphic testimony, photos to reach its decision Anderson was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilation of a corpse, hiding a corpse and arson in the death last April of Robinson. Anderson's sentencing hearing was set for Aug. 15. In Wisconsin, a conviction for first-degree intentional homicide carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. Prosecutors presented graphic autopsy photos and emotional testimony during the trial, which began May 27. Assistant District Attorneys Ian Vance-Curzan and Megan Newport made their case by introducing more than 65 witnesses and dozens of pieces of evidence extracted from cell phone location data, surveillance cameras and more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The prosecutors established a timeline starting from the evening of April 1, 2024, when Anderson and Robinson met for drinks, to the discovery hours later of Robinson's right leg on a shoreline at Warnimont Park. Other body parts began turning up in the days that followed at various locations around the county and in northeast Illinois. Anderson did not testify, and defense lawyers Anthony Cotton and Jason Findling did not offer any witnesses at trial. Prosecutors, lead investigator reflect on trial Speaking after the verdict, Vance-Curzan told reporters that the state was feeling confident throughout the trial, given the number of witnesses, hours of surveillance video and numerous law enforcement agencies involved in building the case against Anderson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Local, state and federal authorities spent countless hours compiling the case, he said. When a case is investigated the way this one was investigated, the evidence just spoke for itself, Vance-Curzan said. He also said he was thankful for his team and thinking of Robinsons family. While we are satisfied with this verdict, our hearts go out to the family of Sade Robinson, he said. This is a tragedy, and Im just hopeful this verdict will be a step towards healing. Sheena Scarbrough, second from right, surrounded by family and friends leaves Milwaukee County Circuit Court on Friday, June 6, 2025, following the verdict of Maxwell Anderson, 34, who was found guility in all charges in the homicide of her daughter Sade Carleen Robinson. Joann Donner, a detective with the Milwaukee County Sheriffs Office and the lead investigator on the case, said she worked exclusively on Robinsons case over the past 14 months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I lived and breathed it, Donner said, adding that she often visited Warnimont Park in her free time to reexamine the scene. Investigators did not determine exactly how Robinson was killed, and they did not have the specific weapon that would have been used in her dismemberment. Donner said that fact was increasingly frustrating throughout the investigation. Still, she said she knew in my gut that Anderson was guilty. Donner, who testified multiple times throughout the trial, added that it was difficult at times to suppress her emotions surrounding the gruesome murder and its effect on Robinsons family and community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I did go back to my office after the verdict, and I had a good cry, she said. Defense attorney says case was challenging In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Cotton expressed sympathy for Robinson's family. My heart goes out to Sades family, Cotton said. I cant imagine what theyre going through." He described the case as the most difficult Ive handled in my 20 years of practicing law. Cotton said he had no direct evidence to refute the state's case. That left him only with the option of challenging the states evidence and cross-examining the witnesses that the prosecutors brought to the stand. There were certainly flaws with the state's case. Our job is to expose and identify those flaws, Cotton said. How a jury responds to that is totally out of our hands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added that he and co-counsel Jason Findling respected the jurys verdict. "I thought there were a lot of unanswered questions here that I wasn't able to answer, and I thought perhaps the jury wouldn't be able to answer," Cotton said. Defense attorney Anthony Cotton (left) and his client Maxwell Anderson watch video of Anderson board a Milwaukee Transit bus carrying a large backpack during his trial in Milwaukee County court on Friday, May 30, 2025, Anderson is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilation of a corpse, and arson in the death of Sade Carleena Robinson. In closing argument, prosecutor called Anderson a 'killer' In closing arguments, Vance-Curzan summarized the timeline of events. He said that after they met for drinks, Anderson and Robinson went back to his home. Anderson later killed her, dismembered her, drove around the city to dispose of her remains, then set her car on fire, Vance-Curzan said. Vance-Curzan emphasized several facts: photos of Robinson appearing incapacitated found on Anderson's cell phone were deleted; DNA from the two of them was found on a sweatshirt he was wearing the day after their date; and the backpack he was seen wearing in bus security footage that next morning has never been found. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As he closed, Vance-Curzan turned to the dark details of Robinson's death and how they suggested intent. "What kind of person cuts off someone's head off? A killer, a killer who's trying get away with killing," Vance-Curzan said. "There is no question about the person responsible for doing it. The killer, it's him." In his closing argument, Cotton argued that the evidence prosecutors offered did not meet the threshold to convict Anderson. He noted that Anderson's DNA wasn't found in Robinson's burned-out car, and that her DNA wasn't found at Anderson's home. He also noted Anderson's casual demeanor in the security footage from local bars showing the two out on a date. "I didn't see any evidence of an intent to kill Sade," he said. More: Violence, legal troubles and few consequences: Piecing together the life of Maxwell Anderson Anderson's movements captured on surveillance footage Technology played a pivotal role in helping prosecutors illustrate how the final hours of Robinson's life came to an end. Investigators triangulated her phone's location using data from cell towers as well as an app on Robinson's phone called Life360. Those data points were mapped out to show the movements of her phone across the city that night. Warnimont Park was one of its last locations before it ran out of battery. Jurors also were shown video footage of Anderson that was retrieved from two Milwaukee County Transportation System buses. He was seen in one clip, taken by a passing bus, walking from between two buildings near 35th and Lisbon. Robinson's car can be seen in the same frame, burning in the background. A clearer picture of Anderson is captured just moments later as he climbed aboard the Route 35 bus, at a stop just five blocks from Robinson's abandoned car, and headed home. Other clips, collected by Milwaukee police and Milwaukee County Sheriff's officials from neighbors' Ring cameras and surveillance equipment from businesses, plotted for jurors the movements of Robinson's 2020 Honda Civic as it drove around the county hours after her death. Family, supporters of Robinson were a consistent presence at trial Throughout the trial, Scarbrough sat in the front row alongside other family members, directly behind prosecutors. At one point in the trial, after photos of her daughter's remains were shown, she shouted an expletive directed at Anderson as she left the courtroom. It prompted Crivello to tell her family that they needed to remain calm in spite of the details and images being discussed. When Vance-Curzan finished his closing argument, the Robinson family briefly applauded and did so again when he gave his rebuttal to Cotton's closing argument. When Anderson's guilty charges were read aloud, Robinson's family sat quietly. A few supporters seated behind them hugged one another. Sniffles could be heard coming from the gallery. The family of Anderson chose not to appear in court on June 6, given the widespread publicity of the case, according to Cotton, the defense attorney. Swanigan, an attorney for the Robinson family, said they intend to fight for legislation to combat the sex trafficking and kidnapping of women. And they will continue to pursue their civil case against Maxwell Anderson. The family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Anderson last June, and they sued the two bars Robinson attended with Anderson the night of her death. The family hopes to force Anderson to participate in a deposition so that many of their questions about Robinson's death might be answered, Swanigan said. "Sade will continue to walk with me daily and right beside me," Scarbrough said. "Her energy will be forever with us." This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Maxwell Anderson guilty of killing, dismembering Sade Robinson GRAVES COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) A Mayfield man was arrested on Wednesday morning and accused of assaulting a woman and holding her captive against her will. The Graves County Sheriffs Office (GCSO) posted on Facebook that around 1:45 a.m. on Wednesday, June 4, a woman walked up to a residence and said shed been assaulted. Deputies were dispatched to Old Dublin Road, west of Mayfield, where the investigation began. Kentucky man accused of not registering as a sex offender with ties to NC, Vermont at large Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An initial investigation reportedly showed that the woman had allegedly been assaulted and held against her will overnight from Wednesday to Thursday by Michael West, 41, of Mayfield. The GCSO wrote that when West fell asleep, the woman was able to run to a nearby residence to call for help. She was then taken to the Jackson Purchase Medical Center. Later that morning, Graves County deputies went to Wests home to look for him after issuing a search warrant. West also had two other warrants for his arrest, the sheriffs office wrote. Around 9 a.m. on June 4, after trying to get him to come outside, deputies entered Wests home, where he was found hiding inside. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wests home and vehicle were processed as evidence in the kidnapping investigation, according to Graves County officials. He was arrested and taken to the Graves County Restricted Custody Center before being lodged in the Christian County Jail. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: West was charged with: Kidnapping with serious physical injury Second-degree assault domestic violence West was also charged with failure to appear in court and contempt of court libel, slander, and resistance to orderin connection with two previous arrest warrants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputies said the victim was released from the hospital and is recovering from her injuries. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News. Nearly five months after a firestorm laid waste to a wide swath of Pacific Palisades, Mayor Karen Bass announced Friday that the global infrastructure firm AECOM will help develop a master plan for rebuilding the area, as well as a plan for reconstructing utilities and other infrastructure. The firm will work alongside both the city and Hagerty Consulting, which Bass tapped as a recovery contractor in early February, according to the mayor's office. Hagerty, an Illinois-based disaster recovery firm, has a yearlong contract with the city for up to $10 million but has faced persistent questions about the specifics of its work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: As L.A. rebuilds from the Palisades fire, residents ask: What's the plan? The mayor's office did not immediately answer when asked Friday whether Hagerty's role was being scaled back. In late January, the mayor, along with four council members and other city officials, heard presentations from Hagerty, AECOM and a third firm also seeking to be the city's disaster recovery contractor. After Bass selected Hagerty in February, she said the city was still in discussions with AECOM about a separate contract. An unprecedented natural disaster requires an unprecedented, all-hands-on-deck response all levels of government, philanthropy, the private sector and educational institutions coming together to support the community and rebuild as quickly and safely as possible, Bass said in a written statement Friday. AECOMs expertise in long-term infrastructure planning and design will only further expedite our work to get families home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The mayor's office also did not immediately respond when asked whether the city now has a contract with AECOM, or what the specifics of that contract, including the compensation, are. Steve Soboroff, a longtime local developer and Bass' former chief recovery officer, publicly criticized Bass' decision to choose Hagerty over AECOM as the city's initial disaster recovery contractor. In an interview in mid-April as he was leaving his post, Soboroff raised questions about Hagerty's role and said he thought AECOM should have been hired instead. Along with developing a comprehensive rebuilding master plan and supporting the Palisades' infrastructure reconstruction, AECOM will help coordinate broader public and private rebuilding efforts. The company will work on a "logistics plan for materials management in coordination with local builders and suppliers" as well as a master traffic plan as more homeowners leap into the rebuilding process, according to a news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement AECOM is also the "official venue infrastructure partner" for the 2028 Olympic Games, according to a March news release from LA28. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) Mayor-elect John Horhn outlined his top priorities for the City of Jackson. At the top of the list is the citys budget. Horhn is also focused on restoring trust with residents, as well as building relationships with the county, state and federal government. I think we will begin to address those kinds of restorations by putting a good team of people together, he said. Horhn said each of those relationships has been fractured, but he wants to restore them on his first day as mayor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mississippians turn out for 2025 municipal elections The county has had a an interlocal agreement sitting on the mayors desk for several years that the mayor (Chokwe A. Lumumba) would not sign, for whatever reason. It would allow the county to come in and bring more resources to pave streets, to repair. And so, were going to sign that that interlocal agreement on day one, Horhn stated. He believes the relationship between the city and the state needs the most attention. House Speaker Jason White recently said the state wants to be a willing partner with the city. Were excited about new leadership for the City of Jackson and what that may afford a relationship with the state that is more positive and better for all Mississippians, White said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Horhn, hes had good conversations with leadership in the legislature, saying they want to help. Weve had very productive conversations with the leadership of the Senate, leadership of the House, and even a call from the governor saying, We want to try to help the City of Jackson become the city that we all want it to be,' Horhn said. He wants to leverage those relationships to try and get some work done. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJTV. After serving eight years as the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, Charles McCall is now vying to be the next governor of Oklahoma. McCall was elected to House District 22 in 2012 and elected Speaker in 2016, serving as the states longest-serving Speaker of the House. Outside of his political role, McCall is the CEO and Board Chairman of AmeriState Bank in Atoka. He previously served as Mayor of Atoka from 2005 to 2012. According to his campaign, while serving as Speaker, McCall focused on getting the states fiscal house in order, helped decrease personal and corporate income taxes and was the leader of there Parental Choice Tax Credit, which allowed parents control over their childrens education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When I came into speakership in 2017, it was just the worst of times here in the state of Oklahoma fiscally, McCall said. Wed done a four-year contraction, no reserves, cut budgets, just really difficult. And I was picked to be the speaker because of that, because I was a banker. McCall said the caucus chose him to help navigate the state out of a bad financial situation, which he said was achieved in about two years, he said. The past six has been record year after record year, he said. So Oklahomas now in a place where were not in a hole. We are thriving, we have reserves now, he said. What motivates me (to run for governor) and what Im excited about is the opportunity thats on the horizon for the people, the state of Oklahoma, as well as businesses. I think were just right on the cusp of taking another huge step forward. He said the economy doubled its output in the past six years and the appropriated budget, which was about $6 billion when he became Speaker, is about $13 billion today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oklahoma is no longer a flyover state. We are a fly-to state, McCall said. We have people with great values and good work ethic. So Oklahomas starting to be recognized on the national stage. Were already, in some areas, were the best in the country already. But we really, once again, were just on the cusp of being able to have a real breakthrough for the people of the state economically. He said the next governor of Oklahoma needs to be somebody with business experience and success while also knowing how the government operates and being able to seize opportunities. He said Oklahoma has yet to land a big industry or company moving to the state, adding that the state has been on the shortlist but is always bumped out. The state has seen growth and success in the aviation and aerospace industry, McCall said, which is the states second largest industry beating out agriculture and tourism. McCall said he thinks Oklahoma has the best opportunities to grow in the technology sector. Our low cost of energy and low cost of living and natural resources and our proximity in the country make us the ideal choice. We just have to have the right environment, the right incentive, McCall said. I really think thats where the opportunity is. Were seeing a lot of investment in the state around technology right now. Data centers, in (particular) are the most emerging technology everybody is chasing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The growth of data centers, and companies interest in building centers in Oklahoma, was a topic of discussion during a legislative summary in Chickasha with Rep. Dick Low, R-Amber, and Brad Bowles, R-Marlow back in February. Boles said it takes the same amount of power required for 250,000 houses to power one 500-megawatt data center. During the meeting with Grady County locals, Boles said potential centers would have to go through the Southwest Power Pool, which takes about two years to get approval. Boles also said he authored a bill during this years legislative session that would allow data centers or large industrial companies to come to Oklahoma if they were off the grid. This would require the companies to provide their own power generation to the facility while going through the two year process to be added to the grid. McCall said data center companies want to come to Oklahoma because the state has the power capacities but added that the state is approaching some capacity within the power grid and will need to bring additional generation to that state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also said he believe rural areas have the opportunity to grow as people are looking for more space to live, for quality of life and more space to roam and run, adding that he believes thats why people are leaving Dallas and Houston. EDUCATION While Speaker, McCall authored the bill that created the Parental Choice Tax Credit allowing parents control over their childrens education and providing a income tax credit that can be used for tuition and fees for eligible private school educations. McCall said education was a top priority for him as Speaker and will continue to be if elected governor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think the legislatures done what it needs to do in supporting the funding of education but theres some things that need to happen in the executive branch of government, McCall said. Despite having an elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction, McCall said he believe the next governor will need to push for a very disciplined plan to improve the states education outcome. Thats something that Im prepared to do. I dont think it can be accomplished, you know, in year one or year two, he said. I dont want to give anybody the expectations that we will move our education outcomes from 48th or 49th to in the twenties in two years. But tackling the problem We just need to have some discipline on it and we need a good plan that addresses our weaknesses and deficiencies within education. INCOME TAX Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In terms of finding success in economic development, McCall said he believes one of the keys is to bring down personal income tax. He said the state should follow the model Tennessee used, which decreases income tax over time as the economy grows. Weve got to get down to zero because right now, people have a choice to move to Oklahoma or Texas They are going to bypass Oklahoma because they get a 4.75% raise immediately just by living in Texas, McCall said. They may drive over to Oklahoma for their job, but they want residency there just because theyre saving money on the personal income tax. McCall added that every time income tax was lowered while he was Speaker, the states revenue increased because there was more money left in individuals pockets. Theyre gonna spend it but they get to spend it the way they want to, McCall said. It comes back to the state after it bounces around here (in) Chickasha, at Norman. Both at the city and county level, it throws off consumption revenue to the state of Oklahoma. I think every time we bring that personal income tax rate down and we quit taxing productivity and just focus on consumption, thats a net positive for the state. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has confirmed a case of measles in a county resident who recently traveled internationally. Health officials said the individual visited multiple public locations on May 28 while potentially infectious. Those who were at the following sites during the listed timeframes may have been exposed: Costco , 18659 Via Princessa, Santa Clarita, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Trader Joes , 19037 Golden Valley Road, Santa Clarita, from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Walmart, 25450 The Old Road, Stevenson Ranch, from 3:15 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Measles is a serious respiratory disease that spreads easily through the air and on surfaces, particularly among people who are not already protected from it, Dr. Muntu Davis, Los Angeles County Health Officer, said in a statement. The best way to protect yourself and your family is with the highly effective measles vaccine. Symptoms of measles include: High fever (may spike to more than 104) Cough Runny nose (coryza) Red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis) Symptoms usually appear within 7 to 14 days. Officials also urge residents to confirm their measles immunity status as the summer travel season begins, particularly in light of ongoing outbreaks across the U.S. and abroad. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The last measles case in a Los Angeles County resident was reported in May. Public Health encourages residents to get vaccinated through their health care provider or at participating low-cost clinics. For more information on measles and available resources, visit ph.lacounty.gov/measles or call 2-1-1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. Shari Redstone, the media mogul who has been trying to sell Paramount in a politically fraught transaction, is undergoing treatment for cancer. Redstone was diagnosed with thyroid cancer earlier this spring, her spokesperson said in a statement. While it has been a challenging period, she is maintaining all professional and philanthropic activities throughout her treatment, which is ongoing. She and her family are grateful that her prognosis is excellent, the spokesperson added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Redstone, 71, controls Paramount Global, the media company that owns CBS, cable channels like MTV and Comedy Central and the Paramount Pictures movie studio. She has been in talks to sell her stake in the company since 2023, and she has a deal on the table with Skydance Media, which was founded by David Ellison. But the deal needs government approval, and it has run into political roadblocks, chiefly President Trumps much-lambasted lawsuit against CBS over a 60 Minutes segment last fall. Redstone has been encouraging Paramount to settle with Trump a move that could look like a payoff in exchange for government approval and which would spark an outcry from CBS News journalists. Officially, the merger review process and the Trump lawsuit are totally separate matters. But unofficially, people both inside and outside CBS see connections, with Redstone believing that a settlement would be in the best interests of the company. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Redstone and her family also stand to make more than $2 billion if the Skydance deal takes effect. Conversely, Paramount would likely have to pay a $400 million breakup fee if it doesnt. Redstone has not commented publicly on the matter. The New York Times broke the news of the cancer diagnosis on Thursday evening. While she closely monitors developments at Paramount and remains eager to see a deal with Skydance completed, she continues to be occupied with medical consultations and treatment, The Times reported. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Researchers have uncovered handwritten letters, court documents, and a coroners report related to the nearly 700-year-old cold case murder of a medieval priest. Published on June 5 in the journal Criminal Law Forum, the investigation draws on direct archival evidence from Cambridge University that is helping fill in the gaps to a high-profile true crime scandal that would make headlines even today. But despite a mountain of firsthand accounts, the murders masterminds never saw justice. The planned and cold-blooded crime On Friday, May 3, 1337, Anglican priest John Forde began a walk along downtown Londons Cheapside street after vespers (evening prayers) shortly before sunset. At one point, a clergyman familiar to Forde by the name of Hasculph Neville approached him to begin a pleasant conversation. As the pair neared St. Pauls Cathedral, four men ambushed the priest. One of the attackers then proceeded to slit Fordes throat using a 12-inch dagger as two other assailants stabbed him in the stomach in front of onlookers. The vicious crime wasnt a brazen robbery or politically motivated attack. It was likely a premeditated murder orchestrated by Ela Fitzpayne, a noblewoman, London crime syndicate leaderand potentially Fordes lover. Advertisement Advertisement We are looking at a murder commissioned by a leading figure of the English aristocracy. It is planned and cold-blooded, with a family member and close associates carrying it out, all of which suggests a revenge motive, Cambridge University criminology professor Manuel Eisner explained in a statement. The location of the murder of John Forde on May 3, 1337. Credit: Medieval Murder Maps / University of Cambridges Institute of Criminology / Historic Towns Trust. A longstanding feud To understand how such a brutal killing could take place in daylight on a busy London street, its necessary to backtrack at least five years. In January 1332, the Archbishop of Canterbury sent a letter to the Bishop of Winchester that included a number of reputation-ruining claims surrounding Fitzpayne. In particular, Archbishop Simon Mepham described sexual relationships involving knights and others, single and married, and even with clerics in holy orders. The wide-ranging punishments for such sinful behavior could include a prohibition on wearing gold and other precious jewelry, as well as large tithes to monastic orders and the poor. But the most humiliating atonement often came in the form of a public walk of shame. The act of contrition involved walking barefoot across Salisbury CathedralEnglands longest navein order to deliver a handcarried, four-pound wax candle to the church altar. Whats more, Archbishop Mepham commanded that Fitzpayne must repeat this penance every autumn for seven years. Fitzpayne was having none of it. According to Mephams message, the noblewoman chose to continue listening to a spirit of pride (and the devil), and refused to abide by the judgment. A second letter sent by the Archbishop that April also alleged that she had since absconded from her husband, Sir Robert Fitzpayne, and was hiding in Londons Rotherhithe district along the Thames River. Due to this, Archbishop Mepham reported that Ela Fitzpayne had been excommunicated from the church. Image of the Archbishop of Canterburys letters to the Bishop of Winchester on the subject of Ela Fitzpayne, from the register of John de Stratford. Credit: Hampshire Archives and Hampshire County Council. Raids and rats But who tipped the clergy off to her indiscretions? According to Eisners review of original documents as part of the Cambridge University Institute of Criminologys Medieval Murder Maps project, it was almost certainly her ex-lover, the soon-to-be-murdered John Forde. He was the only alleged lover named in Archbishop Mephams letters, and served as a church rector in a village located on the Fitzpayne familys estate at the time of the suspected affair. Advertisement Advertisement The archbishop imposed heavy, shameful public penance on Ela, which she seems not to have complied with, but may have sparked a thirst for vengeance, Eisner said. Not least as John Forde appears to have escaped punishment by the church. But Fordes relationship with the Fitzpaynes seems to have extended even more illicit activities. In another record reviewed by Eisner, both Ela Fitzpayne and John Forde had been indicted by a Royal Commission in 1322. The crimeassisting in the raid of a Benedictine priory alongside Sir Fitzpayne. They and others reportedly assaulted the priory a year earlier, making off with around 18 oxen, 30 pigs, and 200 sheep. The monastery coincidentally served as a French abbeys outpost amid increasing tensions between France and England in the years leading up to the Hundred Years War. Archbishop Mepham was almost certainly displeased after hearing about the indictment of one of his own clergy. A strict administrator himself, Mepham was keen to enforce moral discipline among the gentry and nobility, added Eisner. He theorizes that Forde copped to the affair after getting leaned on by superiors, which subsequently led to the campaign to shame Ela Fitzpayne as a means to reassert the Churchs authority over English nobility. Forde, unfortunately, was caught between the two sides. John Forde may have had split loyalties, argued Eisner. One to the Fitzpayne family, who were likely patrons of his church and granted him the position. And the other to the bishops who had authority over him as a clergy member. Advertisement Advertisement Archbishop Mepham ultimately wouldnt live to see the scandals full consequences. Fitzpayne never accepted her walk of shame, and the church elder died a year after sending the incriminating letters. Eisner believes the Fitzpaynes greenlit their hit job on Forde only after the dust had seemingly settled. It doesnt help their case three bystanders said the man who slit the rectors throat was none other than Ela Fitzpaynes own brother, Hugh Lovell. They also named two family servants as Fordes other assailants. Archbishop Mepham died four years before Fordes murder. Credit: ampshire Archives and Hampshire County Council Turning a blind eye Anyone waiting for justice in this medieval saga will likely be disappointed. Despite naming the killers and clear knowledge of the instigator, when it comes to pursuing the perpetrators, the jury turn[ed] a blind eye, Eisner said. Eisner explained the circumstances surrounding an initial lack of convictions were simply implausible. No one supposedly could locate the accused to bring to trial, despite the men belonging to one of Englands highest nobility houses. Meanwhile, the court claimed Hugh Lovell had no belongings available to confiscate. Advertisement Advertisement This was typical of the class-based justice of the day, said Eisner. In the end, the only charge that ever stuck in the murder case was an indictment against one of the familys former servants. Five years after the first trial in 1342, Hugh Colne was convicted of being one of the men to stab Forde in the stomach and sentenced to the notorious Newgate Prison. An extraordinary individual As dark and sordid as the multiyear medieval drama was, it apparently didnt change much between Ela Fitzpayne and her husband, Sir Robert. She and the baron remained married until his death in 1354when she subsequently inherited all his property. Where rule of law is weak, we see killings committed by the highest ranks in society, who will take power into their own hands, whether its today or seven centuries ago, said Eisner. Advertisement Advertisement That said, the criminology professor couldnt help but concede that Ela Fitzpayne was an extraordinary individual, regardless of the era. A woman in 14th century England who raided priories, openly defied the Archbishop of Canterbury, and planned the assassination of a priest, he said. Ela Fitzpayne appears to have been many things. The rift between US President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk is also being followed in Russia, where it has led to some mocking comments. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev offered on the X platform to facilitate a peace agreement between Trump and Musk "for a reasonable fee" and to accept Starlink shares as payment. At the same time, he called on the two not to argue. The Russian state news agency TASS reported on Friday that Duma deputy Dmitry Novikov said that although he did not expect Musk to need political asylum, Russia could "of course" grant it to him if he needed it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, on the other hand, told TASS that the dispute was an internal matter for the US. "We have no intention of interfering or commenting on it in any way," he said. Trump would take care of it himself. After months of collaboration and mutual back-slapping, Musk and Trump are now engaged in an open mudslinging match. The dispute was sparked by a tax bill pushed by Trump that Musk opposes. On Thursday, Trump abandoned all restraint in response to Musk's days of criticism and wrote that the Tesla boss had "gone crazy." Musk, for his part, posted numerous attacks on Trump on X. Melbourne residents can now find out exactly whats happening in their neighborhoods, thanks to a new crime-tracking tool. The Melbourne Police Department has launched a new interactive map that enables residents to view reported crimes. Those crimes can be found by neighborhood or incident type. Melbournes police chief says it will bring transparency and awareness. The data will be updated daily. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. BOWIE, Md. (DC News Now) The Bowie Police Department (BPD) is mourning the loss of its very first K-9 to ever join the force. K-9 Rooster served with the department for six years. He was a loyal companion to our officers and our civilian staff, the department stated on social media. K-9 Rooster made significant contributions to many arrests and assisted in narcotics and search warrant cases. Aisha Braveboy projected winner for Prince Georges County executive Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement BPD said he was a beloved community figure, engaging in the departments National Night Out, making visits to schools and other City activities. His memory will be cherished. He will be greatly missed, BPD stated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday called for a review of subsidies awarded to Elon Musk's companies, sparking fears of tougher regulatory scrutiny across the billionaire's ventures in the transportation, energy and space sectors. Below is a list of U.S. regulators who oversee Musk's companies, including automaker Tesla, rocket and satellite company SpaceX, brain implant company Neuralink, social media platform X and construction firm The Boring Company. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Tesla faces ongoing oversight from U.S. auto safety investigators about the safety of its vehicles especially when using advanced driver assistance systems. Last month, the regulator asked the EV maker for more information after reviewing online videos of a robotaxi allegedly using the wrong lane and of speeding by another driverless vehicle, shortly after Tesla launched a limited, paid robotaxi test service in Austin, Texas. The agency is reviewing the responses to its questions about the safety of the robotaxi in poor weather among numerous issues. The NHTSA has been investigating Tesla's full self-driving collisions in reduced roadway visibility conditions since October. Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission in April voted to open a review of the decades-old spectrum sharing regime between satellite systems sought by SpaceX. SpaceX wants access to new spectrum from the FCC in the coming years to speed deployment of satellite-based internet service. The review by the U.S. telecom regulator aims to allow a greater and more intensive use of spectrum for space activities. Existing reductions approved in the 1990s limit power usage that prevent better coverage from SpaceX's Starlink and other systems. Food and Drug Administration The FDA oversees the clinical trials for Neuralink, Musk's brain implant company, deciding whether such trials can take place and whether Neuralink can eventually sell its device to consumers. The agency already approved such trials in the U.S. Neuralink has also been pursuing clinical trials outside the U.S, including in Canada. The FDA had initially rejected Neuralink's request to start clinical trials, citing safety risks, Reuters reported in 2023. The agency has since given the startup approval to do clinical trials, which are ongoing. Environmental Protection Agency SpaceX faces environmental regulations from the EPA, which oversees the company's wastewater discharges at its operating site in Texas. The company's operations are also subject to environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, with several agencies including the Fish and Wildlife Service required to analyze the impact of the company's rocket launches and landings on land, water and wildlife. Federal Aviation Administration In September, the FAA proposed a $633,000 fine against SpaceX for failing to follow license requirements in 2023 before two launches. That investigation remains open. The FAA could also impose new restrictions or additional scrutiny after a series of explosions of SpaceX launches. Securities and Exchange Commission Musk is embroiled in litigation with the SEC over his 2022 takeover of Twitter, with Musk now due to respond to those allegations this month. The regulator also had opened an investigation into his company Neuralink according to a December letter from Musk's lawyer he posted on social media platform X. Federal Trade Commission The FTC is a consumer protection agency that ensures social media companies like Musk's platform X protect children's privacy and safeguard Americans' data. The FTC, which also enforces antitrust law, recently opened a probe into coordination between media watchdog groups, some of whom Musk has accused of orchestrating an illegal group advertiser boycott against his social media site. (Reporting by Chris Sanders, Chris Prentice, David Shepardson, Rachael Levy and Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Sriraj Kalluvila) BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida celebrated a volunteer who has gone above and beyond in fulfilling the organizations mission of empowering youth in Bay County. The 2025 Virginia Thomas Big of the Year Award in Bay County recognizes a mentor who exemplifies extraordinary commitment, compassion, and service to the youth in the community. The non-profit organization named Gage Proctor as this years recipient. Proctor has been a mentor or Big Brother with the organization since 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over the past three and a half years, Proctor has helped his mentee, or Little Brother, Khayman, academically and socially. Proctor was surprised and humbled by the honor. He said this is by far the easiest award hes ever earned. This was an easy award to win because I just get to hang out with him [Khayman] and its fun. And its a good time. Its always been a good time, said Proctor. Khaymans family called Proctor one in a million. The Virginia Thomas Big of the Year Award is named in honor of longtime community advocate, Virginia Thomas, who moved to the Panama City area in 1965 and quickly immersed herself in service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida is in need of more mentors for their program. To learn more about becoming a Big, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to mypanhandle.com. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged US President Donald Trump to put more pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine, even as the American leader suggested there wasnt much he could do. Merz, who took office one month ago and in February said Europe needed independence from the US, avoided an Oval Office blowup with Trump through a great deal of mutual flattery, which is known to be Trumps most important currency, Der Spiegel wrote. Despite the congenial encounter, the meeting highlighted the gulf between Europe and Trump on ending the war: Trump spoke of the conflict as if he were a bystander, The New York Times noted, comparing Russia and Ukraine to two young children fighting like crazy. Meta has removed a number of ads promoting "nudify" apps AI tools used to create sexually explicit deepfakes using images of real people after a CBS News investigation found hundreds of such advertisements on its platforms. "We have strict rules against non-consensual intimate imagery; we removed these ads, deleted the Pages responsible for running them and permanently blocked the URLs associated with these apps," a Meta spokesperson told CBS News in an emailed statement. CBS News uncovered dozens of those ads on Meta's Instagram platform, in its "Stories" feature, promoting AI tools that, in many cases, advertised the ability to "upload a photo" and "see anyone naked." Other ads in Instagram's Stories promoted the ability to upload and manipulate videos of real people. One promotional ad even read "how is this filter even allowed?" as text underneath an example of a nude deepfake. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One ad promoted its AI product by using highly sexualized, underwear-clad deepfake images of actors Scarlett Johansson and Anne Hathaway. Some of the ads' URL links redirect to websites that promote the ability to animate real people's images and get them to perform sex acts. And some of the applications charged users between $20 and $80 to access these "exclusive" and "advance" features. In other cases, an ad's URL redirected users to Apple's app store, where "nudify" apps were available to download. Meta platforms such as Instagram have marketed AI tools that let users create sexually explicit images of real people. An analysis of the advertisements in Meta's ad library found that there were, at a minimum, hundreds of these ads available across the company's social media platforms, including on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, the Facebook Messenger application and Meta Audience Network a platform that allows Meta advertisers to reach users on mobile apps and websites that partner with the company. According to Meta's own Ad Library data, many of these ads were specifically targeted at men between the ages of 18 and 65, and were active in the United States, European Union and United Kingdom. A Meta spokesperson told CBS News the spread of this sort of AI-generated content is an ongoing problem and they are facing increasingly sophisticated challenges in trying to combat it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The people behind these exploitative apps constantly evolve their tactics to evade detection, so we're continuously working to strengthen our enforcement," a Meta spokesperson said. CBS News found that ads for "nudify" deepfake tools were still available on the company's Instagram platform even after Meta had removed those initially flagged. Meta platforms such as Instagram have marketed AI tools that let users create sexually explicit images of real people. Deepfakes are manipulated images, audio recordings, or videos of real people that have been altered with artificial intelligence to misrepresent someone as saying or doing something that the person did not actually say or do. Last month, President Trump signed into law the bipartisan "Take It Down Act," which, among other things, requires websites and social media companies to remove deepfake content within 48 hours of notice from a victim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although the law makes it illegal to "knowingly publish" or threaten to publish intimate images without a person's consent, including AI-created deepfakes, it does not target the tools used to create such AI-generated content. Those tools do violate platform safety and moderation rules implemented by both Apple and Meta on their respective platforms. Meta's advertising standards policy says, "ads must not contain adult nudity and sexual activity. This includes nudity, depictions of people in explicit or sexually suggestive positions, or activities that are sexually suggestive." Under Meta's "bullying and harassment" policy, the company also prohibits "derogatory sexualized photoshop or drawings" on its platforms. The company says its regulations are intended to block users from sharing or threatening to share nonconsensual intimate imagery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Apple's guidelines for its app store explicitly state that "content that is offensive, insensitive, upsetting, intended to disgust, in exceptionally poor taste, or just plain creepy" is banned. Alexios Mantzarlis, director of the Security, Trust, and Safety Initiative at Cornell University's tech research center, has been studying the surge in AI deepfake networks marketing on social platforms for more than a year. He told CBS News in a phone interview on Tuesday that he'd seen thousands more of these ads across Meta platforms, as well as on platforms such as X and Telegram, during that period. Although Telegram and X have what he described as a structural "lawlessness" that allows for this sort of content, he believes Meta's leadership lacks the will to address the issue, despite having content moderators in place. "I do think that trust and safety teams at these companies care. I don't think, frankly, that they care at the very top of the company in Meta's case," he said. "They're clearly under-resourcing the teams that have to fight this stuff, because as sophisticated as these [deepfake] networks are they don't have Meta money to throw at it." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mantzarlis also said that he found in his research that "nudify" deepfake generators are available to download on both Apple's app store and Google's Play store, expressing frustration with these massive platforms' inability to enforce such content. "The problem with apps is that they have this dual-use front where they present on the app store as a fun way to face swap, but then they are marketing on Meta as their primary purpose being nudification. So when these apps come up for review on the Apple or Google store, they don't necessarily have the wherewithal to ban them," he said. "There needs to be cross-industry cooperation where if the app or the website markets itself as a tool for nudification on any place on the web, then everyone else can be like, 'All right, I don't care what you present yourself as on my platform, you're gone,'" Mantzarlis added. CBS News has reached out to both Apple and Google for comment as to how they moderate their respective platforms. Neither company had responded by the time of writing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Major tech companies' promotion of such apps raises serious questions about both user consent and about online safety for minors. A CBS News analysis of one "nudify" website promoted on Instagram showed that the site did not prompt any form of age verification prior to a user uploading a photo to generate a deepfake image. Such issues are widespread. In December, CBS News' 60 Minutes reported on the lack of age verification on one of the most popular sites using artificial intelligence to generate fake nude photos of real people. Despite visitors being told that they must be 18 or older to use the site, and that "processing of minors is impossible," 60 Minutes was able to immediately gain access to uploading photos once the user clicked "accept" on the age warning prompt, with no other age verification necessary. Data also shows that a high percentage of underage teenagers have interacted with deepfake content. A March 2025 study conducted by the children's protection nonprofit Thorn showed that among teens, 41% said they had heard of the term "deepfake nudes," while 10% reported personally knowing someone who had had deepfake nude imagery created of them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk alleges Trump's name appeared in Epstein files as feud escalates What to know about President Trump's travel ban on nationals from 12 countries Trump says he's disappointed by Musk criticism of budget bill, Musk says he got Trump elected Unhealthy air returned to metro Detroit on Friday afternoon, June 6, as smoke from Canadian wildfires continued to drift into Michigan. An air quality advisory is in effect across southeast Michigan through 12 a.m. Saturday, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energys alert through the National Weather Service. As of 2 p.m., much of metro Detroit fell under the unhealthy group listing, according to AirNow.gov. Elsewhere in the area, air quality was deemed moderate rather than good or unhealthy for sensitive groups. A haze covers downtown Detroit on Friday, June 6, 2025. The air quality advisory was issued for Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, St. Clair, Washtenaw, Monroe, and Lenawee counties. Several southern Michigan counties are also under an advisory until midnight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Canadian wildfire smoke engulfs Michigan's Mackinac Bridge, causing it to disappear More: We were not prepared: Canada fought nightmarish wildfires as smoke became US problem The environmental agency reported that particle pollution could occasionally reach levels that are unhealthy for everyone, not just sensitive groups, according to a June 5 release from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments. Those levels werent expected to persist, but Saturday could see moderate air quality levels, according to the June 5 release. When possible, residents should avoid strenuous activities, especially if they have heart disease and respiratory diseases like asthma, according to the weather service alert. They should also monitor for symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, dizziness or burning in the nose, throat and eyes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Residents are also asked to avoid contributing to air pollution during the advisory by avoiding outdoor burning and the use of residential wood-burning devices. Michigan's current air quality The map below displays the current air quality at monitoring sites in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Air monitoring sites are color-coded based on the pollutant (ozone or particulate matter) with the highest value. Particles that are less than 10 micrometers and 2.5 micrometers in diameter are called PM10 and PM2.5, respectively. An AQI of 50 or below means the current air quality is good. The shaded areas of the map show the approximate boundaries where air quality is available and listed as anything other than good. The information is updated hourly. Good Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moderate Unhealthy for sensitive groups Unhealthy Very unhealthy Hazardous Air Quality Index guidelines (ozone and particle pollution) Some people are more sensitive to air pollution because of their age or health. People who are active or work outdoors are also at higher risk when the air quality is poor. Health concerns related to poor air quality may include difficulty breathing, coughing or wheezing and more serious health effects such as lung damage, asthma attacks, heart attacks and stroke. Here's how to interpret the Air Quality Index values, according to the U.S. EPA: Good (0-50) : The level of pollution in the air is of little to no risk. Moderate (51-100) : For people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution, a moderate health concern may exist. Unhealthy for sensitive groups (101-150): People who are more sensitive to air pollution may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected. Unhealthy (151-200): Some people may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects. Very unhealthy (201-300) : An alert is triggered; the general population is at risk for more serious health effects. Hazardous (301-500): Emergency conditions health alert: Everyone is likely to be affected. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more information about air quality, visit AirNow.gov. Free Press reporter Kristi Tanner contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Canada wildfire smoke affects metro Detroit, Michigan air quality The Mexican naval vessel that struck the Brooklyn Bridge last month was towed across the East River to the Brooklyn Navy Yard early Friday, where it will be dry-docked and repaired, city officials said. The U.S. Coast Guard set up a safety zone in the East River Friday morning so the ARM Cuauhtemoc could be slowly towed to its new berth, city Office of Emergency Management officials said. Two crew members died on the ship when its masts snapped off upon striking the underside of the iconic East River span on May 17. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crew members on the masts were left dangling in the air by their harnesses after the East River crash, but no one ended up in the water, video of the horrific crash showed. After leaving the pier, the ship accelerated backward, ultimately reaching a speed of about 6 knots, NTSB Investigator in Charge Brian Young said last month. At 8:24 p.m., the VHF radio broadcast was sounded requesting assistance from other tugboats in the area of the bridge, Young said. At 8:24 and 45 seconds, the vessels masts struck the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge avoided serious damage and was never at risk of collapse, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board was still investigating what caused the crash, but engine failure coupled with strong currents is suspected. The safety zone on Friday caused minor delays on the Staten Island Ferry toward lower Manhattan, but the Cuauhtemoc was docked by the Brooklyn Navy Yard by 7:30 a.m., officials said. Relocating a naval vessel by tow through an active waterway required detailed planning, unified command, and constant communication, OEM said on X. The ship was heading for Iceland when it drifted into the East River span, which is about 30 feet lower than the ships masts. It was supposed to head south to refuel in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, before heading out of New York Harbor and was never meant to sail under the bridge. According to the FDNY, at least 19 of those aboard were treated for injuries, with 11 initially in critical condition. The deceased were identified as America Yamilet Sanchez, 20, and Adal Jair Marcos, 23. TAOS COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) The New Mexico Environment Department and the New Mexico Department of Health are hosting a free domestic well water testing event in Taos on Saturday, June 14 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Taos Farmers Market. The first 100 participants will receive the free test. Story continues below Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The results will be mailed to their house within two to three weeks. Participants are asked to bring their own water sample to the event. Theyre also asked to bring basic information such as well depth, depth to water, well casing material, well latitude and longitude and distance from the well to the nearest septic tank or leachfield system. You can find guidelines on how to collect those samples below: Let the water run for two to three minutes before collecting the sample Fill a clean glass or plastic container without any odors with at least a quart or liter of your well water If the home has a whole house filtration system, collect the water at the well head prior to any filtration or softener systems, if possible Fill the container with water as close to the time of testing as possible If someone is unable to attend but wants their well water tested, a family member or neighbor can bring the sample to the event. That sample must be clearly labeled with the owners name, phone number, address and well information attached. Private well owners in Taos County can come to this water fair and find out more about the quality of their household drinking water, Ground Water Quality Bureau Chief Justin Ball said. When we know whats in our well water, we can take action. Free testing helps our communities stay informed and healthy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You can find upcoming events by the New Mexico Environment Department on their website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. Jun. 5SANTA FE With her second term as governor nearing its final stanza, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has been here, there and everywhere. Since the 60-day legislative session ended in March, the governor has spent more time outside New Mexico than she has in the state, with trips to Asia, Maryland, Los Angeles and the Kentucky Derby. Specifically, the governor has spent 40 of the 76 days since the session ended on March 22 fully or partially out of state, according to a Journal analysis of her official calendar and shared records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just this week, Lujan Grisham led a state delegation to Alaska, where she met with Trump administration officials and attended an energy summit. The Governor's Office says the trips are in the interest of the state by forging possible business partnerships and advocating for federal resources. "The governor's travel is of significant benefit to New Mexico's economic development, efforts to secure federal funding and other policy initiatives," said Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Jodi McGinnis Porter. "Each trip is strategically planned to deliver tangible results for New Mexico families and businesses." She also told the Journal the Governor's Office is in regular contact with Lt. Gov. Howie Morales about the governor's travel schedule to ensure state business is unaffected and agencies are ready to respond in case of emergency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Per the state Constitution, Morales serves as acting governor while Lujan Grisham is out of state. He said in April he was in frequent communication with the Governor's Office when he signed more than 30 executive orders freeing up state funding for recovery efforts connected to damages from flooding and wildfires. With most of New Mexico currently experiencing drought conditions, McGinnis Porter said the governor is staying up to speed on the latest risks even when traveling outside New Mexico. "The governor ... maintains full engagement on wildfire preparedness from any location while staying informed on fire activity throughout the state," she told the Journal. Longtime New Mexico political observer Brian Sanderoff said out-of-state travel by elected officials can sometimes be fodder for criticism by political opponents. But he said Lujan Grisham might feel more freedom to travel with her tenure as governor winding down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The governor can not seek a third consecutive term, so she's going to feel a lot less constrained politically about travel, both nationally and internationally," said Sanderoff, who is the president of Albuquerque-based Research & Polling Inc. The costs for the governor's busy travel schedule have been paid for by a mix of state and outside groups, depending on the trip. For instance, her Alaska trip was paid for with taxpayer dollars, while her travel to Chicago for last year's Democratic National Convention event was covered by her political action committee, according to the Governor's Office. Meanwhile, Lujan Grisham's trade mission to Japan and Singapore in April and a similar trip to India last year were paid for by the New Mexico Partnership, an Albuquerque-based nonprofit group that focuses on business recruitment efforts. Lujan Grisham also traveled out of state extensively last year, including a trip to Mexico. She also crisscrossed the country last fall to stump for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor, who will finish her second term in office at the end of 2026, has increasingly clashed with Democratic lawmakers over crime and public safety issues in recent years. She said at the end of this year's session she planned to call lawmakers back to Santa Fe this year to tackle legislation dealing with juvenile crime and firearm restrictions, but later said no such special session was imminent. When Michele Kaemmerer showed up at firehouses in the 1990s, she sometimes encountered firefighters who didn't want to work with her and would ask to go home sick. Los Angeles fire officials supported Kaemmerer, the city's first transgender fire captain, by denying the requests. If the slights hurt her, she didn't let it show. "She really let things roll off her back pretty well. Some of the stuff was really hurtful, but she always had a good attitude," said Janis Walworth, Kaemmerer's widow. "She never took that out on anybody else. She was never bitter or angry." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kaemmerer, an early leader for transgender and women's rights at a department not known for its warm welcome to women and minorities, died May 21 at age 80 of heart disease at her home in Bellingham, Wash. She is survived by Walworth and two children. A Buddhist, a Democrat, a feminist and a lesbian transgender woman, Kaemmerer busted stereotypes of what a firefighter was. She joined the LAFD in 1969 long before she transitioned in 1991 and became a captain 10 years later. Being in a fire, inside of a building on fire, at a brush fire its adrenaline-producing and its great, Kaemmerer said in a 1999 episode of the PBS show In The Life, which documented issues facing the LGBTQ+ community. The episode featured Kaemmerer when she was captain of Engine 63 in Marina del Rey. The men and women here feel very stressed out having a gay and lesbian captain, Savitri Carlson, a paramedic at the firehouse, said in the episode. You have to realize, this is not just a job. We live, sleep, shower, eat together, change together. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Kaemmerer brushed off the snubs. Theyre forced to live with a lesbian, yes, she said, laughing as she prepared a meal at the firehouse. And it doesnt rub off. Those close to her said that Kaemmerer, who retired in 2003, was able to deal with the scrutiny and snide remarks because she was an optimist who saw the best in people. She really didnt dwell on that stuff, said Brenda Berkman, one of the first women in the New York City Fire Department, who met Kaemmerer in the 1990s through their work for Women in the Fire Service, now known as Women in Fire, which supports female firefighters across the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suspicion sometimes came from other women. When Kaemmerer joined Women in the Fire Service, some members didn't want her to go with them on a days-long bike trip. Some argued that Kaemmerer was "not a real woman," wondering what bathroom she would use and where she would sleep. "She made clear she would have her own tent," Berkman recalled. "I said to my group, 'We can't be discriminating against Michele not after all we've fought for to be recognized and treated equally in the fire service. She has to be allowed to come.'" Kaemmerer joined the trip. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Born in 1945, Kaemmerer knew from an early age that she identified as a woman but hid it out of fear of being beaten or shamed. She cross-dressed secretly and followed a traditional life path, marrying her high school sweetheart (whom she later divorced), joining the Navy and having two children. "I was very proud of her [when she came out]," said Kaemmerer's daughter, who asked not to be identified for privacy reasons. "It takes incredible courage to do what she did, especially in a particularly macho, male-driven career." When she came out as transgender, Kaemmerer was captain of a small team at the LAFD, with three men working under her. "It was very difficult for them," she said in the PBS interview. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kaemmerer focused on her work. During the 1992 L.A. riots, her fire truck was shot at as she responded to fires, Berkman said. In the PBS interview, Kaemmerer said that some firefighters who knew her before she transitioned still refused to work with her. Some women who shared a locker room with her worried that she might make a sexual advance. Most firefighters sleep in the same room, but Kaemmerer sometimes didn't, so others would feel comfortable. "Sometimes I will get my bedding and I will put it on the floor in the workout room or the weight room and sleep in there," she said in the PBS interview. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As she was talking to PBS about her experience as a transgender woman in the fire department, the bell sounded. "That's an alarm coming in," she said, standing up and walking out of the interview. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. State Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) broke down a new package of "polluter pay" bills at an Oct. 25, 2023 press conference. | Kyle Davidson Democratic lawmakers in both the Michigan House and Senate announced Friday they would be taking another stab at legislation to hold polluters accountable for cleaning up contamination. For years, Michigan Democrats have introduced polluter pay legislation seeking to alter the current regulations on polluter responsibilities, which lawmakers and environmentalists argue have left taxpayers holding the bag. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michigan is home to tens of thousands of contaminated sites, many of which are orphan sites where the responsible party is either no longer in business, or cannot be identified. Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor), a longtime advocate for polluter pay policies, said in a statement that the bills would put liability where it belongs: with the polluters. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Its shocking that Michigan law doesnt require polluters to actually clean up their mess or even report all spills, Irwin said, noting the reintroduced package of bills aims to ensure more thorough cleanups and comprehensive spill reporting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the previous legislative session, Irwin, alongside Rep. Jason Morgan (D-Ann Arbor), led the introduction of renewed polluter pay bills intended to give state regulators more tools to enforce environmental cleanups. After the introduction of the renewed package in October 2023, the bills were subject to workgrouping with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and various industry stakeholders. Although several of the bills in the previous package passed through the Democratic-led Michigan Senate, the efforts never came to a vote in the House, as partisan bickering and party infighting left the Houses previous Democratic leadership unable to hold session at the end of their term. With Republicans now in control of the chamber, the reintroduced polluter pay policies will likely face an uphill battle in the House, though Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) told the Michigan Advance that it would be great to see the policies move forward in some form. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a statement from Irwins office, several of the renewed polluter pay bills have already been introduced in the Michigan House, with the rest set to be introduced next week. Additionally, Sen. Sean McCann (D-Kalamazoo), who chairs the Senate Energy and Environment Committee, said he intends to hold a hearing on the bills next week. Proposals in the 2025 polluter pay bills include: Stricter pollution reporting and cleanups requirements; Creating an avenue for EGLE to update cleanup criteria as researchers learn more about contaminants while prioritizing the removal of contamination over implementing use restrictions; Allowing individuals exposed to hazardous substances to sue polluters for the cost of medical monitoring; Allowing the state to hold polluters accountable for cleanup costs and damages to the environment from contaminants not regulated before 1994, such as PFAS; And extending the statute of limitations for individuals harmed by pollution by beginning the timeline when the pollution is discovered, in line with the federal discovery rule. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats were unable to advance the policies while they held control of both Legislative chambers, but Nick Occhipinti, state government affairs director for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, said the policies are still viable, even in a split-power Legislature. You do any polling on asking Michiganders if polluters should pay to have both legacy and existing sites cleaned up to protect public health, to redevelop those sites and return them to the community, return them to prosperity, they are overwhelmingly in support, Occhipinti said. Polling in May 2023 from Democratic-leaning public policy polling found 93% of 901 Michigan voters surveyed supported requiring polluters to clean up their contamination, rather than requiring taxpayers to foot the bill. Getty Images After five years of public name-calling, being called a smut peddler and a pedophile by a woman from a far-right group advocating book bans, West Michigan librarian Christine Beachler is finally pushing back. Beachler recently filed a civil lawsuit against the woman, Stefanie Boone, who is associated with the group Moms for Liberty, which specifically advocates against school curricula involving LGBTQ+ content and themes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The harassment Beachler experienced, and the back-and-forth legal battle that is now playing out as a result, was just one more instance of Michigan libraries and librarians facing attacks from right-wing groups dedicated to excising LGBTQ+ related materials from their shelves. Earlier this week, Michigan Advance highlighted additional efforts in Hartland and in Lapeer to sequester, move or label materials conservative library board members have deemed inappropriate for children and many with LGBTQ+ characters or content. But for Beachler, the legal fight shes facing in Lowell is personal. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an interview with Michigan Advance, Beachler, who has held her position as a librarian for more than 20 years, said Boone has waged a relentless smear campaign against her, and that her efforts to challenge books in Lowell Area Schools have not been in good faith nor in the benefit of any child attending the district. Parents have several options to work with the district to ensure they have oversight over the books their children read, Beachler said. There are opportunities to challenge books in the library, a path to require permission to check out books, and other options to direct students away from consuming media their parents might disagree with. But Boones actions have gone beyond that, as she has read excerpts from books out of context at school board meetings, Beachler said, and posted floods of untrue statements about her on Facebook saying she provides pornography to minors, all culminating in Beachler filing a civil lawsuit against Boone on May 13. Its just really hard to talk about. Thats why Ive actually been working from home a lot. I mean being called a groomer, being called a pedophile, I was called a whore, a smut peddler, Beachler said. Ive been an educator for 37 years and how can somebody call somebody that name that has invested their life in working with kids? Its very hurtful and obviously untrue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last June, Boone filed her own lawsuit against Beachler, as well as the school district and several school employees for what she says are violations of her parental rights to challenge indoctrination of students. Boone is being represented by former Republican Michigan attorney general candidate and attorney Matt DePerno, who is currently facing felony charges for reported mishandling of voting equipment after the 2020 election. [The] defendants have continued to groom children by fostering relationships that include secrecy, undue influence, control, and pushing personal boundaries, Boone said in her lawsuit against Beachler. [The] defendants have attempted to and have desensitized children to DEI, SEL, sex, social justice issues, alternate sex and gender ideologies, and liberal political ideology, and through manipulative behavior by showing them pornography or discussing sexual topics with them, and have introduced the idea of sexual contact. Boone did not return a request for comment at the time of this storys publication. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The years of false statements and accusations published on Facebook posts and through public comments at school board meetings came to a fever pitch in February. Beachler said Boone interrupted a tour Beachler alongside two students of a large-scale renovation of a school library to ask where the mature section was. Beachlers lawsuit said Boone filmed the interaction, posting the video with the caption Which way to the PORN section please?, which was reposted by individuals with large social media followings like former Republican gubernatorial candidate Garrett Soldano. I put up with it for five years. I sent a cease and desist order and asked her to stop. Its only amplified. Its only gotten worse, to the point where I was getting threats, Beachler said. Half of my hair fell out and Ive broken several of my teeth from grinding my teeth and I couldnt even work for quite a while because I just couldnt come here without even crying. In the nearly four decades Beachler has worked in education, Beachler said never before has there been such disrespect and dishonesty when it comes to criticisms of educators. And as Michigan faces a teacher shortage in schools that are already struggling to catch kids up on learning losses from the COVID-19 pandemic, Beachler said misinformation campaigns about the books kids have access to at school take time away from the learning experience. Anyone has the right to talk about how much they disapprove of a book, Beachler said, and Boone can post all she wants on Facebook about how she hates whats in the school library. Thats her First Amendment right, Beachler noted. But thats not what Boones rhetoric or lawsuit is about, she added: its about destroying trust in public schools at any cost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lowell is a tight-knit small town community, which Beachler said is filled with very wonderful people who lean conservatively, but in general dont expect people to conform to their own beliefs. There have been, however, some members of the Lowell community that believed what Boone was selling them, especially grandparents, Beachler said. Some of the books that were being brought to their attention, with passages read out of context, arent even in the school library, Beachler said. And when Boone posted her video in February, Beachler said there was a switch in the community who did not support the calls for violence against her. Several members from the community stood up during the packed March 10 Lowell Area Schools Board of Education meeting following Boones video posting, who extolled their disgust for the mistreatment of the librarian with calls for civility in conversations about books. So much of this is being done straight from the Moms for Liberty people. It has been done from a Christian movement, and the behavior and the way that they have treated me is so anti-Christ, its been so the opposite of how a Christian person would treat somebody, with respect and truth, Beachler said. We can have a difference of opinion. Thats absolutely fine, and you have the right to make those decisions for your children, but again, to be mean-spirited and say untrue things about a person and call them horrific names has been incredibly hurtful to me and to my family. Attendees cheer at a gun safety rally at the state Capitol Building on April 22, 2025 | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols Several firearm safety and control bills addressing a ban on bump stocks, serializing ghost guns and codifying the Michigan Capitols concealed and open carry ban into law were advanced to the Michigan Senate on Thursday. The bills were moved forward by the Senate Judiciary Committee following additional testimony on the reintroduced package but not before the panel heard emotional testimony from gun violence prevention and safety advocates and gun rights groups, the latter of whom opposed the bills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate Bill 224 would ban bump stocks, devices that let users essentially convert their semi-automatic weapons into rapid firing weapons. A bump stock was one of the primary tools used in the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, the deadliest in American history. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2024 struck down federal rules created after the shooting that defined a semi-automatic weapon equipped with a bump stock as an automatic weapon, which was already banned under law. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The federal high courts decision, however, has not deterred Michigan Democrats from seeking ways to ban them at the state level. Michigan would join 17 others in adopting a similar policy. Sponsored by Sen. Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia), Senate Bill 224 would add bump stocks to a list of disallowed firearms equipment in Michigan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Destructive weapons of war should never have a place in our communities, yet devices that allow individuals to convert a rifle into a functioning machine gun remain legal in our state, Polehanki said. And let me be clear: these are not tools for sport or self-defense. Bump stocks are used to inflict maximum harm in seconds, and their continued availability puts every one of our communities at risk. Thats unacceptable, and its time for a change. Senate Bills 331 and 332, both sponsored by Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak), would prohibit the purchase, possession and distribution of firearms without valid serial numbers, which are commonly referred as ghost guns because they are untraceable in federal and state firearms registries. McMorrows bill would make a first offense a misdemeanor with a penalty up to a $5,000 fine and one year in prison. Successive offenses would be considered felonies with up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. A member of McMorrows staff delivered testimony on Thursday, but in a statement issued following the committee hearing, the senator said ghost guns were designed to deliberately evade accountability, requiring no background checks, no serial numbers and no way to trace them if used to commit a crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As we see law enforcement officers recovering these untraceable firearms at an alarming rate, Michigan cant afford to wait, McMorrow said. Just as rapidly as new weapon production methods emerge and evolve, so too must our laws and public safety efforts. Our communities deserve nothing less. Polenaki also sponsored Senate Bills 225 and 226 along with Sen. Rosemary Bayer (D-West Bloomfield). The bills would make the Michigan Capitol Commissions open and concealed carry bans law, and would also apply to the Anderson House Office Building and the Binsfeld Senate Office Building. At least 26 other states have a similar ban in place to maintain the safety of their Capitol grounds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bayer during testimony on Thursday recounted the fear she felt when armed protesters stormed Michigans Capitol and remained in the Senate chambers gallery, which several senators said made them feel intimidated as they voted on important legislation. Those types of threats and intimidation have no place in any work environment, especially not one where the work of the people is being done, Bayer said. Every day, we have students and teachers, parents and public servants walk the halls of our Capitol. Its our responsibility to make sure they feel safe doing so, and this legislation will help ensure all people feel safe freely participating in our states democracy. Members of Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action and various other gun safety groups, like Brady and Giffords, testified Thursday in support of the measures, hoping they would keep firearms out of the Capitol and keep ghost guns and bump stocks out of the hands of future mass shooters. Linda Danders with Moms Demand Action said from the very first time armed extremists showed up at the Capitol to intimidate lawmakers, her group knew there was a real and imminent threat to the safety of Michiganders and the states democracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats why weve been urging Michigan lawmakers to prohibit guns in the Capitol, Danders said. Thanks to the efforts of many in this room, open carry of firearms in the Capitol Building is now prohibited, but there is still a dangerous loophole left for individuals to carry concealed, loaded handguns into and on Capitol grounds, including in this building. Tom Lambert, legislative director for Michigan Open Carry, said he was opposed to the package, calling it another episode in the continuing series of people who hate guns, dont know what theyre talking about and they dont care, referring to Senate Democrats push for greater gun control. You have serious Second Amendment issues, you also have serious Fifth Amendment issues. Not only are you taking lawfully possessed property that people acquire lawfully and possess lawfully today and youre prohibiting it, youre in the alternative requiring them to deface these items that, again, lawfully, do not have a serial number on them, Lambert said of the ghost guns bill. If you put one of these federally regulated serial numbers on them, you will decrease the value of those items, some of which are worth a significant amount, which constitutes a Fifth Amendment taking. Lambert insinuated that could lead to legal consequences for the state that could cost a lot. I hope we put [that] in the budget to pay for all that stuff, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response to emotional testimony from a student, Sen. Sue Shink (D-Northland Township) said no young person should have to worry about the threat of gun violence. Quite frankly, at my age, its not something I should have to worry about either, Shink said. And Ill just tell you, and also so that the people who are from those gun organizations know that, yeah, its scary to know that theyre out there pushing violence and pushing fear on people who just want to live in peace, who just want to be left alone to pursue their life, liberty and happiness. Its bullshit. You shouldnt have to put up with it. From chants to Globalise the Intifada on the leafy campuses of New England to anti-colonial vandalism in 700-year-old Oxbridge colleges, the more prestigious the university, the more amenable it seems to anti-West radicalism. Last week, Sciences Po the Paris university that serves as a finishing school for Frances elite was accused of being ruined by woke radicals in a book by a Le Figaro journalist. Similar accusations are made against Harvard, Yale and Columbia in the United States and Oxford and Cambridge in Britain. Trans rights, climate change, and Black Lives Matter have all been sources of fierce student protest in recent years. But nothing appears to have radicalised elite students more than the war in Gaza. Israels response to the attack by Hamas on October 7 has emerged as the principal motivation for protests by some of the highest-status students in the world those who supposedly work to the highest standards and expect to reap the rewards of their privilege as future, highly-paid leaders in business, politics, and law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A disproportionate number of students at elite universities are also from middle-class backgrounds. In 2023, one in three successful Oxford applicants and a quarter of successful Cambridge applicants came from private schools. Pro-Palestine encampments have taken place across US college campuses like Harvard - AFP There is a paradox at the heart of this, says historian and former Oxford professor David Abulafia, who has criticised the excesses of woke ideology in our culture. The protesters are obsessed with entitlement and ideas like how evil whiteness is, but of course, most of them are entitled and the vast majority are white. The positions they take are full of contradictions. It is not a coincidence that some of the most privileged students are adopting these positions, says Abulafia. There is an embarrassment about being in a privileged situation. People want to appear to reject characteristics they themselves have and the only way they seem to be able to deal with these characteristics is to side with those who are critical of them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Columbia University in New York has become the epicentre of student radicalism over the Gaza conflict, with the tents of the Gaza Solidarity Encampment appearing in April last year. This climaxed with the occupation of Hamilton Hall, brought to an end by riot police and the arrest of more than 100 people. Last month, police in helmets streamed into the university to remove a group of mask-clad protesters, some of whom had written Columbia will burn across pictures. Four days after the Hamas attack on Israel, the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee released a statement that students hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence. It was co-signed by 33 student groups. Protests have flared at Harvard and fellow Ivy League giant Yale ever since. In April this year at Yale, some 200 keffiyeh-wearing protesters chanted, We will honour all our martyrs. With the protests have come complaints by Jewish students that they have been made to feel unsafe and intimidated by rising anti-Semitism. This pattern of radical protest by students at elite universities is mirrored in Britain. One of the Just Stop Oil activists accused of defacing Stonehenge last April, Niamh Lynch, 22, was an Oxford student. Lynch denies the charges against her and, at a hearing in January, asked for her trial not to clash with her university exams this summer. It has been set for October. The Just Stop Oil activists that vandalised Stonehenge included several students - AFP In 2023, Daniel Knorr, a 21-year-old biochemistry undergraduate, allegedly sprayed the Radcliffe Camera Building in Oxford with orange paint in protest at the universitys links with fossil fuel companies. He has pleaded not guilty and his trial will take place in August. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chiara Sarti, a PhD student at Kings College, Cambridge, sprayed her own college building with orange paint in 2023 and in March last year, an unidentified member of Palestine Action (its still not known whether they attended the university) knifed and defaced a painting of Lord Balfour in Trinity College, Cambridge, for his part in the creation of the state of Israel. In January, members of Oxford Action for Palestine seized the Radcliffe Camera Building. The group said it had renamed it the Khalida Jarrar Library, after the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a proscribed terror group. Meanwhile, Phoebe Plummer who was convicted of defacing Van Goghs Sunflowers at the National Gallery in 2022 studied at Manchester University having attended a 50,000-a-year boarding school in Ascot. Chiara Sarti (right) and fellow Just Stop Oil activist Phoebe Plummer - Hesther Ng/Story Picture Agency/Shutterstock Douglas Headley, a professor of philosophy of religion, has worked at Cambridges divinity faculty for almost three decades, since 1996. In that time, the university has seen protests ranging from large-scale demonstrations on the Iraq War and student fees, to the recent acts of vandalism by Just Stop Oil and pro-Palestinian activists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In March, the High Court granted Cambridge an injunction preventing protesters from disrupting graduation events. On Friday Trinity and St Johns Colleges sought fresh injunctions against pro-Palestinian demonstrators as a result of an encampment set up on their land over the previous weekend. For young people, a cocktail of radicalism within a secure environment is unbelievably attractive, says Hedley. The ideologically driven self-hatred and hatred of the country is the core of this problem. Is it possible that the privilege actually increases the students urge to be more radical? What motivates their keenness to rubbish the heritage from which they have benefitted more than anyone, and where does their moral certainty come from? Some privileged young people understand they have had access to things that others do not, explains Paul Glynn, clinical director at Klearminds therapy group, who has worked with students on issues of privilege. The key emotions are guilt and shame. Guilt is an activating emotion its about making amends or a correction. Shame can be isolating. A student can often deny or avoid exposing their privilege to others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Privilege can result in overcompensation, where students experiencing guilt align themselves with causes that make them feel like they have a less privileged identity, adds Glynn. When students chant Globalise the Intifada on campus, its an expression of an overtly binary view of the world, an expression that can be linked to their privilege. Certainty is attractive, says Glynn. Most of these issues are complex, but we dont like that so lets make it good or evil. What strikes me is the lack of knowledge among students, says Abulafia. With the Gaza/Israel example there is a complete ignorance about the historical context. They dont really seem to be interested. The anti-Vietnam marches of the 1960s were an attempt to stop a war which had direct consequences for American students, with a chance that you, your friends or family members could be drafted to fight and die on the other side of the world. The current protests have grown in a hothouse of identity politics in which protesters views on Gaza are part of a broader world view that tends to encompass critical race theory, extreme trans rights and anti-capitalist activism. Through this lens, Israel is perceived to be a white colonising state and therefore bears the sins of all colonialists, with its associations of racism, apartheid and exploitation. The college protests against the Vietnam War in the 1960s had far more direct consequences for US students - Bettmann As Abulafia highlights, in many cases, the students appear to be rejecting the world that got them to such colleges in the first place. If they are told the system is bad, they must be bad too. Assumptions about colonialism in higher education that sprang from Edward Saids 1978 book Orientalism and the influence of French intellectuals such as Michel Foucault have contributed to the notion of a hierarchy of oppression, from which students can judge who and what deserves the most sympathy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Katharine Birbalsingh, a leading headteacher who advocates for freedom of speech, suggests that the problem starts at school specifically private school classrooms where the connection between privilege and guilt is first made. It seems obvious there is a relationship between what you might call woke culture and privilege, says Birbalsingh. By that I include mainly white, middle-class people. Woke ideas like decolonisation and criticism of Western values are everywhere in the most exclusive private school classrooms and that feeds into universities. Headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh claims too many students are looking for victimhood narratives - Geoff Pugh for the Telegraph One example is outside speakers who come into private schools and imply that there is something wrong with being privileged and they point towards absolving themselves by embracing Black Lives Matter or the trans movement. Birbalsingh recently claimed that transgender children are more likely to be white and privileged and that many were searching for victimhood narratives, which are admired in modern society. Deferring to your less privileged peers A key part of the dynamic between privilege and protest is how some students react to their less socially advantaged peers. Psychologists suggest students who are perceived to be marginalised are more likely to be listened to, especially when it comes to theories around race and history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have found that students from less privileged backgrounds are deferred to by more privileged ones, because the privileged students believe that the opinions and beliefs of others must be more authentic, says Dr Helena Bunn, a member of the British Psychological Society and a director of a doctorate programme that explores social justice, oppression and privilege with students at the University of East London. The privileged students feel compelled to become advocates for a cause they have little personal connection to. If there is guilt about privilege, that can lead to less critical thinking. There can also be a sense of I feel I have to do something so they follow the opinions of others who are seen to be less privileged. It can be as simple as just thinking something is wrong here like a war for example, but the emotional priority is to belong to the cause. Perhaps the most infamous example of student entitlement was recorded during the Columbia tent encampment, with the appearance of Johannah King-Slutzky as its spokesperson. King-Slutzky, a PhD English student and the daughter of psychologists, warned that students illegally occupying university property could die of dehydration and starvation if they were not given supplies. Johannah King-Slutzky The protests have raised the ire of the Trump administration, which sees the demonstrations as evidence that universities such as Columbia and Harvard are gripped by a woke elite complicit in the radicalisation of their students. The US president threatened to redirect $3 billion in Harvard research grants last week, following a decision to suspend foreign students from enrolling. Harvard is treating our country with great disrespect, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Globalise the Intifada may be cosplay rebellion for some privileged students and a way of expiating guilt for others, but sceptics argue the increasing prevalence of the chant has real-world consequences. The former New York Times columnist Bari Weiss pointed to recent attacks on Jews in New York and Colorado, saying: It was dismissed as a metaphor and not what it always was: a demand for open season on Jewish people worldwide. The elite institutions have been ideologically captured, says Hedley. When I worked in the US, I noticed the universities you would assume to be the best werent because their departments and academics were taken over by a gender and race ideology. Once you turn a university into an ideological arena, it encourages the students to express their outrage and their virtue in ways the average person outside is not going to be very impressed with. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. By Andrew Hay (Reuters) -A federal jury in Texas on Thursday acquitted the first migrant tried for entering one of the new military zones on the U.S.-Mexico border, marking a legal challenge to the Trump administration plan to raise penalties for illegal crossings. The trial of the 21-year-old Peruvian woman was a test of whether the federal government could levy extra charges against migrants who cross the border unlawfully into areas in Texas and New Mexico designated as restricted military areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adely Vanessa De La Cruz-Alvarez faced two charges for entering a Texas military zone and a charge for illegal entry into the United States after her May 12 arrest near Tornillo, about 30 miles east of El Paso, according to court documents. An El Paso jury on Thursday found the migrant guilty of illegal entry to the United States but not guilty of unlawfully entering military property. The judge in the case on Wednesday acquitted De La Cruz-Alvarez of a trespassing charge, ruling federal prosecutors produced no evidence the migrant saw any signs warning her that she was entering a Department of Defense restricted area. "There was zero testimony that Ms. De La Cruz (1) ever saw any such signage, (2) knew that the area was designated as any kind of a military zone, (3) had any intention, willfully or otherwise, to enter upon a military zone," Federal Magistrate Judge Laura Enriquez wrote in her ruling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal prosecutors argued they did not need to prove De La Cruz knew she was trespassing on military land to charge her for the act, only that she knew she was illegally entering the United States. Alvarezs lawyer Veronica Teresa Lerma did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The El Paso trial comes after federal magistrate judges in New Mexico and Texas dismissed trespassing charges against dozens of migrants on grounds they did not know they were on military land due to inadequate signage. The National Defense Areas were set up along 240 miles of the border in New Mexico and Texas starting in April. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said migrants caught in them could face combined penalties of up to ten years' imprisonment. (Reporting By Andrew Hay; editing by Diane Craft) Hanging out of the car with excitement, Marcelo Gomes da Silva couldnt wait to return home to Milford on Thursday after spending six days in ICE custody. The only thing I wanted to do when I got back here was hug my parents, my dad, yeah, my dad means the world to me, said Marcelo Gomes da Silva. It was a warm welcome back with a crowd of friends and his family in tears as they embraced for the first time in nearly a week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Marcelo was on his way to volleyball practice last Saturday morning when ICE took him into custody. ICE officials have said his father was the intended target, and now Marcelo says his dad is afraid to leave the house. Hes like in a prison now himself, thank God its in his own house, but he knows if he leaves theres a chance ICE will try to find him and get him, like to be honest, I left my house they were already following me, said Gomes da Silva. Marcelo says ICE took him into custody because hes here on an expired visa. I came here when I was six, so like I know Im an immigrant in America, but like Im in school, I never expected it to get to that point, said Gomes da Silva. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since his arrest, this honors student missed out on playing the drums for graduation and a volleyball playoff match Tuesday night. Cant believe we lost that volleyball game, said Gomes da Silva. I cant wait to get back to school, I got finals! As he tries to get back to his life heading into his senior year at Milford High, Marcelo wears a reminder on his wrist of the conditions inside the ICE facility. This is a bracelet that was gifted to me from a Brazilian inmate in there, said Gomes da Silva. Its a piece of the aluminum sheets he used to sleep on a concrete floor. Marcelo also says he hadnt showered in 6 days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ill always be grateful for everything I have outside of that place, said Gomes da Silva. Standing outside the detention facility in Burlington, Marcelo hopes his case will bring awareness to the issues around immigration. If Im the only one that was able to leave that place, I lost because I want to do whatever I can to get them as much help as possible, said Gomes da Silva. The high school student was released on a $2,000 bond Thursday and is due back in court at the end of June. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Holding back tears in a press conference on Thursday, 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes Da Silva detailed the conditions he faced while spending 6 days inside a Burlington ICE detention facility. I dont want to cry, he said. But I want to say that that place, its not good, its not good. Gomes Da Silva said he was thrown in a cramped holding room with a bunch of 35-year-old men. He said food was sporadic and sleeping was difficult due to lack of bedding. Milford High School student receives warm welcome after returning home from ICE custody Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You sleep on concrete floors, Gomes Da Silva said. They give us a really long sheet of this thin, aluminum Im guessing, and we lay down on the concrete floor and put that over us and just sleep through the night. The 18-year-old described being held behind big doors with a small slit to look through. He said it was difficult to disseminate how much time had passed because there were no windows and the only clock he could see was through the small slit in the door. To check the time, we have to try and peak our head out of that door to see what time it is, he said. We dont get to see outside, we dont get to walk outside, we all stay in there and the only chance we get to breath is when we open that little gap and some old air comes in, but thats it. Gomes Da Silva said the bathroom situation was just as bleak. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bathroom, I have to use the bathroom in the open with 35-year-old men, its humiliating, he said. The Milford teen claimed he didnt use the bathroom for 6 days. Congressmen Seth Moulton and Jake Auchincloss took a tour of the facility on Thursday shortly after Gomes Da Silvas press conference. The facilities that Congressman Moulton and I saw are not facilities anyone should be spending 6 days in, Auchincloss said. and we know that these officers are trying to uphold federal law and operate professionally but theyre not being supported properly by this administration. To be clear, this is supposed to be a processing facility where people stay for 6 to 12 hours, Moulton said. So for anyone, especially like Marcelo whos expected to stay here, to sleep here with no beds, not what anyone else would call a blanket, sparse food, no windows even, its obviously completely inappropriate, I would say inhumane for long term detention. And thats what Marcelo experienced. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Boston 25 New has reached out to ICE for comment about the conditions at the Burlington facility. Supporters gather outside federal court in support of Marcelo Gomes da Silva, who was arrested on his way to volleyball practice last weekend, on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in Milford, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell) (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell) On May 31, Gomes Da Silva was driving in his fathers, Joao Paulo Gomes Pereiras, car to volleyball practice at Milford High School when he was detained by immigration officers. ICE officials say they were looking for Gomes Pereira when they picked up the 18-year-old. Immigration authorities allege hat Gomes Pereira is wanted for speeding 100 miles an hour through residential areas. Boston 25 News found one record in the courts of a citation issued for Gomes Pereira in July of 2023 court records show Milford Police cited him for failing to yield to a stop sign and driving with a revoked license as a habitual traffic offender.Sources familiar with his driving record tell 25 Investigates that he has had 16 driving-related citations since 2014. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When we go out into the community, and we find others who are unlawfully here, we are going to arrest them. Weve been completely transparent with that. Hes 18 years old, he is unlawfully in this country, Patricia Hyde, Field Office Director of ICE Enforcement, said earlier this week. Gomes Da Silvas case is due back in court on June 26. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW David Cannavino is just one of the countless people here in Erie who depend on his EBT card to buy food and other necessities. He said he had over $1,000 in his account, but when he checked it again on Thursday, he was left with only $1.05. I just Im still dumbfounded about it, said Cannavino, a Millcreek resident. Cannavinos account showed his card was charged twice to a bodega hes never heard of in Chicago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Credit card skimming scams: What they are, and how to avoid being a victim He said he doesnt use a credit card machine without checking for skimmers first and always shops at the same places, and he believes his account was hacked. Its going to be nuts until the card gets loaded again because Im retired, Im on social security and thats all I get, so it impacts me hard, said Cannavino. After he learned that his EBT account was empty, he came to the Erie County Assistance Office on Holland Street, but he didnt get very far. I let them know about it, I gave them my card, and then they said, Okay, well They sent me in to talk to some guy and the guy says, Theres nothing we can do about it. Our hands are tied. So, you know, what am I going to do now? said Cannavino. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SNAP funds stolen from 17 Pennsylvanians, over $8,000 lost Cannavino said he spoke to other recipients at the assistance office who said their money disappeared, too. An official at the assistance office told JET24/FOX66 that they couldnt answer our questions but referred us to another official in Harrisburg. That official told us that he hadnt heard about the problem but assured his office is working to get to the bottom of it. However, thats not going to help Cannavino and the other recipients who now dont have money to buy food. New lock safety feature could help SNAP benefit recipients avoid theft Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Due to the end of congressional authorization in December 2024, benefits stolen via card skimming, fraud or other electronic theft after December 20, 2024, cannot be reissued, said Val Arkoosh, PA Department of Human Services Secretary. According to the US Food and Nutrition Service, the 2025 American Relief Act did not extend the authority to replace stolen SNAP benefits. However, the Department of Human Services has already launched a program to help people lock their EBT cards, and you can find more information online here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com. A Minneapolis man with a significant recent criminal history was sentenced this week to four years in prison for killing a womans dog inside her St. Paul apartment after the two argued. The sentence handed down to 25-year-old Emmanuel Joe Ware Jr. in Ramsey County District Court on Monday will run at the same time as a four-year term he received in Hennepin County in March for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person who is not eligible due to a conviction for a crime of violence. The Ramsey County complaint says the woman told police that she left her West Side apartment on Jan. 9 to stay with her sister after she and Ware got into an argument. When she returned the next day, her bloodied and dead dog a white Pomeranian named Bug was hanging by his neck in her closet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers saw a shattered mirror, blood all over the walls and the dog hanging. He had a deep cut to his eye. A knife block in the kitchen was missing two knives. A necropsy later revealed Bug had broken bones and stab wounds to his head. The woman told police Ware sent her a series of threatening text messages after she went to her sisters place. She said she is pregnant with Wares child and fearful of him because he was assaultive with her in the past, the complaint says. Investigators spoke with Ware four days later at Hennepin County Jail, where he was booked Jan. 12 on the gun possession charge. Ware said he loves Bug and would never hurt him, and that he was with his girlfriend, Fantasia, in Minneapolis on the day in question, the complaint says. Investigators pulled video surveillance footage from the apartment building, which showed Ware in the first-floor elevator lobby around 5 p.m. Jan. 9, and in the fourth-floor lobby around 7:45 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators, with apartment surveillance photos in hand, returned to the jail on Jan. 27 to interview Ware again. He said he lied to them before and was at the apartment on Jan. 9, but reiterated he did not kill the dog. Ware pleaded guilty to felony mistreating or torturing an animal on March 20 after reaching an agreement with the prosecution. Another case was dismissed at sentencing as part of the plea deal: felony mail theft after police say video surveillance at the womans St. Paul apartment building showed him stealing a package of Christmas gifts from the mail room on Dec. 4. Other charges, convictions Ware has one pending case, which is set for a July trial. He was charged with misdemeanor domestic assault stemming from a Dec. 11 incident involving the woman at the HealthPartners Clinic on Wabasha Street in St. Paul during an OB/GYN appointment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Court documents in that case say Ware and the woman argued over her pregnancy. While they were alone in an exam room, Ware allegedly picked her up and slammed her into a wall. When medical staff went into the room, Ware ran from the clinic. Related Articles He was charged by warrant two days later and eluded St. Paul police until his Jan. 12 arrest in Minneapolis after the woman reported he threatened her while flashing a gun. For admitting to the gun possession charge, a felony threats of violence charge was dismissed as part of a March 26 plea deal he struck with Hennepin County prosecutors. Ware picked up all the cases while on intensive supervised release after serving three years and three months for aiding and abetting first-degree robbery out of Hennepin County. He was released from prison on May 28, 2024. He has two other felony convictions out of Hennepin County: first-degree robbery in 2017 and fourth-degree possession of a controlled substance (cocaine and ecstasy) in 2019. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Chief Deputy with the Minnehaha County Sheriffs office, Jeff Gromer, says the Minnehaha County jail is seeing an increase of those arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), compared to last spring. We havent had to increase staffing any to maintain the current rate, Gromer said. Thats where I talk about that ebb and flow of people coming in and getting discharged out. And those relatively low numbers that just continue to move through is easier for us to manage. The jails obviously has a set number of beds that we can hold as a maximum, and were staffed to that point. Delivery driver arrested for DUI nearly 5 times over limit Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In April, the Minnehaha County Sheriffs Office was one of two counties that enrolled in the 287(g) program, which will allow local officers to partner with ICE. Its primarily our jail staff working closer with ICE with the ability to serve the warrants, which basically prevents the ICE agent from having to come to our jail, Gromer said. ICE still does the paperwork, the jail staff arent making decisions on detainment. Gromer says that training hasnt started yet, but expects it to be an online course. An ICE arrest at the Minnehaha County Courthouse resulted in a mistrial Friday that Jurors and witnesses gathered inside the Minnehaha County courthouse for Cesar Ortiz Maestres trial, who is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon that resulted in someone getting shot in the leg in May of 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, that trial wouldnt last long as the judge ruled a mistrial. One of the defense witnesses who was subpoenaed to testify was arrested by ICE in front of several jurors as well as his wife and child, during a break. Maestres new trial is now set for September. Regarding the ICE arrest at the courthouse, the CEO for South Dakota Voices for Peace, Taneeza Islam said in a statement to KELOLAND News. Immigrants are victims of crimes and witnesses for criminal investigations. When one of our immigrant victim clients came forward to report sexual abuse of a minor, the investigation led to 3 victims coming forward who were all sexually abused while they were under the age of 10. This abuse occurred over a 20 year period. If it wasnt for our client coming forward and assurances from local law enforcement that there would be no fear of deportation, this predator would still be out there. The public needs to understand that these brazen acts of ICE arresting people while in courthouses will absolutely force victims and witnesses not to come forward with crimes occurring in our community. This makes us all unsafe- not just immigrant communities. This makes local law enforcements jobs even harder, because witnesses and victims will not come forward in fear of deportation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com. Members of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees picket in St. Paul on Wednesday, June 4. (Photo by Izzy Wagener/Minnesota Reformer) Take a seat in the Break Room, our weekly round-up of labor news in Minnesota and beyond. This week: State workers say theyre strike ready; Job Corps students face homelessness; Minnesota surpasses 3 million jobs in 2024; and doctors and nurses picket across the state. State workers increase pressure in union negotiations State employees picketing outside negotiations between Minnesota budget officials and their union on Wednesday said they were absolutely willing to strike over Gov. Tim Walzs part-time return-to-office order that took effect this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One-hundred percent I would. We cant just roll over here, said Erin Malone, an auditor for the Department of Revenue, at a demonstration in St. Paul with more than 50 workers and supporters on Wednesday. The two unions representing nearly 40,000 state workers the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees are also fuming over the states health care proposals they estimate will raise many workers costs by thousands of dollars a year. The administration says rising health care costs leave them no choice. The soonest state employees could strike is in late summer, once contracts expire on June 30, they complete 45 days of mediation and then provide 10 days notice. The union explained those details in a FAQ for their members posted late last month in another sign that negotiations are headed toward a volatile impasse. State employees havent gone on strike since walking off the job for two weeks 2001, but MAPE President Megan Dayton says shes never seen her members so fired up by Walzs unilateral decision to force workers back to the office. Hundreds of workers showed up to multiple demonstrations organized by the union over two days this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under Walzs order, state employees must work in the office at least 50% of the time unless they live more than 50 miles away or receive an exemption. Walz argues the policy will improve collaboration, mentorship and workplace culture, with the added benefit of bringing bodies and dollars back to a forsaken downtown St. Paul. The policy officially began June 1, but some agencies have delayed implementation as they make space for employees to return. After the COVID-19 shifted office jobs to workers homes, state agencies began downsizing their office footprint in anticipation of permanent remote work. The Department of Revenue, for example, reduced its leased office space by 35% since 2021, saving $2.45 million annually. Many workers argue theyre more productive at home and complain that the order adds to their costs in parking and gas. Some also question the motive, suspecting Walz could be distancing himself from public unions ahead of another run for governor or trying to nudge workers off the payroll as the state stares down fiscal uncertainty. The state has also proposed changing contract language to make it easier to lay off workers in the event of fiscal exigencies such as federal funding cuts, as well as epidemics, natural disasters and national security emergencies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think its political posturing, said Christine Retkwa, a data analyst at the Department of Human Services. It cant be collaboration if weve been more productive Its not to save costs. Walzs relationship with public sector unions, which have historically been an important political ally, have soured rapidly since he announced the policy in March without consulting the unions. The union compared Walz to Elon Musk, and Walz did not invite anyone from the union to attend his State of the State Address. Job Corps students face homelessness Tens of thousands of students at Job Corps centers across the country are facing homelessness after the Trump administrations Labor Department announced it will eliminate the vocational training program for low-income teenagers and young adults. You dont hit the ground running, you just hit the ground period. Straight homeless nothing. Just straight into the ground, Tyrone Bills, one of more than 150 students at the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center in St. Paul, told Fox 9. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last Friday, the Labor Department gave students a weeks notice to move out and abandon their free training to fill jobs in manufacturing, construction, law enforcement, health care and other high-growth industries. The department later extended the deadline, and then a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from killing the program. By then, many students had already moved out. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, once an advocate for Job Corps, justified eliminating the $1.7 billion program because of serious incidents as well as high costs and low student graduation rates. Just 38% of students graduate, with an average cost of more than $80,000 a year, according to the agency. The National Job Corps Association disputed these figures, saying graduation rates before COVID-19 have historically been above 60% while the cost is less than $50,000 per enrollee. Minnesota surpasses 3 million jobs in 2024 Minnesota continued to have one of the countrys strongest labor markets in 2024, adding 40,000 non-farm jobs to push the state above 3 million jobs for the first time, according to the second annual State of Working Minnesota report from the labor-backed think tank North Star Policy Action. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the Midwest, Minnesota has the highest median wages, the highest share of workers in unions and the highest rate of health insurance coverage. The state also has the lowest unemployment rate for Black residents in the region and the lowest fatal injury rate on the job. Wage inequality also declined, while union membership increased by nearly 7% (although this can fluctuate from year to year due to imprecise data, and the general trend has been down for unions.) Support for unions is near historic highs, and thats helped nearly triple the number of union elections over the past five years, according to the report. It wasnt all good news: unemployment ticked up while the median wage moved down from $26.43 to $25.52 in an unusual break from a nearly exclusive upward trend. There is also cause for concern, according to report author Aaron Rosenthal, given federal Republicans drive to reduce spending on health insurance for the working poor to offset some of the costs of tax cuts largely benefitting the wealthy. Working families are increasingly reliant on health insurance through Medical Assistance, the states version of Medicaid. The number of people insured through Medical Assistance in families with at least one full-time worker increased 165% over the past 15 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In rural areas, roughly 18% of adults and 37% of children are insured through Medical Assistance, compared to 15% of adults and 30% of children in the Twin Cities metro area. National jobs data released on Friday showed hiring has slowed as Trumps trade war and federal cuts have put employers on edge, with nearly all of the 139,000 job gains for the month being concentrated in health care and hospitality. The federal government lost 22,000 jobs. Doctors and nurses picket across the state In a first for Minnesota, newly unionized doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners picketed outside several Allina clinics on Tuesday as negotiations stalled over a first labor contract. (It was an informational picket and not a strike.) Frustrated with what they describe as factory-style health care, the clinicians voted by a wide margin to unionize with Doctors Council SEIU in October 2023, forming the nations largest private-sector doctors union with more than 600 members across 60 Allina clinics in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But since then, union leaders say theyve made little progress toward finalizing a first labor contract covering wages, benefits and working conditions despite meeting with hospital leaders nearly 40 times. Were not seeing Allina come to the table with meaningful proposals, said Dr. Chris Antolak, a family physician, outside Allinas clinic in Coon Rapids. Unionized nurses also took to the picket lines outside 11 hospitals in the Twin Cities and two in Duluth in their push for greater staffing levels to protect themselves from workplace violence and improve patient care. The Minnesota Nurses Association is negotiating contracts covering roughly 15,000 nurses at seven of the states largest health systems. Contracts expired on May 31 at St. Lukes and Essentia in Duluth and will expire at the end of this month at Twin Cities hospitals run by Allina, Childrens, M Health Fairview, HealthPartners and North Memorial. Union president Chris Rubesch has said a strike is on the table. ELKHORN CITY, Ky. (WJHL) The body of a missing Dickenson County man was found Wednesday in eastern Kentucky, according to police. Kentucky State Police (KSP) was notified by the Elkhorn City Police Department of a mans body discovered in a creek near Big Branch Road. Police seeking info after motorcycle pursuit in Russell County KSP said that after an initial investigation, the individual was identified as Adam Stanley, 48, of Haysi, who had been reported missing to the Dickenson County Sheriffs Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stanleys cause of death remains under investigation by KSP and the Elkhorn City Police Department. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. LAUREL, Miss. (WHLT) Laurel police arrested a mother and son in connection to the shooting death of a 17-year-old. The shooting occurred on Marion Drive around 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 24. Two-year-old Laurel girl injured in drive-by shooting Police said the victim, 17-year-old Jamal Pruitt, was transported to South Central Regional Medical Center (SCRMC) and later transported to Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg. Pruitt died on May 28. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to investigators, Eric Drummond, Jr. 21, was arrested on May 25. He was charged with aggravated assault, and his bond was set at $225,000. Drummond is also being held on a separate felony charge. Eric Drummond (Courtesy: Laurel PD) Janice Norman (Courtesy: Laurel PD) Police said theyre working with the District Attorneys Office on possibly upgrading Drummonds charge. His m other, 38-year-old Janice Norman, was arrested on May 29. She was charged with accessory after the fact and hindering prosecution. Normans bond was set at $85,000. The investigation is ongoing. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJTV. JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) The Mississippi Secretary of States Office urged Mississippians to be cautious of fraudulent business filings due to the uptick of complaints to the office. According to Secretary of State Michael Watson (R-Miss.), scammers are utilizing another persons name, address, or other personal information to create a fraudulent business entity. Mississippi traffic stop reveals 185 pounds of marijuana in stolen truck Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In most instances, once the business documents are filed with the Secretary of States Office, the office is unable to adjust any information contained within the filing or remove from public record per statute. Mississippians may report deceptive filings to the Secretary of States Office or the Mississippi Attorney Generals Office. The Attorney Generals Consumer Protection Hotline is 1-800-281-4418. For more information or questions, contact the Secretary of States Business Services Division at customerservice@sos.ms.gov or (601) 359-1633. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe Now Daily News Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJTV. Residents of Kennett, Missouri, are celebrating the release of Ming Li Hui, who goes by the name of Carol, after the mother of three was released from immigration custody on Wednesday following more than a month in jail. They released me, Hui said in a voicemail left for her lawyer, which was relayed to The New York Times. According to the Times, Huis attorney, Raymond Bolourtchi, said the 45-year-old had been released under a federal immigration program that offers a temporary safe haven to immigrants from Hong Kong and a handful of other countries who are concerned about returning there. Hui arrived in the U.S. from Hong Kong two decades ago and was detained on April 30 after she was summoned to a federal immigration office in St. Louis without explanation. Once there, authorities informed her she was being detained for overstaying her tourist visa and would soon be deported. Ming Li Hui speaks from jail by video link. (Jamie Kelter Davis / NYT / Redux) The residents of Kennett quickly banded together to rally for Huis release. The staff at Johns Waffle and Pancake House, the diner where Hui had worked before her detention, organized an event last month called Carol Day, raising nearly $20,000 and collecting hundreds of signatures for a petition to bring Carol home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the residents of Kennett, which is part of a rural county that voted overwhelmingly for Trump in November, Huis arrest has forced them to confront the reality of the presidents mass deportation effort. I voted for Donald Trump, and so did practically everyone here, one resident told the Times. But no one voted to deport moms. We were all under the impression we were just getting rid of the gangs, the people who came here in droves This is Carol. Bolourtchi said Huis release never would have happened without her community standing behind her. On Wednesday, one of Huis neighbors made the four-hour journey to the jail where she was being held to drive her home. In Kennett, Huis family and dozens of residents gathered at the restaurant to celebrate her return. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Liridona Ramadani, whose family runs the diner, described Huis homecoming in a post on Facebook. One moment well never forget: when her kids ran into her arms for the first time in over a month. There wasnt a dry eye in sight, Ramadani wrote. Many of us stood there with tears streaming down our faces, overwhelmed by the pure love in that hug. It was one of those moments that reminds you what truly matters Welcome home, Carol. Weve missed you so much. Hui is scheduled to check in with immigration authorities again on June 25. While Huis release is temporary, her lawyer said he was hopeful she can remain in the U.S. By no means are we in the clear, Bolourtchi told the Times. But at this point Im optimistic. Its an immediate sigh of relief. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com FILE PHOTO: Screwworms are seen in this undated handout picture By Tom Polansek (Reuters) - Missouri authorities are investigating a fake press release about the damaging livestock pest New World screwworm that sparked a selloff in U.S. cattle futures markets last week, the state's agriculture department said on Friday. U.S. agriculture officials and farmers are on high alert for screwworm as it has moved north in Mexico from Central America, arriving within about 700 miles (1,125 km) of the Texas border. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Department of Agriculture indefinitely halted U.S. cattle imports from Mexico last month in a bid to keep out the parasite, which eats livestock and other wild animals alive. Screwworm infestations can kill cattle if left untreated and make them susceptible to secondary infections. On May 27, a false press release was sent to a northwest Missouri radio station about screwworm, the Missouri Department of Agriculture said. A report on the radio station's website pressured Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures before being taken offline, livestock traders said. Live cattle futures fell nearly 2% before paring losses, as daily trading volumes in the market spiked 77% from a week earlier. The Missouri State Highway Patrol's Rural Crimes Investigative Unit, the Livestock and Farm Protection Task Force, and state attorney general are investigating the matter, Missouri's agriculture department said in a press release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State officials want to determine "if this was an act with malicious intent to cause panic in agricultural markets," the department added. U.S. cattle producers' group R-CALF USA last week asked the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates futures markets, to investigate. The commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and exchange operator CME Group declined to comment. (Reporting by Tom Polansek in Chicago; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) (Rebecca Rivas/The Missouri Independent) State cannabis regulators will begin their first attempt next month to double check the work of licensed testing labs tasked with ensuring the safety of Missouri marijuana products. Starting July 1, staff with the Division of Cannabis Regulation will arrive unannounced at licensee premises and collect about 50 products a month off the shelves. Theyll take them to the Missouri State Public Health Reference Laboratory to be tested for things like mold, pesticides and a whole range of other things. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ryan Bernard, the divisions testing and research unit manager, said the unannounced sampling has been in the works for a while as a way to add an extra level of compliance. The division, Bernard said, isnt expecting to find problems. We wont know until we see the data, Bernard said. I have full faith and confidence in our testing licensees that theyre testing according to rule as its been outlined. However, national testing lab experts told The Independent that Missouris regulators might be shocked at the results. Shelf testing has not gone well in any state that I know of, especially if its just starting, said Josh Swider, vice chair of the cannabis working group for American Council of Independent Laboratories. It will be very telling very fast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Swider pointed to a citation in Arizona in April of a cannabis lab, where the state found more than a dozen alleged deficiencies including problems with the labs potency testing and pesticide and microbial detection methods. Swider called the levels of pesticides on the Arizona products sickening. But this is what youre seeing around the country, said Swider, co-founder and CEO of Infinite Chemical Analysis Labs in San Diego. Regulators are starting to enforce. Theyre realizing an issue thats been systemic for a long time. Other common issue Missouri regulars might also find, he said, are inflated levels of THC on products. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Regulators previously talked about conducting a round robin testing, where the states certified testing labs would double check each others work under the states instruction. Amy Moore, director of the Division of Cannabis Regulation, told lawmakers in 2023 that this additional testing rule was critical. The challenges in regulating and relying on for-profit cannabis testing labs, Moore told lawmakers at a 2023 committee hearing, is one of the most discussed challenges in the national cannabis regulatory community. However, the state never ended up getting the process going for a variety of factors, Bernard said, so the unannounced samples will be the regulators first attempt at a testing backstop. Lawmakers began allocating money for this kind of sampling to be tested at the state laboratory in the fiscal year that began on July 1, 2024 with $3.8 million. Most of it went unspent because the cannabis testing methods were still in the process of being implemented, according to state budget documents. Another $2.4 million was allocated for this fiscal year ending on June 30, and its unclear how much of it has been spent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bernard couldnt speak on the budget for testing, he said, because the division and state lab budgets are totally separate. Our operating budget is DCR only, he said. State public health labs is theirs. The lab will receive another $2.4 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1. Swider said a standard test at a Missouri cannabis lab costs about $400. With the $2.4 million the lab is allocated to conduct 600 tests a year, it would put that rate at $4,000 a test. Thats not good, he said. It would take one employee in Swiders lab to leisurely do 50 tests in a week, he said, but 50 in a day is doable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bernard said sampling 50 products out of more than 500,000 product tags is not even close to being representative of the market, but he called this a very much preliminary start. Bernard has been working closely with the state public health lab, he said, to build the infrastructure for cannabis testing and theyve had some hold ups. [The state lab has] experienced grant-funding delays and and then back orders related to potential tariffs, he said. Theyve had equipment failuresso this starting point number will get us to a point where we can start stabilizing the amount they need to purchase compared to the amount that I can sample. The goal is to get to a representative sample size as soon as possible, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At an MJ Unpacked cannabis conference in November, concerns were raised among testing experts about the fact that 82% of Missouris cannabis testing is conducted at one licensed lab, Greenway Magazine reported. And that lab catches fewer problems with mold compared to other Missouri labs and those across the country. At the November panel, information obtained through a Sunshine request revealed that the lab referred to as Lab D reported a failure rate for Aspergillusa mold that poses significant health risks roughly 8 times lower than the national average. The states other labs had a failure rate of 3.3%, which is aligned closely with the national average of 3.8%. Lab Ds failure rate was just under 0.5%. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The information raised questions about whether the mold was adequately being checked. However, Bernard said those results didnt raise any alarm for him. Everybodys being held to the same standards as far as testing is concerned and their ISO accreditation, Bernard said. Without doing further investigation, I have confidence that the industry is testing appropriately. This article was updated at 2 p.m. June 9 to clarify where products to be tested will be collected. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi has opened one of the countrys most ambitious railway projects, which will connect the Kashmir Valley to the vast Indian plains by train for the first time. Dubbed by the government-operated Indian Railways as one of the most challenging tracks in the world, the 272-kilometre (169-mile) line begins in the garrison city of Udhampur in the Jammu region and runs through Indian-administered Kashmirs main city of Srinagar. The line ends in Baramulla, a town near the highly militarised Line of Control dividing the Himalayan region between India and Pakistan. The Indian government has pegged the total project cost at about $5bn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The railway line travels through 36 tunnels and over 943 bridges and will facilitate the movement of people and goods, as well as troops, that was previously possible only via treacherous mountain roads and by air. Schoolchildren gesture as they sit inside a coach of the Vande Bharat passenger train at the Srinagar railway station in Srinagar ahead of the inauguration of the Kashmir rail link by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi [Tauseef Mustafa/AFP] One of the projects highlights is a 1,315-metre-long (4,314-foot) steel and concrete bridge above the Chenab River connecting two mountains with an arch 359 metres (1,177 feet) above the water. Indian Railways has compared its height with the Eiffel Tower in Paris, which stands 330 metres (1,082 feet), and said the bridge is built to last 120 years and endure extreme weather, including wind speeds up to 260 km/h (161mph). Modi visited the Chenab bridge on Friday with tight security, waving an Indian tri-colour flag before boarding a test train that passed through picturesque mountains and tunnels to reach an inauguration ceremony for another high-elevation bridge named Anji. The railway ensures all weather connectivity and will boost spiritual tourism and create livelihood opportunities, Modi said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The prime minister also helped launch a pair of new trains called Vande Bharat that will halve the travel time between Srinagar and the town of Katra in the Jammu region to about three hours from the usual six to seven hours by road. An Indian security officer keeps watch outside the Srinagar railway station ahead of the inauguration of the Kashmir rail link by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in Srinagar [Tauseef Mustafa/AFP] Modis visit to Indian-controlled Kashmir on Friday is his first since a military conflict between India and Pakistan brought the nuclear-armed rivals to the brink of war last month when the countries fired missiles and drones at each other. The conflict was triggered after a shooting attack in late April that left 26 men, mostly Hindu tourists, dead in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan for supporting the attackers, a charge Islamabad denied. India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Armed groups in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhis rule since 1989. Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country. India insists the Kashmir armed groups are backed by Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denies. The worlds highest railway bridge, an ambitious piece of engineering across a mountain valley in Kashmir, was opened Friday by Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi, just weeks after a deadly tourist massacre in the Himalayan region sparked a brief conflict with neighboring Pakistan. Modis visit to India-administered Kashmir was his first since a brief but deadly conflict between India and Pakistan in April. The nuclear-armed neighbors traded missiles, drones, and artillery shelling for four days after New Delhi blamed the massacre on its neighbor, which Pakistan denies. Decades in the making, the arched Chenab Bridge sits 359 meters (about 1,180 feet) above the river of the same name thats 29 meters (over 95 feet) higher than the top of the Eiffel Tower. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Costing more than $160 million with a length of 1,315 meters (4,314 feet), the bridge is part of the first railway link between Kashmir and the rest of India. Modis Hindu-nationalist government has moved to integrate the Muslim-majority region with the rest of the country, including revoking a constitutional provision that allowed it to set its own laws in 2019. The Himalayan region of Kashmir is claimed by India, Pakistan and China. All three administer a part of the region, one of the most militarized zones in the world. A decorated Vande Bharat passenger train is seen at the Srinagar railway station in Srinagar, India-administered Kashmir, on Friday, ahead of the inauguration of the Kashmir rail link by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. - Tauseef Mustafa/AFP/Getty Images In addition to the Chenab Bridge, Modi also inaugurated the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project, which connects key cities in India-administered Kashmir to the rest of India. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For Modi, who swept to power more than a decade ago on a ticket of nationalism and a promise of future greatness, investments in infrastructure like the Chenab Bridge and the broader rail link project can be seen as a powerful tool for social integration and political influence. Since he was first elected in 2014, the prime minister has rapidly expanded the regions road and rail connectivity, building networks that connect disparate towns with major cities. In 2019, New Delhi revoked a constitutional provision giving India-administered Kashmir the autonomy to set its own laws. The southern and eastern portions of the region known previously as the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir became two separate union territories, bringing them under direct control of New Delhi a move Modi claimed would promote stability, reduce corruption and boost the economy. An Indian engineer at the site of the Chenab Bridge in India-administered Jammu and Kashmir on March 4, 2015. - Rakesh Bakshi/AFP/Getty Images The Chenab Bridge is being hailed as a major win for Modis Bharatiya Janata Party government. His administration has poured billions into upgrading Indias old and outdated transport network, part of its vision to transform the country into a developed nation by 2047. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among these ambitious projects is the construction of several tunnels and highways in the mountainous Himalayan region which has been criticized by some environmentalists who say the heavy construction could damage fragile topography already feeling the effects from the climate crisis. Modis Char Dham Highway project, a multimillion-dollar infrastructure plan to improve connectivity in the state of Uttarakhand, came under fire in November 2023 when an under-construction mountain tunnel collapsed, trapping dozens of workers inside for several days with little water and oxygen. In August that year, more than a dozen workers were killed after a bridge under construction collapsed in the northeastern state of Mizoram. In June, a four-lane concrete bridge that was being built across the River Ganges in the eastern state of Bihar collapsed for the second time in just over a year, raising questions about the quality of its construction. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com NEED TO KNOW Alicia Leonardi, a 42-year-old woman who was hit and killed by a train in New Hampshire on June 2, is being remembered by her family The New Hampshire woman was trying to get her ex-boyfriend's dog off of the train tracks and they were both struck, although only she died of her injuries "She loved that dog," said mom Cathleen Collis Loved ones are remembering a New Hampshire woman who died after she was hit by a train while trying to rescue a dog from the tracks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alicia Leonardi, 42, was walking with a man identified by loved ones as her ex-boyfriend and a dog along the tracks on Monday, June 2 when a train approached from a corner behind them, according to the Exeter Police Department. Police said Leonardi and the man attempted to get the dog off the tracks" and were both struck by the train. Leonardi suffered fatal injuries while the male sustained minor injuries. In an interview, mom Cathleen Collis described her late daughter to ABC affiliate WMUR-TV as a very happy, smiling, bubbly girl." Alicia Leonardi/Facebook Alicia Leonardi Alicia Leonardi The dog involved in the incident, named Jackson, was unharmed in the crash, according to the outlets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "She loved that dog," Collis told NBC affiliate WBTS. "And it wasn't even her dog." Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Joe Gatley remembered his late cousin as a very kindhearted person with an infectious smile. "She had a bright personality, a great smile," Gatley continued. "It's tough on the family. She'd walk in the room with a smile, and everybody smiled." He later added, per WMUR, "Live every day to the fullest because, you know, tomorrow's not -- there's no guarantee. Police said an investigation into the crash is ongoing. Read the original article on People What do a monk in Arkansas, a librarian in Kentucky, a firefighter in Massachusetts, a social worker in Wisconsin, a veteran in Virginia and a dentist in Oregon have to do with Harvard? They all contacted Harvard University President Alan Garber to show their support for the institution as it is publicly resisting the federal government in federal court, Garber said at the universitys alumni day on Friday. The alumni day had a record of 9,000 attendees this year, a speaker said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our efforts to preserve academic freedom and our insistence that no government should dictate what we teach, who we admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue were welcomed and applauded around the world and across the country from every state in the union, Garber said. The event comes only a few hours after the institution amended its lawsuit against the federal government on Thursday evening and asked for a temporary restraining order. Those actions were in response to President Donald Trumps issuance of a proclamation this week declaring that the schools foreign students would not be allowed into the country. A federal judge swiftly granted the temporary restraining order. A standing ovation Similarly to last weeks commencement ceremony, when Garber took the stage, he was met with a standing ovation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crossing his arms across his heart, he looked at the crowd of maroon regalia and took it in. Garber began his speech by acknowledging how it hasnt been a typical year. He said that the university has been defending against misrepresentations of who we are and what we do and defending itself against retaliation from the federal government. The university has also been addressing legitimate criticism to ensure that community members feel safe and secure, including by combating antisemitism and other forms of discrimination and hate. Unless we are able to overcome these flaws, we are unlikely to be successful in pursuing our mission of excellence in teaching, learning, and research. We have reason to optimistic, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Only one thing about Harvard has persisted over 388 years, and actually its not our name. It is our embrace of scrutiny, advancement and renewal, he said. Garber said Harvard is working to promote open discourse and constructive dialogue so that people of various viewpoints feel comfortable. The road ahead will not be easy, wrote a woman from Arizona, but I believe future generations will look back at this moment and remember that when principles were tested, Harvard did not yield, Garber said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Garber said as long as there are people around the world who believe in the promise of Harvard and in the hope of higher education, he wont lose confidence in the institutions obligation to the future. The people who support this university are far more numerous than I ever hoped to imagine, he said. May those who come after us look back on the work we do today with gratitude and pride, he said. What has happened at Harvard? Harvard has been in a battle with the federal government since April. There has been a wave of federal research grant terminations at Harvard, in addition to a $60 million in multi-year grants, $450 million cut and a $2.2 billion freeze. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has also told the institution that the federal government would be barring Harvard University from acquiring new federal grants while the university continues to refuse to comply with the administrations demands for change on its campus. Garber wrote in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon that they share the same common ground, but the university will not surrender its core, legally-protected principles out of fear. Garber pushed back on the administration through a lawsuit in April. The institution argues that its constitutional rights had been violated by the governments threats to pull billions of dollars in funding if the school didnt comply with demands for an overhaul. Following the $450 million announced cuts, the university amended its lawsuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No government regardless of which party is in power should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue, the suit reads. Due to the federal cuts, Harvard announced that it was committing $250 million of central funding to support research impacted by suspended and canceled federal grants. Each of us is part of a truly global university community. We know that the benefits of bringing talented people together from around the world are unique and irreplaceable. International students and scholars make outstanding contributions inside and outside of our classrooms and laboratories, fulfilling our mission of excellence in countless ways. We will celebrate them, support them, and defend their interests as we continue to assert our Constitutional rights, he said. More Higher Ed Read the original article on MassLive. Electricity pylons (Photo by Getty Images). Its fair to say Montanans have been raked over the coals for electricity costs by the utility companies that have followed in the wake of the disastrous utility deregulation bill passed by the 1997 Legislature and signed into law by then-Gov. Marc Racicot. The faulty premise on which the measure was sold to the Legislature was that Montanans would enjoy lower electricity costs thanks to customers having choice to shop among the various utilities that were supposed to materialize. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But that didnt happen. The opponents to the measure cited the simple fact that Montana already had the lowest price for electricity in the region, thanks in large part because Montana customers had already paid the Montana Power Company, as a regulated monopoly, to build and maintain a series of hydroelectric dams. As one long-time lineman quipped you cant make electricity cheaper than water running downhill. Driven by the Montana Power Companys intent to change from a utility to a telecommunications company, Touch America, the 200+ page bill was jammed through in the last weeks of the session with most legislators having no idea what was in it nor the consequences of their actions. Yet the Republican legislative majorities voted to grant Montana Powers wish, bolstered by the Butte Democrats except for brave Danny Harrington who didnt kow-tow to the utility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was arguably the worst decision ever made by Montanas lawmakers and governor. First to go were the dams, which were sold to an out-of-state utility, Pennsylvania Power and Light. Next to go was the Montana Power Company itself, taking with it the pensions and stock holdings of Montanans who thought of it as our power company. Then Touch America, headed by Bob Gannon, the former CEO of the Montana Power Company, went bankrupt. In the meantime, Montanans electricity bills began their skyward climb as the dams were sold yet again, each time for a higher price, that was then loaded on customers. Realizing the extent of the damage caused by the deregulation debacle, the Legislature finally decided to re-regulate in 2001. NorthWestern Energy is now our regulated electricity supplier since acquiring the system in 2000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its fair to say Montanas Public Service Commission has not been diligent in holding down rates, which have gone from the lowest to the highest in the region. But heres the good news. Thanks to Brad Molnar, who was a commissioner from 2004-2012, was re-elected in 2024, and is now the new president of the Commission, NorthWestern has finally hit resistance to its unending requests for rate increases. In a tremendous article, Daily Montanans deputy editor, Keila Szpaller, lays out in detail Molnars firm stance against the increase. Citing a 50-year old law, NorthWestern claims the Commission did not take timely action and raised rates nearly 17% on May 25 without Commission approval. Molnar says the increase will be crushing to many low-income people, many of whom are simply elderly, that are being handed their butts every day in property tax increases, in utilities, insurance for their houses, insurance for their cars. You name it. This is a very, very bad time to be a poor person, and this will make it worse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the rate increase is unjustified, NorthWestern will have to refund the over-charge plus 10%. As Molnar put it: It is time for them to grow up and quit playing the victim and actually take responsibility for their actions. Well see what happens, but for now, Montanans owe a debt of gratitude to Commissioner Molnar for finally standing up to NorthWestern instead of rubber-stamping their endless rate increases. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) Montgomery County has shared its annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count on Thursday, which showed an overall decline in homelessness. The total number of people experiencing homelessness in Montgomery County is down seven percent from 2024. However, the number of people sleeping unsheltered rose from 92 to 111. One person sleeping unsheltered is one too many, said Commission President Judy Dodge. Everyone deserves the dignity of a safe, affordable place to live. We remain committed to addressing homelessness with urgency, compassion and strategic action. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every year, in January, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires communities to count both sheltered and unsheltered people. This number is then used by Congress as part of the determinations of housing and shelter funding. Chart by LeAnne Marie McPherson, WDTN. *In 2021, Montgomery County received a waiver from HUD and didnt conduct an unsheltered count due to COVID-19. Montgomery Countys count didnt fully mirror the national rise. For 2025, 639 people sheltered and unsheltered is 48 fewer than last year. Celtic Fest Ohio to bring vibrant Celtic culture to Waynesville For the unsheltered count, volunteers looked in places frequented by people who are homeless and in common places suspected to be possible locations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the sheltered count, people who were sleeping in emergency shelters. Like Daybreak, Gettysburg Shelter for Men, Holt Street for veterans, St. Vincent de Paul Shelter for Women & Families and the YWCA Dayton Domestic Violence Shelter. The county recognizes that while progress has been made, the work is far from over. Montgomery County remains committed to making the experience of homelessness rare, brief and one-time, said Montgomery County Job Center. It also remains focused on coordinated, data-driven solutions to ensure that every person has the opportunity for safe and stable housing. For anyone experiencing homelessness and looking for help, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com. Secretary of State Diego Morales, left, at the 2025 National Election Conference in June 2025. After taking heat for back-to-back international trips, other Republicans are lining up to challenge the incumbent in 2026. (Photo from the official SOS X account) As Secretary of State Diego Morales takes heat for back-to-back international trips that blurred personal and professional lines, Republican hopefuls see an opportunity to challenge the embattled politician and establish themselves in contrast to the divisive officeholder. Mere weeks after taking flak for an unannounced visit to India initially paid for by an undisclosed business, the IndyStar revealed that he was out of the country again without sharing his travel plans and paid for by an outside organization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Indiana Democrats are upset that I took some time away from the office. I decided to give them some feedback on their press release and clear up some misconceptions. Also, if this was a college paper, they wouldve failed. Which is what theyre doing for Hoosiers. pic.twitter.com/nRKr9c2fXw Diego Morales (@cdiegomorales) May 31, 2025 Since the story broke, he has revealed that organizers with the Conservative Political Action Conference picked up the tab for his Hungary visit while pointedly posting about his personal time online. But he spoke on both international trips as Indianas secretary of state, not in his personal capacity. This certainly, to me, looks political and partisan. And so if someone else is footing the bill for him to make these international trips, its certainly worthwhile for your typical voter but also other branches of government to know where that money is coming from, said Greg Shufeldt, an associate professor of political science at the University of Indianapolis. The website for the Office of the Secretary of State doesnt include any mention of international relations, but is centered on election oversight, registering businesses and trademarks, and licensing vehicle dealerships. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Returning the offices focus to those duties is part of the campaign platform for both Republican challengers who announced in recent weeks. Knox County Clerk Dave Shelton ran against Morales in the 2022 convention but fell short in the final tally. He announced his bid with Indy Politics in April, days before Morales posted about his intention to run for reelection. Shelton described the position itself as the destination, rather than a stepping stone for another office, adding that his early announcement is designed to give him time to meet with delegates. I want to do the job without fanfare. I dont need my picture taken; I dont need to make headlines, said Shelton. I just want the personal satisfaction of doing the job to the best of my abilities. I will not be a taxpayer-funded tourist on a statewide search for photo ops. That is not me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Party candidates for the secretary of state are chosen by delegates at a convention, rather than through a primary process. The convention is scheduled for next summer, meaning that candidates cant yet officially submit their names for consideration. Republicans Jamie Reitenour, left, and Dave Shelton have announced their intention to challenge Secretary of State Diego Morales for the party nomination in 2026. (Photos from campaign materials) Jamie Reitenour outperformed a former attorney general in the Republican primary election for governor last year and now has her sights set on the office. To be super honest, Im just offended. Im offended for Hoosiers that he is not taking the secretary of state job, in my opinion, very seriously, Reitenour told the Indiana Capital Chronicle. Its an administrative job; its not meant to be a job where youre constantly posting about all your travel. Questions about international trips sent to Morales campaign didnt get a response before publication, but the politician has shot back at critics online and in a recent WOWO interview. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I will always take every opportunity to promote Indiana. I am always Indiana Secretary of State, even when Im out of the office on personal time, said Morales in a statement shared with Indy Politics. I will continue to promote Indiana across the nation and internationally. Traveling for other, political purposes? Unlike other state employees, the State Personnel Department has little oversight over elected officials. Elected officials dont punch a time clock or have limits on personal or vacation time. And there are few restrictions or transparency about travel. The latter could change following a new state law mandating that such officeholders report their travel expenses from trips taken in an official capacity and whether state funding was used. Its unclear if this would capture Morales international trips, where he spoke as Indiana Secretary of State but wasnt explicitly on state business. Broadly, the travel that Diego Morales is doing is frequently not tied to the day-to-day functions of his secretary of state duties, Shufeldt said. Moreover, if you assume that one of his chief responsibilities is the lead election official in the state, Hungary is not the place to go. Hungary is no longer considered a democracy to European Union officials, but the CPAC conference could be a jumping off point for other offices for Morales. His wife is also honorary consul of Hungary to Indiana. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He is an ambitious politician and if his end goal was to be secretary of state, he probably wouldnt be engaging in these sorts of things, said Shufeldt. But hes trying to cement himself in conservative circles outside of the state whether that is for a future gubernatorial run or congressional run these things are very clearly tactical, strategic choices to put himself in conservative or illiberal spaces. Former statewide elected officials, speaking generally about office travel, told the Indiana Capital Chronicle they tried not to overlap personal vacations with official duties. Vacation time was limited for me. And when I had vacation time, I valued that and prioritized that with my family, said Tim Berry, who has held multiple statewide offices. I really tried to ensure that (it) was reserved just for family time and tried to keep that somewhat separate as much as possible. Berry, a former Indiana Republican Party chair, served as the states auditor from 2007 until 2013 after being state treasurer for eight years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Critics have questioned if paying for Morales international trips would qualify as a campaign contribution. He recently revealed that he paid back the business that initially covered the excursion to India to protect it from the crazy left, as reported by State Affairs Indiana. Morales is no stranger to criticism. The politician started his term by hiring his brother-in-law for a six-figure position a loophole to the states nepotism law and bought a $90,000 vehicle with taxpayer money. Additionally, he showered his team with spot bonuses and has been accused of using his office for self-promotion with his name in large font on yard signs, an election security guide and printed maps the latter of which was criticized by a sitting senator. Most recently, the office spent $100,000 for 5-second public service messages on digital billboards around the state, flashing messages about voting alongside directives to learn more about the offices business and automotive dealership oversight. The challengers Self-described election nerd Shelton spends much of his time tinkering with and thinking about the minutiae of administration, having won recognition from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission for designing stabilizer brackets for e-pollbooks and improving accessibility for disabled voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But, when he just started out, he said he conferred with other clerks rather than getting assistance from the secretary of states office. Even today, they dont have that experience in the office, he said. When you become a county clerk, youre left, basically, to your own devices on how to learn to do the job, Shelton said. One of the things that I want to do is set up an in-person, intensive election boot camp for new clerks. Because our elections are not something you can learn by watching a PowerPoint presentation. The eventual Republican nominee might face a familiar name in the fall. Beau Bayh, son of former Indiana governor and U.S. Senator Evan Bayh, is said to be interested. He told the Indiana Capital Chronicle he cant comment as a federal courts employee but his clerkship ends in August. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Libertarian Lauri Shillings has also signaled her intention to seek her partys nomination. Since his showing at the 2022 convention, Shelton said some delegates have expressed extreme buyers remorse to him. Im telling people that I want to be a very boring secretary of state, Shelton summarized. For her part, Reitenour wants to return to paper ballots, fortify Indianas election oversight and align state leadership with President Donald Trump. Theres been more than enough from the presidents administration in regards to foreign adversaries and the fact that our elections are targeted. So it needs to be taken really seriously, Reitenour said. Obviously, Im a fan of President Trump. Im an even greater fan of his leadership. I just think its unparalleled the way hes approached politics I intend to operate with that same diligence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She also vowed to hold weekly press conferences and emphasized the need for an officeholder who balances consumer and business interests, rather than someone who favors one party over the other. I think (the office) will be unrecognizable. Itll be like, That was Diego traveling the world and this is Jamie right now. Well be focused on the state of Indiana, Reitenour concluded. Indianapolis Rep. Andrew Ireland has also been floated as a possible contender, though he declined to comment for this story. Candidates willing to challenge an incumbent is a promising sign for small-d democracy, said Shufeldt, though the outcome is less certain. Morales himself defeated incumbent Secretary of State Holli Sullivan in 2022, but she was appointed by former Gov. Eric Holcomb and lost in pandemic-era pushback to Holcomb. GOP delegates also rejected establishment lieutenant governor candidate Rep. Julie McGuire in favor of now-Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith at the convention last summer, signaling continued support for unconventional candidates. It doesnt necessarily bode well for that more pragmatic governing wing of the Republican party, said Shufeldt. Right now, the actions of Morales and Beckwith appear to be the types of actions I would think come from a politician that thinks theyre untouchable. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX DENVER (KDVR) The list of candidates for Colorados most competitive congressional district continues to grow. Two new candidates joined the field of Democrats running for the seat this week. The State Treasurer and the past president of the states largest teachers union joined the race this week. Both saying it is time for a new representation in the district. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Immediate Past President of the states largest teachers union and the current State Treasurer are joining the field of Democrats looking to take on incumbent Congressman Gabe Evans. The Republican beat Democratic incumbent Yadira Caraveo last fall by a margin of around two thousand votes. Today, Im announcing that Im running for Congress in Congressional District 8 here in Colorado, said Amie Baca-Oehlert, the former President of the Colorado Education Association. You know if I had to give Gabe Evans a grade, I would give him an F because I dont see Gabe Evans standing up for the constituents in CD8 or in Colorado. Gabe Evans is standing side-by-side, pushing the Trump agenda ahead, not listening to the needs of Coloradans. As a lifelong Coloradan, I love this state, I love Congressional District 8, the new congressional district, and Im excited to represent them, said State Treasurer Dave Young. Well, you know Im a teacher and at this point, Im giving him an F because he is taking some really devastating votes that are going to hurt people in Congressional District 8. And I just dont think he really understands the full implications of the vote that he is taking and the work on this budget bill. Baca-Oehlert and Young join state Representatives Manny Rutinel and Shannon Bird in the race; both candidates are off to the races with fundraising, as Rutinel is raising more than a million dollars in the first quarter of this year and Bird is raising $300,000 in the first two weeks since announcing her candidacy. Former Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo is also in the race again too. Both of the new candidates supported her initial bids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think its time for change. You know there were some great things that happened during that first term, but were in a different place now. Congress looks different, the presidency looks different, and I think were in a spot where we need somebody like me. Certainly, as the president of the largest labor union in this state, I know a little something about standing up to people in power, and Im ready to take that to Congress, said Baca-Oehlert. Gabe Evans is going right along with the Trump administration and giving up congressional power and caving in on budget decisions that are going to be devastating for people across the country but particularly people in his district, right, in my district right now. And I cant stand by for that. Ive got to take action and unfortunately, Representative Caraveo was unsuccessful in her bid last time. And Im not willing to gamble when I know Im the person who can win this race, said Treasurer Young. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) called both candidates out of touch, saying in a statement: Twos company, threes a crowd, and five is a clown car of messy, expensive Democrat primary, which is exactly what we now have in Colorados 8th Congressional District. Amie Baca-Oehlert is the latest out-of-touch Democrat to join the race to the left primary to determine who will be rejected by voters in Colorado next year. NRCC Spokesman Zach Bannon Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) The Morrow County prosecutors office announced that it intends to seek the death penalty upon the conviction of the man charged in the death of deputy Daniel Sherrer. During a Friday press conference, County Prosecutor Andrew Wick detailed a grand jury indictment, in which 53-year-old Brian Wilson will face 14 charges in the alleged murder of Sherrer. After consultation with the Sheriffs office and the deputys sheriffs family, and law enforcement community, and review of facts and circumstances around this case, upon conviction it is my intention to seek the death penalty, Wick said. I stand committed with my office and our law enforcement community to seek justice for fallen deputy Daniel Sherrer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sherrer, 31, was shot and killed on Memorial Day after responding to a domestic violence call in which Wilson was involved, reportedly with his brother in law, according to Wick. Daniel Sherrer, Morrow County Sheriff deputy. Wilson, 53, was booked into Delaware County Jail days after a shootout between him and Sherrer on the doorstep of a home on County Road 26, just south of Marengo. Wilson, who was injured in the shootout, is charged with aggravated murder and remains in jail with a $5 million bond. Sherrer was reportedly responding to a domestic violence call when Wilson confronted him on the porch of the home. Wilson allegedly told Sherrer, You better just f go if you want your family to see you tomorrow, before shots were fired. Several gunshots were heard and Sherrer was hit during the exchange. More shots were fired, a court affidavit said, and two firearms were recovered, including a semiautomatic pistol and a revolver. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, Wilson appeared virtually for his arraignment hearing in Morrow County court and received a $5 million cash surety bond with no possibility of paying 10%. Wick had requested a $9 million bond. During the press conference, Wick listed the 14-count indictment handed down by Fridays grand jury against Wilson, It includes the following charges. Aggravated murder with three specifications which qualify for death penalty Premeditated aggravated murder, also with specifications that make the suspect eligible for death penalty Felony murder Felonious assault of a police officer, causing serious physical harm Felonious assault on a peace officer with a deadly weapon Attempted murder of the defendants brother in law Attempted aggravated murder of the defendants brother in law Felonous assault of the defendants brother in law Domestic violence, with a prior conviction of domestic violence Unlawful discharge of a firearm into a habitation Unlawful discharge of a firearm near a public roadway Possession of a firearm Possession of a firearm Discharging of a firearm while intoxicated Counts 1-11 include a three-year weapon specifications. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sherrer was honored with a 120-mile procession two days after the shooting and was laid to rest Wednesday at a private ceremony at Marion Cemetery. A public service took place earlier in the day at Northmor High School with former sheriff and current pastor Steve Brenneman officiating. Gov. Mike DeWine had also ordered flags flown at half staff until the completion of funeral services. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. The Russian leadership is portraying its latest heavy air strikes on Ukraine as retaliation for Ukrainian attacks. "The armed forces of the Russian Federation have delivered a massive blow in response to terrorist acts by the Kiev regime," the Defence Ministry in Moscow said on Friday morning. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also referred to the statement by the Russian military when commenting on the attacks, according to the state news agency TASS. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new statements from Moscow left open whether the night-time attacks were the expected response to the destruction of Russian fighter jets by Ukrainian small drones. President Vladimir Putin had most recently spoken of "terrorism" by Ukraine in connection with train crashes in Russia, which are believed to have been caused by sabotage. US President Donald Trump said after a phone call with Putin that the Kremlin leader had announced retaliation for that operation. Russia is prepared to offer political asylum to tech billionaire Elon Musk following his public feud with U.S. President Donald Trump, Dmitry Novikov, deputy chair of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, said June 6. "I think Musk is playing a completely different game, that he won't need political asylum, although if he did, Russia could certainly provide it," Novikov told the state-run news agency TASS. The remarks came days after Musk's 130-day stint as head of a temporary federal commission ended on May 30, and amid deepening tensions between the Tesla CEO and Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The feud began when Musk publicly criticized the administration's "Big Beautiful Bill," a sweeping tax proposal that economists warn could expand the U.S. deficit by $600 billion. Trump responded by personally attacking Musk during his meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on June 5. In his Truth Social post, Trump said that Musk "just went crazy." Musk replied on social media that Trump owed his electoral victory to him, claiming that without his influence, Democrats would have maintained control of the House. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council and a frequent purveyor of anti-Western rhetoric, joked on X that Moscow would broker peace between "D and E" referring to Trump and Musk in exchange for Starlink shares. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Don't fight, guys," Medvedev wrote. Musk was a key figure in Trump's campaign and early administration. As head of the government efficiency task force, he led efforts to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which has provided over $37 billion in aid to Ukraine. Despite initially supporting Ukraine and providing Starlink satellite systems to bolster military communications, Musk has increasingly echoed Russian narratives. The billionaire has falsely claimed that President Volodymyr Zelensky has little support in Ukraine and accused Kyiv of waging a "never-ending draft meat grinder." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He has also lobbied against U.S. military assistance to Ukraine, arguing it only prolongs the war a line frequently used by Kremlin officials to discourage Western backing for Kyiv. Musk's comments have earned praise from Russian officials and propagandists, including state TV hosts and military bloggers who now view the billionaire as a sympathetic figure. Read also: Loud night in Kyiv, Dad US envoys daughter appeals to Kellogg during Russian attack Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Whitney Decker, the mother of three young girls that were found dead in Washington, is urging reforms to the Amber Alert system after state authorities declined to issue one when her daughters went missing. Wenatchee Police in Chelan County, Washington, had requested an Amber Alert after she reported that her daughters hadnt returned from a scheduled visit with their father, Travis Decker, on May 30. Washington State Patrol, however, denied this request, telling HuffPost there wasnt sufficient evidence that an abduction was taking place, or that Travis would harm his daughters. They did not see him as an immediate physical danger to his children despite the fact that he had a well-established history of mental health issues and had theyseen it that way, those children might still be alive, Whitneys attorney Arianna Cozart told local NBC affiliate KING 5 News. Thats the thing that is so brutal, and the one thing that shes really hoping can be changed in this tragedy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Amber Alerts are designed specifically to respond to child abductions and allow law enforcement to send a text alert to cell phones in the area about a missing child. The Washington State Patrol eventually issued an Endangered Missing Persons Advisory on June 1, though that does not immediately include a text alert. Cozart, who didnt immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment, told KING 5 that an Amber Alert might have enabled people to keep a look out for Travis Decker and the white GMC truck he was driving when he was with his girls. Whitneys daughters Paityn, 9; Evelyn, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5 were found dead on June 2 near their fathers car, which was parked at a campground in the North Cascades. Police believe they died from asphyxiation after finding plastic bags over their heads and zip ties around their wrists. Travis Decker is still missing, however, and police are currently engaged in a manhunt as they continue to search for him. Officers have asked the public for information, though they caution against approaching Travis because he might be dangerous. This undated photo provided by the Wenatchee Police Department shows Travis Caleb Decker, who the police are asking the public for help in locating. He is wanted for murder after his three young daughters were reported missing and then found dead. Wenatchee Police Department via Associated Press Cozart emphasized that Whitney and her daughters were failed numerous times by government systems including difficult-to-access veteran support services along with authorities decision to pass on an Amber Alert. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She cited Travis Deckers past mental health struggles after he voluntarily left the U.S. Army, and the challenges he faced in obtaining help. Last fall, Whitney had requested changes to the couples parenting plan, noting that Travis was unstable and had borderline personality disorder. Cozart also told the court that he was homeless and living out of his car. Under a revised parenting plan, Travis Decker was able to see his daughters every other weekend, though he was not able to have them overnight. She really feels the system let her children down, Cozart told KING 5. It was the inadequacies in the services for our veterans that killed those children. This story has been amended to clarify the location of the campground where the girls were found. MOUNTAIN VIEW, Mo. A Mountain View man has been charged following a reported civil issue call on Tuesday, June 3. According to online court dockets, Justin Kimbell, born 1984, has been charged with attempted first-degree assault, discharging a firearm at or from motor vehicle, unlawful possession of a firearm, DWI persistent and armed criminal action. The probable cause statement says deputies began traveling to the scene after receiving a call from Kimbell, who said he had bought a firearm from a convicted felon on June 3. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said when en route to the call, they received a call from a reporting party about wanting to speak with a deputy on the incident, the statement says. While police were traveling to the scene, the deputy noticed Kimbell driving past them in a red SUV with no registration. Police decided to catch up to Kimbell in his vehicle and parked a short distance near a church off of U Highway. Aurora teen charged with attempted first-degree robbery on school bus Kimbell was placed under arrest for driving while revoked and was read his Miranda Warning. Police noticed observations of a strong odor of intoxicants from his breath, his eyes, swaying and mumbled talk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kimbell told police that he had not drank anything and agreed to a preliminary breath test. Police found that Kimbell had a .309% BAC. Police told Kimbell of the results, and he then started to yell and curse at the deputy. He told the deputy that he had stopped around the church to call a cab and did not want to hurt anyone while he was driving. During the stop, police noticed major mood swings that would go from apologetic to screaming and cursing. Police looked at the mans vehicle and noticed a bullet hole in the drivers door. Police then noticed a bullet hole from the exterior of the SUV at an upward angle, which appeared to have hit the interior rear-view mirror. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police found a black-powder cap-and-ball revolver and Fireball whiskey containers with some empty and partially empty, around the vehicle. Police later took Kimbell to Howell County Jail after he refused to give a second breath sample. After Kimbell was booked into jail, the deputy talked with a victim on the incident. The victim told police that in April 2025, Kimbell had been taking them on a drive back from West Plains. During the drive, Kimbell started talking about witches and pulled out a revolver. The victim said Kimbell put the muzzle of the gun toward her head and pulled back the hammer. Kimbell tried to pull back the hammer, and the victim swiped the muzzle of the gun as he tried to fire the weapon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incident resulted in the victim receiving power burns to their face and hand. The victim said she had been afraid of being around Kimbell, which resulted in them not reporting the incident. The victim provided photos of the burns to police from that day, which police believed went with her statement. Kimbell is currently in jail with a $25,000 bond. He is scheduled for an arraignment on June 9. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOLR - OzarksFirst.com. MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- The Midland Police Department has asked for help from the community to identify an attempted theft suspect. According to the department, the man pictured below entered United Supermarket at 3317 N Midland Drive and loaded up a cart. He then tried to exit the store without paying for the merchandise but the anti-theft locking system on the grocery cart stopped him from exiting the store. Hes now wanted on a misdemeanor theft charge. Anyone with information has been asked to call Crime Stoppers at 432-694-TIPS and reference case number 250602302. You may also submit your anonymous tip online or by using the P3 TIPS mobile app. If your tip leads to an arrest, it could be worth a cash reward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Yourbasin. KANSAS CITY, MO. The Raytown Police Department reports Thursday night that a woman missing for over a month has been located safe. Independence police chief on leave, fires back at baseless rumors in FOX4 interview Police say Caitlin Blose, 34, had not been seen or heard from since April 21. Park Hill District partners with Strategos for school protection specialists Caitlin is also described as having a 666 tattoo above her left eyebrow, a tattoo of an eye on both of her hands, an anatomical heart on her upper right arm and a lion on her left thigh. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. MSNBCs Lawrence ODonnell suggested that President Donald Trump made history by getting humiliated by two people at the same time. In his opening monologue on Thursdays The Last Word, ODonnell said it was German Chancellor Friedrich Merzs turn to sit beside Donald Trump and humiliate him in the Oval Office, but that got overshadowed by Elon Musks wild social media posts attacking the president. Donald Trump became the first president in history to get humiliated by two people at the same time, with one of them not even being in the room, ODonnell said. The richest person in the world, who Donald Trump now claims he fired last week, was live-tweeting Donald Trumps stupidity festival in the Oval Office, saying, among other things, Donald Trump should be impeached. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musks salacious posting spree didnt stop there. He also suggested that Trumps tariffs will cause a recession later this year and claimed the president wouldnt have won the 2024 election without his multimillion dollar support. Then Musk dropped the really big bomb, claiming the real reason the government hasnt released files related to child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is because Trump features in them. As if that werent bad enough, ODonnell noted that Merz had to correct Trump to his face during their Thursday meeting in front of the worlds media. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had to remind Trump in the Oval Office that defeating the Nazis in WW II was a good thing. / Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images The German chancellor pointed out that Friday marked the anniversary of the D-Day landings, when Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy in a pivotal moment of World War II. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump remarked that D-Day was not a pleasant day for Germany. Merz then had to educate Trump: In the long run, Mr. President, this was the liberation of my country from Nazi dictatorship. ODonnell noted that this glib reply followed French President Emmanuel Macron fact-checking Trump in the Oval Office in February about Europes funding of Ukraines fight against Russian invasion, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer rejecting Trumps claim that there are infringements on free speech in the U.K. Donald Trump is by far the stupidest person any European head of state has ever had to meet, ODonnell said. Elon Musk and Donald Trump's fraught relationship reached fever pitch on Thursday. / Tom Brenner/The Washington Post via Getty The host later discussed the possible implications of the tensions between Trump and Musk blowing up the way it did on Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is not a feud. This is the worlds two craziest, most dangerous rich people, each trying to find a way now to completely destroy the other, he said. Elon Musk is now calling for the impeachment of Donald Trump. Donald Trump is now calling for cutting off all government contracts with Elon Musks companies. Steve Bannon, Trump ally, is now calling for Elon Musk to be deported. All-out madness has broken out in Trump World, with Donald Trump at the center of the madness, causing all of the madness. In a show of force in the heart of Los Angeles, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Friday carried out a series of immigration sweeps, including two downtown that sparked a tense standoff. Videos showed federal agents running after people in the parking lot of the Home Depot in Westlake, not far from downtown Los Angeles. A man recording the video can be heard warning people in Spanish that immigration officials were at the location and to stay away. Another raid occurred at a business in the Garment District near 9th and Towne streets, with agents in riot gear detaining workers at a clothing store as dozens of people began to gather outside. As workers were hauled off in cuffs, throngs of people yelled at the agents and held up cellphones to record them, according to videos of the showdown. One person threw eggs at one of the vehicles as agents pushed members of the public back, the videos showed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the street, immigrant-rights advocates stood on a bed of a truck, using megaphones to speak to the workers inside the store, reminding them of their constitutional rights and instructing them not to sign anything or say anything to federal agents. They also told the agents that lawyers wanted access to the workers, and sometimes called out specific names. I want to talk to my clients Luis Lopez and Michel Garcia. We are here," one person could be heard saying. "The community is here with you. Your family is here with you." Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe, a spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of ICE, said federal agents in downtown Los Angeles were executing search warrants related to the harboring of people illegally in the country. At least 44 people were arrested and one for obstructing No other details were provided. The raids are the latest in a string of high-profile immigration enforcement actions over the last week, part of President Trumps promised deportation crackdown. A few days ago, immigration agents raided a popular San Diego restaurant and made arrests, sparking a standoff with outraged residents. Agents also arrested Chinese and Taiwanese nationals at an underground nightclub in the Los Angeles area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials from the Service Employees International Union said in a statement that its California president, David Huerta, was detained and injured during a downtown raid "while exercising his First Amendment right to observe and document law enforcement activity." An SEIU spokesperson said Huerta was taken to LA County General Hospital for his injuries and later released into federal custody. In a post on X, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said federal agents were executing a lawful judicial warrant at a LA worksite "when David Huerta deliberately obstructed their access by blocking their vehicle." he wrote. "He was arrested for interfering with federal officers and will face arraignment in federal court on Monday." Friday's actions were met with criticism from L.A. leaders, who oppose the immigration crackdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "These actions are escalating: agents arrive without warning and leave quickly, aware that our communities mobilize fast," Los Angeles Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez said in a statement. "I urge Angelenos to stay alert." Mayor Karen Bass said that such raids "sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city... We will not stand for this. Among the names immigration advocates called out Friday during the downtown L.A. raid was that of Marco Garcia, 37. Outside, his daughter, 18-year-old Katia Garcia, peered into the store as federal agents swept through the location. "I'm in disbelief," she said. "I can't believe this is happening." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Katia Garcia, a U.S. citizen, said she was notified about her father's situation by phone, left school and headed to the clothing store. She said her father is undocumented and has been in the U.S. for 20 years. "We never thought this would happen to us," she said. The crowd remained mostly peaceful, but photos and videos of the scene showed some unmarked vehicles used by ICE had been vandalized with graffiti. As agents whisked away workers in white SUVs, members of the crowd walked and ran alongside the vehicles, videos from the scene showed. At one point, a man backpedaling in front of a departing SUV was nearly run over when he tripped and fell in front of the vehicle. The SUV reversed and sped around him, the videos showed. Two miles away, near the intersection of 15th Street and Santa Fe Avenue, FBI agents were spotted at a warehouse associated with the raid at 9th and Towne streets. A crowd had gathered outside the gates of the business, where agents arrested Huerta. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ilse Escobar, a United Teachers Los Angeles political organizer, told The Times she saw a scuffle take place before seeing Huerta being thrown to the ground by a federal agent. "I told him, you just arrested a labor union president," Escobar said. The Los Angeles Fire Department said at least one person was transported to a local hospital from that location. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a written statement that his department was aware that ICE was conducting operations in the city. Im aware that these actions cause anxiety for many Angelenos, so I want to make it clear: the LAPD is not involved in civil immigration enforcement," he said. "While the [department] will continue to have a visible presence in all our communities to ensure public safety, we will not assist or participate in any sort of mass deportations nor will the LAPD try to determine an individuals immigration status." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McDonnell said since 1979, the department's policy has barred officers from initiating police action solely to determine a persons immigration status, and it will continue to focus on reducing crime and enhancing public safety. "I want everyone, including our immigrant community, to feel safe calling the police in their time of need and know that the LAPD will be there for you without regard to ones immigration status," he said. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller has pushed ICE to start making at least 3,000 arrests a day, an effort that is reflected in the rising detention numbers by ICE, which have topped more than 50,000 for the first time since Trump's first presidency, according to Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a nonprofit that tracks the federal government's enforcement activities. This week, CBS reported that ICE had recorded 2,000 arrests each day, a dramatic increase from the daily average of 660 arrests reported by the agency during Trump's first 100 days back at the White House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ron Gochez, a member of Union del Barrio, an independent political organization advocating for immigrant rights and social justice, said his group has been "flooded" with calls about immigration sweeps taking place. "There were ICE agents at a Home Depot in Cypress Park, there's ICE agents at Wilshire Boulevard and Union Avenue, a construction site in North Hollywood and in South L.A.," he said in a phone interview. "They're everywhere." Times staff writer Joseph Serna contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) Multiple people are facing charges in connection with an ongoing investigation into alleged chop shops operating in Berkeley County, authorities said Friday. The investigation, which began in May after several thefts were reported in the Ridgeville and Lebanon areas, led deputies to two properties where approximately $130,000 in stolen vehicles and equipment were found, according to the Berkeley County Sheriffs Office. The following individuals were charged as part of the investigation: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hunter Driggers-Moore Possession of Stolen Vehicles James Threatt Receiving Stolen Goods Daniel Threatt Receiving Stolen Goods Bradley Billham Possession of Stolen Vehicles Timmy Lee Condrey Trafficking Methamphetamine, Trafficking Fentanyl, nine counts of Possession of a Weapon during the Commission of a Violent Crime, two counts of Receiving Stolen Goods over $10,000, Operation of a Chop Shop, and Possession of Vehicle with a Tampered VIN Fred Jimmy Condrey Possession with the Intent to Distribute Marijuana Michelle Elizabeth Condrey Possession of Fentanyl Joseph Edward Bryan Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine Colleen Elizabeth Reese Possession of Fentanyl Authorities said deputies responded to a call on May 21 from a victim who saw his stolen dump truck being driven in Moncks Corner. He followed it to a residence on Horseshoe Drive, where the driver, later identified as Driggers-Moore, fled the scene. Deputies executed a search warrant at the home and found the stolen truck, a Honda motorcycle, and a U-Haul trailer. Two residents, James and Daniel Threatt, were arrested on site. Driggers-Moore was taken into custody the following day. Berkeley County cracks down on boat landing violations under new ordinance Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Billham was arrested May 23 at his residence on Farrell Street, where deputies discovered another motorcycle with a tampered ignition. A subsequent search warrant recovered a stolen motorcycle and yielded evidence of an active motorcycle chop shop, according to authorities. A chop shop is where parts are stripped from stolen items often vehicles to be resold. The investigation continued, and deputies executed a third search warrant on June 4 at a Destiny Lane property in Cross. There, deputies recovered a Takeuchi skid steer, a Kubota side-by-side, and other heavily altered items believed to be stolen. Authorities said an additional search warrant resulted in the seizure of thousands of dollars in cash, 11 firearms, approximately 363 grams of Methamphetamine, approximately 245 grams of Marijuana, and approximately 14 grams of Fentanyl. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a great example of teamwork between our investigative units, said Sheriff Duane Lewis. Thanks to solid detective work and community involvement, we shut down two chop shops and recovered valuable stolen property that might have otherwise been lost. The sheriffs office said they are still searching for another man, Jack Ronald Turner III, who is wanted on theft-related charges. The investigation remains ongoing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCBD News 2. NEW YORK (AP) The worlds richest man could lose billions in his fight with worlds most powerful politician. The feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump could mean Teslas plans for self-driving cars hit a roadblock, SpaceX flies fewer missions for NASA, Starlink gets fewer overseas satellite contracts and the social media platform X loses advertisers. Maybe, that is. It all depends on Trumps appetite for revenge and how the dispute unfolds. Joked Telemetry Insight auto analyst Sam Abuelsamid, Since Trump has no history of retaliating against perceived adversaries, hell probably just let this pass. Turning serious, he sees trouble ahead for Musk. For someone that rants so much about government pork, all of Elons businesses are extremely dependent on government largesse, which makes him vulnerable. Trump and the federal government also stand to lose from a long-running dispute, but not as much as Musk. Tesla robotaxis The dispute comes just a week before a planned test of Teslas driverless taxis in Austin, Texas, a major event for the company because sales of its EVs are lagging in many markets, and Musk needs a win. Trump can mess things up for Tesla by encouraging federal safety regulators to step in at any sign of trouble for the robotaxis. Even before the war of words broke out on Thursday, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration requested data on how Musks driverless, autonomous taxis will perform in low-visibility conditions. That request follows an investigation last year into 2.4 million Teslas equipped with full self-driving software after several accidents, including one that killed a pedestrian. A spokesman for NHTSA said the probe was ongoing and that the agency "will take any necessary actions to protect road safety. The Department of Justice has also probed the safety of Tesla cars, but the status of that investigation is unclear. The DOJ did not respond immediately to requests for comment. The promise of a self-driving future led by Tesla inspired shareholders to boost the stock by 50% in the weeks after Musk confirmed the Austin rollout. But on Thursday, the stock plunged more than 14% amid the Trump-Musk standoff. On Friday, it recovered a bit, bouncing back nearly 4%. Teslas recent rise was almost entirely driven by robotaxi enthusiasm," said Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein. Elons feud with Trump could be a negative. Carbon credits business One often-overlooked but important part of Teslas business that could take a hit is its sales of carbon credits. As Musk and Trump were slugging it out Thursday, Republican senators inserted new language into Trumps budget bill that would eliminate fines for gas-powered cars that fall short of fuel economy standards. Tesla has a thriving side business selling regulatory credits to other automakers to make up for their shortfalls. Elon Musk has hit back at Steve Bannon after the longtime MAGA hardliner called on President Donald Trump to seize SpaceX. Following this weeks nuclear fall-out between Trump and top campaign donor Muskwho until last week was also one of the presidents most important advisersBannon slammed Musks government cost-cutting efforts and called for him to be deported. During Thursdays episode of his War Room podcast, he also referred to a social media exchange between the former allies in which Trump threatened to cancel Musks government contracts, and Musk responded that SpaceX would begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When he threatens to take one of the big programs out of SpaceX, President Trump tonight should sign an executive order calling for the Defense Production Act to be called and seize SpaceX tonight before midnight, Bannon said. Steve Bannon is no longer an official advisor to Trump but has been trying to influence the president through his show War Room. / Pool / Curtis Means-Pool/Getty Images Generally speaking, the 1950 act doesnt give the government the power to seize companies. Instead, it allows the president to control domestic industries during emergencies by ordering companies to prioritize orders from the federal government, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. The president also has the power to allocate materials, services and facilities for production, make loans or loan guarantees to companies, and prevent hoarding of necessary supplies. Both Democratic and Republican administrations have routinely used the act to place military orders, bolster domestic production of critical materials, and increase production of medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the CFR. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rather than point any of this out, Musk responded to Bannon by calling him a slur favored by middle-school bulliesand MAGA culture warriors. President Trump attended a SpaceX launch with Musk a few weeks after winning re-election in November 2024. / Brandon Bell / Getty Images Bannon is peak r----d, the Tesla chief wrote in response to a post on the social media platform X. Under another post calling Bannons comments authoritarian, the Tesla chief repeated the slur, writing, Bannon is a communist r----d. Ever since NASA officially ended the Space Shuttle program in 2011, it has relied on outside vehicles to carry astronauts to the International Space Station. Originally, they traveled aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, but now, NASA relies heavily on SpaceXs four-person Dragon capsule, which was developed with the help of government contracts. NASA relies on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft to transport astronauts to the ISS. / Aubrey Gemignani/NASA via Getty Images Unable to help himself, Bannon also warned during Thursdays show that a scorched-earth Musk would turn to backing Democratic candidates and help steal the 28 election, looking to imprison President Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bannon was of course one of the leading conspiracy theorists leading the claim that Joe Biden stole the 2020 election from Trump. He also predicted that Democrats would again steal the 2024 election. For all the time he spent in the Oval Office, the richest man in the world is foreign born, and one thing he can never do is sit at the Resolute Desk as the elected most powerful man in the world. But Elon Musk was able to buy his way into becoming the First Buddy and for a time he was able to bond his ultimate wealth with President Donald Trumps ultimate power. Trump allowed Musk to take a chainsaw to federal agencies with the promise he would cut trillions in federal spending. Trump believed Musk could do it and hereby make room for the big tax cuts that are the primary goal of the presidents Big, Beautiful Bill. Trump promises the BBB and a host of tariffs will lead to a golden age protected by a Golden Dome run from an Oval Office newly adorned with gold leaf. U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk attend a press conference in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 30, 2025. / Nathan Howard / REUTERS In this bonding of money and power, Musk declared his affection for Trump as a teenager might, via social media. In his instance, on a platform he bought for $44 billion in 2022, changing the name from Twitter to X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I love @realDonaldTrump as much as a straight man can love another man, Musk posted in February. Musk often brought along the toddler son he also named X to the Oval Office. The boy picked his nose during one visit and wiped the result on the Resolute Desk. I love @realDonaldTrump as much as a straight man can love another man Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 7, 2025 The famously germaphobic Trump was seemingly so enthralled with Musks money and online sway that he said nothing and simply had the desk refinished. But however successful Musk had been as a businessman, he fell far short with his Department of Government Efficiency, which the whole country came to know as DOGE., His young minions created maximum chaos while achieving a small fraction of the promised savings, often ignoring the law as they did it and then falsely reporting the results. Decent and devoted civil servants who had devoted their working lives to serving the public were dismissed as useless bureaucrats by DOGE goons with nicknames like Big Balls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Musks association with such reckless cruelty impacted Teslas business, Trump sought to boost it by displaying a Cyber Truck and a red Model S Tesla outside the White House. Trump said he was buying the Model S because he liked the color. Trump looks on as X A-12, Elon Musk's son, stands beside him in the Oval Office of the White House. / Kevin Lamarque / REUTERS The car stood in the White House parking lot as Tesla investors clamored for Musk to return to his business. DOGE continued to fall short on the promised savings. And that made it more difficult for Trump to justify the cost of the BBB. If Trump and Musk had discussions about his departure, they were private. Trump held a sendoff ceremony in the Oval Office last Friday. Musk had a black eye that he explained away by saying his young son had hit him. He looked tense, but it seemed that might have been the result of a news report about his suspected drug use At one point, Musk looked around the freshly gilded office he would never be able to occupy despite his billions of dollars and millions of followers on X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Oval Office finally has the majesty that it deserves, thanks to the president, he said. Trump presented Musk with a golden key to the White House, where he can never reside. Both men said nice things about each other. One of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced, Trump said. Elons service to America has been without comparison in modern history. Musk pledged, The DOGE teams will only get stronger over time. But as a full blown narcissist, Musk could not just let it end so far short of success. He had to show his power by smashing something. On Tuesday, Musk took the first step toward what would become a break-up in front of millions. Musk had said nothing negative about the BBB at the White House farewell and there had been no significant changes to it since them. But he now denounced it on X as a disgusting abomination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im sorry, but I just cant stand it anymore, he wrote, now calling the BBB this massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong, he added You know it. He subsequently vowed to fire any legislators who supported it. Remarkably, the equally narcissistic Trump did not immediately respond, and it seemed he may have remained under the spell of Musks money and online clout. But on Thursday, during a televised Oval Office meeting with new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump allowed that he was very disappointed in Elon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elons upset because we took the [electric vehicle] mandate andyou know, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles, Trump then said.He only developed a problem when he found out I would cut the EV mandate, Musk must have been watching. Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate, Musk wrote on X. Such ingratitude. Trump and Musk sit in a Tesla Model S on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11. / Andrew Harnik / Getty Images The two major world figures kept posting when they could have just gotten on the phone. They instead played it out so it was read live by millions who comprised an intended audience. Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public, Musk wrote. Have a nice day, DJT! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What was most distressing about this deliberately public dispute between the worlds richest man and its most powerful was that neither seemed more emotionally mature than your basic junior high student. However it goes from there, Trump will be out of power on January 20, 2029. Musk may or may not still be the worlds richest man; Tesla stock fell by 13 percent during Thursdays exchange. But however much money he wins or loses, he will never have for even a minute the power an elected president has for four years. He may be able to briefly buy a president, but he cannot become one. Elon Musk says the "Epstein files" haven't been released because Trump is in them. The president's name has cropped up repeatedly in Epstein-related court documents. Trump's name is included in Epstein's contact book and flight records. Elon Musk has an allegation about why President Donald Trump hasn't released all of the so-called "Epstein files." He's in them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk's claim, tying the president to the dead financier and sex trafficker, is the latest punch in the escalating beef between the richest man in the world and the president of the United States. "Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public," Musk posted on X Thursday afternoon. "Have a nice day, DJT!" "Mark this post for the future," he added in a follow-up post. "The truth will come out." Musk didn't elaborate on his claim or provide evidence that backed up his assertion. House Democrats nonetheless seized on Musk's claim, with two members of the oversight committee demanding a response from Justice Department officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump's relationship with Epstein has long been part of the public record. None of that record supports any notion that the president was involved in Epstein's sex trafficking. The two were friends in the 1980s, spending time in the same wealthy social circles in Palm Beach and Manhattan, and Trump's name has repeatedly come up in litigation related to Epstein. The two had a falling-out in the 2000s. Trump has previously denied involvement in any wrongdoing related to Epstein. In 2019, following criminal charges against the financier, Trump said he "wasn't a fan." White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that Musk's claims about Trump and Epstein were "unfortunate." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted," Leavitt said in a statement. "The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again." During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump indicated he supported making government documents related to Epstein public if he were elected. It's not clear exactly what Musk meant by the "Epstein files." Attorney General Pamela Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have promised to release documents in possession of the Justice Department related to the wealthy pedophile. Other agencies that may have Epstein-related documents, like the CIA, have been publicly silent about the matter. We already have a lot of Epstein documents Bondi and Patel have published one batch of documents, in February. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aside from a three-page list of evidence seized during a 2019 criminal investigation into Epstein, it included only information that had previously been made public during the criminal case against his associate Ghislaine Maxwell and in other civil litigation. Among those records are a copy of one of Epstein's contact books, which lists Trump and some of Trump's family members among hundreds of entries. The records also include some flight logs for Epstein's private jets; Trump is mentioned as a passenger. Trump's Mar-a-Lago club featured prominently in Maxwell's criminal trial. One woman who said Epstein raped her testified that the financier took her to the club when she was 14 years old and introduced her to Trump. Another of Epstein's most prominent accusers, Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, has said she was recruited as a victim by Maxwell while at Mar-a-Lago. A Mar-a-Lago employee briefly testified at Maxwell's criminal trial about Giuffre's father's employment at the club. Trump's name has also been included in long-running civil litigation related to Epstein. Documents including Trump's name became public in January 2024, when a federal judge unsealed and unredacted thousands of pages of court documents in a lawsuit that Giuffre brought against Maxwell. The judge had previously referred to Trump with the pseudonym "Doe 174." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit did not accuse Trump of any wrongdoing. Many of the people whose names were initially kept under seal in the court documents were identified as Epstein's victims or had only an incidental connection to the financier. The documents from that lawsuit include excerpts of a deposition by Johanna Sjoberg, who has accused Epstein of rape. At one point during the deposition, Sjoberg was asked about giving massages to various associates of Epstein at his residences, and she denied giving any to Trump. Asked about a trip to Atlantic City, she described visiting one of Trump's casinos after flying on Epstein's private jet. "Jeffrey said, 'Great, we'll call up Trump, and we'll go to' I don't recall the name of the casino, but 'we'll go to the casino,'" Sjoberg said in the deposition. Other documents mention Trump only in passing, referencing him as one of the many high-profile people who have been friends with Epstein. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Epstein who also spent time with other powerful figures, including Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, Steve Bannon, and Ehud Barak died by suicide in a federal Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges in 2019. As part of the same investigation, Justice Department prosecutors brought sex-trafficking charges against his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in late 2021 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Musk was famously photographed with Maxwell at a 2014 Vanity Fair event. He has said she "photobombed" him. The Tesla CEO has denied a connection to Epstein. Following a 2023 subpoena in litigation related to JPMorgan's ties to Epstein, Musk said he never took financial advice from him. "That cretin never advised me on anything whatsoever," Musk posted on social media at the time. Read the original article on Business Insider Good morning! I'm Nicole Fallert. I saw Queen Bey last night and am still country singin'. It's Friday. Here's the news: The dramatic, very public Trump-Musk break-up America's eyes were glued to X yesterday as President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk engaged in a social media tit-for-tat, hurling deep personal attacks at one another. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An all-out war erupted: Trump said Thursday he was "very disappointed" with Musk and suggested his close relationship with the former top White House adviser was over. It escalated . Musk said Trump wouldn't have won a second term and Republicans would be in the minority in both chambers of the U.S. Congress without him. Then, Trump threatened Musk's government contracts as "the easiest way to save money." The intensity of the exchange then only increased . Musk countered it was "time to drop the really big bomb" and said Trump's name was in the Justice Department's files related to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Some Republicans are cringing. Other Republicans welcomed Musk's criticism of GOP spending. Democrats watched the feud unfold with glee. Lawyer details 'horrendous conditions' faced by 11th grader detained by ICE "If you are detained in the Burlington ICE facility, you do not see the light of day. You don't know what time it is." ~ Robin Nice, lawyer for Marcelo Gomes da Silva,18, a Massachusetts high school junior who she says endured "deplorable" conditions while being held by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Gomes da Silva was arrested by ICE agents on May 31 when he was stopped on his way to volleyball practice with friends in his hometown of Milford. Classmates of Marcelo Gomes da Silva, who was reportedly detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, join members of the community at a rally in support of da Silva after their high school graduation in Milford, Massachusetts, on June 1, 2025. More news to know now Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here. The Supreme Court just made it easier for White workers to sue for bias The Supreme Court this week made it easier for members of so-called majority groups to sue for discrimination by siding with an Ohio woman, Marlean Ames, who claimed she twice lost jobs to lesser-qualified gay candidates because she is straight. Federal civil rights law does not distinguish between members of majority and minority groups, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote in the unanimous decision striking down the standard used in nearly half of federal circuit courts. Legal experts say the closely watched ruling could spur more reverse discrimination complaints. Scammers are leaning into tariff confusion You see an ad online for something you want, and you proceed to the sellers website. The site looks professional, the price seems reasonable, and checkout is quick and easy. But then, your order never arrives. When you follow up with the seller, you might get vague, automated emails urging you to be patient. Then comes the explanation: Your package is stuck due to tariffs. But that could be a sign of a scam, warns the Better Business Bureau. U.S. consumers are not typically required to pay tariffs after placing an order. If a company says your package is stuck in customs or asks for additional payment due to tariffs, thats a major red flag. Here are more tips to avoid tariff tricks. Today's talkers Coco Gauff rolls into French Open final Gauff, the No. 2 seed, dismantled the previously unknown Frenchwoman Lois Boisson 6-1, 6-2 on Thursday to reach the French Open final for a second time. Gauff will face No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the player she defeated in 2023 to win the US Open, on Saturday. Though her level of play has vacillated between sharp and sloppy throughout the tournament, Gauff was mostly dialed in against Boisson, who captivated the Parisian crowds in recent days. Coco Gauff serves the ball during her match against Lois Boisson of France on Thursday at Roland Garros Stadium. Photo of the day: A Hollywood hug Tribeca Film Festival is a celebrity draw through June 15 in New York City. Tom Hanks and Robert De Niro had a tender moment on the red carpet. Tom Hanks (L) and Robert De Niro attend the world premiere of "Billy Joel: And So It Goes" on the opening night of the Tribeca Festival, at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on Wednesday. Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com . This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Elon Musk, Trump, ICE, LGBTQ+, tariff, French Open, NBA, Aaron Rodgers: Daily Briefing President Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musks alliance formed with swift and intense speed less than a year ago. It devolved just as quickly this week. Their relationship abruptly imploded in a matter of days, as a simmering feud boiled over and spilled out in public between the worlds richest man and the worlds most powerful leader. Just last week, Trump presented a ceremonial key to Musk at the White House. But on Thursday, the two were trading personal insults and threatening to hurt each others business and political prospects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres a look at the relationships history, from the friendship phase to the nasty breakup. Pre-July 2024 Up until last year, Musk had largely stayed out of the political spotlight. And there were times when he seemed skeptical of Trump. In a 2015 interview with Vanity Fair, he said he got involved as little as possible but thought Trump getting the 2016 presidential nomination wouldnt be good. Musk, like many Silicon Valley leaders at the time, took issue with some of Trumps policies, but his criticism was less public. Trump did not hold back in his criticism of Musk in 2022, calling the tech billionaire a bulls artist for supporting the former presidents opponents in 2016 and 2020. July 2024: Trump assassination attempt, Musk endorsement Musk had flirted with Trump during the presidential race, but he went full MAGA after the attempt on Trumps life at a rally in Butler, Pa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musks politics had gradually shifted to the right for years during the former Biden administration, which notably snubbed Tesla during the 2021 electric vehicle summit. The tech mogul took issue with the Biden White House over its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and its handling of immigration and the southern border. His shift in politics culminated with his endorsement of Trump in July last year after Trump survived the assassination attempt in Butler and was formally nominated by the GOP the following week. Once in the Trump fold, Musk quickly brought the Silicon Valley move fast and break things approach to the campaign trail. Fall 2024: Musk spends money to elect Trump As the 2024 election inched closer, Musk and Trumps alliance was deepening. Musk increased his rally appearances with Trump, while ramping up his political discourse on his social media platform X. Musk used his online platform as a vehicle to attack former Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democratic leaders and prop up Trumps presidential bid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk, whose net worth is north of $385 billion, said in March last year that he would not donate to either Biden or Trump during the 2024 presidential election. But months later, the billionaire entrepreneur became the biggest donor in the 2024 White House race, spending more than $290 million to propel Trump back to the Oval Office and boost Republicans in congressional races, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings. The majority of Musks contributions went to America PAC, a super PAC that backed Trumps presidential bid. The outside group, which was filed with the FEC in May last year, spent money on direct mail, digital advertising, canvassing and get-out-the-vote efforts. He also contributed to other outside groups during the election, including the RBG PAC, which worked on moderating Trumps stance on abortion. November 2024: Trump taps Musk to lead DOGE By election night, it became clear Musk was moving closer to Trumps inner circle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He joined the president at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida as they awaited election results and even joined the Trump family for a picture with his son Little X. Shortly after winning the 2024 presidential election, Trump selected Musk and ex-GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an advisory board focused on reducing the size of the federal government, slashing spending and rooting out waste, fraud and abuse. Ramaswamy departed DOGE in January and is now running to become Ohios next governor. Musk, who served as an adviser to the cost-cutting board, initially set the goal for DOGE to slash $2 trillion from the federal government. Later, the goal post was lowered to $1 trillion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The latest estimate claimed that DOGE saved $180 billion. At this point, the Trump and Musk relationship appeared strong, even though some were already wondering how long it would last and when the two would have a serious falling out. December 2024: H-1B visa feud Musk found himself at the center of a debate last December among Trump backers and MAGA-allied conservatives over the H-1B visa, a temporary, nonimmigrant work permit. Musk fiercely defended the H-1B process, arguing that the program allows U.S. companies to hire talented employees when corporations cannot find an ample number of workers within the U.S. The tech billionaire locked horns over the issue with far-right activist and ardent Trump supporter Laura Loomer and Trumps ex-chief strategist Steve Bannon, making a rival of Bannon in the process. Bannon and Loomer argued that the program takes away job opportunities from Americans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump eventually weighed in, siding with Musk and Ramaswamy in the heated debate. The move signaled how much Trump valued Musks insight. Ive always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. Thats why we have them, Trump said in an interview with the New York Post in late December. Bannon, however, continued to take public shots at Musk over the next several months. February 2025: DOGE takes off, Musk joins Cabinet meetings Musk seemed as close as ever to the president as Trump launched his second term and DOGEs cost-cutting initiatives hit numerous federal agencies. The lightning speed of DOGEs infiltration underscored Musks sudden power over the federal government as an unelected special government employee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DOGE cuts stirred chaos and confusion in Washington and led to layoffs of federal employees and spending cuts across agencies. While the official tally is unknown, a New York Times analysis estimated that there have been more than 58,000 job cuts and another 76,000 federal workers have taken buyouts as of May 12. Several of DOGEs actions, including the teams access to sensitive data, have been challenged in court while protests unfolded across the country. Musks tightness with Trump was on public view when he sat in on his first Cabinet meeting in February. While Musks role as DOGE chief was not a confirmed Cabinet position, the tech billionaire made a statement by participating in multiple White House Cabinet meetings during his tenure. March 2025: Cabinet member tensions start By March, reports circulated that Trumps Cabinet members were increasingly taking issue with Musks apparent authority through his DOGE leadership. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Up until this point, Trump was publicly supportive of Musks work and shied away from commenting on the reported conflicts. In one meeting, Trump asked if anyone was unhappy with Elon and suggested he would throw them out, signaling a level of loyalty to his adviser. But during a March Cabinet meeting, Trump showed early signs of shifting his tone on Musks power. The president told his Cabinet secretaries that they lead on staffing choices and that DOGE cuts should be made with a scalpel not a hatchet. As the Secretaries learn about, and understand, the people working for the various Departments, they can be very precise as to who will remain, and who will go. We say the scalpel rather than the hatchet, Trump wrote in March on Truth Social. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This marked a shift from where Musk stood in February, when his power seemed above other Cabinet members. Behind the scenes, Musk reportedly ruffled the feathers of a host of Cabinet members as his DOGE workers dug into various government agencies. Musk clashed with Secretary of State Marco Rubio during an early March Cabinet huddle, slamming the nations top diplomat for not terminating much of the State Department workforce and saying that he was only good on TV but not much else, according to The New York Times. Rubio fired back, saying that Musk was not telling the truth. Trump eventually stepped in to defend Rubio and commended the former senator for his work. During the same meeting, Musk butted heads with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy over the condition of the gear the Federal Aviation Administration uses to track aircraft and what must be done to make it better. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was on Musks side during the exchange. Duffy said to Musk that DOGE staffers tried to fire air traffic controllers, a claim the tech mogul said was not true. Duffy, the former House GOP lawmaker, also criticized Musk for claiming that airport control tower staff were brought on through diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The heated exchange ended with, again, Trump stepping in and telling Duffy that he needs to hire geniuses from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to be air traffic controllers. Publicly, Duffy praised DOGEs work and the administrations decision to slash the federal workforce, saying the Transportation Department would work closely with Musk and the advisory board to revolutionize the way government is run. The public meetings remained largely cordial, despite reported tensions. All the while, Trump urged Musk on. April 2025: Wisconsin Supreme Court race Musk waded into the Wisconsin Supreme Court race earlier this year, fueling speculation of his continued involvement in campaigns. He backed Brad Schimel in the race over liberal candidate Susan Crawford, spending millions through the America PAC and traveling to Wisconsin, where he handed out $1 million in checks to voters who penned a petition against activist judges. Democrats used Musks involvement as part of their messaging in the last few days of the hotly contested election. Crawford prevailed in the match-up in early April. In May, Musk said he would pull back his spending in elections, although he left the door open for future expenditures. April 2025: Musk says he will spend less time on DOGE Musk, who was deemed a special government employee by the White House, told investors in April he planned to reduce his time spent on DOGE once his status expired, though it was not clear what that would look like. His comments were welcomed by Tesla investors amid concerns the leader was not giving enough attention to his tech ventures as a result of his work in Washington. The move did not appear to be a result of any conflict with the president, who previously said he expected Musk to eventually return to running his businesses. May 30: Musk appears with black eye in Oval Office Musk and Trump confirmed in late May the tech billionaire would be stepping down from DOGE on May 31, the day his special government employee status ended. The two held a press conference celebrating his time in the White House, during which the administration said Musk would remain a friend and an adviser after leaving DOGE. Musk, standing with his arms crossed next to Trump, who was seated at the Resolute Desk, and sporting a black DOGE cap, showed up with a black eye on right side of his face. When asked what caused it, Musk said it resulted from his young son punching him while the two were horsing around. I was just horsing around with little X and I said, Go ahead, punch me in the face. And he did. Turns out even a 5-year-old punching you in the face actually is , Musk told reporters. Trump gifted Musk a gold key to the White House for his incredible service, and the tech mogul maintained it was not the end of DOGE, but really the beginning. While Musk appeared somewhat subdued, the two seemed to be on good terms, and Musk reiterated he would remain an adviser to Trump. June 3: Musk comes out against Trump spending bill The tone from the Oval Office did not last long. Just days later, Musk launched a public push against Trumps tax and spending bill as the Senate prepared to take it up after it passed the House last month. Im sorry, but I just cant stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination, Musk posted on June 3. The legislation, officially titled the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, extends Trumps 2017 tax cuts and boosts funding for border and defense priorities, while cutting spending on programs such as food assistance and Medicaid. A day later, Musk called on lawmakers to kill the legislation and urged constituents to call their congressional offices to oppose the bill. The White House, at the time, brushed off Musks bashing of the bill, stating the criticism doesnt change the presidents opinion. Up until Thursday morning, tensions seemed limited to their disagreement over the bill rather than their friendship. June 5: Spending bill feud gets personal Tensions rapidly boiled after Trump told reporters he was very surprised and very disappointed in Musk. The comment set off an hours-long back-and-forth between the two. Musk took credit for Trumps electoral victory last November, while the president argued Musk was upset about the legislations repeal of the electric vehicle tax credit and that he was aware of the legislation from the beginning. Musk rejected this. Musk later alleged Trump is included in the Jeffrey Epstein files, and he backed calls for the president to be impeached and succeeded by Vice President Vance. Musk also floated the idea of forming a third party. Trump fired back, threatening to eliminate the federal contracts Musks businesses have and suggested that the tech billionaires disenchantment should have come sooner. At one point, he called Musk crazy, claiming the tech billionaire was wearing thin. I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. Its a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given, Trump wrote Thursday on Truth Social. Musk also said he would decommission SpaceXs Dragon, the spacecraft used to shuttle astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station. Hours later, he appeared to backpedal when engaging with a user on X. June 6: Musk offers peace signal, Trump tries to move on Less than a day since the blowout began, Musk signaled that he is open to brokering peace with Trump. Amid the haymakers the two were exchanging on Thursday, allies of both men offered to be peacemakers. I support @realDonaldTrump and @elonmusk and they should make peace for the benefit of our great country. We are much stronger together than apart, Bill Ackman, the CEO of Pershing Square, said Thursday on X. In response, Musk wrote, Youre not wrong. By Friday morning, The White House looked to turn the page on the feud and shut down talk of a potential call for the two men to reconcile. No. I wont be speaking to him for a while I guess, but I wish him well, Trump told CNN in an interview. While the two may need time for the dust to settle, the door for makeup may not be entirely closed. Trump frequently clashes with advisers or allies, but some cases have resulted in a reconciliation. The president, for example, sparred memorably in the 2016 election with Rubio, who is now a key figure in Trumps second term. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A rift between Donald Trump and Elon Musk over the Republicans tax and spending bill on Thursday suddenly blew up to a flurry of Big, Beautiful, Brutal tweets on social media platforms they own. Days after Musk stepped down as head of the Trump administrations Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and then openly criticized the Republican Partys One Big Beautiful Bill, a feud between the tech boss and the U.S. President erupted into open warfare using their respective online megaphones. More from The Hollywood Reporter Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago, President Trump at one point told his own diehard supporters on Truth Social. Not long after, Trump in another tweet claimed Musk had been wearing thin, I asked him to leave, before adding he just went CRAZY. Meanwhile, Musk from his own digital perch on X unleashed a barrage of posts to his 220 million followers that soon had his public feud with Trump seeming to spiral into a mutual knock-down fight. One X tweet claimed with no evidence Trumps name was in government files about the late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and thats why they had not been released. Have a nice day, DJT!, the Tesla, SpaceX and Starlink CEO added. Their digital threats and insults showed no signs of letting up as the day wore on. Musk claimed Trump would have lost the 2024 U.S. Presidential election without his campaign finance contributions. Such ingratitude, he wrote on X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The tech titan donated around $300 million to Trumps campaign and Republican candidates last year. Trump countered that cutting government spending as Musk called for could include a move to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. That potentially mortal threat to Tesla and other Musk businesses that depend heavily on government contracts had the tech boss threatening to decommission his SpaceX Dragon spacecraft built via Department of Defense contracts for potential use by NASA in space. As their posts continued, Musk on X said Trump should be impeached and replaced by Vice-President JD Vance. By late afternoon on Thursday, Trump took the unusual step of skipping questions with the assembled media when holding an event with the Fraternal Order of Police in the White House. Since launching Truth Social and its parent company Trump Media and Technology Group, the social media platform have become the U.S. Presidents primary social media platform. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And in March, Musk used xAI, his artificial intelligence company, to acquire X in an all-stock transaction that valued xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion ($45 billion, his original take-private price, minus $12 billion in debt). Thats $1 billion more than the take-private price of $44 billion paid by Musk and fellow investors in the platform formerly called Twitter in 2022. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Sign up for THR's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Though a federal judge says parts of a new ballot design law may be unconstitutional, its sponsors say there's no rush to change it. (Photo by Jennifer Peacock | Assembly Republican Office) Supporters of a new law that ended New Jerseys controversial county-line ballot system signaled there is no rush to amend the statute, even after a federal judge warned this week that the law may be unconstitutional. U.S. District Court Judge Zahid Quraishi in a Tuesday order said some balloting practices that were challenged in court last year likely remain unconstitutional despite changes signed into law this March, but Senate President Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) said he thinks the law, which he sponsored, meets constitutional muster. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ballot design has always been in the purview of the Legislature, but Im aware of what he said, Scutari said. Scutari added that he had not read the order but had heard some of the judges concerns through other mediums. Its unclear what effect Quraishis order will have on future elections. There are primaries on Tuesday gubernatorial and Assembly candidates are on the ballot but its too soon to change ballots before then. The new law was spurred by a lawsuit filed in February 2024 by now-Sen. Andy Kim and two other congressional candidates. The three Democrats alleged that the states county-line ballot system which groups party-backed candidates on the ballot no matter what office theyre seeking is unconstitutional. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In March 2024, Quraishi ruled that Kims lawsuit was likely to succeed on its merits, and he barred county clerks from using county-line ballots in the June 2024 primary. Instead, he ordered them to use office-block ballots, which group candidates by the office theyre seeking. The Legislature then acted. Earlier this year, it passed the new ballot law, which revamped the design of primary ballots largely to conform to Quraishis March 2024 edict. But the judge, in his new order, noted that the law permits candidates to bracket with one another on the ballot and have their ballot positions determined by a single draw instead of individual draws. Those provisions, he wrote, likely do not remove the unconstitutional practices alleged. Quraishis March 2024 order barred clerks from conducting ballot draws that do not include a separate drawing for every office and candidate and required ballot draws offer each candidate an equal chance of securing the best ballot position. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Kim lawsuit alleged Jerseys bracketing system which allowed candidates to have their ballot positions drawn as a group if they shared a slogan, as did candidates backed by party leaders violated other candidates associational rights by requiring they bracket with others to avoid being disadvantaged by the ballot itself. Under prior law, ballot draws for candidates for high office could determine placements for those seeking other offices, from the state to local level. The new law allows candidates seeking the same office, like two running mates for a single Assembly district, to have their ballot positions drawn as a group. Quraishi said this week that leaving ballot draws to clerks discretion could harm candidates in the future. One of the laws sponsors said the Legislature would act if Quraishi orders further changes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ballot design legislation was written with unprecedented public input and reviewed by counsel from the Office of Legislative Services, as is the case with any law. If there is a legal challenge and a court determines we need to address something, Im sure the legislature will, said Assemblyman Al Barlas (R-Essex), who co-chaired an Assembly panel convened to consider new ballot design. As the new law was being contemplated, numerous witnesses urged legislators to require randomized electronic ballot draws and rotating candidate ballot positions to ensure each appeared in the first position as often as their opponents and warned that bracketing provisions could disadvantage solo candidates. Quraishis concerns havent spawned wide-reaching worry among the states most prominent politicians. They put the people who are running together together. I dont have a great passion about that one way or the other, but the ballot worked for me, Gov. Phil Murphy told reporters Thursday. It was dead straight forward, dead easy. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Elon Musk and Donald Trump's friendship unraveled publicly over a tax bill dispute. Musk criticized Trump's tax bill, calling it the 'Big Ugly Spending Bill.' Here's how their recently fragile friendship fractured on Thursday, minute-by-minute. Twenty-five minutes of live TV, more than a dozen posts on X, and three posts on Truth Social over the period of five hours (and counting) that's how the already fractured friendship of Elon Musk and President Donald Trump publicly unraveled on Thursday. The first signs of trouble began when Musk showed opposition to Trump's spending bill, the "One Big Beautiful Bill," though he never explicitly targeted Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Shame on those who voted for it," Musk tweeted on Tuesday, referring to Congress members who voted for Trump's tax cut bill. Trump, for his part, had stayed uncharacteristically mum about Musk's criticism of the bill. But that all changed on Thursday morning. Here is a minute-by-minute breakdown of how the relationship between two of the most powerful men on the planet devolved. Thursday, 11:20 a.m. ET Musk began digging up Trump's old posts on what was then Twitter about the deficit, including one from January of 2013. Thursday, 11:46 a.m. ET Musk unearthed another old X post by Trump from back in July 2012, presumably as a swipe at the new Republican tax bill that many economists and the congressional Budget Office said would increase the country's deficits. Thursday, 12 p.m. ET Trump responded to Musk's attacks for the first time when answering press questions during a White House event to welcome German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "And you know Elon's upset because we took the EV mandate, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles," said Trump. "And they're having a hard time, the electric vehicles. And they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy. Elon knew this from the beginning; he knew it from a long time ago." Thursday, 12:07 p.m. ET Trump's comments about Musk continued at the press appearance. "He knew every aspect of this bill better than almost anybody and he never had a problem until right after he left," said Trump. "He said the most beautiful things about me. He hasn't said bad things about me personally, but I'm sure that'll be next. But I'm very disappointed in Elon. I've helped Elon a lot." "People leave my administration, and they love us, and then at some point they miss it so badly, and some of them embrace it, and some of them actually become hostile," Trump continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I don't know what it is. It's sort of Trump derangement syndrome, I guess they call it, but we have it with others, too. They leave and they wake up in the morning, and the glamour's gone. The whole world is different, and they become hostile," he added. Thursday, 12:25 p.m. ET Musk began a whirlwind of tweets soon after, responding in near real time to what Trump said during the press appearance. "False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!" Musk posed on X. False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it! https://t.co/V4ztekqd4g Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Thursday, 12:46 p.m. ET Musk then began a series of tweets directed at the president beyond the bill, including saying that without him, Republicans would have lost. Such ingratitude Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Thursday, 1:57 p.m. ET Musk polls his X followers about creating a new political party "that actually represents the 80% in the middle." Mark Cuban quoted the post with three checkmarks. Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle? Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Thursday, 2:23 p.m. ET Musk gives Trump's bill known on paper as the "One Big Beautiful Bill" a new name: "Big Ugly Spending Bill." Not even those in Congress who had to vote on the Big Ugly Spending Bill had time to read it! https://t.co/mBOQyhQYwX Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thursday, 2:37 p.m. ET Trump responds to Musk with two consecutive posts on his own social media platform, Truth Social. "Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!" Trump wrote. "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!" the president continued. Thursday, 2:48 p.m. ET Musk responds to Trump's posts on Truth Social, calling them "such an obvious lie." Such an obvious lie. So sad. https://t.co/sOu9vqMVfX Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Thursday, 2:49 p.m. ET A minute later, Musk appeared to dare Trump to cancel government contracts with his companies. This just gets better and better Go ahead, make my day https://t.co/APmy7cV8iL Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Thursday, 3:10 p.m. ET Musk makes another accusation. Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Thursday, 4:06 p.m. ET Trump posts on Truth Social again to defend his tax bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress," Trump wrote. "It's a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn't pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didn't create this mess, I'm just here to FIX IT," Trump added. Thursday, 4:09 p.m. ET Musk says SpaceX will decommission its Dragon spacecraft "immediately." SpaceX's Dragon spaceships transport NASA astronauts and supplies to and from the International Space Station. Prior to partnering with SpaceX, the agency depended on Russian Soyuz spacecraft for crewed missions. In light of the Presidents statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately pic.twitter.com/NG9sijjkgW Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Thursday, 4:26 p.m. ET Musk says that Trump's tariffs will "cause a recession in the second half of this year." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some economists have also predicted that Trump's tariffs would hurt the economy, and Trump himself declined to rule out the chances of a recession back in March. JPMorgan had predicted a 60% chance of a US recession after Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on April 2. The bank adjusted the possibility down to below 50% recently after Trump paused most of his highest tariffs. The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year https://t.co/rbBC11iynE Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Thursday, 4:43 p.m. ET Musk retweeted what appears to be a video of Trump partying with Epstein from the 1990s, doubling down on his earlier statement about the Epstein files. "This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Business Insider in a statement. "The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Representatives for Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comments. Thursday, 9:20 p.m. ET Musk took a softer tone later on Thursday night. Some five hours after his post about decommissioning the Dragon spacecraft, he walked back the decision in a response to an X user. "This is a shame this back and forth. You are both better than this. Cool off and take a step back for a couple days," X user Fab25june wrote on the platform. "Good advice. Ok, we won't decommission Dragon," Musk wrote at 9:20 p.m. In a separate exchange on X, billionaire investor Bill Ackman encouraged Musk and Trump to make up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I support @realDonaldTrump and @elonmusk and they should make peace for the benefit of our great country. We are much stronger together than apart," Ackman wrote. "You're not wrong," Musk responded at 9:27 p.m. Friday, before 8:27 a.m. ET Trump spoke about the feud on Friday morning during a phone call with CNN's Dana Bash. "I'm not even thinking about Elon," Trump said. "He's got a problem. The poor guy's got a problem." Trump doesn't intend to speak to Musk "for a while" and wishes Musk well, according to Bash. Bash said people in Musk and Trump's orbit are trying to mend the rift. Friday, 5:05 p.m. ET The President appears to respond to Musk's allegation that he's in the so-called "Epstein files." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Truth Social, Trump posted a screenshot of an X post from David Schoen, Epstein's defense attorney. Schoen said in the post that Epstein "had no information to hurt President Trump." "I specifically asked him!" Schoen wrote. Friday, around 6:15 p.m. ET Trump reiterated that he wasn't thinking about Musk while traveling with reporters aboard Air Force One. He wished Musk the best of luck on his Tesla business. "I mean, I hope he does well with Tesla," he said. Friday, 6:16 p.m. ET Musk found a name for his new political party proposal: "The America Party." The America Party https://t.co/hO5S8Kjb5O Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 6, 2025 In a separate post on X, Musk said the "people have spoken" as the polling results showed that 80% of the 5.6 million participants voted "Yes" to creating a party that represents "the middle." Friday, 9:48 p.m. ET Musk said on X that he would apologize to Trump "profusely as soon as there is a full dump of the Epstein files." The CEO was responding to a post from James Fishback, an investor who proposed the idea of DOGE dividend checks, who posted on X that Musk should send Trump a "full-throated apology." "You can substantively disagree with the President on policy, but you should not have baselessly and personally attacked him," Fishback wrote. Friday, 10:46 p.m. ET Trump and Musk appeared to extend each other an olive branch at least for a brief moment. Likewise Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 7, 2025 The White House rapid response account on X posted a clip of Trump's gaggle with the press on Air Force One, highlighting the president saying he wishes Musk well. "Likewise," Musk said in response at 10:46 p.m. Saturday, before 11 a.m. ET Musk deleted some of the X posts he made on Thursday, including one in which he said Trump was named in the Epstein files. He also deleted a tweet announcing his intention to decommission SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. However, other the X posts Musk made, including criticism of the tax bill, remain on his account. Saturday, before 12:30 p.m. ET Trump told NBC News in a phone interview that he has no plans to amend his relationship with Musk and threatened that there would be "serious consequences" if the Tesla CEO funded Democratic candidates. Read the original article on Business Insider CHOCTAW, Miss. (WJTV) The National Park Service (NPS) will close a section of the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi. The closure, which beings at 2:00 p.m. on June 9, will take place on the parkway from Highway 413 to U.S. Highway 82 in Choctaw and Webster counties. The last night to camp at Jeff Busby campground is Sunday, June 8. Sinners puts truth on screen for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the NPS, the road will be closed to all traffic, including vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians, as construction crews work to repair failing areas of the parkway. A signed detour will be in place between Mississippi Highway 413 and U.S. Highway 82 to navigate around the closure. Travelers can expect about 15 minutes added to their drive. Additionally, NPS officials said the Jeff Busby campground and day use area will remain closed while construction is underway. All campers and day users must vacate the Jeff Busby site by noon on Monday, June 9. The closure is anticipated to last through summer. Close Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJTV. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) Friday is one of the sweetest holidays of the year: National Donut Day! It was founded in 1938 by the Salvation Army in Chicago to honor the Donut Lassies volunteers who served donuts to soldiers during World War One. Donuts Delite and our local Salvation Army joined forces Friday to hand out hundreds of free donuts to some of our every day heroes. So, the tradition, again, goes back to the 1920s, World War I and so we have just always felt that its an opportunity for us to give back to the community, Salvation Army of Greater Rochester Director of Development Michael Gilbert said. A lot of people give to the Salvation Army to help us do our mission and so this is that one day that we can go and return the favor to those organizations that are serving throughout our city throughout our community and helping those who need it most. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Multiple major chains are also getting in on the fun, including Dunkin and Tim Hortons, which have been giving out freebies with any drink purchase. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst. SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) As the three-year National Eucharistic Revival in the United States comes to a close this summer, the revivals multi-state pilgrimage is slated to journey through Abilene and San Angelo on June 7 and June 8. According to the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Angelo, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage set out on the St. Katherine Drexel Route in Indianapolis, the site of 2024s National Eucharistic Congress, with a course charted through ten states as it carves a path to its final destination in Los Angeles. The pilgrimage is being traveled by perpetual pilgrims, individuals who are walking the entire route, and includes opportunities for people to join them at events along the way. The pilgrimage is planned to traverse the Diocese of San Angelo from Saturday, June 7, to Tuesday, June 10. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The schedule of local events will begin on June 7 with a Mass for the Pentecost Vigil held in the Abilene Convention Center at 4 p.m. Following the vigil, a Eucharistic procession will travel through downtown Abilene. What to do in San Angelo this weekend: June 6 through June 8 The perpetual pilgrims will make their way to San Angelo by Sunday, June 8, when the public may join in a recitation of the Stations of the Cross at the Christ the King Retreat Center at 11 a.m., followed by a meet and greet luncheon. A Eucharistic procession will travel from the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts to the Cathedral Church of the Sacred Heart beginning at 3:30 p.m. The cathedral will then host a Mass for Pentecost at 6 p.m., which will be followed by a meet-and-greet sandwich dinner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, June 10, the perpetual pilgrims will journey to St. Joseph Church in Fort Stockton for a Votive Mass for the Most Holy Eucharist at 11 a.m. A Holy Hour will be held after the Mass. Registration for all events, including those that will occur in the Diocese of San Angelo, is available at eucharisticpilgrimage.org/. While all events are free to attend, registration is requested for each event to assist with planning. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com. Profits at the National Lottery have slumped by half as its new owner struggles with a botched technology upgrade that has fuelled concerns it will fall short on charitable donations. Allwyn UK, which took over the running of the lottery in February last year, reported profits of 8.9m (7.5m) in the first quarter, down from 17.8m in the same period last year, which included one month under the previous licence holder, Camelot. Bosses blamed the slump on a new incentive mechanism that blocks Allwyn from taking higher profits from the National Lottery unless its donations to good causes also increase. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They also pointed to higher capital expenditure as the company splashed out on its much-delayed update to its terminals and IT systems. The squeeze on profits came even as Allwyn, which is controlled by Czech billionaire Karel Komarek, posted a 6pc increase in UK revenues to just over 1bn in the first quarter. The figure was boosted by strong takings for the EuroMillions, which benefited from a record 250m jackpot in March. Allwyn said: We are pleased with the positive top-line performance and we remain focused on the ongoing execution of our plans to transform the UK National Lottery, including upgrading legacy technology infrastructure that has long constrained new product development and innovation, to support future commercial initiatives and the further enhancement of the customer proposition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It comes as the National Lottery prepares for a 36-hour blackout this summer as bosses rush to deliver the troubled tech upgrade after months of delays. Allwyn, has warned retailers their National Lottery terminals will stop working for around 36 hours while systems are updated. In a statement to shop owners this week, Andria Vidler, the chief executive of Allwyn UK, said: Technical switchover will happen over one weekend this summer, and to enable the new systems to go live, National Lottery terminals will be inactive for approximately 36 hours. Ms Vidler did not provide a date for the shutdown, but asked retailers for their help and diligence to ensure a seamless transition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is understood that the upgrade will begin at about 11pm on a Saturday night to reduce disruption and loss of earnings. The National Lottery does not trade overnight and no draw-based games take place on a Sunday. Allwyn has pledged to update the National Lotterys estate of 43,500 terminals as part of a wider 350m overhaul. The update is critical to the companys promise to double the lotterys contribution to good causes. However, the IT upgrade has been plagued by difficulties and delays. Bosses are now racing to launch the new system amid pressure from the Gambling Commission. The complex update was supposed to be in place when Allwyn took over the running of the National Lottery from Camelot in February last year. However, this was delayed after the existing provider, International Games Technology (IGT), challenged the move in the High Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rollout has also been delayed by a separate legal challenge mounted by Richard Desmond, who is suing the Gambling Commission after missing out on the 10-year licence. He has argued the bidding process was unfair and is seeking up to 1.3bn in damages. The delays have fuelled concerns that Allwyn will fall short of its ambitious pledge to funnel more money to good causes. The operator originally promised to increase donations to good causes from 17.9bn to 38bn over the course of the licence equivalent to about 3.8bn a year. But it has now watered down these targets by pledging to double returns by the end of its licence, from 30m to 60m a week or less than 3.2bn a year. The Telegraph revealed earlier this year that the National Lottery is already facing a 2bn shortfall toward its charitable donation target in its maiden year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This summers outage, first reported by Better Retailing magazine, is also likely to spark concerns among shopkeepers who make commission by selling lottery tickets. Andrew Goodacre, the chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association, said: My opinion is that anything that disrupts the normal running of a shop is not welcome. We also have to hope that the proposed works go to plan and that any switch is restricted to 36 hours I fear this may overrun. I would also like to think that the retailers would receive some form of compensation for lost business or inconvenience. A spokesman for Allwyn said: Allwyn is investing over 350m into improving the operations and technology of The National Lottery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This change is critical it will give us the springboard from which we can continue to improve the player and retailer experience and enable us to deliver on our ambitious plans to double returns to good causes from 30m to 60m a week by the end of the licence. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. CHESTERFIELD, Mo. The National Weather Service completed the survey on Thursday of the Wildwood and Chesterfield damage from Wednesdays storm. An EF-1 tornado formed just east of Highway 109 near Wildwood and dissipated in the Chesterfield Valley on Wednesday. The NWS confirmed an EF-1 tornado formed just east of Highway 109 in Wildwood at 2:50 p.m. on Wednesday. The tornado reportedly dissipated in the Chesterfield Valley south of the Missouri River at 3:00 p.m. The NWS issued the tornado warning around 3:00 p.m. that extended until 4:00 p.m. for some parts of St. Charles County, St. Louis County, and St. Louis City. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A tornado watch was not issued before the tornado warning on Wednesday, which means the warning was uncertain compared to recent storms. A Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesperson told FOX 2 minor damage was reported around six homes west of St. Louis County, but no injuries have been reported. The EF-1 tornado led to structural damage, several downed trees and power lines, leaving several thousand Ameren customers without power for a short period of time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. WASHINGTON Retired Navy Adm. James Stavridis said Friday that he disagrees with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordering the Navy to take the rare step of renaming the USNS Harvey Milk because Milk was gay. I am scratching my head about renaming the USS USNS Harvey Milk, Stavridis said on SiriusXMs The Michael Smerconish Program. Because Harvey Milk was gay, we all know that. But today, gay sailors serve openly and with a great deal of pride in the U.S. military. I know many who are gay and are very competent, war-fighting sailors, Stavridis said. So when [the] secretary of defense says, Hey, Im renaming this in order to restore the warrior ethos, I just dont get that at all. Advertisement Advertisement Milk, who was a San Francisco politician in the 1970s and the first openly gay man elected to public office in California, served in the Navy for four years during the Korean War. He was forced to resign in 1955 rather than face a court-martial for being gay. A trailblazer in the LGBTQ+ community, Milk was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 and honored with a Navy ship named after him in 2016. Hegseths order is unusual, and its timing coinciding with Pride Month in June was intentional, per a Military.com report. Asked for comment about Hegseth timing his order with Pride Month, a Defense Department spokesperson shared a statement from chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell that didnt actually answer the question. Secretary Hegseth is committed to ensuring that the names attached to all DOD installations and assets are reflective of the Commander-in-Chiefs priorities, our nations history, and the warrior ethos. Any potential renaming(s) will be announced after internal reviews are complete, Parnell said in his statement. Advertisement Advertisement Asked again for comment on the timing of Hegseths order to remove Milks name from the Navy ship, the Defense Department spokesperson said only, I do not have any additional information to provide. Former Navy Adm. James Stavridis says he disagrees with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, left, ordering the Navy to rename a ship honoring Harvey Milk, right. AP Stavridis, who served as the commander of the U.S. Southern Command from 2006 to 2009, and as commander of the U.S. European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe from 2009 to 2013, recounted how gay soldiers have served in militaries for centuries. Im Greek American. Arguably the greatest general in history, Alexander the Great, was gay, Stavridis said. And oh, by the way, [gay] people serve at the highest level of the U.S. Cabinet today, like secretary of the treasury, who I think is doing a pretty good job with a tough hand of cards. [Scott] Bessent is openly gay. So I dont get it on why we need to rename this ship, this moment, and also to do it during Pride Month, he added. Just as kind of a shot across the bow. I dont agree with it. Advertisement Advertisement Someone else who doesnt agree with this is former longtime House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who tore into Hegseth over the move. The reported decision by the Trump Administration to change the names of the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships in the John Lewis-class is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream, Pelosi said in a statement. Our military is the most powerful in the world but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the warrior ethos, she said. Gay, lesbian and bisexual people have been openly serving in the U.S. military since 2011, when President Barack Obama signed a bill into law repealing the militarys dont ask, dont tell policy. President Joe Biden lifted a ban on transgender people openly serving in the military in 2021, but President Donald Trump reinstated the ban this year. Navy investigators and police have launched an urgent search for an enlisted female sailor who vanished near her barracks in Virginia last week. Officials issued a missing adult alert for 21-year-old Angelina Petra Resendiz on June 3 around 9.38 pm. She was last seen on May 29 around 10 a.m. at her barracks at the Miller Hall Naval Station in Norfolk, Virginia. Authorities have described her as a white/Hispanic woman who is 5ft tall, weighs 110 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Navy is not sure what she was wearing, but says she did not have a vehicle. A military investigative agency has determined that her disappearance poses a risk to her health and safety. She first joined the Navy after high school in 2023. Anyone with information about her disappearance is encouraged to contact the Naval Criminal Investigative Service with information regarding her whereabouts at (877) 579-3648. Angelina Petra Resendiz, 21, went missing last week near her barracks in Norfolk, Virginia (Virginia State Police) Resendiz, a Texas native, is a culinary specialist assigned to the USS James E Williams, the Navy said in a statement to ABC News. Resendizs mother, Esmeralda Castle, told the outlet her daughter does not miss work. Sick, snow, feeling down, she shows up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Castle said her daughters decision to join the military was something that called her. Resendiz, she said, hoped that one day she might be able to cook for the president and other world leaders. She added, "She worked really hard on her ship." Castle described her daughter as fun, loving, kind, compassionate and uplifting. "People that care about Angie shared with me that the last person she was with was missing with her, she said. That person showed up Monday but not Angie. Still, there are more answers than questions: "I just want my kid, said Castle. She doesn't deserve to be missing." In a statement to the outlet, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service said, Out of respect for the investigative process, NCIS will not comment further while the investigation remains ongoing." Nearly 100 House Democrats are calling on Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to restore tens of millions of dollars in federal family planning grants to more than a dozen organizations that have been frozen for more than two months. In a letter to Kennedy sent Friday and seen first by The Hill, 95 lawmakers said the organizations that had their Title X funding frozen on March 31 including nine Planned Parenthood clinics are still in the dark about the status of their grants. At the time, the clinics said they received letters from the administration saying the grants were being temporarily withheld due to possible civil right violations and President Trumps executive orders prohibiting the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and taxpayer subsidization of open borders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than two months later, the lawmakers said the grantees remain without funding and have received no communication from the administration regarding the status of the investigations, the expected timeline, or the future of their funding. HHS declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation. The agency is being sued over the freeze by the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Congress has already appropriated these funds, and the administration has a responsibility to distribute them without undue delay or obstruction, ensuring that critical care is not disrupted for millions of people who rely on Title X services, the group of lawmakers wrote. The letter was led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas) and Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) and signed by 91 other Democrats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Title X is the countrys only federal program dedicated to providing affordable birth control and other sexual and reproductive health care to low-income Americans and has done so since the 1970s. The lawmakers timed the letter to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling in Griswold v. Connecticut, which established a constitutional right to privacy regarding contraception and reproductive decisions. However, due to the actions of this administration, reproductive freedom is under threat, the lawmakers wrote. The first Trump administration prohibited providers from receiving Title X funding if they mentioned abortion or referred patients for abortions. It also required clinics to construct separate facilities for the procedure and other services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than a dozen grantees, including all Planned Parenthood affiliates nationwide, left the program in protest because of the rule. The Biden administration reversed Trumps Title X rule in 2021. Updated at 3:26 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Jun. 6HUNTINGTON, W.Va. The Pallottine Foundation of Huntington has awarded 164 nonprofit organizations in the Tri-State with grants totaling $2,572,458.91 through its 2025 Healthy Communities Initiative. Of those funds, $198,471 was awarded to groups based or operating in Lawrence County. The annual initiative provides funding awards up to $40,000 for programs that address health and wellness challenges in the Foundation's 20-county, tristate region. "The Pallottine Sisters established our Foundation with a vision to help and heal people in the community," said Laura Boone, CEO of the Pallottine Foundation of Huntington. "The level of support we are able to provide this year on their behalf is truly incredible. These funds will enable our partners to continue providing essential services and offer new programs that promote health and serve those in need. We can't wait to see all the positive change that results from this important work." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This year's Healthy Communities recipients include food assistance programs, child advocacy centers, mental and behavioral health programs, health departments, senior centers, family resource and support networks, substance use disorder recovery programs, community centers, and shelters for people experiencing domestic violence or homelessness. Grants awarded to Lawrence County groups were: Community Mission Outreach $12,000 Community Mission Outreach in Chesapeake will purchase food for pantry distributions and provide a small stipend for a volunteer home delivery driver. Compass Point Housing $11,600 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Compass Point Housing in Portsmouth will purchase 100 welcome kits for clients who reside in its recovery homes in Lawrence and Scioto counties. The kits will include new bedding, a pillow, towels, a clothing hamper and basic hygiene products. Harvest for the Hungry $15,000 Harvest for the Hungry in Ironton will purchase food at Southeast Ohio Food Bank and local grocery stores for its pantry Impact Prevention $15,500 Impact Prevention will provide youth-led programming at Lawrence County and Scioto County, middle and high schools. Certified prevention specialists will assist youth-led teams in data-driven prevention efforts focused on topics like mental health, suicide prevention, and alcohol and substance misuse. The teams also will lead prevention programming at local elementary schools, organize county and regional youth summits, and participate in community connection events and beautification projects. In addition, Impact Prevention will engage up to 10 youth-led team members as peer mentors for its existing summer camp and afterschool programs based in Ironton, OH, as well as a new mentorship site at an apartment community in Portsmouth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawrence County Health Department $4,992.50 Lawrence County Health Department in Ironton will provide Intervention for Nicotine Dependence: Education, Prevention, Tobacco, and Health training and technical assistance to staff at all Lawrence County middle and high schools to assist them in facilitating tobacco use intervention and linkage to cessation for students. LCHD will gather student feedback through focus groups and/or surveys and track data regarding participation and outcomes. RLB Ministries $33,500 RLB Ministries in Ironton will purchase food for its weekend Backpack Buddies meal program; children's clothing and hygiene items for distribution at schools; food and basic needs items for the Collins Career Technical Center food pantry; and food and basic needs items for students served by Lawrence County Educational Service Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tri-State Family Connections $15,000 Tri-State Family Connections in Proctorville will provide contract wages and a cell phone dedicated to professional use for its program coordinator. Funds also will support fees associated with helping individuals in recovery obtain identification documents. University of Kentucky Research Foundation $35,879 University of Kentucky Research Foundation will support the Tobacco Policy Research Program's implementation of a comprehensive, community-based tobacco prevention program in Boyd, Carter, Floyd, Greenup, Johnson, Lawrence, Martin, and Pike counties, KY. TPRP will contract with college students who will lead the implementation of #iCANendthetrend workshops at school and after-school programs, develop public awareness campaigns, staff professional development sessions and conduct outreach. TPRP also will recruit youth outreach workers to assist in delivering the workshops. In addition, TPRP will engage intergenerational community members to participate in the "Community Health Champions" program, where participants will design educational resources and develop community outreach and advocacy strategies to build improved community-wide understanding of tobacco issues. The organization also will partner with one middle or high school to implement an "alternatives to suspension" program to more appropriately respond to students who are caught using tobacco products. Finally, TPRP will host one professional development and one community engagement workshop to increase knowledge of evidence-informed strategies for tobacco prevention and how to communicate more effectively with youth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Valley Health Systems $27,050 Valley Health will host approximately 30 medical outreach events to assist uninsured individuals, particularly those experiencing homelessness and/or substance use disorder, in community-based locations across Lawrence County in Ohio, and Cabell, Kanawha, Lincoln, Mason and Wayne counties in West Virginia. Whitney/Strong $27,250 Whitney/Strong will continue to expand its Save A Life program to Gallia, Lawrence and Scioto counties in Ohio. The organization will provide free community training in suicide prevention and STOP THE BLEED program training to 500 people from these three counties and secure a contract project coordinator to oversee the project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You Might Like News IPD Allison promoted to sergeant News Withrow chosen for council seat News Area students named to OU's Spring 2025 President's List News DeWine, mental health leaders unveil 988 license plate Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen hosts a news conference announcing his bid to seek a third four-year term in 2026. June 6, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen is seeking reelection as the states chief elections officer. In his campaign kick-off event Friday, the secretary of state touted the states elections as the nations most secure or accurate. But he said he wonders whether any non-citizens might have gotten on the voter rolls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Evnen appeared to be trying to balance defending the states elections his office administers and echoing the concerns of some Republicans and President Donald Trump over election integrity since the 2020 presidential election, national framing that some election experts have warned could undermine trust in elections. There is more work to be done, and we must continue to focus on being proactive in the future, Evnen said. Threats to election security are not static. Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen hosts a news conference announcing his intentions to seek a third four-year term in 2026. Evnens wife Debra stands at right in red. June 6, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly joined Evnens reelection announcement, as well as a handful of Nebraska state senators. Evnen is running for his third term as secretary of state, but this race follows his closest contest to date, a 2022 GOP primary in which he faced two populist Republican challengers who combined to hold him under 50% of the vote. He won the general election without any major party opponent. His office, in addition to overseeing elections, also handles business registrations and international relations. Kelly emphasized that the country has seen some very poorly orchestrated elections, but not in Nebraska. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve been so lucky to have Bob Evnen, Kelly said. Kelly and other speakers praised Evnen for how he has represented Nebraska when speaking to other counties about trade opportunities with the state, and for his handling of elections. Nebraskans passed a state constitutional amendment in 2022 requiring the Legislature to implement voter ID in Nebraska. Nonpartisan poll watchers have praised Evnens office for its implementation of the law, and Fewer voters were turned away under the law than in other states with similar laws. Evnen, in talking about the voter rolls and what he described as the risks of non-citizens voting, said years of the U.S. having an open border left him questioning whether some of those people ended up on voter rolls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Election watchdogs have said that framing from some Republicans is based on the myth of widespread voting by non-citizens. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, analyzed election conduct from 2003 to 2024 and found 24 instances nationally of noncitizens voting out of millions of votes cast. Evnen also reemphasized his support for Trumps executive order overhauling the administration of U.S. elections. The secretary signed on to a joint letter with 19 other Republican secretaries of state this year that requested more access to federal immigration data to help verify voter registrations. Evnen told KETV earlier this year that he would like to investigate whether 46 Nebraskans who have voted over the past several elections are U.S. citizens. When the Nebraska Examiner asked the Secretary of States Office earlier this year how many non-citizens had been removed from voter rolls or voted in past elections, a spokesperson said the agency has not removed anyone due to their status as a non-citizen, nor do we believe that there are many such people registered to vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Evnens office, in the regular course of business, removed 13,550 voters from the voter rolls after the November 2024 election most due to death or relocation from the state. Such removals are routine and required by federal and state law. Evnen said Friday that his office is working with the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office to establish a process to confirm the citizenship of people registered to vote in Nebraska. Current Federal law doesnt require proof of citizenship to register but it bans noncitizens from voting in elections. Other states, such as Wyoming and Louisiana, have passed state laws requiring anyone registering to vote to provide proof of citizenship. Those bills align with the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which the U.S. House passed in April. The SAVE Act would require proof of citizenship in federal elections. If the SAVE Act passes the Senate and becomes law, it would codify parts of the Trump executive order that Evnen calls a new and hopeful chapter. The Presidents executive order all but points to Nebraska as the model for how free and fair elections should be conducted, Evnen said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Evnen has talked about potentially requesting more time from the Legislature to verify signatures on petition drives for ballot measures after questions were raised about the validity of some signatures gathered for recent petitions, including ones targeted in a lawsuit aimed at stopping medical marijuana. Legislation seeking to provide more time fell short this year. Evnen also said Friday that he is proudly pro-life and pro-Second Amendment topics beyond the scope of his office that could signal that the secretary of state has bigger aspirations. He also could be appealing to GOP primary voters. He said he expected a challenger in 2026, whether from his right flank, a Democrat or both. If one is going to run for office, the only safe assumption to make is that one will have an opponent, Evnen said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX When Ed Miliband took the reins of his old department last summer after 14 years away, the Energy Secretary compared being in government to playing the video game Mario Kart. Youre driving along, things fly at you and youve got to just keep going, he joked a few months in. Some of those flying objects may have been easy to anticipate not least a rural backlash against his approval of vast solar farms and power lines across swathes of British countryside. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet one row Labours net zero supremo may not have seen coming was a fight over the rather dry-sounding review of electricity market arrangements. Quietly started in 2023 by Mr Milibands Conservative predecessors, it includes what has become an incendiary proposal for regional, or zonal, electricity pricing. This proposal would divide Britains national electricity market into several zones, with power prices set in each area based on local supply and demand dynamics. In practice, this would mean that people in the heavily populated South East would end up paying more than those in the North, who are closer to Scottish wind farms that generate a lot of power. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its an idea that has already got energy companies fighting like cats in a sack and is now threatening a political row as well, with Reform, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens all lining up against it. Now, with a decision expected from Mr Miliband next week, Downing Street has let it be known that Sir Keir Starmer may wade in himself to settle the matter although sources insist the Prime Minister and his team have no firm views yet. The next Brexit For Starmer and Miliband, the stakes could not be higher. Industry sees the zonal question as one with existential consequences for Labour, arguing it has the potential to make or break Milibands twin pledges to roll out a clean power system by 2030 and lower household energy bills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Failure to deliver one or both could fatally undermine public support for net zero at a time when Nigel Farages Reform Party is describing the issue as the next Brexit. Both sides in the zonal debate legitimately believe they are carrying the flame for decarbonisation and doing something righteous on behalf of consumers, says Adam Bell, a former top Energy Department official who is now a consultant at Stonehaven. The problem is, no one can really be certain about who is actually right. That has not stopped the various sides from making speeches, publishing studies, filming explainer videos and writing blog posts to plead their case with the argument pitting some of the biggest names in energy against each other, often in bitter exchanges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For example, after Scottish Power boss Keith Anderson gave a speech last month warning ministers not to tamper with a system that works, Octopus Energy boss Greg Jackson branded his comments astonishing. It may work for incumbent energy generators but it doesnt work for households or businesses struggling with Europes highest energy costs, Jackson tweeted. The implication was that Scottish Power was defending its profits at the expense of customers. Zonal supporters such as Octopus and Ovo Energy, regulator Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator (Neso), say that the switch would shave tens of billions of pounds off the cost of the green energy transition by making more efficient use of the electricity grid. Its our job to push prices down in the supply chain, Jackson has said. If that means taking the very big producers to task and working hard to squeeze them to be more efficient, so we can pass lower prices to customers, that is our job. Eradicating inefficiencies At the moment, the national pricing system keeps prices in some areas such as London artificially low and prices elsewhere such as Scotland artificially high, leading to all kinds of waste and market quirks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For example, Britain is currently spending more than 1bn a year on switching off wind farms in some locations because the grid is too congested to accept their power at busy times, while firing up gas power plants elsewhere to compensate. These constraint costs are expected to balloon to more than 3bn a year under the existing system. Switching to a zonal system would eradicate these kinds of inefficiencies because when there is abundant wind power, prices in places like Scotland would simply plummet, with the inverse true in the South East during peak times. It would theoretically encourage solar and wind farms to locate much closer to where power is needed, dramatically cutting the amount of money that would need to be spent on grid upgrades. One study shared with the Government, seen by The Telegraph, puts these savings at up to 27bn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though wholesale electricity prices would vary between regions, households in almost every area would be better off overall due to the lack of constraint costs and reductions in grid charges, according to a study by FTI Consulting for Octopus. It estimates that zonal would leave consumers 52bn better off overall over a 20-year period. This equates to something like 50 to 100 off their annual bills, says Jason Mann, an electricity markets expert and the studys author. The South East would emerge as the only regional loser, to the tune of 3.6bn or about 150m per year. Mann argues this could be remedied with some system tweaks, ensuring no households lose out. Another potential upside of cheaper electricity in Scotland and the North could be the potential to attract investment in power-hungry data centres and industrial facilities such as hydrogen electrolysers, supporters say. Zonal issues Yet any suggestion of overt regional differences may prove politically toxic. Mr Miliband warned in April he would not introduce a postcode lottery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whatever route we go down, my bottom line is bills have got to fall, and they should fall throughout the country, he told the BBC. On the other side of the debate, a formidable list of major players are lining up to warn Mr Miliband off the proposals. They include nearly every major wind farm developer, British Gas owner Centrica, trade bodies MakeUK, SolarUK and Offshore Energies UK, as well as Labour-supporting unions Unite and the GMB. At the crux of their arguments are two key contentions. First, that the problems with the current national pricing system can be solved by grid upgrades and lower-key market reforms; and second, that the poor timing of the zonal proposals means they now risk doing more harm than good, by creating so much uncertainty that they derail Mr Milibands hopes for a green energy construction boom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Studies produced for wind farm owner SSE by Aquaicity Ltd and LCP paint a starkly different picture to the FTI research, arguing that the consumer savings may be nearly eradicated by price increases. This would be because wind farm developers, less certain of their future earnings under a reformed system, would demand higher prices in the Governments contracts for difference (CfD) auctions, which feed through directly into the bills paid by households and businesses. According to LCP, a move to zonal pricing would only save 5bn to 15bn over a 20-year period. Mr Milibands clean power action plan through which he aims to make the grid 95pc powered by renewables in 2030 rests upon the assumption that the Government will procure unprecedented amounts of new wind farm projects in CfD auctions this summer and next. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Any suggestion that zonal is on the way risks chilling investment, developers have suggested. Other critics have rubbished claims that cheaper prices in some regions will really cause businesses to relocate. I love Scotland, but whos going to start a big factory there?, says Dale Vince, the multimillionaire Labour donor and Ecotricity tycoon. I mean, how do you get your workforce there? Theres so many practical problems with zonal. I dont understand why its still being talked about. The question of zonal has suddenly taken on more urgency as lobbying ramps up in anticipation of a promised decision this month. Advocates say that without action now the problems under the current system will only grow more unsustainable. The amount of money being wasted on a daily basis by wind farms is now being tracked by a website, Wasted Wind. On Thursday it said more than 4.5m had been spent on switching off turbines and finding replacement power. The amount you have to pay windfarms to get constrained off the amount that we end up with a system that is inefficient if we do absolutely nothing, I think means it is not economically credible for British consumers to leave it as it is, warned Jonathan Brearley, chief executive of Ofgem, earlier this year. Although Mr Milibands officials have backed zonal pricing, the rest of Whitehall is said to be split on the idea and there is growing nervousness in Downing Street about the political consequences if things go wrong. A spokesman for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero insists that the focus will be on protecting bill-payers and encouraging investment. Whatever Mr Miliband decides to do, people on both sides of the argument agree on one thing: he should get on with it urgently to put an end to any doubts. Bell, at Stonehaven, believes the hour is so late now that the Government is most likely to kick the can down the road. Starmers intervention appears to make that more likely. Downing Street is understood to have requested a further review of the costs and benefits of the policy raising the prospect that the idea could be killed off or kicked into the long grass. If you really just dont want to do this now, you could just say lets put it to one side now and look again in the 2040s, he says. Ducking the question may ultimately satisfy no one. But at least Mr Miliband will be able to keep careening forward, Mario Kart-style. Until, at least, the next flying obstacle approaches. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Former Israeli Defense Minister and opposition lawmaker Avigdor Liberman on Thursday accused Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of authorizing weapons transfers to a criminal gang in Gaza that he likened to the ISIS terrorist group. Netanyahu appeared later in the day to confirm the operation, suggesting it would save the lives of Israeli forces battling Hamas in the Palestinian territory. "They are receiving weapons from the state of Israel. It's a total madness," Liberman said in a radio interview. "It's unclear to me who approved it." Liberman said the head of Israel's primary domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet was aware of the weapons transfers, "but I'm not sure the [Israel Defense Forces] knows. We're talking about the equivalent of ISIS in Gaza. No one can guarantee that these weapons will not be directed at Israel. We have no way of monitoring or following." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Liberman appeared to be referring to a militia called the Popular Forces of Palestine, led by Yasser Abu Shabab. The group is opposed to Hamas, the Israeli- and U.S.-designated terrorist group Israel has been at war with for more than a year and a half. Popular Forces is believed to be a relatively small armed group based in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. It has been accused of looting trucks trying to deliver aid to Gaza's starving population, which its leader reportedly denied. There have been reports that Shabab, the group's leader, was previously jailed by Hamas for smuggling drugs, as well as reports that his brother was killed by Hamas when the group cracked down on attacks on U.N. aid convoys Late on Thursday, Netanyahu acknowledged that "on the advice of security officials, we activated clans in Gaza that oppose Hamas. What's wrong with that? It's only good. It only saves the lives of IDF soldiers." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a news conference in Jerusalem, May 21, 2025. / Credit: RONEN ZVULUN/POOL/AFP/Getty Abu Shabab denied receiving weapons from Israel in a statement posted on social media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We categorically reject these accusations and consider them a blatant attempt to distort the image of a grassroots force born from suffering one that stood up to injustice, looting, and corruption," the group said. "This desperate attempt to link us to the occupation is, in reality, an implicit admission that we have become a powerful and influential force." Hamas orchestrated and led the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack on southern Israel that began the war in Gaza. It said, following Netanyahu's remarks, that "every individual involved in these mercenary gangs [Israel has allegedly been supporting] is considered by us to be an Israeli soldier. We will deal with them with full force." Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid responded to the claim that Israel is arming Abu Shabab with a warning that it could see a repeat of a grim history for the country. For decades, including multiple terms in office for Netanyahu, Israel allowed Hamas to grow and entrench its control in Gaza, with millions of dollars in support from the Arab would pouring in. It was seen as a cynical bid to prevent a unified Palestinian leadership from taking hold in Gaza and the much larger territory of the West Bank. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "After Netanyahu finished giving millions of dollars to Hamas, he moved on to giving weapons to organizations close to ISIS in Gaza, all off the cuff, all without strategic planning, all leading to more disasters," Lapid said on social media. "Weapons that enter Gaza will eventually be turned against IDF soldiers and Israeli citizens," he said. Australian reporter covering Los Angeles protests shot with rubber bullet by police officer Kristi Noem says "we are not going to let a repeat of 2020 happen" amid L.A. crackdown Magic in the dark: The fantastical worlds of Lightwire Theater According to the survey, current opposition parties would secure 61 seats, excluding Arab parties, or 65 seats, including a party led by Naftali Bennett. Current projections indicate that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would struggle to form a government if elections were held today, according to a Maariv poll published Friday. According to the survey, the current opposition parties would secure 61 seats, excluding the Arab parties, or 65 seats, including a party led byNaftali Bennett. In both scenarios, Netanyahu would fall short of a majority. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The survey found that Netanyahu still leads the opposition leaders in terms of suitability for prime minister, with a 17 percent advantage over Yair Lapid and a 10 percent lead over Benny Gantz. However, Naftali Bennett is seen as more suitable for the role than Netanyahu by the Israeli public, with 46 percent support compared to 39 percent for Netanyahu. The poll showed the following results (excluding a party led by Bennett): Likud, headed by Netanyahu, would receive 22 seats; Yisrael Beytenu, led by Avigdor Liberman, would win 19; the National Unity Party, headed by Benny Gantz, would get 15; the Democrats, headed by Yair Golan, would also receive 15; Yesh Atid, headed by Lapid, would get 12; Shas, led by Aryeh Deri, would secure 10; Otzma Yehudit, headed by Itamar Ben-Gvir, would win nine; United Torah Judaism, led by Yitzhak Goldknopf and Moshe Gafni, would win eight; Raam, led by Mansour Abbas, would secure five; and Hadash-Taal, led by Ayman Odeh and Ahmad Tibi, would get five. The Religious Zionist Party and Balad would not cross the electoral threshold. In the scenario where a party led by Bennett would run, it would receive 27 seats, overtaking Likud, which would then receive 20 seats. The Democrats would win 11; Yisrael Beytenu would secure 10; Shas and Yesh Atid would both win nine; the National Unity Party would secure eight; Otzma Yehudit and United Torah Judaism would each get eight; Raam would win six; and Hadash-Taal would secure four. A projection of how many seats each party would receive if there were elections today. (photo credit: Dall-E) Israeli public opinion on a strike against Iran, with or without US support The survey also examined public opinion on an Israeli strike against Iran. A majority of Israelis (55 percent) expressed support for an attack. Of these, 34 percent favor an immediate strike even without US approval, while another 21 percent believe it should take place only with American approval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 24 percent said Israel should wait for the outcome of negotiations between Iran and the United States, seven percent believe it is too late for an attack, and 14 percent are undecided. Among coalition voters, 56 percent support a strike even without US approval, compared with 34 percent among opposition voters, who prefer waiting for American approval. The poll, conducted for Maariv by the Lazar Research Institute, led by Dr. Menachem Lazar, in collaboration with Panel4All, has a maximum sampling error of 4.4 percent. June 6 (UPI) -- The Netherlands Friday scheduled a snap election for Oct. 29 following the collapse of the government caused by the far-right Party for Freedom leaving the governing coalition. Outgoing Minister of Foreign Affairs Judith Uitermark announced the election date in a post on X. "In the coming period, I will work with the municipalities and other stakeholders to prepare so that this important day in our democracy goes smoothly!" Uitermark said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prime Minister Richard Schoof's four-party governing coalition collapsed when Party for Freedom's leader Geert Wilders demanded radical slashing of migration. Schoof indicated in a message to lawmakers he will maintain control over critical policies in the months between now and the October election. Far-right Party for Freedom leader Geert Wilders said Dutch PM Schoof refused his party's demand for a stricter asylum policy and tougher crackdown on what Wilders called "criminal aliens." That caused the party to leave Schoof's coalition government. File Photo by Pete Marovich/UPI "As far as I'm concerned, it's about security, both nationally and internationally, including support for Ukraine and everything that's needed for defense," Schoof said in the statement. The far-right Party for Freedom quit the Dutch government Tuesday, prompting Schoof to submit his resignation to King Willem-Alexander's cabinet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schoof called the move to quit the government "irresponsible and unnecessary." The current cabinet will stay in place pending the general election to act as a caretaker government. "Schoof showed that he is not the right man in the right place. If you, as prime minister of a cabinet in which the PVV is the largest party, refuse to sign a letter about a stricter asylum policy and a tougher approach to criminal aliens, then you are unsuitable," Wilders said in a post on X. The PVV pulled off a shock victory in the November 2023 election gaining more seats than ever before for the far right. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wilders, an anti-Islamist right-wing politician, tried to parlay the 37 seats his party won into becoming prime minister, but he was forced to abandon that attempt. There are 150 seats in the Dutch parliament. The center-left Labor party and Green Left won the second highest number of seats. Schoof became Prime Minister instead of Wilders, forming a government consisting of the PVV, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, the New Social Contract and the Farmer-Citizen Movement. That governing coalition was seated in July 2024. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) The city manager is fired, the city attorney has resigned, and a Las Vegas judge is holding the City of Mesquite in contempt of court. Longtime residents are calling it total chaos. On Tuesday, District Court Judge Nadia Krall ordered the City of Mesquite to be held in contempt of court for wrongful acts, which include a special meeting calling the former Mesquite police chief to appear before the council and address accusations from an internal investigation. This total chaos, Al Litman, former Mesquite mayor and longtime resident, said. But it was brought upon by the city manager and the city attorney. We were a smooth-running city for a number of years of very little difficulties. The former city manager, Edward Owen Dickie, was fired in April by the city council following a leaked recording in which Dickie said racial slurs. The former city attorney, Michael Branum, resigned from his position on May 27, according to a city spokesperson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After much thought, I could not in good conscience ask anyone to speak on my behalf, Branum wrote in an email to city staff sent to 8 News Now. Without being able to present any evidence in my defense, the angry internet trolls would eventually have convinced four members of Council to terminate my employment. Following Branums resignation, the city appointed Adam Anderson as the new interim attorney for the City of Mesquite. A group of Mesquite residents talked to 8 News Now in front of city hall and said they would like to see Anderson fulfill the role as city attorney and see Mesquite Deputy City Manager Martine Green fulfill the role of city manager. [As] for the council, there are people that are virtually not there for the best of the community, and thats what we need, Nick Alfonsetti, a 20-year Mesquite resident, said. We need people that are elected that will represent us as a community here in Mesquite and do the right thing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sue Hanks, a longtime Mesquite resident, said she was worried about how the shakeup in police and city leadership has impacted the overall safety of the city. I noticed that our homeless population tripled within 30 days, she said. Its unbelievable how the city just went downhill all of a sudden. This is a developing story and will be updated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) Nevadas lone Republican in Congress failed in an effort to sell off public lands in the state, but a Utah senator might revive the tactic as President Trumps one big, beautiful bill progresses this summer. A late-night amendment by U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) was heavily criticized by Nevadas Democratic representatives. It ended up dying, a casualty of political dealing after Montana Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke, the former Interior secretary during Trumps first term, threatened to vote no on the giant House funding bill. Zinke called out Amodeis amendment as the vote drew near, and Republicans werent sure if they could pass the spending bill without him. Now, Republican Sen. Mike Lee is working on selling public lands as the Senate prepares to take up the spending bill. While he hasnt said which states will be targeted, he has taken Montana off the list. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Thursday report from The Hill indicated that Republicans could be in a similar position when the Senate vote arrives. Trump wants the Senate to pass the bill by July 4, but thats already looking unlikely. The Congressional Budget Office projected Wednesday that spending bill passed by the House will add $2.4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade, and some senators are saying they cant accept that. Amodeis move to sell public lands was among the proposals to come up with money to pay for the renewal of tax cuts passed under Trump in 2017. Lee said his plan is expected to be released on Monday, according to a Bloomberg report. With 63% of the state federally-owned, Utah is second only to Nevada. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 80% of Nevada is federally owned nearly 57 million acres. Most of the land is under the control of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (63%, 47 million acres), followed by the U.S. Forest Service (5.7 million acres), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2.3 million acres), the National Park Service (797,000 acres) and the Department of Defense (60,000 acres), according to a 2020 report. That report didnt account for the Nevada National Security Site (formerly the Nevada Test Site), which covers 880,000 acres in southeastern Nye County or the Tonopah Test Range, 370,000 acres farther north in Nye County. Next is Idaho at 61.9%, Alaska at 60.9% and Oregon at 52.3%. Western states dominate the list. Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox has challenged federal decisions about land in the state, objecting to expansions of national monuments. Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante expansions were disputed in years past. Now, the Trump administration is opening up more federal land to oil and gas exploration, fast-tracking geothermal projects and looking at mineral deposits on national park land. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gov. Joe Lombardo cited the Biden Administrations move creating the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument south of Las Vegas. He said it would prevent development at a time when Nevada needs federal land to address a housing crisis. Housing has been at the center of the public land debate recently in the Las Vegas valley. An agreement with the BLM under Biden provided opportunities to buy federal land within the valley for $100 an acre, an incentive to get builders to deliver affordable housing. Nevada Gov. Lombardo unveils $1 billion affordable housing plan: We have to expand? Rural Nevadans have had a sometimes-strained relationship with federal landowners. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its only been 11 years since Cliven Bundys armed standoff with BLM officers along Interstate 15 northeast of Las Vegas, near the town of Bunkerville. Ranchers were angry after the BLM rounded up their cattle a tense battle over grazing rights. The cattle were eventually released, diffusing the situation, but prosecutors pursued a court case against Bundy and his family. Before that, the Sagebrush Rebellion in the 1970s and 1980s traces its roots to Nevada and other western states. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. A Newsmax host seemed skeptical about Elon Musks accusation that Donald Trump is named in the Epstein files, throwing the billionaires 5-year-old son into the fray. On Carl Higbie Frontline, the eponymous host asked the tech billionaire why, if what he claimed was true, he allowed his son, X A-12, to be with Trump on Marine One back in March. If you knew he was on the Epstein client list, why did you let him board Marine One with your son? Higbie asked, as a video played of the two approaching the presidential helicopter on the White House lawn. Just asking. Musk's son, X A-12, visited the White House in March. / Nathan Howard / REUTERS Musks post on X about Trump and Epstein, the deceased registered child sex offender and accused sex trafficker, was a low blow, Higbie said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its something that he knows cant be immediately verified, he explained. Epstein pleaded guilty to once count each of soliciting minors for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute in Florida state court in 2008. He served 13 months in jail and was registered as a sex offender. Also, if Trump was on that island doing something illegal, after all the legal battles that Biden threw at him, if he had done something illegal with Jeffrey Epstein, you would think they would have thrown that at him. No? They pulled out the stops on everything else, the Newsmax host continued. The only thing we can point to that was a known association with Epstein was that he was at his club once, he said. By the way, Trump kicked him out of that club because of reported bad behavior. Musk linked Trump to Jeffrey Epstein amid their feud over the GOP tax bill. / Kevin Lamarque / REUTERS Higbie, who maintained that he wasnt taking a side in the Trump-Musk feud, explained why he thought Musk blew up a little bit irrationally on Trump today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musks frustration with the GOP tax bill was understandable, Higbie said. But dont take it out on the man. Congress, especially House Speaker Mike Johnson, was the more appropriate target. The first chance that those people who ran on fiscal conservatism got, the first bill that they put forward on this they raise the debt ceiling by five trillion dollars guys, he said. You cant promise to a very ideologically driven base that youre fiscally conservative. Look, Im part of that base. What did you think was going to happen, Mike? At several points in his monologue, Higbie echoed other right-wing cable hosts in hoping that the spat ends soon. Can we just hug it out for the sake of the country? he asked, imaging himself brokering a deal between the two. Honestly, I think I speak for most of America right now. SACRAMENTO, California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday suggested California consider withholding tens of billions in annual federal tax dollars amid reports Donald Trump is preparing funding cuts targeting the state. Newsoms suggestion came after CNN reported the president was considering a full termination of federal grant funding for Californias universities. Californians pay the bills for the federal government. We pay over $80 BILLION more in taxes than we get back, the Democratic governor said in an X post Friday afternoon, referencing a recent analysis from the Rockefeller Institute that California contributed about $83 billion more in federal taxes in 2022 than it received back from Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maybe its time to cut that off, he added. White House spokesperson Kush Desai, asked to comment on Newsoms post, threw cold water on mass funding cuts but blasted California for what he said were lunatic anti-energy, soft-on-crime, pro-child mutilation, and pro-sanctuary policies. The Trump administration is committed to ending this nightmare and restoring the California Dream, Desai said in a statement. No final decisions, however, on any potential future action by the Administration have been made, and any discussion suggesting otherwise should be considered pure speculation. Trump has wielded federal funding as leverage to push its politics on California before. The president last month threatened to choke off the states cash flow if a transgender athlete participated in a state girls track meet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsoms biting suggestion comes as the governor escalates his anti-Trump rhetoric, even as he asks the White House for economic assistance. Newsom in early May blamed tariffs for ripping $16 billion from Californias state budget, but has at the same time sought federal disaster relief for the recent Los Angeles wildfires and privately consulted Trump officials about ways to bolster the states flagging film industry. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas also floated withholding federal taxes Friday in a post on the social media site Bluesky shortly before Newsom raised the issue. He dismissed the rumored grant cancellations as unconstitutional and vindictive. We're the nation's economic engine and the largest donor state, and deserve our fair share, Rivas wrote. I'll use every legal and constitutional tool available to defend CA we must look at every option, including withholding federal taxes. State Senate Pro Tem Mike McGuire similarly vowed to defend California from this Presidents illegal and unprecedented attack on our state in an X post Friday, but he stopped short of suggesting the state should withhold federal taxes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State leaders have tried to starve Trumps Washington of tax revenues before; in 2017, then-Senate President Kevin de Leon proposed a state tax credit scheme that would have allowed residents to sidestep a federal tax hike targeting California. Two New York mayoral candidates, former state Assemblymember Michael Blake and current state Sen. Jessica Ramos, similary suggested withholding the citys federal tax dollars during a Democratic primary debate Wednesday evening. CONCORD, N.H. (ABC22/FOX44) Officials in the New Hampshire House have voted to pass bill SB 206, which would ban the use of cell phones in school through a bell-to-bell policy. This bill, as amended by the House, defines bell-to-bell as from when the first bell rings to start instructional time until the dismissal bell rings to end the academic school day, with approved exceptions determined by the superintendent or their designee with respect to student medical, disability, or language proficiency need. Governor Kelly Ayotte said yesterday in a statement that she is glad to see the House pass this today and thanked them for taking action. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Screens are distraction for students and a barrier for teachers to do their jobs. A bell-to-bell ban on cell phones in the classroom will help kids focus on learning and let teachers do what they do best without being the phone police. Im glad to see the House pass this today and thank them for taking action to help deliver a best-in-class education for all of New Hampshires students. Governor Ayotte has yet to make a final decision on the bill. If it goes into effect, SB 206 will likely take effect in time for the 2025-2026 school year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC22 & FOX44. Food insecurity has increased in Niagara, Erie, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties in the past year, according to Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks, food pantries and meal programs. The latest results of the annual Map the Meal Gap study show that Niagara Countys overall food insecurity rate has reached 13.3%, up from 12.6% in 2022. Among Niagara Countys children, 19% face a lack of sufficient food, compared to 17.9% in 2022. When you tell me its 19% for children most school districts now are providing free meals, said Major Tom Duperree of the Salvation Army of Lockport, which operates a food pantry and soup kitchen with groceries from FeedMore WNY and other donors. So its evening time for the children because theyre being fed in the daytime hours. Its alarming to me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Duperree, who stocked shelves in the Salvation Armys food pantry Wednesday, has seen demand for the organizations meals and pantry items increase. But theres a new dimension to hunger developing with children. Late last year, I remember a high school teacher coming here, and there were two students, he said. The parents had said to both of these children, Because you have a part-time job after school, youre no longer getting fed here. One of the teachers took the lead in bringing the students down here to learn to navigate the food pantry. According to Denyel Beiter, spokesperson for the Lockport City School District, all district students receive free breakfast and lunch through the US Department of Agricultures Community Eligibility Provision. Beiter said the district was approved for the program because its poverty rate is over 60%. Mark Laurrie, superintendent of Niagara Falls City School District, said the studys findings of a 6% increase in food insecurity was not a surprise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think thats conservative. He said 82% of Niagara Falls students use the districts free breakfast and lunch program. Laurrie said announcing a snow day on a Friday is one of the hardest decisions he makes because he knows children will go without food all weekend. Abate Elementary has 650 kids, and does 86 backpacks for each weekend, he said of filling bags with food for children. In every one of our elementary schools, we have a backpack program for the weekend, Laurrie said. In our middle schools and high school, we have a food pantry and our social workers are taking kids to that pantry. Since 2021, the number of people relying on FeedMore WNY, a hunger relief organization, increased by 46%. The need for supplemental food is driven by high grocery store prices, job loss, and increases in other costs, FeedMore said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These are community members of all ages, backgrounds and circumstances, including families working multiple jobs trying to make ends meet, older adults surviving on fixed incomes, people living with disabilities, and children, Collin Bishop, chief communications officer for FeedMore WNY. Nationally, more than 2 out of 5 people facing hunger may not qualify for SNAP benefits due to income limits. In FeedMore WNYs service area, 34% of people facing hunger may not qualify for SNAP and 26% of children facing hunger may not qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Duperree said Salvation Army clients frequently describe how their budgets are too tight to meet all their living expenses. Their rents have gone up so high, in such a short period of time, that by the time they pay their rent, the resources they have left over is barely enough, he said. A recurring story at Salvation Army is that if it werent for the meal I get here if it werent for the food pantry, I wouldnt be able to make ends meet. Its tough enough for the adults, but the childhood factor is just very concerning, Duperree said. For a party which, rightly in my opinion, calls out the failures of multiculturalism, Reform UK should have had a view on the burqa. Whether that garb represents a rejection of British culture and the repression of women, or whether it is simply a matter of personal choice, Reform should have had a settled position on it. It did not. Sarah Pochin, one of its MPs, is seemingly against it and Zia Yusuf, its now erstwhile chairman, is not. The partys failure to have a line on a subject, raised no less by Pochin at PMQs, is symptomatic of a greater problem within Reform. It has no settled political philosophy. This is evident from manifold self-contradictory statements made by Farage himself. He is on the record saying he is not concerned about the rate of demographic change in the country, though he is worried about the cultural damage being done to our country. They are two sides of the same coin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On that same point, he would be prepared to consider a return of Shamima Begum to the country. He is against illegal migration but has no intention of deporting all illegal migrants. He claims to stand up for the United Kingdom but readily accepts that Northern Ireland will inevitably be united with Ireland. He recognises the urgent need to cut government spending and reverse the culture of dependency, but would remove the cap on benefits for more than two children. His lack of a coherent philosophy is also evident in the people he has recruited into the party. Nick Candy, his treasurer, is a Blairite. He offered to put forward Charlie Mullins, an avowed Remainer, as a candidate. Even Pochin, a former Tory, had previously welcomed Syrian and Afghan asylum seekers. He has recruited councillors and members from all parts of the political spectrum from Labour and Tory to the Liberal Democrats. There is no heart and soul in Reform. It is merely a campaigning vehicle for Farage to capitalise on the discontent with Labour and the Tories. It is a protest party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The events of the last few days also reveal, yet again, Reform lacks discipline. How is it that an MP would ask a question in Parliament which would so offend the chairman? And why did the chairman then feel able to publicly denounce her as dumb? Farage is Reform and Reform is Farage. He likes it that way. He has seemingly failed to establish a proper party structure and constitution. I campaigned hard last year for the partys democratisation. I did so in part so that it would have in-built checks and balances. With due processes established, there would have been no way for an MP to go off-piste in Parliament or for the chairman to then make a fool of himself. If Reform intends to be the antidote to the nations woes, Farage needs to honestly reflect on recent events. He must realise the party needs a coherent political philosophy and policies which flow from this. He must establish foundations for the party which allow it to function and grow as a proper organisation. Reform is doing extremely well in the polls. If sustained, this could propel it into office. The party therefore has an obligation to take itself seriously and do the heavy lifting required to form a successful government. The sort for which we all so yearn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Farage is a brilliant and cunning campaigner. But he proves, time and again, that he is not fit to create a government or lead it. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) A Night in the Burg with Cole Swindell officially kicked off the 2025 BMW Charity Pro Am tournament, Thursday evening. The concert also featured special guests including the James Radford Band and Gritty Flyright. It marks the first concert to be held at Fifth Third Park. Many fans said by the turnout Thursday night, they hope there are many more in the future. Its amazing, said Jack McBride. Great food, great drinks, you cant go wrong with it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fans travelled from all over the country and arrived to the park as early as noon to grab a front row seat. Janene Ciotti travelled from New Jersey. I cant even tell you how many times Ive seen Cole and how many times Ive been to a meet and greet, Ciotti said. Hes just awesome. I absolutely love him. The best part, according to some fans, is how the concert doubles as a charity fundraiser. Coming out here and supporting the Pro Am and the organizations they support, its just an amazing opportunity, said McBride. Assistant tournament Director, Judson Conwell, said that over the past 24 years, they have raised over $16 million for their features charities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said four of those charities are based in Spartanburg, making this concert even more special. I mean I think its just a monumental celebration for the Spartanburg community, Conwell said. This park getting opened a couple months ago but then having the very first concert and having thousands of people to come together listen to some music and have fun. The fun doesnt end here, as Conwell said there is much more to look forward to this weekend. Tonights a very big night but then we have activities Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We have a lot to offer for our 25th anniversary. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS. NILES, Ohio (WKBN) A Niles mother will have her case considered by a Trumbull County grand jury after police said her toddler recently swallowed methadone. Police said Abbigail McGhee is charged with endangering children, a third-degree felony. Officers were called to Poplar Avenue in Niles on May 17. Police reports said that McGhees two-year-old child obtained her methadone medicine and ingested it. Police said the child was taken to Akron Childrens Hospital in Boardman. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to court records, McGhee entered a not guilty plea on Tuesday. She waived her preliminary hearing on Wednesday. Her bond was reduced to $50,000. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. KEARNY, N.J. (PIX11) A New Jersey middle school worker is accused of exposing himself to two female students under the age of 13, according to prosecutors. Omer Sogutcu, 36, an IT worker at Hudson Arts and Science Middle School in Kearny, was arrested Thursday and charged with sexual assault by contact and endangering the welfare of a child, according to the Hudson County Prosecutor. More Local News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sogutcu allegedly exposed himself to the underage girls and asked them to engage in sexual activity at the middle school in October 2024, authorities said. The defendant was arrested after an investigation by the Hudson County Prosecutors Office Special Victims Unit and the Kearny Police Department. Sogutcus first court appearance was pending. Information for his attorney was not immediately available. Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She has been with PIX11 News for two years. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. An Egyptian man living illegally in the United States set a group of pro-Israel demonstrators on fire in Boulder, Colorado. But while authorities investigate the attack as domestic terrorism and as mainstream media outlets attempt to draw sympathy for his daughter and portray the family as victims deeper questions are emerging about his 18-year-old daughter, who remained in the U.S. unlawfully, said nothing about her fathers hate, and, by all appearances, exploited Americas immigration system to stay and benefit from it. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, entered the U.S. from Kuwait on a tourist visa in 2022, which expired in February 2023. He overstayed, illegally obtained work authorization, and ultimately carried out a brutal firebombing on June 1. Fifteen people and a dog were injured. The FBI is investigating the act as a targeted anti-Semitic terror attack. Soliman didnt come alone. He brought his wife and five children, including Habiba Soliman, who is now at the center of the story not for any condemnation of her fathers ideology or actions, but because she has chosen to stay in the country illegally and expects to avoid deportation. According to public records and interviews, the familys arrival and asylum claim appear to have been manufactured for convenience, not necessity. They came from Kuwait a stable, wealthy nation and were not under threat. In an interview months before the attack, Habiba herself stated that her family came to the U.S. so she could attend medical school. Habiba wasnt just aware of the reason they came she admitted it. And despite knowing their asylum claim lacked legitimacy, she reportedly applied for and received a scholarship an opportunity that could have gone to a deserving student lawfully residing in the United States. Her pursuit of that benefit under false pretenses highlights how thoroughly the system was manipulated and how willing she was to take advantage of it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michele Jansen of NewsTalk 103.7FM observed, They werent refugees. They werent under any threat. This was not a family fleeing danger. They came here so the daughter could go to medical school and the father overstayed his visa and somehow got a work permit. Theres absolutely no reason this family shouldnt be immediately deported. Rather than fleeing persecution, the Soliman family appears to have knowingly gamed the system overstaying visas, filing a questionable asylum claim, seeking benefits, and remaining silent as the father spewed hate and planned violence. In a video posted just days before the attack, Mohamed Soliman praised Allah as greater than the Zionists and denounced the West by name. Allah is greater than the Zionists, Allah is greater than America and its weapons, he said. Not the Zionists, America, Britain, France, or Germany. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite being a legal adult, Habiba has refused to denounce her fathers violent extremism. She has shown no remorse, no condemnation, and no effort to disassociate herself from the hate that motivated a domestic terror attack. For many, that silence is not just troubling its a deliberate act of evasion. Compounding the controversy, USA Today ran a now-edited profile of Habiba that cast her as a sympathetic aspiring medical student facing deportation. The piece was widely criticized for glossing over the familys immigration violations and lack of accountability. The Dallas Express previously reported on the backlash and quiet edits to the article. Following the attack, ICE arrested the family. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said an investigation is underway to determine whether they had prior knowledge or supported the act. We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it, Noem wrote. I am continuing to pray for the victims of this attack and their families. Justice will be served. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even if no charges are filed, legal experts argue deportation is warranted. Attorney Barkdoll said during a radio interview on NewsTalk 103.7FM, Even if the wife and these kids were not involved in the criminality aspect of this case, if they are here illegally, and it certainly appears they are, then they should be deported. I mean, they should not be allowed to just stay here when it looks like they may have exploited and taken advantage of the system to get in in the first place. His comments reflect growing sentiment that the Soliman family not only remained in the U.S. unlawfully but also took advantage of a weakened immigration system one that increasingly fails to differentiate between legitimate asylum seekers and those exploiting it. Habiba Soliman is not a helpless daughter dragged into a tragedy. She is an adult who stayed in this country illegally, stood silent in the face of hatred, took educational benefits she was not entitled to, and is now leveraging loopholes in the law to remain. She remained silent, received unearned opportunities, and is now relying on public sympathy to avoid the consequences. Thats not victimhood. Its exploitation and the facts speak for themselves. Multiple nationwide No Kings Day demonstrations are planned for June 14, which is also Flag Day and when the Trump administration will stage a massive military parade in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the U.S. Armys 250th birthday. June 14 is also President Donald Trumps birthday. The No Kings Day demonstrations planned will protest Trump and his administrations policies. Heres what you need to know. What is No Kings Day? Organizers describe No Kings Day as a nationwide day of defiance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, were taking action to reject authoritarianismand show the world what democracy really looks like, the organizations website said. Were not gathering to feed his ego. Were building a movement that leaves him behind. The flag doesnt belong to President Trump. It belongs to us. Were not watching history happen. Were making it. Are there No Kings Day events planned for California? All the demonstrations are planned for Saturday, June 14. Dana Point 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the intersection of Selva Road and Pacific Coast Highway Laguna Beach Noon to 2 p.m. at Pacific Coast Highway and Main Beach Huntington Beach Noon to 1:30 p.m. at PCH and Warner Avenue Long Beach 9 to 11 a.m. at Bixby Park Annex Pico-Robertson 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The location will be shared once attendees RSVP. Glendale Noon to 2 p.m. at Glendale City Hall Studio City 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The location will be shared once attendees RSVP. Whittier 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Whittier City Hall. Rancho Cucamonga 5 to 7 p.m. The location will be shared once attendees RSVP. Malibu Noon to 1 p.m. at Malibu Library Santa Ynez Valley 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hall, Antelope Valley 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 10th Street West and Rancho Vista Blvd in Palmdale. Brentwood 1 to 3 p.m. at CA-4 Highway Pedestrian Overpass A complete list of demonstrations nationwide can be found here. Whats happening in Washington, D.C., on June 14? A large-scale military parade and festival set to take place in the nations capital on June 14, the services 250th anniversaryand also Trumps birthday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The event will feature hundreds of military vehicles, aircraft, concerts, fireworks and more than 6,700 soldiers in a display of force not seen in Washington in decades, according to The Associated Press. The parade is expected to cost $45 million and could result in $16 million in damage to streets in the nations capital, according to MSNBC. Critics have raised concerns about Trumps decision to hold a costly military parade while service members, veterans and their families face the impact of cuts to federal programs and services. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- The penny, long the most neglected coin in our change jars and couch cushions, is about to clock out for good. The U.S. Department of the Treasury recently confirmed it will end production of the penny in 2026, citing high costs and dwindling use. According to the U.S. Mints own reports, it costs about 2.7 cents to produce a single penny, meaning taxpayers lose millions each year just keeping the coin alive. For most Americans, the change might go unnoticed. But for William Welsh, owner of Preacher Bills Coins in Midland and a collector himself, the announcement is bittersweet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It really needed to be done. I thought it would be done much earlier. Its sad, I say. Its sad because pennies are just such an important part of our economy, Welsh said. Welsh has been collecting coins since childhood and now operates a small shop in Midland where he buys, sells, and appraises everything from 19th-century nickels to rare Lincoln cents. To him, pennies arent just metal, theyre miniature time capsules. Since the news broke, Welsh said hes seen a steady rise in people coming in to buy pennies, so many, in fact, that hes starting to run out. Just the fact that theyre going to be stopped production has caused a lot of people in the last few months to collect more pennies, and weve seen the values really start to soar, he said. From Pocket Change to Pricey Collectibles With the 2026 cutoff looming, some collectors are already treating modern pennies, especially from 2024 and 2025, as future collectors items. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 2024 pennies are a short supply, so those are good, especially if you can find them in uncirculated, Welsh said. And then the 25s probably will be the one that people want to collect right away. The value isnt just speculative. According to Welsh, pennies minted before 1982, which were primarily made of copper, have already doubled in value based on metal content alone. Ive told people for a lot of years to collect your copper pennies, thats 1982 and back, and to just put them up, he said. Theyve been over two cents each in value. So you immediately double, but copper will continue to go up in value. And while most pocket change wont fetch more than face value, certain rare pennies have already crossed into four-digit territory. Welsh points to the 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent, the first of its kind with designer Victor D. Brenners initials, as a classic example. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyve started about $600, and you can get up into the hundreds of thousands if the grade is amazing, he said. Another one to look out for? The 1955 doubled die penny, a misprint that collectors adore. Those start at about $500 and go up, Welsh said. A Brief History of the Penny The first U.S. cent was minted in 1793, a massive copper coin by todays standards. Since then, the penny has undergone dozens of design and composition changes, from Flying Eagle cents in the 1850s to steel cents issued during World War II when copper was diverted to the war effort. The familiar Lincoln penny debuted in 1909 to honor the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincolns birth. It was also the first U.S. coin to feature a real person, a controversial move at the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Lincoln penny, the Indian Head penny, they were trying to honor the Indians, our Indians. And then with the Lincoln penny, the importance of Abraham Lincoln, Welsh said. But the economic reality has changed. Canada stopped producing its penny in 2012, joining countries like Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil in retiring their lowest-denomination coins. It costs about two and a half cents to make a penny, so it doesnt make any sense, I know the play on words to make something youre losing money on, Welsh added. What Happens Now? The change comes amid a national shift away from cash. In 2023, only 16% of American payments were made in cash, according to the Federal Reserve, and nearly 40% of consumers report never using cash at all. In response, President Donald Trump ordered the Treasury to stop minting pennies, citing their unsustainable cost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although the U.S. Mint will stop making new pennies, ones already in circulation will still be accepted as regular money. You wont have to turn them in or stop using them. However, some stores may start rounding prices up or down to the nearest five cents when people pay with cash, a practice already common in other countries. If its 57 cents, theyll do it as 55. If its 58 cents, theyll do it as 60. That makes sense. A lot of places already do that, even with the pennies. Still, Welsh believes the pennys legacy will outlast its circulation. You know, I would keep every penny. I mean, for now Someday, you know, Ill tell your grandkids and say, This is what we used to have pennies. We dont have them anymore. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for how hed write the pennys obituary? Mine would probably be pretty funny, something about sense of sense of sense, he said with a laugh. But just sad to see you go. Want to Know If Your Pennies Are Worth More? William Welsh offers free appraisals at his Midland shop, no matter how small the pile. He encourages everyone to check their change jars, especially for copper coins dated 1982 and earlier or unusual errors like off-center strikes or doubled dates. Because even if the pennys time is running out, you might still have a few that, quite literally, make sense to hold onto. To see if your coins are valuable, visit Preacherbills Coins in Midland, located at 1004 W Front St, Midland, TX 79701, open Monday to Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM. You can also call (432) 222-0160 for more information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement William Welsh, aka Bill Welsh or Preacherbill, operates Preacher Bills Coins in Midland, a shop thats been serving collectors nationwide for over 40 years. From silver and gold bullion to rare coins and autographs, the store welcomes beginners and longtime collectors alike, whether youre hoping to expand a collection, verify the value of an old coin, or sell something from your stash. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Yourbasin. Jun. 5A new nonprofit has emerged, intending to deliver measurable progress on New Mexico's most urgent and longstanding issues. Imagine New Mexico, led by Steve Moise, officially launched this week. The nonprofit will use a mix of data-based modeling and collaborations with other nonprofit organizations to improve results in the areas of health care, education, public safety, economic growth and poverty reduction, Moise said in an interview. "We will devote whatever time is necessary to making these changes work," said Moise, the former state investment officer with the New Mexico State Investment Council. "This is a multi-year initiative." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The nonprofit is the result of Moise's commitment to improving on some of New Mexico's urgent issues, which he was made aware of, he said, about 40 years ago at an Economic Forum of Albuquerque meeting he attended as a young lawyer. He said the forum presentation highlighted how New Mexico ranked in various areas compared to other states, revealing the state's underperformance. "I became very concerned. I became upset. And I went home that night and said to (my late wife), 'I'm going to do what I can to make this state what it's capable of being. It may not be until I retire, but I hope I'll be able to address it.'" Moise said he began to research what other states and cities were doing "to help self-actualize them, make them all they were capable of being." "And I said, 'We're going to put together some of these ideas and make them right for New Mexico.'" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The way Imagine New Mexico ultimately works is through a data-driven approach. The nonprofit's website, imaginenewmexico.org, includes a dashboard made in partnership with the University of New Mexico's Prevention Research Center dedicated to tracking economic, education, crime and health care indicators. Imagine New Mexico will then collaborate with nonprofits in each of those areas and "will challenge them to collaborate to improve" those trackable results, Moise said. Imagine New Mexico will first focus on health care, aiming to form partnerships with nonprofits in that arena, Moise said. "We have a health care advisory group a couple of physicians and some others that are advising us," Moise said. "And with all these people who know New Mexico so well, we'll be able to select the nonprofits, and then they can work on finding the right indicators." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Imagine New Mexico's board consists of a distinguished group of residents from across the state, including board Vice President Mark Benak of the Sandia Foundation. The board also features former Economic Development Secretary Alicia Keyes, PGA Tour alum Notah Begay III, University of New Mexico Regent Christina Campos, and former State Treasurer Doug Brown. The nonprofit launched with funding from organizations including the Anchorum Health Foundation, The Frost Foundation, the Sandia Foundation and the Yates family-run PY Foundation. MONTEVALLO, Ala. (WIAT) The Lord Wedgwood Charity donated three Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to Montevallos American Village. Based in Birmingham, the Lord Wedgwood Charity is dedicated to supplying high schools and community gathering places with AEDs. The donation was made possible through the collaborative efforts of several local leaders with deep ties to American Village and each other, American Village said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rusty Lowe, an alum of Leadership Shelby County who works with GoRescue, will assist with installation and training for the AED units. 23-year-old former Walker County deputy pleads guilty in case involving death of Anthony Tony Mitchell This is an important step for American Village to provide safety for their visitors and staff, Lowe said in a statement. We are excited to be part of this process. AEDs and CPR are of utmost importance for the survival of victims experiencing sudden cardiac arrest and time is of the essence. According to a statement from American Village, this donation will enhance emergency preparedness and ensure a safe environment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a great example of what happens when a community works together, Alan Miller, CEO of American Village stated. Thanks to the kindness and initiative of these individuals and organizations, we are better prepared to respond to medical emergenciesespecially during large public events like Independence Day, when we welcome thousands of visitors to campus. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42. ST. LOUIS Repairs are underway at the apartment where postal worker Hildre Carter lived on St. Louis Avenue. He was recovering from a recent surgery when the devastating May 16 tornado tore through parts of north St. Louis. I had a blood vessel that burst in my left foot, said Carter. Im a mail carrier, so I need my foot. I had to have surgery. The 57-year-old was prescribed heart medicine, but that prescription was lost to the tornado. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News I just came through AFib, he said. You just dont want to be without your meds. Carter has stayed at the American Red Cross shelter at Refresh Community Church in University City. Thats where the Red Cross helped connect him with Rx Outreach, a nonprofit mail-order pharmacy with a community location in Dellwood. Carter recalls the moment he was told Rx Outreach could bring him a 90-day supply of his much-needed prescription. Is this for real? he asked. Ultimately its free to the patient, said Roy Whitley, Rx Outreach CEO and president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said Rx Outreach launched a disaster relief fund to help pay for prescriptions for 90 days for those affected by the tornado. If theres a challenge with getting the medications, be it access, co-pay or whatever it is, Rx Outreach is here to help, he said. Drag racer survives frightening airborne crash at World Wide Technology Raceway The desire to help includes a personal motive, as Whitley is from north St. Louis. We are a resource located here in St. Louis that is missioned to provide affordable access to medications, he said. Concerns over residents not having access to life-saving medication also led Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe to issue an executive order, allowing pharmacists to dispense a 30-day emergency supply of medications if needed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carter said hes overwhelmed by the help. Thanks to them, I have my medications, he said. For more information about Rx Outreach, call 314-222-0472 or visit www.rxoutreach.org. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. CHICAGO (WGN) Thousands of students will cross a graduation stage over the next couple weeks, among them, one very special group, known as Declans 40. Declan Sullivan is a name few will ever forget. It has been nearly 15 years since the Notre Dame junior tragically died when the hydraulic scissor lift he was videotaping from, toppled due to high wind. His family could have sued the university, but instead they chose a different path, one that has dramatically changed the course for 100 students in Chicago. They handed over $400,000 in donations to Horizons for Youth, a local organization committed to ensuring underprivileged kids get to cross their own graduation stage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Education has always been extremely important to our family, Declans younger sister Wyn Sullivan said Greg Borkowski is the groups executive director. A lot of times, if youre from an under resourced aream you stop looking for things because they might not be there, he said. They started with a group of four dozen kindergarteners from low income neighborhoods across the city. They called them Declans 40. More information at https://horizons-for-youth.org/ For us its been a really good way to keep a memory alive, Declans younger brother Mac Sullivan said. Through mentoring, tutors, and community support, more and more kids were added, becoming Declans 52, than 64. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, 14 years after his death, the Sullivan Family has raised more than $9 million dollars through their annual fundraiser, forever changing the paths of 100 Chicago students. That first group, Declans 40, is graduating this month. Camrin Darke is part of that group. When we were in kindergarten, we were the ones that started, she said. Its been amazing. That was probably the most significant part of my life that helped me get to where I am now. Camrin will be attending Illinois State University this fall. Melanie Angel is headed to University of Wisconsin. I grew up in Little Village in the far Southwest Side of Chicago and there arent a lot of opportunities in my neighborhood, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every year, the newest college bound grads are honored at the No Ordinary Night Gala. Seeing students that were in kindergarten, then now graduating high school moving through college has an incredible impact on how they see their own opportunities, Borkowski said. It really is a legacy. And I just think that is incredible. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. EDISON Wayne Trundle gazed up at the tall wooden frame of a soon-to-be vaulted living room. Behind him, the sound of hammers cracked against long plywood strips as sawdust flew into the humid air, swirling with the swarms of southwest Georgia gnats. It was the first week of June, and for Builders for Christ, a nonprofit that does construction work for church organizations, that meant the start of its major annual project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A lot of the guys come every year, and its like a big family reunion, Trundle, the project manager, said. We look forward to seeing each other, catching up. Its amazing to see with the volunteer help and shared knowledge what will get done here. The eclectic crew was made up of about 70 people, from ages 5 to 85: electricians, construction workers, retirees, businessmen, preachers and quasi-engineers. They traveled from all around Georgia and Alabama in trucks, camper vans and RVs, landing at Rehoboth Ranch Ministries in Calhoun County. This years major project was to construct a full-time home where a Lee County family could raise their children and foster children. The project is named Welcome Home Rehoboth Ranch. The completed foster home will be a part of Rehoboth Ranch Ministries, which also has a mens rehabilitation program for individuals struggling with addiction. Unfolding a large blueprint, Trundle points to the homes eight bedrooms, industrial-sized laundry room and large, open living space. This first group of 70 is tasked with completing the homes framing by the end of the week. Separate crews for mechanics, electric, drywall and more will follow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Sunday, a small group laid the foundations for the rest of the week. By Wednesday, the houses framed walls stood tall, and a group of men, and even one child, began to lay wood sheets for the roof. We dont require any knowledge as far as building or construction, Trundle said. Weve got plenty of guys that know how to do this. We just need hands. The hands come in both small and large sizes. Seniors, retired from construction, wear tool belts and hats with sun shades as they saw away at lumber. Small children carry long pieces of lumber a boy on each end. Many, like Trundle, are retired after decades spent working in construction. Some of them, like 18-year-old Kyle Sumners, grew up on construction sites. He was 10 when he first accompanied his grandpa, who had learned about Builders for Christ when they did work on his own church, to a project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At 10 years old, Trundle mainly helped his grandpa in the tool trailer and toted lumber. At 18, his favorite job is setting trusses and decking the roof, a part of the project he now leads. From a little boy, Ive always loved fiddling around, working on stuff, helping my papa or dad with something, Sumners said. Its fun to me, watching something start out as nothing, and by the time youre done, its something. Its now a family affair for the Sumners. This year, they traveled six hours from their home in Wolfsburg, Ala., to Edison in their grandparents motor home. Theyre camping out along with several other families on the Rehoboth Ranch property. The rest of the Builders for Christ are scattered throughout Calhoun and Randolph counties at rentals or in churches kind enough to open their doors. Bobby Lunceford, the nonprofits president, said not only do the builders volunteer their time, but they pay to be there. A $125 payment goes to groceries and insurance. They dont make any money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We dont have money left over at the end, and we dont want any, Lunceford said. Sumners said it makes him happy to know that his hard work is for other people. Knowing that you come out building something, and its gonna be done within a week to put up a whole entire house or church for someone its pretty incredible, he said. The future tenants of the home should not let the speedy work concern them. Lunceford said in 30 years, the builders have never failed an inspection. The builders work from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m., rising early to eat breakfast together, pausing for lunches and dinners. The team ate with Sean and Melissa, the future heads of the household. (The couple asked that their last name be left out of the story to protect their childrens privacy as they continue to foster.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sean said that they got to share their story with the group, the same one he and Melissa shared with The Albany Herald about one year ago, when the space, now filled by their future homes frame, was just a grassy hilltop. Right now, he and Melissa are fostering four kids along with raising the six kids theyve adopted. They say they hope to be able to add two more to the family with the added space. We have mixed emotions, Sean said. Were humbled and grateful that people are taking the time to come out and build it the trust the Lord has in us in providing his people and resources. He said watching the progress, from a slab on Sunday, to a structure with walls and a roof just days later, was exciting. Melissa said shes ready for the slower pace the countryside offers, a space with land and animals where the children can play and grow. Shes also excited for more room in the house, and the industrial sized laundry room and pantry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With large families, I dont think people think about how much it takes, she said. The washers, as you can imagine, are always running. Once the first round of work is completed, the family will have a ceremony to write scriptures on the framing. Sean said if funds allow, they hope to move in to the house in time to host Thanksgiving dinner there. Were excited to move forward, Melissa said. Were overwhelmed. Wayne Trundle gazes up at the framework. Staff Photo: Lucille LanniganBuilders for Christ volunteers are all ages. Staff Photo: Lucille LanniganThree volunteers measure out plywood. Staff Photo: Lucille LanniganWelcome Home Rehoboth Ranch on Sunday, June 1. Staff Photo: Lucille LanniganWelcome Home Rehoboth Ranch on Wednesday. Staff Photo: Lucille LanniganVolunteers pause for a break on the roof. Staff Photo: Lucille LanniganKyle Sumners carries a long piece of plywood. Staff Photo: Lucille LanniganThe volunteers wore shirts representing the religious nonprofit as they worked. Staff Photo: Lucille Lannigan SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North Korea said Friday it had righted a capsized destroyer and moored it at a pier in the northeastern port of Chongjin as it continues to repair the new warship leader Kim Jong Un has described as a significant asset for his nuclear-armed military. The report by North Korean state media aligned with South Korean military assessments and recent commercial satellite images. North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency said experts will closely examine the ships hull before beginning the next phase of restoration, which will take place at a dry dock at the neighboring port of Rajin and is expected to last seven to 10 days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Satellite images taken Thursday by Planet Labs PBC analyzed by The Associated Press showed the stricken destroyer upright and floating. It wasnt immediately clear from the image just how much damage had been done to the vessel, which had been in the water for days after the failed launch. However, the ship did not appear to be noticeably listing, meaning Pyongyang is likely able to send it onward to the other port to inspect the vessels electronics. Jo Chun Ryong, a senior official from the ruling Workers Party, told the agency that the perfect restoration of the destroyer will be completed without fail before a major party congress in late June, a deadline set by Kim. Outside experts say it remains unclear how severely the 5,000-ton-class destroyer was damaged during a botched launching ceremony in late May, which triggered a furious response from Kim, who called the failure a criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility, and unscientific empiricism. North Korean law enforcement authorities have detained at least four officials over the incident, including the vice director of the Workers Partys munitions industry department, according to state media. The Norths main military committee said those responsible would be held accountable for their unpardonable criminal act. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson for South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Thursday that the Souths military assesses that the North Koreans righted the ship earlier this week and are likely conducting drainage operations while examining the damage. The nature and duration of the repair process will vary, depending on internal repairs, additional work or whether the incident affected the keel, Lee said, referring to the ships structural backbone. This could also affect how the ship is used going forward. The damaged warship was North Koreas second known destroyer and seen as a crucial asset toward Kims goal of modernizing its naval forces. It was in the same class as the countrys first destroyer unveiled in April, which experts assessed as the Norths largest and most advanced warship to date. Kim lavishly praised that ship, which was launched in the western port of Nampo, saying it advances his goal of expanding the militarys operations range and nuclear strike capabilities. State media described that ship as designed to handle various weapons systems, including anti-air and anti-ship weapons as well as nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles. Kim also supervised test-firings of missiles from the destroyer afterward, and state media said the ship was expected to enter active duty early next year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While North Koreas naval forces are widely seen as far inferior to those of its rivals, analysts say a destroyer equipped with modern missile and radar systems could still boost the Norths offensive and defensive capabilities. South Korean officials and experts say the Norths destroyer was likely built with Russian assistance as the two countries military cooperation have intensified amid Russian President Vladimir Putins war on Ukraine. Kims government has supplied Russia with thousands of troops and large shipments of military equipment, including artillery and ballistic missiles, to support its warfighting. Washington and Seoul have expressed concern that, in return, Kim may seek Russian technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by his nuclear-armed military. Kim met with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang on Wednesday in the latest sign of the countries deepening ties. Kim has framed his arms buildup as a response to perceived threats from the United States and South Korea, which have been expanded joint military exercises in reaction to the Norths advancing nuclear program. Kim says the acquisition of a nuclear-powered submarine would be his next big step in strengthening the North Korean navy. ___ This report has been edited to correct that North Korea's statement was issued Friday, not Saturday. NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) North Myrtle Beach leaders on Friday officially removed the interim tag from Ryan Fabbris job title, naming him the permanent city manager. The city council unanimously appointed Fabbri to the post after two days of executive session meetings with him and two other candidates Edwin Madden and Tim Owens. After coming out of executive session on Friday, Mayor Marilyn Hatley praised all three candidates. Every one of the candidates of the final three would make absolutely wonderful city managers for the city of North Myrtle Beach, Hatley said. They all had so many special traits. I think our city was blessed that we had such wonderful candidates to choose from. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fabbri, who had been an assistant city manager since February 2023, was given the interim title in late 2024, after Mike Mahaney, who was hired in 2010, was ousted over claims that he failed to pursue hiring a grants coordinator despite multiple requests by the city council to do so. Before coming to North Myrtle Beach, Fabbri worked for nearly nine years as the town administrator for Pawleys Island. According to the citys website, the citys manager is responsible for carrying out council policies while also serving as the chief administrative officer of the city. The persons duties include coordinating the work of all city departments and employees; enforcing city laws and applying council policies; and expending monies as approved by the city council. The city manager also makes recommendations to the council on such items as: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement capital improvements employment financial programs legislation policies services other matters as requested Others duties include keeping the council informed of the citys business, including its financial condition; appointing city employees; suspending or removing city employees under his jurisdiction and investigating and acting on complaints * * * Dennis Bright is the Digital Executive Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW. By Vera Dvorakova and Elviira Luoma OSLO (Reuters) -Norway strengthened its rape laws on Friday by criminalising sex without explicit consent, joining a growing list of countries to widen the definition of sexual attacks. Up to now, prosecutors have had to show that an attacker used violence or threatening behaviour, or had sexual intercourse with someone who was unable to resist, to secure a conviction for rape. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the new law passed by parliament, anyone who has sex with someone who has not consented to it by word or deed could be convicted of rape, even without violence. Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland have all introduced consent-based rape laws in recent years. Sweden changed the legal definition of rape in 2018 to sex without consent - a change that officials said resulted in a 75% rise in rape convictions. Denmark followed in 2020 by passing a law that widened the circumstances that could constitute rape. (Reporting by Vera Dvorakova and Elviira Luoma; Editing by Andrew Heavens) A Spanish campaign group, which led a large-scale protest against overtourism in Mallorca last year, has announced it will once again take to the streets of Palma to demand stop the touristification of their communities. Menys Turisme Mes Vida (Less Tourism, More Life), an organisation which has led mass protests against the increasing number of tourists jetting off to the island each summer, has revealed it will yet again take to the streets to demonstrate this weekend. Protesters are being called to gather in Placa Espanya, a centrally located square in Mallorcas capital, Palma, at 6pm on Sunday, 15 June. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Demonstrators will then march through some of Palmas most notable streets, and have been encouraged to bring whistles, drums, water pistols and sound equipment. Or anything else that comes to mind, be original! the protest information poster said. The group was behind a large anti-tourist protest that filled the streets of Palma de Mallorca last summer, demonstrating against skyrocketing housing prices in the wake of a tourist boom on the popular holiday island. Around 10,000 protesters showed up to take part on 21 July 2024, with people walking carrying models of planes, cruise ships and posters reading no to mass tourism and stop private jets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mallorca, along with other Spanish destinations, is a popular summer hotspot for tourists seeking hot temperatures, sandy beach resorts and villages tucked away at the foothills of limestone mountains. This year, Menys Turisme Mes Vida said it will be holding another protest on 15 June, with 60 other anti-tourism groups, trade unions and environmental organisations taking part. Speaking of the successful turnout of last years mass protest, it said that it will again be protesting to make it clear that our territories are not for sale. The group has called for limits to be put on tourism and the need for a strategy that will not exploit the territory, its resources and the marginalisation of residents and their vital needs for the benefit of tourist capital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement, the campaigners claimed that the tourist industry impoverishes people, makes it hard to access housing and diverts focus from the public sector. The organisation also draws attention to the environmental impact of overtourism, including pollution and carbon emissions. It called out the tourism sector for describing businesses as sustainable, stating that this is a manipulation of language and a denial of the issues. Areas such as Soller, Arta and Palma are already being affected by tourists, the campaign group said, saying daily life has become unbearable. Entire roads and paths cut off by tourist-sports events, record numbers of cruise passengers, streets, squares and markets saturated with tourists, occupied and commercialised, and the situation of the housing problem increasingly bloody and without solutions, it said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Menys Turisme Mes Vida followed up with a reposted statement on its social media that said while Mallorca is not against tourism, it cannot be a theme park open 24 hours a day. Of course we want you to come. To get lost in the narrow streets of the old town, to sit by the sea in winter, to taste a freshly made ensaimada or listen to Mallorcan in a market. We want to share all that. But without meaning that we stop being who we are, it said. The group said it will be standing in solidarity with hospitality workers in negotiations for better working environments during the high season, as there is usually an exploitation of the working class during this period. We are taking to the streets again to say enough, and we will do it as many times as necessary, it concluded. For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calders podcast A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board found indications maintenance errors could be at fault for an American Airlines plane that caught fire after making an emergency landing at Denver International Airport in March. Investigators say airport cameras captured video showing a trail of fluid following the plane as it taxied after diverting to Denver due to an engine issue. When investigators looked at the plane's engine, they discovered some parts were loose and appeared to be installed incorrectly, with one "allowing fuel to leak from the fitting." "The way this is looking is that there was a maintenance issue that led to this fire and we've gotta figure out where that error occurred so we can keep that error from happening again," said former NTSB chair Robert Sumwalt, CBS News transportation safety analyst. Passengers of flight 1006 wait for help getting off the wing of the plane at Denver International Airport on Thursday evening. / Credit: Alexandria Cullen Passengers escape plane Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The NTSB says the fire was put out in less than a minute by ground crews in Denver. The report describes the chaos in the cabin after passengers, who were flying to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, saw flames under the engine. "Everyone was screaming, 'There's a fire. There's a fire,'" Helen Prager, who was on the plane, recalled. "Literally at the gate and I was screaming, 'Get the doors open.'" As that was happening, the NTSB said a flight attendant called the pilots, but "did not get an answer." Another flight attendant knocked on the cockpit door to alert the pilots of the fire outside and the smoke inside. Some of the 172 passengers evacuated to the wing, but an escape slide jammed, preventing the use of the cabin doors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "When it did not deploy properly and it jammed the door, that's a problem," Sumwalt said. "So the NTSB is going to want to drill down into that. Did it come from the factory that way, or was it a maintenance problem?" Twelve people were taken to a hospital with minor injuries following the fire, officials said following the incident. The plane took off from Colorado Springs. In a statement, American Airlines told CBS News, "The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority and we are cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation." Aviation incidents in 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plane fire in Denver is one in a string of aviation incidents so far this year. In January, a midair collision where a Blackhawk helicopter struck an American Airlines plane near Reagan National Airport killed all 64 people on board the regional jet and the three soldiers in the helicopter. The flight was coming from Wichita, Kansas. A Delta Air Lines regional jet crashed and flipped upside down during its landing at Toronto International Airport in February. The incident left 21 people injured, but all 80 on board, including the crew, were able to escape the wreckage. Members of Congress were on a plane sitting on the tarmac at Reagan National Airport in April when it was clipped by another aircraft. No injuries were reported in the incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, the FAA is investigating outages that have happened at the Philadelphia air traffic control center, which is responsible for operating flights out of Newark airport. Multiple outages have occurred since April. Last month, the Trump administration announced plans to overhaul the system. Despite high-profile incidents this year, a CBS News analysis based on NTSB and Bureau of Travel Statistics data shows .02% of domestic flights were involved in accidents in 2024. Musk alleges Trump's name appeared in Epstein files as feud escalates What to know about President Trump's travel ban on nationals from 12 countries Trump says he's disappointed by Musk criticism of budget bill, Musk says he got Trump elected NEW YORK (PIX11) From a celebration of foster teens who have defied the odds and are now getting support and thriving, to a youth dance group that had the chance to perform for the mayor, PIX11s Monica Morales has the updates. It was a special celebration for some incredible graduates at Hunter College School of Social Work. More than 100 young people who beat the odds in a big way got special certificates. More Local News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its thanks to the city and several non-profits who helped make it happen. Damon Dunbar,17, from the Bronx, says his certificate proving he completed high school means the world to him. Its been a rough road to get here for Dunbar. In foster care since last year, city officials say Dunbar is not letting his circumstances define his future. With a positive mindset, Dunbar is now on his way to the Borough of Manhattan Community College to study business. Ina Mendez, the Deputy Commissioner at the Administration for Childrens Services. She says its important to celebrate this milestone because it represents a victory over struggles and now success. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mendez says the city is now proud to invest in these students on their exciting journeys to college, thanks to ACS in partnership with NYC Public Schools, the Center for Fair Futures, and the nonprofit called NY Foundling. Each teen takes the stage with determination to succeed despite obstacles. With support from the college choice program and Fair Futures, each young adult will now receive a stipend to cover housing and tuition costs. A game changer. Theres an exciting update about one of our favorite Bronx dance groups. Milteri Tucker Concepcion, the founder and director of the Bombazo Dance Company, says her children had the performance of a lifetime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They performed for Mayor Eric Adams at Gracie Mansion during the Puerto Rican Heritage celebration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. A landlord-tenant showdown is unfolding in Borough Park, and its raising questions about housing rights, health needs and who gets to decide who stays and who goes. Landlord Aneiello DeGiuda, a diabetic homeowner in a multi-family building, says climbing the stairs has become too much for him. He wants to move into the more accessible first-floor unit but its already occupied by his tenant, Kenyatta Blakely. Don't miss Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blakely isnt budging, arguing DeGiuda cant just kick him out. If the landlord wants the apartment back, Blakely says, he needs to follow the law. Local police confirmed that there have been harassment complaints filed, citing text messages from DeGiuda that made Blakely uncomfortable, including photos showing him entering and leaving the apartment. DeGiuda denies any wrongdoing. He tried to file a harassment charge because Im asking him for the rent, which he hasnt paid, DeGiuda told News 12. Now, DeGiuda says Blakely has 90 days to vacate the unit or things could escalate further. Eviction laws are clear, but so are building violations DeGiuda may hold the deed, but he doesnt hold the power. In New York, tenants are protected under strict housing laws, which means a landlord cant simply decide when someone has to leave. Eviction is a legal process that starts with a written notice to vacate. That notice period can range from three to 30 days, depending on the state, and must be backed by a legally valid reason. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wanting easier access to the first-floor unit for health reasons might tug at the heartstrings, but it doesnt meet the legal standard for eviction. Still, things got messier. DeGiuda claimed Blakely has stopped paying rent and is now past the five-day grace period. Blakely argued that no one should be paying rent at all not in the current state of the building. According to the Department of Buildings, the cellar unit has been under a vacate order since 2022 due to a lack of lighting, ventilation and required permits. Inspectors even found the vacate notice had been torn down and taped back up a violation that could carry fines of up to $12,500. This kind of standoff isnt rare. Between 2000 and 2018, landlords in the U.S. filed an average of 3.6 million eviction cases each year, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan works every single time to kill debt, get rich in America and that anyone can do it Next stop: Housing court In New York City, landlord-tenant disputes are often a legal chess match. And according to the law firm Blodnick Fazio & Clark, many cases drag on or end unfavorably for landlords simply because they dont follow lease terms or the legal procedures required by law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blakely may be withholding rent and for now, he might be able to get away with it. While its rarely a good idea to stop paying rent outright, tenants do have rights, especially when their living conditions are unsafe. In this case, the Department of Buildings has issued a vacate order on the unit due to code violations. But that doesnt mean tenants can automatically stop paying rent. Unless a court or housing authority says otherwise, rent is still legally owed even if the unit is in poor condition. Thats why its important to do your due diligence before signing a lease, especially in a complex market like New York City. As for a written lease, meet your landlord in person if you can and inspect the property for red flags like unfinished renovations, missing permits or poor ventilation. Watch out for so-called danger clauses in your lease, such as giving the landlord the right to enter your unit at any time or cancel the lease if the building is sold. You can also search for existing violations by checking the propertys record with the citys Department of Buildings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And before you take matters into your own hands, consider talking to a tenant advocate or attorney. With the right guidance, you can protect your rights and avoid getting caught up in a legal mess. What to read next Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. Subscribe for free. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. ENDWELL, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) New York State Police at Endwell have arrested a former Good Shepherd Communities Endwell nurse for allegedly stealing medication intended for patients and falsifying records. Officials say the investigation revealed that 63-year-old Carol L. Hissin, of Endicott, signed out medication on three separate occasions that was supposed to be given to patients while working as a nurse at the senior living community. Hissin was arrested by Troopers at her home on June 2, 2025, and charged with three counts of the felony of Falsifying Business Records in the first degree and the misdemeanor of Scheme to Defraud in the second degree. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hissin was processed then turned over to the Broome County Jail for Centralized Arraignment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WIVT - News 34. The off-duty Anderson police officer involved in an early morning shootout in an east-side Indianapolis neighborhood has been charged by the Marion County Prosecutor's Office. Officer Maurice Magee, 34, is charged with two counts of criminal recklessness for his alleged role in the 600 block of Woodruff Place West Drive shooting on May 19. Magee, who lives in Indianapolis, began searching the area after reporting a vehicle stolen. According to formal charging documents, Magee reported a Dodge Challenger stolen to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department at 5:14 a.m. The vehicle belonged to Magee's uncle, but Magee pays for and frequently drives it, according to court documents filed in the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The car was located by Magee using an Apple AirTag and was a little over 9 miles from where Magee lived, according to court documents. Around 4 a.m., Magee got up to let his dog out and talk to his father-in-law when he noticed the Dodge Challenger was gone. He went outside and noticed glass in the driveway where the car had been sitting. Court records state he then woke his girlfriend up and told her to call the police. He took her black Mercedes-AMG to the Woodruff Place neighborhood, and his brother-in-law followed in a gray Dodge 2500 Ram pickup. Maurice Magee, an Anderson police officer, was placed on leave while Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department detectives investigate a shootout while McGee was off duty. "Law enforcement officers should understand the proper and safe ways for reporting a crime," said Prosecutor Ryan Mears. "The allegations in the probable cause affidavit could have been avoided if the defendant had simply allowed local police to conduct an investigation. Instead, his alleged actions unnecessarily jeopardized the safety of the residents of Woodruff Place." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just after sunrise, residents in the area who were getting ready for work, and their kids ready for school, heard vehicles revving and a collision followed by gunfire in front of their homes. Witnesses saw Magee and a man detectives believed to be his brother-in-law carrying firearms coming down the street before the shooting happened between them and two suspects. Magee told detectives he was armed with an AR-15 rifle and started yelling at the suspects in his car to stop. Detectives said the pickup and the Challenger collided before the shooting, resulting in the stolen car ramming into a neighbor's fence on a hill. Office Maurice Magee: Residents demand answers after off-duty Anderson cop's shootout in Indy neighborhood Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the crash, gunfire was exchanged between the suspects and Magee, the prosecutor said. The men in the Challenger then ran behind the house where they crashed and escaped. No arrest announcements have been made for the suspects. Officer Maurice Magee told IMPD he didn't fire his weapon In an interview with detectives, the prosecutor's office said, Magee initially said he did not fire his weapon. He said the suspects got out of the wrecked car and started shooting at him. According to a probable cause affidavit for his arrest, he said he was going to aim and then dove to the ground. He further stated that he does not remember firing and was sure he did not. He did say his brother-in-law fired his rifle, though. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both Magee's and his brother-in-law's firearms were collected for forensic testing. Multiple shell casings were collected from the crime scene and surrounding properties, including a fired bullet that traveled through an 8-year-olds bedroom window and a wall before getting lodged in a bathroom wall. Ballistic comparisons between the firearms collected and the shell casings found at the scene revealed that the man with Magee did not fire his weapon during the shooting. It was determined that at least one of the shell casings had been fired by Magees rifle. In a statement to IndyStar, Anderson Police said they were notified of Magee's arrest, and he remains on administrative leave. They will reevaluate his position once they receive all the charging information from Indianapolis Metropolitan Police and will release more details as they become available. Magee has been with the department for two years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Magee was arrested and booked into the Marion County Jail on June 6, 2025. His bond is set for $30,000. Jade Jackson is a Public Safety Reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Off-duty Anderson cop charged in Indy neighborhood shootout A police officer shot a man who was reportedly armed with a knife and accused of threatening a relative in Ohio on Thursday. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Gahanna Police officers responded at 9:39 a.m. to reports of a suicidal person at the 300 block of Lincolnshire Road, according to a social media post. When the officer arrived, he asked 19-year-old Makhi McMillan to exit the home, but McMillan refused to come out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The officer then entered the home and was followed by a second officer. TRENDING STORIES: They found McMillan armed with a knife and threatening relatives. He was not responding to the officers orders, Gahanna Police said on its Facebook page. Officers gave over a dozen commands for McMillan to drop his weapon. When he refused, one officer fired his service weapon, striking McMillan, said Gahanna Police. The officer who fired his weapon immediately began administering aid and called for medics, who quickly arrived. McMillan was alert and talking with officers before being transported to an area hospital, where he is in serious condition. No one else was hurt, and officers recovered a knife from the scene. McMillan is charged with one count of felonious assault. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Editors note: The contents of this article discuss suicide. If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, contact the San Diego Access & Crisis Line 1-888-724-7240. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) Authorities have released the names of the officer and the man involved in a fatal police shooting last week in Ocean Beach. The incident occurred on the morning of May 31, 2025, after San Diego Police responded to a 911 call reporting a man standing in the middle of the street, blocking traffic, and making concerning statements near the 4400 block of Coronado Avenue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The man, identified as 32-year-old Jacob Lyle Epple, reportedly fled the area in a black sedan, leading officers on a brief pursuit through local streets. The chase ended when Epples vehicle collided with a black Jeep at the intersection of Ebers Street and Bermuda Avenue. Courthouse cons: San Diego officials expose new traffic fee scam According to the San Diego County Sheriffs Department, Epple exited the vehicle while still making concerning remarks and was seen holding a knife. Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation using less-lethal methods. However, Epple reportedly advanced toward them while still armed. In response, one officer opened fire, striking him multiple times. Officers administered first aid until paramedics arrived. Epple was transported to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The officer who fired his weapon has been identified as Yosgart Miranda, a patrol officer assigned to the San Diego Police Departments Western Division. Officer Miranda has been with the department for approximately two years. No officers were injured during the incident, and the driver of the Jeep involved in the collision complained of pain but declined medical treatment. Nearly 8K pounds of meth found during South Bay narcotics investigation The San Diego County Sheriffs Homicide Unit is leading the investigation, in accordance with the countywide protocol for officer-involved shootings. The circumstances surrounding the shooting including the events leading up to the use of force remain under active investigation. Detectives are reviewing evidence and interviewing witnesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The findings will be submitted to the San Diego County District Attorneys Office, which will determine whether any criminal liability exists. Additionally, the San Diego Police Department will conduct an internal review. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorneys Office are monitoring the case. Authorities are urging anyone with information about the incident to contact the Sheriffs Homicide Unit at 858-285-6330 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477 to remain anonymous. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. LOS ANGELES (AP) A Los Angeles sheriff's deputy will serve four months in prison on a misdemeanor conviction for using excessive force after the new Trump-appointed U.S. attorney offered an unusual plea deal despite a jury convicting him of a felony. The victim's attorney asked a federal appeals court to reinstate the felony conviction, but the court declined to do so on Thursday. Deputy Trevor Kirk was recorded tackling and pepper-spraying an older woman while she filmed a man being handcuffed outside a supermarket in June 2023. A federal jury in February found Kirk guilty of one felony count of deprivation of rights under color of law, a crime that carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years. Felony convictions also prevent law enforcement officials from continuing to serve or owning a gun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But when U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli took office a few months later, federal prosecutors offered Kirk a plea deal a dismissal of the felony if Kirk pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, and a recommendation of one year of probation. A judge agreed to the lessened charge but sentenced Kirk to four months in prison on Monday. Essayli said in a video posted online that prosecutors also offered Kirk a misdemeanor plea agreement under the prior administration, which he turned down. After reviewing this case extensively and thoroughly and carefully reviewing the facts and the law, I made the decision to re-extend the misdemeanor plea agreement to Deputy Kirk, Essayli said. In court filings signed off by Essayli, prosecutors wrote they believed that Kirk's actions fell on the lower end of the excessive force spectrum, the woman did not suffer serious bodily injury," and that the case was prosecuted improperly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some former prosecutors and police conviction experts called the step highly unusual, especially without any indication of prosecutorial misconduct, ethical violations or new evidence in the case. It follows President Donald Trump's vow to protect and defend" law enforcement officers from prosecution and his efforts to assert greater control over the U.S. Justice Department. Its very unusual to offer a plea deal after a conviction, said Jeffrey Bellin, a former federal prosecutor from Washington, D.C., who is now a law professor at William and Mary Law School. In cases where it could happen, there's usually new evidence of innocence, not just the same evidence from a different perspective, he said. Kirk's attorney, Tom Yu, said they filed a motion for acquittal that was denied but planned to appeal the decision. The encounter Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Caree Harper, who represents the woman Kirk injured, said in court filings that the federal government changed its account of the incident to make Kirk's actions seem justified. In the original indictment, prosecutors wrote Kirk violently threw the woman to the ground. In the new plea agreement, the government alleged the woman swatted at Kirk and resisted, Harper wrote, which she said was not proven in the criminal trial nor testified to in civil litigation. She said her client did not commit a crime, had no weapon, and did not try to flee or resist. She suffered from a black eye, a fractured bone in her right wrist, multiple bruises, scratches and significant chemical burning from the pepper-spray. Harper said the plea agreement sent a dangerous message that law enforcement officials could be convicted of a felony and still cut a backroom deal after the trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Philip Stinson, a former police officer and attorney who studies police misconduct, said the plea deal offered to Kirk was seemingly without precedent in federal court cases prosecuting police officers for their on-duty crimes, according to his search of an internal database of more than 24,000 arrest cases in the last 20 years involving sworn law enforcement officers. LA County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Nicole Nishida said Kirk will remain employed with the agency but relieved from duty while it conducts an internal investigation to determine if any policy or procedures were violated. A new approach by federal prosecutors Kirk's case is the latest showing the Trump administration's plan to take a lighter hand in the federal government's traditional role in prosecuting police misconduct. Trump's April executive order on policing promised the unleashing of law enforcement and support for their legal defense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Justice Department announced in May it was canceling proposed consent decrees reached with Minneapolis and Louisville to implement policing reforms in the wake of the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The department also announced it would retract its findings in six other sweeping investigations into police departments that the Biden administration had accused of civil rights violations. Trump-appointed federal judges have also played a hand in dismissing cases against police officers, including murder charges against a former Atlanta police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man hiding in a closet in 2019. Experts say the reliance on the federal government to perform this policing oversight comes from the close relationship between local prosecutors and police officers, who regularly work together to investigate crimes. We are often looking at the federal government to serve as a check and balance for local law enforcement officials who are accused of really egregious activity toward the public, said Devin Hart, a spokesperson for the National Police Accountability Project. All four members of the original prosecutors withdrew from the case after the new plea deal was presented, and at least one resigned from the office, according to court filings. Two others took the buyout offered to federal employees, spokesperson Ciaran McEvoy confirmed. A patch referencing St. Paul on an ICE agents uniform was authorized, but that wasnt the case for an ATF agents patch that people noticed during a federal law enforcement operation in Minneapolis this week, the agencies said Friday. A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer wore a circular patch on the arm of his uniform reading St. Paul Field Office Special Response Team. Each of the 25 ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Special Response Teams across the U.S. has a unique patch, an ICE spokesperson said Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The St. Paul patch is intended to depict an ancient Scandinavian warrior and a Vegvisir, or wayfinder, and ties into the regional identifiers for Minnesota including a nod to the Scandinavian heritage of many of the early European settlers in Minnesota, the spokesperson said in a statement. The imagery raised questions for some people. Brandon Schorsch, who took video of the patch and posted a photo of it on social media, wrote: I am deeply concerned about this patch. The vegvisir has been co-opted by some far right extremist groups, according to a senior research analyst with the Southern Poverty Law Centers Intelligence Project, though more information has to be known about a persons intentions to determine the significance of the image in a particular use. The ICE patch is in no way an affiliation to an extremist group, the agency spokesperson said. ICE patch drew attention On Tuesday, a large federal law enforcement presence drew protests in South Minneapolis from people concerned it was an immigration raid. Officials from the FBI, ATF and the Department of Homeland Security gathered with tactical vehicles at the corner of Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue late in the morning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said it was related to a criminal search warrant for drugs and money laundering and was not related to immigration enforcement. It was one of eight search warrants for a transnational criminal organization, according to Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt. Federal investigators conducted a groundbreaking criminal operation today Minnesotas first under the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) umbrella marking a new chapter in how we confront complex, multidimensional threats, Jamie Holt, ICE Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge for St. Paul, said in a statement. Related Articles Schorsch, of Minneapolis, heard from his wife about armored vehicles and the large amount of law enforcement gathered Tuesday. Thats going to make people feel frightened, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He went to the area and was recording video when he noticed the ICE agent wearing the patch. He had an audible, Ohhh, reaction on the video when he saw it. In my job, I do look out for things like this, said Schorsch, who works as the combatting hate organizer for Jewish Community Action, though he was not there in his work capacity on Tuesday. The Southern Poverty Law Center says there are Neo-Volkisch groups that rely on a romanticized Viking aesthetic and mythos imagery they use to perpetuate their belief in white racial superiority. This adaptable and covert messaging, anchored by a nationwide network of kindreds, has allowed these groups to grow in recent years. More people are on the lookout for symbols that may have nefarious meanings, Schorsch said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An ICE agent was seen last week in Marthas Vineyard, Mass., with a tattoo of a Valknot on his arm. The symbol is used in Norse mythology. Some white supremacists, particularly racist Odinists, have appropriated the Valknot to use as a racist symbol, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The Others patch not authorized Schorsch also saw two ATF agents on Tuesday with a small patch on their uniforms that said, The Others, and he photographed one of them. The agent seen in the photo is an ATF special agent assigned to a sheriffs office taskforce, said Ashlee Sherrill, a spokeswoman in the ATFs St. Paul Field Division, in response to a reporters questions. The patch in question is not an authorized part of the ATF uniform and has been addressed internally, Sherrill said, adding that she couldnt provide further information on personnel matters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not clear what the patch was meant to convey. Related Articles A town in New York is inching closer to banning the use of sewage sludge as fertilizer on local farmland. Officials in the town of Cameron, New York, have introduced a law that would permanently ban the practice of spreading sewage sludge in the agriculture industry. On May 14, Cameron held a public hearing to discuss the ban and allowed residents to voice their concerns. Wayne Wells, a resident of Cameron and climate activist, chose to speak about the uphill battle to ban sewage sludge. "I was part of that discussion about whether we should go for a ban or a moratorium," Wells said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the ban proposal faced little opposition in Cameron, the town board did not hold a vote. According to WSKG, the town instead enacted a one-year extension on a moratorium to temporarily ban the use of sewage sludge until the law is finalized. The moratorium was first put in place in April 2024. "It was collectively decided, and I approved of the moratorium because I think that's something we can get and given the five-year moratorium, if it's pushed through, I think more information will come forward that will support a ban," added Wells. Sewage sludge is the semi-solid waste produced when municipal wastewater is treated. It's a byproduct of wastewater treatment plants and can contain a number of substances. While some sludge is treated to meet standards and is then used as fertilizer or compost, other sludge is disposed of in landfills. The use of sewage sludge in agriculture can offer nutrients to the soil, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. However, its use often raises concerns about heavy metal contamination, potential pathogens, and the threat of microplastic pollution. While it can improve soil quality and reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge has been met with resistance from communities like Cameron. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cameron Town Supervisor Bob Manley applauded the turnout from the local community and their effort to rally behind the ban. "I was somewhat apprehensive tonight, because who's going to be here? You never know [and] what's the [questions]," Manley said. "And they blew me away tonight, so I was very pleased. But we've done a lot of work. And the townsfolk have been a part of it all the way through," added Manley. Should the government ban gas-powered lawn equipment? Absolutely Not yet Only for commercial use Nope Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation recently reported on a "weak reprimand" handed down to a company that contaminated a river with byproducts from its operations. What's happening? A coal company responsible for releasing more than a million liters of mine-contaminated wastewater into an Alberta river was fined just 9,000 Canadian dollars (about 6,500 U.S. dollars), which critics say is hardly holding it accountable. In March 2023, CST Canada Coal allowed wastewater from its mine to spill into the Smoky River, a major tributary of the Peace River. The leak lasted at least 17 hours and released roughly 9,000 kilograms of polluting sediment into the water a known threat to fish species such as the local bull trout and Arctic grayling, not to mention the risk to communities downstream. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Alberta Energy Regulator cited the company, but the fine is being called "a slap on the wrist" by environmental groups and former government officials. "It's quite a small penalty for something that was deemed to have moderate potential for adverse effects downstream," said Tara Russell, program director with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society's northern Alberta chapter, per the CBC. Why is this leak concerning? Coal mine wastewater often contains toxic materials such as selenium as well as fine particles that damage fish gills and disrupt ecosystems. In this case, regulators found that CST had inadequate reporting protocols, no qualified staff on-site, and no ice removal equipment to repair the frozen valve that led to the spill. This wasn't the first time CST leaked contaminants into the Smoky River, the CBC revealed. In 2022, the company spilled more than 100,000 liters of untreated wastewater in a similar incident and was fined CA$22,000. Aside from damaging ecosystems, the pollution is harmful to local communities that rely on the ecosystem for water, food, irrigation, and more. Letting polluters off the hook easily can mean they may not feel real pressure to do better. "I can't see that this is going to be an effective enforcement tool," said NDP MLA Marlin Schmidt, per the CBC. "It's not an effective deterrent for the companies and it's an extremely expensive process for the Alberta Energy Regulator." What's being done to hold companies accountable for pollution? Critics say Alberta needs tougher enforcement and escalating penalties for repeat offenders to truly protect waterways, wildlife, and public trust. "Other operators are looking [at] this fine and saying the AER is not credible when it says that they're going to bring the hammer down on bad actors," said Schmidt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Individuals can help hold polluters accountable by supporting organizations that advocate for stronger environmental regulations, including CPAWS and Ecojustice. You can also take local action by pushing for clean energy policies and voting for candidates who prioritize public health over polluter profits. How often do you worry about the quality of your drinking water? Never Sometimes Often Always Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Ohio again ranks among worst states for dog attacks on mail carriers COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) The United States Postal Service launches a national dog bite awareness campaign each June, revealing the states and cities where its carriers suffer the most canine attacks. In 2024, USPS workers experienced more than 6,000 dog bites nationwide, rising from about 5,800 in 2023 and 5,300 in 2022, the government agency found. Ohio bill would require employers to pay people with disabilities minimum wage Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ohio was the state where USPS carriers suffered the third-highest number of dog attacks last year, at 350 documented bites. The Buckeye State was also ranked at No. 3 in the 2023 report, but saw slightly more bites at 359. Taking the No. 1 spot as the state that experienced the most dog bites on mail carriers in 2024 was California, which saw 701 incidents, followed by Texas at No. 2 (438), Illinois at No. 4 (344) and New York at No. 5 (322). When it came to the cities that saw the most dog bites, three in Ohio made the top 15. Cincinnati saw the fifth-highest number of bites at 44, Cleveland saw the eighth-highest number at 40, and Columbus saw the 14th-highest number at 32. The city accounting for the most dog attacks on mail carriers was Los Angeles, which saw 77 bites, followed by Houston (65), Chicago (57) and St. Louis (47). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The best way to keep safe from dog attacks is to recognize and promote the responsibility of pet ownership, such as teaching your dog appropriate behavior and commands and not allowing your dog to roam freely. All dogs regardless of breed, size or age have the potential to bite, said Leeann Theriault, USPS employee safety and health awareness manager. Dog bite attacks on postal employees are preventable. Indoor park with waterless slides opens first Ohio location in Columbus For dog owners who want to ensure their mail is delivered safely, USPS advises them to secure their pets in an area away from the carriers path before they arrive at the property. Canines should be kept inside a house, behind a fence, or on a leash when the carrier approaches. USPS also warns of the costs dog owners may face if their pet bites a carrier. When a postal employee suffers an injury, the owner could be responsible for thousands of dollars in medical bills, lost wages and uniform replacement costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If a carrier feels unsafe to make a delivery due to a dog, the canines owner may also have to pick up the mail themselves at their local post office. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) While federal law allows employers to pay some individuals with disabilities less than minimum wage, Ohio lawmakers are attempting to eliminate the practice in the state. House Bill 225, sponsored by Reps. Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) and Tom Young (R-Washington Twp.), seeks to phase out subminimum wages for employees with disabilities over a five-year period. Indoor park with waterless slides opens first Ohio location in Columbus Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This bipartisan legislation is about dignity, Jarrells said at a hearing for the bill in May. Its about economic opportunity and its about making sure every Ohioan, regardless of ability, has the right to fair wages and the chance to contribute meaningfully to their communities. Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 permits employers to pay workers whose disabilities impact their productivity less than the federal hourly minimum wage of $7.25, if they obtain a certificate from the U.S. Department of Labor. The practice is intended to prevent the restriction of employment opportunities for those with disabilities, according to the department. Introduced in April, the bill would require employers who hold a certificate to submit a plan regarding phasing out subminimum wage to the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities. The plan would have to be submitted within 15 months of the bills effective date. Under the legislation, the state would assist employers with implementing their plans. Over the five-year transition period, the state would also be required to gather, monitor and publicly report the progress of the phase-out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unsolved Ohio: Who killed Amy Jo Nelson? Family wants answers in 2017 homicide The bill underwent three hearings in the Houses Commerce and Labor Committee in May, where more than 40 people testified in support of the bill. Paying people with disabilities less than minimum wage devalues their labor and reinforces harmful stereotypes that their work is worth less, said Justin Blumhorst with the disability support organization Capabilities. Many people with disabilities perform as well as or better than their non-disabled peers when given the proper support and accommodations. Seven spoke out against the legislation, including Brittany Stiltner with Sandco Industries, a nonprofit that provides employment skills training to people with developmental disabilities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At Sandco, the 14(c) certificate allows us to provide customized, supportive employment opportunities to individuals who may not be able to succeed in a traditional competitive work environment, Stiltner said in written testimony. Phasing out this option entirely would eliminate opportunities for people who depend on it individuals whose stories too often go unheard in policy conversations. In Ohio, 41 businesses have obtained federal 14(c) certificates, most of which are nonprofit agencies that provide rehabilitation and employment for people with disabilities, often in a sheltered setting, according to the Labor Department. Intel executive explains why Ohio plant will need to fight for Intels business Jarrells introduced a similar bill last April, but it only received one hearing and did not progress to the point of receiving a vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sixteen states have already legislated or initiated the phase-out of subminimum wages, according to Jarrells. In December, the Labor Department proposed phasing out the practice nationally over three years. The agency has not provided an update on the status of the proposal since. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. Minister of Justice and Public Security Hector Villatoro, right, accompanies Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, center during a tour of the CECOT prison on March 26, 2025 in Tecoluca, El Salvador. (Photo by Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images) Some in Ohio are mocking an error-filled list of so-called sanctuary jurisdictions that the Trump administration hurriedly took down on Sunday. But an advocate for immigrants in the state said the mistake-riddled list should be cause for alarm. It named 500 states, cities and counties that were allegedly not doing their duty in helping federal officials enforce immigration law. However, it didnt say how. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The list included Warren County, northeast of Cincinnati, as a sanctuary county even though voters there went for Trump by a 65-33 margin on Nov. 5. The sheriff, Barry Riley, told WCPO television, This report is wrong. A mistake has been made and incorrectly listed Warren County. We have reached out to representatives of the Department of Homeland Security to correct the issue. Warren County might have made it onto the Homeland Security list because in 2021, Lebanon, the county seat, attempted to ban abortion by declaring itself a sanctuary for the unborn, said Lynn Tramonte, founder of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance. She said other jurisdictions were mistakenly placed on the list after declaring themselves sanctuaries for gun owners. Its like theyve got some intern with an AI program searching for the word sanctuary and popping up a list of names of counties and cities, Tramonte said. Theyre just sloppy. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also drawing laughs is that the list spelled Ohios oldest major city Cincinnatti and a Kentucky county just over the river Cambell. instead of Campbell. Officials in both jurisdictions told WCPO that they werent violating any immigration laws. The errors might be comical, but in context, theyre really terrifying, Tramonte said. They took the list down because it was full of errors, and this is the Department of Homeland Security, she said. They cant even get their spelling right. Everybody was making fun of Secretary (Kristi) Noem because she couldnt keep her purse safe, but this is another example. They cant publish a list of examples of cities in the United States and spell them correctly? How can we trust them to keep us safe? In April, Noems purse, containing multiple IDs and thousands in cash, was stolen from a Washington, D.C. restaurant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Noem has faced further criticism in her new role as head of the agency. Habeas corpus is a fundamental right that dates at least back to the Magna Carta of 1215. It says that detained people have a right to appear before a judge and challenge their detention. In a May congressional hearing, Noem got it exactly backward, saying, habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country and suspend their rights, the Associated Press reported. Tramonte said the Ohio immigrants she talks to are terrified as the Trump administration seeks to squeeze sanctuary jurisdictions and deport ever more people including hundreds of thousands who came legally. She said its deeply unfair that theyre trying to throw out people who came under a Biden-era program that allowed people to apply for asylum from outside the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We told them, We dont want you showing up at the border seeking asylum, even though thats a perfectly legal process, she said. People in Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela said, OK, Ill find a sponsor in the United States, Ill request advance permission from the United States government to come. Ill fill out this form. My sponsor will show you all of their assets. They will promise to take care of me. I will not be a burden on the U.S. taxpayer. Ill come in an airplane, pay for my own ticket and get a house and a job. Those using the program followed the rules and now theyre working and have kids in American schools, Tramonte said. And then Trump said, Youve got to go,' she added. If Im from Haiti, what am I supposed to go back to? Theres no government. Tramonte urged people to try to put themselves in immigrants shoes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement None of us did anything to earn the right to be born in the United States, she said. It was an accident that we were born here. I just feel like we need to have a bit of compassion for people who were born in countries that are in turmoil. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE CLAY CITY, Ky. (FOX 56) A 64-year-old Ohio man was killed on Thursday after he allegedly lost control of his car in Powell County. Troopers with Kentucky State Police (KSP) Post 8 in Morehead were notified about the crash on Thursday by Powell County Dispatch, per a news release. An initial investigation showed that Edwin A. Caraballo Burgos, 64, of Middletown, Ohio, was driving a car heading south on Black Creek Road when he reportedly dropped off the side of the road, causing him to lose control. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State police wrote that as Burgos was trying to regain control of the vehicle, it appeared that the car was allegedly overcorrected, causing it to overturn. Burgos reportedly died from injuries sustained in the crash. The deadly crash investigation remains ongoing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News. OKLAHOMA CITY (WJW) An Ohio woman faces federal charges after allegedly trying to exit a plane while it was still in the air. According to a release from the U.S. Attorneys Office Western District of Oklahoma, Jendaya Kashar Brennan, faces a charge of interference with flight crew members and attendants. She faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Missing 7-year-old paddleboarder found, and he only had one question Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On May 22, the FBI was notified of a disturbance on a Southwest Airlines flight heading to Phoenix. Brennan allegedly tried to exit the plane through the rear exit door while the plane was still flying. The crew attempted to calm her down, the release states, but she continued to scream that she was going to exit the plane. She also kicked and spit at crew members as they tried to put her in wrist restraints, the release states. Shes also accused of pulling on a crew members lanyard in an attempt to pull the worker to the ground. Remains found in search for missing teen last seen at airport After her hands and legs were restrained, public record shows she broke through the wrist restraints and had to be held down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The flight was diverted to Oklahoma City once the pilot learned of the incident. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. Oklahoma State Textbook Committee chair designee Kendra Wesson, a former member of the Oklahoma State Board of Education, sits at at the head of the table during a committee meeting Friday at the Oklahoma State Department of Education in Oklahoma City at the start of the 2025-26 textbook adoption cycle. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY An ousted member of the states top school board will lead the process to approve K-12 textbooks that align with controversial new academic standards for social studies. Former Oklahoma State Board of Education member Kendra Wesson will continue as the chair of a key committee that chooses all state-approved textbooks for public schools. She has been State Superintendent Ryan Walters designee to lead the committee since she joined the state Board of Education in January 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Serving in this role and being able to still help my state is what its all about, right? Wesson said. Its not about (having my) name in lights. Its about doing the serving and coming in and being who I am and consistently being who I am. So, I value it very much. Wesson, of Norman, said she brings high integrity to the role and has enjoyed the committee and its staff, so it meant a lot to me to be able to stay here. Walters said he has full confidence in her ability to lead the textbook adoption process. Kendra is pro-student, pro-education reform and a pro-Trump conservative who will uphold pro-American principles throughout this process, Walters said in a statement. I look forward to working with her as we are posed to introduce the best academic standards in the country to Oklahoma classrooms this fall. Gov. Kevin Stitt, pictured Thursday at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City, shook up the Oklahoma State Board of Education on Feb. 11 over his opposition to a proposal to have schools collect childrens citizenship status. (Photo by Emma Murphy/Oklahoma Voice) Gov. Kevin Stitt replaced three state Board of Education members, including Wesson, on Feb. 11 while complaining the board had fallen victim to needless political drama. The three removed members had voted with Walters to advance a now-defeated proposal to have public schools collect students immigration status, an idea Stitt opposed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wesson and the State Textbook Committee gathered Friday for an orientation meeting to initiate the 2025-26 adoption cycle, a process that determines which textbooks the state will approve for the next six years. The committee last met Feb. 7 to conclude the 2024-25 cycle. Like with the state Board of Education, the governor appoints all members of the 13-member textbook committee except for one the state superintendent, who can choose a designee to serve as the committees chair in his place. The committee, mostly made up of educators, will receive sample products by July 1 from textbook publishers interested in selling to Oklahoma school districts. The number of companies bidding in the small-market state has dwindled in recent years while political debates over classroom content grew. After the July 1 deadline, teams of subject-matter experts will begin quality reviews of the submitted learning material in August before making recommendations to the textbook committee, said Carolynn Bristow, project manager of educational materials for the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Members of the Oklahoma State Textbook Committee listen to a presentation during a meeting Friday at the Oklahoma State Department of Education in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) The process culminates in the committees Nov. 14 vote to approve a list of textbooks aligning with the newly enacted standards for social studies education. The committee also will vote on instructional materials for personal financial literacy courses. The state will execute contracts with publishers in February after the boards final meeting of the adoption cycle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wesson said the committee will follow the typical textbook adoption process and doesnt anticipate any differences from previous cycles. The committee and its review teams will adhere to a pre-approved rubric to evaluate textbook materials, she said. The rubric checks for classroom usability and compliance with state academic standards. Last year, the committee also added social and moral questions to the rubric asking whether the submitted materials degrade traditional roles of men and women, promote illegal lifestyles or neglect the importance of religion in preserving American liberties. We have a great team here at (the state Education Department) that keeps us on track, and thats why that rubric is there, to keep everybody on the same page, Wesson said. And so you will always find this committee, especially, following that process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new social studies standards, which dictate what public schools must teach to students in history and government classes, have been the source of significant public scrutiny this year. State Superintendent Ryan Walters speaks at a news conference at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City on May 16. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) The standards now require schools to educate students about biblical teachings and Judeo-Christian values that influenced the American colonies and founding fathers, which Walters has said is crucial to ensuring students understand the full context of the countrys history. Language casting doubt on the integrity of the 2020 presidential election results also is required teaching. Stitts three new appointees to the state Board of Education said they were unaware of the 2020 election language at the time they voted on the standards on Feb. 27. Walters said he is responsible for adding the new content, but he didnt acknowledge it until weeks after the board vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite bipartisan concerns among the state Legislature, the Republican supermajority in the state House and Senate permitted the standards to take effect. A lawsuit in Oklahoma County District Court contends Walters administration failed to uphold proper transparency procedures. Wesson said the State Textbook Committee wont have any issues finding textbooks that align with the new social studies standards, even with the new content that has made headlines. Were not going to have a problem there at all, she said. Editors note: This story has been updated to include a statement from state Superintendent Ryan Walters, which was provided after initial publication. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Russian forces persisted in their attacks on settlements in Donetsk Oblast on Friday 6 June, killing one civilian and injuring eight. Source: Anastasiia Miedviedieva, spokesperson for Donetsk Oblast Prosecutors Office, in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda Details: At 06:30, Russian forces attacked the village of Komar in the Volnovakha district, likely using a Smerch multiple-launch rocket system. A 48-year-old man sustained serious injuries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At 07:10, the village of Novyi Donbas came under Russian attack. A 54-year-old man suffered multiple shrapnel wounds and was hospitalised in a serious condition, Miedviedieva said. Less than an hour later, Russian forces launched an artillery attack on a residential area in Myrnohrad, claiming the life of a 59-year-old man. At 09:00, Russian forces attacked Kostiantynivka with a FAB-250 bomb fitted with an UMPK guidance kit for converting unguided bombs into precision-guided munitions. A 61-year-old resident sustained a blast injury, concussion and brain trauma. Prosecutors reported that five houses in the city had been damaged. At 11:10, Russian troops attacked Myrnohrad again, injuring a 41-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man. Fifty minutes later, they struck again near the local market, injuring two women aged 45 and 48 and a 65-year-old man. All sustained blast and shrapnel injuries and received medical assistance, the spokesperson said. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Sign up for CNNs Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. A tiny sign revealed in April seemed like it might change the universe as we know it. Astronomers had detected just a hint, a glimmer of two molecules swirling in the atmosphere of a distant planet called K2-18b molecules that on Earth are produced only by living things. It was a tantalizing prospect: the most promising evidence yet of an extraterrestrial biosignature, or traces of life linked to biological activity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But only weeks later, new findings suggest the search must continue. It was exciting, but it immediately raised several red flags because that claim of a potential biosignature would be historic, but also the significance or the strength of the statistical evidence seemed to be too high for the data, said Dr. Luis Welbanks, a postdoctoral research scholar at Arizona State Universitys School of Earth and Space Exploration. While the molecules identified on K2-18b by the April study dimethyl sulfide, or DMS, and dimethyl disulfide, or DMDS are associated largely with microbial organisms on our planet, scientists point out that the compounds can also form without the presence of life. Now, three teams of astronomers not involved with the research, including Welbanks, have assessed the models and data used in the original biosignature discovery and got very different results, which they have submitted for peer review. Meanwhile, the lead author of the April study, Nikku Madhusudhan, and his colleagues have conducted additional research that they say reinforces their previous finding about the planet. And its likely that additional observations and research from multiple groups of scientists are on the horizon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The succession of research papers revolving around K2-18b offers a glimpse of the scientific process unfolding in real time. Its a window into the complexities and nuances of how researchers search for evidence of life beyond Earth and shows why the burden of proof is so high and difficult to reach. Noisy data Located 124 light-years from Earth, K2-18b is generally considered a worthy target to scour for signs of life. It is thought to be a Hycean world, a planet entirely covered in liquid water with a hydrogen-rich atmosphere, according to previous research led by Madhusudhan, a professor of astrophysics and exoplanetary science at the University of Cambridges Institute of Astronomy. And as such, K2-18b has rapidly attracted attention as a potentially habitable place beyond our solar system. Convinced of K2-18bs promise, Madhusudhan and his Cambridge colleagues used observations of the planet by the largest space telescope in operation, the James Webb Space Telescope, to study the planet further. But two scientists at the University of Chicago Dr. Rafael Luque, a postdoctoral scholar in the universitys department of astronomy and astrophysics, and Michael Zhang, a 51 Pegasi b / Burbidge postdoctoral fellow spotted some problems with what they found. After reviewing Madhusudhan and his teams April paper, which followed up on their 2023 research, Luque and Zhang noticed that the Webb data looked noisy, Luque said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Noise, caused by imperfections in the telescope and the rate at which different particles of light reach the telescope, is just one challenge astronomers face when they study distant exoplanets. Noise can distort observations and introduce uncertainties into the data, Zhang said. Trying to detect specific gases in distant exoplanet atmospheres introduces even more uncertainty. The most noticeable features from a gas like dimethyl sulfide stem from a bond of hydrogen and carbon molecules a connection that can stretch and bend and absorb light at different wavelengths, making it hard to definitively detect one kind of molecule, Zhang said. The problem is basically every organic molecule has a carbon-hydrogen bond, Zhang said. Theres hundreds of millions of those molecules, and so these features are not unique. If you have perfect data, you can probably distinguish between different molecules. But if you dont have perfect data, a lot of molecules, especially organic molecules, look very similar, especially in the near-infrared. Delving further into the paper, Luque and Zhang also noticed that the perceived temperature of the planet appeared to increase sharply from a range of about 250 Kelvin to 300 Kelvin (-9.67 F to 80.33 F or -23.15 C to 26.85 C) in research Madhusudhan published in 2023 to 422 Kelvin (299.93 F or 148.85 C) in the April study. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Such harsh temperatures could change the way astronomers think about the planets potential habitability, Zhang said, especially because cooler temperatures persist in the top of the atmosphere the area that Webb can detect and the surface or ocean below would likely have even higher temperatures. This is just an inference only from the atmosphere, but it would certainly affect how we think about the planet in general, Luque said. Part of the issue, he said, is that the April analysis didnt include data collected from all three Webb instruments Madhusudhans team used over the past few years. So Luque, Zhang and their colleagues conducted a study combining all the available data to see whether they could achieve the same results, or even find a higher amount of dimethyl sulfide. They found insufficient evidence of both molecules in the planets atmosphere. Instead, Luque and Zhangs team spotted other molecules, like ethane, that could fit the same profile. But ethane does not signify life. Disappearing evidence Arizona States Welbanks and his colleagues, including Dr. Matt Nixon, a postdoctoral researcher in the department of astronomy at the University of Maryland College Park, also found what they consider a fundamental problem with the April paper on K2-18b. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The concern, Welbanks said, was with how Madhusudhan and his team created models to show which molecules might be in the planets atmosphere. Each (molecule) is tested one at a time against the same minimal baseline, meaning every single model has an artificial advantage: It is the only explanation permitted, Welbanks said. When Welbanks and his team conducted their own analysis, they expanded the model from Madhusudhans study. (Madhusudhan and his colleagues) didnt allow for any other chemical species that could potentially be producing these small signals or observations, Nixon said. So the main thing we wanted to do was assess whether other chemical species could provide an adequate fit to the data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the model was expanded, the evidence for dimethyl sulfide or dimethyl disulfide just disappears, Welbanks said. Burden of proof Madhusudhan believes the studies that have come out after his April paper are very encouraging and enabling a healthy discussion on the interpretation of our data on K2-18b. He reviewed Luque and Zhangs work and agreed that their findings dont show a strong detection for DMS or DMDS. When Madhusudhans team published the paper in April, he said the observations reached the three-sigma level of significance, or a 0.3% probability that the detections occurred by chance. For a scientific discovery that is highly unlikely to have occurred by chance, the observations must meet a five-sigma threshold, or below a 0.00006% probability that the observations occurred by chance. Meeting such a threshold will require many steps, Welbanks said, including repeated detections of the same molecule using multiple telescopes and ruling out potential nonbiological sources. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While such evidence could be found in our lifetime, it is less likely to be a eureka moment and more a slow build requiring a consensus among astronomers, physicists, biologists and chemists. We have never reached that level of evidence in any of our studies, Madhusudhan wrote in an email. We have only found evidence at or below 3-sigma in our two previous studies (Madhusudhan et al. 2023 and 2025). We refer to this as moderate evidence or hints but not a strong detection. I agree with (Luque and Zhangs) claim which is consistent with our study and we have discussed the need for stronger evidence extensively in our study and communications. In response to the research conducted by Welbanks team, Madhusudhan and his Cambridge colleagues have authored another manuscript expanding the search on K2-18b to include 650 types of molecules. They have submitted the new analysis for peer review. This is the largest search for chemical signatures in an exoplanet to date, using all the available data for K2-18b and searching through 650 molecules, Madhusudhan said. We find that DMS continues to be a promising candidate molecule in this planet, though more observations are required for a firm detection as we have noted in our previous studies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Welbanks and Nixon were pleased that Madhusudhan and his colleagues addressed the concerns raised but feel that the new paper effectively walks back central claims made in the original April study, Welbanks said. The new paper tacitly concedes that the DMS/DMDS detection was not robust, yet still relies on the same flawed statistical framework and a selective reading of its own results, Welbanks said in an email. While the tone is more cautious (sometimes), the methodology continues to obscure the true level of uncertainty. The statistical significance claimed in earlier work was the product of arbitrary modeling decisions that are not acknowledged. Luque said the Cambridge teams new paper is a step in the right direction because it explores other possible chemical biosignatures. But I think it fell short in the scope, Luque said. I think it restricted itself too much into being a rebuttal to the (Welbanks) paper. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Separately, however, the astronomers studying K2-18b agree that pushing forward on researching the exoplanet contributes to the scientific process. I think its just a good, healthy scientific discourse to talk about what is going on with this planet, Welbanks said. Regardless of what any single author group says right now, we dont have a silver bullet. But that is exactly why this is exciting, because we know that were the closest we have ever been (to finding a biosignature), and I think we may get it within our lifetime, but right now, were not there. That is not a failure. Were testing bold ideas. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com One week after Travis Decker disappeared with his three young daughters, officials are continuing to search for the man accused of their murders. What happened On Friday, May 30, just before 10 p.m., the Wenatchee Police Department took a call from a woman who had reported that the father of her three young girls had not returned following a planned custody visit. A missing endangered person alert was issued for the three girls, 9-year-old Paityn, 8-year-old Evelyn, and 5-year-old Olivia, and their father, 32-year-old Travis Decker. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then, on Monday, June 2, law enforcement found Deckers truck unoccupied near the Rock Island Campground in Leavenworth. While searching the area, law enforcement found the bodies of the three young girls. >>Father of murdered Wenatchee girls still missing, $20K reward offered for information Washington trails closed, warnings issued As the search ramps up, officials have warned residents in rural King, Snohomish, Kittitas, Chelan, and Okanagan counties to lock the doors in their cabins and outbuildings. They also recommend leaving window blinds open and outside lights on. >>Deputies ask residents in remote areas to lock doors, sheds as hunt for Travis Decker continues Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Thursday, the U.S. Forest Service ordered an emergency closure of the Icicle River area in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. The closure, effective June 5 through June 18 unless lifted earlier, prohibits access to several popular trails, roads, and campgrounds within the Wenatchee River Ranger District. The order was issued under federal regulations governing national forest use, and violators could face fines of up to $5,000 or jail time. >>Forest Service closes Enchantments through June 18 as search for Travis Decker continues Later that evening, the North Cascades National Park announced the closure of trails in Lake Chelan National Recreation Area within the North Cascades National Park Service Complex. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The following trails are closed, including backcountry camps and cross-country zones along closed trails: Pacific Crest Trail within the park complex (Agnes Creek, Old Wagon, and Bridge Creek trails) Rainbow Lake Trail Rainbow Creek Trail McAlester Lake Trail Twisp Pass Trail (to USFS border) Stiletto Spur Trail North Fork Bridge Creek Trail Upper Stehekin Valley Trail Flat Creek Trail Thunder Creek Trail from Park Creek Pass to the junction with Upper Stehekin Valley Trail Upper Stehekin Valley Trail to junction with Horseshow Basin Trail Officials added the following statement: Trails are closed until further notice due to ongoing search operations for a suspect in Chelan County. The suspect has been identified as Travis Decker. Decker was last seen wearing light colored shirt and dark shorts. Do not approach, the suspect is dangerous and may be armed. If you see, or believe you have seen, Mr. Decker call 911 immediately. Do not attempt to contact or approach him. Anyone with information is urged to call the Chelan County Sheriffs Office tip line at 509-667-6845 or submit your information here: https://www.co.chelan.wa.us/sheriff/forms/submit-a-tip " Be on the lookout Deputies with the Chelan County Sheriffs Office have released multiple photos and a surveillance video of Decker in the hopes that someone might recognize him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement >>Deputies release photos, video of Travis Decker On Thursday, they released a new photo that emphasized Deckers tattoos. Heres a look at all of the photos we have so far: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A community grieving Throughout the week, the Wenatchee community has gathered around the girls mother, Whitney Decker, in support of her immeasurable grief. Just hours after the news broke Tuesday, hundreds gathered at Memorial Park in Wenatchee to hold a vigil for 9-year-old Paityn, 8-year-old Evelyn, and 5-year-old Olivia Decker. Since then, a memorial of flowers and photos has grown as residents gather to mourn and remember the three young girls. The community of Wenatchee is here for you. We love you. We support you. We want the best for you and we are incredibly sorry that this happened, said one community member. A friend of the family started a GoFundMe to support Whitney. As of Tuesday night, the fundraiser had amassed almost $340,000 to support her with expenses and legal costs following the tragic loss of her three daughters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By Thursday evening, the fundraiser had eclipsed $1,000,000. >>GoFundMe surpasses $1M in support of Whitney Decker, in memory of three daughters According to GoFundMe, this is the second Washington GoFundMe to ever reach $1M in donations. A spokesperson for GoFundMe added that throughout our 15-year history, Washington has been the ninth most generous state in the country. Over 20,000 people across Washington, the U.S., and even other corners of the world donated towards the fundraiser, leaving messages of support for Whitney and sharing their own experiences with grief. When one mother cries, we all cry, said Amy Edwards, one of the fundraiser organizers and a friend of Whitneys, echoing a sentiment heard throughout the week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement >>They were so beautiful and so joyous, Wenatchee community remembers Decker sisters Edwards joined another family friend, Mark Belton, at Memorial Park on Thursday to read a statement provided by the Decker family and highlight ways to help the family, like this community-organized Facebook group. They were the kind of children that everyone rooted for, looked forward to seeing, and held close in their hearts, They are cherished not just by the family but by our entire community, who watched them grow, perform, learn, and love, they said. While nothing can undo this tragedy, were hopeful these conversations honor Paityn, Olivia, and Evelyns memory." A call to action According to Whitneys friends and family, shes hoping the outpouring of love and energy can be channeled into changing the systems she believes failed her daughters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement KIRO 7 spoke with Whitneys attorney Arianna Cozart, who believes, as she says Whitney does, that a change in behavior, in addition to Travis military background, training, and documented mental health struggles, should have been enough to warrant an Amber Alert. Frankly, when this was reported to the police and police were unable to reach Travis immediately, it shouldve issued an amber alert, and had it done so, those children might be alive, said Cozart. >>Call for compassion, love, and action from Whitney Deckers friends and family To keep up with the latest details on the Decker girls, search for their father, and how you can support Whitney Decker in this heart-breaking story download the KIRO 7 News APP. Stay informed with 24/7 updates. Picture this: Youre searching for help online and a forum pops up then doesnt load Page Not Found. Not because it doesnt exist, but because someone decided you shouldnt see it. Thats not safety. Thats erasure. Online censorship is often disguised as protection, but its control. It buries truths, silences communities and breeds misinformation. Vague legislation let platforms over-censor to avoid liability not just deleting falsehoods, but anything controversial, including LGBTQ stories, reproductive rights and mental health support. When truth is treated as inappropriate, truths are erased. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This leads to generations internalizing filtered truths. Some adults believe in conspiracy theories over science not by accident, but by inaccessible knowledge. Opinion: Tell us what you think about Milwaukee dropping fourth fireworks for drone show We cannot rely on the very system that is designed to profit from the misery that stems from our voices online being censored. We must persist, organize, educate and speak. All across every platform. Remember when TikTok was briefly banned? The silence sparked outrage. When it returned, users demanded answers and accountability. It was resistance. Weve proven were capable of defiance. Now we must protect ourselves, others and the truth, because in a world designed to erase us, persistence is power. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oscar De Anda, Milwaukee Letters: Real issue behind need for retail lockboxes ignored. Don't make excuses. Opinion: We asked readers about wake boats on Wisconsin lakes. Here's what you said. Government should not be censoring social media content I am writing to express my opposition to social media censorship, especially censorship controlled by the government. This includes government mandated censorship on private companies, even when it limits harmful misinformation. It happened during the COVID-19 pandemic when the Biden administration forced many social media platforms, such as Facebook, to shadow ban certain content that spread misinformation about COVID. If this power is left uncontrolled and unchecked it can lead to propaganda and censorship only seen in authoritarian regimes to a scale unseen before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While some will argue that it was beneficial in saving many lives during the pandemic to have misinformation blocked from social media platforms, what can be defined as misinformation is so vague to the point where it can be spun to mean anything one doesnt agree with. This can lead to useful information being censored and taken down. Letters: Making Canada 51st state is a great idea, but not for reason Trump thinks Twitter, or Xs, way of combating misinformation, I believe, is the best way to go. Instead of taking down or limiting the reach of certain content, any user can add context to the post allowing for misinformation to be fact checked and disproved right under the post. This still allows misinformation to be disproved without interference from the government or social media platforms. Social media censorship only helps the reach the government can have with control of information. Finding ways to combat misinformation without censorship lets people still express themselves without misinformation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rhys Erwine, Milwaukee Tips for getting your letter to the editor published Here are some tips to get your views shared with your friends, family, neighbors and across our state: Please include your name, street address and daytime phone. Generally, we limit letters to 200 words. Cite sources of where you found information or the article that prompted your letter. Be civil and constructive, especially when criticizing. Avoid ad hominem attacks, take issue with a position, not a person. We cannot acknowledge receipt of submissions. We don't publish poetry, anonymous or open letters. Each writer is limited to one published letter every two months. All letters are subject to editing. Write: Letters to the editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 330 E. Kilbourn Avenue, Suite 500, Milwaukee, WI, 53202. Fax: (414)-223-5444. E-mail: jsedit@jrn.com or submit using the form that can be found on the on the bottom of this page. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: TikTok ban illustrates dangers of government censorship | Letters For starters, I say Donald Trump is due our congratulations and respect. He finally found a white Afrikaner hed like to throw out of the country. The early conventional wisdom on the Trump-Elon Musk divorce is that it was simultaneously shocking and inevitable. I suppose it was both of those thingsMusks fusillade of tweets Thursday was pretty shocking, especially the Jeffrey Epstein bomb; and its true that this was bound to happen one dayno friendship between a ketamine-torqued egomaniac and a sociopathic liar with the emotional architecture of a 5-year-old is destined to go the distance. Taking a somewhat more historical perspective, this is the feud that Milton Friedmans America deserves. Weve now lived through decades in which vast fortunes were amassed and lionizedand, importantly, at least in Trumps case, inherited and far too lightly taxed. Fred Trump gave Donald over $400 million, adjusting for inflation, when he died in 1999. Errol Musk was an emerald-mine magnate who once bragged that he had so much money we couldnt even close our safe, though the extent to which he supported his son is a matter of heated debate (between them, mostly). Whatever the truth is there, the bottom line is that here we are, stuck with a crooked and stupid billionaire president and a crazed narcissist who could buy several countries fighting over which one has the purer, more Friedmansque-reactionary vision for what the United States should become. Thats a crucial matter to which well return, but before we do that, lets indulge in the fun stuff and just cut to the chase: Does Musk have the goods to bring Trump down if he wants to? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You should listen to my colleague Greg Sargents interview with Rick Wilson on his podcast today (transcript here, if you prefer). Wilson is entertaining, as usual, but whats interesting is how his view of this goes against the conventional-wisdom grain. The emerging consensus is that Trump holds more cards here than Musk. Hes the president, after all, and more than that, he is, as we know all too well, a president whos willing and eager to use the machinery of the state to settle personal scores. By this argument, Musk is in for weeks or months of hell if he doesnt take steps to tone this down. But to Wilson, Elon has more weapons here than Trump does. Prominent among those, obviously, is Twitter. We all know what Musk has done with Twitter since buying it: Hes reset the algorithms to elevate all manner of right-wing sewageand to promote Donald Trump. What if Musk decides to reverse that? Most of the pro-Trump chatter on Twitter and other social media isnt coming from actual human beings. Most of it is coming from pro-Trump bot farms that take over accounts or create fake ones for some specific purpose. Some estimates are that 73 percent of all internet traffic is bot-farm-initiated. (And isnt it lovely that up to three-quarters of what appears to be public opinion is totally faked by cynical and malicious people, if indeed its even people behind it anymore?) Musk, Wilson told Sargent, could turn off the Trump bots in about three clicks. Doing that would change the political climate in this country almost instantaneously, Wilson said. He could turn Twitter into a machine right now that will bash the tax bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Does that assign Twitter too much power? Could be. But if Twitter turns on Trump and the bill, the political world will notice. The dug-in MAGAs wont listen. But some of the non-MAGA people currently still saying they approve of Trumps job performance just might. Trump is still, astonishingly to me, polling in the mid-40s. If he drops down to 40, were in a different political situation. Then theres the campaign. When Musk charges that Trump never would have won without his $290 million well, that could be just a Johnson-measuring contest, in which case, who cares. But its possible Musk knows something about how some of that money was spent. I mean, if I gave somebody $290 million for an important purpose, Id want to know how it was spent. Maybe it was just spent on those anti-trans ads. But lets put it this way: We know Trump cheated in 2016. We know hes cheated all his life at everything. So he got a massive $290 million infusion in 2020 and thought, Lets be sure to spend every penny toward legitimate ends! Seems unlikely. Finally, theres the nuclear bomb. Lets refresh our memories on the specific allegation against Trump with regard to Jeffrey Epstein. The week before the 2016 election, a woman who alleged that Trump raped her when she was 13 was about to hold a press conference and go public. She charged that Trump assaulted her four different times at parties thrown by Epstein. The media didnt take her allegations seriously at first because the woman allied herself with an eccentric anti-Trump campaigner with a record of making outlandish claims about celebrities, as The Guardian put it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then she hired lawyer Lisa Bloomwho had successfully sued the Boy Scouts, among othersand who is the daughter of Gloria Allred, who represented female accusers of Trump and Bill Cosby. The case was taken more seriously. The woman was ready to go public five days before the election, but she backed down after receiving many death threats. Trump, of course, denied the allegations. Does Musk know of actual evidence? Hes not the worlds most stable person either, so its entirely possible that hes blowing smoke. Epstein once told Michael Wolff, I was Donalds closest friend for 10 years. And Trump told New York magazine in 2002 that Ive known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. Hes a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. We presume innocence in the United States, especially on so touchy a matter as this. But presuming innocence doesnt prevent us from wondering whether Musk is just trying to cause Trump maximum painor if he actually knows something. There were signs Friday morning that the feud was being turned down a notch or two. The White House was desperate for a meeting with Musk to cool the temperatureinteresting in itself that it wasnt the other way around. So maybe Musk wont follow through on Thursdays threats. And who knows, with people this unstable, they could easily be BFFs again in six months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But any eulogy for this relationship must first and foremost be a eulogy for the United States of America. An amoral billionaire who by rights should have been impeached and barred from running for office for life became president againlegitimately this time, as far as we knowand put the worlds richest multibillionaire in charge of a sensitive task that he oversaw with the delicacy of a hyena stripping a wildebeest carcass clean. Their efforts have already resulted in deaths around the globe and will cause untold harm in this country over time. And now theyre engaged in a substantive argument that can be summarized like this. One, Trump wants a bill that is the usual Republican recipe for fiscal disastermassive tax cuts for the rich, cuts to programs that help working and poor people, huge deficits and debts as far as the eye can see. The other, Musk, at least professes to care about the deficits and debt, but hes totally chill with the massive tax cuts for the rich. Hes just against the pork, which is rich-man speak for things that might actually benefit people and communities. Its tragic that working Americans are held hostage to this madness. The small silver lining is the hope that Musk can make Trumps life as miserable as Trump can make his. The Ontario government plans to make big-ticket investments in three or four critical minerals processing projects using $500 million allocated in the provinces 2025 budget, said Vic Fedeli, Ontario minister of economic development, job creation and trade. The narrow focus of the Critical Minerals Processing Fund will let the province make large contributions to a handful of major projects, as opposed to delivering small-scale support to many, Fedeli told Automotive News Canada. There are many, many mines in Ontario that want to open, and we want to make sure that every ounce of ore that comes out of the ground gets processed here in Ontario. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for Automotive News Canada Breaking Alerts and be the first to know when big news breaks in the Canadian auto industry. The provinces latest budget, introduced at Queens Park in mid-May, received royal assent June 5. The province is already taking applications for the new fund, Fedeli said, pointing to nickel-mining projects in Sudbury and Timmins, as well as developments in the Ring of Fire region 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay as possible candidates for a share of the $500 million. The fund is not directly tied to the provinces electric-vehicle battery supply chain, but the nascent sector looks likely to benefit from the provincial investment capital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fedeli pointed to Frontier Lithiums planned processing plant in Thunder Bay as an example of the type and scale of the projects that the new fund will support. The Ontario company is developing a lithium mine about 500 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay and a conversion plant that will process mined material into battery-ready lithium salts in the city. The provincial government committed up to $160 million, separately from the new fund, in March to the processing portion of the project. Ring of Fire development Meanwhile, Ontario intends to designate the mineral-rich Ring of Fire as a so-called special economic zone as quickly as possible, Premier Doug Ford said June 5. Ford said he and several ministers will consult all summer with First Nations about the new law that allows the Ontario government to suspend provincial and municipal rules before making the designation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We need to start moving on that, Ford said of the designation for the Ring of Fire. The law seeks to speed up the building of large projects, particularly mines. Fords government has committed $1 billion to develop the Ring of Fire. Three First Nations have signed various agreements with the province to help build roads to the region, as well as develop the area where it connects to the provincial highway system. However, First Nations across Ontario have risen up to protest the provinces new law, livid about what what they describe as the governments audacity to strip away any law it sees fit for any project at any time. They say it tramples their treaty rights and ignores their concerns. The First Nations want to be part of development, including mines, but want to be equal partners with the province on the legislative side. The Canadian Press contributed to this report. Even before Elon Musk and President Donald Trump escalated their feud Thursday, some Democrats were thinking of trying to entice the Tesla billionaire to their side. Theres nothing wrong with the presidents opposition looking for advantages against him as he continues his assault on U.S. institutions an assault in which Musk has played a key role. But outright mending fences with Musk would be a mistake. Unfortunately, some Democrats and their allies are suggesting doing just that. Rep. Ro Khanna, the California congressman who has long been close to Silicon Valley, said of Musk that the party should ultimately be trying to convince him that the Democratic Party has more of the values that he agrees with. Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York said that he was a believer in redemption, though he acknowledged that Musks track record might forestall a liberal comeback arc. And as Musk and Trump battled via social media in a personal fight that began over the presidents spending bill, hurling invective and threats at one another, Rep. Eric Swalwell of California backed Musk against Trump, writing that without the billionaire, the president would be a Prisoner. Influencers like Matthew Yglesias suggested Democrats try to flip Musks allegiance. Anything that he does that moves more toward Democrats hurts Republicans, centrist WelcomePAC co-founder Liam Kerr told Politico. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This would be an error for several reasons. First, Musk is no ally to the Democratic Partys base of voters, who overwhelmingly despise him on cultural grounds. Even before Thursdays blowup, he was consistently less popular than Trump, and the voters who did like him were almost all Republicans, who will surely stick with the president. Second, the policies he pushed while in the White House have already led to untold levels of misery and deprivation both overseas and at home. The full extent of the damage the billionaire has done wont be apparent for months, if not years. Experts estimate that recent cuts at the U.S. Agency for International Development alone the agency Musk bragged about feeding into the wood chipper will lead to tens or even hundreds of thousands of deaths annually. Finally, Musk has been pushing a radical, right-wing agenda for half a decade. As I detail in my recent book, his efforts to use his wealth to reshape the media and public discourse have been deleterious for the country and have poisoned American politics. Its hard to see an easy way back to a positive relationship for the two men. The president in particular has a history of holding grudges, and Musk can hardly walk back sharing footage of Trump with Jeffrey Epstein or approving calls for his impeachment. I talked to an insider today who said its irreparable, Fox News host Laura Ingraham said Thursday evening. After reports that the two would speak by phone Friday, a senior White House official told NBC News that Trump is not interested in a call. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So what should Democrats do? For now, let them fight. As Alex Shephard noted at The New Republic, Musk and Trumps feud causes division within the Republican Party, imperils one of the worst pieces of legislation in modern history, and makes everyone involved in it look like a childish idiot. Every hour the two men spend sniping at each other is an hour theyre not spending destroying federal agencies, cutting social services or fomenting far-right extremism. The president and his billionaire ally are at each others throats and neither man may well come out on top, and the Democrats dont even need to do anything about it. They can just sit back and watch. In the future, once Democrats have regained the levers of power, they will need to clean up the disaster Trump and Musk have created. As I wrote here at MSNBC on Monday, Democrats should investigate Musk and his business dealings with the federal government, conduct hearings, subpoena the billionaire, and generally hold him accountable for his actions to the fullest extent possible. And they should take the same attitude toward Trump, whether he is still in office or not. Musks tenure as a White House employee and perhaps even his position as a Trump ally have almost certainly come to an end. But he and the president remain threats to democracy. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com For decades, Hollywood has presented audiences with futuristic disguises that were once thought only possible in science fiction. Silicone masks, fake contact lenses, and 3D printed biometrics are staples of popular spy movies like the Mission: Impossible franchise. But these forms of spyware, once found only on the silver screen, are, in fact, a reality. The advent of the internet and facial recognition technology has turned disguise work into a matter of national security. Just look at how our adversaries abuse facial recognition technology. Whether it is the Social Credit System or cameras lining public streets to monitor dissent against the Chinese state or oppress minority groups, Chinas surveillance state is built on facial recognition technology some of the most sophisticated in the world, due to the amount of data it can access through measures such as its National Security Law. The Chinese Communist Partys monitoring system can essentially control the life of any individual across its regions, freeze payments and track purchases anywhere in the country. With China as an example of how not to use facial recognition technology, the U.S. should be clear-eyed about the vulnerabilities and potential abuses posed by these increasing outmoded forms of biometric security. Advancements in artificial intelligence, deepfakes and three-dimensional printing are successfully tricking facial recognition tools, which should affirm that we cannot continue to rely on them to protect locations critical to national security. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Threat actors have developed a variety of tactics to spoof facial recognition software. Some are known as replay attacks and occur when a video is presented to a facial biometric system by an actor other than the intended user. Static photos are another form of attack with the same intention. Currently, the success rate for bypassing facial recognition technologies with these methods is 98 percent and 96 percent respectively a staggering statistic. Europol even recently noted how artificial intelligence is successfully compromising phones, issuing a warning about increased use of artificial fingerprints, deepfake media, and voice cloning to bypass security protocols. Facial recognition technology also presents challenges with accurate identification. While cheap or generic silicone masks perform poorly in fooling individual biometric devices, they prove effective in avoiding facial recognition technology in a crowd. Let us also not forget that some older versions of facial recognition technology struggled to distinguish between people with darker skin. Knowing this challenge, we must seriously question efforts to use facial recognition to verify voter identity before casting a ballot one of Americas foundational processes. There are three things we must do as we move away from facial recognition technology. First, to protect the privacy of Americans, and until new technology is put into place, the U.S. should begin by exploring implementation of proven biometric security tools on a solely voluntary basis. For example, the Transportation Security Administration uses facial verification technology, and permits individuals to opt out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Second, consequences must be imposed when unsecure technology is developed, or adversaries cross the line. While the Committee on Homeland Security is currently undertaking the challenge to change these economic models in cybersecurity, we have an opportunity to get ahead of them now by pursuing more secure and accurate biometric security tools. We cannot become overly dependent on fallible technology the risks are simply too high. Finally, while we seek alternatives to facial recognition technology that ensure U.S. law enforcement entities have the best tools to protect us, the U.S. must clearly call out China for its abuse of facial recognition technology. The Chinese Communist Partys use of facial recognition technology to control its citizenry is unacceptable and should concern all Americans. The U.S. must address the risks of facial recognition technology head on to protect the liberties we cherish. It is time we work closely with our innovators to champion biometric solutions that are secure, reliable and aligned with American values. Mark Green, M.D., represents Tennessees 7th Congressional District and is chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) is running for cover. After the horrific attack on Jews in Boulder, Colo., the Minnesota representative issued the kind of bland statement meant to deflect blame, posting this on X: Im holding the victims and families in Boulder, Colorado in my heart. Violence against anyone is never acceptable. We must reject hatred and harm in all its forms. As some noted, it took nearly 24 hours for Omar to issue even that statement, which notably failed to mention that the victims were Jews and the suspect is an Egyptian Muslim who attacked them while shouting Free Palestine. A video has now surfaced in which the accused assailant ranted about his faith, saying Allahu Akbar. After he firebombed a group of Jews, he told investigators he wanted to kill all Zionist people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the victims, an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor, asked NBC News, What the hell is going on in our country? Its a question everyone should be asking. Heres part of the answer: It is a very easy hop from college students intimidating Jewish students and chanting about Intifada and a Muslim man trying to murder Jews. It is similarly but a short leap from Omar, who applauded anti-Israel student protesters at Columbia University for being brave and patriotic, voted against an antisemitism resolution in the U.S. House and suggested to aggrieved people acting out of anger that some Jewish students are just pro-genocide. It is also easy to connect student demonstrations with terrorism. For the first time, a protester at Columbia University an outsider arrested for hate crimes against Jews has been linked to Hamas. He wont be the last. In recent months we have witnessed not only the hideous attempt to burn Jews alive in Boulder, but also the firebombing of Jewish Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiros home and the cold-blooded murder of two young Jewish people at the Jewish Capital Museum in Washington. All three suspects expressed anti-Israel sentiments, with the alleged perpetrator of the latter killings shouting free, free Palestine after he shot the victims 21 times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Anti-Defamation League reports that 2024 saw a record number of antisemitic attacks, up 344 percent over the past five years. This is intolerable. Radicalized students at some of our top schools are part of the problem. Recently, MITs graduation was marred by a student speaker, Megha Vemuri, who donned the politically symbolic keffiyeh and told the commencement audience, We are watching Israel try to wipe out Palestine off the face of the earth, and it is a shame that MIT is a part of it. She also accused MIT of complicity in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people. Writing in the Times of Israel, one alum panned the speech as a trite, TikTok-depth graduation speech on a tragic issue of devastating complexity; she condemned the administration for not informing the audience of myriad programs funded by MIT that improves the lives and futures of Palestinians. MITs president, Sally Kornbluth, did not defend the university or refute Vemuris incendiary language; instead, she stepped to the podium and said, At MIT, we believe in freedom of expression. But today is about the graduates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not, apparently, about the Jewish graduates. A Jew graduating with a Ph.D in cryptography posted on X: I finally got my PhD from @MIT, with my 5-year-old twins, my 2-year-old and my parents (children of Holocaust survivors) traveling halfway around the world just to be there. Instead, MITs student commencement speaker decided it was appropriate to use the moment for hate-filled rhetoric against Israelis and Jews too many in the crowd erupted with cheers and anger. My kids might not have understood every word, but they felt the fear and hostility. How could @MIT let this happen? How, indeed. It is not only schools that are allowing anti-Jewish and anti-Israel hatred to spiral out of control; because the fever is being staunchly condemned by the Trump White House, the media has gone mushy. After the Boulder incident, USA Today ran a sob-sister piece about the offspring of the Egyptian man who tried to burn Jews alive with the headline: Boulder suspects daughter dreamed of studying medicine. Now she faces deportation. After receiving massive blowback, USA Today quietly revised the offensive piece. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Increasingly, it is progressives like Omar who are responsible for surging antisemitism. Apologists claim that supporting Palestine and opposing Israel do not constitute antisemitism. Perhaps they would not in in isolation, but the protesters have taken pains to muddy the waters as much as possible. As the New York Times recently noted, the sprawling protest movement against the war in Gaza has scrambled efforts to distinguish opposition to the actions of the Israeli government, or even to the state of Israel itself, from hostility to Jews. Critics of the protesters have argued that slogans like globalize the Intifada are thinly veiled calls for violence in any Jewish space. A rabbi in Boulder was quoted by the Times writing, Jews in America have mostly felt the threats of antisemitism from the far right in the form of White Supremacy, yet now many of us have experienced hatred, bigotry and intolerance from progressives, those who many of us have considered friends and allies. In City Journal, Charles Fain Lehman writes, The American radical anti-Israel movement has built the intellectual scaffolding forand in many cases all but invitedthe violence now playing out in places like Boulder. When you call for Intifada, you cannot feign surprise when someone takes that call literally. Whatever your legal right to speak, that is the outcome you invoked. Lehman is correct: The Intifada is here and must be confronted. Our government must protect free speech criticizing Israel or supporting Palestine, but it must also deploy all resources to punish acts of violence including on college campuses before more people get hurt. If it were blacks or Asians under attack, we would not have to defend efforts to stave off hate crimes. Jews should be afforded the same protections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Liz Peek is a former partner of major bracket Wall Street firm Wertheim and Company. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Science quietly powers Utahs prosperity. From lifesaving diagnostics at ARUP Laboratories and cutting-edge biotech startups to clean energy research at Utah State and drought-resistant crops developed through university partnerships, science is behind much of what makes life in Utah better, longer and more secure. In 2024, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded over $300 million to Utah institutions. That funding supported thousands of jobs, helped launch companies, and enabled groundbreaking research in everything from cancer treatments to Alzheimers to rare disease therapies. Public health advances that benefit every Utahn urban or rural almost always begin through federally funded research. But now, that progress is in jeopardy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Proposed cuts and restrictions to NIH funding could have devastating effects on Utahs research institutions and economy. The plan to slash NIHs overall budget by nearly half, coupled with a proposal to reduce the indirect cost reimbursement to universities from around 50% to 15%, would mean far less money to cover the real costs of doing science. Basics like lab space, utilities, data storage and administrative support arent luxuries theyre the infrastructure that makes research possible. For public universities like the University of Utah and Utah State, this isnt just a budget concern. Its a structural threat. Without adequate indirect cost support, universities would either have to drastically scale back research activity or shift the financial burden to students and state taxpayers. Both options would weaken Utahs competitive edge in science and technology. The consequences would ripple far beyond campus. Utah is known for its Industry motto a title that honors the resourcefulness and hard work that built our communities. Today, that industrious spirit thrives in our biotech labs, clean tech startups and health research centers. But industries cant thrive without innovation. Utahs life sciences sector depends on a steady pipeline of NIH-supported talent and discoveries emerging from research. Companies like Recursion, Myriad Genetics and BioFire Diagnostics thrive because of academic partnerships and access to skilled graduates. Pulling funding would slow innovation and shrink the talent pool. But its not just about economics. Its about people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NIH funding supports clinical trials that help Utah families battling cancer. It funds suicide prevention programs in our schools, mental health outreach in rural counties, and pediatric care innovations at Primary Childrens Hospital (PCH). It supports research for Native American communities and families dealing with chronic conditions like diabetes and asthma. Without that funding, many of these programs would disappear. Ive seen the impact of public health investment firsthand. After I tested positive for latent tuberculosis as a student, I received free weekly treatment and health monitoring through the Utah County Health Department. It was science-backed care, delivered through a local system supported by federal resources. Without that treatment, I could have developed active tuberculosis a threat not just to me but also to others. The system worked because it was built on scientific research and proactive policy. That kind of safety net doesnt happen without sustained funding. Furthermore, my nephew, Wesley, was cared for at PCH when he was just four months old. He was diagnosed with polyarteritis nodosa, a rare autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and damage to the heart. The NIH not only funds various programs at PCH but also was crucial to backing the science that led to properly diagnosing and saving Wesley. These cuts hurt the next generation. Graduate students and early career scientists many of whom come from Utah rely on federal research grants to get their start. If funding dries up, so do those opportunities. We risk losing promising young minds to other careers or other countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is not a partisan issue. Scientific progress should never be about politics. Every Utahn benefits from the medications they take, the clean water they drink, the safe food they eat and the medical care they receive. All of these are underpinned by science. Restricting it weakens our shared safety net and quality of life. Utah is built on hard work, innovation and foresight. Cutting science funding now would undermine the very foundation that allows us to adapt, compete and care for our communities. Science works for Utah lets keep it that way. There are limitations to President Trumps transactional view of the world. This is evident in his growing tension with Elon Musk, which risks creating political problems that threaten his agenda. Trump usually gets his way through a mix of flattery, favors and intimidation, but Musk is less inclined than most to respond to these techniques. Musk holds a lot of cards. His Tesla factories employ tens of thousands of American workers. His SpaceX rockets underpin our national aspirations in space. He is also the wealthiest person on the planet, and his wealth facilitates a natural tendency to speak out when his principles are challenged. That was illustrated in late 2023 when he invited advertisers to stay off his social media platform. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is possible to disagree with everything Musk does and still concede that the man is principled. This is why our less principled President is struggling to understand Musks hostility to the tax and spending bill, the oddly named One Big Beautiful Bill Act, so named after an utterance by Trump. Musk carried out his work at the Department of Government Efficiency without humanity and with childish antics. But if his methods were wrong, his beliefs were real. His opposition to a spending bill that negates his work by increasing federal debt by more than $2 trillion is rooted in deeply held principles. His life would be easier and his businesses more secure if he had stayed quiet and joined other Republicans in supporting a bill they know leads our nation one step closer to fiscal ruin. Musk is different. He was willing to alienate himself from liberal consumers by taking up his position at DOGE and supporting Trump, but equally willing to alienate himself from MAGA consumers by opposing the Trump tax bill on principle. This type of principled stand is difficult for someone like Trump to understand, and I believe he is being honest when he says he cant understand Musks opposition to the bill. In Trumps eyes, he offered Musk a favorable transaction: Publicly support my policies, and I will maintain your access and influence. Musk refused the deal because staying quiet meant violating his principles. This is foreign to Trump, who values public appearance and profit over principles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk isnt the only person President Trump is struggling to understand. Chinese president Xi Jinping is equally principled and believes what he says about the 21st century belonging to China. Xi is committed to erasing the last vestiges of Chinas subordination to the West. He is telling the truth when he discusses the belief that China should play a central role in the world and dominate Asia. The Chinese president is committed to taking control of Taiwan because its de facto independence represents a contemporary manifestation of an earlier and weaker time in Chinese history. American power can deter Xi from invading, but there is no deal imaginable that will cause him to change his mind about the inevitability of seizing Taiwan. Xi holds the principle too deeply to let it go, and here again Trump struggles to understand. Xi cannot capitulate to American demands on either trade or Taiwan without resurrecting in his own mind the idea of a weak and subordinate China. This is one important reason among several why he hasnt acquiesced to American demands on trade and seems to be preparing for a prolonged standoff something that probably wasnt part of Trumps initial plan. Xis principles make it difficult for our transactional president to understand the man and predict his actions. Russian President Vladimir Putin is another example of someone Trump fundamentally fails to understand. Putin acts immorally but is still more principled than he is transactional. Trumps offer to reintegrate Russia into the world economy and deepen American economic ties with Russian companies might have worked to end the war in Ukraine if Putin were as transactional as Trump. Our president offered Putin an objectively good deal an escape from relative isolation and a chance to increase Russias national wealth and the personal wealth of its president and closest collaborators. But Putin is being honest when he says Ukraine should be part of Russia. He has so far been unwilling to accept Trumps generous offers because they dont comport with his principled belief. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like Xi, Putin refuses to accept even the appearance of Russian subordination to the West. His principled stand means Trumps transactional offers are unlikely to succeed. American interests are better served by forcing Putins hand by weaking Russias economy and hurting it militarily by supporting Ukraines resistance. Trump cannot easily see this because he doesnt understand how the Russian president sees the world. Putin is not primarily transactional he pursues his principles until sufficient counterforce is applied. This is a different way of engaging with the world than Trumps dealmaking. It requires an American approach to Russia that Trump has so far failed to understand and embrace. Trump believes everyone has a price and will eventually make a deal. He has been successful because he has often been proven right in this. Consider, for example, the Republicans in Congress who sacrificed their principles to safeguard their reelections by supporting a fiscally irresponsible bill. Their actions once again affirmed Trumps instinct that everyone has a price. But not everyone is so transactional as that. Men like Musk, Xi and Putin see the world through a principled lens. As good as he is at dominating transactional people, Trump struggles to understand and then anticipate and control the actions of people who are primarily guided by principle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This has political consequences for Trump himself and geopolitical consequences for our nation. Until Trump better understands the motivations of principled people, our country will continue offering deals to people who are entirely uninterested. Trump is also risking his legacy and agenda by antagonizing potential critics like Musk by miscalculating their reactions when his actions violate their principles. One of Trumps most redeeming qualities is his honest desire for peace, but his transactional approach to Americas adversaries will never create the stability he seeks. Just as he should have anticipated Musks opposition to the spending bill, he should have anticipated Xis intransigence on trade and Putins desire to continue his war. The understanding that some people act on principle is a blind spot for our transactional president, and this makes it difficult for him to understand the principled parts of the world. Colin Pascal is a retired Army lieutenant colonel and a graduate student in the School of Public Affairs at American University in Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. For six long months, President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have put Americas 16 million veterans through the emotional wringer. Thousands of veterans have already lost their jobs because of Trumps mass firings of federal workers, and many more will follow. One internal Department of Veterans Affairs memo suggests up to 80,000 more job cuts are on the way. That pain is likely to get worse in the coming months, as experts warn that Trumps latest round of planned cuts will leave struggling VA hospitals in crisis as staffing levels shrink and care levels fall. Its fitting that frustrated veterans chose June 6 D-Day as the moment to take a stand, as they hold a rally at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., that advocacy group Unite4Veterans describes as one of the largest rallies of military service members in decades. Like D-Day once did, Fridays rally has the potential to reshape the political landscape ahead of the upcoming midterm election. Faced with the reality of Trumps destructive VA policies, Americas troops are questioning their traditionally deep Republican loyalties at a level weve never seen before. Congressional Republicans, take note. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Veterans were told our service would be honored, that wed be taken care of when we came home, said Christopher Purdy, the founder and CEO of The Chamberlain Network who also served in Iraq with the Army National Guard. The same lawmakers who made those promises are backing budgets that would gut the systems veterans rely on. It sends a message: veterans are useful as symbols, but expendable when it comes to actual policy. Part of veterans frustration comes from the fact that the VAs size and complexity make it a tough place to cut jobs. With nearly 500,000 employees spread across 170 hospitals and 1,200 local clinics, the VA is the nations largest health care system. Because its spread across every state and territory, a decision made in Washington can lead to job vacancies in Utah, where few replacement specialists exist. Luring out-of-state clinicians to rural areas can be time consuming and expensive, leading to a wave of canceled appointments and delayed treatments as hospitals scramble to cope. None of this is a secret to the Republican lawmakers dangling a sword above thousands of VA workers. Emails written by VA hospital workers and reviewed by ProPublica warn of service cuts for the roughly 9 million veterans who use the departments medical services. One staffer in Pennsylvania warned of severe and immediate impacts including some veterans losing access to lifesaving clinical trials. The GOPs Big Beautiful Bill promises to make life harder for service members even if they dont make use of VA medical services. Twenty-five percent of active-duty service members report facing food insecurity and chronic hunger, compared to just 10% of the general population. One Defense Department report found that more than 22,000 troops use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which Trumps budget wants to shove onto cash-strapped states. For most veterans on the program, those cuts will make it even harder to feed their families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The word betrayal comes up a lot in conversations with veterans advocates, especially when they talk to veterans who have watched with dismay as Republicans rebrand their earned benefits as government handouts. Those veterans backed Republicans in 2024 by a nearly 2 to 1 margin, only to find a growing number of GOP lawmakers refusing to even hear their concerns. Democrats have noticed veterans rising frustrations, too, and hope to channel that discontent into a new electoral coalition. It wont be as easy as simply thanking the troops for their service. Veterans can tell the difference between symbolic gestures and real commitment, Purdy told me. Veterans understand what it means to serve this country more than most, and we pay attention. When politicians start tearing apart the very systems we fought to defend, its going to have consequences. Fridays Washington rally prominently features Democrats with military backgrounds, including Sen. Tammy Duckworth, former Rep. Conor Lamb and retired Rear Adm. Mike Smith. Meanwhile, Army veteran and California Rep. Derek Tran is turning the fight to reinstate veterans fired by Trump into signature media issues. As veterans fill the streets of major cities in a public display of anger at Trumps mismanagement, Democrats have a rare opportunity to connect with voters who are normally out of reach. Letting the partys veterans take the lead is a smart first step. They can press that advantage by recruiting even more veterans as congressional candidates in 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I havent had anyone from any party reach out to me before this whole fiasco, said Shernice Mundell, an Air Force veteran and former federal health care specialist. A mother of three, Mundell lost her job at the Office of Personnel Management when Trump laid off thousands of federal workers. Now shes considering running for Congress. After years spent taking veterans votes for granted, Republican lawmakers are discovering that it is possible to ask too much of Americas fighting men and women. Veterans are already frustrated enough to organize and mobilize. If the GOP keeps cutting core VA services, millions of those troops will march their way to the ballot box next November to do some firings of their own. There are changes that need to be made and we have to step up and make that happen, Mundell told me. If not us, then who? CORRECTION (June 6, 2025 2:07 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated the location of the rally organized by Unite4Veterans on Friday. It is at the National Mall in Washington, not nationwide. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com As the Trump administration pushes for more mass deportations, law enforcement officers from the Department of Homeland Security are suddenly everywhere. In San Diego, Homeland Security officers conducted a SWAT-style raid on a restaurant, handcuffing 19 employees over an hour and slamming the manager against a wall in the process. Eventually, they arrested four people. The raid was so heavy-handed that the officers had to deploy flashbang grenades to escape from the angry crowd that gathered in response. Even members of Congress arent safe. Last week, Homeland Security officers forced their way into Rep. Jerry Nadlers (D) New York office without a warrant. When one of the staffers protested, she was handcuffed and detained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cases you hear about are only the tip of the iceberg. Federal officers are fanning out across the country, conducting raids, traffic stops, even scooping people up at courthouses when they appear for immigration hearings and carting them away in leg irons and shackles harsh treatment that you seldom see even when felons are arrested. This heavy-handedness and cruelty isnt a glitch its intentional, as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Tom Homan, President Trumps border czar, attempt to frighten immigrants into leaving the country. Even legal residents and American citizens are getting caught up in the crackdown. And the worst part is, while things like barging into a congressmans office and detaining his staffers arent legal, there is nothing anyone can do about it. If Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents force their way into your house without a warrant, slap you around and detain your family at gunpoint while conducting an illegal search, you have no way of getting your constitutional claims into federal court. As a practical matter, these agents are above the law and cannot be held accountable for violating your constitutional rights. Why this is true is yet another example of our system of checks and balances failing to appreciate the risk of a president deciding to simply the the law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the Civil War, to ensure that states abided by the Constitution, Congress passed 42 U.S. Code 1983, giving individuals the right to sue in federal court when their constitutional rights had been violated under color of state law. At the time, it was inconceivable that there should be a similar need to sue for constitutional violations by the federal government. For one thing, law enforcement was almost exclusively under state control the FBI was not founded until 1908. Moreover, the federal government was seen, generally, as the perennial good guy and the guarantor of constitutional rights, a position it held right through the civil rights era. As the federal government and federal law enforcement grew, this became more and more untenable. So in 1971, in a case called Bivens v. Six Unknown Fed. Narcotics Agents, the Supreme Court created what is known as a Bivens action as an analogue of section 1983, giving individuals the right to sue in court when their Fourth Amendment rights were violated under color of federal law. Since then, the Supreme Court has been reluctant to extend the reach of Bivens, ultimately holding in 2022 that no one could ever bring a legal claim for excessive force or any constitutional claim against a federal officer enforcing immigration laws. This is dangerous, especially now. The rule of law is not supposed to run on the honor system. Section 1983 and Bivens actions are not just about monetary damages. They are a way for citizens to hold their government accountable. Officers understanding that they may someday have to explain their actions is a powerful deterrent to bad behavior. Nobody likes accountability, but it makes all of us, including police officers, better people. The current system of what happens in ICE, stays in ICE is the opposite of that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unchecked by the courts, ICEs behavior will only get worse over the next three and a half years. Even the most well-meaning bureaucracies are subject to mission creep, so you can expect Noems troops to expand their activities well beyond detaining immigrants. The Homeland Security officers who invaded Nadlers office were hunting for protesters, and Homan has already threatened state officials and even members of Congress with arrest for interfering with ICE. When it comes to constitutional rights, no man is an island. The threats, performative cruelty and denials of basic due process are not attacks on immigrants. They are attacks on the rule of law itself. You should be just as upset and concerned by the Guatemalan snatched off the street and hustled onto a plane with no notice and no due process as you are by the sobbing staffer handcuffed in Nadlers office. In the eyes of our Constitution, they are all of us. Chris Truax is a charter member of the Society for the Rule of Law and an appellate attorney. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. In his first term, President Trump was widely seen as a knee-jerk defender of Israel. Now, not so much. Whether and how far Washington splits from Jerusalem especially on Irans nuclear-weapons program has enormous security implications for America, Israel and the wider Middle East. For Trump, personal relationships with foreign leaders equate to the relations between their countries. If he is friendly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, then U.S.-Israel relations are good. And vice versa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today, neither relationship is fully broken, but both are increasingly strained. Seeking the strongly pro-Israel evangelical Christian vote in 2016, Trump pledged to withdraw from President Barack Obamas Iran nuclear deal and generally provide Israel strong support. He kept that promise, exiting the agreement in 2018. Moreover, Trump moved Americas embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, merged the separate Palestinian liaison office into the bilateral U.S. mission, recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and protected Israel at the U.N. Security Council. The transactional basis for these acts was clear. Having close personal relations with Netanyahu, or at least appearing to, buttressed this political imperative. How good those first-term relations really were invites debate, but a continuing rationale was Trumps desire for reelection in 2020 and, later, 2024. Keeping the pro-Israel vote was a top priority in both races. Even though tensions developed between Trump and Netanyahu, few surfaced publicly. In 2024, Trump held the evangelical vote while losing Jewish voters to Harris by a mere 34 points. Even many Harris voters believed Trump would safeguard Israels interests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But now that electoral constraint is gone, since Trump has essentially admitted he cannot run again. Meanwhile, earlier irritants such as Netanyahu garnering publicity for his role in the 2020 strike against Irans Qassem Soleimani, swiftly congratulating Joe Biden for winning in 2020 and his general aptitude for getting more attention than Trump himself caused personal relations to grow frostier. And all of this was very likely fed by Trumps recurring envy of Obamas 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. So in just four months since the inauguration, Trump concluded a separate peace with Yemens Houthi rebels, ending inconclusive U.S. efforts to clear the Red Sea maritime passage and leaving Israel in the lurch while Houthi missiles targeted Ben Gurion airport. The White House, without Israel, bargained with Hamas for release of Edan Alexander, their last living American hostage. Trumps first major overseas trip was to three Gulf Arab countries, but he skipped Israel, in direct contrast to his first term. While in Saudi Arabia, Trump lifted sanctions imposed on Syrias Assad dictatorship, clearly breaking with Israel, which retains grave doubts about the militant group that ousted Assad and now rules the country. The record is not entirely negative. Trump sanctioned the International Criminal Court for initiating investigations against Netanyahu and his former defense minister. He broadly, but not unreservedly, backs Israels campaign against Hamas. But the greatest divergence has emerged over the existential threat of Irans nuclear weapons program. On April 7, during Netanyahus second post-inaugural visit to the Oval Office, no one seemed more stunned than he when Trump announced that Steve Witkoff would soon be negotiating with Iran. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump had previously disclosed writing to Ayatollah Khamenei, expressing openness to negotiation but setting a two-month deadline, implying military force should talks fail. If the clock started from the date Iran received the letter, that two-month period has ended. If it began with the first Witkoff-Iran meeting (April 12 in Oman), the drop-dead date is imminent. Trump could extend the deadline, but that would simply extend Israels peril. Reports that Witkoff has broached an interim or framework deal further exacerbate the dangers of Tehran tapping Washington along. Time is always on the proliferators side. While discussions languish, Iran can even further disperse, conceal and harden its nuclear weapons assets. Trump acknowledges pressing Israel more than once not to strike Irans nuclear program. Such public rebukes to a close ally facing mortal peril are themselves extraordinary, proving how hard Trump is trying to save Witkoffs endeavors. Little is known about the talks substance, but reports show signs of inconsistency and uncertainty indeed incompetence over such critical issues as whether Iran would be permitted to enrich uranium to reactor-grade levels, the original sin of the Obama deal. To say Netanyahu is worried is more than an understatement. Trumps behavior is entirely consistent with greater personal distance from Netanyahu and a desire to be the central figure, rather than Netanyahus Israel taking dispositive action against Tehrans threat. It may also reflect the isolationist voices within his administration, although not among Republicans generally, as 52 senators and 177 representatives have publicly urged Trump not to throw Iran a lifeline. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israel did not ask permission in 1981 before destroying Saddam Husseins Osirak reactor, or in 2007 before destroying Irans reactor that was under construction in the Syrian desert. Trump is grievously mistaken if he thinks Netanyahu will chicken out, standing idly by as Iran becomes a nuclear power. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. John Bolton was national security adviser to President Trump from 2018 to 2019 and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006. He held senior State Department posts from 1981 to 1983, from 1989 to 1993 and from 2001 to 2005. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Less than 1% of the 16.4 million soldiers who fought in World War II are alive today, according to the World War II Museum. That translates into about 66,000 veterans. But those figures are a year old, so the numbers are certainly much fewer today. The museum says 131 World War II veterans die each day, on average. The 81st anniversary As the world prepares to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the remarkable military victory known as Operation Overlord, or D-Day, which took place on June 6, 1944, its worth pondering what will happen when no participant in that remarkable day is alive. How long will the world remember what heroes did to preserve freedom and liberty at a time when the forces of tyranny, fascism and bondage were so strong and formidable? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The question is impossible to answer unless todays generation resolves to keep the stories alive. The war was captured in more video and audio recordings than any war preceding it. Many of todays new crop of senior citizens were raised on stories told by parents and other relatives who fought, or by immigrants who came here after being liberated by U.S. soldiers. It will be up to each new generation to keep the remarkable deeds of that day alive, and to pray that a similar sacrifice will not be required in the future. The U.S. Holocaust Museum estimates between 180,000 and 220,000 European refugees came to the United States between 1933 and 1945. Nazi persecution was the largest motivator for this migration, at least for those who were lucky enough to make it here. The world cannot afford to forget the lessons of tyranny and its many warning signs. Carrying full equipment, American assault troops move onto a beachhead code-named Omaha Beach, on the northern coast of France on June 6, 1944, during the Allied invasion of the Normandy coast. | U.S. Army via Associated Press Tyranny and oppression Unfortunately, tyranny and oppression, with its typical progression toward expansionism through war, never seem to go out of style. Today, the free world faces new threats from nations that seem to be consolidating power. A war is underway once more in Europe. The NATO alliance is facing pressure and threats. Unity is more important than it has been at any time since 1945. Four years before D-Day, when Britain faced its darkest days under German aggression, Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously told the House of Commons: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender. Ultimately, that promise and the victory over tyranny required the united efforts of many allied nations, led by the United States. The wars outcome would have been different if not for the daring and deadly invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe on D-Day. On that first day, 4,414 Allied soldiers died. Thousands more were to give their lives before Adolf Hitlers forces were crushed. Before that happened, Churchills words turned prophetic. The allies did indeed fight on the streets in France, and on the sea and in the air, liberating suffering people as far north as Norway. True meaning of hero The word hero gets overused in modern society. However, its application is never more appropriate than when used on the soldiers who fought on D-Day. As one veteran from that day told the Deseret News years ago, he and his fellow soldiers had been told, in stark terms, that half the men in the group were going to die on that mission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They told us that. But everybody went anyway, he said. That is stunning to contemplate. That character, that love of freedom more than love of their own lives, is what the world honors each June 6. It is something the world must continue to honor, to study, to ponder and to absorb forever. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested an Ocoee man on 12 felony counts of possessing child porn as part of FDLEs statewide initiative to identify and apprehend criminals targeting children who share files depicting their abuse. FDLEs investigation into Kenneth Leslie Dolgos, 47, is ongoing. Dolgos sparked the interest of law enforcement after an operation in April located a device sharing files depicting child porn on a peer-to-peer platform. Dolgos was identified as the individual responsible for sharing and uploading the files, with his residence being recognized as the location from which the IP address was utilized. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This month, a search warrant was executed at Dolgos residence and multiple electronic devices were seized. Forensic analysis located multiple files depicting the sexual abuse of children, some as young as 2 years old. Dolgos is currently incarcerated in Orange County Jail. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) As President Trumps big, beautiful bill makes its way through the Senate, Oregon lawmakers held a hearing on Tuesday, detailing the impact proposed Medicaid cuts under the bill could have on Oregon. Republicans reconciliation bill includes at least $880 billion in spending cuts, largely to Medicaid, to cover the cost of $4.5 trillion in tax breaks, as reported by the Associated Press, noting Republicans are pushing for the spending cuts to root out waste, fraud and abuse. On Tuesday, the Oregon Senate Committee on Health Care held a hearing with representatives from the Oregon Health Authority, health care clinics and health care consumers to learn more about what the cuts to Medicaid could mean for Oregon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FBI: Teens plan for mass shooting at Washington state mall leads to arrest Emma Sandoe, the Medicaid director for the Oregon Health Authority, was among those who testified at the hearing. According to Sandoe, Congress is mostly addressing spending cuts to Medicaid by aiming to reduce the number of people enrolled in the program. The Oregon Health Plan Oregons Medicaid program insures 1.4 million people in the state, or about 33% of the states population, Sandoe said. Medicaid covers a variety of services for nearly half of all births in Oregon along with long-term health services and coverage for people with disabilities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Class action lawsuit accuses Grocery Outlet of deceptive pricing in Oregon stores Under the big, beautiful bill, upwards of 100,000 Oregonians could lose Medicaid coverage, according to Sandoe, noting the bill could lead to at least $1 billion in Medicaid cuts to Oregon in the 2027-2029 biennium. Those payments support hospitals, clinics and health care providers. Medicaid cuts in the state would especially harm Oregonians and health care providers in rural counties, Sandoe said. For example, in Eastern Oregon, Malheur County for instance, 51% of the population is enrolled in Medicaid. So, providers in those counties rely heavily on Medicaid funding and if those providers arent able to stay in business, not only does it impact the 51% of people that have Medicaid coverage, it also impacts the 49% of people that rely on other health insurance coverage to see those providers in that area, Sandoe explained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Eye on Northwest Politics When more people have coverage, its not just good for the people who are enrolled, it is good for the whole system, Sandoe told the committee. People covered are able to treat disease earlier, and providers are able to be paid for the health care services they deliver. This keeps providers in business for everyone. During Sandoes presentation to the health care committee, she explained several changes the federal bill would make, including adding new work requirements. The bill proposes requiring states to verify 80 hours of work activities per month for Medicaid applications and renewals twice per year. This would be required for people ages 19-64 in the Medicaid expansion group starting December 31, 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For Oregon, this means up to 462,000 Oregonians many of whom work could face additional red tape to keep their health care coverage, according to Sandoe, adding that 100,000-200,000 Oregonians could lose Medicaid coverage because of challenges demonstrating that they meet the work requirements. Tillamook opens first owned-and-operated facility outside of Oregon Additionally, the bill would require copays. This would be a change for Oregon, which has not charged copays since 2017, Sandoe explained, noting, copays of any dollar amount can be detrimental for Medicaid patients, preventing patients from getting needed medical care or consistent access to their prescription drugs. The big, beautiful bill also proposes stripping Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood clinics. According to Sandoe, this could lead to clinic closures in Oregon, noting tens of thousands of people could lose access to birth control, cancer screenings and abortion care provided by Planned Parenthood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill would also prohibit Medicaid funds from covering some healthcare services. National Geographic names Oregon Coast train ride among dreamiest for stargazing Today, Oregon law requires the Oregon Health Plan and private health insurance plans to cover medically necessary gender-affirming care. However, the federal proposal would ban Medicaid funding for gender-affirming care for people of all ages and private insurers would no longer be required to cover this type of care putting access to gender-affirming care at risk for more than 7,000 Oregonians, according to Sandoe. The OHA Medicare director warns these cuts to Medicaid could end up costing taxpayers more in the end. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When we have instances that providers go out of business or for example, (federally qualified health centers) or other providers that provide primary care services then were not able to do what we do really well in Oregon which is to ensure that were treating the person early in their health care conditions before it becomes at a stage of needing higher costs and ultimately when a person is sick, they end up using the health care system in some capacity and having that higher cost does cost everyone more if its uncompensated care. Drug trafficker sentenced to 15 years in prison after largest meth bust in Oregon history Following the hearing, Committee Chair Deb Patterson (D-Salem) released a statement, saying, More than 1.4 million Oregonians have Oregon Health Plan coverage funded by Medicaid, and its clear from the testimony today that slashing the program will have serious impacts on that population and well beyond. Patterson added, Our rural hospitals and clinics will lose funding, decreased staffing could make appointments harder to get, and people who are forced to delay care will face worse health outcomes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proposed budget bill passed the House on May 22 and is now being considered in the Senate. President Trump said he wants the bill passed by July 4. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. A national environmental foundation has begun efforts to plug orphaned gas wells in Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania, to reduce methane emissions affecting local neighborhoods. Pennsylvania has the second highest number of orphaned wells in the United States, many of which are leaking methane into nearby communities. The Well Done Foundation is addressing this issue by sealing abandoned wells, including one in Millcreek Township, which is estimated to emit as much methane annually as 1,100 cars. Bill passes PA House incentivizing buying healthy food with SNAP Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just in Erie County alone, there are literally hundreds and hundreds of these orphan wells, said Curtis Shuck, Chairman of the Well Done Foundation. One of our top priorities, of course, is keeping our residents safe, and when we have contaminants that are floating in the air and getting into our water table, that is going to pose life-threatening problems, said Kim Clear, Millcreek Township Supervisor. The Well Done Foundation has successfully sealed 57 abandoned wells across the country and is now working on its 58th in Millcreek Township. This particular well, located in the 2600 block of West 25th Street, is believed to have been used by farmers centuries ago but has since been neglected. The well is situated just 15 feet from housing and close to township stormwater drains, making it a priority for plugging. Township officials acknowledge the long-term health benefits that the project will bring to the community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brig Niagara arrives in Maine to undergo $5 million worth of repairs Workers discovered high pressure inside the well, and crews will relieve this pressure by pumping cement into the well to ensure it is fully sealed. This process aims to eliminate any points for gas or fluids to leak to the surface. Curtis Shuck noted the challenge of dealing with undocumented orphan wells, stating, As we start to get into these wells, we work with the state of Pennsylvania to see if they have any records or any known history on the well. This was an undocumented orphan well before it was brought to their attention. The Well Done Foundations initiative in Millcreek Township represents a significant step in addressing environmental and public health concerns associated with orphaned wells. When work on this well finishes in about a week, theyll move over to work on another orphan well near the former Manor Motel on West 8th Street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WJET/WFXP. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WJET/WFXP staff before being published. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com. Gloves, a fur coat and a bear mask. This outfit might sound like avant-garde fashion, but its actually the uniform of caretakers at the San Diego Humane Society who are raising an orphaned black bear cub. Campers in Californias Los Padres National Forest found the cub in April. Biologists from the states Department of Fish and Wildlife tried looking for the cubs mother for several days. After no sign of her, the humane society took him in. The cub, who was nearly two months old when he was taken in, is the youngest black bear the organization has ever cared for, according to Autumn Welch, the societys wildlife operations manager and one of the cubs caregivers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At that age, he would be with his mom 24/7 and not really venture away from the den, Welch said. He definitely wouldnt have been able to survive on his own, so he most likely will be in rehab for about a year. The humane society mashes fruit and other solid food with baby foods to help the bear cub gain strength. The staff have not named the cub as part of protocol to avoid getting too attached. - Courtesy San Diego Humane Society The goal is to eventually release the cub back into the wild, so the bear costumes worn by his caretakers reduce the risk of him imprinting on humans. But do the costumes actually convince the cub hes being taken care of by other bears? According to Welch, they do. She said that caregivers recently performed a test by entering his enclosure without the costume to make sure the cub is not identifying them as humans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was afraid and ran up the tree, Welch said. Thats what we want. The caregivers wear real fur coats that were donated to the humane society, Welch said. To make the costumes even more believable, the furs are stored in sealed containers with hay sourced from a local wildlife sanctuary that also houses bears. She said the hay helps the furs have a black bear scent. Now, we dont know if he looks at us as like surrogate mamas, she said. I feel like its more like we are his playmates, like his siblings, that are coming in and if he does want to play with us, we redirect him to his teddy bears. Along with teddy bears, the cubs enclosure is also filled with donated furs, black bear-scented hay, trees and plenty of places for him to climb and hide to simulate a den, Welch said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cub sleeps on and hides under one of the larger teddy bears, which Welch thinks he sees as his mother. Welch said stuffed bears have been a source of comfort for the cub. - Courtesy San Diego Humane Society This large teddy bear was something that provided him comfort, Welch said. When we were not there, he would seek shelter by her, go rest against her, take naps all cuddled up with the bear. The caregivers use their time in the cubs enclosure to teach him skills that his mother would have taught him, like how to climb, how to find grasses and insects to eat and how to build a nest, Welch said. Its been wonderful to see him hit various milestones, she said. I remember the first time he ate a bug, he dug through the dirt and picked out a beetle and ate it, which was great. The bear cub asleep at the top of a tree he climbed in his enclosure. Welch said it was one of her favorite moments while raising the cub. - Courtesy San Diego Humane Society The staff at the San Diego Humane Society isnt the first to suit up to take care of orphaned wildlife. Employees at the Richmond Wildlife Center in Virginia wore a fox mask while caring for an orphaned kit. At the Wildlife Midlands Centre in South Africa, an employee used a makeshift crane costume to teach an orphaned chick how to drink water. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Welch said wearing a mask to take care of young wildlife is a strategy that theyve used when bottle feeding baby raccoons and coyote pups. She said its important since young wildlife is very impressionable. Since they have never cared for such a young bear, they had to order supplies, including the bear masks. Welch estimates it will cost $72,000 to take care of the cub for a year. Its a labor of love, she said. We are happy to help these animals and get them back out and someday see him thrive in the wild its going to be the best thing ever. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Crowds gathered outside the at-capacity Palmer Lake town hall in December during a hearing to determine the eligibility of an annexation request from developers of Texas travel chain Buc-ees. URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) OSF HealthCares Urbana and Danville medical centers will come together as one hospital with two campuses in order to address gaps in care. In a news release from OSF sent Thursday morning, the organization announced that they are deeply committed to serving the communities of Champaign-Urbana and Danville by ensuring access to high-quality, sustainable care. Champaign Co. energy program receiving $1M through grant Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After months of careful analysis, thoughtful discernment, and listening to community needs, we are taking steps to address critical gaps in care and strengthen our presence in east central Illinois, part of OSFs news release states. As part of the transformation, OSF HealthCare Heart of Mary Medical Center in Urbana and OSF HealthCare Sacred Heart Medical Center in Danville will come together as one hospital with two campuses. The Urbana campus will focus on providing inpatient behavioral health services, meeting a vital need for vulnerable patients who deserve access to specialized care. Emergency services and inpatient beds, along with diagnostic, lab and other clinic offerings will stay at the Urbana campus. Since welcoming OSF Heart of Mary and OSF Sacred Heart into our Ministry in 2018, we have invested significant resources into the hospitals and their communities, OSF said in its news release. However, ongoing financial losses, reduced use of inpatient beds, and the departure of key physicians have led us to reimagine how we can best serve the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three Bement homes saw higher levels of copper or lead in drinking water: EPA OSF said by aligning its services across both campuses, they can eliminate duplication, address provider shortages and embrace new, innovative models of care. The health system is also looking to expand mental health services at its Urbana campus for young adults, patients with co-occurring medical and psychiatric conditions, and older adults needing geriatric psychiatric care services that have been limited in OSFs area. OSF said the transition may bring change for some of its Mission Partners, and that theyre committed to continuing to support each of them. Over 170 open roles are available locally in OSFs Ministry, and they will work with impact Mission Partners to assist them in finding new opportunities and offer resources and support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pending approval from the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board, this transformation will be implemented as of Jan. 1, 2026. Throughout this process, our patients remain at the heart of every decision, part of OSFs news release reads. We will work closely with each patient and their care team to ensure any necessary transitions are smooth and supportive, providing clear information, continuity of care and a personalized approach every step of the way. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) A bad actor who conducted a phishing scam targeting Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) employees earlier this year impacted 933 people, 564 of whom were Illinois residents. On Friday, the Federal Trade Commission announced that there was an incident involving personally identifiable information within the State of Illinois systems. On or around Feb. 11, the HFS became aware that a bad actor was conducting a phishing campaign targeting HFS employees and attempting to gain access to their usernames and passwords. We are taking this case incredibly seriously, Rantoul man arraigned in connection to 8-year-olds stabbing Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The scammer sent emails to HFS employees from another government email account that they had previously hacked, so that the emails looked legitimate to HFS employees. As a result, one of the workers emails and documents were compromised. When discovering the scam, HFS worked with the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT) to block the link contained in the email and reset any employees password that may have been compromised. HFS also communicated with all its employees about the threat and reminded the workers about appropriate actions to take when presented with a request for state credentials. Former GCMS teacher, coach arrested for 6 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The information that was compromised differed for each individual impacted, but may have included things such as: Customer names Social security numbers Drivers license or state identification card numbers Financial information related to child support Child support or Medicaid identification and case numbers Date of birth HFS completed notifying the 933 affected clients (564 of which were Illinois residents) on May 23. Those affected by the campaign are urged to email hfs.privacy.officer@illinois.gov with any questions they may have. They are also able to contact consumer reporting agencies to place a free fraud alert or security freeze on their accounts, or the Federal Trade Commission to learn more about fraud alerts, credit freezes or other identity theft resources. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com. ALABAMA (WHNT) As the Big Beautiful Bill is under consideration in the Senate, an Alabama Senator says his top priority is to get the spending bill passed. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville said Thursday the legislation is likely to undergo some significant changes while in the Senate, but he said his ultimate goal was to get the bill over the finish line. Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate to run for lieutenant governor Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The number one priority in this bill is getting the jobs and tax cuts done, Tuberville said. The spending bill has received criticism from conservatives over the past few days, including the former head of the Department of Governmental Efficiency. Elon Musk has called the bill an abomination, posting on social media platform X about how the spending bill will significantly increase the national debt. The problem that Elon Musk looks at, I look at it different, Tuberville told members of the press on Thursday. Number one, the way to grow this country is to get the tax cuts done and that tax cuts are in this bill and we need to make them permanent. Tuberville said he and his colleagues have complained that Democrats spend too much money. He said he wants to cut back on how much can be cut from this bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres a lot of things the federal government, in this bill, is trying to send down to the states, Tuberville said. We cant afford it in Alabama. We cant afford to pick up the tab for a federal government agency that was started years ago by the federal government. We dont need it in the state. Tuberville said he is looking to the future to make changes. Remember, we will do another reconciliation after this, Tuberville said. We have two more in the next year and a half, so whatever we dont get done in this bill, hopefully we can get done in the next. The president has given Republicans in the Senate a tight deadline to pass the spending bill, asking them to have it on his desk by July 4th. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Tax Foundation estimates the bill passed by the House of Representatives will add more than $2 trillion to the national deficit over the next 10 years. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. The alliance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk to borrow a phrase from the space community has undergone a rapid unscheduled disassembly. Yet amid all the fireworks Thursday from the duos public meltdown, one area of the space world seems to have a brighter future: the moon mission. Musk, the SpaceX founder and well-known Mars enthusiast, has argued against returning astronauts to the lunar surface. But the stunning forced exitof the billionaire's handpicked nominee for NASA chief and Musks massive rupture with the president have handed moon backers in Congress and industry an opening and theyre seizing it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elon was the main reason for the fork in the road for NASA's human exploration plans, said Clayton Swope, a former congressional adviser on space. With his exodus from D.C., there's a good chance NASA will refocus back to the moon with the plan: moon then Mars. A number of major space companies just not SpaceX are launching an ad campaign going big on the moon, according to two industry officials granted anonymity to discuss the effort. The move is the first sign of real pushback against the behemoth space company and its founder, who only days ago seemed to lock down government contracts every time he blinked. A television ad funded by the companies, who do not go by an umbrella name, will appear on television in the coming days with a pitch clearly aimed at Trump. A narrator, underlaid by dramatic images of Americas Apollo missions, implores voters to call senators in support of the moon mission and keep America first in space. A separate letter addressed to the Senate Commerce Committee, and obtained by POLITICO, backs investments in the moon, and is signed by a lengthy slate of prominent space companies but not SpaceX. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the feud between Trump and Musk escalated on Thursday evening, the Senate Commerce Committee unveiled a new reconciliation bill that would channel $10 billion to NASA. Much of it would go to the space agencys effort to return to the moon through the Artemis program. The White Houses NASA budget had proposed major cuts to Artemis, including slashing a planned lunar space station and moon missions. Anybody who's following space will have noticed how deeply committed [the committee is] to getting back to the moon, particularly before the Chinese get there, said a committee aide, who was granted anonymity to discuss the bill. All of this is happening amid Musks very public fall from grace. Trump, during the social media showdown with his former confidante, threatened to cancel Musks contracts with the government. The SpaceX founder responded by saying he would end the Dragon spacecraft contract, which is the U.S. only reliable way of accessing the International Space Station. (But he also suggested late Thursday night that he might not actually do so, and Trump played down the dispute in a POLITICO interview.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president had already abruptly pulled the NASA administrator nomination for Musk ally Jared Isaacman last week, just days ahead of his likely confirmation by the Senate. Isaacman, speaking on a podcast this week, linked his ouster to Musks provocative departure from the White House. I don't think the timing was much of a coincidence, he said. This all means Congress may now have a stronger hand in negotiations with the White House over the NASA budget, which was written before Musks break from Trump and heavily favors Mars. The administration's budget proposes major cuts to spending for the moon in favor of nearly $1 billion for landing an astronaut on Mars. SpaceX, thanks to provisions in the bill, was likely to snag a lucrative contract to build the landing system for any red planet mission. That seems much less feasible now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senators from states with large NASA centers such as Alabama and Louisiana are particularly keen to latch on to moon funding. Trump has voiced support for a Mars mission, meaning the idea may not have completely faded. But with Musk's implosion and the latest moon push, a return to the lunar surface is on firmer ground than it was just a week ago. POLITICO PRO SPACE: Need an insiders guide to the politics behind the new space race? From battles over sending astronauts to Mars to the ways space companies are vying to influence regulators, this weekly newsletter decodes the personalities, policy and power shaping the final frontier. Try it for free for a limited time starting today. Find out more. Dominique Grant said she was in the middle of a mental health crisis when she was pulled over driving on Moreland Avenue by a Georgia State Trooper the Friday before Mothers Day. Arrested under suspicion of DUI, the 32-year-old mother was booked into the Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC) around 11 p.m. that night. Grant admits to speeding but denies being intoxicated. She believes the officer was upset that she requested a field sobriety test and chose to arrest her instead. After she was handcuffed and placed in the back of the police car, she said the officer then offered her a Breathalyzer, which she refused. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Grant is a full-time advocate and community organizer working with currently and formerly incarcerated women. So it felt like an unfortunate twist of fate when she found herself behind bars in one of the jails she regularly visits. I asked to be taken to the diversion center instead of ACDC, and I was denied that option, she told Capital B Atlanta. When Grant arrived at the jail, she said, she was able to get in contact with her husband before she was put in a cell with two other women. One she said was visibly drunk and cursing at corrections officers, and another who she thought was experiencing withdrawal symptoms had a large open wound on her leg. Throughout the night, Grant said, she asked to be given water and was ignored, until an officer offered her water out of his own cup. When she asked for a new cup, he declined and continued to disregard her pleas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I got there at 11 oclock at night, its now 6 oclock in the morning and I havent gotten water or a phone call since so Im just crying, she said. Grant said the treatment she and the other people detained in the jail that night was unprofessional, and she made it known. I said, We really push [the incarcerated women we work with] to respect yall, because yall are doing yalls jobs, but to see how yall treat people is really crazy, she recounted. Once the corrections officers found out she was with Women on the Rise, a local organization working to combat mass incarceration and empower formerly incarcerated women, she said her treatment changed. She was allowed to leave her cell and make a phone call at 6:15 a.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I call my husband, and hes like, Yeah, Ive been sitting in the lobby since 2:30. Your bond has been posted since 2 oclock, she said. Grant was relieved to be released at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday morning so she could spend Mothers Day with her 4-year-old son. Still, the overall experience left a bitter taste in her mouth but even more committed to her work. Since her release, Grant has hired an attorney, begun seeing a therapist, visited a psychiatrist and restarted mental health medication. She also plans to take a driving class before her August court date. Dominique Grant, an advocate and community organizer working with currently and formerly incarcerated women, attends a rally calling on officials to address conditions at Fulton County Jail. (Deshaneir King) As the campaign and operations manager for Women on the Rise, Grant has been front and center with Communities Over Cages, a coalition of local organizations working to close the Atlanta City Detention Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Built in 1995 ahead of the Olympic Games, ACDC is owned and operated by the city of Atlanta. But it is not the responsibility of the city to maintain a jail. According to Georgia law, that responsibility falls to the countys elected sheriff, Patrick Labat. Facing an overcrowding crisis and deteriorating conditions at their main jail led Fulton County leaders to turn to Atlanta for help. But even with access to a newer, not overcrowded jail, many of the same issues persist. Last fall, the U.S. Department of Justice released a 97-page report on the jail that described how policy, training, and systems of accountability do little to prevent excessive uses of force by corrections officers against incarcerated people. Read More: Renovating Fulton County Jail Isnt Enough, Sheriff Says The DOJ report talks about the fact that the issue with Fulton County or with Rice Street isnt necessarily the condition of the building itself. Its the culture amongst [corrections officers] and that shit is carrying straight over to ACDC, Grant said. A broken promise Devin Franklin, movement policy council for the Southern Center for Human Rights, speaks at a Communities Over Cages rally against the new $2 billion jail proposed by Fulton County. (Madeline Thigpen/Capital B) The four-year lease agreement between the city of Atlanta and Fulton County, that allowed for Grant to be detained at ACDC rather than in a Fulton County-owned jail, will end in December 2026, and the contract explicitly states renewal is not an option. With the leases expiration date on the horizon, advocates like Grant are hopeful they can successfully get the city to close the jail once and for all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fulton County officials, however such as Board of Commissioners Chairman Robb Pitts have been vocal about wanting to purchase ACDC from the city. While Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has said he has no plans to sell or relinquish the jail to the county, Pitts told Capital B Atlanta that based on his own conversations with the mayors office, he still believes it is a possibility. This isnt the first time Atlanta has gotten this close to closing its downtown jail. In September 2018, former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms ended the citys eight-year agreement to house Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detainees in ACDC. As we work to achieve our vision of an Atlanta that is welcoming and inclusive, with equal opportunity for all, it is untenable for our City to be complicit in the inhumane immigration policies that have led to the separation of hundreds of families at the United States southern border, Bottoms said in 2018. For a while, it looked like the jail was close to being shuttered. Once it was no longer holding ICE detainees, the jail housed fewer than 50 people on average while operation costs continued to rise for the building that was designed to hold 1,300 people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In May 2019, then-City Council member Dickens successfully authored and introduced a bill to create the Reimagining ACDC Task Force made up of residents, organizers, and local government representatives. The next week, Mayor Bottoms signed legislation authorizing the closure of ACDC with the goal of transforming it into a centralized hub for social services like behavioral health programs and job training and placement. Despite the task force developing four proposals for how to repurpose the facility in 2020, ACDC now houses over 400 people. In December 2022 at the end of one of the most deadly years at Fulton Countys main jail on Rice Street, where 15 people died the city of Atlanta entered into a four-year lease agreement with the county for up to 700 beds in the citys detention center. Two of the 19 people who have died in Fulton County custody since then were incarcerated at ACDC. At the start of the lease, Fulton County was housing around 3,400 people in its main jail, which was built to hold 2,500. Half of those in custody were unindicted. According to the countys public safety dashboard, the number of incarcerated people sleeping on portable or temporary bunks continued to rise in the months after the lease agreement began and did not reach zero until a year later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The leadership of the grassroots movement, especially Women on the Rise, gave the city a blueprint for how they could repurpose that space, and the city broke its promise, said Tiffany Roberts, who served on the Reimagining ACDC Task Force, in an interview with Capital B Atlanta. Read More: Why Does Atlanta Want to Lease Its Jail to Fulton County? Roberts is also director of public policy at the Southern Center for Human Rights, who, along with Women on the Rise, was a vocal opponent of the lease with Fulton County and warned that it would not alleviate the overcrowding issue that the lease purported to address. As a former criminal defense attorney with the Fulton County Public Defenders Office and then in her own private practice, Roberts saw how the jail was used to warehouse people who often didnt have the resources to pay for their own release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [I was] representing people who were homeless or who were profiled by police and were stuck at the detention center for city ordinance violations that were essentially either crimes of race or crimes of poverty, she said. Looking for solutions Roberts has been telling officials and residents for years that overcrowding will not be solved until local elected officials address the root causes of the issue instead of throwing more money at police, prisons and prosecutors to lock up more people. It was recently reported that the multi-million dollar Fulton County Center for Diversion and Services is barely utilized by the 15 police departments in the county, including APD, that are authorized to use the facility There should be incentives, for example, for police officers to use [diversion services] rather than arrest. Mayor Dickens has within his power to tell the police to deprioritize crimes of homelessness, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A representative from Grady Health System, which operates the diversion center, told the Fulton County commissioners last week that the staff sees an average of only three people each day. Next year, Fulton County will have to find a way to house the 400, mostly women, that are currently being detained in ACDC. No announcements have been made yet, but prior to the lease, they were being detained at the south annex jail in Union City that the county has been renovating over the last year. Legislation introduced in March by council member Antonio Lewis to begin planning a staged withdrawal of detainees has stalled in the Public Safety and Legal Administration Committee. Roberts said now is the time for Atlantans to press local elected officials to prioritize uplifting Black communities, not criminalizing the people who live in them. We have to stop defaulting to this nonsensical belief that authoritarianism and over-policing is okay as long as Black people do it. We complain about other folks doing it at the national level, so weve got to be paying attention to what our local officials are doing, she said. The post Overcrowded, Understaffed and Unsafe: One Womans Night in Atlantas City Jail appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta. Cyber charter school reform tops education agenda as budget negotiations take shape. Legislation to reform Pennsylvanias quarter-century-old cyber charter school law and return to taxpayers hundreds of millions in excessive tuition payments passed in the state House on Wednesday with bipartisan support. The bill now heads to the state Senate where a favorable vote would ratify one of Gov. Josh Shapiros budget priorities by capping cyber charter tuition at $8,000 per student next year. It would also establish a statewide formula for special education tuition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That would save school districts an estimated $616 million a year according to a House analysis of the bills fiscal impact. The upper chamber, however, is moving forward with bipartisan legislation that would allow parents in poorly performing school districts to spend tax dollars on private school tuition. Thats the solution Republicans prefer and that Shapiro, a Democrat, has previously endorsed to give students an alternative to traditional public schools. As lawmakers in Harrisburg buckled down this week for the month-long push to negotiate the state budget by the June 30 deadline, education funding, as always, will be a subject of prolific debate. The General Assembly must decide how much to spend on the second installment of a $4.5 billion multi-year commitment to fair education funding. Thats in response to a state court ruling that said students in less wealthy communities have suffered a disadvantage for decades because of the states reliance on property taxes to pay for education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Layered on that is the debate over whether and how much taxpayers should spend to provide educational alternatives for students in poorly performing schools or for whom the traditional public school setting is not working. It is not a conversation any longer about Ds versus Rs or conservatives, moderates or progressives. Its not a conversation any longer about who has and who hasnt, state Sen. Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia) said last month. This is simply the divide in America that says were all in the same boat, and if we dont educate our children we are in big trouble. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Shapiros proposed $51.5 billion spending plan calls for $1.5 billion more for education including $526 million in fair funding. But in his budget address, Shapiro said controlling how much cyber charter schools are paid by students home school districts would maximize the impact of education funding increases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sponsored by Rep. MaryLouise Isaacson (D-Philadelphia), House Bill 1500 would amend the charter school law that was first passed in 1997 and amended in 2002 to allow cyber charter schools. It passed with a 104-98 vote, including the support of Republican Reps. Thomas Mehaffie of Dauphin County and Kathleen Tomlinson of Bucks County. In response to the House vote on cyber charter reform Wednesday, the CEOs of five public cyber charter schools said the reduction in funding would be debilitating. Every member of the PA House Democratic Caucus voted today in support of the largest proposed cut to public education in nearly 15 years a cut that would further disenfranchise some of our Commonwealths most vulnerable children, the leaders of Esperanza Cyber Charter School, Reach Cyber Charter School, PA Virtual Charter School, PA Cyber Charter School, PA Distance Learning Charter School said. Marcus Hite, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Public Cyber Charter Schools, described the tuition cap as arbitrary and unrealistic. He added that it does not take into account the real costs of educating students, particularly those with disabilities and unique learning needs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This bill is not about fairness or accountabilityits about eliminating school choice for thousands of families, Hite said. H.B. 1500 is rooted in the dangerous belief that if we just throw more money at failing school districts and take options away from families, everything will magically improve. Thats not how education works, and its not what families want. Shapiro made news in 2022 as a candidate for governor by saying he supported private school tuition vouchers. Such programs have been a goal of conservative lawmakers across the country and one is outlined in President Donald Trumps Big Beautiful Bill that the U.S. House passed last month. It includes $5 billion for a national school voucher program. Shapiro proposed a $100 million scholarship fund 2023 that passed the Republican-controlled Senate, but it was shot down by House Democrats. He endorsed the proposal again in his 2024 budget proposal, and although rapper Jay-Z joined in support of the program, it wasnt in the final budget. Shapiro hasnt said one way or the other if he still backs the idea, but it wasnt part of this years proposal. Pennsylvania already has two programs that allow individuals and businesses to contribute to private school scholarship programs in lieu of state personal income and corporate net income, and other taxes. The programs provided $340 million such tax credits in 2022-2023, according to watchdog group Education Voters PA. The group has criticized the program, claiming it funds schools that are free to discriminate on the basis of religion, disability and LGBTQ status in their admissions policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate Bill 10 nonetheless resurrects the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) scholarship proposal from 2023. It would allow parents of students in the bottom 5% lowest performing school districts to apply for scholarships ranging from $2,500 for half-day kindergarten to $10,000 for high school students each year. The bill passed the Senate Education Committee 8-3 last month to be considered by the full Senate. Isaacson said her bill, which also passed the House last session, is the result of repeated and urgent calls to update the law that remained unchanged as the number of cyber charter schools grew and enrollment swelled to 65,000. This proposal is about fiscal responsibilities and aligning tuition to the actual cost of providing cyber education, she said. Republicans who opposed it said it denied a voice for families that choose cyber charters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It will close real schools, displace real students, strip families of the very choices that they depend on to give their children a chance at success, Rep. Martina White (R-Philadelphia) said. School districts must pay tuition for each student who chooses to attend a cyber charter school instead of their local public school. For regular education students, its based on the districts per-pupil spending minus costs that dont exist for cyber students, such as transportation and facilities. For special education students, the tuition is calculated based on the districts overall special education spending divided by 16%, the presumed proportion of students requiring special ed service. Critics say that formula is flawed because it underestimates the number of special education students and skews tuition toward the cost of services for students with the most intensive needs. And students with individualized education plans are 27% more likely to attend cyber charter schools, according to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. Education watchdog groups say that results in a windfall for cyber charter organizations because the tuition they get has little relation to the actual cost of providing an online education. It also opens the door to waste and abuse, according to Education Voters PA, which catalogued spending by the states largest cyber charter, Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA), that included a posh social club membership and the purchase of a luxury SUV. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republican Auditor General Timothy DeFoor released a report in February during House and Senate budget hearings that examined the finances of five cyber charters and found they had amassed excessive budget surpluses. The five charters fund balances grew 144% from 2020 to 2023, when they held a combined $619 million in unencumbered funds. DeFoors report also highlighted uncommon spending practices such as purchasing gift cards, paying bonuses to teachers and the acquisition of 21 physical properties by the states largest cyber school. House Education Committee Chairperson Peter Schweyer (D-Lehigh) listed claims from those reports as reasons to reign in payments to cyber charter schools. Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D-Montgomery) called it a damning indictment of the institutions. We would all get in trouble if we were taking gift cards as part of our compensation thats a pro tip for anybody whos in the room, dont do that, House Education Committee Chairperson Peter Schweyer (D-Lehigh) said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to capping tuition, HB 1500 would establish the Cyber Charter School Funding and Policy Council to recommend changes in how cyber charter schools are funded and how they operate. Isaacsons bill would also require cyber charters to return money to the state, if its general fund surplus is more than half of what it spent in the previous year or its capital fund surplus is more than 20% of what it spent in the previous year. That money would be available through the Commonwealth Financing Authority for public school building improvements, with 25% earmarked for the Solar for Schools program that lawmakers and Shapiro created last year. Weve all heard stories about asbestos, mold. We had a school district that had a high school that was completely flooded out. It would be great to be able to reinvest those dollars in the children and the teachers that we see each and every day in our actual physical public school buildings, Schweyer said. Cyber charter schools have also drawn scrutiny for poor student proficiency rates. Schweyer noted only 4.7% of CCA students scored proficient in math on state assessments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If any of your public schools had a 95% failure rate for math proficiency, would you be satisfied? he asked. Better question, would we be getting what were paying for? HB 1500 would limit increases in enrollment for cyber charters that face significant challenges related to academic achievement, student growth, graduation rate and other areas. And it would place a moratorium on new cyber charter applications through 2030. Republican Leader Jesse Topper (R-Bedford) argued passing the bill would amount to eliminating lifelines for students who are unable to thrive in traditional public schools. Outcomes and statistics can be tricky, Topper, who shared that his parents chose to homeschool him when the noise and disorder of public school proved to be too much. Many of the students who are falling through the cracks and who are attending these cyber charter schools are doing so because they are struggling, he said, adding that success for some might be simply earning a high school diploma. The COVID-19 pandemic showed the value of cyber schools to the point that most school districts have added their own cyber programs, Topper noted. We need to continue to talk about how we can do better in all aspects of public education, including funding, including formulas, Topper said. But the toxic nature of this conversation must end, and we must look at ways to move forward together as an entire system. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX A shuttered independent pharmacy in Harrisburg. (Capital-Star photo by Vincent DiFonzo) Last month, pharmacists from across the state travelled to Harrisburg for an urgent meeting with lawmakers. Their goal was to communicate a simple message pharmacies are closing at an alarming rate, eliminating one of the few places customers can receive free, unscheduled consultations with medical professionals. They warned theyre being driven out of business by middlemen in the pharmaceutical supply chain called pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawmakers took aim at this problem last year by passing the Pharmacy Benefit Reform Act, which sought to decrease the costs of prescription drugs and regulate PBMs. The legislation was touted by Gov. Josh Shapiro as an example of successful bipartisan reform while he was being considered for the vice presidential nomination. Nearly a year after the laws passage, pharmacists say it has failed to prevent closures. Since January 2024, at least 200 pharmacies have closed across the state. Now, theyre asking lawmakers to act again. The current PBM system is aptly harming our local pharmacies, jeopardizing patient access to care and threatening the very fabric of our community health infrastructure, Victoria Elliot, CEO of the Pennsylvania Pharmacist Association, told lawmakers during the meeting last month. What are PBMs and how do they impact Pa. pharmacies and patients? Pharmacy benefit managers are companies hired by insurance providers to administer prescription drug benefits of a health plan. They negotiate drug prices, decide what drugs are covered under insurance plans and reimburse pharmacies for drugs dispensed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theoretically, PBMs secure lower drug prices for patients by streamlining communication between insurance companies, drug manufacturers and pharmacies. Pharmacy advocates insist the opposite is true that PBMs are raising drug costs and driving them out of business through anticompetitive practices that force them to dispense prescriptions at a loss. The three largest PBMs CVS Caremark, OptumRx and ExpressScripts control about 80% of the market and are owned by companies that also own national pharmacy chains and insurance companies. That means pharmacies that dont agree to accept the reimbursement rates they set are likely to lose customers whose insurance plans rely on them. E. Michael Murphy, senior advisor for state government affairs at the American Pharmacists Association and assistant professor of clinical pharmacy at Ohio State University, says low dispensing and reimbursement fees paid to pharmacies by PBMs are a leading cause of closures. Oftentimes, when pharmacies dispense a medication for a patient, theyre taking a loss on that medication, either in the reimbursement for acquiring that medication from a wholesaler or in the professional dispensing fee, Murphy said. And unfortunately you can only do that for so long before the business model crumbles. Thats one of the big reasons that weve seen community pharmacies closing across the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Murphy said community pharmacy closures not only hurt small business owners, but also impact the ability of patients to access medications as they have to travel further to pick up prescriptions. When a community pharmacy closes, it can have a pretty dramatic impact on the health outcomes of that community, he said. Theres concern that can disproportionately affect patients in more marginalized or socioeconomicly vulnerable communities. Murphy voiced support for ensuring state agencies have the resources to enforce existing laws and regulate anticompetitive PBM practices. Greg Lopes, a spokesperson for the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, a D.C.-based trade group that represents the countrys largest PBMs, says PBMs help, not harm, Pennsylvania pharmacies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PBMs recognize that pharmacies provide access for patients to get drugs, so it makes no sense to blame PBMs for pharmacy closures in Pennsylvania, said Lopes. PBMs arent trying to put pharmacies out of business, in fact, PBMs are supporting community pharmacies in Pennsylvania through programs that increase reimbursement and advocating to allow them to expand the additional clinical services they can offer. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE He pointed to customer preferences for online options and changing demographics, as factors driving pharmacy closures. Pharmacists urge further action PBM reforms passed with bipartisan support in last years Act 77, which expanded the Pennsylvania Insurance Departments regulatory power and created new transparency requirements for PBMs operating in the state. But pharmacy advocates say the law didnt go far enough, and pharmacies are still closing at an alarming rate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rob Frankil, executive director of the Philadelphia Association of Retail Druggists told the Capital-Star that out of approximately 225 pharmacies represented by his organization, 12 have closed since January and 25 closed in 2024. He pointed to low reimbursement as the primary cause. Eleven of the 12 pharmacies that my association lost this year are in Philadelphia, he said. They all went out of business because theyre not being paid enough for the prescriptions theyre filling. He wants legislation that addresses reimbursement rates directly. One proposal is to require PBMs to reimburse pharmacies based on the average national cost of the medication theyre dispensing, plus a fee set by the state that accounts for a pharmacists time and materials used. Neighboring West Virginia passed a similar law in 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for Shapiro, asked if the governor would support further PBM reforms, responded with a quote from the governors February budget address, highlighting last years PBM reform law. We knew it was a problem that shady middlemen could jack up the cost of prescription drugs while driving our community pharmacies out of business, the statement said. So we came together to pass landmark reforms that bring transparency to how pharmacy benefit managers operate, keep more money in Pennsylvanians pockets, and protect the small and independent pharmacies we rely on in our communities. The primary sponsor of that PBM reform law, Rep. Jessica Benham (D-Allegheny), told the Capital-Star that further PBM reform is necessary, but said, We are somewhat limited on the state level with what we are able to do. Benham added that understanding the full impact of Act 77 will take time. She noted the bill required the state Insurance Department to conduct a study on the impact on consumers and pharmacies of future legislation to set a standard dispensing fee of $10.49. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They will also study the impact of patient steering and spread pricing on prescription drug costs and pharmacy access. Patient steering is a practice in which PBMs drive customers to their preferred pharmacies, often owned by the same parent company as the PBM. Spread pricing occurs when a PBM pays one price for a drug and reimburses a pharmacy less, profiting off the difference. An Insurance Department spokesperson said the study requires specialized expertise. The department will procure a vendor to assist with the development and implementation of the study, but have not begun this process yet. We will have to wait for the results to then move forward on further legislation, Benham said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As it stands, a number of PBMs are contracted by individual Medicaid providers, and are allowed to set their own reimbursement policies. Frankil told lawmakers last month that dispensing fees can be as low as a dollar. A 2020 study commissioned by a community pharmacy advocacy group found the average cost of dispensing a prescription for a pharmacy is $12.40. One proposal Benham said she supports would have the Department of Human Services, which oversees state Medicaid, use a single PBM to administer Medicaid benefits, an action pharmacy advocates are demanding that has precedent in other states. In 2022, the Ohio Medicaid Department moved to a single PBM to administer Medicaid, with one entity overseeing prescriptions covered by Medicaid. This forced Medicaid managed care organizations to work with a single PBM contracted through the states Medicaid Department, rather than procuring their own. A 2025 study found this move saved Ohios Medicaid Department $140 million, saved the state $333 million in administrative costs and allowed $700 million dispensing fees to be paid to pharmacies in the two years since its implementation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Murphy, an Ohio resident, praised this move. Oftentimes, when I talk to pharmacists in Ohio, theyll say that Ohio Medicaid is the best and most stable source of revenue for their businesses, which is just indicative of how positive this program has rolled out, he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The police stated that the reason for the alleged kidnapping was a financial dispute. A Palestinian man was arrested for being suspected of kidnapping an Israeli resident due to a financial dispute, Israel Police stated on Friday. The Palestinian, a Hebron resident, allegedly kidnapped the Israeli resident from Baqa al-Gharbiyyeh and took him across the Green Line to the West Bank due to financial debts. Israel Police met with Shin Bet, Border Police, and additional units The Coastal District police commander enacted an emergency order on Thursday night after the unit received intel of the kidnapping, and a joint situational assessment was conducted with the West Bank Police, Border Police, and the Shin Bet, and additional units to prepare for the rescue. Israeli soldiers raid the West Bank city of Hebron, May 23, 2025. (photo credit: WISAM HASHLAMOUN/FLASH90) The victim was released by his captor and returned to Israeli territory during the night, and shortly after, police officers located the kidnapper and arrested him. The Palestinian was transferred to the Coastal Central Unit for further investigation, and the court has extended his detention until June 9. This is a developing story. House Democrats have urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to respond to a bombshell claim from Elon Musk that Donald Trump is named in the so-called Epstein files. Reps. Stephen Lynch and Robert Garcia, who serve on key congressional oversight panels, sent a letter to Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel obtained by Axios, demanding that they immediately clarify whether this allegation is true. The lawmakers want Bondi and Patel to produce a detailed timeline of the Department of Justices handling of the Epstein files and to explain why there have been no new disclosures since February, according to the letter. Rep. Robert Garcia demanded in a letter to AG Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel that they immediately clarify whether Elon Musks Trump-Epstein allegation is true. / Andrew Harnik / Getty Images Trump is in the Epstein files, billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk wrote in a post on X Thursday, alleging that that is the real reason they have not been made public. Musk signed the post off by writing: Have a nice day, DJT! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk added in a follow-up post: Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out. Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 He was referring to files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced late financier and convicted sex offender who died by suicide while in federal custody in New York City in August 2019 as he awaited trial on new sex trafficking charges. Officials in the first Trump administration determined that Epsteins death was a suicide, but conspiracy theories that he was killed to shield high-profile individuals including Trump, Britains Prince Andrew, and former President Bill Clinton have proliferated nonetheless. The Trump administration in February declassified and released files related to Epstein, but they were highly redacted and did not offer major revelations. The FBI hasnt indicated when more files will be released. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lynch and Garcia want answers about who was involved in the review and redaction process. The Daily Beast has contacted the Department of Justice for comment. We write with profound alarm at allegations that files relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have not been declassified and released to the American public because they personally implicate President Trump, the lawmakers wrote in a three-page letter. Musk, one of the Presidents closest and most influential advisors, alleges that the President may be described in additional files related to this investigation. This allegation implies that the President may be involved in determining which files should be released and whether files will be withheld from the public if he personally chooses to withhold them, the House Democrats said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Giving a June 20 deadline, the House Democrats asked Bondi and Patel to provide a timeline timeline for the declassification and public release of all remaining files; to describe why the DOJ hasnt released additional files since February; to describe Trumps role in reviewing documents pertaining to the investigation and prosecutions of convicted sex offenders Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as his role in determining DOJs ability to declassify and make public these documents. They also demanded Bondi and Patel provide a list of all personnel whose approval is required to facilitate the declassification and public release of the documents, and to explain why the previously released files contained significant redactions. In a statement to Axios, White House spokesperson Harrison Fields dismissed the letter as another baseless stunt that bears no weight in fact or reality. These are the same left-wing lunatics who neglected their oversight duties regarding the Biden administrations lawless actions and concocted hoax after hoax on President Trump during his first term. No one takes them or their petty letters seriously, said Fields. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk pushed the explosive claim amid an epic public feud with the president, which centers on the Trump-backed One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Musk has criticized the spending package, describing it as fiscally reckless and a disgusting abomination. It was just a week ago that Elon Musk received a key to the White House from his erstwhile pal. / Nathan Howard / Reuters Hes said the bill would undermine his work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by adding trillions to the U.S. budget deficit. But Trump claimed Thursday that Musk was really upset about the effect the bill will have on his electric vehicle company, Tesla. In their rift Thursday, Musk also suggested Trump be impeached and replaced by Vice President JD Vance, and asked his 220 million followers in a poll on X whether he should create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle? Trump has said hes very disappointed in Musk and suggested he has Trump Derangement Syndrome. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reports that pair could be set to make amends as soon as Friday with a Trump team-scheduled call with Musk to broker peace were quickly rebuffed by the president, who said Musk had lost his mind and had no plans to talk to him. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement: This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted. Paramount Global chairwoman and controlling shareholder Shari Redstone is battling cancer as she tries to steer the media company through a turbulent sales process. Shari Redstone was diagnosed with thyroid cancer earlier this spring," her spokeswoman Molly Morse said late Thursday. "While it has been a challenging period, she is maintaining all professional and philanthropic activities throughout her treatment, which is ongoing. "She and her family are grateful that her prognosis is excellent, Morse said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The news comes nearly 11 months after Redstone agreed to sell Paramount to David Ellison's Skydance Media in a deal that would end the family's tenure as major Hollywood moguls after four decades. Read more: Inside Paramount's bumpy sale: the president, a scion and a possible sheikh However, the government's review of the sale to Skydance hit a snag amid President Trump's $20-billion lawsuit against Paramount and its subsidiary CBS over edits to an October "60 Minutes" broadcast. Redstone, 71, told the New York Times that she underwent surgery last month after receiving the diagnosis about two months ago. Surgeons removed her thyroid gland but did not fully eradicate the cancer, which had spread to her vocal cords, the paper said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She continues to be treated with radiation, the paper reported. The Redstone family controls 77% of the voting shares of Paramount. Since Bob Bakish was ousted as chief executive last year, the company has been managed by a trio of executives who share the title of co-chief executive. Her father, the late Sumner Redstone, built the company into a juggernaut but it has seen its standing slip in recent years. There have been management missteps and pressures brought on by consumers' shift to streaming. The trend has crimped revenue to companies that own cable channels, including Paramount. The COVID-19 pandemic followed by the 2023 writers and actors strikes also took a toll on Paramount and the Redstone family's private firm, National Amusements Inc., which owns movie theaters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paramount cut its dividend to shareholders two years ago, leaving the family in a financial bind. Financial pressures contributed to Redstone's decision to entertain offers for Paramount and National Amusements, which holds the Paramount shares. Nearly two years ago, Ellison and Redstone began talks that culminated last July with an agreement on a multi-phased, $8-billion deal that would pass the torch to Ellison. Redstone wants to close the deal. National Amusements would receive $2.4 billion, which would pay its debts and leave the family with more than $1.7 billion. She has urged the company to settle the lawsuit Trump filed in October, weeks after "60 Minutes" interviewed then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump accused CBS of deceptively editing the interview to make Harris look smarter and improve her election chances, a charge that CBS has denied. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The dispute over the edits has sparked unrest within the company, prompted high-level departures and triggered a Federal Communications Commission examination of alleged news distortion. The FCCs review of the Skydance deal has become bogged down. If the agency does not approve the transfer of CBS television station licenses to the Ellison family, the deal could collapse. The two companies must complete the merger by early October. If not, Paramount will owe a $400-million breakup fee to Skydance. Redstone, through National Amusements, also owes nearly $400 million to a Chicago banker who loaned the family money in 2023 and tech titan Larry Ellison, who is helping bankroll the buyout of Paramount and National Amusements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Why Paramount's efforts to settle Trump's lawsuit have drawn mounting political heat Last week, Paramount nominated three new directors to serve on the company's board following its July 2 investor meeting. In a proxy filing, Paramount asked shareholders to expand the board to seven directors, including Redstone and three recruits: attorney Mary Boies, a member of the firm led by her husband, David Boies; Silicon Valley venture capital executive Charles E. Ryan; and former Massachusetts trial court judge Roanne Sragow Licht. They would join longtime board members Linda M. Griego, Susan Schuman and Barbara M. Byrne. Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Some guy phoned Corvallis Fire Chief Ben Janes on Tuesday, June 3, just to tell him there wasn't going to be a Fourth of July parade this year. Janes wasn't sure of his name. Maybe Steven Black? Black has organized Corvallis' Fourth of July parade for 40 years, but as the tradition ends this year, so does many people's memory of how he started it and kept it going through the decades. Even Cloud Davidson, the Corvallis entrepreneur who revived the Red, White & Blue Riverfront Festival in 2019, told MidValley Media he was unaware of what was going on with the parade. "I'm forever out of the loop on this parade thing," he said. Black isn't just in the loop. He is the loop. "I'm 78 years old and confined to a wheelchair," Black said. "I've been doing this for some time, but now someone else will have to pick it up." The parade began in the mid-1980s. "It started out as just a little parade around Central Park for little kids who were in day care," Black said. "A bunch of day care people got together for this little park thing, but I said, 'If we're going to do it, let's do it right.'" That meant obtaining insurance, so Black approached the Corvallis Fire Department to help sponsor the parade. "We piggybacked on the fire department's insurance," he said. Getting people to stop traffic along the parade route proved more difficult. Corvallis police didn't enthusiastically raise their hands, he recalled. He suspects their reluctance had something to do with him being a public defender at the time. "At certain times, I had to give the police a hard time on the stand, so they weren't always happy with me," Black said. "They didn't want to help with the parade, but they were eventually told to by the City Council." For his part, there were no hard feelings toward the police, he said. "They were just venting their spleens." Until the City Council stepped in, he recalled, he had to get creative to stop traffic. "You have to have someone who is trained to do it, but when the police didn't want to, I called my friends at Charlie's Towing," Black said. "They're also people who can stop traffic legally." Tensions between Black and local police eased with time. "The police settled down and decided it had been a long enough time since I gave them a hard time in court," he said. After that, the parade settled comfortably into a local tradition, known as the All-American, Everyone-Can-Join, Fabulous, Fantastic Fourth of July Parade. "We had the usual llamas," Black said. "Cars had to be in the back so they didn't run over the marchers and the llamas." Parade entrants gathered between Southwest Jefferson and Monroe avenues. From Monroe, they proceeded to Southwest First Street. "We could fill up the street," Black said. "That wasn't a problem. I'd say we had 800 to 1,000 people in the parade at its largest and 2,000 to 3,000 spectators lining the streets." The parade wound its way from First Street to Southwest Washington Avenue and then turned on Southwest Western Boulevard before ending at the Eric Scott McKinley Skate Park. Last year was not only Black's final year as the parade organizer but also as one of its participants. His final appearance in the parade was riding a motorized tricycle and wearing his blue pants and redandwhite Hawaiian shirt. "I'm going to miss it, but I just can't do it," said Black, who retired from his law practice in 2008 after 40 years. "Believe me, I want to, but it's time to pass the baton. It's very possible someone else could pick it up." Related stories: CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Emotions ran high during Thursday nights Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board meeting as parents, students, and staff demanded answers about the sudden departure of Ardrey Kell High Schools beloved principal, Jamie Brooks. Brooks was quietly suspended with pay on May 2, 2025, and then announced her retirement just weeks later. Since then, the district has remained tight-lipped, leaving many in the Ardrey Kell community frustrated and confused. MORE: CMS communication questioned after Ardrey Kell principal suspended without notifying parents Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We need the answer. Please bring Brooks back, one parent pleaded during public comment. Queen City News The outpouring of support for Brooks was loud and clear. Many parents described her as a positive, stabilizing force at the school, making their kids feel safe and valued. For us, seeing such a beautiful principal as Jamie Brooks being thrown away makes us question how disposable we are, one parent said emotionally. PREVIOUS: Ardrey Kell High School principal suspended with pay; cause not disclosed My two children never wanted to miss school until the last day, and they dont want to go back. They feel sad, they feel betrayed, and their teachers and educators feel disheartened. And this is not what we are expecting from CMS, another added. Queen City News The district has said it cannot provide details about Brooks departure because its a personnel matter, but the lack of explanation has only fueled speculation. Some are wondering whether its connected to a student fight earlier this year that involved claims of racial and religious prejudice, a situation that had already stirred tensions within the school. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE: Teens family sues for defamation after fight at Ardrey Kell High School So far, the district has not confirmed any connection between the incident and Brooks suspension or retirement. For now, families at Ardrey Kell said they just want honesty and a voice in what happens next. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Parents grieving the death of their 7-year-old son, hit and killed by an SUV driver in May, are facing charges because police said he was unsupervised while crossing the street with his 10-year-old brother. Jessica Ivey, the mother of 7-year-old Legend Jenkins, told WSOC-TVbefore her arrest that she had allowed the boys to walk to a grocery store two blocks away from their home in Gastonia, North Carolina, on May 27. A 76-year-old woman driving a Jeep Cherokee hit the younger boy just before 6 p.m. as he was trying to cross a four-lane road, the Gastonia Police Department said in a press release. He died in a hospital hours after the accident from his injuries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Legends mother and father, Samuele Jenkins, were charged with felony involuntary manslaughter and child neglect in the 7-year-olds death. They also face a misdemeanor charge of child neglect. Records show they are being held in Gaston County Jail on $150,000 bond each. While the Gastonia Police Department offers its deepest sympathies to the family for the heartbreaking loss of their child, the investigation revealed that the children involved were unsupervised at the time the boy stepped into traffic, police wrote in the release. In such cases, adults must be held accountable for their responsibilities to ensure a safe environment for their children. The Gastonia police department has received massive backlash following news of the parents arrests, with numerous people expressing their outrage on social media. The department declined to comment on the controversy. The 76-year-old driver who struck Legend with her vehicle has not been charged. Police said there was no evidence of wrongdoing, noting that she was not speeding and is cooperating with the ongoing investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Legends grieving mother believes the womans driving privileges should be revoked. Its hard, I havent stopped crying; my husband hasnt stopped crying, she told WSOC-TV. Honestly, I want justice for my baby. She shouldnt still be able to drive. Related... A woman believed to be the illegitimate daughter of Russian leader Vladimir Putin has been discovered in Paris. Elizaveta Krivonogikh (also known as Luiza Rozova and Elizaveta Rudnova) continues to live in what the Russian propaganda machine refers to as the "decadent West" amid Moscow's full-scale war against Ukraine, has found a job in the art world. Source: Latvia-based Russian media outlet Meduza, citing Russian poet and writer Nastya Rodionova in a Facebook post Details: Rudnova works as an assistant manager at the Parisian art galleries L Galerie and Studio Albatros, whose exhibitions have featured Russian and Ukrainian anti-war artists. Rudnova's resemblance to the Russian leader only fuels rumours that he is her father Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Photo from the network Rodionova said she did not think it possible to keep this information to herself, saying that most of the artists she knew who exhibited at these galleries had no idea who they were dealing with. Although the speculation as to the identity of Rudnova's father is just that speculation there is quite a lot of information available about her mother: "A former St Petersburg cleaner, today Svetlana Krivonogikh is the billionaire owner of yachts and ski resorts and a shareholder in the Bank of Russia and the National Media Group." She has been sanctioned by the UK government since 2023. "I believe in the presumption of innocence, that children are not responsible for the crimes of their parents," Rodionova wrote. "But in the midst of a war, a person from the family of the regime's beneficiaries coming into contact with its victims is unacceptable. Does Liza understand this at the age of 22, or does the responsibility lie with her surroundings? Obviously, the number of questions raised by this information is off the charts..." Rodionova said she had met with Dmitry Dolinsky, the director of L'association, the umbrella organisation which L Galerie and Studio Albatros are part of. He confirmed that Elizaveta Rudnova does indeed work at the gallery, but said that he "doesnt ask people about their family tree". He told Meduza that the young woman does indeed "look like Putin's daughter" as she appears in previously posted photographs, and that she was studying in Paris and doing an internship as part of her course. Before the full-scale invasion, Louise (Elizaveta) tried her hand at modelling and DJing and ran social media accounts Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rodionova says that Rudnova holds the position of a curator, although not an art curator, but rather in a third role: she helps with video filming, likely takes part in seeking out artists, and arranged an interview with one artist. Sources from the Parisian art community describe Rudnova as "an intelligent person", "a great collaborator and a wonderful girl who understands everything". Dolinsky said he hired Rudnova in October 2024. "I believe that a son is not responsible for his father. Even if we hypothetically assume that [she is Putin's daughter ed.], although no one has any evidence, should we shoot everyone like what happened to the Romanovs [the family of Tsar Nicholas II, who were executed in 1918]? What was I supposed to tell her? I can't hire you because of the kind of mother you have? We don't hire peoples mothers," he said, adding that if he had refused to hire Rudnova on those grounds, as an employer, he could be punished under the law. Putin, 72, carefully hides the number of his descendants from the public Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Photo: Getty Images Dolinsky also noted that Elizaveta has not lived in Russia for several years, and none of the artists had any reason to suspect that she was "in any way supportive of the policy of the Russian state or the war". "She lived with her mother and does not know her father," Dolinsky said. Background: Last year, TSN journalists located the French university where Elizaveta Rudnova was studying. Recently, a Russian Telegram channel shared a photo claiming to show another of the Russian rulers supposed secret descendants, a son he is said to have had with former gymnast Alina Kabaeva. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! DAKOTA CITY, Neb. (KCAU) On Friday morning, local fire crews responded to a fire in Dakota City, Nebraska. Around 5 a.m. Friday morning, Dakota City Fire Department personnel were called to a fire at 1909 Broadway Street in Dakota City, which is a local boat dealer business known as Cimmarina Boats. Crews found the roof of a building on fire when they arrived, and a section of the roof collapsed while they were at the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Story continues below Authorities believe the fire started in the repair room and workshop as a boat, that was inside for repairs, melted during the fire. South Sioux City and Homer fire crews also responded to assist in firefighting efforts. No one was reported inside the building during the fire. Further investigation will determine if the building needs to be red-tagged or if its safe to re-enter. Power to the facility is cut off at this time, and the cause of the fire is unknown. The fire is under investigation by the Nebraska Fire Marshalls Office. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) A female passenger is dead after a vehicle traveling the wrong way on the Skyway crashed into another vehicle late Thursday night, according to the Buffalo Police Department. Officials said the crash happened around 11:30 p.m. at the top of the inbound stretch of the Skyway. The driver of the wrong-way vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed when the head-on collision occurred. One female passenger, identified as 28-year-old Shabrina Grant, of Buffalo, was pronounced dead at the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The driver of the striking vehicle was identified as a 27-year-old man of Lackawanna and the driver of the struck vehicle is a 46-year-old woman of Buffalo. Both suffered serious injuries and remain in ECMC. The Skyway was closed in both directions for five hours and has since reopened. The investigation remains ongoing. Latest Local News Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini joined the News 4 team in 2024 as a Digital Video Producer. She is a graduate of Chatham University. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo. June 6 (UPI) -- The prosecution in the Erin Patterson mushroom murder meal trial went another round with Patterson Friday to prove she purposely invited her estranged husband Simon's family over to her house for a meal in order to kill them. Patterson has maintained that she asked Simon's parents Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt and uncle Heather and Ian Wilkinson, over for that meal, a lunch of beef Wellington, to her home in Australia in August of 2023 to tell them about a cancer diagnosis. She has since admitted she misled them about having cancer but instead had really invited them to her home to discuss her plans to have weight-loss surgery. Don and Gail died later that week, as did Heather, from the ingestion of poisonous death cap mushrooms, which prosecutors allege Erin purposely put in their lunch. Ian was sickened and hospitalized but survived. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutor Nanette Rogers alleged in her opening statement Friday that Patterson did not consume death cap mushrooms at the lunch, but pretended to have been sickened as a cover-up and that was "why we say she was reluctant to receive medical treatment for death cap mushroom poisoning." Rogers put forth to Patterson that she not only had allegedly invited the victims over to kill them with a death cap-laced meal, but had furthermore prepared an extra poisoned meal in case Simon, who had declined his invitation to dine that day, changed his mind and came to eat. Patterson testified Tuesday that she had only eaten a small portion of the beef Wellington lunch because she was deep in conversation and later had vomited up the food because she also ate cake and has a history of binging and purging. Patterson also testified that she went to the hospital after the meal but discharged herself against medical advice, which prosecutors used to suggest that she was not sickened by the food. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The prosecution then alleged Patterson purposely didn't feed the poisoned meal to her kids, which was why she didn't have them medically assessed. Rogers also mentioned messages Patterson allegedly sent to her Facebook friends, and to Don, Gail and Simon. "You had two faces, a public face of appearing to have a good relationship with Don and Gail," she said to Patterson. "I suggest your private face was the one you showed in your Facebook message group." Rogers went back through messages Patterson ostensibly wrote about Don and Gail, which were laced with expletives and allegedly mentioned she wanted "nothing to do" with them. She also suggested that Patterson had not shown any concern for Simon's parents, never asking how they felt after learning they were initially sickened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Incorrect," Patterson said. Rogers then asked, "And you never asked how Heather was going, and I assume you disagree?" "Correct," Patterson replied. Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one of attempted murder in the case. She will take the stand again Tuesday. New Paynesville brewery opens its doors with a focus on community originally appeared on Bring Me The News. It's not all closures in the world of Minnesota breweries. Koronis Brewing in Paynesville has just opened its doors and will celebrate its grand opening from June 6 to 8. "It was a couple years ago now when we had some community members dreaming about opening up a brewery in the area and creating a new community space," manager and brewer Laura Naujokas tells Bring Me the News. The Koronis Brewing patioKoronis Brewing Company/Facebook The ball, or keg, got rolling with Mary Peterson, a Paynesville native who now lives in Portland, Ore. She was keen on the idea of a brewery setting up shop in her hometown. She and a group of community members approached Laura and her husband Alex, who operate the Koronis Kafe houseboat that serves food and drink during the summer months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They accepted. Alex had a background in the service industry, but Laura did not. "I was a science teacher for almost 10 years," she says. "So, I ended up leaving that field to pursue learning brewing and everything else that comes with managing and running a restaurant." Construction began in September, and it officially opened on June 1. Koronois Brewing CompanyKronois Brewing Company/Facebook The brewpub will serve its own beers and seltzers along with drinks from other companies, including cider from Milk and Honey. But Laura says the project came from the community and is about the community. "Our first day was so packed," Laura says. "Everyone was so excited to come out and try it, and it was just a really good buzz, a good feeling of having somewhere to go that's new and just a little bit different." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The food menu, which aims to source as much as possible from local businesses, offers street tacos and flatbreads, as well as some more unexpected dishes like the Bison Tater Tot Hotdish Commercial and House-Made Sausage Rolls. With that eye on community, it's also hosting free concerts in the summer and has an event space called The Boathouse, where it has already booked a reunion and a bridal shower. As a brewpub, Koronis Brewing's beers will only be available inside the brewery. Curious imbibers can get a taste of taps like Lake Time Light Lager and Crow River Cream Ale at the brewery this weekend during its grand opening events, which include live music and plenty of beer. Related: 5 Minnesota breweries win medals at World Beer Cup This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared. FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. A driver fatally struck a pedestrian overnight in Fairview Heights near the scene of a vehicle fire, police say. The collision and the unrelated vehicle fire happened around midnight Friday near the area of St. Clair Avenue and Third Avenue. According to the Fairview Heights Police Department, officers initially responded to a vehicle fire in the area that appeared to have stemmed from a mechanical issue. While officers assisted with the vehicle fire, they heard a collision just west of the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 8-year-old injured in Baden shooting; 1 man dead Officers immediately responded and learned that a driver struck a pedestrian just moments before. First responders attempted some life-saving measures while requesting an ambulance. The pedestrian was rushed to a hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased from his injuries. Fairview Heights police say the driver that struck the victim immediately pulled over and was cooperative with the investigation. Police say, based on preliminary findings, witness statements and officer observations, it is possible the victim had come to the scene of the vehicle fire to assist a family member who was involved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Investigators say the victim parked his vehicle on the north side of St. Clair Avenue and walked into St. Clair Avenue southbound towards the Metrolink Station just before he was struck. Police have not yet disclosed the victims name or age. Authorities are currently working to notify next of kin. The Illinois State Police Crash Reconstruction Unit also responded and assisted the Fairview Heights Police Department with the investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) The Centers for Disease Control has updated its childhood vaccine guidance to include COVID-19 shots under a shared decision-making model, allowing parents to consult with health care providers. This shift comes shortly after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to remove COVID vaccines from the federal immunization schedule for kids, sparking questions about future policy impacts. Dr. Alana Arnold, CEO and founder of PEMPal, discusses the changes and how access plays a role in getting the vaccines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Above is a video explaining the role of the U.S. Attorneys Office. NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to 15 years in prison in connection to a case involving the abduction of a Norfolk woman. According to court documents, a Virginia woman (identified as Jane Doe) was abducted from a residence in Norfolk by the suspect, 61-year-old Troy Edwin Leitner of Scranton, on March 17, 2022. Reports say Leitner was wearing tactical clothing, a jacket marked with Fugitive Recovery Agent, a pistol, badge, and what witnesses say appeared to be valid credentials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leitner spoke with Jane Does neighbor and claimed he had an arrest warrant. Jane Doe wasnt home at the time, but the neighbor agreed to let Leitner know when she returned. The neighbor called him later that afternoon. Leitner returned and abducted Jane Doe. He told her she was under arrest and that he was taking her somewhere to answer questions. Jane Doe was reportedly a heroin addict. Over the course of a couple days, Leitner took Jane Doe to various locations along the East Coast and eventually left her at a hospital in Manning, South Carolina on March 19 after she became sick. He told hospital security he was Agent Leitner, a bounty hunter. He told security he picked up Jane Doe on the side of the road. The documents state the security guard noticed Leitners nervous behavior, and decided to take a picture of his license plate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leitner was later arrested in Pennsylvania. The release from the U.S. Attorneys Office does not provide any additional information about the victim in this case. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. Annette Anderson of York County Pennsylviania is accused of theft by deception and theft by unlawful taking after allegedly scamming the tenants of the 23 rental properties into giving her their rent payments each month. News station 21 News reports that Anderson began assisting her elderly mother in 2024 by collecting rent payments for the 23 rental properties her mother managed. However, her mother was not the owner of the properties she was simply overseeing them on behalf of a separate landlord. Don't miss Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By October of that year, Anderson had allegedly stopped handing over the rent money to her mother, instead claiming she was keeping it safe at home. In April 2025, Andersons mother told the property owner that she hadnt received payments in months. Officials said that the owner then attempted to contact Anderson directly several times before finally involving the police. While the police were able to contact Anderson at the time, she has allegedly gone on the run. Tenants outraged Tenants of Andersons mothers units reacted with shock when they learned of Anderson's charges. Knowing a person like that took money from people like us, and, you know, us trusting her and sending out payments like that, yeah it's upsetting, it's very upsetting," said renter Annette Martinez, who is not related to Anderson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The York City Police Department found that several tenants had not only paid rent to Anderson, but also their fees for sewage and trash. They also found that she had asked them to pay their rent by Venmo or CashApp in addition to the usual cashier's check or cash. The situation has many in the neighborhood worried, as some tenants say theyre now at risk of losing their homes. People going in the street, a lot of people are going homeless because the rent is going too high, said Gilberto Rivera in an interview with local news station 21 News. The police told 21 News that Anderson said she was ashamed of her actions when they contacted her about the investigation. She said she was involved in gambling at a local casino. According to the report, she assured police she would be able to pay the money by April 28, and was looking to get help for her gambling problem. However, she has been unreachable since that time, and police say her whereabouts are unknown. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan works every single time to kill debt, get rich in America and that anyone can do it Tenants may still owe rent despite paying Its unclear right now how the building owner plans to deal with the theft. Martinez told 21 News that the owners of the properties Andersons mother managed have hired new personnel to collect rents, and have issued letters that state their intention to work this out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a similar case in Tennessee in 2023, tenants were told by their rental company that the theft of their rent payments wasnt their fault, but they were still expected to pay the company again for the stolen amounts. With a record of all payments, tenants can report to the police and have a strong case to retain a lawyer to contest the demand for additional rent payments. In the case of Andersons mother, she may be on the hook for the payments collected by her daughter, especially if the checks issued by tenants were not tampered with and are correctly made out to her. How to protect yourself from rental scams If you are a victim of this type of crime, you can contact your states rental board. Some states, like New York, have a Housing and Tenant Protection Unit (HTPU), which is a branch of the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. In cases like this, tenants are advised to ensure they have a paper trail for all rent paid. This allows the police to accurately assess how much was stolen, and also for the tenant to prove to the management company and building owner that they paid their rent in good faith. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Law firm Kimball, Tirey and St. John advises landlords and property managers on their blog to avoid the possibility of theft by upgrading to more modern and secure methods of collecting rents, including accepting online payments, or taking payments by machine at the office during business hours. Property owners can also demand that managers only accept payments by secure means in their contract agreements, and include other provisions on how rents are collected and paid to protect their interests in the buildings they own. What to read next Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. Subscribe for free. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. What if ordering a pizza near the Pentagon heralded geopolitical doom? That's the core of the persistent Pentagon Pizza theory or Pentagon Pizza Meter. Made popular by the website The Takeout, this far-fetched but enticing thesis is making a comeback after going viral last year. The theory? If the teams at the Pentagon or the Department of Defense are particularly busy, they cant leave their desks. Therefore, it must mean that serious things are afoot. Regardless, the teams need sustenance, so theyll end up ordering food. And what could be quicker than a pizza? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ergo: If pizza deliveries go up in Washinton D.C., it could signal an imminent crisis. A correlation? - Canva This all goes back to the Cold War. At the time, Soviet intelligence services monitored excessive pizza deliveries by couriers to gauge alertness to potential crises. Then, on 1 August 1990, Frank Meeks, a well-established Domino's franchisee in Washington, noticed a sudden surge in deliveries to CIA buildings... all on the eve of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, which kicked off the Gulf War. What he thought was a coincidence at the time has become a pattern over the years. Meeks told the Los Angeles Times that a similar surge in pizza deliveries happened in December 1998 during the impeachment hearings of former President Bill Clinton. Pizza spikes - X In the age of social media, the theory has led online sleuths to scan the area around the Pentagon for pizza order spikes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And wouldnt you know it, on 13 April 2024, there were unusually high pizza orders from not only the Pentagon but also the White House and the Department of Defense. That date marked Iran launching drones into Israeli territory. The Pentagon Pizza Meter gets memed - X The theory quickly became a meme, with X users posting screenshots from Google Maps showing real-time activity at pizza outlets - particularly at a Papa Johns in Washington D.C. Pentagon Pizza Report - X @PenPizzaReport On X, the @PenPizzaReport account has set itself the daunting task of monitoring the activity of pizzerias near the Pentagon in real time. And this week, on 1 June 2025, the account published: With less than an hour to go before closing time, the Domino's closest to the Pentagon is experiencing unusually high footfall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A few hours later, tensions escalated between Israel and Iran. So, can pizzas predict war or be used to assess US involvement in global crises? It's hardly a reliable geopolitical indictor and no definitive correlation has been established. However, it remains a tasty predictor if so. As CNNs then-Pentagon correspondent Wolf Blitzer reported in 1990: Bottom line for journalists: Always monitor the pizzas. A joke, maybe. But maybe the Pentagon needs to diversify their food orders... PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) A Peoria teenager was sentenced Friday to seven years in prison in connection with a deadly shooting at a Peoria County liquor store almost two years ago. Jared Williams, 19, apologized before the sentence was handed down and said he wished he could take back what he did on Aug. 26, 2023, when he shot and killed Mason Loy, 21, of Havana. But Loys friends and family would have nothing of it and left as the hearing ended. One man called him a coward as he walked out. Another called him a murderer. The outbursts capped what was a highly emotional and unusual hearing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Williams was found guilty at an April jury trial of second-degree murder instead of the more serious charge of first-degree murder as sought by prosecutors. He was accused of shooting Loy, who was found in the parking lot of Laramie Liquors shortly after 9 p.m. that night. The case was automatically transferred to adult court on the first-degree murder but because second-degree murder a lesser offense requires a hearing in juvenile court before the case could be moved to adult court, there was a legal wrinkle. Williams attorney, Bryan J McIntyre, argued his client must be sentenced as a juvenile which would limit any sentence until his 21st birthday. He cited a 2017 Illinois Supreme Court case which he said had a similar fact pattern. A full second-floor courtroom got a primer on the ins and outs of sentencing in both the juvenile and the adult system. For nearly an hour, a high-stakes legal tussle was underway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cases from the states appellate and supreme court were cited. Papers were rustled. Questions flew back and forth with pointed answers. At one point, there was a debate on the word must. Then, it was a debate on when a 10-day window would open or close for the state to file a petition to transfer the case, given the verdict. In the end, Circuit Judge Steve Kouri ruled on the side of prosecutors David Gast and Brian FitzSimons. An appeal is almost certain and could affect Williams sentence. Second-degree murder typically occurs when a person believed they had to use deadly force, but that belief was unreasonable. In such cases, self-defense is a common argument. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its punishable by four to 20 years and a defendant is eligible for day for day good-time credit. Probation is also an option. First-degree murder, on the other hand, has a 20-to-60-year prison range and a person must serve 100%. Probation is not an option for that charge. At one point, the courtroom was emptied as it became a juvenile courtroom and thus, closed to the public. Then, after the judge decided he should be tried as an adult, people were allowed to come back. Two women gave emotional statements about how Loys death affected them and their children. Prosecutors pushed for the maximum 20 years, saying society needed to be protected while McIntrye argued his clients age and that he was a teenager meant he should get a lesser term. Deputies with the Peoria County Sheriffs Office were called to the store at about 9 p.m. Saturday on a report of a man being shot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When they arrived, they found Loy lying in the parking lot in a pool of blood, having been shot several times. A review of the stores security cameras showed Loy going into the store and then a dark SUV pull up. A person got out of the vehicle and then Loy walked out. Williams allegedly got out of the vehicle, pointed a gun at Loy and opened fire. Loy, the prosecutor had said, tried to flee but collapsed after being shot. During the two-day trial, Williams admitted on the stand that he shot Loy but said he was afraid for his life due to prior threats from Loy, one of which had been recorded and was shown to jurors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That video showed Loy allegedly going to Williams house and threatening to kill him and his family. Williams wasnt home at the time Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com. There is no more chilling a phrase in hospitality than enforcement notice. The very nature of it formal and aggressive bearing the assumption of wrongdoing, of guilt and of culpability in ghastly misdeed. Thus, such an envelope was waiting on the bar for Vasil Vasilev, manager of the Trafalgar Tavern in Greenwich, when he arrived for work one morning recently at the 188-year-old pub. And what dastardly infringement was the establishment in breach of? He was pretty sure there were no roaches in the kitchen and no rodents nibbling at the carpets. The place was noisy, but no more than usual. The Trafalgar, which opened in the year of Queen Victorias succession, is on the banks of the River Thames. And by the iron balustrade, overlooking the sandy banks of the river, on the cobbled streets beside the pub, are pub benches and umbrellas. And its this seating that has stirred Greenwich council into crafting its officious missive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The planning inspectorate has ordered the pub to stop using the land for drinking and dining and demanded that all seats, tables and umbrellas be removed. This, in spite of the cobbled area of the Thames Path known as the ramp and knuckle being leased to the pubs landlord Frank Dowling by the Greenwich Foundation, for which he pays an annual rent and having, he claims, signed a formal agreed with Greenwich Council in 2005 to use the space under what is known as a Section 16 arrangement. Its just ridiculous, said Mr Vasilev. We are not blocking pedestrian access theres plenty of room. He adds that there are three to four metres of space and as folk drink, theres a familiar sight of joggers passing and mothers pushing prams. On a warm day, customers spill out onto the ramp and knuckle, and admittedly, on a very busy day, it can be a bit of a squeeze for passers-by to navigate the merry throng. But the world kept turning. Until a council killjoy received an email or letter, which is the sort of thing that gets them up in the morning: a complaint. The Trafalgar Tavern in London has received threats from Greenwich council to close its pub garden - SWNS It only takes one complaint for a council bod to get fire in the belly, a rush of adrenaline through the veins. So, doubtless by lunchtime, theyd hit upon that slam-dunk reasoning that the seating was restricting access for emergency vehicles. Add to that the glorious words of people in wheelchairs and the elderly and they had their unarguable case. As the council puts it: There are planning policies in place that we need to follow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The message being: pubgoers might be having fun, but lives are in danger. So while thousands of people have used and continue to use the ramp and knuckle and with very few, if any, lives lost thus far, a handful of grumbles see the heavy wheels of the council turning: ahead is pleasure, and it must be crushed. And such is the state of our planning system; such is the demonic power-hungry appetite of a fevered council official, that the miserable few get to lord it over the benign majority. As Somerset Council recently wrecked the Milverton Street Fair, citing safety, so their Greenwich comrades seek to destroy some Victory IPA-fuelled fun in a little old patch of southeast London. Using some unorthodox tactics and against the odds, Horatio Nelson won his great battle of 1805, albeit losing his life in the process. Lets hope with rather less bloodshed this battle of Trafalgar also sees the right side triumph. And as to tactics for Commanders Dowling and Vasilev, they might heed what Nelson once advised one Captain Thomas Cochran: Never mind manoeuvres, always go at them. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Sen. Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City, is pictured on the first day of the legislative session at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca is suing Utahs attorney general and insurance commissioner over a law passed during the legislative session aimed at stopping drug manufacturers from limiting where hospitals and clinics can buy discounted medication. Filed in May in federal court in the District of Utah, the company accuses the law of being unconstitutional and in conflict with prior court rulings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sponsored by Sen. Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City, SB69 deals with the federal 340B program, a decadesold provision in the Public Health Service Act that aims to supply hospitals and health clinics with drugs at a discounted price. The program requires drug manufacturers to provide discounts on certain outpatient drugs for entities covered under the program, like hospitals, clinics, or Native American tribes. According to the American Hospital Association, hospitals can pass savings from the 340B program along to patients by offering health care to uninsured patients, providing free vaccinations, or expanding mental and community health programs. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Vickers, who owns and operates a pharmacy in Cedar City, said the program is not popular among drug manufacturers, who have tried to limit where the entities covered under 340B can obtain the discounted drugs. Speaking on the Senate floor earlier this year, Vickers said manufacturers have been enforcing a one pharmacy rule, where certain drugs can only be obtained from certain pharmacies. From their perspective its expanded more than they would like, so theyve tried to limit the access of drugs, Vickers said. Essentially, you could have a patient being able to get a product at a discounted price in one town but not the other. SB69, which passed in March during the final week of the legislative session, tries to prevent this. The bill is relatively simple at just 53 lines, and states that drug manufacturers cannot restrict pharmacies from contracting with entities covered under the 340B program. It also restricts manufacturers from preventing the delivery of a 340B drug to any location authorized to receive it. I dont stand here professing that the manufacturers are happy with this, I will tell you theyre not, said Vickers earlier this year, telling his Senate colleagues that states that have passed similar legislation have been targeted by lawsuits. But what were looking at is providing access to medication at a discounted price. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vickers was right. AstraZeneca, the global pharmaceutical company that generated more than $54 billion in revenue in 2024, is now suing Utah Attorney General Derek Brown and Utah Insurance Commissioner Jon Pike to stop the enforcement of SB69. The Utah Attorney Generals Office did not provide comment on the active litigation. In the complaint, attorneys for AstraZeneca point to prior court rulings that supersede Utahs law. Apparently dissatisfied with the scope of federal law, the State of Utah has enacted a statute seeking to achieve under state law precisely the same result that federal courts have resoundingly rejected, the complaint reads, accusing SB69 of requiring discounted pricing for sales at an unlimited number of contract pharmacies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to AstraZeneca, the requirement in SB69 goes beyond the original intent of the 340B program, putting state law at odds with federal law and violating the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Plus, the lawsuit alleges, SB69 violates the Contracts Clause of the Constitution because it interferes with agreements between drug manufacturers and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as the Constitutions Takings Clause, which protects private property from being seized for public use, since SB69 requires AstraZeneca to transfer its private property (prescription drugs) to entities covered under 340B. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE NEED TO KNOW The mother of 17-year-old Pheobe Bishop, who hasn't been seen or heard from since failing to check in for a booked flight in Australia on May 15, has shared an emotional post after Queensland Police confirmed what was believed to be human remains had been found "I didnt think my heart could break anymore [than] it did when you went missing, or when the charges [were] laid, but this! This is ripping me apart" Kylie Johnson wrote on Facebook Police noted the remains haven't yet been identified, but said that Bishop's family had been notified The mother of 17-year-old Pheobe Bishop, who disappeared just over three weeks ago after failing to check in for a booked flight in Australia, has shared a heartbreaking post after police confirmed human remains had been found amid the search for her daughter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bishop, 17, hasn't been seen or heard from since being taken to Bundaberg Regional Airport in Queensland on May 15 around 8:30 a.m. local time, Queensland Police previously said in a May 19 news release. On Friday, June 6, police confirmed authorities had found what was believed to be human remains at around 2:30 p.m. local time "following a search of an area near Good Night Scrub National Park near Gin Gin," per a release. "The remains are yet to be formally identified; however, investigators are in contact with the family of missing 17-year-old Pheobe Bishop," the post stated. Sharing a link to the release on her Facebook page, Bishop's mom, Kylie Johnson, wrote that the news was "ripping" her "apart." Queensland Police Pheobe Bishop Pheobe Bishop She posted, "I didnt think my heart could break anymore [than] it did when you went missing, or when the charges [were] laid," she added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Friday's police release stated, "A crime scene has been declared at the location and forensic examinations are continuing." "Police continue to appeal for any information in relation to Pheobe Bishop or the movement of a grey Hyundai IX35 between May 15 to 18 in the greater Gin Gin area," the post added. Johnson's message came hours after she thanked her "amazing community" while revealing that a candlelit vigil would be held in Bishop's memory on Sunday, June 8. "Honestly we have received calls, [texts] and so many messages of support. Like most rural families, we are resilient, proud, and stron,g but this has brought us to our knees like no drought ever could," she wrote, while resharing a poster on Facebook. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This vigil is a way of our family acknowledging Pheobes impact on our community, their efforts, and the importance of a community that cares! For those reasons, this is an important part of a community's healing. While we dont have Phee home to put to rest just yet, our community needs the healing process to start," Johnson added. Queensland Police Pheobe Bishop's mom Kylie Johnson Pheobe Bishop's mom Kylie Johnson The poster told attendees at the upcoming vigil, set to take place at Kolan Community Park in Gin Gin, to "please wear bright colors and butterflies and bring a candle if you wish." Queensland Police didn't have any additional updates in the case when contacted by PEOPLE. "Please note, we have not confirmed the identity of the remains as we will be awaiting forensic testing, which may take some time to come back," a police spokesperson said in an email. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Friday's tragic news came after police confirmed in a release on Thursday that a 34-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman had been charged in connection with Bishop's death. Queensland Police Pheobe Bishop Pheobe Bishop Local outlets, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), SBS World News and news.com.au reported that the suspects were Bishop's housemates James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33. "Our world has just been shattered into the most horrific place Ive ever been" Johnson wrote on Facebook alongside a link to the police release. Queensland Police Detective Acting Inspector Ryan Thompson previously said that Bishop had been dropped off near the airport by "associates" but didn't enter the terminal, according to the ABC, adding that she "had a flight booked to Brisbane and then on to WA [Western Australia] to visit a friend." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Daily Mail Australia, Wood had spoken to the outlet about the morning Bishop disappeared, just hours before he was taken into police custody. Wood claimed that Bishop, who was reportedly planning to get on a flight to see her boyfriend, had been "furious" after sleeping "through her alarm" on the morning of her trip. He said he and his partner Bromley had driven her to the airport, but Bishop had been concerned about missing her flight. "We just wanted to get her checked in and thought if we can just get there she will calm down," Wood told Daily Mail Australia of the drive. He said that they ended up stopping the car on Airport Drive, just over half a mile from the terminal, to give the teenager "five minutes." Queensland Police Police have been searching Good Night Scrub National Park while looking for Pheobe Bishop Police have been searching Good Night Scrub National Park while looking for Pheobe Bishop Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Wood claimed that when the pair returned to the vehicle, Bishop and her bag were gone, according to the publication. Wood stated that they looked for the teen for a while, but when they couldn't find her, they assumed she'd boarded the flight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Gin Gin home where Bishop had been living prior to her disappearance had previously been declared a crime scene, according to police, as well as the gray Hyundai ix35 mentioned in Friday's release. Read the original article on People Dozens of people, potentially undocumented immigrants, were taken into custody by federal authorities Friday in a widespread enforcement operation in Los Angeles. One of the operations took place outside an apparel store in the Fashion District. Federal agents detain dozens following an immigration enforcement operation in downtown Los Angeles on June 6, 2025. (KTLA) Federal agents load detainees into a vehicle following an immigration enforcement operation in downtown Los Angeles on June 6, 2025. (KTLA) Federal agents detain dozens following an immigration enforcement operation in downtown Los Angeles on June 6, 2025. (KTLA) Protestors clash with federal agents following an immigration enforcement operation in downtown Los Angeles on June 6, 2025. (KTLA) Federal agents load detainees into a vehicle following an immigration enforcement operation in downtown Los Angeles on June 6, 2025. (KTLA) Protestors clash with federal agents following an immigration enforcement operation in downtown Los Angeles on June 6, 2025. (KTLA) Federal agents with detainees leave the site of an immigration enforcement operation in downtown Los Angeles on June 6, 2025. (KTLA) Protestors clash with federal agents following an immigration enforcement operation in downtown Los Angeles on June 6, 2025. (KTLA) Federal agents detain dozens following an immigration enforcement operation in downtown Los Angeles on June 6, 2025. (KTLA) Protestors clash with federal agents following an immigration enforcement operation in downtown Los Angeles on June 6, 2025. (KTLA) Sky5 was overhead the moment federal agents and demonstrators met outside an Ambiance Apparel location on the 900 block of Towne Avenue in downtown L.A. Video from above showed approximately two dozen people being loaded into unmarked white SUVs and taken away from the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At one point, protesters attempted to stop one of the SUVs from leaving the location. One protester who was pounding on the hood of the SUV was knocked to the ground and partially run over by the driver of that vehicle, who then reversed and sped away. The condition of that person is unclear. A demonstrator is struck by a vehicle driven by federal agents following an immigration enforcement operation in downtown Los Angeles on June 6, 2025. (KTLA) Federal officials from both the FBI and Department of Homeland Security were spotted at the law enforcement raid. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is part of HSI, declined to comment on any activity in the area, while the FBI confirmed it was participating in an HSI operation. The Los Angeles Police Department said it was not aiding with the raids, which is in line with L.A.s sanctuary city guidelines which prohibits city agencies from cooperating with ICE operations. But activists accused LAPD of indirectly or directly assisting by setting up a perimeter around the law enforcement scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement KTLA has confirmed ICE operations took place at a second Ambiance Apparel location in downtown Los Angeles, as well as at a Home Depot store in the Westlake District. U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli and the Department of Justice confirmed to media outlets Friday that Ambiance was the target of the operation for allegedly hiring workers with fictitious employee documents. Cameron Kiszla contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. WASHINGTON TERRACE, Utah (ABC4) Police are asking the public to help them identify a group of vandals who caused thousands of dollars in damage to the new Roosevelt Elementary School, which is still under construction. According to the Weber County Sheriffs Office, a group of people broke into the new Roosevelt Elementary School early in the morning of Thursday, June 5. The suspects vandalized the building and caused thousands of dollars in damage, police said. Weber School District is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the people involved in the vandalism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Do you recognize these people? Contact Weber County Sheriffs Office. Weber County Sheriffs Office is requesting that anyone with information related to this case contact the Weber County Sherriffs Office Investigations Bureau at 801-778-6631, submit an online tip at www.webercountyutah.gov/sheriff in the See Something Say Something section, or call Weber Area Dispatch at 801-395-8221. Reference case numbers 25WC19863 and 25WC19712. Latest headlines: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. Pierce County and area grocery workers represented by UFCW 367 have voted to authorize an Unfair Labor Practice strike against Kroger brands Fred Meyer and QFC, as well as Albertsons and Safeway. In a release issued Thursday evening, the union said the action comes in direct response to the companies unfair labor practices triggered by their failure to provide crucial information to union negotiators, and limiting workers concerted activity in front of some stores. It added that Workers are calling for compliance with labor laws, fair treatment, and respect as they negotiate a new three-year labor agreement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alongside the local action, tens of thousands of grocery workers represented by UFCW in Southern California, Colorado and Seattle also were voting on strike authorizations. UFCW Local 367 represents grocery and retail workers in South Puget Sound and Southwest Washington; the proposed strike could affect 37 stores and nearly 4,500 Local 367 workers. UFCW 3000 union members also voted to reject their employers latest contract. The union represents thousands of workers at Fred Meyer, QFC, Albertsons, Safeway, Haggen and Saars in Washington state. In a release, Fred Meyer and QFC corporate officials said that while they acknowledged the outcome of the unions strike authorization votes, it sought to emphasize that the procedural step does not mean a strike is inevitable, and stores remain open. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The companies said they remained committed to reaching an agreement that rewards associates by improving wages and keeping groceries affordable for customers. A strike at this stage is an unnecessary and disruptive actionespecially given the meaningful wage increases and industry-leading healthcare were offering at the bargaining table, Todd Kammeyer, president of Fred Meyer, said in a statement. We remain committed to continuing negotiations in good faith and urge union leadership to do the same. Joann Gardner, an Albertsons employee represented by Local 367, said in a statement that My co-workers and I are committed to holding these companies accountable to bargain in good faith. All were asking for is the information we need to negotiate honestly and the freedom to inform the public about our needs. Is that too much to ask? Media representatives for Albertsons/Safeway did not respond to an emailed request for comment Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fred Meyer, in a statement Thursday evening sent through its media representative, said that The allegation put forward by UFCW Local 367 of an unfair labor practice is unfounded. We remain actively engaged in good faith bargaining with UFCW 367 because we believe the best outcomes are achieved at the table, not through disruption. It added that Our current offer reflects that commitment, including up to 8.28% wage increases for top-rate associates over the life of the agreement, and continued investment in industry-leading healthcare and a pension. These are benefits that many non-union competitors do not offer. According to the UFCW 367s website, the workers seek wages and raises that keep pace with cost of living and consistent scheduling that gives workers the hours they need to qualify for healthcare. They also seek improvements to address understaffing, enforcement of safety protocols and ensuring management takes action to protect workers and customers alike. No strike date has been set. Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank called out the Washington State Patrol on social media Thursday after the statewide law enforcement agency apologized for interrupting the raising of the Pride flag at the state capitol. Swank didnt call out the State Patrol for disrupting the Wednesday ceremony. He said the agency should be embarrassed for apologizing in a post that explained why troopers marched through the ceremony and reiterated its mission to protect, defend and respect the rights of all. You should be embarrassed by this post, Swank wrote on his X account. Any WSP who wants to work for a real law enforcement organization should come work at the Pierce County Sheriffs Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The post from the State Patrol read: The Washington State Patrol offers our heartfelt apologies for disrupting the raising of the Pride Flag on Capitol Campus today. The team leading our cadets to their graduation ceremony did not adequately communicate about the alternate route planned around the crowd. The post went on: It was never our intention to disrupt an important community event. Our motto is Service with Humility, and our mission is to protect, defend and respect the rights of all. We apologize for our misstep on what should be a great day for us all as we celebrate Pride. Cadets with the Washington State Patrol interrupted the Pride event on Wednesday, June 4, on their way to their graduation ceremony. WSP later issued a formal apology. Swank did not immediately return a phone call and text message Thursday asking if he would explain why the State Patrol should be embarrassed by the post. Chris Loftis, a spokesperson for the State Patrol, declined to comment on Swanks comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The event was sponsored by the states LGBTQ commission and was attended by Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson and Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Dave Upthegrove, the Olympian reported. Citing statistics showing a significant number of LGBTQ youth have considered suicide in the past year, Upthegrove also a Democrat told the newspaper that giving visibility to the LGBTQ community by raising the Pride flag shows people they can live full, meaningful lives. At some point during the ceremony, two lines of troopers marched through the event instead of taking an alternate route around the crowd. Videos of the incident on social media caused some to speculate that the troopers had deliberately disrupted the event to intimidate the crowd. Newly elected Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank is sworn in at a swearing-in ceremony at Frontier Park Lodge, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Graham Wash. In a written statement, Loftis said there was no intent to offend or distract from the event. He said it was a simple mistake, not any sort of statement. We had a miscommunication in our planning, and it led to us inadvertently disrupting another public event being held by citizens we are sworn to serve, protect, and respect, Loftis wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We quickly and rightfully apologized to the impacted parties, he added. That was the right thing to do as public servants, as a law enforcement agency, and as friends and neighbors. Swank has a track record of being provocative on social media. He once posted on X that a transgender legislator from Montana, Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr, was a man with mental health issues who should be called by her given male name. Hes also posted that men and women who pretend to be the opposite sex are appropriating gender. Swank retired from the Seattle Police Department in 2023 as a captain after 33 years on the force. But his conduct on social media denigrating trans people and defending the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol led former Seattle Police Department Chief Sue Rahr to declare earlier this year that he would have been fired if he had stayed. MEMPHIS, Tenn. Memphis Police have arrested an employee of a local Planet Fitness after a gun was stolen from a locker. Court records state that 18-year-old Marquis Townsel has been charged with theft of property. Memphis Police responded to the Planet Fitness on Knight Arnold Road on May 21. A man reportedly told officers that his rifle had been stolen from his gym bag, which he had placed inside of a locker. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Guns pointed at victim over stolen Cheetos: Police Court documents say that officers spoke to a gym manager who reportedly told them that Townsel was a front desk employee. According to police, the gym manager said that Townsel had let a man who wasnt a member use the restroom. Officers reportedly viewed surveillance footage that showed Townsel escorting the man to the mens locker room. The footage then showed the two of them leaving the locker room, with the man clutching his left side and concealing an object consistent with the size and shape of teh firearm that was stolen as he walked behind Townsel. Court documents say that detectives followed up on the call and discovered a phone recording made on the gyms phone system. The recording allegedly revealed that Townsel admitted to orchestrating the theft. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. LEOPOLD, Ind. (AP) On the ceiling of Abbie Brockmans middle school English classroom in Perry County, the fluorescent lights are covered with images of a bright blue sky, a few clouds floating by. Outside, the real sky isnt always blue. Sometimes its hazy, with pollution drifting from coal-fired power plants in this part of southwest Indiana. Knowing exactly how much, and what it may be doing to the people who live there, is why Brockman got involved with a local environmental organization thats installing air and water quality monitors in her community. Industry and government is very, very, very powerful. Its more powerful than me. Im just an English teacher, Brockman said. But she wants to feel she can make a difference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a way, Brockmans monitoring echoes the reporting that the Environmental Protection Agency began requiring from large polluters more than a decade ago. Emissions from four coal-fired plants in southwest Indiana have dropped 60% since 2010, when the rule took effect. That rule is now on the chopping block, one of many that President Donald Trumps EPA argues is costly and burdensome for industry. But experts say dropping the requirement risks a big increase in emissions if companies are no longer publicly accountable for what they put in the air. And they say losing the data at the same time the EPA is cutting air quality monitoring elsewhere would make it tougher to fight climate change. Rule required big polluters to say how much they are emitting Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At stake is the Greenhouse Gas Reporting program, a 2009 rule from President Barack Obama's administration that affects large carbon polluters like refineries, power plants, wells and landfills. In the years since, they've collectively reported a 20% drop in emissions, mostly driven by the closure of coal plants. And what happens at these big emitters makes a difference. Their declining emissions account for more than three-quarters of the overall, if modest, decline in all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions since 2010. The registry includes places not usually thought of as big polluters but that have notable greenhouse gas emissions, such as college campuses, breweries and cereal factories. Even Walt Disney World in Florida, where pollution dropped 62% since 2010, has to report along with nearly 10,600 other places. "We cant solve climate change without knowing how much pollution major facilities are emitting and how thats changing over time," said Jeremy Symons, a former EPA senior climate adviser now at Environmental Protection Network, an organization of ex-EPA officials that monitors environmental policies. The group provided calculations as a part of The Associated Press' analysis of impacts from proposed rule rollbacks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Symons said some companies would welcome the end of the registry because it would make it easier to pollute. Experts see a role for registry in cutting emissions Its not clear how much the registry itself has contributed to declining emissions. More targeted regulations on smokestack emissions, as well as coal being crowded out by cheaper and less polluting natural gas, are bigger factors. But the registry does put pressure on companies to ... document what theyve done or at least to provide a baseline for what theyve done, said Stanford University climate scientist Rob Jackson, who heads Global Carbon Project, a group of scientists that tally national carbon emissions yearly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gina McCarthy, a former EPA administrator under Obama, said the registry makes clear how power plants are doing against each other, and that's an inducement to lower emissions. "It is money for those companies. It's costs. It's reputation. It's been, I think, a wonderful success story and I hope it continues. The potential end of the reporting requirement comes as experts say much of the country's air goes unmonitored. Nelson Arley Roque, a Penn State professor who co-authored a study in April on these monitoring deserts, said about 40% of U.S. lands are unmonitored. That often includes poor and rural neighborhoods. "The air matters to all of us, but apparently 50 million people cant know or will never know'' how bad the air is, Roque said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement EPA seeks to cancel money to fund some air monitoring The EPA is also trying to claw back money that had been earmarked for air monitoring, part of the termination of grants that it has labeled as targeting diversity, equity and inclusion. That includes $500,000 that would have funded 40 air monitors in a low-income and minority community in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area. CleaneAIRE NC, a nonprofit that works to improve air quality across the state that was awarded the grant, is suing. Its not diversity, equity and inclusion. Its human rights, said Daisha Wall, the group's community science program manager. We all deserve a right to clean air. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Research strongly links poor air quality to diseases like asthma and heart disease, with a slightly less established link to cancer. Near polluting industries, experts say whats often lacking is either enough data in specific locations or the will to investigate the health toll. Indiana says it maintains a robust statewide monitoring and assessment program for air, land and water, but Brockman and others in this part of the state aren't satisfied. She and other members of local advocacy groups Southwestern Indiana Citizens for Quality of Life and Valley Watch install and maintain their own air and water quality monitors. Its a full-time job to keep the network of monitors up and running, fighting spotty Wi-Fi and connectivity issues. Fighting industry is a sensitive subject, Brockman added. Many families depend on jobs at coal-fired power plants, and poverty is real. She keeps snacks in her desk for the kids who havent eaten breakfast. But you also dont want to hear of another student that has a rare cancer, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ___ Associated Press writer Matthew Daly contributed from Washington. ___ The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. The food services director for Plymouth Public Schools is accused of stealing lobster, meats and commercial refrigerators from the district for use at his Cape Cod business. Patrick VanCott, 62, of Sandwich, who runs the Snack Shack at Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Plymouth District Court on Friday on charges of larceny over $1,200 by a single scheme and larceny from a building, Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz said in a statement. VanCott was held on $50,000 cash bail and ordered to stay away from all Plymouth school campuses and school storage facility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors said VanCott allegedly stole food, cafeteria equipment, classroom equipment, and paper goods from the school district for a number of years. Surveillance video from the school and also on the Sagamore Bridge showed VanCotts personal truck cross the bridge with one small refrigerator, that he allegedly stole from the school, secured on the rear truck bed, Cruz said. On May 30, Plymouth Public Schools officials contacted police after they received an anonymous letter alleging criminal activity at the Plymouth Community Intermediate School, Cruz said. The letter alleged that a person had been stealing commercial equipment and food products from the school, Cruz said. The alleged stolen property is owned by the Town of Plymouth and was paid for by the U.S. federal government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Plymouth Police immediately launched an investigation, which identified the suspect as VanCott, director of Plymouth Public Schools Food Services. As director, VanCott was the sole person with the authority to place orders for the cafeteria. VanCott also runs the Snack Shack at Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable, Cruz said. VanCotts food orders consisted of premium Angus hamburgers, hot dogs, lobster meat, and other food products that were not served to students or school staff, Cruz said. On April 4, VanCott is alleged to have taken two under-the-counter commercial refrigerators. Surveillance video shows VanCott at the school on a Saturday loading one of the refrigerators onto a town truck and departing. VanCott then returned to the school in his personal pickup truck and loaded the second refrigerator into his own vehicle, Cruz said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A review of video taken from the Massachusetts State Police Fusion Center cameras located on the Sagamore Bridge showed VanCotts personal truck cross the bridge with the small refrigerator secured on the rear truck bed, Cruz said. As a result, VanCott was placed on administrative leave from Plymouth Public Schools. Earlier this week, the Plymouth Public Schools learned about serious allegations concerning a staff members inappropriate use of District property for personal benefit, Plymouth Public Schools Superintendent Christopher Campbell said in a statement. District leadership took swift and appropriate action under its internal policies, and the staff member is no longer performing any responsibilities within the school system, Campbell said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This matter is currently under active police investigation and also involves internal personnel processes, Campbell said. To protect the integrity of these proceedings, the District will not be issuing further comments at this time. As part of their investigation, police conducted numerous interviews, reviewed surveillance video, and analyzed cafeteria financial documents. Investigators allege that for years, once a week between Memorial Day and Labor Day, VanCott ordered cafeteria employees to slice two bags of deli turkey and one bag of ham, place them in a box inside the refrigerator with the initials PVC written on them. Others reported to investigators they witnessed VanCott take condiments, snacks, paper goods, coffee, and other items from the kitchen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A list of items that were purchased by VanCott but not currently in the Plymouth Public Schools storage facility was compiled totaling over $8,300 in goods. Cruz said the items include but are not limited to: Refrigerated sandwich table - $1,700 2 Fry Pans - $96 Convection oven - $850 Undercounter freezer - $1,700 Microwave - $299 Bagel warmer - $294 Cuisinart coffee maker - $84 On Wednesday, Plymouth Police with the assistance of Barnstable Police executed a search warrant at the Snack Shack. They located a 28-foot industrial-sized refrigerator, bins, government-issued food, a coffee maker, blackboards, and other items, Cruz said. VanCott was taken into custody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We want to reassure our community that Plymouth Public Schools is committed to maintaining a safe, ethical, and professional environment, said Campbell, the schools superintendent. The investigation is ongoing by Plymouth Police. VanCott is next scheduled to appear in court on July 21. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Poland's conservative president-elect Karol Nawrocki has said Prime Minister Donald Tusk must prepare for "strong resistance from the presidential palace," as a battle looms between the two leaders. Speaking on Thursday in his first television interview since Sunday's election, Nawrocki called Tusk "the worst prime minister Poland has had since 1989" and vowed to respond firmly and decisively to any provocation. Tusk's centre-left coalition, which took office in late 2023, has come under pressure since liberal candidate and Warsaw Mayor Rafa Trzaskowski was defeated in a knife-edge presidential vote by conservative Nawrocki. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nawrocki's victory is likely to complicate Tusk's efforts to push through his pro-EU government's policies, as eurosceptic Nawrocki will have the power to veto legislation as president. Tusk plans a vote of confidence in parliament on June 11 to secure his alliance's support. Backed by nationalist conservative Law and Justice party (PiS) leader Jarosaw Kaczynski, Nawrocki, a historian, had already declared during the election campaign that his goal was to bring down Tusk's government. However, Nawrocki said he is willing to cooperate on key issues important to Poland's welfare. The San Antonio Police Department is walking back statements made while investigating the death of actor Jonathan Joss, noting that it had been premature to say there was no evidence the shooting was a hate crime. Joss, known for his roles on King of the Hill and Parks and Recreation, was shot and killed during an encounter with a former neighbor on Sunday night. The admission from police comes after scrutinization for their handling of the case. They had been accused of ignoring long-standing threats of violence that Joss and his husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, said they had faced. The shooting, according to a Facebook post from de Gonzales, followed years of harassment and took place after a man identified by police as Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja hurled violent homophobic slurs at the couple. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a Monday statement on X, San Antonio police pushed back on de Gonzales claims. Despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that the Mr. Josss murder was related to his sexual orientation, the department wrote. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus admitted in a Thursday press conference, however, that the departments prior statement was way, way, way premature. Shouldnt have done it, it was way too soon before we had any real information, he told reporters in a press briefing. It was way too early in the process for any statement of that nature to be issued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McManus said officers were continuing their investigation and looking into if Joss sexual orientation played a role in the attack. He also explained that hate crimes are not treated as separate charges in Texas and are enhancements on an existing charge that would be added during the sentencing process. We dont charge with hate crimes, we gather the facts and we give those facts to the District Attorneys office and then that hate crime designation is determined at sentencing, McManus said. Joss was shot while he and de Gonzales were returning to their former neighborhood to pick up mail, according to de Gonzales statement on Facebook. The two visited the site of their old home, which had burned down, and were crying in response to seeing a dogs skull, believed to be one of their pets, placed in clear view, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As they were crying, their former neighbor, Ceja, allegedly confronted them, yelled homophobic slurs and pulled out his gun, fatally shooting Joss. Ceja has reportedly confessed to police, stating after the incident, I shot him. Joss death followed years of threats from Ceja and other neighbors, says de Gonzales, who noted that the couple was harassed regularly by individuals who made it clear they did not accept our relationship. McManus said police were also investigating the fire that burned down Joss home, a blaze the actor had previously accused Ceja of starting. People in the area repeatedly told us they would set it on fire, de Gonzales wrote. We reported these threats to law enforcement multiple times and nothing was done. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McManus noted that police had a record of conflict between Joss and his neighbors and that they had received 70 calls over the last two years about related disturbances. Sometimes [Joss] was the caller, other times the neighbors were calling on him, McManus said, adding that police repeatedly mediated conflicts between parties in the area. Joss was the longtime voice of John Redcorn in King of the Hill, and was also known for his role as Chief Ken Hotate on Parks and Recreation. The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ rights advocacy group, called on Tuesday for a complete investigation of Joss death. We know the heaviness and fear that comes with seeing reports of anti-LGBTQ+ violence in your social media feeds. We feel it too, the group wrote in a Blue Sky post. When Karly and Ryan Geider bought a parcel of land north of downtown Brownsville last year, they had dreams of building a house to anchor their new lives as a married couple. Its been nothing short of a nightmare. A dispute with a neighbor over the use of a private road has spilled into court, effectively putting those dreams on hold. Oh, the Geiders tried to seek help from the city. And the city did meet with both parties several times. In the end, it didnt help. Today, the couple lives in a nearby town, the doors and windows for their new house purchased but uninstalled, their plot only home to a trailer and two gravel roads, one to a neighbors, one to nowhere. A mere block away, another set of neighbors is in the middle of a two-year dispute of their own, this one over water drainage. Brownsville staffers have tried to mediate that one, too, even though they are adamant the city has no official role to play, no responsibility for the beef. City employees are practically begging the complainants to sue, arguing thats the only pathway at this point. But the homeowners there are content to take their case to the court of public opinion. The end result is a steady stream of letters, visits to City Hall and comments before the City Council, all laden with accusations of malfeasance and worse. What do cities do when residents come complaining about their neighbors? In the bigger cities in Linn and Benton counties, the answer is, not that much. Corvallis and Albany, for example, refer them to private mediators. In Brownsville, they try really hard to bring them together. On this block, theyre batting oh for two. A dream deferred When the Geiders bought their property last May, neither the sales materials nor the disclosure statements referenced an easement that would allow a house that fronts Main Street access from a side street across their land, according to their lawsuit filed against neighbors Sara Banuelos and German Rodriguez. The couple even checked with City Hall, asking if the parcel had any incumbrances. Staff said no. Apparently, though, it did at one point. Its referred to in the lawsuit as the Historical Easement, first granted in 1993 and then re-recorded in 1994, back when both lots were owned by the same person. It was supposed to expire when the city dedicated the easement property as a public right of way for a proper street. But the city abandoned that idea in 2005, about a year after a sale in which the two lots came under separate ownership for the first time. For years, previous owners and even Banuelos and Rodriguez managed to access the Main Street house from said street, the Geiders say in their legal complaint. It was only since they bought the adjacent property last year that their neighbors decided to make use of the gravel road off of North Avenue. Not so neighborly Thus began a contentious relationship, one that both parties describe in court documents as profanity-laced and heated. It includes accusations that the defendants speed on the access road, even when pets are in the way, that the defendants dumped gravel and diesel onto the Geider property, of extended vehicle honking and rumor-mongering at Ryan Geiders workplace. The Geiders said they erected a gate meant to deter the general public from entering their property. But, they allege, the defendants intentionally ran into it with their vehicles, with Banuelos eventually removing the gate from its hinges. Banuelos and Rodriguez deny the accusations in a response filed with Linn County Circuit Court. The Geiders and their attorney sought help from city officials, who met with them several times, as well as Banuelos. After spending the last eight months attempting to work out a reasonable compromise based on the Brownsville Municipal Code and general practices of the city, the parties hit a substantial impasse, according to an item shared with the City Council last month. The city extended several courtesies that were not met with cooperation. Now the matter is in the hands of the court system. The Geiders are seeking $20,000 to abate the nuisances caused by the Main Street residents, $10,000 for the slanderous rumor and for a judge to declare the easement once and for all abandoned. The Geiders and their lawyer, Blossom Van Kinkle of Albany, declined to comment at this time. Banuelos' and Rodriguez's attorney could not be reached. Descent into frustration Meanwhile, just a block to the south, on the corner of North Avenue and Butte Street across from the once-illegally painted red curb, sits a log cabin whose owners have been extremely unhappy with the runoff from the construction of a house next to them and theyre not shy about who knows it. Its creating riffs about town. Off the rails, is how City Administrator Scott McDowell described it to the City Council last month. Many staffers have been caught up in the drama, but for one, its personal. These are the same people that kind of took me in as their own son, took me on tours through the garage, showed me their new generator. They gave me all the stories about their boat when they used to live in Redmond, Public Works Superintendent Karl Frink told the City Council at its May 28 meeting about Mike and Betty Doren. As such, he went above and beyond, trying to ensure the new house built next door to the Dorens adhered to all the submitted plans. He visited at all times of year and during heavy rainfall, to see how the drainage systems were working. His assessment was that they were performing as expected. Still, periodically in the last two years, Betty Doren has shown up to council meetings, as she did again in April, to complain. She said she felt the responses shes received have been less than honest. McDowell felt the need to discuss it in May, to let the council know that not only are the Dorens concerns not a matter for the City Council which is charged with setting policy, not handling the day-to-days theyre not even a matter for city staff. For his part and based on the many trips hes made to the property, Frink said he couldn't identify any problems to correct. There was nothing to fix. They're just unhappy, and they just want to be angry. Responded Councilor Lynda Chambers: And now it has gone beyond that. It has now become a personal attack, and those just cannot be tolerated. No beefs in the big cities? Representatives for both Albany and Corvallis say they rarely hear about neighbor-versus-neighbor disputes. Thats because staffers don't get involved. Occasionally well get a report through our Report a Problem portal that, upon further investigation, is actually just a dispute between neighbors and doesnt really involve the city, Corvallis Patrick Rollens said by email. In those cases we may refer the neighbors to a mediation service (we list a couple on our website), or we may just decline to engage further if there doesnt seem to be a productive role for the city in their dispute. Ultimately, most neighbor disputes should be resolved privately. Its pretty much the same in Albany, spokesperson Matt Harrington said. In general, we refer people to Neighbor-to-Neighbor. The Albany office is across the street from City Hall, he said by email. They can offer mediation services before people have to resort to civil legal action. Small city, big beefs But living in a small town is different, contends McDowell, who said over the years, hes been pretty successful in trying to mediate among neighbors. In fact, he once credited his longevity 19 years in the citys top spot to his ability to bring together warring parties. At a City Council meeting last year, he said he offers his services precisely because of Brownsvilles sub-2,000 population. We live in a small town. We're going to see each other all the time. We're gonna see each other at Carlson's (Hardware). We're gonna see each other and remark, How can we move forward? McDowells comments came in response to another dispute last year that one between Councilor Trapper Solberg and a gay resident after several fiery and alcohol-fueled interactions that some in the community viewed as homophobic. Though McDowell said Solberg broke no rules, he was willing to sit down with him and his accuser, former resident Joshua Bloomfield. Up until that time, he said only one arbitration, as he calls it, didnt pan out, McDowell said. We have folks who get upset about a variety of issues: squirrels and backyards, bamboo, aforementioned blackberry bushes, fences, you name it, McDowell said last year. What we try to do is we try to join both sides, and we try to find some measure forward. He added: "We want everyone to be happy in town." Related stories: Authorities in San Antonio are reevaluating whether the shooting death of voice actor Jonathan Joss, best known for voicing John Redcorn on King of the Hill, was motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ bias. Joss, 59, was fatally shot Sunday evening outside his former home, which had previously been destroyed in a fire. Initial statements from police claimed there was no evidence linking Joss sexual orientation to his murder. But San Antonio Police Chief William McManus walked back that assertion Thursday, calling the earlier statement premature. He confirmed that investigators are now considering whether homophobia played a role. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joss husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, said the couple had returned to their burned-out home to check the mail when a neighbor approached, shouted violent homophobic slurs, and opened fire. Joss reportedly pushed his husband out of the line of fire before being fatally shot. King of the Hill actor killed in shooting Jonathan saved my life, de Gonzales wrote in a Facebook post. The accused gunman, 56-year-old Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, was arrested and charged with murder. He has since been released on a $200,000 bond. San Antonio police confirmed that Ceja Alvarez is a neighbor and that officers have responded to approximately 70 calls related to disturbances in the area over the past two years. While some calls were placed by Joss, others came from neighbors. Officials also said the departments community crime prevention units had extensive engagement with Joss. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Texas does not allow separate hate crime charges, but if a jury finds that homophobia was a motive, sentencing enhancements could apply under state law. Actor Jonathan Joss was shot and killed in San Antonio, Texas on June 1, 2025, San Antonio Police told KTLA 5. (Facebook: Jonathan Joss) Josss home was destroyed by fire in January. The blaze killed his three dogs, and arson investigators are still reviewing the cause. His husband said the fire followed years of threats from neighbors, some of which were openly homophobic. Tributes have poured in since the actors death. King of the Hill creators Mike Judge, Greg Daniels, and Saladin Patterson said in a statement, His voice will be missed and we extend our deepest condolences to Jonathans friends and family. In addition to King of the Hill, Joss appeared in Parks and Recreation, Ray Donovan, Tulsa King, and The Magnificent Seven. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. ST. MARTIN PARISH, La. (KLFY) Police are searching for two suspects they believe attacked and robbed a victim in St. Martin Parish. According to authorities, in the afternoon hours of May 24, Deputies with the St. Martin Parish Sheriffs Office responded to a business in the 1800 block of Mills Highway in reference to a report of a second-degree robbery that occurred shortly after 2 p.m. Officials said the male and female suspects exited a white Chevrolet Malibu and proceeded to attack the victim and steal their cell phone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result of injuries sustained in the attack, the victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now KLFY Daily Digest Anyone who witnessed the robbery or has any additional information regarding the location and identity of the suspects is urged to call St. Martin Crime Stoppers. Photo courtesy of St. Martin Crime Stoppers Photo courtesy of St. Martin Crime Stoppers Latest news Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLFY.com. Two Honolulu Police Department officers were treated at a hospital last night after a 25-year-old man attacked them in Makiki at about 6 :26 p.m. Officers responded to a 911 call reporting a man acting erratically near Piikoi and S. King streets, according to an HPD social media post. Officers saw the 25-year-old man armed with a knife. The man tried to run away from police and entered the roadway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the initial response, the 25-year-old male assaulted two officers. He was arrested for two counts of Assault Against a Law Enforcement Officer in the First Degree. Both officers were taken to the hospital for treatment, a statement said. The investigation is ongoing. A 40-year-old officer and a 39-year-old officer were injured in the assault. HPD did not immediately make public their conditions. Josiah Irving Smith, 25, was arrested at 1012 Piikoi Street on suspicion of assaulting the officers. Smith was arrested in May for harassment and in a separate case for misdemeanor theft after allegedly stealing from a 7-Eleven. He received six months probation for the harassment offense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement See more : 6 Comments By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. Report comments if you believe they do not follow our. Having trouble with comments ? . YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) Reports said police found a rifle and a handgun early Thursday morning while making an arrest in the shooting of a woman on the East Side. Abigail Rivera, 53, was booked into the Mahoning County jail on a charge of felonious assault shortly after the wounding of a woman about 4 a.m. in the 900 block of North Garland Avenue. Rivera was given a bond of $50,000 during her arraignment Friday in municipal court before Magistrate Meghan Brundege. She is expected to have a preliminary hearing June 13. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reports said police were called to a 1050 McGuffey Road store for a report of a shooting victim, and when they arrived, they found a woman standing up smoking a cigarette who told police she was shot in the chest. The woman was very uncooperative, reports said. A witness told police that he had taken the victim to the store from a home in the 900 block of North Garland Avenue, where the witness told police the shooting took place and the shooter was still there. When police headed to the house, they spotted a car driving without its lights on near Springdale Avenue, and when they tried to pull it over, the car slowed down but did not stop, reports said. Reports said the driver was also moving around in the car. Police eventually stopped the car and took Rivera, who was the driver, into custody. Reports said they found a rifle inside the car when they searched it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers also recovered a jammed handgun and one shell casing at Springdale and North Garland avenues. Lt. Mohammad Awad of the Detective Bureau said Thursday the victim was shot outside the home after an argument she had with Rivera. He would not say what the argument was about. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. Authorities have issued a "critically missing adult alert" for a 21-year-old who vanished from her barracks at a naval base in Virginia. Angelina Petra Resendiz was last seen at 10 a.m. on May 29 at her barracks at Naval Station Norfolk, the Virginia State Police said in a missing persons alert. Resendiz is described as a 5-foot, 110-pound woman with brown eyes and black hair. A missing persons poster did not have a description of her clothing. She had "no known vehicle" at the time of her disappearance, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The disappearance "poses a credible threat to their health and safety," the state police said. Her disappearance is being investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. The state police issued the "critically missing adult alert" on the military agency's behalf on Tuesday. Resendiz serves as a culinary specialist at Naval Station Norfolk, CBS affiliate WTKR reported. Her mother Esmeralda Castle told WTKR that the disappearance is out of character. She told the outlet she would be traveling to Virginia to help with search efforts. "My kid is missing, and she wouldn't just unauthorized leave without permission. Angie's too scared to miss work; she wouldn't do that. Something is wrong ... I need to start looking for my kid. I don't know what's going on," Castle said. Naval Station Norfolk is the largest naval base in the world. It supports the U.S. Atlantic Fleet and is home to dozens of ships, according to the State Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone with information about Resendiz's whereabouts was asked to call the Naval Criminal Investigative Service at 877-579-3648. Musk alleges Trump's name appeared in Epstein files as feud escalates What to know about President Trump's travel ban on nationals from 12 countries Trump says he's disappointed by Musk criticism of budget bill, Musk says he got Trump elected An 18-year-old is accused of shooting a teen in the leg in a Kennewick alley Thursday afternoon. Kennewick police were alerted to the shooting just after 3 p.m. when the teen walked into a convenience store on the 400 block of Rainier Street with a gunshot wound to the left. The wounded male was treated at a local hospital. While police used a police dog and a drone to search the area for the suspect, they werent able to find him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But they continued to investigate and linked Mateo I. Rodriguez to the shooting. Police went to the home he was staying at near West Fifth Avenue and South Quincy Street about 11 p.m. Thursday, Commander Isaack Merkl told the Tri-City Herald. The location is about a block away from the convenience store where the teen showed up. Rodriguez ran from the home when police arrived. Officers surrounded the area, and used K9 Ivan to track Rodriguez to the yard of a neighboring home. He was arrested and booked into the Benton County jail on suspicion of first-degree assault and illegally possessing a firearm. When Palm Beach police searched Jeffrey Epstein's island mansion in 2005 after a report that Epstein had sexually abused a minor, they seized several message pads from his kitchen, office and elsewhere. Amid the messages, which ranged in dates from 2002 to 2005, were two left for Epstein from Donald Trump. Trump's former chief of government efficiency, Elon Musk, claimed Trump is part of unreleased Epstein documents from the FBI. In his June 5 tweet on X, Musk said that's the reason they haven't been made public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The messages confiscated in 2005 from Epstein come from Palm Beach County State Attorney's documents released to The Palm Beach Post during its 2019 investigation, "Epstein: the first failure." Trump has never been accused of any wrongdoing involving Epstein's crimes. More: Is Trump in Epstein documents as Elon Musk's tweet says? President has already appeared When were the Trump messages for Epstein left and why? The notes appeared amid others dated around the time Trump and Epstein vied in a bankruptcy bidding war for former healthcare magnate Abe Gosman's manse on Palm Beach. Trump bested Epstein and Mark Pulte, son of the founder of Pulte homes, for the 43,000-square-foot, seven-bedroom estate on 6 oceanfront acres at 515 N. County Road along the storied "Raider's Row." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump's bid of $41.35 million won the real estate. Epstein had bowed out when the price hit $38 million. What the Trump phone messages say A phone message from Donald Trump, likely from November 2004, to Jeffrey Epstein. It was seized by Palm Beach police in a search of Epstein's home in 2005. The communications, usually taken when someone calls, contain only Trump's phone and are addressed to "J.E." They are not dated but appear in a long number of images dated between Nov. 11 and Nov. 20, 2004. The auction took place on Nov. 15, 2004. It's unclear whether Trump was trying to negotiate over the auction of the Gosman house. Both marked at 5:18 p.m., but appear to be different handwriting so it's not clear whether they were calls on the same day. A message left by Donald Trump for Jeffrey Epstein seized during a 2005 search by Palm Beach police. Being on Epstein's message pads is not evidence of any wrongdoing. Other names that appeared includ Jes Staley, former executive at JPMorgan and Barclays; magician David Copperfield; physicist Lawrences Krauss and former Hollywood producer and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein. None of those men has been accused of being part of Epstein's crimes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Staley admitted in March 2025 that he had had sexual relations with a member of Epstein's staff at Mark Epstein's home and claimed he had no knowledge of Epstein's "monstrous activities." Mark Epstein is Jeffrey's brother. Regarding Elon Musk tweet: Trump has appeared in other Epstein docs but nothing nefarious Trump has appeared in other public documents regarding Epstein, such as the financier's flight logs from the 1990s when Trump took several flights with his family members. Many of the documents were seized as part of the 2005 police investigation into a sexual abuse allegation by a 14-year-old. She and her stepmother made a report to Palm Beach police in March 2005. The search of Epstein's home occurred in October that year. Police eventually amassed dozens of minor girls and young women as potential witnesses, but instead of charging Epstein himself, Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer chose to take the case to a grand jury. The move was highly unusual. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Jeffrey Epstein 2006 grand jury documents are public. Read for yourself what happened What emerged from the secret proceeding was a single solicitation of prostitution against Epstein. Only two victims testified and were directly called prostitutes by prosecutors, according to transcripts released in summer 2024 as part of a nearly 5-year-long Palm Beach Post lawsuit. Trump told New York magazine in 2002 that "Ive known Jeff (Epstein) for 15 years. Terrific guy. Trump told New York magazine in 2002. Hes a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. But when Epstein was arrested in 2019 on sex trafficking charges, Trump said, "I'm not a fan." The president said he'd cut ties with the predator 15 years earlier, presumably around the time of the messages. How Trump and Epstein knew each other Trump and Epstein have been photographed partying together in the 1990s. Epstein's home at 358 El Brillo Way was less than two miles from Mar-a-Lago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Epstein bought his mansion and moved to live on the island part time in 1990. Trump bought Mar-a-Lago in 1985. Trump was about six years older. Epstein pleaded guilty to two prostitution-related felonies in Palm Beach County in 2008. He served 13 months at the jail, much of that time on 12-hour-a-day, six-days-a-week work released. He was found hanged to death in his Manhattan jail in August 2019, weeks after being arrested by federal authorities on sex trafficking charges. Holly Baltz is the investigations editor at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hbaltz@pbpost.com. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Musk tweet: Phone messages from Trump to Epstein in 2005. Why? BATH, N.Y. (WETM) A Syracuse man has been arrested following a traffic stop in the Village of Bath on Wednesday. Jesus Ponce, 69, was arrested on Wednesday, June 4, on the charge of aggravated unlicensed operation in the first degree, a class E felony, as stated in a release from the Bath Police Department. Corning Town Supervisor arrested on multiple felony charges Police say Ponce was arrested on the charge following a traffic stop on Wednesday around 6:40 a.m. on West Morris Street for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, police say it was determined that Ponce had been driving with a suspended New York State drivers license. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result, Ponce was taken into custody, processed and taken to the Steuben County Jail where he is now being held without bail, as police say he was determined to be a three time convicted felon. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com. RIVER FALLS, Wis. (WFRV) A police department in western Wisconsin is urging residents to exercise caution while outdoors for the time being, as a furry creature has reportedly been spotted roaming the streets. The River Falls Police Department reported that a bear was spotted within city limits as of around noon on Friday. It provided some tips courtesy of the Department of Natural Resources, especially while outdoors: Stay away from the bear, no matter what Do not chase the bear Do not feed the bear Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities remind drivers to buckle up after semi-truck crash in neighboring state Officials say to give the bear plenty of space. No additional details were provided. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. WARSAW (Reuters) -Poland's foreign minister poked fun at Elon Musk late on Thursday, returning to a social media spat from March after the Tesla and SpaceX boss spectacularly fell out with U.S. President Donald Trump. Warsaw's top diplomat Radoslaw Sikorski found himself embroiled in an extraordinarily public clash with Musk and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in March after he said Ukraine may need an alternative to the Starlink satellite service. Amid a flurry of posts on his social media platform X, Musk had told Sikorski to "Be quiet, small man". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Thursday simmering tensions between Musk and Trump exploded into a public feud, as the president threatened to cut off government contracts to companies run by the world's richest man. Musk suggested Trump should be impeached. Sikorski took aim at Musk in a post on X, saying "See, big man, politics is harder than you thought." There was no immediate response to the post from Musk. (Reporting by Alan Charlish; Editing by Aidan Lewis) CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Dr. Susan Roberts, a political science professor at Davidson College, spoke with Queen City News Now to unpack the ongoing back-and-forth between Elon Musk and President Trump. She offers insight into the political implications and what this public clash reveals about the intersection of tech, influence, and 2024 election dynamics. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. On Thursday afternoon, President Donald Trump staged the latest episode in a series of riveting Oval Office encounters with leaders of other countries ones in which, its become clear, anything could happen. Volodymyr Zelenskyy got a scolding. Cyril Ramaphosa got a video and a lecture. And Friedrich Merz got a friendly bit of ribbing on German rearmament. Theres more to these public encounters than Trump gets credit for, something his old ally Steve Bannon has pointed out. Americans have lost trust in their leaders, and Trumps public foreign policy, whatever its flaws, is an unprecedented, transparent show of the real, chaotic, impulsive workings of power. The public cant worry about backroom deals and conspiracies when the whole thing is conducted on a studio set, the thinking goes. There the walls are plywood, the doors lead nowhere, and there are no backrooms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The warm Merz encounter turned out just to be the preview to Thursdays main show, the public breakdown of the most important personal relationship in the world: between Trump and Elon Musk. The two men posted furiously at one another, each sticking to the social media platform he owned. After Trump Truthed that he was disappointed in Musk, the billionaire posted on X about Trumps ingratitude. Trump said Musk had gone CRAZY. Musk dropped the really big bomb: declaring, without supplying evidence, that Trumps name appeared in the Epstein files. (The sites voice of reason, radical MAGA activist Laura Loomer, pointed out that if the Justice Department had evidence of Trumps secret crimes, the Biden administration would presumably have used it.) Trump threatened to cut Musks government contracts. Musk threatened to delay his private space program. What, exactly, are journalists with our sources, our access, our experience supposed to do here? I spent the early afternoon frantically blowing up the phones and Slacks of my colleagues in Washington, sending them, naturally, tweets. We found ourselves navigating an impossible loop: Our sources, like so many random people on X, were joking about Trump deporting Musk over allegations hed violated immigration rules early in his career. Within minutes, Bannon had transformed that joke into a statement to the New York Times, making it capital-N News. The most plugged-in people in Washington are reading the same tweets you are, marveling. The persons-familiar who populate so much of the reporting about Trump are no more or less familiar with his Truths than you are, and are speculating on his plans and motives Is this breach final? Will it heal soon? just the same as many Americans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a feature of a presidency that sees itself as media: Journalists can become mere television critics. Of course, the White House isnt a stage set. (Thats just the moon landing.) The doors lead to offices and SCIFs, and the decisions at some point spill into legislation and the economy and into peoples lives a reality that, most days, keeps journalists in business. But on some days, like this one, all we can do is try to help you understand the show were all watching together. Vladimir Putin laid out his demands for both a ceasefire and ending the war in Ukraine in a meeting between the countries in Istanbul on Monday. As part of the demands, Russia would see that Ukraine curbs the size of its military and recognises Russian as an official language. This week we asked readers: Should Ukraine accept the terms of Putins ceasefire agreement? A resounding 92 per cent of more than 20,000 respondents said no. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Telegraph readers reasoned that what Putin had put forward were not terms for peace but demands for complete capitulation and subjugation. Heres why you are against a ceasefire on Putins terms. These are not terms for peace For many readers, agreeing to terms that include international recognition of Russian sovereignty over four eastern regions of Ukraine would undermine the bravery and determination of Ukrainians, who have fought against Russias invasion. Indeed, countless readers say the West should continue to bolster Ukraines military efforts. John Hughes, for example, believes the West needs to reward the Ukrainians for their incredible tenacity and flood the country with as much and as potent weaponry as possible, as quickly as possible. Likewise, reader Hel Han says the West must back Ukraine to the hilt with weapons and political support, or the alternative is bleak. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And Damian McDonald says: The West and Trump in particular should put an end to this farce once and for all. Arm Ukraine to the hilt and let them finish the job! These are not terms for peace, Stephen Bell asserts. They are demands for complete capitulation and subjugation. Time to stop listening to Putin and apply the severest sanctions. The Russians are embarrassed and stalling for time Many readers perceive Putins peace terms to be an act of desperation, and indicate that Russia is backed into a corner. Mr Hughes believes that the Russians are embarrassed and stalling for more time. Nick Matthews speculates it is negotiation tactics 101 on Russias part. Make the most ludicrous demands in the hope that you can negotiate down to something that suits you, he explains, and suggests: Ukraine should reply in kind. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Similarly, Hel Han suggests Russia seems to be in an increasingly tenuous situation regarding making any demands. The reader requests that the arbitrators of the peace talks need to remind them that they are in no position whatsoever to make any demands. Russia is the aggressor and must withdraw and pay massive reparations. Ukraine should be granted Nato membership In response to Putins demands, readers also questioned Russias opposition to Ukraine joining Nato, a decision that lies with Ukraine and Nato members. It seems to me that Ukraine has made concessions while Russia has made none, an anonymous reader says. If the invasion was all about the expansion of Nato, and Ukraine cannot join, why is that not enough concession? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reader Bernie Thompson is unsurprised at the intransigence of Putin and his henchmen. He argues: They should be granted Nato membership. This is the only language that Putin is prepared to understand, even if he says he doesnt. He continues that as Russia violated the Budapest Memorandum in 2014, Ukraine should have the nukes that they surrendered returned to them. Donald Trump, the US president, previously said Ukraine joining Nato was not on the table. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Donald Trump says he is surprised and disappointed with Elon Musk over the messy public meltdown of their partnership. He also should be wary. Its not Musks ownership of one of the most influential social media platforms that should give the president pause. Nor is it the billionaire tech moguls status as the worlds richest man, with a recent history of bankrolling Republican causes. Its Musks stratospheric popularity with the Republican base, as revealed in the polls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk is not about to overtake Trump himself as the dominant figure in the party, to be clear. But the jilted former special government employee is uniquely suited to become a chaos agent who could terrorize the GOP potentially wreaking havoc on Trumps legislative agenda and the partys midterm election plans. Musks tenure leading the Department of Government Efficiency captured the GOPs imagination, even if it ended ingloriously. While Democrats and independents quickly soured on Musks leadership, Republicans are still enthralled. In the most recent Economist/YouGov Poll, 76 percent of Republicans viewed Musk favorably, compared to just 18 percent who viewed him unfavorably. A late April New York Times/Siena College poll placed his favorability rating among Republicans at 77 percent. Despite the furor over his slashing budgetary cuts, the scrutiny for DOGEs secretive approach and the criticism for failing to deliver on his initial promises of $1 or $2 trillion in savings, Musks popularity with the GOP base has stayed fairly consistent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That may change after Musks scorched earth break-up with Trump, but the odds arent great. Musks standing within the GOP has remained remarkably high since the beginning of the Trump administration over 70 percent in most polls. That makes him far more popular than House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and almost everyone else in the party. The only national Republicans more popular than Musk? Trump and his vice president, JD Vance. Trumps approval rating within the party is 87 percent, according to the Economist/YouGov poll. Vances favorability rating is 80 percent . In part, thats because the grassroots have been deep believers in Musks DOGE mission from the start. Nearly 90 percent of the party supports cutting the size of government. A similar share believes DOGE has been effective at cutting government spending , reports a recent Harvard-Harris poll. (Democrats and independents are far more skeptical of DOGEs accomplishments, and of Musk himself. The Economist/YouGov poll reports just 15 percent of Democrats and 34 percent of independents view him favorably). The Trump-era GOP is a party where staffers feel free to publicly attack principals, where elected officials regularly attack each other for deviations from MAGA orthodoxy and where the unofficial mantra is Trumps fight, fight, fight. Yet for days after Musks initial broadsides against the big, beautiful bill, no one not even Trump, whos known for nuking even the mildest of critics laid a glove on Musk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The silence was a tacit acknowledgement of a new apex predator in the political and media ecosystem, a Godzilla to Trumps King Kong. The stature accorded by Musks DOGE portfolio, its alignment with traditional Republican values surrounding government spending and budget deficit reduction, his limitless wealth and social media megaphone make him a uniquely dangerous rival, not just for Trump but for the party as a whole. He is part William Hearst and part Howard Hughes , not so much a threat to win the partys affection from Trump as he is a potential bomb that could blow up the partys plans. Musk boasts his own base of support that exists outside traditional partisan boundaries, particularly marked by the parasocial relationship young men have with him. That makes him a danger to the fragile coalition Republicans relied on in 2024. The president still retains his partys loyalty and deep affection. But Musk knows MAGAs pressure points. Hes been in the room where MAGA happened, on stage at the rallies, present for the Cabinet dog-and-pony shows. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The old axiom about never picking fights with those who buy ink by the barrel applies here: Its a bad idea to feud with a tycoon who can not only deplatform you, but trash you to his 220 million followers . There are limits to Musks reach his bruising, polarizing run atop DOGE made him a pariah on the left and a political liability in a general election context. But his ability to dominate the attention economy makes him uniquely suited to upend Trumps agenda on Capitol Hill and Republican efforts to hold on to Congress in 2026. Like Trump, Musk learned fast about politics. When he embarked on his crusade to sink the sweeping tax-cut package, he recognized the precise language to employ to cut through the noise and provoke a reaction from the GOP base a disgusting abomination, he called it, [a] massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill. Musk also knew exactly how to trigger the president. He picked at the impeachment scab, suggested Trump couldnt have won the White House without his help and predicted Trumps tariffs will cause a recession. Musk went straight for the jugular by suggesting the presidents name appears in records of the investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; of course, its already public that Trump and others have been referenced in court documents related to the case and Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing. But Musk fueled the GOP bases penchant for conspiracy theories by claiming records have not been made public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a page ripped straight out of Trumps playbook, timed to perfection just as MAGA adherents are growing restless with the Justice Department over its failure to deliver evidence of deep state involvement in one of the leading conspiracies animating the far right. Musk also managed to roll a grenade into the Capitol, where hes already undermined GOP congressional leadership by blasting them by name , and emboldened hardliners who were likely to be steamrolled. His potential for mischief remains considerable even in the event of a personal truce with Trump since the megabill, if it passes the Senate, still must make it back through the House. If it seems like the GOP cavalry has been slow to aid Trump so far, thats because Musk strikes fear into officeholders who can easily envision him funding primary challenges and hounding them on social media. And its not just the individual electeds who have cause for concern. Musk on Thursday floated the idea of creating a new political party that actually represents the 80% in the middle in an online X poll. In less than 24 hours, more than 5 million votes had been cast. Dallas residents are calling for help after porch pirates stole items delivered to their front door steps. A Dallas resident posted on the Ring Neighbors application this week to highlight a video of a porch pirate stealing an item delivered to their address. In the video, a man wearing black pants and a black shirt can be seen holding multiple other packages while scooping up another from the porch, prompting the poster to ask their neighbors, Is this ever going to STOP in East Dallas? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many neighbors responded to the post to say that this is a common problem throughout Dallas. One response stated that the only option is a PO Box or Amazon lockers since the Dallas Police Department has not made any progress. DPD doesnt seem to be too concerned which is ridiculous. These people arent being held accountable so they wont stop, just getting worse. Another resident said it used to happen a TON at their townhome, echoing the need for a drop box to help keep packages safe. We got a decent sized package drop box off Amazon (about $130) and love it so much!!! Its not the best looking thing but saves all my packages. There is a place the delivery guy drops the package in at, the package drops into the bottom half of the box, then we have a lock that we can access to retrieve the package. SO WORTH IT. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While stealing packages is a serious crime, the Dallas PDs lack of response has seemingly caused even bigger issues across the metroplex in recent weeks. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Olivia Rodriguez was recently stabbed to death in a Dallas apartment. The mother of Rodriguez has alleged that the lack of action by the department contributed to her daughters death, claiming that nobody would listen when they reported her as missing. Previous legislative action in the city has called for increased police officers, though Dallas has done little to implement these requirements. Proposition U, which voters passed in November, required the city to hire at least 4,000 police officers, a significant increase from the roughly 3,100 officers currently employed. However, the city has allegedly not met these requirements, prompting Dallas HERO, a nonpartisan 501c4 organization dedicated to public safety and government accountability, to demand action or face legal consequences. SAN DIEGO (AP) The founder of a California-based porn empire that recruited women with false modeling offers pleaded guilty to sex trafficking charges in a federal court, authorities said. Michael James Pratt pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in San Diego, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He faces a possible life sentence when he is sentenced Sept. 25. Pratt, 42, was on the FBIs Ten Most Wanted list when he was arrested in Madrid in 2022, three years after he fled while facing sex trafficking charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal prosecutors said Pratt and his co-defendants used force, fraud and coercion to recruit hundreds of women, many of whom were in their late teens, for their adult videos. A New Zealand native, he founded the now-defunct GirlsDoPorn website in San Diego. In 2019, he and others were charged in San Diego with sex crimes after being targeted in a civil lawsuit by 22 women who claimed they were victimized by fraud and breach of contract. The women said they were plied with alcohol and marijuana before being rushed through signing a contract, which they were not allowed to read. Some said they were sexually assaulted and held in hotel rooms unwillingly until adult filming had ended. A judge in 2020 found in favor of the women and handed down a $12.7 million judgment against Pratt, Matthew Isaac Wolfe and adult producer and performer Ruben Andre Garcia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wolfe, who handled day-to-day operations, finances, marketing and filming for the website, pleaded guilty in 2022 to a single federal count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. He was sentenced last year to 14 years in federal prison. The other co-defendants also pleaded guilty. Garcia was sentenced to 20 years in prison and cameraman Theodore Gyi received a four-year sentence. Valorie Moser, a former bookkeeper for the website, also pleaded guilty last year. She's scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 12. June 6 (UPI) -- Michael Pratt, the mastermind behind the GirlsDoPorn website and an international fugitive for three years, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking in federal court in San Diego. Pratt pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to sex trafficking from 2012 to 2019 and sex trafficking a victim in 2012 of the superseding indictment, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release. Sentencing for Pratt, 42, is scheduled for Sept. 8 before U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino. Michael James Pratt, who was named to the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted list, was arrested on Dec. 21, 2022. Images provided by FBI. He liquidated his assets and fled from the United States in 2019. He was named to the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted list until his arrest in Spain on Dec. 22, 2022, and was extradited to San Diego in March 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pratt was charged in October 2019 in the Southern District of California in connection with deceiving and coercing hundreds of young women from the United States and Canada to appear in pornographic videos. Pratt and his co-defendants used force, fraud and coercion on the women -- mostly in their late teens -- to appear in GirlsDoPorn videos, the Department of Justice said. During court hearings, victims detailed how they had lost jobs, were evicted, dropped out of school or was disowned by friends and family. Some attempted suicide. According to prosecutors, Pratt sometimes transported the women to and from the site of the video shoot at hotels or short-term rental units in the San Diego area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The prospective models were told the video would never be posted online or released in the United States. In 2012, Pratt recruited co-defendant Matthew Wolfe, now 43, to work for him. They also developed GirlsDoToys out of the same office in San Diego. With million of views, they posted video content on free porn sites such. The websites charged visitors a subscription fee to access content, and generated $17 million in revenue for them, according to prosecutors. In 2013, Pratt recruited another co-defendant, Ruben Andre Garcia, a male model who engaged in sex acts on video with the women. Garcia is now 36. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors said Pratt and other members of the conspiracy ensured that the victims did not find out they owned and operated GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys. If the women said they wanted to stop making the video, the co-conspirators threatened to sue the women, cancel flights home and post the videos online, prosecutors said. In May 2012, Pratt used the alias "Matt" to recruit Victim 1 for modeling and posted an ad on Craigslist as Bubblegum Casting. The victim, who was 18, was told the job was actually to shoot an "adult video" but was falsely told it would only be seen in Australia by private clients and would not be posted on the internet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The victim was persuaded to fly from a state outside of California to San Diego for the video shoot at a hotel. Pratt told the FBI he gave the victim $2,000. Garcia was sentenced to 20 years in prison on June 14, 2021; Theodore Gyi, 47, who served as a photographer, four years on Nov. 9, 2022; Wolfe 14 years on March 20, 2024. Valorie Moser, 42, the office manager, is set for sentencing on Sept. 12. "I can remember being so worried to tell him [Garcia] that I was just 17," a woman told the court during a hearing for Garcia. "But he was not mad or concerned. Instead, he was excited and was eager to start." Porn website owner Michael Pratt, the mastermind behind the GirlsDoPorn sex trafficking ring and who was placed on the FBI's notorious "10 Most Wanted Fugitives" list, pleaded guilty Thursday to multiple counts of sex trafficking. Pratt, who also co-owned GirlsDoToys, conspired with his co-defendants to use force, fraud and coercion to recruit hundreds of young women, most in their late teens, to appear in GirlsDoPorn videos from 2012 to 2019, federal prosecutors in Southern California said. Those videos, which were also posted on other free pornography sites, racked up millions of views and generated millions of dollars in revenue for Pratt. In court, Pratt admitted that to recruit young girls to appear in the videos, he told prospective models that their sex videos would never be posted online, would never be released in the U.S. and no one who knew the women would find out about them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As part of the scheme, Pratt and other co-conspirators took steps to ensure that the victims did not find out they owned and operated the two pornography websites by intentionally omitting any reference to them in documents and statements, prosecutors said. The business was instead often identified by names, such as "Begin Modeling," "Bubblegum Casting," or "BLL Media." Pratt and his co-conspirators would threaten the women if they attempted to back out of shooting, prosecutors said. Most of the videos were made in hotel rooms or short-term rentals in San Diego, California. In October 2019, Pratt was charged in a 19-count indictment with sex trafficking, production of child pornography, sex trafficking a minor and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments in connection with a porn website he co-owned. Federal prosecutors said Pratt liquidated his assets, fled the U.S. and lived as an international fugitive for more than three years before his arrest in Spain in December 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Thursday, as part of a plea agreement, Pratt pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sex traffic and sex trafficking. He will be sentenced in September. His co-conspirator, Matthew Wolfe, who operated the two websites, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in March 2025. Ruben Andre Garcia, the male model who engaged in sex acts on video with the women, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2021. Theodore Gyi, who served as the cameraman for the video shoots, was sentenced to four years in prison in November 2022. Valorie Moser, the office manager, is set to be sentenced in September. Musk alleges Trump's name appeared in Epstein files as feud escalates What to know about President Trump's travel ban on nationals from 12 countries Trump says he's disappointed by Musk criticism of budget bill, Musk says he got Trump elected This story has been updated with additional information. The press conference above was held before the second suspect was arrested. UPDATE: 2 face charges after guns found near Pontiac graduation ceremony LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) The Oakland County Sheriffs Office says deputies averted a possible mass shooting at a high school graduation in Pontiac. Deputies arrested one suspect Wednesday and another on Friday, who they say intended to shoot up a high school graduation in Pontiac. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard says a fight broke out at United Wholesale Mortgage Sports Complex on Tuesday, a property that is known to allow community members to host events. A charter school in Pontiac was hosting a graduation at this location at the time. We decided to go public with it because were looking for an individual and so far, we have not found him. Im confident we will, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said at a Friday news conference. However, hours later, deputies reported that they had arrested the second suspect, 20-year-old Jamarion Jaryante Hardiman. A crime scene photo shows one of two guns found near where a graduation was held in Pontiac. The Oakland County sheriff says two people intended to shoot up the event. (WLNS) A crime scene photo shows one of two guns found near where a graduation was held in Pontiac. The Oakland County sheriff says two people intended to shoot up the event. (WLNS) I am very proud of the swift teamwork of our deputies and the security of the sports complex that I believe averted a potential mass shooting, Bouchard said. The nearly 80 rounds the suspects possessed being fired into a graduation is too terrible to imagine, and thankfully was prevented. The sheriff said the graduation was held Tuesday evening at United Wholesale Mortgage for a Pontiac charter school. At this graduation, there was a fight that broke out and was broken up, Bouchard said. Our deputies arrived and began to gain some information from the United Wholesale security team They began to share information about what they saw, what they had been viewing on their camera systems. And as we delved deeply into it, it wasnt as simple as a fight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A witness told deputies about a social media post on Snapchat about a mass shooting at the graduation. Security video from United Wholesale Mortgage shows the suspects placing two packages under cars. Deputies say those two packages contained loaded guns, each with 40 rounds of ammunition. Those two weapons had 80 rounds of firepower, said Sheriff Bouchard. Thankfully, this got interrupted, said Sheriff Bouchard. We dont rely on luck in our world. Statement from Arts & Technology Academy of Pontiac: Good Afternoon ATAP Community, On Tuesday, June 3, 2025, during our graduation ceremony, an unfortunate incident occurred involving individuals who were reportedly seeking retaliation against others in attendance. Sheriff Bruchard addressed the situation in a live update earlier today. While a brief physical altercation did take place inside the venue, it was quickly handled by staff and security, and those involved were promptly removed. Thankfully, no one within the ceremony was harmed, and we were able to continue and complete our beautiful commencement celebration without further disruption. After the event, those individuals continued their interaction away from the venue. We are relieved and grateful that our students, families, and faculty returned home safely. The Oakland County Sheriffs Office has been actively investigating the matter since Tuesday, and we have been in full cooperation throughout. We want to assure our community that ATAP remains a safe environment, and the well-being of our students and staff is our top priority. Thanks to all of those individuals involved to help capture those individuals. Septembra Williams, M. Ed, Superintendent Neither suspect has ties to the charter high school. This is still an open investigation. WOOD TV digital producer Rachel Van Gilder contributed to this report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News. Potomac Edison, a subsidiary of the power company FirstEnergy, is proposing upgrades to transmission lines in Frederick and Montgomery counties as part of efforts to accommodate growing power demands in the region. The project, called the Gore-Doubs-Goose Creek Improvements Project, will be constructed in parts of Maryland and Virginia. The project will start on the Maryland state line in southwestern Frederick County and continue east and south toward the Doubs substation. From there, the project will go south through western Montgomery County and cross into Virginia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dominion Energy, another power company, will work on the improvements between the Virginia state line and its Goose Creek substation in Loudoun County. In Frederick County, the project will be constructed south of Adamstown and go through Tuscarora, according to a map of the proposed route. All together, the project is about 18 miles long. Construction will start in 2027, and the project is supposed to be finished and operating by 2031. The construction in Maryland will cost $422 million, according to FirstEnergy spokesperson Will Boye. Potomac Edison will recover the costs through transmission rates, a portion of which are ultimately passed through to utility customers, Boye wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A public information session on the project is scheduled for June 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Upper Montgomery County Volunteer Fire Department in Beallsville. In a notice about this informational session published in the May 22 edition of The Frederick News-Post, Potomac Edison said it will also hold individual and small group conference calls over the next 60 days upon request. People can request calls by emailing transmissionprojects@firstenergycorp.com or call 888-311-4737. Potomac Edison will primarily use existing transmission rights-of-way, which will minimize environmental and community impacts, according to a project fact sheet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Gore-Doubs-Goose Creek Improvements Project is supposed to enhance transmission system reliability, accommodate growing demand for electricity by residential and commercial customers, and facilitate the connection of new energy sources, according to the fact sheet. PJM Interconnection, a regional transmission operator that coordinates the movement of electricity in 13 states including Maryland, selected this project to be built to address growing power demands in its territory. The projects PJM selected to be built, including this improvements project, will enhance the flow of electricity across the system for all customers and help address the impact of recent power plant retirements in PJMs service territory, including in Maryland, the fact sheet said. Potomac Edison serves about 285,000 customers in all or parts of seven counties in Maryland, including Frederick County. The company owns and operates 1,200 miles of transmission lines in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Project specifics Some construction work under the improvements project will include building new 500,000-volt transmission lines, as well as: * Installing about a mile of new 500,000-volt structures and transmission line on company-owned property. * Removing part of an existing 138,000-volt line and installing a new steel structure to support the existing line and a new 500,000-volt line for two miles. * Removing two structures that support an existing 500,000-volt line and two 230,000-volt lines and installing three new structures to support five lines for about eight miles. These lines include the existing lines and two new 500,000-volt lines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement * Removing a set of structures supporting and existing 500,000-volt line and installing two new structures to support that existing line and another new 500,000-volt line for about seven miles. The company will also expand the Doubs substation, upgrade its equipment and reconfigure connecting transmission lines. All of this construction and work will occur on property owned by Potomac Edison. Before construction can start, Potomac Edison has to get a specific certificate from the Maryland Public Service Commission, so the company is allowed to build the project. Potomac Edison plans to file its application for this certificate in late 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the project is mainly using existing rights-of-way, there are some limited areas where the rights-of-way will have to be expanded to accommodate new transmission structures, according to the fact sheet. Potomac Edison will contact impacted landowners to discuss additional easements and temporary rights to construct the project, including access routes and tree clearing. Boye said areas north of Doubs substation and near the Dickerson substation in Montgomery County have rights-of way that need to be expanded. When asked how many landowners will be contacted to talk about additional easements, Boye said Potomac Edison has approached a handful of property owners in those areas (a mix of commercial or privately owned, undeveloped land) to discuss obtaining those easements for fair market compensation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Right now, Potomac Edison is conducting preconstruction activities along the transmission rights-of-way, according to the project fact sheet. Company employees might be seen driving or walking the properties where the rights-of-way are, taking measurements, placing boundary flags, and gathering soil or vegetation samples. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has appointed the Justice Departments longtime watchdog to serve as the new inspector general for the Fed and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Fed announced on Friday that Michael Horowitz, who has served as inspector general at the Justice Department since April 2012, will become the Feds new watchdog starting June 30. Powells appointment of a high-profile government watchdog for the role comes as both the Fed and CFPB are separately under major pressure by the Trump administration. The White House has moved to dismantle key parts of the consumer bureau while also seeking to exert greater control over the Feds operations and rulemaking. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Horowitz previously won praise from Trump supporters for uncovering problems in the FBIs handling of the investigation into potential collusion between Trumps 2016 campaign and Russia. Horowitz was spared by President Donald Trumps mass firings of inspectors general across the government earlier this year. Michael Horowitz, we're keeping, Trump said in January, praising Horowitz for what he called an "accurate, well-done report" on former FBI Director James Comey who oversaw the beginning of the Russia probe. Horowitz will replace Mark Bialek who retired as the inspector general of the Fed and CFPB earlier this year after 14 years in the role. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unlike some inspector generals at other agencies, the role is not appointed by the president or confirmed by the Senate. That has drawn some consternation from both Democrats and Republicans in recent years whove criticized the Feds watchdog for being too weak and conflicted. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) have pushed bipartisan legislation to require a White House-appointed and Senate-confirmed watchdog for the Fed and CFPB. Warren and Scott in a letter earlier this year urged Powell in the meantime to select an individual with a demonstrated history of effectively holding government officials accountable for corruption and mismanagement. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) A man from Prairieville has been arrested on multiple child pornography charges following an investigation by the Ascension Parish Sheriffs Offices Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Taskforce. APSO said Kyle Ardoin, 18, was taken into custody and charged with two counts of pornography involving juveniles under the age of 13 and one count of pornography involving juveniles. The investigation began on April 9, when the ICAC Taskforce received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Detectives discovered that Ardoin had allegedly received and saved graphic images depicting child sexual abuse. A warrant was issued for his arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sheriffs office said Ardoin was later found in Pike County, Mississippi, where he was taken into custody and transported back to Ascension Parish. He is currently being held at the Ascension Parish Jail. Authorities said the investigation is ongoing. Former Ascension Public Schools employee arrested for felony theft Latest News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Louisiana First News. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) Several road closures are set for downtown Salt Lake City this weekend while Pride Festival takes place, according to Salt Lake City Police. The Utah Pride Festival begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 7, and will end at 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 8. The event will reportedly be held in and around Washington Square. Several roads near the City and County Building will be fully closed or will have reduced traffic lanes, including 200 East between 400 South and 500 South, which is currently closed as crews set up, according to SLCPD. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thousands of people are expected to attend the festival over the two-day event this weekend. Drivers are asked to take additional precautions including the use of carpooling, public transportation, or a rideshare service to avoid congestion. While there are a number of Pride events happening, the Utah Pride Parade takes place on Sunday, June 8. The parade is Utahs biggest LGBTQIA+ event, hosting nearly 150,000 spectators and participants annually free of charge and open to everyone. See below for a map of the parade route in downtown Salt Lake City. Courtesy of Salt Lake City Police 2025 marks the 35th year the pride parade takes place. SLCPD will also be on high alert to ensure that the parade is a peaceful event. The Salt Lake City Police Department recognizes our responsibility to investigate hate crimes thoroughly and impartially to hold offenders accountable and help ensure justice for survivors, SLCPD said in a press release. The Salt Lake City Police Department educates its officers and detectives and works with our community to recognize, and condemn, hate crimes, and works to prevent them from occurring in the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SLCPD is reportedly part of a Community Partners Against Hate initiative that brings city, regional, and state leaders together to condemn hate. If you are a victim of a hate crime, or witness a hate crime, here are some resources you can use: Call 911: If the crime is in-progress or there is an immediate threat to the safety of yourself or others. File a police report by calling 801-799-3000 and asking to speak with an officer about filing a hate crime report. Request assistance from an SLCPD Victim Advocate. You can call 801-799-3000 and ask to speak with a victim advocate or call 801-580-7969 24/7. Latest headlines: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. A priest at the center of controversy at a suburban Cincinnati Catholic church is admitting to viewing pornography and has announced his departure from the parish. Martin Bachman, a priest at Our Lady of the Visitation in Green Township, on June 6 told members of the parish he would begin a previously planned sabbatical immediately and not return. "I have viewed adult pornography and engaged with some video games of an inappropriate nature," Bachman said in a letter on the parish website that the Archdiocese of Cincinnati provided. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read the statement: Letter from Martin Bachman, priest at Our Lady of the Visitation Bachman said he did not view the pornography or video games in the parish office or on a parish-owned device. Bachman also said he'd been "scammed out of a significant amount of my personal money" but not parish funds, and reported the scam to law enforcement. Both matters related to pornography and the alleged scam had bubbled up in recent weeks at Our Lady of the Visitation. They came to a boil at the end of May when a member of the Archdiocese staff read a letter during Mass from Archbishop Robert Casey defending Bachman and Visitation's pastor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In that statement, Casey said no wrongdoing had been substantiated. On June 6, the Archdiocese changed course. "We confirmed information this week about the nature of the sinful and disturbing online activity in which Father Bachman has participated that requires immediate attention," a statement from the Archdiocese said. The priest will address the issues "during his time away from ministry," the statement said. Bachman, in his letter, said the past couple of years had been "particularly difficult ones" with the deaths of his parents within 30 days of each other and "not taking sufficient time to grieve." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But he added that he would "take ownership" of his behavior and asked for parishioners' prayers to move from "sin to grace, out of darkness into light." This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Father Martin Bachman to leave Visitation, admits viewing pornography Key Points Prince Harry apparently wants to leave the door open for his kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to possibly be working royals someday, should they choose to do so. A new report explores Harry and Meghan Markles decision to use Archie and Lilibets prince and princess titles and HRH statuses. It also explains that their U.K. passports may have been delayed amid a reluctance to put their HRH titles and Sussex surname on them. Five years after stepping back as working members of the royal family, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle still retain their HRH titles (shorthand for His or Her Royal Highness), and, while they dont use them publicly, have used them privately, as came out earlier this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harry and Meghans kids, 6-year-old Prince Archie and 4-year-old Princess Lilibet, also have HRH titles, and, according to Town & Country, the Duke of Sussex wants to leave the option open for his kids to become working royals themselves someday, should they choose to do so. YouTube/Netflix Prince Harry, Princess Lilibet, Prince Archie, and Meghan Markle Prince Harry, Princess Lilibet, Prince Archie, and Meghan Markle A new report in The Guardian details Harrys efforts to get U.K. passports for Archie and Lilibet, with the surname Sussex (as Meghan has expressed the desire to use for herself, as well) and the HRH titles as well. Archies passport, for example, was originally issued as Archie Mountbatten-Windsor (the surname the larger royal family uses) upon his birth in 2019, but after Archies grandfather King Charles took the throne in 2022, he and Lilibet became entitled to use prince and princess titles. Harry and Meghan first expressed their intent to use said titles in March 2023, six months after Charles became King, on the occasion of Lilibet's christening. The childrens titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said at the time. There was a delay in issuing U.K. passports for Archie and Lilibet and There was clear reluctance to issue passports for the kids, a source close to the Sussexes told The Guardian, with the insider adding that the King hadnt wanted Archie and Lili to carry the titles, most of all the HRH, and the British passports, once created, would be the first and perhaps the only legal proof of their names. The Guardian reported that Harry wants to keep the HRH titles for his children so that when they grow older they can decide for themselves whether they want to become working royals or stay out of public life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As far back as the volatile Sandringham Summit in early 2020, Buckingham Palace said that The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the royal family. That said, at least Meghan still uses her HRH title in a private capacity. The Guardian also reported that Harry and Meghan considered changing their surname to Spencer before landing on Sussex, which the outlet said stemmed from sheer exasperation on Harrys part. After speaking about the matter with his uncle Earl Charles SpencerPrincess Dianas younger brotherthough he was enthusiastic and supportive of the name change, he advised against doing so because of legal reasons, and Harry and Meghan chose Sussex instead, reflective of their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles given to them by Queen Elizabeth on the occasion of their 2018 wedding. Instagram/Meghan Markle Prince Archie, Prince Harry, and Princess Lilibet Prince Archie, Prince Harry, and Princess Lilibet Harry was at a point where British passports for his children with their updated Sussex surnames were being blocked with a string of excuses over the course of five months, a source speaking to The Guardian said. Per People, the passports for Archie and Lilibet eventually arrived nearly six months after the initial application; for context, standard processing time is typically around three weeks. The passports arrived shortly after the Sussexes lawyers wrote to the U.K. Home Office, threatening to file a data subject access requesta legal move that could have revealed internal discussions or decisions behind the delay, People reported. Read the original article on InStyle Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly faced months of delays in securing British passports for their children. The couple is said to believe that King Charles deliberately stalled the process due to tensions over their HRH titles. Meanwhile, insiders say Prince Harry's strained relationship with King Charles and Prince William is beyond repair, with both parties unwilling. The Sussexes Suspected King Charles Delayed Archie And Lilibet's Passports Over HRH Title Dispute MEGA Harry and Meghan reportedly suspected that King Charles deliberately stalled the approval of British passport applications for their children, Archie and Lilibet, due to tensions surrounding the use of their HRH titles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to The Guardian, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were left waiting nearly six months for the documents, far longer than the typical three-week processing time. The couple believed the process had been "blocked" by the monarch. Their submitted applications listed "Sussex" as the children's surname, part of a broader move away from the traditional Mountbatten-Windsor name. A source familiar with the matter claimed there was "clear reluctance to issue passports for the kids." The insider added that Charles, 76, "hadn't wanted Archie and Lili to carry the titles, most of all the HRH, and the British passports, once created, would be the first and perhaps the only legal proof of their names." Despite these claims, palace officials have strongly denied any interference by the King. The initial delay was reportedly blamed on unspecified "technical issues." Prince Harry And Meghan Went To Great Lengths To Get Their Children's Passports Approved James Whatling / MEGA Frustrated by the holdup, Harry and Meghan allegedly filed a new request through the UK's urgent 24-hour fast-track passport service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, their scheduled appointment was unexpectedly canceled at the last minute, with sources citing a "systems failure" as the cause. Archie and Lilibet's passports were eventually approved, but only after Harry and Meghan's legal representatives sent a forceful letter warning they would submit a data subject access request, according to reports. A source close to the matter revealed: "Harry was at a point where British passports for his children with their updated Sussex surnames (since the death of Elizabeth II) were being blocked with a string of excuses over the course of five months." The Duke's Passport Battle For Archie And Lilibet Made Him Consider Adopting The Spencer Surname MEGA This drawn-out ordeal regarding his kids' passports reportedly led Harry to approach his maternal uncle, Earl Spencer, for advice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Out of "sheer exasperation," Harry reportedly "went to his uncle to effectively say, 'My family are supposed to have the same name and they're stopping that from happening because the kids are legally HRH, so if push comes to shove, if this blows up and they won't let the kids be called Sussex, then can we use Spencer as a surname?" According to the Daily Mail, the duke brought up the idea during a recent visit to the UK, where he had a "very amicable conversation" with his late mother's brother. While the discussion was friendly, sources revealed that Earl Spencer advised Harry against "taking such a step." The Future Of Archie And Lilibet's HRH Titles Amid Sussexes' Royal Exit James Whatling / MEGA As grandchildren of the reigning monarch, Archie and Lilibet would traditionally be entitled to use HRH titles had they remained active within the royal family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, following Harry and Meghan's exit from royal duties, questions arose over the legitimacy and future use of those titles for their children. In 2020, after Harry and Meghan's departure, Buckingham Palace clarified their standing: "The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the royal family." Although not legally barred from using the titles, the couple reportedly promised the late Queen Elizabeth II they would honor the agreement. However, according to insiders, Harry still wants his children to retain their HRH titles, not for immediate use, but to give them the option later in life to either return to royal duties or continue building their identities independently in the United States. Reconciliation Between Prince Harry And King Charles Seems Unlikely, Expert Says MEGA Meanwhile, Harry's fractured relationship with Charles has reportedly reached an irreversible low point, with insiders suggesting a royal reconciliation is now all but off the table. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite maintaining a public silence and being separated from his youngest son by more than 5,000 miles, Charles is said to be emotionally distanced as well. According to royal commentator Hilary Fordwich, any remaining hope for healing appears to have faded. "There is no turning back," she told Fox News. "King Charles remains tender towards his son but can't risk communication." Fordwich noted that the King's advisers have made it clear that reconciliation "would burden Prince William's future reign." She added that "Prince William now has absolutely no interest in mending fences." "The animosity is so deep that William has shut the door on Harry. Charles is not willing to go against his heir's wishes," Fordwich explained. NEED TO KNOW Prince Joachim of Denmark spoke about his family's future plans in a rare personal interview Prince Joachim and his wife, Princess Marie, moved to the U.S. in 2023 with their two children after Joachim's mother Queen Margrethe stripped all four of his children of their royal titles for "future-proofing" of the monarchy Queen Margrethe later apologized and her son and successor, King Frederik, recently bestowed Joachim's elders sons, Count Nikolai and Count Felix, with a special honor Prince Joachim of Denmark is weighing in on his family's future plans regarding whether they'll continue living in the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The younger son of Queen Margrethe opened up in a rare interview shared on June 6, where he directly addressed what the future might look like for his family. Prince Joachim, 55, and his wife Princess Marie moved from France to Washington, D.C. with their two children in the summer of 2023 as he took on a three-year job with the Danish Embassy under the Ministry of Defense. It marked a fresh start after Queen Margrethe shockingly stripped his four kids of the prince and princess titles for "future proofing" of the monarchy at the start of the year, a move that made waves and Joachim criticized. In conversation with TV2, Prince Joachim said, "We have a desire to come home. But we also do not rule out the possibility of staying abroad. Now we have to see. For now, it is on our radar, when the post here stops, we will return home." Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty Prince Joachim and Princess Marie at the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada on Feb. 15, 2025. Prince Joachim and Princess Marie at the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada on Feb. 15, 2025. A previous statement from the Ministry of Defense about Joachim's job in America said that he would serve as an attache covering the USA and Canada in a three-year position with the possibility of extension, meaning that the initial stint is expected to end in 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement King Frederik's younger brother also gave a personal update on how his family is doing lately. Prince Joachim is a father of four, and shares sons Nikolai, 25, and Felix, 22, with his first wife Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg. Following their split, he remarried in 2008 to Princess Marie, and they went on to welcome two children son Henrik, 16, and daughter Athena, 13 who moved to the U.S. with them. Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images Princess Marie, Count Henrik, Countess Athena, Count Felix, Count Nikolai and Prince Joachim on the balcony of Amalienborg Palace for Queen Margrethe's birthday on April 16, 2023. Princess Marie, Count Henrik, Countess Athena, Count Felix, Count Nikolai and Prince Joachim on the balcony of Amalienborg Palace for Queen Margrethe's birthday on April 16, 2023. "We are each busy in our own way. The kids are at school, where they enjoy being challenged and have an ever-growing social circle, and I have my job. We are our little nuclear family and enjoy it, and we make sure as much as possible that we also have time for each other," Joachim said. "That it doesn't always get in the way of work, school and homework." However, the royal acknowledged that there's a different rhythm when they're in Europe. "Overall, we can all feel it, and we can also feel it in the children, that it is at home in Denmark that we have our largest social base. We can't travel back and forth, after all, there is a six-hour time difference and an entire ocean in between," he told TV2. "We take our time when we are home and enjoy it to the fullest. Perhaps that is the band-aid for being far away from home." Martin Sylvest Andersen/Getty Prince Joachim and Princess Marie at a New Year's Gala at Amalienborg Palace on Jan. 1, 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Prince Joachim and Princess Marie at a New Year's Gala at Amalienborg Palace on Jan. 1, 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 2022, Queen Margrethe announced that she was stripping Joachim's four children of the prince or princess titles and "His/Her Highness" styling they inherited at birth in a surprise step she later described as "necessary future-proofing of the monarchy." Nikolai, Felix, Henrik and Athena then became known as His Excellency Count of Monpezat or Her Excellency Countess of Monpezat (lower-ranking titles within the Danish royal family) starting on Jan. 1 of 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bombshell announcement created a fracture within the family, with Prince Joachim telling the press he felt blindsided by the bombshell which upset his children. This seemingly prompted Queen Margrethe to apologize and saying she "underestimated" how greatly the shock would shake up the family dynamic, but maintained that it was a necessary step for the crown's future. Queen Margrethe later abdicated on Jan. 14, 2024, making her elder son King Frederik X of Denmark. That summer, Joachim hinted that his family pushed past the friction around the title stripping, telling The Washington Post, "We've moved on." Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! In what may have been a bit of an olive branch, King Frederik recently presented his nephews Count Nikolai and Count Felix with the Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog. The recognition welcomed them into an elite order of chivalry awarding outstanding individuals for their service or contributions to Denmark. Read the original article on People NEED TO KNOW Prince William visited the Royal Cornwall Show on Friday, where he was joined by his Aunt Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh The pair were seen sampling drinks at the event, where William joked that Sophie needed to be "watched" as she sipped gin "I can see what today's going to be like," the royal quipped in a video from the event Prince William is ready to cheers into the weekend! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Prince of Wales kicked off his visit to the Royal Cornwall Show on Friday, June 6, with his aunt, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, by sampling some food and drinks from local artisans. In a hilarious moment captured in the Royal Cornwall Food and Farming Pavilion, Sophie, 60, and William, 42, enjoyed a taste of gin. In a video posted to X, William could be heard joking, "I can see what today's going to be like," as he picked up his cup of gin. After the two had both tried the drink and Sophie began to taste more, William quipped, "You're not allowed to finish it. You've got to watch her." Sophie had the perfect reply, responding, "He's learnt from the best." Chris Jackson/Getty Prince William and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh Prince William and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh As for William, he admitted, "I've been caught out with whisky a few too many times," adding, "I think I can do that, and then oh no, I couldn't." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mike Tindall, who is married to William's cousin, Zara Tindall, revealed William's boozy nickname in 2023, when he shared: "The Prince of Wales is known to me as One Pint Willy because hes not the best of drinkers, coming from a sport where it is built on the social aspect and a couple of beers being sunk quite often." That is one I will definitely give away for the Prince of Wales. One Pint Willy. Its out there now, sorry sir," said the former rugby player. The Prince was clearly taken aback when he sampled the gin at the show on Friday. In a photo taken right after he sampled the beverage, he widened his eyes and put his hand on his chest in surprise as Sophie looked on with a smile. The royals also enjoyed a taste of Cornish cider, stopping by the Healeys Cyder stand, where they sipped on Rattlers, per Hello!. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When William spotted the label "zero" on a bottle of cider and was told the beverage was non-alcoholic, he joked, "Oh no, no, no. I need original," per Hello!. "Someone bring out the big guns." Chris Jackson/Getty Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh and Prince William Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh and Prince William Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! After visiting the Royal Cornwall Food and Farming Pavilion together, William and Sophie split for the rest of the event. He checked out the Duchy of Cornwall hub highlighting mental health, where he met with representatives from local charities and organizations, while she visited LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) and the Girl Guides, both organizations that she supports as patron. The Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association organized the annual show. The Prince of Wales is patron of the association, and his aunt Sophie is the vice president. The pair don't often make formal appearances together; Prince William often attends engagements with his wife, Kate Middleton, while Sophie goes to most events with her husband, Prince Edward. Read the original article on People BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) The portion of the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport where private planes and businesses fly in and out of will be undergoing a $40 million redevelopment. The business that we handle has consistently grown, and we can really just see it from the demand that we have, from the clientele that we have that not only have aircraft and aircraft operations based here, but those that fly into the market on a transient basis, said Atlantic Aviation CEO Jeff Foland. Atlantic Aviation is the investor in the redevelopment. The new and improved Fixed Based Operator (FBO) terminal will include a 7,500 square foot terminal with a cafe, conference rooms and lounge areas for flight crews. Two 30,000 square foot hangars will be built, also holding office and shop spaces. On top of the buildings, seven acres of ramps and runways will be added to the FBO campus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This will 100% without question be the newest flagship we have in the network. This will be a world-class, innovative, the most modern, contemporary, complete, private aviation campus across all of the 105 campuses that we have in North America and frankly, it will stand right up there with any private aviation campus in the world, Foland said. Very often, we need infrastructure to be refreshed and renewed, and world-class cities need world-class infrastructure. This is a very important market to Atlantic, and it has been for a very long time, and we plan for it to be very important to us for many decades to come as well. So, its really just getting state of the art equipment, hangar space, ramp space, to make sure that we can handle more traffic and handle it very smoothly going forward and really help economic development of the Birmingham area at large. Birmingham Airport Authority board chair Ashby Pate says this FBO will be many peoples first impression of the city. These customers are general aviation pilots, corporate business travelers, private jet owners, charter flight operators, emergency service providers, and the list goes on and on, said Pate. Were talking about aviation customers who not only live here and travel elsewhere, but others who are coming here, sometimes for the first time to visit family or attend sporting events and celebrate the kinds of milestones that typically bring people together. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin says the new facilities will be a wonderful welcome to the community. During Thursdays groundbreaking, Woodfin made a note that Atlantic Aviation is intentionally choosing local contractors for the project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These projects are typically the culmination of many months, a lot of planning and a lot of work, and so to the Atlantic Aviation and the members of the Birmingham Airport Authority board, I want to congratulate you on bringing this important project to fruition, Woodfin said. You all have been serving our community, youre not new, and so as we see it, this is not a welcome to Birmingham. This is a thank you for continuing to choose Birmingham. Atlantic Aviation expects construction to take around 20 months. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42. Problems are multiplying for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and other Senate negotiators in their bid to pass legislation to enact President Trumps agenda by July 4. Some Republican senators are barraging leadership with concerns about spending cuts for Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), while budget hawks are demanding more deficit reduction and railing against a House compromise to lift the cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions. The latest headache for Thune and other Senate negotiators is a proposal being pushed by fiscal conservatives to root out more than $200 billion in what theyre calling waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare a controversial prospect, given the programs popularity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are also differences in opinion between senators and the Trump White House about making permanent corporate tax cuts, such as 100 percent bonus depreciation for short-term investments and immediate expensing for research and development. Senate Republicans control 53 seats and can only afford three defections on Trumps big, beautiful bill. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) says he will vote no because it includes language to raise the debt ceiling by $4 trillion. And Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) says hes a hard no on the House-passed bill because it doesnt do enough to bring the nation back to a prepandemic level of spending. Here are the issues that threaten to derail the Senate bill. Medicaid Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) are threatening to vote against the bill if it reduces Medicaid benefits to constituents, and they have yet to see what language the Senate Finance Committee will roll out on the issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate and House GOP leaders insist the legislation wont cut Medicaid benefits, but the Congressional Budget Office released a report Wednesday projecting 10.9 million Americans will lose health insurance if the bill passes due to changes to Medicaid and Affordable Care Act coverage. I hope not benefit cuts, thats my bottom line, Hawley said Thursday afternoon. GOP senators have raised concerns about proposals to limit states ability to use health care provider taxes to collect more federal Medicaid funding and to require people earning between 100 percent and 138 percent of the federal poverty level to pay higher copays for Medical services. SNAP Several Senate Republicans are also raising concerns over a projected $267 billion in spending cuts to the SNAP, including Collins and Moran. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Senate Agriculture Committee is hoping to roll out text for its portion of the budget reconciliation bill next week but Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) says the issue remains unresolved. Were still working on it, Boozman told The Hill, adding, I wish it was resolved. Collins says shes concerned about language in the bill that would shift many of the burdens of administering the programs onto the states and penalize those states that have older systems for monitoring benefits. Deficit-reduction A growing number of Republicans are joining budget hawk Sen. Ron Johnsons (R-Wis.) call for more spending cuts in the bill, which Republicans project will reduce spending by roughly $1.6 trillion over the next decade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement GOP senators, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the chairman of the Budget Committee, are calling for bigger cuts. I think the bill needs to be more fiscally responsible, he told reporters Thursday afternoon. Some Republicans are now looking at a proposal to root out waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicare Advantage program and are rallying around a proposal sponsored by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to crack down on insurance companies upcoding diagnoses to collect more Medicare reimbursement money. But the idea is dividing GOP senators. Hawley on Thursday said it would be insane to start cutting Medicare, even though proponents of Cassidys bill say it would be strictly targeted to waste, fraud and abuse and note that Democrats such as Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) support it. Spectrum auction Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, are digging in their heels over language in the House-passed bill to auction off government-owned spectrum, which they fear could impede the Defense Departments use of those frequencies for radar and communications. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rounds said the House language is a deal-breaker and is urging negotiators to add language in the bill to protect spectrum frequencies used by the Pentagon for as long as the auction period lasts. It has to be modified, he said. Theyve indicated that they would protect the spectrum [for defense] for the first round of auction items, but one day after [the first round of auction] its not protected. If theyre serious about protecting that particular part of the spectrum, they just simply protect it until the auction authority expires in 2034, he said. Ive talked to the leadership here in the Senate. Limiting states ability to regulate AI The newest flashpoint in the negotiations is language in the bill that would restrict states ability to regulate artificial intelligence for 10 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) says she would have voted against the House bill had she known that it strips states of the right to make laws or regulate AI for 10 years. Other conservatives are flagging the provision as a major problem. I have a lot of concern about normal people who want to keep their job, want to protect their personal information. So were just going to say for a decade that nobody can protect people? Thats just nuts to me, Hawley told reporters Thursday. Making corporate tax breaks permanent Senate Republicans and Trump White House officials disagree over making corporate tax breaks such as bonus depreciation and research and development expensing permanent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The House bill phases out some of the most popular corporate tax cuts after 2029, and White House officials see an advantage in letting them expire after Trumps term in office, GOP senators familiar with the negotiations say. Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee made a pitch to Trump and his economic team at the White House on Thursday to make the business tax proposals permanent, but the issue remains unresolved. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) said members of the Finance panel expressed their desire to make those tax provisions permanent, but hes not sure they Trump was swayed. Im not convinced that we moved the needle. I think he certainly realizes how important it is to us, and I think he will go back and revisit it with his people, he said. State and local tax (SALT) deductions Republican senators say theyre going to rewrite the deal Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) reached with House Republicans from New York, New Jersey, and other high-cost blue states to raise the cap on SALT deductions from $10,000 to $40,000 for households earning up to $500,000 per year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The House-crafted SALT deal is projected to cost $350 billion over 10 years, and Republican senators arent happy about it. GOP senators believe they can lower the cap to somewhere between $10,000 and $40,000 or find another way to substantially reduce the cost of the provision and still get the bill through the House. It is too high, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said of the $40,000 cap. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who is pushing for deficit reduction in the bill, called the SALT compromise a giveaway to an exceptionally wealthy, exceptionally small group of really high-income earners from a small handful of very highly taxed states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were subsidizing those states that impose high taxes, he said. He said an overwhelming share of Republican senators dont support the $40,000 cap level. Theres a lot of support for setting that back down to some lower number, perhaps back down to $10,000, Lee noted. Speaker Johnson has warned Senate Republicans that they risk imperiling passage of the bill if they blow up the SALT deal. If the Senate modifies the legislation, it would need to pass the House again before heading to Trumps desk. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. With new legal muscle, the nonprofit Freedom of the Press Foundation is upping pressure on Paramount Global to abandon efforts to settle President Trump's $20-billion lawsuit targeting CBS and "60 Minutes." Respected Washington litigator Abbe David Lowell this week joined the team representing the New York advocacy group, which has vowed to sue Paramount should it settle with Trump. The group owns Paramount shares. Lowell, who has represented Hunter Biden, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, is working on the case with attorney Norm Eisen, a Trump critic who helped House Democrats with strategy during Trump's first impeachment hearings in 2019. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eisen is a former ambassador to the Czech Republic who served as White House ethics advisor under President Obama. Late Thursday, the two attorneys sent a strongly worded letter to Paramount's chairwoman and controlling shareholder Shari Redstone and other board members arguing that a Trump settlement would cause "catastrophic" harm to the embattled media company. Hunter Biden, left, with attorney Abbe David Lowell at a House committee hearing last year. (Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press) First Amendment experts have labeled Trump's lawsuit frivolous. But Paramount leaders are desperate to end the Trump drama, and some believe a truce could clear a path for the Federal Communications Commission to approve the company's $8-billion sale to David Ellison's Skydance Media. Paramount needs the FCC to authorize the transfer of the CBS station licenses to the Ellison family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The prospect of a Trump settlement has carved deep divisions within Paramount, which includes CBS News and "60 Minutes." Trading away the credibility of CBSs news division to curry favor with the Trump Administration is an improper and reckless act that will irreparably damage the companys brand and destroy shareholder value," Lowell said in a statement late Thursday. "The board is legally and morally obligated to protect the company, not auction off its integrity for regulatory approval," Lowell said. Read more: Why Paramount's efforts to settle Trump's lawsuit have drawn mounting political heat Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The FCC review of Skydance's proposed takeover of Paramount has become a slog. Skydance and Paramount face an October deadline to finalize the sale or the deal could collapse. Paramount, in a statement, said that it is treating the FCC review and the Trump lawsuit as separate matters. "We will abide by the legal process to defend our case, a corporate spokesman said. Paramount's lawyers entered mediation with the president's legal team in late April, but no resolution has been reached. Paramount offered $15 million to Trump to end his suit, according to the Wall Street Journal, but the president rejected the overture and asked for more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Thursday, Redstone disclosed that she has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer and is receiving treatment. Last month, doctors removed her thyroid but cancer cells had spread to her vocal cords. Read more: Paramount chair Shari Redstone has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer In their seven-page letter, Lowell and Eisen told Paramount's leaders that, should they approve a Trump settlement to gain traction at the FCC, they would be violating their fiduciary duty to shareholders and potentially breaking federal anti-bribery statutes. "We believe [a settlement] could violate laws prohibiting bribery of public officials, thereby causing severe and last damage to Paramount and its shareholders," Lowell and Eisen wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "To be as clear as possible, you control what happens next," they said. The admonition follows a similar warning from three U.S. senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). In a May 19 letter, the senators wrote that paying money to Trump to help win clearance for the Paramount sale could constitute a bribe. It is illegal to corruptly give anything of value to public officials to influence an official act, they wrote. Read more: '60 Minutes,' the Associated Press, an Iowa newspaper: Trump's attacks on the media reach new heights In addition, two California Democrats have proposed a state Senate hearing to examine problems with a possible Trump settlement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The senators invited two former CBS News executives who both left, in large part, because of the controversy to testify before a yet-unscheduled joint committee hearing in Sacramento. The California legislators, in their letter, said a Trump settlement could also violate the state's Unfair Competition Law because it could disrupt the playing field for news organizations. Earlier this week, Paramount asked shareholders to increase the size of its board to seven members at the company's annual investor meeting next month. The Freedom of the Press Foundation was created in 2012 to protect and defend public interest journalism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This spring, Lowell left his former major law firm, Winston & Strawn, where he had been a partner for years. He formed his own boutique firm, Lowell & Associates, with a focus on "public interest representation in matters that defend the integrity of the legal system and protect individuals and institutions from government overreach," according to its website. Read more: Trump, 60 Minutes' and corruption allegations put Paramount on edge with sale less certain Lowell's firm includes lawyer Brenna Frey, who made a high-profile exit from another prominent law firm, Skadden Arps, after it cut a deal with Trump to avoid becoming a target. That law firm agreed to provide $100 million in free legal services. Last month, Frey appeared on CBS' "60 Minutes" to air her decision to resign from Skadden Arps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was able to tell my story on CBSs '60 Minutes' because of the independence of a courageous news division, which is whats at risk now," Frey said in a statement. Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. KANSAS CITY, Mo. Jackson County, Missouri, has begun mailing out property value change notices on Thursday, June 5. The county says that Real Property Value Change Notices are being sent out in phases throughout this week, with some residents already having received theirs. Per Missouri law, counties are required to reassess real estate during odd-numbered years. Legislator Manny Abarca pleads not guilty to domestic battery charges in Johnson County Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jackson County has responded with a new assessment order through the Missouri State Tax Commission. The order includes a formula that limits how much residential property values can increase, no matter the actual market value. Jackson County also provided the following tips that property owners should take note of: Review the notice carefully as it shows the estimated value of property. If you disagree with the valuation, you can file an appeal (instructions are included). The deadline to appeal is July 14, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. The order is not a tax bill. The assessors office does not set the tax rates or levies. For seniors, there is the Senior Property Tax Credit Program. Estimated savings are included on the notices but are subject to change once the tax rates are set. You can apply through June 30 to lock in a 2024 baseline bill. Once owners are approved, tax bills will be based on the base year amount. If the number drops, that will become the new baseline. For more information, click here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) Prosecution is wrapping up its case today against a York County teenager accused of shooting and killing his 12-year-old friend in 2023. 15-year-old Nolan Grove of Red Lion, Pennsylvania, is charged as an adult with murder and involuntary manslaughter after police say he shot 12-year-old Kain Heiland in the back, killing him, in April 2023. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe Now Breaking News Alerts Investigators say the gun belonged to Groves father, who is not facing any charges in relation to the incident. PSP: Police pursuit ends in fatal motorcycle crash in Cumberland County Once the prosecution wraps up today, the defense will have the opportunity to respond. The trial will likely continue into next week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney Ian Vance-Curzan said the prosecution team was feeling confident throughout the trial of Maxwell Anderson, who was found guilty June 6 in the murder of Sade Robinson. Local, state and federal authorities spent countless hours compiling the case, Vance-Curzan said in a press conference following the verdict. Dozens of witnesses, hours of surveillance video and numerous law enforcement agencies were involved in building the case. When a case is investigated the way this one was investigated, the evidence just spoke for itself, Vance-Curzan said. Prosecutor Ian Vance-Curzan gives his closing argument in the trial of Maxwell Anderson in Milwaukee County Circuit court on Thursday, June 5, 2025. Anderson is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilation of a corpse, and arson in the death of Sade Carleena Robinson. In the moments after the guilty verdicts against Anderson were delivered in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, Vance-Curzan said he was thankful for his team and thinking of Robinsons family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While we are satisfied with this verdict, our hearts go out to the family of Sade Robinson, he said. This is a tragedy, and Im just hopeful this verdict will be a step towards healing. Joann Donner, a detective with the Milwaukee County Sheriffs Office and lead investigator on the case, said she worked exclusively on Robinsons case over the past 14 months. I lived and breathed it, Donner said of the investigation, adding that she often visited Warnimont Park in her free time to reexamine the scene. Authorities have still not determined a murder weapon or cause of death for Robinson, which Donner said was increasingly frustrating throughout the investigation. Still, she said she knew in my gut that Anderson was guilty. Milwaukee County Sheriff detective Joann Donner returned on Monday, June 2, 2025, to testify for the state about her role in recovering an arm from homicide victim Sade Carleena Robinson that washed up on a Lake Michigan beach in Waukegan, IL. Maxwell Anderson is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilation of a corpse, and arson in the death of Sade Carleena Robinson. Donner, who testified multiple times throughout the trial, added that it was difficult at times to suppress her emotions surrounding the gruesome murder and its effect on Robinsons family and community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I did go back to my office after the verdict, and I had a good cry, she said. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Maxwell Anderson prosecutor Ian Vance-Curzan: Trial team was confident Osceola Countys now-suspended sheriff, Marcos Lopez, had little to say during his first court appearance aside from asking for clarification on how to begin the bail process. The judge set that bail at $1 million for his two racketeering-related charges. State investigators say he allowed illegal gambling operations to run in Osceola and Lake counties in exchange for campaign contributions. Federal authorities say he brought in more than $21 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WFTV is waiting for the more-than 200-page arrest affidavits release. It will have specific details about his alleged involvement in the gambling enterprise. Prosecutors say he was not only involved, but also hindered efforts to investigate the businesses it operated out of. As for his bail, the court wants to make sure any money he uses is not money prosecutors say he got illegally. The weight of the evidences includes at the very least that he got between $600,000 to $700,000 since 2020 in cash payments from the alleged operation. That new information is just a piece of what is expected to be released in the affidavit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors say the efforts started even before he was first elected sheriff in 2020 and continued long after. Text messages show his alleged involvement and communications with his four co-defendants dating back to 2020. Prosecutors say the affidavit will also show he was scouting locations to bring those illegal businesses from Lake County to Osceola County in 2021. They also say it will show be obstructed law enforcement efforts when it came to those businesses. Prosecutors are also asking for a GPS monitor since his social media has ties to Puerto Rico. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Activists and journalists gathered outside a federal immigration court in late May to do what they always do. The activists wanted to help migrants attending hearings know their legal rights, chastise immigration officers and show resistance to deportation efforts. Reporters wanted to bear witness, interview sources and share stories with the world about what was happening. Usually, assembling outside a court to protest, observe or report would be no problem. But May 21, private security told photojournalists and activists to leave the property. Phoenix police issued the same warning to activists May 28, and said they could get cited for trespassing a criminal violation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By early June, a rope was installed to keep the public off the property, and "No Trespassing" signs were installed. That's because the immigration court isn't in a federal facility it's in a private office building. Police officers said the landlord of the building had asked for people to leave if they did not have immediate business on the property. Advocates like Ricardo Reyes, the lead Arizona organizer for Common Defense, a veterans organization that defends migrants, were confused. He wondered: Since the courthouse is taxpayer funded, shouldn't the taxpaying public be given access and allowed to assemble outside? As of June 3, Phoenix police said the landlord had called three times to complain about trespassers but that no citations were issued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The effects of the warnings, however, were immediate. The advocates left the property and moved to a sidewalk along Van Buren Street. It was on the north side of the building, away from the entrance, which made connecting with migrants impossible. Activists continued to walk onto the private plaza, though, particularly when ICE made arrests. Reporters attending the hearings continued without restriction. But photographers and videographers, who aren't allowed in immigration courtrooms anyway, took to the sidewalk like the activists. Their ability to capture images of individuals entering the building was blocked. A 'No Trespassing' sign and rope were installed to keep immigrants' rights activists and photojournalists away from Phoenix Immigration Court on Van Buren Street and 7th Avenue. Phoenix police says the land is private property. The First Amendment protects the public's right to assemble and the press' ability to report the news. But experts say the legal rights in this circumstance are extremely foggy. The fact the government doesn't own the land brings a host of complications. Plus, the right of the public to access immigration hearings isn't clear cut. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Right now, it's not all that clear because of the oddity of how this is all managed. Where the government's rights take over versus the landlord's rights, versus the other tenants' rights," said Gregg Leslie, executive director of Arizona State University's First Amendment Clinic. Sign up for The Republic's American Border newsletter to get the latest immigration news every Thursday. Public vs. private land, but it's more complicated than that A 'No Trespassing' sign and rope were installed to keep immigrants' rights activists and photojournalists away from Phoenix Immigration Court on Van Buren Street and 7th Avenue. Phoenix police says the land is private property. The public's right to be somewhere, called "right of access," depends largely on whether land is public or private, Leslie said. The difficulty in this situation is that the government courtroom is on the third floor of a privately owned building with other tenants. While the public has a right to public land, that right doesn't exist on private land. But it can get more complex. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If it's private land owned for public access, there are certain allowances for there being greater public access to it," Leslie said. To that end, Leslie said it was "hard to believe" the plaza outside the building would be treated as private property, considering the public must have permission to walk through it on the way to court. Lease agreements might spell out how such circumstances should play out, Leslie said. The Arizona Republic requested but has not obtained the lease agreement. When The Republic called the Phoenix Immigration Court, the operator said she was not authorized to answer the question and hung up on the reporter. The U.S. Justice Department, the agency that houses immigration courts, directed questions from The Republic about why the court was inside a private building to the General Services Administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The GSA, which manages federal government leases, said the government leases private property when "leasing is the only practical answer to meeting Federal space needs." In other words, leases are used when the existing federal property doesn't have space. In Phoenix, the federal buildings are downtown at 1st Avenue and Monroe Street, and 5th Avenue and Washington Street. The leasing company, Transwestern Real Estate Services, did not respond to questions from The Republic. Further clouding the public's ability to understand their rights are different interpretations for different parts of the building. A 'No Trespassing' sign and rope were installed to keep immigrants' rights activists and photojournalists away from Phoenix Immigration Court on Van Buren Street and 7th Avenue. Phoenix police says the land is private property. Someone's right to be in the plaza versus the lobby or the third floor all varies depending on whether the space is considered "a traditional public forum," Leslie said. That means an area traditionally open to political speech and debate. No First Amendment right of access at immigration court Another challenge to the public's right to assemble or report at immigration court is there is no established First Amendment-based right of access, Leslie said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A typical federal courtroom is considered an Article III Court, meaning it was established under Article 3 of the U.S. Constitution and is thus subject to the First Amendment. "There is a right of access to those courts. You have a right to be there. You can be shut out, but (the government) has to overcome your presumption of a right to be there," Leslie said. But immigration courts, by contrast, are administrative. They're created by law and the same level of protections aren't applied. "Right after 9/11, there were fights over whether immigration courts had to be open, and two of the federal circuits came out differently, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear it," Leslie said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That lack of resolution has left the legal community in limbo. ASU's First Amendment Clinic is currently working on guidance trying to clarify what rights do and do not apply to immigration court. Why activists, reporters want to assemble outside immigration court At the end of May, immigrants in Phoenix were seeing the government dismiss their case, only to turn around and immediately arrest them again this time using expedited removal. That's a process that allows for deportation without a hearing. Advocates thought migrants deserved a warning, and went to offer help. "The people that are showing up are showing up in good faith. They have no idea they might get picked up by ICE as soon as their hearing is over, and they're not going to be able ... to have their families waiting for them at home," Reyes from Common Defense said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His group encouraged migrants to get attorneys, and told them about options such as requesting an extension for their case, or an appeal if their case was dismissed. The group also offered to accompany individuals, some of whom Reyes said were scared. But none of that was possible, he said, when they were shuffled to the sidewalk away from the building entrance. Reporters, including those at The Arizona Republic, have attended immigration court hearings intermittently for years as part of ongoing news coverage. The coverage serves myriad purposes, such as showing the public how government is carrying out President Donald Trump's deportation agenda. The information is meant to equip the public so they can make informed decisions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Disallowing photo and video reporters on-site has hindered the ability to show everything that's happening there. Taylor Seely is a First Amendment Reporting Fellow at The Arizona Republic / azcentral.com. Do you have a story about the government infringing on your First Amendment rights? Reach her at tseely@arizonarepublic.com or by phone at 480-476-6116. Seely's role is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Reporters, protesters barred from outside of Arizona immigration court In a Bizarro World lawsuit against the federal government, Proud Boys who were pardoned by President Donald Trump for their roles in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol are alleging cruel and unusual treatment and politically motivated prosecutions. They seek a minimum of $100 million in damages for alleged violations of their constitutional rights. The suit is brought by former Proud Boys honcho Enrique Tarrio along with lieutenants Zachary Rehl, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, and Dominic Pezzola. The plaintiffs were all convicted of serious felonies up to and including seditious conspiracy for their roles in plotting or executing the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and were serving long prison terms until Trump took office and pardoned or commuted their sentences. Now, the Proud Boys want to get paid. The 28-page lawsuit casts the right-wing extremist group as nothing more than a patriotic activist organization for young men. The suit contends that the men were victims of an egregious and systemic abuse of the legal system intended to punish and oppress political allies of Trump. The language of the filing is consistently over-the-top. The government got its fondest wish of imprisoning the J6 Defendants, it recounts of the mens trials. It calls their treatment the modern equivalent of placing ones enemies heads on a spike outside the town wall as a warning to any who would think to challenge the status quo. The lawsuit presents an unrecognizable recounting of the mens behavior. It insists that none of the men took actions to obstruct the proceedings at the Capitol, destroy government property or participate in civil disorder, nor did they plan for or order anyone else to do so. This appears in strong tension with the facts on which they were convicted and sentenced. Tarrio, for example, gloated in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 violence: Make no mistake we did this. Pezzola used a stolen police shield to bash in a window at the Capitol. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit also alleges cruel and unusual pre-trial abuses in jail including unjustified solitary confinement, denial of proper medical care and access to lawyers, and violations of attorney-client privilege. The men assert that the government displayed an open bias and visceral distaste for the Plaintiffs moral, social, political, and religious viewpoints, and that their prosecutions were driven by animus and a desire to see them punished for their politically incorrect beliefs. The suit, filed in federal district court in Florida, seeks $100 million in punitive damages. It also seeks unspecified compensatory damages, as well as attorneys fees. The litigation notes that copies were sent to top Trump loyalists Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Kash Patel, the director of the FBI who once wrote that calling Jan. 6 an insurrection was just a disinformation narrative designed for one purpose: to destroy dissent. During his first day in office, Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of more than 1,500 Jan. 6 criminals, including many violent offenders, and members of the Oath Keepers also convicted of seditious conspiracy. He has also weighed creating a compensation fund for those incarcerated. Trump has recently doubled down on this upside-down view of law and order by appointing a legal champion of violent Jan. 6 defendants as his lead pardon attorney. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. When Stewart Rhodes and Enrique Tarrio stepped into Washington, D.C.s federal courthouse Friday, they were wearing jeans instead of jumpsuits. The leaders of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys were once described by federal judges as the uniquely dangerous instigators of a Jan. 6, 2021, conspiracy to stop the transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden. Rhodes received an 18-year sentence, Tarrio a 22-year sentence, the lengthiest of all Jan. 6 defendants. On his first day of his second term, Trump erased their prison terms when he granted a sweeping reprieve to the more than 1,500 people charged or convicted for storming the Capitol nearly five years ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, the men stood in a hallway of the very building that had once condemned them to decades in prison, bantering with a small band of supporters and preparing to stare down a federal judge as she sentenced a Tarrio associate, former D.C. police officer Shane Lamond. Rhodes and Tarrio say they attended Lamonds sentencing to show solidarity with a man they think Trump should pardon. Lamond was convicted of lying to federal investigators and his own colleagues to protect Tarrio from an investigation into his burning of a Black Lives Matter flag in the weeks before Jan. 6. Lamond had been cultivating Tarrio as a source, but U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson found that the roles had reversed: Tarrio pumped Lamond for information about the flag-burning probe while Lamond eagerly doled out details of his colleagues work and then lied about it. Jackson sentenced Lamond to 18 months in prison and scolded him for shaming his badge and department. Tarrio, who was still in prison at the time, testified in Lamonds defense, for a combative session that Jackson described Friday as bizarre. Lamonds sentencing makes him one of the few figures connected even tangentially to Jan. 6 to face criminal consequences in the second Trump term. While the men prosecutors and judges labeled the masterminds of the attack sat liberated in the public gallery, Lamond learned he is slated to go to prison in August. In fact, Trumps Justice Department asked Jackson to incarcerate Lamond for four years, a request the judge rejected as excessive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Afterward, Rhodes and Tarrio stood outside the courthouse and called on Trump to pardon Lamond as well as the dozen Jan. 6 defendants like Rhodes who did not receive pardons but instead had their sentences commuted. Joining them was Ivan Raiklin, a longtime Trump ally who has called for retribution against those who targeted Jan. 6 defendants and has demanded investigations of the leadership of the Capitol Police. Tarrio, who has been seen with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in recent weeks, said he didnt directly press the president to grant pardons and declined to describe their conversation, which he said was brief. Im not going to go into detail, he said, a lit Marlboro in his hand. It was a very brief encounter. Several of the prosecutors who led the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers prosecutions have since been demoted or left the Justice Department altogether. Both men, however, expressed some frustration that the Trump administration had not more forcefully come down on Biden-era prosecutors and in fact still employed some of them. Rhodes called directly on the new interim U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to purge more Jan. 6 prosecutors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I know she just started, Rhodes said, but why are these guys still working for her? In fact, one of the prosecutors who led the team that put Rhodes in prison attended Lamonds sentencing, taking a seat in the public gallery just 5 feet from his former adversary. Rhodes called the close encounter with the prosecutor a bizarre experience. Hes like 'Oh, nice to see you,' Rhodes said. I was like, Not nice to see you. Gov. Kelly Armstrong speaks during a meeting of the Senate Appropriations Committee on March 27, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) Legal staff for North Dakotas legislative branch concluded the prudent remedy to correct an error with Gov. Kelly Armstrongs line-item veto would be for the governor to call a special session, according to a memo issued Friday. But Attorney General Drew Wrigley, who is working on a separate opinion, maintains that Legislative Council has no role in determining the execution of the governors veto. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Armstrong announced May 22 a markup error with a line-item veto that crossed out $35 million for a state housing development fund. The red X over the funding did not match what Armstrong indicated in his veto message that explained his reasoning. A Legislative Council memo distributed to lawmakers Friday concluded that legal precedent supports the marked-up bill as the official veto document. Engaging in interpretive gymnastics to disregard the markings on the bill could lead to unintended consequences in the future, Legislative Council concluded. Emily Thompson, legal division director for Legislative Council, said the Legislature needs to have an objective document to clearly illustrate what was vetoed, such as the specific veto markings on the bill, so lawmakers can exercise their veto override authority effectively. Lawmakers have six days remaining in their 80-day limit and could call themselves back into session to address the veto. However, the memo cautions that the Legislature may need those days to reconvene to respond to federal funding issues or other unforeseen reasons. Legislative Council recommends the governor call a special session, which would not count against the 80-day limit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A special session of the Legislature costs about $65,000 per day, according to Legislative Council. North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley speaks in his office on March 5, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) Armstrong is waiting for an attorney generals opinion to determine the next steps, according to a statement from his office. He previously said he would call a special session if necessary. Wrigley said Friday its up to his office to assess the situation and issue an opinion on the governors question. The power in question is strictly the governors power and it has to be in compliance with the constitution and laws of North Dakota, Wrigley said. Thats the only assessment here. Theres no role for this in Legislative Council. They have no authority in this regard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Armstrong on May 19 issued two line-item vetoes in Senate Bill 2014, the budget for the state Industrial Commission. His veto message explained his reasons for objecting to a $150,000 one-time grant for a Native American-focused organization to fund a homelessness liaison position. But the marking also crossed out $25 million for housing projects and programs and $10 million to combat homelessness, which he later said he did not intend to veto. Chris Joseph, general counsel for Armstrong, wrote in a request for an attorney generals opinion that the markings served as a color-coded visual aid, and the veto message should control the extent of the veto. Wrigley said his office is working on the opinion and aware that resolution of the issue is time sensitive. Bills passed by the Legislature with appropriations attached to them, such as the Industrial Commission budget, go into effect July 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I look forward to publishing my opinion on that at the earliest possible time, he said. The Legislative Council memo states, It would not be appropriate to allow the governor and attorney general to resolve the ambiguity by agreement. Emily Thompson, legal division director for the Legislative Council, speaks during a committee hearing on Jan. 31, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) In addition, Legislative Council concluded that if the governors veto message is to be considered the controlling document for vetoes in the future, more ambiguities would likely be inevitable and frequent and require resolution through the courts. The memo cites a 2018 North Dakota Supreme Court opinion involving a case between the Legislature and then-Gov. Doug Burgum that ruled a veto is complete and irrevocable upon return of the vetoed bill to the originating house, and further stated the governor does not have the power to withdraw a veto. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Setting a precedent of the attorney general issuing a letter saying we can just go ahead and interpret the governors veto message to mean what was, or was not, vetoed, thats a really concerning precedent to set, Thompson said in an interview. Wrigley said any issues resulting from the opinion could be addressed by the courts. I sincerely hope that they (Legislative Council) are not trying to somehow publicly advocate, or attempt to influence a process for which they have no role, Wrigley said. Legislative Council memo SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Jodi Fick stands in the children's section of Siouxland Libraries' downtown Sioux Falls location. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight) Her career is ending amid legislative attacks on her profession, but Jodi Fick still thinks the skys the limit for libraries. Fick has been working in libraries since 1983 and has led Siouxland Libraries 13 branch locations in Sioux Falls and the surrounding area since 2017. Shes retiring on June 20. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement South Dakota lawmakers nearly passed a bill earlier this year that would have subjected librarians to criminal prosecution for disseminating obscene books to children. The failed proposal was replaced with a requirement that school and public libraries allow appeals of their obscenity determinations. State law says material is obscene if it appeals to the prurient interest, is patently offensive because it affronts contemporary community standards relating to the description or representation of sado-masochistic abuse or sexual conduct, and lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value. Fick expressed faith that libraries will survive the scrutiny. The pressures on libraries ebb and flow, depending on whats going on in society, she said, adding that the publics right to access a broad variety of information usually prevails. Fick grew up in Mobridge. She earned a bachelors degree from Augustana University in Sioux Falls and a masters in library science from Emporia State University in Kansas. Her library career began with a work-study position at Augustanas Mikkelsen Library. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After completing her education, she joined the Minnehaha County Rural Public Library as assistant director in 1990, a role she held until a 1995 merger. That year, the Sioux Falls city library system merged with the county library system to form what is now Siouxland Libraries. When Siouxland Libraries was created, Fick transitioned into the new system as a senior librarian. In 2007, she was promoted to assistant director, and in 2017, she was appointed as the director. The area served by Siouxland Libraries grew in population from 124,915 in 1995 to 250,551 in 2024. The annual circulation the number of times materials are checked out rose from 1.1 million to 2.1 million over that period. The following conversation with Fick has been edited for length and clarity. How has the function of a library in a community changed since you started? How our libraries function has evolved somewhat. Before the internet, we had huge reference collections. Just ranges and ranges of books that provided valuable information, but it wasnt like something youd take home and read. It was, you come, we help you find the information you need, and you go on. Well, once we had the internet, that information became readily available. Of course, you still want to ensure the source can be trusted, and thats another skill we still provide knowing how to know if the source is reliable. Is it vetted? Has it been edited? Libraries also have searchable databases of reliable information. What is the future of libraries? The skys the limit. When I started, we barely had computers. I was hired originally to automate the library, and we were still using the old card catalog system. The ability for you to even know what books existed was next to nothing, which was a very different library from today. You would come to the library, browse the collection, and go home with things. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, you can sit at home on your phone, browse, and you can even check it out through your local library app and start consuming the information. I think that books and knowledge will continue to be the core of what libraries are, because we are the gatherers of that knowledge, and make it available to our community to consume. But I also see that we hold an important part in being that third place. So, you have places youre at where you can simply be: home, work or that third place, where youre not required to buy a meal or pay for something. This is a spot where you can come to, and you can gather with others, you can use meeting room space, or you can just be, that is outside of your home and your workplace, because the community has created these branches that are a spot for you to come to. So, were that third place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres a sociologist who calls libraries palaces for the people. And I like that image. Libraries are living, breathing things. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX I think over the years, what I have seen is that librarians are staying in tune with the community, trying to understand what the needs are, and then adapting our services to what that community needs at that time. Of course, within our range. At one time, we were the spot to get your IRS tax warrants. Other times, we are helping people find jobs. I think as long as libraries are reflective of what their community needs, they will continue to be successful. But that also means that what a public library is in South Dakota is, well, there are hundreds of different variations. The answer depends on what the community needs and is. What did you make of the recent legislative proposal that would have criminalized librarians who check out obscene materials to minors? What was interesting was that, as a library, we dont collect obscene materials. Why was this deemed necessary at all? I dont know. I wasnt asked about it. But we dont collect materials that fit the legal definition of obscenity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lets say we did have obscene materials which, of course, we dont that law would have said that if my job required me to check out this material upon request, and I did it, I would no longer have the protection of I was just doing my job. Now, the risk to us is slim, but I honestly dont understand where it was coming from. My concern, as the director of the public library, is that it created a picture that library staff are here trying to cause harm to our children in our community, which is so far from what librarians are doing. How do you approach the balance between community standards and the librarys role in providing access to a wide range of information, particularly when facing pressures to restrict certain content? We lean back on the policies that have been set by the library boards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since our inception, weve had policies that tell us what we are supposed to collect. So, everything that we do is based on policies that have been developed over the years, not just as practices, but how we provide collections for our communities. Specifically, we have a collection development policy. It defines who selects, whos responsible for it, what are the criteria we use when were selecting, and both for adding and removing materials, or if we find that theres things in our collections that arent appropriate for our collection. So thats all laid out. More Searchlight Q&As For Siouxland Libraries, the policies are all set by the Siouxland Libraries Board of Trustees. And they are basing a lot of it on freedom of speech rights. So, the First Amendment rights for people to have access to a wide variety of thoughts. When were selecting, we also do a lot of analysis of what people are using. And we pay attention to the high-use items, low-use items, and also what people are asking us questions about and try to build a collection thats based on that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And there are just certain subjects that are also going to be more sensitive. One in particular is human reproduction, especially when you get into childrens non-fiction. We recognize that can be a very sensitive topic for people. But we have families who come to us wanting resources that can help them when theyre trying to have those conversations with their children. And different families have different expectations for what types of information is appropriate, because parents know their own children best. Im a parent. I have two children. Theyre now adults, but I very much remember when it came time to have the talk, and make sure that they understood their bodies, and what was going on. What I did not want was children living their lives with a lack of knowledge, or misinformed, or ashamed. Most of our families who come in, they want to be able to present information to their children accurately. How that information is presented will vary. Some want details, others want the birds and the bees analogies. So, we have materials that present a variety of viewpoints. Do you think its important that libraries provide access to books that include sexual content that some find offensive? Why? Look, there will be books that have difficult scenes. Is this obscenity or not obscenity? Well, the term has a pretty narrow legal definition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But why are these books important? Often, youll see this in teen books or coming-of-age books. A coming-of-age book has a teen dealing with a specific issue, and they grow through the experience, and theres a resolution. The books are designed to help teens navigate something. Now, why are they navigating things that theyre not going through? Because those things are happening within their communities. It might not be to them specifically, but how much more important is it that theyve thought about a situation before theyre in the middle of it they see someone resolve through it? The person in the book may or may not have done what youd want them to do, but theyre learning from that experience. Teens grow into adults. They go through difficult things, and those types of books help them learn about the environment around them. You learn how to deal with situations without actually experiencing that situation. You have a chance to consider things in your head before youre put into situations that youre not prepared to handle. The pressures on libraries ebb and flow, depending on whats going on in society. I have files of other times when there have been similar things. In the late 90s, it was movies. Our library has movies that are G-rated to R-rated. A child might take that home and watch it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well, we have been very much supported by our community and by the parents in our community saying, What a child checks out is to be regulated by the parent. A child cant get a library card without a parents permission. A parent has full access to what their child is checking out. We very much encourage coming with your child to the library. We support parents rights to be the parent. What are you most proud of? Im most proud of how many people continue to use the library. People are coming, and theyre coming in more and more. The compliments that we receive, the numbers of people who say, I love the library, I dont know what my life would be like without access to this. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE NEED TO KNOW Queen Camilla is keeping her distance from the rift dividing King Charles and Prince Harry Tensions remain high as Harry says his father has stopped speaking to him and Prince William has shown no interest in reconciling Prince Harry, 40, described his stepmother as "dangerous" in his memoir, 'Spare' Queen Camilla stays out of the fray when it comes to the painful rift distancing King Charles and Prince William from Prince Harry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the King and Prince Harry stand at a pivotal moment in their fractured relationship and William remains estranged from his brother, Queen Camilla is not getting involved in the turbulence between her husband and his younger son. The Queen "stays out of it," a source tells PEOPLE in this week's exclusive cover story. The family's fractures came to light when the Duke of Sussex and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back from their royal roles in 2020, and today, the deep divide between the King and Harry remains one of the most painful fissures in his reign. Samir Hussein/WireImage Harry and Meghan moved to the U.S. amid mounting family tensions and the relationship was further strained by the Sussexes high-profile interviews, an explosive Netflix docuseries and Harrys memoir Spare, in which he described Camilla as "dangerous." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his groundbreaking 2023 memoir, the Duke of Sussex reflected on the complicated emotions he felt around his fathers 2005 marriage to Camilla and alleged that she leaked stories about him to the press in an effort to rehabilitate her image. Andy Stenning - WPA Pool/Getty Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Queen Camilla and King Charles observe Queen Elizabeth's coffin following her state funeral on Sept. 19, 2022. "I had complex feelings about gaining a stepparent, who I thought had recently sacrificed me on her personal PR altar," Prince Harry said in his memoir. In an interview with Good Morning America in 2023, he further explained: "She had a reputation or an image to rehabilitate, and whatever conversations happened, whatever deals or trading was made right at the beginning, she was led to believe that that would be the best way to doing it." Asked about his relationship with her now, he said: "We haven't spoken for a long time. I love every member of my family, despite the differences. So when I see her, we're perfectly pleasant with each other. She's my stepmother. I don't look at her as an evil stepmother. I see someone who married into this institution, and done everything she can to improve her own reputation and her own image, for her own sake." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement King Charles' continued treatment for cancer adds further urgency to the possibility of reconciliation between father and son before it's too late. The father and son were briefly on the same continent in late May when the King and Queen Camilla traveled to Canada for the State Opening of Parliament in what was interpreted as a show of support for the Commonwealth realm amid tensions with the U.S., but Harry and Charles didn't cross paths. While Prince William, 42, remains distant from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, some royal observers believe King Charles should make the first move in repairing his relationship with Harry. But inside palace walls, hesitation reigns. PEOPLE Magazine, June 16, 2025. There has been a desire to reconnect at times, but "the underlying issue is trust," royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith tells PEOPLE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The King and William dont trust Harry and Meghan with any kind of confidential conversation," Bedell Smith says. Insiders add that King Charles isn't encouraged by his inner circle. The Prince of Wales has shown no interest in extending an olive branch, and senior aides like Clive Alderton, who was targeted in Spare, are unlikely to encourage outreach. "There is not a good angel in his ear to say, Be a good dad and make the first move,' " says Valentine Low, author of the upcoming book Power and the Palace. Jeff J Mitchell - WPA Pool/Getty King Charles and Prince Harry on Sept. 14, 2022. King Charles and Prince Harry on Sept. 14, 2022. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Despite Harrys plea for peace in a bombshell BBC interview after losing a legal appeal to restore his state-funded security on May 2, his comments were widely seen as another blow to the bond. The Duke of Sussex said there that the King "won't speak to me because of this security stuff" and alleged "I dont know how much longer my father has" in an allusion to cancer diagnosis announced last year. "It wasnt meant to be an attack, but it would be seen as one," says Low. "It makes Charles reaching out even harder." Read the original article on People Rep. Jason Knight, a Barrington Democrat, defends his bill to ban assault-style weapons during debate on the House floor on June 5, 2025. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) The Rhode Island House of Representatives on Thursday approved much-anticipated legislation banning the sale and manufacturing of a range of semiautomatic weapons in Rhode Island starting in July 2026. The 43-28 vote came after nearly five hours of debate and nine failed attempts by House Republicans to change the bill sponsored by Rep. Jason Knight, a Barrington Democrat. All 10 Republicans voted against the bill, along with 17 Democrats and the chambers lone independent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have an obligation to protect the community we live in, Knight said on the House floor. Mass shootings are a real problem it could happen here and we have a chance to minimize the chances. Who voted no Twenty-three state representatives voted against the assault-style weapons ban bill. Opponents included all 10 chamber Republicans: House Minority Leader Mike Chippendale, Richard Fascia, Marie Hopkins, George Nardone, Brian Newberry, Christopher Paplauskas, David Place, Robert Quattrocchi, Sherry Roberts and Paul Santucci Another 17 Democrats also opposed the ban: Samuel Azzinaro, Jacquelyn Baginski, David Bennett, Stephen Casey, Gregory Costantino, Megan Cotter, Deborah Fellela, Brian Kennedy, Charlene Lima, Thomas Noret, William OBrien, Ramon Perez, Robert Phillips, Earl Read, Patricia Serpa, and Joseph Solomon. Also opposed was Rep. Jon Brien, the only independent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In introducing Knights legislation to the floor, House Judiciary Chairman Robert Craven, a North Kingstown Democrat, said the legislation is justified if just one life is saved by banning assault-style weapons. One of the things I learned as a prosecutor many years ago was theres no undoing someone being dead, Craven said. Theres no retreat from that dead is dead. But opponents argued the bills language is too broad and would not reduce gun violence. Many said it would criminalize responsible gun owners. This piece of legislations true goal, as evidenced by its language, is clouded at best and disingenuous at worst, said Rep. Arthur Corvese, a North Providence Democrat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The legislation, which was already revised before advancing out of committee earlier this week, would prohibit the sale and manufacturing of assault-style shotguns, handguns, and rifles beginning July 1, 2026. Weapons are defined as any semiautomatic firearm that has the ability to accept a detachable magazine and has at least one attachment such as stocks, pistol grips, and barrel shrouds. Certain .22 caliber rimfire rifles and Olympic-style target pistols would still be allowed. Assault-style firearms purchased before July 2026 would also be exempt from the legislation, along with weapons passed down through family. Violators of the proposed ban would face up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000 and forfeiting their assault-style weapons. Gun owners could voluntarily register their weapons with police to receive a certificate of possession a provision that has drawn the ire of opponents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you are found to be in possession of one of these firearms and do not have this voluntary certificate you are handcuffed, you are printed, you are booked, you are arraigned, you go to pre-trial, you go to a trial, said House Minority Leader Mike Chippendale, a Foster Republican. After maybe two years you can provide proof you owned the firearm before July 1, 2026. Chippendale also argued that the bills language is unclear on where gun owners could use their grandfathered weapons, saying that it would bar hunting. Rep. Joseph McNamara, a Warwick Democrat, said weapons subject to the proposed ban are not meant for hunting. If you need an AK-47 to hunt ducks, maybe you should take up bowling, he said. House Republicans introduced nine floor amendments to address their issues with Knights bill, but each were rejected. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democratic Reps. Mia Ackerman of Cumberland, John Edwards of Tiverton, Raymond Hull of Providence, and Alex Marszalkowski of Cumberland were not present for the vote. Rep. Kathleen Fogarty, a South Kingstown Democrat, voted by proxy in favor of the bill. The policy now rests with the Senate for consideration. Companion legislation introduced by Sen. Lou DiPalma, a Middletown Democrat, has 23 additional sponsors, including Senate President Valarie Lawson. DiPalmas bill was heard by the Senate Committee on Judiciary on May 14, where it remains under review. Three Democrats who serve on the committee voiced opposition to the proposal during the initial hearing on DiPalmas bill. Senate Majority Leader Frank Ciccone, a Providence Democrat and federal firearms dealer, has also said he does not support banning assault-style weapons as drafted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Knights changes have not swayed his stance, Ciccone said in an interview Thursday. Lawson remains committed to seeing the proposal hit the Senate floor, chamber spokesperson Greg Pare said in an email. Moms Demand Action Chapter Lead Kathleen Layton watches members of the House debate a proposed ban on assault-style weapons from the gallery on June 5, 2025. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX A rabbi was attacked and injured on the head on Friday by a man with a chair while sitting on the terrace of a cafe in a Paris suburb, the public prosecutor's office in the Nanterre department reported. The suspect is in police custody and is being investigated for a serious act of violence. The rabbi was taken to hospital but has since been discharged, according to Jean-Christophe Fromantin, the mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine, just outside Paris on its western edge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an interview with CNews, a large bruise on the right side of his forehead that was turning black and blue was clearly visible. The 28-year-old suspect is reportedly a man of Palestinian origin with German papers who was only temporarily in France, according to the mayor. The Le Parisien newspaper reported that he man was born in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip and had a temporary residence permit for Germany. He was unarmed but was carrying a copy of the Koran. The rabbi told the broadcaster CNews that he had arranged to meet someone for a conversation at the cafe when he suddenly felt a blow to the back of his head. At first, he thought something had fallen from the roof of the cafe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said it pained him to have been attacked because he was wearing a kippah and was recognizable as a Jew. He added that religion should never be a trigger for violence. The rabbi had just been attacked a week ago in Deauville, when he was severely beaten by three drunk individuals in the northern French seaside resort of Deauville. The race to become the top Democrat on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee is heating up and getting crowded. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) this week threw her hat into the ring to replace former Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), who died last month of esophageal cancer, making her the fourth member of the committee and the second member of the Congressional Black Caucus to vie for the seat. She joins Reps. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), who all announced their bids last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not only is the list unusually long for such a race, but it features two veteran septuagenarians and two congressional newcomers who are decades younger setting the stage for another tense debate over the seniority system Democrats have favored for generations, but has come under increasing scrutiny in an era in which the partys popularity is well underwater. Its usually two, every now and then three [candidates]. Id have to go back a while to remember four horses trying to get out of the gate at the same time, acknowledged the 76-year-old Mfume, who was first elected to Congress in 1986 and returned to office in 2020. Weve got some bright young members, some very distinguished and wise older members, and I think theres got to be a melding of those age groups and those thoughts and those priorities, he continued. Because at the end of the day, well all either win together or well lose together. Mfume is the oldest candidate in the race, but not the most senior on the committee. That distinction goes to Lynch, 70, who has been in office since 2001 and has served as the interim ranking member since Connolly stepped back from the role in April. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The elder statesmen are citing their long experience as an asset, while also vowing to tap the unique strengths of the newer members of the committee, who tend to have a better finger on the pulse of digital outreach and social media. I fully appreciate that the effectiveness of our Committee in presenting the truth to the American people is dependent on our ability to maximize and elevate the diversity of talent within our Democratic membership, Lynch, a former ironworker and union leader, wrote recently to his fellow Democrats. Mfume, a former head of the NAACP, agreed, saying Democrats cant be effective without a united approach. Its important for the new ranking member to gather all the Democrats together on that committee, close the door and figure out what the agenda is going forward as a team, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the younger challengers see the Oversight vacancy as a rare opportunity to reimagine the Democratic brand and revive the partys image with new faces and fresh ideas. For me, its about, how do we excite the base? said the 44-year-old Crockett, whos in her second House term. And to be perfectly honest while I cant put a poll in the field fast enough and get some answers I can tell you that, tangentially, looking at the entire field, I am the type of member that potentially will inject a little bit of that energy that were missing right now for our base. And I think that we have to take that into consideration. Democratic leaders are well aware of the generational tensions, and are making clear their intent to stand aside and allow the process to play itself out ahead of a vote of the full caucus, which is scheduled for June 24. As weve said before, seniority and length of tenure is always a factor, but it is one of many factors that members consider, Rep. Pete Aguilar (Calif.), chair of the House Democratic Caucus, told reporters this week. Our job is to just make sure that its done in a fair way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), a prominent member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), downplayed the notion that the race which features two CBC members in Mfume and Crockett might lead to bad blood within the group. He noted he had defeated former Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who had once headed the CBC, for the Caucus chair position in 2018, and she remains a great friend and colleague. Leadership, of course, remains aggressively neutral, Jeffries added. We dont put our thumb on the scale. With subpoena power and broad jurisdiction over virtually every facet of the federal government, the Oversight Committee ranks among Capitol Hills most potent panels, making the ranking member spot a highly coveted position for ambitious lawmakers seeking a new level of national prominence. Thats especially the case for the minority Democrats this year, when theyre scrambling for an effective strategy to combat the norm-smashing actions of President Trump, who has used the early months of his second administration to dismantle many of the federal institutions the Democrats hold dear. Connolly, in seeking the spot after last Novembers elections at age 74, had run into the same questions about age, image and passing the torch that are being raised now. He dismissed those concerns, citing a track record of fierce advocacy for Democratic traditions and the federal workers Trump has sought to purge. And he easily won the closed-ballot contest despite facing a formidable challenger in Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), 35, an icon of the left with a huge national following. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ocasio-Cortez has since left the Oversight Committee, jumping to the powerful Energy and Commerce panel in January, and declined a bid to replace Connolly. Garcia, 47, was among the Oversight members who had waited to learn Ocasio-Cortezs intentions before announcing his own. With her out of the race, he quickly jumped in, touting his experience as the former mayor of Long Beach, Calif., and his position in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Hes also vowing to help the party disseminate its message more effectively with modern-age tools. Democrats are the party of working families but we must meet people where they are, he wrote in his pitch to colleagues. Traditional media isnt enough to drive real policy wins, we must break through the noise, capture public attention, and energize people to act. Crockett delivered a similar pitch, stressing the need for Democrats to highlight wins and make information accessible to voters. But she also noted the role is more than just communications. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the end of the day, I am a trial lawyer, she said, noting her years as a public defender and her familiarity in dealing with criminals. At the mention of the word, her mind turned to Trump. To be perfectly honest, theres probably only one person that the president does not want to head up Oversight, and I can tell you that its me, Crockett said. That alone should actually hopefully get my colleagues to say thats probably the one that we want, because I am the one that hes afraid of. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. In high school, Eben Leigh was coy and reserved. He says he flew under the radar. Now, with eyes set on law school, hes wrapping up a stint at a local nonprofit, has taught classes at Averett University after graduating and earning the highest honor there, published a book of poetry and received top recognition at Riverview Rotary. Admitting its a lofty goal, he also wants to be on the United States Supreme Court one day. And hes only 22. On top of all of that, last week, he received whats called a PACE Award, which stands for Professional and Community Engagement, from the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce. Its designed for emerging leaders under the age of 40. It was while he was at Danville Community College that he started down the road of learning leadership. I was so shy, I never spoke to anybody, Leigh said, growing up and going to school. Other than being on the scholastic bowl team, he wasnt involved in extracurricular activities. Raised in the Vandola community of Pittsylvania County, he went to Brosville Elementary School and then Tunstall for high and middle schools, where he graduated in 2021. With dual enrollment classes under his belt in high school, he only spent 11 months at DCC. Although it was less than a year, he said it was the best time of his life. DCC was such a turning point in my life, he told the Register & Bee in a recent interview. It was two people at the community college who helped him the most. One was J.C. Evans, a professor of sociology. Leigh had attended a meeting of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society to gauge his interest. Leaving class one day, Evans suggested that not only Leigh join, but he also become secretary. That was one of the pivotal moments. I felt something in me that just drew me to come out of my shell even more, Leigh said. I thought, well, Ill do it. He says that Evans helped push him in the right direction to be not only who I am as a person, but as a leader. Cornelius Johnson, who was vice president of academic affairs and student services but will become the new president on July 1, also encouraged the positivity for Leigh. He got Leigh involved with the diversity, equity and inclusion committee at DCC, among other groups. He was also in the student government association. I cannot thank those two enough, he said. They were really integral to my growth as a student and as a leader and as a person. He graduated from DCC with his associate degree in July 2022. Averett Originally, I never wanted to be in Danville, he told the newspaper. When I graduated, I wanted to get out of here, like everybody else. But he didnt. And he doesnt regret that decision. Being able to stay home has allowed me to always have a touch point, he said. After DCC, he continued his education locally at Averett University. Going on campus, he went in with a mindset that he wanted to get his degree and get out of here. At Averett for scholarship day, he wandered into a building that had details on the Bonner Leader Program, which connected students to nonprofits to learn leadership. I said I already started that at DCC, so I might as well continue that here, he said. To match students with nonprofits in the region, a session was held at the north campus. Thats where he met Cathy Gore, the president and CEO of the United Way of Danville-Pittsylvania County. Gore, who had only been with the agency for two months, ended up selecting Leigh in the August 2022 meeting. The Bonner Leader program for me, is like work study placed at a nonprofit, Gore explained to the newspaper. In his senior year at Averett, he was on the Bonner leadership team while still working at the United Way. He was also the editor-in-chief of the literary magazine at Averett and a founding member of the Writers Guild, which is a club for people who like to write creatively. At the May 2024 commencement, Leigh earned the most prestigious award given to a graduate: the C.L. Davenport Award for Excellence. I had no idea what this award was, he said, recalling the graduation moment. He also didnt know hed receive it. While background on the award was being presented, Leigh was reading the graduation program. Thats when his friend nudged him to let him know he just won the award. He said he felt like he blacked out for a minute. I felt like it took me an hour to walk from my seat to that stage, he said. I dont think I breathed, he continued. I dont remember anything. Coming back to his seat, he said he stared at the award for what felt like 30 minutes. The C.L. Davenport Award for Excellence is named for a member of Averetts board of trustees from 1922 to 1952. It is intended to honor a person who combines outstanding scholarship, a concern for others, a respect for Averett University, and the leadership potential to have an impact on society, the university describes of the honor. He calls the award both a blessing and a curse. Everything that I do, I always think that someone on this campus believes that I have the leadership potential to have the impact on society and I hope that I never, ever live that down, he said at the interview at Averett last month. After Averett It was his junior year at the university that he wrestled with the idea of taking a gap year, meaning a year off from school after Averett. His goal is to attend law school next. Although the gap year went against his fast-track plans to get out of the region, he realized that he needed the break. I learned that burnout was real, he told the newspaper, first thinking that the idea was something created by lazy people. He was in his bed one morning during his junior year when the idea popped into his mind to take a year off before going to law school. Thought about it for six weeks and finally went to discuss it with one of his professors, Charles Wuest. He spent about 30 minutes just talking to Wuest, who didnt say much. I looked at him and I said, it sounds like Ive already made a decision, Leigh said after that conversation. Some of Leighs family and friends werent in favor of the gap-year idea, but he has no regrets. I needed to take this year off to not be burned out, he said. During this gap year, Ive grown so much as an individual, as a professional, as a leader. The gap year With funding from Atlantic Union Bank through an internship program, Leigh was able to stay on with the United Way after he graduated from Averett and the Bonner program. I saw a lot of growth in Eben to be able to represent the United Way and participate more out in the community, Gore said. Ive seen Eben grow and mature as a professional, understanding conversations that are important to the community. Gore said Leigh speaks up about the needs that are critical in the region. I think his knowledge has grown in how to operate a nonprofit, she said. Leigh said his time with the United Way has allowed him to make connections with the community. Hes helped with projects like developing a new website, working on a new corporate partnership program and launching a strategic plan. Ive never enjoyed working anywhere more in my life than the United Way, he said. While working at the United Way, he was employed at Averett, first in a teaching capacity. Before he graduated from the university, he was asked to teach an English lab. I help reinforce the grammatical rules and the writing styles they just learned in class, he said. Hes enjoyed it. Ive enjoyed working with students in the classroom, he said. I feel as though I might be making a difference in their educational journey. Earlier this year, he moved into the position of director for the Bonner Leader program. While part-time now, when his United Way position comes to an end June 30, hell do that full-time. His gap year also afforded him the time to join Riverview Rotary. To see people happy at 7:30 in the morning is such a strange thing, he said, admitting he wasnt an early-day person. But every Thursday, he makes an exception for the meetings. When he joined in the summer of 2024, he also became editor-in-chief of the newsletter, which puts him on the executive board. He also became a Paul Harris Fellow, which happens when someone donates $1,000 to the Rotary Foundation. Last year, the district had a program where they matched grants up to $500. So he was able to donate $500 to make it happen. Whats next? To be continued, is what Leigh said when asked whats next. His internship at the United Way is coming to an end June 30, something that brings out tears for Gore. Im emotional about it, she told the newspaper, explaining that Leigh will spend time engaged in a new website. He will finish that as much as he can and pass that torch on, she said. Leigh said that 2024 was likely one of his best years. For 2025, I want to live in that growth, he said of his goal for this year. Since he was in sixth grade, he knew he wanted to go into law. At the time, he was in FFA Future Farmers of America and was looking at agricultural law. In 10th grade, he took a dual enrollment course on business law that sealed his fate for the future. I said, I want to go into criminal prosecution, he said. I want to ensure that victims of violent crimes are protected, but also that justice is executed equitably, he said. We all deserve a fair chance. He wants to protect the rights and freedoms of people. My main goal is to be at the Supreme Court one day, but thats pretty lofty, he admitted. He applied to nine law schools and is now waitlisted at two of them. Its not a yes or a no, its a maybe, he explained of the process. You are good enough to come to the school, but, unfortunately, we dont have room, as of now. If a student decided not to pursue law school, Leigh could get an email saying they have room. Until then, hell be at Averett for the Bonner program. Nonetheless, I will forever hold the Danville-Pittsylvania County area in my heart, he said. I will forever be grateful for the growth and every opportunity they have afforded me. BERLIN, Conn. (WTNH) Anticipation and excitement surround the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics each year in Berlin. Year after year, students line the route in front of their school to cheer on the officers. Annual Special Olympics Torch Run begins in Connecticut This year, there was also disappointment. The signs, which usually line Veterans Way, were stolen sometime between Monday when they were placed there, and Wednesday, when Mark DePinto, the officer who organizes Berlins leg of the run, realized they were gone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He works very hard for this to come out perfect and that was like a setback to him, Carmen DePinto, Marks wife, said. It was too late to replace the signs before Thursdays torch run. The signs show the businesses and organizations which support the torch run and the Special Olympics. DePintos daughter Christine is one of the athletes. On the day of the race, she rides in the truck which leads the police officers through town. She gets excited to be part of it every year, DePinto said. She gets so excited she dont even want to go to her job. Its just its hard to understand why somebody would pull those signs out and take them for a cause as good as the Special Olympics, Berlin Deputy Police Chief Drew Gallupe said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Berlin police have launched a full investigation and say whoever is responsible will face larceny charges. Were reviewing video from surrounding businesses and we would ask anyone that has information or saw someone taking the signs or knows who took them if they would call us at the Berlin Police Department, Gallupe said. Berlin police say there were about a half a dozen signs stolen from Veterans Way and because of that, those businesses and organizations didnt get the recognition they deserve for supporting this worthy cause. One of them was a local fire department. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com. RADFORD, Va. (WFXR) The Radford University Board of Supervisors worked together to unanimously approve a proposal to create a new undergraduate program in applied biotechnology. This will be pending by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) during the 2025-26 cycle. Applied Biotechnology is a growing field that combines biology, chemistry and engineering to aid in medicine, agriculture and manufacturing. If the program is approved by SCHEV it will be the first applied biotechnology program in the Roanoke and Southwest Virginia area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Radford University receives grant over $200k to strengthen IT & Cybersecurity workforce development The program will meet the growing demand of biotech professions regionally and nationally, along with opening jobs for graduates students. Our distinctive applied biotechnology program will open new doors for our students and position Radford as a leader in life sciences education, said Provost Bethany Usher. The program includes not only basic science but also in-demand knowledge and skills in science communication, research design and the complex regulatory environment that employers must navigate. We are excited to offer this program for students who are passionate about biology and want the opportunity to apply their education to pursue graduate programs and build productive careers. Planned for the fall of 2027, it will comprise of 24 students taught by new full-time faculty and industry-trained instructors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Students who enroll in the program will take two years of courses on the Radford University Carilion site in Roanoke. Biotech companies and start-ups are choosing this region to grow but they need a steady pipeline of skilled talent to succeed, said Erin Burcham, CEO of the Roanoke Blacksburg Innovation Alliance. Radford Universitys new applied biotechnology degree is the solution weve been waiting for to meet the workforce demands of this rapidly growing industry. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFXRtv. Rahm Emanuel isnt running away from the two most prominent figures in the Democratic Party even if younger voters are looking for alternative voices. Emanuel, the famously combative former mayor of Chicago who has publicly flirted with a presidential run in 2028, tells POLITICO hes loyal to Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and believes his connections to both men are an asset. I'm not going to run away from my background, Emanuel said in an interview on The Conversation with Dasha Burns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Emanuel, who most recently served as ambassador to Japan as an appointee of President Joe Biden, was a senior adviser to Clinton and was Obamas first chief of staff. He believes both of his former bosses can serve as role models for anyone who aspires to the office. They're the only [Democratic] presidents to both get reelected, Emanuel said in the interview scheduled to run Sunday. That's kind of like a good sign. Emanuel has hinted at a presidential run. Im not done with public service and Im hoping public service is not done with me, he told POLITICO'S Jonathan Martin in March. He also reportedly weighed entering the Illinois Senate race to replace Democrat Dick Durbin in 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whatever the race, Emanuel has insisted he plans to lean on his past. Im loyal, he told Burns. In fact, I wanna talk about having taken on the insurance industry to create the Children's Insurance Program, he said. Which is what I was responsible for doing with others in the White House. I took on, at [President Clintons] request, I took on the NRA to both pass the Brady Bill and so on. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) If all goes well on Tuesday, everything will be finalized for the upcoming Sacramento Railyards project to begin. The project, which will redefine Sacramentos economic future according to a news release on Thursday, will be presented at the city council meeting on June 10. There is new analysis to suggest the project will generate billions of dollars and approximately 24,000 jobs. Were so excited, were at the finish line now, said Todd Dunivant, Sacramento Republic FCs President and General Manager. Lot of excitement, lot of energy, everybodys ready to make this a reality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Especially Dunivant. He envisions the economic impact for the city, while also envisioning a new stadium for his club in a couple of years. The journey of the club is an incredible one. And I think the story matches a lot of Sacramentos story a little bit, said Dunivant. The underdog story a little bit, didnt see us coming. If we get knocked down, were gonna get right back up. And thats the indomitable nature of our city and our team. Download the FOX40 App Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40 News. MEMPHIS, Tenn. The first Raising Canes in the Mid-South area is having its grand opening on Tuesday in Southaven, Mississippi. The Southaven restaurant will be hosting its grand opening at 357 Goodman Road West. Raising Canes Southaven, MS Courtesy of Raising Canes Raising Canes Southaven, MS Courtesy of Raising Canes Raising Canes Southaven, MS Courtesy of Raising Canes Raising Canes Courtesy of Raising Canes Raising Canes Southaven, MS Courtesy of Raising Canes Raising Canes Southaven, MS Courtesy of Raising Canes Raising Canes Southaven, MS Courtesy of Raising Canes The restaurant chain announced it will be having multiple giveaways before they open at 10 a.m., which includes: A Lucky 20 drawing to award 20 customers age 13 and older free Canes for a Year! The first 100 Combos purchased will receive a commemorative hat and a Free Box Combo card, valid on a future visit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Raising Canes Chicken coming to Southaven, MS The hours for the restaurant will be Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to midnight, and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. The restaurant chain announced its plans to open a location in Southaven, Mississippi, in May of 2024. Future Canes restaurants will also be coming to the Wolfchase area and on Winchester Road near Hacks Cross Road. Raising Canes has over 600 locations across the U.S., including two locations in Tennessee. Currently, the nearest location for Memphians is in Oxford, Mississippi, on the University of Mississippi campus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. Redford Township Police are seeking a felony weapons charge against the suspect accused in the May 22 drive-by shooting of prominent Detroit rapper Trevon Gardner, known as Skilla Baby, according to the department. The 26-year-old rapper was injured after he was shot three times by the suspect, who fired over 20 rounds at his vehicle, police said. Authorities responded to the shooting after Skilla Baby's car crashed into a building near 8 Mille and Centralia. A witness took the 26-year-old rapper to the hospital. When police arrived, they found the car with bullet holes. Two days after the shooting, Skilla Baby surprised a crowd and performed, wearing a medical arm sling, at 42 Dugg's concert at the Masonic Temple another prominent Detroit rapper. Detroit rapper Skilla Baby performs during the Tycoon Music Festival at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, April 19, 2025. Redford Township Police Detective Edward French said the department is awaiting review from the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office for the suspect, whose name was not released, to be charged. Officials said the investigation is ongoing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Redford Township police, with the help of federal agents, Detroit police, and others, identified the suspect's vehicle, according to a June 6 news release from the department. Detroit police apprehended the owner of the vehicle on Wednesday, the news release said. Authorities got a search warrant for the suspect's home and found a firearm there, Redford Township police said. In February 2024, Skilla Baby held a firearms buyback event on the Detroit riverfront with the Washington, D.C.-based Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence one of the country's most powerful anti-gun violence groups. Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at asahouri@freepress.com. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit rapper Skilla Baby shooting update: Police arrest suspect Angela Rayners radical shake-up of workers rights will hurt economic growth, bosses have warned, as companies prepare to slash hiring and curb investment. More than seven in 10 business leaders believe the Governments Employment Rights Bill will have a negative impact on the countrys economy, according to a survey carried out by the Institute of Directors (IoD). Nearly half said they would be less likely to hire new staff as a result of the reforms to workers rights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The warning will raise alarm bells for the Chancellor who has said that restoring economic growth is her priority. It threatens to deepen tensions between Ms Reeves and the Deputy Prime Minister, who is overseeing the workers rights reforms. The pair have already clashed over the direction of economic policy, with a leaked memo recently revealing Ms Rayner was pressing the Chancellor to pursue tax rises instead of spending cuts. Under the workers rights reforms, employees will be able to claim sick pay from the first day of their illness, instead of the fourth. The Bill will also extend the powers of unions in the workplace, making it easier for trade groups to organise strikes by weakening the thresholds currently needed to trigger a walkout. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sir Keir Starmer previously made the shake-up, dubbed Labours new deal for working people, as a core part of his manifesto in the lead-up to his victory in the general election. However, it has sparked concern from business chiefs. The survey by the IoD found that more than half (52pc) of company bosses said they would be more likely to invest in automation as a result of the Bill. A quarter of business leaders polled said the Bill made it likely that they would make redundancies in a further blow to the labour market. The IoD, the so-called bosses union, represents 20,000 business leaders across the country, ranging from entrepreneurial small ventures to major corporations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Already, many of those businesses have reported a slowdown in hiring since the Chancellor announced an increase in employers National Insurance contributions and the minimum wage in the autumn Budget. The rise in labour costs has caused many businesses to cut jobs or scrap hiring plans. Alex Hall-Chen, a principal policy adviser for employment at the IoD, said: Government has yet to show that it is listening to the concerns of business about the potential unintended consequences of the Bill as it is currently drafted. If there is a silver lining, it is that more employers will invest in automation and other measures which may improve the UKs stagnating productivity levels. Targeted changes The IoD has called on the Government to make targeted changes to the Bill, which it believes would soften the negative impact of the reforms on hiring. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of its proposed changes includes keeping the existing thresholds for statutory recognition of trade unions. Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, said: If Labour ministers had worked in business they would know their choices mean that British workers will lose their jobs to robots and foreign workers. Whilst all Labour governments leave unemployment higher than they found it, this time they are actually passing laws to guarantee it. The warning over the worker rights reforms comes after MPs warned that Britains high energy bills and poorly coordinated efforts to fund business growth was hitting growth and prosperity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MPs on the business and trade committee said: The UKs high electricity prices are damaging the ability of UK businesses to compete, attract investment and decarbonise. It pointed to evidence from Nissan that the companys Sunderland plant has higher energy bills than any of its other car factories in the world. Liam Byrne, chairman of the committee, said: The evidence weve heard from the nations leading industrialists, scientists, economists and trade unionists is that this moment of history will be lost if the Chancellors new investment is not matched by a re-making of the British state for a new economic era. The MPs also called on the Chancellor to act to stop many of the best entrepreneurs from leaving the country for lack of funding to support their rapidly growing businesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A government spokesman said: Weve consulted extensively with business on our proposals, and we will continue to work closely with employers to ensure new laws work for them while putting money back into the pockets of working people. Responding to the select committee report, a government spokesman said ministers were working on creating the best possible conditions for the private sector to thrive. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. As the war between Donald Trump and Elon Musk worsens, whats truly odd about this whole spectacle is that the actual substantive disagreement between them seems to be of little interest to media observers. And when you strip away the trolling and shitposting, heres what becomes clear: This is really a battle over how comprehensively to screw over poor and working people, largely to the benefit of the wealthy. The superficial argument between them, of course, is over Musks opposition to the big, beautiful bill that the House passed and that Trump wants the Senate to adopt. That opposition is rooted in Musks claim that the bill is loaded with pork and will explode the deficit. Trump, meanwhile, is infuriated by Musk because he cant brook criticism and wants the bill to pass to notch a victory. But the respective positions underlying those stances are mysteriously missing from the whole Trump-Musk discourse. Flush them into the open, and it helps illuminate the true spectrum of the MAGA movements ideological goalsand why its pro-worker populist pretensions are so thoroughly phony. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The House GOP bill would entail a large upward transfer of resources. The bill, which would continue Trumps 2017 tax law and add new tax giveaways for wealthy investors, heirs, and others, would deliver a big tax cut to those in the highest income brackets. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the tax cuts enjoyed by those in the bottom 20 percent in 2027 would be one seven-hundredth the size of those reaped by the top 1 percent. Worse, those relative table scraps for the bottom could be erased by other changes. The bills massive cuts to Medicaid and other health care changes would result in over 10 million people losing health insurance. Add in other cuts to the safety net, and you see why the bill ultimately would lower household resources for the bottom 10 percent while raising them for the top 10 percenta sizable redistribution upward. As Paul Krugman notes, the bills cruelty is exceptional even by right wing standards. Musk is angry about the $2.4 trillion those changes would add to the debt. But, crucially, hes said littleif anythingabout the role that those tax cuts for the rich would have in that outcome. He is primarily obsessed with the bills pork, meaning that he wants the bill to cut more spendingmuch, much more. Where would that money come from? Musks cuts via his Department of Government Efficiency have already decimated foreign aid and other programs, producing more starvation, disease, and death among the global poor. Given that DOGE searched for waste, fraud, and abuse and found very little, if Musk wants massive additional cuts, by definition they would fall more heavily on important government programs, almost certainly ones that low-income Americans rely upon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another way to say this is that their real difference is over how far to push the waste, fraud, and abuse scam. Trump, whos mindful of the MAGA-GOPs image as a working-class party, has insisted the GOP wont cut Medicaid and will target only fraud. Thats a lieeven some MAGA Republicans warn that the bills deep Medicaid cuts will hammer Trumps working-class base and, in so doing, expose how Trump is betraying MAGAs populist aura. Indeed, Trump is actively deceiving his base by pretending those cuts only target fraud. Musk, similarly, would use the waste, fraud, and abuse canard to absolutely annihilate the state if he could. Which leads to an argument we keep hearing: The Trump-Musk feud reveals the deep, possibly irreconcilable strains in the MAGA alliance between the tech-bro oligarchs and the Trumpist populists. Yes, Trump and Musk do differ on things like tariffs and immigration. But on fundamental matters involving the role of the state in creating a more (or less) egalitarian future, the two men are largely in sync. For one thing, both view the state largely as something to capture for themselvesMusk to gain support for his Promethean schemes for the future of humanity, and Trump to engage in world-historical self-dealing and corruption. This was neatly captured by Trumps threat to cancel Musks federal contracts. Musks visions for space travel and electric vehicles have benefited enormously from federal support over the years. His achievements might not exist without the U.S. state. Yet Musks DOGEwith its assault on science, universities, and research and developmentwould dramatically downsize the states role in enabling the future flourishing of countless Americans and in keeping total immiseration and death at bay for the poorest of the poor. As Michelle Goldberg notes, the DOGE boys showed zero curiosity about who is being helped by all that foreign aid, and how. Musk does have some sort of vision of future human flourishing. But he often talks about keeping alive the human consciousness, an oddly cold concept that doesnt really depend on making the whole world a better and fairer place for living, breathing human beings. It could be kept alive by a select fewsome of them on a faraway planet like, say, Marsonce the civilizational dead weight were systematically abandoned, as cutting foreign aid seems like a first step toward doing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, to Trump, everything involving the state is up for corrupt horse trading and for punishing and extorting enemies. So his immediate instinct was to threaten Musks contracts, which Trump can only understand as a form of self-dealing by Muskone that Trump can take away in a grand dominance display. A helpful framework for understanding what links their worldviews comes from writer John Ganz. Neither is capable of understanding the state and political society as something that helped create the conditions that enabled their own power, wealth, and worldly achievements. These accomplishments must only be seen as a reflection of their own laudatory individual greatness. Whats more, neither sees the state as having a meaningful role in promoting distributive fairness. This, ultimately, is what unites the tech oligarchs and MAGA: Both are deeply hostile to the social-democratic goal of using the state to promote a more liberal-egalitarian order. Both agree that the U.S. state should cut loose, literally, the worst-off people on the planet to face unimaginable suffering. Both agree that the U.S. state should dramatically roll back its commitment to providing minimal social and economic resources for lower-income Americans, including the working poor. For Trump and Musk alike, the U.S. state provides opportunities for seemingly endless grasping and taking. Its something to manipulate for megalomaniacal endsthough Musk imagines hes saving human consciousness in doing so, while Trump is largely using it to line his familys pockets and build chintzy gold-plated playgrounds abroad for the pleasure of the global superrich. In the end, Musk would use deficit fears to gut the state more thoroughly than Trump would, while Trump seems more focused on dramatically reducing the tax burden of the wealthy and slashing the safety net to pay for it. They are at odds, but mainly because they merely fall at different places on the same spectrum of impulses. And those impulses all tilt toward the same placetoward making our society a less egalitarian, more unequal, meaner, crueler, and much more savage place. Ghost Adventures star Aaron Goodwin confronted his estranged wife in court Thursday, delivering a scathing statement as she was sentenced for plotting to have him killed. This person over here, I dont know at all. Not one bit, Aaron said of his wife, Victoria Goodwin, while addressing the judge, according to US Weekly. The fact that this person did all this to me with no worry, no care or love in her heart for meI will never feel the same. Victoria Goodwin reacts as she listens to Aaron Goodwin's victim impact statement. She was sentenced to 36-90 months in prison after taking a plea deal for conspiracy to commit murder. / Ethan Miller/Getty Images Victoria pled guilty in April to conspiracy to commit murder in Nevada, after she was caught messaging Florida prison inmate Grant Amato in an attempt arrange Aarons killing. Amato is serving life in prison for shooting his father, mother, and brother Cody in the head at their home in Florida in 2019 and attempting to stage it as a murder-suicide committed by his brother. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Victoria allegedly offered $11,515 for the hit, sharing her husbands location with Amatoa convicted killerwho was expected to relay the information to a hitman. The murder was set to take place in Oct. 2024, while Aaron was filming Ghost Adventures in California. At Thursdays sentencing at Nevadas Clark County District Court, Victoria turned to Aaron, whom she wed in 2020, and apologized through tears. Im so immensely sorry for the pain and anxiety Ive caused you and the betrayal you undoubtedly and rightfully feel by my actions, she said, US Weekly reported. Aaron Goodwin couldn't hold back his tears as he spoke about being betrayed by who he had thought was the Aaron, who investigates paranormal activity on his show, described the ordeal as a heartbreak no one should go through in life, especially after he had tried to salvage their relationship even after discovering in Sept. 2024 that Victoria had been cheating on him with multiple men, including Amato. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I gave her the option of divorce where we could work it out because I loved her so much. She made me feel so special and she was veryshe was so sorry, Aaron said, before turning to address Victoria directly. At least thats what you told me. Victoria and Aaron Goodwin in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2022. They wed in 2020. / Ethan Miller/Getty Images Instead, he continued, She put a hit out to kill me more than once, got blackmailed, and spent almost all our savings to keep it quiet, and fell more in love with Amato. Chilling messages Victoria sent to Amato about their sinister plan were recovered from her phone by investigators. Am I a bad person? one message read. Because I chose to end his existence. Not divorce. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aaron, who filed for divorce in March, said uncovering Victorias murder-for-hire plot has left him unable to trust anything anymore, and led him to hire armed security. I still wont feel safe whenever shes released, he said. The judge sentenced Victoria to between three and seven-and-a-half years in prison. It was October of 2024 when Hurricane Milton hit Florida. Following its path, communities in Apopka were left underwater for several weeks. I dont want a repeat of last year, said Amber Barrick, a long-time Apopka resident. It is really sad that weve gotten to this point, but lets get the long-term plans there. Barrick lives at the Wekiva Village. As of Wednesday, it all looked normal and dry quite a different picture from 2024, when the same community was left without power for more than a week, and their homes were filled with water streaming down their hallways. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since February, theres been a border lake project in the works that would address concerns for the entire city. However, neighbors say so far, the plan is just that - a plan. As of today, I dont believe the plan has been executed, Barrick said. According to the City of Apopka, the work should not take long to begin. [It should start] really soon, Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson said. I need to get city council approval; if I can get this document opened, I will present it. City leaders debated the project on Wednesday, but they were not able to reach an agreement about when the project would start. Orange County claims all the details about their part in the project have been defined. The county has put in the gauges, has done a study, and prepared all the paperwork to submit to Saint John Water Management, said Commissioner Christine Moore, who represents District 2. Channel 9 also confirmed that the City of Apopka was eligible for funds for flooding projects from Hurricane Ian. The moneymore than 85 million dollarswas awarded to Orange County through the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery, offered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Municipalities could apply for the grant until February, but according to a county official, the City of Apopka never finished its application for the funds. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. NEW MEXICO (KRQE) A recall has been issued for a popular mineral water brand spanning across several states, including New Mexico. Coca-Cola confirmed with KRQE News 13 that if youve purchased Topo Chico mineral water from Costco between May 20 and May 29, there is a possibility of bacterial contamination. More cucumber products recalled as salmonella outbreak expands According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the health consequences of consuming the bacteria are considered to be very low in healthy people, but there are minor health concerns for people with weakened immune systems. The bacteria is naturally found in water sources. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you purchased Topo Chico mineral water with the lot number #13A2541 listed at the bottom of your screen, you can return the product to your nearest Costco for a full refund. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. POTTSVILLE With an eye toward the future and the energy to obtain the funds for big projects, Nancy Smink left an indelible mark on the city of Pottsville and all of the patrons of the Pottsville Free Public Library, which opened its doors in 1911. Introducing more computers for public use and spearheading the addition to the Pottsville Free Public Library are among the accomplishments of Smink, who retired as director of the library in 2016. Smink, 77, died May 15 in Pottsville. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Born Feb. 10, 1948, in the city, Smink was a 1966 graduate of Pottsville Area High School. She graduated from Albright College in Reading and then earned her masters degree in library science from SUNY, according to her obituary. Smink retired in 2016 after 40 years at the Pottsville Free Public Library, 215 W. Market St. She started as the district consultant in October 1976, and was promoted to director in May 1980. Nancy devoted her career to the Pottsville Library, Jean Towle, director of library said Friday. Jean Towle, director of the Pottsville Free Public Library, recalls retired director Nancy Smink, on Friday, June 6, 2025. Smink, who worked at the library for 40 years, died in May at age 77. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Towle said Smink had a side she didnt show many people. She was an avid traveler, and a cat enthusiast. She loved Germany, Towle said. The former director also enjoyed going to the beach and attending Broadway shows, Towle said. Thomas J. Tim Pellish, the former city solicitor, was on the library board for about 10 years during her tenure. She was a good leader, a good librarian, he said Friday. The more than $1 million expansion of the library, completed in 1999, increased its square footage by about 22,000 square feet, nearly doubling its space. The original library opened on Nov. 9, 1911, at 208 West Market St., site of a former saloon, according to the library. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In February 2013, Frances Lorenz, left, founder and president of Friends of the Pottsville Free Public Library, and library director Nancy Smink, test the WiFi that had just been installed in the library. FILE PHOTO Three buildings nearby on West Market Street were demolished to make way for the 1999 library addition. A state grant and other funds were gathered to pay for it. We were running out of space, Pellish recalled. The Pottsville Library website tells of the pages in the librarys history. For instance, its says this about the importance of the building many visit: In 1911, when the Library opened, Pottsville had a music academy, hatmakers, livery stables, a steamship agent, saddle shops and mine supply stores. The music academy burned down shortly afterward and the hatmakers, stables, steamship agent, mining stores, and saddle shops have long since disappeared, victims of technological advancements and changing lifestyles and tastes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the Pottsville Library remains. Since 1911, it has not merely survived: it has grown from a one-room storehouse of books to a full-fledged, diversified cultural information center with services for people of all ages, incomes, interests and occupations. Towle said there are about 130,000 items in the librarys collection including DVDs, audio CDs and other items. When Smink retired, a post on the librarys Facebook page thanked her for her leadership and remarked on the expansion of the library and technological innovations. Becki White, reference librarian, has worked at the library for 30 years. When she started, library patrons had one computer to use and internet access was dial up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Becki White, reference librarian, works behind the counter at the Pottsville Free Public Library, Friday, June 6, 2025. (Amy Marchiano/Staff Photo) Nancy did try to update the library as funds permitted, White said. Today, thanks to Sminks leadership and efforts, the library has about 15 computers for public access. Wifi was added in 2013. White said Smink appreciated honesty in her employees. Being brutally honest with her paid off, she said about Sminks leadership style. For instance, if employees needed a day off and told her why, Smink would do her best to accommodate them. Smink loved the color purple, and was an excellent baker. At Christmas, she would bring in homemade cookies for employee to share. She is survived by her siblings: Judy Workman of Melbourne Beach, FL; Sue Bendle-Yannacone and Dr. Michael Smink, both of Pottsville; and Jeffery Smink of Kure Beach, NC. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) On Sunday, a group in Boulder, Colorado, that was raising awareness for hostages in Gaza was attacked, leaving 12 people injured. Now, local groups are upping their security measures following this latest string of attacks against Jewish people and institutions. Its really beautiful when people can come together for a zero tolerance of hate and to combat anti-Semitism, Julie Tilson Stanley, JewishColumbus president and CEO, said. And were seeing that in Columbus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many in the Jewish community see these incidents as signs of growing antisemitism in the United States. According to JewishColumbus, this uptick in violence is a dangerous reminder of the consequences of unchecked hate and antisemitism, leaving the community shaken but undeterred. While it is a scary time, its also a time of resilience and hope and action, Tilson Stanley said. There have been other high-profile, antisemitic attacks in recent weeks, including the targeted killings of Israeli embassy staff in Washington, D.C. People are feeling uneasy and they are anxious about going about their lives and even wearing a Jewish star or some sort of semblance of showing that they are Jewish, Tilson Stanley said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an email sent to the local Jewish community, JewishColumbus leaders said theyve increased security. What that means is having officers present, as well as extra patrols, just making sure they are making the rounds at different institutions to ensure safety and security, Tilson Stanley said. She said JewishColumbus has hired a chief security officer who communicates with all the Jewish institutions in town, alongside their security director. Those two have an expertise in counterterrorism and what it means to really secure a community and do so across central Ohio, Tilson Stanley said. JewishColumbus is also working closely with local, state and federal law enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bexley Police Chief Gary Lewis shared a statement on his departments efforts: The Bexley Police Department is committed to public safety and in response to the recent incidents which have occurred in our nation targeting the Jewish community we have increased our presence and efforts geared towards keeping everyone safe. We continue to work with our local, state, and federal partners such as the FBI JTTF and leadership with JewishColumbus. When we are in a moment of fear, we know that how we can get through this is making sure we communicate, because a safe Jewish Columbus is a safe Columbus, Tilson Stanley said. The recent attacks have shaken the community, but also brought them together, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our Jewish clergy across Columbus work hard to ensure the safety of their populations, and also working with superintendents across central Ohio, of public schools and interfaith clergy of different, you know, of every religion, really trying to understand and educate, Tilson Stanley said. JewishColumbus encourages the community to increase their situational awareness and contact police if something seems suspicious. They said if what you see is threatening physical harm, run until youre in a safe place, hide by denying the attacker access to and awareness of yourself, or, if needed, fight to save your life or the lives of those near you. Individuals can reach out to their security team with any concerns. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. HUBER HEIGHTS, Ohio (WDTN) Following Mays election, the Huber Heights School levy was too close to call, prompting a recount. On June 5, an official recount took place, confirming the school levy failed by just three votes. School leaders say even though the levy failed, the district should be able to remain consistent with programs they offer students and class sizes for the next school year. Huber Heights school levy fails by three votes: Official results Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials say they are disappointed to have the levy fail by such a narrow margin, and now they must wait to see what they receive from state funding and property taxes to determine the impact. They say these budgets provide them with funding for school resources for students and staff. The budget should be finalized by July. Officials also say that staff reductions are not something they foresee as a result of the levy failing. Superintendent Jason Enix says they are grateful for the support they did receive from voters throughout the campaign. But for right now, we are moving forward. Still some unknowns before any final decisions are made going forward into next school year, said Enix. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Montgomery County Board of Elections says the most important thing during the recount was being transparent. We did have it live on Facebook, so you can see how transparent and how accurate the recount is and how accurate our Election Day results are, said Jeff Rezabek, Montgomery County BOE director. Enix says the district must wait to evaluate their budget for the next year before they can determine what cuts, if any could be necessary. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com. After a two-year shutdown, fishing boats will fan out along the California coast angling for Chinook salmon this weekend as recreational fishing resumes under strict limits. Coastal salmon fishing was banned in 2023 and 2024 in an effort to help the population recover after years of declines. While commercial fishing remains canceled for a third consecutive year, fishery regulators recently decided to allow a limited season for recreational fishing on certain dates and with strict quotas. We're all very excited, said William Captain Smitty Smith, who was readying his charter fishing boat Riptide at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay. There's a lot of buzz all around the harbor with everybody getting ready for it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Smith and his two deckhands have been buying bait and preparing hooks, nets and other gear to take 18 passengers fishing Saturday and Sunday. He said within hours of the April announcement that limited fishing would be allowed, my regulars all called and basically filled the boat. Smith is 71 and has been in the charter boat business for 50 years. The last time he was able to take passengers fishing for salmon was in 2022. As his business has struggled during the last two years, he has turned to other types of outings to make ends meet, including fishing for rockfish, leading whale-watching trips and holding burials at sea where mourners scatter the ashes of loved ones. He said anglers are chomping at the bit to go. Each person will be allowed to catch up to two fish per day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: U.S. panel calls for suspending commercial salmon fishing in California for third year The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is limiting ocean fishing under quotas in two windows in the summer and fall. The first is set to open Saturday-Sunday and allow for up to 7,000 salmon to be caught statewide. If that number of fish isnt reached during the opening weekend, salmon fishing will be allowed until the limit is reached in subsequent stretches, which may include July 5-6, July 31-Aug. 3, and Aug. 25-31. Fishing boats leave Santa Cruz Harbor on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 in Santa Cruz. (Nic Coury/For The Times) In addition to Half Moon Bay, fishing boats are expected to head out this weekend from other harbors in Central and Northern California such as Morro Bay, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Bodega Bay and Fort Bragg. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Given the 2-year ocean salmon fishery closure and the short duration of this fishing period, angler participation is expected to be high, the department said in its announcement . Anglers should prepare for crowds and long wait times at public launch ramps and marinas and consider travel, parking, and launch ramp conditions when finalizing plans. The agency said fishing will reopen in the fall in some regions including from Point Reyes in Marin County south to near Half Moon Bay, and from there to Point Sur in Big Sur under a separate harvest limit guideline of 7,500 Chinook salmon. The fishing industry depends on fall-run Chinook, which migrate upstream to spawn from July through December. For decades, government-run hatcheries in the Central Valley have reared and released millions of salmon each year to help boost their numbers. Read more: Salmon populations are struggling, bringing economic woes for California's fishing fleet Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other salmon runs have suffered more severe declines. Spring-run Chinook are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and winter-run Chinook are endangered. Biologists say salmon populations have declined because of a combination of factors including dams, which have blocked off spawning areas, the loss of vital floodplain habitats, and global warming, which is intensifying droughts and causing warmer temperatures in rivers. During the severe 2020-22 drought, the water flowing from dams sometimes got so warm that it was lethal for salmon eggs. Although that drought was a major factor behind the declines in the salmon population, those who work in fishing also blame Californias water managers and policies, saying too much water has been pumped to farms and cities, depriving rivers of sufficient cold water at the times salmon need it. Smith said he hopes to see responsible water management where state officials prioritize river flows for fish, as well as efforts to restore floodplains and improve hatchery operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: 'A beautiful thing': Klamath River salmon are spotted far upstream in Oregon after dam removal Because salmon typically feed in the ocean for about three years and then return to their natal streams, the decline in the numbers of surviving juvenile fish during the drought left a reduced population of adult fish. Scientists expect the population should improve somewhat next year because of the boost they received during 2023s historic wet winter, though they also caution that the situation facing Californias salmon remains dire. Smith said one change that has nurtured his hopes came last year, when the last of four dams were dismantled on the Klamath River in Northern California, enabling salmon to reach upstream spawning areas that had been sealed off for more than a century. I'm very hopeful for our future, he said, adding that he is thinking about his 13-year-old grandson and the next generation. I want there to be a fishery for my grandson. I want him to be able to experience the thrill of catching a fish in the ocean. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Rachel Reeves has refused to rule out further tax rises in the autumn as Cabinet colleagues pile pressure on the Chancellor to unleash more money for public spending. Ms Reeves repeatedly declined to rule out raising taxes on families and businesses at an event on Thursday night as she prepares to set out Whitehall spending plans for the next three years. Im not going to say that Im not going to take any tax measures in the next four years, she told an audience of business leaders at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) annual dinner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked four times by CBI president Rupert Soames to reassure Britons they would not be subject to higher taxes, Ms Reeves could only commit to avoiding a repeat of the record 40bn tax raid she launched last Autumn. Im not going to be able to write all four years of budgets sitting here this evening, she said. Economists have warned that a series of spending commitments made by Sir Keir Starmer, including restoring winter fuel payments to most pensioners and speculation that the two-child cap on benefits will be lifted, will force the issue and lead to higher taxes in the autumn. JP Morgan has estimated that taxes may need to rise by up to 24bn to cover recent policy announcements and to compensate for the hit to growth from higher tariffs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pressure is also building on Ms Reeves from Labours Left after the leak of a memo sent to the Treasury by Angela Rayners department ahead of the Spring Statement. It detailed potential tax rises that could have avoided spending cuts to balance the budget. Ms Reeves on Thursday insisted the economy was turning the corner even as she admitted that growth was too low, leaving families struggling with living standards not improving. Bosses warned that Labours workers rights overhaul was set to worsen the problem. A survey by the Institute of Directors published on Friday found over seven in 10 business leaders believed the upcoming Employment Rights Bill would have a negative impact on UK economic growth. The Chancellor insisted growth around the world had been disappointing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement None of our countries are growing at the rate that we used to or the rate that we want to. All of us are struggling with living standards not improving and our citizens are becoming restless, she said. Cabinet colleagues including deputy prime minister Ms Rayner are piling pressure on the Chancellor to release more money for government departments ahead of the Spending Review on Wednesday. Ms Reeves also hinted that the Government was preparing a package of measures to help businesses deal with higher energy costs. She signalled her three year spending review would also unleash a wave of funding for infrastructure projects, from renewables to nuclear energy. She said: I know that one of the questions that we need to answer is how were going to make energy more affordable, particularly for some of our most intensive energy-using businesses where the price differential with other countries around the world is just too acute for many to be competitive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And so thats a question we will answer in the industrial strategy in a few weeks. The cost of power for factories in Britain is now about 50pc more expensive than in Germany and France, and four times as expensive as in the US. The commons business select committee on Friday warned that high energy prices were holding back growth and urged ministers to address the issue as part of the upcoming industrial strategy. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. The deadline for voters to register or change party affiliation ahead of the July 8 Democratic Senate District 4 primary and a special city election in Central Falls is 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 8. (Getty image) Attention voters in Central Falls and Rhode Islands Senate District 4: The deadline to register to vote or change your affiliation to participate in special city and legislative elections is days away. Voters have until 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 8, to register or change party affiliation ahead of the July 8 Democratic Senate District 4 primary and a special city election in Central Falls. Forms can be completed online at vote.ri.gov, or by mailing or dropping off a paper form at your municipal board of canvassers office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Senate District 4, spanning North Providence and a small section of Providence, four Democrats have signaled their intent to run for the open seat left vacant after former Senate President Dominick Ruggerio died in April. There is also one Republican and one independent who have declared they are running, and will compete in an Aug. 5 general election. Senate candidates must submit nomination forms with 100 valid signatures from voters by June 10 to have their name appear on the ballot. Central Falls will hold special elections without a primary on July 8 for an open seat on the City Council alongside a ballot question over changes to the structure of the city school board. One candidate, Anthony Solano, will appear on the ballot for the open City Council District 4 seat, having already submitted the required signatures by the May 7 deadline. Close behind the registration deadline is a second key date for primary voters: The deadline to apply for a mail ballot. Applications are already available online, due back no later than 4 p.m. June 17. Applications sent by mail must be postmarked by the Aug. 20 deadline. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another special election is slated for Aug. 5 in Coventry to decide two seats on the Coventry Town Council. Three candidates Richard Houle, Kathy Farwell and Robert Delellis have declared their intent to run in the nonpartisan race, for which there is no primary. Coventry voters have until Sunday, July 6, to register to vote. More information on upcoming election dates and deadlines for voters and candidates is available on the Rhode Island Secretary of States website. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX NELSON COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) The Nelson County Circuit Court has issued an order that temporarily prohibits media files from Steven Lawsons trial from being released. After his guilty conviction and subsequent request for a new trial, the circuit court is preparing for the upcoming trials of Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Court documents state that the news media and other parties have requested a copy of Stevens trial proceedings in connection with the disappearance of Crystal Rogers. While considering the request, the court noted it has remained mindful of the publics right to inspect and copy court records and documents. With the trials of Houck and Joseph scheduled to begin on June 24 at the Warren County Justice Center, both the plaintiff and the defendants have gone on record stating they are opposed to the records from Stevens trial being released. The circuit court noted that, if the records were released ahead of the trial, videos would be played on television stations across the Commonwealth, which would make it highly likely that many prospective jurors would form an opinion on how the case should be decided. The court also said that trial witnesses, some of whom had previously testified in Stevens trial, would also be able to access and view these recordings. Rule KRE 615 claims that witnesses from the trial are to be excluded to prevent them from hearing the testimony of other witnesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more of the latest Kentucky news Robert Lawson noted in The Kentucky Evidence Law Handbook that this rule is designed to elicit the truth, unveil the false and promote the ends of justice. After taking all of these factors into account, the court ordered: The video recordings from the defendants trial proceedings shall be sealed until the completion of the co-defendants jury trials. That upon completion of the co-defendants trials, the Nelson Circuit Clerk shall be allowed to release copies of the defendants trial proceedings to the news media. Houck and Joseph are the other two people accused in connection with the death of Rogers, who was last seen on July 3, 2015. She is presumed to be dead, but her body has not been found. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FOX 56 previously reported that Steven is scheduled to be sentenced in August. Madylin Goins contributed to this story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News. **Related Video Above: Remains of Cleveland WWII Airman was brought home after 80 years last year ELMORE, Ohio (WJW) A northern Ohio man who died as a prisoner of war while fighting in WWII is finally being laid to rest in his hometown this summer, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) said Friday. Remains of Soldier killed in WWII return to Freeport, Ohio and interred with full military honors Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Army Sgt. Howard Hasselkus, who was 24 years old at the time of his death, was reportedly accounted for in September 2024 but it was only recently that his family received a full briefing from the government agency. Now his story is being released to the public. Photo courtesy Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency When Japanese forces invaded the Philippines in late 1941, Hasselkus was fighting with the 192nd Tank Battalion. By May of 1942, thousands of U.S. and Filipino military members were taken as prisoners of war following the surrender of Bataan, with Hasselkus being one of them. Hasselkus died Nov. 22, 1942, and was buried at Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in a common grave, according to camp records, the DPAA said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The American Graves Registration Service diligently worked to identify soldiers remains following the war, but Hasselkus was never found. 4 finally going home after WWII bomber crash left 11 dead and non-recoverable Then in 2018, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA scientists began looking into the remains still unidentified. Using anthropological, dental and DNA analysis, the team was able to find Hasselkus. Photo courtesy Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Today, Hasselkus is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines, the agency said in a statement. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hasselkus is being buried in Elmore, Ohio, in August. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. MEMPHIS, Tenn. New video is raising concern among animal advocates. The video captures horse-drawn carriages carrying large groups listening to loud music and even harassing a horse. A viewer captured the videos in downtown Memphis a few weeks ago. One video shows eight passengers on a horse-drawn carriage, including one sitting up front. The noise they were making echoed throughout Main Street. The second video shows what looks to be the same group with three more people on board. The camera then catches someone up front using a rope to hit the horse. We see eight, 10 people on a carriage at once. We see people in the front seat harassing the horses, animal advocate Randy Truong said. My concern is the safety and well-being for the horses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The carriages have been a part of the Memphis landscape for years. Its even boasted on the tourism website as a magical way to see the city. But debates about its future have been stirring since 2017, when a horse collapsed and was euthanized. A year later, a carriage with no driver bolted through downtown. Then in March, horses were seen lying on the ground near a white carriage near Mud Island. It appeared to be sick or hurt, one witness called Your News Leader to tell us what she saw. There were a few people standing around, and looked like the people who had been on the carriage. Some people who stopped their cars to get out and help. The company that owns the horse, however, stated they were testing a team of new horses to make sure they are safe for the public, and one of the horses stumbled, causing the other horse to fall. Animal officers confirmed the horses were okay. This story has been gaining traction. People are angry. People are upset, Truong said. Truong started an online petition three years ago to ban horse carriages in downtown Memphis. Those efforts are now being renewed. The petition states 500 people signed since March. The total now more than 750 signatures. To my knowledge, no I dont I dont think anyone in the city is doing anything, Truong said. Many of you have also been voicing concerns to us, so WREG Investigators went to City Hall, where we asked questions and submitted a series of open records requests to find out more. A spokesperson for the city explained its permits office issues permits for drivers and carriage companies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We asked to see the annual inspections. We were told no responsive records exist within the permits office, Memphis Animal Services, or within the Memphis Police Department. We were assured they have been happening. The citys spokesperson also stressed there is oversight, and its guided by the horse carriage rules and regulation in the Memphis code of ordinances. A previous Memphis Animal Services director asked the code be revamped in 2023. She told the council the carriages were found working long hours, sometimes in 1-degree weather. The current code now bans the use of whips except for human or animal safety, prohibits more passengers than the seating capacity, and limits loud music or other sound that could cause the animal distress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city stated its permit office will investigate complaints if filed and appropriate action can occur like fines or a license being suspended or revoked. A person can call, email or walk into the permits office to file a complaint. Once they receive the complaint, they will investigate and resolve any issues. If they receive multiple complaints, they will schedule an administrative hearing where more serious consequences can occur. The city said no complaint was filed regarding the videos a viewer sent us. Its unclear if the company involved in Marchs incident is the same company that owns these horse carriages. We reached out to the owner again by email and by phone, but have yet to hear back. In March, he did stress, Weve been in business for almost 30 years, and like any industry, youre going to have mishaps. At the end of the day, the animals are safe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, Truong wants the city to take action and wants more oversight. Other cities have implemented stricter regulations, while Chicago and Salt Lake City have banned horse carriages altogether. Recently, San Antonios council approved phasing them out by 2030. Its just really sad to think about, Truong said. I would love to see [oversight] some more. Just some more direction and leadership from our city to hear our concerns. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) Virginia House Speaker Don Scott will join other advocates for reproductive freedom in Norfolk on Friday to speak about the threat to Medicaid. The stop at the Slover Library is the final stop of a statewide tour called Protect our Medicaid. The goal of the tour, according to a release, is to raise awareness of the threat cuts to Medicaid could have on Virginia families. Those with the Protect our Medicaid group said the federal cuts to Medicaid under the Trump Administrations Big, Beautiful Bill could cause over 250,000 Virginians to lose their healthcare, with nearly 47,000 veterans alone in the state covered by Medicaid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill includes a proposed $625 million cut in Medicaid which could cause 7.6 million people nationwide to lose health coverage in less than a decade, according to budget analysis. A release from the group states that Medicaid is the largest source of funding for home care in the United States, with home care for older adults and people with disabilities rising across the country. GOP bill raises fears of major reduction in home care for seniors, disabled The discussion will address how cuts to both Medicaid and Planned Parenthood can impact the Hampton Roads regional economy and how it will harm Virginia families. The Protect our Medicaid tour is expected to be held in the third floor at the Slover Library starting at 11 a.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Continue to check WAVY.com for updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. Rep. Mary Miller a Republican from Illinois who once praised Adolf Hitler wrote, edited and ultimately deleted a social media post decrying a Muslim speaking in Congress. Its deeply troubling that a Muslim was allowed to lead prayer in the House of Representatives this morning. This should have never been allowed to happen, she wrote Friday. American was founded as a Christian nation, and I believe our government should reflect that truth. May God have mercy! The man leading the prayer was guest chaplain Giani Singh, a follower of the Sikh faith, not Islam. Millers Republican colleague Rep. Jeff Van Drew (N.J.) introduced him as such on Friday. Rep. Mary Miller's original post, captured by X user @jamiedupree Day after day, year after year, he leads not just with words. but with example with peace, with humility, with service towards all, Van Drew said. These are not just Sikh values, they are American values. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He noted that Singh was serving as guest chaplain on the 81st anniversary of D-Day, when Sikh soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder with allied forces on the beaches of Normandy in 1944. Miller eventually edited her post to change a Muslim to a Sikh but left the rest of her racist post untouched. Finally, she deleted it altogether. A spokesperson for Miller did not immediately respond to HuffPosts inquiries about the post or her decision to delete it. Her fellow lawmakers, however, were quick to respond. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) mirrored Millers post back to her with a few tweaks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its deeply troubling that someone with such contempt for religious freedom is allowed to serve in this body, she wrote. This should have never been allowed to happen. America was founded as free nation, and I believe the conduct of its legislators should reflect that truth, not drift further from it. Rep. Mary Miller speaking at the Capitol in 2022. via Associated Press Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) was similarly appalled. Whats deeply disturbing is the blatant ignorance and anti-Sikh, anti-Muslim xenophobia coming from my colleague across the aisle, she wrote. There is no place in our country, and especially the Halls of Congress, for this hate and intolerance. The tweet may have been deleted, but we still have the receipts. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, which Meng chairs, also called out Millers ignorance about Sikhism, which has more than 24 million followers and constitutes one of the largest religions in the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sikhs and Muslims practice two separate and distinct religions, and conflating the two based on how someone looks is not only ignorant but also racist, wrote the caucus in a post on X. America was founded on the principle of religious freedom. It is disgraceful that someone who has such disdain for our nations values can serve in the halls of Congress. Miller famously tipped her hat to Hitler shortly after being elected to Congress in 2020. Hitler was right on one thing, she said at an event held by conservative group Moms for America. He said, Whoever has the youth has the future. Arthur Delaney contributed reporting. Related... TEXARKANA, Texas (KETK) Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-TX released a statement on Thursday urging the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, to continue funding for the Red River Army Depot (RRAD) that maintains military operations. ETCOG secures $250k grant for veteran transportation services The RRAD is an over 15,000 acre U.S. Army facility in northeast Texas that is responsible for repairing and remanufacturing military supplies. This facility supports multiple military branches by providing vehicles and other supplies to warfighters during combat. With President Donald Trumps administration looking to minimize federal spending, the RRAD faces the risk of seeing possible budget cuts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moran and 11 other members of congress signed a letter that was sent to the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, expressing their wish for the administration to allow RRADs operations to continue as usual without cuts. Moran said the following explaining why he is fighting for RRADs future: 18 wheeler crash causes significant back up on I-20 As Congress works to help fulfill President Trumps vision of peace through strength, it is critical that we place renewed emphasis on our nations maintenance and repair depots that directly support Americas soldiers, sailors, and airmen. For that reason, I strongly urge the Department of Defense to continue operations at Red River Army Depot at full operational capacityand to actively pursue new mission-critical opportunities that expand its role in our national defense strategy. RRAD is not only a cornerstone of Americas military logistics capability, it is also a model of cost-efficiency. Unlike many government facilities, RRAD is funded entirely by the workload it receives from military branches and commercial partnersmaking it self-sufficient, accountable, and agile. It doesnt waste taxpayer dollars. It maximizes them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are actively pursuing conversations with the Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, and Army Chief of Staff General Randy A. George. While we await a formal response to our letter, I remain committed to safeguarding RRADs mission and ensuring it remains a key pillar of our national defense infrastructure. We thank the Department of Defense for its continued dedication to national security and stand ready to work together to strengthen our industrial base, protect the jobs of thousands of skilled Texans, and fulfill our shared mission of peace through strength. Moran said. Gov. Abbott names new leaders to Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission According to the Texas Comptrollers office, the RRAD contributed at least $1.6 billion to the Texas economy in 2023. RRADs workforce holds around 3,500 members that perform vital operations for our nations military. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com. Russia launched an intense wave of drone and cruise missile strikes on Ukraine overnight, local media reported early on Friday. The attacks were targeting the capital Kiev, major cities and the country's far-western regions, The Kyiv Independent reported. Air raid sirens were heard in all regions, as the Ukrainian Air Force warned that several Russian bombers had taken off and likely already fired cruise missiles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Kiev, several fires broke out as a result of the strikes, including in residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure, according to the report. At least three people were injured, the news outlet quoted Mayor Vitali Klitschko as saying. The city's military administration warned of potential emergency power outages in eastern Kiev due to the damage. It was unclear whether the attacks were part of a widely anticipated large-scale retaliation by Russia, following Ukraine's coordinated drone strikes on several Russian military airfields deep behind the front lines last weekend. Former state Sen. Jim Carlin, shown here at a rally in October 2021, has launched a Republican campaign for U.S. senator. (Photo by Katie Akin/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Former state legislator Jim Carlin, a Republican, announced he is running for Iowas U.S. Senate seat in the upcoming election the latest candidate this week to announce their plans to run in 2026. Carlin, who served in the Iowa Senate from 2017 through 2023 and previously in the Iowa House, is running for the seat currently held by U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst. Since his time in the Iowa Legislature, Carlin went on to found the Iowa Liberty Network, an organization focused on recruiting and electing constitutional conservative candidates in state government and other public offices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an interview with the Iowa Capital Dispatch, Carlin said Ernst is not reflecting Iowa Republicans values in Congress. He pointed to the Heritage Action scorecard for Ernst from the 2023 session, when she received a 42% score on how often her votes aligned with conservative goals. He pointed to her support for money to aid Ukraine in its war against Russia and her vote in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act as examples of Ernst not voting in line with conservative values. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Carlin said Ernst has not delivered on her commitment make em squeal by cutting federal spending, as well as promises to work to repeal the Affordable Care Act and 2014 campaign statement that she would only serve two terms in the U.S. Senate. The people of Iowa can judge whether or not shes keeping those promises, Carlin said. And I believe that when they evaluate it, when they look at her voting record and the decisions shes made as a sitting senator, that they will come to the conclusion that she doesnt represent them well in terms of the things they want to see done and the things that they believe in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bryan Kraber, Ernsts 2026 campaign manager, pointed to Carlins failed primary bid against U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley in the 2022 election. Good luck trying to take on this combat veteran, Kraber said in a statement Friday. Senator Ernst has a proven record of conservative leadershipcutting waste, securing the border, and making Washington squeal to keep Iowans hard-earned money in their own pockets. And she delivers for our families, farmers, and veterans. Iowans already saw through Carlins last failed campaign, and theyll reject his desperate attempt at relevance again in 2026. Though Carlin and Ernst are battling on conservative bonafides, much of the conversation centered on the upcoming race has focused on Ernsts town hall statement that we are all going to die last week during talks on the funding cuts to Medicaid included in the budget reconciliation bill passed by the U.S. House. Carlin said he supports President Donald Trumps spending goals and believes cuts that should be made to federal programs but her handling of that showed a lack of judgment. You dont flippantly say to people, well, were all going to die,' Carlin said. That actually kind of reminds me of Hillary Clintons statement, what difference does it make, on the other side of Benghazi when people died. I thought it was really inappropriate. Iowa Rep. J.D. Scholten, D-Sioux City, announced Monday he would compete for the Democratic nomination, saying he just cant sit on the sidelines following the Senators comments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Scholten and Nathan Sage, a Democrat from Indianola, are the only Democrats to have officially joined the race, but other potential Democratic candidates also weighed in on Ernsts comments this week. State Sen. Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, who has expressed interested in a run, said it is of course true that we are all going to die, but our Senators shouldnt be the ones killing us in response to Ernsts comments. State Rep. Josh Turek, D-Council Bluffs, is also weighing a bid for the seat. Turek joined a call with Protect Our Care Iowa, an organization advocating for health care access through programs like Medicaid, on Thursday and said the proposal to reduce Medicaid spending by $625 billion in the next decade and implement work requirements will prevent more people with disabilities from accessing needed care. Republicans supporting the big, beautiful tax and spending bill have repeatedly stated people with disabilities and complex medical conditions as well other protected populations, like minors, seniors, parents of dependent children and pregnant people will not be subject to work requirements or taken off the program. But Turek said as a person with a disability who has worked for an organization assessing and providing mobility devices, he has extensive experience with how funding cuts and moves like Iowas Medicaid privatization have limited access to needed health care and services for Iowans with disabilities. The state legislator said he went to Washington, D.C., to speak with all members of Iowas federal delegation about how the proposed changes will hurt people in need. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I talked to them specifically about this bill and about the cuts to Medicaid, and additionally about what theyre looking at doing on grant funding, Turek said. And were looking at 140 organizations and groups here in Iowa, disability services beyond just Medicaid, that are looking at losing all of their funding in some cases, or 50%, 25%. They cannot plead ignorance. They know exactly what this bill is. Its a tax break to the richest, most wealthy Americans off the backs of the poorest and the most vulnerable. Woman who shouted people will die at Ernst town hall runs for Iowa House Ernsts comment also led to another campaign launch for the Iowa House. India May, the 33-year-old from Charles City who sparked Ernsts comments on Medicaid during the Parkersburg town hall, is running for Iowa House District 58, currently represented by Republican Rep. Charley Thomson, R-Charles City. May, the Ionia Public Library director, is a county death investigator for Chickasaw County and registered nurse. She shouted people will die at Ernst during the public meeting. People are not well, we all are going to die, so for heavens sake, Ernst responded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The day after the meeting, Ernst made an apology video filmed in a cemetery where she said she made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that, yes, we are all going to perish from this earth. So I apologize, and Im really, really glad that I did not have to bring up the subject of the tooth fairy as well, Ernst said in the video. She also added that for those that would like to see eternal and everlasting life, I encourage you to embrace my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In a social media post responding to the video, May wrote that Ernsts apology was disingenuous and reinforced gaslighting and christofascism aimed toward her MAGA supporters. She also used the platform to highlight her own run for office. In short, my response to Jonis phoney apology is this: I dont want to see another Iowan choose between medicine or food. Its already happening and this bill will make it worse, May wrote. Joni may be disappointed to know that I will continue to email her every day with my concerns, and that it is my intention to run as a progressive Democrat for Iowa House District 58, to undo the damage caused by the incumbent, Charley Thomson, who recently made headlines for targeting a nonprofit organization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement May had referenced the directive sent by Thomson in his capacity as the House government oversight committee chair to the Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice, an immigrant rights organization, requesting information about the nonprofit organizations clients, donors and members. An attorney for Iowa MMJ rejected the request in April, saying it was not legally valid. Eddie Andrews joins governors race Iowa Rep. Eddie Andrews launched his bid for Iowa governor Wednesday, running as a Republican for the seat that will be vacated by Gov. Kim Reynolds following the 2026 election. Andrews, a Johnston Republican first elected in 2020, is one of the first GOP candidates to officially run in what is expected to be a crowded field. Former state Rep. Brad Sherman had announced he is running as a Republican gubernatorial candidate before Reynolds left the race. U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra and Iowa Sen. Mike Bousselot, R-Ankeny, have both launched exploratory committees for a gubernatorial campaign, and other high-profile Iowa Republicans like Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and House Speaker Pat Grassley have expressed interest but not made a decision on whether to run. In a news release on his run, Andrews said his work as a state lawmaker shows why Iowans should back his campaign he highlighted his support for landowner rights through supporting bills restricting the use of eminent domain in carbon sequestration pipeline projects, efforts to increase psychiatric residencies and provide more incentives to keep doctors in the state, as well as proposals to end sales tax on certain essential items. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As governor, Andrews said he wants to focus on improving Iowas education system, making mental health care more accessible, and pledged to destroy the human trafficking industry in our state. Iowa deserves a Governor who listens and delivers, Andrews said in a statement. My experience as a tech entrepreneur, minister and legislator prepares me to serve you. Democrat Julie Stauch, a longtime Iowa political operative, also launched her campaign for governor this week. Iowa Auditor Rob Sand is considered the frontrunner in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, though Stauch alongside Democrat Paul Dahl will be competing against him in the primary June 2, 2026. This story has been updated to clarify that Nathan Sage lives in Indianola. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE By Bo Erickson and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Republican lawmakers are trying to dodge the crossfire between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, with members saying they hope the billionaire brawl will subside without hurting their chances to protect their majority in the 2026 midterm elections. "It's just not helpful. When you have division, divided teams don't perform as well," Representative Don Bacon, a Republican whose Nebraska district is perennially among the most competitive House of Representatives races. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I'm a military guy. I commanded five times. If you have division in your team it's not good," said Bacon, who served in the U.S. Air Force for 30 years. Musk, the world's richest person and CEO of Tesla, was the biggest donor in the 2024 election cycle and a prominent fixture in Trump's White House as he ran a controversial campaign to slash the federal government before stepping down last week. Their buddy-movie dynamic evaporated this week as Musk and Trump openly feuded over a sweeping tax-cut and spending bill that Musk blasted as likely to add significantly to the federal government's $36.2 trillion in debt. He called for Trump's impeachment -- something the Republican-controlled Congress is unlikely to take up -- and mused publicly about the creation of a new political party. While Republican lawmakers did not regard that as a serious prospect, they signaled concern about the rift as they look to defend narrow majorities in the House and Senate next year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I don't think lashing out on the internet is the way to handle any kind of disagreement, especially when you have each other's cell phones," Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican who runs a Musk-inspired government efficiency subcommittee, "So I hope this gets worked out," said Greene, who has a history of posting inflammatory rhetoric on social media that is often aimed at Democratic opponents. Greene represents a solidly Republican district, but Republicans will need to break with historical precedent in 2026 if they are to win the roughly three-dozen competitive seats that determine the House majority. Their path is easier in the Senate, where Democrats have fewer opportunities to win seats, according to nonpartisan analysts. CAMPAIGN IMPLICATIONS? Throughout Musk's tirade, he also took credit for both Trump's win and the Republicans' 220-212 House majority and 53-47 Senate edge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He made nearly $300 million in political donations, with most of the money going to his own super PAC which was focused on helping Trump return to the White House. He played a smaller role in down-ballot races, which accounted for about 10% of his America PAC's spending. Musk also gave $10 million to a super PAC that backs Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate. Musk is a divisive figure and his track record on elections is not unblemished. Earlier this year, Musk and political groups tied to him poured more than $21 million into a Wisconsin Supreme Court race. The Republican he supported was soundly defeated. "Elon Musk is free to spend his money however he so chooses to do so," said Representative Rob Bresnahan, a Republican who unseated an incumbent Democrat in Pennsylvania, "If you do the right thing and fight for your district, I'm not really worried about much." Lawmakers signaled little concern over Musk publicly toying with the idea of a third political party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I think he'll find that a very hard thing to do, but he's spent a lifetime doing very hard things," said Representative Tom Cole, an Oklahoma Republican. They were more worried about Musk succeeding in killing the tax-cut bill, stung by the memory that he had succeeded in December in blocking the first version of a bill meant to avert a government shutdown. Deficit hawks welcomed his efforts to push for deeper spending cuts. "I welcome people like Elon Musk that try to hold our feet to the fire. I'll take as much air cover as I possibly can get," Representative Eric Burlison, a Missouri Republican, who voted for the House version of the bill despite spending concerns. "We often disappoint our voters when we don't do the cuts that we campaign on, when we're not fiscally responsible." Many Democratic lawmakers, faced with their own questions on how to win back congressional power, have watched the Trump-Musk fight with glee. "My heart goes out to both of them," Representative Sarah McBride, a Delaware Democrat, said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, asked whether the Republicans' infighting could help their political prospects, said, "I can tell you for certain that the extreme and reckless budget, the GOP tax scam, Trump's one big ugly bill, will be a central part of the contrast that exists between House Democrats and House Republicans in the context of the midterm elections." (Reporting by Bo Erickson and Rick Cowan, additional reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell) Republicans on Capitol Hill attempted to downplay the Donald Trump-Elon Musk relationship meltdown on Thursday as the president went scorched earth on his ex-first buddy for criticizing the big, beautiful bill. The tech billionaire fired back in a frenzy of brutal posts on X where he accused the president of lying, threw his words back in his face and dropped other bombshell accusations. Their very public breakup throws a heavy wrench in Republican efforts to push the presidents bill tackling his domestic spending agenda through the Senate, but GOP lawmakers did not want to get anywhere near the firestorm between the worlds most powerful man and richest man. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But on Capitol Hill, there was a different approach: Duck! In the most Musk move of all, Speaker Mike Johnson rushed past reporters holding a baby in his arms, belonging to his chief of staffan echo of Musk parading his son, X, who is five. Yes, Johnson had inspirationfrom Musk, the man whose impact he was trying to dodge. The then-First Buddy took his son X, five, with him to the Capitol in May before his dramatic fall-out with Trump. / Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters I have a rule, I never get between a dog and a fire hydrant, Senator John Kennedy said when asked about the nasty tit for tat. Two biggest dogs in the pound, theyre going to fight a little, said Rep. Tim Burchett. We dont need to be in a food fight at that level, said deep red West Virginia Senator Jim Justice. [Elons] got his feelings hurt or whatever, Justice argued. He did a lot of good work, and he really really tried really hard, and he did it for nothing. He really sacrificed a bunch to be able to do that. I get all that and everything, but at the same time, we only have one president. President Donald Trump on June 5, 2025 said he was Senate Majority Leader John Thune appeared to weigh his words as he told reporters before walking onto the Senat floor that he didnt have an observation on the soured relationship. He left it at that even though he did not go unscathed in Musks outburst. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Republican leader has his hands full pushing the legislation through the Senate as lawmakers battle over what to include in their version of the bill, but Thune tried to avoid commenting, even taking another exit out of the Senate chamber as reporters gathered outside. While some senators ignored questions about Musk all together, quickly stepping into elevators to escape, Musks criticism of the bill has not fallen completely on deaf ears. My experience with Elon Musk is hes a patriot. He cares about this country. Hes forever cared about the deficit. He wants a balanced budget. Guess what? I do too. Im appreciative that he cares, said Senator Rick Scott as Thursday afternoons Trump-Musk war escalated. As Musk upped his attacks over the bill, he threatened to go after the lawmakers who voted for it, but in the Senate, Scott dismissed concerns over GOP members getting a primary challenger. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whos got the best ideas, they should win, Scott said. Elon Musk hes got money just like youve got money, and you should invest your money with the people that you believe are going to do the best thing for your family. The senator, having just won reelection last year, is in a different boat than House Republicans who are up for reelection every two years, but multiple GOP lawmakers downplayed the threat and suggested the breakup was predictable. Rep. Ralph Norman said he was not concerned about the billionaire spending his money to challenge House Republicans. He can use his money wherever he wants, and I admire what hes used it for so far, Norman said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Majority Leader Steve Scalise argued Musk hasnt moved a vote. After the tech billionaire made the jaw-dropping accusation that the president was in the Jeffrey Epstein files, Republicans dismissed it. If President Trump was in the Epstein files, they would have released it during the primary, and they didnt, said Rep. Anna Paulina Luna. The Mike Johnson of 2023 is the SAME Mike Johnson who has always been a lifelong fiscal hawk - who now serves as Speaker and is implementing a multi-stage plan to get our country back to fiscal responsibility and extraordinary economic growth. It begins with the critically https://t.co/8c2l3bTdk1 Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) June 5, 2025 House Speaker Mike Johnson spent Thursday morning downplaying the rift with Musk as he played phone tag with the former DOGE leader. By Thursday afternoon, Johnson had become the target of one of Musks many posts in which he questioned where the Johnson of 2023 was, retweeting the speakers old post about the debt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It appeared to hit a nerve by Johnson standards. He fired back on social media just over an hour later that hes the SAME Mike Johnson who has always been a lifelong fiscal hawk - who now serves as Speaker. Even after his post, Johnson continued to praise Musk as a friend. However, one GOP lawmaker could not contain his glee over the breakup with Trump. Rep. Thomas Massie, who has been the target of Trumps wrath, and railed against the bill had a telling joke as he left the U.S. Capitol. I tell my colleagues if I get hit on Independence Ave, and they have to deliver my eulogy to say he was having his best day ever, said Massie with a grin. The House of Representatives is trying to pass a resolution making the term Free Palestine an official antisemitic slogan. Republican Representative Gabe Evans from Colorado introduced the resolution in the wake of the attack on a gathering for Israeli hostages in Boulder this week. Mohammed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national, has been charged for the attack, during which he yelled Free Palestine, according to the FBI. Whereas, while shouting Free Palestine, an antisemitic slogan that calls for the destruction of the state of Israel and Jewish people, Mohammed Sabry Soliman attacked the peaceful demonstrators with homemade Molotov cocktails, the resolution reads. House Republicans are expected to vote on the nonbinding resolution next week. The term free Palestine has been a touchy subject among liberal and conservative Zionists alike, as they have long deemed even saying it to be antisemitic hate speech against Jews rather than an acknowledgment of the decades of displacement, destruction, death, and apartheid that Palestinians have suffered at the hands of the Israeli government. This right-wing attack on free speech clearly demonstrates the hypocrisy of these anti-woke Republicans who love to wax poetic about the land of the free while kidnapping students off the streets for writing op-eds. Now this resolution seeks to further entrench the flawed logic that the Jewish religion and culture and the Israeli government that has been starving and bombing Palestinians are one and the same. Anyone who votes against this bill in an attempt to protect free speech will be labeled a terrorist sympathizer. As Donald Trump and Elon Musks relationship devolved into heated threats and bombshell accusations, the tech billionaire lobbed an incendiary claim that without him, Trump would not be president and Republicans would not control the House. But while Republicans rapidly tried to de-escalate the situation, they have been quick to make clear that its MAGA, not Musk, where their allegiance lies. Musk has pushed for Congress to kill the bill, but it does not appear to be shifting the dynamic in Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans remain confident in their ability to get Trumps big, beautiful bill across the finish line. Republicans have signaled support for President Trump and his MAGA agenda over Elon Musk as their relationship melted down this week despite the billionaire's claims Republicans would not have won without him. / Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Those who had issues with the legislation did so before Musk went nuclear Thursday, and the bill continues its slow progression through the Senate. One Republican strategist even suggested Musks attacks on the president could temper criticism among Senate Republicans who have taken issue with the legislation because they dont want to be seen as siding with the billionaire. The bill aside, GOP lawmakers made clear theyre behind the president over the worlds richest man as insults flew despite his massive microphone on X and loads of cash. Anyone thinking there would be an overall shift in the GOP loyalty to Trump was bound for disappointment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans have largely avoided insulting Musk directly and have touted DOGE efforts, but they were quick to dismiss any concerns about how the feud could impact next years midterms despite Musks threats. Rep. Chip Roy said the breakdown did not concern him. Rep. Tim Burchett said the billionaires attacks on the president undermine Musk. Others called it predictable and inevitable. House Republicans have long dealt with ideological and personality divides, and the dynamic remains unchanged, said Mark Bednar, a former House Republican leadership aide. The House bill that Speaker Mike Johnson pushed through is the target of Musks attacks, so his siding with the president is not a surprise, but Johnson staked GOP victories on Trump Friday and continues to project optimism that the spending bill will pass by the 4th of July. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson said Musk was a big contributor in the last election but argued it was a whole team effort in Republicans holding the majority last November. President Trump is the most consequential figure of his generation, of modern American history. He is the one responsible for that, Johnson told CNBC in response to Musks claim about the GOP majority. But we all worked hard. We delivered the House majority. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was quick to voice her backing of the president as the feud escalated, even as she has now voiced criticism of the big, beautiful bill. Good morning MAGA!! https://t.co/C7XgQugPPa Marjorie Taylor Greene (@mtgreenee) June 6, 2025 Just to be clear, I voted for Donald J Trump on Nov 4, 2024. Not anyone else. I voted for Trump. I voted for Trumps agenda, she wrote on X. She did not mention Musk by name but continued her pro-Trump and MAGA posts on Friday. More than four in 10 Republicans are worried about the Medicaid cuts being contemplated as a part of President Donald Trumps domestic policy mega-bill, a reminder that key parts of President Donald Trumps base also stand to be adversely impacted by the sprawling legislation. One-third of respondents to the new KFF poll identify as MAGA Republicans, reflecting the overall enrollment in the joint state/federal health care program. Among enrollees, more than a quarter are Republican, including 1 in 5 who identify as MAGA Republicans, according to the pollWhil. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans who control the U.S. Senate now have the bill, which passed the U.S. House by a single vote late last month. The upper chamber is contemplating its own changes to the legislation, which would blow up the deficit and impose sweeping social service cuts as it seeks to make Trumps first-term tax cuts permanent. The poll found that a large majority of rural Americans and those with lower household incomes, another key part of Trumps base, are worried that Medicaid reductions would lead to more children and adults losing coverage. They said they also feared it would harm health care providers in their communities and make it more difficult for them and their families to access care, according to the poll. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those findings broke down along partisan lines. Nonetheless, half of rural Republicans said they were worried about people becoming uninsured, according to the poll. Rural health care providers, who often rely on Medicaid funding, may be "especially vulnerable to the decreased federal spending included in the reconciliation bill," according to KFF pollsters. Public views on how the Republican White Houses policies will impact the nations health care system are largely partisan. But overall, most of the public says the administrations policies will weaken Medicaid and Medicare, including most Democrats and independents. Republicans said they expect those policies to strengthen or have no impact on these programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read More: A historic battle: Mass pols protest Medicaid cuts in Big Beautiful Bill | John L. Micek Among Republican Medicaid enrollees, however, views are mixed with similar shares saying the policies will strengthen, weaken, or have no impact on the program they rely on, according to the poll. In Massachusetts, Democratic Gov. Maura Healey and her allies in the state Legislature have predicted grim consequences for MassHealth, as Medicaid is known in the Bay State. As its currently written, the bill that passed the U.S. House by a single vote last week would reduce Medicaid spending by nearly $700 billion over a decade, according to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That would cost the states health care system $1.75 billion, affecting 250,000 people statewide, MassLive previously reported. More political news Read the original article on MassLive. Several Republican figures have urged President Donald Trump and Elon Musk to make amends after their explosive fight online Thursday, fearing the repercussions of the two powerful men at odds. For example, Sen. Mike Lee said he really likes both Trump and Musk. Hes positioned himself as a strong supporter of Trumps agenda but also of Musks. The Utah senator reposted several of Musks criticisms of the Trump-backed big, beautiful bill before things escalated Thursday. Musk made his criticism of the spending package known in the days since leaving the White House, calling it a massive, outrageous, pork-filled bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump then responded by saying he and Musk had a great relationship but he wasnt sure if they would anymore. He jabbed at Musk for not liking the bill for its cuts to electric vehicle credits. Musk shot back online by accusing Trump of being in the files related to Jeffrey Epstein, who was in prison for sex trafficking charges and reportedly died by suicide. The entire spat may have caused concern for Republican lawmakers, particularly those in vulnerable positions. Musk said anyone supporting the spending package should be fired come the 2026 elections. The lawmakers now must weigh Musks threat and influence with the desire to back Trumps agenda, and the issue is set to play out next week as the package makes its way through the Senate. Who else really wants @elonmusk and @realDonaldTrump to reconcile? Lee posted Thursday evening, later sharing, Repost if you agree that the world is a better place with the Trump-Musk bromance fully intact. He shared several other posts online looking for Musk and Trump to make amends and he wasnt alone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday that he hopes Trump and Musk, who he called American heroes, come back together, because when they work together, well get a lot more done for America than when theyre at cross purposes. .@tedcruz on the Trump-Musk Feud: Incredibly unfortunate both are extraordinary men and both have done extraordinary things for the country pic.twitter.com/JdYHsgQRJj Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) June 6, 2025 Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., wasnt deterred by the argument and the potential impact on the bill, saying members are not shaken at all. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., said he was hopeful that the dispute doesnt distract lawmakers from getting the job done and said he believes it will boil over and theyll mend fences, The Associated Press reported. While Trump is refusing to speak with Musk, at least for now, the question remains about what impact the fight will have on GOP lawmakers and the presidents big, beautiful bill. Searchers at Allatoona Lake found the body of a 17-year-old boater from Woodstock on Friday, one day after he disappeared. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources reported shortly before 5 p.m. that his remains had been recovered in the lake. DNR had crews searching for Jackson Croft throughout the day, Channel 2s Tom Regan reported. They discovered his body around 3:40 p.m. in about 20 feet of water and roughly 100 feet from where his boat was found. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its just a very tragic incident, and we are really thinking about the family and the issues they are having to go through right now, said Mark McKinnon with Georgia DNR. Hopefully, we can give them some support and also some space and some privacy in the days ahead. The DNR says they dont know if the teen fell off or was knocked off his boat. They say he wasnt wearing a life jacket at the time, and they encourage everyone to wear a life jacket while out on the lake. Emergency crews were called to the lake shortly before 5:30 p.m. Thursday after people called about a small bass boat spinning in circles on the lake. Rescue crews were able to stop the boat, but there was no one on board. Teams used SONAR to ping potential targets. DNR says the lake has many trees on the bottom, and it varies in depth. TRENDING STORIES: Correction appended June 17 Childhood vaccination rates have markedly declined across the U.S. since the start of COVID, according to new Johns Hopkins University research showing 78% of more than 2,000 counties reported drops and the average immunization rate had fallen to 91% further below the 95% threshold needed for herd immunity While existing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data has historically shown broadly declining measles-mumps-rubella vaccination rates at the state and national levels, the county-level analysis published this week in JAMA is far more granular. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter It provides a better understanding of these pockets where you have more exceptionally high risk, said senior author Lauren Gardner, the director of Johns Hopkins Universitys Center for Systems Science and Engineering. Lauren Gardner is the director of Johns Hopkins Universitys Center for Systems Science and Engineering and senior author of the research. (Johns Hopkins University) Knowing where there are problem areas, she added, gives policymakers and public health professionals locations to target their limited resources to try and improve vaccination coverage and therefore minimize the potential risk of measles outbreaks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The country is currently experiencing a deadly measles outbreak that has infected over 1,000 people across 30 states and killed two unvaccinated children. Case numbers this year have already surpassed 2024s total and mark the second-highest number of confirmed cases in a year since the disease was declared eradicated in the U.S. in 2000. Some 96% of reported infections have involved a person who was unvaccinated or whose status was unknown and 13% have resulted in hospitalization. Related 1st Confirmed Death in Texas Measles Outbreak Is Unvaccinated, School-Aged Child Gardner, who also led the data collection efforts behind Johns Hopkins COVID-19 dashboard, and her team collected county-level, two-dose MMR vaccine rates for kindergarteners from each states department of health website from 2017 to 2024, where available. Ultimately, they were able to analyze trends in 2,066 counties across 33 states and made all their data available to download. While state level average rates may decline by a few percentage points, the researchers found 130 counties where they dropped by at least 10 percentage points, and in 15 of those counties, they plummeted more than 20. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Only four of the states studied California, Connecticut, Maine and New York reported an increase in the median county-level vaccination rate. They are currently the only four states that exclusively allow medical and not philosophical or religious exemptions to mandatory vaccines for school-aged children. Related Some 300 W. Virginia School Vaccine Exemptions Granted Under New, Laxer Policy Gardner said she pursued the county-level data after observing growing vaccine hesitancy and misinformation. Based on her years of work in the field, she said she was 100% expecting to see [these current outbreaks]. If vaccination rates continue to drop measles is likely to return to endemic levels in the US, according to the Johns Hopkins report a concern other experts see as heightened by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. now heading the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. A well-known vaccine skeptic, Kennedy initially downplayed the measles spread in late February and has been inconsistent in his support of the MMR vaccine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related Parents, Medical Providers, Vaccine Experts Brace for RFK Jr.s HHS Takeover Under Kennedys leadership, the Trump administration released the controversial Make America Healthy Again report on May 22, which misinterpreted studies, cited ones that dont exist and is suspected of being generated in part by artificial intelligence. The report, which involved no pediatricians, questions the safety and importance of some childhood vaccines. Despite the growth of the childhood vaccine schedule, the report reads, there has been limited scientific inquiry into the links between vaccines and chronic disease, the impacts of vaccine injury, and conflicts of interest in the development of the vaccine schedule. Related RFK Jr. Could Pull Many Levers to Hinder Childhood Immunization as HHS Head Paul Offit, the director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and a professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, pushed back on these assertions. Paul Offit is the director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and a professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. (Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia) The issue has been well studied, and there is no evidence of links between childhood vaccines and chronic diseases including diabetes and autism said Offit, who is also member of the Food and Drug Administrations Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He referenced 24 studies across seven countries and three continents involving thousands of children that show theyre at no greater risk of developing autism if they receive the MMR vaccine. Current skepticism is not isolated to the measles vaccine: The Food and Drug Administration, which falls under HHS, recently released updated guidance which no longer recommends the COVID vaccine for healthy children or pregnant women. In response, a top COVID vaccine adviser at the CDC resigned this week, according to reporting from The Washington Post. And across the country, numerous states have introduced legislation to loosen vaccine requirements for school-aged children, opening the door for more parents to opt their kids out. I think this is only going to get worse, Offit said. I think vaccines are under attack. You have a secretary of Health and Human Services who will do everything he can during the years that he is in that position to make vaccines less available, less affordable and more feared. So I think this is a dangerous time to be a child in the United States of America. Correction: In a previous version of this story, we incorrectly characterized Dr. Paul Offits status on the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. He is a former voting member of the CDCs advisory committee and a current member of the FDAs vaccine advisory committee. For perhaps the first time, Utah historians have organized much of the history surrounding the Black soldiers who served in Utah in the post-Civil War era to make sure it isnt forgotten. We didnt have any idea what we were getting ourselves into, and its just mountains of information weve been able to bring to light because of this, said Ian Wright, director of the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program, which is overseeing the effort. The research started in 2023 and the historians involved have created the Buffalo Soldier Heritage Trail linking several sites of note involving those first Black soldiers, known at the time as buffalo soldiers. Public events are set for Friday and Saturday at three of the sites, with signage geared to the general public to eventually be placed at the locations to promote interest in the history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A lot of folks know about the buffalo soldiers, but they dont usually connect them to Utah, Wright said. Around a quarter of all African-American soldiers who served in the western United States in the period of westward U.S. settlement following the Civil War, though, came through the state, he said. As part of the initial public presentation of project findings, three simultaneous talks are scheduled for Friday at the Fort Douglas Military Museum in Salt Lake City, the Price Prehistoric Museum in Price and the Uintah County Heritage Museum in Vernal. On Saturday, driving tours will be held through three areas of note in the history of buffalo soldiers in Utah, starting in Salt Lake City, Price and Vernal. Participants must register online and organizers will send additional event details to those signing up to take part. Utah researchers have been delving into the history of Black soldiers in Utah in the post-Civil War era. The map shows some of the locations of note in the history. | Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program Wright said some of the buffalo soldier history has been preserved in places like Carbon and Uintah counties and Fort Douglas, where some of the soldiers were stationed. But for the large part, its kind of been overlooked a little bit here in Utah. One of our goals is to connect back into that larger story and bring this history to life, to help to safeguard that, he said. The informations out there; it had just never kind of been pulled together in a way where people could see. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two regiments of buffalo soldiers, the 24th Infantry at Fort Douglas and the 9th Calvary at Fort Duchesne, served in Utah, part of the U.S. military contingent assigned to the American West to protect settlers moving to the area. Wright said their presence was most pronounced in Utah from around 1878 to 1901. Well over 1,000 buffalo soldiers served in Utah, he estimates, with varied roles in Ford Douglas, Fort Duchesne, Carter Military Road, Gate and Nine Mile canyons, Moab, Helper, Price and Vernal, the key stops on the Buffalo Soldier Heritage Trail. While their official role was to protect settlers from attacks by the Native American population, the buffalo soldiers faced other challenges, notably discrimination from within the military ranks and from the communities they served. Not only is it a military story, its an American story, its a Western story, its an African American story. Its just got so many neat nuances, Wright said. Wright and his team, which operates under the umbrella of the Utah State Historic Preservation Office, have been working with the Sema Hadithi African American Heritage and Cultural Foundation, based in West Valley City. Reps from the University of Utahs American West Center, the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have also helped. Much of the history theyve organized and unearthed is available online and in an audiobook. People who live or own cabins in remote areas of several Washington state counties have been urged to lock their doors including locking up sheds while a search for a dad accused of murdering his three daughters continues in the area. The Chelan County Sheriff's Office wants residents in Chelan, Kittitas, King, Snohomish and Okanagan counties to be aware that Travis Decker, 32, remains missing. They also asked people in remote areas to leave their blinds open and keep outside lights turned on while authorities conduct their searches. "Please know that law enforcement professionals are patrolling at all hours, in all spaces throughout this region," the sheriff's office said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said earlier that Decker is well-versed in wilderness survival and is able to spend days at a time off the grid with little equipment. Decker, a former Army soldier, is accused of killing his three girls, ages 9, 8 and 5. Their bodies were found near a campground in central Washington on Monday, three days after the girls' mother reported to Wenatchee police that Decker had not returned the girls on time following a planned visit. Decker's unoccupied pickup truck was also found. The girl's mother told police she had tried to call Decker multiple times and said the calls went straight to voicemail. Authorities have executed search warrants around the area, as well as on Decker's electronic devices, the sheriff's office said Thursday. Investigators did not say what they found, but noted that "new information" has provided more leads to follow up on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Recent Ring camera footage and photos of Decker have also been released. The search has led to the closure of the Enchantments a region in the Cascade Mountain Range with hiking and stunning landscapes. The region and surrounding areas are closed until at least June 18 or further notice, the sheriff's office said. Decker is described as 5 feet, 8 inches, tall and 190 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a light-colored shirt and dark shorts, according to authorities. Police said earlier that it wasn't clear if Decker was armed. Teen questioned after family's quadruple murder Iranians evacuate capital Tehran, some say the regime is frightened Parents, brother of slain Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman speak about her death Crater Lake on a hazy afternoon Aug 4, 2021, caused by wildfires in southern Oregon. (Alex Baumhardt / Oregon Capital Chronicle) UPDATED at 3:43 p.m. on Friday, June 6, 2025. While Democratic members of Oregons congressional delegation expressed alarm at the sudden resignation of the leader of the states only national park, the Republican who has the park in his district declined to take a position Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kevin Heatley, the new superintendent of Crater Lake National Park, resigned from his post May 30 over staffing concerns after just five months on the job. Heatley, who had previously worked at the Bureau of Land Management, told Oregon Public Broadcasting, KGW, The Washington Post and several other news organizations that staffing was already lean at Crater Lake, and layoffs of probationary employees President Donald Trump ordered, followed by hiring freezes, mandates to leave vacant positions unfilled and new federal incentives from the Office of Personnel Management and the office known as the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to resign or retire were making it worse. In a phone call Friday afternoon, Heatley referred questions about staffing issues to the office of U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter, representing Oregons 3rd Congressional District. She and other members of Oregons congressional delegation met the news of his resignation with differing levels of concern. Dexter wrote Wednesday to Doug Burgum, secretary of the Department of the Interior, demanding to know if he or the agency had undertaken any analysis of what staffing levels were like there or how bad it had gotten. Dexter is also a member of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On X, formerly known as Twitter, Oregons U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat, said it is clear to him that Trump is hellbent on destroying natural treasures like Crater Lake. U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz, who represents Oregons 2nd District his district includes southern Oregons Crater Lake said on the phone Friday hed look into it. The persons (Heatley) concern may be well founded. It may not. Until I know the facts better, Im not going to take a position on it, but now that youve raised an issue, well look into it, he said. The national park in southern Oregon, famous for its vibrant and translucent volcanic lake that is among the deepest in the world, typically sees about half-a-million visitors each year. But this summer, 60 to 65 seasonal positions will need to be filled, Heatley told journalists in several reports, and just eight ranger positions have so far been filled to keep visitors in the 286-square-mile park safe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I mean, the train is still running on the tracks, but its not heading in the right direction, Heatley told OPB on June 2. I cannot, in good conscience, manage an operation that I know is moving in the wrong direction. Spokespeople for Crater Lake did not respond to Capital Chronicle requests for staffing and hiring data. The federal jobs portal USA Jobs does not list any current vacancies at Crater Lake. The Kansas-based company running Crater Lakes lodging, concessions, retail and boating operations had 18 vacant positions listed on its site as of June 5. The National Parks Conservation Association, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit conservation group, called the staffing issues at the 63 National Parks a full-blown staffing crisis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They report that the Department of the Interiors own workforce database shows that as of May 13, the Park Service had just over 18,000 employees across all parks, a more than 16% drop from 2023, the previous fiscal year a decrease equal to that of the previous ten years combined. The association said the recent sharp drop was driven by Trump-incentivized buyouts, early retirements, deferred resignations and leaving vacancies unfilled. Interior Department data also shows 39% of seasonal and temporary staff at the national parks have been hired so far about 3,300 employees. Thats less than half the number of seasonal employees Park Service officials said theyd hire in a February memo. In her letter to Burgum, Dexter called Heatleys resignation a flashing red warning sign that something is very wrong, in a news release Wednesday. Correction: Heatley resigned May 30, not June 30, as previously reported. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX A top retired Navy legal official is sounding the alarm over what he sees as a growing and dangerous politicization of the military legal system and the lawyers who run it. In a public talk last week and in an interview with Military.com on Thursday, retired Rear Adm. Jim McPherson warned that the Trump administration and leaders in the Pentagon have politicized the selection process for the top lawyers in all three military branches by going around the traditional selection process and requiring nominees to answer screening questions about specific policies favored by the administration. The warning comes just months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired the top lawyers for the Army and Air Force without explanation. The Navy's top lawyer had resigned shortly after the election in late 2024. McPherson's remarks seem to confirm the fears that legal experts had shortly after the firings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read Next: Army Faces Backlash over Plan to Divert Barracks Funds to Border Mission In a lunchtime address to a group of lawyers at an American Bar Association function, McPherson, whose long career included several top civilian posts in the Pentagon during the first Trump administration, noted Hegseth's remarks to Fox News in the days after the firings. "Ultimately, we want lawyers who give sound constitutional advice and don't exist to attempt to be roadblocks to anything," Hegseth said on the cable news channel in February. Hegseth then went on to note that "traditionally" those top lawyers -- sometimes known by the abbreviation TJAG for "The Judge Advocate General" -- have "been elected by each other or chosen by each other ... small groups of insulated officers who perpetuate the status quo." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Well, guess what? That status quo hasn't worked very well at the Pentagon. It's time for fresh blood," said Hegseth, a former Fox News host. During his time serving the Pentagon in the first Trump term, McPherson held the posts of under secretary of the Army, general counsel of the Army, and the acting secretary of the Navy. In his address, McPherson pushed back on Hegseth's argument, calling it "misinformed." McPherson, who served as the Navy's judge advocate general in the early 2000s, said that military lawyers are there to "ensure the rule of law and operational environments." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Adherence to the rule of law is essential as a disciplined force for the effective and efficient application of forces and force enabler -- they're not roadblocks," he added. However, Hegseth has a long track record of disdain for lawyers and the military justice system. In his last book, the then-Fox News host and commentator wrote that "our adversaries should receive bullets, not lawyers." "If we refuse to do what is necessary, that is precisely why wars become endless," he wrote. In the same book, he also wrote that the Geneva Conventions -- international treaties governing the humane treatment of prisoners of war and civilians -- force the U.S. to fight "with one hand tied behind our back." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If our warriors are forced to follow rules arbitrarily and asked to sacrifice more lives so that international tribunals feel better about themselves, are we just better off winning our wars according to our own rules?" he mused in the book. As a Fox News host, Hegseth also took personal interest in and advocated for the release of two Army officers who were charged with war crimes -- 1st Lt. Clint Lorance and Maj. Mathew Golsteyn -- during the first Trump administration. Lorance was found guilty in a 2013 court-martial of second-degree murder, making false statements and other charges after he ordered his platoon to fire on three Afghan men on a motorcycle. Golsteyn was charged with murder after killing a suspected, unarmed Taliban bombmaker, later burning his body. Both men received presidential pardons from Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hegseth also played a role in helping lessen the punishment of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who was charged with war crimes for stabbing a wounded ISIS prisoner but ultimately convicted of posing for a photograph with the corpse. "Our current secretary, as a Fox commentator, blamed the JAGs that were involved in those cases for railroading those individuals who were simply doing their job," McPherson said. Now, it appears that the selection process for the new TJAGs is being modified to give Hegseth ultimate say over who heads the lawyers for each service, and candidates are being asked political questions during their interviews. "My understanding is each of those three services has already held a board, but the guidance to that board was very different than previous boards," McPherson said, adding that "the guidance to the boards was rank order your recommendations." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "In other words, don't come forward with a single name recommendation" as was done in the past, he said. From there, those groups of candidates would be interviewed by the top civilian for each service and Hegseth would interview each finalist before passing their names to the White House, McPherson said. "This departs markedly from the statutory requirement that the boards that select the TJAGs be in conformance with all other boards," said McPherson, noting that the requirement says that should be done "as far as practicable." "I'm sure that's the exception that they will use," he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since McPherson was relaying the information about the process through his own connections and sources, Military.com reached out to Hegseth's office for comment. They declined to comment and instead referred questions to the services. According to McPherson, Navy Secretary John Phelan has interviewed at least three finalists as part of the Trump administration vetting of the military lawyers. Amid those interviews, Phelan asked the candidates whether they agreed "with a policy regarding the mandatory inoculation for COVID and how that policy was executed" and "do you agree with the former policy regarding eligibility for transgender people to enter and remain in the service and how that policy was executed," McPherson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McPherson called these "two highly political questions" and policies with "which the TJAG would have never been involved in." The former Navy JAG said that they were "totally inappropriate questions to ask." Military.com also reached out to Phelan's office with questions about the selection process and the vetting questions. Capt. Adam Clampitt, a spokesman for the secretary, declined to comment on the selection process and said the service wanted "to maintain the integrity of the convening board process." Clampitt flatly denied that Phelan asked the vetting questions. "That is categorically false and did not happen," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He did not answer follow-up questions on whether he was calling McPherson, a man who retired as a rear admiral and went on to serve as Army under secretary in the first Trump administration, a liar. For his part, McPherson was undeterred by the denial. When Military.com reached out, he said that he was standing by his remarks and the source who relayed the information to him. In an interview Thursday, McPherson also noted that what struck him about the questions was how politically charged they were even compared to his own experience in the first Trump term. "I went through a vetting process at the White House with the personnel office, and sat through an interview with three other attorneys who worked on the staff there and then the head of that office, and I was surprised that they didn't ask me political-style questions," he said. "I didn't get hot-button policy questions as a senior political appointee," McPherson said of the experience. While McPherson shares the belief of many other military legal experts that the JAGs will not be able to act as a legal bulwark, he noted that they are still a powerful voice of conscience and ethics for decision-makers in times when they may be asked to confront challenging orders. Amid the Black Lives Matter riots that gripped much of the country in the summer of 2020, Trump famously pushed for the use of National Guard troops, including employing deadly force, against protesters and made a controversial appearance at Lafayette Square outside the White House alongside then-Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and former Defense Secretary Mark Esper. The move was criticized by many who saw Milley's presence there as the military's endorsement of Trump's goal to use the country's troops against its own citizens. "My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics," Milley later said as part of an apology. McPherson said that there was a discussion within Army senior leadership at that time about what they would do if Trump invoked the Insurrection Act -- a law that would allow him to use troops to put down protests. "What are we prepared to do? What are we prepared to say? No, we can't do that. We actually had that conversation," McPherson said, noting that this conversation also involved Milley and Esper. "I felt confident at the time that we would do the right thing," he said. "We no longer have an Esper or Milley in charge, and that's the fear I have, quite frankly." Related: 'People Are Very Scared': Trump Administration Purge of JAG Officers Raises Legal, Ethical Fears RICHMOND HILL, Ga. (WSAV) Richmond Hills long-awaited indoor pool may soon become a reality as the city moves forward with plans for an aquatic center after years of delays. Construction hasnt started yet, but progress is finally happening. Discussions are intensifying again over a long-awaited aquatic center in Richmond Hill. After years of on-and-off conversations, the city is partnering with community organizations to make it happen. This time, the project has a real shot. The City of Richmond Hill has set aside 51 acres near Town Centre Drive Plans for a Richmond Hill aquatic center date back many years but were derailed during an economic recession. Now, the city announced they have set aside 51 acres near Town Centre Drive to bring the project back to life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This facility would be funded and operated by the YMCA of Coastal Georgia and the Georgia Coastal Aquatic team. The City of Richmond Hill is donating the land but wont be covering construction or operational costs. The project is not just about convenience its about growing the sport locally. With residents having to drive long distances to swim or cram into smaller pools many believe the new facility cant come soon enough. The project is currently projected to cost around 1.5 million to build While theres no construction timeline yet, momentum for the project is building, and community support could be the key to diving in. For now, Richmond Hill families are hopeful that this long-awaited project will finally make a splash. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSAV-TV. GEORGIA (WRBL) The final defendant and ringleader of a bank fraud and aggravated identity theft scheme involving stolen checks and a fake online recruiting website was sentenced to federal prison today. Jalen Tylee Hill, aka Roscoe Hill, 26, of Americus, was sentenced to serve 81 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. According to court documents and statements made in court, the Sumter County Sheriffs Office received a complaint from a local church in December 2021 about mail theft and forged checks. During the investigation, law enforcement discovered that numerous checks had been stolen out of mailboxes at residential and commercial locations in Georgia. The checks were then forged and deposited into other bank accounts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Sumter County Sheriffs Office arrest man on multiple counts of bank fraud; identity theft Investigators discovered that Hill directed the scheme and would recruit people via Facebook and determined that in six months, Hill stole hundreds of pieces of mail, participated in at least 68 incidents of bank fraud, and unlawfully used debit cards belonging to other individuals at least 14 occasions. Schemes to defraud and steal from citizens will not be tolerated in the Middle District of Georgia, said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker. This case serves as a reminder for all of us to be as vigilant as possible with what we share online and monitor our financial accounts. I commend the good investigative work of our local and federal law enforcement partners for helping to prevent any more people and businesses from falling victim to this fraud. 14 others were also convicted for their participation in the scheme. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RELATED COVERAGE: Two Columbus, seven Americus defendants indicted in alleged stolen mail scheme Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL. Volusia County is dealing with a rise in teens being arrested for violent crime. Two 17-year-olds are facing weapons charges for their role in a shooting that seriously injured a 19-year-old Thursday night. It happened in the parking lot of the High Sense Smoke Shop on Howland Boulevard in Deltona. The sheriffs office said just this week, 7 juveniles have been arrested on gun charges. Thats up from just one arrest this week last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lisa Rosati was working in her smoke shop when this most recent shooting happened. She said the kids came in and she told them to go because they were underage. Moments later, she heard a gunshot, and one of the teens came back inside, covered in blood. They were on their phones and just looking, and Im like, whats going on, guys, and theyre like, we dont know them. I am like, take it outside, then they all went out and pop right after. Shortly after, said Rosati. Deputies said the 19-year-old was carrying a gun when he walked up on other teens in the parking lot. He was then shot in the face by a 17-year-old. The 19-year-olds brother, who is also 17, hid his gun in the woods before going to the hospital. The sheriffs office said both brothers have a lengthy criminal history and were on probation when the shooting happened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputy Chief Brian Henderson said deputies are now doing proactive curfew checks for kids on probation. One to make sure theyre in compliance but also sometimes we uncover other crimes when we are at the house talking to the parents, said Henderson. This shooting comes about a month after teens jumped and stabbed another teen in Deltona. Its a trend that bothers Mayor Santiago Avila Jr. The YMCA has a camp, Trinity has a camp, the Boys and Girls Club has a camp, theres no excuse for the kids out there to say theres nothing for me to do, said Avila Jr. Rosati hopes kids take advantage of those activities, so things dont get worse over the summer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once they get out in those streets, thats when theyre going to do whatever they want, said Rosati. A mom was arrested this week for covering for her kid, who was involved in the stabbing in May. In last nights shooting, a mom turned her teen in. She said she saw what happened in the stabbing case and didnt want to be arrested too. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Theres a mistaken assumption that heavy rains halt play for most wildlife. But one thing Ive learnt from my 50-plus safaris is that animals particularly predators are reliably unpredictable. My most recent uncomfortably close encounter occurred earlier this year during the height of Kenyas rainy season. Thick grey clouds had gathered over the luxury lodge where I was staying on the edge of the Maasai Mara, accelerating the onset of dusk. During daylight hours, its generally considered safe to walk freely between rooms even in unfenced areas so with the sun still hovering above the horizon, I assumed a short dash to the communal dining area would be fine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As I left my fancy villa, furiously scrolling through emails on my phone, I heard a growl far louder than peals of thunder tearing across the plains. Looking up, I saw the back end of a lioness prowling through the undergrowth and I did exactly what Ive always been told not to do I turned around and ran. In reality, she was probably more terrified of the giant two-legged creature encroaching on her territory but bumping into a big cat in Africa doesnt always end so well. On May 30, businessman Bernd Kebbel was mauled to death by a lioness as he stepped out of his tent to use the toilet. He was camping in Namibias Hoanib Valley, a remote area where desert-adapted lions roam along seasonal riverbeds. Businessman Bernd Kebbel was mauled to death by a lioness in a remote region of Namibia Id visited the region only two weeks previously and had been thrilled to spot a lion in a region historically ravaged by drought. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a survey carried out by Namibias Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) in 2022/2023, there are less than 100 desert-adapted lions in the country, with numbers fluctuating due to human/wildlife conflict. That population declined further when Charlie, the lioness responsible for the attack, was shot dead by authorities. What happened to Mr Kebbel was tragic, but its not the first time that foreigners have had fatal run-ins with animals. Last year, an American tourist was killed when an elephant charged their vehicle in Zambias Kafue National Park. A month earlier, a Spanish traveller was trampled to death by a breeding herd when he stepped out of his car to take a photograph in a South African game reserve. As the safari industry continues to thrive and our appetite for wild encounters grows, our guards have dropped faster than the fences which once enclosed many camps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive always been an advocate for opening up corridors, allowing elephant herds to follow traditional migratory routes and predator-prey dynamics to naturally evolve. But living alongside wildlife requires careful and cautious planning and as human populations continue to grow, that relationship hangs in a delicate balance. Luxury safari lodges can make it easy to switch off from the inherent danger of the setting - Getty The real problem is not them but us and the safari industry is partly to blame. Cultivated by marketers eager to sell holidays, the romantic, Disneyfied notion of an idyllic wilderness is misguided. On countless game drives, Ive watched vehicles edge uncomfortably close to potentially dangerous animals in the hope of getting a better iPhone photograph. Theres also an assumption that booking a room in a five-star lodge gives us carte blanche to wander around freely as we would at home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite repeated warnings from staff, its all too easy to switch off our senses ironically detaching ourselves from an environment where were encouraged to feel immersed. To their credit, many camps like Angama Amboseli in Kenya and Dukes in Botswana are attempting to educate travellers about the true struggles of human and wildlife co-existence. But due to a combination of complacency and over-confidence, too many have lost a healthy, respectful fear for the wild. Namibia is home to around 100 desert-adapted lions - Getty Of course, not every creature in Africas forests, plains and oceans is actively set on killing humans. Far from it. Most would prefer to be left to continue their lives undisturbed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But blurring the invisible boundaries which should exist between humans and wild animals can lead to fatal accidents. Every time I look into a lions eyes, I shudder. Hearing their guttural roars outside my tent still sends me into shivers. That tingling fear is humbling a reminder of the awesome wonders existing within our natural world. Several years ago, I joined a mobile safari through northern Namibia with the late conservationist Garth Owen Smith. One night, we camped on a dry riverbed, close to the Hoanib Valley. As we fell asleep, listening to lions roar, I asked Owen Smith why nobody had thought to pack a rifle for protection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because we might be tempted to use it, he replied matter-of-factly. Years later, his response makes total sense. Far more effective than bullets, fear, respect and caution are the greatest weapons we have to protect ourselves in a world which should always be alluringly but dangerously wild. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Jun. 5WESTOVER Much like the Little Engine that Could, the city of Westover isn't letting a stubborn obstacle halt progress towards its goal the vitalization of a portion of its riverfront. In the city's case, however, railroad tracks are the actual obstacle. Technically, the development effort isn't being spearheaded by the city, but by a private concern Preset 31 LLC with the city serving as the official sponsor and recipient of any potential grant dollars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Preset 31 lists members Phillip Weser, Kevin Salisbury, James Ridgeway and Matthew Bourne, respectively the CEO, CFO, president and vice president of Morgantown-based contractor March-Westin. Earlier this week, Terri Cutright, president of marketing and management firm Terri Reed Cutright & Associates, told Westover City Council she had been hired by the group to explore potential funding opportunities for the riverfront project. Cutright said she's submitted congressionally directed spending requests to Sens. Shelley Moore-Capito and Jim Justice seeking $2.4 million. Further, she said she's looking at railroad safety grants and is working with the West Virginia Grant Resource Center to track down dollars that could be used to address infrastructure improvements and, potentially, recreational amenities in the riverfront area near the Westover Bridge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The area in question was once home to Cyphert Industries. Now, Preset 31 owns that property, which has attracted businesses like Short Story Brewing, Bunkers, Bailey Glasser and AD1, as well as a Mon EMS substation. But it's not the only property owner in the immediate area. According to the county's online parcel viewer, the West Virginia University Board of Governors owns 5.64 acres directly across the river from Reynolds Hall. Norfolk Southern also owns property along Westover's riverfront. In fact, Long Street, which is currently being used by the West Virginia Division of Highways as the detour around Westover's Holland Avenue project, is partially owned by the railroad company. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And therein lies the issue. In order to guarantee access to a newly-revitalized riverfront, representatives from Preset 31 came to the city in March 2022 to inquire about bringing Long Street into the city's street network. The city reached out to Norfolk Southern to request the property be donated. A month later, the company sent a letter indicating it would likely take a year to respond to the request. That's where things stand. It was explained at the time that if Norfolk Southern didn't want to participate, the city could consider condemnation if it could make the case that the property in question isn't part of the active rail system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That option remains, but it's not preferred. "Condemning a railroad and Norfolk Southern can be particularly unreasonable from time to time would be a federal court case and a significant amount of money, " Attorney Tim Stranko explained. "We're trying to do this the positive way and get some cooperation and some help from our political leadership." If and when the city does take ownership of the street, there remains the matter of fixing it. Anyone who's traveled the Holland Avenue detour knows how rough it is. In 2022, it was indicated at least $750, 000 would be needed to bring a portion of the street up to the city's standards. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) The search for 5-year-old ZyJae St. Pierre continued along the Genesee River for a fifth day Thursday. The young boy fell from the Andrews Street bridge Sunday afternoon, according to Rochester police. Earlier this week, police deemed their efforts a recovery mission. Search efforts continue for 5-year-old who fell in the Genesee River, declared recovery operation In an update Thursday afternoon, the Rochester Police Department shared they were still unable to locate St. Pierre despite ongoing efforts. The department credited assistance from RG&E in helping to control and redirect the river during the search, including lowering the water level between the Andrews St. bridge and High Falls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police say St. Pierre was walking with his mother, who was pushing another child in a stroller, when he ran ahead of her. Witnesses said he climbed the railing, and before his mother could reach him, he fell over. Police say she ran along the waterway and was unable to reach the boy before he left her sight. 5-year-old ZyJae St. Pierre has been missing since Sunday afternoon, according to police. (Provided photo) Balloons, candles, and toys now line the span of the bridge. News 8s Natalie Kucko spoke to community members there, who are continuing to show their support for the family. They were very happy. It was a very happy family. He used to go outside and play, things like that. He was a very good little boy. Good memories. Its devastating, said Nichelle Beale, a former neighbor of the family. I want him to be found and I want justice. I want the family to be at peace, and to know where he is and not to wonder every night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Outside Rochester City Hall Thursday, community members shared a call on the city in the wake of this tragedy. Were calling for the city of Rochester to put up a higher gate on not just that bridge, but any bridge, whether its over water, or a highway. We want to prevent this tragedy from every happening again to any family. Theres no words to express what theyre going through, said Marquita Ladd, a Rochester resident. News 8 spoke with Rochester Mayor Malik Evans for his response to those concerns. I think its admirable the community is concerned about families safety and thats what this is about and well go back and look to see if theres anything that can be done from preventing a tragedy in the future. Right now, the focus is to make sure the family has what they need. But more importantly, the recovery is what were focusing on right now and we will continue to be focused on that until we get some closure for this family, said Evans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At this time, community members like Beale continue to visit Andrews Street to reflect. It hurts. Because if it was my child, Id be hurt, too. I wouldnt know what to do, Beale said, Embrace your kids every day and let them know you love them every day. The Rochester Police Department plans to resume search efforts Friday morning. The department continues to ask for awareness from local boaters and fishermen in an effort to locate St. Pierre. Two GoFundMe accounts have been created to assist the family during this time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst. ROGERS, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) A Rogers man has been sentenced to life in prison after a jury found him guilty of raping a girl more than two decades ago. Timothy Rhodifer, 68, was convicted on June 4 on two counts of rape, according to court documents. Case background Rhodifer was accused of sexually abusing a girl under 14 years old between 1998 and 2001. The victim, a friend of his daughter, reported in 2023 that Rhodifer raped her during sleepovers at his home, according to a probable cause affidavit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rogers mayor calls for unified regional approach to housing crisis He was arrested in Jan. 2024 after Missouri deputies in Jasper County responded to a call about a suicidal person, identified as Rhodifer, in December 2023. According to court documents, Rhodifer admitted to molesting a girl in the 1990s. He said he would confess if questioned, though he denied rape and claimed only to have touched her. The investigation began after the victim reported the abuse to Rogers Police in 2023, leading to Rhodifers arrest and prosecution. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24. ROGERS, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) After students in Rogers worked on designing and building a fully functional tiny house since August, the dwelling was sold at auction to close out the school year. Students in the Career and Technical Education program at Rogers School District, also known as Launch, built the home as a project for their construction class. This is the first year Rogers School District has offered this project to students in their CTE program. I would do this a thousand times over. Its actually something I find really enjoyable, Ransom Ha, a sophomore at New Technology High School, said. Its almost like a playground for me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The project was proposed by Anthony McClain, the current construction teacher at Launch, who headed similar projects at the previous high school he worked for. Leading up to the project, McClain emphasized the importance of giving students real-world, hands-on experience. I retired in Missouri, and we built 14 of those at my previous high school. And so Im not new to this, McClain said. It was new for them, and I think theyve really enjoyed it. I think they are looking forward to building another one next year. McClain said around 30 students worked on the project from August to late May. The house has two bedrooms, one being a loft, and one bathroom. Its 336 square feet and fully insulated, with plumbing and electrical. 50 Dates 50 States makes a stop in Northwest Arkansas Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its very important for experience, Ha said. For me, Im only a sophomore and I just turned 16 like this month, and I already got the experience to build a whole house. I think that its a great way to jump-start your career if you want to go into a trade, and it definitely has helped me a lot. McClain said that he hopes this experience helps his students choose what they want to be after graduation, and that they find value in the course, even if they decide working in construction is not the path for them. I think kids need hands-on experience, even if theyre not going to go into the trades, McClain said. Theyre going to own two things in life. Theyre going to own a home and theyre going to own a car. And I tell them, figure out how to repair both of them. The house was auctioned off on May 29 for $27,000, and McClain said the money will be used to reinvest in the program, allowing students to build another tiny home during the upcoming school year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rogers Schools CTE Director Tiauna Young said they plan to continue hosting this project in future years as well. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24. NEED TO KNOW Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden officially introduced their baby daughter Princess Ines to the public on Sweden's National Day The royal couple welcomed their fourth child and first daughter on Feb. 7 Baby Princess Ines made her balcony debut for her grandfather King Carl XVI Gustaf's birthday in April, but National Day marked her first official event Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden introduced their baby daughter Princess Ines to the world on a meaningful day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On June 6, Sweden's National Day, the royal couple brought their infant daughter along to open the Royal Palace in Stockholm for special visiting hours. Prince Carl Philip, 46, and Princess Sofia, 40, welcomed their fourth child (and first daughter!) on Feb. 7, and named her Ines Marie Lillian Silvia. The infant princess made her public debut on the Royal Palace balcony for King Carl XVI Gustaf's April 30 birthday and attended her first event with her parents on National Day. Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia were all smiles as they stepped out at the Royal Palace with their baby daughter, who turns 4 months old tomorrow. There, the mom and daughter matched in the traditional Sverigedrakten (national dress) in blue and yellow hues, reflecting the national flag, as Sofia and Carl Philip welcomed people to the palace. Backgrid Princess Sofia, Princess Ines and Prince Carl Philip at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden on June 6, 2025. Princess Sofia, Princess Ines and Prince Carl Philip at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden on June 6, 2025. The couple opened the palace's southern gates at 10 a.m., local time, to welcome the public to the inner courtyard, where Prince Carl Philip gave a brief speech. "Ladies and gentlemen, a warm welcome to the Royal Palace. How nice that so many of you have come here today!" he said in part. "Being able to gather here on Sweden's National Day means a lot to my family and me. The royal palaces are an important part of our cultural heritage. Therefore, it is a pleasure to welcome you into these unique environments filled with history, art and stories." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia also gave a fun peek behind the scenes in a video shared to Instagram. The clip opened with a selfie-style shot of the couple smiling inside the palace, and rolled to show them meeting paramedics and greeting the public with Princess Ines in tow. Carl Philip is the second child and only son of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, and will celebrate ten years of marriage with his wife, Sofia, next week on June 13. The couple tied the knot almost a decade ago and went on to welcome sons Prince Alexander, 9, Prince Gabriel, 7 and Prince Julian, 4. At the start of the year, their family expanded when Princess Ines was born, and the couple gave her middle names to honor her grandmothers. Sofia's mother is named Marie, while Carl Philip's mom is Queen Silvia. Backgrid Princess Sofia and Princess Ines at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on June 6, 2025. Princess Sofia and Princess Ines at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on June 6, 2025. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! National Day is a major occasion for the Swedish royal family and several senior working royals hit the road to commemorate the occasion. King Carl XVI Philip and Queen Silvia visited Nybro in Kalmar County, while Crown Princess Victoria and her husband Prince Daniel attended celebrations in Hagaparken. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The royal family has another special event on the calendar to look forward to next week the christening of Princess Ines at Drottningholm Palace on June 13, her parents' wedding anniversary. Read the original article on People ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) The Rochester Police Department is continuing its crackdown on illegal ATV and dirt bike activities. According to RPD, they conducted an ATV and dirt bike detail on Wednesday and towed 16 illegal dirt ikes and two illegal ATVs. They were also able to recover a stolen motorcycle. RPD Auto Impound lot full of ATVs, dirt bikes; what that means going into summer As a result of this detail, 88 traffic citations were issued along with seven arrests, three of which were warrant arrests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last May, RPD asked the community to help recover illegal dirt bikes and ATVs, saying many have been stolen and modified with illegal features. Police continue to ask the public to report these incidents by calling 311 or using the Report It app. The tips are encouraged to be anonymous and as detailed as possible. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst. Jay Falstad, executive director of the Queen Anne's County Conservation Association, holds a statewide referendum petition form that he and others hoped would lead to a referendum against the Renewable Energy Certainty Act. (Photo by Christine Condon/Maryland Matters) It was admittedly a Hail Mary, but a farmer-led group that was hoping to collect 20,000 signatures in a matter of days to petition a new solar power bill to referendum said it fell just short last week. The farmers were one of two groups that talked about putting new energy policy before voters but, despite the rumblings, neither one turned in petitions to challenge the new laws via referendum, state elections officials say. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In order to do so, the groups would have had to turn in 20,053 signatures by May 31, which would have given them until June 30 to collect the 60,000 signatures they would ultimately need to put the issue on the ballot in 2026. The lack of submissions means Maryland will go another year without a statewide referendum on the ballot. The last one was in 2012, when voters petitioned same-sex marriage to the ballot, which voters ultimately approved. One group which registered itself as the Maryland Environment, Labor and Industry Coalition planned to challenge the Next Generation Energy Act, and would have focused its campaign on a portion of the bill that denies renewable-energy subsidies to trash incinerators that burn waste to generate electricity. The other group was targeting the Renewable Energy Certainty Act, which focuses on solar farm siting in the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both groups had pushed for Gov. Wes Moore (D) to veto their bills, but he signed each during his final bill signing session of the year, on May 21. With just 10 days until the petition deadline, the waste-to-energy supporters decided their chance for a successful petition drive was unlikely. But the farming community decided to throw the Hail Mary, and collected thousands of signatures in an attempt to hit the cutoff. Jay Falstad (center), executive director of the Queen Annes County Conservation Association, discusses signature collection with two men in the Centreville area. (Photo by Christine Condon/Maryland Matters) The solar bill essentially prohibits local governments from establishing zoning rules that preclude large solar fields, and sets uniform statewide standards for solar sites. Farmers are particularly concerned by a provision that caps solar facilities at 5% of priority preservation areas, or agricultural land, in any one county. They say the ceiling is too high, and could take too much farmland out of production. Many believe that no farmland should be used for solar panels at all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While this cap is certainly better than nothing, it still leaves thousands of acres of farmland open to commercial solar development, wrote Maryland Farm Bureau President Jamie Raley in a recent statement. The result of this bill is concerning, but it only strengthens our resolve to keep fighting for Marylands farmland. Jay Falstad, a leader of the solar energy petition effort, said his group amassed just under 20,000 signatures before it ran out of time. The group estimated that it would have needed at least 23,000 to meet the states cutoff, because signatures are frequently tossed out for non-compliance with a strict set of state rules. But Falstad, who is a founder of Farmers Alliance for Rural Maryland, or FARM, said that a State Board of Elections official initially informed him that hed have until Monday, June 2 the next business day after the May 31 deadline, which fell on a Saturday to make the submission. He said he was shocked when officials reached out on May 30 to say hed only have until midnight on May 31. Hes confident he could have reached the cutoff number with a few extra days. We would have made the necessary number, had it not been for this accelerated timeline, said Falstad, who is also the executive director of the Queen Annes County Conservation Association. The momentum was on our side. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jared DeMarinis, Marylands state elections administrator, said the initial communication, allowing until June 2, was a mistake. While other election deadlines, such as business contribution filings, can move to the next business day, the ballot petition filing deadline is set under the state constitution, he said. Once the office realized its mistake we made sure that they were aware of it, DeMarinis said. It is in the Maryland Constitution, so its not like it was hidden in any sort of fashion. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Regardless of the outcome, Falstad said he was impressed by the strong response to the petition drive. Organizers received signatures from each Maryland county, he said, although the effort was focused in rural areas on Marylands Eastern Shore, as well as in Montgomery, Harford and Carroll counties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Falstad himself collected signatures on the Eastern Shore at fairgrounds and ballfields, farm stores and local parks. We had people running from their car to the pavilion to sign the petition through rain and thunder, Falstad said. The level of commitment and dedication on the part of people that wanted to sign the petition was inspiring. When the federal government decided to prosecute mountain runner Michelino Sunseri for using an unapproved trail while setting a record for ascending and descending Grand Teton in September 2024, it seemed like a good example of a problem that President Donald Trump decried in an executive order last month: "overcriminalization in federal regulations." The National Park Service (NPS) ultimately agreed, saying it was "withdrawing its criminal prosecution referral" after "further review" in light of the president's order. But the Justice Department proceeded with the case anyway, resulting in a two-day bench trial that ended on May 21. That disagreement, revealed in an email chain that Sunseri's lawyers obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, raises questions about whether prosecutors met their constitutional obligation to share information that would have been helpful to the defense. It also casts doubt on whether the Justice Department is complying with the policy described in Trump's order, which said federal prosecutors should eschew charges involving regulatory crimes unless they have evidence indicating that the defendant knowingly violated the law. That point always seemed doubtful in Sunseri's case. For one thing, he publicized his route up and down Grand Teton with a map that he posted on social media. According to the NPS and the Justice Department, that map showed Sunseri had committed a federal misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail. And as WyoFile reporter Katie Klingsporn noted during Sunseri's trial before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie Hambrick in Jackson, Wyoming, the route that the NPS said he should not have taken, known as the "old climber's trail," is "a historic trail so well-used that it's become a skinny singletrack." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In fact, Cato Institute legal fellow Mike Fox noted in March, "record holders before Sunseri had used the same trail, and tour guides who charge hefty sums frequently lead hikers up the same route. Only two tiny and ambiguous signs inform the public that the trail is off-limits." One of those signs, at the top of the trail, said "shortcutting causes erosion." The other sign, at the bottom of the trail, said "closed for regrowth." Ed Bushnell, Sunseri's defense attorney, argued that his client was not "shortcutting," since he was using a long-established trail. Bushnell added that it was unclear whether the "closed" notice referred to the area around the sign or the trail beyond it. "There is no clear prohibition there," Bushnell said. "This is not conspicuous signage." Given the evidence that Sunseri did not deliberately violate park rules, the criminal referral was puzzling and controversial. As is typical with regulatory crimes, his prosecution was based on the interaction between the Code of Federal Regulationsa body of law so vast and obscure that even experts can only guess at the number of criminal penalties it authorizes (at least 300,000, they think)and a more general statute enacted by Congress. Sunseri was charged with violating 36 CFR 21(b), which says a park superintendent "may restrict hiking or pedestrian use to a designated trail or walkway system." It adds that "leaving a trail or walkway to shortcut between portions of the same trail or walkway, or to shortcut to an adjacent trail or walkway in violation of designated restrictions is prohibited." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The regulation says nothing about criminal penalties, which are separately authorized by 16 USC 551. That law says violations of "rules and regulations" governing the use of public and national forests "shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500 or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both." By authorizing prosecution for agency-defined offenses, Congress has created a bewildering situation in which the average American cannot reasonably be expected to know when he is committing a federal crime. "This status quo is absurd and unjust," Trump said in his executive order, which he issued on May 9. "It allows the executive branch to write the law, in addition to executing it." In addition to urging prosecutorial restraint, Trump instructed federal agencies to "explicitly describe" conduct subject to criminal punishment under new regulations and prepare lists of regulatory violations that already can be treated as crimes. He also told them to publish plans to "address criminally liable regulatory offenses." In deciding whether to make a criminal referral, he said, agencies should consider factors such as "the harm or risk of harm, pecuniary or otherwise, caused by the alleged offense"; "the potential gain to the putative defendant that could result from the offense"; and "evidence, if any is available, of the putative defendant's general awareness of the unlawfulness of his conduct as well as his knowledge or lack thereof of the regulation at issue." The Interior Department, which includes the NPS, got the message. A week later, Damon Hagan, a deputy solicitor at the department, emailed Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariel Calmes, noting his office's "review of our regulations for compliance" with Trump's order. Hagan added that he "look[ed] forward to further discussions with your supervisors and yourself regarding the Michelino Sunseri matter." Hagan also emailed Adam Gustafson, acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division, noting his office's interest in reconsidering the Sunseri case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three days later, on May 19, Hagan emailed Nicole Romine, chief of the criminal division at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Wyoming, passing along a message "for your situational awareness" from Frank Lands, deputy director for operations at the NPS. "After further review," Lands said, "the National Park Service is withdrawing its criminal prosecution referral in the Michelino Sunseri matter." He noted that the prosecution's most recent plea deal proposal entailed a fine and a five-year ban from Grand Teton National Park. Because "we believe" that represents "an overcriminalization based on the gravity of the offense," he said, "we withdraw our support." Romine was unfazed. "Thank you," she wrote back to Hagan that evening. "We're continuing with the prosecution." Sunseri's trial began the next day. Although Romine and Calmes "had access to this email [from Lands] before trial," Bushnell and co-counsel Alexander Rienzie say in a motion they filed with Hambrick on Wednesday, they "decided not to disclose it to the defense, despite its clear relevance to DOJ authorization, defense strategy and witness impeachment." That failure, Bushnell and Rienzie argue, ran afoul of the prosecution's obligations under Brady v. Maryland, the 1963 case in which the Supreme Court held that criminal defendants have a due process right to see evidence "material" to their guilt or punishment. In the 1995 case Kyles v. Whitley, the lawyers note, the Supreme Court clarified that "a showing of materiality does not require demonstration by a preponderance [of the evidence] that disclosure of the suppressed evidence would have resulted ultimately in the defendant's acquittal." Rather, it is enough that the suppression "undermines confidence in the outcome of the trial," which implies a "reasonable probability" that the evidence might have changed the result. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If they had known about the Lands email before Sunseri's trial, Bushnell and Rienzie suggest, they would have called additional witnesses, including NPS Public Affairs Officer Emily Davis. They say they also would have "expand[ed] trial strategy to challenge the institutional legitimacy of the prosecution" and "explore[d] additional selective/vindictive prosecution theories on cross-examination." Those missed opportunities, they say, "collectively undermin[ed] the fundamental fairness of Mr. Sunseri's trial." Bushnell and Rienzie are asking Hambrick, who has not yet delivered a verdict, to admit the email chain as evidence. They are also seeking an evidentiary hearing to address several issues raised by those messages, including a possible Brady violation and "the integrity and authorization of the prosecution itself, in light of the initiating agency withdrawing support." They are curious about "the decision-making process that led DOJ to continue prosecution without agency support" and "the motivation to continue pursuing disproportionate plea terms after NPS withdrawal." Connor Burkesmith, a photographer who documented Sunseri's Grand Teton feat and is working on a film about it, thinks that decision was plainly unfair. "After the National Park Service explicitly withdrew, the prosecution decided to continue on the war path and subpoenaed the park rangers to testify," Burkesmith says in an email. "The trial then proceeded for two days, with [about] 20 federal employees in attendance, wasting countless taxpayer dollars to prosecute a trail runner for running on a trail." This certainly seems like a case that could have been handled with a civil fine rather than a criminal prosecution, or at least with a plea deal less onerous than the one prosecutors offered. "Even after the DOJ was aware of NPS withdrawal of support, on the morning of trial," Bushnell and Rienzie say, Calmes "reiterated an offer of deferred prosecution with 1,000 hours of community service and a ban from Grand Teton National Parkentirely disproportionate to the conduct at question, particularly with the initiating agency no longer supporting prosecution." Sunseri's lawyers "extended a counter-offer modifying community service to 60 hours and replacing the ban with a restriction tied to alleged conduct." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is unclear how Hambrick will respond to Sunseri's motion, how she is inclined to assess his guilt, or what punishment she might think is appropriate. But the fact that his fate will be decided by a single judge (subject to appeal) could affect the ultimate outcome. Hambrick rejected Sunseri's request for a jury trial, which she was allowed to do under a "petty offense exception" that the Supreme Court has atextually carved out of the Sixth Amendment. That amendment says defendants "in all criminal prosecutions" have a right to "a speedy and public trial" by "an impartial jury." In cases like Sunseri's, "the right to a jury trial is of particular importance," Fox argues. "Founding-era jurors were tasked with preventing injustice. Criminal jurors had a civic duty to assess the wisdom, legitimacy and fairness of a given prosecution, and they had the power to acquit against the evidence to prevent injustice. It is doubtful that a jury fully cognizant of its historical powers and duties would convict Sunseri." The post A Runner Was Prosecuted for Unapproved Trail Use After the Referring Agency Called It 'Overcriminalization' appeared first on Reason.com. MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia asked the U.N. nuclear watchdog on Friday to mediate between Moscow and Washington to resolve the question of what to do with U.S. nuclear fuel stored at a Ukrainian power plant controlled by Russian forces. Russia wants to restart the idled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which lies near one of the front lines of the war in Ukraine and once generated a fifth of Ukraine's electricity. The fuel question is one of numerous issues standing in the way. Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told Reuters this week that restarting it was currently impossible because of the lack of a stable power supply and water for cooling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russian nuclear energy chief Alexei Likhachev said after meeting Grossi on Friday that Russia was willing either to use the fuel, supplied by U.S. company Westinghouse, or to remove it entirely and return it to the United States. Westinghouse and U.S. energy officials had previously raised intellectual property concerns with Russia in connection with the fuel issue, he said in televised comments. State news agency RIA quoted Grossi as saying the IAEA was willing to mediate. Russia and Ukraine have each accused the other of shelling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe's largest, raising the risk of a grave accident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Likhachev said Russia had prepared a "comprehensive plan" for the phased commissioning of the plant but it could only be implemented if all military threats were removed. The facility was occupied by Russia in March 2022, shortly its troops entered Ukraine at the start of the war. It has six reactors, the last of which stopped generating electricity in September 2022. (Reporting by Marina Bobrova and Maxim Rodionov; Writing by Mark Trevelyan and Gleb Stolyarov) The Russian Defence Ministry has confirmed that its forces launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine on the night of 5-6 June 2025, targeting what it described as facilities belonging to Ukraines defence industry and military infrastructure. Source: Russian Defence Ministry, as reported by European Pravda Details: The Russian Defence Ministry stated that the attack involved high-precision, long-range weapons launched from air, sea and land, as well as attack drones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The targets, according to the ministry, included design bureaus, weapons production and repair facilities, drone assembly workshops, flight training centres and Armed Forces of Ukraine storage facilities. Read also: Ukrainian Air Force spokesman on Operation Spider's Web: Even one aircraft lost is a major blow for Russia The Russian Defence Ministry claimed the attack was a response to what it called "terrorist acts by the Kyiv regime", specifically referencing Ukraines Operation Spiders Web. The ministry asserted that "all planned targets were hit". Background: On the night of 5-6 June 2025, Russia launched a combined attack on Ukraine, with the cities of Kyiv, Ternopil, Lutsk, Chernihiv and Lviv Oblast coming under fire. Ukraines Air Force reported that Russia deployed 452 aerial attack assets, including missiles and drones. Air defences downed 406 targets, with hits recorded in 13 locations and damage caused by falling debris. As a result of the attack on Kyiv, three rescuers were killed, and dozens of people were injured. In Kyiv Oblast, railway tracks were damaged due to the attack by Russia, forcing several trains to follow alternative routes. On 1 June 2025, the Security Service of Ukraine carried out a special operation codenamed Pavutyna (Spider's Web), one of the largest and most complex sabotage operations against Russian military aviation. SSU chief Vasyl Maliuk stated that "in total, 34% of strategic cruise missile carriers at the main Russian airfields were destroyed". Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! In one of the wars largest cross-border exchanges, Ukrainian forces hit airfields, fuel depots and other military targets while Russia launched hundreds of drones and scores of missiles at cities across Ukraine that killed at least three and wounded dozens. The bombardment came just days after Ukraine launched a wide-scale, successful attack on long-range military aviation assets from within Russia. You can read more about that in our coverage here. Ukraine launched a preemptive strike on several Russian military targets ahead of a looming Russian attack, the Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff claimed on Facebook. On the eve of the massive enemy shelling, enemy airfields and other important military facilities were hit. Russia said its barrage was retaliation for the destruction of its bombers. A successful strike was carried out on the Engels airfield in the Saratov region a place of concentration of enemy aircraft remaining after the operation of the Security Service of Ukraine, the General Staff added. The Diaghilev airfield in the Ryazan region, where air tankers and escort fighters are based, which are used to provide missile strikes on the territory of Ukraine, was also hit. Ukraine launches massive overnight strike on Russian territory: Bryansk airfield hit again likely Iskanders targeted Oil depot in Engels serving bomber base Dyagilevo Air Base near Ryazan Progress military plant in Michurinsk Blasts in Podolsk, Crimea & more pic.twitter.com/irlJ2jmSv0 Ivan Khomenko (@KhomenkoIv60065) June 6, 2025 In addition, the Defense Forces of Ukraine attacked a number of important enemy facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation and temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine. In particular, the defeat of the logistics point of the 30th motorized rifle regiment of the 72nd motorized rifle division of the Russian Army near the settlement of Kulbaky, Kursk region, was recorded. The results of the defeat are being clarified. Strikes on military infrastructure will continue until the complete cessation of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Russian Defense Ministry (MoD) downplayed the attacks, saying its alerted air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 174 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles over Bryansk, Rostov, Saratov, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Oryol, Ryazan, Tula, Belgorod, Tambov, and Moscow regions, and the Republic of Crimea. The MoD also claimed that three Ukrainian Neptune-MD guided missiles were also destroyed over the Black Sea by air defense systems. The War Zone cannot independently verify these claims. Videos and images emerged on social media showing the fuel depot at Engels, about 400 miles from the border, being struck and fully engulfed in flames. Ukrainian OWA-UAV overflying Volga river to hit the Rosrezerva fuel depot in Engels, already visibly burning in the video. https://t.co/Eb8KHi0u9t pic.twitter.com/kxKtDqx76F Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (BlueSky too) (@Archer83Able) June 6, 2025 Several Ukrainian long-range drones struck a fuel depot this morning at Russias Engels-2 Airbase in the Saratov Oblast, causing a number of fires to erupt at the home of the 121st Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment and the 184th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment. pic.twitter.com/6EBmK6FrAz OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 6, 2025 Ukraine strikes Russian air bases in 'preemptive strike' ahead of drone, missile attack, General Staff says. Ukrainian strikes reportedly targeted Engels and Dyagilevo airfields two key hubs for Russia's long-range bomber fleet.https://t.co/0egd50hwpH The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) June 6, 2025 The attack on Dyagilevo, about 300 miles from the border, was also captured on video. Russia's Dyagilevo, Ryazan Oblast home to an airbase. TG/Supernova+ pic.twitter.com/9UEeZ6C2Pe Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) June 6, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The extent of the destruction at either facility is as yet unclear, though clearly the raging fires at Engels have caused significant damage. Saratov Gov. Roman Busargin acknowledged an attack, but downplayed the damage. As a result of the UAV attack, there is a fire at one of the industrial enterprises in Engels, he claimed on Telegram. There are no preliminary casualties. All relevant services are working on the scene. Specialists are taking all necessary measures to eliminate the consequences. Satellite images we obtained of Dyagilevo appear to show little to no damage to the airfield operating area. An overview of Dyagilevo Air Base shows that a Ukrainian attack overnight appears to have caused little damage. (Satellite image 2025 Maxar Technologies) A closer view shows a Tu-95MS Bear-H long-range turboprop bomber and two Il-76 Candid transport aircraft, covered in tires, parked at Dyagilevo. A decoy outline of a Candid can also be seen. A Tu-95MS Bear-H bomber and two Il-76 transport jets at Dyagilevo following the attack. Satellite image (2025 Maxar Technologies) Dyagilevo and Engels have been frequent targets for Ukraine. The former was attacked on June 1 during Ukraines audacious Operation Spiderweb that saw several Russian bombers and other aircraft destroyed or damaged by drones launched from trucks by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). While a high-resolution satellite image of Dyagilevo from Planet Labs, taken on June 2 and reviewed by TWZ, showed no obvious signs of damage to any aircraft there, some may have been hit by shrapnel, against which relatively thin-skinned aircraft are notably vulnerable, and this would not necessarily be visible even in higher-resolution imagery. You can see one image taken in the aftermath of Operation Spider Web below. Satellite images of Dyagilevo Airbase as of June 2, 8:55 UTC The airbase housed 3 Tu-95MS (Bear-H), 5 Tu-22M3 (Backfire-C), 14 Il-78M or Il-76MD (Midas or Candid) and 2 Su-30SM (Flanker-C). There was no serious damage after the Ukrainian special operation. In the right pic.twitter.com/BUz2h0t9aj AviVector (@avivector) June 2, 2025 Engels was attacked three times in the month of December 2022 alone. On at least one of those occasions, the Russian Ministry of Defense said the air base was attacked by Soviet-made jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles modified by Ukraine to carry explosives. Those attacks which also targeted Dyagilevo Air Base resulted in damage to at least one Tu-22M3 Backfire-C bomber and apparently also to a Tu-95MS. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More recently, in March, ammunition and weapons storage bunkers at Engels were destroyed in a Ukrainian drone attack there. The attack resulted in a massive fireball and mushroom cloud. You can read our initial story about it here. In January of this year, we reported on a huge fire close to Engels Air Base, caused by what Russian officials described as a massive Ukrainian drone attack. The strike was on the strategically important fuel storage tank farm for Engels and the fire raged for several days after, as seen in the image in the embedded tweet below: Russias Rosreserv fuel depot in Engels continued to burn today after a Ukrainian drone attack last night, with multiple additional storage tanks igniting throughout the day. Within the last hour, the regional governor of Saratov declared a state of emergency. pic.twitter.com/EzhoQTgqK0 OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) January 8, 2025 In addition to those bases, two Russian helicopters were struck by Ukrainian drones at the Bryansk International Airport, according to the ASTRA news outlet. That airport is located about 75 miles from the border. According to ASTRA sources in the Russian Emergencies Ministry, as a result of the hits, an Mi-8 combat helicopter completely burned down, and its combat kit detonated, ASTRA claimed on Telegram. An Mi-35 helicopter was also partially damaged. In addition, the airports administrative building and the rescue service building were damaged. Several dozen employees were evacuated from the Ozon warehouse, not far from which the airport is located. There were no casualties. Video and images from the scene showed a massive explosion creating a large fireball at the airport. russian war correspondents confirm the destruction of Iskanders at an airfield in #Bryansk Huge blow pic.twitter.com/bcWictrBNC South (@Azovsouth) June 5, 2025 Bryanks airport in russia is struck by drones, causing a large explosion. pic.twitter.com/BAMmJg8vD2 War Monitor Clips (@WarMonitorClips) June 6, 2025 Ukrainian Drones have struck the Russian Air Base in Bryansk, after attacking Bryansk with over a dozen UAVs There are massive detonations of ammunition being reported by the locals pic.twitter.com/PaByfs9Azn Ukraine Battle Map (@ukraine_map) June 5, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile in Russia's Bryansk pic.twitter.com/D5NZMZ9mL5 Illia Ponomarenko (@IAPonomarenko) June 5, 2025 Ukraine also reportedly attacked Tambov Oblast, about 250 miles northeast of the border. The Supernova+ Telegram channel shared footage from Michurinsk in Tambov Oblast and claimed that drones struck the Progress plant there, which manufactures equipment for aircraft and missile control systems, as well as for gas and oil pipeline infrastructure. The Exilenova Telegram channel stated that the strike hit the central workshop, leading to a roof collapse. Images showed fire damage and signs of electronic warfare systems operating at the time of the strike. Michurinsk, Tambov Oblast. The Progress plant after a nighttime UAV strike. In the second photo, we can see the effective work of electronic warfare (EW) systems. The plant manufactures high-tech equipment for control systems of aviation and missile technology, as well as a pic.twitter.com/8zjnRyXd89 Exilenova+ (@Exilenova_plus) June 6, 2025 Moscows mayor claimed that nine Ukrainian drones were shot down over his city, according to ASTRA. Moscow region, Russia Six UAVs flying toward Moscow shot down in Moscow region. Fire at drone crash site in Podolsk, VChK-OGPU pic.twitter.com/AtbhCag8mE LX (@LXSummer1) June 6, 2025 There were also claims that Ukrainian forces hit a tower once used to extract gas from the Black Sea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A new mark of fires at sea has appeared on one of the platforms in the Karkinitsky Gulf near Crimea, the Crimean Wind monitoring group claimed on Telegram, citing NASA fire data. Our source reported a battle at sea last night. Let us recall that Russia is placing radar stations, signal repeaters for drones, and reconnaissance equipment on gas production platforms. A Neva radar system, storage facilities and a residential module on the tower were destroyed in an attack on May 19, according to Crimean Wind. A new fire mark at sea has appeared on one of the platforms in the Karkinitsky Gulf near Crimea, Crimean Wind Russia is placing radar stations, signal repeaters for drones, and reconnaissance equipment on gas production platforms. pic.twitter.com/tP41jqeFHL MAKS 25 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) June 6, 2025 Though Ukraine said it carried out attacks designed to blunt a looming Russian attack, Russia was able to hit several regions last night. The Russian Defense Ministry (MoD) claimed the bombardment was retaliation for Operation Spiderweb. Last night, in response to the terrorist actions of the Kyiv regime, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out a massive strike with long-range air, sea, and ground-based high-precision weapons, as well as with strike UAVs against design bureaus, enterprises producing and repairing weapons and military hardware of Ukraine, attack drone assembly workshops, flight training centres, and AFU weapons and military hardware depots, the MoD claimed. The aim of the strike has been achieved. All the assigned targets have been engaged. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Russia struck civilian targets and that at least three people died and dozens were injured in a barrage across the country. Later claims put the death toll at four. Russia doesn`t change its stripes another massive strike on cities and ordinary life, he stated on X. They targeted almost all of Ukraine Volyn, Lviv, Ternopil, Kyiv, Sumy, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv regions. Some of the missiles and drones were shot down. I thank our warriors for their defense. But unfortunately, not all were intercepted. In total, over 400 drones and more than 40 missiles including ballistic missiles were used in todays attack. Russia doesn`t change its stripes another massive strike on cities and ordinary life. They targeted almost all of Ukraine Volyn, Lviv, Ternopil, Kyiv, Sumy, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv regions. Some of the missiles and drones were shot down. I thank our pic.twitter.com/O1iemSp3s2 Volodymyr Zelenskyy / (@ZelenskyyUa) June 6, 2025 In Kyiv, three members of the State Emergency Service in Ukraine were killed coming to the rescue of those injured during that attack, officials in Kyiv stated. Videos of the destruction across Ukraine emerged on social media. Russians could see where they were hitting live. There was a live broadcast on YouTube from different cities of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/XhQIytiuct Clash Report (@clashreport) June 6, 2025 Lutsk, in western Ukraine, was one of those cities hit. The following video shows four Russian Kh-101 cruise missiles striking buildings there. BREAKING: Russias launches one of its largest air attacks against Ukraine of this war. 407 suicide drones, 38 cruise missiles and 6 ballistic missiles were fired against Ukrainian cities. The video shows 4 missiles striking the city of Lutsk in western Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/5EbmN2hdns Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) June 6, 2025 Another video shows those missiles emitting flares or chaff before striking, a tactic to confuse air defenses. At least five people were injured in an attack using 15 drones and six missiles, according to Mayor Ihor Polishchuk. Longer footage showing Russian missile strikes in the city of Lutsk, western Ukraine, this morning. The Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles can be seen releasing chaff/decoys/flares before hitting their targets. pic.twitter.com/vPjaXvOKfY Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (BlueSky too) (@Archer83Able) June 6, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Ukrainian Track and Field Team came under fire in Lutsk. The Ukrainian national track and field team came under fire in Lutsk: the Motor Hotel, where the athletes were staying, was hit, Ukrainian Track and Field Federation. Fortunately, there are no victims or injuries among the athletes. pic.twitter.com/JyOxxMM7ng MAKS 25 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) June 6, 2025 Ternopils military chief Vyacheslav Negoda said Fridays strike was the most massive air attack on our region to date, BBC reported. The Mayor of Ternopil, Igor Polishchuk, said five people were wounded in the attack while homes, schools and a government facility had been damaged. The Penoboard Insulation Material Factory in the Ternopil Oblast of Western Ukraine was targeted during last nights drone and missile attack by Russia, resulting in serious damage to the factory as well as other nearby manufacturing facilities in Ternopil. pic.twitter.com/ycBiUn6XBj OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 6, 2025 The city of Chernihiv was hit by Russian Geran-2 drones as well as cruise and ballistic missiles, according to Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, spokesman for the Kherson Regional Military Administration of Ukraine. A residential area came under fire: multi-story buildings, private homes, a kindergarten, a local business, infrastructure facilities, and civilians vehicles were damaged, he said. Due to the strikes on the energy infrastructure, around 40.000 consumers remain without electricity. As of now, four civilians have been reported injured. Three of them received assistance on site, while another man was hospitalized in moderate condition. The city of Chernihiv was damaged during the Russian barrage. (Oleksandr Tolokonnikov Kherson Regional Military Administration of Ukraine) Though Russia lost several Tu-95s during Operation Spiderweb, it still managed to use some in this latest onslaught. Russia fired 36 Kh-101 cruise missiles from Bears and Tu-160 Blackjack long-range supersonic bombers from the airspace of the Saratov region, over the Caspian Sea, according to the Ukrainian Air Force (UaAF). In addition, the UaAF said six Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles were launched from Kursk and Voronezh regions, one Kh-31P anti-radar missile was fired from a tactical aircraft over the Black Sea and two Iskander-K cruise missiles were launched from the Dzhankoy district of Crimea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The extent of Russias response to Operation Spiderweb is still unknown, however, these attacks show that both sides seem to be locked into an escalation of cross-border bombardment. Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com By Mark Trevelyan and Tom Balmforth LONDON (Reuters) -Russia will take years to replace nuclear-capable bomber planes that were hit in Ukrainian drone strikes last weekend, according to Western military aviation experts, straining a modernisation programme that is already delayed. Satellite photos of airfields in Siberia and Russia's far north show extensive damage from the attacks, with several aircraft completely burnt out, although there are conflicting versions of the total number destroyed or damaged. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United States assesses that up to 20 warplanes were hit - around half the number estimated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy - and around 10 were destroyed, two U.S. officials told Reuters. The Russian government on Thursday denied that any planes were destroyed and said the damage would be repaired, but Russian military bloggers have spoken of loss or serious damage to about a dozen planes, accusing commanders of negligence. The strikes - prepared over 18 months in a Ukrainian intelligence operation dubbed "Spider's Web", and conducted by drones that were smuggled close to the bases in trucks - dealt a powerful symbolic blow to a country that, throughout the Ukraine war, has frequently reminded the world of its nuclear might. In practice, experts said, they will not seriously affect Russia's nuclear strike capability which is largely comprised of ground- and submarine-based missiles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the Tu-95MS Bear-H and Tu-22M3 Backfire bombers that were hit were part of a long-range aviation fleet that Russia has used throughout the war to fire conventional missiles at Ukrainian cities, defence plants, military bases, power infrastructure and other targets, said Justin Bronk, an aviation expert at the RUSI think tank in London. The same fleet had also been carrying out periodic patrol flights into the Arctic, North Atlantic and northern Pacific as a show of strength to deter Russia's Western adversaries. Bronk said that at the outset of its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russia was operating a fleet of 50-60 Bear-Hs and around 60 Backfires, alongside around 20 Tu-160M nuclear-capable Blackjack heavy bombers. He estimated that Russia has now lost more than 10% of the combined Bear-H and Backfire fleet, taking into account last weekend's attacks and the loss of several planes earlier in the war - one shot down and the others struck while on the ground. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These losses "will put major pressure on a key Russian force that was already operating at maximum capacity," Bronk told Reuters. Russia's defence ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment. PROJECT DELAYS Replacing the planes will be challenging. Both the Bear H and the Backfire are aircraft that were designed in the Soviet era and have been out of production for decades, said Douglas Barrie, aerospace expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, although existing planes have been upgraded over the years. Barrie said that building new ones like-for-like was therefore very unlikely, and it was unclear whether Russia had any useable spare airframes of either type. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Western sanctions against Russia have aimed to restrict the import of components such as microprocessors that are vital to avionics systems, although Moscow has so far been comparatively successful at finding alternative sources, Barrie added. Russia has been modernising its Blackjack bomber fleet, and Putin sent a pointed signal to the West last year by taking a 30-minute flight in one such aircraft and pronouncing it ready for service. But production of new Blackjacks is slow - one Russian military blogger this week put it at four per year - and Western experts say progress in developing Russia's next-generation PAK DA bomber has also been moving at a crawl. The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) said in a report last month that Russia had signed a contract with manufacturer Tupolev in 2013 to build the PAK DA, but cited Russian media reports as saying state test flights are not scheduled until next year, with initial production to begin in 2027. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While it would be logical for Russia to try to speed up its PAK DA plans, it may not have the capacity, said Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the FAS. He said in a telephone interview that Russia is facing delays with a range of other big defence projects including its new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile. RUSI's Bronk was also sceptical of Moscow's chances of accelerating the timeline for the next-generation bomber. "Russia will struggle to deliver the PAK DA programme at all in the coming five years, let alone accelerate it, due to budgetary shortfalls and materials and technology constraints on industry due to sanctions," he said. (Reporting by Mark Trevelyan and Tom Balmforth; editing by Philippa Fletcher) WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) Russia carried out one of its largest aerial attacks against Ukraine Friday, just hours after President Donald Trump said it may be better to let the two countries fight for a while. The U.S. has been trying to broker a peace deal to no avail, largely because Russia will not agree to the ceasefire terms. Members of Congress warn the U.S. should be paying more attention to this style of drone warfare. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United States has to be prepared, said U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas.). Gonzales said the U.S. has a blind spot right now. We dont know how many drones are being flown every day, he said. We dont know the intentions. Im not saying theyre all negative intentions, but we just need to know. Gonzales said Congress can do that through legislation and appropriations to various government agencies. Not just telling them or giving them extra work, he said. But giving them extra funds. Lawmakers also want to play a larger role in ending the war by passing more sanctions against Russia to pressure President Putin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then maybe hell come to the table, said U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas.). However, McCaul said after Ukraines surprise drone attack against Russia Sunday, Putin is now planning what McCaul called a brutal response for Ukraines capital. Which was before kind of hands-off because of the churches there, McCaul said. But I think youre gonna see Kyiv get hit really hard. President Trump changed his tone Thursday, straying from his usual calls for peace. He said he delivered this comparison to Putin himself during their phone call Wednesday. Sometimes you see two young children fighting like crazy, President Trump said. They hate each other, and theyre fighting in a park, and you try and pull them apart. They dont want to be pulled. Sometimes youre better off letting them fight for a while. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Trump has yet to endorse the sanctions legislation against Putin. It would also levy new tariffs against any country that purchases Russian energy, targeting China and India, the top supporters of Russias war effort. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. Following one of the most intense Russian air attacks since the start of the war more than three years ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for increased international pressure on Moscow. "Russia must be held accountable," he wrote on X. This is the moment, he said, for Europe, the United States and others to "act decisively" to stop the war. Those who fail to exert sufficient pressure, he added, are complicit in Moscow's aggression. Ukraine's Air Force said on Friday morning that Russia deployed 407 drones in a single night across the country, its highest number since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2023. Zelensky also reported that more than 40 missiles and cruise missiles were fired. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It remains unclear whether the large-scale assault was Moscows threatened response to the recent destruction of Russian strategic bombers by Ukrainian drones. However, the nationwide strikes demonstrate that Russia retains the ability to conduct coordinated air attacks despite ongoing losses. Ukrainian air defences said they intercepted 30 of 36 Kh-101 cruise missiles launched from Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bombers the same aircraft targeted in a major Ukrainian drone strike on June 1. Ukraine also reported downing four of six Iskander-M ballistic missiles and two Iskander-K cruise missiles. Ukrainian forces said they shot down 199 Russian combat drones and electronically disabled or forced down another 169 unarmed drones used as decoys to overwhelm air defences. The previous record was 355 drones, detected on May 26. While Ukrainian military figures could not be independently verified, analysts say they offer a credible picture of the scale of the attacks. Military experts believe that nightly assaults involving 500 or more drones may soon become routine, as Russia significantly ramps up production. According to Zelensky, four people were killed in the latest overnight strikes, including three firefighters in Kiev. Around 50 others were injured. Russia aims to occupy all Ukrainian territory east of the Dnipro River and advance toward Odesa and Mykolaiv in a broader plan to sever Ukraine's access to the Black Sea, President Volodymyr Zelensky's Deputy Chief of Staff Pavlo Palisa said, Politico reported on June 6. The remarks come amid continuing Russian offensives in eastern and northern Ukraine, along with escalating diplomatic efforts that have yet to yield a ceasefire. According to Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR), Moscow hopes to seize the entirety of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts by this fall and establish a buffer zone along Ukraine's northern border with Russia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The second phase of the plan envisions more ambitious territorial gains, including an advance into southern Ukraine aimed at cutting the country off from the sea. "Unfortunately, they are not speaking about peace. They are preparing for war," Palisa said during a press briefing at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington. The warning comes days after Russia presented Ukraine with a so-called "peace memorandum" during a second round of negotiations in Istanbul on June 2. The document, published by Russian state media outlet TASS, demands that Kyiv recognize Russia's claimed annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk and fully withdraw from them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moscow also calls for Ukraine's demobilization and a formal ban on NATO membership. During the talks, Ukraine's delegation submitted a separate proposal calling for an all-for-all prisoner exchange, the return of abducted Ukrainian children, and the release of civilians held in Russian captivity. Kyiv also reiterated its call for a Western-backed 30-day ceasefire as a foundation for future negotiations a proposal Moscow again rejected. Ukraine's military leadership has warned that Russian forces are preparing for a major summer offensive in Donetsk Oblast, where daily assaults have continued since 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite suffering heavy losses, Russian troops are advancing through mass wave attacks that gain only tens of meters per day. According to the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Moscow currently occupies roughly 20% of Ukraine. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukraine strikes Russian missile base in Bryansk Oblast, damages Iskander launchers; Trump dismisses timeline to impose Russian sanctions Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russia reported heavy Ukrainian drone attacks on airfields and industrial areas on Friday, as Moscow launched deadly strikes on Kiev. The Russian Defence Ministry said 174 Ukrainian drones were downed over several areas, including the border regions of Kursk and Belgorod as well as the annexed Crimean peninsula. "In addition, three Neptune-MD guided missiles were destroyed by the air defence system over the Black Sea," it said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite the Russian military's reports of success in intercepting the Ukrainian attacks, several appear to have hit targets. A high-rise building was hit in the city of Engels in the Saratov region. There were no casualties and the building was briefly evacuated, but the residents have since returned, according to the governor of Saratov, Roman Busargin. "A drone attack caused a fire in one of Engels' industrial plants," he also wrote. According to media reports, the plant in question is a refinery. Engels is home to a large airbase of the Russian armed forces. The refinery is located in the immediate vicinity of the base, from which plans repeatedly take off to fire on Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A military airfield in the Bryansk region was also apparently hit, with videos showing a large fireball amid the sound of several explosions. Independent military blogger Jan Matveyev said there were indications that an ammunition depot was hit. According to acting governor Yevgeny Pervyshov, a factory in the Tambov region was hit. He said three people were injured but offered no further details about the company. Meanwhile, there was another attack on the Russian railway in Belgorod, where a reserve locomotive derailed following an explosion. According to the authorities, there were no injuries. However, the line was initially closed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several attacks on Russian railway infrastructure have been reported in recent days. In one case, a passenger train also derailed as a result, with several people killed and injured. At least four people were killed after Russia launched an intense wave of drone and cruise missile strikes on Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian authorities said early on Friday. The Russians launched a combined attack on the city of Chernihiv on the night of 5-6 June, using Geran-2 kamikaze drones, an Iskander-M ballistic missile and a cruise missile. Four civilians have been injured and residential infrastructure damaged, with people possibly trapped under the rubble. Source: Viacheslav Chaus, Head of Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration Details: At least 14 explosions were heard during the Russian strike on Chernihiv. A residential area was hit, damaging both apartment blocks and houses. At least four civilians were injured: three received medical aid on site and one man was taken to hospital in a moderate condition. Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the local businesses and infrastructure facilities were also damaged in the attack. Emergency workers are conducting search and rescue operations, as there may still be people trapped under the rubble. Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine Part of the city has been left without electricity and power engineers are working to restore the electricity supply. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! At least four people have been killed after Russia launched an intense wave of drone and cruise missile strikes on Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian authorities said early on Friday. Air raid sirens were heard in all regions across the country, as the Ukrainian Air Force warned that several Russian bombers had taken off and likely already fired cruise missiles. Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least four people had died in the capital, with 20 injured. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Search and rescue operations are ongoing in several locations," he wrote on Telegram. The Kiev City Military Administration said drones had hit multiple residential buildings throughout the city. A gas station in the city's Dniprovskyi district had "significant damage," the administration reported on Telegram. In north-western Ukraine, at least five people were injured in Russian attacks, Lutsk Mayor Ihor Polishchuk reported on Telegram. According to the mayor, Russia attacked Lutsk with 15 drones and six missiles, damaging an apartment building, vehicles, businesses and a government institution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was unclear whether the attacks were part of a widely anticipated large-scale retaliation by Russia, following Ukraine's coordinated drone strikes on several Russian military airfields deep behind the front lines last weekend. Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for more than three years. Talks to end the fighting have produced very limited results, and the warring parties are still far apart in their demands. At least three people were killed and dozens injured after Russia launched one of the most intense aerial attacks on Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war more than three years ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday. Zelensky called for increased international pressure on Moscow following the overnight assault that hit "almost all" of Ukraine, naming nine of the country's regions. "Russia must be held accountable," he wrote on X, adding that Europe, the United States and others must "act decisively" to stop the war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those who fail to exert sufficient pressure, he said, are complicit in Moscow's aggression. Ukraines Air Force said that 407 drones were deployed by Russia in a single night the highest number since the invasion began in February 2023. Zelensky also reported that more than 40 missiles and cruise missiles were fired. The Ukrainian military said it intercepted 30 of 36 Kh-101 cruise missiles launched from Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bombers the same Russian aircraft targeted by Ukrainian drones in a major June 1 strike. Four of six Iskander-M ballistic missiles and two Iskander-K cruise missiles were also downed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In total, Ukrainian forces said they shot down 199 combat drones and electronically disabled or forced down another 169 unarmed drones used as decoys to overwhelm air defences. The previous record was 355 drones, detected on May 26. While the figures could not be independently verified, analysts say they reflect the scale of the attacks. Military experts believe nightly assaults involving 500 or more drones may soon become routine, as Russia ramps up production. The Russian Defence Ministry described the drone and missile assault as retaliation. "The armed forces of the Russian Federation have delivered a massive blow in response to terrorist acts by the Kiev regime," the ministry said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It remained unclear whether the operation was Moscows anticipated response to recent Ukrainian strikes on Russian airfields that took out military aircraft. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also recently accused Ukraine of "terrorism," citing train crashes in Russia believed to have been caused by sabotage. In Ukraine, air raid sirens sounded across all regions overnight. Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said early on Friday that at least four people were killed in the capital alone, with 20 injured. It was not immediately clear why his death toll differed from Zelensky's, who said three people were killed in the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Kiev City Military Administration reported that drones struck multiple residential buildings and caused significant damage to a gas station in the citys Dniprovskyi district. In north-western Ukraine, at least five people were injured in attacks on Lutsk. Mayor Ihor Polishchuk said 15 drones and six missiles hit the city, damaging an apartment building, vehicles, businesses and a government institution. Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion since February 2022. Efforts to end the war through negotiations have so far made little progress, with both sides maintaining sharply divergent demands. On the morning of June 1, in what it called Operation Spiderweb, Ukraine launched over 100 drones from the backs of trucks it had used to smuggle them inside Russia. With the trucks positioned near several Russian airfields thousands of miles apart, the drones attacked and successfully destroyed a third of Russias bomber fleet. The operation suggests that Ukraine learned a lesson from the failure of its 2023 offensive: Keep it secreteven from the U.S., according to the latest reporting, so as to not raise expectations or risk word of the operation being leaked. Indeed, while the strike does hold implications and lessons for how drones could be deployed in future wars, Kyivs successful maintenance of operational security is what many observers found most impressive. As WPR columnist and European security expert Ulrike Franke observed, One could argue that this attack, is actually less of a drone story, than a covert operation story. [T]he impressive bit is pulling this off. In many ways, the operations combination of surprise and tactical ingenuity shared similarities to Ukraines surprisingly successful counteroffensive in 2022, when Kyiv utilized deception and precision force deployment to push back Russian forces and retake the city of Kharkiv. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After this weekends attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that Operation Spiderweb was over a year in the making. Given that timeframe, the attack may have been part of his much-touted Victory Plan unveiled in October. As he explained on social media, the purpose of the operation was to demonstrate that Europe, together with America, has better weapons than Russia. We also have stronger tactical solutions. That demonstration, and the losses Russia incurred, are in Zelenskyys view, what will push [Moscow] toward diplomacy. When combined with the successful signing of a mineral deal with Washington as a means of ensuring continued U.S. material support to Ukraine, it seems that Zelenskyys October plan is indeed starting to come together. To get more in-depth news and expert analysis on global affairs from WPR, sign up for our free Daily Review newsletter. Unfortunately, there is another way to view the operation, one that is more sobering. Simply put, Zelenskyys military and diplomatic coup should not lead to inflated expectations. The operation did prove that Ukraine can stand up to Russia and can inflict great harm, if more evidence was even needed. It further demonstrated that Ukraine will not go down without a fightand that it has a lot of fight left. But weve been here before. Ukraines successful counteroffensive in October 2022, which rolled back much of Russias initial gains, was followed by the battlelines stabilizing and largely stalling into trench warfare. The Wagner mutiny of June 2023, which led to speculation about the possibility of regime change in Moscow, was followed by Russian President Vladimir Putin consolidating power and control over the Russian military. The sinking of substantial portions of Russias Black Sea fleet, which led to a Russian naval withdrawal in 2024, didnt alter the dynamics on the ground. Similarly, this operation is not likely to bring the Russians to the bargaining table with a sincere interest in striking a deal to end the war. Operation Spiderweb demonstrated that Ukraine will not go down without a fightand that it has a lot of fight left. But weve been here before. The war will instead rage on. In fact, all reports indicate that Russia can weather these heavy losses to its air capability. As Franz-Stefan Gady of the International Institute for Strategic Studies noted, For all its complexity, creativity, and audaciousness, the raids immediate impact on Russian operations in Ukraine is likely to be limited. Russia uses only a few of its bombers to carry out cruise missile attacks, so these losses, while not trivial, will not impede its ability to continue those operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moreover, as the Wall Street Journal recently reported, Putin has the Russian economy retooled for war, so much so that reaching peace could lead to more economic disruptions than continuing the fighting. As a February report from the Center for European Policy Analysis put it, the Russian economy is addicted to war. Indeed, Russia launched a drone attack of its own against Kharkiv almost immediately after Operation Spiderweb, and according to U.S. President Donald Trump, Putin promised to retaliate against Ukraine in a phone conversation they held earlier this week. Russia can sustain its strategy of trying to punish Ukraine into submission. It may not be able to win outright, but that doesnt mean it will lose. But as the attack illustrates, Ukraine can also inflict damage. Some commentators and policymakers, including U.S. Vice President JD Vance, point to Russias long-term advantages in personnel and material as proof that Ukraine cannot win a long war. Yet the U.S. has yet to cut off its support for Kyiv. Even if it does, European nations have agreed, under prodding from the Trump administration, to shift their focus from supporting a postwar peacekeeping force to stepping up their wartime material support to Kyiv. As Dmytro Kuleba recently wrotein a reference to Trumps assertion during his infamous Oval Office meeting with Zelenskyy that Kyiv doesnt have the cards to defeat RussiaUkraine could certainly hold better cards, but the country is not so desperate that it must fold now. In other words, Ukraine is also poised to sustain its war effort. But if this attack isnt enough to turn the tide, what could do so? What would actually constitute a turning point in the conflict? Some think that, as the invasion is for all intents and purposes Putins war, only his death or removal from power will end it. But it seems that support for the war, at least within the key decision-making circles of the Russian government, extends beyond Putin himself. Putins delusions of grandeur, predicated on a desire to recreate the Russian Empire, may be his principal reason for carrying on with the war. But Russian interest in controlling, dominating or even annexing all of Ukraine, coupled with distrust of the West, are not limited to him. Another possibility is that, like the last great wars of Europe, a major outside power directly enters the war and throws its weight into massively tipping the balance of power. But that also seems unlikely. The U.S. under Trump may not abandon Ukraine, but it is inconceivable that it would enter the war on its behalf or countenance its European allies to do so. Hence, were sadly still on the path for this to become at worst a version of the Iran-Iraq War and at best a frozen conflict along the lines of the Korean War. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In short, the ebbs and flows of the battlefield are unpredictable and punctuated. One side can seem to be working against the tide, and then suddenly gain a novel tactical victory, as Ukraine did this past weekend. But in a war of attrition of the kind in which Ukraine and Russia remain embroiled, material and strategic capacity matters more than tactical ingenuity. And what Ukraines successful strike last weekend showed above all is that both nations still have the capacity to sustain the war for the long haul. Paul Poast is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago and a nonresident fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. The post Russia and Ukraine Are Both Still in This War for the Long Haul appeared first on World Politics Review. Russias Wagner mercenary group says it will withdraw from Mali after more than three and a half years on the ground. The paramilitary force announced the move on Friday, claiming it had successfully completed its mission against armed groups in the West African nation. In a post on its Telegram channel, the group said that it had brought all of the countrys regional centres back under the control of the Malian military government, pushing out rebel forces and killing their commanders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Wagners withdrawal from Mali does not mean the country will be without Russian fighters. Russian mercenaries will remain under the banner of the Africa Corps, a separate Kremlin-backed paramilitary group created after Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin led a failed mutiny against the Russian military in June 2023. Russia does not lose ground, but on the contrary, continues to support Bamako now at a more fundamental level, said a statement by Africa Corps, referring to Malis capital city. In addition to Africa Corps, Russian security advisers are stepping in where the mercenaries are stepping out, said Al Jazeeras Nicolas Haque, reporting from neighbouring Senegal. Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel programme at Germanys Konrad Adenauer Foundation, told Reuters that while the Russian military engagement in Mali will continue the focus might change more to training and providing equipment and less actual fighting jihadists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Christian Ani, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, told Al Jazeera that Africa Corps is expected to concentrate its operations around Bamako, while taking part in air strikes from time to time against jihadist forces. An undated photograph provided by the French military shows three Russian mercenaries in northern Mali [File: French Army via AP] JNIM fighters claim deadly attack on army base The shift in the Russian presence in Mali follows a spate of attacks in recent weeks that armed fighters say killed more than 100 Malian soldiers, as well as some mercenaries. Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an armed group in the Sahel, claimed responsibility for the violence, including one attack on Sunday that killed at least 30 soldiers at central Malis Boulkessi army base. Local officials told Reuters the military has since abandoned the base. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ukrainian-backed Tuareg rebels have also been behind some of the attacks on Russian mercenaries in the country, reported Haque. They [Wagner] have realised it has cost them so much to have the boots on the ground, said Ani of the Institute for Security Studies. Malian forces and their Russian allies have meanwhile been accused of abuses against civilians, including a February attack on a convoy that killed more than 20 people believed to be Tuareg, among them children and elderly people. Such cases of indiscriminate violence allegedly involving Wagner forces has significantly hurt the groups reputation, said Ani. I think all that culminated in it having to take a step back. Russian forces conducted a strike on the city of Ternopil on the night of 5-6 June. Industrial and infrastructure facilities have been damaged, part of the city has been left without electricity and the water supply has been disrupted due to the attack. Source: Ternopil Mayor Serhii Nadal Details: Nadal said the Russians had hit industrial and infrastructure facilities in the city. All the appropriate services are working at the scene and the aftermath of the attack is being dealt with. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quote: "Part of Ternopil is without electricity. Water pressure across the city is reduced due to power outages. There may be no water pressure on upper floors. Repair work is ongoing." Details: Viacheslav Nehoda, Head of Ternopil Oblast Military Administration, reported: "Today the enemy conducted the biggest aerial attack on the oblast." "Many hits were recorded. We have begun efforts to extinguish the fires and assess the damage," he wrote. Background: Ternopil was being attacked by Russian drones throughout the night. Several explosions occurred in the city at around 03:20. At 04:20, Ukraine's Air Force reported Russian cruise missiles heading towards Ternopil. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Russian forces launched over 30 attacks on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on 6 June, injuring a 50-year-old man. Source: Serhii Lysak, Head of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram Quote: "The aggressor has terrorised three districts of the oblast. It targeted the Nikopol district with artillery and drones. It was loud in [the city of] Nikopol and Marhanets, Myrove, Pokrovsk and Chervonohryhorivka hromadas. [Hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories ed.] Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A 50-year-old man was injured. He received medical care and will continue treatment as an outpatient." Details: The attacks damaged several companies, infrastructure and a market. A high-rise building was hit, causing a fire. Two houses, a minibus and two cars were also damaged. In the Novohryhorivka hromada of the Synelnykove district, Russian forces used a first-person view drone, igniting dry grass. The fire was extinguished. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Russian leaders on Friday offered some advice in the way of mocking commentaries to US President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk over their growing rift, as Trump is reportedly considering selling his Tesla. The two are battling it out over their respective social media platforms after Musk called the tax and spending bill Trump has labeled the "big beautiful bill" an "abomination." Musk owns the electric car company Tesla. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, writing on X, offered to facilitate a peace agreement between Trump and Musk "for a reasonable fee" and in exchange for Starlink shares as payment. He also called on the two not to argue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Russian state news agency TASS reported on Friday that Duma Deputy Dmitry Novikov said that although he did not expect Musk to need political asylum, Russia could "of course" grant it to him if he needed it. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, on the other hand, told TASS that the dispute was an internal matter for the United States. "We have no intention of interfering or commenting on it in any way," he said. Trump would take care of it himself. A bromance breakup After months of collaboration and mutual back-slapping, Musk and Trump are now engaged in an open mudslinging match. The dispute was sparked by a bill pushed by Trump that Musk opposes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Thursday, Trump abandoned all restraint in response to Musk's days of criticism and wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that the Tesla boss had "gone crazy." Musk, for his part, posted numerous attacks on Trump on his X platform. The attacks then escalated with the two powerful men slinging threats at one another. On Friday, the Wall Street Journal and CNN reported that Trump is considering selling or giving away the Tesla he bought in March in an much-criticized event on the White House lawn. Trump had various Tesla models driven up to the White House and, in a kind of sales show in front of the cameras, chose a red Model S vehicle costing at least $80,000. On Thursday, it was photographed by US media in a White House car park. The electric car manufacturer led by Musk is struggling with declining sales. This is partly due to stronger competition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But some potential buyers have also been put off by Musk's right-wing political views and his temporary role as a cost-cutter in the government apparatus on behalf of Trump. There have also been several arson attacks on Tesla vehicles. Budget dispute The rift between the president and the tech billionaire was triggered by Musk's campaign against Trump's tax and spending bill. Musk is calling for deeper spending cuts. Musk then tried to get members of the Republican Party in Congress on his side. He caused a stir by claiming that the US president's name was found in documents relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk later made moves to defuse the controversy. On his online platform X, he commented on hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman's call for Musk and Trump to reconcile because they are stronger together, saying, "You're not wrong." However, Trump told US broadcaster ABC that he had no interest in talking to Musk, calling him "the man who lost his mind." Editor's Note: This is a developing story and is being updated. Drones struck a Russian military plant in Michurinsk, Tambov Oblast, in the early hours of June 6, according to media outlets in Russia. Attacks were also reported in Russia's Saratov, Moscow, Tula, Belgorod, and Kaluga oblasts. The Kyiv Independent could not verify these reports at the time of publication. The JSC Progress Plant in the city of Michurinsk in Tambov Oblast came under fire overnight, Russian Telegram news channels reported, citing local residents. A drone allegedly hit the plant's workshop, causing a fire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russian officials have not yet commented on the attack. The JSC Progress Plant produces high-tech aviation and missile control systems, along with equipment for gas and oil pipelines. The plant was reportedly hit in a previous attack in December 2024. On the same night, Russian outlets also reported that an oil refinery in Saratov Oblast came under attack. The Kristal Plant, which supplies fuel to the Engels-2 military airfield, was engulfed in flames after a drone strike. Ukraine has targeted the facility in past attacks. A train derailed in Belgorod Oblast after an explosive device detonated under the tracks, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov claimed. Part of the track was damaged, but there were no casualties, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the Russian capital, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed that air defense units repelled 10 drones bound for Moscow. Sobyanin said that emergency services had been dispatched to the sites of the fallen wreckage, but did not disclose information regarding any damage. Kaluga Oblast Governor Vladislav Shapsha reported that five drones were downed over the region, damaging cars. In Tula Oblast, air defense units reportedly intercepted two drones. Three people were injured, according to Governor Dmitry Milyaev. The reported attacks come the same night that Russia launched another large-scale drone and missile attack against Ukraine. The attack killed four people in Kyiv and caused casualties and damage to cities in western Ukraine, far from the front lines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As peace negotiations stall and Russia refuses the accept a ceasefire, the war has escalated. Russia intensified aerial assaults on Ukrainian cities in late May, launching some of the heaviest assaults of the full-scale war over three consecutive nights. Less than a week later, Ukraine launched Operation Spiderweb, an audacious mass drone strike that reportedly damaged 41 Russian military planes. In the days since, Ukraine has continued to target key Russian military assets, launching strikes against missile bases and the Crimean Bridge. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukraine strikes Russian missile base in Bryansk Oblast, damages Iskander launchers; Trump dismisses timeline to impose Russian sanctions Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russia's National Guard (Rosgvardia) killed a man who was attempting to carry out a drone attack on a military facility in Ryazan Oblast, the agency alleged on June 6. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claim. National Guard officers thwarted an alleged "terrorist attack" at a military facility operated by a Russian state security agency, Rosgvardia said in a statement. An armed man was said to be preparing to launch a drone packed with grenades. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When officers attempted to arrest the suspect, the man "resisted with armed force and was neutralized," the statement read. The statement did not specify which military facility was allegedly targeted. Rosgvardia's claim comes less than a week after Ukraine launched a mass strike against four Russian air bases using first-person-view (FPV) drones smuggled into the country. Among the targets was the Dyagilevo airfield in Ryazan Oblast. The alleged attempted attack also follows a night of what Ukraine's General Staff called "preemptive" strikes on airfields across Russia. The Dyagilevo airfield was one of the sites targeted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ukraine overnight on June 6 targeted military facilities in several Russian regions, as Moscow launched one of the largest drone and missile attacks against Ukrainian cities over the course of the full-scale war. Read also: Find and destroy how Ukraines own Peaky Blinders mastered the art of bomber drones Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. MOSCOW/DAKAR (Reuters) -The Africa Corps, a Kremlin-controlled paramilitary force, said on Friday it will stay in Mali after Russia's Wagner mercenary group leaves following a 3-1/2 year fight against Islamist militants. Wagner has been in Mali since the army, which seized power in two coups in 2020 and 2021, kicked out French and United Nations troops involved in fighting Islamic insurgents for a decade. The Africa Corps was created with the Russian Defence Ministry's support after Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin and commander Dmitry Utkin led a failed military mutiny against the Russian army leadership and left Russia for Belarus with other mercenaries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 70-80% of the Africa Corps is made up of former Wagner mercenaries, according to several Telegram chats used by Russian mercenaries seen by Reuters. Wagner posted on social media that it was returning home after its mission in Mali had been successfully completed. It added it had brought all of the country's regional centres back under the control of the Malian military junta, pushing out Islamist forces and killing their commanders. Wagner did not say what its fighters would do back in Russia. The Africa Corps said on its Telegram channel that Wagner's departure would not introduce any changes as the Russian contingent will remain in Mali. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Russia does not lose ground, but on the contrary, continues to support Bamako now at a more fundamental level," it said, referring to the capital city. The Malian defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for a comment. A spate of attacks erupted in recent weeks, which insurgents said killed more than 100 Malian soldiers and some mercenaries. Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), an insurgent group in West Africa's Sahel region, claimed responsibility for the violence in recent days, including a bombing attack on Wednesday against Malian and Russian soldiers near Bamako. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russia has been seeking to replace Wagner with the Africa Corps in Mali, Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel programme at Germany's Konrad Adenauer Foundation, said in an interview. "The takeover by the Africa Corps means that the Russian military engagement in Mali will continue, but the focus might change more to training and providing equipment and less actual fighting jihadists." (Reporting by Filipp Lebedev in London, Portia Crowe and Anait Miridzhanian in Dakar, David Lewis in Nairobi and Tiemoko Diallo in Bamako; Editing by Andrew Osborn, William Maclean and Richard Chang) SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Its road construction season in KELOLAND. Craig Manning saw lots of orange cones as he traveled from northwest Iowa to the Sioux Falls area Thursday. It was a lot more construction than Ive seen for a while, Craig Manning said. As you hit the road, be aware of the work zones you may encounter on your travels. One way to stay safe is watching your speed. Most of our construction zones are going to have reduced speed limits, so be aware and slow down as youre going through those construction zones, SDDOT Director of Operations Craig Smith said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People are traveling very fast through construction zones, so there are troopers out there enforcing and being proactive, tryign to reduce the speeds for the people traveling through the construction zones so the people working can be safe, SD Highway Patrol Sgt. Angel Duran said. Another safety reminder: avoid distractions such as cell phones. There is workers out there, theres people slowing down to the construction zones, and if theyre distracted it could cause a crash and that would definitely be a big situation out there, Duran said. Manning says hes taking safety precautions as he navigates another road construction season. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They have to do it. They make the roads a lot nicer, Craig Manning said. You can see of map of state road projects here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) A family was able to escape from their burning home on Salisbury Street earlier this morning. News 8 was told the firefighters were met with heavy fire from the entire back of the house. They said two adults and one adult child were able to leave the home. One person was treated at the scene, but its unclear if they were injured or how severe it was. Firefighters said nobody can stay at the home due to the smoke and damage. The Red Cross is assisting the family. The cause of the fire is unknown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) Parking in downtown Salt Lake City may start making a bigger dent in your wallet. As part of the city budget for the 2026 fiscal year, the Salt Lake City Council is considering changing the hourly rates for metered parking throughout the city, as well as the collection days and hours. Currently, metered parking is available at just $2.25 an hour. The city collects this fee between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Saturday, the parking is free for two hours, while on Sunday, parking is free for the whole day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carp chaos at Utah Lake as carp overpopulation becomes serious problem Under the proposed changes, the hourly rate for metered parking would rise to $3.50 an hour. The proposal would also take away the two free hours on Saturday and extend the collection hours from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Sunday would keep its free parking. The Salt Lake City Council will next meet on Tuesday, June 10, at 1 p.m. for a work session, where the calendar includes considering unresolved issues. A formal City Council meeting will be held at 7 p.m., where council members will consider adopting the proposed budget. Latest headlines: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. WHO 13 NEWS The first Friday of June marks National Donut Day. The Salvation Army takes the day to highlight its founding role and the true history behind the sweet tradition. The Salvation Army Capital Area Command is handing out free donuts while supplies last on Friday, June 6 at the Clive location: 1400 NW 100th Street. National Doughnut Day: Where to grab a free or discounted doughnut Friday Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tamyra Harrison, development coordinator for the Salvation Army Capital Area Command, joined Today in Iowa to talk about the day and programs offered throughout the year. To learn more, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to who13.com. Less than a week after the San Antonio Police Department insisted there was no evidence whatsoever of homophobia in the June 1 shooting death of former King of the Hill actor Jonathan Joss, the citys top cop walked back that claim as way, way, way premature. We shouldn't have done it, SAPD Chief William McManus said at a Thursday press conference. It was way too soon, before we had any real information, and I will own that. We understand that many in the LGBTQ+ community are feeling anxious and concerned, McManus added. A lot of it has to do with that premature statement that we released, and again, I own that shouldn't have done it. The loss of Jonathan Joss was tragic and most, most heavily felt by the LGBTQ+ community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, Joss husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales told The Independent that he appreciate[s] all the efforts of everybody that got the SAPD to retract their statement, pointing to extensive media coverage as well as everyday citizens who pressured authorities to reverse their original stance. At the same time, there is really nothing the SAPD can do for me that would remedy anything, Kern de Gonzales said. This is a part of my life that has been severed cant be repaired, this is something that Im going to carry with me always. I will never know another love like Jonathan. He made me a better person, and he taught me so much. And I really think that hes going to keep teaching me. He has shown all of us multiple signs that hes still here with us. Tristan Kern de Gonzales (right) and actor Jonathan Joss were married this past Valentine's Day (Facebook/Tristan Kern de Gonzales) Last Sunday, as Joss, 59, and Kern de Gonzales drove to San Antonio from Austin, where they had recently been living, to check the mail at what remains of their home, which burned down in January. (Kern de Gonzalez said he is certain the blaze was arson. Authorities, on the other hand, have said the cause remains undetermined.) When they got there, the pair was shocked to find the charred skull of one of their three dogs, which had perished in the blaze, placed on the ground in clear view, according to Kern de Gonzales. The two began crying and screaming, leading to the deadly confrontation with neighbor Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In announcing Joss death on social media, Kern de Gonzales, 23, said there was no doubt the deadly attack was a hate crime. The 59-year-old Ceja, Kern de Gonzales wrote in a Facebook post, was someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other. Still, the SAPD issued a statement a day later saying investigators had found nothing to indicate that Mr. Joss' murder was related to his sexual orientation. We take such allegations very seriously and have thoroughly reviewed all available information, the statement said. Should any new evidence come to light, we will charge the suspect accordingly. However, Kern de Gonzales subsequently told The Independent that Ceja laughed and spewed homophobic slurs as Joss lay dying. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Everything was really close range. It was in the head, Kern de Gonzales said. I held his face together while I told him how much I loved him. He could still hear me, he looked up at me and he wasn't able to talk because of the extent [of his injuries], but I could tell he was trying to say, I love you. This, according to Kern de Gonzales, prompted Ceja to unleash a vile anti-LGBT tirade. While Im holding him, he has the gun pointed over me, and he's laughing, saying, Oh, you love him? Joto, said Kern de Gonzales, who grew up in South Carolina. Joto is Spanish for f****t. I never knew the word until I came to Texas, and then I heard it a lot. Suspect Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez immediately confessed to the shooting, according to police (Getty Images) Joss was pronounced dead at the scene. Ceja, according to an incident report obtained from the SAPD, quickly confessed, telling police, I shot him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some 48 hours following the shooting, Ceja, who now faces a first-degree murder charge, was released from jail on $200,000 bond. He will remain under house arrest, two doors down from where Joss was gunned down, pending trial. In a follow-up interview with The Independent after Ceja bailed out, Kern de Gonzales said he was not surprised by the turn of events and railed against the SAPD for not having better protected Joss. He said the couple, who married this past Valentines Day, had lodged dozens of complaints about alleged harassment and threats from Ceja and other nearby residents, to little effect. Joss had also been the subject of complaints to police by neighbors, who called the cops on the actor more than 50 times in the past year, according to SAPD incident logs. However, while Joss may have at times annoyed people by ranting and raving in public, Kern de Gonzales said he suffered at times from mental illness but insisted he was never a danger to himself or anyone else. Ive been in mental health crisis and acted just as Jonathan did, even worse, he said. The difference was, I was given medical attention and was treated as someone who needed help instead of being seen as a violent threat. Jonathan was never violent, he never went after anybody or threatened anybodys person. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joss, who was of Comanche and White Mountain Apache descent, was best known for voicing the part of John Redcorn in the animated series King of the Hill. He also appeared in a recurring role as Chief Ken Hotate on the NBC series Parks and Recreation. Ceja thought he would silence [Joss] and get rid of him, but all he did was make him more powerful, Kern de Gonzales said. Now, he continued, Joss will instead be remembered as a martyr and a legend among many in the LGBT and Native American communities. On Friday, Kern de Gonzales said he is planning a funeral for Joss with the assistance of the local indigenous community. Ceja is due back in court on August 19. His court-appointed lawyer, Alfonso Otero, did not respond to a request for comment. San Antonio's chief of police is walking back his department's previous claims that there was "no evidence" to suggest Jonathan Joss's death was a hate crime instead saying that the assertion was "way premature." Police Chief William McManus rescinded the department's previous statement at a press conference Thursday while also apologizing to the LGBTQ+ community for dismissing their concerns. "We issued a statement the day after Jonathan Joss's murder that was way, way, way premature. Shouldn't have done it," he said. "It was way too soon before we had any real information, and I will own that and simply say we shouldn't have done that. It was way too early in the process for any statement of that nature to be issued." "We understand that many in the LBGTQ+ [sic] community are feeling anxious and concerned," McManus continued. "A lot of that has to do with that premature statement that we released, and again, I own that. We shouldn't have done it. The loss of Jonathan Joss was tragic and most heavily felt by the LBGTQ+ [sic] community." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joss, 59, was an out Indigenous actor known for his roles in comedies such as King of the Hill and Parks and Recreation. He had married his partner, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, just a few months ago on Valentines Day. The couple had been living in Joss's childhood home for at least two years before it burned down in January. Kern de Gonzales revealed in a Facebook post that he and Joss were "involved in a shooting" when they returned to the site of their former home to check the mail. He claimed that the fire and the shooting occurred "after over two years of threats from people in the area who repeatedly told us they would set it on fire" and that despite reporting the threats to law enforcement multiple times, "nothing was done." www.facebook.com Jonathan Joss Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "When we returned to the site to check our mail we discovered the skull of one of our dogs and its harness placed in clear view," Kern de Gonzales wrote. "This caused both of us severe emotional distress. We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw. While we were doing this a man approached us. He started yelling violent homophobic slurs at us. He then raised a gun from his lap and fired." Kern de Gonzales asserted in his Facebook post that throughout their time living at Joss's family home as a couple, they "were harassed regularly by individuals who made it clear they did not accept our relationship. Much of the harassment was openly homophobic." He later claimed in an interview with NBC that the accused killer, Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, called him and his husband "jotos," a Spanish slur for gay people, before shooting Joss. "He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other," he said in his post. The San Antonio Police Department released a statement shortly after Joss's death claiming that it had uncovered "no evidence" to suggest that the killing was a hate crime, which Kern de Gonzales' statement contested. (@) twitter.com Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "SAPD Homicide is currently investigating the murder of Mr. Jonathan Joss," the department wrote. "Despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that the Mr. Josss murder was related to his sexual orientation." After retracting their previous statement at the Thursday press conference, McManus clarified that the police department doesn't charge hate crimes in Texas. Instead, they "gather the facts and we give those facts to the district attorney's office, then that hate-crime designation is determined at sentencing." "There's also concern about the circumstances surrounding that death and the history in the neighborhood leading up to that," McManus said. "One of the most common questions that we've received is why this case isn't being charged as a hate crime at this point. ... In Texas, hate crimes are not separate charges. Instead, they are addressed through sentencing enhancements." "Our homicide detectives are continuing to pursue every lead in the case to ensure that we understand the full picture of what led up to the senseless murder of Mr. Joss," he added. "We're committed to delivering a thorough and complete investigation." San Francisco One day in May, Reily was the latest unhoused person in San Francisco to be caught up in the city's year-long aggressive enforcement tactics. Involved in the arrest was San Francisco police Sgt. Dennis Hoang, the department's homeless unit supervisor. "I asked Reily how many times they've been cited for illegal lodging, and they said...four times," Hoang told CBS News. "We're at a point where we are no longer tolerating chronic illegal behavior." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In mid-2024, San Francisco began more targeted sweeps of homeless encampments across the city in an effort to address its homeless crisis. "These public sidewalks are for the public," Hoang said. "And, unfortunately, it's not a place for people to store their personal belongings." Between June of 2024 and June of this year, nearly 1,000 people have been arrested or cited for illegal camping in San Francisco, according to city data, but few are ever charged. "I'm going to get kicked out of the shelter," Reily told CBS News. "I'm going to come back on the street. I'm going to get cited again, it's a broken system." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unhoused people who spoke to CBS News said some of the shelters do not fit their needs for a variety of reasons, such as dormitory-style housing that requires having roommates, no storage for personal possessions and no pets allowed. Arrests are a last resort, conducted only if the person repeatedly ignores citations and refuses the city's multiple offers of shelter and services. The city's efforts seem to have paid off with visible results. Nearly half of the 8,000 homeless that live in San Francisco are sheltered, per city data, up 35% from 2019. In San Francisco's Mission District, police and city workers are faced with tense and emotional challenges. Jeff, who didn't want to share his last name, was upset by his arrest. He said he sleeps outdoors by "choice." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I'm getting their help already," said Jeff when asked by CBS News why he refused assistance and resources from the city. "Where does that lead me?" Democratic San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, who took office in January, was elected by voters frustrated by the city's large homeless encampments and its soaring crime rates. Despite the crackdown on homeless encampments, Lurie contends that it is "absolutely not" the city's view that it is a crime to be either poor or homeless in San Francisco. "Our focus is getting people off the street and into shelter and into mental health and drug treatment beds," Lurie told CBS News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We lead with services," Lurie said. "We lead with our values, which is taking care of people." He believes his tough-on-crime policies and focus on rehabilitation have created safer public spaces. "We're getting a lot of business leaders engaged and involved in the city in a way that they haven't been for a long time," Lurie said. "And there's this feeling of hope and optimism." Musk alleges Trump's name appeared in Epstein files as feud escalates What to know about President Trump's travel ban on nationals from 12 countries Trump says he's disappointed by Musk criticism of budget bill, Musk says he got Trump elected Vials of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are displayed on a counter at a Walgreens Pharmacy on January 26, 2015 in Mill Valley, California. (Photo by Illustration Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Earlier this week, a young child in San Juan County with one dose of the measles vaccine contracted the measles on a domestic flight, putting area doctors on watch for more cases. I would say were in a cautious holding pattern, Dr. Brad Scoggins, a pediatrician based in Farmington, told Source New Mexico. Were appropriately concerned, but not panicked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Measles, a highly contagious respiratory virus, spreads through contact with airborne droplets from an infected persons coughs and sneezes. Symptoms can take one to three weeks tos develop, and include headache, cough, fever, red eyes and a spotty red rash on the head and face that spreads across the body. Scoggins said the clinic has enacted increased precautions to prevent spread, such as using virtual visits or testing any cases with symptoms of fever and rash outside of the clinic. The New Mexico Department of Health reported no change in the states number of cases Friday, but public health officials have recently warned they expect a rise in cases due to summer travel. Much like cases across the U.S., over 80% of New Mexicos 81 measles infections impacted people who are unvaccinated or of unknown status. However, 13 cases of New Mexicos included patients with at least one dose of the vaccine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One dose of the measles vaccine offers 93% protection from infection and a second dose offers higher protection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When spread increases, measles can sometimes infect vaccinated people, but but with less severity, because the vaccine primes the bodys defense system to fight it, Scoggins said. In real world terms, that means that the duration of illness is a bit shorter, and the severity is less, he said. [Measles, mumps rubella] vaccine is considered a sterilizing vaccine. So once youve had the vaccination, you should theoretically not be able to transmit it or at least, its much less likely. Scoggins said he empathizes with parents who are concerned about safety and efficacy of vaccines, despite decades of research. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres a whole lot of noise out there right now, and its hard for parents to know, I think, who to listen to, he said. Scoggins said hes working to counter misinformation by pointing people to works of history including The Great Influenza on the 1918 flu epidemic and Man and Microbes, a history of plagues. It offers a little bit of a historical perspective because we live in a time where were so protected from these things, but its only because of what our forebears have instituted, he said. Scoggins said that vaccine advice doesnt just apply to his patients, noting his own children have vaccinations, as do all 12 of the pediatricians and nurse practitioners in his office with children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All of our kids have had their vaccines on their regular schedule, he said. We dont do anything for other peoples kids that we wouldnt do for our own. Officials from San Juan County Regional Medical Center urged patients to call the NMDOH hotline at 1-833-796-8773, with any questions about testing, vaccines or symptoms. The best thing our community can do to protect themselves is to get vaccinated against the measles, said Laura Werbner, a spokesperson at San Juan County Regional Medical Center. Talk to your pediatrician about the measles vaccine for your children. If you are an adult and have not been vaccinated, you can still get the vaccine. More information about free vaccine clinics can be found at the states measles webpage. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) The Sandia Peak Tramway will host a fundraiser honoring an Albuquerque police dog killed in the line of duty. K-9 Rebel was shot and killed as police tried to arrest a man at the Comfort Suites near the Albuquerque International Sunport last Thursday. Librarian at The University of New Mexico works to install telehealth booths in libraries This Monday, the tram will launch Rides for Rebel, where the tram will donate $1 from every ticket to APDs K-9 unit. If you cant make it to the fundraiser, you can donate at this link. APD is expected to reveal more on how those donations will be used on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. An Army soldier whose pregnant wife disappeared near the couples Hawaii home in July 2024 was sentenced this week to 23 years in prison for her murder, according to the Army. In a Wheeler Army Airfield courtroom Tuesday, Pfc. Dewayne Arthur Johnson II, 29, pleaded guilty Tuesday at a court-martial to killing Mischa Mabeline Kaalohilani Johnson, 19, and her unborn child last summer at the couples home on Schofield Barracks, an Army installation on Oahu. Today as a result of the tremendous efforts from the prosecution team from the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel and 25th Infantry Divisions Office of the Staff Judge Advocate the accused was sentenced to the statutory maximum amount of confinement for the killing, said Lt. Col. Nicholas Hurd, prosecutor for the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hawaii soldier to face trial in suspected death of pregnant wife In August 2024, the service charged Johnson, a cavalry scout assigned to the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, with making false official statements, obstruction of justice and the production and distribution of child pornography. As part of his plea agreement, the child pornography charges were dropped, and he instead accepted a 23-year prison sentence for voluntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice and providing false official statements. Johnson admitted to striking his six-month pregnant wife in the head with a machete after a heated argument at their home on July 12, 2024, according to the Army release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said he then dismembered her and his unborn childs bodies with a chainsaw and drove their remains to a dumpster on Schofield Barracks. Their bodies have not been found and are assumed to have been destroyed in the islands trash incinerator, the release said. Johnson reported his wife missing on July 31, 2024, and joined search parties spanning the island to look for her, the Army said. But less than a month later, on August 27, 2024, authorities charged Johnson with Mischa Johnsons murder, after finding blood, DNA and other forensic evidence in their home. After almost one year since Mischa Johnson last saw her family, I am relieved that the accused was held accountable for what he did to her and her unborn child in court today, said Lt. Col. William Wicks, a prosecutor with the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel. Johnson will serve his time at the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Education tech advocates welcomed the Trump administrations move to incorporate AI into schools, but they say more detail and money is needed to guarantee success. (Photo by PeopleImages/Getty Images) A proposal in the Ohio Senates budget would give additional funding to high-performing public school districts, ones typically in suburban and often wealthier areas. Public school districts in Ohio are continuing to rally for more funding, which is why Scott DiMauro with the Ohio Education Association is fighting against the Senates newly proposed state budget. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You have different public schools that are being, essentially, pitted against one another, DiMauro said. The senators increased the amount of money going to public schools from the Houses proposal. The budget draft introduced by the Senate gives public schools about $100 million more than the House version. They follow most of the Houses proposed budget, which only gives schools about $226 million for school funding, but $550 million total. The Senate changed the funding guarantee amount. Currently, some districts have guarantees that a portion of their funding will not be reduced, even if their enrollment decreases. Finance Chair Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) explained that this $100 million added back would only go to high-performing or improving districts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A new component has been added to recognize performance of the districts who have shown great progress or received a four or five-star rating in their last evaluation, he said. Schools with higher report card ratings, which are based on state testing, receive a funding boost from the state. Republicans say that this could increase the incentive for schools to do well. This was a necessary addition to the funding formula as we move forward and as we expect more and more out of our school districts, the lawmaker said. There are 68 schools with a five-star rating, according to data from the Department of Education and Workforce. Fifty-six are suburban, 25 are considered rural, and only one could be classified as a mix of suburban and urban (Steubenville City Schools). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zooming in on Orange City Schools District, a five-star school, reveals that it has some of the wealthiest areas in Ohio, with median incomes exceeding $200,000 in Pepper Pike, Moreland Hills, and Hunting Valley. Orange also just passed its school levy in May. All schools are facing financial challenges, DiMauro said, but noted that achieving a four- or five-star rating becomes that much harder when districts continue to be underfunded by the state. The school districts for the 10 biggest cities in Ohio are all under four stars. Cleveland has three, Columbus has two and Cincinnati has 2.5. Rather than taking some money from an already underfunded system and reallocating it to districts that are already doing well and primarily serve higher-income students, why dont we instead make sure that we are fully funding the formula and directing resources where theyre needed the most, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The budget will continue to be heard, and a final version will need to be agreed upon by the Senate and House by the end of June. Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook. This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Scientific researchers are sounding the alarm after a recent study revealed that patients' dentures release microplastics during eating and cleaning. Even more shocking was the amount of microplastics released during simulated dental procedures. What's happening? A study released in early May examined wear and tear on dentures during normal daily activities as opposed to during common dental procedures. Most dentures are made of plastic, specifically acrylic resin. The study's authors looked at how that plastic breaks down and impacts human health. The study used artificial saliva to mimic the environment of a human mouth during the process. Researchers found minimal microplastics in the artificial saliva after simulated wear and cleaning. They detected significantly more microplastics after simulating dental procedures. Why are microplastics in dentures important? Right now, there's no recommended limit to the amount of microplastics people are exposed to, whether by ingestion or inhalation. However, research indicates that consuming microplastics can lead to a host of physical ailments with symptoms that include nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In this specific study, researchers found that patients who were exposed to microplastics during dental procedures experienced symptoms like inflammation and oxidative stress. "The findings emphasize the urgent need to update clinical practices and enhance waste management strategies to address emerging health hazards," the researchers wrote. What's being done about microplastic exposure? More than 430 million tons of plastic are produced each year, with 11 million metric tons entering oceans in addition to the 200 million tons already impacting marine environments. Only comprehensive legislation can make the change our planet needs to see. The state of California has adopted a first-in-the-nation law limiting human and marine exposure to microplastics through pollution prevention, pathway intervention, and outreach and education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Consumers can take their own steps to reduce microplastic waste. Avoiding plastic when possible is good for human health and the planet. By eliminating plastic from our lives, we can make strides toward a cleaner, greener future for all. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Conservative CNN pundit Scott Jennings was slammed online after he recently suggested that Education Secretary Linda McMahon was asked a gotcha question about one of the worst instances of racial violence in American history during a congressional hearing. During a Wednesday segment of CNNs News Night with Abby Phillip, panelists discussed the hearing earlier that day in which McMahon was asked questions about the Trump administrations efforts to ban what it considers to be illegal DEI practices at K-12 public schools. In January, Trump ordered U.S. schools to stop teaching what he views as critical race theory. And in April, the Trump administration ordered K-12 public schools to certify that they are ending diversity, equity and inclusion practices as a condition for receiving federal money. (Federal judges have since paused the administrations directives to withhold federal funds in three separate rulings.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At one point in Wednesdays hearing, Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) asked McMahon whether lessons on the Tulsa Race Massacre would be considered illegal DEI. McMahon responded: Id have to get back to you on that. Lee pressed further, asking McMahon if she knew what the Tulsa Race Massacre was. McMahon, a former pro wrestling executive with a slim record in education policy, refused to give a direct answer. Id like to look into it more and get back to you on it, McMahon said. The Tulsa Race Massacre is considered to be among the worst racial terror attacks in U.S. history. In 1921, a white mob violently rampaged through the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma, an area of Black-owned businesses known as Black Wall Street, and burned down and destroyed much of the area, including homes and businesses. Its been estimated that the white armed rioters killed as many as 300 Black residents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McMahon had also evaded Lees questions surrounding her familiarity with civil rights trailblazer Ruby Bridges, who at 6 years old faced hateful white protesters when she became the first Black student to attend a racially segregated school in Louisiana. In this 1921 image provided by the Library of Congress, smoke billows over Tulsa, Oklahoma. For decades, when it was discussed at all, the killing of hundreds of people in a prosperous Black business district in 1921 was referred to as the Tulsa race riot. Under recent standards developed by teachers for approaching the topic, students are encouraged to consider the differences between labeling it a massacre instead of a riot. Alvin C. Krupnick Co./Library of Congress via AP Host Abby Phillip said on NewsNight that McMahons inability to answer questions about U.S. history made her seem unprepared or even unqualified for her position leading the Education Department. But Jennings brushed off the exchange, saying that he only cares about what McMahon is doing to close the Department of Education. I dont care how many books shes read, I dont care what answers to gotcha questions she had, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People on X, formerly Twitter, slammed theconservative pundit for calling Lees questions gotcha questions. If you think things like Ruby Bridges and the Tulsa Massacre are gotcha questions, then that is precisely the evidence we need that these things need to be taught in school, one X user wrote. Jennings stance exposes a dangerous and far too common belief that confronting and acknowledging Americas racist past is somehow separate from American history, said Portia Allen-Kyle, a civil rights attorney and interim executive director at the racial justice organization Color Of Change. Black history is American history, and the questions about Ruby Bridges and the Tulsa Race Massacre arent niche events that no one knows; these are significant political events that changed the trajectory of our country and the course of history, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Labeling historic events like the Tulsa Race Massacre or Ruby Bridges historic integration as gotcha questions is part of a broader neo-segregationist agenda that treats the lived experience of Black people as political provocation. Education Secretary Linda McMahon photographed at the House Committee on Education and Workforce hearing on June 4, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington. via Associated Press The erasure of Black peoples experiences in U.S. history is dangerous. Before they graduated to banning diversity, equity and inclusion, they were banning Black history and AP African American Studies, Allen-Kyle said. McMahon evading the question was intentional and dangerous, she said, adding: This administration is making clear that its vision of America doesnt include an honest account of Black power, resilience or resistance. Calling our history illegal DEI is a smokescreen to justify whitewashing the past. Allen-Kyle said that McMahons refusal to directly respond to Lees questions either showed a lack of honesty or a disqualifying level of ignorance for her job. Neither is acceptable from the person in charge of national education policy, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shaun Harper, a professor of education, business and public policy at the University of Southern California, called out policymakers for being largely unfamiliar with the range of ways that Black people have been and continue to be terrorized in America and said they create and enact perceivably colorblind policies that repeatedly fail to respond to that terrorism and the generational trauma and racial disparities that accompany it. A congressional query about a significant catastrophic moment in American history is not a gotcha question for a White House Cabinet member, Harper said, later adding: McMahon seems to believe it is OK for other Americans to be as racially illiterate as she is. It is not OK because it leads to harmful, racially unresponsive policymaking. Teaching history in schools is crucial. History provides a guiding light. Harper, co-author of 2024 book The Big Lie About Race in Americas Schools (Race and Education), emphasized that students in the U.S. often learn about certain historical events, such as the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution moments that mostly white textbook makers, standardized test makers and educators deem worthy of inclusion in the curriculum, he said. When they sanitize slavery and altogether leave out tragedies like the Tulsa Race Massacre, miseducated students graduate from schools incapable of answering questions about significant moments in our nations history that pertain to Black Americans, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Allen-Kyle warned that schools censoring Black history which is American history will create a society incapable of reckoning with its past and unprepared to build a just future. History isnt just what happened its often a guiding light to what were witnessing in the present and how we can use those learnings to build a future that doesnt repeat the same mistakes, she later continued, before adding: Teaching about Tulsa and Ruby Bridges helps students understand the full story of America: the harm caused, the courage shown, the systems still in need of change. Fighting for truthful education is fighting for a future where every child sees their history, their dignity, and their possibility reflected in the classroom, she said. Related... A courtroom sketch of Sean Combs watching Jane during his sex trafficking trial in New York on June 5. - Credit: Jane Rosenberg/Reuters/Redux Follow all our Sean Combs trial coverage One of Sean Combs ex-girlfriends left the witness stand in tears Friday after testifying how Combs sprung a seemingly never-ending freak-off on her during what was supposed to be a romantic, one-on-one birthday celebration. More from Rolling Stone Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The woman, identified by the pseudonym Jane and listed as Victim-2 in the criminal indictment, said she was enjoying a dinner with Combs at Nobu in Miami in 2023 when he mentioned that a male escort would be coming that evening. I just gulped, Jane said during her second day of testimony, having previously told the jury that she had tried to push back on the idea of freak-offs to a dismissive Combs. I just accepted it. Upon returning to the hotel room, Combs gifted Jane a necklace. Then a man Jane had never seen before entered the room. Jane said she became like a robot, tapping into a well-established routine that shed become familiar with since her first freak-off, or hotel night as she referred to them, with Combs in May 2021 putting on lingerie, making small talk, and flirting with the escort. Through heavy sobs, Jane said on the stand, I just begin. I put my thoughts away. I turn into someone else. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trying to speed through the night, Jane said she began to ask the man to use protection before they had intercourse, sparking an upset reaction from Combs. He was giving me dirty looks, Jane said. She remembered him saying, You better not ask for a fucking condom. Combs eventually relented but hated the ensuing sexual activity, Jane said. He was allegedly disinterested and so disappointed in what was happening, walking around the room. After the man left, Combs allegedly changed the couples room, moving into a bigger suite that was decorated for Janes birthday with flowers, balloons, and a cake. He shifted his energy, Jane recalled, describing Combs as positive and sweet. The two were having a rare bit of alone time when a knock came at the door. Another male escort had arrived. Jane said there was hours and hours of sexual activity with the second man. She testified she wasnt sure when the male escort left but remembered the sun had already risen. Then a third man arrived. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It felt like even more of an abusive moment because it was my birthday and I didnt want to do it on my birthday, Jane said while sobbing. She added that she hated freak-offs but complied because she loved my partner. Throughout her testimony, Jane continually returned to the idea of being deeply in love with Combs and willing to do anything to make him happy after falling head over heels for him during a whirlwind romance in early 2021. When Jane consented to her first freak-off months later, she likened it to opening up a Pandoras box in the relationship that she was unable to shut until Combs arrest in September 2024. Combs, 55, appeared unfazed throughout much of Janes testimony, even while she sobbed on the stand trying to explain the toll Combs alleged insistence on hotel nights with male escorts made her feel. He pleaded not guilty to five felony counts of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution against him. Later in the day, Jane returned to the aftermath of this 2023 birthday, alleging that Combs had left her in the hotel room to go on vacation with another woman. It broke my heart, Jane said. I spent my birthday having sex with these guys. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After realizing that Combs had embarked on this other vacation, she texted him, Youve left me behind for years now. And later, after reminding him that hed promised her one-on-one time, she told him, I didnt want to do all that on my birthday. You knew how I was tired. Jane repeatedly told Combs that she felt used, and wrote at one point, Dont I give you everything you want? What am I doing wrong? Anything outside these hotels, Im a joke to you, she added. Jane testified that, after her birthday, she and Combs spent several weeks apart, though Combs repeatedly called and texted her (as did members of his staff). Eventually, they made up and Combs promised Jane that hed take her to Turks and Caicos the place she fell in love with Combs. But on her way to Miami before departing for the island, Combs once again brought up the idea of a male escort joining them later that night. I want just us, Jane replied. We need to reconnect. By the end of the night, Jane said, a male escort had met up with them at a hotel. And during the vacation, a male escort joined them in the Caribbean, resulting in a further fight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At some point, Jane said she and Combs entered into a love contract, a two-year deal that Jane said reflected the time she dated Combs without any sort of arrangement. The contract included a monthly allowance of $10,000, with Jane spending the amount on rent for a new home that she moved into in April 2023. When asked who was paying her rent now, Jane replied, Sean. Combs would repeatedly lord his financial support over Janes head, she testified. Prosecutors focused on a text exchange from late August 2023, where Combs is expressing his excitement about an all-star hotel night the couple had previously discussed. Jane said she was extremely high when she indulged in fantasy talk about having three men over to a hotel on the same night, and Combs was trying to cash in. Jane began to express her hesitation, noting her comedown from their last hotel night and her new house not being ready to host the night. Look at the roof over your head and that pretty smile, Combs texted Jane, referring to her veneers that he had paid for. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wanting to prove that she actually needed to be excused for the night, Jane sent photos of her period to Combs, which did little to subside his anger. Fuck you, Combs texted her, accusing Jane of being weird with him and switching up the plan. In audio messages sent during the ensuing, days-long fight, Combs told Jane that she needed to get on your job and threatened she was in for a rude awakening. To Jane, she said she interpreted that as Combs threatening to withdraw his financial support and that her job included hotel nights with male escorts. It was a promise, not a threat, came Combs reply when she pointed out the apparent threat. While on the stand Friday, Jane opened up about the harrowing experience of participating in the highly choreographed, drug-fueled sexual encounters (which Jane referred to as hotel nights) that Combs allegedly orchestrated with male escorts (referred to as entertainers). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier in her testimony, Jane described a different hotel night in Miami where she was so high, she kept blacking out. In the shower with Combs afterward, Jane testified, she said she began to cry, then claimed Combs responded: Dont fucking do this right now. Im high and I cant fucking see that, Im too high. Jane said she also broke down after a freak-off early on in their relationship, when she thought she would have a one-on-one date with Combs, only for her to end up having an encounter with an escort for 18 hours. When it ended, Jane said Combs told her he had to leave, and she began to cry. He said, Are you crying? Jane recalled of Combs. And just looked, like, disgusted with my face. Jane said she told Combs multiple times over the course of their relationship that she did not want to participate in the hotel nights. She often did this via text, claiming that when she tried to confront Combs in-person or over the phone, he would get defensive, belittling and dismissive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2022, after watching Combs take a big trip with another woman, Jane texted him, I dont ever want to do a hotel night with entertainment again. I feel so cheap once again. While on the stand, she read one text she sent Combs in September 2023, two years into their relationship, in which she told him, Its hurting me; Its dark, sleazy and makes me feel disgusted with myself; I dont want to play this role anymore. Im so much more than this; and, I feel like its the only reason you have me around and pay for the house. Combs allegedly responded: Girl, stop. Jane testified about another instance, before a trip to New York City, where she told Combs she did want to participate in a hotel night, even though Combs kept asking her. Yet upon arriving, Jane realized, even before entering the hotel, that Combs was preparing for a freak-off. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The jury was shown a photo Jane took while sitting in a car outside the hotel that night, which showed the building lit up mostly in white lights except for the red lights emanating from one room. Jane said she sat in the car for 40 minutes waiting for Combs, adding that she took the picture because it was extremely obvious that Combs assistants were setting up the room. When she finally met up with Combs, they began to fight. While Combs allegedly told Jane she didnt have to do the freak-off, Jane testified that in my heart I knew he didnt mean that, because it still happened that night. Jane later claimed that, near the end of their relationship in 2024, Combs told her he had no idea how she actually felt about the hotel nights. While Jane said she believed Combs at first, she soon reviewed her text history with him and realized that she had been saying the same things over and over again since 2021. Jane fought back tears during much of her emotional testimony, while prosecutor Maurene Comey appeared to position herself in such a way as to shield Combs from Janes view as she left the stand. Combs, for his part, sat back and appeared unfazed. He occasionally took quick glances at the jury as well, something Judge Arun Subramanian warned him about during court yesterday. Janes testimony Friday also marked the first time the court and jury heard recorded footage from a freak-off. Several of Combs alleged victims, including Casandra Cassie Ventura, have testified that Combs regularly recorded these encounters, and sometimes threatened to release them as blackmail material. (Later in the day, the jury but not the public also saw still images from several freak-offs, including one that allegedly took place at Combs house.) The recording presented to the court contained only audio, including a conversation between Jane, Combs, and a man who went by Don while sensual music thumped in the background. Jane was heard asking Don to wear a condom, and while Don agreed, Combs then walked into the room and intervened. Jane said she often asked the sex workers to use condoms, but eventually stopped because Combs didnt like it. He did not want to see a rubber while watching, she testified. At one point, Comey asked Jane why she needed Combs permission to have a sexual partner wear a condom. She replied that she was still trying to process that. Throughout her testimony, Jane discussed the various ways Combs and his staff allegedly coerced or forced her into doing things she was not comfortable with a dynamic thats at the heart of the states case against Combs. Along with her participation in the hotel nights, this also included, Jane testified, instances where she was asked to fly with drugs for Combs. For instance, Jane alleged, Combs once told her to fly with a pack of drugs from Los Angeles to meet him in Miami. Jane said she asked Combs former chief of staff Kristina Khorram if this was safe and OK, to which Khorram allegedly replied, Its fine, I do it all the time, just put it in your check[ed] luggage. On a couple of occasions, Jane also testified to organizing hotel nights herself, ostensibly as a surprise for Combs, but also because she could hear the gray lines in between his words that he was expecting them. She said that Combs would tell her things like, I cant wait to see what you have for me. Jane said, I just knew what task was being asked of me, adding that she obliged, even though she didnt want to, because, she loved [Combs] very deeply. Like other alleged victims, Jane also spoke about the control Combs wielded over her appearance. At one point, she said, Combs asked her to get her nipples pierced because it would turn him on and thats what he wanted from his girl. (Jane also claimed that Khorram set up the piercing appointment.) Jane said she kept the piercings for about a year, but took them off because they tore on her lingerie and also caused bleeding and infections. Sean would say things like Where are my piercings, This is the last time I see you where you dont have piercings on' she said. He was agitated. During one point in 2023, Jane said she grew worried about Combs health and encouraged him to take a month off from drugs. He allegedly agreed on the condition they throw a sobriety party at a hotel in Beverly Hills. Jane said she participated in the hotel night without drugs, struggling over the course of the encounter, which lasted between 12 to 18 hours. Despite it being a sobriety party, she said, Combs used ecstasy and cocaine. After having sex with two escorts, Jane said she began to throw up. Sean came in and I told him I had just thrown up, Jane testified. And he was like, Thats good, youll feel better. Lets go, the third guy is here.' Although Jane said her first hotel night with Combs in May 2021 was a spontaneous and fun sexual encounter that left her exhilarated, she believed that it was a one-time, taboo experience. But Jane said from that point on, 90 percent of her sexual encounters with Combs involved her having sex with another man in front of him. I truly felt that that night just opened like a Pandoras box in our relationship. It just completely set the tone for our relationship moving forward, Jane testified during her first day on the stand. I meant that it was just a door that I was unable to shut for the remainder of the relationship. Prosecutors previously claimed Combs manipulation of Jane went beyond financial control into threats and physical violence. Theyve said Combs busted down doors to get to Jane, dragged her by her hair, and kicked her while she was curled up in a ball on the ground. (Ventura previously testified that Combs used threats and physical violence to coerce her into hundreds of freak-offs during their 11-year relationship that ended for good in 2018.) The defendant continued asking Jane to have freak-offs and promising that if she did, they would spend quality time together, they would go on dates together, they would go on trips, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson said on the first day of Combs trial last month. That was what Jane wanted more than anything, a real relationship But even though the defendant promised her quality time and trips, he never delivered. Those were just lies he told her to get more nights in dark hotel rooms with escorts. Prosecutors have indicated they only began speaking with Jane in January, after they uncovered text messages she sent Combs in the days after Venturas lawsuit was filed in November 2023. It makes me sick how three solid pages, word for word, is exactly my experiences and my anguish, she texted Combs. Combs allegedly responded by gaslighting Jane and making a vague reference to her financial support, so their dating relationship continued into 2024, prosecutors said. In the defenses dueling opening statement, Combs lawyer, Teny Geragos, sought to set Jane apart from Ventura. She told jurors that by the time Combs started seeing Jane, he was more upfront about his dating life, including the fact that he was dating multiple women. Geragos said Jane also was older and more mature than Ventura, living her own life in a different state raising her child. Geragos said that after Janes first experience with a freak-off, she began to do everything possible to make these nights incredible for Combs. Geragos suggested Jane made the choice to engage in freak-offs out of love. More than two dozen witnesses already have testified at Combs trial, which is now at the close of its fourth week. Prosecutors have called multiple former assistants, alleged male escorts, and even Scott Mescudi, the musician and actor known as Kid Cudi, to support their allegations Combs used his wealth, influence, and inner circle to carry out crimes aimed at fulfilling his sexual desires and protecting his reputation. Best of Rolling Stone Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. NEW YORK A young single mom who was involved with Sean Diddy Combs until his arrest last year laid out gut-wrenching accounts of being sexually exploited by the multimillionaire rap mogul at Manhattan Federal Court on Friday. In explicit detail, Jane, a pseudonym, described multiple nights she spent sleeping with strangers in dimly lit hotel rooms as the rap mogul known as Diddy watched, masturbated, and plied her with hard drugs. She became so overcome with emotion at times she couldnt speak. Under questioning by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey, Jane could not estimate how many men the domineering Combs paired her with over their years together, which ended when the feds arrested him in September 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Combs decided how many rounds of sex with strangers Jane would engage in, she said, testifying that it was sometimes as many as three. When asked who decided whether she could stop if she got tired during hours and hours of sex, Jane said Combs did and broke down into tears, later saying he would administer her ecstasy to stay awake. He would be like, Youre not getting tired on me, are you? Lets finish strong, Jane quoted Combs. The witness said she cried at least twice in response to Combs wanting the sexual performances, including once when she thought they had a date night planned. She described Combs as being disgusted at her pain. Jane, a single mom of one who had experience working in the service industry and a couple of modeling gigs before meeting Combs, wept throughout her testimony. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said she felt obligated to participate in the degrading sessions, partly because she believed he loved her and also because the hip-hop entrepreneur paid her rent and had threatened to withhold it. She said she tried to exercise some agency by choosing which escorts to sleep with and communicated to him many times, usually in writing, that she didnt want to be participating in the dehumanizing encounters. In one text Jane sent to Combs displayed in court Friday, she told the mogul she didnt want to play that role in his life anymore. Its dark, sleazy and makes me feel disgusted with myself, Jane wrote. Its the only reason you have me around and why you pay for my house. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The text continued with Jane saying she didnt want to feel obligated to perform in the sessions and feared losing him. Her voice sounding lifeless, Jane said the longest hotel night was over New Years in 2022, running for three and a half days. Describing one night in October 2023, she said the plan had been to stay sober, but she ended up taking drugs like ecstasy. After grueling, hours-long sessions with two men, Jane said she vomited in the bathroom, and Combs came to get her. Thats good, youll feel better, she quoted Combs. Lets go, the third guy is here. Jane said she was repulsed by the situation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jane is the last of three women the jury will hear from at the trial who allege the rap mogul sexually exploited them, leaving them crippled by low self esteem and physical exhaustion. Casandra Cassie Ventura, Combs ex of 11 years, took the stand first, and over four days, describing being brutalized in violent beatings, coerced into hundreds of dehumanizing sexual performances with men hired off the internet, and isolated from her loved ones while she healed from injuries. Ventura said Combs orchestrated the sessions he called freak offs and recorded many of them for blackmail. A former assistant of Combs, who testified under the pseudonym Mia, testified that she was raped and sexually assaulted by Combs multiple times during her employment between 2009 through 2017. She said she was forced to work untenable hours and had little agency, living at Combs properties and requiring permission to leave, even off the clock. Janes accounts mirrored many of those provided by Ventura like Combs forcing her to sleep with a stranger on her birthday, dictating when and where men would ejaculate, and then what happened with the bodily fluids. He also had rules around contraception. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He better not ask for a f--king condom, an inconsolable Jane quoted Combs once saying about an escort. The Manhattan U.S. attorneys office alleges Combs operated a criminal enterprise that saw his inner circle resort to crimes like sex trafficking, kidnapping, distributing drugs, exploiting employees for labor, and arson from 2004 to 2024. They say his associates went to extreme lengths to cover up his crimes and habitual violence and keep his victims isolated and submissive. In addition to extensive testimony about the sordid sexual performances and instances of domestic violence, the jury has heard allegations that an armed Combs kidnapped his former longtime assistant, Capricorn Clark, in late 2011 to help him hunt down and murder the rapper Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, after Combs heard hed dated Ventura. Mescudi testified about his Hollywood Hills home being broken into, which Clark said she witnessed Combs carry out, and his Porsche being totaled with a Molotov cocktail weeks later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges including sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transporting individuals for prostitution. If found guilty, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. -------------- NEW YORK A young single mom who was involved with Sean Diddy Combs until his arrest last year said she was habitually sexually exploited by the multimillionaire rap mogul in gut-wrenching testimony at Manhattan Federal Court on Friday. In explicit detail, Jane, a pseudonym, described multiple days-long events spent sleeping with strangers in dimly lit hotel rooms as Combs watched, masturbated and plied her with hard drugs. During her testimony, she became so overcome with emotion at times she couldnt speak. Under questioning by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey, Jane could not estimate how many men the domineering Combs paired her with over their years together, which ended when the feds arrested him in September 2024. She said Combs decided how many rounds of sex with strangers she would engage in, testifying that it was sometimes as many as three. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked who decided whether she could stop if she got tired during hours and hours of sex, Jane said Combs did, and broke down into tears, later saying he would give her ecstasy to stay awake. He would be, like, Youre not getting tired on me, are you? Lets finish strong, Jane quoted Combs. Jane, a single mom of one who had experience working in the service industry and a couple of modeling gigs before meeting Combs, wept throughout her testimony. She said she felt obligated to participate in the degrading sessions, partly because she believed Combs loved her and also because the hip-hop entrepreneur paid her rent but often threatened to cut her off. I felt that at, any given opportunity, Sean was just hovering the house over my head, Jane testified. (He) always brought it up in so many ways, that he was paying for it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jane said she tried to exercise some agency by choosing which escorts to sleep with and communicated to Combs many times, usually by text, that she didnt want to participate in the dark, sleazy encounters. Between May 2021 and October 2023, she said Combs always reacted the same when she tried to assert herself upset, defensive, belittling, dismissive. Combs appetite was insatiable, Jane said. The hotel sessions were so frequent and so intense that the witness said she had urinary tract infections almost weekly. She later testified that she sometimes had to resort to sending Combs pictures of used toilet paper and tampons to prove she was menstruating and unable to participate in sessions. Her voice sounding lifeless, Jane said the longest hotel night was over New Years in 2022, running for three and a half days. Describing another night in October 2023, she said the plan had been to stay sober, but she ended up taking drugs like ecstasy. After grueling, hours-long sessions with two men, Jane said she vomited in the bathroom, and Combs came to get her. Thats good, youll feel better, she quoted Combs saying. Lets go, the third guy is here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jane is the last of three women the jury will hear from at the trial who allege Combs sexually exploited and psychologically abused them behind closed doors while at the peak of his success. All described their worlds being diminished in his orbit, leaving them incapacitated by low self-esteem and chronic physical exhaustion. Casandra Cassie Ventura, Combs ex of 11 years, took the stand first and, over four days, described being brutalized in violent beatings, coerced into hundreds of dehumanizing sexual performances with men hired off the internet, and isolated from her loved ones while she healed from injuries. Ventura, who was 17 years Combs junior and developed a relationship with him after being signed to Bad Boy Records, said Combs orchestrated the sessions he called freak-offs and recorded many of them for blackmail. Jane said on Friday that Combs recorded the sessions almost every time on his iPhone, claiming it would be for their eyes only. A former Combs assistant, who testified under the pseudonym Mia, said that she was raped and sexually assaulted by Combs multiple times during her employment between 2009 through 2017. She said she was forced to work untenable hours and had little freedom, living at Combs properties and requiring permission to leave, even when off the clock. Janes accounts mirrored many of those provided by Ventura, such as Combs forcing her to sleep with a stranger on her birthday, dictating when and where men would ejaculate, and peculiar rituals involving escorts bodily fluids. Both women said he sought to control their appearances; Jane said Friday that Combs paid for her to get veneers because he didnt like my teeth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Combs also had rules around contraception, Jane said. He better not ask for a fing condom, she quoted Combs once saying about an escort. As Ventura had also testified, Jane said she felt like Combs pretended she was his girlfriend but was really using her to objectify in the vile sex sessions. She said that was apparent when she saw Instagram posts of him spending quality time with other women after forcing her to stay awake for days on drugs to have sex with other men. Asked about Combs taking another woman on vacation after allegedly coercing her into a particularly brutal hotel session on her birthday, Jane became distraught, saying, It broke my heart because I just finished spending my birthday with all these guys having sex with me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The jury heard an audio recording that an irate Combs once sent Jane when she confronted him about his performing romantic gestures for other women while relegating her to degrading sex sessions, calling her fin nuts. Be sad, go crazy, do whatever the f you wanna do, Combs was heard saying in the recording, a tone Jane said he took with her often. The Manhattan U.S. Attorneys Office alleges Combs operated a criminal enterprise that saw him and his inner circle of staff resort to crimes like sex trafficking, kidnapping, distributing drugs, exploiting employees for labor and arson from 2004 to 2024. They say his high-ranking employees went to extreme lengths to cover up his crimes and habitual violence and keep his victims isolated and submissive. Jane said on Friday that she saw various secretaries and assistants of Combs bringing a good amount of cash to the hotels where Combs would pay escorts to sleep with her, and that staff also set up the rooms before the sessions began. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges including sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transporting individuals for prostitution, and claims he never forced women into sexual performances against their will. If found guilty, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. -------------- A second 13-year-old boy was busted in the deadly shooting of an innocent man visiting his friend in the Bronx just days after Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that youth violence has soared in the city, according to cops. The young teen was charged Wednesday evening with second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon in the April 23 slaying of 28-year-old Daoud Marji, cops said. The young teen was picked up Wednesday evening at LaGuardia Airport, where members of the NYPDs Warrants Squad nabbed him as he landed on a flight from Miami, sources said. The young teen was charged with second-degree murder in the April stray bullet shooting death of Daoud Marji, 28, cops said. A week earlier, another 13-year-old boy surrendered to cops in connection to the same slaying facing charges of second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter and criminal use of a firearm, authorities said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Daoud, a 28-year-old plumbers apprentice from Yonkers, was not the intended target of the gunfire nor was a 33-year-old woman who was struck in the hip and wounded in the fray, according to law enforcement sources, police sources said. Daoud was meeting up with a pal from Detroit at University Avenue and West Kingsbridge Road just before 5 p.m. when bullets flew with a single round striking him in the head, according to cops and his father. He was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he clung to life but ultimately succumbed to his injuries. Daouds dad Saed Marji, 56, previously told The Post he encouraged his son not to travel to the Bronx, because he heard the area was bad. Daoud (top left), a plumbers apprentice from Yonkers, was visiting a friend in Kingsbridge Heights when he found himself in the line of fire. Hours after that arrest was announced, a 15-year-old boy was shot and wounded, also in the Bronx, cops said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The teen was blasted once in the right thigh at 11:58 p.m. Wednesday on Exterior Street in Concourse Village, authorities said. The boy told police he heard gunshots and then realized he was hit, sources said. Last week, another 13-year-old boy was arrested in the same murder, police said. Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock He was taken to Harlem Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition. Two males were seen fleeing on foot, according to the sources. It was not immediately clear whether the teen was targeted or an innocent bystander. The violence continued in broad daylight Thursday, when two 17-year-old boys were shot in the Bronx, apparently by stray bullets, cops and sources said. Youth violence has been on the rise in New York City since 2018, Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock One of the boys was blasted in the neck and the other in the arm around 1:20 p.m. at East 176th Street and Anthony Avenue in the Mount Hope neighborhood, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both were taken to Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where they were listed in stable condition, police said. Neither of the victims have criminal histories, and they were shot from a distance leading investigators to preliminary believe that neither was the intended target, sources said. The troubling violence comes just days after Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch revealed that youth violence has skyrocketed in the Big Apple and placed the blame on the states contentious Raise the Age law. The number of kids under the age of 18 busted with a gun increased by a whopping 136% between 2018 and 2024, the top cop said Tuesday alongside Mayor Eric Adams at a crime stats briefing held at City Hall. Over the same period, Tisch said the number of underage shooters soared 192%, while the number of juvenile victims of gun violence spiked by 81%. HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) A second man charged in a deadly 2023 shooting outside a Carolina Forest Planet Fitness has been sentenced for his role in the incident, the 15th Circuit Solicitors Office said Friday. Branden Huertas, 43, of Trumbull, Connecticut, pleaded guilty on Thursday to accessory after the fact of murder. He was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Michael G. Nettles to 15 years in prison, the maximum sentence for the charge. However, Nettles suspended Huertas sentence to 10 years of prison and three years of probation, which includes requirements such as mental health treatment, drug and alcohol treatment, and counseling during his probation, the solicitors office said. Huertas co-defendant, Abdullah Seifullah, was convicted Thursday of the murder and sentenced to life in prison. Abdullah Seifullah / Photo: J. Reuben Long Detention Center David Roldan-Dimas of York County, South Carolina, was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting, Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard said. It happened outside a Carolina Forest Planet Fitness gym. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the prosecutions closing arguments, they said Seifullah killed Roldan-Dimas because he needed Roldan-Dimas Camero. They said Seifullahs car could not be driven and that he needed a car to drive to Connecticut. Roldan-Dimas was shot in his left shoulder, with the bullet going through several organs and down his back, the prosecution said. He only drove a few feet before he crashed into another car and died. * * * Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW. In early May, Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, launched a series of large-scale, coordinated attacks in the north and east of Burkina Faso, highlighting the deteriorating security situation in the country since Capt. Ibrahim Traore seized power in a coup in September 2022. Traore opted for a militarized approach to the Islamist insurgency that has bedeviled Burkina Faso since 2015, believing he could drive JNIM back by force alone. But his counterinsurgency strategy has only deepened the crisis and fueled ethnic hatred, even as he has begun to repress all critical voices and anyone he perceives as a threatincluding within the armyto an unprecedented level. The focus of JNIMs most recent attacks was Djibo, the major city in northern Burkina Faso that is home to 300,000, many of them internally displaced people from nearby villages. For the past several years, the city has been under a blockade by the al-Qaida-affiliated group, which controls the surrounding countryside. On May 11, motorcycle-riding assailants overwhelmed government security forces, seizing the citys military camp and looting numerous weapons stored there, including pickup trucks mounted with machine guns. They also targeted the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland, or VDP, a state-backed pro-government militia, with at least a hundred people reportedly killed in total. Simultaneously, JNIM attacked other nearby locations, and the following day the group struck in the east of the country, where it briefly occupied the town of Diapaga. Though present in all three countries of the central SahelBurkina Faso, Mali and NigerJNIM sees Burkina Faso as the weak link and has concentrated its efforts there. As such, it has controlled large swathes of Burkinabe territory for years, particularly in the north and east, with just one-third of the national territory estimated to be under government control. But until now, the group had largely adopted a guerrilla warfare approach, operating in rural areas that the state and army struggle to administer. These most recent attacks on urban centers are alarming both for their unprecedented scale and for potentially signaling a shift in the groups strategy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the Burkinabe authorities fail to regain the initiative against JNIM, we may unfortunately see some secondary cities fall under its control, says Mathieu Pellerin, Sahel analyst at the International Crisis Group. To get more in-depth news and expert analysis on global affairs from WPR, sign up for our free Daily Review newsletter. Tanguy Quidelleur, a researcher at the Sorbonne University, is similarly concerned about JNIM tightening its presence around the capital, Ouagadougou, and the countrys second-largest city, Bobo-Dioulasso. But although the group appears to be on the offensive and seizing the initiative, Quidelleur is not convinced it has the ambition and the capacity to hold cities, due to its roots as a rural insurgency. Fearing another coup, Traore is now cracking down on any form of opposition or perceived threat to an extent never seen in Burkina Faso. Taking a city means handling public services like water and electricity, which is complex, he explains. They lack the administrative or political structures to manage urban zones unless they co-opt others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whether or not that is the case, Traores handling of the security situation since seizing power has played into JNIMs hands. First, he abandoned the community dialogue initiatives pursued by previous governments, which aimed to demobilize some of the insurgents, in favor of an exclusively military approach. But, as Pellerin pointed out, a military solution alone cannot solve a problem rooted in a sociopolitical and socioeconomic context that drives many citizens to take up arms. Worse still, Traore is relying on an army that is incapable of delivering results, in part due to severe logistical weaknesses. When units are attacked, reinforcements arrive late, if at all, and ground troops lack air support. Meanwhile, JNIM strengthens its position by looting substantial war spoils, including weapons, ammunition and vehicles, as in Djibo. Besides its disastrous results on the ground, Traores strategy has further undermined security by increasing civilian exposure to jihadist attacks. While civilians have been vulnerable since the beginning of the conflict, that increased with the creation of the VDP in 2020 and even more so with the militias nationwide expansion under Traore. As Quidelleur explained, Jihadists are increasingly targeting civilians, whom they accuse of supplying men to the VDP. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both the Burkinabe and the VDP are also guilty of serious abuses against civilians that disproportionately target the Fulani ethnic group from which JNIM recruits a large portion of its fighters. The most recent massacre took place in March near Solenzo, in the west of the country. According to Human Rights Watch, the army and the VDP killed at least 130 Fulani civilians, including women, the elderly and children. Such massacres fuel the vicious cycle of conflict by pushing young Fulani men to join JNIM to protect themselves and take revenge against the state. In short, civilians are caught between jihadists and state forces supported by the VDP, forcing more and more people to flee their villages. Today, there are an estimated 3 million internally displaced people in a country with a population of about 23 million, resulting in a catastrophic humanitarian situation. A Burkinabe analyst who spoke on the condition of anonymity is deeply concerned about the broader societal impact of the war, particularly with regard to the demonization of the Fulani as terrorists. The discourse is becoming more uninhibited, with increasing calls for massacres, this person said. Those who commit abuses film themselves eagerly, post on social media, and no one is shocked. War, the analyst added, is transforming Burkinabe society, making it more violent, even as ethnic hatred is growing. The military collapse is also fueling discontent within the armed forces, with many officers reportedly at odds with how Traore is handling the war. Some observers believe another coup is possible, and the government seems to agree. On April 21, it denounced a major conspiracy and arrested several officers. The army is fractured, and Traore is aware of it. Upon taking power, he restructured the armed forces and created Rapid Intervention Battalions, or BIR, to fight JNIMbut also to prevent a coup. And in October 2023, he dismissed the chief of staff of the gendarmerie, Lt. Col. Evrard Somda, who was then arrested in January 2024. Traore believed Somda posed a threat to him because he is a highly competent and respected officer, and the gendarmerie is a well-trained, effective and sizable force, notes the Burkinabe analyst. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The question now, says Pellerin, is: Who among the BIR and other secret units that Traore created remain loyal to him? Its hard to know for sure, but recent arrests and instances of orders being refused suggest his control of the very apparatus he built is challenged. Fearing another coup, Traore is now cracking down on any form of opposition or perceived threat to an extent never seen in Burkina Faso. Numerous politicians, journalists and human rights defenders have been imprisoned. Some have even been conscripted by the army as a form of punishment and humiliation, including Ablasse Ouedraogo, a former foreign minister who was forcibly enlisted despite being 70 years old. But the repression is now even targeting high-ranking regime figures. Several judges were conscripted in August 2024 after initiating legal proceedings against Traore supporters. And in an almost unthinkable move, the brother of the Mogho Nabathe king of the Mossi people, a traditional authority who plays a significant role in the countrywas abducted on April 30, just days after the government claimed to have foiled a coup attempt. Reportedly, Traore had asked the Mogho Naba to mediatea role he often assumes in such situationsbut the king refused. The security minister accused traditional leaders of being involved in the coup plot. Many safeguards have been dismantled, said the Burkinabe analyst, expressing grave concern. If judges, a chief of staff and the brother of the Mogho Naba can be arrested, it means no one is safe. And theres no one left to oppose Traore. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In short, the more pressure JNIM applies, the more divisions within the junta and Burkinabe society deepenand the more Traore lashes out at anyone perceived as a threat. There is little hope for improvement as long as Traore remains in power. Tangi Bihan is a journalist based in Guinea, where he is a correspondent for Radio France Internationale (RFI). He writes also for Afrique XXI and Le Monde diplomatique. The post With Security Unraveling, Burkina Fasos Traore Is Getting Desperate appeared first on World Politics Review. It feels like a distant memory now, but back in 2023, then-presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis faced widespread condemnation and ultimately fired a campaign staffer who circulated a video that featured Nazi imagery. Backlash to the video at the time came from liberals and MAGA types alike, as you can see in the replies and other posts addressed to Republican strategist Luke Thompson, who first highlighted the video. As NBC News noted, the fired staffer, Nathan Hochman, had been seen as something of a thought leader in the MAGA movement and had previously praised neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes influence on young men (in 2022, Hochman distanced himself from those remarks and from Fuentes, saying he thought Fuentes politics are both wrong on the merits and profoundly immoral). At the time of his firing, the campaign declined to specify to NBC News why Hochman had been let go, and Hochman would not comment on the video to Semafor. In 2024, Hochman suggested to political blog Florida Politics that he was unaware the imagery was connected to Nazis when he promoted it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But it appears that since his departure from Team DeSantis, Hochman has gone up in the world from staffing a failed presidential campaign to a position with a sitting senator. The newsletter Liberal Currents and The Guardian both report that Hochman now works for Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri. And the public affairs website LegiStorm, which maintains a database of congressional employees, lists Hochman as a policy adviser in Schmitts office. (Schmitts office didnt immediately respond to MSNBCs request for comment.) And at the same time the senator employs this man who promoted Nazi iconography, Schmitt is aiding the Trump administrations authoritarian assault on campuses and universities. Schmitt has promoted both online and from the Senate floor the bogus claim that diversity measures fuel antisemitism. The hypocrisy is glaring: If only the senator were as dogged in rooting out bigotry in his own office, perhaps Hochman would not be working there. This all speaks to a point Democratic Rep. Greg Casar highlighted during a recent House hearing: The conservative movement has a pattern of platforming people known for antisemitic statements. Given recent news headlines, youd be forgiven for thinking Republicans are running some sort of affirmative action program for racists. You may remember Marko Elez, the employee in Trumps dubiously named Department of Government Efficiency who was rehired with an even broader remit over federal agencies after being dismissed for unearthed social media posts such as Just for the record, I was racist before it was cool. My colleague Steve Benen has written about Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson, a pro-extremist influencer with a history of promoting racist and antisemitic claims. Theres also Darren Beattie, a current high-ranking official at the State Department who has a history of promoting racist extremism and associating with white nationalists known for antisemitic views. Which makes Hochman just the latest right-wing extremist to find himself with an influential job in government. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Senate Republicans are seeking to cut off a key funding source for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) as part of a mammoth package to advance President Trumps tax agenda and spending cuts. Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee said the legislative text unveiled Friday would block CFPBs ability to fund itself by significantly limiting its funding structure. Currently, as part of its funding structure, the CFPB receives transfers from the central bank not exceeding a cap set at 12 percent of the Federal Reserve Systems total operating expenses in 2009. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the proposal offered by Senate Republicans on Friday would reduce that cap to zero. The measure goes further than the House version of Trumps big beautiful bill, which seeks to reduce the cap to 5 percent. The GOP-led Senate committee said Friday the move would not affect the Bureaus existing ability to request funds from Congress and would result in about $6.4 billion in savings over 10 years. The CFPB has long faced legal challenges over its funding structure, as Republicans have pushed for the agency to be funded through the annual appropriations process in Congress that many other federal agencies are subject to instead of the Federal Reserve. Some Republicans have said they see the broader tax and spending cuts plan as their best shot to rein in an agency theyve argued has too much power and independence. The recent text has drawn swift backlash from Democrats on the banking committee, however. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), the top Democrat on the committee, attacked the Republican proposal in statement Friday afternoon, saying it goes beyond the already extreme House bill and is yet another example of Republicans reckless and bloodthirsty pursuit of destroying the CFPB an agency that has returned over $21 billion to scammed Americans by any means necessary, after failing to get their way in court. Another section of the legislation calls for moving non-monetary policy related Federal Reserve employees to a new pay scale calculated at 70 percent of the pay of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Republicans outline in a breakdown of the measure. Republicans say the employees salaries would be adjusted to approximately the same as employees at the Department of the Treasury as part of a measure the committee estimates would generate savings of $1.4 billion. Republicans say the move would bring parity to the pay scale of the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department. However, Democratic members of the banking committee accused their GOP colleagues of punishing Fed staff and undermining their ability to police big banks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other proposals sought by the committee include measures to yank back funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Developments Green and Resilient Retrofit Program authorized under the Biden administration, eliminate what Republicans say is the Treasury Departments duplicative office of Office of Financial Research, and transferring duties and functions of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The language is similar to recent legislation that passed the House. The measure also seeks to provide $1 billion for the Defense Production Act fund. Overall, Republicans on the committee estimated the net budgetary impacts of the legislation to result in a 10-year budgetary savings of $8.447 billion. Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) said Friday that he worked with House and Senate colleagues to carefully scrutinize programs and spending within our jurisdiction and identify efficiencies and cost savings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This legislation takes important steps to reduce waste and duplication in financial regulation while bolstering our national security, and I look forward to advancing these provisions as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill, he said. Democrats, on the other hand, are vowing to fight the suite of proposals as what they have described as an attack on American consumers. Their bill also guts other regulators created after the 2008 crisis that help keep our financial system safe, Warren said Friday. This will not stand and dont just take it from me, take it from the litany of Senate Republicans who are on the record saying this violates Senate rules. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) President Donald Trump and Elon Musks relationship fell apart very publicly Thursday as the two sniped jabs at each other on social media. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) shared his thoughts on the feud in a few posts on his personal X account. Sen. Lee posted pictures of the Musk and President Trump and stated that he really likes both of them, seemingly disappointed that the two are at odds. Later, Lee also replied to a post by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who said that Musk did not get involved in government to enrich himself and politicians did not understand that. Lee agreed that Musk was never in government for money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PREVIOUSLY: Musk backs call to impeach Trump, replace him with Vance Lee also posted several times about his desire for Musk and Trump to reconcile, in one post asking people to reply if they agree that the world is a better place with the Trump-Musk bromance fully intact. The feud between Musk and Trump comes after Musk left his position in the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) at the end of May and Musk attended his send-off at the White House with a black eye. The public disagreements between the President and the richest man in the world began when Musk criticized Trumps Big Beautiful Bill, calling it a disgusting abomination. Then during an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz Thursday, Trump said that he was very surprised and very disappointed in Musk following his criticisms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response, Musk took to X, posting claims that Trump had ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He claimed that Trumps involvement is the reason that the Epstein files have not been made public. Later, Musk replied to a post calling for Trump to be impeached and replaced by Vice President JD Vance, agreeing with the post. Latest headlines: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. CHEYENNE The new Senior Activity Center serving Cheyenne and Laramie County residents broke ground in November 2023 and was slated to open in early 2025. After a short delay in the process, it is now set to open on July 7. Bringing the new facility to the community has been a years-long process. Laramie County Commissioner Troy Thompson recalled conversations over a decade ago about speaking with community stakeholders on how to secure funding for the project. At the time, he said, there was no space to get it placed on the sixth-penny sales tax ballot, a fund for specific projects through a voluntary sales tax decided by voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2021, the item got on the ballot. Laramie County voters approved the item with more than 60% in favor of the additional sales tax to raise more than $10.1 million for the center. The new location, at 4100 E. Pershing Blvd., will have two floors, totaling 15,000 square feet, and 78 parking spots, including accessible parking and accessibility from Pershing Boulevard. It will have space for exercise, gaming, open and private offices for various senior groups, an elevated bingo platform, vending, medical storage, showers and dining services. Considering its been ... 13 years since we got asked to put it on the ballot, and it was a need then, its a tremendous need for our community, and its going to be such a wonderful asset to the community and really to the seniors in Laramie County and Cheyenne, Thompson said. Im just crazy excited to get it done. Construction is nearly complete, but Laramie County Senior Services (LCSS), which will operate the services in the facility, hasnt been able to get into the building to get things fully ready yet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thompson said issues arose during the construction phase when it was mutually decided that management of LCSS would be transferred from Cheyenne Housing Authority (CHA), which currently manages it at their downtown location, to the county. The existing facility, at 2101 Thomes Ave., will close at the end of the month as LCSS officials have said it is no longer large enough to serve the countys growing senior population. CHA already owned the north half of the new Pershing Boulevard property, and the county reimbursed CHA for purchase of the southern portion of the property. Because Laramie County funded the purchase with sixth-penny funds, Thompson said the county was technically the owner. When it was decided to transfer management of LCSS from CHA to the county, the county agreed to purchase the north portion of the land from CHA and open the facility as scheduled in early 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, when CHA had initially purchased the north half of the property, the organization involved the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), meaning HUD was on the property title. For the county to purchase the north portion of the land, HUD required a new environmental assessment to build on the land. We didnt think it was going to be a big issue, because the previous use was as a senior center, the new use would be a senior center, and the same people would be serviced with that, Thompson said. However, the process was time consuming, and the project was delayed by several months as no construction could occur on the north half of the property. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thompson said he believes HUD is close to signing off on the environmental assessment, allowing the county to purchase the land from CHA. Thats still an ongoing process. But in the meantime, because everybody sees this new senior center and wants it to be opened, were going to enter into a memorandum of understanding with CHA that will allow us to provide senior services until that sale is complete, he said. The MOU is expected to come before the county commissioners in the coming weeks. It is unclear at this time how much the purchase of the north half of the property, which is approximately 33,135 square feet and has an existing building and parking lot, will cost or when that purchase will occur. It is also uncertain where the funds for the purchase will come from, but Thompson said the county cannot use the sixth-penny funds for it, as that was allocated solely for the purchase of the southern part of the property and construction of the facility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins said he is excited for the facility to open in about a month. The city and county have a large senior population, and some of the things I learned during COVID was how important socialization is, getting people together for the quality of life of seniors and the services that this particular facility is going to provide, I think are going to be extremely valuable, he said. Ray Gallegos, chairman of the LCSS board, said this project fills a large need in the community. We dont have a senior center thats adequate to service (seniors in the area). So that population is aging, and they need activities, he said. They need things that keep them in a communal setting, talking to people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement LCSS defines seniors in the community as those over age 60. Julie Malm, the director of LCSS, said her organization will continue to look for fundraising opportunities through selling naming rights for certain parts of the building, which will help fund programs and new equipment. SEYMOUR, Conn. (WTNH) A man has died in a single-car rollover crash on Route 8 North Thursday evening in Seymour, state police said. The driver was identified as Daniel Popiolek, 37, of Beacon Falls, state police said. The crash happened around 6:54 p.m. on Thursday on Route 8 North near Exit 18. State police said the vehicle was traveling in the left lane of two when it lost control and entered the roadside, rolled over and hit a light pole. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The driver was ejected from the vehicle during the rollover, state police said. Train service from New York to New Haven suspended due to downed wires He was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. The crash remains under investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com. At least 12 people have suffered health problems after a suspicious package was found at a DHL distribution centre near Nuremberg in southern Germany. Seven of them were taken to hospital, a police spokeswoman said, cautioning the number could rise. The spokeswoman said that initial investigations suggested a suspicious package was found on Friday morning and that an initially unknown substance had leaked from the package. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police, fire brigade and hazardous materials specialists were called to the scene in the town Langenzenn, the spokeswoman said. The building was evacuated and the fire brigade set up a decontamination shower to wash off any harmful substances. The police spokeswoman said that there was no danger to the general public. Severe storms are moving through eastern New Mexico Thursday afternoon, but will move out later tonight. Hotter and mostly dry weather will move this weekend. A Tornado Watch is in effect for southeast New Mexico until 9 PM today. A couple tornadoes have already been reported in Roosevelt County this afternoon. Severe storms have also been developing across other parts of southeast New Mexico. A couple storms also developed in northern New Mexico today. Strong to severe storms are also possible through this evening in far northeast parts of the state. Storms will move out of New Mexico by late this evening. Drier weather will continue to move into New Mexico into this weekend. Storm chances will still be possible Friday afternoon in far eastern New Mexico. That includes another threat of severe weather. Temperatures will continue a warming trend across the state Friday. On Saturday, only a spotty shower or two is likely in northeast New Mexico, but on Sunday, more isolated storms are possible in northern and eastern New Mexico. Temperatures will again continue to warm up through the weekend, with Sunday being the hottest day for most. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More moisture will move into eastern New Mexico Monday, bringing a better chance for showers and thunderstorms up to the northern mountains as well. Outflow from those storms will push moisture as far west as the Continental Divide Tuesday morning. This will bring a more widespread chance for storms Tuesday afternoon. Rain chances move back into eastern parts of the state Wednesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. PIEDMONT TRIAD, N.C. (WGHP) We are entering a new, summerlike weather pattern of heat, humidity, and late-day thunderstorms. There is patchy fog around the Piedmont this morning. We are expecting the fog to burn off later this morning, ushering in sunshine for the lunch hour. Later in the afternoon, partly cloudy skies develop and may be accompanied by isolated showers and thunderstorms. There is a Level 1/Marginal Risk of severe weather today, with the primary threat being from damaging winds. Highs will be near 87 this afternoon. Once the sun sets at 8:35 pm, any storms left on the radar will fizzle out. Partly to mostly cloudy skies remain overnight, keeping temperatures warm in the upper-60s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There will be a cold front slowly approaching the Appalachians this weekend, bringing more unsettled weather to the forecast. Saturday, there is a Level 2/Slight Risk of severe weather in the afternoon and early evening. Thunderstorms may produce damaging winds as they develop during the hottest part of the day. The chance of rain is 40% and highs will return to near 87. The severe weather outlook drops back to Level 1/Marginal Risk on Sunday. A few isolated storms may produce damaging winds or large hail, but the threat will be greater over the eastern end of the state. There is a 50% chance of rain in the Piedmont and highs will be in the mid-80s. The cold front will dissipate as it moves into the Piedmont early Monday, so we will start the work week with pretty weather. Enjoy partly cloudy skies and highs in the mid-80s. Another cold front is forecast to kick up some thunderstorms on Tuesday. The chance of rain is 40% and highs will be in the lower-80s. This is the coolest day of the week, and highs are going to warm back up to the mid-80s on Wednesday and Thursday with partly cloudy skies Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP. Kori Cioca was sexually assaulted during her time in the military. She told her daughter, Shea, about the assault when Shea was 14. Her daughter, now 17, wants to be an advocate for survivors of sexual assault. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kori Cioca, a speaker with Peace Is Loud, an organization that helps survivors and advocates use public platforms to drive policy change, and her daughter, Shea Cioca-McDonald. It has been edited for length and clarity. This story contains references to sexual assault and suicidal ideation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When I joined the Coast Guard, I was excited. I loved boot camp the way the military bearing was squared away, standards were upheld, and professionalism and respect for one another was maintained at all times. However, when I arrived at my first posting on a small Coast Guard station, everything was drastically different. It was the little things I noticed at first, like how they used first names, not rank, and it felt like the people on board took zero pride in grooming and uniform standards. The culture was toxic; men would openly read pornographic magazines in common spaces, for example. That culminated in 2005, when I was violently sexually assaulted by one of the men above me in the chain of command. During the attack, he hit me so hard that he dislocated my jaw an injury that still causes me pain 20 years later. Since then, I've dealt with immense pain, both physically and emotionally. Finding out I was pregnant saved my life Despite all the trauma, I found moments of joy. After leaving the boat station where I was attacked, I moved out of state to Michigan, where I met my husband in the Coast Guard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We got married on Friday the 13th in 2007. Many people said it was bad luck to get married on a Friday the 13th, but I wasn't scared. Nothing could touch what I'd already been through. However, despite my love for my husband, I was suicidal. I actively had a plan to overdose on pain medications. At a doctor's visit during the same time, I took a urine test, and I found out I was pregnant. I couldn't kill my baby. When I heard Shea's heartbeat for the first time in 2007, it was like my heart started beating again, and I came alive. I couldn't fight for myself, but I would fight like hell for her. She truly saved my life. Telling my daughter about the assault helped her understand me I gave birth to Shea's brother four years later. As they grew, I knew they could see the lasting impact of my attack. I hadn't told them about it, but it was impossible to hide my visits to pain doctors and therapists. I'm also hyperaware in all situations and dislike crowds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once we were in PetSmart, and a dog barked. The unexpected noise made me jump and scream. Shea put her arms around me, and we laughed together, which diffused the tension. As Shea grew older, she came to recognize that my behaviors like wariness around men meant that there had to be more to my story. When she was 14, I told her about the assault. It came up unexpectedly, on a trip to the gas station. She was old enough to understand the fullness of the situation, and it would help her piece together who I am. We have a very open, close relationship. It was important to me to be transparent with her. My 13-year-old son, however, still doesn't know about the assault he's too young right now. Telling Shea about the assault shaped her life, too Shea says she was completely heartbroken for me when she heard about the assault. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She understood the shame I carried about it, even though I shouldn't have. She told me that she never wanted me to feel ashamed and didn't want shame to exist between us. Today, Shea is 17 and entering her senior year of high school. She wants to be an advocate for survivors of sexual assault and is exploring options for how to do that. Shea is already so good at supporting others. Recently, private pictures of another student were shared around the school, where Shea is a member of the marching band's color guard. The photos were shared without that student's permission. The girl in the pictures was so remorseful for taking them, but Shea told her, "Don't you dare think this is your fault." My daughter is becoming the advocate I wish I had Shea tells me she wants to change how people talk about sexual assault, down to the jokes that people are willing to laugh at. I tell her she has her work cut out for her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet, I'm so proud she's willing to take that work on. Shea has become the person I wish I had in my corner after I was sexually assaulted. This story came together with support from Peace is Loud, which helps amplify the voices of women and nonbinary activists around the world. Read the original article on Business Insider Paramount Global chair Shari Redstone has disclosed that she underwent surgery for thyroid cancer in May after being diagnosed earlier this year. A spokesperson for Redstone said, Shari Redstone was diagnosed with thyroid cancer earlier this spring. While it has been a challenging period, she is maintaining all professional and philanthropic activities throughout her treatment, which is ongoing. She and her family are grateful that her prognosis is excellent. More from Variety Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Redstone, 71, is in the midst of trying to close the high-stakes deal with Skydance Media that will see it merge with Paramount, the owner of CBS and other television stations, streaming platforms and Paramount Pictures. That agreement was struck in July 2024 but remains in limbo, as it still hasnt been approved by the FCC, led by Trump ally Brendan Carr. Shes also dealing with a lawsuit filed by President Trump against the CBS news division over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. Her cancer diagnosis is another difficult wrinkle in the already-tangled situation Redstone has been working to resolve. According to the New York Times, which first reported the story, Redstone said she consulted doctors about two months ago after experiencing fatigue and other symptoms. She had surgery to remove her thyroid gland, but surgeons were unable to remove the cancer cells that had spread to her vocal cords. She continues to be treated with radiation, the spokesperson said. Redstone had shared the news of her diagnosis with David Ellison, the head of Skydance, and with close family members and friends. If and when the Paramount-Skydance deal closes, Redstone will leave the merged companys board. Best of Variety Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. MEMPHIS, Tenn. The Shelby County Sheriffs Office needs your help in the fight against crime. The law enforcement agency is working to fill 300 correctional deputy positions, and they are offering a $5,000 retention bonus. On Thursday, the SCSO also had a graduation to honor a new group of law enforcement officers, with 11 deputies serving Shelby County. Were still more than 300 correctional officers short inside of the jail. And so, you know, that presents a lot of challenges as it relates to managing inmates behavior, as it relates to allowing us opportunities to maybe even expose some of the inmates to additional courses or classes to help rehabilitate them, said Chief Deputy Anthony Buckner, SCSO. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Law enforcement to increase in Memphis, Shelby County amid crime spike For the past few years, understaffing has been an issue within the Shelby County Sheriffs Office. Sheriff Floyd Bonner has told WREG its played a role in the recent inmate deaths at 201 Poplar. With hundreds and even thousands of inmates in custody, the need for correctional deputies is crucial. The more officers we have, that partner with us in that effort, then the greater opportunity we have to change the trajectory of the crime in our city, but more importantly, the incidents within our facility as well, said Chief Deputy Buckner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shelby County hiring 335 new corrections deputies To apply as a corrections deputy, you do not have to live in Shelby County, but you must pass a criminal background check. You also must be at least 18 years old, with a high school diploma and valid drivers license. Chief Deputy Buckner says the Sheriffs Office lowered the age requirement to provide better opportunities for the youth. Maybe if we can give these young people something to do and bring them into the agency at an earlier age and surround them with policies and veteran officers who can pour into them and mentor them, said Chief Deputy Buckner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Inmate dies after waiting one year to be picked up by TDOC Correctional deputies can also receive benefits, such as medical insurance and an incentive program that compensates college students. The SCSO told WREG the entry-level salary is more than $48,000, and after five years, its more than $62,000. Chief Deputy Buckner says this role also helps individuals serve the community in a positive way. And I think for the classes that come through here, for the young people who come through here, they have committed themselves to being part of the change. Theyve committed themselves to be the turn of the ship. And so, the biggest incentive we can offer, you know, to any candidate is the opportunity to serve and opportunity to give back, said Chief Deputy Buckner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Shelby County Sheriffs Office says they have 39 candidates going through the training or hiring process, and they currently have 1,400 applications in the system. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. COMPANY NEWS: This years winners enabled more organisations in international markets to realise the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation within customer service across Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). NiCE has announced the winners of its 2025 International Partner Awards at the Partner Summit events held in Croatia and Thailand. These honourees are helping our customers drive innovation, meet ambitious timelines, and deliver success in the new era of customer service automation with CXone Mpower. Winners were recognised across several categories. Standout partner wins included: UK&I Partner of the Year A 23-year partnership excelling in strategic wins, customer success, and AI platform adoption across the region. The winner was SVL Business Solutions Limited. APAC Partner of the Year An exemplary partner recognised for exceptional performance, market leadership, and highest bookings across categories including CXone Mpower and customer service automation. The winner was Optus Enterprise Solutions. Disruptor Partner of the Year A bold newcomer transforming NiCEs enterprise approach in EMEA with visionary execution. The winner was Natilik. Game Changer Partner of the Year A digital and AI go-getter that has built a 20+ strong CXone Mpower team and secured four new logos in less than six months. The winner was Cirrus. APAC Rookie Partner of the Year A 2024 partnership that has achieved rapid success within the first 12 months. The winner was Singtel Telecommunications Limited. APAC Rising Star Partner of the Year A fast mover that secured the largest year-over-year booking growth in the region. The winner was NTT DATA. European Partner of the Year A standout partner known for smooth migrations, customer focus, and the successful delivery of a sovereign cloud project in a regulated market. The winner was CCT Solutions. Darren Rushworth, president, NiCE International, said, At the 2025 International Partner Summits, we reaffirmed our partner-first strategy and commitment to increased investment in our global ecosystem. All of this years award winners demonstrate the innovation, expertise, and dedication needed to help customers achieve service excellence, accelerate time to value, and adopt AI-driven automation. Our partners are essential to delivering efficiency, value, and transformative experiences in an ever-evolving market. About NiCE NiCE (NASDAQ: NICE) is transforming the world with AI that puts people first. Our purpose-built AI-powered platforms automate engagements into proactive, safe, intelligent actions, empowering individuals and organisations to innovate and act, from interaction to resolution. Trusted by organisations throughout 150+ countries worldwide, NiCEs platforms are widely adopted across industries connecting people, systems, and workflows to work smarter at scale, elevating performance across the organisation, delivering proven measurable outcomes. (NewsNation) Defense lawyers for former Letcher County, Kentucky, Sheriff Mickey Stines accused of fatally shooting a judge in his chambers last year have filed a motion to throw the case out. They argue prosecutors violated grand jury proceedings. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation. A now-suspended Florida sheriff accused of helping expand and protect an illegal gambling operation was granted $1 million bond on Friday. Marcos Lopez, 56, was arrested and charged Thursday with racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering, both first-degree felonies, in connection with what prosecutors called a "massive" illegal gambling operation in Central Florida, including Lake and Osceola counties. The operation generated more than $21.6 million in illicit proceeds, according to the Florida Attorney General's Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lopez, who was first elected to serve as the sheriff of Osceola County in 2020, allegedly took campaign contributions and personal payments from the operation before going on to play a "multifaceted role in expanding and protecting this illegal enterprise, using his office to shield the enterprise from law enforcement," the office said. MORE: Possible mass shooting at graduation thwarted; guns recovered, 1 suspect at large: Sheriff The charging document alleges Lopez and others charged in the case committed money laundering, operated a gambling house in Kissimmee and illegally possessed slot machines. Lopez is also accused, in his capacity as sheriff of Osceola County, of receiving "unlawful compensation or reward for official behavior" and using confidential information with the intent to obstruct a criminal investigation, according to the document. The allegations in a 255-page affidavit detail an "extreme breach of public trust," prosecutor Panagiota Papakos said during Lopez's first court appearance on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Text messages between Lopez and his alleged co-conspirators dating back to 2019 show his alleged involvement in the illegal enterprise, including sourcing new locations and screenshots of slot machines, according to Papakos. Lopez allegedly used his influence as sheriff to "facilitate this illegal enterprise" and "potentially obstruct criminal investigation into these businesses in Osceola County," she said. Lake County Sheriff's Office - PHOTO: Suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez appears in court, June 6, 2025. Since 2020, he allegedly obtained $600,000 to $700,000 in cash payments from the illegal enterprise, Papakos said. The state requested $600,000 bond for each count, for a total of $1.2 million, citing in part the seriousness of the alleged offenses. Lopez's defense attorney argued that such a bond would be very high for the nature of the crime and "tantamount to no bond," given what his family could afford. She asked for $25,000 bond for each count, for a total of $50,000, citing his lack of criminal history, "extreme ties" to the community and the non-dangerous nature of the offenses. She also asked that the court not treat Lopez any differently, merely because of his title, and still look at him "as a regular individual." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE: Parents charged with manslaughter after their 7-year-old son fatally struck by car in North Carolina Judge Emily Curington ultimately set his bond at $500,000 for each count, with conditions including that he undergo GPS monitoring and surrender his passport should he post bond. She also asked that the source of the funds be shown to the state, after Papakos expressed concerns about them coming from "any illegal enterprise or illegal proceeds." During the hearing, Lopez asked the judge how he would start the bond process. He currently remains in custody, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office's website. His next court date has been scheduled for June 30. He has yet to enter a plea. BREAKING! Osceola County Sheriff Marcos R. Lopez was arrested by @HSITampa following an investigation into a criminal organization operating an illegal gambling enterprise throughout Central Florida, particularly in Lake and Osceola Counties, which generated $21.6+ million in pic.twitter.com/hVazzAo5Ba HSI Tampa (@HSITampa) June 5, 2025 The investigation remains ongoing, and other charges may be announced at a later date, the Florida Attorney General's Office said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This is a solemn day for Florida and our law enforcement community. We put great trust in our constitutional officers, especially those who are our communities' first line of defense," Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a statement on Thursday. "However, the law must be applied equally, regardless of position, power, or branch of government. Public servants should never exploit the public's trust for personal gain." Lopez has been suspended per an executive order from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' office. Christopher Blackmon, the Central Region chief for the Florida Highway Patrol, was appointed as the Osceola County sheriff, according to DeSantis' order. A new detail about Jonathan Joss' murder has come to light as authorities investigating the case released a statement, walking back their initial claims. The beloved "King of the Hill" actor was gunned down on June 1 during a fiery altercation with a neighbor close to his San Antonio, Texas, home. Circumstances around the shooting suggested a hate crime, especially with alleged evidence from Joss' husband. However, the San Antonio police denied such claims until now. San Antonio Police Backpedal On Jonathan Joss' Death Facebook | Jonathan Joss In a June 5 press conference, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus gave an update on the case, admitting that his department had hastily declared Joss's shooting not a hate crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Initially, the police concluded that their "investigation has found no evidence whatsoever" that the actor's sexuality played a role in his murder. However, following immense backlash from the public, Chief McManus confessed the statement was "way, way, way premature." Taking responsibility, he added, "Shouldnt have done it. It was way too soon before we had any real information, and I will own that and simply say, again, that we shouldn't have done that. It was way too early in the process for any statement of that nature to be issued." The police chief further noted that the "premature statement" caused the LGBTQ+ community to feel "anxious," and for that, he once again apologizes. Concluding his speech, McManus paid tribute to the late star, saying, "The loss of Jonathan Joss was tragic and most, most heavily felt by the LGBTQ+ community." SAPD Alleges Taking Hate Crime Allegations Seriously Chief McManus' message at the press conference is a far cry from the initial statement the SAPD put out about Joss' killing. Just two days after he was shot, authorities debunked online claims of a homophobic attack, saying they "thoroughly reviewed all available information." According to them, "SAPD investigators handle these allegations very seriously." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, with the turnaround, the police chief explained why they have yet to charge the suspected killer with a hate crime. He noted that hate crimes cannot be charged separately in Texas. Also, the District Attorney's office is responsible for determining the correct charge. However, Chief McManus assured that his team of detectives is following every lead to get to the truth of Joss' "senseless" killing. A Pride Event Was Set Up To Honor The Late Actor We see you, we hear you and we stand with you. Join us June 5th, in partnership with @PrideSanAntonio https://t.co/Z94nzkETIc pic.twitter.com/rQmOfluXex San Antonio PD (@SATXPolice) June 4, 2025 Following the press conference, the SAPD announced a community forum, hosted in collaboration with Pride San Antonio, a nonprofit organization specializing in Pride celebrations. In a poster shared on the department's official X page, they urged the LGBTQ+ community in San Antonio to join them in a helpful conversation as they discuss their fears. They also promised to share updates about Joss's case during the June 5 meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We see you, we hear you, and we stand with you, today and always," the department promised. LGBTQ+ Community Slams Police Over Jonathan Joss' Death Facebook | Jonathan Joss Unfortunately, the walk-back by the police has further enraged members of the LGBTQ+ community. Many took to online platforms to rant about how cases involving hate crimes are often taken with levity. "SAPD continuously fails the LGBTQ community, particularly when they're PoC," one user wrote. "The mishandling of this case is atrocious. SAPD is unprofessional. Something larger needs to be done within this department," another comment read. A third fan suggested the police chief resign over the poor handling of the case. "Chief McManus HAS to go! How dare he allow this big of a mistake to happen," the critic penned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some fans insinuated that the Pride event was a ploy to victimize members of the LGBTQ+ community. Jonathan Joss' Husband Recalls Homophobic Threats Facebook | Jonathan Joss The new update on Jonathan Joss' murder comes after his husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, alleged that the shooting was inspired by homophobia. In a lengthy Facebook post, Gonzales recalled details of his husband's death, alleging that their San Antonio neighbors harassed and threatened them for two years. He claimed their burned property was due to those threats. Unfortunately, the bullying continued to that fateful day when they saw the skull of one of their dogs placed in plain view. Gonzales recounted that he and Joss cried in distress, which drew the attention of their neighbor, who was offended. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gonzales said the neighbor began "yelling violent homophobic slurs," after which he reached for his rifle and shot at Joss. The suspect has been identified as Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja. He has since been released on a $200,000 bail while awaiting trial. SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) If youve been wanting to achieve a celebrity look this summer without the celebrity budget, this weekend might be the perfect opportunity to get started for free. Shreveport native and celebrity personal trainer Kory Phillips will be in town this weekend to host Kings Weekend, a celebration of Shreveports Fitness Day. Known for training celebrities like Kai Cenat, Halle Bailey and many others the king of fitness hopes to always keep fitness here right at home. Kai Cenat goes from King to Headmaster with launch of Streamer University, Louisiana native joins him According to Phillips, the day officially started in 2019 when then Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins proclaimed June 8, Shreveport Fitness Day, after attending the successful Weight No More 5k campaign and another Fathers Day 5k on the same day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Weight No More 5K was a benefit race dedicated to combating obesity. Founded by Toya Wright, a businesswoman and TV personality, along with her now husband, Robert Red Rushing. The event aimed to raise awareness and support for this important issue. Kory, who was the couples trainer, played a role in the races organization. As part of a nationwide tour, the race traveled to several cities across the United States, with the Shreveport event taking place at Southern Hills Park. Join Kory and his team at Lovely Bodies Fitness this weekend for a two-day event designed to bring the city back together once again! Event Schedule: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Friday, June 6: Line Dancing with Bre at 7:15 p.m. CT Don your cowboy boots and get ready to dance! Saturday, June 7: King of Fitness Revenge Body Group Strength Training at 7 a.m. You can attend the event in person at 3940 Lakeshore Drive in Shreveport or join the 7 a.m. class live on Twitch. No registration is required, just come ready to sweat and have fun! Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com. In a letter to the community on Thursday evening, Harvard University President Alan Garber said the Trump administration has been singling out our institution. The letter comes in response to President Donald Trumps issuance of a proclamation this week declaring that the schools foreign students would not be allowed into the country. Trump also asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider revoking the visas of Harvard students already in the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Garber said Trumps proclamation is yet another illegal step taken by the Administration to retaliate against Harvard. He said the administrations actions circumvent the temporary restraining order obtained on May 23. The restraining order blocked the Trump administration from revoking a key certification allowing Harvard University to enroll international students. The institution amended its lawsuit on Thursday evening in response to the proclamation from Trump and asked the court to immediately halt the enforcement of it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just a few hours later, a federal judge granted the temporary restraining order. Once again, the Administration has sought to sever Harvard from its international students, with the inevitable and intended effect of wreaking havoc on the Harvard community, throwing into disarray every aspect of campus life, the institution wrote in a request for a temporary restraining order. The government has done so not because of any concerns about the risks posed by those students who (as the Proclamation says expressly) could be admitted to the United States if they sought to attend any other school in the country but instead solely to punish Harvard and force it to yield to the Administrations unlawful demands, the institution continued. Garber said contingency plans are being developed to allow for students and scholars to continue their work at Harvard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Each of us is part of a truly global university community. We know that the benefits of bringing talented people together from around the world are unique and irreplaceable. International students and scholars make outstanding contributions inside and outside of our classrooms and laboratories, fulfilling our mission of excellence in countless ways. We will celebrate them, support them, and defend their interests as we continue to assert our Constitutional rights, he said. What has happened at Harvard? The institution has been in a battle with the federal government since April. There has been a wave of federal research grant terminations at Harvard, in addition to a $60 million in multi-year grants,$450 million cut and a $2.2 billion freeze. U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has also told the institution that the federal government would be barring Harvard University from acquiring new federal grants while the university continues to refuse to comply with the administrations demands for change on its campus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Garber wrote in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon that they share the same common ground, but the university will not surrender its core, legally-protected principles out of fear. Garber pushed back on the administration through a lawsuit in April. The institution argues that its constitutional rights had been violated by the governments threats to pull billions of dollars in funding if the school didnt comply with demands for an overhaul. Following the $450 million announced cuts, the university amended its lawsuit. No government regardless of which party is in power should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue, the suit reads. Due to the federal cuts, Harvard announced that it was committing $250 million of central funding to support research impacted by suspended and canceled federal grants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Each of us is part of a truly global university community. We know that the benefits of bringing talented people together from around the world are unique and irreplaceable. International students and scholars make outstanding contributions inside and outside of our classrooms and laboratories, fulfilling our mission of excellence in countless ways. We will celebrate them, support them, and defend their interests as we continue to assert our Constitutional rights, he said. More Higher Ed Read the original article on MassLive. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) A popular Sioux City music venue where Siouxlanders could often catch their favorite local musicians will soon be closing its doors. According to a Facebook post from The Marquee, the popular Sioux City bar and music destination will be closing on June 28. After 8 Unforgettable Years Its with a heavy heart that we announce The Marquee will close its doors for good. Our final night of live music, laughter, and memories will be June 28. For the past 8 years, this space has been more than just a bar and venueits been a community. Weve had the honor of hosting incredible artists, unforgettable shows, and the kind of nights that live forever in stories and songs. Most importantly, weve had youour loyal patrons, friends, and familyby our side through it all. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being part of this journey. We hope youll join us as we celebrate one last time over the next few weeksand especially on June 28. Lets make the final curtain call one to remember. Statement on closure from The Marquee The Marquee closed out their post with a couple of hashtags encouraging the community to continue to support local musicians. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Marquee first opened its doors back in 2017 after the closure of Chesterfields. Additionally, The Marquees neighbor, The Green Room, has also announced that it will be closing its doors on June 28. The Green Room said there were many factors that led to the decision, and they are thankful for the memories that were made. With heavy hearts, we share this news With the announcement of our sister bar, The Marquee, closing after 8 incredible years of bringing high-quality entertainment to Siouxland, we regret to inform you that The Green Room will also be closing our doors. Our last day of service will be Saturday, June 28. This isnt a decision we made lightly. Many factors went into this decision, and unfortunately, have made it impossible for us to continue operating. Were incredibly grateful for the memories made, the local talent weve hosted, and the loyal community that has supported us from day one. Well be celebrating these final few weeks with appreciation, great drinks, and good vibesso come say goodbye and help us close this chapter on a high note. Thank you, Siouxland. Its been an unforgettable ride. Statement on closure from The Green Room team The Green Room also served as the home of House of Q2. House of Q2 has not made any comment on the closure at the time of publishing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) Rain didnt dampen spirits for the start of Pride Week in Sioux City. We took a live look at the Pride Parade, which started at 6:00 p.m. On Historic Fourth Street, at 4th and Iowa streets. The parade ended at 4th and Nebraska streets. This is the 4th year the Siouxland Pride Alliance has organized the event. However, this years pride parade on Historic 4th Street drew just 12 entries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The parade was the 1st of multiple free, family-friendly events to celebrate Pride Month. Other Pride events that the alliance is holding include the Sioux City Pride Festival on Saturday, June 7, an interfaith pride service on Sunday, June 8, and a Pride Prom on Friday, June 13. Story continues below The Sioux City Pride Festival is set to take place on June 7th from 11:00 a.m. To 4:00 p.m. on Historic 4th Street between Nebraska and Jones streets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The festival will include a community resource fair, games, face painting, and a free meal. An interfaith pride service and brunch will take place on June 8th at 11:00 a.m. at the Mayflower Congregational Church located on 1407 West 18th Street. An awards ceremony is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Followed by a concert, as well as other events. Organizers say everyone is welcome. Its ok to be who you are. You need to celebrate yourself and celebrate your friends, and this is just a month to celebrate who you are, regardless of who that is, said organizer Karen Mackey. On June 13th, a Pride prom for LGBTQ+ teens and their allies is set to happen from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. at the Masonic Temple on 820 Nebraska Street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. Is Sir Keir Starmer KC Left-wing human rights lawyer, former director of public prosecutions, and Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom a dangerous Right-wing extremist? Common sense, evidence and reality say emphatically not. Government materials issued as part of Prevent training programmes give a less clear answer. The Prime Ministers warning that uncontrolled migration risks turning Britain into an island of strangers would appear to risk falling foul of the definitions used in a Prevent course taken by thousands of public sector professionals with a duty to make referrals to the scheme. This defines cultural nationalism as a type of extreme Right-wing terrorist ideology, including the belief that Western culture is under threat from mass migration and a lack of integration by certain ethnic and cultural groups. Sir Keir is no more an extremist than any other writer who has expressed concern over the unprecedented scale and pace of migration and cultural change in recent years. Why, then, has the Government risked labelling him as such? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The short answer is that, riddled with political anxieties over the composition of terrorism in Britain 80 per cent of the Counter Terrorism Police networks live investigations involved Islamism in 2023, compared with 10 per cent for the extreme Right Prevent has given the appearance of loosening the definition of the latter in order to provide an artificial balance to its work. As the Shawcross Review found in 2023, the programme has adopted a double standard when dealing with Islamists and the extreme Right. The results have been farcical, with an expansive definition of Right-wing extremism capturing mildly controversial or provocative forms of mainstream, Right-wing leaning commentary that have no meaningful connection to terrorism or radicalisation even while Prevent funded organisations whose leaders have publicly made statements sympathetic to the Taliban and referred to militant Islamists as so-called terrorists of the legitimate resistance groups. Such absurdities might be overlooked if Prevent had also proved ruthlessly effective at preventing atrocities. It has not. Prevent has failed to identify dangerous and violent suspects on multiple occasions, including Southport killer Axel Rudakubana, who was referred and dismissed on three occasions before carrying out his attack. A deradicalisation programme that seems to show less interest in deradicalising potential terrorists than in policing Right-wing thought is unfit for purpose. It beggars belief that two years after the Shawcross Review we are once again having the same conversations. Prevent must be reformed or if incapable of change, dismantled entirely. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Jun. 6WATERTOWN Six adult Guatemalan nationals were arrested in Watertown on Friday morning as part of a traffic stop for an immigration inspection, according to a spokesperson with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. CBP states that the vehicle stop at Franklin and Sterling streets was part of an investigation by Border Patrol, which warranted an immigration inspection. Of the six people, one of them was a female and the other five were all males, according to CBP. They state they are all illegally in the United States and at least one of the subjects has a criminal record. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The names of those involved were not released. CBP states that prior criminal charges include drug possession charges and illegal entry into the United States. The six people are in custody and were charged with being illegally present in the United States. If they stay in custody of Border Patrol, CBP states they will be transferred to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, Enforcement and Removal Operations facility. Three of the six people have previously been deported from the country, CBP states. The six people are set to be placed in removal proceedings. It isn't known the reasoning why they were coming into the United States. A large-scale Russian attack damaged the Hryhorii Skovoroda District Library in the Solomyanskyi district of Kyiv on the night of 5-6 June. Source: Ihor Stepurin, executive director of the Ukrainian Publishers Association Quote: "Without exaggeration, the best district library in Kyiv has been severely damaged in today's attack on the Ukrainian capital." Details: The blast wave damaged the facade of the building and blew out windows and doors. The library noted that there were no casualties among the staff. The books also remained intact. The aftermath of the Russian nighttime attack in the Solomyanskyi district Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Photo: PEN Ukraine "The aftermath is being dealt with. Emergency workers, local authorities, utility workers, volunteers and many caring people are working together in a coordinated and friendly manner! A headquarters for assisting those affected has been set up in the library," the library staff said. Moreover, the nighttime attack damaged the facade of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II, located near the Motherland Monument. Damage to the facade of the museum Photo: National Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II Russia attacked Ukraine with 452 aerial assets, specifically missiles and drones. Ukrainian air defences downed 406 Russian targets, but hits and debris fall were recorded in 13 locations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The aerial attack was repelled by aircraft, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare units, unmanned systems and mobile fire groups from the Ukrainian defence forces. Damage to the museum's facade Photo: National Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II About the Hryhorii Skovoroda Library The library was established in 1946 and occupied two rooms with an area of 18 sq m in the House of Culture in Chokolivka, a historic area of Kyiv. At that time, the library's collection consisted of 4,000 copies. In 1950, the library relocated to new premises on Shosta Nova Street, occupying 175 sq m on the ground floor of the Miskbud student accommodation. In 1953, the street was renamed Osvita Street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During their studies, prominent Ukrainian historical figures such as Vasyl Symonenko, Borys Oliinyk, Ivan Dziuba, Mykola Som, Anatol Perepadia, Ivan Spodarenko, Tamara Kolomiets, Volodymyr Kolomiets and many others visited the library. From 1955 to 2023, the library bore the name of the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky. However, a year after the full-scale invasion began, it was renamed in honour of the philosopher Hryhorii Skovoroda. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) The SC Law Enforcement Division has released more details regarding a fatal deputy-involved shooting in Greenville County. 51-year-old Johnny Andrew Collins, of Greer, was shot and killed along the 3400 block of Cannon Road on Thursday, May 29. SLED agents shared with 7NEWS that the Spartanburg County Sheriffs Office requested assistance from the Greenville County Sheriffs Office to serve warrants for attempted murder and kidnapping. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputies located Collins near Highway 14 and West Gap Creek Road. It was reported that Collins fled from deputies and ran into a wooded area on Cannon Road. According to SLED, when law enforcement encountered Collins, he was allegedly armed with a hatchet. Investigators said the shooting occurred when Collins reportedly moved toward deputies and raised the hatchet. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No deputies were injured in the shooting, officials said. The investigation remains ongoing by SLED. A Critical Incident Community Briefing Report is expected to be released by the GCSO on Sunday, July 13. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS. Its been one year since the shooting death of 17-year-old Amarr Murphy-Paine at Garfield High School and no arrests have been made. On Friday, hundreds of his classmates, loved ones and community members staged a walkout at the high school to demand an end to violence. Even though its been a year, its been a slow motion for me as a parent, said Amarrs mother Sherrica McCall. Amarr was killed at lunchtime while trying to break up a fight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We did the best that we could, McCall said. We did a phenomenal job for our son to even have the courage to step up. McCall and Amarrs father, Arron Murphy-Paine, have helped lead the charge for change in the wake of his death. When love comes together, thats the only thing that can negate hate, Murphy-Paine said. Both helped lead the walkout at Garfield High School, advocating for students to treat one another better and for safer school campuses. It has been an impossibly difficult year for the school community. In October, another Garfield High School student was shot and killed in Seattles Central District. He was 15 years-old. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then, in April, another Garfield High student was shot and killed at a house party in Yakima. We honor their memory by continuing to do good work, and in that we want to keep this from ever happening again, said Alicia Spanswick, a Garfield parent and co-president of the Garfield PTSA. Its a strong community, so we keep getting up and showing up for each other, but that doesnt mean its not very difficult, said Garfield senior Rilan Springer. Springer said attendance has decreased and more students have transferred out of the school. It has a permanent impact, she said. School board officials are weighing ways to improve safety at Garfield High School. This week, the board discussed a proposal to bring Seattle Police back to the campus, after a moratorium in 2020 removed police inside campuses at SPS. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think not only SPD but many people in the community, many people who are parents, teachers, and students would like to see some meaningful engagement of our police officers inside the school, Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes told KIRO 7 earlier this year. The proposal would add a School Engagement Officer at Garfield High School for a pilot program. No decision has been reached. Not everyone is on board with the idea. I do think that they should be outside of the school, Springer said. We cant trust the cops yet. While I think that our safety is important, I think itll take a second to fully include them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think more adults is better, as long as those adults all have the same goal of keeping these kids safe and not criminalizing their really normal teenage behavior, Spanswick said. Seattle Public Schools told KIRO 7 it had already taken several steps to improve safety at Garfield. The number of SPS Safety and Security Specialists has doubled this year, and the district added contract security staff to help monitor the perimeter of the building, a representative wrote in a statement. SPS has also made physical improvements, including a secure vestibule at the front entrance, upgrades to exterior doors, and added monitoring systems. The representative also said that the district launched a pilot program last year to station an officer at the nearby Teen Life Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We know that safety is not just about physical measuresits also about fostering a culture of care, trust, and open dialogue, the representative wrote. There will always be a need for ongoing conversation, and we are committed to listening, learning, and working together to end gun violence near our schools. While many disagree about the idea of bringing an officer on campus, hundreds in attendance at Fridays walkout cheered in agreement something must change. If Amarr were here, what do you think he would say about all this? KIRO 7s Madeline Ottilie asked Murphy-Paine. Amarr would say good job, youre doing good, he answered. Hes right here in my heart. Hes right here in everybodys heart that loved him and that he loved, so at the end of the day, he sees this, and he knows whats going on, and hes smiling. **Related Video Above: All about the legality of checkpoints in Ohio. CLEVELAND (WJW) Sobriety checkpoints, where officials look for impaired drivers, are planned for multiple cities across Northeast Ohio Friday, according to state officials. The Ohio State Highway Patrol said one is being held at Harvard Avenue in the Village of Newburgh Heights, with help from the Newburgh Heights Police Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Car hits Macedonia salon; driver says flip-flop to blame Meanwhile, two others are being set up in Tuscarawas Township in Stark County, according to the country sheriffs office. The Supreme Court upheld the use of sobriety checkpoints, which are funded by a federal grant, back in 1990. However, certain protocols must be followed, including announcing the checkpoint to the public beforehand. Based on provisional data from the past three years, there have been 30 OVI related crashes within a three-mile radius of the checkpoint as well as 92 OVI arrests made, OSHPs Lieutenant Shaun Robinson recently explained in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities continue to urge people to find a designated driver or other sources of transportation if choosing to imbibe. Man identified in deadly Cleveland shooting Dont let another life be lost for the senseless and selfish act of getting behind the wheel impaired, Newburgh Heights police recently said in a statement regarding sobriety checkpoints in their city. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. NEED TO KNOW Pfc Dewayne Johnson II, a former Hawaii-based U.S. Army soldier, was sentenced to 23 years in prison on June 3 after he admitted to killing his 19-year-old wife Mischa Johnson Dewayne used a machete and chainsaw to dismember Mischa and threw out her body parts in a dumpster in trash bags According to prosecutors, Dewayne had messaged 18 different women on a dating app and they found photos of him on his phone with another woman A Hawaii-based U.S. Army soldier was sentenced to 23 years in prison on June 3 after he admitted that he killed his 19-year-old wife and unborn child in the midst of a heated argument and then dismembered her body to cover up the crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pfc Dewayne Johnson II, 29, pleaded guilty at a court-martial to voluntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice and providing false statements, according to a statement from the U.S. Army. He received the maximum sentence, plus a reduction in rank and a dishonorable discharge from the military. On July 12, 2024, Dewayne and his wife, Mischa Johnson, were at their home when they got into a heated argument, the Army statement said. In a military courtroom, Dewayne testified to the judge that he struck Mischa in the head with a machete that they had in their home. The machete then got stuck in Mischas temple, Hawaii News Now reported. Dewayne eventually freed the machete from Mischas head and tried to dismember her corpse with it. He was unsuccessful in doing so and bought a chainsaw to dismember what remained of her body. Dewayne admitted in court to severing Mischas arms and legs from her head and torso, which he kept intact, per the local outlet. He then told the military judge that he separated Mischas body parts into three trash bags and put them in a dumpster on the military barracks, knowing they would later be incinerated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the June 3 sentencing, Dewayne offered an apology to Mischas family, his own family and colleagues on his base, Hawaii News Now reported. My wife didnt deserve that. She wasnt trash, he said. I hate myself for what I did, every day. Army Criminal Investigation Division Mischas remains and the remains of her unborn child have never been found, according to the statement from the U.S. Army. Both of their remains are presumed to have been transported to Hawaiis trash incinerator. While no amount of confinement will ever be able to truly ease the pain of the loss of Ms. Johnson and her unborn child for her family and friends, it is my hope that Pfc. Johnsons admission of guilt and the information he provided as a part of the plea agreement can provide some element of closure, Lt. Col. Nicholas Hurd, a prosecutor for the Seventh Circuit in the U.S. Army, said in a statement. Dewayne didnt report Mischa missing to authorities until two weeks after he killed her, according to the U.S. Army statement. He even participated in community search parties across Hawaii to look for her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to prosecutors, Dewayne had messaged 18 different women on a dating app and they found photos of him on his phone with another woman which showed him kissing and performing sexual acts on her, KTIV reported. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Mischas sister, Mariana Tapiz, spoke to Island News about how painful it was to hear about the details of how her sister was killed. As a family together, were just trying not to focus on the horrific details of her last moment with him. And instead, right now, were trying to remember the happy memories that we have and remember her in that life, Tapiz said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. Read the original article on People The court martial of Army Pfc. Dewayne Arthur Johnson, 29, concluded Thursday as a military judge sentenced him to 23 years in prison for killing his pregnant wife, 19-year-old Mischa Mabeline Kaalohilani Johnson, and their unborn child on July 12. The Army initially charged the soldier with murder, but despite a massive search effort and months of work by investigators, no body had been recovered. Over the course of the investigation, Mischa Johnsons family made public appeals asking for anyone with knowledge of where her remains may be to come forward so that they could give her a proper burial. As part of a plea deal, Dewayne Johnson agreed to confess and reveal what he did with the body in return for reduced charges and sentencing. Under the plea, he was charged with the lesser included offense of voluntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice, and providing false official statements. Charges for possession, production and distribution of child pornography initially brought against him were also dismissed, per the terms of the agreement, in return for his cooperation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In court Tuesday, he confessed to killing Mischa Johnson in their home at Schofield Barracks with a machete on July 12, cutting up her body with a chain saw and disposing of the remains in a dumpster on base that was bound for the trash incinerator in Kapolei before reporting her missing on Aug. 1. He also admitted to impersonating her with her phone to deceive her family and lying to investigators. The plea granted the presiding judge, Col. Rebecca Farrell, discretion to sentence him to between 18 and 23 years. During closing arguments on Wednesday Dewayne Johnsons attorneys asked her to show leniency, arguing that he had confessed, expressed remorse and was attending therapy sessions and Bible studies while in custody to better himself. Prosecutor Lt. Col. Nicholas Hurd asked for the maximum allowable sentence, telling the judge that after killing his wife he thought of himself and only himself. On Thursday morning, Farrell ultimately chose the maximum sentence allowed. She cited Dewayne Johnsons deliberate cruelty to the victims, a high degree of planning as he concealed his crimes and that the desecration and destruction of his wifes body deprived Mischa Johnsons family of the opportunity to ever give her a proper burial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She also said that Mischa Johnson, a young pregnant Army spouse who was new to military life, had been particularly vulnerable. Farrell noted that Mischa Johnson lived on the base without a car of her own, did not know other military families well and had little to no support system on the base outside of her husband. In addition to the 23 years in prison, Farrell also ruled that Dewayne Johnson should be reduced in rank to private, forfeit his pay and that when his sentence eventually ends he will receive a dishonorable discharge. He will serve out the rest of his sentence at the United States Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kan. In a statement issued to media after the verdict, Hurd said while no amount of confinement will ever be able to truly ease the pain of the loss of Ms. Johnson and her unborn child for her family and friends, it is my hope that Pfc. Johnsons admissions of guilt and the information he provided as part of the plea agreement can provide some element of closure and finality for the family and all stakeholders. Mischa Johnson was born and raised on Oahu in Ewa Beach. Dewayne Johnson testified in court that immediately after he killed his wife with the machetea hand-crafted blade from the Philippines that had belonged to her family as a treasured heirloomhe grabbed her phone and began texting her family to keep up appearances and impersonated her on social media, responding to messages from her friends. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At one point when Mischa Johnsons mother Frances Tapiz texted her, Dewayne Johnson texted back posing as her with an angry response that began with Im still not over everything you put me through. Tapiz testified on Wednesday that it broke her heart to believe her daughter was mad at her. Meanwhile, even as he was still getting rid of evidence of his crimes, Dewayne Johnson was pursuing other women in the days and weeks after the killing. On Thursday, Army Criminal Investigation Division Agent Chelsea Banks testified that after he was arrested and his phone seized, investigators recovered messages and photos as well as several videos of Dewayne Johnson and one of the women performing sexual acts on each other in the bedroom where he killed his wife. When he finally did report her missing, Dewayne Johnson told investigators that his wife had a history of cutting herselfwhich he later admitted in court was a lieand suggested she may have killed herself. He doctored several videos of her to make it look like she was having a mental breakdown. The Army launched a massive search to find her, with members of Dewayne Johnsons unit sweeping jungles and training areas around the base. Agents from the Army Criminal Investigation Division made it their top priority. The Army also posted a $10, 000 reward for information that could lead them to her. The FBI and Honolulu Police Department pitched in, as did local and military families mounting volunteer search parties across the island. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dewayne Johnson participated in many of these searches, and according to witnesses often took a leading role and portrayed himself as a distraught husband. Investigators eventually grew suspicious as elements of his story increasingly failed to add up and he became the prime suspect, and eventually detained him. When they searched his home they found blood, DNA and other forensic evidence that led to them charging him with murder. But the search for the body ran into constant dead ends until prosecutors obtained the plea and his confession. We extend our deepest sympathies to the family of Mischa Johnson, grieving the loss of Mischa and her unborn child, said Ruben Santiago, Special Agent in Charge of the Army CID Pacific Field Office, in a statement. Army CID remains committed to investigating on behalf of victims, and we hope this outcome provides a measure of closure to the Johnson family and the community. After the ruling, Mischas mother and eldest sister Mariana Tapiz stood behind Mika Cabinte, a spokes person for the family, as she gave a statement to reporters. She said that the family is still processing everything that happened and wants privacy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They want to say a big mahalo to the CID agents, especially Ruben Santiago and his team, the task force, and Lt. Col. Hurd and his legal team for all that theyve done trying this case, she said. And also to the community of Hawaii, they want to extend a big mahalo for all the love and support that youve given them through this whole time, especially with the anniversary date quickly approaching. Sarah Kral, a Navy spouse who lives in Mililani and became friends with Mischa Johnsons family while supporting search efforts, attended all three days of the court martial with them. She told the Hono lulu Star -Advertiser its good that its going to finally become a closure and healing process now for them, especially for (her mother ), she can finally get her healing and her closure, but nothings ever going to be the same and the 23 years is not enough. She said that the situation is completely disgusting and that its a shock to know a crime of such brutality could occur on the base with no one knowing for so long. Though she praised the work of investigators, Kral said it should spur the military to work harder to prevent anything like it from happening again and to know more about whats going on in the homes of service members and their families. For months Kral and other military spouses joined with Mischa Johnsons family looking around the island and posting notices to help find her, and calling in any lead they thought they had found to CID. Kahl said that now answers came out, thats what the plea agreement was about. So now they have closure, but it still is going to hurt. HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) The state has filed a motion to prosecute a 16-year-old boy recently jailed in connection with a Little River party-boat mass shooting as an adult, the 15th Circuit Solicitors Office said Friday. The boy was arrested Tuesday in connection with the May 25 shooting that injured 11. Police said he will be charged with eight counts of attempted murder, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. The solicitors office has reviewed the case and determined it would be best handled in the Court of General Sessions. The motion was filed on Thursday. The boy was transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia and remains in custody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our office is and will continue to be committed to handling gun violence in the most serious manner possible, as our community members and visitors alike deserve to safely enjoy Horry County, the solicitors office said. Unbearable pain: Little River shooting victim, attorney hold news conference Shawon Shamarion Williams / Photo: Lake County Sheriffs Office The boy is the second person charged in the shooting after Shawon Shamarion Williams, 19, was arrested last week in Lake County, Illinois, near Chicago. Williams, who graduated from North Myrtle Beach High School in 2023 and was in the Navy, waived his extradition and will return to Horry County to face his charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Count on News13 for updates. * * * Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW. Retired FBI Special Agent Bobby Chacon joins NewsNation as the search continues for Travis Decker, the only suspect in the murders of his three young daughters in Washington. The girls were reportedly found asphyxiated with plastic bags still on their heads and zip-ties on their wrists. Decker, a former Army Ranger with survival training and PTSD, vanished after a custodial visit. Their mother, Whitney, says the system failed them police issued a missing persons alert instead of an Amber Alert. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation. Hundreds of Alabamians flock to the Cahaba River each year during peak blooming season. (Lee Hedgepeth/Inside Climate News) This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. WEST BLOCTON, Ala.The lilies have bloomed this season if you know where to go. Its a line in Birmingham band I Declares newly released song Cahaba, and its the truth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the recent Cahaba Lily festival, you could hear the sacred Southern knowledge passing from one person to another. Where do you go? Have you been yet? Is the water low enough to see them? The lilies, a species endemic to the southeastern U.S., are named after Alabamas longest free-flowing river, the Cahaba. They bloom boldly atop the jagged shoals that line the rivers bottom each year between Mothers Day in May and Fathers Day in June. This year, as is growing more often the case, an unusually rainy May has led to a less than ideal viewing season. But still, like clockwork, Alabamians have flocked to the Cahaba to see what they can. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the banks of the big river, watching natures finest show, the songs lyrics say. Its a biological marvel, a cesspool of teeming growth. A reflection of our survival in the waters steady flow. It wasnt always like this. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Dr. Larry Davenport is known as the worlds foremost expert on the Cahaba Lily, scientific name Hymenocallis coronaria. He was the keynote speaker at the 35th annual Cahaba Lily Festival, a gathering about 40 miles southwest of Birmingham that hes been part of since its beginnings. Dr. Larry Davenport is known as one of the worlds foremost experts on Hymenocallis coronaria, the Cahaba lily. (Lee Hedgepeth/Inside Climate News) When the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was searching for an expert to investigate the lily and its potential candidacy as an endangered species, they turned to Davenport. At the time, in the late 1980s, the Cahaba Lily wasnt anywhere near the cultural symbol its now become for the region. A recent academic article called the flower charismatica characterization that left Davenport thrilled. The Cahaba Lily has come a long way in three decades, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was a mysterious plant at the time, Davenport said. Little was known about it. So Davenport decided to take up what would ultimately become a lifelong challenge, investigating everything he could about the plants habitat, anatomy and life cycle. Ultimately, USFWS chose not to list the Cahaba Lily as an endangered species, though organizations like the Nature Conservancy consider the lily threatened. Historically, large populations of the flower have been wiped out by human activities like the damming of Alabamas rivers. The construction of a dam on the Black Warrior River in the early 1900s effectively drowned a miles-long stretch of the flowers, sometimes called shoal lilies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That was the motherlode, Davenport said. And when the dam was put in, all of those lilies were flooded out. A century later, another human activitythe burning of fossil fuelshas added yet another obstacle to the lilys ability to thrive. Research suggests that as the climate warms, heavy rain events in the southeast U.S. will become more frequent, as will periods of drought. Siltation, where sediment coats the shoals needed for the plants growth, is one of the most serious threats to the Cahaba Lily, Davenport said. That type of water pollution, often caused by mining or other development upstream, can also be compounded by the impacts of climate change, which could lead to excessive rainfall that contributes to sediment runoff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As such rain events become more frequent, viewing the lilies, too, will become more difficult, as the plants will oftenlike this yearbe covered for much of the blooming season by high river water. That human impact on the Cahaba and its lilythe effects of pollution and lax environmental regulationare part of the dynamic that I Declare aimed to convey in their new album, We Ought to Celebrate. The bands five membersHunter Huie, Austin Noble, Ben Smith, Kyle Posten and Joseph Fosterall grew up below the Mason-Dixon Line, struggling with what it meant to be Southern, white and progressive. Huie, who grew up in Alabama, said he always identified with the rebellious, anti-authority attitude of his Southern community, but the older he got, the more he resented what he thought were the base political viewpoints that often accompanied it. As he grew older and learned more, he began to realize it was Southern Blacks and other progressives that truly embodied the ideas of fighting against the mainstream and pushing back against unchecked authority, not conservative whites who held fast to a historically bereft view of a lost cause. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I just really hate that there is this patina of white supremacy and racism that coats the surface of everything in the South, he said. Thats something we want to fight against. We have to dig deeper. Thats at the heart of what We Ought to Celebrate is about, Huie saidpainting a nuanced picture of the complex, heartbreaking, beautiful realities of the South in which he finds himself living. Me and my neighbors, we aint never gonna be OK with Lets Go, Brandon plate tags or those Johnny Reb battleflags, one of the bands lyrics say. You and your buddies might be laughing at this son of a yuppy, but Ill take my chances putting my money right where my mouth is. Explicit environmentalism, too, is part of what forms the fabric of I Declares new EP. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cahaba dreaming, the bands lyrics say. Well I just think you should know. The lilies have bloomed this season if you know where to go. And Ive got the lead on salliestheyre buried in the mud. It seems so silly really, but its in our blood. Sallies (a reference to the regions robust salamander population), like the Cahaba Lily, have been threatened by human activity, particularly habitat destruction. Just this year, residents of a Birmingham suburb fought a development that had been set to encroach on the habitat of resident spotted salamanders. Reflecting on that kind of environmental impact is important to the band, guitarist and vocalist Ben Smith told Inside Climate News. We feel like being in Alabama, were surrounded by this culture thats dominated by an affinity for the outdoors, he said. But we have this precious, unique ecosystem right here thats absolutely wonderful that we actually dont care about at all, that we pollute and mismanage. Theres this juxtaposition of this affection for nature while most people are also completely unconcerned with its health and well-being. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its frustrating to witness, Smith said, but it makes for a good song. Austin Noble, a saxophonist and vocalist for the group, grew up in Adger, a mining town in western Jefferson County that garnered headlines when a mine expanded beneath its residents feet. In March 2024, a grandfather living atop a mine in the area was killed when methane, a common byproduct of coal mining operations, leaked into his home, triggering an explosion. Noble said growing up in a mining community shaped how he views the environment and the need for regulation. Everyone I knew in high school, theyd finish up, then head to work for the coal mines, Noble said. So they go into the mines, their health is affected and their lifespans are shortened, and this is how theyre repaid. An exploded home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That sentiment made its way into the music: I remember being told once Dont bite the hand that feeds But what about mother nature Who brings our thirsty throats a drink Why should she have to pay for All our externalities Growth isnt always a good thing Oh man, plaque clogs the arteries CHICAGO (WGN) A four-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department, who Mayor Brandon Johnson said served honorably and courageously, was killed after another officer unintentionally shot her during a call on the citys South Side Thursday night. Our officer was young, vibrant and a hard worker, police Supt. Larry Snelling said during a morning press conference outside University of Chicago Medical Center, where the officer, later identified as 36-year-old Krystal Rivera, passed away. Snelling said Rivera, who worked out of the departments 6th District, was a mother to a very young daughter. Officer Krystal Rivera Authorities say the deadly shooting unfolded shortly before 10 p.m. as officers pursued a suspect who allegedly fled from a nearby investigatory stop into an apartment near East 82nd Street and South Drexel Avenue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Snelling said the responding officers were confronted by a second individual who pointed a rifle at them. During the incident, another officer discharged his service weapon and the gunfire struck Rivera unintentionally, CPD announced. CPD says the only weapon discharged during the call was the weapon of the officer. Gunfire erupted and Rivera was struck in the back, according to the medical examiners office. Officers on the scene attempted to take Rivera, who was in critical condition, to a nearby hospital, but Snelling said the police cruiser had a malfunction and caught fire. Rivera was moved to a second cruiser for transport to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. Her death was ruled a homicide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A second officer involved in the incident suffered an injury to their wrist and was taken to the hospital in fair condition. A portion of Drexel Avenue near the apartment remained blocked off at midday as crime scene technicians continued processing evidence. At least three guns were recovered. Officers were seen taking boxes long enough to hold rifles out of the apartment building. Two in custody; investigation continues Snelling said two individuals in the apartment fled after the shooting but were later apprehended by assisting units. He also said several persons of interest were taken into custody, including someone who they believe was on the scene when the armed individual confronted the officers. An investigation into the deadly shooting is now underway by Chicagos Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), as well as CPDs Investigative Response Team. Anyone with information on the shooting can contact COPA on their website or by calling 312-746-3609. Black and purple mourning bunting was hung midday Friday outside the 6th District police headquarters, near West 78th and South Halsted streets, in honor of Officer Krystal Rivera. Snelling praises Rivera: She did great work The police superintendent said Officer Rivera did great work during her four years with the department, including in the hours before her death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prior to going out and attempting to make that stop, she had already processed two other guns working that day, Snelling said. She was a working police officer trying to keep the streets safe and she did great work and if you talk to anyone on her team, they would tell you how great of a worker she was. Snelling described her as someone who was known among her peers for her work ethic. I want everyone to keep this officers family in your prayers and understand the risk she took every day when she came out to do her job, Snelling said. With no regard and understanding that its always possible when youre doing this type of work that you may not return home. Following Fridays early-morning press conference, firefighters and police officers lined up to pay their respects as a procession carried the fallen officers remains. Officials respond: We mourn the tragic loss Leaders from around the area issued statements regarding Riveras shooting death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We mourn the tragic loss of Chicago Police Officer Krystal Rivera. Our thoughts and prayers are with Officer Riveras loved ones and her colleagues at the Chicago Police Department, a spokesperson for the Cook County Sheriffs Office said in a Facebook post on Friday morning. The Chicago Fire Department grieves alongside our brothers and sisters at CPD for the loss of officer Krystal Rivera who died in the line of duty Thursday evening. Please keep her family and CPD in your thoughts and prayers, a spokesperson for the Chicago Fire Department said in a post on X. Im calling on the entire city of Chicago to keep this officers family in your prayers, along with our entire police department. Her young, energetic and bold approach to keeping us safe is the memory that we will honor, Mayor Brandon Johnson said. As a Chicagoan, I appreciate the service she brought to the city in her time with us. As a parent, I cannot imagine horrific trauma of my wife not coming home to my daughter and I. My heart genuinely goes out to all who knew and loved her, Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st Ward) said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She represented everything we want our police officers to be: smart, assertive, tough, compassionate and professional. Krystal greeted each tour of duty with zeal and enthusiasm and worked every day to make Chatham, and our city, safer, Chicago Police Memorial Foundation executive director Phil Cline said in a statement. But more than her love of being a Chicago Police officer, she loved her colleagues and her family dearly. We pray for her daughter, especially, and promise to support her in every way we can in the days, weeks and years to come. Supt. Larry Snelling and Mayor Brandon Johnson discuss the shooting at a 3 a.m. press conference. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) Theres a new committee meeting at the South Carolina State House, and its mission is to bring big changes to how the state tackles transportation. During the off session, a group of lawmakers will go to town hall meetings across South Carolina to hear directly from people about how they want to improve local roads and infrastructure. Our goal is to hear from the people of South Carolina about their concerns with the roadway. It doesnt matter that Im from Richland County and Im in Horry County. I want to know about the concerns in Horry County because thats important to the people that live and that travel in that community, said Representative Kambrell Garvin (R Richland). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaker of the House, Murrell Smith, said the newly formed transportation committee has big goals like modernizing the Department of Transportations outdated permitting process, speeding up project timelines, and tackling growing traffic issues. Representative Gary Brewer (R Charleston), whos on the committee, said community input is critical and the SCDOT must have the tools they need. We need to be able to make sure they can walk out there, and they can deliver a project, and they can do it without running through any red tape. Thats unnecessary, and any red tape in their way is a delay and its a cost, Brewer said. The SCDOT will be involved with this committee and the State Secretary, Justin Powell, said lawmakers will be a good asset. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said they were elected by the people so they will have direct contact with what voters want to see improve. Its a good, dialogue that Speaker Smith is initiating right now, Powell said. I think theres always room for improvement, and I think it reflects back to just the changes that are happening in South Carolina. Brewer said for this to work and be successful people at home must come to those town hall meetings. Come there with solutions. Come there with whats happened in your area, whats worked, what hasnt worked, and lets build upon the things that have worked, Brewer said. Lets get rid of the things that havent worked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The town hall meetings will be all over the state and Garvin said it doesnt matter if you dont have a Representative on the task force that is from your county. It doesnt matter if you live in the midlands or in the upstate. Our committee is designed to work for all the people of South Carolina, and not necessarily put one project above another, but figuring out how can we serve everybody, Garvin said. As of now, the town hall dates have not been finalized. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS. PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) The forecast looks good for another strong season of pheasant hunting in South Dakota this fall, according to a state Game, Fish and Parks Department official. This comes after a 2024 harvest estimated at 1.3 million roosters, which was the highest in four years and once again the best in the nation. GFP wants more river otters trapped in eastern counties A mild winter suggested that more hens were available for breeding this spring, and average temperatures and moisture during April and May produced good habitat for nesting and brood raising, said Alex Solem, a Huron-based senior biologist for the state Wildlife Division. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were set for hopefully a very productive fall with good bird numbers, Solem said Friday. Were cautiously optimistic that were going to have a very good fall. His comments accompanied a presentation on Friday to the state Game, Fish and Parks Commission during its meeting in Aberdeen. Solem said the 2024 harvest, based on a sample of 15,000 hunters, was a 5.5% increase over the previous year. He said the 140,262 hunters who took to the field were up 3.6%. They included 58,195 residents, which were up 1.2%, and 82,607 nonresidents, up 5.3%. I cant stress how good last season was, Solem said, pointing out that South Dakota saw more roosters bagged in the first two weeks of the regular season than almost all other states combined. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hunters also took an estimated 98,962 prairie grouse, a 42% increase from 2023, which Solem described as crazy. There were additional hunting days in January, but the grouse harvest occurs primarily in September and October. He said the 19,223 hunters were up 11.9%, with 10,898 residents, which were up 13.3%, and 8,325 nonresidents, up 10%. It was the fourth consecutive year of higher harvest. Solem gave the commission an overview of how conditions can shape pheasant numbers. He said weather plays a major factor, with hen survival affected by the severity of winter, while spring moisture and temperature affect nesting. Usually cool damp conditions can hamper nest success on the landscape, he said, with brood survival depending on habitat conditions and on insect abundance that provide protein for chicks to reach adulthood. But more than anything, habitat is key to the long-term population trends, according to Solem. He said pheasants need grass, and having CRP acres and rotational grazing are important. Solem said cumulative snowfall November to March is a predictor; the more snow, the more impact on pheasant abundance. Mild winters lead to better hen survival, according to Solem. He said South Dakota had a phenomenal mild winter in many places with below normal snowfall. The mild winter can certainly help us, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But that meant other sources of moisture were needed to get grass growing to provide good cover, according to Solem. April and May moisture needs to be right between 4 to 6 inches to initiate cover. Weve had really good timely rains, he said. April and May temperatures also matter, with higher average cumulative temps tending to match with better production, according to Solem. The grass is responding great. Its going very, very well, he said. Damage from flash flooding and hailstorms can reduce population in local areas, but quality habitat can mitigate extreme weather events, Solem said. Having good quality winter habitat provides thermal cover and allows pheasants to avoid predators, he said. GFP Secretary Kevin Robling recognized the departments habitat staff for their efforts and the private landowners and ag producers throughout South Dakota who cooperate and set aside acres for wildlife management purposes through rotational grazing. He said South Dakota has a land ethic second to none across the nation and the pheasant production reflects that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It has a lot to do with our ag producers and landowners across South Dakota, Robling said. We thank them. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com. By Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea's right is looking to remake itself after a massive defeat in this week's snap presidential election that left it with little power to challenge the ruling Democratic Party. New leader Lee Jae-myung and his party now control parliament and the presidency with Tuesday's polls exposing the smouldering resentment in South Korea over former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law declaration in December. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attempt at military rule led to Yoon's removal from office and the eventual defeat of the conservative People Power Party, which was unable to overcome divisions within the right and unify around a single candidate. The defeat has left conservative leaders pointing fingers and trading blame as the party searches for a new direction. On Thursday the PPP's floor leader, lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, stepped down and called for the party to wipe the slate clean and rebuild the conservative movement. "This defeat in the presidential election is not simply a judgment on martial law and the impeachment of the president," he said. "It is a painful reprimand to the divisions of the ruling People Power Party." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The party's presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo was unable to convince Lee Jun-seok, the nominee from the minor conservative Reform Party, to drop out, likely splitting at least some of the vote. Former labour minister Kim won 41.15% of the vote and Lee Jun-Seok won 8.34%, to winner Lee Jae-myung's 49.42%. A controversial figure for championing anti-feminist concerns and wielding support among young men, Lee Jun-seok was briefly the leader of the PPP, and had helped Yoon narrowly win the 2022 presidential election. He later clashed with Yoon and was ousted from the PPP. Lee told reporters on Tuesday that the PPP should have focused on reform rather than unifying candidates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "That's the challenge given to pan-conservatives," he said. Kim blamed infighting during the primary process that led to him filing legal challenges against the PPP after then-acting President Han Duck-soo resigned to contest the elections despite the party selecting Kim as its candidate. The two men spent a week clashing over efforts to form a unity ticket. "We picked our candidate in a way that even a small child thinks doesn't make sense... I think we need deep soul-searching and reform," Kim said on Wednesday as he kneeled in apology to party members and the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 'TEAR DOWN OUR HOUSE' Others pointed to the PPP's failure to fully separate itself from Yoon's unpopular and unconstitutional martial law. "They failed to draw in moderate voters," said political commentator Park Sangbyoung. "Instead, Yoon Suk Yeol sided with far-right ideas, and Kim Moon-soo, who has a history of working with far-right groups, was their candidate." Park said the "complete downfall" of the conservatives could damage Korean politics. "To be a true opposing force against the Lee administration, they need to be reborn, even resorting to blowing up the party and creating a new one," Park said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement South Korea's conservatives have staged unlikely comebacks before. Yoon is the second conservative president in a row to be removed from office, after Park Geun-hye was impeached and jailed in a corruption scandal in 2017. Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University, said "until they clear the mess inside" it will be difficult for the right to stand up to Lee. "Rather than crisis of conservatives, I would call it the falling of People Power Party because of its leadership that runs the party based on self-interests, not fundamental values," he said. In the wake of Yoon's impeachment, then-PPP leader Han Dong-hoon promised that the president would resign and the party would help lead an interim government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Yoon and his backers rejected that plan and fought his removal, it divided the party and led to Han's resignation. On Wednesday Han, who unsuccessfully ran for the PPP nomination, said the party needs to cooperate with the new liberal administration on economy and security but it must not compromise on challenging any effort by the ruling party to "destroy the judiciary system". The PPP has accused the Democratic Party of trying to pass bills that they say are meant to shield President Lee, who faces a slew of corruption charges, from any further legal troubles. "Please do not give up," Han said. "It is the last chance to end the same old politics and to establish politics that put the people first." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawmaker Park Jeong-hoon said in a Facebook post that the party must change if it wants to survive. "We must tear down our house and rebuild it. This is not a matter of factions but a matter of the party's survival." (Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Josh Smith and Saad Sayeed) SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. (KCAU) South Sioux City was the host to dozens of law enforcement officers from across Nebraska for the Fraternal Order of Police State Conference. The event lets officers connect with others and learn about recent legislation. Several speakers spoke on how the murder of George Floyd in 2020 caused a shift in attitudes towards police, but that shift was less than negative in Nebraska. We know that the support from law enforcement, especially across the state, has actually grown because of that, said Sgt. Anthony Conner, the Nebraska Fraternal Order of Police president. I think people saw how tough our job is because it was on the front cover of every paper, and [the] top story of every news. So they saw how tough our job was, so support has actually grown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Story continues below However, retaining and recruiting officers in the state remains an issue. Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen signed a bill that aims to help retain officers. It makes tuition waivers available to first responders going to community college. Governor Pillen said several bills were passed to help law enforcement. One of the things thats been a big priority for us is that we increase the pay, you know, as so recruitment and enhance recruitment is making a tangible number of gains and results, said Pillen Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Governor also praised Nebraskas law enforcement officers. Pillen says hes already planning to bring a bill to support them even more for next years session. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. DIAMOND BAR, Calif. (AP) Air quality regulators in Southern California voted 7 to 5 to reject rules that would have curbed harmful emissions from gas-powered furnaces and water heaters, but the majority voted to send the rules back to committee to be changed and reconsidered. The rules aimed to reduce emissions of smog-contributing nitrogen oxides, also called NOx, a group of pollutants linked to respiratory issues, asthma attacks, worse allergies, decreased lung function in children, premature death and more. Burning natural gas is also one of the primary drivers of climate change. The South Coast Air Quality Management District estimates that the rules would have lowered NOx emissions from gas-fired furnaces, preventing about 2,490 premature deaths and 10,200 new asthma cases over a 26-year period in the region. The district regulates air quality for 16.8 million people in Southern California, including all of Orange County and large areas of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties one of the smoggiest areas in the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The board received more than 30,000 written comments ahead of the vote, including a letter from U.S. Attorney Bilal Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in the area, threatening to sue the board if they adopted the rules. California regulators are on notice: if you pass illegal bans or penalties on gas appliances, well see you in court," he posted Thursday on the social platform X. The law is clearfeds set energy policy, not unelected climate bureaucrats. Before the vote, board member Janet Nguyen, who serves on the Orange County Board of Supervisors, echoed opponents' concerns that the rules would financially burden people. I, like everybody here, support clean air," she said, adding, "These rules don't target refineries or shopping ports. They target people. The 17 million homeowners, renters, seniors and small businesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, who supported the rules, said, If we don't start now, when will we affect any change? California's trailblazing environmental standards California is moving aggressively to reduce the states reliance on planet-warming fossil fuels ahead of a 2045 mandate for the state to have net-zero carbon emissions. California often sets or proposes stricter environmental standards than the rest of the country, including efforts to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. The rules would have set targets that aimed to phase out the sale of gas-powered furnaces and water heaters starting in 2027. It would not have applied to gas stoves. The sales target would have started at 30%, then grown to 50% in 2029 and ended at 90% in 2039. The rules would not have been mandated, but manufacturers would have had to pay fees ranging from $50 to $500 if they sold gas-powered appliances. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That's a significant rollback from the original proposal, which would have required residential buildings to meet zero-emissions standards beginning in 2029 when appliances need to be replaced. The agency amended the rules after strong opposition from Southern California Gas and other businesses. The regulations would have impacted more than 10 million appliances in an estimated 5 million buildings, most of them residential. Officials and supporters say the rules would have reduced air pollution and substantially improved public health. But opponents including property owners, industry professionals and natural gas companies feared they would raise costs for consumers and businesses, and strain the power grid by adding more electric appliances. Residents disagree in packed public comments Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a packed board meeting Friday that ran for five hours, clean air advocates held signs reading Clean Air Now," Vote 4 Clean Air, Vote 4 Justice" and Let SoCal Breath! Before public comments, board chair Vanessa Delgado thanked the more than 200 people who signed up to speak about the rules, which took more than two years to craft. I don't believe that there's necessarily a good or right answer about these rules," she said. I believe that it is very complicated and I know that every single one of these board members are doing what is right to move forward air quality goals in our region. Lynwood City Councilmember Juan Munoz-Guevara said the rules would be a long-overdue step toward environmental justice for communities like his. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I've seen firsthand how families in my community are forced to live with the health consequences of dirty air. Our children grow up with asthma, our elders struggle with respiratory illness, and too many lives are cut short," he said. "Gas appliances in our home are one of the largest sources of smog-forming pollution in the region. We cannot meet clean air goals without tackling this. Peggy Huang, a member of Yorba Linda's City Council, urged the board to reject the rules. As someone who's been advocating for affordable housing, this will increase costs for us to meet those goals, Huang said. Chino's mayor pro tem, Curtis Burton, echoed some of Huang's concerns. He said the rules would create an additional financial burden on residents and businesses. Air quality regulators say the rules would save consumers money by reducing energy bills. Federal officials confirmed that a Southern California fourth grader who was detained by immigration officials will be deported. Martir Garcia Lara, 9, is a student at Torrance Elementary School. On May 29, he attended an immigration hearing in downtown Los Angeles with his father, Martir Garcia-Banegas, 50. However, instead of receiving an update on their immigration status, the boy and his father were both detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and separated from each other. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The next day, they were transferred to an immigration facility in Texas with plans to deport them to Honduras. Hes alone and hes not able to return home, said Jasmin King, PTA president at Torrance Elementary. ICE officials told KTLA that on July 10, 2021, the boy and his father illegally entered the U.S. Martir Garcia Lara is seen in a photo from Torrance Elementary School. A letter sent by PTA leaders to parents at Torrance Elementary School about the detainment of Martir Lara and his father. (Jasmin King) Torrance Elementary School in Torrance, California. (KTLA) Torrance Elementary School in Torrance, California. (KTLA) On Sept. 1, 2022, an immigration judge ordered the pair to return to Honduras. Garcia-Banegas appealed the decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals, but on Aug. 11, 2023, the appeal was dismissed. However, the boy and his father did not leave the country as ordered and during the immigration hearing in downtown L.A., they were detained, ICE said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They exhausted due process and have no legal remedies left to pursue, federal officials said in a statement on Thursday. News of the boys detainment had teachers and community members outraged. King said the 9-year-old has been a student at Torrance Elementary since the first grade. Teachers at Torrance Elementary reached out to King and the rest of the PTA, asking them for help in somehow getting the young boy and his father released and back to Southern California. All we know is that Martir is just a fourth-grader whos by himself, without his dad, without a parent, and just in a place that he probably doesnt know, so we can only imagine what he might be feeling, King said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PTA members and concerned residents have reached out to federal, state and local leaders, asking them to intervene while encouraging other parents and community members to help in any way they can. King said she and other PTA members are also prepared to help the boy and his father with any legal aid or financial assistance should they need it. Officials from the Torrance Unified School District said they are aware of Laras detainment. They released a statement, saying in part: This event was uncoordinated and did not occur on school grounds. Upon learning of the event, we actively engaged with the family to address the matter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We care deeply about our students, and we have received numerous inquiries about what individuals can do to assist the student and the family. Since this issue is a federal matter, we encourage those of you who have contacted us to share your feedback with elected officials for our area, who include Congressional Representatives, Maxine Waters and Ted Lieu, as well as U.S. Senators, Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff. Every child in our District has a right to education and safety, and we will continue to protect those rights. We will also provide updates should any more information become publicly available. Torrance city officials said theyve reached out to the offices of Congressmember Ted Lieu and Congresswoman Maxine Waters to ensure that the family is receiving the necessary support. Both congressional offices are actively working with the family to better understand the situation and to advocate for their well-being. According to the Los Angeles Times, the father and son are being held at a facility in south Texas that is described as a family residential center. The property was inactive by August 2024, but operations were restarted earlier this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. A Huntington Beach father who was walking with his baby said he was stunned after a neighbor had mistaken him for a homeless man and called the police. Chapman Hamborg, 32, is a young father of four children and an artist who manages his own studio in the city. He was taking his usual morning walk with his newborn daughter in a baby sling when police officers suddenly pulled up and approached him. They received a call from a neighbor who claimed Hamborg was a homeless man with a stolen baby. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The woman reportedly got into her car and followed him to his home. When police asked Hamborg to provide identification that he indeed lived at the home, thats when he began recording the interaction. The video was shared on his Instagram page and has since been viewed over 50 million times. Video posted to Instagram showing Chapman Hamborg, 32, speaking to the police after being mistaken for a homeless man while walking his baby in his Huntington Beach neighborhood. (@thehamborgs) Video posted to Instagram showing Chapman Hamborg, 32, speaking to the police after being mistaken for a homeless man while walking his baby in his Huntington Beach neighborhood. (@thehamborgs) Chapman Hamborg speaks to KTLA on June 5, 2025. (KTLA) Chapman Hamborg is a local artist and father of four who owns the Hamborg Academy of Art studio in Huntington Beach. (KTLA) Chapman Hamborgs piece, Unseen Paths, is being sold with 20% of the proceeds going to support Orange County United Ways homelessness efforts. (KTLA) Chapman Hamborg is a local artist and father of four who owns the Hamborg Academy of Art studio in Huntington Beach. (KTLA) In the video, Hamborg is heard telling his wife what was happening and she responded in amused disbelief. At the time, Hamborg was dressed casually in sweatpants and a fleece jacket. He had a beard and his long hair was tied back into a bun. He tells police that hes surprised his neighbors havent already seen him as he walks around the neighborhood several times a day. The officer tells Hamborg the woman who reported him lives one street over from his house. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamborg said hes not upset about the misunderstanding and acknowledges that, being a tired parent to a newborn may have left him looking a little scruffier than usual. I am a little disheveled, he said with a laugh. I hadnt gotten ready for the day yet. I had my hair up in my messy bed head. My pants were a little baggy and there was a hole in my slipper. Despite looking a bit unkempt, Hamborg said hes still quite stunned over the incident. I was really shocked and felt embarrassed by it all, he said. After Hamborgs social media post about the incident went viral, he said it inspired him to think more about the issues and stigma surrounding homelessness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These stereotypes of what homeless people may look like can actually be harmful, he said. So, Hamburg decided to take action and make the most of his newfound attention. Hes selling limited edition prints of his painting, Unseen Paths, and donating 20 percent of the proceeds to Orange County United Ways homeless outreach. This has been an incredible opportunity to engage with the public and help to debunk some of the myths and misinformation that people have about homelessness, explained Becks Heyhoe-Khalil, executive director of Orange County United Ways United to End Homelessness initiative. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamborg said the incident puts a spotlight on the hardships that parents and individuals who are actually homeless experience daily while being targeted or discriminated against. He said hes thankful to turn his situation into a positive one and not just raise money, but also raise awareness for an important issue that affects many communities. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. A North Hollywood father was sentenced to over 12 years in prison for a brutal assault that left his 14-month-old son with permanent injuries. The assault took place on March 22, 2022, and the child was taken to the hospital for emergency surgery for permanent head and brain injuries, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The boys father, Cesar Daniel Cabrera Jr., 23, had confessed and admitted to the abuse during police questioning. He was taken into custody by LAPD. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was initially charged with assault on a child resulting in paralysis of a permanent nature and child abuse resulting in great bodily injury. On June 5, the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office announced Cabrera was sentenced to 12 years and eight months in state prison for the assault. He pleaded no contest to one felony count of child abuse under conditions likely to cause great bodily injury. The plea included the admission of the special allegation for personally inflicting great bodily injury on a child under 5. Cabrera also pleaded no contest to two counts of second-degree burglary one in each of two separate cases and was sentenced to an additional eight months, bringing the total sentence to 12 years and eight months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was ordered to pay full restitution to the child and a 10-year criminal protective order was issued. The level of violence inflicted on this defenseless child is nothing short of monstrous, said L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman. This office will continue to pursue maximum accountability for those who harm children. Justice demands nothing less. I want to thank the prosecutors in our Family Violence Division who worked tirelessly to bring justice in this heartbreaking case, particularly Deputy District Attorneys Jonathan Hatami and Mackenzie Teymouri. Their dedication ensured the defendant was held fully accountable for his actions. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. A Southwest flight from Nashville to Phoenix diverted to Oklahoma. A passenger is accused of kicking and spitting at cabin crew after trying to open an exit in midair. Jendaya Kashar Brennan was charged with interference with flight crew members and attendants. A Southwest Airlines passenger was indicted on Tuesday, accused of assaulting a flight attendant, which in turn led to the flight being diverted. Jendaya Kashar Brennan, 30, also tried to open the plane's emergency exit in midair, says an FBI special agent's affidavit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incident occurred on May 22 on Southwest Flight 3239 from Nashville to Phoenix. Data from Flightradar24 shows how the Boeing 737 diverted to Oklahoma City, around halfway through the typically 3-hour journey. Crew members told the FBI special agent that Brennan told the flight attendants she wanted to get off the plane. Brennan, who was sitting in the last row, tried to use the rear exit door, while a flight attendant had to block her, per the affidavit. It adds that after Brennan continued screaming and ignoring the crew's requests to stop trying to exit the plane, two passengers were asked to help restrain her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While somebody trying to open a plane's exit in midair would be a frightening situation, it is not possible to actually open the door at altitude. The cabin's pressure is much higher than outside, producing huge forces that keep the doors sealed shut. The affidavit says that flight attendants started to apply wrist restraints to Brennan while she kicked them in the legs and spat at them. It also says that Brennan tried to pull one flight attendant by their lanyard, before the crew also applied leg restraints. "Brennan continued to fight the flight crew and broke her wrist restraints," the affidavit says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two passengers, who were retired correctional officers, held down Brennan's hand, per the affidavit. The captain said he decided to divert the plane to Oklahoma City to prevent the flight attendants or passengers from being injured. "Brennan continued to actively scream and yell until the flight landed," and local police carried her off the plane, the affidavit says. Brennan was charged with one count of interference with flight crew members and attendants. If found guilty, she could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Read the original article on Business Insider Back in December, Rep. Dustin Burrows grasp on the speakership was, at best, tenuous. His main rival, Rep. David Cook of Mansfield, had already won the endorsement of the House Republican Caucus, a victory his backers argued shouldve clinched his ascent to speaker of the GOP-controlled Texas House. Instead, Burrows, surrounded by Republicans willing to defy caucus rules, claimed just minutes later that the race was over and that he had the 76 votes needed to lock up the gavel. He touted an even mix of Democratic and GOP support, though some Republicans immediately asked for their names to be removed, pushing him back under the threshold to win. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The competing pronouncements deepened a bitter, months-long power struggle within a Republican Party that had churned through three speakers in four sessions, and it amplified demands by grassroots activists to sideline Democrats and lean into the partys most partisan impulses. Cook carried the banner of the hardline, so-called reformers, whose allies outside the chamber maligned Burrows as a liberal intent on empowering Democrats. Burrows, in fact a staunch conservative and a key player in the inner circle of House leadership, represented a continuation of the establishment that the partys rightmost faction had spent years fighting to depose. Burrows won the race, finally, on the first day of the legislative session, with a coalition made up of 49 Democrats and 36 Republicans. His reliance on the minority party prompted immediate attacks from his right flank and fueled charges that he would cater to the Democratic bloc that drove his victory. Some of the newly seated reformers openly threatened retribution in next years primaries for colleagues who had backed him. State Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, holds a press conference after the Dec. 7, 2024 House Republican Caucus vote where he was picked as the groups nominee for House speaker. Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune The speakers race was over, but now Burrows would have to govern a House wracked by months of acrimony, raising questions about how much could get done with one chamber of the Legislature at war with itself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, the Lubbock Republican emerged 140 days later from his first session wielding the gavel with a laundry list of new conservative laws to point to, having almost entirely avoided the turmoil his election portended. With 150 members, youre always going to have 150 perspectives thats part of what makes our chamber unique, Burrows said in a statement. But the speakers job isnt to force uniformity or go to battle with the Senate on every topic, its to protect the institution by making sure members have the tools and support they need to succeed on behalf of their districts and go home to show real accomplishments to the people they represent. I think we accomplished that. Burrows began the session with a clear eye toward retaining the speakership and detaching himself from the tenure of his now-politically radioactive predecessor, Beaumont Rep. Dade Phelan. He aligned the House closely with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the powerful presiding officer of the Senate and frequent antagonist of past speakers, and built goodwill with Gov. Greg Abbott by prioritizing school vouchers, the governors top priority. And he worked methodically to win over skeptical members of his caucus, giving some committee chairmanships and making sure others saw their pet issues reach the floor. The so-called Big Three Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dustin Burrows at a bill signing on May 14, 2025. Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune A careful tactician with years of experience in House leadership, Burrows managed to deliver almost all major Republican priorities, including vouchers, tougher bail laws and a raft of socially conservative policies. Yet he did so without fully alienating the Democrats who powered him to the speakers chair, even as they saw their partys priorities die and failed to stop most of the GOPs top items. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We really didnt know what to expect because of how he was elected, said Rep. Mitch Little, a Lewisville Republican and Cook devotee who once slammed Burrows supporters for making a brazen attempt to circumvent the will of the voters. But to be quite honest, Little said at the end of the session, if he had been elected by all Republicans, I dont know how this session would have really gone any differently. Complaining about the few unfinished items, he added, would be picking nits more than anything. Not everyone came away from the session happy. Some far-right lawmakers and activists continued to bemoan that the Legislature didnt provide enough property tax relief and that other legislation was left on the table, including a sweeping bill to restrict the flow of abortion medication into the state and legislation to require proof of citizenship to register to vote. I cannot go back in good conscience to my constituents and tell them that out of $24 billion in surplus money that belongs to them, I supported a budget that only is going to return $6.5 billion, Rep. Mike Olcott, R-Fort Worth, said on the floor in opposing the Houses budget proposal for not devoting enough to tax cuts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some Democrats walked away feeling like they got little for their vote to secure Burrows speakership, having expected more conservative legislation to get bottled up by the speakers appointed committee chairs. Democrats were particularly incensed about a bill banning K-12 student clubs focused on sexuality and gender identity, which they argued would endanger children and strip them of their dignity. Rep. Rafael Anchia, a Dallas Democrat whose daughter was vice president of a school pride club, told the Tribune in the final days of session that he didnt sign up for five anti-LGBT bills this session. It was an allusion to other measures Burrows greenlit through the House, including one that strictly defines man and woman in state records based on reproductive organs a change that could have far-reaching implications for transgender Texans. Still, barring an unexpected challenger or upheaval in the 2026 elections, Burrows is primed to maintain control of the chamber with greater Republican support, while avoiding the level of scorched-earth infighting that defined the end of Phelans speakership. And despite the sessions conservative bent, Democrats have not shown any makings of a revolt that could imperil Burrows position. He knows that we have a voice, and he knows we represent a whole lot of Texans, so he did give us some opportunities to be heard, at least, Rep. Ramon Romero Jr., D-Fort Worth, said. Hes a good listener. Because of that, I welcomed the opportunity to minimize as much damage as I could. Extending an olive branch Burrows elevation by Democrats to speaker was met with immediate skepticism from many Republicans, and, importantly, from Patrick, who tightly controls the Senate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If he can pull it off if he is the Houdini of the House, and he can pass all the conservative bills that we want then Ill pat him on the back and say job well done, Patrick said in an interview with The Texan News, while also emphasizing that he was willing to give Burrows a chance. But man, hes put himself in a tough spot. In his acceptance speech after winning the gavel, Burrows promised to protect the House as an independent institution, where lawmakers could disagree with each other without fear of repercussions and get a fair shake, even if theyd opposed him. Burrows is sworn in as House speaker on Jan. 14, 2025. Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune This is the peoples House, he said. I commit to you today: Every member will have a voice. To many members, he followed through. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His goal from the start, several lawmakers of both parties said, was to ensure all members felt like they were able to contribute to the work of the House, and to establish a solid footing with the Senate and governors office. Whether someone supported me for speaker or not, Burrows said, my message was the same to every member: If youre serious about governing and ready to do the work, youll have a voice at the table. Hardline Republicans won their main demand of barring Democrats from chairing committees, ending a House tradition in place since the 1970s that preserved a smidgen of power for the minority party. Still, Burrows worked to ensure that Democrats would continue to have a role to play, granting them a vice chair position on each panel that some later said helped foster a sense of cooperation. And he held regular, substantive meetings throughout the session with both chairs and vice chairs, according to lawmakers in both parties. Burrows committee assignments also signaled a desire to move beyond the infighting, lawmakers said. He appointed four Republicans who opposed his speakership to lead various panels, and he named Rep. Gary VanDeaver, R-New Boston, to chair the Public Health Committee a move that VanDeaver said he took as a vote of confidence, despite his opposition to school vouchers, a major GOP priority of the session. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He forgave the people who had come after him, the rural Republican said. It was clear that he wanted to let bygones be bygones and bring the House together and work for the future. And I think it paid off. Burrows also worked to develop his relationship with Patrick and advance Abbotts priorities, all seven of which made it across the finish line. It was a stark departure from Phelans last term, when his bitter feud with Patrick boiled over into multiple special sessions on property taxes, border security and vouchers issues that were each wrapped up by the time lawmakers adjourned this week. The speakers interest in wiping the slate clean was evident when, in early March, he handed over two boxes of detailed expenditures outlining how much the House spent on Attorney General Ken Paxtons impeachment in 2023. That fulfilled Patricks longstanding insistence on auditing each chambers impeachment spending and symbolically closed the chapter on an issue that divided the chambers above all else. Throughout the session, the Big Three also met weekly for breakfast, and Patrick refrained from publicly criticizing Burrows, even when it seemed the House was moving slowly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The alignment of interests between the three this time, and the assessment that each made about getting along to some extent with the other, also helped Burrows, said Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin. That was clearly purposeful. Flashes of right-wing opposition quashed Burrows also made early moves to consolidate his support among Republicans, the majority of whom had opposed his bid for speaker. The House took up and passed the voucher program early in the session, clearing away a top priority of Abbott and Patricks that had torn Republicans apart in the past. The vote also earned Burrows and every other pro-voucher Republican a pledge of support from President Donald Trump, whose endorsement is significant with GOP primary voters. And Burrows freed members to pursue their priorities, regardless of their seniority or whether they initially supported him, lawmakers said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Little, the anti-Burrows Republican who was serving his first term, was thrust into the middle of high-stakes negotiations over bail policy, a top priority of Abbott and Patricks, and over legislation to curb personal injury payouts. Rep. Shelley Luther of Tom Bean, another freshman Republican who had vowed to oppose the Burrows-Phelan leadership contingent, carried a conservative priority through the House to hold vaccine manufacturers liable for injuries caused by their vaccines. The members that wanted to show up for work every day and represent their districts and roll up their sleeves and go to work found a speaker that was ready and eager to lock arms with them and put them to work, GOP Rep. Jeff Leach of Allen, a close Burrows ally, said. Those who came to the Capitol intent on playing politics or elevating themselves, he added, were probably leaving Austin feeling pretty frustrated right now, and thats a good thing. Any flashes of right-wing opposition throughout the session were quickly dispatched. In April, Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian and chief House agitator, raised a motion to oust Burrows from the speakership. The motion was swatted down, with all but one other member rejecting it and House lawmakers jeering during Harrisons speech. Burrows used that as a tool to draw the caucus together, Little said. Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, speaks during a House of Representatives budget discussion on April 10, 2025. Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune Harrison, who sought to be the voice of the resistance, ultimately alienated many of his natural ideological allies, Henson said. He posted frequently on social media accusing the House of not working even as members were grinding through all-day committee hearings and was openly accused by his colleagues of using theatrics to raise his own political profile. Harrisons particular profile and peoples impression of him, Henson said, disrupted any chance of a real, sustained, active opposition to Burrows from inside the caucus. In a statement, Harrison said that the only thing the caucus was united in was passing big government liberalism, pointing to what he cast as insufficient property tax relief and a bloated budget, among other issues. Texans deserve leaders willing to stand up to the swamp, even if it means standing alone, Harrison said. My motion to vacate speech was the most enduring truth spoken on the floor all session, and I was speaking for every freedom-loving Texan who was betrayed. Lurching toward more conservative representation By the last month of session, Republican priorities including socially conservative items like a requirement that the Ten Commandments be posted in public school classrooms, bills targeting transgender Texans, and a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion in K-12 schools were winning approval in the House at a steady clip. Burrows, whose record as a member focused more on property tax relief and limiting the powers of progressive city leaders, was quiet on many of the red-meat issues that featured prominently on Patricks priority list. Instead, Republican lawmakers said, he let the members decide. My role as speaker is to call balls and strikes, managing the legislative process so the priorities of the chamber move forward when they have the support to pass, Burrows said. And the truth is, the House and Senate found alignment on a number of long-debated issues. Thats not about falling in line its about recognizing when the timing, support and momentum are there to act. Any one of those items failing could have triggered a fight with the Senate. Their passage reflected not only the speakers firm conservative views, lawmakers said, but also a chamber remade by last years cutthroat primaries. Burrows accepted the Houses appetite for a more ambitious conservative agenda, rather than fighting to preserve the role it once played in moderating Patricks hardline impulses. The House is lurching toward more conservative representation, Little said. Burrows appreciates that, and is using that moment to his advantage to move the policy initiatives that he has to move. Bargaining chips? The Houses close alignment with Patrick, however, raised the question of whether Burrows had stood up for his chamber enough against the Senate. Though some argued that the ideological alignment between the bodies meant Burrows didnt have to fight back as much as previous speakers, critics of the dynamic argued that the speaker let the House and its members get run over by the Senate on a few key issues. Some lawmakers argued that Burrows made a critical tactical error in passing school vouchers so early in the session without an ironclad agreement that the Senate would move in tandem to approve the Houses public school funding package. Burrows had branded the two bills as the Texas Two-Step, in an effort to help soothe lawmakers who were open to supporting the voucher program but worried about its effect on public schools. Instead, the school funding package got caught in negotiations that became colored by an unrelated Patrick priority: a ban on all THC products. Though Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian and chair of the influential State Affairs Committee, developed a sweeping regulatory framework that would have preserved some THC products, the House reverted his legislation to a ban, with supporters pointing to a promised expansion of Texas medical marijuana program as a counterbalance. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick shows off various THC and CBD products during a press conference in the Texas Capitol on May 28, 2025. Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune At first, the expansion Patrick agreed to did not go as far as some House lawmakers who supported the THC ban believed. That gave some the impression that the House had been played. Still, Patrick later agreed to the core elements of the Houses proposed expansion of the Texas Compassionate Use Program, and on school funding, lawmakers arrived at a compromise both sides could endorse, with Burrows playing a central role in the negotiation. Burrows argued that the voucher program always had the votes this session, and was never a trade-off or a bargaining chip. It was never a matter of trading this for that, or the House would have moved them in one bill or made them contingent on the other, he said. The school finance bill was a massive and complex package that couldnt be rushed, he said, adding, It was never a matter of if. Leach, who spearheaded negotiations with the Senate on a number of high-priority bills, added that the openness between Burrows and Patrick helps all of us do our jobs. I was in those rooms, and the relationship between the chambers is strong, Leach said. Youve got House members and senators working together like we havent in a really long time. State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Allen, on the House floor during the first day of the 89th Texas legislative session at the Capitol on Jan. 14, 2025. Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune In a statement last month, Patrick disputed the notion that either chamber gets its way over the other and noted that, without cooperation from both, nothing gets to the governors desk to be signed into law. The Speaker and I dont keep track of whats a Senate bill or a House bill, Patrick said. Some Democrats feel run over While some Democrats found meaningful roles behind the scenes and a willing audience in Burrows, others left the session feeling betrayed. One Democratic lawmaker, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, said their biggest regret of the session was supporting Burrows for speaker. He couldnt have won without us, and weve gotten run over on almost all of our major issue areas, the lawmaker said. He ran on protecting the House from the lieutenant governor and the governor. That was his pitch to Democrats. That has certainly not happened. If anything, the governor and the lieutenant governor have way more influence and control of the House than they ever have. Other Democrats maintained their support for Burrows, arguing that he protected the institution, recognized that he was speaker of the entire House and provided space for Democrats to express their preferences and dilute some conservative legislation they largely did not support. Burrows especially developed a relationship with Democratic members of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, lawmakers said. To demonstrate the Houses resolve, lawmakers of both parties pointed to the bail package, which the House amended to win the requisite bipartisan support while rejecting two other proposals demanded by Abbott. Members also spotlighted the school finance bill, which included Democratic priorities such as pre-K funding and more flexibility for school districts than the Senate had initially proposed. The changes those bills underwent, the lawmakers said, reflected the ability of House Democrats and Republicans alike to make their mark on priority legislation. The fact that Dustin is a rock solid conservative should surprise no one, Leach said. Still, he added, if lawmakers wanted to work and fight for their values, even if its stuff that he disagreed on, they were able to do so. Maybe not successfully but the House was the peoples House, and thats largely due to his leadership. The alternative, as promised by Cook and the insurgent movement, was to prevent any Democratic bills from receiving a vote before all conservative priorities passed, and to cut Democrats who make up more than 40 percent of the House out of dealmaking entirely. As he gaveled out the session on Monday, Burrows noted how much the chamber had evolved since January. We started the session as a House in a bit of uncertainty, he said as lawmakers embraced and readied themselves to leave Austin. I believe that we ended in a much more unified and solid place. Disclosure: University of Texas at Austin has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto ORourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase. NEED TO KNOW Linda Mathiesen said she accidentally left a $5,000 tip instead of a $5 tip at a California vape shop about a year ago She then claims she spent months trying to dispute the transaction before her bank refunded her Wells Fargo tells PEOPLE that they "resolved this situation" and "are committed to working with our customers to find solutions when they encounter issues" A California woman said she felt generous after shopping at a vape store and decided to leave a $5 tip then realized she accidentally left three extra zeros. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Special education teacher Linda Mathiesen told ABC affiliate KGO that about a year ago, she went to San Bruno Exotic to purchase a couple of items to help with her shoulder pain, including CBD relief gel. In a giving mood, she decided to leave a $5 tip, but Mathiesen told KGO that she couldn't fully see what she was doing at the tall checkout stand. "I push what I thought was only two zeros. Ended up being three zeros," Mathiesen said. Once she realized those zeros were in front of the decimal point, and not behind it, she tried to rectify her mistake, but the clerk reportedly said he didn't know how and processed the tip instead. Mathiesen alleged to KGO that she began the process of disputing the transaction with Wells Fargo that same day, but after dozens of attempts to try and reach them over several months, the matter hadn't been solved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the outlet claimed that after they reached out to the bank, Wells Fargo did respond to Mathiesen, promising to refund the tip plus interest. When reached for comment, a bank spokesperson told PEOPLE that after learning about what happened to her, they "resolved this situation." "We are committed to working with our customers to find solutions when they encounter issues," they added. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. According to KGO, the smoke shop, which now goes by Exotic Vapes, and a clerk they spoke with, who otherwise had no comment, claimed new owners took over in January. When PEOPLE reached for comment on Friday, June 6, the phone number was not in service. Mathiesen did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Read the original article on People HONOLULU (KHON2) Spectra Fest, a weeklong celebration of art, music and community, kicks off Monday, June 9, with a full schedule of events across Lahaina. Brand-new summer beer dinner series brewing at Hilton Hawaiian Village The festival begins with an opening ceremony hosted at Lahaina Intermediate School, where attendees can take part in launching a community mural painting project. Local artists, students and families will also collaborate on restoring picnic benches throughout the week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news The Hawaii International Film Festival will present a selection of short films focused on Maui and the neighbor islands, adding a cinematic element to the festivities. Spectra Fest concludes on Friday, June 13, with a community wrap party at the Royal Lahaina Resort and Bungalows. The final night will feature Art and Flea, with more than 20 local vendors, plus live music from DJ Max High, Anthony Pluke and headliners Nuff Sed. Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You For event details and updates, visit @spectrahawaii on Instagram. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2. JOPLIN, Mo. The Missouri Public Service Commission hosted a public forum Thursday (6/5), discussing the rate increase requested by Spire Energy. The hearing was held at Missouri Southerns Corley Auditorium. The 11-month process includes five public forums across the state of Missouri. Last November, Spire filed a request with the Missouri Public Service Commission for a rate increase totaling approximately $236 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the average residential customer, it would mean an increase of about 15% or just over $14 per month. According to Spire, 80% of the proposed increase will be used to recoup investments made improving the companys infrastructure, like pipelines and meters. The public hearing gives Spire customers the opportunity to ask questions and testify about the rate increase. Weve heard a lot of good questions. The public wants to understand why were asking for this rate increase, so its been good to explain to them the importance of investing in our infrastructure. Were an old company. Weve been around for over 150 years and as with anything, you have to replace it. You have to upgrade it over time, said Spire Missouri Managing Director of Regulatory Affairs, David Yonce. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I encourage anybody to come out. I know they have multiple public hearings to voice their concerns, get their questions answered. You never know how the rate case will be decided, so its always good to advocate for yourself and others, said Economic Security Corporation Deputy Director, Tammy Walker. In November, the same month Spire filed the increase, the energy company enacted a rate decrease. Company representatives say that was due to a change in the price of natural gas. The rate decrease amounted to roughly $18 per month. If Spire residents were unable to attend any of the public forums, they can file written comments on the commissions website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the commission approves Spires request, the rate increase for Missouri customers would take effect this fall. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com. SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) A man from Springfield was sentenced to life without possibility of parole for a murder that took place in 2021 in Chicopee. Kaysone Walters was found guilty of first-degree murder of 25-year-old Brianne Boiselle of Chicopee back in August of 2021. On August 11th, at 8:55 p.m., Boisselle was found on Baldwin Street in Springfield with several stab wounds and died from her injuries. The Hampden District Attorneys Office states that Boisselle was attending college classes to achieve her goal to join the medical field. She was always seen carrying a backpack to carry her laptop and her Nintendo Switch to play with her friends or at home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement North Adams man sentenced to prison for assaulting child Evidence shows that Walters set Boisselle up for a robbery, tried to lure her to a less public meeting area, however she resisted him in some way. Boisselle received 56 identifiable stab wounds and had defensive wounds on her left arm and hand. She was then found in a small lot, face down on Baldwin Street. After the stabbing, Walters stole Boisselles vehicle, drove it to Chicopee, and set it on fire. Her Nintendo Switch was found inside a drawer in Walter and his girlfriends apartment next to his wallet and ID. An investigation led Springfield Police to apply for an arrest warrant for Walters on August 17, after he was identified as the suspect. Springfield police, along with the U.S. Marshals Service, State Police, and the Hampden County Sheriffs Department, later learned that Walters left the state and was in Lakeland, Florida. On October 7, the U.S. Marshals Florida Task Force went to Lakeland and spotted Walters attempting to run away. He was arrested and brought back to Massachusetts to face murder charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, Walters was sentenced to life without parole for first-degree murder. He was also sentenced for no more than 20 and no less than 18 years for carjacking, which is concurrent with his life sentence. Many of Boisselles family members were in court for the sentencing, including her mother, Tracy, who called for the maximum possible sentence for her daughters killer during an emotional victim impact statement. He has shown he is not capable of being a decent human, despite being given several chances by the justice system, said Tracy Boiselle, mother of Brianne Boiselle. A cage is where he belongs until the last breath leaves his body. Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni said, This was a calculated and deeply violent act that ended the life of a young woman with her future ahead of her. We are grateful to the jury for their careful consideration and for delivering a verdict that brings justice to all who knew and loved Bri. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gulluni added, I want to thank Assistant District Attorneys Max Bennett, Kerry Koehler, and Michael Locke for their thorough casework and determination from start to finish. Id also like to thank Victim Witness Advocates Jane Chevalier and Kristin Welch, whose compassion and support guided the victims family through an incredibly difficult process. Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP. SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) The city of Springfield kicked off Pride Month with a flag raising to lead up to a weekend full of events. Where to celebrate Pride Month in western Massachusetts June 5th through the 7th marks the 4th annual Springfield Pride Parade Weekend. This year, the Springfield LGBTQIA + community is using their voice to support the youth. Thursdays kick-off event included a Progressive Pride flag raised at City Hall, a proclamation read by Mayor Domenic Sarno, and remarks by city officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Pride Parade Committee told 22News that this weekend will be used to raise money for their safe space programs in Springfield public schools. The safe space programs give kids a safe, supportive, and inclusive space to grow, learn, and thrive in school and life. Right now, theyre wrapping up their 3rd year working in 6 schools. In the next year, theyre hoping to be in at least 10. It shows us coming together as a community, and it really shows our commitment to inclusion and supporting our LGBTQ+ youth, said Taurean Bethea, Springfield Pride Parade Committee CEO. A list of the Pride events and ways to donate can be found here: Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP. HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) Friday is National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Guns are listed as the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States and more than 100 Americans are killed with guns every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Governor Lamont advocates for more funding for gun violence prevention Saint Francis Hospital hosted a ceremony and speaking program Friday morning to honor those who have been impacted by gun violence and raise awareness of the important day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Jan. 29, 2013, Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old high school sophomore was shot and killed while standing in harsh park in Kenwood, Chicago, hospital president Valerie Powell-Stafford said. Her death drew a national spotlight and stands as a reminder of how easily and abruptly gun violence can disrupt lives. The Wear Orange campaign for gun violence awareness runs through the weekend. You can wear something orange to show your support for the movement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com. The California Department of Justice will investigate a fatal shooting by Los Angeles Police Department officers under a law that empowers the state attorney general to probe police shootings of unarmed people despite the LAPD saying the man killed Tuesday was holding a gun. At 10 p.m. Tuesday, officers responded to a reported shooting in an apartment building in the 1000 block of Ardmore Avenue in Koreatown, LAPD officials said in an unsigned statement. As they entered the building, Ronald Gainer Jr. exited an apartment holding a handgun, officials said. The officers fired at Gainer, who retreated into the apartment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The officers entered the unit and took Gainer into custody, according to the LAPD. Gainer, 35, died at a hospital, according to the L.A. County medical examiner's office. Officers found a handgun and discharged cartridge casings "at scene," the LAPD said, along with a second gun and ammunition inside the apartment. Read more: 'A night of tragedy': A young officer who loved Dodgers, snowboarding killed in Baldwin Park shootout According to the police statement, Gainer was involved earlier that evening in a "domestic violence incident" with his girlfriend. After she fled, Gainer allegedly fired a gun into the air and toward a building, prompting the response by the officers who shot him, the LAPD said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The LAPD's Force Investigation Division was already probing the shooting standard protocol for all uses of force by officers when on Wednesday California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced his office was investigating as well. In a news release, Bonta cited Assembly Bill 1506, which requires the state's Department of Justice to investigate police shootings of unarmed people. Alexandra Duquet, a spokeswoman for Bonta, said state prosecutors will investigate cases when it isn't immediately clear whether the person killed had control of a weapon. AB 1506 defines "possession" of a weapon as being "under the civilians dominion and control at the time of the shooting." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Agents from the Department of Justice's Division of Law Enforcement will conduct an investigation separate from the LAPD's and present their findings to prosecutors in Bonta's office, who will make a decision on whether to bring criminal charges. If no case is filed, state prosecutors must release a report detailing the evidence and the legal reasoning for why charges were not warranted. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. CAMBRIA COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) A major preservation project is underway in Cambria County, thanks to more than $43,000 in state funding aimed at keeping the regions history intact. The Cambria County Historical Society was awarded the grant by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) to help restore 41 original windows in the A.W. Buck House, the societys headquarters. The goal is to maintain the architectural integrity and historical character of each window, preserving them in their original profile and time period. State Reps. Jim Rigby and Dallas Kephart, who represent parts of Cambria County, applauded the funding, emphasizing its importance to historical preservation and community identity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The grant comes at a meaningful time, as the society marks its 100th anniversary this year. Get the latest news, weather forecasts and sports stories delivered straight to your inbox! Sign up for our newsletters. The PHMC, which oversees the states historical programs and preservation efforts, offers grants to support projects that safeguard Pennsylvanias cultural legacy Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTAJ - www.wtaj.com. Warden's office building at the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls, SD (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) The South Dakota Department of Corrections has replaced the penitentiary warden who resigned last fall after eight months of cascading controversies at the Sioux Falls facility. Joseph Roemmich, most recently the warden of the Cibola County Correctional Center in Milan, New Mexico, will begin his service in South Dakota June 24. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joseph has extensive experience working in the corrections field in a variety of correctional and detention settings, Secretary of Corrections Kellie Wasko said in a press release. His work in all areas of security operations as a warden, assistant warden, chief of security, investigator, and officer will be valuable as he helps our corrections staff develop and incorporate modern correctional practices. Roemmich has been warden of the Milan facility for a little over a year. The jail is operated by CoreCivic, the for-profit company formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America. The company website says Roemmich joined the CoreCivic after several years serving in law enforcement in California. The site says the company is the nations largest owner of partnership correctional, detention and residential reentry facilities, and one of the largest prison operators in the United States. Milan is a village in western New Mexico with a population of about 2,500 people, located about 80 miles west of Albuquerque. The CoreCivic website says the Milan jails main customers are the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Cibola County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement South Dakota DOCs press release on Roemmichs hiring says that in addition to his correctional service, he has 11 years of law enforcement experience. I look forward to working with penitentiary staff to help positively affect the safety and security of the staff, our offenders, and the people of South Dakota, Roemmich said in the release. DOC Director of Prison Operations Amber Pirraglia had been serving as interim warden of the penitentiary since the departure of Teresa Bittinger. Bittinger resigned near the end of a troubled year for the facility in Sioux Falls. March 2024 saw two rounds of unrest at the penitentiary, which followed the temporary shutdown of tablet-based communications between inmates and their families for an investigation the corrections department has never fully explained. Former Gov. Kristi Noem, now head of ICE for the Trump administration, said at the time that inmates had been using their tablets for nefarious purposes. Just before her departure, Bittinger oversaw a lockdown that lasted more than a month and saw prison officials tear down multiple sweat lodges on the prison grounds, a move that drew scrutiny from Oglala Sioux Tribal President Frank Star Comes Out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bittingers tenure also coincided with the controversial loss of Metal Craft Industries, a private company that spent more than 20 years employing maximum security inmates at a metal fabrication shop inside the penitentiarys Jameson Annex. The companys owners say they were forced out in spite of serving to better the lives of inmates by paying market wages one of its former inmate employees paid off his restitution and had enough in the bank to put a down payment on a home upon his release and by serving customers across the region. When asked about the situation by lawmakers in multiple hearings last year, DOC Secretary Wasko said the company had taken advantage of cheap inmate labor and accused Metal Craft of covering up contraband. Bittinger, who resigned one day after a closed-door meeting with lawmakers, was the third penitentiary warden in fewer than three years. Former DOC administrator Doug Clark served as interim warden in 2021 before the state hired Dan Sullivan, who served less than two years before being replaced by Bittinger, who began as an interim warden and took the permanent position in April 2023. The leaders began to rotate through after a Noem-initiated shakeup in 2021 led to the ouster of several long-serving prison administrators, including then-warden Darin Young. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bittinger had served as warden of the entire penitentiary complex. Upon her departure, Sec. Wasko told the public she intended to hire separate wardens for the penitentiary and the Jamison Annex. The DOC has yet to name a Jameson warden. A prison construction workgroup voted in April to replace the penitentiary, which was built in 1881, but not the Jameson Annex, a separate building erected in the 1990s. The group voted this week in Pierre to ditch the original site for that replacement, in rural Lincoln County near Harrisburg, to cap construction costs for a replacement prison at $600 million, and to study the feasibility of sites near Worthing, Mitchell, and on land near Sioux Falls already owned by the DOC. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The California Department of Public Health is moving to suspend the licenses of seven Southern California nursing facilities that have been repeatedly cited in recent years for contributing to patients deaths. The state health department sent letters last month to seven companies in Los Angeles County that received at least two AA violations within the last two years, indicating a failure that contributed substantially to the death of a resident. The facilities include Ararat Nursing Facility, a Mission Hills nursing home cited last year over lapses related to two residents' deaths less than three months apart. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mark E. Reagan, an attorney for Ararat, said the facility plans to appeal the suspension. "Not only is any action for suspension unwarranted, it is also not in the best interests of the community or residents of the facility," Reagan said. "The facilitys top priority is and always has been the safety and well-being of its residents." In addition to Ararat, the state said other facilities targeted for license suspension were Antelope Valley Care Center in Lancaster, Brier Oak on Sunset in Hollywood, Golden Haven Care Center in Glendale, Kei-Ai Los Angeles Healthcare Center in Lincoln Park, Santa Anita Convalescent Hospital in Temple City and Seacrest Post-Acute Care Center in San Pedro. None of those facilities sent letters by the state responded to requests for comment Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An AA violation is a relatively rare penalty within state enforcement. Only 99 have been issued to the more than 1,200 skilled nursing facilities in California since the start of 2020, according to state data . According to California law , the state can move to suspend or revoke a nursing homes license once the facility gets two such violations within two years. In practice, the AA citation has been issued so infrequently that few facilities crossed that threshold, said Tony Chicotel, a senior staff attorney with California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform. Chicotel said he was pleasantly surprised by the states recent vigor in issuing AA violations and moving forward with license suspensions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As far as I know and Ive been doing this a long time, a couple decades this is new, Chicotel said. Representatives from the state public health department didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. In each case, state investigations found failures and oversights that contributed directly to residents' deaths. At Golden Haven in Glendale, which previously operated as Glenoaks Convalescent Hospital, an investigation revealed that staff withheld a diabetic residents insulin and failed to monitor the persons blood sugar for 61 days, resulting in the patients hospitalization and death in April 2024, according to the state's report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At Brier Oak on Sunset, a resident died in August 2024 after rolling off a bed while her nurse was tending to a different patient, the state said in its citation report, which noted that paramedics found the woman lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Facilities in violation frequently resolve citations through appeals, settlements or other alternate routes that lower the severity level of their violation, their fine amount or both, Chicotel said. All seven of the companies cited were informed by letter that their license would be suspended in 30 days from the sending date if they did not exercise their right to appeal. Advocates said they expected all of them to appeal. Rachel Tate, vice president of ombudsman services at the nonprofit Wise & Healthy Aging, said she was troubled by the fact that many facilities recorded multiple patient deaths before the state took action. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I understand that we need to be giving facilities due process and these other opportunities, but it seems we are sacrificing patient care in the process, Tate said. How many people are you allowed to kill and still get to appeal and keep your license? Thats very concerning. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. AUSTIN (KXAN) Texas State Rep. Jolanda Jones announced Monday her campaign for Congress, seeking to fill the seat left vacant by Rep. Sylvester Turners death earlier this year. The Houston Democrat becomes the latest candidate to enter what has become a competitive race for the 18th Congressional District, joining Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards, energy executive Zoe Cadore, realtor Peter Filler, community advocate Robert Slater and independent candidates Reyna Anderson and Chance Davis. Jones emphasized her commitment to protecting federal programs and constitutional freedoms in her campaign launch, positioning herself as an experienced advocate ready to confront Republican policy initiatives in Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Nov. 4 special election will determine Turners replacement in a district considered safely Democratic. Turner died in March after serving just two months of his first term. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee previously held the seat before her death in 2024. Gov. Greg Abbott sets Nov. 4 special election to fill U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turners seat Gov. Greg Abbott faced criticism from Democrats for waiting to schedule the special election until the November uniform election date, leaving the district without representation for nine months. However the extended timeline allowed Jones to complete the legislative session before launching her congressional campaign, as she had pledged to focus on her state house duties until the session concluded. Menefee criticized the governors decision, stating it was unconscionable to leave nearly 800,000 people in this district without representation in Congress for most of the year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abbott defended the timeline, citing concerns about Harris Countys election administration capabilities, though county officials disputed his characterization of their election operations. Political Experience Jones brings diverse government experience to the congressional race. She has represented House District 147 at the State Capitol since winning the election in 2022, where she worked on criminal justice, health policy and redistricting issues. Before her legislative service, Jones spent four years on Houston City Council representing an at-large position from 2008-2012. She also served on the Houston Independent School District school board. The veteran attorney waited until the end of the legislative session to announce her congressional campaign, citing her responsibility to current constituents in the state house. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her legal practice spans more than two decades, during which she worked on high-profile cases including efforts to reform Houstons police crime laboratory following evidence handling problems. Policy Platform In Congress, Jones said she would prioritize defending social programs, including Social Security and Medicare from potential reductions. She also plans to advocate for expanded healthcare access and reproductive rights restoration. The candidate emphasized her long-standing advocacy for womens healthcare autonomy and pledged to work toward reversing federal abortion restrictions. Veterans benefits protection and education funding would also receive focus under her congressional agenda, along with infrastructure investments for the Houston region. Competitive Field Several Democrats have already launched campaigns for the seat: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee entered the race first, securing support from former congressional candidates Colin Allred and Beto ORourke. Lees daughter, Erica Lee Carter, chairs his campaign organization. Former city council member Amanda Edwards brings municipal government experience and private sector leadership as head of a community solutions consulting firm. She spearheaded Houstons technology innovation initiatives during her council tenure and maintains extensive nonprofit board involvement. Energy industry executive Zoe Cadore is running after serving as a federal affairs director for Calpine Corporation. Her background includes policy work with the American Petroleum Institute and involvement in Turners mayoral administration. Peter Filler, a real estate professional with environmental science training, offers urban forestry expertise and Texas teaching credentials to the race. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Robert Slater campaigns on economic revitalization and public safety improvements, drawing from personal experiences growing up in underserved Houston communities. Independent candidates Chance Davis and Reyna Anderson, running under the Other party designation, round out the field. District Stakes The 18th District encompasses some of Houstons most politically active communities and serves as a crucial Democratic stronghold in Texas. With Republicans holding a narrow House majority, maintaining the seat remains important for Democratic legislative priorities. The extended vacancy has left constituents without representation during key congressional debates over federal spending and policy initiatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jones candidacy adds state-level legislative experience to a field dominated by local government veterans and private sector professionals, potentially appealing to voters seeking Austin connections for federal advocacy. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) The Huntsville man charged with killing two women on Bonnell Drive in August 2023 appeared in court on Friday. 25-year-old Tye Deshun Stevens is charged with the capital murder of DAsia Monique Morris and Sequoiya Monee Lamar. Stevens was arrested in September 2024 in Anniston, Alabama. Early morning Shooting in Polyplex parking lot leaves man injured in Decatur He appeared before Madison County Circuit Judge Chris Comer with his attorneys, Chad Morgan and Larry Marsli, for a status conference to discuss where the case stands. Comer said he wanted to have the hearing to make sure the case was flowing as it should. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neither the prosecution nor the defense raised any issue, and there were no pending motions for Comer to rule on. Despite being denied bond several times in this case, the issue did not come up in Fridays hearing. The State told Comer that the Defense had been presented with all the discovery it had and that it did not anticipate a plea deal would be offered to Stevens. After the hearing, the State confirmed that it will be seeking the death penalty against him. According to the Huntsville Police Department, on Aug. 29, 2023, officers responded to a shooting call on Bonnell Drive. Morris and Lamar were both found dead at the scene. Download the WHNT News 19 App to stay updated on the go. Sign up for WHNT News 19 newsletters to have news sent to your inbox. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was indicted by a Madison County grand jury in October 2024. Stevens is set to stand trial on Aug. 17, 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. ALBANY State Sen. Freddie Powell-Sims, D-Dawson, and members of the surrounding southwest Georgia community will come together at the First Baptist Church of Blakely to help lift up those impacted by the recent announcement that the Georgia-Pacific Paper Mill Plant in Early County will close permanently. Georgia-Pacific announced it will close its containerboard mill at Cedar Springs, along the states southwest border with Alabama. All 535 employees there will be let go, with most positions eliminated by Aug. 1. The decision to close the mill will undoubtedly have a devastating impact on the town and the surrounding areas, while adding further plight to rural Georgians, state Democratic officials said. Georgia Senate Democrats believe there is no Georgia without rural Georgia. These communities are the backbone of the state, feeding families, sustaining the economy, and preserving generations of tradition and service, these officials said in a news release. From farm towns to timber country, rural Georgians deserve real investments in health care, education, infrastructure and jobs. Instead, rural communities are facing closures, cuts and broken promises. (This story has been updated to include new information.) With Milwaukee Public Schools running behind on filing financial reports for a second year in a row, state officials are now withholding a total of about $42 million in state aid owed to the school district. The School District will be able to recoup the funds when it submits certain financial information and a creates a plan for meeting additional deadlines over the next year. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction announced June 6 it would withhold an additional $25.4 million in funding to Milwaukee Public Schools because of the district's late financial reporting. The DPI also continues to withhold a $16.6 million special education payment from last year, bringing the total to about $42 million in state money being withheld from the school district. District officials, who were notified June 5, have said the funding suspension won't cause any issues for staff or students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MPS is working with urgency to finalize submission of the required data, MPS spokesman Stephen Davis said in a statement. We continue to work in close partnership with DPI and continue making good progress correcting long-standing issues that led the district to this point. The total amount of funding being withheld includes a $16.6 million special education payment that has been withheld for a year because of the district's lack of progress on financial reporting. It also includes an additional two upcoming payments, newly announced to be withheld: about $17.4 in Special Education and School-Age Parents Aid, and about $8 million in Achievement Gap Reduction aid. State officials need MPS' financial reports, including audited financial statements from the 2023-24 school year, to calculate by July 1 how much state aid they should send to MPS and every other Wisconsin school district. All other districts have submitted the needed information, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Spokesman Chris Bucher said previously. Here's what to know. Why are MPS' financial reports late for a second year? When MPS' financial reports were severely late last year, leading to the resignations of top administrators, state officials put the district on a corrective action plan to overhaul its accounting infrastructure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the root causes of MPS' failures: The district was using an accounting system that didnt align with the states uniform financial accounting requirements. Inexperienced staff were using a homespun process to move data from MPS system to the states, causing delays and errors. And most of the positions responsible for financial reporting were vacant. Since then, the district has had a rocky road playing catchup on its financial reporting while replacing key positions. It has missed many of the dates it outlined in its corrective action plan. MPS' accounting system still doesn't align with the state's system. Staff are working to piece together accurate information from the district's faulty accounting systems, while also charting new systems to prevent the same issues in the future. The district hired a new chief financial officer, former Milwaukee Comptroller Aycha Sawa, in September, and a new superintendent, Brenda Cassellius, who started in March. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cassellius immediately faced multiple alarms, including a consultant's conclusion that the district urgently needed to restructure its central offices, and a spiraling lead-paint crisis with a facilities director who was under state investigation. Cassellius told the Journal Sentinel her focus recently had been on overseeing the cleanup of lead paint hazards. She has since taken over management of the late financial reports. What is MPS doing to fix its accounting systems? As MPS approached a May 30 deadline to submit financial information to the state, Cassellius moved finance staff into her office suite to oversee their work completing the reports for DPI. Staff from DPI have also been on site to help MPS. The district signed an agreement last year to pay DPI up to $260,000 for the department's assistance between last July and the end of this June. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cassellius said she's been in contact with state officials daily and expects MPS to be able to submit the information DPI needs in time to calculate state aid payments. State Deputy State Superintendent Tom McCarthy has praised the district's progress under Cassellius' leadership. Cassellius said her goal is for the district's 2025-26 accounting to be done in a system that's fully compliant with the state's uniform financial accounting requirements. She said she plans to recruit additional contractors to support the finance office, which said could include consultants and project management experts. Cassellius, who recently published $1.549 billion budget plan envisioning a broad restructuring of the district's central office, also wants to add four staff positions to the finance office. The Milwaukee School Board, which last month approved members of a new external committee to provide advice on overseeing the district's financial practices and audits, plans to hold public hearings on Cassellius' budget plan June 12, June 17 and June 24. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Contact Rory Linnane at rory.linnane@jrn.com. Follow her on X at @RoryLinnane. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: State withholding $42 million in aid to MPS over late finance reports Elon Musk joins President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 11, 2025. Credit - Jin WatsonGetty Images The breakdown in relations between President Donald Trump and his one-time ally Elon Musk has played out over social media in spectacular fashion, with the two engaging in a tit-for-tat spat. The row initially started over politics. Musk expressed his vehement disapproval of Trumps Big, Beautiful Bill, calling it a disgusting abomination and encouraging people to kill the bill. Meanwhile, Trump maintained that the fall-out was prompted by Musk being upset over the removal of electric vehicle subsidiesa provision that made Tesla vehicles more affordable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the fight has since taken a far more personal turn, bolstered by Musks allegation that Trump is listed in the files related to the late financier and alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. That is the real reason they have not been made public, Musk said in a post shared via his social media platform, X. He did not provide evidence pertaining to this. The accusation has spurred Democrats to chase the full unsealing of the Epstein files. California Rep. Robert Garcia and Massachusetts Rep. Stephen F. LynchDemocratic members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reformsent a letter on June 5 to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Kash Patel. We write with profound alarm at allegations that files relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have not been declassified and released to the American public because they personally implicate President Trump, read the letter titled Is Trump Suppressing The Epstein Files? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House responded, saying that the move by the Oversight Committee members was another baseless stunt that bears no weight in fact or reality. Social media posts by Elon Musk and President Donald Trump are displayed on smartphones on June 5, 2025, in San Anselmo, Calif. Justin SullivanGetty Images Heres what to know about the Epstein files and the renewed push to declassify them following Musks allegation. What do we know about the Epstein files so far? On Feb. 27, Bondi released more than 100 pages of declassified documents related to Epsteinas part of the Trump Administrations vow to be more transparent regarding the high-profile case. During the presidential election, Trump promised to appease the clamoring for the alleged client list of Epsteins since his arrest and subsequent death by suicide in 2019. Though Bondi called this the first phase of declassified files, people were underwhelmed by the published pages, as much of the text had been redacted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bondis release included Epsteins black book, which had previously been published. It featured names like Trump and former President Bill Clinton, but as the New York Times reported, there were people in the book with whom Epstein had never even met, and thus listed names are not necessarily connected to Epsteins activities. One of the only never-before-seen documents included in the release was an Evidence List of catalogued evidence obtained by investigators. Bondi blamed the FBI for the fact that the report was incomplete, suggesting in a published letter to Patel that the FBI had more information related to Epstein. Bondi ordered Patel to deliver the rest of the investigation documents and conduct an immediate investigation to understand why she had only received parts of the files. There is much discussion as to whether a fully-fledged Epstein client list even exists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jacob Shamsian, Business Insiders legal correspondent who has covered the Epstein case for years, said via social media on Feb. 27: I should also point out that the Jeffrey Epstein client list does not exist and makes no sense on multiple levels (you think he made a list???). But if Pam Bondi wants to prove me wrong, I welcome it. Read More: Trump Attorney General Pam Bondi Blames FBI for Incomplete Epstein Files Will the Musk allegations prompt the release of further Epstein files? Musks allegations have brought the Epstein files back into the spotlight, but there were already calls for them to be published in full. In April, Trump was asked by a reporter about when the next phase of the files are due to be released, to which he responded: I dont know. Ill speak to the Attorney General about that. I really dont know. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since then, Democrats have continued to push for more documents to be released. Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman of New York released a statement in May, demanding that [Bondi] promptly release the Jeffrey Epstein Files in full. Spurred by Musks allegation, Democrats including Garcia, Goldman, and Lynch are now renewing these calls for more transparency. But it remains to be seen whether or not the pressure will be enough for Bondi, Patel, or Trump to provide more answers. What do we know about Trump's relationship with Epstein? Trump's connection to Epstein dates back decades. In a 2002 interview with New York magazine, he famously said that Epstein was a lot of fun to be with. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side, Trump told the reporter. In July 2019, NBC News TODAY released unearthed video footage believed to be from 1992, which showed Trump greeting Epstein at his Mar-a-Lago estate. The two men could be seen laughing as they engaged in conversation. After Epsteins 2019 arrest on federal sex trafficking charges, Trump made strides to distance himself. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office in 2019, Trump said: I had a falling out with him [Epstein]. I havent spoken to him in 15 years. I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you. Contact us at letters@time.com. Elise Stefanik is finally back on the House Intelligence Committee. On Friday morning, Speaker Mike Johnson added the New York Republican back to the influential spy panel, after months haggling over how to return the GOP star to her coveted committee post. Stefanik was added to the committee under unanimous consent, along with Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.). The congressmember was originally set to maintain her seat on the Intelligence Committee this January, but gave up the assignment when she was tapped to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. President Donald Trump pulled his selection back in March due to the GOPs narrow majority in the House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After her ambassador bid flamed out, Johnson said in April he intended to get Stefanik back on the committee. But fulfilling that promise put him in a bind: He could either strip a current Intelligence Committee Republican of a spot, or work with the minority to circumvent committee rules and add another Democrat. Johnson opted for the latter, pairing Stefanik with Cohen and expanding the panel past a limit under committee rules of 25 members. A spokesperson for Johnson declined to comment on any potential deal with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). A spokesperson for Jeffries didnt immediately reply to a request for comment. Cohen has been in Congress since 2007 but has never served on the Intelligence Committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stefaniks allies hold Johnson responsible for her losing out on the ambassador post, which could have given the Republican rising star a prominent voice in Trumps foreign policy. Johnson and Stefanik have been warring behind the scenes for several weeks as they have sought to restore her previous positions in Congress. Tensions spilled into public view in April when the congressmember publicly denied Johnsons claims that the pair had spoken about potentially running for governor of New York. The two sat down together in April in a bid to resolve tensions. Stefanik has sat on the Intelligence Committee since 2017. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was her role on the panel that catapulted her into the national spotlight in 2019 when the committee, then led by Democrats, spearheaded the first impeachment investigation into Trump. Stefanik once seen as a moderate Republican emerged as a key defender of Trump in her prosecutorial questioning of witnesses and sharp rebukes of Democrats on the panel. Meredith Lee Hill contributed to this report. Steve Bannon suggested a peculiar solution to the Trump-Musk breakup: Kick the Tesla billionaire out of the country. They should initiate a formal investigation of his immigration status because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately, he told The New York Times in a phone interview. On Thursday, ex-special government employee Elon Musk and President Donald Trump went at each others throats over Trumps signature big, beautiful spending bill currently before Congress, leaving Republicans wondering whom to stand behind. and Bannon calls for deporting Musk pic.twitter.com/u1cTOGgfc5 Jacob Rosenberg (@jrrosenb) June 5, 2025 Bannon said that the Trump administration should investigate Musk for his effort to participate in a classified briefing on China in March and for his regular drug use during his tenure, which The New York Times reported on Friday. He added that Musks security clearance should also be suspended. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rightwing pundit and former Trump adviser also roasted former special government employee Musk on his podcast, slamming the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and making his loyalties to President Donald Trump crystal clear. Steve Bannon decided to side with President Donald Trump and slammed Elon Musk for his failures at the Department of Government Efficiency. / Andrew Harnik / Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Heres the problem with Elon, he said on War Room Thursday. Very simple. He promised a trillion dollars in cuts in waste, fraud, and abuse, and listenfor all the fanboys out there. Im gonna treat you fanboys like little puppies; theyre gonna rub your nose in the mess you made. Musk originally vowed to root out $1 trillion of waste, fraud, and abuse and save taxpayers by slashing the federal government. But he fell far short of his goal. Musk allegedly wanted a bigger role as Trumps adviser, but his tenure at the White House was rocked by internal clashes, drug use, and Trumps skepticism over Musks rolehe questioned whether DOGE was bulls--t. Musk was only able to cut $170 billion despite over 270,000 people losing their jobs due to the initiatives layoffs. President Donald Trump and special government employee Elon Musk entered a messy public feud on Thursday. / BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images Remember the mantra of going through all the Social Security people that were 200 years old? Not one penny was ever found, Bannon said, mocking Musks scheme to cut federal spending by eliminating alleged deceased Social Security users from the system. Wheres the fraud in Medicaid, which is ripe for fraud? Never came up with anything. Wheres the fraud at the Pentagon, which is the MacDaddies of waste, fraud, and abuse? Not one penny. Elon Musk claimed that President Donald Trump did not release the Jeffrey Epstein files because he appears in them himself. / ALLISON ROBBERT / Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images In a few short hours of online battling, Trump had already insisted that Musk went CRAZY! after he was asked to leave the White House and even threatened to cut the Tesla billionaires government contracts. Musk snapped back that Trump wouldnt have won the election without him and then dropped another bombshell: Trump was included in the FBIs files on alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, which is why the government has not released further documents about the case, Musk said. Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk, who used to spend up to seven days sleeping at the White House and even raided the mansions fridge, slowly grew apart from Trump as his 130-day term wound down and he prepared to retreat from politics. By May, fissures were already formingbut few knew the magnitude of the divide. Externally, the two maintained that all was fine and, last week, Trump even gave his first buddy a golden key to the White House. But Thursdays dramatic split and the toxic exchange that followed rivals even the most biblical betrayals. Its forced their friends to fall in line, with some die-hard Musk fans already duking it out online with MAGA members. President Donald Trump, who last week gave Elon Musk a golden key to the White House, is now claiming that the two may no longer be friends. / Kevin Dietsch / Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Former White House chief strategist Bannon is one of Trumps most loyal confidants, and he was even pardoned by the president in 2021. Bannon, who has floated the idea of a third Trump term, decided that playing his cards right meant backing the man with a finger on the nuke button. So he decided to teach Musks groupies a lesson. Elon fanboys: Take your number two pencil out and write this down, he said. Steve Bannon has called for Donald Trump to deport illegal alien Elon Musk and seize SpaceX with immediate effect. The former senior Trump advisor, who previously rallied for a MAGA civil war against Musk, shared his two cents on a solution for the abrupt breakup between the two billionaires after their very public clash over the presidents big, beautiful bill. Speaking on his War Room podcast Thursday evening, Bannon fumed over the tech billionaires threat to decommission its Dragon spacecraft immediately after the president mulled canceling billions of dollars of government subsidies to Musks companies. Steve Bannon has called for sanctions against Elon Musk and his aerospace company (Real Americas Voice/ X) President Trump, tonight, should sign an executive order calling for the Defense Production Act, Bannon said, referring to the Cold War-era law that gives presidents emergency authority to control domestic industries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And seize SpaceX tonight, before midnight, he added. Bannon wasnt quite done with his suggested sanctions against Musk, resurfacing his attack from February, where he called the worlds richest man a parasitic illegal immigrant. The former Trump aide urged the president to deport the South African native, claiming he was in the country illegally, despite Musk becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2002. I happen to believe, given the facts that Ive been shown, that he is an illegal alien. Illegal aliens gotta be deported, Bannon said, without divulging what information he had received. Elon Musk is illegal. Hes got to go too, he continued, before thrusting his hand at the camera and adding: Deport immediately. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking with the New York Times Thursday, Bannon dug in on his calls for the president to deport Musk and said his administration should launch an investigation into his immigration status. Bannon (left) opted to take a snipe at Musk (center) over his feud with Trump (right) (AFP via Getty Images) They should initiate a formal investigation of his immigration status because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately, he said. Bannon offered to diagnose the problem with Musk, who recently bowed out as head of Trumps government-slasher task force, the Department of Government Efficiency. Heres the problem with Elon. Very simple. He promised a trillion dollars in cuts in waste, fraud, and abuse, and listen for all the fanboys out there, he said. Im gonna treat you fanboys like little puppies; theyre gonna rub your nose in the mess you made. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk, who previously vowed to root out more than $1 trillion in federal waste, was only able to cut $170 billion despite over 270,000 people losing their jobs due to the initiatives sweeping layoffs. His rift with Trump largely boiled down to his fears that the presidents showpiece tax bill would increase the deficit by $2.5 trillion, seemingly at odds with DOGEs objective to help the government reduce its spending. Several agencies responded to a water-rescue call in Stillwater on Thursday afternoon after the Stillwater Lift Bridge tender called authorities to report that a group of young women thought they had seen a young man go into the St. Croix River and not surface. Law enforcement officers searched the river in boats using sonar scanners, and divers from the Washington County Fire Rescue Dive Team searched the bottom of the river, but no one was found, said Washington County Sheriffs Office Sgt. Kevin Jadwinski. The initial report, which came in around 4:40 p.m., said the young man was thought to have gone into the river from the undercarriage of the pedestrian bridge, just east of the bridge tenders building, Jadwinski said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Boats with scanning technology searched the river for about two hours and did not see anything, he said. Divers were in the river searching the bottoms of the river for 30 to 40 minutes, and they didnt find anything. In addition, crews from the Minnesota Department of Transportation scanned footage from cameras located at the top of the bridge and the bottom of the bridge going back 30 minutes prior to the call coming in and never located anyone falling or jumping off the bridge, Jadwinski said. Law enforcement cleared the scene at 6:36 p.m., he said. We always take these types of calls seriously, Jadwinski said. We are going to throw all the resources that we have at it if it means saving someones life until we can deem that no one is in the water. Related Articles "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Heres what youll learn when you read this story: In June 2023, the OceanGate Expeditions submersible Titan imploded while descending to the wreckage of the Titanic. All five passengers died. Company cofounder Guillermo Sohnlein has publicly defended his late business partner, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, and ocean exploration more broadly. A year after the disaster, Sohnlein announced plans for his current company to explore Deans Blue Hole in The Bahamas. On June 16, 2023, OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush and four other passengers left the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, for the thrill of a lifetimea submersible dive to the sunken Titanic. Tragically, none of them returned to shore. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They knew what they were getting into, OceanGate cofounder Guillermo Sohnlein said. And yeah, and its just, its a sad thing that they died doing something that they were passionate about. Streaming June 11, the Netflix documentary Titan: The OceanGate Disaster takes a closer look at the titular crafts deadly underwater implosion and the events preceding it. It also examines the business practices of Rush and whether they ultimately played a role in the accident. While Rushs company has drawn intense scrutiny, Sohnlein has rendered a different image of his former business partnerinsisting his commitment to exploration is worth continuing. Sohnlein and Rush wanted to open the oceans Rush and Sohnlein cofounded OceanGate in 2009 in Seattle. Similar to space tourism brands such as Blue Origin and Virgin Galacticcreated by Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson, respectivelythe companys mission was to make undersea exploration more accessible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Sohnlein, he and Rush planned to purchase a fleet of submersibles capable of diving at least 4,000 meters. The craft could be used for a variety of purposes, including tourism, military operations, and scientific research. The whole intent was to create these work subs and, in that way, as our tagline was in the early days: Open the oceans for all of humanity, Sohnlein told Sky News in 2023. Courtesy of Netflix The companys first five-person submersible, Antipodes, followed this model and was used primarily by researchers and what Sohnlein called citizen scientistsor regular people fully trained as crew members for their respective excursions. In June 2011, Antipodes successfully explored the wreckage of the S.S. Governor off the coast of Washington. But by 2013, Rush determined OceanGate needed to build its own craft to explore greater depths as originally intended. That same year, Rush became CEO when Sohnlein left the company, though he maintained a minority stake. He testified that as of September 2024, he had approximately 500,000 common shares but basically resigned myself to the fact that Im probably never going to see anything out of that equity stake. Thats because of what would happen a decade later in the North Atlantic Ocean. Sohnlein defended Rushs safety record In July 2021, OceanGate made its first successful dive to the wreck site of the Titanic, the massive ocean liner that sank on April 14, 1912, and resulted in more than 1,500 deaths. Rush and his team used the companys Titan submersible, which had a unique carbon fiber hull to make it lighter and less expensive to build. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But during the expedition in June 2023, team members lost contact with the Titan. After a frantic days-long search for the craft, investigators recovered debris on June 22 and determined the submersible suffered a catastrophic implosion. All five passengersincluding Rush, 61, and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77died. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) later determined that layers of the Titans carbon fiber hull had begun to delaminate, or break apart, a year priorultimately compromising the crafts integrity. This, along with testimony from a former employee saying an accident was inevitable, led to scrutiny of Rushs business and safety practices as company CEO. The Netflix documentary promises to look at technical challenges, moral dilemmas, and shockingly poor decisions that led to the implosion. However, Sohnlein, who has never been on a Titanic dive, has publicly defended Rush. He denied leaving OceanGate over safety concerns and told CTV News that OceanGate operated as safely as possible and we had a very safety-conscious culture prior to his 2013 departure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then in September 2024, Sohnlein testified to a USCG panel that Rush performed the first manned test dive of Titan on his own and recalled their conversation beforehand. He goes, I dont want anyone else in the sub. If anything happens, I want it to only impact me. Its my design, I believe in it, I trust it, but I dont want to risk anyone else, Sohnlein said. Sohnlein planned his own underwater dive Sohnlein will offer his full thoughts about the Titan tragedy with the November 2025 release of his book, Titan Unfinished: An Untold Story of Exploration, Innovation, and the OceanGate Tragedy. In the wake of the accident, OceanGate suspended all exploration and commercial operations. But Sohnlein, undeterred by his friends death, has continued to advocate for underwater exploration. In June 2024, he announced plans for his own company, Blue Marble Exploration, to launch a craft to Deans Blue Hole, an underwater sinkhole located in The Bahamas. Scientists have measured its depth at 663 feet, but no humans have ever reached the bottom. However, Blue Marble Explorations website currently doesnt include any information about the company or planned excursions to the blue hole or elsewhere. Although its unclear what the future holds for his company, Sohnlein has expressed hope that the Titan implosion wont deter other explorers and said future missions would be a way to honor the five victims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those of us who work in the deep-ocean community know that there are risks. We know that working down there is difficult, Sohnlein told the Seattle Times in 2023. And yet we all believe in what were doing. We believe that what were doing is greater than us. Watch Titan: The OceanGate Disaster on June 11 Titan: The OceanGate Disaster begins streaming Wednesday, June 11, on Netflix. Tudum has confirmed the project includes new testimony about OceanGate and footage from the companys early days. You Might Also Like The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for some parts of Middle Tennessee on June 6, as the CMA Festival enters its second day. The watch is in effect until 8 p.m. for the following counties: Benton, Carroll, Cheatham, Decatur, Dickson, Dyer, Gibson, Henderson, Henry, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Lake, Montgomery, Obion, Perry, Robertson, Stewart, and Weakley. Earlier in the day, festival organizers postponed the outdoor stage openings due to a thunderstorm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CMA Fest weather delays: What causes them and what to know amid Nashville storms Downpours are likely to continue as all of Middle Tennessee is at low to medium (level 2 out of 5) chance of severe storms during the afternoon and evening hours. The National Weather Service is warning primarily of damaging winds, and heavy rainfall. There is a low to medium chance (level 2 out of 5) of severe storms Friday afternoon and evening across all of Middle Tennessee. The primary risk is damaging winds and heavy rainfall, with a lesser threat of large hail. pic.twitter.com/jnYJMNOHGT NWS Nashville (@NWSNashville) June 6, 2025 There is a low chance for isolated large hail and a very low chance for tornadoes, added the weather service. Here's what else festival goers can expect throughout the weekend. When will storms arrive in Nashville? What to expect throughout the remainder of CMA Fest June 6: Due to inconsistent weather models, there is uncertainty about when storms are expected to impact the Nashville area, said the weather service. The general trend, however, suggests that the main line of storms might arrive later than initially expected, possibly hitting the Nashville area around 6-7 p.m. on June 6. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Regardless, folks out and about today should stay weather-aware through the evening," said the weather service. Storms should wane by midnight, but unsettled weather continues June 7. June 7: According to the weather service, forecast models suggest a large cluster of thunderstorms that will be active over Oklahoma will move southeast, meaning the strongest storms could either hit southern Middle Tennessee or miss the region entirely. "It is possible that the strongest storms will affect southern Middle Tennessee and miss the Nashville Metro Area altogether," said the weather service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, even if storms bypass Middle Tennessee, the area will still have plenty of instability and moisture, which could lead to additional thunderstorms through the afternoon and evening hours, said the weather service. A slight risk for severe storms remains in place, but confidence in severity remains low and is dependent on the exact storm path. June 8: By June 8, a weather front will move through Middle Tennessee, causing storm activity to decrease. However, there will still be some chances of rain, mostly in the southern and eastern parts of Middle Tennessee. "Depending on how quickly the front makes it through the area, Sunday has the potential to be a nicer day, especially for any outdoor events in and near the metro area," said the weather service. Nashville weather radar Nashville 7-day forecast Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. West wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Partly sunny, with a high near 90 and a 70% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Then mostly cloudy, with a low around 71 at night and a 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 4 a.m. followed by a slight chance of showers. Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84 and a 70% chance of showers before 10 a.m. followed by showers and possibly a thunderstorm between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Showers are likely to persist past 4 p.m. Then mostly cloudy, with a low around 70 and a 70% chance of showers and thunderstorms likely before 7 p.m. followed by showers and possibly a thunderstorm between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m. Showers are likely to persist past 1 a.m. Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 86 and a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7 a.m. followed by a chance of showers between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. Showers are likely to persist after 10 a.m. Then mostly clear, with a low around 67 and a 10% chance of thunderstorms before 7 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 85 and a 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. Then mostly cloudy, with a low around 66 at night and a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 a.m. followed by a slight chance of showers. Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84 and a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. Then partly cloudy, with a low around 63 at night. Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86 then mostly cloudy, with a low around 66 at night. Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 88 and a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for the Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville weather: When will storms arrive? Will CMA Fest be affected ST. LOUIS We have storms south of St. Louis and a few are on the stronger side. Well watch for some gusty winds and some hail with stronger storms that are able to develop Friday morning. Otherwise, a complex of storms moving into western Missouri will roll into our region Friday morning and early afternoon. Some of these storms could be strong, with the severe threat highest south of I-44. Temperatures on Friday will be in the mid-70s. 8-year-old injured in Baden shooting; 1 man dead Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Storm chances continue into Saturday and theres a conditional severe threat. We may have a complex of storms impact the region Saturday morning, which would lower any severe threat for later in the day. The morning series of storms may miss the area and stronger ones may develop later. Well keep rain in the forecast for Sunday as a cold front drops into the region but the coverage of rain is uncertain and will depend on how the next few days evolve. Once this front is through, our weather will quiet down for next week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) In just four days, the documentary on the Dr. Richard Strauss sex abuse scandal at Ohio State University will have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival before moving to HBO beginning June 17. The trailer for the documentary was released on Thursday and can be viewed by clicking here. Hundreds of the survivors of the 20-year-long string of sexual assaults by the Ohio State team doctor still have cases against the university pending in federal court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unsolved Ohio: Who killed Amy Jo Nelson? Family wants answers in 2017 homicide NBC4s Colleen Marshall was interviewed for the documentary after reporting on the scandal for many years, dating back to 2018. Many of those appearing in the documentary were part of NBC4s reporting on the scandal. In a statement, an Ohio State University spokesperson said: Ohio State led the effort to investigate and expose Richard Strauss, and we express our deep regret and apologies to all who experienced Strauss abuse. The university is forever grateful to the survivors who participated in the independent investigation, which could not have been completed without their strength and courage. Since 2018, we have reached settlement agreements with more than half of the plaintiffs, 296 survivors, for more than $60 million. All male students who filed lawsuits have been offered the opportunity to settle. In addition, the university continues to cover the cost of professionally certified counseling services and other medical treatment, including reimbursement for counseling and treatment received in the past. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ohio State was not involved in the production of this film. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. Participants walk through the Broadway Townhouses in Camden, N.J., as part of a training program to help neighborhoods affected by violence. The Community-Based Public Safety Collective, which offered the training, is one of at least 554 organizations affected by the U.S. Department of Justices abrupt termination in April of at least 373 public safety grants. (Photo courtesy of Aqeela Sherrills) Community-based violence intervention programs nationwide have long worked alongside law enforcement officers to deescalate conflict, prevent retaliatory shootings and, in some cases, arrive at crime scenes before police do. In many communities, these initiatives have been credited with saving lives and reducing violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the Trump administration last month abruptly terminated at least 373 public safety grants from the U.S. Department of Justices Office of Justice Programs, pulling roughly $500 million in remaining funds across a range of programs, according to a new report by the Council on Criminal Justice, a nonprofit think tank. The cuts come just as summer is approaching a season when violence consistently peaks. The grants were initially valued at $820 million, but many were multiyear awards at different stages of rollout, which means some of the money has already been spent. At least 554 organizations across 48 states are affected by the cuts, many of them small, community-based nonprofits that rely on this money. The rescinded grants supported everything from violence prevention and policing to victim advocacy, reentry services, research, and mental health and substance use treatment. Some of the grants also were cut from state and local government agencies. Another new report from the Council on Criminal Justice dug deeper into local effects: It found that the Trump administrations cuts also eliminated 473 minigrants known as subawards passed from primary recipients to smaller groups that often face challenges accessing federal dollars directly, such as rural government agencies and grassroots nonprofits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About $5 million of those subawards was intended for state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies working to reduce violence in rural areas, according to the report. Experts warn the timing couldnt be worse. The summer months historically linked to higher rates of violent crimes are approaching, and the safety net in many cities is fraying. A growing body of research has found a correlation between spikes in temperature and violent crime, with studies suggesting that heat waves and sudden weather swings can inflame tensions and increase aggression. These programs are having to cut staff and cut services, and that will be felt in communities in states all over the country at exactly the time when theyre most needed, said Amy Solomon, a senior fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice and the lead author of the report. Solomon also previously served as assistant U.S. attorney general in the Biden administration, where she led the Office of Justice Programs the Justice Departments largest grantmaking agency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many of the primary grants that were terminated contained no references to race, gender or diversity-related language, according to the report despite claims from federal officials that such criteria were driving the cuts. Primary grant recipients received their funding from the feds directly. Wasteful grants U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the cuts in a late April post on X, stating that the department has cut millions of dollars in wasteful grants. She also signaled that additional cuts may be on the way. In her post, she specifically cited grants that supported LGBTQ+ liaison services in police departments and programs providing gender-affirming care and housing for incarcerated transgender people. The Department of Justices cuts come amid a broader push by the Trump administration and the newly created Department of Government Efficiency to pull funding from a range of federal programs a move they say is aimed at reducing spending and saving taxpayer dollars. For some groups, the sudden withdrawal of funds has meant scaling back crime victim services or pulling out of some neighborhoods altogether. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Community violence prevention groups aim to stop shootings and other forms of violence before they happen by working directly with those most at risk. Staff often with experience in the justice system mediate conflicts, respond to crises, and connect people to support such as counseling or job training. In some cities, theyre dispatched to high-risk areas to deescalate tensions, often before police arrive. And research shows that community-level violence prevention programs can contribute to drops in crime. After a historic surge in homicides in 2020, violent crime in the United States dropped in 2024 to pre-pandemic levels or even lower in many cities. Preliminary 2025 data suggests that the downward trend is continuing in major cities, including Baltimore, Houston, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. But the progress hasnt reached every community. Some neighborhoods are still grappling with high rates of gun violence and car theft. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Organizations that faced the toughest financial cuts had been funded through the U.S. Department of Justices Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative the federal governments primary mechanism for supporting this work. Since the programs launch in 2022, the federal Office of Justice Programs has invested about $300 million in community violence intervention efforts and related research. But nearly half of that funding has now been wiped out, according to the Council on Criminal Justice report. Its really unprecedented to see these kinds of grants cut midstream, Solomon told Stateline. This was an effort that had bipartisan support [in Congress] and in the field all across the country. Impact on communities nationwide In late April, Aqeela Sherrills received a letter from the federal Justice Department terminating a $3.5 million grant that supported the Community-Based Public Safety Collective. Sherrills is the co-founder and executive director of the national organization, which focuses on community-led approaches to preventing violence, including mediating conflicts, building relationships in high-risk neighborhoods and connecting people to resources such as housing, mental health care and job training. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The letter said the organizations efforts no longer aligned with the federal Justice Departments priorities, which include supporting certain law enforcement operations, combatting violent crime, protecting American children, and supporting American victims of trafficking and sexual assault. Until the end of April, the collective had an agreement with the Justice Department to provide training and technical assistance to 95 local groups including community groups, police departments, city and county governments, and state agencies that had each been awarded $2 million over three years to run community violence intervention programs. We're bracing for what could potentially be a high-violence summer. Aqeela Sherrills, co-founder and CEO of the Community-Based Public Safety Collective But after the department cut $3.5 million, the Community-Based Public Safety Collective was forced to lay off 20 staff members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Without the significant funding it destabilizes the organizations. Peoples ability to be able to provide for themselves and their family is at risk, Sherrills said in an interview. Were bracing for what could potentially be a high-violence summer. The deepest funding cuts hit states led by both Republican and Democratic governors, including California, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington. About $145 million in violence intervention funding was rescinded overall, along with an additional $8.6 million for related research and evaluation efforts, according to the Council on Criminal Justice report. Some of the canceled grants funded studies and research on forensics, policing, corrections issues and behavioral health. Now, those projects may be left unfinished. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of the largest losses hit intermediary organizations, such as the Community-Based Public Safety Collective, that support smaller programs by providing microgrants, training and technical assistance. For organizations such as the Newark Community Street Team in New Jersey, the loss of federal funding has left some areas of the city without coverage. The funding had allowed staff to monitor neighborhoods and engage directly with community members to prevent violence. That included weekly community walks, where team members connected with victims of crime and people who may have witnessed violence, linking them to resources such as counseling or legal aid. The team also operates a hotline where residents can report crimes or alert staff to tensions that might escalate allowing the team to step in before violence occurred. Some of the lost funding also supported school-based initiatives, where mediators helped students resolve conflicts before they escalated into fights or other forms of violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of the 15 Newark positions affected by the cuts, four employees were reassigned to other departments; the others were let go. Some of the teams staff members are formerly incarcerated, a vital trait that helps them connect with residents and build trust in communities that are often wary of traditional law enforcement. We just have to continue working and serving our community the best we can, said Rey Chavis, the executive director of the street team. That work appears to be contributing to a decrease in the communitys crime rates. City crime data from Jan. 1 to April 30, 2025, shows a significant drop in violent crime in Newark compared with the same period in 2024. The total number of violent crimes reported to police fell by 49%, driven largely by a 68% decrease in robberies, according to Statelines analysis of the data. Homicides dropped by 53%, while aggravated assaults declined by 43%. Rapes dropped slightly by 3%. Stateline reporter Amanda Hernandez can be reached at ahernandez@stateline.org. Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org. YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) A stretch of a York County road will be closed for an extended period of time on Friday morning after a vehicle accident. The New Bridgeville Memorial Fire Company said Furnace Road (Route 425) will be closed between Enfield Road and Pickle Road for an extended period of time while crews work to clear the scene. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Severe Weather Alerts Drivers are advised to take an alternate Route. Roadway conditions and updates can be viewed online. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No injuries or fatalities have been reported at this time. Get traffic alerts from the abc27 mobile app for the latest local delays and road closures Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) Severe weather is moving back into the Oklahoma City metro. The Guthrie News Page reports emergency management officials are canvassing the area, surveying damage. Officials do report that some power poles are down as well as trees. A local daycare saw damage to their outdoor play sets, but officials say the building did not receive any damage. The 4Warn Storm Team tracked the storms overnight and early Friday morning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you see damage you can send video or pictures to KFOR Pics@KFOR.COM Oklahoma Weather Radar Oklahoma Weather Watches and Warnings Map KFOR SkyCam Network Oklahoma Closings and Delays Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City. As his contract comes up for renewal, Milwaukee's police chief received strong signals of support early in his rehiring process. Almost all of the city's Fire and Police Commission, the oversight body that handles hiring of the police chief, signaled they were in support of Police Chief Jeffrey Norman's rehiring. The commission is slated to make its final decision on Norman's reappointment June 26. "Hes one of the best qualified chiefs Ive ever known," said Miriam Horwitz, the commission's chair. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With seven of the commission's nine members in attendance at the meeting, six said they were in support of rehiring Norman, who did not attend the commission meeting. Norman's current contract expires Nov. 15. Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman, foreground, salutes during the Greater Milwaukee Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony at the War Memorial Center in Milwaukee on May 8. The event honored law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Norman previously told the Journal Sentinel he would take an offer, if the commission extended it to him. "I believe our department has made great strides," Norman said at the time. "I desire to continue to build upon that." The commission's support follows Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson saying he was in support of rehiring the chief as well. At the June 5 meeting, activist Vaun Mayes and Levi Stein, president of the Friendship Circle of Wisconsin, said they were in support of Norman's rehiring as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mayes, who leads the organization Community Task Force, said a past police chief indicated he would talk with community groups, regardless of their support, and that did not happen. Norman has done that consistently, he said. With the Fire and Police Commission no longer having policymaking power for the city's police department due to a 2023 state law, Mayes said it was important to maintain Norman's place in Milwaukee's department. After that law, called Act 12, was passed, Norman elected to move a new bodycam footage release policy forward, despite opposition from the city's police union. "I am very afraid of the wrong person coming in with that kind of power and what they could and couldnt do," Mayes said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Norman, who is in his 29th year in law enforcement, has spent his entire policing career with the city's department. He was hired as acting chief of the department in 2020 and named police chief the following year, following the retirement of another acting chief and the controversial removal of former chief Alfonso Morales in 2020. The Milwaukee native was first hired in 1996 and served as a lieutenant in the homicide unit and captain of District 3, which includes parts of the central city and west side. Norman was hired as chief, in part, due to his track record of community engagement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since being named chief, Norman has led the department through the crime spikes amid the COVID-19 pandemic, heavy local and state policy change after George Floyd's murder prompted national outrage and policing during the Republican National Convention. Rocky periods have occurred during his tenure. During the Republican National Convention, he and the department came under scrutiny after Columbus, Ohio, police officers shot and killed Sam Sharpe Jr. The officers, who did not face charges in the shooting, shot him about a mile from the convention's perimeter after the officers saw Sharpe appear to move toward another man while wielding knives. The officers were not accompanied by local police, which top department officials previously indicated any out-of-state officers would be in the lead-up to the convention. After the shooting, Norman later acknowledged local officers should have been with the Ohio police officers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The department also came under scrutiny for its handling of events in the lead-up to the homicide of Bobbie Lou Schoeffling. Schoeffling, a 31-year-old mother of two, had been reporting abuse and threats from her ex-boyfriend. Schoeffling was found shot to death on July 26, 2022. Her ex-boyfriend, Nicholas Howell, was convicted of killing Schoeffling last year and sentenced to life in prison. Norman initially declined an interview with the Journal Sentinel into the department's handling of the case but after the new organization published an investigation into her death, he ordered a review of every contact the department had with Schoeffling. The review led to the suspension of four officers. We have recognized our shortcomings and we, I believe, have a proven track record of being open to feedback and working with the communities, Norman said at the time he opened the review. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2024, Norman was a finalist for the police chief position in Austin, Texas, but was ultimately passed on for the role. At that time, a department spokesperson said Norman remained "steadfast" in his commitment to Milwaukee. The chief previously declined to tell the Journal Sentinel in May whether he has applied for other jobs as his term approaches its end in Milwaukee. He said he was focused on reappointment locally. Norman's pay appears to have been negotiated in the months leading up to his reappointment discussions. The Fire and Police Commission's executive committee has met in closed session four times regarding senior law enforcement pay. While the city of Milwaukee's Common Council sets the pay range for the chief of police position, the Fire and Police Commission ultimately selects what the salary is in that range. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leon Todd, the commission's executive director, said he could not address what was discussed in those meetings. Norman made a gross salary of $177,112.44 in 2024, according to the city's online pay databases. The Fire and Police Commission will hold two public comment sessions for Norman's rehiring before the June 26 vote. David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee commission has strong support for police chief's reappointment This article was originally published in Chalkbeat and California Health Report. This story is part of a partnership between the California Health Report and Chalkbeat and is supported by the Solutions Journalism Networks HEAL Fellowship on youth mental health. California Health Report spoke to four high school students. In order to protect the identities of the students who fear repercussions based on their immigration status, it has withheld their full names and the name of their school, in addition to generalizing the area where they live. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement High school seniors around the country are graduating, a rite of passage that marks a profound shift. It can feel as if everyone is asking them what comes next. For immigrant students, these discussions have an extra layer of complexity this year. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter At one northern California school, recently arrived immigrant students are thinking about safety, politics, and the culture of belonging considerations that werent front of mind as they filled out their applications in the fall, before President Donald Trump took office. In addition to fears about being deported or being separated from family members, the students now worry about financial aid complications and whether their immigration status will prevent them from getting professional licenses in the fields they hope to study. Some have changed their plans, deciding to stay close to home and attend community college instead of attending a four-year university. Others feel grateful they live in California, which has historically provided more resources and what many feel is a more welcoming environment for undocumented students than some states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But all of the students interviewed expressed some concern about what their next steps could mean for their safety. The stress of worrying about immigration issues can make it more difficult to focus in class, said Beleza Chan, communications director at Immigrants Rising, a nonprofit organization that helps undocumented college students in California. It can be hard to stay motivated when the future feels so uncertain, she said. And yet, continuing to pursue your dreams is one way to fight back, Chan added. A California safety net for immigrant students, interrupted When A., who is 18, came to the U.S. alone four years ago, his eyes were set on college. To him, that meant enrolling directly into a four-year university. But for most of this year, A had started letting go of that dream. His legal protections are only temporary, and without a green card, he wondered if straying far from the home hes built with his aunt and cousins was the best idea. I have a lot of mixed feelings, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then, A. learned that he had been accepted to California State University, Chico, and a local organization would cover part of the cost. With encouragement from his advisors, A. decided to enroll. But just as A. was wrapping his head around the idea that his dream of attending college and living on campus was coming true, he learned that a special agent from the Department of Homeland Security had visited his old address, where the agent left his business card with a relative who still lives there. A. is working with his attorney to figure out his next steps, but in the meantime, his fears feel closer than ever. S., 18, has similar concerns. She entered the country on a temporary visa with her mother, a green card holder, nearly three years ago. She immediately applied for her own legal permanent residence, but the application is still pending. In the meantime, her temporary visa has expired, leaving her in a delicate legal situation. Her lawyer has recommended that if her green card doesnt come through soon, she should go to her home country and wait. But that would mean putting her college dreams on hold and returning to a country where she has few family members left. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the average wait time for this type of green card application is 7.5 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before this year, S. had no problem talking to others about her immigration status. Her application was pending, and even though she knew she had overstayed her visa, she believed it would be fixed soon. But shes felt the culture shift. I feel like now I cannot be really open and talk about my experience because of how things have changed, said S. Early on in her college application process, S. was thinking big. Determined to study public health and medicine, she applied to 30 colleges across the country, from schools in the University of California and California State University systems to private universities on the East Coast. But after the election, she started doing more research, trying to understand not just what financial resources each school offers, but how that school does or doesnt outwardly welcome undocumented students. She also wanted to know more about how states have responded to Trumps deportation agenda. As the acceptance letters began to pour in, S. learned that she was being offered a full scholarship to the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her excitement has been tempered, however, by the looming question of her legal status. If her green card is approved before classes start in August, shell enroll. But shes already booked a plane ticket home, realistic about her chances and seeing no other choice. Community colleges offer solutions for immigrant students When C., who is 17, crossed the southern border into Arizona with her mother two years ago, she was nearly nine months pregnant. After spending most of her life concerned for her safety, C. said, Im a huge fan of all calm places. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She found that in northern California, where she made friends in her high schools newcomer program. C.s teachers helped her find daycare for her daughter and support with housing and food. I would give anything so that my daughter doesnt have to go through the same things that I went through, C. said. Going into her last semester of high school, C. had already decided on her plan after graduation: community college. As many of her peers are excited to embrace their independence for the first time, C. is experiencing something that educators say many of their newcomer students feel: a hesitancy to uproot themselves after years, perhaps a lifetime, of seeking a safe, stable place to live. C.s community college of choice has a Head Start program for her daughter, and staying at home means she can pursue her education while continuing to live in a community she knows and trusts. C. expects to be eligible for in-state tuition; in addition, she has received a scholarship from a local philanthropic organization that will help her with living expenses. C. plans to eventually transfer to a university to complete her bachelors degree and become a teacher in her northern California town. One day, she hopes to teach at the same high school shes enrolled in now and help other newcomer students feel welcome. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For some students, though, the decision to attend community college can feel like a bit of a disappointment. J., 18, came to the U.S. with her parents when she was just a few months old, and growing up, shed always felt like an American. She didnt think much about her legal status until she needed a Social Security number to hold a job, get a drivers license, or apply for college. She dreamed of higher education, not just for herself but to make her parents proud. Even if I dont know what I want to do yet, I know that I am going to get that education, she said. J. is one of approximately 14,000 undocumented students who will graduate from California high schools this year. Only 10% of those students will pursue higher education, compared with 63% of students statewide who enroll in college after high school, according to the California Undocumented Higher Education Coalition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Financial aid has always been a big part of undocumented students decisions, Chan said. These students are not eligible for federal financial aid, but California and 23 other states allow some undocumented students to pay in-state tuition or access state financial aid. Now, those local decisions could be usurped by the federal government. The Trump administration has said it will punish states that maintain these policies; on April 28, Trump issued an executive order pressuring California officials to cooperate with the administrations agenda, though no changes have yet been made. To navigate these complexities, J. and her classmates have been working with advisers through her schools Upward Bound program, part of the federally funded TRIO programs, which provides resources and guidance to students from low-income backgrounds pursuing higher education. Oregon and California had waivers that allowed students to participate in the program regardless of their immigration status. But in late March, the U.S. Department of Education revoked that waiver. All of the students interviewed for this story have been told they can keep participating because theyre already enrolled, but going forward, schools will need to verify all students immigration status and only enroll U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, and legal residents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When J. was first accepted to California State University, Sacramento, she was thrilled, but then she began to worry about her safety. Her family worried that being hours away from home in a bigger city could put her at greater risk of deportation, and J. began considering her local community college as a safer and more affordable option. For now, J. has enrolled in her local community college, in the hopes that, by the time she finishes her associate degree, the doors to a bachelors degree will open for her. Being undocumented is hard, but community helps For A., the stress of entering the next phase of his life can feel isolating: Its really hard because youre trying not to think about that, instead of just thinking about school stuff, you know? he said. You have a little bit more weight in your mind. Amid political uncertainty, educators still have the power and the responsibility to create a space that feels safe and welcoming for all of their students, said Xilonin Cruz-Gonzalez, deputy director of Californians Together, an advocacy group. In 2017, during the first Trump administration, Californians Together launched a project called Support for Immigrant & Refugee Students to train educators on immigration policy and ways they can create safe spaces for their students. Chan says that a big part of creating that safe space is providing accurate, up-to-date information. Immigrants Rising has recently launched a new tool that helps college-bound immigrant students and educators wade through complicated eligibility information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chan has found that undocumented students mental health affects their academic performance. Shes been compiling research showing that depression and anxiety can lead to lower grades, higher dropout rates, decreased motivation, higher levels of self-harm and worse physical health among undocumented students. But despite the well-studied need for mental health services, a 2019 study from the University of California, Irvine showed that undocumented students in higher education use such services less frequently than their documented peers. Students expressed low perceived need because they normalized mental strain as a natural product of their unstable immigration status, wrote the studys authors. Many viewed treatment as futile because it could not address underlying immigration-related issues. But that doesnt mean students have to face those challenges alone. Immigrants Rising hosts regular virtual meetups for undocumented students around the country to share openly with one another. Many college campuses in California do similar work through UndocuAlly and UndocuLiaison programs that assign college staff members to be the official points of contact for undocumented students. We cant solve all the aggressive immigration policies that are out there, Chan said. No amount of breathing exercises is going to get rid of that. But having community helps. The Campbell Hall school community is mourning the loss of a 15-year-old student who was struck and killed on campus. The incident occurred in the schools back parking lot during student pickup on Wednesday afternoon. Authorities said the student, a ninth grader, was walking between vehicles when he was struck by a Rivian SUV. Authorities believe the driver may have mistakenly stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake. The accident happened during a particularly congested time of day in the parking lot, with many vehicles and students on foot. The scene at Campbell Hall in Studio City where a 15-year-old student was struck and killed. June 4, 2025. (KTLA) The scene at Campbell Hall in Studio City where a 15-year-old student was struck and killed. June 4, 2025. (KTLA) A parent who spoke with KTLAs Kareen Wynter and wished to remain anonymous noted that the staff member usually responsible for directing traffic was not present on Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Grief counselors were made available to students and staff on Thursday, though some families were too distraught to attend the session held in the school gymnasium. In a message to parents, Campbell Hall officials expressed their condolences, saying their hearts and thoughts are with the victims family. The tragedy occurred at the end of the school year, with some students preparing for their final exams. However, many did not take their finals, as the focus has shifted to healing and supporting one another. Authorities have not released the identity of the driver, who, according to one parent, was a young woman picking up her younger sibling. Officials have indicated that the incident appears to be a freak accident, and the driver may not face any charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. LAHAINA, Hawaii (KHON2) Subaru Hawaii, in collaboration with nonprofit AdoptAClassroom.org, donated $25,000 in classroom supplies to King Kamehameha III Elementary, a Lahaina public school that lost its campus in the 2023 wildfires. The school, which has been operating out of a temporary campus in west Maui since losing their campus, saw new supplies for their library and media center. HPU researchers work to fight dangerous fish toxin Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are honored to give back in a small way to the rebuilding efforts in Lahaina, said Senior Vice President of Subaru Hawaii Lance Ichimura. As part of Subarus Love Promises, supporting our communities and enabling learning for our keiki are areas we are committed to making a difference in. The funds were donated in late 2024, and Subaru Hawaii presented the donated items to the schools faculty and staff in May 2025. Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You We are incredibly grateful for this thoughtful donation, said Principal Michael McCloskey. It provides comfort during this crucial shift from crisis response to recovery and rebuilding, assuring many that our efforts extend beyond reconstructing our community. Were actively building a brighter future for our keiki. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The elementary school, which instructs more than 360 students between pre-kindergarten and the fifth grade, plans to use their temporary campus for up to five years until the state Department of Education is able to permanently relocate them. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news Donations like these alleviate the financial burden so both students and their teachers can focus on learning in the best environment possible, said AdoptAClassroom.org Executive Director Ann Pifer. While were no longer in the immediate aftermath of the natural disaster, Lahaina schools still need support. We are grateful that our partners such as Subaru Hawaii are committed to the future of their communities. For more information on supporting students and teachers, visit AdoptAClassroom.org. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2. NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) Six leading Democratic candidates for New York City mayor will address key issues at a PIX11 News forum on Wednesday. Viewers can submit questions for the candidates by commenting on PIX11s social media accounts, including X, Facebook and Instagram. Submit your questions by Wednesday, June 11 to be included in the upcoming forum. More Local News The following mayoral candidates will participate in PIX11s forum: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adrienne Adams Andrew Cuomo Brad Lander Scott Stringer Zellnor Myrie Zohran Mamdani Exclusive polling from PIX11, Emerson College and The Hill shows that former Gov. Cuomo is still in the No. 1 spot, but Assemblymember Mamdani is closing in on his lead. Based on the poll conducted between May 23 and May 26, Cuomo is projected to win with 54% of the vote in the last round of ranked choice vote counting. Watch the forum live starting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday on PIX11.com, PIX11+ smartTV app or by tuning in to PIX11. Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter who has covered New York City since 2023 after reporting in Los Angeles for years. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. The sun rises every morning. Spring turns to summer. Water is wet. Donald Trump and Elon Musks relationship has ended with a post about Jeffrey Epstein. This was inevitable. When Elon Musk attached himself to Trump during Trumps presidential transition last fall, there was great speculation that these two massive egos would, eventually, clash and that their strategic partnership would flame out spectacularly. Many onlookers assumed that Trump would be the one to tire of Musk and that the centibillionaire would fly too close to the sun, becoming too visible in the administration or simply too annoying. During his short time in government, Musk did manage to anger some of Trumps staff and advisers, tank his public reputation with many American voters, and jeopardize the financial health of his electric-vehicle company, Tesla. Still, through all of that, Trump remained remarkably on message and supportive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead it was Musk who fired the first shots, specifically criticisms of the Republicans budget-reconciliation package (a.k.a. the One Big Beautiful Bill Act). On Tuesday, Musk called the bill a disgusting abomination, threatened to politically retaliate against its supporters, and argued it would increase the debt. This led to Trump calling out Musk in an Oval Office meeting today with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and suggesting that the DOGE figurehead had Trump derangement syndrome. The episode that followed has been playing out in reality-TV fashion, with X and Truth Social acting as confessional booths. On X, Musk argued that, without me, Trump would have lost the election and accused Trump of such ingratitude. On Truth Social, Trump posted that Elon was wearing thin and that, when the president asked Musk to leave, he just went CRAZY! It keeps going. At one point in the afternoon, as if sensing the feud had reached a critical mass of attention, Musk leveled a serious allegation against Trump, posting: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! Musk had, it seems, kicked off an attentional spectacle without precedent. You have the worlds richest man, who is terminally online and whose brain has been addled by social media and, reportedly, other substances. He is one of the most prolific and erratic high-profile posters, so much so that he purchased his favorite social network to mold it in his image. He is squaring off against Trump, arguably the most consequential, off-the-cuff poster of all time and, one must note, the current president of the United States. If it werent for the other, both men would be peerless in their ability to troll, outrage, and command news cycles via their fragile, mercurial egos. The point being: If this public fight between Musk and Trump continues, we will witness a Super Bowl of schadenfreude unfold. Its guaranteed to entertain and leave those of us who spectate feeling gross. It is, in other words, the logical endpoint of internet beefs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This spectacle is tempting to view as a cage match: Two men enter, one man leaves. (Musk, at least, is familiar.) But that mentality supposes a winner and a loser, and its worth asking what winning even looks like here. Surely, nobody will come out of this unscathed. Musks Epstein files comment, beyond being an allegation about Trumps relationship with the convicted sex offender and child trafficker, also is a suggestion that Musk might have other dirt on the Trump administration. And the likely loss of Musks donor money deprives Trump of political leverage. Similarly, Trump has suggested he might strip Musks companies of their federal funding and subsidies. Teslas stock has fallen sharply today since Musk began rage-posting against Trump, which suggests there will be real consequences. (Meanwhile, people, including Steve Bannon, are already musing that Musk could get himself deported.) Consider, though, that in the realm of social media, Musk and Trump both know exactly what they are doing. Musk and Trump are innately attuned to attention and how to attract and wield it. It stands to reason that their interpretation of their past decade online is that public feuding has, essentially, no downside for them. Instead, their perma-arguing, norm-stomping, and general shamelessness have allowed them to become the main characters of a media and political ecosystem that demands constant fodder. Harnessing attention in this way has proved remarkably lucrative. Many credit Trumps initial victory in 2016 to his ability to program the news cycle 140 characters at a time. Meanwhile, some analysts have suggested that Musks companies are, in their own right, memestocks whose fortunes have risen on the centibillionaires ability to stay in the spotlight incessantly. Trumps and Musks constant provocations and attention seeking have downstream effects, too. Their feuding creates content for others to draft off. The press can cover it, influencers can react to it, politicians can fundraise off it, and all manner of online hustlers can find a way to get in. You can already see the attentional cottage industry hard at work in the Musk-Trump fight as lesser attention merchants try to involve themselves. The podcaster Lex Fridman offered to broker peace on his show while the rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye, stepped in to comment on the chaos. The onetime presidential candidate and third-party champion Andrew Yang seized on Musks comments to drum up enthusiasm for his pet project. Even the replies became valuable real estatethe long strings of responses to Musks posts about Trump are littered with advertisements automatically inserted by X. (I saw one for a Trump T-shirt company.) In this way, a Trump-Musk beef is an attentional Big Bang. In 2020, the blogger Venkatesh Rao wrote a seminal post titled The Internet of Beefs, arguing that the structure of social media and our culture-warring has brought about a stable, endemic, background societal condition of continuous conflict. In it, he describes the Internet of Beefs as having a feudal structure, with charismatic leaders (knights), and anonymous legions of normies (mooks) who have devoted themselves to fight on behalf of these leaders. Rao identifies Trump as an ur-example of a knight, who is able to profit off all of the discord hes helped sow. For the mook, the conflict is a means to an end, however incoherent, Rao writes. For the knight, the conflict is the end. Growing it, and keeping it going, is something like an entrepreneurial cultural capital business model. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I reread Raos post as the internet worked itself into a lather over todays fight. Many of the dynamics Rao explained were on display: sycophants lining up to defend Musk or Trump in the hope of getting noticed, various posters (myself included) excitedly or dutifully chronicling the fallout. There is seemingly opportunity everywhere, created by this attentional spectacle. The content is at once depressing and tremendous. At a glance, it looks like everyones winning. Of course, nobody is. Raos most salient point in his essay is that this state of forever beef is a consequence of a societal rot. Its a stalling tactic of sorts, one that prevents us from deciding who we are, both individually and collectively. If that sounds overwrought, its worth remembering the genesis of Musk and Trumps feud: a funding bill in Congress that would result in roughly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, while offering a similar value in tax cuts to high earners. Millions of people could lose their current coverage through the Affordable Care Act if the bill passes. These details are vaporized by the size and scale of this particular beef. The Trump-Musk feud is not so much a distraction as it is evidence of a societal tendency toward abstraction, even obfuscation. A cage match is easier to watch than a discussion about who deserves benefits and resources. It is certainly more cathartic than an ideological stalemate about the world we want to build. Maybe Trump or Musk will find a way to win or lose their spat. The rest of us, though, will probably not be so lucky, destined instead to spectate fight after fight. Article originally published at The Atlantic WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Friday allowed members of the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency to access Social Security Administration data. The conservative-majority court, with its three liberal justices objecting, granted an emergency application filed by the Trump administration asking the justices to lift an injunction issued by a federal judge in Maryland. The unsigned order said that members of the DOGE team assigned to the Social Security Administration should have "access to the agency records in question in order for those members to do their work." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit challenging DOGEs actions was filed by progressive group Democracy Forward on behalf of two unions the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and the American Federation of Teachers as well as the Alliance for Retired Americans. "This is a sad day for our democracy and a scary day for millions of people," the groups said in a statement. "This ruling will enable President Trump and DOGEs affiliates to steal Americans private and personal data." The White House praised the ruling. "The Supreme Court allowing the Trump Administration to carry out commonsense efforts to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse and modernize government information systems is a huge victory for the rule of law," White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Follow live politics coverage here Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote a dissenting opinion questioning the need for the court to intervene on an emergency basis. "In essence, the 'urgency' underlying the governments stay application is the mere fact that it cannot be bothered to wait for the litigation process to play out before proceeding as it wishes," she added. DOGE, set up by billionaire Elon Musk before his falling out with President Donald Trump, says it wants to modernize systems and detect waste and fraud at the agency. The data it seeks includes Social Security numbers, medical records, and tax and banking information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These teams have a business need to access the data at their assigned agency and subject the governments records to much-needed scrutiny, Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote in court papers. The lawsuit alleged that allowing broader access to the personal information would violate a federal law called the Privacy Act as well as the Administrative Procedure Act. "The agency is obligated by the Privacy Act and its own regulations, practices, and procedures to keep that information secure and not to share it beyond the circle of those who truly need it," the challengers' lawyers wrote in court papers. U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander had ruled that DOGE had no need to access the specific data at issue. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Richmond, Virginia, declined to block Hollander's decision, leading to the Trump administration to file its emergency request at the Supreme Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano welcomed Friday's ruling by the high court. The Supreme Courts ruling is a major victory for American taxpayers. The Social Security Administration will continue driving forward modernization efforts, streamlining government systems, and ensuring improved service and outcomes for our beneficiaries, Bisignano said in a statement. In a separate order issued Friday in another case involving DOGE, the Supreme Court granted another request filed by the Trump administration. That decision allows the Trump administration to, for now, shield DOGE from freedom of information requests seeking thousands of pages of material. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The move formalizes a decision issued by Chief Justice John Roberts on May 23 that temporarily put lower court decisions on hold while the Supreme Court considered what next steps to take. The court also told lower courts to limit the scope of what material could be disclosed. It means the government will not have to respond to requests for documents and allow for the deposition of the DOGE administrator, Amy Gleason, as a lower court had ruled, while litigation continues. The three liberal justices noted their disagreement with that decision, too. A spokesman for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which filed the lawsuit, said the group was "obviously disappointed" with the decision but "pleased that the court allowed discovery to proceed." A Justice Department spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the order. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Good morning! A Supreme Court decision yesterday on a case of workplace discrimination could have major impacts on the employment landscape and will affect HR departments across the country. In a unanimous decision, the court sided with Marlean Ames, a former Ohio state government employee who sued her employer after she was passed over for two promotions that went to gay coworkers instead. Ames argued that she was discriminated against for work opportunities because of her heterosexuality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case first appeared in the sixth circuit court, which ruled against Ames citing the higher standard of proof for discrimination that must be met by members of majority groups, such as men, white people, or heterosexual people. That higher standard is referred to as background circumstances, and plaintiffs must show additional supporting evidence that they were the victims of discrimination. But the Supreme Courts ruled that the additional burden for people from majority groups is unconstitutional, and violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The decision wasnt a surprise, and had been anticipated by legal experts. But they tell Fortune that the ruling will likely lead to more reverse discrimination cases against employers in the near future. We should expect to see this trend continue, and see an uptick in these so-called reverse discrimination claims brought by men who are not members of historically disadvantaged groups, Michael Steinberg, a labor and employment attorney at firm Seyfarth Shaw, tells Fortune. The case comes at a particularly fraught time when it comes to the legal landscape of the workplace in general. A combination of the Supreme Courts decision to overturn affirmative action and Trumps executive orders targeting affirmative action have made companies extra cautious about their programs and protocols around diversity initiatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Ames case was not centered on DEI policies, but two Supreme Court Justices, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, specifically referenced DEI in their opinions. David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at New York University, says its the first instance, since Trump took office, that justices have put their stances around DEI in writing. And he adds it could encourage potential plaintiffs to see shifts in the wind and then follow them right to bring future claims. You can read more about yesterdays Supreme Court decision here. Brit Morse brit.morse@fortune.com This story was originally featured on Fortune.com The Supreme Court has granted the Trump administrations urgent bid for Department of Government Efficiency personnel to access sensitive Social Security data. The three Democratic appointees dissented, with Justice Elena Kagan merely noting she wouldve denied the administration's application, while Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote a dissent joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Jackson criticized the majority for intervening as it has done in other cases recently. She wrote that, once again, this Court dons its emergency-responder gear, rushes to the scene, and uses its equitable power to fan the flames rather than extinguish them. The order came down alongside another one favoring DOGE in a case related to the Freedom of Information Act, from which the three Democratic appointees also dissented. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In this Social Security case, U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander had blocked access pending further litigation. She wrote in a lengthy ruling April 17 that the administration couldnt justify granting DOGE members access to Americans personal information, notwithstanding the stated goal of rooting out fraud and promoting efficiency. This intrusion into the personal affairs of millions of Americans absent an adequate explanation for the need to do so is not in the public interest, the Obama-appointed judge in Maryland wrote. She said the Social Security Administration could still give DOGE members access to redacted or anonymized records, so long as anyone accessing that data is properly trained and vetted. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit declined to halt Hollanders injunction, and the government brought an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court. The government has frequently filed such appeals in President Donald Trumps second term, as judges find legal issues with various aspects of his agenda. Trumps solicitor general, John Sauer, wrote that his emergency application presents a now-familiar theme: a district court has issued sweeping injunctive relief without legal authority to do so, in ways that inflict ongoing, irreparable harm on urgent federal priorities and stymie the Executive Branchs functions. When it comes to this Social Security case specifically, Sauer said the government cannot eliminate waste and fraud if district courts bar the very agency personnel with expertise and the designated mission of curtailing such waste and fraud from performing their jobs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Opposing emergency relief were the plaintiffs who brought the case and secured the preliminary injunction labor unions and an advocacy group for retired Americans. They said the administration made a sudden and striking departure from generations of precedent spanning more than a dozen presidential administrations, by seeking to throw open its data systems to unauthorized (and often unvetted) personnel who have no demonstrated need for the personally identifiable information (PII) they seek. They said the administration wanted high court relief simply because a lower court has interfered with something the Executive Branch wants to do. But they said that has never been the standard for emergency relief, and the Court should not adopt it now. Subscribe to the Deadline: Legal Newsletter for expert analysis on the top legal stories of the week, including updates from the Supreme Court and developments in the Trump administrations legal cases. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court has rejected a Republican appeal and left in place a Pennsylvania court decision allowing people to cast provisional ballots when their mail-in votes are rejected for not following technical procedures in state law. The court released the decision Friday, after an apparent software malfunction sent out early notifications about orders that had been slated to be released Monday. A technological error also resulted in an opinion being posted early last year. The justices acted in an appeal filed by the Republican National Committee, the state GOP and the Republican-majority election board in Butler County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pennsylvanias top court ruled last year that the county must count provisional ballots that were cast by two voters after they learned their mail-in ballots were voided because they arrived without mandatory secrecy envelopes. Pennsylvania Democrats had urged the court to stay out of the case. In a unanimous blow to gun control advocacy groups, the Supreme Court shut down Mexicos $10 billion claim targeting U.S. gun makers in a cross-border lawsuit. Mexico originally filed the suit in 2021, arguing that U.S. gun companies were responsible for the weapons that fueled cartel violence. Mexico received support in its lawsuit from American gun control advocacy groups such as Everytown and March for our Lives Action Fund. The Supreme Court ruling, written by Justice Elena Kagan, found that the manufacturers alleged failure to exercise "reasonable care" does not meet the standard necessary to be found liable for "aiding and abetting" the sale of illegal firearms in Mexico. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mexico had asked the court for $10 billion in damages and additional court-imposed injunctive relief in the form of restrictions on manufacturers. According to a lawyer who spoke to RCP, siding with Mexico on the injunctive relief "would have likely severely prohibited the distribution of the manufacturers products" within the United States. A federal district court judge initially ruled that the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act protected the gun manufacturers from the suit. In 2024, the First Circuit Court of Appeals revitalized the lawsuit. In response, gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson brought the case to the Supreme Court. The PLCAA, signed into law in 2005 by President George W. Bush, shields gun manufacturers and dealers from liability when crimes are committed with their products. The law includes exceptions which Mexicos lawyers sought to invoke. The original suit by Mexico, which named multiple U.S.-based gun manufacturers as defendants, claimed that Mexicans "have been victimized by a deadly flood of military-style and other particularly lethal guns that flows from the U.S. across the border." It also argued that U.S. companies were negligent in their sales practices, claiming that the gun companies "are not accidental or unintentional players in this tragedy; they are deliberate and willing participants, reaping profits from the criminal market they knowingly supply." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response, lawyers for Smith & Wesson argued in a filing that the lawsuit "faults the defendants for producing common firearms" and for "failing to restrict the purchase of firearms by regular citizens." They made the case that "aiding and abetting criminal activity must involve something more than making products generally." Ultimately, the Supreme Court agreed with this reasoning. In reference to the injunctive relief that Mexico asked the court to grant, lawyers for Smith & Wesson asserted that the lawsuit was "inflicting costly and intrusive discovery at the hands of a foreign sovereign that is trying to bully the industry into adopting a host of gun-control measures that have been repeatedly rejected by American voters." According to some estimates, more than 250,000 firearms are smuggled from the United States into Mexico each year. In contrast, Mexico has one gun store and issues fewer than 50 new gun permits each year. The U.S. is the largest firearm exporter in the world, partly due to relaxed gun laws within the country. The unanimous decision marks the first ruling by the Supreme Court where the PLCAA is cited and could serve as precedent for protecting weapons manufacturers in future cases. The 9-0 ruling suggests strong judicial consensus on the limits of civil liability for gun manufacturers under federal law. It is seen as a win by gun rights activists, with the NRA arguing in their amicus brief on the case that "Mexico has extinguished its constitutional arms right and now seeks to extinguish Americas." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Justices Clarence Thomas and Ketanji Brown Jackson each issued concurring opinions, with Jackson writing that Mexicos lawsuit targeted industry-wide practices that Congress has chosen not to prohibit and Thomas arguing that violations of U.S. law must be established in court for the PLCAA exceptions to be valid. James Eustis is an intern at RealClearPolitics. He studies politics at Washington & Lee University. SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) Officials expect a wave of anglers to visit the California coastline over the weekend as the recreational ocean salmon season opens for the first time following a two-year closure. The recreational ocean salmon fishery will be open for two days on Saturday, June 7, and Sunday, June 8. The daily bag limit is two Chinook salmon per day, with a minimum size of 20 inches in total length, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Due to a low abundance of Chinook, officials are limiting the total recreational harvest in the summer season to 7,000. If the 7,000 Chinook salmon guideline is not met over the June 7-8 weekend, CDFW said another season will open statewide July 5-6, July 31-August 3, and August 25-31, or until the guideline is reached. FILE La Cocina members show their Chinook salmon catch on the Wacky Jacky fishing boat on Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018, in the San Francisco Bay, Calif. (Photo by Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images) Given the 2-year ocean salmon fishery closure and the short duration of this fishing period, angler participation is expected to be high, CDFW said. Anglers should prepare for crowds and long wait times at public launch ramps and marinas and consider travel, parking, and launch ramp conditions when finalizing plans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California State Parks doesnt want you collecting sea glass or agates at the beach CDFW field staff will be positioned at dock sites to collect catch and effort information, the department said. The U.S. Coast Guard is encouraging safety on the water and said that due to the anticipated surge of boaters and potential requests for assistance, responses to boating accidents may be delayed. All boaters should monitor weather reports and forecasts, heed watches, warnings, or conditions that exceed capabilities of their vessel, USCG said. Additionally, boaters should ensure proper operation of all vessel systems prior to getting underway and ensure carriage of all required equipment and safety gear in accordance with 33 and 46 Code of Federal Regulations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Coast Guard said boaters should carry a VHF marine radio for communication. Additionally, all boaters are encouraged to always wear a life jacket and dress for the water temperature, not the air temperature. Sonoma County Regional Parks said that boat launches in the area will be busy and parking lots can fill up by 10 a.m. Boaters should have an alternate destination planned in case a parking lot is at capacity, park officials said. Ocean salmon fishing regulations can be found on the CDFW website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. By Andrew MacAskill LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party won a surprise victory on Friday in a fiercely fought by-election for the Scottish parliament, while support for the right-wing Reform UK party surged in a contest tainted by a row over racism. After one of the most bitter election campaigns in Scotland, Labour won the seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse from the Scottish National Party after it became vacant following the death of a Scottish government minister. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The result provides some relief for Starmer, whose party has suffered a steep fall in support since its landslide victory in a British parliamentary election last year after it raised taxes, cut welfare benefits and got into a row over donations. Voters rallied around Labour in the closely watched contest after Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, repeatedly referred to the ethnicity of the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who is of Pakistani heritage, drawing criticism from the other parties. The Labour candidate Davy Russell won 31.6% of votes in the election for the Scottish parliament, which has devolved powers over issues such as health and education. The SNP won 29.4% votes and Reform finished third with 26.1% votes. The betting odds had predicted a comfortable victory for the SNP with Labour pushed into third place behind Reform. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russell told his supporters in the area southeast of Glasgow that his victory had "sent a message to Farage and his mob, the poison of Reform isn't us, it isn't Scotland and we don't want your division here". REFORM SURGE But a recent rise in support for Reform - which has overtaken Labour in opinion polls as the most popular party in Britain - suggests it is making inroads in Scotland as well as England, a year before the Scottish parliament elections are held. John Curtice, Britain's most respected pollster, said although Labour had won an unexpected victory, the main takeaway from the result was the increase in support for Reform after the party won only 0.2% of the vote at the last election for the Scottish parliament in 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Starmer may hope that the victory will ease Labour lawmakers' anxiety but the party's share of the vote is down compared with recent elections, Curtice said. "There is nothing in this result that suggests that Labour have turned around the reverse in the polls," he said. The support for Reform in Scotland is particularly surprising because the party's brand of low tax, anti-immigration, anti-EU politics, has often been more associated with English nationalism. Farage visited Scotland on Monday, days after a row over an online video put out by his party that falsely claimed Sarwar had said he would "prioritise" the Pakistani community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Labour branded the advert "blatantly racist" and SNP leader John Swinney urged voters to reject Reform's "gutter politics". Farage responded by accusing Sarwar of introducing sectarianism into Scottish politics. (Reporting by Andrew MacAskill, editing by Elizabeth Piper and Michael Perry) SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) During the South Central U.S. Human Trafficking Conference, Lindsey Rayl, a human trafficking survivor and now advocate, shared her story. At 15, Lindsey Rayl traveled from Dallas, Texas, to San Bernardino, California, to meet a boy who groomed her through a forum. Tips for parents to protect children from human trafficking Rayl says she grew up in a nice area. She made straight As, never got in trouble, and always followed her parents rules. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She says her parents were always aware of what she was doing, but she received a new computer without parental control or tracking. One day, I got on something called Scenekids.org (which has since been closed), and it was a forum, and I met somebody named Johnny. And for a year, he groomed me into believing that I was unlovable, that my friends and my family were against me, and so when the time came that I had a big enough disagreement with my parents, I left, says Rayl. When she arrived, she was kept in the truck of a car and experienced sexual abuse for three days. Meanwhile, Rayls parents were able to afford a private investigator, Logan Clark, from California, who would cost $15,000 to find their daughter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CPSO juvenile detective shares complexities of fighting human trafficking Typically, youve got about 48 hours. I was very fortunate; I got to a third day. They got me before noon on a third day, but typically youve got about 48 hours to assist, so I got lucky, says Rayl. In a previous telling of her story, Rayl says if she had not been found, emails revealed that she was going to be sent to a facility in Guadalajara, Mexico, and hooked on heroin. This way, if she ever wanted to leave her captor, she would go into withdrawal. Rayl details that in the aftermath of her experience, she was treated like a bad kid rather than a victim who was taken and put in a situation she had no control over. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her story highlights that bad people exist who wish to hurt innocent lives, and it is important to be aware of the signs. Educate kids on the dangers and kind of signs to look out for. Things that people should never say to a child and letting them know that hey, if somebody says this to you or this to you, you need to come tell me, even if they say not to tell me, said Rayl. Today, Rayl is on her city council, and she is working with Logan Clarke, the private investigator who saved her life. Louisiana conference tackles human trafficking prevention Im getting my P.I. and Im going to be able to hopefully one day start helping victims like myself, to get out of those situations and be someone hopefully that can come into that with the understanding of how to interact with someone like that, said Rayl. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rayl advises that when talking to victims or survivors of human trafficking, be a listening ear and read the room. Ask the person what you can do for them or what do they need. Every trafficking experience is different, and how it impacts every human is different. And so just bringing awareness to the fact that he,y if youre only looking in one area for people that have been through this, then youre doing the wrong thing. Because its all over the place and it looks different almost every time, said Rayl. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com. By Silvio Castellanos and Eva Manez MADRID/VALENCIA (Reuters) -Consuelo Garcia del Cid was 16 when the family doctor came into her bedroom in Barcelona, Spain with her mother in 1974, grabbed her left arm and pushed a needle into a vein. She blacked out then woke up in a strange room a day's drive away in Madrid - one of thousands of girls and young women who were accused of a range of perceived moral failings and taken to state-run Catholic rehabilitation institutions during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, a Catholic body that includes most of the communities of nuns that helped operate some of the centres, will hold a ceremony to formally ask the women for forgiveness, the first event of its kind in Spain, announced in April but delayed by the death of Pope Francis. A start, but not enough, say campaigners who want a national apology for what they went through in the network of Patronato de Proteccion a la Mujer (Board for the Protection of Women) institutes - along the lines of Irelands 2013 apology for the abuses in its Magdalene Laundries. "It's just the tip of the iceberg," said Pilar Dasi, 73, who spent several months at a centre in Valencia in 1971. "The event is good for the Church as it cleans its own image, but the government must also act." She said she was held after her cousin, a police officer, reported her for keeping "bad company", a reference to left-wing boyfriends. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The operation was set up in 1941 by Franco's Justice Ministry, overseen by the board chaired by his wife Carmen Polo. It was active until 1985, 10 years after Franco's death. Spain's Democratic Memory Ministry - a body set up to tackle the legacy of Spain's civil war and Franco's regime - told Reuters it applauded the decision by the Spanish Confederation of Religious Entities (CONFER) to ask for forgiveness. The ministry said in a statement it hoped to hold its own ceremony later this year that would recognise the women as victims of the Franco regime. "They will be considered victims and will be given a declaration of recognition and reparation," it said, without going into further detail on the timing or substance of any event. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Garcia del Cid said her family had called in the doctor in 1974 because they were worried about what they saw as her rebelliousness after she attended a number of demonstrations against the dictatorship. The centre where she went was "a sinister place, with extreme religious indoctrination, and life was reduced to working, scrubbing and praying," said the now 66-year-old who has written five books on the subject. "If you are told all day long that you are crazy, a slut, a lost cause, on the wrong path, there comes a point when you might start to believe it if you don't have a strong inner core." She said she was held until 1976. 'HORROR OF HORRORS' Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The institutes took girls and women aged up to 25, including single mothers, children of prisoners, and those reported by priests, neighbours or their families for deviating from strict Catholic moral standards. The centres sought to rehabilitate them, survivors say, through work and instruction. "A bad woman could be a girl who smoked, a girl who talked back like me, a girl who skipped school, wore miniskirts, kissed her boyfriend in the back row of the cinema," said 67-year-old Mariaje Lopez, who was placed in a centre from 1965 to 1970. "Girls who got pregnant were also considered bad girls, and often no one asked who the father was." One of the most feared centres was Penagrande maternity centre on the outskirts of Madrid, where many young women were pressured to give up their babies for adoption, campaign group Banished Daughters of Eve says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Penagrande was the horror of horrors. It was scary to have a child there. Any child who went up to the infirmary never came back. They were given to other families, or sold, or whatever. We were told they died," said Paca Blanco, 76, who was in and out of several board centres between 1967 and 1969. CONFER - representing 403 Catholic congregations - announced in April it would hold a forgiveness ceremony, saying it took the step after listening to the experiences of survivors and conducting its own research. "It helps (the survivors) to live that moment of healing and liberation and... us as congregations also to improve our way of dealing with these realities," CONFER chairman Jesus Diaz Sariego told Reuters. The Spanish Conference of Bishops referred questions to CONFER, saying the Confederation was an independent body. The Vatican did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Garcia del Cid said she would be at the CONFER event that she saw as a step towards her and the thousands of others being recognised as victims of Franco's regime. But more was needed. "I will be buried with this," she told Reuters. "It was the greatest atrocity Spain has committed against women." (Writing and additional reporting by Emma Pinedo, editing by Aislinn Laing and Andrew Heavens) ANNAPOLIS, Md. (DC News Now) The suspect in the murder of an Annapolis man was arrested Thursday, according to the Annapolis Police Department. William Hairston, 33, was charged with first and second-degree murder, first and second-degree assault, use of a firearm in a violent crime, and loaded handgun on person. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Warrant issued for suspect in Annapolis homicide; no arrests made Police issued a warrant for Hairston in late April for the shooting death of Gregory Wells that occurred on April 23 in the 1300 block of Tyler Ave. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hairston is being held at the Jennifer Road Detention Center without bond. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) A suspect was arrested in connection to a stabbing that occurred in Birmingham on Tuesday, according to the Birmingham Police Department. West Precinct Officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of Circle Street in the Dolomite neighborhood at around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday on a report of a person stabbed. When officers arrived, they were informed the victim had been transported to the Hueytown Fire Department via private vehicle. The victim was then taken to UAB Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Officers gathered information about a potential suspect from witnesses at the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brighton Police Chief to remain in office following hearing regarding possible termination The suspect, identified as Nakia Wayne Douglas, 25, of Birmingham, was later seen walking into the Dolomite neighborhood by a BPD Felony Assault Detective. Douglas was taken into custody without incident. He was placed on a 48-hour felony extension after being interviewed by Felony Assault Detectives. Detectives with the BPD presented case information to the Jefferson County Magistrates Office, and Douglas was issued with a warrant for attempted murder. Douglass is being held in the Jefferson County Jail on a $60,000 bond. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) A man was arrested after reportedly stealing a vehicle with a child inside Thursday afternoon. Several Dayton Police Department cruisers were spotted in the area of Woodman Drive and Linden Avenue around 4:30 p.m. on June 5. Police on scene told 2 NEWS they apprehended a suspect in an alleged kidnapping incident. Haitian community in Springfield facing uncertain future Police say the initial call was for an assault on E. Third Street earlier this afternoon. There, a 34-year-old suspect reportedly assaulted the mother of his child before taking the keys and vehicle with the 2-year-old child still in the backseat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DPD says the suspect does not have any custody of the child, in addition to having a warrant out of Kentucky for violent crimes. The suspect fled the scene, with police eventually tracking the stolen vehicle to the Woodman Drive and Linden Avenue intersection. Police say the suspect was taken into custody and the baby is safe. The child is being checked out by medical professionals out of an abundance of caution. Investigation is ongoing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com. The 56-year-old suspect in the fatal shooting of Jonathan Joss, who voiced the character John Redcorn on the popular animated King of the Hill series, reportedly immediately confessed to the murder, according to multiple media reports. The tragic violence unfolded on June 1 at around 7 p.m. on Dorsey Drive in a San Antonio, Texas neighborhood. At the scene, local police found the 59-year-old actor near the roadway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The officers attempted life-saving measures until EMS arrived. EMS pronounced the victim deceased, police said in a statement. Joss former neighbor, 56-year-old Sigfredo Alavarez Ceja, was detained at the crime scene, with police later saying in their report that the man immediately told them, I shot him, the Daily Beast reported. The police report, which was obtained by People, also detailed the timeline leading up to the deadly violence, saying that a woman had given Joss and his husband a ride to their former residence to pick up some mail. Ceja reportedly approached the couple after they arrived, parking his vehicle directly behind the womans and began arguing with the victim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a June 2 post to Facebook, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, the actors husband, claimed the violence was homophobia-related and that police had ignored earlier reports of threats against them. Actor Jonathan Joss was shot and killed in San Antonio, Texas on June 1, 2025, San Antonio Police told KTLA 5. (Facebook: Jonathan Joss) Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, 56, a resident of San Antonio, Texas. (Bexar County Sheriff via Getty) Candles, flowers, and notes are placed at a makeshift memorial in San Antonio, on Thursday, June 5, 2025, for voice actor Jonathan Joss who was recently killed. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) My husband Jonathan Joss and I were involved in a shooting while checking the mail at the site of our former home. That home was burned down after over two years of threats from people in the area who repeatedly told us they would set it on fire, Gonzales wrote. We reported these threats to law enforcement multiple times and nothing was done. Throughout that time, we were harassed regularly by individuals who made it clear they did not accept our relationship. Much of the harassment was openly homophobic. Gonzales said that while getting their mail, the couple saw the skull and harness of one of their three dogs, all of whom died in the January fire that arson investigators are still looking into. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was while they were both overcome with grief at the site that he says Ceja began yelling homophobic slurs at the pair before raising a gun and firing at them. Jonathan and I had no weapons. We were not threatening anyone. We were grieving. When the man fired, Jonathan pushed me out of the way. He saved my life, Gonzales wrote. He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other. Initial statements from police claimed there was no evidence linking Joss sexual orientation to his murder. But San Antonio Police Chief William McManus walked back that assertion Thursday, calling the earlier statement premature. He confirmed that investigators are now considering whether homophobia played a role. King of the Hill creators Mike Judge, Greg Daniels, and Saladin Patterson said in a statement, His voice will be missed and we extend our deepest condolences to Jonathans friends and family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to King of the Hill, Joss appeared in Parks and Recreation, Ray Donovan, Tulsa King, and The Magnificent Seven. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. SIOUX FALLS S.D. (KELO) Here are this mornings top stories with KELOLAND On the Go. Sioux Falls police are searching for a man after he allegedly shot another man in the leg. Police searching for suspect after 1 injured by gunshot The Roberts County Sheriffs Office is issuing a public safety alert for a dangerous subject thats still at large. The office is investigating a violent incident that took place on Wednesday at a convenience store, involving suspect Jordan Biddell Jr., whos currently wanted in connection with armed robbery and assault. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Public safety alert issued for dangerous subject at large A 20-year-old Pennsylvania man is headed to the penitentiary for shooting a man in South Dakota. On Thursday, a judge sentenced Victor Rios to 18 years behind bars for attempted murder and assault. Pennsylvania man gets 18 years for SD attempted murder There may be a few isolated showers east of Sioux Falls Saturday morning, but we still think much of the afternoon looks nice. Keep an eye on radar by late tomorrow afternoon between Mobridge and Aberdeen. Milder weather for tomorrow; Windy Sunday ahead Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) A suspect in an April 4 stabbing death is back in Youngstown. Camilo Barreto, 38, was brought back from Pittsburgh on a charge of murder for the stabbing death of Nestor Diaz, 37. Magistrate Meghan Brundege set Barettos bond at $1 million during his arraignment Friday in municipal court. Diaz was stabbed to death at about 8 p.m. at a home on Tippecanoe Road. Police said the stabbing took place during an argument that stemmed from a property dispute. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Baretto fled but was tracked to the Pittsburgh suburb of Baldwin Borough, where he was found and taken into custody. He was booked into Allegheny County Jail on a warrant from Youngstown and held until he was extradited to Youngstown. Police said Diaz was at his home when Baretto, who used to live with him, showed up and the two argued over property before the victim was stabbed. Baretto is expected to have a preliminary hearing on June 13. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. Suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez, jailed Thursday on racketeering charges, must post a $1 million bond to be released, a judge ruled Friday, as new details emerged about a clandestine Kissimmee casino prosecutors said the lawman secretly helped run. The illegal casino generated more than $21.6 million in revenue, investigators said, and up to $700,000 for Lopez, who became involved in 2019, a year before he was elected as Osceolas top law enforcement officer. While usually seen in his traditional green sheriffs uniform, Lopez attended an online hearing from the Lake County jail Friday dressed like any other jail inmate: in an orange jumpsuit. He listened from his jail cell as prosecutors described a lucrative criminal enterprise they said Lopez and his co-conspirators ran in Osceola County and aspired to expand into Lake County, though its not clear whether that was successful. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lopez pleaded not guilty. The Kissimmee casino called both Fusion Social Club and The Eclipse was run out of a commercial building on W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway that has also been an Indian-American-pizza restaurant and hookah bar. It currently houses a Mexican restaurant. The Osceola County Sheriffs Office was called to the casino more than 50 times from April, 2019 until just a few days before Lopezs arrest, according to records obtained Friday by Spectrum News 13, an Orlando Sentinel news partner. Most of the calls were for more minor problems, such as trespassing and suspicious people, but three were related to battery, one for reported gunshots, another for an armed disturbance and one for a wanted person, the records show. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The call records suggest Lopezs department knew of the casinos existence and yet it continued to operate. In addition to running it, Lopez is accused of using his position to enrich himself as well as to skirt accountability. Lopez would have been in a position to prevent any law enforcement efforts to shut down the casino, but court records that might shed light on his actions are not yet available. The Sheriffs Office has refused to answer questions about its knowledge of the casino and other matters related to Lopezs ouster. Social media videos from inside the casino show slot machines and other video gambling games, as well as patrons winnings and plates piled with food. Videos from its TikTok account advertise the business with flashing lights and upbeat music, and one image featured a photo of the outside of the building, with the words The Eclipse prominently on the front. Judge Emily Curington set Lopezs bond $500,000 for each of his two charges, which include conspiracy to commit racketeering during Lopezs first appearance over the objections of his attorney Mary Ibrahim, who asked for bail to be set at $50,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the hearing, Statewide Prosecutor Pangiota Papakos referenced a 225-page affidavit laying out the accusations against Lopez. That affidavit, which has not yet been posted with public court records on the case, references text messages between Lopez and his co-conspirators about the illegal gambling scheme, she said. The weight of the evidence includes that the defendant obtained between at the very least $600,000 to $700,000 since 2020 from this illegal enterprise in cash payments, she added, noting that the money was sent to a bank account that was under a fictitious business name and owned by Lopez. How do I get the bail process started? Lopez asked the judge from his jail cell. To get out, he would have to put up 10% to a bail bondsman, or $100,000. The judge said the funding source of any posted bond will be scrutinized and that Lopez must surrender his firearms and his passport. He will also undergo GPS monitoring. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His attorneys efforts to have the bond reduced didnt work. Although Mr. Lopez has a title, we would ask the court to still look at Mr. Lopez as a regular individual and not just because he has a sheriffs title that he should be treated any differently, Ibrahim said before the judge ruled on the bond, which she set slightly below the $1.2 million requested by the prosecution. The investigation, which began in 2023, was a joint venture by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations office in Tampa. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, whose office filed the initial charges against Lopez, signaled Thursday that more charges involving more alleged accomplices are pending. Two of Lopezs alleged co-conspirators, Carol Cote and Sharon Fedrick, also were jailed Thursday evening, with Cote being handed a $100,000 bond while jail records show Fedrick is behind bars with no bond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fedrick has a long history of arrests in Orange County dating back to 2014, with eight separate criminal case docket entries listed on the Orange County courts website, some of which share arrest dates. Some of the cases are listed under the name Sharon Turner. Among the charges Fedrick faced included organized fraud, witness tampering and multiple counts of scheme to defraud and grand theft. The organized fraud case is still pending and is scheduled to go to trial in September, according to court records. Two others implicated in the case, Sheldon Wetherholt and Ying Zhang, have not yet been taken into custody. Since his election as Osceolas first Hispanic sheriff in 2020, Lopezs public persona of a tough on crime lawman has been a hallmark of his administration. While the criminal charges against him came as a shock following his arrest Thursday morning, he is no stranger to controversy, as he is the subject of two federal lawsuits accusing him of fostering a culture of excessive force. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, he was placed on the list of untrustworthy law enforcement officers maintained by the Orange-Osceola State Attorneys Office after he posted a photo of a slain teenagers body on his Instagram page and then lied about it. Lopez was suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis as news broke of his arrest. Christopher Blackmon, Florida Highway Patrols Central Florida regional chief, was appointed as interim sheriff. The sheriffs office has not commented on Lopezs arrest or answered questions about whether it would lead to a shakeup in the department. But a profile page for Executive Director Nirva Rodriguez, Lopezs right-hand woman in both his election campaigns and at the agency, has since been scrubbed from the agencys website without explanation. AL-QARYATAYN, Syria (AP) Yasmine al-Saleh has two occasions to celebrate this year: the Eid al-Adha holiday and her familys return home after nine years in a notorious displacement camp in the Syrian desert. True, the home they returned to, in the town of al-Qaryatayn in the eastern part of Syrias Homs province, was damaged during the nearly 14 years of civil war. Al-Saleh fears that even a small earthquake will bring it down on their heads. Many of the surrounding buildings have collapsed. When I first entered my house what can I say? It was a happiness that cannot be described, al-Saleh said tearfully. Even though our house is destroyed, and we have no money, and we are hungry, and we have debts, and my husband is old and cant work, and I have kids still, its a castle in my eyes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month, the last families left Rukban, a camp on the borders with Jordan and Iraq that once housed tens of thousands of families who lived under a crippling siege for years. People started gathering in Rukban in 2015, fleeing Islamic State militants and airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition, Russia and the forces of then-Syrian President Bashar Assad. Displacement camps became widespread in Syria during the war, but the situation in Rukban was particularly dire. While the bulk of the camps sprung up in opposition-controlled areas in the countrys northwest, Rukban was hemmed in on all sides by areas controlled by Assads forces and by the border. Jordan sealed its border and stopped regular aid deliveries in 2016 after a cross-border IS attack that killed seven Jordanian soldiers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For years, the U.N. and other humanitarian organizations were largely unable to bring aid in. Food, water and other essentials were only available via smuggling at exorbitant prices, and there was almost no access to medical care. Al-Saleh recalled that when she gave birth to her two daughters, she feared that she would die in childbirth as other women in the camp had. In recent years, some aid got in via the U.S. Army. The camp was located in a 55-km (34-mile) deconfliction zone surrounding the base. Many of the camps residents were families of fighters with the U.S.-backed Syrian Free Army. Conditions were horrid, said Lt. Col. Ryan Harty, who was stationed at the nearby al-Tanf garrison as squadron commander in 2024 and assisted with the aid shipments. They lacked medical care, medical supplies, food, basic food supplies, water anything you could think of that you would need to sustain life, they lacked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S.-based NGO Syrian Emergency Task Force worked with military officials to implement a provision that allows American aid groups to send humanitarian goods on military cargo planes if the planes are not fully loaded with military supplies. Eventually they were also able to secure seats on the planes to bring doctors to the camp. Maj. Bo Daniels, who was chief of the civil affairs team al-Tanf in 2023, was the first to realize that doctors could be classified as humanitarian aid. Ive been in the Army now for 24 years. Im an Afghanistan and Iraq veteran, Daniels said. He has mixed feelings about those deployments. But in Syria, he said, he felt that every day my missions really, truly mattered. Working in Rukban, he said, was "was probably the proudest thing Ive ever done in my military career." Still, the situation remained dire. A few months before Assads fall, Amnesty International issued a statement condemning the Syrian governments tightening siege of the camp and criticizing Jordanian authorities for continuing to unlawfully deport Syrians to Rukban despite the camps unlivable conditions and the U.S. government for making little visible effort to improve the desperate conditions despite its ability to do so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many former residents were desperate enough to leave the camp and head to government-held territory, risking arrest and forcible conscription to the Syrian army. Before Assad's fall, about 8,000 people remained. After Assad fell, there was an immediate exodus from the camp. But a few hundred people including al-Salehs family remained, unable to scrape together the funds to make the move. Islamic Relief USA paid for trucks and buses to move some 564 people and their belongings back to their homes last month. The Syrian Emergency Task Force said in a statement that the repatriation of those families brings an end to one of the worst humanitarian crises in Syria and marks the end of the tragedy of Rukban. For some, their return was bittersweet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bakir al-Najim, another recent returnee to al-Qaryatayn, said, After 10 years of displacement, we will celebrate Eid al-Adha back in our hometown. But, he said, we are poor, we have no jobs, we have no food or drinks to offer our (Eid) guests. Ahmed Shehata, chief executive officer of Islamic Relief USA, said the UN agencies and other humanitarian organizations that would normally provide aid to returning refugees and internally displaced people are scrambling to find the funding after the Trump administrations recent major cuts to U.S. foreign aid. He said his organization is in talks with the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR about allocating a significant amount of funding to provide aid to those returning to their homes. Al-Saleh said however difficult her family's circumstances are now, they are nothing compared to the time they spent in Rukban. Rukban was a death camp, she said. All I can say about it is that it was a death camp. Sewell reported from Damascus, Syria. Associated Press writer Malak Harb in Beirut contributed to this report. EGG HARBOR, Wis (WFRV) Fast, reliable internet is finally reaching more rural homes in Door County. Governor Tony Evers joined AT&T executives and local government officials Thursday morning to celebrate the launch of a $24 million public-private fiber broadband project, which will eventually serve more than 5,400 addresses across four Door County communities. New partnership provides young northeastern Wisconsinites with theater training during summer Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The event took place at the Kress Pavilion in Egg Harbor, where AT&T technicians provided a fiber splicing demonstration and offered tours of the companys service trucks. The first homes in the Town of Egg Harbor are now eligible to order AT&T Fiber, with other areas expected to come online in phases. The expansion includes partnerships with the towns of Egg Harbor, Sevastopol, Sturgeon Bay, and the Village of Egg Harbor. A mix of funding from AT&T, local municipalities, and the Wisconsin Public Service Commissions Capital Projects Fund helped make the project possible. There are residents and businesses that didnt have access to high-speed fiber and now they do, said Robyn Gruner, AT&Ts director of external affairs in Wisconsin. Its a critical piece of infrastructure, not just for streaming or working from home, but for healthcare, education, and staying connected. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gruner said more than 350 homes are now eligible to sign up for service, and more than 50 orders have already come in. Governor Evers used the opportunity to highlight his administrations commitment to broadband access, pointing to $400 million in proposed broadband investments in his latest state budget. With uncertainty at the federal level, momentum is more important than ever that we continue to make this a statewide issue, Evers said. Weve already helped over 410,000 homes and businesses get access to new or improved broadband. Wisconsins budget talks stall, create possible ripple effect on 2026 gubernatorial race Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Local leaders say the upgrades are long overdue in an area where geography and low population density have long made internet access a challenge. The broader project is expected to roll out over the coming months, connecting thousands more Door County residents to high-speed fiber. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) President Donald Trumps pick to be U.S. surgeon general has repeatedly said the nations medical and food systems are corrupted by special interests and people out to make a profit at the expense of Americans health. Yet as Dr. Casey Means has criticized scientists, medical schools and regulators for taking money from the food and pharmaceutical industries, she has promoted dozens of products in ways that put money in her own pocket. The Associated Press found Means, who has carved out a niche in the wellness industry, set up deals with an array of businesses. In some cases, she promoted companies in which she was an investor or adviser without consistently disclosing the connection, the AP found. Means, 37, has said she recommends products that she has personally vetted and uses herself. Still, experts said her business entanglements raise concerns about conflicting interests for an aspiring surgeon general, a role responsible for giving Americans the best scientific information on how to improve their health. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here are some takeaways from the AP's reporting. Growing an audience, and selling products Means, 37, earned her medical degree from Stanford University, but she dropped out of her residency program in 2018, and her license to practice is inactive. She said she saw firsthand how broken and exploitative the healthcare system is" and turned to alternative approaches to address what she has described as widespread metabolic dysfunction driven largely by poor nutrition and an overabundance of ultra-processed foods. She co-founded Levels, a nutrition, sleep and exercise-tracking app that can also give users insights from blood tests and continuous glucose monitors. The company charges $199 per year for an app subscription and an additional $184 per month for glucose monitors. Though scientists debate whether continuous glucose monitors are beneficial for people without diabetes, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has promoted their use as a precursor to making certain weight-loss drugs available to patients. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With more than 825,000 followers on Instagram and a newsletter that she has said reached 200,000 subscribers, Means has a direct line to an audience interested in health, nutrition and wellness. Many companies, including Amazon, have affiliate marketing programs in which people with substantial social media followings can sign up to receive a percentage of sales or some other benefit when someone clicks through and buys a product using a special individualized link or code shared by the influencer. Means has used such links to promote various products sold on Amazon. Among them are books, including the one she co-wrote, Good Energy"; beauty products; cardamom-flavored dental floss; organic jojoba oil; sunglasses; a sleep mask; a silk pillowcase; fitness and sleep trackers; protein powder and supplements. She also has shared links to products sold by other companies that included affiliate or partner coding. The products include an AI-powered sleep system and the prepared food company Daily Harvest, for which she curated a metabolic health collection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On a My Faves page that was taken down from her website shortly after Trump picked her, Means wrote that some links are affiliate links and I make a small percentage if you buy something after clicking them. Its not clear how much money Means has earned from her affiliate marketing, partnerships and other agreements. Daily Harvest did not return messages seeking comment, and Means said she could not comment on the record during the confirmation process. Disclosing conflicts Influencers who endorse products in exchange for something of value are required by the the Federal Trade Commission to disclose it every time. But most consumers still dont realize that a personality recommending a product might make money if people click through and buy, said University of Minnesota professor Christopher Terry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Means did disclose some relationships like newsletter sponsors, the AP found she wasn't consistent. For example, a Clean Personal & Home Care Product Recommendations guide she links to from her website contains two dozen affiliate or partner links and no disclosure that she could profit from any sales. Means has said she invested in Function Health, which provides subscription-based lab testing for $500 annually. Of the more than a dozen online posts the AP found in which Means mentioned Function Health, more than half did not disclose she had any affiliation with the company. Though the About page on her website discloses the affiliation, thats not enough, experts said. She is required to disclose any material connection she has to a company any time she promotes it. Representatives for Function Health did not return messages seeking comment. While the disclosure requirements are rarely enforced by the FTC, Means should have been informing her readers of any connections regardless of whether she was violating any laws, said Olivier Sylvain, a Fordham Law School professor, previously a senior advisor to the FTC chair. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What you want in a surgeon general, presumably, is someone who you trust to talk about tobacco, about social media, about caffeinated alcoholic beverages, things that present problems in public health, Sylvain said, adding, Should there be any doubt about claims you make about products? Potential conflicts pose new ethical questions Past surgeons general have faced questions about their financial entanglements, prompting them to divest from certain stocks or recuse themselves from matters involving their business relationships for a period of time. Means hasn't yet gone through a Senate confirmation hearing and has not yet announced the ethical commitments she will make for the role. Emily Hund, author of The Influencer Industry: The Quest for Authenticity on Social Media, said as influencer marketing becomes more common, it is raising more ethical questions like what past influencers who enter government should do to avoid the appearance of a conflict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is like a learning moment in the evolution of our democracy, Hund said. Is this a runaway train that we just have to get on and ride, or is this something that we want to go differently? ___ Swenson reported from New York. CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) A Clarksville police officer accused of injuring his baby has been taken into custody for child abuse, authorities said. According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, at the request of 19th Judicial District Attorney General Robert Nash, special agents started investigating allegations of child abuse involving 26-year-old Isaac Baretto on Thursday, June 5. Over the course of the investigation, officials said they determined Baretto was responsible for the injuries that sent his 5-month-old child to the hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Baby injured after shot fired into Spring Hill home The TBI said investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Baretto on Friday, June 6, charging him with one count of child abuse. He was reportedly booked into the Montgomery County Jail on a $5,000 bond. The Clarksville Police Department shared the following statement with News 2 after Baretto was taken into custody: The Clarksville Police Department is committed to constitutional policingensuring that all actions we take uphold individual rights and freedoms, and ensuring fair and impartial treatment of all. CPD conducted the initial investigation; however, for the sake of transparency, the District Attorneys Office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation were brought in to conduct a thorough and independent investigation since it involved one of our officers. In accordance with departmental policy, we are fully cooperating with the TBI as they continue their work on behalf of the District Attorney. Any further inquiries should be directed to the TBI. Cookeville man arrested following joint investigation into sexual abuse of minors No additional details were released about this case, including the circumstances surrounding the incident that led to Barettos arrest. Download the News 2 app to stay updated on the go. Sign up for WKRN email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox. Find todays top stories on WKRN.com for Nashville, TN and all of Middle Tennessee. This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. GLOCESTER, R.I. (WPRI) The Glocester Town Council faced a packed room Thursday night as teachers and residents voiced concerns over deep cuts to the school districts budget. The council approved $840,000 less than what the Glocester School Committee originally requested. According to Superintendent Dr. Renee Palazzo, the district is legally required to adjust its budget based on the appropriation. As a result, 13 teacher assistant positions will be eliminated at the end of this school year. Additional roles left vacant through attrition will also not be refilled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Longtime Glocester teacher Erin McPhee addressed the council, criticizing how drastic the cuts are. I have been around for a very, very, long time. I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly and Ive never seen it this ugly, McPhee said. Never have I witnessed the number of cuts to both staff and programs as we are realizing now. READ ALSO: North Attleboro voters OK tax hike to build new school The Glocester School Committee oversees two elementary schools: Fogarty Memorial and West Glocester Elementary. Ponaganset Middle and High Schools fall under the Foster-Glocester Regional School District, which is governed by a separate committee. No cuts have been announced for that district. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Much of the frustration was directed at Town Council President William Worthy, who also owns Big Bear Hunting, a firearm and outdoor sporting goods store in Glocester. In recent months, Worthy has rallied opposition to the proposed assault weapons ban at the State House, arguing it would threaten his business and livelihood. While youre concerned about losing part of your income, tomorrow when the superintendent walks through that door, I will be losing 100% of my income, teacher Tasha Elderkin said. However, Worthy was not present at the town council meeting, as he was attending his niece and nephews graduation at the University of Rhode Island. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE: RI House passes controversial assault weapons ban Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the new 12+ smart TV app. Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. The man in line to lead the U.S. Forest Service has "clashed" with the agency for years over private use of public lands, the New York Times reported. On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a confirmation hearing to discuss the appointment of Michael Boren, per ABC News. Boren is an Idaho ranch owner and founder of a billion-dollar tech company and he's had more than one run-in with the Forest Service in recent years as well as confrontations with residents who have objected to his activities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2015, Boren purchased his Hell Roaring Ranch, located in the Forest Service-managed Sawtooth National Recreation Area. Boren's run-ins with the Forest Service and locals typically revolved around claims of his "diverting a stream, disputes over how Boren manages land within and around the national forest, and disagreements about the precise locations of mining claims made by Boren's corporation," ABC explained. However, the Times focused on a controversy involving Boren's installation of a "private air strip" in what the outlet described as "a national recreation area." Boren allegedly operated a helicopter "dangerously close to a crew building a Forest Service trail" in 2020 earning him a caution from the agency and leading officials to obtain a restraining order. Dave Coyner was one of the workers on the crew during the helicopter incident. "We saw this helicopter less than 100 feet off the ground, and it started coming toward us. They were definitely trying to intimidate us," he recalled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "To hear that he's being nominated to be undersecretary of the Forest Service, that just blows me away," Coyner said. The Times linked to a 2021 editorial in the Post Register written by a retired search and rescue operative Gary Gadwa. "Michael Boren, a multimillionaire from Boise, is illegally operating an airport in the Sawtooth Valley without permits," Gadwa wrote. He called on Idaho residents to "halt this dangerous precedent, which threatens one of the most beloved wilderness areas in our state." Boren sued Boise-based Jon Conti for discussing the controversy on YouTube, and Conti was largely reluctant to comment on the broader controversy. "The Sawtooths are the last wild frontier, really untouched, and I think that most Idahoans would like to see it stay that way," Conti remarked, per the Times. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. I admit Im disappointed that Saturday Night Lives season is over and we wont get a cold open on Elon Musks public breakup with President Donald Trump, but I am resisting the urge to be amused. I think the somber truth is that the US tech industry, which got played by the bromance, will be hurt by all of this for decades. But the biggest loser will be the average American. Technology has been the key to US prosperity since World War II, and Musks bitter split with the White House is symbolic of the dagger being driven through the industrys future. The cuts to basic research will reverberate for decades. Preventing current and future foreign scientists and technologists from coming here or studying here is a self-inflicted wound that may never heal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DOGE argument for slashing research dollars, as it was described to me by sources, was that the money was going to the wrong places, and universities were capturing too much of it before it ever made its way to the lab. It needed to be wiped out and then redistributed. The system was long overdue for serious reform. But if DOGE had a plan as it took a sledgehammer to an essential element of American innovation, well likely never see it now. And even so, the damage has been done. The effects are so widespread that you cant avoid bumping into them. This week, I met a startup founder trying to cure diseases who has to contend with tariffs on basic lab equipment. I met a college professor whose Chinese research assistants have gone from being would-be patriotic Americans to potentially being sent home to help Americas biggest rival. And I spoke to a venture capitalist who can already see the pipeline of investable academic projects threatened by cuts in research. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Long before some of Silicon Valleys biggest names leapt onto the Trump train, the seeds of that revolt had been planted. The Biden administration made clear that the Democratic Party was no longer an ally of the tech industry. The Trump administration seems willing to meet the right people in tech and say the right things, but its policies are antithetical to a thriving ecosystem of innovation. The tech industry should now ask: Which political party is willing to do what it takes to maximize American innovation? Which party is willing to set aside petty differences and ego, and work in the interests of American prosperity? And then it should wait to see who can prove it. CHAPLIN With the end of the school year comes the end of one administrative chapter at Parish Hill Middle/High School, but a new era is set to start with the new school year in the fall. Principal Brian Tedeschi submitted his resignation the Board of Education earlier this month, as part of a planned retirement. Tedeschi has been the principal for just shy of a decade, named in the 2015-16 school year to succeed then-principal Dori Smith. Tedeschi had been serving as the interim principal while a search for her replacement was conducted, before the Board of Education chose him for a permanent place. During his tenure at Parish Hill High School, Tedeschi was named Outstanding Principal in the state by the Connecticut Parent Teacher Association in 2019. The awards are based on nominations from local PTAs, and the volume of community support for each nomination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tedeschi may be leaving, but the Parish Hill community will still have a familiar face in the schools leadership: Thomas Tom McKenna has been appointed by the Board of Education as the new prinicipal. McKenna has been serving the school as vice principal, arriving at Parish Hill shortly after Tedeschi, and was also named Outstanding Vice Principal by the Connecticut Parent Teacher Association in 2019. We are excited to bring Tom McKenna on as the next principal at Parish Hill Middle High School, Superintendent Andrew Skarzynski told the Chronicle. Tom has served the district well as the assistant principal and brings forth a steady presence and strong understanding of curriculum and instruction. Tom has a well-developed understanding of the unique needs of our communities and his continued presence at Parish Hill will benefit our students, families and staff. The Board of Education accepted Tedeschis resignation the same night as the appointment of McKenna was made, based on the recommendation of regional school district 11 Superintendent Andrew Skarzynski. Although not an easy decision to make when you love the school community that youve spent the last 10-plus years, its time to call it a career and reinvent myself, Tedeschi told the Chronicle. I am fortunate to have made many great personal and professional connections with staff, parents and community members, but as always, its the joy of educating students that I will miss the most. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tedeschi praised his successor. I am most pleased to see Tom McKenna taking over the role of principal, as he has served the school community quite well for the last nine-plus years, and will no doubt continue to do so, Tedeschi said. McKenna will be in place in his new role for the 2025-2026 school year. Tom will work alongside Brian through the remainder of the school year and during the summer, as he assumes the mantle of school leadership, Skarzynski said. The position of assistant principal will not be filled as part of cuts to the regions budget, which failed at its first referendum and will be sent to voters with a reduced bottom line for a second referendum in June. McKennas role as principal formally takes effect on September 1. CHICAGO Authorities are asking for help in the search for a teen girl who has been missing for a week. According to Chicago police, a search is underway for 14-year-old Anayelia Garcia, who officers say has been missing since Friday, May 30. LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland Police say the missing teen was last seen on the day she was last contacted in the 3700 block of West 61st Place, in West Lawn on the citys Southwest Side. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Garcia, who stands 5-foot-1 and weighs around 120 pounds, has brown eyes and black hair. A photo provided by Chicago police shows the missing teen girl with braids, which officers say she may have had at the time of her disappearance. Additionally, the photo shows her with earrings and short bangs, though it is unclear if she had either when she went missing. Officers say Garcia was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans, with black and purple Jordan gym shoes. Authorities shared details about the missing teens disappearance in a news release sent out on Thursday morning. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone with information on the whereabouts of 14-year-old Anayelia Garcia is asked to contact the CPD Area One SVU at 312-747-8380 or dial 911. Those with information that could help authorities in their investigation can also leave a tip at CPDtip.com. Tips can be filed anonymously. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. JONES BEACH, N.Y. (PIX11) An 18-year-old was arrested as 300 teenagers descended onto Jones Beach on Thursday during their senior skip day, according to the Nassau County Police Department. Police said Kyle Thomas is accused of showing what appeared to be a gun in his waistband as officers tried to disperse the crowd. Fights broke out between the teenagers, who are students of schools in Nassau County and Queens, according to authorities. More Local News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said at least four people were injured. In New Jersey, lawmakers are working to crack down on large public fights at area beaches. More than 70 people were arrested after a rowdy Memorial Day weekend in Seaside Heights, according to authorities. The Jones Beach crowd isnt the first senior skip day that has turned violent on Long Island. Police said a teenager was shot on the Long Beach boardwalk last year. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State Two other teenagers were arrested in the incident and it prompted the beach to restrict access to pass holders only. Thomas is due in court later this month, according to authorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. DENVER (KDVR) A teenager was seriously injured when she was hit by a truck while riding her bike in Castle Rock, and the man who was behind the wheel is stepping up to help her recovery. FOX31 spoke exclusively with the teens family and the driver about the crash. Micaiah Dearinger is 15 years old, soon to be a sophomore at Colorado Early Colleges in Castle Rock. She has dreams of becoming a video game designer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was out riding her bike on a beautiful spring day on a route shes very familiar with, and in the blink of an eye, she was hit by a truck. The crash has left her with serious injuries, and recovery is going to be a long road. The family shared images of Dearinger showing some of her injuries, and the photos may be difficult to look at. Micaiah spent 10 days in the hospital after the crash on May 13. She doesnt remember much from the crash, but according to Castle Rock police, she was hit by a truck while trying to cross the intersection of Plum Creek Boulevard and Cherry Plum Way. She was not wearing a helmet at the time and suffered serious injuries, including cracked ribs, head trauma, including a concussion, road rash over her entire body, chipped teeth and face lacerations. Micaiah, a 15-year-old, was hit by a truck and suffered serious injuries while riding her bike. Micaiah, a 15-year-old, was hit by a truck and suffered serious injuries while riding her bike. Micaiah, a 15-year-old, was hit by a truck and suffered serious injuries while riding her bike. Micaiah, a 15-year-old, was hit by a truck and suffered serious injuries while riding her bike. Her mother, Amanda Berthold, said that Micaiah was hit, flipped over the vehicle and rolled a few times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time of the crash, Amanda was across the country visiting family and said her heart sank, she was doing everything to keep it together. No parent is ever prepared for that life-changing phone call. Were grateful that shes still with us and shes so strongbut we also know she has a really long road ahead of her and were just trying to take it one day at a time, Berthold said. Each day, Micaiah is getting stronger and her mother said shes in good spirits, but has her good and bad days. FOX31 spoke with the driver of the truck, Jared Beach, who said he did not see her at all, and crashed trying to avoid her as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was about a mile away from my house. I jumped out of my vehicle and ran over to her and she was face down in the gutter and not moving. I said Hey, baby girl and she didnt respond to me. I had to make sure she was breathing and I rolled her over. She had really bad head trauma, so I took my shirt off and wrapped it around her head to stop the bleeding, he said. He contacted first responders afterward and visited the teen in the hospital a few days after the crash. It was good to see her awake, he said. I just want to do everything I can to help her. Thats why Beach created a fundraiser with a big goal to reach. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Medical bills are mounting, especially with the expense of cosmetic and dental surgery, hospital stays and months of therapy ahead. Those who would like to donate to the cause and help her get her smile back can do so on the fundraiser website. As for the investigation, the crash appears to be an accident and no charges have been filed. FOX31 reached out to the Castle Rock Police Department for more details. The family said there may have been a malfunction with the bikes brakes, but the cause is still under investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. MORRISANIA, the Bronx (PIX11) A 17-year-old boy was shot just a half mile away from where a man was grazed by a bullet in separate incidents in the Bronx on Thursday, according to the NYPD. Police said the teenager was struck by a bullet in the right hip at the NYCHA Forest Houses around 10 p.m. Two suspects, one wearing all black and one wearing all gray, fled the shooting on Citi Bikes going west on Trinity Avenue, according to authorities. More Local News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said just two minutes later, a man was grazed in the left arm by a bullet near East 161st Street and St. Annes Avenue. Two suspects are also wanted in that shooting, according to authorities. Police said one was wearing a white shirt and gray shorts while the other wore a gray t-shirt and dark pants. They fled the shooting going north on St. Annes Avenue, possibly on Citi Bikes, according to authorities. Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. Jun. 5When officers responded to gunfire along an Albuquerque ditch last month, a man living in a tent said he told off two teenagers firing guns in the area. Two hours later, two gunshots were detected near the tent and the homeless man was found shot to death the next morning. Now, Joshua Curtis, 18, and Adrian Brown, 17, are behind bars in his death. Curtis and Brown, both of Albuquerque, are each charged with an open count of murder, conspiracy, negligent use of a deadly weapon and unlawful carrying of a handgun in the May 1 death of Christopher Sturluson, 23. Brown is also charged with shooting at a dwelling or occupied building. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Curtis was arrested May 28 and booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center, Albuquerque Police Department spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos said in a news release. Brown was already behind bars at the Bernalillo County juvenile detention center when the charges were filed against him Tuesday, though it's unclear why he was booked into jail. Brown was on juvenile probation at the time of the killing, 2nd Judicial District Attorney's Office spokesperson Nancy Laflin said. Two years ago, he was arrested for bringing a firearm to Sandia High School. A year later, Brown was arrested for another gun-related crime, District Attorney Sam Bregman said. It is unclear what that crime was or the outcome of the case. "He received little to no consequences for his multiple juvenile arrests involving firearms," Bregman said in a statement Thursday, without elaborating on the specifics. "... He didn't learn anything except that he could get away with carrying a gun as he pleased. Now, a 23-year-old man is dead, and two teens are charged with murder." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Curtis and Brown were identified as the suspects through video surveillance and photographs, Gallegos said. At 9:43 a.m. on May 1, APD responded to a call of a homicide in the 4600 block of Carlisle NE, north of Montgomery, near Interstate 25, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. Arriving officers found Sturluson dead with blood on his face and neck, police said. Officers had been in the area around 9:30 p.m. after gunfire was detected in the area, the complaint states. Sturluson told police he was in his tent when he heard shots and told two teens later identified as Curtis and Brown "to get the (expletive) out of here." At 11:49 p.m., the ShotSpotter system detected two shots near the tent, the complaint states. A neighbor told police they saw two males run through an apartment parking lot, one carrying a gun, while the other picked up bullet casings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The neighbor took photos of the males and uploaded them to evidence.com, where the public can share evidence of a crime, according to the complaint. One of the photos showed a man later identified as Curtis firing a gun minutes before the fatal shooting. At an apartment complex near the crime scene, police spoke to two girls who said they saw Brown, Curtis and their girlfriends near the arroyo, according to the complaint. One girl said she heard Brown say, "That was me, I was shooting at the ditch with these idiots." Police questioned Brown, who lived at the complex, but he denied shooting Sturluson and said the two walked away after he yelled at them, the complaint states. Apartment surveillance cameras showed Brown and Curtis walking east of the tent about a minute before shots were fired, police said. Police linked the casings from behind Sturluson's tent to casings found from the shooting hours earlier, according to the complaint. Detectives found that, after the incident, Brown sent Curtis a social media message, saying, "I didn't snitch you better not either." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Twenty minutes after the shooting, Curtis sent a woman a text, saying, "I'm not perfect or the best looking but I'll always defend you there's the proof I'll kill someone for you," police said. Prosecutors filed a pretrial motion to keep Curtis behind bars, saying Curtis and Brown "showed a complete disregard for human life because they knew that Sturluson was camped where they were shooting." A pair of California teenagers accused of calling in a bomb threat that forced the lockdown of roughly 2,000 students at Ventura High School last month have admitted to their involvement in separate hearings, officials announced Thursday. On Wednesday, one of the minors agreed to three felony charges, including malicious informing of a false bomb, conspiracy to commit a malicious informing of a false bomb, and criminal threats, the Ventura County District Attorneys Office announced in a news release. Ventura County Superior Court Judge Kevin DeNoce sentenced the minor to wardship under Welfare and Institutions Code section 602, the most serious level of juvenile probation, the news release stated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The second minor, who is from Santa Barbara County, admitted to two felony charges, including malicious informing of a false bomb and conspiracy to commit a malicious informing of a false bomb during a May 21 hearing. Law enforcement and worried parents are seen at Ventura High School while the campus was on lockdown for reports of a bomb threat. May 2, 2025. (KTLA) That teen is scheduled to appear for an interim hearing on June 10 at the Santa Maria Juvenile Courthouse, as required by law, the news release states. Sentencing in the case is scheduled for June 17. The charges stem from the minors involvement in a May 2 incident in which school officials received a threatening phone call claiming that someone was on campus with a bomb and intended to commit a shooting. The campus was immediately placed on lockdown as law enforcement was called to secure the campus and investigate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These threats placed the entire Ventura High School campus on lockdown, and caused students, teachers, and the surrounding community to be in fear, Juvenile Unit Supervisor Maureen Byrne said. The juveniles who committed the false bomb threat and school shooting threat have been held accountable for their criminal conduct. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. TERRA ALTA, W.Va. (WBOY) Amid administrative chaos centered around the Town of Terra Altas budget, the town council held an emergency meeting Thursday night to discuss potential solutions, as well as the fate of the towns employees. 12 News previously reported on how the town failed to submit its annual budget to the West Virginia State Auditors Office by the annual deadline, meaning it cant collect property taxes and its budget is set at $0. During Thursdays meeting, residents raised questions on how the town is going to pay its employees or maintain the town as a whole. The meeting yielded few answers, with the council saying many of the decisions will fall on the new leadership following the upcoming municipal election, which is set for next Tuesday, June 10. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harrison County cemeteries in need of donations for maintenance Solutions discussed during the meeting included soliciting donations and volunteers to serve the community. Another solution was to tap into the $55,000 Shaw Fund, which was set up by a now-deceased former resident to be used to improve the town. At this time, we are getting no tax or levy money, Town Clerk Kambra Sisler said. At this time, the main focus should be getting a bill into legislation to try to change the state law that there is an acceptance for us moving forward for our next budget because when we submit our next budget, it is 101% of what we received the previous year and were receiving zero. So 101% times zero is zero. With no budget and no answers, the towns employees are in a state of limbo. Their positions have not been officially eliminated as of Thursday night, but as it stands, there is no concrete plan to pay them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBOY.com. The doctor and registered nurse who cared for Grace Schara were among the witnesses to testify during the first week of the wrongful death trial, providing the jury their first opportunity to hear details from those responsible for her care. Grace, who had Down syndrome, died at age 19 on Oct. 13, 2021, after being admitted to Ascension NE Wisconsin St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton for symptoms of COVID-19. Her father filed a wrongful death lawsuit a year and a half later. The hospital, Dr. Gavin Shokar and Hollee McInnis, a registered nurse, are named in the lawsuit. Testimony provided by Shokar and McInnis highlighted differences from testimony earlier in the week from Grace's parents, Scott and Cindy Schara. It also stood in stark contrast to the testimony given by the family's medical expert. He argued Grace failed to be correctly diagnosed and died of a drug overdose as a result of an illegal do not resuscitate order, not COVID-19 pneumonia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jurors are able to submit questions to the judge following witness testimony. Outagamie Circuit Court Judge Mark McGinnis then decides if witnesses are allowed to answer them. More: Grace Scharas family wants jury to decide hospital caused her death, not COVID-19. What to know about the case. More: Grace Schara's wrongful death trial against Ascension St. Elizabeth begins As of June 6, those questions have sought clarity on whether Grace had power of attorney and do not resuscitate documents in her chart and how confusion over Grace's code status, specifically the fact a "do not resuscitate" order was placed in her chart by Shokar on the day of her death. The Do Not Resuscitate order Grace's parents and her older sister, Jessica Vander Heiden, were Grace's powers of attorney. They had two phone conversations with Shokar regarding what should occur in the event her health deteriorated. The first took place on Oct. 12, the day prior to Grace's death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shokar told the family he really had no more wiggle room to continue treating her on the BiPAP breathing machine, should her lungs continue to deteriorate. Shokar told the family that Grace's lungs were scarring, and the BiPAP machine was operating at its maximum capacity. The only breathing machine remaining as an option was a ventilator, Shokar said he told the family. When asked, he told the family there was a "roughly 20% survival rate" for patients in Grace's condition, if the family chose intubation, Shokar said. Shokar said he discussed what recovery could look like, including the possibility Grace might need a tracheotomy, the life-long use of supplemental oxygen, or a lengthy amount of time on a ventilator and rehabilitation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If a ventilator was not an option, discussions including keeping her on BiPAP and hope for the best," Shokar said while testifying. Shokar said he asked the family to decide quickly, "as Grace could crash at any time," and the nurses working the night shift would like to know what to do if that happens. Failing to receive a callback, Shokar called the family on the morning of Oct. 13, 2021. Doctor, thank you for all your time and explaining everything. I talked about this with my family and we have decided to move forward with a DNI, Shokar said he recalled being told by Scott Schara. A DNI means a patient should not be intubated. It is a separate order from a do not resuscitate order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Absent of intubation, Shokar testified that all he could do was attempt to slow her breathing rate, which eventually included giving her morphine. It was unclear from Shokar's testimony if this was his rational for placing a DNR order on Grace's chart. He stressed he spoke with the family on two occasions, each time for close to an hour, and was clear about the futility of chest compressions, should Grace need to be resuscitated. He also testified he had "never unilaterally placed a DNR order on a patient's chart." McInnis, the nurse, testified she could not remember if Grace was wearing the purple, do not resuscitate bracelet that St. Elizabeth health care staff place on DNR patients. McInnis said if she was not wearing it, it was only because she had gotten too busy to put it on Grace. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A normal breathing or respiratory rate is 12 to 20 breaths per minute. The day of Graces death she was taking 60 breaths per minute. Breathing this fast is unsustainable and an emergency situation, McInnis and Shokar said while testifying. Prior to the start of the trial, Grace's parents and her older sister detailed how Vander Heiden made a FaceTime call to her parents when she saw Grace's condition worsening during the early evening hours of Oct. 13. With phone in hand, Vander Heiden said she ran out of Grace's room, shouting for someone to help her sister. It was at this point they learned Grace was a "do not resuscitate," they said. When they shouted, "save our daughter," no staff responded, the family members said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I have no recollection of this," McInnis said. Neither did Shokar, according to his testimony. A patient's code status is not static, medical professionals told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, it can be changed at anytime. Expert for the family's case Dr. Gilbert Berdine is an associate professor of internal medicine and medical education at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and earned his medical degree from Harvard University School of Medicine. Berdine testified, as an expert for the family, that it is his belief that Grace died when she failed to be diagnosed and then be treated for metabolic acidosis, a condition that occurs when too much lactic acid builds up in the body. Lactic acid is produced by muscle and red blood cells when a body is low on oxygen, and consequently low on energy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Your heart consists of muscle fibers, and when your blood is too acidic, muscle fibers can no longer contract," he said. "Your heart stops beating." He said instead of Shokar administering lorazepam and morphine, Grace should have been given bicarbonate to counter the acidity in her body, Narcan to reverse the impacts of the drugs, and norepinephrine to increase her blood pressure and heart rate. Berdine cited various results of Grace's blood-gas lab tests as evidence she was experiencing, but not being treated, for the condition. Instead, she continued to be given drugs that lowered her respirator and heart rates, namely precedex, lorazepam and morphine. There was no discussion of metabolic acidosis during Shokar's testimony. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Berdine said placing Grace on a ventilator on Oct. 13 would have been a good idea, but not for the same reasons as her doctors. "Placing her on a ventilator would have led to a blood-gas test," Berdine said. "They would not have been able to miss the metabolic acidosis anymore. And yes, it would have been helpful but it was not necessary on the 12th, for the same reason. It would have led to the correct diagnosis." He said it is a "breach of the standard of care," if Grace's family was not made aware of all the drugs she was receiving and informed of oversedation episodes. Scott Schara testified he was not aware his daughter was being given any of these drugs. "Patients or their advocates can't make correct decisions without being informed," Berdine said. "That is not a good way to run a hospital." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jessica Van Egeren is a health care reporter and assistant breaking news editor with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at jvanegeren@gannett.com. This story was updated to add additional information. Donning a purple T-shirt in her sister's handwriting, Jessica Vander Heiden of Appleton shows a tattoo she has in remembrance of her sister Grace Schara. Grace, 19, who was born with Down syndrome, died seven days after testing positive for COVID-19 and being admitted to Ascension NE Wisconsin - St. Elizabeth Hospital for treatment. Grace's family has filed a wrongful death suit. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Grace Schara's wrongful death trial: Ascension doctor, nurse testify during week 1 Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller called for heightened vigilance following the arrest of two Chinese nationals charged with smuggling a dangerous fungus into the United States. I am deeply troubled by the recent allegations against two Chinese individuals for supposedly smuggling a dangerous agroterrorism agent into the United States, specifically a fungus that could cause significant damage to crops such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice, Miller said in a news release on Friday. Whats even more alarming is that one of the individuals reportedly has ties to the Chinese Communist Party. This raises serious questions about intent and highlights the real threats facing American agriculture and national security. The suspects, Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, both citizens of the Peoples Republic of China, face felony charges, including conspiracy, smuggling goods, making false statements, and visa fraud, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office in Detroit, The Dallas Express reported on June 4. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Court documents allege the pair smuggled Fusarium graminearum, a fungus known to cause head blight in certain crops, through Detroit Metropolitan Airport, intending to research it at a University of Michigan lab. The fungus has caused billions in global crop losses and produces toxins harmful to humans and livestock, leading to symptoms like vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive issues. Miller emphasized the gravity of the threat, stating, Any effort to compromise our food supply or harm our agricultural commodities will be met with zero tolerance, and we are prepared to support any action that protects our producers and the integrity of our food system. He praised the FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and other federal agencies under the Trump administration for their swift response, adding, We must continue to strengthen biosecurity protocols and protect our agricultural research institutions from foreign interference. Our food security is national security, and we will not let our guard down. Authorities allege Jian, who worked in a University of Michigan science lab, received funding from the Chinese government for work related to the pathogen. Her electronic devices showed close ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Her boyfriend, Liu, allegedly admitted to smuggling the fungus to work on it with Jian. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The alleged actions of these Chinese nationalsincluding a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Partyare of the gravest national security concerns, said Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a potential agroterrorism weapon into the heartland of America. Cheyvoryea Gibson, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, noted the exploitation of academic settings for illicit purposes, stating, These individuals exploited their access to laboratory facilities at a local university to engage in the smuggling of biological pathogens, an act that posed an imminent threat to public safety. CBPs Director of Field Operations, Marty C. Raybon, underscored the need to protect agriculture, saying, Todays criminal charges levied upon Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu are indicative of CBPs critical role in protecting the American people from biological threats that could devastate our agricultural economy and cause harm to humans; especially when it involves a researcher from a major university attempting to clandestinely bring potentially harmful biological materials into the United States. The investigation is ongoing. A new food program that would give low income families $120 per child to help feed them during the summer months could be coming to Texas in 2027. Texas has never participated in the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT) program, created in 2023, an offshoot of a similar pandemic program. But tucked inside the states $338 billion budget is a $60 million addition for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to administer such a program. States have to pay 50% of the administrative cost to participate in the Summer EBT program, a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that also goes by the name of Sun Bucks. That large investment could bring another $400 million in federal dollars to Texas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, ongoing talks at the federal level about slashing food benefits could endanger Texas participation in the Biden-era summer program. A provision built into the budget change could cancel the appropriation if the current state-federal funding formula changes. If federal matching rates for the program or administration of the program are changed in a manner that result in a higher cost to Texas from the match rates in place on May 30, 2025, this appropriation is void, the rider language states. Families would qualify for the summer meal benefits if their children, even if they are home-schooled or attend private schools, qualify for free or reduced priced lunches during the school year. In 2024, a family of four with an annual income of $40,560 or less would be eligible for free school lunch. To qualify for a reduced school meal, that same family would have to make $57,720 or less. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For state Rep. Armando Walle, D-Houston, bringing the Summer EBT program to Texas was personal. Today, he lives not far from where he grew up in northeast Houston. We were on food stamps growing up, he said. I lived that experience of not having food. While HHSC would design and manage the program, it would also work in collaboration with the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Department of Agriculture, which manages federal agriculture dollars that fund school lunches in Texas. TDA looks forward to continued collaboration with HHSC on their submission of a state plan, the agency said in a statement. Summer EBT would complement existing food programs The states agriculture agency already works with schools, cities and community groups to offer lunches during the summer for school-age children. Those institutional partners submit expenses for the lunches they served and are reimbursed for cost by the federal government, according to Lena Wilson, assistant commissioner for food and nutrition at TDA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2024, there were 12 million summer meals (snacks and lunches) served to Texas children at 4,480 sites statewide at a cost of $46.1 million. This existing USDAs summer lunch program, which was piloted in 1968 and was made a full-fledged funding stream in 1975, does not require pre-registration or identification to access. The locations are selected primarily where children in need are located and is open to all children, even if they dont live in the specific neighborhood. Its great, said Catherine Wright-Steele, TDAs commissioner of food and nutrition, because children can bring their younger siblings who arent attending schools yet or say a young friend or cousin visiting from out of town. Some of the meals are prepared and served on site. At other locations, they can be more of a grab-and-go sack lunch offering. So many children who live in poverty in Texas. These programs all supplement each other, Walle said of adding another summer program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From an economic standpoint, bringing more federal dollars will put more customers in stores, he said. Its an economic benefit to the state of Texas, Walle said. Walle, who said he has been working on Summer EBT for the past 18 months, also credited bipartisan support in the House and Senate, as well as Gov. Greg Abbott. For other food assistance groups, the inclusion of the rider has been welcome news. Were thrilled that state lawmakers included funding in the budget to administer Summer EBT, said Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas, the state association of food banks. Summer EBT fills this gap, ensuring that Texas kids stay nourished and ready to learn. The program is particularly important for a state like Texas, where 1 in 6 households are food insecure. What about cuts to federal programs right now? Right now, Congress is considering slashing the budget of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, what many people still refer to as food stamps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the rider currently reads, the Texas participation in Summer EBT could be in danger if the federal government forced states to pay more of the administrative cost or even a portion of the subsidy. Theres been no word on whether the Summer EBT program could face cuts. For now, the state is moving to come up with a plan to submit to Washington. Disclosure: Feeding Texas has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto ORourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase. (Texas Scorecard) Texas Lottery commissioners are already in the process of transferring oversight of the lottery to the Department of Licensing and Regulation, less than a week after lawmakers voted to abolish the embattled commission. The early movement is notable, given that Gov. Greg Abbott has not yet signed the Legislatures proposalSenate Bill 3070into law. A TLC spokesperson told Texas Scorecard, With the passage of Senate Bill 3070, the Texas Lottery Commission is evaluating next steps in alignment with the bills intent to transfer regulatory authority to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. While the Commissioners under active terms remain appointed at this time, the agency is actively working on the transition. Texas Scorecard attempted to access the website showing information on Texas Lottery commissioners earlier this week but was unable to do so as the commissioner profiles were gone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After reaching out and receiving a comment from the TLC spokesperson, the website was put back up. However, Commissioner Cindy Lyons Fields, previously listed among the other commissioners, was absent from the site when it returned. In addition to changing the lotterys overseeing agency, SB 3070 includes new, strict regulations on the purchase of tickets. The measure also establishes an abbreviated sunset review period for the lottery. The TLC, which has been in existence since 1991, has come under scrutiny over the past months after revelations of rigged jackpots, potential money laundering, and collusion between government agency employees and vendors to game the lottery for profit. The Texas Lottery is now the subject of multiple state and federal investigations as a result. This coverage is made possible through Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Sign up for Votebeat Texas free newsletters here. Texans will have a new schedule for early voting in coming years under new legislation that starts the voting period later but slides it right up to Election Day, eliminating the three-day break in between. Experts say Senate Bill 2753, which lawmakers approved this week, will likely boost turnout, as it includes more time for voting on weekends. The author of the bill, Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, told Votebeat that the change also simplifies the process and would reduce the cost of election operations and equipment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But local election officials said they arent so sure of that, and are still determining how it will work and what it could cost counties. The bill doesnt allocate any funding for counties to implement the changes. And theres one notable side effect of taking away the gap after the early-voting period: Partial vote tallies from the early ballots, which are typically released shortly after polls close on Election Day, wont be available until later, election administrators said. The bill is headed to Gov. Greg Abbotts desk for his signature, though it can become law without it. The changes have to go into effect no later than August 2027. Some election officials warned that they are likely to need additional election workers to work longer hours to comply with the requirements, as well as more voting equipment and possibly additional polling locations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These are just things that we don't know yet because we haven't run an election in this model yet, said Jennifer Doinoff, Hays County elections administrator and the legislative committee chair for the Texas Association of County Election Officials. It's something we're going to have to look at and build from the ground up. It's not yet clear when counties would begin implementing the changes. The bill directs the Texas secretary of state to adopt rules and procedures to implement the new timeline and provide a report telling the Texas Legislature as soon as practicable after Sept. 1 that the agency has consulted with county election officials and is confident that the counties in this state are prepared." Also, the Legislature could make changes based on the secretary of state's report because there is a full regular legislative session in 2027 before SB 2753's new early voting timeline has to be used. How the legislation changes early voting Currently, during general elections that have county and state offices on the ballot, Texas offers 12 days of early voting, starting the 17th day before Election Day and ending four days before Election Day. This allows for only a single weekend of voting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new law would also require 12 days of early voting, but the period would begin on a Thursday and run for 12 days straight, including two weekends, right up to Election Day. In addition, Sunday voting hours would be extended from six to nine hours a day, and early voting would also be available on any holidays during that period. While the number of days doesnt change, election officials said the new schedule will eliminate a treasured break for workers before Election Day, and they worry theyll lose workers without it. Some officials also said it can be hard to find people to work Sundays. In Collin County, the early-voting staffers typically also work on Election Day, said Kaleb Breaux, the countys elections administrator. It's a laborious process for them, just mentally and physically, Breaux said. By the time they get to that last week of early voting, they're just worn out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Election offices also used the break to set up equipment for Election Day voting, which uses a different set of machines. Election officials will have to work out whether and how to pay poll workers for any overtime. The bill didnt allocate any funds for counties to pay poll workers. Hall, the bill author, played down the concerns about staffing, and said he expects some workers would prefer to work on the weekend. It's a matter of organization and management, he said. Hall said he doesnt anticipate new personnel costs since the total number of days the polls will be open wont change. The bill will also require changes to the way election officials allocate their space and equipment. It will require any location used as an early-voting polling place to also be used as an Election Day polling place, a new mandate. But in some counties, finding and leasing facilities is difficult. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well have to completely reconfigure early voting, Trudy Hancock, the Brazos County elections administrator said. How the bill could delay reporting of election results Election officials are also anticipating changes in the timeline for posting election results on Election Day. Early-voting ballots will have to be tabulated at the same time as Election Day ballots, and the extra volume will add to the time needed to complete the security and paperwork steps required after polls close. So tallies from each polling place could take longer to come in, Breaux said. Hall said he doesnt expect the timeline for full election results to change very much. The partial results that may be delayed serve absolutely no purpose in the election process other than to give people a piece of information as quickly as possible, he said. I expect they'll be able to get the total votes not much later if the counties handle it right, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The schedule change aligns Texas more closely with 22 other states that have a single voting period that runs right up to Election Day, including Arkansas, Missouri, Colorado, Indiana, California and Illinois, according to the Voting Rights Lab. Hall told Votebeat he didnt model the bill after any specific state. In some of those states, making voting accessible the day before Election Day has helped increase voter turnout, said Daniel Griffith, senior policy director at Secure Democracy Foundation. That Monday just right before Election Day, that's when a lot of folks are really thinking about the election, Griffith said. The later you kind of push that last early voting day, the more participation you get. Colorado, which is primarily a vote-by-mail state, implemented a single voting period over a decade ago and it has worked smoothly. For in-person voting, the entire state uses a countywide voting model, where people can vote at any polling location in their county for the entire voting period. That means election officials have fewer polling locations to staff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fewer than half of Texas 254 counties use the countywide model. In the rest, voters have to cast their ballot at their assigned precinct, which typically requires more polling locations on Election Day. The number of early-voting sites varies from county to county, and not all of them use the same sites on Election Day. Texas counties will need funds and resources to implement the changes in the bill, said Jennifer Morrell, CEO and co-founder of The Elections Group, an election administration consulting firm. Colorado reimburses local jurisdictions when there are state or federal candidates on the ballot, Morrell said, and adjusts the amount for changes in poll worker pay and other costs. Texas will need to do the same, she said. Costs go up: paper, ink, equipment, Morrell said. You can't just make stuff up and then expect a local jurisdiction to just do it without additional funding. And even if election officials get creative, they can't maintain it for long. Natalia Contreras is a reporter for Votebeat in partnership with the Texas Tribune. Shes based in Corpus Christi. Contact Natalia at ncontreras@votebeat.org. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Disclosure: Secure Democracy and Texas Secretary of State have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto ORourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase. A federal judge in the Eastern District of Texas denied qualified immunitya legal doctrine that protects local and state government officials from civil liability unless their actions violate a clearly established constitutional rightto Shane Iverson, a former deputy of Rusk County, on May 27. This upholds a previous ruling by Magistrate Judge John D. Love, clearing the way for a civil rights lawsuit to proceed. Iverson fatally shot Timothy Michael Randall, an unarmed 29-year-old, during a traffic stop on September 14, 2022. Randall's family has filed a federal lawsuit alleging excessive force, unlawful arrest, and emotional distress. Randall was stopped by Iverson around 12:30 a.m. in Turnertown, Texas, for allegedly running a stop sign. Dashcam footage shows the encounter escalated when Iverson attempted to detain Randall, who tried to flee but was fatally shot by a single bullet that struck his chest. Although a grand jury had previously declined to indict Iverson, citing insufficient grounds for criminal charges, Love and now District Judge Jeremy Kernodle have concluded there is enough evidence to question the constitutionality of Iverson's actions. In particular, Kernodle highlighted video evidence that showed Randall's open hands raised in surrender as he turned to flee, contradicting Iverson's claim of being in imminent danger. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Iverson told investigators that after he asked Randall to step out of the vehicle, he "made a 'furtive gesture' with his right hand that made him think he might have a weapon." During a pat-down, Iverson felt a soft, rectangular object in Randall's pants and, upon squeezing it, detected something small and hard, making him think it might be a mini revolver. It was later revealed to be a meth pipe. The accompanying dashcam footage shows that during the pat-down, Randall resists Iverson's attempts to restrain him while repeatedly saying, "Officer, I don't have anything on me." Seconds later, Iverson throws Randall to the ground, which he told investigators he did because he was concerned Randall might reach a perceived weapon. Randall quickly recovers and attempts to flee, but is shot by a kneeling Iverson, who alleged he felt threatened in his compromised position and only fired a single shot in self-defense. Love disputed Iverson's story in his January recommendation concerning qualified immunity. Love questioned Iverson's claim of witnessing a traffic violation from over 1,100 feet away, citing the ambiguity of the dashcam video, reports KLTV, the local ABC News affiliate. There was no evidence of Randall causing bodily injury to Iverson, and his resistance was primarily verbal, with the only physical contact stemming from the officer's escalating use of force. Randall never threatened Iverson with a weapon, and he had not committed a crime causing serious harm, said Love. Love also noted Iverson issued his warning simultaneously with the fatal shot, rendering it ineffective. Joseph Oxman, who is representing the Randall family, told NBC News, "I think it's the worst police shooting I've ever seen." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Iverson's actions were also criticized by use-of-force experts and former officers like criminology professor David Klinger, who said, "It doesn't make any sense why he shot the guy." "What really made the defendant's argument for qualified immunity utterly ridiculous is we have the video of everything that happened," Oxman tells Reason. "Judge Love said objectively, not subjectively, objectively, a jury could find that Shane Iverson violated the civil rights of Timothy Michael Randall." Oxman doesn't necessarily think the trial will set a precedent for future qualified immunity cases or change current laws. However, he's hopeful that the jury will "send a big message to law enforcement [that] they better get their act together." Qualified immunity expert Benson Varghese agrees, telling Reason that the ruling doesn't reflect a shift in the court's approach to qualified immunity, but rather the egregious nature of the case. "We have an unarmed victim with empty hands that were visible to the officer," Varghese explains. "The officer's justification for the shooting was weakwe have a clear video that shows the victim fleeing without posing a threat." Courts, he adds, are increasingly relying on objective video evidence over officers' subjective beliefsthe exact reasoning used by both Love and Kernodle in denying qualified immunity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Iverson's attorney, Robert Davis, the Rusk County District Attorney's Office, and the Rusk County Sheriff's Office did not respond to Reason's request for comment. The rejection of Iverson's qualified immunity claim is a rare and notable victory for civil liberties advocates who've long argued that the doctrine shields law enforcement officers who abuse their power from legal repercussions. The trial to determine whether Iverson violated Randall's constitutional rights is scheduled to begin May 18, 2026. The post Texas Cop Who Killed Unarmed Man Is Not Entitled to Qualified Immunity appeared first on Reason.com. (Adds omitted timeframe in paragraph 8) (Reuters) -The Texas health department reported no new cases of measles on Friday, the first time the state has not recorded an increase since the outbreak began in February. The state, which is the epicenter of the current measles outbreak, has a total of 742 confirmed cases as of Friday. The number of new cases continues to decrease, from an average of about 12 per day around the peak to fewer than one case per day recently, Chris Van Deusen, director of media relations at the Texas health department, told Reuters in an email. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The fact that (we) haven't had any new hospitalizations reported in more than two weeks gives us confidence there are not major numbers of unreported cases still occurring out there," said Van Deusen. The United States is battling one of the worst outbreaks of the highly contagious airborne infection it has seen, with over 1,000 reported cases and three confirmed deaths. Despite the slowing spread of the infection in Texas, the country continues to record weekly increases in measles cases elsewhere. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a total of 1,168 confirmed measles cases were reported by 34 jurisdictions as of Thursday, an increase of 80 cases since its previous update last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since 2000, the only time infections surpassed the 1,000 mark was in 2019, when the country reported 1,274 cases. There have been 17 outbreaks, defined as three or more related cases, reported in 2025, the CDC said. Experts have urged public health officials to provide urgent endorsement for highly effective vaccines. The measles vaccine is 97% effective after two doses, according to the CDC. (Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona) NEED TO KNOW Kyleigh Thurman filed a complaint against Ascension Seton Williamson Hospital after suffering an ectopic pregnancy. The medical emergency led to a ruptured fallopian tube that caused heavy bleeding A federal investigation has now found that the hospital broke the law by failing to give Thurman proper medical care A federal investigation has found that a Texas hospital broke the law by failing to give a woman proper medical attention following an emergency pregnancy complication. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In August 2024, Kyleigh Thurman filed a complaint against Ascension Seton Williamson Hospital over a February 2023 visit when she suffered an ectopic pregnancy. According to the Mayo Clinic, ectopic pregnancy "occurs when a fertilized egg implants and grows outside the main cavity of the uterus." This type of pregnancy cannot proceed normally because "the fertilized egg can't survive, and it can lead to life-threatening bleeding, if left untreated." Court documents claim the hospital discharged Thurman, 36, without treatment, after allegedly giving her a pamphlet about miscarriage. She later returned due to continuous vaginal bleeding, but was denied care again. It was not until her OB/GYN pleaded to hospital staff that she be given care that the hospital provided the necessary care, the filing states. This care was too late, and Ms. Thurmans ectopic pregnancy ruptured due to the hospitals delay in treating her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was during this third visit to Ascension Seton Williamson Hospital that Thurman was reportedly told her case was now severe and her life was at risk due to the heavy bleeding. The untreated ectopic pregnancy resulted in one of her fallopian tubes rupturing. [My OB/GYN] came in and shes like, youre either going to have to have a blood transfusion, or youre going to have to have surgery or youre going to bleed out, Thurman told the Associated Press, through tears. Thats when I just kind of was like, Oh my God, Im, Im dying. Getty A physician meeting with a pregnant patient A physician meeting with a pregnant patient Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Thurman underwent emergency surgery to remove one of her fallopian tubes, ultimately jeopardizing her fertility moving forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for Ascension Seton Williamson Hospital tells PEOPLE that they cannot comment on Thurman's case, but noted that it is committed to providing high-quality care to all who seek our services. Shortly after Thurmans complaint was filed, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) launched a federal investigation into her case. According to AP, investigators concluded in a report last month that Ascension Seton Williamson Hospital failed to give her a proper medical screening exam, including an evaluation with an OB-GYN. The hospital also reportedly violated the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which requires emergency rooms to provide stabilizing treatment to all patients in medical emergencies. Getty A pregnant woman in a hospital bed A pregnant woman in a hospital bed The PEOPLE App is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! The report stated, per the outlet, that Thurman was at risk for deterioration of her health and wellbeing as a result of an untreated medical condition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We see patients with miscarriages being denied care, bleeding out in parking lots. We see patients with nonviable pregnancies being told to continue those to term, Molly Duane, an attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights that represented Thurman, told the outlet. This is not, maybe, what some people thought abortion bans would look like, but this is the reality. Abortion is currently banned in Texas after six weeks, which is before most people know they're pregnant. The law does not allow exceptions for women who were impregnated as a result of rape or incest. Under the legislation, private citizens can also sue doctors or abortion clinic workers who perform or help to set up the procedure. The near-total ban has led to numerous claims of delayed pregnancy-related care even for care that is legal under state law due to fear of the extreme penalties for physicians who violate the abortion ban. In 2022, the Biden administration released guidance specifying that hospitals must provide an abortion if needed to treat a patient with an emergency condition. States including Texas challenged that guidance, saying it equated an abortion mandate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On June 3, the CMS announced that it would revoke the Biden-era guidance, explaining in a statement that it would work to rectify any perceived legal confusion and instability caused by the former administrations actions. CMS will continue to enforce EMTALA, which protects all individuals who present to a hospital emergency department seeking examination or treatment, including for identified emergency medical conditions that place the health of a pregnant woman or her unborn child in serious jeopardy, the agency said. However, Thurman told AP that she had hoped the investigation would lead to a more clear message that ectopic pregnancies must be treated by hospitals despite state abortion bans. I didnt want anyone else to have to go through this, Thurman said. I put a lot of the responsibility on the state of Texas and policy makers and the legislators that set this chain of events off. Read the original article on People AUSTIN (KXAN)The 89th Texas Legislative Session concluded with 31 new state representatives completing their first 140 days in office, representing more than 20% of the House chamber. Among these freshman lawmakers were Republican Don McLaughlin of District 80 in south Texas and Democrat Lauren Ashley Simmons of District 146 in the Houston area. Each brought distinct backgrounds and legislative priorities to Austin. The freshman class emerged from elections that shifted the House composition to 88 Republicans and 62 Democrats, with Republicans gaining two additional seats. McLaughlin, who previously served as mayor of Uvalde during the tragic 2022 school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers, focused his legislative efforts on improving law enforcement response protocols. His signature legislation, the Uvalde Strong Act, passed both chambers and awaits Gov. Greg Abbotts signature. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What I see in this bill, more than anything, is if an agency shows up, all these agencies have been training together, supposed to be meeting together now, so if the first agency on the scene does nothing, the second agency immediately knows what to do, then we wont have that chaos and that indecision that we saw that day at Uvalde, McLaughlin said in an interview with KXANs Will DuPree shortly after the session ended. The legislation would mandate annual training exercises between school districts and law enforcement agencies, require crisis response policies and establish reporting requirements for active shooter incidents. McLaughlin acknowledged the painful necessity behind his legislation. Its very meaningful. Im ecstatic over but same token, Im sad that we had to pass a law like this, he said. On the Democratic side, Simmons was recognized by her colleagues as Freshman of the Year within the House Democratic Caucus. Despite serving in the minority party, she successfully advanced multiple pieces of legislation, with at least 11 bills bearing her name awaiting the governors signature and five additional measures she co-authored or co-sponsored set to become law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her most personal legislative achievement was House Bill 107, which would establish a Sickle Cell Disease Registry in Texas. The measure represents a personal fight for the Houston Democrat. My daughter has sickle cell disease. That was a bill I watched very closely. I was in tears when it did not become law, but I just couldnt. I had no idea that I would be in the legislature, and I would be that person that was able to bring that bill back, Simmons said in an interview with KXANs Will Dupree. The legislation represents a second attempt after a similar measure was vetoed by Abbott in 2023. Simmons worked to address the governors previous concerns while maintaining the bills core purpose. We made sure that we address the concerns that came from the governors office, and so we are very confident with those you know, updates to that bill, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both lawmakers expressed exhaustion but satisfaction with their first legislative experience. McLaughlin highlighted additional accomplishments including judicial pay raises, bail reform measures and infrastructure improvements for economically distressed border communities in his district. You know, I think it was good. I think we had a really good session. You know, did we please everybody? Probably not, but I think we got a lot of good things done for the state of Texas in this session, McLaughlin said. Simmons emphasized the magnitude of conducting state business for Texas, the nations second-largest state by both population and economy, within the constraints of a biennial 140-day session. Being able to see how much work were able to do, all the things that were able to do for not just our individual districts that we represent, but for the millions of people in this state. Its such an honor. Its a heavy task. Its a heavy lift, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The freshman class faced the challenge of learning legislative procedures while advancing their policy priorities. Simmons noted the complexity of the process, saying she gained a lot of respect for the process when you see just how many ways a bill can die. As the session concluded, both representatives expressed commitment to continued advocacy for their constituents. McLaughlin indicated he would closely monitor the governors action on the Uvalde Strong Act, while Simmons vowed to maintain her opposition to the state takeover of Houston Independent School District, which was extended through 2027. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. AUSTIN (KXAN) With Texas headed into another summer of record-breaking heat forecasts, state lawmakers took steps to better coordinate billions of dollars in energy conservation programs amid warnings that power demand could outstrip supply as early as 2026. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) recently forecast that the states growing demand for power could surpass available energy supply beginning in summer 2026, with demand nearly doubling by 2030 due to population growth, extreme weather and large industrial users including cryptocurrency mines and data centers. In response, the Legislature passed House Bill 5323, creating the Texas Energy Waste Advisory Committee to coordinate state programs that reduce energy waste and improve electric grid reliability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This legislation just helps all of Texas, said State Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills. The legislation focuses on energy efficiency. It talks about reduction in electricity utilization across the state. After all, we are the largest employer in the state of Texas. The new committee will bring together eight state agencies including the Public Utility Commission, ERCOT and the State Comptrollers office, to coordinate the existing funding for demand reduction programs across different agencies. The Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance (TAEB) estimates in total the state spends more than $3 billion on these programs. We have millions of dollars across different state agencies, in state funding and in federal funding that are being directed towards demand reduction, said Matthew Boms, executive director of the TAEB. All these different programs are happening at different state agencies, but theres no one really steering the ship. Currently, those programs could reduce peak demand by up to 4.5 gigawatts if properly coordinated, according to Boms. While that represents a small fraction of Texas 86-gigawatt peak demand, Boms said that 4.5 gigawatts could be the difference between a grid emergency and normal conditions during extreme weather events. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The coordination gap became apparent during Winter Storm Uri in 2021, when inadequate weatherization and resistance heating in multi family homes contributed to grid failures. We still have a winter problem in Texas, Boms said. All the resistance heating that we have, especially in multi family homes, are consuming a ton of energy during these winter storm events. ERCOTs most dire forecast predicts energy supply could fall 6.2% short of peak summer demand in 2026, widening to a 32.4% shortage by summer 2029. The grid operator attributed much of the projected demand growth to cryptocurrency mining operations, data centers and artificial intelligence infrastructure. Hancock acknowledged the challenge of balancing economic growth with grid reliability as Texas continues attracting energy-intensive businesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Energy needs are going to grow across the state with the growth of AI and all that comes with it, Hancock said. What were trying to do here is lead as an example, both on maximizing energy efficiency, [and] reduction in electricity utilization. The advisory committee will meet quarterly and submit biennial reports to the Legislature starting December 2026. Members can designate employees to serve in their place, with administrative support provided by the Public Utility Commission. Current state conservation programs save about four megawatts of power, which Hancock called important during tight grid conditions when everybody pitches in and does their part. The bill takes effect Sept. 1, 2025, as Texas prepares for another summer of potentially record-breaking energy demand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If we want to prevent a future catastrophe from happening, this is exactly the kind of work that needs to happen, Boms said. We need our state agencies to be coordinating their efforts and not be working in silos. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. AUSTIN (KXAN) Texas continues to grow, which means housing affordability continues to be a problem for the state. With the end of Texas 89th Legislative Session, what did lawmakers do to address it? Texas REALTORS Public Policy Director Julia Parenteau said that many important conversations happened around affordability this session. The state is largely reorienting itself after a home buying boom in 2020, she said. What happened during Texas 89th Legislative Session? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Texas housing market is still reeling a bit from the mid-COVID-19 pandemic boom that we had, Parenteau said. When everyone started buying houses mid-pandemic and even more people started moving here, it became a pretty critical issue. How are things in Central Texas? Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said in April that other cities have looked to Austin for its housing policy. Since 2020, the city of Austin has experienced consistently ample construction, and city leaders made major changes to its development code. Austin Mayor says city had a good legislative session Affordability is still a little bit tough around the state here in Austin, in Travis County, Williamson County, Hays County, its even a little bit tighter, Parenteau said. Our prices are still high. Theyre getting better. Weve had a lot of building happening, but its still challenging for people to access housing that is affordable to them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zillow senior economist Orphe Divounguy said in a Dec. 11, 2024, interview that the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area (Austin MSA) was a buyers market and a cooling one. Austin was unsustainably hot during the pandemic, he said in that interview. Today, potential home buyers in Austin have more options than anywhere else in the country, and are in a better place. I think it is one of the healthiest housing markets in the country. Austin Board of Realtors economist predicts 2025s housing market to follow 2024s trends The most recent numbers, as of April 2025, for the Austin-Round Rock MSA show: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Home listings are on the market for 76 days on average Median sale price is $450,000 (down 3.2% year-over-year) 5.6 months of inventory (trending up since 2022) What I hear from our realtor members, is that they do see a lot of listings that are maybe priced like they could have been two years ago, and that in those cases there, there might be a reason why the seller might want to think about dropping their price down, Parenteau said. So what bills got passed? As for the legislative session, Parenteau said lawmakers entered it with housing affordability in mind. Also, as of the start of the session, more than 1,300 people were moving to Texas daily, she added. The legislature really kicked around a whole bunch of ideas really designed, for the most part, at getting more housing supply on the ground across Texas, she said. We dont see any slowing down in the demand for Texas housing. People are still moving here. Our households are still growing in Texas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Property tax and homestead exemption-related bills passed this session, of course, but some lawmakers put forward bills directed towards easing restrictions on builders. One bill that passed was Senate Bill 15, which reduces the minimum lot size required for a single-family dwelling. Bill author Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, said it will help Texas build more starter homes. The housing affordability crisis in Texas is real and were facing it head-on, removing large lot size requirements has proven to increase home construction and lower prices, said Bettencourt in a press release. With the average age of a first-time homebuyer now at 54 and rising, we must act now to bring homeownership back within reach for Texas families. Other housing and construction bills that passed this session include: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement billreport-3Download House Bill 3792, filed by Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, would have started the process of turning surplus state property into affordable housing. It failed to advance beyond a committee hearing. Reviewing the session, Parenteau said lawmakers understand that property tax relief isnt a silver bullet. The efforts that the legislature and that the city of Austin, in particular, have been making to really boost our housing development are helping, she said. Theres still a lot more work to be done, and were excited to see these measures that the Legislature passed, and see how they roll out and help get some more of that supply on the market. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. Texas lawmakers this year heavily focused their drug policy agenda on banning tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, products in the state. Senate Bill 3, which prohibits the possession of consumable hemp products that contain any synthetic cannabinoid, often known as delta-8, was a priority for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who often denounced the effects of the drug on children. As a concession of sorts to veterans and THC users with chronic conditions, House Bill 46 also passed, expanding the states medical marijuana program by providing more products to users and adding more qualifying conditions. Both bills found themselves tied together as lawmakers reasoned that removing hemp options from the general public could be offset by expanding the medical marijuana industry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the focus was primarily on THC this session, Texas quietly passed Senate Bill 2308, which would create a state-funded consortium to research a psychedelic drug called ibogaine. The clinical trials would test whether ibogaine is a viable treatment for substance use disorders and other mental health conditions. However, multiple bills that could have prevented overdose deaths failed to gain traction this year. House Bill 1644, for example, would have removed testing strips for fentanyl and xylazine, a veterinary sedative also known as tranq, from the list of banned drug paraphernalia. The hemp debate In 2019, Texas lawmakers embraced the potential to boost the states agricultural market by legalizing hemp products derived from cannabis plants with less than 0.3% of THC. Six years later, SB 3 intends to shut down the $8 billion hemp industry and cut its estimated 50,000 jobs when the ban takes effect in September. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Critics say the hemp industry has exploited a loophole in the 2019 law to the tune of more than 8,000 retailers now selling THC-laced edibles, drinks, vapes, and flower buds. The proposed law would ban consumable hemp products that contain any synthetic cannabinoid, often known as delta-8. Non-intoxicating and non-psychoactive CBD or CBG would remain legal. People found in possession of a product with those intoxicating cannabis compounds could face a fine of up to $500. Higher fines and jail time would be possible for repeat offenders. Hemp industry leaders and advocates have denied any harmful intentions and are in favor of regulations on the industry rather than a ban. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aging Texans, veterans, and parents of children with mental illness or special needs have spoken out about the benefits of hemp, including the ease of access, the variety of products available to them, and the lower price. In contrast, concerned parents demanded a ban because they fear children would be harmed from recreational use. The Texas Hemp Business Council reported that it delivered 5,000 letters to Abbotts office earlier this week, along with a petition signed by over 120,000 people, urging the governor to veto the bill. Abbott has until June 22 to decide on a veto. Expanding medical marijuana In Texas, licensed medical cannabis providers must house all operations including cannabis cultivation, processing, extracting, manufacturing, testing, and dispensing under one roof. State regulations also prohibit inventory storage of medical cannabis products in multiple locations, so products must be distributed from the central dispensary. Any prescriptions scheduled for pickup outside the central dispensary must be driven daily to and from the pickup location sometimes hundreds of miles round-trip. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This has made their products more expensive and limited where the medical marijuana program can reach, hampering the small medical cannabis market in Texas. HB 46 aims to help by expanding the program to include more popular products such as prescribed inhalers and vaping devices, allow off-site storage and add nine dispensers, bringing the total to 12. It also adds traumatic brain injuries, chronic pain, Crohns disease, and terminal illnesses to the list of qualifying conditions. The first three dispensers will be selected from the previously submitted 2015 list of dispensers and then made available to the public. The expansion of the medical marijuana program will go into effect in September if Abbott signs it into law. Psychedelics research Among drug-related bills that received less attention was SB 2308, which will make Texas a hub for ibogaine-related research, development, treatment, manufacturing, and distribution. This will be accomplished by creating a consortium that includes higher education institutions, drug developers, nonprofits, and other stakeholders to secure U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for a treatment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ibogaine is a psychedelic found in the roots of the iboga plant, primarily found in Africa, and has been used for centuries during shamanistic rituals due to its ability to induce hallucinations in large doses. The drug has been illegal in many countries, but scientists recently announced a study finding that, in low doses, ibogaine might have beneficial uses to treat addiction, PTSD, and brain injuries. The bill could essentially give Texas a stake in any future revenue that may come from the state developing a medical use for ibogaine. The program will be funded through a $50 million appropriation from the states general fund. Less emphasis on drug overdose policies Fentanyl, a potent drug commonly mixed with other substances and has caused the deaths of more than 7,000 Texans in the last six years, is odorless and tasteless, making detection nearly impossible without specialized equipment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fentanyl test strips are among the cheapest and easiest ways to prevent overdoses, but for a third time, legislation to legalize them failed in the Senate. HB 1644, which would have legalized opioid drug testing strips, never got a hearing in the Senate despite passing unanimously in the House. The main argument against drug testing strips has been that it encourages continued drug use, but advocates deny this claim, saying that once someone is thinking about their safety, it is by the time they are getting close to quitting. Senate Bill 1732, which would have allowed nurses and physician assistants to prescribe medication-assisted treatment, like methadone and buprenorphine, for opioid use disorders, also never received a committee hearing. A smaller step lawmakers made to address overdoses comes in House Bill 4783, which requires the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to prepare a report every two years for lawmakers to evaluate the distribution of opioid overdose reversal drugs, like Narcan. The report will be required to create a statewide goal for opioid reversal drugs and include an estimate of insufficiencies in the current supply and a plan to address overdoses in high-risk areas. Twenty-four years ago, Texas became the first state to grant in-state tuition to certain undocumented students. It was an uncontroversial law, passed by the Legislature in 2001 without much debate and just a handful of nay votes from lawmakers. Democrats, who at the time held a narrow House majority, wanted to boost the number of students in Texas accessing college and Republicans, looking for ways to attract Hispanic voters, reasoned that a more educated workforce would strengthen the states economy. Back then, some prominent Republicans who are still in office voted for the proposal, including now-Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, state Sens. Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham and Phil King of Weatherford, and Midland Rep. Tom Craddick. Then-Gov. Rick Perry quickly signed the bill into law. Since then, more than 20 states have passed similar measures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But on Wednesday, Texas abruptly ended the longstanding policy after the federal government filed a lawsuit arguing the state law was unconstitutional. The Department of Justice argued that undocumented students shouldn't enjoy in-state tuition rates, if U.S. citizens that reside out-of-state must pay higher amounts. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton quickly urged a federal judge to side with the Trump administration, eliminating Texas legacy immigration policy without a smidge of a fight. Ending this un-American provision is a major victory for Texas, Paxton posted on social media, taking credit for striking down the law. Paxton has long been against the practice, arguing since he was a state representative more than a decade ago that Texas should focus its resources on residents who are here legally. Democrats blasted Texas quick concession as a choreographed surrender, while Texas Republican leaders widely celebrated the decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was never a good idea, nor is it fair to American citizens on many levels, Lt. Gov Dan Patrick posted on social media Thursday. Bill Hammond, a longtime supporter of the policy who was CEO of the Texas Association of Business at the time it initially passed, said the legislatures of the past have supported the measure because there is a tremendous advantage to a better educated workforce. He added that it was frustrating that GOP leaders, who have long clamored in support of states rights, didnt even try to defend their own state's law. It's extremely disappointing the state laid down on this and accepted an edict from on high when our history has been fighting for local control over these many years, said Hammond, who served in the state House from 1983 to 1991. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The celebratory response from Texas Republicans about ending the benefits for undocumented students is a reflection of the partys changing attitudes about immigration policy in the state and nationally. The rise of the Tea Party movement 15 years ago, which paved the way for the more populist and nationalist party of President Donald Trump, ushered in a new era of conservatives who have pushed hardline immigration policies, demanding more border security, fewer pathways to citizenship and stricter penalties for illegal immigration. In an interview with The Texas Tribune, King said when the bill came up for a vote on the House floor in 2001 it was not explained clearly and he did not realize what he was voting for. King said he has empathy for people who were brought to the United States as children, but he believes certain benefits should be reserved for citizens only. In-state tuition is one of those, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement King said he thinks the increased numbers of migrants coming over the border to Texas over the past two decades and the rising costs to operate the states public higher education system contributed to the partys shifting perspective. Kolkhorst and Craddick did not respond to requests for comment. In an interview, Miller adamantly denied the bill did what it says it did. Perrys defense The first time he ran for the White House, Perry found himself on the defense for signing the Texas law a decade prior. At a Republican presidential primary debate in 2011, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum was asked how the GOP could attract Latino voters. He turned the question around on Perry, accusing him of signing the law granting in-state tuition to certain undocumented students to attract the illegal vote, I mean, the Latino voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through the primary, Perry continued to take heat, but he defended the law passionately. If you say that we should not educate children who have come into our state for no other reason than theyve been brought there by no fault of their own, I dont think you have a heart, Perry said during another debate. We need to be educating these children because they will become a drag on our society. His critics were capitalizing on a growing sentiment among members of the Republican base who felt immigration was negatively changing American culture. Perrys support of in-state tuition for undocumented students became a weakness to pounce on. The Tea Party was looking for cracks in the old guard Republican movement they could exploit politically and this was one of them, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political scientist at the University of Houston who wrote Perrys biography. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perry declined to be interviewed for this story. He ultimately apologized in a news interview for calling people heartless. Back in Texas, Patrick, then a state senator, used the issue during his campaign for lieutenant governor in 2013 to highlight his opposition for in-state tuition for undocumented students, pointing to a floor amendment he filed in 2011 that would have ended the policy if it had passed. But while Patrick and others called for a repeal of the provision, then-Attorney General Greg Abbott was more muted on the issue as he campaigned for governor in a state where Tea Party sentiment was growing alongside the Hispanic population. On the campaign trail, he avoided questions from reporters until he clarified that the state should reform, the law but stopped short of calling for its repeal. "Greg Abbott believes that the objective of the program is noble," a spokesman said in 2013 to the Tribune. "But, he believes the law as structured is flawed and it must be reformed." Bills filed this session Rottinghaus says the reasons that Republicans embraced this policy at the start dont appear to be top-of-mind for todays GOP leaders. State Republicans feel theyve found other ways to keep the economy stable and theyve shown success winning over Hispanic voters, which was made especially apparent after Trump in 2024 captured 55% of those voters in Texas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the Republican Party base shifted further to the right, lawmakers continued to file bills to repeal the policy every session, but they rarely gained any serious traction. To Republicans supporters like Hammond, that was evidence that the Legislature still felt it was good policy. For the last 20 years the Legislature made a decision and that decision was to maintain this program, Hammond said. A bill not passing is a validation of the status quo. That's a decision. This year, for the first time in more than a decade, a bill to end the policy made it out of a legislative committee. The Senate K-16 education committee voted 9-2 to send the bill to the Senate floor, but it never came up for a vote by the full chamber. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement Friday, Patrick confirmed the legislation wasnt going to pass. He said the bill author, Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, tried his best, but didnt have support to bring it to the Senate floor. Ultimately, it didnt matter. Two days after the Legislature adjourned, the Trump administration delivered. Im glad AG Paxton settled this lawsuit after session because it immediately bans in-state tuition for illegal immigrants, rather than having to wait for legislation to go into effect, he added. Disclosure: Texas Association of Business and University of Houston have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto ORourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase. From a drug-loaded pickup floating across the Rio Grande to a multimillion-dollar cocaine seizure in Laredo, smugglers appear to be getting bolder but not necessarily smarter. 1. Rio Grande Chaos: Agents Seize 250 Pounds of Marijuana After Smugglers Splash Down The public didnt learn about the dramatic drug interdiction until U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael W. Banks posted a video to social media on May 30. The footage, attached to a tweet, appears to show agents racing along the border wall before arriving at a scene of confusion on the banks of the Rio Grande. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Chief Banks, the incident occurred on May 27, when smugglers allegedly attempted to float a pickup truck loaded with what he described as suspicious bundles across the river on a homemade raft. The smugglers reportedly reached U.S. soil and began fleeing on foot, but when pursued by agents, the driver turned the vehicle around and plunged it back into the river. SPLASHDOWN IN TEXAS! On 5/27, smugglers tried to outsmart the U.S. Border Patrol with a bold movefloating a pickup truck loaded with suspicious bundles across the Rio Grande on a homemade raft. Once on U.S. soil, they made a break for it. But as agents closed in, the driver pic.twitter.com/TUtcFJchPX Chief Michael W. Banks (@USBPChief) May 30, 2025 The video shows at least nine individuals splashing into the water with large floating parcels as Border Patrol agents look on. One agent can be heard saying, They can do this anywhere. Banks claimed the bundles contained marijuana and weighed nearly 250 pounds. He praised the agents response, saying they acted quickly to recover six bundles. The video also includes aerial footage and shows the vehicle partially submerged with the seized parcels nearby. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal authorities have not released the identities of any suspects or confirmed whether arrests were made. The total number of individuals involved remains unclear. The drug type and weight have not been independently verified. 2. Cocaine Hidden in Empty Trailer at Laredo Bridge, Say Officials On June 4, U.S. Customs and Border Protections South Texas office announced what it described as a $4.8 million cocaine seizure at the Colombia-Solidarity Bridge near Laredo. According to a CBP press release, officers on June 3 referred an empty 2013 Fontaine trailer for secondary inspection. Using what the agency described as a nonintrusive inspection system and a canine unit, officers allegedly discovered 149 packages containing 363 pounds of cocaine concealed within the trailer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CBP estimated the street value of the narcotics to be $4,851,052. The release stated that Homeland Security Investigations is probing the case. Port Director Alberto Flores credited intelligence-driven targeting and said the incident shows the agencys ability to disrupt the drug trade using advanced technology. However, authorities did not disclose the drivers nationality, the trailers origin, or its intended destination. No arrests were mentioned in the press release, and no criminal charges have been announced. 3. Cocaine in Car Panels Near El Paso Could Have Caused 17,000 Overdoses A separate bust from the same day as the Rio Grande incident reportedly uncovered 45.2 pounds of cocaine at the Bridge of the Americas in El Paso, according to Customs and Border Protection officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A CBP press release stated that a 20-year-old U.S. citizen arrived at the border in a 2016 Hyundai Elantra around 8 a.m. on May 27. After a preliminary inspection, the vehicle was sent to secondary screening. A drug-sniffing dog allegedly alerted to the presence of narcotics. Using X-ray equipment, agents reported anomalies in the vehicles rocker panels a narrow cavity running beneath the doors. Inside, they claimed to find 19 bundles of cocaine, which they seized. The driver was arrested and turned over to the El Paso County Sheriffs Office, where she is reportedly facing charges for manufacturing/delivery of a controlled substance. The Dallas Express reported that the seized drugs could cause more than 17,000 fatal overdoses, although such calculations typically depend on assumptions about drug purity and dosage levels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CBP Public Affairs Specialist Roger Maier declined to release the womans name and directed further questions to the sheriffs office. Jail staff reportedly declined to comment. Federal authorities have not said whether this seizure is connected to any broader drug trafficking network or whether additional suspects are being pursued. To read about last weeks biggest border busts, click here: Texas Takedown Weekly: Borders Biggest Busts (May 30) (Texas Scorecard) After gaining access to a federal immigration and citizenship database, state officials have identified potential noncitizens who voted in Texas elections. Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson announced Thursday that her office has referred 33 potential noncitizens who voted in the November 2024 General Election to the state attorney generals office for investigation. Nelson said the referrals come within weeks of Texas gaining access to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services SAVE database. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gaining access to this database has been a game-changer, said Nelson. Not only have we been able to identify individuals who should not have voted in the last election, we have also been able to confirm naturalization of dozens more. SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) is an online service for government agencies to verify the immigration status and naturalized/acquired U.S. citizenship of applicants seeking benefits or licenses. Nelson said Texas was among the first states to log in after President Donald Trump issued an election integrity executive order in March that directed the Department of Homeland Security to provide free access to the SAVE database to all states. She added that Texas also recently joined a pilot program working with DHS, USCIS, and DOGE to improve the databases functionality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are in the early stages of this pilot program, but we already see promising results. This may be the most current and accurate data set there is when it comes to citizenship verification, said Nelson. She noted that the Secretary of State is required to report potential criminal violations to the Office of the Attorney General, which has the authority to investigate such cases under Texas election law. By Juarawee Kittisilpa, Panu Wongcha-um BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand's military said it is ready to launch a "high-level operation" to counter any violation of its sovereignty, in the strongest words yet in a simmering border dispute with Cambodia that re-erupted with a deadly clash last week. The army said in a statement late on Thursday that its intelligence gathering indicated Cambodia had increased military readiness at the border while diplomatic efforts were ongoing, describing that as "worrisome". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra held a meeting of the National Security Council on Friday and said that while the military was ready to defend Thai sovereignty, it understood the situation and when an escalation would be required. "The military has confirmed readiness for any scenario," she said. "But any clash will cause damage, so we will pursue peaceful means." "The government and military are working together, supporting each other," Paetongtarn added. The two governments had for days exchanged carefully worded statements committing to dialogue after a brief skirmish in an undemarcated border area on May 28 in which a Cambodian soldier was killed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ahead of Friday's meeting, the army had said it was "now ready for a high-level military operation in case it is necessary to retaliate". "Operations of units at the border have been conducted carefully, calmly and based on an understanding of the situation to prevent losses on all sides, but at the same time, are ready to defend the country's sovereignty to the fullest extent if the situation is called for." Cambodia's government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Thai military statement on Friday. HISTORIC RIVALRY Although the two neighbours have a historic rivalry, their governments enjoy friendly ties, partly due to the close relationship between their influential former leaders, Thailand's Thaksin Shinawatra and Cambodia's Hun Sen, whose daughter and son respectively are now the prime ministers in their countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The issue comes at a tricky time for the Pheu Thai Party-led administration in Thailand as it battles to revive a flagging economy that could be hit by steep U.S. tariffs, while facing a challenge to its popularity having paused a signature cash handout to tens of millions of people. The party of the billionaire Shinawatra family has a troubled history with the Thai military, which twice toppled its governments in 2006 and 2014 coups. After Friday's security meeting, Thai armed forces chief Songwit Noonpackdee said the military supported the government's approach to settling the dispute peacefully. Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said that in a meeting on Thursday with his Cambodian counterpart, Thia Saya, they discussed avoiding violence and proceeding with caution. He said he proposed that both sides retreat to positions previously agreed in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deadly clashes between Cambodia and Thailand last erupted in 2011 over the Preah Vihear, a 900-year-old temple at the heart of a decades-long row that has stirred nationalist sentiment on both sides. The International Court of Justice in 2013 ruled in favour of Cambodia in clarifying a 1962 decision to award it jurisdiction over the temple. Cambodia said this week it would refer disputes over four parts of the border to the ICJ and has asked Thailand to cooperate. Thailand says it does not recognise the court's jurisdiction. (Reporting Juarawee Kittisilpa, Panu Wongcha-um, Panarat Thepgumpanat and Chayut Setboonsarng; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by John Mair) ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) When Sister Grace Miller showed up at a public meeting, often, you could almost feel the eyes roll. Everyone knew why she was there and what she would say. And she would never, ever back down. Because I knew I was right, Grace, 89, said with a laugh as she lay in her bed inside a hospice home. Even in her final days she feels that way, which is why she wants to say what she has to say, one last time. Everybody deserves a home and homeless person deserves a home, Sister Grace said. For Sister Grace, decades ago, that belief became mission and in 1985, with $20,000 from the Sisters of Mercy, she opened what would become one of the most well-known homeless shelters in Rochester, New York. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She says it was a miracle, starting and running the House of Mercy. And there, something every day would show her that her path was true, like when she came upon a man in the dining room just looking for food. Just the way he said, Im hungry, just really grabbed at me, she remembered. So, I went into the kitchen and got a hot plate for him and gave it to him and he was eating right then and there then I turned to the oven to get a second plate and when I turned around to hand it to him, he had burst out crying. By telling those stories and by carrying her message, Sister Grace came to symbolize a part of our community many of us would rather not see or deal with. Hence some of that rolling of the eyes. But Sister Grace embraced the role because that miracle she talks about, that was for her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Proof of that appears at the end of her story about that hungry man who started crying. And then he started to dance, Sister Grace said. And I thought thank God we were here. Sister Grace stressed the importance of letting anyone into a homeless shelter with no restrictions. With that in mind, she wants you to know about another shelter in town: La Madonna Della Strada. If you want to send them help, she says, theyd be happy to accept it. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst. Tariffs are already affecting the toy industry, with deadlines for Christmas deliveries closing for toy companies scrambling to get in orders during the pause on higher tariffs. In an interview with ABC News June 1, James Zahn, editor-in-chief of The Toy Book, a magazine reporting on the toy industry, said the morning of the tariff pause, toy industry folks str trying to start up their manufacturing lines or racing for container space. "The biggest thing right now is getting the product into the U.S. in a timely manner, because we are already racing against the clock," Zahn said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The toy industry operates on strict dates and deadlines and all the uncertainty has created a logistical nightmare, said reporter Melanie Hastings in that ABC report. "In March, the tariffs went to 245%, and now is down to 30%, but industry leaders are saying that is still too high," Hastings reported. Claire Huber, spokesperson for the U.S. International Trade Commission said an analysis of 2024 data showed 78.3% of toy imports and 85% of Christmas-related imports, such as lights, trees and decorations, are manufactured in China. Little Buster Toys, in Pryor, manufacture their products overseas and have been impacted by the tariffs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lisa Rickman bought the company about eight years ago from the original manufacturer. That manufacturer, who started up the company 15 years before Rickman bought it, produced the products in the U.S. for about a year before sending it overseas due to cost and quality issues. "We manufacture overseas and we are impacted by the tariffs as well," Rickman said. "We were impacted by the first at 20% tariff, and we are now hit by 30% tariff, and we cancelled orders or had orders on hold when it was [over 100]%." Even though it is a small, family owned company, Little Buster Toys fall within that tariff zone. "Even if they are companies manufacturing in the U.S., very few will not be burdened by tariffs on parts and materials used for production and assembly lines," Rickman said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Tahlequah, there are few options for toys except Walmart and Walgreens. Neither company had responded by press time to queries on the shipping situation with toys for Christmas. A couple of local gift shops offer a small selection of toys. At The Mustard Seed, one section offers toys for small children. One line of stuff toys, Mary Meyer, has tags stating the line started being manufactured in the hills of Vermont in 1933. According to a spokesperson for the company, that hasn't been true for a long time. At the John Hair Cultural Center and Keetoowah Museum, Raelie Grayson talked about some options for products locally made to bridge the problem parents might face at Christmas. A game created by a Keetoowah artist, John Tanner, is one possibility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's a ring toss game and you use round rubbers rings like those used in canning, and each hook is labeled by the phonetic spelling of a Cherokee word," Grayson said. A corn doll husk kit is a fun activity, and there are small stuffed animals which corresponds to characters in a book of Keetoowah Cherokee stories. The book is "Keetoowah Animal Storybook," by Kyndal Aimerson and illustrated by Teala Wildcat-Johnson. The stuffed toys come from Stuffed Safari, a company in Springfield, Illinois. "We pull from different manufacturers: Aurora World Plushies and Toys, Wild Republic, Hansa Toys, Solknais Stage Puppets, Gund, Warmies, Wildlife Artists Stuffed Animals, Nat and Jules - Demdaco," said a spokesman for Stuffed Safari. "They all produce their toys overseas." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The spokesperson was unable to speak to the issues of tariffs and the effects on the supply and cost of their products. Handmade fabric dolls by Donna Budds are available at the museum gift shop, too, and small blowguns about 2 feet long made from river cane. "We have a blowgun model which can actually be used as a blowgun," Grayson said. "Back in the traditional days pre-Colonial times, this would be considered a boy's first toy and to teach them how to hunt with it," Grayson said. "As he grew older the blowgun would gradually get bigger." The Cherokee Nation Gift Shop has several options for cultural toys. Dianne Pruitt said Tommy Wildcat's flutes are good gifts for kids and adults learning how to play. This shop also sells blowguns, both small and much longer, made by Steve Daugherty and Lucas Wildcat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The shop features a large assortment of cultural books, all published by U.S. publishing companies like Oklahoma University Press and University of New Mexico Press. The OUP in Norman prints its books in the U.S. "We do not do our own printing; few, if any, book publishers do. We work with a variety of U.S. printers for most of our paperbacks and hardcovers," said Stephen Hull, director of UNMP. "For certain color-critical art books, we work with a broker to find a printer in Asia." He said the quality is on par with domestic, but costs less, and tends to outweigh the increased time in transit. "But for all but a few books a year, we print domestically," Hull said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One book at the CN gift shop is "Rabbit Plants the Forest," by Deborah L. Duvall and illustrated by the late Murv Jacob. "'Rabbit Plants the Forest' is an adventure story based on characters from Cherokee tradition, including Ji-Stu Rabbit, and his friends Otter, Sa-lo-li Squirrel, and the mysterious Wampus Cat," states the Amazon description of the book. Other items include coloring books with Native themes, and dolls made from pantyhose by Margaret Flanagan. A selection of blocks featuring the letters of the Cherokee syllabary, handmade by "Uncle Goose," are part of the options for parents in this gift shop. Two teenagers face second-degree felony charges after distributing THC-infused gummies at a Prosper graduation party last month. The gummies, which led to overdose-like symptoms and hospital visits for at least seven attendees, were purchased from a Plano smoke shop, according to arrest warrants obtained from the Prosper Police Department. Kyle Muchineuta, 17, of Prosper, and Cesar Omana, 18, of Frisco, are charged with the manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance. Records from the schools graduation programs indicate Muchineuta attended Walnut Grove High School, while Omana attended Rock Hill High School. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incident occurred at the Prosper Graduation Celebration, held from 11 p.m. on Friday, May 16, to 3 a.m. on Saturday, May 17, at 3Rs Ranch in Prosper. The event, organized by a nonprofit and not affiliated with Prosper ISD, is traditionally alcoholand drug-free. It offers games, dancing, music, and food for seniors from Prospers three high schools. According to the warrants, Muchineuta and Omana purchased the THC-infused gummies from A&A Smoke Shop at 3620 State Highway 121 in Plano, CBS News Texas reported. Victims paid Omana via a cash app for the edibles, which the teens then distributed at the party. Nine attendees ingested the gummies, with eight requiring hospital transport after exhibiting overdose-like symptoms. At least seven students were hospitalized. Prosper police responded to the ranch around 2:15 a.m. on May 17. The town said in a written statement, Paramedics from Prosper, Celina, and Frisco treated multiple individuals experiencing medical distress and transported eight patients to local hospitals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Allan Haji, founder and owner of A&A Smoke Shop, defended his businesss practices, stating, We do not sell to minors. Period. This isnt just a guidelineits a non-negotiable rule that we enforce with the utmost seriousness. Every team member is trained and held accountable to verify IDs without exception. If there was any breach of this policy, I will personally take full responsibility to investigate and correct it immediately, Haji added, per CBS News. He noted that no police officers have contacted him or requested purchase records. The legal age to purchase Delta-8-THC products in Texas without a medical prescription is 21. However, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 3 last month, which would ban the sale of all THC products. Farmers, veterans, and small business owners have urged Gov. Greg Abbott to veto the bill, but if he chooses to sign the measure or allows it to pass into law without a signature, it will become effective September 1, 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosper ISD informed parents about the incident, clarifying that the event was not district-affiliated and occurred off district property. While we cannot provide specific details, several young adults experienced medical emergencies and required transport from the event, the district said. The Town of Prosper responded quickly, and Graduation Celebration ended early. All affected young adults are receiving appropriate medical care. On Thursday, Prosper ISD declined further comment and deferred decisions about next years event to the graduation celebration committee. Defense attorneys in Karen Read s second murder trial brought in a snowplow driver on Wednesday as they continue making their argument she was framed for killing her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John OKeefe. Read, 45, is accused of fatally striking OKeefe with her SUV and leaving him to die in the snow outside another officers home when she dropped him off at a party in January 2022 after the two had been drinking. Shes charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene outside Boston. Her lawyers say OKeefe, 46, was beaten inside the home, bitten by a family dog and then left outside as part of a conspiracy by the police that included planting evidence against Read. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A mistrial was declared last year and so far, Reads second trial has followed similar contours to the first. Snowplow driver says he doesnt remember seeing a body Snowplow driver Brian Loughran, who was on his regular route during a storm early on Jan. 29, 2022, told the defense that he saw nothing when he passed by the house several hours after OKeefe was allegedly struck by Reads vehicle around 12:30 a.m. OKeefe was found unresponsive outside Brian Alberts home in Canton, Massachusetts, and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. An autopsy found OKeefe died of hypothermia and blunt force trauma. Loughran said he passed by the house several times starting around 2:45 a.m. and could see several feet in front of him inside his trucks due to its strong lights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the second pass, Loughran said he did see a car parked in the road in front of the house. He said he knew Albert and his family, and decided not to report the car for violating snowstorm parking restrictions as a courtesy for being a first responder. Under cross examination, prosecutors attempted to undermine Loughrans memory, saying that the times he provided Wednesday contradict his initial testimony during the first trial. For example, prosecutor Hank Brennan pointed out that Loughran originally said he remembered the street where OKeefe was found blocked off by first responders around 5:30 a.m. but on Wednesday, Loughran said it was closer to 6:15 a.m. When Brennan asked if Loughran had a foggy memory, Loughran said he did not only that he had made a mistake. Brennan also asked if Loughran had been threatened by a confrontational blogger known as Turtleboy to help the defenses case. Aidan Timothy Kearney, who was in the courtroom on Wednesday, has advocated heavily in support of Reads innocence. He has been charged with harassing, threatening and intimidating witnesses in the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Loughran said Kearney never threatened him, but the blogger did call him and did not disclose he was recording the conversation. The call was later posted online. A dog bite expert is quizzed The jury has repeatedly been shown photos of the gashes and scrapes on OKeefes arms, and saw them again on Tuesday. Prosecutors challenged an assessment by Dr. Marie Russell, a retired emergency medicine physician, who said the wounds on OKeefes arms were the result of a dog attack. Russell testified Monday she has treated hundreds of dog attacks and bites over nearly 30 years and became interested in the Read case after seeing a news report about questions over whether OKeefe was attacked by a dog before he died. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These multiple groupings are patterns and they are, in my opinion, by the teeth and claws of a dog, Russell said, pointing to a photo of OKeefes arm. She described the wounds as linear and going in a similar direction. Upon leaving court at the end of the day, Read briefly addressed reporters and said she thought Russell was fantastic on the stand. Prosecutors ask what makes someone a dog bite expert The prosecution had earlier sought to block Russell from testifying, questioning her credibility. Although the judge allowed her to take the stand, the prosecution renewed their scrutiny and noted Russell never testified before as a dog bite expert and hasnt taken a dog bite forensics course however she said she was unsure any such certification or training existed. Prosecutor Hank Brennan asked Russell on Tuesday if there was any universally accepted standard for identifying dog bites. Russell said there was not. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brennan also pressed Russell about changing her testimony from saying the wounds were caused by teeth or nails to specifically naming canines. When you testified, December 2024, you didnt say nails could have caused these wounds, you didnt say generally teeth, you said canines, Brennan said. I believe that is true, Russell responded, saying she became more certain the wounds were from canine teeth. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42. Editors note: The video above first aired May 12, and shows the message the local congregation had for the suspects accused of setting fire to Odessa church. ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- The Ector County Sheriffs Office is asking for the publics help locating a man wanted in connection to a devastating fire that destroyed Second Chance Fellowship Church back in May. Authorities have identified 36-year-old Morgan Pelton as a third suspect in the arson investigation and said he now faces multiple felony charges. Credit: ECSO This is an upscaled image of the mugshot for better quality and recognition. Pelton, described as 511 and 235 pounds, is wanted for arson of a place of worship, burglary of a building, felony theft, and engaging in organized criminal activity. According to ECSO, Pelton is believed to have been involved in the May 9 crime alongside two other suspects who have already been arrested. What we know: Around 3:40 a.m. that morning, deputies responded to a fire at the Second Chance Fellowship Church, located at 812 W. Hillmont Road. When Odessa Fire crews extinguished the flames, investigators discovered that not only had the church been intentionally set on fire, it had also been burglarized. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The investigation revealed that Pelton, along with Jeran Loschiavo and John McClellan, allegedly broke into the recently renovated church and stole more than $15,000 worth of sound equipment. The trio then reportedly set fire to a closet containing the churchs security system hard drive in an apparent attempt to destroy surveillance evidence. According to investigators, the suspects used gasoline and matches to start the blaze. McClellan, the first suspect arrested, was taken into custody in mid-May after being linked to the crime through security footage and an unrelated arrest. Authorities say he initially denied involvement but later confessed to the burglary and sale of stolen equipment. He remains in custody at the Ector County Law Enforcement Center on multiple felony charges and holds a lengthy criminal record that includes theft, gun possession, and suspected gang affiliation. Loschiavo, arrested on May 22, was also charged with arson, burglary, organized criminal activity, and theft. Like McClellan, jail records show he has a history of arrests dating back over a decade, with previous charges including aggravated robbery, forgery, and drug possession. McClellan Jeran-Loschiavo Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, Morgan Pelton is the final suspect still at large. The destruction of the church has left a lasting impact on the Second Chance Fellowship community. Congregants described heavy damage to the building and called the crime both shocking and disheartening. Yet, they remain hopeful. Im surprised that something like this would happen, but all things attain to Gods glory, so well come back from this stronger. To whoever was involved in this were instructed to forgive, one church member told ABC Big 2 News, in the days after the fire. The Ector County Sheriffs Office is urging anyone with information about Peltons whereabouts to come forward. Tips can be made by calling (432) 335-3050 and asking for Investigator Aaron Villalobos. Authorities emphasize that all information will be kept confidential. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the case moves forward, Sheriff Mike Griffis said the department remains committed to finding justice for the congregation and holding all responsible parties accountable. For more details on the suspects already in custody and information regarding the investigations, read the full articles below. Previous Coverage: Suspect in devastating church fire has lengthy arrest record Previous Coverage: Second church fire suspect arrested, faces multiple charges Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Yourbasin. DOTHAN, Ala (WDHN) Three suspects from Georgia have been arrested in connection with a fraud investigation that spanned two states and multiple counties. On Wednesday, Abbeville Police were called to a bank in the city on reports that a fraudulent check was passed and bank employees had noticed irregularities. Abbeville Police say officers responded and were able to identify the suspects, and after a short investigation, it was discovered that the suspects were connected to multiple fraud attempts at banks in Henry and Houston counties. It is believed the suspects targeted several banks over a short time, according to APD. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One suspect, 41-year-old Mare Laguerre, from Atlanta, was arrested in Abbeville and charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument in the third degree. According to Abbeville Police, two other suspects, 38-year-old Tanicha Barlow, of Lithia Springs, Georgia, and 45-year-old Courtney Ayers, of Atlanta, were identified and arrested in Georgia on charges related to passing fraudulent checks. Barlow and Ayers are awaiting extradition on charges of forgery. The Abbeville Police Department wants to thank the Houston County Sheriffs Office, the Georgia State Patrol, the Columbus Police Department (Georgia), the Russell County Sheriffs Office (Alabama), the Coweta County Sheriffs Office (Georgia), and the Headland Police Dispatch Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDHN - wdhn.com. Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko has reported that three members of the State Emergency Service have been killed in Kyiv while dealing with the aftermath of Russian strikes on the night of 5-6 June. Source: Klymenko on Telegram; State Emergency Service Quote: "Three members of the State Emergency Service have been killed in Kyiv while dealing with the aftermath of enemy strikes. They were working under fire to help people. Nine more emergency workers were wounded. Some are in a serious condition, and doctors are trying to save their lives." Rescue worker after a Russian strike Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine Details: Klymenko noted that five firefighters were also injured while extinguishing a fire in Ternopil Oblast. All are receiving medical assistance. Rescue workers dealing with the aftermath of Russian strikes Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine The State Emergency Service reported that firefighters Pavlo Yezhor, Danylo Skadin, and Andrii Remennyi had been killed. The firefighters killed while dealing with the aftermath of Russian strikes Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine Quote from the State Emergency Service: "The Russians took the lives of people who were the first to rush to deal with the consequences of the terrible strike. People who went on duty were ready for action, as usual. Before leaving for work, they kissed and hugged their wives and children... And they never came home... Each of them had a job they loved, dreams, and plans for the future. But the enemy decided otherwise." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Background: On the night of 5-6 June, the Ukrainian capital was subjected to another combined attack by Russia. Civilian infrastructure, residential buildings, cars and metro tracks were damaged as a result of falling debris and strikes. Four people were killed and 20 were injured. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! LONDON (Reuters) -Three Iranian men appeared in court in London on Friday accused of assisting Iran's foreign intelligence service and plotting violence against journalists working for a British-based broadcaster critical of Tehran. The three men - Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, - have been charged with offences under Britain's National Security Act, brought in to give the authorities new powers to target threats from foreign states. They are accused of "engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service" between August 2024 and February this year, and police have said that it related to Iran. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sepahvand is also charged with carrying out surveillance in preparation to commit serious violence against a person, while Manesh and Noori were charged with surveillance with the intention that serious violent acts would be committed by others. The men appeared by videolink on Friday for a brief hearing at London's Old Bailey court during which their lawyers said all intended to plead not guilty to the charges. Prosecutors told a hearing last month that the allegations involved the targeting of journalists based in Britain connected with Iran International, a broadcaster critical of the Iranian government. They were remanded in custody until a formal plea hearing on September 26 and they are due to go on trial in October next year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suspects were arrested last month on the same day counter-terrorism police detained five other men, including four Iranians, as part of a separate operation. Those men were later released without charge. (Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Sharon Singleton) LONDON (Reuters) -Three men all linked to Ukraine will go on trial next April accused of involvement in a series of arson attacks on houses and a vehicle in London connected to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a London court heard on Friday. Over five days last month, police were called to fires at a house in north London owned by Starmer, another at a property nearby where he used to live, and to a blaze involving a car that also used to belong to the British leader. Ukrainian Roman Lavrynovych, 21, is charged with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life. Fellow Ukrainian Petro Pochynok, 34, and Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 26, who was born in Ukraine, are accused of conspiracy to commit arson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lavrynovych and Carpiuc appeared by video-link at London's Old Bailey court on Friday where Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb set the trial for April 27 next year. Pochynok was not present for the hearing. In earlier hearings, prosecutors said the motive for the arsons was unclear. The men will enter formal pleas at a hearing in October, but the lawyers for Carpiuc and Pochynok said their clients denied involvement. Counter-terrorism police have led the investigation but none of the men have been charged with offences under terrorism laws or the new National Security Act, which was brought in to target hostile state activity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said the first fire involved a Toyota RAV4 car that Starmer used to own and sold to a neighbour. Days later, there was a blaze at a property where Starmer previously resided and the following day there was an attack on a house in north London that he still owns. Starmer, who has lived at his official 10 Downing Street residence in central London since becoming prime minister last July, has called the incidents "an attack on all of us, on our democracy and the values we stand for". Earlier this week a fourth man, aged 48, who had been arrested at London Stansted Airport in connection with the arson, was released on police bail. (Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Sachin Ravikumar) DAVENPORT, Iowa The message at the Quad Cities National Weather Service, which keeps an eye on the flood-prone Mississippi River and the heart of Tornado Alley, is that everything is fine. Yes, two of the offices three top positions are vacant. No, the office doesnt have a hydrologist, despite its proximity to the mighty Mississippi, which flooded Davenport for 96 days in 2019. And, sure, the staff is down by about 42% from its typical 24 to 14, according to former employees familiar with the office. Those left are putting on a brave face. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We feel good to meet the mission, said Matt Friedlein, who is normally the offices science and operations officer but has been filling in as the acting meteorologist-in-charge. The mission here is crucial. This is tornado country, where the warnings that come from this office can be matters of life and death. On Tuesday, eight tornadoes roared through the region, downing trees, derailing rail cars and snapping utility poles. Like National Weather Service offices across the country, the Quad Cities office is dealing with deep cuts after the Trump administration laid off probationary workers. And while the Trump administration has claimed everything is OK while also saying it will be refilling more than 100 NWS roles across the country even some Republican members of Congress are sounding the alarm. Were fixing it, said Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., who introduced bipartisan legislation Friday that would classify NWS employees as critical public safety workers and protect them from future cost-saving federal cuts. Were going to make them public safety. Were going to fund them. A balloon launch at the NWS Forecast Quad Cities office in Davenport. (Danny Wilcox Frazier for NBC News) Last week, before the administration acknowledged it planned to hire new staffers, NBC News joined a congressional tour at the invitation of Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., Congress only meteorologist and a critic of the administration to see the effects of the Trump administrations cuts at the Quad Cities forecasting office for Iowa and Illinois. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We found a dedicated but short-staffed office scraping by as best it could and politely avoiding a few of the most pointed questions. Were there plans to hire a new hydrologist? What would ideal staffing levels be? Ill have to refer you to public affairs, Friedlein said. Ray Wolf, who retired from the Davenport office in 2023 but has kept in touch with his former colleagues, said that they were hanging in there but that the nationwide cuts had left the system vulnerable to a failure. How long can they keep on before something invariably breaks down? he said. If you keep stressing a system beyond its limits? Eventually, theres going to be an issue somewhere thats going to show up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The National Weather Service is down about 560 employees since the Trump administration laid off workers and offered buyouts and early retirements to others, according to Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash, who held a news conference Wednesday opposing the cuts. At least eight offices have stopped operating 24 hours a day. At least 10 of 122 NWS forecasting offices this year have halted or suspended the release of weather balloons that provide data to predict the weather; they simply didnt have the staff to manage. Ray Wolf at his home in Eldridge, Iowa on May 28. (Evan Bush / NBC News) Real-time weather data collected and analyzed by the National Weather Service and its parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from balloons, radar, maritime buoys and satellites forms the basis of almost all public and private weather forecasting. Meteorologists at forecasting offices are responsible for analyzing the modeling data and sending alerts to the public. Improvements to weather models are the result of applying the agencies research. The agency has been spotlighted for cuts for months. Project 2025, a road map for conservatives ahead of the election, suggested dismantling many of NOAAs functions and privatizing that work, placing it under state control or sending it to other agencies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Staffing levels at the weather service have become a political pressure point but even as the Trump administration approved hiring more than 100 additional staffers for critical roles, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick insisted the agency had enough resources. NOAA and NWS are part of the Commerce Department. We are fully staffed with forecasters and scientists, Lutnick said Wednesday at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing. Under no circumstances am I going to let public safety or public forecasting be touched. At a House Appropriations Committee hearing Thursday, Lutnick suggested that some regional centers within the National Weather Service could be consolidated and that more balloon launches could be automated. Rep. Eric Sorensen launches a weather balloon at the NWS Forecast Quad Cities office. (Danny Wilcox Frazier for NBC News) Now, members of Congress on both sides of the aisle are pushing for change as tornadoes tear across the Midwest, hurricane season ramps up and the peak of wildfire season out west nears. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sorensen, who worked for 22 years as a TV meteorologist, has signed on to co-sponsor Floods bill, along with Reps. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., and Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif. Sorensen said hes concerned a mistake by a worn-down meteorologist will lead to unnecessary deaths. He compared the situation to a used car once trusty and now headed for a lapse. Its not running the way that it was supposed to, Sorensen said of the service. Meteorologists, were human, you know. We will make mistakes, and I dont want to ever see us in a situation where funding or a lack of funding has now caused there to be a loss of life. Storm clouds roll through rural Iowa in Johnson County on May 29. (Danny Wilcox Frazier for NBC News) Some help is on the way. The administration recently approved the agencys hiring 126 new staffers, including meteorologists, hydrologists, physical scientists and electronics technicians, a measure CNN first reported Monday. A targeted number of permanent, mission-critical field positions will soon be advertised under an exception to the Department-wide hiring freeze to further stabilize frontline operations, Erica Grow Cei, a meteorologist and spokesperson for the National Weather Service, said in a statement. The National Weather Service has also opened a period of reassignment for current staffers to relocate and fill more than 150 critical positions. More from NBC News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The union that represents weather service employees says hiring is welcome news, but hardly enough. Its a Band-Aid, said Tom Fahy, the legislative director for the National Weather Service Employees Organization. Were still doing triage. Were still plugging the holes and unnecessary vacancies across the country, and 126 [hirings] only starts to provide the healing we need across the country. In addition to making weather service employees public safety employees, Floods bill would require an assessment of the NWS workforce and prioritize hiring staffers who regularly launch weather balloons. The Quad Cities forecasting office has been able to keep up with weather balloon releases only because it has gotten help from visiting NWS staffers on temporary assignments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Sorensens district, forecasting dictates when farmers plant crops or apply pesticides, when riverfront businesses lay out sandbags to meet Mississippi floodwaters and how pilots approach Quad Cities International Airport. Air traffic controller at work at the Quad Cities International Airport in Moline, Ill., on May 27. (Danny Wilcox Frazier for NBC News) But forecasters earn their keep during this time of year, when the air occasionally becomes heavy, sirens howl and the sky darkens or even turns green. About two weeks ago, on May 20, funnel clouds reported near the Quad Cities airport forced travelers to take cover in the basement and federal air controllers to leave the glass tower that overlooks the landing strips. Schoolchildren at Geneseo Middle School nearby huddled against the wall with hands covering their heads for about 45 minutes, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Midwest life, Nathan Dwyer, 12, said of the well-rehearsed ritual, which is directed, in part, by meteorologists who analyze federal radar systems and then send off warnings that light up smartphones and provide the radar images you see headlining TV newscasts. The cuts to weather service staffing has left some in the community including Nathans mom wondering whether they will continue to have the same level of safety and emergency information as in the past. I want to be confident that if there is severe weather heading my way that Im informed, said Megan Dwyer, a farmer near Moline, Illinois. I want senior meteorologists that are behind the scenes making sure that these models are being updated and accurately reflect whats happening. Dwyer, top left with Rep. Eric Sorensen, is a fourth generation farmer who raises corn, soy beans, alfalfa, and cattle on her family farm outside Coal Valley, Ill. Her children are Lindsey, 7, and Nathan, 12. (Danny Wilcox Frazier for NBC News) On May 20, thats exactly what happened. Alex Gibbs, the lead meteorologist at the Quad Cities National Weather Service, fired off tornado warnings after he recognized a typical setup for tornadic rotation on radar. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive been doing it for 15 years. Its like riding a bike, honestly, he said. Much of what makes up a tornado warning comes from the specialized computer systems and decades of data that now power the weather models that can forecast extreme weather but not all of it. Meteorologists like Gibbs remain a crucial piece of the system. Gibbs said he honed a gut instinct for recognizing the patterns that develop into tornadoes when he was chasing storms in graduate school. In the end, nothing touched down, and the event was just a scare. On Tuesday, the region counted eight small twisters, which downed trees and derailed train cars. Channel Cat Water Taxi captain Scott Schadler and deck hand Zachery James on the Mississippi River in the Quad Cities. Schadler, who ferries travelers across the river, said he writes the National Weather Service forecast in his logs every day. (Danny Wilcox Frazier for NBC News) Some in the Quad Cities are concerned that there will be little margin in a major severe weather outbreak and that long hours will grind down the 14-person staff down over time, leaving the community vulnerable. Wolf, the retired Davenport meteorologist, said hes worried. As many as 12 employees used to simultaneously staff severe weather outbreaks, he said. The cuts leave fewer people for reinforcements, particularly if other forecasting offices are tied up in their own weather crises. When you have a staff of 14 and you need 10 people, now, all of a sudden, youre in a world of hurt, Wolf said. If we have a big, severe weather event in the next week or two, Im sure they will carry on and do a really good job with it as they have historically. The challenge comes when youre stressing the whole system time after time after time. Brian Payne, the emergency manager for Scott County, Iowa, who works closely with the office, said that it was providing a similar level of service so far and that he hadnt noticed any issues. We rely very heavily on them, Payne said, adding that he was concerned about staffing and change at the agency. They sound tired. A former National Weather Service employee with knowledge of the situation in Davenport said the staffs professionalism and dedication were preventing worse outcomes. They all pitch in and work the hours and crazy shifts to get the job done, said the former employee, who was concerned that speaking out would make the office a target. I just feel bad for the staff. Theres a lot of weight on their shoulders. Sorensen said employees fear retribution and are scared to speak out. These are my friends. These are my colleagues. I went to college 25 years ago with the meteorologist-in-charge here, Sorensen said, referring to Friedlein. Theyre nervous that what they say may have a political ramification, and then somebody much like a bully back in high school will come and knock them down for no reason, right? Rep. Eric Sorensen launches a weather balloon in Davenport. (Danny Wilcox Frazier for NBC News) The concerns in the Quad Cities office reflect a challenging national staffing picture. The office is one of 35 of 122 forecasting offices without permanent meteorologists-in-charge to lead them, according to an agency list. As of last month, about 43% of forecasting offices had staffing vacancy rates above 20%, according to Fahy. At least six offices have vacancy rates high enough that they have shuttered overnight services, leaving the areas they service vulnerable to overnight surprises. Congressional Democrats from California, where offices in Sacramento and Hanford are closed overnight, have railed against the cuts, calling them the beginning of a public safety crisis with potentially catastrophic consequences. In Florida, John Morales, a meteorologist for NBC South Florida, said that the quality of hurricane forecasts would be becoming degraded because of staffing shortages and weather balloon cuts and that he couldnt be confident in them. Flood, the Nebraska Republican, said he found an office sapped of life when he visited with staffers in the agencys Omaha-area office as the federal government was offering early retirement. I could see it in their eyes. They were burnt-out. They were concerned. There were people there that, you know, have been there for 30 years that were taking the retirement buyout, he said. When the office could no longer launch weather balloons, Flood said, his constituents took notice, and he felt compelled to intervene. This is not a partisan issue, Flood said. People understand how valuable the National Weather Service is. And a lot of times people take them for granted because theyve always been there. Stormy weather above Downey, Iowa on May 28. (Danny Wilcox Frazier for NBC News) This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Newly released video footage captured when OceanGate CEO Stockton Rushs wife reacted in real-time to the Titan submersibles fatal implosion last year. Stockton and his wife both have long, storied family histories in America, which were under speculation before the submarine went viral for killing its five passengers last year. The submarine lacked many of the qualifications, certifications, and even respected design systems that previous deep-water subs all had in their pockets. From the start, even the most vocal in the deep-sea diving industry, like renowned filmmaker James Cameron, were rightfully worried about OceanGates missions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stocktons wife, Wendy, is a great-great-granddaughter of Isidor Straus, a retail tycoon, and his wife, Ida, who were among the richest individuals on the Titanic during its inaugural journey. In the recently released video, Wendy can be seen shockingly aware that something went wrong on the Titans final, deadly dive. The chilling footage, obtained by the U.S. Coast Guard and featured in the Discovery documentary Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster, shows Wendy seated in front of a computer on the mother ship, or launching ship of the submarine above, as the sub descended toward the Titanics wreckage nearly 4,000 feet below on June 18, 2023. Stockton took on the job, alongside the OceanGate team, of continuing to put tourists on the faulty submarine. One documentary team even went on a short dive with the Titan and Stockton before the host of Expedition Unknown, Josh Gates, had to call his channels executive and beg that the media team be pulled from such a liability of an assignment. In laymans terms, the submarine was already cracked in the main hull and showed signs of its weakness to even the most untrained eyes like TV hosts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the newly released footage, Wendy can be seen suddenly reacting to a loud sound: the very moment the subs carbon-fiber hull catastrophically failed, killing all five people aboard instantly. In response, she can be seen calmly asking two other OceanGate staff in the video, What was that bang? At the time, the Titan was at a depth of about 3,300 meters, where the immense underwater pressure left no survivors and almost immediately killed all aboard, as confirmed by Engineering.com. The victims included Stockton Rush, British explorer Hamish Harding, renowned French diver Paul Henri Nargeolet, and British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood with his 19-year-old son, Suleman. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Suleman, at his age and lack of deep diving experience, had no reason to be on the submarine, but Stockton had decided that it was fine even in the unregulated vessel. The submarine was manned by modified PlayStation controllers, something Stockton previously bragged to the media about, per CBS News. While the tragedy officially began with the implosion, the Coast Guards investigation revealed a dangerous flawdelamination (a breakdown of the main hulls carbon fiber)had been detected as early as 2022. Despite repeated warnings from engineers and fellow deep-sea explorers, OceanGate pressed forward with risky expeditions, pushing their unconventional carbon-fiber design that had never been properly certified. As seen in the documentary, the carbon fiber design had failed on previous dives, emitting loud bangs to all onboard. This forced Stockton and OceanGate to completely redesign a similar submarine, which also failed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The carbon fiber wasnt the only weird engineering choice. OceanGate also chose to build a submarine that, in the most simple of ways, mismatched previous submarine designs that successfully reached those dangerous depths. Instead of the widely accepted, in terms of modern deep-sea diving experts, a teardrop-shaped vessel that barely holds one or two passengers, Stockton demanded that his design resemble the stereotypical log in the water design to carry more passengers. More unregulated passengers in an unregulated submarine started to raise concerns among many industry experts before its final tragic implosion. James Camerons deep-sea submarine, which reached the deepest depths of the ocean floor, was shaped like that raindrop design. His successful dives can be seen in his 2014 film DeepSea Challenge. Cameron has publicly told many media outlets that Stockton and OceanGate were a red flag even before the tragic accident. After the disaster, OceanGate ceased operations and pledged cooperation with the United States Coast Guard investigation. Some engineers and dive experts are now testifying to the Coast Guard about how they understood that Stockton was losing his mind and that the submarine was destined to fail. Some employees claimed to the documentary team that Stockton fired them when voicing concerns or that they were anxious about voicing concerns about retaining their jobs at OceanGate. NEED TO KNOW Two years since OceanGates Titan sub imploded killing five people and a fuller picture is now emerging about what really happened before and during tragedy "The emperor had no clothes when I arrived," former employee David Lochridge says of working with OeanGate co-founder Stockton Rush The company tells PEOPLE in a statement: "We again offer our deepest condolences to the families of those who died" David Lochridge doesnt mince words when it comes to describing his time working for Stockton Rush at the experimental diving company OceanGate, which eventually launched a doomed quest down to the Titanic in 2023 and five people died. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I didn't realize that they were so good at cutting corners until I actually got across there, Lochridge tells PEOPLE in a new interview, marking one of the fist times he is speaking publicly. In the two years since OceanGates Titan sub imploded killing Rush, the companys co-founder, and four passengers a fuller picture is now emerging about what really happened before and during tragedy. The U.S. Coast Guard is preparing to release a final report, after lengthy investigation. Some of those close to Rush and the victims, like Lochridge, are also speaking out, including in Netflixs new documentary Titan: The Oceangate Disaster, which premieres on Wednesday, June 11. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lochridge also appeared on the Today show on Friday, June 6. A former diver in the U.K.s Royal Navy, he worked as OceanGates operations director until early 2018 and says he was closely involved in the training and preparation for what the company promised to potential explorers (for a hefty fee): trips to wondrous undersea artifacts like the wreck of the Titanic off the coast of Canada. "The company needed a lot of I would say my experience put into it to be able to create this competent team, to be able to actually go out and perform this job that they wanted me to do, Lochridge says. But the emperor had no clothes when I arrived." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I'll never forget this. It was Day 1 [working at OceanGate in 2016]. We landed. Stockton, I think he was at home or at [the lab], and he stated that the new submersible Titan would not be having any underwater communications in it, Lochridge recalls. I honestly thought he was joking, he says of Rush, but he was deadly serious. For more on what really happened during the Titan sub implosion, pick up next week's issue of PEOPLE or subscribe. In the roughly two years that Lochridge was a top official at OceanGate, I was always met with a lot of resistance, he says. But at the same time, I had to watch what I was doing. I was the new boy in the company. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He says safety warnings included more than an initial lack of concern over underwater communication. Lochridge cites the monitoring system for the Titans novel carbon fiber hull the same system that showed eerie cracking noises. If I had heard noises like that in a sub, I would never go on it again, Lochridge says. Nobody would ever go on it again. Xinhua/Shutterstock The Titan submersible The Titan submersible He also says some of the glue used to put components together was applied merely with spatulas. There was nobody there verifying that there were no voids, he says. And it's like somebody putting icing on a birthday cake. Amid the scrutiny and criticism from people like Lochridge, however, Rush and OceanGate do have defenders for the work they were attempting. (And another person who went on OceanGate dives previously pushed back on Lochridge.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I believe that it was a noble effort," Fred Hagen, a developer who made two successful trips to the Titanic on Titan, tells PEOPLE. "The goals were to enable mankind to access the depths of the abyss and to further our understanding and to foster a sense of connectivity to the bottom of the sea, which is integral to the future of life on Earth," Hagen continues. "And Stockton took some risk and lived outside the box and paid for it with his life." Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Lochridges own relationship with Rush and OceanGate collapsed by early 2018 and he was fired well before the final, fatal dive. He says he sought to speak out about the company for years, behind closed doors, starting with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even during my termination, he [Rush] said, You know, this could fail,' which it did, Lochridge says, adding, Unfortunately, people were in it. In a statement to PEOPLE, OceanGate said, We again offer our deepest condolences to the families of those who died on June 18, 2023, and to all those impacted by the tragedy. In the wake of the implosion, the company said, OceanGate permanently wound down its operations and focused its resources on fully cooperating with the investigations being conducted. Read the original article on People NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) A state leader is pushing back against Nashvilles response to recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity. Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton is calling on Nashville Mayor Freddie OConnell to rescind an executive order he issued last month. In May, a coordinated effort between ICE and Tennessee Highway Patrol took everyone at Metro by surprise, according to the Metro governments legal director. The Department of Homeland Security said the operation ended with 196 people arrested. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We do comply with the law: Nashville mayor responds to investigation into his office To maintain transparency, OConnell enacted Executive Order 30. The order requires the Metro Nashville Police Department and Metro Council members to document and publish interactions with federal immigration authorities. Those reports are now public, but early on, individuals involved in those interactions were identified, sparking backlash. According to OConnell, as soon as the names were found, they were scrubbed. On Thursday, June 5, Sexton took to social media to demand the mayor reverse the order, claiming it has jeopardized state and federal agents to the extent that individuals are harassing and interfering in the lawful duty of these agents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Metro has refused to assist federal agents with ICE; they decided to escalate it by forcing all employees to act as big brother, Sexton wrote. Antioch bows to no council member: Some constituents call for Metro Councilmans resignation following immigration remarks Sexton acknowledged the mayor has the authority to issue the order, but he thinks its time rescind it. In my opinion, I think it may do more harm to the agents and embolden people to maybe go looking for them instead of allowing them to do their job, Sexton told News 2. People can disagree on whether or not they should be doing what theyre doing, and they can debate that, but empowering the Metro government to act as the overseer of all that through executive order, I think, was a little bit too much. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Tennessee Fraternal Order of Police said it will ask Nashvilles District Attorney for a criminal investigation into the release of federal agents names. The organization is also asking members of the legislature to request an investigation by the Tennessee Attorney General. The mayor and his office must be held accountable for their actions. The staff member who posted this should be terminated for these actions. If the mayor authorized this information, he should take responsibility for this travesty and resign. Ultimately, this publication of information is the responsibility of Mayor OConnell. He is the elected official that is responsible for his office and his staff, the Tennessee Fraternal Order of Police said in a statement. Law enforcement officers, local, state, and federal, should not have to worry about the elected officials overstepping their reach and putting private information out to the public. Actions such as this demonstrate why men and women do not want to enter law enforcement in todays society. | READ MORE | Latest headlines from Nashville and Davidson County News 2 reached out to the mayors office for comment, but as of publication, we have yet to hear back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. Heres a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on June 6, according to the archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) High temperature: 97 degrees (1971) Low temperature: 39 degrees (1985) Precipitation: 1.6 inches (1931) Snowfall: None Vintage Chicago Tribune: Medinah Temple from Shriners to circus, couches to casino through the decades Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 1883: Charter No. 14 was issued for Medinah Temple during the ninth Imperial Session of the Imperial Grand Council at the Masonic Temple in New York. 1892: Service began on the first segment of Chicagos L between Congress and 39th streets. 2004: Three-year-old Riley Fox was found drowned and half-naked in a Wilmington creek. Her father, Kevin Fox, was arrested four months later in connection with her murder, but was later cleared. On Nov. 10, 2010, convicted sex offender Scott Eby pleaded guilty to the brutal rape and murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Kevin Fox was killed in a car crash in Arkansas in March 2023. 2015: Chicagos new elevated track and park system, The 606, opened. Want more vintage Chicago? Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicagos past. Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather at krumore@chicagotribune.com and mmather@chicagotribune.com "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Heres what youll learn when you read this story: For centuries, a cave near Jerusalem was believed by Christian pilgrims to be the tomb of an attendant to the birth of Christ. Salome is depicted in the apocryphal Gospel of James as doubting the virgin birth only to repent and be visited by angels. A new study suggests that the Salome buried in this tomb was, in fact, not the apocryphal Biblical figure, but rather the younger sister of Judean king Herod the Great. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This story is a collaboration with Biography.com For centuries, a subset of Christian pilgrims have journeyed to a cave southwest of Jerusalem in Israel referred to as the Cave of Salome, due to its asserted connection to a figure associated with Jesus of Nazareth. Now, a new study in the Israel Antiquities Authoritys journal Atiqot posits that this cave does serve as a tomb to someone named Salome, but not the one its long been purported to have been. Rather than the Biblical figure sometimes described as Jesus midwife, the tomb might have held a figure of Judean royalty. But if youve only read the four canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you might find yourself wondering just who this Salome was supposed to be in the first place (while there is a Salome briefly alluded to in Mark 15:40 said to be present at the crucifixion, this is not the Salome in question). For that, we need to dip into a subset of Christian texts known as the apocrypha. Given the underground origins of Christianity amidst the Roman Empire, its no surprise that there was not one single written text relied upon to spread the word of the new faith. Even the four Gospels widely considered part of the Biblical Canon are traditionally believed to have been originally composed with different audiences in mind (Matthew wrote for those with a familiarity with Jewish tradition while Mark for a Roman audience, for example). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This means that there are an array of texts, both extant and lost, that offer different, divergent, and at times even contradictory tellings of the story of Jesus than those that were ultimately determined by church bodies to be the canonical works. One particular and prominent subset of these are what is called the infancy gospels, stories of Jesus during his childhood. Little is said of Jesus youth in the four canonical gospels, with only Matthew and Luke mentioning the story of his birth, and Luke alone including a single anecdote of a child Jesus visiting a Temple (Luke 2:41-52). But the apocryphal infancy gospels contain a wide array of events allegedly involving a child Jesus, including a confrontation with a literal dragon (the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew). One of these texts, the apocryphal Gospel of James, introduces the character of Salome. While Salome is present for the birth of Jesus in this text, she was not actually Jesus midwife. Rather, this gospel depicts the actual midwife during Jesus birth, referred to only by her title of Emea, crying out to Salome about the virgin birth she had witnessed, only for Salome to dismiss it: And the midwife went forth of the cave and Salome met her. And she said to her: Salome, Salome, a new sight have I to tell thee. A virgin hath brought forth, which her nature alloweth not. And Salome said: As the Lord my God liveth, if I make not trial and prove her nature I will not believe that a virgin hath brought forth. Salome then goes to witness the newborn child herself and decries her earlier doubts, seeking atonement, and is visited by an angel, healed, and told not to speak of what she had witnessed until the child enter into Jerusalem. Some scholars point to this story of Salome as a predecessor and/or parallel to the more famous story, post-Resurrection, of Doubting Thomas. Wikimedia Commons As Live Science reports, the aforementioned Cave of Salome gained its religious reputation when an ossuary, a casket filled with bones, was discovered in that cave bearing the name Salome. Adherents to the Gospel of James took to attributing these bones, and therefor the tomb that held them, as belonging to the Salome of the birth story, and began making pilgrimages there. As Live Science notes, those pilgrimages were a common enough occurrence that they continued for two hundred years after the area had been conquered by the Islamic Caliphate in the 7th century. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cave was excavated in 1984, where they found hundreds of clay oil lamps from the eighth and ninth centuries, which archaeologists think were sold to Christian pilgrims so they would have light while exploring the dark cave. But to determine who might really have been interred in this tomb, the 2025 IAA study, co-authored by Vladik Lifshits and Nir-Shimshon Paran, they looked not at what had been left within the tomb, but rather how the tomb itself had been constructed: Lifshits noted the monumental architecture including a large courtyard at the entrance indicated that a member of the royal family may have been buried there. The authors also discovered the remains of several luxurious villas nearby, which indicates the site once belonged to a very wealthy family. Their study suggests the possibility that the Salome in question may not have been connected to Jesus birth, but rather to a different figure who factors into the story of the young Jesus: Herod I, also known as Herod the Great. Biblical tradition holds that Herod I, who ruled from 37 B.C. to 4 B.C., ordered the death of all male babies in Bethlehem, but no objective historical evidence has yet emerged that supports that particular tale. Instead, what is known about Herod I, as Live Science recounts, are his contributions to the kingdom he oversaw: For example, he was a prolific builder who restored the decrepit Second Temple on the Temple Mount, and the massive rock walls he had built are still standing today as the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. The study asserts that the Salome buried within the cave was Herod Is younger sister, who died in approximately 10AD. This Salome is not to be confused with Herod Is granddaughter who also bore that name. That Salome, recorded in the Bible as ordering the beheading of John the Baptist, would later be immortalized in an array of fictional works like Oscar Wildes 1893 play and the subsequent 1905 opera by Richard Strauss. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Live Science spoke to Boaz Zissu of Israels Bar-Ilan University, a scholar unaffiliated with the study, they conceded that The authors correctly identify the original phase as a monumental tomb belonging to local elites of the Herodian period but suggested more rigorous evidential support was required before it could be firmly established to be the tomb of Salome. For their part, study co-author Vladik Lifshits conceded as much. Its not that I think it must be the tomb of Salome the sister of Herod, Lifshits told Live Science. Im suggesting that this is one of the possibilities. You Might Also Like HONOLULU (KHON2) Its National Donut Day on today, June 6. And that means everyone gets a free pass to enjoy as many doughnuts as they want! Doughnuts in Hawaii are not just sweet treats. They are full of flavor, culture and ono yumminess. From classic Portuguese malasadas to fun, modern toppings, these shops make some of the best doughnuts in the islands. Man, 25, arrested for alleged assault against police officers Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before we get to the list, The Salvation Army is celebrating the legacy of its Doughnut Lassies. The Doughnut Lassies were a group of women who kept soldiers supplied with doughnuts throughout world wars one and two. During the Great Depression, The Salvation Army decided to memorialize the World War I women who did this. Now, we have National Donut Day each year. On National Donut Day, we honor our Doughnut Lassies and the ability of human beings everywhere to bring solace, and even joy, to others during some of the most trying times, said Divisional Commander Major Troy Trimmer. Here are 10 popular places to try from across Hawaiis islands: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news 1. Leonards Bakery (Oahu) Leonards is the most famous doughnut shop in Hawaii. It opened in 1952 and is known for its warm, sugar-dusted malasadas. You can get them plain or filled with flavors like custard, haupia or guava. 2. Kamehameha Bakery (Oahu) Locals love this shop for its poi-glazed doughnuts. Poi is made from taro, and the bright purple glaze makes these doughnuts stand out. They also offer classic styles and other island-inspired flavors. 3. Purve Donut Stop (Oahu) Purve makes fresh doughnuts to order. Each one is decorated with colorful toppings like cookie crumbs, cereal, bacon or lilikoi glaze. Their names are fun too, like Unicorn Butt Sneeze. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 4. Pipeline Bakeshop & Creamery (Oahu) This Kaimuki shop makes crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside malasadas. You can also try their ice cream for a sweet combo. Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You 5. Tex Drive In (Hawaii Island) Located in Honokaa, Tex is famous for its large malasadas. They are light, fluffy and come in many flavors like mango, pineapple and chocolate. 6. Holy Donuts (Maui) This food truck in Kahului serves handmade doughnuts with toppings like maple bacon and cinnamon sugar. Its a small truck with a big fan base. 7. Donut King (Maui) This shop in Wailuku has classic doughnuts and sweet pastries. Their maple bars and apple fritters are especially popular. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 8. Kauai Bakery (Kauai) Found in Lihue, this bakery offers cream-filled malasadas and doughnuts with local flavors. Its a great stop on your way to the beach. Get news on the go with KHON 2GO, KHONs morning podcast, every morning at 8 9. Zippys (Statewide) Zippys is a local diner chain, but their malasadas are always a hit. You can find them at the counter with other tasty baked goods. 10. Island Craves (Oahu) This small shop in Kapolei makes mochi doughnuts with crispy outsides and chewy centers. Theyre dipped in colorful glazes and often sell out fast. Bonus: Island Glazed Donuts was voted best doughnuts in Hawaii by Yelp elite users. They have two locations, one in Pearl Kai and AMR. You can find them on Instagram and Facebook. Click here to see their Yelp page. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For well over a century, The Salvation Army has been on the frontlines helping our local communities; and the donut, then and still to this day. serves as a symbol of comfort and hope, added Divisional Commander Major Trimmer. Whether you love classic malasadas or wild new flavors, theres a doughnut for everyone in Hawaii. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2. The U.S. and China will hold their next round of trade talks in London on Monday, President Donald Trump announced, as the two countries attempt to lower tensions and chart a path toward a trade deal. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet with their Chinese counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng, Trump said Friday in a post on Truth Social. The meeting should go very well, Trump wrote. Thank you for your attention to this matter! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tensions between the two countries have been simmering since the last round of trade talks in May, when both the U.S. and China agreed to lower triple-digit tariffs to 30 percent and 10 percent, respectively. But since agreeing to turn down the temperature, each country has irked the other by maintaining or expanding other trade barriers, such as export controls. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone on Thursday morning in an effort to get the negotiations back on track, laying the groundwork for Mondays meeting. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -In a packed town hall at the Hillary Rodham Clinton Childrens Library and Learning Center, central Arkansans gathered to voice their concerns about the effects of proposed cuts to Medicaid and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). The discussion centered on President Donald Trumps Big Beautiful Bill, currently under consideration in the U.S. Senate and its potential to impact those across the country with disabilities, the elderly and low-income families. Faith leaders protest big, beautiful bill Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the most impassioned voices at the town hall was that of William Gerard, a SNAP beneficiary with cerebral palsy who also depends on Medicaid to survive. Unable to work due to his condition, Gerard shared his testimony about how these programs are literally life-saving for him. If I didnt have Medicaid, I dont know how I would survive, said Gerard, who is on a regimen of 10 to 12 medications, some of which cost thousands of dollars. Some of my seizure medications, for example, can be in the thousands. With Medicaid paying for it, I might have to pay $2, and that really helps me. Gerards story is a poignant reminder of how Medicaid and SNAP provide vital support for millions of Americans. Under the budget reconciliation bill that passed the House of Representatives, $600 billion in cuts to Medicaid could result in nearly 11 million Americans losing coverage over the next decade according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office analysis released Wednesday. For Gerard and approximately 190,000 other Arkansans, these cuts would have catastrophic consequences. Beyond the cuts to Medicaid, the proposed bill also includes steep reductions to SNAP benefits, totaling an estimated $230 billion over the next ten years. Gerard, who receives just $60 in food stamps each month, expressed the challenges this would create. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I only get $60 in food stamps. So, whats $60 going to buy me? he asked. We need to get Arkansans more food stamps that deserve it, instead of taking it away from us and making us decide what can I eat? This concern was echoed by others at the meeting, who worried that the cuts to both Medicaid and SNAP would place an even greater burden on already struggling families, according to the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. The bill proposes several requirements, including the potential for states to take on more financial responsibility for these programs. The town hall participants discussed the wider implications of these cuts, particularly the snowball effect they would have on the lives of Arkansans. The potential loss of Medicaid coverage alone could leave thousands of individuals without access to necessary healthcare, while the SNAP cuts could push more people into food insecurity, according to the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. According to the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, more than 97,000 people in Arkansas Congressional District 2 could be impacted by the proposed $109 million cut to SNAP. These cuts could devastate families, particularly those with children, since nearly 45% of SNAP enrollees in Arkansas are parents who rely on the program to feed their families, according to . Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another significant concern voiced at the town hall was the proposed work requirements that would accompany these cuts. Gerard, who receives both Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), expressed his fears for those who, like him, are unable to work due to their disabilities. What about the elderly, the disabled, the people who cant work? How are they supposed to make a living? Gerard asked. I went to a school for handicapped children, and Ive seen kids who could barely feed themselves, let alone work. Big, beautiful bill heads to the Senate For many at the town hall, these proposed cuts arent just about numbers in Washingtonthey represent the erosion of a safety net for vulnerable citizens who have no other means of support. The bill, if passed, could force these individuals into even more precarious situations, with few options for survival. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im not fighting for just me, Gerard said. Im fighting for all Arkansans who are struggling to make ends meet, for all of us who depend on Medicaid and food stamps to survive. The town hall concluded with a clear message: for concerned Arkansans to contact their congressional representatives and make their voices heard. Stop and think about what youre doing to Arkansansthose on disability, the elderly, the most vulnerable, Gerard said. If these cuts go through, its not just about money, its about survival. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLRT - FOX16.com. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56) Crews in Louisville helped rescue a Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) worker who was trapped in a well in East Louisville on Thursday morning. Anchorage Middletown Fire and EMS posted on Facebook that just after 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, rescue units were dispatched to the 11000 block of Cox Avenue to a report of a person trapped in a well. Crews reportedly got to the scene in four minutes, where they found a sanitation truck driver who called 911 about the fallen MSD worker. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The woman had fallen 20 to 25 feet, but crews said she was still conscious and alert when they found her. Using a pick-off system, supported by a tripod rescue device, rescue team members were able to put her in a harness and lift her to safety 25 minutes later. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: The victim was treated at the scene by emergency personnel before being taken to the University of Louisville Hospital for observation. Crews wrote on Facebook that she seemed unharmed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Excellent work by Rescue 33 and all responding units, their constant training for these types of incidents, and their swift execution in managing this incident made for a successful outcome, Anchorage Middletown Fire and EMS wrote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News. A soldier with the 28th Division stands amid the ruins of Gathemo, France, in August 1944. (Screenshot from National Archives film) Shaun Nadolny is finally making the trip from Wisconsin to visit his great-uncles grave in the Brittany American Cemetery in France. Last in a two-part series on Pennsylvanias 28th Division and a new memorial to soldiers who were killed in the fight to liberate Gathemo, France. Read the first part here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tradition holds that for visiting family members, staff will place moistened sand on the engraving on the marker for Jerome Nadolny, who was killed in the fierce fighting around Gathemo, a small village in Normandy, using a wet sponge. The process brings the name out on the marble Latin cross, so it can easily be seen from 15 to 20 feet away. The grave of Pfc. Jerome Nadolny in the Brittany American Cemetery in France. (Courtesy of Shaun Nadolny) An American and French flag standing about knee high will be placed in front of the grave. Traditionally, the U.S. marker is symbolically on the right side as if it were in the soldiers right hand and facing home. The French will be on the left always toward inland territory. Then, he and his cousin, Kurt, will travel to Gathemo, where nine soldiers of the 28th Division, including three from Pennsylvania, lost their lives as the Allies pushed inland from the beaches of Normany to liberate Europe. Theyll be the sole American relatives of the fallen soldiers who will be on hand for a ceremony Saturday honoring their sacrifice during the fight for the town 81 summers ago. The gathering will include the dedication of a plaque and memorial and a renaming of a street in honor of the 28th Division, a Pennsylvania National Guard unit before the war. The trip is the culmination of an improbable sequence of events that began when Nadolny went in search of the war history of a long-lost great-uncle. Nadolny admits to feeling a little pressure, because he doesnt want to let his family down or any of the other families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I know its going to be a heavy experience for me personally. I wish I could share this with my dad, he said. It was on my bucket list to just go to that cemetery, but now to actually go to the cemetery? Its obviously a trip of a lifetime, right? Gathemo today Visitors to Normandy will notice Allied flags American, British, and Canadian hanging not just on poles, but in windows and on doors in village after village. This isnt just a phenomenon that happens in the typical tourist areas around the landing beaches or landmarks made famous in the 1962 movie, The Longest Day, or the HBO miniseries, Band of Brothers. The Battle of Normandy stretched beyond what happened on June 6, 1944. Allied troops applied relentless pressure in an effort to push the German occupiers back. The clash lasted for more than two months, as it became a war of attrition. Allied troops had to constantly resupply the front lines, while the enemy dealt with losses in terms of men and machines it simply couldnt replace Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the end, the Allies suffered 210,000 casualties,while the Germans dealt with losses of 400,000 men. Town and after town touched by the Battle of Normandy has its own monuments or historical markers to pilots whose downed aircraft crashed nearby, soldiers who died in their streets or units that helped liberate them. In Periers for example, The Four Braves memorial honors the 90th Infantry Division which liberated the town as part of Operation Cobra. This was a piece of the successful U.S. breakout which played a big role in the rapid collapse of the Germans defense in Normandy. Two Pennsylvanians who lost their lives Private 2nd Class Andrew J. Speese III of Philadelphia and Sgt. Tullio Micaloni of Oneida are immortalized as part of the memorial. The Four Braves memorial in Periers, France, honors the 90th Infantry Division which liberated the town in the summer of 1944. Two Pennsylvanians who sacrificed their lives Private 2nd Class Andrew J. Speese III of Philadelphia, and Sergeant Tullio Micaloni of Oneida are immortalized as part of the memorial. (Photo by Tim Lambert) One tour group recounted how in the town of La Haye du Puits, a man noticed they were Americans. He hurried home and later found the group at a restaurant eating lunch. He excitedly, in French, described what it was like as a boy in the summer of 1944 to see his home liberated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As his story was translated, he pulled a piece of silk parachute from his jacket given to him by a U.S. soldier. He simply wanted to share his gratitude for the sacrifice made by the Allies. Even in 2025, people in Normandys villages and towns still think there is history to be acknowledged and a debt owed. Gathemo, with a population of 267, will join the others Saturday, with a permanent thank you. Over several days in early August, 1944, the 28th attacked German troops occupying the town. Progress was slow, measured in a few hundred yards at times, but by the afternoon Aug. 10, the 28th had liberated Gathemo. The divisions losses were nine men killed, including three from Pennsylvania, and an estimated 235 wounded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For those few who bring up the Battle of Gathemo in some remote barroom in years to come there will always be a lifting of glasses to our buddies whom we left behind in the orchards and wheat fields of that hallowed ground! From the Bloody Patch: A True Story of the Daring 28th Division The 77-day Battle of Normandy came to an end on Aug. 19, after tens of thousands of German troopers were captured when the Falaise pocket was closed by Allied troops. A mere 10 days after that, the men of the 28th Division were in Paris, taking part in the liberation day parade through the city. Located nearly 90 minutes from the English Channel and Omaha Beach, Mayor Christelle Errard describes Gathemo as having all the hallmarks of a quaint Norman community a bakery, a bar, gift shops and five farms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The church, destroyed in the fight, was rebuilt after the war and features a pointed bell tower. According to the mayor, the granite used for the altar and the cross came from Gathemos quarries. The ruins in Gathemo after fighting between the 28th Division and German troops in August 1944. (Screenshot of film from the National Archives) There are no words strong enough The towns role in the Allied push to encircle and destroy part of the German Army in the final weeks and days of the clash has largely been forgotten overshadowed by the fight in Mortain and Saint-Lambert-sur-Dives, among others. Errard became mayor of Gathemo in July of 2020 and has lived in the community for a decade. She was born in another historically significant part of France Verdun. Its the site of one the longest and most ferocious battles of the First World War. We have a mission in our world: to listen to our history, to transcribe it, so as not to forget Our duty to remember is here. And the witnesses of this period will soon all be gone. I also understood that many dont want to share what they experienced, she wrote in an email exchange using Google Translate to go from French to English. My father never spoke about this period when he was 6-years-old, yet four years ago, on his deathbed, he relived the scenes he had witnessed. The planned location of the memorial to nine soldiers from the 28th Division killed in the liberation of Gathemo, France. (Courtesy of Christophe Clement) Now, she said, its Gathemos turn to pay tribute to the young Americans who fought to liberate Europe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many returned home with physical and mental injuries, but many, like Pvt. Nadolny, did not return to their families, Errard wrote. My son will be 23 in June, the same age Pvt. Nadolny was when he lost his life in Gathemo, for Gathemo. I cannot remain indifferent. The tribute is small, but I hope it is the beginning of another story for Gathemo and all the people who will stop and pay their respects at this memorial. The monument with the names of the nine men killed will be located close to the back of the church in Gathemo. It will be on a granite stone with an M1 helmet featuring the division logo placed on top. A plaque honoring the entire division will be dedicated, and a street will be renamed in honor of the 28th Division, which, according to unit lore was nicknamed the Bloody Bucket by the Germans because of the red keystone patches worn on their uniforms. The Mike Pride Museum in Normandy covered the 1,800 Euro price tag. Dear American friends, there are no words strong enough to express our gratitude and respect, Errard said. I would like to say BRAVO and THANK YOU. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two men who were just children at the time of the battle will be on hand for the ceremony 87-year-old Guy Lelandais and 80-year-old Michele Golonde. Errard says for Lelandais, whose cousin was killed by an exploding shell in front of his eyes, preserving the history of the liberation of his hometown has been a lifelong passion. He has collecteding testimonies from around the region. The invitation to the June 7 ceremony in Gathemo, France, to honor nine members of the 28th Division killed during the towns liberation in August, 1944. (Courtesy of Christophe Clement) Galonde was just six months old when the 28th Division pushed the Germans out of Gathemo, hiding in a cellar with his family, according to Gerrard. His older sister was in front of the baby carriage he was in when a shell exploded wounding her in the leg, which left her permanently disabled. But as fate would have it, she likely saved Galondes life because of where she was standing. Nadolny plans to have dinner with the mayor and hopes to shake Lelandais hand and ask him what he remembers about the fight to free the town. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I mean sincerely, we are so thankfulmy family and I are almost just unbelievably thankful, he said. (Jerome) was a blue-collar soldier that gave everything and moved us along, So to me, thats what its about. A lot of forgotten stories. So, if we can share a little bit of it or be a part of it, I think its incredible. The commemoration is a reminder that freedom has a cost and that true friendship endures, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a letter to the event organizers. More than 80 years ago, the sons of Pennsylvania crossed an ocean to stand in defense of liberty and peace, forging a bond of courage and shared sacrifice. The soldiers of the 28th Infantry Division fought with extraordinary bravery, with some making the ultimate sacrifice, Shapiro said. The people of Gathemo have, across generations, honored the legacy of these brave men not only with gratitude, but with a deep and enduring partnership that continues to unite our communities. Pennsylvania is proud of the heritage of the 28th Infantry Division and of the shared history we hold with our friends in Gathemo. The ceremony is set to begin Saturday, June 7, at 5 a.m. EST and will be livestreamed on the Mike Pride Museum YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@grpicardie3945. If you missed part one, read about the battle of Gathemo and the effort to track down the families of the men who died to liberate the town. Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Tim Lambert for questions: info@penncapital-star.com. Berlin (dpa)- The trolleybus is considered by many to be clunky technology from the past. But thanks to technical innovation, these so-called silent servants are staging a comeback as some countries seek to decarbonize their public transport. The trolleybus, which draws power from dual overhead wires mounted over roads using spring-loaded trolley poles, has been around for 130 years and used to be considered inflexible since it could seldom deviate from a set route. The advent of powerful batteries for off-grid driving has changed all that. It has also done away with the need to erect unsightly overhead wires in historic city centres, an aspect which used to deter many European cities from operating the vehicles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Modern trolleys can also manage off-wire journeys and have on-board batteries that are recharged by the overhead wires with what's called In-Motion Charging (IMC) technology. They also come with contemporary tech such as wi-fi and air-conditioning. Chief producers include Polish firm Solaris, Hess of Switzerland and Yutong in China. Non-profit lobby group Trolleymotion says some 300 trolleybus systems are still in operation globally, reflecting sustained interest in this clean and efficient form of electric public transport. "European cities are steadily converting back to trolleybus public transport," says Gunter Mackinger, who used to be in charge of a large trolleybus system in Salzburg, Austria and remains a passionate advocate of the technology. He claims trolleybuses are even better than battery-electric buses, since they have none of the charging delays or the heavy weight which puts a strain on electric buses and shortens their service life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many European networks were discontinued in the 1960s and 1970s but urban planners now believe this was a mistake. Prominent recent converts to the trolleybus include Prague which has re-introduced trolleybuses on an airport corridor, while the Estonian capital Tallinn scrapped plans to replace the trolleybuses with battery-electric buses and is buying 40 new ones instead. The city said retaining the existing trolleybus infrastructure saves money and avoids the expenses and downtime associated with large-scale battery bus charging Italy has long been a stronghold of the trolleybus, but until recently many of its systems have been neglected. Naples has now just ordered 40 state-of-the-art, 12.5-meter-long hybrid/electric trolleybuses to replace 59 existing vehicles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trolleybuses returned to the capital Rome in 2021 after an absence of 33 years and they ply mainly on the outskirts. The southern city of Lecce brought back trolleybuses in 2012 and Pescare is poised to do the same this year. Germany still has three systems in Solingen, Eberswalde near Berlin and in Esslingen close to Stuttgart. The latter plans to buy 52 new trolleybuses soon. Berlin has mulled bringing back the trolleybus but a decision has been deferred. Switzerland also has 12 systems which run alongside trams and regular buses, mainly using hydro-electric power which is plentiful in the alpine republic. Mexico is set to soon inaugurate the new 18.5 km long Chalco-Santa Martha trolleybus line with 13 stations and two terminals, and an initial fleet of 108 trolleybuses. This will be expanded to 184 in the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the highland city of Quito, Ecuador, elderly Mercedes trolleybuses have just been been replaced by new Chinese-made Yutong vehicles. Fleet renewal was hailed at the gala opening last month by transport director Xavier Vasquez as a milestone in reducing carbon emissions. "The new trolleybuses are environmentally-friendly and the benefit is real, it's as if we had planted a thousand new trees this week," Vasquez told local media. Meanwhile, Sao Paulo in Brazil has introduced introduced huge four-axle articulated trolleybuses to speed up rapid transit services. These can carry up to 146 passengers although only 60 get a seat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both Vancouver in Canada and the Greek capital Athens are poised to renew their systems while in the French city of Nancy, new trolleybuses from Hess have just started plying as replacements for troublesome rubber-wheeled trams which were prone to breaking down. Some 85 Russian cities still rely heavily on trolleybuses and the country seemingly has no intention of phasing them out. Systems include one in Novosibersk where a total of 258 home-manufactured trolleybuses went into operation last year. The world's northernmost system also operates in the Arctic city of Murmansk. Surprisingly Moscow is a casualty. In autumn 2020, what was then the worlds largest trolleybus system with 83 routes and 600 km of overhead wires, stopped operating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A campaign to keep the silent servants failed and officials said the system had become too inefficient and unwieldy for a modern city. Some critics questioned whether the real purpose behind the closure was to free up lucrative real estate sites taken up by the trolleybus facilities, including a huge garage near the centre. There have been other setbacks too. Morocco's new system has been dormant since 2022 owing to technical gremlins and it is unclear when it will restart. Tehran has also recently decided to abandon trolleybuses in favour of battery-electric buses. The Austrian city Salzburg has one of Europe's largest networks of trolleybuses. Lothar Ferstl/dpa Sen. John Cornyns (R-Texas) reelection campaign is facing serious warning signs as polling shows the states Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) widening his lead in the Republican Senate primary. A poll conducted by GOP pollster Robert Blizzard on behalf of the Educational Freedom Institute showed Cornyn trailing Paxton by 22 points among the states Republican primary voters. The same poll shows Paxton leading among key demographics within the states GOP primary electorate, including seniors and voters who identified as MAGA. While Cornyns campaign has dismissed the findings as biased and as silly season for polling, the findings are the latest in a string of polls showing the longtime incumbent trailing his primary challenger. Texas Republicans say its another sign that Cornyn needs to ramp up his attacks and spending ahead of Februarys primary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think those numbers today are going to force Cornyn to go up on air and take a chunk out of Ken Paxton pretty damn soon, one Republican strategist told The Hill. The question is, can he? The senators former campaign manager Brendan Steinhauser noted Cornyns team will not hold back in an effort to define Paxton early in the primary. I think theyre going to have to spend a lot of money early to try and make their case given where we are in the polling right out of the gate, Steinhauser said. And Cornyns campaign has already begun going on offense against Paxton. Last week, the incumbent senators campaign rolled out four new ads hitting the state attorney general over money his office gave to several Texas entities, accusing Paxton of funding the left. The spots were part of a five-figure digital ad buy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cornyns allies point out the primary is in February of next year, which allows ample time to close the gap with Paxton. The primary is in nine months, said Matt Mackowiak, a senior adviser to Cornyns campaign. This is going to be a very close race and Sen. Cornyn is fully committed to winning it. Mackowiak cited a poll of the race released last week by Texas Southern University as the last credible independent poll of the contest. While that poll showed Paxton holding a 9-point lead in the primary, it also had Cornyn leading hypothetical Democratic candidate former Rep. Colin Allred by 4 points and Paxton leading Allred by just 2. Last month, a Senate Leadership Fund poll showed Cornyn trailing Paxton by 16 points. But in a hypothetical general election poll, Paxton lost by 1 point to Allred. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And even Paxton allies acknowledge its early in the race. Cornyns folks are right: It is silly season for polling, said Republican donor Dan Eberhart, who is supporting Paxton. But he definitely has an uphill battle. A senior Cornyn adviser told The Hill that they didnt expect any movement in the polls until early next year. These races dont move much until the end, the adviser said. Youd be wasting money to spend money right now. Cornyns going to have to spend money, though. Some Republicans question whether Cornyn will be able to make that case, given the state of the conservative grassroots in Texas. The incumbent senator garnered the wrath of the grassroots in 2022 when he helped lead the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which addressed gun control and school safety, through Congress after the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. Cornyn was later booed at the Texas GOP convention that year, and the Collin County GOP voted to censure him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And in 2023, Cornyn said he believed Trumps time has passed him by in terms of whether he could win another election. Cornyn later endorsed Trump, saying the president was right and I was wrong. Holy cow, like, how does he ever anticipate climbing back into this in the good graces of a MAGA-led GOP base with those two anchors around his neck? the unnamed GOP strategist said. Others note the latest polling is less about Cornyn and more about Paxtons own popularity with the base, particularly after the latters impeachment trial in the Texas state House. Paxton has been a central figure in an ongoing civil war within the Texas Republican Party. In 2023, he was acquitted on 16 articles of impeachment amid allegations that he had used the power of his office to aid his friend. The impeachment effort partly led to a campaign by Paxton and his allies in the Lone Star State to purge the Legislature of Republicans they saw as disloyal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Next years Senate primary is seen as the latest development in that intraparty conflict. A lot of Republican grassroots activists and voters like what they see in terms of his leadership at the office of attorney general, Steinhauser said. They see Paxton as someone who is on the right wing of the party and so a lot of the activists are excited about his candidacy. If there was someone else running against Cornyn, maybe even a congressman or a state senator or someone like that, I dont think you would see those numbers, he continued. Paxton has painted himself as a victim of the political establishment, in many ways mirroring the strategy Trump deployed in his runs for office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think its MAGA vs. D.C., Eberhart said. Cornyn is a gentler Republican from a past era. Paxton is a fighter, and thats what Texas Republicans want. Still, its unclear whether Trump will endorse in the primary. The president is fond of Paxton, but has worked with Cornyn in the Senate. And even if Trump were to back the incumbent, the internal poll released earlier this week showed Paxton continuing to lead. After voters were told to assume Trump would endorse Cornyn, Paxton would attack Cornyn for his past comments on Trump and Paxton would attack him over working with Democrats on gun safety legislation, Cornyn trailed Paxton 62 percent to 21 percent. I wouldnt underestimate [Cornyn], Steinhauser said. Hes never lost an election yet in Texas. He still has a lot of loyal voters. I think if Trump stays out of the race, which I think hes going to do, then I think it will tighten up a bit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. TROUTDALE, Ore. (KOIN) A federal judge ruled on Thursday that the Trump administration must restore hundreds of millions of dollars in AmeriCorps funding in about two dozen states, including Oregon. Though it remains to be seen if the U.S. Department of Justice will appeal the decision, the outcome could have a major impact on Troutdales Cascade Arts Festival. Astoria job corps cut for government convenience This comes after the U.S. Labor Department put Job Corps programs across the country on pause. Interns paid with federal dollars will now not be showing up for the non-profit arts festival, despite being needed for more than just heavy lifting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Cascade Arts Festival in downtown Troutdale relies on dozens of volunteers to help set up and operate the yearly event. Some extra helping hands were going to be provided through a contract with the Job Corps in nearby Springdale. Astoria Job Corps cuts for government convenience The security at night because this arts festival shuts down at night and we need security to watch over the artists work, said Martha Denham, the president of the Cascadia Arts Association. We had some pedestrian safety crosswalks where we need to ensure pedestrians are getting across safely. And parking issues. US Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who represented Oregons 5th Congressional District until she was defeated this past November, ordered the pause in the program, citing concerns about the cost of operating at a multi-million dollar deficit and less than half the students graduating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But those who spoke with KOIN 6 News said the Job Corps produces successful graduates and they hope it will soon return. I have a personal acquaintance who is a Job Corps graduate and he was not an academic. He couldnt make it through school, dropped out in junior high. He went to Job Corps, got his welding certificate. And he now owns a very successful welding business. Its unfortunate, said event coordinator Shannon Chisholm. Hopefully we can restructure and find the good pieces of all those programs and put something back together. Volunteers are needed for the Cascade Arts Festival in Troutdale June 6-8, 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. Donald Trump has added Ireland to the White Houses official blacklist of countries for the nations trade surplus with the US. Ireland joins fellow new entrant Switzerland in the US treasurys bad books, on a list that includes regular US targets including China, Japan, Germany, Vietnam and South Korea. Appearing on the watchlist puts Ireland, whose dominant industries are pharmaceuticals and technology, at the front of the queue of countries likely to attract Mr Trumps ire. If escalated, it can open the door to tariffs and other sanctions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The US president has previously singled out Ireland as a country whose trade surplus hurts the US economy. We do have a massive deficit with Ireland, because Ireland was very smart. They took our pharmaceutical companies away, he told Micheal Martin, the Irish Taoiseach, in the Oval Office in March. He even considered putting a 200pc tariff on US pharmaceutical imports from Ireland. We dont want to do anything to hurt Ireland. We do want fairness, he said. 1005 US is Irelands biggest export partner Irelands goods exports to the US surged by 49pc in the first quarter of 2025 from the same period a year earlier, the countrys statistics office reported this week, as exporters scrambled to get shipments off before any of Mr Trumps tariffs kicked in. The export surge fuelled a 9.7pc bounce in Irelands GDP in the first quarter. Irish exports are under dire threat from Mr Trumps potential tariff of 50pc on goods imports from the EU. Dublin and other European capitals are now sweating on Brussels negotiations with Washington to avoid this levy hitting the bloc in early July. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, the German central bank warned that if the two sides did not strike a deal, Europes biggest economy would remain mired in recession until 2027. German data issued on Friday showed a 1.4pc drop in factory output in April and a 10.3pc slump in German exports to the US from a month earlier, as pre-tariff, front-end loading of trans-Atlantic shipments came to a halt. The two sides trade negotiators met in Paris this week. Maros Sefcovic, the EU trade commissioner, said afterwards that talks were advancing in the right direction at pace, while Jamieson Greer, the US trade representative, declared himself pleased that negotiations are advancing quickly. They have slightly more than four weeks until the expiry of a 90-day pause on Mr Trumps tariffs on July 9. The president has frequently expressed hostility towards the EU over its trade policies, but was peaceable towards a visiting Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, at a meeting in the Oval Office on Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well end up hopefully with a trade deal, he told reporters. Im OK with the tariffs, or we make a deal with the trade. The US treasurys report on Friday a twice-yearly Monitoring List of major trading partners whose currency practices and macroeconomic policies merit close attention had some advice for both Germany and Ireland. Dublin was urged to focus on boosting activity in its domestic economy, to help Ireland address its over-reliance on export-focused multinational companies. Berlin was told that Germanys unbalanced trade with the US was caused by German businesses and consumers failing to open their wallets and spend their savings. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPMs Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. Stranded In Djibouti It had been two weeks since U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy of Massachusetts ordered the Trump administration to allow the detainees it was trying to ship off to South Sudan to talk to their lawyers and as of Wednesday, the lawyers told the Supreme Court, they had still not heard from the detainees who have been stuck in Djibouti this whole time. Then yesterday the Trump administration filed a perplexing declaration telling Judge Murphy about all the hardships ICE agents are enduring trying to guard the detainees in the harsh conditions of the U.S. base in Djibouti. The WaPo headline captured the administration-centric perspective: ICE officers stuck in Djibouti shipping container with deported migrants. Who is stuck with whom exactly? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The decisions to deport them to South Sudan and to keep them temporarily in Djibouti are entirely the administrations, despite what it has told the Supreme Court. It was the administrations idea in the first place, as an incensed Murphy has pointed out. Hes already called out the Trump DOJ on this for claiming he forced them into this predicament. In the May hearing, the Trump DOJ floated this solution as an alternative to bringing the detainees back to the United States. Murphy took them up on it, but explicitly said the administration could always bring them back stateside. The NYT has new reporting on how all this unfolded. As of yesterday, the detainees legal team had still not heard from them. Judge Orders Expedited Discovery In Cristian Case As the government stonewalls in another of the facilitate cases, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher of Maryland has ordered weekly status reports and expedited discovery into what the Trump administration is doing to retrieve Cristian, the anonymous Venezuelan wrongfully deported under the Alien Enemies Act in violation of an existing settlement agreement. Gallagher also told Cristians lawyers that they are free to seek sanctions on an expedited basis if the Trump administration doesnt engage in discovery in good faith. The case is proceeding in striking parallel alongside another Maryland case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was two months ago when an irate U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered expedited discovery in the Abrego Garcia case. At the time it was a huge deal that portended contempt of court proceedings against the Trump administration for defying her order to facilitate the wrongfully deported Salvadorans return. But that proceeding has dragged on and almost become background noise. Still, this week Xinis granted leave to Abrego Garcias lawyers to file a motion for sanctions for the governments discovery violations. Some of that dispute is under seal, but we know from some public proceedings in the case that the Trump administration has been barely responsive to the discovery Xinis ordered to determine whether she should find government officials in contempt of court. Need More On Boasbergs Big AEA Ruling? I go deeper on the ruling here. Roger Parloff unpacks it here. Doh! ICE agents mistakenly detained a U.S. marshal last month during an immigration sweep at a federal building in Tucson. Shitty People Doing Shitty Things Even amid all the other lousy conduct by the Trump administration in the anti-immigration cases, this case stands out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration has refused to accept a judges proposal that lawyers for Columbia University student Yunseo Chung, a pro-Palestinian protestor who has avoided arrest for months, simply accept service, which would trigger the start of removal proceedings. The government is simply refusing to take yes for an answer, her lawyer quipped. The governments insistence that it will only accept arresting Chung has baffled U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald of the Southern District of New York. Yesterday, she put a stop to it, issuing an injunction prohibiting the government from arresting Chung or transferring her out of jurisdiction of her court. The judge then went further in suggesting what this is all really about, ordering the government to give 72-hours notice before they detain Chung on new trumped-up charges to give her a chance to be heard regarding whether any such asserted basis for detention constitutes a pretext for First Amendment retaliation. Federal Judge Quickly Halts New Trump Attack On Harvard U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs of Boston issued a temporary restraining order against the Department of Homeland Security blocking it from enforcing a ban on international students trying to enroll at Harvard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harvard immediately filed suit over Trumps proclamation on Wednesday, was in court by Thursday, and won the TRO later in the day. Strange Days In Ann Arbor The Guardian: The University of Michigan is using private, undercover investigators to surveil pro-Palestinian campus groups, including trailing them on and off campus, furtively recording them and eavesdropping on their conversations, the Guardian has learned. U.S. Imposes Sanctions On ICC Judges Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave life to President Trumps February executive order targeting the the International Criminal Court by sanctioning four of its judges. The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets of the judges in retaliation for two of the judges voting to authorize an ICC investigation of U.S. military actions in Afghanistan and for the other two authorizing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant. Fox In The Henhouse Alert DNI Tulsi Gabbard has installed one of her top advisers in a position within the office of the inspector general of the intelligence community, which is investigating the Signal group chat fiasco in which Gabbard participated. Struggling To Feel The Schadenfreude The Trump-Musk blowup is dominating political news coverage today, and Id feel remiss not noting it. But Im not sure what to do with it. Both men are so inauthentic and their transactional relationship so contrived, that nothing about the public rupture feels any more real than their bromance did. I cant get any more invested in it than I would a pro wrestling story arc. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I will grant that the performative breakup is emblematic of the current moment both in its inauthenticity and in the Gilded Age histrionics of the billionaire man-child v. billionaire man-child. What DOGE Was Really Up To Adam Bonica continues his trenchant analysis of the DOGE rampage by comparing its layoffs to the budget increases in the House GOPs big bill: We Cannot Build Bananas Fallout Continues For Law Firms That Capitulated The executive director of the Skadden Foundation has resigned after the Skadden law firm struck a deal with President Trump to avoid being targeted with a punitive executive order. My hope is that Skadden charts a path that respects the rule of law and honors the core values of the Skadden Foundation, Kathleen Rudenstein wrote in a post announcing her resignation. Have A Great Weekend! Do you like Morning Memo? Let us know! The Trump administration is finally abiding by a court order and returning the wrongfully deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States, ABC News reports, but in a face-saving maneuver it is criminally charging him for allegedly transporting undocumented migrants. As part of the Trump administrations smear campaign to obscure its error in deporting Abrego Garcia to El Salvador in violation of a immigration judge order, the Department of Homeland Security had trumpeted a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee which yielded no charges against him. ABC News reported last month that the Trump DOJ had begun investigating the traffic stop, including interviewing a convicted felon in an Alabama prison who was the alleged owner of the vehicle Abrego Garcia was driving when he was stopped. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That investigation appears to have yielded a sealed federal two-count indictment (below) of Abrego Garcia last month in Tennessee accusing him of hauling undocumented immigrants. The alleged conspiracy spanned nearly a decade and involved the domestic transport of thousands of non-citizens, including some children, from Mexico and Central America, ABC News reported, citing sources familiar with the investigation. Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador on March 15, the same weekend as the Alien Enemies Act deportations but the Salvadoran was not removed under the act. He was incarcerated initially at CECOT before being transferred to a different detention facility. The Trump administration has repeatedly accused him of being a member of the MS-13 gang, which he has denied and a federal judge has concluded was based on flimsy, unsubstantiated evidence. President Trump went so far as to hold up an obviously photoshopped image the falsely connected the tattoos on Abrego Garcias hands to MS-13. In a dark twist, ABC News report includes this line about the new criminal charges against Abrego Garcia: Among those allegedly transported were members of the Salvadoran gang MS-13, sources familiar with the investigation said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is what American justice looks like, Attorney General Pam Bondi said without irony in televised remarks from Main Justice with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche at her side. Blanche said that El Salvador released Abrego Garcia after the U.S. government presented it with an arrest warrant for him. Late Update: Bondi in her remarks and prosecutors in a motion for pretrial detention (below) highlighted the allegations in the indictment that in addition to transporting undocumented immigrants, Abrego Garcia abused women migrants and trafficked firearms and narcotics. Bondi and the pretrial detention motion also introduced new uncharged allegations of solicitation of child pornography to demonstrate that Abrego Garcia is a threat to the community. They also repeat an allegation that Abrego Garcia, as the motion put it, participated in the murder of a rival gang members mother in El Salvador. In short, the Trump administration in a case that drew international attention for how it screwed up is throwing everything at Abrego Garcia. Of course, it can be true that both the Trump administration and Abrego Garcia engaged in lawless behavior. The fact of one doesnt excuse the other. The underlying issue in the deportation case was about the lack of due process, which Abrego Garcia was entitled to in immigration proceedings and is now entitled to in the criminal proceedings, and which wasnt available in indefinite, uncharged detention in El Salvador. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later Update: The Trump DOJ has now notified U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis of Maryland that Abrego Garcia has been returned. Defendants hereby provide notice that they have complied with the Courts order, and indeed have successfully facilitated Abrego Garcias return, it said in a new filing. The Justice Department said it would move to have the case dismissed and asked for all deadlines to be stayed, seeming to glide right past Judge Xinis ongoing contempt of court inquiry into the governments conduct in the case. The indictment: The motion for pretrial detention: WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump's administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to pause a court order to reinstate Education Department employees who were fired in mass layoffs as part of his plan to dismantle the agency. The Justice Departments emergency appeal to the high court said U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Boston exceeded his authority last month when he issued a preliminary injunction reversing the layoffs of nearly 1,400 people and putting the broader plan on hold. Jouns order has blocked one of the Republican presidents biggest campaign promises and effectively stalled the effort to wind down the department. A federal appeals court refused to put the order on hold while the administration appealed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judge wrote that the layoffs will likely cripple the department. But Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote on Friday that Joun was substituting his policy preferences for those of the Trump administration. The layoffs help put in the place the policy of streamlining the department and eliminating discretionary functions that, in the administrations view, are better left to the states, Sauer wrote. He also pointed out that the Supreme Court in April voted 5-4 to block Joun's earlier order seeking to keep in place Education Department teacher-training grants. The current case involves two consolidated lawsuits that said Trumps plan amounted to an illegal closure of the Education Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One suit was filed by the Somerville and Easthampton school districts in Massachusetts along with the American Federation of Teachers and other education groups. The other suit was filed by a coalition of 21 Democratic attorneys general. The suits argued that layoffs left the department unable to carry out responsibilities required by Congress, including duties to support special education, distribute financial aid and enforce civil rights laws. Education Department employees who were targeted by the layoffs have been on paid leave since March, according to a union that represents some of the agencys staff. Jouns order prevents the department from fully terminating them, but none have been allowed to return to work, according to the American Federation of Government Employees Local 252. Without Jouns order, the workers were scheduled to be terminated Monday. The Education Department said Friday it is actively assessing how to reintegrate the employees. A department email sent Friday asked them to share whether they had gained other employment, saying the request was meant to support a smooth and informed return to duty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has made it a priority to shut down the Education Department, though he has acknowledged that only Congress has the authority to do that. In the meantime, Trump issued a March order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to wind it down to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law. Trump later said the departments functions will be parceled to other agencies, suggesting that federal student loans should be managed by the Small Business Administration and programs involving students with disabilities would be absorbed by the Department of Health and Human Services. Those changes have not yet happened. The president argues that the Education Department has been overtaken by liberals and has failed to spur improvements to the nations lagging academic scores. He has promised to return education to the states. Opponents note that K-12 education is already mostly overseen by states and cities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats have blasted the Trump administrations Education Department budget, which seeks a 15% budget cut including a $4.5 billion cut in K-12 funding as part of the agencys downsizing. ___ Associated Press writer Collin Binkley contributed to this report. ___ Follow the AP's coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court. SAN DIEGO, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) The Trump administration announced a travel ban against a dozen countries on Wednesday and restrictions on seven others, citing national security concerns as a major reason for the restrictions. We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm, President Donald Trump said in a video posted to social media. The proclamation signed Wednesday bans people from the following countries: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Afghanistan Myanmar Chad Republic of Congo Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Haiti Iran Libya Somalia Sudan Yemen It also restricts travel to the United States from these countries: Burundi Cuba Laos Sierra Leone Togo Turkmenistan Venezuela That makes traveling to San Diego potentially more difficult or impossible for visitors from these nations. In order for this ban, this travel restriction to stand up in court, it has to be tied to legitimate reasons, and the president is tying it to issues of national security, said Wendy Patrick, FOX 5 and KUSI legal analyst. This isnt the first time Trump imposed a controversial travel ban. In 2017, during his first term in office, he also restricted travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It cant be tied to demographics that are impermissible such as religion, race, national origin, Patrick said. It has to be tied to an issue for which these powers exist. Advocacy groups like the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans criticize the ban, saying, At a time when immigration enforcement agents are abducting immigrants and tearing families apart, this ban only magnifies the inhumane treatment of people under this administration. Sen. Alex Padilla echoes these concerns, saying in a statement, This senseless, prejudicial policy is an abuse of power that also threatens U.S. citizen relatives from the targeted countries. The administration cites a report from the Department of Homeland Security that tracks the number of visa overstays, singling out nations with the highest overstay rates and countries with what the administration calls a significant terrorist presence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the 21st century, weve seen one terror attack after another carried out by foreign visa overstayers, Trump said. Patrick says that clarity could make upholding the ban in court more successful, but not foolproof. The first ban had a time limit on it 90 days, 120 days. This one doesnt. Its open-ended, and that in and of itself could form the basis for a lawsuit, Patrick said. The San Diego Tourism Authority says its too early to predict the impact, adding, Its worth noting that international visitors comprise a relatively small portion of San Diegos overall tourism economy only about 10 percent of overnight visitors. This gives us more stability than other gateway cities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawyers and citizens from all over the world who are seeking to enter the U.S. are going to try to get clarity and try to get court action between now and the next term, Patrick said. This travel ban is set to take effect on Monday, giving airports time to prepare, but that also leaves plenty of time for lawyers to file lawsuits against the proclamation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. Update: On June 7, the day of the Pride parade, the parks department reopened Dupont Circle hours before Pride began. The National Park Service has closed Dupont Circle Park for the peak weekend of WorldPride in Washington, D.C., fencing off a landmark deeply tied to LGBTQ+ history despite objections from local officials and organizers. The National Park Service and U.S. Park Police barricaded the park Thursday evening. The closure, which extends through Sunday night, includes the central fountain, grassy areas, and sidewalks within the circle but excludes the surrounding streets, according to Washingtons NBC affiliate, WRC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this week, D.C. Councilmembers Brooke Pinto and Zachary Parker announced that the Metropolitan Police Department had withdrawn its request to close the park following backlash from community members. But federal officials proceeded with the shutdown anyway and have not responded to requests for comment. I am extremely disappointed and frustrated that Dupont Circle Park will be closed this weekend despite MPDs commitment to keep folks safe there, Pinto said in a statement to The Advocate. This closure is disheartening to me and so many in our community who wanted to celebrate World Pride at this iconic symbol of our citys historic LGBTQ+ community. I wish I had better news to share. dupont circle washington DC barricades WorldPride 2025 Dupont Circle, Washington DC, June 2025 Alex Cooper for The Advocate According to a June 4 Record of Determination obtained by The Washington Post, the National Park Service said that the closure was necessary to secure the park, deter potential violence, reduce the risk of destructive acts and decrease the need for extensive law enforcement presence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite MPDs reversal, the U.S. Park Police doubled down. In a memo to NPS Superintendent Kevin Greiss, USPP Commander Major Frank Hilsher wrote that the threat of violence, criminal acts, and NPS resource destruction has only increased since MPDs original April 22, 2025, park closure request. He referenced a local DJ advertising an unpermitted party at Dupont Circle and said, Less restrictive measures will not suffice. The Capital Pride Alliance, which is organizing WorldPride events, told The Advocate it was not consulted about the decision. This beloved landmark is central to the community that WorldPride intends to celebrate and honor, the group said in a statement. Its much more than a park for generations, its been a gathering place for D.C.s LGBTQ+ community, hosting First Amendment assemblies and memorial services for those we lost to the AIDS epidemic and following tragic events like the Pulse nightclub shooting.This sudden move was made overnight without consultation with the Capital Pride Alliance or other local officials, the statement continued. No official WorldPride activities have been planned in Dupont Circle this weekend; thus, no events will be impacted. While MPD had initially requested the closure, Chief Pamela Smith rescinded that request in a formal letter sent Tuesday. When asked for comment Friday, MPD spokesperson Tom Lynch told The Advocate, We have nothing to share beyond the letter rescinding the request, which we shared on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser did not respond to The Advocates questions, but a spokesperson pointed to an appearance she made on local radio Friday in which she discussed the fencing. She said the closure represented a breakdown in coordination between federal and local authorities. I think I put this in the category of an unfortunate error, Bowser told The Politics Hour With Kojo Nnamdi on WAMU. We had a communication with the Park Service and it looks like at this stage, theyre going to proceed with the closure, though we continue talks. Pressed on whether the decision originated at the White House or with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Bowser said, I cant say that with any clarity. I do know, unfortunately, the public safety issue rose to the top over the cultural celebration. She added, We dont control the NPS, though we will continue to try to lean on them for a different decision. dupont circle LGBTQIA pride celebration washington DC 17th street NW June 2017 LGBTQ+ pride celebration, Dupont Circle neighborhood, Washington DC, June 2017 Joao Kermadec/Shutterstock Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Park Service has cited past incidents (none of which were linked to Capital Pride Alliance events), including $175,000 in damage to the fountain during Pride 2023, as well as a recent executive order from President Donald Trump instructing federal agencies to protect national monuments and public spaces. But LGBTQ+ advocates say the move appears politically motivated. The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund filed Freedom of Information Act requests this week seeking communications and records from the Department of the Interior, the MPD, and the D.C. Mayors Office. In a statement Tuesday, Executive Director Mara Verheyden-Hilliard called the decision a dangerous step and outside the legitimate authority of the Park Service. Staff attorney Sarah Taitz said, The LGBTQ+ community and general public deserve to know how and why the decision to shut Pride out of Dupont Circle was made, and how and why that decision was reversed. Though no official events were scheduled at the park, many saw its closure as symbolic a federal message during a global celebration of queer life. World Pride will continue this weekend, Pinto said, and it will be a time of celebration and commitment to uplift our LGBTQ+ neighbors. Editor's note: This story has been updated with remarks from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Health care attorney Dennis Hursh discusses his article, What independent and locum tenens doctors need to know about fair market value. Dennis explains why understanding fair market value (FMV) is crucial for independent and locum tenens physicians, not only for securing appropriate payment but also for ensuring compliance with federal laws like the Stark Law. He breaks down the Stark Laws definition of FMV as compensation arising from bona fide bargaining between well-informed parties not in a position to generate business for each other, and introduces the vital concept of commercial reasonablenessmeaning an arrangement should make sense for the parties goals, even if not directly profitable for the hospital regarding that specific physicians services. Dennis provides a practical method for locum physicians to estimate their minimum acceptable rate by calculating the total hourly cost of an equivalent employed physician, factoring in salary, benefits (typically 20 to 30 percent of compensation), paid time off, and amortized bonuses, offering a family medicine physician example where this cost exceeds $216 per hour. He advises locums to consider situational factors like a hospitals urgent need or difficulty in recruitment as leverage, and to proactively research and ask insightful questions to ensure their contributions are properly valued. Our presenting sponsor is Microsoft Dragon Copilot. Want to streamline your clinical documentation and take advantage of customizations that put you in control? What about the ability to surface information right at the point of care or automate tasks with just a click? Now, you can. Microsoft Dragon Copilot, your AI assistant for clinical workflow, is transforming how clinicians work. Offering an extensible AI workspace and a single, integrated platform, Dragon Copilot can help you unlock new levels of efficiency. Plus, its backed by a proven track record and decades of clinical expertise and its part of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcareand its built on a foundation of trust. Ease your administrative burdens and stay focused on what matters most with Dragon Copilot, your AI assistant for clinical workflow. VISIT SPONSOR https://aka.ms/kevinmd SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended Transcript Kevin Pho: Hi, and welcome to the show. Subscribe at KevinMD.com/podcast. Today we welcome back Dennis Hursh. He is a health care attorney who regularly appears on the show to talk about all things contractual. His latest article is What independent and locum tenens doctors need to know about fair market value. Kevin Pho: Dennis, welcome back to the show. Dennis Hursh: Hi, Kevin. Thanks. Its great to be here. ADVERTISEMENT Kevin Pho: All right, so whats your latest article about? Dennis Hursh: Its an issue that Ive seen a lot of physicians struggling with: What exactly is a locum tenens physician worth? Its fairly easy if youre employed. We have MGMA, we have other benchmarks, and its pretty easy to look it up and just see what a salary for an employed physician in any given specialty is. Locum tenens, though, dont have that. A lot of times I see its just kind of a wild west of tough negotiations, and so my article is about different ways that you could look to see what a locum tenens is worth. Kevin Pho: Im sure every physician is familiar with getting text messages and emails from locum tenens recruiters, and its really just kind of an arbitrary number that theyre given, an X amount of dollars per hour. And youre right, theres no way to really judge whether thats a fair offer or not. So talk about your article in terms of what goes into the thinking about determining whether some of these locum tenens offers are fair or not. Dennis Hursh: Well, I think you have to look at what youre making. I was actually at a conference for locum tenens physicians, and one of the physicians inadvertently got included in a chain from the locum tenens company, and the company was making seven times what they had offered the physician. It was obviously a very desperate hospital that was willing to pay a huge amount of money, and the locum tenens company just said, Hey, this is what were paying. And shockingly, the money wasnt that far below what the physician had seen in other instances. So theres a huge amount of money being made by locum tenens companies, and thats fine. A few bucks for their services is fine, but they should not be getting seven times what the physician is getting. So I think there are a couple of ways of looking at it. Something that usually, when you tell physicians Stark Law, what they hear is that the Stark Law is something that allows a hospital to not pay physicians well. But actually, the Stark Law is kind of helpful in this instance because the Stark Law says two things: It has to be what two well-informed parties would negotiate without considering the value of the referrals. And of course, the problem is locum tenens physicians usually are not well-informed. So youve got an information deficit on one side of the negotiation. But the other thing is that the Stark Law also talks about something being commercially reasonable. And commercial reasonableness is very helpful because it makes it clear in the regulations that a deal does not have to be profitable to be commercially reasonable. And that makes sense. If a hospital has to observe EMTALA, has to be able to deliver babies, obviously they need to have an OB-GYN there. Maybe that OB-GYN wont even see any patients that night; you still have to have them there. So you cant argue, a hospital cant say, Well, we have a low census, so youre not going to be doing that much, so were not collecting that much. And theyll always play the Stark card. So of course, since were not collecting that much, we cant pay you. So the hospital desperation, I think, factors into it, but I think its fairly easy to come up with a bottom line. And for me, thats just to look at what an employed physician would cost that hospital. I did an example in the article of what a family medicine physician without OB would make, just using national benchmarks. I described it in the article, but to sum up, you take their salary, you look at how much PTO they havethere are 2080 hours of work in a yearyou take out their PTO, and then you divide that number by the salary, and you come up with an hourly rate. You also have to figure that benefits are 25 to 30 percent of the cost of an employed physician. So you gross it up by that much. And then I think its also fair to say an employed physician will get a signing bonus and relocation allowance, so you can add those amounts. Again, a lot of times theyre amortized so, to be fair, say take half that amount and add it up. You do the math, and you come up to a figure of a little over $216 an hour for a family medicine physician. I think its important because thats way over what a family medicine physicianmedian total compensation is a little under $300,000. If you take that $216 by 2080, you see its a lot more than an employed physician makes, and I think that trips up a lot of physicians. Theyre saying, Oh, at that rate, I would make this much per year, but its not what you would make; its what the hospital would pay, which is a very different number. Kevin Pho: Now, all this information, how readily available is it so physicians who receive these locum tenens offers can make those calculations? Dennis Hursh: Well, its something I do based on MGMA data. But as you say, all you have to do is look at your inbox. Youre probably getting these numbers constantly, whether you want them or not. Im sure youre getting plenty of recruiting. Even if youve been able to opt out of all those recruiting emails, I think you can still just go onto any job board and get some sense of what theyre paying. And again, youre going to see what the signing bonus is and so on, and you can just kind of back into what an hourly rate is, again, assuming 25 to 30 percent overhead for expenses. Kevin Pho: Now, realistically, how much can one negotiate with a locum tenens offer when it comes to that hourly rate? Dennis Hursh: Its going to depend. If youre in a fairly well-represented specialty and if theres an opening in Manhattan, probably not very much at all. If you dont want to be there, there are plenty of other people that do want to be there. But a lot of these offers arent for Manhattan. If its in northern Michigan, physicians are paid extraordinarily well up there, and its not because the northern Michigan hospitals are such wonderful people; its just that you cant find that many physicians that want to spend five months out of the year on snowshoes. So, its going to very much be dependent. If its a place where a lot of people want to be, like Manhattan or San Diego, theres probably not much flexibility there. But for most of the country, there is a lot of flexibility. Kevin Pho: So, other than the hourly rate, what are some other factors that physicians need to consider when evaluating locum tenens offers? Dennis Hursh: I think you have to look at what expenses they pay. A good locum tenens agreement will cover housing. Itll cover things like car rental, and you have to look at the details like that. Ive seen some that say, Youre working Monday through Friday, so well cover a rental car from Monday through Friday. Well, the problem isand well cover hotel Monday through Fridaythe problem is youre probably going to fly in Sunday. Youre going to need to get your car Sunday. If you work Friday, are you going to then jump in your car, drive to the airport, return the car, and fly home? The answer is probably no. Youre probably going to need sleep. So youre probably going to need the rental car and hotel for a little bit of overlap over your time period. So, those are the things. But the thing that I see physicians mostly getting, I think, unfairly taken advantage of is the actual rate theyre being paid. Kevin Pho: And in terms of these contracts from locum tenens companies, again, I know that youre speaking from a specific lens. Do you recommend having an attorney review these locum tenens contracts before signing anything? Dennis Hursh: Yes, I do. And again, yes, thats what I do, so obviously I recommend it. But as I said, it was an eye-opener for me. I knew locum tenens companies made a lot of money, but the idea that if you find a hospital desperate enough, you can get seven times what a physician is being paidthat was a real eye-opener for me. Kevin Pho: So can you tell us a successful case study where you negotiated, or youve heard of a negotiation where a physician meaningfully moved that initial hourly rate offer up because of some of the things that were talking about? What would be a successful case study of that? Dennis Hursh: Well, yes, I have had some where they just came in and said, Hey, take a look at this. And I said, well, I have a product that I do, but where I just said, Look, for a physician in your specialty employed by a hospital at this location, this is what the hospital would be paying. And we didnt get a lot over that, but that was significantly more than the initial offer. And I know that in other instances, Ive heard of people being able to double the initial offer. And again, you have to look at how desperate the hospital is for it. I think its smart to ask some questions: Are you having any trouble recruiting? Its one thing if they say one of our physicians got pregnant and another became disabled or something like that. But if theyve been recruiting for this position for three years, theyre pretty desperate. And also, it might not be heaven on earth to work there. It could be, Yes, were continually bringing in physicians, but were churning them out pretty quickly too. Well, that tells you its not a great place to work. So if youre going to go in there for some period of time, you should get a premium for putting up with that. Kevin Pho: So for a physician whos negotiating with the hospital and perhaps using the locum tenens company as an intermediary, what are some ways that they can push that argument to budge on that initial hourly rate offer? Dennis Hursh: Well, I think you have to realize the locum tenens company is making money. At this point, theyve got a physician, they obviously have the position to fill, and now theyve got a physician ready to fill it. So usually, they should be willing to cut their margin a little bit. Its one thing if I know that Im going to make, I dont know, 20 percent off this placement. I might be willing to go to 18 percent or even 10 percent, knowing that if you say, No, thats just too little for me to work, now I have to go out and start recruiting again. And the hospital may very well have put a deadline on the locum tenens company: We want somebody by this date. So theyre under some pressure too, and again, theyre making a lot of money on this. At this point, its easy money. Theyve done the work to find the position; theyve done the work to find the physician to fill that position. At this point, they may be able to cut back their profit margin a little bit. Kevin Pho: So other than simply just accepting the initial monetary offer at face value, what other big mistakes do you see physicians make when dealing with locum tenens offers? Dennis Hursh: Well, locum tenens companies are nice. They certainly make it easy for you. You can sit and just open your email. But I know a lot of physicians now are doing direct contracting; theyre cutting out the middleman. So you could consider, I really want to go to this place, whereverArkansas. Just start looking at job boards. And if a hospital in Arkansas wants to hire a physician in your specialty, they may be amenable to doing a locum tenens deal with you. And again, they probably can give you a pretty reasonable rate. Youre still probably going to be way under what a locum tenens company would cost them. So if you can do direct negotiations I dont know how, I guess itsI know what some physicians do, and Im not sure Ive heard that its completely ethical, but its certainly not illegal: Theyll get approached by a locum tenens company and theyll try and get as much information as they can. Oh, you say its in Arkansas? Where is that? Little Rock? Oh, Little Rock. Well, tell me a little bit about the hospital. And once they do that, they can easily search, figure out what hospital it probably is, and then directly contact the CMO there and say, Hey, I hear youre looking for somebody in my specialty. Lets talk. And again, your rate is probably going to be way less than the locum tenens companys, even if youre making a very good rate. Kevin Pho: Were talking to Dennis Hursh; hes a health care attorney. Todays KevinMD article is What independent and locum tenens doctors need to know about fair market value. Dennis, as always, to end: What take-home messages do you want to leave with the KevinMD audience? Dennis Hursh: Yes, dont undersell yourself. Physicians are notorious for this and for not knowing what youre really worth. Dont let Stark scare you; Stark is actually helpful in this instance. And just negotiate for what youre worth, and that may be a lot more than what an employed physician might be getting. Kevin Pho: Dennis, as always, thank you so much for sharing your perspective and insight, and thanks again for coming back on the show. Dennis Hursh: It was my pleasure. The Trump administration will pay a $4.975 million settlement in the lawsuit over the wrongful death of Ashli Babbitt, who was killed by a U.S. Capitol Police officer after storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Babbitt a 35-year-old from California and veteran of the Air Force who went to Washington for President Donald Trumps rally was among an early group of rioters that reached the doors of the Speakers Lobby, adjacent to the House chamber, while lawmakers were still evacuating. Details of the settlement were released by Judicial Watch, a pro-Trump advocacy group that represented her estate and family members in the lawsuit. The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to request to comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The settlement is likely to inflame tensions on Capitol Hill over the riot. Outgoing Capitol Police chief Thomas Manger blasted the reported settlement last month, saying it sends a chilling message to law enforcement nationwide, especially to those with a protective mission like ours. As members of the mob standing near Babbitt pounded on the doors and cracked glass window panes, outnumbered police officers stepped aside and ceded the hallway to the rioters. Moments later, Babbitt is seen on video attempting to enter the lobby through a shattered window. Thats when Capitol Police officer Michael Byrd fired the fatal shot. Byrd was investigated and cleared by local and federal authorities. Babbitt was the only rioter killed by police, but several others died either during or in the hours immediately after the protest. Over 100 Capitol Police officers were injured during the protest. The lawsuit was filed in California by Babbitts family in 2024, claiming wrongful death, assault and battery, as well as negligence claims. The lawsuit was set to go to trial in 2026, but both parties agreed to the settlement. A joint filing Friday from government attorneys and Babbitts acknowledged that a settlement was reached, but did not disclose details. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This fair settlement is a historic and necessary step for justice for Ashli Babbitts family. Ashli should never have been killed, and this settlement destroys the evil, partisan narrative that justified her outrageous killing and protected her killer, said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton in a press release on the settlement. Trump has repeatedly praised Babbitt, portraying her as an innocent patriot and decrying her death at the hands of Capitol police. Its part of the Trump administrations efforts to repaint the protest on Jan. 6 as a day of patriotism and freedom of expression, rather than an unprecedented insurrection widely denounced in 2021 by Republicans and Democrats. Trump issued sweeping pardons for nearly all of those charged or under investigation for their actions on Jan. 6, including over 300 charged with assaulting the police. Numerous Jan. 6 rioters have been arrested on unrelated charges since. Kyle Cheney contributed to this report. Departments and agencies across the federal government are scrambling to fill crucial roles left vacant over the Department of Government Efficiencys mass firings and deferred resignation offers. For months, DOGE has demanded departments and agencies dramatically downsize as part of efforts to cut government spending. Some employees have been incentivized to leave with early retirement offers or buyouts. Others, such as probationary employees, have been dismissed. But now, those same departments and agencies have been left understaffed and are struggling to get workers back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Between experienced employees who took early retirement offers, those who found jobs in the private sector, and those uninterested in returning to a chaotic environment, the government is having trouble filling roles. The Food and Drug Administration, which has let go of at least 3,500 employees since April, rescinded the reduction-in-force notification three weeks after initially sending it. Departments are rescinding reduction-in-force offers as some agencies struggle to maintain enough staff to keep going. (Getty) One FDA employee told the Washington Post they only agreed to return because they hadnt found a new job yet. Being back feels like a funeral, the employee said. Morale is terrible. Everyone is stressed and feels the absence of our colleagues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The employee said they plan to find a new job. The FDA also appears to be hiring at least 17 new permanent roles, according to USAJobs. Postings show multiple openings for investigators, physicians, and regulatory specialists. Within the FDA, the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research has sent desperate emails asking for timekeeper volunteers people who handle necessary administrative tasks such as pay, leave, and travel. The chaotic firings and rehiring are occurring in agencies across the government. IRS probationary workers who were fired for performance related reasons were told to show up to the office in May, according to The Washington Post. Elon Musk led DOGE as it sought to find waste, fraud, and abuse within the federal government much of which consisted of mass firings. (AFP/Getty) In February, the National Nuclear Safety Administration had to recall termination emails sent to at least 50 employees overseeing the nations nuclear stockpile. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The swath of USAID employees who were among the first to be targeted by President Donald Trump and Elon Musks workforce cuts have recently been offered roles within the State Department. At the Community Planning and Development agency, within the Department of Housing and Urban Development, at least 370 employees, or 40 percent of staff, have left since the start of Trumps term, a staffer told the Washington Post. Some field offices have been left so understaffed, HUD offered reassignment offers to remaining employees. Despite some lawmakers' warning, the administration made cuts to the National Weather Service that left a field office in Kentucky short-staffed amid severe weather that included deadly tornadoes. While the office managed to keep up with scheduling changes, the NWS was recently permitted a workaround to the federal hiring freeze and can now hire more staff. As Elon Musk and Donald Trump's bromance experiences a rapid but totally predictable disassembly, Musk's archnemesis Steve Bannon is calling on the president to investigate the world's richest man's dubious immigration history. "They should initiate a formal investigation of his immigration status, because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately," Bannon told the New York Times on Thursday. He also declared that Musk should be investigated for his alleged drug habit. Bannon was a former chief strategist to Trump. He no longer holds the role in an official capacity, but remains an informal adviser and an influential voice on the American far right. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk and Trump traded blows on their respective personal social media playgrounds this week, not long after Musk suddenly announced that his time as a "special government employee" was over. Once out of the White House, it didn't take long for things to escalate from Musk blasting the president's newly proposed spending bill, to Trump threatening to cancel Elon's billions of dollars worth of government contracts, to Musk clapping back by saying he'd cut off NASA's invaluable access to his spacecraft. Musk also really went off the rails by shouting from the rooftops of X that Trump is in the unreleased Epstein files, and then agreeing that the president should be impeached. We can only imagine the pure schadenfreude bliss that Bannon must be experiencing right now. He's made no secret of his contempt for Musk, who he's previously called a "toddler," and "not tough enough," and a "parasitic illegal alien." Some of that is probably his jealousy speaking: Musk had replaced Bannon as the president's golden boy, a role he lost when Trump kicked Bannon kicked to the curb for stealing the limelight during his first term in office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bannon, an alleged white supremacist, has always been skeptical of Musk's sudden realignment with the MAGA movement, and has constantly chided the Silicon-Valley-liberal turned Texas-based-technocrat for not being conservative or racist enough. So you can bet he's making the most of Musk's downfall, capitalizing on his dubious personal immigration history. Despite his constant slandering of immigrants, the South Africa-born businessman was likely at one point an "illegal" immigrant too, overstaying on a student visa even though he'd dropped out of school to work on his startup. His brother, Kimbal, has admitted to both of them working illegally. Bannon, on top of calling for Musk's deportation, has recommended nationalizing Musk's businesses, too. "President Trump tonight should sign an executive order calling for the Defense Production Act to be called and seize SpaceX tonight before midnight," Bannon said Thursday on an episode of his War Room podcast, as quoted by the Daily Beast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But he faces a fearsome keyboard warrior in Musk, who retaliated in a slur-bedazzled tweet: "Bannon is peak r*tard." Then he doubled down, clarifying that Bannon was, in fact, a "communist r*tard." There's clearly no love being lost between the two. Trump, for his part, is doing his best Don Draper impression. "Im not even thinking about Elon. Hes got a problem. The poor guys got a problem," he said Friday, per CNN. More on Elon Musk: Elon Musk Declares That He's "Immediately" Cutting Off NASA's Access to Space Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon is urging the president to nationalize Elon Musk's SpaceX and deport the billionaire. Bannon, a far-right white nationalist commentator who served as Trump's chief strategist during his first term, insisted that Trump should sign an executive order invoking a Korean War-era national security mobilization law called the Defense Production Act to assume control over Musk's space firm, as well as its Starlink satellite constellation. "The US government should seize it," Bannon said on his podcast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The news comes after Musk escalated his highly public flame war with president Donald Trump on Thursday, vowing that "SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately," a move that would've effectively cut off NASA's access to space. However, mere hours later, Musk reversed course, agreeing to "cool off." While it seems quite unlikely that Trump would actually go for Bannon's outrageous plan, the reality TV star's infamous unpredictability and willingness to throw his allies under the bus leaves practically any eventuality open. Bannon has experienced those traits firsthand, getting the boot after just a few months in Trump's first White House much like Musk. Still, he's a loyalist who's kept Trump's ear: he spent four months in prison last year after being found in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena related to the January 6 insurrection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While fulminating in a cell, the far-right commentator clearly built up plenty of resentment, watching Musk cozy up to Trump, who once pardoned him for defrauding investors of Trump's border wall but has kept him at a moderate arm's length since kicking him out of the White House. In January, he swore that he would "take down" Musk. "I will have Elon Musk run out of here by Inauguration Day," Bannon said at the time. "He is a truly evil guy, a very bad guy. I made it my personal thing to take this guy down." "He should go back to South Africa," Bannon, who has advised Trump to implement sweeping and incredibly racist visa and refugee bans, added. "Why do we have South Africans, the most racist people on Earth, white South Africans, we have them making any comments at all on what goes on in the United States?" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But now that Musk and Trump have had a massive falling out, Bannon is seeing a golden opportunity to get back in the good graces of the president. "The president treated him almost like a son," Bannon told Politico on Thursday. "He invited his family to Christmas dinner. He let him sleep over. He let him walk in and out of meetings." "The president went to the max informality to welcome this guy," he said. Bannon made his personal displeasure with Musk's presence in the White House very clear. "Were going to go to f*cking war, and Im going to rip your f*cking face off," he told Politico. Bannon added that he's hoping White House trade advisor Peter Navarro, the architect of Trump's disastrous tariff war, will use the Defense Production Act to "seize both SpaceX and Starlink and put them under government management until that time that all investigations into Musk are complete." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It goes without saying that Musk wouldn't sit idly by if Trump were to take Bannon's suggestion to heart. The billionaire founded SpaceX 23 years ago, and oversaw the development of its workhorse Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets, pioneering reusable rocket propulsion and human spaceflight. Case in point, Musk fired back with a fusillade of tweets attacking Bannon with wildly derogatory language about the mentally disabled. More on the spat: Elon Musk Declares That He's "Immediately" Cutting Off NASA's Access to Space The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to give the go-ahead to carry out a plan to fire almost 40 percent of the Education Departments workforce. In an emergency appeal filed Friday morning, Solicitor General John Sauer asked the high court to lift a preliminary injunction a federal judge in Boston issued last month after determining that such sweeping staffing cuts would cripple the agencys ability to carry out functions assigned to it by Congress. While Trump has vowed to eliminate the Education Department, Sauer insisted that the proposed, wide-ranging reductions in force target inefficiency and are not an attempt to kneecap the agency as the president advocates for its demise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sauer said Boston-based U.S. District Judge Myong Jouns order was part of a pattern of federal judges overstepping their proper role and second-guessing executive branch decisions. The Constitution does not empower district courts to presume that all 1,400 employees must be reinstated to their previous jobs and functions based on anecdotal speculation about impairment of some of the Departments services, Sauer wrote, adding: The Department remains committed to implementing its statutorily mandated functions. Joun issued the injunction May 22 in connection with lawsuits brought by Democratic-led states, the Somerville, Massachusetts, public school system and several labor unions. Noting that Trump has repeatedly vowed to shutter the Education Department immediately, the Biden appointee concluded that the layoffs amounted to an attempt to shut down the Department without Congressional approval. The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals refused to block Jouns order, although the administrations appeal remains pending. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In April, the Supreme Court stepped in at the administrations request to block an order Joun issued in a separate lawsuit involving the Education Department. That directive required the agency to keep funding certain teaching-related grants that Trump appointees had sought to terminate. Four of the high courts nine justices dissented from the stay blocking Jouns order in that case. In an emergency appeal already pending at the Supreme Court, the Trump administration is trying to lift a block a federal judge in San Francisco issued on tens of thousands of layoffs at all major federal agencies except for the Education Department. By John Kruzel WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Donald Trump's administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to permit it to proceed with dismantling the Department of Education, a move that would leave school policy in the United States almost entirely in the hands of states and local boards. The Justice Department asked the court to halt Boston-based U.S. District Judge Myong Joun's May 22 ruling that ordered the administration reinstate employees terminated in a mass layoff and end further actions to shutter the department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Justice Department said the lower court lacked jurisdiction to "second-guess the Executives internal management decisions," referring to the federal government's executive branch. "The government has been crystal clear in acknowledging that only Congress can eliminate the Department of Education. And the government has acknowledged the need to retain sufficient staff to continue fulfilling statutorily mandated functions and has kept the personnel that, in its judgment, are necessary for those tasks. The challenged (reduction in force) is fully consistent with that approach," the filing said. The department, created by a U.S. law passed by Congress in 1979, oversees about 100,000 public and 34,000 private schools in the United States, though more than 85% of public school funding comes from state and local governments. It provides federal grants for needy schools and programs, including money to pay teachers of children with special needs, fund arts programs and replace outdated infrastructure. It also oversees the $1.6 trillion in student loans held by tens of millions of Americans who cannot afford to pay for college outright. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump's move to dismantle the department is part of the Republican president's campaign to downsize and reshape the federal government. Closing the department long has been a goal of many U.S. conservatives. Attorneys general from 20 states and the District of Columbia, as well as school districts and unions representing teachers, sued to block the Trump administration's efforts to gut the department. The states argued that the massive job cuts will render the agency unable to perform core functions authorized by statute, including in the civil rights arena, effectively usurping Congress's authority in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Trump on March 20 signed an executive order intended to effectively shut down the department, making good on a longstanding campaign promise to conservatives to move education policy almost completely to states and local boards. At a White House ceremony surrounded by children and educators, Trump called the order a first step "to eliminate" the department. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced plans on March 11 to carry out a mass termination of employees. Those layoffs would leave the department with 2,183 workers, down from 4,133 when Trump took office in January. The department said in a press release those terminations were part of its "final mission." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump on March 21 announced plans to transfer the department's student loan portfolio to the Small Business Administration and its special education, nutrition and related services to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which also is facing deep job cuts. Joun in his ruling ordered the administration to reinstate the laid off workers and halt implementation of Trump's directive to transfer student loans and special needs programs to other federal agencies. The judge rejected the argument put forth by Justice Department lawyers that the mass terminations were aimed at making the department more efficient while fulfilling its mission. In fact, Joun ruled, the job cuts were an effort to shut down the department without the necessary approval of Congress. "This court cannot be asked to cover its eyes while the department's employees are continuously fired and units are transferred out until the department becomes a shell of itself," the judge wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement White House spokesperson Harrison Fields called the judge's ruling "misguided." The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on June 4 rejected the Trump administration's request to pause the injunction issued by Joun. (Reporting by John Kruzel;) Donald Trump is directing agencies to see where they can slash federal funding to the state of California, in a move that could start as soon as Friday, according to CNN. While the Trump administration is eyeing wider cuts, two sources told the outlet that the government was specifically targeting grants to schools in the University of California and California State University systems over alleged antisemitism on campus, the same rationale used to withhold federal funds from Harvard University and Columbia University. A White House official told CNN Friday afternoon that no formal decision had been made with regard to funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California Governor Gavin Newsom responded to CNNs report in a post on X, with a threat of his own. Californians pay the bills for the federal government. We pay over $80 BILLION more in taxes than we get back. Maybe its time to cut that off, @realDonaldTrump, wrote Newsom, whose state generates the highest tax revenue of any state in the country. In March, the Trump administration announced it was canceling $400 million in grants to Columbia, and in April said the government would withhold $2.2 billion in grants to Harvard. Trumps crackdown at these universities has been part of a larger campaign to shutter pro-Palestinian speech on campuses. Last year at UCLA, a mob of celebrity-backed pro-Israel counter protesters attacked a pro-Palestinian encampment, calling for a Second Nabka, while police officers cowered in a nearby building. Meanwhile, Jewish students and a Jewish professor have filed a lawsuit against the university, claiming that the school allowed the pro-Palestinian protesters to prevent them from reaching certain parts of campus. This is the latest escalation in Trumps ongoing efforts to kneecap the blue state. The Trump administration previously blocked California from accessing millions in FEMA grant money, which is particularly troubling as wildfire season begins in June. Late last month, Trump threatened to withhold federal funding to California over a transgender athletes planned participation in a track and field event, which the president claimed violated his February executive order banning transgender women from competing in womens sports. President Trump can bar the Associated Press from the Oval Office and other spaces he wishes to deny access to at least for the time being a federal appeals court ruled on Friday, overturning a lower courts decision. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled 2-1 in the presidents favor in his ongoing legal battle with the AP. The outlet has claimed President Trumps push to restrict its access violates its First Amendment rights, which the lower court agreed with in April; the appeals court on Friday overturned that decision. We grant in part the governments motion for a stay pending appeal, Judge Gregory Katsas and Judge Neomi Rao wrote in their decision. The White House is likely to succeed on the merits because these restricted presidential spaces are not First Amendment fora opened for private speech and discussion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judges added the Trump Administration retains discretion to determine, including on the basis of viewpoint, which outlets and reporters are admitted to the White House. Moreover, without a stay, the government will suffer irreparable harm because the injunction impinges on the presidents independence and control over this private workspaces, the judges added. Fridays ruling is the latest turn in the Trump-AP feud, which starteed over the outlets refusal to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, after the president signed an executive order renaming the gulf on government documents. The AP has argued the Trump Administrations decision will chip away at the Constitutional rights of the outlet and all Americans if it holds and has sued several members of the Trump Administration to overturn the decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In April, D.C. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden sided with the AP, granting its request for an injunction against its restricted access; McFadden said the Trump Administration must immediately rescind the denial of APs access. The Court simply holds that under the First Amendment, if the Government opens its doors to some journalists be it to the Oval Office, the East Room or elsewhere it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints, McFadden said in his ruling. The Constitution requires no less. The Trump Administration, in response, took control of the White House press pool a move the AP said was an attempt to circumvent the district courts ruling. Following the latest decision on Friday evening, a spokesperson for the AP told TheWrap we are disappointed in the courts decision and are reviewing our options. The post Trump Can Ban AP From Oval Office and White House Events, Appeals Court Rules appeared first on TheWrap. By Jack Queen and Mike Scarcella (Reuters) -President Donald Trump is free to bar the Associated Press from some White House media events for now, after a U.S. appeals court on Friday paused a lower court ruling mandating that AP journalists be given access. The divided ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit temporarily blocks an order by U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, who ruled on April 8 that the Trump administration must allow AP journalists access to the Oval Office, Air Force One and White House events while the news agency's lawsuit moves forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 2-1 ruling was written by U.S. Circuit Judge Neomi Rao, joined by fellow Trump appointee U.S. Circuit Judge Gregory Katsas. Rao wrote that the lower court injunction "impinges on the Presidents independence and control over his private workspaces" and that the White House was likely to ultimately defeat the Associated Press' lawsuit. The Associated Press in a statement said it was disappointed by the decision and weighing its options. Trump in a statement on his social media platform Truth Social called the D.C. Circuit order a "Big WIN over AP today." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in a statement on X said the Associated Press "is not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in other sensitive locations." She said the White House "will continue to expand access to new media." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a dissent, Circuit Judge Cornelia Pillard, an appointee of President Barack Obama, said her two colleagues' ruling cannot be squared with "any sensible understanding of the role of a free press in our constitutional democracy." The AP sued in February after the White House restricted the news outlets access over its decision to continue referring to the Gulf of Mexico in its coverage despite Trump renaming the body of water the Gulf of America. The AP's lawyers argued the new policy violated the First Amendment of the Constitution, which protects free speech rights. McFadden, who was appointed by Trump during his first term, said in his ruling that if the White House opens its doors to some journalists it cannot exclude others based on their viewpoints. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump administration lawyers said the president has absolute discretion over media access to the White House and that McFaddens ruling infringed on his ability to decide whom to admit to sensitive spaces. The Constitution does not prohibit the President from considering a journalists prior coverage in evaluating how much access he will grant that journalist, lawyers for the administration said in a court filing. On April 16, the AP accused the Trump administration of defying the court order by continuing to exclude its journalists from some events and then limiting access to Trump for all news wires, including Reuters and Bloomberg. Reuters and the AP both issued statements denouncing the new policy, which puts wire services in a larger rotation with about 30 other newspaper and print outlets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other media customers, including local news organizations that have no presence in Washington, rely on the wire services' real-time reports of presidential statements as do global financial markets. The AP says in its stylebook that the Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years and, as a global news agency, the AP will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen. (Reporting by Jack Queen in New York and Mike Scarcella in Washington; Editing by Amy Stevens, Bill Berkrot, David Gregorio and Diane Craft) Part of the massive domestic policy bill currently moving through Congress known as the Big Beautiful Bill, includes an unprecedented $5 billion national school voucher program. Republicans have long advocated for so-called school choice, but critics have labeled the initiative a tax cut for the wealthy. Sending public dollars to private schools has long been the subject of partisan divide and controversy. It has many powerful advocates, most notably former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who served under Trump during his first term. And it has fierce critics, particularly on the left. But congressional Republicans proposal, known as the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), goes beyond any previous efforts, not just by creating the first nationwide program but also by creating an unusual federal tax credit for anyone wanting to donate toward the cause. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Families making up to 300% of area median income would be able to apply for, and receive, scholarships to use toward private school tuition, homeschooling books or tutoring, for example. The money would be given out by third-party scholarship granting organizations (SGOs) certified by the US Treasury and IRS. Donors would be the ones to reap the tax benefits, though. Anyone across the country with or without kids would be able to donate to one of these SGOs as they would to any charity. But unlike donating to a church or food bank, where tax-deductible contributions help lower total taxable income, SGO donations would result in a full tax credit, dollar for dollar, up to the greater of $5,000 or 10% of ones income. For example, $1,000 donated to an SGO would result in $1,000 taken off ones tax bill. Advocates say these incentives would strongly encourage taxpayers to contribute and that the opportunities could change the lives of kids stuck in failing public schools. Former US education secretary Betsy DeVos speaks at Lutheran Northwest High School in Rochester Hills on May 17, 2022. - Annie Barker/USA Today Network/Imagn Images/File We have what might be a once-in-a-generation opportunity this year to capitalize on what has been a real movement at the state level for school choice by creating a pathway to supercharge school choice in every state in our nation through a school choice tax credit, wrote Tommy Schultz, CEO of American Federation for Children, in an email to CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carl Davis, research director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, says the program is generous to say the least. A dollar-for-dollar charitable donation tax credit is unprecedented at the federal level, he told CNN in an email. Furthermore, House Ways and Means committee staff verified to CNN that stocks would be accepted as donations in this proposal. Donors would receive a tax credit for the value of those stocks, without having to pay capital gains taxes that would have been required had the stock been sold instead. This is unbelievable, said Sasha Pudelski, director of advocacy for AASA, The School Superintendents Association. Its weaponizing the tax code to destroy our public schools. But Schultz said, These concerns are not in good faith unless those raising them have also been calling to overhaul 501c3 giving overall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the state level, there are similar existing tax credits for donors contributing to state school voucher programs. An ITEP study showed that for three states providing data, Arizona, Louisiana and Virginia, more than half of all voucher tax credits are flowing to families with annual incomes over $200,000. The House narrowly passed the bill, and it is now in the hands of the Senate, where its future is uncertain. If passed, the ECCA would go into effect after December 31 and would cap annual tax credits to $5 billion, with the option of increasing the cap by 5% each year. The program would sunset at the end of 2029, unless Congress renews it. The Clark family. Their two daughters are part of Daviss County Public Schools in Kentucky. - Courtesy Maria Clark What research shows and doesnt show Families do need more educational choices, said Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE), a nonpartisan research organization affiliated with Arizona State University. Of the various studies on school choice CRPE has done in the last 30 years, Lake said results can be mixed. She said study evidence is weak that vouchers result in better academic achievement for participating students. But Lake said there are more positive outcomes when looking at graduation rates and parent satisfaction when school choice is done right. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lake described the pillars that make school choice most effective, which dont happen overnight: a supply of high-quality schools, incentives and startup funds for great school proposals, a pipeline to develop great educators, and accountability. Folks in the private school world can bristle at the idea of regulation, but in order for families to really take advantage of choice programs, they need to have some kind of information about how the schools are working, she said. And I would argue that if public funds are going to support these schools, theres also a responsibility for some public accountability as well. The Clark daughters. - Courtesy Maria Clark Accountability has become crucial, with recent investigations like one in Florida by WESH-TV, showing that 8,400 students had received reimbursements for theme park tickets through the state-funded vouchers. Critics are quick to point to examples of isolated waste being caught and addressed but are more hesitant to discuss the massive scope of fraud and waste documented and often unaddressed in the public education system or the fact that public schools caught up in this type of waste often just keep getting more taxpayer dollars, Schultz said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As written, the ECCA leaves accountability to the SGOs, who would verify and grant the use of scholarship dollars. SGOs would have to be certified by the US Treasury and IRS and would be subject to independent audit. Parents divided Nothing is ever clean, right? said Bridgette Garcia, a mother of four children who all graduated from St. Genevieve Parish Schools in the Los Angeles area. None of these different tax programs or programs within the government are (on the) up and up. But if somebody can actually benefit, she said she would love to see that happen for families like hers, where she and her husband worked multiple jobs to afford tuition. Garcias youngest child just graduated from St. Genevieve this June. She jokes that with tuition payments all done, her family can finally get a new car after driving the same 2007 Mercury and 2005 Torres for about 20 years. She wanted her children to have a Catholic education, where its ok to say I believe in God and pray at the beginning of the day. She was also concerned about the safety of their local public schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Next years tuition for St. Genevieve high school students is $13,475; elementary school tuition will be $7,550, prices Garcia says she couldnt afford if she didnt have scholarships provided by the school. But parents who are invested in their local public schools see this voucher program as a threat. It is sort of an abandonment of public schools, said Maria Clark, whose two daughters are part of Daviess County Public Schools in Kentucky. Clark, who is on the board for the district foundation, said these vouchers would only exacerbate educational disparities, allowing some students to leave the public system while others may not be able to. Many private schools do not have resources to accommodate special needs students or may require certain testing or grades to be able to enroll. Some public school students, including those who are lower income without transportation, for example - cannot simply switch to a private school if given a voucher. The Garcia family, whose four children all graduated from St. Genevieve Parish Schools in the Los Angeles area. - Courtesy Bridgette Garcia To those who say parents should be granted resources to put their children in better-performing private schools, Clark says, My argument is we can make all of those (good) things happen at public schools, and we should, because we already have money in public schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She worries that public schools will lose per-pupil funding as kids leave, even as parents like her already donate buckets of classroom tissues and pencils at the start of every school year. We have struggled to find bus drivers, Clark said. Last year we had busses doing two runs, and some of those kids would get to school an hour and a half, two hours late. But Schultz, the school choice advocate, said that funneling more dollars into public schools in America does not equal improvement or make public schools the right fit for every kid. Winers and losers The proposed ECCA would allow families making as much as 300% of area median income to receive scholarships. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For Daviess County, that means a family of four making under $195,969 per year could still be eligible to receive scholarships for private school, using the US Census Bureaus estimates for 2019-2023. For Los Angeles County, a four-person household making under $263,280 would still be eligible. In the wealthiest county in the US, Loudoun County, Virginia, a family of four making under $536,121 could be eligible to receive scholarships for their children. The ECCA does not limit how much an SGO can give a family in scholarships. In some Democratic-leaning states like California, voters have already rejected the idea of voucher programs. If a nationwide program were to exist, it would be the first opportunity for parents in states like California to use vouchers to send children to private schools. Darin Brawley, superintendent of Compton Unified, says his district has already seen a 4% annual decline in enrollment as people leave California. - Compton Unified School District The ECCAs donation process also benefits donors. Typically, someone who donates to a food bank or pet rescue would receive no more than 35 cents in tax savings for each dollar donated, according to ITEP. But someone who donates to private voucher groups would receive a full reimbursement for the donation, dollar for dollar. And stock donations could open up a way for wealthy donors to avoid paying capital gains taxes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ITEP estimates the bill would reduce federal tax revenue by $23.2 billion and state income taxes by $459 million over the next 10 years as currently drafted. Theres a danger that politicians will increasingly pick and choose which kinds of donations get the best tax breaks and if your values dont align with theirs, well then youre out of luck, ITEPs Davis wrote to CNN. Public school systems may also lose money, depending on how many students leave the district. Dr. Darin Brawley, superintendent of Compton Unified School District, said his district has already seen a 4% annual decline in enrollment as people leave the state, shrinking his budget by about $8 million per year. From the initial look at our enrollment trends for next year, were already significantly behind, Brawley said. If more students leave, Brawley worries about an 8% decline, which would result in the loss of $21.12 million and therefore layoffs, hiring freezes and bigger class sizes. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Medicine demands precision. However, we overlook one of its most critical variables: physician cognitive load. As a medical student, I see both sides: how deeply patients trust their doctors, and how invisible that mental toll often is. Each day, doctors are pressured to make high-stakes decisions while managing patient care and mental strain. As a field, we track vital signs but fail to measure cognitive fatigue. Burnout is peaking at crisis levels. According to the American Medical Association, over 45 percent of physicians experience burnout, and research increasingly links cognitive fatigue to medical errors. Burnout is not just exhaustion; it is a state where doctors become overwhelmed by tasks they were once able to handle. Studies show physicians experiencing burnout exhibit decreased neurophysiological responses to stimuli: Their ability to process information and react appropriately is impaired. This issue extends far beyond physician well-being; it directly impacts patient safety. Our current approach to physician wellness is reactive, addressing symptoms rather than targeting root causes. It is time for a paradigm shift: Hospitals must integrate cognitive load monitoring to provide real-time, objective data on physician fatigue. The science behind cognitive load Cognitive load refers to the amount of mental effort exerted while using working memory. In high-pressure environments, excessive cognitive load impairs decision-making, slows reaction time, and increases the likelihood of human error. Studies confirm doctors under extreme cognitive strain exhibit diminished diagnostic accuracy and are more prone to risky decision-making. Despite these findings, no standardized tool exists to assess when a physician is operating under unsustainable cognitive load. Medical students and residents face an especially high risk due to training in chaotic hospital environments, making it harder to manage overload. Research suggests individuals who develop stronger metacognitive skills, such as the ability to regulate their own thinking, can manage cognitive load more effectively. However, only a few programs teach physicians how to do this. A data-driven solution Hospitals must treat cognitive load as they would any other vital sign. Research suggests real-time physiological measures, such as heart rate variability (HRV) and skin conductance, could provide insights into a physicians cognitive state. In surgical fields, HRV has already been used to assess intraoperative stress, revealing excessive load leads to impaired technical skills and worse patient outcomes. Other studies suggest reaction-time tasks or low-cost biometric sensors could help identify when physicians are approaching cognitive overload, supplementing other interpersonal and nonverbal signs (posture, eye movements). This allows physicians to adjust their workload before it becomes dangerous. Some may argue physicians should push through fatigue, as they have for generations. However, we no longer tolerate 36-hour shifts in the hospital without sleep. We recognize the need for mental health resources. Cognitive load tracking is not an indulgence. It is the logical next step in modernizing physician wellness and protecting patient safety. Institutional change begins now. Hospitals must lead the charge in implementing cognitive load monitoring. Residency programs, where young physicians are especially vulnerable, should be early adopters. Incorporating cognitive load assessments into wellness check-ins and clinical decision-support systems would allow a shift of focus from reactive intervention to proactive protection. If we can integrate cognitive load tracking into our hospital systems, it could set a societal precedent for data-driven physician wellness. The future of medicine The medical field champions innovation. However, we have failed to apply this mindset to protecting our workplace. Physicians are not machines. They cannot operate at peak performance without systems in place to manage cognitive strain. This is not a luxury but a necessity. If we are serious about patient safety and physician longevity, then cognitive load tracking must become a standard practice in hospital systems. The technology is available. The need is urgent. The question now is whether health care institutions will act before the next crisis forces their hand. Hiba Fatima Hamid is a medical student. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man wrongfully deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador, is back in the United States to face criminal charges alleging that he transported undocumented immigrants around the country, the attorney general announced Friday. Attorney General Pam Bondi revealed in a press conference that Abrego Garcia had landed back in the U.S., after the government presented El Salvador with an arrest warrant for him. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele had initially balked at the idea that he would ever return Abrego Garcia, saying in April that he would not smuggle a terrorist back into the U.S. Bondi alleged that Abrego Garcia had a significant role in a smuggling ring that moved people, as well as firearms and narcotics, and said that the illegal transport of undocumented immigrants was his full-time job. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is what American justice looks like, Bondi said, seemingly referring to due process, which she conveniently ignored for the last three months. Bondi said that if Abrego Garcia is convicted, the government plans to return him to El Salvador after he completes his sentence, once again violating a judges order preventing his removal. Bondi also mentioned a number of accusations from his alleged co-conspirators that were not included in the indictment. She claimed that co-conspirators had alleged Abrego Garcia had abused women under his control, while another had said hed solicited nude images from minors, and yet another said he had played a role in a murder. The Trump administration repeatedly insisted that there was no way to return Abrego Garcia, even though he had been deported as the result of an administrative error, according to one ICE official. Instead of facilitating his safe return, as ordered to do by the Supreme Court, administration officials set about smearing him as a dangerous convicted criminal and MS-13 gang member despite their thin evidence. But last month, the government filed a two-count indictment under seal in Tennessee alleging that Abrego Garcia was involved in a yearslong conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants from Texas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The government has been quietly investigating a 2022 traffic stop, where Abrego Garcia was pulled over by Tennessee Highway Patrol for speeding and discovered to have eight passengers in the car. All of the men were Hispanic, and none possessed identification. Abrego Garcia told the officers they were working construction in Missouri, and he was let off with a warning. The government spoke with a man named Jose Ramon Hernandez-Reyes in Alabama, who is currently serving a 30-month sentence for illegally reentering the country following a felony conviction for illegal transportation of undocumented immigrants. After being granted limited immunity, Hernandez-Reyes said that hed met Abrego Garcia in Baltimore, and claimed to have hired him multiple times to help move undocumented immigrants across the country, ABC News reported. While Abrego Garcias return demonstrates yet again that Donald Trumps tough talk is subject to rollbacks, it has no tangible ramifications for the hundreds of other people subject to hasty and inhumane removals by the Trump administration. It may appear to be a positive step toward undocumented immigrants receiving due process, but that will have to be seen in court. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had previously claimed that Abrego Garcia was engaged in human trafficking without offering any evidence to support that assertion. She and other members of the Trump administration have fought hard to oppose the U.S. judicial system, which has overwhelmingly opposed Abrego Garcias removal. This story has been updated. President Donald Trump has ordered the Federal Aviation Administration to scrap a longstanding ban on supersonic air travel across the U.S. and replace it with a to-be-determined set of regulations that will allow faster-than-sound travel so long as the sonic booms it creates do not breach certain noise limitations. In an executive order signed on Friday, Trump directed the FAA administrator to begin the process of repealing a section of the Code of Federal Regulations that prohibits anyone in the United States from flying a civilian aircraft at a true flight Mach number greater than 1. That regulation was imposed in April 1973, at a time when the British and French governments were jointly developing Concorde, a supersonic airliner that had a cruising speed in excess of Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because aircraft that break the sound barrier create shockwaves that produce loud sounds, known as sonic booms, the U.S. government banned supersonic flight over the U.S. out of concern over disruptive noise from supersonic jets criss-crossing the country. As a result, Concorde was limited to subsonic speeds when arriving or leaving American airports, only crossing the sound barrier during transit over the Atlantic Ocean on routes between New Yorks JFK airport and London. Trumps order is expected to aid American startups such as Boom that are looking to revive supersonic passenger flight decades after the Concordes New York to Paris run ended (Boom Supersonic) Michael Kratsios, the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, told reporters that Trumps order seeks to revolutionize supersonic aviation in the United States by allowing for modern aircraft to fly faster than sound over the continental U.S. The US used to be the global leader in this technology, but stifling regulations have grounded progress for generations. The reality is that Americans should be able to fly from New York to LA in under four hours, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kratsios added that advances in aerospace engineering, material science and noise reduction by new startups working on faster-than-sound passenger aircraft can make supersonic travel safe, sustainable and commercially viable and noted that the longstanding American ban on such flights had grounded supersonic passenger flight and weakened our global competitiveness in aviation. Today's order fixes that, he said. Trumps order comes just weeks after a pair of Republicans in Congress, Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas and Senator Ted Budd of North Carolina, introduced legislation to direct the FAA to repeal and replace the current supersonic flight ban within a year. That legislation will no longer be necessary, as the Trump executive order directs the FAA to withdraw the ban within 180 days and launch a notice-and-comment period for replacement regulations that would be based on a noise standard rather than a strict speed limit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a senior administration official, the function of the new regulations would be to replace the effective speed standard with instead an interim noise standard, and then to have a longer term process to publish a Notice of Proposed Rule Making to result in a final rule. That process would be coordinated through the White House [and] through the National Science and Technology Council and would be based on research and development that has been going on at NASA, the Department of Defense, and elsewhere within the federal government, the official said. Trumps effort to enable supersonic flight across the U.S. follows the success of the first flight of a civilian supersonic aircraft since Concorde 216 (registered as G-BOAF) made its final flight to Bristol Filton Airport in 2003. In January, Boom Supersonics XB-1 aircraft reached a speed of Mach 1.122 during a 34-minute flight over Californias Mojave Desert. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The test flight, just eight days into Trumps second term, produced no audible sonic boom or at least not one that was heard from the ground during the flight. The company says its proposed Overture passenger jet will cut a trip from Los Angeles to Washington to three hours and 15 minutes, more than an hour less than the current duration of such a flight, while producing no sonic booms that are audible from the ground. It attributes this to atmospheric effects that cause the sound to reflect off layers in the atmosphere and travel upward, rather than downward. It also claims to be able to cut flights over water by even more time by reaching even higher speeds. Residents of western North Carolina gather near a fire station last fall to access Wi-Fi service in the wake of Hurricane Helene. The region is among the areas meant to benefit from the BEAD program for rural broadband access. (Photo by Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images) The Trump administration on Friday released revised rules for a federal program meant to widely expand broadband access, stripping the Biden-era effort of many key requirements and making it easier for Elon Musks company to win grants. Under the revised guidelines, the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, known as BEAD, will take a technology-neutral approach to expanding broadband access rather than focusing on fiber internet. The original program favored fiber because of its speed, reliability and ability to reach remote locations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The change opens the door for more internet providers to use BEAD grants for technologies including satellite internet service, which is provided by Elon Musks Starlink. Under the new rules, Starlink could receive $10 billion to $20 billion in BEAD money, up from $4.1 billion the company would have received under the original rules, according to The Wall Street Journal. Groups applying for BEAD funding also will no longer be required to offer a low-cost service option for internet users in locations they are serving. Some states had proposed services as low as $30 a month. Instead, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration now encourages internet providers to propose their existing, market driven low-cost plans to meet the cost requirement. As part of the Trump administrations push to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within the government, the new guidelines also remove provisions that encouraged states to work with companies and representatives from minority communities. Requirements related to labor, the environment and climate change also were cut. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And the agency eliminated a provision of the original program that encouraged states to seek out non-traditional providers, including municipalities or political subdivisions that provide internet service. Louisianas, Nevadas and Delawares proposals, which had been approved, will be rescinded. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick promised to launch a rigorous review of the BEAD program in March, saying in a statement that because of woke mandates, favoritism towards certain technologies and burdensome regulations, the program has not connected a single person to the internet and is in dire need of a readjustment. In April, the Trump administration gave states an additional 90 days to submit their final plans for the $42.45 billion program in anticipation of the changes, further delaying an effort thats set to go back to the planning phase after more than three years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Evan Feinman, the former director of the BEAD program, said states will now have to rework their proposals again. For some reason, [Secretary] Lutnick, who said the program was going too slowly, wants to slow the program down much more, force states and the private sector to do a ton of extra work and spend a bunch of extra taxpayer money all so we can get worse connections to people that will cost them more every month, he said. The Internet & Television Association, a trade association representing the broadband and cable industries, praised the new guidelines in a statement, saying, We welcome changes to the BEAD program that will make the program more efficient and eliminate onerous requirements, which add unnecessary costs that impede broadband deployment efforts. But Drew Garner, the director of policy engagement at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, said in a statement that the changes will cement the digital divide for decades. The Benton Institute is a nonprofit organization championing digital access for all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [Lutnick] is hurting our economic competitiveness, our healthcare and education, and our ability to work and stay connected with loved ones, Garner said in the statement. He is denying rural Americans access to the modern economy and our increasingly connected world. Stateline reporter Madyson Fitzgerald can be reached at mfitzgerald@stateline.org. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Donald Trumps top campaign firm has quietly handled the administrations television advertisements thanking the president for closing the border and locking up criminals, according to a Rolling Stone review. Strategic Media Services Inc. does not appear in any publicly available records regarding the Department of Homeland Securitys controversial $200 million ad campaign. However, the ad buying firm which was the single-biggest vendor for Trumps 2024 campaign is the only company thats been associated with DHS ads in filings with the Federal Communications Commission since the department announced the ads in February. A DHS spokesperson denies knowing anything about Strategic Media Services, and says the firm isnt one of the departments vendors. DHS doesnt have control of subcontractors and cannot tell a vendor who or who not to hire, they add. Strategic Media Services did not respond to outreach from Rolling Stone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration has faced scrutiny over its profligate, political-style ad campaign, in which Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem repeatedly thanks the president while attempting to scare immigrants into leaving the United States or never coming here at all. The ad campaign is one of many ways that Trump and his administration are marshaling vast public resources to make the president feel good about himself. In one set of ads, Noem thanks Trump for securing our border and putting America first, while telling undocumented immigrants: We will find you and deport you. In another, she credits President Trumps leadership for her Department of Homeland Security having caught several people accused of heinous crimes. A Trump White House official says that it is normal for an agency head to thank their principal in this instance the president of the United States for their policies and leadership. While Trump has purged the federal workforce and slashed government programs in the name of eliminating waste and abuse, his administration determined there to be such an unusual and compelling urgency for this $200 million ad campaign that officials selected two Republican firms to work on the ads without a competitive bidding process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the firms, called People Who Think, has ties to former top Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski, a longtime Noem confidant who is reportedly acting as her gatekeeper at DHS. (They have both denied reports that they had an affair.) The second vendor, Safe America Media, is a newly created shell company operating at the home of GOP consultant Mike McElwain. Rolling Stone attempted to call McElwain for this story, but the man who picked up immediately hung up the phone and did not respond to texts. People Who Think did not respond to a request for comment. Officials specifically exempted the DHS ads from review by Elon Musks so-called Department of Government Efficiency. The DHS briefly attempted to fund these ads with money from its Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, an oversight office the administration has tried to gut, but backtracked after Rolling Stone reported on the maneuver. The involvement of Strategic Media Services, the Trump campaigns ad buyer, has not been disclosed in government procurement files or spending data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps campaign committee disclosed paying $270 million to Strategic Media Services during the 2024 election or more than half of what the campaign raised, according to federal election records. Most of the spending went toward ad placements. Dozens of FCC records show the firm buying TV time for DHS ads in recent months. The firms buys can be traced to a 30-second version of the ad in which Noem starts: Thank you, President Donald J. Trump, for securing our border and putting America first. Strategic Media Services also apparently placed an ad in which Noem says: An accused rapist, murderer and child pornographer. All illegal aliens caught because of President Trumps leadership. Noem pledges in that ad that if youre here illegally, you will be fined nearly $1,000 a day, imprisoned, and deported, as video plays showing her touring CECOT the notorious mega-prison in El Salvador where Trump shipped hundreds of immigrants without due process, in open defiance of a judges order. After encouraging immigrants to self-deport, Noem concludes: Under President Trump, America will be protected. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So far, DHS has disclosed spending roughly $77 million on the ads, federal records show. Tony Carrk, executive director at the watchdog Accountable.US, tells Rolling Stone, President Trump and his allies in Congress say they have no choice but to rip away health care and basic food aid from millions of working people and seniors. Yet theres somehow plenty of money for more Trump tax breaks for his billionaire donors and for an overtly political taxpayer-funded vanity project to repair Kristi Noems image after her many scandals. Thats the Trump administration in a nutshell: Theres always enough taxpayer money to promote their brands or enrich themselves and wealthy insiders but no money left to help everyday Americans get ahead. In a budget hearing in May, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) pressed Noem on the way her department is using the publics money, including her spending $200 million for an ad campaign fawning over President Trumps supposed accomplishments. Youre just spending recklessly and it would seem wastefully, without authorization, Blumenthal said. Thats against the law. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. In the end it was always bound to get messy how could it not? Two bombastic billionaires aligned by ambition and imperiousness an unlikely bromance fuelled by an unquenchable attraction to both legitimacy and impunity. But here we are barely four months after joining him in the Oval Office, Tesla-chief Elon Musk has not merely fallen out with his presidential benefactor: hes taking their battle public. On Thursday, Musk now finished leading Trumps cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency went nuclear, as the New York Post phrased it, accusing the president of covering up his cameo in the infamous Jeffrey Epstein sex-crimes saga. Time to drop the really big bomb, posted Musk on Twitter Thursday afternoon. That is the real reason they have not been made public, he added as he teased an Epstein-related bombshell. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The daggers come as Musk takes aim at Trumps massive One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which bundles together much of the presidents key legislative objectives. The bill has already passed in the House, but Musk wants Congress to kill it. His beef: among other provisions, the ending of tax credits for electric vehicles (like Musk-made Teslas) which was approved by former president Joe Biden. As both Trump and Musk know well, the truth around the Epstein affair matters far less than the fact that the two men are fighting about it. Even if Musk uncovers some sort of sexual salaciousness, its unlikely to matter both to Trump, nor his base, who are fully aware of (and unbothered by) the Presidents messy amorous history. What really matters is Trump both his tendency for prolonged distractions (such as Musk!) and his zeal for heart-daggering retribution. Still Musk, despite lacking presidential powers, cannot be easily taken down after all his perch exists because the president placed him there. But neither can Musk simply dismiss Trump outright. Ever skilful with a threat, Trump has already warned that he could withhold billion and billions of dollars in federal funding for Musk-related companies, such as Tesla and Space X. Little doubt Trump could easily identify billions more. But cutting Musks cash flow wont come without consequence: SpaceX, for instance, forms much of the transport network needed to maintain the International Space Station. Yet Trumps barbs matter just as much Teslas stock sank nearly 10 per cent on Thursday in response to the Trump-Musk kerfuffle. Considering the stock is already trading 40 per cent below its 52-week high, Musk could face internal pressure to tone things down if his feud with the president deepens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It likely will at least in the short term. After all, neither Trump nor Musk shy away from conflict and both view adversarialism as a necessary tool of conquest. Both certainly have the required ammunition billions of dollars, wholly-owned social media platforms and eager, sycophantic fan bases. But Trump clear-eyed against Musks alleged drug-taking will likely wind up the winner. Having poured hundreds of millions of dollars into Trumps campaign, Musk clearly craves a return on his investment. He had one when he was hanging in the Oval, but now cast adrift hes clearly resentful and seeking vengeance. Trump, however, wants nothing nor really needs nothing from Musk except, when the time comes, to simply be left alone. For men like Musk and Trump consumed with attention and approval indifference may prove the most potent poison of all. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. US President Donald Trump is considering selling his red Tesla following his dispute with tech billionaire Elon Musk, US media reported on Friday. Trump bought the car in March as a sign of support for Musk. Trump is considering selling or giving away the car, senior White House officials told the Wall Street Journal and CNN. The electric car manufacturer led by Musk is struggling with declining sales. This is partly due to stronger competition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But some potential buyers have also been put off by Musk's right-wing political views and his temporary role as a cost-cutter in the government apparatus on behalf of Trump. There have also been several arson attacks on Tesla vehicles. In March Trump had various Tesla models driven up to the White House and, in a kind of sales show in front of the cameras, chose a red Model S vehicle costing at least $80,000. On Thursday, it was photographed by US media in a White House car park. Budget dispute The rift between the president and the tech billionaire was triggered by Musk's campaign against Trump's tax and spending bill. Musk is calling for deeper spending cuts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk then tried to get members of the Republican Party in Congress on his side. He caused a stir by claiming that the US president's name was found in documents relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Musk later made moves to defuse the controversy. On his online platform X, he commented on hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman's call for Musk and Trump to reconcile because they are stronger together, saying, "You're not wrong." However, Trump told US broadcaster ABC that he had no interest in talking to Musk, calling him "the man who lost his mind." Last week, the Trump administration canceled $3.7 billion in federal funding for two dozen green industrial projects that the Department of Energy claimed failed to advance the energy needs of the American people, were not economically viable, and would not generate a positive return on investment of taxpayer dollars. More than a quarter of that spending would have gone to 11 projects designed to cut planet-warming pollution from generating the heat used in factories one of the trickiest decarbonization challenges to solve. This is a really, really significant setback for clean heat in the U.S., said Brad Townsend, the vice president of policy and outreach at the think tank Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The wide-ranging projects included installing industrial heat pumps at up to 10 plants where giant Kraft Heinz Co. produces its foodstuffs, building an electric boiler at one of plumbing-fixture manufacturer Kohler Co.s Arizona factories, and adding a heat battery to Eastman Chemical Co.s facility in Texas. Distributed under the Industrial Demonstrations Program at the Energy Department's now-embattled Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, the funding promised to bolster the manufacturing sector with a major investment in technologies meant to give American companies an edge in global markets. Groups such as C2ES and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy estimated the federal support would generate hundreds of thousands of jobs in both direct construction and operations and indirect hiring at real estate firms, restaurants, and retailers near the industrial sites. In addition, federal researchers expected to gather information through the projects that could be used broadly throughout U.S. industry to improve output and bring down energy costs. The data and lessons learned in de-risking this technology would then translate into follow-up investment in the private sector, said Marcela Mulholland, a former official at the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations who now leads advocacy at the nonpartisan climate group Clean Tomorrow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you were in a technology area covered by OCED, you needed public investment to scale, she added. Something in the proverbial valley of death made it difficult for the private sector to advance the technology on its own. With the funding, U.S. industry had the chance to develop new approaches that could produce greener and cheaper materials, giving American manufacturers an edge over Asian or European rivals as corporate and national carbon-cutting policies put a premium on products made with less emissions. Absent that, Mulholland said, U.S. companies risk falling behind competitors who benefit from lower-cost labor and easily accessible components from nearby industrial clusters, like those in Vietnam, China, or Germany. Its hard to overstate the scale of the loss, Mulholland said. Already, a handful of companies are considering shifting production overseas in the wake of the funding cuts, according to two sources who have directly spoken to leaders of firms that lost federal funding. The sources were granted anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the plans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When these projects dont go forward, were going to see challenges for the companies from a profitability perspective and from a global competitiveness perspective, said Richard Hart, industry director at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. What happens then is other countries and other companies will step in to meet those demands. In the long term, he added, the cuts erode the value of a federal contract. When the U.S. government signs a contract with you, its reasonable to assume that that contract is gold and that you can use that contract to make plans as a company that you can explain to investors, to employees, and to the full group of stakeholders around your facilities, Hart said. The loss of trust that comes from canceling those contracts is likely to be pervasive. Thats very sad. Part of the problem is that the contracts were cost-share agreements, which traditionally give the federal government the right to exit the deals without any legal penalty. In theory, OCED could have structured the federal contracts differently through a category known plainly as Other Transactions. The Department of Commerce, for example, issued money from the CHIPS and Science Act to semiconductor companies through such other transactions that lack the same off-ramps for the government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the Commerce Department did so under the advice of a legal memo from its general counsel. By contrast, the Energy Department is way, way behind on adopting alternative contract structures when disbursing money, according to a former OCED official who spoke on condition of anonymity. As a result, the agency stuck to the financing mechanisms with which it was familiar such as cost-share agreements. Internally, the Trump administration said the cuts were justified in part because the companies involved were well funded and could manage the investments themselves, the official said. But I dont think thats the case. They need a government incentive to make the technological changes they were trying to do, the former OCED official said. I would bet less than half of them keep going by themselves, the official added. Its a big blow. In the exploding feud between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump, Musk claimed on June 5 that Trump is in documents about Jeffrey Epstein so far unreleased by the FBI and claimed that is why they haven't been released. Attorney General Pam Bondi released about 200 pages of documents in late February, but none was new, disappointing many who hoped to see famous names. She has directed the FBI to release thousands more, but it has been months and nothing has surfaced. Trump, a Palm Beach neighbor of Epstein's, has already appeared in legal documents concerning the financier's crimes but never in a way that implicates him. Where Donald Trump appears in public Epstein documents In the 1990s, Trump rode on aircraft owned by the sexual predator, according to flight logs released in two lawsuits. But that was 30-plus years ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Palm Beach County state attorney documents, an image of a message pad communication seized in a Palm Beach police search appeared, but there is nothing more than Trump's name and a phone number. A message left by Donald Trump for Jeffrey Epstein seized during a 2005 search by Palm Beach police. Epstein pleaded guilty to two prostitution-related felonies in 2008 and spent 13 months in jail. Then-State Attorney Barry Krischer sent the case to a grand jury, which resulted in a single solicitation charge. The Palm Beach sued to get the transcripts of that secret proceeding and gained the release in summer 2024 after nearly five years. Only two victims, out of dozens found by the police, testified and the head of the crimes against children unit called them both prostitutes. Trump once said his neighbor was a great guy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive known Jeff (Epstein) for 15 years. Terrific guy, Trump told New York magazine in 2002. Hes a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. But when Epstein was arrested in 2019 on sex trafficking charges, Trump said, "I'm not a fan." More: Is Donald Trump all over Jeffrey Epstein documents released in Palm Beach Post suit? In 2019, Epstein was charged by federal prosecutors in New York with sex trafficking minors. He was found dead, hanging in his jail cell, less than a month later. While he was alive, Epstein hobnobbed with many politicians and celebrities, including two who had either reached or were to reach the White House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump wasn't the only president to hitch a ride on Epstein's jets. Bill Clinton also took flights after he left office in early 2001. Trump was first elected president in 2016. Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Here's what to know about some of Epstein's famous passengers: More: Jeffrey Epstein 2006 grand jury documents are public. Read for yourself what happened On Jeffrey Epstein's plane: Naomi Campbell, Kevin Spacey, Chris Tucker and a strange incident involving Sarah Ferguson Some big names, including Great Britain's Prince Andrew, either flew into or out of Palm Beach International Airport (PBIA), where Epstein parked his planes when he stayed at his mansion on El Brillo Way in Palm Beach. In a strange entry in 1998, a pilot noted that Sarah Ferguson and her children met the plane at the Lantana airport after an emergency. The Cessna had been flying from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, but there was no note that Prince Andrew was onboard, only Epstein. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Epstein's housekeeper, Juan Alessi, testified that the divorced Duchess of York dropped by Epstein's Palm Beach mansion one time, according to documents in a lawsuit released in January. "I think Sarah was there only once and for a short time," he said. "I don't think she slept in there. I cannot remember. I think she was visiting Wellington and she came to the house and we met her." Epstein reportedly once restructured and paid off a debt for the duchess. I, personally, on behalf of myself, deeply regret that Jeffrey Epstein became involved in any way with me, she said in 2011 before he was arrested on charges in New York. I abhor pedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf. I am just so contrite I cannot say. British top model Naomi Campbell says she met Jeffrey Epstein in 2001. Celebs included supermodel Naomi Campbell, actor Kevin Spacey and comedian Chris Tucker. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Campbell took five flights aboard the Lolita Express in 2001 and 2003. Two originated in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Epstein owned an island that was known as a place of debauchery. A couple of the flights went to the Sao Paulo, Brazil area. More: Paris Fashion Week 2023: See Florence Pugh, Naomi Campbell, more stars at stunning shows Epstein was always present at Victoria's Secret shows where Campbell saw him. She said she met him in 2001 after her boyfriend Flavio Briatore, of Benetton clothing fame, introduced him. Campbell has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Epsteins sexual offenses, saying: What hes done is indefensible. And when I had heard what he had done, it sickened me to my stomach just like everybody else. Right now I stand with the victims." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Inside the grand jury documents Post got Jeffrey Epstein prosecutor called 2 underage victims 'prostitutes.' Were they charged? It's impossible to tell whether any of these passengers flew while underage girls were aboard. According to notes that pilots made from the flights, they used mainly initials and first names for passengers. Donald Trump flew 8 times on Epstein's plane in 1993-97, once took wife, Marla, daughter Tiffany, brother Mark Trump flew on Epstein's planes at least eight times, according to flight logs, most of the time to and from the airport in Teterboro, New Jersey, where Epstein was arrested on sex trafficking charges in July 2019. Trump's family tagged along on a May 15, 1994, trip to Washington, D.C. Aboard were then-wife Marla Maples and their daughter, Tiffany. She was about 7 months old and her nanny was in tow. Marla Maples and Tiffany Trump, daughter of Donald Trump, at the Braves/Expos spring training. Trump's third child and second son, Eric, flew on an Aug. 13, 1995, flight with his father from Palm Beach International to Teterboro, flight logs show. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Teterboro is 12 miles from Manhattan, where Trump resided starting in 1983 until he claimed Mar-a-Lago as his primary residence in 2017. His penthouse in Trump Tower is 11,000 square feet and three stories high. Teterboro is considered a "reliever" airport, which handles smaller aircraft that weigh less than 100,000 pounds. No scheduled aircraft fly in or out of the airport, according to its website. Trump and Epstein had ties in Palm Beach. In the 1990s, they sometimes partied together. They also got into a bidding war in 2004 for a Palm Beach oceanfront estate offered in a bankruptcy auction. It was owned by Abe Gosman, the nursing home magnate who had hit hard times. Trump won, paying more than $41 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Making sense of Jeffrey Epstein's grand jury transcript and the 5-year fight to release it Bill Clinton flew out of Siberia, China, Morocco among other places on Epstein's plane, sometimes possibly without Secret Service Clinton was on Epstein planes for at least 17 flights in 2002-03 after he left office in 2001. The former president went to some exotic places aboard those flights Siberia, Morocco, China and Armenia, to name a few with some famous people such as actor Kevin Spacey and comedian Chris Tucker. News reports said Spacey and Tucker flew to help the Clinton Foundation with its battle against AIDS. More: Jeffrey Epstein secret transcripts: Victim was asked, Do you know 'you committed a crime?' Flight log notes show Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker flying on one of Jeffrey Epstein's planes Flight logs indicate that Spacey took a flight from the U.S. Virgin Islands to PBIA on Sept. 15, 2002, with Epstein and Clinton. The flight with Chris Tucker, which didn't appear to include Clinton, occurred six days later going from JFK International Airport in New York to Vilo do Porto, Portugal. Clinton's aide Doug Bands was on most of the flights that Clinton was. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two trips with Clinton had no notes that indicated U.S. Secret Service agents were aboard. Epstein picked up Clinton in Siberia and flew him to a U.S. Naval base in Japan on May 20, 2002. Secret Service was not noted. Most entries concerning Clinton did. One other flight possibly did not include agents, but part of the entry was illegible. That was on Nov. 9, 2003, from Hong Kong to Sichuan Province in China. Clinton took off from PBIA in February and March 2002 to Miami International and JFK, respectively. Flight logs don't indicate why any of the trips were taken. A Clinton spokesperson said in 2019 that he knew "nothing" about the crimes Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida or the sex-trafficking crimes he was charged with that year. Epstein's relatives who live in Palm Beach County: Family aboard Epstein flew family members several times, often to New York or nearby. His parents, Seymour and Paula, lived in a West Palm Beach condo. Epstein and his brother, Mark, grew up on the Coney Island section of Brooklyn. Seymour worked for the New York Parks Department. Mark, Jeffrey's younger brother, took at least one flight. More: POST EXCLUSIVE: Never-before-seen Jeffrey Epstein biography surfaces Paula flew several times aboard Jeffrey's jets in the late 1990s and early 2000s, almost always between PBIA and Teterboro. Once she went to Westchester County Airport. Paula held on to their West Palm Beach condo until she died in 2004. Seymour had passed in 1991. Former Epstein girlfriend who was Miss Sweden, family also flew Glenn and Eva Andersson Dubin, who have a waterfront home in Palm Beach, flew on Epstein's aircraft occasionally. Eva was Epstein's girlfriend for more than a decade before she married Glenn in 1994. Glenn and Eva are philanthropists involved in New York and that's often where they flew, most often with their three girls in tow and the nannies. Glenn is a venture capitalist and Eva is a physician who established the Dubin Breast Cancer Center at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. She had had breast cancer herself. Eva testified for Epstein's next girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, in Maxwell's trial on sex trafficking charges in December 2021. Maxwell was convicted. Eva said she saw no inappropriate conduct from Epstein. More: How does this doctor-model-survivor keep her energy up? After Epstein had served his 13 months at the Palm Beach County Jail for pleading guilty to two prostitution-related felonies, Eva in 2009 famously told his probation officer that she was "100% comfortable" with him being around her girls at Thanksgiving dinner. The children were under 18 at the time. The couple distanced themselves from Epstein after he was arrested on sex-trafficking charges in 2019. Holly Baltz is the investigations editor at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hbaltz@pbpost.com. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Elon Musk tweet says Trump in Epstein documents. He already appeared Its been nearly two months since the Supreme Court ordered Donald Trump to bring back Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man whom his administration illegally deported to the notorious prison system in El Salvador. On Friday, the Trump administration finally complied with this directive, returning Abrego Garcia to the United States. It did so while releasing a grand-jury indictment against him in Tennessee, dated May 21, charging him with alien smuggling and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling. Abrego Garcia was among hundreds of immigrants whom the administration shipped to El Salvador without due process in March, in defiance of a court order. Unlike many of those immigrants, Abrego Garcia is originally from El Salvador. However, Abrego Garcia had previously been granted a protection of removal order specifically barring his deportation to El Salvador which is why the Supreme Court found that his deportation was illegal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prior to the announcement Friday, the administration had publicly refused to comply with the Supreme Courts directive as well as those of a Maryland district court and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Top Trump officials asserted the administration would never bring back Abrego Garcia, and could not if it wanted to, because they had placed him in the custody of a sovereign nation, El Salvador even though the U.S. government is paying millions of dollars to house immigrant detainees. This posture has apparently changed, now that the U.S. is charging Abrego Garcia with actual crimes though Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was among those who pledged that he would never come back to our country, kept up the ruse that Trump needed El Salvadors permission to bring Abrego Garcia back to America. Were grateful to President [Nayib] Bukele for agreeing to return him to our country, Bondi told reporters on Friday, adding: This is what American justice looks like. ABC News reported Friday that Ben Schrader, a high-ranking prosecutor in the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Tennessee, resigned amid the decision to pursue the indictment against Abrego Garcia. Citing sources, the outlet wrote that Schraders resignation was prompted by concerns that the case was being pursued for political reasons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the indictment, the grand jury alleges that Abrego Garcia: (1) smuggled thousands of undocumented aliens throughout the United States; (2) is a member and associate of MS-13, a Foreign Terrorist Organization; (3) transported numerous MS-13 gang members into and throughout the United States from Central America; (4) used his status in MS-13 in furtherance of the alien smuggling conspiracy when it benefited him; (5) transported children throughout the United States in an unsafe manner to maximize profits; (6) abused undocumented alien females under his control while transporting them throughout the United States; and (7) trafficked firearms and narcotics from Texas to Maryland on multiple occasions. Bondi said that Abrego Garcia will be prosecuted in our country, sentenced in our country if convicted and then returned [to El Salvador] after completion of his sentence. She spelled out some of the claims in the indictment. It is alleged this defendant is part of the same smuggling ring responsible for the death of more than 50 migrants in 2021, after [a] tractor trailer overturned in Mexico this is part of that same ring, Bondi said, adding: A co-conspirator alleged that the defendant solicited nude photographs and videos of a minor. A co-conspirator also alleges the defendant played a role in the murder of a rival gang members mother. These facts demonstrate Abrego Garcia is a danger to our community. Asked Friday whether the move to bring back Abrego Garcia should be seen as Trumps administration complying with the Supreme Courts ruling, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said, Theres a big difference between what the state of play was before the indictment and after the indictment. And so the reason why he is back and was returned was because of the arrest warrant, which was presented to the government in El Salvador. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added, As far as whether it makes the ongoing litigation in Maryland moot, I would think so, but we dont know. This just landed today. Shortly after Bondis press conference, Justice Department lawyers submitted a filing to the Maryland court notifying the judge that the administration has now complied with its order to facilitate Abrego Garcias return to the U.S. Considering this development, the courts preliminary injunction should be dissolved, and the underlying case should be dismissed as moot, the lawyers wrote. Defendants intend to formally move to dismiss plaintiffs complaint on this basis. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Social media commentators jumped on Elon Musks very public blowout with President Donald Trumpall-out to rub salt in both of their wounds. Musk laid into Trumps big beautiful bill on Tuesday as a disgusting abomination before ratcheting up his attacks into an all-out MAGA civil war on Thursday. In a tweet, Musk ripped Trump for such ingratitude and claimed that the Republican president would have lost his second-term presidential bid without the help of the Tesla billionaire CEOs war chest. Such ingratitude Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 The megabill aims to cut taxes by $3.7 trillion but will also increase the federal deficit by $2.4 trillion over the next decade, the Associated Press reported. Musk called the bill outrageous and pork-filled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im sorry, but I just cant stand it anymore, Musk added on Tuesday. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it. His comments sparked a number of commentators watching the flame-out from the sidelines to mockingly welcome him to the resistance. Elon Musk, welcome back to the resistvnce! (sic) wrote one commentator on X. Another quipped, Elon Musk, welcome to The Resistance. Stay away from the wine moms, though. Welcome to the resistance Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) June 5, 2025 The Dispatch weekend host Jamie Weinstein added in an X post, Now @elonmusk has a big decision to make. Will he host a Resistance podcast with @Scaramucci or will he host a new podcast with @MichaelCohen212. He added, These are truly the times that try mens souls. Now @elonmusk has a big decision to make. Will he host a Resistance podcast with @Scaramucci or will he host a new podcast with @MichaelCohen212. These are truly the times that try men's souls. Jamie Weinstein (@Jamie_Weinstein) June 5, 2025 In a Thursday Oval Office interview, Trump said he was very disappointed about Musks comments about the bill because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill. President Donald Trump addresses Elon Musks comments about his big beautiful bill during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office. / Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images However, Trump claimed in an Oval Office interview that Musk was peeved after a mandate for electric vehicles was removed from the bill, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles and theyre having a hard time with electric vehicles and they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy, said Trump, NBC News reported. He added, Elon knew this from the beginning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet a White House insider added that bad blood between the former bosom buddies actually stemmed from Musk being b-tthurt when his bid to install billionaire Jared Isaacman in a top federal post was rejected. I also need Democrats to stop celebrating when horrible people say something that aint horrible. Elon Musk didnt turn on Trump. Watch. @resistancesean.bsky.social (@ResistanceSean) June 4, 2025 Yet not all social media commentators were convinced that Musk had turned on Trump and his beautiful bloated bill simply for the well-being of fiscal responsibility. Yet at least one commentator felt Musk could be playing the long game. I also need Democrats to stop celebrating when horrible people say something that aint horrible, wrote an X user named @ResistanceSean. Elon Musk didnt turn on Trump. Watch. Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics teams latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. In todays edition, we break down how President Donald Trump and Elon Musks feud burst into public view. Plus, Jonathan Allen sifts through the spin to provide a reality check on what the big, beautiful bill would actually do. Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adam Wollner The Trump-Musk alliance implodes By Rebecca Shabad and Alana Satlin The simmering tension between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk boiled over into a full-blown public brawl Thursday. Act I: After a series of social media posts from Musk in recent days trashing Trumps big, beautiful bill, the president offered his first response during an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Im very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill, Trump said of his former adviser. Im very disappointed in Elon. Ive helped Elon a lot. Trump suggested that Musk, the worlds richest man, was upset that the legislation cut out a tax credit meant to incentivize electric vehicle purchases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elons upset because we took the EV mandate, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles and theyre having a hard time with electric vehicles and they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy, Trump said. Elon knew this from the beginning. Act II: Musk initially brushed off Trumps criticism, posting whatever on X before firing off dozens of posts blasting the Republican bill and the president himself. Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate, Musk said, referring to the hundreds of millions of dollars he spent on the last election. Such ingratitude, he added. Act III: Trump then fired back on Truth Social, claiming that Musk went crazy after the president asked him to leave his White House role. Trump also suggested the government could sever ties with Musks companies, which have billions of dollars in federal contracts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Act IV: In response, Musk claimed that the president was in what are known as the Epstein files a reference to a trove of documents and files spread across a number of investigations and lawsuits involving the late Jeffrey Epstein. The Justice Department earlier this year released hundreds more pages of documents related to the Epstein investigations. Although Trump and Epstein knew each other, there have been no new revelations about their relationship in any of those files. Trump has never been implicated in Epsteins abuse of underage girls. He denied any wrongdoing, saying in a post last year, I was never on Epsteins Plane, or at his stupid Island. Act V: Trumps latest word on the matter: I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. Read more on the back-and-forth Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related: Teslas shares have fallen 16% since Musk began bashing Trumps bill last week, and the stock remains about 33% lower than on Inauguration Day, Steve Kopack reports. Reality check: What the big, beautiful bill would actually do Analysis by Jonathan Allen As the Senate considers President Donald Trumps one big, beautiful bill (or OBBB), theres a lot of dubious rhetoric flying around and, in some cases, hitting the fan. It can be hard for voters to know what to believe. So, its worth assessing the purpose of the legislation, which the House has already passed a version of, and what it would actually do. The vehicle for the catchall measure is called budget reconciliation, a process created by Congress half a century ago to provide a fast track to bills that would bring spending and taxing into closer balance. That means it cant be filibustered, so Republicans only need a bare majority to get it through the Senate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But over the years, Republicans and Democrats alike have perverted the intent of reconciliation, using the advantage of the fast track to blow ever bigger holes in the budget. Thats what OBBB would do, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The most obvious tell is that its enactment would require an increase in the legal cap on the national debt. If the debt were going down, there would be no need to raise the limit. Specifically, the House-passed bill would cut taxes by $3.7 trillion or so over a decade largely by extending the rates that Trump and Congress put in place in 2017. At the same time, it would slash mandatory spending the accounts that pay out based on eligibility for long-standing programs rather than through annual discretionary appropriations by $1.3 trillion over a decade. The debt hole thats left is about $2.4 trillion. The White House argues that the CBOs bottom line is wrong because it wants congressional accountants to ignore the fact that current tax rates are set to expire. Instead, Trumps team contends, the CBO should assume that current rates will be extended like an athlete assuming his income will continue to flow in when his existing contract is up. If Congress does nothing, taxes will go back up, which would bring a burst of revenue at a cost to taxpayers. In his bid to defeat the measure, or at least rewrite it, Elon Musk has charged that it is full of pork a term that, until he used it, was reserved for earmarks in the annual discretionary spending bills that are unaffected by OBBB. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Calling the measure a disgusting abomination, Musk treats it as a spending bill. But while there are some increases in funding primarily for the Defense Department and efforts to combat illegal immigration the main provisions are focused on slashing taxes and federal programs, including Medicaid and food stamps. The debt comes from the fact that the bill would not cut spending nearly as much as it would reduce revenue. And thats just arithmetic. Today's top stories On line 1: Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone call amid ongoing tensions between the two superpowers, with a new in-person meeting planned soon. Read more Travel ban shock: Countries around the world criticized Trump after he announced a travel ban on nationals from a dozen countries and visa program cancellations for seven more. Read more Auto-attack: Trump directed an investigation into former President Joe Biden and his close aides, accusing them of using autopen signatures to cover up Bidens cognitive decline and assert presidential power. Read more Remaking the courts: Trump is taking a new approach to how he selects judges in his second term, focusing on more MAGA-friendly nominees and attacking the influential Federalist Society. Read more ICE ramp-up: Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained more than 2,200 people on Tuesday, the most arrests in a single day in its history. Read more A gut punch: Federal cuts to the Job Corps program have left thousands of low-income young people who have relied on the career training program for free housing and meals in limbo. Read more Big Apple showdown: The candidates running in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City largely aimed their ire at Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor and polling front-runner, during the debate last night. Read more 2026 watch: Republican-turned-Democrat David Jolly announced he is running for Florida governor in 2026, aiming to become the first Democrat to lead the state in more than two decades. Read more Follow live politics updates Thats all From the Politics Desk for now. Todays newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Dylan Ebs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you have feedback likes or dislikes email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com And if youre a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. They can sign up here. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) said during a Thursday interview on The Hill on NewsNation that the bitter public feud between President Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk should not stop Congress from eventually passing the presidents big, beautiful bill. This isnt about choosing sides. This is two individuals who have a big, beautiful brawl lets call it that, right? Ogles said. He said the bill containing Trumps legislative agenda is definitely big, but not quite beautiful yet Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And thats why were kicking it over to the Senate. Thats part of the process, he said. And I think theres a real opportunity, in my conversations with the White House, with the senators as well, that theyll make some additional cuts making it better. And so their self-imposed deadline is July 4. Well vote on it there after, and then we truly will have a big, beautiful bill, Ogles told host Blake Burman. The spat between Musk and Trump began over the tech moguls disappointment with the legislation, and escalated Thursday. Trump slammed Musk as crazy in a post, while Musk supported calls for Trump to be impeached, accused the president of being in the convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epsteins files. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk said he would ground SpaceXs Dragon spacecraft used to shuttle astronauts, but appeared to reverse course later in the day. The enormous spending legislation, which passed the House last month, has prompted concerns from various GOP senators. Some Republican lawmakers are expressing worry over spending cuts for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid, while fiscal hawks are pushing for greater deficit reduction and have blasted the proposal to lift the cap on state and local tax deductions. There are 53 GOP senators, therefore, the conference can afford three defections to pass the measure if all Democrats vote against the bill. Ogles said he expects the senators to alter the bill and also that once the legislation is signed into law, the extension of Trumps 2017 tax cuts will bring more stability to the market. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Look, so what you have is the Presidents priorities, and I agree with making the tax cuts permanent. When you make the Trump tax cuts permanent, that [is] signaling to the markets: This is the landscape. So if you want to invest, if you want to invest in your business, this is, this is where youre operating, how youre operating, if your company [is] looking to come into the United States, all of these things are important. More money for the border and deportations. Ogles added that as long as the Senates changes maintain the integrity of what we have done, the bill will pass. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Elon Musks explosive rift with the White House stems from longstanding tensions about his libertarian policies and his unpredictable behaviour, according to sources close to the president. Interviews with a string of insiders reveal months of concern at Mr Musks grandstanding behaviour and philosophical differences with people at the heart of the Trump administration. Strains between the worlds richest man and the worlds most powerful man boiled over in the most public of ways during the past 24 hours. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Trump accused his former confidant of suffering from Trump derangement syndrome prompting Mr Musk to hit back with an extraordinary claim that the presidents name was in the so-called Epstein files of people linked to the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. Elon Musk in the Oval Office with Donald Trump for his final farewell last Friday - Nathan Howard/REUTERS A Trump ally, speaking on condition of anonymity, said no one had been surprised by what he called Mr Musks petulance. Its less personal and its more ideological, he said. Someone in Musk world will tell you the point of winning power is to return government to the founders vision of something small but limited. Most realists will tell you that the point of being in government is to wield power to shape the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The result, he said, was that Mr Musks libertarian instincts put him out of step with Mr Trumps Maga movement, which wants to use the White House, Congress and courts to overhaul society. The tech billionaire stepped down from his role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency last week. He was given a glittering Oval Office send-off when he was presented with a golden key and warm words. But he turned on his former employer on Tuesday, tearing into Mr Trumps signature spending bill, calling it a disgusting abomination. White House allies began a quiet briefing campaign. They told reporters that Mr Musk had wanted to stay on in the administration beyond his 130-day limit as a special government employee and was irritated when his request was rejected. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There were other failings. Insiders said he had over-promised initially claiming he could find $2 trillion of cuts and under-delivered, a critical mistake in the image-obsessed world of the Trump administration. And White House officials became increasingly irritated at the way he would impose himself on Oval Office and cabinet meetings. I generally tried to stay out of his way because it was obviously going to blow up eventually, said one. Elon Musk at a cabinet meeting in the White House on April 30 - Evan Vucci/Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved Aides to Mr Musk did not respond to a request for comment. But the break with Mr Trump exploded into full display in the Oval Office on Thursday, when Mr Trump made their break official. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elon and I had a great relationship, Mr Trump told reporters. I dont know if we will anymore. The divide illustrates some of the fault lines in the coalition that delivered an extraordinary political comeback for Mr Trump last year, marrying small government conservatives with Maga populists who want to use all the levers of government to destroy their opposition. The battleground is Mr Trumps bill and its impact on the national debt. When Mr Musk went on a six-hour X rampage on Tuesday night, he warned repeatedly that the bill will only increase the gap between tax revenues and spending, increasing the debt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials countered, by portraying Mr Musk as acting out of spite rather than political principle. They quietly briefed that Mr Musk had disappointed and was angered that Tesla would lose tax breaks for electric vehicles in the bill. Susie Wiles tired of Musk Raheem Kassam, who is close to arch-Musk enemy Steve Bannon, former strategist to Mr Trump, said it was notable that many of the stories about Mr Musk were first reported by Marc Caputo, an Axios reporter and a veteran of Florida politics. You only have Caputo out there if one person in particular has okayed it, he said, and that one person is Susie Wiles. Reports have circulated for weeks that Ms Wiles, the White House chief of staff who built her reputation in Florida, had tired of Mr Musks unpredictable nature and unwillingness to follow chains of command. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In particular, aides and Mr Trump were reportedly taken by surprise when the New York Times scooped that Mr Musk was to be briefed at the Pentagon on its plans for any war with China. Beneath it all, said another insider, was a different clash that put Mr Musk and Ms Wiles on different sides. Mr Musk had helped Mr DeSantis launch his 2024 presidential run on Twitter Spaces. And once the Florida governor had dropped out of the Republican presidential primary, after falling too far behind Mr Trump, he staffed up his own political operation with refugees from the DeSantis campaign. Mr Musk helped Ron DeSantis launch his campaign - Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images North America Generra Peck, Mr DeSantiss campaign manager, runs his America Political Action Committee, which distributed hundreds of millions of dollars during last years elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In contrast, Ms Wiles was credited with saving Mr DeSantiss run for governor in 2018 before falling out with him. Susie fell out of love with DeSantis very harshly, and Elon never did, said a source close to the White House. A source close to Mr Musk dismissed that idea as pure speculation, and said Mr Musk travelled frequently with Ms Wiles during presidential weekends at Mar-a-Lago, A White House official disputed there was bad blood between the two. Elon and Susie ultimately had a friendly and collaborative relationship. They had standing meetings multiple times per week, said the official. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr DeSantis has been quick to come to Mr Musks defence. On Thursday, his political action committee began fundraising in his support, saying that Washington needed bold leadership. Doge and Elon were on a collision course with the swamp and so far, the swamp has won, he said as Mr Musks departure was confirmed, referring to the rights favourite nickname for the Washington political establishment. He might not have wanted to say it, but it is also a moment of celebration for the Bannonite wing of the Maga movement, who were suspicious of Mr Musk from the start. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) President Donald Trump and his former adviser Elon Musk are now in a very public feud. The dustup erupted on social media Thursday after days of Musk criticizing the presidents signature tax and spending bill. The worlds richest man and the president of the United States didnt hold back on how they now feel about each other on social media. They were once allies, now Elon Musk is calling for President Trump to be impeached. Just one week ago, President Trump praised Elon Musk. Now, hes taking a very different tone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I am very disappointed in Elon, said Trump. The presidents comments follow days of intensifying criticism from Musk, who blasted the presidents massive budget bill, especially cuts to electric vehicle mandates. Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody, said Trump. Musk unloaded on X, his own platform, slamming Trumps bill, his trade policies, and even accusing the president of ties to Jeffrey Epstein, claims the White House strongly denies. Trump fired back on Truth Social, threatening to cancel federal contracts worth billions for Musks companies. If you want to go after Elon Musks contracts, like, we are here for the fight, bro, said Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats see an opening while Republicans are caught in the middle. This isnt personal, policy differences should not be personal, said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). On social media Musk said Republicans would not have won the House in November without him. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. Republicans on Capitol Hill watched in awe as Trump and Musk feuded with each other on Thursday. They're mostly siding with Trump but they don't want to bash Elon too much. "I'm sorry that his tour of duty ended that way," one House Republican said of Musk. Rep. Tom Tiffany seemed to be at a loss for words. "I don't have anything to say," the Wisconsin Republican told me as we descended the steps outside the House chamber. "Let's wait for the next tweet." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was hoping for a bit more, so I pressed on. "It is what it is," he said with a slight laugh. It was the last vote of the day, and House Republicans were eager to get out of there. Their counterparts in the Senate had managed to leave town for the week just as the nasty and for some, long-anticipated feud between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump was getting underway. What began as a disagreement over the "Big Beautiful Bill" had taken a strange turn. By this point, Musk had replied "yes" to a post that included a reference to impeaching Trump, claimed responsibility for the president's 2024 victory, declared that tariffs would cause a recession, and said that Trump is in the "Epstein files." Trump had floated taking away Musk's government contracts, said that the billionaire "went CRAZY," and insinuated that the tech titan suffered from "Trump Derangement Syndrome." As Tiffany faltered, a Democratic colleague pounced. "So Tom," Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin interjected as he walked by, "Elon or Trump? Who's gonna win?" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Republican congressman's tepid laughter grew into a guffaw. We all waited for the response. It never arrived. "I've got the press here," an exasperated Tiffany said. "What do you want me to say, Mark?" Many Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill found themselves in some version of Tiffany's position, unsure what to say about the vicious war of words unfolding online. "Is Mercury in retrograde?" asked Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado. For months, Trump and Musk have appeared largely in lockstep. Republicans had become accustomed to brushing off and explaining away questions about the former DOGE leader's machinations in the executive branch, as they had with Trump for nearly a decade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, with the two men very publicly at odds, it was a time for choosing. But Republicans weren't all that eager to choose. And at least one who did quickly reconsidered. "Enough Elon. Put the phone down and go outside and play," Republican Rep. Greg Murphy of North Carolina wrote in a post on X that was deleted minutes later. Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Montana Republican who served as Secretary of the Interior during Trump's first term, initially offered praise for Musk when asked about the feud. "I respect, obviously, the President. I respect Elon Musk," Zinke said. "Very, very bright." When informed about Musk's response to the post referencing Trump's impeachment, Zinke let out a sharp sigh. "Yeah, that's a bridge too far," he said. "You know, I'm sorry that his tour of duty ended that way." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This is a sign of the times that you see some of this stuff being done in public," Republican Rep. Scotty Perry of Pennsylvania said. "People over the course of history who wanted to save the republic had different viewpoints about how to do it." Several Republicans on Thursday used social media to subtly make their allegiance to Trump known, even without explicitly criticizing the world's richest man. One of them was Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh of Arizona, who posted a photo of himself with Trump on X as the drama with Musk unfolded. America First now and forever. pic.twitter.com/IG4xga24bB Abe Hamadeh (@AbrahamHamadeh) June 5, 2025 Was it a veiled message? Hamadeh laughed and looked down when asked about it. "President Trump's my president," he told me. "People voted for him. I supported him. President Trump is the reason why we're all here." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He later added that he "appreciated" Musk's contributions. For Democrats, it was a told-you-so moment. "None of it surprises me, to be honest," Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico, the top Democrat on the DOGE subcommittee, told me. "You sell your soul to the devil, or you pay your way into it, and this is what you get." The only Republican who seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself was Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who's had his fair share of feuds with Trump and voted against the "Big Beautiful Bill" for largely the same reason that Musk decided to critique it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I tell my colleagues," Massie said, "if I get hit on Independence Avenue, and they have to deliver my eulogy, just say he was having his best day ever." Read the original article on Business Insider President Donald Trump and Elon Musks public breakup broke the internet this week, sparking several concerns and questions about the two most powerful men in the world, a political historian says. What began earlier this week as a seemingly slow unraveling of a close relationship between Trump and his billionaire adviser quickly imploded on Thursday into a real-time public spat on social media. Trump had said earlier in the day that he was very disappointed in Musk for harshly criticizing his so-called Big Beautiful Bill, which would add $2.4 trillion to the deficit over 10 years, cut federal spending by nearly $1.3 million with cuts to Medicaid and other social programs, and leave about 10.9 million more people without health insurance, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Things took a turn hours later when Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that Musk went CRAZY. The Tesla CEO responded by charging on his platform X, formerly Twitter, that the reason the Jeffrey Epstein files havent been released is because Trump is in them. Time to drop the really big bomb, Musk wrote. The head-spinning fallout ramped up when Musk went on to suggest that Trump should be impeached. The president then threatened to cancel Musks government contracts. Trump has since reportedly indicated on Friday that hes not interested in talking to Musk. What happens next is unclear. But Thursdays dispute should concern everyone, said Matt Dallek, a political historian and professor at The Graduate School of Political Management at The George Washington University. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dallek said Thursdays online debacle was pretty remarkable and especially vicious considering Musk arguably had more power in the administration than even the vice president. But the incident spurred one crucial question, according to Dallek: Why did both men even have time to engage in such a spectacle? Musk has like six major businesses, hes the richest man in the world, and Trump is president of the United States and theyre spending pretty much the entire day insulting each other... on social media, he said. I think its actually worrying for the country that basically, arguably the two most powerful people in the country are having this public meltdown, he continued. What does it say about their ability to govern? Or frankly, for Musk to lead his businesses? Elon Musk photographed during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington. via Associated Press Dallek said that he believes Thursdays public feud also raises questions about each of their competence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is where their energy is going, he said. But Dallek didnt necessarily think their fallout was totally inevitable certainly not the way things played out on Thursday. I think what was more likely, in some ways, was a slower, quieter parting of ways, he said, but thats obviously not what happened. The massive blowup, which Dallek called deeply irrational, can be contributed to the fact that Trump and Musk each have a lot of power Trump, I think, has a lot more than Musk but they each have a lot of power, he said. They also have a lot to lose. Overall, Thursdays social media drama between a world leader and the richest man in the world who has led the so-called Department of Government Efficiency should be concerning for people across the globe, Dallek said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Do you really want the president spending an entire day focused on a highly personal public feud? With the richest man in the world? And thats where his energies are going, thats where his mental space is? he said. As opposed to staying focused on this legislation that hes trying to pass, or on peace between Ukraine and Russia... or tariffs, or the economy, or to lower the cost of living? You have a leader of whether its a country or a business and theyre spending all their time engaged in a feud... I mean [Trumps] basically acting like a 2-year-old, Dallek said. Yet hes got a finger on the nuclear button... its concerning. Related... Toby Doeden announces his candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor of South Dakota during an event on May 28, 2025, in Aberdeen. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight) And then there were two. In late May, Aberdeen businessman and political influencer Toby Doeden entered the race for the Republican nomination for governor of South Dakota. He joins state Speaker of the House Jon Hansen as the only announced candidates, so far, for the nomination. Throughout his announcement speech, and sprinkled liberally through his campaign website, are references to Doedens support for President Donald Trump. Its hard to miss the comparisons between the president and the gubernatorial candidate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Doeden takes pride, as Trump did in his first campaign, at never having been elected to public office. Doeden, however, knows something about how to get other people elected. Through his Dakota First Action political action committee, he supported a bevy of anti-establishment Republicans who were able to unseat legislative incumbents in the last primary. While Doeden sees his lack of electoral experience as a positive, voters always run a risk when they decide to put someone in a position of power who has never been there before. In his first term as president, Trump often seemed befuddled by the finer points of how the federal government works. For Doeden, promising to shake things up in Pierre is the easy part. Harder than the shaking is the governing. While hes shaking things up in Pierre, Doeden has promised to cut spending from a state government budget that he sees as bloated. That made it seem odd when among his first pronouncements as a candidate was the creation of not one but two new state agencies. He has proposed to create the South Dakota Department of External Revenue to find new revenue sources for the state and the South Dakota Department of Government Efficiency, which sounds eerily like Elon Musks DOGE. We can only hope that Doedens version of DOGE has a lighter touch than the Trump/Musk version, which is prone to cutting government by sending in a lumberjack to do work that was best suited for a surgeon. Much of DOGEs work and Trumps attempts to shrink the federal government have ended up in court battles that havent been winners for the president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Doedens version of his personal history seems to play off the Trump-inspired myth that people who have made a fortune can relate to the problems and challenges faced by the rest of us. Doeden touts his hardscrabble youth, something that Trump never had, as a way to connect with voters. Yet Doeden faces the same ironic set of circumstances as Trump, touting personal success that wont make him subservient to donors all the while that his website welcomes donations. That suggests that somehow candidates like Doeden and Trump are better suited to lead us because theyre rich, yet their wealth doesnt keep them from asking for our money. In his announcement, Doeden railed against career politicians, the likes of which have yet to enter the race for the Republican nomination. Widely speculated as potential candidates are Gov. Larry Rhoden, U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson and Attorney General Marty Jackley. Hansen hails from the same populist wing of the party as Doeden, which runs the risk of them splitting the primary vote from that group. It will be Doedens challenge to get Republican voters to choose his brand of populism over Hansens. Hell need to do that while getting them to cast aside the established leaders who have devoted their lives to building up government. To be successful, Doeden will have to convince voters that its in their best interest to let him tear it all down. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX U.S. President Donald Trump offered to increase supplies of American energy exports to Berlin but did not pledge additional military support to Ukraine or sanctions on Russia in a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on June 5. The meeting was Merz's first visit to the White House since becoming chancellor. When asked whether Trump would impose additional sanctions on Russia, the president dodged the question by boasting that he "ended Nord Stream 2" and hinting at future energy deals with Germany. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We have so much oil and gas, you will not be able to buy it all. ... I hope we'll be able to make that part of our trade deal," Trump said during a joint press conference with Merz. While Merz spoke of a "duty" to assist Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, Trump did not make any commitments to further military aid for Kyiv. In the same press conference, he compared Russia and Ukraine to fighting children and refused to name a deadline for imposing sanctions on Moscow. Merz nonetheless praised Trump's role as a peacemaker between the two nations. "I told the president before we came in: He is the key person in the world who can really (end the war) by putting pressure on Russia." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Sometimes youre better off letting them fight, Trump says on Russia-Ukraine war Trump has frequently brought up Europe's reliance on Russian energy when questioned about Washington's role in pressuring the Kremlin or supporting Ukraine. Nord Stream 1 and 2 are gas pipelines running between Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea. Nord Stream 2 has never been activated, and the pipes shut down after suspected sabotage in 2022. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed in March that discussions were underway with the U.S. to resume gas flows through the pipelines. Trump has pursued warmer relations and stronger economic ties with Moscow since his inauguration in January 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Merz said on May 28 that the German government will "do everything to ensure that Nord Stream 2 cannot be put back into operation," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on May 28. The leaders' discussion on June 6 focused primarily on Russia's war against Ukraine, NATO, and trade policy, Merz said in Berlin the day after the meeting. Merz insisted that Trump remains committed to NATO, despite the U.S. president's history of disparaging the alliance. Read also: EU tariffs on Ukrainian goods return after 3 years of war, complicating Kyivs path to European integration Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. US President Donald Trump is outraged by Ukraine's decision to strike Russian air bases. The attack has caused anger in the White House and triggered a new wave of debate over the advisability of further support for Kyiv. Source: The Atlantic, citing three administration officials and an outside White House adviser Details: According to The Atlantic, Trump has in private conversations with advisers expressed deep dissatisfaction that Ukraine had taken such a step without coordinating with the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sources said that a new round of discussions has begun on whether continued military and financial support for Kyiv is justified following the Ukrainian attack. Trump's personal dissatisfaction with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was once again rekindled the US president has called him a "hothead" who, in his opinion, could push the world towards a Third World War. "Zelenskyy didn't give the president of the United States a heads-up to say he's going to do a deep strike into strategic forces of Russia, which is going up the escalatory ladder as quickly as you can, on the day before your meeting in Turkiye?" Trump's former strategist Steve Bannon said. Trump privately backed the view of right-wing critics this week, accusing Zelenskyy of allegedly showing off after the drone strikes. According to an adviser, Trump was impressed by the boldness of the strikes but believes Zelenskyy should have focused on the talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul. Background: Trump revealed details of his latest conversation with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, including his suggestion that Ukraine and Russia should be allowed to "fight for a while" because it would make ending the war easier later. Earlier, Trump said he is refraining from imposing sanctions on Russia if he believes it could "screw up" the conclusion of a "deal". Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! The White House is urging Republican Senator Lindsey Graham to soften his sanctions bill against Russia, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on June 6, citing congressional staffers. The bipartisan sanctions bill, introduced on April 1 by Graham and Senate Democrat Richard Blumenthal, seeks to impose a 500% tariff on imports from countries that continue purchasing Russian oil and raw materials. In recent weeks, Trump administration officials have contacted Graham's office with requests to water down the legislation, congressional aides told the WSJ. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House reportedly asked Graham to insert waivers into the bill allowing Trump to choose which entities get sanctioned and changing the word "shall" to "may." Removing the mandatory language from the text would essentially defang the bill, staffers said. Blumenthal confirmed that negotiations with Trump officials were taking place behind the scene but did not comment on the substance of the talks. "We're moving ahead and the White House is included in our conversations," he told the WSJ. Read also: Find and destroy how Ukraines own Peaky Blinders mastered the art of bomber drones Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier, Republican Senator Roger Wicker on June 4 said that Trump had asked the Senate to postpone voting on the bill, which had been scheduled to come to the floor this week. In a joint press conference alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on June 5, Trump said lawmakers were waiting for his approval before advancing the sanctions bill. "They'll be guided by me. That's how it's supposed to be," Trump said. "They're waiting for me to decide on what to do." In the same briefing, Trump said that he had a deadline in mind for when he would enforce new sanctions on Russia but did not give specifics, saying only that sanctions would be imposed when it became clear that peace talks were not moving forward. He also said that sanctions could apply to both Russia and Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It takes two to tango," he said. During the June 5 press conference, Trump compared Ukraine and Russia which launched an unprovoked full-scale invasion against Ukraine in February 2022 and partially occupies four Ukrainian regions in addition to the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula to children fighting on a playground. "Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart," he said. Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose sanctions on Russia if he does not see progress in peace negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow. He has never followed through on any of these threats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: UPDATE: Russia hits Ukraine with large-scale attack days after Operation Spiderweb Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. U.S. President Donald Trump is pulling back from pressuring China over its support for Russias war effort, instead prioritizing other aspects of the U.S.-China relationship, U.S. and European officials familiar with internal discussions told Bloomberg. These officials, speaking anonymously, said that the administration has lowered the issue of Russia's war against Ukraine on its list of foreign policy priorities and is focusing on bilateral issues with Beijing, though they noted Trump could still shift course. The change in approach marks a departure from the long-held stance of the U.S. and its G7 partners, who have consistently called out China as a key enabler of Russias war in Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In March, G7 foreign ministers condemned Beijings support for Moscow and urged it to use its influence over Russian President Vladimir Putin to help end the war. However, Trump said that "nothing was discussed concerning Russia/Ukraine" during his recent call with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Officials suggest this pivot reflects Trumps desire to break with the foreign policy priorities of former President Joe Biden, who viewed relations with other governments largely through the lens of Russias invasion of Ukraine. Instead, Trumps team is prioritizing issues like tariffs, technology restrictions, and rare earths. One official noted that Trump is reluctant to directly criticize Chinas role in aiding Russia while he continues talks with Putin aimed at brokering a ceasefire. At the same time, Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham is pushing for new sanctions against Russia, including measures targeting Chinese and Indian purchases of discounted Russian oil. Grahams bill has gained over 80 co-sponsors in the Senate, signaling strong bipartisan support. U.S. officials have also expressed frustration at European countries that continue buying Russian energy while criticizing Beijings exports to Moscowexports that include dual-use components and sanctioned technologies used in weapons production. Despite Trumps current stance, the European Union has maintained public pressure on China, both through diplomatic channels and public statements. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas recently accused Beijing of fueling Russias war through dual-use exports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moscow has continued to receive critical components from China, including drone parts, even as Beijing has restricted similar exports to Ukraine and the West. While the Biden administration and EU have sanctioned several Chinese firms involved in aiding Russias military production, Trump has yet to impose any new penalties. Read also: Find and destroy how Ukraines own Peaky Blinders mastered the art of bomber drones Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. By Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to let rare earth minerals and magnets flow to the United States, a move that could lower tensions between the world's biggest economies. Asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One whether Xi had agreed to do so, Trump replied: "Yes, he did." The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump's comment came one day after a rare call with Xi aimed at resolving trade tensions that have been brewing over the topic for weeks. At that time, Trump said there had been "a very positive conclusion" to the talks, adding that "there should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products." In another sign of easing tensions over the issue, China has granted temporary export licenses to rare-earth suppliers of the top three U.S. automakers, two sources familiar with the matter said. The U.S. president's top aides are set to meet their Chinese counterparts in London on Monday for further talks. "We're very far advanced on the China deal," Trump told reporters on Friday. The countries struck an agreement on May 12 in Geneva, Switzerland, to roll back for 90 days most of the triple-digit, tit-for-tat tariffs they had placed on each other since Trump's January inauguration. Financial markets that had worried about trade disruptions rallied on the news. But China's decision in April to suspend exports of a wide range of critical minerals and magnets has continued to disrupt supplies needed by automakers, computer chip manufacturers and military contractors around the world. Trump had accused China of violating the Geneva agreement and ordered curbs on chip-design software and other shipments to China. Beijing rejected the claim and threatened counter measures. Rare earths and other critical minerals are a source of leverage for China as Trump could come under domestic political pressure if economic growth sags because companies cannot make mineral-powered products. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly threatened an array of punitive measures on trading partners, only to revoke some of them at the last minute. The on-again, off-again approach has baffled world leaders and spooked business executives. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Leslie Adler and Edwina Gibbs) For months, Donald Trump and Elon Musk were practically inseparable. Now, a week after the Tesla CEO formally left the White House, the president has a new title for his ex-financier: the man who has lost his mind. Speaking with ABC Newss Jonathan Karl early Friday morning, Trump added fuel to the MAGA duos viscerally public breakup. He did not, however, sound angry or even concerned about the feud, reported Karl. As for reports that there is going to be a Trump/Musk call scheduled for today, Trump told me he is not particularly interested in talking to Musk although he says Musk wants to talk to him, Karl wrote on X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People close to the president have described Trump as bummed about his severed relationship with Musk. The fiery back-and-forth between Trump and his former adviser is the culmination of differing opinions on the presidents big, beautiful bill. Musk has spent days trying to size down Trumps domestic budget agenda, which aims to extend his 2017 tax cut plan for multimillionaires and corporations. The tech billionaire has referred to the spending package as pork-filled and a disgusting abomination, criticizing the continuing resolution for potentially adding trillions of dollars to the national deficit. Musk has also leveraged his gargantuan fortune to influence Congress against voting for the bill, pledging to finance primary opponents to any lawmaker who votes in favor of the tax cut. On Thursday, the stern disagreement boiled into a digital spectacle, with the two powerhouses throwing insults at each other over social media in real time until Musk claimed that Trump was mentioned in the infamous Epstein files. Musk wrote on X that Trumps alleged involvement was the real reason the pedophile expose had not yet been made public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response, Trump posted on Truth Social, I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. Its a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. Hours later, Musk was retweeting Trumps posts from 2012 and 2013, claiming that the deficit- and budget-minded former reality TV star had been replaced by a body double. But Musk has had real influence in breaking up the MAGA block. Several Republican senators have said they oppose Trumps bill as-is, with the majority of naysayers citing the budgets enormous price tag as their reason why. President Donald Trump is insisting that hes not mad. The breakup with Elon Musk is not causing him to lose any sleep, and hes definitely not checking his socials multiple times a day. The insistence from the president that he is unbothered and unconcerned about his blowup with the billionaire would be much more convincing if Trump hadnt spent all of Friday morning calling virtually every news anchor he knows to complain about him. Over the course of the day, Trump called CNNs Dana Bash, Fox News Bret Baier, ABC News Jonathan Karl, and CBS News Robert Costa to talk about or insist he doesnt care to talk about Thursdays blowup with Musk. Im not even thinking about Elon, hes got a problem, the poor guys got a problem Trump reportedly told Bash, who relayed to the network that the conversation had been short. The president made similar comments to Karl, descriming Musk as the man who has lost his mind. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump did not, however, seem angry or even concerned about the feud, Karl wrote on X. As for reports that there is going to be a Trump/Musk call scheduled for today, Trump told me he is not particularly interested in talking to Musk although he says Musk wants to talk to him. Trump told Baier that Elon has totally lost it, and that hes not worried about threats of a third party after Musk expressed interest in starting one during his lengthy posting spree on Thursday. In his phone call with Costa, Trump said he was not worried about Musks defection and was insead totally focused on policy matters. Thats all I focus on, Trump said. I dont focus on anything else. (Trump posted later on Friday that had just finished inspecting the site of an opulent ballroom he plans to build at the White House.) The president insisted to the anchors he spoke to that he does not want to speak to Musk at the moment, who had been a focal point of his 2024 campaign and early presidency, even as allies of both men attempt to broker a detente. According to an anonymous White House official who spoke to The New York Times, Trump has also decided to sell the red Tesla he purchased in a transparent bid to help Musks flagging stock value earlier this year. Other sources told the Times that the president has been referencing recent reports about Musks frequent use of ketamine and other drugs, suggesting they may be influencing his current behavior. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rolling Stone reported on Thursday that Trump administration officials have not taken the possibility of retaliation against Musk namely by cancelling lucrative government contracts with his companies or reopening oversight investigations off of the table. THIS ADMINISTRATION COULD ALWAYS START THE INVESTIGATIONS AGAIN, messaged one senior Trump appointee. Trump did not stop and talk to reporters as he left the White House on Friday. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The administration of US President Donald Trump has urged Republican Senator Lindsey Graham to soften sanctions against Russia in the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, which has strong bipartisan support in the Senate. Source: The Wall Street Journal, as reported by European Pravda Details: The Wall Street Journal reports that White House officials recently contacted Grahams office pressing for changes to the bills sanctions provisions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aides to the senator, who asked to remain anonymous, said that among other things, the Trump administration proposed adding provisions to the draft that would allow the US president to decide whom or what to sanction. The White House also suggested replacing the word "shall" with "may" throughout the bill, removing the mandatory nature of the sanctions, the WSJ reported. Grahams team expressed frustration, arguing that diluting the mandatory sanctions would render the bill ineffective and noting that Trump already has discretionary powers to impose sanctions. Previously: Senators Lindsey Graham (Republican) and Richard Blumenthal (Democrat), supported by 82 co-sponsors, introduced the bill to impose economic sanctions on Russia for obstructing ceasefire efforts in its war of aggression against Ukraine, particularly by imposing a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that purchase Russian oil. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill also has bipartisan support in the House of Representatives, where a companion bill has 33 co-sponsors. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump would make the final decision on any potential tightening of sanctions against Russia. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Three members of Donald Trumps cabinet will meet with Chinese officials in London on Monday in an effort to deescalate or resolve the unprovoked trade war which Trump started with Beijing two months ago. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he was pleased to announce that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Lutnick would travel to London along with U.S. Trade Representative Jameson Greer for a sit-down with Representatives of China, with reference to the Trade Deal. He added: The meeting should go very well. Thank you for your attention to this matter! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The presidents announcement of yet more trade talks between Washington and Beijing comes just a day after a 90-minute phone call with Chinese president Xi Jinping, which Trump described as a very good discussion of some of the intricacies of our recently made, and agreed to, Trade Deal. A day earlier, he had complained that Xi was VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH in a separate Truth Social post which was made as he was reportedly pushing for a leader-to-leader call with his Chinese counterpart. Last month, Trump cut the tariffs hed imposed on Chinese imports from a whopping 154 percent to 30 percent after Bessent and Greer met with Chinese negotiators in Switzerland to deescalate the trade war the president had kicked off on April 2, the day he declared Liberation Day to mark his decision to unilaterally tax American imports of goods from nearly every nation on earth. Trump and other administration officials have been frustrated by what they describe as Chinas failure to relax restrictions on the export of rare earth metals, which are used in manufacturing for advanced electric motors and other electronic products, including those with military applications, while Chinas government has bristled at a recent decision by the U.S. to impose export controls that will prevent American companies from selling Chinese buyers software used for semiconductor design, and by plans announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students who are studying in the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The meeting between American and Chinese negotiators will take place amid continued uncertainty as to the viability of Trumps expansive use of tariffs as a Swiss Army knife-type policy instrument under emergency powers he has claimed using a decades-old law, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Last month, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that President Donald Trump exceeded his authority when he imposed his so-called Liberation Day tariffs on April 2. The court also struck down the tariffs Trump imposed on Mexican, Canadian and Chinese imports with the stated aim of combatting fentanyl and drug trafficking from those countries. That decision was put on hold by an appeals court while arguments play out in the case, but Trump and his allies are making plans to use other, more well-defined authorities to continue his use of import taxes as a way of driving manufacturing to return to American shores after decades of globalization and integration of supply chains. White House officials have been plumbing the depths of the U.S. legal code to find ways to get around judicial orders and carry out the presidents plans despite the rulings of what they call have labeled the rogue judges that have repeatedly ruled against Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump and his advisers are understood to be looking at invoking a never-before-used section of the 1974 Trade Act known as Section 122, which allows for a 15-percent tariff to be placed on imports for up to 150 days, in order to deal with trade imbalances with other countries. During that period, the White House would then start the process to impose alternative tariffs on individual countries exports under Section 301 of the same 1974 law. Trump used Section 301 on multiple occasions during his first term to impose tariffs on some Chinese steel and aluminum imports, but using that authority takes time because it requires a notice-and-comment period. Its unclear whether the White House will seek to employ either of those alternate strategies while the case against Trumps Liberation Day tariffs proceeds. Doing so might be seen by the appeals court or the Supreme Court as a concession that the Court for International Trades decision was, in fact, correct. More follows... President Donald Trump was livid after he learned that Pete Hegseth had invited Elon Musk for an exclusive briefing at the Pentagon, according to a new report in The Atlantic. The meeting made headlines in March when The New York Times reported that the defense secretary would brief Musk on plans for a potential war with Chinawhere the worlds richest man conducts significant business. Publicly, Musk, Hegseth, and Trump were united in their dismissal of the story. The president called it fake news and claimed that China was never intended to be discussed in the briefing. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was the golden child until he invited Elon Musk for an Oval Office briefing. / Evelyn Hockstein / REUTERS Behind closed doors, however, Trump was upset that Hegseth extended the invitation at all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When he learned about the briefing the night before it was set to happen, the president called Hegseth, insiders told The Atlantic. Trump told him that the briefing was a bad look for the administration. In an in-person conversation the following day, Trump reiterated his displeasure to Hegseth. This is crazy and stupid, the president said, according to the insiders. Why would we even do this? Trump acknowledged publicly at the time that Musk should not receive Pentagon intel on China, due to his interests in the region. I certainly wouldnt want, you knowElon has businesses in China, and he would be susceptible, perhaps, to that, he told reporters at the White House. But it was such a fake story. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The moment marked a turning point in Hegseths tenure at the Pentagonand in his relationship with Trump. That Hegseth had the briefing take place in the Tank, a storied Pentagon conference room where top officers meet with the president, only added to the insult, The Atlantic reported. Elon Musk and Pete Hegseth met at the Pentagon in Marchbut did not end up discussing China. / Idrees Ali / REUTERS Up until then, DOD had been the golden child, a person close to Hegseths office told The Atlantic. But afterwards, Hegseth began to spiral. Not long after, the defense secretary became wrapped up in the Signalgate scandalwhen he shared operational attack details on a group chat that included The Atlantics editor-in-chief. The Pentagon was also wracked by leaks, creating paranoia for Hegseth. He ended up firing three top staffers, whom he alleged were guilty of sharing information with the media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Things were heading in the right direction, the Hegseth insider said. But then the leaks and Signalgate just really f---ed up Pete. Trump called Hegseths decision to offer Musk a briefing crazy and stupid. / Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images Reflecting on what went wrong, insiders pointed to Hegseths tendency to flex his office. He likes to impress people with his access and power, they said. Hes got this $180,000 Ferrari. Thats the Pentagon for him, one insider told The Atlantic. And he likes to show it off. Asked for comment on The Atlantics report, the Pentagon directed the Daily Beast to an X post by top spokesperson Sean Parnell. While Secretary Hegseth is at NATO successfully convincing our allies to spend more on defense, The Atlantic is doing what they do best, writing fake news recycled gossip columns, he wrote. Just total BS. While Secretary Hegseth is at NATO successfully convincing our allies to spend more on defense, the Atlantic is doing what they do best, writing fake news recycled gossip columns. Just total BS. https://t.co/ALADiZjTEy Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellUSA) June 5, 2025 The White House did not immediately answer The Daily Beasts request for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, an unnamed White House official told The Atlantic that Hegseths job is 100 percent safe. Meanwhile, White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told the magazine that the entire administration is fully behind Secretary Hegseths mission to prioritize our warfighters, eliminate terrorists, and restore common sense at the DOD. President Donald Trump is not ready to speak with his former friend Elon Musk after their very public falling out on Thursday. The president told both CNN and ABC News on Friday that the billionaire wants to hash it out, but Trump says hes not particularly interested. Hes not ready to talk to Musk, who he called a man who has lost his mind, ABC News Jonathan Karl said on Good Morning America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CNNs Dana Bash also spoke with the president on Friday and received a similar response. Heres exactly what he said: Im not even thinking about Elon. Hes got a problem. The poor guys got a problem, she shared. He said he wishes Elon Musk well. Karl further noted that Trump has been uncharacteristically quiet in the feud, letting Musk do most of the debating. Donald Trump, to use his phrase, really holds the cards here. Donald Trump could do severe damage to Elon Musk if he were to go vindictive, and hes been remarkably restrained, he said. Look, Elon Musk is very powerful. Hes also a very big target. He could probably be deported as well, GMA host George Stephanopoulos added. ABC News @JonKarl says he spoke to Pres. Trump about his escalating feud with Elon Musk early Friday morning: [Pres. Trump] said he's not particularly interested in talking to Elon Musk who he called, a man who has lost his mind. pic.twitter.com/h5Sb3ioy0s Good Morning America (@GMA) June 6, 2025 I just got off the phone with President Trump. He told me he's "not even thinking about Elon. He's got a problem. The poor guys got a problem." pic.twitter.com/zNQvtqDX5H Dana Bash (@DanaBashCNN) June 6, 2025 Musk and Trumps drama broke out Thursday when two of the most powerful men in the world took to their respective social media platforms to call each other names while issuing threats with wide-spreading implications. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Tesla founder said Trump was mentioned in the Epstein files (saying thats why he has yet to release the full list of names) and also said he would not have won the election without his intervention. The richest man in the world is also the largest Republican donor in history. Trump, meanwhile, threatened to end Musks government contracts and social media users even speculated that the feud could eventually end with Musk being deported back to South Africa. The post Trump Tells CNN, ABC News He Is Not Particularly Interested in Talking to Elon Musk: Lost His Mind | Video appeared first on TheWrap. On Wednesday, the Education Department notified Columbia University's accrediting organization that the school violated civil rights law and, therefore, no longer meets the standards for accreditation. While Columbia's accreditation has not been revoked, the move is a significant escalation of President Donald Trump's ongoing feud with the university. "After Hamas' October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel, Columbia University's leadership acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students on its campus," said Education Secretary Linda McMahon. "This is not only immoral, but also unlawful." Throughout the 202425 academic year, Columbia has been working toward renewed accreditation after being last accredited in the 201516 academic year. Losing accreditation would be a significant blow to the university's ability to operate. Consequences include students' academic credits becoming ineligible for transfer, disqualifying a Columbia degree from meeting many graduate schools' admission criteria, and losing eligibility for federal student loans and Pell Grants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The move comes amidst tense negotiations between Trump and the university to reinstate federal funding. In March, Trump canceled $400 million in federal funding to Columbia and demanded changes to the school's protest policies, security practices, and Middle East studies department to address antisemitism concerns before restoring the grants. Columbia agreed to the initial requirements, but Trump took it a step further by pressuring the university to accept a consent decree and appoint a federal judge to oversee the changesrelinquishing autonomy in the process. As negotiations surrounding the consent decree have continued, funding has yet to be reinstated. In May, the Education Department determined that Columbia "acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish Students" following a three-month-long investigation prompted by Trump's executive order to combat antisemitism. According to McMahon, this determination puts Columbia in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits recipients of federal funding from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin. The accrediting organization's requirements state that "a candidate or accredited institution possesses or demonstratescompliance with all applicable government laws and regulations." "Just as the Department of Education has an obligation to uphold federal antidiscrimination law, university accreditors have an obligation to ensure member institutions abide by their standards," said McMahon. Ultimately, the accreditation organization, Middle States Commission on Higher Education, has the final say on whether Columbia's accreditation will be revoked, and has not commented on McMahon's letter. According to the organization's policies, evidence against Columbia will be reviewed with university officials before a decision is made. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Columbia is deeply committed to combating antisemitism on our campus. We take this issue seriously and are continuing to work with the federal government to address it," a Columbia spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal. Despite Columbia's initial efforts to placate Trump, the feud between the two has only continued to escalate. Much like the ongoing drama with Harvard, Columbia would be wise to plan a future without federal money to limit intrusive government interference. Although refusing federal funds and the strings that come attached wouldn't relieve Columbia of the potential consequences of violating federal law, it's the best chance of avoiding the government's ire in the future. The post As Trump Threatens Columbia's Accreditation, the School Should Stop Trying To Placate Him appeared first on Reason.com. The News President Donald Trumps second-term success rests in large part on signing his megabill as soon as possible. Hes acting accordingly. At the heart of Trumps ugly row with former right-hand man Elon Musk is the Tesla CEOs public lambasting of the big, beautiful legislation. Beyond that, the president is laboring behind the scenes to quell dissent while publicly lobbying GOP senators in meetings, gaggles and his social media feed, even amidst the battle with Musk. Trumps team is working furiously to keep the bill going on other fronts, too: seeking to discredit Congresss nonpartisan scorekeeper while savaging Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., for resisting the bill and its debt ceiling increase. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After a shock-and-awe run of asserting executive power much of it now tied up in the courts Trumps full attention is now on the Capitol, where lawmaking is in short supply this year. Its an acknowledgment that his fate, and his partys in the midterms, is now inextricably linked to the megabill. Failure would be not just a blow to the country and economically, but also a blow politically to all of us. We wont fail, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., a member of party leadership, told Semafor. She spoke recently to Trump, saying of his role: He knows his powers of persuasion are pretty strong. Other than rollbacks of Biden-era regulations and a handful of other bills, the Republican Congress has not produced much for Trump to sign. In part thats by design, since Trump always wanted his top priorities stitched together into one piece of legislation. Its a high-risk, high-reward strategy. His second-term legacy is now in the hands of the Senates 53-seat majority; its going to take a lot of muscle for him to get the bill through, whether thats by July 4, as his team wants, or deeper into the year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He wants his deal closed, said Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who met privately with Trump earlier this week to discuss Scotts pursuit of steeper spending cuts. I want to get a bill done. I want to get the economy going, Scott said, signaling hes ready to get to yes despite conservative frustration with the megabills deficit impact. I like his agenda, but I want to balance the budget. Trumps work is starting to pay some dividends on the gargantuan legislation, which touches everything from tax cuts to health care to artificial intelligence, a sprawling legislative patchwork that is both difficult to explain and easy for Democrats to attack. The president is clearly quieting one of the loudest critics of the effort, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. Johnson spoke to Trump privately this week and attended a White House meeting on Wednesday with Senate Finance Committee Republicans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Wisconsinite said its apparent that Trump was paying close attention to his media tour trashing the bill; Trump told Finance panel Republicans that Democrats are comparatively united compared to the GOP. Im taking to heart that hed like me to be a little more positive. I think thats appropriate. Theres a lot of good stuff in the bill; it doesnt increase taxes, Johnson said of finding more spending cuts. I probably have been too negative. Scott said hes open to finding spending cuts through other means, like next years government funding talks though that will be tough to achieve given how much leverage Democrats are likely to have. And Johnson said he understands its not realistic to completely bend the deficit curve all on one bill. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa said Trumps talks with senators are too sensitive to even talk about. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont think I can comment on any of that stuff, Grassley said of Wednesdays Finance panel confab. They dont even let us take our telephones into that meeting. Know More Among Senate Republican critics of the House-passed megabill, Trump has largely kept his fire trained on Paul. The libertarian-leaning Kentuckian has drawn rhetorical fire from Trumps staff and Trump himself, who called Pauls ideas crazy. (Paul has also amplified Musks criticisms of the bill.) Trump and Paul had a private conversation last week about the bill. Asked if the tenor was more cordial than the presidents public fusillades, Paul responded it was about the same. On the other side of the spectrum are Republicans who dislike some of the House-passed bills changes to Medicaid. That camp includes Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who speaks to Trump frequently about avoiding benefit cuts, and moderate Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Murkowski said Thursday shes in close contact with the administration and Senate Majority Leader John Thune about her states issues with implementing work requirements and eligibility verification for Medicaid. Folks in the administration and the president himself know that Im going to make sure that Alaskas interests are represented, Murkowski said. If it works for Alaska, hes not going to need to pressure me. The View From The White House The White House official affirmed the administrations media strategy is almost entirely focused on the bill, from TV hits to press calls to lobbying individual members. The president is very confident about where this bill is headed. Obviously theres a process that has to take place, but the entire team feels good about where this is going, the official said. Burgesss view Trump wooed House holdouts to support the bill during a visit to the Capitol and a meeting at the White House. Senators dont succumb as easily to strong-arming; they serve six-year terms, meaning that some will next appear on a ballot after Trump leaves office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The good news for Trump is he can lose three of them and still pass the bill. If he continues making progress on the partys right flank, and if Thune can quell moderates Medicaid concerns, Trump could have the bill on his desk by August recess or even before. Senators are split on whether they can hit the White Houses July 4 target, but leaders always try to set aspirational goals to motivate their members. Then Republicans can move on to a similarly herculean task: Building a midterm campaign around tax cuts and defending Democrats attacks on their health care changes. Room for Disagreement No amount of presidential fury or social-media posts is likely to dislodge Paul from his central case against the megabill: it increases the debt ceiling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They say youre not over the target if youre not getting flak, Paul told Semafor on Thursday. Theres one inescapable fact of this bill: If you raise the debt ceiling $5 trillion, you are responsible this is no longer Biden spending, this is Republican spending. A White House official said the reason the president has focused solely on Paul is it appears hes the only one who cant be moved on it. Still, Paul has left the door open to supporting the bill if Trump and GOP leaders remove the debt limit increase. Thats a victory of sorts in itself: Paul is among the least likely Republicans to succumb to pressure from Trump. Dating back to the presidents first term, Paul was often a lonely no on his priorities and some of his nominees. Trump Tower will host a Pride month event later this June, despite the White House refusing to officially acknowledge the celebrations. The event, hosted by Log Cabin Republicans of New York City, will take place at the presidents Manhattan hub, promising an evening of drinks, canapes and networking for LGBTQ conservatives. Ill be bringing my pride flag! wrote one user, in response to the post on the groups official Instagram page announcing the event, adding a U.S. flag emoji. Tickets cost $175 dollars, or $150 for dues-paying members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It comes after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dodged a question on whether the Trump administration would formally be recognizing June as Pride Month. There are no plans for a proclamation for the month of June, Leavitt said during a media briefing on Tuesday. But I can tell you this president is very proud to be a president for all Americans, regardless of race, religion or creed. Trump Tower will host a Pride month event later this month, despite the White House refusing to officially acknowledge the celebrations. The event is being hosted by the Log Cabin Republicans of New York City. (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) Trump also declined to issue a proclamation recognizing Pride Month during his first term, but did acknowledge it on social media in a post in which he recognized the outstanding contributions LGBT people have made to our great Nation. Let us also stand in solidarity with the many LGBT people who live in dozens of countries worldwide that punish, imprison, or even execute individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation, Trump wrote on X, then Twitter, in 2019. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My Administration has launched a global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality and invite all nations to join us in this effort, he said at the time. The Log Cabin event at Trump Tower on June 28 attracted criticism and mockery from other LGBTQ outlets, including Queerty, who branded it a party for all the worst gays. Word of the soiree comes after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to a question on White House participation in Pride Month: There are no plans for a proclamation for the month of June. (EPA) The outlet also highlighted the perceived hypocrisy of the event against the background of the Trump administrations attitude to the LGBTQ community, particularly transgender people, and the resulting fallout. U.S.companies which have publicly acknowledged Pride month with social media posts or by displaying flags have been bashed online, while congressional Republicans accused PBS of grooming children after Sesame Street shared a post recognizing Pride Month on Sunday. Earlier this week, it was reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered that a ship bearing the name of gay rights icon and Navy veteran Harvey Milk be renamed. President Donald Trumps administration urged the Supreme Court on Friday to allow officials to gut the Department of Education, a key priority for the president that has been stymied by a series of lower court decisions. The emergency appeal landed at the high court days after the Boston-based 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals declined to reverse a lower court order that halted mass firings at the department, which was created during the Carter administration. Trump has filed more than a dozen emergency appeals at the Supreme Court since he returned to office in January. In its appeal to the Supreme Court, the administration argues its effort at the Education Department involves internal management decisions and eliminating discretionary functions that, in the administrations view, are better left to the states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though Trump has repeatedly vowed to get rid of the department, the administrations lawyers told the Supreme Court in its filing on Friday that the government has been crystal clear in acknowledging that only Congress can eliminate the Department of Education. Trump ordered mass layoffs at the department earlier this year. The problem for the administration is that the department was created by Congress, and so lower courts have ruled it cannot be unilaterally unwound by the White House. At the same time, the administration does have the power to reduce the size of federal agencies, so long as they can continue to carry out their legal requirements. And that, the Department of Justice told the Supreme Court, is precisely what the administration is attempting to do. The Department remains committed to implementing its statutorily mandated functions, the Department of Justice told the Supreme Court in the appeal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Education Department is tasked with distributing federal aid to schools, managing federal aid for college students and ensuring compliance with civil rights laws including ensuring schools accommodate students with disabilities. Most public-school policies are a function of state government. US District Judge Myong Joun, nominated to the bench by former President Joe Biden, indefinitely halted Trumps plans to dismantle the agency and ordered the administration to reinstate employees who had been fired en masse. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by a teachers union, school districts, states and education groups. Noting that the department cannot be shut down without Congresss approval, Joun said Trumps planned layoffs will likely cripple it. The record abundantly reveals that defendants true intention is to effectively dismantle the department without an authorizing statute, he wrote. The Supreme Court is already considering a related emergency case about whether Trump can order mass firings and reorganizations in other federal departments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What is at stake in this case, the 1st Circuit wrote, was whether a nearly half-century-old cabinet department would be permitted to carry out its statutorily assigned functions or prevented from doing so by a mass termination of employees aimed at implementing the effective closure of that department. Trumps order would have affected about half of the departments employees, according to court records. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com President Donald Trump is vowing to spark a manufacturing boom with tariffs to protect American workers and industry. So far, its manufacturers that have borne the brunt of the pain. The presidents surprise decision to raise tariffs on imported steel and aluminum to 50 percent will hit domestic manufacturing just as a new report shows the industry is already contracting. Uncertainty about where tariff rates will ultimately land or where theyll be applied has forced businesses to make hard decisions that could cut into both profits and hiring. And a leading trade group on Thursday called on Trump to give the companies a break on the tariffs. For a president who is intent on building U.S. manufacturing, the tariff strategy hes laid out is remarkably short-sighted, said Gordon Hanson, a Harvard Kennedy School professor whose groundbreaking 2016 research work, The China Shock, was among the first to sound the alarm about the threat to American industry. It fails to recognize what modern supply chains look like. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even if youre intent on reshoring parts of manufacturing, you cant do it all, he said. Steel and aluminum are part of that. If Trumps tariffs fail to result in a manufacturing renaissance a central focus of his presidential campaign it could weaken the prospects of a GOP coalition thats increasingly reliant on working-class voters who supported his protectionist trade policies. But as unanticipated tariffs continue to drive up input costs for companies that need steel and aluminum for production, the warning signs emanating from manufacturers are getting louder. An index published this week by the Institute for Supply Management, which tracks manufacturing, slipped for the third straight month in May as companies made plans to scale back production. A quarterly survey conducted by the National Association of Manufacturers reported the steepest drop in optimism since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, with trade uncertainty and raw material costs cited as top concerns. Federal Reserve data this month reported weaker manufacturing output. The manufacturers' association on Thursday urged Trump to develop a speed pass that would allow companies to avoid costly new duties on imported raw materials and components that are essential to U.S. producers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The steel and aluminum tariffs are almost custom-made to hurt American manufacturing, said Ernie Tedeschi, a former top Biden administration economist whos now with the Yale Budget Lab. Trump and top administration officials argue that tariffs will encourage investment in domestic manufacturers, which should lead to better-paying jobs, a more resilient economy and more secure supply chains. Exports climbed in April as the presidents tariffs took hold, which contributed to an eye-popping decline in the U.S. trade deficit. Indeed, the overall economy remains solid, and businesses are continuing to hire, according to Friday's jobs report for May. Despite the trade headwinds, employment in the manufacturing sector has remained steady since Trump took office. As the president says, if you dont make steel, you cant fight a war. Hes protecting that industry and bringing it back, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Senate lawmakers this week. Youre going to see more steel and aluminum furnaces and mills in the history of this country get built over the next three years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Trump welcomed the monthly jobs report, posting on Truth Social:AMERICA IS HOT! SIX MONTHS AGO IT WAS COLD AS ICE! BORDER IS CLOSED, PRICES ARE DOWN. WAGES ARE UP! Still, domestic manufacturers who rely on international supply chains for critical steel and aluminum inputs will face tough choices if they want to maintain their profits while keeping output steady. Higher costs are expected. Higher input prices. The question is, what do you do with those costs? How much can you pass along to the consumer? How much can you negotiate with your suppliers? said Andrew Siciliano, a partner at KPMG who leads the consulting firms trade and customs practice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The challenges posed by the increase in steel and aluminum tariffs are particularly acute because its far from clear whether domestic suppliers will be able to meet the demands of domestic manufacturers. Almost half the aluminum used in the U.S. last year came from foreign sources, according to federal data, and roughly a quarter of all steel is imported. Either way, input costs are going to be higher, Siciliano said. If they pass it on, it could affect demand. If they dont pass it on, it could affect profitability. That isnt to say manufacturers wont benefit from tariffs in the long term. To the extent that Trumps overall tariff regime limits imports, U.S.-based industrial production could expand to address unmet demand. The Budget Labs analysis of Trumps tariff regime which includes the 50 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum projects that manufacturing output could grow by 1.3 percent over the next five years if existing import duties are left in place. But Tedeschi cautioned that growth may exclude segments like electronic and semiconductor production which tend to generate higher incomes for workers. Meanwhile, output in other sectors like construction or agriculture would likely contract. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Julia Coronado, founder of MacroPolicy Perspectives, also said the flurry of new import duties may prompt some manufacturers to actually move their manufacturing facilities offshore rather than subject their supply chains and production processes to multiple tariffs. If I have to assemble a bunch of parts and inputs, why dont I just dont do that on the Canadian or Mexican side of the border and then pay the tariff on the final good? she said. An even bigger challenge may involve finding and training workers who can staff up any facilities that reshore. Most Americans work in the service sector and, to the extent tariffs lead to reshoring, those facilities will likely rely heavily on automation, according to economists at the Bank of America Institute. Finding qualified workers in the U.S. is either too difficult or too expensive. Whatever manufacturing production comes back to the U.S. will require far fewer jobs than 30 or 40 years ago, Hanson said. Its just the way the world has gone." The fragile trade truce between the United States and China has, for now, been pulled back from the brink. US President Donald Trump finally got his long-anticipated phone call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, during which the two agreed to resume trade talks that had stalled over accusations from each side that the other had reneged on previous promises. Thursdays 90-minute conversation brought a temporary reprieve from an escalating feud between the superpower rivals, but it offered no clear path toward resolving their deep-rooted divisions especially over crucial supply chains that both sides consider vital to national security. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement US officials accused China of backpedaling on its pledge made during May talks in Geneva to ease export restrictions on rare earth minerals critical to a wide range of industries. Beijing, meanwhile, has bristled at Washingtons moves to warn companies against using Chinas most advanced AI chips, restrict chip design software sales to China and aggressively revoke Chinese student visas. After what happened during the past 10 days, I already call (the phone call) a win, said Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Washington-based Stimson Center think tank. Both sides acknowledge that this was a positive interaction, and the two leaders coming together can solve problems. Its good for their strong man image and leadership credentials. While Trump had repeatedly expressed keenness for the call, including complimenting Xis toughness in a late-night social media post this week, Xi has taken his time in picking up the phone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Chinese state is under significantly less pressure than its American counterpart in coming to the negotiating table, said Brian Wong, an assistant professor at the University of Hong Kong. The Chinese leadership joined the call from a position of political strength, even whilst economic concerns are very much alive and real. Supply chain bottlenecks Trumps eagerness to talk and his speediness in declaring that he had straightened out the dispute over rare earth exports with Xi has once again demonstrated to the Chinese leader just how powerful his nations dominance in the sector is. Since April, when China announced the export controls, the new system has disrupted the shipment of the minerals, raising alarms among officials and businesses alike in Europe and America. In the Chinese readout, Xi insisted that China had seriously and earnestly complied with the agreement, even as US officials have repeatedly accused Beijing of slow-walking approvals for rare earth exports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, noted that official rules dictate that applications for export licenses can take up to 45 working days to be approved. In principle, I can agree to export to you, but I can speed things up or slow them down. In reality, on a technical level, it also depends on the overall bilateral trade and economic atmosphere, he said. If the bilateral relationship is good, then Ill go a bit faster; if not, Ill slow down. But you cant say Im violating the agreement Im still following the standard procedures. While American businesses are likely to see more export licenses approved in the next couple of weeks, according to Wu, the export control regime is here to stay. A Chinese flag flies from a ship at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, California, on April 15, 2025. - Noah Berger/AP Zhiqun Zhu, director of the China Institute at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, put it more bluntly, calling Chinas dominance on rare earths one of the few cards it holds in the trade war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why would the US government expect China to give up the rare earth card to please the US if it treats China as the enemy? he wrote in an article prior to the Trump-Xi call. In the days leading up to the phone call, Chinese scholars have suggested that Beijing should use its leverage on rare earths to get Washington to ease its own export controls on cutting-edge chips. Unlike rare earths, China doesnt dominate this industry at the highest levels, and it views any supply bottleneck on the US side as an obstacle to its technological development. Following his conversation with Xi, Trump announced that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will join Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in the next round of trade talks. That was noted by observers in both China and the US as a sign that US export controls may now be up for negotiation in a potential win for Beijing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The US Department of Commerce is responsible for export controls, which means that in the next stage, China-US negotiations will likely go beyond tariffs and also address issues such as export controls and entity sanctions, Wu said. During his first term in office, Trump lifted a ban on American companies doing business with Chinese telecom giant ZTE at Xis request to get a trade deal. But six years on, easing export controls on China will be a tough sell in Washington, where blocking Beijings access to advanced American technologies has become a rare bipartisan issue. Just having Lutnick there (in the trade talks) doesnt mean that the US is going to make concessions on semiconductors, Sun said. She predicts more flare-ups of tensions down the road. This three steps forward two steps back is going to be the norm from now on. Were not going to see a deal agreed without any drawbacks, and were going to see this repeating itself, she added. Different approaches While the call signaled temporary relief, it also exposed stark differences in how the US and China approach their trade disputes: Trump tends to treat trade as a primary and standalone issue, whereas Beijing often views it in the context of broader bilateral relations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump said in his Truth Social post that the hour-and-a-half conversation phone call was focused almost entirely on TRADE, while the Chinese readout singled out Xis stern warning on Taiwan the reddest of lines for Beijing and the issue of Chinese student visas. The Chinese leader urged the US to handle the Taiwan question with prudence so that Taiwan independence separatists will not be able to drag China and America into the dangerous terrain of confrontation and even conflict. The contrast strikes at the core of the gulf between China and the US, Wong said. Whilst Trump views the competition through primarily trade surplus/deficit terms, Xi views territorial integrity as more important than the countrys economic interests, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From Beijings perspective, there are plenty of worrying signs. Last weekend, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Asian allies that China posed an imminent threat to Taiwan, a self-governing democracy Beijing views as its own and has vowed to take control of, by force if necessary. Days before, Reuters had reported, citing US official sources, that Washington plans to ramp up weapon sales to Taipei to a level exceeding Trumps first term as part of an effort to deter Chinas intensifying military pressure. Another issue of concern for Beijing is the fate of Chinese students in the US. Last week, Secretary of State Macro Rubio, a known China-hawk, announced a plan to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, a move that has caused widespread anxiety and anger in China. The Chinese readout quoted Trump as saying that Chinese students are welcome in the US. Trump later told reporters in the Oval Office: Chinese students are coming. No problem. No problem. Its our honor to have them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wu said the adjustment of the visa policy will be a test of Trumps leadership. During their call, Xi told Trump that the two leaders should take the helm and set the right course for bilateral relations, saying its particularly important to steer clear of various disturbances and disruptions. This remark had a clear target it implies that within Trumps team, there are people trying to disrupt or undermine the bilateral relationship, so now its up to President Trump to show leadership, Wu said. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The clamorous end to President Trumps alliance with Elon Musk is increasing pressure on the White House over its signature legislation known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act a bill under intense scrutiny in the Senate that Musk wants killed over its price tag, but that Trump views as critical to the success of his presidency. The bill faces strong headwinds among senators across the Republican spectrum, including fiscal conservatives who say it authorizes unsustainable spending, as well as moderates who fear the consequences of offsetting costly tax breaks in the bill with steep cuts to Medicaid. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin among those seeking to decrease spending in the bill, told NPR this week that it has no chance of passing the Senate in its current form. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its easy to be the parent that says, Were going to go to Disney World. Its hard to be the parent that says, yeah, but we cant afford it,' Johnson told reporters Friday on Capitol Hill. To get to yes, I need a commitment to return to a reasonable pre-pandemic level of spending. Read more: 'Have a nice day, DJT!': Trump's breakup with Musk devolves into a war of insults Trumps relationship with Musk, the worlds richest man and the largest Republican donor during the 2024 presidential campaign, shattered on Thursday in an exchange of public insults between the two men. After leaving his role in the administration last week, where he was assigned to cut federal spending and government waste, Musk sounded off on the bill as an abomination that would cause the national debt to soar. Trump responded by suggesting Musk opposed the legislation because it includes cuts to energy tax credits that have benefited Tesla, Musks electric vehicle company. The billionaire entrepreneur may also be angry, Trump mused, because his recommendation to head NASA was rejected an important position for SpaceX, another Musk business. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those comments set off an online tirade from Musk that claimed credit for Trumps election victory and accused the president of links with the late Jeffrey Epstein, a notorious child sex offender. Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate, Musk wrote on X, his social media platform. Such ingratitude. Musk contributed over $280 million to Trump and other Republicans during the 2024 presidential campaign. But his tenure in the White House has come at a steep cost. Tesla's profits plummeted 71% over the first three months of the year, with reputation rankings showing a similarly precipitous drop amongst consumers. On Thursday alone, as his feud with Trump escalated, Tesla's stock price dropped 14%. Im not even thinking about Elon, Trump told CNNs Dana Bash in a phone interview on Friday. Hes got a problem. The poor guys got a problem. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk was also quieter on Friday, focusing his social media activity on his companies, a sign that both men see mutual destruction in the fallout from their feud. But the source of their feud the bill remains on thin ice. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill could add $2.4 trillion to annual deficits over the next decade and result in 10.9 million people losing their health insurance, prompting GOP senators like Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, where 28% of the state population is enrolled in Medicaid, to express concern. But Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters that the caucus is open to exploring cuts to another popular health program Medicare, for Americans 65 and older if it results in lowering the overall costs of the bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: 'Forecast risk': How Trump's cuts to weather experts could imperil California The focus, as you know, has been on addressing waste, fraud, abuse within Medicaid and, but right now, were open to suggestions that people have about other areas where there is, you know, clearly, waste, fraud and abuse that can be rooted out in any government program, Thune said in a news conference. Asked whether Medicare cuts are on the table, Thune replied, I think anything we can do that's waste, fraud and abuse are open to discussions. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, defended the bill against Musks attacks on Friday and said his calls to kill the bill were a surprise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I don't argue with Elon on how to build rockets, Johnson said. I wish he wouldn't argue with me about how to craft legislation. Johnson has said his goal is to have the legislation passed into law by Independence Day, before lawmakers start traveling home for a series of long summer recesses. But there are other reasons for the deadline. The Treasury Department anticipates the country could risk default unless Congress raises the debt ceiling by August. And tax cuts passed in 2017, under the first Trump administration, are set to expire at the end of this year, leading Republicans to warn of a 68% tax increase if the bill fails. Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter. Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond, in your inbox twice per week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg has described the special operation Spiders Web, conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine to destroy Russian strategic aircraft, as an example of effective and bold leadership. Source: Kellogg on X (Twitter); as reported by European Pravda Quote: "This event can be a forcing function for peace but both sides must remain committed to President Trump's mission - stop the killing and end the war." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: Kellogg emphasised that "bold leadership and audacious action can change the nature of the battlefield", citing both his military background and historical examples. He stated that such leadership had been shown by the Security Service of Ukraine, Defence Intelligence of Ukraine and Defence Minister Rustem Umierov. Background: On 4 June, Trump held what he called a "good conversation" with Vladimir Putin, though "not one that would lead to immediate peace". The US president stated that Putin "did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields". US media reports indicated that Trump is said to be impressed by the Ukrainian Spider's Web operation, though concerned about Russias potential retaliation. NATO considers Operation Spiders Web which damaged dozens of Russian aircraft to have been highly successful. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! The Defense Department is sending another destroyer, USS Cole, to the southern border mission. Cole is the latest destroyer to go from the Red Sea conflict to America's backyard. The warship is one of the many military assets the White House has sent to the US-Mexico border. A fourth US Navy destroyer that participated in the Red Sea conflict is on its way to support President Donald Trump's southern border mission, bringing a range of advanced naval combat capabilities to a very different operating environment. The Navy announced Friday that the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Cole had left Florida to support US Northern Command's "border security objectives." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration has made cracking down on maritime-related criminal activity, including weapons smuggling, drug trafficking, and illegal immigration, a top priority, and the Defense Department has sent military assets to the US-Mexico border. Among these assets are five destroyers and a littoral combat ship on staggered deployments. Cole, like the other warships, is set to be accompanied by a US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment. They specialize in military operations at sea, such as counterterrorism, counterpiracy, and anti-immigration missions. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers like the Cole are advanced naval surface ships with robust communications and sensor suites and are suited for long-endurance missions. These vessels can be armed with surface-to-air and land-attack missiles. Other armaments include the ship's five-inch deck gun, machine guns, and a Phalanx Close-In Weapons System. USS Cole left its homeport in Florida on Thursday. US Navy photo by Jacob Sippel/released The Navy said that the Cole's deployment to the southern border "aims to enhance maritime security and support interagency collaboration in the region through presence operations" and the support of the Coast Guard operators, who can perform vessel boardings, searches, and seizures to target drug trafficking, illegal immigration, and maritime criminal activity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cole's new assignment makes it the latest destroyer to go from the Red Sea conflict, where it defended international shipping lanes from attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, to patrolling the waters near the US-Mexico border. It follows in the footsteps of USS Gravely, USS Stockdale, and USS Spruance, which all had extensive Middle East deployments last year. When the Cole arrives in the Gulf of Mexico, which the Trump administration has renamed the Gulf of America, it will be one of two destroyers actively participating in the mission. The other warship, USS Sampson, departed its homeport in San Diego a few days ago and will be operating in the Pacific Ocean. Correction: June 8, 2025 An earlier version of this article misstated USS Cole's homeport. It recently departed Florida; however, the destroyer's homeport is in Virginia. Read the original article on Business Insider Because of a political fallout, tech mogul and SpaceX owner Elon Musk has now attracted the verbal ire of President Trump. While sparring over social media, the President suggested that he could and would cancel Musk's government contracts relative to SpaceX. Briefly, this led Musk to claim that SpaceX would "decommission" the crucial Dragon spacecraft, but later reversed his position, saying, "Ok, we wont decommission Dragon." This is the very same type of vessel which recently led to the rescue of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunni Williams who were stranded on the International Space Station for much longer than originally planned. And it's the fate of the International Space Station that is actually the number one reason why an utterly defunded SpaceX might be a very dangerous thing. In 2024, NASA awarded SpaceX a contract valued at $843 million. The purpose? To deorbit the International Space Station by the end of the decade. Basically, the ISS is not designed to stay in orbit forever, and before it is replaced by something more permanent, it will have to be safely moved to a low Earth orbit. This means that SpaceX is currently tasked by the U.S. government to build the United States Deorbit Vehicle (USDV). "Selecting a U.S. Deorbit Vehicle for the International Space Station will help NASA and its international partners ensure a safe and responsible transition in low Earth orbit at the end of station operations," Ken Bowersox said in a NASA statement last year. Related: Stranded NASA Astronauts Reveal Scariest Moment of Being Stuck in Space In a hypothetical world in which Trump decides to rescind all government contracts for SpaceX, that would presumably include killing the all-important job of SpaceX building the USDV. And if SpaceX doesn't build the USDV, who will help mitigate the very real fallout of a large space station? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Again, hypothetically, there are other organizations that have spacecraft, but as the stranding of Wilmore and Williams recently demonstrated, SpaceX has proven to be the most reliable way for the U.S. to get people in and out of space. In fact, the whole reason that Wilmore and Williams were stranded was because the Boeing Starliner a rival aerospace venture to SpaceX was unable to complete a return trip because of safety concerns. Concurrent with all of this, Blue Origin's New Glenn craft isn't even close to being ready. Notably, Blue Origin's other craft, the New Shepard, isn't designed to go far enough into space to be useful to the ISS. Perhaps an interesting milestone: @SpaceX commercial revenue from space will exceed the entire budget of @NASA next year. SpaceX revenue this year will be ~$15.5B, of which NASA is ~$1.1B. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 3, 2025 One might wonder if SpaceX really needs the money. And it's possible the company doesn't. As Musk pointed out on June 3, the entirety of what NASA pays to SpaceX ($1.1 billion) is dwarfed by SpaceX's current revenue ($15.5 billion). Basically, SpaceX's Starlink services are making plenty of money for the company, so if Trump rescinded even just that contract valued at roughly $800 million, it wouldn't come close to putting SpaceX out of business. Legally, Trump might be able to try and sever ties between SpaceX and the U.S. government, specifically, NASA. But practically speaking, this seems very unlikely long-term. Right now, SpaceX is the best bet for creating a safe deorbit for the ISS. And, if any more astronauts get stranded from any country it seems like Musk's Dragons are still the most reliable space taxi. Related: SpaceX and Amazon Are Quietly Launching a New Space Race Right Now Trump's Threat to Kill SpaceX Presents One Hidden Safety Concern first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 6, 2025 Farxaan Jeyte is a seasoned political strategist, entrepreneur and advocate with over 20 years of experience in U.S. presidential, gubernatorial and Senate campaigns. He is active in U.S.Africa policy and supports minority-owned businesses through his work in trade, governance and grassroots advocacy. Donald Trump's administration argues that banning citizens of 12 countries Somalia included from entering the United States will fill gaps in foreign vetting and prevent dangerous individuals from slipping through. The move came after an Egyptian national was arrested on charges that he firebombed a pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado. Trump said the attack underscored the extreme dangers posed by foreign nationals who are not properly vetted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement White House officials call the move commonsense and say it targets countries with weak screening and high visa overstay rates to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors. Yet for all the focus on security, the human costs of a blanket ban are impossible to ignore. The policy casts a wide net, halting travel for entire populations because of the actions of a few. It sweeps up people who pose no threat: students, grandparents and refugees. More: Habiba Soliman wanted to be a doctor. Then, her father firebombed Jewish marchers in Boulder Punishing whole nations for the crimes of individuals also raises basic fairness issues. Notably, the Boulder suspects country of origin, Egypt, isnt even on the ban list, calling into question how effective banning other countries really is. Countries where President Donald Trump has issued a full or partial travel bans. From the administrations view, the Boulder attack was a wake-up call revealing flaws in the immigration system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials note the suspect was an Egyptian visitor who overstayed his visa a failure of enforcement they cite as proof of lax vetting. Supporters of the ban point out that many listed nations are unstable, potentially allowing extremists to slip through. By halting entry from countries such as Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia all grappling with terrorism the administration contends it is closing dangerous loopholes to prevent another tragedy. Critics argue the collateral damage broken families and lost trust far outweighs any security benefit. Human rights groups have decried the renewed policy as discriminatory and cruel, saying it sows division and vilifies communities seeking safety. Columbus families will be impacted The consequences for innocent families will be devastating. Ohio has roughly 60,000 Somali-American residents in the Columbus area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This vibrant community has contributed enormously immigrants from Somalia have opened hundreds of local businesses and enriched the citys culture. More: 'Nobody told us about the neighborhood': Somali Americans experiences with youth violence A ban on Somalia strikes at the heart of these families. Grandparents may miss the birth of a grandchild, and students could see siblings barred from graduations. In Columbus, conversations are filled with concern for relatives stranded abroad. People who once fled terror and found refuge in America now worry theyre seen as threats. Its a painful irony that has left many feeling alienated in the only country they call home. Trumps 2017 travel ban on Muslim-majority countries like Somalia caused chaos at airports and tore families apart a history now poised to repeat. The mural on the north side of the Graduate Hotel features Hodan Mohammed, leader of local Somali community group Our Helpers and founder of the Columbus Somali Festival on August 17, 2021. One Somali refugee in Ohio was separated from his wife and children for nearly seven years due to that ban. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We can protect America without scapegoating entire nations. Rather than broad bans, officials should pursue targeted, intelligence-based measures stronger background checks, better visa enforcement and vetting individuals based on real red flags, not blanket nationality. U.S. agencies are capable of pinpointing threats without closing the door on innocent travelers. Blanket travel bans offer a false sense of security while breeding resentment. A wiser approach balances vigilance with fairness, preserving goodwill with immigrant communities. Somali-Americans have proven their commitment to this country and should be treated as partners in safety, not suspects. Focusing on genuine threats instead of scapegoating entire populations is more just and more effective at keeping America safe. Farxaan Jeyte is a seasoned political strategist, entrepreneur, and advocate with over 20 years of experience in U.S. presidential, gubernatorial, and Senate campaigns. Farxaan Jeyte is a seasoned political strategist, entrepreneur and advocate with over 20 years of experience in U.S. presidential, gubernatorial and Senate campaigns. He is active in U.S.Africa policy and supports minority-owned businesses through his work in trade, governance and grassroots advocacy. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Trump's travel ban lists countries with strong Ohio ties | Opinion Twelve employees suffered skin wounds at a facility operated by postal and logistics giant DHL in southern Germany after a white powder was discovered, police said. The distribution facility in the town of Langenzenn, near the city of Nuremberg, was evacuated on Friday. A police spokeswoman said there was no threat to the public. The fire brigade said a white powder was found on several parcels. Hazardous materials experts took samples, which now need to be analyzed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was also hoped that dermatological examinations of those affected will provide further information. Authorities cautioned that it is still unknown whether the powder is the cause of the skin injuries. It is also unclear whether the substance escaped from one or more of the parcels, or was transferred onto the packages from an outside source. The packages on which the powder was found did not come from the same sender, said district fire chief Frank Stegmann. The fire brigade set up a decontamination shower for employees to wash off any harmful substances. Lake Geneva residents will not be able to obtain beach passes during their visit to the library as proposed. Members of the Lake Geneva City Council unanimously approved, May 27, to deny a proposed program in which Lake Geneva Public Library staff would provide daily Riviera Beach passes to Lake Geneva residents. The proposed program was approved by City Council Finance, Licensing and Regulation Committee members May 20 and by City Council Piers, Harbors and Lakefront Committee members May 13. As part of the proposed program, residents would be able to check out up to six daily Riviera Beach passes once a month at the Lake Geneva Public Library, 918 W. Main St. The passes would be available to Lake Geneva residents on a first come, first serve basis. Harbormaster Eric Nicia advised city aldermen that the program could violate state statute because it could be considered discriminatory against non-residents. "It turns out that we cannot implement the program as we intended to, due to system restraints and state statutes," Nicia said. "So, now that we we're going through the whole process, trying to get it up and running, it is our recommendation to vote this down because it cannot be done in the way that we intended to." The program was set to be for low-income residents or residents who could not afford to purchase annual beach pass bracelets. "We wanted this program to be for residents only in the aspect of trying to get residents who are low income and maybe use the beach once or twice during the summer, so we we're trying to set those restrictions," Nicia said. "Obviously, those aren't allowed per state statute now that we looked into it." Alderwoman Catherine Stoodley proposed an amendment that the program be available to both resident and non-resident library card holders. "If you have a library card and we have these beach passes, why does it have to be city residents? Why can't it be anyone who utilizes the library to have an opportunity to go to the beach? The whole point of having free books and things is to have people take advantage of opportunities that they don't normally get," Stoodley said. "We have all these people half a block outside of town who would love to go to the beach. So, I don't know where to go with this, but I would love to see the library just be able to have free passes to the beach. People can come and enjoy our town." Alderwoman Cindy Yager said she is not against the amendment but feels people would get a library card only to obtain the beach passes. However, she would like city officials to still consider implementing some type of program in which people could check out beach passes at the library. "I mean my mind went to everyone is going to go to the library and get a free library card, so now they can get free passes for the day and then they don't have to go to the kiosk and pay the beach pass price," Yager said. "So, that's just where my mind automatically went, unfortunately. That was not good, but that's where it went. So, that's why I couldn't support it at this time. I still would love the Piers, Harbors and Lakefront Committee to be able to discuss this further and look into other possibilities." After some discussion, Stoodley's proposed amendment failed due to a lack of a second motion. Mayor Todd Krause said he also would like to consider implementing a program which would allow people to check out beach passes at the library. "We'll keep looking because I agree with you Alderman Stoodley, I think there's some other opportunities we can consider," Krause said. Annual resident Riviera Beach passes cost $3 per bracelet with a maximum of six bracelets available for each household. Daily Riviera Beach passes cost $10 for people 7 years and older. Lakefront fee increases approved Members of the Lake Geneva City Council also approved, May 27, updated lakefront fees which include annual beach passes for non-residents. The updated fees were approved by a 6-1 vote with Alderwoman Mary Jo Fesenmaier voting "no." Annual beach passes for non-resident students will cost $25 per bracelet, and annual beach passes for non-residents will cost $100 per bracelets. Other updated lakefront fees that were approved were related to boat launch permits and kayak launch permits. One-time boat launch permit fees for non-trailer, non-motor watercraft will increase from $7 to $13.75 for residents and from $8 to $13.75 for non-residents. A one-time launch for boats that are less than 20 feet will increase from $10 to $16.25 for residents and from $11 to $16.25 for non-residents. One-time launch fees for boats that are between 20 feet and 25 feet and 11 inches will increase from $14 to $20.50 for residents and from $21 to $31 for non-residents, and one-time launch fees for boats that are at least 26 feet will increase from $16 to $24.75 for residents and from $24 to $37.25 for non-residents. The updated fees also include increases for season boat launch permits. Season launch permits for non-trailer, non-motor boats will increase from $70 to $137.50 for residents and from $80 to $137.50 for non-residents. Fees for season launch permits for boats that are less than 20 feet will increase from $100 to $162.50 for residents and from $110 to $162.50 for non-residents. Season launch permits for boats that are between 20 feet and 25 feet and 11 inches will increase from $140 to $205 for residents and from $210 to $310 for non-residents, and season launch permits for boats that are at least 26 feet will increase from $160 to $247.50 for residents and from $240 to $372.50 for non-residents. The one-time kayak launch fee will increase from $5 to $10, and season launch passes for kayaks, canoes and paddleboards will cost $100 for both residents and non-residents. "We're just getting up to speed with our fee structure, which is a bit outdated and it matches other fee structures on the lake with similar offerings," Krause said. Boat launch passes approved for lagoon pier lessees Members of the Lake Geneva City Council unanimously approved, May 27, to provide a courtesy season boat launch pass to people who lease a slip on the city-owned lagoon boat pier. The passes will not be available to lagoon pier slip lessees who rent a buoy or a slip on another city boat pier. The lagoon pier was removed last year because it was in deteriorating condition, and it is unlikely that a new pier system will be installed for this year's boating season. Season boat launch passes were awarded to lagoon slip lessees last year, as well. Nicia said several lagoon pier slip lessees requested that courtesy season boat launch passes be offered to them again this year. "They reached out last year. They were granted a free launch pass due to the removal of the pier," Nicia said. "This year, they are looking for the same." Nicia said only three people took advantage of the program in 2024. "So, it's not everyone who is going to use this," Nicia said. "I imagine the same amount is going to be taking advantage of this, this year." City officials have been discussing whether to install a new pier system in the lagoon, located in the 100 block of Wrigley Drive, during the past year. City Council members approved, April 28, to reject bids that were recently submitted to install a new pier system in the lagoon. Members of the City Council's Piers, Harbors and Lakefront Committee recommended, April 8, to reject the bids and only obtain bids for floating pier systems after Geneva Lake Level Corporation Board members advised city officials to either not install a new pier system in the lagoon or to install a floating pier system because it could be removed and reinstalled if maintenance work needed to be done in the lagoon. Several aldermen have proposed that city officials focus on maintenance work that needs to be done in the lagoon before deciding on whether to install a new pier system. Twelve employees suffered skin wounds at a facility operated by postal and logistics giant DHL in southern Germany after a white powder was discovered, police said on Friday. The distribution facility in the town of Langenzenn, near the city of Nuremberg, was evacuated. A police spokeswoman said there was no threat to the public. The fire brigade set up a decontamination shower for employees to wash off any harmful substances. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eight people were taken to hospital, most of them complaining of severe itching, the spokeswoman said. The fire brigade said a white powder was found on several parcels. Hazardous materials experts took samples. Later on Friday, DHL said the substance Phoron was the cause of the skin irritation. The symptoms reported by employees are consistent with those resulting from exposure to Phoron, a crystalline acetone-based solvent, district fire chief Frank Stegmann said. The postal company said it was still not possible to determine exactly where the substance came from. Stegmann said earlier that the packages on which the powder was found did not come from the same sender. DHL expects the distribution centre to be operating as usual on Saturday. Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. UTAH COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) Two 18-year-olds have been charged with aggravated assault after a fight broke out in a canyon, leaving another young adult in the hospital. Tyler Shad Janeway and Aiden Jay Fullenwider, both 18, have been charged with felony aggravated assault. Janeway is also facing charges of possession of forged writing, prohibited use of an identification card, and unlawful purchase, possession, and consumption of alcohol by a minor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three men charged after alleged robbery at gunpoint during house party, documents say According to documents, on June 1, a group of young adults went up one of the canyons in Utah County. Before going up the canyon, Janeway used a fake ID card to purchase alcohol and brought it with him. While in the canyon, two of the young adults, the victim and the witness, began arguing. Janeway and Fullenwider got between the two and began physically fighting with the victim. He was pushed to the ground, and Janeway and Fullenwider continued physically attacking him. The witness begged Janeway and Fullenwider to stop before they finally managed to get between them and remove the victim from the situation. The victim and witness left the canyon, and the victim was transported to the hospital by an ambulance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Utah County Sheriffs Office was called to the area on reports of a physical fight. When they arrived, they began searching the area for the young adults and located several cans of alcohol. According to documents, the sheriff deputies were told one of the victims was at home and being taken to the hospital. Riverton teen allegedly shoots uncle three times during dispute, police say In conversation with the victim and witness, they told law enforcement that a significant amount of alcohol had been consumed by the group before the altercation. They also told sheriff deputies that Janeway had used a fake ID to purchase that alcohol, which the victims mother later found in the vehicle her son had driven up the canyon. The victim had significant injuries to his abdomen and head and sustained a concussion. Medical staff said that the victim had severe bruising, and blood was found in his urine due to his injuries. He was discharged from the hospital, but told police he would need follow-up visits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another witness from the night of June 1 came forward with videos of the altercation. According to documents, Janeway can be seen kicking and hitting the victim several times with Fullenwider. Both Janeway and Fullenwider were booked into the Utah County Jail on felony charges. Latest headlines: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) Two people have been arrested in Lafayette on charges of possession of nitrous oxide, authorities said. Mohammad Zalloum, 19, of Lafayette, and Raja Jamaleddin, 45, of Alexandria, were arrested Tuesday by Louisiana State Police at two different Lafatette smoke shops. Zalloum, of Candle Hookah Smoke Shop, is charged with 4,790 counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance, which is suspected to be Nitrous Oxide. He was released on a $2,500 bond, according to online jail records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jamaleddin, of Old Smokey Smoke Shop in Lafayette, was charged with 525 counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance, also suspected to be Nitrous Oxide. He was released on a $10,000 bond. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now KLFY Daily Digest The arrests are the result of a multi-agency effort involving the LSP, Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control and the Louisiana State Fire Marshals Office. The investigation is ongoing and both locations are being cited for applicable regulatory violations by ATC agents and OSFM, authorities said. Latest news Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLFY.com. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) Two men pleaded guilty to the 2021 killing of Andre Robertson on Friday, according to the United States Attorneys Office (USAO) for the District of Columbia. Darius Robertson, 32, and Antonio Hensley, 33, both of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter charges. Police: Four people found dead in possible murder-suicide at Manassas Park apartment According to court documents, on Oct. 1, 2021, Darius struck Andre in the face and head, starting a fight. The two men then continued fighting on the ground until bystanders separated them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Court documents said Hensley then approached Andre and also struck him in the head and neck area, resulting in him falling to the ground as the two men proceeded to strike him repeatedly in the head. Andre later died from his injuries, the USAO states. Darius was arrested in December 2021, and Hensley was arrested in February 2022, where they both have since remained in custody. The two are set to be sentenced on Sept. 19, 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. Two foreign nationals were charged with stalking a Los Angeles-based artist who has criticized Chinese President Xi Jinping, federal officials said. Cui Guanghai, 43, of China, and John Miller, 63, of the U.K. and a U.S. lawful permanent resident, were charged with interstate stalking, conspiracy to commit interstate stalking, smuggling and violating the Arms Export Control Act, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office Central District of California. The defendants allegedly plotted to harass and interfere with an individual who criticized the actions of the Peoples Republic of China while exercising their constitutionally protected free speech rights within the United States of America, said FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino in the release. The same individuals also are charged with trying to obtain and export sensitive U.S. military technology to China." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Dating apps used in Mexico to lure and kidnap U.S. citizens, officials warn If convicted, Cui and Miller face up to five years in prison for conspiracy, five years for interstate stalking, 20 for violating the Arms Export Control Act and 10 years for smuggling. According to court documents, Cui and Miller allegedly employed two people, who they didn't know were acting on the direction of the FBI, to carry out a plot to stop someone from protesting Xi's appearance at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. The victim, who wasn't named in the release, had previously publicly criticized Xi and China's government. Cui and Miller had the alleged victim surveiled, had a tracking device installed on their car, slashed the tires on the car and bought and destroyed statues created by the victim showing Xi and Xi's wife, according to the release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the spring of 2025, the victim announced that he planned to publicize an online feed showing the two statues; Cui and Miller allegedly paid two other people $36,500 to convince the victim not to display the statues, officials wrote. Those two people were also working with the FBI. Starting in November 2023, Miller and Cui allegedly procured U.S. defense articles, including air defense radar, drones, missiles and cryptographic devices in order to unlawfully export them from the U.S. to China. They talked with two other people about how to export the device, including hiding it in a blender, motor starter, small electronics or shipping it to Hong Kong. Cui and Miller allegedly paid about $10,000 as a deposit for the cryptographic device through a courier in the U.S. and wire transfer to a U.S. bank account, officials said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) Two inmates at the Utah State Correctional Facility have been charged with aggravated assault after allegedly stabbing who they say was a rival gang member. The victim was hospitalized for his serious injuries. Michael Thomas Webb, 20, has been charged with aggravated assault with injury by a prisoner, possessing a weapon as an offender, riot causing substantial or serious bodily injury, criminal conspiracy, and prohibited dangerous weapon conduct. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Four masked men allegedly rob Ogden man after woman leads them to residence, charges say Efrain Castillo, 43, was charged with aggravated assault with injury by a prisoner, riot causing substantial or serious bodily injury, and criminal conspiracy. According to documents, a Utah Department of Corrections officer at the Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake County responded to an emergency call from an inmate on May 7, 2025. When he arrived at the cell, he found the victim on his bunk with blood on his face and bleeding heavily. The officer said he observed blood on the floor, walls, and mattress. The victim was seen by the medical care team, and they found eight stab wounds in his back. He had to be hospitalized and had significant internal injuries and temporary loss of respiratory function. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Surveillance footage from the cell showed the victim getting struck with fists and then being backed into his cell by Castillo and Webb. Webb followed the victim into the cell, with Castillo following behind. At this point, Webb allegedly withdrew a weapon from his waistband and made eight distinct stab motions to the victims back while Castillo restrained him. Utah man pleads guilty to attempting to hire hitman while behind bars in 2020 According to documents, surveillance footage then showed Webb exiting the cell and concealing the weapon in his waistband again. Blood can be seen on his right hand. Castillo and Webb are members of a gang that is rivals with the victims gang affiliation, according to documents. During an interview about the incident, Webb allegedly told police, I just asked him a question and after that it was that He said he was a [member of a rival gang] and I told him who I was. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As inmates, Castillo and Webb are already incarcerated at the Utah State Correctional Facility. Latest headlines: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. Jun. 5Two men were arrested after reportedly swiping a dump truck in Moriarty, shooting at witnesses, then leading police on a chase that resulted in a multi-vehicle crash in Albuquerque on Saturday. Miguel Pena-Guardado, 37, of Albuquerque, is charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, three counts of auto burglary, auto theft and aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer. Maclen Suarez-Villalobos, 40, of Los Lunas, is charged with three counts of auto burglary, aggravated assault on a peace officer, auto theft and criminal damage to property. The two men are in a hospital, but will later be booked at the Metropolitan Detention Center, New Mexico State Police spokesperson Ricardo Breceda said in a news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A third person may have been involved, he said. "Investigators believe this individual may have been dropped off before the pursuit began," Breceda said. If anyone has information, he said, they can call 505-841-9256. Witnesses identified Pena-Guardado and Suarez-Villalobos as the suspects, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in Torrance County Magistrate Court. At about 10:45 a.m. Saturday, the Torrance County Sheriff's Office issued a Be on the Lookout (BOLO) alert after receiving a report of suspicious activity at Gonzalez Contractors in the 1400 block of Abrahames Road, near Interstate 40, in Moriarty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Video surveillance showed the men tried to take different vehicles and equipment but they were unsuccessful, police said. An hour later, the affidavit states, an employee told police she and her husband were walking through the parking lot when they saw one of the men get in a dump truck with a second man in the driver's seat and drive off. "A gray pickup, believed to be associated with the suspects, also fled, suggesting the involvement of a third individual," Breceda said. The couple told police they followed the men when the dump truck stopped and blocked the road, the affidavit states. The couple told police the pickup had parked on its passenger side in front of the truck when they heard a gunshot and saw a person later identified as Pena-Guardado point a gun at them before driving off, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At around 10:55 a.m., a State Police officer found the pickup near N.M. 333 and Skyline Drive in Edgewood, according to the affidavit. The officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but Pena-Guardado accelerated then got on westbound I-40, police said. As he drove at "high rates of speed, swerving in and out of traffic in a reckless manner," Suarez-Villalobos threw metal tools at the police car, breaking its windshield, according to the affidavit. Pena-Guardado kept driving until he reached the Tramway exit, where an officer used a pursuit intervention technique maneuver that caused the truck to spin, cross into oncoming traffic and hit two vehicles, the affidavit states. The occupants of the two vehicles were hospitalized with undisclosed injuries, Breceda said. In March, Pena-Guardado pleaded not guilty to receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle and aggravated fleeing an officer, according to court records. In January 2024, Suarez-Villalobos failed to appear in court on aggravated fleeing an officer, concealing identity and possession of a controlled substance charges, court records state. PONTIAC, Ill. (WMBD) The Pontiac Police Department is investigating after two men were found dead in a home on Thursday. Two men, ages 59 and 25, were found with gunshot wounds in a home near Oak and Prairie streets at 3:21 p.m., according to a Pontiac police news release. They were found unresponsive and were later declared dead by the Livingston County Coroner. Their identities are being withheld while the incident is being investigated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is believed to be an isolated incident. The Livingston County Coroners Office, the Illinois State Police, the Livingston County Sheriffs Office and the Pontiac Fire Department all assisted with the investigation. This story will be updated when more information becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com. WAVERLY, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) Two juveniles have been charged by the Waverly Police Department following an investigation into an incident involving the students and the School Resource Officer at Waverly High School on June 3. WPD did not provide details on the incident itself, or the charges brought against the two minors involved. The investigation is now complete, and the case is officially closed, WPD said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WPD worked closely with Waverly School District officials in order to get to the bottom of the investigation, which involved a thorough and objective review. The Waverly School District and the Waverly Police Department remain committed to working together to ensure the safety and well-being of all students, staff, and members of the community, the statement said. The case officially closed on Friday, June 6. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WIVT - News 34. FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) Franklin and Lawrence County Sheriffs Offices have officially joined 287 G. The focus of 287 G, a program that has been around since 1996, is for state and local enforcement agencies to work closely with ICE to enforce federal immigration laws. Madison owned barbershop wins best of Alabama 2025 award Now, the Franklin and Lawrence County Sheriffs Offices have officially been approved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not gonna be used as a tool to just go out and go to the door. Thats not what were doing. Its mainly until used for Violet offenders in jail are placed in jail on a violent charge, Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver said. There are three modules in the program: jail enforcement, task force and warrants. Franklin County has been approved for all three, and Lawrence County only signed up for jail enforcement and warrants. Download the WHNT News 19 App to stay updated on the go. Sign up for WHNT News 19 newsletters to have news sent to your inbox. Lawrence County Sheriff Max Sanders told News 19 how it will work and what their role will look like when needed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When they get arrested, theyll be placed in the Lawrence County Jail. If we think they may have a warrant against them, then we notify immigration, and we will hold them until they come to pick them up, Sheriff Sanders said. There, Ill be someone serving warrants, if they have a warrant that is active for someone, they can send it to us and serve those warrants, or if someone is in the jail and has a detainer on them, wed be able to follow that warrant through, Oliver said. Both Sheriff Max Sanders and Sheriff Shannon Oliver said they are solely focused on violent criminals. They range from murder all the way down to child sex crimes and sex crimes of that nature and drug trafficking, and those are some of the things that we dont hear because it makes problems for the good people who are here trying to do the right thing, Oliver said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Lawrence and Franklin County Sheriffs Offices will undergo training as part of the program. Both agencies also said they only have one or two violent persons a year whose immigration status would draw ICEs attention. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. Jun. 5A two-vehicle crash Thursday afternoon involving a semi on Interstate-90 sent one to the hospital and congested traffic for a time. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, the crash took place early Thursday afternoon at around 12:47 p.m. and included one of the vehicles. A 2023 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Michael William Kiesler, 62 of Waseca, was left on its side and the 2025 Kenworth semi driven by James Arthur Ward, 59, of Roland, Iowa settled part way in the ditch off of the westbound lane of I-90. Both vehicles were traveling westbound on I-90 at the time of the crash, which happened just east of Fourth Street NW. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kiesler was transported to St. Mary's Hospital Rochester with non-life threatening injuries while Ward was uninjured. The Austin Police Department, Austin Fire Department and Mayo Ambulance responded. ST. LOUIS Two women are wanted in connection to a shooting that left two peopleincluding a minorinjured in late May. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) said it is searching for Grabiel Williams, 25, and Deja Johnson, 23, for their involvement in a shooting that happened on May 27 in Old North St. Louis. Investigators said that the altercation occurred around 4:45 p.m. on May 27 during an argument among a group of women near North 20th Street and North Florissant Avenue. Shots were fired as the argument escalated, striking two individuals who had no relation to either party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement First responders reported that a 30-year-old woman and a 13-year-old boy were shot. The woman sustained a gunshot to her leg while walking her dog, whereas the boy suffered a gunshot wound to his abdomen while getting out of a vehicle nearby. Both victims were taken to the hospital and were listed in stable condition, according to SLMPD. With victims recovering, police are trying to find those who were involved in the double shooting. The police are also searching for two vehicles that were at the scene during the shooting. One of the vehicles was a dark-colored Nissan Altima. The other suspected vehicle is a silver GMC pickup truck with a Missouri plate of OYJ-J42. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police say that Williams and Johnson are considered armed and dangerous, and if anyone sees them, they should contact 911. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. AUSTIN (KXAN) After an 18-wheeler hit a bridge on Interstate 35 Thursday, the Texas Department of Transportation said it will remain closed for several days until repairs are made. The bridge is located at County Road 143, according to TxDOT. An 18-wheeler hit a bridge on I-35 in Georgetown, causing traffic to be diverted. (KXAN Photo: Kevin Baskar) The CR 143 bridge is closed due to an 18-wheeler crashing into a bridge on Interstate 35 near Georgetown (KXAN Photo: Kevin Baskar) An 18-wheeler hit a bridge on I-35 in Georgetown, causing traffic to be diverted. (KXAN Photo: Kevin Baskar) The city of Georgetown said on social media that the 18-wheeler hit the bridge just north of 195 on northbound I-35. Around 7 p.m., the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) reported that all northbound lanes were closed at I-35 at County Road 143. However, around 7:22 p.m., the agency said the northbound lanes were reopened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No other details were available Thursday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. MEMPHIS, Tenn. Tyre Nichols family is still calling for justice while celebrating what would have been his 32nd birthday on Thursday. Two years since his passing, his family said the pain of loss is still strong, but his mother was trying to set it aside. Tyre Nichols family celebrating birthday Photo by WREG Tyre Nichols family celebrating birthday Photo by WREG Tyre Nichols family celebrating birthday Photo by WREG When I woke up that pain went away. I dont know if it was my son telling me, Mama, lets just celebrate the day,' said RowVaughn Wells, Tyre Nichols mother. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Next step for Tyre Nichols family: $550M civil lawsuit that could bankrupt city We dont have a lot to say because we want to celebrate our sons what would have been our sons 32nd birthday, said Rodney Wells, Nichols stepfather. A crowd of people gathered near the I AM A MAN PLAZA in honor of Tyre. To the city leadership, you just lose credibility until you do right by Tyre, said Ben Crump, Nichols family attorney. Jury finds three ex-officers not guilty in Tyre Nichols death trial Later this month, five former Memphis Police officers are set to be sentenced for their federal convictions in Nichols death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith were both found guilty of obstruction in the case, and they will appear in court on June 16. Demetrius Haley was found guilty on four counts in federal court, and Desmond Mills, who took a guilty plea deal, is set to appear for sentencing on June 17. City of Memphis disputes insurance claims in Tyre Nichols case Emmitt Martin, who also took a guilty plea deal, will stand in front of a judge on June 18. Community organizers and activists said it is past time for people to pay attention, especially as the City of Memphis is in budget talks. Meanwhile, library services have a proposed budget of $25 million, parks and services have a proposed budget of $28 million, said Amber Sherman, community organizer. I dont understand how we will make every other department prove that they deserve the money they are getting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All five officers were convicted of different crimes and face prison sentences from 15 to 40 years. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. A 32-year-old man from Washington state, a former U.S. Army soldier with extensive training, is on the run, accused in the gruesome murders of his three daughters, all under the age of 10, according to police and media reports. On May 30, the girls mother told officials at the Wenatchee Police Department that her ex-husband, Travis Decker, failed to return with 9-year-old Paityn, 8-year-old Evelyn and 5-year-old Olivia after a planned visitation that day. Additionally, calls to the 32-year-olds cellphone were going straight to voicemail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police in Wenatchee, a town about 100 miles east of Seattle, said the visitation was part of the arranged parenting plan, and his failure to return was cause for alarm, presumably because detectives said the girls mother believed Decker was experiencing some mental health issues, the Associated Press reported. Police requested an Amber Alert from Washington State Patrol that evening but were told the situation did not meet the criteria. An Endangered Missing Persons Alert was issued the following day. With information developed by the FBI, police narrowed their search to a campground some 20 miles northwest of Wenatchee, near the city of Leavenworth. Just before 4 p.m. on June 2, authorities, with the help of Homeland Security Investigations and the Chelan County Sheriffs Department, located Deckers unoccupied pickup truck. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The girls bodies were found approximately 100 yards from the vehicle, all of them zip-tied, the AP reported. Police believe they died from asphyxiation. A 32-year-old Washington state father, Travis Decker, is wanted for the kidnapping and murder his three young daughters reported missing and later found dead. (Wenatchee Police) Travis Decker, 32, wanted in the alleged kidnapping and murder of his three young daughters on around May 30, 2025. (Wenatchee Police) Travis Decker, 32, wanted in the alleged kidnapping and murder of his three young daughters on around May 30, 2025. (Wenatchee Police) Sheriffs officials told CBS News that the 32-year-old, who joined the Army in 2013 and transferred to the Washington National Guard in 2021, is well-versed in survival and living off the grid for months at a time. In an interview, Whitney Decker, the 32-year-olds ex-wife, said the couples divorce after seven years of marriage was civil and there had never been issues during previous visitations. Teenage boy, 15, fatally crushed between vehicles in parking lot of private L.A. school Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Toward the end of their marriage, he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, CBS reported, and Whitney did not believe he was taking any medication for the illness. Authorities continued to search for Decker in the rugged wilderness of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and said a reward of up to $20,000 was available for information leading to his arrest. It is unknown if the 32-year-old, wanted for kidnapping and murder, is armed and police urged anyone who might spot him to not approach or contact him, but instead call 911. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. Travelers are getting set for a busy summer season, but the United States embassy in one popular country is sharing some serious advice ahead of those warm-weather vacations. The US Embassy and consulates in Mexico are warning travelers about using dating apps in certain areas of the country with a new security alert. Youve got to be careful, buyer beware. Youve got to assume that something bad could happen to you in this process, said Bobby McDonald, a retired Secret Service agent and criminal justice lecturer at the University of New Haven. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you choose to use it, be on extra-high alert. Be extra careful of where youre meeting this person or persons. Make sure that its in a public area. Make sure its an area where youre going to have cellphone service. Make sure that youre just watching out for yourself, situational awareness. Be careful and let people know where you are." The embassy's warning of a potential kidnapping threat is specifically concentrated in the Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Nayarit areas. They say that "victims and their family members in the United States have at times been extorted for large sums of money to secure their release. The embassy also urged travelers to take caution when meeting new people, advising them to meet in public and avoid isolated locations like "residences or hotel rooms, where crimes are most likely to occur. McDonald gave more advice, saying that travelers should research areas that they're heading to, and that they should have the US Embassy's number close at hand if they're traveling out of the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jalisco has the highest threat level of any Mexican region, with a "Level 3" designation, urging travelers to reconsider going there amid threats of crime and kidnapping. Nayarit is classified as Level 2, which requests that travelers exercise caution when going there. Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom all currently have "Level 2" advisories on travel from the State Department. The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas, it said in a statement to Fox News Digital. We take seriously our commitment to provide US citizens with clear and reliable information about every destination in the world so they can make informed travel decisions. We make this information available to US citizens so they can be aware of their surroundings and take necessary precautions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the summer travel season intensifies, it's clear that safety is everyone's top priority. U.S. Embassy Warns Travelers of Kidnapping Risks at Tourist Hotspot first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 5, 2025 U of M student wins prestigious scholarship in STEM MEMPHIS, Tenn. College can be challenging for anyone. However, one University of Memphis sophomore is showing others that with time management and a little will power, anything is possible when achieving your goals. Blake Robinson is just like any other 20-year-old college student. When hes not studying, hes weightlifting and spending time with his friends. Hes also busy conducting research at the University of Memphis, focusing on wound treatment and assisting with research at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital to find treatments for epilepsy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I try and look at the end goal and try to enjoy myself along the way, said Blake Robinson. So, maybe hes not the average 20-year-old. Blake is on a mission to change lives. Hes already making his mark in the world of STEM and is one of more than 400 students nationwide to receive a 2025 Goldwater Scholarship. According to the Scholarship website, the program is one of the oldest and most prestigious national scholarships in the STEM field in the US. Retired Memphis man gives back with free food truck meals The foundation says they look for students who have the potential to make a significant future contribution to research. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blake met all of the criteria, making him the first Goldwater Scholar at the University of Memphis in over a decade. I think it was that continual reaching for improvement that over time really built me, he said. The Bartlett High School graduate says that when he enrolled at the U of M, he immediately started looking at various research labs, and thats when he came across Biomedical Engineering Professor Dr. Joel Bumgardners work. This is where we take shrimp exoskeleton and were trying to turn that into a wound treatment, Blake said. You could use this for surgical treatments, for burns, for military applications out in the field sort of taking what nature already has to offer and reinventing that for medicine, that was really inspirational for me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blake says his interest in medicine started with his mother, who works in the medical field. But it really wasnt until my mother was diagnosed with two brain aneurysms, unruptured aneurysms, that I kind of looked towards research, he said. See more breaking news, local news and weather from WREG.com for Memphis and the Mid-South. Sign up for WREG newsletters and have the latest top stories sent right to your inbox. Ever since, hes been working to obtain an MD-PhD in Neurosciences by participating in various research programs and shadowing different physicians. Trying to balance school, his research, and a personal life has been challenging, but he says the support of his mentors keeps him pushing forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its more so an impact of how these individuals are really pushing the field forward, as well. Theyre more so leading me, said Blake. Blake has a busy year ahead of him as he plans to graduate a year early. The University says this Summer, hes heading to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to attend Harvards Biomedical Summer Research Program. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. Joseph Tater, a U.S. citizen arrested in Russia in August 2024 after an apparent tussle with hotel staff and then forcibly admitted to a psychiatric hospital in April this year, without ever standing trial, has left Russia, according to the country's state-run TASS news agency. TASS said Tater, 46, was discharged from a psychiatric facility in Moscow, where he spent over a month. In April, TASS reported that Tater had been examined by doctors and diagnosed with a mental disorder, and then admitted for compulsory psychiatric treatment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tater was accused by Russian authorities of abusing hotel staff in Moscow upon his initial arrest. Officials later said he was also being investigated on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, a charge that could have seen him face up to five years in prison. Tater claimed during a court hearing that he was being persecuted by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and was seeking political asylum in Russia. In this photo released by Meshchansky District Court press service on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, U.S. citizen Joseph Tater stands in a courtroom facing criminal assault charges after allegedly attacking a police officer in a Moscow hotel. / Credit: Meshchansky District Court Press Service via AP Russia imprisoned several Americans as tensions with Washington soared in recent years. Paul Whelan, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and teacher Marc Fogel were all designated wrongfully detained by the U.S. government, along with dual U.S.-Russian national Ksenia Karelina. All four of those Americans have been freed in prisoner swaps with Moscow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among the U.S. nationals still jailed in Russia is U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, whose three-year, nine-month prison sentence for robbing and threatening his Russian girlfriend was reduced in April by seven months. Robert Gilman, 72, is currently serving a 3 1/2-year sentence in Russia for assaulting a police officer, and Travis Leake, a musician convicted on drug charges, was sentenced to 13 years in prison last summer. A Russian court sentenced another 72-year-old American, Stephen Hubbard, to nearly seven years in prison in October for fighting alongside Ukraine's military. TASS quoted Tater's lawyer, Polina Vlasyuk, as saying she had no information regarding his whereabouts or circumstances. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk alleges Trump's name appeared in Epstein files as feud escalates What to know about President Trump's travel ban on nationals from 12 countries Trump says he's disappointed by Musk criticism of budget bill, Musk says he got Trump elected Open feuding between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who until recently were close friends and political allies, has shone a particular light on how heavily reliant the U.S. government, and Americas armed forces especially, has become on SpaceX. Yesterday, Trump alluded to possibly cancelling contracts with and ending subsidies to companies that Musk owns. Musk, in part, responded by threatening to curtail some of SpaceXs most critical government work, which he later walked back. The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts, Trump wrote earlier today on his Truth Social platform. I was surprised that [former President Joe] Biden didnt do it! Trump threatens to take away Elons government contracts pic.twitter.com/SWDPFNX1ex Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 5, 2025 Musk has been increasingly attacking Trumps policies in the past few days on X, primarily over sweeping proposed budget and tax legislation called the Big Beautiful Bill. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that the bill, if signed into law, will add $2.4 trillion to the federal deficit. After Trump took office in January, Musk was brought on as a special government employee, ostensibly to lead a cost-cutting initiative known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk publicly left that role last week. Elon Musk, at left, shakes hands with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on May 30, 2025. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images In light of the Presidents statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately, Musk subsequently wrote on X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Good Advice. Ok, we wont decommission Dragon, Musk later wrote in a response to another user on X who had warned him against acting too hastily. Elon Musk steps back from a post earlier during his spat today with President Trump, in which stated SpaceX would begin to decommission the Dragon spacecraft, which is used to deliver cargo and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). pic.twitter.com/LlYVhKVwXU OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 6, 2025 Dragon is a family of space capsules that support the International Space Station (ISS), and is currently the only reliable U.S. vehicle for astronauts to make that journey. It is an absolutely critical capability for NASA, especially since relations with the Russians, who also inhabit the station, have plummeted since the invasion of Ukraine. Overall, it remains to be seen exactly what action Trump may or may not take, or how Musk might then respond. Any actual tit-for-tat action would be impacted by a host of legal and other factors, as well. If the Trump administration does move to cancel deals with SpaceX, in particular, it could have serious ramifications for U.S. national security, and especially the U.S. military and intelligence apparatus, which relies very heavily on the firm for space launches and space-based communications services. The company is further known to be working on secretive unique sensing capabilities in space for the U.S. government and has been widely expected to play an important role in Trumps Golden Dome missile defense initiative. As noted earlier, SpaceXs Dragon family of spacecraft is also absolutely essential to NASAs spaceflight operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here is a better idea of whats at stake: Space Access Today, SpaceX is by far the top space launch provider globally, dominating the orbital access marketplace. Last year, the company carried out 134 orbital launches using its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets, more than everyone else in the world combined, according to a report in January from SpaceNews. SpaceXs launches were responsible for a whopping 84 percent of the total satellites put into orbit in 2024, according to the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) think tank. SpaceXs huge share of the global space access market is reflected in contracts with the U.S. military. Just in April, U.S. Space Forces Space Systems Command (SSC) announced it had awarded SpaceX a new contract worth nearly $6 billion for 28 launches. At that time, the United Launch Alliance (ULA), a Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture company, and Blue Origin, founded by Amazons Jeff Bezos, also received contracts worth close to $5.4 billion (for 19 launches) and $2.4 billion (for seven launches), respectively. These contracts also highlight the significantly lower cost per launch that SpaceX offers compared to its current competitors, helped in no small part by its use of reusable rocket boosters. This massive difference in cost means that SpaceXs services are only replaceable, as far as long-term launch planning and budgeting goes, at a much higher price tag. A particularly important portion of SpaceXs launches are in support of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which is formally within the Department of Defense, but also has a close relationship with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). As Americas top satellite intelligence arm, NROs work is key to U.S. national security and is extremely sensitive. The very existence of the office was only publicly acknowledged in 1992. SpaceX Falcon 9s have been used in five launches for NRO this year already. This is on top of six launches for the office last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beyond spy satellites, the U.S. military has used SpaceX rockets to launch other types of payloads into orbit, including secretive X-37B mini-space shuttles. As an aside to the more traditional space launch services that SpaceX provides to the U.S. military, the company has also been working with the Air Force and Space Force in recent years on the possibility of sending cargo, and even personnel, rapidly from one location to another on Earth via space. SpaceXs Starship, a reusable two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) platform in development primarily for space travel applications beyond Earth, has been raised as a potential option for this proposed Rocket Cargo mission. This also highlights broader interest from the U.S. military in potential suborbital space capabilities. A test of SpaceXs Starship. SpaceX Space-Based Communications In parallel to its surging dominance in the space launch market, SpaceX Starlink has secured a preeminent position in the satellite internet and communications arena in recent years. Americas armed forces have steadily become a major user of Starlink, as well as its more secure government-focused cousin, Starshield. I dont think you could take 10 steps without tripping over a Starshield terminal, Mark Kitz, head of the U.S. Armys Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications, and Network (C3N), said at the 2024 AFCEA TechNet Augusta conference in August 2024, according to Defense News. I would say the Army is very committed to pLEO [proliferated satellite constellations in low Earth orbit] and Starshield. A US Marine sets up a Starlink antenna on the expeditionary sea base ship USS Lewis B. Puller. USMC Task Force 51/5th Marine Expedit Kitz was referring here specifically to his experience at a recent Army Project Convergence capstone event. Since 2020, the service has been using these events to test, integrate, and network together new and improved systems and capabilities in increasingly more operationally representative conditions as part of its broader modernization efforts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beyond basic ground-based terminals, Starlink/Starshield capabilities have been increasingly integrated into U.S. military aircraft and warships, including the Marine Corps new VH-92 Patriot presidential helicopters and the Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. The space-based network can be used to help with a variety of day-to-day military tasks, as you can read more about here. The U.S. military has also demonstrated how the network could be used to transmit targeting data and otherwise support tactical operations, though this presents operational security questions that need to be addressed. Overall, Starlink/Starshield offers high-bandwidth, global connectivity that is far less reliant on terrestrial infrastructure than satellite communications networks have been historically. By using a very large constellation of relatively small satellites, Starlink/Starshield is also more resilient in the face of attacks or other hazards, something that is of particular value to the U.S. military as it stares down an ever-growing array of anti-satellite threats. American officials now regularly stress that space should be expected to be an active warfighting domain in future conflicts, especially high-end fights against opponents like China. US Navy Cmdr. Kevin White of the USS Abraham Lincoln poses with Lt. Giovanni Scozzi, combat systems officer on the Italian aircraft carrier Cavour, using a live video call function enabled by the Sailor Edge Afloat and Ashore (SEA2) architecture, which includes Starlink, to plan a bilateral exercise between the two ships. USN Starlink/Starshield has had a revolutionizing impact on global connectivity, for military and non-military purposes alike. It has been in increasing use elsewhere across the U.S. government, as well as elsewhere worldwide, including support of law enforcement and disaster response operations. Additional use cases continue to steadily emerge, such as Ukraines use of the space-based network to control uncrewed surface vessels (USV), including explosive-laden kamikaze types. Starlink has also been a vital tool for Ukrainian forces, as well as the countrys government overall, for general communications purposes. At the same time, SpaceX and Musk have faced significant criticism in the past over limiting some Ukrainian use of the network. This, in turn, has also highlighted broader concerns over the companys ability to block access to the constellation. Bleeding-Edge Space-Based Capabilities Development Beyond space-based communications, SpaceX has emerged as a direct provider, not just a transporter, of more secretive orbital capabilities to the U.S. military. This includes a reported constellation of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) satellites for NRO, which strongly appears to be tied to work the office has been doing to establish a persistent, all-seeing Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) and mapping radar capability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement GMTI is a mode found on certain radars used to discriminate between moving targets on the ground and static ones. Radars with GMTI functionality can then track the moving targets activity over time. GMTI-capable radars are usually also able to produce synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, which are highly detailed image-like maps of the surface below, and which can be captured even through cloud cover, smoke, and dust, and at night. Overlaying GMTI data on top of SAR maps provides additional context for the radar tracks that can help with intelligence exploitation and refining collection areas. A generic example of GMTI tracks overlaid on top of a SAR image. Public Domain As TWZ wrote following reports last year about SpaceXs work in this realm: Regardless of the exact capabilities of the satellites that SpaceX is reportedly building for NRO, when they might be operational, and whether this is tied to the Space Forces GMTI plans, the benefits of a constellation concept are clear. Historically, some of the biggest limitations of spy satellites have been their inability to be everywhere they need to at once and the relatively slow speed at which they can be retasked. The movements of traditional spy satellites are also predictable and countries with the means to monitor them can closely tailor their activities according to when such an asset is overhead. In turn, low Earth orbit spy satellites have limitations on the kinds of intelligence they can gather and in what contexts. It can be difficult to use them to support very time-sensitive operations or to provide a more on-demand source of additional information for forces right at the tactical edge of the battlespace. As noted, Reuters report says that supporting tactical ground operations is a major driving force behind NROs acquisition of the new distributed constellation from SpaceX. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In contrast, a larger, distributed constellation would have the ability to monitor huge swathes of the Earth simultaneously, and depending on the size of the constellation, at least far more persistently to seamlessly. This could make it difficult, if not impossible, for an opponent to hide activities of interest. A very low revisit rate, or even eliminating revisit rate altogether, could even open up the possibility of continuous streaming coverage of a location from low Earth orbit. This would also be essential for persistent GMTI coverage that tracks ground movements in real time that will actually be high enough in fidelity to guide weapons onto those tracks. The U.S. military is now working to establish space-based air moving target indicator (AMTI) capabilities, which are akin to GMTI, but for aerial targets, as well. This capability is set to augment and one day supplant airborne early warning and control aircraft in the U.S. inventory. Americas armed forces are also moving to put distributed constellations of smaller satellites in orbit to help provide enhanced early warning and general situational awareness, especially about incoming missile attacks, as well as track those threats for potential intercept attempts. As noted already in talking about Starlink/Starshields distributed nature, constellations of this kind are also more resilient in the face of losses due to attacks and other hazards in space. They also have the potential to provide continuous, uninterrupted coverage across the entire globe. DARPA Golden Dome The U.S. militarys efforts to expand its space-based ISR capabilities, as well as underlying data-sharing networks, also now align with the vision Trump has laid out for his Golden Dome missile defense initiative. Especially with its ability to launch a lot of payloads at the absolute cheapest price, as well as existing contracts, capacity, and experience, SpaceX has already looked set to play a major role in Golden Dome. President Trump in the Oval Office with a Golden Dome placard behind him during an announcement about the missile defense initiative on May 20, 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images SpaceX, together with defense contractors Anduril and Palantir, met with top officials in the Trump administration and the Pentagon in recent weeks to pitch their plan, which would build and launch 400 to more than 1,000 satellites circling the globe to sense missiles and track their movement, Reuters reported in April, citing unnamed sources. A separate fleet of 200 attack satellites armed with missiles or lasers would then bring enemy missiles down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The SpaceX group is not expected to be involved in the weaponization of satellites, the Reuters story added. In an unusual twist, SpaceX has proposed setting up its role in Golden Dome as a subscription service in which the government would pay for access to the technology, rather than own the system outright. The subscription model, which has not been previously reported, could skirt some Pentagon procurement protocols allowing the system to be rolled out faster, While the approach would not violate any rules, the government may then be locked into a subscription and lose control over its ongoing development and pricing. As mentioned, new constellations consisting of hundreds, if not thousands, of additional satellites will also need to be put into orbit in the first place, which again highlights SpaceXs aforementioned dominance in the space launch sector. The Dragon Spacecraft Though not a military capability, the Dragon family of spacecraft is another very important aspect of SpaceXs contracts with the U.S. government, as highlighted by Musks immediate retort to Trumps comments yesterday. There are versions of Dragon designed to carry cargo or astronauts, and they are a key means for NASA of getting both types of payloads to and from the International Space Station (ISS). The Dragon familys role has become even more important since Russia launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since then, U.S.-Russian relations have significantly deteriorated across the board, including in the realm of space cooperation. Prior to the start of operational Crew Dragon flights in 2020, the United States had been entirely reliant on Russian Soyuz rockets and capsules launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to get astronauts back and forth from the ISS. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Boeings development of an alternative crew transport spacecraft called Starliner for NASA has also been beset by repeated technical and other issues, putting additional emphasis on Crew Dragon. In March, a Crew Dragon capsule returned to Earth from the ISS carrying four astronauts, two of whom had been in space months longer than intended. The two individuals in question, Sunita Williams and Barry Butch Wilmore, had first arrived at the ISS in June 2024 aboard a Starliner on which a number of reaction control system (RCS) thrusters malfunctioned. That spacecraft ultimately left the ISS without anyone on board due to safety concerns. SpaceXs work with NASA is also set to expand further through the planned use of Starship to help restart crewed U.S. missions to the Moon as part of the Artemis program. As it stands now, the goal is for Starship to help land American astronauts on the Moon in 2027. The last time U.S. astronauts made that trip was the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. Of Musks companies, SpaceX, by far, has the most lucrative deals with the U.S. government, though the exact accounting is unclear. The company has received at least $22 billion in federal contracts, around $15 billion of which are from NASA, Reuters reported in February, citing SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell. However, Musks other firms could stand to lose deals or otherwise be heavily impacted if Trump were to follow through on his implied threat. For instance, electric car company Tesla has its own U.S. government contracts and benefits greatly from federal subsidies. Other companies Musk has founded, including tunnel construction firm The Boring Company, artificial intelligence technology-focused xAI, and brain-human interface developer Neuralink, have or could be in line for contracts with U.S. federal organizations. A Tesla Model 3 belonging to the US Department of State sits outside the US Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand, in 2020. US Department of State Regardless, the very public flap between Trump and Musk has offered an opportunity to highlight just how essential the services that SpaceX provides have become to the U.S. government, and the U.S. military especially. Any disruption on this front could have a particularly outsized effect on Golden Dome, which already has an extremely ambitious schedule for fielding at least an initial capability. This is in addition to the fact that a potential fight with China could be on the horizon. Space-based capabilities and access to orbit would be critical in deterring such an outcome, as well as succeeding if a conflict were to erupt. Russia is also investing in exotic counter-space weapons and is a growing threat to NATOs eastern flank. So, the timing of potentially having a major disruption with the U.S. governments primary space access provider is extremely problematic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Overall, on a purely pragmatic level, axing existing deals with the company and/or blocking future ones could have wide-reaching short and long-term impacts on the ability of Americas armed forces to get payloads into space, as well as use that increasingly critical domain to sense, communicate, and more. Contact the author: joe@twz.com NEED TO KNOW 84-year-old James Hofler reportedly died after being struck by a USPS vehicle in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina on May 19 The U.S. Navy veteran, who reportedly died in hospital on May 22, was checking his mail when the incident happened, according to multiple outlets 53-year-old Amy Hudler, who was operating the 2021 Mercedes-Benz mail truck at the time, was reportedly charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle An 84-year-old man has reportedly died after being struck by a USPS vehicle in North Carolina. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement James Hofler was walking to his mailbox in Kill Devil Hills when 53-year-old Amy Hudler backed into him with a 2021 Mercedes-Benz mail truck on the afternoon of May 19, reported multiple outlets, including ABC News 12 and The Modesto Bee. U.K. newspaper The Independent reported that the retired U.S. Navy officer was taken to two hospitals before succumbing to his injuries on May 22. The investigation determined that 53-year-old Amy Hudler of Colington was operating a 2021 Mercedes-Benz mail carrier vehicle owned by the United States Postal Service, the Kill Devil Hills Police Department said, per The Modesto Bee. While backing northbound on Portsmouth Street, Hudler struck (James Hofler) as he was crossing the roadway from east to west to check his mailbox," the authorities added. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Kyle Little/Getty Aerial View of Kill Devil Hills Aerial View of Kill Devil Hills The driver called for help and remained at the scene, fully cooperating with law enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PEOPLE has contacted the Kill Devil Hills Police Department and the United States Postal Service for comment. Following the accident, Hofler was transported to Nags Heads Outer Banks Health Hospital before being transferred to a higher-level medical facility, per the police. MattGush/Getty Stock image of an ambulance Stock image of an ambulance According to an online obituary, he died at ECU Health Medical Center in Greenville, North Carolina. Born on November 29, 1940, he was a resident of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina and a proud US Navy veteran, the description read. Hudler has reportedly been charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle. "The Kill Devil Hills Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the Hofler family during this difficult time," authorities said in a release, per ABC News 12. "We remind all motorists and pedestrians to remain vigilant and exercise due caution on our roadways to help prevent future tragedies." Read the original article on People The Department of State issues travel advisories or "warnings," assessing the risk of traveling to countries around the globe. Periodically, the State Department reviews these advisories to ensure they match conditions on the ground. On June 5, 2025, the State Department announced that it had reviewed and reissued the travel advisory for Poland. The advisory is good news for travelers to that country. In fact, since travel warnings to many European countries have been raised by the State Department, that leaves Poland as one of the safest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the U.S. Department of State, travelers are urged to "exercise normal precautions in Poland." That's the lowest travel warning it gives. It's coded as a level one travel risk. It comes at a time of heightened risk in some countries throughout Europe. In some of those travel warnings, the State Department has listed a host of concerns, including the potential for terrorist attacks. However, the Poland advisory does not contain any such listed risks. As a point of comparison, Germany is listed as a level two travel risk. Travelers to Germany are urged to "exercise increased caution." In late May, France also received a similar level two "exercise increased caution" warning due to a series of issues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Pickpocketing and phone thefts are common, especially in crowded places," the France advisory says. "Terrorist groups continue to plan possible attacks in France and may attack with little to no warning. There are also regular, peaceful protests and strikes in Paris and other cities throughout France." Other European countries that are also at level two warnings include Denmark and the United Kingdom. Related: U.S. Travel Warnings Urge 'Increased Caution' in Germany, Spain U.S. Reissues Travel Advisory for Poland first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 6, 2025 Aracely Serrano Ayala said she felt her world was ending several times in the last three months. After living and working in the U.S. for more than a decade, the 35-year-old resident of Plainfield, New Jersey, and her partner, Marcos Guardado, began to live in fear because they were undocumented immigrants. The Salvadoran couple never started the process of seeking a green card. As the Trump administration increased its deportation efforts, in March they decided to embark on a journey to Canada with their two daughters and apply for asylum there, where Serranos brother is a citizen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We wanted a better future, to legalize our status and continue working," said Serrano, "but the United States gave us no hope." Serrano said nothing prepared her and her family for being turned away twice at the Canadian border, detained by U.S. immigration authorities and separated from her husband for several weeks, after he was transferred to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center. Serrano and her family are now living legally in Canada, but their story illustrates the complexities of the immigration and the asylum process, both in the U.S. and Canada. We just wanted to get out of the country and never imagined we would go through all this, she says, her voice breaking. An opportunity in Canada - and unexpected setbacks Under the 2015 Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) between Canada and the United States, asylum-seekers must seek protection in the first safe country they arrive in. That is, if someone enters the U.S. first and meets the requirements, they must begin their asylum application there and cannot do so in Canada, and vice versa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, there are exceptions in the agreement. If a person enters Canadian territory from the U.S. and can prove they have a close relative in the country who meets certain requirements (being of legal age, having Canadian citizenship or being a permanent resident, among other conditions), the person can enter the country and is allowed to begin their asylum application. I was hopeful because I know this agreement exists and my brother had been there for 20 years, Serrano said. Aracely Serrano Ayala and her family encountered several setbacks at the Canadian border, and she thought "our dream of entering the country had collapsed." (Albinson Linares via Noticias Telemundo) But when the family got to the Canadian border, issues with documentation and even a misunderstanding over how last names are used in Latin America prevented them from being allowed into Canada and led to their detention in the U.S., illustrating the difficulties around migration and entry into another country. Serrano said that when she and he family crossed the Rainbow Bridge into Canada, "our dream of entering the country had collapsed," as Canadian border officials flagged several issues with their Salvadoran documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the birth certificates had a mistake regarding Serrano's mothers name, Serrano's Canadian attorney, Heather Neufeld, said. Though there was a correction note in the margins, the border officials didnt pay attention to that and thought there was a discrepancy in their names, so they didnt accept it, Neufeld said in an interview. The attorney added that another aspect complicating the process was that on one document, Serranos father appeared with only one of his surnames, while on other documents, he had both. The [Canadian] officers didnt understand that in Latin America, people have two last names, but sometimes only one appears on the documents. So they thought they were fake. It was a series of errors made by border officials, when in fact, they were legitimate documents, Neufeld said. Telemundo Noticias requested comment from the Canada Border Security Agency on the Serrano and Guardado case. Although authorities declined to comment on the Salvadoran familys case out of respect for their privacy, Luke Reimer, a spokesperson for the agency, said in a statement that port-of-entry officials are the ones who determine whether the evidence demonstrates that the asylum-seeker is subject to the Canada-United States Agreement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the couple was declared inadmissible, Canadian authorities deported them back to the U.S., where they were detained at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility. They checked our documents there at U.S. immigration and then took us to a cell. It was a place with no windows or bathroom. When we wanted to go to the bathroom, we had to tell them to take us, said Serrano. She said they were held there for two weeks. At the end of March, Serrano said, without warning, U.S. immigration agents sent them back to the Rainbow Bridge port of entry, but because they had the same papers, they were deported again to the U.S. Serrano, Guardado and Neufeld said that neither U.S. nor Canadian authorities have explained who made the decision to take them back to the Canadian port of entry. This is important because generally people only have one opportunity to resubmit their case to authorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Noticias Telemundo contacted the Department of Homeland Security, ICE and CBP for comment on the case, but didn't receive a response. After the second deportation, Serrano and her daughters were separated from Guardado, who was transferred to an ICE detention center. Serrano and Guardado with one of their daughters in Ottawa, Canada. (Courtesy Aracely Serrano) Guardado said he'd never been imprisoned in his life; "it was the first time that happened to me, and I was there for a month and a few days, he said, adding that he only had a few minutes to say goodbye to his daughters. However, things began to change. While Guardado was in detention, U.S. authorities placed Serrano in an electronic bracelet and released her along with her daughters. They spent a few days in a shelter in Buffalo, New York, and their case began to attract attention in the Canadian media. Neufeld then filed an official appeal with Canadian authorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We submitted all the evidence with our arguments, but they sent us a one-sentence letter stating that they werent going to change their initial decision, so the only option left was a petition in federal court, Neufeld said. On May 5, the Canadian government agreed to allow Serrano and her two daughters to enter the country to begin the asylum application process. Meanwhile, Guardado remained detained in the U.S. and had to post a $12,000 bond to attend the interview with Canadian authorities to be able to reunite with his family. They turned to their family and close friends, all from the same Salvadoran town as Serrano and Guardado. "They all raised the bail to get me out; some put up $50, others $500," Guardado said. "Little by little, it all came together. I have a list of more than 500 people who helped me." Guardado recalled the day they told him he was entering Canada. I was able to be with them and hug my crying girls, Guardado said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Serrano said the biggest difference shes experienced living in Canada is a sense of security and freedom that comforts her. Were no longer afraid. Imagine having that freedom with my girls, to go anywhere, without the fear that theyll find us and deport us without us committing any crime, she said. But while the family begins a new life in Canada, bad news continue to cloud their horizon. Guardado's brother, Jaime who's married to a naturalized U.S. citizen from El Salvador and was planning to go back to El Salvador as part of his green card process was detained in New Jersey and continues to be in ICE custody. An earlier version of this story was first published in Noticias Telemundo. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com The U.S. Supreme Court building. (Photo by Ariana Figueroa/States Newsroom) In a unanimous decision Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court has sided with an Ohio woman who claimed she was the victim of reverse discrimination by her employer. The justices determined the lower courts improperly forced her to clear a higher burden of proof and sent the case back for further hearings. How we got here In 2019, after working at the Ohio Department of Youth Services for 15 years, Marlean Ames applied for a promotion. Instead, she claims her supervisors conspired to demote her and move her to a different facility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The woman who got the job Ames wanted, and the man who took her old job both identify as LGBTQ+. Ames is straight. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX In 2020, Ames filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming her supervisors discriminated against her on account of her sexual orientation. The district and appeals court both sided with the agency Ames had not shown the background circumstances to demonstrate her bosses punished her because she was straight. The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday rejected that background circumstances rule. Writing for the majority, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson stated it cannot be squared with the text of Title VII or our longstanding precedents. And nothing Ohio has said, in its brief or at oral argument, persuades us otherwise. Ketanji Brown Jackson. (Photo by Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images) Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 holds that employers may not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Importantly, Jackson wrote, the text draws no distinction between members of majority and minority groups. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By establishing the same protections for every individual without regard to that individuals membership in a minority or majority group Congress left no room for courts to impose special requirements on majority-group plaintiffs alone, Jackson wrote. She added that the Circuit Court erred by rigidly enforcing an evidentiary standard, when court precedent holds there should be greater flexibility in proving discrimination cases. Jackson noted Ohio barely contests the arguments Ames leveled against it. The state argued Ames Title VII claims wouldve failed even if they cleared the background circumstances test. But Jackson insisted that sits outside the scope of the case. We granted review to consider the validity of the background circumstances rule, and we reject that rule for the reasons set forth above, she wrote. We leave it to the courts below to address any of Ohios remaining arguments on remand. Reactions Following the ruling, both sides of the case portrayed it as a win. For Xiao Wang, a law school professor at the University of Virginia who represented Ames, that argument was straightforward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Congress passed this law, it said, look, dont discriminate, Wang said, dont consider race, dont consider religion, dont consider sex, or some of these other characteristics. He argued the decision reiterates and affirms that message. If someone has a case, theyre subject to the same legal standards, and the same legal treatment as everyone else, Wang argued. Meanwhile Ohio Attorney General spokesman Dominic Binkley emphasized the fact that the Supreme Court didnt decide the underlying discrimination claim. We are glad that the court agreed with what Ohio has said all along: It is wrong to hold some litigants to a higher standard because of their protected characteristics.' Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, he said, the court made clear that this case is not over, referring to the opinion stating Ohios remaining arguments could be handled when theyre sent back to a lower court. We look forward to fully pressing those arguments as the case moves forward, he said, because the Ohio Department of Youth Services did not engage in unlawful discrimination. An Ohio Department of Youth Services spokesman declined to comment citing pending litigation. As the case was considered by the Supreme Court, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund filed an amicus brief in the case, urging the court not to entertain Ames arguments. The LDFs Assistant Counsel Avatara Smith-Carrington, warned the decision doesnt shift the balance and grant majority groups some new advantage in court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of course everyone is protected by Title VII, they said in a statement. However, there is a persisting legacy of discrimination targeting Black people and other historically marginalized groups that cannot be ignored. Equality Ohio downplayed the decisions potential impact. In a statement, the groups former legal director Maya Simek, cast it as a technical and narrow correction. Whats most important here is what the Court didnt do, she added. It did not undercut or call into question the landmark Bostock decision, which affirms protections for LGBTQ+ people under federal employment law. Equality Ohio Executive Director Dwayne Steward insisted, This ruling doesnt roll back rights or erase hard-won protections. What it does is quietly reaffirm that Title VII means what it says: all workers are protected from discrimination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Drexel University Law Professor D. Wendy Greene has written extensively on anti-discrimination law and heads up the schools Center for Law, Policy, and Social Action. She argued the most important factor going forward will be judicial perception. When a judge believes racism is exceptional rather than commonplace, she said, workers of color often have to meet or exceed the evidence required by the background circumstances test. By the same token, if a judge believes reverse discrimination is the norm, litigants get greater leeway to make their case. These perceptions often shape judicial decision-making and the evidentiary burdens in intentional discrimination cases with or without an express background circumstances evidentiary requirement, she explained. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Investing.com -- Amid an ongoing trade war, the U.S. has reportedly recently suspended licenses for nuclear equipment suppliers to sell to Chinas power plants, according to a Reuters report on Friday. The suspensions were issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce and affect export licenses for parts and equipment used in nuclear power plants. The impact of a recent phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on these suspensions remains unclear. On May 12, the U.S. and China had agreed to roll back triple-digit, tit-for-tat tariffs for 90 days. However, the truce between the worlds two biggest economies quickly deteriorated. The U.S. claimed that China reneged on terms related to rare earth elements, while China accused the U.S. of "abusing export control measures" by stating that using Huawei Ascend AI chips anywhere in the world violated U.S. export controls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite the current tensions, further talks on key issues were expected after the call between the two presidents. Related articles U.S. suspends nuclear equipment supplier licenses to China amid trade war Trump discusses Ukraine war, Iran with Putin Musk calls Trumps big beautiful bill "pork-filled" The trial of three former top executives from French video game giant Ubisoft the maker of games like Assassins Creed and Far Cry - took place this week in Bobigny, France. Serge Hascoet, Thomas Francois and Guillaume Patrux appeared before the Bobigny criminal court on charges of psychological abuse, sexual harassment and attempted sexual assault. The prosecutor called for suspended prison sentences of up to three years and fines for all three, describing the accusations as extremely serious. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The public prosecutor's office requested an 18-month suspended prison sentence and a 45,000 fine against the company's former No. 2, Serge Hascoet; one year's imprisonment and a 10,000 fine against game designer Guillaume Patrux; and a suspended sentence of three years in prison as well as a 30,000 fine against the former vice-president of the editorial department, Thomas Francois. The verdict is expected on 2 July. The trial, seen as a landmark #MeToo moment in the male-dominated video game publishing industry, followed the publication of an in-depth investigation by Liberation and Numerama in 2020. It highlighted working conditions plagued by harassment, humiliation and discriminatory comments, as well as the psychological, sexist and sexual harassment that had been going on at Ubisoft for around ten years. The testimonies that poured in painted a damning picture of what went on behind the walls of the Ubisoft studios. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Francois was questioned about a sexual assault that a former colleague had accused him of committing, and for which she had testified on the stand the previous day, he replied that he had no recollection. The three defendants pleaded amnesia and their denial was roundly rebutted by the civil parties' lawyers. According to them, the trial was really about the extremely virile and childish culture at Ubisoft, the French flagship of an industry built by men and for men. The civil parties and the defence also deplored the fact that no proceedings have been brought against the legal entity Ubisoft, its CEO Yves Guillemot and Marie Derain, the head of human resources. This trial could have been exemplary, according to Marc Rutschle, union delegate at Solidaires Informatique. He told L'Humanite: It wasn't three isolated individuals who created this atmosphere of widespread harassment. Their impunity was organised. There are no defendants and many victims. The whole structural aspect has been evacuated. Previously, Guillemot allegedly referred to some of the accusations as generational differences of opinion and creative friction. UC Riverside researchers have begun a $3.5 million study to track air pollution from cargo ships off the Southern California coast, aiming to better understand the effects of oceangoing vessels on nearby communities. The 30-month project, led by environmental engineering professor David Cocker, is funded through legal settlements administered by the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment. Researchers will focus on identifying the unique chemical signatures of emissions from ships that stop at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beachtwo of the nations busiest ports and major sources of airborne toxins in the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This research will help close critical knowledge gaps and give frontline communities and regulatory agencies the information necessary to advocate for public health and shape policies related to port activity, Cocker said. Pollution rises from a ship cruising by the Port of Long Beach where tankers and container ships enter and exit, Monday, March 10, 2025, in San Pedro, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent) Ships burning diesel fuel release pollutants that have been linked to asthma, cancer and reduced life expectancy, including soot, black carbon, nitrogen oxides and sulfur compounds, officials said. The surrounding communities of San Pedro, Wilmington, Long Beach, and Carson also face emissions from diesel trucks, trains and cargo-handling equipment, though port authorities have begun phasing in zero-emission technology. The study will use air monitors on the ground and direct sampling of smokestacks, as well as a commercial-grade drone to collect pollution samples. The drone will track exhaust plumes over the ocean and capture real-time data using high-precision sensors and samplers, researchers said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We can actually look at the signatures of ships, collect those same signatures in the surrounding community, and match them, Cocker said. This gives us a strong foundation for determining how much pollution is coming from oceangoing vessels. The research team expects to sample emissions from as many as 100 ships in the first year, and that gathered data will be analyzed both in mobile trailer labs and at UC Riversides College of Engineering Center for Environmental Research and Technology. Results will be used to build a reference library of ship emission profiles for comparison with pollution levels in nearby neighborhoods, UCR officials said. To read more about the study, click here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. President Volodymyr Zelensky intends to hold a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump during the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada, Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak said on air on June 6. The summit is scheduled to take place from June 15 to 17 in Kananaskis, Alberta. Yermak said the Ukrainian delegations recent trip to Washington was aimed in part at arranging the high-level meeting between Zelensky and Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Ukrainian delegation, led by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko, arrived in the U.S. on the morning of June 3. The delegation included senior officials from the Defense Ministry and the Presidential Office. The trip followed Zelensky's statement on June 2 that Ukraine is seeking defense agreements and a free trade deal with the United States. "I discussed this with President (Donald) Trump... We want to buy (weapons.) This is what the agreement is about no gifts," Zelensky said. During their visit, the Ukrainian officials were expected to engage with American counterparts on a wide range of critical issues, including ongoing negotiations in Istanbul, sanctions policy against Russia, and continued support for Ukraine amid Russias full-scale war. Following the latest round of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia on June 2, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested that Turkey plans to facilitate a meeting between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine in either Ankara or Istanbul. Speaking to reporters on the same day, Zelensky expressed readiness to take part in such talks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I had a conversation with President Erdogan of Turkey. And indeed, he sent a signal, asking how I would feel about a meeting of four leaders: himself, the President of the United States, Putin, and me. I told him that I support a meeting at the level of leaders, because I have the impression that there will be no ceasefire without our meeting," Zelensky said during an online press conference attended by the Kyiv Independent. Read also: Find and destroy how Ukraines own Peaky Blinders mastered the art of bomber drones Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Ukrainian forces struck multiple Russian airfields and military facilities overnight on June 6, hours before Russia launched one of its heaviest aerial assaults of the war, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported. Ukrainian strikes reportedly targeted Engels and Dyagilevo airfields two key hubs for Russia's long-range bomber fleet, as well as logistics sites in Russia's Kursk Oblast. Hours after the strikes, Russia attacked Ukraine with 452 drones and 45 missiles, killing at least five people and injuring 73 in one of the largest attacks of the full-scale war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Engels-2 air base, located in Saratov Oblast, nearly 600 kilometers (370 miles) from Ukraine's front lines, hosts Russia's Tu-95, Tu-22M3, and Tu-160 bombers aircraft regularly used in missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. Ukraine's General Staff said a strike ignited large fires at the facility, hitting at least three fuel tanks. Footage and local reports confirmed a significant blaze and numerous explosions in the area. Saratov Governor Roman Busargin acknowledged a fire at an unspecified "industrial enterprise" and damage from drones to a residential building. No casualties were reported. 0:00 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement / 1 The Dyagilevo airfield in Ryazan Oblast, home to air refueling tankers and bomber escort fighters, was also targeted. The General Staff reported fire damage in the area, with Russian air defense activity and explosions recorded. Results of the strike are still being assessed. Ukraine also claims to have struck a logistics center tied to the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment of Russia's 72nd Division near Kulbaki in Kursk Oblast. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that 174 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight across 12 regions of Russia and occupied Crimea. "Strikes on military infrastructure will continue until the Russian Federation's armed aggression against Ukraine is completely stopped," Ukraine's General Staff said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The latest wave of Ukrainian strikes underscores Kyiv's evolving long-range strike capability, as well as its efforts to preemptively degrade Russian assets used in air assaults. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on June 1 launched Operation Spiderweb, a daring mass drone attack that damaged 41 Russian heavy bombers at four key airfields throughout the country. The operation reportedly targeted A-50, Tu-95, and Tu-22 M3 planes parked at the Belaya, Diaghilev, Olenya, and Ivanovo air bases, causing approximately $7 billion in damage. Read also: Russia plans to occupy Ukraine east of Dnipro, cut Black Sea access, Ukrainian official says Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The Russian Tu-95 bombers targeted during Ukraine's Operation Spider's Web were preparing to launch missile strikes on Ukraine, Colonel Ants Kiviselg, head of the Estonian Defence Forces' Intelligence Centre, has reported. Source: Estonian public broadcaster ERR, as reported by European Pravda Details: Kiviselg said that all the damaged aircraft had been extensively involved in missile attacks on Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added Ukraine had struck at least five strategic airfields deep inside Russia, completely destroying at least seven long-range bombers and damaging at least two more. "The bombers that were hit were preparing for strike missions, and it can be said that Ukraine targeted the most combat-ready segment of Russia's strategic air force," Kiviselg said. He noted that repairing the aircraft will require significant additional resources from Russia. "Above all, this means bolstering internal security and force protection measures within Russia," the intelligence chief added. Kiviselg also noted the significance of Ukraine having carried out a series of simultaneous special operations in Russias most remote regions, calling it a strong message to the Putin regime about Ukraines potential to force Russia into genuine peace negotiations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In this situation, any retaliatory actions by Russia appear weak and unconvincing, merely highlighting its inability to respond effectively, he said. Kiviselg noted that Russia has responded with a strike using 407 attack drones and 44 missiles, but stressed that Russia is currently incapable of doing more than that. Background: Axios has reported that US President Donald Trump was apparently impressed by Ukraine's Operation Spider's Web but concerned about Russia's possible response. A senior NATO official hailed Ukraine's Operation Spider's Web as highly successful. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Russia struck Ukraine with a thunderous aerial bombardment overnight, further dampening hopes that the warring sides could reach a peace deal anytime soon days after Kyiv embarrassed the Kremlin with a surprising drone attack on military airfields deep inside Russia. The barrage was one of the fiercest of the three-year war, lasting several hours, striking six Ukrainian territories, and killing at least six people and injuring about 80 others, Ukrainian officials said Friday. Among the dead were three emergency responders in Kyiv, one person in Lutsk and two people in Chernihiv. The attack came after U.S. President Donald Trump said his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, told him Moscow would respond to Ukraine's attack Sunday on Russian military airfields. It was also hours after Trump said it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia fight for a while before pulling them apart and pursuing peace. Trumps comments were a remarkable detour from his often-stated appeals to stop the war and signaled he may be giving up on recent peace efforts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ukrainian cities have come under regular bombardment since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022. The attacks have killed more than 12,000 civilians, according to the United Nations. Russia doesn`t change its stripes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The war has continued unabated even as a U.S.-led diplomatic push for a settlement has brought two rounds of direct peace talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine. The negotiations delivered no significant breakthroughs, however, and the sides remain far apart on their terms for an end to the fighting. Ukraine has offered an unconditional 30-day ceasefire and a meeting between Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin to break the deadlock. But the Kremlin has effectively rejected a truce and hasnt budged from its demands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Kremlin continues efforts to falsely portray Russia as willing to engage in good-faith negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, despite Russias repeated refusal to offer any concessions, the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said late Thursday. Further peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are expected in coming weeks, as is another exchange of prisoners of war. Homes are struck The attack involved 407 Russian drones and 44 ballistic and cruise missiles, Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said. Ukrainian forces said they shot down about 30 of the cruise missiles and up to 200 of the drones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Kyiv emergency workers were killed while responding to the strikes. They were working under fire to help people, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Russias Defense Ministry said it aimed at Ukrainian military targets with long-range precision weapons and successfully struck arms depots, drone factories and repair facilities, among other targets. But fitting a pattern for Russian attacks throughout the war, Friday's bombardment also struck apartment buildings and other non-military targets, Associated Press reporters observed. In Kyiv, explosions were heard for hours as falling drone debris sparked fires across several districts, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Administration. He urged people to seek shelter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vitalina Vasylchenko, a 14-year-old Kyiv resident, sheltered in a parking garage with her 6-year-old sister and their mother after an explosion blew one of their windows off its hinges. I heard a buzzing sound, then my dad ran to me and covered me with his hand," she said. "Then there was a very loud explosion. My whole life flashed before my eyes I already thought that was it. I started having a panic attack. ... Im shocked that Im alive. In Kyiv's Solomyanskyi district, a fire broke out on the 11th floor of a 16-story apartment building. Emergency services evacuated three people from the burning unit. The attack caused a blackout in some areas, and more than 2,000 households on Kyivs eastern bank were without power, city officials said. Elsewhere, 10 people were injured by an aerial attack on the western city of Ternopil, regional governor Viacheslav Nehoda said. The strike damaged industrial and infrastructure facilities, left parts of the city without electricity, and disrupted water supplies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russia also targeted the western Lviv and Khmelnytskyi regions, the northern Chernihiv region, and the central Poltava region, where at least three people were injured. Russia also reports drone attacks In Russia, air defenses shot down 10 Ukrainian drones heading toward the capital early Friday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. As a precaution, flights at Moscow airports were temporarily suspended overnight Thursday into Friday and then again late Friday afternoon. Ukrainian drones also targeted three other regions of Russia, authorities said, damaging apartment buildings and industrial plants. Three people were injured, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russias Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 174 Ukrainian drones over 13 regions early Friday. It added that three Ukrainian Neptune missiles were also shot down over the Black Sea. Ukraine struck airfields and other military targets in Russia, such as fuel storage tanks and transport hubs, the Ukrainian General Staff said. Also, a locomotive derailed early Friday in the Belgorod region after the track was blown up, Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Russia has recently accused Ukraine of sabotaging the rail network. ___ Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Key developments on June 6: Russia hits Ukraine with large-scale attack days after Operation Spiderweb Ukraine strikes Russian air bases in 'preemptive strike' ahead of drone, missile attack, General Staff says Ukrainian drone attack destroys helicopter at Russian airfield in Bryansk, media says Russia plans to occupy Ukraine east of Dnipro, cut Black Sea access, Ukrainian official says Russia launched a mass missile and drone attack against Ukraine overnight on June 6, targeting the capital, major cities, and the country's far-western regions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A total of 80 people were injured and four people killed, including first responders, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. "A cynical Russian strike on ordinary cities. More than 400 drones, more than 40 missiles. ... We need to put pressure on Russia to (accept a ceasefire) and to stop the strikes," he said. The attack comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to retaliate against Ukraine for its drone strike against Russian air bases in a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump. Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russia launched 452 drones overnight, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type suicide drones, along with 45 missiles of various types. Firefighters extinguish a blaze in the aftermath of a Russian aerial assault against the city of Ternopil in western Ukraine on June 6, 2025. (Ukraine's State Emergency Service) Air defenses intercepted 199 drones, while another 169 dropped off radars likely used as decoys to overwhelm Ukrainian systems. Ukrainian forces also intercepted 36 missiles, including the Iskander-M ballistic missile. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Russia doesn't change its stripes another massive strike on cities and ordinary life. They targeted almost all of Ukraine Volyn, Lviv, Ternopil, Kyiv, Sumy, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv regions," Zelensky said the morning after the attacks. "Russia must be held accountable for this. Since the first minute of this war, they have been striking cities and villages to destroy life." The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on the morning of June 6 that the overnight attack was a "response" to Operation Spiderweb and alleged that the "goal of the strike was achieved" and the "designated objects were hit." But Moscow needs no excuse to bombard Ukraine with drones and missiles, as the mass strikes Russia launched against Ukrainian cities in the days before Spiderweb prove. For three consecutive nights in the last week of May, Russia targeted Ukraine with some of the heaviest aerial attacks since the start of the full-scale war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aerial strikes against civilian targets have been a regular feature of Russia's all-out war since February 2022. Ukraine strikes Russian air bases in 'preemptive strike' ahead of drone, missile attack, General Staff says Ukrainian forces struck multiple Russian airfields and military facilities overnight on June 6, hours before Russia launched one of its heaviest aerial assaults of the war, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported. Ukrainian strikes reportedly targeted Engels and Dyagilevo airfields two key hubs for Russia's long-range bomber fleet, as well as logistics sites in Russia's Kursk Oblast. Hours after the strikes, Russia attacked Ukraine with 452 drones and 45 missiles in one of the largest attacks of the full-scale war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Engels-2 air base, located in Saratov Oblast, nearly 600 kilometers (370 miles) from Ukraine's front lines, hosts Russia's Tu-95, Tu-22M3, and Tu-160 bombers aircraft regularly used in missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. Ukraine's General Staff said a strike ignited large fires at the facility, hitting at least three fuel tanks. Footage and local reports confirmed a significant blaze and numerous explosions in the area. Saratov Governor Roman Busargin acknowledged a fire at an unspecified "industrial enterprise" and damage from drones to a residential building. No casualties were reported. The Dyagilevo airfield in Ryazan Oblast, home to air refueling tankers and bomber escort fighters, was also targeted. The General Staff reported fire damage in the area, with Russian air defense activity and explosions recorded. Results of the strike are still being assessed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ukraine also claims to have struck a logistics center tied to the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment of Russia's 72nd Division near Kulbaki in Kursk Oblast. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that 174 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight across 12 regions of Russia and occupied Crimea. "Strikes on military infrastructure will continue until the Russian Federation's armed aggression against Ukraine is completely stopped," Ukraine's General Staff said. The latest wave of Ukrainian strikes underscores Kyiv's evolving long-range strike capability, as well as its efforts to preemptively degrade Russian assets used in air assaults. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Find and destroy how Ukraines own Peaky Blinders mastered the art of bomber drones Ukrainian drone attack destroys helicopter at Russian airfield in Bryansk, media says Ukrainian drones struck Bryansk International Airport in Russia overnight on June 6, destroying one combat helicopter and damaging another, according to Russian emergency officials cited by independent media outlet Astra. The attack was part of a broader Ukrainian operation targeting multiple Russian airfields and military facilities the same evening. According to Astra's sources within Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry, the attack destroyed a Mi-8 helicopter after its onboard munitions detonated. A second aircraft, a Mi-35 helicopter gunship, was also damaged, though the extent of the damage remains unclear. Mi-8 helicopter destroyed, Mi-35 damaged in overnight attack on Bryansk airport ASTRA sources Ukrainian drones attacked Bryansk International Airport in the village of Oktyabrskoye overnight on June 56, according to ASTRA sources. Nighttime footage from the scene captured pic.twitter.com/KULDBKXdjC ASTRA (@ASTRA_PRESS) June 6, 2025 The strike reportedly caused additional destruction to airport infrastructure and rescue facilities, but no casualties were reported. Sources within Ukraine's special services confirmed to Astra that Bryansk airport was among the intended targets of the attack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims. The Mi-8 is a multipurpose utility aircraft used for troop transport, reconnaissance, and close air support. The Mi-35 is a heavily armed assault helicopter derived from the Soviet-era Mi-24, with dual capability for offensive operations and personnel transport. Both aircraft types are actively used by Russia in its war against Ukraine. Read also: Russias Engels oil refinery ablaze after reported drone attack in Saratov Oblast Russia plans to occupy Ukraine east of Dnipro, cut Black Sea access, Ukrainian official says Russia aims to occupy all Ukrainian territory east of the Dnipro River and advance toward Odesa and Mykolaiv in a broader plan to sever Ukraine's access to the Black Sea, President Volodymyr Zelensky's Deputy Chief of Staff Pavlo Palisa said, Politico reported on June 6. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The remarks come amid continuing Russian offensives in eastern and northern Ukraine, along with escalating diplomatic efforts that have yet to yield a ceasefire. According to Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR), Moscow hopes to seize the entirety of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts by this fall and establish a buffer zone along Ukraine's northern border with Russia. The second phase of the plan envisions more ambitious territorial gains, including an advance into southern Ukraine aimed at cutting the country off from the sea. "Unfortunately, they are not speaking about peace. They are preparing for war," Palisa said during a press briefing at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Trump quietly pressuring Senate to weaken Russia sanctions, WSJ reports The warning comes days after Russia presented Ukraine with a so-called "peace memorandum" during a second round of negotiations in Istanbul on June 2. The document, published by Russian state media outlet TASS, demands that Kyiv recognize Russia's claimed annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk and fully withdraw from them. Moscow also calls for Ukraine's demobilization and a formal ban on NATO membership. During the talks, Ukraine's delegation submitted a separate proposal calling for an all-for-all prisoner exchange, the return of abducted Ukrainian children, and the release of civilians held in Russian captivity. Kyiv also reiterated its call for a Western-backed 30-day ceasefire as a foundation for future negotiations a proposal Moscow again rejected. Ukraine's military leadership has warned that Russian forces are preparing for a major summer offensive in Donetsk Oblast, where daily assaults have continued since 2022. Despite suffering heavy losses, Russian troops are advancing through mass wave attacks that gain only tens of meters per day. According to the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Moscow currently occupies roughly 20% of Ukraine. Read also: EU tariffs on Ukrainian goods return after 3 years of war, complicating Kyivs path to European integration Note from the author: Ukraine War Latest is put together by the Kyiv Independent news desk team, who keep you informed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you value our work and want to ensure we have the resources to continue, join the Kyiv Independent community. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has briefed General Sean Clancy, Chairman of the European Union Military Committee, on the situation on the front line and the course of hostilities. Source: Oleksandr Syrskyi on Facebook, European Pravda reported Details: Clancy, in turn, spoke about the activities of the European Union Military Assistance Mission to Ukraine (EUMAM), which is aimed at meeting the priority needs of the Ukrainian defence forces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He [Clancy] stressed that the mission remains proactive, providing professional advice on military strategy, as well as ensuring consistent, effective and long-term support to Ukraine from the European Union," Syrskyi said. The commander-in-chief thanked the European partners for their continued solidarity and aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. Background: Meanwhile, senior British Armed Forces officials warn of the danger of a simultaneous armed conflict between the West and Russia and China if the UK and NATO countries do not accelerate rearmament. EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius shares Western intelligence estimates that a Russian attack on EU states could occur within the next few years. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Ukrainian troops have reported a critical shortage of FPV drones, severely affecting their ability to hold off Russian offensive operations. Source: BBC Ukraine, as reported by Mezha Media, a technology and IT news platform within Ukrainska Pravdas holding company) Details: BBC recalled that Andrii Biletskyi, commander of the 3rd Assault Brigade (currently being restructured into a corps), revealed the unit had not received a single FPV drone in three months. The outcry prompted a delivery of drones to the brigade, but the deeper, systemic issue remains unresolved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FPV drones are considered the primary strike tool for Ukraines defence forces, accounting for nearly 80% of confirmed target destruction. Despite government claims of scaling up domestic drone production to 10 million pieces, many brigades are still forced to procure equipment themselves or rely on volunteer aid. Currently, almost 500 UAV pieces operate within Ukrainian forces under a mixed supply model. Captain Yurii "Achilles" Fedorenko, commander of the 429th Separate UAV Regiment, said that about one third of drones come directly from the state, another third are procured using unit-held funds, and the remaining third are donated with the help of Ukrainian civilians. This spring, the greatest setback came from the third meant to be supplied centrally by the state. Serhii Varakin, commander of the unmanned systems battalion of the 58th Independent Motorised Infantry Brigade, said that a year ago his unit could launch up to 100 FPV drones per day. Today, they receive only 200-300 per month, far below operational needs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mariia Berlinska, a volunteer and the head of the Aerointelligence Support Centre, attributed the issue to a change in leadership at the Defence Procurement Agency (DPA). However, the DPA denies any delay in drone procurement this year, stating that by May 2025, it had signed state contracts for over 2.3 million FPV drones, several times higher than in previous years. The BBC also highlighted that the selective distribution of drones between brigades adds to the crisis. In addition to the shortfall, troops are reporting a decline in quality. Soldiers often have to modify FPV drones themselves, and fibre-optic drones are proving unreliable, jeopardising operations on the frontline. Meanwhile, Russia has significantly scaled up its FPV drone production and is integrating new technologies, including artificial intelligence. Ukrainian commanders acknowledge the challenge and pledge to resolve the issue swiftly. The DPA recently announced that by May 2025 it had signed state contracts covering 81% of the Ukrainian Armed Forces projected drone needs. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Ukrhydroenergo, Ukraines state-owned hydropower operator, is prepared to begin rebuilding the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP), destroyed by Russia, as soon as the war ends, though it is cautious about investing in projects that may not be implemented. Source: Bohdan Sukhetskyi, acting General Director of Ukrhydroenergo, as reported by Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne Quote: "We have a clear understanding of the preparatory work, including the routes for machinery, the placement of communications and the construction of a temporary dam. If feasible and in line with procedures, the company is ready to commence work." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: He added that "weve created a 3D model of the Kakhovka reservoir and mapped its bottom and relief to the centimetre, so we know precisely how the reservoir will be filled." Sukhetskyi noted that with average inflows from the Pivdennyi Buh and Desna rivers, filling the Kakhovka reservoir to its design capacity will take over 18 months. Quote: "The company is collaborating with global firms specialising in hydroelectric power plant construction. Several partnership memoranda have been signed and partners are ready to contribute to construction and design and provide modern technologies, offer innovative solutions and even invest." Background: On the morning of 6 June 2023, Russian forces blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant. According to the United Nations, the damage caused amounts to US$14 billion. On 18 July 2023, Ukraines Cabinet of Ministers (government) approved a resolution for an experimental project titled Construction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Complex on the Pivdennyi Buh River. It was previously reported that rebuilding the Kakhovka HPP will take at least seven years. Repairing the plant itself will require several years, with an additional 2-3 years to fill the reservoir. Further time will be needed to repair and restore canals and irrigation systems built in the 1970s and 1990s. Ukrhydroenergo estimates that the rebuilding of this complex hydroelectric facility will take at least five years. European Pravda obtained an explanatory note to the draft government decree, detailing the specific requirements for rebuilding the Kakhovka HPP. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Ukrainian drones struck Bryansk International Airport in Russia overnight on June 6, destroying one combat helicopter and damaging another, according to Russian emergency officials cited by independent media outlet Astra. The attack was part of a broader Ukrainian operation targeting multiple Russian airfields and military facilities the same evening. According to Astra's sources within Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry, the attack destroyed a Mi-8 helicopter after its onboard munitions detonated. A second aircraft, a Mi-35 helicopter gunship, was also damaged, though the extent of the damage remains unclear. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The strike reportedly caused additional destruction to airport infrastructure and rescue facilities, but no casualties were reported. Sources within Ukraine's special services confirmed to Astra that Bryansk airport was among the intended targets of the attack. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims. The Mi-8 is a multipurpose utility aircraft used for troop transport, reconnaissance, and close air support. The Mi-35 is a heavily armed assault helicopter derived from the Soviet-era Mi-24, with dual capability for offensive operations and personnel transport. Both aircraft types are actively used by Russia in its war against Ukraine. Mi-8 helicopter destroyed, Mi-35 damaged in overnight attack on Bryansk airport ASTRA sources Ukrainian drones attacked Bryansk International Airport in the village of Oktyabrskoye overnight on June 56, according to ASTRA sources. Nighttime footage from the scene captured pic.twitter.com/KULDBKXdjC ASTRA (@ASTRA_PRESS) June 6, 2025 Hours before Russia launched one of the largest aerial assaults of the war, Ukrainian forces hit strategic bomber bases at Engels and Dyagilevo, along with logistical hubs in Kursk Oblast, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the Engels-2 air base in Saratov Oblast, located roughly 600 kilometers (370 miles) from Ukraine's front lines, Ukrainian strikes ignited fires at three fuel tanks, causing large-scale explosions. The Dyagilevo airfield in Ryazan Oblast, home to refueling tankers and fighter escorts for Russia's long-range bomber fleet, was also targeted. Fires and explosions were reported in the vicinity, and Russian air defenses were activated in the region. Ukraine's expanded drone campaign reflects a growing capacity to strike deep into Russian territory, as Kyiv continues to target the infrastructure Moscow uses to sustain its air war. Join our community Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight. Support Us The overnight strikes come just days after the launch of Operation Spiderweb on June 1, in which Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) struck four air bases across Russia and reportedly damaged 41 bomber aircraft. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That operation alone caused over $7 billion in damage and marked a major escalation in Ukraine's ability to project force across the border, according to SBU. Russia responded to the latest round of Ukrainian strikes by unleashing 452 drones and 45 missiles against cities across Ukraine, killing at least five people and injuring 73 in one of the heaviest barrages of the full-scale invasion. Read also: UPDATE: Russia hits Ukraine with large-scale attack days after Operation Spiderweb Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Ukraine's defence forces attacked an oil depot in the Russian city of Engels in Saratov Oblast on the night of 5-6 June, causing a large-scale fire. The facility is used to refuel strategic aircraft that launch missile strikes on the territory of Ukraine. Source: social media; Russian Telegram channels Details: Early reports indicate that the attack was conducted by drones. The strike caused a fire at an industrial facility located in Engels where fuel for strategic bombers is stored. These aircraft are regularly used by Russia to launch cruise missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This oil depot had already been attacked by Ukrainian drones at the beginning of January 2024. At that time, it took several days to extinguish the fire. Although the Russian authorities are not specifying the nature of the damaged facility, numerous videos are appearing on social media clearly showing a large-scale fire at the oil depot. Users are also posting footage of flames and columns of smoke. Saratov Oblast Governor Roman Busargin confirmed the fire, but did not specify what exactly was burning. "A fire has been recorded at one of the industrial facilities in Engels as a result of a UAV attack," Busargin wrote on Telegram. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has briefed General Sean Clancy, Chairman of the European Union Military Committee, on the situation on the front line and the course of hostilities. Source: Oleksandr Syrskyi on Facebook, European Pravda reported Details: Clancy, in turn, spoke about the activities of the European Union Military Assistance Mission to Ukraine (EUMAM), which is aimed at meeting the priority needs of the Ukrainian defence forces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He [Clancy] stressed that the mission remains proactive, providing professional advice on military strategy, as well as ensuring consistent, effective and long-term support to Ukraine from the European Union," Syrskyi said. The commander-in-chief thanked the European partners for their continued solidarity and aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. Background: Meanwhile, senior British Armed Forces officials warn of the danger of a simultaneous armed conflict between the West and Russia and China if the UK and NATO countries do not accelerate rearmament. EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius shares Western intelligence estimates that a Russian attack on EU states could occur within the next few years. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Individuals rioted outside the homes of the CEO and VP of Aura real estate in protest of a new project in Yehud, which they claim would take place on top of graves. About one hundred extreme ultra-Orthodox individuals demonstrated violently outside the home of Yaakov Ataracchi, CEO and owner of Aura, one of Israels largest real estate companies, on Thursday night. The rioters organized transportation from Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem, aiming to force Ataracchi and his company to end their work on a demolition-rebuilding project in Yehud, which they have claimed is taking place on top of graves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the company, this is a legal and approved project carried out with the guidance of the Antiquities Authority. The rioters broke the gate to the house, smashed the intercom, caused damage to the yard and property, vandalized equipment, and threw bags of excrement at the house and the family members. The police, who were aware of the threat in advance and even updated the family, did not arrest any protesters. According to sources close to the family, the police called Ataracchis wife, informed her of the demonstration, and asked if the family had private security, as they would not be able to assist with their forces. The attacks continued, and the police did not intervene After the event in Tel Aviv, the rioters proceeded to the home of Hod Betzer, the companys VP, in Elkana, where they repeated the same pattern of breaking, vandalizing, and threatening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company has warned of a severe escalation: just last week, the graves of the CEOs parents were vandalized, and now the extremists have moved to direct violence against private homes. According to the company, these are extremist fringe groups, some of which are known, taking advantage of their police protection while spreading disinformation about non-existent graves in an attempt to intimidate and extort developers. According to the executives, the project in Yehud involves the demolition of ten old buildings and the construction of 444 new residential units, commercial spaces, and public buildings, and it is being carried out in accordance with all regulations, with no findings of Jewish graves. "Aura will not yield to threats. This is not a protest it is an organized attack. If we didnt have security guards, this would have ended in a disaster. I call on the police to act with full severity," Ataracchi responded. MANAUS, Brazil (AP) Brazils environmental goals suffered a major setback in May as deforestation in the Amazon surged 92% compared to the same month last year, according to official monitoring data released Friday. Forest loss reached 960 square kilometers (371 square miles) during the period, an area slightly larger than New York City. It was the second-highest total for May since the current monitoring system was implemented in 2016. Joao Paulo Capobianco, executive secretary of Brazils ministry of the environment, said the Amazon is entering a new era, in which most of the deforestation is increasingly linked to a surge in wildfires rather than tree cutting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a news conference Friday, Capobianco said that the forest fires that swept the Amazon last year, during the regions worst drought on record, only appeared in May's data. The delay, he said, was attributed to two factors: improved satellite visibility after the rainy season, and clearer damage assessment due to drier weather. Unlike wildfires in North America, where flames often reach treetops and spread rapidly, fires in the more humid Amazon typically burn along the forest floor, causing less immediate damage. Some areas recover over time, while others eventually collapse. Brazils monitoring system classifies an area as deforested when it loses more than 70% of its original vegetation. The increase risks reversing the year-over-year decline in forest clearance since 2023, when Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva began his third term. During his campaign, the leftist leader had pledged to end deforestation by 2030. Brazils monitoring system tracks deforestation from Aug. 1 to July 30. Over the past 10 months, deforestation has risen 9.7% compared to the same period a year earlier. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 2025 deforestation rate, tracked by the National Institute for Space Research, is expected to be announced just before the U.N. climate talks, scheduled for November in the Amazonian city of Belem. Capobianco noted the global rise in wildfires, citing Canada as an example, and urged the international community to support the Tropical Forests Forever Fund, a Brazilian initiative that proposes a long-term investment fund to compensate nations based on the area they conserve or restore. Brazil is one of the worlds top 10 emitters of greenhouse gases, contributing about 3% of global emissions, according to the nonprofit Climate Watch. Almost half of those emissions come from deforestation, making efforts to halt it critical to meeting Brazils commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement. The Amazon, an area almost twice the size of India, contains the worlds largest rainforest, about two-thirds of it within Brazil. It stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide, holds about 20% of the worlds freshwater and is home to hundreds of Indigenous tribes, some living in isolation, and 16,000 known tree species. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ____ The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. TEHACHAPI, Calif. (KGET) Move over Thomas, and hold onto your caboose cause its official: Tehachapi is known as Train Town U.S.A. Peggy YgBuhay with Union Pacific said, Union Pacific Railroad does grant Tehachapi, California the title of, Train Town USA. You can clap. The Tehachapi Depot is celebrating 15 years since restoring the museum that was destroyed in a fire in July 2008 caused from bottle rockets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tehachapi Mayor, Joan Pogon-Cord, said, My husband, he was a deputy sheriff at that time, told me. It was like a knife to my heart. It took $2 million to restore the historic building two years later. The biggest draw in Train Town isnt the museum with one heck of a moving exhibit. Its the engineering feat, known as the Tehachapi Loop. V.P. Marlan Woodside with Friends of Tehachapi Depot said, The purpose of the loop is to raise the track from a bottom of 77 feet up to the top rail in a distance of 4,000 feet. Pride runs deep in Tehachapi, and part of that pride is because of the Tehachapi Loop, where up to 40 trains a day make the trek. Its an engineering marvel, and part of the reason why the depot is celebrating 15 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Founder of Friends of Tehachapi Depot, Doug Prickard said, In 2026, itll be the 150th anniversary of when this track was originally built. People from all over the world marvel at mans defiance against gravity with this historic track. People even get married at the Tehachapi Loop. Ron and Becky Wilson are train tourists from Oregon. They marvel at the site of the Tehachapi Loop. All of a sudden we heard a whistle down the way, and another train came, said Becky. So, made the loop, and then the other one started going and passed each other on the loop. It was really fun. Up to 10,000 guests a year sign the guest book at the Tehachapi Train Depot. Depot staff say at last report, the museum has seen up to 150,000 visitors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17 News. June 5 (UPI) -- The Justice Department has seized more than $7.74 million dollars related to an illegal employment and cryptocurrency scheme operated by North Korea, officials announced Thursday. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District court in Washington, alleges that IT workers were illegally hired and collected cryptocurrency for the North Korean government as a way to avoid sanctions imposed by the United States. "This forfeiture action highlights, once again, the North Korean government's exploitation of the cryptocurrency ecosystem to fund its illicit priorities," Matthew R. Galeoti, director of the Justice Department's criminal division, said in a release. "The department will use every legal tool at its disposal to safeguard the cryptocurrency ecosystems and deny North Korea all its ill-gotten gains in violation of U.S. sanctions." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Justice Department said North Korean workers used false identities to obtain employment with U.S.-based companies, often remotely, as a way to avoid sanctions and illegally obtained cryptocurrency, which they then sent back to North Korea. "Those IT workers have generated revenue for North Korea via their jobs at, among other places, blockchain development companies," the Justice Department release continued. To send the cryptocurrency to North Korea, the IT workers allegedly laundered it by setting up accounts with fictitious names, sending funds in small amounts, converting funds or moving them to other blockchains or converting them to other forms of currency. They also allegedly commingled their funds with other money to hide their origins. Earlier this year, the FBI issued guidelines on how to recognize extortion and theft of sensitive company data, and offered rules on how to address it. PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) A 30-year-old woman is dead after a near head-on collision on Illinois Route 29 early Friday morning. Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood said the woman was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision at 8:15 a.m. after the collision which involved her car and a mid-sized truck. Harwood said the womans car was headed north on Route 29 when it collided with the truck at about 6:53 a.m. near Gardner Lane, according to a spokesman for the Illinois State Police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The other driver was taken to OSF Saint Francis HealthCare Medical Center and was in stable condition, Harwood said. The coroner said the state police was investigating the crash. The road was closed for about 31/2 hours, reopening at about 10:30 a.m. Harwood said he would release more details later. This story will be updated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com. SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) Two local rotary clubs are coming together to breathe new life into Savannahs Forsyth Park while honoring a legendary Savannahian in the process. With the city in the midst of tearing down a failing playground, the Rotary Club of Savannah and the Metropolitan Savannah Rotary Club have been raising money to create something beautiful in its place. Thursday marked the unveiling of the clubs plans for the new area. They plan to call it the Herb Traub Gathering Space to honor the memory of a man who lived to make Savannah beautiful. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There will be four quadrants in that space, and there will be picnic spaces, seating, tables, chairs for people to sit and have a picnic in each of the different quadrants, Chair of the legacy project at the Metropolitan Savannah Rotary Club, Jordan Chase, said. Right in the center will be a big community table. This is going to be a big, community table. Theyll be some etchings around the side of it that will help to honor Herb Traub. Traubs friends said he never sought the spotlight but is more than deserving of recognition. Two of the driving passions in his life were community and hospitality, and he was so committed to improving Savannah, Traubs long-time friend Phillip Soloman said. The two clubs presented a video about Traubs life at Thursdays event, and in an old clip, Traub said, If I was able to do anything to improve my hometown, that gave me extreme pleasure. Before he passed, Traub brought lights to several of Savannahs monuments. Through his rotary involvement, he also spearheaded the projects to create the fountain in Daffin Park and the clock tower in City Market. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Known for his entrepreneurship as well, Traub ran the Pirates House restaurant, a spot thats still serving customers today. Still, the plans for Forsyth Park are pending city approval. Theyre showing us some renderings of what it may look like and some sketches, Savannahs District Two Alderman Detric Legget, said. Its beautiful. So, they wanted to show it to us first and then were going to go out into the community and show the community and get some feedback as to how were going to do it. Were going to make some things move, but we want to make sure everybody understands this is not the Forsyth Park Master Plan. Although the rotary clubs have put together a plan for the space, the Forsyth Park Master Plan and the citys plans for recreation will all have to be considered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then, Savannah City Council will vote on the final design. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSAV-TV. After two years of advocating for students living with disabilities in Frederick County Public Schools, a new graduate of Urbana High School is on his way to Harvard University. Jake Kamnikar, 18, joined the Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee (SECAC) during the 2023-24 school year. The committee, while technically a part of the Frederick County Board of Education, is a mandated committee by the Maryland State Department of Education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Committee members include faculty from the special education department at FCPS, community members, parents, other FCPS faculty members and students. Kamnikar was diagnosed with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy at 18 months old, which creates muscle tightness in his lower body as well as hand tremors. He said in an interview that his first year on the committee was super interesting, and that he had never been a part of something like that before. Kamnikar added that while the committee has had student members in the past, the year I applied was the first time in a while that they had students back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My cerebral palsy historically has been a hard thing for me to talk about, he said. I wasnt really a big advocate in elementary and middle. Not many kids are. Theyre little. Theyre learning about themselves. Kamnikars mom, Buffy Kamnikar, said she served on SECAC as a parent when Jake was in kindergarten. It was an awesome experience for me as a parent, and they werent offering a student role at that time, she said. Buffy Kamnikar said she received an email about the committee accepting student members and showed it to her son. Jake Kamnikar said his mom, dad and family members pushed him to use his voice to advocate for others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I know a lot of families are confused or overwhelmed at times with the process of special education, and every kid is different. Their needs vary widely, and a lot of kids arent able to advocate for themselves, he said. So, if I can make that process easier for students and their families, thats why I wanted to do it. Jake Kamnikar said his role in the committee was to see firsthand how school board policy affected students living with disabilities. My friends in special education programs how are my general education peers interacting with those students? he said. And what can we do to make improvements and make the school lives, the day-to-day lives, of our students easier? Jake Kamnikar said elementary and middle school students have a hard time discussing what makes their educational experience difficult. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added that the desire is truly there to help students, but case managers often have a heavy workload and another role within the school system, and sometimes struggle to dedicate enough individualized time working with special education students. If you can put a name and a friendly face to whoever youre talking to [about] your disability or your accommodation, that, I think, would go a long way, he said. It wouldve gone a long way for me. Jamie Shopland, the chair of SECAC, said Individualized Education Plans are meant to best support students individually, and its different for everyone. While on SECAC for his junior and senior year, Jake Kamnikar helped create the Student Voices Subcommittee and hosted a Q&A for students living with disabilities and their families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Buffy Kamnikar said the event was nice, and that parents asked questions about special education resources and experiences in the school system. She added that her son is probably the most dedicated, hardworking individual Ive ever met in my life. He always conducts himself in a way of, how can I be better so the other people around me can be better? Buffy Kamnikar said. I couldnt be more proud. Shopland said the student perspective on the committee is extremely important to understand how the school boards policies affect students daily. If you can understand where people are coming from, then you can connect with them on a different level and in a different way, and be more inclusive and really understand what it means to belong, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jake Kamnikar said the committee is always looking to increase the number of student voices at the monthly meetings. He added that he had a great time at Urbana High School, and that his favorite topic was economics. Jake Kamnikar said he applied to four Ivy League universities Yale, Brown, Cornell and Harvard. He said he opened the decision responses from the schools in front of his family, and that after getting rejected from Yale and Cornell and waitlisted at Brown, he opened the Harvard decision and couldnt believe what I was reading. It said, Jake, wed love to have you, he said. I was in shock. I wasnt overly loud or anything I was just staring at the screen. Mom and Dad were screaming. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jake Kamnikar said one piece of advice he has for students is to trust yourself. The opinions of others are not end-all be-all, he said. Theres definitely opportunities for you to work on yourself and grow as a person, and the right people are going to notice you for that and not what they think defines you. A public health alert has been issued for select ground beef distributed nationwide to Whole Foods retail locations over concerns of E. coli contamination. The U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) shared information on the exact product affected by the alert. Heres how to tell if your ground beef is safe to eat. If you have ground beef in your fridge or freezer, youll want to check the label, stat. The U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) just issued a public health alert for raw, ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli. A food recall was not enacted as the products are no longer available for purchase, but there is concern that contaminated products may be in consumers homes. The affected product comes from Organic Rancher Organic Ground Beef. The beef is grass-fed and 85% lean, 15% fat. The product comes in a 1 lb. vacuum-sealed package with a green label displaying either use or freeze by 6-19-25 or use or freeze by 6-20-25 date. It also shows an establishment number EST. 4027 inside the USDA mark of inspection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The items were shipped to distributor locations in CT, GA, IL, and MD, and were distributed to Whole Foods Market retail stores nationwide. The problem was discovered when the establishment notified FSIS that they shipped into commerce ground beef product that tested positive for E. coli O157:H7, the FSIS explained. Fortunately, as of press time, there have been no confirmed reports of illness related to this public health alert, but the FSIS urges anyone concerned that they have impacted product to not eat it. And if youre concerned that you may have E. Coli, contact your healthcare provider. E. coli O157:H7 is the most common strain of the bacteria that makes people sick. It is a potentially life-threatening bacterium that may cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea, and stomach cramps two to eight days (three to four days, on average) after exposure, according to the FSIS. While infections can be mild with many people recovering within a week, they may also be severe or life-threatening for some. The FSIS specifically warns of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure that can be caused by an E. coli infection. It can happen in people of all ages, but is most common in children under five years old and older adults. Easy bruising, pallor, and lessened urine output are markers, per FSIS. If you experience these signs, seek emergency medical attention immediately, FSIS notes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you find that you have any of the ground beef included in this public health alert in your fridge or freezer, do not eat it; instead, throw it away or return it to the place of purchase. You Might Also Like WASHINGTON (DC News Now) To commemorate the 81st anniversary of D-Day, Trust for the National Mall is hosting a performance by the U.S. Army Band on Friday. D-Day veterans return to Normandy to mark 81st anniversary of landings On June 6, 1944, Allied Forces joined together for a massive assault in Normandy, France, during World War II. The operation was considered the beginning of the end of the ongoing war that plagued Europe and the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the anniversary of the historic event, the concert is scheduled to be held from 7:30-8:30 p.m. at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial located at Independence Ave. and 4th St. SW. The event is free and open to the public. The U.S. Army Band Pershings Own brass quintet is set to perform. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US and Israeli-backed aid group, has temporarily closed all of its aid distribution centres in the Gaza Strip. In a statement posted on its Facebook page on Friday, the GHF said the closures were made for safety reasons and urged residents to stay away from the facilities. It did not specify how long the suspension would last. The announcement comes as residents in Gaza mark Eid al-Adha, the Muslim festival of sacrifice, traditionally celebrated with communal gatherings and festive meals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israel eased its blockade on aid deliveries into the besieged territory two weeks ago. Since then, the GHF has taken over the distribution of supplies, operating outside of United Nations agencies and other international humanitarian efforts. The organization has faced criticism for bypassing established aid networks, as well as for allegedly endangering civilians and breaching widely accepted standards of impartial humanitarian assistance. But Israeli officials have defended the initiative, saying the GHF aim is to prevent the Islamist group Hamas from diverting aid for its own use in war-shattered Gaza. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US and Israeli-backed aid group, has temporarily closed all of its aid distribution centres in the Gaza Strip. In a statement posted on its Facebook page on Friday, the GHF said the closures were made for safety reasons and urged residents to stay away from the facilities. It did not specify how long the suspension would last. The announcement comes as residents in Gaza mark Eid al-Adha, the Muslim festival of sacrifice, traditionally celebrated with communal gatherings and festive meals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israel eased its blockade on aid deliveries into the besieged territory two weeks ago. Since then, the GHF has taken over the distribution of supplies, operating outside of United Nations agencies and other international humanitarian efforts. The organization has faced criticism for bypassing established aid networks, as well as for allegedly endangering civilians and breaching widely accepted standards of impartial humanitarian assistance. But Israeli officials have defended the initiative, saying the GHF aim is to prevent the Islamist group Hamas from diverting aid for its own use in war-shattered Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, the Israeli military issued a warning to civilians in northern Gaza on Friday afternoon, urging them to evacuate ahead of an imminent military operation. In a message posted in Arabic on X, the military advised residents in the affected area to immediately seek safety. A map was included with the post, showing a designated attack area east of Jabalia, as well as the locations where civilians were advised to relocate. According to the Israeli military, the planned strikes target sites from which rockets were recently launched. At least 42 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza on Eid-al-Adha, medical sources told Al Jazeera, as the US-backed group distributing aid in the Palestinian territory said all its centres were closed until further notice. The dead bodies of 16 people arrived at Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis on Friday, local health authorities said, while another 16 were brought to Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, five to Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, and five more to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah. This is how Eid looks here in Gaza, said Al Jazeeras Tareq Abu-Azoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah on the first day of the Muslim holy festival usually marked by joy. This year the day is a very grim reminder of what they have lost and how they are forced to cope with unimaginable circumstances amid bombardment, displacement and loss, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, a journalist who was wounded in an Israeli strike on Ahli Hospital on Thursday succumbed to their injures, raising the number of journalists killed in Gaza since the beginning of the war to 226, Gazas Government Media Office said on Friday. The office called on all journalistic bodies in all countries of the world to condemn these systematic crimes against Palestinian journalists and media professionals in the Gaza Strip. We also call on them to exert serious and effective pressure to stop the crime of genocide, protect journalists and media professionals in the Gaza Strip, and halt their killing, it added. Separately in Gaza on Friday, four Israeli soldiers were killed in combat in Khan Younis when a booby-trapped building they were in exploded, according to a preliminary Israeli army probe cited by local media. This brings the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since the beginning of the week in Gaza to eight, reported Al Jazeeras Hamdah Salhut from Amman. Aid sites remain closed Fridays deaths come as the US-backed group tasked with distributing aid in Gaza said its hubs would remain closed until further notice, despite a growing hunger crisis in the territory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aid agencies have warned that all residents in Gaza face the threat of famine after Israel imposed a severe blockade on the territory in March, blocking the entry of food, medicine and fuel. Amid international pressure, Israel allowed some aid to enter Gaza last month, but aid groups have warned the amounts are inadequate. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a previously unknown group that is overseeing the aid distribution effort, advised people to stay away from the aid distribution hubs for their safety. GHF, which began distributing aid last week, said in a Facebook post on Friday that details about reopening would be announced later. Operations at the groups aid distribution hubs were halted earlier this week following several incidents of deadly violence near the sites, in which Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian aid seekers. Only two sites distributed aid on Thursday. On Sunday, thousands of people headed towards the distribution site hours before dawn. As they approached, Israeli forces ordered them to disperse and come back later. When the crowds reached the Flag Roundabout, 1km (0.6 mile) away, at about 3am, Israeli forces opened fire, witnesses said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was fire from all directions, from naval warships, from tanks and drones, said Amr Abu Teiba, who was in the crowd. Goher Rahbour, a surgeon working in Gazas Khan Younis, told Al Jazeera that the bullets extracted from victims of the shooting near the aid distribution centre on Sunday were from M16 assault guns, consistent with those used by the Israeli military. I operated on two patients and we removed M16 bullets from abdominal injuries, Rahbour told Al Jazeera. When I spoke to these patients, they were very clear to say they came from Israeli forces. The surgeon also said hospitals were operating with little or no resources. There is a lack of everything antibiotics, swabs, surgical instruments, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The GHFs approach has been fiercely criticised by humanitarian organisations, including the United Nations. The GHF says private security contractors guarding its sites have not fired on crowds. Israels military has acknowledged firing warning shots on previous occasions. Israels war on Gaza has killed at least 54,677 Palestinians and wounded 125,530, Gazas Health Ministry said on Thursday. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive. On Thursday, mediators Qatar and Egypt announced renewed efforts to secure a ceasefire deal based on a US-backed proposal for a 60-day truce and the entry of humanitarian aid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Previous ceasefire efforts have, however, repeatedly broken down over Israels rejection of key terms. In past rounds of negotiations, Israel has walked back commitments related to a permanent halt to the war and a full withdrawal of its troops from Gaza. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old from El Salvador mistakenly deported in March, has been returned to the US to face prosecution on two federal criminal charges. He has been accused of participating in a trafficking conspiracy over several years to move undocumented migrants from Texas to other parts of the country. El Salvador agreed to release Mr Abrego Garcia after the US presented it with an arrest warrant, US Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Friday. His lawyer called the charges "preposterous". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House had been resisting a US Supreme Court order from April to "facilitate" his return after he was sent to a jail in El Salvador alongside more than 250 other deportees. In a two-count grand jury indictment, filed in a Tennessee court last month and unsealed on Friday, Mr Abrego Garcia was charged with one count of conspiracy to transport aliens and a second count of unlawful transportation of undocumented aliens. Bondi said the grand jury had found that Mr Abrego Garcia had played a "significant role" in an alien smuggling ring, bringing in thousands of illegal immigrants to the US. The charges, which date back to 2016, allege he transported undocumented individuals between Texas and Maryland and other states more than 100 times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The indictment also alleges he transported members of MS-13, designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the US. The Trump administration had previously alleged Mr Abrego Garcia was a member of the transnational Salvadorian gang, which he has denied. Bondi also accused Mr Abrego Garcia of trafficking weapons and narcotics into the US for the gang, though he was not charged with any related offences. He appeared in court for an initial hearing on Friday in Nashville, Tennessee. An arraignment hearing is scheduled 13 June, where US Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes will determine if there are grounds to keep him detained ahead of his trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For now, Mr Abrego Garcia remains in federal custody. Mr Abrego Garcia's lawyers have previously argued that he had never been convicted of any criminal offence, including gang membership, in the US or in El Salvador. Simon Sandoval Moshenberg, one of his attorneys, called the events an "abuse of power" at a news conference on Friday. "The government disappeared Kilmar to a foreign prison in violation of a court order," Mr Moshenberg said. "Now, after months of delay and secrecy, they're bringing him back, not to correct their error but to prosecute him." He added: "This is an abuse of power, not justice. The government should give him a full and fair trial in front of the same immigration judge who heard the case in 2019." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement US President Donald Trump called Mr Abrego Garcia a "bad guy" while speaking to reporters on Friday, and said the US Department of Justice had made the right decision to return him to face trial. Mr Abrego Garcia entered the US illegally as a teenager from El Salvador. In 2019, he was arrested with three other men in Maryland and detained by federal immigration authorities. But an immigration judge granted him protection from deportation on the grounds that he might be at risk of persecution from local gangs in his home country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On 15 March, he was deported amid an immigration crackdown by the Trump administration, after it invoked the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime law that allows presidents to detain or deport the natives and citizens of an enemy country. Mr Abrego Garcia was taken to the Cecot mega-prison in El Salvador, known for its brutal conditions. While government lawyers initially said he was taken there as a result of "administrative error", the Trump administration refused to order his return. Whether or not the government had to "facilitate" his return to his home in the US state of Maryland became the subject of a weeks-long legal and political battle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen demanded to see Mr Abrego Garcia in El Salvador, he was released to a different prison in that country. Van Hollen reiterated on Friday that "this is not about the man, it's about his constitutional rights - and the rights of all". "The administration will now have to make its case in the court of law, as it should have all along." El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, a close ally of Trump, wrote on social media on Friday that if the administration "request the return of a gang member to face charges, of course we wouldn't refuse". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At Mr Abrego Garcia's court appearance in Tennessee next Friday, the US will request he be held in pretrial custody "because he poses a danger to the community and a serious risk of flight", according to the detention motion. MOSCOW (Reuters) -U.S. citizen Joseph Tater, who was detained in Moscow last August and later sent for compulsory psychiatric treatment, has left Russia, the state news agency TASS said on Friday. "We are aware of reports that a U.S. citizen detained in Russia has been released, and we are monitoring the situation," a State Department spokesperson said. The spokesperson declined to comment further due to privacy considerations, but reiterated warnings of the danger posed to U.S. citizens in Russia and advised those traveling or living in Russia to depart immediately. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tater, who according to a Kremlin source last month was one of nine Americans being held in Russia that Washington wanted returned in a prisoner exchange, was sentenced to 15 days in jail last August for "petty hooliganism" after being accused of abusing staff at a Moscow hotel, something he denied. Russian state news agencies later said he was also being investigated on a more serious charge of assaulting a police officer, which carries up to five years in prison. On April 6 a court ordered Tater be removed from pre-trial detention, saying he was not criminally responsible for his actions after doctors diagnosed him with a mental disorder, according to state media. TASS reported on Friday that Tater had been discharged from the psychiatric clinic where he was being treated. It cited unnamed medical sources as saying that the clinic had no grounds to keep him there and had let him leave for outpatient treatment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TASS cited a law enforcement source as saying Tater's current whereabouts were unknown, but that he had left Russia. (Reporting by Maxim Rodionov; Additional reporting by Daphne Psaledakis in Washington; Writing by Andrew Osborn/Gleb Stolyarov; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Diane Craft) FLEETWERX, defense industry partners, and the US military are figuring out how to sustain the Navy. A recent event explored how to build and get critical materials to warfighters quickly and cost-effectively. The process involves augmented reality, autonomous platforms, and other future warfare technologies. In a future war, the US military might not be able to rely on traditional supply chains. Instead of flying or sailing in replacement parts, it may be forced to build them on the spot, wherever its forces happen to be on land, at sea, or on remote islands. Enter FLEETWERX, a project rethinking how the US military sustains its forces. Backed by DEFENSEWERX and the Naval Postgraduate School, it's working with industry partners and the US military on new ways to test and build critical parts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The work being done incorporates 3D printing technologies, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and other emerging tech into solving key problems and overcoming logistics issues. In early May, FLEETWERX and its partners conducted an event testing how field-ready machines that can make or fix parts anywhere perform under real-world stress. Take the stainless steel printing process, for example. Stainless steel is a vital material for building and repairing vessels. Having it readily available is key, but the logistics are less than ideal. "That type of technology traditionally takes a lot of argon gas, so you have these big, giant green bottles that you're trying to transport all over the Pacific Ocean," FLEETWERX's Lt. Col. Michael Radigan with the Marine Corps, told Business Insider. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's very expensive, and there are lots of points where you may not be able to get that gas," he said. The manufacturing machines need to be as deployable and self-contained as possible. FLEETWERX/Davies Public Affairs A solution was a mobile nitrogen generator, an isolated unit inside of a 10-foot container that could power a steel printer. That removes the logistics challenge. "I can put it on a ship. I can put in on a forward island," Radigan said. "I can do all of those things and I've cut my logistics train down dramatically." FLEETWERX's process typically starts at the top, with a commander or leader coming with a problem: a specific part or material is needed, and there are challenges with how to build it or get it where it needs to go. Drawings and plans are quickly made, and then it's 3D-printed in plastic for what's called a form, fit, and function test, basically determining if the product is the right size and will do what it's supposed to do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Building the technology and making sure that the process is streamlined, is just one aspect of the work being done. The real focus is on understanding how it performs in an actual conflict and gets where it needs to be. Autonomous platforms cut the cost and time of delivering materials to service members. FLEETWERX/Davies Public Affairs The aim is to deploy these manufacturing machines into the field, where they can produce parts on demand and deliver them using autonomous platforms like drones. Radigan said that the advantage of using uncrewed systems is that a crewed aircraft isn't wasting time and resources flying parts that could be carried by a drone. The Navy has been experimenting with this concept as part of its BlueWater Maritime Logistics UAS program to reduce the logistics demand on crewed aircraft and pilots. Radigan compared the idea to Amazon Prime's Phoenix drone delivery system. He said "that's the scale and speed that we need to be focusing on, but in a defense-related application." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At last year's Rim of the Pacific exercise, students from the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, and FLEETWERX researched how additive manufacturing equipment like 3D printing worked at sea and on land. Submarine repair, and shipbuilding more generally, were important topics at the event. Those industrial bases have seen significant shrinkage in the decades since the Cold War, and goals of revitalizing them have become a top priority for military leaders, industry partners, and the Trump administration. The emphasis isn't just the shipyards, though; there's also the work in the field. At the May testing event, FLEETWERX, teams from across the military, and five private sector companies were present. Some firms, like Firestorm Labs, are focused on modular autonomous systems. Other companies, like Dynovas, Craitor, and Phillips Federal, brought their manufacturing tools. At last year's RIMPAC, the Marine Innovation Unit, Navy Postgraduate School, and FLEETWERX tested manufacturing technology in an expeditionary scenario. US Navy photo Dynovas has a pod that can produce structural parts from metal, composites, or ceramics in under 72 hours, and Craitor has a deployable, man-portable system that can print on the move and in a range of temperatures and climates. Philips Federal has a containerized manufacturing system for building and repairing critical parts quickly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And another partner, Overmatch, is working on an artificial intelligence adaptive training platform. That speaks to a major core element of this process, Radigan said, which is making sure that service members can learn how to use the machines to build what's needed. That comes from training. "You may be great in traditional manufacturing," he said, "but I bring you one of these new machines and you're like, 'Well, shoot, where do I begin? I've got the manual here, but how do I get started?'" Equipped with something like augmented reality goggles, a person could receive clear instructions on what steps to take, buttons to press, and how to use the machine. Largely, digitization of these and other processes is useful for building quickly and with much greater precision. The AR capabilities help any service member quickly learn how to use a machine. FLEETWERX/Davies Public Affairs In a potential wartime environment in the Indo-Pacific region, for example, a service member may need to do repairs on a ship and work with a machine they haven't touched before. That AR aspect helps lighten the load, Radigan added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The US Department of Defense has recognized over the past few years that it needs to adapt how it builds and gets materials and parts to forward-deployed forces. Part of that comes from concerns that future wars will occur in heavily contested environments, making logistics operations difficult. Recent national defense strategies have also touched on this concept. In 2021, DoD released its first-ever Additive Manufacturing Strategy, which outlined how 3D printing and other technologies would be implemented into the larger force's workflow, as well as the connections with the industrial base. There have been widespread concerns in DoD and Washington about whether the US has the supply and logistics chains to maintain its forces and how those need to adapt to the complexities and speed of what future wars might look like. Read the original article on Business Insider TAIPEI (Reuters) -Drills in East Asia this summer by the U.S. military body charged with moving munitions and equipment will help it better coordinate and communicate with allies in response to a crisis, its commander said on Friday. Alarmed by growing Chinese assertiveness, whether in the disputed South China Sea or around Chinese-claimed Taiwan, Washington and its friends in the region have been drilling together regularly. The U.S. Transportation Command, or TRANSCOM, is responsible not only for coordinating the pre-positioning of weapons and other equipment around the world by land, air and sea, but also for resupply in the event of conflict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On a visit to East Asia, TRASNCOM Commander Randall Reed, told reporters it was essential to maintain and expand ties in the region so as to ensure a swift U.S. response to disasters and counter threats to peace and security. "We're going to have a series of exercises and will test the current logistics architecture and infrastructure which provides sustained freedom of manoeuvre," he said on a teleconference, without giving further details of location or timing. "We're seeking to demonstrate our ability to rapidly mobilise, then deploy forces from within the United States to locations throughout the region here," Reed added, describing the aim of one exercise, Mobility Guardian. The tasks will permit testing of tactics, techniques and procedures with allies and partners and enhance connectivity, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It will help us deepen relationships and work together even more closely than we already are to bolster regional security." On his trip, Reed has visited Japan and the Philippines and will go to South Korea, all treaty allies of the United States. The militaries of the Philippines and the United States have sailed together in the South China Sea for a seventh time to boost interoperability between the two sides, Manila's armed forces said on Thursday. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) The U.S. on Thursday said it is sanctioning four International Criminal Court (ICC) judges via a part of a prior executive order President Trump issued in February. The four judges that the U.S. said it is sanctioning are Reine Alapini-Gansou, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza, Solomy Balungi Bossa and Beti Hohler, according to a fact sheet from State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruces office. We do not take this step lightly. It reflects the seriousness of the threat we face from the ICCs politicization and abuse of power, the fact sheet reads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A part of Trumps prior executive order restricts financial dealings in the U.S. or with Americans for any foreign person determined by the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Attorney General to have directly engaged in any effort by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute a protected person without consent of that persons country of nationality. Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained the sanctions in a Thursday statement, saying, These individuals directly engaged in efforts by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel, without consent from the United States or Israel. The ICC condemned the State Departments actions in a Thursday statement, calling the sanctions a clear attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. By Andrew Chung (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court passed up a chance to give politicians more power over how federal elections are conducted, declining on Friday to hear a Republican challenge to a Pennsylvania judicial decision requiring the counting of provisional ballots cast by voters who make mistakes on their mail-in ballots. The justices turned away an appeal by the Republican National Committee and Republican Party of Pennsylvania of a decision by Pennsylvania's top court on provisional ballots that the plaintiffs said ran afoul of legislature-crafted voting rules, violating the U.S. Constitution's election-related provisions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The dispute returned to the Supreme Court after the justices, on the eve of the November 2024 presidential election, rejected the emergency bid by the Republicans to block tallying the provisional ballots. The Republicans objected to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's October ruling in favor of two Butler County voters who sought to have their provisional ballots counted after their mail-in ballots were rejected during that state's 2024 presidential primary election for lacking secrecy envelopes. Election rules in states like Pennsylvania that often play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of U.S. presidential elections are a particularly sensitive issue. Republican President Donald Trump prevailed in Pennsylvania last November, but lost the state in 2020 to his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden, who won the presidency that year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case follows a major 2023 Supreme Court ruling that allows the justices to second-guess state courts if they undermine the power that the Constitution gives state legislatures to craft election rules. That 6-3 ruling, which upheld a North Carolina state court's decision that invalidated a Republican-drawn congressional map as unlawfully disadvantaging Democrats, also rejected a more extreme theory advanced by many Republicans and conservatives that would have removed any role of state courts and state constitutions in regulating federal elections. The ruling, however, stopped short of announcing a legal test for determining when state courts have ventured too far in "arrogating to themselves" a legislature's power. In the Pennsylvania case, Republicans asked the Supreme Court to answer that question, contending that the state supreme court's ruling violated the Constitution's elections provisions, including that the "times, places and manner" of federal elections "shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Provisional ballots generally protect voters from being excluded from the voting process if their eligibility is uncertain on Election Day. The vote is counted once officials confirm eligibility. Republicans intervened to defend Butler County's decision not to count the ballots from these voters, saying Pennsylvania's election law does not allow provisional ballots to be counted if a mail-in ballot was received on time by a county board of elections. Democrats intervened on the side of the voters, contending that if a mail-in ballot is defective and cannot be counted, that person has not yet voted and a provisional ballot must be counted. A divided Pennsylvania Supreme Court last October sided with the voters, saying that provisional ballots prevent double voting while protecting voters' right to have one vote counted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Friday's action by the court was unexpected. The court had planned to release it on Monday along with its other regularly scheduled orders, but a software glitch on Friday prematurely sent email notifications concerning the court's decision in the case. "As a result, the court is issuing that order list now," said court spokesperson Patricia McCabe. It is not the first time the court has inadvertently disclosed action in sensitive cases. Last year, an apparent draft of a ruling in a case involving emergency abortion access in Idaho was briefly uploaded to the courts website before being taken down. That disclosure represented an embarrassment for the top U.S. judicial body, coming two years after the draft of a blockbuster ruling rolling back abortion rights was leaked in advance. (Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham and Lisa Shumaker) By John Kruzel WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear an appeal by Alabama officials of a judicial decision that a man convicted of a 1997 murder is intellectually disabled - a finding that spared him from the death penalty - as they press ahead with the Republican-governed state's bid to execute him. A lower court ruled that Joseph Clifton Smith is intellectually disabled based on its analysis of his IQ test scores and expert testimony. Under a 2002 Supreme Court precedent, executing an intellectually disabled person violates the U.S. Constitution's Eighth Amendment bar on cruel and unusual punishment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The justices are due to hear the case in their next term, which starts in October. Smith, now 54, was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1997 murder of a man named Durk Van Dam in Alabama's Mobile County. Smith fatally beat the man with a hammer and saw in order to steal his boots, some tools and $140, according to evidence in the case. The victim's body was found in his mud-bound Ford Ranger truck in an isolated, wooded area. The Supreme Court's 2002 precedent in a case called Atkins v. Virginia barred executing intellectually disabled people. President Donald Trump's administration backed Alabama's appeal in the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At issue in Smith's case is whether and how courts may consider the cumulative effect of multiple intelligence quotient (IQ) scores in assessing a death row inmate's intellectual disability. Like many states, conservative-leaning Alabama considers evidence of IQ test scores of 70 or below as part of the standard for determining intellectual disability. Supreme Court rulings in 2014 and 2017 allowed courts to consider IQ score ranges that are close to 70 along with other evidence of intellectual disability, such as testimony of "adaptive deficits." Smith had five IQ test scores, the lowest of which was 72. A federal judge noted that Smith's score could be as low as 69, given the standard of error of plus or minus three points. The judge then found that Smith had significant deficits from an early age in social and interpersonal skills, independent living and academics. The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the judge's conclusions in 2023, setting aside Smith's death sentence. This prompted Alabama officials to file their first of two appeals to the Supreme Court in the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In November, the justices threw out the 11th Circuit's decision, saying that the lower court's evaluation of Smith's IQ scores can be read two ways, and requires clarification. Ten days later, the 11th Circuit issued an opinion clarifying that its evaluation was based on "a holistic approach to multiple IQ scores" that also considered additional relevant evidence, including expert testimony. This prompted a second appeal by Alabama officials to the Supreme Court. Alabama in its filing to the Supreme Court argued that the lower courts in the case applied the wrong legal standard in establishing Smith's intellectual disability and urged the justices to take up the appeal to provide clarity on the issue. Friday's action by the court was unexpected. The court had planned to release it on Monday along with its other regularly scheduled orders, but a software glitch on Friday prematurely sent email notifications concerning the courts decision in the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "As a result, the court is issuing that order list now," said court spokesperson Patricia McCabe. It is not the first time the court has inadvertently disclosed action in sensitive cases. Last year, an apparent draft of a ruling in a case involving emergency abortion access in Idaho was briefly uploaded to the courts website before being taken down. That disclosure represented an embarrassment for the top U.S. judicial body, coming two years after the draft of a blockbuster ruling rolling back abortion rights was leaked. (Reporting by John Kruzel; Editing by Will Dunham and Lisa Shumaker) By Alexander Cornwell ABU DHABI (Reuters) -A multi-billion dollar deal to build one of the world's largest data centre hubs in the United Arab Emirates with U.S. technology is far from being concluded due to persistent concerns around security, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The U.S. and the wealthy Gulf state unveiled the massive artificial intelligence campus project set to contain a cluster of powerful data centres during President Donald Trump's two-day visit to Abu Dhabi last month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The planned 10-square-mile (26-sq-km) site is being funded by G42, an Emirati state-linked tech firm that is driving the development of its artificial intelligence industry. Technology giants Nvidia, OpenAI, Cisco, and Oracle, along with Japan's SoftBank, are working with G42 to build the first phase, known as Stargate UAE, set to go online in 2026. The project, which plans to use advanced Nvidia AI chips, has been promoted by Trump officials as a win in steering Gulf states toward U.S. technology over Chinese alternatives. But according to five sources briefed on the project, U.S. officials have yet to determine the security conditions to export the advanced chips or how the agreement with the Gulf state will be enforced, leaving the deal far from resolved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During Trump's visit, Abu Dhabi pledged to align its national security regulations with Washington, including safeguards to prevent the diversion of U.S.-origin technology. But U.S. officials remain cautious about the UAE's close relationship with China, four of the sources said, noting that the concerns are consistent with those raised during both the Biden administration and Trump's first term, primarily around the Gulf state's reliability as a strategic partner. The sources did not specify whether new evidence had emerged, but said existing concerns remain unresolved. During Trumps first term, the UAE and other Gulf states moved forward with deploying Huawei 5G technology despite U.S. objections. Others in the administration also doubt whether the UAE, despite its intentions, can prevent U.S. technology from reaching Washingtons adversaries, four of the sources said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A White House spokesperson referred Reuters to the Commerce Department, which did not respond to a request for comment. Neither did the UAE government. Four sources said the U.S. administration had no clear timeline for finalising the deal. Abu Dhabi would need to accept yet-to-be-defined U.S. controls on the technology, but it could also request amendments that may delay final approval, they said. Two sources said U.S. controls would likely prohibit the use of Chinese technology and restrict the employment of Chinese nationals at the site that is being referred to as an AI campus. The administration remains committed to concluding the deal, four of the sources said, but noted there was opposition among Republicans and Democrats over concerns regarding the UAE's ties with China. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stargate UAE is scheduled to come online next year with an estimated 100,000 advanced Nvidia chips. The 1-gigawatt project will use Nvidia's Grace Blackwell GB300 systems, currently the most advanced AI server that Nvidia offers. Although smaller than the U.S. state of Maine, the UAE is a influential Middle Eastern player known for its strategic hedging that has seen it forge close ties with China and Russia. Last year, under pressure from the Biden administration, G42 ripped out Chinese hardware and sold its Chinese investments. In return, it gained better access to advanced American technology, while Microsoft acquired a $1.5 billion stake in G42. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nevertheless, major Chinese firms Huawei and Alibaba Cloud remain active in the Gulf state, and an organised AI chip smuggling ring to China has been tracked out of countries including the UAE. The Gulf state has also become a hub for companies evading sanctions imposed on Russia since 2022 over the war in Ukraine. The Trump administration has said that American companies would operate the Emirati-built data centres and offer "American-managed" cloud services throughout the region. The so-called AI campus in Abu Dhabi is supposed to eventually host 5 gigawatts worth of data centres. (Reporting by Alexander Cornwell, additional reporting by Karen Freifeld, Editing by Louise Heavens) Three illegal aliens from Mexico face charges following a methamphetamine lab bust in Cobb County. One is still on the run. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Juan Perez-Maldonado, Francisco Garcia Gomez and Filemon Hernandez-Jijon were charged after a federal operation on June 3. Officials said Drug Enforcement Administration agents saw Hernandez-Jijon allegedly supply two kilograms of meth to a drug customer in Smyrna. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then, they watched as Hernandez-Jijon go back and forth from a Marietta mobile home. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] DEA agents got a search warrant for the mobile home and found Perez-Maldonado and Garcia Gomez, while a third person ran from the scene. Inside, agents found an active meth lab being used to convert liquid methamphetamine into a crystal-like form and at least 13 kilograms of what looked like the finished drug product, USDOJ said. Agents also found two handguns, including one that was hidden in the tank of a toilet, as well as money remitter receipts with Garcia Gomezs and Hernandez-Jijons names, according to the Justice Department. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Outside, USDOJ said agents also found acetone, several empty coolers and other materials commonly used to produce crystallized methamphetamine. USDOJ said agents searched an apartment in Smyrna in connection to the investigation, finding a bag with a loaded Glock pistol, two loaded magazines for a firearm and identification for Perez-Maldonado inside of a babys crib. Also in the apartment, agents found a Springfield XD firearm and mechanical press used to turn powder into kilogram bricks, according to USDOJ. As the investigation continued, agents found that Perez-Maldonado and Hernandez-Jijon had already been deported and removed from the United States earlier. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Perez-Maldonado and Garcia Gomez appeared in court on Wednesday for charges of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, officials said Hernandez-Jijon is currently a fugitive. He faces a charge of possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully present in the U.S., government officials said. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Two years after the U.S. Secret Service discovered a bag of cocaine in the White House in July, 2023, documents showing orders for its destruction within 24 hours after the agency closed the case are raising new questions about the scrupulousness of the investigation. A U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency documenttitled "Destruction" states that the bag of cocaine was sent to the Metropolitan Police Department for incineration. That document, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, doesnt display a date for the destruction. But other internal Secret Service records show that the cocaine was tested by the Secret Service, the D.C. Fire Department hazmat technicians, and the FBI before being sent back to the Secret Service for storage on July 12. Two days later, it was transferred to the D.C. police department for destruction. The Secret Service shut down the cocaine investigation 11 days after discovering it. The destruction of narcotics evidence must comply with environmental and safety regulations, and the D.C. police department has an Environmental Protection Agency-approved incinerator that federal agencies often use to destroy narcotics that are not involved in active legal cases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement D.C. police officials referred all questions about the cocaines apparent destruction to the FBI. Theres no entry or date for the cocaines actual destruction. Early last week, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced that he was re-opening the investigation into the cocaine found in the White House, as well as the leak of the Supreme Courts Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade and the discovery of a pipe bomb at the Democratic National Committee headquarters on Jan. 6, 2021. Bongino reiterated his commitment to getting to the bottom of those cases in a Wednesday night interview with Fox News Sean Hannity. "Well, I get a kick out of it on social media," Bongino said. "People say, This case isnt a big deal. I dont care. Well, I care. You dont care that a [potentially] hazardous substance made its way into the White House? We didnt know what it was, and we dont seem to have answers? Well, were going to get them. Ive got a great team on it." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the cocaine bag found in the White House appears to have been destroyed, internal Secret Service documents show that the agency retained and stored a second piece of evidence, an envelope of three tubes of DNA that the FBI attained from the plastic bag of cocaine. Its unclear how much DNA those tubes contain, though the Secret Service has stood by its statements that the FBI found insufficient DNA to pursue any investigative leads. When the Secret Service closed its investigation into who left the cocaine in the White House on July 13, the agency issued a statement explaining its decision. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi asserted that camera surveillance footage didnt provide any "investigative leads or any other means for investigators to identify who may have deposited" the cocaine in the White House, adding that FBI laboratory results "did not develop latent fingerprints and insufficient evidence was present for investigative comparisons." But neither the FBI nor the Secret Service has publicly released the FBI laboratory results, and DNA experts say the only fool-proof way to demonstrate whether sufficient DNA existed on the baggie now to run against hits in national and state criminal DNA databases is to test it again. "The only way to really tell, is to test it again and see what happens," Gary Clayton Harmor, chief forensic DNA analyst at the Serological Research Institute in Richmond, California, told RCP. "Some labs will test anything, and others are more reluctant if they think its not a good enough sample to [test against national DNA databases]. The FBI, knowing them, theyre probably very conservative, and it may be that they said, Nope, theres not enough here to do anything meaningful with. It really depends on whos doing the testing and how they did it." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RealClearPolitics over the last week submitted a FOIA request for the FBI laboratory findings on the cocaine bag to the FBI and the Secret Service, but so far, the Secret Service FOIA office has denied RCPs request for expedited service and the FBIs counterpart has yet to respond. Two sources tell RCP that Secret Service surveillance video clearly shows all the White House staff and other individuals who entered through the West Wing entrance, where the agency says the cocaine was found inside a locker in a vestibule leading to a lobby area down the hall from the Situation Room. The Secret Service, however, never interviewed that group of individuals, citing the FBIs alleged inability to find sufficient DNA evidence to link the cocaine to anyone. There are strict narcotics evidence retention policies for many federal law enforcement agencies. Department of Justice agencies, including the DEA and the FBI, must retain the narcotics evidence for two months before destroying it unless it is deemed abandoned or no longer needed as evidence. The Homeland Security Department, which oversees the Secret Service, has no specific publicly documented policy for destroying abandoned narcotics. The Secret Service also did not respond to a request for any written policy it followed when it sent the cocaine bag to D.C. police for destruction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The push to quickly destroy the cocaine factors into allegations RCP reported last fall in which three sources alleged that former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and others in top agency leadership positions wanted to destroy the cocaine quickly but faced internal resistance from the Secret Service Uniformed Division and the Forensics Services Division. The Uniformed Division, which is charged with protecting the facilities and venues for presidents, was a key player in the decision-making because one of its officers had discovered the cocaine on July 2, 2023, a quiet Sunday when President Biden and his family were at Camp David in Maryland. On Sunday night, after Secret Service Technical Services Division officers couldnt identify the white substance, the Uniformed Division locked down the White House and called in the D.C. Fire Department hazmat teams to ensure that it wasnt anthrax or ricin. The discovery of the bag of cocaine posed a problem for Cheatle, who resigned in the face of bipartisan pressure after the July 13 assassination attempt against Donald Trump. Hunter Biden had a well-documented addiction to cocaine, crack cocaine, and other substances for many years but repeatedly claimed to be sober since 2021, an assertion that had prompted former President Biden to often proclaim how "proud" he is of his son. While neither Joe nor Hunter Biden were at the executive mansion when the cocaine was found, it was discovered after a period when Hunter had been staying there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cheatle became close to the Biden family while serving on Vice President Joe Bidens protective detail - so close that Biden tapped Cheatle for the director job in2022, in part because of her close relationship to first lady Jill Biden. During the feverish speculation in the days and weeks after the cocaines discovery, the White House refused to answer whether the cocaine came from a Biden family member and labeled as"irresponsible"reporters who asked about a possible link to Hunter or another Biden family member. Its unclear exactly when Cheatle and other top officials tried to persuade the Forensics Services Division to destroy the evidence. At some point during the brief investigation, Matt White, the vault supervisor, received a call from Cheatle or someone speaking on her behalf asking him to destroy the bag of cocaine because agency leaders wanted to close the case, according to two sources in the Secret Service community. Whites boss, Glenn Dennis, head of the Forensics Services Division, then conferred with the Uniformed Division, which first discovered the cocaine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At some point, Cheatle appears to have overruled Richard Macauley, who appears to have paid a price in his Secret Service career - at least temporarily - for standing his ground. At the time of the cocaines discovery, Macauley was serving as the acting chief of the Uniformed Division after the recent retirement of Alfonso Dyson Sr., a 29-year veteran of the agency. When Dyson left his position, Macauley, who is black, and was named the Secret Services Uniformed Division Officer of the Year in 2018, became acting director. Despite Cheatles push to hire and promote minority men and women, Macauley was passed over for the job of Uniformed Division chief in what some in the agency suspected was an act of retaliation for supporting those who refused to dispose of the cocaine. Cheatle brought in Mike Buck, an agent who was in retirement, to serve in the top U.D. role instead of Macauley. After Trump chose Sean Curran to lead the agency, however, Buck left, and Curran tapped Macauley to replace him. Shifting Secret Service public statements, overly redacted documents, and media misinterpretations have contributed to an avalanche of lingering questions about the cocaine. Several major media outlets initially reported that the Secret Service had discovered the drug in the White House library, citing a D.C. Fire EMS dispatch call that appeared to state that the substance was found there. This information was based on early communications from a firefighter on the hazardous materials team who radioed into headquarters about a "yellow bar saying cocaine hydrochloride" and another statement about "no match found in the library" during the response to the incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several hazmat experts tell RCP that the reference to the "library" was not a physical location in the White House but a reference to the chemical library from a handheld device known as a "Gemini" that fire departments and others use to identify substances. Mike Parsons, a product manager for Thermo Fisher Scientific, the company that manufactures the Gemini handheld device, said the term "library" is used to identify the collection of chemical spectra that the Gemini can identify and display on its screen. "The library is built on known samples and substances," Parsons said in an interview. "Its going to compare the spectra collected in the field to the spectra in the library and make an identification match." After correcting mistaken reports that the cocaine was found in the White House library, media reports then cited a Guglielmi statement that the cocaine was found in a "West Wing workspace." Days later, Guglielmi clarified further that it was found in a small locker in a vestibule near the West Executive Avenue entrance to the West Wing, a heavily trafficked area where visitors and lower-level staff store electronics before VIP tours. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A FOIA-released internal Secret Service document further muddied the waters by claiming that the cocaine was found in the "[redacted] lobby floor," creating even more suspicion surrounding the location where the cocaine was first discovered. Sources familiar with the statement in a Secret Service Protective Division document said it was not a reference to the physical floor of a room, but the lobby level of the West Wing where the lockers were located in a vestibule leading into it. The Secret Service has confirmed that "locker 50," where the cocaine was allegedly left, has a missing key. Susan Crabtree is RealClearPolitics' national political correspondent. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) The Utah man who was accused of attempting to hire a hitman using his stimulus check while behind bars in 2020 pleaded guilty Thursday. Lorenzo Gutierrez, 32, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree felony criminal solicitation to commit murder. The trial was scheduled to go on for four days, but he changed his plea to guilty on the second day of the trial. Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill told ABC4.com that Gutierrez was going through a breakup with his girlfriend at the time, who he also had a child with, and he began to look for a hitman who could kill his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Gutierrez began looking for a hitman, he was in jail, because he had been convicted of several other felonies previously, Gill said. In April of 2020, a detective with the Salt Lake County Sheriffs Office learned that Gutierrez was looking for someone to commit the murders for him, and law enforcement installed a recording device in his cell. Gutierrez told another inmate that he wanted to smoke and stomp out the victims, but he wanted it to happen while he was in jail so he wouldnt be a suspect, according to a press release from the District Attorneys Office. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Utah man accused of trying to hire hitman, use stimulus check as payment while behind bars Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The inmate gave Gutierrez contact information for a supposed hitman, who was actually an undercover ATF agent. Gutierrez told the agent that he had received custody papers regarding his child with his ex-girlfriend, and he was not happy about it, according to the press release. Gutierrez began to make detailed plans with the undercover agent about how he wanted his ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend killed. In an interview with ABC4.com, Gill explained, He was taking some very specific steps, trying to orchestrate and set this in motion to fund it with some very specific direction and demands. Gill said that Gutierrez provided very specific information about where the victims were going to be and pictures he wanted taken. He also had a plan to fund the murders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was talking about turning over the title to his car and throwing a handgun in the mix, as well as the money that he was going to be getting back from his stimulus check as a down payment for asking for this alleged hit man to kill these two individuals, Gill said. Gutierrez is scheduled to be sentenced on July 21, and he is facing six years to life in prison, according to Gill. This was somebody, we were very lucky that they were able to intercept, Gill said. And otherwise, no doubt, certainly in my mind, that he would have followed through on it. Latest headlines: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. Construction proceeds at a data center in Eagle Mountain, Utah, in 2021. Across the country, some state lawmakers are concerned that the growing data center industry is creating a surge in demand for new electricity and grid infrastructure. (George Frey/Getty Images) Since the legislature established the Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) in 2018, UIPA has demonstrated an ability to spend millions of tax payer money on one bad idea after another. The latest is to bring artificial intelligence (AI) data centers to their Wasatch Front project areas. UIPA is being caught up in a 21st century gold rush, but like the one in 1848, it will turn out to be mostly fools gold. Nationwide, state and local officials are fast tracking data center permits in their communities, foolishly giving them enormous tax breaks. Most of the biggest data centers are being built by the mega-billionaire tech bros like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg, the very same people who are already hoarding unprecedented wealth and power. Much of the impetus for these data centers has degenerated into a race between these mega-billionaires to see who ultimately dominates the holy grail of computing artificial general intelligence (AGI), essentially human brain level sophisticated computation. Data center construction has doubled just since 2022, and the only result is further concentration of wealth and power at the top of big tech. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The tech bros race to rule AGI is the crown jewel in their pathologic ethos of move fast and break things. Numerous experts are warning about the existential danger of AGI. It will render many jobs obsolete, it represents a grave national security threat, and it blurs the lines between truth and fiction. This next level AI creates new content by analyzing and mimicking patterns from vast amounts of existing data. Its uses are far beyond helping students to cheat on writing papers. Its being used to spread climate misinformation, exacerbate housing discrimination of Black communities, create increasingly sophisticated phishing scams, and assisting state and corporate surveillance, monitoring workers every move. AI is stymieing worker critical thinking and not delivering productivity gains. A State Department report concluded AI could pose an extinction-level threat, comparing it to the threat of nuclear weapons if not regulated. AI workers are concerned about the irresponsibility, and perverse motives of these tech companies executives. Our environment is another one of the things they are breaking. Data centers already rank in the top 10 water-consuming industries. Data centers can consume up to 5 million gallons of potable water a day, 25 times the 200,000 gallon commercial limit set by Salt Lake City. Good luck saving Great Salt Lake if we surround it with UIPA-subsidized data centers. Cryptocurrency serves no useful purpose and requires massive AI computations. Each Bitcoin transaction generates the equivalent carbon footprint of one million VISA transactions. Bitcoin is already one of the leading global industrial polluters. The quality of the algorithms is dependent on the size of the computing systems, and AGI can require 10 to 100 times more computing power than say GPT-4, with an exponential increase in energy demand. One complex can require 100 MW of electricity, the entire output of a small coal-fired power plant. Energy demand from AI data centers is forecasted to more than quadruple by 2030, strain on local electrical grids will be substantial. Hyperscale data centers can require dozens of highly polluting diesel generators for back-up power. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement AGI electricity demand is undermining decarbonization strategies worldwide, driving an increase in carbon emissions at the worst possible time for climate mitigation. Gov. Spencer Cox cited electricity demands of AI as contributing to Utahs energy crisis justifying his Operation Gigawatt, a promotion of his all of the above strategy, including more polluting, climate killing fossil fuels and risky nuclear power. Data centers are noise pollution centers. They emit constant humming and buzzing that can exceed 85 decibels, which is bothersome and harmful to neighbors. Noise pollution is the second most hazardous environmental pollutant after air pollution, causing many of the same adverse health outcomes. Musks xAI is being used primarily for his chatbot, Grok, which allows creation of unfiltered deepfake images, like Mickey Mouse wearing a Nazi uniform, and ever more pornography. Musk calls it the most fun AI in the world. The environmental price tag of all that fun is enormous. For example, Musks AI supercomputer center in Memphis, Tennessee, uses 35 methane driven gas turbines, none have pollution controls required by EPA. It is already one of the largest emitters of toxic nitrogen oxides in a highly polluted county, far more than an oil refinery. Imagine if Utah allowed UIPA to bring several of these to Salt Lake, Tooele, and Weber Counties, each emitting far more pollution than another oil refinery. In many ways the explosion of artificial intelligence is already harming society and threatening our future. We should rename it artificial stupidity. Utah should be smarter than to allow UIPA to drag us into competing for tax payer subsidized big tech data centers, leaving the rest of us as collateral damage. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) Andy Quarnstrom has been fighting fires for nearly three decades, first as a firefighter and currently as the Champaign Fire Chief. He announced his retirement Wednesday. After 28 years, he said its his colleagues, both past and present, that have kept him going this long. Urbana Fire Department honors 6 first responders for life-saving efforts Quarnstrom is the first Champaign firefighter to reach the rank of Chief in almost five decades. He said within his tenure, hes proud to have overseen the remodeling of all of Champaigns fire stations, manage the departments COVID-19 response team and start the departments first internal fire academy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While his role as Chief keeps him in an office most of the time, he still goes out to active fires, which he said is his true passion at the end of the day. He said, although its bittersweet to leave the department, he wouldnt change the experience for the world. Ive grown up here, Quarnstrom said. I was single, now Im married. I had no kids, now I have kids. So many things have happened in my life in the last 28 years, but the one constant has been the fire department, and as you reflect back on your time in a career like that, you realize just how fortunate you are to have that constant. University of Illinois names computer scientist, Wisconsin provost as new Chancellor Quarnstrom said hes looking forward to starting his new role next month as the Village Administrator of Savoy. While hell miss the station, his new venture will be a way to remain in public service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The department will start recruiting a new Chief later this summer. Quarnstrom said there are Fire Chiefs in every rank of the department, and hes going to do everything he can to make sure the station hires from within. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com. (KRON) A Fremont business was scammed out of six figures, according to the Fremont Police Department. On May 28, Fremont police officers began working on a fraud investigation regarding a manufacturing business on Fremont Boulevard. The business was emailed by a vendor scammer who asked the business to change the bank account information on file for the vendor. The fraudsters then stole the funds the business sent. Police said the business took a loss of approximately $180,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to CIBC Bank, here are the warning signs of vendor fraud: The vendor uses a P.O. box mailing address Payment requests have no supported documentation The vendor claims that a payment was missed, and they need it immediately The email contains misspellings within the body of the request or in the email address Youve received duplicate invoices or payment requests on the same date or payment cycle Youve received an invoice or payment request thats outside of the normal billing cycle Invoices are in whole dollar amounts, have no taxes, or include vague or unnecessary services There are drastic changes in prices, services or products provided by a vendor than whats been agreed Vallejo woman accused of staging fake violent carjacking Trustpair, which is a fraud prevention platform, provided businesses with tips to avoid this type of scam. According to the platform, there are three main identifiers of vendor fraud: checking invoice details against the real supplier bank details, tracking changes to invoices and flagging spoof emails. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In paying a supplier, Trustpair suggests receiving validation of the following: The supplier credentials: social security number of persons with significant control, legal data, localization, etc Supplier banking information: bank account details, bank address, etc The correlation between supplier identity and supplier banking information Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. BURLINGTON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) The Vermont Afghan Alliance (VAA), a group that aids Vermonts Afghani diaspora by providing basic services and connecting Afghans to state and local service providers, released a statement late Wednesday calling the administrations recent order racist, and rooted in unfounded fear and political posturing. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday which will fully restrict and limit citizens of 12 countries from entering the country. Afghanistan is one of the countries on the list. The full executive order can be read here. Musk backs call to impeach Trump, replace him with Vance Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump names national security and terrorism concerns as the rationale for his executive order. Afghanistan is listed, according to the order, because it is controlled by the Taliban, which does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures. However, the VAA says that Afghans coming to the United States are already highly vetted, in fear for their lives, and willing to leave behind all they have ever known on the promise of a new life. During his first term as president, in 2017, Trump issued a seven-country travel ban which did not include Afghanistan. Some Republicans, such as New Yorks Elise Stefanik, criticized this order, with Stefanik saying I have advocated for Iraqi and Afghans who have served side by side as our allies to be prioritized to access visas. Cargo ship carrying 3,000 cars burns off coast of Alaska; 22 crew members rescued In a separate decision in May, the current administration terminated Temporary Protected Status for Afghan nationals living in the U.S., which is scheduled to take effect July 14. This would potentially cause Afghans in Vermont to need to return to Afghanistan next month. Vermont senator Peter Welch joined other senators in sending a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem expressing deep concern. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, the VAA will continue to offer services to Afghans in the state, including driving lessons, interpretation, and housing projects. All of us at the Vermont Afghan Alliance, reads their statement, will continue to stand with the Afghan community statewide. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC22 & FOX44. RICHMOND, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) Vermont State Police said Friday afternoon that, as of 4:10 p.m., Vermont Route 117 is completely closed at Governor Peck Road in Richmond, very close to U.S. Route 2 and Interstate 89, due to a two-vehicle crash. As of 4:28 p.m, the crash is cleared and the road is open again. Air quality alert issued June 6 due to Canadian wildfires Tow trucks were needed to clear the road, and motorists were advised to take alternate routes during the closure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This story may be updated if more information on the crash becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC22 & FOX44. In 1932, veterans pitched tents along the Anacostia River. In sweltering summer heat, tens of thousands of World War I veterans and their families formed a protest encampment in Washington, D.C. They called themselves the Bonus Army, and they came with one message: America must honor its promises to those who served. That chapter in history is often forgotten, but its being written again this time not with tents, but with job cuts, broken benefits, and a full-frontal assault on the very federal agencies meant to serve and who employ those whove borne the battle. On June 6 D-Day thousands will rally across the country to protest these cuts. With the largest rally taking place at the steps of the Capitol. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Veterans make up nearly 30 percent of the federal workforce. They serve in every agency, from Homeland Security to HUD. And now, many are facing the same fate: a pink slip, a hostile workplace, and a lie from Donald Trump and Elon Musk about how they need to find work elsewhere. Not a voice from the Republican Party is protesting this disgusting and false narrative. Trumps so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), formerly led by billionaire Musk, with enforcers like Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, will gut over 15 percent of the VAs workforce some 83,000 people, many of them disabled veterans. Those to be fired will include mental health counselors, suicide prevention specialists, LGBTQ+ outreach coordinators, and public health professionals. These are not bureaucrats on Fox News complaining about their 12-hour work days like Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino. They are hardworking professionals who go to bat every day to ensure our veterans live to see another day. Veterans know the layoffs arent about saving money. Theyre about weakening the institution and ultimately privatizing and gutting VA disability funding, as spelled out in Project 2025. Internal documents show plans to merge offices dedicated to homelessness, suicide prevention, womens health, and toxic exposure into generalized departments removing hard-earned expertise and scrapping programs that have saved lives. And for the veterans who will still work in these buildings? Theyre being squeezed. Literally. With tens of thousands of remote federal workers being forced back into buildings without enough workstations, some VA hospital employees are working out of closets. The goal from the Trump administration is to make work so untenable at the VA, that people quit. Again, radio silence from GOP leaders on this. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Veterans know that Trump is gutting research grants for colleges who serve veterans and do research that saves and improves their lives. Columbia Universitys Resilience Center for Veterans & Families, which offers trauma-informed care and clinician training, is on the chopping block. Harvards VA-affiliated research programs on cancer, suicide prevention, and toxic exposure were abruptly defunded by Trump. No explanation. No plan to replace it. Black, Latino, gay, women, and other veterans are being purged from Department of Defense websites and programs. Trump just reinstated his ban on transgender service members, with backing from his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Rep. Barry Moore (R-Ala.), who introduced a bill to codify it permanently. This is not about readiness. Its about hate. Trans Americans have served honorably in every branch. They fly missions. They lead teams. But under Trumps second administration, they are no longer good enough. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thousands now face medical screenings and purges, even as our military faces a historic recruiting crisis. This purge will drive talented linguists, medics, mechanics, and pilots out of the ranks making our military weaker, not stronger. Trumps executive order Remaking the Federal Workforce has already cost thousands of federal employees their jobs and will disenfranchise and bankrupt many more. Veterans know all of this, and now they are standing up. We are standing up because we see the writing on the wall. Trump wants to privatize the VA, handing over veterans care to the same corporations that put profits over people. The goal? Sabotage the VA so it can be sold off to the highest bidder Trump donors and corporate allies eager to profit from veterans pain. Veterans are more than a political talking point. We are not pawns in a culture war. We are patriots Black, white, Latino, Asian, Native, gay, straight, trans, and everything in between. Our strength is in our diversity. Our sacrifice is our credential. Our unity will be on full display on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps betrayal of the veterans community is unforgivable. But it is not unanswerable. We are answering. In protest. In court. In the media. At the ballot box. Veterans are standing up to Trump not because we hate America, but because we love it enough to fight for the soul of it. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Veterans organizations will hold a day of protests in various cities and at Department of Veterans Affairs facilities around the country on Friday, June 6, headlined by a rally in Washington, D.C. that will feature the punk and activist band Dropkick Murphys. The protests, say organizers of the D.C. event, are aimed at speaking out against expected staffing cuts to the VA, which they say will greatly impact care for veterans. We want to have a big tent for this. Veterans Affairs affects more than 14 million American veterans, of every political stripe and from every socio-economic background, Joe Plenzler, a Marine veteran, told Task & Purpose. Plenzler has previously written opinion essays for Task & Purpose about veteran issues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Along with the Washington, D.C. rally, online organizers have plans for over 200 other events at VA facilities in nearly every state, coinciding with the 81st anniversary of D-Day and the invasion of Normandy. Organizers of the D.C. event, dubbed the Unite for Veterans rally, say they expect several thousand people to turn out on the National Mall for the 2 p.m. event. Plenzler, one of the events organizers, told Task & Purpose the rally will feature several prominent veterans as speakers, including Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), former Congressman Adam Kinzinger, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America CEO Kyleanne Hunter, and Shawn Vandiver, founder of AfghanEvac, a non-profit that works to resettle Afghans in the United States. The organizers acknowledged that the millions of veterans in the United States can have disparate political views, but one unifying aspect behind the rally is a demand that VA care and services not be diminished. We want to have a big tent for this. Veterans Affairs affects more than 14 million American veterans, of every political stripe and from every socio-economic background, Plenzler said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Plenzler said that the prospect of severe staffing cuts could both reduce care and also cost many vets their jobs, since a third of all federal employees are veterans. If you go into the VA, upwards of 25% of their employees are veterans. Its veterans caring for veterans, he said. For its part, the VA has repeatedly claimed that personnel cuts wont impact care. In a statement to Task & Purpose, VA Press Secretary Peter Kasperowicz said that anyone who says VA is cutting health care and benefits is not being honest. In fact, VA is expanding health care and benefits. The proposed cuts, first reported by the Associated Press, would amount to a 15% reduction of the departments workforce. VA Secretary Douglas Collins described the number as a goal rather than a fixed plan last month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kasperowicz also accused rally organizers of opposing necessary reforms on political grounds. Imagine how much better off veterans would be if this union-led group cared as much about fixing the department as it does about protecting VAs broken bureaucracy, Kasperowicz said. Sen. Duckworth, in a statement to Task & Purpose, said that she was outraged at the administrations policies towards veterans. Donald Trump has fired more veterans than any president in modern history, and by gutting the VA he is hurting our veterans access to the quality health care and other benefits theyve earned through their service, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dusty Gannon, an Army officer who served in Afghanistan as a platoon leader, said he was planning on going to the rally because he sees a disconnect between how veterans in the U.S. are venerated and how theyre cared for. We have this whole [generation] of veterans who fought in all of these conflicts who are all coming home, and the government is failing us, he said. Theyve just left us high and dry. Gannon said he hopes the rally will be a chance to meet and spend time with fellow veterans who understand the gravity of the experience, he said. Nationally, organizers are tracking the times and locations of rallies on a central online spreadsheet. The latest on Task & Purpose MEMPHIS, Tenn. A federal jury convicted a high-ranking member of a Memphis street gang for his role in the death of a retaliation killing after the gangs leader was killed. Vincent Grant, 41, of Memphis, also known as V-Slash, was convicted on a charge of causing death by use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, that being murder in aid of racketeering. Prosecutors with the U.S. District Attorneys Office for the Western District of Tennessee say Grant was a high-ranking member of the Unknown Vice Lords, also known as The Ghost Mob, a criminal enterprise that controlled territory in Memphis and beyond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Jan. 10, 2019, the Vice Lords Supreme Elite Chief and a woman were found dead. Prosecutors say he was the gang leader for the state of Tennessee. Vice Lords leader killed in Memphis; prisons go on lockdown A WREG story at the time reported the mans name was Ronald Terry. He and his girlfriend were found shot dead in South Memphis. Prisons were put on lockdown after the killing. The gang members first blamed a rival gang, the Traveling Vice Lords, and a gun battle ensued, until the Unknown Vice Lords conducted an internal investigation and determined that their leader had been killed by a fellow member, prosecutors said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Jan. 15, Grant allegedly gave guns to other gang members. They drove to an apartment complex and executed the man they believed to be responsible for Terrys death, using guns provided by Grant. This violent gang brutally executed one of their own and left the body on display as a warning that betrayal would not be tolerated, said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Departments Criminal Division. Their blatant disregard for human life carrying out shootings in broad daylight and in residential neighborhoodsunderscores the urgent need to confront and dismantle this threat to public safety. The Justice Department and the ATF turned this case from a cold case into a conviction, and we remain committed to working closely with law enforcement to tackle even the most challenging cases. Our warning to street gangs is clear: their violence will not be tolerated. Grant is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 19 and faces up to life in prison. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. It seems it was bound to happen. The White House is nowhere big enough to accommodate the egos of President Trump and Elon Musk. Their fallout happened this week over "The Big Beautiful Bill." Elon Musk headed up an effort called DOGE, Department of Government Efficiency. He suggested cuts in areas he deemed to be waste, fraud and abuse. Everybody is against government waste, fraud and abuse. Every government dollar spent has a constituency. Any cuts in Amtrak would bring out the rail fans, and any cuts in preserving national parks would bring out politicians who represent the area where the park is located. You get the idea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In many ways, neither man understands how Washington works although Trump knows more from his previous term as President. Musk is the richest person in the world. He runs car maker Tesla and X, formerly known as Twitter. After their spat became public, Musk took to X, which he owns, to openly complain about Trump and Trump took to Truth Social, which he owns, to complain about Musk. Seemingly lost in the debate are those 340 million Americans who don't own their social media platform. To some degree, social media has replaced stray painting bridges and public property. The "Big Beautiful Bill" passed the House by a narrow margin. Now, the Senate will take up the matter in the days ahead. No Democrats will vote for the bill. That leaves Senate President John Thune with a razor-thin margin for passage. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said he's unlikely to vote yes. Congressman Thomas Massie was one of a very few Republicans to vote no on the bill. Both men believe it will increase the $37 trillion debt. This newspaper hasn't always agreed with them, but we admire them for standing for their principles of lowering debt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk told Republicans "you know you're increasing the debt" and further told GOP members to side with him rather than Trump as Trump will die first. Musk is 53 and Trump is 78. Musk went on a Twitter rage Thursday saying Trump should be impeached and the president's name appears in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Musk contends President Trump wouldn't be president without his millions in donations. Trump countered in an Oval Office press conference that he would've won without Musk. Republican senators must decide what to do. Do they offend their powerful party leader President Trump, or do they risk a primary opponent well funded by the richest man in the world? Politics makes strange bedfellows. VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) For years, firefighter Matthew Gallina was exposed to the toxins from fires, both small and large, that put him at risk for a host of rare and deadly cancers. First responders from across the region rushed to the Mayfair Mews Apartment complex in Virginia Beach on April 6, 2012, when a fighter jet slammed into the buildings. The fire was dubbed the Good Friday miracle; no one died. Good Friday Miracle: F-18 jet crash into Virginia Beach apartment turns 10 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since Gallina was part of the arson squad, he wasnt assigned to the scene but had to dig through the scene after the incident. So if there is an arson, investigation, then my Matt would go out and dig through that scene, and theres a multitude of cancer causing agents, Gallinas wife Michelle Gallina said. Michelle also said her husband shared space with gear that was contaminated at Mayflower Mews. He did not go to the Good Friday plane crash, Michelle said. His, the gear from the Good Friday plane crash was stored at his station, so thats, thats one part of, of the situation was, all of the turnout gear, the equipment that came back to his station for decon, but, you know, there is theres information that, the turnout gear itself, has cancer causing, material. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In June of 2023, Gallina, who had no symptoms, tested for a wide variety of cancers. The test came back positive for stage four esophageal cancer Gallina died just 14 months later. Funeral services were held at Norfolks Harbor Park. Courtesy: Michelle Gallina Courtesy: Michelle Gallina Courtesy: Michelle Gallina Courtesy: Michelle Gallina Courtesy: Michelle Gallina Courtesy: Michelle Gallina 10 On Your Sides Regina Mobley asked Michelle what her reaction would be if one of her three children wanted to be a firefighter. Thats a hard question. And, I dont know, Michelle said. Im hoping that, you know, the camaraderie of the fire department is is so amazing, and its, it brings you in. The support that Ive gotten from the fire department, from the union, from friends and family, has been overwhelming. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Saturday, Virginia will honor Matt Gallina and 11 other first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the commonwealth. The event takes place at noon at the Richmond International Raceway Complex. If you cant make it to Richmond, the event will be streamed live at the link here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. The state Capitol. (Photo by Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury) Virginia is a hot spot for immigration enforcement. Axios Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor talk about how theyd fight Trump while working with Republican legislators from rural Virginia. Cardinal News Will the Republican statewide ticket appear together this election cycle? WVTF Were not interested in collecting revenue: Fairfax Co. board chairman says more speed cameras are being installed. WTOP Replica gun recovered after 18-year-old shot by Virginia Beach police, authorities say. 13newsnow SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Virginia Mason Franciscan Health is eliminating more than 100 jobs systemwide, including in Tacoma, tied to virtual-care services. According to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filed Thursday, the layoffs will commence July 28, affecting 116 workers. A VMFH media representative told The News Tribune via email that the layoffs are across the health care system, and not limited to Tacoma. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chad Melton is Interim president, Puget Sound Market, for VMFH. In a statement, Melton said the cuts were part of critical but necessary steps to remain financially sustainable so we can continue delivering high-quality care to the communities we serve. This includes transitioning several virtual services and administrative functions, which will impact approximately 200 team members. Affected employees have been notified and are receiving personalized support, including placement assistance and access to open roles within our organization. Melton noted that VMFH, like health care systems across the country, is facing significant financial pressures including rising labor and supply costs, increasing claim denials and chronic underpayment from government programs. These challenges have only intensified in Washington state, where a new budget introduces new taxes that directly affect hospitals and reduces reimbursement, most notably by capping payments for care provided to state and school employees. These changes are expected to cost VMFH an additional $30 million each year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Melton said that the system as a result was realigning resources and improving operational efficiency. These are difficult and necessary decisions to ensure we can continue meeting the needs of our patients today and into the future, he added. No further details were available Thursday night. Even after scoring a huge victory against President Donald Trump's tariffs in federal court last week, David Levi still isn't sure if his small business will survive the trade war. "It's just been exhausting how uncertain it is," Levi, who started MicroKits in 2020 to get more kids interested in the hands-on science of electrical engineering, tells Reason. Imports are essential to the kits that Levi and his one employee assemble in a warehouse near Charlottesville, Virginia. For example, a kit that teaches kids how to build a small theremin requires a circuit board, resistors, capacitors, bits of wire, and plastic molding to hold batteries and other pieces in place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I don't have millions and millions of dollars to spin up my own circuit board assembly line, and plastic mold injection, and everything," Levi says. Though he is running a small, niche operation, Microkits is in many ways a microcosm of American manufacturing. Levi provides the ideas and designs, and he oversees the final assembly of his products in America, but those products combine parts sourced from around the globe. About 60 percent of his inputs come from China, Levi says, which puts him more or less in line with American manufacturing as a whole. More than half the imports to the U.S. are raw materials, intermediate parts, or equipmentthe stuff that manufacturing firms need to make thingsrather than finished goods. It is those supply chains that the trade war is jeopardizing. He's had to put on hold plans to offer a new kit that would allow kids to build a musical synthesizer powered by the electrical current found in bananas (which are also getting more expensive, thanks to tariffs). "It's not a question of 'oh do you build the kits entirely in America or with international parts?'" Levi says. "It's a question of do you build the kits with international parts versus you don't build these science kits at all. And then, instead of kids getting a cool science project at Christmas, they just get another app on their iPad that they already have." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Levi and MicroKits are plaintiffs in the lawsuit that briefly blocked many of Trump's tariffs last week when the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that the president did not have the legal authority to impose those tariffs. Less than 24 hours later, that injunction was put on hold by a federal appeals courtleaving the tariffs in place, for now, and business owners like Levi in limbo. Next week will be pivotal. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit gave the Trump administration until Monday to file its briefs for the next stage of the legal process. A full ruling on the merits of the case could take weeks or months, but the first thing the appeals court will have to decide is whether to maintain the temporary order blocking the lower court's injunction against the tariffs, says Jeffrey Schwab, senior counsel at the Liberty Justice Center, which is representing Levi and several other business owners in the lawsuit. "I'd be shockedand disappointed, honestlyif they don't make a decision [regarding the stay] before Friday of next week," Schwab tells Reason. "So by next week at this time, hopefully we'll know." The post This Small Business Is in Limbo As Owner Sues To Stop Trump's Tariffs appeared first on Reason.com. Orange County Public Schools will host a virtual job for for educators on June 24. Multiple schools will do interviews for in-person teaching positions for the 2025-2026 school year. To qualify, you must have a certification by the Florida Department of Education. The job fair will be held from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Career fair Plus. Click here to register. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Last month, a replica World War One plane finally took to the skies above a Royal Air Force station in Scotland. Its been a long time comingvolunteers at the Aviation Preservation Society of Scotland have been working on the project for 25 years, as originally reported by the BBC. Every single nut and bolt has been checked, every single bracket has been checked, every single piece of wire has been checked. You dont cobble these things together. When youre going to fly it, it has to be done right, chairman Mike Harper told the BBC. If it was for a museum, if it was just going on display we would probably have finished it within a few years. But the meticulous attention to detail to get this thing in the air is whats taken the length of time. The plane is a Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter, a biplane (a type of aircraft with two stacked wings) fighter aircraft the British designed in 1914, built in 1915, and tested in 1916 in response to Germanys monoplane aircraft, the Fokker Eindecker. Though the planes were modestly successful, they quickly became obsolete in the face of Germanys new Albatros aircrafts. The name Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter comes from the unique arrangement of its struts (the thin beams that support the top wings), though the societys volunteers have more sensibly nicknamed their replica Sophie. For now, Sophie is undergoing test flights. Once it completes the test phase and accomplishes five flight hours, itll be allowed to carry an additional person in the passenger seat behind the pilot, per the BBC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im used to flying modern aeroplanes from the 50s and 60sthe classicsand theyre very different from this aeroplane to fly. This is very much more of a challenge, aircraft inspector Tim Rayner, who pilots the test flights, told the BBC after Mays 15-minute flight. The controls are nowhere near as responsive as they became as we developed better technologies. This is 1915 and its not that many years since the first flight so youve got to look at it as flying as you would expect for an aircraft of that era. Talk about an ambitious hobby. The Wagner Group told a British proxy to use a TV drama about KGB spies in the US as a manual, a court heard. Dylan Earl, 20, has admitted orchestrating an arson attack on an east London warehouse and plotting to burn down Mayfair businesses, kidnapping their Russian dissident owner last year, following help from the Russian-backed terrorist group. On Thursday, jurors at the Old Bailey saw a chat between Earl, of Elmesthorpe, Leicestershire, and a Wagner Group contact identified by the handle Privet Bot on Telegram. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The day before the arson attack, Privet Bot instructed Earl to watch the television series The Americans, about KGB agents undercover in the US, in order to understand work. Privet Bot said: The idea is like that. You need to organise partisan cells in the country and in Europe and think of a name for your movement. Well give you support... Watch this series. It will be your manual. Youll have a source of funding through organising arsons. The Americans was a Golden-Globe winning Cold War drama series The court has heard how Earl allegedly roped in Jake Reeves, 23, from Croydon, London, to help recruit people to carry out the arson attack on the warehouse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earl also revealed his plans to Ashton Evans, 20, from Newport, Gwent, on Signal, Snapchat and mobile phone messages, it is alleged. They had initially communicated about drug dealing, with Earl adopting the name of a notorious Russian hitman, the court was told. Mr Evans was allegedly aware that Earl had orchestrated the warehouse arson attack. Three days after the fire, which caused 1 million of damage, Mr Evans asked: Did you light it up? the court was told. They went on to discuss the plot to burn down Hide restaurant and Hedonism wine shop in Mayfair, snatch the owner and hand him over to Russia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earl warned there would be a good amount of heat after this and it would be on every news channel and radio in our country. Mr Evans allegedly replied: Yes, I can sort if there is a way we can do so without people getting hurt cause thats when the police will take very very serious - like [terror] level serious. The jury was told that following an arson attack on an east London warehouse in March 2024, Earl began work on the Mayfair plot - X Stressing the need for security, Earl told him: It will be a huge thing and every single spy agency trying to find who did it so careful ok. Mr Evans agreed that it would bring a lot of attention MI5 etc, the court heard. On April 1 2024, Earl asked Mr Evans to delete their chats and asked if he could make connections with the IRA or the Irish Kinahan crime family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earl suggested he wanted to build a link between the Kinahans and Russia, saying: We have direct connection to the Kremlin, we can do suin [something] big. After his arrest, Mr Evans claimed he did not take the chat seriously, having jokingly told Earl: And this is all in mine craft, right? He also claimed in a police interview that he was just stringing Earl along to get a refund for 300 of fake cocaine he had bought, the court was told. Earl and Reeves have pleaded guilty to aggravated arson of the east London warehouse and an offence under the National Security Act. The court was told that Reeves had revealed details of their plans to another contact, Dmitrijus Paulauskas, having described Earl as Russian mafia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the kidnap plot, Reeves allegedly told Mr Paulauskas that the idea was to get him sent back to Russia for imprisonment. Paulauskas, 23, from Croydon, allegedly responded to Wagner Group activity on UK soil with glee, saying: Im so f------ gassed cos that means the west has already lost..we have already infiltrated..bro u r allowed to call urself (sic) Russian now. The defendant, who was later to claim that he took none of it seriously, allegedly responded to the warehouse attack by saying: Holy f--- so Wagner literally has UK gangs doing their work. Dmitrijus Paulauskas, who denies failing to disclose information about a terrorist act, and Jake Reeves sketched at Westminster magistrates court in April last year - Elizabeth Cook /PA Shortly before their arrests, the men pondered why Earl the Russian guy had not been on Snapchat for five days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Paulauskas suggested he was busy in his job sabotaging UK. Prosecutor Duncan Penny KC told jurors that by then Earl had been in custody for nine days. He said: The position is clear: Reeves told Mr Paulauskas about the plan to kidnap the target, who had sent money to Ukraine and who was to be sent back to Russia, and about the fact that the attack on the east London warehouse. Mr Penny added that the realisation there was foreign interference by the Wagner group on British soil through the use of UK criminals as proxies, seemed to have been a matter of quite some pleasure to Mr Paulauskas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Evans and Mr Paulauskas have each denied two charges of failing to disclose information about terrorist acts, which they deny. The Old Bailey trial continues. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks with Minnesota Reformer Editor in Chief Patrick Coolican in front of States Newsroom leaders and reporters Thursday, June 5, 2025 at the Royal Sonesta in downtown Minneapolis. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer) Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday said that communication between states and the federal government under the second Trump administration is nonexistent, opening the door to catastrophe in the case of a natural disaster or other emergency. Walz, during an interview with Reformer editor Patrick Coolican at a States Newsroom conference in Minneapolis, said that the Trump administration is unprepared for the next disaster like another global pandemic and that leaves states particularly vulnerable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The flow of information has been disrupted between the states and the federal government, and we just cant get answers No one is allowed to talk to us, and thats really problematic, Walz said. The Minnesota governor said the silence from the feds differs from the first Trump administration. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Walz said then-Vice President Mike Pence would call him every few weeks to check in to see what he needed. He said he sensed Pence would call in under the radar, so he didnt draw anybodys attention. There were a lot of great people inside the first Trump administration that, in spite of the president, were doing good work, Walz said. Walz said one of his biggest fears is a cybersecurity attack. The Trump administration has cut millions of dollars for several cyber security initiatives and slashed jobs from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which helps protect the nations critical infrastructure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Walz discussed the role of the states in opposing the Trump administrations agenda particularly on immigration and the Democratic Partys current malaise. Minnesota is increasingly reliant on immigrants, who are needed to fill jobs being vacated by an aging workforce. Theres not a cow in Minnesota thats not being milked by an immigrant, he said. Walz said Minnesota would not be commandeered into enforcing immigration law, which he said is a federal duty. Walz repeated a spiel hes given around the country, including at a recent Democratic Party event in South Carolina, which has traditionally been early on the presidential primary calendar, fueling speculation that he is considering a presidential run. He said hes not running, but merely using his megaphone to help fill a vacuum left by a Democratic Party in disarray. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor urged Democrats to figure out how to become the party of the working class again and said Democrats need to fill all the lanes in the media environment to reach voters. I still have come to the conclusion that Trump fills so much space that youve got to fill all these new spaces. Do I think if we would have gone on, you know, Joe Rogan, would we have won? I doubt that, but I also dont think it hurts, Walz said. If your message is good, you want to get out there. Walz backed the 2005-06 idea of former DNC Chair Howard Dean and his 50 State Project, which sought to reach voters in areas not traditionally associated with Democrats. Were probably never going to win Idaho, but you got to be out there for it, Walz said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Walz said Democrats should rotate where they hold the early primary to reach more voters, which may not endear him to Democrats in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, the traditional early states that have long jealously guarded their first in the nation status. When asked which state should be the first to hold the primary, Walz deadpanned Minnesota. Minnesota Reformer is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Minnesota Reformer maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor J. Patrick Coolican for questions: info@minnesotareformer.com. Restrictive policies damage scientific ecosystem 08:35, June 06, 2025 By Zhang Xi ( China Daily Once a much sought-after destination for the world's brightest minds, the United States is now undergoing an unexpected and unsettling transformation. The lab coats are still white, the campuses still sprawling, but the atmosphere is becoming increasingly frigid. For many scientists, the US is no longer the land of opportunity. It is becoming a land they want to shun. Beginning as mild tremors, the shift has accelerated to shake up the global scientific community. Sweeping changes have struck at the very heart of the US research ecosystem in recent months. Budget cuts slashed funding for federal research agencies, visa restrictions tightened the flow of foreign talents, while government moves to curb academic freedom cast a shadow over scholarly independence. These policies send a message, loud and clear, that science is no longer insulated from politics. The impact is visible and worrying. Foreign scholars, once eager to set up labs and build careers in the US, are reconsidering. Researchers are choosing institutions in Europe, Canada, and parts of Asia, regions that offer not only generous funding but also an atmosphere of stability and openness. The dream of studying science and carrying out scientific research in the US is losing its luster. Scientists in the US are feeling targeted. According to the results of a poll by Nature published in March, 75.3 percent of 1,600 respondents, at least 1,200 of them scientists, said they were considering leaving the country following the disruptions to scientific research prompted by the current administration. This exodus comes at a time when the global race for scientific and technological leadership has intensified. Nations are investing heavily in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, green technologies, and biomedical research. The US, once at the forefront, now risks falling behind not because of a lack of brilliance, but because of an eroding environment. Excellence in science demands more than individual genius. It demands open collaboration, consistent support, and freedom from political interference. As research institutions in the US brace for another round of budget cuts and political scrutiny, their counterparts in other countries are rolling out red carpets for academics. Data from the Nature Careers global science jobs platform shows that US scientists submitted 32 percent more applications for jobs abroad between January and March than during the same period in 2024. At the same time, the number of US-based users searching for jobs and government funding abroad increased by 35 percent. Among them, candidates in the US viewing Chinese job ads posted on Nature Careers and applying for them have increased by 30 percent and 20 percent respectively, compared with the same period last year. Clearly, reverse brain drain is already here. Between 2020 and 2024, the number of high-level science and technology talents in the US fell from 36,599 to 31,781. Over the same period, the number of such talents in China rose from 18,805 to 32,511 individuals. Between 2010 and 2021, nearly 12,500 scientists of Chinese origin left the US for China. Since last year, nearly 20 leading scientists, most of them based in the US, have come to work in China. If the McCarthy era set physics in the US back by 10 years, today's policies threaten greater damage. Going by experience, rebuilding a shattered scientific ecosystem takes decades, as it doesn't depend merely on funding, but also on regaining the international community's faith in the US' academic freedom. Till the time the atmosphere in the US remains frigid, the world's brightest minds will warm up to other shores. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) STATEMENT OF SEN. WIN GATCHALIAN ON EID'L ADHA Today, as our Muslim community celebrates Eid'l Adha, we pay tribute to a faith that embodies strength, self-discipline, and profound dedication. At a time when our nation continues to face challenges, we must draw strength from the values this holy day upholds. May it renew our collective commitment to unity, peace, and mutual respect among all Filipinos. Maging paalala sana ang Eid'l Adha sa ating lahat na maging matatag sa pananampalataya at ipagpatuloy ang paggawa ng mabuti at paglilingkod sa kapwa. Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating this blessed day! Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks with Minnesota Reformer Editor in Chief Patrick Coolican in front of States Newsroom leaders and reporters Thursday, June 5, 2025, at the Royal Sonesta in downtown Minneapolis. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer) MINNEAPOLIS Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday said that communication between states and the federal government under the second Trump administration is nonexistent, opening the door to catastrophe in the case of a natural disaster or other emergency. Walz, during an interview with Minnesota Reformer editor Patrick Coolican at a States Newsroom conference, said that the Trump administration is unprepared for the next disaster like another global pandemic and that leaves states particularly vulnerable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The flow of information has been disrupted between the states and the federal government, and we just cant get answers No one is allowed to talk to us, and thats really problematic, Walz said. The Minnesota governor said the silence from the feds differs from the first Trump administration. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Walz said then-Vice President Mike Pence would call him every few weeks to check in to see what he needed. He said he sensed Pence would call in under the radar, so he didnt draw anybodys attention. There were a lot of great people inside the first Trump administration that, in spite of the president, were doing good work, Walz said. Walz said one of his biggest fears is a cybersecurity attack. The Trump administration has cut millions of dollars for several cyber security initiatives and slashed jobs from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which helps protect the nations critical infrastructure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Walz discussed the role of the states in opposing the Trump administrations agenda particularly on immigration and the Democratic Partys current malaise. Minnesota is increasingly reliant on immigrants, who are needed to fill jobs being vacated by an aging workforce. Theres not a cow in Minnesota thats not being milked by an immigrant, he said. Walz said Minnesota would not be commandeered into enforcing immigration law, which he said is a federal duty. Walz repeated a spiel hes given around the country, including at a recent Democratic Party event in South Carolina, which has traditionally been early on the presidential primary calendar, fueling speculation that he is considering a presidential run. He said hes not running, but merely using his megaphone to help fill a vacuum left by a Democratic Party in disarray. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor urged Democrats to figure out how to become the party of the working class again and said Democrats need to fill all the lanes in the media environment to reach voters. I still have come to the conclusion that Trump fills so much space that youve got to fill all these new spaces. Do I think if we would have gone on, you know, Joe Rogan, would we have won? I doubt that, but I also dont think it hurts, Walz said. If your message is good, you want to get out there. Walz backed the 2005-06 idea of former DNC Chair Howard Dean and his 50 State Project, which sought to reach voters in areas not traditionally associated with Democrats. Were probably never going to win Idaho, but you got to be out there for it, Walz said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Walz said Democrats should rotate where they hold the early primary to reach more voters, which may not endear him to Democrats in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, the traditional early states that have long jealously guarded their first in the nation status. When asked which state should be the first to hold the primary, Walz deadpanned Minnesota. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Minnesota Reformer is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Minnesota Reformer maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor J. Patrick Coolican for questions: info@minnesotareformer.com. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks with Minnesota Reformer Editor in Chief Patrick Coolican on Thursday, June 5, 2025 at the Royal Sonesta in downtown Minneapolis. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer) Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday said that communication between states and the federal government under the second Trump administration is nonexistent, opening the door to catastrophe in the case of a natural disaster or other emergency. Walz, during an interview with Minnesota Reformer editor Patrick Coolican at a States Newsroom conference in Minneapolis, said the Trump administration is unprepared for the next disaster like another global pandemic and that leaves states particularly vulnerable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The flow of information has been disrupted between the states and the federal government, and we just cant get answers No one is allowed to talk to us, and thats really problematic, Walz said. The governor said the silence from the feds differs from the first Trump administration. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Walz said then-Vice President Mike Pence would call him every few weeks to check in to see what he needed. He said he sensed Pence would call in under the radar, so he didnt draw anybodys attention. There were a lot of great people inside the first Trump administration that, in spite of the president, were doing good work, Walz said. Walz said one of his biggest fears is a cybersecurity attack. The Trump administration has cut millions of dollars for several cyber security initiatives and slashed jobs from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which helps protect the nations critical infrastructure. The role of immigration Walz discussed the role of the states in opposing the Trump administrations agenda particularly on immigration and the Democratic Partys current malaise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Minnesota is increasingly reliant on immigrants, who are needed to fill jobs being vacated by an aging workforce. Theres not a cow in Minnesota thats not being milked by an immigrant, he said. Walz said Minnesota would not be commandeered into enforcing immigration law, which he said is a federal duty. Walz repeated a spiel hes given around the country, including at a recent Democratic Party event in South Carolina, which has traditionally been early on the presidential primary calendar, fueling speculation that he is considering a presidential run. Walz said Midwestern governors stuck together, specifically mentioning former Gov. Eric Holcomb. (Holcomb) was very well liked even amongst the Democratic governors, Walz said Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said hes not running, but merely using his megaphone to help fill a vacuum left by a Democratic Party in disarray. The governor urged Democrats to figure out how to become the party of the working class again and said Democrats need to fill all the lanes in the media environment to reach voters. I still have come to the conclusion that Trump fills so much space that youve got to fill all these new spaces. Do I think if we would have gone on, you know, Joe Rogan, would we have won? I doubt that, but I also dont think it hurts, Walz said. If your message is good, you want to get out there. Walz backed the 2005-06 idea of former DNC Chair Howard Dean and his 50 State Project, which sought to reach voters in areas not traditionally associated with Democrats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were probably never going to win Idaho, but you got to be out there for it, Walz said. Walz said Democrats should rotate where they hold the early primary to reach more voters, which may not endear him to Democrats in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, the traditional early states that have long jealously guarded their first in the nation status. When asked which state should be the first to hold the primary, Walz deadpanned Minnesota. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX CAPTAIN COOK, Hawaii (KHON2) A wanted fugitive was arrested and charged with numerous offenses after an alleged crime spree that led to an officer-involved shooting on June 4. Junson Heckerz, 28, is facing charges related to theft, burglary, criminal property damage and unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle, among others. He also had three outstanding warrants totaling $7,100, according to the Hawaii Police Department. Heckerz is accused of stealing a Captain Cook mans vehicle on the morning of June 4. When officers responded to a reported traffic collision, they found the stolen vehicle disabled in the roadway, but no signs of a collision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Puna man, 44, arrested on 15 sexual-related offenses against minors, bail set at $4.8M Officials said the owner of the stolen vehicle was riding a utility task vehicle (UTV) and searching for his car. When he found it, he reported seeing a man, later identified as Heckerz, in the drivers seat. After both men exited their vehicles, Heckerz reportedly entered the UTV and fled the scene, police said Thursday. Shortly after Heckerz fled, a nearby resident reported that someone had tried to steal their truck from their home. The vehicle owner confronted Heckerz, who again fled the scene. Officers were then notified of a trespassing incident about half a mile away with a suspect matching Heckerzs description. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When officers arrived at the scene of the alleged trespassing incident, they saw Heckerz in the drivers seat of the property owners car and attempted to contact him. Heckerz is accused of reversing down the driveway and driving toward an officer who had to jump out of the way. Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You Heckerz reportedly crashed through a metal gate, causing part of the gate to be propelled into a parked car nearby. At the same time, an officer fired two shots at the vehicle, but no injuries to officers or the suspect were reported. Heckerz lost control of the car and crashed it into a ditch, after which officers provided aid to and detained the suspect. Heckerzs bail was originally set at $293,100, but in an update, the Hawaii Police Department said that a Kona judge had reduced his bail to $5,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heckerz was also originally facing 15 charges, but the number of charges was reduced to 12 after his initial appearance. The charges Heckerz is facing are listed below: Three counts of Theft in the First Degree (theft of a motor vehicle) Three counts of Unauthorized Control of a Propelled Vehicle in the First Degree One count of Burglary in the First Degree One count of Unauthorized Entry Into a Motor Vehicle in the Second Degree One count of Resisting an Order to Stop a Motor Vehicle in the First Degree One count of Reckless Endangering in the Second Degree One count of Theft in the Fourth Degree One count of Criminal Property Damage in the Fourth Degree. The officer who fired at the vehicle has been placed on administrative leave. Anyone who may have witnessed any of the incidents or who may have information has been asked to call the Hawaii Police Departments non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311, or to call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2. WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) After months of chilly weather and gray skies, the sun has finally returned to the Ocean State. Whether theyre out on the water or relaxing on land, Rhode Islanders know not to let a hot summer day go to waste. Residents and visitors flocked to the beach, lounged in the grass, cast fishing lines, and grabbed bites to eat as they soaked up the warm rays. RELATED: How much do RI beach passes cost for summer 2025? While rising temperatures can spark mixed opinions, one things for sure: restaurant staff have been counting down the days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sofia Barry, a supervisor at Iggys Doughboys & Chowder House, said the change of pace, although busy, was refreshing. In the winter, were looking for things to do. In the summer, we cant keep up, Barry said. The weather really does it for us, so when its sunny out, were very busy. Everyones usually in a good mood. Everyones just enjoying the weather. Its great to see because we like to see happy people and we like to serve happy people, she added. Providence resident Casey Snook agrees. Its so much harder to be alone when youre outside, Snook said. Its so much harder to be sad, and the warm, beautiful weather reminds us how lucky we are to be alive on the planet here today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before you launch: Harbormaster shares what every boater needs to know Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the new 12+ smart TV app. Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Ocean, Bay & Beach Report Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. WILLIAMSTON, S.C. (WSPA) The Williamston Police Department issued a public warning for scams aimed at faking donations for an upcoming local event. Officers said that they received at least one report about an unknown person calling a local business and falsely claiming to represent the Town of Williamston, asking for donations for the upcoming Freedom Celebration event. Other reports included fake social media posts asking for financial donations or sponsorships. The Williamston Police Department would like to remind the public that the Town of Williamston would not call individuals asking for donations, and that you should never offer personal or financial information to anyone over the phone or on social media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS. WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) Warwick has officially installed cameras on its school buses in an effort to catch drivers blowing through flashing red stop signs. Ryan Monell, the senior vice president of government operations for BusPatrol, told 12 News the district now has cameras on its roughly 110 school buses. SEE ALSO: Some school districts installing AI cameras on buses He said the cameras will collect footage every single time the stop sign comes out, and send any potential violations to directly to the Warwick Police Department for review. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The way the law works in Rhode Island is that only the police department can determine if theres been a violation, Monell explained. Warwick Police Captain Charles Boisseau said there used to be additional steps in the process. We would have to get with that bus driver and get a written statement as to what the offense was and the plate on the vehicle, Boisseau said. Then we would have to track down that vehicle and issue a citation. RELATED: North Providence adds school bus cameras to catch drivers who run stop signs Right now, only warnings are being issued to drivers caught on camera not stopping for school buses. But beginning June 26, fines ranging from $250 to $500 will be issued depending on the violation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement BusPatrol is calling it a soft launch, since only summer school buses will be out around that time. Warwick isnt the only district that has cameras on its school buses. Providence installed cameras on the districts school buses at the beginning of the academic year. North Providence started issuing fines last month. The North Providence Police Department told 12 News that 49 violations were issued in May. Monell said BusPatrols data reveals that drivers are taking those fines seriously. Nine out of ten people who have received a ticket dont get a second ticket, Monell said. READ NEXT: Warwick installs cameras to crack down on red light violations Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the new 12+ smart TV app. Follow us on social media: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti Jr. goes over the timeline to rebuild the westbound Washington Bridge at a State House press conference on Friday, June 6, 2025. At left is Gov. Dan McKee. At right is Walsh Construction Company Program Manager Charles Parish. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) The completion date and cost for a new westbound Washington Bridge is finally here. But it will take two more years and $59 million more than expected to resurrect a new thoroughfare connecting Providence and East Providence. Gov. Dan McKee unveiled the November 2028 target completion date and an up-to-$427 million contract cost at a State House press conference Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The long-awaited news comes nearly a year-and-a-half after state officials halted all traffic on the westbound highway after engineers discovered broken anchor rods that put the bridge spanning the Seekonk River at risk of collapse. State officials originally sought to rebuild the bridge by August 2026 at an estimated cost of $368 million. I understand that this has been a challenging time for those who rely on the Washington Bridge, especially in the early days before we were able to restore six lanes of traffic, McKee said. We owe it to you to deliver a bridge that is safe and will ultimately make your lives easier. Tasked with constructing the new bridge is Walsh Construction Company. The Chicago-based firm worked on the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge on Interstate 95 over the Quinnipiac River in New Haven, Connecticut, along with the Interstate 90 Westbound Innerbelt Bridge in Cleveland, Ohio. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For this project, the firm will draw from its design of the Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis, Walsh Program Manager Charles Parish told reporters. Its not often that you get to build the same project twice, or the same bridge twice, Parish said. But our ability to do that on the new Washington Bridge gave us the confidence to commit to both the price and schedule that were sure we can meet. The states plan calls for five lanes of travel over the new bridge, along with an onramp from Gano Street in Providence and a new offramp to Waterfront Drive in East Providence. The original bridge had four lanes. Construction is scheduled to begin next month, which overlaps with the ongoing demolition of the existing bridge. Demolition contractor Aetna Bridge Company is expected to complete its work by the end of 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During that time, Walsh will secure permitting, workers, and pre-fabricate material to rebuild the bridge, Parish said. A rendering of the new westbound Washington Bridge designed by the Chicago-based Walsh Construction Company. The state chose the firm over one other bidder. The contract calls for completion by November 2028. (Courtesy of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation) Walsh will be paid at least $339 million to build the new bridge, with incentives and contingencies that could bring the total cost up to $427 million. The deal also has built-in daily penalties of $25,000 for exceeding the project deadline. With demolition and emergency repairs, the entire project adds up to $570 million, which is well within what we budget, McKee said. McKees administration has identified more than $713 million in financing available for the project over the last year. That includes $35 million in remaining pandemic relief aid, $107.6 million from the states capital plan fund, and up to $334.6 million in Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicles bonds, which allow the state to borrow against future allocations of federal transportation money. The state was also awarded nearly a pair of federal infrastructure grants worth roughly $221 million. The grants were temporarily frozen under President Donald Trumps initial flurry of executive orders, but released to Rhode Island in late March. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, in a lawsuit filed with 19 other states in May, warned that funding could still be at risk due to a federal directive tying infrastructure grants to compliance with the Trump administrations diversity and immigration policies. McKee said he does not believe federal funds will be taken away from the project. We have the sign off from [Transportation] Secretary (Sean) Duffy, the governor said Friday. Also unclear: how the new price tag will impact the states budget. House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi said in a statement that legislative leaders will review the governors announcement as they shape a final fiscal 2026 budget. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the bridge project moves forward, the House of Representatives will continue its work ensuring the administration is accountable, Shekarchi said. Walsh was one of two finalists vying to rebuild the bridge after the state issued its latest bidding window last December. The other proposal came from a joint venture by American Bridge and MLJ, firms based respectively in Pennsylvania and New York. Rhode Island Director of Transportation Peter Alviti Jr. said both companies were qualified and made similar technical proposals. Walshs proposal projected around $340 million in hard construction costs, while American Construction and MLJs bid estimated nearly $387 million. Because it did not win the states tentative contract, the losing bidder will receive a $1.75 million consolation prize for participating, as set out in the states solicitation. It took two rounds of requests or proposals to yield any firm bids, a sore spot that McKees critics continue to seize on, including his potential 2026 Democratic gubernatorial rival, Helena Buonanno Foulkes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Governor McKees catastrophic failure to manage the Washington Bridge has impacted countless Rhode Island families and businesses, forcing them to endure longer commutes, lost wages, and economic hardship, Foulkes said in a statement Friday. But McKee said he has no regrets. As far as Im concerned were in a good spot, he said. The people in the state of Rhode Island know that the funding is there, the time schedule is there, and we have a quality bridge-builder to actually execute the project. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Washington State Library in Tumwater, Wash. (Courtesy of the Office of Secretary of State) The Washington State Library in Tumwater and the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library in Seattle will close to the public on July 1 due to a lack of state funding. State libraries will also eliminate 12 jobs due to the financial pressure. Shuttering the facilities will curb access to the states trove of historical and governmental collections and force cancellation of an array of services and programs, the secretary of states office announced Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Libraries are cornerstones of civic life and education in many areas of our state. The impact of the closures will risk denying communities access to the information, literacy tools, and resources they depend on, Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said in a statement. The move comes after lawmakers and Gov. Bob Ferguson didnt provide $6.7 million in the budget to cover a shortfall created largely by a decline in revenue from fees paid on real estate transactions. At the Tumwater library, those who dial up Ask A Librarian or the main switchboard, or send an inquiry by email, can expect to wait up to a week for a response. Additionally, subscriptions to newspaper and genealogy databases will be discontinued, and the acquisition of new materials will be drastically limited. When the Talking Book and Braille Library closes to the public, responses to voicemail messages will take longer. Circulation and registration services will be slowed as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Programming such as multisensory story time and the Low Vision and Touch of Braille workshops will be canceled. Production of braille and audio materials could also be reduced at the states only accessible library service for people who are blind or have other disabilities. These disruptions jeopardize equitable access to information for some of Washingtons most underserved residents unable to read standard print, said Washington State Librarian Sara Jones. While a newly signed bill will provide some funds in the future, the current funding gap is affecting our employees and important services now. A bill signed by Ferguson on May 19 will impose a new $50 surcharge on all filings handled by superior court clerks, of which $20 would go to the secretary of states office for the library, archives and state legacy projects. This would generate up to $6 million in a full biennium, according to a fiscal analysis. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Attorney General Pam Bondi gave remarks Friday afternoon after news broke that Kilmar Abrego Garcia the man mistakenly deported to El Salvador earlier this year would be returned to the U.S. Abrego Garcias case has sparked controversy amid President Trumps crackdown on illegal immigration. The man, who had been living in Maryland under a protective order, was accused by the administration of having ties to the MS-13 gang and was deported to El Salvadors most notorious prison in March. He and his wife have denied the gang claims. Several Democratic lawmakers have made trips to visit him in the Central American nation amid the battle. The Supreme Court earlier this year ordered the administration to facilitate his return, but Trump and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele both signaled they didnt have the authority to do so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month, the White House formerly invoked the state secrets privilege to avoid handing over documents in the legal battle over Abrego Garcia. The press conference was scheduled to begin at 3:45 p.m. EDT. Watch the video replay above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. On 5 June Mexicos foreign ministry (SRE) rejected a decision by the US supreme court to strike down the lawsuit it had brought against US arms companies Smith & Wesson and Interstate Arms. End of preview - This article contains approximately 383 words. Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article Not a Subscriber? Choose from one of the following options DOTHAN, Ala (WDHN) Veterans who had the chance to visit memorial sites in Washington D.C. this week were met with thunderous applause, cheers, and even bagpipes on their return from the nations capital. The veterans were able to visit Arlington National Cemetery, the World War II memorials and Vietnam Remembrance Wall, and the Air Force Memorial in Arlington all on Wednesday. READ MORE: Wiregrass veterans tour war monuments in the nations capital Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The group of veterans, chaperones, and WDHN reporter Robert Smith landed in Birmingham airport Wednesday afternoon. While walking through the airport towards the bus that would take the veterans home to the Wiregrass, they were met with applause and cheers from friends, loved ones, active military personnel, and military appreciation groups. The veterans were even accompanied by bagpipes and drums as they walked through the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. After an over three hour drive, the veterans returned to the Daleville Community Center, and were met with even more admirers and bagpipes. For many Vietnam veterans, Wednesdays welcome home was a far cry from what they experianced on their return from war, as many of their fellow Americans did not view them as heroes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of those soldiers were spit on or yelled at, due to the visceral response to a war that had become a nationwide political issue. After the way I was treated when I came back from Vietnam, this day has been wonderful. I just cant believe people are so nice, it makes me feel very good, said Army Veteran Lonnie Daniels of his trip. Greeter waiting for the veterans to return to the Daleville Communiy Center The trip was funded and orchestrated by Wiregrass Honor Flights, Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDHN - wdhn.com. The Provo River Delta is pictured on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) Salt Lake City officials warned this week that water use is up this time of year compared to the past several years, and theyre urging residents to be mindful of their consumption amid heat and drought. As Utah has seen an unusually warm spring this year with temperatures in the Salt Lake valley reaching the 90s some days the Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities issued a news release Thursday warning that water use is up both overall and outdoors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The department reported water demand in recent weeks has been trending upward compared to the average water demand over the last three years during the same time period. We must protect our natural resources and support efforts for the Great Salt Lake, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall urged in a prepared statement. Laura Briefer, director of the Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities, said as of Thursday, total water use had increased by 5% in the departments service areas, with outdoor water use up 10%. Though snowpack in our area was average this year and our reservoirs are full right now, overall runoff is lower than expected, and much of the state is projecting drought conditions, Briefer said. It is important that our community members continue to focus on water conservation given these factors and the potential for drought conditions to worsen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to providing water to Utahs capital of Salt Lake City which is home to more than 217,000 people the Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities also services portions of suburban cities of Millcreek, Holladay, Cottonwood Heights, Murray, Midvale and South Salt Lake. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 95.5% of Utah was experiencing abnormally dry conditions as of Thursday, with 76.2% in moderate drought and 44.6% in severe drought. About 3.2% an area concentrated in Washington County in the southwestern corner of the state was in extreme drought. This time last year, only 23.9% of the state was classified as abnormally dry, according to the drought monitor. Plus, hotter than usual temperatures are expected to persist through the summer. According to the three month seasonal outlook from the National Weather Service, Utah is forecasted to have above average temperatures through August. As for rainfall, the service says its unclear whether there will be above or below average precipitation this summer. According to its models, theres an equal chance of both in the majority of the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Salt Lake City officials urged both homeowners and businesses to conserve water. They noted that the city offers a variety of programs meant to reduce water use indoors and outdoors, including landscaping rebates, low-water grass seed, irrigation controllers and water-wise toilets. Here are some of the water conservation programs and resources Salt Lake City officials highlighted: SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Residential construction in fast-growing Centerton has slowed because of limited sewer infrastructure capacity. (Photo by Arshia Khan for Arkansas Advocate, June 2025) Building in some of Arkansas fastest-growing cities hit a wall last spring after the Arkansas Department of Health ceased approving any significant new projects. Centerton and Highfill, two communities in the booming Northwest Arkansas region, grew by 7.2% and 15.2%, respectively, between July 1, 2023 and last July 1, according to the Census Bureau. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both towns remain relatively small just shy of 26,000 for Centerton and just under 3,000 for Highfill but their exponential growth over the past three decades now poses a significant problem as an estimated 34 people move to the region every day: what to do with the sewage all those new residents and businesses produce. Thats why the health department hasnt approved a project in Centerton since May 2024. In a December letter, the department stated it would be unable to approve any additional projects that will increase the flow of wastewater to Decaturs sewage treatment plant until there is capacity available at the facility. As one developer said: Youll be looking at 1,000 open acres just primed for development, and you cant do nothing with it because it has no infrastructure. The issue came into focus March 10 in a Centerton Utilities building conference. The presence of the Centerton and Decatur mayors at a water and wastewater planning meeting of Centerons Utilities Board highlighted the seriousness of the stakes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Centerton doesnt treat its own sewage. It sends it all to Decatur, population about 1,727, and therein lay the problem. Decatur had plans to expand its wastewater plants capacity from 3.8 million gallons a day (MGD) to 5.25 MGD. Officials estimated that getting the health department to sign off on the plan would take six months or more, and with the specter of tariffs potentially doubling the projected cost, an already significant delay threatened to become even more drawn out. The Decatur, Arkansas, wastewater treatment plan on a mist-shrouded morning in early June 2025. (Photo by Arshia Khan for Arkansas Advocate) Thats why Centertons officials were looking at other solutions. The first option, with a $5.7 million price tag, would involve diverting some of Centertons sewage to Bentonville. But as utilities board members acknowledged, there were questions about whether Bentonvilles mayor would be amenable to the idea. The second option involved linking to the Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority (NACA) wastewater collection system. The cost: $14 million $10 million for connection and capacity fees and $4 million for capital costs like pipe. That doesnt cover the cost of actually treating the sewage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Water, sewer building, its a hot subject around here, said Jeff Dehnhardt, director of Water & Wastewater Engineering with ESI, Centertons engineering consultant. I think everywhere in the region is experiencing the impact of all of the growth in Northwest Arkansas, and none of it is free. The day of reckoning has come, said utilities board member Robert Anderson. Out of mind More than three decades ago, Northwest Arkansas leaders saw the proverbial writing on the wall and began preparing the region for its current growth. The Northwest Arkansas Council, a nonprofit established in 1990 by business leaders like Sam Walton, Don Tyson and J.B. Hunt to help promote the region, tackled infrastructure priorities like a new airport, XNA, because fog-bound Drake Field affected business travel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because many small towns struggled with adequate water supply, the Two-Ton Water System (aka the Benton/Washington Regional Public Water Authority) became another council priority. Interstate 49 was a priority because businesses needed to be able to transport goods in and out of the region. But wastewater was a few rungs down the ladder of priorities. Water and wastewater systems especially the pipeline systems theyre out of sight, out of mind, said Celine Hyer, co-author of the wastewater chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers 2025 Report Card for Americas Infrastructure. As a result, theyre not getting the money needed to refurbish or rehabilitate them because nobody sees them, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats part of the reason Americas wastewater infrastructure received a D+ in the report card, Hyer said. But deficiencies and a lack of capacity underfoot begin to have effects aboveground. Wakeup call Last fall, Northwest Arkansas Council CEO Nelson Peacock said he started hearing about a looming sewer system crisis from developers, city officials, businesses, the Arkansas Department of Health, and others. Thats when we felt, Wow, this is a little bit more than we saw. And so we need a regional approach, he said. Every city, and every issue, has its own story of how and why it got there, Peacock said. A master plan, which could take up to 24 months to complete, is really the only way to help us get a handle on this and to help cities make the best decisions. Because all those decisions are going to impact others, he said. NWA Council President and CEO Nelson Peacock discusses plans to develop a regional growth strategy at a council meeting in Bentonville on April 9, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate) Northwest Arkansas has been here before In 2002, the regions municipalities were facing pressure to expand water treatment plants and increase wastewater discharge to reduce phosphorus levels in the Illinois River and tributaries like Osage Creek. That prospect coupled with 20-year growth projections showing the regions population more than doubling, run[ning] together to become like a regional metroplex was reason enough to look for solutions, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their solution? The Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority, or NACA. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette columnist Mike Masterson compared the authority to the development of Beaver Lake in the 1950s. Former 3rd District Congressman Jim Trimble and other visionaries saw 70 years into the future when the Beaver Water District was formed to deal with the entire areas projected water needs, Masterson wrote. Forming NACA is close to what occurred when the Beaver District was formed. The conservation authority was meant to encourage cities to pool their resources. At the time, area cities were considering as many as six new wastewater treatment plants in the Illinois River watershed (Fayetteville was the only one that had moved forward with a new plant, which opened in 2008). In the 1970s, the federal government offered grants for sewage plants with a regional focus. Those incentives went away during the Reagan years, but supporters could point to regional and local successes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One was the Beaver Water District, which a Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority organizer praised for regionally allocating lake water to area towns and cities. When the conservation authority started up, Rogers and Springdale were the only members. By fall 2005, with talk of a regional treatment plant materializing, eight more municipalities had signed up: Bentonville, Bethel Heights, Cave Springs, Centerton, Highfill and Lowell in Benton County, and Elm Springs and Tontitown in Washington County. But less than a week after the June 2009 groundbreaking, the Democrat-Gazette reported, Bentonville and Tontitown will be the only cities initially served by Northwest Arkansas first regional sewer plant, and its likely to be a good while before others join the $68 million project. Among the reasons: Rogers had finished an expansion of its own wastewater plant just two months before. NACA is way, way down the road, said Mayor Perry Long of Lowell, which already sent its sewage to plants in Springdale and Rogers. Elm Springs and Cave Springs used septic-tank effluent pumps that still had plenty of capacity. Were good for probably the next 20 years, said Rene Langston, Springdale Water Utilities director. No consequences Even though the NACA facility was a very bold and good decision, there were no consequences for the municipalities that pulled out, said Lane Crider, Beaver Water District CEO. Lane Crider, CEO, Beaver Water District (Beaver Water District photo) Im not gonna say [it was] a mistake, but you know, it was certainly something that has hampered the ultimate success and future development of that facility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement George Spence, a member of the authoritys board from around 2003 to 2021, said coming together as NACA was a way to take care of our own communities. But it was always going to be based on the individual cities wanting to come, not any kind of overriding authority to control that decision. Spence said he didnt think a state-imposed regional plan would have worked because you wouldnt have had any political support. Nobody, nobody, nobody from the individual communities would have wanted to sign up for giving up their ability to control, to determine their future. Other pressures posed challenges to regional authoritys success. In early 2009, the EPA stated the plant could discharge no more than 0.1 milligram of phosphorus for each liter of treated sewage by 2012. The authority had been planning to build a plant that would discharge 10 times that amount into Osage Creek. NACAs plant was completed in 2010 in Highfill for $65 million with the capacity to treat 3.6 MGD. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Planners thought theyd need 80 MGD by 2060, but you cant go ahead and build that capacity because paying for it would start before that supply caught up to demand, Spence said. Theyd also have to consider the impact on rates, permit approval and accessing federal or state money, he said. In 2017, the authority began exploring an expansion to double the plants capacity to 7.2 MGD, Plant Director Mike Neil said. A $55 million loan from the state was expected to cover the cost (plus the cost to fix a faulty pipeline). In 2022, the agency asked for an additional $20 million loan to cover rising building costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Construction proceeds on an expansion of the Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority wastewater treatment plant in Highfill in early June 2025. (Photo by Arshia Khan for Arkansas Advocate) Neil said they hope to have the expansion completed by mid-summer, with a final cost of $80 million. Even as smaller communities have begun to tie into the conservation authoritys system Cave Springs linked up this spring; Highfill is about a month and a half out the problem has been a lack of master plans that project the needs of the entire region. One of the big issues that all of the littler cities have is that theres not a master plan, Neil said. Smaller cities never had to contend with anything like this before. There just hasnt been a need for it. Plenty of capacity Centerton Utilities Director Malcolm Attwood said the impending lack of capacity from wastewater infrastructure had really only been on their radar since early 2024. Centertons 1.27 MGD should have been a drop in the bucket for Decaturs 3.8 MGD plant to handle. But Decatur also receives sewage from the Simmons Foods poultry processing plant, an average 3.05 million gallons a day, according to the latest available data. That, coupled with population growth, means Decatur cant take any more sewage. I think the previous director and our commission thought they had plenty of capacity in Decatur, Attwood said. We knew we were all growing. I just dont think we knew at the rate they were growing, and what Simmons was going to be doing thats kind of how we got in this position. Not everything has ground to a standstill, however. With Bentonville facing its own water woes and $103 million in infrastructure improvements, according to the Bentonville Bulletin Centerton had opted to tie into NACA, Attwood said in late May. Its now a matter of funding. Weve got to figure out how were gonna come up with the money, whether its increased rates, or get a bond, or both. Its possible they could use the one-to-one match offered by the recently signed Act 812, which created a state matching grant program for shovel-ready water and wastewater infrastructure projects, but he said he expected it to be very competitive. Malcolm Attwood, director of Centerton, Arkansas, utilities, says progress has been made in finding somewhere to send the fast-growing citys wastewater. (Photo by Arshia Khan for Arkansas Advocate, June 2025) Future growth and wastewater infrastructure The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission is scheduled to meet Friday with city leaders from Bentonville, Centerton, Decatur, Gentry, Gravette and Highfill to discuss future growth and wastewater infrastructure treatment planning in this part of Benton County. Planning Commission Executive Director Tim Conklin said the meeting is aimed at improving awareness and understanding. This becomes especially important as the smaller communities outside the larger cities absorb even more growth. Northwest Arkansas is projected to add 130,000 people between 2020 and 2030, compared to 100,000 in previous decades. Conklin noted that smaller communities like Pea Ridge and Highfill are seeing even higher growth rates, 17% and 15%, than Centerton. Communication matters more than ever, Conklin said, because we can have very large national home builders show up and double the population of one of the small cities with one development. We dont have one big central city that understands everything thats happening within their community we have multiple communities sharing the same infrastructure, and so people that own and operate and maintain that infrastructure need to have a really good understanding of whats happening outside of their own city, Conklin said. Naturally, that brings up questions: Namely, whos going to pay for the necessary infrastructure? And how fast will they be able to build it? Those are all very good questions, Conklin said. The commission is seeking a consultant to answer those questions over the next 18-24 months, he said. Once completed, the Northwest Arkansas Comprehensive Study of Wastewater Management and Needs in Benton and Washington counties will include: Estimated costs of recommended capital improvements to accommodate projected employment and population growth, with a breakdown of responsibilities by city and/or utility over the next 25 years. A prioritized implementation plan for wastewater improvements, including recommended public financing options. Public presentations in multiple forums to communicate the regions wastewater needs and priorities. Asked how this might be different from previous regional efforts, including a similarly titled plan published in 1974, Conklin said, When you get to the point of not being able to move forward with additional housing and additional employment growth, job creation, it has to. Well get together, and we will work together to figure that out. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) A Wayne County man has been arrested and accused of sexually abusing a child. On June 4, State Troopers arrested David Smith, 76, following an investigation into a complaint of sexual abuse involving a child in the town of Ontario. NYSP said Smith allegedly subjected a child under the age of 11-years-old to sexual contact at his home. Smith was charged with two counts of Rape (1st). He was transported to Wayne County Court for arraignment and remanded to Wayne County Jail on $50,000 cash bail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst. The fallout from Elon Musks bitter public spat with Donald Trump struck an immediate blow, sending shares in the billionaires company Tesla tumbling. But the damage risks spreading much further as two of the worlds most powerful men squabble over policy, politics and personal behaviour. As US president, Mr Trump has the powers of the federal government at his fingertips giving him a variety of ways to make Mr Musks life difficult through investigations, regulatory actions and even scrutiny of his immigration status. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet at the same time, the worlds richest man has leverage too: his billions may hold the key to maintaining Republican control of Congress, with crucial midterm elections coming up next year. Both men have fiercely loyal followings, ready to trash their rivals reputation. And both have a burn-it-down mentality that pushes them to keep going until they have won or lost it all. Heres how the pair could go to war against each other: Federal investigations Mr Musk is already fighting off multiple probes into his business empire. Americas stock market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission, is investigating whether he violated trading rules when he first began investing in Twitter, now called X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When investors hold 5 per cent or more of a companys stock, they are supposed to declare it publicly. But the SEC accuses Mr Musk of waiting at least 10 days too long, only making a disclosure when he already owned 9.2 per cent of Twitter. He went on to buy the entire business in a $44 billion deal. At the same time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating accidents involving Tesla cars when their full-self driving mode is activated. Shareholders assumed these probes would be dropped by a Musk-friendly administration. Musk v Trump Tesla share price Now they might only be the beginning. Another bombshell investigation by the New York Times claimed Mr Musk, who has publicly admitted taking small doses of ketamine, was given advance notice of drug tests at SpaceX. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a government-contractor, the rocket company is required to maintain a zero-tolerance environment. It wouldnt take much to dig deeper. And did Mr Musk overstep a national security line when he famously tried to get a briefing on US plans for war with China? Social media jibes Both Mr Trump and Mr Musk have their own social media platforms, Truth Social and X (formerly known as Twitter) respectively. But as bully pulpits go, X is by far the bigger beast. Connor Test - Trump Musk Fallout posts While Truth Social reportedly has around six million monthly active users, Twitter boasts more than 600 million. Throughout last years presidential election campaign, Mr Musk used his platform to boost Mr Trumps chances, amplifying his messages and even hosting a live video interview on X. He may now use these same tactics to attack the president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Critics have also previously accused the businessman of changing Xs algorithms to suit his whims, as well as repeating unverified claims that later turn out to be false. The Epstein files This week Mr Musk demonstrated how he can also quickly turn X against his former ally with posts attacking Mr Trump, which appeared prominently on the feeds of many users. In one particular jibe, he reached for what he described as the really big bomb, writing: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. This was a reference to the unproven conspiracy theory that the Trump administration is dragging its feet in releasing all the details of the investigation into the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019, because of alleged revelations about his links to the president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The truth will come out, Mr Musk added in a follow-up post. His claim has already been viewed by more than 185 million people, according to X. Even if Mr Musk has no evidence to back up his claims, the allegations underscore the power of his platform. SpaceX contracts The US president has already threatened to use his constitutional power to kneecap Mr Musks SpaceX programme by cancelling his government contract worth billions of dollars. The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it, the president wrote on Truth Social. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SpaceX has secured $16 billion worth of contracts from Nasa alone since 2006, including $5 billion for research and development, according to analysis by research firm Eurospace. Still, Mr Musk holds some cards too. At present, Nasa is completely reliant on SpaceX to send both cargo and astronauts into space and at one stage on Thursday Mr Musk suggested he could decommission the Dragon craft used by the agency. The SpaceX Dragon craft is used by Nasa - ESA Although potential alternatives to Dragon exist, SpaceXs Falcon 9 reusable rocket is currently the only booster cleared for sending humans into space in the US. The alternative, of course, would be to do what they did before Falcon and Dragon were available which is to use the systems provided by the Russians, says Pierre Lionnet, managing director of Eurospace. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because of this, Steve Bannon, a former adviser and long-time ally of Mr Trump, has suggested the president should use the Defense Production Act to nationalise SpaceX, citing national security. Mr Bannon is a longstanding opponent of Mr Musk, and took huge delight in the very public breakdown of his relationship with the president. He also called for the immediate nationalisation of SpaceX and Starlink because of their importance to national security. Tesla subsidies Tesla, Mr Musks electric car company, has made substantial amounts of money from government green energy programmes. This includes more than $11 billion it has made selling clean air credits to rival car makers under a carbon emissions scheme, which have accounted for about one third of the companys profits since 2012, according to analysis by Axios. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under Joe Biden, federal grants worth up to $7,500 were also introduced for drivers who buy electric vehicle purchases. Both of these money-spinning schemes are threatened by Mr Trumps tax and spending bill and the president has suggested this is why Mr Musk has turned on him. Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social: I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY! Donald Trump bought a Tesla in March to support Elon Musk - MANDEL NGAN/AFP Analysts at JPMorgan have suggested Tesla could lose $3.2 billion in profits as a result of Mr Trumps tax and spending bill, which axes the subsidies and targets carbon trading schemes. The big, beautiful bill White House aides at first insisted that the dispute between the two men came down to differences over Mr Trumps flagship piece of legislation, the big, beautiful bill, rather than a deeper divide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Musk has claimed the bill will cause the US national debt to balloon, condemning Americans to debt slavery. His public comments have emboldened some Republicans in the House and Senate to also change their minds and voice opposition. The billionaire previously made life difficult for Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House, in December when he rallied opposition against a bipartisan spending bill to avert a government shutdown. Now, his attacks on Mr Trumps signature policy could create serious headaches. The president and his Republican allies are grappling with wafer-thin majorities in Congress, meaning a careful balance of promises and threats will be needed to keep enough law makers on board. Insiders have also spelt out the bills importance. If the first 100 days of his presidency was about shock and awe, pushing through hundreds of executive orders, the second 100 days is supposed to be about working the phones and mobilising support in Congress to pass this legislation. Mr Musks intervention has put the entire project, and a chunk of Mr Trumps tax-cutting legacy, on the brink of collapse. Deportation Mr Musks origin story has a wrinkle. The South African arrived in the US to pursue graduate studies at Stanford University during the 1990s. But he ditched classes and instead used his time to launch the first of his companies, Zip2, which he later sold for $300 million. That put him in breach of his visa and meant that he worked illegally, according to documents and legal experts cited by the Washington Post. His enemies have long used those details to call him an illegal alien. As the row accelerates, Steve Bannon, the former Trump adviser, has reportedly advised Mr Trump to launch a formal investigation into Mr Musks immigration status and have him deported. Steve Bannon with Mr Musk in 2017. He has called for the tech billionaire to be deported - Chip Somodevilla/2017 Getty Images I am of the strong belief that Musk is an illegal alien and should be deported from the country immediately, Mr Bannon told the New York Times. It seems unlikely that Mr Musk will end up on a plane to El Salvador with other illegal immigrants but the threats are a sign of just how much hostility he now faces within Trumpland. The future of the Republican Party Mr Musk and Mr Trump made for odd ideological bedfellows. Mr Musk, from the tech right, is a libertarian, intent on reducing the federal government to dust all the better to allow his business empire to thrive. Mr Trump wants to use all the agencies at his disposal to promote the interests of the blue-collar voters who back him and to crush his opponents. Their alliance meant Mr Musk could pump more than $200 million into the 2024 election, helping Mr Trump win battleground states and Republicans to win the Senate and House. Elon Musk jumps onstage at a Trump rally in Butler last year - JIM WATSON/AFP Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Mr Musk declared on Thursday. Such ingratitude, he added in a follow-up post. Mr Musk had already signalled he might not have more time or money for politics. And, without his largesse, the rupture with the president could spell doom for Republicans in tight districts. Impeachment Mr Trump is no stranger to the impeachment process: in fact he is the only president to be impeached twice, both of the trials occurring in his first term. On both occasions he was saved by a Republican firewall in the Senate, with members of his own party circling the waggons to protect him, paving the way for his political comeback and election win last year. On Thursday, their relationship breaking down while the world watched on in real time, Mr Musk suggested the president should be impeached, convicted and replaced with JD Vance, the vice-president. So far, that looks unlikely: Republicans control both chambers of Congress, and its unlikely the Tesla billionaire has enough support among senators to reach the two-thirds threshold to boot him out of office. But its a damaging intervention, nonetheless, because Mr Musk has declared his former ally unfit for office. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) A deputy with the West Baton Rouge Sheriffs Office (WBRSO) has been fired after she was arrested in connection with a domestic dispute. According to WBRSO, on Tuesday, June 3, deputies were notified by the Baton Rouge Police Department of an active investigation involving a domestic disturbance. The WBRSO deputy, identified as Delicia Alfred, was assigned to the Uniform Patrol Division. Delicia Alfred Alfred was arrested by BRPD and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison for battery of a dating partner child endangerment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sheriffs office says Alfred had been employed with the agency since June 7, 2021. Former Ascension Public Schools employee arrested for felony theft Latest News Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Louisiana First News. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) The weather is going to be very active this weekend across the Tennessee Valley. Multiple storms will move through, with the potential for strong to severe storms. With the threat of severe weather and flooding, the Weather Authority has issued an Impact Day for Saturday. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for all of North Alabama and Southern Middle Tennessee until 6 PM. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for all of North Alabama and Southern Middle Tennessee until 6 PM. At the surface, a cold front will continue to slowly track southeast to the area as a warm front is positioned to the north of the region. This positioning will place the Southeast region in the warm sector of this weather system. This places the Tennessee Valley in a favorable environment for storm development. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A strong south-southwest wind will support a continuous flow of warm air and deep moisture into the region. The moisture-rich environment will support the threat of heavy rain and storm development. Saturdays Impact Day has been issued for the chance of heavy rain that will lead to flooding, along with strong to severe storms. Scattered showers and storms will develop Saturday and Saturday night. Most storms will develop around lunchtime and into the early afternoon hours. The main impacts storms would pose are damaging winds over 60 mph, heavy rainfall, and large hail over a quarter in diameter. The tornado threat for the area is low, but not zero, with wind shear present. Excessive rainfall will support an additional 1.00-1.50 inches of rain, with isolated higher totals closer to 2 inches by Monday. Ponding on roads, localized flash flooding, and flooding of low-lying areas will be possible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you plan to spend time outdoors this weekend, make sure you stay weather aware and have multiple ways to receive weather alerts. Downloading the Live Alert 19 App is a great way to your location and then have the alerts come right to your phone. LOOKING FOR THE EXTENDED FORECAST? Click here to learn how to download the Live Alert 19 app Stick with The Weather Authority for continued forecast updates on the severe weather and flood threat heading into the weekend! Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. A Ukrainian soldier who lost both legs on the front line has danced for the first time since his injury. Together with his wife, he danced to the same song that played at their wedding. Source: The Nezlamni (Unbroken) National Rehabilitation Centre Details: Oleksandr Zhavnenko, a 36-year-old from Lviv, has been dancing since childhood. It was on the dance floor that he met his future wife, Marichka. They performed together in the folk ensemble Mriia (Dream). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From the first day of the full-scale Russian invasion, Oleksandr supported Ukraines defence forces as a volunteer. After his wife Marichka gave birth to their first child, he joined the 12th Azov Special Forces Brigade of the National Guard as a drone operator. Oleksandr lost both lower limbs in October 2024. "As soon as I was injured, Marichka came to me in Dnipro with our little Lina in her arms. It was a huge surprise. She supported me and said: Well definitely get back on our feet and dance together," he recalls. The couple performed their first dance since his injury at the Lviv House of Scientists, to the same song that played at their wedding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I didnt know what to expect from this dance. But I loved it so much! Nothing hurt, nothing felt tight unlike everyday life, where even moving in the kitchen is hard. Here, I did what I love, and she was by my side," Oleksandr shares. Background: Previously, the centre shared the story of veterans Anastasiia and Oleksii, who met during rehabilitation. Both were seriously injured at the front and lost limbs. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! On 5 June Colombias senate presidentfiled a complaint with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) accusing Presidentof breaking the constitutional order. End of preview - This article contains approximately 399 words. Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article Not a Subscriber? Choose from one of the following options Several events spanning more than a week will honor the Juneteenth holiday this year in Reading. Juneteenth, celebrated annually on June 19, marks the date on which slavery came to an end in the United States. It commemorates that date in 1865 two years after President Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation when Union soldiers led by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas bearing the message that all enslaved people were now free. The slaves in Galveston were the last remaining in the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Reading, the holiday will be celebrated with a host of events running between June 10 and June 19. The theme of this years celebration is Across the Diaspora: Unity, Liberation and the Global Ties That Bind Us. The Juneteenth events include: Film Screenings The film Juneteenth: Faith and Freedom will be shown at the Reading Public Museum at 1 p.m. on June 10 and at 2 p.m. on June 11. Youth introduction to Juneteenth Will be held at the Pendora Park Olivet Boys & Girls Club at 2 p.m. on June 12. Flag raising ceremony Will be held at Reading City Park beginning at noon on June 13. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kickoff reception Will be held at the Berks History Center, 940 Centre Avenue, starting at 2 p.m. on June 13. Community family barbecue Will take place at the Berks Lodge #47, 237 Walnut St., from noon to 6 p.m. on June 14th. Closing celebration Will be held June 15 at Holy Trinity Church of God, 130 W. Buttonwood St., starting at 10:15 a.m. Free day at the Reading Public Museum Free admission to the Reading Public Museum and Planetarium will be offered on June 19. Community members are also encouraged support Black-owned local businesses throughout June. DENVER (KDVR) In light of the Boulder terror attack, some Jewish organizations are rethinking their public events. Some hesitation among those in the Jewish community gathering in public after the Boulder attack. One growing group in Colorado, Valley Beit Midrash Denver, said they will not cancel their events, but they will take precautions to make it safe. FBI warns of threat to Israeli, Jewish communities after Boulder attack, others Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Usually, the event is at Washington Park in Denver, and they have since decided to move it inside Temple Emanuel, citing safety reasons. [Were] taking all measures necessary to ensure the safety of everybody who joins and our team, said Ariel Nassau with the Valley Beit Midrash Denver. Its disheartening. It is the situation that were going through right now, and we have to adapt as hard as it is. Valley Beit Midrash hosts monthly events for young families and is having to scramble to make sure those who come feel safe. The event is called Jewish Learning, and they teach kids between one to five years old about different topics through reading, crafts, and activities. All these feelings of being scared, being sad, being shocked. They are overcome by being together, by talking, by creating community. So I would encourage people to do it, in spite of it being hard, especially right now, he said. The event is June 7, from 9:30 to 11 a.m., and this months topic is diversity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) says officials plan to reopen the West Fifth Street road bridge in Owensboro on the morning of June 6 with limitations to keep traffic safe. Officials say the bridge was closed on April 28 when it was struck by a vehicle passing underneath on U.S. 60. Crews are installing temporary traffic signals on each end of the bridge, which will allow traffic to cross the structure in one lane, one direction at a time. Next week, KYTC will widen the approaches to the bridge and restripe it to allow two-way traffic. Both of those lanes will be narrower than normal due to damage to the substructure. Paving project to begin June 4 on KY 181 in Muhlenberg County Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The KYTC says after reevaluating the condition of the bridge, KYTC determined that these steps would make it possible to keep traffic safely moving by shifting it away from the damaged area of the structure until full repairs can be made. Motorists are advised to stay within the marked driving lanes for their own safety and that of others on West 5th Street Road and U.S. 60. Lane closures along I-69 in Madisonville this week Officials say engineers will continue to develop the repair plan to fully reopen the structure as soon as possible, but no timeline is currently available. Two support beams were damaged in the strike. While the bridge is structurally safe, these beams will need to be replaced and must be special ordered from a supplier, which could lengthen the amount of time needed to complete repairs. The KYTC says more info on the repair timeline will be released when it becomes available. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW). Report child sexual abuse material to law enforcement by contacting the ICAC Tip Line at (801) 281-1211 or your local law enforcement agency. WEST HAVEN, Utah (ABC4) A West Haven man is facing felony charges for sending and receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on a social media platform. It took investigators almost a year to track him down and charge him. Andres Rafael Diaz, 36, has been charged with 11 felony charges of sexual exploitation of a minor, with one of those charges having the aggravated enhancement, making it a first-degree felony instead of second-degree. He is also charged with 10 misdemeanor charges of unlawful distribution of an intimate image. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sex offender arrested for attempting to meet child in Lehi, documents say On June 28, 2024, a social media company sent a CyberTipline about an account that was uploading and distributing CSAM to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. They forwarded the tip to the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force after identifying an IP address in Utah, documents say. Since last year, several search warrants and court orders have finally led investigators to connect the account to Diaz. According to the charges, during the investigation, they received more tip lines on the same suspect, which were also confirmed to be Diaz. On June 4, 2025, ICAC executed a search warrant at Diazs residence and made contact with him. Documents say that he admitted to owning the accounts and sending and receiving CSAM on the social media platform. He told investigators he was unsure how many files of CSAM he sent to other users, but that it was a lot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Out-of-state professor accused of 20 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in Box Elder County Through social media, Diaz allegedly had graphic sexual conversations about underage children including some that he knew in person with other users. In these conversations, he also sometimes shared photos of an intimate partner, who told police they did not consent to those photos being sent to people other than Diaz. Diaz was booked into the Weber County Jail and is currently being held without bail. His initial appearance is set for Monday, June 6. Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Latest headlines: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. Amid a constantly changing reproductive landscape, one West Virginia prosecutor is warning people who have miscarriages in his state that they could get in trouble with the law. Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney Tom Truman says that although he personally wouldnt prosecute someone for a miscarriage, he made the suggestion out of an abundance of caution after hearing from other prosecutors. Truman even suggests people might want to let local law enforcement know if theyve have a miscarriage. Several reproductive law experts say people around the country have, indeed, faced charges related to miscarriages but they still wouldnt recommend reaching out to law enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Truman says the idea first came up during a chat with other West Virginia prosecutors at a conference several years ago, and its been been an ongoing conversation since. The initial conversation was theoretical, since at the time, women in the US still had the constitutional right to an abortion under Roe v. Wade. But some of the prosecutors believed they could charge a person using state laws related to the disposal of human remains. I thought these guys were just chewing on a Dreamsicle, Truman said. But, he added, West Virginias legal statutes include definitions that are pretty broad-ranging. The way some prosecutors may interpret the law means people who miscarry could face criminal charges, including felonies, he said. Its a different world now, and theres a lot of discretion that prosecutors have, and some of them have agendas where they would like to make you an example, Truman told CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whats changed is, Roe isnt there anymore, and so that may embolden prosecutors in some cases, he said. Im just trying to say, be careful. Early pregnancy loss is common, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, It happens in about 10 of 100 known pregnancies, often because the embryo isnt developing properly. And some reproductive law experts say its probably not a good idea to call the police when it happens. Its always a mistake to invite law enforcement into your reproductive life, said Kim Mutcherson, a professor of law at Rutgers Law School who specializes in reproductive justice. Calling police could prompt an unwanted investigation, she says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If they then decide, no, it actually wasnt a miscarriage, this was somebody who took pills, or whatever sort of thing that they want to conjure up, then all of a sudden it goes from heres this poor woman who had a miscarriage to heres a person who were going to start to prosecute, Mutcherson said. I understand the idea that caution is better than being caught up in something that you werent anticipating, but it is difficult for me to imagine any circumstance in which I would think it was safe for someone who miscarried to call the police, she added. Dr. Kristyn Brandi, an ob/gyn in New Jersey and fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said hospitals have processes around tissue from miscarriage for example, sending it for further testing, disposing of it as medical waste or sending it to a a funeral home, depending on a patients desires. But in the real world, theres no set process, Brandi said. Patients may pass tissue and dispose of it in the garbage or toilet. Rarely, people will provide tissue for further testing. Their doctor may be able to answer questions, or Brandi said they can reach the M&A hotline, which supports people experiencing miscarriage or abortion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By having people report their miscarriages and possibly collect tissue, it is disrupting a process that honestly has been happening for thousands of years, Brandi said. There is nothing in pregnancy tissue that can determine it was a miscarriage or an abortion in a formal investigation. Abortion is illegal in West Virginia, but there are exceptions in the case of a medical emergency or a nonviable pregnancy, or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. Kulsoom Ijaz, senior policy counsel with Pregnancy Justice, a nonprofit focused on the civil and human rights of pregnant people, said she doesnt believe there is anything in West Virginia law that criminalizes miscarriage. I think the law is pretty clear, she said. Theres nothing in the law that says someone can be charged with a crime in connection to their pregnancy loss or their conduct during pregnancy, or for how they respond to that pregnancy loss or miscarriage or stillbirth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The fractured landscape of reproductive rights that came about in the wake of the Dobbs decision, the US Supreme Court ruling that revoked the federal right to an abortion, has increased the risk that a pregnant person can face criminal prosecution for a variety of reasons, not just a miscarriage, according to a report from Ijazs organization. Between June 2022 when Dobbs was handed down and June 2023, there were more than 200 cases in the US in which a pregnant person faced criminal charges for conduct associated with pregnancy, pregnancy loss or birth, according to Pregnancy Justice. The number is most likely an undercount, Ijaz said. In West Virginia, there were at least three cases related to pregnancy prosecutions. In one, the states Supreme Court found that the state could not levy criminal child abuse charges against someone for their prenatal conduct, which included substance use during pregnancy. Even with the strict abortion ban in place, Ijaz said, there are still protections for pregnant people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In states like Alabama that have fetal personhood laws that give fertilized eggs, embryos and a fetus the same rights as you and I, Ijaz said, its a little different. Weve seen people get prosecuted and face decades of incarceration for substance use during pregnancy, because that fetus that theyre carrying is seen as a child, she said. Last year in Ohio, a woman who had a miscarriage at home was charged with a felony on the advice of the Warren City Prosecutors Office, but a grand jury dismissed the case. Ijaz said that she doesnt think there is an appetite for these kind of cases among the public but that no matter where someone lives, inviting the law into their life right after a miscarriage is ill-advised. The legal landscape for reproductive justice seems to almost be changing on a daily basis and generally not in favorable ways for pregnant people, said Brittany Fonteno, CEO of the National Abortion Federation, a professional association for abortion providers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The laws, the rhetoric, the culture in which we are living in within the US has become so incredibly hostile to people who experience pregnancy, she said. I think that the intersection of health care and criminalization is an incredibly dangerous path, Fonteno added. As a country, we should be supporting people and their ability to access the health care that they need, rather than conducting intrusive and traumatic investigations into their reproductive lives. Fonteno recommends that people who experience pregnancy loss reach out to a qualified medical professional rather than law enforcement. While we are living in a very different country than we were pre-Dobbs, I believe still that this is an individual experience and a health care decision, she said. Most providers believe that as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mutcherson also says that the reproductive justice landscape in the US is scary for people who are pregnant, who want to get pregnant or who have bad pregnancy outcomes. If theres any silver lining to the discussion about criminalizing miscarriage, she said, its that its good for people to know that such things can happen. Women have been criminalized for their pregnancies for decades, frankly, so to the extent that there is a wider and broader conversation about what it means to treat an embryo or a fetus as a person, and the ways in which that diminishes the personhood of somebody who was pregnant, that is in fact a valuable thing, right? Mutcherson said. Maybe this is actually going to bring us to a better space. CNNs Meg Tirrell contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com WESTFIELD Westfield High School Valedictorian Justin Romanelli was putting the finishing touches on his speech the day before graduation, and practicing to get it ready. Asked what he wrote about, he said, Primarily, the idea of what is permanent versus what is temporary, how its important to recognize which one is which, and how they impact [our lives]. Romanelli said he was looking forward to giving the speech. I wouldnt say Im comfortable, but Im looking forward to it. Its a great opportunity for me to do it publicly its not something Ive been exposed to in the past, he said, adding that he was also very nervous. Romanelli will be studying computer science and technology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, in the fall. He said he plans to study coding but isnt sure exactly where it will lead, although his best guess is software development. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The race for valedictorian was very tight this year, with Brandon Guyott, the schools salutatorian, a close second. Romanelli and Guyott are co-founders of the Coding Club at WHS and in the Robotics Club together. The duo also collaborated for the second year on their science fair project, Optimizing an After-Market Prototype That Operates a Window Remotely, which earned second place at regionals, and an honorable mention in the state science fair. Guyott, who Romanelli calls his best friend, is also heading to Rensselaer in the fall. Romanelli said during his four years at WHS, besides the Robotics and Coding Clubs, he was on the Student Council and in the Key Club, which he credits with making him who he is today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Romanellis awards include Excellence in Computer Science, Excellence in Mathematics, and Excellence in Spanish. He also recently earned the MA State Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction for Spanish, for which he was recognized in a ceremony at WHS in May. Romanelli said WHS has helped him to expand his interests. Westfield High School, at least for me, has been a great school. Ive been able to approach different classes and different clubs without many barriers, [which has] helped me to branch out more and find new things, he said. Read the original article on MassLive. What's Next for Malibu? originally appeared on L.A. Mag. A total of 340 homes along the Pacific Ocean in Malibu were lost in the devastating Palisades fire that also killed three Malibu residents Courtesy of CAL FIRE Being Malibu city manager, a top public servant in local government, used to be a coveted job, one that pays as much as $270,000 a year working for a city blessed with caressing breezes, breathtaking views and access to some of the best surf breaks in the world. But these days, Malibu is struggling to fill the job. In fact, three civil servants who held the position, either in an official capacity or as an interim manager, have quit in the six months since the Palisades Fire ripped through the Malibu area in early January. The monstrous blaze began in the Santa Monica Mountains, and by the evening of Jan. 7, it was a molten hurricane that tore down the chaparral-covered canyons from the Palisades and hopped the Pacific Coast Highway toward the sea. When it was finally defeated, the fire had devoured 340 waterfront homes in Malibu and another 397 structures nestled closer to land. Three Malibu residents were among the dozen killed in the Westside wildfire. All the grief, the anger, the unimaginable loss and unique rebuilding challenges make it hard to retain political talent, city spokesperson Matthew Myerhoff tells Los Angeles. Its very stressful work, he says. Weve been through the biggest disaster in the citys history. The PCH finally opened in late May after being closed for nearly six months Irvin Rivera Malibu, which is nestled alongside 21 miles of oceanfront framed by the Santa Monica Mountains, was founded in 1991 and set up to operate as a general law city, one that functions with a council-manager form of government. The five city councilors are elected at-large to serve four-year terms, and the mayors office is rotated annually among those council members. The Malibu city manager acts as CEO, which makes the role a powerful one. The first city manager to go was Steve McClary, who went on vacation in November and never came back. Whether or not his decision to staycation elsewhere had anything to do with a civil lawsuit claiming a toxic work environment filed against the city by a former Malibu assistant planning director naming McClary among the defendants remains unclear. McClary was replaced from within by Joseph Toney, who had been working as assistant city manager. He and deputy city manager Alexis Brown were thrust into top leadership roles. But that didnt last long. Brown quit in April, and within weeks Toney also announced his resignation after what he called in a statement, much deliberation and reflection. Six months in, the cause of the Palisades Fire remains undetermined, as a team of federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms continues to comb through the burn zones to figure out what ignited the deadly blaze. Malibu Mayor Marianne Riggins, who was appointed to the position in late April, calls the delay disappointing, adding, It would be nice to find out where the source was. In the meantime, the mayor says, the city is committed to welcoming back tourists and helping its 13,000 residents rebuild. Again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Riggins, a lifelong Malibu resident, did not lose her home, many of her friends and neighbors did, and not for the first time. Some who saw their residences incinerated this year had rebuilt from the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which started at a property owned by Boeing the Santa Susana Field Laboratory and quickly spread to burn across nearly 100,000 acres, destroying homes on both sides of the Pacific Coast Highway. Then came the COVID shutdowns, which ruined many small businesses. Its hard not to feel like the Palisades Fire is part of an endless Sisyphean battle. Only, when the rock rolls back down in this place, its usually on fire, Malibu resident Joseph Coady tells Los Angeles. I just hope businesses can survive another round of this shit. There are few Angelenos who havent taken a ride down the PCH, stopping for a sunset cocktail at Moonshadows or picking out a fish for a leisurely waterfront dinner at Reel Inn. Those iconic Malibu spots were among the businesses reduced to ash, along with Cholada Thai, Rosenthal Winery and Caffe Luxxe. Lesser-known are the Malibu businesses forced to shutter even after the fires were extinguished, and the ongoing struggle other small, family-owned establishments are facing to stay alive. One of those business owners, Carter Crary of Malibu Divers, doesnt think the vacuum in City Hall leadership makes a damn bit of difference when it comes to the decimation of the business he co-owns with partner Barbara Gentile. In the long months before Memorial Day, when the PCH was shut down to anyone who didn't have a Pacific Palisades burn zone pass, business had come to a standstill. I dont get any more involved in city politics than I have to, Crary says. They are as dysfunctional as other levels of government." During April and May, Crary says, his business was "pretty much dead in the water. Even with the PCH open, what was once a peaceful and picturesque ride along the water has become a mini hell-scape of military checkpoints and debris removal that shuts off Malibu residents from their homes, even in the unscathed western side of the city. The Pacific Coast Highway is our lifeline, Crary explains, adding that his shop has been a thriving part of the lifeblood of the PCH since 1969. Even the people who live here have a hard time getting to the shop. Things are so bad Gentile set up a GoFundMe page that opens with a tinge of embarrassment. I never thought Id be writing something like this, but life has a way of humbling us. Today, Im reaching out for help not just for myself, but for the heart of a community that has thrived through Malibu Divers for over 50 years, she wrote. Weve been a home for ocean lovers, adventurers, career development, and marine advocates. For decades, youve learned to dive with us, joined hands during beach clean-ups, or explored the wonders of the underwater world. Many of you are family, not just customers. Youve been part of something larger a community united by a deep passion for the ocean. Not only has its business, and that of so many others, been financially gutted, there is also the emotional toll of seeing the sand littered with ash and debris, with the waterfront an eerie landscape of spiral metal staircases and brick fireplaces surrounded by rubble. And a toxic algae bloom which scientists say is unrelated to runoff from the fires has poisoned dolphins and sea lions who have washed ashore. All of it is psychologically taxing to those whose lives are centered around the ocean. Its stressful heartbreaking, Crary says. And disruptive, the city concedes. Even rebuilding in Malibu brings its own unique set of challenges in an environmentally sensitive city, making it difficult for people to return home and undergo the process of resurrecting their lives. Rebuilding here is tricky, city spokesperson Myerhoff says. Its costly. Permitting is time consuming. Everything is tough. New state regulations focused on speeding up the rebuilding process are in direct conflict with Malibus strict zoning code for coastal building. There are so many quality-of-life issues, Myerhoff notes. Mayor Riggins believes that Malibu, which has long been the breezy upscale refuge of Hollywood A-listers like Mel Gibson and Paris Hilton, whose homes burned, will bounce back. It always does, she says. The city has set up a headquarters on a lot adjacent to City Hall dedicated solely to the concerns of residents who want to rebuild. It has a website to expedite answers to questions from anyone affected by the fires. Riggins says she has been heartened to see so many of her neighbors step up to help other neighbors. Malibu is incredibly resilient. People have lost homes before and come back to rebuild; they choose to rebuild because its such a special place. Its our small little town. Malibu has made significant progress, Riggins says. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has successfully cleared 221 beachfront properties, she said this week, and roughly 200 other properties in the city have been cleared as well. We are grateful to the USACE for their hard work and dedication, and to our residents for their continued patience during this process, said Riggins. This milestone represents the strength of our community partnerships and allows us to begin the next phases for rebuilding. This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared. NEED TO KNOW Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped on June 5, 2002, by Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee She reunited with her parents nine months later in 2003 Ed and Lois Smart divorced in 2019 after Ed came out as gay Elizabeth Smart credits her parents, Ed and Lois Smart, with helping her stay strong during her 2002 kidnapping. From as far back as I can remember, my parents have always tried to teach me whats right and what's wrong ... theyve always said, well, youll know a person by their actions, Elizabeth shared in a 2013 interview with NPR. So when I was kidnapped and [kidnapper Brian David Mitchell] was telling me all of these things, I remembered what my parents said youll know a person by their actions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elizabeth was only 14 years old when Mitchell threatened her at knifepoint, abducting her from bedroom in her Salt Lake City home. Smart was held captive by Mitchell and his wife Wanda Barzee for nine months before she was rescued by police officers on March 12, 2003, in Sandy, Utah. In later testimonies recounting her abduction, Elizabeth would go on to say that Mitchell believed he was a preacher and would rape her daily. Following several trials, Barzee pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison in May 2010. Meanwhile, Mitchell was convicted of kidnapping Elizabeth in December 2010 and was sentenced to life in prison in May the next year. Elizabeth has since gone on to become an activist, using her platform and harrowing time in captivity to spread awareness of violent crimes against children. Elizabeth's family has continued to shed light on the case through a book and media interviews. So where are Elizabeth Smarts parents now? Heres everything to know about Ed and Lois Smarts lives 23 years after their daughters abduction. Who are Elizabeth Smarts parents? Mauricio Menjivar/Getty Ed and Lois Smart speak to the media about their daughter Elizabeth's kidnapping on June 17, 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Ed and Lois Smart speak to the media about their daughter Elizabeth's kidnapping on June 17, 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Ed and Lois Smart welcomed Elizabeth, their second-oldest child, on Nov. 3, 1987. They share six children together in total, including four sons and two daughters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ed, a real estate and mortgage broker, and Lois, now a public speaker, went on to co-author a 2003 book on Elizabeths kidnapping called Bringing Elizabeth Home: A Journey of Faith and Hope. They have both been been outspoken on the dangerous realities of child abuse and kidnapping following their daughter's horrific experience. Ed and Lois were also members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and raised their children to uphold a similar faith. However in 2019, Ed announced that he no longer felt comfortable being part of the church after coming out as gay. That year, Lois filed for divorce after 34 years of marriage, according to records obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune. What did Elizabeth Smarts parents do after she was kidnapped? Danny Chan La/Getty Elizabeth Smart's parents Lois and Ed Smart during a celebration at Liberty Park March 14, 2003 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Elizabeth Smart's parents Lois and Ed Smart during a celebration at Liberty Park March 14, 2003 in Salt Lake City, Utah. In their 2003 book, Ed and Lois went into painful detail on Elizabeths kidnapping, recalling the harrowing series of events that unfolded the day they realized she was missing. Shes gone. Elizabeth is gone, they remembered their daughter Mary Katherine, Elizabeths younger sister, telling them. A man came and took her. He had a gun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The pair proceeded to run through their home, switching on every light in hopes of finding Elizabeth. Loiss eyes fell on the cut screen in the kitchen window, and she screamed in utter disbelief and shock, Ed and Lois wrote in the book. Thats when we both realized that Mary Katherines words had quickly become our worst nightmare. Our daughter Elizabeth was gone. Ed and Lois never stopped looking for their daughter during the nine months she was gone, frequently doing media appearances to raise awareness. "There's a big hole in our family," Ed told DeseretNews in July 2002. "I really thought this would be over long ago, and I don't know how long it's going to go on." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his book, Ed remembered the moment he received a call from police officers in March 2003 telling him they might have found Elizabeth. She looked like a homeless girl... I wasnt certain at first that it was her, he wrote. "I went over and put my arms around her and just started bawling. I held her back, looked her in the eyes, and said, Is it really you, Elizabeth? " What have Elizabeth Smart's parents said about her case? Alex Wong/Getty Ed Smart stands with his daughter Elizabeth Smart and wife Lois at the White House April 30, 2003 in Washington, DC. Ed Smart stands with his daughter Elizabeth Smart and wife Lois at the White House April 30, 2003 in Washington, DC. In the 23 years that have followed since Elizabeths abduction, Ed and Lois have spoken out on the trauma their family endured on numerous occasions. Shortly after Mitchell was found guilty of kidnapping Elizabeth in December 2010, Ed reflected on his daughters harrowing testimonies in an interview with CBS News, where he revealed that Elizabeth had shared more about her time in captivity during the trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont know how she had the dignity, the grace to be able to say it in the matter that shed said, he said. When Elizabeth came home, we wanted her to know that this was not her fault. Like their daughter, Ed and Lois have gone into advocacy work. Lois is a public speaker who uses her platform "to inspire and educate others," according to her All American Speakers bio. Ed previously served as the executive director of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, an organization that offers several healing programs for survivors and self-defense classes. He also successfully lobbied Congress for the passage of the 2003 PROTECT Act and the 2006 Adam Walsh Act, per his Youth Futures Utah bio. Now, Ed volunteers with Youth Futures Utah, a shelter for vulnerable and homeless youth based in Ogden, Utah. Where are Elizabeth Smarts parents now? AP Photo/Colin E Braley Elizabeth Smart, mother Lois Smart and father Ed Smart outside federal court following a guilty verdict in the Brian David Mitchell trial on December 10, 2010 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Elizabeth Smart, mother Lois Smart and father Ed Smart outside federal court following a guilty verdict in the Brian David Mitchell trial on December 10, 2010 in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2019, Ed publicly came out as gay and announced that he and Lois had divorced after 34 years of marriage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking to CBS' Gayle King, Ed revealed that he had individually called each of his children to inform them of the news. He remembered their reactions ranging from, Well, dad if youre gay, youre gay. I still want you in my life to Youre what? Youre what? I wanted each one of them to hear this from me, Ed said. That grenade had been building for so many years that when it had an opportunity of going off, it was ready to. Though Ed acknowledged that his children were still processing and probably struggling with his coming out at the time, he added that he still does feel their love, and Im very, very grateful for that. In a 2019 statement to Today, Elizabeth said, My parents taught me as a young child that they would love me unconditionally no matter what happened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While I am deeply saddened by their separation, nothing could change my love and admiration for them both, she continued. Their decisions are very personal. As such, I will not pass judgment and rather am focusing on loving and supporting them and the other members of my family. Now, Ed says he's focusing on his personal fulfillment. I plan on being happy. And I plan on having a very full life, Ed told CBS. And I want each one of my children to be happy. And I want Lois very much to be happy. Ed and Lois are also now grandparents to Elizabeth's three children: daughters Chloe and Olivia and son James. Read the original article on People TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) At Alabama Girls State, its all about patriotism and leadership. For Governor Kay Ivey, its where a journey of public service first began decades ago. 401 young women welcomed Alabamas 54th governor with a standing ovation Thursday in Tuscaloosa. These rising seniors came together to learn more about how state government works. Gov. Ivey said the week-long event is what sparked her passion for service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At Girls State, our focus is on the legacy of leadership, a heritage to honor and a future to form, said Gov. Ivey. Tuscaloosa City Schools to provide free breakfast, lunch through summer meals program She said that future is formed by being an effective citizen and understanding the importance of freedom. Attendees put that citizenship into practice this week, running campaigns for different roles, including Governor. Mary Ellis Killough, of Montgomery, served as Speaker of the House. I just, I feel so inspired just as a woman, said Killough. And also, as a citizen of America, and of Alabama. And this whole conference has taught me a lot about myself and also about the world around me. Its really fun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Claire Payne, of Heflin, AL, said shes learned a lot about campaigns and government as a whole. We are entering the workforce, were going to college, just, different things, said Payne. Its all become so real. And it truly was the greatest experience to hear from Governor Kay Ivey today. Girls State Director Lee Sellers said that experience is so much more than an election. Were not training them to be politicians. Were really training them in good citizenship, patriotism and being involved and knowledgeable about their government, said Sellers. Gov. Ivey encouraged these young women, saying that anyone can make a difference if they try. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And, as I like to say- sometimes the best man for a job is a woman she said to a boisterous crowd. Gov. Ivey said Girls State is not just a week, but a state of mind. She said she takes with her the virtues of Girls State everyday when she walks into the Capitol. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42. On 5 June Argentinas former president(2007-2015), the president of the main opposition Partido Justicialista (PJ, Peronists), met the PJ governor of the province of Buenos Aires,, to discuss the upcoming provincial legislative elections. End of preview - This article contains approximately 358 words. Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article Not a Subscriber? Choose from one of the following options Key Points Prince Harry is embroiled in a yearslong feud with both his father King Charles and his brother Prince William. How does Queen Camilla feel about it all? Well, shes intentionally staying out of it, a source said. There is a complicated dynamic between Camilla and Harry anyway, going all the way back to when Camilla was Charles mistress during his marriage to Harrys mother Princess Diana. As the father-son rift between King Charles and Prince Harry rages onescalated, perhaps, even further by Harrys emotional BBC interview last month where he said, in part, that he didnt know how much longer his father had to livehow does Queen Camilla feel about it all? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It seems, according to reporting from People, that Camilla is keeping her distance from the feud, as well as that of Harry and brother Prince William. She simply stays out of it, a source told the outlet for its new cover story this week. Getty Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince Harry on July 10, 2005 Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince Harry on July 10, 2005 Camillawho was long the mistress of Charles during the Kings marriage to Harrys mother, Princess Dianawas described as dangerous by the Duke of Sussex in his 2023 memoir Spare. Harry also alleged that Camilla leaked stories about him to the press in an effort to rehabilitate her image following years of bad press as the other woman. Of Charles and Camillas 2005 weddingeight years after the death of Diana in a 1997 car accidentHarry wrote he had complicated feelings about gaining a stepparent, who I thought had recently sacrificed me on her personal PR altar. Getty Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry, and Queen Elizabeth on May 17, 2008 Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry, and Queen Elizabeth on May 17, 2008 Harry elaborated in a 2023 interview with Good Morning America, where he said that Camilla had a reputation or an image to rehabilitate, and whatever conversations happened, whatever deals or trading was made right at the beginning, she was led to believe that that would be the best way to doing it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for their relationship now, Harry said at the time, We havent spoken for a long time. Shes my stepmother, he continued. I dont look at her as an evil stepmother. I see someone who married into this institution, and done everything she can to improve her own reputation and her own image, for her own sake. Getty Queen Camilla on April 8, 2025 Queen Camilla on April 8, 2025 Royal biographer Christopher Wilson told People that Harry was justified in his complaint that he and William were used in the early days to legitimize the partnership of Charles and Camilla. Of the Queen, Over time, shes learned to roll with the punches, he added. Harrys feelings have been well-known to her over many years. Her reaction to Harrys comments would be limited to a sad shake of the head. Of Camilla becoming Queen upon his fathers coronation in May 2023, royal biographer and editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine Ingrid Seward said, William is quite calm about it. But it will stick in Harrys throat a bit. Getty Prince Harry on April 8, 2025 Prince Harry on April 8, 2025 As for the ongoing feud between Harry and his father and brother, the underlying issue is trust, royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith told People. The King and William dont trust Harry and Meghan [Markle] with any kind of confidential conversation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harrys recent BBC interview, royal biographer Valentine Low added, wasnt meant to be an attack, but it would be seen as one. It makes Charles reaching out even harder. Read the original article on InStyle Regardless of how the manhunt for Pewaukee native Travis Decker and the related murder investigation turn out, one thing is certain: three young girls have died, leaving their mother reeling with grief and more. The "more" includes financial stress that starts with a trio of sudden funeral costs and similar incidentals, including lost income, something which a friend of Whitney Decker the mother of Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5 is well aware. It's the basis for a GoFundMe fundraiser Amy Edwards organized June 3, as news of their deaths spread. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The girls' bodies were found June 2 near Chelan County campground in Washington state, with Travis Decker a suspect in their deaths and kidnapping. For Edwards, a family friend in Wenatchee, Washington, the unresolved tragedy begins with helping Whitney Decker in her time of crisis. More: What we know about Travis Decker, the Pewaukee native accused of killing his daughters in Washington Edwards said the pain Whitney Decker has experienced extends to those who knew the girls. "Their light touched so many, and the pain of this loss is immeasurable," Edwards wrote in the summary for the fundraiser, which had reached 84% of its initial $610,000 goal within a day of its creation and then surpassed it, standing at nearly $1 million June 5. Not surprisingly, the pain also extends back to Travis Decker's family and friends in Lake Country and elsewhere. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a Facebook posting on the private group Lake Country 411, Jessica Schreck, Travis Decker's cousin, acknowledged his alleged role in the girls' deaths, but she focused on the fundraiser as a way for people to show their empathy for Whitney Decker. "Please show this mother, going through an unimaginable loss that Wisconsin is wrapping their arms around her," Schreck posted. "That we are here for her and we support her." Schreck, who declined to comment directly to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, admitted the tragedy "is a lot to process," adding that she is "praying hard for Whitney during this unimaginable time." Others on Lake Country 411 acknowledged Schreck's post, with many admitting they sense the overwhelming pain Whitney Decker must be feeling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Ive seen so many amazing pictures of her adorable girls in things she made for them over the years," said Niki Sokn, who was a member of the same Facebook sewing group as Whitney. "Watching this unfold was truly heart wrenching." Travis's father, Troy Decker, who no longer lives in the Lake Country area, did not reply to a text message seeking an interview or comments. His mother, Rachel Decker, died in 2023. The search for Travis Decker entered its seventh day June 5, as authorities from various agencies try to follow leads on his whereabouts. In court documents obtained by USA Today, police said the girls' bodies were found with plastic bags over each of their heads and signs they had been zip-tied. Other than new photos released by authorities, there were no additional details about the investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Editor's note, 6/6/2025: This story has been updated to correctly identify Travis Decker's mother. Contact reporter Jim Riccioli at james.riccioli@jrn.com. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Grief over death of Travis Decker's daughters evident on social media President Donald Trumps feud with Elon Musk shows no sign of abating, and inside the MAGA machine the knives are out for one of the presidents closest aides. Axios reported that furious Trump advisers are pointing the finger at Sergio Gor, the presidents personnel chief and longtime family loyalist, for pushing Trump to torpedo Musks top choice to lead NASA, billionaire entrepreneur and astronaut Jared Isaacman. According to the advisers, Isaacmans rejection for the role had to do with his previous donations to Democratic organizations, as was previously reported. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Yet the advisers said it was Gor in particular who repeatedly opposed the nomination to Trump behind the scenessealing the decision to pull Isaacmans nomination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gorwho co-founded a publishing venture with Donald Trump Jr.reportedly oversees key loyalty tests for the Trump administrations hires and is known for ruthlessly protecting Trumps interests. He reportedly spun up the president against Isaacman by just constantly mentioning the donations, a Trump adviser told Axios. In a Wednesday interview with the All-In Podcast Isaacman appeared to mention Gor as the influential adviser who had Trumps ear while reviewing his associations. He also suggested that his relationship with Musk didnt do him any favors as changes were being made in the White House. Im not going to play dumb on thisI dont think timing was much of a coincidence there were other changes going on the same day, said Isaacman. He added, The Presidents got to make a call and move on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump announced in a May 31 Truth Social post that he was withdrawing Isaacmans nomination days before he was set to be confirmed by the Senate, the Associated Press (AP) reported. He added that the withdrawal came after a thorough review of Isaacmans prior associations and he will soon announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space. Musk was said to be unhappy at Sergio Gor for pushing Trump to kill his choice to lead NASA / Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images On Thursday, taking press questions in the Oval Office, Trump suggested pulling Isaacmans nomination was one of many reasons Musk was upset and torching him online. Musk even threatened to pull SpaceXs Dragon spacecraft from NASA missions before awkwardly backpedaling, AP reported. Meanwhile, both men have seen their stock portfolios take major hits amid the escalating drama. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Axios quoted White House communications director Steven Cheung saying in a written statement that Gor is a vital member of the team and he has helped President Trump put together an administration that is second to none. The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for a response. A federal appeals court will allow the White House to exclude the Associated Press from access to the Oval Office, Mar-a-Lago and Air Force One if it chooses, according to a new court order in the ongoing legal battle over press access. The decision hangs on a court finding that some White House spaces are not open to the broader public or large groups of press, and so the White House can choose which journalists it chooses to admit. A lower court judge previously blocked the administration from excluding the Associated Press. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The appeals courts decision is a further blow to the APs attempts to preserve long-standing norms governing press access and the free flow of information from the White House. Its a victory for President Donald Trump, who posted on Truth Social about the big WIN over AP today, and his press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who posted on X, As weve said all along, the Associated Press is not guaranteed special access to spaces like the Oval Office. A spokesperson for the AP, one of the biggest news outlets in the world, said, We are disappointed in the courts decision and are reviewing our options. The AP has previously argued that punitive restrictions on White House correspondents are unconstitutional. The Trump administration has welcomed the fight. Earlier this year, it asserted control over the process of choosing which news outlets are in the daily press pool with Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Having a pool rotation is critical because many presidential events, like Oval Office photo ops and Air Force One Q&As, take place in small group settings. The makeup of the pool was previously determined by the White House Correspondents Association, an independent group that represents the press corps. Trumps press operation took over the responsibility and made room for newer media outlets, with an emphasis on conservative and explicitly pro-Trump entities, while markedly reducing access for the AP. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. The dispute erupted in February when Trump officials objected to the AP stylebooks listing for the Gulf of Mexico, which Trump had decreed would be renamed the Gulf of America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The change took effect at US government agencies. But other countries do not reco gnize the new name, and the AP has customers around the world, so it still refers to the Gulf of Mexico while also acknowledging Trumps executive order. The Trump White House claimed that coverage decision was divisive and dishonest and banned newswire reporters from events, triggering a First Amendment legal battle. The AP said the White House ban was a form of viewpoint discrimination and would have chilling effects for the news industry as a whole. After a judge sided with the wire service in April, Trump removed the traditional wire position in the daily pool rotation altogether, a change designed to withstand legal scrutiny while still disadvantaging the AP. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Refuting the allegation of viewpoint discrimination, the White House said outlets will be eligible for participation in the Pool, irrespective of the substantive viewpoint expressed by an outlet. The upshot: The AP still gets some chances to question the president, but not as frequently as before, and with the knowledge that the Trump White House ultimately has control over the process. The appeals court, in a split 2-1 decision Friday, signaled that some actions against The AP can be permitted. The decision could bring about more appeals over the White House press corps and its access around the president. These restricted presidential spaces are not First Amendment fora opened for private speech and discussion, DC Circuit Judge Neomi Rao wrote. No one suggests the Oval Office is a traditional public forum such as a park or sidewalk held in trust for expressive activity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fridays ruling didnt extend to the White Houses larger East Room space, where presidential press conferences sometimes take place. The AP was also excluded from those last winter, though the White House loosened up in the spring. On Friday evening Trump signaled that, for him, the entire case was about his power to rename a body of water. He wrote that the AP refused to state the facts or the Truth on the GULF OF AMERICA. The AP, however, continues to follow its stylebook guidance, regardless of the access it receives at the White House on any given day. This story has been updated with additional information. CNNs Samantha Waldenberg contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The White House directly responded to Boston Mayor Michelle Wus characterization of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as secret police Thursday afternoon, denouncing her comments as a disgusting, dangerous attack on law enforcement. President Trump is keeping his promise to the American people to deport illegal aliens. Its disturbing that Democrats like Mayor Wu would side with illegal immigrants over Americans and stoke hatred against American law enforcement," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a press release. Wus office did not respond to a request for comment Thursday evening. What the White House took issue with The White House condemned Wus doubling down on negative comments about ICE that she first made last weekend at the WBUR Festival. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every aspect of whats happening at the federal level is causing harm in our local communities, the mayor said during an interview at the festival. People are terrified for their lives and for their neighbors, folks getting snatched off the street by secret police who are wearing masks, who can offer no justification for why certain people are being taken and then detained. The White House took particular issue with a reference Wu made while defending her comments to reporters on Wednesday. When talking about ICE agents choice to wear masks while making arrests, she brought up the fact that New England-based neo-Nazi group NSC-131 also wears masks in public. I dont know of any police department that routinely wears masks, she said, according to The Boston Globe. We know that there are other groups that routinely wear masks. NSC-131, routinely wears masks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons who was the head of ICEs Boston field office until his promotion earlier this year said Monday that federal immigration agents wear masks because people have been taking pictures of them and posting them online along with death threats. Why this back and forth is happening now The White House described Wus comments as fanning the flames of hate while ICE agents face unprecedented threats to themselves and their families, citing a claim ICE made in May that its officers are facing a 413% increase in assaults. The White House also criticized Wu for denigrating ICE officers in the wake of Operation Patriot, a monthlong enforcement operation the agency carried out across Massachusetts during the month of May. Agents arrested nearly 1,500 people during that time, ICE announced Monday. The White House called attention to 10 suspects ICE arrested as part of the operation, all of whom are Central and South American men who were previously convicted of or charged with serious crimes in Massachusetts or their home countries, according to ICE. The crimes listed include murder, rape, child rape and kidnapping, among others, and two of the men had Interpol Red Notices out against them when ICE arrested them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Notably, though, some arrests made during Operation Patriot resulted in outrage and fear in Massachusetts communities. Though Acting ICE Director Lyons said the operation was focused on transnational organized crime, gangs and egregious illegal alien offenders, agents also detained foreign nationals whose only crime was being in the country illegally. On May 12, the agencys arrest of a Brazilian mother on the streets of Worcester led to a heated confrontation between protesters and law enforcement and charges against three women including a city councilor. Additionally, the Milford community was rocked by ICE officers decision to arrest and detain an 18-year-old high school student last weekend. He was released on bail on Thursday. Previous criticism of Mayor Wus comments The White House is far from the first federal entity or official to condemn Wus comments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a social media video posted Wednesday morning, Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley decried the mayors statements as a false narrative, pushing back against the idea that people are being snatched off the street. There are no secret police. ICE agents, along with other federal law enforcement partners, are making immigration arrests. That is no secret. They are arresting individuals who are here illegally, which is a violation of federal law, the U.S. Attorney said. Every enforcement action is conducted within the bounds of the Constitution and our laws with oversight, legal justification and accountability. To claim otherwise is a gross misrepresentation and a disservice to the public. The mayor defended her characterization of ICE Wednesday afternoon when asked about Foleys criticism at an unrelated event at Boston City Hall. ICE hasnt been sharing exactly who was arrested and why, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. attorney is attacking me for saying what Bostonians see with their own eyes, she said. But on Thursday morning, Lyons posted his own video criticizing the mayors and other politicians anti-ICE comments, demanding that they stop putting [his] people in danger with made-up talking points that get activists riled up. These are real people with real families youre hurting with your ridiculous rhetoric and inflammatory comments, Lyons said. More on Politics Read the original article on MassLive. NEED TO KNOW Elon Musk publicly endorsed President Donald Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign After winning the election, Trump appointed Musk as part of his administration The Tesla CEO left the White House in late May 2025 after a disagreement over the president's recent spending plan, which sparked an online feud between them President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's friendship has gone south. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the 2024 presidential election season, Trump and Musk grew closer after the SpaceX founder publicly endorsed him and showed his support on the campaign trail. After Trump won the election, he brought Musk into the Oval Office to serve as co-lead of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). On May 30, Musk left his role in the administration after a disagreement over the president's spending plan, otherwise known as the "Big, Beautiful Bill." In the days to follow, Trump and Musk began feuding online on June 5, exchanging a series of insults on social media. In one of his jabs made on X, Musk claimed that "Trump would have lost the election" without him. That day, Trump was asked about Musk's online comments during an Oval Office press conference, to which he admitted that their friendship had soured. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore," he said, adding that he is "very disappointed" in Musk. From supporting each other to exchanging a war of words online, here's a timeline of Donald Trump and Elon Musk's friendship-turned-feud. July 13, 2024: Elon Musk endorses Donald Trump in presidential campaign following assassination attempt Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty President Donald Trump and Elon Musk during a rally on Jan. 19, 2025, in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk during a rally on Jan. 19, 2025, in Washington, D.C. On July 13, 2024, Trump was injured after a bullet grazed his ear during an assassination attempt at one of his campaign rallies in Pennsylvania. That evening, Musk shared a video of Trump in the moments after the incident on X, writing, "I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery." August 2024: Donald Trump and Elon Musk engage in a friendly live stream on X Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC Donald Trump and Elon Musk pose for a photo during the UFC 309 event on Nov. 16, 2024, in New York City. Donald Trump and Elon Musk pose for a photo during the UFC 309 event on Nov. 16, 2024, in New York City. In mid-August 2024, Trump and Musk engaged in a friendly conversation over a livestream on X, in which they discussed immigration, the economy, and then-President Joe Biden and then-Vice President Kamala Harris, per The New York Times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the two-hour conversation, Trump congratulated Musk, seemingly on his 2022 acquisition of the platform formerly known as Twitter, per the outlet. Days later, Musk wrote on X that he was "willing to serve," posting a photo of himself as a representative of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Oct. 5, 2024: Elon Musk attends Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania at site of assassination attempt AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk speaks during a campaign rally on Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk speaks during a campaign rally on Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. On Oct. 5, 2024, Trump returned to the site of the July assassination attempt, with his ally Musk there in full support. According to the Associated Press, the billionaire wore a black cap with the "Make America Great Again" slogan of Trump's campaign, and called himself "Dark MAGA" in his remarks. Nov. 6, 2024: Donald Trump wins election and calls Elon Musk a "star" Brendan Gutenschwager/Anadolu via Getty Donald Trump makes a speech during an election night event on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Donald Trump makes a speech during an election night event on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. On Nov. 6, 2024, after being called the projected winner of the election, Trump gave a speech from his watch party and gave Musk a special shout-out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Let me tell you, we have a new star. A star is born, Elon," Trump said, adding that Musk is an "amazing guy." Later in the speech, Trump added, "He's a character, he's a special guy, he's a Super Genius." Nov. 12, 2024: Donald Trump announces Elon Musk will co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Kevin Dietsch/Getty Elon Musk shakes hands with Donald Trump as they speak to reporters in the White House on May 30, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Elon Musk shakes hands with Donald Trump as they speak to reporters in the White House on May 30, 2025, in Washington, D.C. A few days after winning the presidential election, Trump announced that the "Great Elon Musk" had been appointed to co-lead DOGE alongside former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. "Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies - Essential to the "Save America" Movement," Trump said in a statement at the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added, "I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the Federal Bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency and, at the same time, making life better for all Americans. ... I am confident they will succeed!" Ramaswamy left the role in January 2025 to pursue a gubernatorial campaign in Ohio, leaving Musk as the sole leader of DOGE. Nov. 19, 2024: Donald Trump attends SpaceX Starship launch with Musk Brandon Bell/Getty Donald Trump and Elon Musk attend a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on Nov. 19, 2024, in Brownsville, Texas. Donald Trump and Elon Musk attend a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on Nov. 19, 2024, in Brownsville, Texas. On Nov. 19, 2024, Trump attended a SpaceX "Starship" rocket launch in Texas alongside the SpaceX CEO. "Im heading to the Great State of Texas to watch the launch of the largest object ever to be elevated, not only to Space, but simply by lifting off the ground," Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. "Good luck to Elon Musk and the Great Patriots involved in this incredible project!" Jan. 20, 2025: Elon Musk attends Donald Trump's inauguration and displays a controversial gesture Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Donald Trump speaks after being sworn in during his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Donald Trump speaks after being sworn in during his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. On Jan. 20, 2025, Musk attended Trump's inauguration in Washington, D.C., and delivered a controversial speech at one of the events. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured," Musk said before delivering a one-armed salute that many believed resembled a Nazi-style gesture. Musk responded to the backlash the following month during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience. I did not see it coming, he said, putting "not" and "see" together to sound like Nazi." March 11, 2025: Donald Trump turns White House into a temporary Tesla showroom Andrew Harnik/Getty Donald Trump and Elon Musk deliver remarks next to a Tesla Model S on March 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Donald Trump and Elon Musk deliver remarks next to a Tesla Model S on March 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C. In early March, Trump turned part of the White House's lawn into a temporary Tesla showroom to support Musk's company amid its struggles, per NBC News. Five Tesla vehicles were lined up on the driveway for Trump to inspect and show off, prompting him to call them beautiful and claim hed buy one himself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As soon as I saw it, I said, That is the coolest design, Trump said of the Cybertruck model, per NBC News. After the showcase, Trump ultimately purchased a red Model S, valued at around $80,000. May 2025: Elon Musk publicly criticizes Donald Trumps signature tax and spending bill then left the White House Kevin Dietsch/Getty Elon Musk speaks alongside Donald Trump to reporters in the Oval Office on May 30, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Elon Musk speaks alongside Donald Trump to reporters in the Oval Office on May 30, 2025, in Washington, D.C. In an interview with CBS News in late May 2025, Musk said he was "disappointed" by Trump's signature tax and spending bill. "I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing," he explained. One day later, Musk announced that he was leaving the White House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending," he wrote on X. They met in the Oval Office for a final joint press conference on May 30, in which the billionaire wore a black "DOGE" cap and a shirt that read "The Dogefather." June 3, 2025: Elon Musk calls Trumps spending bill a disgusting abomination BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Elon Musk looks during a Cabinet Meeting on March 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Elon Musk looks during a Cabinet Meeting on March 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Shortly after parting ways with the White House, Musk continued to speak out about Trump's spending bill on X, writing that he couldn't "stand it anymore." "This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination," he wrote. "Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The budget legislation passed the House of Representatives on May 22. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, it funds tax cuts and increased military spending in part by slashing federal health and energy programs, while potentially adding an estimated $3.8 trillion to the national deficit. June 5, 2025: Donald Trump and Elon Musk exchange a series of insults on social media Marc Piasecki/Getty; Win McNamee/Getty Elon Musk ; Donald Trump. Elon Musk ; Donald Trump. One day after Musk called Trump's bill an "abomination," their feud escalated online as they continued to insult each other over social media in a series of posts. It began with Musk further criticizing the bill, leading him to resurface Trump's old posts from the 2010s, including one in which Trump said he was "embarrassed" to be a Republican in 2013 and several that expressed contrary viewpoints to the "Big Beautiful Bill." They then went back and forth for hours throughout the day, prompting Trump to threaten to cut billions in federal subsidies and tax cuts for Musk's companies in a post on Truth Social. The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts, he wrote, per The New York Times. I was always surprised that Biden didnt do it! Musk continued to make explosive comments, writing on X, "Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!" He followed up in another post, "The truth will come out." Trump had been previously linked to disgraced financier and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after his name was mentioned seven times in flight logs released earlier in 2025. Musk later deleted the post referencing Trump and Epstein. In a separate message on X, Epstein's former lawyer, David Schoen, wrote that his client "had no information to hurt President Trump." Later that day, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called Musk's claims an "unfortunate episode" in a statement to CNN. This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted," Leavitt said. "The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again." June 6, 2025: Donald Trump says Elon Musk has "a problem" and is allegedly selling his Tesla Andrew Harnik/Getty Donald Trump and Elon Musk sit in a Tesla Model S on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Donald Trump and Elon Musk sit in a Tesla Model S on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C. On June 6, Trump told CNN that he is "not even thinking about Musk," adding that he "won't be speaking to him for a while." "Hes got a problem," Trump said. "The poor guys got a problem." A White House official then told The New York Times that Trump had decided to sell the red Tesla he acquired back in March, while ABC News reported that a White House official indicated Trump would either sell or give away the vehicle. Read the original article on People On June 5, Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended a Florida sheriff after he and four of his associates were arrested and charged in connection with an alleged massive gambling operation and public corruption scheme that generated more than $21 million in profits. Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez was charged with one count of racketeering and one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier's office said in a statement. Both are second-degree felonies. Lopez, 56, is being held without bail in nearby Lake County, according to inmate records, and is scheduled to appear in court on June 30. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Uthmeier's office noted that the investigation remains ongoing and other charges may be announced at a later date. "This is a solemn day for Florida and our law enforcement community. We put great trust in our constitutional officers, especially those who are our communities' first line of defense." Uthmeier said in the release. "However, the law must be applied equally, regardless of position, power, or branch of government. "Public servants should never exploit the public's trust for personal gain. Our Statewide Prosecutors will hold Sheriff Lopez, his associates, and all lawbreakers accountable." DeSantis signed an executive order suspending Lopez and appointing Christopher Blackmon, the central region chief for the Florida Highway Patrol, as the countys sheriff. What did Florida Sheriff Marcos Lopez do? Osceola County, FL Sheriff Marcos Lopez was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations for his involvement in an illegal gambling operation in central Florida that generated more than $20 million in profits. Lopez is charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit pic.twitter.com/zyeyWAm81R Homeland Security (@DHSgov) June 5, 2025 According to Uthmeier, a multi-agency investigation in 2023 led by Homeland Security that included the FDLE uncovered a criminal organization operating an illegal gambling enterprise in Central Florida, particularly in Lake and Osceola Counties, which allegedly generated more than $21.6 million in illicit proceeds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The charging documents state that the operation started in at least 2019 and continued until at least 2024. After Lopez was elected sheriff in November 2020, prosecutors said he "continued to advance the interests" of the organization and took a cut for himself for personal use and campaign contributions, using his position to "shield the enterprise from law enforcement," according to Uthmeier's office. Former Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez has been charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering for his alleged role in a massive Central Florida gambling operation, according to the State Attorney General's Office. Starting around June 2024, the same year Lopez was re-elected, he and four associates owned or managed a "gambling house" out of a business known as Fusion Social Club or Eclipse Social Club, according to the charging documents. The business, which featured gambling, a lottery and a slot machine, was located in Kissimmee in Central Florida's Osceola County, just south of Orlando, the charging documents stated. Gambling for money outside of permitted categories, personal lotteries and owning a slot machine are against Florida law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Four people whom Uthmeier described as the sheriff's associates were also charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering, according to state charging documents. The four were identified as Ying Zhang, Sharon Fedrick, Sheldon Wetherholt, and Carol Cote. Who is Marcos Lopez? Osceola County Sheriff Marco Lopez. Marcos Radame Lopez, who was born in Chicago and grew up in Central Florida, was first elected as sheriff in 2020, according to his now-removed biography on the Osceola County Sheriffs Office website. He was sworn in on January 5, 2021, and became the first Hispanic sheriff in the county and state. Lopez joined the sheriffs office in 2003 while he was serving in the Navy Reserve, the website stated. He previously served 22 years in the U.S. military and received multiple awards and accolades throughout his career, according to the website. Who is Marcos Lopez?: Florida sheriff arrested in a racketeering investigation Has Marcos Lopez come under fire before? This isn't the first time Lopez and the Osceola County Sheriffs Office have been involved in other investigations in recent years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement (This story was updated to add new information.) What is racketeering? Racketeering does not refer to a specific crime, but to a coordinated pattern of illegal activity as part of a larger enterprise to generate profit, generally for a criminal organization. Florida statutes define racketeering activity as acts meant to commit, attempt to commit, conspire to commit, or get someone else to commit a wide variety of crimes including illegal gambling, homicide, kidnapping or human trafficking, burglary, computer-related crimes, animal fighting, weapons trafficking, public assistance fraud, helping a noncitizen to vote and many more. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Florida sheriff arrested in alleged massive gambling operation The historical echoes in Good Night, and Good Luck are extraordinary. Some might even say theyre eerie. On Saturday at 7pm ET, viewers around the world can see for themselves when CNN televises the blockbuster hit Broadway play starring George Clooney. The play transports viewers back to the 1950s but feels equally relevant in the 2020s with its themes of unrestrained political power, corporate timidity and journalistic integrity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Add Good Night, Good Luck on CNN to your calendar: Apple / Outlook or Google The real-life drama recounted in the play took place at CBS, the same network that is currently being targeted by President Donald Trump. Thats one of the reasons why the plays dialogue feels ripped from recent headlines. Clooney plays Edward R. Murrow, the iconic CBS journalist who was once dubbed the man who put a spine in broadcasting. Murrow helmed See It Now, a program that pioneered the new medium of television by telling in-depth stories, incorporating film clips and interviewing newsmakers at a time when other shows simply relayed the headlines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the early 50s, Murrow and producing partner Fred Friendly were alarmed by what Friendly called in his 1967 memoir the problem of blacklisting and guilt by association. At the time, the country was gripped by Cold War paranoia, some of it stoked by Senator Joseph McCarthys trumped-up claims about communist infiltration of the government, Hollywood and other sectors. In a later era, McCarthy would have been accused of spreading misinformation and attacking free speech. Murrow and Friendly thought about devoting an episode to the senator and his investigations, but they wanted a dramatic way to illustrate the subject. They found it with Milo Radulovich, an Air Force reserve officer who was fired over his relatives alleged communist views. Radulovich was a compelling, sympathetic speaker on camera, and Murrows report on him not only stunned viewers across the country, but it also led the Air Force to reverse course. The Radulovich program was televisions first attempt to do something about the contagion of fear that had come to be known as McCarthyism, Friendly recalled. Where McCarthyism meets Trumpism Thats where Good Night, and Good Luck begins with a journalistic triumph that foreshadowed fierce reports about McCarthys witch hunts and attempted retaliation by the senator and his allies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clooney first made the project into a movie in 2005. It was adapted for the stage last year and opened on Broadway in March, this time with Clooney playing Murrow instead of Friendly. Both versions recreate Murrows actual televised monologues and feature McCarthys real filmed diatribes. The line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one, Murrow said in a pivotal essay about McCarthy, uttering words that could just as easily apply to Trumps campaign of retribution. A moment later, Murrow accused McCarthy of exploiting peoples fears. The same charge is leveled against Trump constantly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is no time for men who oppose Senator McCarthys methods to keep silent, or for those who approve, Murrow said, sounding just like the activists who are urging outspoken resistance to Trumps methods. Edward R. Murrow (right) and Fred Friendly, co-producers of the CBS television series "See It Now," working on the show on June 14, 1952. - NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images In April, Trump issued an executive order directing the Justice Department to investigate Miles Taylor, a former Trump homeland security official who penned an essay and a book, Anonymous, about the presidents recklessness. This week Taylor spoke out about being on Trumps blacklist, using the same language that defined the Red Scare of the 50s and destroyed many careers back then. People are afraid, Taylor said on CNNs The Arena with Kasie Hunt. He warned that staying silent, ducking from the fight, only empowers demagogues. Murrow did not duck. Other journalists had excoriated McCarthy earlier, in print and on the radio, but Murrow met the medium and the moment in 1954, demonstrating the senators smear tactics and stirring a severe public backlash. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Afterward, McCarthy targeted not just Murrow, but also the CBS network and Alcoa, the single corporate sponsor of See It Now. McCarthy threatened to investigate the aluminum maker. Were in for a helluva fight, CBS president William Paley told Murrow. The two men were friends and allies, but only to a point. Paley had to juggle the sponsors, CBS-affiliated stations across the country, and government officials who controlled station licenses. In a Paley biography, In All His Glory, Sally Bedell Smith observed that two key commissioners at the FCC, the federal agency in charge of licensing, were friends of McCarthy. The relationship between Paley and Murrow was ultimately fractured for reasons that are portrayed in the play. An act of extortion Looking back at the Murrow years, historian Theodore White wrote that CBS was a huge corporation more vulnerable than most to government pressure and Washington reprisal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those exact same words could be written today, as CBS parent Paramount waits for the Trump-era FCC to approve its pending merger with Skydance Media. Billions of dollars are on the line. The merger review process has been made much more complicated by Trumps lawsuit against CBS, in which he baselessly accuses 60 Minutes of trying to tip the scales of the 2024 election against him. While legal experts have said CBS is well-positioned to defeat the suit, Paramount has sought to strike a settlement deal with Trump instead. Inside 60 Minutes, everyone thinks this lawsuit is an act of extortion, everyone, a network correspondent told CNN. In a crossover of sorts between the 50s and today, Clooney appeared on 60 Minutes in March to promote the new play. He invoked the parallels between McCarthyism and the present political climate. ABC has just settled a lawsuit with the Trump administration, Clooney said. And CBS News is in the process There, Jon Wertheims narration took over, as the correspondent explained Trumps lawsuit. Joseph McCarthy, Republican senator from Wisconsin, stands before a map charting alleged communist activity in the United States on June 9, 1954. - Getty Images/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Were seeing this idea of using government to scare or fine or use corporations to make journalists smaller, Clooney said. He called it a fight for the ages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump watched the segment, and he belittled Clooney as a second-rate movie star. On stage, Clooney as Murrow challenges theatergoers to consider the roles and responsibilities of both journalists and corporate bosses. Ann M. Sperber, author of a best-selling biography, Murrow: His Life and Times, found that Murrow was asking himself those very questions at the dawn of the TV age. Murrow, she wrote, sketched out an essay for The Atlantic in early 1949 but never completed it. He wrote notes to himself about editorial control over news, about Who decides, and whether the television business will regard news as anything more than a saleable commodity? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Murrow wrote to himself that we need to argue this out before patterns become set and we all begin to see pictures of our country and the world that just arent true. Seventy-six years later, the arguments are as relevant and necessary today. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com While the Republican party continues to deal with the fallout from Elon Musks attacks on President Donald Trump, it seems the Democrats are also doing some soul searching. After one of the most notable spokespersons of their party has decided to turn their back, shes drawing shocking criticism with her new book. Karine Jean-Pierre served as former President Joe Bidens press secretary from 2022 to 2025, when he left office. Known for her fiery exchanges with reporters and politicians across the aisle, Jean-Pierre is prepping to release her new book titled Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines. But although it hasnt dropped yet, its already faces criticism for one shocking reason. According to a press release for her book, Jean-Pierre is taking a step back from the Democratic party and planning to register as an Independent. In a country obsessed with blind loyalty to a two-party democratic system, Karine Jean-Pierre shares why Americans must step beyond party lines to embrace life as Independents, the release read. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The motivation behind Jean-Pierres departure from the Democrats seems to stem from the treatment of Biden around campaign season. The former president faced bipartisan backlash after his mental and physical health was questioned while he was still in the race against Trump. As his press secretary, Jean-Pierre handled daily inquires about Bidens mental state. But she said watching her party turn against Biden was the most shocking of all. In a statement for Legacy Lit Jean-Pierre said, I determined that the danger we face as a country requires freeing ourselves of boxes. Now, shes urging folks to look at the dangers of a bipartisan system, which Americas first president, George Washington, famously warned about centuries ago. After former Vice President Kamala Harris devastating loss to Trump, the Democrats were sent back to the drawing board in hopeful preparation for the 2028 election. But in the mean time, criticism from the former face of the Biden administration cant be good for party morale. Democrats came out with acute criticisms for her. Former aide to Joe Manchin III, Sen. Jonathan Kott, said hes sick and tired of Democrats not being proud to be Democrats and fighting for what we believe in. He continued, according to the New York Times, If you lost the will to fight, then get out of the party. Karine Jean-Pierre is speaking for a lot of black women. You can call her newly declared political status a stunt but its not. The 92% said they were centering themselves & declaring oneself free from a party that wants to chase white men is a start. pic.twitter.com/uhMxDz9zi9 Sons of Killmonger & Disciple of Dark Brandon (@2Strong2Silence) June 4, 2025 On the flip side, Black folks online responded praising Jean-Pierre for finally waking up. Karine Jean-Pierre is speaking for a lot of black women. You can call her newly declared political status a stunt but its not, @2Strong2Silence said on X. The 92 [percent] said they were centering themselves & declaring oneself free from a party that wants to chase white men is a start. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement See the way people are piling on Karine Jean-Pierre DESPITE the ACTUAL premise of her book & declaring herself Independent, @darryn_briggs began. This is PRECISELY the reason many of us KNEW it was dangerous for Kamala Harris to be the nominee. Another user, @Needle_of_Arya, said between (how theyve treated) Karine Jean-Pierre, Meghan Markle & Kamala Harris, we have only a taste of how deeply pervasive casual & knee-jerk misogynoir is in our society. Her book is expected to release on October 21, 2025. Why is Elon Musk so sure President Donald Trump is in the so-called Epstein Files? In a bombshell X post Thursday, Musk levied accusations against the president claiming that his name could be found in files pertaining to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epsteins sex trafficking case. Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! Musk wrote Thursday. Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Epstein was accused of sex trafficking minors and conspiracy to engage in the sex trafficking of minors, which he pleaded not guilty to, in 2019. A month after his arrest, he died by suicide in his jail cell, according to authorities. Screenshot/Elon Musk/X For years, right-wing circles have called on authorities to release all documents related to Epsteins investigation, including flight logs of his private plane, client names, and inquiries into his suicide. Though the Trump administration has consistently promised to declassify the Epstein files, they have yet to divulge any new details on Epsteins case, as pointed out by Musk. In a statement to CNN, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt weighed in on Musks accusations and said: This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One, Big, Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted. The president is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Beasts request for comment on Musks accusations. Though Trump has spent the past decade fiercely distancing himself from Epstein, the two had a documented relationship during the late 1980s to early 2000s. In 1992, for example, they were filmed speaking and laughing together at a party in Mar-a-Lago. Years later, in 1997, they were pictured together again at a Victorias Secret Angels party. Donald Trump (left) and Jeffrey Epstein (back-right) at the Victoria's Secret Angels party on April 28, 1997 in New York City. / Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images In a 2002 interview with New York magazine, Trump even praised Epstein as a terrific guy. Ive known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy, Trump said at the time. Hes a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about itJeffrey enjoys his social life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Flight logs released in 2021 as part of the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epsteins accomplice, also indicated that Trump flew on Epsteins plane seven times throughout their friendship. I was never on Epsteins Plane, or at his stupid Island, Trump said in a 2024 Truth Social post. Whatever relationship the two seemed to have, however, came to a halt in 2004 following a real estate feud, according to The Washington Post. At the time, the two men were both eyeing a Palm Beach property, Maison de LAmitie, for different reasons and subsequently went head-to-head in a bidding war over it. In the years to follow, Trump grew to become an outspoken critic of Epsteins, both in public and behind closed doors. Bradley Edwards, an attorney who represented a number of Epsteins alleged victims, told The Conscious Resistance Network in 2018 that Trump was the only person who agreed to talk to him when he was serving subpoenas during an Epstein investigation in 2009 and that he was very helpful in the information he gave. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He is the only person who picked up the phone and said Lets just talk, Ill give you as much time as you want, Ill tell you what you need to know, Edwards said, adding that Trump gave no indication whatsoever that he was involved in anything untoward. One of the presidents former 2016 campaign aides, Sam Nunberg, also told The Washington Post that Trump had once called Epstein a real creep and that he had barred him from Mar-a-Lago as a result. (L-R) Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell pose together at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, February 12, 2000. / Davidoff Studios/Getty Images When probed on Epstein following his arrest in July 2019, Trump told a reporter: Well I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him I had a falling out with him a long time ago. I dont think Ive spoken to him for 15 years. I wasnt a fan That I can tell you. I was not a fan of his. A few days later, he reiterated that he had no idea about Epsteins alleged crimes and added Jeffrey Epstein was not somebody that I respected. I threw him out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump more recently addressed Epstein during a September 2024 interview with Lex Fridman where he said: [Epstein] had some nice assets that hed throw around like islands, but a lot of big people went to that island. But fortunately, I was not one of them. The president has notably not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. Jeffrey Epstein (left) and Donald Trump at the Mar-a-Lago estate, Palm Beach, Florida, 1997. / Davidoff Studios/Getty Images Epstein, however, had a different version of events. In 2017, the financier spoke at length with author Michael Wolff as part of his research for his 2018 bestselling book Fire and Fury. In tape recordings of their conversation, shared by Wolff to the Daily Beast in November, Epstein described himself as Trumps closest friend for 10 years and alleged that the two enjoyed going to Atlantic City to try to find girls in the casino. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes a horrible human being, Epstein, a convicted sex offender, said of Trump in the tapes. He does nasty things to his best friends, best friends wives, anyone who he first tries to gain their trust and uses it to do bad things to them. At the time, Trumps representatives referred to the tapes as false smears and election interference as they were published days before the November 2024 election. Trumps team further told the Daily Beast that Wolff is a disgraced writer who routinely fabricates lies in order to sell fiction books because he clearly has no morals or ethics. He waited until days before the election to make outlandish false smears all in an effort to engage in blatant election interference on behalf of Kamala Harris. Hes a failed journalist that is resorting to lying for attention, they continued. After two overnight flights and a brief stop in Istanbul, I found myself island-hopping alone through the Maldives on a tiny seaplane surrounded by couples. I was the last stop: Velaa Private Islanda palm-studded speck of sand in the middle of the impossibly blue Indian Ocean. Visitors should note that the seaplanes here only operate during the daytime. Photograph courtesy Velaa Private Island The Maldives is often associated with honeymoons and vacations for couples, but it is a destination for everyone. Photograph courtesy Velaa Private Island Some of the villas are accessible only by boat. Photograph courtesy Velaa Private Island There are certain destinations that seem made for couples. Paris is one that lives large in our imaginations, conjuring images of strolling hand in hand along the Seine. The Maldives is another, with white sand beaches, luxury resorts, and overwater bungalows that are almost synonymous with the word honeymoon." I always thought the Maldives was one of those places you needed to save for a special occasion. If not a honeymoon, then an anniversary, a big birthday, or a romantic milestone of some kind. And while the lavish private island resorts are popular with newlyweds, the Maldives is a surprisingly enriching destination for solo travelers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement (6 ways to experience the Paris of the Roaring '20s) Villas in the Maldives can include outdoor Jacuzzi tubs, infinity pools, private sundecks, and more. Photograph courtesy Velaa Private Island A solo traveler's private paradise The thing everybody knows about the Maldives is the over-water bungalows. They are just as spectacular as they look in photos. My villa had a wall of windows that opened onto a private deck with an infinity pool overlooking the ocean. Just the sea stretching into the horizon. One of the underrated joys of traveling alone is doing exactly what you want, whenever you want. Want to take a bubble bath in the middle of the day? Go for it. I spent hours in the enormous round bath with the windows open, overlooking the pool that overlooked the ocean. I could have happily spent my entire trip confined to my bungalow, swimming and lounging and ordering room service. But paradise has a way of luring you outside. The Maldives has a water sport for everyone, from swimming, kite surfing, hydrofoiling, seabobbing, and surfing. Photograph courtesy Velaa Private Island Adventure is for everyone Sometimes, doing whatever you want means doing nothing at all. I am absolutely one of those people who can sit and do nothing on vacation for a week, provided I have a comfortable lounge chair and a good bookor seven. I did not expect my days on a tiny tropical island to be filled with adventure, but I decided to try a Jet Ski trip. The scenery was picturesque, with dolphins and rainbows and water so blue it looked digitally enhanced. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I could snorkel straight off my deck and spot clouds of iridescent fish flitting beneath the surface. If I had the time, I could have gotten scuba certified, tried kite surfing, hydrofoiling, seabobbing, or even gone surfing. You dont have to be an adrenaline junkie to enjoy the Maldivesbut if you are, you wont be bored. Marine life is a highlight of a trip to the Maldives, and many of the more eco-conscious resorts have strong conservation programs. Remote Lands can set up a custom itinerary that includes sea turtle rehabilitation and manta ray research with a marine biologist. There are plenty of ways to feel like an explorer, not just a guest. (How to get active in the Maldives, from surfing to diving) Guests can take advantage of wellness classes, including yoga, as well as the spa. Photograph courtesy Velaa Private Island Alone doesnt have to mean lonely Escaping to the ends of the Earth to outrun your anxiety is a clichebut cliches exist for a reason. A week filled with massages, ocean swims, and perfectly grilled fish can work wonders on the nervous system. Especially when theres no one elses schedule to navigate but your own. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the most unexpected highlights of the trip was a consultation with an Ayurvedic doctor visiting from India. Our conversation was surprisingly profound; we talked about my energy, my sleep, my digestion, and the cycles of stress Id been stuck in. He offered insights into how those things were showing up in my body and gave me small but thoughtful recommendations for rebalancing. It felt like therapy for the soul, with a side of herbal tea. After a day spent exploring, relax with a personalized spa or wellness treatment. Photograph courtesy Velaa Private Island What makes the Maldives so popular with honeymoonersprivacy, beauty, and indulgencealso makes it a fantastic solo destination. But you dont have to come alone if you dont want to. Companies like Intrepid, G Adventures, and Explore Worldwide all offer small group tours to the Maldives. These trips combine a built-in social group with enough free time to explore on your own. Why you should take a solo trip Theres this strange pressure we put on ourselves to wait for certain life milestones to do the things we really want. People say theyre saving the Maldives for some arbitrary future date, but you dont need an excuse to treat yourself to your dream trip. What I found in the Maldives wasnt just luxury or natural beautythough there was no shortage of either. It was something deeper, a quiet reminder that you dont need someone else to make a trip memorable. You can do that all on your own. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Getting There Part of the appeal of the Maldives is how far away it is. By the time I landed, I didnt even know what time zone I was in. Many travelers connect through Dubai, but Turkish Airlines offers a comfortable alternative with options for stopovers in Istanbul. Where to Stay Velaa offers multiple dining venues, two spas, and the largest wine cellar on the island, curated by a Maldivian-born sommelier. Thundi Sea View, a guesthouse on Fulidhoo island, offers a laid-back alternative. Born in London and raised in Warsaw, Poland and Ketchum, Idaho, Teddy Minford has spent her life traveling. Focusing on hotels, food, adventure, and art, her writing has taken her all over the world, from treehouse hotels in Sri Lanka to remote wineries in Argentina. She lives in New York City. A feud between Texas billionaire Elon Musk and President Donald Trump escalated dramatically on June 5, with both men exchanging insults and threats across social media platforms. Here's a timeline of their fallout: When did the feud between Elon Musk and Trump start? Timeline of attacks Musk has been critical of Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill." On Thursday, Musk sent out a series of messages directed at the president on social media. "Im sorry, but I just cant stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination," Musk said in a June 3 post on X. "Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As tensions escalated between the president and Musk, Trump criticized the Tesla CEO in a series of Truth Social posts, warning that he may sever government ties with Musk's companies. Here is what to know about why Musk and Trump are sparring on the internet: 10:20 a.m. Thursday: Musk dug up an old Tweet from Trump criticizing Republicans for "extending the debt ceiling." 10:46 a.m.: Musk resurfaced another old Tweet from Trump, dating back to July 2012, seemingly as a dig at the newly proposed Republican tax bill, which many economists and the Congressional Budget Office predict will increase the nation's deficit. 11 a.m.: Trump addressed Musk's criticisms for the first time while responding to press questions during a White House event. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 11:25 a.m.: Musk responds to Trump's comments via social media. False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it! https://t.co/V4ztekqd4g Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 11:46 a.m.: Musk says his influence is the reason why Trump was reelected. Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 12:57 p.m.: Musk creates a poll on X, asking followers is it time to create a new political party. Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle? Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 1:23 p.m.: Musk mocks the name of Trump's spending bill, renaming it "Big, Ugly Spending Bill." Not even those in Congress who had to vote on the Big Ugly Spending Bill had time to read it! https://t.co/mBOQyhQYwX Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 1:37 p.m.: Trump responds to Musk on his social media platform, "Truth Social." 1:48 p.m.: Musk responds to Trump's post. Such an obvious lie. So sad. https://t.co/sOu9vqMVfX Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 1:49 p.m.: Musk seemingly dares Trump to cancel his government contracts for his projects like SpaceX. This just gets better and better Go ahead, make my day https://t.co/APmy7cV8iL Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 2:10 p.m.: Musk makes an allegation that Trump is in the Jeffery Epstein files. Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 3:06 p.m.: Trump said there is nothing wrong with his tax bill. 3:09 p.m.: Musk said said he would decommission the SpaceX project the Dragon spacecraft but Musk has since walked that comment back. In light of the Presidents statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately pic.twitter.com/NG9sijjkgW Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 3:26 p.m.: Musk said Trump's tax bill will cause economic havoc. The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year https://t.co/rbBC11iynE Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 3:43 p.m.: Musk took another dig at Trump again insinuating that Trump has something in the Epstein files. Did Elon Musk and President Trump squash the beef? According to reports, Trump said he has no intention of speaking with Musk in the near future. "I'm not even thinking about Elon. He's got a problem," Trump said in a Friday morning phone call with CNN's Dana Bash, despite Musk hinting at a possible reconciliation. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: What is happening between Trump and Elon Musk? See brief timeline WASHINGTON (WJW) The U.S. Department of State has reissued its travel advisory for Jamaica. The May 29 update reduced Jamaicas overall travel advisory from a Level 3 to a Level 2, which urges people to reconsider travel. Lottery ticket worth $150K sold at local Meijer However, the advisory lists several areas of the island as a Level 4 Do Not Travel. The Do Not Travel alert is in effect for more than a dozen specific neighborhoods and towns in Jamaica with high crime, including Kingston, Montego Bay, Spanish Town and Clarendon Parish. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Armed robberies and sexual assaults are common, the alert said. The U.S. Embassy routinely receives reports of sexual assaults, including from U.S. citizen tourists at resorts, it continued. Tourist areas generally have lower rates of violent crime, the advisory noted, but all travelers should maintain awareness and avoid risky areas. Another reason for the travel advisory is due to medical concerns. The advisory warned that ambulance and emergency response services are often slow or unavailable. Nationwide recall on jerky and snack sticks Click here for the full list of Do Not Travel locations in Jamaica. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. WILBRAHAM The town of Wilbraham has been recognized as a dementia-friendly community, a major milestone in its ongoing efforts to support residents living with dementia and their caregivers. The recognition of a Dementia Friendly Community benefits those who live in the community or anyone looking to move here, (showing) that we are a welcoming place for those with dementia and their caregivers, said Paula Dubord, director of elder affairs for the town. The Massachusetts Councils on Aging recently awarded the certification to the town. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Barbara Harrington, Wilbrahams social services coordinator, emphasized the broader goal behind the initiative. (Its) to make Wilbraham a more inclusive, accessible and supportive community for older adults and individuals living with dementia, their loved ones, caregivers and families, Harrington said. We wish to educate, promote, and work to erase the stigma behind aging and dementia in order to allow the community as a whole to better understand individuals specific needs. Local organizations joined the Wilbraham Dementia Friendly Committee to help gather information from the community and to educate the community on what those living with dementia need. Country Bank is one local business that supported these efforts by hosting multiple presentations for the public to help educate, said Dubord. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harrington added: The board also had educational forums open to the public hosted by (it) and the Wilbraham Senior Center. Informational pamphlets were made, and we spread the word through social media, newsletters, town papers and more. Training was essential to becoming a dementia-friendly community, and local businesses, restaurants and banks undertook those trainings to better work with those living with dementia. Some of the training included experiences that simulated what it was like to live with dementia, according to a press release about the certification. Our Dementia Friendly Board had members trained to offer Wilbraham businesses guidance on becoming a dementia-friendly business, Harrington said. This training helped organizations heighten awareness and equip their teams to respond warmly and effectively when serving individuals living with dementia and their families. As part of the effort, students in fourth and fifth grade at Soule Road Elementary School learned about dementia, according to a press release about the certification. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One ongoing initiative is the Dementia Friendly Cafe, held the first Monday of each month at the Wilbraham Senior Center. Our Memory Cafe is a gathering of individuals with memory loss along with their caregivers, friends or family in a safe, supportive and engaging environment, said Harrington. Its an opportunity to make new friends and interact without fear of embarrassment or being misunderstood. Looking ahead, Wilbraham remains committed, and Harrington said the towns senior center would continue providing educational programs. I would like to thank Katie Krupka, who spearheaded this committee and put in a lot of time and effort to see it come to fruition, along with the entire Dementia Friendly Committee, Dubord said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement, Krupka, of Assisted Living Locators, said, We focus on education, reducing stigma, promoting awareness, and ensuring access to resources and services that enhance quality of life. The town will officially recognize the designation with a community celebration on Monday, July 7 at 11 a.m. at the Wilbraham Senior Center at 250 Springfield St. more news from Western Massachusetts Read the original article on MassLive. Efforts to bring elk back to the United Kingdom are advancing. The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire wildlife trusts secured 15,000 ($20,190) in funding from Rewilding Britain to begin feasibility studies, the BBC reported. Their goal? Reintroduce elk to the East Midlands, where they once roamed freely before hunters drove them to extinction about 3,000 years ago. Elk are impressive not only because of their features and size. They're also effective landscapers of nature. These massive creatures help shape entire ecosystems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They clear out dense vegetation as they graze. When elk wander through wetlands and grasslands, they act like a groundskeeping crew that controls overgrowth and creates clearer pathways for smaller animals. NWT's Janice Bradley noted that elk may have roamed through the Trent wetlands, making them native to the woods and the local landscape. Experts hope to bring them back to these grasslands to fulfill their role in improving habitats for other animals. She also said that while it may take time for the public to get used to the idea of elk returning to the area, they encourage people to engage and get excited. "But I'd like to see them sooner rather than later," she shared, per BBC. The initiative to reintroduce rare species and extinct wildlife isn't new. U.K. conservationists have already seen some success with rewilding projects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Wales, marsh fritillary butterflies have made a comeback. Meanwhile, efforts by rewilding groups helped water voles thrive in the Welsh uplands after decades of absence. Bringing beavers back to the U.K. wetlands has also shown great results. In Dorset, reintroduced wild beavers created new habitats for other animals and helped reduce floods. The same positive changes occurred in Hampshire. Reintroducing elk to the U.K. is a bold move. However, if it works, it will add balance to the environment, benefiting plants, animals, and nearby communities. A healthy ecosystem means cleaner air and water, as well as a stronger connection to nature. Support biodiversity by planting native species at home to rewild your yard. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) To prepare for the official kickoff of summer, a local organization is holding a fun event for people to win prizes. From June 6 to Sept. 12, individuals can visit different spots in downtown Dayton for the 2025 Downtown Dayton Summer Passport. By visiting certain spots, participants will earn stamps for their passport. More than 70 businesses in the city are participating in the summer fun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eight locations across the Gem City are available for those interested to pick up their summer passport. Photo/Downtown Dayton Partnership Once you have received 16 stamps from participating businesses, you can return the passport to any of the eight pick-up locations. Passports must be returned before Sept. 12. Prizes available in the contest range from items like a Dayton prize pack, gift cards, hotel stay and more. To participate, you must be at least 18 years old. Additional details are avaliable here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com. Donald Trump and Elon Musks bromance appears to be over after the president and the worlds richest man went after each other with a vengeance on Thursday. Trump implied Musks opposition to his legislative agenda is the result of Trump Derangement Syndrome, called the Tesla billionaire CRAZY, and threatened to cancel Musks federal contracts. Musk called Trump sad, alleged the president is on the Epstein list, and even suggested he should be impeached. Its one of the wildest political breakups in recent memory, and, yes, the media, the internet, and everyone in and around Washington, D.C., is losing their mind over the spat, popcorn in hand. Trump has seemed relatively nonplussed about the ordeal (I dont mind Elon turning against me, he wrote on Truth Social), while Musk has been all over the place. The SpaceX chief wrote that the company will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately, but then backtracked after a random X account suggested he cool off and step back. Bill Ackman, one of the right-leaning tech moguls caught in the middle of the feud, wrote that Trump and Musk should make peace for the benefit of our great country, to which Musk replied, Youre not wrong. Musk has since called Steve Bannon a retard several times as the staunch Trump ally calls for the administration to seize SpaceX and investigate Musks immigration status. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House is trying to broker a truce between the two men, according to Politico, but Maggie Haberman of The New York Times has reported that the administration is prepared to force allies of both men to choose sides in the spat. Trump told CNN on Friday morning that hes not even thinking about Musk, that the poor guy has a problem, and that he wont be speaking to him for a while. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told NBC News on Friday that there are no plans for a call today, with a senior White House official adding that Trump is not interested in talking to Musk. The feud was a bomb in the middle of the right-wing ecosystem, with some commentators taking sides and others straining themselves to rationalize the falling out between two figures they have spent the past months lionizing. Some of yall cant handle 2 high agency males going at it and it really shows, conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec wrote on X. This is direct communication (phallocentric) vs indirect communication (gynocentric). I understand you arent used to it. Robby Starbuck, another MAGA commentator, wrote that it doesnt have to be over for Trump and Musk, and that dominant men often develop deep friction when they disagree. He then compared them to Thomas Jefferson and John Adams and said he hopes Trump and Musk reconcile for the betterment of humanity. So did Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. President Trump built this movement over 10 years. His supporters are NOT going anywhere, he wrote. I hope Elon and Trump reconcile and do so privately. It would be good for the country and the world if they do. Ashley St. Clair, the MAGA influencer and allegedly jilted mother of one of Musks children, knows a split when she sees one, though. hey @realDonaldTrump lmk if u need any breakup advice, she wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The post that struck the deepest nerve among the right may have been Musks claim that Trump is mentioned in government files related to Jeffrey Epstein. Several MAGA commentators dismissed the allegation, noting that if this were true the Biden administration would have made sure everyone knew it. Sean Hannity spent a few minutes on the air working through his emotions on the feud, including by claiming that Trump was one of the first people to realize just how horrible Epstein really was before suggesting Bill Clinton may be on the list. InfoWars founder Alex Jones was not convinced, calling for Trump to respond to the allegation immediately. What a POS Alex Jones turned out to be what a fucking fraud, wrote MAGA influencer @catturd2. I used to respect Alex Jones but now hes just a piece of shit fraud. What a fucking sellout. I am not on team Trump or team Elon. I am on team humanity, which equals team truth, Jones, who was found liable for nearly $1 billion in damages for lying about the Sandy Hook massacre, wrote later. Pro-Trump voices like @catturd2 and pro-Musk commentators like Ian Miles Cheong who wrote that Trump wishes he was Elon have been sparring nonstop on X since the feud exploded Thursday afternoon, but there are also plenty of real-world implications for the apparent breakup, which Laura Ingraham of Fox News reported was irreparable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Senate is set to take up the big, beautiful tax bill that set off the feud, and many Republican lawmakers have nodded to Musks arguments about the trillion it is expected to add to the deficit. Theres also the very real possibility that Trump could punish Musk, either by revoking his federal contracts or reviving federal probes into his companies. As one senior Trump appointee told Rolling Stone on Thursday: THIS ADMINISTRATION COULD ALWAYS START THE INVESTIGATIONS AGAIN. Its unclear for now how Trump will respond, but he certainly has the power to make things difficult for his former billionaire BFF, and as he always does to further inflame the already red-hot media firestorm he and Musk set off on Thursday. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. WHEATLAND, Wis. (WFRV) A Vernon County deputy was hospitalized Thursday evening after being exposed to second-hand methamphetamine smoke while executing a search warrant in the town of Wheatland. According to the Vernon County Sheriffs Office, the deputy was treated at a nearby hospital and has since been released. Officials say the deputy is expected to return to duty. Loaded AR-15 found during traffic stop in Wisconsin; one arrested Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the incident, Kyle J. Backlund, 35, of Viroqua, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and felony bail jumping. Authorities noted that Backlunds arrest was unrelated to the original warrant being served. Backlund had previously been arrested in a drug-related case on May 29. He was released from custody on June 4 on a $1,000 signature bondjust 33 hours before the deputy was exposed. Two teens arrested after early morning burglary in Fond du Lac The Vernon County Sheriffs Office says the investigation remains ongoing and additional arrests may be forthcoming. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is poison affecting our community, and we will put forward our best effort to locate the source, the Sheriffs Office stated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. BUFFALO COUNTY, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) A Fountain City man accused of hiding a corpse and animal mistreatment is sentenced. Online court records show 70-year-old Arthur McMullin is found not guilty due to mental disease or defect on the following counts: Hiding a CorpseMistreatment of Animals/Cause Death Mistreatment of Animals/Cause Death Intent. Fail/Provide Food for Animal Intent. Fail/Provide Food for Animal Intent. Fail/Provide Food for Animal Intent. Fail/Provide Food for Animal Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McMullin is found guilty due to guilty plea on a count of resisting or obstructing an officer. McMullin is sentenced to 225 days jail with 225 days served. A status conference is scheduled for June 25, 2025. According to the criminal complaint, on Oct. 23, 2024, authorities were going to serve an eviction notice to two tenants at a home located at 26 Court Lane in Fountain City. There, authorities made contact with Arthur McMullin who said the other tenant was not home. After several additional attempts to contact the other tenant at the home, McMullin then said that the other tenant had been dead for roughly six weeks. Authorities then found the woman dead on the bathroom floor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the criminal complaint, McMullin said she may have died from a heart attack, and he did not want to deal with the situation yet. McMullin also told authorities that the victim said she wasnt feeling well on the day of her death and possibly fell off the toilet. The criminal complaint says McMullin believed there were 12 dogs and 30 cats inside of the home. McMullin had told investigators that he knew the house was not kept properly and he risked losing all his animals. McMullin said that he ran out of food to provide for the animals, but he was feeding them scraps of handouts. Crews were called to the scene to help remove the animals. After further investigation, authorities believed there to be even more animals at the home than McMullin claimed. According to the criminal complaint, investigators found two animal carcasses or skeletal remains inside the home, which are believed to be two cats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The conditions of the home were horrendous and neglected, the criminal complaint says. McMullin signed over ownership for all the animals he had. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX2548 & WIProud. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56) A woman was arrested for allegedly impersonating a peace officer and resisting arrest after she claimed to be a member of law enforcement to get inside of a Louisville news station. According to an arrest citation, 60-year-old Dejuana Fife, of Riverdale, Georgia, was arrested on Saturday by Louisville police. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers were reportedly called to WHAS-TV near the 500 block of West Chestnut after someone demanded to be let into the building. The officers said Fife identified herself to the LMPD officer as the chief of police of the Louisville Metro Police Department and the chief of the FBI. The citation said the police officer told Fife it was a crime to impersonate a peace officer, but she allegedly continued to say she was one, but refused to show any credentials. LATEST KENTUCKY LISTS AND RANKINGS: Fife allegedly resisted arrest before finally being taken into custody. She was charged with impersonating a peace officer and resisting arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her bond was set at $5,000 cash, and she was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation, with no contact with WHAS-TV. Fife will be back in court for a preliminary hearing on June 10. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News. MEMPHIS, Tenn. A woman was arrested Thursday for allegedly assaulting her coworker in March over not saying excuse me after bumping into him at a McDonalds in Midtown. Aaliyah Williams, 20, was charged with two counts of assault, one count of theft of property $1,000 or less, and aggravated assault. Aaliyah Williams Mugshot_Courtesy of Shelby County Jail On March 1, at 11:00 p.m., the victim told police that Williams, his coworker, had bumped into him at his shift at McDonalds at 2073 Union Avenue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said the victim said you going to say excuse me to Williams, making her angry and starting an argument. The victim told police that Williams began to punch him and push him into the wall, and the victim said he moved away from her. 6 arrested, 38 victims found in AR human trafficking recovery operation According to reports, Williams assaulted the victim again, and he defended himself. The victim said he left the business to avoid further confrontation and called police after Williams followed him. Moments after, when the victim returned to the business, Williams returned with another person who was not there during the assault, and she started to record on her phone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police say the victim said the man punched him in the face. The victim put his iPhone 11 on the ground and stood in a defensive stance. The victim said the person said, I dont fight and proceeded to pull out a black handgun and point it at him. Man arrested in deadly East Memphis shooting; victim identified Reports say the person accused the victim of putting his hands on his sister. The victim was then told to take off his clothes by the man, and after taking off his clothes, the person hit him on the head with the gun. According to MPD, the person threatened to kill the victim if he followed him, and Williams took the victims phone and left with the man. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said the victim identified Williams on March 28 in a six-person photo lineup as the person responsible for the incident. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. NEED TO KNOW A woman has been arrested after 37 dead dogs were found in a property in Basildon, England Essex police confirmed on June 4 that the 25-year-old had been charged with suspicion of animal cruelty Police previously revealed that they had also arrested two other men, with one being released on conditional bail A woman has been arrested after 37 dogs were found dead in a property in Basildon, England. On Wednesday, June 4, Essex Police confirmed in a press release that a 25-year-old woman from London had been charged with suspicion of animal cruelty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the BBC, the animals were found in an address believed to be an animal shelter. A woman has been arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty as part of Basildon Neighborhood Policing Teams ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the discovery of 37 dead dogs in Billericay, the police's release read. Officials added, Working with the RSPCA, we helped to recover 21 live animals. This discovery followed a joint visit by Essex Police, the RSPCA and Basildon Council to a property in Crays Hill last month. The 25-year-old woman from London was arrested this afternoon (Wednesday 4 June) and is currently in police custody, the police continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement added that further investigations at the address are being carried out by Essex Police and the RSPCA. This came after officers received information received by a member of the public. Essex Police told PEOPLE in a statement that the woman has been released on conditional bail, but added that their investigation is still ongoing. PEOPLE also reached out to the RSPCA for further comment, but they did not immediately respond. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Matt Turner/Getty Police tape (stock image) Police tape (stock image) The remains of four further animals were identified when buildings were dismantled by the landowner, with liaison with Essex Police, since the original scene was stood down on 14 May, the release continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities added that they were removing the remains, with the Basildon Neighborhood Policing Team identifying if there was any link to the polices investigation. We understand the concerns of the local community. We would ask people not to speculate and allow us to carry out our complex and thorough investigations, Inspector Steve Parry from the Basildon Neighborhood Policing Team said in a statement. Authorities revealed in a previous release that they had arrested two men on suspicion of fraud, relating to transfer of ownership of dogs, and animal cruelty offenses. While one of the suspects was released on conditional bail, 25-year-old Ovaeed Rahman was charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, an offence contrary to Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, the duty of person responsible for animal to ensure welfare and three counts of fraud by false representation." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also stood before Southend Magistrates Court on May 15 and will remain in custody until his next hearing, which will take place at Basildon Crown Court on June 9, according to the BBC. Since the creation of a dedicated portal through which the public, weve seen a large number of reports submitted and each of the submissions are being reviewed by officers, a release from authorities shared on May 16 read. Read the original article on People YELLVILLE, Ark. Marion County Sheriff Gregg Alexander says that a woman from Mountain Home, Arkansas, has been charged in connection with several mail thefts in the county. Kathleen Smith (Courtesy: Baxter County Sheriffs Office) Sheriff Alexander says Kathleen Smith, 39, received 115 charges, including 98 misdemeanor counts of theft of property and 17 felony counts of breaking or entering. She was previously booked into the Baxter County Detention Center in May in a separate criminal case. In late April, Marion County deputies got lots of complaints about stolen mail from residents, mostly in the southern part of the county. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carroll County, Arkansas deputies arrest man accused of $30K scam on senior citizen On May 7, Mountain Home and Gassville police officers told MCSO investigators that they found a possible suspect when they were conducting an unrelated theft investigation. With help from the Mountain Home and Gassville Police Department, Alexander says the Sheriffs Office was able to interview Smith, arrest her for theft and recover the stolen mail. Smith is still in the Baxter County Detention Center with a $5,000 bond. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOLR - OzarksFirst.com. A woman has been found after being reported missing by the Kings Mountain Police Department. Police said Jordan Mae Kellum was last seen on Thursday at the Kings Mountain Library around 3:15 p.m. ALSO READ: Skeletal remains found in scrapyard identified as Charlotte man missing since 2016 Thursday night, police announced that Kellum had been found. VIDEO: Skeletal remains found in scrapyard identified as Charlotte man missing since 2016 Editors Note: This story has been updated to reflect that murder charges are not related to the death investigation of 2-month-old Kayla Flowers. CHICAGO (WGN) A woman has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the murder of a 2-month-old male. Chicago police on Thursday said the charges are in relation to the death investigation of the infant found unresponsive on June 2 in the 100 block of N. Ashland Ave. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Authorities announced the arrest of 25-year-old Lauryn Shakespeare of Chicago, though authorities did not specify her relation to the victim. (Photo: Chicago Police Department) Shakespeare was arrested Tuesday, June 3, at around 5:45 p.m. in the 100 block of North Ashland Avenue on the citys Near West Side, according to investigators. She has since been charged with two counts of murder. She is due in court on Friday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. EXETER, N.H. (WJW) A woman was killed while trying to save a dog from train tracks in New Hampshire earlier this week, law enforcement said. According to the Exeter Police Department, officers and emergency crews responded to a wooded area near Newfields Road in the town of Exeter on Monday afternoon. Train officials told police that there was a crash involving pedestrians. Through the investigation, police learned that two people were walking by the tracks and when an Amtrak train started approaching from around a corner, the dog, which was unleashed, ran onto the tracks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Climber fell about 3,000 feet from Mount McKinley; body recovered They both tried to rescue the dog but were struck by the train, Exeter police said. The woman, identified as 42-year-old Alicia Leonardi, died from her injuries. The other pedestrian, a man, suffered minor injuries in the accident, investigators said. The accident remains under investigation at this time. Our sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of Ms. Leonardi, the police department wrote on Facebook. New video released as manhunt for dad accused of killing girls continues New Hampshire-based news station WMUR-TV spoke with the victims mother, Cathleen Collis, who said, she loved that dog. That dog was everything to her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to People and other news outlets, the dog, named Jackson, wasnt injured in the crash. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) A woman accused of using bear spray at a business on Union Avenue then leading police on a high-speed chase was arraigned Thursday on multiple charges. Moenay Humphries, 24, of Los Angeles pleaded not guilty to felony charges of using a tear gas weapon, burglary and recklessly evading peace officers, a misdemeanor charge of possession of a tear gas weapon by a prohibited person and an infraction for driving without a license. Shes due back in court June 18. Bail was set at $90,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Holding a cellphone for navigation while driving is illegal, California court rules On Tuesday, police were called to a report of a chemical assault at a store in the 800 block of Union Avenue. They learned Humphries got in an argument with employees then grabbed a can of bear spray and sprayed it into the stores HVAC system, police said. Multiple employees and customers were exposed to the irritant. Officers found Humphries in a white Hyundai Elantra, police said, and she fled along Highway 58 and northbound on Highway 99 at speeds up to 110 miles per hour. California Highway Patrol took over the chase. Humphries exited Highway 99 at the Avenue 24 off-ramp and was involved in a single-vehicle crash just north of Delano. She was taken into custody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17 News. OVERLAND PARK, Kan. FOX4 spoke with a woman who said shes worried that a former metro firefighter will avoid punishment after she said he sexually assaulted her as a child. FOX4 has agreed to protect her identity. Independence police chief on leave, fires back at baseless rumors in FOX4 interview The former metro firefighter, who has been hailed a hero, is charged with criminal sodomy. There was a hearing for him Thursday in Johnson County, but not much happened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The unidentified woman said she is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of Trevor Miller. The City of Overland Park and the Overland Park Fire Department (OPFD) are aware of an investigation into a former OPFD employee. As soon as the city became aware of the allegations, the former employee was placed on administrative leave, a spokesperson with the OPFD told FOX4. Within a week of being placed on leave, the employee submitted his intention to retire immediately. He is no longer an employee of the city or the fire department. The city and Fire department are fully cooperating with the Johnson County Sheriffs Office investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Miller was employed with the city from 1990 to 2023. He should be held more accountable for what hes done, she said. For me, personally, growing up, I looked to him as a hero. Hes a firefighter for the city. He saves lives. Miller has been charged with one count of criminal sodomy, from an incident that happened when she was 14. The charge was filed in 2024. I knew Trevor growing up as my mothers friend. I saw him occasionally, she told FOX4. The incident, which occurred in 2012, was reported to law enforcement in October of 2023. At that time, she said Miller was an adult she thought she could confide in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the summer of 2012, I ended up meeting up with him, she said. He took me out to look at Harleys. He taught me how to pump my gas, and he took me to his house and did inappropriate things to me and took me home. She said shes worried that Miller may get offered a plea agreement instead of being held accountable for what hes done. Miller has pleaded not guilty to the charge. The case was continued Thursday. The City of Overland Parks website still highlights his efforts to bring a 9/11 memorial to town. People should know hes a monster I dont think he is someone to be looked to as a respectable, trusted member of the community, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People should know hes a monster. Court documents also show that Miller was involved with the Camp Inferno program, which introduced girls to firefightingand he had to be reminded he wasnt there for socializing. Records show he exchanged information with campers. I would definitely say there was grooming. I would definitely say there was sexual abuse, she said. I do encourage people to come forward, but I definitely understand why many dont. She told FOX4 that she remained silent until 2023, but was driven by two factors to speak out: Having a child of her own The birth of Millers daughter Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FOX4 made several attempts to contact Millers attorney by phone and email; neither inquiry was returned. FOX4 also reached out to the Johnson County District Attorney, who did not comment on the case. Miller has another hearing scheduled for mid-July. If you are a victim of sexual assault, contact the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673 or online.rainn.org. RAINN ofrece apoyo gratuito y confidencial las 24 horas al dia, 7 dias por semana para los sobrevivientes de la violencia sexual y sus seres queridos. Llame a la Linea Nacional de Ayuda contra el Abuso Sexual en Linea al 800-656-4673. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. ***Previous coverage of quit claim deed fraud above*** DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) The second person in the Love Has Homes quit-claim deed fraud case has been sentenced to 3 to 4.5 years in prison after being convicted of theft and forgery. Prosecuting Attorney Mat Heck, Jr. announced Rosalyn M. Johnson, 40, of Huber Heights, was sentenced on Thursday. Johnsons pleaded guilty to the following charges: Forgery, elderly or disabled person, greater than $37,500. Forgery greater than $150,000. Forgery greater than $7,500. Grand Theft greater than $7,500. Telecommunications Fraud. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Diamond D. Washington, a 39-year-old co-defendant, was previously sentenced to 2 to 3 years in prison on May 30, after being convicted for the same conduct. Hacker group allegedly behind Kettering Health leak, data posted to deep web The pair operated Love Has Homes, LLC, which they used to file quit claim deeds giving ownership of real estate properties to Love Has Homes with forged signatures. These deeds were notarized by Johnson. They would then sell these properties at below-market value prices, including: A Dayton property, estimated value of $133,900, was sold to a buyer for $35,000. A Centerville property, estimated value of $312,000, was offered for sale at $200,000. A Huber Heights third property, estimated value of $135,000, was offered for sale at $85,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The purported seller of the Huber Heights property was dead for a year before the fraudulent deed was forged and notarized. B.U.R.N. task force seizes 120g of suspected fentanyl in Thursday bust The Consumer Fraud Unit investigated the transactions and unraveled the theft scheme. They alerted the Montgomery County Recorders Office. These defendants stole homes through fake quit-claim deeds. If you are purchasing a property and the seller obtained it through a quit-claim deed, that is a huge red flag. Always have a title search completed before purchasing a property, said Prosecutor Heck. These defendants took advantage of the ease that quit-claim deeds provide to commit these thefts and certainly deserve to serve every day of their prison sentence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heck said this case should serve as a warning for any would-be criminals looking to do this in Montgomery County. This case should also serve as a warning to other would-be criminals. If you try to steal peoples houses by using a fraudulent quit claim deed, you will be caught, prosecuted, and go to prison, said Prosecutor Heck. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com. Women are less likely than men to be given treatment for a potentially fatal heart condition, according to a new analysis. Researchers in the UK found women are 11% less likely to be referred to a hospital specialist after a diagnosis of the heart valve disease aortic stenosis. Academics said the findings show inequities in management and care of this common and serious condition after they also found differences in care among south Asian and black patients as well as those from poorer backgrounds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aortic stenosis, a narrowing of the aortic valve or the area immediately around it, leads to obstruction of the blood flow from the heart, which leads to symptoms including dizziness, fatigue, chest pain and breathlessness. The condition is more common in elderly people. It is not possible to reverse but treatments can include a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) or valve replacement surgery. If left untreated it can lead to serious complications, including heart failure, heart rhythm abnormalities, and death. The analysis suggests some people are less likely to receive this treatment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Experts from England's University of Leicester examined GP data on 155,000 people diagnosed with aortic stenosis between 2000 and 2022 in England. Presenting their findings to the British Cardiovascular Society conference in Manchester, experts said as well as women being less likely to be referred for hospital care, they are 39% less likely to have a procedure to replace their aortic valve. Researchers also found people living in poorer neighbourhoods are 7% less likely to be referred for hospital care after a diagnosis compared to people from wealthier neighbourhoods. Meanwhile, black patients are 48% less likely to undergo a procedure to replace their aortic valve compared to white patients. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement South Asian patients are 27% less likely to undergo a procedure compared to their white counterparts, according to the study, which was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and supported by NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre. Dr Anvesha Singh, associate professor at the University of Leicester and consultant cardiologist, who was involved in the research, said: Previous studies have shown lower rates of valve replacement in women, and clinicians had assumed that women were less likely to be diagnosed with aortic stenosis. This analysis using large, real-world data clearly shows that this is not the case, giving us the clearest picture yet of what is happening in day-to-day clinical practice. Our study highlights potential inequities in management and care of this common and serious condition. More research is needed to understand the reasons for this and the true prevalence of aortic stenosis in different groups. NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) Today is World Environment Day, an observance thats been drawing attention to many issues affecting our ecosystems since 1973. Each year, a theme is presented with 2025 focusing on solutions for global plastic pollution. In Virginia, plastic debris is a major concern and clogging many bodies of water. According to Clean Virginia Waterways, 80% of whats detected on the beaches and bodies of water is plastic. 80% of the plastic waste stems from land-based sources. Data from the International Coastal Clean-up shows that cigarette butts are the most commonly found item in waterways. Balloons and construction materials are also infiltrating seashores. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even in a neighborhood that might be miles inland if the trash gets into the storm drain, all storm drains lead to water, which eventually will lead in this area to Chesapeake Bay or the Atlantic Ocean, said Christina Trapani, Clean Virginia Waterways Program Director. Fishery products are also taking a hit. A recent study by CWV found 99% percent of the fish samples contained plastic. Ingesting seafood is another concern. Even the smallest plankton are eating microfibers and microplastics, said Trapani. And then as they go up into the food chain, you know, theyre either ingesting the plastic themselves or theyre ingesting another fish thats eating plastic. So, if were eating fish, you know, theres a pretty good chance that its in there. The Commonwealth currently has a Marine Debris Reduction Plan in effect. Its the first of its kind on the east coast. It was created by Clean Virginia Waterways and the Virginia Coastal Zone Management program. More than 75 partners, organizations, educational institutions and governmental agencies are working on the plastic issues within the plan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We managed to get balloon releases banned in Virginia, says Trapani. You know, since that time, weve managed to get a law passed in the General Assembly that allows localities to put a five-cent fee or tax on plastic bags. Richmond just passed that a few days ago. The Virginia Coastal Zone Management program funds the implementation of Clean Virginias Waterways Virginia Marine Debris Reduction Plan through a grant from NOAA, which is federal funding. Trapani says theres a risk they could lose almost half their budget over the Trump Administrations rollout of funding cuts. As of right now, were still kind of in a wait-and-see stage, she said. But yeah, were aware that it could easily go away and are working on looking at other possible sources of funding. You know, the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program has been an amazing partner with us for a very long time. The next Virginia Marine Debris Reduction Plan is set to go into effect in 2026 and run through 2030. Under that plan, they hope to eliminate plastic use entirely in the Commonwealth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. BOULDER, CO Everyone whos haggling or agonizing over how to split up the drying Colorado River in coming decades is painfully aware that the rivers flow has dipped below what previous generations thought would water an ever-growing West. Thats now the good news. A leading Colorado River Basin climate scientist told hundreds gathered for a conference about how to stretch, share and save the river that the current warming trajectory will seriously strain their efforts at balancing supply and demand. The world is on track to exceed 3 degrees Celsius of global warming by 2100 5 degrees Celsius (or 9 Fahrenheit) over land according to Colorado State University water and climate researcher Brad Udall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats a world unlike anything we currently know, Udall said June 5 at a University of Colorado Law School conference examining the rivers woes, and its going to challenge us on every front. On the Colorado River front, warming equals reduced flows as the atmosphere, desiccated soils, thirsty forests and human irrigation demands all take their share to deplete water that could otherwise be stored in the nations two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell. This year's snowmelt runoff outlook, projected to reach just over half of the 30-year average by the time it effectively ends in July, is complicating efforts to reach consensus on interstate cutbacks. Any future reductions in flow will only add to the pain. Climate change is speeding faster than expected, with the likely effect of further tanking the rivers bounty until it provides just two-thirds of the water that the negotiators of a century ago thought would support the growing region, according to Udalls worst-case scenario for the end of the century. And that doesnt account for water that the United States must provide to Mexico by treaty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the language of water managers, it means a river that the interstate negotiators of a century ago asserted could provide 15 million acre-feet to the seven states that use it could instead average just 10 million acre-feet a year. Already, the megadrought that started in 2000 has dropped the average below 13 million. Mexicos share is 1.5 million. (An acre-foot is roughly 321,000 gallons, enough to support several households for a year, though more river water is consumed on farms.) Measuring flows: How much water flows down the Colorado River? The right answer is more important than ever With no agreement, states may need federal help Against todays startling water losses and tomorrows even more frightening projections, the states are struggling to reach consensus on how to spread the pain among themselves after guidelines for navigating shortages expire next year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Lower Basin states of Arizona, California and Nevada fully developed their half of the 15 million acre-feet that the 1922 Colorado River Compact granted them and have had to cut back. The four states upstream of them now face the prospect of never getting their full half even as the southwestern states ask them to consider cutting back from their existing uses in the driest of years. The Trump administrations Interior Department will likely need to step up as a moderator in a debate that to date has been left largely to the states, said Mike Connor, who led the departments Bureau of Reclamation in the Obama administration. The new administration is showing signs that it may begin to work on bringing the states together, Connor said, and it should help that it still has more than $1 billion in funds from the last administrations infrastructure allocation to help tackle drought. The federal government is the key mediator and facilitator, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So far, though, the states at least publicly are far apart. The Upper Basin States of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming have said their cuts come in the form of dry winters that limit what farms and ranches can divert, and that its up to the Lower Basin to cut more from what it takes out of the big desert reservoirs before they drain below useful levels. The Lower Basin states say they are willing to give up more in future years, but that trying to fill the gap all on their own could lead to unacceptable results such as a dry Central Arizona Project Canal cutting off Phoenix and Tucson. The rift has proved deep enough that most of the lead negotiators who normally appear together for panel discussions at this and similar annual conferences did not even show up. Preparing for a fight: Hobbs says Arizona will defend its Colorado River water, wants other states to accept cuts Cuts to critical climate science is 'insanity' Conference attendees the experts and advocates who work to protect the river and its various uses must help give political cover to those negotiators who are responsible for protecting their own states interests, said Anne Castle, a former Interior Department official and Upper Basin Commission chair who is now a fellow at the University of Colorado Law School. Their jobs are difficult, she said, and experts could help by making clear to their constituents that theres not enough water to go around, and all must use less of it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of what we thought were our legal entitlements and what we had expectations about using in the future have to be moderated, Castle said. Other speakers detailed how cities have adapted by growing while using less water, and how some, such as Phoenix, are able to essentially save water by growing because homes will use less water than the farms that they displace. But others pointed to a challenging future in which farms will likely have to cut back further to keep supplies flowing to cities. In all, according to water researcher Brian Richter of the global scarcity solutions organization Sustainable Waters, current rates of reservoir and groundwater drawdowns suggest that 15% of current use within the Colorado River Basin is unsustainable and will have to go. And thats at todays average rate of flow. If warming and drought continue to shrink the river, more cutbacks will be needed just to balance the annual supply, let alone the roughly two-thirds of storage capacity now unfilled in Lake Mead and Lake Powell. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Want more stories about water? Sign up for AZ Climate, The Republic's free weekly environment newsletter To Udall, the water and climate researcher, the new anti-knowledge Trump administration seems bent on worsening the problem by eliminating the science that the states and federal dam managers rely on to make informed decisions. The administration is crippling agencies that are critical to climate adaptation by going after anything and everything that has the word climate in it, he said. Its insanity, what theyre doing, Udall said, especially given that warming is accelerating. There is no way this makes for a better world in which we live, a better world in which the Colorado River flows. A Trump administration official, Acting Assistant Interior Secretary for Water and Science Scott Cameron, was scheduled to appear on the conferences second day, June 6. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brandon Loomis covers environmental and climate issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach him at brandon.loomis@arizonarepublic.com. Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Follow The Republic environmental reporting team at environment.azcentral.com and @azcenvironment on Facebook and Instagram. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: A warming, drying Colorado River increasingly vexes water negotiators On Thursday, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the government of Mexico may not continue its lawsuit seeking to hold firearms manufacturers and a firearms distributor civilly accountable for their role in causing cartel-driven gun violence in Mexico. Having taken the case at an unusually early stage in the litigation, and so working from an undeveloped factual record, all nine justices agreed that Mexicos current complaint does not even satisfactorily allege that the defendants have aided and abetted U.S. dealers who illegally sell guns to traffickers who then get them to the cartels in Mexico. Whats worse, Justices Clarence Thomas and Ketanji Brown Jackson each wrote separate concurrences in which they wade into the substantive law of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, offering unprecedented interpretations that would make it harder for victims of gun violence to try to hold firearms-makers and sellers responsible for their part in the harms they cause. All in all, Thursdays intervention from the Supreme Court means expanded impunity for the firearms industryand thus the likelihood of more death and injury due to gun violence. PLCAA is a complex federal statute that specifies only a limited number of circumstances when victims of gun violence may bring a lawsuit against the maker or seller of a gun. Apart from these circumstances, PLCAA bans civil suits against industry members for harms arising from the criminal use of firearms. One ground for a civil action permitted by PLCAA arises when a firearms industry actor knowingly violates a statute applicable to the sale and marketing of firearms. When this happens, victims of a criminal shooting may sue the maker or seller of the firearms used, advancing any cause of action supported by facts of the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mexicos complaint alleged that the named firearms manufacturers and the named distributor aid and abet rogue dealers in the U.S. who illegally sell firearms to straw purchasers. These purchasers work with traffickers to illegally convey the arms to criminal cartels in Mexico. Aiding and abetting the sale of firearms to straw purchasers is itself a violation of the same statutes the rogue dealers are breaking. According to Mexicos complaint, the defendants participation in breaking these law opens them to the full panoply of civil liability for the ensuing gun violence. Writing for the full court, Justice Elena Kagan announced that Mexico had not succeeded in stating a sufficiently plausible aiding-and-abetting claim. The court reversed the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which had held that Mexico had properly pleaded aiding and abetting, opening the door to discovery and trial on the merits. The courts reversal is odd, because it interrupts the normal flow of civil litigation. Kagan criticized Mexico for its failure to specify precisely which rogue dealers the defendants supply and what exactly the defendants know about the dealers illegal sales. But the ordinary way for a plaintiff to attain such precision is by conducting discovery, thus uncovering the facts necessary to proving their case to a jury. The court today preemptively shut down this process, in essence requiring plaintiffs bringing aiding-and-abetting claims to somehow know information that they would typically learn through pretrial discovery. It remains open to Mexico to revise its complaint to address the full courts criteria for properly pleading aiding and abetting, if Mexico can obtain the required information outside the legal process. Regardless, we know from Thursdays opinions that at least two justicesand quite possibly moreare poised to radically revise the body of PLCAA law lower federal courts have been developing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thomas and Jackson both went beyond the issue of aiding and abetting to make pronouncements about the sorts of conduct and kinds of legal violations that trigger PLCAAs permission to bring civil actions against the firearms industry. Thomas wrote to cast doubt on whether PLCAAs reference to knowing violations of federal or state statutes includes violations that have not been formally found by a court or other regulatory body. No lower court that I know of has adopted this position. Indeed, no lower court opinions have even discussed the question. Yet Thomas took the opportunity to alert the firearms industry that it seems to [him] that the PLCAA at least arguably requires not only a plausible allegation that a defendant has committed a predicate violation, but also an earlier finding of guilt or liability in an adjudication regarding the violation. He doesnt provide even a hint of an argument that the words of PLCAA support his impression. Thomas instead vaguely gestures to serious constitutional considerations that would support his view. Jacksons concurrence is just peculiar. She argued that Mexicos complaint should be dismissed because Mexico did not identify particular statutory violations committed by the defendants. But the complaint notes several specific statutes it alleges the defendants have violated, including the U.S. Gun Control Act of 1968. The Gun Control Act expressly forbids selling guns to straw purchasers, buyers who purchase guns for somebody else who cannot lawfully by them. This is exactly what people who buy guns for traffickers do. The complaint also names state statutes it alleges the defendants have violated: the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (which applies to defendant Colt) and the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act (which applies to Smith & Wesson). These statutes require the responsible sale and marketing of consumer goods, including firearms. Stocking rogue dealers with guns the manufacturers and the distributor know the dealer will sell to straw purchasers who will then supply them to traffickers breaks these laws. Ignoring the complaints discussion of how the defendants conduct violates the Gun Control Act, CUTPA, and MCPA, Jackson writes, Mexico merely faults the industry writ large for engaging in practices that legislatures and voters have declined to prohibit. Jacksons disregard for what the complaint actually says is baffling. She claims to be concerned for PLCAAs purpose of establishing the primacy of the political branchesboth state and federalin deciding which duties to impose on the firearms industry. But federal gun control laws and state consumer protection statutes like the ones Mexico pinpoints do just that: They codify legislatures decisions as to the duties firearms manufacturers and sellers have. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perhaps Jackson regards the complaint as conclusory because it does not itemize occasions when rogue dealers, intentionally supplied with firearms by the defendants, violated the Gun Control Act. Nor does the complaint itemize specific instances of when the defendants violated CUTPA or MCPA. But again, even if PLCAA calls for this, the necessary facts would ordinarily be gathered by the plaintiff through discovery. By demanding more specifics on the statutory violations alleged, Jacksons position comes close to Thomas: Only formally adjudicated violations can secure a complaint against a motion to dismiss. Writing from the right and left wings of the Supreme Court, Thomas and Jackson have emboldened Second Amendment absolutists to attack cases brought under the rubric of PLCAA. They invite lower court judges to grant early motions to dismiss. This is contrary to rule of law in an appellate system like ours. Our civil justice system permits plaintiffs to initially plead their cases comparatively generally and then to refine them in light of discovery. Quick dismissals of properly pleaded, if general, claims undermine the proper evolution of individual lawsuits. Worse, it strips all courts of the chance to identify and analyze relevant issues of law. Even if Thomas and Jackson have rightly detected questions raised by PLCAAwhat constitutes a statutory violation and what does a plaintiff have to plead to preliminarily identify onetheir concurrences foreclose usual judicial processes for answering them. The court as a whole and the two concurrences hurtle pell-mell toward making it virtually impossible for plaintiffs like Mexico to successfully plead their claims. Beyond that, the decision short-circuits the careful development of the law of PLCAA. The statute is a particularly intricate one, which already gave an industry that produces, markets, and sells exceptionally lethal products a large measure of impunity from any civil accountability for its harm-causing conduct. The opinions handed down by the Supreme Court in Smith & Wesson v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos thwart case-by-case determination of PLCAAs applicability, a process that promotes careful explication of the law. This is a very poor ruling. It will put more firearms in the hands of criminals who will use them to wreak havoc. It will prevent victims of this havoc from seeking justice in court. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) Wright-Patterson Air Force Base officials gave 2 NEWS an inside look at efforts to combat forever chemicals in their water. Wright-Patt is working to reduce water contamination on base through several water treatment sites. This comes after the EPA updated the maximum PFAS containment levels in 2024. Trump administration moves to roll back Biden-era PFAs water protections PFAS stands for Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are synthetic compounds with properties to repel oil, water and other liquids. This water contamination comes from film forming foam used in firefighting, wastewater treatment plants, agricultural runoff and more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Air Force Base plans to have five treatment sites in total currently, two are active. WPAFB has treated more than 31 million gallons of water so far. The deadline to meet the new EPA standards is 2029. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com. The driver accused of driving the wrong way and killing a police officer from Exeter on Interstate 95 in Massachusetts early last Thanksgiving has been extradited to New Hampshire to face charges here. Wrong-way driver in crash that killed officer from Exeter extradited for NH charges KEOMA DUARTE Keoma Duarte, a 40-year-old New Bedford, Mass., man, was moved to the Rockingham County Department of Correction on Tuesday. Duarte faces two felony counts of reckless conduct and one misdemeanor charge of disobeying an officer on Nov. 27, 2024, in Hampton, New Hampshire State Police said in a written news release Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said Duarte was driving the wrong way toward Massachusetts on I-95 north when New Hampshire state troopers tried to pull him over. After crossing the border shortly after midnight, Massachusetts troopers pursued him, but didnt catch up with him until Duarte had crashed his Tesla head-on into a Chevrolet Trailblazer driven by Sgt. Jeremy Cole, 49, of Exeter. Cole, a 15-year member of the Public Safety & Police Department at Endicott College in Beverly, Mass., was killed on his way home to his family after his work shift that holiday morning. Duarte was charged with motor vehicle homicide, manslaughter and operating under the influence in Massachusetts. Police are still investigating the incident. BLUEFIELD, WV (WVNS) WVU Medicine continues to expand with the breaking of ground for the new Bluefield campus of Princeton Community Hospital. Located on Southview Drive, the $25 million facility will offer state-of-the-art care to residents in the area. The location will be home to the Bluefield Emergency Department and PCH Behavioral Health Center, and the expansion itself is part of an effort by WVU Medicine to offer comprehensive access and care to patients no matter where they are in the state, according to Princeton Community Hospital President and CEO, Karen Bowling. One reason WVU Medicine has expanded is we want to make sure we are serving the entire community and that it is a comprehensive level of care, she said. If you think about it, were on the same medical record. Whether youre in Princeton or youre in Bluefield, whether you need to go to Ruby to have a bone marrow transplant were all on the same medical record. Bowling said the expansion is about communities, families, and serving the region as well as the state. As someone who grew up in this region, I know firsthand how much this investment means, she continued. This project is about more than bricks and mortar; its about giving our families, friends, and neighbors access to the kind of care they deserve, right here at home. WVU Medicine is making a promise to this region, and Im proud to be part of delivering on that promise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WVU Medicine President & CEO, Albert Wright reiterated the importance of widespread coverage under a single umbrella as it pertains to patient care. This project exemplifies WVU Medicines unwavering investment in delivering high-quality, accessible care to West Virginians, he said. By expanding services and upgrading facilities, like here at the Bluefield Campus, were not only enhancing patient care, but were also reinforcing our long-term commitment to advancing health outcomes in southern West Virginia. Features of the Bluefield campus will include: The new emergency department (ED) will include: 20 exam rooms, including two rooms designed for psychiatric intake Two resuscitation rooms and two triage rooms OB-ready and trauma rooms Centralized care team support stations Dedicated patient and ambulance entrances Diagnostic Radiology two radiology rooms Computed Tomography (CT) one CT scanner Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) one MRI scanner (a new service for Bluefield) Ultrasound two ultrasound rooms (a new service for Bluefield) Guest speakers and live music were part of the groundbreaking celebration as guests got their first look at plans for the new facility. PCH plans to officially open the doors to its Bluefield campus in the Fall of 2027, as the provider hopes to further extend the scope of patient accessibility and care. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS. ABINGDON, Va. (WJHL) 81 years ago, World War II allies invaded Normandy, liberating France and Western Europe, and laying the path to victory. We came in on a landing craft with the front down, and we jumped into the water, Army veteran Don Parker recalled of landing on Utah Beach a few days later. They had some well call them cannons, they may have been 88s. Thats what finally hit me. Well, it wasnt exactly comfortable, I dont know how else to describe it. It was bloody, it was messy. Landing in Normandy is something most people read about in history books, but Parker lived it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We crawled in front of Pattons tanks, and we probed with our bayonets to get the pressure bombs that were down under there. We had to get and disable the bombs, he said. Patton brought his tanks across after that He didnt lose any tanks there anyway. The rifleman remembers capturing a German outpost and earning a Bronze Star. I didnt think the choices were very good, but I had enough patriotism that it had to be done, he said. It was necessary. Thats about the only sensible thing to say. We had to do it and we did it. PREVIOUS STORY: World War II Army veteran celebrates 100th birthday Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said there is a mix of emotions about his time in the 79th Division during WWII. I was in college, I wanted to stay there. But when they drafted me, I didnt run to Canada, he said. They want me? Ill go. And I went. Parker was later injured, almost losing his foot to gangrene. I was digging a foxhole, and a shell come in and [my feet were in fragments]. And then when they got me back to the surgeon, he looks at me and puts his hand on my shoulder and says, Im sorry, son, but I have to cut off your left foot,' Parker recalled. They were right, I was going to die, but I mean the timing was wrong because Ive still got the foot and that was some years ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SEE MORE: Abingdon veteran celebrates 100th birthday And the 101-year-old has a message for those who are now the boots on the ground. We did our best, thats what wed want to see of the young soldiers now, he said. D-Day | The Greatest Victory is airing on WJHL+ at 9 p.m. on Friday to mark the 81st anniversary. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. CHEYENNE, Wyoming (ABC4) Its been a busy week for the Wyoming Joint Revenue Committee. They spent hours listening to dozens of testimonies from county assessors to homeowners alike; many addressed the confusion and issues surrounding existing property tax laws, including three newly implemented tax breaks. During one of the meetings, Sen. Bob Ide (R-Casper) proposed getting rid of property taxes altogether. Its not fair. Its the wrong system, Sen. Ide said while discussing the hidden costs Americans pay for lawmakers decisions in Washington D.C. However, that isnt the only system he said needs to see change. Weve got caps, weve got refunds, weve got sunsets, weve got primary residences, weve got minimum eight months, weve got camas system, weve got business and personal property, weve got pollution control, weve got fire control exemptions, stated Ide to highlight the complexities of the Wyoming property tax system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the common person to understand what their property taxes are youd have to hire teachers to bring them in there, Ide added. Brigham City Peach Days vendors now free to sell beverages, Coca-Cola partnership is ended For Crook County Assessor Dan Thomas, confusion surrounding property taxes is all too common. He told ABC4 that one of the biggest things that needs to happen is the dissemination of information to property owners to understand the entire process and understand that theyre not singled out, and how everybody else has the same valuation method. Part of the confusion likely comes from the different types of tax breaks. Three of those are new this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the new laws provides a 25 percent tax break on single-family homes based on their fair market value of up to one million dollars. Another gives a 50 percent tax break to people over 65 whove paid tax in Wyoming for at least 25 years. However, it expires in 2025. The third caps year-to-year residential property tax increases at four percent. This is in conjunction with a law that went into effect last year capping property tax increases at four percent for residences. All three of the laws have additional requirements not listed in this article. During one of the committee meetings, Sen. Ide offered a solution. He proposed to draft a bill to eliminate, repeal, section 15 of the Wyoming Constitution in order to get rid of property taxes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It should be up to the legislature to look at a consumption tax, a sales tax, He added. Its the only way were going to muck out all of this layered minutia of property tax. Meals on Wheels needs volunteers to help feed Davis County seniors Sen. Ides proposal passed the committee. However, not all legislatures voted in favor. Consumption taxes are regressive, stated Sen. Case Cale R-Lander. They hit poor people harder because they spend more of their income. Cale suggested studying the effects of implementing a consumption tax before drafting a bill to amend the constitution. Property taxes have been a basis of local government taxation for well more than 100 years, he added. They have their wrinkles, but weve done a pretty good job at implementing them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Regardless of what direction lawmakers decide to go regarding property taxes, making any changes to the tax code is far from an easy task. When it comes to tax reformation theres always some question as to why or how we are going to end up with a fair and equitable system to keep taxation equal and equitable throughout the whole state, explained Thomas. Thomas told ABC4 that those who are confused about their property taxes can reach out to their county assessor. He said the assessor can help explain and break down the tax laws that are already in place. Latest headlines: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. The Rev. Albert Bischoff, a Jesuit priest who Xavier University describes as a "campus legend," died June 6, the university said in a statement. Bischoff began working at Xavier full-time in 1998. He worked in multiple roles, including as an Emeritus Campus Minister for the Dorothy Day Center for Faith and Justice, a longtime resident minister in Husman Hall and a Bellarmine Chapel minister, according to the university. Students affectionately knew Bischoff as "Father B." He was known for greeting "everyone he met," by saying, "Hello, saint," the university said. Bischoff was 98. This story will be updated. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Albert Bischoff, Xavier University priest, 98, Albert Bischoff dies on June 6 More than 15 years after a fatal Christmas week stabbing amid domestic abuse claims, a Massachusetts woman has been granted parole. Kimberly Savini was convicted of murder in the second degree for the death of Arnaldo Amado after a 2008 stabbing. She was sentenced in 2011 to life in prison with the possibility of parole. On Dec. 27, 2008, Amado, 42, came home drunk and the couple got into a shoving match over Amados drinking, according to a police report obtained by the Boston Herald. Savini, 33, repeatedly told her boyfriend to leave. But he didnt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, the police report states she said he came at her and she grabbed a kitchen knife from the stove and plunged it into his chest near his heart. She then called 911 and washed the blood off the knife in the kitchen sink. The couples 1-year-old child was also home. She first tried to tell police he came home with the stab wound, the Boston Herald reported. But she later confessed. Yes, I stabbed him, but he attacked me first, Savini said with her hands on her head and hyperventilating. When Savini was arrested, she had signs of abuse, her attorney, Maria Curtatone, told the newspaper. The bruises are visible, she said. The injuries are visible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Assistant District Attorney Marian Ryan said Savini was the aggressor and Amado was too embarrassed to call the police. There was a great deal of domestic violence in the home, Ryan said. On Feb. 13, Savini, who is now 46, went in front of the parole board for the first time. The board stated she had significant mental health and medical issues. She has maintained being sober during her time in prison and has also had intensive treatment for her mental health. Four people attended the hearing and spoke in support of her parole. The Middlesex District Attorneys office was against parole. The board voted unanimously to approve parole on June 5. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She is required to continue taking her medication, will be in a long-term residential treatment program and continue to get counseling for anger management and mental health. More on the Massachusetts Parole Board Read the original article on MassLive. After thinking they were going to get laid off, staff members at the Milwaukee Job Corps Center might still have jobs after all, even though the U.S. Department of Labor announced it was cancelling contractor-operated centers. On June 4, U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter Jr. granted a temporary restraining order halting the Labor Department and Secretary Lori Chavez-Deremer from closing the facilities without congressional approval. The Job Corps center in Milwaukee, 6665 N. 60th St., is operated by Horizons Youth Services based in Virginia; it has about 100 staffers that could be affected by any changes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We were pleased and excited with the courts decision to grant the Temporary Restraining Order and that the closure of Job Corps Centers has been stopped," Nolyn Fueller, president of Horizons, said in a statement. "The students that we serve deserve and need the opportunities that Job Corps provides. I hope that the facts and figures contained in the Transparency Report are further reviewed and more accurate statistics are shared regarding the success and safety of Job Corps campuses. Job Corps positively changes lives. On May 29, the Labor Department announced it was closing contractor-operated centers due to low graduation rates, high costs and safety issues. Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training, and community, Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement at the time. However, a startling number of serious incident reports and our in-depth fiscal analysis reveal the program is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve. We remain committed to ensuring all participants are supported through this transition and connected with the resources they need to succeed as we evaluate the programs possibilities. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, has been a strong supporter of the Jobs Corps program and sent a letter to Chavez-Deremer on June 3 urging that the decision be reversed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the court's June 4 ruling, Baldwin issued a statement: Gutting a program that is a proven way to connect Wisconsinites with careers and helps businesses and the trades get the skilled workers they need is a huge mistake. While students and employers are both left in the lurch about whether the training, housing, and support they were promised will continue, President Trump could stop this chaos if he just ended this crusade to make room in his budget for big corporate tax cuts, and instead prioritized Wisconsin working families and businesses. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reached out to the Labor Department but has not received any comment. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New York judge halts Job Corps closings affecting 100 Milwaukee staff A New York man has pleaded guilty in federal court to kidnapping a 13-year-old girl from her Reading home and taking her to his apartment in 2022. Duane Taylor, 50, of Brooklyn pleaded guilty Thursday before U.S. District Court Judge John M. Gallagher to charges of kidnapping, travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, production of child pornography, possession of child pornography and transportation of child pornography. According to a release from the office of U.S. Attorney David Metcalf of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and previous reports: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reading police responded Aug. 31, 2022, to a call from the girls mother that the girl was missing from her bedroom, where the mother had last seen her daughter around 10:30 p.m. the previous night. The mother searched for her daughter and found the back door of the home was wide open. Investigators found the chain lock on the door had been broken. Investigators reviewed video surveillance footage from the homes security system that showed Taylor entering the living room about 2 a.m. and going to the stairs that lead to the second floor. A short time later, the victim is seen walking down the stairs and through the living room, followed by Taylor, who was the mothers former boyfriend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Footage showed Taylor carrying the girl to his vehicle and putting her in the rear cargo area. Reading investigators contacted New York City police. Taylor was traced to his Brooklyn apartment and taken into custody around 6:30 p.m., but the girl was not there. The girl was found later that day in a different area of Brooklyn when a citizen called 911 to report a child was alone and asking for help because she had been kidnapped from Pennsylvania. Police took the girl to a hospital for observation, where she was reunited with her mother. According to the indictment, Taylor transported visual depictions showing a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Taylor is scheduled to be sentenced in September. New York education officials wont rescind the states ban on Native American mascots and team names, despite threats from the Trump administration that it risks losing federal funding. Instead, New York officials suggested in a letter to the US Department of Education on Thursday that they could broaden the state ban to include names and mascots derived from other racial or ethnic groups that the department deems offensive. The federal agency last week determined New York violated Title VI of the federal civil rights law by issuing a statewide ban on the use of Native American mascots and logos. The Massapequa Chiefs logo is seen in the school gym during a press conference and visit with U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon at Massapequa High School in Massapequa, N.Y. on Friday, May 30, 2025. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post The departments civil rights office found the state ban is discriminatory because names and mascots that are still permitted are also derived from other racial or ethnic groups, such as the Dutchmen and the Huguenots. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New York officials said theyre willing to work with federal officials to reach a resolution as to the appropriate standard, wrote Daniel Morton-Bentley, legal counsel for the state education department. Morton-Bentley also noted in his letter that the federal governments current stance in support of keeping Native American team names and mascots runs counter to the agencys previous stance on the issue not to mention those of the US Commission on Civil Rights, tribal leaders, state governments, and professional organizations that have long deemed them harmful and offensive. Whats more, a federal judge in New York earlier this year dismissed a lawsuit brought by some local districts that have refused to comply with the state mandate to rid their schools of offensive Native American mascots and team names, Morton-Bentley wrote. President Donald Trump attends a meeting with the Fraternal Order of Police in the State Dinning Room of the White House, Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Washington. AP The education department and its civil rights office, he argued, is not a court of last resort for unsuccessful litigants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spokespersons for the federal education department didnt immediately respond to an email seeking comment. U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon last week visited Massapequa, a Long Island town that refuses to get rid of its Native American chief mascot, and was among the local districts that unsuccessfully challenged the state in federal court. A person lies on the grass in front of Massapequa High School, in Massapequa, N.Y., Friday, April 25, 2025. AP McMahon said she would give New York ten days to sign an agreement rescinding the ban and apologizing to Native Americans for having discriminated against them and attempting to erase their history. New York school districts have until June 30 to commit to replacing offensive Native American mascots or team names, or risk losing state funding. They can be exempt from the mandate, however, if they reach an agreement with a local Native American tribe. The state education department said as of Thursday, three districts have sought and received extensions as they work to comply with the mandate. Massapequa was not among them. NEW YORK (PIX11)Many countries, including the Philippines, Nigeria, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic, rely heavily on financial support from family members in the U.S. each year to help support their loved ones back home. Now, a new tax proposed by the Trump administration threatens future support. Known as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the House of Representatives has approved a 3.5% tax on international money transfers sent by non-citizens to their loved ones in foreign countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its now waiting for action in the Senate. The proposed remittance tax has raised concerns among low-income immigrant families who depend heavily on sending money back home. Numerous money-transfer services are available throughout the city. One facility in the Bronx found that most of its transfers go to Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Community activist Fernando Mateo is worried. When you boost tariffs on people sending money to loved ones, people that need it in third world countries, youre going to create a disaster. An activist in the Hispanic community, Mateo, says that if the tax is implemented, it will impact every household that depends on money sent from the United States back to their country. He contends, Theyre not going to send the same amount of money, so the people in third world countries are going to suffer, thats the bottom line. Its cab drivers, Bodega owners, people that work seven days a week that send $100 back home. Now theyre going to send $95. $5 may not mean much to you and me, but to them it means a lot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One woman at the cash service in the Bronx said she sends money each month to family members in the Dominican Republic, and if those transactions are taxed, itll impact her financially. Domingo Carrion also says it will impact his monthly payments to his father in the DR. Its going to force me to send a lesser amount of money on a monthly basis because of the increase. $100 a month, but now between $85 and $90 a month because of the increased fees I have to pay. It will be more difficult for me. The Rite Check Cash service processes between 40 and 50 money transfers each week. While it charges a minimal fee, the addition of the 3.5% tax to each transfer could impact the business. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Manager Mary Gutierrez believes customers will transfer as much cash as they have been. She feels there will be a sharp cutback Legal experts have flagged possible challenges to the bill, questioning its fairness and implementation. It is now awaiting a Senate vote, which is expected within a month. If approved, the remittance tax could go into effect by the first of the year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) Hundreds of people living in New York neighborhoods are now trying to figure out how they will see their families again. Starting June 9th, 2025, President Trump banned citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States, and there is restricted access for people from seven other countries. President Trump cited national security concerns. More Local News The ban announced Wednesday applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The heightened restrictions also apply to people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela who are outside the U.S. and dont hold a valid visa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Emmanuel Therassens, who immigrated to the U.S. in 2021 to attend college, told PIX11 News the travel ban means he wont be able to return to his native Haiti to visit his father and other family members. Therassens currently has Temporary Protected Status and is working while living in Queens. His father, who still lives in Haiti, was trying to get a travel visa to visit him since the two have not seen each other in four years. When we hear this news, it really takes a big toll on us because there is nothing we can do about it, to change the situation, Therassens told PIX 11 News. Everyone is being portrayed as those people with bad intentions. Most of the people who are eager to come to the United States these are hard working people who just want a better chance at life. The New York Immigration Coalition and the Legal Aid Society are among the groups closely monitoring this latest presidential order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hasan Shafiqullah, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society, told PIX 11 News, for them to say entire countries are categorically banned does not serve national security, this is purely, it is politics, this is keeping out people mostly of color, this is about xenophobia, it is about racism. In 2017, President Trumps Muslim ban was met with legal challenges. Murad Awadeh, the President and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, said this time, It should not impact people who currently have status from those countries, but what we saw in 2017 was that regardless of that, people who were green card holders were put in detention at airports. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. YORKTOWN Leadership of Naval Weapons Station Yorktown and Dominion Energy signed an agreement to work together to build energy resiliency at the station. Potential projects at the weapons station could include solar farms, turbine energy or a small modular nuclear reactor. Cpt. Dan Patrick said it has been a goal to have more sustainable power sources for the station. Over the next decade, power demand in Virginia will increase, so having a diverse source of power is necessary for the station to continue providing weapons support to other military installations across the East Coast, he said. Dominion has forecasted a 5.5% annual demand increase over the next decade and double by 2039. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dominion Energy and the installation have worked for about 18 months to see how a project at NWS Yorktown could fit into long-term energy plans. The first step is a site characterization study, which will determine where and what kind of project would work best in the area. Those typically take 6-12 months, according to Dominion officials. Related Articles Patrick pointed to a historic long-term power outage in Tacoma, Washington as evidence of his concerns. In 1929, the city of Tacoma generated much of its electricity by hydroelectric dams on nearby rivers, but after a drought, the city struggled to provide enough power to keep citizens warm that winter. Fort Lewis, an Army base 9.1 from Tacoma, had its barracks go lights out at 4 p.m. to help conserve power. Then-President Herbert Hoover sent the Navys USS Lexington to power the city for about a month. If we dont take the necessary steps to build reliant and resilient energy sources for the installation community, we clearly become very vulnerable, he said. As our country reaffirmed its commitment to energy dominance, it becomes ever clear that what we do with electricity and energy over the next five years will determine our installations readiness for the next 50. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ed Baine, president of Dominion Energy Virginia, said whichever method is selected would be owned and operated by Dominion. If a nuclear reactor is chosen, he is confident in the companys ability to handle nuclear facilities safely. Baine said short-term energy sources for the company to meet growing demand will be gas and renewable energy, but long-term plans for the company will have to include small reactors. In October, the power provider announced a partnership with Amazon to develop a small modular reactor as the utility explores building one at its North Anna Power Station, an existing traditional nuclear power plant in Louisa County. A small reactor is about a third of the size of the Surry Nuclear Power Plant, just across the James River from the weapons station. The York County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution June 3 to sponsor a study that would look at potential zoning ordinances regarding small nuclear reactors. Currently, the countys code does not address reactors at all. Baine and Patrick said whatever power source is chosen, it will bring benefits on a regional scale. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our overall goal and intent is that if something were to happen elsewhere, the base and the community our major workforce would have the lights and power on so we can continue without having to worry about the families at home or the local community not being able to work with us, Patrick said. Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) There is still no timeline as to when Insight could reopen its hospitals in Trumbull County. On Wednesday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said he knows the company is eager to get on with it. They havent walked away, they havent washed their hands of Trumbull County and I found it very encouraging. They seem to have every intention of finding solutions, Yost said. Read next: Medical company withdraws request for medical equipment return from Insight Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The former Trumbull Regional and Hillside Rehabilitation hospitals have been closed since March. Last week, Yost announced Insight plans to reopen the hospitals after meeting with company representatives. He issued the following statement last Friday: I applaud Insights plan to reopen Trumbull Regional Medical Center and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital, which is a major step in the right direction for the Mahoning Valley. Bricks and mortar alone dont save lives, which is why these hospitals need to reopen, fully staffed and fully operational, and fully licensed and accredited. Our meeting with Insights leadership team produced fruitful discussions on how the AGs office can work with them to facilitate full operational control. This is about saving lives and strengthening communities. Insight Health System bought the facility out of bankruptcy last year and has invested over $30 million, but reported it couldnt access the funds it needed to operate due to issues with the former owner, Steward Health. We still dont have a timeline as to when patients will begin being treated at either facility. Trumbull Hospitals nurses union president, Tom Connelly, told WKBN last week that he hadnt received any notice about a return to work date. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I do believe that insight is in earnest. I believe that they believe that they have the capabilities to run the hospital, Connelly said. Im told that this is going to be on some sort of a graduated scale where itll be reopened in stages. Union representatives say talks of reopening arent a surprise to them, but know there are still some hurdles to overcome before that happens. Theres still a few stumbling blocks that are in the way, but Insight has been able to negotiate those and so were hoping soon that we begin reopening the hospital, Connelly said. Meanwhile, local leaders say theyre cautiously optimistic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I did know there was a lot of work going on from the attorney generals office and Insight behind the scenes. Thats all I know up to this point, said Warren Mayor Doug Franklin. It would be wonderful if Insight has an opportunity to reopen. If they have the money to do so, if they can come in and be a long-term player, said Trumbull County Commissioner Rick Hernandez. Yost says his office is exploring ways it can try to help remove barriers and assist Insight in moving its plans forward. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. CONWAY, Ark. Residents along Factory Street in Conway got an unexpected wake-up call this morning when a black bear was spotted roaming the neighborhood and eventually climbed up a tree in someones backyard. It was very shocking and surprising to know that a bear was in the backyard, said Sylvier Roddy, who lives nearby. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission responded to the scene, where officials worked to remove the bear safely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Black bear seen in tree in Conway Its pretty common this time of year, Daniels explained. Young male bears will be kicked out by their mom after winter denning season. Theyll travel long distances and sometimes come through town. Local residents expressed concern about how close the bear had come to homes and schools. Some, like Tarca Jordan, worried whether the animal had wandered alone. I was shocked, she said. And then I was like, Where is the momma bear? Another longtime resident, Kawin Brockman, couldnt believe what he was seeing. Out of my 35 years of life in Conway, Arkansas, I aint never seen no bear, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Residents report bear sightings in west Little Rock Daniels said the bear was likely spookedeither by a dog or a personand climbed the tree to escape. Thats when neighbors alerted the Conway Police Department, and then they alerted AGFC officials to step in. When that happens in the middle of town, we usually try to get them out of there because they are a safety concern, Daniels said. We decided to come out, tranquilize him, and get him out of the treetake him somewhere further away from people. Officials say the bear is safe and healthy. He took a little nap, came down out of the tree, and we got him under control. Hes doing just fine, didnt get hurt, Daniels added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bear wandering in Little Rock, woman recording video couldnt believe her eyes The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission reminds the public that bear sightings are not uncommon in the state, especially during warmer months, and urges people to report any sightings rather than approach the animals. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) A suspect in several business break-ins on the South Side is now in custody. Read next: Citizen video of bad driver ends in charges in Cortland Brandon Crespo, 27, who police say is homeless, was found about 4:55 p.m. Wednesday at a home in the 1300 block of Powersdale Avenue. He faces four counts of breaking and entering, a fifth-degree felony, which were all filed Thursday in municipal court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is unclear when he will be arraigned. He was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center after he was arrested to be treated for a cut on his leg. According to records at the Mahoning County jail, he has yet to be booked in. Crespo has been wanted for several break-ins in the area around Indianola Avenue and Midlothian Boulevard, including a May 29 break-in at Midlothian Boulevard and Market Street Dunkin Donuts. Boardman police were later able to find the cash register from the Dunkin Donuts. Crespo was found by city police sleeping in a car in a driveway on Powersdale Avenue, reports said. Officers were called there for a report of a male with warrants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crespo has other theft-related charges in municipal court and Mahoning County Common Pleas Court dating back to 2018. In 2023, he was sentenced to a year in prison for three separate break-ins he pleaded guilty to committing in 2022. Court records show he was placed on three years of parole when he was released from prison. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) The Youngstown City School District is holding a town hall this month so people can weigh in on the upcoming reconfiguration. The town hall will be Wednesday, June 18 from 5-7 p.m. in the East High School auditorium (474 Bennington Ave.). Read next: Help Youngstown City Schools choose new name and mascot There will be a presentation on the plan to reconfigure the district by consolidating Chaneys and Easts middle and high schools, as well as moving Youngstown Rayen Early Colleges middle and high schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There will also be an opportunity to ask questions. Additionally, you can weigh in on the plan online via a survey. The survey will close on June 12. At a school board meeting last week, opinions were mixed on the idea. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday lamented the destruction caused in the port city of Kherson by Russian bombing. Russian strikes had destroyed the regional administration building, Zelensky said in his nightly address. "Its not the first time theyve attacked this building, but todays strike was clearly demonstrative. There was no military logic behind it whatsoever." Moscow was "obsessed with war, consumed by hatred and the desire to destroy the lives of other nations," Zelensky said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "You can only defeat such ones with force the force of diplomacy, sanctions, weapons and technology." According to local reports, three glide bombs hit the building in two attacks, and a fourth hit a multi-storey residential building. Despite the severe damage, only one person was initially reported injured. Zelensky said there were also strikes on Kharkiv, on the Sumy and Donetsk regions, Nikopol, and in the Zaporizhzhya region. "This is the daily reality of what the Russians, unfortunately, are allowed to do. The world, unfortunately, is allowing them to do it." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refuted President Donald Trump's characterization of the war between Russia and Ukraine when he likened the countries to "two young people fighting like crazy" and saying "sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while." In an exclusive interview airing Sunday on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," co-anchor Martha Raddatz asked Zelenskyy if Trump "is getting the message" of suffering in Ukraine based on his Oval Office remarks. Office of the President of Ukraine - PHOTO: The full interview between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Martha Raddatz, co-anchor of This Week with George Stephanopoulos, will air on Sunday morning on This Week. "We are not kids with Putin at the playground in the park," Zelenskyy said Friday. "He is a murderer who came to this park to kill the kids." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE: Following peace talks, Zelenskyy says Ukraine will continue attacks unless Russia halts offensive Zelenskyy described the "limitless" pain of a Ukrainian father who lost his wife and three children in a missile strike. The man's words to Zelenskyy were "different" than how officials talk about loss, the Ukrainian leader said. "He wasn't mentioning any statistics or figures and numbers of strikes." "He just said, 'Every morning when I wake up, I'm just looking for my family -- I'm looking everywhere in the flat ... I still feel that it was a nightmare a bad dream,'" Zelenskyy said the man told him. ABC News - PHOTO: The full interview between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Martha Raddatz, co-anchor of This Week with George Stephanopoulos, will air on Sunday morning on This Week. Trump "could not feel fully and understand this pain," Zelenskyy said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "And it's not about President Trump, it's about any person who is not here in the country, who is some thousands of miles away -- [they] cannot feel fully and understand this pain," he said. The Ukrainian president told Raddatz that 631 Ukrainian children have died in the war, and that Russia often targets civilians in its offensive. In a recent study, the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated between 60,000 and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died in the war, and as many as 250,000 Russian troops have died from the fighting. The Office of the President of Ukraine is working to arrange a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit, which is set to take place in Canada on 15-17 June 2025. Source: Andrii Yermak, Head of the Ukrainian Presidents Office, on the national joint 24/7 newscast, as reported by European Pravda, citing Interfax Details: Yermak said one of the aims of a recent visit to the United States by a Ukrainian delegation, led by First Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, was to prepare for a potential meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump at the G7 summit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quote: "Our visit was part of the preparation, including for what I believe will be a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada, which is taking place in 10 days time. This was a key step in preparing for this conversation." More details: The last time Zelenskyy and Trump met was on 26 April in the Vatican, when scores of foreign leaders were there to attend Pope Francis' funeral. Yermak also noted that the Ukrainian delegation met with about half of the US Senate and the chairs of key committees in both houses of Congress, outlining Ukraines position on Russias war of aggression and explaining the need for sanctions against Moscow. He added that Congress has a "clear understanding" of the importance of supporting Ukraine. Background: Last week, Zelenskyy confirmed that he had received an invitation to the G7 summit. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! History of Roebuck ROEBUCK, S.C. (WSPA) Roebuck was one of the first settlements in the Upstate, settled in 1790. It all began at Walnut Grove Plantation, the oldest home in Spartanburg County. The Moore family received eight land grants spanning five square miles from King George III following the French and Indian War. Local historian Tim Fowler said it may be thanks to a few travelers who stopped at Smiths Tavern, a lodging place near the plantation, that Roebuck is what it is today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A couple of travelers were passing through in the late you know1790s, Fowler explained. They decided to come back, and they established a church, which is the Bethlehem Baptist Church, which was established in 1800, and that was mainly the general gathering area. The church still stands today. I get a little emotional sometimes, you know. Im so proud of our folks, who they were, and where they came from. Thats why Ive spent so much time and money making sure my two sons and my grandchildren know all about them, said Tim Foster, a seventh-generation member at the church. Throughout the centuries, many, like Foster, said Roebuck has stayed the same. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They describe it as a quiet, laid-back town where people can take a break from the hustle and bustle of other booming cities. Lifetime resident Joe Parrish described Roebuck as a piece of countryside. Oh, its just a beautiful community, Parrish described. You have all the growth of Spartanburg County, but in Roebuck, its like the untouched, so to speak. You still have nature, you know; you can go to Spartanburg or wherever, but you get Roebuck, and its peaceful. All whom we spoke with said they quietly hope Roebuck always remains the same. I think that this is a spot where youre close to the city, but youre all of a sudden immersed in nature, and youre sent back in time, said Lauren Preston-Friedrich. I really think thats special. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were hoping Roebuck gets to be Roebuck for as long as it can, said Parrish. Learn more about our special guests Dollywood Family Vacation Giveaway You can win 4 tickets to Dollywood! To enter the contest, click here. Videos Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS. > < 22:51 Evasion won't protect credibility: Rahul to EC Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit back at the Election Commission after sources in the poll panel rejected his allegation of rigging in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly polls, saying evasion would not protect its credibility but telling the truth would.In an article, the Leader of... Read more > 21:41 Bakrid: Muslims cut goat cake on BJP MLA's appeal Image only for representation In a unique demonstration of environmental consciousness, Muslim residents of Dabur Talab and Nasbandi Colony in Loni of Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad district celebrated Eid-ul-Adha by cutting a cake adorned with a symbolic goat, forgoing traditional animal sacrifice.The eco-friendly celebration... Read more > 20:35 76 army personnel airlifted from landslide-hit Chaten At least 76 army personnel were on Saturday airlifted from Chaten in north Sikkim where road connectivity has been snapped due to multiple landslides triggered by heavy rain, officials said.This marks the 'completion of coordinated evacuation efforts', which included the rescue of all stranded... Read more > 20:16 Sonia Gandhi undergoes tests at Shimla hospital Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was on Saturday taken to Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital in Shimla after she complained of high blood pressure, a party official said.Gandhi, 78, who was on a personal trip to Shimla along with her daughter Priyanka Gandhi, underwent some tests at the... Read more > 20:12 Punjab YouTuber's police remand extended by 2 days A Mohali court on Saturday extended for two days the police remand of Punjab-based YouTuber Jasbir Singh, who was arrested on espionage charges on June 4.Singh was produced before the court after his three-day police remand ended on Saturday.Police sought a seven-day remand of Singh but the court... Read more > 19:03 India must be part of G7 discussions: Canadian PM India is the fifth largest economy in the world and it is central to a number of critical global supply chains, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said, arguing that the leadership of the country must be part of discussions at the upcoming G7 summit.Carney's comments came after some of his... Read more > 18:40 Dog carries dead newborn in its jaws at MP hospital In a disturbing incident, a stray dog was seen clutching a dead newborn in its jaws near the toilet of a government hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Indore district on Saturday before a security guard managed to retrieve the body after shooing away the animal.Authorities at the civil hospital in... Read more > 18:00 Must not dwell on past: Raut amid reunion buzz Amid speculation about reconciliation between estranged cousins, Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday said that his party is looking to the future, not the past. Raut's statement has come after leaders from Raj Thackeray-led... Read more > 17:36 Teen hangs self in Bilapsur after being stopped from watching TV A 14-year-old boy allegedly hanged himself in Panoh village of Bilaspur district after his mother reportedly stopped him from watching television and asked him to study, police said on Saturday.According to police, the incident took place on Thursday when the boy, a Class X student, was at home... Read more > 17:01 EC responds to Rahul's 'match-fixing' claim Election Commission sources on Saturday rejected claims of rigging in the Maharashtra Assembly polls held last year and said defaming it after receiving an unfavourable verdict from the voters is absolutely absurd.The EC sources were responding to an article by former Congress chief and the... Read more > 16:10 Helicopter on way to Kedarnath crashlands on highway A helicopter on its way to Kedarnath made an emergency landing on the highway in Rudraprayag district on Saturday after developing a technical snag during take-off, officials said.However, all pilgrims on board and the pilot are safe, the officials said.The helicopter had taken off from Badasu... Read more > 15:46 Musk retracts claim linking Trump to Epstein files Tesla CEO Elon Musk and United States President Donald Trump engaged in a public spat on Thursday, with Musk alleging that Epstein case files remain undisclosed because they mention Trump.Musk, however, later deleted his post on X stating, 'Donald Trump is in the Epstein files.'The social media... Read more > 15:18 Mithi River desilting: ED summons actor Dino Morea At least eight people, including actor Dino Morea, his brother, and some BMC officials have been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate for questioning next week in a money laundering case linked to an alleged Rs 65 crore worth Mithi River desilting 'scam', official sources said on... Read more > 15:15 Haryana delivery boy arrested in UP for supplying illegal arms A 23-year-old man, working as a delivery boy for a prominent company in Haryana, was arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district for supplying illegal arms, police said on Saturday.The accused, identified as Sudhanshu, was arrested on Friday after his vehicle was intercepted by police... Read more > 14:36 Bengaluru stampede: CID team visits KSCA office A team of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officials visited the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) office on Friday as part of the ongoing investigation into the recent stampede at Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium.The Government of Karnataka had earlier ordered a probe by the CID... Read more > 12:53 I don't talk much about stopping nuke war: Trump United States President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) again claimed credit for brokering a cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan, adding that he used trade as a weapon, leading to both countries stopping the war immediately.Trump pointed out that a war between India and... Read more > 12:01 Tejashwi Yadav's convoy hit by truck, 3 injured Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav escaped unhurt as a speeding truck hit two vehicles of his convoy, injuring three security personnel in Bihar's Vaishali district early on Saturday, police said.The vehicle of the leader of the opposition was not hit by the truck, a senior officer... Read more > 11:11 Man held for giving death threat to Delhi CM A 25-year-old man was apprehended on Saturday for allegedly giving a death threat to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, police said. Though he has been identified as Shlok Tripathi, a police source said the accused is a fraudster and frequently changes his identity.He was arrested by the... Read more > 11:05 5-yr-old girl raped after being lured with mango A five-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a man after he lured her with a mango in a marriage reception in Jharkhand's Ranchi district, police said on Saturday.The incident occurred during a marriage reception at a village in Chanho, about 50 km from the state's capital Ranchi, on Friday... Read more > 10:49 India To Possess 46,000 GPUs By June 10 Aashish AryanIndia is expected to have around 46,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) in place by June 10, upon conclusion of the third round of bidding under the IndiaAI Mission, government officials said. After the third round of the bidding, the ministry of electronics and information... Read more > 10:32 B'luru stampede: 2 K'taka cricket body officials quit A Shankar and E S Jairam have resigned from their respective posts as secretary and treasurer of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), taking moral responsibility for the stampede that led to the death of 11 people during RCB's IPL trophy celebrations. In a joint statement,... Read more > 10:28 Bajaj Finserv's Promoters Raise Rs 5,505 Crore Puja DasBajaj Finserv promoter entities Jamnalal Sons and Bajaj Holdings and Investment on Friday divested 1.79 per cent stake in the company. As per data released by exchanges, the two entities sold 28.6 million shares at 1,925.2 apiece to raise 5,505 crore. Shares of Bajaj... Read more > 09:53 Russia targets 'almost all' of Ukraine, fires 400 drones Russia launched a massive strike on Ukraine, firing over 400 drones and 40 missiles across the country, killing at least six people and injuring dozens more, CNN reported, citing a Ukrainian official's statement. The attack targeted almost all Ukraine, with nine regions affected, including... Read more > 09:48 RBI Introduces New Gold Loan Norms Anupreksha JainProviding relief to small borrowers, the Reserve Bank of India has increased the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio for gold-backed loans up to Rs 5 lakh, while the LTV for loans below Rs 2.5 lakh has been set at 85 per cent, and those between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 5 lakh at 80 per... Read more > 09:30 Harmony, health, prosperity: Modi extends Eid greetings Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday greeted people on the occasion of Eid ul-Azha.He said on X, Best wishes on Eid ul-Adha. May this occasion inspire harmony and strengthen the fabric of peace in our society. Wishing everyone good health and prosperity. One of the main Islamic... Read more > 09:28 Maruti Unveils EMI Plan For Car Upgrade Deepak PatelMaruti Suzuki India (MSIL) is planning to launch a financial scheme aimed at making SUV ownership more accessible for entry-level car owners, including Alto, WagonR or similar segment buyers.Under this initiative, customers who own a small car of any brand, can purchase the Grand... Read more > 08:41 Russia credits Trump for brokering India-Pak truce Aide to the Russian President Vladimir Putin, Yury Ushakov, has endorsed United States President Donald Trump's claim of having brokered a cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan. Ushakov said that the India-Pakistan conflict was resolved with 'personal' involvement of US... Read more > 00:49 Woman patient raped by nursing staff in Rajasthan hospital A 32-year-old woman was allegedly by a nursing staff in a hospital in Rajasthan's Alwar district, the police said on Friday.According to police, the incident occurred on Wednesday night at ESIC Medical College Hospital located in MIA area.Following the incident, her husband filed a complaint and... Read more > Support Local News Reporting Journalists at the Yakima Herald-Republic bring you timely, in-depth and credible local news. Your generous donation supports their work. Peter MC Verbrugge appears via Zoom in Yakima County Superior Court Wednesday, April 10, 2024. Verbrugge was arrested on suspicion of vehicular assault while intoxicated after a crash that seriously injured a cyclist. Culpeper County, Va., Sheriff Scott Jenkins speaks during a gun rights rally organized by The Virginia Citizens Defense League near the state Capitol building in Richmond, Va., on Jan. 20, 2020. Press Release June 6, 2025 Sen. Robin Resolution Condemns Continued Inhumane Treatment of Palestinian Civilians in Occupied Territories Sen. Robinhood "Robin" C. Padilla condemned the continued inhumane treatment, including deliberate starvation, of Palestinian civilians in the occupied territories, even as he called for the unhindered entry of humanitarian aid for them. Padilla on Thursday filed Senate Resolution 1366, where he also sought accountability for violations of international humanitarian law against these civilians. "It is pertinent that we, as a nation, send a strong statement condemning the persistent and systematic killing of innocent lives, destruction of vital infrastructure, and obstruction of access to humanitarian aid, as these constitute grave violations of international humanitarian law. The Philippines, as a member of the international community, must not remain silent while these atrocities continue unabated," he said. "Resolved, as it is hereby resolved, by the Senate of the Philippines to strongly condemn the continued inhumane treatment, deliberate starvation, and mass killings of Palestinian civilians in the occupied territories, calling for the immediate protection of human rights, accountability for international humanitarian law violations, and the unhindered entry of humanitarian aid," he added. Padilla cited Sec. 2, Article II of the 1987 Philippine Constitution which states that the State renounces war and upholds international legal norms, including the protection of civilians during armed conflicts. He also noted the Philippines ratified the Geneva Conventions of 1949, committing to international humanitarian law principles that prohibit acts such as starvation and targeting of civilians. Also, he said the Philippines as a founding member of the United Nations played an active role in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), reflecting its dedication to upholding human rights. Padilla said that as of Jan. 15, Israeli military operations in Gaza have resulted in widespread destruction and damage, including homes, commercial facilities, and school buildings. Only half of hospitals remain partially functional, while 68% of road networks and cropland have been affected. He added a report cited by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification showed the blockade set up since the beginning of March this year has prevented the delivery of essential supplies, such as food, water, medicine, fuel, and cooking gas. More than two million Palestinians now face acute hunger and famine-like conditions because of the prolonged blockades and restrictions on humanitarian aid. From June 1 to 3, 2025, at least 60 Palestinians were reportedly killed when Israeli forces opened fire on crowds attempting to collect food from a facility operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The GHF's operations have been suspended. Resolusyon ni Sen. Robin, Kinondena ang 'Inhumane Treatment' sa Sibilyang Palestinian sa Occupied Territories Kinondena ni Sen. Robinhood "Robin" C. Padilla ang patuloy na "inhumane treatment," kabilang ang paggutom ng sibilyang Palestino sa mga occupied territories, kasama ang panawagan para sa pagpasok ng tulong para sa kanila. Ihinain ni Padilla nitong Huwebes ang Senate Resolution 1366, kung saan nanawagan siya ng pananagutan para sa mga patuloy na paglabag ng international humanitarian law. "It is pertinent that we, as a nation, send a strong statement condemning the persistent and systematic killing of innocent lives, destruction of vital infrastructure, and obstruction of access to humanitarian aid, as these constitute grave violations of international humanitarian law. The Philippines, as a member of the international community, must not remain silent while these atrocities continue unabated," aniya. "Resolved, as it is hereby resolved, by the Senate of the Philippines to strongly condemn the continued inhumane treatment, deliberate starvation, and mass killings of Palestinian civilians in the occupied territories, calling for the immediate protection of human rights, accountability for international humanitarian law violations, and the unhindered entry of humanitarian aid," dagdag niya. Ani Padilla, nakasaad sa Sec. 2, Article II ng 1987 Philippine Constitution ang pagtalikod sa giyera at pagtaguyod sa pagprotekta sa sibilyan sa panahon ng giyera. Ipinunto din niya na pinagtibay din ng Pilipinas ang Geneva Conventions of 1949, na nagbabawal sa paggutom at pag-target sa sibilyan. Giit din ng mambabatas, ang Pilipinas bilang founding member ng United Nations ay may malaking papel sa paghubog ng Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), na nagpapakita ng dedikasyon nito sa pagtaguyod ng karapatang pantao. Ani Padilla, malawak na pinsala sa mga bahay at paaralan ang naidulot ng military operations ng Israel sa Gaza. Kalahati lamang ng mga ospital ang gumagana, at 68% ng mga daan at bukid ay apektado. Binanggit niya ang ulat ng Integrated Food Security Phase Classification kung saan ang blockade mula Marso ay nagpigil sa pagpasok ng mga mahalagang bagay tulad ng pagkain, tubig, gamot, at cooking gas. Dahil sa mga blockade at restriction sa humanitarian aid, higit dalawang milyong Palestinians ang nanganganib na magutom. Mula Hunyo 1 hanggang 3, hindi bababa sa 60 Palestinians ang napatay nang pinagbaril ng mga Israeli ang mga taong kumukuha ng pagkain mula sa pasilidad ng Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Dahil dito, suspendido ang operasyon ng GHF. Considering that the number of mandatory holidays in Macau has consistently been set at 10 days each year, a labor group has urged the local government to seek public input on the issue, while the government has stated that such decisions should reflect Macaus historical and cultural context, as well as its economic and social development. The mandatory public holidays have remained unchanged since 2009, except in 2015, when one additional holiday was added, according to the Labour Affairs Bureaus (DSAL) website. In contrast, neighboring regions like Hong Kong have revised their regulations starting in 2021, increasing the number of statutory holidays from 12 to 17, with an additional day added every two years beginning in 2022. Similarly, mainland China adjusted its statutory public holidays on Jan. 1, 2023, raising the total from 11 to 13 days, with one extra day each for the Lunar New Year Festival and Labor Day. Public broadcaster TDM reported on this development earlier this week, posing the question to both the Macao Federation of Trade Unions (FAOM) and the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) about whether Macau might reconsider its mandatory public holiday policy. Kelvin Choi, a representative from the FAOM, told TDM that Macau has the conditions to increase the number of mandatory holidays. We believe that currently, both mandatory government holidays and bank holidays including major festivals like Christmas and Easter should also be increased appropriately under certain conditions. As reported, he pointed out the need to adjust mandatory holidays appropriately, stating that the government must balance the interests of both employers and employees. While working people generally welcome an increase in holidays, it is essential to also consider the overall economic environment and implement changes accordingly. According to the DSALs website, the mandatory public holiday of 10 days will remain in effect at least until 2029. Reviewing past news records, a labor group marched as early as 2018, demanding that the government add two mandatory Christmas holidays to increase the total number to 12. At that time, it was also noted that Macau had not increased the number of mandatory holidays in nearly 30 years. The mandatory public holidays in Macau, which are paid holidays, comprise New Years Day, three days for the Lunar New Year, Qingming Festival, May Day, the day following the Mid-Autumn Festival, National Day on Oct. 1, Double Ninth Festival, and the anniversary of Macaus return to Chinese sovereignty on Dec. 20. In response to inquiries from TDM, the DSAL stated that when determining mandatory holidays, it is essential to consider Macaus historical, cultural, economic and social contexts. It noted that while the current law stipulates 10 mandatory holidays, employers have the option to negotiate better working conditions with their employees, as permitted by the Labor Relations Law. However, the authorities stressed their commitment to actively listen to the opinions and suggestions of all sectors of society and to take appropriate measures in a timely manner to balance the interests of both employers and employees. Members of the Social Advisory Council have urged authorities to broaden smoke-free areas across the city, proposing that hospitals, clinics, parks, and other public spaces be included in the smoking ban to better protect public health. At a meeting held recently at Areia Preta, several council members expressed concern over tobacco and alcohol control measures, emphasizing the need to extend no-smoking zones beyond existing boundaries. Council member Leong Chun Kit noted that the Health Bureau (SSM) is considering expanding outdoor smoking restrictions, with pilot projects near schools and daycare centers. He recommended extending these pilot zones to the areas surrounding hospitals and clinics to reduce secondhand smoke exposure for patients and vulnerable groups. Concerns about youth e-cigarette use were raised by member Chan Hiu Teng, who urged the government to enhance cross-departmental cooperation to intercept illegal e-cigarette inflows via border checkpoints and logistics channels. Chan also called for stronger collaboration between families and schools to raise awareness among students and parents about e-cigarette risks. They stressed the importance of cracking down on indoor smoking in places like public restrooms and called for tighter controls to prevent illegal e-cigarette products from entering Macau. In 2024, more than 259,000 venue inspections were conducted, with 1,552 tobacco-related and 270 alcohol-related complaints received via hotline. Last year, 3,911 individuals attended smoking cessation clinics at health centers. Recently, local authorities said they are investigating all cases of people advertising the sale of banned smoking products such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). This comes after the Times inquiry into several social media posts selling e-cigarettes. Hungarian writer, poet and literary translator Janos Lackfi will open the 96th Budapest Book Week to be held between June 12 and 15 in downtown Budapest. The four-day festival held on Vorosmarty Square, Vigado Square and the Danube promenade organised by the Hungarian Publishers and Booksellers Association (MKKE) will feature 187 exhibitors and more than 1,100 signing events, award ceremonies, as well as some 80 stage performances and pop concerts, Katalin Gal of MKKE told a press conference. After the greetings of the MKKE and Lackfi's opening speech, Gergely Karacsony, the mayor of Budapest, will also welcome guests, she said. The event will continue with the award ceremony of the Beautiful Hungarian Book 2024 contest, Gal said. More: Budapest Book Week Source: MTI Hungarys national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent. Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media. XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com ********************************* You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories via our Facebook page: Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoops groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters As an independent portal were grateful to all commercial supporters who help keep you in the loop with fresh insights and inspiration. Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? If so please contact us here. Jazeera Airways launched a scheduled direct flight between Budapest and Kuwait City on Thursday. The airline will operate the flight twice a week, Boglarka Illes, a state secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said at Liszt Ferenc International Airport. Jazeera Airways picked Budapest for the flight as Hungary is a safe country for both investors and tourists, she added. Jazeera Airways CEO Barathan Pasupathi said Budapest would be the gate to Europe for the airline, adding that the flight was expected to operate more frequently from 2026. Kuwait City is the seventh destination in the Middle East that can be reached by direct flights from Budapest. Source: MTI Hungarys national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent. Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media. XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com ********************************* You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories via our Facebook page: Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoops groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters As an independent portal were grateful to all commercial supporters who help keep you in the loop with fresh insights and inspiration. Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? If so please contact us here. Shortly before 8pm, the Budapest Pride event ended on the Muegyetem embankment in the capital. We made history here today, said Viktoria Radvanyi - according to the President of Budapest Pride, over 200,000 took part in the march this year. This years Pride attracted international attention, with delegations from over 30 countries, including more than 70 members of the European Parliament plus many foreign diplomats. New Delhi: As the release of Metro In Dino inches closer, Ali Fazal is not just showcasing his romantic flair on screen but also bringing his signature humour and charm to social media. The actor recently dropped a self-shot reel on Instagram thats equal parts moody, funny, and utterly adorablewith a special appearance by his wife and fellow actor, Richa Chadha. The video opens with a short but sweet shot of Richa before cutting to Ali, who is seen brooding with a cup of coffee in hand, surrounded by lush plants. Playing on the melancholic undertone of Metro In Dino's soundtrack, Ali adds his own comic spin, perfectly capturing the "emo-boy energy" in a setting thats far from dramaticno rain, no gloom, just houseplants and heartfelt expressions. Captioning the video with: "Jab edit ke liye team na ho, mausam ke liye baarish na ho aur tumhe bhulaane ke liye tum (Richa) hee na ho toh launda paudhon ke saath coffee mein khush hai" Take a Look: Fans were quick to react with heart emojis and laughing faces, praising not just the humour but also the couple's palpable chemistryeven in the shortest clips. Known for their witty banter, public support for each other, and unfiltered moments, Ali and Richa have consistently redefined Bollywood couple goals. This reel only adds to their growing archive of moments that resonate with followers. Also Read | Metro In Dino TRAILER X Review: Netizens Hooked On Soundtrack, Share Honest Reactions On the professional front, Ali is set to appear in Metro In Dino, directed by Anurag Basu. The film, a spiritual successor to the acclaimed Life in a Metro, is expected to explore urban relationships and complexities with a contemporary lens. While the film builds buzz for its ensemble cast and emotive storytelling, Ali's online antics are already winning hearts. Mumbai: Actors Pankaj Tripathi and Aditi Rao Hydari are set to share the screen for the first time as they begin the shooting for their movie 'Parivarik ManuRanjan' in Lucknow on Thursday. Apart from the first-ever collaboration between the duo, the film also marks the beginning of the strategic partnership between Bhanushali Studios Limited and AAZ Films. Vinod Bhanushali and Himanshu Mehra are producing the movie, which is creatively produced by Ali Abbas Zafar. The film is directed by Varun V. Sharma and written by Brijendra Kala and Varun Sharma. Taking to his Instagram, the actor Pankaj Tripathi announced the beginning of the 'Parivarik ManuRanjan' shoot by sharing adorable photos with Aditi Rao Hydari and the film's crew. Take A Look At The Post: In the press note shared by the makers of the movie, Pankaj Tripathi opened up about his collaboration with Aditi Rao Hydari. He said, "There was something so charmingly simple and yet irresistibly funny about the script that I couldn't say no. It's the kind of story that sneaks up on you with its warmth. This is my first time working with Aditi, and I've always admired her craft towards acting. Also excited to creatively partner with Varun Sharma and Ali Abbas Zafar and Producers Vinod Bhanushali and Himanshu Mehra, who are backing a story like this" Aditi Rao Hydari said that working with Pankaj Tripathi is a "learning experience" for her, as she believes that the actor is a true master of situational comedy. "When I read the script, I smiled through it. For me, it's rare to come across a story in this universe. The situational comedy, the twists and the unexpected turns and more importantly, the warmth and simplicity that is the heart of the story. Getting to work with Pankaj sir is going to be a treat. He is a master of this genre, and for me this is going to be a big learning experience and a joy," said Aditi Rao Hydari as quoted in a press note by the makers. Director Varun V. Sharma added that "Parivarik ManuRanjan is a story that's close to my heart--rooted in the chaos and comedy of life. With Pankaj sir and Aditi coming together for the first time, we're excited to bring something refreshingly warm, honest, and hilariously relatable to the screen," The release date of the movie has not been revealed yet by the makers. Teen chess sensation Dommaraju Gukesh continues his meteoric rise, securing his fourth classical win at the prestigious 2025 Norway Chess tournament with a commanding performance in Round 9 against Chinas Wei Yi. With this crucial victory, the youngest-ever World Chess Champion climbs to 14.5 points, just half a point behind tournament leader Magnus Carlsen. The stage is now perfectly set for a thrilling finale, with both titans poised to battle for the title in Round 10. Gukeshs win against Wei Yi was a masterclass in modern chess, balancing tactical sharpness with positional maturity. He took control in a complicated middlegame before steering the encounter into a nuanced endgame, where his deep understanding and patience prevailed. Meanwhile, Magnus Carlsen, the five-time World Champion and current World No. 1, showed hes not ready to hand over the crown just yet. In a grueling encounter, Carlsen overcame American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana in a tense rook endgame, ensuring he maintains a slim lead with 15 points heading into the decisive round. As the chess world braces for Round 10, all eyes are on the looming showdown. For Gukesh, a win could not only clinch the Norway Chess title but also solidify his status as Carlsens true heir in the sport. For Carlsen, victory would reaffirm his enduring dominance amid a new generation of challengers. This edition of Norway Chess 2025 has evolved into more than a tournament, its a symbolic clash of eras. Whether the youthful brilliance of Gukesh prevails or Carlsen's experience holds firm, the final round promises to be a historic chapter in chess lore. New Delhi: Small gold-backed loans are about to get simpler. RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra has announced that no credit appraisal will be required for gold loans up to Rs 2.5 lakh. This move is aimed at making the process easier and faster for borrowers who pledge gold as collateral. He also added that the draft regulations are ready and the final guidelines will be issued by Friday evening or latest by Monday. After announcing the outcome of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra addressed the media and clarified the reason behind the draft guidelines on gold loans. He said, "There was nothing new in this (draft) that we have released. We have consolidated and reiterated our old rules." This statement follows the governments recent request to the RBI to ensure that small gold loan borrowers are not impacted by the proposed new rules on lending against gold. In a post on social media platform X, the Finance Ministry shared that the Draft Directions on Lending Against Gold Collateral have been reviewed by the Department of Financial Services (DFS) under the guidance of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The Department of Financial Services (DFS) has shared its suggestions with the RBI, urging the central bank to ensure that the new rules dont make it harder for small borrowers to access gold loans. Many of these borrowers rely on small-ticket gold loans to meet urgent personal or business needs. The Finance Ministry noted that the new guidelines may take time to implement effectively on the ground. Thats why the Department of Financial Services (DFS) has recommended that the RBI roll out the new rules from January 1, 2026. To safeguard small borrowers, the ministry has also proposed exempting loans below Rs 2 lakh from these new requirements. This move is aimed at ensuring quicker and hassle-free disbursal of small gold loans. The Finance Ministry has expressed hope that the central bank will carefully consider public suggestions and concerns raised by various stakeholders before finalising the rules. (With ANI Inputs) New Delhi: A woman bank officer of ICICI Bank in Rajasthan has reportedly duped customers of above Rs 4 crore. As per a report in NDTV the woman has now been arrested and sent to judicial custody. Invests money in stock market, fails to deposit money back As per NDTV reports the woman officer named Sakshi Gupta was the relationship manager of the ICICI Bank in Rajasthan. By luring customers to generate high returns in a short period by investing in stocks, she duped customers of more than Rs 4 crore. Between 2020 and 2023, she allegedly exploited the 'User FD (Fixed Deposit)' link to illegally withdraw Rs 4.58 crores from 110 accounts of 41 customers, NDTV report has said. As per reports, the fraud continued for two years but no one in the bank knew about it. According to the investigations mentioned in the report, Gupta used the funds to buy stocks. However, she suffered significant market losses and could not deposit the money back in the accounts. The scam was exposed when a customer came to the bank to inquire about his FD. The police arrested Gupta late last night at her sister's wedding. She has been sent to judicial custody. Mobile number changed to withdraw money To prevent customers from knowing about the transaction messages, the woman banker even changed the mobile numbers of the customers linked with the accounts. "She linked the phone numbers of her family members to these accounts and withdrew more than Rs 4 crore. She even devised a system that she used to get the OTPs on her system so that the account holders don't get a whiff of the fraud," NDTV referring to investigating officer Ibrahim Khan has reported. Bank may compensate the loss suffered by customers The bank filed a case with the police on February 18. NDTV quoting sources in the bank said that the bank will compensate the loss suffered by customers. Customers say that bank is unsafe for keeping money After learning about Gupta's arrest, a customer reached the bank to check if his money was safe. The customer was clueless at the dichotomy of whether his money was safe in bank or at home. The 2025 National Environment Day National Main Event took place in Chongqing yesterday, featuring the announcement that Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau will jointly host the 2026 National Environment Day National Event. At the handover ceremony, a representative from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) passed the event flag to government officials from the three regions, marking the start of preparations for the upcoming event. The annual National Environment Day event, observed every year on June 5, is organized by the MEE in a different Chinese city each year. This years event in Chongqing highlighted the progress of Beautiful China Pilot Zones and encouraged public participation in building a beautiful China. The Central Office of Spiritual Civilization Construction and the Chongqing Municipal Peoples Government co-organized the 2025 event. In recent years, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Central Office for the Construction of Spiritual Civilization have collaborated with local governments to organize national events for World Environment Day. The MEE states, these events serve as key platforms for promoting ecological awareness, studying and implementing President Xi Jinpings ecological civilization thoughts, showcasing regional achievements in building a beautiful China, and mobilizing societal participation in ecological civilization practices. Representatives from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau released statements that hosting the 2026 event demonstrates their commitment to President Xi Jinpings ecological civilization vision and offers a window to promote a world-class bay area. They also emphasized their dedication to learning from previous host cities, collaborating closely, planning meticulously, and striving to make the 2026 World Environment Day National Main Event distinctive and high-level. The Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) released a similar statement yesterday regarding the event, stating, it [the event] serves as serving as a key platform for promoting ecological awareness, studying and implementing President Xi Jinpings thoughts on ecological civilization. Key Takeaways In 2024, 87.2% of days in 339 prefecture-level cities recorded excellent or good air quality, marking a 1.7 percentage point increase from 2023. Freshwater Environment Sections of surface water meeting Grade I to III quality reached 90.4% in 2024, up 1.0 percentage point from the previous year. Groundwater quality remained stable, with 77.9% of monitoring sites meeting Grade I to IV standards. Marine Environment Chinas jurisdictional sea areas maintained stable water quality in 2024, with 97.7% meeting Grade I seawater quality standards. Soil Environment Heavy metal contamination decreased at key-risk soil monitoring sites, indicating an initial halt to rising soil pollution. The safe utilization rate of polluted agricultural land improved to 92%. Natural and Ecological Environment The overall ecological condition remained stable, with the Ecological Quality Index (EQI) at 59.95, corresponding to a Grade II classification for ecological quality. The DSPA further states, the event serves as a platform to showcase regional achievements in building a beautiful China and mobilizing societal participation in ecological civilization practice. By hosting the event, the three regions aim to deepen cooperation and exchanges in ecological environment protection, as well as provide robust ecological and environmental support for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA). In recent years, China has reported steady improvement across various ecological and environmental indicators in 2024. The newly released 2024 Report on the State of the Ecology and Environment in China highlighted significant progress being made by the country. The total number days with good air quality rose to 87.2%, up 4.1 percentage points from 2016. Water quality also improved according to the report. For the first time, over 90% of monitored surface water sections met or exceeded Grade III, while the share of water below Grade V declined. The MEE report states, Grade III standard of water could be used for Class II drinking water source protected areas, fish and shrimp wintering grounds, migration channels, aquaculture areas and swimming sites. The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers maintained Grade II water quality for five and three consecutive years, respectively. Drinking water compliance reached 96% in prefecture-level cities and 93.7% in county-level towns. Seawater quality remained stable, with over 80% of nearshore waters meeting good standards. Chinas overall ecological quality index stood at 59.95 in 2024, classified as Grade II, reflecting good ecological health with rich biodiversity and intact ecosystems. The index has remained in this good range since 2021, according to the MEE report. By Nadia Shaw, MDT ITANAGAR: Security forces neutralised two militants during a fierce gun battle in Arunachal Pradeshs Longding district, bordering Myanmar, officials said on Friday. A Defence spokesperson said that the slain militants were suspected to be from the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-K-YA) faction. The gunfight occurred on Thursday when during the patrolling party of the security forces came under attack from militants believed to be operating across the porous India-Myanmar border in Longding district of Arunachal Pradesh. In response, the security forces effectively retaliated against the attack, the spokesman said, adding that during the intense firefight, the armed cadres withdrew across the International Border towards Myanmar. The NSCN (K-YA) faction has been active in cross-border operations despite ongoing peace negotiations with various other Naga outfits including dominant faction NSCN (IM). Meanwhile, on May 14, ten militants were killed during an encounter with the Assam Rifles in southern Manipur's Chandel district, which shares the unfenced border with Myanmar and a large cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from the spot. The cache comprised seven AK-47 rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, a M4 rifle, and four single-barrel breech-loading rifles, ammunition and other war-like stores. On April 27, three militants of the NSCN-K-YA faction were killed during a fierce gun battle between the security forces and the extremists in Arunachal Pradeshs same Longding district. Meanwhile, the Army and Assam Rifles, in coordination with the Assam Police, earlier apprehended a wanted top cadre of the NSCN-KYA from Assam's Charaideo district. The NSCN-K-YA has earlier served an extortion notice of Rs 20 lakh to the public sector oil major Oil India Limited (OIL). The notice was signed by the outfit's self-styled Major, Tha Aung and sent to OIL's office in Manabhum, located in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh. The OIL has its operational site at the Manabhum reserve forest in eastern Arunachal, and the thickly forested reserve forest areas fall under both Changlang and Namsai districts. On April 29, three militants of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) were killed during an encounter with the security forces in Assams mountainous Dima Hasao district. However, the faction of the NSCN they belonged to is yet to be known. Two AK series rifles and a pistol were recovered from the forested areas. The NSCN-K-YA has not signed a ceasefire agreement with the Centre. Four northeastern states Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Manipur (398 km), Nagaland (215 km) and Mizoram (510 km) -- share 1,643-km unfenced border with Myanmar. A court here on Friday extended, till July 9, the judicial custody of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana. Rana was produced before Special Judge Chander Jit Singh through video conference upon the expiry of the previously granted judicial custody. The Patiala House Court asked Tihar authorities to file a status report by June 9 after Ranas counsel raised his deteriorating health condition. As per the latest order, Rana, a former officer of the Pakistan Armys Medical Corps, will remain under judicial custody till July 9. On May 9, a special NIA Court had sent Rana to judicial custody till June 6, marking a temporary break in questioning by the federal anti-terror agency. The NIA had collected voice and handwriting samples of Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian national, in court as a precursor to match them with recordings of his telephonic discussions with 26/11 co-accused David Coleman Headley, an official said. Rana, who was recently extradited from the US, is suspected to have passed on to Headley handwritten notes sharing instructions, coordinates, and maps which were used to scout 26/11 targets. The NIA also had plans to take Rana to Mumbai and other cities to reconstruct the chain of events preceding the terror attack that left 166 people dead. In April, the Special NIA court extended Ranas NIA custody by 12 more days to allow investigators to question him. Special Judge Charan Jit Singh accepted senior advocate Dayan Krishnans plea that the investigating agency needed more time to uncover Ranas role in the Mumbai attack of 2008. Rana was presented in court for an extension of his NIA custody after his 18-day remand ended on April 28. During the court proceedings, the Special Judge was informed by the NIA about the alleged evasive technique adopted by Rana during questioning. During his NIA remand, Rana was also questioned by Mumbai Police officers. In the interrogation, Rana claimed that he had "no connection whatsoever" with the planning or execution of the attack. He also claimed that his childhood friend and co-accused Headley was solely responsible for the reconnaissance and planning aspects of 26/11. Headley is currently in a US jail. Headley, who turned approver in the case, had earlier admitted to conducting recce missions across India, including in Mumbai, on behalf of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). During questioning, Rana said that apart from Mumbai and Delhi, he had also travelled to Kerala. When asked about the purpose of his visit to Kerala, he claimed he had gone there to meet a known acquaintance and had provided the individual's name and address to the agency. Rana was extradited to India from the US recently to stand trial in the Mumbai attack case. An encounter took place between the militants and the security forces in Longding district of Arunachal Pradesh, bordering Myanmar, officials said. A defence spokesman said late Thursday night that upon receiving specific information about the movement of cadres of an unidentified militant outfit in the Pongchau Circle areas of Arunachal Pradesh's Longding district along the India-Myanmar border, security forces launched a patrol to dominate the border areas earlier in the day. While moving through the thick forests, the security forces observed the movement of unknown individuals and challenged them. "In response, the security forces faced heavy and indiscriminate fire from heavy-calibre weapons, which was effectively retaliated by the security forces," the spokesman added. He said that during the intense firefight, the unknown cadres withdrew across the International Border towards Myanmar. The area was thoroughly searched by the security forces, however, the cadres of the unknown militant outfit had managed to cross the border taking cover of the dense surrounding forest, the spokesman added. Meanwhile, on May 14, 10 militants were killed during an encounter with the Assam Rifles in southern Manipur's Chandel district, which shares the border with Myanmar. A defence spokesman, giving details of the May 14 encounter, had said that a patrol of the Assam Rifles was fired upon heavily by suspected cadres near New Samtal village, along the Myanmar border, in Chandel district. Demonstrating exceptional composure and combat readiness, the troopers responded in a precise, measured and calibrated manner, and the operation resulted in the neutralisation of 10 individuals in camouflage fatigues, the spokesman said. Preliminary assessments suggest that the neutralised individuals were known for involvement in cross-border insurgent activity, and efforts are underway to confirm their identities, he added. A thorough combing operation of the area was carried out, wherein a significant cache of weapons and other material was recovered from the New Samtal village, which is 130 km from the state capital and has scant human habitation. The cache comprised seven AK-47 rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, a M4 rifle, and four single-barrel breech-loading rifles, ammunition and other war-like stores. The situation along the India-Myanmar border remains under heightened surveillance, the spokesman had said, adding that the security forces are maintaining a robust posture and are in coordination with the civil administration and intelligence agencies to ensure peace and stability in the region. Four northeastern states Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Manipur (398 km), Nagaland (215 km) and Mizoram (510 km) -- share 1,643-km unfenced border with Myanmar. A Karnataka court on Friday sent all four accused linked to the stampede case near Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium to 14 days' judicial custody. All four accused linked to the stampede case near Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium have been arrested and sent to 14 days judicial custody. Among them, three are from DNA and one is from RCB. The arrests come as authorities continue their investigation into the incident, as reported by IANS. Eleven people were killed and several others were injured in a stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium during the IPL 2025 victory celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on June 4. Eleven people were killed and several others were injured in a stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium during the IPL 2025 victory celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on June 4. The Karnataka Police had filed an FIR against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, event manager, KSCA Administrative Committee and others over the Bengaluru stampede. FIR stated criminal negligence in the incident. The Karnataka Police in the FIR claimed that the victory celebration was organised without the necessary permissions. On Thursday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah suspended five senior police officers, including the Bengaluru Police Commissioner and DCP (Central Division), in connection with the stampede incident on June 4. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ordered a one-man commission led by retired Justice John Michael DCunha to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the stampede incident and submit the report within 30 days. On Thursday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru announced an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of 11 victims and created a fund called RCB Cares to support fans injured in this tragic incident. BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan blamed the state government for the incident. "I strongly condemn the Bengaluru incident in which 11 lives were lost. The Karnataka government should have taken concrete steps. The state government should be very careful in handling the crowd. The Karnataka government was blaming the UP government for Kumbh, but look what has happened there," ANI quoted Tamilisai as saying. Meanwhile, Union Minister Giriraj Singh demanded Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's resignation over the incident. GAYA: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Friday, met the family of 'Mountain Man' Dashrath Manjhi in Bihar's Gaya district. After meeting the Congress MP, Manjhi's granddaughter Anshu Kumari told ANI that Rahul Gandhi talked about Dashrath Manjhi's struggle after his wife died while crossing a mountain. "Rahul Gandhi came here today. He said many people come here, so I felt like coming too. He came here to see how Baba's (Dashrath Manjhi) house is and how he dug up the mountain. He also talks about it... Then we tell him about our condition. We told him how my grandmother fell while crossing the mountain and died," Anshu Kumari said. The Mountain Man lived in Gehlaur village, near Gaya. As per the Bihar Government, Manjhi carved a path 110 m long (360 ft), 9.1 m (30 ft) wide and 7.7 m (25 ft) deep through a ridge of hills using only a hammer and chisel. After 22 years of work, Dashrath shortened the travel between the Atri and Wazirganj blocks of Gaya town from 55 km to 15 km. He breathed his last on August 17, 2007, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. The Government of Bihar gave him a state funeral, proposed his name for the Padma Shri award in 2006 in the social service sector and released a stamp by the India Post in the 'Personalities of Bihar' series on December 26, 2016. On Friday, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi attended the 'Samvidhan Sabha' in Rajgir, Nalanda. Addressing the gathering, Gandhi emphasised the need for a caste census and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stance on the issue. He questioned PM Modi's claim of being an OBC while asserting that the BJP denies the existence of caste in India, emphasising the need for a genuine caste census. "Narendra Modi used to say in every speech, I am OBC. Then, on the caste census, they say that there is no caste in India. If there is no caste in India, then how did Narendra Modi become an OBC? My goal is to conduct a caste census. I had said this to Narendra Modi face to face in Lok Sabha - there will be a caste census, and you know he has a habit of surrendering," Rahul Gandhi posted on Congress X handle. NEW DELHI: Delhi Police have launched a search operation following a threat call targeting Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. Late on Thursday night, Ghaziabad Police received information about the threat and alerted the North West District Police. According to police sources, an unidentified individual called the Ghaziabad Police PCR, threatening to kill the Chief Minister.Ritesh Tripathi, ACP Ghaziabad, said, "On the night of June 5, 2025, the Ghaziabad Commissionerate's Kotwali police station received a call from an unknown person who threatened to kill the Chief Minister of Delhi. The Ghaziabad control room immediately informed the Delhi control room. Delhi's local police force promptly responded and reached the spot. The caller could not be contacted thereafter.""Efforts are underway to trace the number from which the call was made. Surveillance operations are ongoing, and teams have been formed. The individual responsible for the call will be traced soon, and further legal action will be taken in this case," he added.Both Ghaziabad and Delhi Police are actively investigating and working to trace the accused.Further details are awaited as the probe continues. MUMBAI: Amid talks of alliance with estranged brother and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) founder Raj Thackeray ahead of the upcoming elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other local bodies, the Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said that Whatever Maharashtra has in mind will happen. Although he declined to divulge further details, the Shiv Sena UBT leader said that he will not give any indication now but will give the news in a few days. I told you in just one sentence, we are looking into all the nuances in this regard. Also, I will not just give you a message but direct news. There is no confusion in the minds of my Shiv Sainiks. Therefore, what I am saying is that rather than giving messages, we will give whatever news we want to give," said Uddhav Thackeray in his suggestive comment. His statement came hours after Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut told reporters that Perhaps there had been a phone call between the two (Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray) regarding an alliance. Raut said, The leaders are taking a positive stand, and the workers are getting along. Since the cooperation is very positive on this issue, it must have resulted in the workers getting along on the ground. The morale of the workers has increased because the leaders have taken a positive stance. We are positive. Raj Thackeray is positive, and his colleagues are positive. Uddhav Thackeray is positive. Since he is very positive, the workers of both parties on the ground must have got together, so why worry about that?" He further added that The process of alliance has begun. There is no need for a proposal between two brothers. Aditya Thackeray and Amit Thackeray, in separate statements, had said that Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray have each other's phone numbers. If they want to form an alliance, they will call each other. MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande said, "Whenever we get a concrete proposal for an alliance, Raj Thackeray will take a decision on it. Uddhav Thackeray said that whatever is in the minds of the people of Maharashtra will happen. But there was something in the minds of the people of Maharashtra in 2014 and 2017 as well. But Uddhav Thackeray did not have it in his mind. So whatever is in the minds of the people, what is important is what is in the minds of Uddhav Thackeray." He added, Uddhav Thackeray said that he will give the news. So let's wait and see what news he gives. Another MNS leader, Avinash Jadhav, said, If they (Shiv Sena UBT) take one step forward, Raj Thackeray will take 100 steps forward. Leaders from both parties have reportedly been working through the back channel for an alliance in a bid to together capture votes of the Marathi Manoos to take on the BJP-led MahaYuti and thereby gain control over Indias richest civic body, the BMC. Meanwhile, MNS office-bearer Vaibhav Dalvi on Friday joined the Thackeray camp. Further, Sujata Shingade, who had left Thackeray and joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, returned to Shiv Sena UBT. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday criticized Pakistan over the Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 26 innocent civilians were killed, labeling the assault as one against humanity and Kashmiriyat.' Addressing a public rally in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district, Prime Minister Modi accused Pakistan of attempting to instigate riots in India and disrupt the livelihoods of the hard-working people of Kashmir through the terror attack. "Unfortunately, our neighboring country is against humanity and even the livelihood of the poor. What happened in Pahalgam on 22 April is an example of this. Pakistan attacked both 'insaniyat and Kashmiriyat' in Pahalgam. Its purpose was to cause riots in India and obstruct the earnings of the hard-working people of Kashmir. That is why Pakistan attacked the tourists in Kashmir. Pakistan targeted the tourism that earns the families of Kashmir a livelihood," ANI quoted PM Modi as saying. Prime Minister Modi assured that terror attacks like the one in Pahalgam will not disrupt ongoing development efforts in Jammu and Kashmir. He added that anyone attempting to hinder the youth of the valley from realizing their dreams would have to face him first. "Jammu and Kashmir's development will not be shaken by the Pahalgam attack. This is Narendra Modi's promise. If anyone stop the youth here from fulfilling their dream, 'to us baadha ko pehle Modi ka saamna karna padega," he said. Expressing sorrow over the plight of more than 2000 families affected by shelling during the recent India-Pakistan conflict, Prime Minister Modi announced that the central government will provide Rs 2 lakh to those whose homes have suffered extensive damage and Rs 1 lakh to those whose homes have sustained partial damage. "The suffering of more than 2000 families affected by shelling is also our own suffering. Now, those houses which have suffered a lot of damage will be given Rs 2 lakh, and those houses which have been partially damaged will be given Rs 1 lakh more separately. Two border battalions have been formed for the Jammu and Kashmir division, and the work of forming two women battalions has also been completed. New infrastructure worth hundreds of crores is being built in the conflict areas near our international border. The government is going to spend more than Rs 4200 crores in this," PM Modi said. On April 22, terrorists killed 26 civilians, including one Nepali national, in Jammu and Kashmirs Pahalgam. In retaliation, the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7, targeting nine terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK), resulting in the deaths of over 100 notorious terrorists. India-Canada Relations: In a sign of thaw in strained India-Canada relations, Canadian PM Mark Carney has extended an invitation to his Indian counterpart PM Narendra Modi for the G7 summit to be held in Kananaskis later this month. Taking to X, PM Modi said that he received a call from Carney and assured that India and Canada will work with renewed vigour. The summit will be held from June 15 to 17. "Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests. Look forward to our meeting at the Summit," said PM Modi on X. Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney's office also shared an update about the conversation. "Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, spoke with the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. The two leaders discussed the longstanding relationship between Canada and India, including deep people-to-people ties and significant commercial links. Importantly, there was agreement to continued law enforcement dialogue and discussions addressing security concerns." Given the complexities in the relationship between India and Canada, there was considerable buzz about whether Prime Minister Modi would even receive an invitation. Many wondered if this would mark the first G7 summit since 2019 that he wouldn't be present at. The relations between India and Canada hit a new low during former PM Justin Trudeau's tenure when he openly accused India of sponsoring the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. While India rejected the allegation, it sought evidence from Trudeau but he failed to give any. The further escalation led to a diplomatic standoff. Both the countries reduced the presence of their diplomatic staff as the relations hit a new low. However, the Canadian Prime Minister is hopeful of rebuilding ties with India. Carney has said it was a priority for his government, describing the ties with India as an "incredibly important relationship". He had said Canadians have deep personal, economic and strategic ties with India. The visit to Kananaskis will come at a time when Canada's new Prime Minister Mark Carney is pushing for deepening economic cooperation with India. As the G7 President this year, Canada will host the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta from June 15 to 17. The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal grouping of seven of the worlds most advanced economies, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as the European Union. PM Modi had also attended the 50th G7 Summit hosted by Italy in Apulia last year where India was invited as an Outreach Country. The visit was the Prime Minister's first overseas trip after assuming office in his third consecutive term. It was India's 11th participation in G7 Summit and Prime Minister Modi's fifth consecutive participation at the G7 Summit where he engaged with other world leaders on issues of importance to India, as also to the Global South. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Chenab Bridge, the worlds highest railway bridge, on Friday and patted the backs of engineers and construction workers who made this unprecedented project possible. PM Modi is set to launch multiple projects worth over Rs 48,000 crore during the current Jammu and Kashmir visit, his first after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. However, the moment that captured everyone's attention amid the launch of a slew of projects was the waving of the national flag at the worlds highest bridge by PM Modi. #WATCH | J&K: Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves the Tiranga as he inaugurates Chenab bridge - the worlds highest railway arch bridge.#KashmirOnTrack (Video: DD) pic.twitter.com/xfBnSRUQV5 ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2025 Soon after inaugurating the engineering marvel, PM Modi took a walk on the bridge, built above the Chenab river and proudly flaunted the Tiranga, wearing his patriotic spirit on his sleeves. PM Modis gesture gives a befitting reply to the Pahalgam attack plotters and also sends a strong message to Pakistan while reiterating the Indian governments strong resolve to revive tourism in the Valley, which suffered a major jolt after the cowardly terror attack. Chenab bridge is the worlds highest railway arch bridge, which will connect Kashmir with the rest of the country and will ensure all-weather connectivity. It can withstand earthquakes and also the harshest temperatures during winters, where mercury dips to sub-zero levels. After the Chenab Railway bridge inauguration, PM Modi also watched a photo exhibition, chronicling the technical hardships faced during the construction of the bridge. He also interacted with the engineers and workers who braved all odds of harsh weather and topography to complete the worlds tallest bridge at 359 metres, 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower of Paris. The Chenab Bridge is praised as an architectural marvel, standing 359 metres above the river. This 1,315-metre-long steel arch bridge is designed to withstand seismic activity and strong winds. The Guangdong Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Industry Alliance will officially launch today in Guangzhou, accompanied by the signing of the Guangdong Intelligent Industry Fund, which targets a scale of RMB10 billion and an initial capital raising of RMB2 billion. The RMB10 billion intelligent industry fund aims to accelerate artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and semiconductor technology innovation. Meanwhile, the alliance was created in to consolidate industrial resources and has identified over 150 potential projects, according to mainland reports. Backing for the fund has come from both state-guided and private investors, including Gortune Investment, SenseTime, CAS Capital, and PCITECH. Notably, firms from Hong Kong and Macau are also involved, such as Macau-based Leader Holding Company Ltd and San Fong Seng Group. The funds investment strategy prioritizes fundamental research and the rapid deployment of technologies, focusing on AI large models, intelligent robotics, and semiconductor development with applications in smart manufacturing and urban systems. The funds goal is to provide capital and strategic resources to Guangdong enterprises pursuing technological innovation and industrial upgrading, as cited in reports. As well as providing support to high-quality development in Guangdong and the wider Greater Bay Area (GBA). Macau participation in the fund is represented by Leader Holding, led by Joao Maa member of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference and grandson of Ma Man Kei. Another Macau participant is San Fong Seng Group. Chaired by Lao Chio Seng, San Fong Seng Group has diverse business interests across real estate, technology, insurance, and pharmaceuticals in both Macau and mainland China. Earlier in the year, on April 1, Guangdong province announced 12 measures to accelerate AI and robotics innovation, including financial support up to RMB50 million for national-level AI and robotics manufacturing innovation centers and up to RMB10 million for provincial-level centers. According to the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Guangdong Province, the provinces core AI industry is expected to exceed RMB220 billion in 2024, boating over 1,500 core AI enterprises. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a leading Indian defence company known for systems like Akashteer, is now playing a key role in Project Kushaan ambitious initiative to develop a long-range surface-to-air missile system similar to the Russian S-400. The project, led by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is aimed at strengthening Indias ability to counter modern aerial threats such as drones, fighter aircraft, and missiles. BEL is working closely with DRDO as a development partner, contributing to the design and production of several important subsystems, especially radars and control systems. We are jointly developing many components of Project Kusha, said BEL Chairman and Managing Director Manoj Jain during the companys March quarter earnings call, as reported by The Economic Times. The prototype phase of Project Kusha is expected to begin soon. BEL aims to build the first working model within the next 12 to 18 months, after which the system will undergo user trials that may take another 1 to 3 years. The final decision on who will assemble the entire system is still pending. Jain noted, If the authorities decide to have two system integrators, we are confident BEL will be one of them. Project Kusha, also known as the Extended Range Air Defence System (ERADS) or Programme Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (PGLRSAM), is designed to fill the gap between Indias MR-SAM (Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile), which has a range of 80 km, and the Russian S-400, which covers up to 400 km. The system will include three types of interceptor missilesM1 (150 km range), M2 (250 km range), and M3 (350 km range). It is expected to be operational for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy by 20282029. A standout feature of Project Kusha is its ability to intercept high-speed anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs) travelling at speeds of up to Mach 7 (seven times the speed of sound), marking a major leap in Indias air defence capabilities, according to reports by IDRW.org. High-Speed Naval Defence: Project Kushas M2 Missile Shields Warships from Mach 7 Threats One of the most important features of Project Kusha is its naval version of the M2 missile, which can intercept anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs) flying at speeds of up to Mach 7around 8,645 km/h. This is especially useful for protecting warships from fast-moving missiles designed to hit them at sea. To achieve this, the system uses powerful long-range surveillance and fire control radars that can track threats from far away. The interceptor missiles are equipped with advanced guidance systems, including AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) seekers, infrared (IR) sensors, and radio frequency (RF) trackers. Together, these technologies allow the missile to accurately detect and lock onto its target, even if it's moving fast or changing direction, giving it high accuracy and maneuverability during interception. M1 to M3: Building a Multi-Layered Missile Shield for India's Skies The M1 interceptor missile is currently in the manufacturing stage and is expected to begin testing soon. The prototype should be ready in 12 to 18 months, followed by user trials that may take another 1 to 3 years. Built using the Akash-NG airframe, the M1 has a range of 150 km and can reach speeds of up to Mach 5.5 (approximately 6,800 km/h). This makes it suitable for intercepting various threats such as stealth fighter jets, cruise missiles, drones, and precision-guided weapons. The M2 and M3 interceptors are still under development. Once completed, they will expand the systems coverage. The M3, in particular, will be able to target large airborne platforms like AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control Systems) at distances of up to 350 km, and will also provide defence against short- to medium-range ballistic missiles, making Project Kusha a powerful multi-layered air defence solution. Project Kusha: Strengthening India's Air Defence with Smart Integration and High Accuracy One of the key strengths of Project Kusha is its ability to work smoothly with existing systems like the Indian Air Forces Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) and even the Russian S-400. This allows for radar data sharing and better coordination in intercepting threats, improving the system's overall performance. The system also boasts a high accuracy ratewith a single-shot kill probability of 80% and over 90% when missiles are launched in a group (salvo mode). Once fully deployed, Project Kusha will be a strong and reliable part of Indias layered air defence network, ready to tackle a wide range of aerial threats. Budget-Backed and Battle-Ready: Project Kusha Boosts Air and Naval Defences Project Kusha was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security in May 2022 with a budget of 21,700 crore (about US$2.6 billion) to build five squadrons for the Indian Air Force. The project takes lessons from Indias existing Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) program, using already-tested missile designs to save both time and costs during development. A major highlight of the project is its naval version, which can defend against anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs) travelling at Mach 7 (around 8,645 km/h). This gives the Indian Navy a powerful tool to protect its frontline warships from advanced missile threats. The new system will work alongside existing defences like the Barak-8 and the Naval Ballistic Missile Defence System, making the Navys shield even stronger. (Girish Linganna is an award-winning science communicator and a Defence, Aerospace & Geopolitical Analyst.He is the Managing Director of ADD Engineering Components India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany) MUMBAI: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has ordered the attachment of absconding businessman Mehul Choksis bank accounts, mutual funds, and shares in an effort to recover Rs 2.1 crore. The amount is related to a penalty imposed on him for violating insider trading rules in the shares of Gitanjali Gems. Choksi, who was the Chairman and Managing Director of Gitanjali Gems, is accused of sharing unpublished price-sensitive information (UPSI) with an associate, Rakesh Girdharlal Gajera. Based on that information, Gajera sold off his entire 5.75 per cent stake in the company in December 2017, allegedly to avoid losses before details of fraudulent activities involving the company became public. In January 2022, the SEBI fined Choksi Rs 1.5 crore and banned him from trading in the securities market for one year. However, Choksi did not pay the fine, prompting the SEBI to issue a demand notice on May 15, 2025. When he failed to respond or make the payment within the 15-day deadline, the market regulator proceeded with the attachment of his assets. The total dues now stand at Rs 2.1 crore, including Rs 60 lakh in interest. In its notice dated June 4, the SEBI directed all banks, depositories like CDSL and NSDL, and mutual fund houses to freeze Choksis accounts. While no money can be withdrawn, credits are still allowed. The market regulator has also instructed banks to seize any lockers in his name. The market regulator explained that the action was necessary because there is a strong possibility that Choksi may try to move or hide his assets, which could delay or prevent the recovery process. "Whereas no amount has been paid by the defaulter and there is sufficient reason to believe that the defaulter may dispose of the amounts/proceeds in the bank accounts held with your bank and realisation of the amount due under the recovery certificate would in consequence be delayed or obstructed," the market regulator stated. Choksi, who is also the maternal uncle of Nirav Modi, has been facing legal action in connection with the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case involving over Rs 14,000 crore. Both Choksi and Modi fled India in early 2018 when the scam came to light. Choksi had been living in Antigua since 2018 but was arrested in Belgium in April this year after Indian authorities requested his extradition. He was reportedly in Belgium for medical treatment. Meanwhile, Nirav Modi remains in a UK jail after being arrested by the Scotland Yard in 2019. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, leading an all-party Indian parliamentary delegation in the US, has warned that there will be a "price to pay" for terror attacks like the April 22 incident in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. He highlights that the delegation has received solidarity and understanding from everywhere. During interaction with think tanks and young professionals, Tharoor reiterated India's stance that "there will be a price to pay" if terrorist attacks like the one in Pahalgam are carried out in India. Reacting to the delegation visit, he said, "and I'm very pleased to say that everywhere we went and I could say this quite confidently without exception, we have received both of what we sought. We have received understanding and we have received solidarity." He further added that the prime focus is economic advances that are so essential to pull a few of the few people who remain below the poverty line in the country. "Our focus has when this kind of thing is done to us, and for very cynical motives, which I think are pretty apparent so I won't spell them out, it was necessary for us to show that we will not allow people to cross the border and kill our citizens with impunity. That for terror strikes like this, which show all the hallmarks of meticulous planning and military style execution, that there will be a price to pay. And that was very strongly the message that we sent," Tharoor added, IANS reported. The Indian delegation, led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, engaged with think-tanks at the US Embassy, highlighting India's fight against terrorism and the diverse aspects of the India-US partnership. The delegation comprised MPs from various parties, including Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), G.M. Harish Balayogi (Telugu Desam Party), BJP members Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejasvi Surya, and Bhubaneswar Kalita, former Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu, and Shiv Sena's Milind Deora. New Delhi: In a story that reads like the plot of a high-stakes geopolitical thriller, Indian intelligence agencies have uncovered the presence of a mysterious Pakistani woman known as Madam N a suave and powerful business tycoon from Lahore with alleged orders straight from Pakistans notorious spy agency the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Her mission was to infiltrate India through culture, faith and charm and to raise a ghost army of 500 spies scattered quietly across Indian soil. What began as a routine interrogation of arrested social media influencers turned into the stunning revelation. Hidden behind the polished curtains of diplomacy and travel was Naushaba Shahzad, owner of Zyana Travel and Tourism in Lahore, now accused of masterminding an audacious espionage network that reached deep into Indias digital and spiritual spaces. According to sources, Naushaba, under the ISI codename Madam N, had been working meticulously for months to build a covert network of sleeper cells in India. She was not sending spies across borders with weapons or radio sets. She was using smartphones, spiritual pilgrimages and social media likes. Her bait? Culture, faith and an open invitation to Pakistan in the name of Sikh and Hindu pilgrimages. Over just six months, Madam N allegedly brought over 3,000 Indian citizens and 1,500 NRIs to Pakistan. They were not just tourists or devotees. Intelligence inputs suggest many of them unknowingly walked into a well-scripted ISI recruitment program meeting with military officials, being groomed for information gathering and in some cases, receiving suspicious funding. Her operation was so slick and so invisible that she could allegedly arrange a visa to Pakistan with just a phone call. Her connections ran deep inside Pakistans diplomatic machinery. One of her key contacts was Danish aka Ahsan-ur-Rahman, an ISI operative posted at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi recently expelled by India on charges of espionage. But Madam Ns real genius was hiding the machinery of a spy factory behind the peaceful facade of religious tourism. She collaborated with Pakistans Evacuee Trust Property Board, the body responsible for managing Sikh and Hindu shrines in the country. The pilgrimages, the cultural outreach and the hospitality it was all a shimmering curtain. Behind it, millions of rupees allegedly moved silently to fund ISI propaganda, recruit informants and amplify anti-India narratives. What India has now stumbled upon is not another case of cross-border intelligence warfare, it is a new blueprint of soft-espionage one that is harder to detect, harder to prove and deeply embedded in the emotional and cultural fabric of the people it targets. Indian security agencies are now in high alert mode. The revelations have jolted the intelligence community, not just for the scale of the network but for the subtlety with which it was built. The story of Madam N is also not about one woman. It is about a reminder that the war for information is not being fought on battlefields anymore. It is being fought on timelines, visas, WhatsApp groups and temple visits. The spy game has changed. And India is finally waking up to just how dangerous the new frontlines are. New Delhi: When terrorists backed by Pakistan slaughtered over 150 innocent Indians in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the country was still bleeding. Less than two years later, in August 2010, the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, led by the Congress, decided to reward the perpetrator. Yes, you read that right. While Ajmal Kasab, the lone captured terrorist, was still alive and the evidence of Pakistans hand in the massacre was irrefutable, the grand old party decided to send $25 million (Rs 115 crore then) to Pakistan for flood relief. A gift from victims to their killers. This is not fiction. This is the Congress model a blueprint of the diplomacy, wrapped in misplaced virtue-signaling. Rahul Gandhis political lineage, which had already failed to secure Indias borders or respond with force, chose instead to write a cheque to a terror-exporting regime that had just soaked Indian soil in blood. While Indians mourned, the Congress extended a warm diplomatic handshake to the very state shielding terror masterminds like Hafiz Saeed. At a time when even speaking to Pakistan should have been unthinkable, then External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna proudly told Parliament, We cannot remain unconcerned with this grave humanitarian crisis... The Government has decided to increase its assistance to Pakistan from 5 million US dollars to 25 million US dollars. The Congress tried to justify the aid by wrapping it in the rhetoric of regional solidarity. Krishna claimed, Prime Minister has rightly said that in such times of natural disasters, all of South Asia should rise to the occasion August 2010: Barely 2 years after 26/11, where 150+ Indians were slaughtered, UPA Govt announced $25 MILLION aid to Pakistan for Flood Relief Kasab was alive. Proofs were out. But Congress still rewarded the enemy. This is Congress model. Rahul Gandhi's philosophy. pic.twitter.com/HQRlgQCXeO The Analyzer (News Updates) (@Indian_Analyzer) May 23, 2025 But Indians asked then and still ask today, What solidarity did Pakistan show when it sent terrorists to Mumbai, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Pulwama and now Pahalgam? Now Contrast That With Modis India Fast forward to 2025. Another Pakistan-backed bloodbath in Pahalgam claims 26 more Indian lives, mostly tourists. But this time, Indias response was not folded hands. It was a clenched fist. Within hours, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in the Centre swiftly decided and put the Indus Waters Treaty a pact in place since 1960 that gifted Pakistan unfettered access to Indias rivers into abeyance. The move stunned Islamabad. No Indian government had dared to touch this treaty, even during wars. Modi did it after one terror attack. The practical effect? India began diverting water from the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers, constructing bypass channels and storage systems to redirect flow into Indian fields and reservoirs. Harike and Hussainiwala barrage gates were shut. The symbolic dam of restraint was finally broken. Pakistans Fields Begin Turning Barren The impact on Pakistan has been devastating. With drastically reduced inflow to Mangla and Tarbela dams, Sindh and Punjab provinces are witnessing crop failures on a massive scale. Cotton, sugarcane and wheat, the backbone of Pakistans agrarian economy, are withering. Tubewells are drying up. Angry farmers have staged protests across Multan and Bahawalpur, blaming Islamabads jihadi diplomacy for provoking India into retaliation. Four formal pleas have been sent by Pakistan to India seeking talks to reinstate the treaty. They even appealed to the World Bank to mediate. New Delhis answer? Silence. The message Terror has a cost. You will now pay it in water. Apart from the water blockade, India has revoked trade ties, recalled the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status for Pakistan, restricted visas and cut back power grid cooperation in Jammu and Kashmirs border areas. National security agencies have fast-tracked cross-border strike protocols and armed forces have been given greater latitude to respond to infiltration. Meanwhile, the BJP leadership has categorically ruled out any talks unless Pakistan shuts down terror camps and hands over fugitives like Dawood Ibrahim and Hafiz Saeed. Two Attacks, Two Responses What India saw in 2011 was a government that bled and bowed. What it sees now is a government that strikes and stands firm. This is not only about aid or diplomacy, it is about intent. The Congress sent dollars. Modi shut dams. The Congress appealed for peace. Modi enforced pressure. The Congress forgave terror. Modi made terror pay. The difference? The Congress bent. Modi stood tall. KOLKATA: A special court at Jangipur in West Bengals Murshidabad district on Friday sentenced a man, convicted of raping his minor daughter, to seven years of rigorous imprisonment (RI). The court also imposed a financial penalty of Rs 1,00,000 on the convict. In the event of non-payment of the penalty amount, his imprisonment term will be extended by one more year. At the same time, the judge of the special court directed the West Bengal government to pay a compensation of Rs 2,00,000 to the victim. The convict is Bablu Sheikh, who was arrested in 2017 following complaints filed against him by his wife Sajera Biwi accusing him of raping their own daughter, who was 15 years old then. Sajera Biwi, in her complaint, said that her husband raped their minor not once, but several times, following which the daughter became sick. The complaint was filed on June 14, 2017, and on the same day, Bablu Sheikh was arrested. A prolonged trial process continued for the next few years, and the statements of 12 witnesses were recorded. The public prosecutors sought life imprisonment for the convict. However, on Friday, the judge of the special court remanded him to seven years of imprisonment. During the trial process in the matter, Sajera Biwi turned into a hostile witness and even attempted to change the statement that she recorded with the police while filing the complaint to save her husband. However, the victim stuck to her statement till the end and continued accusing her father of the heinous crime. West Bengal had been in the national headlines frequently during the last few months over cases of rape and rape and murder in different pockets of the state, with the victims being minors in many such cases. The most talked-about case in the matter was that of the brutal rape and murder of a junior doctor of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital within the hospital premises in August last year. New Delhi: Actress Vidya Balan spills a shocking incident while shooting Salaam-E-Ishq. Recalling the memory the actor share that she rejecting a film opposite Akshaye Khanna. Speaking at Bollywood Hungama Style Icons Summit Vidya opens up about what happened after she faced Khanna on the sets of Salaam-E-Ishq. Recalling the incident, Vidya Balan said, 'There was a film offered to me opposite Akshaye Khanna, and for some reason, I didnt connect with the script. But I didnt pick up the phone and tell him that. I asked my manager to convey it to the director.' Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 actor also shared how she ended up running into Akshaye soon after the sets of Salaam-E-Ishq. Vidya added, 'And then I met Akshaye on the sets of Salaam-E-Ishq. And he fired me. He was like why didnt you tell me you didnt want to do the film? I went up to John and said, Can you please save me? (laughs). Because I was so new, I didnt want any confrontation. I didnt want to hurt anyone or make anyone feel bad, or just feel like I was refusing a film with them. But of course, he was only pulling my leg. I later realized.' Salaam-E-Ishq was a romantic drama, which also starred Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Govinda, Juhi Chawla, Priyanka Chopra and Ayesha Takia in pivotal roles. Directed by Nikkhil Advani the film was released in 2007. On professional front, Vidya Balan was last seen in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 alongside Kartik Aaryan, Madhuri Dixit and Triptii Dimri. On the other side, Akshaye Khanna made a striking comeback in the film industry, and a notable movie of his recent comeback is Chhaava where he portrays the role of Aurangzeb. Akshaye's performance has been praised by fans and critics alike. Washington: Hollywood legend Tom Hanks has recently shared his thoughts on his daughter, EA Hanks's new memoir 'The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road', which details painful memories of emotional and physical abuse by her mother, actress Samantha Lewes. According to People magazine, during the red carpet premiere of his new film, The Phoenician Scheme, Hanks said he wasn't surprised by his daughter's decision to confront her past. "I'm not surprised that my daughter had the wherewithal as well as the curiosity to examine this thing that I think she was incredibly honest about," Hanks said, adding that families often come from complex and "checkered, cracked lives," as quoted by People magazine. Hanks, 68, further acknowledged how deeply personal the revelations in his daughter's memoir were, reflecting on how, as a parent, you can see the essence of your child from a young age. "She's a knockout, always has been," he said, adding, "If you've had kids, you realise that you see who they are when they're about 6 weeks old." E.A. Hanks, whose full name is Elizabeth Anne, opens up in her memoir about the turbulence she faced during her childhood, including years of what she described as "emotional violence" and "physical violence" following her parents' divorce in 1987. The memoir sheds light on EA's strained and complicated relationship with her mother, Susan Dillingham. After Hanks and Dillingham's marriage ended, their daughter lived primarily with her mother, while Hanks had designated weekend and summer visitation rights. "I would visit my dad and stepmother (and soon enough my younger half-brothers) on the weekends and during summers, but from 5 to 14, years filled with confusion, violence, deprivation, and love," EA recalled in the book, highlighting the dark circumstances of her early years. Her account details how the home environment became increasingly unstable, with neglectful conditions such as a filthy backyard, an empty refrigerator, and her mother's escalating emotional withdrawal. "The house stank of smoke. The fridge was bare or full of expired food more often than not, and my mother spent more and more time in her big four-poster bed, poring over the Bible," she wrote, as quoted by People magazine. EA revealed that it wasn't until her mother's emotional abuse escalated to physical violence that she decided to leave home, moving to Los Angeles as a teenager. "One night, her emotional violence became physical violence, and in the aftermath, I moved to Los Angeles, right smack in the middle of the seventh grade," she explained, noting that her custody arrangement shifted thereafter. In a particularly heartbreaking section of her memoir, EA describes a phone call with her mother during her senior year of high school, when her mother claimed to be dying. Though never formally diagnosed, EA believes that her mother suffered from undiagnosed bipolar disorder, which manifested in episodes of extreme paranoia and delusion. Reflecting on her experience, EA said the dysfunction of her early life had a lasting impact. Despite her struggles, she managed to forge her own path as an adult, writing her memoir as an act of catharsis. According to People magazine, during the same interview, Tom Hanks also discussed his role in his latest film, The Phoenician Scheme. In the film, Hanks portrays Leland, a business associate of wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda, played by Benicio Del Toro. The gripping tale of corporate betrayal and personal vendettas features an ensemble cast that includes Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Willem Dafoe, and Scarlett Johansson. 'The Phoenician Scheme' was released in select theatres on May 30 and will see a wider release on June 6. New Delhi: Imagine if your home address was as smart as your smartphone. In a big push to modernise Indias age-old postal system, the government has introduced DIGIPINa new digital address system that aims to replace traditional PIN codes. Launched by the Department of Posts, DIGIPIN uses a unique 10-digit code to precisely identify the exact location of a property, making deliveries, navigation, and verification simpler and smarter than ever before. What Makes DIGIPIN Different? DIGIPIN stands for Digital Postal Index Number. Its a unique 10-digit code that gives the exact location of a propertyunlike traditional PIN codes that cover broad areas. This new system is designed to improve service delivery, especially in remote or hard-to-reach places, by using accurate geographic coordinates to pinpoint addresses. How Does DIGIPIN Work? India has been mapped into tiny square grids, and each grid is assigned a unique 10-digit code based on its exact latitude and longitude. This means your DIGIPIN is like a digital address that points directly to your homes spot on the mapmaking it easy to locate with pinpoint accuracy. As per a press release by the Ministry of Communications on May 27, 2025, DIGIPIN is an open-source, geo-coded digital address system built on a grid format. Its designed to work seamlessly across platforms and services. The aim is to provide Address-as-a-Service (AaaS) a smart solution to manage address data and enable smooth, secure interactions between citizens, government bodies, and private organisations. Why is DIGIPIN Useful? Heres how DIGIPIN makes everyday services smarter and more efficient: - Improves accuracy: Eliminates confusion caused by similar-sounding or duplicate addresses. - Pinpoints exact location: Uses precise geographic coordinates for better identification of properties. - Boosts logistics and deliveries: Ensures smoother last-mile delivery, especially in rural and remote areas. - Enhances emergency response: Helps locate places quickly during emergencies, saving time and lives. - Supports GIS-based services: Lays the foundation for integrating GIS technology in service delivery across sectors. - Enables secure interactions: Facilitates safe and efficient communication between citizens, government bodies, and private companies. - Cost-effective solution: A smarter, scalable alternative to traditional address systems that works across platforms. How to Find Your DIGIPIN Getting your digital address is simple! Just head over to the official website: https://dac.indiapost.gov.in/mydigipin/home. Here, you can easily find your unique 10-digit DIGIPIN code that accurately marks your exact location. New Delhi: After slapping bans on citizens from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, the United States has now set its sights on Nepal a country with 82% Hindu population. President Donald Trump has officially revoked Nepals Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a decision that will uproot nearly 7,500 Nepali nationals living in the United States, compelling them to return home immediately. According to a report by Newsweek, the US government justified this move by stating that conditions in Nepal are no longer as dire as they were in 2015. The TPS was originally granted to the country after the devastating earthquake struck the country, providing temporary refuge to its citizens. What is Temporary Protected Status? The TPS is an immigration relief measure that allows foreign nationals from countries experiencing armed conflict, natural disasters or other extraordinary conditions to live and work legally in the United States for a limited period. However, it does not grant citizenship only temporary work rights. Since taking office, Trump has consistently pushed to end TPS protections signaling a hardline stance against immigration policies that offer sanctuary to vulnerable populations. What Now for Nepali Nationals? At present, about 7,500 Nepali citizens reside in the United States under the TPS. With the cancellation, these individuals face an immediate deadline to leave the country or risk forced deportation by the US government. The decision has sent shockwaves through the Nepali community raising fears and uncertainty over their futures. Trump initially sought to end the TPS for Nepal right after becoming president in 2017 but faced resistance from the US Immigration Department and could not succeed. However, the current administration claims that since Nepal has stabilised, there is no longer any reason to extend TPS protections. Wider Crackdown This announcement comes just two days after Trump imposed sweeping bans on citizens from 12 countries, citing terrorism concerns. While some nations like Afghanistan and Myanmar have yet to respond, Chad has reacted strongly retaliating by banning American citizens from entering their country. Chads leader asserted that the nation would not compromise its dignity or sovereignty for America, even referencing a controversial gift from Qatar as part of the diplomatic tensions. This latest US action signals a growing crackdown on immigration, targeting vulnerable populations worldwide now extending even to a Hindu-majority nation like Nepal. Will Nepal and the broader international community respond to this harsh new reality? MGM Academy recently launched the PRIDE Career Development Program Greater Bay Area Study Tour. Over three days, 30 MGM team members explored emerging industries and regional synergies across the Greater Bay Area (GBA). The tour focused on innovation-driven, cultural integration, and industry synergy, highlighting opportunities in the integration of technology and cultural tourism. Representatives from the Guangdong Liaison Department and Shenzhens Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office joined the program. According to the gaming operator, the delegation visited top tech companies in Shenzhen, including Tencent and Intels GBA Innovation Center, gaining insights into AI, smart cities, chip development, and robotics. They also toured cultural hubs like the Sea World Culture and Arts Center, discussing local cultural IP development and immersive experiences. Wendy Yu, MGMs Executive Vice President of HR, emphasized the companys commitment to innovative talent cultivation and sustainable economic diversification. Participant Amania Kuok noted the tour deepened her understanding of technology and culture, inspiring new initiatives. The group also visited the Museum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen in Zhongshan, reflecting on his pioneering spirit and MGMs dedication to social responsibility. New Delhi: Just a day after X (formerly Twitter) lit up with signs of a possible ceasefire between the two alpha billionaires of American influence, US President Donald Trump has poured cold water over any reconciliation talk. Asked by ABC News if he would speak to Musk after their very public clash, he scoffed, You mean the man who has lost his mind? I am not particularly interested in talking to him. Classic Trump, doubling down even when the temperature seems to be cooling. There is an odd symmetry here. Musk, who had just hinted at making peace replying You are not wrong to billionaire investor Bill Ackmans call for the two to settle their feud for the sake of the nation now finds himself ghosted by the very man he might have tried to reach out to. I am not even thinking about Elon. He has got a problem, the poor guy has got a problem, Trump told CNN with dismissive finality during a June 6 interview. And while the White House reportedly flirted with the idea of brokering a peace call, as per Politico, other sources quickly knocked that down saying no such call had been scheduled. So now, Americas two most powerful disruptors remain locked in a bizarre standoff that is half-reality TV and half-national policy debate. This feud is not only personal, it is political and economic. It started when Trump lashed out during a White House appearance, accusing Musk of betrayal over criticism of his tax and spending bill. Musk hit back hard. He accused Trumps trade policies of potentially triggering a recession and even dragged the former presidents links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein into the public arena. Then came the bizarre twist Trump, clearly furious, threatened to cancel U.S. government contracts with Tesla CEO Elon Musks companies. In retaliation, Musk posted that he would retire the Dragon spacecraft a vehicle crucial to NASA. The internet melted down. But a few hours and likely a few backchannel calls later, Musk reversed course: Good advice. Ok, we wont decommission Dragon. In this verbal space race, it is hard to tell who is steering the ship and who is punching holes in the hull. Whether this ends in detente or total decoupling remains unclear, but what is certain is this the Trump-Musk saga has become a defining narrative of Americas political tech complex where egos, economics and electoral stakes collide like celestial bodies on a crash course. Bangaladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus has announced to hold the national elections in April next year amid pressure from political parties and protesting students. Yunus said that the Election Commission will share a detailed roadmap for the elections at an appropriate time. This comes amid allegations that Yunus doesn't want to relinquish power given to him as a temporary measure. "The government has held discussions with all parties to organise the most free, fair, competitive and acceptable elections in history. In addition, after reviewing the ongoing reform activities related to justice, reform and elections, I am announcing to the people of the country today that the next national elections will be held on a day in the first half of April 2026," Yunus said in a televised address to the nation on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha on Friday. Yunush said the interim government under his leadership took office with three key mandates - reform, justice and elections. "I believe that by the next Eid-ul-Fitr, we will be able to reach an acceptable point on reform and justice. Especially, all will be able to see visible progress on the trial of crimes against humanity which is the government's collective responsibility towards the martyrs of the July mass uprising," he said. During his address, Yunus also urged the people that this election should not only about peaceful elections but about building a 'New Bangladesh' as aspired by the students and the masses. "In this election, there will be only known parties. They will have their known symbols. But the voter has to find out who the candidates behind this symbol are to what extent they are ready to build a 'New Bangladesh'. How committed are they?" he said. This marks a significant shift in Bangladesh's political landscape since the Awami League government, led by Sheikh Hasina, was unseated in August 2024. The BNP and allied parties have been pushing for elections to happen by December. Meanwhile, the National Citizen Party, a new group formed by leaders of the July uprising, has insisted that elections only take place after necessary reforms are completed. Adding to the discussion, Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman stated on May 21 that national elections should indeed be held by this December. New Delhi: China is set to deliver its most advanced fifth-generation stealth fighter, the J-35A, to Pakistan. The aircraft is armed with the deadly PL-17 air-to-air missile. Confirmed by Pakistani defence officials, the move is raising alarms across Indias security establishment. Why? Because this missile reportedly has a striking range of 400 kilometres, potentially altering the dynamics of aerial combat in the region. The PL-17 is not only an upgraded missile, it is a battlefield equaliser. Developed as a successor to the PL-15E, this radar-guided missile is designed to take out high-value airborne targets such as AWACS, refueling aircraft and command planes before they can even detect the incoming threat. Dubbed CH-AA-12 Auger by NATO, this missile is thought to operate beyond 400 km range and gives its host fighter an ability to kill from afar. Pakistan already used the PL-15 against India. Now, with the PL-17 mounted on a stealth fighter like the J-35, it will be about shock and awe. The J-35, also known as the FC-31 or Gyrfalcon in China, is a twin-engine and single-seat multirole stealth fighter with advanced design features to evade L-band and Ku-band radars. Equipped with diverterless supersonic inlets (DSI) and stealth-optimised composite materials, this fighter is designed to slip past radar and hit hard before even being seen. Pakistani pilots are already training in China to fly this machine. While exact details of the arms deal remain classified, leaks suggest Pakistan could acquire up to 40 J-35 fighters, with deliveries starting soon. What Does This Mean For India? India currently operates 4.5-generation fighters like Rafale and Su-30MKI. The indigenous fifth-generation AMCA program is still under development, with a prototype not expected before 2028. That means Pakistan could enjoy a stealth edge for years, unless India acts fast. The PL-17s range, allegedly over 60 km longer than even India's Astra MkII, could allow Pakistani fighters to fire before Indian jets even enter engagement range. Even worse, defence experts worry that J-35s connected to Chinas satellite and surveillance network could get real-time battlefield updates, making them near-invisible predators in the sky. Indias strategy has multiple layers but urgency is key. The Astra MkIII, with a proposed range of 340 km, is in development phase and may become Indias answer to the PL-17. Defence scientists are under pressure to fast-track it. India already has the S-400 Triumf system, which stunned the world when it shot down a Pakistani AWACS 314 km away. It remains a key long-range defence pillar. To survive in the stealth era, India must strengthen its electronic warfare capabilities and radar systems designed to detect low-RCS targets like the J-35. Above all, India needs to accelerate the AMCA program, which could neutralise the stealth advantage once inducted. Whats Chinas Game Here; Why is it Alarming? Strategically, this is Beijings move to tip the regional balance in Pakistans favour, just months after the latest India-Pakistan skirmish. It is no coincidence that China is speeding up jet deliveries now. Defence analyst and retired IAF Squadron Leader Vijayendra K. Thakur told Eurasian Times, Against stealth fighters, conventional air defence is blunt. J-35s can launch missiles before detection. That is a deadly edge. It is more than trade. It is about China weaponising Pakistan as a proxy to challenge India without direct confrontation. The PL-17 and J-35 combo is not only hardware but a geopolitical signal. India now finds itself on a strategic clock. Every delay in response is a free runway for Pakistan to soar into next-gen air warfare, with China fuelling the take-off. The arrival of J-35 jets with PL-17 missiles in Pakistans hangars could mark the most serious airpower escalation in the region in a decade. India will need more than diplomacy to prepare for what may soon dominate its skies. The previously unbreakable friendship between US President Donald Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk has disintegrated after Musk publicly denounced Trump's "big, beautiful" budget bill, a spectacular fallout after months of friendship. From Stage Jumps To Sleepovers Their partnership started with a bang on October 5, 2024, when the world's richest man, Musk, jumped onto a stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, to support Trump, wearing a black "MAGA" hat and calling himself "dark MAGA." Musk was Trump's biggest campaign contributor, giving almost $300 million. The duo's bond deepened as Musk joined Trump in the Oval Office, bringing his son, "Lil' X," and later attended cabinet meetings, where Trump dismissed rumors of tension, saying, "Anybody unhappy with Elon? We'll throw 'em out." Musk stayed overnight at the White House, shared ice cream binges, and traveled with Trump on Air Force One and Marine One. They were also seen attending mixed martial arts matches, with Musk declaring on X, "I love @realDonaldTrump as much as a straight man can love another man." I dont know if this will make sense to anyone but Elon jumps like a homeschool kid pic.twitter.com/9b9eMyCsKy Ben Palmer (@benjpalmer) October 6, 2024 Tesla Showroom And Public Support Trump endorsed Musk's Tesla company by converting the White House South Portico into a Tesla dealership, featuring a Cybertruck and Model S. Trump said he bought a Tesla, and his aides were photographed standing in the cars as recently as last week. The Breakup Feuds came to a boil when Musk attacked Trump's budget bill, marking a dramatic break. As of Thursday, one of Musk's Teslas was still parked at the White House, a hangover reminder of the fallen couple. Musk's exit from his advisory position within the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) received cabinet applause, following earlier praise. Neither Trump nor Musk has made further comments on the split, leaving their one-time lively "bromance" a political history lesson. A Japanese private spacecraft, owned by Tokyo-based ispace, crashed in a failed lunar landing attempt in the Mare Frigoris area on Friday, the second moonshot failure for the company. The RESILIENCE lunar lander lost contact while descending, prompting ispace to call off the mission as a failure. Failed Landing Sequence The RESILIENCE lander started its descent sequence at 3:13 AM JST on June 6, from an altitude of 100 km to 20 km and used its main engine for braking. But contact was lost less than two minutes before providing data regarding a successful landing. An initial analysis showed that the laser altitude measurement system had malfunctioned and led to a more rapid descent, ending in a "hard landing," as per ispace's release. "Given the lack of communication and telemetry data, we assume the lander performed a hard landing on the lunar surface," ispace stated, citing the remoteness of the possibility of the lander or its payloads, such as the European Space Agency's Tenacious rover, surviving. Mission Objectives And Payloads The mission hoped to return lunar soil samples for a symbolic $5,000 resale to NASA in support of commercial space activity. The lander hosted high-profile payloads, such as a micro rover built in Luxembourg, a water electrolyzer, a food production experiment, a deep-space radiation probe, and "Moonhouse," a model house by Swedish artist Mikael Genberg. Company Response Takeshi Hakamada, the CEO and Founder of ispace, said, "Our priority is to analyze the telemetry data to identify the cause and prepare for future missions." Though they suffered a failure, Hakamada reiterated the firm's intent to pursue future lunar exploration, as happened with a similar crash in their maiden attempt two years prior. Global Context Only five countriesthe Soviet Union, United States, China, India, and Japanhave made soft lunar landings. ispace's second failed mission highlights the difficulty of private lunar missions. The company will revisit data and pursue further lunar missions to hone its technology. Former Nepali Prime Minister and leader of the opposition Madhav Kumar Nepal has been charged with corruption by the anti-graft agency in connection with an alleged land scam. It is the first time that a former Prime Minister has been booked for corruption in the Himalayan nation. The anti-graft agency, Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), on Thursday afternoon registered a case against Nepal along with 94 others on the land scam, court officials confirmed to ANI. "CIAA registered the case at the Special Court on Thursday against Nepal and other defendants," a Special Court official confirmed to ANI. This is the first time that a Nepali Prime Minister has been charged in a corruption case in the nation's history. The case involves alleged misappropriation of land acquired for a private company under government exemptions for land ownership ceiling. As per the charges, the anti-graft agency has demanded NRs 186 million from the former Prime Minister. Madhav Kumar Nepal, now the chairman of CPN-Unified Socialist (CPN-US), while in power on February 1, 2010, had approved the purchase of 815 ropani (1 ropani equals 0.0509 hectares) of land in Banepa, Kavre, under the ceiling exemption for purposes including yoga centres, Ayurvedic institutes, and the herbal industry. The decision was made through a meeting of the council of ministers led by then Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal. The same cabinet meeting also approved the purchase of land under ceiling exemption: 75 bighas (1 bigha equals 0.677 hectares) in Dang, 300 ropanis in Lamjung, 250 ropanis in Syangja, 15 bighas in Chitwan, 25 bighas in Dhanusha, 150 ropanis in the Kathmandu Valley, and 40 bighas in the Bara-Parsa area within five years. After receiving Cabinet approval, the private company's Nepal Chief purchased 593 ropanis, 5 annas, and 3 paisas of land in the areas of Nasikasthan, Sanga, Mahendrajyoti, and Chalal Ganeshsthan in Banepa. The decision-making process to grant approval for purchasing land under the ceiling exemption involved then Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, then Land Reform Minister Dambar Shrestha, then Chief Secretary Madhav Ghimire, then Secretary Chhabiraj Pant, along with other high-ranking officials and employees. Within a month of receiving approval to purchase land under the ceiling exemption, on February 19, 2010, the company's Chief submitted an application to the then Land Reform Minister Shrestha seeking permission to sell the land acquired under the exemption. On March 16 of the same year, citing "as per Prime Minister Nepal's instruction," then Minister Shrestha took the proposal to the Cabinet to allow the company to sell the land obtained through the ceiling exemption. Three days later, the Cabinet decided to approve the sale of the exempted land. However, on March 30, 2010, then Director General of the Land Reform Department, Keshar Bahadur Baniya, sent a letter to the ministry stating that the Cabinet's decision was illegal and could not be implemented. On April 8, 2010, the Cabinet decided to seek clarification from Director General Baniya, accusing him of challenging the approval given for the sale of land exempted from the land ceiling. The next day, to support the planned sale of the exempted land, Baniya was allegedly removed from his position as Director General, and Joint Secretary Jit Bahadur Thapa of the ministry was appointed in his place. On the very same day he assumed the role, Thapa sent a letter to the Kavre Land Revenue Office approving the sale of the land exempted from the land ceiling. On June 25, 2010, the company sold 353 ropani and 15 aana of land to Kasthamandap Business Homes Pvt Ltd. The investigation has also revealed financial irregularities in land transactions. When the company sold the land in Banepa, the recorded price was NRs 42.25 million. Government records show that the private company later bought 104 ropani, 1 aana, 2 paisa, and 1 dam of land in Dhulikhel for Rs 10.75 million. Following the registration of the case, the post of Member of Parliament (MP) of Madhav Kumar Nepal has been suspended with immediate effect. New Delhi: Pakistan, the country that never misses a chance to provoke India, is now gasping for breath or rather, for water. After playing with fire in Pahalgam by sponsoring a bloodbath that left 26 innocents dead, Islamabad is now discovering the hard truth of New Delhis blunt message: Water and blood cannot flow together. Indias suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty has pushed Pakistan to the brink of an existential water crisis a slow and humiliating collapse that it brought upon itself. The Chenab River, once a lifeline for Pakistani farmers, has been choked at its source by India. Punjab and Sindh, Pakistans most fertile provinces, are now watching their fields crack under a merciless sun. In Mangla and Tarbela, the countrys two main dams, water levels have plummeted by nearly 50% slashing irrigation and power generation. According to the Indus River System Authority (IRSA), 21% of the overall water flow has already dried up. The early kharif (summer sowing) season is a disaster. Even rabi (winter crops) are expected to fail unless India restarts water sharing which it clearly will not unless Pakistan credibly and irreversibly stops aiding cross-border terror. Pakistan Begging Behind Closed Doors As per sources, Pakistan has written four desperate letters to India in the past month pleading for the restoration of the Indus Waters Treaty. It even knocked on the World Banks doors, only to be coldly turned away. But this is not the 1960s. India is done playing benefactor while bleeding from Pakistan-backed terror. In a masterstroke, Indian engineers sealed all leakages at Harike Pattan and Hussainiwala Headworks shutting down water that previously seeped into Pakistan through the Sutlej. Now, Pakistans canal-fed farming regions in Punjab have started to wither, as the Sutlej dries up inside Pakistani territory. Even the leaks are not leaking anymore, one Indian official quipped. Farmers in Ferozepur and border villages who once complained about water shortage are now receiving abundant canal water, while Pakistan is screaming famine. Desperation in Islamabad Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif, rattled by the crisis, chaired a high-level emergency meeting on Thursday. His remedy? Build new dams fast. A committee led by Deputy PM Ishaq Dar has been given just 72 hours to chart out funding plans. But with just 11 operational dams and over 32 still under construction, Pakistan is far from ready. Its dam capacity stands at just 15.3 million acre-feet, woefully inadequate for its 240 million people. And the only strategy it seems to have is blaming India. In an address full of empty bravado and tired anti-India rhetoric, Shehbaz Sharif claimed, India is threatening our water. But we will face this together with full strength and unity. Really? A country that cannot manage its own reservoirs is now talking about unity while begging its neighbour to turn the tap back on. Meanwhile, India has begun reimagining its own water strategy. Plans are underway for a 130-km canal linking the Beas to the Ganga canal, and a tunnel linking the Indus to the Yamuna projects that will benefit Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi. The message is loud and clear India will use its own rivers for its own people. It all began with 26 Indian lives lost in Pahalgam, and now, it is Pakistans turn to pay not with bullets, but with barren fields and empty taps. The Indus Waters Treaty, once seen as a symbol of diplomatic civility, has become a pressure point India is no longer afraid to use. No terror. No treaty. No water. This is the new doctrine New Delhi has made unmistakably clear, and Islamabad is finally waking up to the price of its proxy wars. New Delhi: In a political theatre draped in hypocrisy and delusion, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharifs June 6 Eid pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia has revealed more than diplomatic pleasantries, it has exposed Islamabads deeply flawed obsession with projecting itself as a peace-seeking nation, while covertly fuelling terror and instability across South Asia. While Indian security forces continue to grapple with Pakistan-backed cross-border terrorism, the latest being the April 22 deadly Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians, Sharif had the gall to thank Saudi Arabia for mediating peace between India and Pakistan. Yes, the same Pakistan whose soil has birthed masterminds like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar now pretends to be a sobered neighbour seeking dialogue. Shehbazs post-Eid rendezvous with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman became a diplomatic masquerade. Pakistans PM went as far as commending Riyadhs positive and constructive role in de-escalating recent Indo-Pak tensions. But let us not forget: there was no ceasefire agreement because India needed mediation. It was a tactical decision from New Delhi, calibrated, controlled and backed by military superiority. India, unlike Pakistan, does not run to foreign patrons for a bailout every time tensions flare. It responds with surgical strikes, diplomatic isolations, or, most recently, tough measures like suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, choking Pakistans already struggling agrarian economy. Islamabad calling it Indian aggression is laughable. The real aggression has always flowed from Rawalpindis GHQ, not Raisina Hill. Pakistans Saudi Paradox It is ironic and almost insulting that Pakistan speaks of responsible restraint while praising Saudi Arabia for peacemaking, even as ISI-trained militants infiltrate Indian borders. This charade seems more like Islamabad seeking validation for a narrative that has lost global credibility. India has made it clear terror and talks cannot go together. When New Delhi responds, it does so with clarity, whether it is by revoking Article 370, neutralising terrorists with pinpoint military operations or weaponising diplomacy at global forums like the FATF, where Pakistan continues to oscillate on grey lists. Pakistans efforts to internationalise every skirmish with India, now disguised under the veil of Saudi mediation, are nothing but attempts to cover up its diplomatic failures and domestic chaos. The recent Eid-ul-Adha trip, painted as a triumph, only further illustrated Pakistans dependence on external crutches to remain relevant on the global stage. Meanwhile, India continues to handle its security and diplomacy with maturity. It does not need foreign intervention to speak for it. Indias stance is firm: if Pakistan wants peace, it must first stop exporting terror. Can Saudi Arabia Play a Real Strategic Role? The honest answer is yes, but only if it chooses substance over symbolism. Riyadh holds leverage over Islamabad, not just diplomatically but economically, given the billions in aid and loans Saudi Arabia has extended to keep Pakistan afloat. If the Kingdom truly wishes to play a constructive role in South Asia, it should use that leverage to demand accountability from Pakistans military and intelligence networks that perpetuate terrorism. It should push for genuine de-radicalisation, not lavish state banquets while terror training camps operate across the LOC. The Kingdoms credibility as a regional power hinges not on polite diplomacy, but on tough conversations behind closed doors. Enough of This Farce India sees the visit a bizarre gratitude Pakistan extended to Saudi Arabia over a supposed ceasefire with New Delhi. There was no such peace deal, just India deciding when and how to engage. After all, why would the worlds most populated democracy entertain a dialogue with a rogue state where democracy itself is a puppet of the military? Sharif may find joy in royal luncheons and chauffeured rides by the Saudi Crown Prince. But no amount of hospitality or photo-ops can erase Pakistans record as the fountainhead of terrorism in South Asia. India does not need a peace certificate from a state that harbours fugitives and celebrates terrorists as martyrs. And if Saudi Arabia truly wants to play peacemaker, it should first urge Pakistan to dismantle its terror infrastructure. Until then, these symbolic gestures and orchestrated hugs in palaces will remain what they truly are diplomatic illusions in a house of cards. KYIV: Russian forces launched 400 drones and 40 missiles on Ukraine overnight on Friday, killing at least four people and injuring dozens, Ukrainian authorities said. All four fatalities occurred in Kyiv, where 20 other people were injured, said Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. The State Service for Emergencies confirmed that three of the victims were emergency service workers. Separately, the National Police reported that about 40 people were injured nationwide, with most of them in Kyiv, the northwestern city of Lutsk and the western city of Ternopil. According to the police, 38 facilities were damaged in the attacks, including five apartment buildings and five private houses, Xinhua news agency reported. For Kyiv residents, the night brought a sadly familiar chorus: the high-pitched buzz of drones, the wail of air raid sirens, and thunderous explosions overheadwhether from successful air defence interceptions or incoming missiles hitting their targets. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia had launched over 400 drones and 40 missiles in the massive overnight assault, calling it one of the largest since the war began. He said the strikes killed many people, injured 49 others, and targeted "almost all" of Ukraine, naming nine regions ranging from Lviv in the west to Sumy in the northeast. While Russia has persistently bombarded Ukraine throughout more than three years of full-scale war, this latest attack was widely anticipated. Ukrainians had been expecting a major reprisal since Sunday, when Kyiv carried out a bold strike that damaged more than a third of Russias strategic cruise missile bombers. During a phone call with former US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would have to respond to the Ukrainian assault. Meanwhile, Ukraines General Staff reported on Friday that its forces had struck two Russian airfields overnight. These sites were believed to be housing many aircraft that had escaped damage in Kyivs Spiderweb operation last weekend. According to Ukraines air force, Russia's assault included 407 drones, six ballistic missiles, more than 38 cruise missiles, and one anti-radar missiletotaling 452 projectiles. Of those, 406 were intercepted, including 32 cruise missiles and four ballistic missiles. The remaining two ballistic missiles reportedly missed their targets. Ukrainians had been bracing all week for a major retaliation following the weekend drone strike, which hit 34 per cent of Russias nuclear-capable bombers at airbases as far as Siberia. Earlier on Thursday, Ukrainian forces struck a Russian missile unit in Bryansk region, hitting Iskander launchers, according to a statement from Ukraines General Staff. The strike occurred as Russias 26th missile brigade prepared to launch an attack, likely targeting Kyiv, from the city of Klintsy. On June 4, the Kremlin confirmed an attempted Ukrainian strike on the Crimean Bridge but claimed it caused no damage. There was indeed an explosion, but nothing was harmed, and the bridge remains operational, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. On Tuesday, Ukraine also attacked the Kerch Bridgethe key link between Russia and the annexed Crimean Peninsulausing 1,100 kilograms of underwater explosives. US Senators Kevin Cramer and Michael Bennet have introduced the Quad Space Act of 2025 to strengthen Quad space cooperation. The bill would direct US Secretary of Defence to initiate discussions with Quad nations to identify mutual areas of interest with regards to formulation of practices in space, cooperation on space situational awareness, and space industrial policy. The press release stated, "At a time when adversaries like China and Russia are increasingly utilizing space-based capabilities to expand their interests, US Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), co-chair of the Senate Space Force Caucus and chair of the Senate Armed Services (SASC) Airland Subcommittee, and Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced the Quad Space Act of 2025." "The bill would direct the Secretary of Defense to initiate discussions with Quad countries to identify mutual areas of interest with respect to the formulation of best practices in space, cooperation on space situational awareness, and space industrial policy," it added. Cramer emphasised that maintaining space dominance is needed for protecting the stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific. He stated that Quad Space Act protects US' interests by deepening space cooperation with trusted partners and reaffirming US' commitment to advancing a free and open region." He stated, "Maintaining space dominance is vital to protecting the stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region." He added, "The Quad's alignment addresses shared security challenges between our countries, and we recognize the importance of space as a strategic domain. The Quad Space Act protects our interests by deepening space cooperation with trusted partners and reaffirming our commitment to advancing a free and open region." Bennet emphasised that Quad Space Act will enhance the collective capacity of the four nations to address shared challenges by better ensuring safe and secure space missions, tracking objects and activities in space, and fostering shared innovation. "As China and Russia rapidly develop dangerous space capabilities and behave recklessly in space, the United States must bolster cooperation with our Quad partners to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific," Bennet said in a release. "The Quad Space Act will enhance our collective capacity to address shared challenges by better ensuring safe and secure space missions, tracking objects and activities in space, and fostering shared innovation," he added. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or the Quad is a diplomatic partnership among India, Australia, Japan, and the United States, committed to fostering an open, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient. Earlier in January, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on his first day in office, hosted the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India, and Japan for a significant meeting of the QUAD alliance. "On day one as Secretary of State, I hosted the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India, and Japan for an important meeting of the Quad. We are committed to strengthening economic opportunity and peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region," Rubio posted on X. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held the meeting with his Quad counterparts--External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Japan's Takeshi Iwaya, and Australia's Penny Wong--at the US Department of State. In a joint statement, the Foreign ministers of Quad countries reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening a free and open Indo-Pacific where "sovereignty and territorial integrity are upheld and defended." The Quad nations also expressed strong opposition "to any unilateral actions aimed at changing the status quo through force or coercion." Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai met with Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo yesterday to discuss ways to strengthen Macaus role as a platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and to promote economic and trade cooperation between Macau and Guinea-Bissau. During the meeting at the Government Headquarters. Sam highlighted the citys implementation of the One country, two systems principle, noting its impact on political, economic, and social development. He also referred to the regions position as a cultural exchange hub and tourism center in the Asia-Pacific region. The discussion covered the strategic partnership between China and Guinea-Bissau, established last year, and Macaus role in hosting the 6th Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Forum Macao). According to a statement released by the Government Information Bureau, Sam outlined Macaus commitment to supporting Guinea-Bissau through its One Centre, One Platform, One Base framework, including efforts to facilitate investment, and cooperation in healthcare, education, and youth exchanges. Staff Reporter Sands China recently celebrated more than 1,000 employees marking 10, 15, and 20 years of service in 2025 with special ceremonies held in April. The company attributes its success in Macau over the past two decades to the dedication and professionalism of its team members. By the end of 2025, over 14,000 employees will have served at Sands China for 10 years or more, representing half of its workforce. Those with 15 and 20 years of service number more than 6,000 and 2,000, respectively. The company has also increased local representation in management roles from 20% in 2004 to 91% today. Wilfred Wong, executive vice chairman, praised the teams growth alongside Sands Chinas expansion, highlighting the strong cohesion and confidence between staff and the company. CEO Grant Chum emphasized that employees are the driving force behind the companys achievements and the regions development. President Donald Trump said yesterday that his first call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping since returning to office was very positive, announcing that the two countries will hold trade talks in hopes of breaking an impasse over tariffs and global supplies of rare earth minerals. Our respective teams will be meeting shortly at a location to be determined, Trump wrote on his social media platform after the call, which he said lasted an hour and a half. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will represent the U.S. side in negotiations. The Republican president, who returned to the White House for a second term in January, also said Xi graciously invited him and first lady Melania Trump to China, and Trump reciprocated with his own invitation for Xi to visit the United States. The Chinese foreign ministry said Trump initiated the call between the leaders of the worlds two biggest economies. Xinhua, the Chinese state media outlet, said Xi asked Trump to withdraw the negative measures that the U.S. has taken against China. It also reported that Trump said Chinese students were welcome to study in the U.S., although his administration has vowed to revoke some of their visas. Comparing the bilateral relationship to a big ship, Xi told Trump that the two sides need to steer carefully in a good direction and for them to eliminate all kinds of interference and even sabotage, according to Xinhua. Trump had declared one day earlier that it was difficult to reach a deal with Xi. I like President XI of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!! Trump posted Wednesday on his social media site. Trade negotiations between the United States and China stalled shortly after a May 12 agreement between the two countries to reduce their tariff rates while talks played out. Behind the gridlock has been the continued competition for an economic edge. The U.S. accuses China of not exporting critical minerals, and the Chinese government objects to America restricting its sale of advanced chips and its access to student visas for college and graduate students. Trump has lowered his 145% tariffs on Chinese goods to 30% for 90 days to allow for talks. China also reduced its taxes on U.S. goods from 125% to 10%. The back and forth has caused sharp swings in global markets and threatens to hamper trade between the two countries. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had suggested that only a conversation between Trump and Xi could resolve these differences so that talks could restart in earnest. The underlying tension between the two countries may still persist, though. Even if negotiations resume, Trump wants to lessen Americas reliance on Chinese factories and reindustrialize the U.S., whereas China wants the ability to continue its push into technologies such as electric vehicles and artificial intelligence that could be crucial to securing its economic future. The United States ran a trade imbalance of $295 billion with China in 2024, according to the Census Bureau. While the Chinese governments focus on manufacturing has turned it into a major economic and geopolitical power, China has been muddling through a slowing economy after a real estate crisis and coronavirus pandemic lockdowns weakened consumer spending. Trump and Xi last spoke in January, three days before Inauguration Day. The pair discussed trade then, as well as Trumps demands that China do more to prevent the synthetic opioid fentanyl from entering the United States. Despite long expressing optimism about the prospects for a major deal, Trump became more pessimistic recently. The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US, Trump posted last week. So much for being Mr. NICE GUY! CHRIS MEGERIAN, DIDI TANG & WILL WEISSERT, WASHINGTONMDT/AP Innovation for its own sake often serves the few. Innovation with purpose, backed by education and access, has a chance to serve the many. The latter is what Innovision 2025 is working to builda future worth investing in. Placing young Filipino talent at the center of a global conversation on emerging technologies, the Philippine Coding Camps Innovision 2025 is doing what most tech gatherings in the country rarely achieve. Its pushing for innovation with purpose. - Advertisement - But what is it exactly? Innovision 2025 is reshaping the local tech education landscape. The grassroots learning initiative scales by focusing on skills development thats both inclusive and adaptable. We started during the pandemic by bridging the learning gaps through after-class programs. Now, we are present across the country, and we have more than 10,000 learners to date, PCC CEO Gabriel Sampedro. Launched on its fifth anniversary, the startup behind Innovision has come a long way since its early pandemic-era coding classes for children. Today, the Philippine Coding Camp (PCC) partners with major corporations and academic institutions to expand tech education, most recently working with Toyota Motor Philippines, Japan Tobacco International, De La Salle University, and Lyceum of the Philippines University. Innovision 2025, held on May 30 and 31 at De La Salle University, drew about 500 in-person and virtual attendees. It featured international speakers, tech experts, and government officials from agencies such as the Department of Science and Technology and the Philippine Space Agency. What sets Innovision apart is its open-door approach. Sampedro makes it clear that the event is not limited to IT professionals or experienced developers. Even those with no tech background but with a strong idea and the right collaborators are encouraged to join. The focus on emerging technologiesfrom AI and blockchain to space and satellite techunderscores PCCs ambition to expose Filipino youth to high-growth sectors. But its the deliberate effort to include students and young professionals from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao that gives this movement its real edge. By going beyond Metro Manila, Innovision acknowledges a basic truth: talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. Thats why we are making the program accessible and inclusive, Sampedro added. So, if youre not an IT expert, if you have an idea, you can look for like-minded people and come up with that great idea yourself. The lineup of speakers from institutions like Kumoh National Institute of Technology in South Korea, Telkom University in Indonesia, and local firms such as P&G and Lancaster Group of Companies brought valuable expertise and an international perspective during the event. Innovision is our platform for bringing together different experts from different countries. Weve flown in experts from Taiwan, Indonesia, and even our government partners. Were bringing together different experts to help our efforts in upscaling the Philippines, Sampedro said. We are not like other parties. We are not respectable politicians. We do not stand for class collaboration and horse-trading. We stand for class struggle and to fight fire with fire. These words from Ylva Vinbergs closing remarks summarise our attitude. At the Second Congress of the RKP, we showed more clearly than ever what we are made of. 138 enthusiastic communists attended the congress in Stockholm, held between 29 May to 1 June, to take the next step in the building of the revolutionary party. Sweden has by no means been spared by the crisis of capitalism. This was emphasised during the opening of the congress by Francesco Merli from the Revolutionary Communist International: A few years ago, you would have considered Germany and Scandinavia as the last standing hubs of stability of capitalism. Now, Germany is at the centre of the capitalist crisis in Europe, and Scandinavia is not far behind. Sweden has by no means been spared by the crisis of capitalism / Image: RKP Sweden is the Nordic country where inequality is increasing the most. The richest part of the population lives more than 10 years longer than the poor, and five Swedes own more than 60 percent of the population combined. At the beginning of the year, a survey showed that almost one in three single parents with low incomes struggle to get enough to eat, as Ylva Vinberg explained during the discussion on perspectives for the Swedish revolution. 44 percent have had to borrow money to meet their expenses and 60 percent are worried about their livelihood in the coming six months. Anger is building up against capitalism. Living conditions like these are what create revolutions. Times like these are what the RKP is built for. Anger is building up against capitalism. Living conditions like these are what create revolutions. Times like these are what the RKP is built for / Image: RKP Crisis and class struggle Just as the crisis of capitalism is global, so is the struggle of the working class and youth. In Greece, a train crash in Tempi triggered the largest protest movement in modern Greek history. In Serbia, the masses are fighting against poverty, austerity, and political corruption. Just as the crisis of capitalism is global, so is the struggle of the working class and youth / Image: RKP Embryos of workers' councils have been established in the largest mass movement in Serbia's history. Capitalism strikes with full brutality across the world, in the Balkans, and Serbia, comrade Nina explained during the discussion on perspectives for the world revolution. It is only a matter of time before similar movements reach Sweden. For a long time, Swedish workers and youth have fought against austerity and inequality, only to be ignored or actively undermined by the leadership of the unions and the labour parties. Healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, midwives and assistant nurses have tried to fight the crisis in healthcare for over a decade through so-called healthcare uprisings: mass resignations, overtime blockades, and strikes. Swedish workers and youth have fought against austerity and inequality, only to be ignored or actively undermined by the leadership of the unions and the labour parties / Image: RKP As Jennifer Osterman explained during the discussion on perspectives for the Swedish revolution, those involved in the healthcare uprisings began by saying: Management, the bosses, politicians they need to understand how bad it is. We have to make them see, we have to make them understand. But they have shifted to: Everyone knows, including the regional leadership. The managers have heard. The politicians are aware. They dont care. We have to make them care. Jennifer continued to explain that the situation is preparing the ground for more struggle in healthcare than weve seen so far more militant and more clear-sighted. Building the Revolutionary Communist Party The power of Marxism is that its not just a collection of good ideas. It is a guide to action. The second half of the congress was centred around party building, with sessions on building the Revolutionary Communist Party, the history of our movement and the Fourth International, democratic centralism, party finances, and an inspiring report from the work of the International over the past year. The power of Marxism is that its not just a collection of good ideas. It is a guide to action / Image: RKP During the session on building the Revolutionary Communist Party, Fredrik Albin Svensson explained: We are building a tool for the international working class to take power. We say the working class because only the working class has the strength to challenge and defeat the ruling class. It is the working class that keeps everything running, that creates all new value in society, and therefore, as a collective, has the capacity to replace the ruling class and lead society themselves. Our next task is to win the revolutionary youth and turn them into Marxists and with them, we can win the working class. Demonstration at the Pakistani Embassy On the morning before the opening of the congress, over 50 comrades went to the Pakistani Embassy in Stockholm to protest against the arrest of Ehsan Ali and the other comrades of Awami Action Committee. The protest attracted attention from the embassy. They called the police, who came with four cars. In the end, four comrades were allowed to talk to the ambassador and present our demands. During the conversation in the embassy, the comrades shouting slogans outside could be heard inside the building and several blocks away. In the ambassador's own words, we caused quite a stir. We will continue our solidarity campaign with the rest of the International until all prisoners are released. We will continue our solidarity campaign with the rest of the International until all prisoners are released / Image: RKP The next step In a great show of strength, we raised 809,000 SEK (74,000/$84,350) in the collection, doubling our original target of 400,000 SEK! On top of that, we sold a total of 49,000 SEK (4,500/$5,100) in books and merch a testament to comrades' thirst for communist ideas. That is 15,000 SEK more than during the autumn school and twice what we sold for during the congress two years ago. We sold a total of 49,000 SEK (4,500/$5,100) in books and merch a testament to comrades' thirst for communist ideas / Image: RKP Armed with lessons, inspiration and new ideas from this congress, we are now aiming for our autumn offensive, where we will launch a new recruitment campaign, aimed mainly at the universities. We will hold bookstalls and paper sales, open meetings, presentations in classrooms, and go door-knocking and postering to reconquer our presence on the campuses. Fredrik concluded by raising our sights to what we are truly fighting for. When you sell the paper, study, have meetings and so on, you are not just building a party in general. You are building a tool for struggle, so that the development of humanity will not stop here, and that this crisis of capitalism will not be the best thing we ever achieve. So that humanity can rise to new heights. This is what communists are fighting for the complete liberation of humanity. We in the Revolutionary Communist Party will now set out to organise every person who wants to fight against capitalism, and take the next step to become the party that the Swedish working class and youth deserve! Africa has renewed its long-standing demand for permanent representation on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), as ministers gathered on June 4 in Lusaka, Zambia, for the 13th Ministerial Meeting of the African Unions Committee of Ten (C-10). The high-level talks centred on the Common African Position (CAP), which advocates for at least two permanent and five non-permanent seats for Africa on the UNSC. In a message delivered on his behalf by Defence Minister Ambrose Lufuma, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema stressed that Africas current exclusion weakens the continents influence in global peace and security decisions, particularly amid rising regional conflicts and shifting geopolitical tides. Zambias Foreign Minister, Mulambo Haimbe, described the absence of a permanent African voice on the Security Council as a major historical anomaly that undermines the continents global standing. This sentiment was echoed by UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang, who urged Africa to refine and present its lobbying framework as a model for ongoing negotiations. He emphasised that securing permanent representation would help correct historical injustices rooted in colonialism and exploitation, a view supported by African Union Commission Chairperson Mahamoud Ali Youssouf and other regional leaders in attendance. The Committee of Ten, which includes Sierra Leone, Senegal, Algeria and Uganda, was established to advance Africas reform agenda at the UN. At the Lusaka meeting, Sierra Leones Foreign Minister Alhaji Kabba reaffirmed the need for unity and persistence in advocating for equitable representation. As global tensions rise and multilateral institutions face growing scrutiny, African leaders argue that reforming the UNSC is not only just but necessary to reflect the current realities of international power dynamics and to foster lasting peace and security. Ghana has joined the increasing number of countries that have clearly expressed backing to the Morocco-proposed autonomy plan as the only realistic and sustainable basis for a mutually acceptable solution to the Sahara issue. This position was expressed in a joint Communique released following a meeting held in Rabat Thursday between Ghanas Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and his Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita.. Ghana underscored that the UN should remain the only framework to reach a realistic, practical, and lasting solution to the issue. Ghanas position, as reiterated by Okudzeto Ablakwa, falls in line with the international momentum driven by King Mohammed VI in favor of the autonomy plan for the Sahara under the Kingdoms sovereignty. Ghana also commended the leadership and laudable contribution of King Mohammed VI to the international Communitys efforts to promote peace, stability, and development in Africa. The two ministers further welcomed the momentum generated within the framework of the Atlantic African States Process to turn the Atlantic African space into a geostrategic framework offering major opportunities for synergy and cooperation among its countries. These opportunities include strategic areas such as the environment, food security, health, energy, logistical interconnection, pooling resources, and exchange of experience, therefore forming an area of co-emergence and stability. Okudzeto Ablakwa also lauded the Kings initiative to promote Sahel countries access to the Atlantic Ocean, underlining the strategic importance of this Initiative, which forms part of Moroccos active solidarity with sister African countries. At the bilateral level, the Ghanaian foreign minister expressed his countrys commitment to further enshrine cooperation with Morocco in various areas of cooperation, and both countries welcomed the increasing presence of Moroccan companies in Ghana. They agreed to explore further cooperation in agriculture, green energy, fisheries, higher education, vocational training, mining, and urban development. The two countries also plan to sign a memorandum of understanding in military cooperation, and vowed to develop cooperation on food security and fertilizers, the document said, adding that a Moroccan delegation will pay a visit to Ghana soon to examine feasibility. Ghana and Morocco are also examining visa waivers for ordinary passports, as Morocco will immediately enable Ghanan nationals to apply for e- visas. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A comparative network visualization of types of objections received by patent applications claiming bioprinted tissues/organs, bioinks and related sub-technologies. Credit: Nature Biotechnology (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41587-025-02661-5 The use of 3D printers to create living tissues and organs is revolutionizing medicinebut University of Queensland research reveals the legal system is struggling to keep up as the technology races ahead. Lead researcher Dr. Pratap Devarapalli from UQ's Law School said there are about 1,850 Australians on the organ transplant waiting list, with bioprinting emerging as a promising solution if supported by clear and flexible global patent laws. "Patent law hasn't kept pace with what's scientifically possible," Dr. Devarapalli said. "The implications extend beyond medicine to fundamental questions about innovation policy. "Ironically, the more realistic and medically useful a bioprinted organ is, the harder it becomes to patent because laws often require it to be clearly different from what exists in nature." The research was published in Nature Biotechnology and in Dr. Devarapalli's book. In 2025, the bioprinting market is estimated at $5.5 billion and is projected to reach $20 billion by 2034. Patents give inventors temporary protection from copying and without them companies may be less willing to invest, slowing down progress in developing lifesaving medical tools and treatments. The research compares how major jurisdictions, including the US, Europe and Australia, assess the patentability of bioprinted inventions. Dr. Devarapalli said the lack of consistency across borders creates legal uncertainty, especially when ethical concerns intersect with innovation. "For instance, some patent offices may reject applications on the grounds that bioprinted tissues could resemble early-stage human embryos, invoking moral objections in decision making," he said. Australia has adopted a new classification regulating bioprinted devices containing human cells as 'medical devices with biological components." Dr. Devarapalli said this progress brought Australia's framework in line with European and US standards. "While this requires stricter oversight, it also provides clearer pathways to commercialization," he said. "There needs to be balance between incentivizing funding research and the greater good." Dr. Devarapalli will travel to Geneva this month to present on the topic at the United Nations. More information: Pratap Devarapalli et al, 3D bioprinting innovation and the patentability hurdle, Nature Biotechnology (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41587-025-02661-5 Journal information: Nature Biotechnology This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: High-level overview of the LLM agent framework. Credit: Nature Cancer (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s43018-025-00991-6 Researchers at the Else Kroner Fresenius Center (EKFZ) for Digital Health at TUD Dresden University of Technology, in collaboration with partners from Germany, the U.K. and U.S., have developed and validated an autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agent capable of supporting clinical decision-making in oncology. In the future, AI agents could assist health care professionals in navigating complex medical data and supporting informed, personalized treatment decisions for cancer patients. The research is published in the journal Nature Cancer. Clinical decision-making in oncology is challenging and requires the analysis of various data typesfrom medical imaging and genetic information to patient records and treatment guidelines. To effectively support medical practice, AI models must be capable of processing multimodal data and have reasoning and problem-solving capabilities that resemble those of humans. To build an autonomous AI agent for precision medicine, the researchers enhanced the large language model GPT-4 with several digital toolsincluding radiology report generation from MRI and CT scans, medical image analysis, prediction of genetic alterations directly from histopathology slides, and search functions across platforms such as PubMed, Google and OncoKB. To ensure that decisions were grounded in current medical knowledge, the model was given access to about 6,800 documents compiled from official oncology guidelines and clinical resources. Autonomous AI agents successfully tested on realistic, simulated patient cases The AI agent was evaluated on 20 real-world, simulated patient cases using a two-step process: First, the system selected appropriate tools, then it retrieved relevant medical information to guide its reasoning. The outputs were reviewed by human medical experts for accuracy, completeness, and correct citation of sources. The AI agent reached correct clinical conclusions in 91% of cases and accurately cited relevant oncology guidelines in more than 75% of its responses. Importantly, the use of specialized tools and medical information retrieval significantly improved the model's performance. As a result, so-called "hallucinations"seemingly plausible but incorrect statementswere significantly reduced. This improvement is particularly important in the sensitive area of health care. "AI tools are designed to support medical professionals, freeing up valuable time for patient care," says Dyke Ferber, first author of the publication. "They could help in daily decision-making processes and support doctors to stay updated on the latest treatment recommendations, contributing to the identification of optimal personalized care for cancer patients." Potential future support in everyday clinical practice The study serves as proof of principle that AI agents can be designed to support oncologists in everyday clinical practice. Despite the promising results, the researchers acknowledge current limitations of their study. The system was only tested on a small number of simulated cases and requires further validation. Future work will focus on integrating conversational capabilities with human feedbackso-called "human-in-the-loop" interactionsand ensuring data privacy through deployment on local servers. "To fully leverage the potential of AI agents in the future, it will be crucial to integrate them smoothly into routine clinical practice with minimal disruption," says Prof. Jakob N. Kather, Professor of Clinical Artificial Intelligence at EKFZ for Digital Health at TU Dresden, and oncologist at Dresden University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus. "Challenges such as interoperability with existing systems, compliance with data privacy laws, the need for regulatory approval processes as medical devices, and ensuring accountability still need to be addressed." Long-term, the research team envisions that similar AI agents could be adapted for use in other medical fieldsprovided they are equipped with appropriate tools and data. "For successful implementation of medical AI agents, medical professionals need to be well educated on how to effectively collaborate with these systems while maintaining full authority over final clinical decision-making", Prof. Kather adds. "These agents are designed to support clinicians, but by no means to replace them." Overall, the study highlights the considerable potential of large language models when combined with precision oncology and search tools, establishing a solid foundation for the future use of AI-driven, personalized support systems in clinical practice. More information: Dyke Ferber et al, Development and validation of an autonomous artificial intelligence agent for clinical decision-making in oncology, Nature Cancer (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s43018-025-00991-6 Journal information: Nature Cancer This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Current and target pathways to a MASH diagnosis. Abbreviations: MASH, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis. Credit: The Lancet Regional Health - Europe (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2025.101320 During the first meeting of the Global Think-tank on Steatotic Liver Disease, supported by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and held in the Palau Macaya of Barcelona on 56 June, more than 100 international experts issued a stark warning: millions of people will continue to go unseen by health care systems unless early detection and person-centered care for liver disease are prioritized without delay. Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) affects around 33% of adults globally. Its more aggressive form, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), is estimated to affect 5% of the general population. People with type 2 diabetes, obesity or other cardiometabolic risk factors are at significantly higher risk. However, despite its severity, MASH often shows no symptoms until it reaches an advanced stagewhen it can progress to cirrhosis or liver cancer. The Lancet Regional Health - Europe has published an article in which leading hepatology and metabolic health experts call on health systems to double the MASH diagnosis rate by 2027. This advanced disease affects millions silently and is rarely detected early, representing missed opportunities for timely intervention that could improve outcomes and reduce health care burdens. The paper highlights non-invasive tools and AI-based technologies that can help identify at-risk patients in primary care, as well as the recent approval of a new treatment, which makes the need for improved diagnostic access all the more pressing. Effective treatments must go hand in hand with better diagnosis, the authors argue. To deliver a paradigm shift in the response to MASH and eliminate this growing public health threat by 2030, the authors propose concrete actions such as routine screening for at-risk groups, integrating liver testing into regular health check-ups, updating reimbursement policies, and fostering collaboration across primary care, endocrinology, cardiology, and patient organizations. "The future of the fight against MASH lies in anticipation: not only treating advanced patients but also identifying those without fibrosis early on. This shift towards preventive hepatology is key to improving the metabolic health of millions around the world," says Jeffrey Lazarus, Head of the Public Health Liver Group at ISGlobal, and lead author of the study. Changing the language and care around liver disease In parallel, over 40 experts have published the People-First Liver Charter in Nature Medicine, a roadmap to end the stigma surrounding liver diseases, which often delays timely diagnosis and treatment. The authors call for a shift towards person-centered language and care models that prioritize the individual over the diagnostic label. This approach aims to promote respect, empathy and reduce health inequities, in line with recent global efforts to rename liver diseases with more inclusive terms, thereby enhancing dignity and empowerment for patients. It has been endorsed by 70+ organizations. Chronic liver disease in Spain A policy brief focusing on Spain was also presented during the Global Think-tank, analyzing the current situation and offering concrete recommendations to advance the national health system's response to MASLD/MASH. Spain is facing a significant rise in liver disease cases, with a growing impact on mortality and health care costs. In 2021, approximately eight million people in Spain were living with MASLD. This figure is expected to rise to 12.7 million (27.6% of the population) by 2030. In 2016, there were an estimated 1.8 million cases of MASH, a number projected to increase to 2.7 million by 2030. As a result, MASH-related mortality is expected to double, reaching around 7,590 deaths in that year. Furthermore, direct health care costs associated with the disease could more than double, from $1.48 billion in 2021 to $3.5 billion in 2040. Faced with this scenario, Lazarus warns, "We recommend a national strategy led by the Ministry of Health and in close collaboration with all autonomous communities that includes a MASLD registry, its inclusion in key health indicators, enhanced training for health care professionals, automated diagnosis in primary care, and strengthened community-based services." Although it affects more than 1.5 billion people, chronic liver disease remains largely excluded from global strategies to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs). With less than four months until the United Nations High-Level Meeting on NCDs, set to take place in September 2025, experts gathered in Barcelona called for this historical gap to be closed and for the accelerated integration of chronic liver diseases into global health policies and clinical practice. More information: Jeffrey V. Lazarus et al, A call for doubling the diagnostic rate of at-risk metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, The Lancet Regional Health - Europe (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2025.101320 Jeffrey V. Lazarus et al, The People-First Liver Charter, Nature Medicine (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-025-03759-8 Journal information: Nature Medicine This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Attorneys general from four states are asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to lift restrictions on mifepristone, a pill used in medication abortions. The request came Thursday from top officials in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. They said in a petition that the current rules make it too hard for doctors to prescribe the pilleven though studies show it is safe, NBC News reported. "Given mifepristone's 25-year safety record, there is simply no scientific or medical reason to subject it to such extraordinary restrictions," New York Attorney General Letitia James said. Mifepristone is one of two pills used in a medication abortion and is often targeted in legal battles over abortion rights. The FDA now includes mifepristone in a special safety program called Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS). This program is used for drugs that may have serious health risks, NBC News added. As part of REMS, only certified health care providers can prescribe mifepristone, and certified pharmacies must fill the prescription. Patients must also sign a form confirming they are choosing to end their pregnancy. The attorneys general say these rules are burdensome and deter many family doctors from offering the medication. They also say doctors worry about being added to local and national lists of abortion providers. Studies show mifepristone is very safe. Fewer than 0.5% of people who take it have serious side effects, according to research. It is also just as safe and effective when prescribed via telehealth and sent by mail. The states' petition comes as the FDA plans to review the safety of mifepristone. That review was requested by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). Their concerns are based on a report that claimed to show high rates of serious side effects. But many experts say the study, which was not peer-reviewed, is junk science. It was released by a conservative group linked to Project 2025, which wants to overturn FDA approval of the drug. Researchers who study reproductive health say the report does not meet basic research standards, uses unclear definitions and fails to identify the database studied. Over the years, the FDA has removed some restrictions on mifepristone. In 2016, it extended its use from seven to 10 weeks into pregnancy. In 2019, it approved a generic version of the medication. And in 2021, it allowed the pill to be prescribed via telehealth instead of requiring in-person visits. Anti-abortion groups have tried to get those changes reversed, often pointing to studies that exaggerate risks, NBC News said. In 2022, a group of anti-abortion organizations sued the FDA to take mifepristone off the market. They used two studies from the Charlotte Lozier Institute, an anti-abortion group. The U.S. Supreme Court later threw out the case, and the studies were retracted by a medical publisher. Last month, the Charlotte Lozier Institute released another report claiming emergency room visits after abortions are being mislabeled as miscarriages. Experts say the data is flawed. "The anti-choice people are really going after medication abortion," said Rachel Jones, a scientist at the Guttmacher Institute, a group that supports abortion access. "[They are] doing whatever they can to get the FDA under the Trump administration to revisit the availability of the drug," she added. More information: The Cleveland Clinic has more about medication abortion. 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The natural sweetener D-sorbitol was used to improve conductive hydrogels for electronic implants, which are used to diagnose and treat a variety of diseases. Credit: Danielle Benavides/Texas A&M Engineering Imagine treating chronic illness not with pills, but with soft, flexible electronic implants seamlessly integrated into the body. The materials for such implants already existthey just needed a sweet touch. Electronic implants are commonly used to diagnose and treat various diseases and to restore lost motor and sensory functions. Conductive hydrogels increase an implant's electrical conductivity and flexibility within the body, improving the overall effectiveness of electronic implants. However, traditional electrically conductive hydrogels contain toxic additives that may have negative impacts on patients after long-term use. In a recent study published in Science Advances, researchers led by Dr. Limei Tian reported on a sweet solution to this problem: replacing these toxic additives with D-sorbitol, a safe sugar alternative commonly found in chewing gum. "We're excited by the potential to create bioelectronic devices that act like extensions of the bodysoft, safe, and integrated with natural tissue," said Tian, an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and BMEN Excellence Fellow at Texas A&M University. "These devices could revolutionize treatments for neurological disorders, paralysis, and chronic pain, making long-term implants more viable and effective." The researchers used D-sorbitol to develop soft, stretchable hydrogels, which are better suited for the body than rigid materials. They can conform to delicate tissues like nerves and muscles, which reduces mechanical mismatch and lowers the risk of immune rejection. This sweet new material can be used in a wide range of neural devices including brain implants for treating Parkinson's disease and epilepsy and nerve interfaces to help restore movement in patients with spinal cord injuries. These hydrogels have the potential to be used in wearable biosensors for continuous health monitoring, electronic skin for prosthetics, and soft robotics with touch sensitivity. "This biocompatible material makes electronic implants safer for the body and greatly enhances their electronic performance, paving the way for more reliable, long-term use in medical devices," said Md Saifur Rahman, a Ph.D. student in Tian's lab and a primary author of this work. CH design and patterning. Credit: Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ads4415 Challenges in creating a conductive hydrogel include biocompatibility and long-term stability. Many implants trigger adverse immune responses that lead to tissue scarring and device failure. The materials and devices must remain functional for yearsideally a lifetimewithout degrading or harming surrounding tissue. By replacing toxic additives with D-sorbitol, hydrogels will have increased biocompatibility due to lowered risk of negative immune responses and device rejection. "Our goal was to create a fully biocompatible material, free of toxic additives, that outperforms traditional materials like platinum. And it did: our hydrogel electrodes demonstrated a higher capacity to store and deliver electrical charge than platinum, a key feature for effective neural stimulation," said Tian. The team tested their newly developed hydrogels on rats with successful results. The hydrogels exhibit mechanical and chemical properties comparable with biological tissues, reducing the risk of adverse immune reactions in patients. Prior to testing in humans, researchers plan to further refine the properties of hydrogels and evaluate their long-term stability in large animal models. The research team plans to collaborate with clinicians and industry partners to translate this material into real-world medical devices. Their ultimate goal is to create next-generation neural interfaces that improve patient outcomes and push the boundaries of medical technology. Dr. Feng Zhao, a professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Dr. Hangue Park, an adjunct professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering collaborated on the project. The study also included collaborators from Texas A&M's College of Medicine and College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Michelle Hook, an associate professor at the College of Medicine, and Dr. Yava Jones-Hall, an associate professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences further examined the hydrogels for their applicability to both human and veterinary medicine. "I am a board-certified veterinary pathologist, and I analyzed the histological cross sections of nerves," said Dr. Jones-Hall. "I discovered significantly more inflammation in the perineuronal tissue with implants containing platinum than there was surrounding nerves with electrically conductive hydrogel implants. These results supported Dr. Tian's conclusions." More information: Md Saifur Rahman et al, Soft, stretchable conductive hydrogels for high-performance electronic implants, Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ads4415 Journal information: Science Advances In a deeply disturbing breach of trust, a woman bank officer in Rajasthans Kota allegedly siphoned off more than Rs4.5 crore from customers accounts by manipulating fixed deposits (FDs) over two years. The accused, Sakshi Gupta, was working as a relationship manager (RM) at ICICI Bank when she executed the fraud, reportedly driven by the hope of making quick profits in the stock market. According to a report from NDTV , Ms Gupta exploited her access to the banks internal system, specifically the user FD link, to carry out unauthorised withdrawals. Between 2020 and 2023, she is alleged to have withdrawn about Rs4.58 crore from 110 FD accounts belonging to 41 customers. Investigators say she invested the funds into the stock market but suffered significant losses and could not return the money. The fraud went undetected for nearly two years. It finally came to light in February this year, when a customer visited the Bank to inquire about his FD and found discrepancies. ICICI Bank promptly lodged a police complaint on 18 February 2025. Ms Gupta was arrested last night while attending her sisters wedding and has since been remanded to judicial custody, the report says. The investigation has uncovered that Ms Gupta even changed the mobile numbers linked to the victims bank accounts to prevent them from receiving transaction alerts. She linked the phone numbers of her family members to these accounts and devised a system to intercept OTPs on her own device. This way, the account holders had no idea what was happening, investigating officer Ibrahim Khan told NDTV. In a statement, a spokesperson of ICICI Bank says, "The interests of our customers are of paramount importance to us. Immediately upon discovering the fraudulent activity, we filed a first information report (FIR) with the police. We have a zero-tolerance policy against any fraudulent activity and thus suspended the employee involved. We would like to reassure that genuine claims of impacted customers have been settled." This case underscores the vulnerability of even regulated financial institutions to insider fraud. It also raises serious questions about internal monitoring systems and the ease with which one individual was able to manipulate multiple customer accounts undetected for such a long period. Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine whether anyone else was involved or complicit in the fraud. Meanwhile, customers are being urged to regularly check their bank statements and transaction alerts, and to immediately report any irregularities. In a shocking and chaotic unravelling of one of the most powerful alliances in recent US political and corporate history, tech mogul Elon Musk has publicly called for the impeachment of US president Donald Trump while announcing the immediate decommissioning of SpaceXs vital Dragon spacecraft. The fallout, sparked by allegations, insults and political policy clashes, has not only thrown Washington into a frenzy but also rattled markets, with Tesla losing over US$150bn (billion) in value within hours of the public feud escalating. The dramatic turn of events began with president Trump threatening to 'terminate Elons governmental subsidies and contracts' a move that could cripple Mr Musks extensive government-linked ventures, including space exploration, satellite launches, and renewable energy projects. President Trump declared on his platform Truth Social, The easiest way to save money in our budget, billions and billions of dollars, is to terminate Elon's governmental subsidies and contracts. I was always surprised that (former president) Biden didn't do it! Shortly thereafter, Mr Musk detonated a digital bombshell by accusing president Trump of being linked to the infamous Jeffrey Epstein files a claim that has triggered a media firestorm. Time to drop the really big bomb: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! Mr Musk posted on X (formerly Twitter). Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 The White House, scrambling to control the narrative, issued a sharp but dismissive response. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt says: This is an unfortunate episode from Elon (Musk), who is unhappy with the 'one big beautiful bill' because it does not include the policies he wanted. The president is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again. However, Mr Musks grievances run deeper. He has expressed outrage over what he perceives as the administrations betrayal, particularly the removal of electric vehicle (EV) tax incentives in president Trump's flagship 'one big beautiful bill'. In several blistering posts, the Tesla chief accused president Trump of rewarding oil & gas industries, while punishing green tech, writing, Very unfair!! and calling the legislation a disgusting abomination. He added, This bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it! False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it! https://t.co/V4ztekqd4g Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 The dramatic rupture between the president of the US and the worlds wealthiest man has left both political analysts and Wall Street stunned. The fallout is not just rhetorical. Mr Musk announced that SpaceX would begin dismantling its Dragon spacecraft, the very module that helped rescue two stranded NASA astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) earlier this year. SpaceX has called the Dragon the only spacecraft currently flying that is capable of returning significant amounts of cargo to Earth. The implications of this move are enormous. NASA and international space partners depend heavily on SpaceXs Dragon for cargo deliveries and crew transportation to and from the ISS. The sudden decision to decommission the programme over a political feud signals an uncharted era in how private space companies might wield their influence or weaponise it. Good advice. Ok, we wont decommission Dragon. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 6, 2025 The once-tight Trump-Musk relationship had been built on mutual admiration, shared goals and political ambition. Mr Musk backed Mr Trump vocally and financially, reportedly donating over US$250mn (million) to his campaign and becoming a key adviser on the presidents efficiency council. He was even spotted flying aboard Air Force One, staying in the Lincoln Bedroom at the White House, and attending Cabinet meetings wearing a MAGA (make America great again) hat. At a press conference on Thursday, president Trump, seated with Germanys leader in the Oval Office, said he was very disappointed in Elon (Musk), hinting at a complete breakdown in trust. The president mocked Mr Musks recent black eye which the Tesla chief claimed came from his young son but used it as a metaphor for the bruises left by the tech billionaires stint in public service. I said, Do you want a little makeup? Well get you a little makeup. Which is interesting, Mr Trump quipped. President Trump insisted that Mr Musks opposition to the bill stems from being left out of the process and the elimination of policies that benefited Tesla. Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy electric cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY, the president claimed, despite the fact that no such mandate ever legally existed. Meanwhile, Mr Musk has accused the president of ingratitude, suggesting that Mr Trump would not have won the election without his financial backing. He hasnt said bad about me personally, but I am sure that will be next, president Trump said, hinting at more personal mudslinging to come. And, indeed, it has come. The Epstein allegation marks a new low in the rapidly intensifying feud. While the contents of the Epstein files have long been a point of political controversy and speculation, Mr Musks direct accusation targeting president Trump has opened up another explosive front in the battle. In the markets, the damage was immediate and severe. Tesla stock plunged by more than 14% as investors reacted to the volatility. More than US$150bn of Teslas market capitalisation was wiped out in a single day a loss greater than the entire market cap of many large corporations. Mr Musk personally suffered one of his worst financial days, losing about US$27bn from his net worth. Yet he remains the worlds richest man with an estimated fortune of US$388bn, according to the Forbes Real Time Billionaires List at Thursdays market close. The Tesla chief is still far ahead of the next richest person, Mark Zuckerberg, whose net worth is listed at US$236bn. President Trump, meanwhile, ranks no689 with a net worth of US$5.4bn. Analysts worry that the public spat could further erode confidence in Musk-led companies, especially those dependent on government collaboration. Politically, the split has deep implications for the Republican party also known as the grand old party (GOP) and its billionaire donors. Mr Musk had positioned himself as a financial powerhouse within the party, especially after supporting Mr Trump in the wake of the July 2024 assassination attempt. His departure from the president Trump camp raises questions about whether the GOP can count on Silicon Valley-style war chests going forward. President Trump, in his remarks, downplayed the Tesla chiefs contributions. Look, Elon (Musk) and I had a great relationship. I dont know if we will anymore, he said, accusing the billionaire of suffering from 'Trump Derangement Syndrome'. He added, Some people who leave my administration miss it so badly they actually become hostile. For now, the US government must brace for potential disruption in its space programme. The cancellation of Dragon alone could delay crucial missions to the ISS and compromise planned satellite deployments. If further retaliation ensuessuch as contract terminations from president Trumps side or programme shutdowns by Mr Muskthe cascading impact could reach deep into Americas scientific and defence infrastructure. At the heart of it all is an unprecedented standoff between two men who once seemed inseparable allies. It is not just a political divorce, it is a rupture that could reshape the landscape of technology, defence, and governance in America. The 'Broken Arrow' may have once referred to a lost nuclear weapon, but in 2025, it aptly describes the high-profile, high-stakes detonation of the Trump-Musk alliance. Where the debris landsand who gets buried in itremains to be seen. The United States Supreme Court recently ruled that a $1.29 billion arbitral award enforcement suit filed by Mauritius-based CC/Devas and India-based Devas Multimedia (plaintiffs) against Indias Antrix Corporation can proceed in US courts without the plaintiffs having to show that Antrix had minimum contacts with the United States. (Devas Mauritius Limited Vs Antrix Corporation) The decision reversed a 2023 judgment of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which had dismissed the suit on the ground that Antrix, a government-owned Indian company, lacked sufficient connections to the US to support personal jurisdiction under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA). The Supreme Court unanimously held that no such showing was required under the FSIA which governs suits against foreign states and their instrumentalities in US courts. Personal jurisdiction exists under the FSIA when an immunity exception applies and service is proper, Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the Court. Because the Ninth Circuit required more, we reverse the judgment below and remand the suit for further proceedings, the US Supreme Court said. Under the FSIA, the direct effect standard lifts sovereign immunity where a foreign states commercial activity causes a direct impact in the United States. Courts interpret direct effect as an immediate consequence of the act, without intervening factors. The conduct need not occur in the US but the resultlike unpaid dues to a US bankmust be tangible and foreseeable. This serves as a jurisdictional safeguard linking foreign conduct to US courts. In 2005, Antrix Corporation Ltd, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), had entered into a deal with Devas Multimedia Pvt. Ltd., a Bengaluru-based company. Under the agreement, Antrix was to lease transponders on two ISRO satellites to Devas, enabling it to offer satellite-based multimedia services across India using the S-band spectrum. In 2011, the Indian government unilaterally cancelled the agreement, citing national security concerns and the need to reserve S-band spectrum for strategic purposes. This abrupt termination led Devas to initiate arbitration proceedings before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), alleging wrongful repudiation of contract. In 2015, the ICC tribunal awarded Devas $562.5 million in damages. Separately, foreign investors in Devas initiated claims under bilateral investment treaties (BITs) against India, resulting in additional arbitration awards in their favor. However, Antrix and the Indian government maintained that the deal was tainted by fraud from the outset. In 2021, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) ordered the liquidation of Devas, calling it a sham entity. The Supreme Court of India upheld this decision in 2022 , holding that Devas was incorporated for a fraudulent purpose and had manipulated public resources. In 2022, the Delhi High Court set aside the ICC award on grounds of fraud, patent illegality and conflict with the public policy of India. The Court held that the Devas-Antrix deal was "entered into with a fraudulent intention" and that allowing enforcement of the award would encourage fraud, something that the Indian legal system cannot countenance. This was upheld by the Supreme Court. Parallely, Devas sought enforcement of the ICC award in multiple jurisdictions including the US. While the District Court confirmed the award, the Ninth Circuit Court reversed it on jurisdictional grounds. The US Supreme Court disagreed. It held that FSIAs text makes clear that once an immunity exception applies and service has been effected in accordance with the Act, personal jurisdiction shall exist. The Court declined to read an additional due process requirement into the relevant clause of the FSIA. Notably absent from the provision is any reference to minimum contacts. And the Court declines to add what Congress left out, the judgment stated. Justice Alito emphasized that the FSIA was enacted to provide a comprehensive and predictable framework for suing foreign states in the US, replacing the earlier regime that depended on case-by-case executive discretion. Imposing an additional constitutional test, would contradict Congresss carefully structured statutory scheme, the Court said. The Court also noted that the FSIAs immunity exceptions themselves require a sufficient nexus with the United States for example, in the case of commercial activity or direct effects and that these built-in requirements already address due process concerns. However, the Supreme Court did not rule on Antrixs alternative defenses, including the impact of the Indian court's setting aside of the award or whether the case should be dismissed on grounds such as forum non conveniens. These issues were left to be examined by the Ninth Circuit Court. Fulbright Austria has chosen Mount St. Marys University alum Cameron Stiles, C20, as a United States Teaching Assistant (USTA). He will spend the 2025-26 academic year in Feldkirch, Austria, teaching English and sharing American culture with secondary school students. It means a lot [to be selected as a USTA], because I finally have an opportunity to immerse myself in German language. I also plan to get a master's degree in either Germany or Austria, so this will be a nice year to build connections and settle into the culture before applying to any programs over there, shared Stiles. As an undergraduate, Stiles double majored in German and international studies. An engaged member of the Mount community, he served as a peer tutor, teaching assistant, Office of Social Justice student leader (the precursor to the Center for Service), and as founder and vice president of the Mounts Catholic Relief Services chapter. Stiles fell in love with Austria as an undergraduate, after spending five weeks of the summer of 2018 in Salzburg through the Mounts study abroad program. I decided on Austria, because I studied abroad there, and really fell in love with the landscape and culture. They also speak a unique dialect of German, so it's a good challenge trying to pick it up and work on my comprehension skills, he explained. After spending several years working as an AmeriCorps volunteer, education program coordinator for the American Boat and Yacht Council, outdoor and adventure specialist for Howard County Recreation, and climbing instructor/supervisor, Stiles reached out to the Mounts Office of Competitive Fellowships for assistance with his Fulbright Austria application. Always happy to help alumni as well as current students, the Office of Competitive Fellowships offered support and direction on essays and letters of recommendation. I received a lot of helpful guidance from Professor of Spanish and Director of the Office of Competitive Fellowships Christine Blackshaw, Ph.D., who was able to give me advice on whom I should go to for letters of recommendation and review drafts of my personal statement and provide suggestions for revisions. I also received help from my former professor, Professor of World Languages Susann Samples, Ph.D., who was able to evaluate my German skills as well as provide the letter of recommendation, he explained. To learn more about the Office of Competitive Fellowships, please visit their webpage. Gretchen Farrell, left, and Noelle Ridolfi (top photo) excavate a section of soil as students in the SIU Carbondale Archaeology Field School search for artifacts. Natalie Eves (second photo) screens the soil, where she found a ceramic button (sixth photo). Paulo Mendes Da Cunha (fifth photo) takes notes on students findings, which also include a medallion (third photo) with the seal of Illinois and location of a cistern at the Simpson Tavern site (fourth photo). (Photos by Russell Bailey) SIUs Archaeology Field School seeks one of Southern Illinois earliest homesteads by Pete Rosenbery CARBONDALE, Ill. A Southern Illinois University Carbondale student team is searching for possibly one of the earliest Anglo-American homesteads in Southern Illinois. Natalie Eves, an aspiring forensic anthropologist and junior in the program, said revealing history including insight into a homestead built more than 200 years ago is much more exciting than reading about it. Eves found her niche while attending a similar field school as a high school junior. It was an eye-opening moment, said Eves, a University Honors Program student from Bloomington, Illinois. I love history, but archaeology and anthropology allow you to be able to actually tell the stories of the people based on what you are seeing rather than historically. Many times, history is written by the winners, and instead, I have the chance to see what the normal, everyday people were doing. Eves is one of 12 students, most of them SIU anthropology majors, who are spending six weeks through June 27 on the project in Johnson County. Media availability The work by the 2025 SIU Carbondale Archaeology Field School in Johnson County presents a great opportunity for reporters, photographers and news crews to visit the site on weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. through June 27. The location is about five miles east of Vienna in a remote location on U.S. Forest Service property and will require about a 30-minute walk into the woods. To arrange for a specific time for interviews, contact Matthew C. Greer, assistant professor in anthropology, in advance at matthew.greer@siu.edu and follow up at least one day ahead of time to finalize arrangements. More photos are available upon request. Contact Pete Rosenbery at prosen@siu.edu. Utilizing oral and documented histories This is the first year the field school has been at this location, which is about five miles east of Vienna on U.S. Forest Service property. Matthew Greer, an assistant professor of anthropology, said Forest Service officials recommended the site. An oral history notes William Simpson, who came to the area in 1805, built a homestead and tavern, but other documentation suggests the Simpsons arrived in 1817, Greer said. We are hoping that the archeology can figure out which of the two stories is correct, he said. In the first week, the team found a piece of a plate that dates to the time period, along with other items believed to be in the mid- to late 19th century. Flags that denote the location of two cisterns could signal the home is nearby because cisterns tended to be on the corners of houses, Greer said. We are finding a lot of really good items, he said. We found a little medallion with the seal of Illinois on it. I dont know what it is yet. We need to clean it up a bit more to see the writing on it. We have a good selection of artifacts of 19th century life out here. But we have other indications that this might be an earlier site, and its possible that as we continue to dig we will find some earlier artifacts. The students and professor also believe they might have determined the location of the house. If this is correct, then we might be able to dig and see if we get older artifacts with the house. Giant game of battleship Prior to the field school start on May 19, Greer and others began their search by digging shovel test pits small holes about one foot in diameter--in five-meter (about 16.4-foot) grids. A general concentration of artifacts was enough to flag 24 separate sections for review. For the most part, its a giant game of battleship, Greer said. We know there is something out here. Weve done our initial grid, and now we are just looking to see if we get a hit somewhere. What we really want to hit is storage pits. If this was a tavern, there will be pits for storing food in the backyard area. If we hit one of those, we will have a good collection of early 19th century artifacts. If we can find one of those, we can come back next year and do more research on this. Different field study location This years field school is a departure from recent field schools at the Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site in Randolph County. Zoe Milam, a senior from Highland, Illinois, will graduate with a degree in anthropology in December. This years location is in a more wooded area and recent heavy rains made the dirt clump and more difficult to sift. But Milam was excited with the process and what she and her classmates might find. This year we are finding pieces of glass, coal, and ceramics that people used. I like how much different it is this year. Its a good experience to be in different locations, she said. Milam wants to pursue a masters degree and a career in cultural anthropology. She is fascinated with archaeology and the stories the findings can unlock. My dad said I always loved finding treasures whenever I go out and explore. I never really thought about that until I was looking for a major, she said. Its a very broad topic, which I really like. You can learn so many things. I also just love digging in the dirt and finding artifacts. Its cool to learn about the history of where you are digging. Nicholas Palma of Struthers, Ohio, is attending his first field school after graduating from Youngstown State University in 2022 with a degree in anthropology. I just really wanted to find a job that allowed me to work outside and travel. I really enjoy learning new things and learning about new people in the area, he said. I felt like archaeology was a really good way to incorporate all of that into a possible career. Palma is looking to gain experience through the field school to find a job in cultural resource management (professional archaeology done to minimize the impact construction has on archaeological sites) and then go to graduate school. Eves background includes time in Romania researching what bones in a medieval grave reveal about a person's life in the culturally Hungarian part of that country. She presented The Osteobiography of Life in Medieval Hungary: The Case of Individual 823 at the American Association of Biological Anthropologists over spring break and is one of only five students in the country chosen to serve on the National Collegiate Honors Council Board of Directors. After graduate school, Eves said, she would like to become a professor and work with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency to help identify and honor missing service members. Digging, then research Greer, who joined SIUs anthropology program in August 2024, said he was always interested in history but became attracted to archaeology because he didnt want to sit in an archive and do research all day. I wanted to be out in the woods, so Im getting to do that. He mused, however, that he now spends a great deal of time in archives doing background research. Every hour in the field is about three hours in the lab, Greer said. Nearby, Eves found a small piece of glass with some writing on it as she scraped away thin layers of dirt about eight inches below the surface. Earlier, she had found a button, possibly from a garment, which would have been discovered only by carefully sifting dirt through a screen. Greer said the glass could have been a piece from a medicine bottle. We will take it back to the lab. It will get washed and eventually it will get cataloged, so we know how big it is and how heavy it is, Greer said. We will get photographs and then do some research to figure out what that writing would have said. I dont know if we will be able to with those few letters. If it had more letters, we could get a sense of what type of medicine this was and where it was being made. We will chase out details like that offsite. Greer said he hopes to do public outreach and work with the Johnson County Genealogical and Historical Society. I think it will be good for the students to learn to talk about archaeology and to let the public know what we are doing here at SIU, he said. The 12 college-level students involved in field school activities this summer are: SIUs Sharp Museum to host films, exhibitions on Illinois LGBTQ+ history by Pete Rosenbery CARBONDALE, Ill. Southern Illinois University Carbondales Sharp Museum is hosting an evening of films celebrating Illinois LGBTQ+ history on Friday, June 13, while related exhibitions continue. The free, public event is from 5-9 p.m. in the museum auditorium and is part of the second annual LGBTQ+ Saluki Reunion Weekend. Juniper Oxford, coordinator of SIU Carbondales Paulette Curkin Pride Resource Center and Lavender Alumni Network historian, will present two mature-themed Southern Illinois history short films, Tales of the Pit and the 2011 documentary From Underground to Mainstreet, along with an award-winning 2022 Chicago LGBTQ+ documentary Art and Pep. Oxford said the discussion will include people who were highlighted in both of the Southern Illinois-related films. Art and Pep was selected for Pride Month (June) because we wanted to highlight a piece of Illinois LGBTQ+ history, she said. Getting to bring these events together a reception celebrating our local LGBTQ+ history and a film feature celebrating our state LGBTQ+ history elevates the importance of Pride and gives respect and recognition to the foundation of the vibrant community we have today, Oxford said. While we are pulling for alumni attendance, we will also be joined by community members, retirees and students for the event. Sharp Museum has exhibitions through early fall celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, including Queer Stories, Queer Spaces Southern Illinois Histories and Queertographies in the museums West Hall and Castro to Christopher, Gay Streets of America, 1979-1986 in the museums Saluki Gallery. The event is co-hosted by the Lavender Alumni Network and Sharp Museum. As with all exhibitions, the artwork represents the viewpoints of its creators, not SIU. SIU complies with the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act and State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that India and Italy have agreed to boost cooperation in key areas such as Industry 4.0, smart manufacturing, technology, and the automobile sector. The announcement came after Goyal co-chaired the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation (JCEC) with Antonio Tajani, Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. In a social media post, Goyal shared details of the discussions held at the JCEC meeting. He said both countries have agreed to collaborate on Industry 4.0 for smart manufacturing, create stronger bridges between startups, expand technology partnerships, and establish Joint Working Groups in sectors such as space and automobiles. An MoU on agriculture was also part of the cooperation plan. Goyal said, "Co-chaired the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation along with @Antonio_Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italy. Discussed and agreed to work together for: Industry 4.0 for smart manufacturing, Promoting a bridge between startups, Expanding collaborations in technology, Establishing Joint Working Groups in the Space, Automobile sectors, among others. The two leaders also participated in the Italy-India Business Forum, where Goyal highlighted the importance of the Italy-India Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029. He emphasised that both nations are working towards a shared vision under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Goyal also spoke about the strategic importance of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and the potential of the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (India-EU FTA). He invited Italian companies to become a part of India's economic growth story and explore the rising opportunities in the country. In addition to official meetings, Goyal held discussions with top business leaders from Italy. He met Mario Gnutti, Vice President of Gnutti Carlo Group, a well-known name in the global automobile industry. They discussed how the company can increase its presence in India and contribute to local manufacturing for both domestic and global markets. Goyal also had a productive meeting with Sonia Bonfiglioli, Chairwoman and CEO of Bonfiglioli, an engineering company with deep roots in India. They talked about expanding efforts in manufacturing, R&D, and innovation under the Make in India initiative. The minister further met Mirco Maschio, Chairman of Maschio Gaspardo, a global player in sustainable agriculture. The discussions focused on the opportunities available in India as the country looks to modernize its agriculture sector. Commerce Minister is on a two-day visit to Italy. Overall, the visit and meetings marked a positive step towards deeper India-Italy economic ties and growing business collaborations across sectors. (ANI) BusinessWire India Pune (Maharashtra) [India], June 6: Enersur S.A., one of Paraguay's foremost renewable energy companies has selected Praj Industries for its next major project. Praj, a global leader in bioeconomy-driven process solutions, will support the development, assessment, and phased implementation of a fully integrated Biorefinery Project in Paraguay. The Biorefinery aims to produce, in addition to ethanol, co-products such as distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), corn oil, biogas, biobitumen and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The two companies signed the agreement to this effect in the august presence of Mr. Santiago Pena Palacios, President of the Republic of Paraguay. The President, accompanied by a high-level delegation of ministers, senior officials, and business leaders, was on a State Visit to India from June 2 to 4, 2025. During the visit, the delegation recognized and appreciated India's advancements in indigenous technology and Praj's contribution to strengthen Paraguay's Bioeconomy sector. This comes on the back of the contract awarded to Praj by Enersur to design, supply, and commission a state-of-the-art 600 m3/day Anhydrous Ethanol plant in Canindeyu, Paraguay. This facility, which will use corn as feedstock, represents a significant step forward in Paraguay's commitment to clean energy and rural development, while also contributing to reduced reliance on fossil fuels. Praj's extensive scope of work includes process technology licensing, full-scale design and engineering, supply of core process equipment, and on-ground supervisory support. The plant is expected to be fully operational by October 2026. This initiative by Enersur is poised to create substantial direct and indirect employment, thereby promoting economic growth in rural Paraguay. It is a strong example of how renewable energy projects can power inclusive development while reducing carbon emissions. "We are proud to collaborate with Enersur in shaping Paraguay's bioenergy landscape and accelerating the transition towards a sustainable bioeconomy," said Dr. Pramod Chaudhari, Founder Chairman of Praj Industries. "This partnership goes beyond ethanol--it embodies our shared vision to harness the full potential of bio-based innovations for clean energy, circular economy, and long-term energy resilience across South America." "We chose Praj as our partner because of their proven expertise, cutting-edge technology, and extensive experience in delivering large-scale bioenergy projects globally," commented Mr. Omar Bustos, President Enersur S.A. "Their strong track record in South America and commitment to sustainability perfectly align with our vision to develop Paraguay's bioeconomy and drive long-term rural and economic development through this landmark project." Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Paraguayan President Santiago Pena in New Delhi, where the two leaders discussed expanding cooperation in key sectors. PM Modi emphasized India's readiness to work with Paraguay on enhancing agricultural productivity through advanced techniques and biotechnology, and emphasized the shared commitment to advancing renewable energy partnerships. As the world accelerates its transition to greener energy, this landmark project represents a major step forward for Paraguay while reinforcing Praj's strong and growing presence in South America. With over 100 references across the Americas--including the USA, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, and Peru --Praj continues to deliver cutting-edge, sustainable bioeconomy solutions across the region. In the photo, at the center : Mr. Santiago Pena Palacios, President of the Republic of Paraguay, flanked (from left) by Mr. Omar Bustos, President of Enersur S.A.; Mr. Ashish Gaikwad, MD-Designate, Praj Industries; Mr. Javier Gimenez, Minister of Industry and Commerce of Paraguay; and Mr. Shishir Joshipura, CEO & MD, Praj Industries. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) PRNewswire New York [US] / Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 6: HCLTech (NSE: HCLTECH.NS) (BSE: HCLTECH.BO), a leading global technology company, announced Osa Conservation as the winner and Daily Acts and Ocean Wise as the two runners-up of the second edition of the HCLTech Climate Action Grant in the Americas. The three non-government organizations (NGOs) will be awarded a total of $1 million to help build scalable, sustainable solutions to drive climate action across the Americas. In the second year, applications increased by more than 70%, and after several rounds of review and rigorous due diligence, HCLTech selected Osa Conservation to receive $500,000 and Daily Acts and Ocean Wise to receive $250,000 each. This year's registrations increased by 34% from the 10 eligible countries across the Americas, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru and the U.S. Osa Conservation, based in Costa Rica, will focus its grant award on Climate Lifeboat corridors, which help species migrate and thrive amid climate change. By reconnecting fragmented tropical habitats, the project supports climate adaptation while safeguarding ecosystems across millions of acres. California-based Daily Acts will use its grant for its community-powered climate resilience initiative. The project blends government strategy with grassroots action to advance water management, stormwater mitigation and social infrastructure across neighborhoods in Petaluma, Calif. and beyond. Canada-based Ocean Wise will dedicate its grant to its kelp forest restoration project on the Pacific coast. By managing urchin overpopulation and combining advanced technology and ecological research, the project aims to strengthen marine biodiversity and support coastal communities. "We are excited to support this year's recipients of the HCLTech Grant Americas as they expand their innovative projects to reconnect natural habitats, boost community resilience and rejuvenate marine ecosystems across the Americas," said Dr. Nidhi Pundhir, Senior Vice President, Global CSR, HCLTech. "This year, we saw a substantial increase in applications, highlighting the urgency of mitigating the adverse effects of climate change and the importance of supporting initiatives that pave the way for a sustainable future." In its inaugural year in 2023, HCLTech Climate Action Grant in the Americas committed $5 million in grants over five years to support sustainable solutions to fight the climate crisis across the Americas. The Grant in the Americas builds on HCLTech and the HCLFoundation (HCLTech's CSR arm) focus on continuous global sustainability commitment with a total investment of over $175 million in CSR programs to date. HCLTech is consistently recognized for its commitment to making a positive difference in the environment. Through our technology and collective expertise, HCLTech was recognized as an Industry Mover by S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook 2023 for sustainable business practices and continues to partner with leading U.S.-based organizations, including Feeding America and Girl Up, to serve the broader community. For more information on HCLTech Climate Action Grant in the Americas, its mission and the application process, please visit americas-grant.hcltech.com. About HCLTech HCLTech is a global technology company, home to more than 223,000 people across 60 countries, delivering industry-leading capabilities centered around digital, engineering, cloud and AI, powered by a broad portfolio of technology services and products. We work with clients across all major verticals, providing industry solutions for Financial Services, Manufacturing, Life Sciences and Healthcare, High Tech, Semiconductor, Telecom and Media, Retail and CPG and Public Services. Consolidated revenues as of 12 months ending March 2025 totaled $13.8 billion. To learn how we can supercharge progress for you, visit hcltech.com. For further details, please contact: Meredith Bucaro, Americasmeredith-bucaro@hcltech.com Elka Ghudial, EMEAelka.ghudial@hcltech.com James Galvin, APACjames.galvin@hcltech.com Nitin Shukla, Indianitin-shukla@hcltech.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2648325/5355481/HCLTech_Logo.jpg (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) BusinessWire India Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], June 6: As India's education system advances under the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, with the continued efforts of UGC and AICTE to promote quality and relevance in technical education, the NxtWave Institute of Advanced Technologies (NIAT) is playing a key role in bridging the gap between academia and industry expectations. Through its University Collaborations, NIAT is enabling UGC-approved universities across India to provide outcome-based learning, modern infrastructure, and deep industry alignment for their students, in full compliance with UGC and AICTE guidelines. The result is a new national benchmark for skill-based engineering education. "At NIAT, we're strengthening universities," said Rahul Attuluri, Co-founder & CEO of NxtWave & NIAT. "Our role is to bring in everything the industry wants--hands-on skill training, practitioner-led faculty enablement, internships, and placements--while the university continues to own and deliver the core academic program." The collaboration begins with curriculum insights. NIAT gathers and synthesises these insights from multiple sources -- its 3,000+ hiring partner companies, a community of over 10,000 tech professionals, and cutting-edge in-house R&D and product development. These combined insights are distilled into structured reports and whitepapers, highlighting real-time industry trends, evolving job roles, and skill gaps across domains like AI/ML, cybersecurity, and more. Universities receive these inputs at regular intervals, helping academic councils and boards of studies modernise the curriculum while staying fully aligned with UGC and AICTE regulations. Faculty upskilling is another cornerstone of the collaboration. NIAT runs industry-led certification programs for faculty, including case-based labs, hands-on code reviews, and access to sandboxed real-world projects. Universities also benefit from NIAT's network of 10,000+ tech professionals through the onboarding of Professors of Practice--seasoned professionals who co-deliver modules and mentor students. "To become a globally competent professional, students need not only a degree but also the right skills and aptitude. This integrated program with NIAT delivers both. We're proud to offer such a transformative education," said Dr. R.K. Jain, Vice Chancellor, Ajeenkya DY Patil University, Pune. To power experiential learning, NIAT provides and university integrates an AI-enabled tech platform into its infrastructure. This platform supports project-based learning, live assessments, and real-time feedback, giving students the kind of exposure previously reserved for top-tier industry bootcamps. "Technical skills aligned with industry needs are essential for today's students. Our partnership with NIAT ensures they don't just graduate--they're prepared to thrive in their careers," said Farhad Yenepoya, Pro-Chancellor, Yenepoya Deemed University. Modern infrastructure is another focus. NIAT provides universities with a research-backed classroom design playbook, informed by benchmarking top world-class institutions, and adapted for the Indian context. The design includes high-speed Wi-Fi, ergonomic seating, smart AV systems, soundproofing, and collaborative layouts--all built to support tech-enabled, project-based learning. Implementation by universities is supported with detailed bill-of-quantities, vendor templates, and rollout roadmaps--ensuring academic institutions meet both AICTE norms and global standards. What truly sets this collaboration apart is its corporate connection. Through partnerships with 3000+ tech companies, NIAT facilitates structured internships, mock assessments, and placement sessions--aligned with actual industry hiring practices. Using data dashboards, every student's progress is tracked and supported, giving universities deeper insight into career readiness. "Students today need more than just a degree--they need skills. Through this partnership, students will receive a degree from our university and an industry-ready certification from NIAT. This gives parents the confidence that their child is truly career-ready," said Dr. Ch.V. Purushottam Reddy, Founder and Chancellor, Chaitanya Deemed University. Students receive a UGC-approved B.Tech degree from the university upon completing the university projects, assessments, courses, required credits, and an Industry Ready Certificate (IRC) from NIAT, based on their performance in skill tracks, projects, and assessments. This dual credential not only boosts their employability but also aligns perfectly with the UGC/AICTE vision of multidisciplinary, skill-based learning. "From 2025-26, students at our campus will benefit from a holistic program--receiving a B.Tech degree from Aurora University along with upskilling and industry certifications from NIAT. This collaboration empowers students with both academic credentials and real-world capabilities," said Dr. Srilatha Chepure, Vice Chancellor, Aurora Deemed University. Importantly, the fee structure is fully transparent. Students pay tuition directly to the university for academic services, and a separate, optional fee to NIAT for the Industry Readiness Program. There is no bundling or crossover, ensuring 100% compliance with UGC, AICTE norms. "This is what the government wanted education to be," said Rahul Attuluri, Co-Founder & CEO of NxtWave & NIAT. "And the government bodies like UGC/AICTE are bringing important reforms for change. Aligning with them, we've built collaborations that make that change real--inside classrooms, with universities, and for students who now have both a degree and a future they can count on." (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) BusinessWire India New Delhi [India], June 6: OpenAI Academy and NxtWave (NIAT) have come together to launch the OpenAI Academy X NxtWave Buildathon, the largest GenAI innovation challenge aimed at empowering students from Tier 1, 2, and 3 STEM colleges across India. This landmark initiative invites the country's brightest student innovators to develop AI-powered solutions addressing pressing issues across key sectors, including healthcare, education, BFSI, retail, sustainability, and agriculture, and more under the themes "AI for Everyday India, AI for Bharat's Businesses, and AI for Societal Good." A Hybrid Challenge Driving Real-World AI Innovation The Buildathon will be conducted in a hybrid format, combining online workshops and activities with regional offline finals, culminating in a grand finale where the best teams pitch live to expert judges from OpenAI India. The participants will first complete a 6-hour online workshop focused on GenAI fundamentals, intro to building agents, OpenAI API usage training, and responsible AI development best practices. This foundational sprint ensures all participants are well-prepared to develop innovative and impactful AI solutions using OpenAI's cutting-edge technologies. The Buildathon unfolds over three competitive stages: * Stage 1: Screening Round -- Post-workshop, teams submit problem statements, project ideas, and execution plans online. A panel of mentors reviews submissions to shortlist the most promising entries. * Stage 2: Regional Finals -- Shortlisted teams participate in an intensive 48-hour offline Buildathon held across 25-30 STEM colleges, with hands-on mentor support. Regional winners are announced following this stage. * Stage 3: Grand Finale -- The top 10-15 teams from regional finals compete in the Grand Finale, pitching their solutions live to expert judges. Build with the Best Tools in AI Participants will have access to the latest in AI innovation, including GPT-4.1, GPT-4o, GPT-4o Audio, and GPT-4o Realtime models, supporting multimodal inputs like text, image, and audio. Additionally, tools like LangChain, vector databases (Pinecone, Weaviate), MCPs, and the OpenAI Agents SDK. These tools will empower students to build high-impact, multimodal, action-oriented GenAI applications. Hands-on mentorship and structured support will guide participants throughout the process. Widespread Reach, Diverse Participation The Buildathon aims to empower 25,000+ students across seven states -- Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Delhi NCR. The Grand Finale will be hosted in Hyderabad or Delhi. With coverage across all major zones of India, the event ensures nationwide representation and diversity. Evaluation Criteria Across All Stages The participants will be evaluated in three stages. In the Screening Round, mentors will assess submissions based on problem relevance, idea feasibility, and the proposed use of OpenAI APIs. During the Regional Finals, on-ground judges will evaluate the prototypes for innovation, depth of OpenAI API integration, societal impact, and business viability. Finally, in the Grand Finale, an expert panel will judge the top teams using the same criteria, with greater weightage given to execution quality and the effectiveness of live pitching. Exciting Rewards & Career-Boosting Opportunities Participants in the Buildathon will gain access to a wide range of exclusive benefits designed to boost their skills, visibility, and career prospects. All selected teams will receive hands-on training along with mentorship from leading AI experts across the country. Top-performing teams will earn certificates, GPT+ credits for prototyping, and national-level recognition. They'll also gain a rare opportunity to pitch directly to the OpenAI Academy's India team during the Grand Finale. Winners will receive prize money worth Rs10,00,000 in total along with Career opportunities in the OpenAI ecosystem. A National Movement for GenAI Talent Driven by NxtWave (NIAT), the Buildathon aligns with India's mission to skill its youth in future technologies. With OpenAI Academy bringing in expert guidance, branding, and cutting-edge tools, this initiative is poised to become a defining moment in India's AI journey along with offering students across the country a real chance to build and shine on a national stage. This landmark initiative aims to position OpenAI Academy at the forefront of India's AI talent development, activating over 25,000 students across 500+ campuses and generating more than 2,000 AI projects tackling real-world challenges. Through collaborative efforts, OpenAI Academy and NxtWave seek to foster a vibrant community of AI builders ready to drive innovation and impact across India. By enabling thousands of OpenAI-powered projects, the OpenAI Academy x NxtWave Buildathon sets the stage for a new wave of AI builders ready to innovate for India and beyond. NIAT website - https://bit.ly/4jH4aJ5 (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) PNN New Delhi [India], June 6: Introducing an agri-tech startup that is revolutionising the agriculture industry -- not just by delivering the farm to cities, but by sowing the seeds of economic dignity and rural empowerment. Meet DailyGurus -- an ambitious, farm-to-business platform reimagining how food moves across India while keeping women at the center of change. With support from SoilBox, a Rs60 lakh catalytic program by OmniActive Improving Lives Foundation, in partnership with Bioriidl, riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar University, DailyGurus is proving that rural resilience and urban freshness can grow from the same root. In the villages outside Bangalore, DailyGurus has mobilized: - 50+ small farmers, now earning Rs15,000 more every day by cutting out middlemen. - 20+ local women, now trained and employed in sorting, cleaning, and tech-enabled packing operations -- unlocking stable incomes up to Rs90,000/year. - City-based cloud kitchens and stores, now sourcing verified, traceable produce with full transparency -- knowing where their food came from, when it was picked, and who packed it. DailyGurus, co-founded by Rajesh M and Gnanashekaran, received a Rs12.5 lakh grant under SoilBox. 20 local women are now handling the sorting, cleaning, and packing of vegetables. They've been trained to use simple tech tools and follow high standards. Earlier, they could only find short-term work. Now, they have steady income throughout the year, with a chance to earn up to Rs90,000 annually. DailyGurus also makes sure that every order is traceable -- meaning you can know where the food came from, when it was harvested, and who packed it. This helps keep quality high and builds trust with customers like cloud kitchens, restaurants, and shops across Bangalore. ""When a woman in a village earns her first steady income, or a farmer sees his crops reach the city without exploitation -- that's not just innovation, it's transformation," says Rushva Parihar, Head, OmniActive Improving Lives Foundation. "DailyGurus is growing more than food -- it's growing hope." Beyond funding, SoilBox offers selected startups access to field pilots, mentorship, and peer-learning, helping them refine and scale their solutions in real-world conditions. DailyGurus' success is rooted in this ecosystem. "At riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar University, through our partnership with OmniActive Improving Lives Foundation under the SoilBox program, we are proud to support startups like DailyGurus that are working directly with farmers. By enabling farm-to-consumer supply chains, DailyGurus not only uplifts farmer incomes but also fosters a more resilient and transparent food system. This is exactly the kind of grassroots impact SoilBox is designed to nurture," adds Bhavna Pandya, Chief Incubation Officer at riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar University, which has supported 268 startups and over 1,000 jobs and internships over the last 15 years. Across regions as diverse as West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, and the Nilgiris, SoilBox-supported startups are redefining what's possible in rural innovation. In Southern India, DailyGurus stands out -- showing how reimagining food supply chains can transform lives from village farms to urban kitchens. About SoilBox: SoilBox is a catalytic initiative by OmniActive Improving Lives Foundation, in partnership with Bioriidl - riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar University and funded by OmniActive Health Technologies. With a vision to reimagine rural resilience, SoilBox supports startups building farmer-first solutions that are sustainable, scalable, and rooted in local realities. From productivity and market access to circular economy models, the program nurtures ideas that go beyond innovation--forging a future where science, soil, and community come together to transform how India grows, earns, and thrives. The goal: reach 200,000+ farmers and create a lasting ecosystem of rural prosperity. About OmniActive Improving Lives Foundation OmniActive Improving Lives Foundation is the social impact arm of OmniActive Health Technologies, committed to building healthier, more resilient communities across India. Through high-impact programs in health, education, agriculture, and sustainability, the foundation has touched over 230,000 lives across nine states. It partners with mission-driven startups, grassroots organizations, and local governments to co-create scalable solutions that drive long-term change. With a focus on innovation, inclusivity, and systems thinking, the foundation empowers underserved communities to thrive--unlocking new pathways to well-being, livelihood, and environmental stewardship for current and future generations. About riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar University: riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar University has been bestowed with the National Award for the year 2020 in the Emerging Technology Business Incubator category by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar University supports the creation and incubation of early-stage companies from ideation to commercialization by providing them with resources, labs, facilitating government grants, investor connections, funding and mentorship. Business incubators of riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar University are supported by the Department of Science & Technology; BIRAC, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India and Maharashtra State Innovation Society, Government of Maharashtra. It has incubated over 268 startups and facilitated in creating 1000+ jobs and internship opportunities while the total revenue generated by the startups is over INR 400 Cr. Among these, our bio-incubator has supported 74 life sciences startups with 3 successful exits and over 30 research projects. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) PNN Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 6: Power & Instrumentation (Gujarat) Limited (PIGL) (NSE: PIGL, BSE: 543912), one of the leading players in the electrical contracting and equipment sector, has announced the receipt of a third significant work order from Nyati Engineering & Construction Private Limited. The contract pertains to the power supply system electrical work at the Udaipur Air Terminal in Rajasthan and is valued at Rs6.25 Cr. The scope of work includes design, supply, installation, testing, commissioning, and client handover of the complete power supply system for the terminal. The project is scheduled for completion within six months from the effective date. This latest order follows two previous contracts awarded by the same client--one on 5th May 2025 valued at Rs21.41 Cr, and another on 21st May 2025 valued at Rs24.77 Cr. With this third order of Rs6.25 Cr, the total cumulative value of work orders received for the Udaipur Air Terminal project now stands at Rs52.43 Cr. The successive contracts underscore Power & Instrumentation (Gujarat) Limited's strong execution capabilities and its growing presence in the airport infrastructure domain. The company remains committed to delivering high-quality, time-sensitive, and technically complex projects that meet stringent regulatory and operational requirements. Commenting on the update, Mr. Padmaraj Padmnabhan Pillai, Managing Director of Power & Instrumentation (Gujarat) Limited said, "We are honoured to be entrusted once again by Nyati Engineering & Construction Private Limited for the prestigious Udaipur Air Terminal project. Securing the third consecutive work order within a span of just one month is a clear reflection of our team's technical expertise, consistent execution capabilities, and the confidence our clients place in us. The Udaipur Air Terminal is a marquee infrastructure development, and being a part of such a critical and time-sensitive project is both a responsibility and a recognition of our growing stature in the airport infrastructure domain. These back-to-back orders not only strengthen our order book but also reaffirm our strategic direction of building a strong presence in specialized sectors where quality and precision are paramount. We remain committed to delivering excellence and contributing meaningfully to India's infrastructure growth story." (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) PNN New Delhi [India], June 6: On 29th May 2025, the Gandhian Peace Society, under the leadership of General Secretary Dhruva Kumar, convened a landmark event at the Fleming Room of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. In an inspiring convergence of values and voices, the Fleming Room at the Scottish Parliament became a sanctuary of peace, non-violence, and unity as the Gandhian Peace Society, led by General Secretary Dhruva Kumar, hosted a landmark event celebrating Mahatma Gandhi's enduring legacy. The occasion marked a reflection on Gandhian values but also a celebration of a historic milestone: the first-ever motion passed in Scotland against Hinduphobia, community cohesion unities and philanthropy works. A significant highlight of the event was the unanimous appreciation of the Gandhian Peace Society's role in building intercultural bridges and promoting peace. It was attended by cross-party parliamentarians, diplomats, and community leaders, the event underscored the resonance of Gandhian ethics in Scotland's pursuit of social justice and self-determination. Scottish Parliamentarians, speaking from across party lines, endorsed the relevance of Gandhian principles in today's turbulent global climate. "In these divisive times, the teachings of Gandhi offer a path not just to peace, but to purpose," The Fleming Room, a space typically reserved for parliamentary committee discussions, transformed into a forum for intercultural solidarity. The Gandhan Society's event drew MSPs from the Alba Party, SNP, Labour, and Unionist factions, alongside representatives from the Indian Consulate, the French Consulate, African Consulate and members of the House of Lords, and very high profile dignitaries across the UK. This diverse assembly reflected the universal applicability of Gandhi's teachings, particularly in a nation navigating the complexities of independence aspirations and multicultural cohesion. General Secretary Dhruva Kumar delivered a rousing address outlining the Society's initiatives in promoting social unity, mutual respect, and constructive non-violence. "Gandhiji's values are not relics of the past but blueprints for a just and inclusive society. In the Scottish aspiration for independence, there lies a parallel quest for dignity and self-determination that echoes Gandhi's dream for India," Kumar said. Dhruva Kumar, a scholar, educationist-turned-activist, political figure and former Alba Party parliamentary candidate, framed the motion as a testament to Gandhi's relevance in modern governance. "Non-violence is not passive acceptance but active resistance to injustice," he asserted, drawing parallels between India's independence struggle and Scotland's constitutional ambitions. His address highlighted how Gandhian principles, decentralised governance, economic equity, and social harmony, align with Scotland's vision of an inclusive, self-determined future. The Gandhian Society's advocacy extends beyond legislative change. I was honoured to be invited and say a few words at an award ceremony at the Scottish Parliament organised by the Gandhian Society to honour the work done. I was glad to have the opportunity of meeting people of goodwill from so many different backgrounds and to discover the work done by the society. Let's work together for a better world! Christian Albuisson, Conseiller des Francais de l'Etranger. Locally, the Gandhian Society's work has galvanised grassroots initiatives. Their partnerships with unions and educational institutions address overlapping issues like fuel poverty and deindustrialisation, challenges Kumar frames as interconnected with social justice. "Gandhian economics prioritises human dignity over profit," he explained, citing ongoing campaigns for fair wages and affordable housing for social inclusive equality. Individuals and organisations were honoured for their extraordinary commitment to peacebuilding, community service, and non-violent activism. The awards celebrated not just deeds but the spirit of Gandhi, compassion, simplicity, and service. The 29th May event transcended ceremonial significance, crystallising a broader movement for equity. As Scotland contends with independence debates and societal fractures, the Society's fusion of Gandhian philosophy and pragmatic policy offers a cohesive framework. The true measure of progress, as Kumar noted, lies in "translating parliamentary applause into palpable change", a task requiring sustained collaboration across political, cultural, and economic spheres. In the spirit of Gandhi's satyagraha (truth force), Scotland's journey toward inclusivity and self-determination continues, guided by the conviction that justice, much like independence, is not bestowed but built. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) PRNewswire New Delhi [India], June 6: Coffee Island India today announced the launch of its first cafe in Delhi, in partnership with Vita Nova. The new cafe is Coffee Island's first in India to remain open 24 hours, seven days a week, marking a significant milestone in the brand's growing footprint in India. This launch highlights the brand's foray into the national capital and its third location in India. Strategically located in the upscale neighbourhood of Greater Kailash II M Block, the new Coffee Island cafe positions the brand at the heart of Delhi's high-street coffee culture, bringing an authentic European coffee experience to the city's evolving community of coffee aficionados. The new space showcases the brand's signature and proprietary in-house roasting process along with a range of brewing methods, and an impressive selection of Global Single Estate Beans, Global Blends and unique Home Blends. Alongside its unique beverages such as the Prebiotic Overnight Brew, Java Chip Killer, Islander Cold Coffee, The Long Pour, and Bobastic Coffeeccino, the cafe serves an all-day food selection crafted by the globally renowned chef Arjyo Banerjee. Guests can enjoy artisanal sandwiches, classic pastas, and wholesome salads, with highlights including Pepperoncini Spaghetti Aglio Olio, Mediterranean Quinoa Bliss Bowl, and Roasted Tomato Basil Bocconcini Pide. The offering is rounded off with indulgent desserts like Banoffee with Nolen Gur, Rocky Road Muffins, and Custard-filled Croissants, creating a holistic cafe experience rooted in taste, quality, and craft. Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos, CEO, Coffee Island, said, "Coffee Island's entry into the Delhi market marks a transformative milestone in our journey of growth in India. Delhi's unique blend of rich heritage and vibrant cosmopolitan culture creates the perfect canvas for us to share our passion for coffee and craft unforgettable experiences. Through our invaluable partnership with Vita Nova, we have been able to authentically tailor our offering to local tastes while upholding the highest global standards of quality. As we expand our presence across India, we remain deeply committed to sustainable growth, operational excellence, and fostering a brand that resonates with communities and inspires a love for specialty coffee." Commenting on the opening, Pratyush Sureka, Founder, Vita Nova, added, "Following our successful launches in Gurgaon and Hyderabad, foraying into Delhi was a strategic next move in Coffee Island's India growth journey. Greater Kailash, with its vibrant community and premium high-street appeal, offers the perfect setting to introduce our signature cafe experience. This launch reinforces our commitment to redefining India's cafe culture by bringing global coffee excellence to discerning Indian consumers." The brand also features a diverse range of retail products, including Cold Brews, Protein Coffee, Iced Tea, Pour Overs, Ready to Eat and Craft Chocolates in its cafe with eco-conscious architecture to minimize environmental impact. With its growing global presence and purpose-driven mission, Coffee Island is not just brewing coffee, it's brewing change. Following the new launch, Coffee Island is now present in three locations across India, including Delhi, Gurugram and Hyderabad. It plans to continue expansion in key metros such as Mumbai, Bangalore, and Pune, aiming to open 250 cafes by 2029. Through its alliance with Vita Nova, the brand also plans to enter neighbouring markets such as Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and the Maldives. Beyond great coffee, Coffee Island is deeply committed to sustainability and ethical sourcing. The company ensures that all coffee is procured from small and underpaid farmers under fair trade practices. It also upcycles all coffee waste into everyday products and uses biodegradable cups that can sprout into plants. About Coffee Island Founded 26 years ago in Patras, Greece with a vision to conquer the coffee world, Coffee Island has grown into a global community of passionate people dedicated not only to coffee, but to every idea that makes our daily lives more enjoyable, sustainable, and of higher quality. It has been recognized as one of the top three coffee chains in Europe in the 'Europe's Best Coffee Shop Chain' category of the Allegra European Coffee Awards 2024, reaffirming its ongoing commitment to excellence and innovation. Today, with over 450 stores across 50 regions and 92 cities in Greece--and more than 60 locations abroad (including Cyprus, London, Switzerland, Romania, Spain, Canada, Egypt, Dubai, Bulgaria, Hong Kong, France, and India)--Coffee Island merges business growth with support for local communities. Through its Direct Trade partnerships with coffee producers, the company processes 1,900 tons of coffee annually at its own facilities in Greece. Certified under ISO 22000 for its quality assurance and production techniques, Coffee Island guarantees exceptional coffee, high production capacity, and competitive prices. The company also invests heavily in knowledge and innovation, recognizing them as key drivers of success. Two team members are SCAE Authorized Trainers who lead the continuous training and development of staff, while seven others hold Q-Grader certification from the Coffee Quality Institute, underscoring the company's commitment to excellence in every cup. About Vita Nova Vita Nova is a leading gourmet food and beverage company in India, dedicated to introducing global brands that deliver authenticity, innovation, and quality at value to Indian consumers. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2704941/Coffee_Island_Delhi_GK_2.jpg (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) VMPL New Delhi [India], June 6: Credit information plays a crucial role in a number of financial activities in India. Whether you are an individual seeking a personal loan or a business applying for funding, lenders evaluate your creditworthiness. This assessment relies heavily on reports from credit information companies like TransUnion CIBIL. However, the report and score used for an individual differ significantly from those used for a business. Understanding the distinction between a consumer CIBIL report and a company CIBIL report is essential for both personal and business financial health. Consumer CIBIL Report and Your CIBIL ScoreThis is the type of credit report most individuals are familiar with. * Who is it For: The consumer CIBIL report tracks the credit history of an individual person. How Much is it: Attached to this report is your CIBIL score, a three-digit number ranging from 300 to 900. A score closer to 900 indicates higher creditworthiness. * What Does it Show: The report details your personal credit accounts. This includes: * Personal identification information * Loan accounts (home loans, car loans, personal loans) * Credit card history * Your payment history (whether EMIs and bills were paid on time) * Credit utilisation ratio (how much credit limit you use) * Records of loan or credit card applications (enquiries) * What is its Use: Lenders use this report and your CIBIL score when you, as an individual, apply for credit. This could be a credit card, personal loan, or other retail credit products. Your score reflects your personal borrowing and repayment behaviour. Maintaining a good CIBIL score is crucial for accessing personal finance products easily and on favourable terms. Commercial CIBIL Report and CIBIL Rank This report focuses on business entities, not individuals. * Who is it For: The company CIBIL report, also known as the Company Credit Report (CCR), is for non-individual entities. This includes proprietorships, partnerships, private limited companies, public limited companies, etc. * How Much is it: Instead of the 300-900 score, businesses often receive a CIBIL Rank or a commercial credit score based on different scoring models. The CIBIL Rank typically ranges from 1 to 6 (or sometimes 1-10), where Rank 1 signifies the lowest risk and is considered the best. This is distinct from your CIBIL score. * What Does it Show: The CCR provides information specific to the business: * Company profile details (name, address, legal structure, registration). * Credit facilities taken by the business (business loans, working capital limits, credit limits). * Repayment history of the business on these facilities. * Financial data related to the company (sometimes inferred or reported). * Details of directors or partners (often linked). * Any legal cases or suits filed against the company. * What is its Use: Lenders use the company CIBIL report and rank/score when evaluating a business's application for commercial loans, credit lines, or other business finance products. It assesses the creditworthiness and financial health of the business entity itself. A strong company CIBIL report and Rank are vital for a business to access funding for growth, operations, or expansion. Summarising the Key Differences Here is a summary of the main distinctions between a Consumer CIBIL Report and a Company CIBIL Report: Why This Distinction Matters Understanding this difference is crucial, especially if you are a business owner. The primary assessment for business finance is the company CIBIL report. Remember that lenders may also look at your individual CIBIL score, particularly for smaller business loans or if you provide a personal guarantee. Similarly, maintaining a healthy personal credit score requires managing your individual credit cards and loans responsibly. Maintaining a healthy company CIBIL report and rank requires the business to manage its finances and business credit facilities responsibly. Strong credit reports are important for accessing finance for both individuals and businesses. Lenders rely on these reports to make informed decisions. For individuals, monitoring your CIBIL score is straightforward. You can get a free credit report from the CIBIL website once a year. Plus, you can also check your CIBIL score and report for free on financial marketplaces like Bajaj Markets. As a bonus, you can compare credit offers and other financial products on this platform. Conclusion To summarise, while both reports gauge creditworthiness, they do so for different entities and use different metrics. The consumer CIBIL report focuses on you as an individual, reflected in your CIBIL score. The commercial CIBIL report provides a picture of your business's credit health and is assessed using methods like the CIBIL Rank. Recognising this difference is key to effectively managing your finances, whether for personal needs or business growth. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by VMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) VMPL Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 6: UniMax World, a new-age real estate enterprise known for building thoughtful living spaces, today unveiled its refreshed brand identity and logo--a visual representation of its journey, values, and vision for the future. The announcement was made at a press conference held in Navi Mumbai, where the leadership shared UniMax's impressive growth story, strategic roadmap, and commitment to sustainable, community-centric development. Founded in 2016, UniMax World has rapidly emerged as a key player in Navi Mumbai's real estate landscape, delivering residential, commercial, and industrial projects across high-potential micro-markets like Taloja, Neral, and Dombivli. UniMax World has established a solid foundation with over 1.45 lakh sq. ft. of constructed space across projects like UniMax Pride, Happy Home, and UniMax Harmony. The company is now entering a high-growth phase with ambitious upcoming developments. Backed by a growing land bank expanding from 10.5 acres in FY24- 25 to 35 acres by FY26- 27, UniMax projects a topline ofRs.500 crore in FY26. These numbers reflect UniMax World's strategic intent to scale thoughtfully while delivering lasting value through design, innovation, and community-driven spaces. The company's focus on sustainability, digital integration, and customer-centricity continues to be the cornerstone of its growth strategy. The new UniMax logo reflects the company's evolution from a promising startup to a purpose-driven brand that balances progress with people, design with impact, and innovation with trust. The new logo draws from the company's brand essence--"Thoughtfully Yours"--symbolising care, craftsmanship, and community. It blends clean design with purposeful form, representing the company's commitment to enriching everyday life through spaces that are not only built well, but lived well. "Our new identity is not just about design--it's about direction. It captures our belief that real estate should do more than just function--it should foster joy, build trust, and enrich lives," said Mr. Israil Shaikh, Founder & Managing Director of UniMax World. "As we continue to scale, our focus remains on thoughtful urban solutions, integrity-led execution, and staying deeply connected to the needs of our customers and communities." Israil further added that, "At UniMax, our vision is to be more than just a developer--we aim to be enablers of meaningful lifestyles. With our upcoming launches in Dombivli and Karjat, we're not just creating housing, we're building holistic ecosystems that integrate affordability, sustainability, and connectivity. Our growth is rooted in a deep understanding of evolving urban aspirations, and we're committed to shaping spaces that reflect care, purpose, and long-term value." "Our growth has been built on clarity of purpose and strong financial governance," said Mr. Salim Desai, Director, UniMax World. "We are entering an exciting phase of consolidation and expansion. Navi Mumbai continues to offer immense opportunity, and UniMax is well-positioned to lead with quality, compliance, and long-term value creation." At UniMax World, the philosophy of creating joyful spaces and happy communities lies at the heart of every decision. Guided by the core belief that real estate should not just be built but thoughtfully crafted, the company is deeply committed to enriching lives through purpose-driven design, sustainable technologies, and ethical practices. The tagline "Thoughtfully Yours" encapsulates this commitment--whether it's for customers, employees, or stakeholders--ensuring every project is aligned with joy, care, and long-term value. From vibrant neighbourhoods to integrated living experiences, UniMax World continues to build more than homes--it builds happiness and a sense of belonging. About UniMax World UniMax World is a forward-thinking real estate enterprise based in Navi Mumbai. Since 2016, the company has been redefining urban living by delivering residential, commercial, and industrial spaces designed around people, purpose, and progress. Every UniMax project is driven by sustainability, innovation, and empathy, to build joyful communities that stand the test of time. With a robust pipeline and leadership that blends integrity with vision, UniMax World is shaping the future of thoughtful living in the MMR. Mr. Israil Shaikh, an alumnus of IIM Bengaluru, brings over 12 years of expertise in business development, project execution, and strategic leadership. Under his guidance, UniMax has delivered multiple high-quality projects such as Codename Pehla Ghar, UniMax Rise, Happy Home, and Harmony, with more than 2000 homes and commercial units planned in upcoming developments. Adding to the strategic vision is Mr. Salim Desai, Director, who brings three decades of cross-sectoral experience in corporate finance, M&A, digital transformation, and team building. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by VMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) VMPL New Delhi [India], June 6: On the occasion of World Environment Day, organisations across India are reaffirming their commitment to environmental sustainability through impactful actions and long-term vision. This year's global theme, "Beat Plastic Pollution," highlights the urgent need to reduce plastic waste and protect natural ecosystems from its harmful effects. From large-scale plantation drives to awareness campaigns, industries are stepping up to lead change and inspire communities to adopt eco-friendly habits. This collective effort underscores that protecting the environment is a responsibility shared by all sectors of society. Leading the way are CREDAI-MCHI, Roto Pumps Ltd., and KARAM Safety, each making distinct and meaningful contributions toward a greener future. Domnic Romell, President, CREDAI-MCHI and Director, Romell Group "On this World Environment Day, CREDAI-MCHI acknowledges the visionary leadership of CREDAI National Chairman, Mr. Boman Irani, whose generous contribution of Rs2 crore towards Reforestation and Skilling through the CREDAI CSR Foundation is a testament to the real estate fraternity's unwavering commitment to sustainable development. Strengthening this vision, CREDAI-MCHI has proposed a large-scale plantation drive of 1 million trees across Maharashtra, with a focus on ecologically sensitive areas such as the Western Ghats and the Coastal Road Project. Our proposal to plant 1 million trees across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region has already been submitted to the Government of Maharashtra, reinforcing our resolve to shape a more climate-resilient future. Further exemplifying purpose-driven leadership, Mr. Boman Irani has donated 5,000 trees to the Parli Council, Maharashtra, at the request of Hon. Environment Minister Smt. Pankajatai Munde. These initiatives are aligned with this year's World Environment Day theme--Beat Plastic Pollution--and reflect our conviction that environmental protection must be central to urban development. As a collective of over 1,800 developers in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, CREDAI-MCHI is actively working to reduce plastic usage in construction, promote eco-friendly alternatives, and embed sustainable practices into every stage of the built environment. Our commitment extends beyond intention into action. From conducting capacity-building workshops in partnership with MPCB and WRI India to curb air pollution at construction sites, to encouraging widespread adoption of green building methods, we are focused on measurable impact. With a bold pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, CREDAI-MCHI remains at the forefront of responsible development--where sustainability is not just a vision, but a collective responsibility." Anurag Gupta, Jt. Managing Director, Roto Pumps Ltd. "On this World Environment Day, we at Roto Pumps pay a heartfelt tribute to our Co-founder and Former Managing Director, Shri N.K. Gupta Ji, by honouring his legacy with action. As we gather for a prayer meeting and a tree plantation drive at our GNU Campus, we reaffirm our commitment to building a sustainable future. In line with this year's theme -- Beat Plastic Pollution -- we are initiating a series of green efforts, starting with planting 50 trees today across our Greater Noida Plant (GNU), Roto Energy System Ltd. Greater Noida Plant (RESL) and NSEZ - Noida Plant campuses, and 200 more throughout the month of June. Through our 'One Employee - One Tree' initiative, every member of the Roto family will contribute personally, with a goal of 600 trees planted by year-end. We also pledge to gift a plant to every employee on their birthday and to welcome every new joiner with a green token of care. Our mission goes beyond reducing plastic; it is about nurturing a culture of conscious living and collective responsibility -- one tree, one gesture, one action at a time." Kavita Nigam, CHRO, KARAM Safety "At KARAM Safety, sustainability is not just a value -- it is a way of life. On this World Environment Day, we have taken a strong step forward by planting 200 trees in Amausi Industrial Area, Nadarganj, Lucknow with the enthusiastic participation of over 70 KARAM Safety team members. In addition, we are proud to commit over 1,000 saplings to our employees, encouraging them to take this green movement beyond the workplace and into their homes and communities. Aligned with this year's theme -- Beat Plastic Pollution -- our initiatives reflect a deep-rooted belief in responsible growth and environmental stewardship. Together, we are nurturing a cleaner, greener, and more conscious tomorrow." As the world faces escalating environmental challenges, World Environment Day serves as a crucial reminder that every action counts. From reducing plastic pollution to nurturing green spaces, it is only through collective responsibility and sustained commitment that we can safeguard our planet's future. This day calls upon individuals, communities, and industries alike to embrace sustainable practices and foster a culture of environmental stewardship--because a healthier Earth depends on the choices we make today. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by VMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) NewsVoir Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 6: In a heartfelt celebration of World Caring Day, Asian Paints and the St+art India Foundation launches Project Udaan at Arpan Charitable Trust in Vadodara--an institution that supports and educates children with special needs. As the latest chapter under their St+art Care initiative, the project reimagines the school environment for neurodivergent children with conditions like autism, cerebral palsy, and Down syndrome, through thoughtful use of colour, texture, and material. With interactive, sensory-friendly zones, Project Udaan creates a space that feels safe, engaging, and joyful, honouring the different ways children see, feel, and connect with the world around them. Born out of a shared vision between Asian Paints and the St+art India Foundation, St+art Care is a long-term initiative dedicated to making public institutions more inclusive, welcoming, and emotionally responsive through the power of art and design. Project Udaan is the third intervention under this initiative, following a vibrant transformation of a children's hospital in Noida and Project Sparsh at a school for the visually impaired in Rajasthan. Each project reflects a deeper purpose--not just to beautify spaces, but to create impact, spark connection, and start conversations around care, inclusion and empathy. Project Udaan draws inspiration from the butterfly, a symbol of transformation, while also echoing this year's World Caring Day theme, 'Celebrating Every Journey.' At Arpan, the school's play area has been reimagined to bring this vision to life. With Asian Paints' carefully curated textures, colours, and interactive surfaces, a once ordinary space has been transformed into a vibrant environment that both soothes and engages the senses. A soaring butterfly mural on the school's facade now stands as a symbol of hope and possibility, a gentle reminder of the beauty of growth and the limitless potential within every neurodiverse child. Developed through a co-creation process with students, artists, and designers, Project Udaan was led by artists Amrit Khurana and Anikesa Dhing. Drawing from her lived experience with autism, Khurana designed tactile, predictable elements that promote comfort and expression. Dhing complemented this with textured contrasts to encourage calm interaction. A hands-on workshop at Arpan, facilitated by Siddhanth Shah of Access For ALL, gave children the chance to explore textures, tools and colours, ensuring their voices directly shaped the final design. Asian Paints' expertise in material and colour innovation brought the vision to life with Royale Play textures, matte pastel emulsions, and tactile Nilaya fabrics and wallpapers. These elements create an engaging, multi-sensory environment that stimulates exploration while offering grounding. The matte finishes reduce glare for visual ease, while sensory rugs, pompom-textured surfaces, and cocoon-like structures cater to diverse sensory needs. Speaking about the initiative, Amit Syngle, MD & CEO, Asian Paints said, "At Asian Paints, we believe spaces should do more than exist--they should evolve with their users. Project Udaan under St+art Care reimagines how thoughtful design can create an inclusive environment, where walls invite interaction, and colour provides clarity and comfort. By integrating textures that respond to touch and materials that support sensory needs, we've built a space that adapts to children, rather than the other way around. While we continuously reinvent ourselves to create beautiful homes for our consumers, we extend the same passion and empathy to create beautiful and safe spaces for all, with our partners at St+art India." Arjun Bahl, Co-founder, St+art India Foundation, added, "With St+art Care, we extend our vision of making spaces more open, accessible and engaging. Project Udaan transforms art from a decorative element to an interactive experience, creating familiarity and comfort for neurodivergent children. This initiative is about rethinking how creative interventions can transform everyday spaces into something more intuitive and inclusive. At its heart, Udaan embodies ArtForAll, where design is a language that speaks to everyone, regardless of how they see or experience the world." Witness the unique Project Udaan by Asian Paints and St+art India in this YouTube video: youtu.be/vRHU2Ci_65o Since its founding in 1942, Asian Paints has become India's leading and Asia's second-largest paint company, with a consolidated turnover of Rs. 33,797 crores (Rs. 338 billion). It continues to uplift spaces, transcend the boundaries of colour and design, creating a positive impact on the lives of customers. The organization operates in 14 countries and has 26 paint manufacturing facilities globally, servicing consumers in over 60 countries. Asian Paints has always been a leader in the paint industry, innovating and introducing new concepts in India like Colour Ideas, Beautiful Homes Painting Service, Colour Next, and Asian Paints Beautiful Homes Stores. Asian Paints manufactures a wide range of paints and coatings for Decorative and Industrial use and also offers specialized painting and interior decor solutions. The decorative business portfolio also includes the SmartCare range for waterproofing, WoodTech products for wood finishes, and the Adhesives range for all surfaces. Asian Paints also offers a wide range of Home Decor products and is one of the leading players in the integrated decor space in India, offering Modular Kitchens and wardrobes, Bath Fittings and Sanitaryware, Decorative Lightings, uPVC windows and doors, Wall coverings, Furnitures, Furnishings, Rugs, etc. Since 2014, St+art India Foundation has been working across the country to reimagine public spaces through art, making creativity more accessible and inclusive. In a country where art is often confined to galleries and a select audience, St+art fosters new ways of experiencing art--bringing it into the everyday lives of people and bridging socio-cultural divides. Through art districts, festivals, and public interventions, St+art has transformed urban landscapes across 25+ cities, creating meaningful engagements between communities, artists, institutions, and local governments. Over the last decade, the foundation has facilitated 500+ artist collaborations, producing over 600 murals and installations in India's major cities. These projects have not only revitalized cityscapes but have also provided platforms for cultural exchange, dialogue, and collective expression. With seven art districts and 25+ festivals to its name, St+art continues to champion the idea of ArtForAll, ensuring that art is not just seen but experienced, interacted with, and shared. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) The credit appraisal for small ticket loans up to 2.5 lakh Rupees where gold is given as collateral will not be needed, said Sanjay Malhotra, Governor of the Reserve bank of India (RBI). The RBI Governor said that the regulations on the gold loans were draughted, and final guidelines will be released by Friday evening or at the latest by Monday. Speaking during the press conference after announcing the outcome of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), Governor Malhotra said, "There was nothing new in this (draft) that we have released. We have consolidated and reiterated our old rules. Because it was seen that some regulated entities were not following them. Because there was no clarity in it... whatever the final regulation is, we will release it if not today, then by Monday." The statement comes after the government last month asked the RBI to see that the needs of small gold loan borrowers are not affected by the central bank's proposed new rules on lending against gold as collateral. The Finance Ministry in a post on social media platform X informed that it has suggested to the central bank that Draft Directions on Lending Against Gold Collateral issued by the RBI have been reviewed by the Department of Financial Services (DFS) under the guidance of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The DFS has shared its suggestions with the RBI and requested the central bank to ensure that the new rules do not make it difficult for small borrowers to get gold loans. These borrowers often depend on small-ticket loans to meet urgent personal or business needs. The finance ministry also said that these new guidelines may require time to be implemented properly at the ground level. Therefore, the DFS has suggested that the RBI implement the new directions from January 1, 2026. To further protect small borrowers, the ministry has proposed that those taking loans below Rs 2 lakh should be kept out of the new requirements. This, it said, would help ensure faster and smoother disbursal of small gold loans. The RBI is currently getting feedback from stakeholders on the draft guidelines. The Finance Ministry said that it expects the RBI to carefully consider the concerns raised by various stakeholders and suggestions from the public before finalising the rules. The Reserve Bank of India draft guidelines to harmonise regulations for loans against gold as collateral will be applicable to banks, cooperative banks, and NBFCs. (ANI) NewsVoir New Delhi/ Gurugram (Haryana) [India], June 6: Law not only regulates society but also guides ethical behaviour, maintaining equilibrium across various spheres of life to foster sustainable development. Law is a subject that regulates the society, therefore it is all necessary that law subject be taught in a manner which has correlations with other subjects, e.g. management, education, economics, computer science, information technology and psychology, for the reasons, when combined together, they provide a wholistic approach and solutions to socioeconomic problems in the present-day context of the society. Justice Harvir Singh, Judge, Allahabad High Court, emphasized this in his online inaugural address at International Interdisciplinary Conference (IIC 2025) organised at SGT University, Gurugram. Addressing the Conference, Justice M.M. Kumar, former Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir High Court remarked, "Law is not a barrier but a catalyst for change, underlining the critical role of privacy protection and robust cyber laws in the modern digital ecosystem." He stressed the urgent need for a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach combining law, ethics, sustainability, and technology to reshape global systems and safeguard human rights in the digital age. This two-day global academic conclave, themed "Rewiring the Future Through Law, Management, Communication Technology and Engineering for a Sustainable Tomorrow," was organised in a hybrid mode to foster collaborative innovation, academic dialogue, and cross-sectoral solutions to address the evolving challenges of the Industry 5.0 era. It was organised jointly the by Department of Law & Department of Mass Communication & Media Technology. Welcoming international perspectives, Prof. Anne-Thida Norodom, former Deputy Director at Paris Cite University, France, introduced the concept of solidarity as a guiding principle for digital governance. She argued that bridging the digital divide and enhancing cybersecurity capacity--particularly for developing nations--requires moving beyond traditional cooperation towards solidarity-based international legal frameworks. Her address invoked deeper reflection on fair assistance, reciprocal obligations, and capacity building within the evolving contours of international law. In her address, Prof. (Dr.) Abha Singh, Pro-Vice Chancellor, SGT University called for a multidisciplinary focus integrating law with humanity, sustainability, ethics, and advanced technologies. She highlighted that the global research papers being presented at IIC 2025 reflect diverse voices and themes, reinforcing the need for interdisciplinary collaboration. Prof. Singh fostered a spirit of active engagement and academic camaraderie among participants, stressing the value of global exchange in shaping meaningful outcomes. The inaugural session also featured special invitees including Dr. M.N. Hoda, Director, BVICAM, GGSIP University, New Delhi, Prof. Chhaya Bhardwaj, Associate Professor of Law, OP Jindal Global Law School, and Prof. Daniel H Stein, Assistant Director, Center for Environmental Law & Climate Change, OP Jindal Global University. Their keynote speeches provided rich insights on the intersections of ethical innovation, legal regulation, and communication in promoting sustainable futures. Dr. Richa Chaudhary, Dean and Professor at the Faculty of Law, SGT University, delivered the vote of thanks, expressed heartfelt appreciation to the sitting judges, the former Chief Justice of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court, the Pro-Vice Chancellor of SGT University, and other esteemed national and international dignitaries who graced the occasion. She opened the floor for participant to begin the track sessions focused on the four thematic tracks. These thematic tracks were conducted amongst others by Ms. Smiti, Assistant Professor (Convener), Dr. Anchal Mittal Aggarwal, Associate Professor (Co-Convener IIC-2025) and Mr. Tabrej, Assistant Professor (Co-Convener IIC-2025). (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) The EV companies in the country is already facing heat with China's supply restrictions on the rare earth metals, according to a report by Jefferies. The Jefferies report highlighted that several Indian companies are struggling to import magnets from China, which are crucial components in the production of EV motors. The report warned that once the current stock of these magnets runs out, motor production could be severely affected, putting the entire supply chain at risk. It said "Based on our conversations with Indian companies, industry is facing a challenge in importing magnets from China and EV motor production could be at risk once the existing magnet inventories get exhausted". Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) too have echoed the sentiment and in its monthly vehicle data release on Friday said "Global supply-chain headwinds (rare-earth constraints in EV components, geopolitical tensions) may limit urban consumer sentiment and exert cost pressure." To deal with the situation, companies are considering importing fully assembled motors from China. However, this option comes with challenges. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) would have to make major changes in their supply chains. Additionally, vehicles might require fresh homologation approvals to meet Indian standards. This shift could also lead to a drop in domestic value addition, which is essential to qualify for the government's Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. China had earlier, on April 4, imposed export controls on six heavy rare earth elements (REEs) and rare earth magnets. The country cited reasons like national security and international obligations such as non-proliferation. Although these curbs are not a complete ban on exports for the auto sector, companies must now seek prior government approval before shipping these materials out of China. This adds uncertainty and delay in the supply process. The report also mentioned that the Indian government is aware of the growing risks. According to a Reuters report on Friday, India is in discussions with various companies to build long-term stockpiles of rare earth magnets. As part of this plan, Indian government is likely to offer fiscal incentives to promote domestic production of these crucial components. Contrary to their name, rare earth elements, especially the lighter ones, are not actually rare in the Earth's crust. But they are spread out in low concentrations, which makes extraction and processing difficult. The global supply chain for these elements is heavily dependent on China, which currently accounts for about 70 per cent of the world's mined REEs and roughly 90 per cent of refined production. China also produces nearly 90 per cent of the world's rare earth magnets, especially the heavy rare earths. With China now increasing its restrictions even further, the supply chain could face more disruptions in the coming months, posing a serious threat to India's EV sector. (ANI) PNN Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 6: Nisus Finance Services Co Limited (BSE- NISUS | 544296 | INE0DQN01013) a renowned investment management firm specializing in urban infrastructure and structured finance, has announced that its Dubai-based subsidiary, Nisus Finance Investment Consultancy FZCO (NiFCO Dubai), has entered into a MoU with Xchain Technologies FZCO (operating as Toyow), a blockchain-based forensic and advisory firm, to tokenise real estate funds and assets worth up to US$500 million (AED 1.83 billion). The initiative marks a significant step towards leveraging blockchain and Web3 technologies in real estate investment. Under the terms of the MoU, Nisus Finance will conduct a Security Token Offering (STO) of its real estate assets under management (AUM) through Toyow's global multi-category tokenised Real World Assets (RWA) marketplace. Toyow will provide end-to-end technical and operational support including smart contract development, blockchain integration, regulatory compliance, secure custody solutions, investor onboarding, and KYC/AML verification. This development aligns with the UAE's strategic push towards technological innovation, particularly in the blockchain and digital asset space. The announcement follows the Dubai Land Department's recent launch of the region's first tokenised real estate project in collaboration with the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), the Central Bank of the UAE, and the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF). With projections indicating that tokenised real estate transactions could reach AED 60 billion by 2033--approximately 7% of the total market--Dubai is emerging as a global hub for asset tokenisation. The tokenised real estate assets will be listed on Toyow's platform for both primary issuance and secondary trading. Toyow will also manage liquidity mechanisms, marketing, investor outreach, and awareness campaigns related to the STO. Investors holding Toyow's native token ($TTN) will be able to invest in the tokenised real estate fund. As part of this collaboration, Toyow will deliver an institutional-grade ecosystem that ensures scalability, transparency, and compliance across the UAE, DIFC, and global jurisdictions. The platform allows for the digitisation, fractionalisation, and monetisation of high-value assets across various sectors such as real estate, art, precious metals, and alternative investments. According to a report by Deloitte, tokenised private real estate funds are expected to grow to US$1 trillion by 2035 with an 8.5% market penetration rate. Tokenised loans and securitisations could also reach US$2.39 trillion with a penetration rate of 0.55%. The same report projects that up to US$4 trillion of real estate could be tokenised globally by 2035, growing from less than US$0.3 trillion in 2024, at a CAGR of 27%. Tokenisation is poised to address longstanding inefficiencies in the real estate sector by offering secure, fractional digital ownership, increasing liquidity, and broadening retail participation. It also facilitates capital generation across the capital stack--including debt, equity, and hybrid instruments--on a single blockchain-based platform. The partnership with Nisus Finance is part of Toyow's growing tokenisation pipeline, which now exceeds US$38 billion in value across asset classes and jurisdictions. Commenting on the update, Mr. Amit Goenka, Chairman & Managing Director of Nisus Finance Services Co Limited said: "This MoU will help us develop real estate funds on the Web3 blockchain technology platform, that is set to revolutionise investment in real estate in the future. This would be our first such venture and depending on how the market responds, will usher in a new era in the UAE's high-growth real estate market. STO on a Web3 platform is secure, transparent and set to drive future real estate investment. Property developers are already introducing cryptocurrency and tokenisation as new channels of payment and raising funds. We are taking it a step forward by creating funds to accelerate the growth of the real estate market." Surajit Chanda, Co-founder, Toyow, says, ""Partnering with Nisus Finance on an STO of this scale underscores the growing maturity of real-world asset tokenization in the region. At Toyow, our mission is to unlock liquidity and access for high-quality assets by offering a secure, compliant, and scalable infrastructure. This collaboration reinforces our belief that institutional-grade tokenization is no longer a concept--it's here, it's accelerating, and it's changing how capital flows into real estate." (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) India and Italy will strengthen cooperation in agriculture and food processing, and set up Joint Working Groups in the automobile and space sectors, the Minister of Commerce & Industry said in a release. The decision was reached during a high-level meeting held between Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal, and Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, in Brescia--Italy's manufacturing hub. The two leaders co-chaired the 22nd session of the India-Italy Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation (JCEC), during his 2-day visit to Italy, which concluded on June 5, 2025. The JCEC saw robust participation from senior officials, policymakers, and stakeholders from both sides in a spirit of constructive engagement and mutual ambition. The dialogue reaffirmed the strategic economic partnership between the two nations and aligns with the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-29 to promote economic resilience, industrial partnerships, and inclusive, sustainable growth. India and Italy agreed to prioritise cooperation in several emerging and strategic sectors. These include Industry 4.0, aerospace, energy transition, and sustainable mobility. The two sides also stressed the importance of joint efforts in skill development, digital transformation, migration and mobility, as well as global connectivity initiatives such as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). Several concrete outcomes emerged from the JCEC. Both sides identified collaboration opportunities in sustainable agri-value chains, agri-machinery, food packaging technologies, and renewable energy. They also agreed to work together in areas such as green hydrogen and biofuels and expressed intent to facilitate the movement of skilled professionals between the two countries. On the sidelines of the JCEC, a high-level Growth Forum was organised, bringing together CEOs and industry leaders from both countries. The platform proved valuable in identifying emerging business opportunities and industrial collaborations of mutual interest. A strong Indian business delegation comprising top leadership from nearly 90 companies accompanied the Minister during the visit. The delegation visited Italian industries and held several meetings with local companies. Shri Goyal also held one-on-one interactions with Italian corporate leaders and welcomed their plans to expand operations, manufacturing, or establish presence in India. On the occasion of World Environment Day, Goyal and Deputy Prime Minister Tajani visited A2A, a leading Italian waste-to-energy company in Brescia. The visit highlighted opportunities for collaboration in the clean energy sector. In a symbolic gesture under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Ek Ped Maa ke Naam" initiative, both leaders planted saplings in memory of their mothers at the Santa Giulia UNESCO heritage complex in Brescia.Piyush Goyal's visit was instrumental in highlighting the growth and opportunities in the Indian economy, and further enrich growing bilateral commercial and economic linkages, the release added. (ANI) PNN New Delhi [India], June 6: Amidst a challenging funding climate for startups, iKargos.com, a largely bootstrapped digital logistics platform, has achieved a significant milestone, doubling its revenue from Rs50 crore last fiscal to Rs100 crore this year. Founded in 2020 by Rekha Atri, iKargos.com set out to digitize international logistics. Today, it stands as a comprehensive cross-border supply chain platform, streamlining global shipping with transparency and cost-effectiveness. "Logistics is notoriously complex, often involving over 20 entities just to move a single shipment," says Rekha Atri. "For frequent importers and exporters, managing multiple shipments can be overwhelming. Our platform consolidates everything into one user-friendly dashboard, allowing customers to oversee their entire supply chain online. As the only fully integrated provider offering all services in-house, we deliver a seamless, end-to-end experience." Sustained, Profitable Growth iKargos.com's growth story is remarkable, not only has it matched the pace of well-funded startups, but it has done so profitably. The company has grown at an impressive 300% annually for five consecutive years, breaking even in its second year and maintaining profitability ever since. After an initial seed round from GAIL, iKargos.com has operated without further external funding, relying on operational excellence and technology-driven solutions. Co-founder Prashant Dwivedi, an IIM Calcutta alumnus and logistics PhD scholar, is optimistic about the future. "These numbers are just the beginning. In a globalized world, logistics is the backbone of every business, whether it's Amazon or Zomato, their edge is swift delivery. As price differences shrink, logistics becomes the key differentiator. Take Apple's air-shipping of iPhones to the US to avoid tariffs, such moves save millions. That's the power of logistics." He adds, "The global logistics industry was valued at $10.5 trillion in 2024 and is projected to reach $15.8 trillion by 2030. As businesses move online, logistics enables seamless delivery and drives growth. Giants like Amazon and Walmart are investing heavily in logistics, and the sector is poised for phenomenal expansion." This year, iKargos.com introduced Strategic Sourcing as a new service line, tapping into its deep expertise in the EXIM market. "We're seeing strong traction in this vertical and believe it holds immense potential," Prashant notes. Riding the Wave of Government Reforms India's logistics sector is undergoing transformation, spurred by government initiatives like the National Logistics Policy (NLP), launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2022. The NLP aims to reduce logistics costs from 13-14% to global standards, enhancing the competitiveness of Indian products domestically and internationally. The policy targets a reduction in logistics costs to 8% of GDP by 2030. The Indian logistics market is projected to reach $215 billion in the next two years, up from $160 billion, with a CAGR of 10.5% through 2025 (ICRA). The sector employs over 22 million people, a number expected to grow by 5% annually with ongoing skill development initiatives. iKargos.com is well-positioned to benefit from this policy push and the sector's robust growth trajectory. Expanding Market Presence With offices at all major Indian ports, 18+ domestic locations, and an international base in the UAE, iKargos.com boasts a vast network. Its agent partnerships enable delivery to 158 countries, including the USA, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The company serves over 500 clients, ranging from industry leaders to emerging businesses - and handles more than 3,000 commodities, from food and electronics to apparel and packaging. Even established international logistics firms are partnering with iKargos.com to leverage its seamless digital infrastructure. Comprehensive Service Portfolio iKargos.com offers a full suite of services: Strategic Sourcing, Air and Sea Freight, Customs Clearance, HS Code Search, Certification, Product Compliance, Warehousing, Inland Transportation, First and Last Mile Delivery, Cargo Insurance, Online Tracking, Supply Chain Consulting, Reporting & Analytics, and Survey & Inspection. This all-in-one approach allows clients to manage their entire cross-border logistics process effortlessly. Investor Confidence Serial entrepreneur and early investor Praveen Sinha expresses strong confidence in the company's trajectory: "When I backed iKargos.com, I believed in the founders and the industry's potential. Prashant is a visionary with deep domain expertise. I wouldn't be surprised if iKargos.com becomes a unicorn in the coming years." About iKargos.com Founded in 2020, iKargos.com is a next-generation LogTech company revolutionizing cross-border logistics with technology, transparency, and a customer-first approach. With a growing global footprint and a robust, integrated service model, iKargos.com is redefining how businesses manage international supply chains. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) New Delhi [India], June 6: ICN India Pvt Ltd, a pioneer in confidential and secure printing, announces its position as India's leading provider of secure printing solutions. With more than 15 years of specialized experience, the company supports government bodies, universities, and recruitment boards across states including Chhattisgarh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh, delivering highly secure and tamper-proof printing services tailored to critical institutional needs. Operating one of the country's most sophisticated secure printing facilities, ICN India spans 40,000 sq. ft. and boasts high-speed German offset machines, Polar cutters, digital printers, and finishing systems -- enabling the production of up to 700,000 pages daily. This infrastructure supports the company's capability to handle large-scale, time-sensitive printing projects with unmatched speed and precision. A cornerstone of ICN's service is its proprietary Five-Layer Leak-Proof Packaging System, which incorporates tamper-evident sealing, barcode-tracked envelopes, shock-proof inner cartons, digitally locked containers, and GPS-monitored logistics -- ensuring 100% security and traceability from print to delivery. ICN also stands as the first company in India's confidential printing sector to implement a three-layer IoT-based surveillance system. This includes RFID-based ID tracking, AI-driven facial recognition, and continuous CCTV monitoring to ensure complete internal security. "Our commitment to security and precision drives every decision, from investing in cutting-edge equipment to developing industry-first surveillance and delivery protocols," said a spokesperson for ICN India Pvt Ltd. "Clients across India rely on our zero-leakage, zero-delay standards for their most sensitive information." Further cementing its position, ICN has implemented rigorous Standard Operating Procedures such as multi-level access controls, dual-password handling, encrypted file transfers, and timestamped audit trails, creating a fully accountable and traceable environment. Trusted by top universities, government departments, and public service commissions, ICN India Pvt Ltd continues to lead the confidential printing sector with its innovation, infrastructure, and reliability. About ICN India Pvt Ltd Headquartered in New Delhi, ICN India Pvt Ltd is a trusted leader in secure and confidential printing solutions. Known for its advanced technology, industry-first delivery and surveillance systems, and robust security protocols, ICN supports critical printing needs for public institutions across India. Media Contact: ICN India Pvt Ltd Website: https://icnindia.co/ Email: icn@gmail.com Phone: +91 99428 99357 (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) PNN Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], June 6: India's private jet market is ascending to new heights, and Air Kalinga is leading the charge. Founded by Capt. Sandeep Mishra, a veteran commercial pilot with over 22 years of global flying experience, Air Kalinga is not just another charter airline -- it's a revolution in luxury air travel, connecting India's emerging elite to world-class destinations with unmatched professionalism, exclusivity, and operational finesse. From Odisha to the World: Air Kalinga's Bold Ascent Headquartered in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, Air Kalinga operates under Aerokalinga Aviation Pvt. Ltd. and is built for HNIs, top executives, celebrities, destination weddings, and critical medical or corporate charters. With non-scheduled operations, bespoke aviation services, and an expanding fleet of luxurious jets like the Legacy 600, Air Kalinga offers something few others do -- personalized, high-standard private flying with Indian roots and global vision. Whether you're planning a corporate flight from Mumbai to Dubai, a destination wedding in Udaipur, or a leisure charter to Europe, Air Kalinga ensures your journey is defined by comfort, punctuality, discretion, and luxury. Destination Weddings, Corporate Jets & Medical Evacuations: Air Kalinga Has It AllWhether it's a business leader flying to Singapore, a Bengaluru bride dreaming of a wedding in the Maldives, or a critical medical transfer from Guwahati to Delhi, Air Kalinga delivers with class, care, and command. Why leading corporate houses, wedding planners, and high-net-worth individuals are choosing Air Kalinga: * Luxury interiors with global standards* Flexible schedules & zero commercial chaos* Direct access to underserved airports* Quick ground operations & concierge-level service* Pilots & crew trained for high-value charters* Confidentiality and operational integrity for business leaders* Going Global: Air Kalinga's International Ambitions Air Kalinga isn't stopping at domestic skies. The upcoming expansion plan includes charters to Dubai, Bangkok, Maldives, Singapore, and Europe, tailored for: * Corporate tours* Diplomatic visits* Wedding groups* Film and celebrity movements* Luxury vacationers The Man Behind the Vision: Capt. Sandeep Mishra At the heart of this aviation venture is Capt. Sandeep Mishra, a name that's becoming synonymous with innovation in Indian aviation. Born in Hulurusinga, Angul (Odisha), Capt. Mishra began his journey with humble roots and rose through the cockpit ranks with over two decades of flying experience in international and domestic sectors. Capt. Mishra is not just a pilot; he is a visionary aviation entrepreneur with three powerful ventures reshaping the aviation landscape: His Synergistic Ventures: 1. Air Kalinga - The Luxury Charter Brand A non-scheduled operator offering VIP, leisure, corporate, and wedding charters across India and abroad. Air Kalinga is redefining private aviation in India with its promise: "Fly Private. Fly Proud. Fly Kalinga." 2. Aeromasterclass - India's Next-Gen Aviation Academy In partnership with Centurion University, Aeromasterclass trains students in B.Tech in Aerospace Engineering and BMS in Airport & Airline Management. Unlike traditional flight schools, it teaches real-world aviation leadership -- the kind India truly needs. 3. Blackstar Aerospace - Building India's Aerospace Future Currently in its early stages, Blackstar Aerospace Pvt. Ltd. is Capt. Mishra's bold initiative to manufacture indigenous aircraft components, defence tech, and R&D-driven aviation tools to make India self-reliant in aerospace engineering. This Is Your Take-off WindowIndia's private aviation sector is projected to grow 10X in the next 5 years, driven by rising disposable incomes, destination events, and business mobility. Air Kalinga stands at the intersection of this booming demand and premium service delivery. Capt. Sandeep Mishra is now welcoming visionary strategic partnerships to join hands in scaling Air Kalinga pan-India and internationally. Why partner with Air Kalinga? * First-mover advantage in Odisha and Eastern India* Global scalability with real operations* Founder-led execution with 22+ years' domain credibility* Luxurious, asset-backed aviation brand* Cross-venture synergy with education (Aeromasterclass) and tech (Blackstar) Capt. Mishra's Vision: "I've flown for over 20 years, but my mission now is to build an ecosystem. Air Kalinga is not just a business -- it's how we connect India's future with the world. Whether you're a traveller, a dreamer, or a visionary leader -- your journey begins here." Book Now or CollaborateFor bookings and collaboration opportunities, connect directly with: Capt. Sandeep MishraPhone no.-9338527773Mail I'd- info@airkalinga.in/capt.sandeepmishra@gmail.com (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) PNN New Delhi [India], June 6: In a historic feat that blends emotion, patriotism, and environmental action, Save Earth Mission has officially set a Guinness World Record by leading the largest single-day tree plantation drive under the nationwide campaign "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam" -- a heartfelt initiative inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for a greener, more sustainable India. Launched as a tribute to motherhood and Mother Earth, the "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam" movement urged every Indian to plant a tree in the name of their mother. What began as an emotional, symbolic gesture has now etched India's name in history books, with Save Earth Mission orchestrating a record-breaking environmental campaign recognized globally. With meticulous planning, unmatched community mobilization, and real-time geotagging technology, Save Earth Mission's India chapter coordinated simultaneous plantation drives across thousands of locations -- spanning cities, towns, rural villages, schools, universities, corporate offices, and even remote tribal areas. The mission's volunteers, environmentalists, and local leaders played a crucial role in ensuring the drive's success, marking it not just as a national achievement but a global benchmark in climate action. "This Guinness World Record is a victory for every Indian who planted a sapling in their mother's name," said a senior official from Save Earth Mission. "We thank Prime Minister Modi for inspiring this campaign. His vision transformed a simple act into a powerful national movement, and we are proud to have executed it at this scale." Under PM Modi's leadership, India has repeatedly emphasized sustainable development, clean energy, and climate responsibility. "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam" brought this vision to life in the most personal way -- linking the universally cherished bond between a mother and child with an act of service to the planet. Save Earth Mission's campaign stood out for its tech-enabled transparency. Every tree planted was digitally logged, geotagged, and tracked -- ensuring long-term impact rather than symbolic participation. Beyond the record-setting event, the Mission also conducted awareness workshops, school activities, and clean-climate training sessions across the country, solidifying its role as a leader in environmental action. The campaign's emotional depth was matched by the collective force of the people. From elderly citizens to young children, families gathered in parks, schoolyards, farms, and housing societies to plant trees with love and intention. In many places, the act became a family ritual -- a tribute across generations. As the world recognizes India's green efforts through this Guinness World Record, it sends a strong message -- that climate action in India is not limited to policies or conferences. It lives in the hearts of its people. One tree, one mother, one historic record. Save Earth Mission has not just planted trees -- it has planted hope for generations to come. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) Starlink is the third company to receive the nod for GMPCS sevices from the Department of Telecom, after OneWeb and Reliance Jio. Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) license authorizes the use of satellite technology for global mobile communication, providing connectivity seamlessly in the entire area of operation, particularly in remote and underserved areas. According to the Department of Telecommunications, GMPCS enables mobile communication services via satellite for users, especially in those regions where terrestrial networks' connectivity is limited. License holders deploy satellite terminals and ensure secure, continuous service with compliance with global standards. According to DoT, the license mandates adherence to privacy, lawful interception, and satellite transmission standards. Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia told reporters on Thursday that once licenses are given, the spectrum will be allocated to them. Scindia said that internet penetration can only be increased through satellite communication services, especially in remote areas where laying wires and installing towers would be difficult. Recently, Airtel and Jio have also partnered with Starlink to bring the latter's high-speed satellite internet services to their customers in India. Starlink will use Airtel and Jio's strong dealership network to sell and promote its services. In mid-April, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal met a delegation from Starlink. Their discussions covered "Starlink's cutting-edge technology platform, their existing partnerships and future investment plans in India," Goyal had said in a post on X. (ANI) The two ministers exchanged views on bilateral maritime collaboration under the auspices of the Green Strategic Partnership and the MoU on Maritime Affairs. According to a joint statement, the two ministers reaffirmed the Green Strategic Partnership, as mutually agreed upon by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Denmark counterpart Mette Frederiksen. The Ministers highlighted the importance of the bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on maritime affairs signed in 2024, which encompasses the establishment of Centre of Excellence in Green Shipping. The Ministers emphasised that the newly established Centre is intended to improve the quality and efficiency of maritime activities while promoting the green transition of the maritime sector in India. The ministers highlighted alignment with targets set out in the Government of India's Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, including India's ambitions to become a green shipping hub for the international maritime sector. Recalling that the establishment of green corridors has further been defined as a priority by the Government of India, the ministers agreed that the Indo-Danish CoE will conduct a pre-feasibility study to contribute to their development. The study will serve as a preliminary assessment of the main components of possible green corridors in India and outline the most promising ones. They agreed that the study will be carried out by the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Centre for Zero Carbon Shipping, applying its methodological blue print, and in close collaboration with the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, other relevant Indian ministries. (ANI) Financial markets regulator SEBI has asked banks and mutual funds to attach the bank accounts and shares and mutual fund holdings of fugitive Mehul Choksi to recover Rs 2.10 crore dues for violating insider trading rules linked to shares of Gitanjali Gems. The dues of Rs 2.1 crore include Rs 1.5 crore penalty, Rs 60 lakh as interest (February 2022 to May 2025 at 1 per cent per month) and Rs 1,000 as recovery cost. On May 15, 2025, SEBI sent Mehul Choksi a notice asking him to pay the dues in 15 days. Failure to do so may result in freezing his assets, SEBI mentioned. "Whereas no amount has been paid by the Defaulter and there is sufficient reason to believe that the Defaulter may dispose of the amounts/proceeds in the Bank Accounts held with your Bank and realization of amount due under the Recovery Certificate would in consequence be delayed or obstructed," SEBI wrote in its letter to the banks. A similar letter has also been written to mutual funds in India, asking them to attach his demat accounts and mutual fund holdings. SEBI also asked banks to ensure no debit is made from the defaulter's accounts, if any. Banks have also been asked to furnish details of the accounts, including lockers held by the defaulter and a bank statement for the latest year. Similarly, depositories and mutual funds have been directed to immediately provide details of accounts/folios held by the defaulter, a copy of account statements, and confirmation of attachment of the said accounts/folios. Mehul Choksi is a fugitive Indian businessman who is a key accused in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam. His nephew, Nirav Modi, is also wanted by the probe agencies in the scam. The duo are alleged to have defrauded the bank of more than Rs 14,000 crore. PNB unearthed the scam on January 25, 2018, and submitted a fraud report to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on January 29. Subsequently, an arrest warrant was issued against Choksi. He is wanted in India for criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating and dishonesty, including delivery of property, corruption, and money laundering. Choksi fled the country in January 2018 to Antigua and Barbuda. A court in Belgium had, in April this year, denied Choksi's bail plea. He was arrested in Belgium in April following an official request from Indian authorities. (ANI) Kashmir valley got connected with the rest of India with the inauguration of the much-awaited and world's highest railway arch bridge over the river Chenab by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his day-long visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. The architectural marvel Chenab Rail Bridge, situated 359 metres above the river, is the world's highest railway arch bridge. It is a 1,315-metre-long steel arch bridge engineered to withstand seismic and wind conditions. A key impact of the bridge will be in enhancing connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar. The Vande Bharat train moving on the bridge will take just about three hours to travel between Katra and Srinagar, reducing the existing travel time by two to three hours. During his visit, the Prime Minister also inaugurated the Anji Bridge, India's first cable-stayed rail bridge, which will serve the nation in challenging terrain. This was Prime Minister's first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after the Pahalgam terror attack. PM Modi also flagged off Vande Bharat trains--Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Srinagar and back--and laid the foundation stone, inaugurated, and dedicated multiple development projects worth over Rs 46,000 crore to the nation from Katra. The Prime Minister also dedicated the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project to the nation. The 272-km-long USBRL project, which includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges, was constructed with an estimated Rs 43,780 crore. PM Modi said today that railway connectivity has become a reality, underlining that generations in Jammu and Kashmir had long dreamt of it. Referring to a recent statement by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the Prime Minister noted that Abdullah had been anticipating the completion of this project even as a student in seventh or eighth grade. PM Modi emphasised that the fulfilment of this long-awaited aspiration marks a historic moment for millions of people in Jammu and Kashmir, paving the way for enhanced connectivity and progress. PM Modi emphasised the challenges encountered, like the difficult terrain, extreme weather conditions, and falling rocks in the mountains, making the project immensely tough and demanding. However, he remarked that their government has consistently chosen to face challenges head-on and overcome them with determination. The Prime Minister noted that numerous all-weather infrastructure projects underway in Jammu and Kashmir exemplify this commitment. He cited the recently opened Sonmarg Tunnel and his experience travelling over the Chenab Bridge and Anji Bridge as remarkable milestones. PM Modi lauded the engineering brilliance and unwavering dedication of India's engineers and workers, stating that the Chenab Bridge, the world's tallest railway arch bridge, stands as a testament to India's ambition. He observed that while people travel to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower, the Chenab Bridge surpasses it in height, making it not only a crucial infrastructure achievement but also an emerging tourist attraction. He asserted that these structures are not just steel and concrete, but living symbols of India's strength, standing tall in the rugged Pir Panjal mountains. Emphasising that both Chenab Bridge and Anji Bridge will serve as catalysts for prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister said, "These landmark projects will not only boost tourism but also benefit various sectors of the economy, creating new opportunities for businesses and industries." He highlighted that enhanced rail connectivity between Jammu and Kashmir will open new doors for local entrepreneurs, driving economic growth. PM Modi noted that Kashmir's apples will now reach major markets across India at lower costs, making trade more efficient. Furthermore, dry fruits and Kashmir's renowned Pashmina shawls, along with other traditional handicrafts, will now be easily transported to every corner of the country, strengthening the region's artisanal industry. The Prime Minister stated that this improved connectivity will also make travel more convenient for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, allowing smoother movement across different parts of India. During his speech, PM Modi shared a touching comment from a student in Sangaldan. The student stated that until now, only those who had travelled outside their village had seen a train in real life. Most villagers had only watched trains in videos, unable to believe that soon, a real train would pass right before their eyes. The Prime Minister also mentioned that many residents are already memorising train schedules, excited about the new connectivity. He highlighted a thoughtful remark from a young girl who stated, now, the weather will no longer decide whether the roads remain open or closed. "Jammu and Kashmir has long been a pillar of India's education and cultural heritage", affirmed the Prime Minister. He added that as India establishes itself as a global knowledge hub, the growing participation of Jammu and Kashmir in this transformation. PM Modi pointed out the presence of premier institutions such as IIT, IIM, AIIMS, and NIT, alongside Central Universities in Jammu and Srinagar, strengthening academic excellence in the region. He also noted the expansion of the research ecosystem, further enhancing innovation and learning opportunities. (ANI) Actor Tom Felton, who rose to prominence as Draco Malfoy in all eight films of the original Harry Potter film series from 2001 to 2011, will make his Broadway debut in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. As announced on the Today show, Felton will take over the role of the now-adult Draco from Aaron Bartz. The stage show first opened in London in 2016 and on the Great White Way in 2018. Felton's return marks the first time any actor from the original movies has starred in Cursed Child. He will appear as Draco at the Lyric Theatre in New York City starting November 11 for 19 weeks, reported People. "It's very much a pinch-me kind of situation," he said, adding, "I keep thinking I'm dreaming. I let go of that character 16 years ago, and now getting a chance to step back into his shoes -- as a father this time, in a new story -- I get to meet Draco as an adult, which is very exciting." As footage of him in costume as Draco for the stage was shown, Felton stated that he "cried" when he put on the character's characteristic platinum wig again after so long, since the franchise was "such a huge part of my childhood." "I've been very excited to share this news, and I had to keep it under wraps for quite a while," he told Craig Melvin and Savannah Guthrie, reported People. The actor also said in a statement shared by Today, "Being a part of the Harry Potter films has been one of the greatest honors of my life. Joining this production will be a full-circle moment for me, because when I begin performances in Cursed Child this fall, I'll also be the exact age Draco is in the play." "It's surreal to be stepping back into his shoes -- and of course his iconic platinum-blond hair -- and I am thrilled to be able to see his story through and to share it with the greatest fan community in the world," Felton added in his statement. "I look forward to joining this incredible company and being a part of the Broadway community," as reported by People. Cursed Child picks up where the seventh book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, left off: at Platform 9 3/4, with Harry and his wife Ginny (nee Weasley) saying goodbye to their younger son Albus as he begins his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Although Cursed Child has not yet gotten the film treatment, Chris Columbus, who directed the first two Harry Potter movies, previously said he'd be down to helm an adaptation of the sequel with the original main cast of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as their adult counterparts. "A version of Cursed Child with Dan, Rupert and Emma at the right age, it's cinematic bliss," said the filmmaker in November 2021. He added, "To able to actually see these adult actors now back in these roles? Oh, yeah. It would be amazingly fun to make that film -- or two films." He added, "To able to actually see these adult actors now back in these roles? Oh, yeah. It would be amazingly fun to make that film -- or two films." As for Felton, he hasn't been shy about his willingness to return to the Wizarding World. In June 2021, he revealed that not only would he jump at the chance to portray Draco again, but also any Malfoy--like Draco's father, Lucius (originally played by Jason Isaacs) or son, Scorpius. "If you're asking me will I dye my hair blonde again to be Draco, abso-bloody-lutely. Either him or Lucius. I'll play Draco's kid if you really want!" Felton exclaimed. "Any chance to be a Malfoy again would be greatly accepted, " reported People. (ANI) Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been threatened to be removed from court by the judge presiding over the ongoing sex trafficking trial if the discgraced music mogul continues to make faces at members of the jury. "I was very clear, there should be no facial expressions to the jury," US district Judge Arun Subramanian told Combs' legal team in a federal courtroom in the US on Thursday. "I could not have been clearer. There was a line of questioning where your client was nodding vigorously and looking at the jury," according to E! News. "That is unacceptable," he continued. "There should be no efforts to have any interactions with this jury. If it happens again, I will give an instruction to the jury or it could result in the exclusion of your client from the courtroom." Combs' attorney Marc Agnifilo assured the judge that this was "not going to happen again." Subramanian's admonishments come as Bryana Bongolan, a close friend of Combs' ex Cassie Ventura, returned to the witness stand for more cross-examination. The fashion designer further testified about allegedly being dangled over a 17th-floor balcony by the Bad Boy Records founder in 2016. The defence tried to debunk her claims with defence attorney Nicole Westmoreland, who claimed that Combs was in New York on the days he was accused of the incident, as per E! News. However, Bongolan confirmed her assertions, telling the juror that she had "no doubt" that Combs, who pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and transportation to participate in prostitution, had held her up on the balcony. Just one day earlier, she provided more information about the alleged encounter, which she claimed occurred in Ventura's Los Angeles flat. However, Bongolan reaffirmed her statements, telling the juror that she had "no doubt" that Combs--who pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, as well as transportation to engage in prostitution--had held her up on the balcony. Just one day earlier, she shared more insight into the alleged incident, which she said took place at Ventura's Los Angeles apartment. "Combs came behind me, lifted me up and had me on top of the rail," Bongolan, who said she weighed about 100 pounds at the time, testified June 4. "I was trying not to slip, pushing back on him because I was scared I was going to fall," as per the outlet. "For a second, I thought I was going to fall," she continued. "He was yelling at me. He was saying, You know what the f--k you did.' I had no idea what he was talking about. I said, 'I don't know what I did.' He was yelling loud," according to E! News. (ANI) Acclaimed filmmaker Ang Lee is all set to direct 'Old Gold Mountain', an adaptation of C. Pam Zhang's debut novel, How Much of These Hills Is Gold. Hansol Jung penned the movie adaptation, which tells the journey of two orphaned immigrants, reported Deadline. The 2020 novel follows "Lucy and Sam, newly orphaned children of immigrants who suddenly are alone in a land that refutes their existence. Fleeing the threats of their western mining town, they set off to bury their father in the only way that will set them free from their past. Along the way, they encounter giant buffalo bones, tiger paw prints, the spectre of a ravaged landscape, as well as family secrets, sibling rivalry and glimpses of a different kind of future," as per the outlet. Ang Lee was honoured with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the 77th Annual Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards, which was held on February 8, 2025. Lee, the Academy Award-winning director behind masterpieces such as Brokeback Mountain and Life of Pi, will become the 37th filmmaker in history to receive this distinguished honour. Lee's career began in the early 1990s with films like The Wedding Banquet, but he became a global sensation with his films 'Crouching Tiger', 'Hidden Dragon', 'Brokeback Mountain', and 'Life of Pi'. The latter earned Lee an Academy Award for Best Director. A member of the DGA since 1996, Lee has earned multiple nominations and awards from the guild. He has been nominated for the DGA Award for Feature Film four times, winning the honour in 2000 for 'Crouching Tiger', 'Hidden Dragon' and in 2005 for 'Brokeback Mountain'.Lee's contributions to the film industry were also celebrated by the DGA in 2018 with a special recognition for his support of American culture through his work in film and television. Lee's contributions to the film industry were also celebrated by the DGA in 2018, and a special recognition was given for his support of American culture through his work in film and television. Jung most recently worked on the Apple TV+ series Pachinko, reported Deadline. (ANI) Lyricist Javed Akhtar was honoured with the prestigious Dostoevsky Star Award for his remarkable influence on cultural heritage and literary dialogue on Friday. Taking to her Instagram handle, Shabana Azmi, wife of Javed Akhtar, shared the snaps from the award ceremony, featuring the renowned lyricist accepting the award from the dignitaries from the Russian House. While sharing the photos, the actress wrote, "Another big honour for Javed Akhtar as he receives the Dostoevsky Star Award! This year, the Russian House is deeply honoured to present the Dostoevsky Star Award to the renowned poet, lyricist, and public intellectual Mr. Javed Akhtar, to recognise his remarkable influence on cultural dialogue and literary heritage." https://www.instagram.com/p/DKjJANuyhIQ/? Javed Akhtar, considered the legendary screenwriter for the Indian cinema industry, has won numerous awards during his decades-long career. These include the National Award for Best Lyrics, the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1999, and the Padma Bhushan in 2007. Earlier this year, Javed Akhtar was conferred the Lifetime Achievement award at the convocation ceremony of Whistling Woods International, a renowned film institute. The Whistling Woods International was founded by director Subhash Ghai in 2006. After receiving the awards, Javed Akhtar and Pankaj Kapur imparted some words of wisdom to the students who attended the ceremony. Akhtar , who is known for writing the screenplays of blockbuster films like Zanjeer and Sholay, talked about the importance of self-esteem in achieving excellence in life in his gratitude speech. He said, "The only reason that can make you excellent is your self-esteem. Maybe the world doesn't have to be, and maybe your friends are saying that you are very rude, but I know that I can be better, and it has to be better because I am doing it. If you have high self-esteem then you can reach excellence. Self-esteem demands only yourself and nothing else." Javed Akhtar has written the screenplay for superhit movies like 'Sholay', 'Deewar', 'Zanjeer' and others. (ANI) In a move to uphold animal welfare and maintain public hygiene, the Delhi Government has issued a strict advisory against the illegal killing and sacrifice of cows, calves, camels, and other prohibited animals during the Bakra-Eid on June 7, a release said. The advisory issued by the Delhi Government outlines strict guidelines to ensure lawful and hygienic practices during Bakra Eid. It mandates that all sacrificial rituals must occur exclusively at designated locations, explicitly prohibiting sacrifices on roadsides, streets, or any public spaces. It emphasises zero tolerance for violations, with strict action to be taken against offenders as per the laws. The advisory also bans taking or sharing photos and videos of the sacrificial rituals on social media platforms, aiming to prevent the promotion or glorification of such activities. As per the release, Minister of Development Kapil Mishra underlined the government's stance and said, "The Delhi Government is committed to protecting our cultural and environmental heritage, of which animal welfare is an integral part. We will not tolerate any illegal sacrifices or cruelty during the festival celebration. Strict compliance with the advisory is non-negotiable, and violators will face immediate action from law enforcement agencies." The advisory aligns with existing laws, including the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, Transport of Animals Rules, 1978, Slaughter House Rules, 2001, and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. It highlights that the Transport of Animals Rules, 1978, are often violated during transportation, leading to animal suffering, it added. The release further added that rule 3 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2001, prohibits slaughter outside designated slaughterhouses, especially for animals that are pregnant, have offspring less than three months old, or are uncertified by a veterinary doctor. The Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, further classify camels as non-food animals, making their slaughter illegal. The Delhi Agricultural Cattle Preservation Act, 1994, also strictly prohibits the slaughter of cows in Delhi. The advisory has been forwarded to the Secretary-cum-Commissioner (Development), as well as the DMs, DCPs, Commissioner (MCD), and other concerned authorities, with instructions to enforce animal welfare laws rigorously and take stringent action against violators during the Bakra-Eid festival. The Delhi Government urges citizens to adhere to the advisory and report any violations to the concerned authorities to ensure a peaceful, hygienic, and lawful celebration of Bakra-Eid. (ANI) Security forces conducted thorough inspections and heightened vigilance in Ramban, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Katra on Friday. Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate the Chenab Bridge, the world's highest railway bridge, and flag off the Vande Bharat Express train between Katra and Srinagar. Security personnel conducted sweeping inspections, including dog squad deployments and comprehensive vehicle checks. Security was also heightened at the Udhampur Railway Station on Thursday. Ahead of flagging off the Vande Bharat Express between Katra and Srinagar on June 6, marking the completion of the Katra-Sangaldan rail link project, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that key infrastructure projects worth Rs 46,000 crores, which are being inaugurated, will have a positive impact on people's lives. In a post on X, PM Modi on Thursday shared, "Tomorrow, 6th June is indeed a special day for my sisters and brothers of Jammu and Kashmir. Key infrastructure projects worth Rs 46,000 crores are being inaugurated, which will have a very positive impact on people's lives. In addition to being an extraordinary feat of architecture, the Chenab Rail Bridge will improve connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar. The Anji Bridge stands tall as India's first cable-stayed rail bridge in a challenging terrain." "The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project ensures all-weather connectivity and the Vande Bharat trains from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Srinagar will boost spiritual tourism and create livelihood opportunities," he further added. On Thursday, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Minister Jitendra Singh inspected the Katra railway station and the Vande Bharat train. CM Omar Abdullah said, "If I tell you that I have been waiting for this moment for a long time, it will still not be enough. This rail project began when I was in the 7th or 8th class. Now, even my children have started working after completing school and college. But, better late than never...tomorrow PM will inaugurate the Vande Bharat services and it will benefit us...whenever highway gets blocked, the airlines start selling tickets of Rs 5,000 for Rs 20,000, such issues will be solved from now on." He further said that horticulture produce would be easily sent to the market. "This project has set many records. The Chenab Bridge is higher than the Eiffel Tower. Anji Khad Bridge is the longest cable-stayed railway bridge in the country. There are many tunnels between Katra and Banihal. The project will be a boost for the economy and tourism. Now it will take 4 hours from Srinagar to Katra. We will ensure a successful Amarnath Yatra," he added. Union Minister Jitendra Singh said, "In 2014, when PM Modi took oath as PM, the work on this bridge had almost stopped. There were controversies about the tallest bridge in the world as well, whether it would be possible to build such a bridge and whether it would be safe. There would be ease of travel and ease of business. Within 3 hours, you can reach Srinagar from here. The rush on the highway will reduce. This will become a part of Viksit Bharat." On Thursday, the Northern Railway announced the commencement of regular services of the Vande Bharat Express trains between Srinagar and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, which will start on June 7. The services will operate six days a week, enhancing connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the prominent pilgrimage destination. Two pairs of Vande Bharat Express trains, Train Nos. 26404/26403 and 26401/26402 were introduced on the Srinagar-Katra-Srinagar route, with an intermediate halt at Banihal. The trains were set to operate six days a week, excluding Wednesdays. (ANI) Delhi's Dwarka Court recently acquitted an army colonel and his friend accused of raping an advocate noting the delay in FIR and contradications in the testimony of victim and absence of corroborative forensic or medical evidence to prove the allegations. While acquitting the accused persons, the Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Gagandeep Jindal noted the contradictions and inconsistencies in the complainant's testimony. An FIR was lodged at Dwarka 23 Police Station against army officer under Sections 376 (2) (n) (repeated rape) by administering sedative laced drink and criminal intimidation. Police booked both accused for the offence of gang rape under Section 376 D (gang rape) IPC. The court highlighted contradictions and inconsistencies in the complainant's testimony, no forensic or medical evidence to prove the allegations against the accused, and an unexplained delay in reporting the matter to police. "Therefore, keeping in view, all the facts and circumstances of the case, the solitary, uncorroborated and unreliable testimony of the complainant cannot be taken as a gospel truth on its face value in absence of corroboration from any other independent cogent evidence," the court observed in the judgement of May 30. The court held, "Thus, this court is of the considered opinion that Prosecution has failed to prove its case against the accused beyond a reasonable doubt." Consequently, both accused are acquitted of the offence alleged against them, the court ordered. As per the prosecution the first incident of rape took place on October 28, 2016 in Delhi and last incident occurred in August 2021 in Chandigarh. She reported the matter to the police in November 2021. The prosecution said that accused colonel raped the prosecutrix by threatening her to viral an obscene video of her. While acquitting the accused, the court said no such video was found on the mobile during the investigation. Any such video was not found in the forensic examination. "The complainant is an advocate by profession. Therefore, it cannot be said that she was not aware of her legal rights. It is hard to believe that she continued to be a victim of circumstances for five years and simultaneously continued to provide legal advice to the accused," the court said in the judgment. While acquitting the accused, the court said that framing the accused over a dispute over the fee cannot be ruled out. The victim alleged it the accused made a video of her during her rape in semi unconscious stage and thereafter he used to blackmail her on the basis of this video. (ANI) Security has been heightened in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit, with authorities increasing inspections and vigilance, particularly in Katra city of Reasi district. On Thursday, security forces also conducted extensive checks in the Ramban district, utilising dog squads and carrying out thorough vehicle inspections. Security was additionally heightened at Udhampur Railway Station to ensure safe movement ahead of the Prime Minister's arrival. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Minister Jitendra Singh visited the Katra railway station and inspected the Vande Bharat trains scheduled to be launched. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, "If I tell you that I have been waiting for this moment for a long time, it will still not be enough. This rail project began when I was in the 7th or 8th class. Now, even my children have started working after completing school and college. But, better late than never...tomorrow PM will inaugurate the Vande Bharat services and it will benefit us...whenever highway gets blocked, the airlines start selling tickets of Rs 5,000 for Rs 20,000, such issues will be solved from now on." Union Minister Jitendra Singh said, "In 2014, when PM Modi took oath as PM, the work on this bridge had almost stopped. There were controversies about the tallest bridge in the world as well, whether it would be possible to build such a bridge and whether it would be safe. There would be ease of travel and ease of business. Within 3 hours, you can reach Srinagar from here. The rush on the highway will reduce. This will become a part of Viksit Bharat." The Northern Railway announced the commencement of regular services of the Vande Bharat Express trains between Srinagar and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, which will start on June 7. The services will operate six days a week, enhancing connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the prominent pilgrimage destination. Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Jammu and Kashmir today and inaugurate several projects, including the Chenab bridge, the Anji bridge, and flag off Vande Bharat trains. The Prime Minister will inaugurate the Chenab bridge and visit the bridge deck at around 11 am. Thereafter, he will visit and inaugurate the Anji bridge. PM Modi will flag off Vande Bharat Trains at around noon. Thereafter, he will lay the foundation stone, inaugurate and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 46,000 crore at Katra. The Prime Minister will also dedicate the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project to the nation. The Prime Minister will also flag off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Srinagar and back. Prime Minister Modi will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate various road projects. He will lay the foundation stone of the road widening project from Rafiabad to Kupwara on National Highway-701 and the construction of Shopian bypass road on NH-444 worth over Rs 1,952 crore. He will also inaugurate two flyover projects at Sangrama Junction on National Highway-1 in Srinagar and at Bemina Junction on National Highway-44. These projects will ease traffic congestion and enhance traffic flow for the commuters. The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Katra, worth over Rs 350 crore. It will be the first medical college in the Reasi district, contributing substantially to the healthcare infrastructure in the region. Notably, this will be Prime Minister Modi's first visit to the territory after 'Operation Sindoor' - India's precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan launched on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists. (ANI) The Vice-Chancellor (V-C) of Kannur University has withdrawn a contentious order forming a special committee to monitor university programmes for alleged anti-national content following strong opposition from syndicate members and a protest by the Students Federation of India (SFI). Tension erupted outside the university administration office on Thursday during a syndicate meeting, with the SFI activists staging a protest holding banners that read, " This is not a branch, this is a university." The protesters attempted to barge into the office, triggering a brief commotion. The majority of syndicate members voiced opposition to Vice-Chancellor K K Saju's directive, prompting the V-C to announce its withdrawal during the meeting. The order forming a seven-member committee tasked with vetting programmes to ensure that it contained no anti-national content had been issued by the Registrar on Wednesday, Kannur University said in a press release. The committee included university officials and heads of departments from various campuses, including V A Wilson, V Reeja, K Preethi, Johnson Alex, N K Deepak and K K Kunhammad. The order stirred controversy amid allegations that it was a response to recent university programmes featuring speakers critical of the Union government. Sangh Parivar organisations had reportedly lodged complaints, prompting speculation that the move was influenced by political pressure. The Vice-Chancellor appointed by the Governor, who is also the Chancellor, was believed to have issued the order based on these complaints. Earlier, SFI activists staged a protest at Kannur University in Kerala on Thursday. The protest comes in response to a directive from the university's Vice Chancellor to establish a monitoring committee. This committee will oversee the content of events held in affiliated colleges to ensure that no anti-national elements are present. Visuals showed the activists attempting to barge into the university's administrative office and the police preventing them. As a mark of protest, they also burned the copies of the order. The university has warned that strict action will be taken against any event found to include anti-national elements. SFI activists are protesting, likely citing concerns over freedom of expression and academic autonomy. (ANI) Law student Sharmistha Panoli, arrested for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through a social media post, has been granted interim bail by the Calcutta High Court on Thursday. The court directed her to cooperate with the investigation, not leave the country, and furnished bail on a personal bond of Rs 10,000. The court also ordered appropriate police protection for her. Her father, Prithviraj Panoli, expressed relief, citing her health issues, including kidney problems and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Prithviraj Panoli said, "I am very happy... no father would like his daughter to stay in jail. Her mother was crying for a long time, but she is very happy now. There were two concerns: his kidney problem and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). She needs regular medicine, but since we didn't have a prescription, the medicine wasn't given in jail." "Also, when the video was posted, we found out after two days and told her to delete it. We hoped this would be a lesson for her, and that she would do better in the future," Panoli said. According to Sharmistha's lawyer, DP Singh, bail was granted on three conditions: Sharmistha must surrender her passport, cooperate with the investigation, and sign a bail bond. DP Singh argued that Sharmistha is a victim of circumstances and that her social media post was a defence of her country based on videos she had seen. He questioned the severity of the response, suggesting that the community's reaction was disproportionate to her actions. Speaking to ANI, Advocate DP Singh said, "She has got bail on 3 conditions, that she will surrender her passport, she will join the investigation and sign a bail bond...whatever is happening right now in the country is wrong. You just arrest students...they speak what they see, their exposure is different...whatever she said, she said it based on the videos she saw...These children don't know much...there is a fight between India & Pakistan and they are just defending their country, so in such a situation... if we remove the clip of 5-10 seconds, she didn't say anything wrong...She is a victim of circumstances...a whole community has stood up against her...it is not like a riot took place because of what she said, so why is she being punished?" West Bengal Assembly Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said, "Justice has been served today." In a post on X, Suvendu Adhikari said, "Justice has been served today - Sharmistha Panoli, a law student, aged about 22 years, has been released on interim bail by the Hon'ble High Court at Calcutta." https://x.com/SuvenduWB/status/1930556756666585104 He called her arrest "police atrocities" and said she was wrongly arrested for exercising her right to free speech. He accused Kolkata Police of acting to please political leaders. "This is a case of police atrocities as an innocent young lady, for using her freedom of speech and expression, has been illegally arrested by the Kolkata Police and was sent to judicial custody. This is yet another example of police overzealousness and eagerness to please their political masters," the post reads. Meanwhile, BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul and West Bengal BJP Legal Cell member Sanjukta Samanta filed an FIR against Wazahat Khan, who filed an FIR against Sharmistha Panoli, at two Police Stations, Ballygunje Police Station, Kolkata and Howrah Police Station. Paul said there should be equal rights and rules for every community. Speaking to ANI, Agnimitra Paul said, "Yes, I have filed a police complaint against Wazahat Khan, who filed a police complaint against Sharmistha Panoli. I believe that Dr BR Ambedkar Ji's constitution is applicable in West Bengal, and there should be equal rights and rules for every community...Wazahat Khan, who complained against Sharmistha Panoli, had posted an abusive post against our goddess Maa Kamakhya and Lord Krishna. If a Muslim is insulting my god and goddess, the same action needs to be taken for Wazahat Khan...As Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has sent his police force to arrest Wazahat Khan, Mamata Banerjee's police, because of her Muslim appeasement, have been hiding and shielding Wazahat Khan..." The 22-year-old law student from Pune, Sharmistha Panoli, was arrested by Kolkata Police in Gurugram on May 30, for allegedly hurting religious sentiments with a video on Operation Sindoor. The Instagram clip was reportedly derogatory towards a particular religion. However, Panoli had deleted the video and issued an apology on May 15. (ANI) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha MP Baijayant Panda, who led an all-party parliamentary delegation in four countries, on Thursday didn't mince words in criticising Pakistan, labelling it as "an emperor that has no clothes". "Pakistan is like the emperor that has no clothes. It's pretty shameless, but everybody knows what it is," Panda said in an interview with India Today's Gaurav Sawant. Talking about the countries visited by the parliamentary delegation and their bilateral relationship with Pakistan, Panda informed that even though these are Islamic nations, their paths are not the same as that of Pakistan since all four countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Algeria, have taken "strong" action against "jihadism". Contrary to actions taken by these countries, the BJP MP said, Pakistan has gone in the opposite direction, encouraging jihadis and fundamentalist elements. "Keep in mind that over the last couple of decades, you know, these are all Islamic countries, but their path and Pakistan's path have diverged quite a bit. All these four countries have taken very strong actions against jihadism and Salafist elements, and they have rubbed them out from operating on their soil," Panda said. "Pakistan has gone in the opposite direction. It continues to encourage jihadis and fundamentalist elements. This is why there is a divergence in their relationship with Pakistan," he added. Highlighting the financial assistance provided to Pakistan by these countries, Panda argued that they have witnessed the aid being misused. He said that Pakistan has used the aid to finance terrorism instead of working for development. "Some of these countries have helped Pakistan financially in the past years, and they have seen that the aid has been misused. Now, these countries have developed their schools, roads, colleges and hospitals. But Pakistan has taken their money and, instead of using it for the same purpose, has used it to finance terrorism," he said, adding, "These are things that they are very unhappy about, and they did make it very clear to us that they stand with us." Furthermore, Panda said that the four Islamic nations perceive India and Pakistan in entirely different ways, categorising the neighbouring country as a "problem child" who abstains from becoming normal and has "misused the support". "They see Pakistan and India in a completely different light. They see Pakistan as a problem child. They do have sympathy for its poverty. They have sympathy for the crores of Pakistani children who are not in any school. They have sympathy, and they want to help Pakistan become normal. However, they are aware that Pakistan is not becoming normal and has misused their help and support to become even worse than before," he added. Talking about their perception of India, the BJP MP said that these nations see India as an opportunity since the message propagated by the all-party delegation regarding Pakistan supporting terrorism after being removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) black and grey list found "a great deal of resonance." "They see India as an opportunity. When we took up these issues, we specifically mentioned that some nations helped put them (Pakistan) on the FATF blacklist, and they were somewhat subdued on supporting terror for a few years. However, now that they are off the grey list, they are back at it again. This message found a great deal of resonance," Panda said in his interview to India Today. Given India's past ties with them, he asserted that the all-party delegation had "excellent" engagements with these countries. "I think it's important to note that we had a phenomenal reception and excellent engagements in all four countries. The fact is that India doesn't really need to justify itself. All these countries have had a relationship with India for thousands of years. They understand what we are all about," Panda said. Talking about the reaction of these sovereign nations to the ghastly Pahalgam terror attack, the BJP leader said that all have issued strong statements against terrorism, specifying the April 22 attack against civilians. "These countries have been the victims of terrorism themselves and have taken strong actions against terrorism. They're on the same page when we go with this message. All of them have issued strong statements against terrorism and specifically against the Pahalgam attack," Panda said. He expressed optimism over these countries taking possible action against Pakistan, pushing the neighbouring country to " correct itself". "I am very optimistic that going forward, in both public and private behind-the-scenes efforts, they are certainly going to take some steps which will not be very encouraging for Pakistan. It will start pushing Pakistan in the direction of correcting itself," Panda said. Speaking on India's message against terrorism, the BJP leader said that the nation would resort to the "new normal", which is retaliating and targeting terrorist bases in case of cross-border terrorism. "Our message was very clear. We have gone through the same cycle of terrorism for 78 years. Pakistan sending cross-border terrorists and the whole rigmarole, provoking attacks and nuclear blackmail. We were there to explain the new normal. We will retaliate, and we will specifically target terrorist bases," Panda asserted. Expressing unwillingness to "escalate" conflicts, Panda said that India would hit back if Pakistan escalates but would never go near the "nuclear threshold" "Two is that we don't want to escalate. We don't have anything against the Pakistani people. But if they escalate, we will hit them back and make it very costly for them, but never go near the nuclear threshold, and that nuclear bluff has already been exposed and called out," he added. The delegation led by Panda visited Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Algeria. It included members Nishikant Dubey (BJP), Phangnon Konyak (BJP), Rekha Sharma (BJP), Asaduddin Owaisi (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen), Satnam Singh Sandhu, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and Harsh Shringla. (ANI) As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to flag off two Vande Bharat trains in Jammu and Kashmir between Katra and Srinagar, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that this move will significantly boost tourism and the economy in the territory. Speaking to ANI on Thursday, the Union Railways Minister stated that Indian Railways is constructing five terminals from Baramulla (Kashmir) to Jammu, which will henceforth help in boosting the economy of the region. "This will give a good jump to tourism. The economy will receive a significant benefit. We are making a total of 5 terminals in the stretch from Baramulla to Jammu, from where things can be brought to and forth. If we have to send produce from here to any part of the country, fruits and handicrafts and several other things - it will be easier to transport that... Recently, we did an experiment where cherries were transported through trains, and it was a successful experiment. We can also bring things here from different parts of the country. Everyone will benefit from this," Vaishnaw told ANI. Meanwhile, security has been heightened in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit, with authorities increasing inspections and vigilance, particularly in Katra city of Reasi district. On Thursday, security forces also conducted extensive checks in the Ramban district, utilising dog squads and carrying out thorough vehicle inspections. Security was additionally heightened at Udhampur Railway Station to ensure safe movement ahead of the Prime Minister's arrival. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Minister Jitendra Singh visited the Katra railway station and inspected the Vande Bharat trains scheduled to be launched. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, "If I tell you that I have been waiting for this moment for a long time, it will still not be enough. This rail project began when I was in the 7th or 8th class. Now, even my children have started working after completing school and college. But, better late than never...tomorrow PM will inaugurate the Vande Bharat services and it will benefit us...whenever highway gets blocked, the airlines start selling tickets of Rs 5,000 for Rs 20,000, such issues will be solved from now on." The Northern Railway announced the commencement of regular services of the Vande Bharat Express trains between Srinagar and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, which will start on June 7. The services will operate six days a week, enhancing connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the prominent pilgrimage destination. Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Jammu and Kashmir today and inaugurate several projects, including the Chenab bridge, the Anji bridge, and flag off Vande Bharat trains. The Prime Minister will inaugurate the Chenab bridge and visit the bridge deck at around 11 am. Thereafter, he will visit and inaugurate the Anji bridge.PM Modi will flag off Vande Bharat Trains at around noon. Thereafter, he will lay the foundation stone, inaugurate and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 46,000 crore at Katra. (ANI) Villagers in the Darhal region have resumed their farming activities after ceasefire violations by the Pakistani army in multiple sectors, including Naushera and Darhal. "Due to frequent shelling from across the border, our crops and vegetables have suffered significant damage. Additionally, the lack of bunker facilities in our area is a major concern. We urge the government to establish bank branches in our village to provide financial support to our residents. Moreover, given the uncertainty and risk of potential ceasefire violations by Pakistan, we must take measures to ensure our safety and security", said Pawan Kumar of Darhal village. Another farmer, Rajendra Kumar, said, "My family has been in the vegetable business for 35 years. Although we've resumed farming, we're still living in fear of another ceasefire violation, which could disrupt our livelihoods once again. Approximately 80% of the people in our community rely on vegetable sales as their primary source of income, and any instability in the region could have a devastating impact on our lives and businesses". Keematram, a member of the village council, said," We urge the government to construct individual border bunkers instead of community bunkers, allowing us to safely carry out our farming activities without disruption. Additionally, we request the government to provide us with new projects that can help elevate our business and support our livelihoods." Sner Singh, another local from the area, said, "We had to leave our village for several days due to shelling at the border. Now that there's a ceasefire, we're slowly resuming our work. We grow eggplants, okra, and tomatoes, and many people's livelihoods depend on it. However, water scarcity is a major issue which affects the quality of our vegetables. There's a demand for organic produce, but we're struggling to meet it. I believe the government should encourage our youth, who are often drawn to substance abuse, to take up farming. A lasting ceasefire would bring much-needed stability to our lives and businesses." The villagers of the Darhal region have shown remarkable resilience in the face of adversity, resuming their farming activities despite the ever-present threat of ceasefire violations. While the ceasefire has brought a reprieve, the residents remain cautious, seeking government support to address their concerns over safety. (ANI) The Governor of Uttarakhand has given approval for the formation of a Strategic Advisory Committee on Innovation & Effective Implementation, aimed at providing a strong foundation for the state's overall economic progress. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami will chair the seven-member advisory committee. On Wednesday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami signed three important agreements at the Secretariat. The Uttarakhand government, the Setu Commission, and the Tata Trust signed an agreement to work on social development. A tripartite agreement was signed between the Setu Commission, the Higher Education Department, the Technical Education Department and the NASSCOM/IT-ITES Sector Skill Council towards making Uttarakhand India's leading skill centre in the field of technology. A tripartite agreement was also signed between the Setu Commission, the Higher Education Department and the Wadhwani Foundation to make the state a skill development centre for emerging technology and employment-oriented personality development of students. Under the 10-year agreement with Tata Trust to advance social and economic development in Uttarakhand, work will be done together in areas such as water management, nutrition, telemedicine, rural livelihood, and green energy. Under the agreement with NASSCOM to make Uttarakhand a major skill centre in the field of technology, courses will be included with academic credit in all government and private higher education institutions of the state, and a model college in each district will be developed as a 'Mentor Institute'. It aims to provide information and skill development in areas like Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Cyber Security, and Python to about 1.5 lakh state students through the Future Skills Prime Platform. Under the three-year agreement made with the Wadhwani Foundation to make Uttarakhand a skill development centre for students' emerging technology and employment-oriented personality development, courses will be included with academic credit in all government higher education institutions of the state from the next session. The objective of this initiative is to assist about 1.20 lakh state students in artificial intelligence-based personality development and self-employment-related skill development. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami praised the three agreements signed today for social development, making the state a centre of digital talent and starting modern courses of AI-based personality development will be extremely useful for the people of the state. The Chief Minister said that to make Uttarakhand the country's leading state in every field, the state government is working on schemes keeping in mind the people at the end of the society. Many new initiatives are being taken by bringing people from every sector and class together for the state's overall development. The Chief Minister said these agreements are important steps towards preparing human resources full of modern skills in Uttarakhand and making the state a modern AI and cybersecurity hub. The Chief Minister thanked Tata Trust, NASSCOM, and Wadhwani Foundation for these three important agreements made in the state. (ANI) China's efforts on environment inspire countries 08:42, June 06, 2025 By Hou Liqiang ( China Daily In Minchinabad, Pakistan's Punjab province, Muhammad Basit Ghauri, a keen observer of the country's energy transition, is excited about the progress made there. Nearly every home, public building, shop and mosque in the city is adorned with glistening solar panels, many of which were imported from China. This scene was something Ghauri didn't expect to see in areas so far away from major cities, but the sight of solar panels is becoming ever more common in Pakistan. "What used to be a luxury solar energy has now become a practical solution for the lower-middle and even lower income households," said Ghauri, who works for Renewables First, a Pakistani think tank, in an interview ahead of World Environment Day, which fell on Thursday. As China pioneers the development of an ecological civilization, the ripple effects of the unwavering commitment of the world's largest developing nation have extended far beyond its borders, notably benefiting other developing countries like Pakistan. Experts and officials are envisioning greener, more sustainable futures for countries in the Global South, drawing inspiration from China's pioneering advancements in environmental and climate initiatives. This resonates strongly with one of the key tenets of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, which emphasizes China's commitment to jointly promote the construction of a global ecological civilization and get deeply involved in global environmental governance, in order to come up with a worldwide solution for environmental protection and sustainable development. For Ghauri, the ongoing energy transition in Pakistan has primarily been propelled by the declining costs of solar energy and the increasing prices of electricity from the country's unreliable grid, with solar panels from China playing a crucial role in facilitating this shift. Pakistan purchased some 16 gigawatts of solar panels from China last year at a cost of more than $2 billion, Ghauri said. According to the International Energy Agency, China accounts for approximately 80 percent of global solar photovoltaic module manufacturing and has driven a more than 80 percent reduction in the price of solar panels over the past decade. Ghauri said that instead of just importing its solar products, Pakistan can also learn from China's experiences in developing its solar energy industry. "No one has built a stronger solar supply chain than China. They dominate global manufacturing not by accident, but through smart investments and a long-term strategy," he said. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif visited China in December, engaging in an in-depth discussion with Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu. While praising China's significant achievements in air pollution control, Sharif expressed a sincere desire to strengthen communication and collaboration with China on air quality management, the renewable energy industry and low-carbon development, according to the ministry. In interviews with China Daily during the COP29 United Nations climate change conference in Azerbaijan late last year, the environment ministers of Cambodia and Nigeria also expressed their hopes of learning from China's experiences to advance environmental and climate initiatives in their respective countries. Eang Sophalleth, Cambodia's minister for the environment, said: "China has been through so much in the past 20 years. Those experiences are very rich. Cambodia is going through the same phase of developing. And with that experience, it can help us to minimize the impact on the environment in Cambodia." Balarabe Abbas Lawal, Nigeria's minister for the environment, underscored that there is significant potential for China to assist developing nations in addressing their climate challenges. "China is a country that understands what we are going through because they have gone through it," he said. Dimitri de Boer, director for China at ClientEarth, an environmental law organization, said there is a major opportunity for developing countries to learn from how China is moving toward green and low-carbon development. While China has enjoyed impressive economic growth, with people's living standards having improved significantly, the country has also experienced significant environmental improvement in the past decade, he said. "Air pollution dropped by more than half, surface water quality is much better, and cities are becoming greener. China's carbon emissions are starting to plateau, even while power demand continues to increase every year," he said. De Boer emphasized China's potential to collaborate with other developing nations in advancing their green and low-carbon development initiatives. Solar and wind power are now often more affordable than fossil fuels, with their cost continuing to drop, and electric vehicles are becoming very competitive, de Boer said. "Countries with a decent level of industrialization could be very well placed to start producing these green technologies in their countries, providing major new business and employment opportunities," he added. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) Congress General Secretary in charge of Communications, Jairam Ramesh, on Friday stated that the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Line (USBRL) is a "powerful" example of continuity in governance, claiming that the 135 km rail link between Baramulla and Qazigund had become operational by June 26, 2013. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Jammu and Kashmir today and inaugurate several projects, including the Chenab bridge, which is a part of USBRL. In a post on X, Ramesh said, "As the PM visits J&K today, here is our statement on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Line (USBRL) that, like Brahmos, is a powerful example of continuity in governance which he never acknowledges but cannot run away from." Ramesh, in an official statement, said that the 272 km long USBRL was initially sanctioned in March 1995 when P.V. Narasimha Rao was Prime Minister. he added that in March 2002, it was declared a national project when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was Prime Minister. Taking a dig at PM Modi, the Congress Rajya Sabha MP said, "Governance involves great continuity, a fact consistently denied by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his perennial desire for self-glory." He further claimed that since 2014, the 111 km Katra-Banihar stretch, for which major contracts had been awarded much earlier, has been completed, adding that the contracts for the iconic Chenab Bridge had been awarded by 2005 itself to the Konkan Railway Corporation, afcons, VSK India, and Ultra Construction and Engineering Ltd of South Korea. Mentioning a detailed timeline of the project, Ramesh said that in April 2005, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh inaugurated the 53 km rail link between Jammu and Udhampur. https://x.com/Jairam_Ramesh/status/1930825889505223044 "The Indian National Congress greets the people of Jammu and Kashmir on this important occasion. It also congratulates the personnel of the Indian Railways and the public sector and private companies involved in the execution of the USRBL over the past three decades. It reflects a collective resolve and the success in the face of the gravest of odds," the statement reads. Meanwhile, Security has been heightened in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit, with authorities increasing inspections and vigilance, particularly in Katra city of Reasi district. Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Jammu and Kashmir today and inaugurate several projects, including the Chenab bridge, the Anji bridge, and flag off Vande Bharat trains. The Northern Railway announced the commencement of regular services of the Vande Bharat Express trains between Srinagar and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, which will start on June 7. The services will operate six days a week, enhancing connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the prominent pilgrimage destination. (ANI) As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district on Friday, a group of students gathered at the Katra railway station to welcome him. Locals and tourists also waited eagerly for the launch of two Vande Bharat trains from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, Katra to Srinagar. During his visit, PM Modi is expected to inaugurate the Chenab Bridge, the world's highest railway bridge, along with infrastructure projects worth Rs 46,000 crore. The students, who came to the station amid tight security, expressed their excitement over the visit and said they hoped the new trains would boost the local economy and tourism. "We have come here to welcome Modi ji. The first Vande Bharat train will go from here, we might also go in the train... As India is developing, different states are developing too. I am very excited for this train," one of the students told ANI. Another student shared her enthusiasm for the development in the region. "We are happy that Katra is developing. It is a platform to show the region too, as the PM has done things for us. And for the first time, the Vande Bharat will be going from here. I am very excited. I am getting goosebumps for his visit. I will definitely go to Srinagar if I get the chance. If this pace of development continues, J&K will soon be at par with other states." Tourists who are in the region for sightseeing and to witness the Vande Bharat launch also expressed their excitement. Jaiswal, a tourist from Banaras who lives in PM Modi's constituency, said he had been in Jammu and Kashmir for the past two days and was eagerly waiting for the trains to start. He added that whenever he visits Srinagar in the future, he will prefer to travel by Vande Bharat. "Now the rail is going to Srinagar, that too over such a big bridge which no one had thought about before, and now it is in front of us. The Vande Bharat train will go on it. This is the world's highest railway bridge. We did not expect such a thing. It is the biggest thing that Modi ji will be inaugurating it," he told ANI. He further added, "I could not have imagined how great the convenience would be for us to travel to Srinagar. It is very nice that a dream is being fulfilled. People have so much happiness in their hearts. I tried to board the Srinagar Vande Bharat today, but it is starting from tomorrow. Otherwise, I would have gone today." Security has been tightened across Udhampur and Reasi districts ahead of the Prime Minister's visit, with increased inspections and vigilance, especially in Katra. The Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat will run on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), a 272 km long project built at a cost of around Rs 43,780 crore. The project includes 36 tunnels spanning 119 km and 943 bridges. (ANI) A large number of devotees gathered at Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar on Friday to take a holy dip in the Ganga River on the occasion of Nirjala Ekadashi, considered one of the most sacred days in the Hindu calendar. Pilgrims from across the country reached the banks of the Ganga to take part in the royal bath and offer prayers to Ganga Mata. The event came a day after the celebration of Ganga Dussehra, leading to heavy footfall on both days as devotees offered prayers, performed bathing rituals, and chanted religious hymns. A devotee, Vipul Sharma, said, "It is the eleventh of Ekadashi, and its bath is a royal bath. You can see how many faiths people are associated with this thing, such as our religion, Hinduism or Sanatan Dharma, and I say that Sanatan Dharma is not such a big religion for everyone." Another devotee, Bhaisaheb Roshan Lal, called it a special day for the Hindu community. Lal said, "Today is the bath of Ekadashi. This is a special bath. Shiva's grace is such a pleasure. There is a good system of administration, and everything is good. All is good. There is safety somewhere, so there is so much excitement to go." Pilgrims travelled from various parts of India to participate in the spiritual event. Hetal, a devotee from Rajkot, said, "This is our Hinduism, so it is our faith. I feel so good. I came. I saw this for the first time today. I saw it in the video, but I liked it very much. We went to the bath in that other valley. Just happiness, peace and good health." Jinal, another devotee from Ahmedabad, shared her experience and said, "The atmosphere is very spiritual. It is very religious., The energy is coming from the crowd. It is just happiness and peace." Local authorities had deployed security personnel and implemented crowd control measures to ensure that the rituals were carried out smoothly and safely. Nirjala Ekadashi falls on the eleventh lunar day of the waxing phase in the Hindu month of Jyeshtha. The name "Nirjala" means "without water," referring to the strict fast observed on this day. Among the 24 Ekadashis observed in a year, Nirjala Ekadashi is considered the most austere and spiritually significant. (ANI) The features and the height of the Chenab Railway Bridge make it a historic milestone for the Indian Railways. In a social media post on X, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared a mesmerising video of the bridge and captioned it, "Sapne nahi, hakiqat bunte hai." (We don't dream, we weave reality...) https://x.com/AshwiniVaishnaw/status/1930802966660845998 The architectural marvel Chenab Rail Bridge, situated at a height of 359 meters above the river, is the world's highest railway arch bridge. It is a 1,315-metre-long steel arch bridge engineered to withstand seismic and wind conditions. A key impact of the bridge will be in enhancing connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar. The Vande Bharat train will now take about 3 hours to travel between Katra and Srinagar, reducing the existing travel time by 2-3 hours. The bridge is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project in Jammu and Kashmir. The iconic Chenab Railway Bridge, the world's highest railway arch bridge, is part of Katra-to-Sangaldan stretch, connecting New Delhi directly with Kashmir via Katra. Situated in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, the Chenab Bridge is an engineering marvel standing at a height of 359 meters above the riverbed. It will officially connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of India via rail for the first time in history. The project, part of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), faced numerous engineering and logistical challenges due to the region's difficult terrain and seismic sensitivity. Yet, after years of meticulous work, the bridge now stands as a testament to India's technological prowess and commitment to inclusive development. It marks a transformative chapter in India's infrastructural landscape, promising greater connectivity, economic growth, and social integration in the region. (ANI) Congress leader Pawan Khera expressed concern over the mysterious death of a young Kashmiri man, Zubair Ahmad Bhat, in Delhi, questioning the silence of mainstream media on the issue. In a post on X, on Thursday, Khera asked, "In the capital city, a young Kashmiri dies under mysterious circumstances, and not a word of it gets discussed in mainstream media? If you don't question the authorities, obviously the authorities won't give you answers." Khera demanded a response from the Delhi Police surrounding Bhat's death. "Delhi Police needs to respond to questions surrounding the death of Zubair Ahmad Bhat," Khera posted. People's Democratic Party (PDP) leaders have demanded answers and accountability over the death of Zubair Ahmed Bhat. In a post on X, PDP leader Iltija Mufti stated that Bhat's family alleges that he was picked up by Delhi police, questioned, and thrashed with rods, leading to his death. "Zubair Ahmed Bhat didn't die under mysterious circumstances. Let me bite the bullet & state the unpleasant truth. His family claims he was picked up by Delhi police, questioned & thrashed with rods." Mufti tweeted. Mufti questioned when the pattern of snuffing out the lives of innocent Kashmiris purely on suspicion would end, demanding answers and accountability. "This 30-year-old man was the sole breadwinner for his mother & siblings. When will this pattern of snuffing out the lives of innocent Kashmiris purely on suspicion end? We demand answers & accountability," she added. PDP General Secretary Mohammad Khurshid Alam also expressed his distress over Bhat's death, saying that the family suspects foul play and has evidence suggesting that he was assaulted. "Deeply disturbed by the mysterious death of Zubair Ahmed Bhat from Srinagar in Delhi. Family suspects foul play and has evidence suggesting he was assaulted. Authorities must ensure a transparent investigation. Justice must be served." Alam's tweet on X. In the official account on X, PDP stated that Iltija Mufti visited the family of Bhat at Aali Kadal, offered condolences, and assured them of full support in seeking a fair probe and justice. While speaking to reporters, Mufti said that Bhat's family alleged that he was picked up by Delhi police, beaten, and tortured, leading to his death. Mufti read Bhat's last message to his sister, in which he claimed that the police had caught him because he was a Kashmiri and beat him with sticks. Mufti said, "They showed me his last message, which said the police caught him and took his Aadhaar card, Delhi Police. He messaged his sister and wrote, 'The police caught me because I am Kashmiri. They took my Aadhaar card, and then they beat me with sticks. I am in a hotel. May God have mercy. His family says he left Jammu for Delhi. After reaching Delhi, the police at one of the stations, I think it was Lajpat Nagar, caught Zubair, took his Aadhaar card, and beat him. The next day, when he went back to collect his Aadhaar card, they beat him again. And when he returned home... he died. This is what happened to Zubair." Mufti also alleged that the hospital staff and the doctor treated him poorly. "He was just 30 years old, an orphan, running the entire household. What was his crime? That he was a Kashmiri? I want to say this on record; even after his death, what happened to him was heartbreaking. The hospital staff, while he was trying to speak, while his brother was there beside him on the hospital bed, kept giving him injections. The doctor said that he shouldn't be treated because he was Kashmiri. So tell me, is being Kashmiri a crime now? God forbid, but what is our fault that we were born in Kashmir? What was Zubair's fault? That he was Kashmiri? He was a decent man, working hard. His sister's wedding is in August. He was earning honest money, halal money, to support his family. So what wrong had he done?" Mufti questioned the silence of the ruling government over Bhat's death, demanding to know why they were not speaking up for the family. Mufti also criticised the NC government for its silence over Bhat's death, saying that it was "absolutely irresponsible". "Omar Sahib could at least have tweeted. Why is everyone so silent? Why are you compromising? What exactly are you compromising on? Our young boys, our youth, even the NC (National Conference) government, cannot protect them. Your MLAs spend their days inaugurating showrooms and restaurants. Is that why the people elected you? To cut ribbons? No. The people of Jammu and Kashmir elected you to protect every resident's life and dignity. But the NC government hasn't even spoken a word. There's pin-drop silence. It's absolutely irresponsible. I want to tell your MLAs: People didn't vote for you, so you could just go inaugurate showrooms every day. They sent you here to protect their lives, to speak up. Why is there silence in your mouths? Come here. Talk to the family," she said. Mufti demanded that the government provide long-term relief to Bhat's family, including a government job to sustain themselves. "This boy, on his face, elbows, legs, we have the pictures. He was tortured. There are drag marks. So why isn't the government talking about it? I have been told that because his sister's wedding is in August, he was working 11-12 hours a day. I request LG Sahib, and Omar Sahib too: Give this family long-term relief. Short-term relief is just cash- give them a government job so they can sustain themselves for the rest of their lives," she said. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police is investigating the mysterious death of a Kashmiri youth in a park in the Lajpat Nagar area of South Delhi. According to police, a PCR call was received regarding the incident, which revealed that the youth had suffered a head injury. Preliminary investigation suggests that the youth may have inflicted the injury on himself, which led to excessive bleeding and ultimately, his death. Police believe that the youth may have been mentally disturbed, although this is being verified. An inquest proceeding has been conducted, and police will register an FIR only if something suspicious is found during the investigation. The police are working to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the youth's death. (ANI) An air of enthusiasm was seen in school children of Katra on Friday as they awaited Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The PM is all set to flag off the Vande Bharat Express today on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) from Katra to Srinagar. The 272 km long project is built at Rs 43,780 crore and includes 36 tunnels spanning 119 km and 943 bridges "We have come here to see PM Modi, who is coming here to flag off the first train to Kashmir... We are very excited we will get to see PM Narendra Modi for the first time... Kashmir is a beautiful place and I would love to go there..." told one student to ANI. Another student said, "PM Narendra Modi is coming here to flag off the train to Srinagar. My whole school and all the teachers have come here. We are all very excited. The last time he was here, I could not see him, but today I am very excited that I will get to see him... I am so excited that I cannot express it in words. If I ever get the chance, I will definitely go to Srinagar..." Students also shared their excitement about the inauguration of the train. "The train to Srinagar will be flagged off today. We are happy that we will get to travel by train and also meet PM Narendra Modi... I saw him the last time he was in Katra, but today I will see him even more closely," said one student. In line with his commitment to boost rail infrastructure and connectivity in the region, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Chenab bridge and visit the bridge deck. Thereafter, he will visit and inaugurate the Anji bridge. He will also flag off Vande Bharat Trains. Thereafter, he will lay the foundation stone, inaugurate and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 46,000 crore at Katra. The architectural marvel Chenab Rail Bridge, situated at a height of 359 meters above the river, is the world's highest railway arch bridge. It is a 1,315-metre-long steel arch bridge engineered to withstand seismic and wind conditions. A key impact of the bridge will be in enhancing connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar. Through the Vande Bharat train moving on the bridge, it will take just about 3 hours to travel between Katra and Srinagar, reducing the existing travel time by 2-3 hours. The Anji Bridge is India's first cable-stayed rail bridge that will serve the nation in a challenging terrain. The Prime Minister will also dedicate the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project to the nation. The 272 km long USBRL project, constructed worth around Rs 43,780 crore, includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration. Prime Minister will also flag off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Srinagar and back. They will offer a swift, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, and pilgrims, among others. (ANI) As part of the ongoing evacuation efforts in response to the recent disaster in North Sikkim, the first helicopter sortie of the day took off early this morning from Pakyong Greenfield Airport towards Chaten to rescue stranded tourists, according to an official statement. The Mi-17 helicopters are carrying essential supplies for Army personnel stationed in and around the Chaten area. The operation is being carried out to ensure timely support to both stranded civilians and defence personnel. On their return trip, the helicopters will evacuate individuals who are stranded in Chaten. Evacuation and relief work will continue depending on weather conditions and operational feasibility. According to the official statement on Thursday, the aircraft comprises nine personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), along with their equipment, to provide support for ongoing disaster relief. Likewise, a team from the Power Department, Government of Sikkim, and Airtel's telecommunication services is also being airlifted. They are on a mission to restore essential services, including telecommunications and electricity, using satellite-based technologies and portable backup batteries in areas rendered inaccessible by road. As per the official statement on Thursday, a team of police personnel from the communication branch with essential equipment are also proceeding towards the affected areas to bridge the gap between isolation and service and restore normalcy in the lives of those affected. Due to the persistent bad weather in the region, helicopter sorties from Pakyong Greenfield Airport were temporarily suspended, which delayed further evacuations. However, as the weather conditions improved, a mission was carried out with the deployment of two helicopters to assist in evacuating tourists stranded in Lachen. Several days of heavy rainfall have triggered landslides, mudslides, flash floods, and rockfalls in many parts of the state. Lachen village, the region's leading tourism hub, has been completely cut off. On June 4, the Army established foot connectivity to the village and reached out to 113 stranded tourists, who will be evacuated soon. On June 3, nearly 30 tourists, including some foreign nationals, were successfully airlifted by military helicopters. Meanwhile, six individuals are still missing after the landslide struck a military camp in the Chatten area of North Sikkim. A rescuer from the army, who remains deployed at the spot of the landslide in Chatten that occurred on June 1, said that nine personnel have died in the incident. He added that the area had witnessed incessant rainfall from May 30, leading to a massive landslide. The missing include Lieutenant Colonel Pritpal Singh Sandhu, Subedar Dharamveer, Naik Sunilal Muchahary, Sepoy Sainudheen PK, Squadron Leader Aarti Sandhu (Retd), wife of Lieutenant Colonel Sandhu, and their daughter Amayra Sandhu. Meanwhile, a landslide occurred late Thursday night near the Army Hospital at Theng in North Sikkim, damaging a vehicle in the incident. However, no casualties have been reported. Speaking about the situation, Additional Chief Secretary of Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, CS Rao, said, "There was an apprehension among tourists and travel agents about the present situation in the Chungthang subdivision of the North Sikkim district, which is totally cut off. We are not issuing permits for tourists to visit Lachen and Lachung. But beyond that, there are more than 200 tourist destinations in Sikkim... There has been no change in our state's tourist flow..." He further added, "This morning, we evacuated 65 tourists from Lachung... Another 63 tourists are stranded in Lachung. We will evacuate them tomorrow morning. By tomorrow afternoon, we will complete the total evacuation process from Lachung..." (ANI) DFS has sent 6 fire tenders. Fire is under control. More information is awaited. Earlier on June 2, a massive fire broke out in two buses on Pankha Road in the Janakpuri area of Delhi on Thursday, said the Delhi fire service officials. In a separate incident, on Monday, a fire broke out in four to five jhuggis following a cylinder blast in the Wazirpur Industrial area.According to the Delhi Fire Services, "The fire broke out in 4-5 jhuggis due to a cylinder blast in Wazirpur Industrial area. One woman was injured and was admitted to a hospital." The Fire Services said that two fire tenders reached the spot and the blaze was controlled. In a separate incident, on May 31, a massive fire was reported at the Sunday Bazar in Budh Vihar Phase 2 of New Delhi, according to officials, and two to four fire tenders rushed to the incident spot. The fire was in 10 to 12 huts, which the fire officials completely doused. The reason behind the accident is yet to be revealed. No casualties have been reported. Earlier, two people lost their lives and four others were injured in a fire at an E-Rikshaw charging station at Moti Ram Road, in the national capital's Shahdara area. (ANI) As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the world's highest Chenab Bridge on Friday, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Praveen Khandelwal hailed the upcoming event, while saying that the moment will "inscribed in history" as one of the achievements of 11 years of PM Modi-led government. Khandelwal also congratulated the engineers for achieving such a feat, which will now connect Katra to Srinagar by rail, boosting the region's economy and tourism. "It is a proud moment for the whole country that this part of Jammu and Kashmir, which was not yet connected by rail and will be connected now with the inauguration of that bridge by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Chenab river today, this is no less achievement and I admire all those engineers, for using all their potential in building the bridge," Praveen Khandelwal told ANI. "The construction of a bridge in the valley is very important in itself and this too will be inscribed in history as a great achievement in the eleven years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure," he added. PM Modi is set to inaugurate the Chenab bridge and visit the bridge deck. He will also visit and inaugurate the Anji Bridge. The PM will also flag off Vande Bharat Trains, which will travel from Katra to Srinagar and back on the bridges. Thereafter, he will lay the foundation stone, inaugurate and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 46,000 crore at Katra. The architectural marvel Chenab Rail Bridge, situated at a height of 359 meters above the river, is the world's highest railway arch bridge. It is a 1,315-metre-long steel arch bridge engineered to withstand seismic and wind conditions. A key impact of the bridge will be in enhancing connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar. Through the Vande Bharat train moving on the bridge, it will take just about 3 hours to travel between Katra and Srinagar, reducing the existing travel time by 2-3 hours. The Anji Bridge is India's first cable-stayed rail bridge that will serve the nation in a challenging terrain. The Prime Minister will also dedicate the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project to the nation. The 272 km long USBRL project, constructed worth around Rs 43,780 crore, includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration. The two Vande Bharat trains will be traveling from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Srinagar and back, offering a swift, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, and pilgrims, among others. (ANI) Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Friday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the latter "never acknowledged continuity in governance because he is perennially searching for self-glorification and self-publicity". The Congress MP said that the BrahMos missile and the Udampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway projects are examples of continuity in governance. "The Prime Minister never acknowledges continuity in governance because he is perennially searching for self-glorification and self-publicity... The BrahMos missile is also an example of continuity in governance," the Congress Rajya Sabha MP told ANI. The Congress MP claimed that the project was sanctioned in March 1995 when PV Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister, adding that all contracts for the Chenab Bridge were awarded in 2005. "The Udampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway project was sanctioned in March 1995 when PV Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister. In March 2002, Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared it a national project when he was the Prime Minister... All contracts for the Chenab Bridge were awarded in 2005," Ramesh said. Pointing out the contribution of different Prime Ministers in the project, he said, "While today is an important day for the people of J&K and the Indian railways, governance in continuity has to be recognised. It is a collective achievement of the last 30 years... Successive Prime Ministers have worked to make these projects a reality, he added. Meanwhile, an air of enthusiasm was seen in schoolchildren of Katra on Friday as they awaited Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 272 km long project is built at Rs 43,780 crore and includes 36 tunnels spanning 119 km and 943 bridges. In line with his commitment to boost rail infrastructure and connectivity in the region, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Chenab bridge and visit the bridge deck. Thereafter, he will visit and inaugurate the Anji bridge. He will also flag off Vande Bharat Trains. Thereafter, he will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 46,000 crore at Katra. The architectural marvel Chenab Rail Bridge, situated at a height of 359 meters above the river, is the world's highest railway arch bridge. It is a 1,315-metre-long steel arch bridge engineered to withstand seismic and wind conditions. A key impact of the bridge will be in enhancing connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar. Through the Vande Bharat train moving on the bridge, it will take just about 3 hours to travel between Katra and Srinagar, reducing the existing travel time by 2-3 hours. The Anji Bridge is India's first cable-stayed rail bridge that will serve the nation in a challenging terrain. The Prime Minister will also dedicate the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project to the nation. The 272 km long USBRL project, constructed at a cost of around Rs 43,780 crore, includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration. Prime Minister will also flag off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Srinagar and back. They will offer a swift, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, and pilgrims, among others. (ANI) After inspection, Prime Minister Modi met Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Union MoS Jitendra Singh. He also interacted with the workers who had worked on the USBRL project. Prime Minister Modi will now inaugurate the Chenab Bridge today, along with several other railway projects in Jammu and Kashmir. The PM will flag off the Vande Bharat Express today on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) from Katra to Srinagar. The 272 km long project is built at Rs 43,780 crore and includes 36 tunnels spanning 119 km and 943 bridges. The architectural marvel Chenab Rail Bridge, situated at a height of 359 meters above the river, is the world's highest railway arch bridge. It is a 1,315-metre-long steel arch bridge engineered to withstand seismic and wind conditions. A key impact of the bridge will be in enhancing connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar. Through the Vande Bharat train moving on the bridge, it will take just about 3 hours to travel between Katra and Srinagar, reducing the existing travel time by 2-3 hours. The Anji Bridge is India's first cable-stayed rail bridge that will serve the nation in a challenging terrain. The Prime Minister will also dedicate the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project to the nation. The 272 km long USBRL project, constructed worth around Rs 43,780 crore, includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration. Prime Minister will also flag off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Srinagar and back. They will offer a swift, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, and pilgrims, among others. (ANI) The Government of Andhra Pradesh's Department of Animal Husbandry has issued guidelines regarding animal slaughter during the Eid-al-Adha festival. In the state of Andhra Pradesh, the slaughter of animals such as goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks, and fish for meat, as well as non-productive buffaloes, is permitted. According to the Department of Animal Husbandry, the slaughter of cows, calves, and camels is strictly prohibited in Andhra Pradesh. Moreover, while transporting animals, appropriate guidelines must be followed to ensure their welfare under animal protection laws "Anyone found involved in the slaughter of cows, calves, or camels, or transporting animals in overloaded vehicles, will be considered to be violating the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and the Andhra Pradesh Prohibition of Cow Slaughter and Animal Preservation Act, 1977. Criminal action will be initiated against such violators," stated Dr. T. Damodara Naidu, Director, Department of Animal Husbandry, Andhra Pradesh. "Given the Bakrid festival, veterinary staff at the field level are instructed to remain vigilant and coordinate with personnel from Revenue, Police, Municipal, and Panchayati Raj departments to prevent unauthorised animal slaughter", further added Dr. T. Damodara Naidu, Director, Department of Animal Husbandry, Andhra Pradesh. For further details related to these laws and regulations, citizens have been advised to contact the veterinary officer. Dr. T. Damodara Naidu, Director of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Andhra Pradesh, urged the public to respect the Animal Welfare and Cow Slaughter Prohibition laws and act in accordance with them. (ANI) Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Friday visited and offered prayers at Kedarnath Temple to have darshan of Mahadev, the God of Gods. In a post on X, he said, "Today, I left from Sahastradhara helipad, Dehradun with my family to visit Kedarnath Dham, one of the four Dhams, to have darshan of Mahadev, the God of Gods." https://x.com/jitanrmanjhi/status/1930823593828454549 Earlier on Monday, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, along with her family, offered prayers at Kedarnath Dham and said her wish for Baba Kedar's blessings was to provide her the strength to work towards the development of the national capital. Speaking to ANI, CM Gupta called herself fortunate to seek blessings at Kedarnath Dham with her family. "After offering prayers at Kedarnath Dham, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta says, "I feel fortunate to get the opportunity to offer prayers at Kedarnath Dham along with my family. I wish Baba gives us enough strength to achieve the target of Viksit Bharat and Viksit Delhi. I hope Baba Kedar gives me the strength to work for the development of Delhi," the Delhi Chief Minister said. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was visiting Uttarakhand with her family following the 100-day completion of the BJP government in Delhi. On Sunday, CM Gupta took a holy dip in the Ganga in Haridwar and vowed to clean the Yamuna River so that people could also do so. She also met Swami Avdheshanand Giri Maharaj at Harihar Ashram in Haridwar. Expressing, CM Gupta stated, "It is a feeling of immense joy. Yesterday, the government completed 100 days of rule in Delhi. Yesterday we did Aarti in the Yamuna river and today, after taking a dip in the Ganga, I really feel that the pace of development in Delhi will now pick up more speed. Today, after taking the blessings of Gurujan, I am feeling more powerful within myself. I have a sense of responsibility. Delhi, which has been suffering for many years, now that the government has come, it is our responsibility to ensure Delhi progresses. I ask for the strength that whatever the aspirations of the people are, I am able to fulfil them." "I prayed to God that the way lakhs of devotees come to Haridwar to worship River Ganga, in the same way, River Yamuna can be cleaned so that people can take a holy dip there," the Delhi CM added. CM Rekha Gupta, accompanied by her family, also visited the Har Ki Pauri ghat in Haridwar on Sunday and took a holy dip in the Ganga river. After taking a holy dip in the Ganga at Har Ki Pauri, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta said, "Taking blessings from Maa Ganga, we will work to make Maa Yamuna clean and beautiful. We will work to speed up the development of Delhi. Taking the blessings of Maa, I feel very satisfied that as the Chief Minister of Delhi, I will be able to do better work for Delhi." On Saturday, CM Gupta performed Yamuna Aarti at Vasudev Ghat to mark the completion of 100 days of the BJP government. (ANI) AAP leader and former Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain arrived at the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) office on Friday in response to a summons issued over allegations of corruption in the construction of classrooms in Delhi government schools. Earlier, Jain lashed out at the BJP government in Delhi, accusing them of "playing the blame game" after the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) summoned him. Jain claimed that the BJP government has failed to do anything in the past 3-4 months and alleged that the BJP has hiked school fees and summoned AAP leaders like himself and Manish Sisodia, who improved the school infrastructure in Delhi. Jain also stated that the anti-corruption bureau found no evidence against him. While speaking to ANI, Jain said, "Ever since the BJP has formed the government in Delhi, for the last 3-4 months, they have not done anything... School fees have been hiked and those who improved school infrastructure in Delhi, Manish Sisodia and I, are being summoned. They want to divert people's attention. They need to work on cleaning Delhi and work on improving the infrastructure... They are just playing the blame game... They have not found any evidence against me, but still cannot let me be..." Earlier, it was reported that a complaint was received alleging a Rs 2,000 crore scam involving former Delhi Ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, who are accused of inflating costs for constructing semi-permanent classrooms, Deputy Commissioner of Police-Anti Corruption Branch Shweta Singh Chauhan told ANI. The cost per unit is estimated at Rs 24 lakh, significantly higher than the market rate at the time. According to Chauhan, the probe has revealed massive cost escalations and violations of procurement rules, with 34 contractors linked to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Chauhan said, "We received a complaint against Manish Sisodia, former Deputy CM, and Satyendar Jain, former PWD Minister... the scam is of over Rs 2,000 crore. The classrooms were semi-permanent structures, and the cost estimate was around Rs 24,00,000 per classroom, which was far more than the prevalent market rate back then." "There was a considerable cost escalation by the time projects were completed. The allegations are that the prevalent market rate by then was Rs five lakhs to complete a classroom structure," she added. The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) registered a case against Sisodia and Jain over allegations of a Rs 2,000 crore scam linked to the construction of classrooms and school buildings at exorbitant rates. The complaint was filed by BJP Delhi spokesperson Harish Khurana, BJP MLA Kapil Mishra, and Neelkanth Bakshi of the BJP's Media Relations Department. The complaint alleged irregularities in the construction of approximately 12,748 classrooms at a reported expenditure of Rs 2,892 crore. The cost per classroom, as per the awarded tenders, stood at around Rs 24.86 lakh, even though similar structures could be built in Delhi for approximately Rs five lakh, they claimed. It has also been alleged that the project was handed over to 34 contractors, most of whom were allegedly affiliated with the AAP. According to ACB chief Madhur Verma, during verification, it was found that the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC), in its meetings during the financial year 2015-16, had decided the project should be completed by June 2016 within the sanctioned cost, without any scope for future cost escalations. However, despite those directives, not a single project was completed within the stipulated timeframe, and significant cost deviations were observed. The enquiry revealed that a report by the Chief Technical Examiner (CTE) of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) in this matter was issued on February 17, 2020, with the approval of the competent authority, but was allegedly withheld for nearly three years . The CVC report highlighted serious violations of several provisions under the CPWD Works Manual (2014), the General Financial Rules (GFR) 2017, and CVC guidelines. It also alleged that various decisions made after awarding tenders were not in line with prescribed rules, resulting in a substantial financial loss. The report further noted that the cost of constructing the semi-permanent structures (SPS) ended up being nearly equal to that of permanent structures. The actual construction cost of SPS classrooms stood at Rs 2,292 per sq ft, which closely matched the Rs 2,044-Rs 2,416 per sq ft cost of pucca model schools. Due to the adoption of richer specifications, no financial advantage was achieved by opting for SPS construction over permanent structures, the report observed. The enquiry also revealed that tenders were floated for Rs 860.63 crore, but the contract values later increased by 17 per cent to 90 per cent due to revised specifications. This led to an escalation of Rs 326.25 crore, of which Rs 205.45 crore was attributed to richer specifications, comprising 23.87 per cent of the awarded value. No fresh tenders were floated for these changes, violating CVC guidelines. Additionally, in five schools, work worth Rs 42.5 crore was allegedly carried out without proper tendering by using existing contracts.Based on these findings, the ACB initiated a proposal to seek prior approval under Section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act against the former Education and PWD ministers. The competent authority has approved the ACB's proposal.An FIR has now been registered, and a full-fledged investigation is underway to uncover the entire conspiracy and determine the involvement of the former ministers, as well as any complicit officials or contractors, known or unknown. (ANI) Union Minister Giriraj Singh launched a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi on Friday, calling him "useless" and accusing him of insulting the army. Singh made these remarks while commenting on Rahul Gandhi's visit to Bihar, saying that Rahul Gandhi's words resemble those of Pakistan and that he doesn't respect the nation. While speaking to reporters, Giriraj Singh said, "Rahul Gandhi opposed India's valour, questioned its Army's bravery, and tarnished the army's reputation worldwide. The Bihar public will oppose him, why would they vote for someone who doesn't respect the army or the nation? Rahul Gandhi's tongue is like Pakistan, and he does not respect the nation." Singh also stated, "PM Modi isn't being insulted. Did the army win in 1971, or did Indira ji win? It's the army that won. Atal ji was in the opposition, and he said there's no party now, only Bharat. And this useless person (Rahul Gandhi) is mocking and making fun of the nation's bravery and the army. Such a person should be boycotted." The leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, arrived at Gaya Airport in Bihar on Friday. According to the official Congress account on X, he is scheduled to address the 'Constitution Conference' and participate in multiple programs. Earlier, Rahul Gandhi visited Darbhanga, interacted with students, and discussed issues such as caste census and reservation. The LoP reached Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga in May to deliver an address despite being denied permission by Bihar Police, which also led to a case against him by the district administration. He emphasised the importance of social justice and criticised the government's policies, highlighting the need for a caste census, stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was forced to announce it due to public pressure. The Bihar Assembly elections are expected to be a multi-cornered contest with the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) and the BJP, facing off against the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) comprising the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the INC, and other parties. The last assembly elections were held in October-November 2020. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has won a simple majority in Bihar, winning 125 seats in a closely contested election. The BJP won 74 seats while the JD(U) secured 43 seats. The Mahagathbandhan, including Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and Left parties, managed to secure 110 seats in the state's 243-seat legislative assembly. The Bihar Legislative Assembly election for all 243 constituencies is scheduled to be held in October or November this year. (ANI) Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma, Army Commander of the Northern Command, on Friday visited Jammu and Kashmir's Basantgarh to review the security situation, a statement from the Army's Northern Command said. The Army Commander commended the troops for their operational readiness, tactical prudence and high vigilance towards the fight against terrorism. He also underlined continuing a proactive stance and maintaining the highest standards of professionalism in counter-terrorism operations. Earlier in the day, the Poonch Brigade of the Indian Army screened a documentary on Operation Sindoor at the Natu Auditorium to brief NCC Cadets, school and college students, and senior citizens of Poonch. Poonch Brigade Commander Brigadier Mudit Mahajan also addressed the NCC Cadets after the screening. Brigadier Mudit Mahajan said, "We have caused a lot of damage to the enemy... But it is not over yet. I especially wanted to invite children today to inculcate in them a sense of patriotism and unity... I hope all of you children will take this message to your schools... If you notice something suspicious, then don't shut your eyes. You have to inform your elders." An NCC Cadet, Khalida Jabeen, said, "Today we were shown a documentary in Natu Auditorium to tell us about how the Army destroyed many enemy posts, looked after the scared civilians, and helped those who got injured in Poonch." On May 31, the Indian Army is currently undertaking extensive Capacity Development Demonstrations at key locations across the country, including the Pokhran and Babina field firing ranges and Joshimath, with dedicated Air Defence equipment demonstrations also scheduled at Agra and Gopalpur. These field trials are being conducted under near-combat conditions, integrating electronic warfare simulations to assess the performance of cutting-edge defence systems rigorously. On May 27, General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff, visited Babina Field Firing Ranges and reviewed the ongoing demonstrations and interacted with all stakeholders. According to a release issued by the Ministry of Defence, the demonstrations feature a wide array of advanced technologies developed under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, aimed at accelerating indigenous capability development. The trials mark a significant step in the Indian Army's roadmap for a "Decade of Transformation" and are designed to ensure rapid absorption of emerging technologies to meet evolving battlefield requirements. A large number of defence industry partners are taking part in the demonstration, reflecting the increasing synergy between the Indian Army and domestic manufacturers. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Katra Railway Station, directly connecting Jammu division with Kashmir. This marks a major milestone in Jammu and Kashmir's railway connectivity. Before flagging off the trains, Prime Minister Modi interacted with school children onboard and also spoke with railway staff members present on the train. The new Vande Bharat Express service will reduce the travel time between Katra and Srinagar from the current 6-7 hours by road to just about 3 hours. The trains aim to provide a fast, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, and pilgrims. The train will run through the Anji Khad Bridge, which is India's first cable-stayed railway bridge, and the Chenab Bridge, which is the highest railway bridge in the world. These trains have been specially designed to operate in the cold climatic conditions of the Kashmir Valley. Earlier today, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the world's highest railway arch bridge - 'Chenab Railway Bridge' and India's first cable-stayed 'Anji Bridge' in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district. In a remarkable gesture, Prime Minister Modi waved the Tiranga, the Indian national flag and carried it forward on the deck of the bridge on the Chenab River. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw were present during the inauguration. Before the inauguration of the bridge on the Chenab, the Prime Minister inspected the railway arch bridge. These bridges are part of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project in Jammu and Kashmir. The iconic Chenab Railway Bridge, the world's highest railway arch bridge, is part of the Katra-to-Sangaldan stretch, connecting New Delhi directly with Kashmir via Katra. Situated in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, the Chenab Bridge is an engineering marvel standing at a height of 359 meters above the riverbed. It will officially connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of India via rail for the first time in history. The project faced numerous engineering and logistical challenges due to the region's difficult terrain and seismic sensitivity. Yet, after years of meticulous work, the bridge now stands as a testament to India's technological prowess and commitment to inclusive development. It marks a transformative chapter in India's infrastructural landscape, promising greater connectivity, economic growth, and social integration in the region. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project is 272 km long USBRL project, constructed worth around Rs 43,780 crore, includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration. (ANI) Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Rajeev Rai on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must make a clear statement regarding former US President Donald Trump's repeated claims of mediating a "ceasefire" between India and Pakistan, to remove doubts among citizens. Speaking to ANI, Rai said that while discussions on armed conflict are not unusual, Trump's repeated statements require a firm response from the Indian government. "Discussing armed conflict is nothing unusual for a country, but he repeatedly claims he has been involved in the ceasefire. The government needs to be clearer on this because Donald Trump has been talking about it repeatedly. One clear statement by the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) is required on the subject to clear any kind of doubt and confusion in the minds of our countrymen," he added. On the opposition's demand for a special session of Parliament on the Pahalgam attack, SP MP said, "The government needs to clarify why it is fearing a special session of parliament. The government is giving the opposition a chance to ask questions. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee asked for the same, Jawaharlal Nehru immediately accepted his demands during the war. So, why are they afraid even when no war has happened? Yesterday, a spokesperson said that if the session is held, many questions will be asked, and there will be chaos." Earlier, Congress, which is an ally of SP in the INDIA bloc, also took a dig at PM Modi several times over the US President's claim of mediating between New Delhi and Islamabad for the cessation of hostilities during Operation Sindoor. On June 4, taking a veiled dig, the Congress leader said, "The truth of this person is - 'Naam Narender, kaam surrender.'" Taking a veiled dig, the Congress leader said, "The truth of this person is - 'Naam Narender, kaam surrender.'" "Their organisation's history is that of cowardice, and when a person like this heads the country, then the country's future lies in danger. In the last 22 days, the US President has said over 12 times that he used the trade threat to strike a ceasefire. In the past few days, have you heard anything from the PM?" he said, addressing a press briefing. "...Desh ki mann ki baat hai ki ceasefire kaise hua... Why did Donald Trump announce the ceasefire? The country was insulted when Donald Trump announced the ceasefire. The country was insulted the day when Donald Trump said that he would mediate on the Kashmir issue," Khera added. Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacked the BJP-led government over his allegations of mediation by the United States in Operation Sindoor, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "followed" Donald Trump following "a call" by the US leader and that the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi did not budge to the US in the 1971 war. Addressing a convention of Congress workers in Bhopal, Rahul Gandhi, who is Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, attacked the BJP-RSS and alleged that if slight pressure is exerted on them, "they run away out of fear". Now, I understand RSS-BJP well. If slight pressure is put on them, they run away out of fear. When Trump called Modiji, Modiji kya kar rahe ho, Narender-Surrender and with 'ji hazooor', Narenderji followed Trump. In the 1971 war, the Seventh Fleet came from the US. Indira Gandhi said, I will do whatever I have to do. This is the difference. This is their character; all of them are like this. Since the Independence movement, they have had this habit of writing letters of surrender," the LOP said. This came after U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated claims of stopping hostilities between India and Pakistan after New Delhi's effective response to Islamabad's aggression following precision strikes on terror infrastructure. India had conducted Operation Sindoor early on May 7 and hit terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. India effectively responded to subsequent Pakistani aggression and pounded its airbases. India and Pakistan agreed to stop military action following a call made by Pakistan's DGMO to his Indian counterpart. (ANI) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday travelled by a regular passenger train to attend the inauguration and foundation-laying ceremony of 15 major development projects, including a hospital, a primary health centre, and multiple school buildings in Kumarghat, Unakoti district of Tripura. While speaking to ANI during the journey, CM Saha said, "Train travel is convenient and allows me to remain connected with the public. Since the launch of the Act East Policy by our Hon'ble Prime Minister, connectivity in the Northeast has improved significantly. Common people prefer trains, and so do I." "Today I am visiting Kumarghat in the Unakoti district, where I will be inaugurating several important development projects. These include a hospital, a primary health center, school buildings, and more," he added. Passengers were left surprised but delighted to see the Chief Minister sharing a compartment with them, chatting freely, and listening to their concerns without any political airs. Co-passenger Ataur Rahman, who was travelling to Siliguri, said, "I'm feeling very happy. I'm travelling from Agartala to Siliguri, and our Chief Minister is sitting beside me. He is talking to everyone around, and it feels really nice to see him mingling so freely with the general public, just like one of them." Another passenger, Devraj Debnath, remarked, "I'm feeling very happy. Usually, ministers don't travel by train like this, so I was surprised to see our Chief Minister on the train after I boarded. It felt really good. If he continues to travel like this among common people, he will be able to understand the problems we are facing." Dibakar Dutta added, "I'm feeling really happy. The Minister is travelling with common people on the train, and it feels so nice. I've never seen a minister travel like this with ordinary people before." Speaking about Tripura's progress, CM Saha listed multiple areas of growth under his leadership--healthcare, education, infrastructure, agriculture, tourism, tribal welfare, and digital connectivity. He also added, "As Chief Minister, I have completed three years in office. During this time, I have focused on various sectors like education, health, agriculture, tourism, sports, and tribal welfare. My core objective is to uplift the underprivileged sections of society. I especially focus on ensuring they access basic necessities like housing under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and healthcare under Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Yojana." He also shared, "Our state now ranks third in law and order among Indian states and second in per capita income in the Northeast. Six national highways are under construction, and Tripura ranks third in internet strength in India." On World Environment Day, he reminded people about harmony and sustainability, stating, "We must live in harmony and work toward protecting our environment. My dream is to take Tripura far ahead through inclusive development and citizen-centric governance." He spoke about digital outreach via the 'Amar Sarkar' portal, which allows citizens to submit grievances directly to him. "To ensure that people's problems reach me directly, I've launched a portal called 'Amar Sarkar' where citizens can submit their issues in writing," he added. Highlighting key achievements, he said, "There has been significant progress in health and education. We've even established a dental college recently. During my recent visit to Delhi, a business summit was held, and out of Rs 30,000 crore worth of MoUs signed for the Northeast, Rs 15,800 crore was for Tripura." He concluded, saying, "There is still much to do in the days ahead. Time is limited, and the work is vast. That's why it is essential to stay healthy and energetic." (ANI) As Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated several railway projects in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, the loco pilot of the newly launched Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) to Srinagar Vande Bharat Express said the achievement was only possible due to the "hard work, dedication, devotion and determination" of railway workers. Calling it a proud moment for the country, the loco pilot, Sharma, said that railway engineers overcame serious technical and geographical hurdles to make the project a reality. "This is a proud moment for all of us Indians that PM Narendra Modi, Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and the Indian Railways workers have fulfilled an age-old dream. The hard work, dedication, devotion and determination of railway workers, particularly of Railway Engineers, has paid off. It was not an ordinary or easy task. There were lots of challenges in this project. The route is extremely challenging... This is a big achievement for India. It feels like India has entered in Viksit (developed) world. This Vande Bharat is lashed with modern technologies. There is ease, comfort and reliability in travel with these Vande Bharat trains," Sharma said. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Katra Railway Station, directly connecting the Jammu division with Kashmir. This marks a major milestone in Jammu and Kashmir's railway connectivity. Before flagging off the trains, Prime Minister Modi interacted with school children onboard and also spoke with railway staff members present on the train. The new Vande Bharat Express service will reduce the travel time between Katra and Srinagar from the current 6-7 hours by road to just about 3 hours. The trains aim to provide a fast, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, and pilgrims. The train will run through the Anji Khad Bridge, which is India's first cable-stayed railway bridge, and the Chenab Bridge, which is the highest railway bridge in the world. These trains have been specially designed to operate in the cold climatic conditions of the Kashmir Valley. Earlier today, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the world's highest railway arch bridge - 'Chenab Railway Bridge' and India's first cable-stayed 'Anji Bridge' in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district. In a remarkable gesture, Prime Minister Modi waved the Tiranga, the Indian national flag and carried it forward on the deck of the bridge on the Chenab River. These bridges are part of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project in Jammu and Kashmir. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project is a 272 km long USBRL project, constructed worth around Rs 43,780 crore, includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration. (ANI) As Russian aide Yury Ushakov endorsed United States President Donald Trump's claim of mediating between India and Pakistan, former diplomat and foreign affairs expert K P Fabian said on Friday that it was simply a diplomatic move by Russia amid friction regarding the Ukraine war. The former diplomat said that the Russian president is "navigating waters with consummate skill," as the country has rejected Trump's demand for an unconditional ceasefire with Ukraine. He also voiced his belief that India could have acknowledged Trump's claim in a "gracious way" without diminishing India's victory with Operation Sindoor. "My personal view, let me repeat it, India could have acknowledged it (Trump's mediation claims) in a gracious manner without diminishing in any way from India's great victory. Now Russia has said it, partly true. Look at the context; Russia is being difficult with Trump about Ukraine. Trump has been asking for a practically unconditional ceasefire, which Putin has refused. So he was navigating waters with consummate skill," Fabian told ANI here. While Fabian agreed that the US was in contact with both Islamabad and New Delhi but it was not India that had requested mediation, but it could be assumed that Pakistan did, which was subsequently pushed in the "right direction" by the US. "Both (US) Vice President Vance and Secretary of State (Marco) Rubio were in touch with both Islamabad and New Delhi. At some point in time, when the Indian Air Force was able to strike hard, Pakistan did not know what to do, whether to escalate or de-escalate or ask for a ceasefire. At that point, Washington pushed Pakistan in the right direction," he said. Fabian, however, did not agree to Trump's claim of mediating talks, calling it a "violence of the English language." he said that mediation can only happen when both sides ask for it. "Trump said there was mediation, now that is...a slight violence to the English language, because there can be mediation between A and B by C, only if A and B ask C. In this case, we may assume that Pakistan did ask, but we also know that India did not ask, so there was no mediation, from which it doesn't follow that Trump did not contribute to the ceasefire," the former diplomat said. Both India and Pakistan announced an understanding on the cessation of hostilities on May 10, following the Pakistani Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) calling his Indian counterpart to discuss the issue. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 and struck nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir in response to a ghastly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam in which 26 people were killed. The operation targeted terror infrastructure inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, eliminating over 100 terrorists linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. Following the strikes, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling and attempted drone attacks. In response, India launched coordinated airstrikes that damaged key military infrastructure across 11 Pakistani airbases. (ANI) In a rare and historic neonatal survival, doctors at Amrita Hospital in Faridabad, saved the life of a baby born at just 27 weeks and 4 days with immune hydrops fetalis--an extremely rare now a days, severe condition where the mother's immune system attacks the baby's red blood cells, leading to life-threatening anaemia and fluid build-up. Making it unique, this is the first reported case in the world of a baby surviving this condition at under 28 weeks. "The case became especially complex due to the mother's medical history. At 43, she was already at higher risk for pregnancy complications. Years earlier, she had survived a rare brain tumour, which can affect vision, hormones, and overall health. She had also experienced the heartbreak of losing three children in the past. After 15 years of trying, she finally conceived twins through IVF. But even this pregnancy was far from smooth. Her body developed a strong immune reaction against the babies' blood, putting both their lives at risk. Ten days before delivery, one twin passed away in the womb, and doctors at Amrita Hospital, Faridabad, had to make urgent decisions to try and save the surviving baby. " States Hospital "This has been the most challenging as well as the most rewarding case of my medical career," said Dr. Hemant Sharma, Senior neonatologist at Amrita Hospital, Faridabad. "The surviving baby was born at 27 weeks and 4 days, with a haemoglobin level far below what's needed to sustain life. The list of complications was long and frightening. He was severely swollen due to fluid overload, suffered from an overloaded heart, bleeding in the lungs, intestine, and brain, and required intensive respiratory support (Including high-frequency ventilation for 1 week) and multiple blood product transfusions. Additionally baby needed immune therapy (IVIG) and whole body blood exchanged twice (double volume exchange transfusion) after birth, but the baby fought through each one. Today, seeing him feed and grow is nothing short of a miracle." According to the hospital, "While a few cases around the world have reported the survival of babies with similar conditions, none match the complexity of the case managed at Amrita Hospital, Faridabad. The only other recorded cases of immune hydrops fetalis include a 28-week baby weighing 1385 grams delivered in the UK in 2015 after advanced treatments during pregnancy, including blood-filtering procedures and immune therapy. However, what sets this case apart is the combination of extreme prematurity, multiple organ complications, and the need for two full blood exchanges after birth, making this not just a first-of-its-kind survival at under 28 weeks, but also one of the most medically complex and inspiring recoveries ever documented." "I had almost given up hope of becoming a mother," said Kiran Yadav, the baby's mother. "Even when I finally conceived through IVF, I carried constant fear and sadness. The loss of one twin shattered me completely. But holding my surviving baby in my arms today feels like life has given me a second chance. He is my miracle and my strength." "The successful management of this case was made possible through seamless collaboration of a dedicated team of six doctors and over 20 nurses across specialities like Neonatology, Gynaecology, Ophthalmology, and Paediatric Cardiology. The team continues to monitor the baby closely, with monthly follow-up visits planned to track growth, neurological development, and overall well-being. Doctors remain optimistic about the child's long-term recovery, calling his progress so far "remarkably encouraging," it said. (ANI) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for completing 11 years of leadership, calling it a period marked by "dedication, service and good governance." She also hailed the inauguration of the world's highest railway bridge - the Chenab Bridge - in Jammu and Kashmir, calling it a historic feat of Indian engineering. In a post on X, Rekha Gupta wrote, "11 years of dedication, service and good governance! In the last 11 years, under the leadership of Hon'ble @narendramodi ji, India has touched new heights of development, trust and global pride." She also shared her appreciation for the Prime Minister's latest achievement, the inauguration of the Chenab Bridge - a major milestone in India's infrastructure development. "Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today inaugurated the world's highest railway bridge - Chenab Bridge, a unique marvel of Indian engineering, in the valleys of Jammu and Kashmir," she tweeted. Describing the Chenab Bridge as more than just a structure, she called it a reflection of India's new spirit. "This bridge is not just a structure, it is a symbol of the confidence, determination and speed of the new India," Gupta added. Concluding her message, the Chief Minister extended her heartfelt congratulations to the Prime Minister, "Hearty thanks and congratulations to the Prime Minister for this historic achievement." Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the world's highest railway arch bridge - 'Chenab Railway Bridge' and India's first cable-stayed 'Anji Bridge' in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district. In a remarkable gesture, Prime Minister Modi waved the Tiranga, the Indian national flag and carried it forward on the deck of the bridge on the Chenab River. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw were present during the inauguration. Before the inauguration of the bridge on the Chenab, the Prime Minister inspected the railway arch bridge. These bridges are part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project in Jammu and Kashmir. The iconic Chenab Railway Bridge, the world's highest railway arch bridge, is part of the Katra-to-Sangaldan stretch, connecting New Delhi directly with Kashmir via Katra. Situated in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, the Chenab Bridge is an engineering marvel standing at a height of 359 meters above the riverbed. It will officially connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of India via rail for the first time in history. The project faced numerous engineering and logistical challenges due to the region's difficult terrain and seismic sensitivity. Yet, after years of meticulous work, the bridge now stands as a testament to India's technological prowess and commitment to inclusive development. It marks a transformative chapter in India's infrastructural landscape, promising greater connectivity, economic growth, and social integration in the region. Apart from this, Prime Minister Modi also flagged off two Vande Bharat trains from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Srinagar and back shortly. They will offer a swift, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, and pilgrims. The Prime Minister will also dedicate the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project to the nation. The 272 km long USBRL project, constructed worth around Rs 43,780 crore, includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration. (ANI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday reiterated the demand for restoring statehood to the Union territory, expressing confidence that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the one to accomplish that. CM Abdullah was in Katra to attend the program of the flagging off of Vande Bharat trains by PM Modi from Katra railway station. During the program, apart from the Prime Minister, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, and Union Minister Jitender Singh were also present. "It has been my luck and fortune that whenever there have been big programs for railways, I have been part of it. The first time Anantnag rail station was inaugurated, when the Banihal rail tunnel was opened. Looking back at the last program of my first term in 2014 happened here too... You had also become the Prime Minister for the first time, just after elections, you came here and inaugurated the Katra railway station, and you won the elections a total of 3 times to remain PM," J-K CM said during the program. Hoping for "things to get back to normal" in the union territories, CM Abdullah added, "The same four people were present here in 2014 when the Katra Railway Station was inaugurated, Manoj Sinha, who was then MoS (Minister of State) for railways, got promoted as post of LG, and I got from CM of a state to CM of a UT. But things will get back to normal before we know it, and J&K will be given the status of a state by PM Narendra Modi." Meanwhile, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha highlighted how the slogan of connecting the country to 'Kashmir to Kanyakumari' is becoming a reality with the flagging off of the Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Train. "By uniting the two corners of the country, he has also made the dreams of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Dr Syama Prasad Mookherjee come true... He has also connected the beating hearts of millions of Indians in the cities connected by this railway line... The railway bridge inaugurated today is not just cement and iron but a medium to connect the aspirations of Jammu and Kashmir," Governor Sinha said. Earlier today, PM Modi flagged off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Katra Railway Station, directly connecting Jammu division with Kashmir. Before flagging off the trains, Prime Minister Modi interacted with school children onboard and also spoke with railway staff members present on the train. The new Vande Bharat Express service will reduce the travel time between Katra and Srinagar from the current 6-7 hours by road to just about 3 hours. The trains aim to provide a fast, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, and pilgrims. The train will run through the Anji Khad Bridge, which is India's first cable-stayed railway bridge, and the Chenab Bridge, which is the highest railway bridge in the world. The bridges were also inaugurated by the Prime Minister. In a remarkable gesture, Prime Minister Modi waved the Tiranga, the Indian national flag and carried it forward on the deck of the bridge on the Chenab River. These bridges are part of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project in Jammu and Kashmir. The project had earlier faced numerous engineering and logistical challenges due to the region's difficult terrain and seismic sensitivity. Yet, after years of meticulous work, the bridge now stands as a testament to India's technological prowess and commitment to inclusive development. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project is 272 km long USBRL project, constructed worth around Rs 43,780 crore, includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration. (ANI) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday held a meeting with the principals of government schools and lashed out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for developing an artificial education model, further stating that the education policy of the AAP government was aimed at a wrong direction. "They developed an artificial education model. Haiderpur village is a heavily populated area in this Vidhan Sabha, but there is not a single school that teaches science. Where should those students who want to study science go? You can see the direction in which their education policy was aimed at, if they could not provide a single science school in the last 11 years of their governance... There is a shortage of staff in most schools..." the CM said, speaking to the media. She further assured that staff recruitment was being done to fill in vacancies properly, further stating that 75 PM-SHRI schools would be established better than private schools. "We are ensuring recruitment is done properly and all vacancies are filled... 75 PM-SHRI schools will be made, and they will be better than private schools..." she further added. Minister Parvesh Verma also took a jibe at AAP's chief Arvind Kejriwal for making big claims of the redevelopment of schools and their education policy but not incorporating them. "This building was constructed in 2018, and Arvind Kejriwal made big claims of redevelopment of schools and their education policy. They have just temporarily covered the gap between these two buildings with a sheet and screwed it. You see this huge fault in the architecture," Verma said speaking to the media. Meanwhile, on June 5, Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly, Atishi had written a letter to the CM over the "uncontrollable" fees of the private schools and demanded that the Fee Regulation Bill should be presented in the Assembly during a special session. In her letter to the Delhi CM, Atishi said that the Bill should also be referred to the Select Committee, which will seek the opinion of the parents. "The Government should immediately call a Special Session of the Assembly and table the Fee Regulation bill. The Bill should then be referred to a Select Committee, with members from both the BJP and AAP. The Select Committee should do a large-scale public consultation involving all stakeholders. Only after this, the final draft of the Bill, after incorporating all changes, should be passed by the Assembly," Atishi said. (ANI) Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday attended a 'Kisan Chaupal' event at Pav Wala Soda village in the Raipur block of Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The programme was held as part of the 'Developed Agriculture Resolution' campaign aimed at strengthening the agricultural sector in the state. During the event, Chouhan interacted with local farmers and praised the success stories shared by them, especially in the areas of organic farming and coarse grain production. He also showed strong support for promoting Uttarakhand's organic produce at both national and international levels. Speaking at the event, Chouhan said, "Organic products - coarse grains, are really amazing. Today, many farmers have shared their successful experiments during this (Developed Agriculture Resolution) campaign. The government of India and the government of Uttarakhand will take the farming of Uttarakhand to great heights." He added, "We are also planning for the fruits and vegetables grown in the sacred soil of this Devbhoomi to reach the markets of the country and the world... This Developed Agriculture Resolution campaign is working in this direction." Chouhan said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan as part of the effort to build a "developed India". He added that this goal cannot be achieved without developed agriculture and prosperous farmers. "Even today, half of the population is dependent on farming, which is the task of feeding the entire population," Chouhan said. He praised Uttarakhand's fertile soil and the quality of its fruits and vegetables, calling them "amazing" and "God's grace." Encouraging farmers to continue organic farming, he said, "It's organic, I'm not kidding. Also useful for the body. Useful for health." Chouhan said Uttarakhand had the potential to supply fruits and grains not only within the country but also across the world. "Uttarakhand can supply fruits and gains to the world and the country," he said. To support this vision, he informed that agricultural scientists, officials from the agriculture department, and other experts had also joined him during the event. He explained the purpose was to conduct new research and experiments in local farming to help improve productivity and quality. (ANI) The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to the Haryana government, the State Police, and the Station House Officer (SHO) of Sector 50 Police Station, Gurugram, on a plea filed by a lady advocate alleging rape, sexual assault, and other serious offences committed by police officials. A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Augustine George Masih directed the aforementioned authorities to file their responses within four weeks. The lady advocate's counsel had sought the Court to transfer the investigation out of Gurugram, citing concerns over impartiality, and requested the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to ensure a fair and independent probe. The counsel also sought a direction from the Court to restrain any coercive action against the petitioner. However, the bench declined this request at this stage and limited itself to issuing notices to the concerned State authorities for their replies. It is stated by the complainant that on May 21, she had gone to the Sector 51 woman police station in Gurugram with her client, who was to join the investigation in a case lodged by his wife. She has stated that when she was returning to Delhi, after the investigation, the wife of his client stopped their car and started abusing. She also threw a stone at the car window. Thereafter, the complainant and his client made a call at 112 and went to the Sector 50 police station to file a return complaint. When her client was writing a complaint, a woman constable tried to stop him. It is alleged that when the advocate objected to the action of the constable, she was taken to the room of the SHO forcibly. When she complained to the SHO, he also threatened her. "You are standing in Gurgaon, not in Delhi. 365 lawyers come here daily. I will teach you advocacy. You don't know our power, I will do whatever I want," the SHO said as per the FIR of the Delhi police. Thereafter, the woman constable was ordered to go out of the room. After the alleged incident, a case was also registered against the advocate. She was detained there till early morning. She was then released on police bail. An attempt was made to contact the SHO on his official phone and on the landline phone number of the police station. However, he could not be contacted. On the next day, May 22, a zero FIR was registered of the said incident at the Sabzi Mandi Police Station in Delhi. However, as per the lady advocate, the case was subsequently transferred to the very same Gurugram police station where the accused officers are posted. Thus, she moved the top court seeking to transfer the case outside Gurugram. She had also sought an SIT probe into the matter. In response to her prayers, the Court issued notices to the State authorities seeking their replies to the complainant's plea. (ANI) Calling this day "historic", Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said that the Chenab bridge part of the Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Line (USBRL) was constructed working in harmony with nature. Addressing the public during the inauguration of the Chenab bridge, Vaishnaw said, "Today is a historic day. Another gem has been added to Jammu and Kashmir. Today, PM Modi has inaugurated the railway line connecting Jammu to Srinagar. The country had cherished the dream of this railway line for decades. There were great challenges in its construction... Instead of trying to conquer nature, working in harmony with nature, this railway line has become a reality today through this network of bridges and tunnels. This was made possible due to the steely determination, hard work and laser-sharp focus of our Prime Minister." Prime Minister Modi today inaugurated the world's highest railway arch bridge - the 'Chenab Railway Bridge' - and India's first cable-stayed 'Anji Bridge' in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday also flagged off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Katra Railway Station, directly connecting the Jammu division with Kashmir. This marks a major milestone in Jammu and Kashmir's railway connectivity. Before flagging off the trains, Prime Minister Modi interacted with schoolchildren on board and also spoke with railway staff members present on the train. The new Vande Bharat Express service will reduce the travel time between Katra and Srinagar from the current 6-7 hours by road to just about 3 hours. The trains aim to provide a fast, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, and pilgrims. The train will run through the Anji Khad Bridge, which is India's first cable-stayed railway bridge, and the Chenab Bridge, which is the highest railway bridge in the world. These trains have been specially designed to operate in the cold climatic conditions of the Kashmir Valley. In a remarkable gesture, Prime Minister Modi waved the Tiranga, the Indian national flag and carried it forward on the deck of the bridge on the Chenab River. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah were present during the inauguration. These bridges are part of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project in Jammu and Kashmir. The iconic Chenab Railway Bridge, the world's highest railway arch bridge, is part of the Katra-to-Sangaldan stretch, connecting New Delhi directly with Kashmir via Katra. Situated in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, the Chenab Bridge is an engineering marvel standing at a height of 359 metres above the riverbed. It will officially connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of India via rail for the first time in history. The project faced numerous engineering and logistical challenges due to the region's difficult terrain and seismic sensitivity. Yet, after years of meticulous work, the bridge now stands as a testament to India's technological prowess and commitment to inclusive development. It marks a transformative chapter in India's infrastructural landscape, promising greater connectivity, economic growth, and social integration in the region. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project is a 272 km long USBRL project, constructed at a cost of around Rs 43,780 crore, which includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration. (ANI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami attended the three-day Shaurya Mahotsav organised in Chamoli, paying tribute to Ashok Chakra winner Shaheed Bhawani Dutt Joshi. The festival drew large crowds of local people who gathered to listen to the Chief Minister. The event was attended by various dignitaries, including MLAs and ministers, party officials and workers, the District president and other local leaders, and family members of Shaheed Bhawani Dutt Joshi. The lamp lighting ritual was performed as a prayer to Agni Dev, seeking blessings for the successful conduct of the program. CM Dhami offered flowers at the memorial, honouring the sacrifice and bravery of Shaheed Bhawani Dutt Joshi. The event showcased the region's cultural heritage and patriotism, with the Chief Minister's presence adding to the significance of the occasion. The lamp lighting ritual was performed as a prayer to Agni Dev, seeking blessings for the successful conduct of the program. The Chief Minister was welcomed by local dignitaries, including MLAs, ministers, and party officials. The event featured a lamp lighting ceremony, which is a traditional Indian ritual symbolising the dispelling of darkness and the beginning of new initiatives. The Chief Minister and other dignitaries laid wreaths at the memorial of Shaheed Bhawani Dutt Joshi, paying tribute to his sacrifice and bravery. Earlier, CM Dhami applauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the completion of 11 years of the NDA government and stated that steps had been taken to make the youth self-reliant and capable. In a post on social media X, the CM wrote that several youth employment schemes had helped people become job creators and brought the country to the global stage under the leadership of the PM."In the last 11 years, under the leadership of the respected Prime Minister Shri@narendramodiji, historic steps have been taken to make the youth self-reliant and capable. Schemes like Startup India, Digital India, Skill India, National Education Policy and Make in India have not only provided employment opportunities to the youth but have also moved them forward in the direction of becoming job creators. Today, the youth of India is making its mark not only in the country but also on the global stage, so the credit for this goes to the visionary thinking of the Honourable Prime Minister," Dhami wrote in a post. Further, he wrote that the Uttarakhand government had helped the youth become self-reliant by recruiting them under several schemes and government jobs."Following the footsteps of the Central Government, our government has done unprecedented work towards youth welfare. Record number of recruitments in government jobs and various schemes like Mukhyamantri Swarojgar Yojana, Mukhyamantri Medhavi Chhatra Protsahan Scholarship Scheme have paved the way for the youth of the state to become self-reliant," the post further read. Earlier in the day, the PM, highlighting the continuous efforts of his government to empower youth, said that it was a matter of "great" happiness that the youth were playing a leading role in nation-building. (ANI) However, the court convicted the firm JICPL and its director, Manoj Kumar Jayaswal, holding them guilty under Section 120B read with Section 420 of the IPC, along with the substantive offence under Section 420. Special CBI Judge Sanjay Bansal delivered the judgment, with arguments on sentencing scheduled for July 8, 2025. According to the CBI, this marks the 19th conviction in coal scam cases. The case was registered following a Preliminary Enquiry initiated based on a reference from the Central Vigilance Commission, investigating alleged corruption within the Ministry of Coal concerning the allocation of coal blocks to private companies during 2006-09. The FIR alleged that JICPL and its director, Manoj Kumar Jayaswal, misrepresented and concealed facts in their application to obtain undue benefits in the allocation of the Mahuagarhi coal block. The Supreme Court closely monitored investigations into coal block allocations, and after taking cognisance of the matter, the trial court summoned the accused. During the proceedings, the CBI examined 18 witnesses and successfully proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt. (ANI) Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma will pay his respects to Bhagwan Singh Rolsahabsar, guardian of the Kshatriya Yuvak Sangh, at Sangh Shakti Bhawan and offer flowers to his mortal remains. Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje are attending the ceremony. Earlier in the day, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat expressed his grief over Bhagwan Singh Rolsahabsar's demise on Friday. Rolsahabsar was the fourth Sangh Pramukh of Shri Kshatriya Yuvak Sangh. Minister Shekhawat tweeted, "The demise of the patron of Shri Kshatriya Yuvak Sangh, Shri Bhagwan Singh Rolsahabsar ji is extremely painful. I had a close bond with him. I always got his guidance in public service. This is a personal loss for me and the departure of a fatherly personality. Two days ago, I also went to SMS Hospital to get information about his health. Meeting him and being in his company was always a great fortune. The moments spent with revered Rolsahabsar sahab and the lessons he taught will keep his memory intact. May Lord Shri Ram grant refuge to his holy soul. My condolences go out to his family and lakhs of followers. Heartfelt tribute! Om Shanti!" Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma has expressed profound sadness over the demise of Rolsahabsar, saying, "Received the sad news of the demise of Shri Bhagwan Singh Ji Rolsahabsar, guardian of Kshatriya Yuvak Sangh. My condolences are with the bereaved family. May God grant the departed soul a place in his supreme abode and give the bereaved family the strength to bear this immense sorrow. Om Shanti!." In a post on X, Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari paid her respects to Rolsahabsar at the Sangh Shakti office. In her X post, Dy CM said, "After the demise of Pujya Bhagwan Singh Ji Rolsahabsar, the pioneer of social consciousness, today I reached the Sangh Shakti office and paid my last respects to his mortal remains and paid my emotional tribute. His entire life was dedicated to social service, organisation building and the upliftment of youth. His simple life, inspirational thoughts and leadership skills will always be an ideal for all of us." Additionally, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot condoled Rolsabasar's death in a post on X, describing him as a "simple-living, disciplined person who gave direction to society.""The news of the demise of Shri Kshatriya Yuvak Sangh's patron Bhagwan Singh Ji Rolsabasar is extremely sad. He was a simple-living, disciplined person who gave direction to society. His contribution to the social life of Rajasthan will be remembered. I have personally been impressed by his affection and simplicity. May God give peace to the departed soul and give strength to the family and followers to bear this sorrow." Shri Kshatriya Yuvak Sangh on Thursday informed that Bhagwan Singh Ji Rolsahabsar passed away on 5 June, and the Rolsahabsar's mortal remains will be at Sanghshakti Bhavan, Jaipur, on 6 June for the last darshan. In their official tweet, Sangh said," The last rites will be performed in the afternoon in Jaipur." Shri Kshatriya Yuvak Sangh is a social organisation which works towards the goal of inculcating 'Sanskars' (refined values/morals) in society. Tan Singh Ji is the founder of Shri Kshatriya Yuvak Sangh. The Sangh is working for the rejuvenation of 'Kshatra-Dharma' in society through its 'Collective System of Sanskar and Karma'. Following the Bhagwad Geeta's verse 'Paritranay Sadhunam, Vinashay cha Dushkritam' (Protect the pious and annihilate the miscreants), ShriKYS is striving to revive the path of 'Swadharma' based on sacrifice in Kshatriya community, according to their official website. Rolsahabsar, the fourth Sangh Pramukh of Shri Kshatriya Yuvak Sangh, was born on 2nd February 1944 in the Rolsahabsar village of Fatehpur tehsil in Sikar district. His first camp in Shri KYS was a seven-day training camp held in 1961 in Ratangarh, and he came into contact with Tan Singh Ji. After attending another seven-day training camp in Ratangarh in 1963, he became active as a dedicated volunteer of the Sangh. He became the Sangh Pramukh in 1989, and the number of training camps and 'Shakhas' increased exponentially. Confined to men of the society till then, the Sangh now reached out to the women and girls. Training camps for girls started to be organised. With that, Sangh entered the families and 'Dampati Shivir' (camps for married couples) started. Under his leadership, the Sangh expanded its reach beyond Rajasthan. The Sangh's work sphere extended beyond Gujarat and Rajasthan to Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and to the southern states of India.. Rolsahabsar's legacy will be remembered for generations to come, and his contributions to society will continue to inspire and guide the community. According to the official site, Rolsahabsar emerged as a guardian for the people of the community in politics, and an effort to connect the politicians of the community to the common people of the society is made in the form of 'Shri Pratap Foundation', which is actively working in the society. Apart from this, various initiatives are being taken to connect different sections of society to the mainstream of the Sangh by understanding their hopes and expectations. On 4th July 2021, he rendered the formal responsibility of Sanghpramukh to Shri Laxman Singh Bainyakabas while taking the responsibility of Mentor and Guardian of Sangh. (ANI) Ashwani Dayal, Joint General Manager at Indian Railway Construction International Limited (IRCON), on Friday highlighted the complexities of constructing the railway project in Jammu and Kashmir, the Chenab Bridge project, citing political and engineering challenges. Dayal noted that motivating people to work on the project was a significant challenge. While speaking to ANI on Friday, Dayal said, "Everyone knows that it was a challenging project, both politically and in terms of engineering... Another big challenge was to motivate people to come here to work on this project." The project incorporated advanced safety features, including fire-safe cables and doors, escape doors, and unidirectional jet fans with automatic sensors. Dayal emphasised the safety features incorporated into the tunnel construction, including fire-safe cables and fire doors that can withstand temperatures up to 1000 degrees Celsius. "Fire-safe cables and fire doors have been installed in the tunnels. They can withstand a temperature of up to 1000 degrees. Escape doors have also been provided so that people can get out safely from there," he added. IRCON built a 270-kilometre road from Banihal to Sawalkot to transport heavy machinery, which now benefits the state government and local communities. The project also features unidirectional jet fans equipped with automatic sensors to ventilate smoke and polluted air. Dayal said, "Unidirectional jet fans have been installed with automatic sensors to let out smoke or polluted, harmful air. We also built a road more than 270 kilometres from Banihal to Sawalkot to transport our dumpers, tractors, heavy machinery, and trains. Today, the state government is using this road, which is also benefiting nearby villages and towns." "So we not only brought the railways but also brought other means of transport," Dayal added. The railway project showcases IRCON's engineering expertise and commitment to safety and infrastructure development in the region. Earlier, calling this day "historic", Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said that the Chenab bridge part of the Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Line (USBRL) was constructed working in harmony with nature. Addressing the public during the inauguration of the Chenab bridge, Vaishnaw said, "Today is a historic day. Another gem has been added to Jammu and Kashmir. Today, PM Modi has inaugurated the railway line connecting Jammu to Srinagar. The country had cherished the dream of this railway line for decades. There were great challenges in its construction... Instead of trying to conquer nature, working in harmony with nature, this railway line has become a reality today through this network of bridges and tunnels. This was made possible due to the steely determination, hard work and laser-sharp focus of our Prime Minister." Prime Minister Modi today inaugurated the world's highest railway arch bridge - the 'Chenab Railway Bridge' - and India's first cable-stayed 'Anji Bridge' in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday also flagged off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Katra Railway Station, directly connecting the Jammu division with Kashmir. This marks a major milestone in Jammu and Kashmir's railway connectivity. Before flagging off the trains, Prime Minister Modi interacted with schoolchildren on board and also spoke with railway staff members present on the train. The new Vande Bharat Express service will reduce the travel time between Katra and Srinagar from the current 6-7 hours by road to just about 3 hours. The trains aim to provide a fast, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, and pilgrims. The train will run through the Anji Khad Bridge, which is India's first cable-stayed railway bridge, and the Chenab Bridge, which is the highest railway bridge in the world. These trains have been specially designed to operate in the cold climatic conditions of the Kashmir Valley. In a remarkable gesture, Prime Minister Modi waved the Tiranga, the Indian national flag and carried it forward on the deck of the bridge on the Chenab River. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah were present during the inauguration. These bridges are part of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project in Jammu and Kashmir. The iconic Chenab Railway Bridge, the world's highest railway arch bridge, is part of the Katra-to-Sangaldan stretch, connecting New Delhi directly with Kashmir via Katra. Situated in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, the Chenab Bridge is an engineering marvel standing 359 metres above the riverbed. It will officially connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of India via rail for the first time in history. The project faced numerous engineering and logistical challenges due to the region's difficult terrain and seismic sensitivity. Yet, after years of meticulous work, the bridge now stands as a testament to India's technological prowess and commitment to inclusive development. It marks a transformative chapter in India's infrastructural landscape, promising greater connectivity, economic growth, and social integration in the region. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project is a 272 km long USBRL project, constructed at a cost of around Rs 43,780 crore, which includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration. (ANI) Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi attended the 'Samvidhan Sabha' in Rajgir, Nalanda, on Friday. Addressing the gathering, Gandhi emphasised the need for a caste census and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stance on the issue. He questioned PM Modi's claim of being an OBC while asserting that the BJP denies the existence of caste in India, emphasising the need for a genuine caste census. "Narendra Modi used to say in every speech, I am OBC. Then, on the caste census, they say that there is no caste in India. If there is no caste in India, then how did Narendra Modi become an OBC? My goal is to conduct a caste census. I had said this to Narendra Modi face to face in Lok Sabha - there will be a caste census, and you know he has a habit of surrendering," Rahul Gandhi posted on Congress X handle. Rahul Gandhi emphasised the importance of conducting a caste census, asserting that it would reveal the country's actual social and economic dynamics. He Gandhi stressed that a genuine caste census would undermine the current political landscape, particularly for the ruling party. He mentioned US President Donald Trump's claim that he had made Narendra Modi surrender, suggesting that Modi's silence on the issue was telling. "My aim is caste census. In Lok Sabha, in front of Modi ji, I told him that caste census would be conducted. And you know he has a habit of surrendering. Trump has said 11 times in public that he made Narendra Modi surrender. But Narendra Modi ji cannot utter a word because it is the truth...They will never get a genuine caste census done because the day they get it done, their politics will end...," said the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha. He highlighted two models - the BJP's closed-door approach and Telangana's inclusive method, which involved public input. "There are two models of caste census- A BJP model and second Telangana model. In the BJP model, officers decided the questions in a closed room, 90% of which had no one. The most important thing in the caste census is which questions are being asked. At the same time, we openly asked questions from the public in Telangana. We told the Dalits, backward classes, tribals, minorities and their associations that we are going to conduct a caste census - what kind of questions do you want? People from every section gave us different kinds of questions. About 3 lakh people have prepared questions for caste census in open meetings," he posted from Congress X handle. The central government on Wednesday announced that the Population Census-2027 will be conducted in two phases and will also include the enumeration of castes. Opposition parties accused the government of further delaying the nationwide enumeration exercise. According to the MHA statement, the reference date for the "Population Census-2027 will be 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027, for most parts of the country. "However, for the Union Territory of Ladakh, and the non-synchronous snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be 00:00 hours on October 1, 2026." The government has also indicated that a notification of intent to conduct the census, adhering to the timelines mentioned above, will be published in the Official Gazette on June 16, 2025. This will be done under Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948, which governs the legal framework for the decennial census exercise in India. The 2021 census was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Census 2027 is slated to be one of the most comprehensive data-gathering exercises undertaken by the Indian government. The Census of India was conducted under the provisions of the Census Act of 1948 and the Census Rules of 1990. The last Census of India was conducted in 2011 in two phases, namely i) Phase I - House Listing (HLO) (1 April to 30 September 2010) and (ii) Phase II - Population Enumeration (PE) (February 9 to February 28, 2011) with reference date - 00:00 hours of the first day of March 2011, except for snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh for which it was conducted during September 11 to 30, 2010 with reference date as 00.00 hours of the first day of October 2010. Census 2021 was also proposed to be conducted in two phases similarly, with phase I during April-September 2020 and the second phase in February 2021. All the preparations for the first phase of the Census to be conducted in 2021 were completed, and field work was scheduled to begin in some States/UTs from April 1, 2020. However, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic across the country, the census work was postponed. Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi, who arrived in Gaya, visited the Dashrath Manjhi Memorial, accompanied by members of Manjhi's family. As part of his visit, he will attend various events in the region. The Mountain Man lived in Gehlaur village, near Gaya. As per the Bihar Government, Manjhi carved a path 110 m long (360 ft), 9.1 m (30 ft) wide and 7.7 m (25 ft) deep through a ridge of hills using only a hammer and chisel. After 22 years of work, Dashrath shortened the travel between the Atri and Wazirganj blocks of Gaya town from 55 km to 15 km. He breathed his last on August 17, 2007, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. The Government of Bihar gave him a state funeral, proposed his name for the Padma Shri award in 2006 in the social service sector and released a stamp by the India Post in the 'Personalities of Bihar' series on December 26, 2016. (ANI) Following the interim bail granted to Law student Sharmistha Panoli by Calcutta High Court, her lawyer Kanchan Jaju said that the court has granted her protection after she received threats on social media. Advocate Kanchan Jaju said that the bail procedure is in process, and after the signature of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), it would be sent to jail, and she would be released at 5 pm. "The court has granted her protection. She has received threats, and after the court's order to take action against any threat, there should be a reduction in it. On social media, she is receiving a lot of threats. Her parents are happy she got bail," she added. MD Saimimuddin said, "One of the conditions of bail was that the bond would be furnished to the satisfaction of the learned CJM at Alipur. Bond has been furnished. We have deposited an affidavit. We will send the release order from the court soon. There are some formalities of the correctional home. After that, she will be released. She will be released at 5 or 6 pm." Sharmistha Panoli, arrested for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through a social media post, was granted interim bail by Calcutta High Court on Thursday. The court directed her to cooperate with the investigation, not leave the country, and furnished bail on a personal bond of Rs 10,000. The court also ordered appropriate police protection for her. Her father, Prithviraj Panoli, expressed relief, citing her health issues, including kidney problems and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Prithviraj Panoli said, "I am very happy. No father would like his daughter to stay in jail. Her mother was crying for a long time, but she is very happy now. There were two concerns: her kidney problem and ADHD. She needs regular medicine, but since we didn't have a prescription, the medicine wasn't given in jail." "Also, when the video was posted, we found out after two days and told her to delete it. We hoped this would be a lesson for her, and that she would do better in the future," Panoli said. According to Sharmistha's lawyer, DP Singh, bail was granted on three conditions: Sharmistha must surrender her passport, cooperate with the investigation, and sign a bail bond. Singh argued that Sharmistha is a victim of circumstances and that her social media post was a defence of her country based on videos she had seen. He questioned the severity of the response, suggesting that the community's reaction was disproportionate to her actions. The 22-year-old law student from Pune, Sharmistha Panoli, was arrested by Kolkata Police in Gurugram on May 30, for allegedly hurting religious sentiments of a community with a video on Operation Sindoor. The Instagram clip was reportedly derogatory towards a particular religion. However, Panoli deleted the video and issued an apology on May 15. (ANI) Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Friday, met the family of 'Mountain Man' Dashrath Manjhi in Bihar's Gaya district. After meeting the Congress MP, Manjhi's granddaughter Anshu Kumari told ANI that Rahul Gandhi talked about Dashrath Manjhi's struggle after his wife died while crossing a mountain. "Rahul Gandhi came here today. He said many people come here, so I felt like coming too. He came here to see how Baba's (Dashrath Manjhi) house is and how he dug up the mountain. He also talks about it... Then we tell him about our condition. We told him how my grandmother fell while crossing the mountain and died," Anshu Kumari said. The Mountain Man lived in Gehlaur village, near Gaya. As per the Bihar Government, Manjhi carved a path 110 m long (360 ft), 9.1 m (30 ft) wide and 7.7 m (25 ft) deep through a ridge of hills using only a hammer and chisel. After 22 years of work, Dashrath shortened the travel between the Atri and Wazirganj blocks of Gaya town from 55 km to 15 km. He breathed his last on August 17, 2007, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. The Government of Bihar gave him a state funeral, proposed his name for the Padma Shri award in 2006 in the social service sector and released a stamp by the India Post in the 'Personalities of Bihar' series on December 26, 2016. On Friday, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi attended the 'Samvidhan Sabha' in Rajgir, Nalanda. Addressing the gathering, Gandhi emphasised the need for a caste census and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stance on the issue. He questioned PM Modi's claim of being an OBC while asserting that the BJP denies the existence of caste in India, emphasising the need for a genuine caste census. "Narendra Modi used to say in every speech, I am OBC. Then, on the caste census, they say that there is no caste in India. If there is no caste in India, then how did Narendra Modi become an OBC? My goal is to conduct a caste census. I had said this to Narendra Modi face to face in Lok Sabha - there will be a caste census, and you know he has a habit of surrendering," Rahul Gandhi posted on Congress X handle. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that Pakistan "saw its doomsday" on the night of May 6 during Operation Sindoor, a deep strike mission that he said left the Pakistan Army and terrorists stunned. Addressing a public gathering in J-K's Reasi, PM Modi said, "Remember, exactly one month ago, on the night of May 6, Pakistan saw its doomsday. Now, whenever Pakistan hears the name of Operation Sindoor, it will remember its shameful defeat. The Pakistani Army and terrorists had never thought that India would attack terrorists hundreds of kilometres inside Pakistan in such a way..." He said Operation Sindoor demonstrated the strength of Aatmnirbhar Bharat and praised the armed forces for their trust in 'Make in India.' "You have seen how Operation Sindoor has shown the power of Aatmnirbhar Bharat. Today, the world is discussing India's defence ecosystem. There is only one reason behind this. Our army's trust in Make in India. Every Indian has to repeat what the army has done..." he said. He also urged the youth of Jammu and Kashmir to actively participate in Mission Manufacturing, announced in this year's budget. "I want to ask the youth of Jammu and Kashmir to join this mission... Your ideas and skills will take India's economy and security to new heights," he said. The Prime Minister also announced financial assistance for families affected by border shelling. He said houses fully damaged by cross-border shelling would receive Rs 2 lakh, while partially damaged houses would be given Rs 1 lakh. "The suffering of more than 2000 families affected by shelling is also our own suffering... Now, those houses which have suffered heavy damage will be given Rs 2 lakh, and those partially damaged will receive Rs 1 lakh more," he said. He also highlighted security and infrastructure in the border areas, saying that two border battalions have been formed for the Jammu and Kashmir division, the work for forming two women battalions has also been completed, and more than Rs 4,2000 crore is being spent to improve infrastructure along the international border. "New infrastructure worth hundreds of crores is being developed in the conflict-prone areas near our international border," the PM said. PM Modi also made a strong pitch for promoting indigenous products as an act of patriotism. "We have to take another resolution: we have to prioritise goods made in India, created by the sweat of our countrymen. This is patriotism. This is service to the nation. We have to increase the honour of our Army on the border and increase the pride of Make in India in the marketplace," he added. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated several key infrastructure projects in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district. These included the Chenab Railway Bridge, the world's highest railway arch bridge, and the Anji Bridge, India's first cable-stayed rail bridge. He also flagged off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Katra Railway Station, enhancing direct connectivity between the Jammu division and Kashmir. (ANI) Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday expressed concern over the recent cash controversy involving former Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma. A substantial amount of unaccounted cash was discovered at Justice Varma's residence after a fire broke out in mid-March. The incident has sparked widespread debate and scrutiny. He questioned the absence of an investigation into the issue and why no FIR was registered for the same. The Vice President said, "A painful incident happened in mid-March in Delhi at the residence of a sitting judge. There was a cash haul, obviously tainted, unaccounted, illegal. And unexplained!... It appeared in the public domain after 6-7 days...." Interacting with members of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association in Chandigarh today, the Vice-President further added, "I have raised the issue. Ultimately, is that the answer if a motion is brought to remove a judge? If there has been a crime, a culpable act shaking the foundations of democracy -- the rule of law, why wasn't it punished? We have lost more than three months, and the investigation has not been initiated. Whenever you go to court, they ask why the FIR was delayed." Earlier on March 22, the Chief Justice of India constituted a three-member committee, comprising Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana, Justice GS Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh, and Justice Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the High Court of Karnataka, to examine the allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma, a sitting judge of the High Court of Delhi. The committee concluded its investigation and presented its findings in a report dated May 3. Referring to the same, Dhankar questioned if the committee has "a constitutional sanction." "Does the committee of judges have a constitutional sanction? Does it have statutory sanction? Can this report result in any outcome? Can this report, by itself, be actionable? If a judge removal mechanism is there, the Constitution says this removal mechanism can be initiated either in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha. This is the only way. Then this committee cannot substitute for an FIR investigation...," Dhankar said. He stressed that "even the President and Governors" are immune to prosecution "till they are in office", and that no other body is provided with this immunity. The Vice President further hoped that an FIR would be filed soon. "I find it very soothing and must congratulate you that the bar associations in the country are active on it. I hope an FIR is filed," Dhankar stated. On April 5, Justice Yashwant Varma was sworn in as a judge of the Allahabad High Court under unusual and contentious circumstances. Departing from the customary public ceremony, his oath-taking was conducted privately, a decision that has garnered significant scrutiny. This development coincides with an ongoing investigation into allegations concerning the recovery of partially burnt sacks of cash at his residence weeks prior. Despite his formal induction, Justice Varma has not been assigned any judicial or administrative responsibilities, according to court insiders. His transfer from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court has been met with scepticism, particularly following the filing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court. The PIL urged the Chief Justice to defer the swearing-in until the inquiry reached its conclusion. The controversy has elicited strong reactions from the legal community. The Allahabad High Court Bar Association has openly criticised the Collegium's decision, expressing its disapproval through a strongly worded letter addressed to the Chief Justice and other judges. The association condemned the appointment, declaring, "We are not a dumping ground," and called for enhanced transparency and accountability in judicial appointments. As the inquiry progresses, Justice Varma's future role within the Allahabad High Court remains uncertain. Legal experts and observers continue to monitor developments closely, as the situation has raised broader concerns regarding judicial integrity and the processes governing appointments within India's judiciary. According to the official website of the Allahabad High Court, Justice Varma obtained his Law degree from Rewa University in 1992 and was enrolled as an Advocate on August 8 of the same year. Throughout his career, he primarily practised civil law, handling cases related to Constitutional Law, Industrial Disputes, Corporate Matters, Taxation, Environmental Issues, and related fields. He served as special counsel for the Allahabad High Court from 2006 until his elevation in 2012. (ANI) Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav, on Friday, emphasised that the Caste Census will only be done properly under the PDA (Pichde, Dalits, Alpsankhyak) government in 2027. Speaking with the media, Yadav said, "Caste Census will happen in 2027, under the PDA (Pichde, Dalits, Alpasankhyak) Government. Only then will the Census be done properly." Further, Akhilesh Yadav claimed that there is an incomplete museum in Agra of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, which the Samajwadi Party's government will not only complete, but also install a grand statue of Shivaji Maharaj at Lucknow "In honour of a great personality like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj...there is an incomplete museum in Agra whose architect is world-renowned...We, the Samajwadis, will not only make the museum in his name, but we will also install a grand statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Lucknow Riverfront; his throne will be made of gold. Samajwadis will honour him like that in 2027," Akhilesh Yadav said. Uttar Pradesh will witness the next Assembly elections in 2027 between the two most prominent parties, i.e., Bharatiya Janata Party and Samajwadi Party. The Congress is likely to contest the polls in alliance with the SP. In the current session, the Uttar Pradesh Assembly has 403 elected members, 258 of whom are from the Bhartiya Janata Party, 107 from the Samajwadi Party, and 13 from the Apna Dal. In addition to that, Rastriya Lok Dal has nine; the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party has six; the Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal has five; Jansatta Dal Loktantrik and Congress have two; and the Bahujan Samaj Party has only one representative. Earlier today, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi attended the 'Samvidhan Sabha' in Rajgir, Nalanda. Addressing the gathering, Gandhi emphasised the need for a caste census and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stance on the issue. He questioned PM Modi's claim of being an OBC while asserting that the BJP denies the existence of caste in India, emphasising the need for a genuine caste census. "Narendra Modi used to say in every speech, I am OBC. Then, on the caste census, they say that there is no caste in India. If there is no caste in India, then how did Narendra Modi become an OBC? My goal is to conduct a caste census. I had said this to Narendra Modi face to face in Lok Sabha - there will be a caste census, and you know he has a habit of surrendering," Rahul Gandhi posted on Congress X handle. Rahul Gandhi emphasised the importance of conducting a caste census, asserting that it would reveal the country's actual social and economic dynamics. (ANI) The Delhi High Court has granted an interim order of status quo on a property in Batla House, Okhla, that was facing demolition. The property belongs to Ishrat Jahan, a widow who has lived in the area for over 25 years. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) issued a notice on May 26, proposing the demolition of various properties in the area, including Jahan's. Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar passed the order for status quo till the next date, listing the matter before the roster bench on July 10, where Jahan's petition challenging the demolition notice will be considered. The DDA has been asked to file an affidavit within three weeks, setting out the proposed action for the properties demarcated in the Batla House area. Petitioner Ishrat Jahan has moved to the High Court against the notice and is seeking its quashing. She has moved a petition through advocate Fahad Khan. Petitioner is a resident of premises at I-12, Building No. 4 (Flat No. 4), 3rd Floor, Muradi Road, Batla House, Khasra No. 283. In the interim, she has also sought a direction to stay the operation and implementation of the demolition notice of May 26 issued by the Deputy Director, Delhi Development Authority (DDA). The counsel for respondents DDA submitted that she would file an affidavit setting out the proposed action to be taken regarding the various properties demarcated in the Batla House area, including the property of the Petitioner. The DDA's demolition notice is based on a Supreme Court order dated May 7, which directed the DDA to take action against unauthorized constructions not covered under the PM-UDAY Scheme. Jahan's property, however, is claimed to be covered under the scheme Authorities further stated that the matter is currently fixed for 30.07.2025, but that would not give sufficient time for them to take further action based on the Supreme Court's order. She requests that the matter be postponed. The court listed the matter on July 10 before the Roster Bench. The date of July 30 has been cancelled. (ANI) Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) vice-president Kolanukonda Shivaji on Friday slammed the BJP-led Centre, accusing it of undermining the rights of the southern states through "calculated strategies." He said that the delimitation based on the population count in the 2027 census will be discriminatory to the southern states, which successfully implemented the family planning policies. The Congress leader said that NITI Aayog was originally intended to function like the National Development Council -- bringing together all Chief Ministers and moving forward in the spirit of "Team India" and cooperative federalism. "However, they have betrayed the southern states. It now appears that the Union Government is deliberately undermining the rights of the southern states through calculated strategies," he said. "The delimitation process is set to begin, and it is based on the population census in 2027. This raises serious concerns about potential discrimination against the southern states. A permanent solution must be identified," he added. He said that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi did not allow population-based increases in parliamentary representation in order to ensure fair representation for the southern states. "Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ensured that such matters were kept in check through specific constitutional provisions, without allowing population-based increases in parliamentary representation. That principle must be upheld. Therefore, we demand that the rights of the southern states be safeguarded through constitutional means. Whatever ratio is applied to increase parliamentary seats in the northern states must be equally applied to the southern states. We urge the central government to uphold fairness, equality, and justice in this matter," he said. Meanwhile, amid the Opposition's allegations on Census, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday clarified that Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on many occasions, has assured that in the delimitation exercise, concerns of Southern states will be taken care of. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Home Affairs, in a post on X, said, "Budget has never been a constraint for Census as fund is always ensured by the Govt. HM Amit Shah has clarified on many occasions that in the delimitation exercise, concerns of southern states will be taken care of and discussed with all concerned at an appropriate time." (ANI) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a junior engineer for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs. 4.5 lakh from a complainant in Mumbai, the agency said. A case was registered on Thursday (June 5) against the said accused on the basis of written complaint that the accused demanded bribe of Rs. 5.5 Lakh from the complainant for clearing the pending bills of his firm and after negotiation finally he agreed to accept Rs. 4,50,000/-, the CBI said in a release. According to the release, the CBI laid a trap and caught the accused red-handed on Thursday while accepting bribe of Rs. 4.5 lakh. He was arrested and produced before the Special Judge, Mumbai, on Friday, it said. The Ld. Trial Court granted Police Custody Remand till June 9, the CBI said, while adding that searches were also conducted at the residential and official premises of the accused at Mumbai and Roorkee. Further investigation is underway, it added. Earlier on June 4, the CBI apprehended an accused Junior Engineer/Tele, North Central Railways, Prayagraj Division, Mainpuri, for "demanding and accepting illegal gratification of Rs one lakh (first instalment of demanded illegal gratification of Rs 4 lakh) from the complainant". A case was registered on June 3 against the accused on the basis of a complaint made by a private company. The company had executed the work of laying six Quad Poly Insulated Jelly Filled cables between Farukhabad to Sikohabad alongside the Railway Line. It was alleged that the said accused had demanded undue advantage of Rs 4 lakh from the complainant private company for clearing its pending bills amounting to Rs 20 lakh. CBI laid a trap and caught the accused red-handed. Searches were also conducted at the residential and official premises of the accused at Mainpuri, a release said. (ANI) Ravinder Indraj, the Delhi government's Minister of Social Welfare, SC & ST Welfare, Cooperative, and Election, inspected the under-construction building for mentally challenged individuals in Narela on Friday. According to a release, Minister Indraj was accompanied by PWD and Social Welfare Department officials. Ravinder Indraj stated that the campus is being developed in accordance with the needs of persons with disabilities. Once completed, individuals currently residing in overcrowded shelter homes like Asha Homes in Rohini will be relocated here. According to the release, the building, located within the Nursing College Hostel premises and the Primary Urban Health Centre campus in Narela, will accommodate 220 differently abled residents. It is expected to be operational within three months. The Social Welfare Minister instructed that the campus must be fully disability-friendly, the construction should be of high quality, there must be no encroachment around the premises, and ambulance movement should not face any obstruction. The Delhi Minister also stated that multiple facilities are being developed across the city-state for persons with disabilities. Once the facilities in Mamurpur and Dallupura are completed, it will significantly improve access to services, safety, and healthcare for the differently-abled. On World Environment Day, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta recently announced that 280 electric buses will be added to the city's fleet by 2027 as part of a new electric vehicle (EV) policy. Speaking to ANI, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that the Delhi government plans to add 280 electric buses by 2027. "We have decided to give 280 electric buses to Delhi. By 2027, the whole fleet of buses the Delhi government provides will be electric. We are also bringing in a new EV policy," she said. CM Gupta praised the new buses, calling them a tremendous asset for Delhi and highlighting their high comfort level and security features. "These buses are a tremendous asset for Delhi. This is a highly comfortable bus. Cameras and a panic button have been installed inside the bus. The buses have a low floor and are air-conditioned," the Delhi CM said. (ANI) The occasion was marked by inspiring speeches, community activities, and initiatives aimed at protecting India's sacred rivers. Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil presided over the event and highlighted the three core pillars of the mission: ecological restoration, sustainable living, and technology-driven conservation. Emphasising the spiritual and environmental significance of rivers such as the Ganga, he remarked that protecting these water bodies is both a cultural duty and an urgent environmental priority. "Through collaboration, I am confident our shared aspiration for a pristine Yamuna will be realised. On the auspicious occasion of Ganga Dussehra, I extend my heartfelt wishes to all and express deep gratitude to the workers and farmers dedicated to organic farming and preserving a clean Yamuna," said Minister Patil. During the event, Minister Patil engaged warmly with Ganga Praharis and students, who shared innovative eco-friendly initiatives. A cleanliness drive at the ghat involving volunteers and municipal staff demonstrated a strong community commitment to river conservation. A street play captivated the audience by emphasising personal responsibility and the Ganga's profound spiritual and ecological significance. Minister Patil also inaugurated a workshop on natural farming and agricultural innovation, attended by farmers, experts, and students. The workshop focused on chemical-free farming practices, soil health, and combating climate change. Rajeev Kumar Mital, Director General of the National Mission for Clean Ganga, reinforced that conserving the Ganga and its tributaries is a shared responsibility that safeguards India's cultural heritage and ensures clean water for future generations. He praised the Namami Gange programme for its transformative impact, noting that over Rs 40,000 crore has been invested across nearly 500 projects nationwide to rejuvenate water resources and ecosystems. Krishi Sakhi, Nilima Sharma shared her experience, and said, "Initially, we struggled financially with organic farming, but today, we are profitable and recognised throughout our district. I encourage other farmers to embrace this sustainable path." The National Mission for Clean Ganga continues to champion river revival, sustainable agriculture, and grassroots engagement, paving a vibrant path toward a cleaner, greener tomorrow. (ANI) In a decisive move to safeguard the sanctity and intellectual property of the sacred Tirupati Laddu, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has initiated legal action against multiple unauthorized entities found selling or promoting products under the "Tirupati Laddu" name in violation of its registered Geographical Indication (GI), TDP said in a press release. Legal notices were served through Sahadeva Law Chambers to several online platforms and vendors, including PushMyCart (Mahita LLC) and Transact Foods Limited, for unauthorised commercial exploitation of the Tirupati Laddu name and falsely associating their offerings with the temple. The legal notices highlighted that Tirupati Laddu is a protected GI under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. The preparation of the laddu is done exclusively within the Tirumala temple under the supervision of TTD, following a time-honoured and sanctified process. Unauthorised use and sale of the name not only infringes legal rights but also undermines the spiritual sanctity of the offering. In response, PushMyCart acknowledged receipt of the legal notice and, showing goodwill, suspended the infringing product listings pending legal review. Several other vendors have also taken down their listings following TTD's proactive outreach. TTD EO stated, "The Tirupati Laddu is not just a product, but a sacred prasadam with deep spiritual and cultural value. We are committed to taking all necessary legal steps to prevent its misuse and to protect the trust of crores of devotees worldwide." This is among the first instances in India where a temple offering protected under the GI law has been defended through formal legal channels on international platforms. TTD continues to monitor and act against any such violations to preserve the authenticity and sanctity of temple traditions. Earlier in February 2025, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested four individuals and sent them to judicial remand in connection with the adulteration of ghee used in the Tirumala Srivari Laddu, the agency reported finding "severe lapses" in the e-tendering process of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). The CBI, acting on orders from the Supreme Court, had formed an SIT to investigate the matter. The remand report confirmed adulteration in the ghee supplied, and according to the investigating agency, AR Dairy, Vaishnavi Dairy, and Bhole Baba Dairy were involved in the case. (ANI) According to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), during the meeting, the Chief Minister provided a detailed briefing on the state's recent successes in anti-Maoist operations and the ongoing development initiatives in the Bastar region. CM Sai informed the Home Minister that the anti-Naxal campaign has reached a decisive phase with the state's renewed strategy and the continued support of the Centre. Intensive operations conducted over the past one and a half years have yielded significant results, including the surrender of 1,428 Maoists, a remarkable increase compared to the previous five years. He further stated that 205 encounters occurred during this period, eliminating 427 Maoists, including top leaders such as Baswaraju, the Maoist general secretary, and Central Committee member Sudhakar. The state has also established 64 new forward security camps, substantially strengthening the security grid in the affected regions. The Chief Minister noted that the areas surrounding these security camps are now rapidly gaining access to basic services like electricity, drinking water, healthcare, and education. Under the 'Niyad Nellanar Yojana', 146 villages have been identified where 18 types of integrated community services and 25 government schemes are being actively implemented, leading to a noticeable increase in local trust in the government machinery. Union Home Minister Amit Shah appreciated the Chief Minister's detailed progress report and lauded the Chhattisgarh government's decisive action against Maoist violence. He assured that the central government will continue to extend full support to the state in its fight against Left-Wing Extremism and in ensuring sustainable development in tribal and remote areas. This high-level meeting reaffirmed the Centre-State synergy in combating extremism and highlighted Chhattisgarh's evolving success story, one where peace and development are steadily replacing decades of insurgency. (ANI) Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar was given a warm welcome upon his arrival at the Annandale Helipad in Shimla on Friday. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla warmly welcomed the Vice President at the Annandale helipad. Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri and Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh, who is also serving as the Minister-in-Waiting for the Vice President's visit, were present on the occasion. Lt General Devender Sharma, GOC-in-C, ARTRAC, Mayor of Shimla Municipal Corporation Surender Chauhan, Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, Director General of Police Ashok Tiwari, Deputy Commissioner Shimla Anupam Kashyap, Superintendent of Police Shimla Gaurav Singh, and other senior officials of the State Government were also in attendance. From Annandale Helipad, the Vice President proceeded to Raj Bhavan, Shimla, where he was received by Secretary to the Governor CP Verma. A ceremonial Guard of Honour was presented to the Vice President at Raj Bhavan. Dhankar posted on X, "Hon'ble Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Shri Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Ji called on the Hon'ble Vice-President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar at Raj Bhavan, Shimla in Himachal Pradesh today. @SukhvinderSukhu @CMOFFICEHP" On behalf of the people of Himachal Pradesh, the Governor felicitated the Vice-President by presenting him with a traditional Himachali cap, a shawl, and a memento. The Vice President will stay at the Raj Bhavan during his visit and is scheduled to visit Solan tomorrow. In the evening, the Governor will host a banquet in his honour at Raj Bhavan. Also, earlier on Thursday evening, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu interacted with the tourists after the conclusion of the Shimla Summer Festival. Earlier today, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar was also felicitated by the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association, at Punjab Raj Bahwan in Chandigarh, Punjab. A press note from the association stated that the Bar was represented by its office bearers: Sartej Singh Narula, President; Nilesh Bhardwaj, Vice President; Gagan Jammu, Secretary; and Asheesh Bishnoi, AAG, Punjab. The vice president was presented with a bouquet and a memento as a token of respect and appreciation. "The Hon'ble Vice President, who began his illustrious career as an Advocate and previously served as President of Rajasthan High Court Bar Association, Jaipur Bench, engaged in a thoughtful and insightful interaction with the Office Bearers. The meeting, which lasted approximately 30 minutes, involved a constructive exchange on the contemporary challenges faced by the Indian judiciary and legal fraternity," the press note read. Dhankar expressed his deep regard for the legal profession and assured the Bar representatives that he would visit the Punjab and Haryana High Court to meet with members of the Bar after the conclusion of the summer vacations. (ANI) Reiterating his attack on the Centre over Census and Delimitation, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, on Friday, said that the Census delay is "no accident" and the delimitation plan is "no coincidence". Despite the assurance from Home Minister Amit Shah, CM Stalin asserted that a clear parliamentary commitment and a suitable constitutional amendment are what are needed to address the concerns of southern states on delimitation. "The #Census delay is no accident. The #delimitation plan is no coincidence. The danger I warned of is at our doorstep," Stalin said in a post on X. "The Ministry of Home Affairs claims that the concerns of affected states will be addressed. But these are vague remarks. What is needed is a clear parliamentary commitment and a suitable constitutional amendment," he said. The Tamil Nadu CM claimed that there is a "sinister design" in how the BJP-led Union Government is implementing the national Census and the subsequent delimitation. "Developed states, especially in the non-Hindi speaking South, which followed population control norms, will now be punished. Meanwhile, states that disregarded population control for decades are set to gain more seats in Parliament. This unfair shift skews the federal balance and rewards irresponsibility," MK Stalin said. Alleging the track record of the BJP, Stalin cited the example of Jammu and Kashmir, as how the Centre spoke of restoring statehood to J-K, but it still remains a Union Territory. "Just look at what happened after Article 370 was abrogated. The Union Government spoke of restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. Elections were held. Assurances were given in the Supreme Court. Yet, Jammu and Kashmir remains a Union Territory. This is the track record of the BJP we are dealing with," Tamil Nadu CM said. Further, MK Stalin said that if the Union Government proceeds with delimitation based on the 2027 census, the democratic power of peninsular India will be reduced to "irrelevance." "Even if betrayers like the ADMK choose to kneel before the BJP for their political survival, the people of Tamil Nadu, led by the DMK, will never allow our state to be punished for its progress. Tamil Nadu will fight! Tamil Nadu will win!" Stalin emphasised. Earlier on Thursday, the Ministry of Home Affairs clarified that Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on many occasions, has assured that in the delimitation exercise, concerns of Southern states will be taken care of. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Home Affairs, in a post on X, said, "Budget has never been a constraint for Census as fund is always ensured by the Government. HM Amit Shah has clarified on many occasions that in the delimitation exercise, concerns of southern states will be taken care of and discussed with all concerned at an appropriate time." On Wednesday, the central government announced that the Population Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases and will also include the enumeration of castes. According to the MHA statement, the reference date for the "Population Census-2027 will be 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027, for most parts of the country." However, for the Union Territory of Ladakh and the non-synchronous snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be 00:00 hours on October 1, 2026. (ANI) Municipal Corporation of Delhi has received Rs 820 crore from the Delhi government under the first instalment of Basic Tax Assignment for the financial year 2025-26. This substantial allocation, in accordance with the recommendations of the Fifth Delhi Finance Commission (DFC), will play a vital role in strengthening the Corporation's financial position and supporting various public services across the capital. The allocation is 6 per cent of the Delhi government's net tax collection, as per the recommendation of the 5th DFC. The amount is an untied grant from the Delhi government, which can be utilised for any kind of expenditure, unlike tied grants, which are work-specific and linked to a sector. This timely release of funds to MCD will help in liquidating its liabilities, and the corporation remains committed to utilising these funds efficiently and transparently for the welfare of the citizens of Delhi. Delhi Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh thanked Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta for providing MCD with financial assistance of over Rs 870 crore. Speaking on the occasion, Delhi Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh said the funding would improve public infrastructure, waste management, and local governance in the Capital. The Mayor stated, "I assure all councillors and representatives that there will be no shortage of funds for public welfare and the BJP-ruled government in MCD will make Delhi, cleaner, greener and most developed city. The Delhi Government has also released funds to the tune of Rs 50.78 crore for biomining activities at three landfills sites in Delhi after revalidation of the unspent amount of the previous financial year. This release amount will help in the speedy activity of bio mining at these sites and facilitate in reduction in mounds of garbage. The particulars of funds released are as Okhla Landfill site Rs 20.25 crore, Bhalswa Landfill site Rs 20.75 crore and Ghazipur Landfill site Rs 9.77 crore. The Municipal Corporation reiterates its dedication to ensuring high standards of urban governance and improving the quality of life for residents in all wards under its jurisdiction. (ANI) "On Thursday, in the evening hours, a search operation by BSF troops led to the recovery of one DJI Mavic 3 Classic drone in damaged condition from a farming field adjacent to Rattankhurd village. This morning, acting on a specific input, the BSF troops successfully recovered one packet of suspected heroin with a gross weight of 531 grams from a farming field adjacent to Balve Dariya village in Amritsar," the BSF said in a press release. The narcotics were wrapped with yellow adhesive tape, and an iron ring was also found attached to the packet. The BSF said that keen observation and swift action of BSF troops successfully seized this narcotics packet and rogue drone launched by Pakistani smugglers from across the border. Earlier on June 1, in a series of coordinated operations on Sunday, the Border Security Force (BSF), in collaboration with Punjab Police, conducted multiple raids across Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts, officials said. During the operation, security forces recovered 4 DJI Mavic 3 Classic drones (2 damaged), and 2 heroin packets (1.017 kg), the BSF said in a post on X. The recoveries were made from Ratankhurd and Dhanoe Khurd villages in the Amritsar district and Khemkaran and Dal villages in Tarn Taran. The operation was based on intelligence and local inputs, the BSF added. On the same day, the Amritsar Commissionerate Police dismantled a terror and extortion module associated with Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) operative Jeevan Fauji. Two key associates, Karajpreet Singh from Verowal, Tarn Taran, and Gurlal Singh alias Harman from Goindwal Sahib, Tarn Taran, have been arrested. (ANI) In a major relief operation, all stranded tourists have been successfully evacuated from Chaten, one of the worst-hit areas in North Sikkim, following recent landslides and flash floods. Mangan District Collector Anant Jain confirmed the evacuation on Friday. DC Anant Jain praised the joint efforts of the district administration, military, paramilitary forces, and local communities for their swift and coordinated response. "Our priority was to ensure the safety of every stranded individual. We thank the Indian Air Force and all ground teams for their relentless service," Jain said. The final phase of the operation involved Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters airlifting the remaining 63 tourists from Chaten on Thursday, with follow-up sorties resuming on Friday morning as weather conditions improved. The operation was carried out in coordination with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), and local administration. Earlier in the week, more than 1,600 tourists were rescued by road from Lachung and Lachen valleys in a massive ground operation led by DC Jain. The tourists, including several elderly individuals and children, were safely escorted through challenging terrain and intermittent weather disturbances. While tourist evacuations have concluded successfully, the situation remains tense in the region following a devastating landslide that struck Chaten on June 3, impacting military installations in the area. The Indian Army has confirmed the deaths of three soldiers, with four others injured. Search operations continue for other personnel who are still reported missing. The rescue teams are navigating treacherous terrain and unstable weather to recover the missing soldiers and provide support to affected units. BRO teams are working tirelessly to restore road connectivity, particularly at Dedkola and other damaged stretches near Chungthang. Officials estimate it may take another 2-3 days for critical routes to become fully operational. Authorities have issued advisories restricting civilian movement beyond Chungthang until safety and accessibility are guaranteed. A rescuer from the army, who remains deployed at the spot of the landslide in Chatten that occurred on June 1, said that nine personnel have died in the incident. He added that the area had witnessed incessant rainfall from May 30, leading to a massive landslide. The missing include Lieutenant Colonel Pritpal Singh Sandhu, Subedar Dharamveer, Naik Sunilal Muchahary, Sepoy Sainudheen PK, Squadron Leader Aarti Sandhu (Retd), wife of Lieutenant Colonel Sandhu, and their daughter Amayra Sandhu. Meanwhile, a landslide occurred late Thursday night near the Army Hospital at Theng in North Sikkim, damaging a vehicle. However, no casualties have been reported. Speaking about the situation, Additional Chief Secretary of Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, CS Rao, said, "There was an apprehension among tourists and travel agents about the present situation in the Chungthang subdivision of the North Sikkim district, which is totally cut off. We are not issuing permits for tourists to visit Lachen and Lachung. But beyond that, there are more than 200 tourist destinations in Sikkim... There has been no change in our state's tourist flow..." He further added, "This morning, we evacuated 65 tourists from Lachung... Another 63 tourists are stranded in Lachung. We will evacuate them tomorrow morning. By tomorrow afternoon, we will complete the total evacuation process from Lachung..." (ANI) Stressing the need for change in Bihar, Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson Tushar Gandhi on Friday called on everyone to strengthen the INDIA bloc as there is a "considerable dissatisfaction" among the people of Bihar with the present government. Speaking with ANI, Tushar Gandhi said, "Nitish ji has been in politics for 20 long years. He has enjoyed power in many ways. But now, change is necessary. Change is inevitable in a democracy. Nitish Kumar vapis ek baar ghar vapsi bhi kar lein, toh bhi acha hoga. We call everyone to strengthen the INDIA alliance." "In the INDIA Alliance, there has been a tradition from the beginning that the Chief Minister is decided after the election results. We have become addicted to contesting elections with a particular face. We must remember that we have chosen the model of party democracy, where the leader is selected only after the results," he further said. Targeting the Bihar Government, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Tushar Gandhi said that the state government has failed in several sectors. "There is considerable dissatisfaction visible among the people of Bihar. The biggest concern is law and order, followed by unemployment. There are problems with medical facilities because people are dying outside hospitals. Somewhere in all these issues, the government's failure is evident," he said. Bihar elections are expected to be held later this year in October or November; however, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not announced an official date. While the NDA, consisting of the BJP, JD(U), and LJP, will once again be looking to continue their stint in Bihar, the INDIA bloc, consisting of the RJD, Congress, and left parties, will be looking to unseat Nitish Kumar. In the current Bihar Assembly of 243 members, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) consists of 131 with the BJP having 80 MLAs, JD(U)-45, HAM(S)-4, with the support of 2 Independent Candidates. The Opposition's INDIA Bloc has a strength of 111 members with RJD leading with 77 MLAs, Congress-19, CPI(ML)-11, CPI(M)-2 and CPI-2. (ANI) Awanish Awasthi, advisor to the Uttar Pradesh government and former Chief Secretary, arrived in Vrindavan on Friday to address the ongoing opposition to the Banke Bihari Temple Corridor project. Awasthi began his visit by holding a meeting with officials to review the situation. He then visited the Banke Bihari Temple, where he performed the Dehri Pujan and offered Itr Seva. Following the rituals, he met with the temple's Goswami Sevayats to discuss the project, the resistance it has faced, and the potential benefits it could bring. After the discussions with the Goswamis, Awasthi's convoy proceeded to the Tourist Facility Centre (TFC) in Vrindavan, where he is currently holding a meeting with representatives from various sections of the local community to address concerns and deliberate on the corridor project. Earlier on May 27, the Supreme Court slammed the Uttar Pradesh government for "hijacking" the litigation between two private parties over management of the Shri Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan. A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma said that if the state government starts entering into private disputes between parties, it will result in a "breakdown of the rule of law. The bench asked the counsel appearing for the state, "Was the state a party to the proceedings? In what capacity has the state entered the dispute? If states start entering into private disputes between parties, it will break the rule of law. You can't hijack the litigation. In private litigation between two parties, a state filing an impleadment application and hijacking it is not permissible." The apex court's observation came while hearing a petition seeking the modification of its order permitting the Uttar Pradesh government to utilise funds from the Shri Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan to purchase five acres of land around the temple for corridor development. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for petitioner Devendra Nath Gooswami, told the bench that a fund of Rs 300 crore has been given to the Uttar Pradesh government without making him a party. "They can't take away the funds of a private temple," said Sibal. On the other hand, counsel appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government told the bench the state has passed an Ordinance and set up a trust to manage the Banke Bihari temple and oversee work on the proposed corridor. "Now, the enactment has come into force. Funds are with the Trust, not with the state. This enforcement will dilute the direction of the apex court. The state is not using the funds. The Ordinance bars the state from implementing the court's direction, and the Ordinance says the Trust will manage funds and the state has no role to play," said the counsel of Uttar Pradesh. The apex court then directed the counsel for the state government to place on record a copy of the Ordinance passed concerning the Trust. It directed the concerned Principal Secretary to file an affidavit by July 29. The petition filed by Gooswami said he was a "lineal descendant" of the temple's founder, Swami Hari Das Goswami, and his family had been managing the affairs of the sacred temple for the last 500 years. He said he actively managed the temple's daily religious and administrative affairs. In filing the plea, he said the implementation of the proposed redevelopment project was practically unfeasible, and any attempt to redevelop the temple premises without the involvement and input of those who were historically and operationally associated with the temple's functioning was likely to result in administrative chaos. On May 15, the top court had permitted the state to use the Trust's fund and also allowed the use of Sri Banke Bihari Temple Trust's fixed deposits after taking into note the state government's Rs. 500 crore development plan for the corridor. (ANI) Two youths were arrested for their involvement in cyber crimes, with authorities uncovering illegal transactions amounting to Rs nine crore carried out through 48 bank accounts, as per Kakinada district police. During the operation, police seized bank passbooks, diaries, and two mobile phones. District SP Bindu Madhav shared details of the case. Kakinada District Police have arrested two youths involved in cyber crimes, who opened bank accounts in the names of innocent individuals and used them for illegal transactions. Authorities identified 48 such bank accounts across multiple banks, through which around Rs nine crore in illicit financial transactions were carried out. District SP G Bindu Madhav stated that this is likely the first time in the state that cyber fraud of this scale has been successfully thwarted. Kakinada SP Bindu Madhav held a press conference on Friday at the district police office and disclosed all details about the case. The two arrested individuals have been identified as Narni Satish Chandra and Dasari Veera Venkata Satyanarayana, both from Samarlakota. Two other main accused, Putta Ramu and Uday Kiran, are currently absconding. A Look-Out Circular (LOC) has been issued against Ramu. The investigation began based on a complaint by Korra Lovakrishna, a resident of Sambamurthy Nagar, Kakinada. Lovakrishna had opened a bank account at Karnataka Bank in the Kakinada One Town Police Station limits on January 31, 2025, with the help of Satish Chandra, who promised bank loans and a monthly payment of Rs 5,000. Lovakrishna, along with his friends, handed over their bank passbooks, ATM cards, chequebooks, and mobile SIM cards to Satish without proper understanding of the consequences. When no loans or payments were received even after several days, Lovakrishna grew suspicious and questioned Satish, who gave vague and evasive answers. Upon checking with Karnataka Bank, Lovakrishna discovered that his account had been used for illegal transactions totalling Rs 50 lakh. Alarmed, he filed a complaint at the Kakinada One Town Police Station. Based on the complaint, a case was registered, and three special investigation teams were formed. Following an investigation, both Satish Chandra and his associate Dasari Veera Venkata Satyanarayana were arrested, while Uday Kiran and Putta Ramu remain absconding. According to SP Bindu Madhav, the accused had been targeting naive and financially vulnerable people, getting them to open bank accounts under the guise of providing loans and monetary benefits. These accounts were then used for large-scale cyber fraud, with operations linked to Bengaluru and Dubai. In total, 48 bank accounts were used across Karnataka Bank, HDFC, IDBI, and Chaitanya Godavari Grameena Bank, involving Rs 9 crore in fraudulent transactions. Approximately 50 victims have been identified in the Samarlakota and Kakinada areas. SP Bindu Madhav warned that cybercriminals are now specifically targeting the poor and unaware individuals in society, enticing them with promises of easy money and bank loans. She urged the public to be vigilant and not to fall for fraudulent offers. Renting out bank accounts or giving access to them can jeopardise one's entire life, she said. SP Bindu Madhav appealed to people to not trust fraudsters or their misleading promises and to stay alert. Anyone approached with such suspicious proposals should immediately report to the local police station. Police officers, including Kakinada DSP Manish Devaraj Patil, Two Town CI V Naga Durgarao, Peddapuram Crime CI R Ankababu, and Kakinada Crime CI V Krishna were present during the press meet. (ANI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday praised Operation Sindoor and said that India's indigenously developed weapons are "much better" than those manufactured by other countries. "Today, our army does not have to seek anyone's permission to respond to the enemy. Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, India is becoming self-reliant in the defence sector. Through Operation Sindoor, India has proved that its indigenously manufactured weapons are much better than those of other countries," the Chief Minister said. "Today, our army does not have to take anyone's permission to respond to the enemy. Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, India is becoming self-reliant in the defence sector. Through Operation Sindoor, India has proved that its indigenously manufactured weapons are much better than those of other countries," CM Dhami said while speaking at Shaurya Mahotsav in Chamoli. Criticising previous administrations, Dhami said, "Earlier governments did not have the willpower and the ability to make decisions," adding, "due to which the hands of our brave soldiers were tied. But today's new India kills the enemies by entering their homes." "Earlier, the brave soldiers guarding our borders in extreme cold didn't get proper food, clothing, or equipment. But ever since Shri Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, the facilities provided to our army have improved," he said. Calling Uttarakhand "the land of heroes," Dhami paid tribute to the region's legacy of service to the nation. "The brave soldiers here have worked to increase the pride of Mother India. Today, under the leadership of the respected Prime Minister, work is being done to increase the army's morale," he said. The Chief Minister attended the three-day Shaurya Mahotsav held in Chamoli to honour Ashok Chakra awardee Shaheed Bhawani Dutt Joshi. The event drew large crowds of locals and dignitaries, including ministers, MLAs, party officials, and family members of the soldier killed in action. Dhami offered floral tributes at the memorial of Shaheed Bhawani Dutt Joshi. The event also showcased the region's cultural and patriotic spirit. A ceremonial lamp-lighting ritual was held in honour of Agni Dev, seeking blessings for the successful conduct of the festival. (ANI) IFFCO Managing Director (MD), U S Awasthi on Friday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence office in New Delhi. During the meeting, Awasthi briefed and updated the Minister on the overall performance of Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) for the Financial Year 2024-25, a strong testament to the vision of Sahakar Se Samriddhi under his dynamic guidance. Awasthi also apprised him of the progress at the seed research and development facility at IFFCO's Kalol Unit in Gujarat. Furthermore, both had a meaningful discussion on strategies to enhance awareness and increase the market share of insurance in rural areas by leveraging India's vast and robust cooperative network -- a step that will significantly contribute to strengthening the rural economy and empowering cooperatives. Awasthi expressed his sincere gratitude towards the Minister for graciously taking time out of his busy schedule for this meeting. Awasthi later took to X and wrote, "Today, I had the honour of meeting Shri Amit Shah Ji, @AmitShah, Hon'ble Union Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Cooperation, at his residence office in New Delhi. During the meeting, I had the opportunity to brief and update the Hon'ble Minister on the overall performance of IFFCO for the Financial Year 2024-25 -- a strong testament to the vision of Sahakar Se Samriddhi under his able & dynamic guidance. I also apprised him of the progress at the Seed Research and Development Facility at IFFCO's Kalol Unit in Gujarat. Furthermore, we had a meaningful discussion on strategies to enhance awareness and increase the market share of insurance in rural areas by leveraging India's vast and robust cooperative network -- a step that will significantly contribute to strengthening the rural economy and empowering cooperatives. I express my sincere gratitude to the Hon'ble Minister for graciously taking time out of his busy schedule for this warm and insightful meeting. @MinOfCooperatn @Dileep_Sanghani." Stellar Performance by IFFCO in FY 2024-25, Sales of Nano Fertilizers Increased by 47 per cent. IFFCO booked a profit of Rs. 3,811 Crores as PBT, a continuing trend from past three financial years. Also, sales of Nano-fertilizers saw a Year-on-Year increase of 47 per cent, with IFFCO Nano DAP showcasing the best growth results with 118 per cent increase in YoY sales. The IFFCO will soon launch Nano Zinc, Nano Copper in liquid form with 100ml bottle and Nano NPK fertiliser which will be in Granular form for soil application in basal dose. Sales of Sagarika, WSF, Specialty and Bio-fertilisers have also increased. IFFCO is set to build a state-of-the-art Seed Innovation Centre at Kalol unit. IFFCO is ranked world's no.1 cooperative (with respect to ratio towards contribution to GDP) according to World Cooperative Monitor (WCM) Report published by EURCISE and International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), the premier international cooperative body. IFFCO has a pan-India presence, supported by a vast network of over 35,600 cooperative societies as its members. With more than 500 field offices spread across 21 states, IFFCO serves and supports over five crore farmers across the country. The organisation also has a strong global footprint with presence in four countries. IFFCO have in total 10 manufacturing units. It is a matter of pride for the cooperatives as, Udai Shanker Awasthi, MD, IFFCO was bestowed with 'Rochdale Pioneers Award' 2024 during ICA 2024 Conference last year in New Delhi. Awasthi was also honoured with title of 'Fertiliser Man of India' during 8th National Conference of Sahkar Bharati for his lifetime remarkable contribution in the field of fertiliser and agriculture of the country. (ANI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on yet another visit to flood-hit Barak valley, on Friday visited Hailakandi and Sribhumi districts, reviewed the prevailing flood condition with district administrations and other line departments, and assured the affected people of all government help to quickly restore normalcy once the flood water recedes. During his day-long visit, the Chief Minister first visited several flood-hit areas in the Hailakandi district. He also visited relief camps set up at Kalinagar and Panch Gram and interacted with the camp inmates. While talking to them, he assured them that the government would provide complete support to assuage their sufferings. The Chief Minister also visited several flood-hit areas of the Sribhumi district and inspected the victims' problems on the ground. He visited the relief camps set up at Rabindra Sadan Girls College, Government Higher Secondary School, and Bhanga Higher Secondary School and spent some time with the flood-affected people sheltering there. He directed District Commissioners (DCs) Sribhumi and Hailakandi to ensure emergency supply of all essentials. He also asked them to pay special attention to the needs of the senior citizens, children and lactating mothers. Later, talking to the media at the conference hall of the DC office in Sribhumi, Chief Minister Sarma said that though the Barak river is flowing over the embankment in Hailakandi district, no breach in the embankment has been reported from the district. However, an embankment breach in the Longi River has been reported. However, he said that the government will take up a project to strengthen the embankment. He also said that the repair and strengthening work of the embankment breach reported in the Longai and Shingla rivers will be started very soon. CM Sarma said that the work on the East-West Corridor, the National Highways Development Project component connecting Silchar, is nearing completion. The remaining five kilometres need an elevated corridor, and the government is paying attention to that. He said, "Artificial floods have become a problem in towns and cities. With rapid urbanisation, empty lands are being filled, which obstructs water flow and storage and creates artificial floods. The government is improving drainage infrastructure across towns and cities to tackle this issue." CM Sarma also said that once the water recedes, concrete steps will be taken to return the flood-hit people to their respective homes. He also stated that DCs have been asked to undertake a survey of the flood-induced damage so that the government can start its repair and rehabilitation work. It may be noted that this is CM Sarma's second visit to the flood-hit Barak Valley in three days. Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika, Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Minister Kaushik Rai, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Minister Krishnendu Paul, MP Kripanath Mallah and several MLs also accompanied the Chief Minister to the flood-affected areas. (ANI) Lucknow Eidgah Imam Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali, on Friday, appealed to the Muslim community to pray for the safety and security of the country and the Army personnel ahead of the Eid-al-Adha festival on June 7. Speaking with ANI, Maulana Mahali also urged the Community to follow the 12-point advisory issued ahead of the sacred festival. "Eid al-Adha will be celebrated on June 7. In this regard, the Islamic Centre of India has issued a 12-point advisory in which Muslims are asked not to sacrifice animals forbidden by the law. During sacrifice, hygiene should be maintained. The blood of the animal should not be disposed of in any public place," he said. "While offering a sacrifice, no photos or videos should be taken or uploaded to social media. We have also appealed to the Muslim community to also pray for the safety and security of our country and the Army personnel," the Lucknow Eidgah Imam said. On June 2, Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali issued a comprehensive 12-point advisory to ensure the festival is observed with hygiene, respect, and social responsibility. Speaking to ANI, Mahali said, "A 12-point advisory has been issued for Eid-Ul-Adha, where Muslims are advised that while performing the ritual of sacrifice, please maintain hygiene and cleanliness. The ritual should be done on designated spots, not on roadsides or streets." He further stressed that the blood of the sacrificed animal should not be shed into drains but buried in raw soil so it acts as fertiliser for plants. "The blood should not be shed in the drains. It should be buried in raw soil so that it acts as a fertiliser for plants," he told. The Imam also requested that no videos or photos of the sacrificial ritual be taken or uploaded to social media. The holy festival of Eid al-Adha, also known as the 'festival of sacrifice' or Greater Eid, is celebrated on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic or lunar calendar. Eid al-Adha is the second Islamic festival of the year and follows Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. The date changes every year, as it's based on the Islamic lunar calendar, which is about 11 days shorter than the Western 365-day Gregorian calendar. It is celebrated as a commemoration of Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice everything for God. Eid al-Adha is called Id-ul-Adha in Arabic and Bakr-Id in the Indian subcontinent, because of the tradition of sacrificing a goat or 'bakri'. It is a festival that is celebrated with traditional fervour and gaiety in India. (ANI) "All the members are therefore requested to kindly cooperate and abstain from judicial work, stated the press statement issued by the Advocate Tarun Rana, Honorary Secretary of New Delhi Bar Association. This decision is in protest against the relocation of Digital NI Act Courts to Rouse Avenue Court, expressing strong discontent and firm opposition to the move, the statement read. Recently, Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya inaugurated 34 digital courts at the Rouse Avenue District Courts complex, dedicated exclusively to handling cases under the Negotiable Instruments Act in the national capital. Praising the infrastructure and technological advancements, Justice Upadhyaya emphasised the importance of judicial officers working for the people's cause, calling the initiative "laudable." He urged judges to exercise their jurisdiction with a sense of duty rather than being "power-charged." The 34 digital NI Act courtrooms, which specialise in cheque bounce cases, have been relocated from six court complexes across Delhi to the Rouse Avenue court complex. Among them, nine were shifted from Dwarka, seven from Tis Hazari, six from Saket, five from Karkardooma, four from Rohini, and three from Patiala House Court. (ANI) After inaugurating much-awaited and world's highest railway arch bridge over the river Chenab during his day-long visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that today's development works will enhance the development journey of Jammu and Kashmir. https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1931013854139470044 In a post on social media platform, X, PM Modi said, " A journey to remember and a big boost to connectivity! Travelled from the Chenab Rail Bridge to Anji Bridge and thereon to Katra for the public meeting. Today's development works will enhance the development journey of Jammu and Kashmir" The architectural marvel Chenab Rail Bridge, situated 359 metres above the river, is the world's highest railway arch bridge. It is a 1,315-metre-long steel arch bridge engineered to withstand seismic and wind conditions. A key impact of the bridge will be in enhancing connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar. The Vande Bharat train moving on the bridge will take just about three hours to travel between Katra and Srinagar, reducing the existing travel time by two to three hours. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Katra Railway Station, directly connecting the Jammu division with Kashmir.This marks a major milestone in Jammu and Kashmir's railway connectivity. Before flagging off the trains, Prime Minister Modi interacted with school children onboard and also spoke with railway staff members present on the train. The new Vande Bharat Express service will reduce the travel time between Katra and Srinagar from the current 6-7 hours by road to just about 3 hours. The trains aim to provide a fast, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, and pilgrims. The train will run through the Anji Khad Bridge, which is India's first cable-stayed railway bridge, and the Chenab Bridge, which is the highest railway bridge in the world. These trains have been specially designed to operate in the cold climatic conditions of the Kashmir Valley.Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the world's highest railway arch bridge - 'Chenab Railway Bridge' and India's first cable-stayed 'Anji Bridge' in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district.Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw were present during the inauguration. Before the inauguration of the bridge on the Chenab, the Prime Minister inspected the railway arch bridge.These bridges are part of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project in Jammu and Kashmir. The iconic Chenab Railway Bridge, the world's highest railway arch bridge, is part of the Katra-to-Sangaldan stretch, connecting New Delhi directly with Kashmir via Katra. Situated in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, the Chenab Bridge is an engineering marvel standing at a height of 359 meters above the riverbed. It will officially connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of India via rail for the first time in history. The project faced numerous engineering and logistical challenges due to the region's difficult terrain and seismic sensitivity. Yet, after years of meticulous work, the bridge now stands as a testament to India's technological prowess and commitment to inclusive development.It marks a transformative chapter in India's infrastructural landscape, promising greater connectivity, economic growth, and social integration in the region. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project is 272 km long USBRL project, constructed worth around Rs 43,780 crore, includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration. (ANI) Jammu and Kashmir Minister Satish Sharma on Friday said that the railway bridge over the Chenab river, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was a long-pending project and demand. The Minister said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are development-oriented and that the much-awaited project would boost tourism. Speaking to ANI about the Chenab rail bridge inauguration, Sharma said a day earlier, "Today, the Kashmir valley has been connected with the rest of the nation. This was a long-pending project and demand. I congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for making this possible." "The people of Jammu and Kashmir are development-oriented. The inauguration of the project will promote tourism, increase employment. Along with that, the produce, such as fruits, nuts, will be easy for deemed export to other parts of the country. It's a history in the making," he said. On terrorism, Satish Sharma said, "We have clarified our stance and have said that we believe in tourism, and they (Pakistan) believe in terrorism. These development projects are an answer to India's stand against terror." Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the much-awaited and world's highest railway arch bridge over the river Chenab during his day-long visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. The architectural marvel Chenab Rail Bridge, situated 359 metres above the river, is the world's highest railway arch bridge. It is a 1,315-metre-long steel arch bridge engineered to withstand seismic and wind conditions. A key impact of the bridge will be in enhancing connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar. The Vande Bharat train moving on the bridge will take just about three hours to travel between Katra and Srinagar, reducing the existing travel time by two to three hours. Speaking about the inauguration of the Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express, BJP leader Altaf Thakur said, "The dream of Kashmiris has been fulfilled today. They had been waiting for this day for a very long time. The inauguration of Vande Bharat by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will connect Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the nation. This will also give a massive boost to the economy of Kashmir as tourists will come to Jammu and Kashmir in large numbers." On terrorism, Altaf Thakur said, "On April 22, Pakistan attacked Pahalgam and killed 26 people, that was a huge move to try to paralyse Kashmir's tourism. After the inauguration of the Vande Bharat Express, tourism will return to normalcy. Today, Kashmir is celebrating Eid-al-Adha and PM Modi has given a gift to the people of Jammu and Kashmir." Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Katra Railway Station, directly connecting the Jammu division with Kashmir. This marks a major milestone in Jammu and Kashmir's railway connectivity. Before flagging off the trains, Prime Minister Modi interacted with school children onboard and also spoke with railway staff members present on the train. The new Vande Bharat Express service will reduce the travel time between Katra and Srinagar from the current 6-7 hours by road to just about 3 hours. The trains aim to provide a fast, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, and pilgrims. The train will run through the Anji Khad Bridge, which is India's first cable-stayed railway bridge, and the Chenab Bridge, which is the highest railway bridge in the world. These trains have been specially designed to operate in the cold climatic conditions of the Kashmir Valley. Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the world's highest railway arch bridge - 'Chenab Railway Bridge' and India's first cable-stayed 'Anji Bridge' in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw were present during the inauguration. Before the inauguration of the bridge on the Chenab, the Prime Minister inspected the railway arch bridge. These bridges are part of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project in Jammu and Kashmir. The iconic Chenab Railway Bridge, the world's highest railway arch bridge, is part of the Katra-to-Sangaldan stretch, connecting New Delhi directly with Kashmir via Katra. Situated in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, the Chenab Bridge is an engineering marvel standing at a height of 359 meters above the riverbed. It will officially connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of India via rail for the first time in history. The project faced numerous engineering and logistical challenges due to the region's difficult terrain and seismic sensitivity. Yet, after years of meticulous work, the bridge now stands as a testament to India's technological prowess and commitment to inclusive development. It marks a transformative chapter in India's infrastructural landscape, promising greater connectivity, economic growth, and social integration in the region. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project is 272 km long USBRL project, constructed worth around Rs 43,780 crore, includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration. (ANI) Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy conveyed his greetings to the Muslim community on Bakrid (Eid al Adha), a festival celebrated as a symbol of sacrifice, an official statement said. The Chief Minister remembered that Muslims all over the world celebrate Eid al-Kabir in memory of one of the Islamic prophets, Ibrahim Assalam, who announced his readiness to sacrifice his son, obeying the orders of Almighty Allah. CM Revanth Reddy expressed that the festival conveys a powerful message to humanity: people should strive to lead joyful lives while following the right path, without being fearful of the challenges they encounter. He emphasised the importance of having faith in God and noted that there is no greater act of charity than sharing what one has with others. The holy festival of Eid al-Adha, also known as the 'festival of sacrifice' or Greater Eid, is celebrated on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic or lunar calendar. Eid al-Adha is the second Islamic festival of the year and follows Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. The date changes every year, as it's based on the Islamic lunar calendar, which is about 11 days shorter than the Western 365-day Gregorian calendar. It is celebrated as a commemoration of Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice everything for God. Eid al-Adha is called Id-ul-Adha in Arabic and Bakr-Id in the Indian subcontinent, because of the tradition of sacrificing a goat or 'bakri'. It is a festival that is celebrated with traditional fervour and gaiety in India. (ANI) Kerala Governor, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, on Friday, greeted the Muslim brothers and sisters of Kerala on the joyous occasion of Eid-ul-Ad'ha. "Eid-ul-Ad'ha glorifies the spirit of sacrifice and everlasting faith in the Almighty, inspire humanity to stay united through love, compassion and kind deeds that foster brotherhood and social harmony," the governor's X post read. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also extended his wishes on the festival. The Chief Minister said, "As we celebrate Bakrid, we renew the remembrance of sacrifice, patience, and self-surrender. Bakrid, the holy festival of Muslims around the world, is celebrated in Kerala as Bali Perunnal or Valiya Perunnal. Marking the culmination of the sacred Hajj pilgrimage, Bakrid is a day that reminds us that sacrifice is the noblest expression of humanity." Additionally, the CM stressed the significance of the festival. He added, "Every celebration of Bakrid stands as a profound example of compassion and love for fellow beings. The devotion with which believers remember the less fortunate, embrace them, and share food and joy with them is truly exemplary. Each Bakrid conveys the greatest message that those who set aside personal comforts and happiness to serve others are the ones who illuminate the world. Let the message of Eid inspire greater unity, harmony, and a spirit of selflessness among all people. I extend my heartfelt Bakrid wishes to all Malayalis across the world -- may this day be filled with mutual love, joy, and togetherness." The holy festival of Eid al-Adha, also known as the 'festival of sacrifice' or Greater Eid, is celebrated on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic or lunar calendar. Eid al-Adha is the second Islamic festival of the year and follows Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. The date changes every year, as it's based on the Islamic lunar calendar, which is about 11 days shorter than the Western 365-day Gregorian calendar. It is celebrated as a commemoration of Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice everything for God. Eid al-Adha is called Id-ul-Adha in Arabic and Bakr-Id in the Indian subcontinent, because of the tradition of sacrificing a goat or 'bakri'. It is a festival that is celebrated with traditional fervour and gaiety in India. (ANI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami chaired a high-level review meeting with Kumaon division-level officials in Nainital on Friday. According to an official release, public representatives and senior administrative officers of six districts of Kumaon division--Nainital, Almora, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Champawat and Udham Singh Nagar--were present in this meeting. The Chief Minister discussed the schemes being run by the Central Government and the State Government in the division. He said that there is a need for public representatives and officers to coordinate with each other and work on the ground by organizing public darbars and chaupals to solve the problems of the people. "So that even the person standing at the last end benefits from the schemes of the government" He said that under the leadership of the Prime Minister, "contribute to the work going on in the district. Our resolution is to end corruption and for this the number 1064 has been started." The Chief Minister asked the district officials to "make a schedule to sit in their office from 10 to 1:00 so that people coming from far away can meet them and put forward their point." The Chief Minister directed to complete all the construction works in a quality manner within the stipulated time frame. He said that strict action will be taken against the concerned officials if the work is not done as per the standards or there is unnecessary delay. Reviewing the progress of the Jamrani Dam Project in the meeting, the Chief Minister said that the rehabilitation package has been approved and the master planning has been completed. "The main dam construction work will be started before the monsoon. This project will play an important role in increasing the irrigation capacity for both the states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh" The Chief Minister directed to further speed up the revival efforts of Sukha Tal. He informed that this work is being done by the Drinking Water Department under the Namami Gange Scheme and the work of promotion and beautification of Sukha Tal Lake in Nainital district is in progress at a cost of Rs 2916.00 lakh. Discussing the overall development of Kainchi Dham area, the Chief Minister asked to give priority to the development work of all the necessary facilities there. The Chief Minister said that the work of beautification and illumination is in progress at Shri Kainchi Dham under Manaskhand Mandir Mala at a cost of Rs 2815.68 lakh. He informed about the progress on the master plan for Almora Medical College and said that the budget of Pithoragarh Medical College has been doubled. He said that ensuring the availability of all the state-of-the-art facilities in the border area is the top priority of the government. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reiterated that the Uttarakhand government will not tolerate corruption at any level. The Chief Minister directed to suspend Superintending Engineer Shivam Dwivedi in Kashipur on a complaint by the District Magistrate of Udham Singh Nagar under Jal Jeevan Mission. He also directed the officials to conduct regular public hearings, adopt solution-based work style and immediately resolve the problems of the public at the local level through camps. He also said that the vigilance system is being made more strong and active in the state. "Now the government will directly and decisively intervene in cases of corruption. If an officer of any level is found guilty, he will be given severe punishment. However, he will also be given a fair hearing and an opportunity to explain." The Chief Minister said that our priority is to make the "dreams of the people come true". Uttarakhand has already become a leader in the country in many areas and now we have to ensure that the state reaches the top position in other areas as well. (ANI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a meeting with his Uzbekistan counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov in Delhi on Thursday and spoke about the common challenge of terrorism for our regions. The two leaders discussed cooperation in connectivity, investment, trade and energy sectors. In a post on X, Jaishankar stated, "Pleased to meet @FM_Saidov of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Spoke about the common challenge of terrorism for our regions. Also discussed our cooperation in connectivity, investment, trade and energy sectors. Concluded a Program of Cooperation, reflective of our commitment to further our Strategic Partnership." https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1930661029094301827 Saidov stated that they signed the Programme of Cooperation between Foreign Ministries for 2025-2026. He said that the discussions focused on advancing the ambitious goals set by the leaders of two nations to elevate bilateral trade and enrich dynamically expanding ties. "It was a great pleasure to meet with my esteemed counterpart H.E. @DrSJaishankar, #India's External Affairs Minister. Our discussions reaffirmed the deep historical and cultural bonds between #Uzbekistan and #India, which have grown into a robust strategic partnership. During our meeting, we focused on advancing the ambitious goals set by our leaders to elevate bilateral trade and enrich dynamically expanding ties in all areas. We also signed the Programme of Cooperation between Foreign Ministries for 2025-2026," Saidov posted on X. https://x.com/FM_Saidov/status/1930682876108107915 Bakhtiyor Saidov arrived in Delhi on Thursday to participate in the fourth edition of the India- Central Asia Dialogue, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal statedon Thursday. In a post on X, Jaiswal noted that the Uzbekistan Foreign Minister will also participate in several bilateral meetings during the visit. "Warm welcome to FM @FM_Saidov of the Republic of Uzbekistan. During his official visit to India, he will participate in the 4th India-Central Asia Dialogue and hold several bilateral meetings," Jaiswal posted on X. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will host the Foreign Ministers of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan for the 4th meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue in New Delhi on June 6, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said in a statement on Wednesday. According to the statement, the 3rd meeting of the Dialogue was hosted by India in New Delhi in December 2021.MEA underscored that India and Central Asia, in each other's 'Extended Neighbourhood', enjoy close and cordial contemporary diplomatic relations underpinned by millennia old cultural and people-to-people exchanges. Notably, the first India-Central Summit held virtually in January 2022 and the mechanism of India-Central Asia Dialogue, at the level of Foreign Ministers, have taken this relationship substantially forward. As per the MEA statement, the Ministers at the fourth edition of the India - Central Asia Dialogue will discuss further strengthening of relations between India and Central Asian countries with particular focus on trade, connectivity, technology, and development cooperation. They will also share perspectives on challenges to regional security and other regional and global issues of mutual interest. The India-Central Asia Dialogue is a manifestation of mutual interest on the part of India and the Central Asian countries to forge even closer, wider and stronger partnership in a spirit of friendship, trust and mutual understanding. (ANI) BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who is a member of all-party delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, said that they had a "fantastic meeting" with US Vice President JD Vance. He said that Vance expressed complete support for Government of India in its fight against terrorism. Speaking to ANI, Tejasvi Surya said that Vance was clear that India exercised its right to deter further terrorist attacks from Pahalgam. He stated that Vance said that he was a witness to the outrage and anger among people of India regarding the Pahalgam attack as he was in India when the terrorist attack took place. When asked about delegation's meeting with Vance, he stated, "We had a fantastic meeting with the Vice President of the United States of America. Vice President Vance was unequivocal, categorical in his support for India's stance against terrorism. He was very clear that India exercised its right to deter further terrorist attacks from Pakistan and sympathised with the victims of terror attack in Pahalgam." "He mentioned that he himself was in India when the attack took place, and he also was a witness to the outrage and anger amongst the Indian people to this brutal and cruel terrorist attack. He also expressed complete support to the government of India in its fight against terror. He was also greatly appreciative of the responsible restraint that India showed even after repeated provocations by Pakistan and India very sternly dealing with the issue both militarily as well as diplomatically," he added. Surya stated that JD Vance expressed enthusiasm regarding trade between India and the US. According to him, Vance during the meeting multiple times mentioned about the personal bond he shares with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and how India is undergoing a massive transformation towards prosperity and growth and progress. Tejasvi Surya said, "He also went ahead and expressed the enthusiasm that he and the government of the United States share, in so far as trade with India is concerned, partnership with India is concerned, and how he saw first hand the great vitality and strength in India and how India and the United States are natural partners in this journey in the coming years. I would say that the meetings that we have had yesterday and today with various senior senators and Congressmen." "And today the meeting with vice president was actually the cherry on the top of the cake. It was a very good meeting which has further strengthened the great relationship between our two great nations. The vice president also multiple times through the conversation reminded all of us the personal bond that he shares with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and how under Prime Minister Modi's leadership, India is undergoing a massive transformation towards prosperity and growth and progress," he added. JD Vance and his family were on a four-day official visit to India in April when the attack took place in Pahalgam. During the visit, PM Modi hosted Vance and his family at his Lok Kalyan Marg residence in New Delhi. Vance's three children - Vivek, Ewan and Mirabel Rose shared several playful moments with the Prime Minister. The all-party delegation, led by Shashi Tharoor, held a meeting with JD Vance in Washington, DC, on Thursday (local time). Indian Embassy in the US stated that the discussion between two sides focused on strengthening the India-US partnership, including cooperation in counter-terrorism. "The All Party Parliamentary Delegation led by Dr. @ShashiTharoor called on Vice President JD Vance @VP this morning. The conversation focused on strengthening the India - US partnership including cooperation in counter-terrorism domain," Indian Embassy in the US posted on X. Shashi Tharoor shared the meeting details in a post on X. He noted that deliberations took place on various important issues, including counter-terrorism and enhancing technological cooperation between the two countries. In a post on X, he wrote, "Excellent meeting with Vice President @JDVance today in Washington D.C. with our delegation. We had comprehensive discussions covering a wide array of critical issues, from counter-terrorism efforts to enhancing technological cooperation. A truly constructive & productive exchange for strengthening India-US strategic partnership, with a great meeting of minds. #IndiaUS #Diplomacy #StrategicPartnership." The all-party delegation, led by Tharoor, includes Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), GM Harish Balayogi (Telugu Desam Party), Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejasvi Surya (BJP), and Bhubaneswar Kalita (all from the BJP), Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena), Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora and former Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu According to a statement by the Indian Embassy in the US on June 4, the all-party delegation met the leadership of the House Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans in the 119th Congress, including the co-chairs Rep. Ro Khanna and Rep. Rich McCormick and the vice co-chairs Rep. Andy Barr and Rep. Marc Veasey. The delegation also met the leadership of the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) in a special high-power meeting hosted by Committee Chairman RepresentativeBrian Mast and Ranking Member Representative Gregory Meeks. Also, in attendance were HFAC's South and Central Asia Subcommittee Chairman Representative Bill Huizenga, Ranking Member Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove, and HFAC's East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee Chairperson Representative Young Kim and Ranking Member Representative Ami Bera. According to the statement, members of the delegation also met with Representative Lisa McClain, Chairwoman of the House Republican Conference for the 119th Congress- the highest-ranking woman in Congress and the delegation had also interacted with the members of the Indian diaspora. The delegation also interacted with Indian diaspora in the US. The purpose of the visit is to brief key US stakeholders on Operation Sindoor, India's diplomatic effort launched to combat terrorism and disinformation following the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 people and injured several others. (ANI US Senators Kevin Cramer and Michael Bennet have introduced the Quad Space Act of 2025 to strengthen Quad space cooperation. The bill would direct US Secretary of Defence to initiate discussions with Quad nations to identify mutual areas of interest with regards to formulation of practices in space, cooperation on space situational awareness, and space industrial policy. The press release stated, "At a time when adversaries like China and Russia are increasingly utilizing space-based capabilities to expand their interests, US Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), co-chair of the Senate Space Force Caucus and chair of the Senate Armed Services (SASC) Airland Subcommittee, and Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced the Quad Space Act of 2025." "The bill would direct the Secretary of Defense to initiate discussions with Quad countries to identify mutual areas of interest with respect to the formulation of best practices in space, cooperation on space situational awareness, and space industrial policy," it added. https://x.com/SenKevinCramer/status/1930691655977316631 Cramer emphasised that maintaining space dominance is needed for protecting the stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific. He stated that Quad Space Act protects US' interests by deepening space cooperation with trusted partners and reaffirming US' commitment to advancing a free and open region." He stated, "Maintaining space dominance is vital to protecting the stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region." He added, "The Quad's alignment addresses shared security challenges between our countries, and we recognize the importance of space as a strategic domain. The Quad Space Act protects our interests by deepening space cooperation with trusted partners and reaffirming our commitment to advancing a free and open region." Bennet emphasised that Quad Space Act will enhance the collective capacity of the four nations to address shared challenges by better ensuring safe and secure space missions, tracking objects and activities in space, and fostering shared innovation "As China and Russia rapidly develop dangerous space capabilities and behave recklessly in space, the United States must bolster cooperation with our Quad partners to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific," Bennet said in a release. "The Quad Space Act will enhance our collective capacity to address shared challenges by better ensuring safe and secure space missions, tracking objects and activities in space, and fostering shared innovation," he added. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or the Quad is a diplomatic partnership among India, Australia, Japan, and the United States, committed to fostering an open, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient. Earlier in January, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on his first day in office, hosted the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India, and Japan for a significant meeting of the QUAD alliance. "On day one as Secretary of State, I hosted the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India, and Japan for an important meeting of the Quad. We are committed to strengthening economic opportunity and peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region," Rubio posted on X. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held the meeting with his Quad counterparts--External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Japan's Takeshi Iwaya, and Australia's Penny Wong--at the US Department of State. In a joint statement, the Foreign ministers of Quad countries reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening a free and open Indo-Pacific where "sovereignty and territorial integrity are upheld and defended." The Quad nations also expressed strong opposition "to any unilateral actions aimed at changing the status quo through force or coercion." (ANI) Union Minister of Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal, planted a tree under the 'Ek Ped Maa ke Naam' initiative at the Navnat Centre, Hayes in London on World Environment Day on Thursday. The event was organised and hosted by Overseas Friends of BJP UK (OFBJP UK) as part of their continued community engagement and cultural efforts. In a post on X, Meghwal stated, "Today, a tree was planted at the Navnat Centre in London on the occasion of World Environment Day and under the campaign ' 'Ek Ped Maa ke Naam'." https://x.com/arjunrammeghwal/status/1930679301805891908 On Thursday, Meghwal also addressed the 3rd International Conference on Arbitrating Indo-UK Commercial Disputes organised by the Indian Council of Arbitration. Chief Justice of India BR Gavai also attended the conference. "Today addressed the 3rd International Conference on Arbitrating Indo-UK Commercial Disputes organised by the Indian Council of Arbitration in London in the august presence of the Chief Justice of India, Shri BR Gavai ji," Meghwal stated in a post on X. "Held after the historic FTA between India and the UK, this conference witnessed fruitful dialogue towards comprehensive reforms in ease of doing business, promoting commercial arbitration, strengthening mutual cooperation and increasing international cooperation," he added. https://x.com/arjunrammeghwal/status/1930589879781749095 Meghwal also interacted with members of Jain Vishwa Bharati London unit in the UK. Sharing details regarding his interaction, he stated, "Today I had a cordial meeting and interaction with the members of Jain Vishwa Bharati London unit. Extremely commendable work is being done by the expatriate members of Jain Vishva Bharati, dedicated to the global propagation of principles like non-violence, self-discipline, moral values and Anuvrat. Through spiritual guidance, Jain philosophy is giving the message of peace and balance to the world today and this contribution of Jain tradition is going to strengthen the efforts for global welfare." https://x.com/arjunrammeghwal/status/1930580791211213270 On World Environment Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the importance of preserving the balance of nature. He shared a video message on his official X account urging people to deepen their efforts to protect the planet and overcome environmental challenges. While sharing the video on X, PM Modi wrote, "This #WorldEnvironmentDay, let's deepen our efforts towards protecting our planet and overcoming the challenges we face. I also compliment all those working at the grassroots to make our environment greener and better." (ANI) The public breakdown between US President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk grew exponentially more bitter on Thursday, transforming what was once a powerful political alliance into a vicious war of words that has wiped billions from Tesla's market value and threatens to derail the president's flagship budget legislation. The feud reached its peak when Musk made explosive allegations about Trump's connection to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, marking a dramatic escalation in their increasingly personal conflict. The fued between the two men got nastier, less than a week after Musk officially left his position spearheading the quasi-official Department of Government Efficiency. The latest round of hostilities erupted during an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, when Trump was asked about Musk's criticism of his signature budget legislation. "Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will any more," Trump told reporters, his disappointment evident. The president expressed his frustration more directly, saying: "I'm very disappointed in Elon. He knew every aspect of this bill. He knew it better than almost anybody, and he never had a problem until right after he left." Trump continued his criticism, adding: "He said the most beautiful things about me, and he hasn't said bad about me personally, but I'm sure that'll be next, but I'm very disappointed in Elon. I've helped Elon a lot." Musk's response on X was swift and defiant, flatly contradicting the president's account. "False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!" he wrote, before escalating the personal attack by claiming that without him Trump would have "lost the election" and bemoaning what he called "such ingratitude". But Thursday brought a far more acrimonious and personal tone to the exchanges when Musk launched his most damaging attack yet. In a jaw-dropping social media post, Musk alleged that Trump's name "is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public." The tech billionaire amplified his attack by reminding his 220 million followers of Trump's quote about Epstein from a New York magazine profile more than two decades ago: "He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side." Musk concluded his post with a gleeful taunt: "Have a nice day, DJT!" and suggested marking the post "for the future. The truth will come out." The exchange rapidly devolved into a series of increasingly serious threats. Trump responded by threatening to terminate Musk's lucrative government subsidies and contracts, prompting the SpaceX boss to counter with his own nuclear option: potentially decommissioning the Dragon spacecraft that had recently rescued astronauts stranded on the International Space Station for months. The threat could throw US space programmes into chaos, highlighting how deeply intertwined Musk's business empire has become with critical government operations. As the feud intensified, Musk crossed into unprecedented territory by suggesting Trump should be impeached and that JD Vance should replace him as president. Right-wing influencer Ian Miles Cheong, who has 1.2 million followers on X, posted that "my money's on Elon" in the battle between Musk and Trump, asserting that "Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him." Less than 30 minutes later, Musk reposted Cheong's message, adding simply: "Yes." Musk also warned that Trump's global tariffs would "cause a recession in the second half of this year" and launched an online poll asking whether a new political party should be formed, moves that are certain to enrage the president. Tesla shares plummeted more than 14 per cent on Thursday alone, erasing approximately USD 152 billion from the company's value and reducing it to roughly USD 900 billion. The decline knocked USD 8.73 billion off Musk's personal net worth according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, demonstrating how quickly political feuds can translate into economic consequences. Trump also took to his social media platform Truth Social to fire fresh salvo against Musk. In a post on Truth Social, he stated, "I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It's a Record Cut in Expenses, USD 1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn't pass, there will be a 68 per cent Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didn't create this mess, I'm just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN." https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114632555927229642 Trump stated that he told Musk to leave and took away his Electric Vehicle (EV) Mandate that forced everyone to purchase electric cars. "Elon was "wearing thin," I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY," he posted on Truth Social. https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump In response to Trump post, Elon Musk on X wrote, "Such an obvious lie. So sad." He made this statement in response to a post shared by a user named Autism Capital on X. The user had shares screenshot of Trump's post and mentioned, "Trump fires back at Elon. The online battle begins." Trump even threatened to terminate Elon Musk's governmental subsidies and contracts. "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it," Trump posted on Truth Social. https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump Elon Musk also reposted the post shared by a social media user Kaizen D Asiedu on X. In response to Trump's statement on the "big beautiful bill", Aseidu stated, "What a waste of time by our President. Rather than making this about Elon, he should simply make clear: 1. The conditions under which this bill will reduce the deficit. 2. How he will create those conditions. He was elected to lead, not fight with citizens." https://x.com/thatsKAIZEN/status/1930673343692439926 Trump, in his earlier remarks, had blamed Musk's public displeasure on legislative proposals that would strip away tax incentives to buy electric vehicles. Musk vehemently denies this is the reason for his break with Trump, but the president's propensity to seek vengeance on those who cross him makes it very plausible that Musk's companies will have a target on their backs. The conflict threatens to derail Trump's centerpiece legislation, which he calls the "big, beautiful bill". Musk has trained his fire not just on Trump but also on Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, resurfacing past comments where they lamented the dangers of letting government spending spiral out of control. In characteristically fiery style, Musk contended in one Thursday afternoon post that "Congress is spending America into bankruptcy!" The budget bill in its current form is projected to add USD 2.4 trillion to the deficit over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. (ANI) Tel Aviv [Israel], June 6 (ANI/TPS): The year 2024 ended with a record of 439 fatalities in road accidents - the highest number in the last twenty years. In light of the serious situation, Israel's National Road Safety Authority will hold a national emergency conference, led by the Ministry of Transportation and in cooperation with all professional bodies, with the aim of formulating immediate steps to curb the rising trend. The goal of the conference is to bring together all the key actors working in the field, and to constitute a turning point in the national fight against road fatalities. During the conference, operational steps will be presented to promote a comprehensive national plan to improve road safety and reduce the number of deaths and injuries. The Ministry of Transport and Road Safety called the setting of a new road fatalities record a "disturbing statistic that indicates a continuing upward trend in fatal accidents on Israeli roads. Road accidents are a serious national problem that affects the entire public - Jews and Arabs, religious and secular, men and women - and requires joint, broad-based and immediate action." (ANI/TPS) All-Party Delegation Leader and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that the delegation, during their meeting with US Vice President JD Vance, cleared the air around US President Donald Trump's claim of mediating between the India-Pakistan crisis. Tharoor, while talking to ANI, said that the delegation's meeting with Vance was a good one and that he understood their position. "The meeting with Vice President Vance was outstanding, very good, very clear. I think we made our position amply clear on this question of mediation, and Vice President Vance fully understood our points," he said. Tharoor said that mediation implies equivalence between the two parties. And there can be no equivalence between Pakistan, which is an incubator of terrorism, and India, a victim of terror. "The main point is that mediation implies an equivalence between two parties, and there can be no equivalence between terrorists and their victims, between those who are offering safe havens to terrorists and, on the other one on our hand, multi-party democracy. On the one hand, the place from which attacks are coming, another country which is in the process of defending itself, exercising its right to survive, there can be no equivalence," he said. Tharoor said that the message of India's stance on mediation claim was understood by Vance and also by the other levels of the US administration. "And therefore I think that we suggested that that would not be an appropriate way of looking at it, and the message has been very clearly understood by the Vice President and certainly at other levels of the system, I think the message has been clearly understood," he said. US President Donald Trump on May 31 falsely claimed credit for brokering a cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan, asserting that his administration's trade negotiations potentially averted a nuclear war between the two nations. "I think the deal I'm most proud of is the fact that we're dealing with India, we're dealing with Pakistan, and we were able to stop potentially a nuclear war through trade as opposed to bullets. You know, normally they do it through bullets. We do it through trade. So I'm very proud of that. Nobody talks about it. But we had a very nasty potential war going on between Pakistan and India. And now, if you look, they're doing fine," the US President said. (ANI) All-Party Delegation Leader and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that he was not anticipating anything with regards to the criticisms heaped on him by Congress Tharoor, when ANI asked him about the statements directed at him from Congress members, said that he will look at them when he reaches back and now it was important to take note of the unity displayed in the All-Party delegation. "Look, there will be a time for internal discussions when one gets back. I'm not anticipating anything because I've not been told anything directly. All I'm seeing is in the media, and some of it is speculative, but on the whole, my view very much is that we are at the moment facing a situation where the country is united and that unity was very apparent in the delegation," he said. Tharoor has been facing heat from his own party, the Congress. On May 30, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala has said that Tharoor's recent remarks about surgical strikes, made as leader of all-party delegation, were factually incorrect and that Congress party had only corrected the record by pointing out that the surgical strikes in Pakistan and also at other dens of terrorists "were regularly executed" during Congress-led UPA government to give a befetting reply to terrorists. He said surgical strikes had been carried out by the armed forces when the Congress-led UPA government was in power. "Those instances have been detailed in the past by the AICC Communication department. Mr Shashi Tharoor, in his book, has also spoken about these surgical strikes during Congress government. Even former Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, in the past, spoke about these surgical strikes. Mr Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera have set the record straight. It should not be matter of any acrimony or doubt," Surjewala told ANI. On June 1, Tharoor underscored the importance of focusing on their mission Operation Sindoor outreach, informing the world about India's anti-terrorism stance and response, while engaging with international counterparts. When asked for comments on the criticism going on in India, even within his (Congress) party against him, he said, "I think this is a time for us to focus on our mission. Undoubtedly, in a thriving democracy, there are bound to be comments, criticisms. But I think at this point, we can't afford to dwell on it, when we get back to India, no doubt we have a chance to speak to our colleagues, critics, and media there. But right now we're focused on the countries we're coming to and getting the message out to the people here. A political storm has erupted after Congress MP Jairam Ramesh made a controversial remark stating, "Our MPs are roaming and terrorists are also roaming," prompting a sharp response from BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla, who strongly condemned the statement, calling it "shameful, condemnable, and senseless." (ANI) Bharatiya Janata Party MP, Samik Bhattacharya, who is part of the all-party delegation led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the biggest threat facing the world are radicalisation and illegal immigration, which is happening in India from Bangladesh and could happen in Europe too. The delegation is currently in Germany after departing from Belgium as part of the diplomatic outreach to meet with various officials and put forward India's stance against terrorism. During their visit to Brussels, they held meetings with members of the European Parliament. "The threat facing the whole world is radicalism, illegal immigration, which is happening in India because of Bangladesh...What is happening in India today can happen in Europe tomorrow. If the European Union is looking at itself as a multicultural society and acting, they should also understand that India also has a multicultural society, and what is Bangladesh doing?" Bhattacharya told ANI on Wednesday. Hitting out at Pakistan, he said that terrorism is their "state doctrine," making terrorism and Pakistan synonymous with each other. "You cannot separate Pakistan from terrorism. Terrorism and Pakistan are synonymous; the world should be free from this, and Europe should be free from this. It is the EU's responsibility to stand with India and at least raise their voice against fundamentalism, terrorism," he added. Criticising the Pakistani army further, the delegation member claimed that the Pakistani Army's chief, General Asim Munir, believes that Hindus and Muslims cannot coexist. "The line of General Munir is that Hindus and Muslims cannot coexist together, our aspirations are different, our goals are different, and we want to achieve something different. Looking at this, the whole European Union should stand united against terror," he said. Earlier, AIADMK leader M Thambidurai highlighted that it is accepted in the United Nations that Pakistan has at least 52 terror camps, which not only terrorise India but the whole world. "UN also has accepted that 52 terrorist camps are there (in Pakistan), which are used not only to terrorise India but also to kill innocent people, it is also happening in other parts of the world. America has faced this problem, and Europe, Belgium, also. But these terrorists have a connection with Pakistan. The 27 countries assembled here have realised that Pakistan is a military state, there is no democracy, and they only create terrorist activities," Thambidurai told ANI. Indian Ambassador to Belgium, Saurabh Kumar, said that the visit of the all-party delegation was "highlight successful" as they held meetings with EU parliament officials and also with Belgian officials. "They met people at the highest levels. The message about cross-border terrorism directed against India that has to end, details about Operation Sindoor and our expectations from the international community and zero tolerance against terrorism - all these messages were made to all the interlocutors," the Indian Envoy told ANI. The delegation held over 10 meetings with leaders from the European Union and Belgium in just one and a half days. (ANI) Taiwan's Ministry of Defence detected 38 Chinese aircraft, seven Chinese vessels and one official ship operating around its territorial waters as of 6am (local time) on Friday. Out of 38, 35 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern, southwestern and eastern ADIZ (Air Defence Identification Zone). In a post on X, Taiwan's MND said, "38 PLA aircraft, 7 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 35 out of 38 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern, southwestern and eastern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded." https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1930791757324701719 Earlier on Thursday, Taiwan detected 24 sorties of PLA aircraft and eight PLAN vessels operating around itself. In a post on X, Taiwan's MND said, "24 sorties of PLA aircraft and 8 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 18 out of 24 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly." https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1930430369372815513 Beijing sent two aircraft carrier strike groups and numerous warships to the waters both north and south of Taiwan last month, as noted by a Taiwanese security official, amid rising tensions between China and Taiwan, as reported by The Eurasian Times. From May 1 to May 27, around 70 Chinese vessels, including naval ships, were tracked from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea, according to a security official who requested anonymity. In recent years, China has intensified the deployment of warships and fighter jets around Taiwan, pressuring Taipei to recognise its claims of sovereignty over the island, The Eurasian Times reported. China has not dismissed the possibility of using military force to bring Taiwan under its control, posing an ongoing threat of invasion to the island. "Their military activities and grey-zone operations have involved substantial deployments across the entire island chain, representing a strategy of comprehensive maximum pressure," the security official indicated, as quoted by The Eurasian Times. (ANI) All-Party Delegation Leader and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor held discussions with the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee on strengthening the India-US strategic partnership, regional security, and global cooperation. Tharoor said that he was grateful towards the US for their steadfast commitment to deepening the bilateral ties between the two countries. "Excellent meeting with the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday on Capitol Hill. Productive discussions on strengthening the India-US strategic partnership, regional security, and global cooperation. Grateful for the insightful exchange of views and their steadfast commitment to deepening our bilateral ties," he stated. https://x.com/ShashiTharoor/status/1930824994071761393 "Attendees included Senator James Risch, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Leaders of the SFRC subcommittee dealing with South Asia and Counterterrorism Senator Dave McCormick and Senator Jacky Rosen, Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Senator Mark Warner, Member of SFRC and Intelligence Committee Senator John Cornyn and Member of Homeland Security Committee Senator Elissa Slotkin," he said. He also had an 'excellent' meeting with the House Foreign Affairs Committee leadership. "Yesterday: an excellent meeting with the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) Leadership," he stated in a post on X. https://x.com/ShashiTharoor/status/1930823422205997163 He also held talks with Senator Andy Kim on a range of issues dealing with terrorism. In a post on X, he said, "An excellent and constructive meeting with Senator Andy Kim today on a range of issues dealing with terrorism and the broader geostrategic picture in the Indo-Pacific. We left feeling we had found a friend." https://x.com/ShashiTharoor/status/1930822425798672784 Kim acknowledged that India is a critical US partner in the Indo-Pacific, and he wanted to advance the cooperation on a free, open, and prosperous region. "Today, I met with members of an Indian parliamentary delegation to discuss recent events in the region, including developments with Pakistan and with China. We exchanged views on opportunities for greater economic and technological cooperations. India is a critical U.S. partner in the Indo-Pacific, and I am committed to working with them to advance our cooperation on a free, open, and prosperous region." https://x.com/SenatorAndyKim/status/1930773022564049402 He also met the India Caucus leadership. "Yesterday, a wonderfully positive meeting with the India Caucus leadership," he said. https://x.com/ShashiTharoor/status/1930716777853468993 Tharoor met the Vice President of the US, JD Vance. Shashi Tharoor shared the meeting details in a post on X. He noted that deliberations took place on various important issues, including counter-terrorism and enhancing technological cooperation between the two countries. "Excellent meeting with Vice President JD Vance today in Washington DC with our delegation. We had comprehensive discussions covering a wide array of critical issues, from counter-terrorism efforts to enhancing technological cooperation. A truly constructive & productive exchange for strengthening India-US strategic partnership, with a great meeting of minds," he stated. https://x.com/ShashiTharoor/status/1930643179197366379 Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is leading the all-party delegation which includes Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), G M Harish Balayogi (Telugu Desam Party), Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejaswi Surya, and Bhubaneswar Kalita (all from the BJP), Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena), former Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, and Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora. (ANI) Held at the US Capitol, the bipartisan event brought together lawmakers, human rights activists, and survivors of the CCP's repression, highlighting both the legacy of June 4, 1989, and the ongoing struggle for freedom in China. "For 76 years, the CCP's greatest victims have been the Chinese people themselves," said Chairman John Moolenaar, addressing the gathering. "Even the act of remembering Tiananmen is illegal in China today. But we remember. We remember the man who stood in front of a tank, and the students who demanded reform." The event featured prominent members of Congress, including Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Young Kim (R-CA), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Zach Nunn (R-IA), Chris Smith (R-NJ), and Jill Tokuda (D-HI). Chinese dissidents Wang Dan and Wei Jingsheng, both survivors of persecution by the CCP, delivered moving testimonies. They warned against complacency and urged global solidarity with those still resisting authoritarianism in China. As part of the event, Chairman Moolenaar presented a formal letter to Washington DC. Mayor Muriel Bowser is urging an end to the sister-city relationship with Beijing. "That optimism was crushed just five years later in the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre," the letter read, condemning the CCP's legacy of violence and censorship. Signed by a coalition of lawmakers, the letter stands as a symbolic call for moral clarity and action against CCP propaganda, according to the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. The event underscored America's support for freedom and democratic values as China continues to suppress its own citizens' rights. (ANI) The attendees included Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu of Kazakhstan, Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin of Tajikistan, Deputy Chairman of Cabinet of Ministers and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov of Turkmenistan, Foreign Minister Zheenbek Kulubaev of Kyrgyzstan and Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov of Uzbekistan. Jaishankar said in a post on X, "With Central Asian colleagues at the start of the 4th India-Central Asia Dialogue." https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1930849829661388997 "4th India-Central Asia Dialogue begins in Delhi," Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said in a post on X. https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1930858230017659144 The 3rd meeting of the Dialogue was hosted by India in New Delhi in December 2021, as per a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs. India and Central Asia, in each other's 'Extended Neighbourhood', enjoy close and cordial contemporary diplomatic relations underpinned by millennia old cultural and people-to-people exchanges. The first India-Central Summit held virtually in January 2022 and the mechanism of India-Central Asia Dialogue, at the level of Foreign Ministers, have taken this relationship substantially forward, the statement said. At the 4th Dialogue, on 6 June 2025, the Ministers will discuss further strengthening of relations between India and Central Asian countries with particular focus on trade, connectivity, technology, and development cooperation. They will also share perspectives on challenges to regional security and other regional and global issues of mutual interest, the statement said. The Foreign Ministers will also participate in the India-Central Asia Business Council meeting being held on June 5 by MEA in collaboration with FICCI. The India-Central Asia Dialogue is a manifestation of mutual interest on the part of India and the Central Asian countries to forge even closer, wider and stronger partnership in a spirit of friendship, trust and mutual understanding. (ANI) Aide to the President, Yury Ushakov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump had a telephonic conversation where they exchanged views on US-Iran deal on nuclear programme and that Trump sought Russia's helping hand in that matter. Ushakov said that their conversation focused on the stalled talks between the US and Iran. "In addition to Ukraine, a number of international issues were discussed, with a focus on the stalled talks between the United States and Iran on the Iranian nuclear programme. Donald Trump believes that Russia's assistance may be necessary here, and he would appreciate it if Russia could work with the Iranian side accordingly," he said. Ushakov said that their conversation involved a discussion on Ukraine conflict on the second round of direct Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul. "Naturally, it began with a discussion of the situation around Ukraine. Vladimir Putin provided detailed information on the outcomes of the second round of direct Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul," he said. "The fourth telephone conversation between our President and US President Donald Trump concluded. In case you want to know, this time it lasted approximately 70 minutes," he added. Ushakov said that Ukraine derailed these talks and attacked civilian infrastructure instead. "It was emphasised that Ukraine tried to derail these talks by carrying out targeted attacks on entirely civilian targets and civilians on direct orders from the Kyiv regime. These attacks unequivocally constitute an act of terrorism under international law and, in our view, the Kyiv regime has essentially degenerated into a terrorist organisation. The Russian side did not fall for the provocations and, as you know, the second round has effectively taken place in Istanbul," he said. Ushakov said that Putin and Trump's telephonic conversation was an extensive one and the corresponding memorandums will be analysed in Moscow and Kyiv. "To reiterate, our President extensively covered the content and the outcomes of the talks and emphasised that, overall, these talks were productive. The corresponding memorandums exchanged hands and will be analysed in the capitals - Moscow and Kyiv - and then, we hope, both sides can continue the talks," he said. Trump said that he was not informed about the strikes on military airfields. "Regarding the strikes on military airfields, this issue was also discussed. Donald Trump reiterated that Americans were not informed in advance about them. Naturally, the leaders agreed to continue contacts on the Ukraine issue, both at the highest level and through other channels as well," he said. They also held a conversation on Russia-US cooperation. "Furthermore, the Presidents exchanged views on the prospects for restoring Russia-US cooperation in various areas, which, according to both Presidents, possess enormous potential," he said. He said that Putin and Trump also confirmed their willingness to remain in constant communication. "In conclusion, both leaders characterised the exchange of views as positive and highly productive. President Trump and our President also confirmed their willingness to remain in constant communication. I would also note that both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin highly appreciated the efforts of President Trump's Special Envoy Steven Witkoff," he said. (ANI) Aide to the Russian President Vladimir Putin, Yury Ushakov, has endorsed US President Donald Trump's claim of having brokered a cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan. Ushakov said that the India-Pakistan conflict was resolved with 'personal' involvement of US President Donald Trump, as was discussed in a telephonic conversation between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Middle East was discussed, as well as the armed conflict between India and Pakistan, which has been halted with the personal involvement of President Trump," he said. The issue stands as a bone of contention between the US and India, as All-Party Delegation Leader and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that the delegation, during their meeting with US Vice President JD Vance, cleared the air around US President Donald Trump's claim of mediating between the India-Pakistan crisis. Tharoor, while talking to ANI, said that the delegation's meeting with Vance was a good one and that he understood their position. "The meeting with Vice President Vance was outstanding, very good, very clear. I think we made our position amply clear on this question of mediation, and Vice President Vance fully understood our points," he said. Tharoor said that mediation implies equivalence between the two parties. And there can be no equivalence between Pakistan, which is an incubator of terrorism, and India, a victim of terror. "The main point is that mediation implies an equivalence between two parties, and there can be no equivalence between terrorists and their victims, between those who are offering safe havens to terrorists and, on the other one on our hand, multi-party democracy. On the one hand, the place from which attacks are coming, another country which is in the process of defending itself, exercising its right to survive, there can be no equivalence," he said. Tharoor said that the message of India's stance on mediation claim was understood by Vance and also by the other levels of the US administration. "And therefore I think that we suggested that that would not be an appropriate way of looking at it, and the message has been very clearly understood by the Vice President and certainly at other levels of the system, I think the message has been clearly understood," he said. US President Donald Trump on May 31 claimed credit for brokering a cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan, asserting that his administration's trade negotiations potentially averted a nuclear war between the two nations. (ANI) The East Turkistan Government in Exile expresses deep concern regarding the purported incorporation of Uyghur militants into Syria's national army under U.S.-endorsed agreements According to a post shared by ETGE claimed that the so-called Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) was unrelated to the rightful cause of East Turkistan's independence. TIP has been a vehicle for radical Islamist ideology and a Chinese intelligence instrument since its founding. Its purpose is to undermine the East Turkistani national movement by linking it to international jihadism and terrorism. "Thousands of Uyghurs were lured into Syria under pretences, manipulated by a coordinated effort involving Chinese and Turkish intelligence services. Once there, many were used as expendable assets in regional proxy wars, not for the cause of East Turkistan, but for the agendas of foreign powers. The Chinese government has since used the presence of these fighters as justification to launch its ongoing genocide in East Turkistan, claiming it is combating extremism while waging war against our people's identity, religion, and right to exist", ETGE's post said. The majority of Uyghurs in Syria are exploited, misinformed, radicalised, and victims. We are particularly worried that Chinese intelligence continues to have direct or indirect influence over TIP's leadership. According to the ETGE release, it is both strategically and morally necessary to deradicate and rehabilitate these gullible fighters using true Islamic principles and East Turkistani patriotism, and to remove them from their compromised leadership, which is made up of intelligence handlers and Islamist ideologues with Chinese support. "We are open to engaging with the United States and partner governments to pursue a solution that is better for the Uyghurs in Syria and safer for the world, a solution aligned with the interests of global security and the East Turkistani people's aspirations to reclaim their freedom, independence, and national sovereignty", ETGE release said. (ANI) Paank categorically denounces the Balochistan Assembly's passage of the Anti-Terrorism (Balochistan Amendment) Bill 2025, which exacerbates the region's human rights crisis. According to Paank's post on X, this legislation runs the risk of legitimising state-sponsored abuses by giving the military, paramilitary, intelligence services, and police broad authority to detain people on suspicion for a maximum of three months, with possible extensions under Article 10 of the Constitution. It solidifies a fear-based environment in which civilian expression and political criticism are routinely repressed under the guise of counterterrorism. "Balochistan has long endured severe human rights violations, exemplified by enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and torture. For instance, families have reported loved ones, including activists and students, being abducted by security forces without legal recourse, often leaving them in anguish for years. In 2025 alone, the Paank documented over sixty-six cases of extrajudicial killings of individuals previously in state custody," Paank's post stated on X. "Peaceful protests, such as those led by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), have faced violent crackdowns, with security forces firing on demonstrators, as seen in the July 2024 Gwadar gathering where 14 were injured," stated Paank's post on X. "The Maintenance of Public Order (3MPO) Ordinance has been a key tool in silencing dissent, notably used against BYC leadership. In March 2025, Dr. Mahrang Baloch, a prominent BYC leader and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, along with activists Bebarg Baloch, Gulzadi Baloch, Beebow Baloch, and Shahji Sibghatullah, were detained under 3MPO during a non-violent protest in Quetta," the post stated. "These detentions, lacking legal justification, were challenged in the Balochistan High Court, which reserved its verdict on April 11, 2025, but later dismissed petitions, raising concerns about judicial independence. Reports confirm severe mistreatment in custody, including the forcible removal of Beebow Baloch from Huda Jail by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on April 23, 2025, where she was beaten and transferred to an undisclosed location before being moved to Pishin Jail," as per the post. "Family visits revealed visible signs of physical abuse on detainees, prompting widespread protests and condemnations from human rights groups and legal associations across Balochistan", the post claimed. Paank is committed to supporting the BYC and the Baloch people, whose nonviolent protests against state violence and enforced disappearances have been suppressed. Human rights advocates, civil society, and the international community should demand that the Anti-Terrorism Bill 2025 be immediately repealed, that activists who have been jailed be released, and that an impartial inquiry into human rights abuses in Balochistan be conducted. For justice and dignity to be restored, the systematic targeting of activists and civilians must stop. (ANI) All-Party Delegation member Taranjit Singh Sandhu said that there is a clarity of thought among partner countries regarding Pakistan's association with terrorism. Sandhu told ANI that there is also concern about the developing access between China and Pakistan. "There is a clear thinking about Pakistan's association with terrorism... The role of the Pakistan Army, that they yield the real power... There is a clarity of thought that the Pakistan Army creates tensions abroad to establish its legitimacy back home. People in the United States are pretty clear on China... People were concerned about the developing access between China and Pakistan... Pakistan must be mindful because, irrespective of their propaganda, the reality will catch up to bite them," Sandhu said. He added that in all the countries that they visited, the countries wanted to establish ties with India. There was a clear contrast between our development-oriented approach and whatever Pakistan is giving them. "Across all four countries, there was a clear clamour for having a strong economic relationship with India. One common theme was that they wanted IITs to be established. There is a clear contrast between our development-oriented approach and whatever Pakistan is giving them... In all these countries, there was a desire to deepen their existing economic partnership with India further... Connecting with them, making our case, especially on terrorism, made a lot of sense to them, and they strongly supported our position," Sandhu told ANI. Meanwhile, All-Party Delegation Leader and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor held discussions with the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee on strengthening the India-US strategic partnership, regional security, and global cooperation. Tharoor said that he was grateful towards the US for their steadfast commitment to deepening the bilateral ties between the two countries. "Excellent meeting with the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday on Capitol Hill. Productive discussions on strengthening the India-US strategic partnership, regional security, and global cooperation. Grateful for the insightful exchange of views and their steadfast commitment to deepening our bilateral ties," he stated. (ANI) Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday (local time) held talks with PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister where they discussed their partnership on the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre, outposted in Jamnagar. Ghebreyesus thanked Mishra for India's leadership on the Pandemic Accord adoption, and support of increased assessed contributions to WHO's work to advance health for all. "Had good meeting with P.K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to PMO India, on the many areas of close collaboration between WHO and India. We discussed our partnership on the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre, outposted in Jamnagar, which will help the world benefit from the potential of traditional medicine and complement modern approaches to health. I thanked Dr Mishra for India's leadership on the Pandemic Accord adoption, and support of increased assessed contributions to WHO's work to advance Health for All. I also commended India for its investment in health care infrastructure, the "Ayushman Bharat" scheme to expand universal health coverage, and in digital health." https://x.com/DrTedros/status/1930883633247572179 Mishra also held talks with Hara Hiroaki, Vice-Minister for Policy Coordination of Japan, on margins of Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction 2025. In a post on X, the Indian Permanent Mission at Geneva stated, "Fruitful discussions between Principal Secretary to PM Dr. P.K Mishra and Mr. Hara Hiroaki, Vice-Minister for Policy Coordination of Japan, on margins of GPDRR 2025. Explored enhanced India-Japan collaboration on disaster resilience and exchanging expertise in risk reduction strategies." https://x.com/IndiaUNGeneva/status/1930667850710106361 Mishra also held talks on disaster preparedness with Major General Ariunbuyan Gombojav, Chief of National Emergency Management Agency of Mongolia, on the sidelines of GPDRR 2025. "Principal Secretary to PM Dr. P.K Mishra meets with Major General Ariunbuyan Gombojav, Chief of National Emergency Management Agency of Mongolia, on the sidelines of GPDRR 2025. Valuable exchange on disaster preparedness strategies and exploring opportunities for India-Mongolia cooperation in DRR." https://x.com/IndiaUNGeneva/status/1930650400392196304 Mishra also held talks with Head of UNDRR Kamal Kishore on strengthening India's disaster risk reduction partnerships and advancing global resilience frameworks. https://x.com/IndiaUNGeneva/status/1930648615887769691 https://x.com/IndiaUNGeneva/status/1930641738747564526 Meanwhile, BIMSTEC countries convened at the High-Level UNDRR-BIMSTEC event on the margins of GPDRR 2025 in Geneva. India's head of delegation to GPDRR, Principal Secretary to PM PK Mishra, highlighted the role of the BIMSTEC Centre for Disaster Management, as announced by PM Narendra Modi at the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, to accelerate the region's implementation of the Sendai Framework. (ANI) US Vice President JD Vance has extended support to US President Donald Trump amid the public breakdown. In a post on X on Friday, Vance said, "President Trump has done more than any person in my lifetime to earn the trust of the movement he leads. I'm proud to stand beside him." https://x.com/JDVance/status/1930814066966003885 This comes after an online feud in which American business tycoon Elon Musk called US President Donald Trump out for ingratitude as the two disagreed on the latest US bill. Musk's dramatic meltdown came at a pivotal moment for Trump's self-described "big, beautiful bill," which encompasses sweeping tax reductions and expanded military expenditures. The two took to their respective social media platforms to spew sharp criticism and allegations against each other, waging a war of words between the two most prominent personalities in the world. The feud reached its peak when Musk made explosive allegations about Trump's connection to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, marking a dramatic escalation in their increasingly personal conflict. The feud between the two men got nastier, less than a week after Musk officially left his position spearheading the quasi-official Department of Government Efficiency. When Trump was asked about Musk's criticism of his signature budget legislation, he said, "Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will any more," Trump told reporters, his disappointment evident. The president expressed his frustration more directly, saying, "I'm very disappointed in Elon. He knew every aspect of this bill--better than almost anybody--and he never had a problem until right after he left." Trump continued his criticism, adding: "He said the most beautiful things about me, and he hasn't said bad about me personally, but I'm sure that'll be next, but I'm very disappointed in Elon. I've helped Elon a lot." Musk's response on X was swift and defiant, flatly contradicting the president's account. "False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!" he wrote, before escalating the personal attack by claiming that without him Trump would have "lost the election" and bemoaning what he called "such ingratitude". But Thursday brought a far more acrimonious and personal tone to the exchanges when Musk launched his most damaging attack yet. In a jaw-dropping social media post, Musk alleged that Trump's name "is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public." The tech billionaire amplified his attack by reminding his 220 million followers of Trump's quote about Epstein from a New York magazine profile more than two decades ago: "He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side." Musk concluded his post with a gleeful taunt: "Have a nice day, DJT!" and suggested marking the post "for the future. The truth will come out." The exchange rapidly devolved into a series of increasingly serious threats. Trump responded by threatening to terminate Musk's lucrative government subsidies and contracts, prompting the SpaceX boss to counter with his own nuclear option: potentially decommissioning the Dragon spacecraft that had recently rescued astronauts stranded on the International Space Station for months. However, better judgment prevailed after a user advised the two to take a step back. https://x.com/Fab25june/status/1930796579868356777 As the feud intensified, Musk crossed into unprecedented territory by suggesting Trump should be impeached and that JD Vance should replace him as president. Right-wing influencer Ian Miles Cheong, who has 1.2 million followers on X, posted that "my money's on Elon" in the battle between Musk and Trump, asserting that "Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him." Less than 30 minutes later, Musk reposted Cheong's message, adding simply: "Yes." Musk also warned that Trump's global tariffs would "cause a recession in the second half of this year" and launched an online poll asking whether a new political party should be formed, moves that are certain to enrage the president. Trump also took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to fire a fresh salvo against Musk. In a post on Truth Social, he stated, "I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It's a Record Cut in Expenses, USD 1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn't pass, there will be a 68 per cent Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didn't create this mess, I'm just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN." (ANI) Tel Aviv [Israel], June 6 (ANI/ TPS): Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz responded to criticism leveled at Israel by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun who condemned the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) attacks overnight of Hezbollah underground facilities for the production of UAVs that were located in the heart of a civilian population in Dahieh, a residential neighborhood in Beirut. "There will be no peace in Beirut and no order and stability in Lebanon without security for the State of Israel," declared Katz. "Agreements must be respected and if you do not do what is required - we will continue to act with great force." Katz addressed President Aoun directly adding, "Mr. President - there will be no peace in Beirut and no order and stability in Lebanon without security for the State of Israel. Agreements must be honored." He further called on the Lebanese government to "disarm the terrorist organization Hezbollah and not allow them to produce drones that will threaten the northern communities and the citizens of Israel." "You must ensure that the Lebanese army truly enforces the ceasefire agreement and not through coordinated displays as it tried to do yesterday," Katz told Lebanon. We are committed to the peace of the residents of the north - and if you do not do what is required, we will continue to act with great force. We will not allow a return to the reality of before October 7th. President Aoun described the IDF attack as a "flagrant violation of an international accord" (the current ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon), as well as of the "basic tenets of the United Nations and humanitarian laws and resolutions." (ANI/ TPS) 18 members of the Indian parliament (including 12 from Lok Sabha and 6 from Rajya Sabha) of the parliamentary committee on the welfare of scheduled caste and scheduled tribes along with their family members and officers of the parliamentary committee and other officials came here to attend a 2-day meeting in Dharamshala for June 5 and 6. The delegation, led by chairman Dr Faggan Singh Kulaste, a Lok Sabha member, is here for a meeting with various stakeholders. The Indian parliamentarians also met with the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Some members met the Dalai Lama on Thursday, and a few met him on Friday. While interacting with the delegation, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said, "Honoured and happy meeting with this big delegation. We consider India to be truly our father's land...We are followers of Buddha, and one institution in India--Nalanda- we study Nalanda's thoughts. So when I visited Nalanda, I really felt something very moving, so now. I state more or less India now, not only because of its big population but also because of all the major world's rich traditions live together. Thank you." Faggan Singh Kulste, Lok Sabha Member and the committee's chairman, told ANI, "This is an SC-ST welfare committee of the parliament, which has a wide significance in the country. The parliament has announced this committee for the welfare of India's 25 per cent population. The committee talks about the rights and welfare of SC-ST government employees. Although the SC and ST commissions already exist, this committee takes note of all the proceedings done by the commissions, and then the Parliament and the government act according to the recommendations of this committee. The committee has a total of 30 members, 20 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Raj Sabha, and we have nearly 18 members attending the 2-days meeting in Dharamshala here. Some of the committee members met the Dalai Lama yesterday, and a few are meeting him today. It was a nice meeting with him. It was an informal courtesy call. The Dalai Lama has very positive thoughts for this country, and we also supported him." Mithilesh Kumar, Rajya Sabha member, Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, told ANI, "We have come to Dharamshala on a study tour and we got so many things here which will be raised and discussed in the Parliament. We also met the Dalai Lama, who said that we must be strong while living in India and be cautious of China. And we also extend our support towards him." (ANI) Representatives of the Parliaments of 10 member countries, including India, participated in the annual meeting of the 11th BRICS Parliamentary Forum held in Brasilia on June 4-5, 2025. India was led by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla along with a high-level Parliamentary Delegation, the official statement observed. The statement noted that the Parliaments of 10 BRICS countries strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attacks and agreed to cooperate on a 'zero tolerance' policy against terrorism. Notably, the next conference will take place in India and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has been appointed as the Chairperson. According to the official statement, this year, the 10 member countries participating in the BRICS Parliamentary Forum were India, Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Indonesia. Representatives of these countries' Parliaments actively participated in the Conference and played a significant role in drafting the joint declaration. Notably, after several rounds of intense discussions and deliberations during the conference, broad consensus was reached on key topics such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), global trade and economy, inter-parliamentary cooperation, global peace, and security. As per the statement, the perspectives presented by India on various issues were appreciated by all countries and were unanimously included in the final joint declaration. In particular, India's decisive stance on terrorism was taken seriously. India strongly condemned terrorist attacks and emphatically called for adopting a "zero tolerance" policy against terrorism. Significantly, the joint declaration strongly condemned the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India, and it was agreed that the Parliaments of all BRICS countries would work together united against terrorism. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla emphasised joint efforts on cutting off financial assistance to terrorist organisations, sharing intelligence, preventing misuse of modern technologies, and cooperating in investigation and judicial processes. India's policy and leadership were specially commended, and the BRICS Parliaments recognised that the active participation of all nations is essential to maintain global peace and security. At the conference, Om Birla effectively presented India's clear and strong role on various topics -- especially global cooperation against terrorism, a just and balanced global order, participation in technological innovations, and democratic exchanges. As per the statement, at the conclusion of the Conference, the hosting of the next 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum was entrusted to India, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was appointed as its Chairperson. India will now play an active role in further strengthening the growing cooperation among BRICS parliaments and advancing a shared vision for addressing global challenges. The statement noted that the Indian parliamentary delegation was led by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The delegation included Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha Harivansh, Rajya Sabha MP Surendra Singh Nagar, Lok Sabha MPs Vijay Baghel, Vivek Thakur, Shabari Bareddy, Lok Sabha Secretary General Uttpal Kumar Singh, Rajya Sabha Secretary General PC Modi, and senior officials of the Lok Sabha Secretariat. (ANI) This step, they said, is intended to promote economic and commercial ties between the State of Israel and Argentina. It includes operational steps that will be implemented through the Accountant General at the Ministry of Finance, in order to build a mechanism that will ensure the success of the line, and contribute to strengthening political cooperation and in the fields of investment, innovation, industry and foreign trade. The decision is being promoted after a dialogue and joint work between the Minister of Finance and the Argentine Ambassador to Israel, Rabbi Shimon Axel Wahnish, and expresses the "mutual commitment to deepening relations between the countries, and places Israel in the position of a leading economic partner in the region." (ANI/ TPS) Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) shared operational details of conducting precision strikes at Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon late on Thursday, stretching to the early hours of Friday. The IDF said that it attacked drone production sites, warehouses and manufacturing units of Hezbollah's air force unit. As per Avichay Adraee, IDF Spokesperson for the Arab Media, the warning was issued to the residents of Ain Qana village in southern Lebanon by informing them that they were located near facilities belonging to Hezbollah and were thereby advised to empty the locations ahead of the precision strikes. https://x.com/AvichayAdraee/status/1930709251221016862 Providing the details of the strikes, the IDF said that the precision-guided airstrikes were carried out in southern suburbs and southern Lebanon to target Hezbollah's air force unit (Unit 127) by using warplanes. The strikes became significant as Unit 127 was responsible for carrying out over 1000 drone launches and reconnaissance operations towards Israel, as per the IDF. IDF also alleged that Hezbollah's air force unit produced thousands of drones, through funding and guidance from groups from Iran. Observing that the Hezbollah infrastructures were placed in the heart of the Lebanese civilian population, IDF decried Hezbollah for using the Lebanese population as human shields. The IDF also provided visuals of the airstrikes. Calling the actions of Hezbollah a violation of the understandings achieved between Israel and Lebanon, the IDF affirmed that it remains prepared on both the offensive and defensive levels to eliminate any threat to Israel and its citizens and will prevent any attempt to rebuild Hezbollah's capabilities. https://x.com/AvichayAdraee/status/1930766409648234556 According to Al Jazeera, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam issued a statement condemning the strikes. He called on the international community to deter Israel from "continuing its aggressions" and compel it to withdraw from Lebanese territory fully. The report by Al Jazeera also noted that the Lebanese army on Friday condemned the attacks and said it may suspend cooperation with the committee monitoring the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire. (ANI) In Balochistan's Awaran district, journalist Abdul Latif and his family faced relentless state harassment. His young son Saif and several relatives were illegally detained, only for their lifeless bodies to be discovered days later. Shortly after burying them, Abdul Latif himself was assassinated in his sleep by state-backed death squads. This brutal episode underscores the systematic targeting of Baloch journalists and activists by the Pakistani state. In another tragic incident in Awaran, Pakistani armed forces raided a family home. When the family resisted, Frontier Corps personnel opened fire indiscriminately, killing Hoori Baloch and her nephew Naeem instantly, while seriously injuring Naeem's mother, Daadi. Meanwhile, in Quetta's Civil Hospital hostel, Mahjabeen Baloch, a Library Science student at the University of Balochistan and a polio survivor, was abducted by Pakistani law enforcement agencies and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD). Despite her disability, she was taken illegally from within the hospital premises. https://x.com/BalochYakjehtiC/status/1930589513639932225 As per the BYC, surveillance footage from the hospital confirms the abduction, yet no mainstream Pakistani media reported it, and no political party spoke out. Instead, authorities continue to falsely brand the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) as "foreign-funded proxies," ignoring that BYC is the organisation courageously exposing the state's atrocities against the Baloch people. The judiciary, too, has played a complicit role. BYC presented documented evidence to the High Court of Balochistan. Still, hearings were repeatedly delayed until the presiding judge was promoted to Chief Justice under the 26th Constitutional Amendment, legislation shaped by Pakistan's military to protect its interests. Once in office, the Chief Justice dismissed BYC's petition without legal explanation, silencing a key avenue for justice. "These coordinated tactics reveal the true nature of the Pakistani state. Every institution - the media, the courts, political parties, and the armed forces - works to suppress the truth and intensify the genocide of the Baloch people," BYC stated. "Despite this, BYC remains steadfast, peacefully exposing every crime with unwavering courage and clarity." (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a call on Friday evening from Canadian Prime Minister Mark J Carney, who invited him to attend the upcoming G7 Summit in Canada later this month. Sharing details of the conversation on X, PM Modi congratulated Carney on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation. Expressing optimism, PM Modi said he looks forward to meeting PM Carney later this month in Canada. "Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister @MarkJCarney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests. Look forward to our meeting at the Summit," PM Modi wrote in a post on X. https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1930972984782844146 The thawing of ties between India and Canada comes after the recent elections in Canada that saw the victory of Mark Carney. Carney took over the leadership from Justin Trudeau, who resigned towards the end of his term after losing the confidence of his party early this year. Upon his election victory, PM Modi had posted on X, "Congratulations Mark J Carney on your election as the Prime Minister of Canada and to the Liberal Party on their victory. India and Canada are bound by shared democratic values, a steadfast commitment to the rule of law, and vibrant people-to-people ties. I look forward to working with you to strengthen our partnership and unlock greater opportunities for our people." Unlike his predecessor Trudeau, whose tenure saw strained relations with India following his allegations related to the killing of NIA-designated terrorist Hardeep Nijjar, Carney has publicly advocated for improving ties with India. He notably extended condolences following the Pahalgam terror attack, signalling a commitment to strengthen India-Canada relations. The G7 Summit (Group of Seven) is an informal grouping of seven of the world's advanced economies and the European Union. Its members meet annually at the G7 Summit to discuss global economic and geopolitical issues, according to the G7's official website. The members of the G7 are France, the US, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada and the UK. (ANI) An all-party delegation led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad met with German parliamentarians, including Omid Nouripour, Vice President of the German Bundestag, Ralph Brinkhaus, Member of the German Bundestag and Armin Laschet, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Berlin on Friday. The discussions focused on deepening cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the areas of counterterrorism and economic partnership. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation and democratic values. Both sides emphasised the need for global cooperation to combat terrorism, with Nouripour highlighting India's experience with terror attacks and the importance of standing together against extremism. "India is most affected by terror attacks, and extremism is undermining the security of the people and the trust in democracy & institutions. So, we have to stand together. These days, we have to stand on the side of the people of India and help without any escalation, so that the country is kept safe, like our colleagues are working hard for," said Nouripour. He said that the meeting was fruitful and grateful and expressed his happiness over the exchange and potential for deeper cooperation, highlighting the importance of defending democracy and freedom. "The meeting was very fruitful and very grateful. I am honoured to receive so many fellow members of the Parliament from the great place of India. As a friend of this country, I am happy that we could exchange. There is even more potential for deeper cooperation, but especially these days, India has been attacked, Russia and Ukraine have attacked the European order. It is time to team up and cooperate. If we can assist, it's needful because together we can defend our democracy, our freedom," he added. According to the Indian Embassy in Germany, the delegation met Laschet, Brinkhaus, and Hubertus Heil, Member of the Bundestag and former Minister of Labour and Social Security. During the exchange, Indian representatives conveyed the nation's "unwavering united stand for Zero Tolerance for Terrorism" and clearly outlined their resolve "to not give in to nuclear blackmail." The discussions also touched on the growing momentum in the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, with both sides recognising their joint role in ensuring global peace and security. https://x.com/eoiberlin/status/1930942169465930238 The post on X read, "The All-Party Parliamentary Delegation met Mr. Armin Laschet, Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee of Bundestag, Mr. Ralph Brinkhaus, MdB and Mr. Hubertus Heil, MdB.& former Minister of Labour & Social Security on 6 June 2025. The delegation conveyed India's unwavering united stand for Zero Tolerance for Terrorism and outlined its resolve to not give in to nuclear blackmail. Leaders noted momentum in the India-Germany Strategic Partnership and joint role in ensuring global Peace and Security." Prasad and the German parliamentarians discussed opportunities for economic partnership, leveraging Germany's economic strength and India's growing economy. Armin Laschet also condemned the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and emphasized the importance of maintaining stability and peace in the region through continued dialogue. Posting on X, he said that he was "grateful" for the meeting with the Indian delegation and underscored the strength of the India-Germany partnership, particularly on matters of global security. https://x.com/ArminLaschet/status/1930952851301237139 He wrote, "Grateful for today's exchange with the Indian All-Party Parliamentary Delegation. Germany and India share a trusted partnership, especially on global security. We also discussed the brutal 22 April terrorist attack in Pahalgam. I'm deeply shocked. Germany stands with India in the fight against terrorism. Now it's vital the ceasefire holds and dialogue continues. Peace serves us all." In his public remarks in Berlin, Laschet said, "This is a very important moment in the geopolitical situation. We are happy to have India, a close friend of Germany, here in Berlin. I am deeply shocked at the brutal terrorist attacks on 22 April in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of innocent civilians. Our thoughts and sympathies are with the victims and their families. We strongly condemn the attack on civilians. Germany and Europe stand close to India, and we support your fight against terrorism. The current truce is encouraging. It is important that this calm is maintained and that dialogue continues. Stability and peace in the region are in everyone's interests. That is what we want to discuss." Speaking after the meetings, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad called the interactions valuable and candid. "A very good meeting with the Vice Chairman of this majestic Parliament. We exchanged views on terrorism, he was very forthright. Terrorism is a global curse, and India's efforts to give security to its people are appreciated. Globally, we need to work together in the field of terrorism, and also, there needs to be good economic cooperation between these two great countries. Germany is a big economic powerhouse in the world. India is a big economic powerhouse in the world," he said. The high-level engagement comes amid a complex global environment shaped by regional conflicts, rising security threats, and a pressing need for democratic nations to reinforce cooperation. Both sides reiterated that mutual trust, shared democratic values, and coordinated efforts on counterterrorism and economic growth are central to their evolving partnership. With strong condemnations of the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam and renewed emphasis on regional peace and dialogue, the visit reflects the growing importance of India-Germany relations, with both countries seeking to enhance cooperation in areas of mutual interest. (ANI) In a key diplomatic engagement, an Indian All-Party Parliamentary Delegation led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad held wide-ranging discussions in Berlin with members of the German Bundestag and representatives from leading think tanks, deepening strategic cooperation and mutual understanding. One of the standout voices during the dialogue was Jurgen Hardt, Member of the German Parliament and Spokesperson for Foreign Policy of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, who strongly addressed regional threats emanating from Pakistan and the need for peaceful conflict resolution. "We see the terror threat coming from Pakistan and we have asked the Pakistani government to eliminate terror groups in their country. We hope for a peaceful solution. We encourage the Indian government to do it diplomatically. Hopefully, the conflict between India and Pakistan can be calmed," Hardt stated. Referring to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, he added, "It was a terrible attack on several people. I hope India finds a way to install a mechanism to resolve such conflicts peacefully, but we understand the necessity of why India took action." The meeting with German lawmakers, including Armin Laschet, Ralph Brinkhaus, Hubertus Heil, and Omid Nouripour, reaffirmed the growing convergence between India and Germany on regional security and counterterrorism. Armin Laschet, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Bundestag, expressed solidarity with India and called for the preservation of peace and dialogue. "We also discussed the brutal 22 April terrorist attack in Pahalgam. I'm deeply shocked. Germany stands with India in the fight against terrorism. Now it's vital the ceasefire holds and dialogue continues. Peace serves us all," Laschet said in a statement. The Indian Embassy in Germany confirmed the series of engagements, noting that the delegation "conveyed India's unwavering united stand for Zero Tolerance for Terrorism and outlined its resolve to not give in to nuclear blackmail." The embassy also noted that leaders on both sides "recognised momentum in the India-Germany Strategic Partnership and joint role in ensuring global Peace and Security." Vice President of the German Bundestag, Omid Nouripour, also hosted the delegation and highlighted the need for stronger cooperation amidst current global challenges. He acknowledged India's rising role in ensuring security and appreciated the delegation's outreach. Reflecting on the significance of the meetings, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad remarked, "A very good meeting with Vice Chairman of this majestic Parliament. We exchanged views on terrorism, he was very forthright. Terrorism is a global curse and also appreciated India's efforts to give security to its people and globally, we need to work together in the field of terrorism and also good economic cooperation between these two great countries. Germany is a big economic powerhouse in the world. India is a big economic powerhouse in the world." With high-level participation across parties and institutions, the visit reinforced the shared values and mutual trust that underpin the India-Germany relationship. From counterterrorism and nuclear restraint to economic engagement and geopolitical dialogue, both sides signalled a clear commitment to a rules-based global order and a collaborative future. (ANI) Christian Echle, Head of the Department of Asia and the Pacific at the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, has expressed deep shock and solidarity with India over the Pahalgam terror attack. Speaking to ANI, he praised India's response to the attack, calling it "well adjusted" and hoped for peaceful ways to resolve the conflict. Echle emphasised that there is a deep solidarity with the Indian people and concern about the potential escalation of violence. He positively interacted with an all-party delegation led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, discussing topics including the Pahalgam terror attack and potential cooperation between India and Germany. "It was very open and good interaction. We discussed several topics, of course, the recent terrorist attack was a very important and relevant topic. We also talked about the potential for cooperation between India and Germany- how it has grown over the last few years," said Echle. The delegation's visit is part of India's global outreach following Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the Pahalgam attack, which involved targeted strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. "It was a very open and positive exchange", he remarked. Speaking about the Pahalgam terror attack, Echle said, "It was a deep shock and devastating to see the way in which the attack (Pahalgam terror attack) was executed. There is a deep solidarity with the Indian people from our side. There was also concern that this would spread into a violent conflict. The response was well adjusted. We hope that we will also find peaceful ways to solve this conflict." The delegation, led by Ravi Shankar Prasad, includes BJP MPs Daggubati Purandeswari, MJ Akbar, Gulam Ali Khatana, and Samik Bhattacharya; Congress MP Amar Singh, Priyanka Chaturvedi from Shiv Sena (UBT,) AIADMK MP M Thambidurai and former diplomat Pankaj Saran. The delegation arrived in Germany after concluding their visit to Belgium. Earlier, Ravi Shankar Prasad, said they raised strong concerns about terrorism during their visit to Brussels and generals of Pakistan "run that country with the help of a military terrorist coalition", which is a "threat" to democracy and humanity. This diplomatic effort forms part of India's global outreach following Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 in response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam by Pakistan-sponsored militants that claimed 26 lives and injured several others. Subsequently, the Indian Armed Forces carried out targeted strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of over 100 terrorists linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. (ANI) The 4th India-Central Asia Dialogue concluded with a strong condemnation of terrorism and a commitment to enhance cooperation in the region in the backdrop of the April 22 Pahalgan terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, stressing that perpetrators, organizers, financiers, and sponsors of terrorist acts must be held accountable. "The Ministers unequivocally condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgham. They reaffirmed their firm commitment to fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. They reiterated that providing safe haven, using terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism, terror financing, arms and drugs trafficking, dissemination of a radical ideology and abuse of cyber space to spread disinformation and incite violence, goes against the basic principles of humanity and international relations," read the Joint Statement of 4th India-Central Asia Dialogue. India and the five Central Asian nations' foreign ministers--Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan--emphasised the need to strengthen UN-led global counterterrorism cooperation and fully implement relevant UNSC resolutions, the Global Counterterrorism Strategy, and FATF standards. "They stressed that perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of terrorist acts must be held accountable and brought to justice. In this context, they called for early adoption of the UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. They stressed the need to strengthen UN-led global counter-terrorism cooperation and fully implement the relevant UNSC resolutions, Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and FATF standards," added the statement. The Ministers noted the importance of holding regular consultations among the National Security Councils of India and the Central Asian countries to strengthen efforts to counter terrorism and other emerging challenges in the region. They looked forward to the third edition of the Consultations to be held in the Kyrgyz Republic. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to deepening and expanding collaboration in capacity building. In this regard, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Central Asian countries appreciated the successful organisation of capacity building programmes by India for Drug Law Enforcement Officers from Central Asian countries in December 2024 and on Countering Financing of Terrorism in New Delhi in April 2025, added the statement. They expressed strong support for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, free from terrorism, war, and drugs, and agreed to continue close coordination and consultations on matters related to Afghanistan. "The Ministers reiterated their strong support for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan which is free from terrorism, war and drugs. They stressed the need to stand by the people of Afghanistan. The Ministers agreed to continue close coordination and consultations on matters related to Afghanistan," added the statement. The Ministers appreciated the successful annual visits of youth delegations from Central Asian countries to India and emphasised the role of such visits in building strong people-to-people ties. Taking note of the large number of students from India and the Central Asian countries studying in each other's higher educational institutions, the Ministers stressed the importance of ensuring their welfare. The Ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to work towards advancing mutual objectives and deepening collaboration across shared priorities to prepare ground for holding the second India-Central Asia Summit at a mutually convenient date in 2025. The meeting, chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, concluded with a shared commitment to bolster counter-terrorism cooperation through institutional dialogue, legal coordination, and capacity building. The Ministers of Central Asian countries thanked the External Affairs Minister of India for the warm hospitality accorded to their delegations for the 4th meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue in New Delhi. The Ministers agreed to hold the next meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue in 2026, read the bvstatement. (ANI) Political parties in Bangladesh on Friday expressed mixed reactions to the announcement of the national election. Bangladesh's largest political party, BNP, expressed its disappointment over the timing of the election but Jamaat-e-Islami expressed satisfaction over the announcement. Chief Adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, on Friday announced that the next national election will be held in the first half of April 2026. BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said the announcement of national election has not fulfilled expectations of people. He said more than 50 parties want elections by December and if the government wanted, it could have held the elections by January. He said that the first half of April is "an unreasonable time for voting". Due to Ramadan, SSC exams and weather conditions, it will not be a suitable environment for election work at that time, he said. Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman expressed satisfaction and said an announcement has been made on the timing of the election. The Chief Adviser earlier said that the Election Commission will provide a detailed roadmap for the elections in due course "I am announcing to the countrymen today that the next national elections will be held sometime in the first half of April 2026. Based on this announcement, the Election Commission will provide you with a detailed roadmap for the elections in due course," he said an address to the nation through state television BTV on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in a student-led uprising in August last year. She is now living in India on self-imposed exile. After Sheikh Hasina's fall, an interim government was formed under leadership of Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Laureate. (ANI) Canada needs to have a better relationship with India and move forward positively and the invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney for the G7 Summit is a "fantastic development", a Canadian lawmaker said on Friday. In an interview with ANI, Dallas Brodie, a Canadian lawyer and MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena in British Columbia, also expressed concern at the Khalistani extremism, saying it is "a significant problem" and most Hindus and Sikhs are not happy with the situation. In a veiled reference to the previous government in Canada led by Justin Trudeau, Dallas Brodie said that ties between India and Canada had seen a downslide and PM Mark Carney reaching out to India signals that "they want to fix this dynamic" and "is a very positive development". "Having India being invited to G7 Summit and our PM Mark Carney reaching out to India for this, is a fantastic development...There's a lot in common between our countries. Canada has the largest diaspora of Indian people in the world...This move by the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, to reach out to India, is a very positive development. For the last several years, things have not been good. It's very negative. We need to have a better relationship with India and move forward positively. I think this signals that they want to fix this dynamic," she said. Dallas Brodie said PM Modi's visit to Canada for the G7 Summit will strengthen ties between the two countries. The G7 Summit would be held at Kananaskis in Canada from June 15 to 17. PM Modi received a call from Mark J Carney, inviting him to attend the upcoming G7 Summit. "Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister @MarkJCarney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests. Look forward to our meeting at the Summit," PM Modi said in a post on X. The Canadian lawmaker said India and Canada have a lot in common and that India is a huge market. Answering a query, she said Khalistani extremism is dangerous and scary for many people and it's time for deal with it firmly. "The situation of Khalistani extremism is a significant problem. There's no question. Most Hindus and Sikh people in Canada are not happy with this situation. Hopefully, this will be discussed by the federal government with India. I'm in the provincial government in British Columbia, where there is a large, Khalistani movement. It's dangerous and scary for many people, and it's time for this to be dealt with firmly. I hope this will be discussed in meetings between, Prime Minister Mark Carney and India in the G7 meeting," she said. Dallas Brodie said she is working towards the creation of a memorial for the victims of the Kanishka bombing. The AI-182 'Kanishka' bombing in 1985 was planned and executed in Canada. The dastardly attack claimed the lives of 329 innocent people (largely of India-origin), including 24 Indian nationals. Answering a query, the Canadian lawmaker said the terror attack in Pahalgam was sickening and Canada has to take a position on these kinds of things. "I would imagine that this (subject of eliminating terrorism) is going to be top of mind for PM Modi and Canadian PM Mark Carney. I can't imagine that this issue would not be addressed between these two leaders. The attack on the tourists in Kashmir was sickening, and Canada has to take a position on these kinds of things and deal with this. I'm hoping this will be on the list of items that they deal with and I'm sure it will be," she said. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday reaffirmed India's commitment to fighting terrorism, stating that India stands firm and resolute in its collective fight against this threat in the backdrop of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed optimism about strengthening ties with Central Asia, following the 4th India-Central Asia Dialogue and posted on X, "Delighted to meet with the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. India deeply cherishes its historical ties with the countries of Central Asia. Look forward to working together to further deepen our cooperation in trade, connectivity, energy, fintech, food security and health for mutual progress and prosperity. We stand firm and resolute in our collective fight against terrorism." https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1931011006165024877 India hosted the 4th edition of the India-Central Asia Dialogue on Friday in New Delhi, reaffirming its growing commitment to a comprehensive regional partnership across security, connectivity, economic cooperation, and people-to-people ties. The meeting, chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, saw the participation of Foreign Ministers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, and produced a detailed Joint Statement setting the tone for the next phase of India-Central Asia strategic engagement. The Ministers began by reaffirming the deep civilizational, cultural, and historical linkages between India and Central Asian countries, while underscoring their collective resolve to build a forward-looking, enduring partnership. The Dialogue was praised as a key platform for addressing common challenges, strengthening multifaceted cooperation, and harnessing untapped potential to advance shared interests, including peace, security, and sustainable growth in the region. The Joint Statement recorded satisfaction at the progress made since the first India-Central Asia Summit in January 2022, noting advances across sectors. A key area of focus was enhancing trade and investment, with Ministers acknowledging the current levels and calling for expanded efforts in high-potential areas such as pharmaceuticals, IT, agriculture, energy, textiles, and gems and jewellery. Strengthening financial connectivity through digital payment systems, interbank relations, and trade in national currencies was emphasised, with both sides expressing interest in establishing a Joint Working Group to deepen banking and financial ties. Connectivity featured prominently, with strong endorsement of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). India reiterated its support for the membership of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in INSTC, and Kazakhstan was lauded for its work on developing its eastern corridor. Chabahar Port also received attention, as the Ministers welcomed continued engagement and simplification of goods transit procedures, including greater use of the TIR Carnet system. India welcomed Central Asian interest in the Shahid Beheshti Terminal at Chabahar as a key trade route to India and beyond. The Ministers welcomed the contributions of the India-Central Asia Business Council (ICABC) in fostering business linkages and investment opportunities. Acknowledging India's ITEC Programme, the Central Asian countries appreciated its role in capacity building, particularly in IT and English language training, and India agreed to broaden its scope to cover additional areas of mutual interest. Expanding technology cooperation was a major theme, with both sides agreeing to promote partnerships in science, space, innovation, and digital infrastructure. Central Asian countries noted India Stack's role in digital transformation, and India agreed to assist in developing Digital Public Infrastructure in the region. The Ministers also agreed to launch an India-Central Asia Digital Partnership Forum, with Uzbekistan offering to host the first meeting. In areas of development partnership, the Ministers stressed joint collaboration in healthcare, food and energy security, public health, and digital innovation. The sides committed to deepening cooperation in healthcare infrastructure, medical tourism, traditional medicine, and UHC models, with the possibility of creating a Joint Working Group on health, the press release stated. Mineral exploration also featured in the talks, with renewed focus on rare earth and critical minerals. Building on the first India-Central Asia Rare Earth Forum in 2024, the Ministers called for holding its second edition soon and encouraged delegation exchanges to explore new areas of cooperation. India's recent capacity building initiatives, such as training programmes on Drug Law Enforcement and Countering Terror Financing, were acknowledged as important steps. The Ministers agreed to continue these exchanges under the banner of South-South cooperation and welcomed collaboration with India's Global South Centre of Excellence "DAKSHIN." Cultural ties were also emphasised. Noting longstanding civilisational connections, the Ministers agreed to further strengthen cultural, educational, and humanitarian cooperation. Tajikistan offered to host the second meeting of the India-Central Asia Culture Ministers. Indian Cultural Centres were praised for enhancing cultural diplomacy and bilateral understanding. Security issues were addressed with strong emphasis on coordinated efforts to combat terrorism. The Ministers unequivocally condemned the 22 April terrorist attack in Pahalgam, reaffirming their collective stand against terrorism in all forms and calling for accountability of perpetrators, organisers, and sponsors. They stressed that cross-border terrorism, safe havens, terror financing, radical ideology, and cyber misuse must be addressed, and reiterated the urgency of adopting the UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. Full implementation of UNSC resolutions, the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and FATF standards was also highlighted. In this regard, regular consultations among National Security Councils were supported, with the next round to be held in Kyrgyz Republic. The Joint Statement further noted multilateral synergies. The Ministers welcomed the designation of 2025 as the "International Year of Peace and Trust" and the upcoming International Forum of Peace and Trust in Ashgabat. They also praised the First High-Level Conference on Glaciers' Preservation held in Dushanbe. They expressed interest in advancing mountain development under the "Five-Year Action Plan" from the 77th UN General Assembly. The MEA stated in the press release that the Second Global Mountain Summit "Bishkek+25" in 2027 was acknowledged as an important next step. Ministers expressed strong support for the SCO's role in regional security and people-to-people engagement. They praised the Council of SCO Heads of State meetings hosted in Astana (2024) and India (2023), reaffirming Central Asia's centrality in the SCO and India's active participation. India, in turn, invited Central Asian countries to join key multilateral initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance (ISA), Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA), Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), as mechanisms for sustainable and inclusive growth. The Central Asian countries reaffirmed their support for India's bid for permanent membership in a reformed and expanded UN Security Council. Afghanistan was also discussed, with shared emphasis on a peaceful, terror-free, and drug-free Afghanistan and commitment to close coordination on related issues. The integration of the Termez logistics hub into the UNHCR global stockpile network and Kazakhstan's initiative to establish a UN SDG Hub in Almaty were welcomed, highlighting regional humanitarian and development efforts. Youth diplomacy was also recognised, with support for continued student exchanges and emphasis on student welfare in both regions, as per the MEA press release. Concluding the Dialogue, the Ministers agreed to deepen cooperation across all shared priorities and prepare for the second India-Central Asia Summit later in 2025. They also agreed to hold the 5th India-Central Asia Dialogue in 2026 and thanked the Indian side for its warm hospitality and productive chairmanship. (ANI) Former Deputy National Security Advisor (NSA) Pankaj Saran slammed Pakistan and called on the country to take action against the terror groups operating from its soil. He also hailed the visit to Germany and appreciated the strong support India received from the country in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. Speaking to ANI, Former Deputy NSA said, "If I have to name any country in Europe with whom our relationship is really on an ascendant, it is Germany. The Germans understand it, we understand it, and there have been a series of interactions at the government level after 22nd April...Their public statements were quick and positive, so the German relationship is emerging as one of the critical relationships for India." Speaking on discussions with Germany about how to tackle the terrorism problem emanating from Pakistan, Saran said, "We (Indian delegation) suggested to them that one of the ways to do it is to look at the financing of terror--to look at diplomatic steps, the role of the IMF, World Bank, the FATF, the GSP plus in Europe. In all of these, Germany has a key role to play." Elaborating German position, Saran said, "I think the Germans got the message that what we want from them is a very unequivocal and very clear cut message to Pakistan, particularly the army establishment, which is the ruling establishment, that you know terrorism is not going to pay you any dividends, so you need to stop and you need to come back to the international mainstream." He added, "Words are not enough. Deeds are important. The days of giving false promises are over. What you need to see from Pakistan is actual action against terror groups." On India-Germany ties, Saran said, "There is a new convergence emerging between India and Germany, especially under the present government of Chancellor Merz, which was not there in the past because of the coalition in Germany, which is very positive to India." "So whether you talk about the condemnation of the incident, or India's right to self-defence or the right to seek justice or in general the scourge of terrorism on all of these- the Germans were with us, so I must say that the standalone position as Germany is very positive, forward in many ways, probably more forward looking than the European Union", Saran told ANI. He also briefly touched upon the various avenues of collaboration between India and Germany. Saran said, "This is a new area, and I see that there is huge complementarity between the two economies. I think there is a new energy in the India-Germany economic relationship, technology, economy, science, defence, and manpower. So it is actually going to emerge as one of the most critical relationships which India will have with any European country." Today, the all-party delegation also called upon the Federal Foreign Minister of Germany, Johann Wadephul. The Indian Embassy in Germany shared the details. The delegation, led by Ravi Shankar Prasad, includes BJP MPs Daggubati Purandeswari, MJ Akbar, Gulam Ali Khatana, and Samik Bhattacharya; Congress MP Amar Singh, Priyanka Chaturvedi from Shiv Sena (UBT), AIADMK MP M Thambidurai and former diplomat Pankaj Saran. The delegation arrived in Germany after concluding their visit to Belgium. Earlier, Ravi Shankar Prasad said they raised strong concerns about terrorism during their visit to Brussels and generals of Pakistan "run that country with the help of a military terrorist coalition", which is a "threat" to democracy and humanity. This diplomatic effort forms part of India's global outreach following Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 in response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam by Pakistan-sponsored militants that claimed 26 lives and injured several others. Subsequently, the Indian Armed Forces carried out targeted strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of over 100 terrorists linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. (ANI) The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) requested the ban due to increasing drowning cases and hazardous waves during the monsoon season. Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi emphasised that this measure ensures public safety and prevents potential fatalities, as per ARY News. The ban prohibits swimming, bathing, diving, and all entertaining activities at the mentioned beaches. Law enforcement officials will take action against those violating the ban under Section 195 (i) (a) and Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). According to ARY News, the ban is temporary but may be extended if hazardous sea conditions persist. Residents are urged to cooperate with authorities and avoid restricted areas during this period. According to the directives of the Punjab government, Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code was imposed from June 5 to June 11 to maintain public peace and safeguard the lives of citizens during the Eid al-Adha holidays. The notification was issued because of the reports associated with Eid al-Adha celebration practices, which are not safe and unhygienic. The Punjab government has announced several guidelines to ensure public safety, hygiene, and order during the upcoming Eid occasion. According to the notification, animal remains, such as heads and trotters, cannot be burnt in public spaces. Also, animal waste and offal are prohibited from being discarded in drains, manholes, canals, or other water bodies to stop contamination. The Home Department has instructed all district administrations and law enforcement agencies to impose the restrictions and take legal action against any violations. (ANI) Xi urges US to retract all negative steps 08:49, June 06, 2025 By Cao Desheng ( China Daily President Xi Jinping has urged the United States to revoke the negative measures taken against China, and called for Sino-US exchanges across various fields such as diplomacy, trade and economy, military, and law enforcement, in order to foster mutual understanding, reduce miscalculation and enhance cooperation. Xi made the remarks on Thursday during a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump, which was held at Trump's request. This is the first time the two heads of state have held phone talks since the US launched a tariff war on April 2. The US administration imposed high additional tariffs on China, prompting Beijing to take strong countermeasures. In May, the two sides held the first round of high-level economic and trade talks in Geneva, Switzerland, and reached an agreement to pause the implementation of the tariffs for 90 days to allow further negotiations. However, trade negotiations between China and the US were stalled shortly after the Geneva talks. Recently, the US announced imposing restrictions on advanced chip sales to China and revoking visas for Chinese students. During his phone talks with Trump on Thursday, Xi said that recalibrating the direction of the giant ship of China-US relations requires the two sides to take the helm and set the right course, adding that it is particularly important to steer clear of various disturbances and disruptions. He said the high-level trade talks in Geneva were a significant step toward resolving economic and trade issues through dialogue and negotiation, demonstrating that dialogue and cooperation are the only right choice for China and the US to address such issues. Xi called on both sides to make good use of established economic and trade consultation mechanisms, treat each other with equality, respect each other's concerns, and strive for win-win results. He reiterated China's sincerity and principled approach. Underscoring China's commitment to its words and actions, Xi said both sides should honor the agreement reached. China has diligently implemented the agreement following the Geneva talks, and the US side should objectively view the progress that has been made and revoke any negative measures imposed on China, he said. Xi also cautioned the US to handle the Taiwan question prudently, so that fringe separatists bent on "Taiwan independence "are not able to drag China and the US into the dangerous terrain of confrontation, or even conflict. Trump expressed his deep respect for Xi, highlighting the significance of US-China relations. He said the US welcomes China's robust economic growth and believes in the potential for fruitful cooperation between the two nations. Trump affirmed the US' adherence to the one-China policy. He acknowledged the success of the high-level economic and trade talks between the two countries in Geneva, saying the US is willing to work with China to implement the agreement. Trump also said that Chinese students are welcome to study in the US. Xi welcomed Trump to visit China again, for which Trump expressed his appreciation. Both leaders agreed that their teams should continue implementing the points of consensus reached in Geneva and promptly engage in another round of talks. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) OSAKA, Jun 06 (News On Japan) - To meet surging inbound tourism demand, so-called "special zone minpaku" (private lodgings permitted under special deregulation zones) have rapidly increased in Osaka. This system, introduced in 2014, allows for more relaxed rules on operating private accommodations. Today, approximately 95% of all approved special zone minpaku are concentrated in Osaka, and tensions with neighboring residents are rising. These lodgings are characterized by low barriers to entry, minimal restrictions on length of stay or room size, and a lack of on-site management, prompting growing calls for regulation. Special zone minpaku were launched in cities like Osaka and parts of Tokyo to capture tourism demand without requiring operators to obtain conventional hotel licenses. Compared to the nationwide "private lodging law" enacted in 2018, which limits operations to 180 days a year and mandates minimum room sizes per guest, special zone minpaku face fewer requirements. They can operate year-round, allow any number of guests as long as rooms exceed 25 square meters, and do not require front desk facilities. Because of this flexibility, these lodgings have proliferated across wide swaths of Osaka, including residential neighborhoods. Osaka City has designated most of its areahighlighted in pink on city mapsas eligible for operation. But this deregulation has also brought problems. Professor Matsumura of a local university noted, "The current situation is that you can open a minpaku just about anywhere in Osaka. For residents, it's unsettling to suddenly have one appear next door." Common complaints include improper disposal of trash that cannot be treated as household waste, late-night noise from parties or phone calls, and a sense of unease as unfamiliar people come and go daily. One resident, whose neighbor property was suddenly converted into a minpaku, reported cigarette butts discarded into street gutters and disturbances from midnight to early morning. Fear of direct confrontation with guests and difficulty contacting absent property owners led the resident to move away. The core issue, experts say, lies in a lack of oversight. "Operators who cause trouble should face penalties or have their certifications revoked. A third-party organization should handle complaints and supervise compliance," one expert said. Osaka City has begun forming a team to address these complaints, but concrete policy measures are still under discussion. As inbound tourism is expected to continue growing, concerns remain about how to ensure rules are followed. Some propose clear multilingual house rules displayed at the time of booking, along with penalties for violations, to ensure accountability and peace of mind for local residents. Experts say governments need to mandate clearer regulations and public awareness efforts to manage the situation effectively. Source: YOMIURI SHIGA, Jun 06 (News On Japan) - The catch of ayu, a fish long considered a delicacy and regional staple of Lake Biwa, has fallen to a record low, prompting local fisheries to call on the Shiga prefectural government for urgent action. The annual peak season for ayu fishing typically begins in December with the opening of the "yana" fishing method. However, this year has brought an alarming decline. "Ayu are few and far between. This is the worst its ever been," said Kimura Tsuneo, a director at the Kitafunaki Fisheries Cooperative. "We used to catch about 500 kilograms a day with a single trap. Now were getting just 10 to 20 kilograms at best." In another traditional method known as "eri" fishing, which uses fixed net structures to funnel fish, the results have been equally dismal. "Theyre completely gone," said Teruyo, the wife of fisherman Mitamura Susumu. "You cant even sense theyre there anymore," added Mitamura. Asked how it looked during abundant years, Mitamura said, "The nets would be thrashing with fish jumping everywhere." "Now, catching even one kilogram is a struggle. With fuel costs, its barely worth going out." Ayu have historically accounted for 40 to 50 percent of the total fish catch in Lake Biwa, forming the backbone of Shigas fishing industry. But over the past decade, numbers have steadily declined. This years catch has dropped to just 17.6 tonsthe lowest on recordthreatening not just livelihoods but also local food traditions. "Our cauldrons are usually boiling with ayu and wakasagi," said Tamura Aiko, president of Tamura Freshwater. "But this year, theres been no ayu since January. We havent cooked a single batch." One traditional dish especially affected is tsukudani, simmered lake fish in soy sauce and sugar, commonly made with young ayu. Production has come to a halt due to the lack of raw ingredients. According to Shiga Prefectures fisheries division, the primary cause of the poor harvest is last years extreme heat, which raised lake water temperatures and prevented them from cooling to suitable spawning levels in autumn. Additionally, a shortage of plankton meant that many larvae could not grow after hatching. In response, local fishery groups and industry stakeholders submitted a formal request for countermeasures to Governor Mikazuki this week, including the release of adult ayu. "We are considering how to effectively utilize artificial rivers and conduct targeted fish releases," said Governor Mikazuki Taizo. The prefecture is also planning to expand spawning grounds in cooler rivers and time the release of hatchlings to align with falling water temperatures. "The climate is the biggest factor," said Kimura. "It really feels like Lake Biwa is becoming an increasingly inhospitable place for fish." Source: YOMIURI Aomori, Jun 07 (News On Japan) - A police officer and a Buddhist priest have been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a female high school student in Aomori Prefecture. Arrested on suspicion of non-consensual intercourse were Jun Sasaki, 53, a chief inspector with the riot police unit of Aomori Prefectural Police, and Ryosho Mizuno, 46, a Buddhist priest in the city of Mutsu. The two are suspected of assaulting the then-high school student in a rental room in Aomori Prefecture in November last year. According to police, the suspects reportedly connected through an internet message board, while Mizuno is believed to have met the girl via a smartphone app. Investigators say the three met for the first time on the day of the alleged incident. During questioning, Sasaki admitted to the allegations, saying "I am sorry," while Mizuno denied part of the charges. Source: TBS SAPPORO, Jun 07 (News On Japan) - A wild male deer was seen roaming through a residential neighborhood in Chuo Ward, Sapporo, on the morning of June 6th, prompting police to issue warnings to residents. Around 7:40 a.m., a passerby spotted the deer walking near Miyanomori 4-jo 1-chome and reported it to the police. The animal was later found lingering in the yard of a nearby home. The deer, estimated to be about one meter in length and bearing antlers, also darted onto the road at times, raising safety concerns. Police patrol cars were dispatched to the area, and officers are continuing to circulate the neighborhood to urge residents to remain cautious. Source: Hokkaido News UHB HOKKAIDO, Jun 07 (News On Japan) - A bear known as OSO18, which attacked more than 60 cattle in eastern Hokkaido, has been revealed to be an unusually extreme carnivore, primarily feeding on Ezo deer. Nicknamed the "monster" and "ninja" bear, OSO18 terrorized dairy farmers in eastern Hokkaido before being killed in 2023. Researchers from Fukui Prefectural University and other institutions analyzed the bones of approximately 600 bears across Hokkaido, including OSO18, and discovered that while bears are typically omnivorous, OSO18 consistently ate Ezo deer and other animals from age 3 until it was killed at age 9. "Its normal for bears to eat deer when they come across carcasses, but OSO18 was feeding on them year-round," said Associate Professor Matsubayashi Jun of Fukui Prefectural University. Although the reason behind this behavior is unclear, similar eating patterns were also observed in other bears culled near Shibecha Town, where OSO18 was active. OSO18 was a brown bear that became infamous across Japan for a series of violent cattle attacks in eastern Hokkaido, particularly around the town of Shibecha in the Kushiro region. The name OSO18 was derived from the code assigned by authorities: OSO for the Osotsubetsu area where it was first detected, and 18 indicating it was the 18th bear recorded in that area. Sightings and DNA traces linked to OSO18 began around 2016, and over the following years it was confirmed to have attacked and killed more than 60 head of cattle. This made it one of the most destructive bears in modern Japanese history, and it quickly gained nationwide attention. Locals and media dubbed it a monster or ninja bear due to its elusiveness and ability to evade numerous capture attempts despite the use of traps, drones, infrared cameras, and even sniper patrols. OSO18 developed an unusually long track record of livestock predation, which is rare for brown bears, as most avoid prolonged contact with humans or large livestock. It operated mainly under cover of darkness, rarely leaving behind clear tracks or images, making it extraordinarily difficult for authorities to predict or trap. The bear also demonstrated unusual behavior for its specieswhile brown bears are generally omnivorous and opportunistic feeders, OSO18 had developed a sustained preference for hunting large animals, especially cattle. Some experts speculated that the bear had developed learned behavior, possibly linking the sound of electric fences or the smell of ranch areas with easy prey. Its attacks often left behind barely eaten carcasses, leading to theories that the killings were driven by more than just hunger. After years of failed attempts to track and kill it, OSO18 was finally shot and killed in July 2023 by a licensed hunter working in coordination with local authorities. The confirmation came through DNA testing, which matched the bear to previous cattle attacks. Related: Killer 'Ninja Bear' meat not so grisly Source: UHB Social networks are playing an increasingly relevant role worldwide, but when it comes to social media in Latin America, the subject takes on another dimension. With the expansion and improvement of infrastructure, more and more people have access to the internet and, consequently, to social networks. But its not just the number of users that has changedthe way people interact with each other, as well as with brands, has also undergone profound transformation. In the past, how brands presented themselves on social media still heavily mirrored traditional marketing. Today, however, communication is a two-way street, with consumers interacting with brands and their ads, making communication more personal. Latin Americans have stopped being passive consumers and have begun to demand that brands take a stand on social issues. In this article, well discuss the growth of consumer-led accountability and the shift in communication, and well also explore what brands should doand avoidon social networks. Social Media: Past, Present, and Future Perspectives The first social networks appeared in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They emerged as simple platforms for connecting with acquaintances and didnt yet have the features we know today. Examples of this first generation include: SixDegrees Considered the first social network, launched in 1997. It didnt allow for attaching images or videos, but it already enabled user connections and group creation. Friendster Launched in 2002, it introduced something essential to todays networks: the news feed. It also allowed users to add others with similar interests, facilitating themed group formation. At the time, social networks were still limited to specific niches, generally enthusiasts of new technologies. The Golden Era The true boom of social networks occurred from 2003 to 2006: MySpace Launched in 2003, it was the first social network to go mainstream. Although it had a stronger focus on the music-loving community, from 2005 to 2009 it was the largest social networking site in the world. Orkut A huge hit in Latin America, especially in Brazil. It quickly surpassed competitors and remained the most used social network in Brazil for many years. Facebook Created in 2004, Facebook improved upon functionalities introduced by earlier networks, adding both original ideas and an innovative algorithm that quickly made it the most accessed social network in the world. Twitter (now X) Initially proposed as an objective and dynamic platform, Twitter had a 140-character limit per post and was used by millions as a personal journal. Recently bought by Elon Musk and renamed X, it remains a major hub for online debate. This period is considered the golden era of social media, when networks achieved high engagement levels and created the standard we now come to expect from social platforms. Social Media Today New functionalities have emerged, and large conglomerates have realized there was still room for innovation something weve seen in abundance over the last decade. Instagram Launched in 2010 with a different proposal, giving more importance to images a sort of digital photo album. It was bought by Meta (owner of Facebook) and now offers many features focused on short videos and photos. TikTok Launched in 2014, TikTok focuses on short and viral videos. It has gained many users, especially among younger generations. The Changing Paradigms of Social Media in Latin America and the World So far, weve seen how features have evolved over time. However, this timeline leaves out one important aspect: not only have social networks changed, but the way users interact with them has also transformed. The digital transformation of the last decade made technology more accessible, and as a result, people have become increasingly connected. While this is a global trend, well focus specifically on social media in Latin America. In this region, these platforms have increasingly become spaces for sharing and discussing opinions and experiences, both negative and positive. With ever-greater engagement from the population on social media, it has become essential for businesses seeking digital growth to create corporate profiles. But how should a brand behave and engage with its clients and potential customers? The main thing to understand is that methods that previously worked on television no longer apply. Social media is more dynamic and allows for two-way communication between the brand and its audience. Data from the largest social media market in Latin America, Brazil, reflect this trend. According to a study by MindMiners, 54% of users follow the profiles of their favourite brands, and 21% use these profiles as research sources before making purchases. But users dont just turn to brand profiles for information they increasingly expect brands to take a stance on issues that matter to society, not just topics within their industry. Social Media in Latin America: Arenas for Consumer-Driven Brand Accountability Social media has provided numerous advantages for corporate marketing, such as lower costs and greater proximity to the target audience. However, the level of scrutiny has also increased, especially as the Latin American public has become significantly more concerned with long-standing social issues in the region, such as racism and environmental matters. With distinctive and unique cultural characteristics, brands originating from other markets must be particularly attentive when promoting themselves on social media in Latin America. A notable example of this is Johnnie Walker. In an anti-racism campaign in Brazil, the well-known whisky brand featured a Black model with the word white written over his image, accompanied by the phrase: And you, do you still let them use your origin as an obstacle to your progress? Racism. Until when? The campaign was launched on 19th November, just one day before Brazils Black Awareness holiday. Followers of the brand quickly pointed out that the campaign seemed to blame Black individuals themselves for the racism they experience. As a result, the post was taken down from the companys profiles. Another case involves Cerveza Indio, a Mexican beer brand that ran a campaign aimed at tackling prejudice against indigenous Mexican peoples. The initiative featured several influencers posting photos wearing T-shirts with the phrase Orgullosamente Indio (Proudly Indigenous) and using a hashtag with the same message. The issue, however, was that for an anti-racism campaign, one would expect a more diverse selection of models. Yet all the influencers were white. This led to an immediate backlash from followers who highlighted the contradiction in the brands message. As we can see, brands are under constant scrutiny from consumers, and social media enables these criticisms to be amplified more rapidly and widely. Lets look at the main actions companies can take when expressing their views online. Taking a Stand: A New Requirement for Brands Its no longer enough to simply express support for a belief or worldviewtoday, brands are expected to take consistent actions that prove their support for the causes they claim to endorse. Here are a few guidelines for brand positioning on social media in Latin America: Engage with what your brand truly believes in Simply changing your profile picture on commemorative dates isnt enough. Your brand should build a reputation around the issue at hand and create genuine connections. Taking a stand just because a topic is trending may have the opposite effect and come across as opportunistic. Be aware of the impact of your positioning This is one reason to focus only on causes your brand truly supports. Taking a stand will generate discussions and scrutiny, and your brand must be prepared to address them. Plan your messaging long term Its important to plan ahead to avoid contradictions between your stated position and your actual business actions. In this case, partnering with a social media agency in Latin America might be beneficial. As weve seen, social media in Latin America has changed the way brands communicate with the public. This demands adaptation so that your company can build a solid and consistent brand position that aligns with its actions. John Rasmussen, who served as Pottawattamie Countys engineer for more than 20 years, filed a grievance to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday after his contract was terminated unexpectedly by a 3-2 vote during the boards May 27 meeting. The grievance has been classified a confidential personnel record by County Attorney Matt Wilber, who confirmed its existence to The Nonpareil on Wednesday. The classification aligns with grievance procedures in the Pottawattamie County Employee Handbook. A grievance is defined by the handbook as an employees expressed dissatisfaction concerning any interpretation or application of an employment-related policy. A grievance could be filed if an employee believed county policies have been improperly applied or they consider their treatment to be unfair. The board has authority in general to terminate engineers, but whether or not the agenda that was posted was sufficient is a matter that's still under dispute, Wilber told The Nonpareil. "Whether or not John's contract was violated is still a matter that's under dispute. Rasmussen was hired as the Pottawattamie County engineer in August 2004, with contract renewals every year. The engineer plans, organizes, directs and coordinates the administration, maintenance, design and construction of roads, bridges, culverts and special projects for the Secondary Roads department, according to the countys job description. Iowa code requires the role. Rasmussens employment contract, along with nine others for department heads, was up for renewal at the May 27 meeting; This item was labeled in the agenda as discussion and/or decision to approve and authorize chairperson to sign employment agreements. All other contracts were approved with 3.25% raises. Rasmussens contract, along with one for Veterans Services Office Administrator Peggy Becker, were singled out by Supervisor Tim Wichman, who was supported by Supervisors Scott Belt and Jeff Jorgensen. Beckers contract had been discussed to include a higher raise at one point before the meeting, but the supervisors ultimately unanimously approved Beckers contract with the same 3.25% raise of the others. The supervisors then moved on to consider Rasmussens contract, their last decision of the day. Scott, I would make a motion to terminate the contract of the engineer effective June 30 and put him on administrative leave until June 30 and post the position, Wichman said at the meeting, addressing the board chairman. Jorgensen seconded Wichmans motion. I dont think thats a great idea at all, Supervisor Susan Miller said. I think our engineer has done an extraordinary job of managing the roads and the budgets and the employees. Miller said there had not been documentation or discussion of any instances that would warrant termination, and she expressed her support of Rasmussen. Shea agreed with Miller. I think he deserves better than that, Shea said. When Wilber mentioned that a critique of Rasmussen's performance or qualifications would allow him to request a closed session, Wichman said he did not want to offer a performance evaluation. "I just believe we need this county to move in another direction," Wichman said. Belt, Jorgensen and Wichman voted aye to terminate Rasmussen, with Miller and Shea voting nay. Termination while under contract, as outlined in a copy of Rasmussens 2024 contract, must be for cause, such as for violating provisions in the employee handbook. Wichmans proposed termination date of June 30, slightly more than a month away at the time, is the end date of Rasmussens existing contract. In an interview with The Nonpareil, Jorgensen said he was not surprised, like some supervisors, by Wichmans motion to terminate the engineer. It came to my attention that we just needed to get a fresh look at how the county roads department was being managed, Jorgensen said. Tim approached me and I knew we had issues. Miller and Shea declined to comment to The Nonpareil, and supervisors Belt and Wichman did not respond to requests. However, Shea did express confusion regarding the board's direction during Tuesday's supervisors meeting in the wake of Rasmussens termination. I, for one, would like to know as a board member what new direction we're taking. It's not informed, it's not discussed, and I don't know where we're at, Shea said. I'd sure like to be included as a member of this board. A listing for the county engineer job was first posted May 28 one day after the termination decision on the Pottawattamie County website, as well as on other hiring sites. Brandon Burmeister, former assistant engineer, was appointed interim engineer during Tuesdays meeting, responding reluctantly, yeah to Wichman, who asked if he was fine accepting the post. Burmeister was unanimously appointed by the board. Id like to thank Brandon for stepping up to do this for us, Miller said. Harrison County was recently without an engineer after Steven Struble retired in late February. A 90-day agreement between the Pottawattamie County Supervisors and Harrison County Supervisors allowed Rasmussen to share his services. At the time, Rasmussen said it had been difficult filling the role, though Harrison County now has a working engineer as of Monday. Brian Moore, executive director of the Iowa County Engineers Association, said that the difficulty in hiring engineers often varies. Moore said the association, which represents all 99 county engineers, has not yet acted to remove Rasmussen who is still under contract with Pottawattamie County from his role as association vice president. We havent had a meeting, Moore said on Tuesday. Theres no hurry. Wilber said the Board of Supervisors will likely set a date for Rasmussens appeal hearing during the next supervisors meeting this Tuesday. He said the hearing would be most likely held Tuesday, June 17, and Rasmussen would have the option whether it be open or closed to the public. If the session were to be open, Wilber said he would probably hold a different opinion over releasing the confidential grievance. The Nonpareil has been unable to reach Rasmussen for comment. Consolidating Iowas counties and benchmarking state employee benefits to those in the private sector were some of the ideas suggested during an Iowa DOGE Task Force meeting as ways to streamline state government and pare down state spending. Created by Gov. Kim Reynolds through executive order in February, the Iowa DOGE Task Force comprises 15 members, including Iowa leaders in business, elected office and education, who are tasked with giving recommendations on ways to make the state government more efficient. The task force is named similarly to the federal Department of Government Efficiency created by President Donald Trump that was previously headed by tech billionaire Elon Musk. On Wednesday, the state task force held its second of four planned meetings at a state government office building in Des Moines East Village, where members proposed solutions for making Iowas government more efficient in three focus areas: workforce, technology and return on taxpayer investment. The focus areas were created during the first meeting. Emily Schmitt, of Sukup Manufacturing Co., who was appointed by Reynolds as task force chair, said the members are focused on offering recommendations to the governor and legislature rather than reaching a specific number for total state government savings. There's no certain numbers that we're supposed to be looking at. We're supposed to be hearing from Iowans: where should we looking on that? Schmitt told reporters after the meeting. We really just want to make a tangible difference for all Iowans to feel after this report and implementation of hopefully successful recommendations. Of the members, 10 are elected Republicans or have donated thousands of dollars to Iowa Republicans, including Reynolds. Two of the panels participants, both from the Iowa Legislature, are non-voting members. During the Wednesday meeting, it was announced that Dave Mulcahy, of MABSCO Investments, would no longer be on the task force due to other commitments. Returns on taxpayer investment The head of the team focused on return on taxpayer investment, Terry Lutz, of McClure Engineering in Ankeny, said it's important that the task force address property taxes, which he called the elephant in the room. Reynolds, who said she plans on focusing on property taxes during the next legislative session after lawmakers failed to send legislation to her desk addressing the issue this year, said she will be talking to Iowans and stakeholders to come up with solutions during the interim and told the task force to look into the issue. Among the recommendations proposed by the team was consolidating some of Iowas 99 counties, which Lutz said would regionalize local government and save state resources. The efficient systems that were created to provide services 179 years ago is an extremely outdated way of doing government business. It's simply not affordable and will continue to get worse, Lutz said. This outdated structure may make us feel better politically, but we are wasting valuable resources and it is costing us millions. Lutz added that there are already examples of the state regionalizing government services through regional shared services, including judicial, highway patrol and mental health districts. Other focus areas the team laid out included what they refer to as improving the grade of our education dollars, aligning government employee compensation and benefits with the private sector and streamlining and sharing the public infrastructure construction process. Under the education-related recommendation, the team proposed retiring the formulaic distribution of tax dollars put towards education based on income. Lutz added that theres little or no systematic review of the connection between tax dollars spent on education versus the educational success of our students. The team also floated creating opportunities for portions of teacher pay to be merit-based and consolidating rural school districts as populations in the least-populated areas of Iowa continue to decline. Task force members also proposed benchmarking government employee health and retirement benefits to those in the private sector, which Lutz said would help recruit and retain government employees. We're not here to criticize our cities, county or state employees, but we're here to really review the systems that they are forced to work with to see if we can help them do their jobs more efficient, Lutz said. We're looking for ways to get the Iowa taxpayers more for their money. We do not intend to nibble around the edges. We hope to make bold recommendations to move the needle of efficiency in our government the way our government enables services. Schmitt says while none of the recommendations are set in stone, she thinks consolidating counties could be effective in saving state government resources and could be modeled after other state programs that utilized technology, including the state's childcare management system. Some of the ideas that are in the gathering phase may not make it to the recommendation phase, Schmitt told reporters. We'll really find out in the research really what are the recommendations that should be moved forward, and what are those that are practical and ready. The task force will refine the recommendations by conducting research and talking to stakeholders across the state before the task forces next meeting in August, Schmitt said. Workforce recommendations Another task force team will focus on Iowas workforce, looking to simplify workforce training programs and close skill gaps in specific sectors, including manufacturing, skilled trades and health care. The team has five core areas of focus, including workforce program structure and efficiency, funding strategy and governance, work-based learning and upskilling pathways, system coordination and employer engagement and clinical training and program capacity expansion. Workforce programs today are fragmented, confusing and hard for both employers and workers to navigate, said Joe Murphy of the Iowa Business Council, who is on the workforce team. The message was clear, Iowa systems must be easier to use, more nimble and better aligned with local employees. Murphy said the team is consulting with community colleges, small and mid-sized businesses and economic development leaders on how to fill input gaps. Saying he wants to serve Iowans and prove that money cannot buy elections, Johnston Republican state lawmaker Eddie Andrews announced his campaign for Iowa governor on Wednesday. The 59-year-old Andrews has represented Johnston in the Iowa House since 2021. He describes his professional experience as a tech entrepreneur and minister. With your help, were going to make Iowa even better than its ever been, Andrews said in a press conference outside the Iowa Capitol. This is going to be a mandate on money. I want to challenge everyone here to see if we can really and truly have a ground-up campaign. Iowa is set for an open-seat election for governor in 2026. Republican incumbent Gov. Kim Reynolds, who has held the post since 2017, announced earlier this year that she will not seek reelection. Andrews is the third official Republican candidate for governor he joins U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra of Hull and former state lawmaker Brad Sherman of Williamsburg. Ankeny Republican state lawmaker Mike Bousselot has said he is exploring a run for governor, and other Iowa Republicans including Attorney General Brenna Bird and House Speaker Pat Grassley have said they are mulling a gubernatorial campaign. Two Iowa Democrats state auditor Rob Sand and consultant and campaign veteran Julie Stauch have announced and filed state paperwork to run for governor. Andrews said he will not have the same resources as other candidates for governor he alluded to Sand, who has already raised more than $10 million in 2024 and 2025, $7 million of which came from his wifes family. But Andrews also said he will soon announce a seven-figure donation to his campaign. Theres no reason we should have money being the primary decider in who gets elected. Why do we tolerate that? Lets remove that, Andrews said to reporters at his campaign announcement event. It should be we the people, not we with money. We just set up our (campaign) checking account yesterday, so we dont have $10 million in there yet. But we have seven figures committed by one group, and well be announcing that soon, Andrews said. Doesnt mean we cant raise any money, right? But I can tell you that if you were a political consultant, you probably would not advise me to get in the race, just looking at the obstacles. But we dont see obstacles. We see opportunities. And the people of the state of Iowa deserve a governor who will listen, who will respond and make Iowa the best state of all 50. Andrews said during his five years in the Iowa Legislature, he has worked on mental health care, autism, landowner rights, medical freedom and human trafficking. As governor, Andrews said he wants to work on education of all kinds public, private and charter as well as property taxes and landowner rights. He also highlighted his electoral victories in a politically competitive area of the Des Moines metro. He defeated a Democratic incumbent in 2020, and the House district he represents and has won three times is in an Iowa Senate district represented by a Democrat. Andrews said in his previous elections he has campaigned only for himself, not against other candidates, and that he will do the same in this campaign. In my three races, I didnt run against the Democrat. I just said, Im not running against you. Im running for Iowa. Im running for these ideas, and let you choose whether or not you believe Im the best candidate for that, Andrews said. Eddie Andrews is married to Betty Andrews, who is president of the Iowa and Nebraska chapter of the NAACP. Eddie Andrews invited two individuals to speak ahead of him at Wednesdays campaign announcement event: Shanna Sieck, an Iowa mother who, motivated by her sons experience, advocated for a new state law that created a pediatric palliative care license to establish hospice care for children; and Oliver Bardwell, of the conservative advocacy group Iowans for Freedom. Ed Friedmann, a physicians assistant who is the sole health care provider at the Redfield Rural Health Clinic, said Medicaid and health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act have helped keep the clinic in a rural town in Dallas County in business. Not having insurance does not stop hospitals and clinics from giving patients medical treatment, he said but not having payment and reimbursement through public health programs for individuals who would otherwise be uninsured could lead to more rural health care providers shutting down. If Medicaid patients lose their insurance, therell be less income for the clinic, and less likely for the clinic to be able to continue going in a town like Redfield and towns throughout the United States, Friedmann said. Trone Garriott said having more uninsured people in the system will mean health care providers have to shift costs when they cant cover costs, which means raising costs on everyone. If elected, she said she would support raising Medicaid reimbursement rates, tying them to economic indicators, as a way to help Iowa health care providers stay open. Its already a narrow margin, as providers are trying to continue to serve Medicaid patients, and there are a lot of areas where theyre just not able to make that work, Trone Garriott said. So were seeing labor and delivery units close. Were seeing dental care providers just unable to take Medicaid patients. Were seeing more and more folks with Medicaid not being able to access care or waiting a long time to get it. Emily Tuttle, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, the House Republicans campaign arm, criticized the event in a statement, saying the reconciliation bill will provide benefits to Iowans. Trone Garriotts "latest political circus act says it all: shes on a mission to slap Iowa families with tax hikes, chase good-paying jobs out of the state, and hand out taxpayer-funded freebies to illegal immigrants, Tuttle said. Iowans arent buying it. Ghana has become the latest state to back the Moroccan autonomy plan as the sole solution to the Sahara issue, in a move that will reverberate across Africa. The position was expressed in a joint statement following talks in Rabat Thursday between Ghanas foreign minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita. Ghana considers the autonomy plan presented by the Kingdom of Morocco as the only realistic and sustainable basis to a mutually agreed solution to the issue, it said in the joint statement. Ghana underscored that the UN should remain the only framework to reach a realistic, practical, and lasting solution to the issue. Ghana commended the leadership and laudable contribution of King Mohammed VI to the international Communitys efforts to promote peace, stability, and development in Africa. The Ghanan foreign minister expressed his countrys commitment to further enshrine cooperation with the Kingdom of Morocco in various areas of cooperation. The two ministers further welcomed the momentum generated within the framework of the Atlantic African States Process to turn the Atlantic African space into a geostrategic framework offering major opportunities for synergy and cooperation among its countries. These opportunities include strategic areas such as the environment, food security, health, energy, logistical interconnection, pooling resources, and exchange of experience, therefore forming an area of co-emergence and stability. Okudzeto Ablakwa also lauded the Kings initiative to promote Sahel countries access to the Atlantic Ocean, underlining the strategic importance of this Initiative, which forms part of Moroccos active solidarity with sister African countries. At the bilateral cooperation level, both countries welcomed the increasing presence of Moroccan companies in Ghana. They agreed to explore further cooperation in agriculture, green energy, fisheries, higher education, vocational training, mining, and urban development. The two countries also plan to sign a memorandum of understanding in military cooperation. The two countries will develop cooperation on food security and fertilizers, the document said, adding that a Moroccan delegation will pay a visit to Ghana soon to examine feasibility. Ghana and Morocco are also examining visa waivers for ordinary passports, as Morocco will immediately enable Ghanan nationals to apply for e- visas. South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has imposed a six-month state of emergency in Warrap State and Mayom County following a surge in deadly inter-communal clashes over cattle and access to scarce water and grazing land. The violence, which has intensified in recent monthsparticularly in Tonj Countyhas claimed hundreds of lives, with over 200 deaths recorded in March alone. The clashes are exacerbated by environmental pressures such as droughts and floods, highlighting the fragile balance between climate, livelihoods, and security in the region. The emergency announcement on Thursday, June 5, follows the appointment of a new governor in Warrap, tasked with restoring order in areas ravaged by lawlessness and cattle theft. The United Nations has called for urgent national intervention to prevent the situation from escalating further, as fears of a broader conflict mount amid existing political instability. Ongoing tensions between President Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar, particularly after Machars arrest in March, have rekindled concerns of a return to civil war, just seven years after a conflict that claimed an estimated 400,000 lives. Despite the ongoing conflict and humanitarian challenges in Sudan, over 1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) have begun returning to their homes, according to a report released on June 5 by the International Organization for Migration. This movement is particularly notable in regions such as Darfur and Kordofan, where many had sought refuge in displacement camps due to escalating violence between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The returnees are reportedly motivated by the desire to rebuild their communities and access essential services, including education and healthcare, which have been severely disrupted in the camps. The United Nations and other international agencies have expressed cautious optimism about this development. While acknowledging the resilience of the Sudanese people, they have also highlighted the need for sustained peace and stability to ensure the safety and well-being of the returnees. Ongoing clashes and the presence of armed groups in certain areas pose significant risks to the reintegration process. Humanitarian aid organizations are working to provide support, including food, shelter, and medical care, to facilitate the safe return and resettlement of displaced populations. The large-scale return of IDPs underscores the complex dynamics of Sudans internal displacement crisis. It reflects both the challenges and the hopes of a population eager to reclaim their homes and livelihoods. However, experts caution that without comprehensive peace agreements and effective governance, the risk of renewed displacement remains high. The international community continues to monitor the situation closely, advocating for a peaceful resolution to the conflict and the protection of civilians in all affected regions. The African Union has renewed its campaign for reparative justice, demanding concrete economic redress for slavery and colonialisms lasting impacts rather than mere symbolic acknowledgments, as global momentum builds for historical restitution. Speaking to Business Africa, Desire Assogbavi, International Development Expert and Advocacy Advisor at Open Society Foundations, emphasized that reparations extend beyond financial compensation. Were talking about restructuring global systems, correcting historical injustices, and unlocking economic opportunities for African nations, Assogbavi explained. The AUs core demands include debt cancellation, technology transfers, and infrastructure investment. While Western nations often cite high costs as obstacles, African leaders argue that development delays caused by colonial exploitation prove far more expensive long-term. Innovative solutions under consideration include land restitution, investment funds, and targeted development partnerships. Africa Day celebrations also spotlighted culinary excellence in Lyon, France, where African chefs are transforming perceptions of continental cuisine. These culinary ambassadors are positioning themselves as entrepreneurs driving a potential $1 trillion food industry, using the platform to rebrand African food and attract cross-border business collaborations. In Uganda, artisan Isaac Nkonge exemplifies green innovation by transforming discarded banana stems into household items including lampshades, plates, and footwear. His eco-enterprise creates local jobs while modeling circular economy practices gaining international attention. Every banana tree has a second life, Nkonge states. Its about seeing opportunity where others see waste. These diverse initiativesfrom reparations advocacy to culinary entrepreneurship and sustainable innovationdemonstrate Africas multifaceted approach to economic transformation and global repositioning. The Algerian military regime has created an underground group composed of foreign mercenaries tasked with carrying covert operations aimed at destabilizing Sahel countries, said Sahel Intelligence news outlet citing Algerian Gendarmerie sources. Code-named KL-7, the secret paramilitary force is believed to have conducted subversive missions in Algerias southern neighboring countries in coordination with terrorist groups active in the Sahel. According to the testimony of a former soldier, this clandestine group was established two years ago. It includes members from Algerian special forces and foreign mercenaries. They received advanced training in asymmetric warfare and sabotage. This secret unit is financed by the Algerian army slush fund. It was behind several recent violent actions falsely attributed to local insurgents. These include attacks targeting civilian & military infrastructures, assassination of community leaders, and fuelling ethnic tensions in Shel countries such as Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and even Libya and Nigeria. This is not a spontaneous guerrilla but a methodical strategy aimed at weakening rival governments, says a former military analyst, noting that the goal of Algiers is to stir up regional instability to maintain its dominant position and its grip on Sahel countries. The KL-7 alarming ties with jihadist groups operating in the region including Al-Qaeda, Islamic State or pro-Algerian Tuareg factions are prompting serious security concerns as the Algerian secret unit is suspected of providing terrorist intelligence and logistic support and even sophisticated weapons. According to some Algerian gendarmes (county police), the training and Command Centre of this clandestine group is located in a desert area, south of Tamanrasset. It is supervised by Army chief General Said Chengriha or his top aids. The future of portions of the historic Hodge-Dozier Cemetery remains in questions as city officials hope a meeting of interested parties could lead to a resolution. Tiffany Hillyer, president of the Genealogical Society of East Alabama and the Lee County Cemetery Preservation Commission, raised concerns to the Opelika City Council regarding how a major subdivision development could negatively impact a historic cemetery that dates back to the 1850s. Hillyer said Tuesday that the heart of the issue is the plat for the cemetery dates back to the late 1800s and has not been updated in over a century. She said there is evidence that graves exist beyond the outdated boundaries and could be affected by the Blackberry Reserve Subdivision. "I'm not denying that the cemetery has been set aside by the developer. I'm making no accusing claim that they have purposely done anything or not purposely done anything. We only want to try to resolve this as best as we can," Hillyer said. Opelika Planning Director Matt Mosley said the Blackberry Reserve Subdivision was approved by Opelika in 2021. The cemetery was deemed historical by the Alabama Historic Commission, and according to the Alabama Historic Preservation Map, the cemetery has graves spanning from 1851 to 1986 and 414 in total. Hillyer said the cemetery includes the graves of veterans from the United States Civil War, World War I, World War II, slaves, Hodge family members and members of Saint Mark AME Church and Union Hill Church. Matt Morris joined Hillyer in the discussions and said the cemetery was started just 20 years after this area of Alabama was opened for settlement, and unlike other cemeteries of that time, it is not segregated. Morris said the goal is not to stop the development, which he supports, but to protect the graves potentially impacted. "The concern is, though, that unfortunately, the surveying done for the subdivision was done a long time ago. It appears graves are outside the boundaries of the cemetery, which may be encroached upon by the north face of the property," Morris said. Hillyer said the main one-acre cemetery is not on land purchased by the developer for the subdivision, but she said it is likely some people put graves outside of the one-acre boundary. Hillyer said the boundaries for the cemetery plat have not been re-surveyed in decades. She said she is worried that on the northside of the development a house could have graves in the backyard without knowing it. Hillyer said the development will surround the cemetery on all four sides. "I think the best way to resolve this would be if the Lee County Cemetery Preservation Commission, the developers and Mr. Mosley, all of us, could meet out there on the property so that we can all visually see," Hillyer said. "Because it's hard to see in pictures indentations. It's hard to know that that rock might be somebody's headstone." City Administrator Joey Motley agreed with Hillyer and said a meeting will be planned, but he said there is some doubt about what authority the city has at this point. "We're at a loss on our research as to what we as a city have authority to go out there and do on private property. Because it is private property. And so we're going to sit down and try to work this out. I think we will, knowing all the people involved," Motley said. Waverly sidewalk improvements, Attaboy Awards and more Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller presented two Attaboy Awards at Tuesday's meeting. The first was to Chief Building Inspector Jeff Kappelman, who Fuller said went above and beyond working on Easter weekend to help Pharmavite with a project. The other was presented to Opelika Police Department Sgt. Richard Canfield. Fuller said on April 6 Canfield rescued a mother and infant child who were trapped in high water on 2nd Avenue. The council unanimously approved the following items at the meeting: The purchase of storage lockers for OPD at a cost of $50,405. An agreement for Sain Associates Inc. to provide professional engineering services for the construction of sidewalk improvements at Waverly Parkway from about 2,200 feet west of Waverly Place to 1,000 feet east of Waverly Place, according to the resolution in the council's agenda packet. Sain Associates will receive payment not exceeding $240,200. According to the letter from Sain in the agenda packet, the entire project has an estimated construction cost of $1.6 million, and work is expected to be from July 2025 through April 2026. west of Waverly Place to 1,000 feet east of Waverly Place, according to the resolution in the council's agenda packet. Sain Associates will receive payment not exceeding $240,200. According to the letter from Sain in the agenda packet, the entire project has an estimated construction cost of $1.6 million, and work is expected to be from July 2025 through April 2026. Amending section 3-15 of the City Code of Ordinances: Relating to the Possession and Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages in a Public Place, which will allow for the serving and consumption of alcoholic beverages at the new Spring Villa Park Lodge. Authorizing a contract for accounting and administrative services by the City of Opelika for the Opelika Library Board. The purchase of 428 stream mitigation credits from Martin Creek LLC at a cost of $29,960. According to the resolution in the council's agenda packet, the City of Opelika plans to extend Sharpe Street as part of the project to extend Sportsplex Parkway to Lafayette Parkway (U.S. Highway 431). To do the extension, a stream will need to be piped and crossed. The U.S. Corps of Engineers is requiring that the city obtain 428 stream mitigation credits, which are environmental credits used to offset the negative impacts of development on streams and to compensate for the damage caused by project impacts. A special appropriation of $1,250 to GEMS Empowered for the Juneteenth Celebration, which will be held on June 20 in downtown Opelika. The event will be free and open to the public. GEMS Empowered is a not-for-profit organization that "empowers individuals of all ages and walks of life to achieve their dreams of homeownership, entrepreneurship, and increased wealth enabling them to have a better quality of life," according to the resolution. Alabama Rep. Debbie Wood of District 38 announced her resignation at the Chambers County Commission meeting on Monday. Wood will be resigning on July 31, according to the Chambers County Commission Facebook page. She was first elected to the Alabama House to represent District 38 in 2018. Wood said that her resignation is due to her husband accepting a job in Pensacola, Fla. Weve been married for 35 years, and Ive had many callings in my life. But I still think my first calling is to be his wife, Wood said. I just feel like my place is to be with him. Wood said they will not be living in Florida. They will be living in Lillian, Ala. District 38 needs full-time representation, and Ive had several people ask me to just stay until my term is over, but I dont think thats fair to the citizens, she said. Wood said District 38 deserves the best, so she cant just do anything part time. I have to give it my all, or I need to leave, she said. So, thats why I made up my mind to go ahead and resign. Woods proudest accomplishments Wood said an accomplishment shes proud of is a legislation she passed to ensure people have access to their loved ones, even in the middle of a pandemic. My mother passed away during COVID, and I wasnt with her, so I fought hard for that, she said. Additionally, Wood said she passed legislation to ensure people with disabilities have the same rights for organ transplants as those who dont have disabilities. Up until that point, a medical doctor could look at an individual and determine whether or not they were eligible to be a donor, she said. There are just different things that I think that Ive been able to accomplish that Im very proud of. Wood said she fought hard this year for parental leave and has been working on it for three years. She also said she spent a week last summer meeting with different people about how important it is to keep good educators in Alabama. I think the main thing that Im proud of the most is that Ive worked very hard for the people in District 38, and they have been so good to me, Wood said. It has been the honor of my life. Wood said she thinks shes a representative of all people in Lee County, Chambers County and the state of Alabama, and she carried herself with honor. Ive shown my faith. Ive been joyous. Ive listened to complaints and tried to handle them well, she said. I think that the character of a person, when theyre elected, sometimes its the most important thing, and Ive lived that. Building character and trust in your community Wood said she hopes her constituents will remember her as a hard worker who showed her faith, was joyous in all situations, was tenacious and never gave up. Her advice to her successor or young people considering a career in public service is to get involved in their community. You need to build character, have people trust you and then move forward and make a difference, Wood said. I have so many people that come to me, and they say, Im going to get a degree in political science,' and I think thats noble. I dont think anything is wrong with that but I dont think thats all you need. She said she thinks they just need to get involved in their community and love where they live because that will move them forward quicker than anything else. You will start seeing ways to make the community that you love better, Wood said. When you do that, when your eyes open, and you understand your responsibility as a person to do things to make sure things are better, that is when youll move forward politically and every other way, Wood said. We are so thankful for Representative Wood and her service to Chambers County. She has been an amazing leader and public servant, said Chambers County Commission on Facebook. Wood has lived within the district almost her entire life. During her years as county commissioner for Chambers County, Wood became the first female to serve as commission chair, was a representative to the National Association of County Officials Board in Washington D.C. and was the president of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama. I walk away with no regrets Wood said for the last three years an election integrity bill they passed through the House did not get passed through the Senate. Though she feels like they did everything they could, she still wants to see that bill continue. I walk away with no regrets, she said. Its been a joy. Its been tough. Going to a state level is not what everyone thinks it is. There is a huge learning curve, but thats true with any job. I dont have any regrets, only fond memories. Wood said she doesnt have any plans to run for another political office once she leaves. As an elected official at the state level, we do not get to participate in the retirement system. So, Im going to try to get a job back in the retirement system so I can get my full retirement, she said. Wood said she is thankful for the opportunity and that people believed in her. Im thankful that people voted for me, and Im thankful for the friendships that I made along the way, she said. The National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska could see more oil and gas exploration if the Trump administration is successful in reversing Biden-era limits on drilling for hydrocarbons in an area that is also the countrys largest tract of undisturbed land. Reuters said the move is consistent with Trumps goal to slash regulations on oil and gas development and increase domestic fuels production as part of his energy agenda. Last year the administration of Joe Biden prohibited oil and gas leasing on 10.6 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, while limiting development on more than 2 million additional acres. The NPR-A is a 23-million-acre area on Alaskas North Slope that was set aside in 1923 as an emergency oil supply for the US navy. The land, Reuters said, was opened to commercial development in the 1970s and is now managed by the Interior Departments Bureau of Land Management. Companies active in the reserve include ConocoPhillips, Santos Ltd., Repsol SA, and Armstrong Oil & Gas Inc. ConocoPhillips is developing its 600-million-barrel Willow project, with first production expected in 2029. While groups lauded the Biden rule for protecting animal habitats and the way of life of Indigenous communities, critics said it would cost jobs and make the US reliant on foreign sources for energy. Related: Sustainable Aviation Fuel Faces Uphill Battle To Become Mainstream Congress was clear: the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska was set aside to support Americas energy security through responsible development, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement. The 2024 rule ignored that mandate, prioritizing obstruction over production and undermining our ability to harness domestic resources at a time when American energy independence has never been more critical. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the North Slope accounts for just over 3% of US oil production. A 2020 assessment of Alaskas Central North Slope by the US Geological Survey found there to be an estimated $3.6 billion barrels of oil and 8.9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. This assessment is for undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources in conventional accumulations. As of 2020, 18 billion barrels of oil had been transported through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, most of which was produced from the Central North Slope, states the USGS. Most of the lands are owned by the State of Alaska and Alaskan native corporations. The assessed area includes the Prudhoe Bay field, which lies between the National Petroleum Reserve to the west, the Brooks Range to the south, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the east. Within the giant field, the largest in North America and the 18th biggest worldwide, just over half of the 25 billion barrels of oil in place can be recovered with current technology, states BP Exploration, the operator of the field and 26 percent owner. ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc. and ExxonMobil each owns 36 percent. Trump officials, along with government and industry representatives from several Asian countries, including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines, visited Prudhoe Bay on Monday, June 2. An Associated Press story via The Globe and Mail, said that President Trump wants to double the amount of oil moving through Alaskas pipeline system, and build a new natural gas project that would provide gas to Alaska residents and ship liquefied natural gas (LNG) overseas. For years, state leaders have dreamed of such a project but cost concerns, shifts in direction, competition and questions about economic feasibility have hindered progress. U.S. tariff talks with Asian countries have been seen as possible leverage for the Trump administration to secure investments in the proposed gas project. By Andrew Topf for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Turkey is back in the spotlight this week, and Erdogan is at it again. This time, hes gotten rid of five more opponents as he rather brazenly and publicly picks off his rivals one by one (or in this case, five by five). On Thursday, Erdogan fired five district mayors from the opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP), allegedly for corruption. That move is intended to shore up his previous move in March to arrest Istanbuls Mayor, Ekrem ?mamo?lu, his most dangerous political rival, on alleged financial crimes charges. That single move set off weeks of protests and wreaked havoc on Turkish markets. There is no more challenging Erdogan at a municipal level. The state will show up to intervene. Its all about the next election cycle in 2028, and Erdogan is getting a head start on neutralizing the opposition. The jailed Istanbul mayor was the CHPs best shot at unseating him. So far, a total of 11 CHP mayors have been removed from office. Dozens are behind bars, awaiting trial. Over 800 people have been arrested since the Istanbul Mayors arrest. Its starting to resemble Belarus. There is a lot at stake, and 2028 will come faster than seemed possible. Erdogan has been very busy building Turkeys proxy empire everywhere from Somalia (a recent 20-billion-barrel crude oil discovery) to Syria, where its jumped in, post-Assad, with the idea of maintaining its 20,000 troop deployment in the north (and a part in a $7B energy infrastructure deal with Qatar and The Permian basin has been the chief growth driver for U.S. shale oil production. The most prolific shale basin in North America has been the focus of attention for industry players and traders alike. But there might be a problem with the Permian. U.S. oil growth may be a bit too dependent on it. For proof, look no further than the Energy Information Administrations drilling productivity report, which is now part of its Short-Term Energy Outlook. Month after month, the EIA reveals that of all major oil basins in the country, the Permian is usually the only one that sees growth in production. On occasion, another basin records some growth in output, but that growth is rather minor as compared to the solid five-figure growth numbers for the Permian. Indeed, the Energy Information Administration itself suggested growth in U.S. crude oil production has been heavily leaning on the Permianfor over a decade, at that. In a new report, the authority noted that onshore U.S. oil production had expanded threefold since 2010, driven by the shale boom, with that boom led by the Permian. Shale output, the EIA reported, grew from 800,000 bpd in 2010 to 8.9 million bpd in 2024. Of that, the Permian accounts for over 6 million barrels daily. But heres the thing. In the same period, conventional oil production onshore declined from 2.4 million bpd in 2010 to 2.1 million bpd in 2024. This is certainly not a sharp decline, but it is a decline, and it might be noteworthy because growth in the Permian is starting to slow down as well. Related: MIT Technology Could Slash Energy Use in Oil Refining by 90% Not everyone is in agreement about the reasons. The exhaustion of top-tier acreage is certainly a fact, but opinions differ as to what comes nexta gradual and irreversible decline or another boom down the road. Top executives at major shale firms have already said that Permian oil production could hit its peak as early as the end of this decade. This is because some parts of the play have hit geological limits while others, yet to be drilled, are not expected to be as prolific as that top-tier acreage that the industry is running out of currently. Yet others, such as industry vet and commentator David Blackmon, argue that there may be another boom still left in the Permian. Granted, it probably wont be the same as the original boom in the earlier 2000s, but there is still a lot of oil and gas left undergroundit just needs the right price. It also seems to need the right producer configuration, namely a more consolidated industry with fewer but larger companies with greater resources in terms of cost efficiency by virtue of their sheer size and structure. Back in 2017, oil production in the Permian stood at 2.2 million barrels daily. Today, the Permian is producing over 6 million barrels daily, accounting for nearly half of the U.S. total, including both onshore and offshore production. This is truly impressive growth that is currently only comparable perhaps to Guyanas meteoric rise to oil stardom. But this rate of production growth is unsustainable, at the very least, because of technical constraints. Shale wells get drilled faster, start producing faster and, unsurprisingly, deplete faster. There is also the issue of the oil-to-gas ratio in the yield. Pressure within the reservoir declines as more oil is brought to the surface, which allows more natural gas to be released from the geologic formation, so the ratio changes in favor of gas. Add cost considerations and the dominant expectation among analytical outlets that the Permian will slow down this year, and over the medium to long term, it starts to sound like the only reasonable expectation for the region. Wood Mackenzie recently forecast that production in the Permian will peak at 7.7 million barrels daily. This should happen around 2035, the consultancy said. But this will not be the end of the Permianbecause when it reaches this level, production will stay there for a while. There will be no falling off a cliff for Permian oil output. At this level, Permian production will continue to offset declines in other shale plays, keeping the U.S. national total at a stable level. Its going to be a slow decline beyond that because theres a lot of resource, ConocoPhillips Ryan Lance said about the Permian recently. Occidentals Vicki Hollub, for her part, said that peak U.S. production will occur sometime between 2027 and 2030, and after that some decline. Both predictions are quite guarded and rightly so. After all, no one really expected the original shale boom. This is the interesting thing about the oil industry, in fact, and this is why, although U.S. crude oil production may be heavily reliant on the Permian for its growth, this is not necessarily cause for worry. As long as there is demand for the product, which makes supply growth economically justifiable, there will be supply. It really is as simple as that. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com On June 1, Ukraine executed Operation Spiderweb, a meticulously planned drone offensive targeting five Russian airbases, including facilities in Siberia. The operation reportedly damaged or destroyed approximately 34% of Russia's strategic bomber fleet, including nuclear-capable aircraft, marking a significant escalation in Ukraine's military capabilities. In retaliation, Russia launched a massive missile and drone assault across Ukraine on June 6, with Kyiv experiencing one of the deadliest attacks since April. The strikes resulted in at least four fatalities and over 20 injuries, causing extensive damage to residential areas and infrastructure. Amid these developments, Trump, during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, suggested that it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia "fight for a while" before intervening, likening the conflict to a fight between children and making NATO rather nervous. For some context about the drone barrages, its difficult these days to even get a flight to Moscow, with airlines frequently cancelling flights or turning back mid-route. Our staffers are currently waiting in Istanbul for the next drone-free flight to Moscow, having been turned back overnight due to Ukrainian drones surrounding the airport. Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict On June 1, Ukraine executed Operation Spiderweb, a meticulously planned drone offensive targeting five Russian airbases, including facilities in Siberia. The operation reportedly damaged or destroyed approximately 34% of Russia's strategic bomber fleet, including nuclear-capable aircraft, marking a significant escalation in Ukraine's military capabilities. In retaliation, Russia launched a massive missile and drone assault across Ukraine on June 6, with Kyiv experiencing one of the deadliest attacks since April. The strikes resulted in at least four fatalities and over 20 injuries, causing extensive damage to residential areas and infrastructure. Amid these developments, Trump, during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, suggested that it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia "fight for a while" before intervening, likening the conflict to a fight between children and making NATO rather nervous. For some context about the drone barrages, its difficult these days to even get a flight to Moscow, with airlines frequently cancelling flights or turning back mid-route. Our staffers are currently waiting in Istanbul for the next drone-free flight to Moscow, having been turned back overnight due to Ukrainian drones surrounding the airport. Libyas fragile power-sharing truce is fracturing under the weight of a $12.7 billion budget approved by the eastern-based parliament for a new Development and Reconstruction Fund, controlled by Belgassim Haftarson of eastern warlord Khalifa Haftar. While ostensibly earmarked for infrastructure over the next three years, the fund is now at the epicenter of a political maelstrom threatening to unravel what little unity remains. Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, backed by Turkey and based in Tripoli, has publicly condemned the move as an institutional power grab designed to siphon oil revenues under the guise of development. Meanwhile, 113 lawmakers have demanded a freeze on the budgets execution, citing quorum irregularities and legal overreach, according to the Libya Observer. With both rival governments eyeing control over the Central Bank and the National Oil Corporation (NOC), the battle for fiscal dominance is colliding directly with control of Libyas oil export lifeline. This raises red flags for Mediterranean energy security, as the risk of civil warreignited by armed clashes in Tripolicould disrupt flows from key terminals in the east. Traders are now bracing for fresh volatility in Brent-linked contracts should this institutional standoff escalate into a broader supply shock. The TrumpMusk slugfest just hit a geopolitical nerve. In a high-stakes volley thats as personal as it is political, Elon Musk took to X to claim Donald Trumps name appears in the still-sealed Epstein filesand thats the real reason theyve never seen daylight. The post dropped like a depth charge across D.C. and Wall Street, reigniting scrutiny of elite networks tied to the disgraced financier. Trumps camp wasted no time, with senior aides reportedly weighing retaliatory blows, including severing lucrative federal contracts with Musk's empirefrom SpaceX launch deals to Tesla's EV infrastructure subsidies. This isnt just a Twitter feud; its a multi-billion-dollar collision of ego, influence, and empire. With Tesla shares already wobbling under regulatory heat and market pressure, investors are now being forced to price in a politically weaponized risk factor. For the energy and tech sectors, the fight signals a potentially radical realignment: a once-cozy rapport between two of the most powerful figures in modern capitalism now metastasizing into open warfare. Watch this spaceif the Epstein files surface, or federal funding is yanked, this could turn from a headline dust-up into a structural threat to Musks D.C. pipeline. In Russias Bashkortostan, tensions have escalated as authorities conducted raids and detained activists opposing a state-backed copper mining project in the Kyrktytau mountain range. The project, led by the Russian Copper Company, has faced significant resistance from local communities and environmental groups concerned about ecological damage and the preservation of Indigenous lands. Prominent activist Ural Baybulatov and businessman Ildar Khabirov were among those targeted in the recent crackdown. Israel's latest military action has escalated tensions in Lebanon, with airstrikes targeting Hezbollah's underground drone manufacturing sites in Beirut's southern suburbs. The Israeli Defense Forces issued evacuation warnings to residents, leading to mass departures from the area. These strikes mark a major escalation. Previous Israeli operations had primarily focused on southern Lebanon. The IDF asserts that Hezbollah's UAV production violates ceasefire agreements, which required the group to withdraw north of the Litani River and dismantle southern military posts.Despite a November truce, Israel maintains strategic positions along the border, citing ongoing threats. The Lebanese army reports dismantling over 500 Hezbollah positions in the south, but the recent developments indicate a potential resurgence of hostilities, with implications for regional stability and energy markets. Amid mounting instability in Pakistan, Chinese policymakers are making a quiet recalibration. And its not about Kashmir. Its about Balochistan. Balochistan is the fulcrum of Beijings strategic investment in Pakistan because it is home to the Gwadar Port, the southern anchor of the $60+ billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). But with persistent insurgent violence, including attacks on Chinese workers and infrastructure, its increasingly viewed by Chinese strategists as a high-risk asset liability. China expects Pakistan to secure this corridor, and Islamabad isnt doing enough to that end, and its western border is the bigger issue than Kashmir, from Beijings perspective. Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions British energy firm Centrica signed a $27B agreement with Norway's Equinor to supply 5 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually until 2035. This deal hopes to meet approximately 8% of the UK's gas demand. Chart Industries and Flowserve agreed to a $19B all-stock merger, creating a leading provider in gas and liquid technologies. The combined entity will serve industries such as LNG, nuclear energy, and data centers, with expected cost synergies of $300 million over three years. EOG Resources announced a $5.6B acquisition of Encino Acquisition Partners, expanding its presence in Ohio's Utica Shale. The deal adds 675,000 net acres to EOG's portfolio, enhancing its multi-basin strategy. BP and its partners approved a $2.9B investment to expand gas and condensate production in the Shah Deniz field in the Azerbaijani Caspian Sea. The expansion aims to tap low-pressure reserves, adding significant volumes to production. BP's planned sale of its lubricants division, Castrol, has attracted early interest from private equity firms and industry players, including Citic, Saudi Aramco, and Reliance Industries. However, some potential bidders are considering offers below the anticipated $8B valuation. H1 2025 Results Trafigura's first-half 2025 results reveal a company navigating a complex landscape of geopolitical volatility and shifting market dynamics. The Swiss-based commodity trading giant reported a modest 3% increase in net profit to $1.52 billion, despite a 4% decline in revenues to $119.2 billion, attributed to lower average commodity prices. This performance follows a challenging 2024, marked by a significant $1.1B fraud incident in Mongolia and the end of a record earnings surge fueled by post-pandemic recovery and the Ukraine conflict. The period also saw a leadership change, with Richard Holtum replacing Jeremy Weir as CEO. While oil and gas trading volumes remained steady at 7.2 million barrels per day, traded volumes of non-ferrous metals and bulk minerals declined, reflecting a strategic shift towards prioritizing profitability over volume. CFO Stephan Jansma noted that current market volatility, driven more by policy decisions than traditional supply-demand disruptions, may not yield trading opportunities. The company also announced plans to distribute $1.537 billion in dividends, primarily related to share redemptions. Discovery & Development Shell has greenlit the Aphrodite gas project offshore Trinidad and Tobago, anticipating first gas production by 2027 with a peak output of 18,400 barrels of oil equivalent per day. This development aims to mitigate the natural gas shortage at Trinidad's Atlantic LNG plant, where Shell holds a 45% stake. The Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Co. (KUFPEC) has obtained development approval for the Anambas working area in Indonesia's Natuna Sea. The project is expected to produce 55 million standard cubic feet per day of gas, with first production targeted for the end of 2027. Norwegian company OKEA, along with its partners, has discovered oil along the eastern flank of the Brage Field in the North Sea. The discovery was made in the southern part of the Prince prospect, indicating potential for further development in the area. ICE Brent is poised to close the week above $66 as trade optimism lifts sentiment, while stubborn geopolitical tensions and shifting wildfire risks keep supply concerns alive. June 6th, 2025 ICE Brent futures are set to close this week above $66 per barrel, a more than 3% weekly gain after markets were buoyed by the prospect of US-China trade talks all the while derailed US-Iran and Russia-Ukraine negotiations have kept geopolitical risk premia intact. Supply risks from Canadas wildfires seem to be subsiding after Alberta saw some rain earlier in the week, however, they might reappear again on forecasts of upcoming June heatwaves. No Nuclear Deal Means More Iran Sanctions. As US-Iran nuclear negotiations seemingly hit a roadblock after Tehran rejected the idea of transferring its inventory of enriched uranium, the US Department of Treasury announced new sanctions on Iran, targeting 10 individuals and 27 commercial entities. Saudi Arabia Cuts Its July Prices. Saudi Aramco (TADAWUL:2222) slashed its July prices for Asian customers by $0.20 per barrel for lighter grades and by $0.10 per barrel for Arab Medium, back to May levels, citing healthy demand and low regional stocks, half the cut that analysts were expecting. Iraq Attacks Kurdish Government. The Iraqi Oil Ministry said that it holds the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) legally responsible for the widespread smuggling of oil and refined products from Kurdistan, believed to be at least 150,000 b/d in volume, as Erbil defies orders from Baghdad. US and Japan to Iron Out US Steel Deal Concerns. Japans largest steelmaker, Nippon Steel (TYO:5401) asked a US appeals court for an 8-day pause in litigation to give them more time to reach a final agreement to buy US Steel (NYSE:X) for $14.9 billion, as both sides believe they are closing in on the deal. Low Stocks Buoys Copper Futures. Copper soared to its highest in two months this week, with the three-month LME futures contract touching $9,810 per metric tonne on Thursday, as inventories in LME-registered warehouses fell to just 138,000 tonnes, halving since the beginning of this year. Clean Energy Investments Flying High, Still. According to the International Energy Agency, global energy investment will rise to a record $3.3 trillion this year, of which $2.2 trillion will come from clean energy technologies, including renewables, nuclear and energy storage, with solar being the biggest beneficiary. Silver Soars to Highest Since 2012. Spot silver prices surged past $36 per ounce this week, for the first time in 13 years, as the metal enters its fifth consecutive year of a market deficit on the back of strong industrial demand, further boosted by silvers safe haven appeal that lifted it by 24% in 2025 already. Brazil Will Start Drilling Big in Africa. Petrobras (NYSE:PBR), the state oil company of Brazil, stated it would make Africa its main region of exploration and investment outside of Brazil, with the government of Ivory Coast offering preferential rights to nine offshore blocks this week, to be followed by Nigeria, Angola and Namibia. Petronas Denies Rumours of Canada Exit. Malaysias national oil company Petronas refuted claims that it would be looking to sell its 7 billion Canadian business, however signalled that it is intent to rightsize its workforce there and cut around 10% of its workforce as part of a restructuring exercise. China Teapots Curb Their Appetite for Iranian Oil. Independent teapot refiners in China have slowed their purchases of Iranian crude, down by some 20% from the 1.6 million b/d average of Q1 2025, however, it is not sanctions but high asking prices (a discount of -$3 per barrel to Brent) that prompted the shift. US Rejects Ethane Loadings to China. US midstream giant Enterprise Products (NYSE:EPD) said that the US Commerce Department denied its requests to ship 2.2 million barrels of ethane in three loads to China, despite having requested an export licence right after receiving a May 23 letter from the BIS. Discounts For Russian Oil Narrow. Discounts for Russias flagship Urals grade have narrowed to their lowest since the Russia-Ukraine war began as July-arrival cargoes are shown at a $2.25 per barrel discount to Brent on a delivered basis, partly due to flat prices behind the $60 per barrel price cap level. US LNG Flows Fall Before They Soar. US feedgas flows to the countrys eight large-scale LNG export plants dipped to 13.8 BCf/d so far in June as Sabine Pass LNG is undergoing planned maintenance until June 22 and Plaquemines prepares for new commissioned units, capping next-day Henry Hub prices at $2.86 per mmBtu. By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Venezuela hasnt waited long to replace Western service providers in its oil industry after the U.S. sanctions, and has signed at least nine agreements with foreign firms, including from China, sources with knowledge of the deals told Bloomberg. Under the U.S. sanctions, Western oil producers were given time until May to wrap up their operations in Venezuela, home to the worlds biggest crude oil reserves. U.S. licenses for the biggest oilfield service providers Schlumberger, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, and Weatherford International expired in early May. Supermajor Chevron was given until May 27 to wind down operations in Venezuela, and the U.S. isnt extending any waivers anymore. But Venezuela needs oil revenues and oil flowing to international buyers. So it is turning to companies from China and other countries. The firms include Aldyl Argentina SA and Chinas Anhui Guangda Mining Investing and China Concord Resources, per an internal document of PDVSA seen by Bloomberg. PDVSA has a plan to keep producing oil despite the USs unilateral coercive measures, Venezuelas Vice President and Oil Minister Delcy Rodriguez said at the end of May. During that time, Nicolas Maduro solidified his power over Venezuela following regional and parliamentary elections, which his ruling party said it won in a landslide, while the opposition called for a boycott of the vote and claimed turnout was below 15%. Earlier this year, the Trump Administration revoked Chevrons license to operate in Venezuela and export oil from its oilfields, setting May 27 as the deadline for Chevron to wind down its operations in the South American country. The U.S. Treasury has also revoked a license for French oil firm Maurel & Prom to operate in Venezuela and is no longer allowing firms, including Eni and Repsol, to receive oil from PDVSA in lieu of payments. Despite the U.S. sanctions, Venezuelas crude oil exports remained unchanged in May compared to April, as increased shipments to China helped offset a sharp drop in U.S.-authorized sales. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com The Dangote oil refinery in Nigeria, Africas largest crude processing facility, has been buying increasing volumes of U.S. crude WTI despite the fact that Nigeria is the biggest crude oil producer in Africa. But Africas top OPEC member has been struggling to materially boost domestic crude output, so the 650,000-barrels-per-day refinery has been sourcing more WTI crude as the facility is ramping up to capacity. So far this year, U.S. crude has accounted for a third of the purchases of the Dangote refinery, according to vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. A large part of the American crude feeding Nigerias refinery is the WTI Midland grade, the data showed. The reason for the high U.S. crude intake is both technical and logistical. WTI offers higher yields of reformate and has better gasoline blending capabilities, Randy Hurburun, senior refinery analyst at Energy Aspects, told Bloomberg. Moreover, some of the market for WTI crude in Asia shrank this year with the U.S.-China trade war, which made more American crude from Midland available to other markets. At the same time, Nigerian crude availability has declined amid the Dangote refinery ramp-up, a spokesperson for the company told Bloomberg. In June, U.S. crude will have a bigger share in Dangotes imports compared to Nigerian crudes, according the data compiled by Bloomberg. Dangote began fuel production in 2024. The refinery started up in January last year with the launch of diesel and naphtha production and began producing gasoline in September. The refinery, built by Africas richest person, Aliko Dangote, has a total processing capacity of 650,000 bpd, which makes it Africas biggest and one of the worlds largest crude processing sites. The refinery is expected to meet 100% of Nigerias demand for all refined petroleum products and will also have a surplus of each of the products for export. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Crude oil prices were set for a weekly gain despite a slide earlier today, mostly on renewed optimism about U.S.-Chinese trade negotiations but also on supply uncertainty in Venezuela in Iran. At the time of writing, Brent crude was trading at $65.15 per barrel, with West Texas Intermediate at $63.18 per barrel, following President Trumps statement that the latest talks, directly with Chinas Xi, had ended in a very positive conclusion, and that the U.S. was in very good shape with China and the trade deal, as carried by Reuters. Meanwhile, the likelihood of more U.S. sanctions on Venezuelan oil and the threat of Israeli attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure provided additional support for prices. The potential for increased US sanctions in Venezuela to limit crude exports and the potential for Israeli strike on Iranian infrastructure add to upside risks for prices, BMI analysts said in a note today, adding that both weaker demand for oil and increased production from both OPEC+ and non-OPEC producers will add to downside price pressures in the coming quarters. The BMI note came out after on Thursday the International Energy Agency said in its new World Energy Investment report it expected demand for oil to weaken this year. The IEA also predicted investment in oil and gas exploration would decline by 6% in 2025, in tune with its demand forecast. Demand for oil this year, according to the IEA, is set to decline for the first time since the pandemic lockdowns of 2020. Supporting the bearish view on oil this week was the news that Saudi Arabia was going to cut its oil prices for Asian buyers yet again to the lowest in two months. The cut, however, was smaller than analysts expected, suggesting some resilience in demand in the worlds largest importing market. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Brazils Petrobras will be focusing on Africa as its main growth region abroad, the companys chief executive told Reuters in an interview, listing Ivory Coast, Angola, Nigeria, and Namibia as specific destinations for investment. We are experts in the eastern margin of Brazil, Magda Chambriard said. The correlation between Brazil and Africa is unequivocal, so we need to go to Africa. Earlier this year, a senior company executive told Reuters Petrobras was looking to buy interest in African oil fields to boost its reserves and was in talks with potential sellers, including Exxon, Shell, and TotalEnergies. Petrobrass proven oil and gas reserves increased by 500 million barrels last year, from 10.9 billion barrels to 11.4 billion barrels. Earlier this week, Petrobras submitted a declaration of interest for offshore oil acreage in Ivory Coast, including nine blocks in total in it. The declaration will grant the Brazilian major exclusive negotiations on the acquisition of the assets. The geographic location of Ivory Coast, on the African Atlantic coast, is of great interest to Petrobras, Chambriard said in comments on the news, as quoted by Offshore Technology. We have a lot of experience in this region, on this side of the Atlantic, where the Campos and Santos basins are located, and I believe that we can also achieve important results on the other side of the ocean. Separately, Petrobras sealed a preliminary cooperation deal with Angolas Sonangol, focusing on joint offshore exploration, subsea engineering, and sustainable oil and gas production technologies. Petrobras booked a virtually flat crude oil production for the first quarter of the year, at 2.77 million barrels daily, down by 0.2% on the first quarter of 2024. It was up by 5.4% sequentially, however, the Brazilian state energy major reported. Production of crude specifically registered a decline of 1%, to 2.21 million barrels daily. The company attributed the decline to natural depletion at some fields. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Spain did not import any crude oil from Venezuela in April, ahead of a U.S. deadline in May for foreign operators to wind down operations in the South American country, official Spanish data showed on Friday. Earlier this year, Spains imports of crude oil from Venezuela jumped by nearly 60% in January and February compared to the same period of 2024. Spains energy major Repsol was one of several foreign companies, which also included U.S. Chevron and Italys Eni, allowed by the Biden Administration to operate in Venezuela and export its crude to refineries in lieu of payments by Venezuelan state oil firm PDVSA. However, the Trump Administration hastened to tighten the screws on Venezuelan oil industry and oil exports, revoking Chevrons license and the licenses of the European firms to export crude from the South American country, which holds the worlds largest crude oil reserves. The U.S. Treasury has revoked a license for French oil firm Maurel & Prom to operate in Venezuela and is no longer allowing firms to receive oil from PDVSA in lieu of payments. Spains Repsol was one of the foreign majors with a waiver to receive Venezuelan crude as PDVSA was seeking to repay its debt via crude deliveries. However, the Trump Administration didnt extend any waivers and ordered companies including Chevron to wind down operations in Venezuela by May 27. In response, PDVSA revoked in early April authorizations to U.S. supermajor Chevron to load and export crude from Venezuela, following the Trump Administrations increased sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports and tariffs on its oil buyers. Despite the U.S. sanctions, Venezuelas crude oil exports remained unchanged in May compared to April, as increased shipments to China helped offset a sharp drop in U.S.-authorized sales. According to internal PDVSA documents and vessel-tracking data, Venezuela shipped 779,000 bpd of crude and refined products last monthdown only slightly from Aprils 783,000 bpd. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com The fuel economy standards issued under former President Biden exceeded legal authority, the U.S. Department of Transportation said on Friday. Under the so-called Corporate Average Fuel Economy Program (CAFE), the Biden Administration included electric vehicles (EVs) in calculating fuel economy regulations. Now the Trump Administration published a Resetting the Corporate Average Fuel Economy Program rule, in which it declared that the Biden-era rule and rule-making exceeded legal authority. Last month, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had submitted the interpretive rule for review. This is a key step towards reversing the prior administrations illegal interpretation of CAFE standards that made cars more expensive for working class families, DOT said in May. The Biden-Buttigieg administration illegally used CAFE standards as a backdoor electric vehicle mandate driving the price of cars up, Secretary Duffy said in a statement. In an executive order on Day One, President Trump said that the Administrations policy will be aimed at eliminating the electric vehicle (EV) mandate and promote true consumer choice, which is essential for economic growth and innovation, by removing regulatory barriers to motor vehicle access. The Trump Administration is also considering the elimination of unfair subsidies and other ill-conceived government-imposed market distortions that favor EVs over other technologies and effectively mandate their purchase by individuals, private businesses, and government entities alike by rendering other types of vehicles unaffordable. Republican lawmakers have been calling for more than a year for the withdrawal of the so-called EV mandate. NHTSAs proposed standards, when coupled with the Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) distinct, extreme tailpipe emissions proposal, amount to a de facto mandate for electric vehicles (EVs) that threatens to raise costs and restrict consumer choice, harm U.S. businesses, degrade our energy and national security and hand the keys of our automotive industry over to our adversaries, especially China, more than 120 lawmakers wrote in January last year. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com In a move that fuses domestic revival with international strategy, the Trump administration has greenlit the expansion of Montanas Bull Mountains coal mineunlocking nearly 60 million tons of coal destined for key U.S. allies Japan and South Korea. The approval, announced Friday by the Department of the Interior, comes under President Trumps national energy emergency directive, signaling a bold return to coal as a cornerstone of U.S. energy policy and foreign leverage. The mines expansion, led by Signal Peak Energy, is expected to extend its life by up to nine years and inject over $1 billion into local and state economies. This is what energy leadership looks like, said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, adding that the move supports both American jobs and Indo-Pacific energy security. The timing is strategic: Japans crude imports are falling amid a refining sector under pressure, while South Korea is aggressively pursuing energy diversification. Under Trumps second term, the coal industry has gone from a political afterthought to a geopolitical asset. Since Day One, the President has declared war on what he calls environmental extremism, pushing executive orders to halt coal plant closures, expedite new construction, and reopen shuttered facilities. And while critics focus on coals environmental cost, the administration is focused on grid reliability and foreign policy. Japan and South Koreanations that import more than 80% of their energyare viewed as critical frontlines in the battle for global energy dominance. The Bull Mountains move is also a warning shot to China, whose coal-fueled growth has dwarfed Western capacity for years. By positioning U.S. coal exports as both an economic tool and a diplomatic lever, the Trump administration is signaling it won't cede the Indo-Pacific energy map without a fight. Coal, long counted out, may be Americas most surprising comeback story yet. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Stonepeak Partners, the investment firm, is reportedly in talks to take over Malaysia-based Yinson Holdings in a deal that could be worth $2.1 billion, according to Bloomberg, which cited unnamed sources. The U.S. company will join forces with Yinsons largest shareholder, the Lim family, for the acquisition, the Bloomberg sources also said. The Malaysian company, which began its life as a transport and logistics services provider in the 1980s, is currently active in energy infrastructure, oil and gas vessels, and wind and solar. Bloomberg noted that the news of the possible acquisition pushed Yinsons shares 14% higher. If Stonepeak and the Lim family take it over, they would also take it private, the report said. Earlier this year, Yinson completed a funding round worth $1 billion for its unit that manufactures offshore oil and gas vessels. Investors included the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, British Columbia Investment Corp., and RRJ Capital, a Singapore-based private equity firm. Stonepeak, for its part, recently made headlines when it bought a 40% stake in Woodside Energys Louisiana LNG project. Per the terms of the deal, the infrastructure investment firm will provide $5.7 billion towards the expected capital expenditure for the foundation development of the LNG export facility, contributing 75% of the project capital expenditure in both 2025 and 2026. The transaction provides validation of project quality and increasing attractiveness of the project to other potential equity partners, Woodside said in a statement at the time. Also, earlier this year, Stonepeak struck a deal with Spains Repsol to buy a stake in a solar power generation and storage portfolio of 777 MW across New Mexico and Texas. The infrastructure investor agreed to pay $340 million for a 46.3% interest in the asset package. The package includes Repsols largest solar installation to date, the 632-MW Frye facility in Texas. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com The U.S. Treasury Department has unleashed a sweeping wave of sanctions targeting a sprawling network of companies and individuals accused of facilitating Iranian oil and petrochemical exports in violation of existing sanctions. The action, announced Friday, strikes at the financial and logistical infrastructure underpinning Irans shadow energy tradeparticularly its crude exports to Asia. At the center of the designations is Nasser Zarrin Ghalam and Partners Company, based in Tehran, which U.S. authorities say orchestrates illicit petroleum transactions through a web of front companies. Dozens of these entities are registered in Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran, often using aliases and shell addresses to obscure Iranian origins and enable oil shipments through falsified documentation. Two UAE-based firmsACE Petrochem FZE and Moderate General Trading LLCwere sanctioned for their direct links to the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), a blacklisted entity central to Irans crude oil export apparatus. Both firms are alleged to facilitate crude transport and payments through maritime and financial routes designed to evade detection. Another key entity, Kimia Sadr Pasargad Company, headquartered in Tehran, was identified as a critical player in Irans petrochemical export sector. It, too, now faces secondary sanctions, cutting it off from dollar-based transactions and threatening foreign partners with penalties. Hong Kong served as the financial nerve center for much of the operation. Shell companies such as PrettyAndy Trading Limited (a.k.a. Ragang Petroleum and Logistics Co.) and Golden Pen General Trading LLC were cited for their role in laundering proceeds and masking cargo origins. Fridays move signals Washingtons intent to tighten the noose on Irans sanctioned oil flows at a time when Tehran is reportedly increasing exports to China and other Asian buyers via intermediaries. With global oil markets tightening and enforcement fatigue rising, the U.S. appears determined to disrupt Irans energy workaround networksespecially those with reach into major Asian trading hubs. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com LINCOLN Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen touted his record on secure elections and his goals for further reforms at his formal reelection campaign launch Friday. Im running for reelection so that I can continue to fight for our conservative values and for our Nebraska way of life. Im proudly pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, pro-family and pro-Nebraska, Evnen, who is seeking a third term in 2026, said in the rotunda of the Capitol. Evnen won the Republican primary in 2022 and did not face a challenger in the general election. Evnen said theres unfinished business in his office. He plans to pursue legislation to tighten up the prohibition on foreign money in campaigns and eliminate ballot harvesting, the practice of a third party collecting completed absentee ballots and submitting them on behalf of voters. Some argue the practice makes elections prone to fraud while others say it helps more people participate in voting. He also wants to find ways to confirm the citizenship of the roughly 2% of voters who did not register through the Department of Motor Vehicles. After years of an open border in our country, when 10 or 15 million people walked into our country with no legal right to do so, one has to wonder whether some of those people ended up on voter rolls, he said, echoing a federal crackdown on illegal voting. Im working with the attorney general to establish a lawful process for confirming citizenship that wont disenfranchise legitimate voters. A host of officials and supporters flanked Evnen in the Capitol rotunda, including Sen. Deb Fischer, Nebraska Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly and Speaker of the Legislature Sen. John Arch of La Vista. Nebraskans have confidence in our elections. They have confidence in our government, Fischer said. (Evnen) is recognized for being a thoughtful and honest, a conservative leader for the State of Nebraska, who is respected across this country for the work that he does. Arch highlighted Evnens work with the Legislature to implement voter ID laws, which Nebraskans approved in a ballot initiative in 2022. He credited Evnen with having a hands-on understanding of the effects at the county level, which helped lawmakers craft a bill in 2023. The next year, the state held its first elections with a voter ID law in place. Speaking with reporters after the campaign event, Evnen also said he will pursue legislation to make it easier for county election offices to process ballot initiatives. Last year, the November ballot had six measures that voters statewide considered. Before that, election officials had to verify the signatures to get the initiatives on the ballot. The pressure that was put on the counties to qualify the signatures in all of these different initiatives there were 600,000 signatures that they had to verify, Evnen said. So what Id like to do is to create a process where the counties have more time, and were exploring and studying ways to do that. He also stood by the ongoing challenge by Attorney General Mike Hilgers that alleges fraud in the signature collection for measures related to legalizing medical cannabis. If theres a judge who said that signature collectors and notaries public violated the law, what is the consequence for that? Were looking to the courts for that answer, Evnen said, referring to a related, ongoing case. In Hilgers fraud case, a District Court judge dismissed the challenge against the petitions, and the State Supreme Court is considering Hilgers appeal. Asked about public perception of the executive branch slowing the rollout of the ballot initiative, Evnen said, From our standpoint, we follow the law. We put it on the ballot, and the people voted. Thats our job, and we did it. He had a similar response when asked about his directions last year to stop registering people to vote who were less than two years removed from serving time for a felony conviction, despite a state law eliminating the waiting period. Evnen said he followed a very strong opinion from Hilgers that the new law was unconstitutional. When the Supreme Court disagreed, Evnens office complied. Along with managing elections, the secretary of state also promotes international trade and cultural and educational exchanges, oversees business services and sits on the State of Nebraska Board of Pardons. Evnen said he wants to expand Nebraskas economy and open new international market connections while also cutting red tape for domestic businesses. He said his office is replacing its service system, a multimillion-dollar investment from the Legislature. Evnen, an attorney, practiced law in Lincoln for more than 30 years and served eight years on the Nebraska State Board of Education. By Oregon House Republican Caucus June 4th, 2025 Today, House Democrats passed Senate Bill 916 B, making Oregon the first state in the nation to allow public employees to receive unemployment benefits while on strike. House Republicans offered a commonsense Minority Report which would have aligned Oregon with Washington State with the major caveat that public employees are barred from striking in Washington, but not in Oregon. This proposal would have: Added a two-week disqualification period with a one-week waiting period. Capped the number of weeks benefits could be received to six weeks. Required the Oregon Employment Department to annually report to the Legislature on the prevalence of strikes and the cost of benefits for striking workers. Ensured that the measure would only be effective until 2035 to examine its effectiveness. This move follows cries from superintendents of Oregons largest school districts who wrote a letter to all the members of the House of Representatives, asking them to oppose this bill. Today, House Democrats ignored the voices of their own superintendents, business leaders, and local governments to reward powerful Oregon unions, said Representative Elmer (R-McMinnville). House Republicans offered a good faith Minority Report to align this legislation with Washington a state leading Oregon not just in business friendliness, but also in education. To say I am disappointed by todays vote is an understatement. With this move, Democrats are harming Oregon students, who are woefully behind in test scores and graduation rates, and leading in chronic absenteeism, while also unfairly painting our hardworking school board members as the bad guys when the responsibility lies with the Legislature, said Rep. Boomer Wright (R-Reedsport). This bill also disproportionately threatens small businesses, many of which are already struggling to stay afloat with Oregons high taxes and regulatory environment. By Taxpayers Association of Oregon OregonWatchdog.com Here is a list of three important updates on gun control, he peoples Kicker Tax Refund, and the new transportation package. Massive transportation tax package: A group of Democratic Senators and Representatives introduced their billion-dollar transportation package. It includes a 100% gas tax increase. This would raise the current gas tax from 40-cent to 80-cents. Oregon already has a gas tax that is in the top in ten in the nation. A 50% DMV increase. This would be an increase on vehicle registration fees issued by DMV. A 400% wage tax increase. There is currently a transportation payroll tax on Oregon wages. The payroll tax would increase from 0.1% to 0.5%, a 400% increase, in a staggered step increase until completion in 2032. Even worse, this big increase would go to transit costs not roads. A new tax on new and used cars. Read more here. A second gas-tax plan was just released this morning!!! See OPB Oregon Democrats prepare to release major transportation funding bill. Taking the peoples Kicker Income Tax Refund. KOIN-TV interviewed the Oregon Senate President Rob Wagner on Koteks recent plan to raid the Kicker to fund fighting wildfires. Senate President Wagner said, The kicker is something people are interested in talking about. It would have to be means tested and highly focused. This comes roughly one week after Kotek floated the Kicker raid idea. The fact that two of Oregons highest elected officials are talking about taking the peoples kicker at the same time is a warning. Senate Passes SB 243: The Oregon Senate recently passed Senate Bill 243, which is called the gun-control omnibus package. SB 696 creates the crime of unlawful manufacturing, transporting, or transferring of a rapid-fire activator, also known as a bump-stock. Senate Bill 698 also expands gun-free zones by allowing government bodies to adopt policies that prohibit firearms, including concealed handgun license holders. Was this helpful? If so, contribute online at OregonWatchdog.com (learn about a Charitable Tax Deduction or Political Tax Credit options to promote liberty). Eugene Volock has passed on an allegation of blatant discrimination at a journal published by the University of Oregon. The source is Professor Ofer Raban, who teaches law there. The events unfolded in 2024, after an Oregon Law Review editor recommended the publication of an article written by the Israeli professor. Conceding the articles merits, a second law review editor rejected the recommendation because the author was a faculty member at an Israeli university. The law review management agreed, claiming that publishing the article would be perceived as an endorsement of Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian conflictalthough the article dealt with environmental law and had nothing to do with that conflict. When the original reviewer objected that this may amount to unlawful discrimination, the matter was taken to a high-ranking law school official. A meeting was held, and the official reportedly gave the green light to the discrimination. At least two law school administrators, possibly more, were aware of the stated basis for the rejection and connived in it. A concerned member of the law review (who did not attend the meeting) was told that the law schools administration had cleared the discrimination. I dont see any reporting on the universitys response. Lets remember this is an unverified allegation, but it sounds mighty plausible. Eric Shierman lives in Salem and is the author of We were winning when I was there. By Taxpayers Association of Oregon OregonWatchdog.com Capitol rumors suggest that the Ways and Means Committee is adopting a HECC budget that undermines voter-approved Measure 99, a 2016 measure that dedicates 4% of lottery funds to Outdoor School. This voter-approved funding likely going to be put aside and the funds raided to pay for more General Fund expenses like the $30 billion Public Employee Retirement (PERS) pension debt. Slapping voters by revoking their ballot measures is much like when Democratic lawmakers voted to overturn voter-approved Measure 88 (ban on drivers license IDS for illegal migrants). Voters rejected a billion-dollar sales tax by nearly 60% in 2016 (Measure 96). So the politicians created an even worse billion-dollar sales tax (HB3427) and passed it anyway. Oregonians voted to put the death penalty in the Constitution for Oregons worst murderers (Measure 6). The politicians voted to gut the death penalty without asking voters. They were able to cheat the Constitution by changing who qualifies for the death penalty, therefore setting 28 of 29 criminals free from being on death row. Was this helpful? If so, contribute online at OregonWatchdog.com (learn about a Charitable Tax Deduction or Political Tax Credit options to promote liberty). This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: CC0 Public Domain Amid growing concern over U.S. public health funding cuts, experts at Washington University in St. Louis warn that pulling support from key data systems could erase decades of progress in protecting women and children from violence. In a letter published in The Lancet, first author Lindsay Stark, a professor at the WashU School of Public Health, and other scholars argued that recent U.S. funding decisions are putting the world's most vital violence prevention tools at risk. These include the Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS) and the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS)rigorous, population-based data systems that inform global strategies to end violence, monitor progress and direct resources where they are needed most. The authors wrote that nearly one in three women globallyapproximately 736 millionhas been a victim of physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner, non-partner, or both at least once in their lifetime. Estimates suggest 1 billion childrenover half the world's childrenexperience some form of violence or neglect each year. "These staggering figures are only visible because of decades of investment in careful, ethical, on-the-ground data collection," Stark said. Unlike police investigations, which rely on victims to report crimes, VACS and DHS are proactive, confidential surveys that reach deep into communities to uncover abuse that otherwise would remain invisible. Conducted in low- and middle-income countries, the surveys involve trained interviewers who privately speak with randomly selected women, adolescents and children. The interviewers ask sensitive questions with discretion, fostering trust while protecting participants' identities. "The data not only protects survivorsit gives communities the knowledge to stop violence before it starts," said Ilana Seff, a research associate professor at WashU's School of Public Health. The surveys inform violence prevention programs across dozens of countries, helping policymakers understand key risk factors, such as alcohol use, childhood trauma and economic insecurity. The authors note that the evidence-based programs have led to significant reductions in violence in just months or yearsrather than generations. Given this proven impact, the authors expressed alarm over recent U.S. actions that threaten the system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has long provided technical support for VACS, is facing deep funding cuts. The U.S. Agency for International Development, which has funded DHS since its inception, has been dismantled. The authors also cite the U.S. withdrawal from, and defunding of, the World Health Organization, which plays a central role in efforts to collect and interpret violence data. The letterco-authored by Chen Reis, at the University of Denver, Ruti Levtov, of the Prevention Collaborative in Washington, D.C., and Julianne Deitch, of the Women's Refugee Commission in New Yorkcalls on the U.S. and other governments to reinvest in violence prevention efforts. "Sustained support is crucial to upholding the fundamental human right to live free from all forms of violence. Anything less is a failure of science and justice," it concludes. More information: Lindsay Stark et al, US disinvestment threatens progress on violence prevention, The Lancet (2025). DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(25)00909-2 Journal information: The Lancet This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Abstract Credit: ACS Environmental Au (2025). DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.5c00038 Once in a while, scientific research resembles detective work. Researchers head into the field with a hypothesis and high hopes of finding specific results, but sometimes, there's a twist in the story that requires a deeper dive into the data. That was the case for the University of Colorado Boulder researchers who led a field campaign in an agricultural region of Oklahoma. Using a high-tech instrument to measure how aerosol particles form and grow in the atmosphere, they stumbled upon something unexpected: the first-ever airborne measurements of medium chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs), a kind of toxic organic pollutant, in the Western Hemisphere. Their results published today in ACS Environmental Au. "It's very exciting as a scientist to find something unexpected like this that we weren't looking for," said Daniel Katz, CU Boulder chemistry Ph.D. student and lead author of the study. "We're starting to learn more about this toxic, organic pollutant that we know is out there, and which we need to understand better." MCCPs are currently under consideration for regulation by the Stockholm Convention, a global treaty to protect human health from long-standing and widespread chemicals. While the toxic pollutants have been measured in Antarctica and Asia, researchers haven't been sure how to document them in the Western Hemisphere's atmosphere until now. MCCPs are used in fluids for metalworking and in the construction of PVC and textiles. They are often found in wastewater and as a result, can end up in biosolid fertilizer, also called sewage sludge, which is created when liquid is removed from wastewater in a treatment plant. In Oklahoma, researchers suspect the MCCPs they identified came from biosolid fertilizer in the fields near where they set up their instrument. "When sewage sludges are spread across the fields, those toxic compounds could be released into the air," Katz said. "We can't show directly that that's happening, but we think it's a reasonable way that they could be winding up in the air. Sewage sludge fertilizers have been shown to release similar compounds." MCCPs' little cousins, short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs), are currently regulated by the Stockholm Convention, and since 2009, by the EPA here in the United States. Regulation came after studies found the toxic pollutants, which travel far and last a long time in the atmosphere, were harmful to human health. But researchers hypothesize that the regulation of SCCPs may have increased MCCPs in the environment. "We always have these unintended consequences of regulation, where you regulate something, and then there's still a need for the products that those were in," said Ellie Browne, CU Boulder chemistry professor, CIRES Fellow, and co-author of the study. "So they get replaced by something." Measurement of aerosols led to a new and surprising discovery Using a nitrate chemical ionization mass spectrometer, which allows scientists to identify chemical compounds in the air, the team measured air at the agricultural site 24 hours a day for one month. As Katz cataloged the data, he documented the different isotopic patterns in the compounds. The compounds measured by the team had distinct patterns, and he noticed new patterns that he immediately identified as different from the known chemical compounds. With some additional research, he identified them as chlorinated paraffins found in MCCPs. Katz says the makeup of MCCPs is similar to PFAS, long-lasting toxic chemicals that break down slowly over time. Known as "forever chemicals," their presence in soils recently led the Oklahoma Senate to ban biosolid fertilizer. Now that researchers know how to measure MCCPs, the next step might be to measure the pollutants at different times throughout the year to understand how levels change each season. Many unknowns surrounding MCCPs remain, and there's much more to learn about their environmental impacts. "We identified them, but we still don't know exactly what they do when they are in the atmosphere, and they need to be investigated further," Katz said. "I think it's important that we continue to have governmental agencies that are capable of evaluating the science and regulating these chemicals as necessary for public health and safety." More information: Daniel John Katz et al, Real-Time Measurements of Gas-Phase Medium-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins Reveal Daily Changes in Gas-Particle Partitioning Controlled by Ambient Temperature, ACS Environmental Au (2025). DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.5c00038 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Regional climatology, site locations, and model results. Credit: Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-58792-5 Climate change is reshaping the global water cycle, disrupting rainfall patterns and putting growing pressure on cities and ecosystems. Some regions are grappling with heavier rainfall and flooding, while others face prolonged droughts that threaten public health, disrupt economies and increase the risk of political instability. In one recent example, a years-long drought between 2015 and 2020 brought Cape Town, South Africa, to the brink of running out of watera moment officials dubbed "Day Zero." Scientists have long debated whether extreme events like the Cape Town water crisis are driven by human-caused climate change or are part of natural climate variability, with some models suggesting that global warming may indeed play a role. "But a model is not the real world," says Tripti Bhattacharya, Thonis Family Associate Professor in Syracuse University's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES). "So we looked back in time." In a paper recently published in Nature Communications, Bhattacharya and a team of researchersled by EES graduate Claire Rubbelke '25, Ph.D., (and supported by undergraduates Lucy Weisbeck from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry as well as, in earlier work, Ellen Jorgensen '23)analyzed ancient plant matter preserved in a column of sediment drilled off the coast of South Africa. These molecules contain hydrogen isotopes from the rainfall that nourished the plants, providing a chemical fingerprint of past climate conditions. The study focuses on the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, a 550,000-year period between 1.25 and 0.7 million years ago when Earth's glacial cycles and atmospheric composition underwent major shifts. The researchers found evidence that, during this time, dramatic changes in global atmospheric circulationincluding contractions and expansions of the massive Hadley cell, which rises near the equator and sinks around 30 degrees latitudeproduced wetting and drying conditions in Southern Africa. The latter correspond to the conditions experienced during Cape Town's Day Zero crisis. "We found that when the climate has changed dramatically in the past, it produced shifts analogous to the Day Zero drought," Bhattacharya says. "This suggests that those types of events are really driven by global climate change." Rubbelke says the findings raise new questions about the future. "One big question I'm left with is whether these short droughtsand the Day Zero drought was relatively short-livedwill become more prolonged and eventually a permanent feature of the regional climate," she says. "The fact that past droughts appear in the sediment record suggests they persisted for many years." In future work as a postdoctoral researcher, Rubbelke plans to conduct comparative studies on the opposite, eastern coast of Africa to better understand variations in rainfall across the continent. She also hopes to explore how shifting rainfall patterns may have shaped early human evolution in Southern Africa, home to key fossil sites like the Cradle of Humankind. Changes in vegetation and water availability could have influenced where hominin species lived and which ones survived. Beyond its scientific insights, the research offers practical value for the present. Regions such as California, which share South Africa's Mediterranean climatemarked by mild, wet winters and hot, dry summerscould benefit from a deeper understanding of past drought dynamics. "Climate models are the only tool we have for planning," says Bhattacharya. "By testing how well they simulate past events, we can identify where they fall shortand ultimately improve our modeling capacity to better prepare for the future." More information: Claire B. Rubbelke et al, Southern Hemisphere subtropical front impacts on Southern African hydroclimate across the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-58792-5 Journal information: Nature Communications This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: CC0 Public Domain Some queens don't rule nonstop. A new study from the University of California, Riverside shows that even bumble bee queens, the sole founders of their colonies, take regular breaks from reproductionlikely to avoid burning out before their first workers arrive. In the early stages of colony building, bumble bee queens shoulder the entire workload. They forage for food, incubate their developing brood by heating them with their wing muscles, maintain the nest, and lay eggs. It's a high-stakes balancing act: without the queen, the colony fails. Yet, researchers noticed an intriguing rhythm: a burst of egg-laying followed by several days of apparent inactivity. "I saw these pauses early on, just by taking daily photos of the nests," said Blanca Peto, a doctoral student in entomology at UC Riverside and lead author of the new study. "It wasn't something I expected. I wanted to know what was happening during those breaks." The findings are detailed in a paper published in BMC Ecology and Evolution. To find out what triggered the pauses, Peto monitored more than 100 queens over a period of 45 days in a controlled insectary. She documented each queen's nesting activity, looking closely at their distinctive clutchesclusters of eggs laid in wax-lined "cups" embedded in pollen mounds. Across the population, a pattern emerged: Many queens paused reproduction for several days, typically after a stretch of intense egg-laying. The timing of these pauses appeared to align with the developmental stages of the existing brood. To test this, Peto experimentally added broods at different stagesyoung larvae, older larvae, and pupaeinto nests during a queen's natural pause. The presence of pupae, which are nearly mature bees, prompted queens to resume egg-laying within about 1.5 days. In contrast, without added broods, the pauses stretched to an average of 12.5 days. This suggests that queens respond to cues from their developing offspring and time their reproductive efforts accordingly. "There's something about the presence of pupae that signals it's safe or necessary to start producing again," Peto said. "It's a dynamic process, not constant output like we once assumed." Eusocial insects, including bumble bees, feature overlapping generations, cooperative brood care, and a division of labor. Conventional thinking about these types of insects is that they're producing young across all stages of development. However, Peto said this study challenges that conventional thinking about bumble bees, whose reproductive behavior is more nuanced and intermittent. "What this study showed is that the queen's reproductive behavior is much more flexible than we thought," Peto said. "This matters because those early days are incredibly vulnerable. If a queen pushes too hard, too fast, the whole colony might not survive." The study focused on a single species native to the eastern U.S., but the implications could extend to other bumble bee species or even other eusocial insects. Queens in other species may also pace themselves during solo nest-founding stages. If so, this built-in rhythm could be an evolutionary trait that helps queens survive long enough to raise a workforce. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. Multiple bumble bee populations in North America are declining, largely due to habitat loss, pesticide exposure, and climate stress. Understanding the biological needs of queens, the literal foundation of each colony, can help conservationists better protect them. "Even in a lab where everything is stable and they don't have to forage, queens still pause," Peto said. "It tells us this isn't just a response to stress but something fundamental. They're managing their energy in a smart way." This kind of insight is possible thanks to patient, hands-on observation, something Peto prioritized in her first research project as a graduate student. "Without queens, there's no colony. And without colonies, we lose essential pollinators," Peto said. "These breaks may be the very reason colonies succeed." More information: Blanca R. Peto et al, Social control of egg-laying in independently nest-founding bumble bee queens, BMC Ecology and Evolution (2025). DOI: 10.1186/s12862-025-02364-0 Journal information: BMC Ecology and Evolution This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Smoke rises from Guatemala's Fuego volcano. Guatemalan authorities said Thursday they were evacuating more than 500 people after Central America's most active volcano spewed gas and ash. Residents were moved to shelters from communities near the Fuego volcano, located 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the capital Guatemala City. "We prefer to leave rather than mourn the death of everyone in the village later," Celsa Perez, 25, told AFP. The government suspended local school activities and closed a road linking the south of the country to the colonial city of Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, disaster coordination agency Conred reported. There have been several such mass evacuations in recent years because Fuego erupted, including in March of this year. In 2018, 215 people were killed and a similar number left missing when rivers of lava poured down the volcano's slopes, devastating a village. Evacuees remain at a shelter after fleeing their village affected by the eruption of the Fuego volcano. 2025 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain It was one of the largest, longest and most lethal harmful algae blooms in Southern California's recorded history, claiming the lives of hundreds of dolphins and sea lions between Baja California and the Central Coast. And now, finally, it's over. Levels of toxic algae species in Southern California coastal waters have declined in recent weeks below thresholds that pose a threat to marine wildlife, according to the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System, or SCCOOS, which monitors algae blooms. Although this provides a much-needed respite for marine mammals and the people working to save them from neurotoxin poisoning, scientists warn that the coastal ecosystem is in the clear yet. Just as January's firestorms struck well outside Southern California's typical fire season, this explosion of harmful algae appeared earlier in the year than have previous blooms. Further outbreaks are still possible before the year is up, said Dave Bader, a marine biologist and the chief operations and education officer for the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro. "It's definitely over, but we still have the work of rehabilitating the [animals] that we have saved," Bader said. "And we're not out of the woods with this year at all." Bader was among a group of ocean specialists who gathered at the AltaSea complex at the Port of Los Angeles to brief Mayor Karen Bass on the coastal effects of January's fires. That disaster didn't cause the algae blooms. This is the fourth consecutive year such outbreaks have occurred along the Southern California coast, fueled by an upwelling of nutrient-rich waters from the deep ocean. Yet multiple research teams are currently investigating whether the surge of additional runoff into the sea resulting from the firestorms may have contributed to the recent bloom's intensity. No data on the subject are available yet. But given the relationship between nutrients and harmful algae species, Mark Gold of the Natural Resources Defense Council said he would not be surprised if the fires played a role in this year's severity. "As a scientist who's been looking at the impacts of pollution on the ocean for my whole career, one would expect that [fire runoff] is also having impacts on harmful algal blooms, from the standpoint of the intensity of the blooms, the scope, the scale, etc.," said Gold, the organization's director of water scarcity solutions. "We'll find that out when all this analysis and research is completed." In terms of animal mortality, this year's bloom was the worst since the 201516 outbreak that killed thousands of animals between Alaska and Baja California, said SCCOOS director Clarissa Anderson of UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Four different algae species were present this year. The two most dangerous produce powerful neurotoxins that accumulate in the marine food chain: Alexandrium catenella, which produces saxitoxin, and Pseudo-nitzschia australis, which produces domoic acid. The toxins accumulate in filter-feeding fish, and then poison larger mammals who gobble up the fish in mass quantities. (This is why the blooms don't pose the same health risks to humansvery few people eat up to 40 pounds of fish straight from the sea each day.) Beginning in February, hundreds of dolphins and sea lions started washing up on California beaches, either dead or suffering neurotoxin poisoning symptoms such as aggression, lethargy and seizures. A minke whale in Long Beach Harbor and a gray whale that stranded in Huntington Beach also succumbed to the outbreak. Scientists believe countless more animals died at sea. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. The outbreak was more lethal than those in recent years, Bader said, and veterinarians were able to save fewer animals than they have in the past. Researchers are still grappling with the catastrophe's full impact on marine mammal species. The outbreak was particularly deadly for breeding females. California sea lions typically give birth in June after an 11-month gestation. At the blooms' peak, "they were actively feeding for two," Bader said. Domoic acid crosses the placenta. None of the pregnant animals the center rescued delivered live babies, he said. "We don't really know what the environmental impact, long term, is of [blooms] four years in a row, right during breeding season," Bader said. "The full impact of this is going to be hard to know, especially at a time when research budgets are being cut." As climate change has shifted the timing and intensity of the strong wind events that drive upwellings, "we're coming into a future where we unfortunately have to expect we'll see these events with recurring frequency," Bader told Bass at the roundtable. "The events that drove the fires are the events that drove the upwelling." 2025 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Arsia Mons, an ancient Martian volcano, was captured before dawn on May 2, 2025, by NASAs 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter while the spacecraft was studying the Red Planets atmosphere, which appears here as a greenish haze. come Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU A new panorama from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter shows one of the red planet's biggest volcanoes, Arsia Mons, poking through a canopy of clouds just before dawn. Arsia Mons and two other volcanoes form what is known as the Tharsis Montes, or Tharsis Mountains, which are often surrounded by water ice clouds (as opposed to Mars's equally common carbon dioxide clouds), especially in the early morning. This panorama marks the first time one of the volcanoes has been imaged on the planet's horizon, offering the same perspective of Mars that astronauts have of the Earth when they peer down from the International Space Station. Launched in 2001, Odyssey is the longest-running mission orbiting another planet, and this new panorama represents the kind of science the orbiter began pursuing in 2023, when it captured the first of its now four high-altitude images of the Martian horizon. To get them, the spacecraft rotates 90 degrees while in orbit so that its camera, built to study the Martian surface, can snap the image. The angle allows scientists to see dust and water ice cloud layers, while the series of images enables them to observe changes over the course of seasons. "We're seeing some really significant seasonal differences in these horizon images," said planetary scientist Michael D. Smith of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "It's giving us new clues to how Mars's atmosphere evolves over time." Understanding Mars's clouds is particularly important for understanding the planet's weather and how phenomena like dust storms occur. That information, in turn, can benefit future missions, including entry, descent and landing operations. Arsia Mons is the southernmost of the three volcanoes that make up Tharsis Montes, shown in the center of this cropped topographic map of Mars. Olympus Mons, the solar systems largest volcano, is at upper left. The western end of Valles Marineris begins cutting its wide swath across the planet at lower right. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Volcanic giants While these images focus on the upper atmosphere, the Odyssey team has tried to include interesting surface features in them, as well. In Odyssey's latest horizon image, captured on May 2, Arsia Mons stands 12 miles (20 kilometers) high, roughly twice as tall as Earth's largest volcano, Mauna Loa, which rises 6 miles (9 kilometers) above the seafloor. The southernmost of the Tharsis volcanoes, Arsia Mons is the cloudiest of the three. The clouds form when air expands as it blows up the sides of the mountain and then rapidly cools. They are especially thick when Mars is farthest from the sun, a period called aphelion. The band of clouds that forms across the planet's equator at this time of year is called the aphelion cloud belt, and it's on proud display in Odyssey's new panorama. "We picked Arsia Mons hoping we would see the summit poke above the early morning clouds. And it didn't disappoint," said Jonathon Hill of Arizona State University in Tempe, operations lead for Odyssey's camera, called the Thermal Emission Imaging System, or THEMIS. The THEMIS camera can view Mars in both visible and infrared light. The latter allows scientists to identify areas of the subsurface that contain water ice, which could be used by the first astronauts to land on Mars. The camera can also image Mars's tiny moons, Phobos and Deimos, allowing scientists to analyze their surface composition. Provided by NASA This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Chilean fisherman Rodrigo Gallardo used to fill his trawler with hake but these days he reels in few of the country's favorite catch. Before setting sail for the South Pacific, Chilean fisherman Rodrigo Gallardo blesses himself to invoke heavenly protection and luck in his pursuit of an increasingly elusive catch: hake. Strong winds make for a choppy seven-nautical-mile (13 kilometer) voyage from the port of Valparaiso to deep waters that decades ago were teeming with Chile's favorite fish. But several hours later, when Gallardo reels in a longline studded with sardines (these small fry are used as bait) just a single hake has bitten. "In the past, the hold was completely full," the 46-year-old lamented. The South Pacific hake, or merluccius gayi, provides a living for some 4,000 small-scale fishermen in Chile, a country with over 6,000 kilometers of coastline, which has a voracious appetite for "merluza." But the attraction for cod's more affordable cousin is proving fatal. Along central Chile's traditional fishing heartland, more and more boats are returning to port with empty holds as overfishing and climate change decimate hake stocks. In the past two decades, Chile's hake population has declined by 70% according to the Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP). Gallardo, 46, blames years of regulations that benefited commercial "bottom" trawlers, which use drag nets to scoop up huge amounts of deep-water fish, like hake, depleting ocean stocks. Commercial fisheries, for their part, blame illegal fishing by small-scale fishermen like Gallardo. Hake is also a mainstay of Chile's biggest commercial fisheries, PacificBlu, but Chile's stocks have fallen 70 percent in two decades due chiefly to overfishing. Regulations fall short Chile has been fighting a high stakes battle against overfishing for years. With several species in severe decline by the early 2010s, from hake to jack mackerel and jumbo squid, the government introduced annual biomass (weight) quotas designed to determine sustainable fishing levels. Chile also designated over 40% of its waters as marine protected areas, where fishing is restricted, and signed up to the United Nations High Seas Treaty on protecting marine biodiversity. A decade on, the populations of some species, such as sardines, cuttlefish and horse mackerelChile's biggest fish exporthave begun to recover. The hake numbers, however, continue to make for grim reading. An IFOP study from 2024 showed a 17% drop in the biomass of hake stocks compared to the previous year. Artisanal fishermen clean hake in the Chilean port of Valparaiso. Drop in the ocean Rodrigo Catalan, conservation director of the Chilean chapter of the World Wildlife Fund, blames a mix of "illegal fishing, over-exploitation and climate change" for making hake increasingly scarce. In 2023, authorities seized 58 tons of illegal hake, the second-largest seizure by species after anchovies. The authorities suspect it's just a drop in the ocean. Because hake is usually caught close to shore, it's easy to quickly reel it in without being noticed. Much of the illegal catch winds up for sale in small quantities on markets, which also makes it difficult to detect, according to the National Fisheries Service. Experts say climate change is also wreaking havoc with fish stocks. Alicia Gallardo, a researcher at the University of Chile, said that rising sea temperatures was causing hake to migrate further south in search of colder currents, and was also affecting reproduction rates. Hake fishing provides a living for around 4,000 small-scale fishermen in Chile, the world's tenth biggest producer of fish. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. Too many nets, too few fish Having to share an ever-shrinking catchthe annual quota for hake now stands at 35,000 tons, down from 118,000 in 2001has caused tempers in Chile to flare. "There aren't enough fish for so many fishermen," Liesbeth van der Meer, director of the ocean conservation NGO Oceana remarked. Small-scale fishermen in Valparaiso clashed with police during three days of protests in March over delays in adopting a bill that boosted their share of the catch quota for hake, among other species. Chile's biggest commercial fishery PacificBlu threatened to close shop, with the loss of 3,200 jobs, if its share was cut but later revoked the threat. The bill, which increases the quota for artisanal fishing from 40% to 45%, was finally adopted by the Senate this week. 2025 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: McGill University Methane emissions from Canada's non-producing oil and gas wells appear to be seven times higher than government estimates, according to a new study led by researchers at McGill University. The findings spotlight a major gap in the country's official greenhouse gas inventory and raise urgent questions about how methane leaks are monitored, reported and managed. "Non-producing wells are one of the most uncertain sources of methane emissions in Canada," said Mary Kang, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at McGill and senior author on the paper. "We measured the highest methane emission rate from a non-producing oil and gas well ever reported in Canada." Methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Over a 20-year period, it traps about 80 times more heat in the atmosphere than the same amount of carbon dioxide. It's also associated with air pollution and health risks. Kang's team directly measured methane emissions from 494 wells across five provinces using a chamber-based method and analyzed well-level data such as age, depth and plugging status. The national emissions estimate they arrived at230 kilotonnes per yearis sevenfold higher than the 34 kilotonnes reported in Canada's National Inventory Report. The study was published in Environmental Science & Technology. There are more than 425,000 inactive oil and gas wells across Canada, most of which are in Alberta and Saskatchewan. This means that the number of measured wells is very small, at only 0.1 percent. "One surprising finding was just how much the drivers of emissions varied between provinces," said Kang. "We thought geological differences within provinces would matter more, but the dominant factors appear to be at the provincial scale, likely due to variations in policy and operational practices." (a) Non-producing well distribution across Canada with two pie charts for each province/territory (left pie chart shows well status, right pie chart shows well type). The size of the pie chart is indicative of well counts in each province/territory (Table S5). (b) Undocumented well count estimates for each province/territory in Canada (AB: Alberta, BC: British Columbia, MN: Manitoba, NB: New Brunswick, NL: Newfoundland and Labrador, NT: Northwest Territories, NS: Nova Scotia, NU: Nunavut, ON: Ontario, PE: Prince Edward Island, QC: Quebec, YT: Yukon). Credit: Environmental Science & Technology (2025). DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c05602 The results reveal that a small fraction of wellsespecially unplugged gas wellsare responsible for the vast majority of non-producing well methane emissions. Kang says targeting these high emitters would be an efficient way to reduce emissions. "Rather than just measuring more wells at random, we can use well attributes to identify where emissions are likely to be highest, and focus monitoring and mitigation efforts there," she said. The study serves as a reminder of the need to rethink how old wells are managed. "There's potential to repurpose these sites in ways that generate funding for long-term monitoring and emissions reduction," said Kang. "Many of these sites can be transformed to produce clean energy, such as wind, solar, and geothermal," said Jade Boutot, a Ph.D. student in Kang's lab and co-author of the study. The researchers emphasize that improving methane data is critical to meeting Canada's climate targets. "If we don't have accurate estimates of methane emissions, we can't design effective climate policies," Kang added. More information: Louise A. Klotz et al, Sevenfold Underestimation of Methane Emissions from Non-producing Oil and Gas Wells in Canada, Environmental Science & Technology (2025). DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c05602 Journal information: Environmental Science & Technology This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: TLC analysis of Nicotiana benthamiana leaves transiently expressing Adonis genes or bacterial genes involved in astaxanthin biosynthesis. Credit: Plant Biotechnology Journal (2025). DOI: 10.1111/pbi.70148 In a major step forward for sustainable pigment production, scientists have successfully engineered the oilseed crop Camelina sativa to produce high levels of astaxanthina valuable red antioxidant used to color farmed salmon and shrimpusing plant-derived genes rather than bacterial pathways. The findings, from a joint US/UK research team of biotechnologists led by Prof. Edgar Cahoon, director of the Center for Plant Science Innovation at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), could offer a commercially viable alternative to synthetic astaxanthin, which is currently produced through costly chemical synthesis or from limited natural sources like algae. The work is published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal. Astaxanthin belongs to a group of red pigments known as ketocarotenoids, which are prized not only for their coloring properties but also for their exceptional antioxidant capacity. These pigments don't occur naturally in most crops, but by borrowing genes from the scarlet flax flower (Adonis aestivalis), researchers introduced a new ketocarotenoid biosynthesis pathway into Camelina seeds. Unlike earlier efforts that used bacterial genes, this plant-derived pathway proved more efficient and cleaner. It converted nearly all the precursor -carotene into ketocarotenoids, with astaxanthin making up over a third of the totalreaching around 47 micrograms per gram of seed. Importantly, the extracted oil was notably more resistant to oxidationa trait that may appeal to the food industry for uses such as oleogels in plant-based products. Crucially, the modified plants showed no stunting or visible signs of stress in the field, and the results were replicated across multiple growing seasons in both the US and UK. "With growing pressure to find natural, scalable alternatives to synthetic additives, we believe this approach could pave the way for a new generation of sustainable pigment-rich oilseeds," said Rothamsted's Dr. Richard Haslam, one of the co-authors of the research paper. Professor Johnathan Napier commented, "The Rothamsted team was very pleased to be part of this highly successful collaboration resulting in crops with enhanced traits. It's also great to test our prototype plants under real-world conditions in the field" UNL's Professor Cahoon added, "Rothamsted's world-class expertise in GM camelina field trials and lipidomics was critical to the success of this research. We look forward to working with Rothamsted investigators to commercialize this technology." More information: Hyojin Kim et al, Oilseedbased metabolic engineering of astaxanthin and related ketocarotenoids using a plantderived pathway: Labtofieldtoapplication, Plant Biotechnology Journal (2025). DOI: 10.1111/pbi.70148 Journal information: Plant Biotechnology Journal This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The actual work in progress: bringing equipment onto the boat, filtering seawater, sealing the samples, and bringing them back to OIST for analysis. Credit: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Just a few meters beneath the clear, blue waters of Okinawa, reef-building corals known as Scleractinia have quietly lived for centuries. Slowly, layer by layer, they have constructed intricate, rigid structures made of calcium carbonate to form the vibrant coral reefs of today. Now, researchers have developed a comprehensive system to identify the diversity of these hard corals using only a sample of surface seawater. This environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding system can successfully detect 83 of the 85 genera of reef-building corals known in Japan, enabling their effective and high-precision monitoring. Published in Galaxea, this new study is the result of a successful collaboration between the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), the Incorporated Foundation Okinawa Environment Science Center, the University of the Ryukyus, the Okinawa Churashima Foundation Institute, Miyazaki University, and Kyushu University. From unreliable surveys to environmental DNA precision For years, coral surveys were carried out by trained divers and snorkelers who visited each reef, identified coral species one by one, and returned regularly to record any changesa process that is both time-consuming and often imprecise. "Moreover, distinguishing corals can be challenging, as their external features or morphology show little variation within a species," explained Professor Nori Satoh of OIST's Marine Genomics Unit and co-author of the study. "A comprehensive survey using this method is not feasible, as divers are constrained by time and depth. They may be able to examine coral reefs spanning 10 to 20 meters, but surveying areas of 10 or even 100 kilometers is beyond their capacity," he added. While underwater video imaging has improved large-scale assessments, these conventional monitoring methods remain limited in scope. The new method solves many of these limitations. Corals, like most living organisms, are continuously shedding their DNA into the environment. Their mucus, debris, and other excretory material floats in seawater. By collecting and analyzing this eDNA, researchers will now be able to detect and monitor important reef-building corals with better accuracy, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. The system, known as Scleractinian Environmental DNA Metabarcoding (Scl-eDNA-M), will allow researchers to monitor coral diversity without ever having to enter the water. Building a comprehensive coral database In 2021, researchers from OIST and the University of Tokyo developed a new environmental DNA-based tool for detecting coral species. When they used it to identify the different genera of Japan's Scleractinia, they found that many of the known Scleractinia genera could not be identified due to gaps or inconsistencies in reference mitochondrial genome sequence libraries, which are required for comparison. While an estimated 85 genera of reef-building stony corals inhabit Japanese waters, internationally recognized databases contained data for only about 60 genera, leaving roughly 25 genera undetected. This study addresses those deficiencies. Researchers sequenced nearly two-thirds of Japan's known Scleractinia genera to establish a comprehensive coral detection system. Their findings revealed a previously unrecognized diversity across the Ryukyu Archipelago, an exceptional richness of reef-building corals along Okinawa's coastline. Many of these coral genera may have been overlooked in previous surveys. This discovery suggests that Okinawa's coastline could be home to a far greater coral diversity than previously thought. In addition, the Scl-eDNA-M system is highly likely to cover the majority of Scleractinia genera found in the Pacific Ocean. "We collected samples from Okinawa's main and surrounding islands. Using this system, we identified at least 70 coral genera found in these waters, revealing Okinawa's rich reef biodiversity, which had remained largely unknown until now. Additionally, our samples from Kerama, Miyako, and Kumejima highlight the region's ecological significance and its vital role in future coral reef conservation," explained Prof. Satoh. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. An important step towards conservation Coral reefs are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth, covering 0.2% of the ocean but supporting over 30% of all marine species. Coral reefs also play a crucial role in protecting coastlines from storms and erosion, sustaining fisheries, and supporting millions of livelihoods worldwide. These ecosystems are facing severe threats. Rising ocean temperatures have caused widespread coral bleaching in recent years, leading to coral death and the disappearance of reefs. To protect coral reefs, researchers must first understand themidentifying which coral species are present in each reef and tracking changes over time. Frequent, detailed monitoring is essential for conservation efforts, and this new system provides a powerful tool to make that possible. "Corals can now be found at the entrance to Tokyo Bayanother sign of climate change reshaping marine ecosystems. Such shifts highlight the urgent need for accurate monitoring, and our newly developed system offers a powerful solution," said Prof. Satoh. Through it, researchers can detect Scleractinian coral genera across Japan. "We can track coral populations in Tokyo Bay, monitor their changes over time, and anticipate future shifts." "We are now preparing to test this system beyond Japanin locations such as Palau and Taiwan, with plans to expand to Hawaii as well," added Prof. Satoh. As this system is applied to new regions, it is expected to usher in a new era of coral reef conservation, especially at a time when the world's oceans need it most. More information: Kanako Hisata et al, An eDNA metabarcoding system for detecting scleractinian corals to the generic level along the Japanese coast, Galaxea, Journal of Coral Reef Studies (2025). DOI: 10.3755/galaxea.G27D-5 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Australian schools need comprehensive support systems to address the learning and safety needs of young people experiencing family and domestic violence, a Monash University study recommends. As the place where children and young people spend the most time outside of home, schools present a critical point for family and domestic violence early intervention and support. But Monash research published today in the Australian Journal of Social Issues highlights more needs to be done to equip schools to intervene earlier to prevent future harm and to better meet the support needs of young people impacted by domestic and family violence. The research analyzed the experience of 1651 Australians who reported experiencing family and domestic violence as part of the previously completed Adolescent Family Violence in Australia national survey, either through experiencing violence between other family members or being directly subjected to it. It found fewer than 1 in 5 students (12 to 17%) reported disclosing their experience of violence to a member of their school community, with more resorting to skipping school or becoming fearful of school authority figures. Students who did disclose often reported feeling dismissed or retraumatized by school staff. Researcher Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Professor at Monash Business School, said the research provides robust evidence on the improvements needed to ensure young victim-survivors can access earlier interventions and safety supports at school. "Schools should be supported to provide trauma- and family and domestic violence-informed training to all school staff, so they feel confident to respond appropriately to disclosures from students," Professor Fitz-Gibbon said. "There is also a need for clear pathways to refer students to appropriate external supports, and to build collaborative partnerships between schools and specialist family and domestic violence services. "The experiences of young people in our study also demonstrate why flexible attendance and academic policies for students impacted by family and domestic violence would be beneficial." The research shows the range of impacts that violence has on young victim-survivors' learning. Researcher Steven Roberts, Professor and Head of Monash School of Education, Culture and Society, said the most common impacts reported by young victim-survivors were lower school attendance, limited access to at-home education, and lower education performance. "Young victim-survivors reported family members who withheld the tools they needed to complete homework, like an internet connection or access to technology, as part of their pattern of abuse," Professor Roberts said. "Other young people reported experiences of exhaustion from being up all night listening to family members fighting, describing being unable to concentrate during class. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. "Without effective school-based supports to support school-based engagement, young victim-survivors of domestic and family violence are at higher risk of disengagement." Professor Fitz-Gibbon said the findings show Australia is missing important opportunities for schools to play a central role in supporting students experiencing domestic and family violence. "There are significant inconsistencies across Australian schools in how they are currently identifying and responding to student experiences of domestic and family violence," Professor Fitz-Gibbon said. "Even within schools, the response is often different depending on who the young victim-survivor discloses to. "The impacts of family and domestic violence are nuanced and complex. In addition to places of learning, schools should be safe spaces for students to share experiences of abuse, seek help and be connected with support." More information: Rebecca Stewart et al, Examining the Impact of Domestic and Family Violence on Young Australians' SchoolLevel Education, Australian Journal of Social Issues (2025). DOI: 10.1002/ajs4.70028 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Bottle with cyanobacteria collected from an Aphanizomenon bloom from Montreal Pier in the Duluth-Superior Harbor in September 2023 as part of routine bloom response sampling. Credit: Cody Sheik/University of Minnesota Duluth Researchers studying harmful algal blooms in the St. Louis River Estuary that separates Minnesota and Wisconsin have made a breakthrough discovery: for the first time, they've linked a known cyanotoxin directly to a specific cyanobacteria species, Microcystis aeruginosa, in the Duluth-Superior harbor. Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, can produce toxins, called cyanotoxins, which pose significant health risks to humans, pets, livestock and wildlife. Cody Sheik, a microbial ecologist at the University of Minnesota Duluth, led the research in collaboration with Chris Filstrup, a limnologist at the University of Minnesota Natural Resources Research Institute, and Abby Smason, a UMD graduate student researcher and "bloom catcher." Smason presented a poster, "A Metagenomic Approach to Tracking Lake Superior's Cyanobacterial Blooms," about the project at the 2025 International Association for Great Lakes Research conference June 26, 2025, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Sheik and Filstrup also attended the conference. "We've known that cyanobacteria blooms have been increasing in frequency around Barkers Island and other parts of the estuary," said Sheik. "But this is the first time we've confirmed, with genetic evidence, that a specific Microcystis strain has the complete set of genes needed to produce microcystin, a potentially harmful cyanotoxin." University of Minnesota Duluth researcher and Ph.D. student Abby Smason collects cyanobacterial bloom samples from the St. Louis River Estuary in September, 2024, as part of the Minnesota Sea Grant-funded Blooming Threats project. Credit: Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve. The researchers' discovery was made using metagenomic sequencing, a technique that allows researchers to analyze the DNA of microbial communities directly from environmental samples. "This is the first time we've actually been able to go out, grab a sample and then sequence the DNA from that sample," said Sheik. "In the samples that Abby collected from across the estuary we found Microcystis to be the dominant cyanobacteria during bloom events." The project team now wants to figure out if there are specific locations within the estuary that are more prone to growing cyanobacteria. "The bigger implication is if these blooms can become super intense and make their way into Lake Superior," said Sheik. For now, Lake Superior's vast size and low phosphorus levels, which cyanobacteria feed on, make it difficult for the organisms to survive long enough to trigger blooms along the south shore. A sample of cyanobacteria collected from Pokegama Bay in September, 2024, as part of the Minnesota Sea Grant-funded Blooming Threats project. Credit: Abby Smason/University of Minnesota Duluth "This is a significant finding for public health and water resource managers," said Filstrup. "Knowing which organism is responsible helps us track where the toxins may be coming from and better understand how to prevent or respond to outbreaks." Although toxin levels detected to date have remained relatively low, the researchers say the findings underscore the need for regular monitoring, especially as warmer water temperatures that favor bloom development happen more frequently and for longer periods of time. Areas like Barkers Island draw thousands of visitors each summer for swimming, paddling, boating, festivals and family outings. The high public use around these nearshore areas means that even low-level harmful algal blooms could pose health risks or lead to recreational advisories. Studying these locations can help protect the health of the people and pets who use the water. "We don't have a magic solution to harmful cyanobacterial blooms yet," said Smason. "But tracking and sharing information with the public is the best step we can take right now." The team is exploring future partnerships with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and state agencies to expand monitoring efforts and better predict bloom behavior in Lake Superior and its connected waterways. More information: cyanobacteria This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Nordica MacCarty of the OSU College of Engineering. Credit: Karl Maasdam Oregon State University researchers are gaining a more detailed understanding of emissions from wood-burning stoves and developing technologies that allow stoves to operate much more cleanly and safely, potentially limiting particulate matter pollution by 95%. The work has key implications for human health as wood-burning stoves are a leading source of PM 2.5 emissions in the United States. PM 2.5 refers to fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller that can be inhaled deeply into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream. Exposure to PM 2.5 is a known cause of cardiovascular disease and is linked to the onset and worsening of respiratory illness. Even though a relatively small number of households use wood stoves, they are the U.S.'s third-largest source of particulate matter pollution, after wildfire smoke and agricultural dust, said Nordica MacCarty of the OSU College of Engineering. Residential wood combustion, especially the use of inefficient stoves, is also a significant source of other harmful emissions including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, methane, benzene and formaldehyde. "Wood is an affordable, local, renewable, low-carbon fuel that should be an important part of the U.S. energy mix, but it must be burned cleanly to effectively protect health," MacCarty said. "Folks typically think of pollution as coming from vehicles and industry, but household wood stoves are a larger sourcejust a few smoky stoves can create a harmful effect on air quality in an entire community." MacCarty published a paper in the Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association showing that 70% of the pollution emitted from wood stove flues happens at two points in time: when a stove is first lit, and when it's reloaded. MacCarty's team gained that knowledge by developing a new monitoring technique and deploying equipment at a collection of wood stove users' homes in rural Oregon. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there are an estimated 6.5 million inefficient stoves in the U.S., most of them models that predate EPA clean-burning standards. In all, there are roughly 10 million wood-burning stoves in the country, or one for every 35 people. "A lot of the older stoves are essentially just metal boxes with chimneys and they don't incorporate modern engineering principles to optimize heat transfer and combustion," said MacCarty, the Richard & Gretchen Evans Professor of Humanitarian Engineering and an associate professor of mechanical engineering. "They have no catalysts or secondary combustion to reduce emissions and lower the risk of creosote buildup that can cause chimney fires." MacCarty's group is developing automated technologies that inject jets of primary and secondary air into the fire to provide just the right amount of air and mixing at the right time and place in the fire. Prototypes are showing about a 95% reduction in particulate matter emissions compared to older models, she said. The EPA has been reducing the allowable PM 2.5 emissions rate regularly since the 1980s. In 2015 it was 4 grams per hour for cordwood stoves, and five years later it was reduced to 2.5 grams per hour. Regulation is driving innovation as stove makers improve their designs to meet certification requirements, MacCarty said. But wood stoves perform differently in the lab than they do in real life, she noted, and stoves are certified based on laboratory testsand often designed to pass the tests, rather than to operate well in someone's home. "It's difficult to measure wood stove emissions in the field, so there has been relatively little in-use performance data available in the past to guide designs," MacCarty said. "Our study introduces a new system that makes collecting real-world emissions data more practical." The project included Oregon State undergraduate student Jonah Wald and was a collaboration between OSU and the nonprofit Aprovecho Research Center based in Cottage Grove, Oregon. It builds on OSU and Aprovecho's ongoing work on efficient combustion for cooking with wood in the developing world. Roughly 2.7 billion people rely on open fires for cooking, MacCarty said, and her team has been designing efficient cook stoves for them to use instead. More information: Samuel Bentson et al, In-situ measurements of emissions and fuel loading of non-catalytic cordwood stoves in rural Oregon, Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (2025). DOI: 10.1080/10962247.2025.2483217 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain As efforts to clean thousands of gallons of oil from waters near Baltimore's Harbor East continue, officials are working to rescue turtles and other wildlife from the affected areas. Officials say that the leak originated from diesel tanks that supplied fuel to the Johns Hopkins Hospital care facilities. A.J. Metcalf, a spokesperson for Maryland's Department of Natural Resources, said it had been an "all-hands-on-deck effort," with officials from various state departments coming together to help identify and remove the impacted animals. Around two dozen geese and ducks had been rescued from the area, along with three turtlestwo slider turtles and a snapping turtleas of Thursday afternoon. The affected animals are being transferred to Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, a wildlife rescue service in Newark, Delaware, where they will be rehabilitated before being released back into the wild. There had not been any reports of animals dying as a result of the oil spill as of Thursday afternoon. Efforts to encourage safe habitats for wildlife near the harbor have been ongoing for decades, and in 2022, a collaboration led by the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore introduced a new 100-square-foot basking location for local turtles, according to the National Aquarium. The project, which was supported by the National Aquarium, Clearwater Mills and the Living Classrooms Foundation, was dubbed "Turtle Island." Turtle Island is located in a canal that runs along Lancaster Street, between Eden and South Caroline streets, close to the site of the oil spill. "It is a turtle haven," Adam Lindquist, vice president of the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, said of the canal. "This canal is just filled with hundreds of turtles." "Thankfully, the turtles are resilient to this sort of pollution, but obviously any turtles that are obviously in distress are being picked up," Lindquist said. James Piper Bond, president and CEO of the Living Classrooms Foundation, told The Baltimore Sun that, luckily, "the turtles are doing pretty well, the DNR experts have been able to catch some of them they are not overly damaged at this point, from our understanding." Bond noted that there had been a "concerted effort over the last four decades to bring wildlife, aquatic life, back into the harbor, especially where the Lancaster Street canal is." "We want to make sure the turtles survive, and the aquatic life survives, and the bird life. We've all been working hard to encourage that," Bond noted. 2025 The Baltimore Sun. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. As measles cases rise across the country and the first case in South Dakota was confirmed in Meade County on Tuesday, a Monument Health pediatrician met with local media on Thursday to discuss the symptoms and effects of the highly infectious disease as well as address the concerns of those hesitant to vaccinate against it. The press conference was scheduled before news of the Meade County case was announced by the South Dakota Department of Health. "Our current vaccine, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), that we are using has been around since 1971. It's over 50 years of solid data, proving its efficacy and safety," said Dr. Paula Marsland, a pediatrician at Monument Health. The measles vaccine is typically given at 12-15 months. Marsland said that dose is 93% effective at preventing a measles infection. Two doses are 97% effective at preventing infection. The second dose is usually given at 4-6 years of age. Marsland said the first dose can be given to children over six months of age in some cases, such as families who plan to travel internationally or to an area that's had a measles outbreak. Children younger than six months are considered protected by their mother's antibodies that are transferred through the placenta. Those protections start to wane after six months, Marsland said. "If I have a family who tells me they have to go to West Texas, and they've got a 7-month-old, I want to vaccinate that baby with the MMR vaccine," she said. Texas has logged 742 measles cases since late January, most in West Texas. "The caveat to (early vaccination) is that we have found that kids who get vaccinated that early mount a little bit less of an antibody response, meaning they are still protected, especially in the immediate," Marsland continued. "However, long-term, even after getting the two additional doses when they're older than one, they produce less antibodies, which theoretically could increase their risk of infection in the future. However, that is low and we don't have studies proving that that actually comes out as statistically significant." According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of May 29 there were 1,088 confirmed measles cases in the U.S. not including the South Dakota case. Of those infected nationwide, 96% were not vaccinated, and routine childhood vaccination rates are dropping across the country. Marsland said there are always risks with any vaccine, but they're small. The most common in any vaccination, and particularly the measles vaccine, is soreness and redness at the site of injection and a low-grade fever of about 99 or 100 degrees, she said. "Rarely does that get any higher than that," Marsland said. "Sometimes it does and we encourage families to of course contact their clinic if they're worried that they're seeing any sort of immunization reaction. However, those small, rare risks and often very manageable side effects are so minimal compared to the devastation of the disease of measles." According to the South Dakota Department of Health: The measles vaccine offers the best protection against infection and avoids the risks that come with infection. The following people are considered immune to measles: Born before 1957; Received 1 dose of measles vaccine (MMR) for an adult; Received 2 doses of measles vaccine (MMR) for a child or an adult at higher risk of infection; Presence of measles antibodies shown by a lab test; and Previous measles infection shown by a lab test. Cases across the country There have been 14 outbreaks reported in 2025, and 90% of confirmed cases (977 of 1,088) are outbreak-associated, according to the CDC. For comparison, 16 outbreaks were reported during 2024 and 69% of cases (198 of 285) were outbreak-associated. An outbreak is defined as three or more related cases. According to the South Dakota Department of Health, measles symptoms appear in two stages. In the first stage, the individual may have a runny nose, cough and a slight fever. The eyes may become reddened and sensitive to light while the fever consistently rises each day. The second stage begins on the third to seventh day of symptoms and consists of a temperature of 103-105 degrees, and a red blotchy rash lasting for four to seven days. The rash usually begins on the face and then spreads down to the trunk and out to the arms and legs. The disease has an incubation period of roughly six to 21 days, "meaning you could be exposed and not show symptoms for up to three weeks afterwards," Marsland said. After contracting the disease, people are infectious from toughly four to five days before the rash starts to four to five days after the rash starts. "So that's a good eight-, nine-day period where they are infectious." And measles is highly infectious. "Measles is three times more contagious than flu, than covid, than ebola," Marsland said. "If you had a person with measles who is unmasked go into, say, an elevator and they left the elevator, over the next two hours, if 10 people went in that elevator who are susceptible, meaning not vaccinated or for some reason not protected, nine to 10 of those people would get measles." The effects of measles can extend beyond rash and fever. Immediate complications of the infection are pneumonia, ear infections, croup and diarrhea. "All of those can cause, certainly problems with breathing, and problems with hydration. Those are more of the acute," she said. Rare outcomes, seen in about one in 1,000 kids, is encephalitis, which is inflammation of the brain, "and measles can even be fatal," Marsland said. Another long-term issue from measles is "immune amnesia," which occurs more commonly in children. Marsland explained measles will infect the immune system's memory cells, which create antibodies for diseases the body has already fought. The body then kills those memory cells in order to kill the measles. "Where we had that memory before, those kids don't have that memory, and they are then susceptible to infections they've previously had and mounted a response to," Marsland said. "I heard one infectious disease doctor describe it like starting daycare all over again, and we all know what that feels like. The back-to-back viruses, the runny nose for a year, the constant ear infections, that can happen to our kids again." Three deaths this year According to the CDC, three people have died from measles this year. Of the 133 people who have been hospitalized, 71 were under five years old and 33 were from five to 19 years old. In 1912, measles became a nationally notifiable disease in the United States, requiring U.S. healthcare providers and laboratories to report all diagnosed cases. In the first decade of reporting, an average of 6,000 measles-related deaths were reported each year, according to the CDC. A vaccine became available in 1963. In the decade before, nearly all children got measles by the time they were 15 years old. It is estimated three to four million people in the United States were infected each year. Among reported measles cases each year, an estimated, 400 to 500 people died, 48,000 were hospitalized and 1,000 suffered encephalitis. "It breaks my heart," Marsland said. "Anytime a child gets sick or any person gets sick from a vaccine-preventable disease, I just feel so awful." Marsland also addressed a since-debunked study from the 1990s by discredited doctor Andrew Wakefield that linked the MMR vaccine to autism. The study was found to contain falsified information. "That study has been debunked by 18 studies since," she said. "There is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism, but unfortunately, the fear set in with that, and that's a really tough thing to combat." As her black Chevy Tahoe slithered around hairpin turns toward Pine Ridge Reservation, Sarah White reflected on how a $100,000 grant from the Education Leaders of Color's Boulder Fund will help the South Dakota Education Equity Coalition continue its work improving the lives of Indigenous youth. White, Oglala Lakota, founded the nonprofit in 2019 to help improve graduation and job rates for Indigenous students through increased support and opportunity. She hopes the grant will heighten SDEEC's positive impact while showing efforts that bolster diversity, equity and inclusion are worthwhile. While the program operates independently of the federal government and it does not receive federal money, White said with a lot of the federal government shifting priorities away from DEI efforts, it could influence a change in philanthropy and where the larger philanthropic organizations are investing their dollars. This hasnt happened with SDEEC, she said, but shes observed programs similar to SDEEC which have grappled with similar struggles. I would argue that the goal of our work is to positively impact outcomes for Indigenous students, but really, in doing that, it improves opportunities for all students, White said. Mary Bowman, who's on the coalition's board, expressed frustration about the growing misconception DEI is "reverse discrimination" rather than a way to provide resources for historically marginalized communities in need of more support. Locally, despite Rapid City Area Schools' Native American student graduation numbers reaching record highs in the 2023-24 school year, a South Dakota Department of Education report card revealed achievement gaps between Native and non-Native students remain. In the mathematics portion of the state test, Native Indian/Alaska Native students averaged 11% while White/Caucasian students averaged 46%; for college and career readiness, Native Indian/Alaska Native students averaged 17% while White/Caucasian students averaged 54%; and for high school completion Native Indian/Alaska Native students averaged 47% while White/Caucasian students averaged 91%. From White's perspective, this gap is a byproduct of the social and economic challenges Native students face. Plus, the intergenerational trauma reverberating from the Indian boarding school era where children were killed, abused and assimilated is a factor. Considering all this, White said there should be more, not less, funding and focus placed on DEI organizations like SDEEC. In April, she was frustrated to see a Trump executive order resulted in the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights terminating a resolution agreement with Rapid City Area Schools which sought to address discrepancies between how Native American and non-Native students are treated in the district after a Department of Education investigation found issues dating back over a decade. "The Trump administration does not symbolize freedom or liberty, but suppression and oppression and upholding of divisive rhetoric that has kept our communities, especially in South Dakota, divided," White said after passing a lawn papered with red and blue Trump signs. With the $100,000 the nonprofit received from the Boulder Fund, SDEEC could bolster its intentions to influence policy and government to government relationships that directly impact students across South Dakota, White said. She noted SDEEC is also close to entering a memorandum of understanding with Early Learners South Dakota, which aims to provide children access to high-quality early learning experiences and environments to create a solid foundation for lifelong success, according to the programs website. What's more, it can help West River Native students become engaged with civic activities, such as student or city council, and participate in training geared toward testifying in state legislation sessions. White said she also has the goal of helping them become pages in Pierre and eventually serve as members of city, county, tribal and state government. Since the Education Equity Coalition's founding in 2019, White has proudly watched students lead Lakota language reclamation programs and become involved with environmental organizations. With the program in its infancy, there aren't any long-term success stories, but she hopes it'll build a pipeline to employers, colleges and inspire future generations. One member of the South Dakota Education Equity Coalition, Jalyn Tyon, was a part of the Rapid City school district's first-ever student school board. "One of the biggest things you probably notice in South Dakota, is the fact that our top tier leader, governmental leadership, is not reflective of our population at all," she said. On a muggy morning in late-March, White walked through Mahpiya Luta High School, formerly known as Red Cloud High School, which played a key role in her advocacy work. She was an involved student, participated in several programs and looked out for each of her classmates. Father Peter Klink said he remembered White as someone who was upbeat and a positive force in the classroom, bringing everyone together. I think everybody needs that kind of positive energy that is, in a sense, a light to whatever the darkness they're feeling in their life, Klink said. She eventually left Pine Ridge, graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a B.A. and a master's from Creighton University and became a public school teacher in Nebraska. She transitioned into a role where she worked specifically with Native students there and eventually returned home to become a Title VI Indian education director with Rapid City Area Schools in 2017. "She just blew us all out of the water in her interview with her knowledge of the Title VI program and Indian education and really restructured our whole Indian ed program," recounted Bowman, a former RCAS member who sat in on White's interview. But change wasn't happening as fast as she would've liked, so White pivoted to creating the organization in 2019 and felt the program was making strides entering the 2024-25 school year. The foundation and infrastructure with South Dakota's nine tribes and the government was built and flowing. Students and South Dakota Education Equity Coalition members were occupying leadership roles and making their voices heard. Seeing the sweeping executive orders this year, and the fears they created, left White physically and emotionally drained. She'd take meditative retreats into the expansive Badlands to surround herself with quiet and familiar sites. But she said it inspired a greater sense of urgency to create the partnerships necessary to advance the work. Then, in March, came the news of the Boulder Fund. While it won't completely end her surging angst, it was a reminder people are willing to help and her work is important. And she can't dwell on frustration for too long because the sooner and faster the results come, the more people will realize the work is vital. "The people who challenge your being the most in every season of life, those are the best teachers ... " White said as her tires rolled over another fog-blanketed hill. Hamilton High School Science Olympiad students Sierra Berry and Haven Oshell earned first place in the bungee drop event at the National Science Olympiad competition in Nebraska in May. The team is led by science teacher Vanessa Haflich, who has led the Hamilton High School Science Olympiad team to four of their last seven statewide victories in a row. This recent top placement is the first time in recent memory a Montana school has taken first place at a national competition event a feat noted by statewide Science Olympiad Director Suzi Taylor. I grinned from ear to ear when I saw the message from Vanessa that Hamilton had taken first place at Nationals, Taylor said in an emailed statement. Its hard to even describe what a big deal this is! Many of the students competing at the national competition go to large, elite STEM academies, Taylor said. She said many states offer multiple invitational, regional and state tournaments, whereas the Hamilton team has just one opportunity to test their skills at the Montana state tournament at Montana State University. As far as we know, this is the first time a Montana team has ever taken first place at Nationals, so this is a huge honor for our state, she said. Science Olympiad brings together about 2,000 students and 120 teams from across the U.S. to compete in 23 various science events from written tests to experiments. This years 41st annual tournament was held in Lincoln, Nebraska. Sierra Vista Middle School from Irvine, California and Seven Lakes High School from Katy, Texas won the top prizes across all categories this year. Oshell, a junior, said winning wasnt something he expected, saying doing well for Hamilton typically looks like placing in the 30s. He said other teams didnt see it coming either. It was cool, it was a surprise, he said. Berry and Oshell explained they can prepare a cord before competition, with the end of the cord needing to be stretchy. At competition they are given the weight they need to drop (a water bottle with sand in it) and the height they need to drop it from. The students then need to determine using a formula how long the cord needs to be for the weight to get as close to the floor without touching it with about 10 minutes total to both do the calculations and the drop. To prepare for nationals, Science Olympiad students meet for hours after school and on teacher professional development days other students get off. And Berry and Oshell didnt get to prepare with the exact conditions they would see in competition just because there just arent high enough structures in Hamilton. Students have to drop the weight from 10 meters, which is about three building stories. And trying to do it outside means contending with wind, which Berry said happened every time they tried. They tested it off the indoor balcony inside the high school as well as off the catwalk in the auditorium but neither of those were high enough. Teacher Joe Ruffatto, who helped the students prepare for competition, said Berry and Oshell didnt place for this event at the statewide competition but that loss pushed them to innovate. They worked really hard on creating a new design for their bungee cord, he said. They really wanted it after [the loss], because they felt like how close they were and they could do it. Ruffatto said the new design was risky and there was a chance it could break at the national competition. They decided to take the risk, because they thought that design was more consistent as long as it didn't break, he said. Berry said she didnt think if they won the event at state they would have gone through the work to redesign the cord to do well at nationals. Next year shell start at Brigham Young University to study mechanical engineering. Oshell said hes thinking about going into cognitive science. Corvallis Middle School won the statewide Science Olympiad competition, and Haflich said it was nice to have two Bitterroot schools there. We support each other, we cheer for each other, she said. They help us out, we help them out when needed. The 2026 statewide tournament will be held in February 2026 at MSU. Ravalli County Commissioners delayed their approval of a 180-foot-tall T-Mobile wireless communications tower at 302 Black Bear Lane in Hamilton after more than 60 residents packed their June 3 meeting to voice opposition to the project. Commissioners voted to implement a hard public comment cut off on June 13, after receiving a Memorandum of Opposition that was over 30 pages long before their meeting on Tuesday. They also extended the next application approval hearing, scheduling their additional discussion for sometime before July 31. Commissioners will not consider public comments concerning the wireless communications tower submitted after June 13 at 5 p.m. The construction permit, submitted by telecommunications server Vertical Bridge and T-Mobile, was reviewed at a contentious public hearing on April 11, receiving a large amount of public pushback and was continued to June 3. Vertical Bridge and T-Mobiles permit application was tentatively approved by the Ravalli County Planning Board after their review on March 14, but because of its unique location and violation of Ravalli Countys wireless communications regulations, the application was brought before commissioners for ultimate approval. Because of the proposed sites proximity to another wireless communications facility less than a mile away (756 Grubstake Road), Vertical Bridges application required relief from Ravalli County Commissioners. This less-than-a-mile proximity is a direct spacing exception to Ravalli Countys ordinance concerning communication tower dimensions and placement. Over the course of two and a half hours commenters expressed concerns related to wildfire risk, health concerns, road easements, compromised viewsheds and decreased property values to county commissioners. Commissioners also received a 38-page memorandum of opposition, submitted by 30 residents, which outlined similar concerns and urged commissioners to deny Vertical Bridge approval. T-Mobile has not proven that a need exists in the area where they propose to install the cell-tower, reads the memorandum which raised points about fire safety, impacted property value and an illegitimate application. These facts together with the clear adverse impacts both aesthetic and financial which would befall the nearby residents, and which will affect the character of the entire community, can result in only one thoughtful, well-reasoned decision. It is respectfully submitted that the decision must be a denial of T-Mobiles application. Commissioners referenced the memorandum and the nearly 50 additional comments received before Tuesdays meeting when explaining why the county would halt public comments until June 13. Weve gotta have a hard stop of the comments, Commissioner Dan Huls said. Theyre the same concern expressed by people in this room and others. Commissioner Jeff Burrows agreed, saying that commissioners had to put a hard end on public comment and have the Ravalli County Attorney review some of the more litigious comments submitted. Most comments made at the meeting were similar to oppositional positions taken at the April 11 meeting, where commissioners concluded by agreeing to conduct a visual simulation test at the proposed property and send notices to property owners within a mile of the proposed tower location. Residents attending on Tuesday criticized the balloon visual test, which was conducted on May 10, explaining that it did not accurately depict the visual impediment the tower would create. The flight of the balloon is somewhat misleading, said resident Steve Blain. Whether you have a fake tree or a straight up cell tower, its going to stick out like a sore thumb. In response to the conundrum, Blain and other oppositional residents have started seeking out additional protections for their properties, opting to form a Citizens Initiated Zoning District (CIZD). Another concerned resident Randy Stewart, said that the tower was "one of the motivators" for the CIZD. On April 15, 2025, Steve Blain met with the Ravalli County planning department staff to gather information about forming a CIZD, reads a public comment submitted by Stewart. The morning of May 8, 2025, a group of neighbors including Steve Blain, Randy Stewart, Glenda Wiles, Diane Norris and others met with Rob Livesay to discuss and obtain more information about forming a CIZD. Montana Real Estate Broker Courtney Ferguson commented at the meeting, informing residents in the room that they would have to disclose the cell tower proposal if they were to put their properties up for sale, calling the agenda item a huge outstanding issue. Anyone in this room who is considering listing their property will have to disclose the proposal of this cell tower on what I call an owner property disclosure, Ferguson said. If any of you were to come to me and say Courtney, I want you to list my house, I could not hide this. I would have to put on the form that there is a huge outstanding issue right now. Many commenters referenced property devaluation, saying that they were concerned with the unknown implications of the tower and hoped the county would analyze potential effects. Were talking millions of dollars in personal property devaluation, said property owner Sven Lovstrom in regards to the towers potential impact on property values. It does devalue your property, what percentage that is because we havent experienced it in this valley, is up to who knows. In Vertical Bridges presentation at the April 11 meeting, they reported that the introduction of a wireless tower did not pose a threat to forest-fire risk or property values in the area and that contrary evidence sighted by critics were based on a survey that was discredited. Many commenters also took issue with Vertical Bridge not employing a third-party to carry out a scientific analysis of the towers impact. Commissioners concluded that they would meet with the Ravalli County attorney to adequately review the concerns of the opposition before their next discussion; scheduled sometime before July 31. Flathead Lake levels will likely fall short of the historic summer maximum this year thanks to dwindling moisture in the surrounding mountains, the operators of the dam that controls the lake predicted Thursday. Recent warm, dry conditions have decreased water supply in the Flathead River Basin, wrote a spokesman for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. The tribes own Energy Keepers, the corporation that operates the Selis Ksanka Qlispe (SKQ) Dam at the foot of the Flathead Lake. Spring runoff is quickly receding bringing river flows to extremely low levels, the spokesman, Robert McDonald, wrote in a press release. ... These conditions have forced operations at SKQ (Dam) to again be at license-required minimums and filling Flathead Lake as aggressively as possible while avoiding flood control limits. That maximum level on the dam-controlled lake referred to as its full pool is 2,893 feet, a level historically reached by late spring, in time for the summer tourist and recreation season. Boat docks and other infrastructure on the lake have been built under the assumption that the dam near Polson will be able to raise water levels to within a foot of that level between June and early September. Despite attempts since early spring to begin raising lake levels early, Energy Keepers predicts the lake levels will top out at 2,892.3 feet on June 19, about 8 inches shy of full pool. The level is expected to then recede a further 10 inches by July 12, according to the press release. A fairly average snowpack this winter fell victim to early warm temperatures across much of western Montana in recent months. Data from the federal Natural Resources Conservation Agency shows high-elevation snowpack at normal levels in the mountains feeding the South Fork of the Flathead River, but both the Middle Fork and North Fork basins were below half their typical moisture levels as of Wednesday. Assuming normal summer precipitation going forward, the NRCS forecasters expect the Flathead Lake basin to get around 80% of its normal inflows this year, said Eric Larson, a hydrologist with the agency. "Because of the quicker-than-normal melt out in May, it's kind of why we ended up with lower (snowpack) percentages on June 1," Larson said Thursday. "But the water is there, it was in the system, it just means it came off earlier than normal." He added that the NRCS models don't include longer-term weather forecasts from the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration that indicate a warmer, drier summer is more likely across Montana. Much remains to be seen, Larson said, with the typically wet month of June still ahead. Poor mountain snowpack and early spring runoff have likewise been blamed for keeping the lakes levels low in the last two years. Both years saw spats between the tribes and local political leaders over whether unseasonable weather or operator error was to blame for the low lake levels. The tribes completed a decades-long process to acquire ownership of the dam from NorthWestern Energy in 2015. Federal agencies are predicting the coming summer months to be hotter and drier than average. If forecasts for 2025 persist, it will join 2023 and 2024 as the driest consecutive years ever recorded for the Flathead Basin, McDonald wrote. Those emerging conditions prompted Energy Keepers to implement its drought management plan earlier this year, the press release states. On March 13, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved a request from the dam operators to capture as much spring-runoff as possible while maintaining minimum flows on the Flathead River below the dam. That was able to bring the lake level to within 3 feet of full pool by May 26, the highest allowed under the federal license to operate the dam, according to Energy Keepers. That license spells out minimum outflows and maximum seasonal lake levels to mitigate flood risk. These unprecedented dry conditions are not only taxing on resources, they are also extremely impactful to generation of electricity from the SKQ facility, Energy Keepers CEO Brian Lipscomb stated in the press release. Electricity generation from the SKQ facility will be 10 percent below normal for this year, add that to the two years that we have just experienced, and this will put us at 393 GWh of electricity generation below normal. That is enough electricity to power between 33,000 and 41,000 homes or a city about the size of Missoula for a year. The press release also notes that lake users should be aware that lakefront boat storage and dock access may be affected if these water level forecasts are realized. More data on Flathead Lakes inflows and outflows is available on the Energy Keepers website: https://energykeepersinc.com/flathead-lake-data/ Myra Goodman Smith has spent her past 15 years in the pursuit of connecting Richmonds most prominent leaders to their communities, and working to solve the issues that face those neighborhoods. As president and CEO for Leadership Metro Richmond, shes worked with people from all walks of life lawyers, CEOs, government officials, planners, bankers, and everything in between getting them the tools they need to impact any local issue. Come June 30, Smith will leave her spot at the helm of the nonprofit for retirement. While shes retiring from professional life, she says she cant help but stay involved somehow. How shell stay involved is yet to be decided, but she says the Richmond region has grown so much over the past few decades and that progress will continue. To move this region forward, we all have to work together. We all need to have an understanding of the issues from different perspectives not just one, or two, Smith said. Learning to lead Leadership Metro Richmond has a few different functions. Its most prominent is a 10-month leadership class that brings together a range of high-impact decision-makers to network and understand problem-solving for local issues. Each class is divided into groups that study different topics. Theyve worked together to examine issues like food insecurity; overload on mental health and healthcare providers; and workforce development inefficiencies. The important piece of these classes is the collaboration how do you work with someone who comes from a different sphere of influence, on a topic that might be foreign to you? Smith said that process, repeated since the 1980s with people from around central Virginia, has created a forward-thinking, connected region of community leaders. How do we talk to each other? How do we have conversations and dialogue instead of debating one another? How do we build trust? Smith asked. Other people are going to be at the table that arent like us, we might not enjoy what they have to say, but we have to accept them for who they are. A life of learning Smith first got into the world of advocacy and community development when she was a teenager at Huguenot High School. She was appointed to Richmonds youth advisory council at 16 years old. Smith then interned for Willie J. Dell and Claudette Black McDaniel, two of Richmonds first Black city council members. When she was 18, the council made her commissioner for the youth advisory council. Smith went on to graduate from Virginia Commonwealth University, with a bachelor's degree in urban studies and planning, then a master's degree in public administration. Her work took her to Farmville, where she was a community development planner, and later a 23-year stay with United Way. At the United Way, she did the first community needs assessment for Richmond and Petersburg. Those reports uncovered gaps for local services, and helped guide new policies. Theyve since become a standard for nonprofits in cities and counties across the country. When the HIV and AIDS epidemic hit Richmond, she worked closely with the people affected. It was early in my career and it really opened my eyes, Smith said. People were getting kicked out of their homes. People were getting fired from their jobs. Everything was new, folks were scared. There were children getting sick. I saw all of these leaders who came together and wanted to make a difference, no matter what anyone thought. Thats why I do what I do. Outside of developing leaders, Leadership Metro Richmond has also grown under Smith. It helps pair would-be community leaders with the right nonprofits or causes for their skills. For example someone may have a desire to help with housing. That type of cause can be helped at several different angles. Someone may want hands-on work at building affordable homes, have experience in fundraising or prefer to advocate for policy change at the Virginia General Assembly. They have different hats and different engagement, but theyre in the community, doing things to benefit people, Smith said. Connecting Richmond Smith said Leadership Metro Richmond, along with other leadership programs, have cultivated a region that is far more connected than it has been in the past. LMR was created in the 1980s when much of the Richmond area was segregated into social silos. Poor, rich, white, and Black were still largely separated by geography and in communication. Smith isnt the first president for LMR, but she said those attitudes have largely turned around. I see greater civility and collaboration, Smith said. Theres better collaboration across jurisdictional lines. Were more of a region than weve been in the past. As for the future of local community work, she hopes younger people get involved. She expects to see the voices in advocacy continue to be more diverse and wants people to get involved at smaller levels. You dont need alphabets in front of your name to be a leader in this community, Smith said. We also need folks doing stuff at the neighborhood-level. People can talk to their neighbors and find out what needs there are. Smith said her retirement will probably be followed by a long break, but that she will definitely return to community leadership or advocacy in some capacity. She is still unsure of what her future will look like. She said she wants to write in some capacity, whether it's blogs or guest articles. But, Smith said she knows she wants to continue her work with local leaders and initiatives. I cannot not be involved somehow, Smith said. Ive already got folks knocking on my door. Ive built so much expertise in nonprofit management, governance and leadership. I just cant sit on it. I just cant. RTD 100: The 100 best Richmond restaurants of 2025 Whats the best restaurant in Richmond? Our food writers spent a year eating their way through the city to find out. Check out our guide to the 100 best restaurants in town. The Henrico educators union has been pushing for collective bargaining since shortly after the practice was legalized for public employees in 2021. The union, Henrico Education Association, has argued for issues like higher pay, better conditions for teachers such as smaller class sizes and more planning time, and for administration to have better communication with teachers. The union said in early 2024 that it was confident the school board would vote in favor of collective bargaining by the end of the year. Nearly a year and a half later, no agreement has been signed between the school division and its workers. HEA includes all school works from teachers and instructional assistants to nutrition, support staff, engineers and custodians. School Board Chair Alicia Atkins said in October 2024 that the school board didnt have a majority consensus to approve a resolution. It is important to emphasize that we remain determined to find solutions that align with the needs of our employees while considering the unique context of Henrico County, Atkins said. When asking school board members for comment on the current state of collective bargaining, the Times-Dispatch was referred to a school spokesperson for a joint statement. The school board and (Superintendent Amy) Cashwell are deeply committed to creating a workplace where all employees are valued, heard, and supported, the board and division said in the joint statement. That commitment continues to drive meaningful progress in the areas of employee voice, compensation, professional advancement and workplace culture. Since October, the board has instead looked to address some of the popular issues argued for by the union, instead of negotiating a contract. In terms of compensation, the board has approved a 6% raise for all full-time employees in the 2025-26 school year. Other job categories like school nutrition and custodians got raises between 13.8% and 19.3% as market adjustments. HCPS says it has also improved conditions for teachers, in outlining before- and after-school work hours more clearly in teacher contracts. The division says its expanded promotional opportunities for its current workers, added support staff that reduce stresses on classroom teachers and it is reviewing leave policies. The school division says it also expanded the teacher advisory committee, which is intended to raise educator concerns, such as those advocated for by the union. Many teachers have said theyre afraid to speak out in fear of retribution from their superiors. Despite these efforts, Patrick Miller, a board director for HEA, said the schools solutions arent equal to a contract negotiated by the employees themselves. It is disappointing that the board continues to operate on the belief that they can solve our problems for us from the top down, Miller said. Until educators can negotiate our contracts, any concession they make is still reactive and symptomatic of an unequal and exploitative arrangement. The union could compel the school board to vote on collective bargaining if 50.1% of HCPS employees sign authorization cards. If approved, the school division and union would then negotiate contract terms. The HEA did not share their current membership numbers. However, they said they are focusing their efforts on board action, rather than pushing for an agreement that the board has already said it wouldnt support. HCPS publishes comments made to the board at each school board meeting. In the months leading up to October 2024, that public comment section was inundated with hundreds of comments from HCPS employees in support of collective bargaining. The number of those comments has ebbed and flowed, but teachers and staff continue to write in support. Many of those comments continue to highlight issues such as pay, toxic work environments, smaller class sizes, support staff like psychologists or teacher aides and excessive duties spilling beyond the typical workday. Before the board announced that it wouldnt support a resolution for collective bargaining, it asked administrative staff to look at other agreements in Virginia, the schools relationship with the countys general government and the best ways to get employee feedback. The board got that report in September 2024 and discussed its results. Henrico has a unique salary structure compared to the other schools in Virginia with collective bargaining agreements. Henrico uses a unified pay plan for both schools and county government workers. It was unclear how collective bargaining would impact that. A collective bargaining resolution would spell out what terms of teacher contracts can be negotiated. Those terms could only be things under control of the school board. That would exclude something like Virginia Retirement Benefits, which are administered by the county government. Only one board member, Madison Irving, was outwardly supportive of letting employees have the ability to vote on a contract. In Henrico, we can do anything, but why if we can do anything would we be worried about this, Irving said at the time. ... This would just be for the employees to say, if we want to do this we can do this. And if we dont want to do this, then we wont do this. Other board members said they wanted to find ways to improve the issues that teachers and staff were bringing up, but didnt say whether collective bargaining was part of that solution. That research phase surveyed about a quarter of HCPS employees, 53% of which were teachers. The largest single issue was contracts, with 60% of respondents saying it was their number one concern. Of those who said contracts were among their concerns, 76% said compensation was their top concern. Other contract issues were things like instructional planning, benefits, leave policies, work days and hours and clarity around other duties as assigned. Around 40% of employees said the work environment and resources were their second highest priority. Issues like working conditions, student behavior support and class sizes were the top concerns in that category. Aguakan employees fined after being caught unloading garbage from company truck in PDC green area Playa del Carmen, Q.R. Two Aguakan employees caught dumping garbage from a company truck in a green area will face fines. Julieta Martin Azueta, the Secretary of PDC Municipal Public Services, says the men will be fined 65,000 pesos for illegal dumping. Municipal officials made the men reload their garbage back onto their pickup. The two men were caught unloading a company truck of pallets and furniture in a green area off Loros Avenue this week. It was by chance that they were caught by municipal officials who made them load the discarded items back into the bed of their pickup. The incident was captured on video and officially reported to Playa del Carmen authorities who are imposing the fine. Martin Azueta said the two men were unloading their garbage from an Aguakan pickup truck and were caught in the process by a municipal dump truck on its way to the landfill. The municipal workers stopped and made them load the pallets and furniture back into their pickup. She said she has been presented with photographic and video evidence of the moment in which the illegal waste was being dumped. The corresponding complaint has since been filed. She said the fine not only includes the monetary amount, but also includes a second sanction as a corrective measure that will require the company to carry out a cleanup on a vacant lot designated by the municipality. Arrests made drugs and weapons seized from residential search operation Cancun, Q.R. State police carried out an operation Thursday night that ended with three arrests. The three people arrested have not been identified. Police say they were taken into custody from a residential complex on Huayacan Avenue. During the operation, narcotics and loaded weapons were seized. The operation took place at Aqua Residential after complaints of drug dealing. Fiscalia General del Estado de Quintana Roo The State Attorney Generals Office reports that, as part of coordinated actions to combat crime, an operation was carried out on Huayacan Avenue in the municipality of Benito Juarez, outside a residential complex. As a result of this operation, three people were arrested allegedly linked to drug dealing and the possession of weapons for the exclusive use of the Army, the State Attorney General (FGE) reported. At Rizhao Port: Small phone screen unlocks code to transform, upgrade Chinas global trade 08:58, June 06, 2025 By Chu Daye, Zhang Weilan, Lin Luwen ( Global Times Aerial view of the automated container terminal at Rizhao Port of Shandong Port Group (File photo/Courtesy of Rizhao Port) Editor's Note: How do Chinese ports ride the waves in the fiercely competitive global port and shipping sector and contribute to the resilience of China's foreign trade? Global Times reporters take readers to major Chinese ports to find the answer, as ports stand at the forefront of trade. This is the second installment of the series, telling the story of how Rizhao Port of Shandong Port Group in East China's Shandong Province became a "Chinese model" for transforming and upgrading traditional ports. In the sunlit repair depot of Rizhao Port of Shandong Port Group, Xu Guannan stands in front of a giant 17-ton wheel loader. This beast of a machine, capable of lifting 3 cubic meters of coals in one scoop, is not humming well these days, sending its work efficiency down. Initial reports suggest the machine is hit by overheating problems, but dozens of parts could be the culprit. A traditional repair work would by this time start climbing this behemoth and try to scout for faulty parts, guided by hunches and experience. Instead, Xu, deputy head of the Technology Innovation Center of Rizhao Port, reached into his pocket to grab his smartphone. From the small screen, Xu accessed the interface of a digital repair manual developed by his team of software engineers and powered by the latest artificial intelligence (AI) tool DeepSeek, which analyzed the problem in a flash and gave the answer: a ventilation valve on the gearbox is at fault. This is just a snapshot of the high-tech-powered, smart operation of Rizhao Port, which has earned the highest praise for its successful transformation and upgrade over the years. On the afternoon of May 22, 2024, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Chinese president, and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visited Rizhao Port, the Xinhua News Agency reported at the time. Xi said that Rizhao Port, as a new port after China's reform and opening-up drive, has transformed itself from a traditional port into a modern one through scientific and technological innovation in recent years. It has not only made the cargo throughput among the forefront of the country, but also accumulated experience in developing new quality productive forces through the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, which is worthy of praise, Xi said, according to Xinhua. Currently, as global trade has encountered profound turbulence due to rising unilateralism and protectionism in certain parts of the world, China's focus on building modern ports and developing new quality productive forces underscore its unwavering commitment not only to high-quality development at home, but also to mutually beneficial trade with the rest of the world. This is also the underlying logic of China's development of the port economy: Let the world share China's opportunities. In stark contrast to certain countries wielding the tariff stick against others, China is committed to building world-class ports to expand its "circle of friends" of trading partners, contributing to the stability of global supply chains. 'Chinese model' Such a commitment translates into real action at Rizhao Port: autonomous trucks glide across the docks, guided by AI precision; Towering cranes, controlled remotely from a sleek command center, dance in perfect sync, unloading megaships with balletic grace. Behind this futuristic symphony of machines working seamlessly together are years of dedicated efforts to transform this once modest port into a high-tech titan, earning accolades as a "Chinese model" for the transformation and upgrading of traditional terminals into fully automated container terminals worldwide. For Xu and his team, that means harnessing the country's latest technological advancements to empower the port's operation. Since last year, Xu's team sorted out and compiled a total of 400,000 paper maintenance log entries in the past 10 years for the port's dozens of wheel loaders and made all the information digitalized into a knowledge graph. "In a way, we perpetuated old repair masters' wisdom through digitalization and AI," Xu told the Global Times. The adoption of large language model is just one facets of the port's efforts in harnessing the hardcore power of technology to empower the port's smart operations. Tian Zhendong, a first-grade technician at the Technology Innovation Center of Rizhao Port of Shandong Port Group and a holder of the National May 1 Labor Medal, works at the port's 100-million-ton dry bulk cargo terminal. The terminal handles the transportation and storage of over 70 types of cargo across five major categories. Following recent technological upgrades, it is now home to over 80 sets of automated equipment across 10 major categories, and operators control these machines from an office building located a thousand meters away. In addition to remotely controlling portal cranes, a total of 24 industrial robots were employed to do the heavy and dirty job of cleaning coal-carrying rail cars and removing sticky coke. This solution alone has greatly improved unloading efficiency and slashed labor cost by 70 percent, Tian said. "Our attitude toward automation is: once it's installed, we must use it. If we don't use it, we can't discover problems to help improve the system, and we can't truly enjoy the high efficiency automation brings," Tian told the Global Times. Such a devotion from Tian and other workers at the port helped build the world's first parallel, open, and fully automated container terminal, which handles about 6 million TEUs a year with dozens of operator-less ship-to-shore (STS) container cranes and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) working in harmony around-the-clock. The automation resulted in a single machine efficiency boost by 50 percent and a reduction in overall cost by 70 percent, according to Rizhao Port authorities. Green development Smart operation is just one aspect of Rizhao Port's transformation witnessed by Tian, who started working at the port in 1989 and a second-generation port worker. His father participated in the construction of Rizhao Port in the 1980s, witnessing the port's transformation from a small fishing village on the East China Sea coast into a major coal port in China. "In the past, city residents who lived near the port area could tell the main cargo being transported in the port in a given period by the color of the powder dust clinging on their windows - red is iron and black is coal," Tian said. Aerial view of the automated container terminal at Rizhao Port of Shandong Port Group (File photo/Courtesy of Rizhao Port) One defining moment of the port's history, Tian recalled, is a State Council guideline policy in 2022 stipulating support for Rizhao Port to become a smart and green demonstration port for bulk dry cargo. "With the emphasis on ecological protection in the past decade and dedicated efforts in greening the port's operation area, we have a cleaner port and a cleaner city nowadays," Tian said, "The theme color of Rizhao Port's story has changed from one of red and black to one featuring green and blue." Ultimately, efforts to ensure smart and green operations are aimed at bolstering Rizhao Port's core function of handling cargoes. And in that regard, the port has also seen remarkable achievements: the port is the world's youngest port achieving an annual throughput of 500 million tons; it ranks first in China in the throughput of seven types of goods, including iron ore, soybeans, petroleum and coke; and it has become a vital port supplying raw materials and bulk commodities to the "World's Factory." Powering exports During the visit to Rizhao Port in May 2024, Xi learned about the local progress in promoting the smart and green development of the port and expanding the opening-up, according to Xinhua. Rizhao Port's transformation is aimed at not only supporting the country's high-quality development, but also promoting high-level opening-up. The point of having a world-class port lies in serving world-class trade, as some workers at Rizhao Port told the Global Times. In recent years, companies in and around Rizhao city have seized the opportunity to advance port-industry-city integration and leveraged the port's shipping links with more than 100 countries and regions. Rizhao Port served as a vital link, efficiently bridging production resources with global demand and effectively facilitating the global expansion of more "Made in China" products. In May 2025, Wuzheng Group exported 1,000 diesel-powered tricycles customized for West African mining areas through Rizhao Port. (Photo/Courtesy of Wuzheng Group) Wuzheng Group, a major player in China's agricultural and commercial vehicle industry, located in the nearby Wulian county, offers a prime example. Rizhao Port's advantages in land transportation, efficiency, and marine transportation costs have provided the company with efficient, economical, and reliable logistics services, giving its overseas businesses a high-quality boost, according to Liang Yong, head of the company's international cooperation department. "A three-wheeled vehicle, great at traversing inferior roads, is produced every three minutes on average at our plant, and most are sold overseas to countries in Africa, including Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Tanzania," Liang Yong, head of the company's international cooperation department, told the Global Times. In May, Wuzheng Group exported 1,000 diesel-powered tricycles customized for West African mining areas through Rizhao Port, setting a new record for a single shipment of Chinese diesel tricycles to Africa. Behind that number is real stories of how "Made in China" products changing lives in countries and regions. Liang said that many African customers told him how the three-wheeled vehicles changed their lives and help them pursue better a life. Wuzheng Group is hardly alone in leveraging the advantages offered by Rizhao Port to expand exports. Rizhao Yulan Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Park, which is located just 15 kilometers from the port area, is also one of the companies utilizing the resources brought by the Rizhao Port. The company's highly automated plant transforms steel rolls into tinplate, a premium product having great overseas demand for its use in the making of cans used for storing fast-moving consumer goods like infant formula and beverages. "Most of Shandong's steel production occurs near Rizhao, where our facility is based," Wang Dawei, deputy general manager of Rizhao Yulan New Materials Co, "This grants us access to low-cost raw materials. At the same time, we benefit from the port's extensive shipping routes, facilitating our global exports." With over 80 container shipping routes from Rizhao and over 360 shipping routes of Shandong Port Group, Rizhao Port is a major node in the New Eurasian Land Bridge Economic Corridor as well as an important link of the Belt and Road Initiative. In addition to more destinations of exports, the types of goods shipped from Rizhao have also expanded to include new products such as new-energy vehicles (NEVs). In March, a batch of NEVs from Rizhao Port were officially shipped, marking a leap in the port's business related to the "new three" of China's tech-intensive and green exports - NEVs, photovoltaic products, and lithium batteries, according to local media reports. The development story of Rizhao Port provides a footnote for China's steadfast efforts to strengthen its connection and exchanges with the rest of the world despite rising unilateralism and protectionism. Building world-class ports is one major aspect of those efforts, and China has made great strides - China is now home to eight of the world's top 10 busiest ports in terms of cargo throughput and seven of the world's top 10 ports in terms of container throughput, data from the Ministry of Transport showed. "Port serves trade, and automation can make a port better. It is precisely this pragmatic attitude toward technological transformation that has enabled us to achieve what we have done so far and empowers our pursuit of a better tomorrow," Xu said. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) Barry Manilow's heart "broke" when he heard about Billy Joel's health crisis. Barry Manilow is sad to hear about Billy Joel's health issues The veteran musician was forced to cancel all of his tour dates for the rest of the year after he was diagnosed with a rare brain condition called Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH), which is caused by a build-up of fluid in the brain, and now Manilow has admitted he feels terrible about seeing the Piano Man go through such a tough time. He told Billboard: "Oh, its so horrible, so horrible. It just broke my heart when I heard about Billy Joel. Im such a fan of his work. I really hope hes able to get back to it." Manilow went on to admit there aren't many of his contemporaries still performing. He said: "Its like: What? Am I the only one left?' Its Billy Joel, and Elton [John] is not well and Rod [Stewart] and Neil [Diamond]. Diana Ross is still in great shape, I think. "There must be only a handful of people in my world that are still there. "Im still healthy. Im strong and Ive still got my voice and my energy. The night I cant hit the F natural on Even Now, thats the night I throw in the towel. But I can still do it." Joel recently axed all of his tour dates - including 17 dates in North America and England - but reports suggest he has no plans to retire despite the diagnosis. Announcing the news on social media, a statement from Joel's team read: "Billy Joel has announced that he will be cancelling all scheduled concerts following a recent diagnosis of Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH). This condition has been exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision and balance. "Under his doctors instructions, Billy is undergoing physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period. Billy is thankful for the excellent care he is receiving and is fully committed to prioritising his health. "He is grateful for the support from fans during this time and looks forward to the day when he can once again take the stage." Billy added his own message to fans, saying: "Im sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience, and thank you for understanding." The targets were Russian warplanes, including strategic bombers and command-and-control aircraft, worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The weapons were Ukrainian drones, each costing under $1,000 and launched from wooden containers carried on trucks. "Operation Spiderweb," which Ukraine said destroyed or damaged over 40 aircraft parked near air bases across Russia on Sunday, wasn't just a blow to the Kremlin's prestige. It was also a wake-up call for the West to bolster its air defense systems against such hybrid tactics, military experts said. Ukraine took advantage of inexpensive drone technology that has advanced rapidly in the last decade and combined it with outside-the-box thinking to score a morale-boosting win in the 3-year-old war that lately has turned in Moscow's favor. How deeply the attack will impact Russian military operations is unclear. Although officials in Kyiv estimated it caused $7 billion in damage, the Russian Foreign Ministry disputed that, and there have been no independent assessments. Moscow still has more aircraft to launch its bombs and cruise missiles against Ukraine. Still, the operation showed what "modern war really looks like and why it's so important to stay ahead with technology," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Where the West is vulnerable For Western governments, it's a warning that "the spectrum of threats they're going to have to take into consideration only gets broader," said Douglas Barrie, senior fellow for military aerospace at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London. In the past decade, European countries have accused Russia of carrying out a sabotage campaign against the West, with targets ranging from defense executives and logistics companies to businesses linked to Ukraine. Unidentified drones have been seen in the past year flying near military bases in the U.S., the U.K and Germany, as well as above weapons factories in Norway. High-value weapons and other technology at those sites are "big, juicy targets for both state and non-state actors," said Caitlin Lee, a drone warfare expert at RAND in Washington. "The time is now" to invest in anti-drone defenses, she said. Low-cost options to protect aircraft include using hardened shelters, dispersing the targets to different bases and camouflaging them or even building decoys. U.S. President Donald Trump last month announced a $175 billion "Golden Dome" program using space-based weapons to protect the country from long-range missiles. Not mentioned were defenses against drones, which Lee said can be challenging because they fly low and slow, and on radar can look like birds. They also can be launched inside national borders, unlike a supersonic missile fired from abroad. Drones "dramatically increase" the capacity by a hostile state or group for significant sabotage, said Fabian Hinz, a missile expert and research fellow at IISS. "How many targets are there in a country? How well can you defend every single one of them against a threat like that?" he said. Ukraine's resourceful, outside-the-box thinking In "Operation Spiderweb," Ukraine said it smuggled the first-person view, or FPV, drones into Russia, where they were placed in the wooden containers and driven close to the airfields in the Irkutsk region in Siberia, the Murmansk region in the Arctic, and the Amur region in the Far East, as well as to two bases in western Russia. Ukraine's Security Service, or SBU, said the drones had highly automated capabilities and were jointly piloted by an operator and by using artificial intelligence, which flew them along a pre-planned route in the event the drones lost signal. Such AI technology likely would have been unavailable to Ukraine five years ago. SBU video showed drones swooping over and under Russian aircraft, some of which were covered by tires. Experts suggested the tires could have been used to confuse an automatic targeting system by breaking up the plane's silhouette or to offer primitive protection. "The way in which the Ukrainians brought this together is creative and obviously caught the Russians completely off guard," Barrie said. Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press showed seven destroyed bombers on the tarmac at Irkutsk's Belaya Air Base, a major installation for Russia's long-range bomber force. At least three Tu-95 four-engine turboprop bombers and four Tu-22M twin-engine supersonic bombers appear to be destroyed. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, the outgunned and outnumbered Ukrainian military has adopted a creative approach to warfare. Its forces deployed wooden decoys of expensive U.S. HIMARS air defense systems to draw Russia's missile fire, created anti-drone units that operate on pickup trucks, and repurposed captured weapons. Experts compared Sunday's attack to Israel's operation last year in which pagers used by members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded almost simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria. Israel also has used small, exploding drones to attack targets in Lebanon and Iran. The U.S. used Predator drones more than a decade ago to kill insurgents in Afghanistan from thousands of miles away. Developments in technology have made those capabilities available in smaller drones. Hinz compared the state of drone warfare to that of the development of the tank, which made its debut in 1916 in World War I. Engineers sought to work out how to best integrate tanks into a working battlefield scenario contemplating everything from a tiny vehicle to a giant one "with 18 turrets" before settling on the version used in World War II. With drones, "we are in the phase of figuring that out, and things are changing so rapidly that what works today might not work tomorrow," he said. How the attack affects Russian operations in Ukraine The Tu-95 bombers hit by Ukraine are "effectively irreplaceable" because they're no longer in production, said Hinz, the IISS expert. Ukraine said it also hit an A-50 early warning and control aircraft, similar to the West's AWACS planes, that coordinate aerial attacks. Russia has even fewer of these. "Whichever way you cut the cake for Russia, this requires expense," said Thomas Withington of the Royal United Services Institute in London. "You can see the billions of dollars mounting up," Russia must repair the damaged planes, better protect its remaining aircraft and improve its ability to disrupt such operations, he said. Experts also suggested the strikes could force Moscow to speed up its program to replace the Tu-95. While underscoring Russian vulnerabilities, it's not clear if it will mean reduced airstrikes on Ukraine. Russia has focused on trying to overwhelm Ukraine's air defenses with drones throughout the war, including the use of decoys without payloads. On some nights last month, Moscow launched over 300 drones. "Even if Ukraine was able to damage a significant portion of the Russian bomber force, it's not entirely clear that the bomber force was playing a linchpin role in the war at this point," Lee said. Ukrainian air force data analyzed by AP shows that from July 2024 through December 2024, Russia used Tu-22M3s and Tu-95s 14 times against Ukraine but used drones almost every night. Sunday's operation might temporarily reduce Russia's ability to launch strategic missile attacks but it will probably find ways to compensate, Lee said. Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. How much is it worth to have oligarchic control of the United States government? Thanks to Elon Musk, we now have a ballparked answer: a bit more than $100 billion, or 14 percent of Teslas value. How did we arrive at an answer here? Well, in the first stock trading session after Donald Trump won the election last November, Tesla shares gained 14 percent, or about $110 billion. On Thursday, Elon Musks alliance with Donald Trump exploded in public view, and what happened to Teslas stock? It fell 14 percent. A company that was worth more than $1 trillion on Wednesday was worth a piddly $892 billion on Thursday. Its hard to be exact with these things. Teslas stock ran for weeks after Trumps election, and it had been in a decline for months by the time Musk posted on Thursday about Trump being in the Epstein files. The stock was having a bounceback on Friday, and were not in the business of predicting future moves. But we now have a pretty good estimate of the corruption premium that investors were paying for Teslas stock in recent months: about a 14 percent markup, give or take, on what the stock would otherwise be worth. Advertisement Thursday cemented a new reality for Musks businesses, or at least made the truth harder to deny. For a few months, Musks public messaging indicated that he was backing away a bit from his domination of the federal government. Though he still posted plenty about electoral politics, his tweeting had started to focus more on his businesses. He gave a series of interviews in which he tried to sell a back to business narrative about how he was using his time. He seemed to have realized that the social stigmatization of Tesla ownership had become a drag on the stock price. No amount of White House photo ops or Justice Department intimidation of protesters was going to make more people want to buy Teslas. Nor were Musks conservative pals lining up to buy them. Theyd already been polarized against electric cars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Could Musk have rotated his reputation away from right-wing political kingpin and back toward eccentric genius with a lucrative vision for the future of humanity? Sure, maybeour attention spans are very short. But that road closed on Thursday when the feud unfurled in public view. Musk and Trump might make up one day, or they might not. (I would guess not, given Musks insinuation that Trump is a pedophile, but hey, I hope the two of them can work through their issues.) But in this latest public spiraling-out, Musk significantly grew the number of people who either dont trust him or will now have a sharply negative political association with him thanks to his breakup with Trump. Whatever chance existed of Musk returning to his days as a humble billionaire tilling his factories, free from political baggage, is gone. He is still dogged by the same problem: his pathological inability to stop posting. Advertisement Related From Slate Musk Calls for Trumps Impeachment and Implies He Is a Pedophile Read More Musks existing problems at the intersection of politics and business had already piled up. Left-of-center people are more likely to buy electric vehicles and more likely to vomit at the sight of Musk, a rough coincidence for Tesla. Musks influence with Trump had reportedly been on the wane, something that many people were skeptical about but that now seems undeniably true. Trump had nominated one of Musks business buddies to run NASA, in a boon for SpaceX, but pulled that nomination last week. (I dont know that SpaceX needed a Musk friend in order to get NASA contracts, but it never hurts.) Advertisement A blowout with Trump solves none of those problemsbut it could create much more significant new ones. Other than the Lockheed Martins of the world, there arent many companies with more to lose from a lockout from federal contracts than SpaceX. Trump mused Thursday about ending Musks contracts and subsidies, a move that would cost SpaceX at least several billion dollars a year, plus probably some more we dont know about. Tesla, too, has its beak in the federal trough. Advertisement Advertisement Theres been lots of coverage about Trumps threats and less about whether he can actually do that, contracts being binding and all. Some of Musks work for the government is work that the government really could not do itself without many years of buildup, which presumably would offer some protection to SpaceX. But if there is one guy in the universe who has helped Trump establish the idea that federal funding can just be halted at a whim, it is Musk. If only there were some sort of reliable process for the delivery of such funds. Along the same line, Steve Bannon believes Musk should be deported. Thankfully, the United States has protections for immigrants who are in the country legally, and Trump has a record of respecting them. Advertisement Advertisement On one of the funnier days in recent internet history, some speculated that all of this has been a work: Perhaps Musk and Trump werent really falling out, but just trying to give Musk some space from the political heat that has harmed his businessessort of in the See, hes actually a bipartisan free thinker way. If theres any theater happening here, that would likely mean the Epstein allegation should actually suggest Trump wasnt part of it at all. But its doubtful that Musk is playing games either. As it was put by the New York Times Kate Conger, who co-wrote a book about Musks buyout of Twitter: I need you to remember we are not dealing with a 4-d chess guy, or a chess guy, or even a checkers guy. Advertisement A more simple answer is right in front of you: Musk is a wildly rich conservative who does not understand the American legislative process and likes a chance to rail against pork. Musk may also be salty about the bills exclusion of tax credits to buy electric cars, or about the optics of a deficit-growing bill cutting against the possibly nonexistent deficit cutting he did with the Department of Government Efficiency. He is certainly mad that he hasnt gotten proper deference for, in his own view, getting Trump elected. (Fun to realize that Musk is still claiming credit, in his own words, for putting a subject of the Epstein files in the White House.) Advertisement So what happens next? Musk had already made himself polarizing in business, but polarizing isnt necessarily bad. In fact, for a time after Trumps election, the stock market decided that Musks coziness with Trump was an excellent thing for Tesla. With that coziness gone but left-of-center disdain for Musk still there, and now probably joined by some backlash from Trumps fans, where to now? What new frontiers of opposition to Musk and his companies might be available now that he is out of Trumps good graces? Advertisement You could spitball a lot of ideas. Financial professionals could make a lot of money offering stock market index funds that exclude Tesla, but no one has done that yet. Would someone be more likely to offer such a product if they dont think Trump, or his Securities and Exchange Commission, would hit back at them? Could Trump use his bully pulpit to prop up some other EV company? How about deepening the governments relationship with OpenAI, run by Sam Altman, whom Musk hates? One can imagine the big guy getting creative, and if he does, its not clear who would come to Musks defense now. But one thing is clear: Musk hasnt gotten out of politics. Hes only gotten himself deeper into it, and without the fun benefit of the most powerful person in the world wanting to do him favors. Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. Thursdays fight between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump escalated faster than almost anyone on the right was prepared for. In the immediate aftermath of Musks highly inflammatory post, most right-wing pundits on social media responded the way people on the left did: with shock. As the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones put it: God Help Us ALL. Before Thursdays events, many conservative influencers had avoided addressing the developing dispute between the two men. But with no remaining ambiguity to Trumps and Musks feelings about each other, the MAGA right was forced into an awkward position. Supporters could not play down the spat; any pundits who didnt address it would be blatantly sidestepping the biggest story in politics. But the speed and intensity of the events required quick thinking and rapid evolution in right-wing social media spaces. At 2 p.m. on X, Musk asked if it was time to create a new political party in America. At 2:30 p.m., on Truth Social, Trump described Musk as wearing thin and going CRAZY, before threatening to take away his government contracts. A little after 3, in what he described as the really big bomb, Musk accused Trump of being in the Epstein files. An hour later, he wrote that Trump should be impeached. As one writer for the Daily Wire put it on X: This feels like a crossing the rubicon moment. Advertisement In a sign of how deeply Musk had won over the party, a few major accounts declared that they could not choose sides. But as would be expected, most people who built their brands off the MAGA movement made the safe bet and voiced their support for Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some, such as the influencer Candace Owens, did so in a celebratory way, insisting they had distrusted Musk all along. Others did so mournfully. But I really like both of them, Sen. Mike Lee posted. Very few gave any credence to Musks claim that Trump is on the Epstein list. Most saw the attack as Musk simply lashing out. But even among those who signaled their continued allegiance to Trump, a number still felt enough lingering loyalty to Muska man who had just effectively accused the president of being a pedophileto praise him. Advertisement There will be a lot of fighting and attacks in the days to come, so I just want to say something at the outset, Turning Point USAs Charlie Kirk wrote. We should never forget how terrible the environment was online prior to October 2022. No matter what happens, I am grateful that Elon Musk bought X and liberated free speech in America. His contribution to America and to civilization from that alone is immense. In response, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene commented: Yes you are right. And weve seen the highs and lows before. And I too am thankful @elonmusk bought Twitter and gave me my account back after I was permanently banned. And Im also glad we won the election and Trump is President. Now we have to work it out and continue to MAGA! Advertisement But there was still some small amount of fighting in MAGA world. Ian Miles Cheong, a Malaysian MAGA commentator, took the risky step of backing Muskand called for Trumps impeachment. Advertisement On the other side, the major account known as Catturd turned aggressively against anyone he saw as failing to stand up for Trump, calling Alex Jones a fraud and sellout; Jones, a lover of drama, had briefly appeared open to the possibility that Trump actually was on an Epstein list. (I am not in your cult, Jones wrote in response.) Advertisement But the most intense reaction came from Steve Bannon, who had attacked Musk as being racist and truly evil back when Trump and Musk were still on good terms. On Thursday, Bannon told the New York Times that Musk should be deported. This angered at least a few people on the right, including radio host Dana Loesch, who called Bannon a drama queen and a grifting clown. (Loesch, who warned that the moment signaled the season finale of MAGA, also complained on X: There is an art to disagreeing and remaining united as a coalition and the right has yet to figure it out.) Advertisement Still, most of the responses could be organized into three categories: expressing support for Trump; making jokes about the chaos; and expressing dismay at the division. In this last category, there were practical reasons for despair. Advertisement Advertisement Keeping your team together is one of the great challenges of leadership, commentator Dinesh DSouza wrote. Is it even conceivable the Democrats would alienate George and Alex Soros the way the GOP has alienated Elon Musk? It doesnt matter whose fault it is. This is an unmitigated disaster for our side. Conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer wrote: China is loving this. Not good. Some influencers saw reason for a more profound kind of anxiety, concerned that the rift posed an existential threat to the MAGA project itself. A house divided against itself cannot stand, wrote Riley Gaines, the former swimmer who gained a following for anti-transgender activism. The next few days are going to be ugly. Advertisement Related From Slate One of Trumps Weirdest Obsessions Is Spiraling Out of Control Read More Eventually, though, some fantastical thinking set in. While some, such as hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, called for Trump and Musk to make peace for the benefit of our great country, by the end of the day Thursday, many had insisted there had never been a feud in the first place. According to this theory, what had appeared to be a bitter dispute was actually a coordinated scheme by Musk and Trump to free up the Epstein list, which is being held back by sinister liberal actors. When Musk had accused Trump of being on the list, what he was actually doing was playing mind games on the Democratswith Trumps permissionand tricking them into releasing the list. Which, of course, would be their undoing. Advertisement Advertisement When the feud popped off, I said this could be the most epic troll in the history of ever, influencer Chad Prather said in a video. Now you got the Democrats demanding the release of the Epstein files. People didnt have to buy into a 5D chess theory to find a way to play down the fight, though. Some turned to a simpler explanation: Boys will be boys. Or, as Fox News Jesse Watters put it on The Five: Sometimes guys fight. Guys sometimes will punch you in the face, and the next night, youre having a beer. Right-wing commentator Mike Cernovich argued on X: Its the natural state of men to kill each other with swords. Panicking over some tweets shows a lack of understanding of the masculine. Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. On June 6, 1944, my great-uncle, the combat artist Mitchell Jamieson, stood on a Tank Landing Ship with hundreds of other soldiers waiting to join the assault waves and demolition parties already heading to Utah Beach. In his description of his painting of that morning, Dawn of D-Day Off of France, he recalled the freighted tension of the moment: These men could only wonder what awaited them as they stared at the distant coastline, barely discernible. The boats, suspended on davits above their heads, expressed oddly in their dark shapes the taut, waiting threat of this dawn off the Normandy coast. Hours later he would come ashore with a .45 pistol, pencils, and a sketchbook. Living in a foxhole on the beach, Mitchell spent the next week documenting the death and destruction wrought by the largest amphibious invasion in history, the turning point of World War II. He was 28 years old. The U.S. had used combat artists to capture the action in World War I, and early in World War II, the military determined that they were once again crucial to galvanizing popular support. George Biddle, a muralist who became the chair of the War Department Art Advisory Committee, laid out the mission, advising his artists: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Express if you can, realistically or symbolically, the essence and spirit of war. You may be guided by Blakes mysticism, by Goyas cynicism and savagery, by Delacroixs romanticism, by Daumiers humanity and tenderness; or better still follow your own inevitable star. High-minded exhortations aside, the making of art out of war must also be, by necessity, a propaganda mission, to justify the effort and expense. The World War II combat artists would, implicitly, reveal the bravery, heroism, and resilience of our boys. Though a photograph might simply show a slaughteras Mathew Bradys Civil War work famously dida painting could soften the raw carnage, allude to epic themes, and offer meaning and solace in the face of inestimable loss. My great-uncle Mitchell and I overlapped in this world only briefly, and across a continent. To mark my birth, he gave my parents a black-and-white drawing of the Apollo mission capsule floating on dark waters, which I like to think he meant as a metaphor for my own recent landing on Earth. We never met, though; I was born in San Francisco in 1974, and he killed himself in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1976. Throughout my childhood I heard vague rumblings about Mitchell, but knew him only by his later iconic work for NASA, which my parents always pointed out to me when we visited the Air and Space Museum. But I had no idea that hed been a New Deal artist, painted for the Roosevelts at Hyde Park, and traveled the world as a Life magazine correspondent. The family shame around Mitchells violent death prevented me from understanding his full legacy, and ultimately circumscribed the meaning of his life and art. Advertisement About a year and a half ago, I discovered that Mitchells correspondence, sketchbooks, and hundreds of pieces of artwork were still in the family, stored in the 1800s townhouse in Alexandria where hed spent most of his adult life, where he died by suicide, and where his son, Craig, still lives. I reached out to the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, and they were interested in a donation of Mitchells papers, most of which hadnt been touched since his death. As I began helping Craig unearth the sheaves of Mitchells records, photographs, and drawings, I became intrigued by his life and the significant role hed played, almost haphazardly it seemed, in many of the pivotal events of the 20th century. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is an odd thing to become acquainted with a family member decades after their death, and doubly strange when this person was a well-known artist in their time. Mitchells astonishing art spoke to me first, his intricate visual renderings of everything from military tanks and orphaned children to shells and flowers. His sketchbooks, in particular, about 80 of them in the family collection, offer a remarkable record of his working style as an artist, the rapidity with which he drew, his ability to capture details in high-stress moments, his delicate notations of colors to add when he later painted from the sketches (water grey-green, blue reflections). But in exploring this archive, it is his voice as a writer and a thinker that has surprised me most. Knowing him as a visual artist, I was prepared to see through his eyes; I was not prepared for his poetry, his prose. Advertisement Advertisement Mitchell composed descriptions of his combat artwork, over 500 pieces of which have been collected by the Naval History and Heritage Command, and his writing provides context for each piece. Some of his notes are literally scrawled on the backthe verso in artistic termsof the art, while others were clearly composed and submitted when the pieces were given over to the Navy. These descriptions range from straightforward accounts to lyrical observations, short essays, and scraps of poignant reportage from the field. On a simple pen-and-ink drawing, Waiting for Burial, Cemetery Above the Beach, he included direct quotes (told to the artist) from an unnamed sergeant grappling with the challenge of burying thousands of American, British, and German corpses in a war zone: Advertisement Advertisement Why, when we landed we didnt know what to do or where to start. Bodies everywhere you looked and firing going on all around you. Some of the officers of another outfit wanted to use a bulldozer [to bury the dead] but our lieutenant said no, wed do the job proper and decent. In the sketch, four covered bodies represent the anonymous dead, but the verso reveals the real savagery of the beach scene. Mitchell described the apologetic tone of the sergeant when he acknowledged how the horrifying task and the sickening smell had become routine. In this exchange we see his encompassing role as an artist correspondent on the battlefield: the listener, the watcher, the witness to it all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before Normandy, Mitchell had been embedded with a convoy to North Africa, and landed at the invasion of Sicily, where his sketchbooks were soaked through, and men all around him were hit by shrapnel. From Europe, he was sent to Iwo Jima, where every square foot of earth seemed to be torn or pockmarked by shell fire and shrapnel, and then Okinawa. Craig remembers his father telling stories of a Japanese kamikaze plane dive-bombing and hitting the aircraft carrier he was aboard. In an interview with the Washington Post, Mitchell described his work from that time as filled with pleasure of drawing, of fighting with men I loved, the exhilaration of color and war. He learned of the atomic attack on Hiroshima from a shipboard broadcast. I was glad, he said in the same interview. I wanted the war to end. I hated those bastards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The combat artist role is inherently paradoxical. In Mitchells art and writing its evident that hes straddling the line between surviving and creating, being in the action and observing the action, capturing the details while not losing the larger picture. In contrast to war photography, visual art requires a longer, intimate engagement with the moment. It demands conceiving, sketching, lingering; it demands time. In the chaos of the battlefield, he became aware of all the moving pieces and terrible nuances: German prisoners so relieved to be out of the fighting that theyd salute when approached; the truck called the meat wagon which transports the dead; the slow, steady and appalling work of burying the fallen. And in the midst of this, he recognized the frustrating impossibility of seeing and expressing it all, what he later described as a gnawing dissatisfaction and awareness of the disparity between the enormity of the tragic subject and ones own trivial effort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After three years of service, Mitchell returned from World War II with a Bronze Star and the foundation of a successful career in the arts. He had a one-man show at the Corcoran Gallery, his paintings were included in an exhibit called Operation Palette, which toured the country for five years, and he won two Guggenheim fellowships. He started teaching at art schools nationally, and eventually landed a tenure-track position at the University of Maryland. During this time, his perspective on his combat service began to change, gradually it seems, and then all of a sudden. Advertisement Advertisement In a 1962 talk for the Society of Federal Artists and Designers, titled Razzmatazz and Tatterdemalion: The Myth of the Useful Artist, he shared his ambivalence about his role as documentarian and propagandist for the US Navy: For a period of three years, during the Second World War, I occupied a position in the U.S Navy known as Combat Artist. According to your predilection, this designation will seem either a contradiction in terms or a natural state of affairs The war experience left me with a curious duality in my art and in my thought. On the one hand, my painting reflected a great and universal theme, of concern to everyone. Recognition for it was not lacking, stemming as much, I am sure, from the subject matter as from my mastery of my craft and art. There was, on my part, a gratifying sense of fulfilling both a useful public role and a personal potential for development at the same time. On the other hand the sense of being manipulated by vast forces. Advertisement It was these vast forces that made him want to understand what was really going on in the Vietnam War, beyond the news reports. In the summer of 1967, he reprised his role on the battlefield, this time as a civilian volunteer artist under the auspices of the Office of Military History. Visiting Saigon, Pleiku, and Dak To, he filled sketchbooks and took hundreds of photos. Sickness forced him back to the United States after less than a month, but he had seen enough to transform his life and art forever. If Mitchells World War II combat art built his career, then his obsession with Vietnam destroyed it. My grandfather, usually a reserved man, opened up to a journalist about his brothers state of mind after going to Southeast Asia: For two years he had insomnia. Ludy [Mitchells wife] said she heard nothing but Vietnam for six years after he got back. Through all those sleepless nights he painted and listened to Vietnamese music and read every book published on Vietnam, many of which are still in the Alexandria townhouse. He created an opus of work, still unfinished at his death, called The Plague, which is both a reference to Albert Camus book of the same title and the U.S. military itself. Mitchells post-Vietnam art was prolific, pointedly political, and largely unsaleable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To render Vietnam, Mitchell became a new artist altogether. Gone is the heroic sense of comradery: the brave, grim-faced men piling onto boats to fight and die together. Now we see only black-and-white drawings, faces and bodies emerging from midnight splotches of ink. Mitchell felt the horror of this war should be captured in monochrome; color was by its very nature sensual and inappropriate. These drawings, he wrote, were composed in a spirit of cold fury, animated by an overwhelming sense of the obscene, insane, waste of young lives, and addressed to a new and revolutionary young consciousness. The brutality, the viciousness of killing, and its aftermath are all documented, but also something else. A sense of claustrophobia, of trapped, hypocritical, pointless violence. Tortured, decapitated, castrated victims ringed in barbed wire; prostitutes suffering the affections of grinning, obese officers; grieving peasants wailing, hunched over dead children. While his World War II work is clearly reportage, here he goes beyond what he actually witnessed, imagining scenes in harrowing detail. His art pivots from stylized to surreal; if his early pieces had echoes of Edward Hopper, they now seem haunted by Hieronymus Bosch. Advertisement Mitchells anti-war crusade had real-life impacts, including delaying his tenure at the University of Maryland. Institutions which had once welcomed him back as a returning war hero refused to acknowledge his incendiary new body of work. In an unpublished article titled Das Kannibal, Mitchell wrote angrily about being blackballed for speaking out against the war. The Defense Department, which had first invited him to Vietnam, declined to show The Plague drawings, he said, suggesting that perhaps they could be exhibited in 50 years time when they would be less controversial. The Smithsonian, too, turned their back on him (a cutting blow for an artist whod lived in the D.C. area his whole life) because (Mitchell wrote) they were intimidated by celebrities like [Alexander] Calder who threatened to withhold gifts of his art if they circulated an exhibit on the war. In a scathing rejection of his newest work, Bernard Quint, art director at Life magazine, wrote on Nov. 28, 1967, From looking at your drawings, I would gather that only American G.I.s are guilty of poking their daggers into Christ-like Vietnamese and obviously Hanoi and the Viet Cong are blank pieces of paper which symbolize innocence. The doors that were once opened to Mitchell now slammed shut, and he felt profoundly betrayed. No medals this time, he told a Washington Post art critic. (I asked the Smithsonian and the Department of Defense for comment on the events Mitchell described. A spokesperson for the Smithsonian replied that they were unable to offer informed comment due to the time that has passed, and the Department of Defense did not reply to my request before press time.) Advertisement Advertisement Related From Slate The Anti-Trump Historian Whose Instagram Is Like Xanax for Anxious Liberal Brains Read More All my life, I heard that the trauma of my great-uncles visit to Vietnam killed him, and his obituaries and many of the articles about his life and legacy reflect this sentiment. But as Ive learned more, Ive started to question whether it was the three weeks he spent in Vietnam or the three years he served in World War II that led to his ultimate breakdown. In Das Kannibal, Mitchell writes that Saigon brought back vividly to me the Algerian city of Oran in 1942-43 first city Id ever seen surrounded by the feverish activity of war-time. Just over 20 years after the end of his World War II service, he returns to the battlefield and finds another formerly peaceful country overtaken by war. It is all too familiar, but now he is 20 years older, a reporter and not a soldier, his vision no longer clouded by the communal spirit of war. Standing apart from the machine, he sees it for what it truly is. Camus The Plague is set in Oran, and with this connection in mind he christens his new series of unflinching depictions of massacre. This time, he seems to be saying, I will tell the truth about war, all the wars I have seen and all the wars to come. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But how much of this was already brewing before Mitchell stepped foot in Indochina? In his 1976 eulogy at Mitchells funeral, Lt. Cmdr. J. Burke Wilkinson described how Mitchells art evolved during World War II: Advertisement I heard he had gone to the Pacific and we saw in Life his Iwo Jima pictures the growing depth and compassion of his art the terror and the beauty too a sadder, harsher note, colors more disturbing a sense of strain, exhaustion even Later we heard he had been ordered home by the Head of the Art Unit and had begged to be allowed to stay. Advertisement As a military man, Wilkinson would have known that strain and exhaustion could be signs of serious mental health deterioration. The diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder was not recognized by the American Psychiatric Association until 1980; before that it was known simply as combat or battle fatigue. Theres also evidence that the profusion of bodies and nightmarish scenes that characterize Mitchells later work started to creep in before he went to Vietnam. The catalog for Mitchells posthumous Corcoran show in 1979 notes that a group of dream-influenced paintings, including one called Fragments From the Apocalypse, were exhibited before he visited Vietnam, and closely resemble his painting The Saigon Follies, with its melange of grotesque images. In going through the art in Craigs house, Ive also come across pieces in the same surreal style that predate his Vietnam experience. It leads me to wonder: How long had Mitchell been suffering? Had he ever gotten help? Advertisement Im left with the uneasy sense that both my great-uncles life and death have been misunderstood. We know that hed witnessed countless losses in World War II, saw wounded men dying in agony, traveled the world to participate in some of the bloodiest battles history has ever seen. And his official duty was to bring this brutality to life on paper. While other men had terrible jobs, they also had the possibility of forgetting, putting the war behind them after their task was done. But Mitchells charge was ongoing: to capture the slaughter in his minds eye, to witness and remember and translate everything he had seen for the broader public. Once these images were seared into his memory, they tormented him and they emerged in his imagination, his dreams, his art. He could never forget. Could it be that Vietnam was the trigger, not the cause, of his self-inflicted demise? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 1964 Mitchell had an exhibition at the University of Maryland of work from World War II called On War: Drawings from the Arena, pulled from his personal collection. On the postcard promoting the show, he quoted James Joyces Ulysses, History is the Nightmare from which I am trying to Awaken. Below he added this text to justify displaying his wartime artwork, these odds and ends of catastrophe found in historys wake: If it is asked why this assemblage of faces from a dusty picture, burning villages and cities, refugees and invasion armadas should be presented at this time, one can only reply that for so many of us the longest day in history dawned, cheerless and cold, off the coast of Normandy twenty years ago. Mitchell survived that longest day in body, but the damage to his spirit would only become evident two decades later in another land ravaged by a new American war. At such close range, sketchbook in hand, the repeating cycles of history proved too much to bear. In the last, he must have felt his only chance to awaken from the nightmare was to end the dream. Jonathan Joss "struggled so hard to stay alive" after he had been shot. King of the Hill star Jonathan Joss fought 'so hard to stay alive' after he had been shot The actor - who was best known for voicing the part of John Redcorn on the animated TV series King of the Hill - was killed in a shooting on Saturday (31.05.25) in San Antonio, and now his husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales has recalled his last few moments. He told People: "Everything happened so quickly. Everything was very close range and due to the severity and the trauma of the various head wounds, I knew that there was no hope of saving Jonathan's physical form, and he was struggling so hard, trying to stay alive. It was just really, really close range." Tristan urged Jonathan that he "didn't need to keep fighting" as he lay dying, but claimed that the alleged gunman Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja was just "laughing" at them throughout the ordeal. He said: "I held my husband's face together as best I could, and I told him how much I loved him, and that none of this was his fault. I told him he needed to cross over easy. He didn't need to keep fighting. "I told him that no matter what, and in some way, shape, or form, well always be together, and he'll always be my husband. "[The alleged gunman] was laughing. He mocked me for telling my husband that I loved him and used the same homophobic slurs. "The flashbacks are very, very intense, and they affect my whole body." Police have said that Alvarez, 56, admitted to shooting and killing the Parks and Recreation actor and he was released on a $200,000 bond on Monday. Just days ago, Tristan revealed that the whole incident had taken place at the site of their former home, which burned down earlier this year. In a Facebook post, he explained: "My husband Jonathan Joss and I were involved in a shooting while checking the mail at the site of our former home. That home was burned down after over two years of threats from people in the area who repeatedly told us they would set it on fire. We reported these threats to law enforcement multiple times and nothing was done. "Throughout that time we were harassed regularly by individuals who made it clear they did not accept our relationship. Much of the harassment was openly homophobic. "When we returned to the site to check our mail we discovered the skull of one of our dogs and its harness placed in clear view. This caused both of us severe emotional distress. We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw. "While we were doing this a man approached us. He started yelling violent homophobic slurs at us. He then raised a gun from his lap and fired. "Jonathan and I had no weapons. We were not threatening anyone. We were grieving. We were standing side by side. When the man fired Jonathan pushed me out of the way. He saved my life. "Jonathan is my husband. He gave me more love in our time together than most people ever get. We were newlyweds. We picked Valentines Day. We were in the process of looking for a trailer and planning our future. "He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other. "I was with him when he passed. I told him how much he was loved. (sic)" Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. Last month 31 men at Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas, positioned their bodies in the shape of the letters SOS, a cry for help, as journalists flew overhead. Much has been written about the state of deportations under the Trump administration and the flouting of the Supreme Courts orders, as well as the courts temporary blocking of removals of Venezuelan migrants to a notorious prison complex in El Salvador. However, less has been said about how human rights violations are pervasive at detention centers all over the United States, including Bluebonnet. Nearly nine years after its construction to house state prisoners, Bluebonnet Detention Center, operated by the Management and Training Corporation, signed a $145 million contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2019 to house a maximum of 1,000 detainees on any given day. Located approximately 200 miles west of Dallas-Fort Worth, Bluebonnet provides a strategic site for discreet detention, nestled in a remote area yet accessible for transport to the airport. Despite its newer status with ICE, Bluebonnet had one of the largest COVID-19 outbreaks among ICE detention centers in the U.S. in 2021, and the American Civil Liberties Union listed the facility among 38 recommended for shut down because of its dangerous operations. It is no surprise that Bluebonnets detention conditions continue the practices of gross human rights violations that plague the entirety of ICE operations. The conditions inside ICE detention centers are so untenable that people are self-deporting to avoid being detained. This is not an accident. ICEs poor conditions are adapted tactics of the Prevention Through Deterrence policy implemented in 1994 that makes it more difficult for immigrants to fight their deportation orders. This is exactly what the Trump administration desires. At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bluebonnet was inspected at least seven times by ICEs Office of Detention Oversight and by Nakamoto Group, a private independent company that has since lost its contract with the federal government. Notably, inspections by Nakamoto Group relied heavily on telemonitoring and planned visits, asking detention facilities before monitoring them for a list of preapproved detained individuals to interview. This raised many ethical issues that were reported by the ACLU. Even despite offering this advance opportunity for detention officials to clean up their acts before inspection, our data (which we obtained via the Freedom of Information Act) shows Nakamoto still found dangerous environments at Bluebonnet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All Bluebonnet detention inspections occurring between 2020 and 2024 documented recurring concerns regarding medical treatment, extended isolation, detainee reports of sexual violence, recorded instances of force, and problematic approaches to suicide prevention and interventions. Although 45 percent of detainee statements in Bluebonnet inspections reported issues with medical care, facility detention inspectors rarely found detainees trustworthy about their complaints. For example, in 2021, Bluebonnet detainees stated that medication requests were rarely followed up on, while another detainee who had received medical attention was placed in solitary confinement that had unsanitary conditions without explanation. The inspectors in each case failed to believe detainees because they were unable to verify their claims. In our analysis of Bluebonnet inspections, we discovered dangerous practices that placed detainee well-being at risk. During February 2021, the Office of Detention Oversight found that Bluebonnet staff did not follow proper procedures to calculate use-of-force incidents and video documentation of incidents was not properly assessed by ICE. That same document also revealed hunger strikes and issues with medical care that captured a troubling environment at Bluebonnet for detainees. The most recent Bluebonnet inspections also harbor a similar sense of turmoil. In 2024, the Office of Detention Oversight revealed that detainees were exhibiting suicidal behavior because of long wait times and delays at Bluebonnet. These ruminations on suicide due to the escalating deportation procedures and extended court delays are not unplanned, but rather an indicator of how ICE operates as a whole. Advertisement Advertisement For those in the know, violence is as synonymous with ICE as the Big Mac is with McDonalds. ICE provides financial backing and branding to correctional institutionswe would call them franchisesthat are notoriously dangerous to incarcerated individuals. These prisons and jails lack motivation for reform because ICE rarely withdraws funds or ends contracts. Advertisement Make no mistake, the SOS is not an isolated event but a symptom of a greater problem. Right now, Cuban detainees at Krome detention center in the Miami-Dade area in Florida are protesting under similar conditions to those at the Bluebonnet ICE facility. Across these ICE detention centers, detainees are resisting prolonged detention, inadequate food, a lack of medical care, and recurring abuse. The violence experienced in these facilities is slow violence, and slow violence leads to undue process. For example, at Bluebonnet, peoples limited access to correspondence and other mail has inhibited their ability to correspond with their families and legal teams to defend themselves. Slow violence is intentional, diminishing individuals ability to defend themselves and receive legal due process. It resultspredictably and intentionallyin undue process and self-deportation. Advertisement Notably, the level of violence in ICE detention facilities is higher than in jails or prisons. U.S. citizens who commit crimes and are convicted of them are protected by law from experiencing violence during their incarceration. That is not to say that violence doesnt still occur in prisons, but that there are constitutional protections to guard against it. These same protections do not seem to exist for individuals in immigrant detention. Advertisement Advertisement Our collective level of outrage does not match the gross human rights violations happening daily to immigrant detaineespersons who have not been convicted of a crime but who are in the process of being removed from the country. While we pretend that we are protecting the sanctity of America, we are undermining our core values by denigrating the huddled masses that have come to our shores seeking freedom. Instead, we place them in peril in our ICE detention centers. We know this is the America that some have fought hard to create. Is this the America that we will accept? Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. I suppose I need to make it clear up front that Im not much of a fan of Donald Trump. I dont think I need to explain why either. Theres a good chance you reflexively understand the particularities of my distaste: the naked corruption, the antipathy for governmental function, the consistency with which he pays lip service to the darkest and strangest contingencies in the right-wing underworld. Mostly, though, Ive just never loved the way Trump talks to, and about, other people. There is just something insecure about his approach. His macho barbs are always expressed via iPhone, and all carry the unmistakable stench of a guy coming up with what he wanted to say in an argument hours later, while stewing in the shower. With all that said, these past few days have opened my eyes to some elements of Trumps appeal. It turns out I can actually like the presidentso long as hes making fun of Elon Musk. The ongoing TrumpMusk breakup has brought to light a truth lingering deep in my subconscious. You know when you watch the Super Bowl as a neutral fan and you can feel your brain tugging your body toward one side or another? That mysterious biophysical phenomenon that makes you a temporary Eagles fan? That sinister whisper in your ear? Its happening right now. I want Trump to punk this dude. Shove him in a locker. Make him humble. Can we deport him? We should probably deport him. For the one and only time in my life, I have become MAGAand it feels amazing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres a quick recap of the feud as it currently stands. Musk, after haphazardly dismantling countless organs of the federal government without even saving all that much money, exited his role in the White House to return to his business concerns. Reborn as a private citizen, Musk began criticizing the major Republican spending bill working its way through the bowels of Congressspecifically in regards to the trillions of dollars it will add to the national debt, obliterating what was DOGEs raison detre. (One sample post: This spending bill contains the largest increase in the debt ceiling in US history! It is the Debt Slavery Bill.) When those complaints were ignored, Musks attacks grew more personal and less centered on an ostensibly good-faith intraparty debate about monetary policy. Finally, in a fit of petulance on Thursday, Musk went below the belt: He claimed that the president wouldnt have won the election without his financial assistance and that absent his sallow presence on the campaign trail, Democrats would have held on to their congressional majority too. Advertisement Related From Slate Honestly, I Am So Sick of Hearing Democrats Apologize for Their Joe Biden Mistake Read More That was the kiss of death for Musks D.C. welcome. I genuinely cannot think of anything that will more effectively inspire the ire of Trump than the insinuation that he needed someone elses help to succeed. So, yesterday, the president claimed that Musk had gone crazy and, with his classic knack for messy gossip, asserted that the tech baron had already worn out his welcome in the Oval Office by the time he scurried back to his Tesla duties. (The president also not so subtly threatened to rescind Musks government contracts, Harvard-style. Funny how DOGE never considered that idea?) Muskas he often doesretorted by making a truly astonishing number of posts on X directed at the president, culminating with the charge that the reason his administration hasnt released the illusory Epstein files, which almost certainly dont exist, is because Trump was an associate of the disgraced financier, a fact weve long known. Hilariously, that allegation evoked a rare nondenial from the Trump camp; when confronted with Musks Epstein imputation, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt instead filibustered about how the president is committed to making America great again. Curious! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The breakup then simmered a bit, at least publicly. Politico reported that the two men might be brokering a ceasefire, and, my God, recovering a political alliance after playing the child molestation card is definitive proof that we all live in Bravoworldand also in hell. But as of this morning, Trump hasnt let up the attack, again saying that the CEO has lost his mind and that he isnt interested in talking to him. Unbelievable. Ive never seen an inner-circle mainstay get relegated to Zelensky status faster. Five months ago, Musk was proclaiming that he was literally in love with Trump! And I think thats why Ive found it so easy to root against him: Musk should have known better. Trump never changes. He is who he is, and that is terrible news for our country. Advertisement Musk, however, thought he could be the one to change Trump. He assumed his skills were up to the taskbut he merely possesses a craven instinct to bend to the contours of power, a third grade understanding of the legislative process, and, most crucially, a ridiculously amplified estimation of his own likability. And, reader, it is those kinds of men that I love watching eat shit. Advertisement Advertisement Imagine being Elon Musk and believing that Trump was keeping you around for your scintillating personality and bureaucratic acumen, and not because you are the richest man on the planet. Imagine being confronted with that uncanny laminated face in the mirror every day and still trusting that you have the verve and charisma to fire up a campaign rally. Imagine making the least funny tweets in the world, at all hours of the day, and thinking you could go toe-to-toe with Donald Trump, whono matter what else I can say about himis without a doubt one of the greatest posters in human history. (Elons tweets go viral because he owns the platform theyre on!) For months, Trump had to reassure this weird man, with shit vibes, that he was a crucial fixture of his government. Now he is gone, and I want the president to rain hellfire upon him. (The sooner he brings up the ketamine addiction, the better.) For the past eight years, I have watched Trump deploy his prickly, petty rage upon the most vulnerable members of society, harnessing the countrys latent fury for the cruelest political objectives. So I must concede that it does feel great to draft in the glorious power of Trumps disrespect when it serves my own interests. I finally get it, and that should be a teaching moment for the Democrats. Cant someone in the party emerge as the locus for all of our haughty anger? Let me feel like this more oftenI am begging you. When the horses line up behind the gate on Saturday, June 7 for the $200,000 USD Battle of Lake Erie (Grade 2), the connections of Chase H Hanover are hopeful their talented pacer is ready to step up and do something very special. Chase H Hanovers story, however, begins long before his seven-year-old season began. The story of the son of Captaintreacherous- Calgary Hanover began at Sahbra Farm in Streetsboro, Ohio. Local trainer Scott Cox was the first to lay eyes on Chase H Hanover and he admits he had questions about his ability at a young age. The first day we hooked him, he didnt really want to go, said Cox. We were concerned about his ability, but it didnt take him long to start showing us how special of a horse he really was. Special might be an understatement. Broke as a baby by Cox and the late Hunter Myers, Chase H Hanover began training down at Sahbra Farms and his connections couldnt believe what they witnessed from him. Training down, he had a very nice mouth on him, and after a few training miles, it was obvious he would be a nice horse, said Cox. At two, Chase H Hanover put together a 1:51.1 world-record performance at Delaware, a record that still stands today. Cox knew how fast he was, and while that was impressive, his ability to pass horses was even more astonishing. David Miller called me early and told me how nice of a horse he was," said Cox. "He has always had a lot gate speed, but his ability to race off a helmet is incredible. Im convinced if there were 30 horses in front of him, he would pass them all when he is at his best. Sold following his sophomore season, he shipped to the barn of Virgil Morgan Jr., where Chase H Hanover was a solid Open horse, dancing in some of racings biggest races, including a runner-up performance in the Dayton Derby. Fast forward to 2025, where Chase H Hanover has now ended up in the barn of husband-and-wife duo Cory and Vicki Stratton. The Strattons, who are expecting their first child in December, joining a puppy they just added to their already large family with two other dogs, have built a stable in New Jersey racing up and down the East Coast. The pair have spent years honing their craft and working hard together to come up with a system that works for them. Sure, we butt heads sometimes, but that is to be expected, laughed Vicki Stratton. We have found a good rhythm and each take responsibility for certain things; it definitely helps things run more smoothly. Chase H Hanover has taken the pair on the ride of a lifetime, scoring his first 2025 win came in early February against conditioned company at The Meadowlands. After some big efforts at Pocono, the pair shipped Chase H Hanover to Yonkers for the MGM Borgata Pacing Series, where he excelled winning two legs of the series, finishing second in the $716,667 Grade 1 final. From there, he shipped to London, Ont. for the $150,000 Camluck Classic, where Chase H Hanover proved just how tough of a horse he is. The draw put us in a naturally tough spot, said trainer Cory Stratton. Tyler Borth, one of Londons leading drivers, put him into play early and gave him the best shot he could. With all of the adversity of the race, he finished right with the best. It proved to us how good he was. Unfortunately for Chase H Hanovers connections, the draw was not kind to them again in the "War on the Shore," lining up with post seven. The draw definitely hurts, but every horse in the race has a shot. 'Chase' is no different, said Vicki. One thing in his favour is his ability to get off of the gate early and be put into play. While they would love to see him cross over early, his speed gives local driver Chris Lems a multitude of options with the gelding. This years Battle isnt the first time the Strattons have ventured to the Buckeye State. Trainer Cory Stratton, an Ohio native, has had his eyes on the Battle of Lake Erie prize for a long time. Winning the battle would be a lot to us, especially with 'Chase,' because he deserves to win a big one, said Cory. My brother Jordan has had a lot of success in Ohio; were excited to take on this field. 'Chase' is as tough as they come -- there isnt anyone with a bigger heart. The husband-and-wife team are very happy with how their pacer is training leading up to the race. 'Chase' is a pretty cool horse that is easy on himself. He loves to eat and nap, and while sometimes he puts on a cranky face, he is a complete sweetheart, said Cory. Also competing in Saturdays Battle of Lake Erie is world champion Bythemissal; local favourite and earner of $965,428, Dunkin, Pepsi North America Cup champion Desperate Man; Breeders Crown and Little Brown Jug runner-up Seven Colors; Pennsylvania-based speedster Ken Hanover; defending champion Little Rocket Man; MGM Borgata Pacing Series champion Mossdale Ben N; and New Zealand import Helium N. The Battle of Lake Erie program will have several great wagering opportunities including a $25,000 estimated Pick-4 pool beginning in the featured Race 11 and a $20,000 estimated Super High-5 in Race 13, the MGM Buckeye Distaff. Lady Luck's Clubhouse will also be open on Saturday and will offer a buffet for $27.95 USD. Reservations can be made by calling 330-467-4101. Post time on Saturday is 6 p.m. (MGM Northfield Park) Two years after a major influx of new state dollars, Nebraskas byzantine K-12 school aid formula has taken back almost all of what Scotts Bluff County districts collectively gained. The countys five districts will receive nearly $35.64 million under the formula in the 2025-26 school year, according to certified aid figures from the Nebraska Department of Education. Thats 2.4% less than they shared in 2024-25 and only 1.3% ahead of the $35.18 million they split in 2022-23. The 2023 Legislature restored per-student foundation aid to the school-aid formula for the first time since 1990. Nebraskas 20 Panhandle districts remain 5.6% ahead of the aid total they shared before that move. But the regions combined 2025-26 aid of $58.73 million fell 3.3% below the total for the current fiscal year. Total state aid will creep up by 0.5% for Scottsbluff Public Schools after declining 1.4% for 2024-25 and jump by 9.9% next school year in Mitchell. But Gering Public Schools award will drop by 7.3% after edging down 0.4% for the current fiscal year. Aid will fall by 2.5% for Minatare and tumble 41.9% for Morrill, ballooning the latter districts state-aid loss to nearly three-fifths over three years. Scottsbluff, Gering impacts State senators adjourned their 2025 session Monday without tinkering with the aid formula, which aims to steer most aid to districts with more education needs than financial resources. One delayed adjustment, however, will count 60% of districts per-student aid on the resources side instead of 100%. That tweak was programmed to take effect in 2025-26 by the 2023 law that restored foundation aid (Legislative Bill 583). The belated switch pushed the Scottsbluff districts school-aid change for next year into positive territory, Superintendent Andrew Dick said. The state will provide almost $18.43 million in regular school aid to Scottsbluff during the 2025-26 year, about $92,000 more than this year. Dick said the extra funds will aid the school boards strategy to keep trimming a property tax rate that has fallen by nearly 40 cents per $100 of taxable value in three years. Scottsbluffs 2024-25 school tax rate dropped from $1.17 to 91.8 cents per $100, aided by the payoff of bonds for the most recent Bluffs Middle School renovations. Board members hope to cut $1.3 million from their 2025-26 tax request, largely by tapping nearly $1 million in cash reserves and cutting two elementary school positions based on shifting enrollments, Dick said. Were fortunate to be in a solid financial position, he said. But we cannot withdraw year after year from our savings account. Gerings aid award for the next school year will total $8.93 million, leaving the district 2.8% behind what it received before per-student aid was restored. The district will get $701,972 less from the aid formula than it got during 2024-25. Even so, Superintendent Nicole Regan and Business and Finance Director Stacy Rodriguez said school finances in Gering are better than those figures suggest, due to a separate but related boost in state help. LB 583 also sharply raised K-12 districts reimbursements for annual special education costs to 80%. Those payments are separate from the regular flow of school aid, because special education costs cant be finalized until the fiscal year ends Aug. 31. The special-ed aid has helped us tremendously, because weve never been reimbursed at so high a percentage, Rodriguez said. So it looks bad in one way, but theres a lot of shifting in the (state) funds. Regan said Gering has eliminated five teaching positions through attrition and contracted out some services to save money as the school board prepares to finalize its 2025-26 budget this fall. The districts property tax rate has hovered at or just below $1.30 per $100 the past eight years. But Regan said school leaders expect to ask their patrons in November not long after approving the budget to consider a revised bond issue for Gering Middle School renovations she says are vital. Nearly 58% of those voting rejected a $43 million bond proposal March 11. But it is draining our resources to address the wear and tear of the middle school without extensive repairs and updates, Regan said. Panhandle figures The return of per-student aid drove state payments significantly higher two years ago for many smaller Nebraska school districts. Most of them dont qualify for equalization aid based on their percentages of non-native English speakers and students in poverty. But strong district-by-district state aid gains have been harder to come by since. Aid has more than tripled the past three years for the Leyton district north of Sidney, but only two other Panhandle schools Potter-Dix (12.2%) and Bayard (11.3%) will enjoy double-digit aid increases in 2025-26. State aid will drop by 26.8% in Crawford, 26.3% in Alliance and 15.5% in Chadron, a year after all three districts enjoyed aid increases. Sioux County, which got a mere $12,282 in aid in 2022-23, will see its aid fall 20.6% after swelling more than tenfold with per-student aid restored. Eleven Panhandle districts qualified for equalization aid next year, including all five in Scotts Bluff County. Ten also receive net option aid, including Mitchell and Scottsbluff, because more students transfer into those schools than leave for other districts. Nebraska schools also receive 2.23% rebates of the state income taxes their patrons pay. Thats all the aid some small districts got prior to 2023 if they couldnt attract enough option students. Finally, aid payments are adjusted up or down after the state Education Department recalculates districts aid from the previous year based on actual enrollments rather than estimates. While such corrections often are minor, they reduced net 2025-26 aid payments by $149,013 for Alliance, $80,368 for Gering and $29,852 for Scottsbluff from what they otherwise would expect to receive. Kristen Bell refuses to work outside Los Angeles because she "cant physically operate in the world" if she is unable to spend time with her family. Kristen Bell needs to spend time with her family every day The 44-year-old actress is mother to two daughters - Lincoln, 12, and Delta, 10 - with her husband Dax Shepard and Kristen has revealed she won't take on any acting project that will require her to leave town because she needs to be able to see her partner and her kids every day. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she explained: "I cant physically operate in the world if I dont have some part of the morning or evening with my family. I am so rooted in that life, and I can explain it best by saying, I like being an actress, but I love being Kristen. "And if I had to choose between the two, I would quit this career in a heartbeat." Kristen explained she made the decision after Lincoln was born and she's stuck to LA-based projects ever since. She added: "About 12 years ago, because my oldest is 12, I was like: 'What if I just tried to see if I had leverage to be like, Im not going to shoot outside of L.A. anymore?' "No matter how good the director is or how good the script is, I wont do it. I wouldnt care enough. Im not trying to do the Revenant 2 in wherever they shot that. I dont need to do that. It wouldnt fulfill me. "So, I said: 'Dont even send me anything if its not shooting in L.A. or if its not early enough in the development that I can say: We have to shoot in L.A.' and Ive been really, really lucky. "But that does bleed in a little to the, when I get there in the morning, I will absolutely compartmentalize and shut that off and Im never trying to bring baggage to set unless its happy, playful, fun stuff that would excite us. "But then, at the end of the day, Im not really here for: 'Lets do a couple [takes] more just for us'. If weve got it, I need to go home and reconnect with my family because otherwise I cant come in tomorrow." This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The Metals Company CEO Gerard Barron says the Canadian company will "no doubt" be the first to extract coveted minerals in the open sea. The head of submarine mining pioneer The Metals Company told AFP he had "no doubt" the Canadian firm would be the first to extract coveted minerals from the deep seas, with help from Donald Trump. Metal-containing deep-sea nodules, which have the appearance of potato-size pebbles and typically contain nickel and cobalt, are highly sought for use in electric vehicle batteries and electric cables, and the race is on to be the first to extract them from the untapped deep sea. TMC's chief executive Gerard Barron told AFP in an interview in New York that his company was sure to win the race. The company turned its back on the International Seabed Authority (ISA), which has jurisdiction over the international seabed, complaining over its slow pace in adopting a mining code that establishes the rules for exploiting seabed minerals. Instead, TMC surprised everyone when its US subsidiary submitted a request to Washington, which is not an ISA member, to grant it the first commercial mining permit in international waters. TMC has asked to harvest so-called polymetallic nodulesdeposits made up of multiple metalsin 9,700 square miles (25,200 square kilometers) of the Pacific's Clarion-Clipperton Zone. Here is what Barron said about what might lie ahead. Q: When is your target to start mining? A: "With the help of the executive order from President Trump,... we're expecting an expedited permitting process. And that hopefully will mean that within this next year, maybe even by the end of the year, we'll see the permission from the US government to move forward." "We do have our first production vessel, the Hidden Gem,... We've finalized how we turn these nodules into the intermediate nickel and copper and cobalt and manganese products. So we're all set." "We haven't formally told the market when we'll be seeing first production. But what I'm confident of is that it'll be sooner than people expect." "If you would have suggested me 2027, I'd say I hope so." Q: Do you need to first modify the Hidden Gem to increase its production capacity? A: "The original plan was that we were going to make quite extensive modifications to suit a much higher production number. But (expecting) an expedited permit, our thinking is, let's get the boat into production as quickly as possible, and then focus on the bigger production scale for boat number two, three, four and five." Q: When do you expect to reach the hoped-for full-scale production of 12 million tonnes of nodules per year? A: "I hope by 2030-2031." Q: How important is it to be the first to extract minerals from the deep sea? A: "It's not important, but it's a fact that we will be... No doubt." Q: Do you expect this to be seen as a historical step? A: "I think time will be the judge of just how important ocean metals are going to be to society." "The people that oppose us are pretty (much) the same people that oppose nuclear... They dramatized the potential impacts. They lied about the facts. We ended up burning a whole heap of fossil fuels. We contributed a lot of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. That didn't need to happen, and now the world is waking up with the fact that we need nuclear energy. So shame on those people that created that situation. And I think ocean metals will be the same." "I know based on the environmental research and the more than a petabyte of data that we've gathered to support our claims that the impacts of picking up these rocks and turning them into metals are a fraction compared to the land based alternatives." Q: Would you consider going back to ISA if it adopts a mining code for deep sea mining? A: "Not the way it stands now, no. Because the mining code has been overtaken by activists." "There are many ways that you can frustrate the process if you're Greenpeace. One way is to get countries to sign on to moratoriums... Another way is to get your countries to do the bidding for you by resisting language in the mining code that makes it practical." "China (has) five licenses more than any other nation, they have state-owned enterprises controlling those licenses. And they can afford to be more patient... They play the long game, whereas private contractors like ourselves, our shareholders won't sit around waiting for that." 2025 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The photovoltaic industry has witnessed a remarkable breakthrough with the advent of lead halide perovskite solar cells (LHPSCs), which have achieved outstanding power conversion efficiencies (PCEs); 25% in single-junction and 29% in monolithic tandem configurations. Despite this progress, challenges such as poor long-term stability, phase degradation under light, heat, and moisture, and the toxicity of lead (Pb) remain significant obstacles to commercial scalability and environmental safety. To overcome these limitations, my research team at the Autonomous University of Queretaro, Mexico, focused on chalcogenide perovskites, particularly SrHfSe 3 , which exhibits compelling attributes for next-generation solar technology. This material offers superior chemical stability, a tunable bandgap, a high photon absorption coefficient, and enhanced p-type carrier mobility, making it an excellent candidate for photovoltaic applications. We investigated SrHfSe 3 -based chalcogenide perovskite solar cells within the device architecture FTO/BaSnO 3 /SrHfSe 3 /HTL/Au, initially using MoS 2 , as the hole transport layer (HTL). We then systematically replaced MoS 2 with 40 different HTLs, including inorganic semiconductors, polymers, and MXenes, a novel exploration carried out for the first time by my group. Using the SCAPS-1D simulation tool, developed by Mark Burgelman, University of Ghent, we conducted a theoretical study, simulating 1,627 device configurations. This allowed us to optimize critical parameters such as absorber acceptor density, defect density, thickness and back contact work functions, all under near-realistic conditions. Our findings, published in Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, demonstrate that through meticulous device engineering, SrHfSe 3 -based chalcogenide perovskites can achieve significant performance gains. The results indicate a promising path toward efficient, stable, and lead-free solar cells. Optimizations led to improved light absorption, minimized recombination losses, enhanced built-in potential, and better charge transport characteristics. Notably, enhanced band alignment and interfacial properties contributed to substantial PCE improvements. We analyzed 41 HTLs across 1,627 solar cell configurations, categorizing them into three HTL categories. We then conducted a comparative analysis of these three types by examining the low and high-efficiency HTLs within each group using various techniques, such as capacitance-voltage (C-V), Mott-Schottky analysis, impedance spectroscopy, quantum efficiency studies, and energy band alignments. Performance enhancements were primarily attributed to higher short-circuit current densities (J SC ), increased quasi-Fermi level splitting, improved carrier generation, stronger internal electric fields, enhanced QE, and diffusion lengths. Among the simulated configurations, the best configuration devices used SnS, CPE-K, and Ti 2 CO 2 as HTMs, achieving PCEs of 27.87%, 27.39%, and 26.30%, respectively. This research marks a promising step forward in the search for safer, high-performance alternatives to conventional perovskites. By integrating SrHfSe 3 with HTLs, the team has laid a strong foundation for developing stable, efficient, and non-toxic solar cells. As the world moves toward cleaner energy solutions, innovations like this have the potential to reshape the future of photovoltaics. This story is part of Science X Dialog, where researchers can report findings from their published research articles. Visit this page for information about Science X Dialog and how to participate. More information: Dhineshkumar Srinivasan et al, A new class of SrHfSe 3 chalcogenide perovskite solar cells with diverse HTMs: Theoretical modelling towards efficiency enhancement, Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2025.113727 Bio: Dr. Latha Marasamy is a Research Professor at the Faculty of Chemistry-Energy Science Program at UAQ, where she leads a dynamic team of international students and researchers. Her mission is to advance renewable energy, particularly in the development of second and third-generation solar cells, which include CdTe, CIGS, emerging chalcogenide perovskites, lead-free FASnI3 perovskites, quaternary chalcogenides of I2-II-IV-VI4, and hybrid solar cells. She is working with a range of materials such as CdTe, CIGSe, CdS, MOFs, graphitic carbon nitride, chalcogenide perovskites (ABX3, where A = Ba, Sr, Ca; B = Zr, Hf; X = S, Se), quaternary chalcogenides (I2-II-IV-VI4, where I = Cu, Ag; II = Ba, Sr, Co, Mn, Fe, Mg; IV = Sn, Ti; VI = S, Se), antimony based Sb 2 Se 3 , Sb 2 (S,Se 3 ) and CuSb(S,Se)sub>2, metal oxides, MXenes, ferrites, plasmonic metal nitrides, FASnI3 and borides for these applications. Additionally, Dr. Marasamy is investigating the properties of novel materials and their influence on solar cell performance through SCAPS-1D theoretical simulations. Journal information: Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells Nia Sanchez and her husband Daniel Booko have become parents for the fourth time. Nia Sanchez and Daniel Booko have welcomed a fourth child The Valley stars have welcomed a daughter named Adelaide Nicole - who joins elder siblings Asher, three, and one-year-old twins Isabelle and Zariah - and the couple shared the first picture of their little girl in a post on social media in which they declared they are "absolutely in love" with the new arrival. In a message posted on Instagram. they wrote: "Sweet little memories from Adelaides first moments of life. We are absolutely in love! Birth story coming soon." The pair told Us Weekly they gave their daughter the middle name Nicole to honour Nia's mother, who shares the same name, because she's been such a huge help raising their family. Nia also revealed Adelaide's birth was much more "intimate" than her previous experiences in the delivery room. She told the publication: "The first moments with baby no. four felt so sweet and intimate. "In our previous birth experiences, weve had a lot more people in the room. And weve always had a doula. This time, it was just us with our doctor and two nurses. This birth was extra special because Danny was able to deliver the baby." The family recently moved into a new home in Santa Clarita, California and they are were unpacking at the time Adelaide arrived. Nia said: "We moved in about two and a half weeks before baby no. four arrived. We still have boxes everywhere and are not quite settled. But it feels great to have so much more space and a beautiful backyard for our children to play in." Nia went on to reveal she now feels as if their family is complete and they probably won't be having any more children. She explained: "This pregnancy definitely felt like a full circle moment for us. We had always talked about either wanting two children or four. 'When we skipped the line to three kids [after having twins], we began discussing no. four shortly after. We both come from families of four, so having four little ones of our own feels very full circle ... "I am really looking forward to watching all of my children grow up and be so close. We love creating special memories with our children and are excited to now do that as a family of six." More than 2,000 junior high and high school students and their parents traveled from across Texas to College Station this week to take part in the Texas 4-H Roundup on the campus of Texas A&M University. Among them was Joe Ellis and his mom, Wendy, who are from Aquilla in Hill County. Ellis earned the chance to show off his 4-H entrepreneur project as part of Thursdays trade show. Im honored to be here; its been a lot of fun, Ellis said. I am glad I could talk to a lot of people because I like to be out there and socialize. To me, 4-H is about opportunities and helping yourself grow. You get so many opportunities that could be life-changing or just life lessons. Ellis, a soon to be seventh grader, started his project five years ago as Joes Fresh Vegetables. Ellis specializes in homegrown vegetables which he sells from a roadside stand. His ultimate goal is to someday own a chain of grocery stores. Wendy Ellis was involved in 4-H in her school days and was proud to see her son taking part in the program at such a young age. 4-H just creates such unique opportunities for youth, and it gives them the opportunities, she said. To develop skills that will serve them later in life, like their business skills and public speaking and leadership. I think its a really unique combination of different activities that they get to try out and learn new things and really be able to kind of find their passions. Ellis also had at his booth cookies from Sisters Sweet, a project done by Aquilla classmates Allison and Hannah Lewis that began as a way to raise money for cheerleading and has grown into a small business. Ellis also offered a product created by his friend, Whitney Beuerlein, in West that was called Beuerlein Angus Tallow Skin Moisturizer. The four-day event ran through Thursday and provided attendees with a wide variety of workshops, guest speakers, assemblies and a three-day trade show. High school students also had a chance to enter into invitational competitions in a wide range of categories with the chance to win scholarship money. According to Roundup coordinator Jana Barrett, there will be $2.7 million in scholarships awarded at the roundup. Barrett was excited to see the turnout as she walked around Reed Arena on Thursday morning. Its been a great week. Weve had our attendance way up from past years, everybody seems very enthusiastic, our kiddos have been able to come and participate in their state-level contest, Barrett said. New this year is our trade show. We started what we call the 4-H Entrepreneur. There are 15 young entrepreneurs that have booths here and theyre selling products. It gives them a chance to share their talent and raise money. On Thursday, students and parents roamed around different parts of the A&M campus, but the focal point as it had been for much of the week was Reed Arena where a trade show was held on the concourse level and several different guest speakers lectured on the second and third floors. Not only was the Roundup a chance to showcase the A&M campus to possible future Aggies, it was a chance for A&M recruiters like Joe Burks to talk with potential students. Burks, a graduate student in education administration, recruits the Brazos Valley and East Texas. He was excited to speak with students some of whom he knows from different events in his recruiting area. It was his third Roundup, and he told The Eagle he wishes he had known about 4-H when he was in high school in Dallas. Ive seen the pride and effort and the respect [the kids] have for the program and thats something I think is very important, Burks said. If I would have known about 4-H when I was younger, I definitely would have looked into it. All of these kids are going to do bright things for sure. For incoming Texas A&M sophomore and animal science major Luke Bauer, getting to share information about the College of Agriculture was a way to stay involved with 4-H. Bauer had taken part in 4-H in high school in Bastrop. On Thursday he was part of a group handing out free Reveille dolls and rally towels to visitors. 4-H definitely helped me develop my leadership skills and just become overall more well-rounded, Bauer said. It helped me be a better public speaker and learn to just get out there and talk to people. To the kids here I would say to talk to as many people as you can because a lot of the people I knew coming into college were from 4-H and a lot of them I got to know at Roundup. 4-H has a presence in all 254 Texas counties. 4-H ambassador Annie Watson drove six hours from Lynn County, just south of Lubbock, but she said the trip was worth it for all the things learned this week. I came last year so I kind of had an idea of whats going on at Roundup and what to look for, Watson said. I havent heard from anyone that has come to Texas 4-H Roundup that has not had a good time. You can meet people, compete and kind of have a blast. You are learning as youre going. I think that is the most important principle of 4-H is the learn-by-doing principle. 4-H water ambassador Jordyn Altman of Hall County was excited to return and share information with visitors and other attendees on the aquifers in Texas, how they are replenished and the best ways to conserve water. Altman told The Eagle she enjoyed sharing that information with her neighbors in Hall County. Altman credited being in 4-H and a 4-H water ambassador with putting her on the path she intends to pursue in college. 4-H got me into agriculture. I have figured out what I want to do after high school through the program, Altman said. I plan on taking natural conservation classes and focusing on the water and soil side of it. 4-H is my life at this point. Ive spent so much time with all of these people here and its a wonderful experience. The 2025 Roundup, which had the theme of Electrify, came to a close Thursday night with an awards assembly and concert in Reed Arena. Afterward, attendees prepared to return to their respective hometowns, from Texline to Brownsville, and Texarkana to El Paso and every county in between. Everyone left with memories and possibly new friends. Its just an exciting way to spend a week celebrating [4-H students] and having an opportunity to see all their successes, Barrett said. What we see is a family experience and a lot of these are generational for each member, maybe the grandparents and parents did 4-H. Some are new to the program which is great too because 4-H offers so much. They can find a fit for whatever their niche is. The Franklin County Board of Supervisors and School Board could have several new faces starting next year. Several representatives have announced they will be stepping down or moving on with their reelection coming this November. The Franklin County School Boards Snow Creek, Boone and At Large seats will be on the ballot this November. None of the incumbents have filed the paperwork to run for reelection. Snow Creek District representative Carletta Whiting said she will be stepping down from her position on the school board at the end of this term to focus on her family. She will be spending time taking care of her mother, she added. The school boards At Large Member, Kevin David, is also expected to be stepping down at the end of this term. He could not be reached for comment by deadline Thursday. Both David and Whiting were elected to the school board in 2020. Boone District representative Dawn McCray will not be running for reelection to her school board seat this November. She recently announced plans to run for the Boone District seat on the Franklin County Board of Supervisors. I felt like I could do more for the county, McCray said. I think the timing is right. McCray ran unopposed for the Boone District seat on the school board in 2020. She may also be running unopposed for the supervisors seat. Current Boone District Supervisor Ronnie Thompson has stated he is undecided on whether he will run for reelection this November. I still havent made up my mind yet, Thompson said with just over two weeks before the filing deadline. Thompson is currently the longest serving member on the board of supervisors. He was elected in 2009 and is the boards chairman. The only opposed race on the board of supervisors will be in the Rocky Mount District. Billy Ferguson has announced he will be running for the seat held by Mike Carter. Carter, who was elected in 2017, said he still has unfinished business on the board of supervisors he wants to see through. He has pushed for the creation of a career and technical education center in the county since he first campaigned for the seat. The project seems to be getting off the ground now with the announcement of a location at the former Mod-U-Kraf building. That is one of my early campaign goals and I am sticking to it, Carter said. Carters challenger, Ferguson, has spent decades working for the county. He spent more than 30 years working in public safety for the county before taking the position of public safety director in 2017. He retired in 2024. Its something Ive been interested in pursuing for a long time, Ferguson said of running for the Rocky Mount District seat. The time just seemed right. Snow Creek District Supervisor Nick Mitchell has announced he will be running for reelection this November. He won the seat in a special election in 2022. He was elected to serve the remaining three years of the term following the death of former Snow Creek District representative Leland Mitchell. So far, no one has announced they will be running against Mitchell this November. The deadline to file paperwork with the registrars office to be on the November ballot is June 17. A critical infrastructure entity within Ukraine was targeted by a previously unseen data wiper malware named PathWiper, according to new findings from Cisco Talos. "The attack was instrumented via a legitimate endpoint administration framework, indicating that the attackers likely had access to the administrative console, that was then used to issue malicious commands and deploy PathWiper across connected endpoints," researchers Jacob Finn, Dmytro Korzhevin, and Asheer Malhotra said in an analysis published Thursday. The attack is assessed to be the work of a Russia-nexus advanced persistent threat (APT) actor based on the tradecraft observed and the overlapping capabilities with destructive malware used in attacks against Ukraine. Talos said the commands issued by the administrative tool's console were received by its client running on the victim endpoints and then executed as a batch (BAT) file. The BAT file, in turn, consisted of a command to run a malicious Visual Basic Script (VBScript) file in the Windows TEMP folder called "uacinstall.vbs," that was also pushed to the machines via the administrative console. The VBScript, for its part, dropped the wiper binary under the name "sha256sum.exe" in the same folder and executed it. "Throughout the course of the attack, filenames and actions used were intended to mimic those deployed by the administrative utility's console, indicating that the attackers had prior knowledge of the console and possibly its functionality within the victim enterprise's environment," Talos said. Once launched, PathWiper is designed to gather a list of connected storage media, including physical drive names, volume names and paths, and network drive paths. The wiper then proceeds to create one thread per drive and volume for every path recorded and overwrites the contents of the artifacts with randomly generated bytes. Specifically, it targets: Master Boot Record (MBR), $MFT, $MFTMirr, $LogFile, $Boot, $Bitmap, $TxfLog, $Tops, and $AttrDef. In addition, PathWiper irrevocably destroys files on disk by overwriting them with randomized bytes and attempts to dismount volumes. PathWiper has been found to share some level of similarity with HermeticWiper (aka FoxBlade, KillDisk, or NEARMISS), which was detected coinciding with Russia's full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in February 2024. The HermeticWiper malware is attributed to the Russia-linked Sandworm group. While both wipers attempt to corrupt the MBR and NTFS-related artifacts, it bears noting that HermeticWiper and PathWiper differ in the manner the data corruption mechanism is used against identified drives and volumes. "The continued evolution of wiper malware variants highlights the ongoing threat to Ukrainian critical infrastructure despite the longevity of the Russia-Ukraine war," the researchers said. Silent Werewolf Targets Russia and Moldova The discovery of a new breed of wiper malware against Ukraine comes as Russian cybersecurity company BI.ZONE uncovered two new campaigns undertaken by Silent Werewolf in March 2025 to infect Moldovan and Russian companies with malware. "The attackers employed two separate loader instances to retrieve the malicious payload from their C2 server," the company said. "Unfortunately, the payload itself was not available at the time of this research. However, a retrospective analysis of similar Silent Werewolf campaigns suggests that the threat actor used XDigo malware." Some of the targets of the attacks include nuclear, aircraft, instrumentation, and mechanical engineering sectors in Russia. The starting point is a phishing email containing a ZIP file attachment that, in turn, includes an LNK file and a nested ZIP archive. The second ZIP file consists of a legitimate binary, a malicious DLL, and a decoy PDF. Unpacking and launching the Windows shortcut file triggers the extraction of the nested archive and ultimately causes the rogue DLL to be sideloaded via the legitimate executable ("DeviceMetadataWizard.exe"). The DLL is a C# loader ("d3d9.dll") that's designed to retrieve the next-stage payload from a remote server and display the lure document to the victim. "The adversaries appear to run checks on target systems," BI.ZONE said. "If a target host does not meet certain criteria, the Llama 2 large language model (LLM) in GGUF format is downloaded from hxxps://huggingface[.]co/TheBloke/Llama-2-70B-GGUF/resolve/main/llama-2-70b.Q5_K_M.gguf." "This hinders the comprehensive analysis of the entire attack and allows the threat actor to bypass defenses such as sandboxes." The cybersecurity firm said it observed a second campaign that same month targeting unknown sectors in Moldova and, likely, Russia using the same C# loader, but via phishing lures related to official vacation schedules and recommendations for protecting corporate information infrastructure against ransomware attacks. The cyber espionage group, per BI.ZONE, is believed to be active at least since 2011, targeting a wide range of companies in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova and Serbia. The attacks are characterized by the use of phishing lures to deliver malware such as XDSpy, XDigo, and DSDownloader. Pro-Ukrainian Hacktivist Group BO Team Targets Russia In recent months, Russian state-owned companies and organizations spanning technology, telecommunications, and production verticals are also said to have come under cyber assaults from a pro-Ukrainian hacktivist group codenamed BO Team (aka Black Owl, Hoody Hyena, and Lifting Zmiy). "BO Team is a serious threat aimed both at causing maximum damage to the victim and at extracting financial benefits," Kaspersky researchers said in a report last week, detailing the threat actor's ability to sabotage victim's infrastructure and, in some instances, even resorts to data encryption and extortion. Active since at least January 2024, attacks mounted by the hacktivist cluster are known to leverage post-exploitation frameworks, including Mythic and Cobalt Strike, as well as legitimate remote access and tunneling tools. The group also has a history of accessing confidential data and publishing information about successful attacks in its Telegram channel BO Team. Initial access to target networks is accomplished by sending phishing emails containing booby-trapped attachments that, when opened, activate an infection chain designed to deploy known commodity malware families like DarkGate, BrockenDoor, and Remcos RAT. Also used are tools such as HandleKatz and NanoDump for dumping LSASS and creating LSASS dumps, respectively. Armed with the remote access, BO Team has been observed destroying file backups, deleting files using the SDelete utility, and additionally dropping the Windows version of the Babuk encryptor to demand a ransom in exchange for regaining access. Some of the other activities carried out by the threat actor are listed below - Setting up persistence using scheduled tasks Assigning malicious component names similar to system or well-known executable files to evade detection Extracting the Active Directory database using ntdsutil Running various commands to collect information about Telegram, running processes, current users, remote RDP sessions, and antivirus software installed on the endpoints Using RDP and SSH protocols to perform lateral movement within Windows and Linux infrastructures Dropping legitimate remote access software like AnyDesk for command-and-control "The BO Team group poses a significant threat to Russian organizations due to its unconventional approach to conducting attacks," Kaspersky said. "Unlike most pro-Ukrainian hacktivist groups, BO Team actively uses a wide arsenal of malware, including backdoors such as BrockenDoor, Remcos, and DarkGate." "These features confirm the high level of autonomy of the group and the absence of stable connections with other representatives of the pro-Ukrainian hacktivist cluster. In the public activity of BO Team, there are practically no signs of interaction, coordination or exchange of tools with other groups. This once again emphasizes its unique profile within the current hacktivist landscape in Russia." Dakota Johnson has blamed a lack of creativity for Madame Web's poor performance. Dakota Johnson starred in Madame Web The 35-year-old actress starred in the 2024 superhero film as Cassie Web, a paramedic who develops psychic abilities following an accident, but it was a failure critically and commercially, and Dakota has insisted it wasn't her fault as she suggested the movie had "turned into something else" after she signed up for the project. She told the Los Angeles Times newspaper: It wasnt my fault. Theres this thing that happens now where a lot of creative decisions are made by committee. Or made by people who dont have a creative bone in their body. And its really hard to make art that way. Or to make something entertaining that way. And I think unfortunately with Madame Web, it started out as something and turned into something else. And I was just sort of along for the ride at that point. But that happens. Bigger-budget movies fail all the time. Dakota insisted she doesn't "have a Band-Aid over it" and isn't too worried about the experience. She said: Theres no part of me thats like, Oh, Ill never do that again to anything. Ive done even tiny movies that didnt do well. Who cares? Dakota previously suggested she wouldn't make another superhero film following her experience on Madame Web. She told Bustle: I had never done anything like it before. I probably will never do anything like it again because I dont make sense in that world. And I know that now. Sometimes in this industry, you sign on to something, and its one thing and then as youre making it, it becomes a completely different thing, and youre like, Wait, what? "But it was a real learning experience, and of course its not nice to be a part of something thats ripped to shreds, but I cant say that I dont understand. The Fifty Shades of Grey actress recently slammed film bosses for no longer wanting to make risky projects. Speaking during a Kering Women in Motion Talk in Cannes, where she appeared alongside her producing partner Ro Donnelly ahead of the premiere of their dark new film Splitsville, she said: Some professionals who run studios dont feel the desire to make things that are different or risky or scary or dangerous or raw and real and human and messy. VPS Securities JSC named Vietnams best broker again by The Asset By An Nhien, Minh Hue Fri, June 6, 2025 | 11:40 am GMT+7 VPS Securities JSC (VPS) has once again been honored as the Best Brokerage House in Vietnam at the Triple A Awards 2025, presented by The Asset, a leading Asia-focused financial publication. This prestigious award is part of The Assets annual recognition program for financial institutions making outstanding contributions to sustainable finance in Asia. This international accolade affirms VPSs customer-centric strategy, which has been at the heart of its journey to becoming the leading brokerage firm in Vietnam for five consecutive years. By delivering personalized experiences and comprehensive investment solutions, VPS continues to expand opportunities for both clients and partners in Vietnams dynamic financial market. This international recognition, along with the trust of valued clients, reaffirms VPS's commitment to its customer-centric business philosophy. As one of the leading and most reputable financial institutions in Vietnam and the number one securities brokerage firm by market share for five consecutive years, it continues to deliver personalized experiences to each client and expand comprehensive cooperation opportunities with its partners. Looking ahead, VPS remains dedicated to accompanying the Vietnamese stock market on its path to shared prosperity in the era of national rise. Best Brokerage House in Vietnam As Vietnams economy continues its impressive growth trajectory, the countrys stock market has been undergoing significant transformation, showcasing its potential as an attractive investment channel. In this dynamic landscape, trusted and dedicated financial advisors play a crucial role as reliable companions, helping investors seize opportunities with confidence and make informed investment decisions. The Best Brokerage House in Vietnam award granted to VPS Securities is a recognition of the tireless efforts of its advisory experts and the entire VPS team. Ngo Minh Duc, head of investment advisory at VPS Securities, said: This is a meaningful award for our investment advisory professionals at VPS. I feel truly proud to have contributed to our mission of supporting clients and driving the companys growth. "This award not only affirms the dedication of the advisory community but also strengthens the core values that VPS stands for. I believe that with the solid foundation VPS has built, we - the advisors - will continue to grow alongside the market and bring real value to investors." Staying true to the philosophy of 'opening up access to financial investment for everyone,' VPS has continuously innovated, promoted creativity, and built a comprehensive ecosystem of products and services to deliver a holistic experience for our valued clients, added Nguyen Doan Duc, also head of investment advisory at VPS. Every investment solution is designed based on a deep understanding of each customers needs and goals. I truly value the opportunity to accompany our clients and the company on this journey of creating exceptional and sustainable value, he said. The way forward for investment advisors in the digital age In the digital age, particularly with the rapid rise of AI and Big Data, the role of investment advisors is undergoing a significant transformation. Beyond deepening their professional knowledge and expertise, VPSs advisory professionals have been proactively embracing emerging advisory trends and leveraging technological advancements to optimize their consulting processes. This is a golden era for investment advisors to harness the power of technology, enabling them to deliver even greater value to clients through smarter, more personalized, and data-driven investment solutions. "With the current trends in the stock market and the strong momentum of digital transformation, data-driven advisory is set to become the dominant trend," said Vu Lan Anh, head of investment advisory at VPS. In addition to experience, investment advisors must closely integrate data analytics tools, AI, and digital solutions to deliver well-founded and tailored recommendations, she said, adding optimizing routine tasks through technology will help free up time for deeper, value-added client engagement. Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Le, also head of investment advisory at the firm, emphasized that with the support of AI, Big Data, and digitalized investment experiences, advisors must adapt and evolve. "The advisory team needs to blend technology with creative thinking, enhance quantitative analysis skills, stay alert to shifts in market sentiment, and develop strategic thinking - all of which are key factors in building a competitive edge in the digital age," she added. Aiming to make financial investment more accessible to everyone, VPS has been actively diversifying its investment offerings to meet the varied needs and risk profiles of different customer segments. In parallel, the company prioritizes research and development, leads in technology adoption, and continuously optimizes user-friendly trading platforms that work seamlessly across multiple devices. In addition, enhancing transaction security and safety remains one of VPS's top priorities. With a robust ecosystem and a comprehensive suite of professional tools, VPS enables its team of advisors to maximize their capabilities, thus delivering high-quality investment solutions and effectively supporting clients throughout their investment journey. Thanks to ongoing innovation and improvement, investing with VPS is becoming simpler, more convenient, and more secure than ever before. VPS A launchpad for a comprehensive and sustainable future At VPS, every investment advisor plays the role of a trusted companion to clients. As such, VPS places great importance on fostering an open, positive, and inclusive work environment one that encourages engagement, creativity, and opportunities for each advisor to grow, assert their strengths, and create real value for clients. Nguyen Doan Duc shared: I can truly feel the positive energy and relentless ambition in VPSs workplace. The team's consistent dedication has been a source of inspiration for my personal development and strengthened my confidence in the career path Ive chosen. This award is not only recognition from the market, partners, and clients it is also clear evidence of the ideal working environment that VPS has built for its team of advisors. Fueled by the prestigious Best Brokerage House in Vietnam award, VPS is committed to delivering comprehensive financial investment solutions, advancing its infrastructure and IT systems, and creating an open and user-friendly investment environment for all clients. Alongside these efforts, the VPS investment advisory team will continue to elevate service quality living up to this esteemed title and remaining a genuine partner that shares, supports, and spreads meaningful value to clients, partners, and the broader community. Finance Minister Camillo Gonsalves was upbeat in reporting a figure of 10% as representative of the unemployment rate in SVG. According to an API SVG release of May 25, 2025, Minister of Finance Camillo Gonsalves is reported to have said that given the current employment date and the overall performance of the economy, unemployment in St. Vincent and the Grenadines could be less than 10 per cent. "We are seeing a number of reports (e.g. from the National Insurance Services) that employment is up in SVG, and up considerably so, the last data we have, the last firm data is from 2022, which said that unemployment was at 10. 8 per cent, but in 2022, this is prior to the opening of Sandals resorts, and the full operational functionality of Sandals resorts and before some major construction projects got underway fully, we believe now that the unemployment number would be in single digits, Minister Gonsalves explained. In fact, Minister Gonsalves, citing the tremendous growth in major sectors of the economy, reported that "there is difficulty in finding workers for major projects currently taking place throughout the country, e.g. the construction of the Acute Care Hospital. In the case of the Hospital, Gonsalves disclosed that contractors have requested permission to bring in workers from neighbouring islands because there is simply not enough workers. "The major constraint is not money, the major constraint is labour and the contractors are telling us, we cannot find enough people to do the work, Minister Gonsalves. But Opposition member of parliament for East Kingstown, Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble, has disputed the statements made by Finance Minister Camillo Gonsalves regarding the countrys unemployment rate. Bramble, an economist, took umbrage with the 10% unemployment rate quoted by the Finance Minister, stating that that the figures shared by the Minister do not reflect the economic reality. Bramble also questioned the credibility of the reported labour shortage. He called on Minister Gomnslaves to retract his statements, describing them as misleading, and demanded that the Finance Minister disclose the source of his data, particularly the figures referenced from the National Insurance Services (NIS), which were used to support the claim of lower unemployment. Additionally, Bramble stated that he conducted his own unemployment survey in the East Kingstown constituency, and the results, he said, are "startling. The results, he said, point to a much higher unemployment rate than the government acknowledges. Hurricane Beryl caused substantial destruction on Union Island, where over 90% of buildings and critical infrastructure were destroyed. Cognizant of the damage wrought across St. Vincent and the Grenadines by Hurricane Beryl on July 01, 2024, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has made an early appeal to citizens to be vigilant as the 2025 Hurricane Seasons dawns on the region. In an address to the nation on June 01, 2025, the official start of the Hurricane Season which ends (officially) on November 30, the Prime Minister urged citizens to remain focused and stay informed by following reputable agencies which will provide accurate information. "You have a duty and an obligation to your family to be better informed, he said. Forecasts from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration point to a season that will throw up 13-19 named storms, with an estimated 610 expected to develop into hurricanes, 2-5 of those being major hurricane. Dr. Gonsalves appealed to citizens to ".. plan for yourself and your own supplies to last you and your family supplies for at least a couple of days, you have an obligation also to be prepared, do not forget the elderly and those who are challenged. Remember to have enough medication and food supplies because these may not be directly available after the immediate passage of the stormtrim the overhanging trees, fix the loose galvanize, add hurricane straps to strengthen your roof. Dr. Gonsalves, as the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) did in a subsequent appeal, also urged citizens to store enough water to last at least three days. Businesses and Government departments are expected to design their own disaster plans. The estimated cost of damage to St. Vincent and the Grenadines from Hurricane Beryl is said to have been around $230 million, equivalent to 22% of the countrys GDP. More specifically, initial estimates put the damage and loss at $1 billion, or roughly one-third of their GDP. A World Bank report indicates that the Southern Grenadines primarily Union Island - were the hardest hit, accounting for 81% of the countrys total damage. Corporal of Police #949 Edson Smith stayed the course and successfully completed the Higher University Course of Specialization in the Control and Investigation of Drug Precursors. The landscape of narcotics enforcement in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is shifting. As the region adapts to changing trends in drug trafficking, the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) is preparing for emerging threats that go beyond traditional drug seizures. One such threat involves the movement and misuse of chemical precursors, which are substances used in the manufacture of synthetic drugs. In direct response to this challenge, the RSVGPF proudly recognizes Corporal of Police #949 Edson Smith for successfully completing an advanced international training course focused on precursor chemical control and investigation. The Higher University Course of Specialization in the Control and Investigation of Drug Precursors was conducted virtually over a six-month period, from September 23, 2024, to April 11, 2025. The programme was hosted by the Fundacion UNED (FUNED), an academic institution affiliated with the National Distance Education University (UNED) of Spain. The training was delivered through the COPOLAD III Programme (Cooperation Programme between Latin America, the Caribbean, and the European Union on Drug Policies) and supported by the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), the Italo-Latin American International Organization (IILA), and the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS). The course involved 500 hours of training and focused on several areas directly relevant to current and emerging drug enforcement challenges in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. These included the inspection of chemical operators, administrative control of precursor substances, and international regulatory frameworks governing chemical movement. Participants also received instruction in the safe handling and disposal of seized chemicals, along with case studies demonstrating how precursor-related investigations have resulted in the dismantling of drug production networks. These modules are especially applicable as criminal groups increasingly turn to synthetic drug production and chemical diversion across the region. Corporal Smith described the course as academically intense but immensely rewarding and emphasized how the knowledge gained can support national enforcement priorities. He said, "The course exposed me to the ways precursor chemicals are moved through legal and illegal channels and how their control is essential to cutting off drug production at its roots. This training is directly relevant to policing in SVG, especially as we prepare for evolving trends in synthetic drug activity. While Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has adopted a framework of decriminalization and regulation in relation to cannabis for medicinal and traditional use, the RSVGPF continues to monitor other evolving threats within the broader drug landscape. The diversion of chemical substances for non-medical, illicit purposes is a growing concern both globally and regionally. This training contributes meaningfully to the Forces strategy to strengthen investigative capability in this area. With synthetic drug production and chemical trafficking emerging as real and present risks, the knowledge gained equips the RSVGPF to act early, build stronger cases, and collaborate more effectively with regional and international partners. The Commissioner of Police and other ranks of the RSVGPF congratulate Cpl. Smith on the successful completion of this fundamental training course, which aligns with the strategic and operational objectives of the organization. A flashback to 2022, with the Queens Baton Relay in Mustique. St. Vincent and the Grenadines will host its leg of the Kings Baton Relay (formerly known as the Queens Baton Relay) from June 9 to 15, 2025. Spearheaded by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Olympic Committee (SVGOC), there will be three (3) major activities during the period as referenced. The first takes place June 11, when the Baton will be taken to the island of Mustique, where a Relay event will be hosted. Then on Friday, June 13, the Baton will take a tour to primary and secondary schools on the Windward side of mainland St. Vincent. Finally, on Saturday, June 14, there will be a River/Beach Plastic Clean Up. This event will be hosted in conjunction with the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN). The selected river and beach are located in Bridgetown/Biabou. St. Vincent and the Grenadines is the fourteenth and final leg of the Baton Relay for the Caribbean, as the Relay moves to Africa, then Asia, Oceania, the Americas, before culminating in Europe. Unlike previous relays where the Baton moved from territory to territory, the Kings Baton sees each of the 74 countries being the recipient of a Baton. Hence, the member countries can personalize it and highlight their cultures. Likewise, the Commonwealth of Jersey (CGA) is an integral part of the Baton Relay, as they join forces to combat plastic. The Relay which began March 10, 2025, will last for 500 days, ending at the Glasgow Opening Ceremony, July 23, 2026. The XXXIII Commonwealth Games 2026 takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, July 23 to August 2. It will feature 10 sports. Former White House strategist, convicted felon and longtime Elon Musk adversary Steve Bannon fueled the escalating feud between Musk and President Donald Trump on Thursday, calling on Trump to deport the world's richest man. In a phone interview with the New York Times, Bannon said he is urging the Trump administration to cancel all government contracts with Musk and initiate multiple investigations, including into what he claims is Musk's questionable immigration status. "They should initiate a formal investigation of his immigration status because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately," Bannon said, offering no evidence to support the claim. Bannon also called for probes into Musk's alleged drug use and his attempt to obtain a classified intelligence briefing on China from the Pentagon. Bannon insisted Musk's security clearance should be suspended pending the outcome of such investigations. The comments mark a dramatic escalation in the rift between Trump allies and Musk, who has recently turned on Trump's "big, beautiful bill," and lashed out at Republican lawmakers. Trump has been relatively restrained in his response so far, expressing "disappointment" in Musk, and alluding to the possibility of canceling government contracts with Musk's companies. Neither Musk nor the White House has yet responded to Bannon's claims. Originally published on Latin Times The denial to renew eight exploratory leases at the base of Casper Mountain means a project seeking to mine gravel on state-owned lands is dead. The Wyoming State Board of Land Commissioners composed of Gov. Mark Gordon, Secretary of State Chuck Gray, Auditor Kristi Racines, Treasurer Curt Meier and Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder killed the project after hours of discussion, public comment and questioning opponents and proponents of the project in Cheyenne Thursday. Gray, Racines and Degenfelder all voted to deny the renewal of the lease. Meier voted against the motion to deny. Gordon abstained from voting. Following the vote, dozens of Natrona County residents that made the trek down to the State Capitol to object to the renewal of the leases quietly cheered and embraced each other after the board took a recess. We are relieved for now, and we are headed home. And this stress of going up that road to get home wont be quite as high tonight, said Carolyn Griffith, a resident near the leases who heads the Casper Mountain Preservation Alliance. The alliance was formed to oppose development at the base of Casper Mountain after the discovery of the proposed project by Prism Logistics. For Kyle True, the CEO of Prism Logistics, the decision of the board was stunning. Im stunned and itll take some time to digest this, but I dont think I have a lease anymore. I think Im done, he said following the vote. Im frustrated as a state lands lessee that I took a lease in good faith and I was diligently pursuing development, and then they undid it, he later added. 16 months of build up The eight 2-year sand, gravel, borrow material, and rip-rap rock leases granted to Prism were initially approved in June and October 2023 through a consent agenda. Residents around the lease area in February 2024 were stunned to see a backhoe digging into an area of the state lands, according to published reports. No notice of the leases was provided to residents. Casper residents protested the development of a project seeking to mine gravel at the base of Casper Mountain. A petition against the project gathered more than 13,000 verified signatures and a Casper-based WBLC meeting in April 2024 saw hours of public comment regarding the issue. The Natrona County Commission took on the issue and banned mining the area of the leases by rezoning the land. Prism, in response to the move, sued the county. The issue remains in litigation. The Natrona County Commission previously voted at a regularly scheduled commission meeting on May 20 to have its legal counsel draft a letter asking the Office of State Lands and Investments to deny a renewal of the Prism gravel leases. The commission has additionally explored imposing weight limits on Coates Road which would be the road used to access the leased land. Griffith and other residents of the area near the proposed project site sued the Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners under claims the state violated their rights by not giving them a chance to comment on Prisms initial leases in 2023. Prior to the vote The Board of Land Commissioners on Thursday heard more than an hour of public comment by Casper residents in person and online. To destroy part of [Casper] Mountain is to destroy the soul of Casper and Natrona County, Casper resident Jim Gunderson said. Come in from the north on I-25 as soon as you cross 20-mile hill you know youre home because you can see the mountain. Come in from Douglas, you know when you get to that edge youre home. Come in from off 220 you see the mountain range starting to build up, you know youre home. Youre flying in from Denver you see Casper Mountain you know youre about to land in your home. Former Casper resident Maria Katherman told commissioners theres no need to approve the leases because the land is already providing value to area schools. Id like to make the case that those school sections accessed by Coates Road are very much supporting our schools right now, she said. Katherman provided the commission with a list of conversations shes gathered regarding school activities that take place on the land where the leases are located. To my mind that is supporting our schools. Those state lands are working so hard to support our schools right now. There are very few of these activities that we can continue to do if its gravel mined and reacclimated land, no matter what the reclamation is. Degenfelder, prior to voting, added she grew up in Casper and shared a lot of the same experiences as others. I was one of those kids who was there for science projects. I went to Crest Hill Elementary School a couple miles away. I went to CY Junior High School; one of my old principals is here today. That is my home. That is where I grew up and had the experiences that I share with so many of you here today, she said. A historic moment in Trinidad and Tobagos diplomatic history. That is how Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal described the official visit by Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week. Modi concluded an official visit to T&T on Friday, marked by a series of bilateral agreements and symbolic ceremonies. During a packed itinerary that Moonilal described as a whirlwind, hectic but extremely productive visit, both nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) encompassing six key agreements. TOBAGO has lost one of its most gifted daughters. That is the sentiment shared by many as tributes poured in following the passing of 2007 Digicel Rising Stars champion and vocalist Kay Alleyne-Meloney, who died after a battle with breast cancer. The Bon Accord-born artiste, who was in her 40s, and known for her versatility and passion, passed away at 2 a.m. yesterday, a close friend confirmed to the Express. Her musical talent spanned several genres, including gospel, jazz and R&B. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene seemingly took credit for "organizing" the January 6 riot while pledging her allegiance to President Donald Trump amid his ongoing feud with Elon Musk. "Just to be clear, I voted for Donald J Trump on Nov 4, 2024," MTG wrote in an X post shared Thursday. "Not anyone else. I voted for Trump. I voted for Trump's agenda. I voted for him in 2016. I voted for him in 2020," she continued, undoubtedly aligning herself with the president. After affirming her support for Trump, MTG then seemingly took credit for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. "Then when Democrats stole the election, I organized the objection in Congress. I organized it and we followed through on Jan 6, 2021," MTG claimed. Just to be clear, I voted for Donald J Trump on Nov 4, 2024. Not anyone else. I voted for Trump. I voted for Trumps agenda. I voted for him in 2016. I voted for him in 2020. Then when Democrats stole the election, I organized the objection in Congress. I organized it and we pic.twitter.com/jQXtS8dZ7h Marjorie Taylor Greene (@mtgreenee) June 5, 2025 Previously, MTG has outright denied having any involvement with planning the attack on the Capitol. She joked during an event in December 2022 that "we would have won" if she and Steve Bannon had planned the insurrection. "They say that whole thing was planned and I'm like, 'Are you kidding me?' A bunch of conservatives, Second Amendment supporters went in the Capitol without guns and they think we organized that? I don't think so," she said at the time, according to reporting by CNN. In her book, "MTG," the Republican lawmaker claimed she was "utterly shocked" when rioters breached the Capitol, according to The Guardian. She wrote that she aligned herself with Louisiana lawmaker Clay Higgins, a former law enforcement officer who was armed the day of the attack. It is unclear whether MTG made the comment in jest. From her official government account, she wrote in a follow-up post that the "way to stop the fighting and save America" is to create the American sovereign wealth fund. "It could wipe out our debt and make Social Security solvent. And ultimately create revenue to help all Americans," MTG wrote. "It's time," she added. There is a way to stop the fighting and save America. Create the American Sovereign Wealth Fund. It could wipe out our debt and make Social Security solvent. And ultimately create revenue to help all Americans. Its time. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) June 5, 2025 Originally published on Latin Times In 2007, the red party won the election with approximately 300,000 votes whilst the yellow party had 195,000 and the third party got 148,000. In 2010 the yellow party won back the election with 317,000 votes with the red party at 287,000, a difference of approximately 30,000. The third party took 102,000. In 2015 the red party won back the election with 378,000 and the yellow 290,000, a much larger difference of 88,000. In 2020 the red party won again with 322,000 and the yellow with 310,000, a much smaller difference being 12,000, lower than even the 2010 difference. In 2025, the yellow party won with 335,000 against the red party being 224,000, an approximate difference of 111,000, the largest margin over the past 20 years. In a move that should surprise no one who knows him, Tucson pizzaiola Mat Cable took a little pizza side trip en route to a cooking gig with the Italian Consulate of Boston. Actually, it was more of a pizza pilgrimage, a 24-hour stopover last week in a city that has two of the oldest pizzerias in America. New Haven, Connecticut, where Cables ancestors had settled from Italy generations ago and some family still call home, is regarded as one of the great pizza cities of the world, Cable will tell you. Proof of this can be seen on Wooster Street in New Havens Little Italy section, where Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, opened in 1925, and Sallys Apizza Restaurant, which followed in 1938, still reign supreme to a host of next geners, including Modern Apizza on nearby State Street. Frank Pepe has been voted multiple times as the best pizzeria in the country. And then theres Sallys Apizza, Cable said hours after he and fellow Tucson City of Gastronomy chef ambassador Obadiah Hindman had visited both landmark restaurants located down the street from one another. The pair made the stopover last weekend, a day before they were due in Boston to help Italian chef ambassador Mario Marini prepare a dinner for 350 at the Italian Consulate of Bostons Festa della Repubblica Italiana aka Republic Day. Cable and Hindman, with Hindmans wife Paula, flew into Hartford, Connecticut, on May 30 and drove the 40 minutes to New Haven. They hit Wooster Street just as the sun was setting and the dinner crowd was starting to gather. Frank Pepe and Sallys Apizza use coal-fired ovens similar to the one that Naples immigrant Gennaro Lombardi used in 1905 when he opened the countrys first pizzeria in New York. The coal gives the crust a unique char that you cant get from wood- or gas-fired ovens. Lombardi established the template for the Italian bakers who followed, including Frank Pepe, who worked at a pasta factory and bakery in New Haven while selling his tomato pies to fellow Italian immigrants along Wooster Square. He took over the bakery in 1925 and rebranded it his namesake pizzeria. New Haven native Salvatore Sally Consiglios mother, Filomena, pushed her son into the business after buying a restaurant with a bread oven on Wooster Street. He opened it in 1938, incorporating his familys distinctive tomato sauce over their signature chewy, crispy thin crust with the classic coal char. Cable, chef-owner of Tucsons Zio Peppe and Fresco, couldnt help himself when he snuck a peek into Frank Pepes kitchen that Friday night as the cooks prepped pies and stoked the coal flames in the brick oven. Matts a pizza guru, right? And his family is from here. So it was like a homecoming and a pilgrimage, Hindman said the day after as they made the 2-hour drive to Boston. We had a good time last night. A deputy U.S. marshal was mistakenly detained by immigration agents inside the federal building that houses Tucson's immigration court, U.S. Marshals Service officials confirmed on Thursday. The wrongful detention was a case of mistaken identity and didn't last long, according to the federal law enforcement agency, responding to the Arizona Daily Star's inquiry about the incident. "A Deputy US Marshal who fit the general description of a subject being sought by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) was briefly detained at a federal building in Tucson after entering the lobby of the building," the U.S. Marshals Service statement said. "The Deputy US Marshals identity was quickly confirmed by other law enforcement officers, and he exited the building without incident." The agency declined to provide more details outside its statement, nor confirm the date of the incident. Multiple sources told the Star the detention took place in late May. An ICE spokeswoman did not respond to the Star's questions about the incident, submitted by email Thursday afternoon, and referred the Star back to the U.S. Marshals Service. Deputy U.S. marshals provide broad support across the federal justice system, including providing security at federal court facilities to protect judges and court personnel; apprehending criminals; executing federal court orders; and providing for the security and transportation of federal prisoners to correctional facilities. Deputy U.S. marshals are stationed at the federal building at 300 W. Congress Street, which houses immigration court, where asylum cases and other deportation proceedings take place. They're also stationed across the street at the DeConcini U.S. Courthouse, where federal criminal cases are litigated, including cases of immigrants who have been charged criminally. Immigration courts have become the latest target of the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign. Critics say the operations target immigrants doing the right thing by attending their court hearings, making them easy targets for ICE agents facing pressure to increase daily arrest volumes. Aggressive arrest quotas from White House officials appear to be leading to more mistakes, such as the reported mistaken detention in Tucson, said Noah Schramm, policy strategist with the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona. "We dont know a lot about the individual case (in Tucson), but what we do know is that ICE as an agency is under a lot of pressure from this administration to reach pretty high deportation numbers, and the tactics they've been employing reflect that," Schramm said. That includes wrongful arrests of U.S. citizens, and ICE agents more often carrying out operations while in plainclothes, he said. Agents are also bypassing proper procedures, in their haste to make arrests, he said. "It is not surprising that there would be these cases that the wrong person is detained," Schramm said. "I think it reflects that they are trying to get numbers and that they are okay violating basic principles and basic procedures that are meant to protect people and make sure the wrong people don't get picked up." The mistaken detention of a deputy U.S. marshal suggests that kind of error is likely happening on a larger scale, he said. "It begs the question of what other situations are happening, what else aren't we hearing about regular people in the community getting mistakenly picked up?" he said. The ACLU of Southern California successfully sued an ICE field office in 2020 for its agents' practice of misrepresenting their identity and purpose, in order to make arrests. In late May, residents of Tucson's south side say that agents who appeared to be with Homeland Security Investigations pretended to be Tucson Electric Power workers, in an unsuccessful attempt to arrest a man from Honduras who has lived in the neighborhood for more than a decade, the Star reported. TEP said in a statement that the utility company has contacted HSI to request that its agents not impersonate TEP workers. Courthouses targeted Since mid-May, immigration agents often wearing masks covering their faces have been arresting immigrants outside courthouses in major cities across the U.S., including Phoenix and to a lesser extent in Tucson, where the immigration court is smaller. Those arrests have come after government lawyers suddenly moved to dismiss an immigrant's case. If the judge approves that dismissal, and the respondent in the case doesn't object to the dismissal, that leaves them vulnerable to arrest, immigration attorneys say. Local organizers, led by the Coalicion de Derechos Humanos, say they've been taking shifts inside Tucson's immigration courtrooms, and outside the federal building, where they aim to warn immigrants about the ICE strategy and to encourage those attending hearings to oppose any sudden move to dismiss their case. Government attorneys in those cases have falsely told judges that they no longer have an interest in pursuing the case, in arguing for dismissal, said immigration attorney Rajan Dhungana. But soon afterwards, immigration agents move in to arrest the person whose case was dismissed, amounting to a "bait-and-switch," he said. Case dismissal "sounds like a good thing, but it's just a ploy," Dhungana said. Those who are arrested are then transferred to expedited removal proceedings a quick deportation process without a hearing before a judge, he said. Courthouse arrests will discourage immigrants from attending their court proceedings, but failure to appear will result in an order of removal, advocates say. "Once you're deported in absentia, they can come to your house and arrest you anyway," Dhungana said. "If you don't show up (to court,) you get deported. If you show up, you're put in handcuffs. So it's a lose-lose situation." The Trump administration has enlisted law enforcement officers from agencies including the Drug Enforcement Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigations to assist in its mass-deportation campaign. The Star reported in February about concerns that the administration's prioritization of immigration enforcement could undermine public safety by shifting resources from critical enforcement areas, including drug trafficking, violent crime, white-collar crime, terrorism and child exploitation. Rapid Response network To request community support during raids, prolonged stops or interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Border Patrol, or to request someone to accompany you to a court hearing, contact the Rapid Response hotline at 520-221-4077. Para solicitar testigos y presencia comunitaria durante redadas, paradas prolongadas o interacciones con ICE o patrulla fronteriza, o para solicitar que alguien lo acompane a una audiencia judicial, comuniquese con la linea de Respuesta Rapida al 520-221-4077. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu compared immigration agents to members of NSC 131, a New England-based neo-Nazi group. "I don't know of any police department that routinely wears masks," Wu said Wednesday. "We know that there are other groups that routinely wear masks, NSC 131 routinely wears masks," she added, referencing Nationalist Social Club-131, a neo-Nazi organization founded in Massachusetts in 2019. Wu, a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and his administration, made her comments in response to criticism from Leah Foley, the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts. Foley, a Trump appointee confirmed in January, accused the Boston mayor of spreading "false narratives" about federal agents. The dispute stemmed from Wu's remarks, made last week, about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, which she said had "terrified" her constituents. Wu previously told WBUR people were being "snatched off the street by secret police who are wearing masks, who can offer no justification for why certain people are being taken and then detained." Foley labeled Wu's comments "reckless and inflammatory," and defended ICE agents' masks, asserting they and their families were being "threatened, doxxed, and assaulted" in social media posts. When asked to respond to Foley's comments, Wu pointed out that Boston police work "without wearing masks, displaying their badges publicly, with body cameras that document the interactions that take place with full transparency, because we have nothing to hide," according to the Boston Globe, before comparing ICE agents to the neo-Nazi group members. "We see what's happening with our own eyes. A land ruled by fear is not the land of the free," Wu wrote in a Bluesky post Thursday, accompanied by the Boston Globe article referencing Foley's comments. We see whats happening with our own eyes. A land ruled by fear is not the land of the free. Michelle Wu (@wutrain.bsky.social) 2025-06-05T09:52:23.340Z Federal officials held a press conference earlier this week to tout their monthlong operation that resulted in the arrests of nearly 1,500 undocumented Americans, according to Boston.com, marking one of the largest ICE operations ever. Originally published on Latin Times If youve paid attention to the Democrats race in Congressional District 7, you probably know the stories Deja Foxx tells. She tells them well and often. Thats the way you get people to remember. She grew up in a poor family in Tucson, moved out to live with her boyfriends family as a teen, worked in a gas station and got involved in politics. As a 16-year-old University High School student, she worked to get a new sex education curriculum passed in Tucson Unified School District. She confronted then-Sen. Jeff Flake at a town hall in 2017 defending Planned Parenthood, leading to a viral video moment. And then she graduated and headed off to attend Columbia University, a first-generation college student headed straight to the Ivy League. Now shes running in a crowded group of progressives trying to replace Rep. Raul Grijalva, who died while holding office in March. But Foxx is still barely 25, and what shes done since college is refine her skills as a progressive digital expert and social-media influencer. Not things that most traditional Tucson Democrats may be impressed by. Except, they might be, if they hear her play out the long version of the argument for her candidacy, as she did in an interview May 29. She noted that the voters agree with Democrats on lots of issues not just reproductive rights, but healthcare reform more broadly, for example. And yet theyve continued to lose important elections. I think its because we have some of the wrong messengers, Foxx said. Frankly, were not platforming the right people. We continue to have a process of selection politics that does not bring forth our strongest fighters, our best champions and our best storytellers. And what I add to this race is a unique ability to reach people through great storytelling that performs online, in new media, social media spaces where we are losing, she said. I mean, its not an opinion that were losing online. It is a fact that we are losing online, and it is where the majority of young people are getting their information, but its where everybody is headed, as it stands, to get their news, to build their political opinions. She pointed to U.S. representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (a New York Democrat) and Jasmine Crockett (a Texas Democrat) as examples of communicators she respects. And she argued that Democrats have not put strong enough fighters in office, deferring instead to traditions of seniority. She noted that the sprawling Big Beautiful Bill, which slashes spending on social services that her own family has depended on, passed by just one vote and wouldnt have if all the elected Democrats were there. In fact, the congressman shes running to replace, Rep. Raul Grijalva, died in March while holding office. We have now lost three members of the Democratic Party in the past few months alone, she noted. We have a real age problem we need to have a conversation about. When asked about Foxx, Adelita Grijalvas campaign had a 21-year-old campaign volunteer respond. Eddie Barron noted that The movement that the Grijalva family has created has always been about believing in the promise and potential of young people. I like Deja Foxx, I like the fire that she brings, Barron said. I think theres a difference between online followers across the country, some of the national attention that shes garnering, and in-district community support from neighbors and folks who are on the ground doing the work. The other Democratic candidates in the heavily Democratic district are: Daniel Hernandez Jr., Patrick Harris Sr., and Jose Malvido Jr. Supervisors oppose border militarization The Pima County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution Tuesday opposing the Ongoing Militarization of the U.S.-Mexico Border by a 4-1 vote. Supervisor Jen Allen, whose District 3 shares more than 130 miles of border with Mexico, requested the item for Tuesdays meeting. Supervisor Steve Christy voted against the resolution. The threats to our conservation lands and some of our beautiful spaces is just one that I feel like we need to stand up against, and that is exactly what this resolution does, Allen said. In a statement to the Board, Tohono Oodham Nation Chairman Verlon M. Jose said the Nation is focused on building bridges ... not walls. The notion that additional border walls or militarization is needed or warranted, makes no sense. Spending billions of dollars that would further desecrate sacred areas and further split our people, makes no sense, Jose wrote. Wasting billions of dollars on a problem that does not exist is wrong, particularly when the federal government is actively attempting to make massive cuts to critical programs for our children, elders and many others. In March, the Trump administration began considering a plan to establish a military installation along the border, initially in New Mexico. The resolution passed Tuesday opposes the Roosevelt Reservation lands transferring from the Department of Interior to the Department of Defense, the inclusion of $46.5 billion in the House Reconciliation budget for building additional harmful and unnecessary border walls as well as the construction of a border wall across the San Rafael Valley. It authorizes Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher and the countys federal lobbyists to communicate Pima Countys opposition to these and other efforts to increase militarization across the U.S.-Mexico border. Riel drops out The race for the Democratic nomination in Tucsons Ward 6 is down to three candidates after Theresa Riel dropped out. Riel, a member of the Pima Community College board, entered the race with the understanding that she could hold both seats, if she were to win the Tucson City Council seat. However, Tucsons city attorney told her that she would have to quit the Pima board if she were to win the council seat, Riel said. So she chose to stick with the seat she already holds, which she won in 2022. That term lasts until December 2028. The Pima County Board of Supervisors wants the Arizona Attorneys Generals Office to review the internal investigation of a sex assault that involved a sergeant and deputy. The Attorney Generals Office will once again be asked to review the conduct of the Pima County Sheriffs Department after an internal investigation in the handling of a 2022 sexual assault. Ricky Garcia, a former sergeant in the Sheriffs Department, was sentenced in February to one year in jail after being convicted in the attempted sexual assault of a female coworker during a holiday party in 2022 that several deputies attended. Pima County administrator Jan Lesher said during Tuesdays Board meeting that she had prepared a letter to the Attorney General. However, the county would need to redact certain information from the internal investigation before its released publicly and the request is sent, Lesher said. I want to make sure before I send something, if it comes out from me and becomes an open public record, we have appropriately redacted any personally identifiable information that needed to be redacted, Lesher said. Lesher said during the meeting she was optimistic that the letter to the Attorney General would be sent by this week. In 2023, county supervisors requested an independent investigation by the state into how the Sheriff Chris Nanos conducted and internal review of his agencys handling of the assault, which was taken up by the Attorney Generals Office. In September last year, the office found no criminal wrongdoing of the Sheriffs Departments investigative process, but did find possible violations of four department policies. Along with their findings, the Attorney Generals office told the county it would be willing to review the Sheriffs Departments internal investigation, an offer which the county will take the office up on, Lesher said. Those wanting to beat the summer heat can visit one of the nearly three dozen cooling centers across Pima County that are now open. Cooling centers provide an air-conditioned space for Tucsonans to cool off during the hottest parts of the day. The 33 cooling centers are supplied with cooling towels, cold water bottles and/or water bottle refill stations, electrolyte drink packets and education materials on heat-related illnesses and how to stay safe, county officials say. Cooling centers are an essential piece to preventing heat-related illness and deaths during the hot summer months throughout Southern Arizona, said heat relief and response manager Betsy Camara in a news release. Providing this service and working with community partners is just one way we can make our community safer. Many sites, including libraries and community organizations, also provide other resources and services like access to computers and resource navigation to help people sign up for utility assistance, apply for jobs and training or other services. Pima County also supports respite and hydration centers in addition to the cooling centers. Respite centers allow visitors to rehydrate and rest, sit, or lie down without interruption during hours of operation, while hydration centers can be indoors or outdoors, providing water bottles and a clean refill station. Hours vary depending on site. Visit pima.gov/heat for a cooling center map with a list of locations and their hours. The longtime head of groups that decide how billions of dollars in transportation projects is spent across the Tucson area was fired Thursday. Farhad Moghimi, the executive director of the Regional Transportation Authority and the Pima Association of Governments, was terminated on a 5-to-4 vote during a joint meeting following a months-long dispute with leaders from Tucson and Pima County over project selection and scheduling, among other issues. Pima County Supervisor Matt Heinz made the motion to terminate Moghimis contract. The effort was supported by Mayor Regina Romero, Tohono Oodham Nation Chairman Verlon Jose, Pascua Yaqui Tribe Chairman Julian Hernandez and South Tucson Mayor Roxanna Valenzuela. Marana Mayor Jon Post, Sahuarita Mayor Tom Murphy, Oro Valley Mayor Joe Winfield and Arizona State Transportation Board Member Ted Maxwell voted against the firing. Heinz said the leadership structure of PAG-RTA has been a barrier to progress on RTA Next, a half-cent sales tax plan that would would go to voters and cover regional transportation planning for the next 20 years. We have so far in almost 20 years completed 18 of 35 named projects. That is not what success should look like. Another important thing that I looked at that helped me arrive at the decision that leadership change was necessary is turnover, Heinz said about projects included in the current 20-year regional plan that expires next year. There are 55 full-time employees at the organization, and 42 of them have left since 2018. That is over 80% turnover, and that tells me everything I need to know about the leadership style and effectiveness of our former executive director, and thats why I moved to terminate the contract. Moghimi made about $200,000 per year as executive director for both the RTA and PAG, a post hes held since 2013, the Star has reported. The nine-member RTA Board is a collection of top elected officials from the regions cities, towns and tribal communities that is tasked with overseeing the implementation of about $2 billion of projects included in the 20-year half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2006. It also manages tax revenues, project schedules and budgets, among other responsibilities. The PAG Regional Council, comprised of the same nine representatives, work on region-wide transportation, air and water quality planning, as well as economic vitality. The tension between Moghimi and some local officials had been building for years. It came to a head in late April when Heinz, a critic of Moghimi, joined the boards and immediately requested a performance review. It wasnt the first time Heinz targeted Moghimi, who has faced criticism from several Tucson officials who said he favored smaller, suburban jurisdictions over the city. Nearly three years ago, Heinz called for Moghimi to be fired, sharing concerns over a lack of a performance review for the executive director and poor management of transportation plans for the area. But the review of Moghimis performance that Heinz wanted earlier this year didnt happen, because that meetings agenda lacked language required by law. Moghimi, whose role included putting requested items onto the meeting agenda, told the board he was ultimately responsible for the mistake that delayed his own performance review. Shortly after that same meeting, the boards long-time legal counsel resigned, which appeared to delay the performance review as the boards seemingly needed to hire new legal representation before the review could occur. Legal representation for the board was apparently not an issue with a majority of the board. During the joint meeting Thursday, Heinz made a motion to terminate Moghimis contract effective immediately despite the lack of legal counsel. Mayors Murphy and Winfield cited the lack of a lawyer for the board, saying voting Moghimi out could be a legal liability. And Maxwell, from the states transportation board, made a substitute motion, offering Moghimi two weeks of paid administrative leave and the opportunity to consider tendering his resignation. That failed. You all have witnessed, as well as the public, the concerns that I have had with this particular executive director, Romero said. Theres timelines that we have to work on, and unfortunately I have lost all confidence that Mr. Moghimi will help us move along the work that the public deserves. A working group of board members will be appointed to search for a new executive director, along with new legal counsel. The Pima County Board of Supervisors will have to vote on an RTA Next plan by the end of August if it is to go to voters in March 2026, Heinz said. For now, however, Heinz said his priority is finishing RTA projects voters have already approved, and gaining the publics trust. I think we need to back up a little bit and make sure that our focus is on continued regional transportation funding and programming, finishing the RTA one projects that we promised the people that we would do, he said. We need to do that, and we need to focus on actually being accountable to the voters and finishing the other 17 projects, frankly, before we ask them for another 20 year extension. Thats just my opinion, but I think that makes the most sense. Ciscomanis upcoming CPB vote Trumps proposed clawback of Corporation for Public Broadcasting funds will devastate Arizonas Native American public radio stations. Navajo, Hopi, Apache and Tohono Oodham stations serve isolated, economically impoverished parts of our state with valuable services. All four stations heavily depend upon CPB funding. Local donors cannot make up the shortfall. KOHN / Sells preserves Oodhams himdag, their way of life. When the devastating Rodeo-Chedeski fire destroyed Apache lands, NPR member station KNNB / Whiteriver was the sole local source of information. KGHR in Tuba City broadcasts from a Navajo high school and receives 72 percent of its funding from CPB. NPR member station KUYI Hopi Radio has been a vital information source during floods, power outages and the pandemic. Ciscomani must vote to protect Arizonas indigenous people and their infrastructure. It would be cruel for Ciscomani to support Trumps destruction of public media. John Stark Southeast side A-OK with lies I had to laugh at one incredible sentence in the Boston Herald article "Democrats slip further behind GOP." This article brought up the allegations of a cover-up of Biden's mental decline, stating "People don't like being lied to." I say lots of people (half the country) have absolutely no problem with being lied to even accepting, or ignoring, big democracy-destroying lies. They voted for a serial liar whose nature is to lie about everything. Continual lies? No problem! Trump's agenda racist, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ, anti-science, anti-education, anti-social justice, anti-environmental, anti-everything that made our country great seems to really resonate with his supporters. They like his nasty "style" and divisive messaging. They are fine with a government by and for the obscenely rich. So what that Trump lies? Deb Klumpp Oro Valley Dearest senator Growing up, I saw the U.S. government make our lives better by protecting us from pollution; my food was safe, workers were safe. Medicare/Medicaid allowed millions of people healthcare. We felt our government was there for us. I believed in our Constitution. This amazing document had stood firm for almost 250 years protecting our freedoms. This is the country that I grew up in. Now this awful democracy-destroying bill will do so much damage. The removal of regulations around pollution will make people sick, but that does not matter to the authors of the bill. Everyone dies. And giving the executive branch more power is unforgivable. No other president has needed this kind of power. This is not the country I grew up in. Please stand up and stop this bill. Please save our democracy. Please everyone call or write your senators today. Christina Early Midtown Brainwashing students A recent letter attacked historians for deliberately teaching American students that our country has always been bad. Having taught U.S. history to thousands of students at universities in Wisconsin, Maryland, Georgia and Arizona for fifty years I can attest that this is not true. Historians use factual data to explain what happened and to show how the past shaped our society. The truth is that Americans, like all humans, have done great and exceptional things but also stupid and evil things. Teaching the historical facts about slavery or the near-destruction of the Indians and how we view those actions today, shows how we learned from past mistakes, now how evil we were. America's helping people facing wars or natural disasters during the last century shows how generous and caring our society became. Discussing negative issues is not indoctrination but an honest explanation of our past. Roger Nichols North side Willful ignorance Great article Sunday by Terry Bracy about the Yes people, otherwise known as the Magas and loyalists. Though Brace only mentioned Vance, Rubio and Hegseth, the list goes to the street level. And includes Trump himself who answers specifically to the money boys and girls. These people also enjoy willful ignorance so they take no responsibility for any negative consequences. An example would be those who espouse that a tariff is paid by the exporting country. They see no reason for further research because Fox News or some social media says so. The economic truth is the cost eventually reaches the consumer. Willful choice is the alternative. The 3.5% rule from a Harvard (go figure) political research project showed that when 3.5% or more of the population participates in non-violent, civil resistance campaigns, authoritarianism or kleptocracy can be repulsed. This movement is underway in this country and continues June 14th in Tucson and Nogales with the No Kings march. James Keeton Tubac Believe it or else Certain writers are appearing several times a week in this space. Must be they are getting lots of fan mail from the pro-Trump confederacy. Confederacy, hmm ... reminds me of a book a while back called Confederacy of Dunces. But I digress. The Star should take this phenomenon to heart and establish a new section in the paper. Give these prolific writers their own space, maybe call it "Believe It or Else," and locate it somewhere between the puzzles and the funny papers. This would have the added benefit of freeing up space for the writers who seem to be more in touch with reality. William Muto SaddleBrooke Rs and the Tooth Fairy There certainly was an incorrect assumption at Senator Ernst's town hall meeting in Iowa the other day. Actually, it was an incorrect assumption to end all incorrect assumptions. After all, why would any constituent ever expect the politician they elected to office to actually consider helping them? Maga politicians kowtow to their master and that is that. As her snide condescending and belittling reply emphasizes, the little people only need to do two things, vote for them and then keep their mouths shut. Tim Canny Oracle Trump national emergency? Trump reposted an outlandish conspiracy theory on Truth Social that said Biden was executed in 2020 and replaced by a robot clone. It was written by a conspiracy theorist with an unbalanced mind. So why repost it? Trump also has a history of lying about the fairness of our elections and taking unlawful actions to change results. Do you remember the fake electors in 2020 and the 6 January 2021 attack on the Capitol? He is not doing well in most polls today which show him behind in nearly all voter demographic categories. This could translate to the loss of Republican majorities in the Senate and/or House. If the polls before the 2026 election indeed show a shift away from the Trump Republicans, I would be greatly concerned that he sees this as a threat to his presidency and would declare a national emergency and cancel the elections. Then God help us all. Michael Mount Foothills The disaster of Wall Street Equity Reading about the recent sale of Eegees, I have two thoughts. First, just about every corporate bankruptcy story in the last few decades starts with the same line they were purchased by a private equity firm. Second, with that in mind, why do we allow these Wall Street parasites to continue to operate? They produce nothing but short-term profit for themselves while destroying the economy and jobs with every business they shutter. It is past time we bring back the laws and rules that put these greed-filled corporate raiders back in the box they escaped from. They are the ones taking American jobs and tossing them into the wind. David Reynolds East side Buried in Juans One BBB On pages 278-279 in the big beautiful bill that Juan Ciscomani signed and bragged about, there is wording that removes states from being able to regulate AI for ten years. Will it be permitting development and construction of data centers to be under this section of the big ugly bill? This administration isnt enforcing environmental, clean air, and water regulations. With states unable to oppose, this will endanger folks who live in communities that lack resources to fight back like the rural communities that voted for Juan. If you would like to know what could happen to your community, look at data centers like the one Elon Musk is building in South Memphis, xAI, with 35 power generators spewing out nitrous oxide. Watch the YouTube video by More Perfect Union, We Went to the Town Elon Musk is Poisoning. If we end up with a product like Grok in our backyard, just remember how many fingers Juan held up when he notified his constituents on his vote. Larry Robinson Northwest side Democrats selling out Democrats lost the election and there are two reactions. The first reaction is those liberals that are now flipping and writing books so they can make a quick buck by exposing the collapse of Biden's health and mental capacity. Keep an eye out for the Tapper book and the White House Press Secretary book and don't buy them. The second reaction is those liberals that can't identify the problem that caused the loss to President Trump. Their solution is to spend $20 million asking the Democratic Party members why men are not voting for liberal candidates. These same people made promises of being rounded up and put in camps, however, it seems that putting up the camps would take longer than anyone wants to wait, the better solution is to suggest moving to Ireland. So, ask yourself, what did you expect to happen when Pres Trump was elected instead of Harris/Walz? What specific freedoms have you lost with Pres Trump in office? Loran Hancock Northwest side No Kings Day The June 4 column from the Boston Herald,(Democrats slip further behind GOP) had a whistling in the dark feel to it. They know that Trump is not a serious person. Never has been. Were 6 months into this kakistocracy and theyre fearful - as well they should be - about the future. To hear mainstream media tell it, throngs of Americans are rising up (in protest) against President Trump. Well, they got that right. And well be doing it again on June 14 No Kings Day. While the Trumpster is basking in the glory of his birthday-boy military parade in DC, well be holding forth in Reid Park 8am to 11am (gonna beat the heat) and a thousand other sites across the country. See you in the park. See you on the streets. Greg Lewis Midtown The day democracy marched into autocracy 250 years ago, on June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress voted to establish the Continental Army to defend the colonies and appointed George Washington as its commanding General. On his acceptance of the appointment, he said; ... I this day declare with the utmost sincerity I do not think myself equal to the command I am honored with ... I do not wish to make any profit from it." June 14th, 2025, should be a cause for remembrance and reflection to honor all those that served our nation. Instead, the day is being used as propaganda by President Trump for a parade to celebrate his birthday which happens to coincide with the Army's. Our military is in service of one man, just like Russia and North Korea. It is the marching of our democracy into an autocracy. "A state is not a state if it belongs to one man" Sophocles Michael Dunlavey East side Traitors from January 6 are ICE officers Viewing those videos that show ICE officers arresting immigrants I noticed that some ICE officers were not wearing the vests correctly, and some T-Shirts weren't what Feds wear. My good friend in Los Angeles is a retired LAPD SWAT member and he noticed the way some ICE officers were equipped wearing their vests wrong, and overweight officers, and he saw what I noticed with weapons: 1911 .45s are not standard issue. In the San Diego video someone shouted out, "The guy has a swastika on his forearm." My buddies and I were right. Kristi Noem told Congress that they were using January 6 traitors as ICE personnel. They are criminals themselves, racist fascists. I suspected #47 was forming his own secret police. Noem is just a puppet. I do believe a civil war is around the corner. I'm a Vietnam veteran and I will defend my country against domestic terrorists and a leader who is a coward. God save this country. Barry Goldwater where are you? David E. Leon Vail Re: "Abortion guidance gone" Regarding the Associated Press article, "Abortion guidance gone" (June 4): The article mostly represented a benign understanding of the Trump administration revoking the Biden administration's use of the 1986 Emergency Medical Treatment & Active Labor Act to impel many hospitals to provide "emergency abortions for woman when they are necessary to stabilize their condition." I thought news reporting was supposed to be unbiased. The only partisan position quoted was from the president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights: "The Trump Administration would rather women die in emergency rooms than receive life-saving abortions." If the Associated Press journalists were fair-minded, they would have gathered pro-life information concerning this "lifesaving" use of abortion for the mother. "Lifesaving abortion" is not even a misnomer, it's a flagrant lie. Why didn't the AP journalists search out Lila Rose, the president and founder of Live Action, to counterbalance the pro-abortion position? The website liveaction.org has the pro-life solution. Daniel Pryor Jimmie Tramel Tulsa World Scene Reporter Follow Jimmie Tramel Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Author Cody Burke had to leave Oklahoma to fully appreciate Oklahoma. From that epiphany sprang a book. Take Me Back to Oklahoma! a childrens picture book written by Burke and illustrated by Camilla Crittenden will be released soon by Yorkshire Publishing. The story? Thomas is excited for his familys summer road trip to a busy city, a sandy beach and giant mountains. To Thomas, his home state of Oklahoma is boring and dont even get him started on the weather! But as Thomas explores new places, something surprising happens: He begins to miss home the delicious food, the music, the feeling that hes a part of something bigger and even the sound of the wind and rain. Most of all, Thomas misses the people their kindness, resilience and sense of community that make Oklahoma truly special. All of the above means the character in the book and the author of the book have much in common. Growing up, I desperately wanted to get out of Oklahoma, Burke said. I thought it was a boring state. I hated the weather. I hated tornadoes. My dad and I would road trip a lot; just listening to him, he knows everything about every town and who was born there. I just wasnt very interested in it. It should be pointed out that Burkes father is proud Okie Bob Burke, an attorney, author and historian who has written 172 nonfiction books and is in the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. Cody Burke, who grew up in Oklahoma City and attended Westmoore High School, said his parents encouraged him to go out of state for a college experience. He chose Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and, after picking up a bachelors degree there, a masters degree at Francis Marion University near Florence, South Carolina, and a doctorate at Louisiana-Monroe, he chose to become a teacher in the Carolinas. Being away from his home state made me realize how special Oklahoma is and what a unique state it is in a lot of ways, Cody Burke said, adding that he wishes he would have realized that earlier in his life. I think thats a common thing for a lot of people, he said. You dont know how special your home is until you leave it. Writing a childrens book about that topic may help young readers take the express lane to the same conclusion. In a phone interview, Cody Burke mentioned some things about Oklahoma that show up in the book. And then what it really ties back into at the end is the people, he said. Oklahoma has experienced more tragedy than a lot of places. We had the Oklahoma City bombing. We have violent tornadoes that rip through our communities every year. But one thing living outside of Oklahoma that Ive realized about Oklahomans is how resilient they are, and even though theres a lot of political fracture in the state right now, after any major event like a tornado, everyone goes out and helps everyone else, and thats just not something I have seen at other places. Burke cited a quote from what he called his favorite speech of all time. President Bill Clinton spoke at memorial prayer service following the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. Said Clinton: If anybody thinks that Americans are mostly mean and selfish, they ought to come to Oklahoma. If anybody thinks Americans have lost the capacity for love and caring and courage, they ought to come to Oklahoma. Bob Burke did not write his first book until he was 39. Cody Burke has written three books by age 28. One of Codys books was about his father. For his 75th birthday, I wrote his biography since he has written everyone elses biography, Cody Burke said. So that was really cool to roll out, and we did a signing together. That was really fun. Cody Burke called his newest book a love letter to his home state. Im excited for kids to read it and fall in love with Oklahoma the way I have, he said. I think probably the person who knows the most about Oklahoma, living or dead, is my father. And so this book is also a love letter to him and my mom for choosing to raise me in Oklahoma. Im very excited for it to come out. Take Me Back to Oklahoma! will be available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and wherever books are sold June 10. <&rule> A look at book stores in Tulsa South Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun is once again going viralthis time for her jaw-dropping look as a guest at a celebrity wedding, where fans say she "stole the show" with her effortless beauty and luxury fashion. Photos resurfaced this week on an online forum under the title "Legendary Real-Life Jun Ji-hyun Guest Fashion," showing the star at a past wedding of a Cheongdam-dong salon owner, attended by numerous celebrities. In the photos, Jun is clad in a matching pink tweed jacket, top, and shorts. The oversized jacket, paired with low-heeled pink shoes, highlighted her signature long legs and graceful stature. Wearing a face mask, Jun kept a low profilebut her presence was impossible to ignore. "She stands out immediately," one commenter wrote. "So bold to wear pink," another added. As praise flooded online platforms, netizens left remarks including, "She's so beautiful," "Is she even human?" "Only Jun Ji-hyun could pull off that outfit," and "Her face is more radiant than the clothes." The jacket and shoes she wore were both luxury brand items, further fueling admiration for her "effortlessly chic" appearance. The images, reportedly taken last year, continue to circulate across social media, with fans calling her "a real-life Cheon Song-yi"a reference to her iconic role in My Love from the Star. Jun Ji-hyun, who debuted in 1997 through Ecole magazine, has built an acclaimed career with films such as Il Mare, My Sassy Girl, Windstruck, The Thieves, and Assassination. She was also featured in popular dramas such as The Legend of the Blue Sea, Kingdom: Ashin of the North, and Jirisan. She most recently joined Disney+'s forthcoming original drama Polaris, in which she portrays former UN Ambassador and diplomat Moon-joo. The series follows Moon-joo and special agent San-ho (played by Kang Dong-won) as they uncover the truth behind a global incident. Polaris is scheduled for release in the second half of 2025. As anticipation grows for her next on-screen appearance, fans say Jun Ji-hyun's effortless elegance off-screen continues to prove why she remains one of South Korea's most enduring style icons. Ginnie Graham Tulsa World Columnist Follow Ginnie Graham Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Allowing women to make fewer trips to the pharmacy doesnt seem like a big win, but it is in Oklahoma when its for birth control. Senate Bill 176 passed the Legislature and becomes a law on Nov. 1 without Gov. Kevin Stitts signature. It grants insurers that cover contraception the ability to cover six-month prescriptions on refills. A first-time prescription is still limited to three months. Its common for women to get a years approval from their doctors for routinely taken pregnancy prevention pills. Before this bill, they could only get the prescriptions filled in up to 90-day increments. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Jo Anna Dossett, D-Tulsa, and Rep. Cindy Roe, R-Lindsay, who is also a nurse. The purpose is to support women, especially those who live in remote areas, in getting consistent access to medication. Some rural areas may require a 45-minute or hour drive to the closest pharmacy. Problems like an unreliable car might lead to delayed refills. Also, its fair to treat women the same as men when it comes to birth control access. Its not like men are limited in how many condoms can be purchased. There were fears that wed be seeing more restrictions to access. So its exciting to me to see the opposite, and hopefully its a trend, said Laura Bellis, executive director of the Take Control Initiative, a Tulsa nonprofit that provides free contraception to eligible people in the county. The legislation reflects the attitudes of Oklahomans toward birth control to prevent and plan pregnancies. An Amber Integrated survey in February found that 89% of Oklahomans say birth control should be available and that 70% say they would be less likely to support a political candidate seeking to make contraception more difficult to get. In addition, 72% of Oklahomans say emergency birth control should be available; 67% believe that birth control saves taxpayer dollars; and 60% say contraception can help with the health of mothers and babies. Oklahoma has for decades ranked high in teen births and currently is at No. 5 nationally for births among girls 15 to 19. The survey found that 85% of Oklahomans think sexually active teens should be able to get birth control. Its a good sign that so many in Oklahoma are embracing birth control for family planning and pregnancy prevention. Correct information about contraception is taking hold in the state. Birth control is also common among U.S. women. KFF reported in November that 82% of women of reproductive age used some form of contraception within the past 12 months. The majority (85%) used it for pregnancy prevention, but 14% used contraception for other medical reasons. Weve ended up in a culture war where the health care part is left out, Bellis said. Womens health care doesnt have to be this big, divisive thing. Thats stigmatizing and tiring. Were now seeing more consensus that womens health care access is a driver in health and economic outcomes. Lawmakers want healthy families and healthy babies. This gets us there. Contraception helps with family planning to space out babies for healthier births and for fertilization issues related to polycystic ovarian syndrome and endometriosis. Some women take birth control for other reasons, such as perimenopause management, menstrual-related migraines, skin improvement, menstrual regulation and anemia prevention. SB 176 covers contraceptives, which prevent a pregnancy. It doesnt cover abortifacients, which terminate an active pregnancy. Even with all this progress to fight contraception misinformation, some Republican Oklahoma lawmakers came up with some whoopers to tear down the bill. Never underestimate the ridiculousness that Sen. Dusty Deevers of Elgin can say about womens health care. On the Senate floor on March 26, he claimed that contraceptives shrink womens brains by 60%, making them depressed, suicidal and angry, and cause the loss of their sex drives. He kept repeating that preventative birth control was the same as an abortion. It is not. Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, admitted that he had limited knowledge of contraceptives but still stated that women would be harmed by these so-called medications. And he quoted a lot of Christian Scripture. As Dossett reminded colleagues, no one is forcing women to take any form of birth control: I still trust women and doctors not to take what they dont want to take, she said. About 65% of women 18-47 years old use a form of birth control, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 14% take the pill, 10% use long-action reversible contraception and 8% rely on condoms. But 18% of women opt for tubal ligations or undergo a hysterectomy. Choosing birth control is an intimate decision for a woman, based on her specific biology and lifestyle. Some women dont like taking daily pills because they might forget. Some women opt for them because theyre easier to stop and start. Some women rely on an intrauterine device, and others like a vaginal ring or skin implant. This isnt new. The television sitcom Seinfeld had a 1995 episode (The Sponge) all about a womans loyalty to a certain birth control method. People take birth control for different reasons and choose different types. From the perspective of supporting families, family planning and economic stability, birth control is a resource many people are engaged in, Bellis said. The Senate passed SB 176 by a vote of 30-16, and the House approved it 65-25. Gov. Kevin Stitt took no action, and it became a law. That was a surprise, considering that Stitt went on a veto bender toward the end of the legislative session in an effort to get his tax cuts. In the context of this moment, Oklahoma passing a birth control access bill is remarkable, Bellis said. 60 Minutes: June 8 60 Minutes returns to Madeleine McCann story and one which is Trump-related. 60 Minutes returns to familiar ground this Sunday with another story on Madeleine McCann and one which is Trump-related. Crunch Time Since the very start, the harrowing 18-year mystery of Madeleine McCann has been a rollercoaster of high hopes and devastating realities. But right now its crunch time for the most high-profile child abduction case in history. This week, acting on information from German investigators, police have swarmed on a stretch of Portuguese coastline, close to where the British toddler vanished from her parents holiday apartment in 2007. Theyve been desperately searching for evidence, in a race against the clock to prevent the looming freedom of the prime suspect in the case, German paedophile and rapist Christian Brueckner. And, as Tara Brown reports, in this special 60 Minutes investigation, theyre not the only ones determined to keep this vile predator behind bars. Reporter: Tara Brown Producer: Nichola Younger The Invisible Lady It is one of the most curious questions being asked of Donald Trumps second term in office. Where on Earth is Melania? While the US President has barely been out of the news, the First Lady has been utterly conspicuous by her absence. Since her husbands inauguration five months ago, Melania has largely given Washington DC a body-swerve, appearing at just a handful of official public engagements. Her defiance of presidential protocol and longstanding White House traditions has been met with head-scratching, scorn and plaudits in equal measure. So where has the First Lady gone? And what does her disappearing act mean for her 20-year marriage with the worlds most powerful man? Reporter: Dimity Clancey Producers: Anne Worthington, Nichola Younger 8:40pm Sunday on Nine. Airdate: Romcon: Who the F*** is Jason Porter? A true-life "Fake" love rat is exposed in a two part doco set in Canada. Documentary series Romcon: Who the F*** is Jason Porter? premieres next week on Prime Video. The two-part series exposes the dark side of dating as it follows successful Toronto real estate broker Heather Rovet who she discovers her perfect three-year romance with Jace was nothing but a scam. Her live-in boyfriend was actually Jason Porter, a convicted criminal with a history of romantic deception. As Heather discovers and connects with other victims she transforms from heartbroken lover to determined investigator. Heather risks everything to expose his pattern of manipulation and seek justice. Exposing the dark side of dating in Canadas largest city, Toronto, the docuseries reveals how Porters trail of deception impacted multiple victims across the city. Through intimate interviews with Heather and other survivors, along with fascinating archival footage and dramatic reconstructions, Romcon: Who the F*** is Jason Porter? exposes a criminal underbelly of modern dating and the sophisticated tactics used by romance scammers. The series culminates in Heathers courageous fight for justice. Produced by Blink49 Studios for Amazon MGM Studios and is executive produced by Allison Brough, Toby Dormer, co-executive produced by Allyson Luchak, and directed by Henry Roosevelt. Friday June 13 on Prime Video Alien: Earth: trailer How to face hug a planet.... Finally the full trailer for Alien: Earth from Noah Hawley, based on the film franchise, has landed -with the series to premiere in August on Disney+. The international cast includes Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Timothy Olyphant, Samuel Blenkin, Babou Ceesay, David Rysdahl, Adrian Edmondson, Adarsh Gourav, Jonathan Ajayi, Erana James, Lily Newmark, Diem Camille, Moe Bar-El and Aussie Essie Davis (spotted in said trailer). When a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young woman and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planets greatest threat in the sci-fi horror series Alien: Earth. As members of the crash recovery crew search for survivors among the wreckage, they encounter mysterious predatory life forms more terrifying than they could have ever imagined. With this new threat unlocked, the search crew must fight for survival and what they choose to do with this discovery could change planet Earth as they know it. FXs Alien: Earth is created for television and executive produced by Peabody and Emmy Award-winning Noah Hawley. Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, Joseph Iberti, Dana Gonzales and Clayton Krueger also serve as executive producers. Alien: Earth is produced by FX Productions. Two episodes Wednesday, August 13 then weekly on Disney+. Horror themes HA NOI Ride-hailing companies in Viet Nam are turning to electric and hybrid vehicles as part of their latest strategy to win over users and drivers, as the market grows increasingly competitive and the country pushes for greener transport solutions. In major urban centres such as HCM City, where green mobility is being aggressively promoted under Resolution No 98/2023/QH15, a policy passed by the National Assembly on June 24, 2023, granting the city greater autonomy to pilot special mechanisms and policies for sustainable development, electric vehicles (EVs) and fuel-efficient alternatives are seen as key to reducing emissions and modernising transport infrastructure. Responding to this shift, platforms like Be and Grab are rolling out new incentive schemes to support drivers in switching to electric or hybrid cars. Be Group has recently announced a strategic partnership with GWM Thanh An Vietnam, the exclusive distributor of Great Wall Motor (GWM) vehicles in the country. The agreement will see hybrid models from GWMs Haval lineup integrated into several tiers of Bes ride-hailing service, including beCar four and seven seaters and premium services. These vehicles run on a petrol-electric hybrid engine, offering a more environmentally friendly option than traditional internal combustion engines. Drivers joining the programme can receive VN30 million in purchase subsidies, along with VN2 million monthly savings on rental fees. Early adopters who sign up before August 30 may also receive bonuses such as accessories, fuel vouchers, and further rental discounts. Be says these measures are designed to ease the cost of initial vehicle conversion - a major barrier for many drivers. The Head of Business Development and Strategic Projects at Be Group, Hoang Cong Huan, said green mobility is a long-term strategic priority for the company. It is not only investing in smart infrastructure and digital platforms but also building partnerships with companies leading the transition to sustainable transport. Beyond vehicle upgrades, Be is also working to improve overall service quality through better product design, user experience, and financial support for drivers. The company has previously partnered with Hanoi Metro to offer integrated booking with public transit and supported electric motorbike adoption through collaborations with VinFast and Selex Motors. Be discountinued integration with GSM's EV ride-hailing service due to a shift in partnership direction. However, the company confirmed it remains open to future collaboration with GSM and other EV brands. Meanwhile, Grab Vietnam is also stepping up its electric vehicle strategy. The company is currently running a support programme for drivers buying electric cars from Chinese automaker BYD. Six models are available, priced between VN659 million and VN1.36 billion. In addition to financing support, Grab is offering a guaranteed income of up to VN25 million per 30-day cycle for qualifying drivers. To be eligible for this guarantee, drivers must complete at least 260 trips to earn VN20 million, or 400 trips to reach the full VN25 million. Only valid rides - those completed within designated time frames, areas, and without the use of certain app features - are counted. Violations or changes in the vehicle during the period will void eligibility. Grab says the programme is aimed at attracting new drivers, retaining current ones, and helping BYD boost its sales in Viet Nam. The company also noted it might adjust or discontinue the scheme depending on market dynamics. Despite these efforts, it is Xanh SM - the electric ride-hailing arm of Vingroup - that currently leads the market. According to Mordor Intelligence, Viet Nams ride-hailing industry reached an estimated value of US$880 million in 2024. In the first quarter of 2025, Xanh SM held a 39.9 per cent market share, followed by Grab at 35.6 per cent and Be at 5.6 per cent. Xanh SM continues to offer aggressive incentives to drivers, including commission rebates, battery rental support, and free EV charging. The company also recently launched a programme to help motorbike drivers upgrade to cars, offering deferred driving school fees and monthly bonuses of up to VN6 million for those who complete 200 trips, currently available in Ha Noi and HCM City. VNS A new drama is making headlines in South Korea for introducing an unconventional protagonist: a labor attorney who can see ghosts. MBC's Friday-Saturday series Oh My Ghost Clients premiered May 31 at 9:50 p.m. KST, marking the first time a public network drama has centered on the legal profession of labor advocacy. The series follows Noh Moo-jin, a lawyer who begins his career for financial reasons but evolves into a passionate defender of workers' rights, both living and dead. Played by actor Jung Kyung-ho, the character communicates with spirits of workers who died in industrial accidents, helping them resolve unfinished business while highlighting real-world labor issues. "This is the first drama to seriously introduce the profession of a labor attorney," said director Im Soon-rye at an online press conference held May 30. "I focused on balancing the fantastical elements of seeing ghosts with the real-world issues of industrial accidents." Known for her films Forever the Moment, Little Forest, and The Negotiation, Im makes her television directing debut with Oh My Ghost Clients. "I was drawn in by the drama's concept and script. That was the biggest reason I decided to take on the challenge," she said. The series was penned by Kim Bo-tong, known for Netflix's D.P., and screenwriter Yoo Seung-hee of I Can Speak, bringing both depth and social consciousness to the script. Jung, often referred to as the "go-to actor for professional roles," is no stranger to portraying characters in career-driven storylines. "I've played a wide range of jobs, some completely opposite from each other," he said. "It's fun and exciting for me personally. I get to experience things I didn't know before." The lead actor emphasized the developmental arc of his character: "Unlike my previous characters, this one doesn't start off with a strong sense of professional ethics. But through his experiences, he grows and becomes more committed to his role." Joining Jung in the cast are Seol In-ah as Na Hee-joo, a bold and passionate colleague, and Cha Hak-yeon (N of VIXX) as Go Kyun-woo, a lighthearted video content creator. The trio forms the "Moojins" team, whose chemistry off-screen has drawn positive attention. "I've never given a perfect score while working before, but I want to this time," Cha said. "Our chemistry is amazing, and I noticed how our movements even start syncing up when we're together." Seol echoed the sentiment. "Our synergy was perfect, and Jung Kyung-ho was at the center of it all." Jung added, "I'd give a perfect score too. The two of them are so cheerful and energetic. I'm quiet and low-energy, so the balance between us is spot on." Despite the show's comedic elements, the drama carries a strong social message. Each episode is inspired by real-life industrial accident cases. The opening episodes focus on a high school student who dies after being sent to an unsafe worksitea storyline based on actual events in Korea's manufacturing sector. "What pained me the most was imagining a very young person losing their life due to adults' irresponsibility in a place with inadequate safety systems," Im said. Oh My Ghost Clients also features high-profile cameo appearances. Jung noted that Kim Dae-myung "kicks off the entire drama," and highlighted Jin Sun-kyu as a particularly exciting guest. "There's not a single weak performance in the lineup," Im said. "I've worked on a lot of films, but for this drama, I got to collaborate with so many amazing actors. Especially veteran actors who joined because of our past relationships or their interest in the project. It'll be a treat for viewers." Actor Cha praised the drama's fast-paced and emotionally engaging storyline. "You'll feel like it's over in an instant. And you really get emotionally invested in the characters," he said. Director Im concluded, "There are plenty of fun and provocative dramas out there, but ours includes serious themes and offers emotional healing through the stories of restless spirits. It's a drama packed with heart, fun, and a meaningful message." HA NOI Viet Nams seafood export revenue reached US$4.07 billion in the first five months of 2025, marking a 14 per cent increase compared to last year. China, the United States and Japan remained the countrys top three seafood export markets, accounting for 20 per cent, 16 per cent, and 15 per cent of total exports, respectively. Shrimp and tra fish continued to be the countrys key exports. The European Union emerged as a strong market, with imports of whiteleg shrimp, including frozen and value-added processed products, reaching 376,875 tonnes in 2024, up four per cent from 2023. Viet Nam has seen a partial recovery in shipments to the EU. However, intense competition from Ecuador and India poses a significant challenge, prompting the country to focus on high-value products and market diversification to maintain its advantage and avoid disruptions. According to the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), seafood exports to China surged by 57 per cent year-on-year, reaching US$716 million. As of the first four months of 2025, China overtook the US to become Viet Nams largest seafood export market. VASEP experts pointed out that climate change, water pollution and disease outbreaks are affecting the yield and quality of shrimp production. In addition, the global seafood market is becoming increasingly competitive, with strong players like Ecuador, India and Indonesia. As a result, Viet Nams seafood sector must improve output and quality to expand its presence in potential markets. VASEPs Communications Director, Le Hang, noted that exports to the US may see strong growth. She advised businesses to factor in rising transportation and logistics costs to reduce risks. In the meantime, exporters and US importers are urged to step up trade activities. Diversification is key Trinh Trung Phi, Deputy Technical Director of commercial shrimp operations at Viet Uc Group, said that high production costs of Vietnamese seafood result from multilayered production processes. At the same time, international standards require not only lower prices but also socially responsible production. This presents a considerable challenge for the industry. Economic experts have emphasised the need for the Government and businesses to invest in logistics infrastructure, technology, product diversification, and sustainable supply chains. These measures would help reduce costs and enhance profitability. VASEP has proposed a series of initiatives for the tra fish segment, which must adapt to evolving global consumption trends. Previously overlooked niche markets are now being explored as potential targets. Enterprises should not limit themselves to producing frozen fillets. They need to diversify into value-added products such as fish balls, sausages, seasoned tra fish, canned braised fish, fish rolls and tra sushi to meet the growing demand for ready-to-eat and convenience foods, particularly in Asian urban centres like Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia, VASEP said. Additionally, by-products, such as crispy fish skin, fish oil, collagen, gelatin and animal feed, are emerging as new trends. According to VASEP, consumers in the EU and North America are increasingly prioritising certified, eco-friendly and sustainable products. Tra fish raised under organic standards or certified by ASC, BAP, GlobalG.A.P, or RAS (Recirculating Aquaculture Systems) can command prices up to double those of conventional products. VASEP also identified promising niche markets, including Islamic countries, Africa, and South America (excluding Brazil). Viet Nam has made initial inroads into the Brazilian market with tra fish exports, although the South American market remains largely untapped. These regions offer favourable conditions for seafood consumption due to local tastes and demand for convenient food. Negotiations on a potential FTA between Viet Nam and the Mercosur bloc are expected to unlock export opportunities. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung uc Tien stressed that market diversification is not just an immediate necessity, but a long-term strategic goal. He urged enterprises to identify and develop high-potential products, enhance quality control, reduce production costs and strengthen processing capacity and trade promotion. Businesses must meet the diverse standards of export markets, including stringent ones like Halal. With proper preparation, we can overcome these trade barriers, he added. VNS HA NOI Tax authorities have pledged continued support to help business households overcome challenges in adopting e-invoices generated from cash registers, as the new system replaces the existing lump-sum tax model. During a conference in Ha Noi on Thursday, the Deputy General Director of the Ministry of Finance's General Department of Taxation, Mai Son, said that implementing e-invoices from cash registers for business households is a crucial step in the roadmap to creating a modern, transparent tax system. Son said that this initiative, as outlined in the Government's Decree No 70, supports both taxpayers and the sustainable development of the socio-economic sector. He added that it also marks a major and fundamental step along the way to phasing out lump-sum tax by 2026, transitioning to a self-declaration and self-payment system in line with the Politburo's Resolution No 68 on private economic development. Son described the conference as a valuable opportunity for tax authorities to gain insight into the challenges and feedback from business households about registering and using e-invoices. The event also aimed to reassure business households, provide support, answer questions and collect proposals for timely policy adjustments or reporting to the relevant authorities. Through the event, delegates heard that tax authorities will improve policies and management to be more transparent, specific and appropriate, helping business households fulfil their tax obligations fully, quickly and conveniently, according to Son. He added that his department will urge tax authorities at all levels to continue organising dialogues and provide support to business households by answering their questions. In addition, his department will actively coordinate with e-invoice solution providers to offer on-site assistance, helping businesses gradually become familiar with and proficient in using electronic invoices, he said, adding that June will be a peak month for helping and supporting business households in rolling out the use of these e-invoices nationwide. According to the department, after reviewing and categorising common issues faced by business households, the tax sector has identified key challenges in registering and using electronic invoices generated from cash registers. Among those raised were the identification of eligible business households under the Government's Decree No 70, difficulties with registration procedures and the use of e-invoices, as well as concerns over initial investment costs and the availability of equipment support from solution providers. Additional concerns included challenges in issuing invoices when customers fail to provide complete information, uncertainties surrounding the accounting regime, the transition from lump-sum tax payments to payments based on actual revenues, and the risk of penalties for non-compliance. Starting June 1, business households with large annual revenues have been required to transition from lump-sum tax payments to tax payments based on actual revenue. This shift marks a significant step in the Government's ongoing efforts to modernise tax management and ensure greater fairness and transparency in tax obligations. Under the new regulation, business households earning over VN1 billion per year in six specific sectors must issue e-invoices generated from cash registers connected to tax authorities. This replaces the existing lump-sum tax model, which is considered outdated and prone to inaccuracies. Data from the General Statistics Office shows that, as of the end of 2024, there were 3.6 million business households under tax administration, contributing nearly VN26 trillion to the State budget. However, as of early 2025, about two million of these still pay taxes under the lump-sum method, with an average monthly payment of just VN700,000. This method has been considered misaligned with actual business performance and has resulted in many cases where businesses with significantly different revenues pay similar tax amounts. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam remains on the US Department of the Treasurys currency monitoring list, according to its semi-annual report released on June 6. While no country was labelled a 'currency manipulator' in 2024, the economies subject to enhanced scrutiny expanded to nine, Viet Nam, China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland. The Treasury said Viet Nam continues to meet the criteria due to its large trade surplus with the United States and current account position. In 2023, Viet Nam posted a goods trade surplus of over US$105 billion with the US, the highest among all American trading partners. The country is a key exporter of textiles, electronics, seafood and agricultural products, and has become an increasingly important partner for the US in the Asia-Pacific region. Inclusion on the watch list does not entail sanctions or indicate currency manipulation. Rather, it reflects the US governments interest in monitoring macroeconomic and exchange rate policies that could affect trade imbalances. Viet Nam has been on the list since 2019. According to US officials, continued monitoring underscores the need for transparency and dialogue in financial and monetary policy between the two countries. Experts also view it as an opportunity for Viet Nam to reinforce its commitment to stable and market-based macroeconomic management. A country is placed on the list if it meets at least two out of three: a goods trade surplus with the US of at least US$15 billion, a current account surplus above 3 per cent of GDP, and persistent, one-sided foreign exchange intervention. China remained a central focus of the report. Though not labelled a manipulator, the Treasury warned of its lack of transparency and signalled possible tougher action if Beijing is found to be intervening, whether officially or otherwise, to suppress appreciation of the renminbi. This marks the Trump administrations first strong stance on currency issues since returning to office. Japan and South Korea remain under close watch due to past interventions and sustained trade surpluses with the US. Taiwan and Singapore were included for meeting current account and foreign exchange criteria, while Germany continues to appear on the list due to its long-running current account surplus, despite the eurozone monetary policy being set by the ECB. Ireland was newly added for its rising high-tech and pharmaceutical exports to the US, and Switzerland re-entered the list following a surge in its trade surplus, particularly in gold and pharma. VNS HCM CITY Viet Nam needs a clear and transparent legal framework, including policies to support private enterprises to thrive as outlined in a recent National Assembly resolution, speakers said at a business forum. Speaking at the Viet Nam Economic Forum themed Private Sector: Removing Barriers - Assigning Responsibilities, Dr. Tran Du Lich, former director of the HCM City Institute of Economics,, said the key message of Resolution 68 is to remove barriers and assign responsibilities to the private sector. Lich said it was vital to accurately evaluate the financial capacity and execution capabilities of businesses. He called for the engagement of independent consultants and national advisors for major projects. Its important to assess investment capital and technology in accordance with international standards. Tran inh Thien, a member of the Prime Ministers Policy Advisory Council, said despite challenges, the private enterprises are resilient and a strong to contribute to the economy. So expanding opportunities for this sector would render the ambitious target of achieving 8 per cent economic growth, or higher, attainable, he added. Tran Anh Dung, CEO of Hung Hau Development JSC, said it was vital to reform administrative procedures to create a supportive climate for businesses. He advocated for policies and an ecosystem that supports small and medium-sized enterprises, which are essential for future growth. Phan inh Tue, chairman of Bamboo Airways, recommended several specific support mechanisms for transitioning household businesses into formal enterprises. Nguyen Quoc Ky, chairman of Vietravel Group, noted the inadequate investment in innovation and connectivity among businesses as a major hurdle to competitiveness. Ly Kim Chi, chairwoman of the HCM City Food and Foodstuff Association, called for the establishment of clear responsibilities among government officials. He urged a shift in mindset to recognise businesses as equal partners, advocating for the elimination of regulatory barriers. Legal frameworks Lawyer Truong Thi Hoa highlighted the importance of reviewing outdated legal frameworks that hinder business growth, noting the key role of legal security in fostering a conducive business environment. With an objective of reaching 2 million enterprises by 2030, she said that the private sector is important for innovation and economic growth, as outlined in Resolution 68. To ensure sustainable growth, it is essential to prioritize non-criminal resolutions in legal matters and focus on supporting businesses through inspections and guidance. She recommended investing in the training of civil servants to uphold ethical standards and support the public and business communities. Limiting business inspections to once a year and conducting surprise checks solely for clear violations are viewed as positive developments, reassuring businesses that inspections are intended to assist rather than penalise, according to Hoa. We should continue refining our Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code to establish a supportive legal framework, enabling businesses to invest, innovate, and grow with confidence, she noted. Viet Nam last month passed a resolution on private economic sector development (Resolution 68), which sets the stage for a vibrant future for entrepreneurs and businesses nationwide. The Resolution 68 envisions the private sector as the leading driver of the economy, with a target of two million businesses and 20 large companies engaged in global value chains. By 2045, the private sector aims to grow to three million businesses, contributing over 60 per cent to GDP. VNS HCM CITY French fashion designer Julien Fournies haute couture collection dazzled HCM City fans at the opening night of the Aquafina Viet Nam International Fashion Week (AVIFW) Spring/Summer 2025 on Thursday. Fournie, a member of the Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (Federation of Haute Couture and Fashion), presented 29 designs for both men and women from a memorable collection to celebrate his 50th birthday, named First Circus. The collection is inspired by characters from movies, comics and music of the 1990s, such as superheroes, princesses and circus performers from his childhood, creating a mesmerising visual symphony where reality and fantasy intertwine like a dream. The designer showed Vietnamese fashion lovers the sophistication and modern elegance of couture designs, highlighting their craftsmanship and artistry. Fournie created his own fashion house, bearing his name, in Paris in 2009. Just four seasons later, the Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode admitted him as a guest member in the prestigious official French Haute Couture calendar. In 2017, Fournie achieved the ultimate distinction when he was officially awarded the coveted Haute Couture classification. Addressing the opening ceremony, VIFW President Le Thi Quynh Trang said: Ten years ago, when I first began this show, I didnt know that it would be a destination. I just acknowledged that if I kept going the path would appear. Today, my vision is clear. "Stepping into a new era of Vietnamese fashion, our goal is to build a fashion industry with a unique cultural identity, turning Viet Nam into a country with a developed fashion industry. Trang also expressed her gratitude to designer Fournie for attending AVIFW Spring/Summer 2025. The designers presence here shows that Vietnamese fashion has made huge progress and gained recognition from the world. Trang first met Fournie ten years ago and invited him to present at VIFW 2015. She has participated in several shows by the designer at Haute Couture Week events in Paris and sent models to perform in his shows. To mark the new era of Vietnamese fashion, Trang once again invited Fournie to Viet Nam to offer fans an opportunity for a magnificent and magical fashion experience. AVIFW Spring/Summer 2025, with the theme 'Pure Style Shines', introduces the latest collections by 16 international and domestic designers. Participants include Alberto Zambelli from Italy, Frederick Lee from Singapore, and Le Thanh Hoa and Vu Viet Ha from Viet Nam, as well as brands like Behati from Malaysia, Moral from Indonesia and Happy Clothing from Viet Nam. Vietnamese designer Le Thanh Hoa, who was chosen to open the fashion week, presented his collection called The Light of Water, highlighting designs inspired by the purity, flexibility and intrinsic strength of water. Hoa, who is known for designing dresses for pageant contestants at Miss Viet Nam and Miss World Viet Nam, combines moving water droplets with pure light to create transformations and show the continuity of water flowing under the sunlight. Alberto Zambelli from Italy also presented his collection, Silence, on opening night. The collection represented East-West harmony with loose tunics, stylised jackets and coats, evening gowns and suits in neutral colours, and high-quality materials such as thick cotton, cool wool, soft cashmere and denim. AVIFW Spring/Summer 2025 is ongoing at the Nguyen Du Gymnasium in HCM City's District 1 and will run through June 8. VNS LAO CAI An international travel mart is currently underway in the northwestern province of Lao Cai, featuring 130 stalls and delegations from 120 travel agencies representing more than ten countries and territories. In his opening address on June 5, Standing Vice Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee Hoang Quoc Khanh said that the mart's theme of connecting green aspirations reflects Lao Cais commitment to sustainable development, with a focus on natural ecosystem conservation, waste reduction, clean energy, and renewable resources. Running until June 8, the event is expected to provide a platform for establishing partnerships and attracting more visitors to Lao Cai in the future. Pham Van Thuy, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, suggested that for Lao Cai to achieve sustainable tourism development, the province should focus on selective investment and attracting strategic investors in tourism infrastructure and eco-resorts. This would help build Lao Cai as a safe, secure, and environmentally friendly tourist destination. The mart also includes promotion activities, the introduction of tourism-related products, vouchers, souvenirs, and services offered by Thai enterprises, as well as by Vietnamese tour operators for the Sunworld Fansipan Legend cable car service, the Rong May glass bridge tourist area, and the Cat Cat tourism area in Sa Pa. Additionally, a number of activities are set to take place, including a seminar on connectivity for green tourism development, as well as a trip and press tour. In recent years, many of Lao Cais tourism products have become well-known, securing the provinces position on both Vietnams and the worlds tourism maps. In 2024, the province welcomed over 8 million visitors and generated nearly VN27 trillion (US$1.03 billion) in revenue. Ray Riches* A decade ago, I stood in the sweaty, bustling ward of a hospital in HCM City and looked down at the perfect little angel who had just arrived into the world. Her name would be Soc, and she has forever held a special place in my heart. But Soc is becoming a rare part of Viet Nams future, as birth rates continue to decline, especially in urban areas. On the other hand, many older foreigners are looking to move to Viet Nam to enjoy their retirement years. Pending changes to visa regulations, the so-called 'Golden Visa' has excited many, as their dream of living in Viet Nam may soon become a reality. Soc is now nine years old and has one younger brother. This is far from the norm in Viet Nam, where couples increasingly prefer to have only one child or none at all. In fact, the birth rate in Viet Nam is at an all-time low, posing a real challenge for the countrys future economy. Looking at the broader picture, Viet Nam due to its war-torn history has a lower-than-average number of elderly people (over 65). With an estimated two to three million deaths during the war, the population was significantly impacted, resulting in one of the youngest average ages globally over the past 50 years. Those who lived through the war years, particularly post-World War II to the mid 1970s, commonly had four or five children. Couples marrying in the 1970s and 1980s typically had two or three. Today, that number has dropped to around 1.9. In real terms, there has been a 45 per cent decline in the 25 years since 2000. Yet, the population continues to grow. This is the paradox of Viet Nam. The exceptionally low number of elderly people means the death rate is also low compared to other countries. As a result, the low birth rate is still enough to sustain and even slightly grow the population. Net migration in Viet Nam is consistently negative, with more Vietnamese leaving the country than entering it to live. Additionally, immigration policies common across many Asian countries mean that population growth through immigration is very low. Still, the population has grown from 87 million in 2010 to 101 million in 2025. However, the net increase in the past year was just 600,000. This figure is heavily influenced by the low number of deaths among the elderly, making it somewhat artificially high. Looking ahead, families that had four or five children between 1945 and 1975 are now ageing. These larger generations are entering the stage of life where mortality increases, meaning Viet Nams death rate is expected to rise significantly over the next 20 years and beyond as a higher number of people reach this age group. That net population growth of 600,000 may soon turn negative unless younger generations begin having more children or immigration increases. This is where retirees come into the picture. If foreigners are allowed to stay in Viet Nam long-term, they could help fill the homes and apartments left behind by older Vietnamese nearing the end of life. This is not related to net population, but more about the economy. The reality is that young Vietnamese are moving to cities in pursuit of higher incomes. Regional centres and rural areas are experiencing significant population declines, as the best education and job opportunities are concentrated in major urban hubs. There are now stories of older Vietnamese abandoning small farms that are too small to attract corporate buyers and too remote to appeal to locals. Their children, having studied in the cities, now work for big companies and have no interest in returning. With no buyers, the elderly simply walk away from their farms, relocating closer to medical services and relying on financial support from their children, who often earn 10 to 20 times what their parents did. Theres a lot to unpack here. But the shifting population dynamics offer a unique opportunity: foreign retirees could become an economic lifeline for regional Viet Nam. Retirees from abroad typically dont want to live in bustling cities like HCM City or Ha Noi. They seek a quieter life, and cities like Vung Tau, Quy Nhon and Hoi An are among the many coastal towns where foreigners are choosing to settle. The exciting part is that these communities may grow significantly in the future. With more long-term foreign residents in regional areas, these coastal gems could benefit from a steady cash injection, encouraging some younger Vietnamese to stay in their home provinces rather than move to the big cities. Foreign communities also often boost tourism. Retirees frequently invite family and friends to visit, promoting local tourism in new and meaningful ways. Its a win-win situation that could positively impact GDP, even as the overall population begins to decline. And thats the bottom line. Like all nations, Viet Nam faces the challenge of maintaining positive GDP growth. The past decade has seen tremendous economic expansion, and this momentum must continue through smart planning and careful management of the population. Global brands increasingly choose Viet Nam as a manufacturing hub. While current issues with the US are challenging, there are signs that Viet Nam may emerge stronger than many of its Southeast Asian neighbours. Of course, the elephant in the room is the birth rate. How can any country encourage young people to have more children? Across the Western world and in nearby countries like South Korea and Japan this issue has become a major concern, with serious implications for domestic GDP. Some countries, like Australia, have long relied on skilled migration to address labour shortages and support population growth. But this isnt a one-size-fits-all solution. Japan, for example, has resisted large-scale immigration as a strategy for future development. Ultimately, two key factors place Viet Nam in a uniquely strong albeit challenging position. First, decades of economic growth have left the country in better shape than many others. Second, Viet Nams strong leadership means that the tough decisions and planning required for the future will likely be made with the countrys best interests in mind, even if they bring significant changes. I believe that in the near future, Vietnams population may dip below 100 million. But this wont have a major impact on daily life. With both short- and long-term plans already in motion, the country is well positioned to manage these challenges and ensure that communities continue to thrive just with fewer children than a generation ago. This is a global issue, and many countries are in a far worse position than Viet Nam. I truly believe that Viet Nam and Japan will become textbook examples of population management over the next 100 years. Lets see how it goes. VNS *Ray Riches lives in HCM City and works as a teacher and freelancer. Apart from teaching, he is a keen runner and bicycle adventure rider. After ten years in Viet Nam, Ray has a love and passion for the smaller things and enjoys sharing his experiences with people all over the world. By Johan Ndisi, Ambassador of Sweden to Viet Nam Today, on June 6, 2025, we celebrate Swedens National Daya time of pride, reflection and unity. Its a day when Swedes everywhere come together to remember the key moments that shaped our country and the values we stand for. As Swedens Ambassador to Viet Nam, Im honoured to share the meaning of this special day and celebrate the strong and growing relationship between Sweden and Viet Nam. A day of national pride and reflection Swedens National Day marks two important events in our history. The first is when Gustav Vasa was elected King on 6 June 1523, starting Swedens return to independence through a secession from the Kalmar Union, a union between the Kingdoms of Sweden, Denmark and Norway. The second is the adoption on 6 June 1809 of a new constitution, which strengthened democracy, equality and good governance. This was done by making the principle of separation of power a centrality by creating greater distinction between the legislative, judicial and executive power. These events are not just historythey are part of who we are as a country that values freedom and fairness. Since it became an official holiday in 2005, the National Day has been a time for Swedes to celebrate our culture, people and traditions. Across the country, people join flag-raising ceremonies, concerts and parades. It is also a special moment when new citizens are welcomed into our society, showing Swedens openness and inclusive spirit. This day is also a chance to think about Swedens role in the world and the important friendships we sharelike the one with Viet Nam. This partnership has stood strong over the years and continues to grow in todays changing world. An historic and lasting partnership Sweden and Viet Nam have a unique and long-standing relationship. In 1969, Sweden was the first western country to establish diplomatic ties with Viet Namduring a difficult time. This showed our belief in peace, solidarity, and open dialogue. Over the past 56 years, our partnership has grown from development assistance into a broader relationship built on trade, innovation, and shared goals. Today, Sweden and Viet Nam are not just partnerswe are trusted friends. We work together on many important issues, including sustainable development and digital technology. Our cooperation reflects shared values of resilience, teamwork and finding smart solutions for the future. Highlights from our partnership Several recent events show how strong our relationship is. One example is the Swedish documentary Victory Vietnam, which has reached over 30 million viewers in Viet Nam. This powerful film about April 30, 1975 reminds us of our shared history and the deep respect that connects our countries. Another highlight is the recent important announcement of a planned investment by the Swedish company Syre in Binh inh Province. This project supports Viet Nam's green development and shows how Swedish companies bring innovation and sustainability to help tackle environmental challenges and grow the economy. Companies like ABB, AstraZeneca, Ericsson, H&M, IKEA, and TetraPak continue to be active in Viet Nam. They create jobs and support innovation in sectors such as healthcare, energy and infrastructure. These companies are more than investorsthey are partners in Viet Nam's journey towards a greener and more sustainable future. A stronger economic future Trade is a key part of the Sweden Viet Nam relationship. In a world facing many challenges, Sweden and Viet Nam both believe in open and rules-based trade. By continuing to work together, we can help build a stronger, greener and more stable global economy. Thanks to the EU Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), businesses from both countries have more opportunities to grow and work together. This agreement creates predictability and lowers barriers to trade which actually means greater economic growth for both Europe and Viet Nam. One example is that tariffs on vehicles from the EU will be completely eliminated by 2030 from around 70 per cent when the agreement came in effect; reducing prices for Vietnamese consumers that would like to drive a Swedish car. The heart of our relationship While trade and technology are important, its the many people-to-people connections that make our partnership special. For many decades, Vietnamese students, doctors, engineers, journalists and artists have come to Sweden to study, work and share ideas. Many have brought back valuable knowledge that helps Viet Nam grow, and deepens the many personal bonds between our countries. Ive had the pleasure of meeting many hundreds of Vietnamese alumni from Swedish universities. They represent just a small part of the thousands of Vietnamese students who have studied in Sweden over the yearsa powerful reflection of the deep and enduring educational ties between our two nations. At the same time, many Swedish professionals have found Viet Nam to be a vibrant, creative place full of opportunities. These exchanges have created a rich and lasting friendship between our peoples. Looking ahead As we celebrate Swedens National Day, we also look ahead with hope and confidence. The upcoming visit of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to Sweden on June 1213 is an important moment. It will not only confirm our strong ties, but also lead to new partnerships in areas like green innovation and digitalisation. During the visit, we expect meaningful meetings, new agreements and joint projects that will benefit both countries. Sweden sees Viet Nam as a key partner in solving global challengesfrom climate change to public health. Together, we can create strategic partnerships and new opportunities for our people. A message of thanks On this National Day, I want to sincerely thank the people of Viet Nam for your friendship and cooperation. The relationship between our nations is built on trust, respect and a shared vision for progress. Im confident that as we continue working together, our partnership will become even stronger. I also encourage everyone to follow the upcoming visitit will be a meaningful step forward in our relationship. More than a diplomatic event, it reflects our shared commitment to a better prosperous future. To all Swedes in Viet Nam, I wish you a happy National Day. Lets celebrate our history, honour our achievements, and look forward to the possibilities ahead. Together, Sweden and Viet Nam will continue to be strong partnersand a positive force in the world. HA NOI Quang Ninh Province needs to build a lean, efficient and effective two-tier local government system. President Luong Cuong told the province leaders during a working session at the Presidential Palace on Thursday morning in Ha Noi. The working session discussed the implementation of the 11th Plenary Resolution of the 13th Party Central Committee, particularly in relation to the drafting of key documents and personnel planning. He underscored that the restructuring of local administration must be carried out with discipline and clarity of purpose to ensure streamlined operations, greater efficiency and enhanced effectiveness. It must strictly follow the Government directives and adhere to the approved plan, with strong leadership and tight oversight. Cuong told the province to focus on maintaining transparency and fairness throughout the reorganisation process. "Personnel appointments at all levels must reflect merit and suitability, putting the right people in the right roles," he said. Selected officials must have an innovative mindset and a willingness to take responsibility for bold decisions that serve the common good. They must also be capable of managing operations across a wide area under the new model. Cuong also instructed the province to step up inspection and supervision of the implementation of the Resolution. He also called for robust measures to improve financial and public asset management, aiming to prevent wastefulness, losses and corruption during the transition. With preparations underway for Party congresses at all levels, he urged the province to thoroughly review and refine all congress documents. These must incorporate the Party Central Committees latest strategic orientations, particularly regarding political reports, Party building, the 2021-2030 socio-economic development strategy, and the five-year development plan for 20262030. He also emphasised that congress documents should reflect the collective wisdom, will and aspirations of the province. On personnel matters, he emphasised the need to combine ideological, organisational, and policy approaches in resolving issues concerning civil servants and public employees affected by the restructuring, especially those who are no longer eligible for re-election. All support must be in line with regulations, and emerging challenges must be swiftly addressed. He insisted that the reorganisation must not disrupt the ongoing operations of Party and Government agencies or affect citizens and businesses. Socio-economic development targets must remain a top priority, with efforts focused on achieving the provinces established growth objectives. Notable achievements At the meeting, the provincial Party Standing Committee presented a report on the progress made in implementing the 11th Plenary Resolution. According to the report, the provinces leadership has taken a proactive, comprehensive and resolute approach, ensuring timely and in-depth deployment. The dissemination and study of the Resolution have been conducted rigorously, with creativity and effectiveness across all levels. The restructuring of commune-level administrative units and the formation of a two-tier local government model have been executed decisively and methodically, in line with guidelines, timelines and procedural requirements. The restructuring plan was meticulously developed, earning overwhelming support from voters, over 99 per cent in favour. Public consultations, discussions at all levels of Peoples Councils and the passage of implementation resolutions were handled with transparency and strict compliance. Quang Ninh aims to complete preparations and launch the pilot two-tier local government model by June 15, with full implementation from July 1 this year. Operations of local agencies have remained stable during the transition and preparations for the new model are being finalised to ensure smooth and effective functioning. Support policies for affected staff have been well-organised, transparent and targeted, helping to stabilise morale and foster a broad consensus among the workforce. Quang Ninh has also made major strides in digital transformation. A new operations management system has been rolled out across Party organisations, while efforts to digitise records and improve public service delivery have been ramped up. The province has promoted AI literacy and digital skills among officials through training campaigns, deepening the impact of its 'Digital Literacy for All' programme. On the economic front, Quang Ninh continued to post impressive growth, with the first quarter's GRDP rising by 10.91 per cent, surpassing projections. Authorities at all levels have proactively developed quarterly growth scenarios and taken measures to resolve bottlenecks in public investment, planning, land clearance and land use conversion. The investment climate, administrative reform and public and business satisfaction levels have remained among the best nationwide, cementing Quang Ninhs role as a key growth driver in northern Viet Nam. The provincial Party Standing Committee has revised its 2025 growth target to over 14 per cent, up by two per cent from the Governments benchmark in Resolution 25/NQ-CP, marking the highest projection to date. President Luong Cuong commended the provinces proactive, responsible and creative approach in studying and implementing the 11th Plenary Resolution. He acknowledged the broad consensus and unity achieved across the Party, involving officials and local communities. VNS HA NOI The Viet Nam Coast Guard and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have agreed to deepen collaboration, covering education and capacity-building. At a reception for Kobayashi Yosuke, Chief Representative of the JICA Office in Viet Nam in Ha Noi on Thursday, Lieutenant General Le Quang ao, Commander of the Viet Nam Coast Guard expressed confidence in the Japanese officials continued contributions to fostering the strong partnership between the two countries, particularly between the Vietnam Coast Guard and its Japanese counterpart. The two sides discussed cooperation areas and potential in maritine law enforcement, with an emphasis on enhancing maritime safety and security. A major focus of the discussions was the progress of the project Maritime Security and Safety Capacity Improvement Project in Viet Nam, which includes the building of six patrol vessels for the Vietnam Coast Guard, funded by Japanese ODA loans. Both parties affirmed their commitment to working closely to accelerate project implementation and improve Viet Nams maritime law enforcement capabilities. With regard to the non-project cooperation programme on training and capacity building for the Vietnam Coast Guard, they agreed to hold two training courses in 2025, one from September 713 at the Command of the Coast Guard Region 3, and the other from December 713 at the Command of the Coast Guard Region 1. Lt. Gen. ao highlighted the strong and growing relationship between the JICA Viet Nam Office and the Viet Nam Coast Guard, noting that their practical and effective cooperation has deepened over time. He expressed hope that, in his role as Chief Representative of the office, Kobayashi will continue to promote cooperation principle between the two sides. VNS